The news of Blake Corvus's awakening spread through Magnolia not like a ripple, but like a sonic boom. One moment, the East Forest was peaceful; the next, the leaves were vibrating from the sheer volume of approaching footsteps.
Natsu Dragneel led the charge, kicking open the door to Porlyusica's hut with enough force to rattle the jars on the shelves.
"BLAKE!" Natsu roared, tears of fire—literally—streaming down his face. "YOU LAZY BASTARD! FIGHT ME!"
"He just woke up, you ash-brain!" Gray shouted, shoving Natsu aside, though he was grinning so hard it looked painful. "Blake! You look terrible! Good to see you!"
Behind them, the floodgates opened. Lucy, Erza, Wendy, Gajeel, Levy, the Strauss siblings, the Thunder Legion—it was a stampede of affection. They crammed into the small medical room, pressing against the walls, climbing on furniture, hanging from the rafters.
"Man!" Elfman bellowed. "Sleeping for two years is a MANLY display of patience!"
"Yay! He's alive!" Happy cheered, flying circles around Blake's head.
Blake, still sitting in bed with Mira and Cana beside him, looked overwhelmed. He tried to raise a hand to wave, but his arm felt like lead. "Hey guys... little crowded in here..."
"QUIET!"
The roar didn't come from a dragon. It came from a small, elderly woman with pink hair and a vein throbbing dangerously on her forehead.
Porlyusica stood in the doorway, radiating a dark aura that terrified even Erza.
"This is a place of healing!" she screeched. "You are sucking up all the oxygen! You are shaking the floorboards! He has been awake for less than an hour, and you are trying to send him back into a coma!"
"But Granny—" Natsu started.
Porlyusica grabbed her broom. It moved with the speed of a Phantom Lord spell.
Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.
"OUT! GET OUT! ALL OF YOU! HUMANITY IS A PLAGUE OF NOISE!"
It took exactly five minutes.
Despite their protests, the strongest guild in Fiore was routed by one angry apothecary. Natsu was thrown out the window. Gray was swept out the door. Erza was politely but firmly shoved by a broom handle.
When the door slammed shut and the lock clicked, silence returned to the hut.
Porlyusica turned to Blake, adjusting her robes. "Keep them away," she hissed. "Or I will turn them into newts."
Blake chuckled weakly. "I'll... try my best."
---
The adrenaline of the reunion faded quickly, replaced by the harsh reality of biology.
Blake Corvus had fought a Dragon King to a standstill. He had survived a spiritual war in his own soul. But now, his greatest enemy was gravity.
Two years of immobility had ravaged his body. His muscles, once coiled steel, had atrophied significantly. His nerves were firing, but the signals were sluggish.
The first time he tried to stand, three days after waking up, his legs folded underneath him like wet paper.
"I got you!" Cana was there instantly, catching him under the arms before he hit the floor.
"Damn," Blake grunted, sweat beading on his forehead just from the effort of sitting up. "I feel like a newborn deer."
"You've been sleeping for 730 days," Mira said gently, bringing a wheelchair over. "Be patient with yourself."
The rehabilitation process was grueling. It was a slow, repetitive grind that tested Blake's willpower in a way combat never did.
Mornings were for mobility. Mira would help him stretch his limbs, massaging the stiffness out of his joints. She would support his weight as he practiced standing for ten seconds, then twenty, then a minute.
"That's it," Mira encouraged, her voice soft and steady. "Keep your back straight. Breathe."
"I used to jump over mountains," Blake muttered, his legs trembling violently.
"And you will again," Mira promised, wiping the sweat from his brow. "One step at a time."
Afternoons were for strength. Cana took over this shift. She didn't baby him, but she was fiercely protective. She brought small weights—literally water bottles at first—and made him do lifts.
"Five more," Cana ordered, sitting backward on a chair, watching him.
"Cana... my arms are burning," Blake wheezed.
"Good. That means they're waking up," she shot back. "Do you want to carry your sword again or not? Five more."
