Somewhere far away, beneath a clear night sky, the Magic Council's towering headquarters still buzzed with the traces of activity. Two siblings stepped out of the grand entrance, the younger one practically bouncing with excitement.
"Kyaaa—did you see that boy who passed us just now?" the teenage girl squealed, clutching her chest dramatically. "He was so handsome! Hey, does he work here too? Come on, big bro, set me up with him!"
Her older brother stared at her as if she were the biggest idiot he had ever seen, even though he was used to seeing idiots daily here.
"Don't even dream about it," he deadpanned. "That 'boy' is the newest member of the Ten Wizard Saints. And the youngest one right now."
The girl froze mid-fantasy. "Wait—WHAT? That was Master Siegrain!?"
She whipped around so fast that her brother was surprised her neck didn't fall off. As she stared at the boy's back disappearing from her vision, her eyes were full of disappointment.
"I heard he is a workaholic, and he never cares about women. ….Aghh…just when I finally find someone who matches my taste," she groaned, deflating like a popped balloon, "and of course he's completely out of my league… why does fate hate me?"
Her brother sighed. "It's not fate. It's your standards. Stay in your lane. If you feel too confident, just go back and look in the mirror."
"Shut up, Cedric."
"Why did you stop calling me big bro?"
"Shut up."
Meanwhile, in the forest beside Magnolia,
Rain poured down in heavy sheets, splashing against the three figures standing in the empty clearing.
"Mystogan…" Laxus and Astro both narrowed their eyes as the masked wizard appeared before them.
Mystogan's gaze was first focused on Astro, but after a short moment, it started to linger on both of them,
"I think both of you have fought enough for tonight. If you continue, people in the Fairy Tail guild will also notice—Master included. And I doubt either of you wants that."
Astro's mouth twitched, hearing that he was also getting blamed.
"Hey, it wasn't my fault. I wanted to stop long ago, but he wouldn't back off."
But Laxus didn't bother defending himself. Instead, he had a serious expression at first, looking at Mystogan, then he looked at Astro for a bit. After a while, he let out an exhale before he looked between the two of them with an excited grin, lightning crackling faintly around him. Astro's mouth twitched again—he'd seen the same fearless look on Natsu too many times.
"I've heard about you as well, Mystogan," Laxus said, his grin widening. "People were saying that even Erza can't resist your magic. I didn't expect to meet you tonight, but… this is perfect. Tonight has been such a treat. Now I get to beat both of you."
Lightning flashed—and he rushed forward before Mystogan could speak back.
"Yeah, I saw that coming…" Astro muttered as purple wind gathered around his feet.
Mystogan's eyes widened briefly. He expected resistance from Astro, but not from Laxus.
Laxus did not know what was going on in Mystogan's mind as his lightning-clad fist swung at Mystogan's face—only to pass clean through.
"…Both of you are so annoying," Laxus groaned as the illusion faded.
He turned just in time to see Astro's boot appearing in front of his face. Laxus instantly burst into lightning and vanished upward.
"You're one to talk, Laxus," Astro said, eyes tracking the lightning trail. He was getting ready to follow Laxus, only for a sharp beam of light to shoot toward him from the right.
Astro was a bit surprised, but he still managed to dissolve into purple mist in time.
A moment later, Mystogan materialized on the ground, with one of his staves now lowered after firing.
Another spark landed nearby him as Laxus reappeared.
And to Mystogan's other side, purple smoke pulled together into Astro once again.
The three stood still under the pounding rain, watching each other carefully.
Astro was the first to speak. He looked at Mystogan as he spoke in a complaining voice.
"Why did you attack me? I was trying to help you."
Laxus smirked. "Obviously, Mystogan doesn't want to let you feel lonely."
Mystogan looked at Astro, ignoring Laxus entirely.
"Sorry. Reflex. I'm not used to you helping me."
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Astro blinked.
Mystogan looked at Astro's face for a moment before turning his gaze away. Astro blinked in confusion. He could not read any expression from the dark eyes behind Mystogan's mask.
Laxus stared at the two of them with interest.
"So you two know each other? No… it does not seem like it, so—"
Astro and Mystogan both turned toward him, waiting for him to finish.
