After Ultear's decisive victory, the cavern fell into a heavy silence, broken only by the ragged breathing of the defeated mage.
Lyon sat amidst the shattered remnants of his own ice magic, looking up at the woman who had effortlessly dismantled his pride
The thorny vines of her Rosen Krone still surrounded her like silent sentinels, glistening in the dim light.
After a long while, Lyon wearily opened his eyes wide. He wiped the blood from his cheek and stared at Ultear, his voice hoarse.
"Ur's... daughter," he rasped. "Why have you returned this time? If you are alive, why now?"
Ultear lowered her hands, and the menacing ice vines slowly retracted into the ground.
She placed her hands on her hips, her posture shifting from combatant to confident sorceress. She smiled charmingly, though her eyes remained sharp.
"My name is Ultear. You may call me Senpai for now, since I've also inherited Ur's Magic."
Lyon hesitated for a moment.
The title felt strange on his tongue, yet undeniably correct. He nodded slowly, accepting his new place in the hierarchy.
He lowered his head, staring at the frozen ground.
The guilt he had carried for a decade, hidden behind layers of arrogance, finally surfaced in his eyes.
"Senpai....." he began, his voice solemn. "I'm sorry. About that incident with Deliora back then... about Ur..."
"It was Gray, right?"
Ultear's expression instantly became frighteningly calm. The temperature in the cave seemed to drop several degrees, though no magic was cast.
"Gray Fullbuster," she repeated the name flatly.
Lyon's head snapped up.
Panic flared in his chest. He saw the coldness in her eyes and hurriedly scrambled to his knees to explain.
"Gray was... he was young at the time!" Lyon blurted out, desperate to defend his rival. "He had lost his parents to that monster. He was blinded by hatred and acted impulsively. He didn't mean for it to happen!"
He swallowed hard, his hands clenching into fists on his thighs.
"I share responsibility for what happened back then. I was older. I should have stopped him. If Senpai seeks revenge, it is only natural. We dare not beg for your forgiveness. But please... do not blame him alone. I am willing to accept punishment together with Gray!"
As his words fell, Lyon tightly closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against the hard ground in a deep kowtow.
Though his voice trembled slightly, it carried an unwavering resolve.
Although Lyon had resented Gray all these years—blaming him for stubbornly challenging Deliora and dragging Ur to her death—even until just moments ago, he hadn't let go of that competitive hatred.
He wanted to beat Gray, to prove he was better!
But the moment Ultear mentioned Gray with that icy tone, Lyon's response became completely instinctive.
'He is my brother.'
No matter how much resentment he harbored, when it came down to it, Lyon would find it impossible to actually let Gray die.
In the past, he had regarded Gray as someone like Ur—true family. He didn't dare hope that Ultear wouldn't blame Gray, but he could at least offer himself as a shield.
Nearby, Ankh watched the scene from the shadows with his arms crossed.
A flicker of approval passed through his crimson eyes.
'Though the boy is a bit hot-headed and misguided,' Ankh thought, 'his nature remains good. He is a worthy senpai and a decent man.'
Ultear gazed down at Lyon, who remained prostrate on the ground. She was silent for a long time, processing his loyalty.
Finally, she sighed softly.
"Mother chose to sacrifice herself to save you both..." Ultear murmured, looking past him at the giant ice block.
"She did it out of love, not obligation."
"Let... it be."
Ultear bit her lip, releasing the pent-up frustration in her heart. Her voice was tinged with sorrow, but the killing intent was gone.
Ankh stepped forward from the shadows, placing a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.
"Everything will get better, Ultear. The past is done."
Ultear nodded silently without speaking. She then called out, her voice regaining its command.
"Stand up, Lyon. Stop groveling."
Lyon rose shakily to his feet. He wiped the dust from his forehead and looked at the robed figure standing beside his newly-found sister.
He couldn't suppress his curiosity. This man was wrapped up like a rice dumpling in black cloth while radiating a mysterious aura.
He seemed to be someone Ultear knew intimately—perhaps her teacher or partner?
'But why would Senpai bring this person to Deliora's location?'
Lyon swallowed his unanswered questions, sensing the power disparity. He didn't dare ask Ultear in Ankh's presence.
Ankh looked up at the dark cave ceiling, as if seeing through the rock to the sky above.
He rubbed his temples.
"By my calculations," Ankh said, "those kids should be arriving again soon. Natsu is so persistent."
Ultear frowned delicately. "Shall we stop them, Master?"
Ankh nodded. "You and Lyon go together to the surface. Don't let them disrupt the Moon Drip Ritual. We need the moonlight to hit the ice perfectly."
In the original timeline, Ankh knew Natsu would come to sabotage the ritual.
Ultear had delayed him while Lyon handled Gray. As for Erza—she was currently detaining Lucy in the village.
As long as she didn't intervene personally in the temple, no unforeseen variables would emerge.
Hearing this, Lyon exclaimed in surprise, "Senpai, are you also trying to melt the ice and release Deliora?"
Ultear turned and began walking toward the tunnel entrance, her cape swirling behind her.
She spoke over her shoulder.
"This ice formed from Mother's body when she used Iced Shell. Deliora... was actually killed by Mother over a decade ago. Its life force was drained away by the ice."
