Hi again people! Thanks everyone for your reviews, I'm glad to see them. Many thanks.
Here are the answers for your questions.
Toaneo07 Ver2.0: Many thanks, I'll try to keep up =)
FanFictionHunter: Thanks. Yeah, this is one of the reasons why I like NaZa – this pair like meant for kinky stuff =)
Silent Reader 6100: Yeah, I know that my English is not perfect yet, but I found a beta reader, all previous chapters were already updated, many thanks goes to Soul-out-Fairy
Divebomb Crow: Thanks. Natsu's left arm is fleshless from elbow joint to palm.
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Everyone: Thanks for the reviews people, now let's continue. This chapter is shorter than others and was published before the schedule because it is canon-like and I do not want to mix it with the next one. Sorry for that, I promise to compensate it in the Chapter 10 – it will be about Erza's magic and dragon, so I can guarantee a lot of action and originality. It will be published at the next Friday, as usual. I need these two extra days to polish the next chapter =)
Chapter updated 1/12/2016
Chapter IX – To the Cursed Island.
…
July 13, Year X784, 11:55, Magnolia town.
Natsu and Erza were walking hand in hand toward Fairy Hills dormitory. Their love games 'delayed' them for three hours, so time now was about noon. A dreamy smile played on Erza's face as her thoughts were still soaring inside the bedroom. Natsu, on the other hand, was completely focused, sorting through the information that he managed to acquire from the cult's documents. Thanks to Erza's little 'hint', he realized that dragon lacrima that was implanted into his bride's body and the grimoire that contains the teaching of En no Metsuryū Mahō [Flame Dragon Slayer Magic] have nothing to do with one another. The lacrima really contains a part of an ancient being's soul, but that is not the flame dragon's soul (that being may not even be a dragon). Its magic is related to the flame, but that's definitely not a pure flame.
In fact – Natsu was quite displeased with himself. He actually assumed that the book and lacrima are one set, and having that in mind he implanted the lacrima into his beloved woman's body, without making any additional researches. He actually became too enthusiastic… he really got carried away. Now there's no way to extract the lacrima without crippling Erza. As such, now she's carrying an essence of a completely unknown being inside of her body, and there's no way to research the lacrima now, since it has already been implanted.
There are several potential problems:
First – What if that unknown being's attribute is catalyst – a combination of fire and wood? Erza's attribute is quicksilver – a combination of fire and metal, wood and metal are opposition, so if Erza would try to use that magic, her spells will be ineffective and with potentially unpredictable side effects.
Second – The essence of which creature was sealed inside of that lacrima? What if that was something very weird? No, that creature definitely possessed the primordial bloodline, but still, it could've been a very strange mutant, and since Natsu was planning to spent his entire life with Erza… well, that's definitely an issue.
However, the third, and most important thing is that without knowledge about that being's nature, Erza won't be able to evolve properly. By now, Natsu realized that he made a huge mistake. 'I must find a solution, and I must do it before okā-sama would learn about that situation…' He thought as he shivered, imagining the amount of mockery he would have to endure if his mother would've learned about his blunder.
And this situation has only one possible solution – he must find the right grimoire, or at least some description of a being, whose essence was sealed inside of lacrima, which was implanted into Erza's body so she could properly inherit its bloodline and, thus, use all of its might with full power and efficiency… No, there's actually another solution, but that's definitely a last resort.
"Ouch!" Natsu's thoughts were interrupted when Erza bit his ear. "Hey, what was that for?" He asked, scratching his ear, her bite was quite painful thanks to her massive canine teeth. By the way, these dragon-like features (as enlarged canine teeth and vertical slip pupils) Erza acquired because she was learning the flame dragon slayer's magic from the book, all of that, apparently, has nothing to do with lacrima.
"For not kissing me for almost half an hour," She replied boldly as Natsu forced her to turn around and landed a harsh slap on her butt, gaining a moan of pleasure from his perverted bride.
"Nasty girl…" The God slayer said before he made her stand facing him and merged his lips with hers in very passionate kiss as she wrapped her hands around his neck. "Inter alia, while you were daydreaming here, I was trying to think out a solution for the problem with your newly acquired magic," Natsu noted as he released her lips. Natsu kept a completely calm appearance, he decided to not tell Erza about the real scale of the problem for now. The god slayer decided that, since he caused this situation, he must find the solution, his fiancée has her own load of troubles…
"Oh, c'mon Natsu, it's just an obsession. Just leave it for a while and talk to me. That solution of yours won't do any good if I die from boredom," She smiled, looking into Natsu's eyes. Erza has completely forgot about her nightmare and now she seemed to be in quite a playful mood.
Natsu sighed. Maybe Erza was very exotic girl, but she was still a girl and silent treatment was not too enjoyable for her; at least not when she was alone with her beloved man. Seems that now he needs to put away his obsessive thoughts for some time. His inner struggle must have been reflected on his face because Erza embraced him tightly and buried her face into his chest. "Oh Natsu… I love you, love you so much…" She whispered tenderly before releasing her fiancé. "Okay, c'mon, we have to hurry, we're more than two hours late, the other girls are waiting." The scarlet haired girl grabbed his left arm and started to pull him towards the Fairy Hills dormitory.
"By the way, how many girls agreed to help you with transportation?" Natsu asked, trying to distract himself from thoughts about magic.
"All of them!" Erza informed him joyfully. "They said that they want to thank me for all the work I've done as dormitory's head girl during the last six years, they even asked Lucy and Mira to help me… Damn, I was so touched when they told me about it that I even thought about delaying my move for a week, but they convinced me that I should be with my beloved. They were right of course, but… why are you smiling?" She asked, noticing his soft smile.
"Why shouldn't I?" Natsu shrugged, still smiling. "We are together, and you're so close, your eyes glitter so beautifully today…"
"Then you can slap my butt one more time…" She whispered on Natsu's ear and moaned when she got what she desired.
"You really are something…" Natsu whispered, clenching her palm tighter, he adored her perverseness and spontaneity… as well as her naivety. In fact, the thing that Natsu just said about his reasons for smiling was simply a pretense. Actually, it was really funny that, despite her very keen intelligence, Erza couldn't see the truth behind such a simple excuse, which other girls used.
Natsu himself, on the other hand, quickly realized that, in all intents and purposes, girls just wanted to rid themselves of the 'disciplinary committee chief' as fast as possible. No doubt that tonight a huge party will be taking place in Fairy Hills. Of course, the girls hold Erza dear as their nakama, and they will do anything to help her in her time of need, but living with her under the same roof every day is a completely different thing… Natsu's eyes narrowed as he again thought about the upcoming party, 'Lying to my bride… bad, bad girls… but maybe I'll be able to use their intentions in my favor?…'
July 13, Year X784, 17:30, Town of Magnolia, Lucy's house.
Moving Erza's stuff from the dorm to her new place (Natsu's house) took more than five hours, despite that all the girls and even several male wizards of Fairy Tail were involved. As soon as Lucy returned home, she immediately took a bath to relax a little. She was tired from moving stuff yet she wanted to participate in the dorm girls' party that was planned for today's night.
