Beta read by Shigiya
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-???-
How had things gone down badly? This question kept spinning inside Seilah's mind again and again as her charred body tried to free itself from the liquefied ground. All sensation of touch was gone, the pain having gotten so intense, but now fully numb with the nerves being turned into ashes.
Yet she could not stop herself. She could not afford to do so. Even as an Etherious with an enhanced body capable of surviving what many would consider fatal, death would follow if nothing was done soon. Her mouth moved, but no words came out; the heat damaged both the outside and the inside. With the vocal cords now having also been burned, her last hope for survival started to diminish quickly. She couldn't utter a single command to use her curse.
Was she going to die in such a deplorable and pathetic way? The woman refused to accept it... Refusing to die was one thing, but passing away in such a manner could not be accepted. For her, it did not even involve a matter of pride. The mere idea of her falling and getting entombed in the middle of nowhere by an opponent who was not even fighting her just felt wrong. Not to mention, she did not want to die. Her duties, along with all of the Etherious, to bring back E.N.D had yet to come to fruition.
And so, she persisted, moving her limbs even though she could feel nothing. Just desperately trying to find anything to hold on to, anything to live and pull herself up from the sinkhole of pure hell. Whether it be another human or even a passing wilderness monster, she would ask for help regardless.
'Help me.'
Those words echoed inside her brain but did not come out of her mouth. Whether the person or thing she managed to catch on to would understand or acknowledge them was a matter of luck. This already made her chances of survival grow dimmer than they already were. What kind of human would even risk having a demon like her be freed without worrying for their own safety first?
Better yet, what kind of intelligent being would even risk walking onto a burned hellscape like this? Where each step promised to drop one into pure lava and eventually get buried under obsidian, soon enough. Even if it were that person from before, he was the only one who made the smallest amount of sense.
She expected the worst or even indifference. She had, after all, tried to kill him. They were enemies; benevolence from him was just not feasible. If he were to ask her to beg for forgiveness or mercy, even if she could not do it physically, death would be the only outcome. For even if she were to die, doing so with dignity would be better than being turned into nothing more than a disgrace.
'This...'
Yet, none of that happened. Instead, what she received was a warm flow of energy that caught her completely off guard. This... was not ethernano. Neither was it cursed energy. It was something completely different from all things she had believed to understand. Yet, despite its foreign nature, it still managed to be absorbed into her body, making it sway in every corner, in every part, with little to no resistance on her part. It felt good, more than she expected. Giving her a sensation that managed to lessen the intense pain and numbness she felt from being burned alive.
The effects were immediate. Instantly, she began to heal, bit by bit, until her skin grew back. The first thing she happened to witness upon opening her eyes was the image of the very one she was tasked to kill.
'What a strange human.'
Those were the last words she uttered before hearing his request, his words, before exhaustion crept in and her consciousness fell back into a deep abyss.
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Upon waking up, Seilah found herself mostly healed and remembered his words clearly. Wasting no time to honour her side of the deal, she eventually found him and his group in that little abandoned village. Though strangely enough, their meeting was quite brief, with barely any words exchanged between them.
Him only asking to keep her side of the deal, which she accepted, and then this redheaded woman took her away. Teleportation magic swirling beneath her feet, and then the surroundings changed to a completely different area in an instant. 'Doing so without incantations... she's a powerful wizard after all, even using that staff of hers.'
Despite everything that had occurred, Seilah couldn't help herself and looked at her palm, feeling the remnant of that energy still coursing within her. It definitely was not ethernano, now that she studied it with a clearer mind - it felt far too foreign to mistake the two. Some sort of otherworldly energy, even, not curse energy, yet somehow compatible with her body. Everything about it felt alien yet familiar, something that would have been alien would have gotten rejected by her body.
"You do not need to preoccupy yourself with taking too much of that energy within you," a second voice towards the front said. "In a matter of hours, it will dissipate, leaving nothing behind. No amount of your tampering as well will keep it locked up, its sensitive nature will just change it to your typical curse powers."
