Watching that ominous black light wrapping around Michelle, Mavis's pupils suddenly shrank. "That's black magic?!"
"Why would anyone still use this kind of forbidden magic with such heavy side effects these days?"
She quickly pressed her hands together in front of her chest, gathering a warm golden glow between her palms. Just as the magic was halfway formed, a milky-white beam shot past from the side and landed precisely on Michelle.
The mass of black light reacted like snow under sunlight, sizzling as it melted away at a speed visible to the naked eye. In just a few seconds, it was completely gone.
"The side effects of the black magic... have been lifted?" Mavis turned to Roger in disbelief, her eyes filled with surprise and curiosity.
"What was that light just now?"
"It actually erased that kind of forceful black magic?"
"It's purification power," Roger said, pulling his hand back. A faint white glow still lingered on his fingertips.
"A remnant force I got from a certain god."
"Remnant power from a god?" Mavis repeated thoughtfully.
Roger nodded. "You said earlier, First Master, that what surged from Michelle was black magic?"
"That's right," Mavis confirmed with a nod. "It's a type of black magic that exchanges a price for power."
"The bigger the price you pay, the stronger the power you get."
Her expression turned serious. "But the most dangerous part is that it's not always used willingly."
"As long as the caster's magic is strong enough, they can forcibly awaken someone else's deepest desires and make that person pay a price to fulfill the awakened wish."
Wendy covered her mouth in horror. "How could that happen?! Forcing someone's desires awake... isn't that basically making people who didn't even have a wish pay a price against their will?"
"That's exactly why it's called black magic," Mavis sighed helplessly. "And the price paid is completely random—you can't choose it yourself."
"In the past, someone wanted better health, but the price they paid was a lifetime of poverty."
"Another person wished for wealth, but the price was falling into an eternal sleep they could never wake from."
Her gaze shifted to Michelle. "The key thing is, once a wish is granted through this black magic, the person who made it has to obey the caster's commands. Otherwise, the power they gained disappears, but the price they paid doesn't come back."
"Unless you use a specific magic to undo the price, or the wish itself is fundamentally impossible to fulfill, the magic stays active forever."
"It's basically a forced enslavement spell."
"The caster probably planted other commands in you too. When Lucy exposed your real identity, those commands kicked in automatically."
"So that's how it was..." Michelle's eyes showed deep helplessness.
"I figured even if my sister recognized me early, it wouldn't matter—or honestly, I kind of wanted her to recognize me sooner."
"But looking back, if they were confident enough to let me move around freely, they must've had some kind of backup plan on me."
Charle crossed her arms, looking puzzled. "So what was the wish you made back then? It had to be something about Lucy, right?"
"Yeah." Michelle turned to Lucy, her gaze softening as a nostalgic smile curved her lips.
"My wish was to be with my big sister forever."
"Michelle..." Lucy covered her mouth, her eyes instantly turning red as her voice choked up.
Michelle stepped forward, standing face-to-face with Lucy. A bright smile bloomed on her face, tears glistening in her eyes.
"It's been so long since we've talked like this."
"I'm really happy I get to talk to you again, sis."
"I still remember the first time we met. I was given to you as a birthday present."
Her voice was soft, like a dream, full of deep affection. "That time was the happiest period of my life."
"We lived in that huge house that felt like a castle. You played games with me every day, made clothes for me out of paper and flowers, and shaped food for me from stones and dirt. We were always together, always smiling, until—"
"Until Mom passed away," Lucy finished through sobs, her fingers clutching her skirt tightly.
"Because I kept crying at Mom's grave, and you were the gift she gave me... every time I saw you, it made me think of her all over again..."
Michelle gave a helpless smile. "After that, you stopped talking to me."
"And then... I..." Lucy's voice trembled as she used magic to pull back the memories.
"Right, I remember now. I lost you. I left you on a chair that day."
"It was... raining, I think."
Guilt crashed over Lucy like a wave. She lowered her head, covering her eyes with both hands as her shoulders shook. Tears streamed down her cheeks and between her fingers. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Gonzales!!"
Michelle stepped closer and gently stroked her hair. "It's okay, sis."
"That whole thing happened so suddenly—neither of us could've stopped it."
"The day after you left, Uncle Jude came and found me. He cleaned me up and put me in storage."
"He told me you didn't abandon me on purpose. You were just so sad from losing Mom that you left me there."
