The Celestial Spirit King was, after all, the ruler of his realm. When he saw a human as young and brazen as Kael, he had originally intended to teach the boy a lesson in humility. He certainly hadn't expected to be the one receiving the lesson.
Kael's earlier threat to "finish him off" hadn't been empty bravado. The youth truly possessed the power to make good on it. To witness such transcendent strength in someone so young was the first time the King had felt genuine shock in all his millennia.
Kael deactivated his transformation, returning to his usual appearance. He dipped his head politely.
"You flatter me, Your Majesty. This isn't the Spirit World, so you couldn't manifest your full power. I only took advantage of circumstance."
His expression softened.
"And… I apologize for my rudeness earlier. I was desperate to save my friend."
The Spirit King blinked. It was hard to reconcile this calm, well-mannered young wizard with the cold-eyed monster who had just shattered divine armor.
"Hahahaha!"
the King boomed, laughing with unrestrained delight.
"There is nothing wrong with a little arrogance in youth!"
Despite losing, his mood was excellent. If anything, he felt relief—relief that his 'Old Friend' Makarov had someone so fiercely protective of comrades standing at his side.
They descended together to the base of the waterfall.
"Leo,"
the Spirit King declared, voice echoing through the clearing.
"As per our agreement, I permit your return to the Celestial Spirit World."
"Yes! That's amazing! Loke, you're going home! Mustache-Gramps, you're actually a pretty great guy!"
Lucy squealed and jumped in place.
The King chuckled, amused by Lucy's shameless honesty.
Virgo wriggled closer—still bound in thick ropes—arching like a caterpillar.
"That is wonderful news."
"Why are you still tied up?!"
Lucy's face twitched.
Tears finally spilled over Loke's cheeks. He had already accepted oblivion. He had made his peace with disappearance. To be given a second chance—after years of slow death—felt like a miracle he didn't deserve.
"Leo,"
the King said, lifting one heavy hand,
"your punishment is concluded. If you still wish to atone, then do it properly."
His gaze shifted to Lucy.
"Become this girl's strength. Protect her well."
"Yes… Your Majesty."
Loke's shoulders trembled.
With that, the Celestial Spirit King dissolved into a thousand shimmering points of light and rose into the heavens. The world snapped back into motion. The waterfall resumed its thunderous roar. The river unfroze and surged forward again, as if reality itself had been holding its breath until the King departed.
Clang—!
A golden gate materialized behind Loke. As it opened, his body began dissolving into warm golden photons, drawn gently toward the entrance.
"Kael… Lucy…"
Loke's voice broke as he wept.
"I can't thank you enough. Please… from now on… let me fight beside you."
"Of course!"
Lucy's eyes shone.
As Loke vanished into the gate, a single gold key—etched with the symbol of Leo the Lion—dropped into Lucy's open palm. She clutched it to her chest. A new Zodiac key was priceless… but the real treasure was that her friend was alive.
Kael watched the gate close, feeling the tension finally leave his shoulders. To him, Loke wasn't "just a spirit." He was a guildmate. Family. And if any other member of Fairy Tail ever stood on the edge of death the way Loke had, Kael knew he'd do the same thing—without hesitation.
After checking in at the dormitory and letting everyone know Loke was safe, Kael finally headed home. He found Mirajane standing near his front door, her silhouette softened by the moonlight. Just seeing her waiting there—quietly, patiently—hit Kael in a way he couldn't explain. It wasn't excitement. It wasn't adrenaline. It was home.
"Kael,"
Mira asked, relief spilling into her voice,
"how is Loke?"
"Don't worry,"
Kael said, smiling tiredly.
"He's going to be fine."
After everything that had happened, Kael didn't push his luck with any teasing or bold moves. He simply walked Mira back to her place, and on the way he told her what had happened at the waterfall—leaving out the more dangerous details, but not the weight of it.
Mira's expression turned gentle and pained.
"I can't believe Loke endured that… His desire to protect his friend wasn't wrong. And your desire to save him was noble."
She looked up at him, eyes steady.
"But please, Kael. Be careful. You carry so much."
"Don't worry. I value my life. If I see a fight I can't win, I'm the first one out the door."
Kael's grin returned, lighter this time.
He wasn't entirely joking. Even in the Troll Kingdom, he'd kept enough mana in reserve to flee instantly if the situation turned bad. Kael only stayed because he'd judged—accurately—that he could win.
"I believe you."
Mira laughed softly.
They reached her doorstep.
"I'm home,"
she said, voice quiet.
"Yeah,"
Kael replied—then hesitated, lingering a fraction longer than he meant to. Even though they saw each other every day now, goodbye kept getting harder.
"Would you… like to come in for a minute?"
Mira asked, cheeks faintly pink.
Kael wanted to. But he saw the exhaustion in her eyes, and his expression softened.
"Not tonight. It's late. You've had a long day. You should rest."
Mira's shoulders relaxed—relief and disappointment mixed together.
"Mm… you're right. You just got back from a mission too. See you tomorrow?"
"See you tomorrow."
Kael waved and turned.
"Kael!"
He looked back.
"Yeah?"
Something soft pressed against his lips. Warm. Brief. Trembling.
Kael froze. Mira's face was inches away, eyes squeezed shut—then she pulled back so fast she nearly stumbled, her cheeks blazing crimson.
She gave him a quick, nervous smile, hands clenched behind her back.
"See you tomorrow!"
And then she bolted into her house like a startled rabbit, slamming the door with a loud thud. Kael stood still on the sidewalk, touching his lips like he didn't quite believe what had happened.
"…That actually felt pretty good,"
he murmured.
"If only it had lasted a few seconds longer."
But he wasn't complaining. A first kiss was a milestone. And somehow, it lit a fire under him.
Inside, Mira leaned against the door, heart racing like it wanted to escape her chest. She pressed her fingers to her lips and whispered into the empty hallway, stunned by her own boldness.
"So… that's what a kiss feels like?"
Back at his apartment, Kael sat cross-legged on his bed and began practicing Sun Breathing to steady his nerves. His mind, of course, kept wandering back to the kiss. And then to something equally important.
The clock.
He had consulted Cana earlier. She'd declared—very confidently—that 10:00 PM was his "lucky hour." Kael half-suspected she'd been messing with him… but her predictions had never missed. He wasn't about to gamble against a woman who could read fate for fun.
Dong. Dong. Dong.
As the clock struck ten, Kael snapped his eyes open. He summoned the system interface with a flick of his wrist.
"[Would you like to perform a ten-consecutive pull?]"
Kael swallowed, heart pounding with anticipation.
"Confirm,"
he muttered.