Year: X782 (Ryo 15, Mira 14, Erza 13, Cana 13, Gray 11, Natsu 10, Lisanna 9, Elfman 11)
⸻
Part I – The Assignment
The guild was loud as always, chairs scraping, mugs clinking, laughter rolling through the air. But at the request board, Erza stood stiff with a job flyer in hand, her brow furrowed.
"A request from Hargeon outskirts," she announced. "A forest has become cursed. Travelers vanish, animals flee, crops nearby are dying."
"Cursed forest?" Cana groaned, already halfway into a bottle of cheap wine. "Why can't we ever get something simple, like finding a lost cat?"
Mira snatched the flyer from Erza and skimmed it. Her lips curled into a smirk. "Sounds fun. Finally, something with teeth."
"Not fun," Erza corrected coldly. "Dangerous."
"All the better." Mira cracked her knuckles.
Ryo sat at a corner table, shadows rippling faintly at his feet. The word "cursed" sent a sharp pulse through his veins. His magic stirred like it recognized the job. Like the forest was already calling to him.
Makarov walked over, puffing on his pipe. "You four will take it—Ryo, Mira, Erza, Cana. Same squad as last time. Wakaba and Macao will shadow you again."
Erza saluted. Mira rolled her eyes. Cana groaned louder. Ryo only nodded once, silently.
Makarov's gaze lingered on him. "Control yourself, boy. If that curse inside you resonates with whatever's in those woods, things could turn ugly fast."
Ryo's jaw clenched. "I know."
Did he? He wasn't sure.
⸻
Part II – Into the Green
The road south wound through rolling fields and quiet streams. But as they drew closer to the forest, the air changed.
It grew heavier. Still. The wind seemed to stop at the treeline. The sun dimmed, though clouds hadn't moved.
Lisanna, who had begged to tag along but been turned back by Mira's glare, lingered in Ryo's thoughts. She's too young. This place… no. Even we might not come back.
Macao spat into the dirt. "Bad aura. Don't like it."
Wakaba puffed on his pipe, smoke curling nervously. "Stay sharp, kids. And stay together."
The trees loomed high, their bark blackened in places like burns. Vines hung low, dripping with dew that smelled faintly of iron.
Ryo's shadows stirred, curling toward the roots. Home, the curse whispered. Deeper. Feed. Cleave.
He swallowed hard.
Erza took point, sword in hand, armor gleaming even in the dim light. Mira walked close behind, her magic already sparking faintly around her skin. Cana hung back, shuffling her cards nervously.
The first hour was uneventful. Just eerie silence, every step crunching louder than it should have.
Then the forest screamed.
⸻
Part III – Beasts of the Curse
It began with a roar. Trees shook, leaves falling in waves.
A wolf—no, a thing shaped like a wolf—stepped onto the path. Its body was twisted, fur patchy and blackened, eyes glowing green. Behind it, more shadows slithered, shapes moving in unnatural jerks.
"Monsters," Erza said tightly.
"Dibs," Mira grinned, already charging.
"Mira, wait—" Ryo started.
Too late. She slammed into the first beast, fists cracking its jaw sideways. Black ichor splattered across the ground. The creature wailed but didn't fall.
Two more leapt from the sides, jaws wide. Erza intercepted one, blade flashing. Cana tossed a glowing card that burst in fire, scattering another.
And Ryo—
Ryo froze.
The monsters' aura tangled with his own. Their magic was warped, broken, familiar. His curse sang in recognition.
They are kin. They are food. Cleave them. Dismantle them. Consume.
His shadows writhed, bursting outward. Wolves of darkness lunged, slamming into the cursed beasts, ripping them apart in a frenzy. Ryo didn't even move—his magic acted on its own.
Mira looked back mid-punch, eyes widening. "Ryo!"
He stood trembling, teeth grit, eyes glowing faint gold. Shadows poured from him like a storm, tearing monsters into ribbons. The forest reeked of ichor.
"STOP!" Erza shouted, running to him.
But his curse laughed louder. Yes. Yes. More.
A beast leapt at Mira's unguarded side. Ryo's shadows reacted instantly, lashing out and cutting it down before it touched her.
For a heartbeat, Mira met his glowing eyes. She saw the madness there. But also something else—fear.
She snarled, turned back to her fight, and screamed, "Don't you dare lose yourself, Shadow Freak! I don't need saving if it costs your soul!"
The words cut through him. For a second, the curse faltered.
He gasped, forcing his shadows back. The last of the beasts writhed on the ground, then collapsed, melting into black sludge.
The forest went quiet again.
But not safe. Never safe.
⸻
Part IV – Breakthrough
Hours passed as they pushed deeper. The beasts grew worse, more twisted.
Cana staggered, sweat soaking her hair. "I'm out of cards. Out of magic. Out of everything."
"We can rest soon," Erza said firmly, though her own arm bled from a dozen cuts.
Mira scowled, fists raw. "We don't need rest. We finish this."
Ryo walked silently at the rear. His hands trembled. Every step, the curse whispered louder. Stay here. Let the forest swallow them. Let it be yours.
He wanted to fight it. He wanted to. But his body buzzed like he was already halfway gone.
Then Lisanna's voice echoed in his mind. You promised you'd protect us, Ryo.
He clenched his fists. Not yet. Not here.
The path opened suddenly into a clearing. At its center, a tree stood twisted and black, roots pulsing faintly like veins. The air stank of rot.
"This is it," Erza said. "The source."
The ground split beneath them. A creature clawed its way out—a fusion of bark, shadow, and bone, towering twice their height. Its face was a hollow void, its roar shaking the clearing.
Cana fell to her knees, drained. Erza raised her blade, jaw set.
Mira stepped forward. Her siblings' faces flashed in her mind. Lisanna. Elfman. She couldn't let this thing live.
Her aura exploded, dark and fiery. Her hair whipped upward, eyes burning demonic red.
"Satan Soul!" she roared.
Her body warped, wings tearing free, claws sharpening. The demon inside her surged forth—and for the first time, she didn't fight it. She embraced it.
Ryo staggered back at the sheer force of her aura. For a moment, he thought he saw himself in her—another child touched by darkness, cursed to walk between human and monster.
Mira lunged, her new form a blur, fists smashing into the creature with earth-shattering power. The monster wailed, stumbling.
Erza shouted and charged at her side, blade slashing in perfect sync.
Ryo's shadows rose without command, wolves joining the strike.
Together—demon, knight, shadow—they tore the monster apart.
The clearing fell silent.
Mira stood panting, Satan Soul flickering, sweat dripping down her forehead. Her siblings weren't here, but Ryo knew she'd just made that stand for them.
And maybe for him, too.
⸻
Part V – Shadows and Light
By the time they limped back to Magnolia, the sun was rising.
Cana collapsed at the guild doors, muttering about wine. Erza dragged her inside with tired grace. Mira strode ahead, head high despite the exhaustion.
Ryo lingered outside, shadows curling faintly. His chest felt heavy. The curse had nearly consumed him again. Mira's breakthrough had reminded him how close he was to slipping.
Makarov appeared beside him, quiet as always. "You fought well," the old man said softly. "But your battle isn't out there. It's in here." He tapped Ryo's chest.
Ryo said nothing. He didn't need to.
Inside, Mira laughed loudly, retelling the fight, bragging about her new form. Erza scolded her, Cana teased, the hall cheered.
Ryo stood at the doorway, watching.
For the first time, he smiled. Small. Fragile. But real.
The curse hissed inside him, furious at the warmth spreading in his chest. But it couldn't drown it out. Not tonight.
Not while he still had them.