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As if it were mockery, as if it were a message, as if it were a warning. The guild had been destroyed—not completely, but the iron beams stood in all directions, indicating that whoever had done it had taken their time.

Lucy and Erza were stunned, but not so much because of the state of the guild, but because of Allen. That once brilliant white hair had turned as dark as jet. Those eyes, once as clear as the sky, were now stained with a piercing, wine-red.

Allen reflected a common image of himself due to the spell he used, but a characteristic of this spell is that it lost its effect as someone spent time with Allen, so several in the guild could perceive a bit of the real Allen. To them he was someone trustworthy, a little proud, a little mocking... but now that was replaced by a dangerous aura.

...

Gwen – I know it's hard, but don't lose your composure.

Eve – I get that you want revenge, but with your personality, you'll regret it if you lose control now.

Wednesday – Wasn't Void destroyed?

Artoria – Void has always been just a part of Allen...

Yoruichi – This isn't good. At this rate, Allen will let himself be consumed by rage. You need to calm down. It's not like you... I know. I understand your frustration, Allen.

Hestia – I don't understand what's happening to Allen. Even when angry, he rarely loses control...

Aphrodite – Foolish brat, it's obvious my husband is affected by his recent defeats...

Hestia – I'll remind you I'm older than you!

Akeno – My poor little brother is going through a rough time, and that's why he was so affected...

Oogway – One learns more from a defeat than from a victory, but the spirit can still falter after loss upon loss... I trust him... he'll be fine, because he is never alone...

....

Erza had a worried look. Even though all her instincts were screaming at her to stay away from him, she stepped forward and took Allen's hand.

"Allen, you have to calm down... I understand your anger, and I share it, but losing control... that's not like you. If you fall apart like this, what will happen to those of us who rely on you?"

"Erza..."

Allen calmed down a little after hearing Erza's words and the voices of the Chat, but his rage didn't disappear. Had it been another time, he would've taken it better. But it was right at this moment—right after the Deliora incident, right after the frustration of not being able to finish off his enemy. His pride shattered, his ego crushed. That made his frustration feel even worse. He felt like a joke. But Erza's hand served as an anchor to his reason.

"…" Erza's gaze was full of concern as she tried to stop him.

"Erza, I...!" Allen gritted his teeth, but then he felt warmth and softness from behind. Lucy hugged him. "Lucy?"

"Don't go!" said the girl, trembling, but despite her fear, she held on to him with all her strength.

"…!"

It was like being hit with a jolt of electricity. Allen snapped back to his senses, realizing he was letting himself be consumed by dark thoughts. What was he trying to do? What would he accomplish by scaring Lucy and Erza like this? When had he become so pathetic that he couldn't even control his anger?

"I'm sorry..." Allen gave a weak smile as he placed one hand over Lucy's on his abdomen and gently squeezed Erza's hand with the other.

His hair returned to normal. Erza noticed but didn't say anything. Lucy, for her part, smiled happily before clinging to his arm. Maybe they had questions, but it didn't matter now. Both girls breathed a sigh of relief as they saw him return to normal.

"..." Allen observed the guild building in the distance.

Thinking more clearly, he didn't even know if anyone had been hurt. No, to begin with, we're talking about that Fairy Tail—the strongest guild in Fiore. For it to be destroyed so easily was too unreal.

"I didn't mean to worry you. I'll explain what just happened later..." Allen promised.

"Don't worry," Lucy said as she held Allen's arm tightly as if she were afraid he was going somewhere. "I'm just happy you're still the same~"

"I look forward to that conversation," Erza smiled too. "Besides, I understand how you feel. I'm angry too."

"Allen!"

Mirajane waved from a distance, and as soon as she saw him, she ran over and threw herself into his chest, her expression a mix of anxiety and relief. After a moment, she pulled back and coughed.

"Allen, I've got a message from the Master..." Mirajane stopped mid-sentence when she saw Erza holding his hand and Lucy clinging to his arm, her large chest pressed tightly against him. "Looks like my concern was unnecessary…"

Erza let go of Allen's hand and coughed, embarrassed. Lucy just stuck out her tongue and didn't even try to let go. Mirajane sighed and gave Allen a worried look.

"Allen, don't worry. This was just a cowardly attack when no one was in the guild. A pathetic attempt by others to provoke us…" Mirajane said, imitating Master Makarov's way of speaking.

Allen took a deep breath, slowly exhaling as he looked at Mirajane. "Thanks. I'm fine. But tell me... who did this?"

