A few days later, after submitting her documents and undergoing a rigorous background check, Ur stood in the center of the Council's testing chamber.
She faced a massive Magic Crystal designed to measure raw output.
With a calm expression, she raised a single hand.
"Ice Make: Saucer."
A spinning disk of ice slammed into the crystal.
The readings spiked off the charts, nearly cracking the measurement device.
The Council elders nodded in unison.
It was official. Ur became the seventh Ten Wizard Saint on the Ishgar continent.
Although she was ranked seventh, the hierarchy was somewhat misleading.
The top four were the "Four Gods of Ishgar," beings whose power transcended mortal limits.
The other ranks were a mix of political influence and raw power.
Among them stood Makarov Dreyar and Jose Porla, the true heavyweights of the lower ranks.
Becoming a Wizard Saint wasn't solely based on strength; it was about recognition and reputation.
Ur had been known as the top Ice Mage in the Northern regions for years, but her key asset was her control.
She destroyed her enemies, not the landscape.
Gildarts, on the other hand, shattered mountains when he sneezed; otherwise, the "Ace of Fairy Tail" would have easily held the title years ago.
Being a Wizard Saint was surprisingly chill.
Aside from occasionally needing to attend Council meetings via Thought Projection or stepping in during national crises, Ur was left to her own devices.
She used her new authority immediately.
Her first act as a Saint was to issue an official request to the Council: The Manhunt for Brain.
The Council complied eagerly.
Brain, the former director of the Bureau of Magical Development, had already been blacklisted thanks to the evidence Raizel and Gildarts submitted.
Now, with a Saint pushing for it and the search intensified.
...
The day after her inauguration, Ur returned to Magnolia.
She wasted no time. Feeling guilty for having left her two disciples alone for over three months, she dragged Gray and Lyon out of Makarov's house by their collars.
"We're going to Mount Hakobe," she announced. "Training starts now. No slacking off."
As for Ultear, she was left in good hands.
Grandma Hilda supervised the dorms, and Cana was eager to play with her new neighbor.
For her magical education, Ur had entrusted her to Raizel and the mysterious 'Professor Mavis'.
After living with her mother on Tenrou Island for three months, Ultear had become stronger and less clingy.
She understood that her mother had duties, and she had her own path to walk.
...
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the forest floor.
The air was filled with the chirping of birds and the gentle rustle of wind.
Raizel sat cross-legged on a large, flat rock, deep in meditation.
His magic was suppressed, turned inward to refine his pool of mana.
Nearby, Mavis Vermillion floated a few inches off the grass, pointing a small stick at a floating crystal ball.
Ultear stood opposite her, eyes focused intensely on the orb.
Cana was absent today.
Gildarts had taken on a string of S-Class missions—mostly monster extermination—to rebuild his savings after buying his daughter an alarming amount of toys and clothes.
He had taken Cana along to show her the world (and to show her off to the world).
"Magic is not a miracle," Mavis lectured, her voice taking on the tone of a seasoned professor despite her youthful appearance.
"It is the flow of energy that exists within our bodies, the Ethernano. Only when it merges with the energy flow of the natural world does it manifest as concrete force. You must channel your mental strength, your concentration, and infuse your soul into that flow."
Ultear nodded, absorbing every word.
She had already placed the heavy tome on the Arc of Time aside; Mavis's verbal teachings were far easier to grasp.
"Time Magic is abstract," Mavis continued, raising a finger. "Unlike wind, fire, earth, or water, which materialize through element conversion, Time Magic manipulates the state of existence. Powerful Time Magic can revert an object to its past or push it into its future. The strongest spells can even pause or reverse time on a global scale, though the cost..." Mavis's eyes darkened for a split second, "...is significant."
"I am going to teach you the Arc of Time. It is a Lost Magic that interferes with the time of non-living things. You can repair ruins, decay swords to rust, or bloom a seed into a flower in seconds. It all depends on your imagination."
Mavis tapped her own temple. "My Illusion Magic is similar. It relies on the mind. If you can imagine the timeline of the object perfectly, you can control it."
"First," Mavis instructed, "channel your mana into the crystal ball. Make it an extension of your will."
Raizel had procured the crystal ball a few days earlier at Mavis's request.
It was high-grade quartz, perfect for conducting magic.
Ultear closed her eyes.
