"This city is truly beautiful!"
Precht sat in his wheelchair, being pushed by Makarov through the streets of Magnolia. He observed the genuine smiles on the faces of the townsfolk, and a faint smile formed on his own lips, seemingly touched by the scene.
"Yes, this city is indeed beautiful!"
Makarov pushed Precht's wheelchair along the streets, sharing in the sentiment. In this magical world, maintaining order in a town requires significant effort. Fairy Tail's presence was crucial for the peace and safety of Magnolia's residents, shielding them from dark guilds and cults.
"Forty years have passed... Where have you been all this time, Second Master?"
After a moment of reflection, Makarov looked at Precht with a serious expression, his tone heavy with concern. He had long wondered what Precht had been doing during these years.
"I've been to many places and seen many things..."
Precht's voice was filled with nostalgia. He had traveled all across Ishgar and was among the first to discover the Alvarez Empire on the Western Continent.
"Makarov, people like to call their mistakes 'experience.'"
"But in our world, true mistakes leave no experience; they are fatal errors..."
"Lumen Histoire... No, Fairy Heart, that was my fatal mistake, my true, fatal error!"
Precht's eyes trembled as he fell into deep thought.
"Second Master..."
Makarov's expression changed. He knew exactly what Precht meant by Fairy Heart. It was Fairy Tail's greatest secret, a treasure that must never be exposed, the very foundation of the guild.
"I once thought I could atone for my mistakes through other means, but unfortunately, I failed. Your young protege taught me a harsh lesson. In front of him, my century-long pursuit of magic seemed laughable. Even the guild I spent years building was taken as a trophy and flown to Magnolia..."
Recalling his battle with Evan, Precht clenched his fists. The sense of powerlessness he felt facing Evan was even more overwhelming than when he faced Zeref.
If Zeref was like a bottomless abyss, always revealing more upon exploration...
Then Evan was like an endless ocean, with no horizon in sight no matter how far one looked!
"So that thing in the sky was your doing, Second Master?"
"Grimoire Heart, the strongest dark guild in Ishgar, was your creation?"
"Tell me why! Why did you fall into darkness?!"
Hearing Precht's words, Makarov gripped the wheelchair handles tightly and loudly questioned Precht. Makarov had suspected Precht's involvement with the massive airship and the strongest dark guild. After all, ordinary people couldn't make such a sophisticated airship!
With Precht's indirect admission, Makarov was heartbroken. He couldn't understand why the man who guided him into the light would choose to embrace darkness.
"Kid..."
"Forty years of wandering taught me a truth: in this world, if you want to protect something hidden, you must hide in the darkness yourself, guarding it silently in a sunless abyss."
Precht remained calm despite Makarov's anger, his expression stoic as he explained his actions. His words carried a mixture of resignation, reflection, and emotions Makarov couldn't comprehend.
"Second Master, you've taken the wrong path. Don't continue down it, or it will be too late to turn back!"
"Come back to the guild! Return to Fairy Tail. No matter what troubles you face, everyone in the guild will help you find a solution. That's what a guild, what family, is for!"
Makarov pleaded sincerely, hoping to convince Precht to return.
"That's precisely why I hate you, Makarov!"
"Always talking about family—it's laughable and childish. It's not I who strayed; it's you who took the wrong path."
"Remember what I told you? If magic is a miracle born from darkness, then Fairy Heart is the miracle of our Fairy Tail!"
"I thought that after I told you about Fairy Heart, you'd protect and nurture it, creating a powerful organization centered around it..."
"But you disappointed me. You didn't follow my instructions. Instead, you created a guild bound by your concept of family, putting family first. You've led it astray!"
"So, here's the question: if one day you have to choose between your family and Fairy Heart, which will you choose? When family and Fairy Heart are on opposite ends of the scale, where will your heart lean, Makarov? Answer me!"
Precht turned, his exposed left eye glaring at Makarov, demanding an answer.
Precht was aware of the Alvarez Empire and considered its establishment one of his errors. He believed he had made two fatal mistakes in his life.
The first mistake was creating Fairy Heart and failing to protect its secret, allowing those who shouldn't know to learn about it.
The second mistake was abandoning Mavis's child, a prodigious talent who ended up opposing Mavis.
These errors led Precht to question Makarov: if forced to choose between family and Fairy Heart, what would Makarov do?
