Fairy Tail: Threads of Infinity

The sky above the sea was smeared with the last traces of orange as the sun dipped behind the horizon, casting the waves in shadows of crimson and gold. Their small vessel cut steadily across the darkening waters, the looming silhouette of the Tower of Heaven rising on the horizon—cold, angular, and alien.

Erza stood at the bow of the ship, her armor clinking softly in the sea breeze, gaze fixed unblinking on the tower ahead. Her hands were tight at her sides, fists clenched not just in anticipation of battle—but of the past. For the first time in years, the place she had vowed never to return to now pulled her forward with haunting inevitability.

Behind her, the group prepared quietly.

Lucy sat cross-legged on deck, brushing through her celestial keys like a prayer. Happy clutched the railing beside her, trying to hum a lighthearted tune to chase off the tension, but even he struggled.

Gray leaned against the mast, arms crossed, watching the waters shift with a wary gaze. "We're really doing this, huh?" he muttered.

Juvia declared from nearby, sparkles in her eyes. "Gray-sama! Juvia will protect you with all her heart!"

Gray groaned. "Ugh..Not again..."

On deck, Natsu leaned over the railing with a groan. "Ugh… ocean… still hate it…"

"Why does this always happens with you?" Lucy asked, exasperated, as she held out a bottle of water to hydrate him.

At the rear of the boat, Mira and Shinra stood together in a rare moment of calm.

She looked up at him, brushing a strand of white hair from her cheek. "You've been quiet since we set sail."

Shinra didn't answer at first. His eyes were on the horizon—but not just the tower. He was looking at the sky, as if watching something far beyond mortal vision.

She nudged him gently. "Hey. What is it?"

He finally spoke, voice low. "There's magic in the sky. Something distant… massive. It's gathering above the upper atmosphere."

Mira's brow furrowed. "You mean… like a spell?"

He gave a slow nod. "Something akin to the size of a mountain is floating at a very high altitude. And it's aimed at the tower."

Mira stared, stunned. "Could it be...Etherion?"

Shinra didn't answer, but his silence confirmed everything.

"You're not going to tell the others?"

"Not yet. If they knew, they'd rush in recklessly. Right now, we need to focus. Erza most of all."

Across the deck, Simon sat beside Erza in silence. His hands trembled slightly as he watched her face—stoic, determined, but laced with something fragile.

"I never believed in Jellal," he said quietly. "Not really. But I couldn't lose the others. I thought I was protecting them."

Erza turned to him, her voice heavy with restrained pain. "You weren't wrong to want that. We all just wanted to survive."

Simon looked down, ashamed. "And now you've come back. You're not afraid."

"I'm terrified," she admitted. "But not of fighting Jellal. I'm afraid of losing myself again. Of being that powerless little girl."

She closed her eyes, and in her mind, she saw herself—chained, bleeding, her friends screaming as the tower rose behind them.

"I wasn't strong enough to save them back then."

"But you are now," Simon said, finally meeting her eyes. "You have people with you now who'll fight no matter what. People who love you."

Her gaze flicked past him, lingering briefly on Shinra.

Simon followed her eyes. "He's special to you, isn't he?"

She hesitated, then nodded. "He sees through things I hide even from myself."

Simon smiled faintly. "Then let him in."

The ship creaked and slowed. They were close now—close enough to see the flickers of movement along the tower's lower levels. Guards, magical sensors. The enemy was ready.

Shinra stepped up beside Erza, Mira beside him.

"We have about twenty minutes before we're in range," he said softly.

"Of Jellal?" Erza asked.

He hesitated. Then: "Something like that."

She looked at him then—really looked. "You're not telling me something."

He met her gaze, the weight of it real. "When the time comes, you'll understand."

She stared at him another heartbeat, then nodded.

Natsu stretched and cracked his neck. "Well, what are we waiting for? Time to burn this place down!"

The team assembled on the deck: Shinra, Erza, Mira, Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Happy, Juvia, and Simon. They formed a half-circle as Erza stepped forward, her voice steady.

"This tower stole many innocent's childhoods. It was built on pain, blood, and betrayal. But today—we take it back. Not just for revenge. But to end it. Once and for all."

Together, they disembarked onto the rocky coast beneath the Tower of Heaven.

Above them, in the clouds unseen, Etherion's core began to glow.

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