Astro found Master in the late morning, in his usual spot.
"You are quite late. That is unusual," Makarov said while sipping his drink.
"Well, I was a bit tired after coming back from the mission yesterday," Astro scratched his cheek.
Master Makarov took one look at Astro, then at Mira, who was smiling as she served food to a table.
Then he looked back at Astro again.
Astro followed the direction of his gaze, then turned back to Master with a deadpan look.
"I think you are thinking of something rude. And no, that did not happen. We mostly talked about our lives."
Makarov jumped down from the counter and landed lightly.
"Well, as long as you are not making new lives, I do not mind. Although having a young child member would not be bad. Right now, we only have Romeo, and he only sometimes comes with Marco."
Astro stared at him, speechless.
"Master, pump the brakes. You of all people should know we are not like that."
Makarov nodded as they both reached the door. Mira's voice called from behind, tray in hand.
"Have a safe trip, Master, Astro. Say hi to Porlyusica for us."
Makarov waved without turning back and walked out.
Astro waved at Mira before following. Mira waved back with her usual gentle smile.
Cana, who had been watching the entire interaction, hooked her arm around Mira's neck from behind.
"Mira, is there anything you are not telling us girls?"
Mira paused, trying to think.
"I do not think so. Why do you ask?"
Cana leaned in and whispered, "About you and Astro…"
Mira placed a hand on her cheek and smiled gently.
"Well, I remember that last week we were missing half a barrel of alcohol in the warehouse. And there was no account for it. And that's just before you left for the mission, too."
Cana twitched her mouth.
"I will pay for it, but I am not asking about that. I am asking about you and Astro—"
"Oh, I heard that Loke got scammed after losing a bet to you. But if I recall correctly, I saw you in the corner using divination with your cards before the—"
Cana slapped her palm over Mira's mouth instantly.
"Do not talk about that here."
She looked around quickly to make sure Loke was not in the guild. Although she got a lot of money from the last mission too, she won't give any money back that she won in a bet. It goes against her principles. After confirming he was nowhere in sight, she sighed in relief.
"You were asking something, Cana?" Mira tilted her head.
Cana looked at Mira's innocent smile and finally gave up.
"Fine… fine… You win… I will not talk about it."
"Thank you, Cana. Astro does not like being in the spotlight, so do not tease him like that."
Mira whispered as she patted Cana's shoulder and walked behind the counter, with the tray in one hand.
Cana let out a sigh of defeat and returned to her seat, but suddenly froze mid-step.
"Wait, then something had actually happened between them…"
She covered her mouth quickly when she realized she had said the last part aloud.
Gray, who was sitting nearby, stared at her.
"What are you murmuring about? Are you already drunk in the morning?"
Cana peeked at Mira behind the counter and then looked back at Gray. She shook her head vigorously.
Gray sighed, seeing her acting all weird.
"Well, you are drunk in the morning already. You don't learn at all, do you?"
"Hey, what did you say, pervert?"
Natsu, who sat in front of Gray, slammed his hands on the table.
"I was not talking to you, hothead!" Gray snapped back.
"Huh? What did you call me?" Natsu leaned in and bumped his forehead into Gray's.
Gray did not back down and pushed his forehead back.
"You called me a pervert first, you idiot!"
"But you are only wearing your underwear."
"What? When?"
The two immediately started pushing each other's heads and then broke into a full fight.
Chaos spread across the guild hall as everyone got dragged into it.
Behind the counter, Mira was the only sane person left.
She leaned her elbow on the counter and rested her cheek on her palm, smiling gently at the disaster unfolding in front of her.
"Master will probably be angry when he comes back," she thought silently.
"And it does not help that he is going to meet Porlyusica."
She chuckled softly, ignored the growing chaos, and went back to recording the morning's sales.
Astro and Master Makarov walked side by side along the forest path.
Even from this distance, Astro could hear the chaos inside the guild hall.
"Looks like my senses became stronger after getting the aether," Astro murmured.
He still refused to call it the Aetherkrone. That name sounded like something a royal would come up with.
He preferred the simple version: Aether.
"Hm? What are you mumbling about?" Master Makarov asked, glancing up at him.
"Nothing. It sounds like there is chaos in the guild. Everyone probably started brawling again."
Makarov's shoulders slumped as he let out a deep sigh.
"Those brats. They never learn."
Astro watched him for a moment.
"I feel like they would stop if you made a rule against fighting over petty stuff. But you seem like you do not want that."
Makarov placed both hands inside his coat pockets.
"Well, a little brawling does not hurt. And that is simply in their nature. You cannot make a wizard grow by suppressing their nature."
He looked straight ahead with a small smile.
"A guild is not just a place where you get jobs, Astro. At least, not the guild that I envision."
Astro looked more puzzled.
"What do you mean?" he asked, tilting his head.
Instead of answering, Makarov looked at him with curiosity.
"What do you think a perfect guild is, Astro?"
