Fairy Tail: Threads of Infinity

The sun peeked over the horizon, casting a soft glow across Magnolia as the city slowly stirred awake. Back in the Fairy Tail guild hall, the usual chaos had already begun—Gray yelling at Natsu for stealing his towel again, Happy flitting around teasing Lucy about her "love triangle," and Mirajane humming cheerfully as she served breakfast. It was as though the Tower of Heaven arc never happened.

But behind the laughter and the easy camaraderie, something much larger stirred across the continent.

The headlines had exploded overnight, carried by Magic Telegrams, Rune Scrolls, and every magic-based news outlet across Fiore:

"Magic Council Headquarters in Era Severely Damaged in Mysterious Explosion!"

"Ten Wizard Saint Seigrein Revealed to Be Thought Projection of Jellal Fernandes!"

"Ultear Milkovich Missing—Presumed Responsible for Era Explosion!"

The usually stoic faces of the Magic Council were now absent, replaced by disarray and open blame. Several council seats had been vacated. Ultear's betrayal sent a wave of panic not just through the bureaucracy, but through the entire magical society. She had vanished like smoke in the wind.

Inside the guild hall, a fresh stack of newspapers lay half-read on one of the round tables. Master Makarov sat quietly in his usual chair, squinting down at the paper with furrowed brows.

Across the room, the newly returned team was still being smothered in affection and excitement.

"You seriously beat all of Jellal's goons?" Macao blinked at Shinra, slack-jawed. "Just you alone?"

Shinra just gave a sheepish grin. "It wasn't that hard. They were loud, flashy... and kinda dumb."

"Dumb?" Elfman said, slapping Shinra on the back hard enough to jolt a table. "Anyone who tries to take on Fairy Tail is definitely dumb. That's the manly truth!"

"Still, that's insane," Cana murmured, sipping her drink while watching him from the rim of her glass. "You all basically stopped a magic weapon of mass destruction, brought down a rogue wizard saint, and fought a girl with cat ears..."

"Millianna," Erza corrected gently.

"…Right. Sorry. Hard to keep up with this week's crazy news."

On the upper balcony, Mirajane leaned over the railing, watching the chaos below with a fond smile. "Feels nice to be back," she said.

Beside her, Lucy yawned, stretching. "Feels like I need five more naps to process everything."

"Agreed," said Juvia, dreamily cuddling a plushie that very much looked like Gray's.

Gray was pretending not to notice.

---

Later that day, as the guild calmed down and the sun dipped behind the clouds, the team finally had a quiet moment to sit together around one of the back tables—Erza, Mira, Lucy, Natsu, Happy, Gray, Juvia, and Shinra.

"So," Gray said, glancing at the paper again. "Ultear caused that explosion… and she was the one who pushed the Council into launching Etherion?"

"Yeah," Lucy murmured. "And Seigrein was just... a projection of Jellal. I still can't believe someone that powerful turned out to be fake all along."

"She played them all," Mira added, her tone unusually serious. "And then slipped away before anyone could react. The Council is completely shaken."

Natsu was chewing on some grilled fish while Happy dozed beside him. "So what happens now?"

"They're rebuilding," Erza said. "Simon and his friends turned Jellal in to what remains of the Council. They explained everything—including Ultear's involvement."

"Did they believe them?" Lucy asked.

"Hard not to," Shinra replied. "Especially when they found traces of Arc of Time magic in the explosion's aftermath."

Everyone turned to him.

He blinked. "What? I read it in the paper."

Erza narrowed her eyes slightly but said nothing.

There was a brief silence as everyone processed the weight of what had happened. They had stopped the tower. They had saved Erza. But the shadows behind it… were still moving.

---

**Somewhere in the woods, days prior...**

Ultear stood alone before a lake, her reflection staring back with cold amusement. The water shimmered slightly under her magic aura.

"They played their part well," she muttered. "Even Jellal was useful in the end."

She turned and vanished into the forest, her cloak fluttering behind her.

---

**Back at Fairy Tail**

"You okay?" Mira asked, nudging Shinra's side gently.

He blinked and looked up from his untouched drink. "Yeah. Just thinking about something. "

"About?"

Shinra's eyes darkened for a moment. "Ultear."

"Because of what she did?"

"No, because of what she's going to do."

The others blinked at him.

"She's not done," Shinra said quietly. "Not by a long shot."

There was another pause, broken only by Natsu loudly cracking his knuckles.

"Well then," Natsu grinned. "We'll just have to beat her up when she shows up, too."

"Maybe," Shinra muttered, glancing out the window.

In truth, Shinra already knew how deep this rabbit hole went. Ultear wasn't just a rogue Council member—she was a founding member of a much darker organization. She hadn't just escaped—she'd disappeared into the belly of the storm.

The Oración Seis. Edolas. Grimore Heart. Zeref. Acnologia.

So many events were waiting to unfold.

He couldn't stop all of them—not without throwing the timeline into chaos—but he could guide the others, little by little.

And he would.

But for now, he allowed himself to relax—just a little.

Juvia was trying to give Gray her drink. Lucy was arguing with Natsu about who had to carry Happy next time he got lazy. Mira was humming beside him.

And Erza?

She sat quietly, watching them all with a rare smile.

"Fairy Tail," Shinra murmured to himself. "You guys really are something else."

---

**Elsewhere…**

In the ruins of the Council chambers, a group of knights and engineers were salvaging what they could.

"Sir! We found something in the west wing!"

An older mage rushed over. "What is it?"

A torn fragment of Ultear's cloak, soaked in magical residue.

"She was here," the mage whispered. "But she's long gone now…"

Far in the distance, a black owl circled in the sky before vanishing into the clouds.

---