Hello! So I was sorta bored this week, so I've finished the next chapter already! The story is really starting to get going now, introducing some of the deeper plot! It is a lot of fun to write, so I hope you enjoy reading it just as much as I enjoy writing it! Without further ado, here is chapter 6!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail

Chapter 6

It was funny, Lucy thought, how quickly a couple months passed by. With Gray gone, and Erza spending all her time training and worrying over Jellal, Lucy had decided to do as many jobs as possible. She went on a few on her own, but mostly tagged along with other groups. Levy was happy to have her, though Gajeel complained throughout the entire thing. Apparently, he had wanted to spend his time training in the mountains, but Levy had said no. Hence the complaining. But, Lucy noticed, he never had a comeback for when they asked why he didn't just go.

Another odd group she went with was Liz, Hisui, and Wendy. Wendy had been joining them to get stronger, and the results were showing. While she wasn't on the same level as the other two by any means, she had easily caught up to Romeo's Fire Make skill. Lucy, however, had still been struggling. Her techniques were getting better, and her magic power was growing, but she was still too weak! Physically, she just couldn't keep up. Hisui had a similar problem, but she had her shield spells and her magic boosted her strength. Luckily, Lucy thought she had found a way around that, but she wanted to surprise everyone with it once she had perfected it.

And then there was the last group she had gone with. It had been one mission, only one job, but Lucy still couldn't believe that she was still alive. The job had been pretty simple, capture a man named Goldurock Fleetwood and bring him to prison. When Lisanna had asked to go on the mission with her, she had been glad. Not only did Lisanna want her help, but the reward was pretty good! Looking back, she should have been more suspicious.

Erza, Mirajane, Laxus, Lisanna, and Lucy. That had been the team for the SS-class mission they had invited her on. She still didn't know why they invited her. Fleetwood, as it turned out, practiced a kind of magic brought the dead back to life. With the 4 S-class mages fighting he hadn't stood a chance. His curses, as he called his magic, couldn't stop them, but unfortunately the landscape hadn't stopped them either. What had once been a mountain was now a smoking crater, something she probably shouldn't have survived. The only benefits to the trip had been the amount of money she had received, and to see the cool magic of her guildmates. Mira had used her Satan Soul Sitri, while Laxus had grown scales on his arms and caused a small storm. Those were cool, but the other two took the cake for Lucy.

Erza had donned a new set of armour, one that was impressive to say the very least. It had been a dark blue, slim, and came with a single sword. The armour was lined in red runes, lining the edges of the armour, and thrummed with magic. The sword was gold and bright, a star forming the shape of the hilt with more runes running down the golden blade. The Fallen Star is what she called it. Lucy didn't ask, but Erza had launched into an explanation how Natsu and Jellal had made it to commemorate her magic and to help Jellal move on.

Lisanna had pulled out her second strongest take-over, the Flare Fiend. Another dragon like creature, the Flare Fiend used sunlight to power its flames, which burned hot enough to melt some metals. It looked a little scary though, with armour like bones covering her body. The bones had been black, like charcoal, and where cracks formed on them bright orange flames leaked out. Skeletal, dragon like wings sprouted from her back, the fire itself forming the membrane between the bones.

Either way though, Lucy was way, waaaay out of her league. She spent her time simply trying to live through it. It was nice to see Lisanna and Mira fight together though… they had seemed happy.

There was one other thing too. On their way back, Erza had decided that they should stop by a marketplace to buy some supplies, which meant she had probably smelled some cake. It was a fairly large market, so they had spilt up, planning on meeting up later. Soon Lucy had found herself wandering the streets of the town, listening to the peaceful sounds of nature as she walked by a small park near the center of town, a few stalls being set up on the other side of the street.

"WATCH OUT!" a voice broke the serenity of the situation, and Lucy instinctively threw herself to the side, having gotten quite used to dodging random objects flying at her just by going to the guild hall. She had never had to dodge a cart though.

"CRAP!" the same voice yelled out, and the cart flew right into a tree. A blur flew by her, and the person who had yelled jumped into the air, grabbing the contents of the cart (were those melons?) as they fell. They landed, balancing the fruits in their arms and even one on the top of their feet. Or rather, his feet, Lucy amended after taking a closer look. She ran forward and began taking fruits and putting them one of the many baskets that fell out of the cart as well.

"Are you okay?" she asked. The blonde guy looked at her and smiled, an infectious grin.

"This? This is nothing."

"That's good. THEN WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?" The guy fell over at her scream, luckily without any fruits hitting the ground as Lucy had just taken the last one from him.

"What?!" he sputtered from the ground.

