Fairy Tail: Strongest Creature

"The Curse of the Moon?" Lucy asked, puzzled.

The village elder nodded gravely. "Yes, we became like this because of the moon's curse. We were once a normal village, but a few years ago, the moonlight turned purple."

"Purple?" Lucy repeated in disbelief. "I've never heard of anything like that."

"People from outside say that, but here on the island, when the moon rises, it turns a deep purple. And under its light, we all transform."

As if on cue, Happy pointed skyward. "The moon's out!"

Everyone looked up as the clouds parted, revealing a large, ominous purple moon hanging in the sky.

Lucy shivered. "It's really purple… it looks terrifying."

The villagers began to groan in pain, their bodies morphing and twisting. Within moments, they had all transformed, their limbs turning monstrous and demonic.

"W-whoa!" Lucy and Happy gasped, stepping back.

Even Su Yan was taken aback, almost unleashing a burst of his own magic before he realized it was just the villagers. He held back, not wanting to accidentally obliterate their clients.

"I apologize for scaring you," the village elder said, his voice strained. "When the purple moon appears, we turn into these hideous forms. If this isn't a curse, what else could it be?"

Some villagers broke down in tears, overcome by despair. "Every morning, we return to our original forms," the elder continued, "but some of us have lost our humanity completely. Once the darkness in a person's heart takes over, they become a demon for good. My own son… he was the same."

The elder held up a photograph, and Natsu and the others gasped when they recognized the man. It was the same boatman who had ferried them to the island.

"That guy?!" Lucy exclaimed. "But he just brought us here this morning. Could he… could he actually be a ghost?"

Su Yan's brow furrowed as he listened. This whole scene seemed eerily familiar, like something out of the Fairy Tail stories he'd heard or read about. *So this must be part of the original plot,* he thought.

The elder's voice broke through his thoughts. "Please, you must help us. We're being devoured by demons. We believe this curse comes from the moon's magic, so there's only one way to break it… destroy the moon!"

"Destroy the moon?" Natsu, Lucy, and Gray all echoed in disbelief.

Su Yan and the others spent the evening in a small house the village provided. The eerie purple glow of the moon hung over the island, casting unsettling shadows.

Happy peered out the window, his eyes wide. "The longer I look at it, the scarier it gets."

"Close that window, Happy!" Lucy exclaimed, her face pale. "The elder said that if we're exposed to the moonlight for too long, we could turn into demons too!"

Regret washed over her. If only she hadn't been tempted by the key of the Zodiac. *Why did I even come here?*

"It's a tough situation," Natsu said, leaning back with a bandaged face after Su Yan's earlier discipline. Though not seriously hurt, he wasn't exactly unscathed.

Gray shook his head, arms crossed. "Destroy the moon… how many punches would it even take?"

Natsu clenched his fists. "We should try anyway. If we don't, it'll hurt Fairy Tail's reputation."

Lucy shook her head. "Even if we wanted to, it's impossible. No mage could destroy the moon."

"Yeah!" Happy agreed. "And there's no way I'm flying us up there!"

As the group continued debating how to destroy the moon, Su Yan received a notification.

> **Ding! Automatic sign-in successful!** 

> **Location: Devil's Island** 

> **Reward: 50 free attribute points!**

A pleased smile appeared on Su Yan's face. Fifty attribute points were rare, and he'd make good use of them. He decided to stay on the island for a few more days to fully benefit from the experience.

When the others' arguments subsided, Lucy turned to Su Yan, who had been quiet throughout. "Su Yan, have you done a mission like this before? You know… lifting curses?"

Su Yan nodded. "I have."

Lucy's eyes lit up. "So, you know how to break curse magic?"

Su Yan shook his head with a smirk. "Not exactly. I don't lift curses. I deal with the one who cast the curse."

The group stared at him, wide-eyed, momentarily speechless.

*That's… very Su Yan,* they thought in unison.