The next day Mirajane was radiant, smiling and happy like she hadn't seen her in a long time. The whole guild was startled by that sudden change and they wondered what had happened. everyone had seen her run off the day before and wondered if that had anything to do with her behavior that day. Some thought that perhaps she had finally gotten over the loss of Ryker.
As she manned the bar and took orders, another group, on the other side of the guild, watched her apprehensively.
"Could she be right and Ryker really survived?", Lucy asked intrigued.
"You saw what we saw. That was no trivial outburst, Lucy. Wendy found his necklace, and there was nothing there, everything had been destroyed, evaporated", Erza said seriously. "As much as I wish he were alive, I don't want to get my hopes up. And if he doesn't come back, how are Mira and Wendy going to be?", she asked worriedly.
Lucy sighed sadly. "Do you think Mira has lost her mind or is she kidding herself?"
"Mira is strong, but I think that memory messed with her, and her current emotional state may have confused her," Erza replied.
"I'm not sure, Erza. After all, I spent the night thinking and talking with Elf. We don't really remember that day, but we figured something about him was familiar, we just don't know what it was," Lisanna commented.
"It could be many things. Maybe you're just influenced by Mira. Who knows... Now to think that you guys met Ryker in the past seems crazy to me", commented Gray.
"Could be, but… didn't Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy come from the past? And didn't a Lucy also come from the future?", Lisanna asked.
"For that, he would have to go through the Eclipse gate, and that's impossible since it was destroyed," stated Erza.
Gajeel growled and slammed his fists on the table. "That to me is all nonsense! You should accept that idiot is dead. Deal with it!", he glared at them. "And that woman should too," he turned his attention to Mirajane.
"Calm down, Gajeel-kun! Juvia was there too. She knows what she saw, but we haven't found Ryker-san's body. Maybe he's still around", the water mage tried to calm her friend. "Besides, you don't want to wake up your kids," Juvia said smiling.
"Tsh!", Gajeel looked at the newborn twins, who were next to Levy in a stroller. The Dragon Slayer couldn't help but smile when he saw them, calming down a bit. "If so, why isn't he here? Why didn't he come back?" he asked. "Apparently, this man you found didn't have any injuries, didn't he?", he asked Lisanna.
"Yes, is it true?" she replied.
"Then we only have two options. Either he doesn't want to come back, or he's dead and that woman just got confused", Gajeel concluded.
"Maybe it's not that simple," Lucy said thoughtfully.
"Sorry Lu-chan, but I agree with him", Levy snapped. "After you came back and told us what happened I did some studies. As it was something we had never seen before, I wanted to study it".
"What did you find, Levy?" Gray asked.
"It took me a long time to finish, but the energy released by Ryker's attack was something out of the ordinary," she said.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Erza.
"I'm not 100% sure, but based on what you've said, I think the temperature in the crater you found could have reached at least 100 million degrees Celsius", she said and everyone looked at her in amazement.
"That's impossible!", Gray shouted, waking up Levy and Gajeel's twins, who started crying.
"Hey Stripper, you idiot! Look what you did!", Gajeel shouted, making the babies cry even more.
"Sorry!" Gray wailed.
"Damn it, Gray!", Erza said in disappointment.
"Gray-sama!", even Juvia caught his attention and Gray looked at her dumbfounded. "Awww, don't worry. Aunt Juvia will take good care of you", Juvia took one of the children in her arms and started to calm her down, while Levy did the same with the other. "Don't mind Uncle Gray-sama or Papa Gajeel-kun. They don't know how to treat something as cute as you guys," she said lovingly and overly sweet.
"Excellent! Now they're going to think I'm a terrible father!", Gajeel growled. "And it's all your fault, Stripper!".
"I already apologized," Gray snapped.
"Don't worry Gray-sama, Juvia is sure you'll be a great father to our 33 babies", she said dreamily.
Gray swallowed hard. "Juvia, we already talked about this…", he replied nervously.
"If what Levy said is true, there's no way anyone could survive this. Even Natsu's fire doesn't reach that temperature", Lucy mentioned.
"You are right. I think we should consider Ryker lost. He sacrificed himself for us and we must honor his name as best we can", Erza concluded.
"At least someone has a conscience around here," Gajeel grumbled.
