Ultear and Melty, who were next to them, weakly said, "Actually, we can't see or hear anything either."
Mebius smiled and said, "Because I'm a ghost, only those with the Fairy Tail emblem can see me."
She jumped in front of Laxus, studied him carefully for a while, and said to Makarov, "He feels a bit like Yuri. Weren't you saying he's not part of the guild?"
"Hmm..." Makarov pondered, "He used to be, but something happened..."
Fried had a sudden idea and immediately bowed ninety degrees towards Mebius: "First Generation! Please allow Laxus to rejoin Fairy Tail!"
Laxus was taken aback: "Fried..."
Ibarglin and Biguslo quickly reacted as well, imitating Fried's gesture of bowing: "We also ask you, First Generation!"
"Don't make the First Generation uncomfortable!" Makarov yelled at the three, "I haven't forgiven him yet! First Generation, though he's my grandson, he's made grave mistakes. Don't listen to them!"
Fried immediately said, "President, Laxus has already realized his errors!"
Makarov reprimanded, "Enough! This isn't something that can be forgiven just by admitting mistakes!"
"But... didn't he protect the guild together with everyone? The feelings at that time weren't fake." Mebius thought for a moment and smiled, "Let's decide it like this, reaccept Laxus Dreyar as a member of Fairy Tail."
"First Generation..."
Makarov wanted to say more, but Mebius gave a gentle wave of her hand, and the position on Laxus's left abdomen where the guild emblem used to be once again displayed the black Fairy Tail emblem.
At the same time, Laxus saw Mebius and heard what she said: "Since you are Yuri's descendant, please inherit Yuri's will and protect your companions well, okay?"
"I..." Laxus stared at her in bewilderment, "I understand."
"Thank you, First Generation!" The Thunder God Tribe bowed neatly again and then hugged Laxus together, "Great, Laxus!"
Everyone else laughed. Everyone had seen how desperately Laxus fought, so of course, accepting him back wasn't a problem.
Then Mebius floated in front of Ultear and Melty, asking Makarov, "Weren't these two originally Precht's subordinates?"
"Yes." Makarov nodded, "But they've already left Demon Heart."
"Do they want to join Fairy Tail?" Mebius seemed somewhat expectant, the little 'wings' on her head moving up and down.
Could those really be ears? Rhode had previously thought they were merely decorative, not expecting them to move.
"This might be difficult..." Makarov was a bit troubled; it wasn't that he disliked these two children but rather that Ultear's identity was simply too special.
Despite having various reasons, she had once infiltrated the Council.
Fairy Tail wouldn't care about such matters, but no matter what, it couldn't be justified to the Council.
Unless they found a way to conceal her identity... If it was for a companion, Makarov believed it would be worth it to go to such lengths.
Gray relayed Mebius's words to Ultear.
Melty didn't care much about where she joined; she just wanted to follow Ultear.
Yet Ultear's eyes shimmered with a glint of light, only to immediately extinguish. She directly said to the contemplative Makarov, "Thank you for your kindness, but someone like me isn't qualified to join Fairy Tail."
Makarov shook his head: "To us, the guild is 'family,' where members can unconditionally trust and rely on each other. If there's any qualification to join, this is the 'qualification.'
He didn't continue with his words, believing that Ultear and Melty could indeed have this qualification.
However, that would mean Ultear might need to remain incognito for a considerable amount of time, always at risk of being whisked away for investigation.
Unlike Mystogan, who voluntarily hides his identity for ease of action.
If letting Ultear reduce troubles for the guild forced her to be constantly cautious, even unable to reveal her true self, it wouldn't adhere to the principle of 'letting everyone live in the way they like.'
Ultear, with her intelligence, could discern the meaning behind Makarov's words. As long as she wanted to join Fairy Tail, they would genuinely find a way for her.
This guild, even daring to accept former Dark Guild members, was truly audacious.
After Ultear's repentance, it was the first time she realized that she and Melty could still have such a great belonging.
"Thank you for your kindness, but we still have things we must do, and joining Fairy Tail would be inconvenient."
Ultear quickly and clearly refused the invitation to join Fairy Tail, then pulled Melty along to say goodbye to everyone.
Though she hadn't quite figured out her next steps, she feared if she lingered any longer, she wouldn't be able to resist saying yes.
After the near-death experience, everyone took a while to quiet down.
Rhode finally voiced what had been on his mind from the beginning:
"Though we survived, we now face a significant issue—the First Generation just said it took 6 years to undo the Fairy's Ball, meaning we vanished from this world for 6 full years."
In 6 years, who knows what changes the world has undergone, how the guild is now, and what challenges the companions left at the guild have faced during these 6 years?
Everyone fell into deep thought, their expressions serious.
Only Natsu suddenly clutched his head, shouting in disbelief, "What?!! It's been 6 years already!"
"So were you even listening when the First Generation was speaking just now?" Lucy retorted, then also clutched her head, "Does this mean I'm 23 now?! My youth!"
The boys were less affected, but most of the girls shared the sentiment; suddenly being 6 years older, where could they reason it?
Wendy, in disbelief, clutched her chest: "I'm... I'm already 18?"
It took them a moment to react—even though they technically aged a few years, their bodies hadn't really changed and remained as youthful as ever.
Compared to their previous peers, they might even consider themselves to have profited?
Mira was puzzled as she stared at Rhode. She had felt something different about him earlier, and after hearing from the First Generation that 6 years had passed, she thought change was normal.
But now, noticing no changes in everyone else, why was it only Rhode...
Upon closer inspection, his facial features had become more defined, unsure whether to say he'd slimmed down or matured.
His physique seemed more robust, and even his height had increased slightly.
The most noticeable change was his hair, once short and black; it was now long and black, cascading down to his waist, tied at the ends with fine white threads.
He seemed transformed from an ordinary youthful man to a classical noble gentleman.
Natsu openly questioned, "I've been wanting to ask, why has Rhode suddenly changed like this? His hair is like Fried's!"
"Completely different, right?" Rhode didn't see himself as having Fried's "domestic goddess" vibe; at most, he resembled Hyuga Neji from the set next door.
Seeing everyone's curious stares, Rhode explained, "In short, while everyone was sealed, I was trapped in a magical place for training and couldn't leave until meeting certain standards, so..."
Rhode sighed, "I had an incredibly fulfilling 6 years."
Mira immediately grabbed Rhode's hand, tears welling in her eyes; she now understood why the first sight of Rhode upon waking made her heart ache.
He clearly endured 6 years of hardship alone!
Rhode wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes with a smile: "It's all in the past now; I've safely returned, haven't I?"
Upon truly returning to everyone's side, upon holding her once again, the hardships of just moments ago felt like distant memories.
The important thing was the reunion.