The courtyard behind the Fairy Tail guild was a battlefield born from necessity: wide, open, surrounded by stone walls battered by years of magical abuse, and most importantly far enough from the main building that Makarov wouldn't have a stroke every time a window shattered.
Kaia found herself standing in the center of the worn arena, the midday sun beating down on her newly tailored coat, its silver buckles gleaming with promise. Opposite her, Natsu Dragneel practically vibrated with anticipation, flames flickering along his knuckles, a feral grin stretching across his boyish face.
Around them, the guild gathered like an eager crowd before a festival. Happy floated lazily overhead, a fish-shaped balloon tied to his tail for reasons Kaia didn't dare ask. Levy, Cana, Gray, Erza, and the others lined the perimeter, chatting animatedly and placing casual bets. Even Makarov perched atop a barrel with a mug in hand, already shaking his head with a fond sigh.
"This is a terrible idea," Kaia muttered, adjusting her gloves. "Terrible."
[Incoming Mission!]
A bright blue notification materialized before her eyes, blindingly cheerful.
Mission: "Welcome Punch!"Objective: Defeat Natsu Dragneel in a sparring match.Rewards:
500 EXP
1000 Jewels
Item: Mystery Box (??? Tier)Difficulty: MediumOptional Bonus: Don't set yourself on fire.
Kaia raised a brow. "Optional bonus?" she whispered under her breath.
[You're statistically very flammable.]
"Great," Kaia muttered dryly. "Really instilling confidence, Styme."
Across the yard, Natsu cracked his knuckles, his body almost glowing with contained magic. The very air around him shimmered, distorted by heat.
"Ready?" Natsu called, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"No," Kaia said honestly, drawing laughter from the crowd.
"Good!" Natsu roared, and without waiting for any further ceremony, he surged forward, the ground beneath him cracking from the sheer force of his launch.
Kaia barely had time to process before he was there, faster than she had anticipated, a flaming fist arcing toward her head.
She ducked instinctively, the flames licking just above her hair. The heat was staggering, but she forced herself to move, dropping into a roll and coming up several feet away, her hands already weaving magic into the air.
Her Chrono-Flux magic responded eagerly, a silver mist curling from her palms.
"Alright," Kaia said through gritted teeth. "Let's see if I can bend time before I get toasted."
Natsu pivoted with unnatural speed, charging again with a gleam in his eyes. Kaia lifted both hands.
"Temporal Ripple: Distort!" she shouted.
The world around her blurred momentarily. Time hiccupped, slowed, then snapped forward. Natsu's next strike passed cleanly through where Kaia had been a heartbeat ago.
He skidded to a halt, blinking.
"Wha—?"
Kaia reappeared behind him, grinning. "First rule of fighting someone with time magic: aim better."
With a quick twist, she lashed out, a ripple of temporal energy surging through her foot as she landed a solid kick to Natsu's back. He stumbled forward, laughing as he spun around.
"That was AWESOME!" he crowed, flames reigniting around his fists.
From the sidelines, Happy waved his balloon with a manic grin. "Go, Natsu! Beat the time wizard!"
"I have a name!" Kaia shouted indignantly.
"Time wizard sounds cooler!" Happy retorted.
Kaia narrowed her eyes, lifting her hands again as Natsu lunged for a third time, spinning into a flaming kick. She braced herself, heart pounding.
"Chrono-Shift: Blink Step!"
In a flash, Kaia disappeared and reappeared a few meters away only to realize she'd misjudged the spell slightly and ended up perched precariously on a barrel stacked with fireworks from the last guild festival.
Natsu whirled, following her instinctively.
"Hey, nice move!" he yelled and promptly punched the barrel.
Kaia had just enough time to squeak out, "WAIT NO—" before the fireworks ignited in a spectacular explosion of color and sound.
The entire courtyard lit up in a chaotic symphony of shrieks, crackles, and very, very panicked screaming.
From her place midair, catapulted by the blast, Kaia thought numbly: This is fine. Everything's fine.
She landed in a graceless heap, coughing smoke and covered in what smelled suspiciously like roasted fish.
Natsu, somehow untouched by the blast, bounded over, laughing so hard he was crying. "That was AMAZING! Do it again!"
"I am not a party trick!" Kaia snapped, staggering to her feet.
[Correction: you are currently very much a party trick.]
"Silence," she muttered to Styme, brushing soot off her coat.
The guild roared with laughter. Makarov nearly toppled from his barrel, clutching his sides.
Erza, arms crossed, allowed herself a small, rare smirk. "Creative defense tactic."
Mirajane grinned. "I give it an eight out of ten for style."
Gray, shirt mysteriously absent again, shrugged. "At least she's still alive."
Kaia shook her head, summoning another pulse of silver energy to steady herself. The fight wasn't over yet. Natsu was waiting, still bouncing lightly on his feet, fire crackling eagerly.
"You're tough," he said, almost admiringly. "Most people would've run away already."
Kaia inhaled sharply, centering herself. "I don't run. I adapt."
The mist around her hands thickened, shimmering like a mirage. She could feel the Chrono-Flux humming, the unstable magic eager to obey or misbehave.
"You wanna see something new?" she challenged, a wicked grin forming.
Natsu's eyes lit up. "Yeah!"
Kaia pointed both palms forward.
"Chrono-Burst: Stasis Pulse!"
A wave of silver-blue energy erupted from her hands, slamming into the ground and rushing toward Natsu. For a heartbeat, time seemed to freeze, every particle of dust and magic suspended midair.
Natsu's movements slowed dramatically, like he was trapped underwater.
Kaia bolted forward, using the opening to land a punch to his stomach—not enough to hurt, but enough to knock the wind from him.
The spell snapped, and Natsu stumbled back, gasping.
He doubled over for a second, then straightened, laughing like a lunatic. "That...was...AWESOME!"
The guild exploded into cheers and laughter.
[Mission Complete!]
Rewards:
500 EXP gained!
1000 Jewels acquired!
Mystery Box (Rare Tier) unlocked!
Level Up! Kaia is now Level 3!
Kaia beamed, her entire body humming with adrenaline and the giddy high of victory.
Makarov climbed onto a barrel once more and clapped loudly. "Well done! Both of you!"
Natsu gave Kaia a thumbs-up, grinning ear to ear. "You're gonna fit right in!"
Kaia laughed, exhaustion and pride mingling warmly inside her. "Good. Because I'm not going anywhere."
The crowd surged forward, lifting both Kaia and Natsu onto their shoulders in celebration. Somewhere amid the chaos, Cana shoved a drink into Kaia's free hand, Erza nodded approvingly, and Happy tried unsuccessfully to tie a winner's ribbon around Kaia's head.
It was noisy, messy, and absolutely absurd.
It was also the happiest Kaia had been in years.