Temporary Fairy Tail Headquarters
"Mira, have you seen Loke around the guild today?"
Kael and Cana stepped into the large tent that now served as Fairy Tail's temporary hall. They glanced around but found no sign of Loke anywhere.
"Damn it… after what I told him yesterday, he still wouldn't listen."
The moment Kael heard Mira's reply, he immediately understood what Loke was thinking. That fool still wanted to atone. Kael clenched his fists, regret washing over him. He should have tied Loke up yesterday and stopped him from running off.
"Is something wrong, Kael?" Mira asked as she set two cups of milk on the table in front of them. She could tell by their anxious faces that something serious was going on.
Elfman, Lisanna, and others gathered around too, worried. Everyone had noticed Loke's odd behavior over the past few days — something had clearly been off. And from the look on Cana's face, the concern was well justified.
"This is… complicated," Kael said after a pause. "Is the Master here? I need to report this to him first."
"He's not," Mira replied. "He went to meet with some of his old friends for a reunion."
"Figures…" Kael sighed. "Alright, here's the situation — Loke, he's…"
"What?! Loke is a Celestial Spirit?!"
"That's right," Kael nodded gravely. "And after what happened before, he's been stuck in the human world too long. His magic power is almost completely gone."
Kael explained everything — who Loke really was, and the truth behind his past. By the end of it, everyone was stunned.
"If his magic runs out…" Kael continued solemnly, "it means Loke will die."
"W–What?!" The two Lisannas gasped in unison, covering their mouths, eyes wide in disbelief.
CRACK!
"I knew something was wrong!" Elfman roared, slamming his fist on the counter. "The other day, I saw him at the training grounds. He spent the whole day talking to me about workouts — even told me not to push myself too hard. Damn it!"
He gritted his teeth, furious at himself for not realizing something was off.
Kael stood abruptly. "Please, let the Master and everyone else know what's going on. I need to find Lucy and the others — she's the only one who can save him."
He was about to teleport away when Cana grabbed the edge of his cloak. "Not this time, Kael," she said firmly. "We're all coming with you."
Kael looked around. Everyone's faces were filled with worry and determination.
"…Alright," he said quietly. "I'll go ahead and find Lucy first. Meet me there."
And with a flash of light, Kael vanished.
The Road Back
"This job ended faster than I expected," Erza said as she looked back at the smoking ruins of the fortress they'd just destroyed. "We can finally get some rest."
"Aww, I wanted to keep fighting!" Natsu groaned.
"You've already done enough damage," Erza replied sharply.
Gray sighed, rubbing his temples. "You're seriously complaining you didn't destroy enough?"
Just as Lucy opened her mouth to suggest a stop at the hot springs, a sudden pulse of light split the air.
"Lucy! I need your help!"
Kael appeared before them, his expression grim.
"Kael? What happened? Is it the guild?!" Erza demanded, instantly stepping forward, eyes narrowing with killing intent. The thought of another attack made her blood boil.
"No. It's not that," Kael said. "I'll explain everything once we get there — we don't have time."
Before they could ask more, a glowing magic circle formed beneath their feet, engulfing them all in radiant light.
In the next instant, the entire group vanished.
Not far away, Juvia, who had been secretly following Gray, blinked in shock as the group disappeared before her eyes.
"Gray-sama!" she cried out, running forward frantically. "What happened?! Where did you go?!"
When she saw no trace of them, her determination flared.
"The guild must be in danger! Juvia will help! Wait for me, Gray-sama!"
With that, she sprinted toward Fairy Tail's direction.
The Falls of Regret
A vast waterfall thundered down from a high cliff, mist rising into the air. On the opposite platform, Loke stood silently before a lonely gravestone, his golden hair dim in the fading sunlight.
He knew what Kael had meant yesterday. He knew his guildmates would never abandon him — that they would try everything to help.
But this was his sin. The dead could never return, and he refused to run from his guilt.
"Karen…" he whispered, voice trembling. "I'm sorry. Because of me, you lost your life. But it's alright… I'll be joining you soon."
"LO–KE!"
A familiar voice shouted his name. Loke spun around in shock to see Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Gray — and Kael — rushing toward him.
"Everyone…? How did you find me?"
"Everyone's worried about you," Lucy said softly, stepping closer.
They already knew everything — Kael had told them the truth.
Loke was Leo, the Lion of the Celestial Zodiac. His former summoner, Karen Lilica, had abused her Spirits and refused to release them even when begged to. Loke had defied her, standing up for his kind and forcing her to confront her cruelty. He stayed in the human world to protest — but his rebellion prevented Karen from closing the Celestial Gate.
Unable to summon another Spirit due to her depleted magic, Karen perished on a mission soon after.
That guilt had consumed Loke ever since. Having broken the laws of the Celestial Spirit King, he could never return home.
"This was my choice," Loke said quietly. "People should take responsibility for their mistakes. This is my punishment."
"You idiot!" Natsu shouted, fists clenched. "That's not all on you!"
He lunged forward, ready to punch sense into him, but Kael stopped him with a firm hand.
"Natsu, don't," Erza warned, grabbing Natsu's arm before he could move.
"Loke," came a deep, weary voice. It was Makarov, who had arrived with the others. "It seems I've failed as a guild master — I should've noticed your suffering sooner. I'm sorry."
The other guild members behind him all looked just as remorseful, blaming themselves for not realizing something was wrong.
"No, no! Please don't blame yourselves!" Loke cried. "I love this guild — all of you! It's my fault. I—"
But before he could finish, his body flickered.
"Loke!" Lucy gasped. His outline began to shimmer, turning transparent like mist.
Kael instantly teleported to his side and caught him before he collapsed. Golden light burst from Kael's hands as he poured his magic into Loke's fading form, trying to stabilize him.
"Stay with us," Kael muttered through clenched teeth.
The light only steadied Loke's form for a moment — his body was still growing fainter, the edges dissolving into air.
Lucy fell to her knees, trembling. "Loke, please… don't disappear…"