A pale, lavender aura surrounded her hands and flowed into the crystal. The ball hummed, glowing with a soft light.
Mavis snapped her fingers. "Good. Now, control its movement. Make it float."
Ultear focused. The ball lifted into the air.
"Forward. Backward. Now, orbit around you three times."
The ball obeyed, whizzing through the air with precision.
"Excellent!" Mavis clapped her hands. "As expected, Ultear is a genius!"
Ultear beamed at the praise, her cheeks flushing pink.
"Now," Mavis said, her expression turning serious. "The real lesson begins. We will interfere with the crystal's time. Visualize the ball before you infused it with magic. Revert it to its past state."
Ultear stretched out her palm. She visualized the cold, inert quartz.
Flash.
The glow vanished instantly. The ball dropped to the grass with a dull thud, completely inert.
"Perfect. Now, fast forward it back to its active state."
Ultear concentrated again.
The ball shuddered, then lit up, floating back into the air as if the last few seconds had been rewound.
...
Fairy Tail wasn't world-famous yet, but it was busy.
However, Raizel kept a low profile.
He treated missions like a 9-to-5 job—clock in, kill the monster, clock out.
He let Laxus take the glory and the tough jobs, leaving him plenty of free time to supervise Ultear's training.
"Time to eat!" Raizel called out, breaking his meditation.
He had caught several large fish from the nearby lake earlier that morning.
A pot of fish stew was bubbling over a magical fire, the savory scent wafting through the clearing.
Mavis floated over, staring at the pot with intense longing.
A small drop of drool appeared at the corner of her mouth.
"I really want to eat..." she murmured. Being a ghost had its downsides.
"First Master," Ultear teased, holding up a skewer of grilled fish. "It smells really good. Crispy skin, tender meat..."
Mavis inhaled deeply, looking tragic. "Ahhh! Torture! This is torture!"
Raizel chuckled, ladling a bowl of the creamy white soup for Ultear.
"Here. Be careful, it's boiling hot."
The soup was made from a local species of boneless fish, Raizel's favorite for hassle-free eating.
"No need to worry about that," Ultear said confidently.
She waved her hand over the bowl.
"Arc of Time: Fast Forward."
Steam rose rapidly and then vanished.
The soup cooled in seconds, reaching the perfect drinking temperature as if it had been sitting out for ten minutes.
"Hah! That's quite the practical use for Lost Magic," Raizel laughed. "Most mages use it to destroy cities; you use it to cool your lunch. You really are talented."
Ultear blushed but dug in happily.
Mavis watched her eat, vicariously enjoying every bite. "It's delicious... I can tell..."
After the meal, Ultear dutifully cleaned the dishes in the stream before returning to her spot.
"Next, we'll learn offensive application," Mavis announced, floating back into teacher mode.
"Defensive magic is good, but you need to protect yourself."
"Gather your magic into the crystal ball. Condense it into a single point of future potential, then release it explosively. Aim for that rock over there."
Mavis pointed a spectral finger at the large flat rock Raizel had been using for meditation.
"That's my seat!" Raizel protested from the stream where he was drying a pot.
"It's a target now!" Mavis chirped. "Go, Ultear!"
"Arc of Time: Future Flash!"
The crystal ball glowed blindingly bright.
A beam of distorted energy shot out, striking the boulder.
CRACK!
The rock didn't just break; it aged rapidly, crumbling into dust and pebbles in an instant.
Raizel sighed, shaking his head with a wry smile. "My poor meditation spot."
"Good power," Mavis nodded. "Now, restore it."
Ultear focused on the pile of dust.
"Return."
The dust swirled backward, reforming into pebbles, then stones, and finally fusing back into the solid, mossy boulder as if nothing had happened.
...
Raizel sat on the restored rock, eyes closed.
The sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows across the forest.
Suddenly, a fluttering sound broke the silence.
A small, magical messenger bird swooped down, carrying a letter sealed with the Fairy Tail emblem.
It dropped the envelope into Raizel's lap.
Raizel opened it.
A miniature hologram of Makarov appeared from the paper, looking serious.
"Raizel. Return to the guild immediately. We've need to go to the Magic Council. I'll explain the details when you get back."
Raizel frowned, crushing the paper in his hand.
The Council? That was never good news.
"Ultear, Mavis," he stood up, dusting off his pants. "Training is over for today. We need to go back."