Year X779 — Early Summer
Location: Magnolia Town & Fairy Tail Guild
Age: Ren (14) | Erza (14) | Mirajane (14) | Lisanna (Earthland & Edolas)
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Morning light spilled into Magnolia gently, like it always did—warm, lazy, full of promise. For most people, it was just another day.
For Edolas Lisanna, it felt like learning how to breathe again.
She stood near the window of the Strauss house, fingers pressed lightly to the glass, watching magic happen everywhere.
Not spells.
Not explosions.
Just… life.
A broom floated past the street below. Someone laughed as sparks popped harmlessly from their fingertips. A baker used fire magic to heat an oven with practiced ease.
Edolas Lisanna swallowed.
> They're all glowing, she thought. Even when they don't notice it.
Behind her, Earthland Lisanna hummed softly while tying her shoes. "You don't have to go out if you're tired."
Edolas Lisanna shook her head quickly. "No—no, I want to. I just… I keep expecting something to pull at me."
"…Pull?"
"In Edolas," she said quietly, "magic is like… air in a bottle. You borrow it. You return it. But here…" She placed a hand over her chest. "…It feels empty. And full at the same time."
Earthland Lisanna paused, then smiled gently. "That's Earthland magic. It's inside—but it doesn't force you."
"…That sounds nice."
"It is," she said. "Most days."
---
Ren — Cracks in the Sun
Ren sat on the guild roof, legs dangling over the edge, sunlight resting on his shoulders like an old friend.
He wasn't training.
That alone should have been a warning.
Below him, Fairy Tail roared with its usual chaos—Natsu shouting, Cana laughing, someone crashing into a table hard enough to break it.
Normally, that noise grounded him.
Today, it felt… distant.
> Two Lisannas, he thought. Two paths that weren't supposed to cross.
He exhaled slowly, Total Concentration breathing instinctive, constant—his body calm even as his mind refused to be.
I was reborn to change fate, he reminded himself. To stop tragedies before they happen.
So why did this feel like fate tightening instead?
"…You're brooding."
Erza's voice came from behind him.
He didn't turn. "I'm thinking."
"…You rarely sit still when you think."
"That's because I'm afraid of what happens when I do."
She stepped closer, arms folding. "…Is this about Mirajane?"
"…It's about everything."
Erza watched him carefully. "…You care too much."
He smiled faintly. "…I was born that way."
She hesitated, then asked, "…Do you regret it?"
Ren finally looked at her.
"No," he said honestly. "…But I'm afraid of choosing wrong."
Erza stiffened.
"…Choosing?" she repeated.
Ren's gaze drifted toward the guild hall windows—where Mirajane laughed, where two Lisannas stood side by side.
"…Some choices don't hurt just one person," he said softly. "They hurt everyone."
Erza looked away.
"…Then don't choose yet," she said. "You're allowed time."
He chuckled quietly. "…That might be the first unfair thing Fairy Tail's ever given me."
---
A World Without Magic
Later that day, Ren found Edolas Lisanna sitting alone near the river, feet dipped cautiously into the water.
She flinched slightly when he approached—but relaxed when she saw it was him.
"…You move quietly," she said.
"…Habit."
She smiled, then grew thoughtful. "…Everyone here is very kind."
"They're loud," Ren corrected. "But yes. Kind."
She hesitated. "…Can I ask you something strange?"
"…You're in Fairy Tail," he said. "That's redundant."
She laughed softly—then sobered. "…Why doesn't my body respond when I try to feel magic?"
Ren sat beside her.
"Because you're not broken," he said. "You're just… different."
"In Edolas, not having magic was normal," she murmured. "Here, I feel like… I'm missing a limb."
He shook his head. "Magic doesn't make someone whole."
"…You say that," she said gently, "…but you shine like the sun."
He looked away.
"…The sun burns things too."
She studied him for a long moment. "…You're lonely."
The words hit harder than any spell.
"…I'm surrounded," he replied carefully.
"…That's not the same."
Silence settled between them—comfortable, honest.
"…Thank you," she said suddenly.
"For what?"
"For not trying to fix me."
Ren smiled—real this time. "…You don't need fixing."
---
Mirajane Notices
Mirajane noticed everything.
She noticed how Ren laughed less freely.
How his flirting softened into something quieter.
How his eyes lingered longer when he thought no one was watching.
She noticed Edolas Lisanna's careful steps.
Her hesitation near magic.
The way she flinched when spells went off too close.
That night, Mirajane pulled Ren aside.
"…You're drifting," she said gently.
"…Am I?"
"…Yes."
He didn't deny it.
"…I don't know how to protect everyone," he admitted quietly. "…Without becoming something I hate."
Mirajane reached up, flicking his forehead lightly. "Dummy."
"…Ow."
"You don't have to protect us alone," she said. "…That's not how Fairy Tail works."
He looked at her—really looked.
"…And if I hurt you?"
She smiled, eyes soft but unwavering. "…Then I'll yell at you. And forgive you. And punch you if needed."
He laughed—genuine, warm.
"…You're terrifying."
"…I know."
---
Two Worlds, One Guild
As night fell, Fairy Tail gathered as usual—food, noise, warmth filling the hall.
Edolas Lisanna sat between her counterpart and Mirajane, listening, learning, slowly relaxing.
She still had no magic.
But she had belonging.
Ren watched from across the room, chest lighter than it had been all day.
> Maybe fate isn't a chain, he thought.
Maybe it's a thread—something you weave carefully.
The sun outside dipped low.
Inside, Fairy Tail burned brighter than ever.
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