"This is more complicated than it seems…" Finn murmured, gazing up at the countless stars in the night sky.
Tears streamed down Loke's face. In that moment, he seemed to find a reason to live: to become Lucy's Celestial Spirit, to fight for her.
Looking at Karen's grave, it was as if Karen herself stood before the tombstone, a gentle smile of release playing on her lips, before slowly fading away.
Loke understood that the three-year-long nightmare that had haunted him was finally over, vanishing along with Karen's ethereal form.
Loke felt reborn. Wiping away his tears, he stood up, addressing the two before him. "Truly…thank you!"
Loke returned to the Spirit World, leaving behind a single golden key. Lucy glanced at Finn, who smiled and said, "Go ahead and take it."
"Okay," Lucy picked up the key, holding it in her hand. "I look forward to working with you from now on, Leo…"
"Is that a Celestial Spirit?" Natsu's voice rang out from the Fairy Tail construction site.
Inside the site, the rebuilding was nearing completion. Natsu and the others were gathered around Loke, examining him from every angle, Natsu in particular showing an intense curiosity.
"Hey, you're neither a cow nor a horse, are you?" Natsu asked, voicing his confusion.
Loke explained, "Didn't you know Virgo? She's also human-shaped."
Natsu shook his head. "No way! That guy can turn into a giant gorilla anytime she wants!" Natsu recalled his first encounter with Virgo during their initial mission, when she had appeared in her gorilla form.
Loke couldn't argue with that. "I suppose that's true…"
Lucy, sipping on a drink nearby, clarified, "Loke is a Leo Celestial Spirit."
"A lion?!" Natsu and Happy were both taken aback, Happy especially, rushing towards Loke. "So lions are just grown-up cats?"
Loke ruffled Happy's head affectionately. "I suppose you could say that."
Upon hearing Loke's response, Lucy couldn't help but offer a wry comment, "They're completely different species, you know."
"Oh, right, here you go," Loke said, producing four tickets. "These are vouchers for a luxury resort hotel. I've received so much kindness from you all, so please accept this as a small token of my gratitude."
"A resort hotel!!"
"I've never stayed at such a high-class hotel before!"
Watching the excited group, their faces beaming with delight, Loke chuckled softly and continued, "I've already given Finn and Erza their vouchers. This time, you guys should go and have a really good time."
"What are you all still dawdling around for? Don't you want to be left behind?"
A voice called out, and the group turned to see Finn and Erza, each sporting a pair of sunglasses and dressed in fresh new outfits. Erza was even pulling a large suitcase behind her.
"They're really quick…"
Akané Resort . This was the kingdom's most popular seaside resort, boasting a sprawling amusement park for guests to enjoy, a high-class hotel offering dining and relaxation facilities,
an alluring beach whose charm was impossible to resist after just one visit, and a boundless ocean stretching as far as the eye could see. It was, without a doubt, the perfect place for relaxation and indulgence.
After receiving the vouchers from Loke, Finn and his companions were enjoying their well-deserved leisure time to the fullest.
Inside the luxurious hotel, Erza, having spent the day indulging in various amusements, lay comfortably on a sun lounger, soaking up the warm glow of the setting sun.
"What a truly wonderful day," she murmured contentedly, her relaxed state gradually lulling her into a peaceful slumber.
"Erza, there is no true freedom in this world…" a chillingly familiar voice echoed in Erza's mind.
"Ugh…" Erza jolted awake from her slumber, gasping for breath, the images of her nightmare involuntarily flooding back into her mind.
"It was just a dream…I must have fallen asleep without realizing it…" Erza whispered softly to herself.
"What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare, Erza?" Finn's voice sounded from behind her.
"Ah…I just had a flashback to some past memories," Erza said, letting out a long sigh of relief. "When did you get back?"
Finn approached, carrying a steaming cup of hot coffee, which he placed gently in front of Erza. "Just now," he said softly. "I saw you were asleep, so I didn't want to disturb you."
Finn gently stroked Erza's hair. "The past is the past. Now you have me, and you have Fairy Tail. Don't push yourself so hard."
Erza nodded. "I don't know why, but I haven't had a nightmare in a long time. Maybe I was just too tired from all the fun we had today."
Erza reached out, taking Finn's hand that was resting on her head, and gently pressed it against her cheek, resting her head comfortably against his palm. "It's true, I only feel truly at ease when you're here."
Finn, observing Erza's vulnerable demeanor, let out a long sigh. "Erza, I've been keeping an eye out for any information about the Tower of Heaven, but it might be hidden too well, because I haven't found anything yet…"
"It's alright," Erza interrupted Finn, her voice calm and reassuring. "It's been so many years now. Who knows? Maybe it's already been destroyed. Let's not talk about it, okay?"
Finn nodded, although he remained deeply concerned about the matter. Ever since Erza had shared her entire past with him, Finn had been diligently searching for any trace of the Tower of Heaven's location.
The reasons why Erza herself didn't know the Tower's location were twofold: firstly, Jellal had explicitly forbidden Erza from ever setting foot on the island again, warning her that doing so would result in the deaths of the hostages held captive there.
Secondly, Erza had been unconscious at sea after the incident, completely disoriented and adrift, until she was eventually rescued by Finn. Therefore, Erza herself had no idea where the Tower of Heaven was located.
Finn knew that until this issue was resolved, Erza would forever remain trapped in the shadows of her past. Though she might appear outwardly unaffected, Finn understood the truth—she was still living with immense pain and suffering.
