Fairy Tail Guild Hall
It was already past midnight, and most of the people had already left the guild hall, while the rest were either cleaning up or getting ready to head out. The usually rowdy Fairy Tail hall had settled into a rare, half-silent state, and the lights on the ceilings were casting a warm glow over scattered tables and empty chairs.
"I found it!" a pink-haired boy suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing through the guild hall.
"Shut the hell up." Gray immediately smacked Natsu on the head.
"Why did you hit me?!" Natsu shouted back, clutching his skull.
"Why did you start yelling out of nowhere?!" Gray shot back just as loudly.
"Um… you're also shouting now, Gray." From behind the counter, Mira tilted her head, then pointed downward. "Also… your clothes."
Gray looked down and froze. Somehow, he was standing there in nothing but his underwear.
"When did I—?!" Gray spun around, frantically looking for his clothes.
"Haha! You pervert." Natsu burst out laughing, pointing at him without mercy.
"So, what did you find, Natsu?" Happy asked from the table, munching on a fish.
"Oh yeah!" Natsu grinned, suddenly remembering. "I finally found a way to defeat Astro."
"You did?" several voices echoed at once.
"Aye! I just need to figure out some embarrassing moment from Astro's childhood and use it against him to distract him." Natsu said it with an evil smile, clearly proud of himself.
"How cowardly…" Happy gave him a sharp side-eye before going back to his fish.
"Embarrassing moments?" Cana leaned forward, suddenly interested. "Mira, do you know anything about that?"
"Hm? Why would Mira-nee know?" Elfman asked from the side, genuinely confused.
Cana stared at him speechlessly. Did he seriously still not realize how close his sister was getting to Astro?
Mira paused to think, resting a finger on her chin. "Um… I don't think there's anything like that I know of. Astro kind of keeps to himself most of the time." When she thought about it, aside from the fact that Astro learned Devil Slayer magic from an actual devil—and that his father used to be a Fairy Tail member—there really wasn't much known about his past at all. Except for…
"Yeah, if anything, I feel like he was probably popular even as a kid," Loke said tiredly from a nearby table, lying face-down on the wood. "You have no idea how many girls come to me these days just to ask about Astro."
"There are?" Mira asked, her voice noticeably more interested.
"You must be exhausted then," Levy said, glancing over her book at Loke's dramatic pose.
"It's fine," Loke replied, flipping his hair confidently. "They come asking about Astro, and I end up going on dates with them."
"You're hopeless…" Levy said, completely speechless.
"But Natsu did bring up something interesting." Erza finally spoke from her seat near the bar. "Who was Astro's father anyway? With how capable Astro is, I'd expect his father to have been pretty famous too." She turned her gaze toward Master Makarov.
Makarov scratched his chin, eyes narrowing slightly as he thought. "Hm? It's best if you ask Astro himself about his past. I can only say it was… well… not what you're imagining."
"That tells us nothing," Natsu pouted, slamming his chin down onto the table.
"But I will say this." Makarov continued, his expression growing distant. "Arthur—Astro's father—was one of the strongest members of the guild back then. In my opinion, if he'd stayed in the guild, he could've become S-Class even before Gildarts."
"What?" Several voices echoed, clearly surprised. After all, everyone here knows just how much of a monster Guildarts, the strongest S-class wizard of Fairy Tail, is.
"Hm… I'm not surprised. I would say Astro right now can already be considered to have strength equal to S-class wizards, too." Erza nodded slowly.
"Come to think of it," Makarov added, glancing toward Cana, "he was a lot like Cana in some ways."
"Wait, no. I'm nothing like—" Cana started, clearly thinking he meant Gildarts, but Makarov kept going.
"Arthur also used cards as a weapon. However, his style was different from traditional card magic. Before he left, he was still developing it, and even then, it was only his secondary magic." Makarov paused, his face tightening slightly. "His primary magic, however…"
The old master trailed off, a troubled look crossing his face.
"However, what?" Mira was the one who asked for the rest of them.
Makarov exhaled slowly. "I'd say it was one of the most…"
Meanwhile, in the capital city of Iceberg Kingdom
An old woman was cleaning up the dishes in the restaurant slowly, while a young teenage girl with freckles helped wipe down the tables beside her. The place was quiet, the kind of quiet that came after a long day. Suddenly, the door creaked open, and both of them looked up almost subconsciously, only to see a tall young man stepping inside.
