Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
----------
"Noah, who are you talking to?"
Noah hadn't lowered his voice, so he was naturally discovered.
Makarov looked in the direction of the voice and immediately saw the white-haired brat squatting there. He was about to ask Noah what he was doing sneaking around, but his gaze was instantly drawn to the young girl beside him.
Long, wavy, light-gold hair, emerald-green eyes, wing-like head ornaments, and a white one-piece dress.
Most importantly, she was about the same height as him.
There was no mistake, she was—
"Fir... First Guild Master!!"
Makarov exclaimed, looking as if he had seen a ghost.
Wait, Mavis had been dead for a long time... So the "unknown entity" next to Noah couldn't really be a ghost, could it?!
August, who was emotional by the tombstone, heard Makarov's voice and looked over in surprise, but only saw Noah. "Makarov, where is my mother?"
Hearing August's urgency, Noah pointed to the ghost loli beside him. "The First Guild Master is right here, but it seems only I and the old man can see her."
At these words, August became even more anxious.
His mother was right in front of him, yet he couldn't see her. How could he accept that?
At this moment, Mavis was completely bewildered, her emerald eyes revealing disbelief and fright.
What were they saying? My child?
When did I have a child?!
No, no, how could I have a child?!
I'm clearly only eighteen... Could it have been that night?
Looking at the scene of one ghost and two people—one stunned, one bewildered, and one anxious—Noah suddenly found it a bit amusing. It would still fall to him to break the deadlock.
Noah touched the guild mark on the back of his hand. He could feel that the guild mark had countless connections with the ghost in front of him.
He had "seen" Mavis through his Magnetic Field Power, and Makarov could see the ghostly First Guild Master, most likely because of his Fairy Tail identity.
Thinking of this, Noah immediately had an idea. "August, the First Guild Master currently exists in ghost form. If you want to see her, there are only two options."
"The first is to join our Fairy Tail and become a member of the guild..."
"I'll join!"
August made his decision without hesitation, firm and resolute.
Noah silently swallowed the second option.
August was the Wizard King. With his understanding and mastery of magic, it was impossible for him not to have learned magic that could peer into souls.
However, since he had already made his decision, and the guild would gain another powerful mage, what more could Noah say about such a joyous occasion?
Hearing that August wanted to join the guild, Makarov immediately snapped back to his senses, pulled out the guild mark tool from his pocket, and said with a joyful expression:
"Welcome to Fairy Tail, August. Where do you want your mark printed?"
No way, someone actually carries a guild mark tool with them...
Noah was dumbfounded looking at what Makarov pulled out. It seemed the old man had long harbored thoughts of bringing August into the guild, and this time, by going with the flow, he got his chance.
August didn't think much about it, rolled up his sleeve, and let Makarov print the Fairy Tail mark on his left forearm.
The moment the mark was imprinted, a figure suddenly appeared in August's vision, bringing tears to his eyes, his voice trembling with emotion.
"I've finally seen you... Mother."
Mavis's heart was a mix of emotions at this moment. She knew Makarov wouldn't joke about something like this with her. He must have confirmed August's identity before bringing him to Tenrou Island to pay respects to her.
But precisely because it wasn't a joke, Mavis felt even more at a loss.
Looking at this "son" whose existence she hadn't even known about, his expectant gaze made Mavis's heart feel as if it were being squeezed, and she involuntarily forced a smile.
"Hel... Hello, August."
Mavis was a bit awkward.
Regardless of how August came to be, she was only eighteen when she died and had never been a mother, so Mavis didn't know what to say to August.
But this simple "hello" sounded like heavenly music to August. Decades had passed since his birth, and he finally heard his mother's voice.
Years of pent-up emotions exploded, and August burst into tears.
"Hey, don't... don't cry."
Seeing her son, who was even older than herself, crying like a baby, Mavis panicked. Although her IQ was as high as 200, she truly had no experience as a mother.
What should she do? Should she comfort him?
At this moment, a hug should be enough, right?
But I'm a ghost.
Mavis, her mind in a jumble, could only look to Makarov for help in the end. As for Noah, she didn't even consider him; after all, Makarov was the only one present with experience raising children.
Makarov also found it difficult. He did raise children, but August was over eighty years old, only one year younger than him.
How could he advise him?
Noah really couldn't stand watching the old man and the ghost any longer. "August, you will have plenty of time to spend with the First Guild Master in the future. It's not too late to cry after the First Guild Master is revived."
August was stunned, then quickly asked, "My mother can be revived? What do you mean?"
Seeing Mavis and Makarov's questioning gazes also turn to him, Noah shrugged. "Did you two forget that the First Guild Master's body in the crystal beneath the guild still retains its vitality?"
"As long as you put the First Guild Master's soul back, she'll be revived, won't she?"
Oh, right, there's also that option.
Because they had seen Mavis, both August and Makarov's minds were a bit muddled and they hadn't thought of this immediately.
But Mavis didn't understand. "What are you talking about? What do you mean my body is still alive? Isn't my corpse buried on Tenrou Island?"
The three exchanged glances, and finally, Noah began to explain.
From Mavis's death, August's birth, Precht's research into revival, to the miracle of "Life Magic" and the Contradiction Curse combining within Mavis's body.
Noah poured out all the information, feeling a sense of exhilaration, but for Mavis, it was not easy to hear.
Noah did not hide the news of Precht abandoning August, nor of August working under Zeref.
Mavis didn't mind what Precht had done to her body after her death; she was grateful to her reliable comrade for supporting a corner of the guild's sky.
But Mavis could not accept that her posthumous child had been cruelly abandoned.
The thought of August's tragic childhood made Mavis's heart ache.
She walked toward August and reached out to caress his face, but how could a disembodied ghost wipe away the tears on her son's face?
"I'm sorry, August, I'm sorry."
Hot tears quietly fell from Mavis's eyes, like glistening pearls, scattering into the air.
Although she was a cold, icy ghost, August felt warmth. He comforted her, "Mother, you don't need to feel guilty."
"Although we never met since I was born, I know it's not your fault, and... you'll soon be back in your body."