"Wh... What in the world is this?!"
Gray stared in shock as Kael manifested a sleek, aggressive-looking boat right out of thin air. He had seen this form before; its fire magic was intense, easily rivaling—or even surpassing—Natsu's raw heat. But he had never heard of Kael being able to use spatial or summoning magic.
"It's just a small boat, Gray. Don't tell me you've never seen one before?" Kael asked casually.
"N-No... I know what a boat is! The question is, where did you pull it from?!"
"This? I manifested it."
Kael had discovered early on that his Take Over magic was more versatile than it looked. It wasn't just about transforming his body; he could also bring the iconic equipment associated with the characters he "took over" into the real world by consuming a portion of his magic power. Whether it was Yoriichi Tsugikuni's black Nichirin Sword or Whitebeard's massive Murakumogiri, he could materialize them when needed.
"Manifested? I thought you used Take Over Magic," Gray said, still looking skeptical. "Since when can you use Requip magic like Erza?"
Gray stepped onto the boat. Since the front was occupied by a single pilot's seat, he had to stand at the back, clutching the small mast just in front of the engine nozzle.
"It's not Requip," Kael explained. "Think of it as part of the transformation. This boat is standard gear for this form. Ace is a pirate, after all!"
This was Ace's signature speedboat, the Striker. A few months ago, Kael had taken an S-Class request to eliminate ten notorious pirate crews. He had used this very boat to hunt them down across the sea, earning himself the secondary nickname 'The Flame Emperor.'
"Hold on tight! We're moving!"
Gray didn't have time to ask what he meant.
Whoosh—!!
Kael shoved his hands into his pockets and kicked his feet onto the pedals. Intense flames erupted from the soles of his boots. Immediately, the rear and side nozzles spewed concentrated fire, generating a terrifying amount of thrust. The speedboat performed a sharp, ninety-degree fishtail, kicking up a massive wake before screaming forward.
"Aaaaaah!! Slow down! This is too fast—!!"
Gray clung to the mast with everything he had, his body flapping behind the boat like a flag in a hurricane. His screams were swallowed by the roar of the flames.
Roughly twenty minutes later, they arrived at Galuna Island.
Gray's face was a sickly shade of white. He had never had such a heart-stopping experience on the water in his life. A journey that should have taken a chartered ship at least four or five hours had been completed by Kael in less than twenty minutes.
As they stepped onto the sandy shore, Kael deactivated his Take Over, and the Striker vanished into sparks of light.
"According to the request, the client lives in a village further inland," Kael said, checking the map. "The village chief is the one who posted the job. Let's find them."
Kael led the way, Gray trailing behind as he tried to regain his sense of balance. They eventually found a narrow path through the dense jungle. Following it led them straight to a village surrounded by high wooden palisades, clearly built to keep out predators.
The gate was shut tight, and a large sign hung from the timber: "KEEP OUT."
"Keep out? That's welcoming," Gray muttered. He stepped forward and pounded on the gate. "Hello? Is anyone there? Can you open up?"
Inside the village, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy nearly jumped out of their skin.
"Gray?!"
The group instantly spiraled into a panic.
"What's he doing here already?!" Lucy whispered frantically.
"I don't know! Did the Master send him to drag us back?" Natsu hissed.
"Isn't he way too fast? We only got here this morning!" Happy added, his tail twitching.
A village guard standing on the rampart looked down. "Who are you?"
"We're wizards from the Fairy Tail guild," Gray shouted back. "We're looking for a group of runaways. Specifically, a small blue cat, a blonde girl, and a guy with obnoxious pink hair, a loud mouth, and a generally annoying face. Seen them?"
Inside, Natsu's brow furrowed in anger. "That bastard Gray! I'll show him who has an annoying face! You clothes-dropping exhibitionist!"
He quickly turned to the village chief. "Shh! Don't tell him we're here! He's trying to stop us. If we get caught, there'll be no one left to help you break this curse!"
The village chief nodded solemnly and signaled the guard.
"N-No... we haven't seen anyone like that!" the guard yelled down.
"Is that so?" Gray sighed. "Well, it's getting late. Mind if we come in and rest for the night anyway?"
"No! This village is closed to outsiders! Leave at once!"
"Fair enough," Gray said, sounding defeated. "I guess we'll be going then."
Inside the walls, Natsu and Lucy let out a synchronized sigh of relief. They had actually dodged it.
Suddenly...
BOOM—!!!
The heavy wooden gate didn't just open—it disintegrated. A massive explosion of force sent splinters flying as a cloud of dust filled the entrance.
"Waaaaah!" the villagers screamed, diving for cover.
A calm, mature voice drifted through the settling smoke. "Did you really think we'd just walk away because you asked nicely?"
"Th-that voice..." Natsu stammered, his face turning pale.
"No... it can't be..." Lucy whispered, her knees starting to shake.
Hearing that particular tone sent a literal chill down their spines. As the smoke cleared, the figure standing in the wreckage became visible.
Black hair, dark eyes, a simple black T-shirt, gray trousers, and plain black flat shoes. To an outsider, he looked completely ordinary—like a common traveler.
But to Natsu, Lucy, and Happy, he looked like a god of death.
"Kael..."
The villagers watched in terror as Kael stepped over the jagged remains of the gate. He walked into the center of the village, his expression unreadable.
"Yo," Kael said, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Found you, mission thieves. Good evening."
"Eek—!!"
To the rogue team, that smile was more terrifying than any demon from the books of Zeref.
They could handle Gray. Natsu and Gray fought to a standstill almost every day. But Kael was different. He was a force of nature. More importantly, he was currently in his untransformed state—the one the guild had dubbed the 'Tyrant,' because he fought without relying on Take Over. It was whispered that in this state, Kael was at his most clinical and brutal. The last time Natsu and Gray had provoked the 'Tyrant,' neither of them had been able to climb out of bed for three days. Lucy hadn't witnessed that, but she had seen him dismantle the entire Eisenwald guild without breaking a sweat.
Happy was the first to break. He grabbed onto Lucy's leg, trembling. "Kael! It wasn't me! Natsu and Lucy made me do it! I'm an innocent cat!"
Lucy looked down at the traitorous Exceed. "You coward!"
Gray stepped up beside Kael, trying to be the voice of reason. "Look, you guys were reckless sneaking off for an S-Class job. The Old Man sent us to bring you home. If you come back now, he might let you off with a warning. Otherwise, you're looking at expulsion. Just come back."
Natsu gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand his ground despite his shaking legs. "No way! I'm finishing this mission, Kael! I'm going to prove I'm ready for S-Class!"
Pow!
"Uwaah!!"
Before Natsu could even finish his sentence, his body was hammered by a blunt force so fast no one saw it move. He was sent corkscrewing through the air, crashing through the walls of several nearby huts before disappearing into a pile of debris.
Kael was suddenly standing exactly where Natsu had been. He didn't look angry; he simply lifted a pinky finger to pick at his ear.
"Hmm? Sorry, I didn't quite catch that," Kael said, his voice dropping to a cold, dangerous octave. "You're going to do what, exactly? Why don't you say that again?"