The late afternoon breeze swept across the vast farmland, rippling through the rows of crops. Lunara led the way, with Cassia and her group trailing cautiously behind.
As they drew closer to the cabin, Cassia's eyes narrowed.
She saw the structure clearly—a sturdy wooden cabin, a long table set with steaming platters—but something about the space around it felt… off.
Too still.
Too empty.
Not abandoned.
Just… wrong.
The soldiers behind her shifted uneasily, their eyes wandering over the impossible greenery.
"Just how big is this farm?" one soldier whispered.
"Big enough to bury all of us, that's for sure," another replied.
Cassia shot them a sharp, warning look. The two men immediately fell silent, gripping their spear shafts tighter.
"Ah, I see my lord has been waiting for us," Lunara said, her voice bright with genuine joy. "How magnanimous of him."
The group fixed their sights on the cabin.
Still nothing.
To their eyes, the porch was vacant and the yard undisturbed. No movement. No presence. No host.
They exchanged baffled glances.
Lunara was speaking to empty air.
Nearby, Natsu stood in plain view—unseen.
He wore a navy-blue long-sleeved shirt over a white tee, paired with dark-brown cargo pants and sturdy boots. One hand rested casually in his pocket as he raised the other in a relaxed wave toward Lunara, a small smile on his face.
"I guess we're doing this," Natsu muttered to himself. "Hopefully something fruitful comes out of it. I just hope they're more reasonable than the last bunch."
"Pfft. You're too optimistic, my king," a sharp, feminine voice echoed in his mind. It was Kurona, speaking from the depths of his shadow. "It would have been better to just capture and interrogate them. Efficiency over pleasantries."
"Oi! You're too extreme, Kurona," Natsu countered silently. "I still prefer talking first. Fighting is for when the talking fails."
"And you're too soft on these critters," Kurona snapped back with a hint of irritation. "You have the means to take whatever you want, yet you hesitate. Your mercy is a weakness, my king. It will bite you eventually."
"Alright, alright, let's table that for later," Natsu said. "Lunara is here with the guests."
Lunara reached the front of the cabin and stopped, dropping into a deep, respectful bow. Cassia's group halted behind her, their confusion mounting.
"Thank you for receiving us, my lord," Lunara said. "You are too kind."
Cassia stepped forward slightly, her gaze narrowing as she scanned the space in front of Lunara again.
There was something there.
There had to be.
But her senses returned nothing.
"Um, Lady Lunara," the mage asked hesitantly, her voice laced with unease, "where exactly is your benevolent lord?"
The rest of the group looked equally lost.
Lunara and Natsu exchanged a look of mutual surprise.
"...Yeah, that's new," Natsu muttered, genuinely confused.
Even Lunara seemed taken aback, her brow faintly furrowing beneath her veil.
Natsu stepped off the porch and walked directly toward Cassia.
She didn't react.
Her eyes passed over him.
Through him.
As if there was nothing there.
He stopped right in front of her.
For a brief moment, he studied her up close.
Then he reached out—
—and lightly tapped her shoulder.
"Hi there!" Natsu said.
Cassia felt it.
The contact.
Solid. Real.
And she heard the voice—clear, close, unmistakably directed at her.
But—
There was nothing there.
Her mind stalled.
A fraction of a second stretched longer than it should have.
Her senses searched for a source.
Found nothing.
Then—
Something snapped into place.
The world clicked.
It wasn't that he appeared.
It was that her mind finally allowed him to exist.
A man stood directly in front of her.
Close.
Too close.
Relaxed posture. One hand still slightly raised from the tap. A faint, easy smile on his face—yet his eyes carried a quiet curiosity, as if he was studying her just as carefully.
Cassia recoiled instinctively, her heart slamming against her ribs.
She had felt nothing.
No presence.
No killing intent.
No breath.
Not even the subtle cues of a living body.
Unlike Lunara—whose very existence pressed against her senses like a storm—this man had been…
Nothing.
A void.
Until the moment he touched her.
Slowly, the rest of the group began to see him.
Not all at once.
Their gazes shifted, hesitated—then locked.
One by one.
Their senses dragged behind reality, struggling to catch up to what now stood plainly before them.
"How is that possible?" the ranger muttered, his face pale.
Natsu scratched the back of his neck, letting out a small, awkward breath.
"Honestly?" he said. "I think I should be asking you guys the same thing."
Lunara couldn't hold back a soft snicker, quickly covering her mouth with her hand. She cleared her throat, regaining her composure before stepping forward.