Seilah listened to the wizard speaking. Looking at her closely, she recognized that this person, despite having a human appearance, was definitely not human. Something about her just exuded a sensation that no human she knew possessed.
"What is it?" She ended up asking in the end, unable to stop the curiosity from growing.
Irene turned around, placing her hand on a large rock. The stone ground shifted, revealing a stairway leading underground. "That is something I've been trying to uncover for the past few days," she said with a dry tone. "He calls it life energy, or Ki. But clearly, it is not the life energy we are familiar with. Aside from sharing the name, it is different and far more volatile in nature." The person she was referring to as 'he' was none other than that man Seilah remembered.
"Is that man human?"
Irene immediately answered, "He is not." The scarlet-haired woman began to walk inside, not even sparing a glance at the newcomer in her abode. Whether it was a show of arrogance or overconfidence, Seilah had a hard time distinguishing. "The boy, the other Etherious friend of yours cursed is inside. I will not interfere in that matter, but I will keep an eye on you to get a better understanding of your curse magic. It is not every day that I manage to see a life created from the Book of Zeref." She paused at the bottom of the stairs, looking back. "Though I want you to know, it would be unwise for you to try anything funny with that boy. I do not care whether he kills you or not, so just take it as advice due to my generosity on this day. Do not fool Broly. The man may be quite naive, but if you make him snap, then not even I will be able to stop him from ending you."
"..."
There was no need to remind her of that; his battle made it very clear on the giant chasm between them.
"Broly, huh."
Remembering Irene's words that he was not human brought her a strange sense of comfort. She did not have any particularly intense hatred for humanity, unlike others of her own kind, but it sure did help to soothe her pride that said entity had managed to defeat her without even focusing on her during his battle. She was defeated by just the aftershock of his battle against another demon of some sort.
What even was that other goat-like demon? Was it another creation of Lord Zeref? But it did not feel like an Etherious, and its powers were quite strange, nowhere near curse magic. She pondered on other possible answers as she followed Irene. Her gaze drifted into the distance, catching sight of the entrance to Magnolia. "Hm?" At the gate, a certain pink-haired Dragon Slayer with a scarf around his neck walked outside, apparently screaming at someone in the crowd and soon talking to a flying blue cat with wings.
The proudly displayed mark of Fairy Tail reached her eyes.
"..."
Her eyes lingered on him for a second or two before she broke her gaze and went inside Irene's lair.
Her matter had nothing to do with this place for now. Even if they were destined to be enemies, and this would be a perfect opportunity for her to kill them, she would still stay true to her words. She would focus on getting rid of the curse before going back to the other Etherious and telling them about what happened. This was something everyone should know.
{Break}
The morning sun rose in the distance, its light creeping over the horizon.
"Hah," a certain Saiyan emerged from the home he had temporarily taken shelter in, given the villagers had yet to return, stretching his arms and enjoying the sensation of warmth from the sunlight onto his body. "This is the best," he said with a satisfied grin.
While the events of yesterday were anything but peaceful, this day proved to be quite a potential one to look forward to. With little to no clouds in the sky and the chances of rain being practically zero, it was the best moment to just continue forward. While there were still plenty of things to worry about and threats that needed to be taken care of, one could not deal with those with a weakened mind. He figured that now it would be impossible to face Moro anytime soon, and Jellal was going to get well by evening if that demon woman truly said the truth. But for now, he had one rather important task to take care of.
"You're already awake?" a voice called out to him as he sat on top of a fallen tree trunk. He didn't even need to look to see who it was, for only one person could wake up so early in the morning and sound so cheerful.
"Good morning, Mirajane," he greeted the white-haired woman as she walked out of the building holding a cup of tea. "How are you doing?"
