At 3:00 AM, a few lights were still on in the university town, burning the midnight oil. He rubbed his sore, aching eyes, typed the final punctuation mark of his graduation thesis, stared at the "30,000-Word Final Draft - Saved" text on the screen, and let out a long sigh of relief.
"After I finish eating some barbecue, I can finally get a good night's sleep..."
He muttered, his eyes bloodshot and his head feeling heavy and dizzy. The aroma of cumin and chili wafted from a street food stall, and just as he was happily planning to treat himself to a late-night snack, a speeding truck lost control and raced toward him.
His last thought was—My graduation thesis! I stayed up for three days and three nights for that!
When he opened his eyes again, he did not feel the pain he had expected, nor was he in a cold morgue. Instead, he was floating in an endless, pure white space. There was no sky, no ground, nothing at all; it was so quiet he could almost hear his own heartbeat.
"Is this... heaven?"
He instinctively reached out to touch himself, but only felt a vague consciousness. "Did I really die?"
"Oh my, oh my, I am so sorry~"
A sweet, flustered girl's voice rang out. He turned his head and saw a girl in a long white dress floating in front of him.
"Who are you..."
"I'm the Goddess in charge of guiding souls." The girl scratched her cheek, stuck out her tongue, and apologized. "I was distracted just now. I was supposed to take the drunk driver who ran the red light next door, but I accidentally hit the wrong person... I'm super sorry!"
Hit the wrong person?!
He was completely stunned, and anger surged up instantly: "Hit the wrong person?! Do you have any idea how many all-nighters I pulled for my thesis? I was about to graduate and start a new life! And just because you were distracted, I died?!"
The Goddess shrank her neck at his shouting and waved her hands quickly: "Don't be angry, don't be angry! I'll compensate you! A big compensation!"
Her fingertips gathered a soft golden light: "I'll send you to an anime world to enjoy life—no work, no thesis writing. I'll also give you super strong Healing Magic. It can cure external injuries, internal injuries, and curses. It's top-tier for self-preservation!"
"An anime world?"
Before he could react, the Goddess tapped him lightly, and the golden light instantly enveloped him.
"Alright, alright, it's settled! I hope you have a great time in the new world!"
"Wait! Help me delete my browser history and the study materials on my hard drive!"
His scream was swallowed by the light, and his consciousness sank again. He felt his body drifting and falling, falling...
He did not know how much time had passed when he felt a cool sensation on his cheek, accompanied by the scent of grass and soil. A breeze blew past, making him feel a slight chill.
He opened his eyes with difficulty. What came into view was an unbelievably clear blue sky and wild grass swaying in the wind.
He moved his fingers but found that his hands were small, soft, and chubby—not at all the hands of an adult. He looked down and saw he was wearing thin white clothes, his body shrunk to the size of a three-year-old child. Even sitting up was a struggle.
"You've got to be kidding me..."
He opened his mouth and let out a soft, childish voice. He lay on the grass, wanting to cry but having no tears. That unreliable Goddess—even if she sent him to another world, she did not have to turn him into a three-year-old! He should have at least been allowed to submit that 30,000-word thesis.
The more he thought about it, the more his heart ached. That 30,000-word thesis was the result of countless all-nighters, and now, without even a backup, it was just gone.
No matter how powerful Healing Magic was, it could not fill his stomach. He pouted, used his short legs to struggle to push his body up, and looked around, hoping to find someone.
Just then, footsteps approached from the path in the distance, along with an old voice humming a cheerful tune.
He looked up, and his heart skipped a beat—the short, sturdy old man with flowing white whiskers and a red cape; who else could it be but Makarov?!
The Guild Master of Fairy Tail!
He had really traveled to the Fairy Tail world and had even encountered Makarov on the outskirts of Magnolia.
His brain raced. He was now a helpless three-year-old child, alone in the wild. He had no other choice but to follow Makarov back to the guild.
He immediately put away his grievances and complaints, let his face fall, reddened his eyes, and put on a pitiful expression. He rubbed his eyes with his chubby hands, his voice soft and aggrieved.
The moment Makarov approached, he looked up with big, watery eyes and said softly with a sobbing tone: "Grandpa, I'm hungry..."
Makarov had just returned from visiting Porlyusica and was about to head back to the guild. Hearing that soft, childish voice, he paused in his steps and looked down at the child on the grass.
The boy had soft, light-golden short hair, fair skin, and emerald-green eyes. He looked pale from hunger, appearing both pitiful and adorable.
