(Erza's POV)
Location: Luno City, Yuuta's Apartment — Morning
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The mortal left in a hurry.
Something about being late for his "academy."
Humans had academies? Hmph. They dare call such flimsy buildings an academy?
In my world, the word carried weight—where blood was spilled over knowledge and power. Here? It was a place where he wore cheap clothing and carried a plastic box full of paper.
Utterly ridiculous.
"Elena," I said, glancing down at my daughter.
She was curiously examining the television again, poking the screen with her little fingers. Her tiny eyebrows furrowed. "It has people inside."
I said nothing.
This world was more advanced than I expected. No mana cores, no spell-infused walls. But they had… technology. Cold, lifeless machines doing the work of alchemists. Lights without flame. Doors that opened without magic. Carts that moved without beasts.
Disgusting. Yet efficient.
I wandered into the mortal's room. Small. Humble.
It smelled like him—lazy, warm, faintly of iron and ink.
Then I saw it.
A photo. Framed. Propped up on a shelf.
Him—Yuuta—smiling like a fool. Eyes closed. That same idiotic grin he made when he didn't know what to say.
And next to him…
A girl.
Black hair like his. Amber eyes. She was leaning close. Too close. Her hand was on his shoulder.
I narrowed my eyes.
Who is she?
And more importantly…
Why is she touching what belongs to me?
My blood boiled.
Does he dare? Does he dare betray me, after everything? After giving me a daughter, after binding his soul to mine?
A vision rose in my mind—sharp, uninvited, cruel.
What if he used this single year of freedom as an excuse?
What if he planned to disappear?
What if this "academy" was nothing but a hiding place?
What if his next step… was to run?
My fingers tightened around the picture frame.
I clenched the frame so hard the glass cracked.
"Elena," I said calmly, turning around.
"Yes, Mama?" she chirped, skipping toward me.
"We are going to Papa's academy."
She blinked. "Really? But why?"
"I forgot to say something," I said coldly.
She tilted her head. "Okay~"
I opened the door and took a breath. His scent still lingered. Weak, but traceable. My magic may be sealed in this world, but my instincts remain sharp.
Elena held my hand as we walked down the oddly constructed stairwell. Metal rails. Cold stone steps. How inefficient.
"Interesting structure," I muttered.
"Mama, this world is funny," Elena giggled, swinging her arm.
"Funny," I repeated. "That's one word for it.".
The moment we stepped outside, the world drowned us in noise. Cars honked, people shouted, metal beasts crawled along the roads like sluggish predators, and humans obediently followed colored lights to determine when they could move. None of it made sense to me. None of it felt alive. Yet beneath that chaos, beneath the concrete and steel and noise, I could still feel his trail cutting through the city like a thin ribbon only I could sense. I followed it. Or rather, I tried to. The trail curved sharply into an alley, climbed over a fence, slipped through a crumbling hole in a wall, passed by a bakery that smelled like burnt sweetness, and then—most absurdly—continued toward the rooftops. I stared upward in disbelief, feeling a twitch of irritation in the corner of my eye. "What in Zareth's name is this mortal doing?" I whispered sharply. Elena nodded enthusiastically beside me and announced that Papa always went this way. It confirmed my suspicion entirely. "Your father," I said flatly, "is an idiot."
We climbed ladders that looked older than entire dynasties, leaped across uneven roofs, and squeezed through spaces no sane human would attempt. Elena enjoyed the journey, laughing behind me as though this entire ordeal was some sort of enchanted adventure. I, however, felt my patience thinning with every step. Eventually, I stopped moving altogether. The ground trembled as I brought my heel down with controlled force, splitting the concrete beneath me and sending dust swirling through the air. A distant scream echoed as a bystander dropped their strange glowing device and ran, but I barely gave them a glance. "He is doing this intentionally," I murmured, fury flickering behind my eyes. "He must know I would follow him. He must be testing me."
When an old tree blocked our path next, I didn't hesitate. My fist drove through the thick trunk, splitting the wood cleanly as the upper half cracked apart and fell with a loud crash that sent birds bursting into the sky like scattered shards of darkness. Elena clapped delightedly. "Mama, boom!" she cheered. I nodded with restrained irritation. "Yes. And your father will also go boom if he continues behaving like this." A rusted car blocked our way next. I stared at it for a slow, cold moment before delivering a single kick that folded the metal inward like soft clay. It flattened into a warm sheet of crushed steel beneath my foot. We moved past it without slowing, and I found a wall standing in our way shortly after. I exhaled and raised one hand, letting the sealed magic within me stir just enough to answer my call. Even in this world, even weakened, my power responded. With a silent flick of my wrist, the wall broke into millions of dust-fine particles that floated away on the breeze.
The echo of Yuuta's voice surfaced uninvited in my mind—his soft, gentle, infuriating tone reminding me not to use magic for simple tasks. I muttered the words under my breath with mocking irritation. "No shortcuts in the kitchen." "Don't use magic for food." I lifted a nearby trash bin and threw it with controlled force, watching it smash into a billboard of a smiling chef holding roasted chicken. The sign tore apart instantly, falling in shredded pieces around me. I let out a long breath. The flames brewing inside my chest simmered rather than calmed. "Foolish mortal," I whispered, stepping forward as the last of the obstacles vanished from our path. "Once I find you, I swear by the Primal Flame, I will teach you what it means to test the patience of a Dragon Queen."
Elena raised her arms with bright excitement and announced that we should keep going. Her childlike cheer sounded too pure for the storm building around us, but it did not slow me. Together, we continued walking, each step echoing with determination. The world around us seemed to tremble.
Elena cheered behind me, arms in the air. "Let's goooo!"
To be continued…