Huh. Not sure what to say here, aside from the fact that this was uploaded much earlier than I planned due to cutting it in half. Hmm...

Oh, wait! I know!

Fuck AP Psychology.

Chapter 21 - Smolder

It wasn't too much later when Natsu finally managed to climb back to consciousness. When he came to, the first thing he noticed was that his head was pounding and simply trying to open his eyes made his temporal hurt like a bitch – It equated to having been smashed with a hammer multiple times in one specific spot while suffering from a hangover. Also, the right side of his face was ice cold. This was a mental warning flare to him – As a Fire Dragonslayer, he should never be cold. That was more Gray's department.

The thought of the ice mage triggered a deep-throated rumble from within the fire-breather's chest.

"I'll… kill… him…" he growled.

"Murder is not in your heart, Salamander," a familiar tone echoed. "And you are in no position to pose a threat at the moment, anyway."

At the frigid voice, Natsu willed himself to try opening his eyes again. It was easier the second time around now that he was slightly conscious. As his onyx orbs peered through his eyelids, he was surprised to see nothing but more blackness. He blinked to make sure he was really awake. No doubt about it, he thought. It's just super dark in here… That brought on another question: Where was he?

He couldn't ponder for long before his head began to throb again. Against his will, he groaned loudly. "Head hurts…" he muttered.

"I'd be more surprised if it didn't. It seems you're human after all, boy." The voice was as cold as his body now was.

Faint recognition passed through. Natsu knew that voice. Yes. The owner of the voice was responsible for his current state. He was the reason why his body felt unnaturally hypothermic.

Summoning the strength he had left to his arms, Natsu pushed his body upwards so he could better see where he was. However, he cringed and nearly fell back to the ground as soon as he did. He reached down to touch his stomach slowly and seethed when he felt the wound there just beginning to heal. Right… Forgot about that… Maybe I shouldn't have gotten up so fast.

He also remembered the reason why that particular wound was still hurting him. Natsu's eyes widened. Shit! My magic! Natsu held up his hand, and tried to light his hand up again. He cursed loudly when he failed to at least get a spark going.

"Don't even bother. I've already drained you of what magic energy you had." Natsu snarled upon hearing the voice again, and looked up and around at nothing in particular.

"Where are you, you bastard!? Come and fight me face-to-face!"

"Silly lizard. Do you think you'd stand a chance against me as powerless as you are now?"

To Natsu's surprise, a cloud of color opened up in the darkness. When it became clear enough to see into, the Dragonslayer could at last see the face of the man who had reduced him to pain and cold.

The man was blonde with darker skin like his own, and was dressed entirely in blue. His hair was straight and thin, coming down to just below his chin. His eyes were a cold shade of green and complimented his vicious grin very well. He looked very different from the man and woman standing behind him.

Natsu's breath caught in his throat. He recognized them both. They were the red-haired man from the photos, and then the woman he had met earlier.

His mother.

"Ervana!"

Ervana didn't respond to the mage's call at all. She merely stood behind the man, hands at her sides and unmoving. Her eyes were dead and half-closed. Cobalt looked very much the same. The man chuckled.

"She cannot hear you, Salamander. Nor will I let her."

"Let her go!" Natsu demanded, ignoring the searing pain as he attempted to stand. "Who are you anyway, you bastard!? If you hurt her, I swear-!"

"You'll what?" The man put on a curious face that made him look deceptively innocent. "You can barely even stand. You'd be lucky to land a finger on Discord Palette's Koda Mezzali."

"So that's your name," Natsu spat. "I don't care what you do with me since I'll get out of here eventually; but if you so even touch that woman-!"

"Why do you care, boy?" The dark guild leader hummed to himself. "Oh, that's right! She's the one who birthed you." As the fire-eater bared his fangs, Koda merely chuckled. "At least, that's what you've been fooled into thinking."

Natsu's face changed in an instant. Instead of anger, there was now the picture of confusion.

"What in the hells are you talking about?"

