''Honestly, of all the unpleasant...'' Erza groused as the gates of Era loomed ahead. ''...the only reason the Council was able to arrest Jose and those who sympathized with him so well is Hope's warning. Yet all they do is exploit him in return...''

''Come on, we've been through this.'' Loke chided lightly. ''You know why it has to be this way.''

''That doesn't mean I have to like it.''

The group of Hope, Endymion, Loke, Lisanna, Erza and Gray were on their way to meet Yajima for details about their new job. Almost two weeks had passed since the battle with Phantom, which they spent most of which either resting, working on repairing at the guild or taking jobs.

''You heard Laxus, it's basically the guild's reputation backfiring on us.'' Gray wasn't exactly pleased with this either but he didn't want to make things harder for Hope. Not only had the boy patiently explained why things went down this way, he was among those who soothed the others' ire. The young man honestly didn't think he could've taken this so well.

''It's only for the week, Erza.'' Hope added helpfully. ''The guild avoided any repercussions and now the Council's helping us fix things back home. We'll have the guild building back up and running sooner than later.''

Erza appreciated that he was trying to look at the positives but...''It's still quite unfair to you. You're the reason their plan to stop those bastards worked and why we know some of them had no troubles making deals with dark guilds. Yet here they are trying to take advantage of your hard earned reputation, it's disgraceful.''

''Hold on, the Phantom members...?'' Loke started.

Gray blinked ''Oh, yeah-you weren't there when we heard. Remember how we found out about the town with the staff? Well it turns out that wasn't the only time they caused trouble like that. A few of them even made deals and favours with dark guilds to gain power, I guess they got away with it thanks to Jose's influence. By the time the Rune Knights made it, most of Phantom was scattered and they picked up the stragglers.''

''It seems they chose to keep a low profile to avoid attention but the knights were gathering information here and there. They wouldn't simply cross a wizard saint so being in Phantom Lord ensured their protection. Arresting those members helped the Council put a stop to a number of the deals.'' Endymion added.

Put like that, Loke thought it emphasized Erza's point even more. No wonder the others had grown more upset in the last couple of days. This prompted him to clarify that Hope and Endymion if they really were all right with this.

''You all know how I feel about the Council.'' Yup, the phoenix's disdain was still there. ''But I accepted the deal since Hope did and it does benefit the guild.''

Hope nodded ''It's not the best plan but we're making the most of it. I'm really grateful you guys came though, I'm not sure how I'd handle it all otherwise.''

''Well, it's a good thing that was already a given, huh?'' Lisanna returned his smile with one of her own.

''Actually, I meant to ask-Loke, where exactly have you been? You've certainly been making yourself scarce recently.'' Erza remarked.

Gray missed him stiffening ''Yeah, no kidding-I think this is the most we've seen or heard of you all week.''

''What? Ah, you know-just keeping busy same as everyone, really!'' He was very clearly not looking at anyone. ''Come on, let's go!''

They were all too used to this sort of avoidance from Loke, usually when the matter of his past came up. Endymion exhaled ''...One of these days, he's got to learn that he isn't convincing anyone.''

Gray nodded, Lisanna's brow furrowed ''I wonder what's wrong...''

Hope held back a wince as Loke went past them, startled. It took him a moment to recognize the empathy magic acting up, eyes following the obvious source. While they were used to Loke's easygoing front, looking back he always seemed to avoid the issue of his past.

Not that the boy didn't understand, it had taken a lot out of him to tell them everything. And yet the accident that revealed his fragmented memories along with his long time guilt had driven to that point. But he trusted everyone in Fairy Tail, the guild was the only place he had to call home in so long and he didn't want to hide it from them.

For so long, he'd been convinced that he was just a burden, that he would bring people nothing but trouble. Sometimes he still felt that way, he just couldn't help it. But this was why he chose to tell them everything-he felt they deserved the truth. However, they wouldn't accept any apology, instead thanking him and praising him for his courage. He wasn't it was courage considering his motivation but their acceptance meant far more than he could ever say.

