Chapter 22: Shadows Over Oshibana
The morning light gleamed across Magnolia as Erza Scarlet marched down the street in full armor, eyes sharp with purpose. Behind her trailed three familiar figures — Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, and Lucy Heartfilia, with Happy fluttering lazily above them.
"Erza, what's the rush?" Lucy asked, trying to match her pace while clutching her Celestial Keys.
Erza didn't slow down. "The Magic Council intercepted word that a dark guild — Eisenwald — has obtained a cursed flute called Lullaby. It's capable of killing anyone who hears its melody. Makarov ordered us to intercept them before they reach Oshibana Station."
Gray frowned. "So this isn't just another small-time guild."
"Correct," Erza said curtly. "Their leader, Erigor, is an S-Class rogue known as the Reaper of the Wind. He's been on the Council's watchlist for years."
Natsu grinned, fire flickering around his fists. "Heh. Sounds fun."
Erza shot him a look. "This is not a game, Natsu. Our objective is to stop them and recover Lullaby intact. No unnecessary destruction."
Lucy, slightly nervous, asked, "Um… just out of curiosity, what happens if someone does play it?"
Erza's gaze hardened. "They die. And so does everyone who hears the tune."
Lucy froze. "...Got it. No one plays the flute. Noted."
Happy flapped beside Natsu with a small smile. "At least it's not another train ride."
The Train Ride Anyway
Ten minutes later, the team was on a train.
"URRGHHHHHH!" Natsu groaned, face pale green as his head pressed against the window.
Gray folded his arms. "You were the one who said no trains."
Happy munched on a fish. "He forgot how we get anywhere fast."
Lucy rubbed her temples. "We haven't even reached the dark guild and he's already dying."
Erza ignored the chaos, reviewing a sealed folder of intelligence reports. "Our target's last sighting was near Oshibana Station, but Eisenwald has a network of informants. We'll have to move quickly once we arrive."
Natsu mumbled weakly, "Just… lemme off this thing already…"
Meanwhile – Clover Town, Guild Masters' Conference
Far from the chaos of the train, the grand hall of Clover Town buzzed with chatter and polished shoes. Menma Uzumaki stood quietly beside Makarov at the long marble table, his presence calm yet weighty.
Master Goldmine of Quatro Cerberus leaned forward. "Reports of Eisenwald's activity are confirmed. They're targeting the Magic Council members traveling near Oshibana. Their weapon — the Lullaby curse — was stolen from an old Council vault."
Makarov's eyes narrowed. "Those fools won't stop until they drown in their own arrogance."
Menma stayed silent, but his right eye — the one hidden beneath the black eyepatch — pulsed faintly. The six-tomoe Rinnegan stirred, responding to a subtle distortion far from Clover Town.
He focused for a moment, tuning into the faintest vibration in the air — a ripple of space magic, unnatural and thin, like a distant scream echoing through dimensions.
Lullaby's curse… it's awakening.
Makarov glanced at him. "Sensing something?"
Menma nodded slightly. "Something's shifting near Oshibana. A disturbance — small, but spreading fast."
"Then I trust our young ones will handle it," Makarov said with quiet pride. "Erza's with them."
Menma's lips curved faintly. "Then they'll be fine."
The train screeched to a stop at Oshibana Station, steam hissing around the platform. Erza was the first to step out, her armor gleaming in the morning light.
"Stay alert," she ordered, eyes scanning the crowd. "Eisenwald could be anywhere."
Gray cracked his knuckles. "Then let's smoke them out."
Natsu leapt onto the platform with renewed energy now that the train had stopped. "Finally! I can breathe again!"
Happy hovered nearby. "You were basically dead five minutes ago."
Lucy followed hesitantly, clutching her keys. "Remind me why I agreed to come again?"
"Because you're part of the team now," Erza said firmly. "And you need to learn how real mages work together."
Lucy forced a nervous laugh. "Right. Teamwork. Totally not terrified."