"What the hell were you doing to send a cart flying down a hill?!"

"I wasn't doing anything!"

"Yeah, right. It just started to roll all by itself."

"Well, no..."

"Then what did you do?"

"It wasn't my fault! I was reaching for one of the fruits and my partner pushed me!"

"So you hit it hard enough to push it down the hill?"

"Hehe, yeah," he said, his hand going behind his head to rub the back of his head guiltily. Lucy stared as he did, reminded of another person who did that quite often. She shook her head and smiled.

"I guess that's alright, no one got hurt." She said. He grinned back, his slightly sharpened teeth forming a grin Lucy could have sworn she'd seen before.

"Alright!"

"HEY!" a voice yelled from the distance, "Where'd you go?"

"Sounds like my partners are looking for me! Hey, are you going to Crocus for the Grand Magic Games?"

"Yeah?"

"So am I, so I'll see you there, kay?" And with that he ran off, towards the sound of the yelling.

"Wait! My names Lucy!" She yelled after him. He turned and looked back, waving over his shoulder as he replied.

"Nice to meet you Luce! I'm Sting!" And with that he was gone.

Among other exciting jobs and such, that led Lucy to the last day until Natsu returned. It had been just over a month, and the group that had left with Natsu was due back anytime. So they waited, the Dragon Slayers especially, for the bells to ring and signify their return. The guild was ready to party, ready to cheer as their strongest came back home. Erza and Lisanna were happier than they had been in the previous two months, and Lucy couldn't help but be excited to see them walk through the doors.

They would need to wait another week before that would become a reality, and it was far from the happy reunion they thought it would be.

••••••••••••••••••••••

"Ten jewel they come back today." Macao said, looking at his empty glass. Him and Wakaba had been making the same bet for the past week now.

"You still owe me ten jewel from yesterday."

"Well, I'll make it twenty then!"

"Yeah right, you don't even have twenty jewel to your name."

"Will you two shut up already!" Liz yelled. "Your stupid bets are getting annoying!" Liz was tired of all the waiting. Truth was, she wasn't a very patient girl. Hisui was much better at the whole sitting around thing, but even she seemed a little worried.

"I'm sure they're fine," Carla said from her seat. She had one paw on her hip, were her sword was resting. Over the past two months she had almost mastered her transformation, to the embarrassment of Lily and Happy, who had both taken the better part of a year to master their own. She was also getting a lot better with her rapier, though the other two Exceeds were still much better.

"Yeah!" Wendy added, "They probably just got lost or something!"

"I could see that happening." Erza chimed in.

"Jellal wouldn't have gotten them lost though," Hisui said. The group stopped talking as the door was thrown open. The entire guild spun and looked, ready to finally see the group return.

"Hey guys! Sorry we're late!"

Only to groan as Gray and Juvia walked in. Gray looked around with a frown on his face,

"What? Are we not good enough?"

"Aye sir! You can be kind of useless sometimes." Happy said as he flew by.

"Stupid cat!" Gray yelled. Erza waved him over, and he and Juvia walked across the hall.

"Well Gray? Did you train hard?"

"You bet Erza! Can't wait to take you on!"

"We'll see Gray. Perhaps I will get to show my new armours."

"Juvia has gotten stronger too!" Juvia said, holding out her hand. Water spiralled up, forming into the sharp shape. Suddenly, the water froze, and a jagged looking icicle remained.

"Juvia is not good at controlling ice, but now she can freeze it at will! They make very good projectiles, and they show Juvia's dedication to her beloved!" Juvia said, loudly announcing the last part.

"Don't worry Juvia," Lucy said, sweat-dropping, "We know."

Soon Gray was regaling them with his stories from the Eternal Icefront, which was, as he described it, as beautiful as heaven but as deadly as hell. It was a full battle fort made entirely of ice, complete with a castle in the center of it all. Its purpose was to serve as the defense of an Astral Point, one of the few places on Earthland that could act as a gate to the Underworld or Celestia. The beings that lived there, snow wraiths, were cold and distant, and their master was even more so. His name was Jokül, embodiment of the hate and rage of ice. He was also Gray's sparring partner.

"It was rough, but really cool at the same time."

"Juvia agrees. It was hard work to keep up with Ur, but she was able to teach Juvia so much!"

"Well, we're good to have you back," Erza said, with everyone agreeing.

"So where's Natsu?"

"That, we do not know." Makarov said from the bar. He was standing there, a drink in hand. "We can only hope that they will arrive soon."

"I'm sure that they'll be here soon," Levy said, looking at the Master, "right Master?"

"Of course."

They didn't know how right they were.

