Chapter 19: The Whisper of the Phantom Returns (1)
The gentle sunlight and soft breeze stirred me from my sleep.
"..."
As I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the clear blue sky.
The trees swayed in the wind, their rustling leaves whispering as if speaking only to me.
The soft grass brushed against my hand, swaying with the breeze.
The sun shone down warmly—not too hot, not too cold.
The environment was perfectly calm, almost too perfect.
"This place... no way... it can't be..."
But I knew this place.
I recognized it.
Still, what I couldn't understand—was why I was here.
I was certain...
The moment I had that thought—
"Did you sleep well?"
A woman's voice echoed in this place that should have belonged to me alone.
Yes... I knew that voice.
Turning my head, I saw her step out from behind a tree.
A stunningly beautiful woman—so mesmerizing she seemed like something not of this world.
Her crimson hair was streaked with black and gold highlights, and she wore a deep red, revealing dress.
Her eyes were strange yet enchanting—crimson irises that glowed with a second, golden hue within them.
Her bronze-toned skin glowed softly in the light, flawless and smooth.
Her figure… was undoubtedly the most beautiful I'd ever seen.
I didn't know who she was.
And yet… she felt familiar.
Without hesitation, I took the hand she offered and stood.
"You're…"
"Shh~, that's not important right now. So? What do you think of me—looking like a human, like you?"
"...You're very beautiful."
"Aww, come on~. What about something like, 'I wanna kiss you,' or 'You're so lovely,' hmm~?"
"You already said it all. I've nothing left to add."
"Geez… you're no fun."
It had truly been a long time...
Seeing her act annoyed like this...
Talking with her again like this...
It didn't feel real.
But if I was here with her… then that meant...
"Urgh?! Why'd you hit me all of a sudden?!"
"Are you stupid?"
"What…?"
"Even if you put on that wistful, moody face... you…"
Suddenly, my body began to dissolve—disintegrating, as though being pulled away from this world.
A powerful force was dragging me upward, lifting me helplessly into the air.
I tried to resist, but I couldn't move.
"It's time to wake up now, my beloved son~."
"Phi… Phoenixia…!!"
That was the last thing I heard—before I was expelled from my world.
...
X784, June
Hargeon Station – Port City
A station attendant found a boy collapsed in the train corridor.
Concerned, he leaned in and spoke carefully.
"Uh… excuse me… sir? Are… are you okay?"
The boy's pink hair—like cherry blossoms in full bloom—was unmistakable. His shirt was wide open, exposing a toned stomach, and his breath came in ragged gasps.
Before the station attendant could panic, a small talking cat with big blue eyes replied casually.
"Aye! He's always like this."
The attendant flinched at first—shocked by the talking cat.
But in a world filled with magic and magical beasts, he simply assumed it was the boy's spirit companion or pet.
Hearing the cat's reassurance, the attendant nodded and went back to his duties.
Moments later, the boy regained consciousness.
Still disoriented, he stumbled toward the window and began vomiting out everything in his stomach.
"That's it! I'm never taking a train again! Uuugh…!"
"If the info's right, there's a Salamander in this town. Let's go!"
"L-Let me breathe for a sec…"
"Aye~! Aye~! ...Huh?"
Just as the boy tried to rest, the train began to move again. With a loud whistle and the jolt of steel wheels, the train pulled out of the station.
Motion sickness returned like a curse.
The boy screamed and reached toward the window in vain, but his partner—the blue cat—was already outside, tilting his head and muttering:
"It left."
"-!! SAVE ME!!"
....
Hargeon Streets
In the bustling streets of Hargeon, a blonde girl twirled her handbag furiously, grumbling under her breath.
Her golden hair shimmered under the sun, and her figure—surprisingly mature for her age—drew the attention of passing men with every swing of her bag, especially the way her prominent chest bounced with each movement.
But the girl couldn't care less.
Lost in her frustration, she continued muttering angrily to herself.
"Tch! They only gave me a 1,000J discount? Are they saying my charm is only worth that much?!"
She had found the Celestial Spirit key she'd been looking for in a magic tool shop.
Confident in her looks, she'd tried to charm the price down by more than half…
Only to walk away with a measly 10% discount.
The audacity!
As she fumed, something nearby caught her attention.
A group of girls her age had gathered nearby, squealing and cheering.
