Finally, after all the time, the seven years arc now begins!

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Chapter 126

Team Tenrou Returns

It is now the year X791. Seven years had passed since Tenrou Island mysteriously disappeared. Things in Magnolia had drastically changed since then. Ever since the disappearance of Natsu and the others, including Willy, things have slowly changed for the worse. Because of what happened, the guild slowly began to shrink and dwindle until there was only a handful of members left. The members that remained were Macao, who was now the fourth guild master, Wakaba, his advisor, Nab, Jet, Droy, Max, Warren, Laki, Alzack, Bisca, Reedus, Vijiteer, and Macao's son, Romeo.

Because of their guild being so small and being the only members left, they were on the brink of bankruptcy. The guild was forced to move their base of operations at the edge of town in a small tavern. A tavern that was provided by Twilight Orge, which was now the guild that represented Magnolia. But however much the people of Twilight Orge provided for Fairy Tail to keep it from collapsing, they forced the dying guild to make payments every month. Thibault and his thugs would usually come randomly in raids and would let his members wreck the place and bully the members.

And as if that wasn't enough, the members of Fairy Tail were also desperately trying to find Tenrou Island as well as their friends, while they endured their struggles. They had numerous organizations donate their time to help them, including a few other guilds they knew, like Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, and even Tu-Chi joined the search, but sadly, they couldn't find any clues. It seemed that terrible times with Fairy Tail would never end.

However, all that changed one day when Blue Pegasus stopped by at Fairy Tail. Thanks to some extensive searching, research, and using the data from Hibiki's Archive Magic to survey the Ethernanno levels throughout, they had reason to believe that Tenrou Island still existed, and managed to find its location. A team comprising of Alzack, Bisca, Max, Warren, Jet, and Droy were sent out and were now at sea searching for the island. So far, they could see nothing but the blue ocean.

"Are you sure we're looking in the right area?" Bisca asked, surveying the sea with binoculars.

"I don't know," replied Alzack. "Although, it does seem to be a bit odd that we haven't seen anything yet."

"This was where the guys at Blue Pegasus told us to go," said Max, as he gazed at a map. "They said there was something up with the ethernano levels. Speaking of which, what is ethernano anyway?"

"Heck if I know, I think they're magic particles from what I heard," said Warren as he surveyed the area while holding his fingers to his head.

Max then looked back at Warren. "Are you having any luck with your telepathy?" he asked.

Warren sighed. "No. I'm not picking up anything at all."

Bisca then gazed back out towards the sea, a look of melancholy on her features. "You know, guys; I'm starting to regret leaving Romeo behind. The poor kid's been through a lot since they all disappeared. Including Willy."

"Me too," agreed Alzack. "Maybe we should have taken him along with us."

Warren shook his head. "Nah. It's better this way because there's no guarantee that they're still alive. It's the grim truth, so there's no point in getting our hopes up. Of course, there are some people more hopeful than others."

He then looked disdainfully at Jet and Droy, who were both dancing and cheering around the boat feeling very happy.

"We're going to see Levy!" Jet and Droy cheered. "We're going to see Levy!"

"Would the both of you shut up?!" Warren yelled, crossly. "Didn't I just say not to get hopeful!?"

Jet and Droy immediately stopped dancing and went silent. Warren regretting his outburst lowered his tone.

"Look, you two, it's been seven years since we've last heard from them," Warren scolded. "I know you want to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but we've got to consider the worst-case scenario."

"We know," said Jet sadly.

"Sorry, guys," apologized Droy.

There was a long silence, the only sound being the sea breeze blowing against the sails, when suddenly the breeze stopped, and in turn, caused the boat to come to a complete stop.

"That's odd," said Bisca. "Why did the wind stop blowing?"

"Not only that, but it's gotten eerily quiet," said Alzack.

"And there's no birds flying around either," added Jet, while gazing upwards. "Not a single seagull to be seen."

Max then happened to gaze into the distance of the sea, and saw something strange and unexpected. At first, he thought it was a mirage, but he could see it as clear as day. Several feet away standing above the water, was a person.

It was a little girl who had long flowing blonde hair that reached to her feet with wing-like ornaments, had peach-pale skin, and green eyes. She also wore a frilly pink robe, with blue diamonds lined a darker shade of pink.

