The road back to Magnolia should have been uneventful. After all, the mission was finished, the villagers were safe, and Natsu was already bragging about how easily he had beaten the monsters. Happy buzzed around him, adding sound effects to his exaggerated retelling of the battle.
But I couldn't shake the feeling of unease.
The beasts we fought weren't natural. Their eyes had glowed faintly, their movements sharper than any ordinary animal. And the way they coordinated? That wasn't instinct—it was control. Someone had sent them.
By the time the village lights faded into the distance, I was sure of it.
"Hey," I said quietly, glancing at Natsu. "Don't you think it's strange? Those monsters didn't behave like wild animals."
Natsu tilted his head, frowning slightly. "Huh? You think they were controlled?"
Happy gasped. "Like… by magic?"
I nodded. "Exactly."
The air grew colder as we entered the forest. The moonlight struggled to pierce the dense canopy, shadows stretching unnaturally across the path. My instincts screamed that we were being watched.
And then it happened.
A sharp whistle cut through the night. Instantly, a barrage of wind blades slashed through the trees, cutting branches clean in half.
"Down!" I shouted, pulling Natsu back as the attack shredded the ground where we had just stood.
Laughter echoed from the darkness. "So, Fairy Tail sent children to deal with my pets? How insulting."
A figure stepped into view, cloaked in tattered black robes. His face was hidden beneath a hood, but the aura around him was suffocating. Magic energy rolled off him in waves, sharp and unstable.
"Who the hell are you?" Natsu demanded, flames flaring around his fists.
The man tilted his head. "Just a humble mage who despises your pathetic guild. Those beasts were only a test. Now, I'll crush you myself."
Happy flinched. "He feels dangerous, Natsu!"
I stayed calm, my mind already working. Enemy mage. Probably a rogue. High-level wind magic user. This isn't a fight we can treat like a brawl.
Natsu, of course, grinned. "Perfect. I was getting bored anyway!"
Before I could stop him, he charged, fire exploding from his fists. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
The enemy flicked his wrist, and a wall of slicing wind intercepted Natsu mid-charge, hurling him back across the dirt.
"Natsu!" Happy cried.
The rogue sneered. "Pathetic. If that's Fairy Tail's strength, this will be easier than I thought."
I exhaled slowly. Guess it's my turn.
With a thought, I summoned enchanted obsidian blocks beneath my feet, forming a rising platform that lifted me above the treetops. The rogue's eyes narrowed in surprise.
"What kind of magic is that?"
"Construction," I said simply.
He scoffed. "Building tricks? Worthless!" He sent another barrage of wind blades at me, fast enough to shred stone.
I smirked. Not against this.
From my inventory, I summoned unbreakable bedrock blocks and dropped them into place, forming a shield wall in midair. The blades shattered harmlessly against it, the sound echoing like steel against steel.
The rogue froze. "…What?"
Natsu pushed himself back to his feet, blood dripping from a cut on his cheek but fire burning fiercer than ever. "Don't underestimate us!" He charged again, flames blazing hotter, and this time I was ready to back him up.
I snapped my fingers, and a cage of glowing iron bars materialized around the rogue, snapping shut like the jaws of a beast.
He snarled, blasting gusts of wind to try and tear through, but the enchanted bars refused to budge.
"Your magic… what the hell is this!?" he roared.
Natsu didn't waste the chance. He leapt forward, fire spiraling around his body. "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"
The double-handed strike crashed into the rogue's chest, flames erupting outward in a deafening explosion. The ground shook, trees snapped, and the iron cage rattled violently.
When the fire cleared, the rogue was on his knees, cloak singed and face revealed—a man with sharp, cruel features twisted in fury.
"This isn't over," he spat, blood trickling from his lip. "Fairy Tail will pay."
Before we could stop him, he muttered an incantation. Wind surged around his body, lifting him high into the night sky. Within seconds, he vanished into the darkness.
Natsu growled, fists still flaming. "Coward!"
Happy fluttered to his side. "At least we drove him off…"
I landed back on the ground, dismissing the bedrock shield. My heart was still steady, but my mind raced. A rogue mage targeting Fairy Tail this early… this wasn't random. Someone's already making moves.
Natsu stretched, cracking his knuckles. "Next time, I'll finish him in one punch."
I smirked faintly. "We'll need to be ready. He won't be the only one coming for us."
Happy looked between us nervously. "You think more enemies are out there?"
I gazed into the dark forest, my eyes narrowing. "Definitely."
For the first time since arriving in this world, I felt it—the ripple of change. My presence here was already altering the story. The future of Fairy Tail would not unfold as it once had.
And I wasn't sure if that was a good thing… or the beginning of something far worse.