The salty sea breeze hit my face as I leaned on the ship's railing, watching Magnolia's shoreline vanish into the horizon. The creaking wood, the rhythmic crash of waves against the hull, and the faint cries of gulls overhead — it was almost peaceful.
Almost.
"Bllleeeghhh!"
Natsu's retching shattered the moment.
He lay sprawled across the deck, face greener than a zombie's skin in Minecraft, clutching his stomach as Happy tried (and failed) to comfort him with a fish.
"There, there, Natsu," Happy chirped. "If you throw up now, you'll feel better later!"
"Don't say that while holding the fish!" Gray yelled, pinching his nose. "You're making it worse!"
"Shut up, ice-stripper!" Natsu groaned, voice muffled as he buried his face in the wood.
"Who you calling—?!" Gray growled, already tugging at his shirt before realizing he was half-naked again.
Erza sat on a barrel nearby, armored arms crossed, completely unfazed by the chaos. "Focus. We're on a mission. The island is cursed, and lives are at stake. No amount of seasickness excuses carelessness."
Her voice carried that iron edge that silenced even Gray.
I sat quietly at the stern, notebook open on my lap, but I wasn't sketching landscapes. Hidden beneath the casual doodles were diagrams of elaborate fortifications: obsidian towers, dispenser traps loaded with tipped arrows, beacon-powered regeneration fields.
System NotificationTime Until Awakening: 11 Days
Each tick of that countdown pressed heavier against my chest. The curse on Galuna wasn't just some random affliction. I knew what waited there. Deliora — a demon frozen in ice, sleeping but stirring. If it broke free, it wouldn't just threaten the island. It would devastate everything in its path.
Fairy Tail didn't know the full truth. But I did. And I was determined to rewrite the ending.
"Hey," Erza's voice cut through my thoughts. I looked up to see her studying me. "You're unusually quiet."
I forced a small smile. "Just… planning ahead."
She held my gaze a moment longer, then nodded approvingly. "Good. Strategy is vital. I expect you to be reliable."
Gray snorted from across the deck. "Reliable? Him? He spends more time scribbling in that notebook than actually fighting."
Natsu groaned, half-raising his head. "Ughh… don't… insult… my buddy…" before collapsing again.
Happy patted him. "Aye, sir! He's reliable! He's the one who always helps me fish when Natsu burns them!"
I chuckled softly. They had no idea that in my infinite inventory sat rows of enchanted potions, stacks of golden apples, and a full arsenal of diamond gear enchanted beyond anything this world had seen. If worst came to worst, I could level an entire battlefield into obsidian and fight from an unbreakable fortress.
But that wasn't something I could explain. Not yet.
The ship rocked as a wave hit, sending Natsu rolling across the deck like a ragdoll. "Maaaake it stoooop!" he wailed.
Even Erza sighed this time. "Hopeless."
Gray muttered, "If he dies from seasickness before we even reach the island, I'm not carrying him."
I turned back to my notebook, sketching quietly. But this time, I wasn't planning just fortifications. I was preparing a contingency.
A portal network.
If things went horribly wrong, I could scatter instant nether-style portals across the island — escape routes for the villagers, fallback points for our team, even direct teleportation back to Magnolia if it came down to it. My system had given me the ability to bend space itself, and I wasn't about to waste it.
The horizon began to shift. Clouds darkened, heavy and unnatural, like ink bleeding into the sky. The sea grew restless, waves slapping harder against the ship. Even the air felt heavier, tinged with something… wrong.
"There it is," Erza said, standing tall as she pointed.
Far ahead, Galuna Island loomed. Jagged cliffs tore upward like the teeth of some monstrous beast, the forest beyond unnaturally dark. And above it all, the sky swirled with cursed energy, clouds forming a spiral that seemed to breathe with the land itself.
The cursed island.
A shiver crawled down my spine. Not from fear, but from certainty. This was where the countdown led.
Erza's eyes hardened. "Prepare yourselves. Whatever lies ahead, we face it together."
Natsu groaned weakly from the deck, barely lifting his fist. "Togetherrr… unless I die first…"
Gray rolled his eyes. "You're pathetic."
"Shut uuup!"
Happy flapped his wings and perched on my shoulder, fish still in paw. "Don't worry! We've got this! Aye, sir!"
I looked at the swirling clouds over the island and clenched my notebook shut.
No matter what, I'd make sure those words came true.
Because this time, Fairy Tail wouldn't lose.