"Hey, guys. Do you see that?" Max wondered, feeling amazed as well as spooked as he pointed. "There's a person over there, or am I going crazy?"

Everyone looked in the direction Max was pointing, and they could see the little girl too.

"No way. There is a person over there," said Jet. "And they're standing on the water!"

"But how can that be?" Bisca asked. "And who is that?"

The little girl looked up, seeming to gaze towards them, and gave them a gentle smile. She then raised her hands, spreading them wide, and at that moment, the sea around her began to glow in bright golden light as its waves began to grow turbulent. Everyone on the boat held on for dear life, and it rocked and jolted in the raging water. Then something rose in the water. It was big, massive, and encased in a golden sphere of light bearing the symbol of the Fairy Tail guild. As soon as it fully rose up, the barrier disappeared, fading away, revealing what laid inside of it, an island with a large tree that bore leaves that shone like gold. Everyone's mouths were agape as they watched this incredible phenomenon knowing well that this island was despite their first time seeing it.

"A-Alzack! Is that what I think it is?!" gasped Bisca.

"Yeah, I think it is!" Alzack cried.

"It's Tenrou Island!" yelled Max.

The little girl then turned around and began hovering towards the island going past the beach, and heading into the forest.

"Hey! That girl! She's heading for the shore!" cried Warren.

"Let's follow her!" yelled Max.

WILLY'S POV

Tu-Chi has told me that death was something like a permanent sleep that you can't wake up from, and you can't feel anything. Well, I felt a lot of things when I started to wake up. I could feel a small breeze blow through my body, as the feeling began to return to my body. I slowly opened my eyes as I let out a groan, realizing that I was lying on the ground face down. Coughing a little as a bit of dust got caught in my throat, I tried pushing myself off of the ground.

"What's... what's going on here? What happened?"

"No way! Is that who I think it is?!"

"It can't be! I thought that he disappeared seven years ago! Is this a trick?"

"I don't know, but we got to help him. Come on!"

I then heard the sound of two male voices that seemed familiar. As I managed to sit up in a seating position, I felt a hand touch my back, supporting me as I looked up towards the person holding me up. To my surprise, it was a young man with black hair which should have been slick, but now was a bit short and had an antenna. He also now wore a green tunic with four yellow buttons with pale sleeves. While he did look different, it didn't take me long to recognize who it was.

"W-Warren Rocko?" I inquired doubtfully. "Is that you?"

The man then smiled and nodded as he helped me to my feet. "Yes. It's me, Willy."

When I was back on my feet, I looked back up towards Warren and couldn't help but feel surprised to see him in his new attire. There was also someone else with him, one I recognized but looked completely different as well. Instead of having his usual bowl-cut styled brown hair, he instead had his hair grown a bit longer and even had some stubble on his chin. He also wore a brown vest over a black shirt, and had light brown pants and shoes.

"Wait... Max? Is that you?" I asked incredulously. "What the heck happened to you?! Since when did you change your style? You look so mature."

Max could only stare at me, his eyes filling with tears. Then before I had a chance to react, he embraced in a tight hug, catching me by surprise.

"It's a long story," Max choked out. "We're just... glad that you're back along with everyone else!"

Then I suddenly remembered, memories of what happened before coming back into my mind. "Wait, what happened to everyone else?" I asked urgently. "Is everyone okay?! I remember us standing in a circle trying to get a barrier up to protect us from Acnologia, but then everything's..."

"Everyone else is fine. The others waiting for us just a bit over that clearing," said Warren. "Come with us."

The three of us then walked together until we made it to a clearing. In that clearing, the rest of the others were there, along with a few other people I knew, but were completely different.

Master was getting tackle hugged by Jet along with a very fat Droy, the two of which were weeping with joy. Bisca was hugging a very stunned Erza as the cowgirl laughed/cried. A very older Alzack was talking to happily to Laxus along with the Thunder Legion.

"Hey, you guys!" called Warren. "Look who we found!"

Everyone then turned their attention towards me, and I gave a wave. However, upon seeing me, Jet, Droy, Bisca, and Alzack's mouths were agape as they stared at me.

