Fairy Tail: The Faint Smile in Earthland

The early morning light slanted through the tall arched windows of the Fairy Tail guild hall, casting long golden beams across polished wooden floors. The gentle hum of conversation filled the space, punctuated by occasional laughter and the clink of mugs. For now, Magnolia was peaceful, though the weight of the absent Tenrou team lingered in the unspoken background of every conversation.

At her usual table near the outer wall, Teresa sat alone, as always. She wore her standard non-combat black Claymore tunic—high-collared, sleeveless, practical—with her silver-blonde hair falling neatly behind her shoulders. No armor, no sword in sight; both safely stored within her Requip space. Even without the imposing presence of her battle gear, the other guild members instinctively kept a respectful distance, not out of fear, but out of silent acknowledgment. Teresa of the Faint Smile was part of Fairy Tail, yet always apart.

She watched the guild's daily rhythms unfold, her sharp silver eyes sweeping over the members present. Max was already preparing the bar counter for the lunch rush. Nab, as usual, sat before the job board, waiting for a request worth his attention but taking none. Warren and Kinana were sorting newly arrived requests behind the bar.

"Mister Warren!" Romeo called out as he rushed in, carrying a fresh stack of sealed scrolls. "The latest contracts from Crocus arrived this morning!"

"Thanks, Romeo," Warren said, taking the stack and unrolling the top scroll. His brow furrowed almost immediately.

Kinana glanced over. "Another ruin?"

Warren nodded. "Eastern Bosco Ridge. Some old sites are exposed by recent rockslides. The Council flagged it for early investigation before any independent scavengers get involved."

"Bosco again, huh," Wakaba exhaled a thin stream of smoke. "Seems like half the weird stuff we've seen this year comes from that border region."

"And it's getting worse," Macao added as he approached the bar. "Every time a storm washes out another ridge, they uncover more of those old experimental sites. And guess who they send to clean up the mess before it spills into the rest of Earthland?"

His gaze shifted toward Teresa's table. She met his eyes calmly.

"This one has your name written on it, Teresa," Macao said, holding out the request scroll.

She stood smoothly and accepted the parchment, unrolling it with practiced fingers. The Council seal was prominent, the wording familiar: Exploration and Neutralization Contract —Site 17-B, Eastern Bosco Ridge Ruins. High Hazard Classification. Potential rogue magical contamination.

"Solo authorization?" she asked, glancing up.

Macao nodded. "They're not even pretending to form teams anymore. The Council trusts you more than their elite squads at this point."

"Wise," Teresa said softly, eyes returning to the scroll.

"Are you sure about this one, Teresa?" Kinana asked gently from behind the bar. "You handled that last corrupted creature so easily, but each new site seems worse than the last."

Teresa's faint smile surfaced briefly. "Corruption follows patterns. The deeper the roots, the more fragile the surface becomes."

Romeo stepped forward, clutching a smaller bundle. "Will you be gone long?"

Teresa tilted her head slightly. "Time is flexible."

Macao crossed his arms. "These ruins aren't like the usual monster hunts. If this one goes like the last excavation, you might encounter things even the Council can't explain."

"All magic carries its failures," Teresa replied simply. "I'll adapt."

The brief exchange said everything it needed to. This was routine now.

She turned toward the guild's front entrance. The heavy doors opened with a soft groan as she stepped into the sunlit streets of Magnolia. The morning market had just opened; merchants arranged their colorful stalls while early customers haggled to overproduce, fabrics, and charms. Teresa moved through the crowd with quiet efficiency, her presence parting the flow of people instinctively.

Magnolia had grown familiar to her over the past months. Its colors, smells, and rhythms no longer felt foreign. Yet she remained separate, an observer drifting through its daily life. This world was not her own, but she moved within it as necessary.

As she reached the eastern gates, she summoned her gear with a faint surge of energy. The flash of her Requip magic was brief: her silver Claymore armor encased her body, the polished plates gleaming in the light. The white cloak unfurled behind her shoulders, heavy but clean, the Fairy Tail emblem in stark black centered at her upper back. Her Claymore sword appeared behind her, sheathed vertically beneath the cloak.

No one in the passing merchant caravans questioned her sudden transformation. Those who knew Fairy Tail recognized her immediately. Whispers followed, but no one dared approach. She was known now.

The path toward Bosco's eastern ridges stretched wide ahead, disappearing into the distant green slopes beyond the town.

Teresa paused only once at the edge of the last bridge. A gentle wind tugged at her cloak, cool against her skin. Somewhere far ahead, buried beneath rock and magic, another forgotten gate waited. And with it, another glimpse into Earthland's hidden corruption.

She set forward, silent and steady, as the first whispers of ancient magic stirred once again beneath her path.