"You…"
Erza narrowed her eyes. The woman's actions, her tone—it all felt wrong, unnecessary, almost mocking.
"Miss Erza, I'll help you!" Wendy called out, worried.
But Erza raised her sword, calm and unyielding.
The woman smiled faintly. "Your strength isn't bad… but it's nowhere near enough."
With a wave of her wand, all the swords around her dissolved into mist, vanishing.
"Who are you?" Erza demanded.
"Haven't you realized yet? No—you've noticed, deep down. You just don't want to admit it."
"I don't know you at all," Erza snapped.
The woman's lips curved. "I'm your mother."
Erza's pupils shrank. Wendy gasped—the scent was unmistakably similar to Erza's. The resemblance in appearance was so close that at first glance, she had thought this woman was Erza.
"No!!!" Erza roared. "When I was in Rosemary Village, I was always alone. I had no parents!"
"And yet, your mother stands before you now."
"My only parent has always been Master Makarov!"
Irene Belserion spread her arms casually. "It doesn't matter. I don't particularly care about having a daughter. To me, you've been dead for years. Still… fate has allowed us to meet like this."
"Then know this," Erza said coldly, "no matter who you are, if you attack the guild, you are my enemy."
"Hmph. So be it. Anyone who opposes the Alvarez Empire is my foe—even my own blood. Still, isn't it a shame? To die without ever learning the truth of your own life."
She tilted her head, her smile twisting. "Since we've met, shall I tell you the story of the past?"
"I don't care about your stories!" Erza shouted, charging. Her friends were still fighting, and she had no time for this madness.
But just as she closed the distance, her vision blurred—
and the world changed.
Another perspective filled her eyes.
"I am Irene Belserion, once the Queen of Dragons, four hundred years ago…"
Erza suddenly saw through Irene's memories. Four centuries past, the dragons of Ishgar lived peacefully with humans. Even those that disliked humanity rarely stirred trouble.
But on the western continent, it was different. There, dragons saw humans as nothing but food. They sought to devour every human, and eventually, they would march east to Ishgar.
The dragons of Ishgar rose to protect humanity, clashing against their kin from the west.
But the enemy's numbers were overwhelming. Even with the guardian dragons fighting desperately, defeat loomed. Humanity would soon be consumed.
It was then Irene made her proposal: bind dragon power into human bodies. Thus, the first Dragon Slayers were born.
"…You created Dragon Slayer magic?" Erza breathed, stunned. She never imagined that the woman before her—the one claiming to be her mother—was the origin of the very magic wielded by Natsu and the others.
"Yes," Irene said proudly. "I am the mother of Dragon Slayer magic itself."
"At first, it was a success. With human hosts empowered, the tide of battle shifted in our favor. But… the immense power corroded their bodies. Some went mad, unable to control it."
Her voice grew darker. "The dissonance between human senses and dragon perception twisted their minds. Then, the Dragon Seed inside them began to grow."
"Humans gradually became dragons. That… is the true end of a Dragon Slayer."
"Humans… become dragons?" Erza whispered. She knew Aknologia had once been human, but she never imagined this fate awaited all Dragon Slayers.
Wendy's face remained calm—she had already learned this truth during the Grand Magic Games, from Zirconis.
"I was pregnant with you then, Erza," Irene continued. "Your father was a general of a neighboring country. Our marriage was political, forged in war. I fought countless battles by his side. Together, we witnessed Belserion's death."
Her smile faltered. "But then Aknologia appeared. The war ended, yet no one claimed victory. Only he laughed amidst the corpses—the sole victor."
Her eyes darkened. "A week later, I began to change. People feared I would become a dragon like Aknologia. They imprisoned me."
Her voice dropped to a bitter hiss. "My life after that was misery. Torture. Abuse. Humiliation. But through it all… I tried to protect you."
Her fingers curled into claws. "Then, that man—your father—raised his sword. He tried to cut open my belly… to kill you. In rage, I transformed into a dragon, slew him, and fled to the mountains, carrying you with me."
She clutched her chest. "But I hated this body. I was human! I didn't want to be a dragon. I longed to be human again. And through it all, you remained inside me, for centuries…"
Her smile sharpened. "I searched for a way to break the curse. At last, he appeared—Zeref. A genius in magic. What I failed to achieve in hundreds of years, he did effortlessly. He gave me back my human form."
Her eyes gleamed, cold and hollow. "But it was only an illusion. My appearance became human again, but… food lost all taste. No matter how much I ate, nothing. Sleep never came. My skin itched, my body ached, cold and empty."
Her wand trembled. "I longed to be truly human again. Then I thought of you. My unborn child. If I made your body my vessel… I could live anew. A new life. A new body. You are me, and I am you. Together as one, my child."
Erza stood frozen in silence, her grip tight on her sword.
Wendy's face went pale with horror at Irene's madness.