*Magic Knights Headquarters - Damian's Private Workshop*
The workshop was a testament to magical craftsmanship, filled with specialized tools, crystalline formations, and half-completed enchantments that glowed softly in the dim light. Damian sat hunched over his workbench, surrounded by detailed sketches and magical diagrams, his emerald eyes focused intently on the design taking shape before him.
For the past three weeks, he'd been working on something special—a magical tool specifically crafted for Levy's unique abilities. Not just any enhancement, but something that would revolutionize her Solid Script magic while providing additional protection. The preliminary designs showed a elegant book-like device that could store and amplify her magical words, allowing her to cast spells with unprecedented speed and power.
"The crystalline matrix needs to be perfectly attuned to script magic frequencies," he murmured to himself, adjusting the complex magical equations floating in the air above his workbench. "And the storage capacity has to accommodate both offensive and defensive applications without interference..."
The project was proving more complex than even the Wardens had been. Where Tycun's swords channeled elemental forces that already existed in nature, this device needed to interface directly with Levy's unique magical signature while enhancing abilities that were entirely linguistic in nature. Every line of script magic was different, every word carried its own magical weight, and the tool needed to adapt to infinite variations while maintaining perfect stability.
"Perhaps a dual-core system," he mused, sketching additional components. "One crystal for storage, another for amplification, with a harmonic resonance chamber to—"
A sudden, searing pain shot through his chest, so intense that he nearly fell from his chair. The workshop's ambient lighting flickered as his magical energy spiked in response to what felt like a physical wound, though he bore no injury.
The necklace. Levy's protective necklace was screaming its alarm directly into his magical consciousness.
*Mortal danger. Immediate threat. Location: Magnolia Town, eastern forest.*
Without hesitation, Damian abandoned his work and raised his hands, magical energy erupting around him in controlled chaos. A Space World materialized—not the small, localized constructs he typically used in combat, but a massive dimensional gateway that tore through the fabric of reality itself.
The transition was instantaneous. One moment he stood in his workshop, the next he was materializing in a forest clearing where the scent of ozone and magical combat filled the air. His eyes immediately found Levy, backed against a large tree with her Solid Script magic crackling defensively around her. Facing her was a figure that made Damian's blood turn to ice.
A tall, powerfully built man with long black hair and metal studs protruding from his face and arms. Iron Dragon Slayer magic radiated from him in waves of barely controlled aggression, and his red eyes held a malicious gleam that spoke of someone who enjoyed causing pain.
Gajeel Redfox of Phantom Lord. And he was in the middle of launching what looked like a devastating Iron Dragon's Roar directly at Levy.
"SOLID SCRIPT: BARRIER!" Levy shouted, her magic forming a wall of golden light between herself and the attack.
But Damian could see immediately that it wouldn't be enough. Gajeel's attack was too powerful, too focused, and Levy was already exhausted from whatever had led to this confrontation.
Time seemed to slow as Damian moved. His World Magic responded to his desperate need, and a Barrier World materialized directly in the path of Gajeel's roar—not just a simple wall, but an entire pocket dimension designed specifically to absorb and neutralize magical attacks. The Iron Dragon's devastating breath strike hit the dimensional barrier and simply... disappeared, swallowed by space that existed outside normal reality.
Gajeel's attack cut off abruptly as he stared in shock at the shimmering barrier that had appeared from nowhere. "What the hell—"
"Step away from her," Damian commanded, his voice carrying the absolute authority of royalty and the cold fury of someone whose most precious person had been threatened. "Now."
The Iron Dragon Slayer's red eyes widened as he took in Damian's appearance—the fine clothes, the unmistakable bearing, and most importantly, the incredible magical power that was making the very air around them thrum with energy.
"Well, well," Gajeel said with a harsh laugh, though Damian noticed he'd stopped advancing toward Levy. "Prince Damian himself comes running to save his little girlfriend. How touching."
"Damian," Levy breathed, relief and confusion mixing in her voice. "How did you—the necklace?"
"Are you hurt?" Damian asked, his eyes never leaving Gajeel as he moved to position himself between the Iron Dragon Slayer and Levy.
"I'm fine," Levy replied, though he could hear the exhaustion in her voice. "But Damian, you shouldn't be here. This is between Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail—"
"It became my business the moment he threatened someone under my protection," Damian interrupted, his World Magic beginning to manifest in visible distortions around his hands. "Gajeel Redfox, you have exactly ten seconds to explain why you're attacking a Fairy Tail mage in an isolated forest."
Gajeel's expression shifted from amusement to calculation as he assessed this new threat. "Phantom Lord has business with Fairy Tail. The girl was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Wrong answer," Damian said coldly.
What happened next would be talked about in magical circles for years afterward. Damian didn't just create one World Magic construct—he created dozens. Prison Worlds materialized around Gajeel from every angle, each one a different type of dimensional trap. Gravity Wells pulled at him from conflicting directions. Fire Worlds and Ice Worlds created temperature extremes that would have killed a normal mage instantly. Lightning Worlds crackled with enough electrical energy to power a city.
