That night, I wandered aimlessly through Magnolia, my mind weighed down by the events of the day. The memory of Alma's words haunted me, lingering like a shadow I couldn't shake.
I should've seen it coming. Alma never said she was leaving, not exactly. But it was there, in the quiet way she stopped talking about the future.
We'd had plans. But plans are easy. Reality is harder.
She wanted something simple. Normal. And I couldn't give her that. Not when I lived in a world built on chaos and power.
I hated how much I understood.
I wanted to be angry. But mostly, I just felt empty.
"Aiden."
The voice dragged me out of it. I blinked, eyes adjusting to the man in front of me. Gildarts. Watching me like he knew what I was thinking. Maybe he did.
"You okay?"
I shook my head. "It's nothing."
He didn't even blink. "Try again."
I swallowed. Hard. "It's Alma."
He didn't speak. Just nodded like that was enough.
"I never told you why Cornelia and I broke up." He said. "Cornelia and I… we liked different things"
"She wanted to settle down. Have a life. A family. I didn't. I mean, I was young and reckless and stupid."
Silence. Not awkward. Just heavy.
"How do you stop the pain, Gildarts?" My voice cracked. "How do you stop it from hurting so much?"
I didn't look at him. Couldn't. My hands clenched into fists. I was not used to being this vulnerable.
For fuck sake, I am Oberon. King of the Fairies.
Then–
"You don't stop it."
I looked up.
"You carry it."
Just three words. But they hit like a gut punch.
"It doesn't go away," he said. "But you learn to live with it. You learn to breathe through it. Move forward even when it feels like you're dragging the world behind you."
I wanted to argue but all that came out was:
"What if I can't?"
His eyes softened. "You can. That I'm sure of."
I stared at him.
Then nodded.
"Thank you."
—
The news spread through the guild like wildfire.
"Alma's leaving Fairy Tail."
Whispers rippled through the hallways, followed by stunned silence, sympathetic murmurs. No one had seen it coming.
Aiden stood in the shadows of the guild hall as Alma quietly approached the Master's office. She didn't carry much. A small bag slung over her shoulder. No grand farewell, no dramatic tears. Just a quiet resolve.
Makarov met her with a heavy heart. "You sure about this, Alma?"
She nodded. "I am. I'll always be grateful… but I can't stay. Not right now."
He gave her a gentle smile, though sorrow lined every wrinkle on his face. "You'll always have a home here. Don't forget that."
Outside, a few close guildmates waited—Cana clung to her hand, refusing to let go until Alma knelt down and whispered something only she could hear. Tears streamed down the girl's cheeks, but she nodded.
Laxus, surprisingly quiet, stood beside her with his arms crossed, jaw tight. "Will you be back?"
Alma just smiled and ruffled his hair. "Maybe. One day."
Aiden didn't speak. He couldn't. He watched from a distance, rooted in place, eyes following her every movement. She glanced at him once—just once—and gave a soft smile.
And then she was gone.
The gate shut behind her.
And with that, a chapter of their lives closed.
Aiden stood frozen in the shadows, watching as Alma's figure disappeared through the gate, her silhouette growing smaller with each step.
His fingers tightened around the worn leather of the grimoire in his hand—the one he'd given her years ago. She had returned it to him without a word, just placed it in his palm.
For a moment, everything seemed suspended in time, as if the world itself was holding its breath, waiting for something to shift, to make sense of what had just unfolded.
Cana was the first to break the silence. She stepped back from the gate, her small hands trembling as she wiped her tear-streaked face. She looked so fragile, so lost in that moment, as if she had just lost the only thing that kept her steady. "Why?" she whispered, her voice barely audible, yet carrying the weight of a thousand unsaid words.
Laxus placed a hand on her shoulder, though the motion was stiff, as if it pained him to comfort anyone right now. "Because she had to. She couldn't stay, not like this."
Aiden could hear the pain in Cana's voice, raw and vulnerable, just as he felt it clawing at his chest. The words lingered in the air like smoke, curling around him, suffocating him with their truth. Alma had made her choice.
But Aiden couldn't let go. Not yet. Not when everything inside him screamed to hold on, to chase after her.
He took a step forward, but his feet felt heavy, as if they were buried in the ground. His heart pounded, each beat louder than the last. He had promised her he would let her go, but the weight of that promise felt unbearable.
Suddenly, Makarov appeared at his side, his old eyes filled with a knowing sadness. "It's hard, isn't it?" the Master said quietly, his voice low but steady.
Aiden nodded, though words failed him. He couldn't even find the right words to explain the ache in his chest, the one that felt like it might split him wide open.
"She'll find her way, Aiden," Makarov continued, his gaze softening as he watched the gate. "But sometimes, we have to let go of the ones we love, even if it breaks us. You can't carry the world for both of you. Not anymore."
Aiden's eyes remained fixed on the gate, his mind racing, trying to reconcile the truth of those words.
"I don't know how to live without her, Master," Aiden finally admitted, the words thick with emotion.
Makarov placed a hand on his shoulder, his grip firm but kind. "You'll find yourself, Aiden. You'll find your way again. But you have to let go of the idea that you can fix everything. You can't."
The old man's words sank in slowly, like a weight settling deep within him. He had always thought he could save everyone. But this time… this time, he had to accept that he couldn't.
"She'll always be a part of you. But she has to walk her own path now. Just as you have to walk yours."
Aiden let out a shaky breath, fighting back the lump in his throat. He wanted to scream,but instead, he stood there, quietly absorbing the quiet truth in Makarov's words.
As the gate behind him finally creaked shut, Aiden's gaze softened, a slow resolve settling in. Alma had left, and though it felt like his world had shattered, he knew that life would keep moving forward.
He didn't know how to live without her yet—but he would. He had to.
—----------
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