Upon reaching the site, they discovered that not a single trace of the natural cave remained. The cavern ceiling had completely caved in, leaving behind nothing but a mangled expanse of ruins that bore no resemblance to the original landscape. The men quickly swept their gazes across the battlefield, their eyes widening in sheer disbelief at the sight.
Standing proudly atop a fragment of a colossal boulder was a black-haired youth. His moon-white garments had remained completely untouched by the heat of battle, looking just as flawless and radiant as they had before the clash began. This young man, of course, was Night!
A short distance away, Laxus was on his knees, supporting his weight with both hands planted firmly on the ground. The earth around him had been pulverized into fine dust, his black tank top was torn to shreds, and not a single trace remained of his once-colossal magical energy. At that moment, he looked like nothing more than an ordinary man, exhausted to the very brink of death.
Thud!
A gentle gust of wind ruffled Laxus's golden hair. Stripped of his last remaining ounce of strength, he collapsed limply, face-first into the dirt. Just a split second before he fell, he mustered enough energy to shoot Night a glare brimming with burning resentment and the bitter sting of defeat.
He had lost. He had actually lost to a boy several years his junior! Overwhelmed by this unbearable realization, Laxus finally slipped into unconsciousness.
Standing off to the side, Makarov and Gildarts made no immediate move to rush over and help Laxus up. Instead, they stared at Night in absolute bewilderment. A whirlwind of thoughts raced through both of their minds until, finally, they exhaled in unison, "What a monster this kid is!"
Laxus's fall marked the official conclusion of the S-Class Mage Promotion Trial. The outcome was undeniable: Laxus had been defeated and had failed to secure the coveted title.
Truth be told, Makarov's original plan had been for Gildarts to utterly crush Laxus, ensuring his failure in the trial. The reality was that, despite his extraordinary strength, Laxus had grown far too arrogant. He had alienated himself from the rest of the guild, acting as a lone wolf—a behavioral shift that the Master found entirely unacceptable. Makarov had wanted Gildarts to knock the boy down a peg, proving to him that there were still mages within the guild far more powerful than he was. Then, the following year, he had planned to let his grandson pass the trial and officially become an S-Class Mage.
What Makarov did not know was that in the original timeline, even if Gildarts had wiped the floor with Laxus, the young Dragon Slayer's pride would have remained entirely intact. The reason was painfully simple: Gildarts was significantly older than him. As for the rest of the guild's members—whether it was the older generation or the newer recruits like Erza and Natsu—Laxus viewed them all as pathetically weak. He genuinely believed that associating with such "trash" was beneath him. This toxic mindset would have continued to poison his thoughts right up until the infamous events that ultimately sparked an internal schism and a civil war within Fairy Tail.
But now, everything had changed. Although Laxus's opponent had been Night instead of Gildarts, the outcome of the battle remained the same. However, unlike the fully grown Gildarts, Night was a full four years younger than Laxus! Suffering such a devastating defeat at the hands of someone four years his junior was more than enough to shatter his towering ego into a million pieces.
This was, perhaps, an unexpected and delightful surprise—one that Makarov could never have even dreamed of!
…
Mavis, wait for me. I promise I will return!
Standing on the deck of the ship, Night gazed out into the distance. For the first time in the twelve years he had spent in this world, tears glistened in his dark eyes. Watching Tenrou Island gradually shrink into a tiny speck on the horizon, he felt an ever-growing weight pressing down on his chest. Just as Mavis considered him to be her most precious family, she was the closest, dearest, and most irreplaceable person in the entire world to him. In that moment, his heart truly ached.
Meanwhile, back on Tenrou Island, Mavis stood quietly at the very edge of the shore. Her gaze was fixed unwaveringly on the horizon. Even when the ship faded into a barely visible black speck, her eyes did not stray for a single second. She was standing in the exact same spot where she had found Night twelve years ago. It felt as though that day had been only yesterday, yet time had slipped by in the blink of an eye. The infant she had once cradled in her arms had now grown his wings, leaving her embrace to soar into his very own sky!
Her usual soft, gentle smile blossomed on her fairy-like features as she whispered into the wind, "See you soon, Night."
…
"Hey! What the hell are you doing on this ship?!"
A sudden, startled shout rudely yanked Night out of his melancholic reverie. Being interrupted in such a vulnerable moment was incredibly irritating. Frowning in annoyance, Night turned to face Laxus, who had managed to approach unnoticed, and scoffed, "None of your business, loser."
With that dismissive remark, he lost all interest in the blonde mage and headed straight for the cabins.
"Why, you little...!" Laxus choked on his indignation, but there was absolutely nothing he could do. He was, undeniably, the loser here. His entire upper body was tightly swathed in bandages, making him look utterly pathetic—and all of it was entirely Night's doing. The image of that blinding spear, radiating with holy light, was still seared into his mind's eye. Due to his severe injuries and the complete depletion of his magic power, he had been unconscious this entire time, having only woken up a few minutes prior. That was exactly why seeing Night on the ship had been such a massive shock.
However, Laxus was no fool. This vessel belonged to their guild, and if Night was on board, there was a ninety-nine percent chance he was going to become the newest member of Fairy Tail. Knowing Makarov's habit of dragging even "weaklings" like Natsu into the fold, it would have been downright bizarre for the old man to pass up on a "monster" like Night. Yes, in Laxus's mind, the name Night and the word "monster" were already entirely synonymous!
What he didn't know, however, was that Makarov hadn't needed to "abduct" anyone this time around. From his very first day in this world, Mavis had already claimed Night as a fully-fledged member of Fairy Tail. After all, it was the guild she had founded, and for both personal and practical reasons, she had absolutely no intention of letting Night fall into anyone else's hands.
With a mage that strong around, things in the guild might actually stop being so damn boring, Laxus thought, the corners of his lips curling upward into a smirk. But as a dull throb of pain flared up in his chest, he gritted his teeth and hissed, "But I'll definitely make you pay for today's humiliation!"