"Loki and Leo"
Honestly, Drake hadn't expected Makarov to suggest he take over as master, especially since he'd only recently joined Fairy Tail.
Makarov, in the original story, had served as the third, sixth, and eighth guild master. Others considered themselves unsuitable; only Makarov was fit to lead Fairy Tail.
And being Fairy Tail's master… was a terrible job!
Drake didn't want to be constantly summoned by the Council, writing apologies. He didn't want to worry about his teammates causing trouble on missions.
The responsibility was too heavy; Makarov should keep it.
Two days passed. Several things happened.
First, Gajeel and Juvia officially joined Fairy Tail.
Juvia was thrilled to join with Gray; Gajeel… less so.
Drake's "persuasion" hadn't been gentle. But his reluctance was superficial; Drake sensed he was happy.
Laxus returned. Unlike in the original story, where he was sarcastic, he was surprisingly subdued.
Fairy Tail had won the war spectacularly, aside from Makarov's injury.
Or perhaps Drake's kind gaze had something to do with it.
Guild reconstruction was mostly complete; less manpower was needed for the finishing touches.
Everyone started taking requests from the temporary request board. Fairy Tail members weren't good at saving money; many were struggling financially.
Drake was the same; he'd only done the Galuna Island job and given the reward to the guild.
If Makarov hadn't given him a share, Drake would have been eating dirt.
So Drake took a job to earn money: exterminating boar-like monsters terrorizing a mountain village.
These round, potato-like monsters had powerful, magic-imbued bodies and stone armor; villagers couldn't defeat them.
It wasn't dangerous for Drake, but Mirajane suggested he take others.
She explained that mage teams existed because different magic combinations solved different problems.
Drake didn't need that, but teams offered more than magical synergy. More people reassured clients.
…
Drake perched on a tree branch, watching approaching dust.
"They're efficient. Juvia, get ready."
Juvia was dejected. "I want to work with Gray-sama! Gray-sama, where are you?"
Drake shook his head, looking down.
A horde of boars charged, as if something was chasing them. Juvia, despite her absentmindedness, remembered her task.
A wall of water rose, blocking the boars. They crashed into it, shattering their stone armor.
The wall only rippled, unbreakable. The remaining boars panicked, trying to flee.
Drake leaped down, activating his Magic Area. The dragon's presence crushed their will; they collapsed.
Drake patted his hands, like brushing off dust.
"Job done!"
Then, Drake saw figures approaching from other directions.
"Gajeel! Loki! Good job; you gathered the monsters."
The other team members were Gajeel and Loki.
Both initially refused; Drake practically dragged them.
The guild was short-staffed, and these two had the biggest issues.
Juvia, though a Phantom Lord executive, hadn't done anything too bad.
But Gajeel had destroyed the guild and tried to attack Levy's team. Drake made him apologize, but many still resented him.
Gajeel was bad at expressing himself, causing conflict.
Drake knew it took time; in the original story, Gajeel and Natsu fighting Laxus changed people's minds.
So Drake took him on missions to change his mindset.
As for Loki, it was his current state.
After the job, the villagers held a bonfire party; the four joined as heroes.
Drake drank with the village chief and saw Gajeel and Juvia talking by the fire.
They were experiencing something they lacked in Phantom Lord. Hopefully, they'd see Fairy Tail's good side.
Drake looked around but didn't see Loki.
Loki was leaning against a distant tree, looking lost.
"You prefer starlight to bonfires?"
Loki looked up; Drake approached.
Drake said, "It's your home, in a way."
Loki chuckled wryly. "You noticed. Even Laxus and Erza didn't."
Drake said, "I'm sensitive to magical energy and life force. With Lucy, I've seen her spirits; your identity wasn't surprising."
Loki was a human mage, but actually a Celestial Spirit. Leo, one of the Golden Key spirits.
His previous master was Karen from Blue Pegasus. She used spirits for money and abused them.
Loki, using his will, replaced Aries to come to the human world.
Karen couldn't do double openings or forcefully close the gate, so she couldn't summon other spirits.
Celestial Spirits in the human world drain the mage's and their own life force; they need to return to the spirit world to replenish it.
After months, Karen died on a mission because she couldn't summon spirits. Loki, indirectly responsible, broke the Celestial Spirit rule against harming masters and was banished.
Loki wandered, eventually joining Fairy Tail. But as a Celestial Spirit, staying in the human world this long was remarkable due to his strength as Leo.
But he was nearing his limit.
Drake leaned against the tree. "I heard about you."
Loki laughed. "Comforting me before I die?"
Drake paused. "Comfort won't solve things. I want to ask—and you should ask yourself—if you'd do it again.
Then you'll know if you should regret your decision."
Loki was silent. "You did comfort me. But it's too late. We can't go back.
Thank you. I can face Karen with pride."
Drake patted his shoulder. "It's not too late to give up. Talk to Lucy! She's a great Celestial Spirit mage and Fairy Tail mage; she can help.
If you still cherish Fairy Tail and this world, believe again! Believe in your comrades!"
In the original story, Loki witnessed Lucy's growth during the Phantom Lord war, especially her kindness and care for her comrades.
That's why he confessed to Lucy before dying.
But Drake wasn't sure if Loki felt that way about Lucy. He didn't want Loki to die alone, so he brought him on the mission and talked to him.
Drake had also written to Lucy, telling her everything. The girl wouldn't ignore it.
Loki was silent, then looked at the stars.
"You're right. I still cherish this world and Fairy Tail."
Drake felt Loki's despair lift; he'd regained his will to live.
Loki pulled out two tickets. "Thank you! I can't repay you, but take these tickets!"
Drake didn't take them; he looked at the tickets and took a deep breath.
The key item appeared!