Astro, with Mira's help, finally managed to calm Levy down. Well, to be fair, her frustration had been swept away the moment she heard she was finally going on an S-Class mission.
The next morning, Astro and Levy were waiting in front of the train station for Erza. The atmosphere was oddly quiet, Levy looking even more nervous than she had the day before. Astro noticed the tension and decided to break the silence, taking the chance to apologize for yesterday as well.
"I'm sorry about yesterday," he said sincerely. "It's not a good excuse, but after helping Master with paperwork, I was completely drained and ended up saying something rude without thinking."
Levy waved it off lightly, though her expression betrayed a faint grievance. "It's fine, it happens a lot. I'm used to being mistaken for a boy."
Astro could tell what she left unsaid—especially since she kept glancing at her chest while saying it. Deciding it was far too dangerous a topic to continue, he smoothly shifted the conversation.
"I didn't properly introduce myself yesterday. I'm Astro Blackmist, and I use Sky Devil Slayer Magic."
"Levy McGarden," she replied, her tone a little steadier. "I use Solid Script Magic." She paused for a moment before her curiosity won out. "I've read about Dragon Slayer Magic in books, and of course I know Natsu uses Fire Dragon Slayer Magic. And there are some myths about God Slayer Magic too, though I've never seen it in person. But… I've never once heard of Devil Slayer Magic."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. She wasn't doubting him exactly, but the lack of any record was suspicious. From the name alone, Devil Slayer Magic sounded like something made specifically to kill devils—and devils weren't a myth. Especially with Zeref's…
"Probably because it's rare to even see a devil," Astro said with a shrug.
"Wait—you mean you actually got that magic from a devil?" Levy asked, her voice rising a little in shock.
"Yeah. The Sky Devil, Alevmak Blackmist," Astro answered casually. "It's a long story, but in short, I made a contract with him, and now I can wield his magic." He didn't go into detail about his experiences in Inca but didn't hide the devil's name either. If anyone could dig up information about Alevmak, it would be Levy. And he wants to know more about that devil too.
"I've never heard of a devil by that name," Levy admitted, frowning in thought. "But I have read about Sky Magic. It was a lost magic, one of the most versatile kinds in ancient times—it could be used for attack, defense, and support. But it disappeared during one of the lost eras."
"Honestly, except for healing, I can't do much support with it," Astro admitted, scratching his cheek awkwardly.
By contract, Alevmak appeared before him once a year on a fixed date. During those times, Astro would tell him about his previous world—how people managed to function without magic —while Alevmak, in turn, taught him new Sky Magic spells. But the window was always short, not nearly enough time to master much. That was why Astro had chosen to focus on offensive and defensive techniques first, putting support magic on hold until he could ensure he was strong enough to protect himself.
"By the way, Erza is running late," Astro remarked, glancing at the time at the station. They had promised to meet here before eight in the morning.
"Sorry! There were some interesting things at the shop, so I went ahead and bought them," Erza's voice called from behind.
Astro turned to look. "Well, which shop is even ope—"
He froze mid-sentence, his jaw dropping a bit as he finally took in the sight before him. "What… are those?"
He almost lost his balance at the sheer volume of luggage Erza was carrying—or, to be more accurate, dragging along behind her.
"They're all of my things. On a long trip, we need to be fully prepared," Erza explained, her tone calm, almost like an older sister giving advice.
Astro was rendered speechless. He was pretty sure they were the same age, and he might even be slightly older.
Levy leaned closer and whispered, almost conspiratorially, "Erza is a perfectionist. She tries to account for every possible scenario so nothing goes wrong. That's why she carries everything she thinks she might need before a mission."
Astro's eyes went wide as they scanned the mountain of bags. He whispered back.. "But… can all that even fit on a train?"
Levy shrugged casually. "It's fine. The station staff are used to it. They always add an extra train cart whenever she travels so she can take everything."
Astro's eyebrows shot up. "Wait… shouldn't the train station just tell her no? Do Fairy Tail wizards have such high status that the rules just bend for them?"
Levy patted his shoulder—a gesture she had intended as a head pat, but he was too tall. Then she turned to gaze down the bustling Magnolia city street. "You have no idea," she said, her tone almost wistful.
