"What?!"
"It's only been a few decades…"
"And now you, unfilial brat, don't even recognize your own mother?"
The woman's lips curled, eyes dancing with mischief as she waited for Eden to obediently "submit."
"Sorry—you've got the wrong guy."
Eden had no interest in stirring up trouble. If there really was some misunderstanding with this monster in front of him, better to clear it up fast. Let it snowball and it could bite back hard.
And there was no way he was calling this woman "Mom" and then cashing in on it later.
His years in Fairy Tail had tempered his attitude. Fortuitous encounters and cheat bundles were for the others. He'd rather grind, step by step, and climb on his own.
Eden: "Everything I've got, I earned. Dragon-slayer lacrima—gimme a buff!"
"Mistaken identity?"
The woman tilted her head, then gently pressed her palm to Eden's chest.
"Huh?"
He frowned at the gesture and moved to stop her. "What are you—"
Vmm!
Before he could finish, she pushed. Eden's soul was blasted clean out of his body.
"What is this, the Ancient One?!"
Soul and body separation felt awful.
"Your soul checks out."
She narrowed her eyes, leaned in to examine his soul, then nodded.
Snap.
A finger flicked. An irresistible force yanked his soul back into his body.
Boom!
Magic roared awake inside him. In an instant he became a massive fox-like dragon with six tails.
"Body checks out, too."
She took in his draconic form and nodded again.
"So the problem's your memory, then?"
"Who scrambled your brain, Kurnugi?"
The long-haired, honey-blond beauty frowned slightly.
"Kurnugi…?"
At that name, Eden's soul trembled. Memories from the dragon remnant he'd absorbed—the dragon called Kurnugi—stirred awake in his mind.
"Mom?"
"You're… the Moon Dragon, Selene?"
He blurted it without thinking.
"Good boy."
The gorgeous woman—no, the Moon Dragon Selene, who ruled the northern continent of Guiltina and was said to rival the invincible Black Dragon King, Acnologia—smiled brightly.
With pale jade hands, Selene smoothed his brow and cooed, "My, my. Even if someone beat the memories out of you, the ones carved into your soul never truly fade, do they?"
"W-wait—the Moon Dragon, Selene?!"
"You're the divine dragon of Guiltina's north?!"
"The one said to stand toe-to-toe with Acnologia?!"
Precht's lingering soul went cold with sweat. Realizing the breathtaking woman before them was that legend, he tensed. There was no doubt—this was one of the apex lifeforms of Earthland's material world.
"Eden's Selene's son?"
"Never heard that before…"
Precht's gaze flicked between Eden and Selene. He couldn't see a single resemblance.
"Ara~"
"So those rumors about us matching Acnologia made it all the way across the sea to Ishgar?"
Selene chuckled at herself.
"You mean…?"
Precht hesitated, catching an extra meaning in her words.
"Can't beat him," she said lightly. "Not me, not the rumor-starter—Ignia, that hot-headed dragon everyone hates."
"None of us can defeat Acnologia solo."
"But if all of us divine dragons went together… there'd be a chance."
Selene smiled, brutally frank.
"Uh…"
Precht's excitement cooled at her bluntness.
"Not that we'd ever team up," she added with a shrug. "We five Dragon Gods have been at each other's throats for centuries. Each wants to rule the north."
"Then there's no way to stop Acnologia?" Eden cut in. "If he's left unchecked, won't this world be doomed?"
"Kurnugi, you take a hit to the head and suddenly grow a saint's heart?"
"If the world's destroyed, it's destroyed. What's that to us?"
"Even if Acnologia goes on a rampage in Guiltina and dies taking other divine dragons with him…"
"Even if they shatter the planet—doesn't matter to us."
She smiled again, but her eyes flashed cold. "Don't forget—crossing to other worlds is as easy as breathing for us."
"In the years you were away, Mommy conquered dozens of worlds and found a favorite star for our base."
"When you have time, go to Elentir and see for yourself how beautiful Mommy's world is."
She paused.
"As for today…"
"Mommy only came to check if you're safe."
"Seeing you so lively puts my mind at ease."
With a casual flick, she stamped a crescent-moon sigil onto Eden's shoulder.
"Huh?!"
He stared at the mark, tension flaring.
"Relax."
"It's just a locator. So Mommy can find you when it matters."
"And don't let anyone beat you into 'amnesia' again, my dear son."
Behind her, two torrents of water spiraled in the sky, opening a door to anywhere.
"Goodbye, my son."
With that, Selene vanished into the heavens.
—
Elentir, the world of unending night.
"Phew…"
Soaking in a hot spring, Selene muttered, "Feels like Kurnugi's human face changed… Whatever. Humans look the same to me anyway."
