One of Kai's new favorite things was sitting out on the balcony of his home as he watched the sun rise over Magnolia. Erza, ever an early riser, was already out and about with her day. Iggy was too, though she suspected she'd get a job today and probably just head out of town for a few days. Kai kicked back.
The stresses of finding a well-paying job did stick to the back of his mind, but in the last few days, he and Erza managed to wrack up some serious Jewel on A-rank jobs, including some bonus rewards for side-projects they helped out with along the way.
Fairy Tail's reputation couldn't have improved more drastically thanks to those two and the vast net that the guild cast over the rest of the country. Even the Thunder Tribe was in better standing with, at least, members of the Magic Council from before the Tenrou Incident.
Kai eased his head back as the sunlight washed over him and the rest of the town.
The only other thing naggling at him was Tartaros. He and the others naturally informed Makarov right away, who had the Magic Council put Tartaros on watch; though, apparently that would not do them too much good, as the Dark Guild rarely operated on the surface. They all feared that if Tartaros made a move, it would only because they wanted to be seen and it would be too late to stop their initial machinations.
After a little more time relaxing, he made his way down and out of the house and toward the guild hall, where the hustle and bustle of the hall brought a smile to his lips. Everyone sat around and chatted. The smells of fresh food for lunch wafted into his nose and his stomach growled for more.
Kai leaned against the bar withholding Lisanna from the rest of the guild and asked for a bit of lunch, taking a nice plate of assorted meats and vegetables with a big cup of ice to chow down on. He caught up with her and her older sister for a moment; apparently, the increased wealth of the guild wizards allowed them to get higher tips. Rather nice, Kai thought, for how hard they worked.
Natsu and Gray sat anxiously across from one another; initially, it appeared that they were waiting for something, but on closer inspection, they were really just sitting around going through a staring contest. Juvia, not to be outdone, sat next to Gray and competed in a contest that Gray was unaware of: the "creepily stare at your crush" contest.
Kai started that way when he heard, through the crowd, someone grumble his name. Only one old man grumbled like that in the guild hall and his attention turned toward Master Makarov, who waved him over.
"You know, it's my luck that I'd consider you a right and proper wizard and then have something of great magnitude thrust on your shoulders."
"Well that's not ominous."
Kai sat next to Makarov.
"It's mysterious, really," Makarov said. "And quite worrisome."
"What is it?"
Makarov sighed. Behind them, Natsu and Gray leapt across the table and threw quite a few nice punches at one another.
"It's a request," Makarov said. "For you. And them."
The two continued to roll around until they at last sprang to their feet. Kai's heart lit up when Erza reappeared and tried to put an end to their fighting, but was swiftly punched for her good deeds. Kai's heart dropped—not for Erza's safety, but for Natsu and Gray.
The two boys were almost instantly put into the ground, shattering the tables they were near.
"I hope it's nothing serious."
"Would you define a personal request by a Wizard Saint and former member of Fairy Tail serious?"
Kai understood the previous grumbles from Makarov. "Well...damn it, then."
The request came courtesy of Warrod Sequen, an ancient member of the Fairy Tail guild who apparently had ties to Master Mavis Vermillion. Kai couldn't help wonder if Warrod knew anything of his father, Ichigo, too.
The request only asked for Kai, Natsu, and Gray, but the rest the team—barring Iggy and Carla who were out on a job—tagged along as well.
The group arrived not longer afterward at a tiny place atop a hill, a nice wooden house well into Fiore. Naught but forest and beautiful natural landscapes surrounded it. Kai breathed in fresh air that relaxed him quite a bit. Even Natsu settled down some.
"You'd think he was retired, not a Wizard Saint," Lucy said.
"I know," Natsu muttered. "And where is this guy?"
Erza, of course, took charge. Kai followed closely behind. She knocked and the door opened of its own volition, revealing a man in green pants and a beige jacket tending to some plants.
When he turned, though, he also had a planet head. Natsu and Lucy stepped back, startled.
"Neat," Kai muttered.
"So," the tree-man said. "You all must be the new Fairy Tail wizards."
"New being relative," Kai said.
"Welcome to my home! I am Warrod Sequen, and I am pleased to make your acquaintance."
"It's a pleasure and an honor to meet you, sir," Erza said. "You're a legend in our guild."
"It's like meeting a part of history," Gray said.
"Not as historic as you all will be, I'm sure," Warrod said. "I've watched your journey with great intrigue. Stopping the Lullaby, shutting down Nirvana, winning the Grand Magic Games, and defeating dragons in the capital. Not bad for a bunch of teenagers."
"Well technically we're adults," Natsu said.
