Magnolia.
Chase walked alone through the bustling streets, a faintly glowing card in his hand. He didn't particularly mind being out in the open, but Makarov had given the order that until they had a clearer picture of the situation, everyone else should remain inside for the time being to avoid unnecessary commotion.
Inside the card, Lucy and the others were observing their surroundings through the card's unique perspective, their eyes filled with wonder and curiosity as they took in the environment. Though the general layout and scale were largely as they remembered, there were still many noticeable differences.
Slightly worn-down public facilities, partially renovated buildings, expanded and rerouted city rivers. Even the local residents walking past Chase carried a strong sense of unfamiliarity.
"It really is a different world, Carla! Look, that used to be a dessert shop, but now it's a tavern!" Wendy pointed at a brand new store by the roadside.
"No way! Their strawberry cake was absolutely amazing!"
Erza wept bitterly, as if the sky itself was falling, launching into a frantic analysis. "Did they go out of business because sales were bad? No, if there's another 'me' here, she definitely wouldn't be able to resist that flavor! Could it be the same setup as the Magic Warfare Captain in Edolas? No, no, no—"
"My, my, Erza really does love her sweets, doesn't she~" Mira laughed.
Lucy, meanwhile, noticed a small boat slowly gliding down the river. "Huh? Is it just my imagination? Why does the boatman look like he's aged so much?"
Every time she left the guild and walked along the riverbank back to her rental apartment, that old man would always remind her to be careful, so he had left a fairly deep impression on her.
"This smell is strange. It's a lot like Magnolia, but there's something off about it that I can't quite put my finger on..."
Natsu shoved his nose forward, sniffing wildly, then his eyes suddenly lit up. "Got it, Happy! Let's go on an adventure!"
"Aye!"
With that, he and Happy, both brimming with excitement, tried to charge out of the card—
Only to be flattened by a giant fist that came smashing down.
"Idiots! Did you not hear what I just said?! Do you have any idea what kind of situation we're in right now?!"
After disciplining Natsu and Happy, Makarov withdrew his fist and fixed his serious gaze on the cityscape outside—familiar yet foreign at the same time.
From Chase, he had already learned that they had indeed traveled to some parallel world similar to Edolas, and that Dark Magician had a way to get them back. Under these circumstances, the best course of action was to wait patiently.
But was it really that simple?
Makarov narrowed his eyes slightly, vaguely noticing the truth behind Magnolia's strange changes.
Due to the "Gildarts Mode" fluctuations, the mayor had once told him that they planned to expand the river and strengthen transportation infrastructure over the next few years.
Meanwhile, Chase, walking along the street, wore a slightly disappointed expression.
Although the state of Tenrou Island had already been enough to confirm things, he had still held onto a faint hope: perhaps this "future" world, like Edolas, might have similar doppelgangers of themselves.
But judging from the locals' completely indifferent reactions upon seeing him, there weren't.
This really was the original timeline's world!
"Hah..." He let out a quiet sigh.
The black fans—no, wait, the residents of Magnolia—suddenly being so unenthusiastic was honestly a bit hard to get used to.
Lucy, standing inside the card, immediately saw through him and called out loudly, "Shouldn't you be happy about that?! Chase, what exactly are you feeling so disappointed about?!"
Her loud voice carried directly through the card to the outside, causing nearby passersby to stop and turn around.
When they saw that the voice had come from a muscular, tall man, they first froze in surprise, then quickly grabbed their children's hands and hurried away.
The good news was that Chase had finally seen the familiar "disgusted" expression on the residents' faces.
The bad news was that this time, the disgust was real—he had been mistaken for a pervert.
"Lucy!"
Makarov shot Lucy a fierce glare, then turned to glare at a certain naked man. "And you, Gray! Put your clothes on right now!"
"What?! When did that happen? Did that bastard Chase do something to me?!" Gray exclaimed in shock.
Juvia seized the opportunity to declare that she was ready to be "open and honest" with him.
The others, never ones to miss out on a good show, started bickering amongst themselves.
Watching this, Makarov held his forehead and let out a heavy sigh. No matter where they went, they always caused a commotion. Who on earth did these idiots learn from?!
Not a single one of them could be trusted to behave!
Just then, Chase happened to pass by a building with two demon statues at the entrance and a mage guild sign hanging above it.
BAM.
With the stench of alcohol wafting out, several mages stumbled out of the building.
"How dare they do that to us at 'Twilight Ghost'! We need to teach that damned third-rate guild a lesson!"
A man carrying a spiked club muttered to himself, swaying unsteadily as he walked—clearly drunk.
"Let it go, Tippo. That guild isn't something we can push around anymore. Even Master Barnabost was—"
His companion tried to dissuade him, but Tippo snapped back furiously, "Go to hell with that 'let it go'! This isn't over!"
"All the strong ones are gone! There's nothing left but old people, women, and kids in that guild! What's there to be afraid of?!"
"But Makarov is still there—"
"Then I'll beat up that old man too! I've had it with him for a long time!"
With that, Tippo grimly unslung the spiked club from his back. He had barely taken two steps forward when he suddenly realized the sky had gone dark.
A giant, at least three stories tall, now stood before them. His white beard stood on end, bristling under the surging magical power, radiating an overwhelming pressure.
"Kid, that 'damned guild' you're talking about—wouldn't happen to be Fairy Tail, would it?" The giant Makarov gazed down at them with sharp, piercing eyes.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have paid any attention to such insignificant nobodies he had never even seen before. But when it came to the safety of his guild's children, that was a different matter entirely.
Even if it was only an alternate world's guild, he couldn't stay calm!
Well, that probably answered the question of who Natsu and Gray had learned from.
"M-M-M-M-M—"
The sudden appearance of the giant figure scared Tippo sober in an instant. The spiked club clattered to the ground, and he nearly fell to his knees crying for his mother.
No, actually he already was crying for his mother—not that calling for his mom, or even his dad, would do him any good.
After a friendly little chat with these men, along with the master of Twilight Ghost who had been sitting inside the guild drinking tea, Makarov and the others finally learned the state of this alternate world from their tearfully moved mouths.
This was actually the year X791—seven years into the "future"!
And what's more, Fairy Tail had fallen from grace and had long since been driven out of Magnolia!
***
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