Hi everyone! So apparently this chapter got out on at a relatively decent time I think. I do want to mention that Blue will be away for the next couple of weeks, so any chapters that arrive between now and then will be by my hand alone. So, I apologize in advance for any potential drops in quality.
As for Legends of the Atherial, I'm at a loss as to when Jane will send it back to me. Your guess on this matter is just as good as mine. So, my deepest apologies, please forgive me, everyone!
Itsamemario: Thanks for the compliment I really appreciate it! As for the meeting, I'm sure that the reunion will be spectacular in its own right.
Disclaimer: We don't own Fairy Tail, we only own OUR OCs
Enjoy chapter 11 everyone!
(Crystal plains)
"Again!" Sapphira called out, standing a few feet away.
Eren grit his teeth and tensed his hands at his sides, veins becoming prominent. A red-hot aura shone brightly from the crystal hanging around his neck.
"Control it," the dragon queen said firmly. Eren grunted with effort, the light becoming slightly brighter. "I said to control it, human. Don't let it grow." The light became brighter. "Human, watch yourself-"
"I'm trying, damn it!" the dragonslayer screamed. The scarlet light exploded in a powerful blast across the chilly plains.
Sapphira's earrings jingled against one another from the wind created by the blast. "You lost control again," she spoke with a sigh. "You need to learn to rule over your emotions, not the other way around."
Eren scoffed, throwing his hands into the air with exasperation. "Can't you see that I'm trying? Honestly, I've had enough of this!" He stomped off in a random direction, even though he knew he wouldn't get very far. Each one of Sapphira's steps matched a hundred of his own, and even if he managed to out-step her somehow, she could fly.
Sure enough, Sapphira stood up, following him with languid, heavy, booming steps. "Leave me alone!" he shouted over his shoulder.
"You're acting like a child, be reasonable!" she snapped back. Eren plopped himself onto the frosty grass, crossing his arms with a huff. "And now you're pouting?" She chuckled under her breath. "I thought I was training a mighty dragonslayer, not a hatchling."
Eren was going to snap something back, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. His brain was too clouded and he was too cold. His cheeks, ears, and nose were red with a blush-like color, and his eyes stung from unshed tears, forced to his blue orbs by cold gusts of wind.
He settled upon just sighing. "I'm just… I'm so done with this. We've been at this for what feels like weeks, working with this godforsaken soul stone" -he ripped it from off his neck, staring at it as he held it tightly in his hand, the twine that was holding it around his neck slipping to the ground- "and absolutely nothing has happened."
He clasped his cold fingers around the crystal, his numbness making it nearly impossible to feel the gently crafted edges. "...I can't get it right, Sapphira. I can't get it right, I'm not getting stronger, and I might never return home. I don't know what to do." When the dragon remained silent, Eren scoffed at himself. "I don't even know why I'm telling this to you, it's really none of your business."
Sapphira let out a roaring burst of laughter. "Excuse me, I wasn't the one who asked to hear all of your worries, human!" She wiped a stray tear from her eye with an aged, slightly chipped talon. "You have grown stronger, you know. You may not be able to sense it, but I surely have. Your raw power has grown significantly since we first met."
She sat down next to him, towering over his form which he had never thought was particularly small, up until that point. She stretched out her white tail and wrapped it around him, pulling him closer to her side.
His blue eyes widened and he tried pulling away with a few jerky motions. "What do you think you're doing?!"
She chuckled. "You're freezing, Eren." The slayer froze, unable to move. His name… It sounded undeniably comforting coming from her mouth. "Now, what I think we should do is stop for the day, warm up, try to sort out some of our emotions, and then come back to this tomorrow with fresh minds." She gave him a toothy smile, which seemed almost unintentional. "All right?"
He looked up at her, his eyes still wide. "I, um…" He still wasn't sure how to react. He cleared his throat. "Actually, I think I can probably keep going."
"Are you sure?"
He nodded. "Positive."
She unwrapped herself from him, leaving him feeling a little lonely, much to his chagrin. "Very well, then we'll continue. Before we do anything though, I want you to be aware of something." Eren listened closely. "When you're trying to control your power, you force it to do as you say. That is why you are failing and where your anger is coming from, I believe."
Eren could only ponder this, trying to think of what his mother-Wait, was she his mother? She did take care of him like a mother would, at least that's what the stories he'd read often had told. She offered encouragement and scolded him when necessary. "What are you trying to say by that? I'm afraid I'm not catching on."
"Magic itself is its own entity; it does what it wants to, while also conforming to the mage's wishes. Kind of like a symbiosis, if you will. Perhaps that will help you."
