Fairy Tail: The Divine Soul

The next morning, Ryuu, Erza, and Natsu were released from the Magic Council's prison and free to return to their guild. On the way back, Ryuu returned to his childish nature, laughing with Natsu and playing with the animals they encountered along the path. Erza, walking beside them, noticed this and simply gave him a sad glance before returning to her usual serious demeanor.

When they arrived at the guild, they were greeted by everyone, who eagerly asked how things had gone. Ryuu wasted no time mocking Natsu, mimicking the scene he had made in the Council's chambers. Because of this, Natsu punched him, which inevitably sparked another full-blown brawl in the guild. Watching the chaos unfold, Ryuu stopped fighting and made his way to the bar, where Master Makarov was seated.

Ryuu plopped onto a stool next to Makarov, rocking back and forth with a playful smile on his face. Makarov glanced at him with a small smile but then suddenly appeared tired.

From behind the bar, Mira noticed the change and spoke up. "Master, are you feeling alright?"

Makarov looked at her and replied, "He's coming."

At that moment, everyone in the guild, except for Makarov and Ryuu, suddenly fell asleep. Ryuu looked around at the slumbering guild members in confusion before turning to Makarov. "Master, what's going on? Why is everyone napping? Is this a new game? You're weird."

BAM! Makarov smacked Ryuu on the head. "You idiot! Everyone's asleep because of Mystogan's magic. He's an S-Class mage who joined the guild shortly after you left."

Ryuu looked thoughtful for a moment before his eyes lit up like stars. "Mystogan? Oh, you mean the ninja I met a while back!"

Makarov looked at him blankly. "Yes, yes, that's him."

At that moment, a shadow began to appear near the guild's entrance. It was a figure dressed in dark blue with sandals and bandages wrapped around his arms and legs. A long, tattered dark blue cloak hung from his shoulders, and his face was hidden beneath a dark blue cap and a scarf covering the lower half of his face, leaving only his eyes visible.

Mystogan stepped forward and spoke softly, "Good morning, Master... Ryuu."

Ryuu's eyes sparkled as he grinned. "Yo, Mysti... Nin-nin!"

Makarov looked at Ryuu, exasperated. "Good morning, kid."

Mystogan moved to take a quest and then left without saying another word.

Makarov sighed and called out, "Don't forget to lift the spell!"

Mystogan gave a small nod. "Five... four... three... two... one."

As he finished the countdown, Mystogan vanished into the distance. At that moment, everyone in the guild began waking up, some faster than others.

Lucy, confused, asked, "What just happened?"

Gray, rubbing his head as he got up, replied, "It was Mystogan. He's one of our S-Class mages..."

He was then interrupted by Cana, "Gray, your clothes!"

Gray screamed and started running around searching for his clothes.

Elfman continued, "He's part of the selection for the strongest mage in the guild… A REAL MAN!"

Lucy looked at him with a large drop of sweat running down her face.

Erza crossed her arms and added, "That's true, he's one of the strongest, but he's rarely here at the same time as everyone else, so we've never been able to see who's truly the strongest. Also, no one has ever seen his face, except for the Master."

A voice suddenly echoed through the guild, "That's not true… I've seen his face before."

On the second floor of the guild, leaning against the railing, stood a tall, muscular man wearing a long black coat trimmed with gray fur, draped over his shoulders rather than worn. He had a pair of headphones over his ears. Looking down at the guild members with an arrogant expression, he said, "You should leave him alone. He's just shy."

Gray looked up at Laxus and commented, "Speaking of rare appearances."

Natsu, just waking up, glanced at Laxus. "You're back! Come down here and fight me!"

Laxus smirked mockingly at Natsu. "If you want to fight, come up here."

Hearing this, Natsu began running toward the stairs, ready to fight. But just as he was about to climb them, a giant hand slapped him, sending him flying across the guild. Everyone turned to Master Makarov, who was silently watching the scene. "You're not allowed up there, Natsu."

Laxus looked on, satisfied, and said to Makarov, "Well said, Grandpa. The weak have no business going up there. Natsu, if you can't even beat the redhead, you're not worthy of fighting me."

Erza narrowed her eyes at Laxus. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Laxus looked around the guild with a mocking grin. "It's simple. The strongest in this guild is me and no one else—not a woman, not some shy guy, and definitely not someone with mental problems." He then turned his gaze to Ryuu, who was sitting beside Makarov.

Everyone's attention shifted to Ryuu, who had his head lowered, his face hidden.

"Hmm? What's wrong, Ryuu? Are you going to cry? Hahaha, pathetic... Now I understand why you've been on a mission for so long. A lunatic like you doesn't deserve to be part of this guild."

Makarov grew angry, glaring at his grandson. "That's enough, Laxus!"

But Laxus ignored him and continued, "According to a story I heard, everyone close to you dies. It started with your family… Oh, and if I remember correctly, you were the cause of it all, weren't you?"

Ryuu kept his head down, staring at the ground. His eyes betrayed a whirlwind of emotions—sadness, anger, helplessness, and... madness.

"Hahahaha... And what if I bring up the death of that little gir—"

"THAT'S ENOUGH, LAXUS!" Makarov shouted angrily.

"...Lissa..."

In an instant, Ryuu, who had been sitting on the barstool, disappeared, replaced by a streak of blue lightning. The lightning darted across the guild at an unimaginable speed, and Ryuu reappeared right next to Laxus, his hand placed firmly on Laxus's face.

BOOM! Ryuu slammed Laxus's head into the floor, staying crouched with his hand still pressed against Laxus's face. He spoke, his voice cold and filled with emotion. "Shut up... You know nothing about me... what I've been through... what I'm trying to forget... and... what I'm trying to atone for."

After finishing his words, Ryuu stood up and turned to face the guild. His face was filled with sadness, a stark contrast to the childish persona everyone was used to seeing. The guild was stunned into silence as they watched Ryuu walk toward the door. Without a word, he stepped out of the guild under their silent gazes.

Makarov glared at Laxus in anger as he got up from the floor and vanished in a flash of yellow lightning.

Mira, standing behind the bar, began moving toward the door to follow Ryuu, but Makarov stopped her.

"Stay here, Mira... Leave him alone."

"But Master, he's not okay. I have to go see him!"

"I don't think he wants to see anyone right now, especially not someone who hasn't spoken to him since his return, aside from slapping him in the face... Pffff."

Makarov sighed, then rose from his seat and headed toward his office on the second floor. The guild remained silent, all eyes fixed on the guild doors, confusion and concern written on their faces.