"Ha…"
Rhodes exhaled, and the windowpane immediately fogged over.
With both index fingers, he began to trace a heart into the condensation. When he finished, the shape revealed a clear view inside, right where Mira was standing.
The window creaked open, and Mira poked her head out, raising an eyebrow at his little artwork. "Are you a child?"
"Maybe?" Rhodes smiled and reached up to touch her cheek with the same fingers, still warm from his breath.
Mira instinctively flinched. "Cold!" she scolded, swatting his hand away. "Stop playing around, dinner's ready."
She slammed the window shut again, muttering under her breath as the cold air rushed in. She was still in pajamas, after all.
Rhodes wiped the rest of the fog off the glass, glanced at the damp spot on his palm, and chuckled to himself with a bit of regret.
He stepped inside only to be chased straight to the sink by Mira.
"Go wash your hands before you even think of touching food," she ordered, arms crossed.
"Yes, yes." He grumbled playfully and headed off to the washroom.
At the table, the three sat down to eat. It was quiet, the air outside matching the mood indoors, muted, gray, and still.
"I think it might rain today," Rhodes commented, taking a bite of bread.
Mira looked out the window. "Then we should buy flowers early."
"I already bought them," Rhodes replied. "Picked them up on the way back."
Elfman stared at his toast, deep in thought.
'Maybe…I'll visit her while they're out. Just for a minute.'
After finishing their meal, the three of them bundled up, grabbed umbrellas, and headed out.
Mira had chosen a dark, thick overcoat for today. As they walked through the quiet streets, she tilted her head back and stared at the sky.
The clouds were heavy and low.
"What a shame," she said softly. "If this weather had waited just a few more days, we might've had snow."
"Yeah." Rhodes nodded.
Elfman muttered from behind, "Rain, snow… same kind of hassle."
Their first stop was the guild.
There were a few things Mira and Rhodes needed to sort out that morning.
Not long after they arrived, the Shadow Gear returned from their mission.
Levy was full of energy, talking excitedly as she approached the counter. Behind her, Jet and Droy looked exhausted and crestfallen, heading straight for a table with slumped shoulders and gloomy faces.
Rhodes raised an eyebrow. "How'd the mission go?"
Levy laughed awkwardly. "Uh… it went. Let's just say Jet and Droy still need a bit of fine-tuning."
She was being kind. It was obvious the boys had, once again, dragged her down.
Rhodes didn't know what to say. In the past, he'd thought Levy stuck to simple missions because her magic wasn't suited for combat.
But now he understood, she wasn't the weak one. She just had to carry the weight of two clumsy partners.
She could've made better money teaming up with Lucy. In fact, it would've been a win-win, Lucy could earn more too.
And right on cue, Lucy plopped down beside Levy.
"Levy, you're back?"
"Good morning, Lucy!" Levy greeted her with a cheerful wave.
"It's not good at all," Lucy sighed, peeling off her damp coat. "It's raining, and I got soaked on the way here. So annoying…"
"If Lucy hates Juvia, then Juvia hates Lucy too…"
The voice came out of nowhere.
"WAAAH—!" Lucy jumped in her seat as Juvia materialized behind her like a ghost.
"Don't sneak up on people like that!" Lucy shouted, clutching her chest.
"It's not like I came just to scare Lucy," Juvia said primly. "Miss Mira, two Gala-Melt hot dogs, please."
"Okay~" Mira replied brightly from behind the counter.
Juvia beamed, placing her hands shyly on her cheeks. "Juvia is going to eat breakfast with Gray-sama today!"
She then turned to Lucy and added with theatrical flair, "With. Gray. Sa. Ma~!"
Lucy sighed. "Yes, yes, we heard you. No need to emphasize every syllable."
Mira looked over and asked the other two, "What about you, Lucy? Levy? What'll you have?"
"I'll take the special Ramen," Lucy replied after a moment of thought.
"I'll have the same," Levy chimed in. "Feels like forever since I've eaten that."
"Coming right up."
"I'll take a beer. A whole keg."
Only one person would make an order like that.
"Drinking first thing in the morning again?" Lucy glanced over to see Cana already sitting cross-legged on the counter, hugging her favorite barrel.
