Natsu was never fond of nature. Yeah, he grew up in the middle of the woods but that doesn't mean the noises of a river miles out, the clicking of bugs hiding in the trees, and the snapping of leaves and twigs beneath his feet didn't mess with his sensitive hearing.
It felt like he'd been walking for hours. Everything looked the same. Natsu was sure he'd passed that same oak tree four minutes ago. He could hear his guild members fighting something in the distance.
"This is so stupid. Of all the S-Class jobs those morons could've taken..." Natsu halted when he heard voices through the trees. He listened closely. He heard people, and he was far from the village. He slowly approached the direction of the sounds. Peeking through the overgrowth, he saw a building.
Where the hell did those people go?He thought. The voices had faded, and he wasn't picking up any human scent. Cautiously, he entered the structure. It was terribly old and emitted an odd scent he couldn't describe. The walls were decorated with symbols of the moon.
A moon island, a moon curse, and moon emblems.He noted. Very original.
The place was falling apart. Natsu moved lightly, knowing that a misplaced step would send him barrelling through the floor. He walked around until he felt a hollow spot beneath him. He bent down and tapped the ground. There was something under there. With a huff, he braced himself and stomped on the floor. It caved in, gravity pulling the stone and the dragon slayer below Earth.
Natsu landed upright. Riding around on dragons as a child resulted in many high falls, so he learned fast how to stick a landing. He took a minute to recover before analysing his surroundings. He was in a cave. He walked straight, following his instincts. Not too far in, he found something big.
"What the hell?" Natsu's breath hitched at the sight of a demonic figure frozen in solid ice directly in front of him. The creature was far too familiar for Natsu's taste, but he couldn't put his tongue on where he'd seen it.
"Natsu?"
He twitched at the sound of his given name. It was still a weird feeling every time it was spoken, but he knew the one person who used it now.
"Lucy." His eyes did not move from the frozen figure as he acknowledged the newcomer.
"Deliora?!" Gray exclaimed. Natsu didn't hear the ice mage enter, but it seemed Gray knew the creature. Not in a positive way, based on the way his heartbeat increased unhealthily, and he began to tremble. "This can't be- What is Deliora doing here? It's impossible! He can't be here!"
"You know this thing?" Natsu's eyes stayed glued to the demon.
"It's... it's..." Gray struggled to speak, Lucy put a hand on his shoulder to calm his nerves. "Deliora. The demon of destruction." With Gray's words, something inside Natsu clicked.
"Zeref." Everyone looked towards the dragon slayer. "What are you up to now?"
"Zeref…" Lucy echoed. "I've heard that name. Didn't he make the Lullaby demon we rescued the guildmasters from?" Natsu's head snapped towards her.
"When did you face Lullaby?"
"Over a week ago," Lucy crossed her arms, challenging the dragon slayer. "Maybe if you were here you would've known."
"This isn't a time to argue!" Gray ended their quarrel before it could begin. "He looks exactly the same." Suddenly, two figures approached from another entrance within the cave. A short man with indigo hair that stood up as if he'd been electrocuted and another who resembled a dog, hairy and noisy. The four Fairy Tail members ducked behind a rock when they heard the voices approach and stayed silent as the strangers inspected the area.
"This is where the voices were coming from." The indigo haired man spoke.
"It's daytime. I'm sleepy." The dogman complained.
"Toby, have you been soaking in Moon Drip? You have ears and stuff."
"No! These are decorations! Get it through your head!" The dog, now identified as Toby, snapped.
Moon Drip? Could that be the curse?Natsu wondered. His thoughts were interrupted when a pink haired girl entered the cave.
"Yuka. Toby. I have sad news. Someone beat up Angelica." The girl looked down sadly.
"Sherry, it's a dumb rat! Don't give it a deluxe name!"
"She is not a rat! Angelica is a hunter that races through the darkness... and... love!"
They're not from this island. They have the scent of a mainlander. They're clearly involved in this curse situation. But how?Slowly, Natsu was piecing together information. No demon parts. They aren't cursed.
"Intruders, huh?" Yuka sighed. The fairies tensed.
"Just when the moon's light is nearly gathered, too. How disappointing. Let us get rid of these unwanted guests before the Cold Emperor hears of this. Yes, before the moon shows itself." Sherry spoke, and her two comrades agreed. "Now that they've seen Deliora, we cannot let them escape with their lives. We will give the intruders eternal sleep. In other words, love."
"You mean death." Toby deadpanned. Suddenly, the trio heard a crash from deeper within the cave. With shouts, they ran off in the direction of the noise. Away from the fairies.
"Good work, Happy!" Lucy praised as she rose from behind the rock with Natsu and Gray. Happy had flown deep within the cave and pushed a rock over, prompting the strangers to leave and allow Fairy Tail to escape.
"We should've captured and interrogated them!" Gray balled his hands into a fist.
"Not yet," Natsu walked around him. "We should check things out first. See what exactly is going on."
"Seriously? You're the Chaos Dragon Slayer! You could end this in less than five minutes!"
