Chapter 12: The Chase Begins
The moment we stepped out of Virgo's tunnel, the world greeted us with a rush of clean air — and chaos waiting just ahead.
For a second, I thought we'd finally gotten a breather. But then, predictably, Natsu opened his big mouth.
"Happy! Let's go!" he yelled, grinning ear to ear, fire already dancing in his fists.
Before anyone could even blink, the blue cat spread his wings and swooped up, grabbing Natsu by the scarf and shooting into the sky.
"NATSU! WAIT, YOU IDIOT!" Lucy shouted, her voice echoing through the station courtyard. "YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE HE IS GOING!"
They were already a red-and-blue blur vanishing into the horizon.
I sighed. "Of course… patience is a foreign concept to that one."
Erza folded her arms, her expression twitching somewhere between concern and exasperation. "We have to follow them immediately."
"Right," I said, pulling a storage card from my coat. With a small flick, the magic circle beneath us lit up in deep violet. "Storage Card: Deploy."
With a soft whoosh, the familiar metallic hum of an engine filled the air — my custom-built magic four-wheeler appeared, gleaming faintly under the sunlight.
Lucy blinked. "You just… carry that thing around in a card?!"
"Efficiency," I said simply, opening the door and sliding into the driver's seat.
Erza immediately took the passenger seat beside me, straight-backed and armored as ever, though I could sense her exhaustion. Gray and Lucy climbed into the back, dragging along our "guest" — Kageyama — still tied up and groaning like a man who'd just realized his life choices were bad ones.
"Comfortable back there?" I asked, looking at the rearview mirror.
"Do I look comfortable!?" Gray shot back, elbowing the tied-up dark mage. "This guy's elbowing my ribs!"
Lucy puffed her cheeks, glaring at Kageyama. "Serves you right for causing all this!"
Kageyama glared weakly. "You'll never catch up to Erigor… he's already—"
"Save it," I cut in, revving the engine. The four-wheeler roared to life, magic circuits glowing beneath its chassis. "You're going to help us, whether you want to or not."
He gulped, wisely deciding to stay quiet after that.
Erza turned to me. "We're heading northwest — the Guild Masters' meeting hall is that way."
"Got it," I said, pushing the accelerator.
The four-wheeler surged forward with a burst of wind, dirt flying in our wake. The sound of the engine echoed through the valley as we raced down the winding road.
From behind, Lucy was still complaining. "You seriously carry a car in a card!?"
Gray leaned back, crossing his arms. "You're surprised? This guy pulls out swords, armor, and even sandwiches out of cards."
"Hey," I called out, "a man's got to be prepared for any situation — fighting dark guilds or hunger."
Lucy groaned. "You sound like Natsu."
"Bite your tongue," I muttered.
As we sped ahead, Erza's voice broke the rhythm of the wind. "We need to catch up before Erigor reaches the Guild Masters. If he plays Lullaby there—"
"Yeah," I interrupted softly, eyes fixed on the horizon. "That cursed flute could end everything."
A tense silence settled in for a moment — the gravity of what was at stake creeping in. Then Lucy broke it, whispering, "I hope Natsu's okay."
Gray smirked. "He's probably already picking a fight."
"Yeah," I said with a small grin. "And losing it before winning it."
That drew a soft laugh from Lucy — nervous, but real. Even Erza's lips curved slightly.
The wind whipped against us, the road stretching endlessly before our wheels.
Chapter End.