Astro blinked.
"Well, a guild is where wiza—"
"I am not asking for the official definition from the Magic Council."
Makarov waved his hand.
"Those are just useless narrations. I am asking what you think. What is your idea of an ideal guild?"
Astro rubbed his chin in thought.
"Well… a guild is a second home for wizards. They can meet each other, protect each other, make new friends and find new rivals, do jobs to earn money or for the adventure of it…"
Makarov nodded in appreciation.
"That does sound like a good guild. And you are not far from the truth. But Fairy Tail was not built only for that."
A nostalgic grin formed on Makarov's face.
"A guild is not just a social hub, a second home, a family, or a place to work. Our first master, Mavis Vermillion, created it because she wanted a safe place where wizards could feel at peace. Back then, wizards did not have a good reputation like today. A lot of wizards pretended to be normal people. But she believed magic is a gift, and no one should have to suppress themselves. The guild is where they should feel safe to be themselves… and not someone others want them to be."
Astro listened quietly. He took a moment to think.
"So a guild is where feelings are allowed to grow."
Makarov nodded with satisfaction.
"Correct. Anyway, we are almost there. We are meeting Porlyusica. She is one of Fairy Tail's oldest members. She does not like humans, so she lives deeper in this forest."
"Huh? She does not like humans? Then she is not human?" Astro said with a deadpan expression.
Makarov shook his head.
"She is probably human… I think? She has her reasons. Let us leave it at that."
Astro narrowed his eyes and slowed his steps.
"Why did you sound unsure? She is probably human?"
Makarov noticed Astro pausing and looked up at him.
"What is wrong?"
Astro stared ahead, his eyes glowing faintly purple for a moment, before he came back into his senses. He looked down at Master, looking up at him, confused.
"Nothing. I just remembered something. When I joined the guild, you mentioned her name and said she told you that sky magic is a lost magic."
"Oh, yes. I did say that." Makarov chuckled.
"I have never seen her use magic before, but she is known as a healing mage because of her medical knowledge. She probably read about the sky magic in a book?"
Astro started pondering with this information in his mind, but his focus was on what he was sensing inside the forest.
There was a human-shaped presence ahead.
But unlike any other human, that presence was not absorbing ethernano from the air at all. If not for that figure still breathing air like normal, Astro would have never sensed someone was there. This similar sensation reminded him of Loke.
But Loke was still a wizard who knew how to use magic. And Makarov had said Porlyusica did not use magic.
Astro was becoming more and more curious about this world…it seems like this world had a lot of secrets that he did not know…hopefully, it won't get boring anytime soon.
Astro and Master Makarov were almost in the middle of the forest when the old man abruptly stopped.
"Well, just follow this path and you will soon find her place.. From here on, you are going alone," Makarov said while pointing to a direction,
"Good luck. Do not make her mad if you can avoid it."
Astro blinked, puzzled.
Before Astro could speak, Makarov had already started walking back the way they came.
"Knowing you, you won't have any problem finding the way back. So take care…also don't hide anything in front of her."
Astro stared at his master's retreating figure with a blank expression.
"…Is Master scared of Porlyusica?"
He stood there for a moment, trying to decide whether to get Master back or continue the journey forward.. In the end, he sighed and continued into the forest.
Soon, he reached a small clearing.
A tall woman in a crimson robe stood there, watering a herb tree. Her pink hair glowed faintly in the sunlight that filtered through the leaves.
Astro stepped forward carefully. Before he could say something, she turned immediately at the sound of his footsteps.
"I do not recall seeing you before… but you do look familiar," the old woman said with a calm but stern gaze.
"Um… I am from Fairy Tail. Master Makarov sent me here for an inspection of sorts," Astro said, rubbing his head.
"Idiots.. You idiots never know when to stop fighting. Always breaking bones and yelling for help. Children should learn to value their lives. Makarov is becoming more and more senile."
She clicked her tongue.
Astro did not know what to say. He wanted to defend Master, but the woman in front of him was also a member of Fairy Tail, not to mention she was most likely from the same generation as Master. He could not bear to disrespect her while defending Master. And he had been called boy or kid before, but this was the first time someone called him a child. He is already eighteen, you know?
Astro's only thought that was left was that this woman was… absolutely the opposite of Master Makarov.
No wonder Master ran away.
The woman stepped closer and examined his face. Her red eye met Astro's Purple eyes.
"You look like Arthur. I never saw someone else with those eyes. Are you his son?"
Astro raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"I am. My name is Astro Blackmist."
"Your last name is not Vierra?"
Astro was going to answer her, but she waved her hand,
"Well, that's not my business anyway."
She turned away without waiting and walked toward the hut.
"Follow me."
Astro blinked twice at her back before following her.
Inside, the hut was surprisingly warm and tidy. Wooden shelves lined with herbs filled the walls. It smelled like medicine inside, unsurprisingly, but Astro did not hate it. Astro himself was actually surprised because he always hated the smell of medicine for having been stuck in the hospital for a long time in his previous life.
