Chapter 125:
– Haru –
…A few hours earlier, before Mavis got dragged off by Kunou.
I called on my Ultimate Skill for the second time today as I focused on the crystal in front of me containing the unresponsive body of Mavis Vermillion.
Mavis's body was a contradiction, a paradox wrapped in crystal that my senses struggled to reconcile for a fraction of a second before my Ultimate Skill, [Lord of the Kitchen], broke it down into terms I could actually understand.
As my domain expanded, washing over the damp, stone-walled basement in a grid of blue magical light, everything within the radius ceased to be objects or people and simply became ingredients. The dusty floor, the ancient machinery, the pulsing Lacrima, and most importantly, the girl suspended in crystal. They were all just components in my prep station now.
And in my kitchen, I was absolute.
I focused my gaze on Mavis Vermillion. To the naked eye, she looked like a sleeping doll—petite, pale, with long, weightless blonde hair drifting around her small, white-frilled dress.
But to my chef's senses? She was a dish that had been left to spoil, yet somehow refused to rot.
Her body was technically alive—overflowing with an infinite regenerating magic power that tasted sweet and heavy in the air. But at the same time, she was dead. There was a black, oily concept clinging to her very existence, a curse so potent and ancient it felt like rancid grease coating a pristine cut of meat. My skill told me what it was called.
It was the Curse of Ankhseram.
The crystal she was encased in wasn't just a coffin—it was a tupperware container keeping the rot from spreading to the rest of the fridge. If I just broke the glass without prepping the ingredient, that black curse would spill out and kill everything in Magnolia within hours.
"Messy," I muttered, my golden fox ears twitching as I analyzed the structure of the spell. "But not unfixable."
I reached into my personal storage space, the air shimmering as I pulled out a long, high-carbon steel carving knife.
Honestly? I didn't actually need the knife. My skill allowed me to manipulate anything in my domain with a mere thought. I could have filleted the curse away with a blink. But there was something satisfying about the tactile sensation of a blade in my hand—plus, it made me look undeniably cooler in front of my beautiful audience.
I stepped up to the crystal, raising the knife. I didn't swing at Mavis herself. I swung at the concept of death leeching off of her.
The blade sliced through the air, trailing a line of blue foxfire. To anyone else, it looked like I was cutting empty space. But I felt the resistance as the edge bit into that oily, black curse. It was tough, stringy—like gristle on a top-tier wagyu steak.
Get that garbage off my prep table!
With a precise, fluid motion, I carved. I severed the metaphysical connection between Mavis's body and the curse of the black mage. It was exactly like trimming the fat and silver skin off a prime tenderloin—separating the inedible waste from the good meat.
Maybe comparing the legendary founder of Fairy Tail to a slab of beef wasn't the most poetic analogy, but hey, I was a chef. It made sense to me.
There was a sound like a heavy chain snapping, followed instantly by the high-pitched shattering of glass.
The massive lacrima crystal exploded outward, shards of magic-infused glass raining down onto the stone floor with a musical chiming sound. The preservation fluid splashed down, evaporating into mist before it could touch my boots.
Mavis didn't fall.
Her body floated there, suspended a few feet off the ground in a gentle halo of golden light. Her chest rose and fell with a deep, shuddering breath—the first real breath she'd taken in a century. The black, oily feeling was gone, sliced away and dissolved into nothingness.
Now, she was just an empty vessel. A body that was suddenly screaming out for its owner. I could feel the magical pull calling to her wandering spirit wherever it was on this planet.
"Well," I said, twirling the knife. "That's one problem solved."
"Incredible..."
I turned to see Irene. She was staring at the floating form of Mavis, her amber eyes wide and glowing with a dangerous intensity. She then turned and walked toward me, her hips swaying with that hypnotic, predatory rhythm she used when she wanted something.
"Haru..." she purred, stepping into my personal space until her impressive chest was brushing against my arm. She looked up at me, her pupils dilated, her breath hitching slightly. "That was... truly amazing. As expected of my beloved." She reached out, her fingers tracing the line of my jaw. "Do you have any idea what you just did?" she whispered, her voice thick with awe. "Even the great Zeref spent a century trying to find a way to undo that magic or kill her properly. He failed. The most brilliant, terrible wizard in history could not do what you just did with a kitchen knife."
"That sounds like a skill issue to me," I told her and slipped my knife away.
Irene leaned in closer, pressing her body flush against mine. To a female dragon, strength was the ultimate aphrodisiac, and I had just casually butchered a curse laid by the gods themselves.
"That was a curse from Ankhseram," she murmured, her lips brushing against my ear on top of my head, making me shiver. "Gods, you are magnificent," she breathed, her hips grinding subtly against my thigh. "I want to—"
I chuckled and wrapped an arm around her slender waist to steady her. I gave her ass a firm, possessive squeeze, enjoying the way she gasped and melted into my grip.
"Down, girl," I teased, smirking down at my sexy dragon witch MILF. "Save that energy. As much as I'd love to break in the guild's basement, we still have a job to do right now..."
Irene pouted, actually pouted, looking for a split second less like the terrifying witch she was, and more like a disappointed teenager. But she leaned into my hand, nipping lightly at my neck.
