Fairy Tail Destiny

Port City, Hargeon

A young boy stood at the bustling street's center.

By typical human standards, his appearance could be described as exceptionally handsome.

His long, pale golden hair, neither glaring like the sun nor dull, was left to hang naturally without much care.

The most striking feature on his refined face was a pair of deep sky-blue eyes, as profound as the heavens.

He wore a white windbreaker over his slender, somewhat delicate frame.

Passersby couldn't help but cast glances his way, and a few love-struck young girls had their eyes practically ablaze.

Yet, the golden-haired boy paid no attention to the crowd's stares—more accurately, he automatically filtered them out, absorbed in his own thoughts.

(What a hassle… I accidentally lost the photo of that guy, Bora, the target of this mission, who's involved in human trafficking.)

Noel scratched his cheek in mild frustration. (If Mira finds out, she'll probably scold me again, sighing as usual.)

A vision of a graceful figure with white hair emerged in his mind, and without realizing it, a gentle smile graced Noel's face. (Oh well, it's not a big deal—just a matter of spending more time. After all, time is the only thing I have left now.)

Thinking that, Noel let out a faint laugh tinged with self-mockery.

Looking up at the sun, he mused, (Time flies so fast. It's already noon. I'd better find a place to eat.)

His gaze swept around the street before randomly selecting a restaurant.

"This one looks good," he muttered to himself as he walked toward a classically decorated establishment.

However, just as his hand was about to touch the door handle, the door unexpectedly swung open.

A soft body collided into his chest.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention," came a crisp and lively female voice in his ear.

Steadying himself, Noel looked down to see who had bumped into him.

It was a cheerful-looking girl with yellow hair tied with a blue ribbon.

She wore a blue-striped white top and a blue skirt, radiating youthful energy.

"It's fine," Noel shrugged, indicating he didn't mind.

The girl lifted her head, taking one glance at him before momentarily freezing in place.

"Is there something on my face?" Noel narrowed his eyes slightly, smiling at her.

"Ah, no, nothing at all," the girl stammered as she snapped out of her daze upon hearing his voice.

Realizing how impolite she had been by staring at his face, her cheeks flushed red.

She hastily apologized and quickly left in a flustered rush.

Noel scratched his cheek, pondering whether he should add "Should I change my appearance before going out?" to his list of important considerations.

As he walked into the restaurant, his gaze was immediately drawn to a corner inside—not because he spotted some stunning beauty, but rather because of a person and a cat devouring food with shockingly messy eating habits.

"Natsu? Happy?" Noel looked slightly surprised at the sight of the pink-haired boy wearing a dragon-scale scarf and the blue cat beside him.

"Huh?" The duo, in the midst of battling their food, lifted their heads at the sound of his voice.

"Noel? What are you doing here?" Natsu, the pink-haired boy, looked at Noel with a mix of surprise and curiosity.

"Aye! Good afternoon, Noel!" The blue cat, Happy, raised a paw in greeting.

Noel smiled and walked straight over to Natsu, taking the seat across from him.

"I'm on a mission to capture a wizard involved in kidnapping girls. What about you, Natsu?"

"I'm looking for Igneel! Someone said they saw a fire dragon around here… but I guess I forgot that Igneel can't stay in cities." Natsu sheepishly scratched his pink hair.

"Aye, that's right," Happy chimed in.

"Heh, I see." Noel nodded knowingly.

Natsu always lost his composure and common sense whenever anything related to Igneel came up.

This was probably another prank by some mischievous guild members.

"Well, since we ran into each other, how about waiting until I finish my mission, and then we can head back to the guild together?" Noel suggested.

"Sure! Sounds great!" Natsu agreed enthusiastically.

"Aye!" Happy also expressed his approval.

(Looks like this mission will be more interesting than I expected.) Seeing Natsu's boundless energy, Noel couldn't help but recall the boy's many glorious achievements in the past.

His sky-blue eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a smile filled with intrigue.

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"Ah, I'm stuffed! So full!"

"Aye!"

By the seaside road, Natsu and Happy leaned against the railing, patting their stomachs with satisfied smiles on their faces.