"Never underestimate your enemies, Fullbuster. They mentioned a Cold Emperor. We don't know who that is or how strong they are. What would happen if I rushed in there, beat up his lackies, and he turns out to be stronger than me? Put those two braincells to some use." Natsu stormed off before Gray could retaliate. They all followed him anyway.
"Why did they bring Deliora here? How did they find out where he was sealed anyway?" Gray continued his fuss as they explored the cave area.
"Where was he sealed? Actually, what even is he?" Lucy asked.
"In an iceberg in a northern continent. It's an immortal demon that ravaged the Isvan region ten years ago. Master Ur, the one who taught me magic, risked her life to seal it away. I don't know what it has to do with the island's curse, but it doesn't belong here! Cold Emperor... who are you?" Gray was furious. His nails were digging into his palms so hard that blood leaked from his closed fist. Ice formed around his hands and beneath his feet. "You'll have hell to pay if you try to tarnish Ur's name!"
"Your master sealed this demon away?" Natsu knew Gray had been trained by someone strong, but he'd never heard of anyone strong enough to seal away a demon of Zeref. The Black Wizard was affiliated with Natsu's foster father; therefore, he was often around to chastise Acnologia's reckless behaviour or threaten him for future use during Natsu's childhood. He knew well that Zeref's demons were not a force to be reckoned with.
"Yes. No question about it."
"Could this demon be the cause of the island's curse?" Lucy thought aloud.
"It's definitely possible. The demon is still alive and all." Natsu stared up at the frozen demon. Lucy, Gray, and Happy could find no trace of his thoughts and feelings on his face, but could watch his eyes analyse the situation, void of emotion. Natsu's gaze hardened.
I could try to melt the ice... No. Stupid idea. Gray's master's death would be in vain. Deliora might slaughter these idiots. If I could find my father, he could lead me to Zeref... No. That would take far too much time. Finding a solution to such a trivial problem shouldn't pose issues. Acnologia and Igneel had raised him to be a quick thinker. Acnologia was far stricter about that, throwing him headfirst into fatal situations, forcing him to act fast. Natsu almost felt ashamed.Destroying this "Cold Emperor" ... That's the only way.
"Gray," Natsu spoke, voice laced with venom. "Tell me everything you know about this ice."
"It's a spell called Iced Shell," Gray spoke slowly, still visibly shaken. "It's an unmeltable ice. Not even the most powerful flame could melt it. My master, Ur, cast it on this demon. Why would they carry this off if they knew that?"
"Maybe they don't know. They could be trying to melt it somehow." Lucy suggested.
"This is all too much. Who would bring Deliora here, and why?"
Natsu was getting pissed off at Gray asking the same questions. If this discomposure kept up, he would ruin the whole mission. Exactly why S-Class missions were restricted. For now, he'd keep quiet. But he'd have to keep an eye on the unstable ice user.
"We should go after those guys." Happy sprouted his wings and hovered near Gray's head.
"We're waiting here." Gray stated. "We're waiting for the moon to come out."
"It's the middle of the day! Why should we wait?" Lucy questioned.
"I get the feeling that the island's curse and Deliora have something to do with the moon. They said something about 'moonlight being fully gathered soon', too."
Natsu thought back to the moon symbols in the temple. Well, no shit. Without a word, he sat on the ground. His three charges silently followed suit and sat with him, waiting for the moon's arrival. The only sound being the heavy, shuddering breaths of Gray as his mind took him back to a place in the past he desperately wanted to forget.
Sometime in, Lucy grew bored and called a spirit, Lyra, to sing them a song. She sung a slow and beautiful song, putting everyone to sleep; save Chaos, who sat comfortably staring off into space.
Hours passed before the moon rose. Without a warning, the frozen demon began to tremble, waking the fairies in the room.
"What the hell?" Gray sat up quickly, feeling the Earth shake beneath him.
A dark blue magic circle and a flash of purple light appeared on the ceiling above the monster.
"It's purple! Is it the moonlight?" Lucy grabbed her keys, Gray got into ice-make stance.
"This can't be good..." Chaos muttered. The light was shining directly onto Deliora. This was no coincidence. "Let's go. Find the source of the light." Chaos instructed, immediately taking charge. No one argued as they ran towards the cave entrance.
The members of Fairy Tail followed the light up and out of the ruins only to find a group of masked people standing in a circle around the seal. They ducked behind a group of boulders to avoid being seen, watching the masked figures chant in an unknown language.
"They're collecting the moonlight and shining it on Deliora… but why?" Lucy observed.
"It's Moon Drip, a Belianese spell." The fairies gasped at the unfamiliar voice, completely forgetting Lucy's spirit was still with them.
"Ah, so that's what's going on. Those guys are trying to use this Moon Drip to revive that underground demon."
"That's impossible!" Gray shouted. "Iced Shell is unmeltable!"
"Moon Drip can melt it." Lyra continued. "Focused moon energy can break any spell at all. I think the collection is the cause of the phenomenon the islanders believe is a curse. Concentrated moon energy can contaminate people's bodies too. That's how powerful this magic is."
"Those bastards..." Gray growled, preparing to go up to the group and unleash icy hell. Lucy pulled him back down before he could make a move.