"We still have to find out what happened to Erza," I reminded her gently.
Irene sighed, composing herself with a visible effort, though she didn't step away from my embrace. Her eyes sharpened again, the mother replacing the lover.
"You are right," she said, smoothing her dress over her hips. "My daughter comes first. But later... you will be rewarding me for my patience."
The golden aura that had cradled Mavis's suspended form flickered and died, the magic dissipating into the damp air of the basement like steam off a hot pan. For a heartbeat, there was absolute silence, save for the wet, ragged sound of a girl taking her first desperate breath in over a century.
Then, gravity—that cruel, impartial mistress—remembered she existed. The magic suspending her in mid-air cut off.
Thump!
She hit the cold stone floor hard, landing squarely on her ass in a tangle of long, damp blonde hair and frilly white fabric.
"Eep!" The squeak that escaped her was high-pitched and undeniably cute, echoing off the cavernous walls. She sat there for a second, stunned, blinking rapidly as her hands instinctively went to her backside, rubbing the sore spot through the thin material of her dress.
"Owie..." she mumbled, her voice raspy and thick with disuse. She squeezed her eyes shut, her face scrunching up in a grimace. "That... that actually hurt."
Then, her eyes flew open again. The realization hit her like a physical blow. She froze, her hands still clutching her butt cheeks, her mouth dropping open in a perfect 'O' of shock.
"Wait a minute!?" she shrieked, her voice cracking. She looked down at her own hands, flexing her fingers. She pinched her own thigh, hard, and winced. "Ouch! I felt that! I felt pain!? How is that possible?" She scrambled—clumsily—onto her hands and knees, her long hair pooling around her on the dirty floor. "Cold," she whispered, shivering as goosebumps erupted across her arms. "Hard. Real." She looked up, her gaze darting frantically around the mostly empty Fairy Tail basement. She took in the shattered remains of the crystal that had been her coffin for so long, the shards glittering like diamonds in the gloom.
Finally, her gaze landed on us.
I stood there, tails swaying lazily behind me. Beside me, Irene was practically draped over my side, her body heat radiating through my clothes.
Mavis stared at me in confusion. She blinked, looking utterly bewildered. Then she looked at Irene.
Irene rested her chin on my shoulder, looking down her nose at the tiny, disheveled First Master. "So," Irene purred, her voice dripping with a mix of smug satisfaction and impatience. "The Sleeping Beauty finally awakes. Although, I don't know if the term "beauty" applies here. More like "Loli Jailbait… And weren't you Zeref's wife—HMmm—I wonder what that says about him…" Irene trailed off and looked like she was actually thinking about it before she grimaced.
Mavis Vermillion scrambled to her feet, her movements a little clumsy, like a newborn foal trying to figure out how its legs worked. She brushed the dust off her white frilled dress and took a tentative step forward, her large green eyes locking onto mine with a mixture of confusion and wonder.
"...Hello again, Haru," she said, her voice raspy but gaining strength. She looked down at her hands again, flexing her fingers, then back up at me. "I take it... me being alive, breathing, feeling the cold floor... this is your doing?" She paused, shaking her head slightly as if trying to dispel a dream. "Though I cannot fathom how. The magic binding me was... absolute. How did you break it?"
I grinned, crossing my arms over my chest as my tails swished behind me. "Let's just say I'm OP like that."
Mavis frowned, tilting her head to the side like a confused puppy. "OP? Is that... some kind of ancient spell? A dialect from another world?"
I chuckled. Right, this is a low-tech fantasy world. "Don't worry about it. Just accept that I'm awesome."
She blinked, still processing, then her gaze shifted to the woman clinging to my side. Her expression hardened slightly as she took in Irene's imposing figure. "And hello to you, Irene Belserion," Mavis said, her tone polite but guarded. "I have seen you lurking around the guild hall from time to time. Watching Erza from the shadows. Trying to... reconnect, I suppose? Though from what I saw, your attempts were rather hit or miss."
Irene stiffened against me, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Watch your tongue, ghost-girl. Or I suppose it's just 'girl' now."
Mavis ignored the jab, turning her attention back to me. Her brows knitted together in a frown. "But... why are you here, Haru? With her? You know the rules. I explicitly banned you from interacting with Fairy Tail."
Irene pulled away from me then, her movements sharp and predatory. She stepped toward Mavis, looming over the smaller girl like a dragon facing down a mouse. The air in the basement grew heavy, saturated with Irene's oppressive magical aura.
"Don't get cute with him, shortie," Irene snarled, her voice dropping to a dangerous purr. She peeled herself off my side and took a menacing step toward Mavis, her heels clicking sharply against the stone floor. She loomed over the smaller woman, her crimson hair flowing around her like a dark aura. "You are in no position to be making demands or enforcing bans. Especially not when you owe your life to my beloved."
Mavis gulped audibly, taking a half-step back. She looked up at Irene, her bravado faltering under the Dragon Queen's intense glare. Irene leaned down, her face inches from Mavis's, her amber eyes burning with a mother's desperate fury.
"I want to know what happened to my daughter," Irene hissed, each word dripping with venom. "Where is Erza? Where is Tenrou Island? And why can I no longer sense her magic?"