"Hey Lucy, how's it going?" Sin's voice called out as the little boney dragon flew inside her house through an open window. He heard the flowing water and made his way into Lucy's bathroom.
"Hey, it's my bathroom!" Lucy screamed at the little creature as soon as he flew into the bathroom as she covered her breasts from him.
"Lucy, do you really think you should be embarrassed in my presence?" Sin asked with some bitter irony.
The blonde thought for a moment before lowering her hands… "Well… I don't think so…" It was very unlikely that this weird creature could be interested in human girls' bodies. "But still, this is my home! You can't just break into someone's house!" She said exasperatedly as she closed the water and submerged into the hot bath.
"Relax blonde," Sin waved her off. "I just wanted to talk," He added as he sat on the bath's edge.
"What is it?" Lucy asked.
"It's about you," Sin replied, making Lucy look at him in surprise. "You're acting a bit strange since that Eisenwald incident and I want to know what's wrong. Today you were too quiet and did not even complain about the heavy stuff… Are you still concerned about other dark guilds?"
Lucy was quiet for several seconds before she spoke up. "No… that's not it… I'm still thinking about the things that master told to me… well, to us… about living strong lives… And about the fight when Natsu, Erza and Gray have destroyed that huge demon…"
"Go on," Sin urged her to continue.
"Well… I want to be like them, Sin! I want to become strong too. I want to be able to protect others with my magic…" She said, lowering her head. "Do you think this is impossible for me?"
"Don't say foolish things Lucy, Natsu invited you to the guild because he saw your potential. You have natural talent for magic, as such, this is a matter of willpower and determination only." Sin looked at blonde with evaluating sight, "If you want to become like them, I can tell you how to do it. But first you should decide if it is really what you want or not."
"Please Sin, tell me – I want to hear it at least," Lucy pleaded.
"All right. First, you have to believe in your powers. Second, you should intensify your training, and no, I don't mean that you should train eight hours a week instead of six. You have to devote your entire self to magic. Instead of going for some shopping you should go for training. Instead of going for a walk you should go for training. Take your novel, burn it and go for training instead of writing it," Sin clarified the conditions.
Lucy's eyes widened. Sin added, "Don't be so surprised, Lucy. Being strong is a good thing, and all good things in this world are very difficult to achieve. This is how Natsu and Erza live Lucy, they are training every day, for several hours. They both have reasons and unwavering determination to become stronger. If you want to become like them – you have to live like they do. And the best way to gain experience is to do missions, Lucy. If you really want to become strong, I can help you. I can ask Natsu to take you for a few more missions so you can adapt to this lifestyle quicker."
Actually, there also was a third condition, the harshest one, and exclusive for Lucy, but Sin decided to test her determination before he would decide to name that condition or not.
Lucy nodded uncertainly, she definitely needed a few minutes to stomach the information. Sin already spread his wings, intending to leave, but then he abruptly turned around, as if he remembered something, "Oh, by the way, Lucy, one more thing…"
"What is it?" Lucy looked at the little skeletal creature questioningly.
"Actually, Natsu himself wanted to talk about it with other girls if it would be necessary, but, if you decide to work with him several more times, I'd better warn you about that beforehand…" Lil dragon noted.
"What's this about, Sin?" Lucy asked, his cautious tone worried her a bit.
"No, nothing special… Just in case, tell me – you don't have any romantic feelings toward Natsu, don't you?" Sin asked casually.
"What?! Why did you ask?!" Lucy jumped due to unexpectedness, her cheeks flushed a little.
"No, nothing, I can see by your reaction that you don't," Sin said calmingly, "That's… good. And since that's the case then there's nothing to worry about."
"You can't ask such questions out of blue!" Lucy exclaimed resentfully as she again submerged into bathwater. "And what's this all about, anyway?"
"It's about Erza, obviously," Sin replied.
"What about Erza?" Lucy was a bit puzzled.
Sin looked at her with an evaluating sight. "Well, maybe it's better to tell you… You're friendly enough, so if you hear some gossips, you may warn me or Natsu, or talk with the 'subject' directly…" Sin shook his boney skull. "Natsu told me about that right after they stopped hiding. He seemingly doesn't care, but I think it may be an issue… Anyway, I just want to warn you – Erza ain't flawless too… you see, she's quite jealous…"
"Jealous?" Lucy wondered. "And what's wrong with that? I mean, there's nothing to be proud of, but most women are jealous, and not only women, but men as well, I think…"
"I agree, but most women won't try to behead you if you give a friendly kiss to their beloved ones…" Sin noted. "She's normally very composed and responsible, but, as Natsu told me – 'something inside her breaks down when it's about me'…"
"What?!" For the third time during this evening Lucy almost jumped out of her bath. "That's not 'quite jealous'! That means she's a yandere!"
"Seems so…" Sin nodded. "It looks like, in certain situations, she may turn into Yuno Gasai, with dragon slayer's power in addition to more than two hundred of swords…" He added as if it was nothing special.
And there was another shocking revelation… Lucy just stood there, staring at Sin with her mouth agape, as if she lapsed into idiocy. She suddenly remembered the scene when Erza attempted to kill Reina when the latter tricked Natsu and tried to blackmail him. Lucy actually thought of Erza as of a friend, and that friend appeared to be a yandere… "Horrible…" Lucy cowered her mouth with both palms.
July 13, Year X784, 19:30, Town of Magnolia, Fairy Tail guildhall.
Natsu and Erza were sitting at one of the tables, talking. Erza just has returned from their house after she finished arranging her stuff. During this time, Natsu managed to find a possible lead to the information about Erza's dragon lacrima.
"Those damn cultists were pretty good at hiding their traces, however, I found one place which was mentioned in their documents several times – the so called 'Moon Temple', located on the island named 'Galuna'," Natsu informed his fiancée. At this moment, Sin, who was sitting nearby, soared into the air and flew to Mirajane. He told her something and both of them went to the second floor. Natsu and Erza, however, didn't pay any attention to it.
"I assume you want to check this place?" Erza guessed.
"Of course, it may be nothing but it's our only lead for now, besides…" Natsu stated as he lifted his beloved by her armpits and brought her onto his lap, "Does it not sound romantic? Moon Island with the Moon Temple on it…"
"No Natsu, it does not," Sin suddenly interrupted them, making both Natsu and Erza to look at him questioningly. For instance, in Erza's opinion, it sounded quite romantic. "Here, take a look at this…" Lil Dragon dropped a request scroll into Natsu's hands. Natsu caught in and unwrapped.
"HELP US! REMOVE THE DEMONIC COURSE!" Was the request itself; the promised reward was 7,000,000 jewels.
