Darwin, in the form of "Imaginary Take Over: God Ankhseram," lifted the curse from Zeref's body.
At the exact moment the curse was lifted, Zeref's body began to undergo a transformation. The power of death accumulated over the past four hundred years erupted all at once in this single moment. His form first became transparent, then scattered bit by bit into Ethernano, eventually disappearing completely, leaving not even his clothes behind. This Black Wizard, who had left a legendary name and countless sins in the history of magic, finally achieved his wish and reached the end of his life.
Darwin gazed at the spot where Zeref had vanished, his face etched with exhaustion. He felt as though he had aged several years in an instant. Yet, the afternoon sun remained dazzling, warm, fierce, and intense.
...
Half a year later, the exchange student team concluded their studies at the Fairy Academy and returned to the Royal Capital Magic Academy.
Another year passed, and Descartes finished his academy life to become a full-time wizard. Joining Fairy Tail alongside him were Serena, Ur, Silver, Bluenote, and Layla, as originally promised. Their arrival brought drastic changes to a guild that had previously been on a downward trend.
After the battle that eliminated "Tartaros," the magic world witnessed the strength of the new generation of wizards. The dark guilds that had once run rampant across the Kingdom of Fiore went into hiding, fearing they might be purged at any moment. When the great tree falls, the small saplings that relied on it vanish as well, afraid to show their heads. The magic world of the Kingdom of Fiore thus entered a period of peace lasting a year and a half.
The "Seven Kin of the Holy Knights" became even more famous during this process. Now, with the entire group choosing to join Fairy Tail, it inevitably attracted a massive amount of attention.
Setting aside how the outside world changed, undercurrents were surging within the guild. Ordinarily, the addition of powerful comrades should be a good thing; everyone from Master Makarov down to the new generation like Macao and Wakaba welcomed it. However, some people simply couldn't stand it—their hearts were darkened and blinded by jealousy, unable to watch Descartes' faction grow so large within the guild.
Indeed, that person was Ivan!
Ivan Dreyar, son of the current Fairy Tail Master Makarov and grandson of Yuri, one of the "Original Fairies." Perhaps inheriting his ancestors' genes, Ivan's strength was not poor. Originally, among the guild's younger generation, only Gildarts and Descartes could decisively defeat him, making him one of the most elite.
However, the arrival of Serena and the others instantly pushed him out of the top tier, dropping him from "third in the guild" to "seventh" or even lower. The focus of the comrades no longer rested on Ivan; instead, they cared about how strong Serena's Dragon Slayer Magic was, how magnificent Ur's Ice-Make was, how Silver's Ice Devil Slayer Magic showed its power during demon purges, and how many people Bluenote could carry while flying.
This group of "outsiders" stole almost the entire spotlight of the guild. Furthermore, they were all Descartes' good friends and teammates, naturally carrying the label of "Descartes' Faction." This made Ivan deeply resentful of them.
Ivan had never liked Descartes. If one were to ask why, it was because he had lived in Descartes' shadow since childhood! Ivan had been a man of heavy ambition for power since he was young. Since the age of six, he had harbored the ambition to become the next Master. In his view, since his father was the current Master, it was only logical that he should succeed him!
But when Descartes appeared, Ivan felt threatened. Descartes' magical talent was higher, his strength was greater, his mind was sharper, his background was deeper, and he was more handsome... everything was perfect! Descartes' existence was like a mountain standing in front of Ivan, one that he could hardly move no matter how hard he tried.
Most importantly, Descartes also intended to compete for the position of the Fourth Master. Given their talent, strength, background, and character, anyone in the guild would judge Descartes to be the better choice over Ivan. From that point on, Ivan saw Descartes as a thorn in his side and his greatest rival for the Master's seat!
Now, with Descartes graduating from the Fairy Academy to become a full-time wizard—surrounded by so many powerful "helpers"—how could Ivan possibly restrain himself? Consequently, for a long time afterward, Ivan constantly targeted Descartes, both openly and covertly.
Descartes quickly sensed Ivan's malice. However, considering Ivan was a fellow guild member, Makarov's son, and had a child, Laxus, who was not even a year old, Descartes chose small punishments and warnings or "called the parent," letting Makarov take him back for discipline.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, three years passed. During these three years, Fairy Tail regained the prestige it held during Weston's era, becoming as influential as the sun in the Kingdom of Fiore. Descartes' reputation in the magic world grew louder, and his prestige within the guild reached new heights.
Ivan's situation was the exact opposite; not only did he repeatedly make mistakes at work, but his wife also filed for divorce. Under the dual blow to his career and love life, he became quite decadent. Seeing this, those in the guild who originally supported him turned to support Descartes instead. Thus, Ivan's jealousy and hatred toward Descartes grew even heavier.
In the year X764, after Layla finished her studies at the Fairy Academy's middle school, she chose not to pursue further education but instead left school to devote herself fully to the work of a wizard. In the same year, Ur and Silver married and gave birth to a daughter, Ultear.
From birth, Ultear suffered from "Magical Overload Disease". To put it simply, the magic power in the wizard's body is too strong for the weak physical constitution to handle. Clinical manifestations include persistent high fever and weakness in the limbs, occurring mostly in children. Ultear was thus plagued by illness, nearly losing her life several times.
In the original timeline, the mother and daughter ended in tragedy due to misplaced trust, ignorance, and lack of money. However, in this life, Ur not only had a wide network of contacts and a full purse, but even Brain—the head of the research institute who tricked her in the original timeline—had become her teacher. Everyone worked together and spent half a year finally curing Ultear's illness.
Not long after, Laxus suffered from the same condition. This time, however, Ivan proposed a solution he had heard from somewhere: "implanting a Dragon Lacrima to treat the overload." Even though he couldn't be sure if the method was feasible, Makarov, wishing to try anything, sought help from Chris.
Years ago, when Chris, Darwin, and Erza traveled the Northern Continent, they had hunted several dragons and turned their hearts into Dragon Lacrimas. Those Lacrimas were later kept in their collection, neither used nor sold. Now that Makarov had a request, the three were naturally not stingy given their decades of friendship. Fortunately, the method of implanting the Dragon Lacrima proved effective, and Laxus was finally saved.
In the year X766. To seize the position of the Fourth Master, Ivan secretly hired a mercenary guild to kidnap Layla as a hostage, intending to assassinate Descartes. However, the plot was eventually exposed, and Ivan defected from Fairy Tail.
Makarov was heavily struck by this, resigned from his position as the Third Master, and simultaneously appointed Descartes as the Fourth Master. At the end of the year, Descartes and Layla married. The following year, they had a daughter and named her Elsie.