"No. Absolutely not."
The room erupted the moment Makarov said he would go alone to confront Zeref.
Mavis had already warned them that Zeref wasn't the same person anymore. If he turned hostile, Makarov walking into the Alvarez Empire by himself was suicide.
"Enough," Rowan said calmly.
A soft ripple spread through the hall. Every voice vanished mid-argument.
Silence.
He lowered his paw and looked around the room.
"You're all right to worry. And Makarov is right too. But I'm the guild master now, so here's how this will go."
He turned to Makarov.
"You stay here and keep Fairy Tail running. I'll personally lead a team of elites to the western continent and meet Zeref face-to-face."
Makarov frowned.
Rowan continued evenly.
"Don't worry about our safety. I won't promise I can beat Zeref if things turn ugly. But I can promise I can bring everyone back alive."
Time magic. Space magic. Instant escape options.
Worst case, he grabbed everyone and vanished.
And honestly, taking the core fighters along wasn't just about diplomacy. They needed real combat experience. A year had been wasted sealed on Tenrou Island. This trip would sharpen everyone again.
Besides, heavy hitters like Jellal and Gildarts existed for a reason.
Rowan dispelled the silence spell.
"What do you all think?"
No one hesitated.
Heads nodded across the hall.
Makarov sighed, then nodded too.
"…You've thought this through."
Mavis floated forward.
"I'll go with you."
Rowan blinked, then smiled.
Even as a spirit, she wasn't helpless. By linking herself to Fairy Tail's magic crest, she could still cast spells.
Fairy Sphere had proven that already.
And if things went catastrophically wrong, she could always deploy it again.
This time, Rowan could dismantle it from the inside.
"Then it's settled," Rowan said. "Everyone gets three days. Handle your personal affairs. I'll go find Anna. Three days from now, we sail for the western continent."
The meeting broke apart.
Everyone had things they needed to do.
The next morning, Rowan activated his tracking spell.
A golden arrow formed in the air and pointed due west.
"…That far, huh?"
He took off at full speed.
Three hours later, he was hovering above an empty stretch of ocean.
In the middle of the water floated a small magic-powered ship.
The arrow pointed straight at it.
Anna was inside.
But something else caught his attention.
Above the ship, invisible to normal sight, hung a massive fracture in space. Inside it churned violent, distorted time energy.
Rowan's ears twitched.
"That's… a time scar."
He'd seen similar distortions when casting Fairy Sphere. When using heavy time manipulation. When Little Wolf froze time.
But this one was far more unstable.
"…So that's where you've been hiding all these years."
Anna Hartfilia was meditating inside her cabin when someone knocked.
She frowned and stood up.
When she opened the door, she froze.
A small golden cat stood upright outside.
"…Yes?"
"Excuse me," Rowan said politely. "Are you Anna Hartfilia?"
Her eyes widened.
"You know my name?"
"There aren't many people left who exist the way you do," Rowan replied calmly. "I'm Rowan Mercer. Current guild master of Fairy Tail. I'd like to talk."
At the words Fairy Tail, her expression softened.
"…Come in."
Rowan didn't waste time.
He explained everything.
Tenrou Island. Acnologia. Zeref. The dragons. The Alvarez Empire.
Anna listened in silence.
Then she told him her side.
After sending the five children through the Eclipse Gate, she had searched for Zeref.
She never found him.
Only rumors.
That he was dead.
That he was the most evil black mage in history.
That he created demons.
She eventually gave up and discovered the time fracture instead.
It had been created by the Eclipse Gate itself. A wound formed by time correcting its own distortion.
Her plan had been simple.
Wait.
Study the fracture.
Learn to control it.
Seal Acnologia inside it someday.
"I never imagined Zeref became an emperor," Anna said quietly. "No wonder I couldn't find him."
She looked at Rowan.
"I'll go with you. This was Zeref's plan in the first place. If he's alive, he should help finish it."
Rowan nodded.
That made four emotional anchors Zeref couldn't ignore.
Natsu.
Mavis.
Igneel.
Anna.
If anyone could keep that meeting from turning into a battlefield, it was this group.
"Good," Rowan said. "That just raised our odds."
Peace first.
Violence later.
That was always his rule.
If talking failed…
Then he'd do what he always did.
Hit hard. Escape clean. Come back stronger.
...
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