Five years passed in a flash.
The world didn't change because of what happened inside Fairy Tail. The magic world kept spinning quests, adventure, and routine chaos. Magi hustled for coin, went on missions, argued over rent, and argued even louder over drinks.
But today in Magnolia…
BOOM!
Houses crumbled like cardboard. Townspeople screamed, running in every direction.
"HELP! My shop!""My house! My mortgage isn't even halfway paid!""Thirty years of debt!! I haven't even taken a vacation yet!"
Panic ran wild through the streets.
Was it an invasion?
A dark guild attack?
No.
It was just... a confused man who forgot where the Guild building was.
A weather-worn, muscle-bound uncle walked through town, scratching his head. Every time his foot met the ground or his hand brushed a wall, something exploded.
"Huh… I could've sworn the Guild was right here…"
One accidental touch and another house crumbled.
Inside Fairy Tail...
Makarov was massaging his temples like his skull might cave in.
"That scoundrel... he's going to bankrupt my retirement fund one of these days…"
Suddenly, the Guild's front doors flew open.
"Master, I'm back! Quest complete!" The culprit shouted cheerfully.
Gildarts.
The room shook a little just from his arrival.
"GILDARTS!! Look what you've done, you idiot!!" Makarov leapt up, red in the face.
"Hahahaha, sorry, sorry! I was so deep in thought, I couldn't find the Guild! You moved it again, didn't you?" Gildarts grinned like a kid who broke a window and blamed the breeze.
"You crushed an entire block trying to find the building!"
Makarov slammed his hand down on the table. "Repairs are coming out of your commission; that's FINAL."
"Aww, c'mon, Master! Leave me enough for drinks, will you?"
Gildarts D. Clive. The most powerful disaster in Fairy Tail besides the Master himself. His Crush Magic turned everything it touched to dust. People, walls, and mountains poof.
Power unmatched. Brain cells optional.
"Hey, where are Laxus and Escanor? Haven't seen 'em around."
"Laxus is out doing a solo quest, nothing too serious," Makarov said with a rare soft smile.
"As for Escanor, he's"
BOOOOOOM!!!
The entire Guild rumbled.
Mugs rattled, chairs scraped, and people screamed. Even the ceiling dropped some dust.
"Enemy attack!?" Gildarts jumped to his feet.
"No, no, no, it's just Escanor training again. Back Mountain." Makarov waved him off.
But even as he grumbled, Makarov couldn't hide the smug grin sneaking onto his face.
His grandson. His pride. His problem.
But peace didn't last long.
"MASTER! MASTER!! THE BACK MOUNTAIN IS ON FIRE!!" A young Magus burst in, out of breath.
"WHAT!?" Makarov nearly fell off the table. "Get every Water Mage we've got! Form a team!"
"Master!" another voice cried. "All of the Water-type mages are out on missions!"
"Shimatta…"
Then Gildarts raised a hand.
"I'll take care of it."
"You? Don't 'crush' the whole damn mountain, you buffoon! The mayor still hasn't forgiven us for the last crater!"
"Nah, I've got finesse," Gildarts winked and strolled out.
Outside, a storm of smoke and flame rose into the sky.
"Crush: Disassemble!"
In one pulse, the fire seemed to fall apart, collapsing into harmless motes of light. The forest? Charred. But no longer burning.
"Yo, Uncle! Just in time," Escanor called out, stepping calmly through the scorched remains.
His cloak fluttered in the heat. His hair glowed like gold under the high sun. He was tall, now really tall. His frame radiated confidence, like the sun itself was watching through his eyes.
"I was just thinking about how to handle this mess. Didn't expect it to spread this fast," Escanor admitted, brushing ash from his shoulder.
"Hahahaha! Still full of surprises, huh?" Gildarts grinned. "Say, do you feel like sparring with your uncle? Been a while."
"Absolutely. I've been hoping for a real challenge. I was going to ask Grandpa, but"
WHAM!
A giant glowing fist dropped out of nowhere and slammed down on Escanor's head.
"YOU LITTLE BRAT!! Are you saying your grandpa's past his prime!?" Makarov growled, halfway transformed into his Giant Form.
"Ow, ow! Grandpa, wait! I didn't mean that! It's just sunny today; I got carried away!" Escanor whined, rubbing the growing bump on his head.
"I swear, one more fire and I'm kicking you off that mountain!"
"Now, now, Master," Gildarts laughed. "You know the kid's different. Be proud! That explosion just means he's growing stronger."
Makarov paused. Huffed. Grumbled. And then sighed deeply.
"Fine… But NO more training in the back mountain. I mean it! Next time, the Guild might go up in flames!"
Once things calmed down, the members of Fairy Tail got back to their usual chaos. Laughing, bickering, cleaning up, drinking… it was just another day.
But in five short years, Escanor Dreyar had already become a force.
He had learned to wield his magic "Sun." Specifically, "Merciless Sun," the blazing orb that could incinerate a battlefield in seconds. And he wasn't just stronger; he was smarter.
He now understood his magic power grew exponentially with the rise of the sun.
If his base power was 1 at dawn, it was 100 by noon. Terrifying math.
So Escanor had focused on adapting his body, building himself from the inside out like a true Fairy Tail mage. In this world, power wasn't just raw force; it was magical endurance, adaptability, and spirit.
Escanor discovered something surprising too: his magic had a healing effect. Buried deep inside the sun's destructive heat was a thread of life energy. Weak, but growing.
He found that by nightfall, his body had fully recovered from damage taken during the day.
His body wasn't just strong anymore; it was evolving.
Like Ban once did in Purgatory, breaking and rebuilding to gain immortality, Escanor was unintentionally doing the same but powered by sunlight.
Over time, he developed new techniques:
"Sunburst" Channeling the sun's heat over his skin for short, explosive melee bursts.
"Sun Molding Magic" Shaping solar energy into weapons and tools.
And most impressively…
He could now partially control his "Ultimate Mode." No longer bound to midday. No longer just a slave to the sun.
He had a dream: to stay in that form permanently. To become the sun, rather than borrow it.
It was still far off.
But one day…
And whenever someone called him a genius or whispered in awe behind his back
He'd always respond the same way:
"Because I am Escanor. Of course I am."
And nobody minded.
It wasn't arrogance.
It was just… Escanor being Escanor.
That was all.
And that was enough.