"Elfman! Elfman, get up!" A young girl's voice cried out on the moonlit beach. Lucy shook the now young (but still rather large) form of her guildmate, who was still lying unconscious on the beach. She sighed in exasperation at her current circumstances.

She was trapped on an island full of demons, her friend was out cold, and for some reason they had both turned back into kids!

"What is wrong with this island?!" She shouted.

"Mmph?" Elfman grunted at the exclamation, shifting slightly in his sleep.

"Wake up already!" Lucy yelled, shaking Elfman violently. "I swear if you don't get up soon, I'll use you as bait for the demons!"

"Mmm- Wait, what!" Elfman suddenly shot up. "Don't use me as bait! That's not very Manly!" He hollered in a cracked voice, glancing around his surroundings with fright. He quickly realized that he wasn't actually being fed to monsters though, and he looked at Lucy in annoyance. "Why did you say that?" He asked, before his face scrunched up in confusion. "And… Lucy, Is that you? Why are you tiny?"

"Because I needed you to get up, and because we've been turned into children." Lucy answered in order.

"We what?!" Elfman looked down at his own body, and his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. He had gone from a gigantic wall of muscle to a slightly taller-than-average boy. "Huh, I thought my voice sounded different." He got up from his seat on the sandy beach and had to grab his pants to prevent them from completely falling off. He looked like he was about to say something to Lucy, but his face flushed, and he looked away hastily. "I-I think we should adjust our clothes first." He stuttered out.

Lucy quirked an eyebrow at Elfman's odd display, but a quick glance downward revealed the source of the problem. Her rush to wake up Elfman had resulted in her oversized clothes slipping down in many spots, exposing more than was appropriate for a woman of her real or apparent age. "Oh!" Lucy immediately pulled up her clothes and started shuffling towards the trees. "I'm just going to go change quickly." She said hastily.

"Right, I'll do the same." Elfman said, still looking away.


'Thank goodness for Requip Magic.' Lucy thought in relief. 'And thank goodness I have enough space in mine for a change of clothes.'

She had quickly changed out of her wet clothes and into dry ones. She always kept a spare set of clothes within her limited Requip space just for incidents just like this. And despite the size difference, she luckily wore a belt today, meaning she was able to finagle an outfit of some decency after a few minutes.

She walked out onto the beach and found Elfman standing there. He unfortunately didn't bring a change of clothes, but he also managed to work his current apparel into a workable, if baggy, outfit. He was staring up at the sky, and when Lucy followed his gaze, she saw that the moon was glowing an ominous shade of purple.

"I can see why people think this place is cursed." Lucy said, and Elfman looked back down at her. Despite the two of them being children, he was still more than a full head taller than her.

"But didn't the boatman say it was 'the demon curse' though? He showed us his transformed arm and everything. Why are we children now?" Elfman questioned.

"I don't know. Maybe we went back in time or something?" Lucy suggested, throwing her hands in the air.

Elfman shook his head. "No, this isn't the same body from when I was supposedly this old." He said, lifting his shirt and revealing a multitude of scars on his chest. Most noticeably, there were three jagged lines next to each other right in the center, like he had been scratched by a giant beast. "I only got these a couple years ago…" Elfman began to say, before trailing off.

'It's just like Lisanna. Did they get them from the same place? Wait a minute!' Lucy realized. "Lisanna! We need to go find her!"

Elfman shot up from his thoughts in realization. "That's right! Who knows where she is currently? What if she never found the others? Let's go!" He jumped up and began running into the forest, leaving Lucy to try and catch up.

"Wait up!" Lucy huffed, chasing after her over enthused guildmate. She quickly did catch up though, finding Elfman bent over, breathing deeply. "I guess we don't have the same stamina as before, huh? We have to be careful until we know what we're dealing with."

"Sorry, guess I got a bit impatient." Elfman apologized.

Lucy just laughed it off. "Don't worry, I've done a few jobs with Natsu. This is nothing compared to that." She looked around at the surrounding forest and noticed something out of the corner of his eyes. "There, a dirt path! The boatman mentioned locals, so they're probably somewhere along this road. Let's go!"