Mavis took a deep breath, steeling herself. "Tenrou Island... it was attacked. By Acnologia."
Irene froze for a moment before scowling. "That beast was there!? WHY!?"
"Looks like the dumb lizard didn't learn his place the last time I kicked his ass…" I muttered to myself, too quiet for either woman to hear me.
Mavis flinched, her eyes darting nervously between Irene and me. She chewed on her bottom lip, clearly weighing her options. "It's… it's a long story," she stammered, her voice small.
"Then make it short," Irene snapped.
Mavis took a breath, steeling herself. "Erza… and the rest of the guild members… they aren't dead," she said quickly, holding up her hands as if to ward off Irene's wrath. "I promise you, they are alive."
"I don't care about the rest of the members," Irene interrupted coldly, straightening up and looking down her nose at Mavis. "I only care about her. Where is she?"
"She's safe!" Mavis insisted. "Or… well, as safe as anyone can be when they're suspended in time."
Irene's eyes widened slightly. "Suspended in time?"
Mavis nodded frantically. "Yes! When Acnologia attacked… I had to do something. I couldn't let him destroy them. So I converted their bonds, their faith in each other, into pure magical power. I cast Fairy Sphere. It's an absolute defense spell. It protects them from any evil, but it also… seals them away. They're frozen in time, encased in the sphere, waiting to be released."
Irene stared at her for a long moment, processing the information. The tension in her shoulders slowly began to ease, though her expression remained hard. "So she is alive," she murmured, more to herself than anyone else. "Trapped, but alive."
"Yes," Mavis said softly. "But the sphere… it sank. It's at the bottom of the ocean, near where the island used to be. And until the spell is broken, they can't come back. She looked up at us, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "The spell worked. It protected them from Acnologia's roar. But the island... and everyone on it... they are sealed away. Frozen in time. Trapped beneath the ocean until the spell wears off."
"How long?" Irene demanded.
Mavis hesitated. "Seven years. Maybe more. The spell requires a massive amount of Ethernano to disperse naturally."
Irene let out a breath she'd been holding, her shoulders slumping slightly. "Seven years..." she murmured. Then her head snapped up, her eyes blazing with determination. "Unacceptable. I will not wait seven years to see my daughter again!"
I looked at Mavis, then back at Irene. "Seven years? Nah. That's way too long for a reunion." I flexed my fingers. "Let's go pop that bubble."
Mavis stared at us, eyes wide. "You... you think you can just break Fairy Sphere? It's one of the Three Great Fairy Magics! It's indestructible!"
"We'll see about that," I said, winking at her.
…My boots clicked rhythmically against the stone steps, setting a steady pace. Beside me, Irene glided with that effortless, regal grace she always possessed, her hand resting lightly on my arm, her nails gently kneading the fabric of my sleeve. On my other side, however, the legendary First Master of Fairy Tail was having a much harder time of it.
Mavis Vermillion stumbled on the third step, her bare feet slipping on the cold stone. She let out a small, startled squeak, flailing her arms for balance. "Woah there, grandma," I teased, reaching out to grab her by the back of her frilly white dress to steady her. "Don't go breaking a hip already. You've only been alive for five minutes."
Mavis glared up at me, puffing out her cheeks in a way that made her look more like a toddler than a century-old tactician. "I am not a grandma!" she huffed, her voice still raspy but gaining strength. "And walking is... difficult! My legs feel like jelly. I haven't used muscles in over a hundred years! And Irene is even older than I am!" she added.
Irene let out a hiss next to me for that final comment.
"Excuses," I drawled, keeping a firm grip on Mavis' arm to haul her up the rest of the way. When we finally emerged through the shattered remains of the basement door and stepped back into the main hall, the reaction was instantaneous.
Every single pair of eyes in the room—Macao, Wakaba, Laki, Romeo, and the rest of the 'B-Team'—snapped toward us. They stared at the gaping hole in the floor where their forbidden door used to be, then at Irene, then at me... and finally, their gazes locked onto the small, barefoot girl with long blonde hair standing between us.
Silence stretched out, thick and awkward.
"Uh..." Wakaba took the pipe out of his mouth, squinting through the haze of smoke. "Macao? Who's the kid?"
Macao Conbolt looked like he was about to have an aneurysm. He stared at Mavis, his eyes darting to the shattered crystal remnants still clinging to her dress, and then back to me. "I... I don't..." He stammered, looking helplessly at the other guild members. "She came from the basement? Did we have a homeless girl secretly living down there?"
Mavis straightened her spine, or at least tried to. She smoothed down the front of her dress, attempting to summon the dignity of a Guild Master despite looking like a lost child. She opened her mouth, lifting a finger to address her guild. "My dear children of Fairy Tail! Fear not! I am—"
Smack.
My hand clamped firmly over the lower half of her face, effectively silencing her grand introduction!
Mavis let out a muffled "Mmph!" of protest, her large green eyes widening in shock. She clawed at my hand with her small fingers, but she was weak as a kitten. I didn't even budge.
I looked out at the guild members, my expression shifting into a mask of grim solemnity. I let my golden eyes narrow, casting a suspicious glance around the room. "You guys didn't know?" I asked, keeping my voice low but ensuring it carried to every corner of the silent hall. "This is Makarov's dark secret."
