It took quite a while to explain everything to the station staff, and he also had to pay a hefty fee for repairs to the train door.
After half an hour of running around, Shane finally walked out of the station, looking a little worn out.
To his surprise, Ultear hadn't gone far. She was lounging against the station's outer wall, her slender fingers absentmindedly twirling a strand of jet-black hair.
She looked at Shane with an unhurried, teasing tone. "You paid up pretty fast. That was quicker than I expected."
"Aren't we in a hurry?" Shane shot back, annoyed. "Why aren't you rushing now?"
Since he'd started it first, he wasn't actually angry.
Shane was famous for being able to take a joke—he could dish it out and take it.
Still, he was genuinely surprised. For someone like Ultear, who always wore a rational mask, pulling off such a childish little revenge prank was… unexpected.
Ultear seemed to have planned this out. She straightened and pointed north. "The Worth Woodsea is north of the station. Even if we rent the fastest carriage, it'll take at least half a day to get there. But you just reminded me of something."
She paused and sized Shane up with a look that clearly said use what you have.
"If we fly there with your wings, we can not only make up the time you just wasted, we'll have extra to spare."
"You're getting pretty good at ordering people around," Shane raised an eyebrow.
But after a quick thought, he had to admit she was right—it was the most efficient option.
So he didn't argue. He stepped forward lightly, and those massive black wings unfurled behind him.
He motioned to her. "Come here."
Ultear pressed her lips together. It was her idea, but she still hesitated.
She couldn't help worrying that if Shane carried her the way he'd carried Erza last night—princess-style—she'd get goosebumps from sheer disgust.
Reality didn't give her time to stall.
Seeing her drag her feet, Shane clicked his tongue, stepped in, and wrapped an arm around her waist.
There was nothing romantic about it. Not even a hint of gentlemanly tact.
He simply hoisted her up like she was a piece of luggage and tucked her under his arm.
"Hold on," he said flatly. "If you fall, I'm not paying."
With that emotionless warning, the ground dropped away.
The sudden weightlessness made Ultear freeze. Instinctively, she grabbed a handful of fabric at his waist to stabilize herself.
Wind howled past her ears. She looked down at the buildings shrinking rapidly below and felt a simmering, indescribable indignation.
She hadn't expected special treatment—but the difference was that obvious?
She bit her lip hard and mentally added another mark to his tab.
If Erza were here, she'd probably nod in deep sympathy and say:
Honestly, being carried like this is already an upgrade.
Because last time, she'd been thrown over his shoulder like a sandbag.
Shane, of course, noticed none of that. Air currents whipped his black hair as he shouted, "We're going the right way, yeah? Don't let me overshoot!"
"…Yeah. Straight north," Ultear replied sullenly, turning her face away. She didn't feel like talking anymore.
That tiny satisfaction from earlier revenge had been blown clean away by this crude "transport method."
Shane nodded. His wings snapped once, and his speed surged again.
The scenery below blurred backward. Human buildings gave way to rolling mountains and endless green.
About forty minutes later, that green swallowed their view completely—an enormous sea of forest stretching to the horizon.
"There," Ultear said, setting aside her personal irritation for the moment. "That's it."
Shane dropped altitude, circled once, and picked a relatively open patch between the trees to land.
The instant her feet hit the ground, Ultear yanked free of his grip and stepped back, straightening her slightly rumpled clothes.
Shane didn't care. He was already scanning the surroundings.
Towering ancient trees interlaced overhead, forming a canopy so dense it nearly blocked the sky. Sunlight only filtered through in scattered beams, painting the ground in broken patches of light.
"This is the Worth Woodsea?" Shane inhaled the forest air. "Where do we start looking for that super magic?"
Ultear's expression hardened as she shifted fully into business mode. "According to the texts I checked, the magic has strong contaminating properties."
She looked at him. "Use your eyes and find trees with abnormal coloration—ones that have turned black. The denser the contamination, the closer we are to the target."
Shane nodded, activated his far-sight, and climbed the nearest giant tree. From above the canopy, he searched the endless forest for any color that didn't belong.
Ultear waited silently below, watching the branches sway overhead. She found it strange that he didn't just fly up higher to observe, but knowing Shane didn't slack off when it mattered, she didn't comment.
Before long, Shane slid back down, brushed bark dust off his hands, and pointed. "That way. There's a patch where the canopy is unnaturally dark—like the forest has a black stain."
"Good." Ultear nodded. Having witnessed what his eyes could do, she didn't question it.
They moved through the dim, shadowed woods, one behind the other.
Shane paused now and then to confirm direction—and, as always, he started talking first.
"By the way, back when I was away, I ran into a pretty creepy taboo magic. Seemed like it could control people. Ever heard of something like that?"
Ultear was widely read in magic lore. Shane thought of Zoldio and asked casually.
To his surprise, Ultear's stride visibly faltered at those words.
"What?" Shane turned back, puzzled.
"Nothing," Ultear shook her head and kept walking. "Just… impressed by your luck."
"Huh?" Shane blinked. "Running into something that shady counts as luck? I mean, sure, I got some 'experience,' but that doesn't sound lucky."
"That magic," Ultear said calmly, "if I'm not mistaken, is the Lost Magic called Human Subordination."
She continued in the same steady tone. "And very few people can use it. Most likely… it was taught to him by our guild master."
"Lost Magic?" Shane looked surprised. "Not taboo magic?"
"Human Subordination weakens a person's magic and will, then brings them under control," Ultear explained. "The caster can even summon controlled humans like puppets, almost like how a Celestial Spirit Mage summons spirits."
"That's why some ambitious people in ancient times called it 'the Ruler's Magic.'"
"…Yeah," Shane muttered, grimacing. "That absolutely qualifies as taboo."
Then another question surfaced. "But the guy using it felt… weak. Honestly, he felt way weaker than you. If your guild master taught him, then your guild master's strength—"
He didn't finish, but the implication was obvious.
A teacher whose student turned out like that couldn't be that impressive… right?
Ultear seemed to let out a small, amused breath.
"Then the guild master probably only gave him the knowledge," she said, "and left him to study it on his own."
She added, more serious now, "That man's mental state didn't seem stable, did it? That's what happens when someone with a weak foundation forces themselves to grasp magic beyond their capacity."
She looked ahead, tone firm. "Magic power erodes the mind."
Shane recalled Zoldeo's twisted, obsessive face and nodded. "You're right. He didn't look normal at all."
Then his curiosity flared again. "You've got all these Lost Magics, and you can pass them on to others… so who is this 'Guild Master' of yours? We've been cooperating for a while now—you can tell me at this point."
Ultear didn't answer immediately. Silence stretched on.
Just when Shane assumed she wouldn't answer—
"That abyss of magic," she said at last, voice low, "is named…"
Her tone turned faint and heavy.
"Hades."