Rowan knew the truth better than anyone.
If not for the thunder giant and the fusion of ancient magic, he would never have beaten Jellal head-on. And without Erza and the others buying him those precious minutes, the final strike would never have landed. In terms of raw strength, Jellal still surpassed him by a wide margin.
Even Makarov, fighting at full strength without resorting to Fairy Law, might not have been able to defeat Jellal outright. Jose had only ever been a step below Makarov at his peak, and Jose's strength didn't even match half of Jellal's projected self. As for Fairy Law itself, its true limits were still unknown. It had never been completed before being interrupted.
That realization only strengthened Rowan's resolve.
Bringing Jellal into Fairy Tail would change everything. Two top-tier mages of that caliber anchoring the guild. Simon and the others were not far behind either. They weren't there yet, but given a few more years, reaching the upper ranks was entirely possible. Fairy Tail's standards were unforgiving, but that only made the potential more valuable.
And there was another reason Rowan didn't voice aloud.
He wanted to understand celestial magic.
"His condition's stable," Rowan said at last. "Let's go home."
He opened the case, gathered everyone inside, and vanished in a flash.
Fairy Tail was in chaos when they returned.
Mirajane rushed forward the moment Rowan appeared. "Are they all right? Erza, Natsu, Gray, Lucy… H-Happy?"
"They're alive," Rowan said. "Battered, exhausted, but alive. They'll recover."
He released them from the case, and Mirajane sagged with relief.
"I heard Etherion was fired," she said shakily. "And that the Council building was destroyed. I thought—"
"The Council was destroyed?" Rowan paused.
Mirajane nodded. "A mage named Ultear did it. The Council's been dissolved temporarily. They're preparing to rebuild."
"So it really was her," Rowan murmured.
That name again.
Dark guilds capable of placing agents inside the Council weren't just dangerous. They were patient. And strong.
Still, the timing worked in their favor.
With the Council in disarray, there would be no rush to pass judgment on Jellal. If Makarov moved quickly, documented everything, and leaned on the guild's influence, the truth would be heard. If needed, Rowan could always help rebuild what Ultear had destroyed.
That evening, Jellal woke up.
The moment his mind cleared and memories returned, he nearly collapsed under the weight of what he'd done over the past eight years. It took Erza, Simon, and the others hours to pull him back from the edge.
The next day, Makarov returned with the completed mobile fortress.
After hearing the full account of the Tower of Heaven incident, he accepted Rowan's proposal. Jellal and his companions were taken into Fairy Tail's protection. Old connections were activated. Former Fairy Tail mages, now scattered across the kingdom in positions of influence, stepped in to help.
By the end of it, the Council accepted the truth.
Jellal was pardoned.
Ultear was declared the true culprit and placed on a nationwide wanted list.
And Fairy Tail changed.
The original two-story guild hall was dismantled. The mobile fortress was fused directly into its foundation, stairways linking old and new structures seamlessly. Defensive arrays were installed. Crystal cannons lined the walls. Dormitories were relocated into the guild itself.
Fairy Tail became the tallest, most striking structure in Magnolia.
Even Lucy gave up her apartment and moved in.
Rowan did the same.
He expanded his room with spatial magic, turning it into a private laboratory. When the last ward was set, he carved a ring-shaped sigil into the floor and placed a fragment of magic crystal in his palm.
He sat down.
And began to meditate.
Days passed.
While his panda clone worked tirelessly elsewhere, Rowan focused entirely on absorption and refinement. The crystal accelerated everything. His power climbed steadily, inexorably.
He stopped at the edge.
One step remained.
Then, as the crystal dissolved into light, something inside him shattered and reformed all at once. Magic surged through every cell, rewriting something fundamental.
Time loosened its grip.
When the flow settled, Rowan opened his eyes.
He understood instantly.
His body would no longer decay.
He had crossed the threshold.