"Who are you?"
Grammi froze while clutching her daughter Brandish close.
A complex magic circle had just materialized out of thin air in front of their cabin, depositing four strangers on her doorstep.
There was a child, an elderly man, and two other childs.
Their hair colors didn't match, and she didn't recognize a single one of them.
'Holy fucking shit..'
Raizel didn't know what to say.
Internally, he was screaming. He had only heard August mutter "stand steady," and in the blink of an eye, they had crossed an entire ocean.
'I want to learn this how to do this shit!' Raizel thought desperately with his eyes going wide.
Ultear and Erza were equally shell-shocked, staring at the old man's back.
'Is he even human?'
August, however, remained perfectly calm.
He didn't need to act like a powerhouse; he simply was one.
"We are here to see you, Ms. Grammi, on behalf of Ms. Layla Heartfilia," Raizel stepped forward to explain, trying to regain his composure.
"Layla-sama?" Grammi's guarded expression softened into surprise. "She sent you?"
"Let us make haste, Raizel. Project the Heartfilia estate's location in your mind," August interrupted.
He found the idea of explaining the situation back and forth too tedious.
He turned his gaze to the little girl. "Hold the child tight."
Grammi instinctively pulled Brandish closer as August tapped his staff against the earth.
Warp.
...
The Heartfilia Estate
"Who's there—?! Grammi? Raizel-kun?"
The maids tending the garden dropped their shears.
One moment the garden was empty; the next, six people were standing on the lawn.
They recognized Grammi, who had once worked there, along with Raizel and Ultear from previous visits.
Grammi looked around, stunned.
The familiar scent of the Heartfilia roses filled her nose.
They had just teleported across continents in a heartbeat. She was likely the only one here who truly understood the terrifying distance they had just traversed.
"Grammi!"
The magical disturbance had alerted Layla on the second floor. S
he threw open the window of her study and gasped.
"Layla-sama!" Grammi called out, her voice trembling.
August, impatient with shouting from the lawn, tapped his staff again.
In a flicker of light, the group appeared directly inside the study, standing behind Layla, who was holding a teacup.
Layla blinked, setting the cup down with a shaking hand, but quickly recovered her grace.
She invited everyone to the reception room immediately. August followed without complaint; he seemingly preferred action over conversation.
In the reception room, the four mages decided to fade into the background for a moment.
"It really has been a long time, Layla-sama," Grammi said, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.
"Is this your child?" Layla looked at Brandish, who was nestled in Grammi's arms, her green hair was identical to her mother's.
"Yes. Her name is Brandish," Grammi said.
She hesitated, unsure how her daughter should address Layla. After all, Grammi was just a former maid.
Brandish looked at the blonde woman curiously.
She had heard her mother speak often of her former mistress.
"Brandish, you can call me Auntie Layla," Layla said with a warm, beaming smile, waving enthusiastically at the child.
She had never viewed Grammi as a servant, but as a sister.
At Grammi's prompting, Brandish shyly murmured, "Auntie Layla."
"Bring Lucy here," Layla instructed a maid, who bowed and hurried off.
After the brief pleasantries, Layla's expression turned serious.
"Grammi, I need to ask a favor. I need you to bring the Aquarius key to me in the year X777." Layla addressed everyone, but her eyes were fixed on her old friend.
She knew she had to be clear—without that key, the plan would fail, and lives would be lost.
She had been searching for Grammi since X774 with growing anxiety.
"In that case, I will return the Aquarius key to you now, Layla-sama." Grammi reached into her pouch.
She had always viewed herself merely as the key's guardian anyway, not its owner.
Brandish looked flustered.
Although the spirit Aquarius was often harsh with her, she was the lonely girl's only friend.
"No," Layla shook her head gently, closing her eyes. "I have retired as a Celestial Spirit Mage. I only need the key brought here during that specific period. Besides... this arrangement allows Aquarius to keep Brandish company."
Layla knew the value of a friend.
"Mom!"
A blur of blonde hair rushed into the room as Lucy threw herself into Layla's embrace.
"Lucy, this is Auntie Grammi, and this is Brandish," Layla introduced them. "Why don't you two go play together?"
Lucy's eyes lit up.
