Surfboard

Mirajane was extremely anxious on the shore. She stood on the rocks, her eyes fixed on the direction of the Tower of Heaven, her hands clenched tightly around her skirt, her knuckles turning white.

The light from the explosion had faded, but Riyao's figure was nowhere to be seen; only churning waves and floating debris remained on the sea.

She wanted to go back and check if Riyao was alright, but Erza her back each time.

Erza held Mirajane's hand, trying to comfort her, but her tone was uncertain, and her voice trembled slightly.

"Mira, don't worry, Riyao will be fine, he's so strong..."

She didn't continue, because even she herself didn't quite believe what she was saying.

That explosion was terrifying. The combined power of the Etherion's full magical energy was incredibly frightening. Who could guarantee they would escape unscathed in such a situation?

Lucy and the others offered words of comfort, but their faces were filled with worry.

"Riyao is so powerful, it'll definitely be fine."

"He's Riyao, he's seen it all."

Happy hugged his tail and muttered to himself.

"Natsu hasn't woken up yet, what if something happens to Riyao too?"

Juvia clasped his hands together and muttered something under his breath.

"May the Water God bless Riyao's safe return. Juvia still hasn't received Lord Gray's bath photo."

Just as the atmosphere was growing increasingly heavy, a huge wave crashed onto the shore, its crest reaching two meters high, churning with white foam.

Everyone instinctively took a step back, and then a figure glided down the crest of a wave on a surfboard, looking as carefree as if he were on vacation.

Riyao stood on the surfboard, his Azure Dragon Form not yet completely faded. His dark green hair fluttered in the sea breeze, his dragon horns gleamed with emerald light, and his dragon tail swayed leisurely behind him.

He stood with his hands on his hips, a bright smile on his face, his voice echoing in the sea breeze.

"Ta-da! I'm back, Mira!"

°˖✧︎◝︎(⁰▿︎⁰)◜︎✧︎˖°

Mirajane's eyes instantly reddened. She rushed over and buried her face in Riyao's arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist with such force that it seemed she wanted to meld him into her own body.

"You're back so late." Her voice was muffled, tinged with grievance and lingering fear, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

Riyao held Mirajane in his arms, gently stroking her head with one hand, his voice as soft as if he were soothing a child.

"Sorry, I went too far. I won't do it again next time."

Mirajane snuggled closer to him, saying nothing, but burying her face even deeper.

Gray, Lucy, Juvia, and Happy gathered around Riyao, bombarding him with questions, and the previously heavy atmosphere suddenly became lively.

Happy flew to the top of Riyao, grabbed Riyao's dragon horn with its little paws, and took a bite.

"Riyao, are these real dragon horns? They're so hard!"

Riyao tilted its head, and the Happy on its horn swayed along with it. "Really, don't bite, it tickles."

Without any hesitation, Gray reached out and touched the dragon scale-covered part of Riyao's arm, feeling the texture of the scales. Then, he conjured an ice dagger and poked at the dragon scales.

"This is so hard, much harder than my ice. My Ice-Make Magic can't even penetrate it."

Riyao knocked Gray's ice dagger away.

"Stop poking them, those are my scales, not your experimental material."

Juvia stood to the side, cupping her face in her hands, looking like a lovesick fool, her mind already wandering as she watched Riyao holding Mirajane.

She imagined that the two people she was holding were herself and Gray, with Lord Gray gently stroking her head, and she nestled in Gray arms, acting coquettishly.

Hehehe...

Lucy looked at the group's unreliable behavior, then glanced at the intimate scene between Riyao and Mirajane, and sighed in exasperation.

"Can't you guys see the atmosphere? All the sweetness has vanished."

Natsu woke up at this moment, rubbing his eyes as he climbed up from the bottom of the ship. The first thing he saw was the dark green dragon tail behind Riyao, swaying leisurely back and forth.

Wow! A dragon's tail!

Natsu's eyes lit up, and he rushed over as if he had seen a new toy, reaching out to grab the dragon's tail to take a look.

The dragon's tail seemed to have a mind of its own, suddenly whipping out and slapping Natsu hard across the face, sending him flying.

