The sky was heavy with gloom, the earth dim and lifeless.
It was as though the world had been draped in a thin film—dark, cold, and suffocating.
A colossal surge of magic gathered high above, twisting into a vast vortex.
Magnolia, Fairy Tail Guild.
"This weather changes way too fast. I thought it was going to be a perfect day for a party…"
Levy slumped across the table in boredom, her whole figure looking round and deflated, her gaze drifting off into the distance.
A sharp wind swept through, filling all of Magnolia with dust.
Those with the means huddled by fireplaces, prepared snacks, told or listened to stories, flipped through magazines, or used recording magic to relive old memories.
Those without such comforts simply washed up early and went to bed.
And then, there were those like the members of Fairy Tail—listless, idle, as though rusting away from sheer boredom.
"Levy-chan, I found this amazing old text on the history of Ancient Script magic. Want to read it together?"
Jet approached with a lovestruck smile, so contagious that even the background seemed to soften into pastel pink.
"No thanks. I prefer proper historical studies. I'll pass on some random folklore written by who-knows-who."
Levy sat up, expression flat, her tone indifferent.
Jet's heart shattered. His body went rigid as though pierced by countless blades before collapsing dramatically to the floor.
The scene shifted—he knelt upon the ground, the air around him painted a dark, oppressive purple, vertical waves of despair rising.
"Sorry… I'm so sorry…"
"You're hopeless. Watch how it's done."
Droy, the third of their trio, flicked his hair back with the same lovesick glow, striding toward Levy.
But before he could open his mouth, Levy cut him off coldly:
"Sorry, Droy. I'm bored right now. Don't waste your time."
Another arrow through the heart.
"Sorry… really, so sorry…"
Droy dropped to his knees beside Jet, the suffocating purple aura deepening further.
Gurgle, gurgle…
Clink.
"Something's off."
The sound of a glass slamming onto the table echoed. Makarov, cheeks flushed with drink, was tipsy—but his instincts were sharper than ever. He could sense subtle shifts in the flow of magic.
"Hahaha, Master, you're just making excuses. Leave it to me."
Gildarts, recently returned, was drinking opposite Makarov and mocked him immediately.
"What did you say, Gildarts? You'll need another hundred years before you can beat me!"
Makarov, refusing to lose, expanded with Giant Magic, hefted a massive barrel like a mug, and downed it in one gulp.
"See? You can't match me!"
After draining more than ten barrels in a row, Makarov bared his teeth in triumph, taunting Gildarts.
"Master, that's cheating!"
Gildarts nearly choked in disbelief, slamming his mug down and accusing Makarov of breaking the rules.
"Hahaha, we never said magic was against the rules."
"Isn't that implied?!"
"If it's not said, it doesn't count."
"You're shameless!"
The two butted heads, sparks crackling in the air, the atmosphere thick with gunpowder.
"Here we go again…"
The others sighed. Makarov's antics were unusual, but nothing they hadn't come to expect.
Creaaak—BANG!
The guild doors burst open with explosive force. Mystogan crashed through like a cannonball, shattering the bar counter instantly.
"Mystogan! What happened?!"
Makarov rushed over first, alarmed.
"Master—hurry, contact the old man. Something terrible has happened!"
Mystogan staggered up, voice urgent.
Makarov blinked, confused, trying to calm him.
"Wait, slow down. Whatever it is, we'll handle it after you've caught your breath. You're injured—"
"No. Master, I'm not injured. This is serious!"
Mystogan cut him off.
Even as he spoke—
The heavens roared. High above, storm clouds twisted into a colossal funnel, magical pressure spiking wildly, surpassing the limits of even Etherion within mere breaths.
The overwhelming force tore straight through the fragile barrier between worlds as though piercing a sheet of paper.
The imbalance between high and low pressure sent torrents of magic from Earthland pouring into Edolas.
If it continued unchecked, Edolas could siphon off Earthland's magic like a vampire, clawing its way to salvation.
But the process was too slow.
The gulf between worlds—between planets, even universes—was vast beyond comprehension, enough to crush countless civilizations with despair.
To bring the two into balance, even a relative, localized equilibrium, would take far too long.
"…It's here."
Feeling the tremor of Nirvana, Mystogan's face drained of all color.
"What's here?!"
The foreboding in Makarov's heart only grew.
"Nirvana."
"Earlier than expected again."
Watching everything unfold on the guild's enchanted tablet, one of Pai Pai's avatars stepped forward—his aura shifting instantly.