"And high-profile folk as well," Warrod said. He held out his hand and a cane manifested form it. "The daughter of a venture capitalist. Three Dragon Slayers. The Queen of the Fairies, and the greatest Maker wizard of our generation."
"And me!" Happy exclaimed.
"And cats that are not of this world," Warrod said. "Oh, Precht would have a field day with all of your and your…quirks."
"He did," Kai muttered, but was nudged by Erza not to talk.
Warrod chuckled. Had he heard that?
"Your request sounded quite urgent, sir," Erza said. "Though did not have many details."
"Tea?" Warrod held out a kettle but nobody accepted. He nodded, still smiling. "You may not have believed me if I told you what it was that I needed your help with. It's not a personal matter, but something I figured one of you three could figure out."
"Must be tough, then," Happy said.
"I was out on a walk when I came across the Sun Village, once home to giants and a great Eternal Flame, one so bright and strong it gave great warmth for miles and miles. But when I happened upon the village, it was all frozen."
"What about the flame?" Kai asked.
"And the people?" Lucy asked.
"All frozen."
"You can't freeze fire," Natsu said, crossing his arms. "Maybe someone just snuffed it out and we need to reignite it."
Warrod stifled a laugh this time, his face turning a bit darker. "No, Natsu. Though age has partly dulled my senses, I have no doubts of what I bore witness to. The great Eternal Flame is frozen. The powerful giants of the village are frozen. I could not break the ice, nor could I melt it. So, I've called upon the ones who may know best what to do."
"I'll melt it no problem," Natsu said.
Warrod shrugged. "Good. I like your confidence. A village rests in your hands, children. You must succeed."
"No sweat," Gray said. "This'll be easy."
Kai shrugged. He could just started munching away at the ice if worst came to worst. He'd be stuffed, sure, but at least it would be something.
But, he had to wonder: if he ate the frozen flames, would that be the same as eating fire? Could Natsu just eat the frozen fire? He pursed his lips.
Just things they'd have to test out, probably.
Warrod escorted them via a flying cloud out to the Sun Village. It was far larger than Kai was anticipating, though its size made sense when considering the fact that giants lived in it. Buildings were quite tall and, indeed, several massive giants stood around them, weapons at the ready, but were entirely frozen in place.
The cloud dropped them off in the middle of town. They all touched down and Kai anticipated a slight chill that never came. Nobody else felt it, either.
"We should get to work," Erza said. "Boys?"
"This place is awesome," Kai said, stepping away from everyone else.
The sheets of ice coating everything were an odd purple, unlike the usual clear that Kai and Gray could cast. While it was obviously magic in nature, now Kai wondered if it were some sort of natural magic.
"Natsu?" Erza asked.
Natsu nodded, standing away from everyone, then swung his fists down. While the impact of his attack broke part of the ice, none of it burned away. He kept his hand near the ice and surged his magic, yet the ice did not melt away. It remained in place.
Gray and Kai rested their hands on their hips as Natsu eased up on the power.
"That just doesn't make any sense," Natsu said. "My flames can melt anything."
"You just need a gentler touch," Kai said. "Let me see if I can eat away at it, at least."
He took in a big breath and approached a building, gnawing into the ice. A few voices called out to him as he ate, whispers in the back of his mind, and when he took his first swallow, he almost vomitted it right back up.
"What's wrong?" Erza asked.
"There…there's something weird about this ice," Kai said, spitting it away. "I can't eat it."
"Why not?"
"I don't know it—" Kai glowered back at the ice. "I don't know."
"Maybe you can somehow manipulate it?" Lucy asked. "Gray?"
"Hold on," Natsu said. "Wendy, Kai, you smell that?"
"I can't smell a thing," Kai said, rubbing his nose. "The hell is wrong with this ice?"
"We're not alone," Natsu said.
Erza held out her hand and a sword appeared in it. Kai coughed up a bit more ice and rubbed his mouth, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.
A few cackles rang out over the once-empty village. Kai followed the sound of it to the top of a cliff not that far away, where three men stood with various weapons.
"Oh, great," he muttered.
"What's a bunch of wizards doing in this part of the world?" one of them asked.
"We're here on a job," Gray said. "What about yourselves?"
"We're here for a similar reason, and you better not get in our way," the same one said. "We're here looking for the Eternal Flame."
"Why?" Kai asked.
"We're going to take it," the wizard said. "We're treasure hunters, and the Eternal Flame of the Sun Village is one of the biggest scores you can get. Normally, it's impossible, but since some fine folk have decided to freeze over the village?"
"It's ours for the taking," another said.
"I don't think so," Natsu said. "Besides, you can't even unfreeze anything!"
"Actually, we can, with some of this!" The wizard held out a bottle and exclaimed, "With Moon Drip, there's no ice that can't be melted."
