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(Magnolia Town)

The group returned to Magnolia, leaving behind the demon island of Galuna, but they arrived at night due to several setbacks in Hargeon, so they decided to rest.

Erza made it very clear to the trio of troublemakers that they had to be at the guild first thing in the morning. None of them refused—after seeing Erza's anger, they wouldn't dare. However, the mood quickly declined. Anyone from the guild who saw them would've noticed the gloomy atmosphere surrounding the group.

The reason for this behavior was something Allen shared on the way back to Magnolia. He told them about the outcome of the battle. He made one thing very clear—he didn't defeat Deliora. The demon died on its own, perhaps due to the accumulated damage caused by the Iced Shell. Hearing that, Gray gave a smile, but Natsu remained silent, staring at Allen's face.

Natsu understood a truth he hadn't seen until now—no one is invincible. Just like defeating Allen seemed impossible, sometimes even he couldn't win.

"I'll still beat you!" Natsu shouted before turning around. "Until then, stay on top!"

"Wait, Natsu!" Happy flew after him, but before that, he returned briefly and handed Allen a fish before leaving again.

Allen watched Natsu and Happy walk away before smiling faintly. Everyone's mood improved, and they shared the same thought—unexpectedly, that Natsu's simple and direct personality was a breath of fresh air in such a heavy atmosphere.

Gray stopped before leaving and turned around. "Thanks... no matter how the fight ended, you stopped that thing from killing. And because of that, my master's sacrifice wasn't in vain…"

Allen nodded, though he felt conflicted. It was true that he held off Deliora until it died, but if Lucifer hadn't interfered with this world, would it have been necessary for Allen to fight Deliora in the first place? If Allen had been strong enough to stop Lucifer, this world wouldn't have been affected by their battle.

"..." Gray watched Allen for a moment, but said nothing deciding to let Lucy and Erza take care of the rest. As he walked away Gray remembered the look on his master Ur's face, 'I'm sorry, I should have been the one to stop Deliora.... I promise I'll get stronger...'

"..." Erza walked up to Allen and hugged him.

"Erza?"

"You told me I didn't have to be strong all the time when I'm with you, so I'll say the same thing." She looked up at him with determination in her eyes. "You don't have to be strong all the time when you're with me either."

The two shared a reassuring silence as if speaking without saying a word, Erza broke away from Allen and pulled him towards Lucy, who was surprised.

"See you tomorrow..." Erza turned away without showing her face anymore but Allen noticed that her hair looked even more scarlet in the night.

Now there were only two...

Lucy accompanied Allen without saying a word, but just as they were about to reach the hotel, she whispered, "I'll get stronger too."

Lucy made a small pout. She felt jealous, as she doesn't have the strength to say the same as Erza.

Allen looked at Lucy and, unable to resist, ruffled her hair, which annoyed the girl who then jumped on his back and grabbed him by the neck.

"Don't you know a girl's hair is her life?!"

"Sorry," Allen smiled, shaking off his gloomy mood thanks to this cheerful group.

....

(The Next Day)

Every step felt strangely heavy. Each second walking through the streets of Magnolia made the battle against Deliora feel farther away, yet it was still fresh in his mind. Allen stopped and looked at his reflection in a window. His gaze had lost its shine, and he hid his face under his hood.

Allen didn't want to make excuses. He didn't want to say that maybe if he had tried a different type of magic or a different approach, he might have won. He also didn't want to lock himself in a bubble of self-pity. Still, it was impossible not to feel affected by the defeat… once again. This was the harsh reflection of his reality—his present. Allen had gone through a relatively easy journey when he thought about it. Yes, he had been in many dangerous situations, but no matter how terrifying the enemy or how difficult the moment, he always managed to overcome it—sometimes by a little, sometimes by a lot.

But this time was different. He couldn't beat his enemy with strength—not with his current power. Allen saw the frustration in his own eyes, and his ego was bruised. If there were a miraculous method to gain power equal to Lucifer's, would he take it?