They all looked shocked and leaned forward. ""SECRET?""
"Yeah," I said, shaking my head with pretend disgust. "We found her trapped and chained up down there. Turns out, your Master Makarov has been keeping a little girl locked in his basement for years… How sad."
I loved that I wasn't technically lying. My inner Kitsune was already cackling…
The room exploded!
"WHAT?!" Wakaba shouted, dropping his pipe. It clattered to the floor, forgotten. "The Master?! No way!"
"That's sick!" another person yelled, looking horrified. "I knew he was a pervert, but kidnapping?!"
"Oh my god," Laki whispered, covering her mouth with both hands. "Is that why the basement was forbidden? To hide his... his crimes?"
In my grasp, Mavis was losing her mind. She was thrashing against me, making frantic, muffled noises that sounded distinctly like "Lies! Those are lies! Let me go!" She kicked at my shin with her bare foot, but it was like being kicked by a marshmallow.
I squeezed her face a little tighter, silencing her protests, and pulled her close against my side. "Don't worry, little one," I said loudly, patting her head condescendingly. " The bad man can't hurt you anymore. We're taking you to a safe place."
"Mmph! MMMMPH!" Mavis screamed into my palm, her eyes burning with indignation. She tried to bite my hand, but I just shifted my grip, effectively keeping her jaw shut.
Irene, standing beside me, let out a soft, elegant snort of laughter. She covered her mouth with one hand, her shoulders shaking slightly as she watched the guild members devolve into a panic over their Master's fictitious crimes.
"You are terrible," she whispered to me, her voice thick with amusement. "Destroying an old man's reputation while he is missing? Ruthless."
"He banned me from his guild," I whispered back, winking at her. "I'm petty."
"We're leaving!" I announced to the room. "We're taking this poor victim with us to find the island. Hopefully, we can get some answers from Makarov before the authorities arrive."
"Wait!" Macao shouted, running forward. "You can't just take her! If she's a victim, we need to—"
"You need to stay here and think about what kind of organization you're running!" I snapped, cutting him off.
He looked even more mortified at my words…
Before they could argue further, I turned on my heel, tucking Mavis under my arm like a sack of flour. Irene fell into step beside me as we marched toward the exit. Mavis was still squirming, her little legs kicking uselessly in the air as she tried to scream the truth, but nobody was listening.
They were too busy contemplating whether their beloved Master was actually a criminal.
We burst out of the guild hall and into the late afternoon sun of Magnolia. The fresh air hit us instantly.
Mavis finally managed to pry my fingers loose for a split second. "I AM MAVIS VERMILLION! I AM THE FIRST MASTER! UNHAND ME, YOU BRUTE! MAKAROV IS A GOOD BOY!"
I clamped my hand back over her mouth. "Shhh. Nobody likes a spoiler."
We walked into the center of the wide cobblestone street. The townspeople of Magnolia stopped to stare—it wasn't every day you saw a tall, handsome man with fox ears carrying a struggling child, accompanied by a curvaceous woman in a witch's hat.
Or maybe it was in a town with Fairy Tail…?
"Stand back," I told them. My aura started to seep out of me.
"Haru?" Mavis squeaked, looking up at me with wide, fearful eyes. "What are you doing?"
WOOSH!!
My body exploded outward. Bones lengthened and thickened with sickening cracks that were drowned out by the roar of magic. My skin stretched, covered instantly in a thick, lustrous coat of golden fur. My face pushed out into a snout, my teeth sharpening into massive, razor-edged fangs. I grew taller. And taller. The people of Magnolia screamed and scattered, running for cover as I expanded to the size of a building. My paws slammed into the cobblestones, shattering the street and sending tremors through the ground. In seconds, I wasn't a man anymore. I was a fifty-foot-tall, majestic golden fox, towering over the town. My ten tails—thick as ancient redwood trees—unfurled behind me, creating gusts of wind that knocked over street stalls.
I looked down. Mavis and Irene were tiny specks near my front paws. Mavis had fallen onto her butt, staring up at me with her mouth hanging open, completely paralyzed by the sheer scale of my true form.
I lowered my massive head, bringing my snout within inches of her face. I let out a hot breath that ruffled her hair and probably smelled like ozone and brimstone.
"Hop on," I rumbled. My voice was deep enough to vibrate in her chest bones.
Mavis couldn't move. She was frozen. So, I took the initiative. One of my massive tails swept forward, moving with surprising gentleness. I curled the tip around her waist, lifting her off the ground. She let out a high-pitched yelp as I hoisted her into the air, carrying her up, up, up, until I deposited her unceremoniously onto the broad expanse of my back.
She scrambled for purchase, grabbing handfuls of my thick, golden fur to steady herself. "This is insane!" she screamed, her voice tiny against the wind. "You're even bigger than the last time I saw this! A literal monster!"
I chittered and turned my attention to Irene. She didn't need any help. She simply levitated, rising into the air with elegant poise until she drifted down onto my back, settling herself just behind my shoulders.
She looked... delighted.
