Was this a hallucination… or a dying dream?
Ur's body trembled faintly as she reached forward, carefully, cautiously.
Her movements were so light—like if she used even a little more force, the person she'd been longing for would burst like a bubble and vanish into the wind and snow.
Her memories were supposed to be that clear: that poor child… her beloved Tia. Unable to withstand the overwhelming magic inside her, her body had already collapsed—her breath forever stopped on that cold laboratory table.
And yet…
How could the flower that should have scattered with the wind be standing here so healthy, so vivid, right in front of her?
"ROOOAR—!!!"
A savage bellow ripped the tender moment to shreds. In the distance, Deliora had finally noticed the "little insects" escaping.
It snorted with contempt, jaws yawning open as another scorching beam of energy began to gather.
If they didn't die the first time, then it would kill them again.
"Ice Make: Wall!"
"Ice Make: Rose Garden!"
Two voices rang out almost simultaneously.
With uncanny synchronicity, Gray and Ultear stepped forward together—right fist clenched, smashing down into their left palms.
Bam! Bam!
Ice erupted.
A towering, heavy ice wall surged up from the ground—while beyond that solid barrier, countless crystalline ice roses exploded into bloom, weaving into a gorgeous, dazzling rampart of roses.
"BOOM—!"
Deliora's searing breath slammed into the ice, blasting a storm of frost shards and firelight.
But that magnificent wall only shuddered a few times before it held firm, steady as a mountain.
"This…"
Ur's gaze shook as she stared at the scene in front of her.
Yes, it was just a casual attack—nowhere near the earlier fully charged blast.
But that shaping magic, practiced to the point it was almost instinct… that calm composure under pressure…
"They didn't just grow up…"
Her eyes moved between Gray and Ultear, a sheen of tears forming.
"They… they became so reliable. So strong."
After blocking the strike, Gray turned, breathing hard, and hurried to Ur's side.
He lowered his head. It looked like he had a thousand words to say—countless "I'm sorry" jammed in his throat.
But in the end, facing those gentle, forgiving eyes, he only managed one small, shaky call:
"Master…"
And on the other side—
Ultear was trembling so badly her whole body shook, yet her feet felt rooted to the earth. She stood at a distance, staring at Ur from afar, not daring to take a single step closer.
The closer you are to home, the more hesitant you become—maybe that's what it was.
"Seriously…"
Shane couldn't watch anymore. He let out a helpless sigh.
"You were so desperate to see her, and now that you actually can, you turn into a coward?"
He shook his head, strode over, and without ceremony grabbed the awkward girl's ice-cold hand.
"Move."
Ultear didn't resist. She let him pull her along, stumbling all the way until she stood right in front of Ur.
"As you can see," Shane said, pointing to the girl beside him, his tone steady.
"This is Ultear. Your daughter."
He was genuinely worried she'd choke at the worst possible moment.
Deliora was right there, looming, and there wasn't time for the two of them to do the whole silent-tears-stretching-for-ten-thousand-miles routine.
As he spoke, Shane simply placed the girl's hand into Ur's battered, scarred hands.
Then he gave her a firm shove.
"Ugh—!"
The black-haired girl stumbled and fell straight into the embrace she'd been yearning for.
Ur froze at first, her body stiffening.
But when the warmth in her arms pressed against her—when that unmistakable, long-lost scent of blood and family filled her breath—
The blood-stained, unbreakable hardness on her face melted into something impossibly soft.
"It really is… Tia."
With trembling fingers, she lifted a hand and gently stroked the girl's smooth hair, her voice thick and breaking.
"You've grown taller, Tia."
She didn't ask how this miracle happened. She didn't demand an explanation for why a daughter who was supposed to be dead was suddenly alive.
In that moment, she was simply a mother—purely, overwhelmingly happy that her child had grown up safe and well.
"Mom…"
That single word shattered all the barbed wire the girl had built around her heart.
"Mom… I missed you so much…"
Ultear couldn't hold it anymore. She clung to her mother's waist, burying her face in that warmth like a child who'd been wronged for too long and finally found her way home—sobbing openly.
Years of stubbornness, confusion, pain, hatred—everything poured out as tears.
"Hah…"
Watching it, Shane's lips curled faintly, the quiet satisfaction of doing something right blooming in his chest.
"Alright."
He turned to the side and looked at Gray, who was wiping his eyes when he thought no one was watching.
"Gray, now's not the time to cry."
"You take yourself—and that guy—"
Shane pointed at the white-haired boy lying unconscious on the ground.
"That's Lyon. My senpai," Gray sniffed, voice rough as he explained.
"Fine. You take yourself and Lyon and get far away. Now."
Shane pointed at a mountain ridge that looked relatively safe.
"And while you're at it, protect the civilians retreating over there. Don't let this fight spill into them."
Gray glanced at Deliora trudging closer with those heavy steps, lips parting like he wanted to argue.
But when he looked at the mother and daughter holding each other, crying like the world had finally loosened its grip—
He couldn't bring himself to say something selfish like, I'm staying to fight too.
"I got it!"
He gritted his teeth, grabbed both unconscious boys—one in each arm—and ran for the ridge without looking back.
Once they'd created enough distance, Shane refocused.
THUD. THUD.
The ground trembled.
Deliora didn't bother with streets or buildings—it bulldozed everything like knocking over toy blocks, marching straight toward them.