"Hmm… Looks like we are in luck…" Natsu noted, examining the request. "We can kill two rabbits with one shot – we can search for the grimoire and earn some money…"
"Are you sure about this? Removing curses is not our forte…" Erza was a bit hesitant. Of course she knew that some curse won't stop Natsu, but… If they go to the island only to find nothing and return emptyhanded – only two of them will be disappointed. But if they'll take the request and fail the S-class mission, then their whole guild will be ashamed…
"I'm wondering, could it be some kind of remnants of the cult which I wiped out two years ago to acquire the grimoire and lacrima? Unlikely – I'm sure I got every last one of them… Anyway, it worth to try – in the worst case we'll just take the whole island asunder: no island – no curse," Natsu said emotionlessly, avoiding Erza's attempt to give him a slap on the back of his head.
"All right, worth to try," Titania shrugged.
Erza stood up as did Natsu and they went to Mirajane to register their mission. "Jane, please mark that we're taking this request," Natsu said, showing the request list to the barmaid.
"The Galuna Island mission? Sorry Natsu, but this request has already been taken," She replied with a bit of a cunning smile.
"What? Taken? By who?" Erza wondered in genuine surprise.
"By me," Mirajane answered simply as Sin nodded to her. "I gave it to Sin so he could warn you about the curse, but the request was already taken, look," She showed the registration book to Natsu; there was a string 'Galuna Island curse removal (S) – Mirajane Stratus'. The date and time of registration was about three minutes ago.
"What is the meaning of this?" The she-dragon growled.
"What are you talking about?" The former she-devil asked with an innocent smile as she pressed her finger to her cheek. "I'm still an S-class mage and I have the same rights of taking the S-class missions as the two of you."
"What do you want?" Natsu asked the blue-eyed extortionist as his eyes flashed. It's obvious that she can't do this mission so she definitely wants something in exchange.
"I want you to take Lucy along for this mission, and if you manage to succeed, you'll give her this part of the mission's reward." Mira pointed at an additional string under the numbers which Natsu did not notice at first – the actual reward was 7,000,000 jewels and a Golden Zodiac Key. "But you shouldn't tell Lucy that I asked you to take her along. Don't make her feel like an unwanted burden!"
"Why do you want us to take Lucy along? Do you two sleep together or something?" Erza spat this phrase, though, actually, she had nothing against Lucy, on the contrary – they've already became friends. The she-dragon was just mad at Mirajane.
Mira just ignored Erza's insult and continued to look at Natsu. "And?" The god slayer asked with impenetrable face expression – he knew that there are more than one condition.
"And, because Lucy may feel uncomfortable with only two of you, I asked Gray to go with you, he agreed to accompany your mission for only 2,000,000 jewels share!" Mira said excitedly. Natsu looked at Gray. His sour expression made it clear that another mission with Natsu and Erza was the last thing he wanted to do, no matter how much money was at stake. Knowing Mirajane, she probably got some sensitive information on ice-mage and used it to blackmail him too… "It's up to you to decide, Natsu – five million or nothing," Mira gave him an insolent smirk.
Natsu and Erza looked into each other's eyes for several seconds. "Fine," Natsu said, making Mira smile happily as she made a new record in the registration book. "And you… little glowing asshole… enjoying yourself? Let's see how long it will last," Natsu's left eye blazed with dark blue flame. He now realized that the skeletal creature has overheard him talking with Erza and warned Mirajane about the Galuna Island mission.
As all the formalities were settled and request has been officially transferred from Mirajane to Natsu, Erza stepped forward, and leaned over the bar counter, looking straight into Mirajane's eyes, there was less than one feet between their faces left. Mira showed quite a puzzled expression, but Erza replied with a horribly kind and friendly smile before she spoke out with quiet and terribly gentle whisper, "You can't imagine how much I love you, so much that sometimes words are not enough to express my true feelings… At times like this, I really want to embrace you and squeeze to the death…"
On the outside, Mirajane stoically withstood that psychological attack, boldly looking into opponent's face without even blinking, but actually, quite real killing intent, hidden behind Erza's beautifully false smile, made shivers to run along Mira's spine.
"Cease this," Natsu said with indifferent voice as he grabbed his fiancée by her shirt's collar and dragged her away from the bar counter. "There are more effective methods," He added as he released her shirt, "Leave it to me." Erza pouted but obeyed Natsu's demand.
"I don't like the looks of this… You should watch your back, Mira…" Sin addressed the barmaid, he didn't hear what Erza said to Mirajane, but he overheard what Natsu said to Erza.
In the meantime, Natsu headed back toward the table, where he and Erza were sitting before all that commotion about the S-rank request has started, to gather his papers.
"I'm really sorry about all that, man…" Natsu apologized as he passed beside Gray.
"I'll get over it…" Gray replied somberly, seems that he resigned to fate.
"Have you two unfortunate conspirators at least warned Lucy that she's going with us for an S-class mission?" Erza asked Sin.
"Well… I promised to help her get stronger but… Yeah, I'd better tell her the details…" Little skeletal creature mumbled.
"Stay here! I'll tell her myself," Erza exclaimed crossly as she came closer to Natsu and kissed his cheek.
"Okay, go talk to Lucy, I'll be waiting for you near her home after I clean up things here," Natsu said. They wanted to go on a date later in the evening. "Just… try to wrap your words properly, that 'cursed island' thing may scare her…" God slayer advised.
As soon as Erza left the guildhall, Natsu took out the spare keys for his house and placed them before Cana, making her to look at him questioningly. "Take these keys Cana, you'll need them. Tomorrow we're leaving to Galuna Island. While we're gone on the mission you and all the other girls from dormitory should clean my house, trim the lawn and shrubs, and paint the fence," Natsu said it loudly so the other girls could hear him too.
"And why on earth should we do it?" Cana asked as she, Levy, Biska, Laki and few other girls looked at him with widened eyes.
"Because if you don't – I'm going to tell Erza that tonight will be a party in Fairy Hills to celebrate her leaving," Natsu replied with emotionless voice, looking somewhere aside. All the girls became pale and even several male guild members gulped at Natsu's 'heartlessness' – for Mirajane's misconduct he decided to punish all girls.
"You… How dare you!?" Laki exclaimed resentfully.
"Oh, quite the nerve you've got to yell at me…" Natsu's left eye flashed with dark-blue as he looked at violet-haired girl, making her tremble. Then he turned around and went closer to the counter. "Oh, Jane, and thank you for telling me about the party. I'm glad that my dear Erza still has at least one friend in this guild."
Everybody immediately turned to Mira as Natsu moved closer to her and whispered, "I think your party invitation was just canceled… You're probably my closest friend here, so best of all you should know that I won't tolerate being blackmailed," His eyes flashed with crimson light as he moved toward the guildhall doors and left the building.
"Mira!" Cana exclaimed loudly as soon as Natsu left the guildhall. "Why did you tell him? What did you tell him?! Why is he thinking that we just… betrayed Erza?!"
"We never were intending to celebrate her leaving!" Levy added. "We just wanted to enjoy a bit of freedom!"
"No! I… I didn't… I did not say anything!" Mira tried to justify herself somehow but other girls paid little attention to it. "Many thanks to you Sin, that really was a brilliant idea!" Mira growled angrily at the little boney creature. "As if his yandere girlfriend alone was not enough to get on my nerves, and now this!" Natsu managed to twist the facts so much that now it looked like Mira was the only honest girl in the whole guild whilst Fairy Hills residents are just a bunch of unthankful bitches.
