"No! None of this matters!"
"The most important thing right now is to explain the situation regarding Earthland, Edolas, and Elentear—the three worlds—to the Fairy Tail Guild Master, Makarov."
After a brief moment of hesitation, Mystogan slowly shook his head and walked confidently into the depths of Fairy Tail, a place that was as frightening as a den of magic beasts, heading towards the bar counter.
Come to think of it, Mystogan did have some sort of connection with Makarov.
In the world Mystogan came from, Edolas—a world where magic power had all but dried up—each person mirrored someone from Earthland. Mystogan himself was the mirror of Jellal from Earthland.
The Makarov of Earthland, true to his name, was a gentle king.
But in Edolas, Makarov was the opposite—a tyrant with violent temperaments.
He was also Mystogan's father—the king of the human empire of Edolas.
Now, Mystogan's aim was to seek out the gentle king of Earthland in order to stop the tyrannical one of Edolas.
This was one of the most important reasons for Mystogan coming to the Fairy Tail guild.
"Brother Mystogan..."
"Are we really going in?"
"Wendy feels so scared."
Wendy timidly looked at everything inside the Fairy Tail guild, which looked just like the hell depicted in her storybooks.
"Yes, we have to go in."
"I'm burdened with the mission of saving the three worlds."
Mystogan turned around and looked at Wendy, speaking with a determined tone.
"Then..."
"Then I'll go with you!"
Wendy gathered her courage and decided to face the challenges ahead together with Mystogan.
"Alright."
Mystogan smiled and took Wendy's small hand, moving forward decisively.
Of course, they still had to dodge whenever necessary...
After all, there were many obstacles ahead.
"Who is that boy..."
As Mystogan led Wendy through numerous perils, Wendy's gaze was drawn to a young boy with short pink hair and a white, diamond-patterned scarf wrapped around his neck. She didn't know why, but she felt a sense of deja vu toward him.
"What's the matter, Wendy?"
Wendy's Exceed, Carla, noticed her odd behavior and asked.
"It's nothing..."
"It's just... it feels strange."
"There's an inexplicable familiarity."
Wendy spoke, and before she knew it, tears began to well up in her eyes.
"Wendy, you're crying again."
Carla, seeing Wendy tear up again, gave her a sympathetic look, reaching out her furry paw to wipe away Wendy's tears.
And so...
Mystogan, Wendy, and Carla, after crossing several hurdles, finally arrived at the bar in the deepest part of the Fairy Tail guild, half an hour later.
"Huff, huff, huff..."
Mystogan seemed to have exhausted quite a bit of energy, panting heavily as he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Finally, we're here."
Mystogan pulled the soft Wendy to the bar and thought to himself, considering that the mages in Fairy Tail were already unreliable enough, surely the guild master, Makarov, wouldn't be just as laid-back?!
A person capable of leading this chaotic guild to become the number one mage guild in Fiore, and perhaps the whole continent of Ishgar, must be a man of responsibility, always smiling in the face of adversity, someone anyone could rely on.
"Glug, glug, glug..."
"Drink up, lads!"
And then Mystogan saw Makarov holding a bottle and gulping down the liquor.
"Not exactly reliable..."
Mystogan internally sighed.
"Who are you?!"
Just when Mystogan was at a loss for words, Makarov seemed to notice him.
Drunken Makarov leaped down from the counter and came to Mystogan, speaking with a heavy tone, "Who are you?!"
"Hello, Master Makarov. My name is Mystogan, and I came here because I admire the guild."
Mystogan stiffened, thinking that Makarov had already figured out his true identity. He thought to himself, "As expected of one of the Ten Wizard Saints, Makarov. He can see right through me. He must have realized that I'm not from Earthland. This world's powerful people are not to be underestimated."
"Oh, you're a newcomer!"
"Welcome to Fairy Tail~"
In the midst of Mystogan's worried thoughts, Makarov pulled out the Fairy Tail guild stamp and pressed it onto Mystogan's arm.
"He didn't realize I was from another world."
Mystogan's inner voice echoed with disbelief.
"What's your name?"
Not giving Mystogan much time to think, Makarov came to Wendy and asked kindly.
"I... I am Wendy Marvell."
Wendy looked at Makarov, speaking softly, her voice almost inaudible amidst the noisy guild.
"Oh! Wendy Marvell, is it?"
"That's a lovely name..."
"Well then, welcome to Fairy Tail."
Makarov stamped Wendy's hand with the guild's emblem.
"Hey! My Wendy never said she wanted to join your guild!"
Carla, indignant, protested.
"It's okay, Carla..."
"I can tell this grandpa isn't a bad person."
Wendy hugged Carla tightly, her voice gentle and soft.
"I can't say no to you!"
"Wendy, you trust people way too easily..."
