𝙏𝙃𝙐𝙉𝘿𝙀𝙍 // 𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙪𝙚 𝙭 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙬 𝙜𝙤𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙖

// 3rd P.O.V //

Into the black heavens, upon that clear night, appeared the moon anew, in all of her dappled grace.

The village people gathered around a bonfire. The great amber flames licked at the line where the sky met the stark white snow.

Slips of parchment fluttered through the air from the hands of the folk and descended into the fire pit.

"What are they throwing paper for?" Past Sting spoke up.
"Every week, the moon shines down on this very bonfire and a single name written upon the parchment is chosen," Yevpraksiya explained. Her daughter, Svetlana, stood beside her.

"My words don't do the process justice," she shook her head, "just watch."

Eyes turned to the fire as a stream of moonlight fell over it, rising branches of an evergreen tree in the dark night. Gasps came as a singular piece of parchment rose into the air, edges torn and singed by the flames.

An elderly woman approached the pit, lines long on her face. Her hair was short and grey, stuck into a tight bun. She was draped on a long, furry black and white cloak - the skin of a Vulcan. The crowd parted for her and she cupped her hands before her. The parchment paper flittered down and landed in her hands.

Everyone sucked in an anticipated breath as she unraveled the paper and announced the name.
"Svetlana Sorokina!"

Yukino gave a gasp of horror and all eyes turned to the young, green-haired girl. Yevpraksiya let out a long-bated sob.

"No, Borbala," she started towards the old woman, "please, you must pick someone else. Not my only daughter!"

The old woman, Borbala, shook her head, "there are no redos. The moon has chosen. I cannot help you nor your daughter."

"No," Past [Y/N] stepped forwards, in front of Svetlana, "I volunteer myself instead."

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?!" [Y/N] hissed.

Borbala looked over Past [Y/N] and pursed her wrinkled lips solemnly.
"Do you truly wish to exchange your life for this girl's?" she spoke.
"Yes," Past [Y/N] replied firmly.

At that, the ceremony began to diffuse and everyone began to walk away.
"Oh, thank you, thank you so much," Yevpraksiya took Past [Y/N]'s hands in hers, "what would I have done... oh, thank you, Sabertooth."
"It's Fairy Tail," Past [Y/N] corrected.

Svetlana frowned and tightly hugged her.
"Thank you," she said quietly. She patted her back and eventually the mother and daughter trailed away.

"Hey!" Sting marched himself to Past [Y/N], "why'd you do that?"
"'Cause I felt like it," she shrugged.
"Seriously?" [Y/N] snapped, "because you felt like it?"

"It's not like you would've volunteered," her younger self said.
"We could have followed after her and this could've been avoided, though," the older replied.
"What if we were too late to save her?" Past [Y/N] challenged.

[Y/N] fell silent at that - it was a good point that was very much realistic.

"Exactly. That's the difference between us," Past [Y/N] continued, "I'm fine with dying 'cause I'm just a kid whose friends all died two years ago, I'm beyond repair right now. But you're not. You have people to live for - I... don't."