The sakura-haired boy had barely gotten the chance to feel proud of swallowing the heart-flame when the light overhead suddenly dimmed.
A rainstorm of light arrows poured down over him.
"Huh?"
Natsu stared blankly upward, his pupils reflecting a dense field of dazzling points of light.
If he had been fully focused, his beastlike instincts might have let him dodge most of them.
But right now, drunk on his own success, he had no time to react at all.
Thud, thud, thud—!
With a series of dull impacts into flesh—
the arrogant "Fire Dragon" was, without the slightest suspense, pinned into a twitching hedgehog sprawled on the floor.
"O-one-shot?"
The newcomers, who had only just been marveling at Natsu's momentum, now all stood with their mouths open in terror.
That was the "Fire Dragon" who had been acting so cocky just a moment ago! And now, in a single exchange, he hadn't even had room to fight back?
Meanwhile, the veterans who were long used to this sort of scene burst into merciless laughter.
"Pfft—hahaha! Natsu really is still so lame in front of Shane!"
Amid the noise, Shane slowly lowered the deep crimson great bow in his hands.
Looking at the "hedgehog" still flopping on the floor, he couldn't help chuckling.
"Dragon Slayers really do have ridiculous bodies."
With that last attack, if he hadn't reinforced the light arrows with C-rank magic, he probably really would've needed physical arrows to put Natsu down that cleanly.
"You have gotten a lot stronger," Shane said, looking down at Natsu with amusement in his voice.
"But your brain still hasn't grown at all, has it?"
Showing off completely defenseless in front of an opponent during battle? That habit was really something else.
"Guh…"
Natsu's eyes rolled up as he twitched twice like a fish out of water.
Then, somehow, he suddenly sprang upright with a carp flip and shouted excitedly,
"I-I was careless just now! That doesn't count! Again!"
"You recovered that quickly?"
Seeing Natsu bouncing around like nothing had happened, Shane narrowed his eyes slightly.
Was it because he'd eaten my heart-flame and converted it into magic to replenish himself?
That startled him a little.
That cockroach-like toughness really did live up to the title "Fire Dragon."
Still…
"Let's leave it for today. I've got urgent business to deal with."
Shane waved a hand and flatly refused.
Honestly, if the clue about Lisanna's disappearance weren't weighing on his mind and if he weren't rushing to Edolas, he really would've liked to spend more time with Natsu—even have a proper fight with him.
Not only to test the boy's strength.
More importantly, he wanted to see whether he could use battle as a stimulus to meet Igneel again and advance the long-chain trial he had just received.
"Hey! Don't leave! I already said I was careless just now—"
Ignoring Natsu's unreasonable shouting behind him, Shane had just started to turn away when his heart suddenly sank.
An uneasy swelling sensation spread rapidly along the blood vessels of his right arm.
"This feeling…"
His expression immediately turned ugly.
Just being exposed to Natsu's dragon aura for that short a time had triggered signs of dragonization again?
The activation threshold had dropped way too low.
Shane couldn't help gritting his teeth.
His body after dragonization was extremely hard to control. This time-bomb-like hidden danger was already seriously interfering with his everyday life.
"Looks like I need to find a way to resolve Lancer's fourth vision as soon as possible. I absolutely can't keep putting it off."
He sighed inwardly and quietly took two steps back, widening the distance between himself and Natsu.
"Hopefully I can find somewhere suitable in Edolas and deal with this problem once and for all."
Just then—
"Shane!"
Outside the guild, Mira's somewhat urgent voice suddenly rang out.
"You're back already?"
Following the sound, Shane looked over in surprise.
Logically, if she'd gone to ask Carla for information, she should've needed at least some time to talk things through. How had she returned so quickly?
He pushed through the crowd and strode out the doors. Only then did he realize that in the open space outside, not only had Mira returned, but Carla and Wendy were there as well.
"We ran into each other halfway."
Mira pointed to the two beside her, the full curve of her chest rising and falling slightly.
Shane nodded. That wasn't too surprising.
After all, a few of the guild's loudmouths had just run around spreading the news. The girls staying at the dorm had probably all hurried over to the guild hall by now.
If Wendy had nothing else to do, she would naturally have come along to see what was happening.
