Fairy Tail: Collapsing Stars

Chapter 284: So Love Will Disappear, Right?

After Evan and Selene agreed on the terms, he lay in the warm pool water, relaxing and enjoying himself.

Evan decided to rest as much as possible now, anticipating that he might soon be too busy to have any free time.

During this peaceful moment...

"Speaking of which, before I used the Eclipse Gate to travel through time, Selene, you were just as small as Kurnugi. Back then, everyone thought you'd grow up to be a nobody. Who would have thought that the little girl who showed no promise would one day stand at the pinnacle of the dragon hierarchy?"

Igneel reminisced, chatting casually.

"Oh wow, so Mom was once weak too..."

Kurnugi's eyes lit up upon hearing Igneel's words. As Selene's youngest and least promising child, Kurnugi always viewed his mother as the strongest and most invincible being ever since his birth. He was thrilled to learn that even Selene had a time when she was weak.

"Speaking of four hundred years ago, it reminds me of the great war between dragons and humans—the Dragon King Festival. No one could have imagined that the final victor wouldn't be the dragons who devoured humans, nor the dragons who sought peace with humans, nor even the Dragon Slayer Mages who participated in the war. The sole victor was the Black Dragon King, Acnologia."

Irene's expression held a touch of nostalgia. She had vivid memories of that war, which had cost her everything. She lost Belserion, the Wise Dragon who treated her like a child, and all the warriors who had gained dragon powers through her enchantments. They all fell to the invincible Black Dragon King, Acnologia.

It was after that battle that Acnologia, the pitch-black dragon, earned the title of the Black Dragon King, the Wing of Despair.

"Ah~"

"But you probably wouldn't know much about that, Selene, since you fled from the final battle. You were just a little hatchling back then."

Irene couldn't resist taunting Selene as she reminisced about the final battle.

"Yes, I was still very young at that time, protected by adult dragons. Unlike you, an old lady forced onto the battlefield to kill for her people."

Selene responded calmly, even throwing a taunt back at Irene.

"In terms of age, you have no right to call me an old lady. Strictly speaking, you're probably older than I am."

Irene's violet eyes flashed with a hint of killing intent.

"Don't be ridiculous. By dragon standards, I'm still a young maiden."

"And you, hehe, by human standards, you're an old, undying hag..."

Selene smiled smugly as she spoke.

"No, Mom, you've got it wrong. Even by dragon standards, you're still in the auntie age category..."

Kurnugi, who had been listening attentively, looked confused and questioned his mother.

"Boom!"

At the moment Kurnugi finished speaking, a beam of moonlight struck him, knocking him into the pool.

"Kurnugi's dead?!"

Mest watched in horror as Kurnugi floated in the water like a dead fish, eyes rolling back.

"Enchantment: Healing!"

Before Mest could react further, a green light descended upon Kurnugi, restoring his consciousness.

"I... I think I just saw the Soul Society that Master told me about..."

Kurnugi, now conscious, looked terrified. In that brief moment, he felt he had seen the afterlife that Evan described, a mysterious eastern realm with reapers wielding katanas who nearly took him away.

"It's amazing. Everything Master told me was true..."

Kurnugi looked at Evan with amazement and excitement, completely unfazed by the recent attack.

"No, those were just stories I made up..."

"But you really were close to dying just now."

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Feeling awkward, Evan didn't know how to respond to Kurnugi's excitement.

Evan had once entertained Kurnugi with stories from a manga called "Bleach," featuring a place called the Soul Society, but he hadn't expected Kurnugi to take it seriously.

Evan was more concerned about the beam of moonlight. Was Selene really willing to kill her own child to silence him?

"Kurnugi, if you can't speak properly, maybe say less..."

Evan quickly covered Kurnugi's mouth, fearing another attack.

"Master, did I say something wrong again?"

Kurnugi looked confused and worried.

"It's not about saying the wrong thing. You were nearly killed just now..."

Evan replied sternly.

"Wha—?!"

Kurnugi's eyes widened in shock. Though he didn't understand what had happened, he trusted and believed Evan.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the rock barrier...

Irene held back Selene, who was about to attack Kurnugi again.

"Selene, Kurnugi is just a child who speaks the truth. Why are you getting worked up over a child's words? Or can't you handle the truth?"

Irene gently held Selene's wrist, smiling.

"Kurnugi is my child. It's not your place to interfere, Irene."

Selene stared coldly at Irene.

"Oh, but Kurnugi is Evan's disciple, making him technically my grand-disciple~"

"As my grand-disciple, I naturally have to look out for him~"

"I can't let his ungrateful mother scold him unfairly~"

Irene's smile was mocking as she taunted Selene.

"You..."

Selene's forehead veins bulged.

"Phew..."

After a few moments, Selene exhaled deeply, releasing her frustration. Then she smirked at Irene.

"I heard that the legendary Dragon Slayer progenitor was a fool played and abandoned by a scumbag~"

"How laughable that you had such great power but were still manipulated by mere humans~"

"Hehe, I'm different. Every traitorous dragon in my life, I've killed them all~"

Selene's eyes glinted with pride and challenge.

"Hehe, for once, I agree with you. Scumbags deserve no mercy, whether they're dragons or humans. The scumbag who betrayed me was crushed to death by my own hands."

Irene smirked, surprisingly agreeing with Selene.

"Though, I must say, Evan is not involved in this. He's a good kid, right Evan?"