"So what injury did you get?" Porlyusica asked as she sat at a chair nearby.
"Well… it is not about an injury. I think I might be missing some memories." Astro sat across from her.
"Missing memories? Did you injure your head?"
She immediately walked behind him and started checking his scalp with sharp, experienced fingers.
"Wizards have very strong bodies, but it is not indestructible. Serious head injuries often cause memory loss."
"I do not think I have any right now. And if I do get injured, I usually heal it myself."
"Heal? So you know healing magic?" The woman paused.
Astro nodded.
"Well, I can use sky magic. It can heal—"
"I know what sky magic is, you brat. Are you a dragon slayer?"
"Um… no. But you are not too far off. I use Sky Devil Slayer magic."
Porlyusica froze for a second, then continued checking him silently.
"I see…" she muttered, though Astro could tell her thoughts had gone somewhere else entirely.
After a few moments, she finished examining him.
"You do not seem to have any external injury. Come again tomorrow morning. I will do a thorough checkup."
"Thank you," Astro said as he stood up.
Porlyusica looked up from her notes to Astro, who was staring at her.
"What?"
"Um… I never asked how much I should pay you.", Astro said, embarrassingly.
"I don't need payment from children. Go back and tell that old bastard not to run from this place every time."
'So this has happened before, too.', Astro blinked, thinking of how the master ran away before.
Porlyusica watched him for a moment again, and when Astro was leaving, she stopped him.
"Wait."
Astro stopped and looked back, confused.
"Come with me," she said, already walking towards the back garden of her house.
He followed her behind the hut, into a peaceful garden full of herbs. Astro was not an expert at herbs. Okay, he was completely clueless about herbs. But, even so, he could tell that a lot of these herbs were probably very rare. Or at least Astro never saw them during his journey.
Porlyusica stopped at a table with a small basket. Astro already sensed what was inside, but he still looked down.
As he thought, inside the basket was an injured bird. Covered in a small blanket. As for how Astro knew that it was injured?
The bird had the scent of some herbs.
"Use your healing magic on it," she said.
"This little one was hurt a few days ago. I found him in the forest."
Astro did not understand why she asked, but he did not want to reject her either. It was a simple task, after all.
Astro walked forward and held his palms toward the bird.
Porlyusica's eyes narrowed sharply.
His hands began to glow purple.
But before he could release the magic—
"Are you an idiot? Who taught you healing magic?" she snapped, hitting Astro's head in the back with her fist.
Astro blinked, rubbing his head.
"Um… a devil, I guess?"
"You have the lost art of healing magic, and you just use it like this?" she scolded, shaking her head.
"Young people these days have no patience. If you want to heal something, you do not jump straight into healing."
Astro scratched his cheek awkwardly. Well, that's how he did it always, and it worked, so he did not change his way.
Porlyusica gently picked up the bird and continued lecturing.
"First, you examine the injury. Healing magic can close a wound, but if there is something trapped inside, it will stay there. That can lead to infections, disease, or even death. In other words, you can actually kill someone if you are not careful with your magic."
Astro looked down at his hand at her last words.
"Also, there can be internal damage. If you heal only the outside but ignore the inside, you fix nothing."
She set the bird down carefully.
"And do not go around healing people without knowing proper treatment. Healing magic is not a miracle solution. Learn how to examine the patient. Learn how injuries work. Otherwise, you will fail to fix the real problem."
Astro had already started listening seriously this time.
Her tone was harsh, but he could hear the genuine care behind it.
In truth, he used sky magic mostly for fighting. He rarely used it for healing, and he never learnt the enchantment part of sky magic at all.
Alvemak mostly taught him attack spells during their meeting that occurred once every year. Astro improvised the rest on his own.
Astro nodded to Porlyusica. He was about to begin a proper checkup when he froze again.
Porlyusica narrowed her eyes.
"What are you doing now?"
"Um… how do I do a good checkup?" Astro asked, embarrassed, scratching the back of his head.
He knew the basics, but in front of this woman, he felt like he should not even mention them.
Porlyusica looked ready to scold him again, but seeing his genuine desire to learn, her expression softened ever so slightly.
"Come here. First…"
And so the real lesson began.
It lasted until the evening.
Porlyusica taught him everything from basic animal checks, internal bleeding signs, infections, how to detect diseases, and also showed him how to apply herbs. She explained the effects of a lot of herbs during the lesson as well..
When Astro finally stretched his body after finishing the last lecture of the day, she said:
"Go back home. Come here early tomorrow."
"Huh? Tomorrow too?" Astro asked, surprised.
"Of course. I only taught you about birds and small animals today. Do you think you can use the same method on humans? Humans are far more troublesome."
Astro nodded slowly.
"I was just… not sure if I wanted to bother you. And…Sorry, but I have been curious… are you not human?"
