Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
Fairy Tail—The Master and the Dragon
Chapter 11
A FEW MINUTES AGO
Nikolias flew with all of his might. He knew something was going wrong. He could smell it. There was something evil in Magnolia and he wanted to be there to protect his friends. He wanted to be there to protect Gracie and Natsu and Lucy and Gray and Erza and he especially wanted to protect Mira.
'Of all the times for this to happen, it just had to happen when I went away to find answers. Damn it, fly faster!' he thought to himself as dread continued to flow through his body. He flapped his wings faster and faster. He knew Magnolia was near.
He broke through the forest border and landed on a rock face. He panted heavily and retracted his exhausted wings and tail as he looked upon the town. He had finally made it to Magnolia.
And there was indeed something wrong. Smoke could be seen in the distance and with his keen hearing, he could pick up the sounds of fighting. He listened carefully and knew instantly where the sounds were coming from.
"Fairy Tail…fuck!" he hissed and ran as fast as he could towards the guild. "Please, don't tell me I'm too late."
He ran and ran until finally, he made it to Fairy Tail—just in time to see Mira impaled by a spear of blood.
Nikolias' eyes went wide as his body froze. He watched as Gracie cut the blood spear. He watched as Wendy ran over and began to heal the wound. Yet none of it registered in his mind. He couldn't hear anything. He couldn't feel anything. He had shut down.
'I can't believe it…I failed again. I couldn't protect her.' He lowered his head and stared at his hands. Images of his past began flashing in his mind. The blood, the corpses, the massacres. Tears began rolling down his cheeks. 'Why? Why can't I ever protect the ones I care about? What the fuck is wrong with me?'
Shadows began pouring from Nikolias' body and covered the sky as his body began to tense up. The visions from his past flashed through his mind over and over, only this time, a new vision was being added; the sight of Mira being impaled by the blood spear.
'She's hurt. Is she dead? Please don't be dead. It's my fault. I wasn't here to protect her…no.' Anger started to flow through his body, causing him to tremble.
"Your fault…" he rasped.
His mind was filled with nothing but visions of Mira. Her smile, her voice, her touch.
"It's your fault."
He thought about the first time he saw her.
"She's hurt…I couldn't protect her…it's your fault…she needed me…it's your fault…she was innocent…it's your fault…"
He thought about that night in Shirotsume when she comforted him.
"You will pay."
He thought about the night they spent on the hill watching the fireworks, Mira nestled against his side.
"You must realize your mistake."
And then he saw a future that terrified and angered him; Mira lying in a pool of her own blood. 'How could this happen? How could I let her die?' Pure rage filled his body and the ground began to shake beneath his feet. 'I remember this feeling, this power.' He whipped his head up to glare at his enemy. His eyes were different, however. They weren't his golden brown human eyes or his golden dragon eyes. They were a glowing and angry red. He curled his lips, revealing his pointed dragon teeth and his face was contorted with pure rage. 'I will tear you apart!'
He stood straight up and narrowed his now red eyes at the man that stood before him. "You hurt her. You will pay. You will realize your mistake." He lifted his hand into the air as he roared, "I WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!"
"Boy, you are becoming an issue," Critik warned. "I would much rather not deal with you."
Nikolias didn't seem to acknowledge what Critik said. He just glared at him with red eyes before lowering his hand and shouting, "LAY WASTE!" Hundreds of shadow tendrils shot down from the sky at high speed, impaling each and every one of Critik's clones and causing them to instantly liquefy and pool on the ground. The Fairy Tail wizards had to dodge a few tendrils as well, however no one was hit. Multiple tendrils impaled Critik himself, rooting him to the spot.
"A most impressive move," Critik said calmly as blood ran from his lips and down his chin. "However, blood is my weapon. You have only made me stronger." He lifted his arm. "BLOOD BOMB!" Ball after ball of blood was fired at Nikolias.
Nikolias jumped into the air to dodge the shots. While in midair, he brought his hands together, allowing shadows to collect in between his palms. He then grabbed the orb with his right hand and pulled it back. "NEVERMORE!" He thrust his right hand forward and unleashed a ferocious blast of darkness towards Critik.
