Finn smiled. He knew Erza had come to terms with things. She might not be ready to face her past, but she could face her future.
They smiled at each other in the sunset.
"Oh, right! I have the world's best cake. Want to try it?" Before Erza could answer, Finn handed her a strawberry cake, already unwrapped.
"Try it. The owner said it's his best work," Finn whispered, "He used to be the kingdom's best pastry chef."
"He only made them for the royal family. Try it."
Seeing Finn's expectant eyes, Erza took a bite.
Sweet…very sweet…as if it could erase her bitterness.
"How is it?" Finn asked eagerly.
"Yes, very sweet!!"
Erza's smile was as sweet as the cake.
"Okay, I've helped you. It's getting late, so I'll go. I hope to see a new you tomorrow – someone who's willing to accept everyone," Finn stood up, brushing off the dust and leaving.
Erza watched him go, murmuring, "Thank you, Finn!"
…
That night, Finn was asleep. His Zanpakutō glowed red. In his dream, the landscape was vast.
Mountains touched the sky, rivers flowed like oceans.
Finn stood in a field, feeling the rising temperature, which made him uncomfortable.
He wiped the sweat from his brow, puzzled. He controlled fire, why did he feel the heat?
A voice echoed, impossible to pinpoint.
"Finn, do you want to become stronger?"
"Do you want to become stronger?"
Finn was confused. "Who are you? What do you want?"
The voice echoed but didn't answer.
After a while, a new voice said, "Sigh, you don't want to yet." The voice disappeared.
"I want to get stronger! Are you still there?" Finn shouted, but the voice was gone.
The space began to shatter. Finn watched in surprise as cracks spread until the whole world was filled with cracks, then shattered with a loud noise.
Finn woke up in bed.
"What...was that? A dream? But why so real?" No one could answer.
He looked outside; it was dawn. He felt sweat on his hair.
He got up, washed, and went to the guild.
He'd rested for two days and needed to work – and pay rent. He wanted to buy his own house; the Fairy Tail dorm was too expensive.
100,000Jewels a month! He was constantly earning and losing money. He could usually handle things with martial arts, but if he encountered problems, using Ryūjin Jakka's Shikai caused immense damage.
Makarov had been scolded by the council. He strictly forbade Finn from using Shikai in the city unless absolutely necessary.
Finn, as a person from his previous world, would buy a house if he had money.
He went to the guild.
He didn't see Erza. Cana said she'd gone to Porlyusica for her prosthetic eye. Gray was training somewhere. He wanted revenge on Erza.
Finn took an extermination mission from the board, told Makarov, and left to earn money for a house.
Time passed. A year had passed in this world.
Many things happened. Erza had changed the most. She was no longer cold but enthusiastic, stopping fights in the guild.
She was like a strict parent, and everyone feared her.
Gray still took off his clothes and was often beaten by Erza for damaging the guild's image.
Macao got married, and Finn gave him a large gift.
Last year's S-class mage exam was postponed because Gildarts hadn't returned. Laxus was unhappy and vowed to fight Finn this year to prove who was strongest.
Finn stopped thinking, looking at the letter from Makarov, delivered by a letter bird – a magical creature that could deliver letters anywhere.
A small green magic circle appeared, and Makarov's image projected.
He started yelling, "You brat! How long have you been gone? Don't you want to come back? I thought you'd disappeared!"
Finn instinctively leaned back to avoid Makarov's spittle.
Makarov continued, "You've been gone four months since your last mission! Was it an S-class mission? Why so long?"
"It's another extermination mission, and you're gone so long, how do I know if you're alive or dead? Come back immediately!" The image vanished.
"Whew…" Finn relaxed.
"I can't play anymore," Finn shrugged. His last mission was in the capital, where he met Princess Emerald, who gave him a free tour of Fiore Kingdom in thanks.
He learned about the letter birds and sent a message to the guild saying he was fine.
He packed his things to return. He wasn't upset about being scolded; he felt something he hadn't felt before – being missed.
He smiled, packed his things, and left the inn.
...
Magnolia. Finn got off the train, looking at the familiar scene. "It's good outside, but home is better."
He headed towards the guild.
He kicked open the door. "Hello everyone, I'm back!!" But there was no response.
"Huh? Shouldn't someone say welcome back? What's wrong?" Everyone was staring at him emotionlessly.
"Um...what's wrong?" Finn asked cautiously.
A woman's voice scolded him.
"Finn! Where were you? You've been gone for half a year! We thought you were dead if it weren't for your letter last week!"
It was Erza, her eye healed with a prosthetic. She stared intently at Finn.
Finn tried to explain, but she interrupted him. "It's useless. Explain to the Master."
She turned away. Finn saw Makarov sitting at the bar, expressionless.
Finn felt uneasy, going to Makarov. "Master, long time no see! I missed you, hehe."
"Oh, it hasn't been that long. You seem more stylish," Finn said, pretending to be puzzled.
This surprised Makarov.
Makarov tried to maintain his serious expression. "You brat, I thought you were captivated by the outside world."
"Someone was waiting for you to come back," Makarov said grumpily.
Finn felt warmth. It was good to be missed.
"Hahaha~~~" Everyone laughed, seeing Finn's humble attitude.
They said in unison, "Welcome back!!"
Finn calmed himself. "Master, I brought gifts." He put down his backpack, which was full.
"Master, this is for you. It's a famous photo album. I had trouble finding it," Finn found a photo album and gave it to Makarov.
"Um, ahem, since you're so thoughtful...remember, it's because of your sincere attitude, not the photo album," Makarov said seriously.
Finn stifled his laughter.
Makarov quickly put the album away.
Finn took out a sword. "Erza, this is for you. It's a legendary sword. I think you can handle it."
Erza was surprised. "For me?"
Finn smiled. "Everyone has one." Cheers erupted.
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