The explosion blasted through the mayor's study, sending books flying, furniture flipping, and smoke billowing thick across the room. Wood splintered and the far wall cracked open, sunlight pouring through the jagged hole where once there had been sturdy beams.
Lucy hit the floor with a yelp, clutching her keys to her chest. Gray had managed to shield himself with ice, scowling through the haze. Happy coughed loudly, his wings singed.
And Natsu?
He stood in the middle of the chaos, coughing out smoke, hair frazzled, clothes blackened at the edges. But he was grinning ear to ear.
"There! Problem solved!"
Lucy shot to her feet, her face red, fists shaking.
"YOU BLEW UP THE MAYOR'S HOUSE!"
"It's just a small hole," Natsu argued, gesturing toward the gaping destruction like it was a mere scratch. "Besides, look, the lamp stopped acting weird!"
True enough, the magical lamp now sat harmlessly in the wreckage, its glow stable.
The mayor's mustache twitched. His jaw trembled. Then, in a voice so quiet it was almost a whisper, he said.
"You… destroyed… my grandfather's wall."
Lucy bowed repeatedly, frantic.
"We're so, so sorry! He didn't mean it!"
Gray crossed his arms, smirking coldly at Natsu.
"Nice work, flame brain. You just made things worse again."
Natsu glared.
"What?! No way! I fixed the lamp! That's what matters!"
Happy, perched on a cracked beam, blinked innocently.
"To be fair… he's not wrong."
Lucy's hands clenched into fists.
"You're all impossible!"
But even as chaos reigned in the ruined study, there was no denying the truth, the lamp was steady, the disturbance suppressed. Natsu, in his usual reckless, destructive way, had stumbled into a solution.
The mayor sagged into his chair, clutching his head in despair.
"Fairy Tail… why did it have to be Fairy Tail…"
Lucy groaned again, cheeks burning in embarrassment.
Natsu just flashed his signature grin, flames flickering faintly at his fists.
"What'd I tell you? Leave it to me."
*****
The forest opened into a clearing, and the air changed.
The path of gnarled roots and thick undergrowth gave way to bare earth, as though the land itself had recoiled from what stood in the center. A ruined monolith, massive, ancient, rose crookedly from the ground, its jagged form etched with faintly glowing runes. The symbols pulsed like the heartbeat of something still alive, despite the stone being cracked, weathered, and nearly forgotten.
Lucy's breath caught in her throat. She slowed her steps, her boots crunching softly on the dirt as her wide eyes fixed on the ruin.
"This… this isn't ordinary."
Her hand instinctively went to her keys, fingertips brushing against the cold metal. She didn't draw them, not yet, but the subtle gesture betrayed her unease.
'Magic that lasts centuries… maybe longer. It feels heavy, like it's pressing against my chest.'
Natsu stepped ahead without hesitation, his fists clenched and eyes burning with curiosity. The faint glow reflected in his dark irises, giving him a dangerous, almost feral look.
"Heh. Whatever this thing is, it reeks of power."
Happy fluttered uneasily above his shoulder, his usual playful tone replaced with something smaller, hesitant.
"Aye... sir. I don't like it. It feels… wrong."
Gray approached with more caution, his eyes narrowing as he studied the runes. His movements were measured, careful, the opposite of Natsu's reckless stride. He crouched near the cracked base, running a hand along the etched stone.
"These symbols… they're not decorative. They're sealing runes. Old ones." He straightened, his jaw tightening. "Something was bound here."
Lucy's stomach twisted at his words. She stepped closer, though her body screamed at her to keep her distance. The runes pulsed brighter the nearer she came, casting pale blue light across her face. The glow was mesmerizing, yet it carried a whispering unease, like voices at the edge of hearing.
She froze.
'Did I just… hear something?'
Natsu tilted his head, his grin sharpening.
"Bound, huh? Maybe we should smash it open and see what's inside."
"Are you insane?!" Lucy whirled on him, her voice rising higher than she intended. "For all we know, this could be holding back something dangerous. Something that could destroy the whole village, maybe worse!"
Gray crossed his arms, glaring at Natsu.
"For once, she's right, flame brain. Don't even think about it."
Natsu scoffed, but his fists loosened slightly. He stepped back, though the fire in his eyes didn't dim.
The mayor, who had accompanied them this far, stood at the edge of the clearing, his staff trembling in his grip. His knuckles were white, his expression grim.
"That monolith has been here longer than our records go back. My grandfather told me we were forbidden to disturb it, that it kept something terrible from waking. But lately…" He gestured weakly at the glowing symbols. "The runes never shone before. Not until the disturbances began."
Lucy's breath quickened.
'So the seal is weakening. Whatever's inside… it's stirring.'
A cold breeze swept through the clearing, sharp against their skin. The faint whispers grew clearer, curling like tendrils of sound around their ears. Words they couldn't quite understand, but heavy with malice.
Happy pressed against Natsu's shoulder, ears flattening.
"N-Natsu… it's talking."
Natsu clenched his fists again, fire sparking faintly at his knuckles. His usual bravado flickered, replaced with something steelier.
"Then we'll shut it up."
Lucy shivered, torn between fear and determination. She looked at the runes again, at the faint cracks splitting through them.
'If this seal breaks completely… can we even handle what comes out?'
Gray exhaled slowly, his voice low, heavy.
"We need to figure out how to strengthen the seal. Or destroy whatever's trying to break free." He glanced at Natsu, his gaze sharp. "And we can't afford you making this worse."
Natsu didn't rise to the bait this time. His jaw tightened, and for once, he held his tongue.
The mayor's staff tapped against the ground as he whispered, more to himself than to them.
"The whispers grow stronger at night. If you remain until sundown, you'll see the truth of what we're dealing with."
The words dropped into the silence like a stone into a well, rippling outward.
Lucy's heart pounded. Sundown was only hours away.
And as the runes pulsed brighter, like the heartbeat of something desperate to escape, the clearing itself seemed to hold its breath, waiting.