Galuna Island, a desolate land marked on nautical charts as the "Cursed Island," was shrouded in perpetual gray mist and ominous rumors.
Legends had persisted that any ships or travelers approaching it would meet with misfortune.
"The boatmen in Hargeon turned pale the moment we mentioned Galuna Island," Erza stood at the dock, the sea breeze tousling her scarlet hair.
"Natsu and the others actually took a mission here... No, given Natsu's personality, he probably had no idea what this place was—he just saw 'demons' and 'high reward.'"
Ace nodded, his gaze sweeping across the eerily calm sea as if he could faintly sense chaotic, oppressive waves of magical energy emanating from the island.
"Speaking of which," Erza suddenly frowned slightly, glancing around, "where's Gray? Wasn't he supposed to gather information separately in Hargeon and then meet us to intercept Natsu? Why hasn't he shown up since we departed?"
Hearing this, Ace's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.
At this moment, Gray was likely ambushed and knocked out, after which Natsu had dragged his "buddy" onto this ill-fated voyage.
In the original story, the guild master told Laxus, "If you don't go, who else can bring Natsu back?" implying that, in the master's view, Gray was inferior to Natsu (and similar incidents had occurred more than once).
"Given Gray's personality..." Ace said calmly, speculating, "it's highly likely that after finding Natsu, some 'disagreement' led to him being... well, physically persuaded by Natsu and directly 'brought aboard.'"
Erza was stunned for a moment, then a frosty mix of anger and helplessness crossed her face.
"...Those two idiots!"
As they spoke, the small boat entered the waters near Galuna Island.
The boatman, a weathered old fisherman with panicked eyes, gripped the helm tightly, his arms trembling, refusing to go any farther.
"S-sir mages, ahead lies Galuna Island!" the boatman's voice trembled with tears. "This old man truly dares not approach any closer! This island is cursed by demons! Anyone who goes near meets a terrible fate! I have a wife and children to feed..."
Seeing the old man's terror-stricken expression, Erza paid him double the fare.
Exchanging a glance with Ace, they simultaneously leaped from the small boat.
Erza twisted gracefully in mid-air, landing steadily on the nearest reef.
Ace's approach was simpler: a slight lift of magical energy at his feet allowed him to glide across the sea as if walking on flat ground, reaching the desolate cold sands of Galuna Island almost at the same time as Erza.
The two of them followed a faintly visible path deeper into the island.
A crude wall, over ten meters high and constructed from thick logs, wound like a giant serpent, completely sealing off the island's interior.
"No entry..." Erza read the warning scrawled in red paint on the wall.
This was clearly a man-made fortification, meant to keep something out... or prevent something from getting out.
Just then, from a watchtower atop the wall, a pale, terrified face wrapped in a headscarf peered out.
"Wh-who are you people?! Outsiders aren't welcome here! Leave quickly!"
The man's voice was hoarse and urgent, filled with terror.
"We're mages from Fairy Tail!" Erza stepped forward, declaring clearly while showing the guild emblem on her arm.
"We're looking for our companions - a hot-tempered boy with pink hair, a blonde girl, and a blue cat. Oh, and there might also be a black-haired boy who doesn't like wearing shirts. Have you seen any of them?"
When the guard on the wall heard "Fairy Tail," his eyes flickered slightly, the fear seeming to lessen a bit.
But upon hearing the description that followed, clear hesitation appeared on his face.
"You... you mean the companions of those outsider mages?" The guard pointed deeper inside the walls, his voice trembling.
"They went together... toward the ruins! Go find them quickly, then leave this island immediately! This... this is cursed land!"
Having obtained information about Natsu and the others' whereabouts, Ace and Erza wasted no time.
Only after Erza explained their purpose and promised to deal with the "intruders" did the guard tremblingly lower a rope ladder, allowing the two to quickly climb over the wall and enter the true core area of Galuna Island.
The scene inside the walls was even more desolate and dilapidated.
One could vaguely make out that it had once been a village, but now most houses had collapsed or been destroyed.
The ground retained traces of fierce battles and long-dried, blackened bloodstains.
The curse of Galuna Island was no legend.
Whenever a purple moon appeared in the night sky, all the island's residents, regardless of gender or age, would undergo terrifying physical transformations - their skin becoming rough, growing horns and scales, only returning to human form when the purple moon disappeared.
The most tragic case was that of the current village chief.
His son, during a purple moon night three years ago, failed to return to human form due to magical energy running wild, becoming a complete demon devoid of humanity.
To stop his maddened son from harming other villagers, the old chief, in endless pain and despair, personally... ended his own son's life.
"The chief's wife fell gravely ill because of this... The chief... he sits withered at the place where his son died every day..." An old woman said while wiping her tears.
"Outsider mages, please, save this village! We don't want to live like this anymore!"
Hearing this tragic situation, even someone as strong-willed as Erza showed deep shock and sympathy in her eyes.
Ace remained silent, but his gaze grew increasingly cold.
They couldn't just listen to one side of the story - he needed to recall the original plot he barely remember to find a solution.
"Which direction did Natsu and the others go?" Ace asked solemnly.
"Toward... toward the ancient ruins at the island's center..." A villager pointed in a direction. "That's forbidden ground, said to seal an even more terrible demon... Recently, strange lights and sounds have been coming from there..."
Without the slightest hesitation, Ace and Erza immediately raced toward the ruins.
The ruins were located within the crater of a dormant volcano at the island's center.
...
When Natsu's group of three arrived, they were stunned by the scene before them.
In the center of a massive, crater-like depression stood an ancient stone ruin, its surface riddled with cracks.
On the open ground before the ruins, a colossal ice crystal—large enough to be suffocating, looming like a small mountain—stood silently.
The crystal was translucent, faintly revealing the terrifying, hideous figure of a demon frozen within!
"What... is this?"
Standing before the ice crystal, head tilted upward as he stared at the demon, was Gray.
His body trembled slightly, his face etched with disbelief, pain, and rage.
"Deliora..." Gray's voice was hoarse, as if forced from the depths of his throat.
"Why... WHY ARE YOU HERE?!"
He recognized this demon.
It was the calamity demon Deliora, whom his master, the powerful ice mage Ur, had sealed at the cost of her own life using the Iced Shell spell to save him and Lyon!
His master's ice should have remained eternally dormant with the demon in the far north!
Why was it here on this cursed southern island?
Gray's furious roar echoed through the ruins.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ruins.
Ace and Erza flew swiftly through the biting cold wind, deep into the northern territory.
Following the map, they pinpointed a canyon within a massive glacier.
However, as they approached the canyon entrance, Erza's sharp eyes caught unusual traces on the icy plains below.
"Ace, let's go down," Erza said gravely. "There's something down there."
A massive purple beam of light descended vertically from the moon, emitting a faint but pure lunar energy.
It passed through a Magic Circle and struck the stone platform at the center of the ruins.
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