Fairy Tail: Master of Deceit

(2/3)

The Fairy Tail guild hall was alive with noise, as usual. Laughter echoed across the large room, the chatter of mages filling the air as they relaxed after their latest missions. Yet, in the far corner, a different energy hung in the air. Aurelius stood by the door, his figure slightly bent forward, as if the very weight of the world pressed on his shoulders. His hand rested lightly on the hilt of his sword, but his mind was elsewhere—tracing the pathways of a mission that was beginning to feel more like a trap than a simple retrieval.

Erza strode toward him. Her armor gleamed, reflecting the warm sunlight streaming through the windows. Yet, despite her usual confidence, there was a slight tension in her posture, something unspoken between them. She nodded toward him, prepared to leave. They had a job to do—retrieve the reckless Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Happy, who had taken an S-rank quest without permission.

But before they could take another step, Aurelius's gaze shifted. For just a brief moment, his eyes met Master Makarov's across the room. The old man was seated in his usual spot, his fingers idly tracing the edge of his glass. But it was the way he looked at Aurelius that made the younger mage pause. There was something in Makarov's expression—a knowing, a silent cue—that immediately made Aurelius stop in his tracks.

Erza noticed the shift, her brow furrowing slightly as she followed his gaze. "Aurelius?" she asked, her voice edged with curiosity, though it carried no hint of concern. She knew he was always thinking ahead, but this was different.

Without a word, Aurelius took a step back, his eyes never leaving Makarov. For a brief second, it was as if the entire room around him faded into silence. The bustling guild hall, the laughter, the murmurs—they were all distant sounds now. Only Makarov's silent command seemed to fill the space.

In response, Makarov's lips parted, his voice deep but calm. "Erza," he said, looking directly at her now, "Let Aurelius go alone. You stay here."

Erza's eyes narrowed, surprised at the sudden change of plans. "Master, what do you mean?" Her voice was firm, but the concern was clear in her tone. "You know how important this is. We can't just—"

Before she could finish, Aurelius cut her off, his voice low but resolute. "It's fine. I'll go alone." His words weren't harsh, but they carried an unmistakable finality to them.

Erza hesitated, her mouth opening slightly as if she wanted to protest, to argue. But Aurelius had already turned away from her, his movements smooth, calculated—just as they always were. He wasn't angry. He wasn't annoyed. He simply knew that this was how it needed to be.

"I'll handle it," he repeated quietly, his tone almost softer now. His hand, usually so steady, grazed the fabric of his cloak as he adjusted it, pulling it tighter around himself.

Erza's eyes darted back to Makarov, seeking some kind of reassurance, some indication that this was the right decision. But the master simply nodded, his face unreadable.

For a moment, Erza stood frozen, as if trying to understand the unspoken message between them. She wanted to question it, to demand answers, but something in the air told her it was no use.

Before she could speak another word, Aurelius was already gone. The door to the guild hall swung closed behind him with a quiet thud, leaving Erza standing alone in the midst of the bustling guild.

...

Meanwhile, in the forest of Galuna Island,

The salty wind whipped through their hair as the group made their way along the narrow path leading into the village. Galuna Island stretched out before them, its rocky coastline dotted with dense trees and distant cliffs. The island was eerie, shrouded in a heavy, misty atmosphere that hung thick in the air. Natsu, as always, walked with his usual fiery energy, his feet practically bouncing with every step. Happy, floating beside him, was in high spirits, tail swishing happily behind him.

Lucy walked behind them, her brow furrowed as she kept an eye on the surroundings. The island felt strange, too quiet. The trees were thick, their shadows long and ominous. She glanced back at Gray, who had been unusually quiet as he walked alongside her.

"Are we sure about this?" Lucy asked, adjusting the strap of her bag over her shoulder. She glanced at the quest scroll once more, her concern growing. "The job feels… off."

"We'll be fine, Lucy. We've handled worse!" Natsu said, his voice casual as he glanced up at her. His usual smirk was present, but there was a glint of something else in his eyes, something almost distant.

"Yeah! Don't worry about it! We've got the best team, right?" Happy chirped, wings fluttering beside Lucy.

Lucy smiled weakly but wasn't entirely convinced. The job was simple, at least on paper. The villagers on Galuna Island had been cursed to turn into demons at night. All they needed to do was break the curse and free the village from the terror that had been haunting them. Sounds simple enough... but there was something about it that didn't sit right with her.

Ahead of them, Natsu turned around, his usual enthusiasm bubbling up. "You know," he started, his voice loud enough to carry across the group, "since this is our first S-rank job, I figured we should pick the easiest one! And what better than the one with the least amount of reward, right?"

Lucy blinked, confused. "What do you mean? This isn't an easy job at all, Natsu! People are turning into demons every night!"

"Exactly!" Natsu grinned, showing his teeth, his fiery nature as unapologetic as ever. "But I mean, come on, it's only a curse. We break it, and boom, problem solved, right?"

Gray raised an eyebrow and snorted, crossing his arms. "You really think breaking a curse is gonna be that easy?"

