Somewhere in the mountain forests on the outskirts of Magnolia, space distorted without warning. Fine cracks spread rapidly like a spider web, then suddenly collapsed and shattered inward.
A vortex with silver brilliance flowing around its edges formed at the center of the shattered space.
The next second, a figure was roughly "spat" out of the vortex, crashing miserably onto the soft ground and rolling several times before barely coming to a stop.
"Cough... cough!"
Ryoma abruptly lifted his head from the dirt, coughing violently, his saliva mixed with soil.
The clothes on his body had several charred holes and emitted a faint scent of sulfur and gunpowder smoke.
Ryoma shook his groggy head. The feeling of traveling through the spatial tunnel this time was absolutely terrible. He felt as if he had been stuffed into a washing machine and spun at maximum speed for three days and nights.
"Dammit... this spatial teleportation experience... definitely getting a bad review."
However, he could feel that after that strange power within him had undergone a complete venting, his body's sensory abilities had become sharper than ever before.
He closed his eyes and slowly extended his perception.
The fresh scent of vegetation, the fragrance of moist soil, and mixed in the wind... familiar magic power fluctuations.
He sensed countless familiar and unique magic power signatures interwoven together, forming a noisy, chaotic, yet incredibly harmonious scene.
He was back!
An indescribable sense of exhaustion and relief surged into his heart simultaneously.
Ryoma let out a long sigh and relaxed completely, lying back onto the soft grass, gazing at the blue sky peeking through the gaps in the leaves.
Everything from the world of One Piece—the Celestial Dragon he had personally executed, the fierce battle with Kizaru, and finally that fight with Akainu on Galmoro Island that nearly destroyed the island... it all felt like a long and thrilling dream.
He had stayed in that world for quite a while, but when he last left Fairy Tail, he clearly just wanted to go out for some peace and quiet. Only a few hours had passed back then.
Ryoma sat up and brushed the dust off his clothes, his magic power had already recovered by more than half.
He identified the direction and walked toward Magnolia town.
The scenery in the forest was exactly as he remembered it when he left: tall trees, clear streams, and the occasional glimpse of timid forest creatures darting past him.
There were no Marines here, no Celestial Dragons, and none of that nauseating evil or twisted justice.
There was only peaceful daily life and a group of family members who, though always causing trouble, brought peace of mind.
Passing through the forest, the familiar silhouette of Magnolia town appeared in his vision: the towering church bell tower, rows upon rows of red roofs, and the bustling crowds on the streets.
The residual heat of the Harvest Festival had faded, and the town had returned to its usual languor and tranquility.
Ryoma didn't linger on the streets and headed straight toward the place he was most familiar with.
From a distance, he could already see the building with the Fairy Tail flag fluttering on its roof.
He could even hear the faint roars, explosions, and cheers coming from the guild hall from a block away.
Everything was exactly the same as when he left.
The corners of Ryoma's lips curled up uncontrollably into a smile.
He walked to the large, heavy wooden doors of the guild, clearly feeling the heat wave behind them—a mix of alcohol, sweat, gunpowder smoke, and infinite vitality.
He took a deep breath, letting all the exhaustion and murderous aura from the other world settle down, leaving only the peacefulness belonging to the Fairy Tail Mage, Ryoma.
Then, he reached out and pushed the large doors open with force.
A heavy creak sounded, and the clamor and noise inside that was loud enough to blow off the roof came to an abrupt halt in that instant.
The entire guild hall suddenly fell into an eerie silence.
Everyone's movements froze in place, and dozens of gazes simultaneously converged on the entrance, landing on the figure standing in the light and shadow.
"Ryoma!!!"
A deafening roar broke the silence, and a figure burning with raging flames charged straight from the crowd like a cannonball.
"You bastard, where did you run off to!"
Natsu's face bore a wild smile mixed with excitement and dissatisfaction as his flame-wrapped iron fist swung ruthlessly toward Ryoma's cheek.
Ryoma's body didn't even make any extra movements, he just slightly stepped half a pace to the left.
The burning fist, carrying a scorching wind, whistled past the tip of his nose and smashed into the doorframe behind him.
Boom!
The sturdy wooden doorframe was instantly blown to pieces, with wood chips flying everywhere.
"Bastard! You actually dared to dodge!"
Natsu turned around immediately after the missed strike, his other hand igniting with flames again.
"I'd be an idiot to stand still and let you hit me." Ryoma's voice carried a hint of long-lost relaxation.
Just as Natsu was preparing to launch a second round of attacks, a cold mist instantly enveloped him.
Ice Make: Shield!
A thick ice shield rose from the ground in front of Ryoma, precisely blocking Natsu's fire fist.
"You bastard, you interfere every time!" Natsu roared at the person behind the ice shield.
Gray, shirtless, walked over from the other side with his hands maintaining the seal-casting posture, veins throbbing on his forehead.
"Shut up, you single-celled organism. This guy just got back, can't you let him catch his breath?"
"What did you say, you droopy-eyed bastard!"
"You want to fight, squinty-eyes!"
Seeing that the duel between ice and fire was about to break out again, an armored iron fist descended from the sky, smashing into both of their heads at the same time.
Thud! Thud!
Two large bumps swelled up on Natsu and Gray's heads at a speed visible to the naked eye. The two of them instantly quieted down, clutching their heads and crouching on the ground.
Erza retracted her fists and swept an unquestionable gaze over the two of them, then turned to Ryoma with a serious expression.
"Welcome back, Ryoma. You've been absent from guild activities for a week, you need a reasonable explanation."
A week?
Ryoma's heart stirred slightly. The time was different from the previous few times—it actually flowed.
"Now, now, Erza, don't be so serious." A gentle voice sounded from the direction of the bar.
Mirajane, carrying a glass of chilled juice, walked quickly through the rowdy crowd to Ryoma.
She handed the glass to Ryoma with a healing smile, but her brownish-blue eyes held a hint of subtle scrutiny and concern.
"Welcome back. Looking at you, you must have gone through a very troublesome journey, right?"
Her gaze swept over the damaged clothes on Ryoma's body and the trace of exhaustion in his expression that hadn't completely dissipated.
Ryoma took the glass, and the cool touch allowed his tensed nerves to completely relax. He took a large gulp, the sweet liquid sliding down his throat, dispelling the residual gunpowder and saltiness in his mouth.
"Ah, I guess so."
He answered vaguely, "I accidentally got caught in an out-of-control ancient Space-Time Magic and was trapped in a very troublesome place for a while. It wasn't easy to find my way back."
This was a fairly good excuse, it explained his sudden disappearance without revealing too much information about the other world.
"Spatial Magic?" The surrounding guild members let out a chorus of exclamations.
"That sounds so amazing!"
"As expected of Ryoma, even going missing has such style!"
Lucy squeezed through the crowd, hands on her hips, looking at him with a "you're finished" expression.
"Ryoma! Do you have any idea? Because you suddenly disappeared, my rent for last month..."
Before she could finish, she was interrupted by a burp from Cana nearby.
"Burp..."
"Men are like the reversed tower in a divination... full of sudden... disasters..."