Fairy Tail: The Faint Smile in Earthland

Date: Late August X788 — Immediately after the shrine duel

Location: Ridge Overlook above Shrine Valley

Wind whipped across the ridge, carrying the sharp scent of rain and blood. Teresa climbed slowly but firmly, her boots digging into the muddy slope. Her soaked cloak dragged behind her, heavy but unbothered.

At the top, the Raven Fang leader waited. His fingers twitched at his sides, claws flexing in the rain. Black mana leaked from the glyph scars on his neck and arms. His red eyes shone wildly, shaking with rage and desperation as she closed in.

"You ruined my song!" he shouted, voice rough and broken. "They promised you'd be my final stage! You were supposed to witness my last hymn!"

Teresa didn't answer. Her golden eyes stayed focused on his chest — the rise and fall of breath, the point where intention becomes action.

He threw his arms wide, a crazed smile stretching across his face.

"Come on! Cut me! Prove your silence is stronger than my scream!"

He lunged forward, claws swinging. The ground cracked under his feet, mana swirling around him. He swung his right arm down in a huge arc, dark energy trailing like a black wave.

Teresa bent forward, folding into a tight pivot. She slipped under his swing, her blade slicing diagonally across his side. Blood and mana splashed into the rain.

He roared but didn't fall. He twisted around, his other claw swiping horizontally at her.

Teresa stepped in close. Her blade dropped in a sharp counter-cut. Sparks shot into the rain as their attacks collided, lighting up the space between them.

They stood locked for a moment, eyes only inches apart. His were wide and wild, begging to be seen. Hers were calm, steady, unreadable.

"You... you refuse everything!" he yelled, spit and blood running down his chin. "Even now! Even when I claw at your heart!"

Teresa spoke at last, her voice low but sharp as a blade.

"You're not the hymn. You're just the echo of an empty room."

His face crumpled. A desperate sob shook through him. He shoved forward, trying to overpower her. Teresa shifted her feet slightly — a small, exact movement. His balance broke.

She let go of the pressure. He stumbled past her, and before he could turn, her blade swept up in one clean arc. The cut sliced from his lower back up through his shoulder. Mana and blood sprayed across the rocks.

He fell to his knees, gasping. One claw pressed against the wound, useless. Rain hit harder now, washing the blood into the mud. His breathing turned shallow and ragged.

Slowly, he looked up at her. His eyes searched her face, looking for anything — anger, pity, even a curse.

"Please... just say something," he begged, voice shaking. "Anything… even if it's hate."

Teresa's golden gaze softened for a moment — not pity, not forgiveness. Just a small, quiet understanding of someone who had lost himself chasing a noise he thought would fill his emptiness.

She lifted her blade slightly, giving him a small nod — a final, silent farewell.

Then she stepped forward and ended it with one swift, precise cut.

He dropped face-first into the mud, eyes fading as his lips twitched in a half-formed word. The glyph lines on his skin flickered, then died, vanishing into the rain like ink washing off stone.

Above them, the ravens screamed once — sharp and piercing — then scattered, breaking into the dark sky and leaving only the steady rain.

Teresa stood still for a long moment. The ridge was quiet, almost sacred. She tilted her head up. Rain ran down her face and over her jaw, mixing with the blood until it all washed clean.

"Quiet... at last," she murmured, her voice nearly lost in the downpour.

South Ridge Camp — Same Night

Romeo sat by the campfire, his flame sword across his lap. The blue-white glow flickered gently, reflecting in his eyes as he looked east.

Kinana stepped over, setting a hand on his shoulder.

"Did she finish it?" she asked quietly.

Romeo nodded, swallowing hard. "She ended the last echo. I can feel it. The valley is quiet now."

Macao stepped forward, his face finally easing.

"Then... she's coming home," he said, voice low but firm.

Romeo's hand tightened on his sword hilt.

"Next time, I'll be strong enough to stand beside her. Not just wait for her return."

Kinana gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"And you will," she said. "One step, one flame at a time."

Ridge Overlook — Aftermath

Teresa turned away from the fallen leader, moving slowly down the slick rocks. Her steps were steady and calm — each one like a quiet promise.

She paused at the bottom of the ridge. Her hand rose to her collarbone, touching a small cut that was already closing under her Yoki pulse. A small reminder that even silence leaves scars.

She glanced east toward the forest. For a second, warmth flickered in her eyes — a memory of a young flame waiting by a campfire.

Then she turned and disappeared into the trees, leaving only the sound of the rain and the echo of her final choice.