On the beach of Galuna Island, four figures, battered by the waves, lay on the soft sand.
"Cough, cough..."
Lucy was the first to wake, spitting out a few mouthfuls of seawater, and groggily sat up.
"Where is this...?"
The surroundings were unfamiliar; dense jungle swayed not far away, and the air was filled with a salty, fishy smell.
"Natsu! Gray! Happy!"
She frantically nudged her companions who were still unconscious beside her.
"Yo! We made it!"
Natsu flipped over and jumped up, his eyes shining with excitement as he looked around.
Gray slowly sat up, silently wringing out his soaking wet shirt, calmly observing his surroundings:
"Looks like we're lucky; we weren't washed up somewhere strange... This should be Galuna Island."
"Aye... I'm covered in sand..." Happy mumbled, shaking his body.
"Speaking of which, what exactly happened with that old man?!"
Lucy remembered the old man who had suddenly disappeared.
"Aye... Could that Babo really be a ghost?" Happy shivered.
Just as the four were discussing their next move, several kilometers away on another part of the coast, Lorne leisurely stepped onto the beach.
Unlike the disheveled quartet, Lorne was completely dry.
He had used Ice Magic to form a protective film around his body as he approached the island, perfectly repelling the seawater.
"Finally here." Lorne stretched his wrists. "Continuously using Sea Stride Magic is quite tiring."
He looked up at the sky; the sun was setting, and the horizon was already tinged with a faint red.
"According to the time, those guys should have arrived too... But given their method, it'll probably take them a while to find the village."
He was not in a hurry to meet Natsu and his group; instead, he strolled casually into the island's interior, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
"moon drip..."
He softly uttered the name, a faint smile playing on his lips, "The ritual to unseal Deliora."
"Ur was at least a Ten Wizard Saints-level Mage. That Lyon... where does he get the confidence to think he can defeat a demon that even she had to seal at the cost of her life?"
He shook his head, his tone slightly mocking, "Should I call it naive, or pure arrogance?"
Meanwhile, Natsu and his group were struggling through the jungle on the island.
"This island is really big..."
Lucy complained breathlessly, "We've been walking for so long, why haven't we seen the village yet?"
As they continued to advance, the sky had completely darkened.
However, to everyone's shock, when night fell, the moon in the sky emitted an eerie purple glow!
"What... what is this?" Lucy's eyes widened. "Why is the moon purple?"
"Could it be... this is the island's curse?" Gray murmured with a solemn expression.
"Aye... So scary... such a weird moon..." Happy shivered, "It feels creepy."
Under the eerie purple moonlight, they finally saw lights flickering in the distance.
"The village!" Natsu excitedly pointed ahead. "We finally found it!"
The four quickened their pace and soon arrived at the outskirts of the village.
It was a village surrounded by tall walls, covered in sharp wooden spikes, looking more like a fortress designed to defend against something terrifying.
"Such tight defenses, it seems there really is something dangerous on the island."
Gray observed the wall's construction.
Lucy shouted loudly at the gate:
"Excuse me, please open the gate!"
"Who's there!"
A startled guard poked his head over the tall wooden fence and asked.
"We are Mages from the Fairy Tail Guild."
Lucy replied loudly, and after everyone showed their respective guild emblems, the heavy gate slowly rose.
Just then, several figures emerged from inside.
Under the purple moonlight, those figures began to undergo shocking transformations.
The villagers, who had initially appeared to be normal humans, began to swell, their skin became rough and dark, horns grew on their heads, wings sprouted from their backs, and they all transformed into demons!
"De-demons?" Lucy's face turned pale with fright, her legs trembling.
"Waaah!" Happy fainted instantly.
However, the demons showed no hostility; instead, they bowed to the group.
"Welcome to Galuna Island."
The leading demon spoke, his voice surprisingly kind, "I am Mocha, the village chief of this island."
"Village... chief...?" Lucy stammered, "But you all..."
"We know we look terrifying right now."
The demon said with a wry smile, "This is all because of that hateful purple moon! Ever since it appeared, we turn into these demon forms every night when we're exposed to its purple light!"
"That's so cool! Ah! Ah! That's great! Horns and spikes and stuff, I want them too."
Natsu, who was raised by a dragon, shouted with shining eyes.
Natsu only sheepishly shut up after Lucy gave him a fierce glare and explained the situation.
"Let's get back to the main point!"
The village chief's tone became heavy.
"Every dawn, we can return to human form... but some people gradually can't change back, and even... completely lose their minds."
Then, as the village chief spoke of having to deal with those villagers who had completely lost their sanity, tears involuntarily streamed down his face.
Especially after seeing the photo the village chief showed, Lucy felt even more that Babo was a ghost.
"We have no choice but to... deal with our compatriots who have completely demonized." The village chief shed tears.
"Please, you must save this island! If this continues, everyone will lose their minds and turn into demons."
After hearing the villagers' explanation, Natsu thumped his chest.
"That won't happen. We'll find a way."
Upon hearing Natsu's assurance, the village chief immediately bowed and pleaded,
"There is only one way to break our curse, the moon. Please destroy the moon!"
Natsu and Gray were also very surprised to hear this request.
"Ah~! Destroy the moon!"
It was late, and the four rested in the accommodation arranged by the villagers.
As they organized their belongings, they were also troubled about how to complete the request.
"How... how is that even possible...?" Lucy couldn't help but murmur.
As everyone was bewildered, no one noticed that in the shadows outside the village, a pair of eyes was quietly watching.
"Just as the plot dictates."
Lorne's lips curved slightly. "These poor 'demons' still believe they are cursed humans... It seems Lyon's moon drip ritual is quite effective."
He jumped down from the tree, deciding to secretly follow Natsu and his group for now.
Although he knew the plot's direction, witnessing it firsthand was still very interesting.
"An interesting Ichiya." Lorne murmured, "We should meet Lyon and his group tomorrow, right?"
He turned and disappeared into the night, preparing to find a place to rest. Tomorrow's drama was just beginning.
----------------------------------
I've already posted 40 new chapters on Patreon!
If you like the story and want to reaad more, please visit my patreon. Every support is very meaningful!
[patreon.com/Kazenova223]
Thank you very much!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"