When Astro woke up, he found himself in a room, the faint sway and creaking beneath him making it clear that he was on a ship.
Without wasting a second, he rushed outside. The salty breeze hit him as he stepped onto the deck, and relief washed over him when he saw the familiar ship—the very same one that had carried them to Ventara Island. His eyes immediately caught Erza standing by the railing, and he hurried toward her.
"Is everyone safe?" Astro asked urgently, his eyes darting around. He couldn't see Shawn or Levy among the children gathered near the dock, which only deepened his concern.
As he tried to sense them, Erza turned to him with a reassuring smile and nodded.
"Yeah, thankfully. That woman's magic effect didn't last too long on me. My right eye is artificial—so magic that works through vision doesn't affect me properly. That's how I managed to hold on long enough to grab you, Levy, and the kid there."
Astro let out a long sigh of relief, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly.
"So… Kian and that woman with him are dead?" he asked, though his tone suggested he already knew the answer.
Erza's expression hardened, and she gave a firm nod.
"Yes. Most likely. The whole island was destroyed. I barely managed to escape with you all. I doubt they could have survived that."
Astro thought of Kian, that guy did everything to get the power of the sky devil, but in the end, he was killed by the same people that he did that for.
Astro walked behind her, his expression softening.
"I'll heal your injuries first," he said quietly. "Then I'll check on Levy and Shawn."
He wasn't too worried, since Erza herself didn't seem restless, but he still needed to be sure.
Erza opened her mouth to refuse but stopped herself. In the end, she simply sat down with a small sigh.
' Well, if it helps calm him down', she thought.
Astro placed his hand just above her shoulder. His palm glowed faintly with purple light as he scanned her body for injuries, healing them one by one.
"Sorry… I wasn't good enough," Astro murmured, his voice heavy with guilt. He could feel the lingering wounds across Erza's body even as his healing light mended them, and yet she still smiled—trying to reassure him.
He was supposed to be the stronger one, or at least that's what he believed. He was supposed to be strong enough to protect everyone. But when it mattered most, he had lost himself to the pain and fallen unconscious. If not for Erza, he—and the others—would already be dead.
Erza, though not facing him, could feel the shift in his mood. Her tone turned serious.
"That's the point of a guild, Astro. Your comrades will fill in the gaps where you cannot. It was a team mission. Everybody did their part—as a team."
Astro blinked, a little stunned. He wasn't unfamiliar with working alongside others, but he was used to taking the lead, shielding everyone else. Being the one protected—and comforted—instead… it felt strange. Strange, but not bad.
He allowed himself a small smile.
"But we did fail half the mission, didn't we?" he said, half teasing, half regretful.
Erza's lips curved downward in a faint grimace.
"I suppose we did. Forget about habitable—the island doesn't even exist anymore."
Astro let his gaze drift to the children gathered along the dock. Now that his nerves had settled, he stretched his senses and could feel Levy and Shawn's faint magical presence inside one of the ship's rooms. That reassured him, but his thoughts circled back to something else.
"You know," he said after a pause, "a few days ago, Master showed me the complaint letters from the past few months—the ones about Fairy Tail members causing destruction." His grin tugged at the corners of his lips. "I wondered why Master never really seriously reprimands anyone for it."
Erza didn't answer, simply waiting for him to continue.
Astro chuckled softly.
"I think I get it now. He's just happy every time his children come back safe and alive. In this line of work, so many things can go wrong. But as long as the guild members return breathing, Master doesn't care about anything else."
Erza fell silent, reflecting. She thought about all the times she scolded guildmates for carelessness or failure. But Master… Master only ever smiled and how she was when they returned. Slowly, she found herself smiling too, understanding his intent more clearly.
"But," she said firmly, "it's still a failure of our mission. I have to train more—so that next time, I can protect my guildmates and complete the mission fully." Her voice carried an unshakable determination.
Astro blinked at her resolve, his lips quirking into a faintly amused chuckle. He shouldn't have been surprised anymore—it was simply Erza being Erza.
Without a word, he focused more magic into his palms, letting the healing magic sink deeper into her wounds.
As the warmth of his magic spread through her, Erza again spoke.Changing the subject.
"It seemed like those people were… interested in you?" she asked, recalling the way Luthar and Sylvie had spoken.
Astro shrugged.
"I heard of a devil slayer guild called Abyss Howl before. They should be part of that group. Kian and his men were just subordinates, working under someone higher up in that guild. Kian's plan was to summon the Sky Devil and take its power for himself. But he failed… and his master at the guild wasn't happy about that." He thought back to the letters he had read in the underground chamber.
"So those two at the end came to dispose of Kian and his group." Erza's voice was firm. She crossed her arms, her brow furrowed in thought.
"But still… I've never heard of another Devil Slayer, let alone a guild full of them. And the way they acted…" Her tone grew heavier. "They're definitely a dark guild. If they have members that strong, then why is there no information about them? The only other guild like that is Tartaros, but it is known that they exist, and we know their name too."
Astro finished closing the last of her wounds, pulling his hand back slowly.
"I'm more curious about why they let you go," he admitted "I can't imagine them not noticing you escape."
Erza shrugged slightly, her crimson hair shifting with the sea breeze.
"I don't know either. People like them don't need everything to make sense."
Astro frowned. His thoughts replayed the woman's final words, the ones that still clung to his mind like a shadow.