I felt her hands sink deep into my fur. She ran her fingers through the golden strands, stroking the coarse, magical hair with a look of pure, tactile bliss on her face.
"So fluffy..." Irene murmured, her voice vibrating through my spine. She pressed her cheek against my back, nuzzling into the warmth. "Oh, this is magnificent. The other girls always get so jealous when one of us gets to ride you this way!"
I felt a purr rumble in my throat. Having Irene stroke my fur felt incredibly good.
"Hold on tight," I warned them, my voice booming across the rooftops of Magnolia. "We're leaving!"
I crouched low, bunching the massive muscles in my hind legs. The stone beneath my paws cracked and groaned under the pressure.
Then, I launched.
BOOM!!!
The sound barrier shattered the instant I left the ground. A shockwave rippled out from the town square, shattering windows and knocking over carts, though I tried to keep the damage minimal.
We shot into the sky like a golden rocket. The wind roared in my ears, whipping my tails out behind me in a stream of gold. The ground fell away instantly—the buildings of Magnolia shrinking to the size of toys, then specks, then disappearing entirely into the patchwork quilt of the landscape below.
"EEEEEEEEEEK!" Mavis was screaming. She was clinging to my fur for dear life, her body pressed flat against my back to avoid being blown away by the sheer velocity. "Too fast! Too fast! Slow down! I'm going to fall off!"
I glanced back—or tried to, my neck only turning so far. I could feel her terror through the bond of my fur.
"Fall off?" I laughed, the sound rumbling like thunder. "I haven't even hit top speed yet."
I pushed more magicules into my flight, accelerating. The clouds ahead of us didn't just part; they were obliterated, blasted apart by the force of my passage. We punched through a bank of cumulus clouds, emerging into the brilliant, blinding sunlight of the upper atmosphere.
"Haru, please!" Mavis wailed, her voice whipped away by the wind. "I just came back to life! Don't kill me again!"
Irene, on the other hand, was having the time of her life. I could feel her shifting, getting comfortable. She had conjured a magical barrier around herself and Mavis to block the worst of the wind shear, but she kept it thin enough to feel the speed.
"Faster, my love," Irene whispered, her lips pressed against my fur. I could hear her perfectly. "Show me what a Demon Lord can do!"
That was all the encouragement I needed.
I banked hard to the East, aiming for the distant, sparkling line of the ocean. I pumped my legs against the air itself, using the atmosphere as a foothold, propelling myself forward with terrifying speed. The world below became a blur of green and brown. Mountains flashed by in seconds.
We reached the coast in minutes—a journey that would have taken a train hours.
The blue expanse of the ocean stretched out before us.
"...Please do not puke on my back," I rumbled, my voice echoed out over the rolling waves.
I turned my massive, golden head slowly to the side as I peered back at my passengers. One giant golden eye focused on the small, trembling figure clinging desperately to the scruff of my neck.
Mavis Vermillion looked... Queasy.
The First Master of Fairy Tail was currently a shade of pale green that clashed horribly with her long, flowing blonde hair. Her knuckles were white where she gripped my fur, her small body pressed flat against my spine as if gravity might suddenly decide to change directions and fling her into the stratosphere. She was breathing in short, shallow gasps, her eyes squeezed shut.
"I... I am trying my best..." Mavis squeaked. She swallowed hard, an audible gulp that made my ears twitch. "But you... you move very fast. Much faster than anything should move. My stomach is... displeased."
"Just hold it in," I warned, a low growl of amusement coloring my tone. "If you vomit on me, I'm dipping you in the ocean to rinse you off. And the water down there is freezing."
Mavis let out a small, terrified whimper and buried her face deeper into my golden coat.
Irene, seated elegantly just behind Mavis's huddled form, let out a soft laugh. "Ignore her, my love," Irene purred, her voice carrying clearly over the sound of the wind and waves. She dragged her nails lightly against my skin beneath the fur. "You flew beautifully."
I chittered and turned my gaze back to the ocean below.
We were hovering about fifty feet above the surface of the water. To the naked eye, there was nothing here. Just endless, rolling swells of dark blue sea stretching out to the horizon. The sky overhead was beginning to shift with the colors of sunset, deep purples and fiery oranges reflecting off the restless water.
"Is this the spot?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
Mavis peeled her face away from my fur. She shakily pushed herself up to a kneeling position, one hand still gripping me for stability as she peered over the edge of my flank, looking down at the churning water. She squinted, her green eyes glowing faintly as she tapped into her own sensory magic. She scanned the waves, her expression shifting from nausea to profound sadness. "Yes," she whispered, her voice carrying on the wind. She pointed a trembling finger downward, toward a patch of ocean that looked identical to the rest. "Tenrou Island... it used to be right there. Beneath us."
Irene stopped stroking my back. She shifted, leaning forward to look where Mavis pointed, her amber eyes narrowing into slits.
"I can sense it," Irene murmured. "Faintly. They are down there."
"They are," Mavis confirmed, her voice gaining a little more strength. She sat back on her heels, wiping a strand of windblown hair from her face. "But... Haru, you must understand. You cannot simply 'break' this barrier."
I tilted my massive head back toward her and listened.
