One Year Later
The clearing behind my house had become more than just a training ground. It was our place—the space where we pushed each other past our limits, where we grew together. The once-pristine ground bore the scars of countless battles, proof of how much we had improved.
I rolled my shoulders, letting Enhancement Magic flow through me. Strength, speed, endurance—every aspect of my body surged to its peak. Across from me, Alma stood firm, her Archive Magic screens flickering in the air, analyzing everything. But more than that, her Rune Magic had advanced to a whole new level.
I smiled. "You ready?"
She met my gaze, her expression warm. "Always."
I moved.
To anyone else, I would've been nothing but a blur, but Alma had been training for this. Runes flared to life around her, shifting in perfect response to my movement. A containment sigil appeared midair, locking my momentum for a split second—just long enough for a barrier to materialize between us. My fist stopped an inch away.
I stepped back, grinning. "Not bad."
She smirked, placing a hand on her hip. "Just not bad?"
I chuckled. Of course, I was still holding back—a lot. Even now, I wasn't using my full strength. If I did, she wouldn't stand a chance. But that didn't change the fact that her improvement was huge compared to a year ago. The Alma from back then wouldn't have lasted a second against me.
And now? She was pushing me to actually think in a fight.
"You're incredible," I admitted.
She raised an eyebrow. "You say that every time."
"Because it's true," I said, my gaze lingering on her. "You're not just keeping up—you're surpassing every expectation."
She stepped closer, her fingers brushing against mine. "You make it easy to keep pushing forward."
I turned my hand over, intertwining our fingers for a moment. The warmth between us was undeniable.
Then, just as quickly, she pulled away, her lips curving into a small smile. "Again?"
I exhaled through my nose, amused. "Always."
This time, she struck first. Runes shifted midair, altering gravity around me. My body felt heavy—she was trying to slow me down. Smart.
Sadly, my body instantly adapted to it. Enhanced healing and all.
I countered instantly, pushing Enhancement Magic to override the effect. But Alma was already ahead of me. More runes flared to life, forming a complex web around me, cutting off my escape routes before I could react.
I grinned. She's amazing.
I shattered a rune, closing the gap between us, but she was expecting it. At the last moment, she shifted her stance, turning my momentum against me.
I found myself inches from her, caught in her trap, and before I could react, she leaned in, her voice soft against my ear.
"Checkmate."
I chuckled, letting out a slow breath. "You win this round."
She reached up, brushing a stray lock of hair from my face. "You'll catch up."
I took her hand in mine, pressing a light kiss to her fingertips. "I don't mind losing to you."
Her cheeks flushed, but she didn't look away. "Good. Because I don't plan on letting you win anytime soon."
I laughed, pulling her close. "Then I guess we'll just have to keep training."
—
Now
Fairy Tail was chaos. Glorious, loud, occasionally flaming chaos.
In the last year, though? Things shifted. Everyone was growing up. Erza, Jellal, Kagura, the whole Tower of Heaven squad—they were figuring life out one awkward step at a time.
Also, there were kids everywhere now. Like a plague. A loud, overly ambitious, furniture-destroying plague.
"Erzaaa, fight me!!" Kagura yelled across the hall.
"No," Erza replied flatly.
"Why not?!"
"You lost last time."
"I'll win this time!"
"No, you won't," I called, not even looking up from my drink.
Kagura spun toward me like a furious little goblin. "Yes, I will!"
Alma raised a brow. "Do you even know how to hold that sword without tipping over?"
"I'm learning!"
Meanwhile, Milliana was trying to stack chairs into a tower taller than herself. Sho and Wally were placing bets on how fast she'd die.
Simon stood beside me, arms crossed. "This is going to end terribly."
"Yep."
We watched.
The whole thing toppled, Milliana screamed, and Sho caught her like it was some romantic drama scene.
"See?! I win!" Sho cheered.
"You were trying to catch me?!" Milliana blinked.
"Which means I lose," Wally groaned.
Alma snorted. "You were betting on Sho's failure?"
Simon exhaled like an exhausted babysitter. "Every day."
"Welcome to Fairy Tail," I said, sipping my drink.
But the biggest change? Laxus.
Kid was eleven. Should've been throwing tantrums about bedtime. Instead, he was throwing lightning like it owed him money. Rumble-Rumble Fruit plus Lightning Dragon God Lacrima? Yeah. Overkill.
BOOM.
Another training dummy exploded into wooden confetti.
"That's the third one this week," I muttered.
"They need stronger dummies," Laxus replied, dead serious.
Alma gasped dramatically. "That was Sir Dummiesworth the Third."
"Then Sir Dummiesworth the Fourth better come with insurance."