"Overeating isn't a good habit, Natsu," Noel said as he enjoyed the sea breeze.

The slightly moist wind brushed against his face, prompting him to close his eyes in comfort.

Natsu waved dismissively at Noel's advice. "No worries, I'm a dragon! No matter how much I eat, it's fine. Besides, you ate way more than I did, Noel!"

"I'm not quite the same as you, Natsu."

"Huh? How are you different?" Natsu's face showed a curious expression.

"In many ways... for example..." Noel's voice gradually lowered, and the last few words were carried off by the wind.

"What? Noel, I didn't hear you," Natsu said in confusion, looking at him.

Noel gave a faint, bitter smile and shook his head without elaborating.

"By the way, did the Salamander say there's going to be a dance party on that ship?" Happy suddenly interjected, pointing at a large, luxurious-looking ship in the distance.

"Ugh!" At the mere mention of a ship, Natsu's face instantly turned pale, and he looked visibly unwell.

"Come on, don't get seasick just from imagining it!" Happy sighed and complained at Natsu.

Noel turned his gaze toward the lavish ship anchored offshore. (Salamander? Wait, that should be Natsu's nickname. Could someone be impersonating him? Oh right, if I remember correctly, the person I'm pursuing—Bora—uses fire magic, doesn't he?)

A sudden burst of chatter interrupted Noel's thoughts.

He instinctively frowned.

Being abruptly disturbed while deep in thought was one of the few things that could stir Noel's emotions.

Though he didn't particularly mind when it was someone familiar, it was an entirely different matter with strangers.

Noel turned toward the sound and saw a group of girls chatting excitedly.

"Look, look! That's the ship of Lord Salamander! I really want to go!"

"Salamander?"

"You don't know? He just arrived in this town. Apparently, he's that famous Fairy Tail wizard!"

"Fairy Tail?!"

"Happy."

"Aye? What's up, Noel?"

"Can you tell me everything you and Natsu saw today, in full detail?" Noel asked, his gaze fixed on the distant ship.

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"Who are these people?! Doing such heinous things... Is this what Fairy Tail wizards are like?" Lucy's voice trembled as she stared at the unconscious girls on the ground and the men grinning maliciously.

Her heart filled with humiliation and anger. "Using magic to commit evil and deceive people — you're the worst kind of wizards!!!" Tears streamed down Lucy's face.

Boom!

A loud explosion shattered the ceiling of the ship, creating a massive hole.

A figure descended into the cabin.

"Natsu!" Lucy gasped as she saw Natsu drop down from above.

"Ugh, I can't do it after all." Before Lucy's shock could subside, Natsu clutched his mouth with a sickened expression, collapsing onto the ground in a pitiful heap, looking as if he was about to pass out.

"What?! That's so lame." The stark contrast left Lucy utterly exasperated.

"What are you doing, Lucy?" Happy called down from the hole in the ceiling, surprised to see her in the cabin.

"Happy! I was tricked! He said he'd let me join Fairy Tail! Wait, you have wings too?"

"I'll explain later." Given the chaos, Happy kept it brief.

Without waiting for Lucy to respond, he wrapped his tail around her waist and flew out of the ship.

"Chase them!" The fake Salamander, none other than Bora of the Prominence, shouted frantically to his henchmen. "If she tells the Council, we're doomed!"

"You're not getting away! Red Flame Whip!" Bora quickly cast his magic, forming countless crimson whips from the magic circle in his hand.

The whips wove into a dense net, hurtling toward Lucy and Happy.

Just as they were about to be ensnared—

"[Holy Light Magic — Piercing Beam!]"

A warm yet powerful voice echoed.

A white beam of light, as sharp as a spear, shot forth from the distance, slicing through all the crimson whips in one swift stroke.

"Huh?" Lucy's gaze followed the direction of the light beam.

What she saw stunned her: a young man with tousled golden hair and deep sky-blue eyes, wearing a white coat, hovered in midair.

Behind him, two wings of pure white light flapped gently, supporting his flight.

For a moment, he looked like a noble and divine angel descending from the heavens.