The empathy magic reacted to powerful emotions. What he sensed from Loke may as well be a maelstrom compared to the front he tried to present. But, what on Earthland could cause this?

Loke would ask them for help if he needed it...wouldn't he?


On their way to through Era to the Council HQ, the group was slowed down by a number of people who were looking to greet the familiar faces among the group, mostly Erza, Hope and Endymion who had been to the city quite a few times over the years.

While the three were receving well-wishes in general, it quickly became clear that some Erza's fans and admirers, among which presented her with a number of items and lavish praise.

''Here we go again...'' Gray smiled wryly. ''...wonder what the poor things would do when they find out what she's really like.''

''Don't say it like that, sure Erza isn't perfect but she's beautiful inside and out.'' Lisanna chided.

''I'm kidding, I'm kidding.'' He lifted his hands in a surrender fashion. ''Well, mostly...you gotta admit it'd be pretty funny.''

''Okay, now that just goes without saying.''

Gray snorted while Loke chuckled ''No arguing there.''

Both glanced back at Lisanna's pleased hum, her eyes on Hope as he addressed some of the crowd. ''I know they've been to a whole bunch of places but it's really good to see they've got friends in their corner even here.''

The sight of one of the men ruffling Hope's hair and extracting a promise to stop over to visit his family again only seemed to reinforce the statement. A shopkeeper wanted them to stop and have a look at his new wares, believing they'd like the stock. Overall, the two may not have been here in some time but the people were clearly glad to see them. The circumstances that brought the team here were irksome but they certainly weren't about to complain about this.

Minutes later, they entered the Council HQ. It quickly became evident that a number of those passing by were watching them with no small amount of apprehension.

''The worst part is, I can't even blame them.'' Lisanna sighed.

''I can,'' Erza harrumphed. ''They have no business being so rude.''

''Yeah, somehow I don't think most of us have much room to talk when it comes to manners...'' Loke believed Laxus had summed the situation up quite well. Generally, they didn't pay the guild's reputation much mind but that didn't mean this mindset was void of consequences.

Gray was inclined to agree, he still remembered the job that led to them discovering Phantom's scheme. The town had only been in such a state because Erza had gotten careless, after all. Hope approached a couple of employees passing by ''Excuse me, have you seen Yajima-san anywhere? We were supposed to talk to him about a job but we can't find him.''

''Oh, right-he said something about that...'' One of them stopped to think. ''...he might be in the library, I know he was researching something before.''

Thanking them, the boy rejoined his friends. It took them a few minutes to find that the man was indeed there, surrounded by books. Yajima looked up as he heard the door ''Oh, hello everyone! Good to see you all, have a seat.''

Exchanging greetings, the man walked up to them ''Thank you for coming. Sorry you had to look for me, I completely lost track of time.''

''That's all right, Yajima-san. I apologize if we disturbed you.'' Erza offered.

''Oh, don't worry about that...'' He waved a hand. ''...it's always nice to see you all. I do enjoy hearing more about my old guild, you seem to be doing quite well.''

''We are. Present circumstances excluded, of course,'' Endymion stated.

Loke nodded ''You can play it up all you want but this really just comes down to the Council wanting to take advantage of our friends. And they're not even being subtle about it.''

Yajima wasn't surprised, this wasn't the first time he'd heard such displeasure. Not that he would blame them. ''I know. Believe me, we weren't happy about this either. Logically, it makes sense. Knowing a Wizard Saint, a wizard we approved of turned out to be such a foul character has been a blow to both the public and the Council. It's even more poignant if you consider Phantom's history and reputation. A number of people are beginning to question our choices in the past and knowing about all those dealings is beginning to cause unrest. That's where having someone like the White Paladin comes in. The prodigy who helped so many out there over the years, making many friends along the way, just seeing that hero reaching out to others should prove reassuring.'' He smiled at the blushing boy ''I know you don't agree, Hope-kun but the fact is your deeds speak well of your character. It's exactly why people would be happy to see you.''

Hope had heard this before but that didn't make it any less embarrassing. He'd only even started being a freelance mage because he wanted to make his way out in the world. Then he chose to help out others who needed a hand. He didn't feel like a hero and he definitely didn't expect to make such an impact. ''It still feels like you're exaggerating, Uncle...''

