The night in Magnolia settled after a brief clamor, and the Fairy Tail Guild's giant red banner waved silently in the night breeze.
A warm glow seeped through the cracks of the Guild's tall doors and windows, dispelling a small patch of darkness from the porch.
Inside, after losing the boisterous main young members, the hall seemed much emptier, yet the lingering warmth of "home" still flowed within.
The smell of alcohol had not yet completely dissipated, and the faint scent of food intertwined with the warmth of wood, forming a unique background noise for Fairy Tail.
By the bar, Wakaba and Macao idly wiped glasses, their fingers unconsciously caressing the wooden surface, betraying a hint of imperceptible heaviness.
Alzack and Bisca sat at a corner table, quietly checking the warehouse inventory list, the rustle of a pen across paper exceptionally clear in the silence.
Grandma Porlyusica sat in an armchair far from the crowd, her eyes slightly closed, her large medicine box never leaving her side.
Mira handed the last glass of warm milk to a listless young member in the corner, maintaining her signature gentle smile, but beneath that warmth lurked a worry, her gaze occasionally drifting towards the tightly closed main door.
"The old man took the kids to such a dangerous place..." Wakaba mumbled in a low voice, breaking the excessive quiet.
"Don't worry so much, Wakaba," Macao glanced at him, feigning ease, but his voice also lacked its usual swagger. "EZ, Erza, and the others aren't pushovers, and with Cana and Marcus, those two clever ones, they won't suffer any losses."
Just as Mira was about to offer some words of comfort—
ZZZZZT!!!
A sharp, teeth-grinding sound of space tearing, like cloth being ripped apart right by their ears, exploded in the center of the hall without warning!
Immediately after, that patch of air seemed to be gripped by an invisible giant hand, intensely wrinkling and shaking!
A point of pure, ultimate emerald green light flashed out of nowhere, instantly expanding into a dazzling ball of light, as if absorbing all the light in the entire hall!
"What is it?!"
"Enemy attack?!" Alzack shouted, blue light flashing around him, and a pair of huge twin guns, inscribed with complex magic patterns and glowing with an eerie blue light, instantly appeared in his hands, their muzzles almost instinctively pointing at the light orb!
Bisca's reaction was equally swift; she raised one hand, and a precisely designed, heavy magical gun, gleaming with the cold light of steel, unfolded its stand on her shoulder, its dark muzzle flashing with charging blue light!
Wakaba and Macao also pushed their chairs back and stood up abruptly.
"Protect Grandma Porlyusica!"
WHOOSH—!!!!
A wild, pure, ancient, yet also withered and desperate spatial magic swept out like a tsunami! The hall was as if struck by a hurricane!
Light glasses on the bar, scattered papers, and feathered decorations in the corner were violently flung away!
Several wooden stools near the center groaned in protest, twisted and deformed by the invisible pressure!
"Stop it!!" Mira shouted, her superhuman perception allowing her to grasp something deeper amidst the terrifying explosion—an ultimate will to protect and an overwhelming sorrow!
"This isn't an attack! It's a teleportation! A forced spatial teleportation!!" She quickly assessed, and simultaneously, her figure flashed, blocking in front of Grandma Porlyusica.
Grandma Porlyusica's cloudy eyes were now shining brightly, fixed on the dazzling core: "Powerful life force... no, it's residual... a magical aura with traces of protection! Step back!"
Her voice was old but filled with unquestionable authority.
The emerald light orb, after expanding to its maximum, suddenly collapsed inward!
It emitted a huge hum, like distant thunder rolling.
Plop.
The light dissipated, and the traces of space tearing smoothed out rapidly as if ironed.
Only a messy scene in the center of the hall remained, and... dust and magical embers slowly drifted down.
The lights refilled the space, swaying, illuminating the small figure in the center.
A slender, fragile girl, like glass, was curled up on her knees on the ground.
She looked only twelve or thirteen, small as if a fragile toy.
Her sky-blue hair clung messily to her paper-pale little face, streaked with muddy tear stains.
Her faded old dress was covered in dust and scorch marks from magical erosion, its hem torn.
She clutched a pure white winged kitten tightly, her arms trembling.
The kitten, Carla, was equally disheveled, fur bristling, her pink eyes scanning the strange surroundings in alarm, her tiny wings slightly spread, instinctively protecting the girl in her arms—Wendy Marvell.
"W-woo... w-woo..." Wendy's throat emitted broken sobs, like the wails of a dying young animal, large tears splashing onto the cold wooden floor.
The immense grief and sudden change, like an invisible giant hand, choked her heart, making her unable to even think about where she was, only knowing to cling to Carla, her only real touch.
"Wen... Wendy! Listen to me!" Carla suppressed her own alarm, using her body to support Wendy's tottering frame, her voice urgent but with a glimmer of discovery, "This... this is different! I... I feel it! So many, so many warm auras! Very powerful! Very united! No malice!"
The Exceed's keen spiritual perception allowed her to clearly sense the vast and warm collective will emanating from within this huge building, formed by the intertwining of many powerful souls!
Although now startled by this sudden change, appearing wary and sharp, the core temperature was like a lighthouse in the darkness, completely different from the pure, cold malice of the night of Cait Shelter's destruction!
Shock.
Absolute shock froze the entire Fairy Tail Guild hall.
Wakaba's mouth hung open, his cigarette butt falling to the floor unnoticed.
Macao's eyes were wide as saucers.
Alzack's gun-wielding hand was awkwardly suspended in the air, leaving only a stunned expression.
Bisca slowly lowered her gun-holding hand, looking with confusion at the small figure and the strange little beast in her arms.
This bizarre entrance, this tragic state, this desperate cry... all of it was beyond their comprehension.
"Mira! Grandma!" Alzack was the first to react, looking towards the center of the area.
Mira had already appeared beside Wendy like a gentle breeze.
She knelt on one knee, her movements incredibly soft, quickly checking Wendy's condition.
Her gaze sharply swept over the pale, bloodless young face, the small face covered in dust and tear streaks, and the burns and bruises on her arms and calves left by the violent spatial energy.
"Life signs are still good... but her mind has suffered a devastating impact! Her magic circuits are extremely chaotic! This cat has also endured immense pressure..." Mira's voice was very low, carrying a strange power that could soothe chaos. "It's okay, little girl, you're safe. This is Fairy Tail, it's our home, no one will harm you."
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