The pain of having his core power stripped away finally subsided.
That newly forged engraving rested quietly in Arashi's palm—its surface warm to the touch, yet carrying an unfathomable darkness beneath.
He lifted his gaze.
Before him, the massive shadow fiend—the monster that had ravaged the night—was approaching its end in silence.
The viscous darkness that composed its colossal body began to peel away, fragment by fragment, its strength's source gone. Those countless scarlet eyes dimmed one after another, extinguished in silence until all that remained were dull gray crystals scattering into the air like ash.
Its final energy core drained dry.
The beast let out a hollow, powerless roar of unwillingness, and then—bathed in the fading afterglow of starlight—it completely disintegrated, reduced to the most primitive particles of shadow, vanishing into nothingness.
The fierce battle was over.
The cavern fell into a deathly stillness, broken only by the distant, rhythmic echo of waves striking against the rocky shore.
Footsteps echoed from behind—heavy, deliberate.
Gildarts and Erza approached slowly, their movements cautious, their eyes locked upon the young man still wrapped in that lingering starlight.
Shock. Admiration. And perhaps… a trace of awe.
They had witnessed everything.
From that first fateful encounter at the auction to this very moment, everything Arashi had shown had completely overturned their understanding of magic, of power itself.
That unbelievable absorption ability, that intelligence and composure far beyond his age—it could no longer be described by the word "genius."
Gildarts stopped. The muscles on his face twitched faintly; his usual laid-back grin was gone, replaced by an expression of rare solemnity.
He took a few deliberate steps forward, until he stood directly in front of Arashi.
"Kid…"
His voice was rough, but steady and clear.
"I'll say this again, officially this time—join Fairy Tail."
Each word carried undeniable weight.
Looking into the boy's deep, unfathomable eyes, Gildarts continued.
"I know you're strong."
"Strong enough to be a monster in human skin."
He paused, searching for the right words.
"There's no one like you in the guild. No other Dragon Slayer who commands the power of the stars. And no one who can teach you how to control it, either."
He wasn't trying to flatter. He was being honest.
Then, Gildarts' tone softened—the pressure of the strongest mage in Fairy Tail melting away, leaving only sincerity.
"But still…"
"In Fairy Tail, there's the best booze, the wildest adventures, and—most importantly…"
"…the best family."
Family.
The word struck softly, yet hit something deep within Arashi's heart.
A barely perceptible crack appeared somewhere inside him, spreading slowly.
Erza stepped up beside Gildarts, her crimson eyes gentle now, stripped of all their battle sharpness.
"Gildarts is right."
"Fairy Tail might be noisy, it might cause all kinds of trouble, but everyone there… is irreplaceable."
Her voice was steady, but warm.
"If you haven't found a place to belong yet, then our home will always welcome you."
Arashi was silent.
It felt as if his soul had left his body, drifting back through the long, lonely years behind him.
He remembered walking alone through ancient ruins—cracked stone beneath his feet, the taste of centuries of dust in the air, the only sounds his footsteps and heartbeat.
He remembered the countless nights battling magical beasts alone—the sting of torn flesh, the smell of blood soaking his clothes, the crushing fatigue that followed every victory he could never share.
He remembered those endless nights by the campfire, staring at the flames in silence, wondering about the future, wondering what "getting stronger" truly meant.
The journey had been grand. The sights, endless. But the loneliness—deep and gnawing—had never left.
It clung to him like a shadow, devouring him in every quiet moment.
He had sought strength so that he could survive in a dangerous world.
And he had achieved it.
But what was the meaning of surviving—if all that awaited him was endless solitude?
Perhaps… that wasn't what he truly wanted.
He looked up—at Gildarts and Erza standing before him.
At the sincerity shining plainly in their eyes.
Maybe what he had always been chasing… was this.
To stand shoulder to shoulder with others.
To entrust someone with his back.
To share the joy of victory—not alone, but together.
He felt that hardened, frostbitten heart of his—the one shaped by years of solitary travel—soften, as something warm began to spread within.
That warmth had a name.
An invitation.
Slowly, he closed his palm around the Shadow Engraving.
The starlight surrounding him faded, drawn back into his body until nothing remained but his youthful, exhausted face—softened now by something new.
And under their expectant gaze, Arashi finally nodded.
It was a small motion—but filled with quiet resolve.
"…Alright."
"I'll go with you."
He wanted to see it for himself.
That place they called—home.
(End of Chapter)
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