"But one day, when you finally moved past your grief, I'd get to be your little sister again."
Her voice grew quieter, her gaze drifting far away. "That's what I thought too back then. So I waited and waited, for years. The big, lively house got quieter and quieter—the voices of Grandpa Pero, Auntie Aurora, they all faded away..."
"Until finally, even Uncle Jude's voice was gone."
"Everyone in the house disappeared... leaving me all alone."
Hearing this, Lucy couldn't hold back anymore. She threw herself forward and hugged Michelle tightly, soaking her clothes with tears.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Gonzales!! I never should've left you there!"
"You waited so long... you must've been in so much pain all these years."
"No, sis," Michelle said, hugging her back. She rested her chin on Lucy's shoulder and gently patted her back.
"It's okay. Don't cry. My wish came true, didn't it? I'm right here in your arms now."
"I'm so happy. Your hug is just as warm as it was when we were little."
Those words only made Lucy cry harder, her shoulders shaking as she kept apologizing.
Nearby, Wendy was already a mess of tears, sniffling and wiping her eyes while her nose turned red. "M-Michelle is so pitiful..."
Charle dabbed at the corners of her eyes too. "Yeah... I can't believe she waited for Lucy all that time. They must've been so happy together when they were kids."
Ultear, her eyes red, quickly walked over to Ur—who was standing frozen in the doorway. The mother and daughter embraced tightly without a word, just closing their eyes and feeling each other's warmth and heartbeat.
Erza clenched her fists, hot tears welling up as she was moved by the scene. "What an incredible bond! Michelle was Lucy's childhood companion, and she waited for her all this time!!"
After crying for a while, emotions finally started to settle. Lucy sniffled, let go of Michelle, and asked in confusion, "But Gonzales should've still been at the Heartfilia estate. How did someone put black magic on her?"
Michelle shook her head lightly. "I'm not totally sure."
"Maybe my desire to see you again was too strong, or maybe Brian II wanted to use me to target you guys."
"So he came to me and cast the spell."
"Because of that magic, I gained life. But because of it, I also had to become Imitatia, one of the new Oración Seis."
"Acting on that man's orders, pretending to be Michelle Lobster, and collecting the Infinity Clock parts all over the place."
"The new Oración Seis?!" Everyone exclaimed in unison, shock written all over their faces.
"New..." Mira looked at Michelle, piecing things together from what they'd just heard. "I remember each member of the original Oración Seis had a wish."
"Since Michelle only became part of the new Oración Seis after her wish was granted through black magic..."
"That means the other members probably traded prices for power the same way, right?"
Ur frowned. "What does this Brian II look like?"
"He has purple hair that goes past his ears and always carries a skull-topped staff," Michelle recalled. "The others called him... Midnight?"
"It's definitely him!" Simon clenched his fist, brows furrowed.
"But Brain escaped prison too—why is Midnight calling himself Brian II?"
Michelle shook her head, looking confused. "I don't know. I just heard the staff call him that."
"The staff?" The name was unfamiliar, and the members who'd fought the original Oración Seis exchanged puzzled looks.
Lucy pressed, "Who's this staff? Is he a new member Midnight recruited?"
"No," Cobra stepped forward, hands in his pockets. "The staff is that skull-headed cane. It's called Black Door."
"It's the same staff Brain used to have. It has its own consciousness—it can talk, cast magic, and even move on its own."
"What?!" Lucy's eyes widened in shock.
"That staff is alive?! It can use magic?! Then why didn't it stop us from beating Brain back then?"
"It was too scared," Sorano added, stepping up. "Black Door's a total coward. It's not that strong—kinda weak, actually."
"It was terrified of Zero (Brain's other personality). After seeing Brain and Zero get defeated, it probably played dead and ran away."
Mira tapped her chin, recalling the scene. "Come to think of it... after Roger beat Brain, that staff did fly off on its own, right? We never saw it again after that."
Mira narrowed her eyes. "Pretending to be dead to escape—it's a pretty sly staff."
(Non-human with its own consciousness... I wonder if this Black Door would make a tasty demon?)
Lucy suddenly remembered something and asked quickly, "If Michelle's identity was fake, then why was Dad corresponding with you?"
"Where's the real Michelle?"
"We never actually exchanged letters," Michelle said, shaking her head gently. "That was just Mid—Night's magic."
"That kind of spell can alter someone's memories in their sleep or even control them briefly."