Fierce. Terrifying. As deep and boundless as the abyss.
"Yeah. We haven't even finished dealing with Oración Seis, and now Edolas wants to make its move."
Another avatar glanced over and dismissed it just as quickly.
They could cross freely between worlds. Whatever Nirvana could do, they could as well.
Such noise hardly merited their attention.
"Interesting though… particle recombination? Tied to this kind of knowledge?"
Pai Pai took a single step, traversing time and space, arriving at the heart of Nirvana's eruption. The massive pull was already devouring Earthland's magic at a terrifying pace.
The stolen magic didn't flow straight into Edolas—it underwent refinement, transforming into pure, crystalline lacrima. Solidified magic of the highest purity, easy to store and weaponize.
Unaffected by the pull, Pai Pai stretched out his hand. He felt even parts of his own body being crystallized into lacrima.
"As I thought… that world's magitech is far more advanced. Or perhaps, its ancient civilization endured longer than this one."
Earthland's history of dragon wars, kingdom wars, and magical flux had destroyed most records. Ancient magics had been lost, only resurfacing with the recent revival of magic itself.
But Edolas seemed different. Its civilization had lasted longer. More knowledge had been preserved.
The result: superior magitech.
"…Maybe I should visit Edolas personally later."
The thought flickered through Pai Pai's mind as he drew his hand back, preparing to disperse Nirvana and hand Mystogan the task of resolving Edolas.
But then—he froze.
That crystallized portion of his body carried a new ability. A passive skill. It interfered with magic particles naturally, just by existing.
Not something his main body could normally do. Not that it was impossible—just that it had never been this instinctive or easy. The range was small, and being the product of stray thoughts, it was fragile, prone to collapse at any external disruption. One mistake could spell disaster.
The knowledge spread instantly across all of Pai Pai's avatars.
"…We could test it. Remember how particle fluctuations were tied to whether or not we were forgotten? If the main body envelops Edolas, a world where we can fully control particle motion, we might discover something new. Maybe even stop being forgotten."
"True. The main body is half-dead as it is. No loss in trying. Even if we can't stop being erased… living on in another form might be worth it."
"Agreed."
"..."
A consensus formed swiftly among them.
The avatar standing before Nirvana acted without hesitation—shifting its coordinates, redirecting the phenomenon's target straight onto the main body of Pai Pai.
Not resisting, but instead expanding Nirvana's capacity—preparing the main body to be consumed and transformed.
BOOM!!!
The moment Nirvana swallowed Pai Pai's true self, the world shattered.
A golden pillar of light erupted skyward, widening rapidly—ten meters, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand…
From a planetary perspective, it became a vast protrusion, a beam bridging heaven and earth, spanning both worlds. Space-time storms raged, but none could breach its radiant defense.
Yet upon touching Edolas, the beam began to collapse, unraveling into pure light, pure particles, fusing with the world itself.
The process was slow—so slow it might take decades for visible change.
"…Looks like we'll be disappearing early."
In Earthland, the avatars exchanged glances and understood each other without words.
No regrets. They were the same person at their core, sharing the same fundamental thoughts.
"I'll return first. The rest of you, don't be long."
One avatar spoke casually, stepping into the main body and merging. At once, the unraveling quickened.
Avatars could detach from the main body, but also return—each carrying an imprint, a final influence over the whole.
The main body was like a machine, and the pilots.
But each had only one chance. Once merged, their will would be overwritten.
"I'll go too. Make sure to keep an eye on Fairy Tail for me. I love how noisy and chaotic they are—so lively, so cute."
Another avatar returned.
The unraveling hastened again.
The remaining avatars fell silent, passing on their inner cores—entrusting final wishes to those still left. Then they, too, stepped into the main body.
"…So few left already? Shouldn't have let the others go."
The dragon-form avatar rose from beneath the lake, sneering as it looked over the dwindling numbers. But it did not resist. Like a dragon soaring to the heavens, it too plunged into the main body.
Instantly, the unraveling accelerated by orders of magnitude.
"All together, then!"
The last avatars shared one look before merging as one.
The final weight pressed down. The main body could no longer hold.
Like a floodgate bursting—or the explosion at the dawn of creation—Pai Pai shattered.
Brilliant light erupted, blazing across cosmic scale, spreading like a film that wrapped around the alternate-world planet, like a colossal maw opening wide.
A wave of immense magical energy pulsed outward, radiating across the world, heralding a new, overwhelming tide of magic.