A sharp chill spread through his chest like something tangible, even his breathing turning faintly frostbitten.
Shane jolted fully awake from that half-dreaming state, his eyes snapping open as he instinctively tried to get a clear look at the silent figure by his bed.
But at the exact moment his vision focused, the daylight outside tore through the last scraps of night.
Morning light spilled into the room, and that blurred female silhouette vanished soundlessly into the air, like a fragile bubble bursting in sunlight.
"So that… was the god who answered me?"
Still half-sitting up, Shane stared at the empty spot where she had disappeared, his expression distant.
This unknown being had been far too strange.
The absolute darkness and pressure she had radiated within that mental space had undoubtedly marked her as a god of terrifying authority.
And yet, in that fleeting "meeting," so brief it was almost impossible to confirm, Shane had sensed something utterly different from her.
Not lofty arrogance.
Not divine indifference toward mortals.
But something thick, desolate, and almost impossible to dissolve—loneliness.
It felt like someone the world had forgotten for thousands upon thousands of years, someone who had not seen the warmth of sunlight in ages, nor felt the living breath of mortal beings for ages, and could only wander alone in darkness.
"Could she be… some death god from a mythological system? A ruler of the underworld or the land of the dead or something?" Shane muttered to himself.
If that were true, it would be incredible news.
A deity of the underworld would govern life, death, and souls. Removing the curse from him and Ultear would be exactly in her area of expertise.
But that only raised two more baffling questions.
Why would an existence of that level make an unprecedented exception and answer the prayer of an ordinary mortal like him?
And if she had already deigned to respond, and had even come all the way to his bedside, then why stay hidden? Why refuse to show her true face?
Shane rubbed his hair in frustration.
He couldn't figure it out, just as he couldn't understand why a god who clearly possessed such overwhelming power would carry such a bleak and lonely air.
With his thoughts in knots, Shane washed up quickly and drifted into the living room like a ghost, collapsing onto the sofa and staring into space again.
A little later, the bedroom door opened.
Erza came out holding Kagura's hand, the little girl still rubbing sleep from her eyes.
She immediately spotted Shane sitting on the sofa, frowning at the coffee table in a daze.
"What are you doing out here this early, spacing out?" Erza walked over and waved a hand in front of his unfocused eyes. "Are you worrying about Brain?"
Shane snapped back to himself.
Looking at Erza's concerned face, he shook his head lightly, his voice carrying a trace of melancholy even he couldn't quite define.
"I wasn't thinking about Brain… I just feel like I met someone very lonely."
Erza froze for a moment and was just about to ask what he meant when the lacrima communication crystal on the table suddenly lit up.
Shane answered it, and Ultear's cool, grave voice immediately came through from the other side.
"Grimoire Heart has definitely started suspecting me."
"The last time they sent an emergency contact request, I deliberately didn't answer. Under normal circumstances, that alone should have counted as serious dereliction of duty and possible betrayal."
"But this time, when I took the initiative and contacted them to test the waters, they showed absolutely no sign of holding me accountable. Their attitude was unnervingly… normal."
…And when something was too normal, that itself was the biggest red flag of all.
"For something like this to happen right after Brain just formed an alliance with them…"
Shane calculated rapidly in his head for a moment, then let out a cold laugh.
"If they've already started laying the groundwork, then we absolutely can't keep following Brain's pace anymore."
"Should we leave early and go scout the forest where Nirvana is hidden?" Erza asked instantly, her eyes sharpening.
"Yeah." Shane decisively cut the connection and stood up.
"No time to waste. I'm going to the inn to get Jellal right now. Erza, go contact Master Makarov immediately and tell him everything. He needs to strengthen the guild's security for the time being."
The truth was, if he hadn't been worried the enemy might be pulling a feint and targeting Fairy Tail instead, Shane would have loved to drag Makarov—a Ten Wizard Saint—along to the rendezvous too.
But since it was obvious the other side was preparing for something big, there was no way he could ask the Master to leave the guild undefended.
As for the others in the guild…
Honestly, even people like Mira and Laxus wouldn't be able to provide much meaningful help to the current Shane.
And if he brought them along, anything he truly needed to handle would still remain his burden. Better to let them stay at the guild and look after one another.
"Come to think of it… that scruffy old man Gildarts is never around when it matters…"
Shane grumbled inwardly. Despite having that kind of overwhelming strength, the man had a habit of disappearing exactly when he was least convenient.
Once everything was decided, Shane went straight out the door and headed for the inn where Jellal was staying.