"I'm starting."
Shane rolled his wrist, eyes sharpening.
"I don't know what'll happen next… so be careful. Don't get too close."
Ur and Ultear steadied themselves, forcing their emotions down.
"What are you going to do?" Ur asked, instinctively shielding her daughter behind her.
"What did I say?" Shane glanced back and grinned, sharp as a blade.
"I'm here to hunt this demon."
"Hunt it?"
Ur's face changed—urgent, alarmed.
"You can't! Deliora is an immortal calamity created by Zeref! Ordinary magic can't kill it!"
"I know you're strong, but that's a real demon… don't throw your life away!"
Shane had saved her, and brought her student and her daughter to her. Ur couldn't stand the idea of him dying pointlessly.
"Zeref again…"
Shane lifted a brow.
How many times had he heard that name by now?
He still remembered he had a trial—one that required him to meet Zeref—and he still had no clue where to find him.
"Seriously… wherever there are demons, you leave your shadow."
And the moment Ur said "Zeref"—
Fwoosh.
Deep in Shane's mind, the Book of Heroic Spirits—silent for so long—finally began flipping pages on its own.
Scarlet text flared across the page.
[Trial: Slay the Calamity]
[Requirement: Completely kill the demon Deliora.]
"Heh."
Staring at the blunt, no-nonsense task, Shane shook his head.
"That's a straightforward trial."
"Shane…"
Ultear stepped closer, her expression complicated. She tugged lightly at his sleeve and spoke in a low voice.
"We already saved Ur. We stopped her from using that spell that costs her life… Our goal is done."
"If you just use your wings and take her away, we can all retreat safely…"
She spoke fast, almost breathless—one message underneath it all: Don't fight Deliora.
She was worried about him.
After seeing her mother, Ultear's emotions had become noticeably more alive. Still awkward, still prickly, but… more honest.
"That's not happening."
Shane shook his head and gently pushed her hand away.
"You and Gray wanted to save Ur. That's fine."
"But my goal… isn't that simple."
He looked at the raging demon, eyes shining with a dangerous kind of interest.
"I want to see this past with my own eyes. I want to… kill a demon that makes my skin crawl."
"Anyway, take Ur farther back."
Shane's refusal left Ultear speechless for a moment—she'd never been good at caring for someone out loud, and she didn't know how to argue.
Ur, however, nodded.
"If you really have a way…"
She stepped forward, eyes steady.
"Then kill it. I'll help you."
"Deliora destroyed my student's city, his family, his loved ones… That monster is the shadow he can never escape."
"As his master, I have my own reason to fight."
Her voice was calm, but her resolve was absolute.
That protective, powerful presence made Ultear glance aside, a flash of envy… and something like grievance crossing her face.
Catching that, Shane leaned close to her ear and murmured:
"If you want to ask your mom for comfort, then say it."
"Don't sulk like a kid who thinks her mom loves someone else more."
"I—"
Ultear bit her lip, glaring at him, furious that he'd seen through her so cleanly—right now, of all times.
Shane didn't indulge her. He simply nudged her toward Ur again.
"I don't need help. Just watch."
"If I need something… I'll tell you."
Then—
"Whoosh—"
Shane shot up into the air.
A tiny human charging a gigantic demon in a snowstorm looked almost tragic—like a moth flying into flame.
"What is he planning…?" Ur whispered.
She could feel it: Shane's magic was strange, but not overwhelmingly large. In sheer quantity, it didn't even match Ultear's.
"Trust him," Ultear breathed, gripping her mother's hand, eyes fixed on Shane's back.
She'd once been his enemy. She'd experienced firsthand just how endless his tricks could be.
He never acted without a reason.
…
At the center of the battlefield—
"Rrgh?"
Deliora noticed him.
It lowered its head and looked at the tiny speck rushing in. On its brutish face was something almost human: contempt.
It didn't even bother charging its breath. It lazily raised one massive foot, ready to crush Shane like a bug.
But—
The moment it lifted that foot, it froze.
"Vmmm—"
Space warped.
The raging snow, the leaping firelight, even the dust floating in the air—everything seemed to get pinned in place.
The world stopped.
Then the sky dimmed. Thick storm clouds, heavy as lead, pressed down over the land, swallowing moon and stars.
Drip.
Something icy touched Ur's cheek.
Not snow.
Rain.
Needle-fine rain began falling silently, covering all of Prague.
"Rain?" Ur murmured, catching a thread of it on her fingers. "In the far north… in cold like this?"
Then she saw something she would never forget.
"Ugly."
A voice rang from the heavens—cold, hollow, yet somehow noble.
It sounded like Shane… but it wasn't.
Ur snapped her head up.
In the endless rain curtain, a small figure appeared, slowly taking shape.
A face too perfect, like a doll. Snow-white hair cascading down her back. A lavish, water-blue dress.
That "doll" unfolded enormous dragon wings—far too large for her tiny frame—and rose into the sky.
Like a god seated on high, she looked down on the filth below with eyes empty of emotion.
She was looking at Deliora.
And then—
She dropped.
The small "knight" fell straight down, gripping a pair of razor-sharp short spears.
Shk—!
No flourish. No wasted motion.
Only pure, absolute sharpness.
Those two cold spears slid into Deliora's massive chest like cutting through soft clay.
~~~
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