Eren picked up his loose twine and tied the crystal back around his neck. "It might."
This time, he was successful by listening to the magic around him and informing it of his desire. He was able to control the flow of magic around his soul stone. His body and the crystal both glowing a soft scarlet red. Emitting a warmth that could melt the snow around him, had there been any there in the first place.
The mighty dragon queen looked on with joy. Her newly adopted child had almost perfected the basics of her power. Which was a feat in of itself.
"Now you're getting it, Eren! Remember, the key to a crystal dragonslayer's power is control. Now that you have control, we can truly begin working on your abilities." She shook her wings, relieving them if any minimal chill that she felt. "However, let's keep that away for tomorrow, you'll freeze if you stay out here too long." Eren's mood seemed to brighten at the thought.
For the first time in eight long, desperate, lonely years, he finally had found someone to fill the void she once held. The one that he foolishly thought could be relied on for anything. The one receiving all of the unnecessary praise, just for being herself.
Erza Scarlet.
His mind traveled once again, this time to the crystron that he held in high regard. 'I always knew you were special, ever since you came to me back in that tower,' he thought to himself. 'I promised to take care of you until we could find a way to turn you back to normal.' He always knew of the condition affecting what used to be his best friend; of what their captors did to her.
How they cast a transformation spell to turn her into nothing more than a creature that could be sold at a massive profit. He hated them, he hated everything, he even hated his own life.
How could the world be so cruel?
(Sapphira's cave)
"Sapphira?" Eren began, breaking the silence at looking up at her. "Can I be honest about something?"
She looked down at him, eyes shining ethereally in the dim light of her cave. "Yes, what do want to talk about young one?"
He searched for the proper question. "What year are we in?"
"391, if I remember human calendars. Why?"
He sighed. "Then it's as I thought." Eren contemplated before continuing. "I'm not from this time period, Sapphira. I come from over 350 years in the future." The Queen looked slightly skeptical. "My original home was in a secluded part of the Ishgar continent, I lived in a small village with my sister. Back then, or in that time, considering everything going on at the moment, I was quite content with my life. My sister and I did so much together, that when I try to recall it, I always seem to have this small smile. Even with how much I absolutely despise her, I always smile when I think of our childhood." Eren took a breath before continuing onwards, as if gathering his thoughts for what he was about to say.
"Take your time," Sapphira said softly.
Eren nodded. "When she betrayed and abandoned me in our shared hell, I was absolutely devastated. At the time, I thought that we meant everything to each other, but when I heard that she willingly attempted to sabotage the escape craft, I was heartbroken. Granted, at the time I was young, weak, and easily swayed by words, but after I found out the truth behind Erza leaving, I still felt angry. Angry that she was able to leave that place while I was still stuck in there. I was angry because, while she got a second chance at having an enjoyable life, I didn't, and was still imprisoned as a slave." He balled his fists and grit his teeth.
Sapphira only listened as her hatchling vented his problems and situation to her, desperately wanting to help him overcome all of his sorrows and angers.
However, since those emotions have been building for many years, there wasn't much she would be able to do for him. "Your sister more than likely had a reason for leaving like she did," she offered. "From what you've told me, she doesn't seem the type of human to willingly and easily break a bond. Especially one as strong as it seems you two once had for each other."
Eren had a bitter taste in his mouth. "Whatever the case may be, she still betrayed me and broke our promise. That's more than enough reason to wish her removed. It's bad enough that my codename for my guild is the same as her last name."
Sapphiria was intrigued. "Oh? Pray, tell what that name is?"
"Scarlet, in my case, named for the color of both my hair and my Dragonslaying magic."
The queen tilted her head, her earrings jingling. "You seem to despise that name."
Eren rolled his eyes. "It's not my favorite, no."
"What if I gave you a new one? A name that you would be able to truly call your own." In fact, Sapphira had already had a name in mind for her young slayer. A name that would resonate far more than 'Scarlet' ever could.
Interested, Eren shot her a curious look. "A new name? Like what?" He paused skeptically. "Why would you do that for me?"
"Now, why wouldn't a mother give a name to their child?" Sapphira lightly chuckled. "From now on, you may call yourself Eren Dragnae, son of the Crystal Dragon Queen, Sapphira." Eren looked up at her with wide, shining eyes. "Now, as my son, I think it's time we test your skills against a friend of mine. Igneel will be quite pleased with a sparring match, I believe."
"Would this 'Igneel' be a challenge for me?" Eren asked. Hope gleaned from his eyes, a hope that he might have a challenge worthy of being remembered.
