CHAPTER 612: ME? MAYBE I’LL PLANT TREES IN THE DESERT

While Rhodes and Mira were still racking their brains trying to cheer up a teary-eyed Mavis, Ultear returned quietly to Grimoire Heart’s camp with Meredy in tow.

Precht didn’t ask what they had been discussing with Fairy Tail. He simply rose to his feet, leaning heavily on a makeshift cane he had fashioned from broken wood, and announced,

"Prepare yourselves. We’re leaving."

"Master Hades, " Ultear called out firmly, stopping him mid-step. "Meredy and I... we’re leaving Grimoire Heart."

Meredy squeezed Ultear’s hand tightly, her pink hair shadowing the nervous look in her eyes.

"Is that so?" Precht replied with a calmness that surprised them both. "As you wish. This guild is finished anyway. Oh, and, don’t call me Hades anymore. My name... is Precht."

Ultear blinked. She had expected rage, scorn, or threats, but the Second Master’s reaction was gentler than anything she had ever imagined.

Meredy bit her lip and asked timidly, "Then... Guild Master, what will you do after this?"

She could have left without looking back. But after everything, she wanted closure, a clean break.

Precht gave them a smile neither Ultear nor Meredy had ever seen before. "First, I’ll see to it that the rest of my people are settled. As for myself... who knows? Maybe I’ll go plant trees in the desert."

Meredy blinked. For a moment, she thought it was a joke. The mighty Guild Master, joking? It made him seem almost human.

Ultear said nothing, but followed him back to the broken husk of the Grimoire Heart airship. She raised her hands, and a pale-blue magic circle shimmered into existence. One by one, the cracks and ruptures in the ship sealed shut, fallen parts flew back into place, and jagged holes mended as though time itself rewound.

When she was finished, Ultear lowered her arms, her chest rising and falling with exhaustion. "Consider it... a farewell gift. Meredy and I have our own path to follow now. Farewell."

Meredy held her arm and cast one last glance at Precht, worried what expression she might see.

But Precht simply gave them a single nod, then gestured for his followers to board.

A massive glowing magic circle unfolded beneath the airship, and slowly, heavily, the vessel lifted into the night sky. Its light dwindled among the stars until it vanished completely.

It was weaker than before, but it could still fly.

After Grimoire Heart’s departure, Ultear turned her gaze to the fallen Tenrou Tree. This, she decided, would be her last act here.

At the same time, inside Fairy Tail’s camp, Makarov was locked in discussion with Gildarts and Erza. They were racking their brains over how to restore the sacred tree.

The first idea was brute force, Makarov could turn into a giant, lift the tree upright, while Rhodes used earth magic or Gildarts shattered the debris to reset the ground, and Juvia watered the roots with her water magic. But the Tenrou Tree had been completely uprooted. Too many roots had been torn away. If they miscalculated, the tree might never survive.

Makarov sighed, thinking aloud, "It might be better to call on Warrod... one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Ishgar. His magic could bring it back safely."

But before any decision could be made, the earth suddenly trembled. Alarm bells went off in every wizard’s heart, and they charged out of the tents expecting another ambush.

Instead, what they saw made their jaws drop.

Under the faint starlight, the enormous silhouette of the Tenrou Tree swayed, then began to rise, like a slumbering giant opening its eyes.

The soil surged back into the crater, filling it neatly. Roots re-knitted together as if stitched by unseen hands. Moss, grass, and stone all slid back into place, repairing the island’s wounds in an instant.

The Tenrou Tree stood tall once more, its mighty boughs stretching like a protective umbrella across Tenrou Island.

And as it rose, warmth flooded into every Fairy Tail mage’s body. The protective blessing of Tenrou Island had returned.

Everyone gasped as they felt it, everyone except Laxus, whose connection to the tree had been severed by Fairy Law.

Makarov’s eyes widened, voice trembling with awe. "This is... Time Magic!"

Erza’s lips parted as she whispered, almost certain of the truth.

"Was it her?"

She had seen Ultear’s magic with her own eyes before. But until now, it had only ever destroyed. Never restored.

Gray had the feeling Ultear had finally worked things out. He gave a small, approving smile.

"Isn’t that... a much better way to use your magic?"

Rhodes and Mira, still sitting with Mavis at her grave, stiffened at the sudden shift in the island’s magic flow. Startled, they both rose to their feet, intent on returning to camp.

"Mavis, would you like to come with us?" Rhodes asked gently. "You could meet the new generation of Fairy Tail, your family’s grown a lot."

Mira chimed in with a bright smile. "Yes, everyone would be so happy to see you too."

Mavis’ emerald eyes softened with temptation, but in the end, she shook her head.

"No. I already know Fairy Tail is full of life now. If I went... I think it would only make me feel lonely when you all left again."

Rhodes and Mira exchanged a quiet glance. They instinctively assumed Mavis’ spirit couldn’t leave Tenrou Island, just like how Roubaul of Cait Shelter had been bound to Nirvana’s ruins.

But Mavis only smiled gently. "Go on. They’re probably waiting for you."

The two nodded. "Then we’ll come back to say goodbye before we leave. And after that, we’ll visit often," Rhodes promised.

Mavis lifted her hand in a small wave, her form shimmering like starlight until it faded from sight.

They bowed respectfully toward the grave marker before hurrying back to camp.

"You two are awful," Cana teased as they returned. "Sneaking out in the middle of the night for a date." She slipped an arm around Mira and whispered mischievously in her ear. "It wasn’t just a date, was it?"

Mira shot her a sharp look and retorted calmly, "Don’t be ridiculous. We went to visit Mavis." Still, Mira could tell from Cana’s playful grin that nothing bad had happened while they were gone.

Relieved after learning it had been Ultear’s doing that saved the Tenrou Tree, Rhodes relaxed.

Makarov cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention. "It’s late. Everyone, get some rest. We return to the guild first thing in the morning."

Though "morning" was only a few hours away, everyone listened.

Still, the old man called out to Rhodes and Mira once more. "Wait. You two... did you really see Mavis?"

"Yes," Rhodes answered honestly, describing her current state before adding, "She said to tell you... she’s proud. She praised you for building Fairy Tail so well."

"Ahahaha!" Makarov’s face stretched in joy, laughter booming through the camp.

For a Guild Master, nothing could be sweeter than the Founder’s approval.

But the laughter soon crumbled into a sulky grumble. "Tch... why didn’t she speak to me herself? Why talk to you instead?"

Rhodes smirked. "Maybe she thinks I’m easier on the eyes." Then he added with mock seriousness, "Though honestly, it’s probably Mira’s food. Too tempting for a ghost to resist."

"I grilled meat too!" Makarov muttered under his breath, arms crossed. "It smelled wonderful."

Determined not to be outdone, he secretly resolved to visit Mavis again later, no matter what.

With that, everyone returned to their tents. The island finally grew quiet.

But only a few hours later, when the sky was just starting to pale, they were jolted awake by desperate cries.

"Help!"

"Please!"

"Save Ultear!"

The voice was familiar. Everyone spilled out of their tents and saw the source: Meredy, staggering under the weight of Ultear, both of them drenched.

Ultear’s body hung limp in her arms. A strip of cloth torn from her clothes was tied around her waist, soaked crimson with blood.

Meredy’s cheeks were streaked with tears as she fell to her knees, crying out desperately.

"Please... save her!"

...

Bonus @400

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