The Magic Merchant in Fairy Tail

"These demons who have been fighting the Isisnew tribe for many years are all of ice attribute," Poole explained gravely, his voice steady but heavy with years of burden. "Most of the monsters they created are also of ice attribute. As a fire magician, you won't be able to take advantage of your abilities here!"

Natsu clenched his fists tightly, flames subtly flickering from his hands as his defiance roared through his grin. "Don't worry about it, Uncle! I'm Natsu of Fairy Tail, and I'll take down these so-called demons. Ice attribute or not, they're mere monsters to me!"

Happy, ever the voice of curiosity, raised his paw and tilted his head. "I have a question. If your tribe had such powerful magic to fight off demons, why do you need us wizards now?"

The question seemed to strike a sensitive chord. Poole's expression fell slightly, and his weathered face grew somber. "That magic… no longer exists in our family. The Ice Demon Slayer Magic was meant to be passed down from generation to generation, from master to successor. The last wielder was my brother, and the next in line should have been his daughter—my niece, Winter."

Natsu blinked, intrigued. "Then what happened to it?"

Poole's jaw tightened, and his voice lowered, a mix of grief and quiet fury. "A man came here several years ago. He took the magic—stole it. My brother tried to stop him and… lost his life."

Lucy gasped. "The magic was stolen? But how?"

"The Ice Demon Slayer Magic isn't like ordinary magic," Poole continued. "It cannot be learned through practice or study. It must be passed down directly—from one person to another. That man somehow took the magic, leaving us powerless to stop the demons or their beasts."

The room fell silent as Natsu's fire crackled softly, echoing his simmering anger. "What kind of guy would do something like that? Stealing someone else's legacy?"

Poole shook his head. "We never learned his name. But with the Ice Demon Slayer Magic gone, the monsters have grown bolder, and we've been defenseless ever since."

Meanwhile, aboard the airship soaring through the icy peaks of Zonia, Kira revealed his findings to the group gathered around the magical fire.

"Ice God-Slaying Magic?" Erza's voice held both curiosity and disbelief. "That sounds similar to Dragon-Slaying Magic. Could it be magic specifically designed to fight gods?"

Gray's brows furrowed, his interest piqued. "An ice attribute… slaying magic? I've never heard of that before."

"Yes," Kira replied, his tone light yet filled with an underlying excitement. "Unlike Dragon-Slaying Magic, which dragons themselves taught to humans, God-Slaying Magic is recorded in ancient books and can theoretically be learned by anyone. However, no one has successfully done so for centuries."

Erza crossed her arms, mulling it over. "That would explain why the snowy mountains here have such an unusual aura. If the Black Goddess wielded this magic, it's no wonder this place remains in eternal winter."

Rocky adjusted his glasses and chimed in. "But if the Black Goddess had such destructive magic, then what about the White Goddess? What kind of magic did she use?"

Kana leaned back lazily, swirling her flask. "And wasn't the original point of all this to figure out the man they fought over? Did you find any clues about him?"

At her words, Kira's face fell into a look of exaggerated defeat. "Not a single shred of information!"

"Nothing?" Gray asked incredulously.

"Absolutely nothing!" Kira confirmed, shaking his head. "I've combed through every text I could find and even enlisted Hibiki's help from Blue Pegasus. With his archive magic, you'd think we'd find something, but it's as if any record of this man was deliberately erased."

Erza frowned. "That's unusual. If he was central to the conflict, why would his identity be hidden?"

Kira shrugged but then smirked mischievously. "However, I did uncover another version of the legend that's… well, different."

"Different how?" Gray asked.

Kira cleared his throat dramatically and began, "In this version, the Black Goddess and White Goddess weren't rivals for a man. Instead, they were sisters, separated as children and raised by opposing factions. When war broke out, they fought as enemies without realizing their connection."

"Sisters?" Kana raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "That's… boring."

Erza sighed, visibly disappointed. "So it's not a romantic legend after all…"

Gray deadpanned, "That just sounds like a clichéd family drama."

Rocky, on the other hand, seemed far too enthusiastic. "Sisters? That makes it even better! Imagine the emotional reunion!"

Kira shot him a look of disgust. "You're disgusting, Rocky."

The group's frustration mounted. Gray growled, "So we've been arguing over this legend for nothing?"

"Yeah! What about our bet? Who won?" Kana demanded, clutching her empty flask.

Kira raised his hands innocently. "How about we just agree that I won, since I provided the most information?"

"Like hell you did!"

Before Kira could defend himself, the sound of thunderous rumbling interrupted them.

"Did you hear that?" Erza asked sharply, immediately on alert.

The air grew eerily still as they listened.

"Boom… boom… BOOM…"

Kira pointed lazily behind them. "No need to look far. Just… turn around."

Everyone turned their heads simultaneously. In the distance, an avalanche rumbled down the mountainside, a massive wave of snow rushing straight toward them.

Gray paled. "Oh no…"

"What's so bad about an avalanche?" Kira asked nonchalantly. "There's no one else nearby to get hurt."

"That's not the point, you idiot!" Gray shouted. "Avalanches are deadly, and if we get caught—"

Kira grinned, already moving to the airship's controls. "Relax. This Fairy Airship is more than up to the challenge."

"You're not seriously going to—"

Before Gray could finish, Kira slammed a button on the control panel. The airship roared to life, its engines flaring bright gold.

"Hold on!" Kira shouted.

The ship lurched forward, accelerating with sudden, violent force. Erza, Gray, Kana, Rocky, and Elfman were thrown to the floor, cursing and yelling in surprise.

"YOU COULD HAVE WARNED US!"

"I told you to hold on," Kira said smugly as the avalanche faded into the distance behind them. He parked the airship on a flat stretch of snow and turned to face the group.

"Well," Erza said, brushing herself off, "we've made it safely. Now what?"

Kira smiled. "We split up. Carpet search. It'll be more efficient this way."

Erza nodded. "Agreed. If you find Natsu or Lucy, stop them from proceeding until I arrive. This is an S-rank mission, and they shouldn't be handling it alone."

Kira chuckled as he slung his bag over his shoulder. "Good luck with that, Erza. You know as well as I do that no one can stop Natsu when he gets fired up."

Erza's eyes narrowed. "I'll handle him if necessary."

Kira waved casually as he wandered off in one direction. "I'll head this way. Try not to freeze!"

The group split into teams—Erza and Gray, Kana, Loki, and Elfman—and set off in separate directions, the snowy peaks stretching endlessly around them.

The adventure had truly begun.

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