Mirajane smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'm doing well enough, to say the least. Though after what happened last night, it would be a lie to say that I don't feel a bit overwhelmed."
This statement made him nod. "Is it related to the matters with Irene?"
"Related to Irene is an understatement," Mirajane said while rolling her eyes, not sounding so fond when talking about that person. "It's entirely about her and her relationship with Erza." She walked up to him and took a seat next to him on the wooden log, staying there for several seconds. "What now?"
"It all depends on Erza and Irene. They already did enough." A hard question to answer, but he made sure to be as truthful as possible and honest.
"Who is Irene exactly?" Mirajane asked. "The day we first saw her, she was interfering with the Oración Seis and Nirvana. Is she just a wandering mage, or is she part of a guild or a dark guild? He abandoned her daughter for so many years and then just comes back like this to study you? No matter how I look at it, something just doesn't add up."
Broly crossed his arms as he thought. " About the first part, I honestly don't know the answer. I never bothered to ask for details." She always remained very secretive about the other aspects of her life. And trying to get an answer out of her was practically impossible if she wished to keep it hidden. "I know the basics. All I know is that she came from another country entirely and mostly just stays here to research my powers. Though I don't think she's part of a dark guild. It doesn't fit her character."
"Her character doesn't seem like a pleasant person, so why wouldn't she be part of a dark guild?" Mirajane questioned.
"Not that kind of personality," Broly clarified. "She feels like she's too prideful to be grouped up with a dark guild or, let alone, a guild. I even tried to have her join Fairy Tail, but it failed. Irene had plenty of things to say about joining a guild, which made me think that she's not part of one to begin with."
This surprised Mirajane, who looked at him with wide eyes. "You tried to invite her!?" She shook her head. "That was very reckless of you. Things would have gotten very messy quickly."
He sighed, unable to argue against the words. "I understand now. I was just hoping to change her mind and have her just talk to Erza. She's just as stubborn as her daughter."
"Did Irene leave?" Mirajane asked.
"She did, there is some important matter she had to deal with, and returned to Magnolia." He said this while thinking about the Etherious that accompanied her. He trusted Irene enough to know that she would keep her word and not try to experiment on Jellal or something like that while also keeping an eye on the other party from trying anything suspicious. "We should be going back soon. The quest is technically accomplished."
That ended up making the girl hesitate as she looked at him with an uncertain look. "It would be hard to say that the quest is accomplished since none of the villagers are even back, and the village is basically abandoned by now. But I'll see what to do." She stood up. "We can leave in an hour or two. I'll go see Erza after finding a way to shower, or maybe I'll do it at the guild."
"There's a spring nearby," he mentioned, walking on the opposite end of the village, along the path where they came from. "It's a bit hidden due to the surrounding trees, but the villagers most likely knew about it, given there's a path leading to that area.
"How do you know that?" Mirajane asked. "Have you been here before?"
"No," Broly said. "I spotted it from the air."
"Ah, right." She let out a small laugh. "I keep forgetting you can just do things like that." She took him at his word and ducked back inside, returning a moment later with an armful of clothing. He raised an eyebrow.
"You brought clothes with you?"
"Of course!" The white-haired wizard exclaimed with a hint of pride. "I always make sure to bring several pairs because my dress can end up getting destroyed or torn up during combat, and I don't have the magic to fix clothing like others."
Broly nodded and led her into the forest. The distance itself was not that far along, and not even a handful of minutes later did they come upon a small spring. It was nestled in a small clearing, surrounded by moss-covered rocks and ferns. The water was crystal clear, reflecting the morning sunlight, and steam rose gently from its surface. A small waterfall trickled down one side, creating a soft, rhythmic sound. It was a peaceful, secluded spot.
"Whoa, it's beautiful!"
"There shouldn't be any monsters nearby," Broly said, his gaze scanning the surrounding trees. "But I can stay nearby if you want."