••••••••••••••••••••••

A few hours had passed since Gray had returned, and nothing notable had happened. Some wanted to know what Gray had learned, but he was adamant to keep it hidden until he fought Natsu again.

Luckily, depending on your perspective, he didn't have to wait much longer. The group had just finished their lunch when a roar could be heard across the town. It shook the guild building, the ground, and every shop in Magnolia. A second roar answered the first, just as powerful as the last.

"Quickly!" Erza yelled, "We must defend the town is necessary!" Pushed out of their shock, the guild began to rush out of the doors to the cliff behind the guild. Years later they would still tell the story of what they saw. Coming quickly from the sea was the end of the world they thought they knew.

Two dragons, approaching at incredible speeds. They flew through the air, one roaring at the other seemingly keeping the second one awake as every few moments it dropped in altitude. Falling from its side was a fiery liquid, which in shock Lucy realized must be blood.

The first dragon seemed to be made entirely of flames, a burning skeleton. It was terrifying to behold, devilish in appearance.

That must be Atlas, a Hellfire Dragon if I've ever seen one.

The second, injured dragon was another case entirely. If it weren't for the intense power she could feel from the flowing blood from its side, and the strength she could see in its form, she would say it was a beautiful sight. It was black in colour, with glowing crimson flame symbols on its legs, similarly glowing red lines connecting them. Its eyes glowed crimson as well, and as it got closer she could see the obsidian scales individually reflecting the sunlight. It was leaner than Atlas, and smaller than Acnologia had been, but she could feel the power flowing from the sleek dragon. Its black claws looked wicked sharp, and its teeth even more so. Up close it was more amazing than she had initially thought. It was also more injured than she had thought. Its side had a massive gash in it, its wing was torn in many places, and similar gashes, bite wounds, and blast marks covered its body. It was barely flying, seemingly intent on reaching the land. She looked over at her friends to see if they were as amazed as she was, but her sights focused on Lisanna as she glanced over. The white haired girl was in tears, staring at the dragon as it struggled to remain airborne for the last stretch. Looking back to the approaching dragon, she noticed something rather important, which was confirmed a moment later by a resounding shout. The black dragon wasn't slowing down.

"GET BACK!" Atlas screeched, his voice nearly the same as when he was human, but layered with an intense power.

"Go! Go!" Makarov yelled, "He's going to crash!"

That did it. Immediately, the members began to rush back to the hall, most using magic to speed up their trip. The black dragon was truly falling now, his energy spent, and Atlas was too far to be of much help.

"Lucy!" Erza yelled, grabbing her hand and pulling her along as the dragon approached the ground.

"Requip: Adamantine Armour!" A glowing seal appeared before them, blocking the guild as the dragon slammed into the ground, a cry of "NO!" splitting the air as the resultant shockwave shook the ground and the air rushed against the seal, pushing Erza back a few feet.

"Ice Make: Glacial Wall!" A wall of ice erupted in front of them, adding to the shielding that Erza had already put up. The ice wall cracked before the blast was done, but held, so no damage was done to the Guild. A few moment later the ice melted as Atlas Flame landed in a twister of fire. As the fire disappeared, Atlas remained on the ground, now in human form. Other forms were there as well, and as they approached, Lucy could see just how injured they were. Gildarts was missing his prosthetic arm, and was covered on gashes. His left eye was swollen beyond belief, and his right leg was bloody and covered in makeshift bandages. Jellal was no better off. He wasn't wearing a shirt, for his chest was covered in bandages that seemed to be made of his old garment, and he had more strips of cloth wrapped around his head. One of his legs looked hurt, maybe broken, and he was clutching his arm painfully too. Lucy couldn't stop staring at the bloody duo, two of the strongest mages she knew. Atlas approached, holding Jellal up as the Heavenly Body Mage limped along.

"Take him." Atlas' voice cut through the horrified silence that hung in the air, and instantly three things happened. First, Makarov began yelling for people to return indoors, for someone to get Porlyusica, and to prepare the infirmary. The second thing was Gray, Cana, and Erza rushing forwards, helping Atlas support Jellal and in Gray and Cana's case helping Gildarts. And the third? Lisanna shot off, sprinting towards the crater that had been formed. Atlas looked at them all and sighed. Of the three he looked the best off, only having a small amount of wounds, but Lucy could see a few larger gashes on him that seemed to be sealed shut with fire.

Makarov looked over the group and shook his head. Slowly he approached Atlas, looking and feeling older than he had in long time.

"Atlas. It has been a long time since my children have come home with such injuries. What happened?"

"There will be time for stories after Makarov. If you have this handled, I must go and help Lisanna."

"And what is she doing?"