"Everyone," Lunara said, her tone ringing with quiet pride,
"I would like you all to meet the lord of this estate."
She gestured toward him.
"Natsu—Overlord of the Shadow Legion… and Ruler of No Man's Land."
The weight of Lunara's words hung in the air, a heavy contrast to the peaceful rustle of the crops. Even Cassia, usually the most composed in any crisis, felt the gears of her mind grinding to a halt. As she struggled to reconcile the title "Overlord of the Shadow Legion" with the man standing before her, their eyes met.
Natsu's irises were a deep, fathomless black.
For a moment that stretched far longer than she intended, Cassia found herself unable to look away.
Despite the sheer wrongness she had sensed earlier, there was a raw, magnetic clarity to his features that unsettled her more than it impressed. It wasn't beauty in the way she understood it—it was something quieter, something that refused to be measured.
She realized, a second too late, that she had been staring.
Natsu tilted his head slightly.
A brief pause.
Then—
His lips curled into a gentle, almost amused smile.
"Uh, hello? Your gaze is really intense," he said, his voice light but curious. "I hope you aren't trying to peer into my soul or anything."
Cassia inhaled sharply.
Her mouth parted—then closed again.
For the first time in her career, her response did not come immediately.
She forced herself to speak.
Nothing came.
Her composure didn't shatter—it slipped, just slightly, like a blade losing its edge.
"Are you okay there, miss?" Natsu asked, his brow knitting faintly with genuine concern. "I don't mind the look, but you've been at it for a while."
His gaze lingered on her for a moment—not probing, not invasive. Simply observant.
"If it helps," he added casually, "you've got sharp eyes. They stand out."
The comment was simple.
Unadorned.
And that made it worse.
Cassia blinked.
The heat that rose to her face was subtle—but undeniable. Not overwhelming, not consuming—just enough to betray the crack in her control.
She turned her head slightly, regaining her breath before answering.
"I was… assessing the situation," she said, the words measured, though a fraction slower than usual. "You appeared without warning."
It wasn't a lie.
But it wasn't the full truth either.
Natsu let out a soft chuckle—not mocking, just amused.
"Fair enough."
He turned his attention to the rest of the group. The soldiers and the mage were still frozen in place, their eyes wide as they struggled to reconcile what they were seeing.
"So," Natsu said, clapping his hands together.
The sound snapped through the air like a trigger.
Several of the soldiers flinched.
"I don't mind standing here all day, but that's a poor way to treat guests. You all look exhausted—and probably hungry."
He gestured toward the long table near the cabin.
"Why don't we talk about your journey and why you're here over some dinner? Does that sound good?"
He glanced back at Cassia—not expectant, not demanding.
Just waiting.
Cassia took a controlled breath.
Then another.
Her posture straightened.
Her voice, when it came, was steady again.
"Yes," she said. A brief pause. "Dinner sounds… appropriate. Thank you for the offer. I do have questions that require answers."
"Wonderful. That's a start," Natsu said.
He stepped slightly closer, though his posture remained relaxed, unthreatening.
"For starters—and this is important—may I know your name, Miss Leader?"
Cassia lifted her chin, her composure fully restored—at least on the surface.
"I am Cassia… Cassia Ghast. I lead this scouting party. It is an honor to meet you, Lord Natsu, and to be received personally."
"Cassia, huh? That's a beautiful name," Natsu said, rubbing the back of his head lightly.
Then, with a small shrug:
"Also, no need for the 'Lord' business. Lunara likes to talk me up, but I don't really own this place."
A faint pause.
"I just… live here."
Cassia watched him carefully.
A simple farmer?
The thought didn't sit.
How does a man who feels like a hole in reality claim something so ordinary… while commanding a being like Lunara?
Her expression remained neutral.
Her mind did not.
There were no demons here.
No signs of corruption.
Only order.
Only life.
A paradise guarded by shadows.
If the divine message from the capital had led them to a "demonic stronghold," then the message was either false—
—or incomplete.
He is hiding something, she concluded.
The question is why.
Natsu turned toward the cabin, gesturing casually for them to follow.
"Alright, let's get moving then. I'll try my best to answer your questions—so long as you answer mine too."
A small smile tugged at his lips.
"Seems fair, right?"
He started toward the table, Lunara following a respectful step behind him.
As he walked, Natsu began humming an off-key tune, soft and absent-minded—like someone preparing for an ordinary evening.
The group lingered for a moment.
Glances were exchanged.
No words spoken.
Then, as one, they moved—falling in behind Cassia as she followed.