Mirajane sighed. It had been an attack from Phantom Lord, a legal guild known for its long-standing hostility with Fairy Tail. For years, that had been the case. In general, their power was on par with Fairy Tail. That's mainly because they had four S-Class mages known as the Elemental 4, a Dragon Slayer, and their master, Jose Porla, who was a Wizard Saint like Makarov Dreyar.

With Mystogan, Laxus, and Gildarts, Fairy Tail would definitely be stronger than Phantom Lord. But since those three were rarely in the guild, if both guilds fought, it would likely end in mutual destruction.

Allen frowned after hearing all that from Mirajane. The attack seemed odd to him—like it was just meant to provoke Fairy Tail. Judging by the way the guild had been attacked, they deduced it had been the Dragon Slayer Mage, Kurogane Gajeel. Allen kept that name in his memory with a cold expression.

"Let's not waste time. Let's head to the guild…" Allen said with a look of control, but colder than usual.

To avoid losing time, he decided to use "Apparition" to teleport directly to the guild. For that, he needed to be in contact with the girls. Lucy was already holding his arm, Erza took his hand again while enduring one of Mira's teasing smirks, and Mira herself was the boldest—resting her head on Allen's chest with a provocative look directed at the other two.

The three girls should have been worried about the situation, but even now, they were arguing. That made Allen laugh.

[Host, you know the reason, don't you? Maybe they haven't realized it, but subconsciously, they already see you as a pillar of support. As long as you're here, they can afford to stay calm, even in moments like this…]

Allen smiled slightly at the system's words. Of course, he knew. For quite some time now, he had been a pillar of support for many women—women who, in turn, had become his motivation to walk through whatever hell stood in his way.

....

The four of them appeared inside the guild. Mira felt a bit dizzy from the trip and leaned on Allen for a moment. Lucy didn't feel jealous—she was too shocked, covering her mouth as she looked around at the state of the guild. The building was still standing, meaning the main structure hadn't been damaged. If that was the case, it would be easy for Allen to fix it… But that wasn't what mattered now.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING?!"

Natsu's shout echoed through the guild. As expected, the young man who protected the guild the most was furious.

Mirajane led them to the basement, which would temporarily serve as the guild's main area of operations. The atmosphere was gloomy, but no one could be blamed. Since the attack happened around midnight, no one had been able to defend the guild.

Cana complained that the alcohol here tasted bad. Droy suggested destroying them, but Levy scolded him. Since they were facing Phantom Lord, it wouldn't be easy. On the contrary, given their comparable strength, they might suffer casualties too.

"Oh, Allen, Erza, and Lucy, welcome~" Makarov greeted them from atop a wooden crate, sipping his drink with a carefree attitude.

Everyone in the guild turned to look at Allen, and many of their eyes lit up. It was true—they hadn't yet factored in the power of the new monster in the guild.

Laki tilted her head. "Oh! With Allen, we could win even without the missing Gildarts or that arrogant Laxus, right?"

"Tsk. It's frustrating, but it's true," Wakaba laughed.

Macao scoffed. "The bastard's not satisfied with hogging all the pretty girls—now he's even stealing my son. Haha."

"Is that funny?" said Nab, shaking his head, prompting a burst of laughter across the guild.

Lucy's eyes lit up, and she glanced at Allen with admiration. Someone who could lift everyone's spirits just by being there… that kind of light was rare. Erza smiled beside her—Allen hadn't been here long, but he was slowly becoming important to everyone.

Allen greeted a few people, but everyone noticed the serious expression in his eyes when he looked at Makarov, who met his gaze silently. The atmosphere in Fairy Tail turned tense and heavy as everyone grew quiet.

"Allen?... ah" Lucy also noticed and let go of Allen's arm.

"..." Allen walked up to Makarov.

On the ground, Natsu lay flat, and Gray sat nearby with a serious expression. It wasn't hard to guess what had happened.

"Old man, I got your message… but I disagree with your decision."

Everyone in the guild held their breath. While guys like Natsu often disobeyed orders, this felt different. It was a calm but very strong statement.

Natsu grabbed Allen's leg, his angry grin wide. "You think we should destroy them too, right?!"

"Natsu..."

Makarov narrowed his eyes. "Is that what you think we should do, Allen? Wipe them out because they broke some tables, ceilings, and walls?"

Allen held Makarov's gaze firmly, "It's not just about that. It's the act itself. I don't know everything about Phantom Lord or their members, but judging by what I've heard, that legal guild is one step away from becoming a dark guild..."

Makarov shook his head, "That won't happen. Jose isn't stupid. He's a man who seeks profit. Becoming a dark guild would only bring disadvantages—he'd lose a lot of clients..."

