Shuurai
patreon
[FT: O King of the Fairies] Chapter 75
🕑 Added 2025-04-19 11:34:42 +0000 UTCIt was late when Makarov found me.
The guild hall had quieted down. Most of the chaos had spilled out into the night, leaving only occasional drunken snore from someone passed out in the corner. I was sitting alone on the balcony above the hall.
Didn’t even need to look when the old man stepped beside me.
He didn’t speak right away. Just stood beside me, watching the night.
Then he broke the silence.
“Aiden,” he said, his voice softer than usual, “I want you to take over the guild.”
He said again.
I sighed.
“I’m not taking it,” I said, looking out at the sky. “I’m not going to be the next Guildmaster.”
Makarov was quiet, but not surprised.
“Why?”
I leaned back, arms resting behind my head as I stared at the stars. “You’re aware of parallel worlds, right, Master?” I asked—not really a question. More like a formality.
He nodded slowly.
“There’s Edolas, a world that mirrors ours—same people, different paths. A world starving for magic. Then there’s Elentear, overflowing with it.”
He didn’t speak. He just listened. Like he always did when it really mattered.
“But those are just two,” I continued, eyes drifting upward again. “There are hundreds, no– thousands of worlds out there. Each one strange and dangerous and brilliant in ways we can't even begin to understand.”
A pause hung between us, and then I looked at him again—this time, really looked.
“I want to see them. I want to explore. To enjoy. To experience all of it.”
“You don’t think you’ll find what you’re looking for here?” he asked softly.
I smiled, but there was a hint of sadness in it. “I’ve found family here. I’ve found love, purpose, meaning. But I’ve always had this... itch in my soul. Like I was born for more.”
I stood, stretching, the wind ruffling my coat.
“I want to live. I want to laugh with strangers. I want to fall asleep under different skies. I want to get lost and not need to be found.”
Makarov’s gaze was warm. No anger. No disappointment. Just that deep, wise fondness he reserved for his brattiest children.
“You’re still young,” he said with a nod. “You’ve earned the right to choose your path. Just promise me one thing.”
“Anything.”
“Whenever you go,” Makarov said as he turned back toward the stairs, “don’t forget this is always your home.”
I nodded once. “I won’t. I never could.”
And with that, he left me alone under the stars—my answer spoken, my path wide open, and the world—no, worlds—waiting for me.
—
X777.
This was it. The year the Dragon Slayers arrived.
Somewhere out there, Layla Heartfilia was getting ready to open the Eclipse Gate.
The arrival of these troublemakers was just the beginning. It marked the start of a long battle against that overgrown black lizard, Acnologia.
I couldn't help but think about him. I didn’t really want to kill the guy. To be honest, he wasn’t evil. Just... crazy. He was consumed by this rage—rage against the dragons that had destroyed everything he cared about. When I thought back on his past, it almost made sense. He’d watched his family die, seen his city burn, and had that child’s life torn from him. No wonder he blamed the dragons for everything.
He took it upon himself to destroy them all, using the very name of the dragon he hated. In his twisted mind, it was the only way to end the cycle of pain they caused. The sad part? He ended up becoming the thing he hated most. The irony wasn’t lost on me.
But then... I got stuck thinking about it. His goal was to destroy the world, right? Yet here we are, 400 years later, and he hasn't done it. I couldn't figure out why. He had all the time in the world. Was his mind being twisted by the dragon blood in him? Or did he just go completely insane over time?
I shrugged the thought off. I’d let future me deal with that mess.
Layla, my focus shifted to her.
She didn’t deserve to die.
She opened the Eclipse Gate because she thought it was the only way to protect the future, but in the process, she doomed herself and left Lucy without her mother. A mother who should’ve been there to guide her, to protect her. Instead, she was gone, leaving a hole in Lucy’s life that would never be filled.
Then I saw it—a streak of light across the sky. Too fast to be a normal meteor. I recognized it instantly: the Dragon Slayers.
A grin spread across my face. Oh, this was going to be fun. The chaos they’d bring, the mess they’d cause—it was all part of the show, and I couldn’t wait to see it unfold.
“Well, well,” I muttered, pushing away from the window. “Looks like the fun’s starting.”’
I turned away, already looking forward to the chaos.
—
A few months had passed since the opening of the eclipse gate.
“YOU BREAK ONE MORE CHAIR, AND I SWEAR TO GOD, I’M TAKING IT OUT OF YOUR PAYCHECKS!” Alma yelled, slamming a stack of paperwork on the counter.
“I wasn’t even near the chair!” Wakaba protested, only for another chair to smash into him.
“Guilty by association,” Alma huffed, adjusting her glasses before shooting me a glare. “And you. Are you just going to sit there all day, or are you going to help me maintain some order?”
“I am helping,” I said, taking another sip. “I’m providing moral support.”
She threw a quill at me.
“Oi, Cana!” Laxus barked from the other side of the room, arms crossed. Now sixteen, he had fully grown into his power and presence, which meant the only person more terrifying than Alma when angry was him. “Didn’t I tell you to stop acting like a drunk? You’re still a damn kid!”
Cana, all of eleven years old, scowled at him, hugging a barrel of juice like it was her lifeline. “I earned this drink, Sparky!”
Laxus pinched the bridge of his nose. “That’s apple juice.”
She took a slow, exaggerated sip. “And?”
“And you’re acting like it’s alcohol.”
Cana smirked. “I’m practicing.”
Laxus groaned. “Aiden, back me up here.”
I shrugged. “She’s not wrong.”
“Damn it!”
