"Fairy Tail…"
Ur's eyes lit up as he gazed at the guild building before him.
It wasn't because the structure looked particularly impressive. On the contrary, coming from a modern world filled with skyscrapers and luxury, the three-story building in front of him felt small and even a bit shabby.
No, what excited Ur wasn't the building itself, but the simple fact that it existed. It was curiosity, pure and simple.
Something that once only lived in anime... now stood before him in reality.
And that alone was enough to stir a strange blend of curiosity and awe in his heart.
Wakaba led him toward the entrance.
Even before they reached the guild doors, Ur could already hear chaos inside. The sounds of shouting, laughter, clashing fists... and maybe a chair or two flying.
"No doubt about it," Ur thought wryly.
"There's probably no other guild this noisy except for Fairy Tail."
Just as the words crossed his mind, the guild doors creaked open.
Two white-haired girls stepped out, both quite young and definitely in their early teens.
"Hey, Wakaba! Is this a new recruit?" The younger of the two asked with wide, curious eyes.
Wakaba chuckled and nodded, "That's right, Lisanna. His name's Ur. He's from the orphanage and just became a mage recently."
"Oh! Got it!"
Lisanna tilted her head slightly, studying Ur for a moment before beaming with a cheerful smile.
"Welcome to the guild, Ur!" she said, reaching out her hand.
"Uh… thanks." Ur hesitated a second, then reached out and gently shook it.
He had recognized them immediately.
The one who'd just greeted him was Lisanna Strauss, thirteen years old, and a childhood friend of that fire idiot, Natsu.
The kind of friend who, back then, would loudly proclaim, "I'm gonna marry Natsu when I grow up!"
The other girl, dressed in a dark purple-black outfit with matching ribbons in her hair, was her older sister, Mirajane Strauss.
But this version of Mirajane wasn't yet the gentle, elegant beauty she would become.
Right now, she was more like a sassy, tsundere goth-loli with a sharp tongue and a serious attitude problem.
Especially with that dress… Ur couldn't help but comment in his mind—
"Very edgy."
"We're heading to see the Guild Master," Wakaba said, waving a hand. "You two be careful on your mission."
Ur hadn't said much during the conversation, not because he was shy, but because his predecessor had always been a withdrawn loner, and that personality had already started to bleed into Ur himself.
Mirajane's tsundere tendencies were still strong at this age, so unless someone approached her first, she wouldn't talk to them.
But as the girls walked away, Ur could've sworn he heard Mirajane let out an unhappy "Hmph!" under her breath.
Stepping through the doors into the main hall, the noise became even louder.
Although Fairy Tail didn't have as many members yet compared to its future anime peak, there were still about 20–30 people lounging around.
Unfortunately for Ur, none of the faces looked familiar.
"That's another thing about the anime," Ur thought.
"Its scope was way too narrow. The story focused on a few people, and the rest? Just background extras."
The guild hall was simple in design.
Aside from a wooden quest board tucked in the corner and a bar counter, the rest of the hall was filled with wooden tables, most of them already occupied by loud, drinking guild members.
Two guys seemed particularly drunk and were in the middle of a heated argument. It looked like they were seconds away from flipping a table and throwing punches.
But the moment Wakaba stepped inside with Ur, something odd happened.
Everyone stopped and stared.
Eyes turned. Conversations paused.
And just like that, the guild erupted into even louder chatter.
"Yo, Wakaba! Is that a newbie with you?"
"Where'd you dig this one up?"
"Man, feels like it's been ages since we had a new member!"
It was like a flock of sparrows suddenly started chirping at once.
Noisy. Chaotic. But strangely warm.
Wakaba, clearly used to this sort of thing, just waved it off casually.
"This is Ur, a newbie from the orphanage," he introduced.
As soon as the word orphanage came up, a brief silence swept the room.
But it didn't last long.
"Hey, newbie, welcome to the family!"
"You want a drink with us?"
"You moron, he's clearly underage! What's he gonna drink—milk?"
Laughter followed.
The energy was infectious. Smiles everywhere. A wild, carefree place that felt like a second home to all who entered.
But Ur knew better.
Everyone here has their own story.
Every one of them carries some shadow in their heart.
Fairy Tail was full of people who had been through trauma.
Most of them had some form of emotional scar, even if they never spoke of it.
They just chose to bury it beneath laughter.
Wakaba ignored the ruckus and led Ur straight to the bar counter.
There sat a short, elderly man with white hair and a full white beard, face flushed slightly from drink, as he sat casually on the counter.
He wasn't just anyone.
This was the current Guild Master of Fairy Tail, and one of the continent's most highly respected Mages, officially ranked among the Ten Wizard Saints by the Magic Council.
Makarov Dreyar.