Astro thought about the way she does not take any ethernano from the air, which breaks the common sense of this world.
"Do not ask stupid questions," she replied in her usual harsh tone before going towards the question and shutting it with a bang.
"Well, that was a rude question to ask.", Astro murmured. Unique people are not rare in this world
Astro looked at the closed door once more, then looked at the little bird in the basket.
"Well… she was… interesting. Or amazing?"
He smiled at the bird.
"What do you think, little guy?"
The bird chirped once, as if agreeing.
"Anyway, see you tomorrow," Astro rubbed the bird's head with his finger gently and said with a yawn as he walked away.
He had not slept last night, and he spent the whole day today learning from Porlyusica. He was exhausted.
It was not till night that Astro came back to his home, he noticed that Shawn was not back yet.
He glanced at the time, sighed, and headed for the bath. Shawn was probably still in the guild hall anyway.
After a refreshing shower, Astro stepped out wearing a simple blue shirt and black pants. He noticed someone was at the door, so he walked to the door and opened it—
"Gray?" Astro blinked at Gray and then at the figure of Gray's back. Shawn was slumped on Gray's shoulder, fast asleep.
Gray was a bit surprised that Astro opened the door before he even knocked but after a moment of surprise, he handed Shawn to Astro
"I was showing Shawn some ropes after he asked for some help. He overdid it and passed out, so I carried him back. But I'll say this, Astro… you have a nice place." Gray said as he invited himself inside while Astro put Shawn on the sofa, and woke him up with a head rub.
"Good morning. " Shawn yawned
"It just became night. Go take a shower before sleeping." Astro said while rubbing his head..
Shawn blinked, "But I am tired."
"No sleeping before showering. You will feel bad when you wake up with all the smell."
"Alright…" Shawn yawned again, realizing there was no going back, he went to the bedroom to get another set of clothes before going to shower.
"What do you want to talk about?"
Astro asked while rubbing his wet hair with a towel, gesturing for Gray to sit on the sofa.
Gray lowered himself onto the seat, stared at Astro, as he was not sure if he should ask this question or not. But finally, he sighed and decided to go with the question in his mind.
"The Devil Slayer magic… do you know how to learn it?" Gray asked quietly.
Astro froze.
Out of all the possible questions Gray could have asked, this one wasn't even on the list in his mind.
He sat down on the sofa in front of Gray and leaned forward slightly.
"Can I know why you want to learn it? Is it to fight against Natsu's Dragon Slayer magic? But in my opinion… You don't need it for that. Natsu's magic is more destructive than yours, but you can cast magic faster, and you are way better at defense than him."
Gray shook his head.
"It's not about Natsu," he murmured.
"I just… have a reason."
He didn't elaborate, but a faint image flashed through his mind, an image of a demon imprisoned in an iced shell.
Astro nodded, sensing there was more behind the question than Gray was willing to share.
"Well… there are two ways I know," Astro began slowly.
"The first is to learn it directly from a demon—like I did. Won't really recommend. As I doubt every demon is going to be friendly to you."
"The second is to find a Devil Slayer Lacrima," Astro added.
He frowned, thinking of Abel in Bosco. Astro hadn't heard about that guy after that incident. Astro wondered how that guy is doing. But he soon came back to his senses and finished the last part.
"But I'm certain there aren't many of those in Earthland. In fact, I have met only one, and that guy barely seemed to be able to control that magic. "
Gray let out a small, frustrated sigh.
"Learning it from a demon is out of the question for me."
Astro leaned back and took a slow breath.
"Gray, I don't know what your reason is," he said gently.
"And you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
Gray looked up at Astro's calm eyes, at the quiet concern in his eyes.
Astro wasn't judging him.
He wasn't questioning his motives.
He wasn't trying to force the truth out of him.
He was simply… offering understanding.
Well, the Astro that he had seen in the mission had always been like this. He didn't judge Cana's outbreaks during the last mission. He did not reject the idea of teaming up with Totomaru, someone from an enemy guild. Astro always looked at the bigger picture and made a decision based on it. He did not look down on anyone or think himself as someone high above either.
Astro did not know about Gray's inner thought; he simply continued,
"Trust me. Devil Slayer magic is more like a curse. The power is overwhelming for humans. It grows fast, too fast. You might think it is a good thing, but it is not. You have to have great mental strength; otherwise, you won't use the magic, and the magic would use you. A Devil Slayer can lose their reason easily."
Astro looked down at his palms.
"I lost mine once… and I saw someone else lose theirs too."
Astro thought about the moment when he killed a lot of people just after getting the Devil Slayer magic. He does not like thinking about it too much, as he does not want that to define him as a person. But he learnt his lesson. This is why he did not hesitate to ask Hibiki to put a mental block in his mind. You know, he only knew Hibiki for a day, and obviously, he did not trust Hibiki that much. But, he at least knew if he lost control, Hibiki would not hesitate the pull the trigger of the mental block.
