The deeper Neralyth traveled into the corrupted woods, the more the air thickened with the residue of Zeref's ancient magic. The very fabric of Earthland in this place felt brittle, as though even the ground beneath her claws had grown weary of its unnatural burden. The threads of the Loom here were frayed and tangled, pulsating with a deep, ominous hum.
Neralyth paused before a crumbling ruin partially hidden by the dense underbrush. The structure was old—older than any of the current kingdoms of Earthland. Its stones were blackened and cracked, etched with runes that pulsed faintly with residual dark magic. This place, she realized, had once been a stronghold of Zeref's followers.
"Here lies the heart of the corruption," she murmured.
With a flick of her tail, she extended her senses into the ruins, her consciousness brushing against the threads of the Loom. What she found was a torrent of memories, echoes of the countless lives that had been touched—or destroyed—by this place. The walls themselves seemed to cry out with the whispers of Zeref's experiments and the screams of those who had suffered under his pursuit of immortality.
Her claws glowed faintly as she severed the Loom's threads that kept these memories tethered to the ruins. The whispers faded, leaving only silence. Satisfied, she stepped through the crumbled archway into the heart of the structure.
The interior of the ruin was dark, lit only by the faint glow of the runes that lined the walls. Strange symbols and diagrams covered the floor, etched into the stone in perfect, intricate patterns. At the center of the room stood a pedestal, atop which rested a single, ancient tome. The book radiated dark magic so powerful that it seemed to bend the air around it, creating a faint shimmer that made the room feel unreal.
Neralyth approached cautiously. She recognized the tome for what it was: one of Zeref's Forbidden Archives, a collection of his darkest experiments and forbidden knowledge. The book seemed to pulsate with its own heartbeat, its pages whispering in a language long forgotten.
"This is dangerous," she said aloud, her voice echoing through the chamber. "Even for me."
But she couldn't ignore the knowledge that the tome contained. It wasn't just a relic of Zeref's past—it was a key to understanding the lingering corruption that plagued Earthland. With a deep breath, she extended a claw toward the book.
The moment she touched it, the room erupted in a storm of dark energy. Shadows poured from the tome like a living thing, twisting and writhing as they lashed out at her. Neralyth stood her ground, her cosmic aura flaring to life as she pushed back against the torrent of darkness.
"Your tricks won't work on me," she growled, her voice low and dangerous.
With a sweep of her claws, she tore through the shadows, unraveling them with the same ease she had severed the corrupted threads of the Loom. The darkness recoiled, retreating into the tome. The storm subsided, leaving the chamber eerily silent once more.
When she opened her eyes, the book's aura had dimmed. It no longer resisted her touch, as though it had recognized her as a being beyond its power. Carefully, she lifted the tome from the pedestal and opened its pages.
The writing within was incomprehensible at first, written in a language that defied the boundaries of time and space. But as she focused, the words began to shift and rearrange themselves, taking on a form she could understand. The knowledge contained within the book was vast, detailing Zeref's experiments with life, death, and the manipulation of magic itself.
One passage in particular caught her attention. It spoke of a ritual that could permanently sever the ties between a world and its Loom, effectively isolating it from the multiverse. Zeref had never completed the ritual, but the notes suggested that someone—or something—had been trying to finish what he had started.
Neralyth's claws tightened on the edges of the book. If such a ritual were completed, it would devastate Earthland. The world's magic would unravel, and its threads would be cast adrift in the void. The consequences would be catastrophic.
"I won't let this happen," she vowed.
But even as she made her promise, she couldn't ignore the faint tug of another thread in the Loom. It was a thread that connected her to the Fairy Tail guild. Something was happening in Magnolia.
Meanwhile, in Magnolia
The town was unusually quiet that morning, a stark contrast to its usual lively atmosphere. The Fairy Tail guild hall, normally bursting with energy, was somber as its members gathered around a table piled with strange documents.
Erza Scarlet stood at the head of the table, her expression grim. "We've received reports of strange activity in the woods outside Magnolia," she said. "Dark magic, similar to Zeref's."
Natsu Dragneel slammed his fists on the table, his fiery temper flaring. "Zeref's gone! We took care of him! So what's going on now?"
Lucy Heartfilia shook her head, her brow furrowed in thought. "Zeref might be gone, but his magic isn't. If someone's trying to use it—"
"They'll regret it," Gray Fullbuster interrupted, his icy demeanor matching the cold magic that radiated from him. "We'll take care of it, just like we always do."
As the guild members prepared to investigate the woods, a shadow passed over the guild hall. It was faint, barely noticeable, but it sent a chill through the air.
Wendy Marvell, standing near the window, looked up suddenly. "Did anyone else feel that?"
The others paused, exchanging uneasy glances.
"Feel what?" Natsu asked, his flames flickering in confusion.
"It felt… like something powerful," Wendy said softly. "Something watching us."
Far above the guild hall, hidden in the clouds, Neralyth observed the scene below. Her presence was cloaked, her form invisible to mortal eyes, but she couldn't ignore the connection she felt to these mages.
"They're strong," she murmured to herself. "But they're not ready for what's coming."
With the Forbidden Archive now in her possession, she had the knowledge she needed to confront the corruption in Earthland. But she also knew that she couldn't do it alone.
For the first time in centuries, Neralyth considered the possibility of stepping out of the shadows