"A human? What do you mean?" Mavis's expression was uncharacteristically serious, a comical contrast to the dollop of cake cream on the tip of her nose.
"I met a man named Precht," Shun explained. "He said he was an old friend of yours."
At the name, Mavis's eyes widened. "You met Precht? He's alive?" she asked, a spark of hope in her voice.
"He is. He founded a dark guild called Grimoire Heart and tried to recruit me. To show his goodwill, he gave me some information." Shun paused, letting the weight of his next words settle. "He said your real body is alive, sealed in a chamber beneath the guild."
"So… what was your answer?" Mavis's voice was hesitant.
"Shun, I… I've made my peace with how things are," she replied, her tone complex and layered with centuries of resignation.
"I haven't," Shun stated, cutting her off without malice. His gaze was steady, holding hers. "I want you to become human again. I want you to grow old with me. You know what my magic is capable of. Just trust me."
A small pout formed on her lips. "That's not fair. Why ask for my opinion if you've already decided?"
"I was just informing you of the plan," he said with a quick, confident grin. "Now, follow me. No need to bother Makarov."
With a subtle pulse of energy, Shun repelled the light around himself, vanishing from sight. "We'll infiltrate the guild and retrieve your body."
"Couldn't we just ask him? It is my body, after all," Mavis questioned, her spectral form flickering.
"Where's the fun in that? Today, I'm in the mood for a heist." Shun's disembodied voice shrugged. "Try to touch me. I'll teleport us directly."
Mavis reached out timidly, but her hand passed through empty air.
"Guess I'm going solo, then. The moment I absorb and destroy the curse, your consciousness should return to your main body." Without waiting for further debate, he was gone.
---
He appeared high above Magnolia, the Fairy Tail guild hall laid out below him. What he was about to do was a crime in their eyes, but his resolve was firm.
Shrouded in perfect invisibility, he descended. At his level of skill, neither Makarov nor Gildarts would sense him unless they stumbled right into him. Combining his sensory magic with a keen Observation Haki, he confirmed the two powerful mages were at home. Confident, he slipped inside.
It didn't take long to find the hidden door and the chamber it concealed. A protective barrier shimmered across the entrance, but a touch from his paw caused it to dissolve into silent, harmless motes of light.
And there she was. Mavis, her true form, preserved in a massive, crystal-clear lacrima. It was a miraculous, almost sacred sight.
Today, I devour it all, Shun thought. Every bit of power, leaving the poison behind to be crushed by my concept repelling.
"Infinite Magic… Fascinating." He placed his palm against the crystal. It didn't shatter, but rather softened, dissolving into the form of his spectral paw. He consumed it without a moment's hesitation.
Freed from its prison, Mavis's physical body slumped forward. Shun caught her gently, his paw already pressing against her chest. It pulsed, and with a resonant hum, a giant, paw-shaped bubble of energy was drawn out of her. It glowed with the intensity of a miniature sun, painful to look upon, and it swelled larger with every second.
The very ground in Magnolia trembled.
Miles away, Makarov and Gildarts snapped to attention, sensing the violent surge of magic erupting from their guild.
An attack! They raced back, but they were too late.
They burst into the chamber to find Shun standing beside a colossal, solar flare of energy contained within that paw-shaped bubble. He saw them, offered a reckless grin, and then leaped directly into the heart of the maelstrom.
He was attempting the impossible: to devour the Infinite Magic while repelling the lethal curse that siphoned the life from anyone nearby. It was an act of insane greed and daring.
Before the stunned eyes of the Fairy Tail masters, Shun's body began to devour the colossal energy. His flesh strained and tore, bones cracking under the pressure, only to be instantly knit back together by his powerful regeneration. The cycle of destruction and healing was a brutal, visible torment.
It lasted ten full minutes. Then, a new horror emerged. Shun's hair, his eyebrows—everything began to bleach a deathly white. It wasn't a transformation; it was a drain. His life force was being consumed. He was dying in real time.
"Shun!" Makarov and Gildarts cried in unison. Makarov moved to intervene, but a voice, small yet firm, stopped him.
"Stop, Third Master! I gave him my permission. It is my body, after all."
They turned. Mavis, now fully awake within her physical form, was watching with wide, worried eyes.
As their attention shifted, a manic laugh echoed from the center of the storm. Shun, drunk on the overwhelming power coursing through him, threw his head back.
"I don't want to sound like a third-rate villain, but… the power is overwhelming!" he roared, his voice cracking with strain and ecstasy.
"Shun! Calm down, you fool!" Makarov screamed, terrified the unstable energy would detonate and level Magnolia.
But just as suddenly as it began, it ended. The raging magic vanished as if a plug had been pulled. In the sudden silence and stillness, Shun, his hair stark white, collapsed to the floor.
Mavis rushed to his side, her new, living hands frantically checking for a pulse. A wave of visible relief washed over her. "He's alive!"
"Third Master! Don't just stand there, get him to a doctor!" It was a comical sight—a young girl scolding an old man—but Makarov reacted as if his own mother had given the order.
"Right!"
The scolded Guild Master then turned to his ace. "Gildarts! What are you gawking at? Carry him!"
Gildarts sighed, a wry smile touching his lips, and obediently scooped up the unconscious Shun.