Back with the next chapter!
"Speaking"
""thinking""
On with the story
With Gray
"DUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNN!" Rala was sent flying to the sky by Gray who used an ice cannon to blast the large man away
"finally got rid of him" Gray said as he had some bruises on him
"now to get to the others"
He then started running to where Lucy and the others at before he stopped when he saw Doriante in front him, limping on one leg
"another one!?" Doriante exclaimed as he turns blue and grew bigger
"what the!?" Gray exclaimed as he sees himself turning smaller
"I'm a kid!?"
Gray looks up and sees Doriante attacking him as he dodged it
"what the heck is going on!?"
Gray then started running as he tried to freeze Doriante but failed
He then started running as Doriante chased after him
"damnit!" Gray shouted
"duck!" a shout was heard as Gray saw two object flying towards him
"what!?" Gray ducks down as it was Natsu's gauntlet Sluggers as the sluggers started to slice and dice Doriante who screamed in pain before falling down and returning back to his normal size
"I'm saved!" Gray sighed in relief before he sees his body turning back to normal
"I'm back to normal!" he exclaimed in relief before he turns to the side and sees Natsu walking towards him while catching his sluggers
"you ok?" Natsu asked him
"yeah, nearly got squashed by him" Gray said while pointing at Doriante
"the guy used some crazy magic that turned me into a kid"
"yeah, it was tough trying to beat him" Natsu said while crossing his arms
""not for me though"" END said with a laugh
"so, you were the one who beat him first but latter got up and tried to attack me" Gray said as Natsu nodded
"where are the others?" Natsu asked him
"finishing up with the rest of the three treasure hunters" Gray replied as Natsu nodded
"I found the flame, but there's a large giant bird thing flying around" Natsu said as an image of the large creature appeared behind him like magically
"I'll take care of it while you go find the others and met up at that mountain" Natsu said to him
"I think I have a way to un freeze the village" Gray said as Natsu looks at him
"let's hear it" Natsu said as END looks at Gray with a grin
"Ur taught me something back then, instead of trying to become one with the ice, I'll try to manipulate it" Gray said to him
"you sure you can do it?" Natsu said as Gray nodded
"it's worth a shot," Gray said
"I'm counting on you" Natsu said as he requips on Reiter no Yoroi and jumps up to a house's roof
Gray nodded as he started running to where Lucy and the others were
With Natsu
""smart, manipulating his magic's element, I mean"" END said with an amused smile
"let's just go and deal with that bird thing" Natsu said to him
""you mean that thing?"" END said as he pointed above
Natsu looks up and sees the large bird creature flying down at him
"tell me sooner!" Natsu shouted as he summons his halberd and readied it to his side
With the others
"finally done" Lucy said as she and the others managed to defeat Hiroshi and Drake and sends the two packing
"let's go, I'll lead you to the Eternal Flame" Flare said as Lucy and Wendy nodded before seeing Gray running towards them
"you guys!" Gray shouted before his eyes spotted Flare
"you're from Raven Tail!" Gray exclaimed before seeing Lucy standing in front of Flare
"wait! She's not an enemy!" Lucy exclaimed to him
"Flare-san grew up here." Wendy told him
"She did?" Gray looked over to Flare, a skeptical look on her face. "She doesn't look like giant."
"I'm not." Flare retorted.
"She's a human, but she was raised by the giants." Wendy informed.
Gray sighed to them as he turns around
"anyway, we need to go to the giant mountain like thing, Natsu said that it's the Eternal Flame" Gray said as this surprised Wendy and Lucy
"really?!" they exclaimed as they looked at Flare who nodded
"The Eternal Flame can un freeze the village, we must hurry" Flare said as she leads the way to the giant mountain of ice
With Natsu
He swings his scythe at the large bird like creature as his attacks missed
""Strike one!"" END exclaimed as Natsu tried to attack again but missed
""Strike two!"" he shouted again before Natsu glares at him
"if you have some free time, I suggest that you help me fry this thing!"
