Before long, a dramatic performance played out on the streets of the royal capital, starring Mystogan and Su Yan.
Su Yan transformed into a dragon and staged a grand act of wrecking the streets, proclaiming that he would destroy the whole world. Meanwhile, "secret hero" Mystogan arrived on the scene in a cliché storyline: the prince who vanished seven years ago had done so because of a divine prophecy, inheriting the sacred sword of a hero.
According to the prophecy, an evil dragon would appear on this very day to destroy the world. The prince had left the lavish capital behind, traveling to foreign lands to train so he could save everyone. The so-called "sacred sword" was really one of Lucy's Celestial Spirits – part of the silver Spirits that once belonged to Angel of the Oración Seis – which could transform into both a sword and a laser cannon. Since magic could no longer be used freely in Edolas, only those who still possessed magic in their bodies could cast spells.
To make Mystogan physically capable of great feats, Wendy used various supportive enchantments, granting him near-superhuman strength—easily letting him leap across rooftops. "Happy" also acted as Mystogan's partner, helping him fly around in pursuit of the "evil dragon."
Natsu and Gajeel took on the roles of the dragon's henchmen. Mystogan used his "holy sword" to defeat them first, then overcame the villainous Su Yan. Although it was all staged, with illusions instead of real combat, the result was spectacular. Because some magic still remained in their bodies, they didn't even need special effects to make it convincing. Plus, with the endorsement of the Royal Army captains, the unsuspecting citizens fully believed this story.
By then, Anima had reached its final phase. Everyone with magic power in their bodies began to glow and float upward, as though being pulled away from Edolas.
"This is…!"
Pantherlily noticed he was glowing, too, rising slowly from the ground.
"What? Lily?!" Mystogan exclaimed, anxious. "Does this mean I'll lose you now that I've reversed the Anima?!" He hadn't counted on forcibly sending Pantherlily, born and raised in Edolas, off to Earthland.
Carla, however, seemed unfazed. "We also have magic in our bodies. With the reversal of Anima, we're naturally being drawn into the other world."
Pantherlily, realizing his situation, sighed. "Prince, it's okay. So long as magic exists, there will be conflict. Maybe a world without magic is exactly what Edolas needs. And, well, I'd like to see where you've been all these years, too…"
Moments later, Pantherlily drifted skyward, joining Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Gajeel, Lisanna, "Happy," and Carla in a swirl of light. Soon enough, they all vanished from Edolas, leaving only Su Yan behind.
"Su Yan, aren't you going too?" Mystogan noticed the man's body wasn't glowing like the others.
Su Yan shrugged. "I can't be drawn out like them. I don't have any magic in my body, so I'll have to find my own way back."
"You don't have magic at all?!" Mystogan was stunned. He had assumed Su Yan's magic power was too massive to fully sense. But now he realized Su Yan didn't rely on Edolas's brand of magic.
"That's right, I'm not a mage in the usual sense. It's no secret in Fairy Tail—if only you'd talked more with the others," Su Yan pointed out.
Mystogan felt a twinge of embarrassment, recalling that he'd avoided others to keep his identity hidden. He nodded quietly. "I see…"
"Anyway, I'd better get going," Su Yan said. "You'll need time to help everyone here adjust. I'll explain things to Master and the rest of the guild. Don't worry about them. It's a shame you won't make it to our next party—if we meet again, let's have a drink together."
A slight smile crossed Mystogan's face. Despite his reclusiveness, Fairy Tail had truly become a second home to him. "Yes. If we ever meet again, we'll share that drink. And… thank you for everything."
Su Yan just nodded. Then, leaping skyward, he turned back into the colossal blue dragon and soared into the swirling vortex that Anima had opened, bound for Earthland.
Below him, in the ruined palace courtyard, Mystogan stood on a broken wall and called out to the gathered crowd: "The dragon is gone! Even without magic, we can still survive—if we work together!"
…
Earthland
Back near Magnolia Town, rain drizzled lightly. It seemed almost as if time had stood still since the moment everyone had been pulled into the other world.
A huge portal yawned open in the sky, and Natsu, Lucy, Lisanna, Wendy, Gajeel, "Happy," Carla, and Pantherlily all came falling through.
"Waaahhh!"
"Oof!"
"Gah!"
"Oww, that hurt!"
They crashed onto the ground in a pile of groans. Suddenly, a vast dragon's head emerged from the portal overhead—and it, too, began plummeting down on them.
"AAAAHHH!" they screamed, certain the dragon would crush them. But, as it dropped, the azure reptilian form shrank rapidly until it became Su Yan's human figure, landing gracefully on his feet.
"Was that so scary?" he asked, mildly amused. "You screamed like you were about to die."
"Well, yeah! We thought that giant dragon would squash us flat!" the others retorted.
"Anyway," Natsu cheered, looking around at the familiar landscape. "We're back!!"
"Right, but what about Fairy Tail?" someone asked, running to the rocky edge to peer down. Sure enough, Magnolia was sprawled out below them in all its usual charm—rows of houses lined up neatly, everything intact.
"It's all exactly like it was!"
"Even the streets are in place! We made it!" they cried.
"It's been so long since I've seen Magnolia…" Lisanna whispered, heart swelling with emotion. She'd spent two years separated from her home and family in Edolas, never quite sure she'd return. Now, it was real.
Then Gajeel suddenly remembered someone. "Wait—where's Lily?!" He spun around anxiously.
"I'm here," answered a small voice. They turned to see a tiny black cat, roughly the same size as "Happy" or Carla.
"Lily! You're… so small!" they exclaimed in unison.