"What happened, Erza? Why are you so panicked?"
Alyan opened the door with a puzzled expression. Ur also stepped up behind him and looked toward Erza.
"Loki... he quit Fairy Tail!!"
"What?! That's impossible!"
Alyan was stunned.
"I was having dinner with Lucy and Loki earlier. He never mentioned anything like that."
Ur was equally shocked by the news.
"It's true."
Erza's expression was serious and anxious.
"And now nobody knows where he went. Everyone from the guild is searching all over Magnolia."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's help look for him."
Ur quickly changed into casual clothes and urged them on.
Just then, Lucy rushed into Alyan's room.
"Alyan! Erza! Ur! You're all here!"
"Lucy, you've heard about Loki leaving Fairy Tail too?" Erza asked in surprise.
She had actually been planning to look for Lucy next.
"Why? Could it be..."
Lucy froze.
Then she suddenly remembered the information she had asked the Southern Cross Spirit to investigate.
An uneasy feeling rose in her heart.
"Lucy, do you know something?" Alyan asked.
"I did ask a Celestial Spirit to look into Loki's situation."
Her expression grew increasingly worried.
"But that's not important right now."
"We need to find Loki as quickly as possible."
"Otherwise..."
"Loki is going to die."
Alyan, Ur, and Erza's eyes narrowed simultaneously.
None of them doubted Lucy's words.
"Let's move."
Alyan immediately made a decision.
"Lucy comes with me."
"Erza, Ur, split up and search with everyone else."
"Got it."
The two women nodded.
As soon as they left, Alyan began repeatedly teleporting around the locations Lucy suspected.
"Tell me everything you know."
Lucy nodded.
"I think Loki isn't human."
"He might actually be Leo, the Lion Spirit."
"The only Celestial Spirit Mage connected to him that I could find was Karen Lilica."
"She was a famous member of Blue Pegasus."
"But she died in battle several years ago."
Alyan fell into thought.
"That actually makes sense."
"When Loki joined Fairy Tail three years ago, I always felt something unusual about him."
"I just never looked into it."
"Now it seems that feeling came from his connection to the Spirit World."
"Three years?!"
Lucy's eyes widened.
"That's impossible!"
"Just as humans can't remain in the Spirit World, Celestial Spirits can't stay in the Human World for long either."
"Their life force and magic power constantly drain away."
"Let's find Loki first."
Alyan shrugged.
"Then we'll know the truth."
The next moment, he teleported them to a large waterfall outside the city.
As soon as they arrived, they saw him.
Loki stood silently before a gravestone.
He seemed to be talking to someone.
Or perhaps saying his final goodbye.
"Loki!"
Lucy called out.
"Hm?"
Loki turned around.
His eyes widened.
"Lucy? Alyan?"
"Why are you here?"
"Forget us."
Alyan walked over and punched him squarely on the head.
"How dare you decide to leave Fairy Tail without telling anyone?"
"Everyone's looking for you!"
"Oww!"
Loki clutched his head.
"That hurt."
Lucy stepped forward and looked at the gravestone.
"This is Miss Karen's grave, isn't it?"
Then she turned to Loki.
"Karen Lilica."
"A Celestial Spirit Mage."
"Your contractor."
"Right, Loki?"
"Or should I call you..."
"Leo of the Lion Gate?"
Loki froze.
Then he laughed bitterly.
"So you found out."
"How did you learn I was a Celestial Spirit?"
"I'm a Celestial Spirit Mage too."
Lucy smiled sadly.
"And Alyan told me you've been with Fairy Tail for three years."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"Have you really remained in the Human World all this time?"
"Yeah."
Loki nodded.
"It's been three years."
"And I've reached my limit."
"I can barely use any power anymore."
He didn't bother hiding the truth.
Lucy frowned.
"When a key holder dies, their Spirit is automatically returned to the Spirit World."
"Until a new contractor appears."
She looked directly at him.
"So why can't you return?"
"If you tell us, maybe we can help."
"Maybe we can open the gate for you."
Loki shook his head.
"I appreciate the thought."
"But I don't need saving."
"The reason I can't return is simple."
"I broke the taboo between a Spirit and its owner."
"The result was permanent exile from the Spirit World."
He smiled bitterly.
"I brought this on myself."
"I'm a traitorous Spirit."
"I killed my own contractor."
"Karen."
Lucy immediately frowned.
Alyan crossed his arms.
Neither of them believed him.
"That's nonsense."
Alyan's golden eyes locked onto Loki.
"We know what kind of person you are."
"The Loki I know wouldn't kill his contractor for no reason."
"There's more to this story."
Loki sighed.
"As sharp as ever, Alyan."
"But regardless of the reason..."
"A Spirit who causes their owner's death cannot return to the Spirit World."
He looked toward Karen's grave.
"So this is where I'll disappear."
"And honestly..."
"It's where I want to disappear."
"What idiotic nonsense."
Alyan cracked his knuckles.
His gaze became threatening.
"I'm asking questions."
"You're answering them."
"Otherwise..."
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't need to.
Loki visibly flinched.
"...Alright."
He surrendered immediately.
"I'll tell you everything."
The story wasn't as simple as Loki had claimed.
In many ways, it was an accident.
In many ways, Karen had brought it upon herself.
Celestial Spirits possessed thoughts, emotions, and lives of their own.
Yet Karen had treated them as disposable tools.
And eventually—
She paid the price for it.
After finishing the story, Loki lowered his head.
"This is the unforgivable sin I committed."
"A human life, once lost, can never be recovered."
"The dead never come back."
His voice trembled.
"The only way to atone..."
"...is for me to disappear as well."
Suddenly—
"Urgh...!"
He cried out in pain and collapsed to his knees.
His body began fading.
Turning translucent.
Alyan immediately crouched beside him and tried pouring magic power into his body.
It was completely ineffective.
"Don't waste your effort."
Loki smiled weakly.
"Ever since that day, I've been unable to return to the Spirit World."
"It's the law of the Spirit World."
"It can't be changed."
His body flickered increasingly.
Like a candle about to burn out.
"But..."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I'm glad."
"Before disappearing, I got to meet all of you."
"My friends."
"Please thank everyone in Fairy Tail for me."
Then he looked at Lucy.
"And Lucy..."
"You're the kindest Celestial Spirit Mage I've ever met."
Lucy's eyes reddened.
She clenched her fists tightly.
Then she turned toward Alyan.
"Alyan."
Her voice shook.
"Do you have any ideas?"
"I can't just stand here and watch one of our friends disappear."
"If Loki can return to the Spirit World..."
"His life force will recover."
"No matter what..."
"We have to get him back."