Magnolia lay under a bruised dusk sky as Thomas's group approached the city limits. The sun had slipped behind distant hills, leaving bands of violet clouds streaked with copper light. The air felt heavy—charged by residual mana, as though the world itself sensed the storm and the black flames that had erupted on opposite fronts.
Thomas walked slightly ahead, fatigue carving faint lines along his face. His clothing was scorched, his right shoulder still stiff from Serapha's close-range blast. Lucy and Erza followed tightly behind him, both wounded but steady.
The silence between them wasn't tense—it was calculating. Each of them had felt the magnitude of what they had fought in Taran Forest. Each understood that the enemy was advancing faster than the guild could track.
As the gates of Magnolia came into view, the System pulsed under Thomas's skin.
System Notice:
Northern Resonance Fluctuation Detected.
Team Status: Severely Injured.
Mirajane – Critical Mana Depletion.
Juvia – Lightning Trauma, Emotional Overload.
Thomas stopped walking.
Erza noticed immediately.
"Something's wrong."
Lucy touched his arm gently.
"Is it Mirajane and Juvia?"
A second pulse hit him—sharper, colder.
System Alert:
Harem Integrity Instability: 42%
Immediate Reintegration Required.
Thomas's jaw tightened.
"Let's move. Now."
He sprinted.
Lucy and Erza followed without a word.
---
Fairy Tail Guildhall – The Twilight Return
The guild door burst open as Thomas entered with Lucy and Erza behind him. The hall was dimly lit, half-emptied of its usual noise. Only a few members remained, whispering urgently while exchanging tense looks.
Master Makarov stood near the infirmary corridor, his expression drawn and unusually solemn. When he saw Thomas, he exhaled in relief—but only slightly.
"Good. You're back."
His voice carried strain beneath its authority.
"They're inside."
Thomas didn't wait for permission. He walked past the Master and pushed the infirmary door open.
Lucy inhaled sharply.
Erza's eyes narrowed.
Mirajane lay on the first bed, her white hair singed, her arms still wrapped in light ward-bandages that pulsed faintly with healing runes. Her breathing was steady but shallow.
Juvia rested on the adjacent bed, her skin marked with faint blue lightning scars—delicate fractals across her shoulders and collarbone. Her mana was unstable, rippling visibly around her like broken water.
Thomas stepped in, heart pounding.
The System flared again.
Harem Synchronization Interference Detected
Proximity Reintegration Recommended
Warning: Emotional Collapse Threshold Near.
Juvia opened her eyes first.
Her voice was weak, but her relief was immediate and raw.
"Thomas… Juvia… Juvia knew you would return."
Mirajane forced a faint smile despite her exhaustion.
"You three look like you crawled out of a dragon's nest."
Thomas stepped closer, placing a firm hand on the rail between the beds.
"What happened out there?"
Mirajane shifted, pain tightening her features.
"The storm… it wasn't a storm. It was a weapon."
She met his gaze.
"And it knew your name."
Juvia nodded weakly.
"The creature said… Thomas was an anomaly. That their master was watching you."
Erza's tone hardened.
"Another faction? First Serapha, now this Tempest Sovereign…"
Lucy added softly,
"If they're moving in parallel, we're facing an organized network."
Mirajane exhaled.
"Not just organized. Coordinated. They called the storm a test."
Juvia's eyes clouded.
"And Juvia was almost—"
Her voice faltered.
Something tightened in Thomas's chest.
He moved between the two beds, resting a stabilizing hand on each woman's shoulder.
The System reacted instantly.
Harem Reintegration Initiated
Resonance Recovery: +18
Emotional Stabilization: +22
Critical-Level Bond Reinforced
Mirajane's breathing smoothed.
Juvia's mana field settled, the rippling distortion calming into a gentle orbit.
Lucy watched with soft admiration.
"He always manages to stabilize them…"
Erza crossed her arms, though her tone carried respect.
"It's more than resonance. It's connection. Trust."
Thomas lowered his voice.
"You fought something meant to break entire regions. You shouldn't have had to do that alone."
Mirajane shook her head slowly.
"We weren't alone. You were out there fighting something even worse."
Juvia whispered,
"We held the line. For you."
Their sincerity cut deeper than lightning or flame.
Thomas steadied his breathing.
"We're regrouping. As of now, we operate as one team again."
Makarov entered then, hands clasped behind his back, face grave.
"I'm afraid matters are even worse than you think."
The room fell silent.
The Master approached, laying two sealed scrolls on the table beside the beds.
"These arrived while you were gone. High Council reports. Both concerning."
Thomas stepped closer.
"What do they say?"
Makarov gestured toward the first scroll.
"The northern anomaly wasn't the only storm. Multiple regions are destabilizing simultaneously. Mana-flow irregularities of S-class magnitude appearing in synchronized intervals."
He pointed to the second.
"And in the east… the black flame traces you encountered are spreading. Someone is marking territory."
Erza's brow lowered.
"Territory?"
Makarov nodded slowly.
"A border. Two factions appear to be dividing the continent."
Lucy whispered,
"The Tempest Sovereign… and Serapha's Master."
Juvia's voice quivered.
"And both want Thomas."
Mirajane added sharply,
"They're preparing a full-scale conflict. And they're positioning you at the center."
Thomas absorbed it in silence.
The System pulsed once more—this time not as a warning, but as a shift.
System Update Complete
New Evolution Path Unlocked:
"Anomaly Core: Multi-Faction Resistance Protocol"
Abilities Pending:
– Cross-Resonance Amplification
– Dual-Front Combat Adaptation
– Harem Integrity Overdrive (Locked)
– Anomaly Shielding (Locked)
Lucy inhaled.
"Thomas… your system is changing again."
Erza's tone sharpened.
"Prepare yourself. Evolution means consequences."
Thomas looked at Mirajane, then Juvia—battered, worn, but unbroken.
Then he looked at Lucy and Erza—alert, loyal, unwavering.
Finally he looked at Makarov.
"What's our next step?"
The Master hesitated—not out of doubt, but because the truth carried weight.
"We mobilize," he said quietly.
"Fairy Tail will no longer react to these threats."
He met Thomas's gaze.
"We're going to hunt them."
The words struck through the room like a spark igniting dry powder.
Mirajane smiled despite her exhaustion.
"About time."
Juvia nodded softly.
"Juvia will follow… wherever Thomas goes."
Lucy stepped closer.
"You have us."
Erza rested her hand on her sword.
"And you have my blade."
Thomas exhaled—a steady, controlled release of tension.
War was coming.
Not tomorrow.
Not someday.
Now.
And Fairy Tail would not be caught unprepared.