Seeing that Erza didn't want to discuss the topic any further, Finn suggested, "How about we get something to eat? I'm actually quite hungry after all that fun today."
"Are you hungry?" Erza looked at Finn with a slightly quizzical expression.
Finn responded matter-of-factly, "Of course I am! Besides, isn't it almost dinner time already?"
Erza smiled brightly. "Perfect! I brought some snacks to tide us over until then." With that, Erza got up and started rummaging through the massive suitcase she had brought with her.
It was clear that this was indeed a top-of-the-line hotel; the room was spacious enough to easily accommodate Erza's considerable amount of luggage.
Soon, Erza unearthed a beautifully packaged box, which appeared to contain a selection of exquisite pastries.
Upon seeing this, Finn couldn't help but exclaim, "Erza, you're so thoughtful! You even brought snacks with you! I wonder what you didn't bring along?"
Of course, Finn had probably forgotten his previous complaints about the apparent uselessness of Erza's oversized suitcase.
Erza opened the box, revealing a collection of exquisitely crafted small cookies, each one vibrantly colored.
"These are…macarons?" Finn recognized the delicate pastries immediately. Legend had it that these sweet treats were known as "shōjo no sukyū", possessing an unparalleled texture and a visually stunning array of colors that were incredibly appetizing.
"Erza, you're so thoughtful! These must be Mira's handiwork," Finn remarked, picking up one of the colorful confections.
Gazing at its vibrant appearance, he couldn't help but recall that Mira was probably the only person in the entire guild who possessed the skill to create such delicate pastries.
However, Erza shook her head. "These weren't made by Mira. Although Mira did mention that she would make some for us before we left, I ended up stopping her."
Finn was completely bewildered.
Erza continued, "Because I thought it would be easy enough to make them myself. Look how beautiful they are!" Erza gestured towards the small, round cookie in Finn's hand.
Finn felt his hand suddenly stiffen. "You…these…you made these?"
Erza nodded proudly. "I made these all for you. Don't worry, they're all yours."
"Um…well, I'm suddenly not that hungry anymore, haha…isn't that just a coincidence?" Finn said, attempting to casually put the cookie back into the box.
Upon seeing Finn's actions, Erza's expression turned noticeably darker. "You don't want to eat them?"
"I…of course I want to…" Finn replied insincerely.
He then looked down at the small cookie in his hand. "It's just a cookie. What could possibly go wrong?"
Finn thought to himself, suspecting he might be overreacting. After all, the pastries did look quite appealing.
Without further hesitation, he popped the macaron into his mouth. In an instant…a wave of intense spiciness assaulted his taste buds, followed by an unpleasant stickiness.
There was absolutely no hint of the expected delicate crispness, and instead…an overwhelming, almost unbearable saltiness permeated his senses…
"As expected of Erza!!" Finn exclaimed, his body suddenly stiffening before he collapsed to the floor.
Erza stared at Finn, completely baffled.
"Finn…did you fall asleep because they were that delicious??"
"Erza, should we go check out the lower floors?" Lucy knocked on the door and entered the room.
"Natsu and the others have already gone down there. They said they wanted to have some real fun," Lucy said, gesturing towards the lower levels of the hotel.
Erza paused for a moment in thought, then recalled that there was indeed a massive entertainment complex located on the lower floors of the hotel, designed for the enjoyment of the guests.
"I completely forgot about that," she admitted.
"Speaking of which…what's wrong with Finn?" Lucy asked, looking at Finn who was lying on the floor, even exhibiting some signs of frothing at the mouth, with a puzzled expression.
"Who knows?" Erza shrugged her shoulders, indicating that she had absolutely no idea what was going on.
"Oh," Lucy nodded, seemingly understanding, then her eyes fell upon the box of macarons on the table. "You guys bought these too? These are really delicious, you know," Lucy commented, being a wealthy heiress herself.
Her family employed a dedicated pastry chef, so she was quite familiar with such delicacies.
Erza shook her head. "No, I made them myself."
Lucy's eyes widened in surprise. In her mind, it was inconceivable that someone as rough-and-tumble as Erza would be capable of creating such delicate pastries. She realized that she had greatly underestimated Erza and her hidden talents.
"May I try one?" Lucy asked politely.
Erza nodded. "Go ahead."
"Wow, thank you, Erza!" Lucy said enthusiastically, immediately picking up a bright pink macaron and popping it into her mouth…
Instantly, her body stiffened, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed onto the floor.
"As expected of Erza! Even her cooking has such destructive power…" Lucy completely fainted, her final thought echoing the others' earlier sentiments.
In the underground entertainment complex.
Finn and Gray were seated at the bar, enjoying their drinks.
"Actually, this is the first time I've ever seen you drink something other than milk," Gray remarked, his curiosity piqued as he observed the orange juice in Finn's glass.
"It's nice to try something different once in a while, isn't it?" Finn replied calmly, swirling the liquid in his glass. He certainly wasn't going to reveal the fact that milk wasn't available at this particular establishment.
"Are you kidding me?!"
"Number 17~! They clearly already drew number 17, why did it change again~?" The excited shouts of Natsu and Happy could be heard from a nearby area.
Finn sighed in exasperation. "Those two are really something else…"
"Such childish behavior…" Gray muttered, shaking his head in agreement.
Just as the two were exchanging comments, a woman wearing a blue dress and a Fairy Tail pendant around her neck approached them.
Finn looked at the woman with a puzzled expression, as she appeared to be a complete stranger to him.
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