The underground command center of the Edolas Resistance hummed with the sound of cooling fans and the distant, rhythmic dripping of condensation. The air was heavy with oil, ozone, and the palpable tension of two worlds colliding.
Once both Blakes were face to face, the room seemed to shrink.
Earthland Blake, clad in his dark coat with Tensa Zangetsu at his hip, radiated a silent, magical pressure. Edolas Blake, in his grease-stained mechanic's jumpsuit and goggles, radiated a different kind of intensity—the sharp, analytical aura of a man who solved problems with a wrench and a battle plan.
They stared at each other for a long moment, like looking into a distorted mirror.
"So," Edolas Blake said, wiping his hands on a rag. "You're the magic version. I expected more... glowing."
"And you're the mechanic," Earthland Blake replied, a small smirk playing on his lips. "I expected more...."
They greeted each other with a firm handshake. It was a surreal moment, feeling the same calloused grip, the same bone structure, but sensing a completely different history behind the touch.
"We don't have much time," Earthland Blake said, stepping back.
"This is the team," Earthland Blake gestured. "The Dragon Slayers, the Celestial Mage, the Exceeds... and Cana. My partner."
Cana stepped forward, her hand resting possessively on Earthland Blake's arm. She eyed the Edolas version of her boyfriend with curiosity. "Nice goggles," she noted.
"Standard issue," Edolas Blake deadpanned.
"Right," Edolas Blake nodded. "You know Lucy Ashley and Natsu the Fireball. But let me introduce the rest of my inner circle."
He gestured to the shadows behind him.
A young woman with short white hair and a kind smile stepped forward. She wore the resistance fatigues, but her face was unmistakable.
"Hello," she said softly.
He then gestured to two other women standing near a tactical map. One was wearing a sleek, revealing outfit suitable for combat mobility, with long brown hair tied back. The other had white hair and a punk-rock aesthetic, looking tough and dangerous.
"This is Cana and Mirajane, my girlfriends."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Earthland Cana blinked. "Excuse me? Did you say... plural?"
Earthland Blake looked at his counterpart, his eyebrows shooting up. "Wait, you have two girlfriends? And they are ok with it?"
The Edolas versions of Cana and Mirajane walked over, linking arms. They didn't look jealous. They looked like a unified front.
"We're more than okay with it," Edolas Cana said, flipping a throwing knife in her hand.
"We insisted on it," Edolas Mirajane added, her voice lacking the sweet lilt of her Earthland counterpart, replaced by a rougher, tomboyish edge.
"We grew up together in the mines before the Resistance," Edolas Cana explained. "We have both been friends since we were kids and know each other well. We survived everything together. When Blake came along... well, we both fell for the idiot."
"And neither of us was willing to back down," Edolas Mirajane continued. "And wouldn't want the other one to have a heartbreak. We decided that fighting over him would destroy our friendship. So we both concluded to be Blake's girlfriend at a time."
Earthland Blake looks at Edolas Blake, an expression of bewildered respect and mild horror on his face.
Edolas Blake just shrugs, looking exhausted by the very memory. "I wanted to be in a committed relationship with one woman. Just one. Simple. Easy. But these two... these girls ambushed me in the middle of the night. They broke into my quarters, sat me down, and presented a treaty. What do you want me to do? Reject them? Have you seen them fight? They're terrifying."
Earthland Blake shakes his head. "You have my sympathy. And my respect. Mostly my sympathy."
He turned to his own partner. and looks at Earthland Cana.
Cana was staring at the trio—Edolas Blake, Edolas Cana, and Edolas Mirajane. Her expression was unreadable. It wasn't jealousy, exactly. It was a deep, contemplative look. She was looking at the alternate version of herself—hardened, militant, sharing a man—and then looking back at her Blake.
Who is looking at his Edolas counterpart and his girlfriends with a complicated expression.
Then Earthland Blake asks, "What happened, Cana?" sensing her shift in mood.
Cana, when she heard the voice, broke out of stupor. She blinked, shaking her head as if clearing a fog. She looked at Blake, her eyes softening, her grip on his arm tightening.
"Nothing. Just thinking of our future together."
She squeezed his arm. "Just... wondering how different things could have been."
Hearing that, Blake raises an eyebrow. Then doesn't ask further. It wasn't the time or place.
Earthland Blake turned back to his counterpart. The pleasantries were over. The shock of the harem was settled. Now, they needed to talk about the things that couldn't be said in front of the others.
Then, Earthland Blake looks at his Edolas counterpart and asks, "Can we talk a little bit in private?"
Edolas Blake's eyes narrowed slightly behind his goggles. He saw the look in Earthland Blake's eyes—a look of recognition that went beyond shared names.
Hearing that, Edolas Blake nods. "My office. This way."
"Natsu, don't make trouble. Cana, get the intel on the Royal City defenses from the girls. I'll be right back."
And follows his counterpart.
They walked down a short metal corridor into a smaller room. It was cluttered with blueprints, half-disassembled lacrima drives, and maps of the kingdom. Edolas Blake closed the heavy steel door and locked it. He activated a rune on the wall.
"Soundproofing," Edolas Blake explained. "Standard procedure."
Then, once both Blakes are in the room, Earthland Blake looks at his counterpart.
The air changed. The facade of the "strong S-Class Mage" and the "genius mechanic" dropped. They were just two souls staring into the abyss of their own existence.
