The Nexus pulsed with an eerie quiet as Neralyth returned from the Void. The towering crystalline structures, once shimmering with vibrant energy, now looked dimmed. Threads of the Loom hung precariously in the air, their glow faint and fragmented. The reality they supported was becoming brittle, and the weight of Zeref's words pressed heavily on her mind.
She stepped into her sanctum—a swirling domain where the Loom's threads converged. Here, every fiber of the multiverse flowed through her claws. Yet, even now, she could feel the gaps between the threads, where Zeref's dark magic had begun to fray the delicate weave of existence.
A Glimpse of the Past
Neralyth moved to the heart of the sanctum, where the core of the Loom radiated a soft light. She placed her talons on its surface, closing her eyes as memories surged through her. The Loom, ever intertwined with her soul, reflected moments from her life—both as Neralyth and as Elyndra.
She saw Earth, the place of her birth. Her memories as Elyndra were vivid—nights spent painting in her cramped studio apartment, her walls adorned with canvases depicting fantastical worlds. She had always felt out of place in the mundane rhythm of humanity. Her art had been her escape, but now she realized it had been something far greater: a subconscious connection to the Loom itself.
As the memory deepened, she saw the fateful day everything changed. Elyndra had been walking home when she was struck by an overwhelming vision. It wasn't an ordinary hallucination but a vivid and surreal unraveling of the world around her. The colors of reality bled together, like a watercolor painting coming to life. The sky fractured into countless dimensions, revealing glimpses of other worlds.
It was the Loom, calling to her for the first time.
The Power Awakened
The vision had left Elyndra disoriented and terrified, her artistic mind unable to process the impossible. But it was only the beginning. Over the following weeks, her art began to change. She would paint in frenzied bursts, her brush guided by an unseen force. Her canvases depicted realms and beings she couldn't comprehend—dragons made of starlight, forests of molten glass, oceans that flowed into the sky.
She didn't know it at the time, but she had begun tapping into the Loom's essence, creating echoes of its design through her art. Her paintings weren't just creations—they were fragments of the multiverse brought to life. And then, one day, the Loom itself had answered her call.
The transition from Elyndra to Neralyth had been both wondrous and harrowing. The Loom had chosen her as its guardian, reshaping her mortal form into the Nexus Dragon. She had been torn from Earth, thrust into the heart of the Loom's threads, and charged with an impossible task: to safeguard the multiverse.
In her new form, she gained the power to weave and unweave reality, to create and destroy. But the responsibility was staggering. She had left behind her humanity, her family, her home—all to become the guardian of a cosmic tapestry she barely understood.
A World Beyond Reach
Neralyth opened her eyes, pulling herself back to the present. The sanctum felt heavier now, the memories of her mortal life bringing an ache to her chest. She hadn't thought of Elyndra in centuries. The name itself felt alien, like a forgotten echo of someone she used to be.
But Zeref's words in the Void had reopened old wounds. He had reminded her of what she had lost—and what she still stood to lose if the Loom unraveled.
She turned her focus back to the core, her talons tracing the broken threads. "The Loom chose me," she whispered. "It trusted me to protect it. I won't let Zeref tear it apart."
The Loom pulsed faintly in response, as if acknowledging her resolve. But the task ahead was monumental. Zeref had revealed the Loom's fragility, and Neralyth knew she couldn't restore it alone. She needed answers—secrets hidden within the multiverse itself.
The Fairy Tail Connection
The threads glimmered faintly as she began to sift through them, searching for a realm rich in magical potential. Her claws brushed against one particularly vibrant thread, and she paused. This thread hummed with energy, radiating the magic of Earthland.
Fairy Tail.
The name brought a flicker of hope. Earthland was a world of immense magical power, filled with beings who had achieved the impossible. Zeref had once walked its lands, and its magic was woven deeply into the Loom. Perhaps there, she could find a way to repair the damage he had done.
She focused on the thread, tracing its path through the multiverse. Images of Earthland flickered before her—Natsu's flames, Erza's swords, Lucy's celestial spirits. These mages had faced Zeref before and triumphed. If anyone understood the stakes, it was them.
But Neralyth hesitated. Earthland was a world she had watched from afar, never interfering despite the temptation. To step into its realm now would risk disrupting its balance. Yet the Loom was unraveling, and time was running out.
Her decision was made. She reached out, weaving her magic into the thread. The air around her shimmered as a portal began to form, connecting the Nexus to Earthland.
"For the Loom," she murmured, stepping through.
Arrival in Earthland
The portal deposited her in a dense forest, the air thick with magic. She took a moment to adjust, her massive form blending into the shadows of the trees. Despite her size, she moved with practiced grace, her scales shifting to mimic the dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy.
She extended her senses, searching for the strongest magical signatures nearby. It didn't take long to find them. A guild hall brimming with energy lay to the north—a place where wizards gathered to protect their world and each other.
Fairy Tail.
Neralyth folded her wings, suppressing her presence as she approached. She couldn't reveal herself yet, not without understanding their world and their magic. For now, she would observe, learn, and search for a way to repair the Loom.
But as she neared the guild, a familiar presence stopped her in her tracks. The air around her darkened, and she felt the unmistakable taint of Zeref's magic lingering nearby.
"He's been here," she muttered, her claws digging into the earth.
Zeref's shadow stretched across Earthland, and Neralyth knew she was running out of time.