Everyone else gasped, save for Kai, who just pursed his lips in confusion.
"What's that?"
"It's a powerful magic liquid," Erza said. "It was used on Galuna Island to almost unfreeze the corpse of Deliora."
Gray tensed, then jabbed a finger at the newcomers. "Who the hell are you guys, anyway?"
"Sylph Labyrinth," the leader—Kai presumed, anyway—said. "And if you want to unfreeze the village, you better make sure we don't use the Moon Drip, first."
"They're playing you all for sport," Erza said. "Don't do anything rash, just—!"
The three hunters then blasted down at the wizards and took off. Fairy Tail quickly took cover, then recovered just as fast. Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Wendy, naturally, took off after them into the forests near the village. Happy zipped away as well, trying to catch up.
Erza, though, stayed put. Kai watched the rest leave, then eyed his girlfriend.
"Don't want to join in on the fun?" Kai asked.
"No need," Erza said. "The Eternal Flame isn't going to be away from the village. Think about it; in winter seasons, you don't put a hearth away from everyone else, you want it nearby so everyone can share."
"So the Flame is within the village," Kai said.
"Why did the ice bother you?" Erza asked.
"It tasted strange. Not like how it tastes when I eat my own ice, but…like, tainted. Like a strawberry that's not gone bad but is about it, you know?" Kai sighed and looked around. "There were voices, too, coming from the ice."
"Voices?"
"Like, things calling out from the ice, but it doesn't make any sense."
"Could it be the giants?"
"Maybe. But, how? They're frozen, they can't talk."
Erza shrugged and put away her sword. "We should assume the others can handle those three quite easily and we'll continue on with the task at hand. Now, if I were a guessing woman, I would also assume that the giants here—" She pointed to some of the giants frozen nearby. "Are actually not trying to face the Eternal Flame."
"Why?"
"Out of fear that something has gone wrong with it. They're moving away from it. So, we just need to go in the opposite direction of where they are. The fewer giants that's nearby, the closer we're getting."
"Sounds good to me."
Erza led the way and Kai followed behind; unlike Erza, he brandished his sword. Something still unsettled him, and it had nothing to do with the voices. There was a presence, a foul presence that did not belong to the village.
They marched through the village, careful not to flip all over the ice as they did so. Kai occasionally tapped the ice with his sword to see if there were any faults or weak spots, and maybe to draw out that malignant presence lingering near them.
The village continued to astound him, though. It had to be quite marvelous without the frozen coating, though it did add a level of mystique to it all, too.
Eventually, they came near the edge of the village toward a massive mountain, a rather unnatural one at that. Erza grimaced.
"Something doesn't seem right here," she muttered.
"I know," Kai said, his voice getting higher pitched as the world around him seemed to expand. "You're getting…taller?"
"What?" Erza's eyes widened at Kai, but, she too started to shrink. "I'm not taller, you're just smaller!"
"The hell are you talking about?" Kai squeaked, then covered his mouth.
He struggled to hold up his sword, now quite hefty, and leaned it on the ground. It'd gotten massive.
"What's going on?" he wondered, and caught a glint of the sword in the reflection of the ice. "Am I...?"
The reflection that wore a startled expression back at Kai was indeed himself, but as a child. His guild mark had shrunk with him and almost all of his clothes were off, save for his undergarments which were now just his shorts.
Erza was the exact same way; her undershirt was now her regular shirt that was the size of a dress.
"Oh, no, we're just children!"
"Is it the ice?"
A cackle echoed around them. Both spun, and there waiting for them, in a new outfit but still with a sinister grin, awaited Minerva Orland.
"Oh, this is precious," she muttered. "It's so good to see you both, though not in a way I would have anticipated."
"What have you done?" Erza asked.
"Not me, my partner," Minerva said. "You see we were brought out here to do a job: to kill anyone who could come to the Sun Village. Lo and behold, it's you, dear Erza, and your little boyfriend."
"I'm taking exceptional offense to that right now," Kai muttered.
"A job to kill someone?" Erza asked. "That sort of thing would never be sanctioned by the magic council."
"Who said it being a clean job for a good guild?" Minerva asked. "I've got a new guild now, ever since Sabertooth turned into an embarrassment. My partner and I are working for Succubus Eye, a little Dark Guild that serves as little more than a stepping stone for our endgame. But my endgame is right in front of me."
She held out a hand and a tiny ethereal orb formed in it. Kai held out his hand and his sword came to him, but he had to use all of his muscles just to hold it up.
"Oh, this shall be fun," Minerva said with a wicked grin, then flicked the powerful ball of magic at the child forms of Erza and Kai.