Natsu, true to his nature, ignored everyone and increased the heat in his fire. Lucy, who had heard rumors about Salamander, grew worried for Allen. Of course, she knew Allen was strong, but they talked about a famous Fairy Tail wizard here, (She does not know what happened on Bora's boat).
Lucy wanted to intervene, but a hand stopped her. It belonged to a short-haired blue-haired girl who winked at her, "Even if he seems like an idiot, Natsu would never seriously hurt a guildmate—maybe just a couple of punches…"
"That's bad enough!" retorted Lucy, but as she turned in Allen Allen's direction he returned her gaze with serene eyes.
Allen, feeling that everyone was looking at him with pity, could only chuckle. He stood up and turned around. He didn't want to stand out too much, but he was low on cash, and even if he lost to Lucifer, that didn't mean just any punk could underestimate him.
"You're way too aggressive. Something tells me you're used to getting your ass kicked…"
"Giku… bastard! For your information, one day I'll surpass Erza, Gildarts—even Gramps!"
"That's quite the list…" Allen muttered.
Lucy also rolled her eyes, but at least Natsu admitted there were people he couldn't beat.
Makarov had remained silent from the beginning, initially to gauge Allen's strength. But something about him made the old man uncertain.
'Every wizard has an aura around them that sets them apart from regular people. The stronger their magic, the larger that aura becomes. At some point, it even becomes visible to others… Some of the most powerful mages, like guild masters, use that aura to intimidate enemies and avoid fighting altogether. However, from the moment I saw this young man… I haven't felt even the tiniest trace of magic in him. So I assumed he was just hiding it…' Makarov looked at Allen, standing calmly before a furious Natsu, and couldn't help but wonder. 'Could he be hiding a secret like Mystogan? If so, I'll find out now… Allen, show me how much of the abyss called magic you've seen…'
"Huh?! Nonsense! I won't lose!" Natsu leaped toward Allen, who remained quiet and bored.
"I'm Natsu Dragneel, son of Igneel!"
"..."
The heat in Natsu's fist reached its peak as he came down, with the sound of a dragon's roar behind him.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
"What an interesting kind of magic…" Allen said, completely unfazed by the attack.
"What are you doing?!" Makarov shouted, seeing that Allen did not defend himself.
"Natsu, stop!" Gray tried to create an ice wall, but it was too late.
"Damn it! I can't!" Natsu, realizing this, tried to stop himself but couldn't kill the momentum.
"Allen!" Lucy screamed, terrified. Mirajane covered her eyes, Cana clicked her tongue, and for some reason, only Loke was smiling.
Natsu's flaming punch hit Allen square in the chest. The impact sent heat waves in every direction for a moment. When Natsu tried to pull back, he froze in disbelief.
Allen was fine. Not just fine—completely unharmed. No, he hadn't even moved an inch from where he was standing. Everyone's jaws dropped at the same time, which Allen found amusing. Still, he had another goal. Natsu was hardheaded. If Allen had defeated him with some kind of binding magic, Natsu would've just come back again and again. So, Allen chose a simpler method.
Natsu stared at his fist making direct contact, not understanding how his magic—Dragon Slayer flames and all—hadn't left even a scratch on someone who didn't defend themselves.
"Are you satisfied, Dragon's son…?"
"Y-you…"
Allen raised his fist and struck Natsu in the chin instantly. Natsu shot upward, crashed through the ceiling, and went flying out of the guild hall, landing who knows where.
Everyone's jaws dropped… even lower.
"NATSU!" cried Happy, but Allen walked up to him.
"Don't worry Happy, I only knocked him out."
"Aye thank you..." Happy wiped his tears and flew off to gather the remains of his friend.
"Well, that was fast," Allen gave a slight smile and turned to the others, "Alright then. I hope we can get along…"
Everyone nodded...
And just like that, Allen joined Fairy Tail—or maybe Fairy Tail joined him? That question would be as big as the mystery of fairy tails themselves.
'Impossible…' Makarov gasped internally. 'From start to finish, he didn't use magic?! No… that's not right. I saw him mutter something before Natsu attacked… Even if I couldn't sense it, I'm sure he used magic. But for me not to feel it at all—what does that mean?!'
While concealing one's magic isn't a rare technique, doing so during battle is supposedly impossible. How do you burn without fire? Freeze without cold? Magic must manifest to work. Yet in Makarov's eyes, Allen had used some kind of concealment magic powerful enough to fool even him.
Did he have no magic at all, or…
'No… don't tell me… that's impossible!'
No one else shared Makarov's thoughts, but they all understood one thing: Allen was very strong.
"Mirajane."
"Y-Yes?!" Mira flinched, but upon seeing Allen's expression, she realized what he wanted. She smiled and stepped forward. Allen looked around at the Fairy Tail members. Each wore the guild emblem somewhere on their body. Allen didn't have any preference, so he chose the most common place—the arm.