"Maybe," she mused, "the boy picked a look that's more popular among humans."
For dragons, "children" aren't like humans think. Any being carrying their blood—or wielding their power—counts. Even when Selene faced Suzaku, who had consumed her child's flesh and stolen dragon-slaying might—an enemy by any strict measure—she still felt the illusion of facing her own child.
As for Eden, whose soul and body had fused with all of Kurnugi's power—he was, to Selene's eyes, simply her child.
—
Tenrou Island.
"Didn't expect your mother to be that terrifying, Eden."
After Selene left, Precht's soul hovered serenely as he spoke with a grin.
"Knock it off, Precht."
"I'm human."
"Selene mistook me."
"If she realizes I'm not her son Kurnugi…"
"That would be a disaster for me and Fairy Tail."
The Moon Dragon couldn't beat the Black Dragon King, true—but that didn't mean she couldn't beat him to paste. To Eden, both Selene and Acnologia were untouchable existences.
Magic, experience, technique, sheer scale—he was dust beneath their moonlight.
"Which is why you need to bring Makarov and the others back ASAP," Precht said. He thought a moment, then nodded to himself. "Give me one week. I'll invent a world locator."
"Then you can hop world to world and bring everyone home."
When no one else was reliable, Precht could be surprisingly reliable.
"A week, huh?"
"I'll hold you to it."
Eeden inclined his head.
"Eden, listen."
"There's something else I need you to do."
Precht waited until Eden settled, then handed over the mission he'd prepared.
"What mission?"
"Gather the Ten Wizard Saints."
"We need a special task force—above the Magic Council—to prepare for a possible invasion of Ishgar by the Alvarez Empire."
Precht's tone was crisp.
"You mean…"
"You need to become the head of the Ten Saints," Precht said, eyes chilly. "Call them together. Beat every last one into obedience."
"And tell those old fossils—especially Warrod—that the enemy coming is a hundred times stronger than you."
"…You seem awfully informed about our future enemies."
Eden narrowed his eyes at how neatly Precht grasped Fairy Tail's—and Ishgar's—looming foes.
"Ahem…"
"Just do as I say."
"Don't ask extra questions."
"When I was young, I made a little… mistake."
Precht knew how terrifying that child would become—he'd delivered the baby himself, then left him to fate. Light and darkness in perfect union. The greatest well of chaotic magic in Earthland's history.
If that child ever sought power?
Choosing any one of the three extermination magics would be enough—his boundless chaos would drive it straight to mastery.
How to win against him… Precht still had no answer.
All he could do was try.
"I'll be back in a week."
"If the locator isn't ready, I'll exorcise you."
Eden warped away.
"Hmph!"
"Rude brat."
Only after Eden left did Precht let himself bark.
"Now then…"
He drifted down to where Bullet and CP9 were waiting at the base of Tenrou.
"I will grant you magic."
Light gathered in his palm, then burst into countless beams that sank into Bullet and CP9, each leaving behind a glowing crest.
"What's this?"
Bullet eyed the mark on his arm, puzzled. Yet all of them felt it—the world itself had changed. A vast power in the air began to flow into their bodies.
"To cultivate magic, you need the world's recognition."
"The simplest way to get that is to join a mage guild."
"But gutter rats like you don't deserve Fairy Tail's crest."
"My mark will do."
"Welcome to Grimoire Heart, Fairy Tail's subordinate guild. You are the new Seven Kin of Purgatory."
Precht smiled.
Lucci, Kaku, Jabra, Kalifa, Kumadori, Fukurou, Blueno—seven precisely to fill the Seven Kin. As for Bullet?
He filled Bluenote's vacancy nicely.
Grimoire Heart was reborn—this time as Fairy Tail's undercover arm, infiltrating Alvarez.
—
Elsewhere.
Eden sought out Warrod Sequen—one of Fairy Tail's founders and one of Ishgar's Four Gods.
(For the record, the other three founders: the First, little angel Mavis; the inherently "evil" Second, Precht; and Makarov's father, Yuri Dreyar.)
"Welcome, welcome~"
"A genius junior visiting an old man's hermitage—what an honor~"
With a broccoli-like crown of hair and a watering can in hand, Warrod looked at Eden with fatherly warmth.
"Uh…"
Eden drew a breath, ready to explain why Precht had sent him.
"Shh! Don't talk!"
"Plants can't stand human voices. Let's speak outside."
Warrod headed for the door.
"Sure."
Founder or not, a super-senior deserved respect.
"I'm kidding~"
"Plants love human voices."
"Can you sing?"