Critik tried to move, but found himself still anchored to his location by shadow tendrils so Nikolias' new attack collided with him fully. The impact caused an enormous explosion that sent debris, dirt, stone chips, and pressurized air out in all directions.
Everyone in Fairy Tail made to shield their eyes from the force of the blast. Once it had died down, everyone looked to see Critik, now free from the tendrils, still standing with blood dripping down his body.
"How the fuck did he survive that?" Gajeel said incredulously.
"He took that blast head on and is still standing," Juvia added.
"What incredible power. I've never seen anything like this," Makarov commented.
"I'm gonna help Nikolias!" Natsu said. He began to run forward but was stopped by Gracie. "Gracie?"
"We have to stay as far away as possible," Gracie said. Tears were still falling from her eyes as she looked at Nikolias and Critik fighting. "Things are only going to get worse from here."
"What do you mean?" Erza asked.
Gracie looked at her. "You saw those shadow tendrils. They had no direction. They were meant to strike anyone."
"So it was a difficult move to control," Gray shrugged.
"What are you getting at, Gracie?" Makarov inquired. He could see how upset Gracie was.
"I told you. Niky has lost control. He's only going to get angrier and angrier until there is nothing left to destroy."
"You're joking," Lucy said. "What do we do then?"
"I'm thinking," Gracie answered. "I've never dealt with this before. I don't know how to stop this."
"But you clearly know about it," Makarov said.
"Yes, but only from what Niky has told me."
"So then he's told you how to stop it?"
Gracie looked away. "I only know how it's been stopped in the past." She looked back to Makarov. "The only way Niky has calmed down from this is when there is no one left to attack."
Everyone stared at her.
"Wh…what do you mean?" Lucy stammered.
Gracie turned to face her. "When Niky loses control like this, he can't distinguish ally from enemy. He'll tear apart anyone he sees."
"But there must be a way to stop it!" Erza demanded.
"I'm thinking!" Gracie said as the tears intensified. "I just…I just don't know!"
Makarov walked over to her and placed a hand on her arm. "Just relax and think. We have complete faith in you."
Gracie looked around to see everyone smiling and nodding. She gave them all a sad smile. "You guys…thank you." She turned to face the fight as she racked her brain for a solution to the problem at hand.
The fight between Nikolias and Critik was intensifying. Critik was firing off Blood Bomb after Blood Bomb and Nikolias easily dodged each one. Once he had an opportunity, Nikolias would fire a ball of shadow at Critik which he dodged without much effort. However, Critik had to get as clear from the balls as possible, for the impact they made with the ground caused a lot of radial damage.
"You are very interesting, boy. What is this style you are using?" Critik asked as he sent out another Blood Bomb.
However, Nikolias wasn't registering anything being said to him. All that he was thinking about was destroying the man in front of him. He dodged the incoming Blood Bomb with ease, but before he could counter, Critik was right in front of him.
"Die now. BLOOD HAMMER!" Critik swung his fist down, colliding with Nikolias' back and slamming him into the ground with immense force. A massive cloud of dust rose up from where Nikolias' body collided with the earth. Critik leapt back a few times and stared at the area where his foe was surely lying dead. "You were a most challenging opponent. I give you my congratulations. However, you needed to be eliminated."
Suddenly, the dust smokescreen was forced away by an incredibly strong wind. Critik had to move his arm in front of his eyes to block the incoming dirt. Once the dirt was cleared, Critik moved his arm and his face actually showed what could have been considered surprise.
Before Critik was standing Nikolias in his partial dragon form. His eyes were still glowing red and shadows poured from his mouth with every pant.
Nikolias threw his head back and unleashed a massive roar that sent chills down everyone's spines. He then went down on all fours and ran at Critik with blinding speed. Before Critik could react, Nikolias jumped on him, dug his claws into his torso, and bit down into his neck, sending drops of blood into the air.
Critik grabbed Nikolias and attempted to pull him off, but his fangs were refusing to relinquish the grasp they had on his flesh. "Release me, creature!" he shouted as blood spurted from his mouth, but it was having no effect on Nikolias. He kept holding on, deep growls escaping his throat and red eyes attempting to burn holes through Critik's skin.