The Councilman laughed ''I thought you'd say that. Well, let's agree to disagree. Anyway, about the job-we want you to gather ores from Tigna City up north, specifically the valley beyond it. We plan to use some of the proceeds to help the victims of Jose's schemes.''

Gray certainly wasn't about to complain about that ''Well, why didn't you say before? What else can you tell us about this?''


Nothing much happened until they arrived, which was when they came across a surprise...

Erza stopped at the sight of a familiar male ''Wait, is that...?''

''What're you doing here?!'' Gray cried.

''That's my line!'' The man, who was actually none other than Kageyama retorted ''I'm serving my sentence here. I offered to help when I heard they could use someone with magic like mine's here. So far as the Rune Knights are concerned, I'm on probation.''

Erza looked relieved ''Well, you're certainly doing better for yourself.''

''Heh, maybe...I guess you fairies rubbed off on me.'' He smirked for a moment. ''Bottom line is, I'm through being an idiot. I can't make up for the past but I sure as hell can make the present better. The rest of Eisenwald can rot for all I care, any loyalty I had towards them was sure as hell wasted.''

''Glad you get it now.'' Gray nodded ''But I guess you're the odd one out then, huh?''

A snort ''Yeah, pretty much. Last I heard, most of the idiots are still locked up and swearing they'll make everyone pay...the one I'm not sure about is Erigor.''

''What do you mean?''

''I heard a bunch of rumours but nothing's clear, apparently he just up and vanished. No idea if that's true but hey, the knights may be warming up to me but they're not exactly eager to share news about them either.''

That was fair. Kageyama may be working to prove himself but they likely had their doubts.

''What're you all doing here anyway?''

The former dark mage was left gaping a moment later ''You're the White Paladin?! I mean, seeing what you pulled off, I can believe it but...damn, somehow I pictured you bigger.''

''You and about fifty percent of the people we meet.'' Endymion drawled

''No surprise there-I mean you've been doing this stuff since you were like what, ten?'' Kageyama wondered.

''Eleven, actually.'' Just like Endymion, Hope was completely used to people reacting in a similar manner. It had been over three years after all.

A thought occurred to him ''But you weren't surprised at all when we mentioned Jose, Kageyama-san, does that mean...?''

''Oh, that-yeah, I don't even know who he was kidding. Guy's been shady since day one. Phantom's been just a couple of steps away from a dark guild after he became the master. Pretty sure he's smart enough to avoid any trouble and being a Wizard Saint gave him plenty of room to pull off his schemes.''

Erza's earlier indignation returned ''And the Council still has the gall to pull this even after all what happened...? It's reprehensible!''

Kageyama's clear confusion prompted Lisanna to give him a quick recap. ''That's a load of bullshit-typical politician move. You're handling it better than I expected, kid.''

''I don't see the point in complaining and so long as this helps the guild...''

''Gotcha, good attitude though. Anyway, I'd better get moving. Last thing I need is one of them cracking down on me now.'' Kageyama turned to leave.

Gray looked amused ''You'll be fine. Good luck.''

''Oh...ah, yeah-same to you.''


After some information gathering, the group headed out to the valley where their quarry was.

Erza led them forth, keeping an eye on the map which had the ores' locations marked. ''This way...''

''Say, I was wondering-what actually happened this morning?'' Lisanna asked Gray ''I just saw you and Happy laughing and Lucy was dragging Natsu away by the scarf. She said something about responsibility...''

''Oh, that...'' He snorted ''...she's actually been doing decently well gathering up money, especially when we get to minimize property destruction...''

''And we all know who we have to thank for that.'' Loke put in slyly, shooting Hope an amused look.

Gray rolled his eyes but didn't refute it. ''...anyway, last time, Flame brain ticked the client off so much that even fixing up the damaged stuff didn't help at all. So he refused to give the reward and really cut down the money, Lucy's got her rent money sorted for the next two months but she had her eye on this collection of books from one of her favourite authors. It was only going to be in the shops for a few days and there wasn't enough time. Guess she decided she might as well get the idiot to take responsibility. I'm just wondering if he's going to make things worse.''