Astro followed her gaze, squinting into the street, but saw nothing unusual. A question mark hovered over his expression.
By the time Erza returned, having handed over the luggage to the station staff, Astro decided it was better not to overthink it.
Once inside a private compartment on the train, Erza began briefing them on the mission in full detail. Astro already knew most of it, so the explanation was mainly for Levy's benefit.
"So, one of the council members asked us to help on this job," Erza began, her voice calm but firm. "It seems he's planning an exploration of an island that's considered unreachable. He wants us to investigate the temple there to make sure nothing is wrong there, and he wants us to find a safe passage and make the island habitable again, so the council can travel there too."
Levy frowned, glancing over the job description and Erza's notes. "So the one asking for this is Org, huh?"
Astro tilted his head. "Do you guys have a bad relationship with him?" he asked, curiosity creeping into his tone. Although, he had done a little research on Org through books and newspaper articles. From what he could tell, Org seemed responsible, but it was clear from some of his statements that his relationship with Fairy Tail was tense.
"Hmph," Levy scoffed. "He always makes things hard for Master, and his life goal seems to be seeing our guild disbanded." Erza silenced her with a sharp look. Levy only stuck her tongue out and made no apology.
Astro thought quietly to himself, Well, after reading all those complaint letters, I'd be more suspicious of a council member who actually likes our guild—especially one with no connection to us. He didn't think Org was outright malicious or trying to set a trap, but he could see why this job had been made deliberately difficult. Org clearly wanted to give Fairy Tail a chance to mess up, so he could use it to his advantage later.
He glanced out the window, watching the scenery blur as the train raced along. With a quiet sigh, he decided to pick up a book, just like Levy had.
Seeing both of them reading silently, Erza settled back in her seat and closed her eyes, letting herself drift off for a nap.
The next day
In the middle of the sea, Astro and Levy exchanged the same look of speechless disbelief as they watched Erza's back.
Levy leaned slightly toward Astro and whispered, "If we're stealing from pirates… doesn't that make us pirates too?"
Astro shrugged, trying not to overthink it anymore. "Don't ask me. But it's true that pirates know the sea better than most sailors." He paused, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked back at the mighty pirate flag on the ship they were boarding.
The reason, as it turned out, was simple. No sailor was willing to go anywhere near Ventara Island. After failing to find any willing crew, Erza had come up with a genius—albeit unconventional—plan: approach a pirate-heavy area and hire a pirate ship. Naturally, the captain at the port was going to refuse at first, but once he realized he was dealing with Fairy Tail wizards—and saw the money Erza offered—he agreed without hesitation.
Soon enough, they had located a pirate ship and transferred aboard.
"Miss, we're approaching the Devil's Lock very soon," the pirate captain said nervously, glancing toward the island in the distance. He wasn't wearing a straw hat, much to Astro's mild disappointment. "Are you sure we won't die?"
The island loomed ahead, surrounded by pitch-black hurricane-like winds. Even from this distance, the force of the gale was palpable, thrashing the waves violently.
Erza gave Astro a look, almost as if to say, It's on you.
Astro stepped forward to the front of the deck, closing his eyes. He focused, feeling the wind around him as if it were alive.
"This… hurricane, or whatever it is," he murmured, trying to focus, "it feels like it's infused with ethernano. The wind near the island itself… It feels normal. It's like the entire island is enclosed in a giant black wind dome, while everything inside is completely fine. I can even faintly sense that there are quite a lot of living beings inside it. Although it's hard to tell if they are even human at this distance."
He opened his eyes, scanning the invisible currents in front of him. Though he couldn't see through the storm, he could feel it. By the patterns and the energy within the wind, he concluded that the island itself was safe to walk and explore—at least for anyone willing to brave the hurricane surrounding it.
"Can you do anything about the hurricane?" Levy asked, her eyes scanning the roiling black winds.
It was Erza who replied, narrowing her eyes. "Even if he can, we shouldn't take that approach. At least, not yet."
Astro scratched his head, frowning. "Yeah… this is clearly man-made."
Or… could it even be made by man? he thought, staring at the massive dome of swirling wind. A wind dome of this size… even I couldn't create a tenth of this, let alone maintain it for years.
Shaking his head to dispel the uneasy thoughts, he focused on the task at hand. Fear wouldn't help now. He glanced at Erza to see what the plan was.