He values his life, but if the other option is killing the people he cares about with his own hand, he would not hesitate to throw his life away.
Gray lowered his gaze, listening quietly.
Astro continued.
"If you ever need to slay a demon, you can ask me. We're in the same guild, right? If you ask me for help, I won't reject you."
Gray's eyes widened slightly, then softened.
"I guess you're right. Sorry… I got a little too curious about Devil Slayer magic."
Astro smiled.
"It's okay. I've been jealous of other magic, too."
Gray raised an eyebrow. He never expected Astro to admit something like that.
"What kind of magic made you feel envious?"
"Well… Hibiki's magic seemed really great," Astro said while glancing at the ceiling.
Gray nodded.
"It's not lethal, but it's an amazing support magic."
"And before that… my father's magic, I envied it a lot." Astro's eyes softened.
"I don't know if it was because I had no talent back then or because his magic looked so flashy and cool, but I really envied it."
"Your father?" Gray asked. "Some guild members said he used to be in Fairy Tail."
Astro smiled faintly.
"Yeah. He was proud of it… really proud."
In the reflection of the ceiling, a memory surfaced—
A tall man in a dark blue windbreaker, bright purple eyes like Astro's, rubbing the little Astro's hair.
But suddenly—
"Agh—!"
Astro clutched his head as a sharp pain shot through his skull. His body slumped to the floor.
"ASTRO!" Gray rushed forward, grabbing him.
Astro's vision blurred.
His body shook uncontrollably.
He could barely hear Gray's voice anymore; it felt too far, too distant.
Instead, another scene filled his mind.
A man in luxurious green clothing.
Long silver hair, some strands falling lazily across his chest.
He walked toward Astro with slow, deliberate steps.
Astro's heart pounded.
He had never seen this man in his life, yet he felt terror seep into his bones just by meeting those green eyes. Astro had met a literal devil, and even that devil did not scare him this much.
The man bowed down to look at Astro. After examining his face, he smiled cruelly.
"No matter how many times I see those eyes… I want to destroy them."
Astro's breath froze. He looked around frantically, only to realize that he was chained to a wall in the vision, his wrists and ankles were locked in cuffs on the wall
The man turned to the side.
"What's the result?"
A tall man—over seven feet—stepped forward. Astro looked at the man; he had ordinary looks. Brown hair and brown eyes that you could see everywhere. He noticed Astro's gaze and looked at him. An evil grin formed on his face as his left eye flashed bright red.
Astro turned his head to look away from that gaze and saw a cracked mirror in the corner.
Inside the mirror—
He saw a child version of himself.
Thin. Ragged.
Eyes filled with fear.
"Astro… Astro!"
Gray's voice finally reached him.
Astro snapped back to reality, gasping for air.
Gray held his shoulders tightly.
"Are you okay? What happened?"
Astro nodded… then shook his head.
"I… I don't know. It felt like a nightmare."
"A nightmare? Out of nowhere?" Gray frowned.
"Hold on. I'll take you to Porlyusica."
Astro shook his head slowly..
"No. She went to sleep already. I'll visit her tomorrow. Sorry, Gray… I would be fine after some rest."
Gray hesitated.
"Are you sure? You were shaking and sweating like crazy."
Astro looked down at his drenched shirt.
"Well… looks like I need another shower. I'll be fine. Probably just exhaustion."
Gray still looked concerned, but after making sure Astro could stand on his own, he finally nodded.
"Alright… but don't hesitate to contact anyone if anything happens. Shawn knows where I live. Send him to my place if you need help in the middle of the night. "
Astro nodded,
"Will do, don't worry about it." Astro smiled as he walked him to the door and closed it behind him.
He leaned against the door and exhaled deeply.
"That did not feel like a simple dream…" he murmured. Astro walked toward the shower; Shawn had already finished his shower, from the looks of it, so he went in directly.
He turned on the shower and let the warm water pour over him.
But the vision remained vivid—
The silver-haired man.
The green eyes.
The child who was chained to the wall.
Astro rubbed his face.
"Is that… my memory? But the original me had a happy childhood…"
He clutched his head.
"And those memories… they felt too real. But the only years I'm missing are from age fourteen to fifteen. But in that vision… I was much younger."
He shut off the water, dried off, and put on clean clothes.
Shawn was sleeping peacefully in the bed.
Astro sighed softly and lay down on the mattress on the floor.
He stared at the ceiling. He tried not to think about the nightmare anymore; what he needed was some good sleep.
"We should move soon… Sylvain's reward was huge. It's a waste to sleep on the floor forever."
He closed his eyes slowly; he was still thinking about the two men he saw in his dream. But thankfully, they did not come to haunt him in his dream.
Somewhere in Ishgar
A figure covered in a long cloak stood facing a group of thirty to forty people.
One of the men in the group stepped forward with a gloating look..
"Follow us willingly. We will not harm you if you do. The master only wants that thing from you. As long as you tell us where it is, nobody gets hurt."
