Year X780.
Two years flew by in the blink of an eye.
Finn and Rook’s grueling physical conditioning finally paid off.
After three agonizing months of mastering the basics, they successfully grasped the rudimentary forms of Rokushiki.
Once Caelan tested their limits and gave his approval, the two of them officially began taking on guild requests as a duo.
That same year, a pink-haired Natsu stumbled upon a strange, giant egg in the forest.
From that egg hatched a small, blue, flying cat he named Happy.
Back in Year X779, Laxus was the only candidate nominated for the S-Class Promotional Trial.
Gildarts, fully embracing his title as the guild’s most irresponsible slacker, completely bailed on his proctoring duties and dumped the entire exam on Caelan.
Laxus finally got the one-on-one duel he had been craving.
Having trained like an absolute madman over the past year, Laxus’s strength had undergone a massive, qualitative leap.
The ensuing battle between the two powerhouses was nothing short of apocalyptic.
Their clash was so devastating it literally erased the trial island from the map—though, fortunately, it was entirely uninhabited, so Makarov didn’t have to bankrupt the guild paying for damages.
Although Caelan still emerged victorious, Makarov recognized Laxus’s undeniable growth and officially granted him the title of S-Class Mage.
However, the promotion did nothing to soothe Laxus’s pride.
He hadn’t beaten Caelan.
Over the next year, that bitter defeat festered, and Laxus’s demeanor grew noticeably colder and darker.
Meanwhile, Caelan’s reputation exploded across the continent.
Over the past two years, his terrifying speed and overwhelming destructive power earned him a moniker feared by Dark Guilds everywhere: The Golden Flash.
Inside the Fairy Tail guildhall.
“Caelan!
Fight me!!” Happy floated lazily nearby, munching on a fish.
“Natsu, you’re going to get one-shot again.” “I don’t care!” Natsu roared, lunging forward with fists wreathed in flames.
Bam!
Crash!
“KO!” Happy chirped happily.
“Natsu, that marks your 136th consecutive defeat.” Natsu was currently stuck head-first in the ceiling, his legs swaying lazily back and forth like a bizarre chandelier.
Caelan sighed, blowing smoke off his glowing finger.
“Seriously, Natsu.
Do you really have to ambush me every single morning?
If you have this much free time, go take a request.
Look at Happy—he’s looking a little thin.
He’s practically starving.” Hearing his name, Happy immediately dropped his half-eaten fish, squeezed out a few fake tears, and flew over to land squarely on top of Caelan’s head.
“Boss!
Please, just let me be your cat!” Happy wailed dramatically.
“Natsu is broke!
I’m starving every single day!
Waaahhh!” Because Finn and Rook constantly referred to Caelan as “Boss,” Happy had adopted the title the moment he hatched.
Caelan chuckled, gently scratching the Exceed behind his ears.
“There, there.
You’re a strong, independent cat, Happy.
Natsu is still young.
He’s only a B-Class Mage right now.
But once he grows up and gets a little stronger, he’ll buy you all the fish you could ever want.” Happy sniffled, looking up with massive, teary eyes.
“Really, Boss?” “Of course.
Have I ever lied to you?” “But Boss…
what am I supposed to do until then?” Caelan reached into his coat pocket, rummaged around for a second, and pulled out a comically small, miniature fishing rod, pressing it into Happy’s tiny paws.
“Here you go.
With this, you’ll never go hungry again.” Happy stared blankly at the tiny rod in his paws.
‘The fish in the river are literally bigger than me!
Do you want me to catch the fish, or do you want the fish to catch me?!’ Ignoring the cat’s existential crisis, Caelan strolled over to his favorite rocking chair by the window and lazily collapsed into it.
Over the past couple of years, Caelan rarely left the guild to take on quests.
His dream had finally been realized: he was officially the largest real estate tycoon in Magnolia.
He owned entire blocks of commercial and residential property.
He never sold—he only rented.
And because his rent was incredibly reasonable for prime locations, his apartments were always fully booked.
Without having to lift a single finger, Caelan was raking in over 10,000,000 Jewel every single month in pure passive income.
He had successfully achieved an early retirement.
Now, his days consisted entirely of bickering with the old man, taking naps in the sun, and watching the guild’s daily brawls.
Just as Caelan closed his eyes for a mid-morning nap, the guild doors swung open.
Makarov walked in, his expression unusually grim, clutching a rolled-up parchment in his hand.
“Brat.
Come here a second.” Caelan opened one eye, immediately noting the serious tone.
He lazily pushed himself out of the chair and strolled over.
“What’s up, old man?
Finally looking to buy a retirement home?
For you, I’ll even throw in a five percent discount.” “Brat, this isn’t the time for jokes,” Makarov said darkly, tossing the parchment onto the bar.
“Something terrible has happened.” Caelan unrolled the document, his eyes lazily scanning the text.
