Fairytail: Mistwalker

Chapter 4: Moon Men

The morning sun streamed through the guild hall windows, warming the wooden floors and giving everything a soft golden glow. Kael stepped lightly through the main hall, guild seal tucked safely inside his pouch and fan twirling in his fingers. He passed several guildmates mid-argument about whether a fireball or ice spike would cook fish better, sidestepped a drunken brawl that hadn't even reached noon yet, and found his designated meeting spot under the west window.

Two figures were already waiting there.

The first was a wiry young man with a hunched posture, freckled cheeks, and the haunted expression of someone who had too much caffeine and not enough faith in humanity. His green hair was styled into a stiff upward puff like a leek. Fittingly, this was Leek.

The second was a taller girl leaning casually against the wall, arms crossed. Her skin was bronze, eyes sharp, and she wore stone gauntlets on her forearms that looked like they'd been carved straight from a mountain. This had to be Merla.

Kael stopped in front of them, bells chiming lightly. "Good morning. I'm Kael. I assume you two are my fellow moon conspirators?"

Leek jumped. "W-We're not conspiring! I-I mean, uh, we're not like, it's not illegal, right?!"

Merla rolled her eyes. "He means yes. I'm Merla. This is Leek. Don't worry, he only screams when startled."

Kael smiled gently. "So only when I breathe near him. Good to know."

Leek fidgeted. "Sorry! I just uh, I didn't think we'd get someone new on this job. Not that I'm judging! I'm just it's my third mission, and last time I got pecked by a goose with unresolved trauma."

Kael blinked. "That's impressively specific."

Merla pushed off the wall. "You'll get used to Leek. Eventually. Maybe. Don't hold your breath."

Leek's hands flailed. "H-Hey!"

Kael offered a light laugh, brushing a lock of lavender hair behind his ear. "No worries. I like a bit of chaos. It makes the world feel... alive."

"Then you'll love this mission," Merla muttered. "We're hauling some alchemist's precious 'moon-blessed' cargo to Briar Village. That's half a day's travel with a cart that creaks louder than Wakaba when he snores."

"And the alchemist himself?" Kael asked, arching a brow.

"Oh, he's not coming," Leek said quickly. "He said 'the moon would trace his soul through daylight' if he left his home."

Kael placed a hand over his heart. "Such poetry. Such delusion."

"You're gonna fit right in," Merla said dryly.

The trio headed outside to where the cart awaited if one could call it that. It was a wooden contraption with squeaky wheels, two mismatched horses, and several barrels tied down with rope that looked more decorative than secure. One of the barrels glowed faintly blue.

"Is that… normal?" Kael asked.

Leek scratched the back of his neck. "Define normal?"

"Does it explode?"

"…Possibly."

Kael gave the barrel a wide berth and turned to Merla. "So. Who's steering?"

Merla raised her hand. "I can. I've driven worse."

"Like what?"

"My uncle's wedding chariot."

Leek shivered. "Oh no."

Kael stepped onto the cart with a dancer's grace, sitting cross-legged atop a crate that didn't seem cursed yet. He unfurled his fan and opened it with a soft flutter. "Then let the journey begin."

The cart wobbled down the path, the horses trudging forward dutifully. Kael watched the scenery blur past sunlit trees, scattered stones, patches of wildflowers while Merla kept the reins steady and Leek attempted not to have an anxiety-induced nosebleed every time the cart hit a bump.

"So, Kael," Merla asked, glancing back. "What's your magic? Mira didn't say much. She just said, 'He's a charmer.'"

Kael hummed. "I wield Mist Magic. Defensive, deceptive, and just a little dramatic when I'm in the mood."

Leek tilted his head. "So… like foggy illusions?"

"Something like that," Kael said airily. "I confuse, I conceal, I vanish. Makes fights feel like performance art."

"Do you actually fight?" Merla asked.

Kael snapped his fan shut. "Only when necessary. But when I do… I prefer it elegant."

Leek gave a nervous chuckle. "Oh good. We'll need elegance if we get attacked by—uh—forest bandits. Or flying frogs. Or frogs with knives."

"That's oddly specific," Kael murmured.

Merla sighed. "Ignore him. He reads too many worst-case scenario books."

They rode in relative peace for a while until the cart hit a rock and one of the barrels started humming.

"…Leek?" Merla said.

"Yep?"

"Did you check what's in that one?"

Leek squinted at it. "I think it's a memory potion. Or maybe a potion that makes you relive every time you've ever stubbed your toe."

Kael scooted farther away from the barrel. "Absolutely not."

"Should we open it and check?" Merla asked.

"Nope," Kael and Leek said in unison.

Merla snorted. "Smart."

As the sun rose higher and the road stretched on, Kael leaned against the cart wall, gaze drifting skyward. He was far from home not that he had one but this… this ridiculous journey with odd people and impossible potions… it felt real.

He smiled to himself.

End of Chapter 4

Author's Note:

And so the legendary squad has officially set off: one human stress ball 🧅, one rock-punching powerhouse 💪, and one fabulously mysterious mist-user with a fan and a flair for drama 💨🪭✨. The mission seemed simple… which is always how tragedies and comedy begin.

Leek is vibrating like a nervous squirrel on espresso 🐿️, Merla is channeling her inner "I-will-turn-this-cart-around" mom energy 🚚💢, and Kael? He's flirting with danger and possibly gravity itself 😏🌀.

Will the cart survive? Will Leek?

Will Kael find a dramatic cliff to pose on before sunset?

We'll see. Probably. Maybe.

Stay misty,

– sky_xyn ☁️🩵