Epilogue: Bittersweet Reunion

A bright blue light appeared in a field on the outskirts of what was left of Shirotsume Town. It flickered as it stretched outward and then quickly imploding as Aura fell out of the portal. She slowly stood up and looked around her, taking in all of the scenery. The black sky, the demolished buildings, the dead trees, the smell of death lingering under her nose, it all brought her back. She was finally home.
She walked into town, carefully avoiding the patrols of Draven's forces along the way. Eventually she came across a small abandoned building on the edge of town, completely untouched by the guard's daily sweeps. She sneaked in through the back door, and to her mild amusement it was unlocked. Man do they ever lock this place up? She thought with a small smile as she entered the building. As she came upon the living area her smile grew wider. Therein she saw Levy, Lure, and Millianna sitting around, safe and sound.
Levy was sitting at a table in the middle of the room, her head drowning in the first of many stacks of books. Lure was lying on the couch across from the table where Levy sat, once again his shirt was off and on the floor next to him, a trait he no doubt picked up from his late father. Next Aura looked over to the open window and saw Millianna sitting against it in a chair, using her heightened senses to detect any trouble. Finally she looked over to the kitchen and smiled more when she noticed the pot of soup bubbling on the stove.
"You guys look busy as usual." she called into the room.
Everyone's eyes widened when they heard her voice. Millianna turned around, her eyes watering as she leapt from the window and onto the young girl causing them both to fall onto the floor. "You're back!" Millianna said with sobs, rubbing her face against Aura's. "You're really back."
"Okay okay Millianna." Aura said laughing. "That tickles, stop." Millianna let her go and Aura stood up to see Levy and Lure both smiling at her. "I'm home." She said with a smile.
She sat the three down and told them everything that happened in the past, of all of the people she met, and all of the adventures she had. As they intently listened to the young girl's stories, her friends could tell by the tone in her voice that she was certainly happier than when she left; that her trip to the past had also changed her for the better along with the past.
"You guys should have seen it." She said with her eyes wide in excitement as she explained the final moments of the fight with Draven. "Dad and I flew so high into the air. It felt like we would never come down." She raised her hand in the air and then brought it down in an arc to simulate what she was saying. "Then I blacked out." She said a bit embarrassed.
"You couldn't handle it huh?" Lure said with a laugh.
"Shut up." She said looking away. "I just used too much magic at once. Mom told me I slept for over a week after that."
"How was Erza?" Millianna asked a bit sullen.
"She was just as I remember her, the little I do remember anyway. She was tough, but still so warm and kind at the same time. She didn't even bat an eye when I told her I was her daughter."
"That sounds like Erzy." Millianna said with a sad smile.
Aura then looked over to Levy. "You haven't really changed all that much from your past self Levy." She said with a quizzical look. "Although you were all gaga over Gajeel." Aura began laughing much to Levy's embarrassment.
"Shut up." Levy said irritated.
"You were also way less grouchy."
"Oh boo hoo. Now how did you manage to defeat Draven?" Levy asked getting to the heart of why the young girl went back in time in the first place.
"I was unconscious after Dad and I took him down, but Mom told me that Lucy sealed him using some ancient spell her mother used." Aura replied.
"What was the name of the spell?" Levy asked intrigued.
"Alme…Alal…Alma…Almagest. The name of the spell was Almagest."
"Almagest. Almagest." Levy said to herself. "I think I've heard of that spell. That's celestial magic right?"
"Yeah I think so." Aura said nodding.
"Good, I'll start researching." Levy walked back to the table and began rifling through the stacked books that she, Millianna, and Lure managed to recover from Fairy Tail's underground archive while Aura was gone. "It has to be in one of these old books." Levy said as she continued shuffling through the old tomes. "You should get some rest." Levy said not looking at Aura. "I know you're tired from jumping from the past."
"I will." Aura said. "I just want to go see them first." She looked down with a sad smile. "I want to tell them what happened."
Levy stopped looking through books. She knew exactly who Aura was talking about, it had been awhile since she had visited them herself. "Do want us to go with you?" she asked.
"No." Aura shook her head slowly. "You guys stay here and hold down the fort. I won't be gone long."
"Okay, but be careful. There are still patrols out."
"Don't worry I will." In a purple flash Aura was gone.
"Lure." Levy said.
"Yeah?"
"Follow her, you know how she loses track of time."
"Alright." Lure stood up and put his shirt on, but Millianna stopped him.