Inside the Station
Oshibana Station was packed — travelers moving between platforms, merchants calling out sales, the air thick with chatter. Yet something about it felt… off.
Erza's eyes narrowed. "Too quiet," she murmured.
Gray frowned. "You call this quiet?"
Erza ignored him. "Not the sound — the magic. There's suppression seals hidden in the area. They're trying to block detection spells."
Before anyone could respond, a man's mocking voice echoed across the hall.
"Well, well, Fairy Tail shows up faster than expected."
They turned to see a group of mages in dark cloaks standing atop the ticket counter. Their insignia — a winged skull — gleamed on their arms.
"Eisenwald," Erza said coldly.
The man at the front grinned, his hair spiked and wild. "Name's Kage. We were just about to play our little tune, but since you're here…" He raised a strange flute carved with twisted runes. "Maybe you can be the first audience."
Lucy's face went pale. "That's the Lullaby! Don't—!"
Before he could lift it to his lips, Natsu was already in motion, flames bursting from his feet as he rocketed forward.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
His fist collided with Kage's jaw, sending the man crashing into the wall. The flute clattered to the floor.
"Don't even think about playing that thing," Natsu growled.
The other Eisenwald mages snarled and unleashed spells in response.
"Wind Slice!"
"Shadow Chain Bind!"
Gray slammed his palms together. "Ice-Make: Shield!" — blocking the barrage before countering, "Ice-Make: Lance!"
The battle erupted across the station. Fire and ice clashed with wind and shadow, while Lucy dove behind a bench to summon her spirits.
"Open, Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!"
A tall, pink-haired maid appeared from the magic circle. "Punishment time?" she asked bluntly.
Lucy waved frantically. "No punishment! Just—tie them up!"
Virgo nodded. "Understood, Princess."
Chains shot from the ground, binding several Eisenwald mages at once.
"Nice one, Lucy!" Gray shouted.
She grinned. "I've been practicing—!"
Then the ceiling exploded.
A powerful gust of wind tore through the room, scattering debris and nearly throwing everyone off their feet. From the smoke emerged a tall man cloaked in black, long silver hair flowing behind him.
Erza's eyes widened. "Erigor."
The Wind Reaper smirked, floating slightly above the ground. "So Fairy Tail came to stop us. How quaint."
Natsu stepped forward, flames dancing in his hands. "Then you're the guy we're supposed to beat!"
Erigor's smirk widened. "By all means, try."
Meanwhile – Clover Town
At the Guild Masters' conference, the air shifted.
Menma Uzumaki stood near one of the tall windows, eyes closed beneath his black eyepatch. Through the faint hum of conversation, he could feel it — the distortion of the Lullaby's curse, a vibration through space itself.
He quietly murmured to Makarov, "It's begun."
Makarov nodded. "Can you monitor it?"
Menma's Rinnegan glowed faintly beneath the patch. "Only in fragments. The flute's magic resonates on a twisted frequency. But…"
He lifted his hand slightly, and a thin ripple of light shimmered in the air before him — the gateway to the Mirror Dimension. Reflected images of the world around him appeared, bending like ripples in water.
"I can stabilize the rift it's creating. If Lullaby releases too much spatial energy, it'll fracture this plane."
Makarov frowned. "Do it — but don't overextend. That power isn't meant for long use."
Menma smirked slightly. "I've learned restraint, Master."
The Rinnegan's six tomoe rotated slowly. Within the mirror's reflection, faint images flickered — the outline of a train station, fire clashing with wind, a dragon slayer roaring against the storm.
Menma's voice was calm. "They're holding their own."
Back at Oshibana – The Battle
Erza switched into her Heaven's Wheel Armor, dozens of swords spinning in orbit around her. "Circle Sword Barrage!"
The air shimmered with steel, clashing against Erigor's slicing wind blades.
Natsu lunged through the chaos, roaring, "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"
But the moment his flames touched the air currents, they were sliced apart — Erigor's wind magic too sharp to break through.