"My subordinate's mind games, as I mentioned before." Koda gestured to Ervana behind him. "You see, Cyander mentioned to me that it is easier to steal a mage's magic when their emotional defenses are weak. After some thinking I realized there was some merit to his idea, so I allowed him to do as he pleased with a handful of you Fairy Tail wizards so long as I ended up with your power. He was rather grateful to be causing pain again."

"What are you getting at, you bastard?"

"Must I spell it out for you?" Koda sighed impatiently. "Cyander played his biggest trick on you, Salamander. The woman who stands here is of no blood relation to you whatsoever. She is not even among the living anymore." Natsu's eyes widened despairingly.

"What…?"

"You heard me." Koda smiled. "I admit that Cyander may have gone a little overboard with your case… Usually he just pulls memories out from the recesses of people's minds, but since you are fairly strong, he wanted to 'play his big cards', as he put it. These people, Ervana Isdona and Cobalt Nulspina, are both dead. Cyander merely added skin to their bones and acted as a puppeteer using an earth-type Lost Magic. However, I must say…" Koda walked over to Ervana and her blank stare, cupping her chin in his hand. "For his manipulation to break so easily, this woman must have had some connection to you in the past. Just thought I'd let you know that." Natsu had barely keyed in on the explanation, managing to only pick up a select few portions of it.

"I… I don't get it," he muttered. "If they're not my… Then what…? Who…? Who are my parents…?"

"Long gone, I'd assume," a new voice answered. From the murky depths of the dark illusion stepped a man with long, light blue hair and wearing a pair of casual slacks. His grin was even more untrustworthy than Koda's, from just a glance. From the color of his hair and the fact that he was around Koda, Natsu would bet anything that this was the previously-mentioned Cyander. "Salamander, from what I understand, you don't have any parents. At least, not any that wanted you." The Dragonslayer wasn't sure if he should be feeling angry or curious at the speech. He settled on both.

"Whaddaya mean, 'wanted me'?"

"You're a little orphan boy," Cyander continued with his perpetual grin. "Isn't it obvious? Abandoned at a random person's door and raised accordingly due to their kindness, never even knowing the full truth. It's such a sickeningly sweet and hackneyed scenario I could vomit."

"That's…" Natsu's throat lost moisture again. "You're lying… That's not true…"

"What isn't? That you were raised by strangers, or the fact that your real parents didn't care about you enough to keep you in the first place?" Cyander chuckled. "A hard-headed, brash, unintelligent mage without any powers left… And now, you can add discarded infant to that list." Natsu kept mumbling things in reply, his being trembling in the darkness.

"Not true… You're lying."

"I'm not lying. I suppose you've met my sister, Lia-chan? We have similar abilities in that we can see other people's past memories to an extent. Before sending them under, I managed to pick up some remaining last wishes and feelings from this woman's corpse. It wasn't hard to connect the dots considering she supposedly knew you in her former life. My words are true, Salamander."

"Stop it."

"You are an unwanted child. Unwanted by your parents, unwanted by the people who stole you away…"

"Go away."

"To some extent, you may even be unwanted by your own guild."

"Liar."

"Natsu Dragneel: Fairy Tail's resident problem child. Don't you think everyone is tired of your trouble-making and idiocy by now? Don't you think your teammates are tired of cleaning up your messes?"

"Shut up…"

"And then there's the dragon who abandoned you."

"I said, shut up…!"

"It's not hard to see why he did, actually. You're unbelievably stubborn, you don't listen, and you're a selfish brat. Your power is all you have. Underneath that tough exterior lies your true self. An emotionally-dependant, weak little simpleton whose worth can't be compared to the smallest amount of Jewels."

"SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!"

Natsu strained his voice as he yelled at Cyander at the top of his lungs. He punched the ground repeatedly with his hands, wishing he could go all out and burn something. Tears had formed at the corners of his eyes, but they hadn't spawned from distress or despair. They were tears of anger. The fire-breather was the living personification of pure fury by now, with clenched fists and loud seething to match how he felt. Had he still been able to use magic, there would've been flames sprouting up around him by now.