"Hey, I did not force you to do anything! I just suggested the plan to help Lucy!" Sin waved off the accusations, "You resorted to blackmailing!"
"Oh…" Levy sighed deeply. Tomorrow she's going to spend several hours cleaning Natsu's house... A large one…
"Don't be so sad Levy, we can help you," Jet offered his help as he and Droy came closer to the bookworm.
"No guys, sorry but I can't accept your help for this case… It's my own fault… Now I realize that the very idea of this party was quite vile," Levy said looking at the floor as all other girls sighed deeply.
'Natsu really knows how to get under people's skin…' Mirajane thought with narrowed eyes as she looked at the other girls who now felt themselves guilty.
"Yeah…" Biska agreed, "Erza has done so much for every dormitory resident and now it really looks like we were going to celebrate her leaving…"
"And I'm always was saying that so-called 'female friendship' of yours just does not exist…" Laxus's voice came from the second floor. "Poor, dear Erza…" He added with an insolent smirk.
"Laxus?! You have nothing to do with this at all, why add fuel to the fire?!" Mirajane walked up to him at the second floor, holding arms to her sides and not in the nice girl attitude.
"I just wanted to note that these 'nakama bonds' of Fairy Tail mages do not look so firm, after all," Laxus smiled with his eyes closed.
Mirajane's eyes completely changed from her usual look. A dark tone now resonated in the once blue eyes as a dark, menacing scowl came upon her face. 'How dare you speak about that, you bastard? You never cared about anyone in this guild!'
"Oh?" Laxus recognized the look on her face. "You haven't given me that look in a while."
"Just leave him Mira, it's not worth it," Gray said as he stood up. "Oh, I think I'd better go and prepare myself for the mission…"
July 13, Year X784, 20:15, Town of Magnolia, Lucy's house.
"The… the cursed island?!" Lucy asked in shock as Erza explained the mission details to her.
"Yep, an S-class mission. Sin mentioned that you want to become stronger, this mission should be a great experience for you. You have read many books, so you might remember something useful to help us lift the curse." Actually, Erza really thought so now.
"Well, yeah… but curse…" Lucy muttered to herself.
"What's wrong, Lucy? You do not need a golden Zodiac key?" Erza asked with one eye closed.
Once the words 'Zodiac key' passed Erza's lips, Lucy's ears were burning red with interest.
"Come again?" She asked.
"Yeah, I forgot to mention – the additional reward is one of the twelve Zodiac keys," Erza smiled at stellar mage. "But if you don't want to go, I guess we'll just sell the key after we complete the mission..." Erza sighed but suddenly Lucy got close to her face with her eyes filled with horror. The words "sell the key" really vexed her.
"I'll go! You can't sell the key like it is some sort of merchandise! Let me get ready!" She exclaimed.
'And again, Natsu was right about her weak spot…' Erza smiled, watching Lucy readying her stuff. "We'll take the earliest train tomorrow Lucy. Get Ready," The dragon-knight said and moved towards the exit. She picked up Natsu's scent from outside. It's time to go on a date…
Few minutes later
Natsu and Erza were walking hand in hand, that was their date. They were simply chatting about unimportant things, but as Natsu turned back and glanced at Lucy's house, near which they were just a few minutes ago, he decided to discuss the last important matter for today.
"So, what do you think?" Natsu asked his fiancée.
"About?" She asked for a clarification.
"About Lucy," Natsu added.
"What about Lucy?" Erza wondered.
"About her butt," Natsu snapped, easily dodging Erza's leg when she tried to kick him. "About her magic, of course," He said a second later, as his tone again became serious.
"Humph!" Erza snorted, but two seconds later she also become serious, "About Lucy… you mean that is seems like her magic… doesn't fit her?"
"Yep, doesn't fit at all – complete incompatibility. What was she, or whoever, was thinking, teaching her that Seirei Mahō [Celestial Spirits Magic] she's using?" Natsu wondered aloud.
"Is it really that bad?" Erza asked, she didn't seem worried, more like wary. Unlike Sin, and Natsu's left eye, she possesses no ability to see mages' inborn attributes, but even she noticed that there's something not right with Lucy's magic.
"Nothing good, that's for sure," Natsu replied, "Lucy's attribute is 'Abyss', it's a combination of darkness and void. And in her case, the darkness is being slightly dominant. That would've been perfect for a summoner, but…"
"But actually, Seirei Mahō isn't a summoning type magic, right?" Erza asked. Since they started dating, Erza opened the whole new world for herself as she began to learn fundamental magic theories from both Natsu himself and the books that he inherited from his mother and gathered during his journeys across the continent. And she already learned quite a bit.
"Yes, despite it looks quite similar to summoning, Seirei Mahō actually belongs to enchanting magic," Natsu agreed, "And enchanting is most compatible with 'Light' attributed mages. "She's using magic with the opposite attribute…" He really wanted to facepalm.
It is very good when wizard's magic matches his inborn attribute. Magic will be improving faster and, also, gain some benefits, like increased invocation speed or greater range or effect will last longer. When it mismatches – that's neither good nor bad. That means magic will be just… normal. In its standard configuration, so to say. Statistically – since the art of attribute's identification has been lost long ago – 80% of magicians use magic that mismatches their attribute, i.e. their magic is *normal*. But if wizard's inborn attribute is the direct opposite to his (or her) magic – then it's a real issue, as a lot of things will get very wrong.
Ten basic elemental attributes – Light, Darkness, Fire, Water, Wind, Rock, Metal, Wood, Thunder and Void. Every element has one opposing counterpart, and relationships with the other eight are equally neutral. As such, statistically, since the art of attribute's identification has been lost, a mage has a 10% to choose magic that matches his element, and same chance for the opposite element.
Generally, the wizards' elemental attributes have dual nature, as elements occur as per two in random combinations and ratios (excluding combinations with opposite element – that is impossible). In that case, the dominant element will define its opposition. People with single-natured elemental attributes are rare (one out of hundred, on the average).
Lucy's elemental attribute – Abyss – combination of darkness and void. In her case – the darkness is dominant. As such, sadly, Lucy appeared to be the one among those 10% of losers, who uses magic of the opposite element.
"That is really unfortunate," Natsu shook his head, "That child has a lot of potential, her manapool is at least as big as Mirajane's, but her spells consume six-eight folds more magic than they should. Four-five simple spells and she's completely exhausted. But worst of all…"
"Yes, she adores those stellar spirits of hers," Erza sighed. By the way – that was the third condition that Sin didn't tell Lucy yet when they were conversing in her bathroom, few hours earlier – she should choose another type of magic. "She's still young, there's not too late to switch to different magic type, but convincing her won't be easy – she's actually pretty stubborn."
