Fairy Tail: The Faint Smile in Earthland

📍 Fairy Tail Guild Hall, Late Afternoon

📅 Early June, X791

The sun dipped lower, casting long beams of gold and pink across Magnolia. Inside the Fairy Tail guild hall, the noise of celebration mellowed into something warmer, less a roar of triumph, more the hum of homecoming.

Tankards clinked. Laughter echoed off the walls. Somewhere in a corner, a cheer erupted so loud it shook the rafters.

At the largest table, Makarov wiped his eyes for what must've been the fifth time, a grin breaking through the creases of age. "Seven years, and you lot haven't changed a bit. Me, though? Twice the wrinkles, half the patience!"

His chuckle cracked into a hoarse sob.

Next to him, Macao leaned forward with a tired smile. A fresh bandage crossed his brow—a quiet reminder of the weight they'd carried. He clasped Makarov's arm firmly. "We got through it, somehow. But it wasn't just us."

The unspoken name floated between them. No one said it aloud. No one had to.

Near the center of the room, Romeo sat between Natsu and Gray, a mug of juice cradled in his hands.

Natsu grinned widely, elbowing him. "I swear, you could wrestle a dragon now!"

Gray rolled his eyes and stole a sip from Romeo's mug. "Don't fill his head, fire-for-brains. He's still scrawny."

Romeo laughed—full and unguarded. It had been a long time since it came that easily. "I don't need to be stronger than anyone," he said. "Just strong enough to stand next to you guys now. Not behind."

Across from him, Lucy leaned in, her eyes soft. "Romeo… what was it like? These seven years?"

Romeo went quiet. His fingers traced the rim of his cup. His gaze wandered to the window, where dusk pressed gently against the glass.

"It was… heavy," he said finally. "Like carrying silence. But Teresa… she showed me how to bear it. She didn't ask for praise. She just did what needed doing. Always calm. Always sharp."

Lucy's eyes misted. Erza leaned forward, her brow creased. Wendy listened quietly, her hands folded in her lap.

On the far side of the room, Levy was wrapped in Jet and Droy's arms, laughing and crying at once.

"You idiots waited…"

Jet tried to speak but choked on the words. Droy blubbered, "We trained… we did…"

Levy smiled through the tears. "You haven't changed a bit."

Bisca and Alzack sat with little Asuka nestled between them. Erza reached out to brush the girl's hair, and Bisca broke down all over again.

"She's perfect," Erza whispered. "You two… You did well."

Alzack only nodded, holding his daughter close.

Then, the door to the guild master's office creaked open.

Macao stepped out, followed by Makarov. His face was calm now, but something in his eyes said the celebration wasn't over yet.

He scanned the room and landed on Romeo.

"Romeo," he called. "Come with me. Macao too."

Romeo blinked. Natsu nudged him, and Gray gave a tiny nod. Romeo stood, his hands flexing slightly, as though reaching for a hilt he wasn't sure he needed.

The office door shut behind them.

📍 Guild Master's Office

The room felt smaller than Romeo remembered—dim, quiet, lined with the scent of ink and old wood.

Makarov stood at the window, his voice low. "I've heard what she did. Teresa."

Macao crossed his arms. "She never wore our symbol. Never drank with us. But she watched over us. Protected this place like it was hers."

Makarov turned slowly. His gaze fell on Romeo. "And she trained you?"

Romeo nodded. "She didn't teach me to laugh. Or cry. She taught me to stand when no one else could. To fight only when you must. And to never—ever—hesitate."

Makarov's brow furrowed. "That's not the Fairy Tail way. We don't strike first. We fight to protect. We forgive."

Romeo's voice didn't waver. "She didn't want to be Fairy Tail. But while we waited, while we hoped, she fought. She never stopped."

The silence thickened.

Then Makarov sighed. Long and deep. "Every family has its secrets. It's shadows. Maybe she's ours. A sword we pray we never need to draw."

He turned to Macao. "You trusted her?"

"With my life," Macao said. "We all did. She carried what we couldn't."

Outside the window, a silver blur darted across the rooftops—Teresa's bike, gone before the engine's growl even faded.

Makarov's eyes tracked the motion. "She won't come inside, will she?"

"No," Romeo said. "But she's always near. She watches. Always has."

Makarov's hand rested on the emblem carved into his desk. His fingers brushed over it gently, like checking for breath.

"Let her stay that way," he said. "So long as her blade never turns against this family… let her be our ghost."

Romeo bowed. "She never would. She calls it purpose. But it's love. She just won't say it."

📍 Magnolia Rooftops, Dusk

Lanterns bloomed across the streets, warm and flickering like stars that refused to fall. The guild windows pulsed with sound and light.

Far above it all, Teresa stood still.

Cloak rustling in the breeze. pale blonde hair shifting like smoke. Her gaze fixed on the guild—on the life below she'd chosen to guard, not enter.

Her hand hovered near her blade.

For just a second, her fingers twitched.

Then she turned and vanished into the shadows without a word.

Inside the hall, Romeo looked toward the window, sensing what had already passed.

A blade doesn't need to speak, he thought.

But sometimes… even a blade listens for warmth it won't ever touch.