He looked at Mira and went straight to the point.
"So? How did your talk with Carla about going to Edolas go?"
"Mira already briefly explained things to me on the way."
Under Wendy's confused gaze, Carla stepped forward of her own accord.
Putting away her usual proud attitude, she bowed deeply and seriously toward Mira.
"I'm sorry. About that world… I really did hide things from you. But please believe me, I had reasons I truly couldn't speak about."
"It's alright."
Mira, however, seemed completely unconcerned.
"Everyone has secrets they don't want touched. Besides, over this past year, you've already helped me more than enough."
With Mira's forgiveness, Carla relaxed slightly.
She straightened, her gaze briefly settling on Shane's face—the face that instinctively terrified her—before she quickly looked away again.
"Just as you guessed, I do know a way to get to Edolas."
Carla took a deep breath, her voice steady.
"As long as we can find the residue left behind after Anima activates, I can use wing magic to force open the weakened node and take you across."
Hearing this, Shane's eyes flickered faintly.
Not only did she know about Edolas, she even knew the details of Anima… this white cat knew far more than he had imagined.
"That's great!"
Mira didn't think that deeply. The moment she heard there was a way, her eyes brightened.
"Then Carla, can you take us there?"
"No."
To everyone's surprise, Carla refused without hesitation.
She raised her head, and despite her small body, her stubbornness was unquestionable.
"I decided long ago that no matter what happens, I will stay by Wendy's side forever and never leave her. So… I'm sorry. I can't help you."
"Carla…"
Though Wendy didn't know what had happened, she looked worriedly at the visibly emotional white cat.
"But…"
Mira bit her lower lip, her eyes full of unwillingness and anxiety.
The clue was right in front of her, only to be cut off again.
Snap.
A crisp flick landed on Mira's forehead.
Wincing, Mira turned to look back.
Shane withdrew his hand, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"Did I not make myself clear earlier? The one going to Edolas is only me."
"But… if Carla won't help lead the way, then doesn't that mean we can only wait here obediently until Mystogan finishes making his new medicine?"
Mira's voice was heavy with disappointment.
"No. What we just learned is enough."
A confident curve appeared at the corner of Shane's mouth.
He reached into his clothes and pulled out the Lacrima Mystogan had just given him, a trace of magic spilling from his fingertip.
"Hey, Mystogan?"
A hoarse reply soon came from the crystal.
"Relax, I'm not here to rush you," Shane said lightly. "Tell me the exact location of the last Anima you stopped before coming back just now."
"What do you need that for?" Mystogan sounded puzzled.
"Nothing much. I'm just a little curious about spatial magic and want to go study it while I have time. Don't worry, before your medicine is finished, I definitely won't act recklessly."
After a short exchange, Shane cut off the connection in satisfaction.
"Done."
"What are you trying to do?" Mira looked completely lost after watching his string of actions.
"Mystogan just came back to the guild from outside. That means he recently dealt with an Anima. The residue at that place probably hasn't fully vanished yet."
Shane analyzed it methodically.
"But… even if you find the residue, Carla already said that without her wing magic…"
Whoosh—
A sudden gust of wind forcibly cut off Mira's words.
A pair of enormous black dragon wings, gleaming like metal, burst open from Shane's back.
"These wings of mine… are pretty interesting."
Shane turned his head slightly, the black scales reflecting a heart-stopping light beneath the sun.
"My instincts tell me that as long as I find that weakened 'gap,' they can take me through the barrier directly."
"That's impossible!"
Carla's eyes went wide, and she shook her head furiously like a rattle.
"Something like that… should only be possible with our Exceed magic!"
"Exceed?"
Shane glanced at her and silently mulled over the term, committing it to memory.
To save time, he didn't ask further.
"Then I'll head out first."
With a slight flap of his wings, Shane's body slowly lifted off the ground.
"Wait!"
Before he could soar away, Gray—who had just been arguing with Loke—rushed out from the crowd shirtless.
"Where the hell are you running off to this time?!"
"Hm?"
Shane hovered in midair and glanced down at him.
Then he waved a hand and called loudly, "I have something extremely important to do right now! Whatever it is, wait until I get back!"