"Fairy Sphere is one of the Three Great Fairy Magics," Mavis explained, her tone taking on a lecture-like quality despite her disheveled appearance. "It is an absolute defense spell. It converts the bonds and feelings of the guild members into pure magical power. It protects them from any evil, completely isolating them from the time-stream." She looked at me earnestly, her large eyes wide. "It is indestructible. Acnologia's roar couldn't scratch it. You cannot smash it, you cannot cut it, and you cannot burn it. The spell is designed to only unravel naturally once it has accumulated enough ambient Ethernano from the atmosphere to restore the balance." She paused, doing some mental math, her brow furrowing. "Given the density of the Ethernano in this area... and the size of the sphere required to cover the entire island..." She shook her head. "It should take at least seven years. Perhaps longer. We cannot rush it."
I stared at her for a long moment. Then, I let out a loud, scoffing snort that sent a jet of steam shooting from my nostrils.
"Seven years?" I repeated, the incredulity evident in my booming voice. "You want me to wait seven years because of a mana deficiency? That's adorable."
Mavis puffed up, looking offended. "It is not adorable! It is the fundamental law of magic! You cannot create energy from nothing! The sphere needs fuel to deactivate safely!"
"I could break it," I rumbled, feeling the power coiling in my muscles. I knew I could. "I could shatter that thing in a heartbeat."
"No!" Mavis shrieked, waving her hands frantically. "If you break it by force, the temporal stasis will collapse violently! The backlash could kill everyone inside! You have to let it open naturally!"
Irene leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. "She has a point, Haru," she said coolly. "If the spell is tied to their life force, shattering it might sever the connection… Please don't kill my daughter, even if you can now revive the dead and it wouldn;t really matter."
"Fine. We do it the safe way."
Mavis let out a sigh of relief. "Good. So... we wait? We can mark the location and come back in seven years—"
"No," I interrupted. "We do it the safe way, but we do it my way." I shifted in the air, adjusting my position until I was hovering directly over the epicenter of the sunken island. "You said the sphere needs to accumulate ambient magic to open, right? It's basically a battery that needs to be charged?"
Mavis blinked. "Well... yes. Essentially. But the rate of absorption is fixed by the ambient levels of Ethernano in the atmosphere. You can't just—"
"That sphere wants magic?" I growled, a feral grin spreading across my muzzle. "Then I'll feed it magic. Until it's so full it pops!"
Mavis stared at me, her mouth agape. "Feed it? But... the amount required is astronomical! It would take the equivalent of a nation's worth of mana to—"
I ignored her.
I swayed my ten tails. They were thick, majestic plumes of golden fur, each one crackling with latent power. I drove my ten massive tails downward.
All ten of them plunged into the ocean simultaneously. I extended them, stretching their length magically. My tails snaked down in the water, hundreds of feet.
Deeper, until I felt it. My tails brushed against something solid. Something smooth and humming with power. The surface of the Fairy Sphere.
I began pumping a massive, concentrated stream of pure magicules down the length of my tails and directly into the sphere.
WOOOM!
The effect was instantaneous and spectacular.
The ocean beneath us turned a blinding shining gold. It looked like liquid sunlight was boiling up from the bottom of the world.
The water began to froth and bubble, not from heat, but from the sheer density of the energy passing through it.
"What..." Mavis scrambled to the edge of my back, looking down with eyes so wide they looked like dinner plates. She clutched her head, her sensory abilities overwhelmed by the sudden spike. "What is this?! The Ethernano count... it's skyrocketing! It's off the charts! It's not just rising, it's exploding!" She turned to look at the back of my head, her expression one of utter, terrified bewilderment. This... this amount of magic..." she stammered, her voice shaking. "It shouldn't be possible! "How?" Mavis gasped, clutching tufts of my fur as if to anchor herself against the sheer pressure of my aura. "How did you get so powerful in such a short amount of time? It's only been a few months since we last met!"
Irene answered for me.
She leaned back on her hands, crossing her legs and looking at Mavis with a smug, superior smile. "It is simple, little master," Irene said, her voice dripping with satisfaction. "Haru ate a god's soul."
Mavis froze. Her brain seemed to short-circuit. She stared at Irene, blinking rapidly. "HE... HE WHAT!?"
"A god," Irene repeated. "He ripped the soul out of a sun god and swallowed it whole. And now... he has evolved. He is a True Demon Lord."
Mavis looked at the back of my head, horror and awe warring on her face. "Ate... a god?" she squeaked. "Is that... is that even a thing you can do?"
"It tasted like spicy chicken," I rumbled helpfully, not breaking my concentration. Suddenly, I felt a shift deep below. The sphere shuddered against my tails. It was full. More than full. It was bursting. "Get ready," I warned them. "It's coming up." I retracted my tails, pulling them out of the water with a massive splash.
A heartbeat later, the ocean surface bulged upward. A dome of water rose, cascading away in massive waterfalls to reveal a shimmering, golden sphere breaking the surface. It was colossal, encompassing the entire landmass of Tenrou Island inside it. The sphere hung there for a second, glowing so bright it turned the twilight into noon. Then, with a sound like a thousand glass bells shattering at once, it dissolved. The golden light fragmented into millions of sparkles that rained down like glitter. And there, resting on the surface of the ocean where only empty water had been a moment before, was Tenrou Island.
