The bonfire crackled in the center of the village, its warm glow dancing across stone and timber. Beneath the cold gleam of the moon, Karuna Island was filled with laughter, music, and the scents of exotic roasted meats and sweet wines.
To show their deep gratitude, the demon village chief personally oversaw a lavish feast for Chase and his companions.
Natsu had already made fast friends with the terrifying-looking, sharp-toothed demons. His fearless grin and the sight of him chomping down on flames from the bonfire left the villagers gaping in admiration.
Happy, meanwhile, was in paradise. Surrounded by platters of grilled sea fish he'd never tasted before, he floated from dish to dish like a gluttonous cherub, humming in delight.
Lucy, after initially clinging nervously to the edges of the crowd, had finally relaxed. Through talking with the kind-hearted villagers and seeing their genuine smiles, her instinctive fear of "demons" slowly melted away. Before long, she was laughing alongside them, a roasted fruit skewer in one hand and a cup of juice in the other.
As for Chase, Gray, and Leon… they found themselves surrounded by elegant "demon ladies" with mischievous eyes and an unsettling charm. All three were overwhelmed by the attention fed delicacies by clawed hands and caught in endless conversations that felt more flirtatious than friendly.
Ur and ultear, too, drew a crowd. Surrounded by bright-eyed young demons who looked up to them with admiration, the mother and daughter couldn't help but smile. ultear even found herself blushing as she answered their curious questions about magic.
It seemed that no matter the location or even the species there was no shortage of gentlemanly "fans" in the world of Fairy Tail.
Lucy watched the scene with a blank expression, her gaze drifting from the graceful Ur and ultear to Natsu and Happy, who were stuffing their faces like animals beside her.
The grilled meat in her hand suddenly felt… bland.
Even Yuka, Toby, and Sherry, who had been enemies just hours ago, were now welcomed warmly. After apologizing for their earlier actions and learning the truth about Deliora's massacre, they joined the celebration with heavy hearts and lighter spirits.
To the villagers, who had suffered as demons for so long, their remorse was met not with blame but with understanding.
As for Natsu, he'd already forgotten their previous battle. Full and cheerful, he now had an arm slung around Yuka and laughed boisterously as if they were old friends.
Different groups mages, demons, former foes sat side by side, united by shared pain and the joy of healing. For one rare night, all boundaries faded.
The banquet stretched long into the night, until at last, the music softened and the fire burned low.
Natsu, Lucy, and Happy had curled up together and dozed off under the stars.
Meanwhile, Chase stood atop the wooden stake wall that bordered the village. The sea breeze tousled his dark hair as he quietly gazed out over the dark waters.
He wasn't alone.
Just ahead, perched on the edge of the wall, was ultear.
She turned quickly at the sound of his footsteps.
"Mr. Chase…" she greeted, her voice softer than usual.
She straightened instinctively, trying to hide the fragile look in her eyes. But Chase had already seen it.
The smile on her lips didn't reach her heart.
It was a blessing to know her mother had never stopped loving her. That much was true.
But the pain ran deeper than that.
Every time she thought of Jellal twisted by her lies or little Meredy, whose home was destroyed by her hand… a heavy silence gripped her chest.
Even with Ur alive again, her sins had not disappeared.
They couldn't.
She had led others into darkness, unleashed suffering upon the innocent, and helped revive a cursed system that had once shackled the world.
No matter how joyous the banquet, that weight would never fully lift.
"I don't know what I should do anymore," she admitted in a whisper, turning her eyes to the horizon.
"People like me… we shouldn't be allowed to laugh. Or stay by the side of someone as pure as her…"
She didn't finish the sentence, but Chase understood.
To her, even being part of tonight's celebration was a selfish indulgence one she didn't deserve.
But Chase didn't speak.
He simply stood beside her, letting the wind carry the silence for a little longer.
This was the beginning of her path not to redemption, but to atonement. And Chase knew better than anyone…
The road to forgiveness always began with the heaviest burden of truth.
Therefore, for the first time in her life, ultear mimicked Ur's infamous "training style" and removed her upper garments alongside her mother, taking up the stance of Ice Make magic and casting her spells with bare resolve.
Together, they stood beneath the night sky, mother and daughter side by side, their breath misting in the chill, watching the demons dance like fireflies above.
She only did it for one reason to make memories.
Beautiful, real memories to carry with her… before she left.
ultear had already made her decision.
She would find Jellal and persuade him to return to the light.