"What will it take to get you to stop talking already!?" Natsu yelled at the image of Koda and Cyander. "I've heard enough of your bullshit! Come over here and fight me, you bastards!"

"Oh, dear. I don't think he seems to realize that he can't defeat us as a normal person," Cyander muttered.

"Unsurprising, considering his base personality," Koda replied nonchalantly. "Either way, I must soon leave for a certain lively town. I have some more fairy wings to pluck before I go to meet the council." Natsu didn't have to think twice to know what that meant. He'd heard similar lines too many times to count on both hands.

"Let me out of here!" the Dragonslayer screamed. Enraged and emotional, Natsu continued to futilely pound the floor in an attempt to escape the arena of darkness surrounding him. "If you want to attack my guild, you've gotta go through me first!"

"I already have, Salamander. Or have you forgotten that you're currently trapped in a Dusk Cage due to your loss?" Natsu cursed again. Koda chuckled at his language. "For now, Natsu Dragneel, I will end this conversation. Have fun in there, knowing you've failed to overcome that which threatens your precious nakama."

With that, the color and shapes dissipated into the misty shadows and the rosette was left alone again. Roaring in rage, Natsu stood up and ran for the edge of the darkness and slammed his fists against it. His efforts were ineffective and only served to agitate his wound more. Unable to keep up his attacks without reopening the gash on his stomach, he sunk down to his knees and wiped the wetness from his eyes.

"Damn it… Damn it… DAMN IT!" he yelled. "That stupid bastard's gonna pay for this!"

Oh, yes. Natsu was eagerly looking forward to halting Koda and his subordinate in his tracks once he found his way out of the Dusk Cage.

I'm gonna get out of here, he vowed. And when I do… Say your prayers, you sunnuva' bitch. I'm gonna end you!

"Say, Cyander," Koda began. "How much of that information was true?"

"Hmm? Which information?"

"The stuff you were saying about Salamander being an orphan and all that. I know for a fact that your powers are nothing like that of Lia-chan's."

"Oh." Cyander shrugged. "Hell if I know. For all intents and purposes, I made all that up. I just wanted to make him mad."

"Hmph." Koda wasn't sure if that was a wise decision, but didn't think too much of it. He was used to this type of behavior by now. "You will stay here and maintain this magic while I make my way to Magnolia."

"Huh!?" Cyander frowned at the sudden order. "But I wanted to come and help!"

"I can handle things at Fairy Tail on my own. I need you to make sure the Dragneel kid here can't escape." Suddenly, Koda's hand became bathed in familiar flames. "I have his magic for now, but you know he'll try to get out once the Flame of Emotion regenerates within him. He's a Dragonslayer – He'll be able to feel the return of his power, and I need him here for future reference."

"Hmph. Fine." Cyander folded his arms. "Just remember to say hi to my sister for me, alright?"

"Of course I will."

"This is bad… Really, really bad…"

Ever since they got back on the train to Magnolia, Lucy had been a high-strung bundle of nerves. Moreover, she didn't want to let Levy or Erza know the reason behind her edginess; and with the way the blonde's leg refused to stop shaking, her friends could only imagine what was going on in her mind.

"Lu-chan, just tell us," Levy pleaded again. "You're jumpy and biting your nails… Whatever you're thinking about, I'm pretty sure you'll feel better if you share."

"Levy's right, Lucy," Erza added. "Keeping things to yourself when they're making you paranoid is not good."

"I don't want to make you guys worried until after we get back home," Lucy responded with a quiet voice.

"But if you keep going like this for hours and hours, you're going to lose it," Levy argued. Pursing her worried lips, the bluenette continued. "Lu-chan, you sent Freed back to the guild in such a hurry and forced us to leave Mosa's house just as quickly. You've obviously figured out something that we haven't." Lucy didn't reply. Erza narrowed her eyes.