"Yes," Natsu agreed. "By the way, out of interest I've asked a few people here and there – Lucy's mother, Layla Heartfilia, was a pretty famous Seirei Madōshi [Stellar Spirit Mage], I don't think she had the same issues. Actually, she could even have a matching elemental attribute…" Natsu looked somewhere aside, "A mage usually inherits his or her attribute from one of parents. Which means that our blonde inherited her attribute from her father, but since he's not even a mage, she started to learn magic from her mother, and no one could check Lucy's own elemental affinity… Damn, this world's ignorance really pisses me off!" God slayer finally spoke out the main gist of this conversation.
"Alright, alright, don't start it again," Erza quickly wrapped her arms around Natsu's neck and kissed him. She had absolutely no desire to listen to his complains about this world and its inhabitants. She released him in half a minute and smiled, "Anyway, putting the demagogy aside, what should we do?"
"Hmm… I'd say – lets observe her for a bit, I want to know how really important is magic for her. If she really wants to build her career as a mage and study magic – then we should help, of course, she's a good girl and our nakama. But if magic's just a hobby for her, which she'd like to use to entertain people, then none of us should even bother, including Sin, I'll talk to him about that later," Natsu concluded.
"As you wish," Erza agreed. "Now," She smiled cunningly, "How are you going to compensate?
"What?" Natsu seemed surprised.
"You spoiled my mood with this gloomy conversation, now you have to compensate! Let's go to café!" Erza announced happily, as she started to pull him towards the town center.
Natsu could only smile and comply, adoring his fiancée's girlish side, which was accessible exclusively for him.
July 14, Year X784, 13:40, Town of Hargeon, town's port.
"Wow! I haven't been here for a while… This brings back memories!" Lucy said, her voice full of excitement, as they left the train station and entered the town. The rest of the team was right behind her, but they have no reasons to smile. "This is the town where I met with you two!" She looked back at Natsu and Sin with a cheerful smile.
"Haven't been here for a while?" Natsu asked with his signature expressionless voice. "Lucy, it was less than two weeks ago."
"You're speaking like an old lady…" Sin noted from Natsu's shoulder.
"Alright, first we have to find a transport that'll take us to this Galuna Island," Lucy suggested, looking into the sea.
"Oh… Transportation? Again?" Erza quickly became gloomy. She just spent seven horrible hours in the train and now she has to board the ship for only God knows how much time.
"Don't worry sweetheart, I think I can make this trip easier for you… may be even enjoyable. You only have to bear it until we'll leave the port," Natsu kissed her forehead.
"Really? What is it?" Erza wondered as she quickly perked up. She learned to completely trust Natsu, so if he says that he found a way to ease her motion sickness then he really found a way.
"I'll show you as soon as we leave the port, but know this – I'm expecting a compensation for my brilliance…" Natsu kissed his fiancée's tip of nose as the rest of their team looked at the god slayer suspiciously. Erza looked at him with narrowed eyes too; she got some feeling that he is going to ask for something very kinky….
"Galuna Island? Get yourselves outta here, I'm not going anywhere near that place!"
"Forget it. We don't even want to hear that name."
And other replies of that kind were what team Natsu got in response to their request to take them to Galuna Island. Disappointed and curious as to why no sailors or fishermen would want to sail there, they spoke to another group for answers.
"Sailors around here won't even talk about that island," A man in a green shirt, who was sitting in a small fishing boat spoke up.
"That place is cursed," Added the second man wearing an orange shirt with a white cloth tied on his head and carrying a wooden create in his hands. "Going there'd be nothing but bad karma."
They spoke to another sailor, a man with tan skin, a black beard, a blue hat and a green cloak with a wide collar. "Dunno what your story is, but you won't find any sailor who'll go there. Even pirates are avoiding that place," He said to Lucy while Natsu and the others were sitting on wooden crates near her.
"You can't be serious…" Lucy said desperately.
"Yeah, this is starting to become annoying…" Natsu agreed. "Looks like all these "sailors" are a bunch of superstitious cowards…"
"Maybe we should just capture some pirate ship?" Erza suggested. Natsu looked at her and scratched his chin. Actually, he was about to agree with her idea.
"Oh, wait!" Lucy suddenly exclaimed. "Gray, can you use your magic to create a boat for us?"
"Well, I can but these waters are warm, it'll melt…" The ice mage replied.
"But Natsu can use his Shisō Geijutsu [Death Frost Arts] to keep the ice boat intact," Sin suggested in support of Lucy's idea.
"Stand down people, I appreciate your enthusiasm but transport is not our main issue. I can just freeze the sea surface to make a road to the island…" A dark blue power seal appeared at Natsu's left palm as he froze a little part of sea surface. "Our problem is that none of us know where this 'cursed island' is – we do not know where to go or sail to…" The request actually contains a map, but no one among team Natsu was an experienced navigator.
The sailor in the green cloak has been watching the group and noticed the magic seal and ice flow what was formed by Natsu's will. "Magic?" He asked in surprise. "You people are mages?!" The five looked at the sailor who added, "Are you going to break the island's curse?"
"Yep," Erza replied with soft smile on her face, "We've accepted the request from island's inhabitants."
The sailor stared at the group with his mouth agape. "Here, hop in then!" He waved at his boat, inviting team Natsu to get aboard.
"Huh?" Lucy questioned, "He changed his mind that quick?"
"Weird…" Gray noted incredulously.
"Get in people," Erza ordered, slightly pushing Lucy forward to board the boat. "What's wrong Natsu?" The dragon-knight asked as she noticed Natsu's concerned expression.
"There is something strange about this guy's soul… I'm not saying that it's bad, but strange…" The god slayer noted. "Ah, it's none of my business. Let's go – we're going to find a dragon's heart," Natsu said quietly as he remembered his true goal on the island.
"You are incorrigible…" Erza embraced her fiancé tenderly as her beautiful eyes became filled with adoration.
July 14, Year X784, 14:50, Hargeon's water area.
"I'm getting this creeping feeling… of anxiety…" Lucy informed the others as she sat in the boat hugging her knees together and shivering a little.
Natsu looked at Lucy without emotions before nodding to Sin. The little boney dragon landed on Lucy's shoulder and spoke out, "He wants to say 'too late, blonde'."
Erza was sitting on Natsu's lap with her head leaned overboard.
"Hey, old man, why did you let us on the boat, after all?" Gray asked, examining the sailor, whose back was facing the sea and almost cloudless sky.
The sailor turned to the ice-mage and said, "My name is Bobo. I used to live on Galuna Island some time ago…"
'Weird name…' Gray thought.
"Huh, you're from there?" Lucy asked.
Bobo didn't reply with a yes, his eyes fixed on the five. He turned his head, the sunlight casting a shadow on his left side of his face, "I fled from Galuna Island. Disaster will befall you all, too. Such is the fate of those who visit that island." Lucy's brown eyes stared unblinkingly at Bobo, the man asking them, "Can you really lift the curse?"
The stellar spirit mage looked at Natsu and the sickly Erza, Gray passionlessly looked into the sea. Lucy turned back to the sailor and gasped as she saw what Bobo revealed to them. His left arm wasn't the same as the right arm he used to steer the boat; in fact, it wasn't even a human's arm. It looked to be a demon's arm, a dark purple one to be more accurate.