And at the center of it all, a Judgment World—the most dangerous of Damian's constructs, filled with pure magical force that responded to hostile intent with overwhelming counterattack.
"You attacked someone I care about," Damian said, his voice echoing strangely as it passed through multiple dimensional layers. "You threatened her life for the sake of some guild conflict that she had nothing to do with. Give me one reason why I shouldn't let these worlds collapse inward and erase you from existence."
Gajeel, for the first time since Damian had known of him, looked genuinely afraid. The Iron Dragon Slayer's legendary durability meant nothing against attacks that bypassed physical reality entirely. He was trapped in a maze of hostile dimensions, each one capable of destroying him in a different way.
"Damian, stop," Levy's voice cut through his fury like a blade. "Don't kill him. Please."
"He tried to kill you," Damian replied, though the dimensional constructs stabilized rather than continuing to close inward.
"But he didn't," Levy said firmly, moving to his side despite the dangerous magical energies swirling around them. "And killing him won't solve anything. It'll just escalate the conflict between the guilds."
Damian was quiet for a long moment, his emerald eyes fixed on Gajeel's increasingly pale face. Finally, he spoke in a voice that carried across dimensions.
"You have thirty seconds to leave this area and return to your guild. If I ever find you threatening innocent people again—if I even hear rumors of you targeting non-combatants—I will finish what we started here today. Do you understand me?"
"Crystal clear, Your Highness," Gajeel managed, his usual arrogance completely absent.
Damian dismissed the World Magic constructs one by one, each dimensional layer collapsing back into normal space. Within moments, Gajeel was standing in an ordinary forest clearing, though the grass around his feet had been twisted into impossible patterns by the residual dimensional energy.
The Iron Dragon Slayer didn't wait for further encouragement. He turned and fled into the forest with more haste than dignity, leaving Damian and Levy alone in the sudden quiet.
"Are you really alright?" Damian asked, turning to face Levy fully for the first time since his arrival. Now that the immediate threat was over, he could see the signs of extended combat—torn clothing, exhaustion, a small cut on her cheek where something had grazed her.
"I'm fine," Levy assured him, though she swayed slightly on her feet. "Just tired. I've been running from Phantom Lord scouts for the past hour, and when Gajeel cornered me..."
"Why were you alone?" Damian asked, gently taking her arm to steady her. "Where's your team?"
"Separated during the initial attack," Levy explained. "Jet and Droy are probably fighting their way back to the guild hall. I was trying to reach them when Gajeel intercepted me."
Damian felt his protective instincts flare again. "This is exactly what I was afraid of. Guild conflicts that put innocent members at risk—"
"Damian," Levy interrupted gently, "I'm a mage. Danger is part of what I signed up for, remember? You can't protect me from everything."
"I can try," he replied seriously, then paused as he realized what he'd just said—and how it sounded.
Levy stared at him for a moment, her brown eyes wide behind her glasses. "Damian..."
"I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I didn't mean to sound so... possessive. I just..." He ran a hand through his dark jade hair, struggling to find words that wouldn't reveal too much. "When that necklace activated, when I felt you were in danger, I've never been so afraid in my life."
"You came immediately," Levy said softly, her hand moving unconsciously to touch the pendant at her throat. "You dropped everything and came to save me."
"Of course I did," Damian replied, as if any other response would have been inconceivable. "Levy, you're..."
He trailed off, realizing they were standing very close together in the quiet forest, her hand still on his arm, his eyes locked with hers. The words he wanted to say hung in the air between them, unspoken but somehow understood.
"We should get you back to Fairy Tail," he said finally, though his voice was rougher than usual. "Your guild will be worried, and you need proper medical attention."
"Will you come with me?" Levy asked, then quickly added, "I mean, to make sure there aren't any more Phantom Lord members between here and the guild hall?"
"Yes," Damian said immediately. "I'm not leaving your side until I know you're safe with your guild."
As they began walking through the forest toward Magnolia, Levy glanced at him sideways. "The magic you used against Gajeel... I've never seen anything like it. Those weren't just dimensional attacks—they were entire realities shaped by your will."
"World Magic at its full potential," Damian confirmed. "I don't usually need to manifest that many constructs simultaneously, but when someone threatens something precious to me..."
"Something precious," Levy repeated quietly, and Damian realized what he'd revealed.
"Levy, I—"
"It's okay," she said softly, her cheeks pink but her voice steady. "I understand what you meant."
They walked in comfortable silence after that, both lost in thoughts of what had almost been said, what had almost been lost, and what the future might hold for a prince and a guild mage who were rapidly running out of reasons to deny their feelings for each other.
Behind them, the forest clearing bore the scars of dimensional magic that would puzzle magical researchers for decades. But ahead of them lay Magnolia Town, safety, and the growing certainty that some bonds were strong enough to transcend any obstacle—even the ones they built for themselves.
---
*To be continued...*