The two of them walked for a while, observing the demonic flora and fauna that littered the island, and they eventually reached a clearing with a wall of spiked logs barring their path. A trail of smoke could be seen rising from behind them, and the sound of people talking could be heard. Elfman and Lucy walked over to a part of the wall that appeared to be a gate and looked around in confusion.

"So, do we knock, or…?" Lucy began to question, before the gate began to lift itself up. They both immediately got into fighting poses, ready for whatever may emerge, but quickly recognized the three children emerging on the other side of the entrance.

"Elfman?" Gray asked.

"Lucy?!" Natsu shouted.

Erza just stood there silently, fixing Lucy and Elfman a deadly glare.

"Um, I assure you we have a perfectly good explanation for being here." Lucy said, like a child caught with their hand in a cookie jar.

"Y-Yeah." Elfman assured, sounding equally guilty as the two glanced between each other.

Erza was going to kill them, wasn't she?


Erza, by some miracle, didn't execute the two of them on the spot.

She did, however, drag them both by the ear back into the village, where she began lecturing them in front of the entire settlement.

"… And furthermore, you're endangering not just yourself, but your fellow guildmates! What do the two of you have to say for yourselves?!"

Lucy almost wished she'd just kill them and get it over with.

She could see Natsu and Gray standing awkwardly to the side, along with a group of child-looking demons, watching the lecturing in awe. Lucy assumed they were the villagers, but she was a bit too busy being yelled at to clarify it.

"Well?" Erza asked again.

Lucy's eyes shot back forward, and she tried to brave looking at Erza. "L-Lisanna ran off after you three. We tried to bring her back, and that ended up with us here."

"Wait, Lisanna came here?!" Natsu exclaimed off to the side.

"Yeah. I can't abandon my sister, even if it means breaking the rules." Elfman said, staring at Erza defiantly.

"Hold on! Where's Lisanna if she's not with you?" Natsu insisted.

"Did she not arrive here before us? The boatman said he gave her a ride?" Lucy said.

"Well she's not here with us!" Natsu said, before beginning to run towards the gate.

"Natsu! Where are you going?!" Gray said surprised.

"After Lisanna!" He said back, not stopping.

"Do you even have any idea where she is?" Gray shot back.

Natsu continued stomping towards the gate. "Who cares! I'll just search the entire island until I find her!"

"Natsu, come back here already, we need a plan. Natsu!" Erza shouted, but was also ignored. She sighed deeply, before grabbing Lucy's whip from her waist and giving it a swing with a single motion.

"Gah!" Natsu suddenly fell to the ground, wrapped up in the whip. He tried to force his way out of the bindings, but his childlike body didn't provide nearly enough strength for the task, and he eventually slumped onto the dirt.

"Have you calmed down yet?" Erza asked, and Natsu shot him a look. "Don't you remember your promise? If you can't follow orders than I might as well send you home now."

Natsu's eyes widened at the threat, and he sat up straight. "Alright, alright. But we have to find Lisanna as soon as possible."

Erza nodded. "Don't worry, Fairy Tail doesn't leave family behind."

The five Fairy Tail Mages quickly huddled around the village's central fire, and Erza spoke up as the leader among them. "As much as I don't like this situation, it looks like our mission has been expanded to find Lisanna along with Mira, on top of the S-Class job. Since we have more members joining us, I'll explain what we know so far. For some time, this island has been under what the locals call the 'Demons Curse'. It turns them into a demon while under the light of this purple moon."

"So, they all look perfectly normal during the day?" Lucy said, glancing at some of the villagers still milling about. They all had odd-coloured scales, sharpened claws, and batlike wings. This fearsome appearance was offset greatly however by their childish bodies, like the Fairy Tail members. "Wait, what about us all being kids? Is that not a part of the curse?"

Erza shook her head. "No. Or at least, we don't think it is. As I was saying, there is a temple in the center of the island, and suspicious people have been seen coming and going from it for years now. Whenever the locals try to investigate it for themselves though, they'd get turned around, as if by magic. Whoever these mysterious visitors are, they don't want people finding what they're doing. About a week ago Mira took the job posted and showed up at the village." She reached into her pocket, unfurling the paper for the job offer. Lucy looked it over, and her eyes were immediately drawn to the reward listed at the bottom.