"Healing magic, most likely through her Flare Fiend Soul."

"I wasn't aware they were capable of healing."

"Usually no, but as you probably noticed, we are healing a fire dragon."

"Atlas?" Atlas looked over as Lucy spoke up. "Where's Natsu?"

"Lucy…" Makarov started.

"I believe your master has figured it out little fairy, so you are welcome to ask him. It won't remain a secret for long. I must be joining the healing process." Turning he ran towards the now smoking crater.

A sniffle drew her attention, and looking down Lucy saw Wendy crying.

"Are you okay Wendy?"

"What sort of question is that?" A rough voice said. The majority of the guild had gone indoors now, including a devastated Makarov, to look after the two highly injured S-class mages. However, Gajeel had apparently remained outside, Liz as well.

"What?"

"C'mon Bunny Girl, use your head here. Master isn't the only fairy to get it."

"What are you talking about Gajeel?"

"It's not like she can smell it Gajeel." Liz spoke up. Her voice was quiet, reserved. It was frightening. In the past few months that she had known Liz, she had never heard her be so quiet.

"Smell what? Not all of us are Dragon Slayers here!" Lucy cried out. She was starting to get annoyed.

"Lucy," Happy said, tears in his eyes, "It's Natsu."

Lucy hadn't seen the pink haired slayer anywhere, and she would have thought he would be the first one that anyone saw.

"Natsu! Where is he? I haven't seen him at all! Is he hurt?"

"Yes you have Bunny Girl. And of course he's hurt baka."

"Lucy. Natsu's here." Happy said quietly.

"But where?" Lucy asked. Wendy was the one who answered her, though not with words. Her hand raised shakily, pointing to the crater.

"What? Natsu's with the dragon? Is that Igneel?"

"No Lucy," Liz said, "Natsu isn't with the dragon. He is the dragon."

Lucy stopped, and she felt the ground shake as a massive blast of fire shot from the crater, followed by a roar of pain. Natsu's roar of pain.

"He's the dragon? How?!"

"That's something I want answered. How'd Salamander do it? Is that why he's so strong? What the hell is going on?" Gajeel asked, getting louder and more frustrated with each question.

"I can't tell you." Liz responded

"Can't tell us? Why not?"

"Because." Liz replied curtly.

"Why not Liz?" Wendy's voice was soft.

"I just can't."

"Wait," Lucy said as a thought popped into her mind. "If Natsu turned into a dragon, does that mean all of you are going to turn into dragons?" As soon as the words left her mouth she regretted them, as Wendy's eyes widened and tears came welling to the surface. Seeing her expression, Liz's face softened, and she sighed.

"No, not all of us are going to turn into dragons."

"What the hell is going on then?!"

"I already told you metal mouth, I CAN'T TELL YOU!"

"WELL WHY NOT?"

"Enough. She cannot tell you because she is under a binding oath." The word was spoken softly, but with power behind it. Turning, they saw Atlas standing there, the roars having tapered off while the two dragon slayers had been yelling at each other. He looked much more ragged then he had just minutes before, tired and beaten.

"Is…" Lucy stopped. She wanted to know, but couldn't help but fear the worst.

"He'll live. Lisanna is just working on finishing the healing right now, stoking his inner flame. It was close."

"What happened?" Liz asked, the note of panic gone from her voice as she heard the better news.

"It was a trap. I'll explain more inside."

"Shouldn't we wait for Natsu?" Wendy asked.

"He knows what happened little one. But, perhaps you would like to go help speed up the process? Sky dragons are renowned for their healing capabilities, and I've heard from Natsu that you are no exception." Wendy shuffled, embarrassed by the praise, before nodding quickly.

"Right!"

"Ask Lisanna to tell you what happened, I already gave her a brief overview."

"Okay. Do Gildarts or Jellal need any healing?" Atlas laughed in response.

"They may look terrible, but I have no doubt that Porlyusica will have them up and about in a couple days. She is a great healer, even for those of us who are not human. Perhaps even more so," he said with a chuckle. "Their wounds were serious, but so long as they receive some basic treatment they won't become worse."

"Alright. I'll be back with Natsu and Lisanna in no time!" Wendy said before rushing off into the crater.

"Now, let us go indoors. I have no reservations that your Master will want to hear the tale.

••••••••••••••••••••••

The guild hall was in a state of muteness when they entered. Makarov was sitting at the front, eyes closed, but the rest of the mages were shooting glances at the infirmary. Atlas cleared his throat, and almost at once the entire guild looked his direction.

"Atlas. While I am glad that everyone survived, I cannot take the injuries of my children lightly. What happened?"