He remembered that Natsu wore his on his right shoulder. Allen liked the simplicity of that, so he unbuttoned his shirt and held out his left arm. Mirajane hesitated as she approached, which was unusual. She was used to seeing shirtless, muscular men (Gray, Natsu, Elfman, etc.), but seeing Allen take his shirt off made her blush and look away.
"What?"
As she placed the emblem on him, something odd happened—it wasn't a single color. It split into two: half black and half white.
"I think I messed it up, Allen-san. I'll try again," Mirajane said, worried.
Allen stared at the emblem silently before pulling his arm back, "It's fine… don't worry about it."
He put his shirt back on and walked out of the guild, leaving everyone silently staring at his back.
"Another monster just joined Fairy Tail… great," Cana, the heavy drinker, lost interest and went back to her drink.
"I don't get it, but he's a man!" Elfman shouted.
Gray scratched his head and shrugged,
"Well, I just saw Natsu get one-shotted by someone who isn't Erza, Gildarts, or the Master, and I'm satisfied. Haha!"
"Gray, your clothes…" said the blue-haired girl who had stopped Lucy earlier.
"Oh, crap! Thanks, Levy!" Gray quickly ran off to find his clothes.
"No problem~" Levy turned to Lucy.
"By the way, huh? Lucy?
...
Outside the guild, Allen—
Gwen – Are you okay with doing that?
"I thought about it for a while and decided it was okay…"
MJ – If they know how strong you are, they might start depending on you…
"I don't mind. Since I've decided to join Fairy Tail, I'll act like one of them. Besides, I'm already used to being part of eccentric groups… though this time, I'd prefer not to be the center of attention unless it's necessary."
Annie – If that's what you want, it's fine. Just don't keep everything bottled up, got it?
Unohana – She's right. It's not nice when my work is taken over by a bunch of girls~
Eve – Yeah. Now that you've jumped worlds, are you seeking comfort in new lovers while abandoning the old?
"Yeah… sorry. I shouldn't have kept it from you."
Allen didn't want anyone to worry. After all, he was the pillar of their home. But in the end, he still made several women mad at him.
"Wait!" Lucy caught up to Allen but was out of breath again.
"You really should work out more, Lucy," Allen smiled.
"Shut up!" Lucy grabbed him by the collar and pulled her own face close. "Why did you leave me behind?!"
Allen was confused by her reaction.
"Well, they're basically your idols, right? I thought you'd want to get to know them better."
Lucy pursed her lips, let go, and crossed her arms, turning her back on him.
"You're an idiot…" she muttered.
Allen closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and gently patted her head.
"Sorry…" he said in a softer tone.
Lucy wanted to stay mad, but she couldn't. She turned around smiling and took Allen's arm.
"I'll forgive you if you take me to dinner~"
"Sure. Sounds affordable..."
"What?" Lucy bit her nail, 'Damn it, maybe I should've asked for more… No, Lucy! You're not a materialistic girl! Show him how charming and refined you are!'
Allen looked at Lucy, whose eyes were practically on fire. 'This girl's definitely a perfect fit for Fairy Tail…'
Staring up at the sky, Allen still didn't know whether the canon had started or not, whether he had already met the main characters, or if someone was still missing. He had no idea what kinds of enemies or problems were coming, but that was fine. He'd face them.
'Guess I should find a place to live, too…'
...
Allen took Lucy on a tour around Magnolia to get to know the city better.
They passed by a flower shop, a bakery, a small market, a weapons and armor store, and of course, a magic shop where there were magical books—Allen bought a few for Wednesday.
They later went to eat at a small restaurant. Lucy seemed to be enjoying herself, as she hadn't stopped smiling. However, Allen brought her back to reality.
Both Lucy and Allen needed to figure out where they were going to stay. A hotel or an inn sounded ideal, but Allen didn't know how expensive it would be—and realistically, it wasn't a long-term solution.
Lucy grabbed her head. "Back to harsh reality again!"
Lucy had been struggling financially ever since she left her home. She hadn't spoken much about it, but she did tell Allen she lost her mother and didn't have a good relationship with her father. Allen consoled her, but the girl became embarrassed and pulled away from him.
"I don't want to become dependent on you..." Lucy said. To her, Allen had an aura that unconsciously made her rely on him, lean on him—but she didn't want that.
"If this keeps up, I'll end up..."
Lucy didn't finish her sentence. She couldn't, because it felt too real.
Allen nodded and didn't press her. "Actually, Lucy, I have a plan to get us an amazing place to live."
Lucy looked at Allen, confused. "It's not anything illegal, is it?"
Allen laughed at her words. "Is that the image you have of me?"
"No! It's not like that!" Lucy denied it in a panic.
"Don't worry, it's nothing like that..."
...
