The clearing had gone quiet, save for the low groans of unconscious bandits. Faint traces of dark magic lifted off their skin and thinned into the night like smoke—a bitter ozone bite with a lacquered-smoke after-scent.
Wendy knelt beside Natsu, her palms glowing softly as she sealed a scrape along his cheek with Sky Healing: Breath.
Wendy (softly): "There... that should do it. Please try not to charge in so recklessly next time, Natsu."
Natsu (grinning): "Heh, no promises."
Lucy closed a Celestial Gate, brushing damp bangs from her forehead.
Lucy (exhaling): "Those were just bandits... how were they able to fight like that?"
A few steps away, Gray stood with arms folded, rime still clinging to his hands.
Gray (frowning): "Doesn't matter—they're down now. Question is... what do we do with them?"
Steel slid home with a clean clink as Erza sheathed her sword, gaze sweeping the fallen. She tightened a gauntlet with a practiced click, shifting from battle to cleanup.
Erza: "We can't simply leave them. They'll wake eventually. Restrain them and turn them over to the nearest authorities."
Natsu, crouched by a groaning man, scoffed.
Natsu: "Tch, just tie 'em up and dump 'em at the town gates. Let the guards deal with it."
Lucy (giving him a look): "That's... basically what Erza just said. But less barbaric."
Perched nearby, Carla flicked her tail, crimson eyes narrowed.
Carla: "I worry about the corruption's residue. That wasn't ordinary magic."
Carla (low, focused): "No lingering curse markers detected... for now."
At her words, Ryuji stiffened. His gaze lingered on the last soot-dark tracings fading from the bandits' skin. His fists curled at his sides.
Crimson Veil... Not yet. I can't tell them.
Erza's eyes flicked to him, catching the tension in his shoulders, but she turned back to the task at hand.
Erza (crisp): "Gray. Restrain them—Ice-Make: Shackles! Lucy, call Virgo to dig holding pits until the guards arrive."
Gray — Ice-Make: Shackles!
Bands of ice snapped into place around wrists and ankles, chaining the bandits in neat rows.
Lucy (raising a key): "Open, Gate of the Maiden: Virgo!"
Virgo surfaced with a bow, then dipped into the soil like a swimmer breaking water.
Virgo (deadpan): "Understood, Princess. Commencing excavation protocols."
The ground thumped and parted; tidy holding pits formed in quick succession.
Meanwhile, Wendy moved to Ryuji, tending a small cut along his forearm. He flinched at the first touch, then stilled.
Wendy (reassuring): "It's okay, Ryuji. Just hold still... there. Better."
He glanced aside; the tension in his jaw eased by a degree. A thin rime traced the edge of his bracer and faded as he unclenched his fist.
Once the prisoners were secured, the team regrouped at the edge of the clearing. Natsu stretched with a cavernous yawn, a modest flame dancing on his palm to throw light over the scene.
Natsu: "Man, I'm starving. Can we eat now?"
Lucy (sighing): "You're always starving."
Happy (patting his belly): "Aye! Fish would be perfect right now."
Carla (dry): "Honestly. You two think of nothing but your stomachs."
Erza adjusted a pauldron, tone firm but calm.
Erza: "We rest briefly, then deliver these men to the town guard—Sergeant Kieran at the Clover watch post. After that, we return to Magnolia and report."
Nods circled the group as they settled amid the aftermath. Natsu's small flame cast long, wavering shadows across the bound bandits; the acrid hint of spent magic thinned with each passing breath.
Off to the side, Ryuji sat in silence, watching the last wisps of darkness fade into the night. The chill in his chest didn't leave.
This is only the beginning.
Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima/Kodansha. I only own Ryuji Kazuma and this fan story. Non-commercial fan work.