"Sky Devil's Tempest Fist!"
"Lightning Dragon's Iron Fist!"
A loud crack echoed through the quiet morning forest.
Two fists met in the center of a misty clearing on a cliff, one covered in swirling purple wind and the other wrapped in bright yellow lightning. The early clouds hung low above the trees, giving the whole forest a calm, silver atmosphere.
When the smoke faded, the faces of the two young men became clear. Both of them were smiling confidently while pushing more strength into their fists. Their smiles slowly turned strained, but neither wanted to be the first to step back.
After a long moment of stubbornness, Laxus finally managed to push forward with slightly more force. Astro lost his footing and flew backward a short distance before flipping in the air and landing cleanly on the ground. He slid across the dirt but stopped without losing balance.
"And the winner is Laxus," a calm voice asked from a tree branch above.
Astro and Laxus looked up and found Mystogan sitting there in his usual clothes. He was not wearing his mask and was casually taking a bite from an apple with one hand, and in the other hand, he was casually holding a stave.
"What is the score between you two now?", Mystogan asked curiously as he examined both of them.
"It is twenty-three to seventeen. Of course, I am winning," Laxus said with a confident grin.
Astro frowned, hearing Laxus's tone. "I only lose slightly when it comes to physical strength. If we fight seriously, the result could be different."
"That sounds exactly like something a sore loser would say," Laxus replied without hesitation.
"What did you say? Do you want to go all out then?" Astro's aura flared around him in a purple glow.
"Fine. Do you think I would be scared of you?" Laxus shouted back as lightning covered his body.
Mystogan sighed quietly while taking another bite of his apple.
"If both of you fight seriously, Porlyusica will scold us again. Here, take an apple and calm down."
He moved his stave lightly, and two apples floated from a nearby branch toward them.
Astro and Laxus both immediately withdrew their magic and caught the apples. They stared at the apple without blinking for a moment.
"I guess this is a good place to stop," Astro said before walking toward the tree Mystogan was on. He sat under its shade and took a small bite of the apple.
"It does not matter to me. I would have won anyway," Laxus said, sitting beneath the next tree.
Astro ignored him this time since they had already fought enough for the day. He looked up at Mystogan and asked, "So… how did your mission go, Jellal?"
Three weeks had passed since the night all three of them met. They trained together for a few days before Mystogan left to complete the large number of mission requests he had taken. Astro was surprised that he finished them so quickly. His brother from another world was clearly a workaholic, unlike him.
"It did not lead me to what I was searching for, but I completed the missions without trouble," Mystogan replied while eating.
"Oh… sorry to hear that. What exactly are you searching for? Do you need help?" Astro asked with genuine concern in his tone.
Laxus, who had already finished his apple, also looked toward Mystogan with interest. He already knew Mystogan's identity, but not his goal. He only understood that Mystogan was chasing something unusual and unnatural.
Mystogan waved his staff again. Several apples floated directly to Laxus. Laxus caught all of them and began eating one after another.
"It is something only I can handle," Mystogan said.
Laxus raised an eyebrow. "If you hide it, it would only make people more curious and untrustworthy in the eyes of others."
Astro gave Laxus a side glance. Laxus phrased it poorly, but Astro still agreed with him somewhat.
"You are in a guild now, Jellal. A guild exists so that people can support each other. If there is anything we can do, you can tell us," Astro said.
Laxus did not add anything. He simply continued eating quietly.
Mystogan looked down on both of them for a bit and paused before replying as he took another bite of the apple, "It is related to Edolas. Do not worry. I am confident I can deal with it for now. But I am not refusing help out of pride. If I ever reach a point where I need help, I will not hesitate to ask. Also, this path has kept me moving forward ever since I arrived in this unfamiliar world. So, it might be selfish, but I still want to do it alone for now."
Astro looked at the distant horizon with softened eyes. "A purpose in another world, huh? To me, your purpose sounds a little desperate. It is not a healthy goal to have."
Mystogan looked down with surprise.
Laxus also choked on his apple.
Astro did not care about their reaction.
When he first arrived in this world, he did not know whom to trust. Strength ruled everything here, so he believed joining Fairy Tail would be the safest choice. He thought he could trust the protagonist of the world. Looking back, it was such a desperate goal.
But now, because of the desperate goal, he found people he genuinely cares about. He no longer had to walk alone in this unfamiliar world. His goal had also changed into something bigger, something more meaningful: protecting everything he had gained in this world.
"But from experience, I can say this," Astro continued. "Even a desperate goal like that is better than having none. If you keep moving forward, you will eventually find something else better. When you do, I believe that you will be glad that you did not give up, Jellal."