"It was a hard fight Makarov, one that took everything we had." The Master turned and looked at the entrance to the medical wing, gasping as he saw the man limping through it.

"Gildarts! Are you feeling okay? Why are you up?"

"With all due respect Master, we both know I've faced much worse. Porlyusica said I was alright to move," he said before looking at Atlas, "How's the kid?"

"Alive." Gildarts sighed, letting the tension flow out of him .

"Thank goodness."

"Can someone tell us what happened?" Gray asked impatiently. The entire guild was in the hall now, sans Erza, Wendy, and Lisanna.

"Then we can answer some other questions too." Gajeel added bitterly, causing Levy to look at him worriedly.

"Well Makarov? You are master here."

"If you would Atlas."

"As you know, we set off to find and kill one of the four Heralds of the Apocalypse, Death. With the four of us we believed we could overpower him. In fact, last time we clashed with him, Natsu and I were able to nearly kill him. We found him after nearly a month of searching We thought we had him cornered, and after a month of searching. We chased him for the next month, until less than two days ago. We thought we had cornered him, driven him to desperation. We were deceived. Lying in wait were two more of the deadly Heralds. As we entered the valley to finish him off, we were caught. What we had thought was chasing him down was him slowly making us complacent. Famine, the weakest of the four, had come behind us. On her own, Famine is not a terribly strong dragon. Her emerald green scales are softer than most, and her strength or speed is weak when compared to other dragons. I could defeat her on my own in a straight fight if I needed to. However, she is never alone. Her magic is that of a draining kind of magic, like a leech. She is named Famine because she drains the land and the creatures thereof of their energy, converting it into her own attack energy. So while her base strength is weak, her potential is immense.

"Before we had realized it she had drained the entire valley behind us, and let loose a tremendous roar. Fortunately, we noticed before it hit, and we were able to dodge. On the other hand, it also split us into two groups. Gildarts and myself were on one side of the valley, with Jellal and Natsu on the other. It was then that the second Herald we faced appeared. On our side of the valley Death came forth, his oily black scales reeking of the very thing he was named after. His attacks were all I could handle, for though I am powerful, I am not quite as strong as Death. However, I must also say I am impressed. I did not get a chance to say so in the heat of battle, but you Gildarts are truly an impressive human. I have never before seen a dragon, let alone a Herald, experience pain from a human's magic. In the past the only magic that could affect us, let alone injure us, was that of the Dragon's, God's, and Devil's."

Gildarts nodded his head and smiled.

"Give credit where it's due Atlas. I did very little in the grand scheme of things."

"Very well, but do not sell yourself short Gildarts. Despite the magnitude of our own battle, on the other side one just as fierce was taking place. Famine had begun to attack our companions. She was ferocious, and almost immediately I could sense Natsu and Jellal using their full strength just to remain alive.

"We fought like that for hours on end, never a break nor rest. Famine would rear her ugly head every once in a while, on our side, switching places with Death and sending waves of drained energy towards us to distract us. It was long fought, but the battle was slowly turning for our favour. Then he arrived. War, the strongest of the Heralds. After witnessing Natsu's power, I am sure that in a one on one battle, he would eventually come out on top. Among the Dragons, he is praised as the third most powerful in our ranks. In fact, the only reason he didn't go out to deal with Death on his own was because he was afraid of being outnumbered, something we wished we had remembered.

"Yet, this wasn't one on one, nor was Natsu at his full strength after fighting for hours on end. War attacked with no mercy, his first attack would have killed us all of it weren't for Gildarts."

"I noticed the charge of energy, so I put all my power into my arms and tried to dispel it. The magic was too much for my prosthetic though, and it shattered. That's when I passed out."

"Jellal fell into unconsciousness mere moments later as various explosions rocked the remains of the valley. He was using Shin'en, quite well I might add, but the power was too much for him to handle. It was at that point that we fled. We flew fast and strong, but we were too tired to lose our opponents. It was then that Natsu turned around, tossing Jellal to me and claiming he would slow them down."

"What did he do?" Liz asked, riveted by the story. She had always loved hearing about her master's battles.

"I entered Stage 6 of Dragon Magic." A voice called out from the door that lead to the cliff. Once again the guild found them turning to face the door.

"Natsu!" Happy yelled out as he flew over to his oldest friend.

"Hey there buddy." Natsu was still a mess, his hair matted with blood, his shirtless chest covered in gashes and cuts, and his skin was pale, but no longer did blood flow from his side in a steady stream. He walked to the front, supported by Wendy and Lisanna, both of them with tears still in their eyes, and gave a weak smile to the three men at the front of the guild.

"Natsu, I am glad you're moving." Makarov said with a bright smile.