''Don't be so pessimistic.'' Erza chided lightly.

''To be fair, Erza, that did happen before.''

Endymion's reminder made her sigh ''Well either way, owning up to his mistakes is the least he can do and-hm?'' She picked a strangely colored stone that caught her eye ''...Ah, I thought this was one of those on the list but apparently not...''

''It's so pretty though!'' Lisanna's clear interest prompted the amused knight mage to pass it over, eliciting her thanks. ''Wonder what it is...''

Endymion gave it a once over ''It seems the locals weren't exaggerating; this valley's resources are impressive. I believe that's Vemicite.''

Loke blinked ''Oh, I think I heard of that-one of those magical ores that are believed to be from a different world?''

The phoenix nodded, Gray looking over at the mention of another world. His disbelief must have been obvious as Endymion turned to him ''Just because you don't see something, doesn't meant it isn't there. They do exist.''

Erza was intrigued; Hope had mentioned that the phoenix had been to other worlds back in the day. She couldn't help but wonder what such places were like.

''It sounds fascinating, I think even the guild's library has stories about this. My favourite is the one about Serenea, it sounds amazing.'' Lisanna mused.

''Serenea?'' Gray echoed.

Loke quirked a brow ''I would've thought everyone at the guild would have known about that one given its origins.''

''It's the realm of fairies.'' The former looked at Hope in surprise ''Many years ago, fairies were said to have lived all around Earthland. But they were forced to leave after a disaster that claimed many of their lives; they all went back to the land of their origins, Serenea. The story goes that the land and its fairies were never seen again.''

''Huh, how about that...'' Gray looked curious ''...wait, so what's this disaster? Seems a bit vague.''

''At the time, people abused magic so much that it nearly led to the world's destruction. Memoria magic is just the most famous example because of time travel.'' Loke chipped in. ''There's loads of theories about the cause only it's been so long that few really know for sure, magic was going haywire everywhere. That disaster was so terrible that the voids of time began falling apart. Without the Altair's interference, the world would've been in ruins.''

''You know, I heard about those voids but I've never actually been clear on what they actually are...'' Gray admitted.

''It's a general term that refers the record of everything in this world.'' Loke considered his words. ''From my understanding, few are actually sure what it's even like, that's why it came to be known as a void. Some call it a manifestation of time itself. It's integral to our very world-so you can see why the situation back then was so terrible. After all, if time itself falls apart...''

''Gotcha, but man you sure do know a lot about this, huh?''

Loke seemed to falter for a moment, quickly regaining his vigor before anyone picked up on a thing ''It's just something I heard in passing, you know? I've been to a whole lot of places before settling down in Fairy Tail.''

Lisanna hummed in thought ''Gray's right-although come to think of it, you don't so much as hint about your past-we never even know where you came from and it's been years since we met.''

Loke's response was to dismiss it as nothing special didn't really come as a surprise. Generally, people didn't like to bring up the past in Fairy Tail so Lisanna didn't prod further. However, the way he seemed to shrink on himself sometimes was rather odd, especially for someone usually as confident and easygoing as Loke.

Erza, who had been keeping an eye on their map, called for them to stop as they had reached one of the locations of the ores. ''Let's get started!''

''Sure, sure-one question though...'' Gray expected he already knew the answer ''...you already have the equipment we need to dig it out, right?''

''Naturally, there's no such thing as being over prepared.''

Rolling his eyes as she began digging into the mass of luggage she took nearly everywhere ''...Whoever said that hasn't met you.''


A while later, they were found by some flying gargoyle-like monsters, apparently attracted over by the noise from their work.

Erza batted a swooping enemy back ''Keep an eye out for the mineral, they could destroy it!''

''Not a problem...'' Loke put on a black ring before tapping it. A dark purple spell circle appeared above them before a frightening ghostly visage appeared; it seemed to release a wave of force that stunned all enemies in the vicinity. ''...there we go!''