Wendy's face lit up with realization. "So that's why Lucy's dad wouldn't wake up?!"
"As for the real Michelle..." Michelle paused for a moment before continuing slowly. "She was killed by Midnight in that explosion earlier."
"This clock hand's seal must've been broken accidentally ahead of time, and then it ended up with the Lobster family somehow."
"While collecting the hands, Midnight and the other Oración Seis members started destroying churches to wipe out the descendants of Will Nevile from the Zentopia Church."
"Will Nevile?" Lucy and Mavis said at the same time, staring at each other in surprise.
Roger raised an eyebrow. "You two know him?"
"Yeah," Lucy nodded. "The Eclipse Gate I read about before was created by him."
Mavis added, "I've heard the name. He was an important member of the Zentopia Church—pretty high-ranking, I think?"
Michelle explained, "Once all the Infinity Clock parts are gathered, there are special conditions needed to activate it. One of them is breaking the bodily link magic connecting the clock to Will Nevile's descendants."
"That's why Midnight and the others have been destroying Zentopia churches."
Simon thought for a second before asking, "So does the Zentopia Archbishop have ties to the Oración Seis?"
"Yes," Michelle nodded firmly.
"That Archbishop was replaced long ago. The current one isn't the original—he's a member of the Oración Seis."
"I don't know the details beyond that."
"No wonder..." Simon's face showed sudden understanding. "That's why he released all the Oración Seis under the guise of a baptism."
Happy raised a paw, tilting his head. "But if the Oración Seis were all locked up in prison, does that mean the mastermind behind everything was that skull staff?"
"Most likely," Cobra said, arms crossed.
"Black Door's always been ambitious—it just didn't dare show it while serving Brain."
"Reforming the Oración Seis this time was probably its idea."
Roger frowned, lightly tapping the table with his fingers as he voiced a question that had bugged him even in the original story. "We only just got back from Tenrou Island not long ago. Why would Midnight choose to have you approach Lucy, getting us to help collect the Infinity Clock parts?"
"Even if people with evil magic can't collect the parts themselves, there are other legal guilds out there, right?"
"Having them gather the parts would've been way safer."
"Because Midnight can't let go of his pride—and he's super grudge-holding," Sorano explained.
"He got easily crushed by Lord Roger and everyone last time, so he's definitely bitter."
"Getting Fairy Tail to collect the Infinity Clock parts achieves his goal and humiliates the guild at the same time—after all, a legal guild helping former enemies destroy the world? That's the ultimate joke."
Levy still looked confused. "But how was he so sure we'd help collect the Infinity Clock? What if we found out the truth and stopped?"
"We wouldn't," Michelle said softly, shaking her head.
"Because besides Fairy Tail, there's another group after the Infinity Clock. No matter who collects it first, the new Oración Seis wins in the end."
"Another group?" The answer hit everyone at once. "Zentopia Church!!"
Mavis's expression turned grave. "If even the Archbishop is one of theirs, the higher-ups probably aren't safe either."
Seeing how quickly everyone pieced it together, Michelle looked a little surprised but nodded. "That's right. Soon, the Legion Corps—a secret organization directly under the Zentopia Archbishop—will come to seize the clock hands."
"With time running out, everyone won't have much chance to think it through. You'll instinctively fight to grab the Infinity Clock parts."
"The Legion Corps..." Makarov stroked his beard thoughtfully, brows deeply furrowed.
"I remember that group answers directly to the Zentopia Archbishop."
"If they're taking orders from the Oración Seis, that means..."
"The Zentopia Archbishop has been controlled too," Macao said with a headache, rubbing his temple.
"Zentopia's status isn't any lower than the Council. This is like the Council Chairman getting puppeted!"
Hearing that, Lucy remembered the Tower of Heaven incident and couldn't help twitching her lips. "Why does it feel like none of these big organizations have a single reliable person? First, dark guild members sneaked into the Council and became senators."
"Now the Zentopia Archbishop is controlled."
"Are these top positions really that easy to get?!"
"It's pretty normal~" Mira said with a sweet smile, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes.
"After all... those 'higher-ups' aren't exactly strong, you know."
"In a world of magic, just being smart isn't enough."
Looking at Mira's sweet smile, Lucy felt a random chill down her spine and rubbed her arms. "Yeah, that's true, but they have their own armies, right? Getting controlled even with that... they're kinda pathetic."