"Of course..."

Evan, hiding behind the rock barrier, was sweating nervously.

"You see? Evan's a good kid. He'll grow up to be a fine man..."

Irene smiled victoriously at Selene.

"I agree with that."

Selene nodded lightly, acknowledging Evan's potential.

"Hehe..."

Both Irene and Selene smiled, finding rare common ground.

Meanwhile, Evan felt the pressure mounting.

"You've got it tough, Evan."

Igneel sighed, seeing Evan tremble slightly. This was the consequence of being targeted by powerful female dragons.

"Yeah..."

Evan sighed, feeling somewhat relieved to be understood.

"Hehe."

Evan smiled faintly, feeling grateful despite the bickering. Irene and Selene seemed genuinely happy.

It appeared that this was the kind of world Irene and Selene longed for—a world where humans and dragons coexisted peacefully. If the Dragon King Festival had ended with a victory for the Dragon Slayers and the peaceful dragons, instead of Acnologia's sudden massacre, maybe this is what the world would have looked like.

A world where dragons like Selene could engage in banter with humans like Irene, where dragons and humans could communicate and live as equals.

Evan was happy for Irene. After four hundred years of loneliness, she finally had a friend she could argue with. This relieved a great burden from Evan's heart. He had always worried more about Irene, who was isolated and lonely, than about Erza, who always had her guildmates.

"It's great that Irene has found a friend."

Evan felt at ease, soaking in the warm water. For years, he had worried about Irene, who had always been alone. Seeing her bicker with Selene like this, he felt she could finally enjoy companionship.

After some more casual conversation about the past four hundred years, Kurnugi listened intently, interested in stories from his mother's youth.

After a while...

Evan and the others, having bathed and rested, gathered in the palace atop Blacknight Mountain, enjoying Selene's hospitality.

"Girls, come out~"

Selene clapped her hands, and beautiful maidens carrying various dishes entered the palace.

"Uh..."

Mest blushed at the sight of the lovely maidens. As a shy young man, he couldn't handle so much attention and quickly lowered his head.

"How cute~"

Byaku, one of the Three Beauties of the Moonlit Night, noticed Mest's shyness and licked her lips, showing interest in him.

Meanwhile, Yoko, another of the Three Beauties, was already surrounded by admirers, enjoying the attention.

Mei, the third of the Three Beauties, remained more composed.

Evan, Igneel, and August quietly ate the food brought to them, clearly wary of being labeled as scumbags.

Time passed as they enjoyed the unique delicacies of Elentear.

Eventually, Evan noticed it was getting late. He decided it was time to leave.

"Lady Selene, it's getting late. Since we've reached an agreement, we should depart. When I'm ready and have the power to face the Dragon Gods, I'll return to Elentear to find you."

Evan stood and spoke respectfully to Selene, giving Irene a subtle signal that she understood.

"Oh? Leaving so soon? Don't you want to stay for a few more days? Our feast was meant to last a week

..."

Selene seemed surprised by their early departure. Dragons and humans had different perceptions of time, and hospitality meant several weeks of hosting to her.

"Oh, who could bear staying with such an indecent person like you for long?"

"I'm sure Evan, being so pure, feels nauseous just being around you. It's only natural he wants to leave."

Irene stood and mocked Selene, smiling.

"No one asked you to speak, Irene."

Selene's frustration was clear, but she managed to stay calm.

"Hehe..."

Irene found Selene's irritation amusing.

"It's just that our guildmates and the people of Edolas are waiting for us..."

Evan explained with a helpless smile, fearing the situation might change if they stayed longer.

"Is that so? Then I guess there's no choice..."

Selene sighed after thinking for a while.

"Leave Kurnugi here..." Realizing her slip, she corrected herself, "I mean, leave Kurnugi so I can properly train him. The rest of you can go."

"Is having children just for fun?"

Evan silently remarked to himself.

"Master..."

Kurnugi, who had been happily eating, suddenly felt a chill and looked to Evan for help.

"Hehe..."

Evan smiled reassuringly at Kurnugi.

"Kurnugi is my precious disciple..."

Evan addressed Selene seriously.

"So he can't stay?"

Selene frowned.

"No, you misunderstood. I meant, please make sure he returns safely after you've trained him."

Evan smiled, explaining.

"Don't worry. Kurnugi is my child, after all. I'll make sure he returns in one piece."

Selene smiled, as bright and soft as the full moon.

"I'm relieved to hear that..."

"Kurnugi, be sure to train well with Selene and listen to your mother."

Evan smiled gently at Kurnugi.

"Master, so love really does disappear..."

Kurnugi's face turned pale, realizing the bleak future ahead.

Thus, everyone except Kurnugi left Elentear.

With this journey, Evan gained another ally in Selene, and the excess magic in Elentear was redirected, restoring magic to Edolas. Among the three worlds of Elentear, Edolas, and Earth Land, only Kurnugi ended up hurt, which could be overlooked.

Overall, Evan and his companions had successfully completed their mission.

Shortly after Evan and the others left, Selene sat on her throne, watching Kurnugi kneel before her, apologizing repeatedly.

As Kurnugi recounted his adventures and experiences, starting from the great events he caused in the land of Giltena, Selene listened attentively.

"Evan, Irene..."

"I'm sure we'll meet again soon~"

Selene smiled, deep in thought, as she listened to her son's tales.