He activated another ring, this one unleashing searing energy beams that destroyed two enemies at once. Hope kicked one, the force of the magic boosting him sending it plummeting down. Light shimmered around his arms and legs as he turned to face the monsters charging at him a second later. He waved a hand and a fast wave of power blew them back before launching a fist at a monster, a fast moving beam blew it back before it struck two more nearby. Hope kicked one into the air before punching into a wall, allowing Endymion to charge in and finish it off.

''Nice! Ice Make: Lance!''

Gray watched in satisfaction as his targets went down, Lisanna backtracked as another pair targeted her. She ducked in time to avoid a swipe from its claws, leaving it to get its arm stuck in the wall. The girl then swiftly transformed her arm into a large beast like shape resembling one of Elfman's forms before grabbing the monster and throwing it into another one nearby. Both were destroyed with a couple strikes from Erza. Lisanna assumed her Harpy take over, blowing more enemies up into the air, allowing the rest to finish them off. The fight continued in a similar manner, the group systematically taking the fiends out and finishing before long.

''You've really gotten better, Lisanna. I don't think even Mira was such a natural with transformation magic at your age.''

The girl beamed at Erza ''Thanks, Elf-niichan showed me a few tricks with his forms. Gotta make the most of what I have, right?''

''Good attitude...'' Gray nodded. ''...and nice work, Hope-you're like a pro when it comes to hand to hand combat now.''

''I had good teachers.'' He'd been a self taught swordsman for a long time. Most of what he did know about combat originally came from what he could read from books and Endymion's advice, and then he just carried on learning from their travels and experiences. It hadn't been easy getting used to hand to hand combat but he'd learned a lot from Gray, Makarov, Laxus and later on, Loke. The last of which had been especially helpful when it came to integrating light magic with the combat.

Although, Hope couldn't help but wonder once again, why Loke never seemed to use such ability when he was so good at it...


A couple of days later, back at Fairy Tail...

''Looks like you had it rough.''

Natsu barely even moved, his exhausted eyes meeting Hope's as he sat across from him. ''You don't know the half of it...it was totally awful.''

''And also entirely your fault...'' Lucy huffed. ''...you just had to get on Mira-san's nerves...''

''How bad was the destruction this time?'' Levy expected she knew the answer but it needed to be clarified.

''Do you even need to ask?'' Her shoulders slumped a little at the memory; the solid script mage patted her back in commiseration. ''At least Mira-san being there meant we didn't lose out on all the money this time...speaking of which, why didn't anybody tell me she could be that terrifying?''

''Would you have believed us?'' Endymion inquired.

''...Fair enough.'' Lucy turned slightly as Happy called Hope over, falling into a quick conversation with him, Mira and Laxus a moment later. ''So I was wondering-things between you guys and Laxus were complicated, huh? It sounds like he and the Raijinshuu just kept to themselves a lot.''

''They were real asses.'' Natsu stated.

Levy shot him a look ''You aren't exactly the picture of manners yourself.'' Ignoring his grumbling, she turned to Lucy. ''That's pretty much on point. Laxus felt a lot of us were way too careless and he had a lot of pressure dealing with being Master's grandson...''

''Ah...'' Lucy knew the feeling far too well, such expectations were among the things she hated the most in her old home.

Endymion took over ''If that wasn't bad enough, a lot of people just dismissed him altogether. It's as if they couldn't see him for who he was-just Makarov Dreyar's grandson. I wouldn't say it excuses his earlier behaviour but I imagine such a thing would weigh on anyone over time.''

''I'll bet, so what happened?''

''Long story short, Hope.'' The phoenix went on to briefly explain about the talk which eventually led to Laxus and Makarov beginning to make amends. ''Of course that night was just the beginning. One thing we never accounted for was them being completely ridiculous.''

''You said it. I remember a couple of times Master tried talking to him before...that was so awkward.'' Levy shook her head. ''One of them just would just say something that would ruin it all together. Endymion gave up after the third attempt but Hope helped them talk things through.''

''Can you blame me?''

Levy giggled ''Nah, it's totally understandable.''