A soft, feminine voice came from the cloaked figure.
"Yeah? Then go tell him he will never get it. I already—"
She suddenly stopped mid-sentence as her eyes swept across the crowd.
Someone familiar stood among them.
'Why is that idiot here…? I told him to leave me already. What is he planning now…?'
The group had no idea what she was thinking and why she stopped speaking. They thought the girl was finally afraid of them.
Another man shouted, "Everyone, surround her. Today is the day we finally capture this girl."
Before any of them moved, a deep, hoarse voice echoed from behind them.
"Do not bother. She will escape from you again."
Every single person stiffened. Even the cloaked girl froze when she heard that voice.
They all turned toward the source.
Behind them, purple mud flowed upward from the ground, molding itself into the shape of a person. First the legs, then the waist, then the torso, and finally the head. When the figure was fully formed, the hardened purple mud cracked apart and revealed a man within.
A man in a long brown coat began strolling toward the group. His hands rested in the pockets of his long coat as he approached the group.
"Master Golvax."
"Master, we found her."
The crowd instinctively made way for the man. The laughter and noise died instantly. None of them dared to make another sound. Golvax did not look at any of them either. His gaze went straight to the cloaked figure.
When Golvax was looking at the cloaked figure, he didn't notice that, among the group, a young man with teal spiky hair stared at him with glowing blue eyes. Unlike everyone in the group, his eye was the only one without fear; instead, he examined Golvax's figure carefully.
"The map."
Golvax's hoarse voice sounded calm and cold as he looked at the cloaked figure.
The moonlight revealed his features. If Astro were here, he would have been shocked. Brown short hair. One brown eye. And one glowing red eye. He looked exactly like the person Astro saw in his nightmare.
"Lumina. You have run for far too long. I always thought you were a smart girl, but you made a stupid choice like this and betrayed me. I am disappointed."
The cloaked girl trembled under her cloak, and she stepped back one more step.
Her hood fell off as she stepped back. Her long, luminous, honey blonde hair shone under the moonlight, and her golden eyes glared at him.
The sixteen-year-old bit her lip before mastering the courage to speak.
"I have always looked up to you, Father. But you lost your way ever since getting that power. Mom would be disappointed in you if she saw what you became."
Golvax stopped walking. He studied his daughter with cold eyes.
"Lumina."
" Did you forget how your mother died? I am trying to make sure something like that never happens to you."
"Shut up. You are the one who forgot."
She looked at the dark wizards behind him.
"Look at you. Look at the people behind you. You are running a dark guild. The same kind of people who killed her."
"You might have lost your way, but I refuse to follow you to hell."
Lumina raised her right hand. Her right fingertips glowed with bright yellow light as she pointed her finger toward her father.
"And about the map… I did not take it. I destroyed it before leaving."
She said coldly.
"As you said, I am more like my mother. I never see the bigger picture. But if seeing the bigger picture means I have to hurt innocent people now, then I refuse to do it. I know I will never be the brightest person in a room, but that does not mean I will throw away what makes me human. "
Golvax, with his hands in the pockets of the long coat, stared at her glowing fingertips. His red eye began to glow as he got more and more annoyed.
"Stupid daughter."
"Earth Devil's Snake Bites!"
Purple mud burst from the ground and shot toward Lumina like living snakes.
Lumina's golden eyes shone. Her magic surged violently, and her long hair lifted from the force of her power.
"Solar Script: Divine halo wall!"
She wrote a glowing character in the air with her fingertip. The character multiplied hundreds of times in an instant and formed an enormous shining wall.
The purple mud snakes crashed into the wall. Several glowing characters scattered to the ground. Lumina gritted her teeth and pushed more magic into the barrier.
The teal-haired boy, who was watching quietly, narrowed his eyes. His eyes finally became serious as he watched the clash of father and daughter…he put his hand on the hilt of the great sword he was carrying behind him.
"He is not going all out yet. I need a plan before he becomes serious…" Lumina thought. She knew her father well. He still believed she knew the map's location, so he would not kill her yet.
Golvax looked at her with a calm expression.
"Not bad. I did not raise you in vain. At least you are not as weak as your mother."
His left eye glowed red. He took one more step.
Lumina suddenly had a bad feeling. She looked down abruptly.
The ground beneath her had turned purple in an instant before she even realized it.
"What…?"
A massive purple hand erupted from the ground and seized her. Her barrier shattered instantly, as it lost its magic source.
Golvax kept walking until he stood in front of her. Lumina struggled, but the grip tightened around her. She could not even raise her hands to use magic.
Golvax gently patted her head.
"I will forgive you this one time. After all, I do not want my daughter joining my late wife so soon."
Tears filled Lumina's eyes from the crushing pain. She looked at the man who once carried her, made her laugh, and hugged her tightly to comfort her when her mother passed away.
Nothing remained of that man.
