POV: Elior
Two days later, Laxus and I stood at Magnolia Station with Gildarts.
Our destination was a major transportation point several hours north, much closer to the region where Deliora had last been sighted.
Normally, Laxus and I could cover enormous distances ourselves.
I could turn into Light and cross the landscape at ridiculous speeds, while Laxus could transform into Lightning and do much the same.
But, well, Gildarts couldn't and his presence was kinda necessary.
So we took the train.
"I still think I could've gotten there faster," I said as the train began moving.
Laxus looked out the window.
"You'd get there faster alone."
"Exactly."
"We're not alone."
"Minor technicality."
Gildarts laughed from the seat across from us.
"You two really are obsessed with speed."
"He's the one who's obsessed," Laxus said.
I looked at him.
"You challenged me to three races last week."
"And I almost won."
"Almost doesn't count."
"Enough," Gildarts said, shaking his head. "Save the arguing for after we arrive."
The journey passed without incident.
We spent most of it going over the map Makarov had given us and discussing the information surrounding Deliora.
The monster had been moving steadily toward Brago.
Every settlement in its projected path was being evacuated or warned.
But the further north we traveled, the more frequently we heard stories about destruction left behind by Deliora.
Villages reduced to rubble.
Forests torn apart.
Roads destroyed.
Entire areas abandoned.
This wasn't a monster that simply attacked when provoked.
It moved.
And everything unfortunate enough to be in its path suffered.
By the time we reached the major transportation point, the sun was already beginning to descend.
From there, we continued on foot.
The jungle became thicker as we moved deeper into the wilderness.
Huge trees blocked most of the sunlight.
Vines hung from branches overhead, and the ground was covered in thick vegetation.
Gildarts walked casually at the front while Laxus and I followed.
For a while, everything was quiet.
Then I stopped.
Laxus noticed immediately.
"What?"
I raised my hand.
"Wait."
I closed my eyes.
The world around me changed.
The jungle didn't disappear.
Instead, I became aware of everything moving through it.
The flow of ethernano.
The faint magical signatures of living creatures.
The movement of insects.
The subtle disturbance of branches and leaves.
And then I felt something unusual.
Weak.
Unstable.
Human.
"Someone's nearby."
Gildarts turned toward me.
"How far?"
"Not far."
I opened my eyes.
"That way."
Before either of them could say anything, I disappeared.
Light carried me through the trees.
Branches blurred past me as I moved between them, following the faint magical presence.
A few seconds later, I stopped.
There was someone lying on the ground.
A girl.
She looked young.
Her clothes were torn and covered in dirt, and her body was covered in injuries.
She wasn't moving.
I immediately knelt beside her.
"She's alive."
Gildarts and Laxus arrived moments later.
Gildarts' expression darkened.
"What happened to her?"
"I don't know."
I placed my hand over her chest.
Her magical flow was dangerously unstable.
There was too much magic moving through her body.
Far too much.
I immediately recognized the problem.
"Her body can't handle her magic."
Laxus froze.
He understood.
"Like me."
I nodded.
"Something like that."
I released a controlled stream of Light Magic into her body.
Healing Light spread through her injuries, repairing damaged tissue and stabilizing her magical flow.
It took longer than I expected.
Her condition was bad.
Eventually, her breathing became steady.
I pulled my hand away.
"She'll be okay."
The girl suddenly inhaled sharply.
Her eyes opened.
She immediately looked around in panic.
"Where…?"
"Easy," I said. "You're safe."
She stared at me.
Then at Laxus.
Then Gildarts.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Elior. That's Laxus, and that's Gildarts. We are mages from FairyTail."
She looked confused.
The girl tried to sit up.
I stopped her.
"Don't push yourself."
She looked down at her hands.
For a moment, she said nothing.
Then her expression changed.
Anger.
Pain.
Confusion.
"My mother…"
Gildarts' expression became serious.
"What happened?"