"Lucy. Does this by any chance have to do with what that psychic told us when we visited?"

A twitch of the whip-bearer's shoulders suggested yes.

"Sort of," Lucy replied meekly. "It's about when she was explaining why that man with blue hair was in the infirmary…"

"Her brother."

"Yeah."

"Madilia-san has a brother?" Levy's eyes widened. "I didn't know that…"

"It was best you didn't, truth be told," Erza said. "But that's beside the point. Lucy, what's going on? You said Natsu was in danger, but you've hardly gone into the reason why."

"Because wizard's powers weaken when they're emotionally unstable or are going through some type of inner, emotional turmoil," Lucy answered quickly. "Since we learned that Ervana-san is dead… I can't help but shake the feeling that this mission of ours has all been a ruse to get us to lower our guards so we would be easier to defeat. And if not us specifically… Then definitely Natsu."

"You don't mean-? … Oh, gods…" Levy cupped her hands over her mouth to hide a gasp. "You don't mean that man Koda is going to go after Natsu…? He's going to-!"

"Steal his magic," Erza finished for her. "I have no trouble admitting that Natsu, while irrational and immature, has some of the strongest innate magic in the guild – Enough to even surpass me someday, with the right discipline and training. If Koda wants to strike it big, the powers of a Fire Dragonslayer will be essential to him."

"That's not the only thing I'm worried about." Lucy crossed her legs to prevent them from further shaking. "Do you remember when we learned that Gray and Elfman had their magic stolen? Don't you guys find it odd that Bisca and Alzack were fine despite the other boys being drained? Why would they be untouched aside from physical wounds? Furthermore, why wasn't Erza's magic stolen back when she was victimized?"

"Maybe they didn't remember?" Levy tried to answer, albeit unhelpfully. "Or maybe it's because they didn't consider Bisca and Alzack's magic strong enough to be worth taking?"

"Doubt it, since Erza was left untouched and she's the strongest woman in the guild." Lucy took in a breath. "What I'm thinking is… Maybe it's because they can't steal Holder-type magic." Levy's eyes widened.

"You think that's it, Lu-chan?"

"I can't think of another explanation. If the ex-leader of Discord Palette is really so greedy for power, why wouldn't he have taken Erza's Requip magic from her? Or Bixlow's, for that matter?"

"That's true, but… Freed is a Caster-type too, and he was obviously okay after their fight."

"That might just be circumstantial. Freed is an expert at runes and barriers, so he's got extremely good defense. Even if Koda and Madilia-san's brother are strong, I doubt they're skilled enough to get past his spells."

"I've heard enough." Lucy and Levy watched Erza stand up, arms firmly at her sides. The determination etched across her features was solid and slightly frightening. The redhead pulled the two smaller girls from their seats, gripping their upper arms tightly. "We're leaving this train now."

Lucy and Levy could barely screech in surprise before Erza kicked open the train car's window and jumped out with the two of them under each of her arms. No sooner had she jumped than her Heaven's Wheel armor appeared in a bright flash of light.

"E-Erza! What are you doing!?" Lucy exclaimed, terrified of falling.

"We're not going to sit on that train for a day while our guild mates could be in trouble!" Erza pronounced, strength evident in her voice. "I can fly us back to the guild faster and make it back to prevent disaster!"

"B-But-! You shouldn't be so determined to head into battle!"

"And why not? You heard Lucy, Levy. As a non-Caster-type, my magic is secure. I have nothing to fear from them. That man will not defeat me a second time. I swear it."

Lucy could've sworn the aura around the Requip mage had darkened at that last sentence. Guess she's still holding a grudge. "Erza's right, Levy-chan. She has no reason to fear her magic being stolen. She can fight, and so can I."

"I can't…" Levy lamented. "But I guess you guys win. Let's get back to Fairy Tail as quickly as possible."

Transition chapter again. Short by my standards, but at least it's over 3k.

Also, I officially have no clue how long this is gonna be. Definitely not longer than thirty chapters, but eh.