Wraith glared at Natsu, his expression dark with indignation.
"So there really are scumbag owners in this world who abuse their pets."
He had assumed Natsu would never be able to strike Happy because they were companions.
Not only had Natsu hit him, he had not held back in the slightest.
Natsu clenched his fist and frowned at Wraith.
"What are you talking about? Happy isn't my pet. He's my partner."
"We argue, fight, and say mean stuff to each other all the time. And if some weirdo possesses him, I'll beat that guy out of him. I also won't forgive anyone who hurts Happy."
...
Nebaru continuously spat slime and web-like strands from his mouth, trying to bind Mira.
Every so often, he also made bizarre gurgling noises that were beginning to get on her nerves.
The Sticky Dragon's slime and webs were corrosive.
Although the strands could eat through clothing, they could not dissolve Mira's Etherious form after Taking Over Mard Geer.
Even so, the slime and webs were still capable of injuring her.
'That corrosion is incredibly strong...'
Mira frowned at the burns spreading across her arm.
Kiria furiously chopped through one of Nebaru's stray webs with her hand.
"Nebaru, stop throwing your webs everywhere!"
Every time she and Kagura settled into the rhythm of their duel, another strand came flying in and disrupted them.
The same thing was happening around Erza and Ultear.
Ultear, however, continued using Arc of Time, causing every web to decay and vanish before it could reach her.
Seeing that none of his attacks against Mira were working, Nebaru's expression grew increasingly vicious.
He bared a mouthful of sharp teeth and shouted,
"I'm going to gurgle-gurgle eat you!"
After failing to use Happy, Wraith shifted his attention toward Raizel and Lucy.
Raizel could not clearly see Wraith's form, but he could faintly sense where he was.
He Took Over Alphamon and created a defensive barrier, covering Wendy, Lucy, and Happy beneath a green dome.
Wendy seized the opportunity to shout toward Natsu.
"Natsu-nii, don't worry about us! Hurry and defeat him!"
Natsu's unconscious body was also protected inside Raizel's barrier, preventing Wraith from possessing it.
Mira and the others were all occupied in battle, so Wraith had no way to interfere there either.
His only real option was to continue fighting Natsu in spirit form.
The biggest problem was that he could not beat Natsu.
Wraith had never been a particularly powerful Mage when he was alive.
After dying, his lingering resentment and lost memories caused him to wander endlessly until Georg Reizen, the guild master of Diabolos, found him.
Since only Dragon Slayer Mages could see him in his spiritual state, he joined the Dragon Eater guild.
Did he feel any attachment to them?
Not particularly.
He could not even remember whether he had ever known anyone he could truly call a companion.
Wraith's expression became uncertain, and he murmured with genuine emotion,
"It must be nice... having companions willing to do so much for you."
When Natsu had collapsed, Wraith had seen everything.
Happy and Lucy's trembling voices and tears. Wendy placing herself in front of Natsu to protect him. Raizel shielding all of them from danger.
Natsu bent one arm and slapped it proudly with his other hand.
"Of course! Everyone in Fairy Tail is a companion!"
"The best companions in the world!"
Wraith seemed to remember something.
He crouched down, gripping his head tightly with both hands and squeezing his eyes shut.
"Everyone is a companion... Everyone in Fairy Tail is a companion..."
"Eh?"
Natsu froze, unsure whether he should keep punching him.
Wendy immediately understood and shouted,
"Natsu-nii, don't attack him yet! I think he's remembering something!"
Raizel also lowered the defensive barrier and watched Wraith carefully.
As Wraith crouched on the floor, memories he had lost in death slowly returned to torment him.
Scene after scene flashed through his mind.
...
Wraith's spirit suddenly appeared inside a guild hall.
He was like a traveler wandering through his own memories, reliving the past from the perspective of an outsider.
He had once belonged to a loud and chaotic guild.
No one had said its name yet, so he still could not remember what it was called.
There was a stern, one-eyed guild master wearing an eyepatch.
A short man with yellow hair.
A pink-haired woman who bickered with him like a married couple every day.
A tall, thin man in sunglasses.
A man whose eyebrows were longer than his hair.
And another man who constantly threatened to quit and join the Magic Council instead.
They were always noisy!
"Hurry!!!"
"Move out of the way!!!"
Two figures rushed into the guild carrying a stretcher.
"What happened?!"
"He's injured! A monster attacked him during a job!"
The guild, which had been noisy only moments before, erupted into chaos as everyone crowded around.
The companions who had carried him inside cried out,
"Porlyusica, please! Save him!"
"Everyone move!" Porlyusica shouted. "You're blocking the light! Stop crowding around!"
Even behind his sunglasses, Goldmine's shock was obvious.
"Those wounds are terrible..."
Yajima shouted from beside him,
"Hey! Stay with us!"
"Hah... hah... hah..."
The man lying on the stretcher struggled for every breath, each one seeming to cause unbearable pain.
"Eh?"
Only then did Wraith realize that the dying man on the stretcher...was him.
'So this is how I died? I was attacked by a monster... But then why was I unable to move on?'
Looking at Porlyusica and the others, the dying Wraith forced out his words between ragged breaths.
"I... can't be... saved, can I?"
Makarov, still young and not yet guild master, shouted,
"Don't say something so stupid! You're going to survive! Right, Porlyusica?"
"..."
Porlyusica only clenched her teeth, grief filling her face as she remained silent.
When she did not answer, Makarov pleaded again,
"Please, save him!"
Wraith looked at the sobbing Makarov and used what little strength he had left to speak.
"Makarov... why are you... trying so hard?"
"Were we ever... that close?"
In his memories, he had only spoken with Makarov occasionally.
He had been a weak Mage, nowhere near Makarov's level, but Makarov had always treated him kindly.
Though tears streamed down his face, Makarov answered with complete seriousness.
"What does that have to do with anything?!"
"We're companions, aren't we?!"
"Right..."
"Don't die, Wraith!"
Though he was moments from death, a faint smile appeared on Wraith's face.
"I didn't expect... you to remember my name."
"What are you talking about?! We're all companions in Fairy Tail!"
Ignoring Wraith's injuries, Makarov lifted his head into his arms.
On the upper-right side of Wraith's back was the unmistakable emblem of Fairy Tail.
Wraith slowly closed his eyes, surrounded by guild members mourning him in silence.
'Fairy Tail...'
'Fairy Tail!!!'
...
Wraith finally lifted his head.
"I lost."
"I remember everything now."