Mirajane chuckled with a light, airy sound. "I'm more than capable of handling myself. Don't forget that I am an S-class wizard," She walked towards the water's edge, dipping her feet into the warm steam. She looked back at him, a teasing light passing through her eyes. "Are you not going to join me?"
The question hung in the air, a clear jest on her end, given this wasn't the first time she had done this. Though he did not take it like that, raising an eyebrow before glancing down at his own body. Still covered in grime and dirt from the previous day's battles, and some of his wounds had not been cleaned yet.
"Sure," he said, his face completely stoic, not missing a beat.
"Eh?"
The response caught Mirajane completely off guard. She froze where she stood, wondering if she had heard him correctly. The large man, however, seemed oblivious to her confusion. Without a hint of hesitation, he started taking off his clothes right then and there, causing her face to heat up almost immediately.
"I didn't mean it like that! I wasn't being serious!" she blurted out.
Unfortunately, she was far too late.
By the time she finished speaking, Broly had already stripped down and stepped into the warm spring. Water rippled around him as he sank in with a long, satisfied sigh.
"This is amazing."
There wasn't the slightest trace of embarrassment on his face. He treated the situation as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Turning toward her, he flashed a broad grin and gestured toward the water.
"The temperature is perfect. You should come in."
Mirajane could only stare at him for several seconds, her mouth opening and closing as she searched for something to say. Nothing came out. Eventually, she let out a defeated sigh and rubbed her forehead.
"You and Natsu really are similar..." After a moment of consideration, she simply shrugged. "If you're going to act like it's completely normal, then I suppose there's no point getting worked up over it."
Keeping herself hidden behind a large rock, she removed her clothes before carefully making her way toward the spring. When she came out, the girl used one arm to cover her breasts and her other hand to hold a towel over her lower region. Her body was slender yet curvaceous, with soft, pale skin that seemed to glow in the soft light. She soaked in the water on the opposite side of the spring, immediately relaxing and sighing in relief.
And soon lowered herself into the spring on the opposite side, sinking into the warm water until only her shoulders remained above the surface. The tension immediately left her body, and a quiet sigh escaped her lips.
"You were right," she admitted, allowing herself to relax at last. "The water really is nice."
"Yes," Broly agreed. "Lucy would have loved this. And so would have Aquarius."
This piqued Mirajane's curiosity. "You've done this frequently with Lucy and Aquarius?"
"Yes. Lucy and I would bathe in a nearby spring daily."
Mirajane muttered to herself, "Now it makes sense."
"What makes sense?"
She just shook her head. "It's nothing." She looked at him, a playful glint in her eyes. "Perhaps I'm a bit disappointed with your lack of reaction."
"What reaction?" Now, a noticeable expression of confusion reached his face, so much so that even she noticed him concentrating too much on that part.
Regardless, that matter got sent to the back of her mind, and she slowly descended into the water until all of her body was submerged, with only half of her head above the surface. Bubbles rose as she exhaled from her mouth, looking at him dryly. "Do you have any idea what regular people would pay to be in your place right now? I'm pretty sure that in our guild alone, I know at least a hundred people who would be willing to exchange their lives for it."
Broly considered this and nodded with understanding. "I understand that a hot spring can be quite enjoyable, but I don't think it's that good to be worth exchanging one's life for it."
Her eyes twitched. "That's not what I meant."
"Oh," he flinched, scratching his head and soon snapping his fingers. "Then is it because of me keeping you company? But you always serve them beer and beverages every day, and you are quite friendly with everyone, so I don't see what the problem is."
Though his answer sounded sincere, this just made her even more frustrated, and she started pouting. But then the girl realized that he was smiling widely and looking at her with the same mischievous look she had earlier. She realized that she was being made fun of.
"You knew exactly what I meant this whole time!" she exclaimed, throwing some water at him in frustration.
Broly chuckled, finding her reaction cute."Yes, I'm aware. I was just messing with you."