"Oh my, whose little treasure is this? How are you here all alone?" Makarov's heart softened instantly. He quickly crouched down, his tone incredibly gentle. "You're so hungry, where are your mom and dad?"
The boy pursed his small lips and shook his head gently, continuing to play the part of a helpless child: "I don't know... Riyao can't find Mom and Dad. Riyao is so hungry, it hurts..."
He voluntarily gave his name—Riyao. His original name did not sound right, so he changed it to something that sounded appropriate for this world. As for a surname, he would just pretend a three-year-old could not remember it.
Looking at the lonely Riyao, Makarov could not bear it any longer. He had lived in Magnolia his whole life and had never seen such a heartbreaking child. It was clear at a glance that he was either lost or abandoned.
Fairy Tail was a home for drifters; the guild would accept anyone, whether adult or child.
"Good child, don't cry, don't cry."
Makarov's rough, large hand gently stroked his hair, and a gentle magic wrapped around the boy, making him feel instantly at ease. "Grandpa will take you to eat something delicious, okay? From now on, you'll stay with Grandpa."
Riyao's eyes lit up instantly, and he let out a huge sigh of relief inside, though he remained timid on the surface, reaching out his chubby little hand: "Thank you, Grandpa..."
Makarov smiled and picked up the tiny child. Riyao was as light as a cloud and soft to the touch.
He could clearly feel a gentle yet exceptionally pure magic flowing within the child; he was naturally gifted material for a Mage.
"What a blessed child," Makarov sighed softly, holding Riyao as he turned toward the town. "Come on, Grandpa is taking you back to Fairy Tail. There's lots of good food there, and many big brothers and sisters to play with you."
Riyao leaned into Makarov's warm embrace, smelling the faint scent of tobacco and herbs on him, and his tightly wound nerves finally relaxed.
He quietly looked up, gazing at the gradually clearing Magnolia in the distance, and at that iconic, bustling guild building. His heart was filled with mixed emotions.
Although he had lost his original world, lost the thesis that had made him go bald, and turned into a three-year-old child, it was fortunate that he had arrived in his favorite world, met the most gentle Makarov, and possessed Healing Magic.
That unreliable Goddess, though careless, had not given him a bad compensation.
His stomach was still growling with hunger, but Riyao's heart was already filled with anticipation.
Fairy Tail, this guild filled with bonds, passion, and warmth, would be his home from now on.
The setting sun stretched their shadows long. Riyao leaned obediently in Makarov's arms, his small hands clutching the cape, feeling the Healing Magic flowing slowly through his body. He whispered: "Grandpa, Riyao will be good from now on."
"Hahaha, good, good!" Makarov laughed heartily, his voice echoing across the outskirts. "Our little Riyao will be a member of Fairy Tail from now on!"
Riyao blinked, looking at the old man's kind smile, and thought silently to himself: If the thesis is gone, then it's gone. In this world, no need to stay up late, no need to write a thesis, there's food and drink, and so many family members... it seems... pretty good too.
The Healing Magic within him flowed quietly, warming his limbs and bones, smoothing out the unease brought by crossing over and dying.
The words of that confused Goddess in the pure white space had finally come true—she had truly given him a life to start over.
The wind in Magnolia was gentle and mild. In the distance, the faint commotion of the guild could be heard—it was the sound of home.
Three-year-old Riyao, in this strange yet familiar magical world, welcomed a brand-new beginning.
Soon, Makarov carried him into the town. The streets were bustling—vendors hawking, Mages chatting, children playing—full of the atmosphere of life. Riyao looked around curiously, watching the novel magic items on the roadside and the Mages in various outfits, his eyes full of light.
"Grandpa, where is this?" he asked, deliberately using a childish voice, pretending to be unfamiliar with everything.
"This is Magnolia, and our home is right here."
Makarov smiled and pointed to the conspicuous, huge building ahead that bore the Fairy Tail emblem. "Look, that is Fairy Tail. From now on, that will be Riyao's home."
Riyao looked in the direction he was pointing.
That guild building, which he had seen countless times in the anime, stood right in the center of the town, flags fluttering, with lively commotion coming from within.
He knew that inside was a group of loyal, boisterous companions.
And he, Riyao, was about to become a member of this big family.
The child in his arms was warm, and Makarov walked with a light step toward that land of lights and laughter.
The Healing Magic pulsed gently within Riyao, like a quiet yet steady beam of light.
No one would have guessed that this seemingly soft, harmless three-year-old Healing Mage who only knew how to cry about being hungry would one day make the entire continent understand one truth: never make a Healing Mage angry. Because if he heals you, it's only so he can beat you up again.