Hope's words left Lucy stunned.
She tugged her ear, wondering if she'd misheard—Crom Cruach was a living, breathing serpent; how could it possibly be a human?
Erza thought otherwise; she'd seen plenty of twisted Dark Mages—people with no shred of human decency. How else would they fall so far?
"Hope, are you saying someone used magic to turn a human into a snake?"
"Exactly." Hope glanced toward the violet serpent within the array, eyes grave. "From what I've found, the curse can only be cast on a child."
The moment those words left his mouth, Erza and Lucy paled.
Erik had said he first met Crom Cruach ten years ago when he was dragged into the Tower of Paradise; back then it had been a snake no thicker than a rope.
In other words, Crom Cruach had been a snake for at least a decade… "C-can it be undone?" Lucy's voice shook; she couldn't imagine the despair of a child turned serpent.
"Don't worry too much—I've already found the dispel array."
The grim look vanished; Hope spoke lightly. "The curse seals the human mind. Once reversed, every Memory of being a snake disappears."
So… no traumatic memories?
A nasty spell, yet oddly merciful, Lucy mused.
Just as their talk ended, Mystogan finished inscribing the array. Hope stepped up, palms pressing against its intricate runes.
As his magic poured in, the array glowed, bathing the purple serpent in soft light.
A cringe-inducing hiss came from the glow—like a snake devouring prey—then a pop, as if a bubble had burst, and silence fell.
The light faded, revealing a young woman with deep-violet hair, about twenty years old, standing in the circle.
At the sight of her bare form, Hope and Mystogan turned away. Lucy caught the falling woman while Erza, ever-prepared, pulled clothes from her Requip space.
Moments later the woman woke, dazed. "W-where am I?"
Her voice was hoarse, as though unused for years, yet after her serpentine life she still remembered speech.
Erza told her the truth: she had been cursed into snake-form. Childhood memories were gone, but she recalled her name—"Kinana."
When Hope mentioned Erik, Kinana drew a blank; she knew no Erik, nothing of her days as Crom Cruach.
Yet, besides her name, she faintly remembered someone once gently wishing to hear her heart.
Hope sighed.
Xu Xian at least rode the white snake before the "Great Power Dragon" dragged him off to monk-hood. Erik? He'll be locked up by the Council a good dozen years—sent straight to Leifeng Pagoda before he could do a thing.
Lucy fetched Wendy; after a check-up she declared Kinana perfectly healthy—Erik had clearly cared for her well.
With no memories of childhood or her serpent years, and nowhere to go, Erza invited her to work at Fairy Tail.
Since Hope became a Mage, Mirajane had wanted another helper—now the perfect candidate had appeared.
Hearing the invitation, Hope felt a twinge of embarrassment; he too had entered Fairy Tail with "amnesia."
Kinana's case was real.
She accepted without hesitation; Memory lost, wits intact, she recognized their kindness.
Though twenty, Kinana still held a child's heart and quickly bonded with Wendy.
Watching them drag a reluctant Carla into their games, Lucy smiled—then realized she'd forgotten something.
Right—how to boost her magic!
Before she could speak, Erza pointed her out to Hope. "Hope, Lucy thinks her magic's too weak—help her."
Hope cocked his head, a question mark practically floating above it. "Open her second magic source? Lucy, are you serious?"
The moment "second magic source" left his lips, Lucy's eyes blazed; the name alone told her he had a way.
"Yes! Boost my magic—I'm not afraid of pain!"
At her resolve Hope inhaled sharply. Whose soldier was this? So fierce—dismissing the agony of unlocking a second magic source.
Old Glaston, who'd proposed the theory, nearly wet himself when Hope opened his. "It's just a teeny bit of pain; Lucy can handle it," Erza added.
Spotting Erza's flicker of mischief, Hope realized Lucy had no idea how brutal it would be.
Who are you—Mirajane in disguise? Hope cleared his throat and agreed; he'd planned to do this for the guild after the Mildian Magic Academy trip anyway.
Just moved up the schedule.
He roped in Natsu and Gray for good measure.
Gray agreed instantly; Natsu, fighting seasickness, still raised his hand.
Under Hope's wicked grin, Time Arc's light reached through their bodies, stirring latent magic—just as it had with Glaston and himself.
Then, like fish out of water, the three thrashed across the deck, shrieks so loud Wendy dove behind Mystogan.
Lucy's sole emotion: regret.
She finally understood—Erza's "little" pain meant a mega-ton of pain.
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