Nikolias unlatched his right hand from Critik's shoulder and drove it through his chest. His claws appeared on the other side of Critik, bloodied and grasping a small bundle of dark red tissue.
Lucy felt nauseous. "Is that…his heart?"
Nikolias released his claws and fangs and tore his hand out of Critik's flesh. He balanced on his hind legs and continued to glare at Critik as he watched the shock in the man's eyes. He then turned his attention to the organ in his hand and snarled before biting down into it. He ripped off a chunk and swallowed before tossing the rest away.
Critik's eyes turned towards Nikolias. "A very impressive strategy. However," he stood straight up and smirked at Nikolias, "I don't need my heart to live. Blood pumps through me even without my heart. That is a huge benefit to my magic; Blood Circulate Magic. Blood is my weapon and it will always serve me. Now, what will your next attack be?"
Nikolias was still not perceiving the words spoken to him, but with the rage that was coursing through his veins, he wasn't too thrilled to see the enemy still alive. He roared again and took to the skies. Once he reached a few hundred feet into the air, he released black flames from his mouth that headed straight for Critik. Critik dodged them easily, but Nikolias kept up the flames, chasing Critik around with the desire to burn him alive.
Critik made one final dodge and positioned himself to head straight for the hovering Nikolias. He covered his hand in hardened blood and called out "BLOOD HAMMER!" before firing his fist at Nikolias.
Nikolias stopped his fire and right as Critik's attack was going to hit, he vanished and then instantly appeared behind Critik.
"What?" was all Critik could utter before Nikolias' tail collided with the full length of his spine and sent him spiraling down to the ground. He collided with the stones with a sickening thud.
Nikolias wasn't going to give him the opportunity to stand up this time. He flew straight at the downed Critik, prepared to rip him limb from limb. Critik, however, managed to stir just in time to send his blood out to act as a shield. Nikolias collided with the shield and was angered by the object that stood before him and his prey. He slashed at it over and over in an attempt to shatter it, cracking it little by little with each strike.
Critik leapt out of the way just as Nikolias broke through his Blood Barrier. 'Whatever this boy is, he is extremely powerful. I've never seen anyone break my Blood Barrier so easily.'
Nikolias looked at the ground where his prey should have been and roared at the empty ground. He sniffed the air and picked up Critik's scent. He turned to face him and roared once more. Suddenly, the ground began to shake as shadows began leaking out of Nikolias' skin. He glared at Critik before releasing one last blood curdling roar. And with that roar, Nikolias disappeared inside a tall pillar of thick shadows.
Gracie dropped to her knees at the sight before her. "Oh God, no…"
"Gracie? What's wrong?" Erza asked.
"This is bad…we need to leave…" she mumbled.
"Gracie what's happening?" Makarov demanded.
"He's transforming. He's becoming a dragon. This is bad…in this condition, Niky will destroy the entire town. He's nothing but rage right now," Gracie said and then gave a sad laugh. "It's his curse."
Everyone turned and watched the pillar of shadows intently, preparing themselves for what they were about to see.
Critik, too, watched the pillar. "What is this move, boy?" he called out. "Is this your last resort?"
As if in response to Critik's remarks, the pillar expanded and exploded, sending out a massive pulse of wind and shadow. Everyone braced themselves, trying to avoid being blown away by the sheer force of the explosion. When the wind eventually died down, everyone looked back to see a large shadowy mist floating where the pillar used to be.
"What is that?" Natsu asked.
"That is the worst thing that could possibly happen right now," Gracie responded.
Out of the mist, an enormous clawed foot shot out and slammed into the ground, shaking it violently. Seconds later, an enormous tail protruded from the mist and whipped around before crashing into the terrain.
"Oh my God," Lucy breathed.
After the tail, a set of massive black wings erupted from the mist and stretched fully, revealing a 25 foot wingspan. The wings then flapped violently, blowing away all of the mist and unveiling a truly incredible sight.
