Bam!
The guild doors were kicked open with a violent crash.
"Yo, Master! You're here early!"
Wakaba and Macao—drinking buddies and eternal rivals—sauntered in, shoulder to shoulder.
"That poor door... it looks like it gets kicked every day," Raizel muttered, watching the two enter.
At this point in time, both men were in their early twenties—still young and full of energy.
"Oh? Who's the kid?" Wakaba, a pipe clenched between his teeth, peered at Raizel.
"Your illegitimate child, Master? Hahaha!"
Wham!
A giant magical fist instantly materialized above Wakaba and Macao's heads, hammering them into the floor.
"What nonsense are you spouting, you idiots?!" Makarov roared, his face red with annoyance. "This is Raizel Bael. He joined the guild today."
"Why did you hit me, too? I didn't even say anything!" Macao, caught in the crossfire, rubbed the back of his neck and groaned.
Makarov glared at them. "I knew you were thinking the exact same thing, so I punished you both preemptively. Raizel, introduce yourself."
Raizel stood up. "Hello. I'm Raizel Bael. I just joined today. I use Take Over Magic."
"Yo. I'm Wakaba Mine. I use Smoke Magic," Wakaba said, still rubbing his head.
"I'm Macao Conbolt," the other man added. "I use Purple Flare, a type of Fire Magic."
"Can't you two introduce yourselves while standing up?" Makarov crossed his arms, sitting on the counter.
"Is the floor that comfortable?"
"Hahaha! We just got excited about the new member and forgot to get up," the duo laughed, scrambling to their feet.
"Wait," Macao realized something. "A new member means we can throw another party tonight, right?"
The two exchanged knowing grins.
"You fools! Why wait for tonight?" Makarov looked at them with disappointment—disappointment that they were thinking too small.
"We'll start as soon as everyone arrives and party until nightfall!"
"OHHH!!!" The atmosphere instantly ignited.
'Seriously?' Raizel thought, watching the three of them clink glasses.
'How do three people create the noise of thirty? And hey... stop ignoring me!'
...
That evening, Makarov took Raizel out to buy some daily necessities.
Raizel picked out a few cheap sets of clothes, planning to buy better ones once he started earning money.
They returned to Makarov's home—a two-story house situated near the river, not far from the guild.
Inside, the decor was warm and inviting, dispelling the chill of the cold weather outside.
"You'll stay in this room," Makarov said, pushing a door open. "Laxus's room is right next door."
The first thing Raizel noticed was the excellent lighting.
The curtains were drawn back, allowing the glow of the streetlights to filter through the glass.
The room wasn't huge—about twelve square meters—but it felt spacious. It was furnished with a large bed, a desk, and a built-in wardrobe.
"How is it? Not bad, right?" Makarov asked with a smile, seeing Raizel fall silent.
That smile made Raizel pause.
The old man was small in stature, yet his presence felt incredibly grand and comforting.
"Yeah... I really like it, Gramps." Raizel's voice choked up slightly. H
e wiped his moist eyes with the back of his hand.
"Good. Rest up, then. Children shouldn't stay up late." Makarov turned to leave.
"Wait, Gramps. Do you have a pen and paper?"
"I do. Come with me."
After retrieving the writing supplies, Raizel sat at his new desk.
'Memory is unreliable', he thought. 'I need to write down everything I know about the future before I forget it.'
He decided to write the notes in Japanese characters—a language no one in this world would understand—just in case someone found them.
'Cana joins Fairy Tail in X772. Gray arrives in X774.Ur likely escapes the Magic Development Bureau around X774 as well? No, wait... Ur takes in Lyon and Gray, and the Deliora incident happens that same year.'
'Erza is captured around X775 and joins the guild in X776 or early X777.She should be in Rosemary Village right now. Kagura and Simon are there, too.Layla opens the Eclipse Gate on July 7, X777, bringing Natsu and the other Dragon Slayers to this timeline.Brandish's mother, Grammi, is killed around July or August of X777. I'll need to buy a map in a few years to confirm the locations.'
"Alright," Raizel whispered to himself, putting the paper away safely. "My next goal is training. Training, training, and more damn training."
He drifted off to sleep, filled with anticipation for the future.
...
Year X770.
For nearly a year, Raizel dedicated himself entirely to training.
Every day, he went to the waterfall in the East Forest to strengthen his body under the crashing water.
He hunted magical beasts in the woods to hone his combat skills.
Laxus had been absent for almost the entire year.
According to Makarov, his father, Ivan, had taken him somewhere.
Because Raizel frequently got injured during his reckless training, Makarov often took him to see Porlyusica, the healer who lived in the forest.
There, Raizel met the human counterpart of Edolas's Grandeeney and even encountered Rob, who was visiting.
Gildarts was still out on a long-term mission and hadn't returned all year.
Today, Raizel finished his training early.
He was now strong enough to defeat forest beasts on his own and sell their pelts for money, though the creatures in this forest weren't worth much.
He pushed open the door to Makarov's house and froze.
A young boy was sitting on the sofa, listening to music through headphones.
He had spiky blond hair and wore a lightning-bolt printed shirt.
Raizel almost blurted out, 'Laxus, my beloved son.'
It was him.
The future leader of the Thunder God Tribe.
The man who would struggle to maintain a tough image to hide his desire for companionship.
The tsundere who yearned for recognition.
"You must be Laxus," Raizel said, waving. "I'm Raizel Bael. Nice to meet you."
Laxus stared at him, taking off his headphones.
"Laxus, say hello. Raizel is living with us now." Makarov emerged from his room, suddenly realizing he had forgotten to warn his grandson about their new housemate.
"I'm Laxus Dreyar. Just call me Laxus." The boy jumped off the sofa and extended a hand, smiling brightly.
"I use Lightning Magic and Lightning Dragon Slayer Magic."
'He already knows Dragon Slayer Magic', Raizel noted. 'That means Ivan implanted the Dragon Lacrima into him during this past year. But his personality... it's surprisingly nice right now. I need to keep an eye on him so he doesn't turn into that twisted, power-hungry jerk from the original timeline.'
Raizel shook his hand. "Nice to meet you."
"You're already in Fairy Tail?" Laxus noticed the orange guild mark on Raizel's hand. "What magic do you use?"
"Take Over Magic: Royal Knight."
"Are you strong?" Laxus blinked curiously.
"Average. Nothing special," Raizel lied modestly, scratching his cheek.
Laxus immediately turned to his grandfather. "Grandpa! Why won't you let me join Fairy Tail if he can join?"
Joining the guild had always been Laxus's dream.
"Laxus, you're still too young," Makarov said, anticipating the question.
"Children should focus on playing. You can join when you're older."
"But he knows magic, and so do I! If I beat him in a fight, you have to let me join!" Laxus clenched his fists, his brow furrowing in determination.
"Laxus, you..." Makarov shook his head, prepared to refuse.
He didn't want his grandson getting hurt.
"Gramps, I think it's fine," Raizel interrupted. He turned to Laxus. "But it's too late today. How about we duel tomorrow?"
Raizel knew that joining the guild wasn't actually dangerous in itself—Makarov just wouldn't let Laxus take dangerous jobs regardless of membership.
This was just the old man being stubborn and protective.
"Deal! It's a promise!" Laxus thrust his fist forward.
Raizel bumped his fist against Laxus's.
"It's a promise."
"Hey! Don't make agreements while ignoring me!" Makarov roared in the background. "You two brats!!"