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The party stretched into the depths of the night, a tapestry of laughter and camaraderie. Rena watched, her heart swelling with bittersweet joy, as her friends from different realms mingled effortlessly. Pirates, fairies, wizards, heroes—each one a testament to the surreal beauty of her journey. She longed to freeze this moment in time, but the inevitability of its end loomed closer with each passing second.
As the first light of dawn began to creep in, it was time for farewells. Rena approached her family from Fairy Tail first.
“Guys,” she began, her voice trembling as she fought back tears. “Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your guild. You made me feel like I had a real family.”
Lucy stepped forward, her smile gentle and reassuring. “You are family, Rena. You always will be, even if you forget us.”
“It was really fun going on jobs with you, Miss Rena!” Wendy added, her voice sweet and sincere.
“Yeah, you were pretty cool,” Gray said with a smirk, trying to mask his own emotions.
Erza grinned, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Before you go, we have a tradition for those leaving the guild. Natsu, would you do the honors?”
“Hell yeah!” Natsu exclaimed, his enthusiasm lighting up the room. “There are three rules all Fairy Tail members must follow when they leave the guild.”
He held up one finger. “First, you must never reveal sensitive information about Fairy Tail to others for as long as you live.”
Then he added a second finger. “Second, you must never use former contacts met through your being in the guild for personal gain.”
As he held up a third finger, his smile grew wider. “And third, though our paths may diverge, you must continue to live out your life with all your might. You must never consider your own life to be insignificant, and you must never forget about your friends for as long as you live.”
He added a fourth finger, flames dancing around them, spelling out ‘Rena’.
Rena couldn’t hold back her tears any longer. She hugged Natsu tightly, catching him off guard before he returned the embrace. “Thank you. Even if my memories of being with you guys fade, you’ll always be in my heart. Thank you so much,” she said, smiling through her tears.
The Fairy Tail members raised their hands, pointing their fingers to the sky and their thumbs to the side in a heartfelt salute.
Rena then turned to the heroes, starting with the students. “You boys are going to be amazing heroes. Study hard, stay strong, and PLUS ULTRA!”
“Thanks, Miss Rena! Even though you were only our teacher for a week, you were awesome!” Midoriya cheered.
“Psht, whatever. She was alright, I guess” Bakugo grumbled, though his eyes betrayed a hint of respect.
“You were a pretty cool teacher, Miss Rena,” Todoroki added with a rare smile.
She then approached Hawks, who was trying to hide behind his usual hero smile. “Hawkie…” she mused softly.
He flinched slightly, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Guess our little deal is off then?” he chuckled.
Rena blushed slightly, her smile tender. “Yeah, but I’m sure there’s someone out there for you.”
“Nah, I’m totally married to the job,” he replied with a grin.
“You’re going to work yourself to death, aren’t you?” she joked, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Obviously. I can’t let some villain take me down. I gotta do it myself,” he said, flashing a peace sign.
“Just be careful. Like you told me once before, the league is unpredictable. Especially Dabi—he seems to have something against you,” she said softly.
“Yeah, I’ll be careful,” he promised, his smile genuine.
“You promise? I’ll be watching… apparently,” she giggled.
“I promise,” he chuckled.
She hugged him tightly. “Good, Take care.. Keigo,” she whispered with a wink as she moved on.
Rena took a deep breath as she approached the rowdy yet endearing members of the Black Bulls.
“Hey, guys,” she began, her voice wavering slightly. “I just wanted to say you all are an amazing group of people, and I think your the best magic knight squad out there.”
Yami took a drag from his cigarette and gave her a nod. “You weren’t so bad yourself, kid.”
Asta, ever enthusiastic, jumped forward with stars in his eyes. “We’re gonna miss you, Rena! You were so cool!”
Noelle, trying to maintain her composure, added, “Yeah, I guess you’re alright for a commoner.”
Vanessa, with a knowing wink, raised her glass. “You keep that hottie in line, yeah?”
Charmy, munching on a snack, waved enthusiastically. “Don’t forget to eat yummy snacks!”
Finral, ever the gentleman, bowed slightly. “It’s been an honor knowing you. Safe travels, Lady Rena.”
Zora, leaning against a wall with his usual smirk, added, “Try and stay outta trouble,”
With one last look at her beloved Black Bulls, Rena turned to approach the Pirates.
“You know,” she began, her voice soft but steady. “You guys are the coolest pirates I’ve ever met. Our time might have been short but thank you for taking care of me. You’ve all been incredible friends.”
Luffy, with his trademark grin, stretched his arms wide. “You’re still welcome to join the crew!”
Zoro, leaning on his swords, gave her a nod. “Yeah, you were pretty cool yourself. ”
Nami, with a warm smile, added, “Take care of yourself, Rena.”
Sanji, surprisingly keeping his heart eyes contained. “It’s been a pleasure knowing you, Miss Rena. If you ever need a meal, you know where to find me.”
Chopper, sniffling, hugged her tightly. “I’ll miss you, Rena!”
Robin, with her serene smile, said, “May your journey be filled with knowledge and wonder, Rena.”
