Fairy Tail: Evolution Start From The Black Dragon

The discussions among Magnolia's residents about the suddenly appearing estate and dragon castle in the East Forest grew more intense. Even if Makarov wasn't paying attention initially, word spread quickly, and he finally heard about it from his drinking buddies, Macao and Wakaba.

A slightly tipsy Makarov shivered, feeling suddenly sober.

"What did you just say? A dragon castle?!"

Macao, a bit sentimental, said, "There's a castle with a dragon stone statue in the East Forest. The dragon statue is quite imposing."

Wakaba nodded. "Yes, some people say it must have been sculpted by someone who had seen a real dragon."

"What color is it?"

"Brown!"

"Yellow!"

"A castle with a dragon stone statue..." Makarov frowned. He couldn't help but recall the news he had received from the Council earlier this month—a century-old quest client had disappeared, and the Dragon of the Magic Array's castle had also vanished.

At that time, Makarov had seen a picture of the castle, the same one with the dragon stone statue that Macao mentioned...

...

After the conversation with Irene and Selene five days ago, Erza hadn't left the girls' dormitory since.

She needed some time to herself, and even the upcoming Magnolia Harvest Festival, which she had been eagerly anticipating, couldn't pique her interest.

If not for Hilda's reassurance to Makarov, he might have thought Erza had gone missing.

Knock, knock—

A gentle, aged voice followed the knocking:

"Erza, it's me, Grandma Hilda."

"Come in."

Grandma Hilda placed two wrapped sweets on Erza's desk:

"Erza, a soufflé and a strawberry cake. They suddenly appeared on my table with your name on them."

This had been happening for five days now, initially scaring Grandma Hilda half to death, fearing someone might be trying to poison Erza.

"Thank you, Grandma Hilda."

"You're welcome, but you've been in your room for five days now. Why not go out for a walk?"

Erza pursed her lips slightly and shook her head.

"Grandma didn't mean to pry, but I've heard your mother found you, right?"

Good news travels fast, but bad news and gossip travel even faster...

In the past five days, the news that Erza's mother had suddenly appeared had spread throughout Magnolia. It was hard for Grandma Hilda not to know.

When Erza first joined Fairy Tail, Grandma Hilda learned from Makarov that she was an orphan. Who would have thought a mother would suddenly appear?

After a long silence, Erza finally nodded. "Yes."

"I don't have children, so I can't understand everything between you. But if she came all this way, it means she loves you. Otherwise, why bother? I assume the cakes are from her too."

"Grandma won't say more. After you finish these cakes, go for a walk, even if it's just outside the dormitory."

With that, Grandma Hilda left.

Erza sat at the head of her bed, hugging her knees and staring at the soufflé and strawberry cake on her desk. She knew they were from Irene since only Irene and Selene knew about her, and only they could deliver the cakes unnoticed.

While eating the cake, Erza thought about the past few days. Besides thinking about how to face Irene, she also found herself curious about someone else.

Aegon.

Who exactly was he? What was his relationship with Irene?

Although she only glanced at him in the guild, Erza could tell that among the three, Aegon was the leader.

These questions lingered in her mind. She was sure Aegon wasn't her father. When Irene talked about her past, although Erza didn't sense any hatred, it was clear she considered him a stranger. But Irene didn't seem to regard Aegon as a stranger. Despite only a brief glimpse, Erza couldn't figure it out.

Suddenly, a magical water mirror appeared in Erza's room...

"Who!" Erza immediately summoned her magic sword, pointing it at the water mirror.

"Your vigilance is commendable," a sultry, whisper-like female voice sounded.

Erza retracted her sword, recognizing Selene's voice. She hadn't expected Selene's voice to be so seductive, even more so than when she heard it in the forest.

Dressed in a white off-shoulder dress embroidered with black flowers, Selene sat on Erza's bed, legs crossed, smiling at her.

Erza frowned. "What are you doing here?"

Selene rested her elbow on her raised leg, propping her chin with her hand. "I'm inviting you over to stay. She prepared a very nice room for you."

Erza was puzzled. "Why didn't she invite me herself?"

'A very nice room?'

Hearing Selene mention it, Erza realized she didn't even know where Irene and Selene were staying. She hadn't left the dormitory in days.

Selene sighed, shaking her head in slight frustration. "She's been preoccupied with how to fix your right eye. But I think she's mistaken; you can't see what she's doing, so it's pointless for her to worry about it."

"..." Erza didn't know how to respond. 'Is she really trying to fix my right eye?'

Selene raised an eyebrow with a playful smile. "How about it? Come with me as a favor for all the cakes I brought you these past few days."

After some hesitation, Erza nodded. "Alright."

Firstly, Selene had piqued her curiosity a bit. Secondly, Erza had a good impression of Selene and was grateful for her words of comfort a few days ago, which helped her calm down and consider Irene's perspective.

"Let's go!" Selene was clearly pleased, her tone brimming with excitement.

"Wait a moment, I'll leave a note for Grandma Hilda."

The magical water mirror reappeared on Erza's bed. Without turning around, Selene lay back and vanished into the mirror. After writing the note, Erza took a deep breath to steady her emotions and entered the magic mirror.

Before her was a grand estate, with a castle featuring a dragon statue standing beside it. Maids were watering and trimming the plants along the paths.

Erza couldn't help but twitch her lips...

In an open area, two girls, one with blue hair and the other with blonde hair, were sparring. At first glance, Erza could tell they were no ordinary individuals.

She looked around, bewildered. "Where is this place?"

Selene gave her an amused look. "You really don't know? Well, you haven't been out these past few days. This is the outskirts of the East Forest."

"That's impossible! The East Forest is all trees, and this only took a few days!"

Erza had lived in Magnolia for over a year. Even though she rarely went to the East Forest, she knew it didn't have such a luxurious estate.

"You don't understand magic."

Selene left it at that and started walking. "Follow me, don't get lost."

"Selene-sama," Misaki and Kiria stopped their sparring when they saw her approach.

"This is Misaki and Kiria, my... students, I suppose," Selene explained, knowing Misaki and Kiria would eventually belong to Aegon. "This is Erza, Irene's daughter."

"Alright, continue your training."

The term "Selene-sama" made Erza realize the disparity in the world. She understood that Selene wasn't just the approachable person she had presented herself as but a high-ranking authority figure.

Erza's education wasn't the best, but she could describe Selene's demeanor in one word: approachable.

However, it was clear Selene had other facets...