"This is demon's curse..." He added, holding his hand out in front of everyone.
"Mister! Your arm…!" Gray said as he looked back to the sailor, seeing his arm.
Lucy's brown eyes remained open, witnessing what she saw. "Curse? You don't mean…?"
"So, you too have some issues with your left arm?" Natsu asked emotionlessly. He didn't seem impressed with that 'demonic arm' at all. "Okay, I think we've gone far enough from the port. Sin, c'mon, it's time to get to work," God slayer announced as he removed his glove, revealing the burning fleshless bones.
"Ugh… What happened to your arm?!" The sailor asked as he gulped a little. "Is that a curse, too?"
"Yes… and an immensely potent one…" Natsu answered as if it wasn't anything special. He gathered blue flame in his left hand and threw it into Sin. With a bright blue flash, the little boney creature was transformed into a rideable skeletal dragon. Natsu stood up and put his beloved onto Sin's back. "Fly," Natsu commanded and Sin soared into the air. Erza immediately felt much better. Sin started to slowly fly around the boat, saving his energy so he could fly as long as possible. "You are really enjoying being a 'dragon rider', aren't you?" Natsu asked with smile as he looked at Erza's happy face. But of course, he already knew the answer – it was her childhood dream: to fly.
July 14, Year X784, 21:25, open sea, on approach to Galuna Island.
Sin again soared into the air after a second "refueling" with Natsu's power. To be honest, a glowing skeletal dragon looked quite creepy against the background of the night sky, but it seemed that Erza was not bothered by it at all. She wanted to remain in the sky (or anywhere else but not aboard the boat) as long as possible.
"I can see the island!" Erza called out from above, gaining everyone's attention.
"Yes, there it is," Bobo said as he lifted up his head slightly, looking to something in the distance, "The cursed island of Galuna."
An Island could be seen in the distance. There was the destination of their request and the place where Natsu hoped to find the knowledge, which could be used to unlock the true power that now sleeps inside of his beloved Titania. There was no going back now. No way to return to the mainland. Fairy Tail wizards do their job to the end. They saw the island, each with their own feelings surfacing from the sight: Gray had a stern look, Lucy a little fearful and Natsu's emotions were impossible to recognize. Erza examined the island mindfully with her dragon eyes.
Lucy gasped; she too noticed something strange with the mountain. "What is that? The mountaintop is glowing…" Above the mountain, many blue robed figures were circled around a glowing light in the center. Their arms spread out, faces covered with masks, with a strange symbol on each, as they chanted.
The Fairy Tail mages were so enthralled by the island's mysterious look that none of them noticed a big wave that was forming behind them.
"What's that sound?" Gray asked while Lucy looked toward the island, her expression completely spellbound. The ice-mage looked back to see what the sound was and panicked a little when he saw the huge wave.
"H-Hey!" He called nervously to Lucy and the others. "It's going to engulf us! Hold on!" Gray shouted.
"Don't worry, I'll deal with this wave," Natsu as if it was nothing. He stood up and raised his katana, Gladius Terminus: Shinunoru Tōryūgi… [Death Knight Combat Style…]
"No, Natsu, wait!" Erza exclaimed heading toward the wave. "Your attacks produce too much light! The flash from your spell will alert all enemy forces on the island! I'll deal with this wave!"
"Okay…" Natsu said, interrupting his spell casting sequence and lowering his sword.
"Rengoku no Yoroi: Za Naito!" [The Knight: Purgatory Armor] A magic glow covered Erza's body as she equipped the black armor with many spiked features and a menacing appearance as her hair spiked outward to match the design of the armor. "Sin, that way!" The dragon-mage shouted, preparing to strike with her large black mace which shared the same spike-like design as the armor itself.
"Aye aye, ma'am!" Sin saluted and headed toward the designated direction. When they were close enough, Erza swung her mace, sending a shockwave toward the tidal wave. The shockwave clashed with the tidal wave and sliced into it, leaving an about thirty feet wide rift.
"That's my girl…" Natsu praised his beloved with a smile as the boat passed right through the rift that Erza made in the tidal wave.
"Huh?! Where's the boat owner?!" Lucy then realized that Bobo was gone as she stood up on the boat in shock.
"Did he fall overboard?!" Gray asked turning his head.
"Sin, Erza, check the waters from above. That guy with the demon arm has disappeared!" Natsu called for his partners, as he of course forgot the name of the sailor.
"I'll get to the bottom of it…" Natsu said emotionlessly but his left eye blazed with blue light. "He seemed like an experienced sailor, I don't believe that he just fell out…" After about five minutes of fruitless searches, things continued to become more and more mysterious. "Anyway, the island is near. We can discuss this oddity when we make it to dry land," The god slayer decided. He turned toward the stern and extended his arms forward. Crimson energy engulfed his hands, creating a jet thrust. The boat started to move forward, quite fast. In about fifteen minutes, the whole team was on the beach. Time was about 22 hours.
Sin landed nearby and let Erza to hop off of his back before returning to his normal form. Erza stood close to Natsu and, without saying anything, kissed him with all the passion that she could muster. "Don't mention it…" The salmon haired warlock said with a soft smile as she released his lips; that was her way to say "thank you". Natsu turned several hours of torturing motion sickness into several hours of flight that she enjoyed so much.
"What was with that man, anyway?" Lucy asked as she thought about Bobo, his demonic arm, his abrupt disappearance and what he was talking about. "He said something about a demon's curse..."
"Don't worry Lucy, we'll dig to get to the end of it, but first we have to find a local village," Erza looked around. The skies became cloudy so it was hard to see anything around for everyone but she-dragon.
"We now are on Galuna Island, so stay alert everyone. We don't know what to expect here, we're on the S-class mission after all, so keep your eyes open until we know what we're dealing with," Natsu warned as he was looking into the cloudy sky.
"If I remember correctly, the village chief was the one who posted the job. Let's go there first," Lucy suggested as she unwrapped the request and examined it one more time.
"Okay, I hope they don't mind late visitors…" Gray said as he and the others followed Erza, who used her dragon eyes to find a way through the dark forest.
July 14, Year X784, 23:10, near Galuna Island's village.
"Natsu, we have to tell the others about our real goal on this island…" Erza whispered as they came closer to the village.
"Yes, I'll tell them right after we meet with the village's elder," Natsu responded with a nod.
After an hour-long walk through the forest, team Natsu found themselves staring at a large wooden fence with a 'KEEP OUT' sign on the gates.
"It's nice that we made it, but what is this?" Gray asked with his arms folded.
"What does it mean, 'Keep out'?" Sin wondered, scratching his boney skull.
"Excuse me! Please open up!" Lucy called to anyone on the other side. They waited for a few second, but get no response.
"Those people are our clients, so we should be respectful to some extent," Natsu noted.
"Yes, let's wait a few more seconds," Erza nodded as team still was waiting for a response.
"Who's there?!" A voice from above the gate called. The voice got their attention, seeing figures up on top of the gate.