She grabbed Brandish's hand eagerly. "Come on! Let's go explore the estate!"
It was her first time meeting a friend her own age.
"Erza, Ultear, would you like to join them?" Layla asked, hoping her daughter could make even more friends.
"Go ahead." Raizel nodded to the girls.
It wasn't just to entertain Lucy; the upcoming discussion about the Eclipse Plan and Zeref wasn't something the children needed to hear.
As the children left, the atmosphere in the room shifted.
Layla held nothing back.
She felt a deep respect toward August—anyone capable of Continent-spanning Teleportation was a figure she dared not offend.
And she trusted Raizel implicitly; he had brought her Capricorn, and now Grammi.
They discussed the Eclipse Gate Plan set for July 7th, X777.
August listened intently.
He was intrigued to learn the history of the Gate, but when Raizel mentioned that Zeref was involved in the plan, the Magic King's eyebrows rose in genuine surprise.
...
An Hour Later
"Let's keep in touch using this Communication Lacrima from now on." Layla handed the crystal to Grammi.
Outside by the fountain, the goodbyes began.
"Goodbye, Brandish! I'll miss you!" Lucy waved frantically.
She now understood that her new friend lived on a distant continent and had to leave first.
"Goodbye, Lucy. We'll come back to visit," Ultear and Erza promised.
A magic circle swirled beneath Brandish and Grammi, and in an instant, they were transported back to the Western Continent.
"Thank you, Raizel. And you, August-sama." Layla clasped her hands and bowed respectfully.
"We will take our leave now." Raizel met August's gaze and nodded.
...
Tenrou Island
The ancient home of Fairy Tail was peaceful.
Mavis Vermillion sat perched on a high tree branch, swinging her bare feet. She tilted her head back, eyes closed, enjoying the salty sea breeze.
'Hm?'
"Teleportation Magic?"
Mavis tilted her head curiously.
She sensed the spatial distortion—a Teleportation Magic Circle appearing near the shoreline.
She hopped down lightly from the tree and walked barefoot toward the disturbance.
'Mother!' August's pupils contracted.
There she was. He truly saw her. His mother, Mavis.
"She's here..."
Tenrou Island lay completely visible in August's sight.
He stopped Raizel, who had been about to step forward.
"Raizel! Did you come to play with me?"
Recognizing the young mage, Mavis waved cheerfully with a bright smile on her face as she ran toward them.
Erza and Ultear were not there; Raizel had wisely left them at Hargeon Port.
The fewer people who witnessed this specific reunion, the better.
"First Master!" Raizel greeted her with a bow.
"And this is?" Mavis stopped, tilting her head as she observed the old man.
He leaned heavily on his staff, radiating a magical power that was nothing short of astonishing.
She realized immediately that the teleportation magic earlier had been his doing.
But it was strange.
Raizel didn't look threatened.
Instead, this powerful old man was trembling. His staff shook in his grip, his shoulders quaked—as if he were the one terrified of her.
August instinctively cast a privacy barrier spell around them, sealing them off from the world.
But when he tried to speak, his throat constricted.
He looked at Mavis, and the words died on his tongue.
Raizel watched the silent trembling of the Magic King.
He was certain now that August intended to acknowledge her—otherwise, why would he be so visibly overcome with emotion?
"A combination of a barrier and lie-detection magic?" Mavis blinked, looking around at the shimmering green dome enclosing them.
She felt no panic; she trusted her guild member implicitly.
August just gazed at her as tears began to pool in his eyes, overwhelmed to the point of making him silent.
Raizel sighed inwardly.
He hadn't come here to watch a silent drama. Someone had to bridge the gap!
"August-sama," Raizel suggested softly, "use a Connection Spell."
August nodded shakily.
He couldn't speak, but he could weave magic.
A soft light linked Mavis and August.
Through the link, memories flowed like a rushing river.
Mavis gasped as images flooded her mind.
She saw a baby born in the darkness after her "death"... She saw Precht, confused and fearful, abandoning the child... She saw the child wandering, surviving, growing... She saw the old man he had become... And finally, she felt the overwhelming, heartbreaking longing that had sustained him for decades.
She felt August's desperate wish to simply see his mother.
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