Carla sighed, feeling helpless. Wendy's kindness was undeniable, but it could easily be exploited by others.
"Master Makarov..."
"Actually, I came here for a very important matter! Before that, wouldn't you want to see my true face?!"
Mystogan spoke, placing his hand on his mask.
"Haha..."
"Everyone in Fairy Tail has a few secrets, right? Does that mean I need to figure them all out? That would be too tiring."
Makarov chuckled, but his eyes turned serious.
"Before you ask me anything, let me ask you something first."
"Your name is Mystogan, right?"
"Please answer me, will you harm your comrades in Fairy Tail?"
Makarov asked, looking at Mystogan.
"Of course not!"
Mystogan answered firmly.
"That's enough..."
"From the moment you joined Fairy Tail, you became family to us. The secrets you keep are the secrets we will protect."
"Being family means helping each other, protecting each other, and growing together. You don't need to share your secrets with us. Just be true to yourself, to the Fairy Tail mark on your arm, and to your comrades in Fairy Tail."
Makarov's gaze was filled with care, and though his voice wasn't loud, it left a powerful impact on Mystogan.
Makarov's words would stay with Mystogan for the rest of his life, helping him grow.
"I understand."
Mystogan was shaken by Makarov's words.
After a brief hesitation, Mystogan suddenly removed his mask, revealing his true face. He looked at Makarov apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, Master Makarov! The reason I hid my face was not out of intention. I am not from this world. I come from a distant place, one impossible to reach by conventional means—the parallel world to this one, known as Edolas, where magic is scarce."
"I am the prince of the human empire of that world—Jellal. Due to the mirrored nature of Edolas and Earthland, I concluded that there must be a Jellal in this world who looks identical to me. To avoid misunderstandings or unnecessary ties with those who know Earthland's Jellal, I concealed my face and took the alias Mystogan when I joined this guild."
Mystogan revealed all his secrets to Makarov.
"Ah..."
"That is quite unexpected."
"So, besides the Son of a Dragon, the Husband of a Dragon, the Dragon itself, and the Founder of Dragon Slayer Magic, now we have a completely new identity joining Fairy Tail!"
"This time, our new mage isn't even from this world—he's an interdimensional prince! Are identities in this world just not enough anymore?!"
"I suppose I wouldn't be surprised if a god or a demon joined Fairy Tail next."
Makarov sighed, feeling like his heart had undergone a complete workout.
"So, prince from another world, what brings you to Fairy Tail?"
Makarov asked Mystogan.
"Actually, I'm carrying the fate of three worlds on my shoulders."
Mystogan spoke seriously.
"Three worlds?"
Makarov looked confused.
"Yes. Apart from this world, Earthland, there's also Edolas—a world lacking magic—and Elentear, where magic is in abundance."
"In Edolas, the magic supply is almost exhausted. My father, the king of the human empire, has come up with a shocking plan—to use the super-archaeological device he created to steal magic from other worlds for his own use."
Mystogan continued.
"I see..."
Makarov nodded but still seemed unsure.
"To tell you the truth, my father has set his sights on Earthland."
Mystogan lowered his head and spoke earnestly.
"Wait a moment..."
"If your world is truly in short supply of magic, and your father has the ability to take magic from other worlds..."
"Why target Earthland instead of Elentear, where there's excess magic?"
Makarov pointed out a flaw.
"Actually, Elentear was my father's first target."
"If Earthland is the midpoint, Edolas is at the far end of magical deficiency, and Elentear is at the other extreme—overflowing with magic."
"In theory, the ideal solution would be to transfer the overabundant magic of Elentear to Edolas, bringing balance to all three worlds."
Mystogan paused for a moment.
"But alas..."
"That plan was foiled by someone's interference!"
"The name of the one who caused the greatest calamity across all three worlds is 'Moon Dragon God' Selene! She refused to allow us to extract magic from Elentear, claiming it was her world and all magic manipulation must be approved by her."
Mystogan said hopelessly.
"Huh?"
"You mean Moon Dragon Selene?!"
"She's not easy to deal with."
Makarov wiped sweat from his forehead as he looked at Mystogan.
"Yes, Moon Dragon Selene!"
"She is heinous and vile..."
"I came here hoping that you, Master Makarov, could help me come up with a plan to deal with Selene."
"To bring magic back into balance across all worlds."
Mystogan bowed deeply before Makarov. "I beg of you!"
"You want us to help you deal with Selene, huh? This is really a headache~"
"Honestly, if the world is at a point where it needs Fairy Tail mages to save it, it's probably beyond saving, isn't it?!"
Makarov sighed. He raised his head and looked behind Mystogan, at some unknown point in time, a certain bewitching woman had appeared there.
Indeed, the newcomer was none other than Selene, the very 'Moon Dragon' mentioned by Mystogan.