POV: Elior
A few days had passed since we returned from Lunaris.
Life had gone back to normal.
Well… as normal as life in Fairy Tail could be.
I was outside the villa early in the morning, standing in the middle of the training yard with my sword in hand.
The morning air was cool, and the forest beyond the house was still quiet.
I took a slow breath.
Then I moved.
My sword cut through the air.
One strike.
Two.
Three.
I shifted my footing and followed with a horizontal slash before turning my wrist and bringing the blade back across my body.
The movements were becoming more natural.
Not because I was copying anyone.
I'd never wanted that.
I wanted my own swordsmanship.
Something that belonged entirely to me.
I stopped and lowered the sword.
My breathing hadn't even changed.
"Again."
I raised the sword.
This time, I focused less on speed and more on precision.
Every movement had to flow into the next.
My magical perception spread subtly around me.
The world became clearer.
The movement of the trees.
The small fluctuations of ethernano in the air.
The shift of leaves whenever the wind passed through them.
Even the tiny changes in the magical presence of living creatures hidden deeper in the forest.
It wasn't seeing the future.
It was simply becoming better at understanding everything happening around me.
And the better I became at reading those changes, the more naturally my body reacted.
I suddenly felt a small presence approaching from behind.
I smiled.
"You're awake early."
"El ni-san!"
I turned.
Erza was standing at the edge of the training yard.
She was still in her training clothes, her red hair slightly messy from sleep.
"Good morning."
"Good morning."
She walked closer.
"What are you doing?"
"Training."
"I know."
She looked at my sword.
"I mean, what are you practicing?"
I thought for a moment.
"Trying to make every movement smoother."
Erza nodded seriously.
"Can I watch?"
"Of course."
She sat down near the edge of the yard.
I returned to my training.
I moved slowly at first.
Then faster.
My sword cut through the air again and again.
When I finished, Erza was staring at me.
"How do you do that?"
"Practice."
"That's all?"
"Mostly."
She frowned.
"That's not a very good answer."
I laughed.
"You're five. You don't need to worry about doing everything I can do."
"I want to."
There was no hesitation in her voice.
I looked at her.
That determination was already there.
Even at five.
I walked over and sat beside her.
"You don't have to become like me."
She looked confused.
"Why?"
"Because you're Erza."
I tapped her forehead lightly.
"You need to become strong in your own way."
She thought about that.
Then nodded.
"I'll still surpass you."
I smiled.
"I know."
She smiled back.
The back door opened.
"You're both awake already?"
Irene stepped outside.
She looked between us.
"Good morning, Mother."
"Good morning."
Erza immediately stood up.
"Mother, El ni-san was training."
"I can see that."
Irene glanced at my sword.
"How is your control?"
"Better."
"And your magical perception?"
"I'm getting more consistent with it."
She nodded.
"Good."
Then she looked at Erza.
"And you?"
Erza straightened.
"I want to train too."
Irene smiled faintly.
"Then you'll train."
Erza's eyes brightened.
"Really?"
"Of course."
I looked at Irene.
"You're going to train her?"
"I am her mother."
She gave me a look.
"I think I can manage."
I smiled.
"Fair enough."
Erza immediately ran toward her.
I watched them for a moment.
It was strange sometimes.
In my previous life, I had never imagined having a family like this.
Now, watching Irene patiently explain basic movement to Erza felt completely natural.
Luna suddenly appeared from behind a bush.
"Kyuu!"
She ran straight toward me.
"Morning."
She jumped onto my leg.
I picked her up.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Kyuu."
"Good."
By the time we finished training, the sun was already higher in the sky.
We had breakfast together before heading toward Magnolia.
Today was supposed to be a quiet day at the guild.
No missions.
No emergencies.
Just Fairy Tail.
As soon as we opened the guild doors, the familiar noise hit us.
Someone was arguing.
Someone else was laughing.
A table was being dragged across the floor for reasons I couldn't understand.
I smiled.
Yep.
Normal.
"EL!"
Laxus waved from one of the tables.
I walked over.
"What?"
"Come train with me."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Now?"
"Now."
Cana, who was sitting nearby, looked over.
"Again?"
Laxus ignored her.
"I've been practicing."
"So?"
"So I'm better."
I smiled.
"That's what you said last time."
His expression hardened.
"I mean it this time."
"Then let's go."
Cana immediately stood up.
"I'm coming."
Laxus frowned.
"Why?"
"Because watching you two fight is entertaining."
"We're not fighting."
"Sure."
Erza looked at me.
"Can I come too?"
I smiled.
"Of course."
A short while later, the four of us were outside.
Laxus stood across from me, lightning already crackling faintly around his body.
I drew my sword.
"Ready?"
He grinned.
"Always."
We moved.
Lightning flashed.
I stepped aside as his fist passed where my head had been.
My sword came forward, stopping just before his shoulder.
Laxus twisted away and released a burst of lightning.
I let the attack pass through my Light body.
He clicked his tongue.
"I hate that."
"You'll have to find a way around it."
He rushed forward again.
This time, I didn't simply dodge.
I watched.
His shoulders shifted.
His weight moved onto his front foot.
The ethernano around his body changed as lightning gathered.
I moved before the attack was fully released.
My sword tapped his shoulder.
"Point."
Laxus stepped back.
"Again."
I smiled.
"Sure."
We continued.
He was improving.
A lot.
His attacks were faster than they had been before, and his control was becoming more refined.
More importantly, he was learning how I moved.
He started predicting my changes in direction based on my posture.
That was exactly what I wanted.
"You're getting better."
Laxus smirked.
"I know."
Cana groaned.
"You two are both impossible."
Erza was watching carefully.
Her eyes followed every movement.
I noticed.
She wasn't just watching the fight.
She was studying it.
After another exchange, I lowered my sword.
"That's enough for today."
Laxus frowned.
"I can keep going."
"I know."
I sheathed my sword.
"That's why we're stopping before you exhaust yourself."
He looked annoyed.
Then he smiled.
"Next time."
"Next time."
We returned to the guild.
Cana immediately headed toward the food.
Erza sat beside me.
Luna curled up near my feet.
For the rest of the afternoon, nothing particularly important happened.
And honestly?
I liked that.
There were no demons.
No curses.
No dangerous missions.
No mysterious books.
Just friends.
Family.
Food.
Arguments.
Laughter.
The kind of ordinary days I'd never appreciated enough in my previous life.
I looked around Fairy Tail.
Laxus was arguing with someone.
Cana was eating.
Erza was talking excitedly about training.
Luna was trying to steal food from my plate.
I caught her paw.
"Absolutely not."
"Kyuu…"
I sighed and gave her a tiny piece anyway.
She happily ate it.
Maybe this was what I had been searching for all along.
Not endless battles.
Not becoming stronger simply because I could.
Just having people around me who made even an ordinary day worth remembering.
I smiled.
For now, that was enough.