The girl swallowed.
"My name is Ultear."
She looked toward the ground.
"My mother is Ur."
Laxus and I exchanged a glance.
Gildarts' eyebrows rose.
"Ur, you mean the snow witch Ur?"
"Yes. You know her?"
"By reputation."
Ultear's hands clenched.
"She abandoned me."
Her voice trembled.
"She left me at a research facility."
I remained silent.
Ultear continued.
"They experimented on me. They kept trying to control my magic because there was too much of it. They said my body couldn't handle it."
Laxus' expression tightened.
He knew exactly what that meant.
Ultear looked down.
"I escaped."
Her voice became quieter.
She swallowed.
"When I went back to our home I saw her with two kids. She has found replacements for me."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"I never mattered to her."
Gildarts' expression hardened.
"Calm down, kid. I may not know much about Ur, but I do know that she's a respectable wizard. I don't think what you believe is true."
Ultear suddenly roared, "YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING, SO SHUT UP!"
Gildarts fell silent.
He didn't argue.
I looked at Ultear.
"No."
Her expression hardened.
"Did you hear your mother say that you didn't matter? That she doesn't care about you?"
Ultear froze.
"No. I didn't. But…"
I looked directly at her.
"Then do that. Look her in the eyes and ask her for answers. We will come with you."
She stared at me.
Gildarts stepped closer.
"Ultear, what happened to you was horrible. There's no changing that."
Ultear looked at him.
"But before you decide that your mother abandoned you, you should hear what actually happened from her."
"Why?"
"Because that's what you deserve. The truth."
Ultear's eyes trembled.
"But what if she really doesn't want me?"
"Then come with us. Join our guild, Fairy Tail. Become a part of our family," I said with a warm smile.
Ultear stared at me.
"Really?"
"Yes, really. Now c'mon, let's go."
Ultear sniffled and nodded.
We followed her lead as she led us through the jungle.
She walked quietly for a while, occasionally wiping her eyes.
Nobody rushed her.
Eventually, the trees began to thin.
A small clearing appeared ahead.
Ultear stopped.
I could sense a powerful magical presence nearby.
Very powerful.
Gildarts noticed it too.
"That should be her."
Ultear took a deep breath.
Then she stepped forward.
We followed.
Eventually, we reached Ur's house.
And the scene in front of us made me stop dead.
A woman stood outside in her undergarments, watching two equally nude kids doing push-ups.
I blinked.
Laxus blinked.
Gildarts stared for a second.
Then he slowly looked away.
Well…
That was certainly an introduction.
Ur noticed us.
Her eyes moved toward Gildarts first.
Then Laxus.
Then they stopped on Ultear.
Everything changed.
"Ultear?"
The girl froze.
Ur stared at her as if she had seen a ghost.
"No…"
Ultear's eyes filled with tears.
"Mom."
Ur took one step forward.
Then another.
Her expression broke.
"Ultear…"
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
Ur's eyes widened as tears began forming.
Then she rushed forward.
She wrapped her arms around Ultear and broke down.
"I am so glad you are alive."
Ultear remained frozen for a moment.
Then she broke down and hugged her back.
Ultear cried into her shoulder.
"I thought you didn't want me."
Ur held her tightly.
"I thought you were dead."
Well then ultear and ur shared their sides of the story while crying.
"I thought you abandoned me."
"Never."
Ur's answer came immediately.
"I would never abandon you."
Ultear stared at her mother.
"I didn't know."
Ur pulled her close again.
The two held each other for a long moment.
I quietly stepped back.
This wasn't something I could fix with Light Magic.
Some wounds needed something else.
The truth.
And time.
Gildarts stood beside me, watching the reunion.
He smiled faintly.
"I'm glad she found her."
"Me too."
For the first time since we'd found her, Ultear didn't look angry.
She just looked like a daughter who had finally found her mother again.
And somehow, I had a feeling this was only the beginning.