Chapter 395: Man to Snake, Man to Dragon, Snake to Man, Dragon to Man
Hearing the girls chattering excitedly and making plans, Ur watched them with a soft, unwavering smile.
With such a vibrant, caring group of young women looking out for her, Ur had absolutely no doubt that Kinana would integrate perfectly into the guild. And with a younger generation like this carrying the torch, Fairy Tail's future would only grow brighter.
After finalizing their shopping itinerary, Lucy and the others dispersed to handle their own business, eagerly waiting for Kinana to fully recover.
Noah, meanwhile, headed straight back to his home laboratory.
After brewing a fresh batch of potions, he dove headfirst into analyzing the magical and biological data he had extracted from Kinana during the unsealing process.
It was an incredibly rare, borderline impossible case study. A human being forcibly transfigured into a serpent for over a decade, only to have the curse broken and their original human physiology fully restored.
Such a phenomenon was virtually unheard of. The data Noah extracted from the process provided him with an absolute treasure trove of unprecedented magical signatures, leading to massive, groundbreaking advancements in several of his ongoing research projects.
For the next few days, Noah practically locked himself in his lab, working furiously. He only ever stepped out to deliver fresh potions to Kinana and run quick diagnostic scans on her vitals before vanishing back into his research.
However, under the strict supervision of Ultear and Mirajane, he was still forced to eat properly and get a healthy amount of sleep.
Seeing how insanely busy Noah was, Natsu and the others didn't bother inviting him on any missions. Natsu, Happy, and Lucy formed a trio to tackle a few jobs, while Gray was forcefully dragged off on 'romantic' missions by an overly enthusiastic Juvia.
Erza chose to stay behind at the guild, helping Ultear, Ur, and Mirajane care for Kinana.
One afternoon, after delivering Kinana's medicine and logging her latest vitals, Noah strolled into the main guildhall—only to find Laxus absolutely pummeling Natsu into the floorboards.
Natsu tried to fight back with a roar of flames, but Laxus ruthlessly and efficiently suppressed him with a barrage of lightning, pinning the Fire Dragon Slayer to the ground.
"What brought this on?" Noah asked, walking over to Mirajane, who was happily watching the one-sided beatdown from the bar.
"Oh, this? Well, Natsu has been going on jobs for the last few days, and as usual, he ended up destroying half the towns he visited," Mirajane giggled behind her hand. "The Magic Council sent over several extremely furious warning letters, demanding formal apologies and incident reports."
"As you know, thanks to your little... arrangement, the Master doesn't write those reports anymore. We do," she continued, her smile widening. "And since Laxus has been managing the paperwork lately, he was forced to write Natsu's apology letters for three days straight. He finally snapped."
Noah nodded in absolute, profound understanding.
He had experienced that exact same rage years ago. After being forced to write half a dozen groveling apology letters to the Council to cover for Natsu's collateral damage, Noah had also taken the opportunity to violently beat the Fire Dragon Slayer into a pulp just to vent his frustration.
In fact, almost every S-Class mage in the guild had beaten Natsu up at least once for the exact same reason.
It was only after Noah figured out how to program his Archive to auto-generate bureaucratic apology letters that he finally found peace.
Having thoroughly beaten the source of his stress, Laxus let out a long, satisfied exhale. His usually scowling face looked incredibly relaxed as he cracked his knuckles, turned around, and walked back behind the bar. He still had to actually write the apology letter, but at least now he felt much better about it.
"Damn it, Laxus! Next time, I'm gonna kick your ass!" Natsu groaned, shakily pushing himself up from the splintered floorboards and yelling at the Lightning Dragon Slayer's back.
"Sure thing. I'll be waiting," Laxus waved dismissively without even looking back.
"Lucy! We're taking another job right now! We gotta earn money so we can train harder and beat him!" Natsu declared, instantly grabbing Lucy by the wrist and dragging her toward the guild doors.
"Wait, what?! We literally just got back from a job!" Lucy shrieked, desperately trying to dig her heels into the floor.
