Fairy Tail Guild – The Following Morning
The storm never came, but the air felt like it had.
Heavy with tension. Thick with silence.
The usually vibrant energy of Fairy Tail was subdued. Laughter was rare, replaced by low voices and cautious glances. After the mission to Frosthymn, the guild wasn't just worried—they were rattled.
At the main table, Y/N sat with his back to the guild doors, staring at the sealed shard in the reinforced case Levy had crafted. Even inert, it radiated unease. Like a whisper only he could hear.
He hadn't touched his food. Again.
Across from him, Diana watched.
Diana: "You're thinking about the projection."
Y/N: "No. I'm thinking about what happens when the real thing wakes up."
Masumi dropped into a chair beside them, a bandage wrapped around one shoulder, his usual grin noticeably absent.
Masumi: "Seven dragons. Seven damn dragons are locked away in tombs all over the continent. What kind of lunatic cult even finds something like that?"
Levy approached tablet in hand and dark circles under her eyes.
Levy: "The kind that's been planning for decades. I dug deeper into the term they used—'The Seven Wounds of Earth.' It's not in the official archives, but I cross-referenced old forbidden texts… and found something."
She placed a parchment on the table.
Levy: "It's not just about dragons. These weren't natural. They were forged. Altered in the aftermath of the Dragon King Festival—experimented on. Each was bound to a different element and sealed in remote regions by a coalition of ancient mages."
Diana: "Why weren't we told?"
Levy: "Because the ones who sealed them agreed to erase the records. Even the Magic Council only had rumours. They thought the seals had failed and the creatures perished centuries ago."
Masumi: "Well, they were wrong."
Y/N glanced at the shard. The faint pulse inside it seemed stronger this morning. Hungrier.
Y/N: "And now the Broken Circle wants to release them all."
Makarov descended from his office, cane tapping against the floor as he surveyed the hall.
Makarov: "We can't afford to play catch-up anymore."
Everyone looked up.
Makarov: "We will be dividing our forces. Gajeel and Levy will investigate the desert ruin. Erza and Gray will travel to the archives in Fiore's eastern mountains. The rest will stay and defend Magnolia. We don't know how many cults are already embedded in major cities."
The room rumbled with voices—questions, concerns, worries.
Laxus, leaning against a far wall, finally spoke.
Laxus: "And what about him?" He gestured to Y/N.
Laxus: "You're building a strategy around those shards. He's touched two. What happens when he touches three?"
Silence fell.
Makarov: "That's not your call, Laxus."
Laxus stepped forward.
Laxus: "No, it's not. But someone has to ask the damn question. These things are changing him."
Y/N stood, fire brushing the edge of his voice.
Y/N: "I've chosen to carry this. Don't mistake that for weakness."
Laxus didn't flinch.
Laxus: "I'm not. I'm saying even choices have limits. The last person who thought they could 'carry' power like that ended up with half the world buried in dragon fire."
Erza's voice broke the growing tension.
Erza: "Enough."
She stepped between them.
Erza: "Y/N has risked his life twice to protect this guild. If the shard poses a threat, we deal with it together. But we do not eat our own."
Laxus narrowed his eyes but backed off.
Y/N sat again slowly, jaw tight.
Diana: "You okay?"
Y/N didn't answer right away.
Y/N: "The fire inside these things... It doesn't sleep. It watches. And I don't know how many more times I can stare into it without blinking."
Later That Night
The guild was mostly empty. Only a few lights remained.
Y/N stood on the balcony above the hall, alone. The shard box sat beside him on the railing, glowing softly against the moonlight.
Behind him, Makarov stepped out.
Makarov: "You remind me of him, you know."
Y/N didn't turn.
Y/N: "Who?"
Makarov: "Igneel."
Y/N finally glanced back.
Makarov: "Not in power. In burden. He carried secrets, too. And he always knew those secrets would one day burn the ones he cared for."
Y/N: "Then maybe I shouldn't stay here."
Makarov: "No. You stay because you care. And because of this war… It's not something you can outrun. It's already here."
The old man placed a hand on Y/N's shoulder.
Makarov: "When the time comes, you'll make the right choice. I believe that. And so do they."
Y/N nodded once, quietly.
Below, the shard pulsed.
One beat.
Then another.
Faster this time.
Almost… responding.
Elsewhere – Unknown Location
Cultists knelt before a massive obsidian map of the continent in a darkened chamber carved into stone. Seven glowing points flared across the etched surface—six dormant.
One, blinking.
A figure stood before it, hood drawn, voice cold.
???"Two awakened. The third call."
Another cultist approached, kneeling.
Cultist: "The vessel interferes again."
The figure turned. The firelight revealed a jagged scar beneath one eye.
???"Let him. Each shard he touches brings him closer."
A pause.
???"To the end, we've prepared."