Blake didn't fly fast. He used Geppo to maintain a steady, visible pace in the dark, pre-dawn sky, his form a beacon of hope for the traumatized, liberated slaves below. The flotilla of stolen cultist boats bobbed on the waves, the survivors rowing with the last of their strength, their eyes locked on the dark figure in the air who represented their impossible freedom.
The journey was long and cold. By morning, the first rays of the sun illuminated their destination: the pristine, white sands of Akane Beach Resort. The survivors, weak and emaciated, stumbled onto the shore, collapsing in the warm sand, many of them weeping with the sheer, overwhelming relief of touching safe, solid ground.
Blake landed silently, his black cloak settling around him. His priority was not comfort, but logistics. He strode into the resort's main hotel. The staff, just beginning their morning duties..
"I need your chef," Blake stated, his S-Class aura leaving no room for argument. "And all the food you can prepare. Now."
The hotel manager, a flustered man in a white suit, ran up. "Sir, I don't know who you think you are, but this is a private—"
Blake flashed his guild mark. "Blake Corvus, S-Class, Fairy Tail. I have over 200 freed slaves on your beach. They are starving. Prepare food for all of them. My guild will cover the entire expense."
The mention of "S-Class" and "Fairy Tail" changed the man's tune instantly. "Right away, sir! At once!"
As the resort kitchen scrambled into action, Blake found a long-range communication lacrima in the hotel. He placed a call to the Magic Council with the help of one of the magicians staying in the hotel.
"This is S-Class Mage Blake Corvus of Fairy Tail," he reported, his voice cold and official. "I am reporting the neutralization of the Tower of Heaven, located south of Akane Beach. The cult leadership has been eliminated. The R-System project, which was being constructed to resurrect the dark mage Zeref, has been halted. I have secured approximately two hundred survivors. They require immediate medical aid, relocation, and rehabilitation. I expect a full contingent of Magic Knights here as soon as possible."
He cut the call without waiting for a reply. He had done his part; the bureaucratic cleanup was their job.
He went back to speak with the survivors, who were huddled in shock on the sand. "My name is Blake, and I'm from the Fairy Tail guild. You are all safe now. The Magic Knights will be coming soon, and they will help you. They will take care of your rehabilitation and find you new homes."
He finished his announcement and then, his duty momentarily complete, he sat nearby as they ate breakfast. The resort staff, their initial shock replaced by pity, were serving hot soup and bread.
Blake watched the survivors eat with a desperate, animalistic hunger, his gaze distant. He faced the sea, thinking of the next step he should take, his mind already calculating the fallout from his actions.
It was then that a small, hesitant delegation approached him.
An old man, his body frail and malnourished, but his eyes sharp and intelligent, led the group. He was accompanied by the red-haired girl who had held his bag, the blue-haired boy with the strange tattoo, and a few other children who looked tougher than the rest.
Blake recognized them all. Rob. Erza. Jellal. And behind them, Milliana, Sho, Simon, Wally. He even recognized the future Oracion Seis: a snake-like boy (Cobra), a large, solemn boy (Hoteye), a lanky kid with a strange grin (Sawyer), a pale, beautiful girl (Sorano), and a tall, sleepy-eyed boy (Macbeth).
"Mr. Blake," Rob said, his voice raspy. He and the children bowed deeply. "We... we do not have the words to thank you for helping us get out of that place."
"There's no need," Blake said, rising to his feet.
"My name is Rob," the old man said. "This is Erza... Jellal... Simon... Milliana... Sho... Wally... Sorano... Cobra... Sawyer... Richard... and Macbeth. We... we owe you our lives."
Rob then asked, "You're truly from Fairy Tail?"
"I am," Blake confirmed.
Rob let out a shaky, emotional laugh. "I used to be a mage of Fairy Tail," he said, a tear rolling down his weathered cheek. "Long ago. I'm... I'm retired." He gripped Blake's arm. "Tell me, lad... how is Makarov doing? Is that little spud still in charge? How is the guild?"
"The Master is shorter than ever, and the guild is louder than ever," Blake replied with a small smile. "They are well."
Rob nodded, a deep sadness in his eyes. "We... we were preparing to do a rebellion. We were gathering what little strength we had. We may or may not have won. But... You... you did in one night what we couldn't have done in a year."
Blake looked at the group of children, each one hardened by trauma, but now free from it. "The rebellion is over. You won. What are you going to do next?"
The question hung in the air, heavy with uncertainty.
Rob spoke first. "I... I have no family left. I will look after these children. It is my final duty."
Erza stepped forward, her one good eye burning with a fire that Blake recognized. "I will join the Fairy Tail Guild," she declared. "Like you, and like Master Rob. I will become strong, strong enough to protect everyone I care about."