And scattered across the beach, looking confused and blinking in the sudden light, were the members of Fairy Tail.
From the beach, I heard Natsu scream, pointing up at me. "HOLY CRAP! IT'S A GIANT GOLDEN FOX MONSTER! EVERYONE GET READY TO FIGHT!"
"Oh, shut up, Natsu," I boomed, my voice rolling over the island. "I just saved your asses!"
"HOLY CRAP! IT'S HARU—AND HE'S SUPER STRONG NOW! FIGHT ME, HARU!"
"Maybe later," I grunted. I landed on the beach with a tremor that shook the sand. I crouched low, allowing my passengers to disembark.
Mavis slid down my tail, hitting the sand and immediately running toward the guild members with tears in her eyes. "EVERYONE! YOU'RE SAFE!"
Irene floated down gracefully, landing just a few feet away from Erza.
"MOTHER!?" Erza gasped.
Irene didn't say a word. She just opened her arms.
I was surprised when Erza teared up and ran into Irene's, burying her head in her mother's chest before she began to sob happily. It was a very touching moment…
…A few minutes later.
Mavis Vermillion stood at the center of the gathering and answered all their questions.
Makarov, tiny and battered, stared at her with his mouth hanging open, tears streaming down his wrinkled cheeks. "First Master... you saved us?"
"I did," she confirmed gently. "When Acnologia roared... I had no choice. I converted your bonds—the strength of your hearts—into pure magical power. I cast Fairy Sphere. It is an absolute defense magic that seals time itself." She gestured toward me with an open hand. "But the spell was never meant to be broken so soon. It was Haru… He brought me back from the dead. He poured an ocean of magic into the sphere."
The guild members turned their gazes toward me.
Natsu Dragneel was vibrating with energy, looking like he wanted to punch me or hug me, or possibly both. Gray Fullbuster was staring with a calculated look, probably wondering if I could be frozen. Lucy Heartfilia just looked like she was going to faint from sensory overload.
Laxus Dreyar groaned loudly, rubbing the back of his neck as he leaned against a jagged rock. "There is so much to unpack with those statements, but frankly? I don't care right now. I'm too tired to think."
"Hehe!" Cana Alberona laughed from where she was sitting in the sand, clutching her stomach. She looked ragged, her bikini top stained with dirt, but her grin was wide. "You and me both, Laxus! I don't care about the details! We're alive! Does anyone have any booze? I need a drink. A big one. A barrel, preferably!"
"Aye!" Happy cheered, flying loops in the air. "We survived! Where's the celebration fish!??"
"If we're done here, I'm offering a ride back. Unless you all want to swim back to the mainland?" I asked them all.
"A ride?" Lucy squeaked, looking up at my massive form. "On... on you?"
"Better than swimming," I chittered, lowering my body until my belly brushed the sand. "Climb on. And try not to pull my fur. It's sensitive. And Natus if you puke on me, you are swimming back…"
"I'll try my best to not think of you as transportation…" Natsu said nervously.
The rest followed suit. It was a strange sensation, feeling dozens of tiny human hands and feet clamoring over my back.
Irene and Erza were the last to board.
"Next stop, Fairy Tail," I announced.
…We descended over the town. I landed in the wide plaza in front of the guild hall with a heavy thud.
"Everybody off," I grunted.
The guild members slid down my flanks, hitting the ground with laughs and cheers. Natsu did a flip, landing on his feet with a grin. "That was the best ride ever! And I didn't get sick!"
Once the last of them—Mavis—had slid down my tail, I closed my eyes and released the transformation. There was a rush of heat, a compression of magic, and in a flash of blue light, my massive form shrank away. I stood there a moment later in my human form—tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in my black pants and white shirt, with my ten golden tails swishing casually behind me. I rolled my neck and brushed a stray hair from my face.
"Your displays of magic and power are always fascinating to see," Irene purred, stepping up beside me. She looped her arm through mine, leaning her weight against me possessively. Erza stood right next to her, looking at me with wide, grateful eyes, though she didn't say anything yet.
Makarov Dreyar hobbled forward. The old master looked tiny, even smaller than usual after the ordeal on the island. His white mustache twitched, and his eyes were wet with emotion as he looked at his returned children, then at Mavis, and finally at me. He stopped in front of me, leaning heavily on his cane. He looked up, his expression a complicated mix of gratitude, wariness, and exhaustion.
"Haru," Makarov said, his voice thick. He cleared his throat. "I... I don't know what to say. I told my children to stay away from you. I called you bloodthirsty and dangerous."
I smirked down at him, crossing my arms. "You weren't wrong, old man. I am dangerous." I wouldn't consider myself bloodthirsty though, that one was just hurtful. I only killed when I was absolutely forced to.
Makarov let out a short, rough chuckle. "Aye. But you saved them. You brought them back when I thought all was lost. Being trapped for seven years... it would have destroyed us. The guild would have withered. The family would have been broken." He bowed his head low, a gesture of profound respect. "You have the eternal gratitude of Fairy Tail."