"Master's words were clear,"
"This 'Sky Devil' is still in his infant stage. But when he grows… oh, he will come crawling to us. Begging to join."
What had she meant by that? Why was she so confident? And what kind of master could control such a group of powerful Devil Slayers?
Astro's jaw tightened as he turned away, his mind heavy with questions. Without another word, he moved to check on Levy and Shawn's condition. Erza looked at his back and said,
"I'll just let you know—I don't believe for a second that you would ever betray Fairy Tail. And you're not the kind of person who would join a dark guild," Erza said firmly, her voice leaving no room for doubt.
Astro paused for a moment, then turned to look at her with a small smile.
"Even if I ever did something like that… I know you all would do everything in your power to stop me," he replied calmly, before continuing toward the room where Levy and Shawn were resting.
As he walked away, his thoughts drifted to Master, Mirajane, Natsu, and all the others waiting back at the guild. No matter what happens, I have no intention of leaving Fairy Tail—not now, not ever.
Erza watched his back as it disappeared from view, a faint smile tugging at her lips. She slowly stretched her body, finally free of the lingering pain from her wounds.
Somewhere in Ishgar
A handsome blond figure stepped into a dark room. As Luthar's eyes adjusted to the surrounding darkness, he spotted the one who had summoned him here: a child of twelve, silver hair streaked with dark green at the edges, mesmerizing green pupils glowing faintly. He lounged casually on a sofa, legs crossed, a bowl of brightly wrapped candies balanced on his knee. His childish hand plucked one free and popped it into his mouth.
Luthar walked forward slowly. Before he could speak, the child's voice rang out, deceptively high and childish:
Luthar exhaled slowly and approached. But before he could speak, the boy's voice cut through the silence, high and innocent in pitch, yet so heavy that it pressed against the walls.
"Why," the boy asked, chewing leisurely, "did you ignore my order? I said… let the Sky Devil Slayer go."
Every instinct in Luthar screamed to kneel. He forced his tone steady.
"Master," Luthar replied carefully, "why not bring back the Sky Devil Slayer? If we doubt his loyalty, we can erase his memory and make him obedient."
The boy popped another candy into his mouth, as casual as any child at play. Nothing in his behavior suggested he was the master of a guild filled with mages whose power rivaled—perhaps even surpassed—the Wizard Saints. Yet that was exactly who he was: the leader of the Devil Slayer Guild.
The boy finally turned to look at him. That expression—innocent yet unsettling—made Luthar's skin crawl. He knew better than anyone how strong this being truly was.
The child rose from the sofa and approached. Time itself seemed to slow. If Astro had seen Luthar in that moment, he would have been shocked: for a heartbeat, genuine fear flickered across the blond man's face. But Luthar quickly buried it, masking his terror with lazy indifference.
The closer the boy came, the more his body was consumed in a swirl of green-purple light. His form stretched, his childish frame transforming. Clothes shifted into a long, luxurious green coat with a crisp white shirt beneath and spotless white trousers. When the light faded, he stared at Luthar with eyes now glowing a deep, emerald green.
"I gave the order not to harm the Sky Devil Slayer," the man said, his voice echoing like something dragged straight out of hell. "And yet you dared to defy me."
Luthar straightened, forcing himself not to look away. Finally admitting his mistake. "I wanted to see if he had any special potential. But no… he was a complete disappointment."
The master did not reply immediately. He only studied Luthar with that unnerving gaze, then smiled faintly and moved back to pour himself a drink.
"I have not looked into the future for many years," he said calmly. "It was supposed to be set in stone. No one can change destiny. But when Sylvie revealed the existence of this Sky Devil Slayer… can you imagine my surprise? There was never meant to be a Sky Devil Slayer. The Sky Devil never was supposed to choose an avatar." He sipped his drink.
Luthar's composure faltered for a bit. "…What are you saying?"
The silver-haired man chuckled low, savoring the unease. "I am saying, Luthar… something happened. Something so improbable that even the laws of fate bent. And now, the path I once saw is broken. Replaced by something far more… fascinating."
"In fragments of this new future, the Sky Devil Slayer drowns in blood—his own, his comrades', his enemies'. He destroys all, loses all, until he has no choice but to crawl to me. And then… he will become the blade that carves my glorious purpose into the world." His chuckle deepened, resonating like a tremor in the earth.
"I see it. A world where I rise beyond Zeref. Beyond Acnologia." His grip shattered the glass, shards cutting his hand. He didn't even glance at the blood dripping from his pale skin. "A world where they kneel to me."
Luthar hesitated, then asked the question gnawing at his mind. "But… what if the future changes again?"
The master chuckled darkly. " Changing fate once is already nearly impossible. But it can happen once in a long while. But if the same person tries again to alter the timeline? The very fabric of existence would annihilate whoever tried. Why do you think I never act beyond what is necessary?"
He lifted the glass again as though nothing mattered. Luthar stayed silent.
"As for your punishment," the man added casually, "you will be locked in the Infinite Prism for one year. Be grateful I am in a generous mood."
Luthar's eyes widened, but before he could protest, the silver-haired man snapped his fingers. A magic circle bloomed beneath him, and in an instant, Luthar vanished.
The master stared at the empty spot, green light glowing in his eyes. Slowly, his grin widened, satisfaction radiating from him, as if he was watching something very entertaining.
"Astro Blackmist…" he whispered into the empty room. "It seems like your new destiny has been rewriting the timeline for quite some time now. But what, I wonder… caused the change?"