Only a cold, red glowing eye stared back at her.
She forced a breath.
No plan would work. She could not escape.
Except for using that idiot's help again.
But she did not want that; he should not interfere here. If her father knew about him, then he would surely die by her father's hand…sooner or later. Her father won't show mercy to him like he is showing it to her.
"Just kill me. I already told you that I destroyed that map. I am not an idiot. I know that the whole kingdom, no, the whole Ishgar will be in danger if you get it."
Golvax sighed. His red eyes glowed brighter. His right hand was coated with purple rock as his gaze intensified.
"Such an idiot daughter. I gave you one chance to choose the safer option. But now you've left me with no options.
"I will give you to Sylvie. She will search your soul for the memory. And I promise you, it will be very pai—"
He stopped suddenly. He heard someone jumping up behind him, as he was going to turn his head in confusion, a dark blue light slash fell from above and severed his purple stone arm completely.
Golvax did not care at all that his hand got cut; instead, he looked up. To see the source of the attack.
A boy hovered sideways in the air.
Teal spiky hair.
Great sword held with one hand.
Dark blue light shone from the blade.
A dark blue jacket and black pants fluttered in the wind.
The boy grinned, seeing that he got Golvax's attention.
He wasted not a single second more as he raised his free hand toward the sky.
"Lunar magic: Prism."
A gigantic upside-down hexagon-shaped prism formed around them, trapping Golvax, Lumina, and the boy inside. People outside could only see a dark blue prism swallowing their boss and the two teenagers.
The boy, who had now started falling after losing the force from the jump, twisted his body and swung his great sword down.
"Lunar magic: Crescent moon slash.
Dozens of dark blue slashes shot toward Golvax.
Golvax did not move. A giant purple dome made of dirt rose around him and Lumina, absorbing the attack completely.
The boy grinned again, seeing that his plans worked, and unleashed another slash.
Golvax noticed that no more attacks were coming, so he dissolved the purple earth dome.
The boy was gone.
He immediately turned to the giant dirt hand that had held Lumina.
Empty.
He looked around.
There was no one nearby.
The dark blue prism also shattered into glowing shards that floated upward before vanishing.
"Huh? Was that the boy who joined us today?"
One dark wizard stared blankly. They had watched Master almost capture the girl, and then the new recruit suddenly ran forward and attacked master before they could even understand what happened.
Golvax's eye twitched. He crouched down and placed one hand on the ground to sense any movement.
Nothing.
Neither Lumina nor the boy was anywhere within a kilometer, at least.
"I never thought she would have a friend. No, which idiot will even help her? She probably tempted him with the map."
He looked up at the sky.
"But it does not matter."
The dark wizards exchanged confused looks.
"Boss… did she escape?"
Golvax walked past them.
"Yes. But it does not matter. That boy probably has some sort of transportation magic. He was probably the trump card she used every time to escape you guys.. But now that we know it, she won't be able to use that boy again."
He placed his hands inside his coat pockets and walked away calmly.
The dark wizards blinked in confusion, but since their master did not punish them, they kept quiet and followed him back.
Somewhere far from the scene
A dark-blue portal tore open in the empty wilderness. From inside, a teal-haired boy stepped out, carrying Lumina under his right hand. His other hand still held a greatsword—just from his posture, it was obvious he sliced open the portal himself.
He gently placed the girl on the ground before slumping down beside her.
"I told you to leave me…" Lumina whispered.
The boy didn't answer. He was exhausted, breathing heavily, and wiping sweat from his forehead.
Lumina looked at him in worry.
"Zenith… are you okay? Are you hurt?" Despite the pain in her own body, she pushed herself up to check on him.
"I'm fine. Just… tired." Zenith let out a shaky breath. "That was your pops? I never met someone with such a strong presence… it felt as if I made one wrong move and I'd be dead."
"Then why save me?" Lumina asked softly. "I can't even pay you anymore."
"Well, who cares about that?" Zenith said as he slowly stood up, using his greatsword for support. "I just did what my conscience told me. If I have the power to save someone, I'm not gonna let them die."
Under the moonlight, his face looked calm and strangely reassuring. For the first time since the night began, Lumina felt the tension in her muscles loosen. The fear inside her faded just a little.
Suddenly, her legs gave out and she collapsed back to the ground.
Zenith rushed to her side. "W-Wait—Lumina? Are you hurt?"
"No… just tired. Like you." She stared up at the glittering sky, lying down on the grass.
Zenith blinked, then lay down beside her.
"The stars are really bright today," he said quietly.
"They are," Lumina murmured. "Doesn't really match our mood, though."
"Come on… no negative thoughts while stargazing." Zenith stretched his arms behind his head. "When you look at stars, you should think of your dreams and goals. Regrets are for when you get drunk later."
"I've never been drunk. If I did, who knows where my father would show up from, and kill me when I cannot even fight back at all."
"Wow. You just killed the mood completely," Zenith deadpanned, still staring upward.