"Astro, if we go through this hurricane, are we going to be detected?" Erza asked, her tone measured.
"I'm not entirely sure what the true purpose of this hurricane is," Astro admitted. "But I won't ignore that hypothesis. Even I can create a small wind dome, that would alert me if anything enters or leaves."
Erza nodded, her gaze scanning the sea. "Can you estimate how far the island's land is from here?"
"Less than two kilometers, I'd say," Astro replied, sensing faint traces of living beings above the water's surface in the distance. He now understood what Erza was planning.
"Okay," she said, turning toward the pirate crew who were visibly cowering. "We're going to dive to it. But before that—"
The pirates felt like they were looking at the devil itself seeing the smile at Erza' face. In a minute all the pirates were tied up and put to sleep.
"I will drop the anchor here, it should be long enough to reach the sea floor," Astro did not even look at the pirates as he dropped the ship's anchor.
Erza gave a firm nod. "Alright. Astro, you lead the way. We'll follow. Reequip."
She transformed her clothing into a bikini-style swimsuit, perfectly suited for underwater movement. Levy, following suit, revealed a more conservative swimsuit underneath her clothes.
Astro stripped down to swim trunks, ready as well. Levy glanced at both of them and then focused. "Solid Script Magic: Fins."
Several glowing words formed along their bodies—on their backs, hands, and feet—and shaped themselves into functional fins.
"It won't last long," Levy warned, "but it should be enough to reach the island. I can also create a water bubble for us to breathe underwater, but—"
Astro's eyes widened slightly, looking at the fins, impressed. This magic was incredibly versatile. But he also realized the more magic she maintained, the faster she would drain her energy.
"I'll take care of the air," he said, placing his palms gently on the foreheads of both girls. He formed breathable air bubbles around their heads, doing the same for himself.
"Let's go," Astro said, his voice muffled inside the bubble as he dove into the sea, immediately followed by Erza and Levy.
Somewhere on the Ishgar continent, inside a grand mansion.
"Is the information correct, Sylvie?" A man in a golden windbreaker over casual white clothes stirred awake from a nap at the round table with seven chairs. His voice, soft and almost ethereal, had a calm, otherworldly quality—as if an angel were speaking.
A striking woman approached him. Her black gown clung to her figure, daringly slit at the legs and revealing more skin than usual, accentuating her bold presence. She moved with a seductive grace, yet the man didn't even glance at her.
"Yes, the information is accurate. It was given directly to master, and he seems to trust the source. The council sent three Fairy Tail wizards to investigate Ventara Island," Sylvie replied. Her tone carried a hint of frustration as she watched him show no interest in her usual charms, though her eyes remained locked on his golden hair, almost obsessively.
Even if it's them, they can't do anything there. Our people there may not be named members, but they're far from weak—I doubt any guild in the Ishgar can defeat them.
He spoke slowly, almost lazily, before leaning back as if ready to drift off again.
"Yes, but master ordered the island destroyed to cover our tracks. Fairy Tail isn't a threat, but if more people discover us, it could be a problem," Sylvie countered, shrugging as if it hardly mattered.
At her words, the man groaned and finally rose to his feet. Sylvie's gaze softened again, captivated by the golden glow of his eyes and hair—he seemed like an angel descending from the heavens.
"Looks like master has already decided. Do we need to save our people there?" he asked, his voice casual as he strolled outside the room throughout the dimly lit hallway.
"Nope, Luthar. They failed their mission for three years, they took too much time to do the job and now the council is focusing on the island again. Our orders are to destroy the island—and them along with it, unless they provide us with something valuable.". Sylvie licked her lips with anticipation.
Luthar hummed thoughtfully, reaching the front doors of the mansion. "Alright, then. Let's just destroy it. I'll go ahead."
As soon as he got out of the mansion, His golden eyes gleamed, taking on a luminous purple-gold hue. In an instant, his body transformed into a pillar of radiant purple light, ascending skyward with blinding speed.
Sylvie pouted, worried. "Wait—do you even know where that island is from here?"
Before she could protest further, her body shimmered and dissolved into a ghostly mist, fading from view. A faint, dim phantom lingered behind, tracing the trail of Luthar's soaring purple light as it pierced the sky.