Their excitement brought her ranting to a halt.
"Huh...? What's going on over there?"
"A famous wizard is visiting the city!"
"It's Salamander! The real deal!"
"Salamander...?"
As the girls pushed past her and rushed into the crowd, the blonde tilted her head in thought—then suddenly clapped her hands with a bright smile.
"Oh! That Salamander—the one who uses powerful Fire Magic you can't find in stores?!"
A mage known for wielding fire spells so rare they couldn't even be bought in a shop.
The name Salamander—from Fairy Tail, no less—was more than enough to spark her interest.
The sound of girls giggling and swooning only heightened her curiosity.
"Wow, he must be crazy popular... Is he good-looking or what?"
Pushing through the crowd, she finally laid eyes on the so-called Salamander.
What she found was... disappointing.
A plain, middle-aged man with dull purple hair and deep laugh lines around his mouth.
Not the dashing heartthrob she expected.
And yet—
Her heart suddenly began to pound out of control.
She didn't know why.
A strange, dizzying sensation washed over her, emotions swelling like a wave from deep within.
Then the man glanced her way.
Just a fleeting look—but it pierced her chest like a bolt of lightning, leaving her breathless.
W-What is this?!
Why is my heart racing like this?!
Is it because he's famous? A real magic celebrity?
Is that it...? Or... could I be... falling for him?!
As the lovestruck haze clouded her vision and she stumbled forward, determined to approach the Salamander—
A cold yet gentle hand suddenly rested on her shoulder.
Startled, the girl flinched.
She tried to turn around—but found herself frozen, as if some unknown force had paralyzed her.
Then, at her ear, a soft, seductive voice whispered—gentle, yet chilling.
Kind... yet unmistakably eerie.
[Ku fu fu fu... You're still quite naive. To think you were nearly ensnared by such a cheap, second-rate enchantment...]
"W-Who... who's there...?!"
[But that innocence... is exactly what makes you look like her.]
"W-Who are you?!"
At last, the girl could move again.
She spun around—
But there was no one behind her.
Yet, the lingering presence… it was still there.
She looked down.
At her feet stood a snowy-white owl, gazing up at her with sharp, intelligent eyes.
"An owl…?"
A creature that normally only stirred at night, never appearing in places filled with people—
And yet, here it was.
One of its eyes gleamed crimson, and in its iris, strange glyphs were etched—characters she didn't recognize.
As she cautiously reached her hand toward it, the owl unfurled its wings and took off into the sky.
"That owl just now..."
"IGNEEL!!"
Before she could gather her thoughts, a sudden voice cut through the crowd—a voice far too loud and out-of-place among a group of starstruck girls.
Turning her head again, she spotted a boy stepping toward Salamander, calling him by a name no one else had used.
The boy stared at him for a moment, confused.
"Who are you supposed to be?"
"You must've heard of Salamander, right?"
Flustered, the man quickly wiped the shock from his face and replaced it with a flashy smile, trying to play it cool.
But the boy was already gone, pushing through the crowd without another glance.
The spellbound girls gasped in offense, scolding and hitting him for his disrespect.
Everyone—except for her and that boy—was still under Salamander's spell.
Then she noticed it.
The ring on Salamander's finger.
That was it.
Magic.
So that's what it was...
They were all under a spell.
"I'm just here for some business at the port~And tonight, there'll be a party on my ship. You'll all come, right~?"
With a final charming wink, Salamander vanished into the alley.
The group of enchanted girls chased after him in a daze, leaving the streets quiet once more.
"What the heck was that guy's deal...?"
"Total creep."
"Huh? Who are you?"
The girl turned to the voice—
The same boy from earlier was now picking himself up off the ground, and she offered her hand to help him.
Grateful, the boy took it, and she smiled softly.
"I'm Lucy. And thanks to you, I didn't end up like those other girls. If you hadn't been there, I'd probably have fallen under that magic, too."
"Magic…?"
"Yeah. What Salamander was using—that was illegal char—"
"Uuuugh..."
Before she could finish, the boy suddenly collapsed to the ground with a groan.
Startled, Lucy knelt beside him.
"Hey?! Are you okay?!"
"Ah... um... If you really want to thank me... c-could you maybe… buy me some food...?"
"WHAT?!"
And so— This was the first meeting between Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia...
…and the moment the whispers of the Phantom began anew.
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