Natsu snickered ''Remember that one time with the dinner, Levy?''

''Oh, god-like any of us can forget?'' She looked at Lucy ''So Master gets the idea to get them together for a family dinner, you know, something to break the ice. But he bit way off way more than he can chew...''

Lucy couldn't help her curiosity ''What happened?''

''Well, according to Gildarts...''


''There, see?'' Makarov gestured to the table where he'd had the dinner prepared. ''Freed just took one look and flat out told me that it wasn't going to work. I don't get it-I even made sure to get Laxus' favourites.''

Gildarts considered that, Freed wouldn't simply say that without good cause. And considering that he was one of Laxus' best friends...

That was when a possibility hit him. ''Uh, Master-just throwing it out there but when was the last time you heard him say he liked this stuff?''

''A few years, I think-what does that matter now?''

''Ever consider that maybe his tastes changed?'' The crash mage already knew the answer. ''I mean, a lot's happened over the last few years and he's a growing kid. It can happen.''

Makarov palmed his face, well that was just great. Freed's reaction was enough to tell how bad this really could go. Now what was he supposed to do?

Fortunately, the answer came in the form of Endymion, who they realized had been watching them the whole time. ''I thought you'd like to know-we're working on that.'' The two started, not expecting that. ''Come along...''

He led them to the kitchen, revealing Freed and Hope, both focused on the pots on the stove. The latter seemed to be telling the former something before he proceeded to take a sample. Neither could hear what they were saying but the way Freed's face lit up told them plenty.

Endymion joined the two in time to hear the rune mage speak ''...excellent. I really have to thank you for this, Hope. I'm sorry it was so last minute.''

''I'm happy to help. It's nice of you to care, you really want this to work too.''

''Yes, well-I know they both want to make amends so I'd like to help things along. They're just absolutely terrible at showing it...''

''Lisanna told me what happened last time. Something about the most awkward time she'd ever seen in the guild?''

Freed pinched the bridge of his nose ''Yes, that describes it perfectly.''

''I have to say, I never realized how accurate the saying about similarities repelling was until I met them.'' Endymion pointedly ignored Makarov's attempt at a protest while Gildarts laughed.

''So, how are you holding up so far? Whatever you've got there smells good.'' He added.

''Quite well, we have just what we need to prepare with Hope's help.''

Soon it was time for the dinner and Laxus arrived. It didn't take him long to notice the food Makarov had prepped earlier, leaving him rather unimpressed. ''Really, Gramps?''

''Shut up, it...wasn't my finest moment...''

A snort ''Well, seeing as I never ate at least half of that since I was around your height, I'd say that's an understatement.''

''You don't have to rub it in!''

It wasn't long before they began quarrelling, making Gildarts wince ''Great, looks like another flop after all...''

The rest of the words died in his mouth as he spotted Hope approaching the pair, placing a couple of drinks at the table before greeting Laxus ''I wanted to thank you for teaching me to use Thought Projection, it means a lot.''

''You already said that.'' The blond reminded, not unkindly. ''And it's no big deal-you handled that pretty well.''

''Thank you.''

This reminded Makarov of something he'd heard earlier ''Huh...so you really are training together?''

''Not really, I just ran into him a couple of times by chance. If those idiots at the guild could be bothered to put in half the effort to train the way they clown about, they'd be a hell of a lot stronger in a real short time.''

Hope looked at him curiously ''Well, I just started because I wanted to learn. Maybe they're just happy this way?''

''That's exactly the problem, kid...'' The two soon fell into a discussion about training. Makarov would occasionally put in his piece but seemed content to simply listen as the conversation flowed.


''And then they just kept talking, Hope tried to think of a bunch of topics at first but from then on it worked out really well.'' Levy finished.

''I can totally picture them being that awkward...it's nice that they're past it though.'' The Celestial mage hummed ''Although, now that I think back, Happy mentioned this Gildarts before...is he really even more destructive than Natsu?''

The dragon slayer huffed, shooting her a look but Levy nodded ''Without even trying, actually...''