But whenever he finished a set, she was the first to hand him water and praise him with a beaming smile. "See? Easy. You're doing great."
A month into his recovery, Blake was strong enough to sit on the porch of the hut for a few hours a day. This became their ritual. Mira would bring tea, Cana would bring snacks (and a flask for herself), and they would fill the two-year hole in Blake's memory.
The sun was setting, painting the East Forest in hues of orange and purple. Blake sat in a cushioned chair, a blanket over his legs, looking healthier. His cheeks had some color, and his arms were losing that frightening skeletal look.
"So," Blake said, blowing on his tea. "Tell me everything. Who did what? Who blew up what?"
Cana laughed, leaning against the railing. "Where do we start? The guild didn't stop moving just because you were napping."
"First off," Mira beamed, clasping her hands. "Alzak and Bisca got married!"
Blake's eyes widened. "No way. The gunslingers finally tied the knot?"
"It was a beautiful ceremony," Mira sighed dreamily. "Last year. And... they have a baby on the way. Bisca is expecting."
"That's amazing," Blake smiled genuinely. "I'll have to get them a gift. Maybe a baby-sized holster."
"Don't do that," Cana warned. "Anyway, speaking of couples... you'll never guess who else is paired up."
"Who?"
"Elfman," Cana smirked.
"Elfman?" Blake blinked. "With who? A rock?"
"Evergreen," Mira giggled.
Blake choked on his tea. "The Thunder God Tribe's Evergreen? The one who turns people to stone? With Elfman?"
"They are surprisingly cute," Mira insisted. "They bond over... well, distinct personalities. She likes his 'manliness', apparently."
"Okay, that's weird, but I can see it," Blake admitted. "Who else?"
Cana exchanged a look with Mira. "This one is the big news. Erza."
"Erza?" Blake leaned forward. "Did she marry a sword?"
"No," Cana grinned. "She and Jellal are officially engaged."
Blake let out a low whistle. "Jellal Fernandes."
"Good for them," Blake nodded. "They deserve a break."
"And then there's Laxus," Mira added, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Let me guess," Blake rubbed his chin. "He's dating himself?"
"Nope. He's dating Brandish."
Blake froze. The name sounded familiar, but not from the guild.
"Brandish?" Blake frowned. "Wait... Brandish μ? The One who looks at everyone as if they are pebbles on the road?"
"That's the one," Cana confirmed casually, popping a grape into her mouth.
Blake rubbed his temples. "I sleep for two years and Laxus lands a girlfriend. This guild is insane."
"Oh! And the biggest news!" Mira clapped her hands. "The Grand Magic Games!"
"The what?"
"It was a new tournament established by the King to determine the strongest guild in Fiore," Mira explained. "It was held for the first time this year. The prize was 30 million jewels and the title of Number One."
"Let me guess," Blake grinned. "We won?"
"We crushed it," Cana said proudly, puffing out her chest. "Without you, Gildarts, or the Master participating. Laxus, Erza, Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel were the main team. It wasn't even close. Fairy Tail is officially the strongest guild in the kingdom, recognized by the crown."
Blake looked at the sky, a sense of pride swelling in his chest. "I missed the first victory lap, huh? Guess I'll have to be there for the next one."
A week later, visitors arrived who didn't get the broom treatment from Porlyusica.
Blake was doing walking laps in the clearing outside the hut, sweat dripping down his face, when two women emerged from the forest path.
One was a tall woman with short, dark hair, radiating an aura of cold confidence. The other was older, with similar features but a warmer, more maternal presence.
Ultear Milkovich and Ur.
"Well, well," Ultear smirked, crossing her arms. "Look at the Sleeping Beauty. You look less like a corpse than I expected."
"Nice to see you too, Ultear," Blake panted, leaning against a tree for support. "I see you're still charming."
Ur stepped forward, her smile gentle. "It is good to see you awake, Blake."
"Ur," Blake nodded respectfully. "I heard you guys came to visit. Thanks."
Ur and Ultear sat on a fallen log while Blake took a break.