"I'll go after her." She said. "Is that okay Levy?"
"I don't mind. What about you Lure?"
"Doesn't matter to me. I'll just keep watch till she gets back." He said shrugging.
"Okay, go Millianna. I know you want to visit them too." Levy said as she scanned through the books with her gale-force reading glasses.
"Thank you." Millianna said. "I'll be back soon." And with that Millianna put on her hood and walked out of the hideout.
Aura reappeared a few minutes later on the outskirts of what used to be Magnolia, a few hundred meters from where the resistance's old hideout once stood. It had been years since she had been to this place, and she would be lying if she said it didn't still make her eyes mist a bit. For every moment of happiness she remembered, a memory of tragedy quickly followed. So much joy, only to be swiftly followed by a greater amount of death and destruction. The emotional whiplash made her stomach turn over.
She walked east towards the tree line and into the East Forest, stopping when she reached the ruins of Porlyusica's house. In front of the collapsed bungalow stood three headstones, each equidistant from one another. "Alright." she said with a small smile as she sat down in front of them, brushing some of the moss off of their tops. She then crossed her legs and sat back on her hands.
"Hey guys." She smiled softly as she talked to the tombstones, which belonged to Jellal Fernandes, Kagura Mikazuchi, and Wendy Marvell. "I know I haven't been around in a while and I apologize. I was kinda lost for a bit." She fought back her tears.
"I missed you guys a lot." She smiled more and began telling them about her adventures in the past. Her voice brimming with joy but also a hint of sadness the more she spoke. She laughed to herself a bit. "I had no idea how nervous you were as a kid Wendy, it was cute. But you were still so polite and you still showed me that you were just as strong then as you are now. It felt kind of surreal giving you some of the same training you gave me."
Next she looked at Kagura's tombstone. "You were right Kagura. Mom was insanely strong, I couldn't even beat her with my dragon slayer magic. Everything you said about her was true. I wish I could have seen you back then but I had no idea where you were." She said with a regret filled smile. "If I remember right, you had probably just met Millianna and the others in Mermaid Heel. I wish i could have saw your guild, I bet it was nice."
Finally she looked over at Jellal's grave. "Jellal, I wish I could have met your younger self. I wish I could have visited you in jail and tell you that things will definitely get better for you. But I never got the chance and I'm sorry, I bet you have appreciated someone to talk to during those days." Aura stood up, dusted off her pants and looked off to the right. "Now guys, where is-"she stopped searching when she saw a tangle of vines a small distance away from the other tombstones. "There she is." She said with a small smile.
She walked over and began ripping off the vines to reveal another tombstone underneath. "Geez, doesn't anyone take care of this place anymore?" she asked aloud with a small smile. She soon ripped off enough of the vines to read what they covered.
Here Lies Aura Robin Dragneel
Beautiful Daughter, Loving Sister, and Loyal Friend
Enclosed in her Iron Heart was the Fire of a Dragon
Luana sat down in front of her elder sister's grave, bringing her knees close to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.
"Hey big sis." She said with a sad smile. "It's been forever since we had the chance to talk." She sat in silence for a moment, pointing her ear towards the tombstone. "I know I know. I should visit more often, but the others are here with you." She said looking back at the other three tombstones
"I didn't mean to blow you off, it's just...it still hurts you know? If I wasn't so stubborn, you wouldn't still be here now." A tear streamed down her face.
"Shut up I'm not crying." She said as she wiped away the tear. "I just got some dirt in my eye. No I'm not lying." She finished wiping her eye.
"The plan worked. I went back into the past." She said with a wide smile. "I know, you didn't want me to go but I was able to meet mom and dad. I don't remember them as much as you did, but the little I do remember helped some. They were both so amazing, everyone in the guild was. I'm glad I could meet and see all of them again."
She then looked away nervously, "I also may have told them I was you. Hey don't get mad, they were still pretty nervous with each other at that age. They barely handled being told they had one daughter. So how do you think they would have reacted if I told them they had two?" she said laughing. "On the bright side I made sure that you were going to be born, even if I might not be." Luana smiled softly and placed her hands at her sides, leaning back and looking up at the sky.
Millianna stood against a nearby tree and watched Luana. It was getting late and they had to be back, but she decided to let her see her sister for a little while longer. No matter how much the sight broke her heart.
"Sorry, I keep going on and on about me. How have you been sis?" she asked with a wide smile.