"Well then, since we'll be spending some time together, let's get acquainted. My name is Nancy. What's yours?" the golden cat asked.
"Likewise. I'm Finn," Finn replied.
It was approaching noon. The intense midday sun shone through gaps in the leaves, illuminating Finn and the cat below.
"By the way, why did you keep insisting you're a Exceeds? What is that?" Finn asked as they walked.
"Huh? You don't know what a Exceeds is?" Nancy seemed surprised that Finn was unfamiliar with the term.
Finn smiled. "I'm not from this world. I'm here to rescue my companions."
Nancy looked at Finn, clearly puzzled.
Seeing this, Finn began a detailed explanation.
"So, you're here to fight the human king?" After Finn's explanation, Nancy's eyes widened in shock, her pupils dilated with disbelief.
"If that's the case, I strongly advise you against it. You have no idea how powerful the human king is. You're going to die!"
Nancy stopped, her tone serious and firm. She was trying to dissuade Finn from what she considered a suicidal mission.
Seeing Nancy's serious expression, Finn's face also grew serious.
"I have to rescue my companions!" he stated resolutely, his unwavering determination echoing in Nancy's ears.
"You don't understand how strong your opponent is. Essentially, all the human magic is concentrated in the king's hands—the magic of an entire world! You have no chance of winning!"
Nancy continued to try to dissuade Finn, unwilling to watch her savior throw his life away.
"But you don't understand my strength, or the strength of Fairy Tail," Finn countered, his voice unwavering.
Nancy shook her head in resignation. "Fine, do whatever you want. I've warned you. Don't blame me if you die!"
With that, Nancy turned and continued walking.
Watching the little cat, Finn smiled and followed. "Tell me about Exceed."
Nancy sighed, still annoyed by Finn's apparent suicidal intent, but decided to explain. "Exceed are the only race in this world with innate magical abilities. Queen Shagotte is considered a god, and her people are angels."
"So, humans generally don't dare defy Exceed orders."
Finn nodded, listening attentively.
"That's why you kept shouting you're a Exceeds. You thought I wouldn't dare hurt you, right?"
Nancy nodded. "But who knew I'd meet someone who'd never even heard of Exceeds."
"I'm curious, though. You said Exceeds have high status, so why are you living alone in this place?"
Finn asked, recalling their earlier conversation where Nancy had mentioned living alone in the forest after losing her parents to illness.
Living alone, Nancy faced the constant threat of predation, as she had just experienced. If Finn hadn't intervened, she might have become another monster's meal. Yet, according to her, she could have lived comfortably and powerfully in the human world.
After a moment of silence, Nancy finally responded to Finn's question. "Well, since you're not from this world, there's no harm in telling you."
"The truth is, I'm not a Exceed. I'm what the Exceeds call a Fallen Angel," she confessed, her voice tinged with sadness.
"Fallen Angel?" Finn asked, his brow furrowed in curiosity.
Nancy nodded. "That's right. Any Exceed who disobeys the Queen's orders is branded a Fallen Angel. It means you've placed yourself directly against the Queen and the entire Exceed race."
She seemed lost in thought, her voice drifting back to a memory. "Once, the Queen issued an order: the forced relocation of one hundred unborn Exceeds to Earthland."
She looked up at Finn. "Your world!"
Hearing this, Finn immediately understood; Happy must have been one of those children.
Nancy continued, "And I was one of those hundred. The Exceeds stormed into my home, trying to steal me—still an egg at the time—but my parents fought back fiercely."
"The consequence of their defiance was that my parents were both branded Fallen Angels, and so was I," Nancy said, her voice thick with emotion.
"To protect me, they escaped Extalia and hid in this forest."
Seeing Nancy's dejection, Finn gently stroked the top of her head.
"Don't dwell on it. I think I heard your stomach rumbling. Let's find something to eat," he said, looking around for food.
"I wasn't hungry! You were!" Nancy retorted, then scampered ahead of Finn.
…
By a crackling campfire, Finn and Nancy sat side-by-side. Nancy was holding a fish, devouring it with gusto, a clear indication that she hadn't had a proper meal in quite some time.
Noticing Finn's gaze, Nancy awkwardly put down the fish bone, her eyes still lingering on the fish that was still cooking over the fire.
She unconsciously licked her lips.
Finn noticed this small gesture and, reaching out, took the cooked fish from the fire and offered it to her.
"Go ahead and eat. You don't have to worry about me laughing at you," he said with a reassuring smile.
"I-it's not that," Nancy mumbled, her cheeks flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and gratitude, before accepting the fish.
Finn chuckled to himself, relieved that he had caught a plentiful supply of fish, more than enough to satisfy both himself and Nancy.
