[FT: O King of the Fairies] Chapter 59

The teleportation was instant.

One moment, we stood in the ruins of a battlefield drenched in death and eldritch remnants. The next, we were home.

Fairy Tail stood before us, its familiar wooden walls glowing under the soft evening light. The air here was warm, filled with the distant laughter and chatter of guildmates inside—completely unaware of what had just transpired.

The newly revived staggered slightly, blinking in confusion. Some of them hesitantly touched the walls of the guildhall, as if confirming it was real. Others let out shaky breaths, overwhelmed by the sheer normalcy of it all.

They didn’t remember.

They had no idea what had actually happened to them.

That was intentional.

Alma and I had made sure of it. The moment I pulled them back, I altered their memories—not drastically, not enough to change who they were, just enough to keep them from breaking.

They didn’t remember dying.

They didn’t remember the pain, the fear, the eldritch horror that had torn them apart.

As far as they knew, the mission had been rough, brutal even, but they had survived. Barely.

It was a necessary lie.

One I could live with.

But there was still one person who hadn’t stopped staring at me since we arrived.

Alma’s grip on my arm tightened, her fingers digging into my coat. She hadn’t said a word since we left the battlefield, but I didn’t have to look at her to know what she was thinking.

She knew.

She had seen the truth.

And she was waiting for me to say something.

I didn’t.

Because before I could, the doors of Fairy Tail slammed open.

Makarov stepped out, his expression unreadable as he took in the scene before him. His sharp eyes scanned the crowd, lingering on each of the returning mages. I saw the way his brows furrowed slightly, the way his lips pressed together.

He hadn’t expected this many to return. Deep down, he knew that when mages went missing for this long, the odds of them coming back were slim. It wasn’t a new reality for him—throughout his tenure as guildmaster, there had been too many times when members simply never made it home.

“…You’re back,” he finally said, his voice steady but laced with quiet surprise.

I stepped forward before he could ask the question I knew was coming.

“Mission’s done. The threat’s gone.”

Makarov’s gaze shifted to the others, then back to me.

“These people.” he said slowly. “I was told they were missing in action.”

“They were,” I replied smoothly. “Things got… messy. But I handled it.”

Makarov’s frown deepened. He looked at the group again. Some of them were still adjusting, shaking off the disorientation. A few exchanged glances, trying to piece together gaps in their memories.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Makarov’s stare turned sharper, the weight of his years pressing into me.

“…What was the enemy?” he asked.

I kept my expression neutral. “A rogue dark guild. They were experimenting with forbidden magic. Dangerous stuff.”

That was a lie.

A complete fabrication.

Makarov sighed, rubbing his forehead. “And you dealt with them?”

“Completely.”

There was a long pause.

Then, finally—he nodded. “I see.”

I knew that tone.

It meant he didn’t believe me.

Not completely.

Makarov wasn’t a fool. He had known me long enough to recognize when I was hiding something.

But he let it go. For now.

“Good work, Aiden,” he said at last. “You did well bringing them back.”

If only he knew.

I turned to leave before he could press further—before anyone else could start asking questions. But as I did, I caught Alma’s gaze again.

She didn’t say a word.

She didn’t have to.

She knew I had lied.

—

The top of Fortress Leonhart was quiet, save for the faint rustling of the wind and the distant hum of Magnolia’s nightlife. From up here, the world felt smaller—just a collection of flickering lights, far removed from what had just happened.

But my mind wasn’t on the view.

It was on Alma.

She stood beside me, arms resting on the railing, her expression unreadable as she stared into the night. She wasn’t shaking. Wasn’t panicking. But she wasn’t speaking either.

She had seen everything. The impossible mass of shifting limbs, the way reality itself seemed to bend around it, the sheer wrongness of its existence. She had watched as I fought it, as I killed it—if something like that could even be called alive in the first place.

And now, she wanted answers.

I exhaled, running a hand down my face. “Alright. Just ask.”

Alma didn’t look at me immediately. Instead, she kept her gaze on the stars, her voice quiet but steady. “That thing… it wasn’t a demon, was it?”

I hesitated. “…No.”