Mystogan's eyes softened. He looked at Astro and then at the horizon.
"…Don't worry, Astro. I will not give up."
Laxus glanced at both of them and then looked toward the horizon as well. It was unclear what he was thinking as he was munching on the apples.
The three of them remained there quietly, watching the scenery. The morning dark clouds shifted slowly, but the forest still felt peaceful around them.
A single raindrop fell from the sky.
Then another.
Soon, the rain became heavy.
But by that time, the three Fairy Tail mages had already vanished from there, leaving only the quiet sound of rainfall behind.
"What are you reading all alone?" a female voice asked.
Astro, who had returned to the Fairy Tail guild, glanced sideways. Only to see it was Erza who was walking toward him, in her usual chest armor and blue skirt.
"Nothing special," Astro replied. "Trying to learn more about the Wizard Council and the Ten Wizard Saints. I had a feeling that I shouldn't read it in front of anyone else in the guild. Most people here would probably faint just from looking at the book cover."
"Well, if these idiots did their jobs properly, they would not have to be afraid of the Magic Council at all," Erza said with a sigh as she sat down beside him at the bar table.
She looked toward Mira.
"Mira, do we have any strawberry cake today?"
Mira turned to see her and apologized with a smile. "No, we are already sold out for the day, Erza. I'm sorry."
Astro's mouth twitched. He had helped Mira calculate the stock earlier today before heading to training. She was definitely lying. But he still had enough intelligence to know that he shouldn't expose the second most influential person in the guild.
"What? But it is only noon. Can you check it again?"
Erza looked devastated, as if her soul was drifting out of her body.
"Sorry, Erza. I'll let you know when we have more cake," Mira replied with a regretful smile. She secretly winked at Astro before walking into the back room.
Astro glanced at Mira's retreating figure, then turned to Erza, who now looked completely lifeless and buried her head in her arms. He decided to redirect her attention.
"How did your mission go? I heard you went to deal with someone who was impersonating a Fairy Tail member."
"Well, it wasn't that special. She had some issues, but I let her go after I made sure she would not repeat the same mistake," Erza answered in a low, depressed voice.
Astro blinked at her answer for a second, not believing her at all. This is Erza whom he was talking about, who was the most obsessed person in the guild about reputation.
"What?" Erza asked, as she looked sideways after not hearing anything else from Astro.
"I kind of expected you to put her behind bars or at least report her to the Council. Why did you decide to let her go?"
Before Erza could answer, Mira returned and placed a plate in front of her.
"Here you go, Erza."
Erza sniffed a familiar smell in the air and subconsciously looked at the table, only to see that there were two slices of strawberry cake sitting on the plate.
Erza's eyes lit up. She slowly lifted her gaze to Mira suspiciously and understood immediately that she was being teased but all her irritation vanished the moment the cake entered her field of vision.
Astro watched speechlessly as Erza carefully cut a tiny slice of cake as if it were a secret relic or something. No wonder Mira couldn't help but tease her. Erza's aura shifted from fierce lioness to gentle housecat in a matter of seconds.
Erza took the first bite and visibly relaxed. After savoring it for half a minute, she answered Astro.
"Everyone has their own circumstances. Some people truly deserve punishment. If we lock them away, Earthland will have one less threat. But if we can change them for the better, then Earthland not only loses a villain—it gains someone who can influence others positively in the future too."
Astro and Mira both blinked at her. The wisdom was respectable…but it was hard to take it seriously with that expression on her face.
Erza took another bite and let out a quiet, happy sound. After the pleasant feeling settled, she noticed their stares and instinctively protected her cake with both hands.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Nothing," Astro said. "I trust your judgment. But… just to confirm, the imposter did not offer you any strawberry cake during the mission, right?"
Erza frowned. "Of course not. In fact, she even had the nerve to say that sweets were unhealthy and disgusting."
Astro praised her without hesitation. "Wow… To be able to hold back after hearing that atrocity. You are such a saint, Erza."
Astro looked at Erza, nodding in appreciation, and instantly turned to whisper to Mira.
"Hey Mira, is there a way we can check the death records of that town. We have to hide the incident fast; we can't have Erza behind bars." Mira also had a serious expression on her face as she nodded heavily.
"I will ask the master to send a team as fast as possible to bury the records. What about we hide Erza in Porlyusica's place in the meantime?"
"I can still hear both of you. And stop interrupting my snack time."
Erza said speechlessly, before she took another bite of the cake, as they still looked concernedly at Erza.
"Screw both of you. Don't worry about it. You will meet her soon," Erza said with her mouth full. Her annoyed face again turned into a blissful face.
Astro looked confused and asked Mira, "Is that Erza's way of saying she would kill us? Should we run now?"