"Me too gramps. Anyways, the rest of the story is pretty simple. In Stage 6 I forced them to turn back, but before I had entered Stage 6 they got a few powerful shots off into my side and wings. All healed up now though, thanks to Lisanna, Atlas, and Wendy, but I am going to pretty weak for at least a day or two. After that we flew back, but as you saw I almost didn't make it."

The guild was quiet for a moment before Makarov turned to the rest of the guild.

"That was quite the tale. However sad it was though; we have nothing to mourn! Our team has returned, alive, so let us leave this grief behind! Let us celebrate, for now we have a reason to!"

The guild cheered in response, and just like that the drinks were circling the room. Natsu smiled as he watched.

"It never changes, huh bud?"

"Aye sir, never!" Happy said back, sitting down on Lisanna's head. But, before the four could do anything (as Lisanna and Wendy were still holding him up), a group of people surrounded them. All of the dragon slayers, Makarov, Gildarts, Levy, Lucy, and Gray (which meant Juvia too) sat him down at a table and looked at him intently.

"Umm, what's up guys?"

"What's up Salamander? I want to hear all about all this dragon stuff, now!" Gajeel said.

"Natsu, perhaps you can explain a few things for us?" Makarov offered.

Natsu sighed, looking around.

"Fine, but not here. Lets go to your office, okay gramps?"

Slowly they helped him and Gildarts up the stairs, eventually just having Makarov carrying them in his titan enlarged hands. Soon they were all seated in the Guild Master's office, and Natsu sighed as he sunk into one of the plushy chairs.

"Alright, I guess we'll start with what you guys know."

"Well," Gildarts started, "Liz told us there were 7 stages of dragon slaying magic."

"Close enough. Anything else?"

Makarov leaned forwards, "She also said that humans could only use the first 4."

"Is that it? What about you guys?" Natsu asked, pointing at the dragons slayers in the room. Gajeel shrugged.

"That's all I know too. Metalicana left before he could explain it too in depth."

"Alright, well you guys almost know the whole thing already anyways. Atlas?" The fire dragon nodded and began.

"The first thing you should be aware of is that you were wrong before. There are only three stages of Dragon Slayer Magic. However," he said as the group began to protest. "There are 7 stages of Dragon Magic. Dragon Slaying magic only includes the first three of these stages."

Natsu nodded in agreeance.

"So, we all know the first stage, basic dragon slaying magic. The second stage is one that I really want to teach you all during our training this month, once I get a little stronger. This is the Drive Incantation. It will increase your power, and get you in tune with your element. The third and final stage of Dragon Slaying Magic is Dragon Force."

"Grandeeney mentioned that one to me!" Wendy said.

"She would have. And if it were it up to her, that would be the extent of your power."

"What?" Wendy cried. Natsu sighed.

"I'm sorry, that made her sound terrible, or evil. I promise she isn't. I'll get back to that Wendy. The point is, the next stage of Dragon is just that, Dragon Magic. Stage 4 doesn't have a real name, but it is the point where a Slayer is teetering on the edge, almost becoming one with their element."

"We knew that much Natsu." Gildarts said.

"I know, but I wanted it to all be clear. Now, Liz told you all that the farthest humans could go was stage 4, right? That is true."

"So…" Lucy said, "does that mean you aren't human?"

Natsu laughed. It started out a sort of huff, but quickly became long, hard, and very loudly. Eventually he calmed down enough to look up at the confused faces of all of his friends, except Atlas and Lisanna.

'I'm sorry Luce, but that question has a few levels of irony to it. Short answer is, no. I am not human any more. But, the truth is any human can reach Stage 5."

"But you just said -" Natsu didn't even let Levy finish her thought.

"I did. You see, there is a secret among Dragon Slayers, one that our parents never told us. The reason that humans can never use Stage 5 is simple. Once you reach that stage, you become something else."

Slowly, the dragon slayers' eyes widened in shock.

"You mean."

"Yup! At Stage 5, you give yourself to your element, and it changes you. You exceed all powers you had as a human and take your true form. You become a Dragon." The room, especially the dragon slayers, remained quiet. "Now, usually this process is natural. The more you use your Dragon Slaying Magic, the more you become like a dragon. Eventually, all dragon slayers become dragons. This process is called dragonification. Once you reach the magic maturity of a dragon, stage 5 activates for the first time, and you transform. Usually you get some traits of a dragon along the way, like wings, but those go away when you turn back into a human afterwards."

"So we're all going to turn into dragons?" Wendy asked.

"I already said no to that Wendy." Liz said, leaning down to sit next to the bluenette.