"Gajeel!", Levy called his attention, who answered with a shrug.
After Levy's twins stopped their whimpering, everyone was able to go back to talking normally and calmly. Gajeel looking straight at Gray to prevent him from doing anything stupid that might wake up his children again. Meanwhile, Juvia and Levy babysit.
Mira was at the bar taking care of the guild's errands and putting things in their proper place, when she heard someone call her. She turned and smiled at the small mage sitting across from her.
"You're very happy today, Mira-san," Wendy commented.
"I'm feeling better today," she replied. Mirajane wanted to tell Wendy that Ryker was alive, but something inside her stopped her. Deep down she knew she could be wrong and didn't want to give Wendy false hope.
"I'm happy about it. I guess time heals everything", the little Dragon Slayer said.
Mira smiled happily in response. "Want something, Wendy?" she offered.
"A juice, if you don't mind." Mira ran to prepare her order and the two stayed talking for some time, under the attentive gazes of Erza and the others.
"I think it's best that Wendy doesn't know anything. So I hope you guys don't open your mouth about it. Am I clear?", Erza said frighteningly firmly. Everyone at the table nodded in response, as they broke into a cold sweat under the heavy air of the imposing Titania.
In Seven, a few days later...
"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" Alice asked.
"I have. It will only be a few days, no need to worry," Ryker replied.
"Yes, but Helheim is dangerous. There are rumors of monsters living in that region. Not to mention it's freezing and extremely hot at the same time", Alice said with concern and in an attempt to make him reconsider.
Ryker smiled with the corner of his mouth. "And that's why I chose this region. I need to push my body to the limit so I can regain my strength," he replied.
"I really don't understand you," Alice wailed. "As much as you worry me, I am impressed by you. Your recovery is amazing. You barely managed to face those bandits days ago, running out of strength quickly, and now climbing mountains to Hellheim."
"Well, that's true. I always recovered relatively quickly."
"If there's nothing I can do to change your mind, at least be careful, okay?", she asked with concern.
"You know I will," Ryker spoke confidently and Alice nodded.
"I packed some groceries for you. Use them wisely and they'll last a while," said Alice. Ryker couldn't help but smile at her care for him.
Before he left, the two hugged and said goodbye. Alice watched him leave, taking the path to the mountains with a sinking heart, hoping that nothing bad would happen to him in the days to come.
After a day of hiking, Ryker camped in the foothills of the mountains. He would spend the night there and start climbing in the morning. Calculating two days to climb those mountains, he believed that three more days would reach his destination, and thus, he could start the week's training.
Ryker lit the fire and pitched the tent that would be his home for a few days. Alice prepared a lot for him to eat and he was very grateful to her. Not having to go hunting would be a relief and one less worry. After dinner, he looked at the stars and thought of the most beautiful white-haired, blue-eyed mage in the world, letting the images and memories that came to his mind take him, little by little, to the world of dreams.
Dawn was not long in coming. It was cold and getting colder with each step Ryker took closer to the mountains. As soon as it was light, he left early and within hours he had already started climbing. It was not an easy path, the winds from the mountains and the intense cold were punishing him and, in many stretches, the climb became vertical, forcing him to balance and hang on with his fingertips.
He climbed until the night had begun to fall. There weren't many spaces he could use to snuggle in that were spacious enough to be safe. On a small ledge he made himself as comfortable as he could, knowing that that night there would be no fire to keep him warm. The night was hard, cold and wet. Ryker did what he could to stay warm, but he hardly slept, shivering in the sub-zero temperature.
When the sun rose, he wasted no time and went back up the mountain, even though he hadn't slept at all the night before. That day was worse than before, the clouds were low and he couldn't see straight the way ahead. His body was exhausted and in pain, however he had a goal in mind and he kept going, even with all the pain. Freezing rains, arctic winds, slippery rocks and fatigue were slowing Ryker's progress. However, like a miracle, at the end of the day he reached the top. However, the sight was bleak. A gigantic plateau with nothing but deep snow and a howling wind that cut the skin as far as the eye could see was disheartening. There was a great risk that he would not survive if he did not manage to take shelter for the night.