Mira giggled and looked at Erza, who was almost reaching her limit, and decided to finally put a stop to it.
"Let her enjoy her cake, Astro. She loves strawberry cake more than anything. It is better not to disturb her now. Anyway, do you want lunch?
"Well, it seems like the rain is not going to stop anytime soon. I will get some lunch here then," Astro said while looking out the window.
"Huh? Do you dislike the food I make?" Mira asked in a soft, almost wounded voice.
"Oh, no. I was thinking of checking up on Porlyusica," Astro answered quickly. He had no desire to be the next one on a chopping block among the three.
Mira studied him for a moment, as Astro grew slightly nervous. Then she clapped her hands together with a smile. "Then you are lucky today. The dish for lunch is a special one."
"Huh? I thought you were planning to make Tartiflette today."
"No, the plan changed. We are having pot-au-feu."
Astro blinked in surprise. "Is there a special occasion today?"
It was one of Mira's signature dishes and a favorite among the guild members, but she usually made it only when many people were around. Today, the guild hall was nearly empty.
"Well, Erza asked me to make it today," Mira said with a teasing smile. "Is there something special, Erza?"
"No," Erza replied calmly. "But we might have a new member joining today." She returned to chewing her cake with slow, delicate bites.
"Someone is going to come all the way here in this heavy rain?" Astro asked. He trusted Erza's words, but it had been raining very heavily today again in Magnolia. Most members were away on a mission or staying home to avoid the weather.
"What? Do you want to bet?" Erza asked with a competitive smile, looking at Astro's face.
"No."
"Are you scared?"
"No. I simply hate gambling."
A small blue figure popped onto the counter in front of them.
"I am with Astro on this one. Who would come in this weather? The rain hasn't stopped for days," Happy complained.
"It's your fault," Natsu said immediately.
"No, it is your fault," Gray answered back.
Astro watched the two with an empty expression as they grabbed each other by the collar. Their intelligence was usually decent on a normal day, but whenever they stood beside each other, it dropped to zero immediately.
"You clammy rat!"
"You slithering bastard!"
Erza finished the last bite of her cake and rose from her seat. Her aura changed instantly to a fierce lioness as she looked behind.
"Both of you, stop it. You are annoying me."
She grabbed their heads and knocked them together with a loud crack.
Astro winced, looking at the scene, and turned to Mira. "Hey Mira, is our guild cursed?"
Mira blinked with confusion. "How could a wizard guild be cursed? Did something bad happen to you recently?"
Astro thought about Laxus's irritating face and almost said yes, but he stopped himself. "No. I was wondering why people in this guild become stupider whenever they stand next to each other."
Mira placed a finger on her cheek, thinking. "That is an interesting question. Maybe it is because we care for each other. When people care too much, they clash over even the smallest things. It is not hatred. It is because they want attention from those they care about."
Astro blinked at her answer and was about to nod. But then he glanced up at the second floor and muttered, "You are not wrong… but sometimes maybe it's also because the person is just annoying. And stupid. And have an anger issue."
Suddenly, there was a large thud sound from the second floor.
"What was that?" Mira asked, looking up, "Is Master on the second floor?"
"No. Probably an annoying cat. Anyway, can I get some pot-au-feu for lunch?" Astro said with a smile.
"But we don't have cats other than Happy here?"
"Aye." Happy the cat nodded to confirm it.
Mira tilted her head, confused, before heading toward the kitchen to prepare the dish.
While waiting, Astro suddenly heard footsteps on the puddle outside the guild door. He subconsciously looked toward the entrance. The guild doors opened, and a short green-haired girl wearing a cowboy hat and a revealing outfit stepped inside. She glanced around before spotting Erza and walking directly toward her.
"So you finally came," Erza said, also walking to her.
"I did. Thank you for your help, Erza. I was hoping to get something to eat."
Mira returned right then, holding the dish she had prepared for Astro. She paused and looked at the newcomer.
"So she is the new member Erza mentioned? She seems so cool."
Astro remembered Erza's recent mission—the one involving the imposter named Mulan Rogue. He looked at the girl again. Now it made perfect sense why Erza was confident they would gain a new member and why Erza would let her go without any consequence.
"Looks like it. Mira, serve her first. I will pay for it," Astro said with a small sigh.
"Looks like you lost the bet," Mira replied with a sweet smile before bringing the food to the new girl and greeting her warmly.
Astro glanced at the scene behind him—the newcomer speaking nervously yet happily. The scene there felt warm, as Natsu and Gray were proudly showing their guild mark.
Astro smiled, looking at all of them, before turning back to his book, treating the chaos behind him as a background melody.