Sorano looked down, her voice a whisper. "I will try to find my little sister, Yukino."
The others looked lost. Jellal stared at his hands. The other guys said they don't know. They had no home, no family, no purpose beyond survival.
Blake looked at the collection of broken, powerful, and utterly lost children. He saw the future paths of ruin, pain, and darkness that lay before them—Oracion Seis, Jellal's possession (which he'd thankfully averted), Erza's solitary pain. He could stop it. Right here.
"No," Blake said, his voice cutting through their uncertainty. "You won't. Not yet."
They all looked at him, confused.
"You're all weak, scattered, and have nowhere to go," he said bluntly.
He made his decision. "Why don't you all come to Magnolia? All of you. Come with me. You can stay there, rest, and regain your strength. We have a safe place. And once everything settles down, you can do whatever you want. Sorano can use the guild's resources to start her search. Erza can join. The rest of you can decide your future from a place of safety, not desperation."
Before they could fully process the offer, the Magic Knights arrived. Ships bearing the Council's crest landed on the beach, and armored mages began to secure the area. Blake met their captain, a stern-looking man named Lahar.
"S-Class Mage Corvus," Reiner (Captain of the squad) said, saluting crisply. "Your report was... alarming. A Zeref-cult?"
"Eliminated," Blake confirmed. "I'm giving you a summary of what happened. The tower's structure is compromised by my liberation of the prisoners. The leadership is dead."
Reiner nodded grimly. "Understood. I'll send a few magic knights on a boat to check the Tower of Heaven for any remaining data. The remaining knights will get the details of the survivors and help in their relocation."
As the knights began the long, bureaucratic process of interviewing the traumatized survivors, Blake finished his official, written report. He then walked back to Rob and the children, who were huddled together, watching the armed knights with fear.
"They won't hurt you," Blake assured them. He pointed to the town. "We're leaving. We will be moving by the afternoon train, and we will reach Magnolia by evening."
Everyone nodded, their trust in him absolute.
That afternoon, a strange, silent group of children boarded the train to Magnolia, led by a 5'11" S-Class mage and a frail old man. By evening, they reached the city and made their way towards the Fairy Tail guild hall.
The doors burst open. The guild, in the middle of its nightly brawl, stopped. Everyone stared. Blake stood in the doorway, followed by a crowd of emaciated, rag-tag children and an old man who looked like a ghost.
"Blake! You're back!" Laxus called out, confused. "Who... who are all these brats?"
Blake ignored him and led them to Makarov, who was at the bar.
"Master," Blake said.
Makarov turned, saw the children, and then his eyes landed on the old man. The Master's mug slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor.
"Rob...?" Makarov whispered, his voice trembling. He was shocked to see the severely malnourished Rob.
"It's been a long time, Makarov," Rob said, his voice weak.
Makarov was over the bar in an instant, his hands on his old friend's shoulders. "What happened to you? You look..."
Blake explained the situation, his voice dark. He recounted the details of the Tower of Heaven, the Zeref-cult, the R-System, and the years of slavery.
Makarov's face went from shock to grief, to a towering, silent rage. He looked at Rob, tears welling in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Rob. For not knowing. For not... for not being there when you needed me."
"It wasn't your fault, old friend," Rob said, patting his arm. "But it's over. This boy... he saved us all."
Blake unslung his heavy bag and dumped it onto the bar. A cascade of gold, jewels, and ancient magic books spilled out, silencing the guild.
"I 'confiscated' this from the cult leaders," Blake announced. "Master, I want you to use it to buy a house for Rob and all these kids."
He gestd at the group. "Fairy Hills doesn't have so many rooms, and those rooms are for Fairy Tail members. This group needs their own home, a place to recover."
He looked at the wide-eyed children, then back at Makarov. "Besides, as far as I'm concerned, they have worked hard enough at the Tower of Heaven to earn their pay. This is just their back pay."
The logic was pure Fairy Tail. Makarov looked at the treasure, then at the children, and a slow, proud smile spread across his face. He nodded. "You are absolutely right, Blake. It is their pay. Don't you worry about a thing. I will take care of them."
The tension broke. The guild cheered.
In the midst of the noise, Erza stepped forward, her red hair catching the light. She looked Makarov in the eye. "Master Makarov! My name is Erza Scarlett! I want to join the Fairy Tail Guild!"
Makarov looked at her, saw the unbreakable steel in her spine, and beamed. Makarov accepts her. He grabbed his stamp. "Welcome to Fairy Tail, Erza Scarlett. Where would you like your mark?"
"Here," she said, pointing to her right bicep. "And in blue."
He pressed the stamp to her arm. A new, legendary member had just been forged in the fires of her past, and brought home by the guild's youngest S-Class mage.