"You'll have to do better than that, Dragon Slayer!" Erigor taunted, raising his scythe. "Tempest Howl!"
A spiraling gust of wind tore down the hall, forcing Gray to erect another ice barrier while Lucy dove for cover.
"Can't even get close to him!" Gray shouted.
Erza grit her teeth. "He's controlling the airflow around himself. Any magic approaching him is disrupted."
"Then I'll just burn hotter!" Natsu yelled, slamming his fists together.
Before Erza could stop him, Natsu launched forward again — but this time, his flames flickered strangely, glowing brighter for an instant.
Erza's eyes widened. That's not normal...
From far away, unseen by anyone, a faint spatial shimmer pulsed — Menma's Rinnegan reinforcing the stability of Natsu's magic through dimensional resonance.
The fire around Natsu erupted into a torrent.
"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"
The blast slammed into Erigor's barrier, breaking through the wind for the first time. Erigor barely dodged, his cloak catching fire.
"Tch—! Impossible!"
Erza seized the moment. "Gray! Lucy! Now!"
Gray slammed his palms down. "Ice-Make: Prison!"
Lucy shouted, "Virgo! Lock him down!"
Chains and ice sealed around Erigor, freezing him midair. The flute clattered to the ground once again, rolling across the floor until Lucy snatched it up with a towel.
"Got it!"
Erza exhaled, lowering her blades. "Mission accomplished."
Natsu grinned, flames dying down. "Told you we'd win."
Then the flute began to move.
Lullaby's Awakening
A deep, hollow tone echoed through the station, vibrating the walls. The flute's wooden body twisted, eyes opening across its surface as a ghastly voice filled the air.
"Humans… will always betray… sound and silence…"
Lucy stumbled back. "It's alive?!"
Erza's face hardened. "It's the curse itself! Lullaby's spirit!"
The flute expanded into a monstrous, skeletal figure with a horned skull and long claws. It roared, shattering glass windows with the sound alone.
Gray cursed. "Oh, come on!"
Natsu cracked his neck. "Guess round two starts now."
Erza re-equipped into her Flame Empress Armor. "Let's end this quickly!"
In Clover Town
The hall's air vibrated as Menma focused harder, his Rinnegan's six tomoe spinning rapidly. Within the mirror dimension, the reflection of the Lullaby spirit took shape, screaming in silence.
Menma extended his hand into the reflection, his voice low. "Space Seal: Void Suppression."
The reflection shimmered — and the Lullaby's dimensional echo weakened, its destructive aura contained within the rift.
In the real world, its power faltered.
Erza saw the opening. "Natsu!"
"Fire Dragon's Roar!!!"
The massive blast engulfed the Lullaby spirit, the fire overwhelming the cursed form. Gray's ice followed, freezing the remnants solid, and Erza's final sword strike shattered it completely.
The station fell silent, save for the crackle of dying flames.
Aftermath
Lucy sat down hard on a bench, exhausted. "That was… absolutely terrifying."
Gray grinned. "You handled yourself pretty well, rookie."
"Thanks," she said, smiling tiredly. "But can someone explain why Natsu's flames suddenly got so much stronger mid-fight?"
Natsu scratched his head. "Huh? Dunno. Just felt… easier."
Erza's gaze softened. "Maybe fate was on our side."
Happy fluttered above them, giggling. "Or maybe someone was watching over us."
Clover Town – Menma's Reflection
Menma let out a quiet breath, lowering his hand as the mirror dimension dissolved. The Rinnegan dimmed beneath the eyepatch.
"The connection's sealed. Lullaby's curse is gone."
Makarov smiled proudly. "Knew they'd handle it."
Menma nodded. "They did more than handle it. They reminded me what Fairy Tail truly is — chaos and courage in equal measure."
He looked up toward the window, where faint stars shimmered above Clover Town. "And that's what makes them strong."
End of chapter 22..