Standing there was an enormous black dragon. Black scales covered its entire body. Long, thick blades stuck out from its front legs, looking like black scythes. Long, sword-like claws dug into the ground. A long black tail swished around on the ground. Large plates rose along its spine, decreasing in size as it reached the tip of its tail and up the neck. Out of its muscular body, a long neck stretched high into the sky and connected to that long neck was an enormous head. Long pointed teeth shone in the light as it snarled. Bony spikes rose from the back of its skull. Large nostrils blew out shadows with each breath. And its eyes glowed a deep, bright red as it glared at Critik. It lifted its head, opened its jaws, and roared. This was no ordinary roar, however. This roar shook the very ground. This roar could be felt for miles. This roar was deafening.
This roar was pure rage.
"Is that…Nikolias?" Erza gasped in disbelief.
All Gracie could do was nod as the tears kept falling.
Nikolias lowered his head to get a better view of his prey. He snarled at Critik before disappearing into the ground.
"Where did you go, coward?" Critik called out. For the first time in his life, he felt fear. A mighty dragon had suddenly appeared before his eyes and then suddenly disappeared without explanation. "Come and fight me!"
"Gracie, where did he go?" Gray asked.
"You'll see," she whispered as her eyes looked straight ahead at nothing.
Critik scanned the area, his head whipping around, searching desperately for the dragon. Sweat rolled down his face. "Show yourself!" he bellowed.
And he got his wish.
From directly below Critik, Nikolias' head appeared from the shadows with his jaws wide open. Everyone stared in horror as the dragon's jaws snapped shut, cutting Critik in half. Critik's top half fell to the ground and lay motionless while his bottom half was swallowed whole.
"Holy shit!" Gray exclaimed. "He ate him!"
Nikolias licked his lips as he pulled himself from the shadows. Once his body had completely reappeared, he let out an enormous, victorious roar. He then started walking towards the town.
"Where's he going?" Natsu asked.
Gracie held her head in her hands as she sobbed, "He's going on a blind rampage."
"What? Why?"
"It's what happens when he loses control."
"But why did he lose control?" Erza asked.
"Because he thought Mira died. He must have seen her get hurt and he got it in his mind that Mira died from the injury."
"But I'm perfectly fine," Mira said.
Suddenly, Gracie's head snapped up and she stopped crying. "Yeah, you are fine." She then whipped her head around and looked at Mira with a large smile on her face. "That's it! That's gotta be it!"
"What is it, Gracie?" Makarov asked.
Gracie stood up. "Wendy, heal Mira as fast as you can! I need her 100% healthy in order to stop Niky."
Wendy nodded and increased her healing power.
"Gracie, what are you thinking?" Erza asked.
Gracie winked. "If thinking Mira died started the rampage, then I bet seeing Mira completely fine will stop it."
The entire town of Magnolia was facing Fairy Tail. They had been hearing loud noises for quite some time. However, it was nothing to be alarmed about. They knew that Fairy Tail was always making loud noises. Today was just a typical day.
"Those wizards sure are crazy," one man laughed.
"They need to be more careful unless they want to get themselves killed," a woman commented.
"They're so cool!" a group of kids exclaimed as they jumped in the air excitedly.
And then they heard a mighty roar that reverberated throughout the town. Potted plants fell to the street. Citizens lost their balance. Doors shook open.
"What in the hell was that?" everyone asked.
"Was that a roar?"
"It must be a dragon!"
"Don't be ridiculous. Dragons are long gone."
"What could it have been then?"
"Must be one of those Fairy Tail wizards doing some magic or something."
After a few minutes, another loud roar shook the town. People were beginning to feel concerned. Mothers began ushering their children indoors. Store owners started closing up shop. Even the pets and strays were whimpering and seeking shelter.
And then the ground began to shake. And then again. And then again.
"Earthquake?" People were beginning to panic.
The ground was beginning to shake more and more violently and it was getting louder, almost like approaching footsteps.
And then it appeared. A massive black dragon had walked right into town. It roared as it looked around. People screamed and ran for their lives. "DRAGON!" could be heard all throughout town amidst the screams and cries.
The dragon roared, swung its tail, and leveled a building with one swing.
"Dragon attack! Run!"
The mighty beast continued to attack the town, destroying buildings with its tail, stomping carts and carriages with its feet, and lighting the town ablaze with black flames.