"I would think that the king of fire-dragons would be enough of a match for you.," Sapphira assured him. "Who knows, you might actually give him a fight he can stay quiet about. Every dragon knows Igneel can't stay quiet about stuff like that." She whispered that last sentence to herself, unable to fathom Eren's enhanced hearing. She cleared her throat. "Well, I think it's about time you get some rest." She stood up, her bones creaking from age. "I'll be inviting Igneel to the training grounds."
Eren scoffed. "Are you giving me a bedtime?"
She pushed him onto his back with a large talon. "That is what parents do, yes." She nodded. Eren squirmed under her a little. "Sleep, it will be good for you, and help you regain your strength," she hissed.
He stopped moving with a huff. "Fine. But I am not going to sleep."
"You're a child all right," Sapphira sighed. She walked towards the cave's entrance, stretching her wings. "I'll be back by morning, rest yourself well. You'll need it."
(Crystal Plains)
"Igneel is due soon," Sapphiria said, shaking her wings free of the snow that had fallen on them. It was colder than usual today, the cold flakes falling from the sky in slow, dramatic droves. "Remember what I taught you, Eren. Then, and only then, might you claim victory in this fight."
A stern look adorned the dragon queen. She was concerned, though not for her slayer. She was well aware of his capabilities and power. She was worried for Igneel's sake. Worried that the aging dragon might go a little overboard in the coming fight. He was rather prideful as well, and that didn't help at all.
"Don't worry, that overgrown lizard doesn't know what's in store," Eren said, rolling his neck so as to loosen it up for the upcoming battle. Already, he was flaring his magical power, as if daring the dragon to fight him. "In fact, I think he might turn around and flee the moment he senses my power. Most of my opponents do that anyway."
Sapphira sharpened her gaze. "Don't get too overconfident in yourself, child. A dragon, especially one of his stature, is not a foe to be trifled with." She fiddled with an earring. "Igneel might be more of a challenge than you realize." A roar could be heard in the distance, making the queen's head snap up. "And look who decides to finally show himself."
Eren could only assume that the red dragon landing in front of him was Igneel.
"Let's make this quick, Sapphira," the lava-colored, cranky-looking dragon huffed. "I, too, have a dragonslayer to raise."
Eren scoffed under his breath. "This old fossil is the king of fire dragons?" he mumbled to himself.
Igneel simply looked down at him, his reptilian eyes piercing their way into the very fiber of his being. "Sapphira must have a lot of faith in you, human. The crystal dragons aren't the type to take on dragonslayers." He studied him for a moment longer. "Especially not ones like you."
In an instant, Eren's muscles tensed and he got into a fighting stance, determined to prove to his mother that he was ready to take flight on his own.
There was a stillness in the air, dragon looking on dragonslayer. Fire against crystal, two magics capable of incredible destruction.
"Crystal Dragon's" -Eren decided to make the first attack- "Roar!" Instead of a wide beam of uncontrolled magic, there was a drill of precise, deadly, crystalline energy. It headed straight for the Dragon King of Fire.
Matching it with a roar of his own, Igneel was impressed. Never before had he seen that type of power behind a roar.
The crystals shattered into hundreds of pieces, dispersing across the snowy plain, never to be seen again. "I must say," Igneel said. "Perhaps you do have potential."
Eren glared at him. "I'm not done yet." The stone on his necklace glowed its regular bright, warm color, though this time, it was nearly blinding. Perhaps it was the adrenaline of battle?
Sapphira stood a few feet away, eyeing the battle with an inkling of worry resting at the back of her mind. "Eren, please calm yourself…" She hoped that her quietly whispered words might reach him somehow. "Don't lose control. Remember your training."
Eren lifted his arms, the shattered pieces of crystal following his moments, forming two large, sharp, foreboding icicles.
"Crystal Dragon's Piercing Bolt!" In an instant, both icicles were sent flying towards the red dragon. Unfortunately for Igneel, he was unable to dodge in time and both icicles pinned his ginormous wings to the cold ground below.
He let out a howl of pain. "How dare you, human!"
The slayer ignored him, focusing on his attacks. "Crystal Dragon's Talon!" Immediately afterward, Eren launched himself at the grand beast in a spiraling motion, determined to be the victor of this match.
With the dragon king unable to move, this would be the perfect time to end the fight before the dragon could turn the fight around in his favor.
Eren against Igneel, who do you think will win? Will the dragon slayer overcome the dragon? or will the mighty Igneel put Eren in his place? Many potential options lie in front of us, don't they?
Hope you have a wonderful morning/afternoon/evening everyone! And we'll see you next time!