With each step he took, he sank knee-deep in snow, further wearing him down and slowing his progress. Parts of his body were frozen and bruised from the cold, yet he didn't stop and continued. Ryker found a slope covered with snow, he knew that the large amount of air in the snow served as an insulator and that shelters made by digging the snow were a way to survive in that type of environment. The characteristics of the snow would help insulate you from the cold outside and keep you warm enough not to go into hypothermia.
Gradually he was digging and making a hole big enough for him to enter and take shelter, minimally comfortable. There was no more sunlight when he finished and the temperature dropped even further. Ryker slipped into his lair and waited the night out, relatively comfortably.
The next day was excruciating. For hours he walked and crawled and suffered from the deep snow and the weight of the luggage he carried. That plain with biting winds was endless. Ryker didn't have the strength left for the walk, which he knew wasn't many kilometers, due to the difficulty of the terrain. He would have to spend one more night on that hellish steppe, and without a hill nearby, there was no way he could make a den in the snow, and fire was out of the question. The night would be terrible and, if he was lucky, he might survive.
Like a miracle he survived, walking in circles all night to keep himself minimally warm and with sunlight, he continued his journey. By the end of the day, Ryker noticed that the snow was getting less deep and the temperature was higher. In the distance he can see a reddish glow, illuminating the clouds and horizon. As he got closer he was sure he had arrived in Helheim. A gigantic field of molten lava and rock, spewing smoke and toxic gases. Ryker had moved from the fire to the frying pan. Upon reaching his destination, Ryker dropped to his knees, defeated and powerless. There he passed out, between freezing cold and hellish heat.
It was a beautiful morning with clear, sunny skies and Mirajane was walking through the market looking for some supplies to replenish the guild. As usual, she received compliments and responded with a warm smile and offers from several merchants who had known her for years. Always polite, she gave them attention whenever possible and whenever there was something of interest to her.
"Mira-chan!" shouted a man in a shop.
Mira looked up at him and smiled graciously. "Ashi-san," she replied happily.
"Mira-chan shopping again? We have great products this time. They are fresh and arrived today." Ashi was a middle-aged man with a slight paunch, but he had a cheerful and contagious air, always smiling and happy.
"Oh! They are really cool", Mira was surprised with. "Ashi-san always brings quality stuff, right?", she smiled.
"Mira-chan, there's no need for formalities", he said and looked at her, noting the happy face she had. "I see you're excited."
"Really!?", she replied to his remark.
"Oh yes. Lately you seem to be so gloomy and lifeless, kind of depressed. It's good to see you cheerful and content, like before", he said happily.
"Thanks. That's very kind of you," she responds warmly.
"Mira-chan would you like some coffee or tea?" Ashi invited her for a break and some informal chat. Mirajane readily accepts, and in the back of the shop he prepares two teas for them while she waits. He serves them as soon as they are ready and he sits down across from her at a small table.
"If I may ask, Mira-chan, what's the reason for your joy?"
Mira smiles sweetly and takes a small sip of her tea. "An important person who I thought was lost is coming back," she replied.
"Ah! Does this have to do with your boyfriend?", he asks knowing her well. They were old acquaintances, Mira regularly bought products at his shop and over time they developed a certain friendship. "As I remember it, you and he used to go shopping together, even before you started dating. I always knew there was something more between the two of you. I wasn't surprised when you said the two of you were dating."
"There's nothing I can hide from you, is there Ashi-san?" Mira chuckled lightly.
Ashi laughed along with her. "So I got it right. But I thought he had died."
Mira sighs for a moment. "I thought so too. But recently I found out that he might still be alive and soon he will come home", she smiled happily. "Although my friends and brothers don't believe it," she lamented.
Ashi sympathized with her and placed his hand over hers in support. "I've seen a lot of strange things happen to you guys from Fairy Tail, Mira-chan. It wouldn't surprise me if your boyfriend came back from the dead. Hope." He looked at her and smiled sympathetically.
"Thank you, Ashi-san."
"Not so. And then? What are you taking?" he reverted to salesman mode.
Gradually, Ryker woke up, he was cold and hot at the same time, it was a weird feeling. His body was sore and bruised, slowly he looked around and got up and remembered he was in Helheim.