"Um… sorry, but we're already closing." The girl moved in front of Astro and said apologetically.
Astro's eye had already returned to normal purple again. He blinked once toward the girl, then spoke calmly. "Um, I'm actually looking for someone. Did you happen to see a blonde, injured girl?" His gaze swept the room as he asked.
The girl's expression changed for just a moment before she hurriedly tried to mask it. "We get a lot of blonde customers," she said evenly. "I don't remember seeing a blonde injured girl."
"Oh, really?" Astro smiled lightly and opened the entrance door again. As he did, he noticed a middle-aged couple walking past outside.
"Excuse me," Astro called out to them. "I'm looking for an injured girl with white hair. Have you seen her?" He asked this while the freckled girl was still standing right beside him.
"Um… I don't think so." The woman thought for a moment before shaking her head. "Can you give us more details? Like what clothes she was wearing?"
"If she's injured and missing, did you try asking the city guards?" the man added. "They might have some information."
Astro put on a troubled expression. "She had a blue—um, black eyes. She was wearing a brown jacket." He paused, realizing he had almost described Mira by mistake, probably because she was the first girl that came to mind. But using her as a substitute felt wrong, even if it had been unintentional.
"Yeah, we didn't see anyone like that." The couple exchanged a look before speaking again. "We hope you find her soon."
"I hope so too. Thank you for the time… I will check with the city guards." Astro waved them off, then slowly turned back toward the girl.
"You see," Astro said gently as he stepped fully inside again, "that's usually how people respond when they hear there's an injured girl alone this late at night. And since most people don't have full confidence in their memory, they usually ask for more details…But you seem to be a little different, miss." He smiled as he finished.
"I… I just have a good memory. Is there something wrong with that?" the girl snapped, clearly annoyed.
"Really? I bet you are really popular with how beautiful you are on top of that." Astro replied casually, still smiling.
"W–wait… you think I'm beautiful?" The girl's face turned bright red as she hurriedly tried to fix her bangs.
The old woman at the counter finally had enough. "Nina, that's enough. Calm down. He is obviously not drunk enough to think you're beautiful. He's just trying to get information out of you."
"Grandma—" Nina tried to protest, but the old woman shut her down with a sharp look.
"So, are you a wizard, young man?" the old woman asked, her eyes fixed on Astro.
"Yes, I—" Astro started to reply, but suddenly his eyes shifted, leaving a faint purple trail. In the next instant, he found himself surrounded by flying knives, their sharp tips all pointed directly at him.
"Grandma!" Nina shouted in fear.
"Good," the old woman said coldly, ignoring her granddaughter. "Then you must be quite durable. That means I don't have to hold back."
"Um… I'm not hostile." Astro raised both hands slowly, showing he had no intention of fighting. "I know the girl is injured. I just want to help her. Well, I also need some information from her, but it's not—"
"And how am I supposed to trust you?" the old woman interrupted. "What can you even do to help?"
"Okay, calm down." Astro blinked, then calmly extended his right hand and gently caught one of the hovering knives. Without hesitation, he dragged the blade across his left palm in a single, clean motion, carving a deep cut into his hand.
"What are you—?!" Nina froze in shock, but before the fear could fully settle in, purple wind began gathering around the wound. In a mesmerizing sight, the cut healed almost instantly, leaving no trace behind.
"Healing magic…? That was supposed to be…" The old woman's eyes widened as she struggled to find the words.
"Uh-huh. Lost magic." Astro chuckled lightly. "I've heard that a lot. And I somehow keep meeting people with this, um… lost magic… everywhere."
The old woman didn't doubt it. "There was a saying in my village… those with the most unusual fates would always meet others with odd fates as well. And you'd be surprised how connected Magic is to fate." As she spoke, all the knives—including the one Astro had been holding—floated back toward her and neatly returned to where they had been before.
"Well, that sounds like an interesting place to visit." Astro was about to ask where it was when she suddenly cut him off.
"Dead. All of them are dead," she said flatly. "Dark wizards came to kidnap people. I only managed to take Nina and escape. I couldn't save anyone else."
"Oh… I'm sorry." Astro scratched his cheek awkwardly as he apologized. Nina lowered her head, and the old woman sighed before changing the subject.
"The girl's condition is stable, but she's in a lot of pain. Nina, take him to where they are."
"But, grandma…"
"..."
"Yes…" Nina replied immediately.