Choosing Fairy Heart would mean fighting Alvarez, led by Zeref, and Mavis's child, risking the lives of Fairy Tail's members.
Choosing family meant surrendering Fairy Heart to Alvarez and Zeref, eliminating Mavis's chance of survival.
To Precht, Fairy Tail's existence was tied to Mavis. If she died, the guild had no reason to continue, and he would destroy it himself, just as he helped create it.
"Answer me, kid!"
Precht's emotions wavered for the first time, his voice trembling as he awaited Makarov's answer.
"Second Master, do you really need to ask?"
"My answer is, if I must choose, as long as one option is family, no matter what the other is, even my life, I will always choose family!"
Makarov stood behind Precht, his voice filled with passion and determination.
"Haha, is that so? You chose family, just as I thought."
"Then it seems we are destined to walk different paths."
"I'll protect Fairy Heart and Mavis."
Precht smiled, having expected Makarov's answer. Forty years had led them to completely opposite paths.
"But, Second Master, Precht..."
"In my eyes, those noisy brats in the guild are family."
"The members who idle around or cause trouble are family."
"Those who work hard, causing mayhem, tearing down half a town to expel dark wizards, are my family."
"Those who left the guild but still work for Fairy Tail are family!"
"Fairy Heart, our first master Mavis, is, of course, family!"
"And you, Second Master Precht, who guided me into the path of magic and taught me how to be a man, you are like a father to me. You are my family!"
Makarov pushed Precht's wheelchair to a hill near Magnolia. They stood in the autumn breeze, overlooking the town and the centuries-old Fairy Tail guild hall, Makarov conveying his heartfelt sentiments to Precht.
"Kid, I can't compare to you."
Precht was moved, looking at Makarov with teary eyes. He turned slightly, closing his eyes to feel the breeze, a relieved smile forming on his face.
"Kid, did you know?"
"I've made countless mistakes in my life, two of which were the most fatal, shaping this turbulent world of magic. The many wars in Ishgar and the Western Continent are largely my fault..."
Precht, feeling the autumn wind, opened up to Makarov about his regrets.
"Second Master..."
Makarov watched Precht with a worried expression.
"But, I did one thing right! Do you know what that is, kid?"
Precht turned to Makarov, asking with a hint of pride.
"Something right? Do you mean creating Fairy Heart?!"
"Fairy Heart is an incredible creation, unparalleled in the magical world."
"Even the legendary dark wizard Zeref would be amazed by it."
Makarov pondered before answering seriously. He believed Fairy Heart was Precht's greatest achievement.
"No! Even now, I'm unsure if something that defies the world's laws should exist..."
"I don't know if an endless source of magic, transplantable to others, is good or bad for this unstable world!"
"I don't know if Mavis wanted this. Everything I did was for my selfish desires..."
Precht's smile turned bitter. He was never proud of Fairy Heart; it might have brought more harm than good.
"Do you know what I'm truly proud of, what I know was right? Choosing you, Makarov Dreyar, as the third master of Fairy Tail before I left!"
"You're better than me, Mavis, and even that fool Warrod! If Yuri were alive, he'd be proud of you, kid."
Precht saw Yuri in Makarov, remembering the days he, Mavis, Yuri, and Warrod founded Fairy Tail.
Precht looked down from the hill, smiling at the sight of the Fairy Tail guild hall, a piece of their legacy.
"Second Master..."
But Makarov, overwhelmed with emotion, was crying uncontrollably. Being recognized by the master who raised and taught him was too much to bear.
"Kid, why does the guild look different?!"
"I remember it being three stories. Why is it six now?!"
Precht frowned, noticing the taller guild hall.
"Um..."
Makarov, amidst his tears, froze. The truth was that the guild's brats had demolished the original guild hall years ago.
"Ahem, you must be mistaken. Fairy Tail was always six stories!"
"You've just been away for forty years, so it's
understandable to forget..."
Makarov gripped Precht's wheelchair handles tightly, smiling despite the situation. He'd never admit the truth to Precht, especially after such high praise.
"Really? I must've remembered wrong..."
Precht was skeptical, recalling a photo of the original three-story guild hall with him, Mavis, Yuri, and Warrod.
But he didn't argue, knowing Makarov was behind him on a cliff edge, pushing his wheelchair.
If Makarov got too emotional, things could go very wrong for him.