In the year X773, on a quiet forest path.
Makarov let out a heavy sigh, recalling the scene at the Magic Council.
"Sigh, I got scolded so badly again. Can't those guys ever hold back a little?"
As he muttered, his face wrinkled up like an orange, and a fire seemed to burn in his eyes.
"When I get back, I'll definitely…"
"Boom!"
Before he could finish, Makarov sensed a surge of immense magic power shooting into the sky.
The powerful pressure seemed to make the air itself stand still.
Birds in the sky fell instantly, and beasts running through the forest fainted on the spot.
"Such strong magic power!"
Makarov's pupils shrank as he looked in the direction of the rising magic.
The being radiating this formidable power came into view.
It had two wings on its back, two horns on its head, and a massive body.
Its pure white feathers shimmered with a sacred golden light under the setting sun.
There was no doubt. This was a creature that had been gone for four hundred years, a being that existed only in legends.
"A dragon!?"
Even with Makarov's seasoned mind, which had weathered many storms, he couldn't help but be stunned.
But soon, he noticed something else.
On top of the white dragon's head stood a small figure.
A faint magic power radiated from its body.
Makarov hadn't noticed it before, overshadowed by the dragon's immense magic.
The dragon seemed to sense his gaze.
Its head turned, and its giant, sapphire-like eyes looked at Makarov.
In that instant, the magic particles in the air grew restless.
Faint golden lightning flickered around the white dragon.
"This is bad!"
Although he didn't understand the situation, Makarov realized the dragon saw him as an enemy.
He was about to speak to show he had no ill intent.
But he saw the immense magic power weaken at an incredible speed.
The white dragon's body gradually became illusory until it vanished completely.
The child who should have fallen from above was instead enveloped in a pink magic bubble, floating down gently.
"This is… Summoning Magic!?"
Seeing this, Makarov instantly understood.
He knew why a dragon, gone for four hundred years, had reappeared in this world.
But this wasn't the time to think about that.
The child was the most important thing.
With that thought, Makarov started running towards the spot where the child was landing.
When Makarov arrived at the location, he found a man already standing next to the child.
And besides the two of them, there was… a village in ruins.
The ground was scarred with huge chasms, and houses were either charred black or torn apart as if by monsters.
Corpses lay everywhere, staining the ground red.
Surviving villagers wailed as they held the bodies.
The occasional glance in their direction was filled with fear.
"Did it do this?"
Seeing the scene, Makarov's first thought was that the white dragon was responsible.
Hearing footsteps, the man's body trembled, and he quickly looked up.
He only relaxed after seeing the short old man.
This made Makarov narrow his eyes slightly.
He had thought a dragon had attacked this place, but the man's reaction suggested otherwise.
"I am Makarov Dreyar, the guild master of Fairy Tail. May I ask what happened here?"
Makarov stated his name and origin directly.
"The guild master of Fairy Tail!?"
The man's eyes widened at the name.
As one of the most famous guilds in the Fiore Kingdom, he had of course heard of it.
Meeting such a powerful person for the first time, the man grew anxious and quickly began to answer Makarov's question.
"Actually… we were just invaded by a dark guild."
As he spoke, a look of sorrow crossed the man's face.
Thinking of all the familiar people who had died tragically, his eyes began to turn red.
"…"
Makarov fell silent at the news.
Dark guilds were the scourge of the magic world.
Their appearance always brought trouble.
Even the Magic Council had not found a way to completely eliminate them.
"…This child's parents died right in front of him. Then, I don't know what happened, but that giant monster appeared and killed all the members of that dark guild."
The man explained, wiping his eyes.
He didn't know anything about dragons, so he could only call it a monster.
"A magic awakening…"
Makarov understood, murmuring to himself.
Magic was a power that came from the soul.
If one had the aptitude, magic would be born from the soul during a moment of great emotional shock.
However, he had never heard of anyone awakening a magic that could summon a dragon.
"I was friends with this child's parents. I saw him fall just now, so I came over to check."
As if remembering something, the man looked at Makarov with anticipation.
"Master wizard, could you please take this child with you? You saw his magic, it's very strong!"
"…I understand."
Without needing further explanation, Makarov knew what he meant.
Although the child's summoned dragon had dealt with the dark guild members, humans would still feel fear when faced with such an extraordinary power.
Even if they were people who had always lived together.
He had even heard of some who awakened Take Over magic being driven away as monsters.
"Thank you."
The man was surprised by how readily Makarov agreed, and then he bowed deeply.
He had been worrying about what to do.
After all, it was his friend's child, and he couldn't just let him leave the village alone.
But if he stayed, he would have to endure the stares of the others.
It would be even more troublesome if a conflict arose.
Upon hearing Makarov's identity, he had thought of asking him to take the child in.
As the master of a famous and legitimate guild, he surely wouldn't treat a child poorly.
"The child's name is Rayn. I'll help bury his parents. I'll have to trouble you with him from now on."
"Also, I'll talk to the villagers about his magic and try to keep it a secret."
The man bowed once more, glanced at the child on the ground, and then turned to walk back to the village.
He had done what he could.
With the dark guild invasion just over, there were still many things to help with.
There wasn't much time to waste here now.
"Sigh."
Looking at the distant village, Makarov sighed and looked down at the ground.
The child had dark hair and a face smudged with soot, which made him look a bit comical.
But one could faintly see that his features were very delicate.
Makarov casually draped his cloak over the child named Rayn.
Magic power surged around him, and his body swelled up like an inflating balloon, transforming into a strong figure.
He lifted Rayn onto his back and sped forward.
He moved so fast that he became a small black dot in an instant.
He couldn't do much to help on his own besides moving some stones.
It was better to go notify the soldiers in a nearby town and have them send support.
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