I might extend this fic a chapter or two past the week's prompts. If I do, I'll sandwich them between day 7 and day 8.
Day 6: Evolution
Seven years later, Lahar could no longer call himself the same person he had once been.
After what had happened with Fairy Tail, he'd thrown himself into his job with new vigor – or was it more accurate to call it desperation? Regardless, there had been many more failures over the years. But there had also been a great number of successes. Lahar found himself the youngest Head Captain of the Custody Enforcement Unit in the Rune Knights' history.
He was well on his way towards making a name for himself as a fair person, his methods having evolved along with his outlook on the guilds. No longer did he rush to lay the blame for conflicts on those just trying to do the jobs they were hired for. This was a side effect of leaving everything to the guilds to handle in the first place.
Lahar had not abandoned his sense of justice entirely, but now that he had the power to do so, he had begun to direct it inwards, towards the Magic Council itself. Corruption and abuse was rooted deeply into the organization and Lahar couldn't stand the thought of holding both them and the Rune Knights above the laws they were supposed to be enforcing. It made him unpopular with certain factions, but almost revered by others.
It didn't hurt that it had been a relatively peaceful seven years.
Until Fairy Tail's return.
The second they reappeared, by some miracle or act of the gods themselves, the continent had become embroiled in a plot to reverse and halt the flow of time itself. It was as if the world itself had held its breath until their reappearance.
Still, Lahar had heaved a sigh of relief that they were safe after all this time. He suspected shenanigans, but he was willing to overlook it this time. The Rune Knights – and most especially Lahar himself – had failed in their duties seven years ago on Tenrou Island, and the mages present on that island had subsequently lost seven years of their life.
As for himself… Lahar didn't consider the sleep he lost over his failure at Tenrou pointless, even in light of Fairy Tail's return. It had been a life-defining moment for him, and had he had made himself into a better person for it.
Lahar didn't plan to let them return to their former reckless abandon, however. The Rune Knights were almost a wholly different organization now, the Head Captains of other units following suit with Lahar's example. They were now much more efficient at peace-keeping than they had been, and although they were fairer, they wouldn't tolerate the same level of mischief as before.
Doranbolt, however, had suffered incredibly over the past years. His resigning from the Rune Knights appeared to have untethered what little stability he'd had after the incident on Tenrou Island. Lahar was pleased to be able to welcome him back to the fold, though – after eliciting a promise from the man that he'd seek help over the alcoholism he'd fallen into as a coping mechanism.
It was a strange happenstance that, while working with the Royal Knights in setting up the annual security measures for the Grand Magic Games, Lahar found himself with an invitation to be a guest judge on the third day. He also overheard that Fairy Tail was deep in training, in preparation to join in on the games to restore their reputation.
He stepped up all of his security measures immediately. If Lahar was going to be in attendance in such prominent view, then he was going to do his best to prevent the inevitable chaos that would occur thanks to the rambunctious guild.
Oddly, Lahar found himself looking forward to seeing their faces.
And wondering if Lucy Heartfilia would be competing.