The next morning, the sun shone on the land.
On the ruined island of Galakal, exhausted people walked out of their homes.
Everything that happened last night felt like a dream.
A strange dream, leaving no trace behind.
In the center of the island, where the battle took place, stood a small hut.
Inside, Caesar sat on the bed in a daze.
Beside him lay Mirajane, Brandish, and Dimaria.
"No... no! What happened last night?"
Caesar suddenly realized his memory was fragmented.
One moment he was fighting, the next, he was on the bed.
What about the battle?
What about everything in between?
He knew nothing.
"Mm…"
Hearing Caesar's voice, the three women stirred slightly.
Their soft movements startled Caesar so much that his soul almost left his body.
"Acupuncture point of sleep!"
He quickly made Mirajane sleep again.
As for Brandish and Dimaria, they slowly opened their eyes.
"Ahhh!"
Brandish screamed and wrapped herself tightly in the blanket.
Dimaria sat up, completely unconcerned.
Her beautiful body was fully exposed, ignoring Brandish's panic and Caesar's glare.
"You did this?" Caesar asked coldly.
"Yes," Dimaria said calmly. "Don't worry. We both got what we needed. I won't cling to you. I was supposed to gain Frederick's power… wait—"
She froze.
Where was the power?
Why didn't she absorb it?
It didn't make sense.
She was sure the ritual worked. She was supposed to take in the power of the God of Light.
Brandish stared in disbelief.
She felt pain in her body and instantly understood what it meant.
Sin.
She only wanted to help Dimaria, yet somehow got involved.
And ever since she was struck by Lacade's magic, she had felt constantly drowsy.
Now she just wanted to cry.
Dimaria, you rifted me over!
Caesar was equally confused.
He had the Philosopher's Stone in his body.
It should cancel all side effects instantly.
Even if affected, it should have lasted only a few seconds.
Wait— a few seconds?
Caesar's eyes widened.
Dimaria could stop time!
What he thought were seconds could have been hours… maybe more than ten!
The Philosopher's Stone must have been suppressing it, not erasing it, stretching the effect endlessly.
Dimaria's magic froze the surrounding time.
It explained everything.
"The deal isn't done! Keep going!" Dimaria suddenly shouted.
A glowing clock pattern appeared on her body.
"Don't even think about it!"
Caesar moved instantly, pinning her down before she could activate the spell.
Without hesitation, he pressed her pressure points and knocked her out.
He did the same to Brandish, then picked up Mirajane and vanished from the hut in a flash.
"What is wrong with this situation?" Caesar muttered.
He wrapped Mirajane in his cloak and used several quick flashes to move away from the island.
Soon, he arrived at a small island near the Western Continent.
Back on Galakal, Dimaria and Brandish woke up.
Dimaria sighed as she saw the empty bed.
Brandish, however, exploded with rage.
"Dimaria! I'm going to bite you to death!"
Dimaria snapped her fingers. Time froze.
In an instant, Brandish was tied up like a dumpling with a bedsheet.
"If you want to blame someone," Dimaria said calmly, "blame yourself for falling for Lacade's magic. I didn't force you."
"You… rift off!" Brandish growled, both angry and heartbroken.
Dimaria ignored her.
She sat on the bed, touching her stomach, muttering, "It makes no sense. I followed the ancient method carefully. He didn't even resist much. I should've succeeded."
She was confused.
She didn't expect Caesar to have something like the Philosopher's Stone.
Without that, she would've absorbed the power.
"Forget it," Dimaria sighed. "At least one thing is done."
She got dressed, lifted the tied-up Brandish, and headed back toward the Alvarez Empire.
…
"Caesar, you seem off today," Mirajane said softly.
They were walking near the border of the Albareth Empire.
Caesar sighed. "Mira… I'm not clean anymore."
He told her everything — every detail — his tone full of guilt.
He swore he didn't feel anything, that he barely remembered what happened.
Mirajane froze.
Her Caesar… not clean anymore.
But then she saw his pitiful face.
And she laughed.
"Hey! Don't laugh! I'm serious!" Caesar complained.
"Hahaha! You're so cute when you panic like this," Mirajane giggled until she couldn't breathe.
Caesar blushed and began tickling her.
Soon she was crying with laughter, wiping her tears away.
"Alright, alright. I forgive you," she said finally. "But only this once. It better not happen again."
"You forgive me that easily?" Caesar asked, stunned.
He expected anger, tears, maybe even a dramatic scene.
"Idiot," Mirajane said gently, tapping his forehead before walking ahead.
Caesar scratched his head, completely lost.
He didn't know that before they left, Charle had secretly spoken to Mirajane.
"Believe in him," Charle said. "If you doubt him, it will destroy him. But if you trust him, something unexpected might happen."
Mirajane smiled softly as the memory surfaced.
She was certain of Caesar's feelings for her.
Only one question lingered in her mind.
"What did she mean by unexpected surprise?"