When he laid out Ultear's discovery in full inside the room, Jellal's face immediately hardened, and he nodded.
"So Brain really is preparing something big. Then it was the right call to come ask you for help early."
The two quickly reached an understanding and headed out side by side toward the station where Ultear and Erza were supposed to meet them.
The streets were still relatively quiet in the early morning, but as they passed a flower shop on the corner that had only just finished opening up for the day, Shane suddenly stopped without warning.
"What is it?" Jellal paused and turned back, puzzled.
"Wait… I want to take a look for a second."
Shane frowned.
He couldn't explain it. The moment he passed the flower shop, a powerful, almost absurd feeling had suddenly welled up in his chest.
He had developed an indescribable interest in the flowers lined up outside.
Almost as if in a trance, Shane walked over to the front of the shop, where potted plants were arranged in neat rows.
His gaze swept across the colorful flowers—and immediately fixed on one pot in the most prominent place, a flower so brilliantly red it looked like it was about to catch fire.
"Oh, sir, you've got a great eye!"
The shopkeeper, who had been misting the leaves, immediately smiled and stepped over.
"That's bougainvillea, also called paper flower or winter cherry. It's got incredible vitality, doesn't care much about soil, and it's very easy to keep alive. New Year's is almost here, so it's perfect for brightening up a home. Want one?"
Jellal stood a few steps away, baffled.
At a time when every second mattered, why had Shane suddenly become interested in admiring flowers?
But Shane seemed completely unable to hear the world around him.
He crouched down and studied the bougainvillea with intense seriousness.
The bracts were a breathtaking deep crimson, the petals thin as cicada wings, yet carrying a tenacious vitality.
Beneath that fierce red were dark green vines and leaves, the contrast between the colors almost startling.
Looking at the plant, Shane felt a bizarre surge of spirit flood through his limbs, and the pressure that had weighed on him for days seemed to ripple loose beneath that vivid color.
The shopkeeper, sensing Shane's interest, immediately seized the chance to keep selling.
"Actually, in some old places, this flower has another very interesting name—'the flower of the soul.'"
"Its meanings are passion, charm, and… keeping only one person in your eyes."
"If you're buying flowers for a girlfriend, then there's really nothing more appropriate."
"Flower of the soul…"
Shane repeated the name softly, and his heart gave a sudden hard beat.
He made the decision immediately.
"I'll take this one."
By the time the owner had expertly wrapped the bougainvillea, Shane was just about to pay and leave when the corner of his eye caught a cluster of yellow carnations in the shop's back corner.
That bright yellow looked oddly lonely amid all the dazzling colors around it.
This time, he didn't even need the owner to pitch them.
He simply pointed.
"That too. Wrap all of those."
"Right away!"
The owner cheerfully bundled both arrangements beautifully.
"You bought quite a lot. Would you like the shop to send them to your house?"
"No."
Shane shook his head and carefully gathered the flowers into his arms.
"I'm carrying them with me."
"Ohhh… I see."
The owner immediately gave him the kind of suggestive smile reserved for young men in love.
Even Jellal misunderstood. He patted Shane on the shoulder and teased him lightly.
"So things really are getting better and better between you and Erza, huh?"
"…"
Still hugging the flowers, Shane didn't argue.
He simply lowered his head and gently inhaled the petals' scent.
A faint floral fragrance filled his nose.
And for some reason, his emotions swelled violently at that moment.
Feelings that didn't even seem like they belonged to him—joy, novelty, satisfaction—sprang up inside him like grass after rain.
After a long pause, he finally spoke, his expression awkward.
"No, Jellal, you've got the wrong idea. I'm not planning to give these flowers to anyone."
"Then what are they for?"
"It's just… I like them. I want to keep them with me."
His expression grew stranger the more he talked, and he muttered almost as if questioning himself:
"But… I used to have absolutely no interest in things like this."
Still carrying that strange emotion he couldn't explain, Shane clutched the flowers protectively and hurried along with Jellal toward the station.
Because of the delay at the flower shop, Ultear and Erza were already waiting when they arrived at the platform.
Kagura hadn't come, which meant Erza had probably made proper arrangements for her at the guild. Who knew who was watching her now.
Seeing the two men arrive in a rush—and seeing the bright flowers in Shane's arms that clashed hilariously with his usual aura—Erza stepped forward with an odd look on her face.
"What took you so long? Did something happen?"
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 100 Chapters Ahead of Others!