Lyon stopped in his tracks.
He stared at the monolith in shock. "This ice really is... Ur's body? I thought that was just ... And Deliora is dead?"
"Dead," Ultear confirmed. "We are melting the ice not to release a demon, but to retrieve something else."
Seeing Ultear walking faster, Lyon hurried to catch up, his mind reeling.
Now that he knew Ultear's identity and understood she'd come here for Ur's sake, Lyon had no reason not to help her.
In fact, his entire motivation for "defeating Deliora" had been to prove he surpassed Ur. If Deliora was already dead, and Ur's daughter was here leading the charge, his path was clear.
Besides, this worked out perfectly!
As Lyon rushed after Ultear, a strange, mischievous smile suddenly appeared on his face.
'Gray is going to be so surprised when he sees her!'
And since Lyon had just been thoroughly beaten by Ultear's superior Creation Magic, his pride was stinging.
But if he and Ultear teamed up against Gray... oh, he could take out his frustrations on his junior brother!
Lyon grew more and more excited as he imagined the scene vividly in his mind—a perfect picture of "brotherly affection and respect" involving ice hammers and explosions.
Ultear glanced sideways, narrowing her beautiful eyes at the foolishly grinning Lyon.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked coldly. "Why are you smiling like that? It's creeping me out."
Lyon quickly wiped the smile off his face.
He switched instantly into his Ur-style "pretend to be profound" mode—crossing his arms and looking stoic.
"It's nothing, Senpai. Just contemplating strategy."
He didn't dare be disrespectful. Who knew when this terrifying sister might have a sudden mood swing and rush over to plant another Rose Garden on his face? And one with ice blades, at that.
The cave tunnel connected directly to an ancient altar built on the surface ruins.
This was the ritual site for the Moon Drip, the very place where Natsu and Gray would soon arrive to stop the "evil plot."
Lyon and Ultear emerged into the night air. They stood guard at the entrance of the temple ruins, their gazes fixed on the path leading from the village.
Lyon crossed his arms, his expression having returned to its usual cold arrogance.
The wind ruffled his silver hair.
"Will that fire-breathing guy and Gray really come?" Lyon asked doubtfully. "They took a beating earlier."
"No mistake about it," Ultear replied calmly.
She held her communication crystal ball tucked between her forearm and thigh, leaning against a pillar.
"They are Fairy Tail mages. They don't know when to quit."
When it came to Ankh's schemes, Ultear had long since experienced them deeply. She trusted his predictions implicitly.
Lyon hesitated.
He glanced at Ultear, then cleared his throat. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. After a long pause, he couldn't help but ask the burning question.
"Um... Senpai?"
"What?"
"What's your relationship with that man? The one in the robes?"
Ultear clearly trusted that man a great deal.
She called him "Master," and this entire plan seemed to have been orchestrated by him.
It wasn't that Lyon doubted Ultear's intelligence, but out of brotherly instinct, he was worried. Had his long-lost sister fallen in with a bad crowd? Was she being deceived?
But Ultear didn't catch the underlying "protective brother" meaning in Lyon's words. Her mind went to her pact with Ankh—her promise to serve him in exchange for her mother's resurrection.
Gazing into the distance with profound, melancholic eyes, she sighed and said in a detached tone.
"He... he is the man I have decided to devote myself to completely in the days to come. My life is in his hands."
Ultear's intended meaning was professional: I have sold myself to him as a subordinate, and I will sacrifice my life for his cause.
She phrased it vaguely to maintain her dignity and not worry Lyon about the dangerous nature of her servitude.
But she had absolutely no idea how the male brain—specifically Lyon's brain—processed such information.
"NANI?!"
Lyon's legs went weak.
He stumbled, nearly dropping to his knees right then and there.
His jaw hit the floor.
In the mind of the genius Lyon Vastia, a complex and unsolvable mathematical equation instantly formed:
(Days to come) + (Devote completely) + (Man) =HUSBAND!!
On the surface, Lyon forced himself to remain calm and composed.
He choked back a gasp.
But inside his mind, a little chibi version of Lyon was clutching his head, screaming in shock and running in circles.
'She's getting married?!'
'The groom is that mysterious masked guy?!'
'Damn... My sister just came back and she's already taken!'
Lyon broke out in a cold sweat, but his facial expression remained perfectly controlled like a mask of stoicism.
However, after the initial shock, a wave of relief washed over him.
In reality, Lyon was overjoyed in his heart.
Ultear had lived a hard life, missing for so long. If she had found someone powerful to entrust her life to—someone she clearly respected—that was a good thing!
That robed man seemed strong, capable, and commanded authority.
'Hiks..' Lyon sniffled internally. 'If only Ur knew about this...'
'Look how happy and blissful Senpai is! She's found love!'
He looked at Ultear with teary, sparkling eyes of approval.
Ultear turned to look at him with a deadpan expression.
'Why is he looking at me like that?' she thought, confused. 'Why does he look like a father giving away the bride?'
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Make a bit of mistakes, i think Creation is not the correct words for Ur magic but 'Maker'. oh well im gonna change it if im not lazy about it.