"You're being too naughty to do that," Mirajane said, though she couldn't help but smile. "I will blame this on Cana's bad habits rubbing off on you."
"You gave me the opportunity," he countered smoothly. "But I don't really see it that way."
He was vaguely aware that most men would probably consider sharing a hot spring with someone like Mirajane a dream come true. That thought, however, never held much importance to him.
"I don't focus on that kind of thing very much," he continued, resting comfortably in the water. "To me, this just feels like a good opportunity to spend time with someone and become better friends." After a brief pause, he added, "And before you mention it, I do think you're beautiful. I just don't place that much importance on appearances."
The white-haired mage looked at him for a moment, her expression softening slightly. "You are surprisingly sensible when it comes to things like this."
"I learned it from Aquarius and Lucy." That answer earned a curious tilt of her head.
"Have you bathed with Erza before?"
He paused to think, searching through his memories.
"Not really. Back in the Tower of Heaven, we didn't exactly have hot springs or proper baths. Most of the time, we were lucky if we could collect enough rainwater to dump over our heads." His expression grew more thoughtful. "Even that wasn't something we could do often. Water was valuable there. Things got better after I arrived, but proper baths weren't exactly a priority given to a bunch of slaves."
He leaned back against the edge of the spring.
"And after coming back, I haven't really had the chance. Though I was planning to invite Erza and Lucy to come here sometime."
Mirajane nodded in understanding, a small smile appearing on her face.
"Knowing Erza, she'd definitely agree. We used to take baths together as kids, along with Natsu and Gray. She always had to make sure those two didn't destroy the bathroom."
After a moment of awkward silence, she shuffled closer to him, starting to feel more and more comfortable and not so uncertain. Not once had he ogled at her body submerged within the clear water that basically hid nothing. One part of her felt comfortable, but also slightly irritated since she was not getting the reaction she wanted. She pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the matter at hand. "What happened after you arrived there?" she asked. "You mentioned it was some kind of entity from your world. What are you planning to do now?"
The Saiyan leaned back against the edge of the spring, his eyes settling on the water's surface. "I don't know who he is exactly, but I know he's dangerous. Whatever his plans are, they're not good for this world." His reflection distorted as ripples spread across the water. "Back where I come from, there are plenty of people with power who think conquering other worlds is a good idea. I don't know if that's what this guy wants, but I'm not interested in waiting around to find out. If he becomes a threat, I'll stop him."
A look of concern crossed the white-haired woman's face. "Are you sure?" she asked quietly. "I never thought I'd see you get overwhelmed by someone. Of all people, you seemed like the last person that could happen to."
That earned a slight frown. His gaze lowered toward his reflection again, the carefree attitude from earlier fading for a moment. "Neither did I." He was silent for a few seconds before continuing. "In terms of raw strength, I like to believe that maybe I have the upper hand at first." His brow furrowed as he searched for the right words. "But the issue is that strange absorption power of his. When Moro starts drawing on more of the surrounding magic and Ki. He closes that gap rather quickly. It stops feeling like a single person's energy. It's like hundreds... maybe thousands... all mixed. Different voices, different lives, all crammed into one thing. The feeling of it is wrong. I've fought monsters, tyrants, and people who could destroy planets, but I've never felt anything quite like that."
The explanation only made her more uneasy. "Do you think he'll go there? To Magnolia?" she asked, her voice more serious now.
He immediately shook his head. "I won't let that happen." There was no hesitation in the answer. "If Moro shows up in Magnolia, then that's where it ends. I'll make sure he dies before he gets the chance to threaten anyone. No running away. No second chances. No escape."
The response caused her to study him for a moment before she shifted closer through the water and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're talking as if the entire responsibility belongs to you. As if you're the only one who's allowed to protect the guild."
The Saiyan blinked before looking at her.
"We're Fairy Tail," she continued with a small smile. "If someone threatens our home, then they'll have to deal with all of us, not just you. So don't make the mistake of carrying everything on your shoulders by yourself."
