"Hey~" Lucy gave an awkward little wave and a sheepish grin, taking the lead.
"Hi there, me from another world."
She scratched her cheek. "I mean, Lisanna told me about you guys, but seeing it with my own eyes is still super weird—"
"Everything's backwards," she added.
"You and Levy? You two bicker the second you lock eyes, just like Natsu and Gray back in our world."
"Whoa—"
"In our world, Levy and I are super close!"
"We're always chatting, swapping snacks, gossiping about novels and juicy rumors."
"But the Levy from our world is nothing like this one. She's super quiet, always buried in ancient texts, researching old runes. Total bookworm."
"WHAT?!?!"
Levy and Edolas-Lucy shot up like cats with their tails stepped on, pointing at each other with pure disgust.
"In another world, you're besties with this weirdo?!"
"Is your brain broken or what?!"
The second the words left their mouths, they realized they'd said the exact same thing—and glared daggers at each other.
Edolas-Lucy folded her arms, chin high, looking down her nose at Levy.
"Hear that, gearhead? Take some notes from your other self! Act like a girl for once!"
"Stop messing with those cold machines all day—no guy's ever gonna want you!"
"HAH?!" Levy snapped her head up, firing right back.
"That's my line, you gorilla chick!"
"Your other self is so sweet and ladylike!"
"Unlike you, with that murder-face like you're about to bury a body any second!"
"You're the one who's gonna die alone!"
"You little—wanna fight?!"
"Bring it! I'll beat you into the floor with my wrench!"
Lucy watched them roll around in seconds, a sweat drop sliding down her forehead.
"(=_=) They accepted the premise and started fighting way too fast."
She sighed under her breath. "But… in a weird way, that personality? Total Fairy Tail energy. Doesn't matter which world."
---
Over by the bar, Lisanna turned to the woman in the purple dress—Mira.
Mira's hands flew to her face, tears spilling through her fingers, shoulders shaking.
Lisanna smiled warmly, hands behind her back, tilting her head with a voice thick with emotion.
"Long time no see… I'm back, Mira-nee."
That voice—that voice she'd dreamed of every night. That face, exactly as she remembered, beaming at her.
Edolas-Mira slapped a hand over her mouth, eyes going full fried-egg, tears flooding out.
"W-WELCOME BACK! LISANNA!!!"
Her voice cracked, barely holding together.
She threw her arms open and yanked Lisanna into a crushing hug.
The warmth, the weight, the heartbeat—it was real. She squeezed tighter, like she could fuse Lisanna into her very bones.
All those sleepless nights, all those dreams of a reunion she never thought possible—finally, finally here!
Lisanna hadn't suffered in some kingdom prison. She wasn't buried in cold dirt or drowned at the bottom of a river. She was alive, right here in her arms!
"Welcome back, Lisanna… welcome back… welcome back…"
She buried her face in Lisanna's neck, repeating it like a prayer, terrified it'd vanish like another fragile dream.
Feeling Mira-nee trembling, hugging her so tight it almost hurt—Lisanna's heart ached and warmed all at once.
She tilted her head, cheek to Mira's wet one, gently patting her back like soothing a scared kid.
"I'm back, Mira-nee."
"This time… for real. I'm not leaving again."
"LISANNA! I'm so glad you're back!!!" At that promise, Mira's whole body shook. She broke—like a dam giving way—and bawled into Lisanna's shoulder, tears gushing like a fountain.
Lisanna rubbed her back, emotions swirling.
Unlike the her who got to see another Mira in Asland, this Mira had watched her "fall off a cliff."
She couldn't imagine the hell Mira had crawled through, how hard she'd fought to claw her way out of that grief. Just thinking about it made Lisanna's chest tighten.
Suddenly, she remembered—when she was little and scared, Mira would hum that soft lullaby.
On instinct, Lisanna started humming it, voice gentle and low.
The second that long-lost melody hit, Mira froze—and then Elfman, who'd been stunned silent by Lisanna's "return from the dead," exploded.
"WAAAAAAAH!!!"
