"I'm not going to give some rousing speech," Shane said, voice calm and direct. "We did it—we left that tower. That's enough."
His gaze shifted to the black giant of stone behind them—the thing that had caged them for years—and his eyes went cold.
"But before we leave, there's one last thing to do." He raised a hand toward the Tower of Heaven. "That place is packed with memories of pain, slavery, and sin. We don't need a 'past' like that to remember.
Let's set it alight with our own hands—burn every damned piece of that 'past'! Let this fire be the beginning of our new lives!"
For a heartbeat the crowd was silent—then the roar came.
"Burn it!"
"He's right! Burn it clean!"
"Never again—no more places like this!"
People leapt from the ships, rushing the piles of lumber and scrap stacked around the tower's base, tossing on anything they could find—
torches, kindling, even their ragged prison clothes set aflame and hurled across.
Sparks raced outward. Soon the lower stonework licked with orange tongues of fire, smoke boiled up, and the blaze painted faces with a mix of excitement and release.
Shane jumped down too, snatched up a burning stick, and flung it hard at the tower.
Then he went to Sawyer, who still wore a furrowed brow, and spoke low. "About Jellal…"
In a few crisp lines he laid out Jellal's plan—his awakening to magic, and his decision to go undercover of his own will.
By the end, the worry and confusion on Sawyer's face had settled into something more complex. He clenched his fists, went quiet, then snapped his head up, eyes firm. "Got it. Then I'm staying too."
Wally scratched his head, glanced at Sawyer, then at Shane. "If Jellal and Sawyer are staying… I'll be one of them as well."
Shane looked at them. Jellal, Sawyer, Wally—they'd been together long before he arrived; their bond ran deep.
When he made the plan, he'd already figured at least two of them would go back to the tower.
He didn't try to talk them out of it—just nodded. "All right. Protect yourselves—and trust Jellal."
He paused, then added, "Give him a message for me: 'I'll help dig up news on Zeref from the outside.'"
He hated the Tower of Heaven, but what he loathed even more than the organization behind it was the source of it all—the dead dark mage, Zeref.
He wasn't about to dump everything on the blue-haired kid. After all, Jellal was, well… a dear friend—the kind the Book of Heroic Spirits itself would certify.
The thought made Shane sigh inwardly.
Am I really that easy to 'win over'?
After their talk in the tower, the "Initiation" trial had ticked another box: Jellal counted as a mutually acknowledged, heart-to-heart friend…
Sawyer nodded solemnly. "Understood."
After all this, the chestnut-headed boy was already far more mature than when Shane first met him.
Erza, Simon, Millianna, and Grandpa Rob came over too. Once they'd heard the situation, worry showed, but so did understanding and support.
The fire climbed higher, painting half the sky red.
Around the burning tower, people cried and cheered, a farewell to the past and a catharsis by flame.
Only when the tower groaned under its own weight and the blaze could no longer be stopped did Shane signal everyone back to the ships.
He said his goodbyes to Sawyer and Wally on the shore, reminding them to wait for the fire to die before looking for Jellal.
Hoist the sails. Set out.
By the charts aboard, they were off the coast near Carlum. The ships came about and headed for the nearest shoreline.
On the voyage, a few gathered on deck to talk about what came next.
Simon spoke first, without a trace of hesitation. "I'm going home to find my little sister."
Grandpa Rob stood by the rail, both hands on the wood, the lines on his face etched deep in the sun. "Me? Travel a bit, then find a quiet spot to retire in peace."
None of that surprised anyone—they'd said as much before. What did surprise Shane was Millianna's choice.
"I… I'm going with Grandpa Rob," she said softly but firmly, fingers pinching her hem, eyes a little shy yet clinging to the old man.
Shane glanced at her, moved. He hadn't realized she leaned on Rob that much.
But thinking it over, it wasn't strange.
She was the youngest in the tower; Grandpa Rob had always looked after her. He'd surely given her a share of his own food more than once. That kind of bond was only natural.
And really, it wasn't just the girl relying on the old man.
Shane felt that following him wasn't about being unwilling to part—it was not wanting the old man to travel alone.
What a good kid.
He couldn't help smiling, ruffling Millianna's hair till it was a mess. She puffed out her cheeks, the obedient look flipping straight to huffy.
His gaze slid to Erza, who had stayed quiet. She stood facing the wind, red hair streaming. Curiosity tugged at him.
"Erza, you were taken with Simon, right? From the same place? Not going back with him to take a look?"
Erza shook her head. Her eyes held some confusion—but more searching. "No. I… want to travel, and, like you said, try to find my surname."
She paused, then tossed it back at him. "What about you, Shane? What will you do?"
For a second, he was at a loss. He scratched his head. "Me? Honestly, I haven't decided. Probably wander a bit, see the world…"
Grandpa Rob's eyes lit up. "If you haven't picked, kid, want to go see 'Fairy Tail'?"
"That's the guild I used to belong to. Their library's got loads of magic lore. The master, Makarov, is unreliable—but if I ask, he'll let you study there for free."
"Fairy Tail… a guild?" Shane brightened.
Even with the Book of Heroic Spirits, he was hungry to learn magic. A proper guild library was a powerful lure.
And he remembered the emblem on Rob's back; the design nagged at him. He could look into that too.
"Sounds great. All right—decision made. I'll travel and swing by the Fairy Tail guild to take a look."
"I'm coming too," Erza said suddenly, voice clear. Seeing the looks she drew, she explained, "Finding a surname takes strength. I think learning magic there—getting stronger—is a good path."
Practical. Direct.
Shane smiled. "No problem. We'll go together."
They'd only been together a few days, but he liked this tough girl just fine. As for traveling together—he had no objections at all.