"The reward is a Golden Key?!" Lucy shouted.

Erza looked at her in surprise. "Um, yeah? Is that-"

Lucy ignored the rest of what Erza said, turning to one of the villagers nearby. "Hey, you! Which Zodiac Spirit do you have the key for?

"T-The spirit of the Centaur?" The villager responded, surprised by the sudden attention.

"Sagittarius?!"

"Lucy, focus!" Erza yelled.

"Oh right, sorry." Lucy rubbed the back of her neck embarrassed. "Anyway, you were saying that Mira took the job?"

Erza nodded. "She did. She went to the temple that night, but never came back. The next night, this started happening." She said, gesturing at her childlike body. "It appears that whoever is out there decided to up security."

"Enough talk already! Let's get going and save my sisters!" Elfman cheered.

"Wait one moment. There's still one more thing we need to discuss." Erza interrupted. "It's about these bodies. Not only do they make us weaker physically, but magically as well."

"It does? I haven't used any magic since I got here." Lucy said.

"It's quite the peculiar magic. And since the people we're dealing with were somehow able to stop Mira, we can't risk rushing through the front door. We're going to need to sneak in." Erza said, shooting a pointed look at Natsu.

"Don't worry, I got this." Natsu assured, wrapping his scarf around his head until only his eyes could be seen, and making an odd gesture with his hands. "Behold, the essence of Ninja."

Everyone stared blankly at Natsu. "… Right. Anyways, we should get going." Erza continued unperturbed. "The plan is to use the cover of the night to investigate and hopefully infiltrate the temple. Let's go, we've already used up enough time having to re-explain the situation." She stood up, and everyone quickly followed her lead.

Elfman looked up at the moon with determination. "Don't worry Mira, Lisanna. It's my turn to save you."


The five soon found themselves walking along one of the many dirt paths on the island. The villagers assured them that the temple was at the end of this path, but considering none have been able to reach it in years, the Mages couldn't help but be nervous.

Lucy tried to look for something to distract herself from the increasing tension, and her eyes were drawn to Erza, and the complete set of armour she was still wearing. "How do you have that?" She blurted out.

Erza looked back in confusion. "Have what?"

"Your armour. How do you have perfectly sized armour?" Lucy quickly clarified. "Our clothes all stayed the same size. Is it some sort of magically shapeshifting armour, or do you carry around bit-sized plating just in case?"

Erza laughed at her suggestion. "No, I'm afraid I'm not that prepared. Although I probably should look into it when we get back." She thought out loud. "But no, this is just my old armour. I keep it for Wendy to use in case she needs the extra protection."

"Oh, that makes more sense." Lucy said. "And here I thought you really were prepared for… everything?"

Lucy began to trail off, looking at something further up the path. Erza faced forward again, and immediately spotted what had drawn her friends' attention.

Ahead, there was a giant wall of ice poking out among the trees, encircling something further into the forest. It was an odd shade of magenta, and reached many stories high, obviously concealing something important.

"What is that?" Gray asked in amazement.

"I think that's the temple." Erza guessed. "Or at least, it's where the temple is. None of the villagers mentioned such an icy barrier encompassing the site though."

"Seriously? All this protection is starting to sound like overkill." Lucy sighed.

Natsu just laughed. "Maybe. But unfortunately for them, I happen to be a Fire Dragon Slayer!"

"And I'm an expert at manipulating ice with my Ice-Make Magic. One way or the other, a big-ass wall won't stop us." Gray added.

"I think it's time we begin sneaking. Considering the lengths these people have gone to, I wouldn't be surprised if they're patrolling as well." Lucy suggested.

"Agreed, let's try a less likely path to our destination." Erza said.

They continued their trek just off the beaten path, keeping an eye on the main road for any suspicious individuals. Right before they reached the ice wall, the forest ended, revealing a field of collapsed ruins.

"Those stone ruins will make good cover." Lucy suggested.

