The Nexus trembled as the Streakweave pulsed, its light cascading into hues Neralyth had never seen before. This was not an ordinary tear—this was something far older, something buried in the Loom itself. The fragments Chorath had revealed lingered at the edges of her mind, but this... this tear was no accident. It felt deliberate.
"Another tear?" Chorath asked, his tone cautious as he stepped into the hall.
"It's more than that," Neralyth said, her purple eyes fixed on the glowing disturbance. "It's... layered. I can feel other realms merging into this one. Something is trying to breach the Loom from outside."
Chorath's silver eyes widened. "Another multiverse?"
She nodded. The Loom, though vast, had always been self-contained. Guardians like Neralyth ensured stability, managing its fragile ecosystem. But this new energy felt alien. Something beyond even the Loom's farthest reaches was calling—and it wasn't calling gently.
The Mark of Magic
As Neralyth stepped into the breach, the air around her shifted. The sky above was painted with cosmic storms, and lightning crackled like distant roars of anger. She could feel it—the essence of power unlike anything the Loom had shown her. This was a world she didn't recognize, but it felt... familiar.
The moment her feet touched the ground, she felt it—a surge of energy racing through her veins, both exhilarating and suffocating. She looked down and gasped. Embedded into her forearm was a mark—an intricate, glowing sigil that pulsed with energy.
"It's a Lacrima," she murmured, recognizing it from memories buried deep in the Loom.
Fairy Tail.
Her mind burned with sudden clarity. This world was Earthland, home to the guilds, magic, and those who wielded power not unlike Guardians—but different in every way. The Lacrima on her arm thrummed with elemental magic, a shard of Dragon Slayer energy weaving itself into her being.
But before she could process what this meant, the skies darkened further.
The First Encounter
A massive figure descended from the swirling clouds. Its body glowed with red and gold, jagged armor that radiated pure rage. It was no dragon, nor a being she could place within Earthland. No, this was something from another world entirely.
The name struck her like a lightning bolt. Doomsday.
He let out a guttural roar and charged, his hulking form barreling through trees and rocks like they were paper. Neralyth instinctively raised her hands, summoning her Guardian energy to block the attack. But as the threads around her responded, the Lacrima flared to life, casting a storm of flames that engulfed her enemy.
Doomsday staggered but barely faltered. The flames licked his body, and she realized the truth—he was adapting.
She needed something stronger.
The Lacrima pulsed again, this time feeding her body with magic from Earthland itself. Spells she'd never learned came to her instinctively—Flame Dragon Roar, Lightning Cage, Gravity Burst. She unleashed them one by one, weaving them together like strokes of paint across a blank canvas.
Still, Doomsday pressed on.
Fate Intertwined
The battle raged for what felt like hours, each spell she cast pulling deeper from the Lacrima. But as she fought, something strange began to happen. The threads around her shifted—not just the threads of the Loom, but new ones, glowing faintly with vibrant hues.
These threads weren't hers.
"Natsu..." a voice echoed in her mind, distant yet familiar. "Gray, Erza... protect them!"
The threads weren't just connected to this world—they were the life threads of Earthland's strongest mages. Their power surged into her, weaving into her Guardian abilities and forming a shield of pure magical energy.
With one final roar, Neralyth summoned the combined magic of the Fairy Tail guild and struck Doomsday with everything she had. The explosion of light and sound shattered the ground beneath them, sending shockwaves across the landscape.
When the dust cleared, Doomsday was gone.
But Neralyth knew this wasn't over.
The Truth of the Tear
As the skies calmed and the ground stilled, Neralyth examined the Lacrima embedded in her arm. It glowed faintly now, the magic within it stable but ever-present. She could feel the essence of Earthland's mages, their power resonating within her.
"What was that thing?" Chorath's voice rang in her ear, his projection flickering beside her.
"Not from this world," she replied. "Not from any world the Loom has touched. That was a being from another multiverse entirely."
Chorath frowned. "The threads are fraying faster than we can repair them. If these tears keep pulling in power like this, we won't be able to contain it."
"It's not just power," Neralyth said. "It's people. Stories. Lives. The Loom isn't just unraveling—it's merging with something bigger."
The Nexus's Warning
When Neralyth returned to the Nexus, the Loom was in chaos. The threads were knotted and tangled, their usual harmony replaced by discordant pulses. Chorath paced beside her, his silver scales dulled with worry.
"We've been focusing on Kaelthar," he said, "but we missed the bigger picture. These tears... they're not random."
"They're coordinated," Neralyth finished.
She traced the glowing threads, her fingers brushing against one that pulsed with a faint, golden light. It showed her glimpses of a distant world—a city of towering spires, a dark knight wreathed in shadows, and a god of thunder wielding a mighty hammer.
"The multiverses are colliding," she whispered. "And if we don't stop it, the Loom will break entirely."
Chorath hesitated. "And if it breaks...?"
Neralyth met his gaze, her purple eyes glowing faintly. "Then everything ends—Earthland, the DC realms, even the Loom itself. There will be nothing left to protect."
The Call to Action
The Guardian Council convened for the first time in centuries. Chorath stood by Neralyth's side, his presence a steadying force as she addressed the gathering.
"The Loom is no longer enough," she said. "We need to think beyond it—to find the source of these tears and stop them at their root."
One of the elder Guardians, his golden wings folded tightly, frowned. "And what do you suggest? That we abandon the Loom to chase phantoms?"
"I suggest we fight," Neralyth replied, her voice firm. "Not just for the Loom, but for every thread it connects to. Earthland, the DC realms—they're all part of the same story now. And if we don't act, that story will end."
To Be Continued...
This chapter sets the stage for the multiversal stakes to grow even larger, bringing in magic from Fairy Tail and the threats from the DC Universe. The threads of these worlds are now intertwined, and Neralyth must navigate this new, chaotic reality while holding onto her role as a Guardian.