Marvel's master of cosmic magic-Chapter 599
On Tenrou Island, outside a modest wooden house warmed by lamplight, Rowan Mercer listened in silence.
Zeref sat cross-legged by the low table, tea steaming gently between them as he spoke in an even, reflective tone.
"The Spirit World operates on different rules," Zeref explained. "Spirits can’t remain in the human world without contracts, and humans can’t survive long in the Spirit World without protection. Time flows differently too. One day there equals a hundred days here. That imbalance is what allowed me to design the Eclipse Gate in the first place."
He took another sip of tea.
"To activate it without gathering all twelve Spirit Keys, and outside the designated time window, you’d need something else. Overwhelming personal power, and a deep command of time manipulation. Without both, it’s impossible."
Rowan rested his arms on the table, already doing the math in his head.
His goal was simple in concept and absurd in scale. Use the Eclipse Gate to open a path to the past. Release the dragons sealed there. Devour them all. Every element. Every strain. No gaps. No weaknesses.
But the gate wouldn’t naturally open for another five years.
Lucy already had the twelve keys, but forcing the process early meant meeting Zeref’s conditions head-on. Time magic wasn’t the issue. Rowan had that under control.
The problem was raw power.
He was close. Close enough to see the line, not close enough to cross it.
"Then I’ll change the order," Rowan said finally. "I’ll start with the Black Dragon."
Zeref glanced up.
"If he could absorb that," Rowan continued, "it would sharpen my absorption abilities across the board. That alone would make everything else easier."
Including what awaited him in other worlds.
Power compounded. Momentum mattered.
Rowan had come a long way in a short time. From a fragile clone barely scraping by to something that could stand against cosmic threats without blinking. His growth hadn’t slowed so much as compressed, every step forward now requiring exponentially more weight behind it.
That final leap wasn’t something you rushed.
It was something you prepared for.
He leaned back, exhaling slowly.
"Accumulation first," he murmured. "Then the breakthrough."
Before Zeref could reply, the door burst open.
"Zeref! Rowan! Try my new dessert!"
Mavis floated in, balancing two plates piled with something that defied classification. Smoke curled faintly from the surface. Behind her, the Magic King followed, face gray, expression haunted.
Rowan vanished instantly.
Only Zeref remained, staring at the plates like a man facing judgment.
The Fairy Tail guild hall was loud as ever.
"Master! You’re back!"
Mirajane lit up the moment Rowan appeared. He shifted from his usual feline form into human shape, pulled her into a brief embrace, and kissed her cheek.
"Anything explode while I was gone?" he asked casually.
She smiled a little sheepishly. "Natsu and the others leveled half of Agalifa City during an S-Class job."
Rowan pinched the bridge of his nose.
"We sent repair mages," Mirajane added quickly. "They think it’ll be fixed in two weeks."
Rowan sighed. "I’ll handle it myself. If it takes that long, the Council will start sending letters again."
He glanced around the guild hall, shaking his head.
"I ask them to help me track rare spell tomes, nothing. Let them loose on a mission, and they rewrite city maps."
Despite himself, he smiled faintly.
Chaos was constant.
But it was familiar chaos.
And for now, that was enough.