She would kneel before Meredy and reveal the truth she had hidden for too long.
And then, she would go.
She would descend into the darkness into death itself if that's what it took to repent.
To apologize to every innocent soul whose life had been shattered by her hands.
To atone.
"Speaking of which," Chase said, his voice gentle, "it's hard to believe someone from the Magic Council would end up so connected to Fairy Tail."
He chuckled as he handed her a glass of demon-brewed beer, the purple mist curling from the rim.
"Fate's got a strange sense of humor."
ultear accepted the drink but made no move to sip it. She simply held it between her palms, eyes lowered in thought.
A few days ago, she had sat on high, cloaked in authority, casting judgment.
Now, the very man she once viewed as uncouth and unworthy the one who looked around the courtroom like it was a tourist stop was the one who pulled her from the abyss.
The one who reminded her she was still human.
She glanced sidelong at Chase, who leaned against the wooden railing, his expression unreadable in the moonlight.
"Mr. Chase," she said softly, "you didn't come over just for small talk, did you?"
"You're sharp," he replied with a smile.
"That magic you used to rewind the village it's Lost Magic, isn't it? The Arc of Time?"
ultear's eyes widened slightly. That he could identify it so casually…
She nodded. "Yes. I didn't expect you to recognize it. Most wouldn't."
The Arc of Time wasn't something the average wizard could comprehend, let alone name. It had been taught to her directly by Hades, the former master of Grimoire Heart one of the darkest and most feared figures in magical history.
It was dangerous. Forbidden. And immensely powerful.
But Chase didn't seem intimidated at all.
"I picked up a little knowledge when I traveled through the Kiltina continent," he said smoothly, invoking that mysterious land again as if it were his personal encyclopedia. "That's where I first heard of something interesting something called the Second Origin."
ultear blinked. "Second… Origin?"
Just as he thought.
In this timeline, the theory hadn't emerged yet.
Chase remembered: in the original timeline, ultear had helped introduce the concept during the seven years Fairy Tail was frozen on Tenrou Island. The Second Origin was a latent magic container buried within every wizard a source of untapped potential. A second reservoir of magic power.
A gift. A burden. A shortcut to strength.
If she could understand it now, perhaps history wouldn't need to repeat itself.
"It's said to be an independent storage within a mage," Chase explained. "Not your usual reserve of magic power. More like… a hidden core. A second container."
ultear's brow furrowed, interest sharpening her gaze. "I've never heard of this before… Mr. Chase, you're far more well-read than I imagined."
Chase smiled faintly. "I just happen to pick up a lot of things along the way."
He didn't mention that this conversation might shape the entire future of magical research.
Because if anyone could understand Second Origin early it was ultear Milkovich.
Chase didn't answer right away.
He watched ultear's profile her lashes casting faint shadows under the moonlight, her lips pressed in restraint, her voice still trembling faintly from the laugh she hadn't meant to let slip. Beneath the outer shell of composure and brilliance… was a heart riddled with scars.
After a moment, he folded his arms and looked back up at the sky, his tone steady and low.
"I'd keep living."
ultear turned her head, startled. "Even if the weight of that sin crushed you every single day?"
"Especially then," Chase replied. "Because someone has to carry it."
He tapped his chest lightly, not in arrogance, but as if grounding himself.
"You see, dying to atone is easy. Anyone can run from pain by choosing the grave. But living with it facing your mistakes, owning them, making sure they never happen again that takes real strength."
ultear was speechless.
"Don't get me wrong," Chase added, casting her a sidelong glance. "I'm not saying you'll ever be forgiven. You might not be. Some people will always hate you. But that doesn't mean you stop trying to do better. And it doesn't mean you throw away the chance the people who do love you gave you."
His words were neither soft nor sharp. They simply rang with clarity.
ultear clenched her fists unconsciously.
"I…" Her voice caught. "But I "
"You already know your path," Chase interrupted gently. "You just don't think you deserve to walk it."
She looked down. "Maybe I don't."
"Then earn it," he said simply.
Silence hung between them for a while, not uncomfortable, but heavy with thought.
Eventually, ultear looked up again, her expression clearer than before. A little steadier. A little more human.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
Chase just smirked and looked back to the stars. "Don't thank me. Just keep living like someone who deserves to."
From a distance, the fading laughter of demons and wizards still echoed. The moon bathed the village in light, and the sea breeze whispered against their backs.
For now, at least, redemption felt like something just barely within reach.
...
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