Chapter XXII

A Warm Embrace

It was easy for Lucy and Levy to wake up in the morning because the dragons started stirring. They got out of the beds to check what was going on.

"We're off to hunt and fish, are any of you interested?" Zyma asked.

"Aye, sir!" Happy called out. The girls decided to join them too, getting rides from Happy and Carla.

Down at the lake, the dragons figured out their own how to get food and they all had success in getting something big, and afterwards Zyma showed them hor to cut meat using claws. They cut, they ate, and then they just hung around like friends out on a picnic.

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The day finally came where Zyma was ready to show them how to assume human form again. Her lecture combined Mirajane's lecture on transformation magic with a speech on putting 'the beast' to rest and recall what grounded them as humans.

She worked with each dragon one-on-one, starting with Gajeel, and with Levy watching on, he picked up the skill rather quickly, and once he was in human form again, he ran over to Levy and scooped her up in his arms!

"It's good to see that face again!" she declared.

Zyma then moved on to Wendy, again she picked up the skill rather quickly, and got a delighted hug from Carla.

Natsu, however, was a different story. Being a bit more of a wild child than the others, and being the subject of Zeref's magic, he struggled a bit more and needed some extra attention.

"I had a feeling you'd have a tougher time, Natsu. Don't worry, I"m going to keep my promise to you... Lucy, Happy, would you two come here please?"

They came forward.

"Natsu, try focusing on your feelings towards them. You're driven by your emotions, especially emotions towards others. Say something if you have to." Zyma told him.

Natsu shifted, and after a moment it seemed like he almost blushed. The words were on his tongue, but he couldn't quite bring himself to say them, not the way he was now. Still, those emotions were enough to help him fuel the magic and turned him back to human form. He was standing there for a brief second before Lucy and Happy tackled him to the ground. The pink-haired imp was on his back and smiling.

"Hey Salamander, nice suit!" Gajeel called out. He, Lucy, and Happy looked down and saw that he was wearing the same suit that he had on during his last job, his scarf was also around his neck. Lucy then let him up.

"Remember, this is just a visage. No matter what form you're in, you're still dragons," Zyma spoke: "Dragons need to spread their wings, and if you can't do it physically, then your minds might be affected. So, please, try to find away to allow some 'dragon time' into your routine. I don't care if it is just going out for a flight to de-stress yourselves, to sleep under the stars, or even if you want to fight against yourselves or even me! However, if you end up picking fights with another dragon, please take it where you won't accidentally wipe out a city. When you get good enough at transforming, you should be able to do partial transformations, like bringing out your claws, horns, and wings which would help you out."

The dragons gave her a nod.

"Great, now what?" Wendy asked.

"Now I can give you a ride back to the guild," Zyma replied and she offered her back. After an exchange of looks, they accepted and climbed on. She waited until she felt everyone get situated and took flight.

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Zyma flew over Magnolia to the guild, let her friends dismount, and shifted back to human form. Eyes went straight them when they entered. Word had already spread about what had happened to them, and it wasn't like the dragons could keep it secret.

Zyma went straight to the bar and ordered some blood orange juice, leaving the others to catch up with their friends. Mirajane, to her credit, decided to make friendly with Zyma by asking her: "How was Mount Hakabe?"

"It was lovely, the cold there is brilliant, I picked giant strawberries with balkans, and the dragons that came to visit me were awesome! You could easily believe that they were Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel," she replied. It was her way of saying that they hadn't changed.

"So, you're not planning on causing any more trouble?" Mirajane asked.

"Not unless you or Erza want to pick a fight with me... the She-Devil and Titania vs the Winter Queen, now that would be an epic and very destructive match!"

"Yeah, it would be quite the exciting fight, though I don't really like to fight unless I have to. Also, facing me and Erza at the same time would be a lot for you to handle, even if we're not dragon-slayers."

"I suppose you're right," Zyma replied. She drank her juice and observed the guild around her. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits. Gajeel was holding Athena while talking to some friends, Natsu was goofing off alongside Elfman and a few of the other guys, and Wendy was hanging out with Lucy and Cana.

A little while later - after Zyma had finished her juice - Natsu approached her and his eyes weren't very pleasant.

"Do you need something, Natsu?" Zyma asked.

"I should tell you something outside," he replied.

She followed him outside towards the lake, and Natsu spoke: "On my last job, I met with this couple named Alios and Mio. They looked just like Zeref and Master Mavis, but I didn't sense any magic from them.

"Their magic might be dormant, and I thank you for telling me. Are there any more details that you can share with me?"

"Alios told me that he thought I seemed familiar to him. I didn't say one word about Zeref to him... They both seemed happy, and I wasn't about to break that."

"That's fine... Although if Alios is Zeref, there's a chance that he might recall his former life. Should that happen, he may wonder where you are and what became of you."

"You think?"

"You're his brother, Natsu, and despite all the wrongs he committed, he was quite devoted to you. The question would be this: If Alios remembers that he is Zeref, and if he comes looking for you as his little brother, would you be able to accept him?" Zyma replied.

"I don't know, that's a lot of ifs; but I think I'll know should that ever happen," Natsu told her.

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