Smoke of War

"Look, that's Zeref, the headmaster's student."

"That's him? I heard he advanced from the beginner class to the advanced class in just one month."

"Yeah, and according to his classmates, he got perfect scores in every subject during his advancement exam."

"You're kidding, right? Perfect scores in every subject? Theory classes, maybe, but even perfect marks in practical combat?"

"It's true! My aunt's cousin's sister's third daughter's son is in his class. He saw the instructor give him full marks during the assessment with his own eyes. Why would I lie to you about that?"

"Really? That's amazing!"

"How could the headmaster have taken a liking to him if he wasn't amazing?"

"If only I had half his talent..."

"You? Dream on. You should be thinking about how to handle next month's test!"

Listening to the discussions behind him, a faint smile appeared on Zeref's lips. If he had relied on Wind Chant to finish reading all the books on the first floor of the library and had even begun studying the collection on the second floor, yet still couldn't pass an advancement exam, wouldn't that make him rather useless? As for practical combat? Come on, he had gone out adventuring with Sordil before. His combat experience might not have been extensive, but it was enough, wasn't it? If they were talking about geniuses, then Sordil was the real genius. He had gone from complete novice to seasoned fighter in just over a month, and during that time had even invented Wind Chant, a reading tool that helped him search more quickly for a way to revive Natsu.

Thinking of this, Zeref looked around, but he did not spot Sordil anywhere. Seemingly recalling something, Zeref headed toward the second floor. Yet even there, he still did not see the person he wanted to meet, which left him puzzled. Normally, Sordil liked staying here even more than he did. He practically never left the library all day. What was going on today? Then Zeref suddenly thought of something. After Uncle Gilkunis had left, only Aunt Wattster and Sordil remained in the valley. Could the two of them have gone out sightseeing to relieve their boredom, which was why Sordil had not come to read? The more Zeref thought about it, the more likely it seemed. After all, Aunt Wattster was not a shut-in dragon like Uncle Gilkunis, who slept after eating. It was perfectly normal for her to get bored and take Sordil out for a few days.

Zeref felt that he had uncovered the "truth," so he let go of his concern over Sordil's absence. But when Sordil still failed to appear over the next ten or so days, Zeref began to take notice. One or two days could be explained as sightseeing, but vanishing for more than ten days straight was abnormal. Besides, based on what he knew of Sordil, he was just as eager as Zeref to acquire knowledge for some reason. The fact that he had invented Wind Chant proved as much. Something must have happened that prevented him from coming. With that in mind, Zeref immediately decided to visit Sordil's residence and investigate.

When Zeref arrived at the valley, he found no traces of battle and breathed a sigh of relief. After all, no one in this world could silently abduct the two of them. If anyone could, it could only be their family. But in that case, Sordil would at least have had a chance to say goodbye to him, so there had to be another reason. When Zeref entered the cave where Sordil rested, he found him writing and drawing on the ground as though calculating something. From time to time, Sordil would use magic power to draw Magic Arrays in the air. Seeing this, how could Zeref not understand what Sordil was doing?

Staring at Sordil, who was constantly deducing Magic Arrays in the distance, Zeref felt both irritated and amused. Not only had this guy made him worry for nothing, he had not even noticed Zeref walking right up beside him. Zeref had no intention of alerting him. He slowly circled behind Sordil, wanting to see exactly what had captured Sordil's soul so completely. After glancing down at Sordil's notes, Zeref could no longer look away. He skimmed through Sordil's records at a rapid pace, then, like Sordil, sank into deep thought. In the end, Zeref unconsciously began following Sordil's line of reasoning, adding some of his own ideas as well.

The two, immersed in their separate worlds, did similar things without disturbing one another, until the Magic Arrays they had created collided and startled them awake. Sordil finally noticed Zeref as well. Seeing the Magic Array Zeref had drawn, Sordil felt that some things could not be stopped. When they were meant to happen, they would still happen—like what was about to happen now. Originally, he had only wanted to strengthen Time Magic's offensive capabilities, so that he would have enough means to fight under any circumstances and avoid being completely unable to attack as he had been underwater last time. He had not expected his research to veer so far off course, nor for Zeref to discover it.

"Zeref, I haven't finished this magic yet. I don't even know what its exact effects will be, so don't get excited too soon," Sordil cautioned carefully after noticing the strange look in Zeref's expression. He did not want Zeref to try reviving Natsu because of his half-baked invention, only to trigger Ankhseram's Curse.

"I know. But it has at least given me hope—a hope that has weighed on my heart for a long time. By the way, does this magic have a name yet?" Zeref's expression gradually returned to normal, though he still asked Sordil in an excited tone.

"Arc of Time! It is the thread I designed to reverse the arc of time for all things, so it is called Arc of Time," Sordil said, equally excited.

"Arc of Time? Good! That's wonderful!" Hearing Sordil's explanation, Zeref became even happier, as though he had already obtained the crucial tool needed to revive his younger brother.

Watching Zeref's expression, Sordil sank into regret. Zeref could originally have avoided Ankhseram's Curse, but because of him, he had still set foot upon that road of no return. Just as Sordil was about to try persuading Zeref again, a fierce gust suddenly swept through the valley, blowing dust and sand everywhere and pressing the weeds flat against the ground. Sordil and Zeref hurried out of the cave to see what was happening, only to find a dark figure slowly descending into the valley.

Once the dark figure landed in the valley, Sordil finally saw who it was. It was Gilkunis, who had returned to Fostadu not long ago. Unlike the imposing appearance he had when he left, Gilkunis was now covered in countless wounds. Some areas had even lost their scales, and a scar had been added to his face.

"Sordil, where is Wattster? Pack your things and return to Fostadu with me immediately. Otherwise, I'm afraid Radel and the others won't be able to hold on." Without any pleasantries, Gilkunis directly stated his request.

"Gilkunis, I'm here. What happened in Fostadu?" At that moment, Wattster flew over from afar. Seeing Gilkunis covered in wounds, she asked angrily.

"War! Those fools from Koreita have declared war on Fostadu. You must return to Fostadu now, and then we'll join forces to drive them back!" Gilkunis said without concealing anything.