"Wendy!"
Everyone's first reaction was to call out the guild's medical angel, especially Gray, who was the most anxious.
Wendy didn't need any urging; she rushed to Ultear's side at the first chance, her hands glowing with healing magic.
Carla worriedly asked, "Wendy, can your magic power hold up?"
Wendy replied, "No problem, with Brother Rhode's Crown of Insight and the restoration of the Celestial Wolf Tree, I feel my physical state is great."
Rhode took out a folding bed and asked Melty to lay Ultear down, then handed a medical kit to Mira and placed the Crown of Embers on Ultear.
Wendy was casting healing magic on one side, while Mira knelt by Ultear's other side, helping to re-dress her wounds.
—The wounds were deep, as if pierced by a sword or some other sharp object.
Gray observed Wendy's expression and felt somewhat relieved before asking Melty, "What exactly happened?"
Melty couldn't answer his question, urgently asking, "Ul... Ultear, how is she?"
The emotionally sensitive Lucy seemed to feel Melty's anxiety, gently hugging her and comforting, "Don't worry, Wendy can heal any wound. You're so cold... you'll catch a cold this way."
Lucy noticed that Melty's body was icy cold, as though she just emerged from water. Although the weather on Celestial Wolf Island was like midsummer, it was still a bit chilly at dawn.
"Natsu, hurry and start a fire." Lucy urged.
Natsu didn't bother gathering wood, he just stood between Melty and Ultear, flames roaring from his body.
Perhaps it was the all-encompassing care and comfort of Fairy Tail that reassured her, or perhaps seeing the bleeding of Ultear's wounds stop, Melty finally managed to recount what happened after they left.
It turned out that when Ultear set foot on Celestial Wolf Island, she had already prepared a location and small boat to leave alone with Zeref.
Later, although they abandoned the plan, they both left Demon's Heart using that small boat.
Once they were far from the island, Ultear suddenly brought up the past events.
—Melty's hometown was destroyed by Ultear herself and her crew; the deaths of Melty's family and friends were all linked to her.
Although she raised Melty, she felt that couldn't make up for the sins she had committed.
In the past, Ultear believed everything could be redeemed, no matter how evil her deeds, but now her heart was filled with boundless guilt.
So she chose to atone by committing suicide, sinking into the sea with all her remorse and sins.
Upon learning the truth, Melty was naturally deeply shaken, but she couldn't watch Ultear die.
Seeing Ultear sink into the sea, Melty's first reaction was to jump in and save her.
Ultear was her enemy, but also her only family left in this world.
Speaking of sins, Melty carried them too, and she wanted to live with Ultear and face them together.
So she pulled Ultear from the sea, quickly bandaged her wounds, and returned to Celestial Wolf Island for help.
"Truly..." Gray looked at Ultear, unable to find words; deep down, both mother and daughter were the same.
The sky gradually brightened as the red sun rose from the east, and Ultear's pale complexion started to improve.
When the first rays of morning sunlight hit her face, Ultear opened her eyes, instinctively raising her hand to block it.
"Ultear!" Melty had already flung herself forward, burying her head in Ultear's chest, "Don't say those things anymore! Please live, I'm begging you! I can feel all your sadness and regret! Please don't leave me alone!"
"Melty..." Ultear struggled to lift her hand, placing it on Melty's head, finding no reason or right for her own survival.
But maybe for Melty, she could try once more.
The two hugged and cried for quite a while before Ultear noticed their surroundings and the people: "This place is..."
"Celestial Wolf Island. The president said you could rest here or return with us." Gray stated, "You..."
Gray paused, struggling before finally blurting, "Ul will be sad."
"I understand."
Ultear wanted to say that she saw Ul, back when she sank into the ocean.
Come to think of it, back on Garna Island, after the absolute ice dissolved, it must have flowed into the sea, right?
Others were packing up, preparing to leave.
Thanks to Wendy's healing magic, Rhode's Crown of Embers, and the restoration of the Celestial Wolf Tree, the severely injured could now get out of bed and walk.
Everyone thought this chaotic exam would end just as messily.
However, just as they were discussing plans for next year's exam and taking on jobs to earn a living after returning, a strange sound suddenly reached their ears.
"Ong..."
It seemed to come from the sky or from all directions, sounding somewhat familiar.
Wasn't this the same kind of sound the dragons Rhode summoned used to make?
The sound grew closer and louder, overwhelming everyone with a sense of oppression.
Not particularly intense, but definitely uncomfortable.
"What's going on?"
"Is something approaching?"
"Could it be that Zeref has returned?"
Everyone gathered together, with even Ultear and Melty joining in.
All were puzzled, but Kildas' face changed dramatically; he clutched his left arm, sweat streaming down his forehead, "It's it! It's the creature from that time!"
Makarov hurriedly asked, "Kildas, do you know?"
With a heavy tone, Kildas replied, "It's the creature that left me like this, the Black Dragon!"
"What?"
Perhaps having seen the dragons summoned by Rhode, everyone was shocked but not quite terrified yet.
Only Kildas gravely warned, "We should prepare to evacuate quickly, avoid being noticed by it!"
Laxus spoke up, "It's too late."
Everyone looked up at the sky, only to see a strange dragon with black wings circling above Celestial Wolf Island.
It had clearly noticed the people on the island.
Just moments ago, the sound seemed distant, yet in the blink of an eye, it had arrived.
Makarov recalled the images he had seen, solemnly stating, "That is the Black Dragon from the Revelation, Acronologia."
"Why is it here? Is it coming for us?" Rhode felt his heart pounding due to the immense magic power in the sky, though not yet overly panicked.
He tightly gripped the pendant, ready to summon at any moment.
Natsu was the first to break from the crowd, shouting at the sky, "Hey! Do you know where Igneru is? And Grandeeney and Medalikana?"
Kildas pulled Natsu back, "Idiot! Don't provoke it!"
The black dragon in the sky seemed to hear them; it swooped down directly!