"No way! It's Willy!" cried Jet.

"What the heck is he doing here?!" exclaimed Droy. "I thought he left Magnolia seven years ago!"

"Wait, seven years ago? What are you guys talking about?" I asked. "First of all, I was here on Tenrou Island the whole time. Why would I leave Magnolia? Secondly, how did you guys even get here? And why do you all look so old and different?"

"There's no need to be so panicked. I promise you that I can explain everything," said a feminine voice.

Upon hearing the voice, I looked up, and on top of a cliff, I saw a little girl that had long flowing blonde hair and wore a pink frilly dress and was also bared-footed. She also had strange wing ornaments in her hair and had emerald green eyes that seemed to draw me in. When I saw her, I immediately was on guard and was ready to summon my swords, when Warren stopped me by grabbing my shoulder.

"Take it easy, Willy," said Warren. "She's on our side. That's the first guild master of Fairy Tail, Mavis Vermillion."

I first looked at Warren, giving him a surprised look before turning back towards the little girl. "No way! She's the first guild master?! But she's a kid!"

"Hey, show a little respect, would you?" scolded Max. "We couldn't believe it either, but she's the real deal."

Then Mavis explained everything.

"Back when the dragon attacked, I was able to convert everyone's bonds of friendship and trust into pure magic power," she began as she looked at each and everyone one of us. "All of your bonds were so strong, that one of the three grand fairy spells was activated, Fairy Sphere. It is an absolute defense spell that's capable of protecting the guild from all things evil. Those that were inside of Fairy Sphere were in a state of suspended animation for about seven years until now."

"My word. To think that we'd be saved by the founding Master of Fairy Tail!" Makarov said gratefully. "We owe you our thanks, First Master."

Mavis shook her head as she smiled as she began to radiate in golden light. "No. I'm nothing more but an ethereal body," she said, gently. "I had to use whatever magic energy I had left to convert your bonds into magic power. Unwavering convictions and your love for one another brought about this miracle. You should be proud of the guild you built, Third Master. They're wonderful."

And in a brilliant flash of light, she vanished without a trace. As soon as she was gone, I looked back towards the others feeling bewildered.

"So, we've been stuck inside of a spell for seven years?" I asked everyone. "Is that way everyone else looks so different now?"

"It would seem so," said Erza.

"Man, just when you think things in Fairy Tail couldn't get any crazier," said Lucy. "But that's our guild for you."

"Say, we should get back to Magnolia!" said Max. "Everyone's going to freak when they see you guys!"

"I agree," said Makarov. "It seems as though we've been away for quite some time, and I believe that we should check on the guild to see what's become of it."

We all walked out of the forest and onto the beach, finding a boat waiting for us. Once we were all boarded, the ship was on the move and was on its way back to Magnolia. As everyone else talked to each other, I leaned against the rail of it, staring out into the horizon, letting the sea breeze tickle my skin, thinking about everything that had just transpired.

"Something on your mind, Willy?" asked a voice.

I looked to my right to find that Mira had suddenly appeared next to me before looking back towards the sea.

"I'm just can't believe it is all," I said to her. "Seven years have passed apparently. To us, those years have passed in a matter of seconds, but to everyone else, I can't imagine how long it's been for them. Not to mention, they seem to think that I was there seven years ago and left Magnolia. I have so many questions that need answering. But most especially, I'm wondering how things are with our friends and loved ones, and how much everything's changed."

"I know what you mean. I'm still feeling a bit overwhelmed things myself," said Mira. "But they're still the friends that we've come to know and love, and nothing else can ever change that."

Mira and I then looked back towards the others who were either talking, fighting, or having a good time laughing.

I then smiled. "You do have a point there," I said. "Fairy Tail will always be Fairy Tail, no matter how much we change. I'm just hoping that nothing else crazy or weird happens to us from now on. Right now, I'm looking forward to getting back to Magnolia and taking a break."

"I'm with you on that one," Mira said with a smile. "I could use a bath too. I feel all dusty and dirty after laying on the ground."

"Then why don't you jump into the sea?" I suggested jokingly. "It is practically one big bath."

Mira laughed lightly, pushing me with one hand. "Oh, shut up, you. Unlike you, I prefer bathwater rather than seawater."