Lucy's jaw almost hit the floor moments later ''The whole town was made to move out of his way just because he wrecks stuff? What kind of person is he?''

Happy glanced over at them ''Oh, they're talking about the Gildarts Shift?''

''Well, can't say I blame the newbie. That's about the normal reaction to that headache.'' Laxus drawled.

Mira had to agree, they knew Gildarts well so not much about him fazed them but it would be a bit much to swallow. ''It just makes you wonder how we've become desensitized to things over the years.''

Happy snickered ''You're not wrong, I think it's par for the course with Fairy Tail though.''

''True, I still don't get how that old geezer manages to find more trouble than most of us put together.'' Laxus mused.

Hope couldn't help smiling ''I'm not sure we're meant to find out.''

''Aye, Natsu had a blast that time we went with him.'' Happy recalled, eliciting a snort from the blond.

''He would...''

Mira laughed a bit ''Well, those two get along so well, I wouldn't be surprised if Natsu wants to be more like him.''

''I think that's one of Gramps' biggest fears.'' The others couldn't help laughing at Laxus' statement, not doubting its veracity for a moment.

It was as Mira brought them more drinks that Laxus noticed Hope's eyes roaming the hall, his expression unreadable. ''Chibi?'' Hope blinked and looked back at them. ''What's up?''

''Does your head hurt again? You took Granny's medicine, right?'' Mira received a nod. Porlyusica, a former member of the guild and now their healer, had figured out a remedy to help Hope adjust to his new empathy magic. The first time he was in the guild, he'd been so overwhelmed with all the emotions he picked up that Endymion had to take him home. They'd had to stay away for a couple of days while working on something to help. Endymion figured out a way to lessen the impact of the magic while helping Hope adjust to it.

''Good. But you were acting weird all of a sudden-what were you looking for?'' Happy added.

The boy hesitated, unsure of how to respond. It happened again; the empathy magic reacted to someone. He suspected it had everything to do with the topic of their conversation, which made wonder if he had this right...

He turned to face the person sitting closest to their group ''Cana?'' She looked over, arching an eye ''Just now, you...why were you upset?''

''Eh? What do you mean...?''

Mira looked between the two as it clicked ''Oh, come to think of it-Endymion said your empathy magic would react around strong emotions. Did it react to Cana?''

He nodded ''I'm still getting used to it but just now...Cana was sad.''

It was obvious that the card mage was caught off guard, now uncomfortable with being the centre of attention. ''...Come on, aren't you supposed to ask for someone's permission before you use magic like that?''

''Sorry...''

''Hey, it's not your fault you can't control it yet.'' Happy cut in. Endymion made that much clear a few days ago. Empathy wasn't an easy magic to master, starting off was bound to be troublesome. Both had apologized in advance for any trouble. No one really minded though. It had taken Endymion years to master the ability in his time while Hope had hardly it for a little over a week, difficulties were understandable. He was still working on adjusting to being around them now.

Laxus looked at her shrewdly, noticing the deflection. Mira's expression made it clear she had noticed too ''Why would talk about Gildarts upset you?''

''That's not...'' She wasn't looking at anyone. ''...I don't know what you're talking about.''

Cana knew she wasn't helping her case but she really never saw this coming. Hope's consequent apology for what he wound up causing only made her feel worse. The boy had no way of knowing...

''Is there some way we can help you?'' He added.

The answer came, but not from the expected source ''You most certainly can.''

Makarov approached the group, his expression stern ''Come on.''


The guild master spoke once they were out of earshot ''How long are you planning to keep this up, child?'' He crossed his arms. ''I've known the truth for years; I just wanted you to see you for yourself that you didn't have to keep this up. You just let this secret eat away at you and I'm sick of it. Why do you keep doing this to yourself?''

Cana looked away, Happy spoke up hesitantly ''Uh, Master? What's going on?''

''Cana is Gildarts' daughter.''

The cat yelped in surprise, while the rest stared at Cana in no small amount of bafflement. Mira asking the question they all had in mind. ''But...why keep this a secret?''

''I found out a few years ago, but while I have a few guesses, I couldn't tell you what Cana's thinking.'' He sighed.