"Liz is right. We had an advantage that no others had. When our dragons were forced to leave us, they placed magic seals inside our bodies, preventing us from developing into dragons. Mine broke when Acnologia attacked Tenrou Island, awakening some of the latent powers inside me. So no, you won't become dragons of you don't want to."

"If we don't want to?" Gajeel questioned.

"Well, it is a magic seal. If me and Atlas were to work together we could shatter it, but since it is inside your soul we would need permission. Igneel told me that since we trusted them without a doubt they could do it to us when we were kids, but it's different now that we're older. Now, without permission, no magic would be able to penetrate it. So yes, if you want to. However, before you say anything, you must know this comes with some consequences that won't only affect you. First, you will be dragon. You will be stronger, faster, better, but you will also live much, much longer. In all of history there has never been a dragon that died of old age. No one knows if they even age."

"Is that why you look the same? Even though it's been 5 years since you got free of Fairy Sphere?" Lucy asked.

"Yup! But, that not all." He looked over at Lisanna, and Lucy saw her nod. "You will also affect your mate. What do you all know about Dragon Mates?" This time Gajeel actually scoffed.

"I know this one. Metalicana wouldn't shut up about it. Dragon Magic is funny when it comes to mates. A dragon mates once, for life. Their magic knows who their soulmate is, far before they realize it for themselves." Natsu nodded before finishing the thought for him.

"A Dragon has one mate meant for them, one that is theirs forever. So, if you become a Dragon, your soulmate will be connected to you in a way like never before. Their magic will be boosted, yes, but not by a ton. The biggest thing is their lives will be tied to yours, meaning…"

"They too will be immortal when it comes to the passage of time." Makarov finished sadly.

"Exactly."

"Does this mean what I think it does?"

"It does," Lisanna said as she revealed her Guild symbol with the dragon wrapped around it. "This is the mark that appeared on my skin when Natsu fully became a Dragon."

"So you are…"

"Soulmates, yes." Lucy's eyes widened, remembering the conversation that she and Natsu had those two months ago. So THAT'S what he meant by different.

"Anyways, that's probably the biggest difference."

"Wait," Gajeel said, all while avoiding eye contact with Levy (who was mildly blushing as she looked at Lisanna's mark then back to Gajeel), "Are we all going to be black dragons? Last time I checked, Fire Dragons were red, but you aren't."

Natsu rubbed the back of his head, laughing slightly.

"Yeah, I'm a little different. I have some other things that make me unique, the same reason I have those black flames mixed with my crimson ones. Its a long story, but you guys would be similar to your parents, though still different in some ways. So, back to the Magic, the last two Stages of Dragon Magic are very rare, and only available to a few select."

Atlas grumbled as Natsu said this.

"Oh shut it Atlas. Anyways, Stage 6 is also called the King's Transcendence. My magic is multiplied tenfold, and my physical form becomes more unstable. It's sort of like becoming one with my magic and power. Currently, I only know three other Dragons beside myself that can use this technique. Igneel, Valis, and Acnologia. As far as I know, you have to be of royal magic to do so."

"Quite impressive my child. Now what of the final phase?" Makarov asked.

"The last stage, Stage 7, is known as Ascension. Little is known about it, and very few Dragons know anything about it. The only thing I know is that it is not something you can be trained to master, it is something that exists already inside you."

"Wait, you said that not many Dragons know anything about it. So, why do you?" Levy asked.

"That is simple, he has that power. We do not know how, or why, but we know he has it. The gold flames that appear sometimes in his fire? That is the power of Ascension." Atlas said.

"Is that why Acnologia and the Heralds hate you so much?" Juvia asked, talked for the first time (surprising those that didn't see her enter the room).

"Well, not really," Natsu amended, "It's a little more complicated, but I can explain it simply. A few years ago, when me and Lisanna were on our journey, we met a man. He was tall, built like a mountain, and covered in blue tribal tattoos. His hair was dark blue, and his eyes were green. He didn't say his name, but claimed that we interested him. We talked tensely for a few minutes, and soon the topic of the Dragons came up. Rather abruptly, interrupting my question about Igneel too, he asked us what we thought of the current Dragon King, Acnologia."

"And what'd you say?" Gray asked, leaning in.

"What else would I say? I told him that if I could I'd kill the bastard. He doesn't deserve to be king of anything, let alone dragons. Hell, I'd make a better king." Atlas sighed.

"The exact words you used were 'I'd rather be King myself then let that scaly bastard continue being the King of Dragons.'"

"Which," Lisanna chimed in, "Was a stupid thing to say."

"This was before I had met Atlas, so I didn't know a lot about Dragon culture. "

"Natsu, you don't know a lot about any culture." Happy said.