"Thank you for trusting me. I'm Astro, by the way… um…" He bowed slightly, then realized he didn't even know her name. He had only glimpsed fragments of her memories when she took Lumina and Zenith in, and he hadn't pried any deeper than necessary.
"Just call me Grandma, as Nina does. Go." The old woman waved them off before turning back to the sink to continue washing dishes.
Somewhere in the city, snow drifted quietly through the streets as a woman walked alone beneath the dim glow of lanterns. Suddenly, her earring grew warm against her skin. She paused for half a step and immediately connected her mind to someone else.
"What?" her voice echoed through the link, she asked in a flirting tone. "You're still not asleep, Arthur?"
"Well, it feels lonely sleeping without you," came the lazy, amused reply. "And I kinda wanted to talk to Astro too, but looks like he's not here."
On a distant balcony, a man in a dark brown windbreaker leaned against the railing, glancing back into the room behind him. Only one of the two beds was occupied, the other neatly untouched, like it had been waiting all night.
"I already talked to Astro," the woman replied, blinking as she realized she had completely forgotten to update him. "He went to find Lumina."
"I see…" Arthur crossed his arms, tilting his head. "So what are you doing right now? I thought you wanted to torture them. Are you done already? Or were they just that weak?" His tone suggested he was genuinely curious, not concerned.
"I was going to go myself," Aurora said lightly, "but Astro mentioned that you have a third son. So I just sent a thought projection there."
Arthur blinked once, then twice, visibly processing. "A third son?" He frowned. "Did you adopt someone? Or… did you have another kid before meeting me? But you were a vir—"
"What are you talking about?" Aurora cut in, suddenly confused.
"What?" Arthur shrugged casually. "You said I have a son. I've never been with anyone else, so it's gotta be with you, right? Don't worry, no matter where he came from, I'll accept him."
"…"
Aurora went completely silent. After talking with Astro for so long, she had honestly forgotten something important. Astro and Arthur might look alike, but Arthur was… a bit naïve most of the time. Thank goodness Astro hadn't inherited his level of intelligence. Otherwise—no, wait. If he had, he'd probably be less independent. He'd rely on her more. But… she liked Astro being independent a lot more. Because… that was what she always wanted to have.
…Ah.
"What?" Arthur asked innocently. "Do you need more people to beat up? Should I get some from the nearby magic council office?"
"…"
"I'll stop dancing around it," she finally said. "Astro told me that Siegrain from Edolas is in Earthland. Somewhere in this city. I want to meet him."
"From Edolas?" Arthur's eyes unfocused for a moment. An image surfaced in his mind—an older pink-haired woman with a sharp presence. "Ah… I see. Where is he—oh."
"Alright, go meet him. Just make sure you're back by morning."
He'd been about to go himself, but something made him hesitate. Arthur turned his head to look at the figure that came behind him in an instant.
Behind him stood a blond-haired young man wearing a yellow shirt and black pants, arms crossed tightly over his chest, eyes fixed on Arthur as if he were judging a criminal.
"Looks like you're going to be busy," Aurora chuckled through the link. "See you in the morning." The connection cut cleanly.
"Yo…" Arthur glanced at the newcomer with an awkward smile. "Is that….um…. still how young people greet others these days? Or am I out of date?"
Laxus didn't answer. His expression didn't change either. It was like he was staring at a piece of wood.
"Guess it is," Arthur muttered.
"You're Arthur Verina," Laxus said coldly, narrowing his eyes. "I've seen a picture of you with… my father."
"The only one in Ishgar, at your service," Arthur replied smoothly. "So who might you be?"
"I am—" Laxus started, but Arthur's figure vanished mid-sentence.
"Laxus Dreyar," Arthur's voice suddenly chimed in from behind him. "The last name brings back so much memoires… Wow, you're pretty loaded. I get why you'd wanna sleep with a money bag."
Laxus spun around, eyes wide, only to see Arthur casually leaning against the balcony door, rifling through a familiar pouch.
"What the—" Laxus reached for his back pocket and felt nothing.
"But Dreyar…" Arthur continued thoughtfully. "I remember he had a two-year-old son. So you grew up, huh? And you're more handsome than he was. Well, to be honest, there wasn't ever a competition to begin with… Whoever your mother is… must've been a real beauty…like really, really, really…."
"Give it back," Laxus growled, lightning flaring around his right fist.