"Mystogan, did you meet another Astro back there?" Laxus asked with a grin, his eyes focused on Mystogan's hidden expression.
Astro was confused at first. Mystogan's eyes widened slightly before he regained composure. But neither Astro nor Laxus missed the reaction.
"I do not understand what you mean, Laxus," Mystogan replied in a calm voice. Astro watched both of them but chose not to intervene. He instead turned his head slightly because he sensed someone approaching through the rain.
"You do not have to lie to me," Laxus continued. "I have known Porlyusica way before you two were even born. I overheard things about that world, and I found a few books on Gramps's shelves. Edolas… was that the name of that world?"
Astro's eyes widened. He remembered Alvemak mentioning the same place when Astro first admitted he came from another world.
"Edolas… is that the world without magic?" Astro asked quietly. He looked at Mystogan, a strange emotion passing through him, although he hid it quickly. He doubted Laxus would lie about this, and part of him wondered if Edolas could somehow be linked to his previous life.
Mystogan looked at Astro and then at Laxus. He did not mind others knowing he came from Edolas, but he still addressed Laxus first.
How much do you know?" he asked. He ignored Astro's question for the moment. It didn't really surprise him much that Laxus knew about it. Edolas was not truly a secret in Earthland, but usually, only the Magic Council and a few strong wizards knew of that information.
Laxus did not answer at first. But then he grinned through the heavy rain.
"Oh, I know plenty. After all, you only started hiding your tracks recently. Do not underestimate the abilities of an S-Class wizard, Mystogan… or should I say, Siegrain?"
"Siegrain?" Astro muttered, shocked. "I remember that name from somewhere. Oh, he is—"
Mystogan suddenly tensed. He raised his staff instantly. A white magic circle appeared beneath Laxus, and the circle exploded, sending a shockwave across the ground. Laxus jumped back just in time, dodging it.
Mystogan glanced at Astro. When he saw the confused look in Astro's eyes and noticed no other reaction, some of the tension left his body. He turned back toward Laxus.
Laxus landed lightly on the ground, lightning flashing in his eyes.
"I did not expect that strong of a reaction," he said. "But I am not going to complain. This will be even more fun now."
Mystogan waved his staff, and a large white circle appeared in front of him this time.
"Do not move, Laxus. Since you know about it, you should understand how important this is to keep it hidden."
Laxus's entire body lit up with lightning in response.
"If you want to keep your secret, then prove you are worth it," he said before charging forward.
"One-Layered Magic Circle: Explosion Array."
Several small white circles materialized on the ground between them. As soon as Laxus stepped on one, it exploded with a controlled shockwave. It was weaker than the previous blast, which showed Mystogan was only warning him.
"You would be stupid to think this alone could stop me," Laxus muttered. His grin widened as he dashed forward in a zigzag pattern, avoiding each magic circle with ease.
"I was hoping it would at least slow you down…" Mystogan murmured. He dispelled the circles with a wave of his staff. The staff vanished from his hand and returned to his back. Another staff behind him glowed blue. And a blue light wrapped around Mystogan as he dashed forward to meet Laxus.
"Now you are taking this seriously, Mystogan. I like it," Laxus said as he accelerated. Blue and yellow light shot across the field as both prepared to strike each other with their fist.
Just before their fist collided, a purple flash erupted between them. Laxus and Mystogan froze when they saw the figure standing in the center.
"Astro," both said at the same time.
Astro crossed his arms and caught both of their fists with his palms. The shockwave shattered the ground around them in a wide circle, even uprooting several nearby trees.
Astro's left hand caught Laxus's lightning-clad fist, which numbed his arm. His right hand caught Mystogan's blue-glowing fist, burning the skin on his palm.
"Stop it. We are getting nowhere with this," Astro whispered. His hands shook from the damage, but he still did not let go of their fist.
Laxus and Mystogan both looked at Astro and then at his hands. Before either of them could say anything, Astro whispered again.
"Porlyusica is here. She is just an ordinary person. If you two keep fighting, she will get caught in it."
He gritted his teeth as the pain flared through his arms. He had stopped both attacks without any preparation. His devil slayer physique was the only reason his arms were not completely destroyed, which showed how serious Laxus and Mystogan's blows had been.
