In the northern reaches of the Fiore Kingdom, at the sacred peak of Zonia, the world was a frozen wasteland. Snow blanketed everything, and the biting wind howled without end. The landscape was a monochrome sea of white.
Deep in the mountains, far colder than the borders, footprints vanished under fresh snow within a minute, erasing any trace of the path taken. The sky above was hidden, the ground below buried in snow, and visibility stretched no further than a hundred meters before the blizzard swallowed everything.
Natsu, Lucy, and Happy trudged through the storm, struggling against the elements.
"Achoo!" Lucy sneezed violently. "Ugh, why did we have to take this job?!"
She must've lost her mind. The guild strictly forbade non-S-Class wizards from taking S-Class missions, but seeing Natsu and Happy's unwavering determination, Lucy couldn't help but tag along.
"What do you mean 'why'?" Natsu said, unfazed by the cold. He'd swapped his usual vest and shorts for winter gear, though his iconic dragon-scale scarf stayed firmly in place. "We're a team, aren't we?"
As for Happy, he never wore clothes—whether because he was broke or just a cat, who knew? But he wasn't completely bare; like Natsu's scarf, Happy always carried a small green satchel. What was in it? No one was sure. Probably fish, since it was hard to imagine Happy carrying anything else.
"Natsu's right," Happy added. "And didn't you say you needed money to buy more Celestial Spirit keys, Lucy?"
"If you two hadn't botched my photoshoot job with that wild boar, I wouldn't be stuck in a place like this!" Lucy grumbled, shivering despite her thick down coat. "And even if we had to take an S-Class mission, couldn't we have picked one in a warmer place?"
"Listen to her, Happy," Natsu said with a grin. "She's actually saying stuff like that!"
"It's normal for Lucy," Happy teased. "She wouldn't get it."
"Get what?!" Lucy snapped, both confused and indignant.
"Harsh weather, dangerous terrain, seals and curses, gods and demons, adventure and treasure—that's what S-Class missions are supposed to be like!" Natsu declared.
"Aye, sir!" Happy chimed in.
Lucy sighed, her mind drifting to the mission: Defeat the magical beast in the blizzard. According to legend in Ishgar, long ago, two celestial maidens—a Black Maiden and a White Maiden—wielded immense power but fought over a single man. After an epic battle lasting who-knows-how-long, the White Maiden emerged victorious, but their battlefield was forever cloaked in snow. Over time, that place became part of the Fiore Kingdom's northern mountains, now known as the sacred peak, Zonia.
---
"Zonia… what's that place?" Back at the Fairy Tail guild, Kira asked Makarov curiously. "Is it dangerous?"
"They say two celestial maidens once fought there, and their magic transformed the landscape into a permanent snowfield," Makarov explained. "Even now, it's a place of endless blizzards."
Levy, who hadn't taken on dangerous missions but had read plenty of books, gasped. "Oh! I know that story! It's the legend of the Black Maiden and White Maiden fighting over a man! So romantic!"
"Levy, we'd fight for you too!!" two voices shouted in unison.
The Black and White Maidens? Levy's words jogged Kira' memory—he recalled them from the Empire Arc in the original story.
Elfman roared, "Those maidens were real men!! And the guy they fought over? Total man's man!!"
"Ice magic, huh? That's impressive," Gray mused, thinking of his mentor, Ur, and wondering if she could've altered a landscape forever like that.
While some focused on the magic, others were drawn to the gossip.
Nearby, Loke, surrounded by his girlfriends, smirked. "What kind of guy could make two powerful maidens fall for him, huh?"
"Probably someone as handsome as you, Loke~" one of his companions cooed.
"Exactly! Haha!" Loke laughed.
"Celestial maidens in the snow? Natsu's a Fire Dragon, so that's not a great matchup," someone pointed out.
"Are they like snow spirits or something? I wanna meet one!"
"Probably just a title. I mean, our guild's got a fairy in its name, right?"
"Haha, true! Wonder who'd win in a fight!"
Makarov groaned, rubbing his temples. "That Natsu, always causing trouble! Kira, go drag them back here!"
"Don't just assume I'm gonna follow your orders!" Kira slammed the table, then turned to Loke. "And you, stop being so full of yourself! A guy worthy of celestial maidens would have to be as awesome as me!"
For some reason, out of all the chatter, that's what Kira zeroed in on.
Loke, still flirting with his entourage, sighed dramatically. "Sorry, Kira, I'll admit you're good-looking, but no girlfriend? That's a dealbreaker. I can't take you seriously!"
"What?!" Kira bristled. "If we're judging men by how many girlfriends they have, then Kira would be the handsomest guy in the guild!"
Somewhere far off, Gildarts sneezed. Who's talking smack about me?!
Kira glanced at Cana, who seemed to shoot him a glare. Was that my imagination?
"A real man needs more than looks!" Kira declared. "You need strength, knowledge, and a fearless heart. In this guild, who else but me?!"
Loke shot back, "Wrong! A true man has a handsome face, gentlemanly charm, and a kind, loving heart!"
Cana, clutching her barrel of booze, slurred, "Hic! What're you guys on about? A real man's gotta know how to drink!"
"Real men use their fists!!" Elfman bellowed, waving his arms.
"Hey, a man's gotta be bold and show off!" Gray added.
"Gray, that's not an excuse to be an exhibitionist!" someone yelled.
"Quiet down!" Erza barked. "The real requirement is knowing how to make strawberry cake!"
"No way!!!" the guild roared back in unison.
"What, you're questioning me?!" Erza glared.
The guild, momentarily forgetting Natsu's unauthorized S-Class mission, erupted into a chaotic argument. Drinking contests, flipped tables, fistfights, and magic blasts filled the air.
"Fine!" Kira shouted. "Let's settle this! We'll go see what kind of guy those maidens fought over, and whoever's description he matches most wins!"
No one, in this life or the last, could resist a challenge like "I bet I'm right!"—especially in Fairy Tail.
"Deal! If he's my kind of guy, I win!" someone shouted.
"Then I'm going too!!"
"He's definitely a strawberry cake master!!"
"No way that's true!!"
Makarov, fuming, finally lost it. "You idiots! Get serious!!"
"Huh?" Kira turned, genuinely confused. "What'd you say, Master?"