"You seem to know him very well, old man… can you guarantee that this Jose won't take things further?"

"Jose is a Wizard Saint."

"That's just a title. It doesn't make him a good person..."

"There's goodness in every heart. No matter how blackened a heart becomes, there's always a chance for change."

"That's not true!" Allen raised his voice. "I know it's not true..."

"..." Makarov's eyes widened.

Allen calmed himself and looked around at the entire guild. After a brief moment of hesitation, he decided to speak a bit about his past—but only mentioned something they could understand in this world.

"I used to be an Auror in a place far from here. That profession was dedicated to hunting dark wizards..."

Makarov was surprised, as was everyone else. Until now, they knew nothing about Allen's past or where he came from. But that was normal—many in the guild didn't talk about their pasts either.

"During that time, I witnessed the extremes of depravity a wizard could reach—from human experimentation to cursed rituals involving sacrifice… from cold-blooded murders to acts that defied the very essence of life itself..." Allen frowned. Everything he said was true. The world of Harry Potter never fully explored how deep and sinister dark wizards could be.

"Allen..." Makarov sighed. "I understand what you're saying. I know the world isn't naïve, but if you go through life thinking everyone's a cruel monster, it'll consume you."

Allen relaxed his gaze but stayed firm. "Of course, I used to think I was being paranoid too… until I met the Dark Lord..." Allen's eyes turned cold. "That man—that thing—was the very definition of evil itself."

"But..." Makarov tried to respond, but Allen cut him off.

"He didn't just kill people. He captured them… tortured them for hours, days, even weeks. He was very skilled at it. He made sure they couldn't pass out, couldn't die, couldn't even go insane… he was an expert at making others suffer. A true artist of the macabre… and only when he'd drained every last drop of pure agony and suffering from his victims would he offer them the greatest gift of mercy he could give… death."

The guild fell into silence. Many turned pale just imagining that someone like that could exist.

"..." Even Makarov was speechless. In all his years, he'd never heard of someone so cruel. Not even in dark guilds had he encountered anything like that.

"Master, I know you're a good person—and you'd even give second chances to former enemies—but I promise you, there are people out there who don't have a single drop of light in their souls..."

Makarov remained silent; he even began to doubt whether he was being naive in taking Jose's provocation lightly. Perhaps Allen was right.

"Sorry, Natsu. I'll follow Master Makarov's decision. I just wanted to make it clear that I don't agree with it..." Allen turned around, "In the end, we must respect the Guildmaster's decision or else we would fail as Fairy Tail mages."

Natsu stood up and tried to calm his anger. "Hey, what happened to that monster?! I wanna take him down!"

Allen smiled. "To be precise, he was already dead when I started hunting him… and I never caught him before I stopped being an Auror..."

"Wait, then how were you hunting him if he was already dead?!" Gray asked, noticing the contradiction.

Allen shook his head. "He had split his soul into fragments that kept him from dying completely. He became a cursed specter, hiding and waiting to be reborn."

"Allen," Makarov stopped him before he left, "I'm going to speak directly with Jose. Depending on his response, I might change my mind… what do you think of that?"

"It's your decision. But it's better than simply ignoring this..." Allen smiled. "Alright, enough gloomy vibes and grim stories. How about I fix the guild?"

With those words, the mood shifted once again. Everyone remembered that Allen could do that. He headed out of the basement, with everyone following.

Allen stood in the center and first stored the metal beams in his inventory. Then he raised his glowing hand. The larger and older the object or place to repair, the harder the spell.

"Reparo!"

The ground trembled as an invisible wave pulsed through the building. Slowly, the debris began returning to its place. Everyone's faces lit up with joy as the guild was quickly restored. More than that, many now felt like they understood Allen a little better—and this created an even stronger sense of closeness to the mysterious and powerful young wizard.

---

In a distant building, a long-haired man with black hair was eating chunks of metal while glaring at passersby with disdain, as if waiting for someone.

"Those fairies still not coming out?" Gajeel sneered. "I know they're all cowards, so destroying their guild wasn't enough to provoke them… I guess I'll give them one more gift... Hm?!"

Gajeel noticed many people pointing in a direction. When he turned to look, he was stunned to see the Fairy Tail guild he had destroyed being rebuilt at incredible speed.

"Damn it!" Gajeel cursed. "How dare they?!"

His gaze grew colder. It seemed he'd have to put in more effort. This time, he wouldn't carve his message into a building… but into the bodies of some unfortunate Fairy Tail mages.

===

A/N: I wondered if the HP elements I'm integrating into Fairy Tail don't feel odd or out of place 👀

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