"Alcohol is my boyfriend," Cana said with a straight face. "And on rainy days, it's only right to go on a date with your boyfriend."
She tilted her head and looked over at Lucy and Levy. "You two are both here? Lucy, haven't you been at the guild every single day lately?"
"Yeah…" Lucy slumped across the counter. "I haven't taken a job in days. I'm getting lazy. At this rate, I'm gonna turn into one of those middle-aged uncles."
"It's alright, it's alright," Levy patted her back gently. "Rainy days just make people sluggish. Look, even the most energetic guy in the guild is out of it today."
Lucy followed her gaze and spotted Natsu passed out against the wall, snoring softly with a lazy smile and a trail of drool running down his cheek.
"He actually looks kinda cute like that," Lucy mumbled.
"I'm almost finished here," Rhodes called over.
"Me too," Mira replied, wiping her hands on a towel.
They grabbed their coats and umbrellas, waved goodbye to Makarov, and called Elfman over, who was in the middle of lecturing Jet and Droy again.
As the three of them left the guild, Lucy leaned toward Levy and whispered, "Where are they going in this weather? Is it really like Cana said, a rainy day date?"
Levy blinked, then gave a faint smile. "Who goes on a date with their little brother tagging along?"
Then it clicked.
"Ah… today's the day. They're probably going to the church."
"Church?"
Lucy blinked in surprise, only now realizing what day it was as she listened to Levy and Cana whisper about Lisanna. Meanwhile, Rhodes, Mira, and Elfman had already disappeared into the thickening rain.
The street outside glistened with water. Rain splashed up in little arcs with every step they took. The town was quieter than usual, most people had taken shelter from the weather. But the three of them didn't mind the silence. Together, they walked side by side, umbrellas shielding them from the downpour, drawing warmth from each other's quiet presence.
At the church, the priest greeted them with a gentle smile. He knew them well by now and silently opened the path leading behind the chapel. There, nestled in a quiet patch of sacred ground, was Lisanna's grave.
Rhodes handed the fresh bouquet to Mira and Elfman.
The three stood together for a while, unmoving.
Then Mira knelt beside the gravestone. Rhodes held the umbrella over her, letting her whisper words only Lisanna could hear. Words of longing, of apology, and of all the ordinary, gentle things she wished her sister could've been there to see.
Just then, a strange wind swept through the cemetery. The rain curved unnaturally, striking them even beneath the shelter of their umbrellas. Elfman grunted and adjusted his grip, Rhodes squinting up at the dark sky.
That's when they noticed it.
Above Magnolia, the clouds had twisted into a massive vortex, slowly spinning as though stirred by unseen hands. At its center, a glowing column of light pierced through the sky, illuminating rooftops and cobblestone streets. It was eerily silent, despite the raging wind.
And then, something else happened.
A pendant emerged from beneath Rhode's collar, drawn by an invisible force. It pulsed with light and floated in front of him, trembling violently.
"What… is that?" Rhodes muttered, trying to grab hold of the chain. His fingers brushed the crystal—
And the world shattered.
He didn't even have time to cry out. One second, he was with Mira and Elfman in the rain.
The next, the church, the cemetery, the vortex, gone.
He was in free fall.
Through open sky.
The clouds above whirled like whirlpools. Wind howled in his ears, and below, an unfamiliar landscape rushed up at him. Trees. Mountains. Rivers. But none of it looked like Fiore.
"Teleportation magic? No, space distortion?" Rhode grit his teeth. He wasn't afraid, but this was definitely not normal.
He instinctively raised a hand. "Take Over—!"
Nothing.
His magic, usually responsive like an extension of his will, felt distant, muted.
"What?"
Rhode's heart skipped. He reached for the pendant still fluttering wildly against his chest.
"Summon! Raptor!"
Nothing.
"Cloud Dragon! Come on!"
No response. No surge of magic. Nothing but the wind screaming past him.
"Purgatory Dragon! Mountain Dragon!"
Still nothing.
Panic finally cracked his voice. His summons weren't hearing him. His connection to them was cut off.
"What the hell is going on?!"