Aria (Gray x OC)

+Nine+

A few hours and a boat ride later, Gray and Mellodi climbed onto the dock of the unusual island. Of any tropical island, one would expect warm weather, bright palm trees, yellow sand, and blue waves. Yet, that was basically the opposite of what they encountered.

The trees, browned with death, were cloaked in ice and snow powdered across the sand instead of the grainy sediments that were supposed to sink into the ocean, which was primarily frozen over except for the the areas destroyed by the boat.

At the heart of the island, a mountain towered into the clouds. Clearly, the island wasn't supposed to be in the icy state.

A small structure was on the land once they crossed the dock, appearing to be buried within the snow. Only the lights from inside the windows peaked through the white masses.

A shiver went through Mellodi's body as the chilly weather finally got to her. She wondered how Gray managed too seem so unaffected by the cold, and determined it was most likely the result of his magic.

The girl felt a wave of relief when the door to the cabin on the snowy beach opened for them. A fire illuminated a stack of wood safely sheltered in one corner of the small place, and a tired-looking man invited them into the relatively warm room.

As the door closed behind the two mages, Mellodi released a deep breath of relief from the chilly weather.

Then, the middle-aged man turned to them and spoke in a low, rough voice. "I am grateful that you are here." He said, his appreciation apparent. "I oversee this island and am the one that proposed the job to your guild. Tell me, what are your names?"

"Gray Fullbuster." The Ice Mage answered, and before the girl could introduce herself, he did so. "And my friend is Mellodi Farryn." He then nodded sternly, wanting to focus directly on the task at hand. "I'm sure you are Mr. Fedler. What do you need us to do?"

"I believe you're aware that this weather is not particularly normal for us." The man acknowledged, answering to the name of Fedler. "We don't even have snowfall during the coldest nights of winter. While other parts of the country are used to dealing with so much icy weather, we are not. It has already destroyed our crops and killed our livestock; our people are starving to death and becoming ill with terminal diseases. If this weather continues much longer, everyone on this island will die whether it's from illness or starvation."

"I see." Mellodi hummed. "Do you have any idea of what could be a potential cause? Or maybe where the cold began?"

She blinked in surprise when Gray placed an assuring hand on her head. "I taught you well." He commented quietly, and then turned back to Fedler. "If you could give us anything in particular that you've noticed about this weather, it would help a lot."

"Oh yes, actually, there was a strange way that it began. This island is an active volcano, as I'm sure you've seen. We're used to the common minor eruptions, and no lives are lost when they occur. However, there was a clear beginning to this icy weather. There was an eruption, beginning with an earthquake as they usually do, so the people were prepared. But instead of ash pouring from the clouds, it began to snow. At first, we thought it was an astonishing miracle. Yet, the snow never stopped." Fedler explained.

"So, the cold weather was caused by a strange volcanic eruption, but how has it gotten to be so bad?" Gray asked.

"Since that first time, the volcano hasn't stopped erupting, so it is constantly releasing ice-cold air and ash-like snow. The natural humidity of the island because of its tropical location leaves a lot of water in the air and wet film over everything. Because of the cold weather, the water film freezes, covering everything in a layer of ice."

"That's a huge problem." Mellodi commented, concluding the obvious.

Gray continued, offering a more helpful voice of opinion. "So, I'm assuming that whatever is the cause of this is inside of the volcano."

"I believe so, but we don't know for sure as the only entrance to the inside tunnels of the volcano has been sealed with a block of ice. We have been unable to penetrate it." Mr. Fedler nodded in response.

With a grin, the dark-haired Ice Mage cracked his knuckles in a confident manner. "That won't be a problem, sir." He huffed with pride.

His companion silently pouted as she folded her arms over her voluptuous chest and whispered, "Show-off."

"Ah, that's good to hear." The middle-aged man smiled, though his face appeared exhausted as he did so. "I'll show you to the entrance, and then I will leave the rest to you."

Gray opened his mouth to speak, but the excited new mage interrupted him. "Yes, sir! You can count on us!" She exclaimed with confidence, though all of it was placed within her capable teacher and not her own abilities.

Both men chuckled at her outburst and stood to their feet. Mr. Fedler retrieved a folded piece of paper from his desk and gave it to the two. "This is a map of the tunnels. I recommend you use it."

The two mages nodded surely as Gray took it from the man's hands and placed it in the pocket of his pants, which was quickly pulled out by Mellodi. "With your bad habit, I should be the one to keep ahold of this."

The boy released a short laugh. "Good call."

Clearly confused, Mr. Fedler dismissed their miniature conversation and proceeded to the door of the cabin. "Shall we go?"

"Yes'sir!"

+---*---+

The three stood in the shadows of a massive, many-faceted block of ice, pressed neatly into the cave-like entrance to the inside of the volcano. Beside the magenta-haired girl, Gray sighed, cracked his neck and fingers, and huffed, "Alright."

He took a step back and bent his knees. He stretched his arms forward and pressed his palms to the solid mass of ice, his own element. "Ice-Make; Lance!" He shouted, sounding just as cheesy as he always did when using his magic power.

The sound of two solid entities colliding -- like metal swords clashing against one another -- echoed through the valley. Satisfied, the Ice Mage stepped away from the block of ice, expecting it to crumble as he did so.

But nothing happened.

There wasn't even a scratch of the mass blocking the entry, irritating Gray profoundly. "What the heck is this?! Why didn't it work?!" He yelled childishly.

Mellodi blinked, surprised at the scene of Gray not being able to shatter the ice. Yet, she approached the obstacle and pressed her ear to it. She gasped at what she heard. "There's air inside. It's not completely solid." She commented.

"So what?" Gray pouted.

"That means I can do something." She grinned, a glimmer of excitement reflecting in her auburn eyes. "I can, right?" She searched for confirmation from the one who taught her how to use her magic.

The boy's dark, yet kind eyes widened, and his lips softened into an assuring smile. "Yeah, you can. Go for it." He encouraged.

Mellodi nodded, feeling confident, and rested her palms on the icy barrier. With the use of jeavy concentration, she felt an odd, tingling sensation in her fingertips. The two men watched silently for what seemed like forever, and then a loud crackling sound emitted from the ice.

The girl suddenly opened her eyes and examined what she had done. Surely enough, from the center, the ice had begun to crack.

She stood in awe as another loud crack echoed from the mass. Another followed, and another...

"Mellodi!" Gray screamed, tightly grasping onto her arm and pulling her away from the barrier just in time to avoid being crushed or cut by the shattering ice.

When the three recovered from the shocking collapse, the girl excitedly leapt for joy, happily throwing a fist into the air. "I did it!" She yelled.

"Of course you did." Gray acknowledged. "You're my student."

Then, Mr. Fedler finally spoke to them. He bowed respectfully before saying, "I wish you the best of luck."

With that, the two mages entered the dark cavern.