Allen gritted his teeth. The answer was obvious—he wouldn't. If Lucifer ever threatened the people he loved, maybe that answer would change. But until that happened—and it wouldn't, not because Lucifer was a good person, but because he didn't need to—Lucifer had the power to force Allen. But instead, he offered a fair fight. And that, instead of making Allen feel better, only made him feel like he was alive thanks to Lucifer's mercy.

Is Allen okay with that? No, of course not. He's not the kind of man who can accept something like that. But he has to. Until he can defeat Lucifer—until his power is enough to keep anyone from pressuring him like that again—he has no choice but to play the devil's game.

Allen continued walking through Magnolia's streets with a complicated expression. It had only been a night since they returned from their mission on Galuna Island, but a piece of news had spread like wildfire. Allen stopped at a newspaper stand and saw some headlines.

– "Maritime Cataclysm" –

– "A massive explosion was detected further offshore from unknown sources. The explosion reached a height of twelve miles, vaporizing everything within a ten-mile radius and generating a destructive shockwave spanning one hundred miles. Several coastal cities, including the Hargeon port, reported effects. The Magic Council is currently investigating the origin, which is speculated to have been either an underwater volcanic eruption or a meteorite impact." –

Wednesday – Ten miles of total annihilation… that's over a hundred megatons. That's a new record...

PercyJ – This isn't something to joke about. Something like that shouldn't be used anywhere…

Eve – It's not like Allen had many options :(

Meave – Honestly, even if there had been casualties this time, I'd still prefer that over Allen dying. So if you want to hate me for it, go ahead.

Raven – In a perfect world, expecting a win without casualties in that situation is nearly a miracle. And still, Allen did try to stop the tsunamis that would've killed who knows how many more people…

Kara – I'm a superhero, and I understand that saving everyone is impossible...

Gwen – I don't expect Allen to be a hero. As long as he comes back…

Annie – It's so sad to think about, and I'm sorry if it disappoints anyone, but I just want Allen to return…

Barbara – Against an opponent like that, expecting a happy ending is basically fantasy. I don't care if I wear a mask and go out to help people—if the time comes where you have to be selfish, I won't blame you.

"...Thanks."

Allen knew how hard it was for heroines to accept the death of innocents—especially to openly say that they valued the life of someone they loved more than a stranger's. Hearing that could certainly be disappointing for those who expected superheroes to be martyrs willing to sacrifice everything. But for others… this is what makes a human truly human—in Kara's case a Kryptonian

Allen continued on his way to the Guild. By now, his mood had improved a little, but he didn't feel like doing much. He decided he wouldn't take on any requests for now. However, he believed Lucy should still go on a few simple missions on her own to gain experience.

At breakfast, when he brought it up, she wasn't too sure. But she would have Timcampy by her side, and Allen could instantly appear with her if she were ever in danger, thanks to the protective pendant. Allen even suggested, with a sly smile, that if she still didn't feel safe, he could send Artoria or another girl with her. But Lucy refused. For starters, she wasn't strong enough to withstand the summoning of Allen's spirits, and she felt that if she kept relying on that power, she wouldn't grow on her own.

Allen chuckled quietly, remembering how much Lucy had grown as a mage—and as a person—during this time.

When he arrived at the entrance to Fairy Tail, Allen walked in without hesitation, back into that noisy place once again.

...

....

...

(A few days later)

Allen sat at the bar, feeling drained. As the days went by, he realized one absurd and inevitable truth: you can't have a moment of peace in Fairy Tail!

Just remembering the events of the past few days made him feel even more exhausted.

The first day after returning to Magnolia, Natsu, Gray, and Happy were terrified of the punishment awaiting them for taking on a S-Class Request without permission. Luckily for them, Master Makarov had been summoned by the council for a meeting or something like that. So there was no punishment for now—but they were still scared stiff of whatever "that thing" Makarov was going to do to them. What was "that thing"? Nobody knew, but Lucy was so scared she clung to Allen's arm the entire day. Maybe it was just an excuse to do so.