Tears shot out like fire hoses. He lunged forward, thick arms wrapping around both Mira and Lisanna, voice choking:
"LISANNA! LISANNA'S BACK!!!"
"SIS! SHE'S REALLY BACK!!"
"Mm!" Mira sniffled hard, finally calming a little. She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket, dabbing her and Elfman's faces, a radiant post-rain smile breaking through.
"Lisanna… really came back!"
Lucy watched the tear-fest, internally facepalming.
"(=_=) Talk about night and day. They turned on the waterworks like faucets."
"I never would've believed Mira and Elfman could cry this hard if I hadn't seen it."
But…
She rubbed her own stinging, slightly red eyes and turned to Erza beside her.
"Reunions really hit you in the feels, huh?"
"You said it," Erza answered, eyes glassy, fists clenched tight.
"A little sister thought dead for years suddenly shows up, perfectly fine? That's straight out of a novel! So moving!"
"If Roger ever popped up in front of me like that, I'd cry way worse!"
Lucy's mouth twitched. "I—I get that you're emotional and super close with Roger—"
But—
"(←_←) Doesn't that sound… kinda ominous?!"
"ERZA?!" Edolas-Lucy and Levy, mid-collar-grab deathmatch, froze at the name that made their blood run cold.
They turned—stiff as rusted robots—toward the voice.
Their eyes landed on the scarlet-haired figure beside the unfamiliar black-haired guy.
Next second—
"o_0 ERZAAAAA!!!"
"IT'S FAIRY HUNTER ERZA!!!"
"SHE'S IN THE GUILD—RUUUUN!!!"
"ERZA!!!" The name hit the Edolas guild like a bomb in a still pond.
Panic exploded. Faces twisted in terror, people scattered like headless flies—tables and chairs toppling in the chaos.
"LISANNA! BACK DOOR, NOW!" Edolas-Mira shoved Lisanna behind her.
"Juvia-chan! Don't worry—I'll protect you!!" Gray, rolled into a ball, tried to play hero and threw his arms around uniform-clad Juvia.
"GET OFF! YOU'RE HOT AND GROSS!" Juvia kicked him away without a second thought.
Gray tripped over his own feet, ricocheting through the crowd like a bowling ball—CRASH CLANG BANG—knocking over half a dozen people before Juvia punted him again.
Erza rushed forward, waving her hands. "EVERYONE CALM DOWN! LISTEN! I'm not Erza! Wait—no, I am Erza, but not that Erza—"
"Uh—"
The logic loop short-circuited her brain. Her eyes spun like mosquito coils.
"Am… I Erza…?"
"Quiet." Roger sighed at the madness and snapped his fingers.
An invisible force blanketed the room. Every sprinting, screaming Edolas member froze mid-motion—like someone hit pause.
His voice rang directly in everyone's heads:
"Calm down. She's Erza from another world. Our ally. Not the Fairy Hunter you know."
"A-A voice… in my head?!" Edolas-Lucy, fist still raised, gawked.
"I-I can't move!!!" Macao strained, face scrunched, but his body floated slightly, bound by invisible ropes.
"YES! Exactly!" Erza snapped out of her spiral and jumped in.
She forced the friendliest smile she could muster.
"I'm Erza from the Asland world! Fairy Tail member! Not an enemy!"
"Erza… is an ally?" The frozen members' faces twisted—confusion, doubt, disbelief.
"Weird, right? But it's true." Lisanna patted the still-tense arms of Mira and Elfman. "When I first met her in Asland, I nearly bolted too."
"But she's super reliable and trustworthy! Just like everyone here!"
Roger snapped again—control released.
THUD! CRASH! OW!
Runners and floaters hit the floor in a heap of groans.
"Phew… false alarm." Levy climbed up, wiping cold sweat.
"Hold up—two more Exceeds?!" Macao spotted Happy and Carla on the floor and yelped.
But after the "Erza scare," most Edolas folks stayed chill.
Edolas-Lucy squinted at the cats. "You two from the other world too? Buddies with our guys?"
"Aye!" Happy raised a paw with a grin. "I'm Happy—Natsu's partner and best buddy!"