The end of Magnolia was imminent.
'Die. They all need to die. They all need to burn. They are all responsible for her death. I will devour them. They will all pay!' These were the only thoughts Nikolias had as he rampaged through Magnolia.
"Hurry everyone!" Makarov called out. "He's made it to the town!"
Erza turned to Gracie who was running beside her. "Gracie, please go over the plan once more."
Gracie nodded. "It goes like this. All of you will try to make sure the townspeople are evacuated and safe while Mira and I attempt to get Niky's attention. When we have his attention, I'm going to try and soothe him and Mira and I will try to reason with him that Mira is indeed alive and standing in front of him. However, Ican't guarantee the success of this plan since I've never had to do this before. I am confident, though. I mean, it makes sense in my mind."
"We trust you completely, Gracie," Lucy assured her.
"Alright then, I'll say this one last thing and please follow it to the letter. Under no circumstances are you to attack Niky unless you want everyone to die and the entire town of Magnolia to lie in burning ruins."
"Understood," Makarov said.
A loud roar echoed through the town and after a few more feet, everyone could see the massive Shadow Dragon, Nikolias, standing before them, destroying their hometown.
"Alright, go!" Gracie called out and Fairy Tail split up to perform its duties. Mira and Gracie, however, ran straight for Nikolias. They ran past him, dodging his tail and footsteps, only stopping to avoid being burned by his fire. Once they reached his head, they ran and turned to face him. "Niky!"
However, Nikolias couldn't hear them. He was too blinded by his rage and paid no attention to anything but the destruction he wished to cause.
"Damn it. He can't hear me," she mumbled. She reached down and picked up a few pieces of a broken cart and began throwing them at Nikolias' head. Each one connected with his head and fulfilled their purpose; Nikolias now noticed them. He turned his head and his eyes stared at Mira and Gracie, a snarl on his face. "Niky, listen to me!"
Nikolias roared as he lowered his head.
"Niky, please stop this! It's pointless! Look, Mira is alive!" She reached out and pulled Mira in front of her. "You don't have to kill these people! She's alive!"
From their hiding spots, the Fairy Tail wizards and the civilians listened and watched as Gracie and Mira attempted to tame Nikolias' rage. All of them prayed that they would succeed.
Nikolias roared and sent a jet of flames at the two in front of him, causing them to leap out of the way.
"Nikolias!" Mira called out as she stood back up. "Please, listen to me! I'm right here!"
Nikolias' head whipped around to glare at her, his fangs still barred.
"C'mon Niky, listen to us," Gracie prayed. She knew that this pretty much relied on Mira now. Only she could stop this.
'Die. They all need to die. They all need to burn. They are all responsible for her death. I will devour them. They will all pay…what is that noise?'
"Nikolias! I didn't get to tell you this before you left, but you need to know. I won't leave your side. I'll be there for you whenever you need me and I'm here for you now," Mira called out to him. Tears were forming in her eyes. "Please, come back to us! Come back to me! You can control this. You're better than this!"
'That sound…what is it…are those words? What are they saying? Who is that?'
"Please Nikolias, I'm okay! You don't have to do this! I'm alive and right here! Just come back to me!"
'Mira? Is that you? But…you were dead…I saw you die. Wait. Did I see it? Did she die? No, she was only injured, right? Mira, is that really you? Could it be that I haven't failed you?'
"NIKOLIAS, PLEASE COME BACK TO ME!"
Suddenly, the snarl disappeared from Nikolias' face.
"Mira, you're doing it!" Gracie said with a big smile. "Keep talking to him."
Mira gave a small nod. "Nikolias we all want you back. Gracie, Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Gray, Master Makarov, Cana, Lisanna, Elfman, Wendy, Gajeel, Levy, Jet, Droy, Juvia, Alzack, Bisca, Asuka, Macao, Wakaba, Romeo, Laki, Laxus, Gildarts, Freed, Evergreen, Bickslow, Kinana, Max, Happy, Carla, Panther Lily, Reedus, Nab—all of us want you back, especially me! Please Nikolias, just come home."