After that incident, the guild returned to normal. Allen, not in the mood for missions, sat at the bar chatting with Mira and Laki about his recent adventure—but Lucy next to him acted like a territorial cat.

Allen avoided going into too much detail, like how he opened a hole in the sea during his apocalyptic fight with Deliora. Not long after, Erza joined the conversation, sitting on his other side. This didn't go unnoticed—everyone picked up on Erza's changed attitude toward Allen.

She stayed close to him like a guardian, as if she were protecting him from something. Lucy also started acting more hostile toward the other girls.

Mirajane, although she expected this kind of behavior from Lucy, found herself questioning Erza's attitude—this ended in an argument between the two. It was nostalgic for many in the guild, as Allen and Lucy learned that Mirajane used to be a kind of aggressive "Yankee" who often fought with Erza in the past.

Allen couldn't believe that the sweet and gentle Mirajane had a past like that. Still, he also noticed that many in the guild seemed uncomfortable talking too much about it, so there was clearly something deeper no one wanted to bring up. Allen didn't pry further, but if Mirajane ever wanted to share, he'd be willing to listen. That day ended with Allen surrounded by arguing girls.

The next day, there was an incident involving a suspicious Request Natsu found on the Request Board. It turned out to be enchanted with a magic that exchanges the minds of Natsu, Gray, Happy, and Loke.

Allen, of course, wasn't affected—nor were Lucy or Erza, thanks to their protective pendants. Still, it was surprising that a magic like that could cause such a bizarre effect. Allen was about to dispel the magic when Levy (wearing glasses) stepped in, looking unusually confident. Not wanting to ruin her moment, Allen let her handle it, and using her knowledge, she returned everyone to normal.

Well… mostly normal. The original victims were fine, but the rest of the guild ended up body-swapped in a chaotic mess. Allen had to step in and finally nullify the magic himself, putting everything back to normal.

The days that followed were a whirlwind of nonsense. If Natsu wasn't trying to pick a fight every five minutes, then Elfman was challenging him to some kind of "who's the manliest" contest. Gray kept ambushing him only to end up smashed naked into a wall. Happy kept bugging him to summon food out of nowhere—not knowing Allen didn't "summon" food, he just had it stored in his inventory.

For some reason, Bisca and Alzack seemed scared of Allen and would keep their distance whenever they saw him. Romeo, the little kid, kept insisting on becoming Allen's disciple—he was so persistent he even tried sneaking into Allen's hotel once, only to get caught by 2B.

Allen, not wanting to deal with it, designed a simple training regimen for the kid just to keep him off his back.

But that wasn't all. Then there was Cana, who—whenever she got drunk—would wrap herself around Allen and try to get him to drink with her. One time she almost succeeded by catching him off guard.

Then there was Laki, who seemed to be subtly hitting on him. Allen never thought she had a flirty side. However, her advances didn't look like those of a girl looking for a boyfriend—more like a girl who wants to taste the cake without being cloying. If Allen weren't feeling so down lately, he might've considered it. After all, Laki was cute and kind. But part of him also didn't want that kind of relationship—he'd end up as some kind of womanizer like Loke, or worse, like Gildarts Clive based on the rumors.

But none of that compared to the real issue: the fights. Ever since Galuna, Lucy started arguing more with Levy, and Erza would get into spats with Mirajane from time to time—it became such a regular occurrence. Wakaba and Macao often teased Allen, telling him to "just pick one already" and end this whole "love war."

Allen could only apologize in his heart—this wasn't the best time for him to deal with that sort of thing. With a sigh, he downed the rest of his coffee. After all, it seemed like you couldn't even be depressed in Fairy Tail. This crazy group just wouldn't let you.

Allen didn't know whether to feel grateful for that… or extremely annoyed.

....

"Sorry, did I keep you waiting?~"

A soft voice approached from the right. Allen turned to see Mirajane, who gave him a gentle look and a soft smile. She wasn't wearing her classic red dress, but a lighter white dress with a ribbon, and holding a handbag.

Allen smiled and stood up. "Of course not… and by the way, you look beautiful in that dress."