In the northern part of Magnolia, a bit far from the guild, there stood a very old four-story building. Its walls were worn, riddled with termites and mold, the floors cracked, and the columns damaged. There were wooden and marble details, but they were just remnants of a long-lost past. The building honestly looked better suited to be demolished. The furniture was mostly decaying wood and rubble. The only redeeming quality was a sort of classic aesthetic.
"Mr. Walker, this was one of the first buildings ever constructed in Magnolia, but as you can see, it's seen better days... Time has not been kind," said a refined man in a suit with a styled mustache, guiding Allen and a very confused Lucy through the property.
"I don't understand why it's so cheap..." Allen said.
"Yes, normally this place would be worth no less than three hundred million, even just for the land. However, the original owner specified in his will that this building could never be sold for demolition... So the family is only asking thirty million. It's a real bargain," the man smiled.
Lucy looked at him with disdain. "Buying a building you can't live in and can't demolish is like buying trash..."
The suited man grew nervous—she wasn't wrong. Even given away, the building was pretty much useless.
"I'll buy it."
"Huh?!" Lucy and the real estate agent turned toward Allen at the same time, stunned by his declaration.
"Allen, what are you doing? This is insane!"
"Shut up, blonde!"
"You! How dare you yell at me?! Aren't clients supposed to be treated like gods?!"
"You, miss secondhand blouse, are not a client," the man said, adjusting his mustache with a snobbish glare at Lucy.
"Huh?!"
Lucy exclaimed indignantly.
"Hmph"
The man snorted as Allen reached out to hold the hand of an enraged Lucy who was already pulling out a key.
"Thirty million, right?"
"Of course, Mr. Walker~," His attitude shifted. " I knew right away you were the kind of man who could appreciate the value of this relic. Normally we require a down payment, but for a member of the famous Fairy Tail, I'll transfer the property without one~"
"Don't do it! You're buying something useless!" Lucy clung to Allen's chest as tears welled up in her eyes. Lucy had realized how hard the life of a commoner was and didn't want to see Allen in debt for five years. (She underestimates how much a mage earns). Even though thirty million wasn't impossible to pay for a Fairy Tail mage, it was still a lot of money with no clear benefit.
Allen smiled at Lucy, locking eyes with her. "Trust me."
Lucy looked away, slightly embarrassed. "Fine... I don't have a choice, do I...?"
The agent looked like he'd won the lottery, having just sold an impossible property. He pulled out the contract, which had a magical seal.
Allen signed it without hesitation.
"Well, Mr. Walker, renovations and furnishing are allowed, but you can't alter the building's structure~" Now that the pressure was off, the man returned to his arrogant tone.
"No need..." Allen replied, taking a few steps forward. "Lucy."
"What?" Lucy answered, looking at the real estate agent with hatred.
"Wanna see something amazing?" Allen asked, turning his head slightly with a smile.
Lucy blinked in Allen's direction, "Something amazing?"
Allen didn't answer with words. He grabbed a key from his belt.
"Open—Gate of the Great Spirit of Time, Kurumi!"
A magic circle appeared beneath Allen's feet—so massive it covered the sky above the building. Even Fairy Tail could see it from afar. From the ground in front of Allen, a girl emerged with her eyes closed. Allen took her by the waist as she slowly opened her eyes.
"Ara ara~ It's been a few days~" The girl with black hair and heterochromatic eyes caressed Allen's cheek. "But master, you could've done this without me."
"I wanted to see how much magic a spirit consumes... and I also wanted to see you and thank you."
"..." Kurumi smiled, leaning in to kiss Allen on the cheek. "I still hate you, master."
Allen smiled. "I've got ways to change that."
Kurumi laughed, pulled out her pistol, and pointed it at her own head before pulling the trigger.
Lucy, full of questions, was left speechless as the building started to reverse through time—decades of decay undone in seconds. The walls, the floors, piece by piece came back to life, restored to their essence. The structure was repaired from the first nail to the last.
In a matter of moments, the building looked brand new—a beautiful, classic, and cozy hotel.
Kurumi whispered something to Allen before vanishing, "See you soon, my master. Don't worry about us—when we became spirits, a separate world was created just for us."
"What? That's not fair... I'm over here struggling to pay rent and stuff..."
"Ara ara~ My master is always welcome in my home. I'll take good care of you~ 🖤" Kurumi disappeared as her smile and voice lingered in the air.
Lucy was so stunned by what had just happened that she didn't even react to the blatant flirting between her prince charming and a spirit.
Allen walked over to the still-stunned real estate agent, guided him to the door, and shut it in his face without letting him speak. Then he turned back to Lucy.
"Well, it's a few floors. The first floor has a reception. The second has a rec room, a lounge, a bar, a dining room, and a terrace. The third and fourth floors have rooms—five people per floor."
"Pick one... you can pay the minimum. No need to worry about a deposit."