The glow in Nikolias' eyes began to die down and fade. He continued to look at Mira as his eyes eventually returned to their original golden color, his normal dragon eyes.
"Mira, you did it!" Gracie exclaimed as she jumped in the air. She ran over to Nikolias and threw herself on top of his head. "Niky, can you hear me?"
"Gracie? What the hell happened? Where am I and why am I in this form?"
She sat up and looked into one of his eyes. "You lost control, Niky. You thought Mira died and it made you angry. But she brought you back from the rage!"
"I…I lost control?"
Her smile faded slightly. "Yeah, you did. It's okay, no one other than our enemy was killed."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
Nikolias turned his eyes to Mira who was smiling and crying. "Why is she crying, Gracie?"
"She's happy you're back and so am I." She turned around on Nikolias' head and called out, "It's okay, everyone! He's back! Niky's back!"
Everyone in Fairy Tail ran out with smiles. Some went to congratulate Mira and the others went to check out Nikolias' form.
"This is kick-ass!" Natsu exclaimed. "You're a dragon!"
"Is Nikolias okay?" Lucy asked.
Gracie nodded. "He's fine. He's just confused and a little upset that he lost control, but other than that, nothing bad to report."
Makarov walked over to the group. "Well it took some convincing, but the townspeople are willing to let Nikolias stay in the area, provided he doesn't destroy the town."
Nikolias' head shot up, forcing Gracie to shoot her hands forward in order to keep her balance. "The townspeople are pissed? Heh, what am I saying. Of course they are. No, I have to leave. I can't risk staying."
Gracie slapped his scaly snout. "Niky, you aren't leaving. Nothing bad will happen. Times are different. The townspeople won't do anything, I promise."
Nikolias didn't respond, but the fear was still clear in his large golden eyes.
"Gracie, what was he saying? He's afraid of the townspeople?" Makarov asked.
"It's complicated," she said as she scratched the back of her head.
"Well, I would like to talk to Nikolias about all of this and I desire to know more about his past lest something like this happen again," Makarov said.
Gracie gulped. She knew Nikolias hated talking about this stuff, but she realized if they were going to be part of Fairy Tail, they would have to obey the Master. She slowly nodded and turned to Nikolias' eye. "Hey Niky, do you mind changing back and talking about this stuff?"
Nikolias fixed his eye on Gracie. "I don't want to talk about my past, Gracie, but I realize that it's probably time they knew, especially if we want to stay. I'm okay with them finding out. However, I currently can't change back. I don't have the energy. Apparently I went all out while I was in that state."
Gracie nodded and looked at Makarov. "Niky says he understands that you need to know and he's willing to tell you everything. However, he can't change back now because he lacks the energy to do so."
"I see." Makarov scratched his chin. "Well how long until he can change back?"
"Most likely a few hours at the least. He'll change back as soon as he's able."
"Alright, let's head back to Fairy Tail and discuss this further."
The wizards of Fairy Tail all gathered in the guild hall, fixing things that had been broken and talking about what they had seen while Nikolias curled up outside of the guild and rested in order to regain his strength. Upon arriving, Gracie told Makarov that she would tell the story of Nikolias' past.
"Why is that, my dear?" he asked.
"It's painful for him to talk about. It would be easier if I just told the story. Don't worry; I know everything and I won't leave anything out."
Makarov agreed to this, realizing that Nikolias may have trouble talking about it and he didn't want to risk another incident or risk him getting upset and leaving the guild. He could see how important Nikolias had become to many people in the guild.
Mira had managed to sneak out of the guild and made her way to where Nikolias slumbered. She wanted to see him. She hadn't seen him in days and suddenly, he was back, and yet not himself. The whole thing confused her, but she had time until Gracie explained everything. She wanted to spend some time with Nikolias. She approached his enormous head and stared. She honestly couldn't believe that this was Nikolias. This was a massive dragon, not a person. And yet she saw it with her own eyes. Nikolias became this powerful creature. She crept closer, admiring the shine of his black scales as they reflected the sunlight. She had never seen a dragon in person and she never dreamed that she would ever get this close. She thought he looked beautiful in this form. She felt the urge to touch him, feel his scales beneath her fingertips. She slowly reached out her hand to touch his snout.
