Eastern Desert – Two Days Later
The wind howled across the sands like a grieving spirit.
Sandstorms rolled over the horizon in gold and grey waves, swallowing all they touched. The only constant was heat—dry, suffocating heat that clung to skin and clothing alike.
A pair of shadows moved steadily across the dunes.
Gajeel Redfox trudged forward, scarf pulled up over his mouth. His iron boots left heavy imprints in the sand, contrasting with the lighter, more cautious steps of Levy McGarden beside him. She clutched a worn map in one hand and a glowing lacrima compass in the other.
Levy: "We're close. The ancient texts said the ruins were carved into the cliffs, hidden beneath the third sun-arc."
Gajeel: "Tch. What the hell's a sun-arc?"
Levy squinted up. "See how the sun casts that crescent shadow over the cliffside?"
Gajeel grunted. "You and your book riddles."
Levy smirked. "You'd be lost without them."
They crested the next dune—and finally saw it.
A chasm split the desert floor like an old scar. Within its depths, barely visible through heat distortion and layers of sand, stood the broken remains of an ancient temple. Pillars jutted from the earth at odd angles and collapsed statues of reptilian figures lay half-buried.
Levy's breath caught.
Levy: "This is it."
Temple of the Third Flame – Exterior
The descent into the chasm took nearly an hour. The closer they got, the heavier the air became—not with heat, but magic. It pressed down on their skin like unseen chains.
Gajeel's eyes narrowed.
Gajeel: "This place reeks of death."
Levy touched the nearest wall, her fingers tracing a spiral symbol partially carved into the stone.
Levy: "Same pattern from Frosthymn. The Broken Circle was here too…"
A sound echoed behind them—stone shifting.
Gajeel spun instantly, his arm turning to steel.
Gajeel: "We've got company."
But nothing appeared. Only silence.
Levy frowned. "There's something... under us."
They moved deeper into the ruins, where the carvings grew stranger. Dragons, yes—but not in battle. Not rampaging. In chains. Runes inscribed over their hearts. Circles are drawn around their eyes.
Levy translated as she read.
Levy: "Here lies the third flame. Bound by oath, sealed in stone. May its breath never rise. May its eyes never open."
Gajeel: "Cheery."
A sudden pulse shook the walls. Dust rained down. The air shifted.
They froze.
From the shadows, a dull green light flickered.
Levy stepped forward slowly. Her light lacrima illuminated a sealed door embedded in the rock—round, metallic, with seven glowing slots, only one of which was lit.
Gajeel: "Is that—?"
Levy: "One of the vessels. The shard must've connected. The seal... It's weakening."
Then the sound returned—louder this time. Metal grinding. Stone breaking.
The floor beneath them gave way.
Below the Temple – Chamber of Echoes
They landed hard in a chamber lit by ancient braziers that flared to life on their arrival. The walls were circular, ringed in runes, and at the centre lay a massive stone sarcophagus. Black chains bound it closed, pulsing with green glyphs.
Levy struggled to her feet, rubbing her arm.
Levy: "This isn't a ruin. It's a prison."
Gajeel rose, eyes locked on the sarcophagus.
Gajeel: "So what the hell's inside?"
A voice answered.
But not from a throat.
From everywhere.
Disembodied Voice: "The third does not sleep. It listens."
Greenlight bled from the cracks in the sarcophagus. Shadows bent around the chains like they were alive. The temperature dropped instantly.
Levy backed up.
Levy: "Gajeel... that seal's breaking. It's reacting to the other shards Y/N touched. We need to go. Now."
The chains creaked. Something inside shifted.
Gajeel didn't argue.
As they turned to flee, a ripple passed through the room—like a scream without sound. The torchlight died. The walls cracked.
And from the sarcophagus, a single clawed finger pressed against the underside of the lid.
Back on the Surface
They burst from the ruins, covered in dust and panting for breath. Gajeel yanked Levy behind a broken pillar just as the entrance collapsed in a thunder of stone and sand.
For a moment, the chasm seemed to shudder—then fell still.
Levy was pale.
Levy: "It's not sealed anymore. It's watching us."
Gajeel growled. "Then let it. Next time it moves, I'll crush its skull myself."
She looked up at him, worried.
Levy: "Gajeel... that was only one. And we've still got four more unaccounted for."
Cut To – Magnolia, Fairy Tail Guild
Back at the guild, MiraJane paused in mid-cleaning as a glass on the bar cracked without being touched.
Laxus looked up sharply.
And upstairs, Y/N jolted awake in his room, heart pounding.
In the sealed case at his bedside, the second shard flared green.
And this time—it didn't dim.