Sitting down on the ground, he dug through his pack for some food. There was nothing in that place that he could eat or hunt while he was there. Therefore, he should ration everything he brought from home. As soon as he finished his breakfast, Ryker wasted no time getting started with his training.
Ryker pushed his body to the maximum, exposing him to the harshest of trials using everything that environment could offer. Heat and cold off limits, hot winds that melted skin and cut into it. Toxic smoke that contaminated his body and quickly exhausted him, fields of lava and sharp rocks, earthquakes and volcanoes, rivers of lava and molten rock. Deep snow dunes, frozen rivers and avalanches, acid and torrential storms.
It was a challenging environment, yet he had to work hard to recover. He would run with weights on his back, meditate, lift weights and practice fighting moves and many other physical exercises, adding it all to little food and scarce water. By the end of the day Ryker was exhausted, his strength gone, his lungs burning from the polluted air. He went from hot to cold in seconds, giving his body little chance to adapt.
Each day he did the same, increasing the intensity of the training and pushing himself to the limit of near complete exhaustion. For a week Ryker trained all day, with virtually no rest and nearly dying a few times. However, on the last day, the day before he returned, he was surprised by a fire monster.
Ryker was standing on a platform above a lake of lava when he felt a strong tremor. A short time later the cooled lava cracked and a gigantic monster sprouted from the ground, covered with lava and a thick tail with bat wings, resembling a dragon, but much less powerful.
Ryker looked at the creature, which he couldn't name, in astonishment. "What the fuck are you?" he said, not taking his eyes off the creature.
That monster snarled and rushed towards him, lunging at him with a strong attack that Ryker was able to dodge by leaping backwards. The creature used its hands to pick up and launch a huge ball of lava at Ryker. He used 'Enhance' and shielded himself from the attack. While he couldn't see it, the monster lashed out with its tail, throwing Ryker yards away, sending him crashing into a rock, shattering it on impact.
"This animal is not an idiot. He knows what he's doing, Ryker thought. He saw the monster coming towards him.
The lava monster attacked him, slashing with its arms and tail. The blows were powerful, but Ryker managed to dodge with ease. The monster used the same attack as before, throwing lava balls towards him and trying to attack him by surprise. However, the same tactic did not work again.
The moment the creature lunged at him, Ryker ran towards it and, dodging its arms, he lashed out with a mighty punch to the monster's stomach. The creature staggered back, dizzy and almost out of consciousness.
"I must have entered your territory, haven't I? That's why you're attacking me," Ryker said. "Enjoy that I'm good, because I'm not going to kill you. But I cannot tolerate you here while I am."
Ryker began to release all of his energy. A strong wind scattered dust to all corners and a column of blue energy rose to the heavens and the ground under his feet cracked on all sides. The sky, which was always covered with smoke, opened, revealing a clear blue sky. He kept building more and more of his energy, releasing everything he had. The ground shook and all over the plateau the earthquake was felt, rocks slid, mountains cracked and came crashing down, lava roiled, exploding in every corner. Ryker looked at the creature, he had menacing red eyes. The monster looked back in terror. That creature, scared, took flight and fled far away.
Ryker stopped releasing his magic and dropped to his knees on the ground, breathing heavily, watching the monster walk away. He took a deep breath, catching his breath and sat on the floor looking at his hands.
"For a moment I got all my power back, but now I'm at 50% again. Better than nothing," he said with some satisfaction. "I'm ready to go home. I recovered at last," Ryker sighed. "I better go back to camp," he thought. The next day he would be ready to go back.
Days later...
"I'm back!", Ryker shouted at Alice's door.
Alice ran and opened the door looking at a completely ragged Ryker. However, the joy of seeing him made her run to him and hug him. She was happy that he had returned safe and sound after days away.
"Thank God you're okay," Alice said in relief.
"I said I'd be careful. There was no cause for concern," he replied.
"As if that were enough. I will always care about you, no matter what you say."
"I know Alice and thank you for that," Ryker said hugging her. "Do you have anything to eat? You know, I'm starving after all this journey."
"Of course I do. And you lost weight, you have to eat right", she scolded him. "But first try to take a shower. You smell like dead skunk!" she said with an expression of disgust.
"Yes ma'am!", he said and ran to the bathroom to wash up, before the family dinner.