"Not true!"

"Remember that time you got us arrested? You thought that you could buy a meal by scaring all the other stalls away, but you accidentally destroyed them!"

"That was fine, the merchants were just babies." Natsu said with a huff. "Their carts were only slightly burnt. Anyways, in Dragon Culture I had just made a claim to the throne. Usually Acnologia could just dismiss it, but since I'm Igneel's son he couldn't, since Igneel is the Fire Dragon King."

"Unfortunately, that guy we were talking to? The tribal tattoos guy? That was Acnologia in human form."

"NO WAY!" The group yelled, causing Natsu and Atlas to growl.

"Hey! Our heads hurt like hell here! And yes way, he had decided that he wanted to judge me as a new dragon before I unlocked my power. He was planning on killing us after we had talked, but since I made a claim his magic wouldn't let him kill me right off. Some thing about honour. He was pretty angry, but he told us calmly that next time we met he would kill me."

"Aye sir! Then he destroyed the mountain we were on with a punch and flew away!"

The group stared for a moment. The story they had just heard, all of that information, swirled around in their minds. Gray was the first to break free and turned to Natsu again, somewhat used to weird stuff after living with Ur for a couple months

"So that's what you were talking about when you summoned Ur? The whole Candidate of an Ancient Throne?" he asked.

"Yeah, that was it," Natsu replied, wincing as he scratched the back of his head. Noticing, Lisanna looked down at him with sympathy.

"Alright, I think that's enough. Natsu's going to need some time to rest if you all want to be trained by him in a few days."

Almost immediately the group of dragon slayers began telling him to go to bed, get some rest, and more. Natsu laughed and agreed, letting Gray and Lisanna help him up.

"One more thing," he said as he was leaving the room. "At the end of the month me and Atlas were planning on testing Liz. If she proves strong enough she wants us to remove the seal that prevents her from becoming a dragon. I know I made it out to be terrible, but there's plenty of benefits. Think it through, and if you want we can do it for you guys too. Well, not you Laxus, sorry, this is something only those directly exposed to pure Dragon Magic are affected by. Have a good couple days guys, cause as soon as these bandages come off its going to be Hell on Earthland for you guys."

"Natsu, when you're feeling better I want to fight you, okay?" Gray asked as they were leaving the room. Natsu laughed happily.

"If you can get me some grilled fish from the bar Gray, you got yourself a fight." Their laughter petered off as they left, going down the stairs. Atlas looked after them for a moment before excusing himself as to get some rest too. Makraov smiled as the friends walked off, Lucy excusing herself to join them. The group in the office sat for a few more seconds before Gajeel turned to Liz.

"So you want to be a dragon? What for sparky?" Liz, for once, didn't react to the jab and instead sighed before looking at Gajeel.

"It's funny, none of you questioned Natsu when he said that Igneel told him about the seal, and how he would need permission to break it."

"You mean, he didn't tell him that?" Wendy asked, confused.

"No, he did. The big part is when he told him that."

Laxus' eyes widened fractionally and he smirked.

"The biggest reason I want to become a dragon is because once I do, I can see Mom again." Liz's voice was quiet, but it was impossible to miss the sound of longing in her voice. "The dragons had to leave because they wanted to protect us from Acnologia. Since we're just humans, he doesn't really care about us. But, if we were dragons, it wouldn't matter, we would be a part of their world. So yeah, I want to become a dragon, that way I can finally see her again. Natsu talks to her for me, when he sees her, but it isn't the same."

With that she left as well. Gildarts cleared his throat before standing and limping towards the door.

"Well, I'm beat. If someone wouldn't mind, could you guys drop by the Heart Kreuz armoury in town? I ordered some magically imbued prosthetics so I could use my Crash Magic in my other arm and leg without blowing them up, but I need to sleep too. Laxus! You look bored and I'm feeling like you won't break them, so you can do that."

"What?!"

"Laxus, go do it," Makarov said. Laxus turned and huffed as he walked out of the room, glaring at Gildarts as the man smirked at him. Makarov sighed and turned to the group of people that remained.

"Well? You have a few more days to yourself now. Go enjoy yourself with the rest of the guild, and be ready. You will only have about two weeks with him, so be ready to work hard. Now, go have fun!" He said as he kicked them out of the room.

"Finally, some peace and quiet."

"Aye Sir!"

"GET OUT HAPPY!"


Well, there's another chapter gone! I've got two more chapters planned before the Grand Magic Games begin! Next chapter, the last day off before some serious training begins! Plus, we get to see just how much Gray has grown as he faces off against Natsu!

As always, feel free to leave a review! Till next time!