Hope glanced from her to Makarov ''He doesn't know, does he? It's hard to believe he'd keep something like that hidden.''

''Yeah, seeing how much he likes kids? I'd be amazed if he could keep his trap shut about a kid of his own this whole time.'' Laxus nodded. ''Well, it's that lech we're talking, he was bound to find himself with a kid one day.''

''...That's about one of the few things I knew about him.'' Cana put in quietly. ''I knew my mom loved him but she always said he'd be too busy with work to settle down. It's why they didn't get married. I've never actually seen him before coming here but I knew he was with Fairy Tail. So when she died...it felt like I just had to meet him. He was actually one of the first people I ran into when I arrived. I knew who he was right away but...I couldn't say it. It wasn't his fault that Mom never told him about me but I just couldn't.'' A sigh ''I figured maybe it'd be easier if I got to know him better but that just made things worse.''

Mira thought it should've been the opposite ''Why? Look how well he's treated us over the years, he'd be thrilled to know.''

The answer came after almost a minute ''It just...it doesn't feel like I'm good enough. I mean, look at me, I'm one of the guild's drunks and he's Fairy Tail's strongest.''

Makarov's expression darkened with disapproval, his suspicions confirmed ''Don't you dare demean yourself like that, Cana. You're far more than you give yourself credit for and anyone who dismisses you like that isn't worth your time.''

''Yeah, you're really nice and a good friend. You shouldn't have had to keep that hidden for so long.'' Hope put in.

''Aye, plus you're a strong mage too! It's not anyone who gets picked for the S-class exams years in a row!''

Happy's statement had Laxus thinking back ''Wait, is that why you get so moody around the exams? You looked so hell bent on winning the last time-it was completely unlike you.''

''That obvious, huh?'' Cana smiled ruefully. ''I thought...it felt like it'd be easier to come clean if I made S-class too. But you saw how that worked out...I don't even know why Master keeps nominating me.''

''I don't doubt you have the potential.'' was the immediate response. ''Although I wanted you see that you didn't need some title to get over this, I knew it'd take time. But you're just avoiding the truth and you know it. This isn't fair to either of you.''

''Even if you say that...'' Cana couldn't meet anyone's gaze. It did feel better to get this off her chest but at the same time...''I...can't just tell him like this.''

''Then we'll help.'' Mira's tone brokered no argument. ''You've dealt with this quite enough for so long. No one can handle everything alone, let's work something out together.''

Hope nodded ''That sounds good. You tried, it's our turn now.''

''Aye Sir! You just wait, Cana, you'll see you have nothing to worry about!'' Happy exclaimed.

She almost smiled at the excitable cat, the reactions coming as no surprise. That was right-even if they weren't related by blood; she had a family in Fairy Tail too. They'd had her back in the past and it seemed that wasn't about to change now.

Makarov looked on proudly, those were his brats. Fairy Tail stuck through together through thick and thin and he couldn't be happier for it. Everything would be fine, he didn't doubt that.


Well, let's stop here.

So yeah, just some light stuff after all the chaos with Phantom. I had some ideas which I really wanted to try out. Some of them come in play in future arcs but yes, fairies exist here. They're just a very rare sight because of the realm's near destruction. As for the Voids of Time-as mentioned, it's vital to Earthland. It's well, sort of like Irminsul from Genshin Impact, if I had to give an example.

Jose just strikes me as the type to go through whatever lengths he deems necessary for his own advantage so this didn't seem like much of a stretch. The Council is on mostly amiable terms with Hope and Endymion but most of them are against Fairy Tail. Hope's not happy about this either but he'll put up with it for the guild. Just like Fairy Tail's bad rep had its effects, so does the White Paladin's rep.

I remember Loke knew his end was coming around the time of his arc so I figure he'd been pretty worn out in general but he doesn't want anyone finding out. I thought I could try having the whole things with Cana and Gildarts a little differently. I don't know why there was so much build up to it before it was basically tossed aside, seems like a waste. But yeah, they're going to help her tell him soon.

Welp, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Till next time!