"Yeah. Follow my lead." Erza commanded, before slowly walking into the clearing and weaving her way through the fallen structures and pillars.

Everyone trailed behind her, but before they could reach the ice wall, a gruff voice rang out in the night.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Everyone froze at the demanding shout. Had their cover been blown? Erza could be seen slowly raising her sword, and Lucy brought a hand to her whip.

"N-Nothing sir!"

"Y-Yeah, what he said!"

Two other new voices yelped out in surprise. Lucy peeked her head out in the direction of the noise and saw three men standing near a hole in the ice wall.

Two of them were wearing dark black armour that concealed their faces and wielding large halberds. Most noticeably though were the braces on their wrists, glowing with a purple light. Judging by the way they were standing at attention, they were likely the two being yelled at.

The third one wasn't wearing any armour and was unarmed besides the glowing bracelets he had, just like the others. Despite that, he still towered over the other two men menacingly. A bandanna was covering the bottom half of his face, leaving only his eyes visible to glare at the two guards.

"What did I say about slacking off?! You two need to stand at attention at all times!" The large one yelled.

"Come on, Doriate. The locals can't even reach here. Why do we even need to stand here?" One of the guards complained.

"Do I need to remind you why this wall is here in the first place?" The man apparently known as Doriate asked threateningly.

"No sir!" The other guard quickly insisted. "It's there to ensure that no Mages gain access to the premise, sir!"

"Close." Doriate said. "It's there because you all didn't do your job and let some woman in that nearly blew up the entire base!" He slowly shouted. "We've already had to beg for the higher-ups to help once. So, you two better keep your eyes open, or I'll volunteer the both of you to… help Lamy with her experiments. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir!" They both squeaked.

Doriate stared at the two for a few more moments, before turning with a scoff and walking back into the temple.

Erza looked back at the group. "Let's find another way in." She whispered, and the five began to slink through the ruins and away from the recently lectured lookouts.

While the mages retreated, the two guards stood silently for a time, until one turned to the other.

"I told you we should have taken that piloting job, Wedge."

"You're the one who wanted the money, Biggs."


"Who the heck were those goons?" Gray muttered after sneaking a fair distance.

"Members of a Dark Guild, most likely. I didn't recognize that eye symbol they were wearing, but they are likely part of the Balam Alliance, judging by that big ones mention of 'higher-ups'." Erza answered as she led them all through the ruins.

"The Balam Alliance? Who are they?" Lucy asked.

"They're an alliance between the three biggest Dark Guilds in Fiore. Every other Dark Guild in the kingdom is under them, one way or the other." Erza explained. "That said, it's not like the three groups actually work together. It's basically just a glorified non-aggression pact."

"He mentioned 'some woman' breaking in. That must be Mira, right?" Elfman suggested.

"Almost certainly." Erza agreed.

"What I want to know is how the hell those guys weren't shrunk like us?" Natsu complained.

"I noticed they were all wearing the same peculiar gauntlets. I've never seen them before, but the way they glowed implies they're a magical item of some kind." Erza checked the surroundings again and nodded to herself when they were in the clear. "There, that should be far enough." She said, walking out of her cover and towards the great wall of ice. "We should be completely opposite from where those guards were. It really does seem like that's the only entrance to the temple."

"Only current entrance, you mean." Natsu said, smirking dangerously as he approached the wall. His hands lit up in flames, and he threw a fist at the sheer sheet of ice. "One new back door, coming right up!Fire Dragons Fist!"

A flaming fist slammed into the wall of ice, and jets of flames spread out along it. It didn't make a dent however, and Natsu swung his other fist into the wall next to the other, increasing the heat twofold. Yet still the wall didn't budge.

"What the hell? Now your asking for it!" Natsu shouted in annoyance. He jumped back from the wall and took a deep breath. "Fire Dragons Roar!"

A stream of flames shot out of Natsu's mouth, engulfing the wall from view. The others could feel the heat of the attack even from behind their cover in the ruins. Eventually the fire died down, and Natsu started panting heavily, having pushed his miniature body in his fury. "There, how do you like… that?"