"Flowers love people who can sing~"
Eden stared at the clowning Warrod, then nodded after a beat. "Now that's the Fairy Tail vibe."
No serious person could've founded a guild as delightfully unhinged as Fairy Tail.
"So, what brings you, Eden?"
Once he'd lightened the mood, Warrod finally asked.
"Senior Warrod, the one who sent me is our Second Master, Precht."
"That fallen soul?"
"He still exists?"
"Where is he? I'll teach him a lesson!"
At the name, Warrod bristled, life and magic surging from him like a tide. In raw magic alone he was at "shield"-class—but his combat was… abstract. In a straight duel, he might even lose to Wahl Icht, the "weakest shield."
"Precht's down to a lingering soul," Eden explained.
He couldn't help asking, "Looks like you and Precht don't get along. Since you also know he founded Grimoire Heart… why didn't you stop him, as one of the Four Gods of Ishgar?"
"Uh…"
Warrod's aura deflated. He hunched a little. "I… can't beat him."
Fair enough. Precht's base was "shield-tier," and once he tapped into Grimoire Heart's demon power, he was "strong shield" minimum.
"Okay."
Eden respected the honesty.
"So what does that stubborn ghost want now?" Warrod sighed.
"He wants you to summon the Ten Wizard Saints and hold a council," Eden said. "And to form a Saints-only task force with authority above ERA… to deal with a potential invasion from the western Alvarez Empire."
"Alvarez again, huh…"
"Those pests are more persistent than Precht."
Warrod clearly knew a lot about the west.
"Even if I call them, convincing the Ten will be hard."
"That's fine."
"Just gather them."
"I'll handle the rest."
Eden smiled, clearly unimpressed with the current Ten. Precht had already briefed him—on paper, the "strongest" among them didn't even out-mana Laxus. And in equal tiers, extermination mages punch above their weight and cross tiers like it's nothing.
"…"
Warrod studied him. He'd watched the latest Grand Magic Games broadcasts—he knew Eden had flattened the field. With Warrod's insight, he could also tell Eden had stepped into the "God of Ishgar" realm.
But to subdue all Ten Saints—especially the two above him in rank—would take more than "God"-tier strength.
"Interesting."
Warrod smiled and agreed. "I'll call the Ten."
He, too, wanted to see how far this prodigy—approved by Precht and raised by Makarov—could go.
—
Three days later.
At Warrod's invitation, the active Ten Wizard Saints assembled.
"What matter warranted summoning all of us, Master Warrod?"
The speaker was a thirty-ish man with twin ponytails—the upstart who'd recently cracked the top four: "God" Serena.
(And since Eden had once hollowed him out, his stock of dragon-slayer lacrima had shifted from eight to four: Bone, Sever, Viscous, and Shield. Barely enough to prop him up to "God"-tier these days.)
"Don't tell me this 'Saints' meeting' is to show us your gardening," grumbled an elderly man about Makarov's age, hands clasped behind his back—Wolfheim, currently No. 2.
"I doubt Warrod would waste our time," said the calmest presence in the room—No. 1, Hyberion—swirling milk in a wine glass as he surveyed the hall.
"Haha…"
"There is important business," Warrod said cheerfully—but kept the hook baited.
Hyberion, Wolfheim, Warrod, and God Serena—the four who stood atop the Ten.
"Nothing but super seniors…"
Aside from the Four Gods, the only other attendee was Jura Neekis. He barely dared to breathe in their presence. With Jellal and Jose removed and Makarov currently missing in another world, Jura alone had yet to step into "God"-realm among the Ten.
"Enough stalling, Warrod. We're busy. Speak," Wolfheim snapped, temper flaring.
"It's not I who sought you," Warrod said, stepping aside. "It's a junior of our guild."
Behind him stood Eden.
"You're—Eden!"
Jura's eyes widened. "Eden is Senior Warrod's junior? Does that mean Warrod is also Fairy Tail?"
"Hah?!"
"You called the Ten Saints… for a brat?" Wolfheim blinked, at a loss.
"I hope you'll hear me out—"
"Silence!"
"You've no right to speak here!"
"This hall is for the Ten Saints. What are you, boy?"
"And why should we listen to you? Because you won the Grand Magic Games? At that level, anyone here could've done the same."
Jura winced. He was the one Eden had flattened in the arena, after all—that "level" Wolfheim dismissed so casually.
"Because I'm stronger than all of you," Eden said, smiling. "To be blunt, you're too weak."
"What?!"
Selena, Wolfheim, and Hyberion all frowned in unison.
"Say that again, kid."
(End of Chapter)
Read 20 Advanced Chapters on : patreon.com/Kaizo247