The guild hall soon returned to its usual clamor, and the banquet to celebrate Ryoma's return began as a matter of course.
Ryoma was surrounded by everyone, dealing with all sorts of bizarre questions.
"Ryoma, was that Spatial Magic fun? Take me with you next time." Natsu leaned in, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Idiot, that was out-of-control magic, it's very dangerous." Gray smashed a fist onto Natsu's head.
Ryoma just smiled and didn't answer. He could feel a gaze cast down from the second floor.
He looked up and happened to meet Makarov's eyes.
The old man stood alone by the railing on the second floor, holding a cup. His gaze was complex, containing gratification and relief, but more so a deep sense of inquiry.
Clearly, this old man didn't believe a word of Ryoma's story.
But he didn't press for answers. As long as his child could return safely, the process sometimes wasn't that important.
Makarov raised his cup to Ryoma from afar and then drained it, considering the matter settled.
Ryoma also raised the glass in his hand to return the gesture to Makarov.
The noisy banquet continued until late at night.
When most people were already drunk and stumbling, the guild hall gradually quieted down.
Ryoma sat alone at the bar, while Mirajane was carefully wiping a wine glass.
"Was it really just being swept away by Spatial Magic?" Mirajane's voice was soft, yet it carried an undeniable seriousness.
Ryoma swirled the empty glass in his hand, watching the residual ice at the bottom.
"What else could it be?" He countered.
Mirajane stopped what she was doing and turned to lean against the bar, looking closely into Ryoma's eyes.
She whispered, "Your eyes have changed. They're deeper than before you left, and more... dangerous. Like a famous blade hidden in its scabbard. Though the edge is unseen, the chill still seeps out."
Ryoma fell silent.
He had to admire Mirajane's sharp intuition. Perhaps because of her Satan Soul, her perception of auras was far more sensitive than others.
It was the killing intent and Haki tempered in the world of One Piece. Even though he had tried his best to restrain it, that tiny leak of aura was still captured by her.
Seeing the concern in Mirajane's eyes, a warmth spread through Ryoma's heart.
He reached out, intending to ruffle her hair like one would a child's, but halfway there he felt it was inappropriate and instead flicked her forehead lightly.
"You're overthinking it, Mira." His voice returned to its usual, slightly lazy tone.
"I was just in a place with nothing familiar and no good food for a week, so I'm just in a bit of a bad mood."
Mirajane covered her forehead and puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction, but the worry in her eyes dissipated quite a bit.
"Fine, let's go with that then."
She picked up a glass again to wipe it. "But, you're not allowed to suddenly disappear like that again. Everyone... was very worried about you."
Ryoma looked at her soft profile and the companions lying sprawled out asleep all around them.
Natsu and Gray were huddled together like conjoined twins, talking in their sleep. Erza was sleeping soundly against a pile of liquor barrels, and Lucy was slumped over a table.
"Yeah."
He responded softly, picking up a bottle of alcohol from the bar and filling his glass.
"I promise."
At this moment, he realized more clearly than ever that no matter how many worlds he stumbled into or how much power he mastered, this was his only home.
The party held to celebrate Ryoma's return lasted in its intensity until dusk the following day.
When the last barrel of liquor was drained, and Natsu and Gray fought over some trivial matter again only to both be knocked flat by Erza.
This long revelry finally came to an end.
The guild hall was a mess, but everyone's face was brimming with a satisfied smile.
Ryoma leaned against the second-floor railing, looking down at his companions cleaning up the aftermath, holding a non-alcoholic drink Mirajane had specially mixed for him.
He closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into his body. That once violent and restless Dimensional Power now flowed slowly within him like a calm sea of stars.
Every crossing, every collision and fusion with the rules of different worlds, had turned into a star within this astral sea.
With a slight shift of his mind, his consciousness instantly crossed endless dimensions.
In a nation occupied by demons, atop a snow-capped mountain, a version of 'him' wearing a blue and white haori stood side-by-side with a youth wearing hanafuda earrings, holding a nichirin blade seemingly made of ice.
The scene shifted.
In the Clover Kingdom where magic is everything, above the Black Bulls' base, a massive spatial rift was slowly closing.
A version of 'him' draped in a black cloak tossed a shimmering grimoire to that never-giving-up, thick-eyebrowed Captain.
"Captain Yami, I'll remember this favor. Next time you want my help, remember to be prepared for me to fleece you."
"Tch, noisy brat. I'll just treat you to a drink next time."
The scene switched once more.