"Yeah, but almost all the reward money went to paying for the collateral damage! Me and Happy's stash is basically empty! We need funds for food and training!"
"Please don't remind me about the collateral damage..." Lucy cried, her soul leaving her body.
They had just completed a high-paying job, but after Natsu destroyed a bridge and half a port, the compensation fees ate up 90% of the reward. After covering their train tickets and food, they had basically worked for free.
Despite her complaints, Lucy allowed herself to be dragged out the door, with Happy flying cheerfully behind them.
"Lucy really has integrated perfectly into the guild, hasn't she?" Mirajane smiled warmly as she watched the chaotic trio leave.
"Yeah. She's a true Fairy Tail mage through and through," Noah agreed.
"By the way, how is your research coming along?" Mirajane asked, wiping down the counter.
"It's going incredibly well! The data I extracted from Kinana's unsealing helped me solve several major theoretical roadblocks. After all, a person turning into a snake and then reverting back to a human is an unprecedented biological anomaly," Noah answered, his eyes lighting up with genuine excitement.
"That's wonderful to hear. Just make sure you aren't pushing yourself too hard. Don't make us worry, okay?" Mirajane said, her tone gentle but firm.
"I know, I know. I'll make sure to get plenty of rest," Noah promised sincerely. He knew Mirajane only nagged him because she cared deeply about his well-being, and he had no intention of taking her affection for granted.
"I'll hold you to that. Now, you look like you're itching to get back to your lab, so go on! Make sure you come back early tonight—I'm cooking dinner," Mirajane smiled, gently shooing him away.
"I'll definitely be here for that. See you later!" Noah waved before heading back to his home.
For the next three days, Noah remained completely immersed in his research.
As he analyzed the data, he discovered something fascinating: the magical structure of the curse that turned Kinana into a snake shared several striking similarities with the biological process of Dragonification experienced by Dragon Slayers.
One transformed a human into a dragon, while the other transformed a human into a serpent.
Noah strongly suspected that whoever created this curse had intimately understood the fatal flaw of Dragon Slayer Magic and had actively researched it.
If a mage learned Dragon Slayer Magic and utilized it extensively without a proper biological safeguard, a 'Dragon Seed' would inevitably form within their body. As the seed grew, it would forcibly rewrite the host's DNA, eventually transforming them completely and permanently into a dragon.
Currently, the only known ways to prevent this fate were to artificially implant a Dragon Lacrima into the host (creating a Second Generation Slayer), or for an actual, living Dragon to use the Secret Art of the Soul Dragon, sealing their own soul directly inside the Slayer's body to actively suppress the growth of the Dragon Seed.
The moment Noah recognized the biological parallels, his mind instantly zeroed in on a single suspect for the curse's original creator: Zeref.
After all, Zeref had a younger brother who was currently a First Generation Dragon Slayer. Yes—the exact same idiot who was currently running around town screaming about fighting Laxus.
While the Fire Dragon King, Igneel, had utilized the Soul Dragon art to suppress Natsu's Dragon Seed and prevent his Dragonification, a man as brilliantly obsessive and knowledge-driven as Zeref would have undoubtedly researched the phenomenon extensively.
Furthermore, Noah remembered that much later in the timeline, Zeref would eventually encounter Irene Belserion—Erza's biological mother, who had fully undergone Dragonification centuries ago. Using his unparalleled mastery of magic, Zeref had actually managed to enchant Irene's massive dragon body back into a human form.
While Zeref's enchantment was flawed—leaving Irene without the ability to taste food or sleep—the fact remained that transforming a physically superior, biologically absolute creature like a dragon back into a human was an almost impossibly complex magical challenge. Zeref could never have accomplished it without centuries of prior research into cross-species transfiguration.
Therefore, it was practically guaranteed that Zeref had created the foundational theory for this specific type of transformation curse.
Honestly, in this world, if you encountered an ancient, horribly twisted, or impossibly complex dark magic and immediately blamed Zeref, you would be right 99% of the time. The title of the Most Evil Dark Mage in History wasn't just for show.