Suddenly, Nikolias' eyes snapped open. Mira gasped as she stumbled backwards and fell to the ground. Nikolias lifted his head and yawned, revealing his razor sharp teeth and thin, forked tongue. He looked down at Mira, who was now getting back to her feet.
"Sorry Nikolias. I didn't mean to disturb you," she said sheepishly.
He blinked at her.
"I just wanted to check up on you. I wanted to make sure you were alright."
Another blink.
Mira sighed. "I wish I could talk to you and have a conversation, but I guess I'll have to wait. I'm going to head back in now since you seem alright. I just wanted to say that…" she paused and looked away blushing, "…I missed you while you were gone and I'm glad you're back." She turned and began walking away. However, she was stopped by a massive tail moving in the way of her path. She turned and saw Nikolias moving his head towards her. "Nikolias, why did you stop me?"
He inched his head closer and made a faint whining sound.
"What is it?" she asked.
He whined again and inched his head even closer.
She looked at him, confusion clear in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you want."
He inched closer until he was poking her stomach gently with his nose.
She giggled. "What, do you have an itch?"
He poked her stomach again and then proceeded to lay his head on the ground.
She smiled gently and went to pet his head. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you want." She placed her hand on his snout and gently stroked him.
Suddenly, Nikolias began radiating a black aura that moved to surround Mira. Shadows tickled her skin and completely enveloped her. She tore her hand away as she stared at her skin. After a few seconds, the shadows vanished and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"What was that?" she asked herself.
"I didn't mean to scare you."
Mira looked around. "Who said that?"
"Mira, it's me. Nikolias."
Mira slowly turned towards Nikolias, her eyes wide. "N…Nikolias? How can I hear you?"
"I made the connection with you. It was tough, though. You didn't seem to understand that all I wanted was for you to touch my scales in some way."
She giggled. "Sorry that I was so clueless."
"You're not clueless. Anyway, I've made it so that no matter what form I'm in, we can always talk to each other."
"Really?"
He curled his lips in a toothy grin. "Absolutely."
She blushed. "Why?"
He let out a heavy breath. "Because I enjoy talking to you. And now you don't have to ever wait if I'm like this."
She placed her hand on his snout again. "Thank you, Nikolias. I truly appreciate this."
"I'm happy to do it."
She smiled at him and removed her hand. "Well, I have to get going. Gracie's going to explain your past to us soon and I'd like to hear it."
He raised his head. "I feared this day would come. I understand that everyone is curious and they deserve to know. You deserve to know. But can you promise me something, Mira?"
"Of course."
"After you hear about my past, please don't think less of me. I'm not proud of certain events in my past and they don't define me. Can you promise me that hearing my story won't push you away?"
She smiled and walked over to him. "Come here." He obeyed and lowered his head. She gently cupped his massive head in her hands and softly kissed his snout. "I promise you that no matter what, I will be by your side."
"Thank you, Mira."
She nodded and turned to walk away.
"Mira."
She stopped and turned slightly. "Yes?"
"I missed you, too."
She gave him one last smile before turning around and heading towards the guild.
Mira walked into the guild to see everyone sitting around Gracie.
"Ah, there you are Mira," Makarov said with a smile. "Now we can get started."
"Sorry I kept you all waiting. You can begin whenever you wish, Gracie," Mira apologized as she made her way to an open seat.
Gracie smiled at her. "Not a problem." Her expression then became very solemn. "Now I want you all to understand a few things before I start. First of all, this story is not for the faint of heart. This story is very upsetting and we didn't even experience it; Niky did. Second, understand that despite what happens in this story, Niky is not evil. Third, after hearing this story, please don't show Niky pity. After this story, try to treat him like you would anyone else. Pity just makes things harder on him. Does everyone understand?" She got nods in response. "Good. Now, if anyone doesn't want to hear this story out of fear of what they may hear, leave now."
"Gracie, we all wish to hear this story," Erza assured.
Gracie sighed. "Very well. I shall now tell you all the dark story of Nikolias the Shadow Dragon, son of Dagor, King of all dragons. The story begins 800 years ago."
