Chapter 191: Carla: I Have a Mission
"Wait, you know about that?!"
Carla stared at Noah in absolute shock. Everyone else was equally stunned by what he had just said.
"I... I never knew Carla was from another world!" Wendy turned to look at her partner, shocked that her closest companion had such a secret.
Carla, however, was too focused on Noah to pay attention to Wendy. "How do you know that?" she demanded, her voice trembling.
"I have... special sources of information," Noah replied calmly. "That, combined with my own strength, means I know a lot of things most people don't. I also know all about Anima."
At the mention of Anima, Carla froze completely. "You... you even know about that?!"
Noah simply smiled and nodded. But Erza and Sorano, listening from the side, caught the seriousness in his tone.
"Noah," Erza said, her expression turning grim, "what is this 'Anima'?"
Noah stood up and retook his seat on the sofa. He looked at the shocked, curious, and serious faces around him and began to explain.
"To understand Anima, you first need to understand the situation in Edolas. That world is similar to ours. They use magic, too. But their world... their magic is drying up."
"Drying up?" Wendy repeated.
"Unlike our world, Edolas's magic is a finite resource. If they keep using it, it will eventually run out. So, to prevent that, the King of Edolas invented a magic that allows them to steal magic power from other worlds—specifically, from our world. That magic is the Ultra-Subspace Magic, Anima. The plan was put into motion four years ago, and Anima portals have been set up all over Earth Land."
Noah paused. Erza and Sorano, being the most experienced, immediately understood the terrifying implications. "Noah," Erza asked, her voice dangerously quiet, "how exactly does it steal our magic?"
"It absorbs objects from our world that contain magic power, and then converts them into Lacrima for use over there."
"If that's the case..."
"Yes," Noah confirmed. "The objects in our world with the most abundant magic power... are wizards. Especially powerful wizards. Their bodies' magic power is the prime target."
Hearing this, Erza's face filled with rage. Sorano's was just as dark. Both had painful pasts and were furious at the thought of such a violation. Wendy and the other girls gasped, their hands flying to their mouths in horror.
Seeing their expressions, Noah added, "However, their plan hasn't been nearly as effective as they'd hoped. To be more accurate, it's being actively sabotaged. Someone has been traveling around, closing the Anima portals."
"Who? Who's been doing that?" Wendy asked.
"You know him, Wendy. It's Mystogan."
"Him?" everyone said, stunned.
"The most mysterious member of our guild... He always uses sleep magic on everyone when he visits, just so no one sees his face," Erza mused, the pieces falling into place.
"So it was Mystogan!" Wendy said, her face lighting up. "He's been doing something so amazing all this time! No wonder we've barely ever seen him at the guild."
"That's right," Noah said. "Mystogan has been doing this for years, traveling the world and shutting down Anima portals. He's actually from Edolas himself. He couldn't stand what his world was doing, so he came here to stop it."
"So that's why he always wears a mask and a cloak... and why he puts us all to sleep," Erza concluded. "It's because there's most likely another 'him' in our world, and he's trying to avoid the complication of being seen."
Noah nodded, confirming her theory.
"Then this incident with the other Lisanna..." Erza prompted.
"It was a small-scale Anima opening," Noah explained. "She just happened to fall through it by accident. I've helped Mystogan deal with a few Anima portals over the years, so I know how to shut them down."
"Then what about me and Happy?" Wendy asked, getting to the question that was clearly weighing on her. "Why did we come here?"
Noah glanced at Carla, who was tense with anxiety. He smiled gently. "As for you two... you don't really know, do you? You could just say it was an accident."
"Impossible!" Carla burst out, her voice sharp with agitation. "We were given knowledge of Edolas and our mission! We were supposed to know it from the moment we were born! We were sent to this world by the Kingdom of Edolas for a purpose!"
Noah held up a hand to calm her. "But Happy doesn't know anything about that, does he?"
"I... I've often wondered why he seems to have no idea," Carla admitted.
Noah looked at her, his expression serious. "Carla, it's possible... that you're the only one who knows about this 'mission'."
She looked at him, stunned. Before she could argue, Noah continued.
"I was there when both of you were born. When Happy was born, nothing unusual happened. But when you were born, I detected a surge of magic coming from you, right at the moment of your birth. Some kind of magic was activating. You looked... distressed. I believe that was the moment you received this knowledge of Edolas and your so-called 'mission'."
He paused, letting her absorb his words. "That magic came from inside you, Carla. It was different from the Aera magic you use to fly. It's very likely it's another innate magic, a talent unique to you. Happy never had a moment like that."
"My own... innate magic?"
"Yes. It's highly probable that your own unique talent showed you something, and that is what convinced you that you have a special mission. Think about it. If this was a unified plan, a mass-dispatch of knowledge, it's almost impossible that only you would have this magical activation and Happy wouldn't. For a mission spanning worlds, ensuring the command is delivered reliably would be the absolute highest priority."
Carla was silent, her mind reeling. She couldn't believe that the knowledge that had defined her entire life might just be a product of her own magic. But Noah's logic was sound, and his usual competence and insight made his words hard to dismiss. She was torn.
"Of course," Noah said, his voice softening, "this is just what I've concluded from my own observations. If you discover anything new, you have to promise to tell me. Don't just keep it to yourself and agonize over it. I'm stronger than you, and I know more. Things that might seem confusing to you... I might already have the answer for."
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