After Acnologia attacked Tenrou Island, he once again vanished without a trace.
Afterward, Fairy Tail and the Magic Council conducted a half-year investigation around that sea area, but found nothing.
Seven years passed in the blink of an eye.
Hargeon Port.
A young man stood at the port, gazing at the sea. The sea was calm, seagulls flew freely in the sky, and a cool sea breeze brushed his face, yet it carried no message of the longing in his heart.
"How long are you going to stare at the sea?"
"The job is done. Let's head back to the Guild."
Alzack and Bisca looked at the unresponsive young man with a hint of helplessness.
"If you don't hurry, your father will worry, you know."
"Macao entrusted us to take good care of you, Romeo."
"Mm..."
The young man was Macao's son, Romeo. Seven years had passed, and Romeo had grown into a young man.
Magnolia Town.
An old, small, dilapidated house.
This was the current Fairy Tail.
"Romeo isn't back yet? Are Alzack and Bisca taking good care of him?" Macao grumbled.
Due to the disappearance of many elites from Fairy Tail, Macao, as the most senior Mage, was elected as the Fourth Guild Master.
"Stop yelling, you're not a child. Calm down, Macao." Wakaba said irritably.
Romeo had only been out for a few days, and Macao had already whined about it several times. Macao wasn't annoyed, but Wakaba was tired of hearing it.
"I believe I asked you to address me as Guild Master."
"I've never seen a Guild Master like you."
Macao scratched his head. "Whatever. What? Are there fewer people in the Guild again?"
Macao glanced around the Guild and found it even emptier. Seven years ago, Fairy Tail had hundreds of members, but now only a dozen or so remained.
Wakaba said, "It can't be helped. No one will give commissions to a small Guild like ours."
Nab pointed at the few remaining quests on the quest board and said, "Look at how few quests we have in total."
Guild Mages get their earnings through quests and live off them. The stronger the Guild, the more quests it receives.
Seven years ago, Fairy Tail was known as the strongest Mage Guild in Fiore, and even the strongest Mage Guild in the Ishgar continent. They received countless quests every day and could freely choose jobs that suited them.
Now that there were no jobs, everyone naturally went their separate ways.
"Look, I'm about to finish my new dance. I call it the 'Dance of the Weak'." Vijeeter danced shakily.
Macao said, "How disgusting... kick him out."
"Droy, has Earth's gravity increased recently?" Jet teased Droy.
"Are you trying to say I've gotten fat, you bastard!"
Droy held a grilled sausage in one hand and a chicken leg in the other.
Seven years had passed, and Droy had become a big, chubby man with a bloated face.
"If you know that, then lose some weight properly. Now, when we go on quests together, I always have to wait for you. Look at Reedus, how slender he's become now." Jet complained.
When the two went on quests together, Droy would be out of breath after just two steps, which was very troublesome. If they hadn't been teammates for so many years, he would have really wanted to abandon him.
"I was actually this build originally. I only maintained that physique back then to make using magic more convenient."
Reedus's Pict Magic required him to draw on his own body. The larger his body, the larger the area he could draw on.
"I also exercise every day. Haven't you noticed? Look at these muscles." Droy argued stubbornly.
"What would Levy say if she saw you now?"
"Levy won't be coming back... Ah!"
As soon as Droy finished speaking, he realized he had said the wrong thing.
All the Guild members fell silent. Although they had always believed that everyone was still alive, seven years was too long.
Suddenly—
A group of people burst in through the main entrance.
"Is this Guild down to just a few people? Are there even fewer people now?"
"Gyahahaha!"
"That's why this Guild is weak."
The Fairy Tail members all looked displeased upon seeing the group.
"Thibault! I told you not to come here again!!" Macao shouted at Tibault.
Thibault said, "Is it okay to talk to us like that? Have you forgotten who lent you money to rent this place, allowing your Guild to barely survive?"
"However, this Guild won't last much longer, hahahaha. You were indeed Fiore's strongest Guild once, but now your era is over."
"Now, a broken Guild and a new generation's Twilight Ogre... Any clear-headed person can see which one is better for this town, right?"
Macao said unhappily, "It's just because their Guild is bigger."
Warren said, "Exactly. We have willpower."
Thibault sneered, "What can willpower do?"
Macao interrupted him, saying, "What are you doing here, Thibault?"
"To collect this month's money."
Macao's expression stiffened. "We haven't received any quests this month. We'll pay it all next month, please wait a little longer."
Bang!
Thibault kicked Macao.
"Macao!"
"You bastards dare to..."
The Guild members immediately prepared to act. No matter how unqualified Macao was, he was still the Guild Master of Fairy Tail, and they couldn't let these bastards bully him.
"No one move!" Macao shouted.
The Twilight Ogre members began to destroy things.
"Hahahaha!"
"How pathetic! Is this Fairy Tail?"
"How disgraceful! Hahahaha!"
After destroying things, Thibault and his group said, "We'll give you a month's grace this time. If you still haven't paid next time, don't blame us for being impolite. Let's go."
"Hahahahaha!"
The group left, leaving behind a mess of broken tables and chairs.
Watching this scene, all the Guild members couldn't help but feel a surge of sadness. Once upon a time, their Fairy Tail was the strongest Guild in the Ishgar continent, and no one dared to provoke them. Even a powerful Guild like Phantom Lord was severely punished and eventually disbanded after provoking them.
Now, they were being trampled underfoot by a small Guild, unable to resist. How could things have come to this?
Wakaba lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled, as if only this could dispel the frustration in his heart. "Seven years have passed since then."