My mind often travels back to that day, four years ago. After that catastrophic festival, a storm like no other swept through the village. It wasn't just rain; it was lightning that split the sky and floods that engulfed the streets. Four people died. It ended like all the other years, only worse—marred by death.

The sound of crickets and the murmur of the people brought me back to the present.

Ren sighed beside me, a sigh of pure relief. "Finally, a festival we can enjoy."

"That's true," Grandpa Rei agreed, a smile spreading across his wrinkled face.

"Especially after four years ago," I added, my gaze lost among the gently swaying paper lanterns.

Nagi, walking beside us in his immaculate yukata and tilted fox mask, didn't seem so optimistic. "Though the previous years were much the same."

An awkward silence fell between us. Ren cleared her throat. "I think this is getting tense."

Far from the bustle of the festival, in the church kitchen, Grandma Riomi called from upstairs.

"Kitsui!"

Kitsui, who was cleaning a knife with unnatural calm, looked up. A crooked smile touched his lips.

"I'm coming," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "Today is the day of the battle... The battle between the two spirit beasts."

Back at the festival, I tugged on Nagi's arm.

"Hey, Nagi, let's go find those new foods brought from the north. What were they called...?"

"Caramel apples," Ren said, stepping forward. "And I'm joining you."

"No, only boys can go," I retorted, with a mischievous smile.

"What the hell are you talking about? Why can't I?" she protested.

Nagi gently removed my hand from his arm and raised a hand in farewell. "You guys go ahead. I have something to do."

We watched him walk away into the crowd, his figure disappearing among the lit stalls.

Ren snorted. "Ugh... I have to go with Natsu after all."

"Ren, don't be mean to him," Grandpa Rei said, laughing. "And if you can, get me one of those things."

"Come on, Natsu," Ren said, starting to walk. She noticed I had stopped. "Hey, Natsu."

"Oh, sorry," I said, snapping out of my reverie. "I was just thinking about something. Yeah, let's go."

As we walked, I noticed Ren glancing at me out of the corner of her eye.

We arrived at the caramel apple stand. They were even more impressive than I imagined.

"Wow, they're so shiny and red," I said, amazed. I turned to the vendor. "Could we have three, please?"

"Sure, here you go, young man," the man said, handing us the apples. "Have a nice evening and enjoy the first festival we've been able to hold in years."

"Thanks, you too," we replied in unison.

We walked away from the stand, eating our apples. The caramel crunched deliciously with each bite.

"Hey, Natsu," Ren said suddenly.

"Yeah...?" I replied, licking some of the sticky caramel off my lips. "What's up?"

"N-no, it's nothing."

"Just tell me, don't overthink it."

She sighed. "Fine... Before we bought the apples, what were you thinking about so seriously?"

I looked at her, a mischievous smile forming on my face. "You look cute in that yukata."

Ren stopped dead in her tracks. Her cheeks flushed a deep red that rivaled the apple. "Uh... Wait... HEY!"

I couldn't help it and burst out laughing. "Hahaha... your reaction was priceless!"

"Hey, don't joke around like that again! Not that I mind, but..."

"Hahaha, okay..." I said, trying to catch my breath. "But really, haven't you noticed? The air."

"The air?"

"Yeah, it feels cold and heavy. That isn't normal for this town. Sure, it rains a lot, but it's always been a warm place despite being near the sea."

Ren's smile faded, her expression now serious. "You're right. What about it?"

"I don't want to jinx it, but..."

A deep, guttural roar ripped through the night air, a sound so powerful it shook the ground beneath our feet.

"W-what was that?" Ren stammered, her eyes wide with terror.

"Damn it, I was right..."

"Natsu!"

Nagi appeared beside us, his hand already on the hilt of his sword.

"Nagi?" Ren said, surprised.

"What's wrong?" I asked, though I already felt a knot of dread in my stomach.

"I don't know. That sound... it sounded like dragons."

"It was," Nagi confirmed, his gaze fixed on the dark sky. "I left because I felt a powerful mana signature approaching from a distance. Didn't you feel it, Natsu?"

