"Gods? Do those actually exist?"
The airship was now soaring through the snowy mountains, though it wasn't exactly following a clear path—just aimlessly gliding through the blizzard.
Kira and the others had long given up on navigation. There were no detailed maps of this area, so finding their destination was a matter of pure luck.
The six of them sat around a makeshift fire on the airship, discussing the intel Kira had shared.
"I've read about gods in books before, but I always thought they were just myths," someone said.
"Well, if demons and dragons are real, maybe gods existed too, right?" another added.
"Exactly!" Kira' face lit up with excitement. "This is just a theory, but hear me out: what if gods, like demons, dragons, and humans, are just another species? Maybe they're called gods because they're born with incredible powers."
"Powerful… abilities? Like magic?" someone asked.
"Humans have a knack for learning and creating, and we use magic," Kira explained. "From what Natsu's said, and what's written in some old texts, dragons have powerful bodies, can fly, and use magic too. Demons have insane destructive power and resilience, and they can use magic—or in the case of Zeref's demons, curses. So what about gods?"
Erza caught on. "You're saying gods might use magic too?"
"Not just that," Kira continued. "Gods have legends even older than dragons and demons—so old there's barely any record of them. So, theory one: they could've been the first beings to use magic."
The group was stunned, but the more they thought about it, the more it made sense.
"Back in ancient times, before knowledge or nations were established, isn't it possible that regular people saw powerful wizards and called them gods?" Kira mused.
"And since demons and dragons are still around, but no one's seen a god, maybe magic became so widespread that gods stopped seeming divine," someone added.
Erza nodded, impressed. "That's a bold theory."
"Of course, there's a second theory," Kira went on. "Maybe gods aren't living beings at all, but some kind of natural law or phenomenon that ancient people couldn't explain, so they called it divine power. But I don't have solid evidence for that one yet."
He held up three fingers. "So, my three guesses about gods: a species with special abilities, ancient wizards, or mysterious phenomena we can't understand."
"Okay, but what does any of this have to do with the celestial maidens' legend?" Gray asked.
"Everything!" Kira said, leaning forward. "Here's the deal: after cross-referencing a bunch of sources, I'm pretty sure the Black Maiden used a lost ancient magic—God-Slaying Magic of Ice!"
---
"You're the client, huh, old man?" Natsu asked.
"Yes, I'm a descendant of the Aisisnu Clan," the man, named Puru, replied.
"The Aisisnu Clan?" Natsu and Happy exchanged confused looks, clearly clueless.
Lucy, who'd read her fair share of books, gasped and slammed the table. "Wait, you mean the clan that's said to serve gods?!"
"Exactly," Puru said. "The Aisisnu Clan has existed for nearly a millennium, but our numbers have always been small. In recent decades, many of us moved away from the mountains. Now, it's just my family left here."
"A millennium?" Natsu, Lucy, and Happy were floored. Natsu leaned forward eagerly. "Hey, old man, do you know anything about dragons?"
"Dragons?" Puru thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No one's seen them anymore. But according to our clan's records, hundreds of years ago, dragons were plentiful. Then they vanished."
Natsu's face fell. "So even you guys haven't seen them?"
"Natsu, let's focus on the mission," Lucy said, tugging his sleeve. She turned to Puru. "The job says we need to defeat some magical beasts, but in a place like this, can beasts even survive?"
The trio had been wandering the area for hours and hadn't seen a single trace of wildlife. The mission implied they were dealing with a group of beasts, not just one. But in this frozen, desolate mountain range, where even humans rarely ventured, how could a pack of beasts survive? Compared to Zonia's brutal conditions, the outside world had abundant food, water, and a far more comfortable environment. Humans had migrated away, so why hadn't these beasts?
Puru caught the doubt in Lucy's voice and paused before explaining. "These aren't ordinary magical beasts. They were mass-produced by demons."
"Demons?" Lucy echoed.
"Mass-produced?" Natsu added, eyebrows raised.
Seeing how far these wizards had come for the mission, Puru hesitated, then seemed to make up his mind. "To be honest, I posted this job with little hope anyone would take it. But since you're here, I owe you the full story."
He stood, poured himself a glass of liquor, and sat back down across from Natsu, Lucy, and Happy.
The trio leaned in, listening intently.
"Until a few decades ago, this area was the Aisisnu Clan's hidden sanctuary," Puru began. "Aisisnu Village has a long history. Our records say we're descendants of gods, and the enemies of gods are demons."
"Legend has it that long ago, gods and demons were locked in a bitter feud across the continent. The war raged for ages until the demons were defeated, and the gods vanished. That's when the era of dragons and magic began."
"But the conflict between the Aisisnu Clan and the demons here never stopped. These demons are long-lived, incredibly resilient, and powerful—nearly impossible to kill. Eventually, they even found a way to mass-produce magical beasts, which wreaked havoc on our clan."
"Fortunately, to counter them, our ancestors created a magic capable of killing both demons and their creations."
"Ice Demon-Slaying Magic!" Puru declared.
"Ice Demon-Slaying Magic?!" the trio gasped in unison.
Natsu was especially shocked. His Dragon-Slaying Magic came from a dragon, but now there was Demon-Slaying Magic? Was it taught by demons? He momentarily forgot that Puru had said their ancestors created it to fight demons.
"You've never heard of it, right?" Puru said with a smile. "It's different from regular ice magic. In this environment, its users can unleash incredible power."
"I bet it lets you eat ice to restore stamina and magic power!" Natsu blurted out.
Puru raised an eyebrow. "You know about that?"
Happy chimed in. "Yeah, 'cause Natsu uses Fire Dragon-Slaying Magic. He can eat fire to recharge!"
"Fire Dragon-Slaying Magic…" Puru murmured, surprised to hear of another slaying-type magic but disappointed by its element. "Fire, huh? That's heavily suppressed in a place like this."
Ice and fire were natural opposites, and in Zonia's snowy mountains, fire magic was at a severe disadvantage. Even a powerful fire wizard would lose at least a third of their strength here.
Puru glanced at Natsu, hesitating. Can this kid really handle those beasts? he wondered.