"Hold it. Someone's here." Lucy pointed towards an approaching figure dressed in a white mantle with gold trimmings. Their face was hidden by a demonic mask with large horns and teeth bordering the jaw. The three people from the cave earlier walked closely behind him.
"That must be the Cold Emperor. He sure looks high and mighty, especially with that weird mask." Happy noted.
Gray was visibly trembling, more so than before. The Cold Emperor and his lackies were talking openly about their plan to revive Deliora tonight or tomorrow, and the stress was clearly taking a toll on him. Lucy rubbed his arm in attempt to calm him again, but nothing could ease the pain he was feeling.
"Go eradicate the village." The Cold Emperor instructed his underlings who obeyed without a second thought.
"What? The villagers have nothing to do with this!" Lucy grimaced.
"That voice... No... It can't be!" Gray looked ready to explode.
"Iron fist." Natsu mumbled, sending a flaming fist directly into the jaw of the dogman.
"Seriously, Natsu?" Lucy stood up furiously. Happy floated up with her. "You could've at least consulted us before blowing our cover!" She waved Lyra away, giving the enemies a glimpse of her hand.
"That emblem," The girl, Sherry, gasped. "She's from Fairy Tail!"
"I see. The villagers asked the guilds for help." The spiky haired man, Yuka, said, not even sparing a glimpse at his unconscious furry friend.
"Why are you still here? Go and eradicate the village." The Cold Emperor put his foot down, grabbing the attention of both parties. "Those who stand in the way, and those who concocted said scheme, they are all the enemy."
"Why, you!" Gray stood up and ran straight towards the masked emperor in ice-make stance. "Stop your stupid ceremony or whatever this instant!" Gray's icy geyser sent the Cold Emperor's followers flying, but, unexpectedly, he countered with the exact same spell.
"He uses ice-make too!" Happy shouted the obvious, Natsu tried not to roll his eyes.
"Lyon!" Gray spit the name out like it was venom on his tongue. "Damn you, do you even realise what you're doing?"
"It's been a while, Gray."
"They know each other?!" Happy squealed.
"What is the meaning of this?" Gray growled.
"To think that you were one of the wizards the villagers called here... did you come here knowingly? Or was it just sheer coincidence? Not that it makes any difference."
"An acquaintance of yours, Cold Emperor Lyon?" Yuka asked.
"Get going. I can handle this myself." Yuka and the girl rushed away. Before Gray could speak, Lyon sent lances of ice in the direction of the other fairies. Happy lifted Lucy into the air, leaving Natsu to be frozen.
"Happy! You're going to abandon Natsu? We have to go get him!" Lucy kicked, trying to get Happy to drop her.
"He'll be fine! But you won't if you try to go get him! Who'll save the village if we all get beaten?" Tears streamed down Happy's face as Lucy relaxed in his grip.
"I'm sorry. I didn't realise you were fighting back the urge to help him... I'm sure Natsu will be fine! Ice should be nothing to him."
"Aye!"
Back at the grounds where Lyon and Gray were facing off against each other, a frozen Chaos Dragon relaxed in his icy restraints.
"So, you created an opening for the girl and cat to escape. No matter. I doubt those two can stop Sherry and Yuka."
"I wouldn't underestimate them if I were you." Both Gray's and Lyon's jaws dropped when Natsu spoke.
"How are you- How are you not frozen?!" Lyon made a fist.
"Oh, I am. Just thawed out enough to breathe, you feel? I enjoy sitting back and watching at times like this. It's fascinating, seeing just what my weaker guildmates are capable of." Natsu's eyes seemed to read everything. He knew just what Gray and Lyon were thinking. Lyon knew he was strong enough to end everything right there.
Suddenly, Gray kicked Natsu. The dragon slayer went flying down the hill, shouts of curses fading as the distance increased.
"I see you're still as reckless as ever. Isn't he your friend?" Lyon asked, completely calm.
"Not in the slightest, nothing but a pain in my ass. Besides, they call him Chaos for a reason. He's living for this. Feeding off the events going down tonight. This is between us. I don't need Chaos stealing my thunder." Lyon looked surprised at Gray's words and stared in the direction Natsu fell.
"So that's the infamous Chaos Dragon, huh? The only member of Fairy Tail who joined unwillingly... interesting." A block of ice to the face stopped Lyon from speaking.
"Your opponent is me. Now tell me, Lyon, why are you trying to erase our master from this world?"
"She's not our master anymore, Gray. Don't delude yourself. You killed Ur. I'm amazed you've had the nerve to live."
At the bottom of a hill in a pile of water and dirt, Natsu Dragneel was unamused. The ice that restrained him was long gone, evaporating into nothing as his body heat raised beyond levels of safety.
"Alright, Chaos. Calm down. Puny parasites like that aren't worth your strength." He paced back and forth a few times, muttering until his breaths were even. "Ah, what to do now... that was my entertainment for the night." He looked up the hill and back at the woods.
Natsu let out an agitated sigh and cracked his neck before he began walking through the trees.
"Might as well save a village."