"We both know what we are thinking. But let me ask the obvious one. Are you reincarnated?"
Edolas Blake leaned against a workbench, crossing his arms. He didn't look surprised.
"Yes."
"Me too."
A heavy silence hung between them.
"So, are we both part of the same soul or different?" Earthland Blake asked. It was a metaphysical question that had plagued him the moment he saw his double. Was he split? Was this a copy?
Edolas Blake says, "Does it matter? We lived different lives and went through different circumstances."
He gestured to his grease-stained hands. "I grew up in a world dying of magic thirst. You grew up in a world drowning in it. We might have started from the same seed, but the soil was different. I am me. You are you."
Earthland Blake nodded. "Fair point."
Then Edolas Blake asks, "What are your gifts?"
He didn't say "magic." He said "gifts." The terminology of a transmigrator. "Every ROB (Random Omnipotent Being) gives a starter pack."
Earthland Blake says, "Shanks template. Full Haki mastery. Physical stats of a Yonko."
He tapped the sword at his waist. "Tensa Zangetsu. The spiritual blade."
He held up his hand, a black void flickering over his palm. "And Asta's Anti-Magic."
Hearing that, Edolas Blake whistles. "Damn. That is a heavy hitter list. Anti-Magic in a world of Magic? That is a nice one. You're basically a god there."
Then Earthland Blake asks the same question. "What about you? This world has no atmospheric magic. Did you get screwed over?"
Edolas Blake smirked, tapping his temple. "Super Soldier Serum. The Captain America variant. Peak human potential, accelerated healing, infinite stamina. That's how I can drive for three days straight and fight off the Royal Guard with a wrench."
He picked up a complex circuit board, his eyes scanning it like a book. "Mechanical Mastery. If it has gears, circuits, or magic conduits, I understand it instantly. I can build anything given the materials."
He pointed to his head. "And Eidetic Memory. Perfect recall. I never forget a map, a face, or a schematic."
Hearing that, Earthland Blake asks, "You didn't get any magic?"
It seemed unbalanced. Haki and Anti-Magic versus being a really smart super-soldier?
Hearing that, Edolas Blake says, "No. The Rob who gave me powers said as Edolas doesn't have magic, he too can't give me an internal mana core. It would disrupt the stability of this dimension too much."
Edolas Blake sighed. "He said if I had magic, the Anima reversal would pull me across the boundary. My destiny is here. To rebuild this world once the magic is gone. I need to be a man of science, not a mage."
Hearing that, Earthland Blake nods. It made sense. This Blake was the architect of the new age. Earthland Blake was the guardian of the old.
"So," Earthland Blake said, shifting gears to the immediate problem. "Then so are the preparations done to take down the King?"
Edolas Blake says, "Yeah. All I need now is to meet Edolas Jellal. Mystogan."
He walked over to the map of the Capital. "The King, Faust, is insane. We both know, He's going to use the Code ETD to crash the Lacrima into Extalia. We can stop the crash, but that leaves a power vacuum. If I take over, it's a coup. If the Resistance takes over, it's a civil war."
He looked at Earthland Blake. "And after that, in the final act, I need you guys to play the villain."
"The Zero Requiem," Earthland Blake recognized the strategy instantly.
"Exactly. When the magic disappears—and it will disappear when Mystogan reverses the Anima—the people will panic. They will need someone to blame. You Earthlanders... you have magic inside you. You will still have power when everyone else is powerless. You need to be the Demon Lords who 'stole' the magic. And Mystogan... he needs to be the Hero who banishes you."
"We act as the scapegoats to unite the people under the Prince," Earthland Blake finished. "Cruel. Effective."
"It's the only way to prevent anarchy," Edolas Blake said. "Are you in?"
Hearing that, Earthland Blake nods. "We'll play the part. Natsu will probably enjoy it too much."
There was one last question.
Then Earthland Blake asks, "Why isn't Lisanna dead?"
In the original timeline—the story Earthland Blake remembered from his previous life—Lisanna had supposedly died in Earthland and was sucked into Edolas, replacing the Edolas Lisanna who had died. But here, Edolas Lisanna was alive, and Earthland Lisanna was safe at home (thanks to Blake saving Elfman).
"She's an anomaly," Earthland Blake noted.
To that, Edolas Blake says, "I know she was going to die at some time during the year 782. In the original flow of this world, she falls from a cliff during a job. I was there. So it took a few precautions."
Edolas Blake's expression softened. "I built her a glider. I reinforced her gear. I made sure I was on that mission with her. I saved her. Just like you saved your version."
He looked at Earthland Blake. "We change things. That's what we do."
Hearing that, Earthland Blake nods. A mutual understanding was reached between them. They weren't just survivors; they were fixers. They had rewritten the tragedies of their worlds.
"We should get back," Edolas Blake said, unlocking the door. "The King isn't going to dethrone himself."
"Right," Earthland Blake agreed.
Then they both return to the guild hall where their friends are waiting.
As they walked back into the bustling command center, they saw Natsu showing off his (non-functional) fire breath to a fascinated Edolas Natsu, while Wendy and Lisanna were looking at photos.
The two Blakes separated, stepping back into their roles—one as the Master of the Resistance, the other as the Ace of Earthland—ready to execute the plan that would save two worlds.