A blue-haired young man stepped out from the shadows. He wore a hooded robe, his expression unreadable.
"Did you bring her back, Wally?" he asked coolly.
"Yeah," replied the man with the sharply chiseled face. "You want to see her, Jellal? Just be careful, will you? A gentleman and all that."
Jellal gave a slow shake of his head. "Where are the Trinity Raven?"
"They were still fighting when we left. Sounded intense. We heard the commotion coming from the beach. Simon stayed behind to retrieve them."
"You idiot," Jellal muttered, narrowing his eyes. "I said they were just a distraction, not assassins."
"But... the ceremony's scheduled for tomorrow—"
"There's no more time," Jellal interrupted. "Start the ceremony now."
"Now? We're not fully prepared—"
Jellal turned his back and walked away. "Tell the others to prepare for our 'guests'. I'll take care of the final arrangements."
...
Meanwhile, at the Magic Council Headquarters, nine councilors quickly entered the main chamber, cloaks rustling with urgency.
Ultear was already inside, speaking with Councilor Belno.
"Lady Belno, I heard you released a high-risk prisoner not long ago."
Belno responded calmly, "Just a misguided young man, corrupted by Jose. With the right guidance, even those can be reformed..."
She paused, giving Ultear a sidelong glance.
"Though I'm not sure this is the right moment for that discussion."
The impatient Michello barked from across the room, "It's the middle of the night! What emergency required a full Council summon?!"
Siegrain, lounging against the wall until now, finally stepped forward. "It's something of great importance."
"Where is the Chairman?" someone else asked.
"The Chairman is currently unreachable," said Org, standing at the front. "As Vice Chairman, I will preside over this session."
He motioned for everyone to take their seats, then turned a stern eye on Siegrain.
"You'd better make this worth our time. If this is another joke, I'll personally file to revoke your council credentials. Power isn't some toy for a child to play with."
Org had never liked Siegrain—too young, too smug, too powerful for his own good. Some said he only got his Council seat because of his immense magical ability and title among the Ten Wizard Saints.
But now, Siegrain's usual smirk faded.
He clasped his hands on the table and spoke with a rare seriousness.
"Then I'll get right to it. Does the discovery of the R-System qualify as an emergency?"
The words echoed in the chamber.
Everyone froze.
"What?!"
...
Back aboard the ship, Rhodes was visibly shaken. "The R-System... isn't that the magic used to bring people back from the dead?"
Simon, who was tied up but seated nearby, gave a solemn nod. "Yes. But the cost is immense—an enormous amount of magical power, and a living sacrifice with exceptional magical aptitude."
Lucy looked bewildered. "Wait—resurrection? What are you all talking about?"
Seeing the others just as confused, Rhodes took a moment to explain.
"The R-System... full name: Revive System. It's a forbidden magic designed to resurrect the dead, by sacrificing a living person in their place."
He paused grimly before continuing.
"It goes against the core principles of both magic and humanity. It's an absolute taboo. Eight years ago, a black magic cult poured vast resources into constructing seven R-Systems. The Council intervened and destroyed all of them."
Lucy covered her mouth in horror. "That's... that's horrible! Trading one life for another? That kind of magic shouldn't exist!"
"As expected of the Fairy strategist," Simon said with quiet admiration. "You even know about this hidden history."
Despite being beaten and bound, Simon felt surprisingly reassured. Cautious. Capable. Strong. These people, he was sure now, would save Erza.
Rhodes looked up at the sky, exhaling softly.
Mira gently held Rhodes' hand. When he looked over, she gave him a warm smile and shook her head, her eyes filled with a mix of emotion and worry.
The others may not have understood how Rhodes knew so much about the R-System, but she did. All too well.
She hadn't realized until now just how far he had gone for her—quietly investigating such dangerous and forbidden magic, all without her knowing.
Had he actually tried to tamper with such a taboo, Mira would never have been able to forgive herself.
This wasn't the right time to talk about it, but she silently resolved to make it clear to him later: never do something so reckless again. Not for her.
Gray, catching the key detail, narrowed his eyes. "Wait… you're saying Erza and Happy are going to be used as living sacrifices for some kind of resurrection ritual?"
Simon shook his head. "Not both. Erza is the intended sacrifice. The little cat was probably just taken because one of my companions has a thing for cats."
"Huh? Just because they like cats, they took Happy?!" Natsu growled, sparks of anger flashing in his eyes. "Why don't they go hatch an egg or something?!"
"Hatch… eggs?" Simon blinked in confusion, as if he had been locked up in the Tower of Heaven so long that he no longer understood the jokes of the outside world.
"Natsu, eyes forward. Don't get distracted," Rhodes reminded calmly. Then he turned to Simon. "Go on. Why Erza?"
The small group was now sailing across open waters. Two sturdy river crabs were pulling a pair of wooden boats side by side, skimming across the sea with surprising speed.
Rhodes and Mira sat in one boat with Simon, keeping a close eye on him while continuing the interrogation.
The second boat carried Gray, Lucy, and Juvia, while Natsu led from the front, riding one of the crabs and using his nose to track Erza's scent.
Simon had already explained the goal of kidnapping Erza and shared what he knew about his companions' abilities, which matched what Lucy and Natsu had described.
The man who used cube-based magic was straightforward enough.
But the dark-skinned boy who used enchanted cards, and the feline-eared girl who specialized in binding magic? They were trouble.
The card mage could trap someone within a card before they realized it—without specialized magic to counter it, escape was almost impossible.
As for the cat-girl, her ropes carried powerful sealing enchantments. They functioned like portable magic-sealing stones. If someone got ambushed, it was practically game over.
If the two of them struck Erza when she wasn't prepared—and especially since they used Lucy as bait—it wasn't unreasonable to think they could have taken her.
But, according to Simon, Erza may have had other reasons for not resisting at all.
"Eight years ago," Simon began solemnly, "all of us, including Erza—were kidnapped by a black magic cult. They used us as laborers to build the R-System. We were just kids… cold, starving, and forced to work under brutal conditions."
He clenched his fists at the memory.
"We couldn't take it anymore. We planned an escape. But we got caught. Jellal stepped forward to take the blame. They dragged Erza away instead."
"When they were beating her to death… it was Jellal who broke out of his cell, killed three guards, and tried to save her. He was subdued in the end… and punished in her place."
Simon's voice tightened with frustration. He hated having to admit this, hated that it wasn't him who had acted.
If only he had been stronger back then. He would've taken those beatings himself.
The group fell quiet.
They hadn't expected this kind of backstory. Jellal… had managed to kill three armed guards with no magic, just sheer will?
Incredible.
Simon continued, voice heavy. "We couldn't bear it anymore. Under Erza's lead, we started resisting. Many were hurt. Many more fell. And Rob… our dear Grandpa Rob… gave his life protecting us."
Simon turned to them with tears brimming in his eyes.
"He bore the same mark on his back. The same guild emblem as all of you."
"What?!"
...
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