Once Marco released the Crystal Wall, Irene stopped hiding and revealed her true form.
She transformed into a dragon with a fairly traditional appearance, much like Igneel.
She had the sort of build most people would immediately recognize as a dragon, complete with red scales.
Marco was now convinced that whoever had designed half the dragons in this world had clearly never been one.
What was that Iron Dragon even supposed to be? Igneel and Irene were what dragons should look like.
Marco placed a hand against Irene's scales.
In a single instant, he understood the structure of the Sage Dragon's entire body, down to the smallest detail.
Every part of her flesh, bone, and internal anatomy came completely under his control.
Then he began reshaping her.
Using Irene's own memories of her original appearance as a guide, Marco rebuilt her body piece by piece.
The process went smoothly, and before long, the red dragon had vanished.
In her place stood a human woman.
"I... I really changed back?"
Irene stared at her hands, overwhelmed with emotion.
She could tell this was not an illusion or some temporary transformation spell. Her physical body had genuinely returned to a human shape.
For the first time in centuries, she was no longer relying on magic to disguise what she had become.
"You haven't exactly become human again," Marco explained with a shake of his head. "You're more like a dragon in human form."
Irene looked even more surprised.
Although her body now appeared human, it still possessed all the strength and natural abilities of a dragon.
That power had simply been condensed into a smaller form.
"That's even possible?!"
This was actually better than Irene had expected.
She had never rejected the power of dragons.
A mage who had invented Dragon Slayer Magic could hardly be opposed to using it.
She had only hated looking like a dragon.
Keeping all that strength while regaining a true human body was an ideal outcome.
"As long as you're satisfied."
Marco smiled.
This was the first time he had attempted anything like this, and the ease with which he succeeded reminded him once again just how far his power had grown.
There were countless things Marco could now accomplish.
Most of them, however, he had no intention of doing, or even seriously considering.
He did not want to become some strange being who was more god than human.
Maintaining a sense of reverence was important—not fear of any particular person, but respect for life, natural law, and the order of the world.
That was how he intended to remain human.
In that sense, Marco and Irene sought the same thing.
Irene had spent centuries trying to restore her human appearance.
Marco wanted to ensure that no matter how powerful he became, his soul would continue to feel human.
"I'm sorry, Erza." Irene turned toward her daughter, her voice sincere. "I was a terrible mother."
"It's... it's all right." Erza shook her head. "I understand what you were going through."
Erza had always possessed a strong capacity for empathy.
After hearing everything Marco told her about Irene's past, she could understand her mother's choices.
"You abandoned me to protect me, didn't you?"
She smiled gently, trying to comfort the grief-stricken woman.
"That may be true, but there were better ways I could have handled it..."
Irene still looked deeply troubled.
With her centuries-old obsession finally resolved, her mental state had begun to improve as well.
"You were also completely insane at the time," Marco added with a laugh.
While reshaping her body, he had quietly calmed some of the damage within Irene's mind.
He also allowed her to remember more clearly what she had felt when she abandoned Erza—the hesitation, the grief, and the unbearable reluctance to let her child go.
That was why Irene was suffering so intensely now.
To her, it almost felt as though she had only just left Erza behind.
Buzz.
Marco disappeared, leaving the mother and daughter alone to speak.
Now that Irene had regained a human body, there was little left to worry about. Her inability to return to humanity had always been the deepest wound in her heart.
As for being betrayed by humans, Irene had come to terms with that long ago.
It was one reason she supported Zeref and the Alvarez Empire.
In her eyes, the empire's harsh suppression of the Western Continent was entirely justified. People who lacked proper judgment and rebelled against order needed to be crushed without mercy.
Irene would not harm ordinary humans without reason, but anyone who broke the law or betrayed the empire could expect the cruelest possible death at her hands.
From her position as one of Alvarez's leaders, that belief was not entirely unreasonable.
Suppressing rebellion had been part of her duty, and apart from what she owed Erza, she had committed few acts that she considered truly unjustified.
...
Marco returned to Fairy Tail, leaving the reunited mother and son and mother and daughter enough time to speak privately.
"What was all that about?"
Mirajane leaned over the bar, watching him curiously.
"Nothing major. I found Mavis's son and Erza's mother."
Marco answered casually.
"What?!"
Mirajane's shout immediately drew the attention of the entire guild.
"What happened?"
"What did he say?"
Everyone crowded around, talking over one another. Anything capable of shocking Mirajane that badly had to be important.
"Where did you find him?" Mirajane asked, ignoring the noise around her. Her eyes were wide with curiosity.
"Master Mavis has a son?!"
Erza having a mother was hardly unusual.
Mavis suddenly having a son, however, demanded an explanation.
No one had ever heard about him.
Where had he come from?
Who was his father?
Did Zeref know?
Mirajane's curiosity was perfectly understandable. This was Mavis, and her lover had been Zeref. It was impossible not to become invested.
"He's Zeref's son," Marco explained with a smile. "Mavis was already dead when he was born. Precht separated the baby from her body, then abandoned him."
He told them August's entire story, satisfying Mirajane's curiosity.
It was not exactly a secret that needed to be hidden. The circumstances were so complicated that it was difficult to blame any single person entirely.
Except Ankhseram's curse.
That had been the true cause of everything.
"That's... horrible."
Mirajane's expression softened as soon as she heard the full story.
Her own family had endured a terrible childhood, but even they had not suffered as badly as August.
The cruelest part was that August had spent nearly eighty years serving beside his own father, working faithfully for him every day, yet Zeref had never once recognized him as his son.
His story was even more painful than Cana's.
The members of Fairy Tail sighed and murmured among themselves.
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