The two of us shared a laugh as we continued, and we continued to talk to each other about what we would do when we got back to Magnolia.

Soon enough, we arrived at the port of Hargeon, had taken the train, and were now walking. Soon enough, we could see the town in sight as we walked down the path. It hadn't changed all that much despite the time that passed — everything from Kardia Cathedral from its buildings. I was looking forward to seeing the guildhall after what seemed to be such a long time, but then Bisca and the others headed towards the other direction from the city on a different path, which puzzled me.

"Hey, guys. Where are you going?" Natsu asked Bisca's group as he pointed towards the city. "Magnolia's that way."

"We know," said Max bitterly as he squeezed his hands. "But unfortunately, Fairy Tail isn't stationed in Magnolia anymore. There's a new guild Magnolia now. Twilight Orge."

At the mere mention of the name, the entire group appeared to be angry and a bit sad.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Lucy. "And why would there be a new guild instead of Fairy Tail?"

"It's a long story," said Warren. "But we'll explain everything once we get to the guildhall. Although, you should brace yourselves. It's a far cry from what our old one was."

We all walked along the path going into the forest until we came to a small hill with a building on top of it. It was tinier than the original one, had a small tower that had looked like a windmill with tattered fans with a Fairy Tail banner on it, and at the entrance was an archway that had the words Fairy Tail on it, but the L was hanging on the edge appearing ready to come off.

"This is the guildhall?" I wondered.

"It would seem so," said Mira.

Then as we approached the entrance, we heard some voices.

"...I'm not going to let you guys disgrace Fairy Tail's good name!"

"Sorry, kid, but the name's already been disgraced! You could train hard your whole life, but there'll still be no way you'll beat me!"

Natsu and I then entered in time to see a large man with a club, who stood with four others, about to hit someone just in front of him. Natsu immediately intervened, kicking the man with the club square on his back, sending him flying inside, and slamming into the wall before hitting the ground. The four other people that were there looked back at us.

"Who in the hell...?!"

Almost immediately, Gray using his Ice Make Magic, instantly froze one, Gajeel using his Iron Dragon Club decked another square in the face, Erza using her sword took out the third with a quick and sharp swipe, and finally, Makarov enlarged one of his hands to slam it on the last one. The resulting attacks made dust flew everywhere, masking ourselves for a brief moment. When the smoke cleared up, a small laugh escaped Natsu's lips as stood at the entrance.

"Hey, you guys, we're home!" announced Natsu.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting!" added Happy.

"This guild building appears to be a bit small," Makarov complained. "We're going to need a bigger one than this."

I then looked around at the people inside of which I recognized to be the other Fairy Tail members, who were staring at us like they saw ghosts. Wakaba and Macao were much older than before, but hadn't changed much. Laki, Nab, Vijeeter, and Reedus hardly changed that much either, albeit a couple of changes. The only one who probably changed a lot the last time I saw him, was a little boy who I knew to be Romeo. He had grown quite a bit, and now wore clothes a bit similar to Natsu's for some unknown reason.

I then took notice of the man with the club getting back up to his feet, and walked over to him. The man with the club looked up, and when he saw me looking down at him, his eyes went wide, almost going out of their sockets.

"N-No way! Willy Falconer?! What the hell are you doing here?!" he exclaimed. "I thought that you skipped town for good!"

"Well, I don't know what you heard, but that is nothing more but a big exaggeration," I spoke while gazing coldly at him. "Now, if you and your friends know what's good for you, you all better hail tail it out of here, unless you'd want to get on Fairy Tail's bad side."

And to prove that I meant business, I clenched my fist and cloaked it with water while cracking my knuckles. The man's face immediately went pale, and he scrambled away along with his friends.

"You'll pay for this!" I heard him yell. "I swear to it!"

I then glanced back towards Macao and Wakaba, who stared at me with their mouths agape along with Romeo.

"I don't believe it!" gawked Macao.

"There's no way!" Wakaba squawked, his cigar falling out of his mouth. "Is this a dream or something?"

I then smiled. "Nope. You're not dreaming, you two," I said. "Team Tenrou's back, and boy do we have a story to tell you guys."

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Dragoman, signing off!