On the boundless sea, a gargantuan tsunami capable of swallowing islands came crashing down.
A bare-chested 'him', body entwined with black-red lightning, simply raised a hand and gently made a grasping motion toward the natural disaster.
Crack—
Endless frost erupted with him as the center. The overwhelming waves were frozen in an instant into a towering glacier, standing still upon the sea as an eternal monument.
In countless worlds, countless incarnations of 'Ryoma' existed simultaneously, each fulfilling a different mission.
He was no longer a traveler drifting passively, but had truly become a Mage who mastered dimensions.
He slowly gathered and converged these powers and the laws he had comprehended in different worlds into his main body.
The ultimate cold of Ice Devil Slayer Magic, the profound laws of Space-Time Magic, the hardened will of Haki, the infinite possibilities of Teigu, the soul liberation of Zanpakuto...
Everything merged into one at this moment.
A brand new magic belonging solely to Ryoma was quietly born in the depths of his soul.
He named it—[Dimensional Myriad Manifestations: Infinite Ice Realm].
"Ryoma, what are you standing there smiling foolishly for?"
Erza's voice sounded from below, interrupting his contemplation.
Ryoma opened his eyes to see everyone in the guild looking up at him.
Makarov stood in the center of the hall, cleared his throat, and said in his booming voice, "Ryoma, since you're back, I think there are some things you should say to everyone."
Everyone's gaze was full of expectation.
Ryoma looked at those familiar faces: Natsu's straightforwardness, Gray's tsundere nature, Lucy's kindness, Erza's fortitude, Mirajane's gentleness... and many more whose names he couldn't call out, but who were equally dear family members.
He was silent for a moment, then gave a free and easy smile. He leapt down from the second floor and landed steadily in the center of the hall.
"What should I say?"
He looked around, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "Tell you about my experience while missing? That would be a very, very long story."
"Then keep it short!" Natsu shouted loudly.
Ryoma laughed.
"Fine, I'll keep it short."
He restrained his smile, his expression becoming more serious than ever before. "I once thought I was just an ordinary person who had drifted into this world, with no past and no future."
"Later, I obtained an unreasonable power that took me to many places and showed me many things. For a time, I thought I had become a lonely guardian carrying some heavy mission."
His voice echoed in the hall, and everyone listened quietly.
"But now, I understand."
Ryoma's gaze became incredibly soft as he looked at his companions and said word for word, "I was wrong. My magic never came from myself. It was all of you who taught me what bonds are."
His voice paused slightly, and an indescribably massive magic power rose from him, yet it was incredibly gentle, brushing past everyone's cheeks like a spring breeze.
"So, my infinite magic is Fairy Tail itself."
The entire guild fell into a long silence.
In the next second, earth-shattering cheers and whistles erupted, nearly blowing the roof off the guild.
"Well said! Ryoma!"
"A toast to Fairy Tail!"
Natsu was stunned for a long time, seemingly trying to understand the meaning of Ryoma's words. Finally, he slapped his head and reached his own conclusion.
"Oh! I get it! You're saying your magic is us! Doesn't that mean defeating you is the same as defeating everyone in the guild?!"
He excitedly ignited his flames and rushed toward Ryoma.
"Come on, Ryoma! Let's have the best duel!"
"Count me in!" Gray refused to be outdone.
The guild, which had just regained a hint of peace, instantly fell into a new round of joyful chaos.
...
A few days later, at dusk.
The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the entirety of Magnolia in a warm gold.
In the Fairy Tail Guild hall, for once, no brawl was occurring.
Ryoma stood behind the bar, slowly wiping a glass cup.
At a nearby table, Lucy was writing furiously. A striking title was already written on her manuscript—'The Legend of the Dimensional Mage'.
The guild doors were thrown open abruptly.
"Hey! Ryoma!"
Natsu's voice was as full of energy as ever. "Next time you cross over, you have to take me with you! I want to see other worlds too!"
Ryoma's hand wiping the cup paused for a moment. He didn't look back, only giving a helpless smile.
He opened his palm, and a soft light emerged within it. In that light, there was the brilliance of ice, the ancient runes of a grimoire flowing, black-red Haki lightning leaping, and even more indescribable strange energies. They blended with each other without the slightest conflict, finally turning into a halo as brilliant as a rainbow, yet incredibly gentle.
Outside the window, the guild's flag fluttered in the evening breeze.
The story of the Dimensional Mage might have reached its period, but the adventure belonging to Fairy Tail will never have a final chapter.