Both Laxus and Mystogan paused and instinctively turned to where Astro was looking. They saw a familiar figure leaning her hand against a tree, panting heavily.
"You brats…" Porlyusica managed between breaths. "I understand you young people have strength to spare, but must you always waste it fighting each other?" She glared at Laxus and Mystogan in particular. Both of them pulled their fists back at the same time. Astro dropped to one knee, still breathing hard.
Laxus looked at Astro first.
"Are you stupid? There was no reason to stop us. It's not like any of our attacks would kill each other that easily."
Astro forced his breathing to calm.
"Yeah, well… it's you we're talking about. I would rather not risk you killing someone by accident because you could not control your anger."
Laxus groaned while Mystogan, who was going to leave, suddenly stopped as he watched Astro with a complicated expression.
Porlyusica stepped forward slowly, and her forehead twitched at their conversation.
"I had a feeling Mystogan wouldn't be able to stop you two, so I came here myself. But why did you even join them, Mystogan? Did your intelligence drop just by being around these two?" she scolded without mercy. Astro slowly stood again, purple smoke drifting from his hands as he began healing them.
"Well," Astro said, pointing at Laxus, "Laxus wanted to see who was stronger between us. Then he revealed Mystogan's identity, so Mystogan started fighting him."
Astro threw Laxus under the bus without hesitation. Anyway, he was the real jerk here.
Porlyusica blinked in surprise at first. Then she looked straight at Laxus, who glared at Astro. She did not even bother asking if Laxus was wrong about Mystogan's identity; Mystogan's reaction had already confirmed it.
"Laxus Dreyar," she said sharply, stepping right in front of him. "If you knew about it, then you should know how important it is to keep this a secret."
She did not flinch even once. Astro and Mystogan both tensed immediately, ready to step in if Laxus lost his temper again.
Laxus clicked his tongue in when he noticed their identical defensive posture. It annoyed him even more. He doesn't pick fights with everyone, okay? Also, didn't he just tell them he knew this old woman long before they were even born?
"I never told anyone else about your identity," he said to Porlyusica with an annoyed tone. "Why would I go out and spread Mystogan's secret? I have much more important things to deal with."
Laxus broke eye contact with her and spat, "I figured it out myself after seeing you two together a lot. I didn't trust this guy at first, who was always being mysterious in the guild. So I traced his movements across the continent these past few years. It was easy since he didn't hide it before. And besides…"
He turned his eyes toward Mystogan with a sharp grin.
"Mystogan, you should be thanking me. I covered your tracks. Even if the Magic Council investigates now, they won't be able to find anything easily. And obviously, you don't want the Council poking around when the other you is working there."
Mystogan stared at Laxus in surprise. Astro was also shocked that Laxus went that far. The only one who did not react was Porlyusica, as if she had expected it, or as if she had fully trusted Laxus from the beginning.
Mystogan then looked at Astro before turning back to Laxus.
"You still didn't need to say it in front of him," he whispered.
Astro looked at Mystogan with surprise. But he still decided to reassure him.
"Um… Don't worry, I can keep secrets well, I promise not to tell anyone."
Mystogan blinked, studying the genuine care in Astro's eyes.
"You don't know Siegrain?"
"I know he's the youngest of the Ten wizard Saints now," Astro said slowly. "And… I've heard of Edolas before. Wait… if I'm understanding correctly, Edolas is a parallel world to Earthland, and you are the Edolas version of this world's Siegrain?"
"Well, that does sum it up," Mystogan whispered in relief.
Laxus finally spoke up again after Porlyusica kept staring holes into him.
"Don't give me that look, you old woman. I was doing you a favor originally. Astro met Mystogan earlier today. And he was then heading to your house as soon as he was free. I thought he had already half figured things out, so I told him everything. If he kept investigating, who knows if the Magic Council would notice. The entire continent is talking about Astro right now, so the Council would also pay attention to his actions."
Astro and Mystogan looked at Laxus, both surprised, but for the first time tonight, they did not doubt him.