"Wha—?!" Edolas-Lucy's jaw dropped. She sized up Happy, then Natsu. "Natsu's got an Exceed partner in the other world? That's actually kinda cool…"
She rubbed her chin, eyeing Natsu. "Now that you mention it, you do seem different from the Natsu I know. Way more confident—even outside a car. Less… wimpy."
"Of course I'm different!" Natsu folded his arms, rolling his eyes. "I've told you guys a million times—you just didn't listen!"
Nearby, Kana leaned in toward her ladylike counterpart, staring at the thick black liquid in her cup like it was alien goo.
"The other me… actually likes coffee? That bitter stuff? How do you even drink it?!"
"It's nothing compared to booze!"
"Booze?" Ladylike Kana wrinkled her nose, fanning the air like she smelled something rotten.
"I'm allergic to alcohol—and I hate people who reek of it."
She elegantly lifted her cup, inhaling the rich aroma with pride.
"Coffee has depth, complexity, endless layers of flavor."
"Beats that brain-numbing swill any day."
"ALLERGIC TO ALCOHOL?!?!" Kana shrieked like the sky was falling.
"The other me is allergic to booze?! Impossible!"
"I drink from the second I wake up 'til I pass out! Booze is my lifeblood!"
She slapped her ever-present flask, smug. "Ain't nobody outdrunk me yet!"
Over by the bar, Lisanna happily tugged Edolas-Mira and Elfman over.
"Mira-nee, Elf-nii—these are the Mira-nee and me from the other world!"
"After Roger-nii saved me, I've been living with them."
She glanced around, a little sad. "Too bad the other Elf-nii's out on a job—couldn't come."
Edolas-Mira's eyes shone with gratitude. She stepped forward and gently hugged Mira.
"Thank you… for taking care of Lisanna all these years."
"No need," Mira hugged back, chin on her shoulder, patting softly.
"Lisanna's my little sister too. It's what family does."
A playful thought struck her. She pulled back just enough to meet Edolas-Mira's eyes, winking.
"So… is it true you're a terrible singer?"
Edolas-Mira's face went beet red. She shot Lisanna a flustered glare. "Lisanna! You told everyone?!"
"Huh? No way!" Lisanna waved her hands. "I never told a soul, Mira-nee! I swear!"
She frowned, confused. "No clue how she found out…"
"Hehe~" Lisanna (Asland) bounced over, hands behind her back, smug.
"See, in our world, Natsu gets motion sick on everything—but your Natsu loves driving magic four-wheelers."
"So… what if a lotta stuff is just flipped?"
"Our Mira-nee sings like an angel—so maybe the other Mira-nee is… tone-deaf like Gajeel?"
Mira's face lit up. "Nailed it~"
A little ways off, Wendy stared up at the mature, curvy, totally-adult version of herself—head spinning, tiny stars circling.
Adult-Wendy flicked her sleek blue hair with a graceful hand.
Her very prominent chest gave a little bounce with the motion.
She looked down at mini-Wendy, puzzled. "You're… me from another world?"
S-SO BIG!! Wendy's brain blue-screened.
(Everything's opposite, right? Natsu gets sick on vehicles, but this world's Natsu drives like a pro…)
(S-So if the other me is this stacked… does that mean I'll stay… super tiny forever?!)
The thought hit like lightning. Wendy turned ash-gray, wobbling.
She looked up, voice trembling with desperate hope. "U-Um… do you eat anything special? L-Like… magic growth milk…?"
"Huh?" Adult-Wendy blinked at the random question. What's with this kid?
She tilted her head, about to answer—
BAM!!!
The guild's flimsy front door exploded inward with insane force!
Everyone whipped around.
A panicked guy stumbled in, panting, clutching his knees, and screamed:
"BAD NEWS!! THE FAIRY HUNTER—SHE FOUND US!!!"
He looked up—and locked eyes with Erza across the room.
His eyes bugged out like saucers. Trembling finger pointed straight at her.
"F-FAIRY HUNTER?!?!"
"B-BUT WEREN'T YOU BEHIND ME?! HOW'D YOU GET HERE FIRST?!?!"