Natsu did two somersaults in the air before crashing onto the beach with a thud, leaving a clear dragon tail mark on his face.

Ouch! Why can your tail hit me?!

Riyao shrugged. "It has its own ideas."

On the other side, Erza, Simon, and the others were watching the surfboard.

The surfboard wasn't an ordinary surfboard; it was Jellal, encased in Magic Crystal.

Jellal was encased in a translucent Magic Crystal, his face pale and his body covered in charred wounds.

Hugh, Wally, and Millianna stared at Jellal, who was sealed inside the Magic Crystal, all gritting their teeth, wishing they could drag Jellal out and chop him into pieces.

Hugh's fists clenched so tightly they cracked, his voice filled with hatred.

"Jellal!!"

Wally's cube-shaped body was trembling, his fists clenched into his palms.

"They lied to us for eight years! Eight years!"

Although Millianna is usually cheerful and carefree, her eyes were red at this moment, and her face under the cat-ear headband was full of grievance and anger.

Erza and Simon were relatively calm, but their expressions were complicated.

Erza looked at Jellal, who was sealed inside the Magic Crystal, her once most trusted partner, now reduced to this state, and felt a mix of emotions.

Simon watched Jellal silently, his fists clenching and unclenching repeatedly.

Erza turned to look at Riyao and asked, "Is Jellal still alive?"

Riyao hesitated for a moment, then released Mirajane, walked to the surfboard, bent down to check Jellal's condition, and then straightened up.

"He's barely clinging to life. It's unclear whether it's Jellal himself who's awakened or that demonic consciousness."

Simon seized on the key point and pressed further, "Demon consciousness?"

Erza took over the conversation and briefly explained what Riyao had said at the top of the tower.

"Riyao said before, Jellal was invaded by a fragment of demonic consciousness and manipulated into doing all this. His consciousness may now be fused with the demonic consciousness and cannot be separated."

Upon hearing this, Xiu looked up abruptly, his voice sharp and angry.

"Even if he was manipulated, does that mean his past actions can be forgiven?! What about those who died because of the R-System?! What about those who were enslaved for eight years?!"

His voice echoed along the shore, carrying eight years of grievances and anger.

The other three had the same expression; they had been deceived by Jellal for eight years, placing their hopes in Jellal, only to find it was all a lie.

Erza was conflicted; she lowered her head, unsure of what to say.

She understood Hugh's anger, but Jellal was also a victim, implanted with a demonic consciousness and lost his sense of self.

Seeing Erza's troubled expression, Riyao thought for a moment and replied on her behalf, "What about the evil deeds you committed when you were deceived before?"

His tone wasn't harsh, but every word struck Hugh, Wally, and Millianna's hearts like a hammer blow.

Wally spoke up in defense.

"But we didn't do it on purpose..."

He froze halfway through his sentence.

He suddenly realized that his situation was no different from Jellal's; they had been deceived by Jellal and had done many bad things.

Jellal was controlled by a demonic consciousness and did many bad things.

Neither of them did it intentionally, but the damage has already been done.

Wally couldn't continue, and a pained expression appeared on his square face.

Riyao sighed, his tone complex.

"You haven't suffered all these years, and you can be considered beneficiaries, so you have no right to judge Jellal's actions."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present before finally settling on Erza.

"Hand Jellal over to the Magic Council for imprisonment. If he ever awakens and is indeed the original, let him atone for his sins and beg for forgiveness from every suffering victim."

"If it were that fragmented demonic consciousness, you could take revenge without any psychological burden."

Everyone fell silent.

The sea breeze blew by, carrying a salty, damp scent, and the distant rumble of thunder; no one spoke.

Can sins committed under the guise of lies be forgiven? Should manipulated evil deeds be judged? How should we judge cases where victims become perpetrators?

There are no standard answers to these questions; everyone has their own perspective.

Riyao looked at the silent crowd and said nothing more.

Some things cannot be resolved by reason alone; they require time to process and reconcile.

He turned and walked back to Mirajane, reaching out to take her hand.

Mirajane gripped his hand back, their fingers intertwined, silently conveying warmth.