"Hey, we're Fairy Tail! There's nothing we can't handle!" Natsu declared, his voice full of confidence. "Besides, it's not like we're S-rank ourselves. We're just taking it easy on this one, y'know? It's all about the experience!"

Happy laughed from his perch. "Yeah! And this is the one with the least amount of reward too! We don't need the fancy stuff. This job's gonna be a breeze!"

Lucy couldn't help but feel a twinge of unease. "But… why would they give us an S-rank job if it was so easy?" she muttered to herself, her thoughts swirling. The whole thing just seemed too convenient, too straightforward.

The group continued along the path, the village beginning to come into view through the thick trees. Small cottages, their thatched roofs barely visible through the foliage, lined the dirt road. There was no sign of life, though. The village looked abandoned, almost as if it had been forgotten by time. The only movement was the occasional sway of the trees, their leaves rustling in the wind.

"Well, we're here," Natsu said, his tone lighter, as he strode ahead with Happy on his shoulder. "Let's get to work, so we can be done with this!"

Lucy hesitated for a moment, looking at the eerie village ahead. Her instincts told her to be cautious, but Natsu's optimism was hard to ignore. She could hear him already muttering about food once the job was done. "Alright," she said, taking a deep breath. "Let's get this over with."

The sun had long since dipped below the horizon, casting a twilight hue over the path that wound toward the village. The dense trees around them whispered in the night wind as Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Happy arrived at the outskirts of the village. The streets were empty, and the faint glow of lanterns flickered in the distance, casting long, eerie shadows on the walls of the modest cottages that lined the village.

The island's atmosphere had grown heavier, the air thick with an ominous silence, broken only by the occasional rustling of leaves. The group's footsteps echoed off the dirt path as they made their way toward the heart of the village, where they were greeted by the village chief, a tall man with a solemn expression, and a group of villagers.

The chief's face was grim, his eyes weary as he looked at the newcomers. His posture was slightly slouched, as though the weight of his village's plight had taken its toll over the years. He extended a hand, a quiet but firm greeting.

"I am Moka, the chief of this village," he said, his voice raspy, yet still full of authority. "We are grateful for your help. Please, follow me."

As the group followed Moka, they couldn't help but notice the strange deformities that marred the villagers' bodies. Their faces were distorted—features twisted into grotesque forms that resembled Bobo, the sailor who had brought them to the island earlier that day. Some had sharp, jagged horns protruding from their foreheads, while others had elongated claws or crimson-tinted eyes that glowed eerily in the moonlight.

Lucy's stomach turned as she observed the unsettling changes, but Natsu, ever the optimist, seemed unfazed, his usual grin still in place. Gray, however, was less comfortable, his eyes narrowing as he studied the villagers with suspicion.

Moka led them into a central square, where a large, ancient tree stood in the middle of the village, its gnarled roots sprawling across the ground like twisted veins. The villagers gathered around, standing in somber silence, waiting for Moka to speak.

"The curse… it began a few years ago, when the moon turned purple for the first time," Moka began, his voice low. "Its magic power was unlike anything we had seen. We thought it was a blessing, but it soon turned into a nightmare."

Natsu raised an eyebrow, his usual eagerness slipping into confusion. "The moon… turned purple? What does that have to do with you all turning into demons?"

Moka's expression darkened. "It's the moon's magic. Every night, when it rises, its light transforms us—turning us into demons, like the ones you've seen." He gestured to the villagers around him, who stood as silent, monstrous figures under the moon's glow.

Lucy stepped forward, her eyes filled with empathy. "But you turn back to normal in the morning, right? You said the curse only happens at night."

Moka nodded, but the weight in his eyes was unmistakable. "That's true for most of us. But… there are some who remain trapped in their demonic form, unable to return to their human selves. And those… those we are forced to put down." His voice cracked at the last words, the anguish in his tone cutting through the silence.

Happy's wings fluttered uneasily. "You mean you… you kill your own people?"

Moka nodded somberly. "Yes. When dawn breaks, the curse lifts, and most of us revert back to our human forms. But for a few, it's too late. They remain demons, unable to change back, and they become violent. They are a danger to the village, so we must kill them to prevent harm. My own son…"

The words hung in the air like a death sentence. The villagers shifted uneasily, their eyes avoiding Moka's. A deep, uncomfortable silence spread as they all seemed to hold their breath.

Moka's voice faltered as he continued, his sorrow evident. "My son, Bobo… he was one of them. When the curse first began, he became a demon, and we had no choice but to end his life before he could harm anyone." His face twisted with grief as he looked down at the ground. "The hardest thing I ever had to do was kill my own child."

A stunned silence fell over the group as the weight of Moka's words sank in. Lucy's eyes widened in shock, her hand instinctively reaching for her mouth. Gray's face softened with sympathy, but Natsu remained eerily quiet, his fists clenched by his sides as he processed the depth of the village's pain.

"We've lived with this curse for years," Moka continued, his voice tinged with desperation. "Please, we beg of you—help us break this curse. We don't want to lose anyone else. We just want to be free."

As Moka finished, the sky above seemed to shimmer. Natsu's gaze was drawn upward, and he tensed as he noticed something strange. The moon was rising, a deep, unnatural shade of purple. Its eerie light bathed the village, and at that moment, a horrible transformation began to take place before their very eyes.