"Wait," Astro said slowly, repeating his words. "So you weren't trying to test me. You wanted to stop me from digging into Mystogan by distracting me. But since Mystogan appeared anyway, you revealed it so I wouldn't accidentally expose him while investigating?"
Both Mystogan and Astro stared silently at Laxus, speechless.
Laxus looked back with clear annoyance.
"That was only part of it. I wanted to teach you two a lesson anyway. And I didn't expect Mystogan to react like that. So, Mystogan, would you explain now?"
He shifted the pressure toward Mystogan to avoid further questioning.
Mystogan sighed and looked at Astro. Astro met his gaze. After a brief pause, Mystogan placed his hand on his mask. He moved a few steps away and leaned against a tree trunk, looking at the three of them. Two of them already knew his identity, and all of them had seen Siegrain's face somewhere before.
He looked at Astro.
"I suppose I must take responsibility for attacking you earlier… and for being rude," Mystogan said quietly.
He placed his fingers near the edge of his mask. For a brief second, no one moved. The rain still fell in heavy sheets, tapping against the metal and cloth. Then, slowly, he lifted the mask and headband away.
Mystogan's face, with striking blue hair and dark eyes, was revealed in front of all of them. He looked about the same age as Astro, but there was a bit more mature look on his face. There was a mark under his eyes that stood out under the blue wet strands of hair clinging to his face. The rain slid down his cheeks in thin trails.
As Astro was looking at Mystogan, he was also staring at Astro's purple eyes.
"In this world, I guess it is different, since you don't know me. But in Edolas, I have always known you… or rather, another you."
He lifted his head and looked up at the dark sky. Rain poured freely across his face as he breathed out slowly before again looking at Astro. As his dark eyes met Astro's purple eye, he continued,
"My full name is Jellal Verlione, by the way. Fate placed us in the same place here, but it wasn't so kind back there. We were always together for as long as I can remember. But after our parents passed away, everything changed."
He lowered his gaze. His voice grew quieter, but the weight in it deepened.
"After we lost them, we were adopted by the King of Edolas…Everything still looked bright in front of us. But...."
Mystogan's eyes sharpened as they focused directly on Astro. Astro's eyes widened. Laxus and Porlyusica also went rigid, already guessing what was coming next.
"But fate was never on our side after that. We chose different paths, and in the end…I had to run away from you." Mystogan paused, his expression tightening as he looked down.
For a moment, only the heavy rain filled the silence between them.
Then Mystogan spoke the final truth.
"I am sorry… not from you…the Edolas version of you. Who is also my twin brother, Astro Veralione."
A thunderclap tore through the sky above them, lighting the clearing for an instant. The rain became more intense, but no one there bothered to care about it.
Astro stared at Mystogan in complete shock, unable to form a single word.
Laxus and Porlyusica exchanged stunned looks, both silently absorbing the revelation hanging between the two boys from different worlds.
Somewhere far from them,
In a quiet corner of the Magic Council headquarters, an eighteen-year-old blue-haired boy who looked strikingly similar to Mystogan sat alone at his desk. The room was silent except for the faint ticking of a clock and the gentle hum of moonlight spilling through the tall window behind him.
He could not help but glance outside for a moment.
The full silver moon hung high in the clear night sky, bathing the office in a cool, pale glow. For a moment, he simply watched it, with an unreadable expression.
Eventually, Siegrain exhaled a quiet sigh and turned back to his desk. He pulled open a drawer with a slow, deliberate motion.
Inside lay a single newspaper clipping — a photo of a beautiful red-haired girl, standing with a sword in her hand.
Siegrain's hand hovered for a second before he picked it up.
His fingertips brushed over the printed image, tracing the curve of her hair, the determination in her eyes, her familiar presence he still remembered so vividly. He held the photo there for several long seconds.
"…Erza," he whispered, barely louder than a breath.
A sudden knock at the door broke the silence and pulled him back to the present.
He closed his eyes briefly, composing himself, then placed the photo back into the drawer with the kind of care one used for something precious.
He shut the drawer softly.
"Come in."
He straightened the scattered documents on his desk and then looked at the guard who brought his food.
"It smells so good even from here. What is on the menu today, Cedric?" Siegrain asked softly, with a charming smile, as he looked at the guard who entered.