A split second later, the atmosphere in the guild completely shattered.
An overwhelming, suffocating wave of killing intent erupted from Caelan’s body.
The sheer pressure was so heavy it felt as though the gravity in the room had suddenly multiplied by a hundred.
The wooden floorboards groaned, and the air itself seemed to crackle and warp around him.
Makarov took a startled step back, his eyes widening in shock.
It was the very first time he had ever seen Caelan genuinely, terrifyingly furious.
The sheer weight of the boy’s magical pressure was so oppressive that even Makarov found it hard to breathe.
The guildhall fell dead silent.
Everyone was frozen in place, trembling violently as they stared at the usually lazy, easygoing Mage.
Even Erza and Mirajane, two of the strongest mages in the guild, were gripping the edges of the tables, their faces pale and dotted with cold sweat as they struggled to stay on their feet.
“Brat!
What are you doing?!” Makarov roared, snapping Caelan out of it.
Caelan took a sharp breath, forcibly reining in the suffocating aura.
But the murderous, ice-cold rage burning in his eyes remained completely undisguised.
“Tata Village,” Caelan whispered, his voice dangerously quiet.
“That’s the village where Finn, Rook, and I grew up.” Makarov froze.
Caelan and his two lackeys had never spoken about their past before joining the bandits.
The parchment Makarov had handed him was an emergency report from the Magic Council.
Over the past week, dozens of remote villages near the border had been entirely wiped out.
Tata Village was on that list.
And stamped in bold red ink across the top of the report was a single, horrifying word: Slaughtered.
Suddenly, it made perfect sense why Caelan had completely lost control.
Standing near the back of the hall, Finn and Rook felt a terrible, sinking feeling in the pit of their stomachs.
“B-Boss?” Finn stammered, his voice trembling.
“What happened?
Did…
did you just say Tata Village?” “Boss!
Did something happen to our home?!” Rook asked, stepping forward anxiously.
Caelan didn’t look at them.
He kept his eyes locked on the parchment, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the edge of the bar.
“Master,” Caelan said softly.
“Look after Finn and Rook for me.” Realizing what he was about to do, Makarov reached out frantically.
“Brat, wait!
What are you going to do?!” Caelan didn’t answer.
In a blinding flash of golden light, he vanished from the guild.
“Dammit!
This is bad!” Makarov cursed.
Erza and Mirajane immediately rushed over to the bar.
“Master, what’s going on?!
What happened?!” Knowing there was no point in hiding it, Makarov laid the Council report flat on the counter.
Erza and Mirajane quickly scanned the contents.
When Finn and Rook finally pushed their way to the front and read the report, both of their knees buckled.
They collapsed onto the floor, staring blankly at the word ‘Slaughtered’ next to their village’s name.
“Finn!
Rook!” Makarov barked, snapping them out of their shock.
“Where exactly is Tata Village?!” The two of them instantly scrambled to their feet, desperation in their eyes.
“Right!
We can’t let the Boss do this alone!” Rook practically ripped a map off the guild wall, slamming it onto the counter and pointing a trembling finger at a remote valley near the border.
“Erza!
Mirajane!
Finn!
Rook!” Makarov ordered, his voice echoing with absolute authority.
“You four are coming with me!
Everyone else, stand down and stay in the guild!
That is an order!” Natsu immediately jumped up.
“Master!
Let us come too!” “Yeah!” Gray agreed, his fists clenched.
“We want to help!” “No!” Makarov snapped, his tone brooking no argument.
“You aren’t strong enough.
If you come, you’ll only get in the way.
Stay here!” Without another word, Makarov and the four chosen Mages sprinted out the doors, leaving the once-lively guildhall buried in a heavy, anxious silence.
Moving at maximum speed, it took Caelan less than an hour to reach the outskirts of Tata Village.
When he finally stepped past the old wooden signpost, his breath hitched.
The village was completely unrecognizable.
It was utterly desolate.
The charming, rustic houses were reduced to splintered, burned-out husks.
Just a few months ago, Caelan, Finn, and Rook had come back here to visit.
It had been full of life—the kind old village chief, the hardworking farmers, the loud, gossiping aunties.
As Caelan slowly walked down the main dirt road, his eyes swept over the horrific scene.
Blood was splattered violently across the remaining walls, and the dirt roads were stained a deep, rusted brown from massive, dried pools of blood.
Every single detail screamed of an absolute massacre.
But as Caelan walked deeper into the ruins, a sudden, chilling realization hit him.
He stopped in the center of the village square, his eyes narrowing.
“Wait…
where are the bodies?” He looked around frantically.
“Why aren’t there any bodies?!” He pulled the Council report from his pocket, scanning the text again.
“The report never explicitly mentioned corpses.
It just said the villagers ‘vanished,’ and that the sites were covered in massive amounts of blood.” He crushed the parchment in his fist.
“There are no bodies.”