"We're from the Fairy Tail mage guild!" Lucy called from below, smiling proudly.
"Ah, yes, we've been notified that the guild named Fairy Tail took our request. Please, show us your guild stamps," The man on top of the gate called down.
"Do it people, it's their right to ask for a confirmation of our identities. Besides, this is why these guild stamps are needed, in the first place," Erza said as she showed her left elbow to the guards.
Natsu showed to the guards the crimson stamp on his right bicep as Lucy held out her right hand into the air, showing the pink stamp on the back of her hand. "They're real!" One of the guards said in amazement. Gray lifted his shirt to give the guards view of the blue stamp on his right pectoral. "They've really came!" Another guard said in astonishment.
With their proof given to the villagers, the gates were pulled up as Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Erza with Sin on her shoulder was permitted to enter. "Please come in, I'll get the elder," One of the guards said.
Inside stood the villagers of the Island, but their faces were covered by wraps with only a slit to see their eyes. They each wore cloaks like Bobo, but theirs were lighter than his. The one most distinguished villager was the one in front of the others, carrying a plain staff composed of a wooden handle with a silver crescent finial.
"My name's Natsu Bloodfallen," God slayer introduced himself, several villagers gulped. "This is my partner – Erza Scarlet…" She-dragon bowed slightly "…and here's my familiar – Sin…" Several villagers gulped again. "My other colleagues here are…" He made a pause to let them introduce themselves.
"Gray Fullbuster," Ice mage shortly nodded.
"I'm Lucy Heartfilia," Stellar Spirit mage smiled softly.
"Thanks for coming here, wizards. I am Moka, the elder of this island village," He greeted the mages. "Let's get right down to business. Please have a look." He looked back, at the other villagers and ordered, "Everyone, take off your robes!"
One by one they each removed the cloaks, each revealing either a blue demonic arm or a demonic leg or even horns. While they were dressed in islander fashion, it felt uneven with the demon limbs. They frowned, disappointed with how they looked... Gray and Lucy observed the villagers' appearance, linking them to Bobo.
"Just like the man on the boat," Gray realized.
"Yeah," Lucy agreed, her hand set to her chin.
"I saw many curses used by criminals that I caught, but this one is very original, I give that to the curse makers…" Natsu noted. "And all of their souls are odd, too," The god slayer added very quietly so only Erza's dragon's ears could hear him.
"Everything on this island is affected by this curse, even dogs and birds," Moka added, pointing at the trees with weird-looking birds.
"I don't mean to question you, but what makes you believe it's a curse?" Gray asked calmly, "Couldn't it be a contagious disease?"
"We've consulted dozens of doctors, but they say that no such a disease exists," Moka replied. "Plus, the moon's magic has something to do with us taking these forms."
"The moon's magic?" Erza asked with a raised eyebrow.
"This island has absorbed moonlight since ancient times. It made the entire island shine beautifully like the moon itself," Moka replied. "However, three years ago, the moon's light suddenly turned purple."
"A purple moon?" Natsu asked for clarification.
"Look people! The moon is coming out!" Sin pointed to the night sky, the clouds were parting.
Everyone looked up to the sky, to see the clouds parting too, as the moon became visible in the sky. It wasn't as normal as they thought it would be; a moon tinted in purple hung over their heads.
"It's true! The moon is purple!" Lucy gasped.
"Now this is creepy," Gray commented. The area was bathed in the purple moonlight.
"It's a curse," Moka said with drops of sweat falling from his face. "This is the moon's magic."
"I do not feel any magic in this light," Natsu informed, addressing Erza and the rest of the team. "Aside from its unusual color, this moonlight is as common as anywhere else…"
Erza too looked at the purple moon with narrowed eyes, "While we were in the sea, the moon's color was normal… Whatever it is, it's only here…"
As if on cue, the villagers began to scream in pain as they clutched their limbs, shocking half of the team. Natsu and Erza watched mindfully over the villagers' transformation, as if grasping every detail. It was like watching a horror movie as the villagers' bodies started to rip, revealing demonic arms and faces too. The group watched the transformation happening right before their eyes.
"What the…" Lucy said.
"What's going on?!" Gray asked.
"Stay calm everyone, they are not dangerous," Natsu ordered to his teammates.
After the transformation was over, Moka and all the villagers were now completely demons; their bodies were of different colors, ranging from red to blue, even teal, with horns and elongated noses too. Some appeared to have reptilian scales and some like regular demons. From commoner's point of view there was no doubts about it: this was the curse placed on them.
"I apologize for the shock," Moka said to Natsu's group.
"No need," Natsu passionlessly waved him off. "I've seen a lot worse, but I can say that you were right to ask for the wizards guild's help."
"What in the world is this?" Gray asked, bewildered.
"You poor people…" Lucy said in a soft sympathetic way.
"Pull yourself together you two," Sin addressed the stellar and ice mages. He was sitting calmly on Erza's shoulder.
"He is right," The scarlet dragon-knight agreed. "These people need our help, not our compassion or curiosity."
"Anyway, as you can see, we take on the form of demons whenever the purple moon is out," Moka explained as one of the demonized children cried while his parents tried to console him. More of the demon villagers started crying too. "If this isn't a curse, what else it is?!"
"Actually, I can give you a dozen of possible reasons for such a metamorphosis, but we did not come here to play a lottery," Natsu replied.
Moka continued, "Come morning, we'll be back to normal. However, there are some who lose their minds and never change back."
"Oh, no…" Lucy said softly.
"We've since made it a rule…" Moka added lowering his head in shame, "To kill those who transform into mindless monsters."
Lucy and Gray gasped in horror. "This is a harsh method…" Erza noted as Natsu watched at the elder. They really killed those who turned, he was thinking… "But, even though they might turn back to normal?" The knight-mage asked.
"We have to! Or they'd kill us all!" Moka replied. "We tried capturing them, but they just break free." He shook his head in disappointment. He closed his eyes and continued on, "As a result…" A tear fell on a picture he held in his hand. "I had to kill my own son. My son, whose mind became that of a demon," He continued, shedding even more tears.
Lucy gasped, realizing who the man in the picture was. The same man who brought them there by boat. "Th-that man…" Lucy stammered. "Huh, but yesterday we…!"
"Shh!" Gray shushed at her as Lucy looked back to him for a second. Even if he thought the same, it would not be true for Moka who said he killed his own son. He whispered to the Celestial mage, "I figured out why that man vanished. It's because he can't rest in peace."
Lucy's brown eyes widened with shock. If he was right, then Bobo probably wanted to remain dead to his father. Or as Lucy thought, 'A ghost…?'
"That's enough you two, stop putting shame on our guild," Natsu ordered to Lucy and Gray, causing them to look at him with surprise and resent. "You think that my eyes is some kind of a joke? I can see the souls of living beings – trust me – that guy was just as alive as you two..." He clenched his left mutilated arm, "And even a bit more than I am…"
"Please, save this island!" Moka pleaded tearfully, wiping tears from his eyes. His voice cracked as he spoke again, "It's only a matter of time until we all lose our minds and become demons!"
