Erza's violet eyes shifted once toward Loid before returning to Fiona.
"I see."
She still didn't fully understand what existed between the two of them, but something about Fiona's desperate reaction bothered her. As Erza continued staring at the man hanging from her hand, his face gradually pulled an old memory from the back of her mind.
She had seen him before.
Not in person.
In a photograph.
It had been an old childhood photograph of Fiona standing beside a young boy. Erza hadn't considered the image particularly important at the time, but her memory was far too sharp to forget a face once she had properly seen it.
Her eyes moved toward Loid again.
That boy...
Then she looked at Fiona.
The trembling sword remained pressed against Fiona's abdomen, and despite the fear covering her face, she still refused to lower it. She was prepared to stake her own life upon keeping the same boy from that photograph alive.
The connection finally settled inside Erza's mind.
