The tower of black clouds above Clover hadn't yet settled when the first thread of cursed sound began to coil through the air.
From their hill, Shadow and Beta watched in absolute silence — two dark shapes outlined against the moonlight, cloaks pressed close against the night breeze.
Beta's face had gone impossibly solemn. Her hands gripped the edge of her cloak as if holding herself together against the weight of destiny. The flickering light from the valley painted her features in silver and blue; to her, the moment felt like worship. Every instinct told her this was the instant the world would change, with the emergence in public of Shadow Garden.
And then Shadow — who had been silent since the demon first appeared — suddenly shouted, "NANII??"
The word cracked the calm like a dropped stone.
Beta jumped so hard she nearly lost her composure. Her eyes widened, her breath hitched, and for a frantic second her whole reverence turned brittle with panic.
"W-what is it, Shadow-sama? And... what is 'Nani'?" she whispered, her voice trembling between fear and devotion.
Shadow blinked faintly. "Hm? It's the name of a football player."
Beta's face folded into confusion. Her whisper became anxious curiosity. "Football… what is that, my lord?"
"Football." He pronounced the word as if it were an ancient rite. "Also known as soccer — a legendary competition where the best players in the world are," he waved one hand grandly, "—awarded the Nobel Prize of Peace for their wonderful play."
Beta brightened at once, awe replacing panic like dawn chasing fog. "Wow… what a competition full of justice. As expected of Shadow-sama's knowledge of the shadows! We must make it popular in this world to bring peace to it!"
Shadow shrugged with the air of a man proposing a minor civic improvement. "Eh? Maybe later."
They stood there — one deeply serious, the other absurdly blasé — while the valley below trembled in ways neither of them seemed eager to address, the two of them lost in their thoughts. The moonless patch around the Lullaby's emergence glowed purple, and a long, metallic keening ripped the night.
That keening was not music. Not a lullaby. It tasted of iron and hunger.
Shadow's eyes narrowed, and for once his theatrical calm snapped into something sharp and practical. Not philosophy — the bluntness of a man who prefers to tick off boxes.
"Beta," he said at last, voice low and crisp.
She turned, every motion a study in devoted attention. Her breath hitched, her heart pounding with the certainty that any command from Shadow-sama was scripture. "Yes, Shadow-sama?"
"Make that ugly-sounding lullaby shut up."
For a heartbeat, Beta's face reflected a universe of meanings: astonishment, veneration, and the single-minded joy of being given an order. Then she bowed, eyes shining with zealous purpose.
"As you command," she said, her tone solemn enough for liturgy.
Internally, Cid's thoughts were raging. So the Lullaby wasn't a beautiful piece of music after all — it was a demon. Damn you, Zeref — you fooled me! You were not a humble musician but a true dark magician who toyed with people's hearts. Give me back the compassion I wasted on the idea of you as a slandered artist!
He allowed himself a brief, theatrical scowl. If something had dared masquerade as a melody and nearly ruined his perfect staging, it deserved at least that much indignation.
"Tch… you're lucky you're not in this world anymore. If you were, I'd have beaten you up myself for that deception."
(Say the one who told the Seven Shadows that Zeref was still alive and preparing some great plot...)
Beta moved like a coiling tide. Where Shadow was shadow and posture, she was action and devotion; her cloak snapped as she leapt down the slope with rigid precision. Her voice, when it rose, carried that strange mixture of religious fervor and office efficiency.
"By Shadow-sama's will," she intoned, her voice steady as divine judgment. "Be silent—Water Wave!"
It was not a spell born of restraint. It was a command, unleashed with the full, burning force of her faith — and belief in Shadow-sama was a dangerous, combustible thing.
From the hilltop, magic erupted in a torrent of silver-blue light. The air cracked, and a deep, roaring vibration rolled through the valley.
Down below, the Lullaby's demonic laughter faltered for the first time, cut short by the growing rumble of approaching water. Its hollow eyes turned, confusion flickering for a brief moment — just before the horizon itself seemed to move.
A colossal wave surged out of the darkness, swallowing the forest as it came. Moonlight scattered across its surface, turning the water into liquid glass that reflected the monster's twisted form.
The purple glow of Lullaby's curse flickered, the vast magic circle beneath it fracturing like shattered glass. The sound of rushing water drowned its scream as the wave crashed upon it — an overwhelming wall of elemental fury that engulfed the demon whole.
For a single breath, the cursed pressure lifted. The earth stopped trembling. The world seemed to exhale.
And from far above, Beta stood with one arm extended, her cloak whipping wildly in the wind. Her eyes shone with fierce pride and unshakable devotion.
By your will, Shadow-sama… the melody has been silenced.
But Beta knew it was not over. Even as the roar of the wave faded into the night, even as foam and mist shrouded the valley, she could still feel it—that heavy, suffocating magic pulsing beneath the surface.
Her eyes narrowed. A demon of Zeref will not fall so easily.
The remnants of the torrent swirled around her feet, responding to her will like loyal soldiers. With a fluid motion, she raised her hand. The water obeyed.
The scattered waves gathered again, forming spirals that rose from the soaked earth. The sound of churning water filled the air, low and resonant, like the growl of an ancient beast answering its master's call.
At her command, the spirals merged—twisting, tightening, compressing—until they formed a massive sphere of water that hovered over the battlefield. The moonlight reflected across its surface, revealing the silhouette trapped within: the writhing form of Lullaby, its distorted face pressing against the translucent wall, muffled screams echoing inside the liquid prison.
The earth trembled beneath the weight of her magic, but Beta stood firm, her gaze unwavering.
"To defy the will of Shadow-sama…" she murmured, "is to be drowned in silence."
The sphere contracted slightly, glowing from within as if her spell were burning the demon's curse away. Steam hissed where darkness met purity.
From the hill above, Shadow observed the scene, cloak fluttering gently in the moonlight. The water reflected his silhouette, making it look as though his shadow itself was standing atop the demon's prison.
Whoa. She really went all out.