Since Lisanna had agreed, Statiw didn't delay. He immediately retrieved a detailed portrait he had previously drawn of Lisanna. Focusing his magic, he used his Pict Magic to forge a temporary, metaphysical link between the Lisanna in the portrait and the injured Lisanna from Edolas lying on the ground.
The next second, terrifying, spectral scars spontaneously appeared on the surface of the portrait.
As Statiw focused, using his magic to "fix" the portrait—erasing the internal and external injuries drawn upon it—the corresponding, real injuries on the Edolas Lisanna began to visibly lessen and close.
However, the connection was imperfect. The person in the portrait was not the same as the one on the ground. Statiw was only able to establish the link through their shared fundamental identity as "Lisanna," despite being from different worlds. Therefore, even when he completely erased all the damage from the portrait, the Edolas Lisanna only recovered about half of her injuries.
Moreover, because the portrait was intrinsically tied to their Lisanna, the injuries erased from the canvas did not vanish into nothingness. They were transferred directly to their world's Lisanna, who was standing beside Mirajane. With a sharp, pained gasp, Lisanna staggered. Mirajane and Elfman, who had been watching her closely, immediately lunged forward to support the weakening girl.
"Alright, take them both to the tent. I'm going to start treating their injuries now," Statiw instructed, his voice tight with concentration. He stopped channeling magic into the portrait. Depleted of its purpose and magic, the portrait of Lisanna gradually dissolved into countless specks of shimmering light and vanished into the air.
"This is…" Elfman, who was about to pick up the Edolas Lisanna, stared in surprise at the disappearing painting.
Regarding Elfman's surprise, Statiw offered a weary smile and a simplified explanation. "A magical portrait is a projection of a real person's essence. Forcing a connection with a different version of that person... it puts a tremendous strain on the magic. It's not surprising the projection couldn't sustain itself afterward."
"Oh." Although he didn't quite understand the magical theory, Elfman accepted the explanation and carefully carried the Edolas Lisanna into the tent.
After Mirajane and Elfman laid the two Lisannas side by side on bedrolls, Statiw immediately focused his will. His medical construct knelt between them, its hands glowing with a soft, healing light as it began the meticulous work of mending their shared injuries…
Time always passes quickly when one is consumed by a task. A few hours later, Statiw finally managed to heal both girls to a stable condition where they were out of immediate danger. "Alright," he said, exhaustion clear in his voice. "They are both out of the woods. Now it's a matter of letting them recover naturally, or I can continue treatment later after I've recovered my own magic power."
Stepping out of the tent, Statiw looked up at the horizon, which was already faintly lit with the predawn glow. He turned and glanced at the other, silent tent, then said directly to Elfman, who had followed him out: "Elfman, go wake up Natsu and Happy. They were supposed to take the second watch, but they've slept the whole night. It's their turn to be useful and keep an eye on things."
"Right. I'll go now," Elfman heard Statiw's words and, without a second thought, ducked into the other tent.
However, Elfman's personality was still a bit gentle and non-confrontational. He didn't want to be too rough, so he just called their names loudly. Yet, for a deep sleeper like Natsu and a cat who could sleep through anything, his efforts were futile. They just mumbled and rolled over.
In the end, a tired and impatient Statiw went in himself. He unceremoniously picked Happy up by the scruff of his neck and delivered a solid kick to Natsu's side, jolting him awake.
"Wha—?! Who's there! Fight me!" Natsu yelled, bolting upright, fists already sparking with fire before his eyes were even fully open.
After being roughly driven out of the tent by Statiw, Natsu and Happy sat dazedly by the cold, extinguished campfire, yawning massively. It took a few minutes for the sleep fog to clear from their brains.
"Happy... it's already morning," Natsu stated the obvious after finally coming to his senses. He then discussed with Happy, "Should we wake the others up?"
"I think it's better not to do that," Happy said, his eyes still half-closed with sleep. He looked at Natsu with a dull expression. "If Mirajane has morning grumpiness, we'll both be pounded into the ground. Statiw and Elfman just went to sleep; if we wake them now, they'll definitely be angry too."
"Then how about we just wake Lisanna?" Natsu suggested, proud of his new, seemingly brilliant idea.
"Aye~! I think that's a great idea!" Happy raised a paw in agreement. "Just wake Lisanna. Can't disturb the scary ones."
"Alright then…" Natsu said, getting to his feet to act on the plan. But then his movements suddenly froze.
"What's wrong, Natsu?" Happy saw him stop and asked, confused.
Natsu twitched his nose, his face a picture of bewilderment. "I don't know what's going on, but I smell a strange scent... yet it's also kinda familiar."
"A strange yet familiar scent?" Happy looked at Natsu blankly. "What kind of scent is it?" Saying that, he also twitched his little pink nose and began to sniff carefully around the campsite. After a while, his eyes widened slightly. "Huh? Weird. It's a different scent... but it also smells a bit like Lisanna? But not quite the same?"
"Right, Happy?!" Seeing that Happy had confirmed the strange scent, Natsu immediately grinned, his confusion turning to excitement at the mystery.
However, that excitement turned to sheer shock when he carefully lifted the flap of the tent where Mirajane and the Lisannas were resting. He froze on the spot, his jaw practically hitting the floor.
"What's wrong now, Natsu?" Noticing Natsu had frozen again, Happy asked, his confusion mounting.
"Ha… Ha… Happy," Natsu stammered, shivering as he pointed inside the tent. He turned his head back to Happy with a utterly terrified expression. "Li… Li… Lisanna... sh-she's turned into two!"
"What?!" Happy cried out in surprise and immediately flew to perch on Natsu's head to peek inside the tent. His blue fur stood on end. "Aye?! There really are two of them!"
"What's going on? How did Lisanna turn into two?!" Natsu looked completely incredulous, his eyes scanning back and forth between the two identical girls lying side by side. He couldn't distinguish which one was the Lisanna he knew.
"It's over, it's over, Natsu!" Happy panicked, flapping his wings nervously. "Mirajane will be furious when she wakes up! What should we do?!"
Hearing Happy mention Mirajane's potential wrath, Natsu immediately scrambled back to the cold fire pit, squatting on the ground and covering his head with his hands. He recalled the few times he'd truly seen Mirajane angry, and a cold sweat instantly broke out all over his body.
"Wait a minute, Natsu." Seeing Natsu sweating profusely, Happy suddenly had a thought. He raised a paw and theorized, "Maybe Mirajane will be... happy? After all, if Lisanna suddenly turned into two people, doesn't that mean Mirajane's number of sisters... increased?"
"Huh?" Natsu paused, the gears in his head turning slowly. "Happy... you might be right." The cold sweat on his body seemed to slow. He jumped up from the ground again, a new, bewildered expression on his face. But he still didn't dare to try and wake either Lisanna. A new worry emerged: what if, because of him, one of them disappeared?