"Look—Lumina! A shooting star!" He suddenly sat up, clasping his hands together like he was praying, and made a wish earnestly.
Lumina stared at him speechlessly. "Are you sure you're sixteen? Who still makes wishes after seeing shooting stars?"
Zenith didn't answer until he finished. Then he opened his eyes and turned to her.
"There's nothing wrong with being childish. Life's short. Better live the way you want… so you won't leave with regrets."
Lumina looked away, her gaze drifting to the bright night sky.
"I wish I could live as free-minded as you," she murmured—too soft, but Zenith still heard.
He grinned. "See? You're acting normal now. Making wishes at stars."
Lumina let out a bitter smile. She didn't know what to do with this always-cheerful boy. Although they were of the same age, they could not be more different than each other.
"I don't like wishing. My wishes never come true anyway… I can't defeat him…I can't get my gentle father back anymore." Her voice faded.
Zenith let out an annoyed grunt.
"Then we will fight against him together; He never fought both of us together. After beating him, we will smack some sense back into him, and you will get your father back," he said optimistically with a grin.
Lumina stared at this stupid boy and sighed again. "No, even together we can't defeat him at all. No chance."
Zenith listened to her words as he twirled his greatsword, drawing arcs of silver light in the air.
"Then, we're not strong enough. But that doesn't mean no one else is."
"You don't get it," Lumina snapped as she sat up. "After getting that cursed devil power, his strength skyrocketed. Now, only a handful of people in all of Ishgar could probably beat him."
"That just means he's not invincible. So we find those people."
Lumina shook her head. "How? Why would they help us? It'd be a miracle just to get out of this situation alive…"
Zenith sighed, then gently tapped her forehead with his sword's hilt.
"My grandma used to say miracles happen to people who believe in them. If you lose hope, you'll never see one." Zenith crouched in front of her, his dark-blue eyes locking onto her surprised golden ones.
"Let's not lose hope. If we keep aiming for it, miracles will come."
His confident grin reflected in Lumina's eyes. Whatever she was thinking, she didn't dare to say out loud..
As the two teenagers looked at each other under the sky, another shooting star streaked across the sky, making the bright night look even more magical.
Somewhere near Magnolia…
"Laxus? What happened?"
A long, green-haired boy stopped in his tracks when their leader suddenly halted..
The other two ahead of them also paused—one was a beautiful brown-haired girl, and the other was a man wearing a strange mask, with five floating totems circling him.
The girl groaned tiredly, "Come on, boys… It's already night. I just want to go home and rest. We should've taken the train, but instead we walked this far…"
"Haha! Why don't you say that in front of Laxus?" the masked man laughed loudly.
His totems echoed him in perfect rhythm:
"Say that to Laxus."
"Say that to Laxus."
"Say that to Laxus."
The girl fired quick beams of light at the totems out of her fingertips; her face was red with anger. "Don't say it out loud, you idiots!"
"Hey! Don't attack my babies!"
As the two argued, the green-haired boy sighed and looked back at their leader.
"Laxus… is everything okay?"
But the tall, yellow spiky-haired man didn't answer. He was staring at the night sky. A shooting star streaked across the horizon, its glow reflected in his eyes.
Only after the light faded did Laxus speak.
"…I'm fine. Let's go. We should be able to reach Fairy Tail by tomorrow morning."
Without another word, he walked past Evergreen and Bickslow. The two instantly stopped fighting as soon as he approached.
The three behind him exchanged looks before hurrying to follow
Somewhere else…
A mysterious man walked along a lonely forest trail. His entire body was wrapped in cloth, a green veil hiding his face. Only his dark eyes were visible under a dark-blue bandana, a few strands of matching blue hair slipping from beneath a silver head protector. Several magical tools strapped across his back swayed with each step.
All of a sudden, he stopped.
A shooting star passed overhead, its light glinting in his dark eyes.
He could not help but sigh, seeing that it was only a shooting star.
"…I've been too paranoid about Anima lately," he muttered. "Maybe I should take a break."
But a troubling thought flashed through his mind, and he shook his head quickly.
"No… What am I thinking? I can't afford that. Not now."
With another sigh, he continued walking toward Magnolia.
Inside Magnolia…
On the roof of the great church, a young man lay on his back, hands behind his head, wearing only a purple shirt and black pants despite the cold night air.
Astro stared up at the stars, unable to sleep.
Fragments of that nightmare flashed through his mind again and again.
He rubbed his forehead and sat up with a groan.
"Agh… I hate this."
His eyes drifted toward the distant Fairy Tail guild. The flag of the guild reflected in his bright purple eyes.
Memories of Master, Mira, Shawn, Gray, Natsu, Erza—everyone—floated through his mind.
Slowly, a small smile appeared on his face.
He lay back down, closing his eyes in a warm, peaceful mood.
The last thing he saw before drifting off was a single shooting star crossing the horizon.