Fairy Tail: Vector Manipulation

"No!" Lucy turned back and said to the somewhat violent Natsu.

Suddenly, a voice came from above. "Who are you people?"

"We're members of the Fairy Tail mage guild." Lucy lifted her head proudly as she spoke upward.

"We haven't heard that the request was accepted."

"No, um..."

"There must have been some mistake. The notice probably arrived late." At a crucial moment, Gray stepped in. He had learned from Chen Fan—even lying didn't make him blush. This kid had really been led astray.

"Everyone, show me your guild marks!" the person above continued to shout. With a swish, Natsu revealed the mark on his arm; Happy showed the one on his back; Lucy showed the one on the back of her hand; and Gray pointed to the mark on his chest.

Finally, it was Chen Fan's turn. A scornful expression appeared on his face as he raised his right hand and gave the people above the middle finger. On that finger was a ring-like guild mark. Chen Fan had specifically requested it back then, purely so he could show off. After a while, the people above finally got a clear look at his mark.

They shouted happily, "It's real! It's real! They really came!"

With a series of "clack, clack" sounds, the fence slowly rose upward. "It feels like we're entering a monster's mouth," Happy said from the side.

"Don't say something so disgusting," Lucy whispered to Happy.

Once the gate opened, Chen Fan and the others saw a group of people completely wrapped in clothing. The person at the front said, "I am Mocha, the Village Chief of this village. It may be rude of me, but please take a look at this first." Then he turned to the villagers and called out, "Everyone!"

A rustling sound rang out as every villager removed their outer garments, revealing what lay beneath. Seeing them, Gray said gravely, "Just like that old captain."

"Yeah," Lucy replied fearfully.

"Whoa... their sideburns are so long!" That brainless Natsu actually chose this moment to make a snarky remark.

With a bang, Chen Fan smacked the back of his head and shouted, "This isn't the time for snark! If you want to make comments, learn from Lucy—that's what you call professional...!"

"Yeah, Lucy's snark is indeed incredibly powerful," Happy said solemnly from the side. Cold sweat appeared on the villagers' foreheads.

"Hey, hey, is this the time to talk about snark?" Lucy shouted at Chen Fan and the others. Then she turned to the Village Chief. "I'm so sorry. Please continue."

"What I want to tell you is that every living thing on this island is like this. Even the dogs and birds are no exception. They've all been afflicted by this curse." Before the Village Chief could say more, Gray interrupted him. "Forgive me for asking, but how can you be sure this is a curse rather than some kind of disease?"

Hearing Gray's question, the Village Chief explained, "We invited dozens of doctors to examine us. They all said they had never seen such a disease before. Moreover, this transformation is connected to Moon Magic Power."

"Moon Magic Power?" Lucy and the others were startled, not knowing what the Village Chief meant. Only Chen Fan stood to the side, yawning boredly. To be honest, while he didn't remember all the details, he knew there was nothing actually wrong with these people. Their memories had simply deteriorated. To put it bluntly, they were just crazy.

Mocha, the Village Chief, explained, "Since ancient times, this island has been able to store moonlight. The entire island glowed like the moon itself, making it a beautiful place. But a few years ago, the moonlight suddenly began turning purple."

"A purple moon?" Natsu repeated. Happy, sitting on Natsu's shoulder, raised his head toward the sky and pointed. "Look, the moon is out."

Everyone looked up. The clouds were slowly blown away by the wind, revealing the moon and its purple halo.

"It's true. It really is a purple moon!"

"That moon sends chills down my spine."

"What a truly beautiful moon!" Chen Fan gazed at it and sighed.

Swish, swish... Everyone turned to look at Chen Fan. The tense atmosphere from earlier completely vanished, and Lucy shouted at him, "You're the one who shouldn't be making snarky remarks at a time like this!"

"This is the curse. This is Moon Magic Power." As soon as Mocha, the Village Chief, finished speaking, his eyes suddenly widened and bulged outward. At almost the same time, every villager's expression twisted in pain, startling Lucy, Gray, and the others. Even Chen Fan, though mentally prepared, was still shocked.

Before long, all the villagers' bodies gradually grew larger. Their skin seemed to stretch apart, claws sprouted from their hands and feet, and some even grew horns on their heads. They looked exceptionally terrifying.