"Oh—lightning magic?" Arthur's eyes narrowed with genuine interest before they widened in genuine shock. "No, wait… lightning magic? What the…"
"Give it," Laxus snapped, about to strike—but Arthur casually tossed the pouch back. Laxus caught it on instinct, his lightning dispersing immediately.
He checked the bag, eyes never leaving Arthur.
"Hey," Arthur said defensively. "You don't trust me? I'd never—"
"It's missing three thousand," Laxus said flatly.
"What? That's insane." Arthur scoffed. "Maybe you ate it in your sleep. It's pretty common for young people. I mean, that's what happened with me all the time…One moment, my pocket was full, the next moment it was suddenly empty. Like, where did they even go? "
A vein twitched on Laxus's forehead as lightning flared again.
"Alright, alright—here." Arthur immediately handed the money back. "Sorry. Old habit."
Laxus took it without breaking eye contact.
"So stingy," Arthur muttered. "You really are his son."
Another vein popped in Laxus's forehead.
"Last I checked, you're supposed to be Astro's father," Laxus said, forcing himself to calm down.
"Oh yeah," Arthur said cheerfully, rubbing the back of his head. "He's just like me, isn't he?"
"…"
Laxus went silent. Sure, they looked alike—but personality-wise… if Astro had annoyed him before, suddenly Astro felt downright pleasant.
"Judging by that look," Arthur said, deflating a little, "guess he isn't."
"But that's fine," he suddenly perked up again. "It's never too late to train him to be like me. After all, becoming the one and only, most charming, most handsome Arthur Verina would surely give him more girls swooning after him."
Laxus felt like his ears needed to be bleached.
Lightning erupted violently from his entire body. "Can you shut up for one second—"
A card flew straight into his mouth, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"I came here in secret," Arthur said with a charming smile as he walked forward a bit. "Mind keeping it quiet? I don't really want to spend time in this kingdom's prison, either."
The card slipped out, and Laxus reflexively asked, "Too? You've been imprisoned in other kingdoms?"
Only after speaking did he realize something was wrong. Somehow, he was already operating on the same wavelength as this man.
"Haha, it's nothing," Arthur waved it off smugly. "Let's see… Fiore, Sin, Inca, Bellum, Midi—"
"Why are you listing them with a smug face?" Laxus stared at him before shaking his head. "Forget it. I only have one question for you. Do you know… where that old man is?"
Arthur blinked, then understood. "Ivan? No idea. I heard he was kicked out, but by then, I'd already left the guild."
"I see…" Laxus frowned.
"Anyway," he added, passing by Arthur, "Astro isn't here. He said he needed to clear his mind or something."
"Makes sense….But…"
Arthur watched his back for a moment before speaking. "Did Ivan implant the Lightning Dragon Lacrima to—"
Lightning flashed before he could finish.
In an instant, Laxus's lightning-coated fist was inches from Arthur's back of the head.
But…The next thing that Laxus saw was him just casually turning around and catching his fist with just one hand.
"Hm. You're strong," Arthur said lightly. "But I don't want to go bald so soon…I am still not 40 yet, you know."
Laxus's eyes widened. He hadn't held back at all. He'd somewhat expected Arthur to dodge—but he had caught it, without using… any magic.
"Don't be surprised," Arthur said, lowering Laxus's fist. "I was way stronger than your father, too. Come to think of it… I… stole that Lacrima from the black market because he said he wanted to research it… Didn't know he'd plant it in you."
Lightning suddenly crackled even more violently around Laxus, the air trembling as if the night itself had tensed. Snow near the balcony railing evaporated in sharp hisses, turning to steam the moment it touched the raw electricity pouring off his body. His eyes locked onto Arthur with murderous focus, every muscle coiled tight, ready to explode.
"What… did you just… say?" Laxus asked quietly, eyes darkening.
Outside the city, far from the warmth of lanterns and stone walls, the wilderness stretched endlessly beneath a pale, frozen sky. Snow blanketed the forest in silence, clinging to towering trees whose branches clawed toward the clouds like dark silhouettes. One of those trees stood higher than the rest, its crown swaying gently as icy wind passed through it.
"You know… I'm getting kind of sick of this." A woman's voice cut through the cold, sharp with irritation. "Why are all the men in my family so fond of high places…?"
The fully covered figure lounging lazily along one of the highest branches finally stirred, turning his head just enough to glance downward at the source of the noise. Snow slid off the bark as his gaze shifted, casual and uninterested—until his eyes suddenly widened.