"N-no."

"Some magic prodigy you are," he said with sharp sarcasm.

Sometimes his perfection really pisses me off, I thought.

"So, Mr. Perfect, how long until the dragons arrive?"

"The 'Mr. Perfect' is unnecessary," he replied, without taking his eyes off the horizon. "And they'll reach the village in..." He paused, calculating. "One minute."

"WHAT?!" Ren and I shouted simultaneously.

As if responding to his words, the air turned frigid, and a gale-force wind swept through the festival square, extinguishing lanterns and making people scream in fright.

In the sky, two monstrous silhouettes materialized, flying at incredible speed. They collided in mid-air with the force of a mountain, their roars now deafening.

"W-what are those things?" I managed, paralyzed.

Ren let out a piercing scream.

The entire village looked up, petrified. The two dragons, one a deep, night-like blue and the other a bright, shining cyan, were locked in a deadly fight. They bit at each other's necks, tearing at each other with their claws. The dark dragon launched a beam of deep blue energy, while the light one responded with one of almost white-blue. They flew backward and collided again, creating shockwaves that shook the buildings.

"What the hell are they..."

I stood there, with Ren kneeling beside me, trembling, and Nagi about to draw his sword against two impossible opponents. A burning frustration, pent up for years, exploded inside me.

"Why... can we... never... have... a... QUIET FESTIVAL!"

"RAAAAGH!"

A blinding white aura erupted around me, pushing the wind and cold back.

"Natsu, what's happening to you?" Nagi asked, surprised.

But I wasn't listening anymore. I ducked, my muscles tensing like coiled springs, and leaped. The air whistled around me as I ascended at breakneck speed. I landed on the light blue dragon's tail and raced up its scaly back to its head. I fired a massive fireball at point-blank range, spun around in the air, and launched another at the dark dragon. I plummeted, landing softly next to Ren and Nagi, only to be propelled skyward again, breaking the sound barrier and cracking the ground beneath my feet.

I appeared between the two dragons just as they were about to attack. A frozen fist connected with one's jaw, a lightning-charged punch struck the other, stunning them. I caused a massive pillar of ice to erupt from the ground, climbed atop it, and began charging power into both hands, a sphere of pure destruction in each.

The dragons recovered and, seeing me, did the same. The dark dragon charged up a sphere of energy that seemed to contain galaxies and stars. The light dragon formed a transparent sphere that distorted the light around it.

The three of us fired at the same time.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

A white light consumed everything.

In the darkness of his room, Kitsui smiled. "It's time for that village to disappear from the map. I'll be waiting for you, Natsu."

He let out a silent, evil laugh.

"Ugh!"

Nagi woke up on the floor of a forest he didn't recognize. Sunlight filtered through the leaves.

"What the—" He jolted upright. "Natsu, Ren, Grandpa Rei, Grandma Riomi, Sister Kitsui... where am I?"

"Aaaah, that hurts..."

"Natsu?"

"Nagi... where are you?"

"Right here."

Nagi took a step and collided with something, falling to the ground.

"Ouch, watch where you're going," a familiar voice complained.

"Natsu, there you are. What happened?"

I got up from the floor, shaking myself off. "I have no idea, and honestly, it doesn't matter right now."

"KYAAAAAAAA!"

We both turned. "Ren?"

Ren shot out of a bush, tripped, and fell in an incredibly unlucky way, landing with her butt directly in my face.

"OOF."

"Ren, please, would you move?" I said, my voice muffled.

She looked down. Her face turned bright red.

"U-uh... KYAAAA!"

I felt a sharp pain on my cheek. Ren had gotten up and slapped me. She started sobbing.

"Natsu, you pervert," she said between sobs. "But that doesn't matter now, anyway... I need help, there's a monster..."

Before she could finish, a roar shook the forest. From the same bushes Ren had emerged from, a nightmarish creature appeared: a lion the size of a chariot, with a tail that split into three hissing serpent heads.

Nagi drew his sword. "A Crawler."

"AHHHHh!" Ren screamed.