Noah theorized that someone had likely stumbled upon a fragment of Zeref's ancient research notes on transfiguration. Without fully understanding the complex magical theory, the dark mages had recklessly used the incomplete formula to experiment on a child, resulting in Kinana's horrific transformation.
However, unlike Irene's flawed transformation back to a human, Kinana didn't seem to suffer from any permanent biological defects. She could eat, sleep, and genuinely smile.
Noah guessed this discrepancy came down to a few major factors.
First, the time scale. Irene had lived as a dragon for four hundred years, her biology completely solidifying in that form. Kinana had only been a snake for a little over a decade. The shorter duration likely made her original human blueprint much easier to restore. If Kinana had lived as a serpent for centuries, her human soul would have eroded entirely, making a return to humanity impossible.
Second, the biological hierarchy. Irene had transformed into a Dragon—the absolute pinnacle of magical and biological existence. Kinana had only transformed into a winged serpent. The sheer difference in biological complexity likely made reversing the serpent curse significantly easier.
Lastly, the source of the power. Irene's Dragonification was a direct result of her own magic—it was a biological evolution triggered from within. Kinana's transformation was an external curse forced onto her. To turn Kinana back, Noah only had to violently purge the external curse and let her body heal. To turn Irene back, one had to actively suppress and rewrite the core of her own existence.
Having thoroughly analyzed the data, Noah felt he had gained a massive leap in understanding regarding biological transfiguration and the manipulation of life itself.
However, he had no intention of pursuing this specific line of research any further. He wasn't a dark mage. To push this research to its absolute limits would inevitably require live human experimentation—a taboo that Makarov strictly forbade, and a line Noah absolutely refused to cross.
He also had zero desire to accidentally trigger the Curse of Ankhseram.
Noah had no intention of ending up like Zeref—a walking calamity who passively eradicated all life around him, cursed to never be able to love or cherish anything without instantly killing it.
Kinana's data had perfectly filled the theoretical gaps in his knowledge, and that was more than enough.
A few days later, after plenty of rest and Ur's diligent care, Kinana's condition had drastically improved. Her motor functions had fully re-synced with her soul, meaning her hands no longer trembled, and she could walk around the room without losing her balance.
After running a final, comprehensive diagnostic scan, Noah officially cleared her. She was healthy enough to walk around the guild and start living a relatively normal life.
She would still need regular check-ups to ensure no hidden side effects emerged, but the worst was definitively over.
Hearing that Kinana had officially been cleared, Lucy and the rest of the girls instantly swarmed the break room.
"Alright! It's time to execute Operation: Makeover!" Levy cheered excitedly.
"Exactly! We've already planned out exactly what we're going to buy for you! Come on, Kinana, let's go!" Lucy beamed, gently grabbing the purple-haired girl's hand.
"But... I don't have any money, kina..."
Kinana recognized the girls, as they had frequently visited her while she was resting, but hearing that they were going on a shopping spree made her incredibly hesitant. She literally owned nothing except the borrowed clothes on her back.
"Don't worry about that. This is our gift to you, to celebrate your recovery," Ultear smiled warmly from the side.
Lucy and the others nodded enthusiastically. They knew she was completely broke; they had already pooled their funds together for this exact occasion.
"Oh... thank you all so much! Kina!" Kinana beamed, her eyes sparkling with gratitude.
"Alright, let's head out!" Sorano cheered, practically vibrating with excitement.
Noah stood near the door, watching the massive group of girls assemble. Ultear, Ur, Erza, Sorano, Mirajane, Bisca, Cana, Evergreen, Juvia, Laki, Kagura, and even Wendy, Meredy, and Yukino were all present and ready to go.
It looked like almost every single prominent female member of the guild was joining the shopping trip.
"Are all of you seriously going at once?" Noah asked Sorano, slightly bewildered by the sheer size of the mob.
"Of course! I already scouted out several incredibly cute outfits for her, and I need everyone's opinion!" Erza declared with absolute seriousness, clenching her fist as if preparing for battle.
"Besides, the seasons are changing soon. It's the perfect excuse for all of us to update our own wardrobes as well," Mirajane added with a sweet smile.
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