Before the words had even fully fallen, he ignored the shouting below.
His huge dragon wings beat hard, stirring up a violent current of air, and he shot toward the high blue sky in an instant.
"Elfman! Watch the house for me!"
Seeing Shane actually try to slip away alone, Mira didn't hesitate for even a second. Dark purple-black magic exploded around her.
Wicked demon wings tore out from the girl's back.
With one beat of her wings, she locked onto Shane's fading trail and shot into the sky after him.
All that was left behind were the guild members who had chased outside, staring at the two black dots disappearing one after the other into the horizon.
"Tch!"
Gray stood below and clicked his tongue harshly in frustration.
"Does that bastard even remember the promise we made back then? Lyon already secretly moved Deliora away!"
"Now, now. Don't be so impatient."
Ur slowly walked out of the guild and patted Gray's tense shoulder.
"We've already waited this long. A little more won't hurt. Once he finishes what he's doing and comes back, we can deal with it together."
Over the years, through Ur and Gray's secret investigation, they had naturally found Lyon's whereabouts long ago.
But since Ultear had warned Ur not to run around carelessly under any circumstances, only Gray had been quietly watching Lyon's every move from outside.
High above, the wind roared past their ears.
Shane spread his broad dragon wings, his body darting through the thick clouds like a nimble fish.
Whoosh—
From diagonally behind him on the right came an unnecessary rush of air.
Shane turned his head slightly, and his brows instantly knotted together.
In his sight, Mira was beating her demon wings and clinging stubbornly to his side, refusing to fall behind by even an inch.
"Didn't I tell you to stay at the guild? Why are you following me into this mess?" Shane shouted irritably.
"Shut up!"
In her demon form, both Mira's face and voice carried a trace more bewitching coldness than usual.
"You're going to look for Lisanna. How could I, her own sister, just sit comfortably in the guild and wait?"
"…"
Seeing that this girl wasn't going to listen no matter what, Shane really didn't want to waste time arguing with her right now.
He folded his wings back, muscles tightening as he prepared to explode forward and leave her far behind.
But just before he could accelerate—
a purple-black light suddenly flashed in front of his eyes.
Shane only felt his arms grow heavy as a warm, soft, faintly fragrant body crashed into him without warning.
He looked down in stunned disbelief.
Mira had actually canceled her Take Over magic thousands of meters up in the air.
The instant she lost the ability to hover and began plummeting, she lunged forward hard.
Like a nimble octopus, she wrapped both arms tightly around Shane's neck and shamelessly locked both legs around his waist.
"You were just about to speed up and ditch me, weren't you?"
The girl lifted her head. Beneath the silver hair being whipped wildly by the wind, her brown-blue eyes stared unblinkingly into Shane's.
"When did this girl get so sharp?"
Having his intentions guessed, Shane was actually left speechless for a second.
She knew perfectly well that her speed couldn't compare to his, so she had shamelessly latched onto him instead.
And if they kept fighting like this, who knew how much more time they'd waste.
Shane could only snort inwardly in frustration.
Mira was the actual older sister here. By all rights, she should care more than anyone about how urgent the situation was. Yet now he was the one being held hostage.
What if I didn't care whether Lisanna lived or died?!
With a long face, Shane begrudgingly accepted this piece of "chewing gum" clinging to him, though he still laid down the rules viciously.
"I can take you, but once we get there, every action you take has to follow my orders. No acting on your own!"
"Mm!" Mira agreed instantly.
Whether she actually listened to any of that was another question.
"I hope so."
Shane exhaled irritably, adjusted his flight posture, tightened his hold around the girl in his arms, and beat his wings hard, tearing through the air at full speed toward the coordinates.
Before long, the two arrived at their destination.
From above, the forest below looked extremely strange.
In the center of the dense sea of trees, a large section had abruptly vanished, as if some invisible giant had scooped it out perfectly with a spoon, leaving behind only a bare circular pit.
Shane hovered directly above the enormous crater, closing his eyes slightly as he quietly sensed the lingering ripples in the air.
It was a peculiar magic utterly different from Earth Land's.
Like countless invisible threads, they wove together in the empty air above the crater, slowly circling, unraveling, and drifting toward their final disappearance.