"Don't worry about it," I said, reaching out to pat the top of his bald head—mostly just to mess with him. "Just make sure you all celebrate tonight with a big party. You all look so bummed out and mopey!"
"HA!" Makarov straightened up, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "Of course! We will hold a feast! A celebration unlike any—"
"HALT!"
I looked past Makarov, toward the main street leading to the plaza.
Marching toward us in perfect formation was a contingency of the Rune Knights. There were at least twenty of them, clad in their pristine white uniforms and carrying magical staves. At their head marched Lahar, his glasses glinting in the sunlight, his expression grim and severe.
The members of Fairy Tail stiffened. Natsu growled, his fists igniting with small flames. "What do they want now? We just got back!"
"Hehehe…" I realized immediately why they were here. There was a slow, wicked grin spreading across my face
The leader of the knights marched right up to our group, stopping a few feet away from Makarov. "Makarov Dreyar!" he barked, his voice projecting authority. "By the authority of the Magic Council, you are under arrest!"
Makarov blinked, looking utterly blindsided. "Arrest? What in the world for? We were attacked by a dragon! We are the victims here!"
"A dragon? I have no idea what you are talking about. Anyway—We received credible reports from your own guild members regarding heinous crimes committed within this very hall!" He pointed an accusing finger at Makarov. "You are charged with the kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, and concealment of a minor!"
"WHAT?!" Makarov shrieked, his eyes bulging out of his head. "I'M WHAT?!"
The entire guild erupted into confused shouting.
"Kidnapping?!" Lucy yelled. "The Master would never!"
"Who told you that?!" Gray roared.
The knight leader gestured to the side, where Mavis Vermillion was standing, looking small and confused in her frilly dress. "We have reports that this child," Lahar said, pointing at the First Master, "was kept locked in a secret basement beneath the guild hall for years! The testimony states she was chained up and hidden away from the world!"
Makarov looked at Mavis, then back at the knight. "That... that is the First Master of our guild! That is Mavis Vermillion! She was not kidnapped! She's over a hundred years old!"
"You expect me to believe this child is over a hundred years old? She looks twelve. And we have witness statements confirming she was dragged out of a secret dungeon just hours ago! Nice try you old pervert, but you're going to magic jail!"
Mavis stepped forward, her cheeks puffing out in indignation. "This is a misunderstanding!" she squeaked, waving her hands. "I am Mavis! I was not kidnapped! I was—"
Smack.
My hand clamped over her mouth for the second time that day.
I pulled her back against my chest, effectively silencing her. Mavis let out a muffled scream of frustration, her little legs kicking in the air as I held her firm.
"Officer," I said smoothly, giving the man a solemn nod. "Good work responding so quickly. We found the poor girl down there ourselves. It was tragic..."
He nodded at me, looking validated. "Thank you for your cooperation, citizen. We will take it from here." He gestured to his men. "Seize Makarov!"
Two Rune Knights grabbed the tiny old man by his arms.
"Wait! No!" Makarov flailed, his legs kicking uselessly. "It's a lie! That man is lying! Haru, stop this! Tell them the truth!" He looked at me with desperate, pleading eyes.
I just grinned at him, my golden eyes twinkling with mischief. "Sorry, Master Makarov. The law is the law."
"You demon!" Makarov wailed as they began to drag him away. "I'll get you for this! This is revenge for the ban, isn't it?! It was just a safety precaution!"
"Take him away, boys!" I called out cheerfully.
Mavis finally managed to pry one of my fingers loose. "Haru! You can't let them take the Third! He's innocent! This is abuse of power! Let me speak!"
I clamped my hand back down. "Shhh. Think of it as a vacation for him. Three square meals a day, a nice cot... he needs the rest. Old people need their sleep."
Irene was leaning against my shoulder, shaking with silent laughter. Tears of mirth were actually gathering in her eyes. "You are incorrigible," she whispered. "My poor daughter looks so confused."
I glanced at Erza. The Titania was staring at the scene with a blank expression, her brain clearly unable to process the sequence of events. Her Master was being arrested for kidnapping the First Master—who was currently being gagged by her mother's boyfriend.
It was a lot.
"Don't worry," I said to Mavis, loosening my grip slightly now that Makarov was being hauled down the street, still shouting about his innocence. "You can go bail him out tomorrow. Let him sweat for a night. It builds character."
Mavis glared at me, her green eyes promising retribution, but she stopped struggling. "You are a very bad man," she muttered into my palm.
"I'm a Demon Lord," I corrected her with a wink. "And besides, you haven't had a decent meal in a hundred years," I said and gave her another offer, "Why not come back to the Fox Hole and get something to eat. All of today's problems can become tomorrow's problems!"
She looked like she might still argue but then her stomach grumbled loudly. Her resolve crumbled instantly. "Do you have... pudding?" she asked in a small voice.
"I have the best pudding in the multiverse," I assured her.
Mavis grabbed my hand. "Okay. Let's go. Makarov can wait I suppose..."
XXX
Thanks for reading!!! You can check out more of my stories on my profile.
Do you also want to read chapters ahead of my posts on this site? You can!
You can check me out on "Pat-reon.-com / Starwaves" to support me and read ahead of everyone else!
Right now, this story is on Chapter: 130 over there!