For a moment, he simply stared at her before letting out a quiet laugh. "That's fair."
"Of course it is," she replied. "Besides, have you met the people in this guild? Good luck convincing them to stay out of a fight."
That earned a wider smile from him, some of the tension finally leaving his expression. "You know, that's probably true. Still, I cannot allow anyone else to face Moro. The man's power is beyond anything they have seen. No one is at that level yet."
"It doesn't necessarily have to be a pure confrontation approach," Mirajane said. "We can help you in different ways and offer you support. Wendy, for example, can help you with her Dragon Slayer magic that can boost you during combat."
He did not push that away immediately and gave it some thought. "That can probably work, though I'm not sure about how effective her magic would be on him. My Ki is already quite high, and I'm not sure if her powers would be enough to affect me."
"It's not just Wendy," Mirajane continued. "There is also Freed with his versatile rune magic, and other members who have various spells that can be applied in different ways other than offensive."
Broly was uncertain if those things or their magic would even work, given that Moro could absorb them in the end. But he did not say that to Mirajane, just letting her believe that he would consider it, knowing full well that if Moro were to come back one day and target the guild, he would make sure to take the demon away to the farthest corner of the galaxy if needed.
The man then looked at his own hands, wondering to himself when the last time he genuinely was not sure about being capable of beating someone. He flashed back to fighting against the blue-haired Saiyan and still felt some tremor in his heart before clenching his hand and taking a deep breath.
Then Mirajane whispered to him, "Do you want a hug?"
This made him look at her strangely. "A hug?"
"It's because whenever my siblings were sad back years ago, and I as well, my younger sister would hug us, and it would make us feel better." A melancholic expression crossed her face, which caught his attention. He realized she had mentioned a sister.
"Who is the sister?" he asked. "I have never met her since I joined the guild."
Mirajane shook her head. "You wouldn't have met her. She is not in the guild." A small moment of silence passed. "My younger sister passed away."
"..."
Broly realized what had happened. Without saying anything more, he moved and hugged Mirajane instead. This surprised her. She was caught off guard and immediately started blushing, realizing her naked body was pressing against his own. "B-Broly..."
He said that from his perspective, she was the one who needed to be comforted rather than him. "I have already gotten the support of many of my friends so far, and I would also like to return the favor to you in more ways than just protecting them physically from a dangerous threat."
The woman blushed slightly as her heartbeat rose, but she did not push him away. Soon, returning the gesture, chuckling as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'll accept it for now. But it should have been me doing the consoling."
They remained like that for a few more moments, the hot spring gently rippling around them.
Crack!
The peaceful atmosphere was broken by a loud snapping sound from somewhere beyond the trees, like a branch giving way under someone's weight. Both turned toward the noise. One reacted immediately, while the other simply lifted his gaze.
Erza stood at the edge of the clearing, completely frozen. Her eyes were wide, her mouth slightly open.
The white-haired woman stiffened as well. Embarrassment flashed across her face, and the first instinct was to explain that things were not what they looked like. The words nearly left her mouth before she stopped herself. A different idea crossed her mind. The embarrassment faded, replaced by a faintly amused smile.
Instead of pulling away, she moved closer.
Leaning further against the Saiyan, she rested her head against his chest and relaxed into the position as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Good morning, Erza," she greeted cheerfully. "We were just enjoying a quiet moment together. Would you like to join us?"
"The water's really nice," Broly added without hesitation. "Perfect temperature."
The redhead's gaze shifted between the two before settling squarely on her guildmate. A deep frown slowly formed on her face as realization dawned.
"I won't fall for it."
A disappointed pout immediately appeared.
"Geez. You're no fun." Her complaint earned absolutely no sympathy.
"You're getting out of hand." The armored mage narrowed her eyes suspiciously and glanced around the area as if trying to find someone, but that person had left a long time ago. Finding nothing, she let out a long breath before slapping both cheeks with her hands.
