Noah gently lifted Yukino into his arms and dismissed the conjured bed. But instead of leaving immediately, he took a slow breath and turned back toward the ruined home.
Still holding Yukino close, he carefully began to search through what remained of the house.
Guided by Yukino's weak but precise directions, he collected anything still intact and worth preserving especially personal items like photographs, keepsakes, and written records. Every small piece of memory mattered now.
Noah took special care with the family photos, wiping the ash from the glass frames and slipping them into a secure pouch.
He also found what was left of Yukino's parents.
Quietly, with solemn reverence, Noah used a preservation spell to gather and safeguard their remains. He would make sure they were buried with dignity in a peaceful place far from this charred ruin.
When Yukino caught sight of her parents' bodies, her emotions finally overflowed. She broke down in tears, her sobs quiet but heartbreaking.
She had never imagined that her once warm, loving home would turn into something like this a graveyard of memories.
Noah didn't say anything. He just held her tighter, keeping one hand over her back as he silently gave her time to mourn.
Once he was certain nothing had been missed, Noah walked out of the house with Yukino still in his arms.
She looked over his shoulder at the home she was leaving behind and began to cry again. She clung tightly to his neck, tears slipping down her cheeks, her grip refusing to let go.
Noah gently patted her head.
Then, with his free hand, he pulled a small object from his coat a magic camera.
He aimed it toward the ruin behind them and pressed the shutter. A soft flash lit up the desolate scene.
Even if the memory was painful, even if the home was gone… it was still hers. She deserved to keep it, even if only in a photo.
After putting the camera away, Noah found his bearings, activated his teleportation spell, and in the blink of an eye appeared at the entrance to Fairy Tail.
He opened the guild door and stepped inside.
The moment the familiar face entered, voices rang out across the lively hall.
"Huh?! Noah brought back a kid? That little girl's adorable!"
"Noah's kidnapping children now? Must be the influence of the Guild Master!"
"The President's really corrupted our golden boy!"
"Get lost, all of you!" Makarov barked, glaring furiously. His face turned red as his beard puffed up like an angry cat. "When did I ever teach him something like that?!"
Still cradling Yukino in his arms, Noah made his way toward the counter.
From a nearby table, he heard Ultear's voice call out.
"Who's the little girl? Where'd you pick her up?"
Erza and Kagura were sitting with her, equally curious.
"You're just in time," Noah said. "Could you help take care of her for a while?"
He gently tried to hand Yukino over to Ultear, but the moment her arms loosened from Noah's neck, Yukino panicked. Her small hands clutched his shirt tightly, refusing to let go, her eyes wide with fear.
She buried her face into Noah's chest, trembling.
"That's my fault," Noah said softly, holding her close again. "Don't be scared, Yukino. They're good people my friends. My companions."
Then, glancing back at Ultear, he added, "Actually, you three should listen too. There's something you all need to hear."
Ultear, Erza, and Kagura exchanged glances, then stood and followed Noah as he made his way over to Makarov.
The Guild Master looked down at the small girl in Noah's arms, his expression sobering.
"Who is this child?" he asked.
Noah's voice was calm but heavy. "She said she saw people from the Dark Magic Order."
Makarov's expression darkened instantly. "So then… her family…"
Noah nodded, his voice lowering.
"By the time I arrived, the attack had already happened probably more than a day ago. I searched every corner, multiple times. The only one left alive was Yukino."
A stunned silence fell around them.
Ultear and the others were frozen, eyes wide in disbelief. None of them had imagined that the quiet little girl in front of them had gone through something so awful.
Yukino seemed to sense what was being said.
She didn't look up she just clung to Noah tighter, shrinking into his embrace, her face pressed into his neck to avoid the eyes of others.
Makarov stood still, then slowly exhaled. His face was grave.
"What do you plan to do next?" he asked.
"I'm planning to let Yukino stay at my house for now," Noah said, still gently holding her in his arms. "Ultear and the others can keep her company until she's a little more settled."
He glanced at Makarov, then added, "I also want to return to the village. Maybe I'll find some clues but so much time has passed, I'm worried most of the evidence is already gone."
He paused, then remembered, "And we should inform the Magic Council. Let them handle the formal side of things and record this properly."
Makarov nodded with a firm look. "Your judgment is sound. Let's proceed with your plan."
Noah looked down at the small girl in his arms and softly whispered:
"This place is called Fairy Tail. It's the guild I belong to and the one that'll take care of you now."
He pointed gently as he introduced the people around her.