The villagers who had been human moments before twisted and contorted as the moon's magic overwhelmed them. Their bodies transformed into grotesque, monstrous forms. The sounds of bones snapping, skin tearing, and growls echoing through the village filled the air.

Natsu's eyes hardened. "So, what do we do now? How do we stop this curse?"

Moka's expression grew even more grim, as if the answer he was about to give would weigh even heavier on them. "There is only one way to destroy the curse…" He paused, eyes casting downward, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. "You must destroy the moon itself."

...

The night passed uneasily for the group. Despite the villagers' desperation, no solution had come to mind for how they could destroy the cursed moon. Natsu had tried to stay optimistic, claiming they'd figure something out with his usual bold confidence, but Lucy, Gray, and even Happy had their doubts. The more they thought about it, the more the task seemed impossible—destroying the moon itself. How could they even begin to approach something so grand, so unthinkable?

As the first light of dawn broke across the horizon, the team gathered their things and set out to explore Galuna Island, hoping to find some clue, some way to break the curse that haunted the villagers. The eerie silence of the island was only broken by the soft sounds of their footsteps on the rugged terrain.

"Maybe we'll find something today that will help us," Lucy mused aloud, scanning the path ahead. Her eyes darted to the dense jungle that surrounded them, its thick trees and undergrowth seeming almost too quiet for comfort.

Gray, his arms folded across his chest, didn't respond immediately. He kept his gaze fixed on the winding path ahead, his expression unreadable. His mind was still reeling from the previous night's revelation, his thoughts heavy with the fact that Moka had to kill his own son to prevent him from becoming a monster.

Suddenly, Natsu broke the silence with his usual enthusiasm. "Hey, look over there!" he shouted, pointing to a clearing ahead.

The group followed his line of sight to see a gigantic rodent barreling toward them, its massive teeth bared and claws glinting in the morning light. It was a monstrous creature, easily the size of a small house, its beady eyes gleaming with hunger.

Lucy instinctively stepped back, but Gray didn't hesitate. He pulled his sleeves up, his expression hardening as he stepped forward.

"I've got this," Gray said, a dangerous glint in his eye.

With a swift motion, he extended his hand, freezing the air around the rodent. Ice spread rapidly across the creature's body, encasing it completely in a solid block of ice. It let out a squeal before collapsing into an immobile mass.

Natsu grinned, his usual cocky demeanor returning. "Nice one, Gray! That was quick!"

Happy swooped in, flapping his wings excitedly. "That's one big rat you took down!"

Gray didn't say anything, still on edge from the previous night. "Let's keep moving," he muttered.

The group continued their journey, now heading toward an ancient-looking structure that came into view as they crossed the island. A grand temple stood at the edge of a cliff, its weathered stone walls covered in ivy and moss. The air around it felt heavy with the weight of history. It looked abandoned, but there was a strange aura emanating from within that called out to them.

"Maybe this temple has some answers about the curse," Lucy suggested, her voice filled with cautious curiosity.

Without waiting for a response, Natsu took the lead, marching toward the entrance with his usual bravado. "Come on, let's see what's inside!"

As the group stepped through the doorway, the sound of their footsteps echoed through the hollow interior. The temple was vast, its columns stretching high toward the ceiling, covered in intricate carvings and mysterious symbols. Dust hung in the air, disturbed only by their presence.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Lucy whispered, glancing at the dark corners of the room.

"Don't worry. I'll handle whatever's in here," Natsu declared with a grin, already walking deeper into the temple.

Suddenly, his foot caught on something, and he stumbled, knocking over a loose stone in the floor. There was a loud crack as the stone gave way, and before anyone could react, the ground beneath them collapsed. The floor gave way entirely, and the group fell through the hole, tumbling into the darkness below.

"Natsu!" Lucy screamed as they plunged into the unknown.

A Hidden Cave Beneath the Temple

When the dust finally settled, the group found themselves in a vast cave beneath the temple. The air was cooler down here, and the only source of light came from the faint glow of crystals embedded in the cave walls. The path ahead was lined with jagged rocks and steep slopes, but the group managed to push forward, curiosity driving them deeper into the cave.

After a few minutes of careful exploration, they came upon something that made them stop in their tracks.

In the center of a large, open space lay an immense frozen Demon—a massive, frozen figure trapped in the ice, its body frozen in a twisted pose, as though it had been encased in the ice centuries ago. The figure was humanoid in shape, but its demonic features were unmistakable: sharp, pointed horns, elongated claws, and a terrifyingly massive frame. The ice surrounding it was thick, glowing faintly with an unnatural blue light.

Gray's breath caught in his throat as his eyes widened in recognition.

"Deliora…" he whispered, his voice shaking slightly.

Lucy looked at him, confused. "Who's Deliora?"

Gray didn't answer immediately. He stepped closer to the frozen figure, his face pale as he stared at it with a mix of awe and fear.

"Deliora is a Demon of Disaster," Gray explained slowly, his voice colder than usual. "One of the most dangerous demons to ever exist. It destroyed entire villages before it was sealed away in this ice. This is… this is impossible..."