With a creak, the tavern door swung open, and a petite girl who looked about 12 or 13 stepped inside. Her demeanor was cool and detached, her presence almost out of place in the rugged setting.
She wore simple blue-and-white cloth pants and a shirt, topped with a worn gray coat that didn't seem particularly warm. Yet, she showed no signs of feeling the cold. Her silver-white hair blended perfectly with the snow outside, and though her delicate face was strikingly beautiful, her physique hinted at a surprising strength—like a young snow leopard.
She didn't look like someone who belonged in a place like this… but she fit right into the Fairy Tail world.
"I'm back," the girl, Winter, said as she shrugged off her coat. "Uncle, who are these people?"
"Winter, you're back!" her uncle, Pur, replied warmly.
Before he could introduce them, Natsu, ever the friendly one, jumped in. "Yo! I'm Natsu, a wizard from Fairy Tail!"
"I'm Lucy," Lucy added with a smile.
"I'm Happy!" Happy chirped, waving a paw.
"Wizards?" Winter's expression showed just the right amount of skepticism as she walked over. "What are you doing here?"
Pur explained to his niece, "They're here on my request to help deal with the magical beasts."
Winter raised an eyebrow, sizing them up. "These two and a cat?"
She turned to Natsu, Lucy, and Happy. "What kind of magic do you use?"
"Fire," Natsu said proudly.
"Celestial Spirit," Lucy answered.
"Aye!" Happy piped up.
Winter gave them a long, hard look before turning to her uncle in disbelief. "This is who you hired? A hotheaded idiot weak to ice, a woman whose body is all useless fat, and a cat who only knows how to act cute and eat roasted fish? (Though the cat is pretty cute.)"
"Hey, this kid's got no manners!" Lucy huffed, cheeks puffing out. "Useless fat?! This is a curvy figure, thank you very much!"
Happy wasn't having it either. He swallowed the rest of his fish in one gulp. "Yeah! And I can fly, you know!"
Winter ignored them, her tone blunt. "You should head back before you get yourselves killed." With that, she turned and headed toward a corner of the tavern.
Lucy noticed for the first time that the tavern had a second floor.
"Winter, don't be so rude!" Pur called after her, scratching his head awkwardly. "Kids these days, growing up so rebellious. Sorry about that—please forgive her manners."
"No, it's fine," Lucy said with a forced smile.
"There's something different about her magic," Natsu said, staring at Winter's retreating figure. His senses were always sharp when it came to magic.
Lucy blinked, catching up. "Magic? She's a wizard too?"
Pur nodded. "Yes. Winter was born with a gift for magic. As I mentioned before, she was supposed to inherit the sacred magic of the Isisnu clan."
He continued, "But her father's death hit her hard. By the time I arrived, she'd become withdrawn and fiercely independent. Don't let her attitude fool you—she used to be a sweet, clingy little girl."
Pur's smile was warm, like a proud father reminiscing. "I used to live with our clan in the city. When I heard about my brother's death, I rushed here. I wanted to take her away, but she refused to leave. Even without the clan's Demon-Slaying Magic, she's determined to live by her own strength. I think she's trying to prove something to her late father. So, I stayed to look after her."
He took a swig of his drink. "My own magic isn't strong, which is why I hired wizards from a guild to deal with those beasts. Winter shouldn't be tied down by her stubbornness. She has a bigger future ahead of her. I want her to leave this mountain and see the world."
Lucy's heart twinged at Pur's words. She couldn't help but compare Winter's situation to her own.
She was a little jealous. Even though he was just her uncle, Pur cared so deeply for Winter, supporting her even when he didn't agree with her choices. Lucy, on the other hand? She thought of her father, Jude Heartfilia.
As the head of Fiore's railway conglomerate, he'd always been strict, indifferent to her likes or life, barely sparing her a kind word.
"I've made up my mind!" Lucy declared, standing and clenching her fists.
"Huh?" Natsu and Happy blinked at her, confused by her sudden intensity.
"I'm going to help Pur and make sure that girl, Winter, gets out of this mountain to see the world! He's right—she deserves a brighter future, not to be stuck here, chained by some pointless obsession."
"Why're you so fired up all of a sudden?" Natsu asked, tilting his head.
"Lucy's acting weird~" Happy added.
"Shut up! Just back me up, okay?" Lucy snapped.
"Aye, sir!" they both replied.
…
Deep in a Zonia mountain peak, inside a shadowy cave, four figures gathered around an ice table. An ominous, demonic aura clung to them.
The apparent leader, a burly man named Ace, spoke with a grave tone. "Everyone, our decades-long plan is nearing completion. Our master's revival is imminent. I trust you won't let anything derail it."
"Ugh, quit acting like the boss, you old geezer. I don't take orders from you!" A fiery, twin-tailed loli named Chloe snapped, planting a foot on the table. Her white lace stockings fluttered like clouds, and her defiant posture screamed delinquent.
"Calm down, Chloe," said a scholarly young man named Ferg, who seemed out of place among the group. "Maybe try reading a book or two like me to cool that temper."
"Exactly," chimed in a glamorous, curvaceous woman named Snoi, her voice dripping with amusement. "Show some respect to Ace, or we won't bail you out when you end up dangling from an icicle."
"Hmph! You again, you scheming witch!" Chloe shot back. "You're always badmouthing me to this old fart to get me in trouble!"
"You get punished because you never learn manners, dear. Nothing to do with me," Snoi replied with a smirk.
"What?! Books? Manners? Don't tell me you two actually think you're human!" Chloe grinned wickedly, her eyes glinting. "We're demons! Cruelty and bloodlust are our nature!"
"Enough, Chloe, Snoi, Ferg!" Ace slammed the table, silencing them. "The Isisnu clan hired human wizards to come here. Be cautious and don't let them ruin our plans."
Chloe scoffed. "Just a few wizards? Why bother being so careful? I could take them out myself!"
Snoi leaned forward, her chest resting on the table. "Don't underestimate modern wizards. Remember a few years ago when a human stormed our base alone and killed Walt? Get careless, and you might be next."
"That's because Walt was weak!" Chloe retorted. "If I'd been there, things would've gone differently!"
Ferg glanced at the defiant Chloe. "Don't be so sure. That man wielded the Isisnu clan's magic."
Chloe, who wasn't exactly a scholar, fell silent. She knew Demon-Slaying Magic could hurt them, but her pride wouldn't let her back down verbally.
"You said it yourself—Walt died because of that magic. This group doesn't have the Isisnu clan's power. They're just humans for me to slaughter!"
"You'll regret that arrogance someday," Snoi teased. "When you do, feel free to cry in my arms."
"You looking for a fight?!" Chloe snapped.
"Enough!" Ace roared, unleashing a terrifying magical pressure that left the three gasping for air, too intimidated to speak.
With the bickering stopped, Ace assigned their tasks. "To ensure our master's revival goes smoothly, each of you will lead a pack of wolves to eliminate those pests!"
"Yes, sir," they replied.
After the three left, Ace slipped into a hidden passage within the cave, winding through until he reached a secret chamber.
Inside the vast chamber stood a towering ice statue of a demon, dozens of meters tall.
"The time is near," Ace murmured. "Soon, I'll claim your power, oh great sea overlord!"
If Kira or Gray were here, they'd recognize the spell sealing the demon in an instant: the ultimate sacrifice move of Ur's lineage—Absolute Zero!