She frowned. “Then what was it?”

I clenched my jaw. That was the problem—I didn’t know. Not exactly. I had read enough, seen enough back in my old world to have a vague idea, but knowledge from fiction wasn’t the same as understanding.

“…Something worse.”

Alma’s fingers tightened against the railing. “That doesn’t tell me anything, Aiden.”

I sighed. “Because I don’t have an answer.” I turned to her. “I don’t know where it came from, how it found me, or what it even was. The only thing I do know is that it wasn’t here by accident.”

She finally looked at me. “It came for you.”

I nodded. “Yeah.” 

Alma’s gaze was sharp, searching my face for something. “…Why?”

I hesitated. Then, finally, I told her the truth.

“I don’t know.”

Her brows furrowed. “You’re saying something like that just found you? That it just—what? Sensed you? Hunted you?”

I exhaled. “No. It was coming for me. There’s a difference.”

Alma crossed her arms. “Explain.”

I ran a hand through my hair. “That thing didn’t just show up randomly, Alma. It knew what it was doing. It came to this world, to this place, to me. It lured me. It baited me and whatever it was. It just… killed.”

Alma’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Like what happened to the guild members.”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

She let out a sharp breath, shaking her head. “Okay. Fine. Let’s say you’re right. Let’s say it was looking for you specifically. What does that mean?”

I met her gaze. “…It means more are coming.”

Alma didn’t flinch. Didn’t look away. She just watched me. And then, finally, she spoke.

“Then we prepare.”

I blinked. “Just like that?”

She huffed. “What, did you expect me to run screaming? Aiden, I’ve been dealing with your ridiculous bullshit for years. A monster from who-knows-where doesn’t even crack the top five.”

I stared at her, then let out a quiet laugh. “That’s concerning.”

She smirked slightly, but the exhaustion was clear in her eyes. “Yeah, well… welcome to my life.”

Silence stretched between us. Then, after a moment, she leaned back against the railing, tilting her head toward me.

“…Now, since we’re already out here having a deep moment—are you finally going to admit you need sleep?”

I groaned. “You ruined it.”

She grinned. “No, I saved it. Now come on, bed. Before you pass out and I have to explain to the guild why their ‘unstoppable’ Aiden Leonhart faceplanted off his own fortress.”

“…You would absolutely let that happen just to prove a point, wouldn’t you?”

“Oh, definitely.”

Alma leaned against the railing, stretching her arms above her head with a relieved sigh. "Well… that was a thing."

I huffed a quiet laugh, resting my arms on the railing beside her. "Yeah. A real fun experience."

She shot me a flat look. "I don’t know what’s worse—the fact that we nearly died or that you sound bored about it."

"Hey, we survived, didn’t we?" I smirked. "Besides, we got everyone back in one piece. That’s what matters."

She hummed, looking out over Magnolia. The city was calm, the distant hum of life continuing like nothing had happened.

“…I’m glad,” she murmured.

I glanced at her. “Yeah?”

She nodded. “That we all made it out. That we’re here.” She exhaled slowly, tilting her head back to look at the stars. "Honestly? I’m just… relieved."

I stayed quiet for a moment, letting her words settle. Relieved. It was such a simple thing, but after everything we’d just gone through, it carried more weight than it should have.

"...Yeah," I said eventually. "Me too."

Alma glanced at me, raising an eyebrow. "You? Mister 'Nothing Shakes Me'?"

I smirked. "Hey, even I appreciate not dying horribly. Call it a personal preference."

She snorted. "Wow, such high standards."

"What can I say? I like being alive."

She shook her head, but I caught the small smile on her lips.

For a while, we just stood there, the night breeze cool against our skin. It was nice—quiet. A sharp contrast to everything we'd just been through.

Then, after a beat, Alma broke the silence. "So. What now?"

I arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

She turned to face me fully, resting her hip against the railing. "I mean… what’s next? Are we just going back to the usual? Another mission, another near-death experience?"

I tilted my head, considering. "I mean, that’s kind of the Fairy Tail way, isn’t it?"

She groaned. "Gods, don’t remind me."

I chuckled. "What, not a fan?"