While Laxus was having his usual ‘irresponsible older brother’ moment, Erza, Simon, and Jellal were seated at a table, clearly plotting something. I narrowed my eyes. “You three better not be up to anything.”
“Who, us?” Simon said, feigning innocence.
“Of course not,,” Erza added.
Jellal nodded. “We wouldn’t dream of it.”
I wasn’t buying it. “If I find out you’ve set another trap for Gildarts—”
Before I could finish, Gildarts walked in… and immediately fell through the floor.
A long silence.
Erza, Simon, and Jellal all turned to me with the most innocent faces.
Cana took another slow sip of her juice. “I respect the commitment.”
I sighed. “I’m too tired to deal with this.”
Meanwhile, in the designated chaos zone—also known as the training area—Ur stood with the poise of a woman trying very hard not to regret taking on three emotionally unstable ice gremlins as students.
“STOP USING ICE MAKE: CHAIR TO THROW AT ME!” Lyon shouted, backpedaling as another glistening recliner of death whizzed past him.
Gray, the artist of said war-furniture, grinned like a delinquent on a snow day. “It’s not my fault you make such a good target.”
Oh boy. Here we go again.
“I swear,” Lyon growled, “if you launch one more chair—”
Gray already had another one mid-summon. “Don’t threaten me with a good time.”
“I’LL END YOU.”
I squinted from the distance, deadpan. “You say that every day, Lyon. Either do it, or accept that you two are in the world’s coldest bromance.”
Ultear, meanwhile, was lounging off to the side like a queen watching two jesters slap each other with frozen chairs. She raised her teacup with the smugness of someone who knew she was above it all. Or at least pretended to be.
It was a huge change compared to when she first got here.
I leaned over to Laxus and whispered, “Honestly, I’d put my money on Ultear in a three-way deathmatch.”
Ur stood at the edge of the madness, arms crossed, wearing a smile that screamed, 'These three are my legacy. I am both proud and terrified.'
“Is this… is this what parental pride feels like?” she asked aloud.
I called back, “Only if you ignore the fact they’ve caused at least six property damage reports this week.”
“Seven,” Alma corrected from a distance.
Ur chuckled. “They grow up so fast.”
I nodded, still watching Lyon tackle Gray into a snowbank. “Yeah”
As Gray and Lyon continued their slapstick war of attrition, with Ultear sipping tea like a noblewoman watching peasants fight over scraps, I leaned against the guild’s balcony, arms crossed.
As Gray and Lyon kept throwing insults and ice chairs at each other, I leaned against the guild’s balcony, arms crossed.
I glanced at Alma—something was off.
She’d been distant these past months. Not in any obvious way, but in the quiet moments, the silences between words, I could feel it. A heaviness she carried behind her eyes.
I asked her about it, gently at first, then more directly. Each time, she’d smile that same tired smile and say, “It’s nothing.”
But it wasn’t nothing. I knew it.
Still, she wouldn’t let me in. And in the end, all I could do was stand there—helpless, watching her drift further away into whatever storm she was facing alone.
Then,
Master Makarov strutted into the guild with a kid trailing behind him.
I grinned. About damn time.
“Alright, listen up!” Makarov clapped his hands. “Everyone, meet Natsu Dragneel!”
Cue tiny pink-haired chaos incarnate.
“I’m Natsu! Natsu Dragneel! Son of Igneel, the fire dragon! And I’m gonna be the strongest wizard in Fairy Tail!”
There was a beat of silence.
Then the entire guild lost it.
Gray, already down to his underwear despite being thirteen, laughed the loudest. “A dragon? Seriously? Dragons aren’t real anymore, flame-brain.”
Natsu’s fists lit up like birthday candles. “What did you just call me?!”
“You. Heard. Me.” Gray’s hands frosted over.
Before anyone could intervene, they were already launching themselves at each other like two elements that absolutely should not be mixing.
Tables flipped. Drinks flew. People ducked.
I glanced at Cana. “Ten jewel says the new kid takes Gray down in the next five minutes.”
She nodded solemnly. “Bet.”
Erza, who had been watching from the corner like a teacher waiting for the exact moment to step in, finally stood. Her armor clanked. Her hair did the dramatic anime wave. Her aura said “stop or perish.”
“That’s. ENOUGH.”
The room froze. Literally and figuratively. Even the air temperature dropped like it was afraid of her.
Natsu blinked up at her, gears clearly turning. Then he did the unthinkable.
He grinned. “You’re strong! Fight me next!”
Cue every single jaw hitting the floor.
Gray scrambled away. “Dude. That’s Erza Scarlet. Are you trying to die?”
“So?” Natsu beamed, cracking his knuckles as fire danced around him. “I wanna fight everyone strong! That’s how I’ll become the best!”
Erza’s face twitched—was that a smile? A smirk? Who knows. But something shifted.
“You’ve got spirit,” she said, planting a gauntlet-covered hand on his shoulder. “But you need training. Discipline. Structure.”
Jellal snorted from across the room. “Oh great. Now Erza’s found a feral sidekick.”
“I’m not feral!” Natsu yelled. Then paused. “…Okay maybe a little.”
Makarov just laughed and waved him over. “Alright kid, let’s make it official.”
As the guild mark was pressed onto Natsu’s arm, the kid practically buzzed with energy, looking around like he was ready to challenge everyone to a duel.
“Now that he’s official,” I said, leaning back with a smirk, “he’s fair game.”
Erza shot me a look sharp enough to cut steel. “Aiden, don’t you dare corrupt him.”
“Who, me?” I said with a wink. “I’m a role model.”
“Like hell you are.”
The guild erupted into cheers. Natsu looked like he’d just found his new favorite chaos pit. And honestly? He fit right in.