"Get yourself together," she muttered under her breath. Then, with her usual determination restored, she strode toward the spring. "Move over," she declared while already beginning to remove pieces of armor. "I'm joining you. And we should head back to the guild earlier than planned."
"Wait, what?"
"You heard me! Now give him some space! Are you a leech or something!?"
The announcement immediately crushed any hope of having the place to themselves. Mirajane let out a quiet sigh, sinking slightly deeper into the water. Her attempt to scare Erza away had failed completely and somehow produced the exact opposite result.
"Another time, perhaps," she whispered to herself.
{Break}
(Around the same time)
A portal opened in the middle of a forest as a figure passed through it quickly, his body crashing through several trees. A person with a goat-like face, old with white hair and a beard, though some youthfulness could be perceived from his face. "Argh," Moro groaned a bit as he landed a few distances away and stayed there for several seconds before getting up and looking at the portal in the distance. He tried to raise his hand, but the portal immediately closed up.
"Damn it," he said. "You are just wasting my time! I have already memorized your life energy signature, and it's only a matter of time before I get back! You need to stop playing these stupid games. If you wish not to die a painful death, then you would submit to me."
No answer came. Moro clicked his tongue before trying to recover. Then his eyes opened wide, and he realized there was something wrong.
"What is this?" he said out loud. He saw faint particles of light being absorbed within the middle of his palm, but it was so faint that in a matter of seconds, it disappeared. "There's barely anything here."
It even paled in comparison to the prison world he was trapped within for eons.
The old man swept his gaze across the surroundings, expecting to feel the familiar currents of magic that saturated nearly every world he had visited. Instead, he found almost nothing. A faint breeze brushed against his face as he stepped forward, boots crunching softly against the grass. The forest eventually gave way to an open clearing, and the sight beyond caused him to pause.
Floating islands hung across the sky like scattered continents torn free from the earth itself. Waterfalls poured endlessly from their edges, vanishing into clouds far below. Strange birds with brilliant feathers soared between the drifting landmasses, while small winged creatures that looked suspiciously like cats darted through the air. It was the sort of landscape one would expect from a fairy tale, beautiful enough to leave most people speechless.
Yet the longer he observed it, the deeper his frown became.
One hand rose to stroke his beard thoughtfully. "This is strange..." he muttered. "Where has that dragon sent me this time? Is she trying to starve me again?" His eyes narrowed as he continued studying the distant islands. "None of this should be possible. Not without an immense amount of magic."
The contradiction irritated him more than he cared to admit. Everything around him screamed that it should be overflowing with magical power. The floating islands, the impossible waterfalls, and even the strange creatures crossing the skies should have required enormous energy to sustain. Yet when he reached out with his senses, the world felt unnaturally thin.
"The world feels alive..." he murmured with annoyance. This would hinder his recovery by a large margin. "And yet almost dead at the same time."
Compared to his previous destination, the difference was absurd. There, magical energy had been so abundant it was like standing before an endless banquet. Here, it felt as though someone had swept the table clean and left only a few crumbs behind. There was still power present, enough to sustain life and whatever strange laws governed this place, but only barely. The scarcity left him in a noticeably worse mood.
His thoughts came to a halt when movement caught his attention.
Far across the plains, a large force was advancing in his direction. Hundreds of figures marched in formation, banners fluttering above their ranks. At the very front rode a red-haired woman, her presence standing out even from this distance. The sight earned little more than a lazy glance at first, but as he continued watching, the corner of his mouth slowly curled upward.
"I see."
The hand stroking his beard lowered as amusement flickered across his face.
"Well then," he chuckled, the sound carrying faintly across the empty field. "At least this world has the courtesy to send a welcoming committee."
His smile widened into something far less friendly as he watched the approaching army.
"I can manage."
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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Taimanin with 3, Hound having 3 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.