Lucy trembled. She couldn't keep up with the chain of events anymore and screamed to the heavens,
"Don't screw with me!!"
...
(A couple of days later)
Allen and Lucy had been busy buying furniture to decorate their rooms to their liking, so they hadn't been around Fairy Tail. But, as expected, reality hit them hard financially.
Allen sat at a table in the guild with Lucy, who was looking at two missions, unable to decide which one to take.
"Hmm, 160,000J for a band of bandits, 120,000J for finding a missing person… hmm…"
"Lucy, just pick one," said Allen, leaning on the table with one elbow.
"I can't!" Lucy firmly refused, clutching the mission flyers like it was a life-or-death decision. "If I mess up my first job, I'll cry! I have to be careful!"
"Alright…"
Needless to say, Allen teamed up with Lucy—though it was more to keep her out of trouble than anything else. Normally, Allen wouldn't do something like this, but in this world, he didn't feel the urge to be the center of attention. He just went with the flow.
There weren't many people around that day, but still...
Allen noticed several people looking at him—but it was natural. Natsu might be a fool, but everyone knew he was strong. The fact that he had been knocked out with one hit was absurd. Even more absurd was that the one who did it didn't have a single scratch. The mystery surrounding Allen only grew.
"Here it is~," said a girl, catching Allen's attention. It was Laki.
"Thanks, Laki..."
"Don't worry about it, Allen~"
Laki was a cute eighteen-year-old girl of average height. She stood out thanks to her sleek, bright lavender hair with bangs covering the left side of her forehead, while the right side was exposed. Her eyes were large and dark, and she always wore a dark ribbon adorning the top of her head. She was often seen wearing a pair of oval-lensed glasses.
Laki Olietta was one of the guild's older mages, having joined when she was a child and living ever since at Fairy Hills. She was very pretty, but thanks to Mirajane's presence, she was always overshadowed.
"Allen-san, have you decided what your first mission will be?"
"I'll go with Lucy…"
"Oh, hehe, I see~" Laki winked at Lucy, who blushed immediately.
"It's not like that! We're not dating!"
Laki left, laughing…
"My dad hasn't come back in three days!"
A young boy's voice rang out in the guild. Allen looked over near the bar where a small black-haired boy was shouting at the Guild Master.
"Macao, huh… I think he went on a mission to Mt. Hakobe…"
"You have to go look for him! It's been too many days already!"
"Idiot! There's no wizard in Fairy Tail who can't even wipe his own ass!" Makarov exploded.
"You're an idiot!" the boy punched the Guild Master—who let it happen on purpose—and then ran off.
"Hey, brat," Allen stopped him before he could leave. "What's your name?"
The boy looked at Allen for a moment before wiping his tears. "I'm Romeo Conbolt. My dad is Macao Conbolt. Can you help my dad?!"
"That depends…"
"On what?! Are you going to ignore me too?!"
Allen's gaze sharpened, scaring Romeo. He stood up and walked over until he was in front of the kid, then crouched down.
"Listen. In this world, you don't get things by yelling and crying. If you want someone's help, you should at least show some respect."
Romeo, thinking he was going to get hit, was stunned. But after hearing Allen's words, his expression changed to confusion and then he nodded and bowed his head.
"I'm sorry. Please help me."
Allen nodded while several people in the guild smiled faintly.
"Hey, could you bring me some green tea?"
"Huh? Ah, sure!"
Mirajane brought the tea, which Allen offered to Romeo. The boy was confused but took it. Once he finished, Allen took the cup.
"Divination is a questionable form of magic since the future isn't something fixed or absolute—it moves in many directions… Even so, there are things that can be known."
At Hogwarts, the Divination class was one of the most underestimated and labeled as useless, but Allen knew that wasn't true. The simple act of trying to predict the future changes it. This meant that what was seen often turned out to be false.
Allen sat and silently observed the marks… They began to shift…
"Your father fought several giant gorillas bravely. There were more than he expected, but he won. Unfortunately, he was attacked by one that had been hiding and took over his body. Macao is alive, but he can't break free from the possession…"
Allen finished reading and felt a headache. When he looked up, everyone was staring at him with their mouths open—most of them didn't even know that kind of magic existed.
"Probably…" Allen muttered, trying to cover his slip.
"That's amazing!" Romeo, on the other hand, looked at Allen with sparkling eyes. "Big bro, will you help my dad?!"
"That depends on the Guild Master…"
Makarov looked bitterly at how things were developing. "Alright, you idiots.... Hey Natsu, go bring Macao back!"
"Got it!" Natsu had already planned to go anyway, but now that he knew Macao truly needed help, it would be even easier.
Allen, meanwhile, cleared his throat as Lucy looked at him with puffed cheeks, as if demanding an explanation for… something.
'I really should've kept a lower profile…'
===
A/N: 🍷🗿
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