After a long silence, Nancy's voice broke the stillness. "Finn, are you really going to do this?"
Finn paused, momentarily surprised that Nancy was still attempting to dissuade him.
Nevertheless, he responded with unwavering determination. "Yes, I absolutely have to. My companions are still waiting for me!"
"Companions?" Nancy tilted her head, her brow furrowed in confusion. This young cat, who had faced a constant struggle for survival since the moment of her birth, seemed unable to grasp the concept of companionship.
In her life, she had never experienced such a thing; her world had always been one of survival of the fittest, a relentless battle for existence. She had known the warmth of her parents' love, but since their passing, that warmth had vanished completely.
Listening to Nancy's quiet murmur, Finn nodded understandingly.
"Many of the people in my guild were once homeless and alone. But by coming together, we became companions. We share laughter, we get into trouble together, we share our burdens, and we celebrate our joys together. That's what companions are!"
Finn's voice was soft and gentle, yet his words resonated deeply within Nancy's heart.
Observing the subtle upturn of Finn's lips, a flicker of envy ignited within Nancy's heart.
"So, you don't need to try and talk me out of it anymore. I absolutely have to go and rescue them," Finn stated firmly.
Nancy shook her head, her voice laced with a mixture of concern and resignation. "You're going to throw your life away. How can I possibly persuade you otherwise?"
Finn smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'm not going to die. No one born yet is capable of taking my life," he said, his confidence unwavering.
"That's quite remarkable self-assurance," Nancy murmured, returning her attention to the fish in her paws.
Suddenly, Finn's brow furrowed, his expression turning serious.
After carefully sensing his surroundings, he detected a series of subtle tremors emanating from the earth beneath their feet.
"What's…" Finn turned his head, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon, where something seemed to be pushing its way up from the earth.
"What is that?" Nancy also noticed the anomaly, her eyes widening in curiosity.
Finn shrugged, then rose to his feet, approaching Nancy before fixing his gaze on the distant horizon.
As Finn watched intently, a vibrant splash of green emerged from the barren earth in the distance.
The newly emerged green shoots began to grow at an astonishing rate, quickly transforming into a colossal, verdant treehouse that materialized before Finn's very eyes.
Upon seeing the symbol emblazoned upon the treehouse, Finn paused, his expression a mixture of surprise and recognition.
The symbol was instantly familiar to him: the emblem of Fairy Tail.
"Could this actually be the Fairy Tail guildhall of Edolas? I never expected to find it so quickly," Finn murmured under his breath, recalling the information Mistogan had shared about the general layout of Edolas.
"Fairy Tail? Is that the guild you mentioned earlier?" Nancy asked, her voice laced with curiosity.
"I'm not entirely certain, but we should go and investigate," Finn replied, taking the first step towards the newly appeared structure.
"Okay," Nancy replied, her voice filled with a mixture of apprehension and excitement, before scampering after Finn.
Chapter 178: Fairy Tail of Another World
Natsu was beginning to question whether he was still dreaming.
He had been sleeping soundly in the guildhall when, without warning, a mysterious beam of light had descended from the heavens, altering everything.
Upon awakening from his slumber, Natsu discovered that all of his guildmates had vanished without a trace, with the exception of Wendy, Carla, and Happy.
It was from Carla that he learned the truth: Edolas, desperately in need of magical energy, had set its sights on Fairy Tail as its source.
Carla also revealed her origins and the mission she and Happy had been tasked with.
They were Exceeds from Edolas, sent to Earthland on a special mission. However, Carla remained tight-lipped about the specifics of this mission.
Perhaps she harbored a secret desire to abandon her predetermined mission.
Having grasped the full extent of the situation, Natsu made the resolute decision to journey to Edolas and rescue his missing comrades.
Despite Carla's warning that their chances of returning from Edolas were uncertain, Natsu let out a hearty laugh. "Well, with all my friends gone, there's nothing left for me in this world…"
His gaze drifted upwards towards the sky, his voice barely above a whisper. "Except for Igneel…"
"Me too," Wendy echoed softly, her voice filled with a similar sense of longing and determination.
Although Carla remained reluctant to divulge the full details of her mission to her comrades, her unwavering loyalty to Fairy Tail compelled her to make a momentous decision: to abandon her preordained mission and join Natsu and the others on their perilous journey to Edolas.
Her sole purpose was to rescue her fellow guild members.
Thus, Carla and Happy, accompanied by Natsu and Wendy, soared through the spatial wormhole left behind by Anima, arriving in the world of Edolas.
However, upon their arrival, they discovered that the ability to freely utilize magic was severely restricted in this world. Consequently, the cats' Wing Magic proved ineffective.
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