The sun rose slowly over Magnolia, gilding the sky in hues of fire and gold. Inside the quiet morning of the Fairy Tail guildhall, Master Makarov sat alone at his desk in the second-floor office, brows furrowed over an ancient scroll spread out before him.
The light coming through the window caught the dust motes in the air, but Makarov didn't notice.
His gaze was focused on the glowing image inscribed on the parchment—a magic seal, identical to the one on Ren Amakusa's arm.
> Anti-Dragon Magic... Forbidden since the Dragonfall War...
So why has it surfaced now? And why in the hands of a child who doesn't even belong to this world?
He leaned back in his chair, groaning softly as he rubbed his temples.
Just then, the door creaked open.
"Makarov?" came Erza's voice.
He turned. "Come in, child."
Erza entered, armor clinking softly. "I know you've been up all night."
"Of course I have. That boy carries magic that shouldn't even exist anymore. Irene was right about one thing—Ren's presence changes everything."
Erza folded her arms. "He's not a threat."
"I don't believe he wants to be," Makarov admitted. "But that seal on his body… it's not just magic. It's a prison. And prisons exist for a reason."
She frowned. "So what are you going to do?"
Makarov stood up from his chair, slowly walking to the window that overlooked the guildhall below.
"I'm going to speak with him."
---
Ren sat in the guild's training yard later that morning, drenched in sweat, his shirt discarded on the ground beside him. He had been working on drawing out his Anti-Magic in slow, precise waves—trying to control it, not just unleash it when threatened.
Each time, the black mist would rise from his skin like steam… and then sputter out or lash too violently.
He sighed and sat down, rubbing his palm.
"Not bad," came a voice.
Ren turned, startled. Makarov stood behind him, arms behind his back.
"Oh—Master," he said, quickly straightening up.
"No need for formality," Makarov said kindly. "Walk with me, would you?"
Ren nodded and followed the small, yet commanding figure as they walked into the wooded trail behind the guild, where the noise of Magnolia faded away and only birds and breeze remained.
For a time, Makarov said nothing. Ren didn't push.
Finally, Makarov broke the silence.
"Tell me honestly, Ren. Do you remember how you got here?"
Ren hesitated.
He had memories—fragmented, blurred—of a world with metal towers, glowing screens, and skies choked with smoke. He remembered falling… and then waking in Magnolia.
But more than that, he remembered being called.
"I remember dying," Ren said softly.
Makarov glanced up at him.
"I think… I was meant to die. In my old world. And then something—or someone—pulled me into this one. With this power already inside me."
He clenched a fist. "I didn't ask for it. I didn't choose it."
"No one ever chooses the burdens worth carrying," Makarov said, voice gentle. "But once you carry them… you must decide whether to be crushed by them, or to stand taller because of them."
He stopped and turned fully toward Ren.
"I need to know something," Makarov said, all traces of warmth gone from his tone. "If that seal breaks… and your power loses control… Will you let us stop you?"
Ren blinked. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," Makarov said, eyes hard as iron, "if the Anti-Dragon magic within you consumes you—will you fight it? Or will you become its puppet?"
Ren didn't answer at first. It was a terrifying thought.
He had seen the destruction his magic could cause. Felt it rip through Natsu's flames without hesitation.
What if it wasn't protectable? What if he was destined to lose himself?
But then he remembered the guild cheering for him. Natsu's goofy loyalty. Erza's calm presence. Mirajane's quiet understanding. Even Gray, despite his usual scowl, stood by him.
He thought of Irene's words:
> "You were placed here. Like a candle in the wrong storm."
Maybe. But this storm… had become his home.
He looked Makarov dead in the eye.
"If it comes to that… I want you to be the one who stops me. But until then—I'm going to fight like hell to control it. Because I want to protect this guild the same way it protected me."
Makarov studied him.
Then, slowly, a small, proud smile crept across the old man's face.
"That… is all I needed to hear."
---
Back at the guild, word spread quickly that Makarov had spoken with Ren. The tension that lingered since Irene's visit began to ease.
That afternoon, a new job request came in.
A simple escort mission. Low danger. Good pay.
Natsu immediately tried to snatch it, but Makarov held up a hand.
"Actually… I want Ren to take this one."
Everyone turned.
"With Erza," Makarov added. "Consider it his first official Fairy Tail mission."
Ren felt his heart leap.
"You ready?" Erza asked him, arms crossed, her smirk subtle but approving.
He took a breath, the wind brushing through his black hair.
"As I'll ever be."
---
As they walked through Magnolia's gate toward the waiting carriage, Ren looked back at the guildhall once more.
Makarov stood at the doorway, watching.
And for the first time, Ren felt like he didn't just belong in Fairy Tail.
He was being trusted by it.