"We won't let that happen!" Gray assured the chief, "We'll figure something out!"
Moka lowered his head again to speak to the group, "There's only one way to lift the curse… The moon…" They looked up to the moon as he added, "Please, destroy the moon!"
Destroy the moon? That's an odd request, to say the least. Lucy and Gray gasped slightly at the request they were given, Erza smiled a little, Sin face-palmed and Natsu just closed his eyes. Seemingly, this people really are desperate since they're asking someone to do such a thing.
"Alright, listen up. Since we already told you twice that the moon has noth…" Natsu was interrupted as Erza softly covered his mouth with her palm, obviously, scolding these people won't help in any way.
"Okay, we'll deal with this curse, but we need some time to further plan our actions," Erza said with kind smile, "Can you spare some quarters for us?"
"Yeah, I wouldn't mind to get some sleep too," Lucy agreed.
"Of course, please follow me, I'll show you to your quarters," Moka replied and led Natsu's group to a spare hut for them to sleep in. Life in this village seemed simple and the hut which was given to team Natsu was the same as other houses there. A completely wooden building with a thatched roof, one large room, filled with simple furniture and a wooden floor. The room was divided into two parts by a curtain. Natsu and Erza occupied one half of the room, leaving the other half for Lucy and Gray.
"I have nothing against fresh air, but choosing between it and sex I'd prefer the second one…" Natsu said to his bride as he examined the room. Lucy and Gray both gulped at this statement and Erza froze in place – only now did she realize that there will be no love joys tonight.
"Nullum sexus ea noctibus?" Erza asked with plaintive voice.
"Sorry, cara mea, you can't imagine how much I enjoy to hear your screams of love, but villagers will not," Natsu added carelessly as he looked at Lucy's shocked face. Yep, Erza is that loud, if she and Natsu wouldn't have lived at the town's outskirts then half of Magnolia would know how long they… and how many times she... Well, you can guess from here.
July 14, Year X784, 23:35, Galuna Island's village.
They each dropped their bags on the floor and decided to think about the request they were given. Sin looked out into the sky, his gaze on the purple tinted moon and welkin. "The more I look at it, the odder the moon seems…"
"Rhiannon-sama would've been displeased if she'd seen her moon like this," Natsu shook his head. [Rhiannon – Celtic goddess of fertility, the moon, night, and death. Her name means 'night queen'.]
"Sin, hurry up and shut the window," Lucy, dressed in her pajamas, requested of the skeletal creature whilst she was digging in her bag. "You heard the village chief. We'll wind up demons too if we're exposed to the moonlight for too long."
"Oh, c'mon Lucy, drop it already. This curse has nothing to do with the moon, not directly at least," Sin replied with a facepalm.
"But the elder said…" Lucy tried to say but Natsu interrupted her.
"The elder is a superstitious hick, like the rest of the villagers, but you, Lucy, are a mage of Fairy Tail. There is no place for superstition in our work, we are working with facts and information," Natsu said, looking into Lucy's face. "Trust me, the purple light itself is harmless. I'm pretty sure that this is a consequence, not a cause."
"Okay, I got what you're saying," Lucy nodded.
"Asking us to destroy the moon is a bit much though…" Gray said.
"Destroy the moon. That solution comes from the victim's point of view," Erza agreed, "There should be some way to learn what's going on here."
"So, you're suggesting to start from the beginning then?" Sin wondered.
"Exactly. We'll search the island tomorrow and see what we can find. It might lead to what is causing this curse or whatever, and how to break it," The knight-mage confirmed.
"However, guys, there is one thing that we should discuss," Natsu said, gaining attention. "Lucy, Gray, do you remember what Erza told you about the dragon lacrima and grimoire?" Lucy nodded and Gray just remained silent. "Well, it seems that I screwed up with that. When I found these items, I decided that they were a set, but, seemingly, I was wrong. The grimoire and lacrima actually do not match…" Both Lucy and Gray looked surprised. "But now I have a reason to believe that the right grimoire or at least some information about the entity, whose soul was sealed inside of the lacrima, might be found on this island."
"We want to be honest, we've came here for the book. We took the mission as a side task, it was just a lucky opportunity," Erza added as Lucy and Gray became silent for a moment.
"Okay, but does it change anything for us?" The ice mage asked a few seconds later.
"I don't think so," Erza shrugged. "I just thought that you two should know what's going on, since you both came with us. Besides, we may have to stay here for a while after we're done with the mission."
"It seems that first we have to deal with the curse. This purple moon is getting on my nerves," Natsu added.
"Okay, then we'll talk about it tomorrow," Gray said as he laid down on the mattress and closed his eyes.
"Yeah… I'm sleepy, too…" Lucy yawned sweetly. "Thanks for telling us anyway. Good night…" Lucy laid down on the mattress.
"See you tomorrow," Natsu said as Erza waved to her nakamas and they went behind the curtain.
Gray fell asleep almost instantly, but Lucy was unable to stop thinking about the curse. Erza and Natsu were not asleep yet either. "I have not ex-quipped it for more than eight months," Erza noted as she summoned her Heart Kreuz pajamas. Natsu stripped to his boxers and lay on his stomach as Erza sat on his waist and started to massage his back. She was terrible at first, but she mastered that skill during the last eight months and was now able to give Natsu a great pleasure. Her strong but very tender hands felt like they were meant to do it. "So, what's the plan?" She asked.
"First we're going to check the large pyramid on the other side of the island – I bet this is the "moon temple" mentioned in the cult's manuscripts. If there is some evil presence on the island, it's most likely there, too…" Natsu answered before groaning. "Oh, your hands are magnificent..."
"I know," the she-dragon smiled. The clock just hit midnight.
July 15, Year X784, 00:05, Galuna Island, team Natsu point of disembarkation.
A silver-haired boy with dark grayish blue-purple eyes appeared on the beach. He was dressed in white pants with black-gold trimmed vests and brown boots, but the most noticeable item was his white scarf, decorated with scale-like patterns. He was accompanied by a small, blue winged cat with a white underbelly.
"Happy, someone was here," He said, sniffing the air. "At least four people were here about two hours ago. It seems my eyes did not fail me – that was a boat, and some kind of a ridable, flying mount…"
"Intruders?" The blue cat asked.
"No idea, they went that way…" He pointed into the jungle, "They probably went to the local village," The boy suggested.
"Haru, are you going to tell Lyon about it?" Happy wondered.
"Nope, I'll let this snob find out by himself," Haru snorted. "We're almost done with the moon drip. If he'll be busy with them, it's all the better – I'll be able to test my powers without waiting for my turn…"
Spell list:
En no Metsuryū Mahō – Flame Dragon Slayer Magic
Shisō Geijutsu – Death Frost Arts
Shinunoru Tōryūgi – Death Knight Combat Style
Rengoku no Yoroi: Za Naito – The Knight: Purgatory Armor
Well, that's it people. Chapter nine has been completed. Sorry if it was boring, I promise next one will be full of action. Do not forget to leave a REVIEW! See you in the next chapter – The Heart of the Dragon.