"Oh no, I love constantly wondering if I’ll make it back in one piece," she deadpanned. "It’s my favorite part of the job."

I smirked. "Well, if it makes you feel better, I do try to keep you alive."

She scoffed. "Oh, do you? Because I’m pretty sure half the time, I’m the one keeping you from getting yourself killed."

I gave her a look. "Alma, I don’t die."

She rolled her eyes. "Not for lack of trying."

I laughed. "Okay, fair."

She shook her head with a fond sigh. "Seriously, though. What’s the plan?"

I leaned back against the railing, glancing at her. "For tonight? Sleep. For tomorrow? …Haven't decided yet."

Alma hummed. "Maybe something not life-threatening for once?"

I snorted. "Boring."

She smacked my arm. "Aiden."

"Alright, alright." I raised my hands in surrender. "We’ll take it easy for a bit. No eldritch abominations, no world-ending disasters. Just… normal guild stuff."

Alma crossed her arms. "Define 'normal.'"

I grinned. "You’ll find out in the morning."

She groaned. "That’s not reassuring."

I just chuckled, pushing off the railing. "Come on, let’s head in. Unless you wanna stay out here and dramatically stare at the stars a little longer?"

She huffed. "Tempting, but I’d rather not wake up with a stiff neck."

"Good choice."

We turned to head inside, the night still calm around us.

For the first time in a while, there was no immediate danger, no urgent crisis. Just us, standing side by side, moving forward.

And honestly? That was enough.

—

Life at Fairy Tail had a way of moving forward, no matter what horrors lurked in the shadows or how close we came to the abyss.

A few days had passed since the eldritch nightmare in that far-off town. The memories still lingered, the weight of the lives lost hanging heavy in the back of my mind—but here, in Magnolia, it was as if nothing had changed.

The guild hall was just as loud and chaotic as ever.

"OI, AIDEN! SPAR WITH ME!"

I barely had time to react before Laxus came barreling toward me, a crackle of electricity following in his wake.

"Not in the guild!" Macao’s voice rang out from the bar, but it was already too late.

Laxus swung. I sidestepped at the last second, watching his fist blow a hole through the table where I'd been sitting. Wood splintered, debris flew, and the entire room went dead silent.

I slowly turned back to him. "...Really?"

He grinned, completely unapologetic. "You dodged, didn’t you?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "That's not the point."

Macao sighed and rubbed his temples. "This is coming out of your reward money, Laxus."

"Tch." He crossed his arms. "Fine."

Just like that, the tension was gone, and the guild went back to its usual antics.

From across the room, Gray and Cana were bickering over something, Erza was organizing some weapons with ridiculous intensity for a nine-year-old, and Lyon was trying (and failing) to look uninterested while stealing glances at the quest board.

It was just another day.

And for once, I was grateful for the normalcy.

I leaned back against the counter, watching the scene unfold.

Makarov had barely questioned what happened in that other town.

That was probably the best outcome.

Lying about what went down would’ve been a drag.

The last thing I wanted was to explain eldritch abominations and cosmic horrors to the old man. He had enough on his plate without dealing with the knowledge that things existed beyond our comprehension.

Still, he had looked at me for a long moment after I came back. Not asking, just… watching.

In the end, he had only said one thing.

"You're still standing. That means it's over."

And that was that.

No long speeches. No probing questions.

Just trust.

It was a strange feeling, knowing that even after all that, life just moved on.

"Aiden."

I turned to see Alma standing beside me, arms crossed, a knowing look in her eyes.

"You've been spacing out."

I smirked. "You worried about me?"

She scoffed. "You wish. I just don't want you brooding in the middle of the guild like some tragic protagonist."

I chuckled. "You say that like I don’t have main character energy."

"You have dumbass energy," she corrected, rolling her eyes.

Before I could fire back, a loud crash made both of us turn.

Cana had successfully body-slammed Gray into Lyon, sending them both flying across the room.

Laxus burst out laughing. Macao sighed. Erza gave an approving nod, like this was some kind of training exercise.

Alma and I just exchanged a look.

Yep.

Everything was back to normal.