The Fairy Tail guild was just as noisy as ever.
The tables filled nearly the entire main hall. One group of wizards celebrated the completion of a mission while others argued over who had destroyed more buildings during the last one. New job requests continued to appear on the request board, Happy fluttered around looking for something to eat, and, as always, chaos seemed to be part of the guild's very foundation.
Only one person wasn't smiling. Mirajane absentmindedly polished one of the glasses behind the bar, her movements completely automatic. For the past several days, whenever she found a moment of peace, her thoughts always drifted back to the same memory.
"You're still thinking about him... aren't you?" Mirajane looked up as Erza took a seat across from her at the bar.
She remained silent for a few seconds before finally forcing the gentle smile she always wore whenever she didn't want the others to worry. "Is it really that obvious?"
Erza nodded. "Very."
Mirajane set the glass down on the counter. "I can't help it."
Her gaze lowered slightly. "He simply... disappeared."
Erza remained silent.
"I couldn't even do anything." A single tear rolled down Mirajane's cheek.
Those words brought the memory rushing back.
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The light. Everything had happened in just a few seconds. Those shining particles had completely surrounded Ren.
"Ren!" Mirajane had rushed toward him without thinking. But when she finally reached him... he was already gone.
Only small specks of light remained, slowly fading away into the air. Without wasting a moment, she extended both hands.
A wave of magical power spread throughout the entire area. Detection magic.
She searched for traces. Spatial magic. Teleportation. Summoning. Anything.
She closed her eyes, focusing completely... Nothing.
She tried again. But there wasn't even the slightest trace of magical residue.
It was impossible. All magic left a trail. All of it. But there... It was as if Ren had never been there in the first place.
Mirajane slowly opened her eyes. "No... it can't be..." Her breathing became heavier.
That feeling... She knew it far too well. The last time something had disappeared without any explanation... It had been Lisanna. For years, she had accepted her death, she had cried, she had moved forward, but...
What if...? That possibility appeared in her mind for the first time in many years.
What if Lisanna hadn't died either? What if she had simply... disappeared the same way Ren did?
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"I told you that you cheated, exhibitionist!"
"That was a week ago, Flame Brain!"
The commotion brought Mirajane back to the present.
Natsu and Gray had started another one of their usual fights in the middle of the guild.
A chair went flying, then a table. They began punching each other while more guild members joined the fight.
Happy landed on top of a lamp. "Aye! They started again!"
Mirajane took a deep breath. One, two, three... The vein on her forehead began to twitch.
Natsu raised his fist. Gray did the same.
Before either of them could throw a punch... BAM!
The two of them were sent flying at the same time into a wall. CRASH!
Erza slowly lowered her fist. Mirajane did exactly the same beside her.
The two looked at each other, and the guild fell silent for a few seconds.
"What is happening now...?" Makarov asked as he descended from the second floor.
He looked at Natsu embedded in the wall. Then at Gray. He sighed.
"I suppose that answers my question."
At the back of the hall, Laxus remained sitting at the bar with a mug in his hands. He had not even looked up. "Pathetic..." He muttered before taking another drink.
That was when it happened. The air inside the guild began to vibrate. A wave of light appeared right in the center of the hall. Everyone raised their heads, and Makarov activated his magic to defend his family. "What...?"
A glowing surface began to slowly expand, like a massive mirror made of light. Happy's eyes widened, Lucy took a step back, Erza instinctively placed a hand on the handle of her sword, and Mirajane felt a chill run down her spine.
"That light..." It wasn't the same. But... it looked far too similar.
The surface finished stabilizing. For a few seconds, it showed absolutely nothing. Only a white glow. Then...
A voice echoed throughout the entire guild.
"I don't know what you think of me... but you are my friend!"
Laxus slowly lifted his gaze for the first time.
The screen of light finally began to reveal a silhouette.
A young man with dark hair was holding a guitar in his hands.
"Ren..." The name escaped Mirajane's lips almost as a whisper.
And the entire guild remained frozen, unable to look away from the scene before them...
The voice echoed throughout the guild.
On the screen appeared Ren, completely surrounded by a thick cloud of smoke.
"That sounded like a classic Natsu scream... but there was something about the voice that didn't feel right."
Happy tilted his head. "Aye! He screams just like you, Natsu!"
"Huh? I scream way better!" Natsu protested.
On the screen, Ren looked around. "Wait... where the hell am I? This isn't Fairy Tail."
Makarov slightly frowned. "That place isn't Magnolia... Where did he end up?"
Mirajane did not take her eyes away from the screen.
The scene changed again.
The smoke continued covering the entire battlefield. Electric discharges and several voices shouting could be heard through the mist.
Ren took a deep breath. "Alright. It's time to step in."
He placed the guitar in front of him. "Wind – Naruto."
The first string vibrated.
Gray raised an eyebrow. "Who is Naruto?"
Elfman crossed his arms. "No idea... but it doesn't sound very manly."
The screen then showed a beautiful young woman with long silver hair holding a wand with both hands. She was breathing heavily while whispering to herself.
"I can't control my magic..." Then the melody reached her.
Her expression changed almost immediately. Her hands stopped trembling, she raised the wand with determination, and shouted:"This is my chance! GREAT WATER DRAGON ROAR!"
A massive dragon completely made of water tore through the fog.
Mirajane watched the scene carefully. "She can't control her magic... it's too powerful."
Erza slowly nodded. "But it seems Ren is helping her."
Mirajane smiled faintly. "He's not increasing her power... he's giving her the calmness to control it."
The enemy barely managed to dodge the attack.
"Tch... too slow!" A blond-haired young man appeared surrounded by lightning and launched a powerful kick toward the mage's side. Before he could react, another young man with white hair, wielding a massive black sword, emerged from the smoke and struck him directly, sending him straight toward the jaws of the water dragon.
Lucy opened her eyes in admiration. "What amazing coordination! Why can't you fight like that, Natsu?"
"WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!" he replied indignantly.
Gray laughed. "Because he destroys his teammate before the enemy."
"You too!" Natsu replied, pointing at him.
The enemy crashed heavily onto the ground. He coughed a few times while trying to stand, but before he could, the massive sword struck him again, leaving him completely unconscious.
The three mages turned their attention toward Ren, who had just finished playing."And who are you?"
Inside Fairy Tail's guild, nobody said a word. Everyone waited for his answer.
Ren slowly raised his head. For a moment, a memory crossed his mind: Natsu smiling while giving him that nickname. A small smile appeared on his face."My name is Tempo."
Natsu jumped from his seat and pointed at the screen. "I knew it! He liked the name I gave him!"
Happy started spinning through the air. "Aye! Ren is Tempo!"
Mirajane placed a hand over her chest without taking her eyes away from the screen. A small smile appeared on her face for the first time since his disappearance.
"He's alive..."