Before I could clap back, Wakaba and Macao sprinted by, both covered in soot.
"I told you not to cast that spell inside!"
"I was testing it!"
Master Makarov didn't even lift his head from his mug. "Do I even want to know?"
"Nope," I said.
He took a long sip and sighed. "Why do I even try?"
Erza was trying (and failing) to keep the brats in line. Laxus rolled his eyes like he wasn't literally sparking like a Tesla coil.
"Idiots," he muttered.
"You say that like you're not included," I said.
"I'm not."
"Right." I ruffled his hair before he could dodge.
"Oi—cut it out!" He smacked at my hand.
"Still just a kid," Alma teased.
"I'm not a kid!"
I grinned. "Want uppies?"
"Try it and I'll fry you."
I lifted him anyway, tossed him over my shoulder like a sack of angry lightning.
"PUT ME DOWN!"
"Nope. This is fun."
Alma smirked. "You really do look like a toddler right now."
"You two are the worst!"
"And you love us for it," I said, finally setting him down.
He was this close to frying me. Worth it.
Cana, meanwhile, had turned into a tiny, card-obsessed gremlin who tolerated people on a good day. Ever since the Gildarts-daughter reveal, she'd been… lighter. Still quiet, still blunt, but less prickly.
I watched them sitting by the bar. Gildarts was awkwardly trying to teach her how to shuffle cards.
"Like this," he said.
Cana tried. Cards went everywhere.
"…That sucked," Gildarts said.
"I'm learning!"
"Learn faster."
I shook my head. "You're awful at this."
"I'm trying, alright?!"
Cana picked up a card. "This is why I drink."
"You're six."
"And?"
Alma leaned over. "She is Gildarts' kid."
…Fair point.
Anyways
The guild hall was packed. Not unusual. But today had announcement energy. Big, tense, buzz-in-the-air energy.
I leaned against a table, arms crossed. Alma beside me. Laxus nearby, pretending not to care while clearly caring way too much.
Makarov stood on the bar like a dwarf king with a mission.
"This year, we will be holding the S-Class Promotion Trial."
The room stirred, but nobody was surprised.
"And this year, only one mage has been nominated."
Everyone collectively nodded like, Yeah, obviously.
"Aiden."
No gasp. No drama. Just a bunch of people going, "Finally."
"Wait," Macao frowned. "We're just doing this now?"
"Yeah," Wakaba added. "He's been S-Class since like… forever."
Makarov pinched the bridge of his nose. "I wanted to do it last year, but someone—" he pointed at me "—kept dodging it."
Alma grinned. "You dodged the S-Class trial?"
"I was busy."
"Busy," Gildarts repeated, walking over with his usual lazy smirk. "Wrecking dark guilds and making the rest of us look bad?"
"Hey, I don't try to make you look bad," I said, grinning. "It just comes naturally."
Laughter spread.
Rijion crossed his arms. "Isn't this just a formality? He's already stronger than most of us."
"Stronger than all of us," Bisu added.
Makarov sighed. "Regardless. It's happening. Two weeks."
Tono raised his mug. "Start the party now!"
Cue instant celebration.
I pushed off the table, raising an eyebrow. "Alright, what's the trial? Monster fight? Dungeon crawl? Extreme grocery shopping?"
Everyone went quiet.
Makarov had that smile. The "you're gonna love this" kind.
"You'll be fighting Gildarts."
Dead silence.
I blinked. "Wait. Gildarts?"
"Yep."
I turned to him. "No offense, but… really? I could end this in ten seconds."
Gildarts smiled lazily. But his eyes? Sharp. "You're strong, Aiden. But don't let that arrogance blind you."
"Arrogance?" I laughed. "No, no. This is facts. You're strong, but I'm a whole different genre."
Laxus snorted. "You sure about that?"
"Laxus, please. I'm the final boss. Gildarts is, like… a cool side quest."
Everyone in the guild was either smirking or already placing bets.
"Don't get cocky," Gildarts said.
"Too late."
Makarov chuckled. "Well, this should be fun to watch."
Gildarts cracked his knuckles. "Just don't cry when you lose."
"I'll cry when I'm bored."
Kagura tugged on Laxus' sleeve. "Do you think Aiden can beat him?"
Laxus grinned. "If anyone can, it's him."
I winked at them. "Sit tight, kiddos. This is gonna be a show."
The air buzzed with energy. Everyone was waiting. Expecting. Hyped.
Me? I was already picturing the fight. No limits. No holding back. Just me and Gildarts, full throttle.
Finally,
"Two weeks, right?" I asked.
Makarov nodded. "Two weeks."
"Cool. I'll try not to make it too one-sided."
—----------
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