Fairy Tail: The Faint Smile in Earthland

Date: August X789 — Night

Location: Fiore — Abandoned Council Testing Grounds (near Era)

📍 Outside the Testing Grounds

The moon hung low over the old council compound, lighting up the broken rooftops and cracked marble columns. This place had once been full of shouts and magic energy. Now, it was silent, covered in ivy, as if the earth was slowly taking it back.

Romeo pulled his cloak tighter and kept scanning the dark spaces under the archways. His hand rested on his sword, thumb brushing the handle in a steady, nervous rhythm.

Next to him, Teresa moved like a shadow. Her steps were silent, her eyes sharp and bright in the moonlight.

"Why here?" Romeo whispered, afraid to speak too loudly.

"This is where the council started their Etherano-Yoki hybrid experiments," Teresa replied without looking at him. "They called it a controlled site. They abandoned it when it failed… or so they said."

Romeo's jaw tightened. "And now these experiments… they're waking up?"

"Not waking," Teresa corrected, her eyes narrowing as she watched a shadow shift in the distance. "They're being forced awake."

📍 Entry Chamber — Main Hall

They slipped into the main hall. Moonlight shone through the broken ceiling, lighting up strange symbols burned into the floor. Pieces of melted crystals and broken cages lay everywhere, along with rusty chains.

Romeo froze when he saw a pile of cracked masks on the ground — masks once used to control dangerous mages. Their empty eye holes seemed to stare straight at him.

Teresa knelt beside a shattered containment pod, running her fingers across the sharp edge. A faint pulse of magic flickered under her touch, like a weak heartbeat.

"They tried to force living magic into bodies here," she said quietly. "Twisting human will into pure power."

Romeo's stomach turned. "How many?" he asked softly.

"Too many," Teresa replied. "None of them survived as they were."

A scraping sound cut the silence. Romeo turned fast, blue flame sparking along his sword.

Teresa moved first, her sword already up.

📍 Rear Testing Corridor

From the shadows, a creature crawled into view. Its skin was tight and stretched over twisted bones. Its face looked like it was pieced together from different people — mismatched eyes, a mouth frozen in a silent scream.

Romeo stepped back, fighting the urge to gag.

"It shouldn't be awake," Teresa muttered, stepping forward carefully. "The seals were supposed to erase them quietly."

The creature turned its head suddenly, then lunged at them with a harsh, broken hiss.

Romeo moved on instinct, slicing up with his sword. Blue flames burst along the blade, cutting into the creature. It let out a horrible scream that echoed down the corridor.

Teresa rushed in and, with one quick strike, cut through its spine. The creature crumpled to the floor, twitching before going still.

Romeo dropped to one knee, breathing hard, his hand shaking as he leaned on his sword.

Teresa watched him for a moment before kneeling beside him, her hand hovering just above his shoulder.

"Your cut was true," she said gently.

Romeo looked up at her, eyes wide and glassy. "It felt like… killing a child," he said, voice breaking. "It didn't understand. It was just… lost."

Teresa's hand finally rested on his shoulder, not as a command but as support.

"It wasn't truly alive," she said softly. "It was an echo forced into a shape it couldn't hold. You freed it."

Romeo closed his eyes, trying to steady his breathing. After a few shaky moments, he stood up again.

"I know," he whispered. "But it still hurts."

"It should," Teresa replied. "That's what keeps us human."

📍 Deeper Lab — Control Room

They moved deeper, past broken gates and collapsed walls. At the end of the hallway, a heavy door stood slightly open, broken chains hanging from it.

Inside, glowing symbols flickered on the walls. In the center stood a huge containment cylinder, cracked and leaking dark violet light.

Teresa stepped forward slowly, eyes locked on the strange runes circling the cylinder.

"This is the final protocol," she said. "A last attempt to bring back hybrid subjects if containment was broken."

Romeo frowned. "Why leave it active?"

Teresa's face tightened. "Some echoes are too tempting for people to let go of."

Suddenly, the cylinder shook. Cracks spread along its surface, and black ether began to hiss out in thin streams. The runes flared, throwing harsh purple light around the room.

Romeo lifted his sword, stepping closer. "What do we do?"

"We cut," Teresa said, her grip tightening on her blade. "And we carry."

📍 Cylinder Shatter

The cylinder finally exploded, shards of crystal flying everywhere. A heavy mist of dark ether filled the room.

A figure stepped out from the smoke. It was massive, covered in jagged scars and moving veins of ether under its skin. Its mouth opened wide in a silent scream, dark magic pouring out.

Romeo moved first, slashing at its arm. Black blood splattered across the floor. Teresa followed, sliding under a wild swing and cutting deep along its ribs.

The creature slammed its huge fist down. Romeo rolled out of the way, flames shooting from his feet to push him back. Teresa jumped up, kicked off a broken console, and landed a deep cut on its shoulder.

📍 Control Room Finale

The creature staggered, its magic pulses flickering wildly.

"Now!" Teresa yelled.

Romeo charged forward, flames wrapping tightly around his blade. He drove it deep into the creature's chest. At the same moment, Teresa's sword sliced down, cutting through its neck and spine.

A surge of black ether burst out, rattling the whole room. The echoes inside it screamed and then vanished into dust and light.

📍 Aftermath

The creature collapsed, and the runes on the walls finally faded away.

Romeo stood there, breathing hard, hands still shaking. Teresa stepped closer, calmly wiping black ether from her blade.

"You carried the cut," she said quietly.

Romeo looked at her and slowly lowered his sword, his breathing starting to slow.

"Together," he said.

Teresa nodded, her eyes meeting his without the usual cold distance. "Together," she repeated.

📍 Corridor Exit — Outside Again

They turned and walked back through the hallway. When they stepped outside, the cool night breeze hit their faces. It felt cleaner, as if the world had taken a deep breath.

Romeo looked up at the sky, letting the wind dry the sweat and ash on his face. Teresa watched him quietly, her eyes reflecting the starlight.

"We stopped it," Romeo whispered.

"For now," Teresa replied.

He looked at her, unsure. "There will be more, won't there?"

"Always," she said. "But every time, we decide how to face it. And how to cut."

Romeo closed his eyes, breathing out slowly. When he opened them again, his eyes burned with new resolve.

Together, they turned toward the horizon. The first light of dawn was starting to spread, painting the edge of the night with soft gold.