The next day, Layla took a backpack and used Teleportation Magic directly to the guild's entrance. Her sudden appearance startled Makarov, who was standing right there. Makarov gave Layla a solid bonk on the head with his staff and said, "You scared the life out of me! Don't you ever pop out of nowhere like that again, kid."
"Sorry, old man. Could you put this book back for me? I'm heading out today." Layla rubbed her head. Makarov hasn't hit her hard at all, and she casually asked the old master to return the book for her.
"Oh, hurry up and get going. And don't do that again next time, you'll give someone a heart attack." Makarov took the book and waved a hand to dismiss her.
"See you later, old man," Layla said, then instantly teleported away again.
"Should we set up a designated teleportation spot? Wait a minute... how on earth did this kid learn Teleportation Magic?" Makarov watched her vanish once more, walked into the guild with the book in hand, and suddenly paused as the thought caught up with him.
"Grandpa, let's go!"
Layla and August arrived at Tenrou Island, a small island located in the waters outside Fiore. The island had a peculiar shape, looking almost like two separate islands with a giant Tenrou Tree standing right in the middle. It was home to many strange creatures, and rumor had it that a guild had once existed here.
Standing on the island, Layla could feel the ambient magic power continuously flowing into her body. *Is it because of the Tenrou Tree? This really is a fantastic place for cultivation.* Afterward, Layla followed August deeper into the forest.
Along the way, they spotted numerous squirrels. These were said to be rare and unique creatures that lived only on Tenrou Island—Tenrou flying squirrels—which no biologist in the entire world had ever laid eyes on, along with a host of other strange fauna.
Venturing further forward, they passed through a set of ruins. Layla noticed a large building marked with a lizard emblem, then looked at the sign on the ground by the door, which had "Red Lizard" carved into it.
Continuing past a cave, they finally arrived at the grave of the first master, Mavis. Emerging from the path, the first thing that came into view was the grave itself, atop which sat several bundles of chrysanthemums.
Standing right beside the tomb was an exceptionally adorable young girl with emerald-green eyes, a pair of tiny wings on her head, and long golden hair swaying in the breeze. She was barefoot, floating in mid-air, and dressed in a pink-and-white gown.
"Are you... here to see me?" Mavis's voice reached Layla's ears.
"First Master! You're still alive?" Seeing Mavis, Layla showed extreme shock, though her inner excitement was completely genuine. *It's a living First Master, a living one! The First Master is seriously adorable!*
"You must be Layla?"
"First Master, how do you know my name?" Layla asked, somewhat startled.
"I told her," August said from behind Layla, dropping a bewildering statement out of nowhere.
"Grandpa told the First Master?" Layla felt her brain's processing capacity reaching its absolute limit. August meant that he had already met and conversed with the First Master, and had even told her all about Layla.
"That's right, little Layla." Seeing Layla's expression, Mavis reached out to gently pat her head in reassurance.
"Wait, my brain is a bit scrambled." Layla raised a hand, wanting to hit pause on time to give her mind a moment to catch up. Right then, her thoughts felt like a cosmic explosion, with questions bombarding her from every direction. *August told Mavis? How did he even know about Mavis in the first place, and why would he talk to her about me?*
"Actually, I came here last night."
"Grandpa, you came here last night? What for?"
"Mm. I bought a bouquet of flowers to pay my respects to my mother."
"Mother?!" Layla's gaze snapped from the chrysanthemums on Mavis's grave to Mavis herself, standing off to the side.
"Mm."
Hearing August admit it with his own lips, Layla nearly lost her grip on reality. What on earth was going on? Her startled gaze flicked back and forth between August and Mavis. The script wasn't supposed to go like this—weren't they supposed to recognize each other today for the very first time?
August explained how it all came about. Last night, after returning to his room and reading the book, his heart refused to settle. After turning it over in his mind, he decided to visit Tenrou Island to take a look, stopping by a flower shop along the way.
When August arrived on Tenrou Island, he sensed a presence and teleported directly toward it. It was Mavis's grave, and the tomb was glowing. Given the sheer magnitude of August's magic power, he instantly perceived that someone was standing right there before him.
August activated his Eye of God Magic and saw Mavis standing there, looking exactly the same as she had when he was a child. Tears involuntarily spilled from his eyes.
Mavis looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar stranger before her, and upon seeing him weep, felt a tug at her heartstrings. She noticed the flowers in his hand, and after asking about his relationship to Mavis, August finally confessed everything to her.
"Wait! What about the details? What about the details after the confession?" Layla demanded, feeling like going berserk as August abruptly glossed over the crucial climax. Of course Layla knew a confession would happen, but what about the hug afterward?
"Ahem. That's how it went." August gave an awkward cough, attempting to draw a line under the subject.
"No way, you're just dropping it there? That's it?" Layla's protest was cut short by a single glance from August—the kind of look that suggested August might genuinely commit murder.
"That's right, little Layla," Mavis said, resting her hands on her hips.
"Ah, this is wonderful." Layla looked at Mavis and August standing together. It was a harmonious scene she had longed to see for a long time, and this time, the ending wouldn't be August walking away in sorrow and solitude.
"Oh, right! First Master, I brought a camera. Let's take a picture together as a keepsake." Layla pulled the camera out of her backpack and suggested it to Mavis.
"I'm just a ghost. This camera won't be able to capture me," Mavis said, looking at the camera in Layla's hand with a hint of regret.
"Perhaps there is a way." August offered an idea, looking at Layla. Layla felt a bit baffled at first, but then she caught his meaning. Yet she couldn't help thinking that something conjured this way wouldn't be a real physical body anyway—what was August planning to do?
While Layla was still pondering, August cast his magic, materializing a body for Mavis, though it lacked consciousness. Seeing this, a resentful little expression crept onto Layla's face. *He just copied her like that? Instant replication magic is seriously cheating!*
"Is this... the Arc of Embodiment?" Mavis looked at the body of herself right in front of her. The Arc of Embodiment required no magic circle; it could be materialized simply through imagination, and Mavis recognized the magic at a single glance.
"When I was a child, I saw my mother's body and appearance. Materializing it wasn't difficult, and my magic power can sustain this vessel for a very long time."
"Grandpa, the real question is how to get the First Master's soul to merge into this body."
August extended his hand, and a magic circle enveloped Mavis, instantly transforming into a beam of light that melted into the vessel.
"This is..."
"Advanced Attachment Magic. It's the magic of a friend of mine."
Hearing this, Layla thought of the red-haired woman.
August stopped his magic, but Mavis was still fast asleep. Merging a soul with a physical body required time to harmonize, and since Mavis had been in a ghost state for so long, she would need time to adjust.
"Grandpa, thank you."
"What are you thanking me for?"
"Thank you for taking me in."
"Don't mention it. I thank you, too."
"Mm."
Deep inside, however, Layla was still turning things over in her mind. August's affairs could be put on the back burner for now, but regarding Mavis's current condition, Layla still felt a lingering sense of unease. Everything had happened far too fast, and there were still many things she hadn't figured out. Layla wanted to speak up, but didn't know how to phrase it. Without a doubt, something must have happened last night that August hadn't told her about.
For a long time, Layla and August silently watched over Mavis's condition, neither of them speaking another word as Mavis's ghostly form gradually faded and fully integrated into the physical body.