User blog comment:IamJakuhoRaikoben/Chapter 254: Year 791- Fairy Tail, Review./@comment-4506551-20111009081535/@comment-16344653-20111009121902

Yes, everyone is saying that 7 years was too much! But it probably has a reason. Maybe something like Igneel disappeared 7 years before the first part of the story and his son disappeared 7 years before the current time