"Thank you," Mirajane smiled and took Allen's hand as they left the guild together.

The expressions left behind were hilarious.

"That son of a bitch actually took Mirajane on a date!" Cana shouted, slamming her barrel to the ground. Everyone remembered how Allen had scored a date with Mirajane when he first joined Fairy Tail—but two weeks passed and the date never happened, so most thought it was just a joke.

"I bet that blonde bitch is dying of jealousy," Levy muttered mockingly, though Jet and Droy saw her crush a pen in her hand. Both of them cursed Allen for having such ungodly luck that even the queen of their hearts, Levy McGarden, was now interested in him.

Mirajane walked hand-in-hand with Allen naturally, still smiling. Allen, for his part, was a little surprised by how bold Mirajane was being, but he stayed calm. He had also changed clothes—his usual gray hoodie swapped for a black shirt and better-quality pants. Clothes could change appearances drastically, for better or worse. Allen, who once looked average, now looked above average—and that was enough. Of course, he could end the perception spell and drive people around him crazy.

A few minutes later, as expected, people started looking their way. But both ignored the stares. Allen wasn't going to be dumb—he'd done his research. Since he was the one who asked for this date, he was going to make sure it was something Mirajane wouldn't be ashamed to brag about.

"Hmm, so you don't get nervous?"

Just as they were arriving at their first stop, Mirajane smirked at him, her eyes filled with a mix of amusement and curiosity.

Allen saw her and knew she was testing him. It wasn't a secret in the guild that Allen had a reputation as a womanizer, even though he wasn't officially dating anyone and hadn't shown signs of affection that went beyond friendship.

Mirajane, even though she knew many of those rumors were made up by jealous guys in the guild, was curious to see if Allen actually had experience with women.

"I'm not someone who gets nervous easily…" Allen replied with a charming smile. "Besides, you should already know what I'm capable of."

Mirajane's eyes widened as she remembered the day he asked her out—that strange feeling, like she was only seeing the tip of the iceberg known as Allen Walker. She swallowed hard and blushed, looking away. She tried to let go of Allen's hand, but this time he didn't let her. Mirajane gave in and left it as is.

Behind them, two girls and a flying, chubby golem were following them closely, eyes sharp. Both girls wore sunglasses and trench coats—as if they weren't already suspicious enough.

Allen noticed—and wasn't sure if Mirajane had too—but he decided to ignore the blonde and the redhead. He brought Mirajane to a flower shop.

"Ara? Are you going to buy me flowers?~"

Mirajane didn't care much for romantic relationships—she'd closed her heart a long time ago—but she still understood how they worked.

"It's a little surprise," Allen smiled and spoke with the shop owner—an old lady with a kind smile. She went to the back of the shop and brought out a small pot with a flower that shimmered in white, yellow, and blue.

Mirajane's eyes widened at the strange flower. Allen took it and handed it to her. As he did, the colors shifted into a bright yellow.

"I wasn't sure what kind of gift would be good in this country, so I had a special flower brought from my... homeland." Allen coughed—he nearly said world.

Mirajane looked at the flower, which shimmered and shifted color in exotic tones.

"Aww, that's so sweet. But lying's not nice," the old lady suddenly said with a mischievous grin. "He's been coming by for a week now. Paid for all the materials himself and has been growing it with his own hands. I was amazed by his skills with plants and his dedication. At first, I thought the flower was magical or something—but turns out it was just a gift… for his girlfriend."

Allen sighed. "Grandma…"

"Sorry, dear, but don't sell yourself short—and it looks like someone appreciated it~" She pointed at Mirajane, whose face was red up to her ears as she held the flower—which had now turned a soft pink.

"I forgot to mention, this flower changes color depending on the mood of the person closest to it," The grandma added with a smile.

This earned him a punch in the chest from an embarrassed Mirajane. Allen tried to calm her down, but she couldn't handle the embarrassment.

Meanwhile, Erza and Lucy watched with angry expressions—especially Lucy, who would've already jumped in if Erza hadn't held her back.

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