With my urge for strength spiking after the event with the Alvarez Empire and the Etherion, I spent the next year taking quests nonstop and pushing myself to my absolute limit, earning lectures from both Gramps and Erza as I'd usually return to the Guild looking as if I'd just barely survived a battle against death herself, and it wasn't like I could argue against either of them since that was what typically happened. However, my reckless actions of pushing myself to my limit and sometimes beyond caused my strength to reach even greater heights faster than ever before.
During this time, I also learned from Levy about how crazy powerful the Alvarez Empire was, which didn't help my heart as it only made me more worried for the safety of my siblings; to learn that even being the strongest in Ishgar, the title held by God Serena, wasn't enough to even stand a chance against the Alvarez Empire left me somewhat defeated… However, it was only for a few short minutes before I grabbed another SS-class quest along with a handful of S-class missions. Although I remained as busy as possible, I still spent at least a few days at the guild every month; even though I was trying my damndest to grow stronger faster, I didn't want to alienate myself from my family.
However, while I was dragging my injured body across a dirt road in Fiore, having just completed the fifth and final quest before returning to the guild, I felt my heart skip a beat, causing me to clutch my chest, figuring the injuries I'd sustained had affected my heart to a greater extent than I had imagined; though after a few moments, my body went cold while my hair stood on end, causing me to narrow my eyes as I stopped moving and intently observed my surroundings. "I'm not being stalked, so why are my instincts warning me?" I was confused about what was happening as such a thing had never happened before, though, in the end, I just sighed and continued walking across the dirt road.
Still, after being unable to shake the uneasy feeling, I bit my lip and sprinted back home, ignoring my body that screamed in protest, given my numerous injuries, but I couldn't stop; this uneasy feeling I hated it. "Tsk, f-fucking hell… I hope I'm just making a mistake because of my injuries." Although I hoped that was the case, I've been injured numerous times, and yet this was the first time this happened. Given my injuries and that I was on the opposite side of Fiore, it took me all day until I arrived at Magnolia, and my injuries had worsened slightly, though I continued to power through it as I sprinted through Magnolia during the night.
Reaching Fairy Tail, I slowed down before kicking the door open, only to sigh when I noticed everything seemed normal, though I might've jinxed myself. Furrowing my brows while entering the guild, I sensed the solemn and depressed atmosphere, causing me to frown as I approached Natsu, who was sitting silently at the table. "Natsu, want to–" I planned to lightly provoke Natsu into a fight since he was usually the main one causing a ruckus whenever I returned, though a scowl instantly made its way onto my face when I saw him crying. I was about to reprimand Gray, who sat opposite of him, since how could he allow Natsu to cry while doing nothing, though my anger soared when I realized Gray was sniffling as well.
'W-Whose the fucking bastards that caused my little brothers to cry!?' Although furious, I knew something was wrong if both Natsu and Gray were sad enough to cry; leaving the two alone, I headed to Gramp's office as he was nowhere to be seen, though, along the way, I noticed they weren't the only ones crying. Nab, Max, Alzack, Levy, Bickslow, Fried, Jet, Droy, Reedus, Warren, Vijeeter, Loke, Macao, Wakaba, Levy, Cana, Laki, and Happy were all equally sad, if not quiet, which caused my fury to slowly dissipate. Calmly walking up the stairs to the second floor, I saw Erza leaning on the railing overlooking the hall below, and although she tried to hide it, I could hear her sniffling as I walked by. When I neared Gramps office, I saw Laxus leaning against the wall. Similar to the others, he was sad but also angry, given the fist-sized, charred hole in the wall beside him.
'Where are the Strauss siblings?' Slowly opening the door, I stepped into the office while glancing at Gramps, whose back faced me as he looked out the window behind him with his arms behind his back. "Gramps… What happened?" Approaching Gramps, who slowly turned around while wiping his teary eyes, I sat in one of the chairs. "I see you've returned injured like usual, Cooper… I'm glad." Said Gramps with a faint smile as he sat down, causing me to tilt my head in confusion. "Gramps, what happened?" Narrowing my eyes, I asked Gramps with a bit more force, causing him to bite his lip before heaving a deep sigh and nodding. "What I'm going to say is going to be difficult to take, but try your best, Cooper." Said Gramps solemnly as he clasped his hands while looking at me, causing me to gulp before nodding.
"During a quest the Strauss siblings took, a mishap occurred, and it resulted in Lisanna's death… Everyone has accepted dying on a quest; we knew the possible consequences if things went wrong–" "Gramps, what the fuck are you talking about? How can Lisanna be dead when I'm still alive? It doesn't make any sense; I'm her big brother; it's my job to protect her and everyone else in Fairy Tail, and if any of them were to die, it would be after I died!" I tried hard to deny Gramps, to refute his claims as I stood up and slammed my fist onto his desk from my rising anger, yet his refusal to further speak on the subject made it impossible to continue refusing to accept the truth.
As I slowly accepted Lisanna's death, my breathing accelerated, and my heart rate increased as I felt the world around me slowly begin to spin while my mind turned hazy. "... L-Lissanna?" "COOPER!"
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Makarov's POV
Signing a few papers, I heard the door to my office open, causing me to raise my head as I glanced at Erza, who was akin to the daughter I'd never had, enter. "Cooper, he's awake, Master." Said Erza softly as she approached me before sitting down, causing me to smile faintly. "That is good… The sudden news, combined with his extensive injuries, was too much for him to handle… So, how is he?" Folding the paper, I set my pen down and looked at Erza. "He busted a hole through the wall and dashed out of the guild when he awoke." Said Erza lightly, causing me to sigh and shake my head.
"Haa, well, just leave him be… Everyone grieves differently. Besides, I'm sure he's taking it harder than everyone else. Just give Cooper time, he'll come around." Offering Erza a faint, somewhat forced smile, she lightly nodded before standing up, though just as she was about to leave, she froze when we suddenly sensed a large burst of magic power in the distance. Standing up, Erza and I approached the window as we gazed east of Magnolia, where we saw faint golden magic power erupting from the forest in the distance. At first, we just watched, yet as the moments passed, I couldn't help but grow slightly worried; I knew exactly how Cooper's magic worked, and I knew he was vastly overflowing his body with magic power far past his limit.
"Master, if he doesn't stop… He'll kill himself." Said Erza with a concerned expression as she gazed out the window before glancing at me, causing me to lightly nod. "Stay here; I'll go and stop him." Glancing at Erza, I opened the door to the balcony and leaped into the air while using Giant's magic to lengthen my legs, causing me to grow in height until I towered over Magnolia. With but several steps, I exited Magnolia and entered the forest before lowering myself to where Cooper was, only to find him enveloped within his golden magic power as his body shimmered bright gold while his long white hair stood in the air.
Cooper didn't seem to sense my presence as he continued his rampage through the forest, destroying the ground in a single stomp and tearing through whatever beast he encountered with his bare hands; I let him continue for a little bit longer, only intervening when he collapsed onto the ground while violently coughing blood. "Cooper, stop this… You're killing yourself." Firmly grasping Cooper's shoulder, I looked down at him while he gritted his teeth before lowering his head as his tears dripped onto the ground. "I-It doesn't make sense, Gramps… I-I was supposed to protect her." Said Cooper weakly as she slammed his fist onto the ground, cracking it while I affectionately rubbed his shoulder. "So was I, Cooper… So was I."
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For those curious, I'll inform you guys in advance, NaLi is happening! 😍