As the smoke and fire faded, the wall eventually came back into view, revealing the same blockade that had been there when Natsu began his assault.

"That's impossible. I don't think Natsu left a single mark on it." Elfman gasped.

"Maybe his magic was just weakened to much?" Lucy suggested.

Erza shook her head. "You felt the heat from that last attack. Besides, look at the ground around him."

Everyone looked towards Natsu's feet and noticed that the ground around him was nothing but dirt. All grass and plants had been extinguished in the Dragon Slayers attacks.

"Then there must be something up with this ice. Luckily for you guys, that happens to be my specialty." Gray boasted, hopping out from behind the ruins and walking towards the wall. "Don't worry Natsu, I'll handle this."

Natsu glared over at the Ice-Make Mage. "Eat a bag of-"

"Ahem!" Erza coughed pointedly.

"… Whatever." He finished lamely.

Gray finally reached the ice and placed his hands upon it. Closing his eyes, he tried to get a feel for the magic within the structure.

"What the hell is this?" Gray said to himself as he analyzed the ice. He opened his eyes to look up at it.

"Is something wrong Gray?" Erza asked.

"This ice, I've never seen anything like it." Gray said in a mix of fear and wonder. "It's full of unique magic that I've never felt before. Even with my full abilities, I doubt I'd be able to manipulate it."

"So, you can't get rid of it?" Erza said. "Unmeltable and invincible ice… Gray, have you ever heard of such an ability?"

Gray stared at the ice silently for a bit longer before answering. "There is one spell I know, but this doesn't match the description of it."

"Reminds me of that fire we found during the fight with Eisenwald that wouldn't go out." Erza said. "Now that I think about it, they both look to be the same colour. Is it really a coincidence that we found both of them when dealing with demons?"

"Graah! Who cares about that!" Elfman shouted. "How the hell are we supposed to get in and save Mira now?"

"I bet if we brought Happy he could fly us over." Natsu pouted.

"Unless he ended up under the same effects as we did. If so, I doubt he'd barely be able to lift us off the ground." Gray replied.

"And it's a perfectly smooth and vertical wall, so we can't climb it since we'd have no grips." Natsu added.

"Can't go through or above…" Erza thought out loud. "Then we'll try the same thing as the last mission." She declared, looking over to Lucy.

"Last mission?" Lucy asked. She thought about the mission with Eisenwald, and the time they were trapped inside an impenetrable barrier. "Oh, that's right! Open, Gate of the Virgin, Virgo!"

Lucy held the golden key up, and in a flash of light a familiar pink-haired maid appeared before them.

"Good Evening Princess, how may I… help you?" Virgo asked, her voice laced with professionalism even while she glanced around in confusion.

"Virgo! You aren't affected by the magic? That's good to know." Lucy sighed in relief.

Virgo just continued to stare down at her summoner. Lucy returned her gaze. "Is something wrong Virgo? Why are you just staring at me like- Ah?!"

Lucy suddenly yelped as the Celestial Spirit reached down and pinched her cheeks. She flailed her small arms up at her spirit until the assault on her face ceased. "What the hell was that for?!" Lucy asked incredulously.

"A-Apologies, Princess." Virgo said, glancing away with flushed cheeks. "When I saw you like that, I'm afraid I… lost control."

Lucy couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Seriously? What is that supposed to mean?"

Virgo continued to avert her gaze. "It's just… you're so cute as you are currently, that I couldn't help myself."

"Cute?!" Lucy squeaked, before shaking her head. "Can you please focus?"

"Yeah!" Natsu chimed in. "I think Lucy looks cute too, but you don't see me going crazy because of it."

"Exact- Huh?" Lucy stopped herself, spinning from Virgo to Natsu. "You…"

"What?" Natsu said, oblivious of the reason his friends all turned to look at him.

Lucy let out a sigh of mixed emotions and looked back to Virgo. "Just dig us a hole under this wall please." She commanded, focusing on the job before a certain Dragon Slayer drove her insane.


The sound of water dripping was what finally woke Lisanna from her slumber.

