Fairy Tail: Strongest Creature

"This… uh, sir, are you alright?" The train attendant looked at Natsu, who was kneeling on the floor, concerned.

"Aye! Don't worry, it's just an old problem," Happy reassured the attendant.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Aye! Give it a rest already."

By now, Erza was striding over toward them, step by step.

"Hey, hey, hey—!!!" Lucy's stomach churned with nerves as Erza approached. She couldn't forget how effortlessly Erza had wielded her power yesterday, nor the way she'd shattered her own sword against Su Yan's head.

Happy turned to Lucy. "Lucy, you're *dripping*!"

"Idiot! That's just sweat!" Lucy snapped, though even in her panic, she couldn't help but complain. It was practically second nature to her.

**Bang!**

Erza stood in front of Lucy, her presence casting a shadow over her.

"Huh—?!" Lucy shut her eyes tight, bracing herself for the worst.

"Hmm? You were with Fairy Tail yesterday too, weren't you?"

Lucy peeked open one eye, realizing that Erza's tone was calm, almost friendly. There wasn't a trace of anger in her expression.

"Aye! Her name's Lucy!" Happy chimed in. "She's the newest member of the guild, and she's teaming up with Natsu now."

Erza's eyebrows rose. "Oh? Is that so? Natsu teamed up with someone else? Then you must be a trusted companion of his."

Relief flooded through Lucy. Erza wasn't nearly as intimidating as she'd imagined; in fact, she seemed approachable, her smile warm and genuine.

"Y-Yes! I'm new here. My name's Lucy. Nice to meet you!" Lucy stammered, bowing quickly.

"I'm Erza. It's a pleasure," Erza replied with a nod. Then her expression shifted. "So, what exactly are you doing here?"

"Uh… well…" Lucy's mind raced for an excuse. She was about to say they were on a mission when Happy spoke up.

"Aye! We were curious about what you and Su Yan are up to!" Happy said, completely straightforward.

"C-Curious?!" Lucy's eyes widened, horrified that Happy had just blurted out the truth.

Erza raised an eyebrow.

Lucy's heart sank, sure they were about to get kicked off the train—or worse.

"Is that so?" Erza finally said. "Well, then, come along with us."

"What?! I'm not in trouble?" Lucy blurted out in shock.

Erza looked puzzled for a moment before she smiled. "Why would I hurt a fellow guild member?"

"Then… yesterday…" Lucy hesitated.

"Ah, that was just a greeting," Erza replied, smiling.

"A… greeting?" Lucy was speechless. Who greets someone by swinging a sword at their head?

"Aye!" Happy chimed in again. "Su Yan and Erza have a special relationship. When they were younger, they used to spar all the time. Erza would constantly swing her sword at him, but he always survived!"

Lucy was stunned. She couldn't imagine a world where someone could survive repeated sword attacks from Erza. No wonder Gray had warned her that Su Yan was terrifying.

"Erza," Su Yan said with a mock sigh, "while you might have spared my life, you wounded my heart."

Erza smirked, unfazed. "Oh? Shall I see how many strikes it'll take to break that heart of yours?"

"Uh… let's skip that. Swords aren't cheap, after all," Su Yan replied.

"I have plenty of swords," Erza countered smoothly.

"There's no need to be so harsh…"

"Maybe next time you won't disappear for a year without a word," Erza said, crossing her arms.

"Alright, alright. It won't happen again."

"Promise?" Erza's face softened with hope.

Su Yan nodded confidently. "Promise. It's more real than gold."

Lucy leaned over to Happy, whispering, "What's the story between Su Yan and Erza?"

Happy held up his left pinky finger.

"Wait, I thought Su Yan was with Mira!" Lucy whispered in shock.

Happy held up his right pinky, linking it with the left.

Lucy gasped, covering her mouth. "A… love triangle?!"

**Smack!** Erza's fist came down on Happy's head, her face flushed with embarrassment.

"'Happy'? Stop with the nonsense!" Erza scolded.

"Aye… sorry," Happy mumbled.

"Alright, let's get down to business," Erza said, turning serious. "On my way back from my last job, I stopped by a gathering place for mages in Onibus. I overheard something troubling…"

Erza explained that a group of mages had been discussing plans to break the seal on an item called the Lullaby. From what she'd gathered, it sounded like they were preparing a forbidden spell, one powerful enough to be dangerous.

"Lullaby?" Lucy repeated. "That sounds like… sleep magic?"

Erza shook her head. "I'm not sure, but anything that's sealed is bound to be dangerous."

"Maybe it's just a regular job, unlocking a seal or something," Happy suggested.

Erza's expression darkened. "That's what I thought at first, but one of the names I heard changed my mind."

"Who?" Su Yan asked.

"Erigor. The 'Grim Reaper' of the Eisenwald guild."

Lucy's eyes widened in shock. "The… Grim Reaper?"

"Erigor's known for accepting assassination jobs, hence the nickname. His guild, Eisenwald, was expelled from the regular Guild Alliance six years ago for repeatedly ignoring the Council's rules against assassination commissions. They're considered a Dark Guild now."

"A Dark Guild?" Lucy whispered, breaking into a cold sweat at the thought.

"Lucy, you're all juicy again!" Happy piped up.

"For the last time, it's sweat!"