"This grandpa here is Makarov, our Guild Master. He's also like a grandfather to me."
Then he gestured toward the others. "And these big sisters are my companions Ultear, Erza, and Kagura. They're all very kind, and they'll take good care of you."
Yukino blinked up at them, still holding Noah's shirt tightly, silent.
"You're safe here," Noah said softly. "Why don't you sit with the sisters for a while? I'll just be stepping out for a bit."
Yukino's hands clenched tighter.
"Where are you going?" she asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.
Noah gave her a small smile.
"I'm going to see if I can track down the ones who attacked your village and if I'm lucky, maybe even find your sister."
Yukino's eyes lit up with sudden hope.
"Really?! You can find my sister?!"
Noah's smile turned bittersweet.
"…I can't promise that," he admitted. "Too much time has passed. The trail might have gone cold. And if they went out to sea again, like before… it'll be almost impossible to track them."
Yukino bit her lip.
But then she quickly nodded, trying her best to be brave.
"Then Brother Noah go quickly!"
Noah gave a soft chuckle and gently patted her head.
"You have to listen to Grandpa and the big sisters, alright?"
"Yeah! I will! Just go!"
Satisfied, Noah turned to Ultear, Erza, and Kagura.
"Then I'll leave Yukino in your care."
"Go on already," Ultear said, waving him off.
Erza was already kneeling beside Yukino, her voice gentle as she asked if she liked sweets.
Kagura stood protectively nearby, her expression quiet but kind.
Noah gave them one last nod, then turned to Makarov.
"Grandpa, I'll leave it to you to contact the Council. I'll get in touch the moment I find anything."
"Understood," Makarov replied firmly. "Go. We've got things handled here."
Without another word, Noah raised his hand.
Instead of walking out the door, a magic circle appeared beneath his feet, shimmering with light.
And in the next instant he vanished.
He had returned to Yukino's village, standing once more among the ashes, ready to comb through the ruins one more time in search of anything anything at all that might lead to her sister… or the ones who destroyed her home.
Eventually, Noah discovered what he had been looking for.
There were signs faint but clear that a large group of people had left the village, moving in one direction. With renewed focus, he followed the trail.
But the deeper he pursued, the more the clues thinned out.
It wasn't the passage of time causing the evidence to fade. No someone had been deliberately erasing their tracks.
Noah frowned.
They were getting smarter.
It made sense. After the last incident, when he captured a large number of Black Magic Cult members and interrogated them to expose multiple strongholds, the organization had suffered heavy losses.
Now, they were being careful. Too careful.
That only made tracking them even harder.
Still, Noah pressed forward. He followed every lead, every partial footprint, every faint magical residue. Days passed like this. His progress was slow but steady.
At last, he reached the coast.
But there, the trail ended completely.
It was a deepwater shoreline the kind ideal for mooring ships.
The implication was clear: they had escaped by sea.
Noah scanned the rocky coastline several times. There was no wreckage, no leftover equipment, no residual spells nothing suspicious remained.
He reached into his coat and pulled out a miniature boat, expanded it with magic, and set off into the ocean.
For hours, he traveled across the waves, his magic circle casting wide nets in all directions, scanning for life, mana signatures, or even the faintest echo of teleportation magic.
But nothing.
He visited every small island in the region.
Each one was empty.
No sign of the cult.
As the sun dipped low on the horizon, Noah finally paused, floating atop the waves. He let out a long breath and activated his communication spell to contact Makarov.
He gave his report.
"I tracked them to the coast, but I lost the trail there. They likely escaped by sea. I've checked every island I could find nearby, but… nothing."
On the other end, Makarov's voice was heavy.
"We've begun handling the situation at Yukino's village, but… the results aren't good."
Noah didn't say anything.
Makarov continued, "The Council sent in an investigative team. So far, they've found no survivors. No usable information. They're focusing on burying the dead and documenting the destruction."
"…How's Yukino doing?"
There was a pause before Makarov answered.
"She's better now thanks to Ultear and the others. She's sleeping."
Then, more quietly:
"But even in her sleep, she keeps whispering… Dad… Mom… Sis…"
Noah looked down at the endless ocean.
"Grandpa, I'd like to keep searching a few more days, at least. Maybe I'll get lucky."
Makarov didn't argue.
"Alright. But be careful, Noah."
"I will," he said softly.
And with that, the call ended.
The waves gently rocked the boat as Noah turned his gaze back to the sea, eyes burning with quiet determination.
....
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