She tried to open her eyes but found she couldn't see anything. Attempting to raise her hands to her eyes proved challenging however, as she quickly realized her hands had been bound behind her back.

"What the-? Where am I?" Lisanna began. She tried standing up but tripped on something in the darkness. With her hands trapped, she ended up with her face planted against the damp stone floor. "Ow…"

'I must be somewhere underground if it's this dark and damp. Let's try my Mole Soul then!' She decided, attempting to use her Take-Over Magic…

Only for nothing to happen. Lisanna sat there for a while, trying to call on her magic multiple times. But each time she felt nothing. "Why isn't my magic working?" She questioned out loud.

"That would be the Moon Cuffs I made." A female voice called out suddenly. "They're made with crystallized Moon Drip, meaning any spells used on you are deactivated."

Lisanna jumped at the woman's sudden voice. "Who's are you? Where am I?" She asked her.

"Hmm, you don't remember? I suppose Doriate did give you a good bump on the head." The voice laughed smugly.

There was the sound of a metal gate opening, and Lisanna finally realized where she was. 'This isn't a cave, it's a prison!' The sound of footsteps approaching her could be heard, and she tried to back away from where the sound, but quickly found herself against a wall.

There was a snort, and the voice spoke out again. "Looks like you scared her, Doriate!"

"You're the one walking toward her with that demented grin, Lamy." A male voice shot back.

"I doubt that… hey Ugly, which one of us is scarier?" Lamy asked in an artificially sweet tone to someone. There were a few moments of silence as Lisanna looked around confused. Was there someone else in her cell?

A hand gripped her chin suddenly and pointed her head up in a certain direction. "Hey! I asked you a question! Are you deaf or something?" Lamy shouted down at her threateningly.

"S-Sorry!" Lisanna apologized fearfully. "I thought you were talking to someone else!"

"Are you an idiot? There's no one else here. Are you blind instead of deaf?" Lamy mocked.

"Well how do you expect me to answer your question when it's pitch black in here!" Lisanna yelled back.

"… what the hell are you on about?" Lamy asked.

Lisanna couldn't figure out what was so confusing about her statement. "It's dark! I'm not sure who you two are, but most people need at least a bit of light to-"

"It's perfectly lit in here." Doriate interrupted.

"Maybe you hit her so hard she went blind?" Lamy cruelly joked. As she did Lisanna felt a hand reach out to touch her face. It dragged along her cheeks up to her eyes, where it suddenly stopped . "Oh, what's this? It looks these scars aren't just for show after all."

"Scars?" Lisanna said. She suddenly feeling incredibly self-conscious, and finally looking past her panic and realizing that she was wearing nothing but her underwear. "I don't have any." She said unconvincingly.

"Sorry, but I noticed that amateur transformation magic as soon as Doriate dragged you in." Lamy laughed. "A few minutes under our moon drip collector and it all disappeared. Why do you think I called you ugly?"

"I'm not-" Lisanna tried to yell, but a tug on her chin quieted her.

Doriate sighed in annoyance, before asking the obvious question. "What does that have to do with her not being able to see? Get to the point, you damn demon."

"The point is that the moons' rays deactivate magic, and my new friend here has a nice set of magically created artificial eyes." Lamy explained, as if her companion were a four-year-old.

Horror gripped Lisanna as what her captors had said sunk in. If the magic in her eyes were truly gone, they could only be fixed by going back to Porlyusica.

"Oh well. It's not like you needed them for what we have planned anyways." Lamy said, before beginning to giggle maniacally as she walked away. Her insane enjoyment could be heard all the way down the hall, until there was loud slam, and Lisanna was left alone in her silence.

She was imprisoned, blind, nearly naked, and without her magic. Lisanna brought her knees up to her chest and thought about how Erza had tried to warn her. She wished she could go back in time and yell at herself too.

She shook her head, clearing her doubt. "No! It's to late to think about that. I got myself into this mess, and I'm going to get myself out of it. And then I'm going to save Mira." She said with determination. Despite that, she curled up even more, thinking deeply.

"It's my responsibility. After all, it's my fault that this happened to her…"

Next Chapter: Sins of the Past