"Ah... I slept like a log," Chen Fan said, stretching his limbs. He spotted Lucy coming out of her room. "Morning, Lucy."
"Mor... ning..." Lucy replied weakly, sporting massive dark circles under her eyes.
"What's wrong? Are you sick?" Chen Fan reached out to check her forehead.
"I'm fine, really," Lucy said, forcing herself to perk up while subtly dodging his hand.
Chen Fan felt a bit miffed. Lucy really did see him as a pervert. Soon, Natsu, Gray, and Happy emerged as well, and the group set off.
Lucy summoned Horologium and hopped inside the clock spirit for a ride. Natsu and Gray were having a mindless conversation about what would happen if the moon were gone, which eventually devolved into a discussion about food.
Chen Fan found himself thinking of his hometown watching the Mid-Autumn moon and eating mooncakes. He hadn't thought they were particularly delicious back then, but now, he would give anything for a taste.
Thump, thump. Heavy footsteps snapped Chen Fan out of his reverie. He turned to see a Giant Blue Mouse lumbering toward them.
"Get over here!" Gray shouted to Chen Fan. He crossed his arms, manifesting his Molding Magic. "Ice-Make: Shield!"
A shield of solid ice appeared before him. Despite being behind the barrier, Chen Fan felt an uneasy sense of déjà vu. He couldn't quite remember how this part of the story went.
Pffft! A massive fart echoed out. Chen Fan finally remembered. He instantly activated his superpowers, creating a telekinetic barrier around himself to block the gas. In his haste, however, he accidentally blocked out the oxygen too, turning his face bright red as he ran alongside the others, forgetting to counter-attack.
"Ice-Make: Floor!" Gray timed his magic perfectly.
Bam! The giant mouse slipped and crashed to the ground.
"Why didn't you just do that in the first place?!" Natsu and Chen Fan screamed at Gray in unison.
"Stop complaining!" Gray shot back.
Suddenly, Lucy spotted a structure nearby. "Look! There's a building over there! Let's head for it while we can!"
"Good idea. But first, let's flatten this thing! Hahaha!" Lucy turned back to see Natsu, Gray, and Chen Fan mercilessly kicking and punching the giant mouse.
"Take that for stinking me out with your farts! Take this! And that! Ora, ora, ora!" Chen Fan shouted as he wailed on the creature. Natsu and Gray weren't holding back either.
"You guys..." Lucy was beyond exasperation.
Once they had vented their frustrations, they followed Lucy into the Moon Temple. Inside, they were greeted by ancient, crumbling walls adorned with a moon-shaped emblem.
"These ruins are so old... The Moon Island, the Curse, the emblem... is there a connection?" Lucy mused quietly.
"Who cares about the connection? This place is ancient. I wonder if the floor is steady," Natsu said, stomping his feet loudly. Thump, thump.
"Hey, don't just stomp on things!" Gray yelled. Chen Fan was busy examining a mural; it was the best way to kill time when things got boring.
Watching Natsu stomp, Chen Fan got a bad feeling. Sure enough Boom! The floor gave way. Chen Fan quickly used his powers to control his own gravity, and he extended the effect to Lucy as well. As for Gray and Natsu, they were tough enough to handle a little fall.
Lucy floated down slowly, looking around in a daze, not quite sure what had just happened.
"Is everyone okay?"
"We're fine."
Natsu noticed Lucy staring blankly into space. He shook her, but when she didn't respond, he gave her two quick slaps. "Hey, Lucy! You okay?"
Pow! Lucy punched Natsu in the face. "What was that for?! That hurt!" she screamed, rubbing her cheek.
"I should be asking you! Why were you spacey?" Natsu grunted.
"Wait... has anyone seen Chen Fan?" Gray asked, sounding panicked.
A voice drifted down from the ceiling. "Hey! Can you hear me? Is everything alright?" The echo bounced off the ancient walls.
"It's Chen Fan!" Happy cried out happily.
"That guy's lucky," Natsu muttered, looking almost annoyed that Chen Fan hadn't fallen with them.
"Yeah, we're down here! No big deal!" Gray shouted back.
"Oh, good. I'll look for another way down." Without waiting for their reply, Chen Fan turned and walked away.
"Oh! Look! There's a tunnel here! Let's go exploring!" Natsu shouted, running toward a dark opening with Happy flying right behind him.
"Hey! Don't just run off!" Gray called out, following them. He noticed Lucy was still sitting on the ground. "What's wrong with you?"
"Oh, nothing! Nothing! Let's go!" Lucy stood up quickly and hurried past Gray. Gray watched her for a moment, scratching his head in confusion, before following.
Chen Fan gazed at the vast expanse of the Moon Temple. "I hope this trip isn't too boring," he whispered, stepping deeper into the ruins.
Meanwhile, on a pirate ship not far from the Island of Demons, Erza stood majestically on the deck, her eyes fixed on the distant shores of Galuna Island.
The pirate captain turned to her, trembling. "What are you going to that island for?"
"Don't ask questions. Just steer the ship."
"Please, have mercy! Forgive us! Galuna Island is a cursed place! They say humans turn into demons there!"
"I am not interested," Erza replied coldly.
"Is that so?"
"I am going there to punish those who broke the rules. That is all. Especially that man named Chen Fan... I will make him wish he were dead," Erza said, her fist clenched and teeth bared.
"So cool! So badass! Whatever Big Sis says goes!" the pirates cheered. "We'll help punish that Chen Fan guy too! How dare he make Big Sis angry!"
"Is that so? That is wonderful. I didn't realize Chen Fan's infamy had reached your ears. I'm truly moved."
"Ohhh!"
"Achoo!" Chen Fan rubbed his nose and pulled his cloak tighter. He didn't know what was going on lately, but he couldn't stop sneezing. Maybe some girl was thinking about him? Being this charming really is a burden, Chen Fan thought shamelessly.
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