The two found a place to sit down in the forest, and Raizel spoke first.
"My idea is to have a few people go over to Edolas, especially Natsu and Wendy. I think it's absolutely necessary to bring them along."
Laxus and the Raijinshuu were currently out on a mission; otherwise, Raizel would have strongly considered sending Laxus over.
Having Laxus handle things in Edolas would allow Raizel to just take it easy.
Additionally, the unique Magical Power of Dragon Slayer Mages like Natsu and Wendy could prevent them from being absorbed and turned into Magic Crystals by Anima, which served as a reliable insurance policy.
Mystogan wasn't surprised by Raizel's request and nodded without hesitation.
Since they were going to do this, they had to go all out.
"Gathering a large amount of Magical Power will also require your cooperation," Mystogan noted.
He then pointed in the direction of Gildarts's house on the outskirts of town and said, "Anima will probably activate tomorrow. Let's assemble at that location tomorrow morning to act as the bait."
Raizel scratched his cheek, a bit hesitant.
"That's Gildarts's house, right...?"
Mystogan was also a bit embarrassed by the choice of location. "There's no other way. Only that place is far enough from Magnolia's center... This is the only way to prevent the rest of Magnolia from being affected by the vortex."
Raizel didn't plan to dwell on it any further.
Sacrificing Gildarts's home alone would benefit all of Magnolia, which was a worthy trade.
"Alright, I'll bring the members over tomorrow," Raizel agreed.
"Let's assemble at 7 AM."
...
After returning home, Raizel sent telepathic messages to a select group of members.
[Come to my house tonight. I have something important to discuss with you.]
At night, with the arrival of Makarov, Ur, and Gildarts, everyone Raizel had called was finally present.
The three veterans came together because Gildarts had invited Ur and Makarov for a meal, and they headed over to Raizel's right after eating.
"So, what's this all about? Can you tell us now?"
Before the three newest arrivals could even sit down, Natsu asked impatiently.
Raizel looked at Makarov and asked, "Grandpa, you also know about the other world called Edolas, right?"
Makarov nodded gravely. "Yes, I've discussed some of it with Porlyusica."
Raizel then turned to look at Mira, Erza, and the others. "Do you remember the villages that suddenly disappeared during the Beast King incident?"
Erza nodded emphatically. "Of course, I'd even say it left a deep impression on me."
Mira also nodded, her expression tinged with a hint of lingering fear.
Natsu, who had suddenly stumbled upon some interesting news, stopped making noise and quietly waited for Raizel to continue.
Raizel turned to look at Carla, who was sitting next to Wendy, and said, "I'll explain from here. If I say anything wrong, please feel free to correct me, Carla."
"Alright," the white cat agreed.
"The world we live in has a specific name: Earthland. However, there is another world entirely different from this one, called Edolas. In that world, Magical Power is gradually disappearing."
"Magic Power is disappearing? What does that mean?" Natsu pressed.
"It means the total amount of magic in Edolas is finite. If they continue using it at their current rate, one day all the Magical Power will be completely gone," Raizel explained.
"In an attempt to save their dwindling Magical Power, the King of Edolas developed a spell designed to absorb Magical Power from another world into their own. That spell is the Super Spatial Magic—Anima."
Ultear connected the dots immediately. "So, it's that giant hole or vortex we saw in the sky back then? That's called Anima? Finally, the confusion in my heart is cleared up."
Ever since witnessing that terrifying scene, Ultear had consulted numerous documents but couldn't find any concrete answers.
As someone with strong intellectual curiosity, this lack of information had left her feeling quite unsettled—especially since her searches within the Council's archives always ended with classifications like "Top Secret" or "Access Denied."
"This plan began approximately six years ago," Raizel continued. "Although Edolas has been deploying Anima throughout Earthland, it hasn't achieved the expected results for them."
"Why?" Erza pressed.
Just then, the front door was pushed open.
"Because of me."
"Mystogan???" everyone exclaimed in unison, thoroughly confused as the masked mage entered the room.
"Yes, I've been sealing Anima portals across various locations these past few years," Mystogan announced, walking into the center of the gathering.
"But this time, the Anima is too massive. I can't stop it alone."
"So what does that mean???" Natsu blinked, looking completely bewildered by the sudden influx of information.
"It means they are targeting massive Magical Power. This Anima is targeting Magnolia," Raizel and Mystogan answered together.
"WHAT! Magnolia!" Several people couldn't remain seated, standing up agitatedly in shock.
"Let Raizel and Mystogan finish first," Makarov said, tapping his cane on the table to restore order.
Raizel continued, "The reason Magnolia is being targeted is because it houses Fairy Tail, which possesses an enormous amount of Magical Power."
Mystogan added, "Yes, according to my predictions, the portal will activate tomorrow."
"What should we do? Just let Magnolia disappear? I can't accept that!" Natsu's tone was filled with fierce agitation.
"Well, since Fairy Tail is located in Magnolia, our duty should be to protect Magnolia," Makarov stated resolutely.
This time, Makarov didn't scold Natsu for his outburst but instead nodded approvingly at his fighting spirit.
Mystogan explained the countermeasure. "Anima's target is Magical Power, so the plan is simple. We gather massive Magical Power at a specific location outside of town to divert Anima's pull away from the city center and toward us."
"I see. Magnolia is being targeted because it has too much Magical Power, but the people sitting here represent the vast majority of that power." Ultear nodded in understanding, finally realizing why Raizel had explicitly summoned Ur, Gildarts, and the Master—all three possessed immense Magical Power capable of acting as a lure.
"Correct. To accurately draw Anima to the target location, every one of you is essential," Mystogan confirmed.
"Wait, then why am I sitting here...?" Lucy voiced her objection, feeling incredibly out of place among the guild's heavy hitters.
Erza patted Lucy's shoulder reassuringly.
"Lucy, don't underestimate yourself. There are rumors outside that you possess S-Class Mage power."
Elfman nodded in agreement. "Yes, I've heard about it too. Single-handedly defeating nineteen Snow Mountain Vulcans without a scratch—truly manly!"
"What does that have to do with being manly?! And who spread that ridiculous rumor!" Lucy protested vehemently.
These stories were all complete fabrications!
"What does this have to do with Carla?" Wendy timidly raised her hand to ask.
Raizel pointed upward and said, "Carla and Happy originally came from Edolas."
"They have another name there," Mystogan added. "Exceed."
Carla nodded solemnly. "Yes, I often get fragmentary images of Edolas flashing in my mind."
Happy blinked his eyes with a completely bewildered expression. "Huh? Why don't I know anything about this?"
Carla sighed impatiently, "Because you're oblivious and just don't know."
Carla sometimes really envied Happy.
Just as his name suggested, he knew nothing of their heavy burdens and simply lived happily every day.
Raizel explained further, "Those images you saw, Carla, might be precognitive visions. Happy doesn't possess this foresight ability, so he naturally doesn't know about them."