Half an hour later, the Fantasia parade officially began.
Upbeat festival music flooded the streets, and brilliant fireworks bloomed in the night sky, illuminating the entire city of Magnolia as bright as day.
The spectacular Fairy Tail procession set off from the guildhall, moving slowly and majestically along the main street.
At the very front of the procession, Master Makarov danced energetically.
Colorful magical light streamed through the air, intertwining to form the glowing words, "Long Live Fairy Tail!" His fluffy cat tail kept swishing behind him in time with the music, eliciting bursts of delighted laughter from the children lining the road.
Next came Natsu's fire performance.
Completely uninjured and practically vibrating with pent-up energy from missing the fight with Laxus, Natsu's flames were wilder and more spectacular than ever.
With his arms spread wide, roaring fire surged from his palms, forming a towering, ten-meter-high wave of heat behind his float!
The flames rolled and transformed in the air, shifting from the shape of a roaring fire dragon into a spreading phoenix.
Finally, he threw his head back and unleashed a massive pillar of fire into the sky. It exploded overhead, turning into a breathtaking shower of sparks.
The fire rain automatically extinguished just before reaching the cheering crowd, leaving only a warm, harmless glow in the crisp autumn air.
"I'm all fired up!" Natsu yelled, grinning widely and waving at the awe-struck audience.
Gray and Juvia's ice-and-water duo performance was equally stunning.
Gray's hands flashed through rapid seals, the freezing air condensing into countless ice crystals that spun together to form a massive, glittering ice castle.
Juvia manipulated elegant streams of water, constructing a flowing moat around the castle complete with magical water-fish swimming inside.
Finally, Gray snapped his fingers.
The ice castle crumbled with a satisfying crackle, turning into a sky full of diamond-like frost that refracted rainbow light through Juvia's water mist, creating a dreamlike aurora over the street.
"It's so beautiful..." the girls along the roadside gasped, completely mesmerized.
Lucy, Levy, and Bisca's performance was another major highlight. The three girls wore vibrant cheerleader outfits, waving flags and twirling batons with infectious energy on their float.
Lucy's golden hair shimmered under the stage lights, Levy's twin-tails bounced to the rhythm of the music, and Bisca's movements were precise and powerful, drawing massive cheers from the crowd.
"Miss Lucy! Look over here!"
"Levy! You're so cute!"
"Lady Bisca! Please look my way!"
Jet and Droy of Shadow Gear waved frantically from the barricades, literal tears of emotion streaming down their faces.
Ace rode near the middle of the procession on a dragon-shaped float.
Clad in the crimson, KaiserGreymon-style warrior attire Mirajane had made for him, he carried a beautifully crafted replica of the Dragon Soul Sword.
He wasn't performing any wild magic tricks, he was just standing quietly, watching the cheering crowds, the blooming fireworks and his laughing companions beside him.
He couldn't help but smile.
'This feeling... it really wasn't bad at all.'
...
The parade continued forward, spreading laughter and joy throughout the streets.
At the far end of the avenue, standing in the shadows of an inconspicuous rooftop, a lone figure silently observed it all.
Laxus.
He carried a simple duffel bag over his uninjured shoulder. He was still wearing the same clothes, the cauterized wound on his right shoulder throbbing faintly with every heartbeat.
He watched the parade, taking in the familiar faces and the joyous performances he had once so bitterly dismissed as "childish and ridiculous."
Then, his eyes found the short figure at the front of the procession—dressed in a ridiculous cat-ear outfit, shaking his hips and dancing without a care in the world.
Master Makarov seemed to be having the time of his life.
The cat ears twitched to the music, the tail swished back and forth, and he made funny faces at the toddlers on the roadside.
The crowd erupted in waves of laughter, with kids excitedly pointing at the Master and shouting.
"Grandpa Cat! Grandpa Cat!"
In the past, Laxus would have flown into a rage at such a sight.
He would have thought it humiliated Fairy Tail's fierce reputation, rushed down to drag his grandfather away, and vented his anger at anyone who dared to laugh.
But now...
He just watched quietly.
Slowly, the corners of his mouth curved upward into a faint, subtle, yet entirely genuine smile.