"We saw the fight," Ultear said, her tone turning serious. "Acnologia. You actually held him off."
"Barely," Blake admitted, looking at his trembling hands. "I took his arm. And he flayed my back. If I didn't have help, I'd be dead."
"But you did it," Ur said firmly. "You achieved what no Ice Make mage, no God Slayer, no Dragon Slayer has done in four hundred years. You made him retreat. You should take pride in that."
"I will," Blake said. "Once I can walk for ten minutes without my legs turning to jelly."
---
Two months.
Sixty days of sweat, sore muscles, and stubborn refusal to quit.
Porlyusica's hut had become a prison of boredom. Blake was ready.
"I'm going," Blake announced one morning, tying the laces of his boots.
Mira looked up from the book she was reading. "Going where? To the garden?"
"No," Blake stood up. He wobbled for a fraction of a second, then corrected his balance. He stood tall, his spine straight. "I'm going to the Guild."
Cana, who was sharpening her cards in the corner, paused. "That's a three-mile walk, Blake. Uphill."
"I know," Blake grinned, grabbing his black coat—the one Mira had mended for him. He threw it over his shoulders. "If I collapse, you guys can carry me. But I'm walking there."
Mira and Cana exchanged a look, then smiled.
"Alright," Mira said, standing up. "Let's go."
The walk was brutal. The first mile was fine; the fresh air and the excitement kept him going. By the second mile, his calves were burning, and his breath was coming in short rasps.
"You okay?" Cana asked, hovering near his elbow.
"Fine," Blake lied, gritting his teeth. "Just... enjoying the scenery."
He forced one foot in front of the other. Right. Left. Right. Left.
He thought about the white void. He thought about Zangetsu. Compared to that infinite battle, a walk in the woods was nothing.
He thought about the guild hall. The noise. The beer. The brawls.
Keep moving.
By the time they reached the outskirts of Magnolia, Blake was drenched in sweat. His legs felt like they were made of stone. But he didn't stop.
People in the town stopped to stare.
"Is that...?"
"It's Blake! The Hero of Tenrou!"
"He's awake!"
Townspeople cheered, waving at him. Blake managed a tired wave back, feeding off their energy.
Finally, the guild hall came into view. The massive structure of Fairy Tail, rebuilt and grander than before, stood at the end of the street. The flag fluttered in the wind.
Blake stopped at the bottom of the stairs leading to the entrance. He looked up at the heavy wooden doors.
He was shaking. His tank was empty.
But he smiled.
"You made it," Mira whispered, pride radiating from her.
"Two months ago, you couldn't lift a spoon," Cana grinned, slapping him gently on the back. "Look at you now."
Blake took a deep breath. He ascended the stairs. One. Two. Three.
He reached the doors.
He didn't knock. He didn't ask for help.
He placed both hands on the wood and pushed.
CREAAAAK.
The doors swung open.
The guild hall was in its usual state of chaos. Natsu and Gray were fighting. Elfman was shouting about manhood. Lucy was complaining to Makarov.
The sound of the doors opening drew attention.
The noise died down.
Heads turned.
Silhouetted against the bright sunlight of the doorway stood a tall figure in a black coat. He was thin, yes. He looked tired, yes.
But he was standing.
Blake Corvus stepped into the hall. He looked around at the sea of shocked faces.
He grinned.
"Yo. I heard you guys won the Grand Magic Games without me. Pretty bold."
For a second, there was silence.
Then, the guild exploded.
"BLAKE!!!!!!"
Natsu launched himself across the room.
"HE'S WALKING!"
Gray threw his shirt in the air.
Laxus, sitting on the second floor with Brandish, raised his mug in a silent toast.
Blake was swarmed. He was hugged, patted on the back, and nearly knocked over a dozen times, but Cana and Mira were there to steady him.
He let the noise wash over him. The laughter, the shouting, the warmth.
He was weak. He had a long way to go before he could fight a dragon again.
But as he stood in the center of his family, Blake knew one thing for sure.
He was home.