Fairy Tail Chapter 388 – Minerva’s Tears

June 19, 2014 by Syphin 11 Comments

I feel so happy for Minerva, she is finally free from the shackles of fear encumbering her so painfully

Frozen by detachment and confused by superiority, the heart of a girl once so full of warmth is smothered by the narrow-mindedness of strength and the fear of weakness. Engraved within her being by the terror of her father and the darkness of his teachings, she distanced herself from her feelings and began to ignore the cries of her heart, cries that craved to be embraced. Yet through her denial of herself and the acknowledgement of who she is, the heart of her emotion began to beat again and with the realisation of a place to belong, tears once dried up and frozen begin to rejuvenate the heart.

Despite the cruel nature of Minerva and her acceptance of the darkness, there was always a part within her that screamed pain and loneliness. From the tears she shed once she realised Sabertooth lost the Grand Magic Games it became notably clear that there was much more to Minerva than she let herself be perceived as. The anger towards her father and the twisted nature of her pride in being strong, such elements alluded to the fact that Minerva was shackled to her fear of being weak.

The childhood Minerva lived through and the teachings of her father, Jiemma, she had to endure, such pain scarred her and drove her to perceive the world in such a narrow and dark way. Minerva was forced to believe in the necessity of strength and the worthlessness of weakness. It was Jiemma’s parenting that twisted Minerva’s pride of being strong and her fear of being weak. It was such teachings that made Minerva perceive her lose to Erza as a symbol of her weakness and the lack of value her life held.

My heart felt that…

Minerva was never thought how to deal with despair and sadness, so when challenged and faced with unfamiliar situations, Minerva behaved the only way she knew, offensively and feeling everything will be resolved with the display of strength. Through Minerva’s confusion and vulnerability, Erza was able to pierce her heart and embrace it with her words which resonated within Minerva. And thanks to arrival of Sting, Rogue, Lector and Frosch, the ice freezing Minerva’s heart began to melt. And once the layers of fear washed away with tears of happiness, a vulnerable and pure girl desiring to be embraced revealed herself.

I don’t know how else to say it, but I feel happy, I feel happy that Minerva was able to escape from her “prison” of fear and terror which her father Jiemma created within her. The acceptance of her emotions and realisation that she is so much more than the power she wields, such developments feel so satisfying to process within my mind and in my heart. The fact that Minerva was finally able to let out her tears free from the fear of it signalling her weakness makes me smile so sincerely, she has finally found a place where she can be free.

Words that pierce the heart – colour by gaston18

With Mard Geer going on the offensive, it will be exciting to see how the Twin Dragons handle him. I am also excited to see how the relationship between Erza and Minerva will develop in the future, they really do seem like they could be really good friends. There is also the development with Wendy, with her cutting her hair and steeling her resolve, it will be interesting to see how she handles the situation with Face. Very much looking forward to the next chapter.