There was no mockery or anger in that smile.
Only a deep, complex tenderness.
Down on the street, Makarov suddenly paused.
He looked up, his eyes lifting past the cheering crowds and the bright lights, gazing straight toward the dark rooftop.
Though the distance was great and the night was dark, the gazes of grandfather and grandson met perfectly in the air.
Laxus saw his grandfather give him a firm solemn nod.
Then, the old man raised his right hand, extending his index finger straight toward the sky.
Immediately, every single Fairy Tail member in the parade followed suit.
Erza, Mirajane, Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Juvia, Levy, Ace...
All of them, regardless of what they were performing or where they were standing on their floats, stopped at the exact same moment.
They raised their hands, pointing their index fingers proudly toward the stars.
The entire street fell silent for a fraction of a second.
The citizens stared at this peculiar, synchronized sight, unsure of what it meant.
But Laxus understood.
Tears spilled unexpectedly from his eyes.
Memories flooded his mind, a distant yet incredibly vivid scene from his childhood surfacing clearly before him.
It was many years ago, during another Fantasia Festival.
...
Little Laxus had nervously clutched the hem of his shirt, filled with both excitement and anxiety.
The parade was about to begin, but he couldn't find his grandfather anywhere in the crowd.
"Grandpa... aren't you joining the parade this time?" he had asked, finally finding Makarov resting in the backyard garden.
"This is your stage, Laxus," Makarov had smiled, crouching down to ruffle his grandson's hair.
"Grandpa will be in the audience today, watching your performance closely."
Little Laxus had blinked his large eyes, gazing toward the dense, noisy crowd filling the distant streets.
"But... what if I can't find you in the crowd?"
"Haha, don't worry about me!" Makarov had laughed heartily.
Little Laxus had bitten his lip.
He turned to run back to his float, but suddenly stopped.
He turned back to face his grandfather, and with utmost seriousness, he raised his right hand and pointed his small index finger straight up toward the sky.
"Hmm?" Makarov had looked puzzled. "What does that mean?"
"It means..." Little Laxus's face flushed slightly, but his eyes were determined. "It means... when I'm in the parade, I'll be looking right at you! So even if you can't see me in the crowd, I'll be watching over you all the time!"
He raised his finger a little higher.
"Even if I can't see you, even if we're far apart... as long as I point my finger up like this, it means I'm looking your way! And if you do it too, I'll definitely feel it!"
Makarov had frozen.
Watching his grandson's chubby little finger raised high toward the sky, a surge of overwhelming warmth had melted his heart.
...
Now, in this moment of painful departure, under the gaze of all his companions, that long-buried childhood promise was reawakened.
Tears blurred Laxus's vision.
He looked at the brightly lit streets below, at all those fingers pointing toward the sky.
He looked at all those eyes watching him—the family members who, even after all the terrible wrongs he had committed against them, were still willing to see him off with love.
"Grandpa..." Laxus whispered, his voice choking on a sob.
He took a deep, shuddering breath, the cool autumn air filling his lungs.
He raised his left hand and wiped the tears from his face, taking one last long look at that street, those companions and that short ridiculous figure wearing cat ears.
'Thank you, Grandpa,' he said softly in his heart.
Then, Laxus turned resolutely away.
He leaped from the rooftop, his silhouette melting into the darkness like fading ink, quickly disappearing into the depths of the dimly lit streets without looking back.
On the street below, Makarov finally lowered his hand, his eyes lingering on the empty rooftop where his grandson had stood.
Tears glistened in his own eyes, but he quickly smiled again.
He turned back to the crowd, waving enthusiastically as his cat tail swished back and forth.
'Even if I can't see you, even if we are far apart... Grandpa will always be watching over you. And I will always protect you.'
The parade marched on.
Music filled the air, fireworks blossomed in the sky, and joyous laughter echoed throughout the entire city of Magnolia.
This is the unbreakable bond of Fairy Tail.
It doesn't need to be spoken aloud constantly, nor does it require everyone to stay in the same place.
Because they know that somewhere, in a corner of the world they might not even be aware of, there is someone silently watching over them, sharing the exact same starlit sky and the exact same belief.
Even if they are miles apart, their hearts will always be connected.
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