"Master… something's not right with Natsu."
Makarov didn't bother looking up. He drew on his pipe, slow and steady, smoke curling over his jester hat like a lazy cloud.
"That kid wants to go save Macao."
Gray frowned. "He's still immature. Doing that will only hurt Macao's pride."
Makarov exhaled a thin stream of smoke, unfazed. "He decides his own path. Let him go."
Lucy blinked, still trying to catch up. "Wh-what's wrong? He suddenly…"
Mira walked over and set down three beers. The mugs clinked against the table—small, ordinary sound in a guild that had just been a battlefield.
"It's because Natsu is just like Romeo," Mira said. "He's remembering his own past."
Lucy's brow creased. "Hm?"
"Natsu's father left too," Mira continued, voice gentler. "And never came back."
Lucy's eyes widened.
"Though when he says 'father,'" Mira added, "it wasn't really his father. It was his foster father. And…"
Mira paused just long enough for the words to land.
"He was a dragon."
"A dragon?!" Lucy blurted. "You're saying Natsu was raised by a dragon?! How is that possible…"
"When Natsu was little," Mira said, "that dragon found him in the forest. It taught him language, culture… even magic. And then, one day, it just disappeared. Gone—right out of his life."
Lucy's throat tightened as the pieces slid into place.
"I see…" she whispered. "So that's Igneel…"
She remembered Hargeon—Natsu and Happy chasing a rumor about a "Fire Dragon." He hadn't been chasing a title.
He'd been chasing family.
Mira smiled faintly. "Natsu's always hoping he can see Igneel again. It's pretty cute, isn't it?"
Gray puffed out his cheeks. "What's cute about it? He just seems annoying."
Elfman sighed, arms crossed. "I don't know what's with you two. You've been at each other's throats since you were kids."
Kael listened, but his mind drifted.
He remembered Macao too—barely. Macao didn't have a big role in the stories he knew.
But when Fairy Tail fell on hard times, Macao stepped up and carried the guild as acting Master. Whatever else he was, his love for Fairy Tail was beyond question.
And if Natsu was already moving?
There shouldn't be anything to worry about.
Kael finished eating and drinking, then pushed back from the table.
Across the hall, Cana was hugging a beer barrel like it was a pillow, cheeks slightly flushed, eyes bright and lazy.
"Cana."
Kael sat down in front of her.
Cana squinted, then grinned wider. "Hm? Kael, sweetie, what do you need from your… want to have a drink with me?"
Kael gave her a look. "You're clearly an eighteen-year-old girl. Why do you act so much like an older sister?"
"What? Don't you like older sisters?" Cana said, shameless. "I can be a younger sister too!"
She tied up her hair in one quick motion—instantly changing her vibe.
Kael didn't bite. "Alright. Stop joking. I'm serious. I need you to do a divination for me."
"A divination?" Cana's eyes sharpened a little. "Are you looking for love? If so, you don't need a reading. I already did one. Your destined one… is… me…"
Kael flicked her on the forehead.
"Ow!" Cana clutched her forehead. "That hurt!! You flicked me!!"
"I said stop joking." Kael leaned forward, voice flat. "Can you tell me which day and which hour in the next few days I will have the best luck? Preferably down to the second."
Cana stared at him like he'd asked her to count raindrops.
Kael continued, tone unchanged. "In the past six months, I've done four 10-pulls. It's like I used up all my saved-up good luck. Two pulls gave me nothing, and two gave me a purple card. Average."
Still no gold.
That was the part he didn't say out loud.
He didn't like relying on superstition—but this was a world of magic. Divination wasn't a party trick here. If it existed, it could be real.
So he'd use it.
Cana let out a short laugh. "Down to the second? Do you think I'm the Goddess of Divination? At best, I can tell you which hour your luck will be decent."
Kael nodded once. "That works, too."
Cana's gaze slid down—then her index finger and thumb rubbed together, slow and obvious.
"But my fees are very expensive."
"How much?"
"Twenty…" Cana's eyes gleamed. "No—fifty barrels of beer!"
Kael stood up immediately. "I think I'll go find someone else."
"Wait! Don't go!" Cana shot upright and grabbed his leg like a lifeline. "Twenty! Nineteen! Eighteen…"
Kael didn't even turn. He just started to move.
Cana's voice jumped an octave. "Ten barrels! Ten barrels! That's the lowest I can go!"
Kael stopped.
He looked down at her hand on his leg. Then at her face.
"Fine. Ten barrels it is." His eyes narrowed slightly. "If I'm satisfied with the results, I'll give you an extra ten."
Ten barrels cost about 500,000 Jewels—painful, but manageable. For Cana, it was one or two months of hard work.
Cana's eyes lit up like she'd struck gold. "Deal! It's a promise!"
Before he could rethink it, she whipped her head toward the bar and shouted:
"Mira! Ten barrels of beer over here!! Kael is paying!!"
Kael's voice cut in, firm. "You can drink later. Business first. This is very important to me."
That seriousness made Cana blink. The teasing softened—just enough.
She patted her ample chest, trying to recover her swagger. "Don't worry! The more I drink, the more accurate my divinations are."
"Business," Kael repeated.
"Right, right." Cana finally set the barrel aside and laid her Tarot cards on the table, fanning them out with practiced fingers.
"Draw three."
Kael casually drew three cards.
Cana flipped them over one by one.
The paper snapped softly.
"The Fool," she read.
Flip.
"The Devil."
Flip.
"And… The World."
Cana's eyes narrowed, focusing.
Then she nodded slowly, like she'd just heard a whisper only she could understand.
"Your absolute peak luck is tonight—at 12 o'clock sharp."
"Tonight at 12," Kael said. "Got it."
He stood and left without another word.
"Thanks for your business!!" Cana called after him, bright again. "Come back next time for a 20% discount!"
As Kael walked away, Mira approached Cana, expression tight with concern.
"Cana… when did the Major Arcana start telling time? Isn't it the Minor Arcana that tells time?" Mira lowered her voice. "You shouldn't trick Kael. What he's doing is very important to him."
Cana waved her hand, unbothered. "Relax. I made up the time."
Mira's eyes widened. "You—"
"I just did a reading on whether his plan will succeed or not," Cana said, sipping lazily. "The time doesn't matter."
Then she smiled, wicked.
"You don't need to worry about your little boyfriend."
Mira stiffened, cheeks warming. "L-little… boyfriend… What nonsense are you saying?!"
"I'm wrong?" Cana shrugged. "Then I guess I'll make my move. After all, Kael is a really good man."
Mira shot back instantly, "In your eyes, any man who buys you unlimited beer is a 'good man'."
"Who says?" Cana said, offended. "I care about feelings, too."
"More than beer?"
Cana didn't hesitate for even a second.
"No. Beer is boyfriend number one. Everyone else is boyfriend number two at best!"
She happily hugged her barrel again.
Mira could only shake her head, smiling despite herself.
That evening, the guild closed.
As usual, Kael walked Mira home—quiet steps, familiar route—and had Mira cast the Goddess's Blessing on him again.
When he returned home, he took a hot bath until the heat sank into his muscles. Then he sat cross-legged and practiced his Sun Breathing, calm and steady, waiting.
Waiting for twelve like it was a verdict.
Dong. Dong. Dong…
The midnight bell chimed.
Kael opened his eyes immediately and pulled up the system interface.
[Perform a 10-pull?]
"Confirm."