At 18 years old, Erza Scarlet is already an S-class mage. She could be described as a veteran, possessing more than enough strength and experience to tackle missions entirely on her own.
Today, Erza had taken on a B-Rank Request in a village called Oublitte, located near the Hakkobe Mountains in northern Fiore a region notorious for its perpetual snowfalls and treacherous terrain.
The village was home to 200 residents who earned their living through mining, a trek that took about an hour into the mountains. The houses were humble, all built from local timber; the village lacked wealth, and its people survived day by day.
As Erza arrived, she was reminded of her own childhood home a small village tucked away from the great cities. She often accepted missions where small settlements needed help with magical monsters or bandits. Erza lived by the philosophy of helping those most in need those who lacked the strength to defend themselves.
Because of this, she sometimes set aside S-Rank requests to accept missions that others overlooked, usually because they were in remote areas where the pay didn't justify the time or effort.
She walked straight toward the center of the village, where the largest house stood; the village chief was bound to be there. Walking with confidence in her metal armor and blue skirt, her crimson hair swayed with every step. She kept her head high, her striking features drawing the gaze of the villagers. Curious as they were to see an outsider, and as attractive and eye catching as Erza was, no one dared to approach her.
Before reaching the chief's house, she spotted an elderly man, roughly 60 years old, already waiting outside. He stood with the help of a cane, his back slightly hunched by years of labor in the mines. Beside him were his two foremen: one a robust middle-aged man around 40, and the other a youth of about 20. The younger man was breathing heavily, as if he had raced from the village entrance to deliver urgent news.
Erza nodded inwardly. A remote village with watchmen; once they confirm a visitor, they alert the chief.
Upon reaching them, Erza introduced herself. "I am Erza Scarlet, a mage from Fairy Tail. I have accepted your B-Rank request to eliminate the wolf pack surrounding the village."
The chief stepped forward, his skin weathered like old leather, leaning on his pine cane. "I am Marek, the chief of this village! Thank you for accepting, milady mage. We feared the Magic Council would ignore our plea, being such a small village in a remote land."
To his right, the middle-aged man spoke. "I am Goran, the head foreman of the main mine. We truly appreciate your help. Because of those wild beasts, production has stalled, and this village depends entirely on those minerals. We are already several days behind schedule."
Erza nodded. "Do not worry. I will handle the wolf pack so you can return to your work," she said with absolute certainty.
On the other side of the chief stood the youngest of the trio. "My name is Jon. Please be careful, milady... those wolves seem too intelligent. They haven't attacked yet; they just watch us from a distance, as if waiting for the perfect moment."
Erza sensed the tremor of fear in Jon's voice, as if he knew something the others had missed. She chalked it up to nerves. It was natural for non-magicians to fear magical beasts.
"Understood. I shall finish this at once so you can rest easy. Please, show me where they were last seen."
The chief pointed north. "They've been spotted north of the village, near the mountain path."
Erza needed no more information. She bid them farewell and headed north to complete the task. As she departed, Marek turned to the youth. "Jon! Why was your voice trembling? You almost caused us trouble!"
Jon shuddered again. "But Chief, we didn't give her the full story! I'm afraid she'll get hurt and fail the mission."
Goran, the older foreman, sighed. "It couldn't be helped, Jon. We omitted details because we don't have the jewels for a higher-ranked mission. If we hadn't, this would be an A-Rank or even an S-Rank request. We couldn't risk no one coming due to lack of pay."
Jon could only accept the arrangement of his elders, praying for the mage's success. But because they had withheld vital information from the Council, a mission that should have been S-Rank was listed two ranks lower. This choice triggered the tragedy of Oubliette.
- - - - -
Erza returned to the village two hours later, following a brutal battle against the pack.
Upon her return, her eyes widened in pure horror. The village she had seen full of life was now a scene of unmitigated carnage. Houses were engulfed in flames. The bodies of villagers lay mutilated, missing limbs and heads. Everywhere she looked, she saw remains devoured by wild beasts people who had tried to flee only to be hunted down, their faces frozen in desperation.
Erza began a frantic search for survivors in what was once Oubliette. To her grief, she found only death: men, women, and children.
"No... no... no... NOOOOOOOOOO!"
Erza roared at the sky, trying to deny the reality before her. Tears blurred her vision, and she collapsed to her knees, pressing her head against the frozen ground while covering her ears. She wept for the tragedy, haunted by the memories of her own childhood village. She had sworn this would never happen again. She had grown stronger, trained harder, and forged a will of iron specifically to protect the helpless.
She forced herself up. She wouldn't give up. There must be someone... just one... please, Kami-sama!
As if the heavens had heard her plea, Erza spotted a youth lying in the middle of the street. His clothes were shredded, as if a beast had torn them away in a single bite. Curiously, despite lying in a pool of blood, his body was intact limbs, head, and torso were all there.
Erza rushed to him. Though his clothes were ruined and soaked in blood, she saw his chest rising and falling. He was still breathing. That simple movement brought her a flicker of peace.
At least one survivor.
She took him into her arms. He had no visible wounds, but his body was burning with a terrifyingly high fever. Erza decided then that no matter what it took, she would not let the sole survivor of Oubliette die. She turned and ran toward the nearest town she had passed on her way, desperate to save him.