"He disappeared. Metalicana vanished right before my eyes one day without saying a word."
Natsu had been persistently asking where Gajeel learned his Dragon Slayer Magic.
Unable to endure the pestering any longer, Gajeel finally revealed the truth before turning to leave.
The Mages of Phantom Lord hadn't forgotten to take the Element 4 and the unconscious Jose with them, but in their haste, they had forgotten Gajeel.
Now, he had to hobble away alone, leaning heavily on a makeshift crutch.
"Was the day he disappeared July 7th, X777?"
"Gajeel-san, was it the same for you too?"
Natsu and Wendy spoke almost simultaneously, both surprised by the coincidence.
"What? Do you know where Metalicana is?"
Gajeel had initially intended to ignore Natsu, but upon hearing "July 7th, X777," he stopped and turned back to press for answers, his expression intense.
Natsu crossed his arms and tilted his head as he replied, "No, I'm looking for the Fire Dragon Igneel, and Wendy is searching for the Sky Dragon Grandeeney."
Wendy quickly added, "But Igneel and Grandeeney also disappeared on July 7th, seven years ago, the exact same day."
"July 7th, X777… Three dragons vanished together?" Gajeel muttered, lowering his head in thought.
"Why are there so many sevens?!"
"How should I know?!" Natsu shouted back.
Ignoring their injuries, the two butted heads and started arguing again instantly.
"Forget it, it doesn't matter." Gajeel shook his head, pushing Natsu away, and prepared to leave.
"Hey, if you hear any rumors about Igneel or Grandeeney, remember to tell us," Natsu called out.
"Why should I tell you?!" Gajeel retorted indignantly. "Were we really on such good terms?"
"Aren't we all Dragon Slayer Mages? The dragons who raised us disappeared on the same day, so we're connected."
"Don't joke around! Next time we meet, I'm going to beat you to a pulp! Absolutely! You'd better be ready!"
"You really are a dangerous guy. Fine, I guess I won't make peace with you then!"
"Just who is the dangerous one here?!"
"Um… you two…" Wendy stood between them, waving her hands, unsure of what to do as the tension rose again.
The two couldn't even hold a civil conversation for a few sentences before starting to argue.
"Just how old are these two?" Raizel shook his head helplessly from the sidelines.
...
Fairy Tail Guild Ruins.
The Guild members stood before the ruins of their home, staring at the tavern that had just collapsed into a pile of wood and stone.
"Hmm… This is really badly damaged," Macao sighed.
"Um… Master…"
Lucy felt a wave of guilt wash over her.
The incident had started because of her, leading to the Guild being destroyed like this and many members getting injured.
"Don't make that face, Lu-chan," Levy smiled and shook her head reassuringly.
Raizel didn't join the others in comforting Lucy immediately.
Instead, he climbed onto the rubble, using his hands and feet to search through the debris.
"Do you need help?" Mirajane asked, watching Raizel tirelessly sift through the wreckage.
"Your shoes aren't suitable for climbing up here. It's better if you don't," Raizel replied without looking back.
"Found it!"
Raizel pushed aside the heavy stones covering it and pulled one of the Guild's flag out of the ruins.
He shook it vigorously a couple of times to dust off the soot and debris, then raised it high for everyone to see.
"As long as the flag stands, the Guild stands!" Raizel shouted. "Today we worked together to defeat Phantom Lord—this isn't an individual victory, but a Guild victory! A family victory!"
Standing before the ruined tavern, Makarov nodded and continued, his voice solemn but warm.
"Lucy, whether it's joyful matters or sorrowful ones, not everything goes as we wish, but to some extent, we can share them all—that's what a Guild is. One person's happiness becomes everyone's happiness, one person's anger becomes everyone's anger, and one person's tears become everyone's tears. There's no need to blame yourself."
"Lucy, everyone's feelings should have reached you by now."
"Lift your head up—you're a member of Fairy Tail."
Mirajane walked over to the trembling Lucy and embraced her gently.
"This isn't something to blame anyone for—it's our shared responsibility as a Guild."
Lucy leaned against Mirajane and began to cry, finally letting go of her guilt.
"Speaking of which... did we perhaps go a bit too far? The Council must be quite angry about this... Wait... they might even sentence us to imprisonment..."
Makarov imagined the consequences and broke out in a cold sweat!
"After all, we were the ones who attacked Phantom Lord first. You should prepare to apologize, Gramps," Raizel teased.
"Why should I apologize for what you did, you bastard!!!" Makarov shouted angrily at Raizel, who seemed somewhat detached from the legal trouble he had caused.
...
The Rune Knights finally arrived in haste after the battle concluded.
The conflict between Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail had alarmed the Magic Council, prompting them to dispatch the knights to restore order.
The Fairy Tail members were taken to a temporary military encampment for questioning and investigation.
Raizel had assisted the Rune Knights with two previous incidents and was acquainted with their captain, Lahar.
Worried that Natsu or others might cause trouble during the interrogation, Lahar immediately approached Raizel and whispered in his ear.
"I've roughly understood the situation—it's just routine questioning. We'll only keep you under symbolic supervision for one day. Tell the Salamander not to make trouble, or this will become difficult for everyone."
Raizel nodded and gave an OK sign. "Don't worry, I won't make things hard for you."
...
One Week Later.
Phantom Lord had been officially disbanded by the Council, and Jose Porla had been stripped of his title as one of the Ten Wizard Saints.
Fairy Tail's punishment hadn't been decided yet, as the Council was divided on how to penalize them.
Over the years, Raizel had assisted the Council with numerous incidents, earning some goodwill.
Furthermore, Fairy Tail still had two Ten Wizard Saints among its members (Makarov and Ur), not to mention that recluse working on desert prevention—Warrod Sequen—who happened to be one of Fairy Tail's founders.
If the Council tried to force the disbandment of Fairy Tail, that influential figure would likely intervene.
Council member Yajima had also been speaking in Fairy Tail's defense.
All evidence indicated that Phantom Lord's Magic Giant had attacked Magnolia first.
As for Raizel and the others raiding Phantom Lord's branches... while everyone knew it was them, there was no concrete evidence.
They had struck at night, and most battles ended so quickly that no witnesses could positively identify them before they departed.
...
Magnolia.
One week had passed since the battle with Phantom Lord.
Guild reconstruction was already underway, with everyone enthusiastically building the new guild hall.
Ultear and Erza had returned from their missions, with Erza now excitedly supervising the construction work like a drill sergeant.
"Everyone, let's take a break for now," Mirajane, Lucy, and Lisanna called out, bringing drinks for everyone on trays.
Nearby, Natsu and Gray were arguing again over some trivial matter.
"I still remember what you said the other day! What do you mean I'm weak?" Natsu shouted.
"I clearly said Gajeel was weak! Are you deaf?!" Gray retorted.
BONK!
Their heads collided heavily as they pressed against each other.
"You two over there!"
A rectangular wooden plank came down hard on both their heads.
"Instead of arguing, get to work! We need to rebuild Fairy Tail as soon as possible!"
Erza, wearing work clothes and a safety helmet, held the wooden plank with one hand while glaring sternly at the two, who had already been knocked unconscious by her discipline.
"Yes, ma'am..." the others groaned in unison.