Chapter 226: The Cruel Truth
The joy of victory faded the moment Wendy spoke.
In fact, Wendy herself looked more devastated than any of them. She had been the first to discover the truth, and now tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks.
"What do you mean Liz has been dead for a long time? Isn't she the girl we're here to help? The one who needs treatment?" Natsu asked in disbelief. He hadn't even met Liz yet, but the idea alone was hard to accept.
Erza and Rhodes struggled even more. They had seen Liz earlier, before nightfall. Wendy had spoken to her. She had seemed so real—a sweet, adorable child they could see and touch.
Wendy wiped her tears and tried to explain what she had discovered.
"My Dragon Slayer Secret Art, Galaxy, lets me hear the voices of dragon souls... but it can also help me sense the souls of people. At first, I thought Liz's condition might be due to something wrong with her soul. But when I used Galaxy... I realized..."
Wendy's voice trembled as she finished, "The Liz we've been seeing is only her soul."
The words struck like a hammer to the heart.
Such a young, innocent girl... a ghost?
Rhodes wanted to believe Wendy. He trusted her. But the truth was so strange and painful, it was hard to fully accept.
"No... souls are supposed to be invisible, intangible. You'd need special magic to even see one. And Wendy, didn't you say that even you can only detect a soul by using Galaxy? Then how is it that Liz... we all saw her with our own eyes? And we never sensed any magic around her."