Brook, tipping his hat, added, “Yohohoho! Farewell, Miss Rena! May your path be filled with music and joy!”
She then turned to Law and Bepo, her heart aching knowing what they were going back too.
“Law, Bepo,” she began, her voice trembling. “Good Luck finding your crew. I'm sure they miss you terribly.”
Law, giving a surprising soft smile, nodded. “Thank you Rena-ya and thanks again for asking Death-ya about my crew.”
Bepo, trying to stay strong, said, “We’ll miss you, Rena! Stay safe and thank you!”
Rena hugged Law, causing him to grimace at the interaction. “Thank you for everything. I’m not sure what would have happened if you hadn’t found me, well, falling from the sky.”
Then she turned to face the guardians, her nerves unsteady, but before she could say anything, Aether spoke first.
“Rena,” she smiled gently, her voice like a soothing melody, “We want to express our gratitude for saving us. I wish we could have given you something more than just words to show you just how much we appreciate you, but I’m afraid we are limited. I want you to know just how strong you are. Not many humans can wield all the powers of the elements.”
“Well, you gave me some of your essence, I’m sure that made it possible,” Rena replied shyly, her cheeks tinged with a soft blush.
“It helped a little, but your strong will and unwavering soul made it possible,” Aether continued, her eyes filled with admiration.
“Rena, none of this would have been possible if I hadn’t stumbled into your world,” Versa said, her voice breaking as tears welled up in her eyes. “I’m so sorry for all the pain you suffered while we were bonded. I never wanted you to get hurt.”
“V, it was my decision to take on the mission. It wasn’t your fault. I was happy to do it. I… I felt so alone, I could feel myself drifting back into the darkness that held me once before, but going on those missions, visiting those worlds, making new friends, it all showed me I’m never truly alone. So thank you for falling into my world.” Rena smiled, embracing Versa in a warm hug.
As they let go, Rena turned to Blaine. “I still can’t get over the fact you look so normal,” she chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.
“That’s a little rude, you know,” he chuckled back, a playful glint in his eyes.
“Yeah? Not as rude as invading someone’s dreams,” she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Eh, you’ll forget about it anyway,” he said, awkwardly scratching the back of his head, reminding Rena of the inevitable.
She let out a sigh, “Just… don’t come ordering a coffee in your cloak. I seriously thought I was dying.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. It will be a while before we see each other again,” he said with a small, reassuring smile.
Aviv appeared, his usual stoic expression in place. “Miss Rena, I’m afraid it’s time.”
Her face dropped, emotions rising again. “Right,” she whispered, then turned to give her final goodbye. But when she met his gaze, her composure started to break. As she stood there frozen for what felt like an eternity, she began to tremble. Soon, her legs gave out and she dropped to the floor, burying her face in her hands as her tears flowed freely. “I… I can’t… not again. I don’t want to do this again. I don’t want to say goodbye. Please…”
In an instant, he was in front of her, his hands gently pulling hers away from her face. She continued to look at the ground, scared to gaze into his emerald green eyes.
“Ree…” he whispered, his voice trembling. “Ree, please, look at me.”
She hesitated, her heart pounding, but slowly lifted her gaze to meet his tear-filled eyes.
“Ree, I know it’s hard, but I know you. I know you’re strong. Remember what I always told you when we were kids? ‘I’ll always be there for you.’ That’s a promise I intend to keep. I know I left you alone. I know I broke my promise to be there after graduation. I know that hurt you. It hurt me too, leaving you, but I had to, to protect you. I never forgot about you. I dreamed of you every night, longing to hear your voice, your laugh, to see your smile, to lose myself in your eyes, to admire the way they glistened when you played the piano.
I love you, Serena Reyes. I have since the day I first saw you. Our fate is written in the stars, so promise me you’ll look to them. I’ll be looking too, wherever I am.” He rested his forehead against hers, his breath warm and shaky. “We will find each other again. I promise you that. I love you, Ree, forever and always. I will love you till the end of time.”
Rena couldn’t hold back any longer. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close, her tears mingling with his. “I love you too, Clark. I always have, and I always will. I will love you till the end of time.”
Once Rena finally calmed down, they released their embrace. He gently wiped away her tears and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. Helping her to her feet, she turned around and gave everyone a small, bittersweet smile.
Aviv stepped up, his tone soft and reassuring. “Are you ready?” he asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be. It’s not like I have much of a choice, right?” she said with a half-hearted grin.
“Right. Well, it’s better if you sit down. You’ll feel tired once the process begins and will likely fall into a deep sleep. When you awaken, you’ll be back three years in your past. Again, I’m sorry you couldn’t just go back to your present, but I promise you that you will be okay.” He gave a surprisingly gentle smile.
“Okay, let’s get this over with then,” she said, sitting down in a chair. Clark held her hand tightly, standing beside her. She gave everyone one last look. “Well, I guess this is goodbye,” she said, as one last tear slid down her cheek.
Aviv raised his hand, and a warm yellow glow surrounded her. Her eyes slowly drifted closed, the world around her fading into a comforting darkness.
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