Natsu shouted before he put his guard up as the large feathered creature's claw attacks him
""nah, you got this. Oh and do it medium rare"" END said with a lazy look on his face
With the others
Gray and the others were on their way to the Eternal Flame as they had met up with Charla and Milo who saw them running
"this is it" Flare said as they stop in front of the Frozen mountain that was the Eternal Flame
"That's the guardian deity of our village, the Eternal Flame."
"It's so huge." Lucy said. "I've never seen a fire this big."
"It's still hard to believe that a flame, especially one like that, could be frozen," Wendy said in awe.
"You're right." Gray nodded. "Whoever did this must be extremely powerful."
"It looks like the flame won't be able to help us after all." Lucy said dejectedly. "So how are we going to return the village to normal?"
"I might be able to" Gray said as he steps forward
"really?!" Flare exclaimed
"I have no idea what's going on with the ice in this village. I can't control it or melt it, but I can make it flow through my body." Gray explained
"It flowed through your body?" Lucy repeated
"What happens after?" Wendy inquired.
Gray pressed his hands against the ice. "I'm going to turn it into ice that I can use."
"You can do that?" Flare questioned.
"I don't know if I can or not! So I won't try it on the giants until after! Everyone get back!" Gray explained as his body started to glow
The others stepped back as instructed as Gray pressed harder against the ice, and soon it began to glow along with him. To the group's delight the ice began to melt.
"Meow! (He's doing it!)" Milo meowed.
"The ice is melting!" Charla chimed in.
"Almost…there!" Gray grunted. Flare smiled as she watched him work. Soon her home would be returned to normal.
There was a large explosion, nearly blinding everyone. When it died down everyone gasped in disbelief. The flame was gone, it was as if it had just disappeared.
"The flame…it's gone!" Lucy said.
"What happened?" Happy asked.
"What does this mean?" Carla added.
Flare's legs gave way and she fell onto her butt on the ground. She was shaking, despair passing throughout her entire being. "No…" she shuddered, tears pooling in her eyes.
Wendy shook as well, but her reasons were out of fear. She could feel something from when the flame was formerly standing. Something scary.
""What…is this feeling?! This power…It feels like…!""
Gray looked to the ground in shame, internally cursing himself at his failure. "No…I messed up. There's…there's no way we can save the giants now…dammit!"
"The flame has been burning for hundreds of years…for it to vanish now…The village…it won't survive…" Flare said.
"It's not gone!" Wendy shouted, alarming the others. "I can feel a presence. Whatever was in the fire is still alive!"
"Maybe…" Charla crossed her arms. "But what is alive exactly?"
"Look!" Lucy pointed. Everyone turned to where the flame once stood, seeing a structure in the ground.
"What is that?" Gray asked.
"The flame's altar." Flare answered.
"Look closer!" Lucy said. The others squinted, seeing a small flame in the middle of the altar.
"There's a tiny flame." Wendy said
"But's it's very weak." Carla informed. "It looks as if it could go out any minute."
"How are we going to light it?" Wendy asked.
"leave that to me!" Natsu's shout was heard as everyone looks up and sees him riding on the giant bird creature that was burning in flames
"get back!" Gray shouted as everyone runs back
"ooooorraaaaa!" Natsu crashed into the altar before he flies up
Flames gathered around Natsu's hand before he had a giant flaming sphere appearing above him
"Karyu no Koen!"
Natsu threw the giant fireball at the altar and the creature as it creates a giant explosion
"I'm not finished yet!"
Natsu's fist ignites in flames as it was raging around and turning crimson
"Enryuo no!"
Natsu dashed towards the altar as the flames in his hand was growing bigger and hotter
"Hokken!"
He slams his fist at the creature on the altar as a devastating explosion shook through the whole village
"what was that?" Minerva said as she felt the rumbling
"I'd say that was Natsu" Erza said with a smile
"he's overdoing it!" Lucy screamed while trying to hold on to the ground
Natsu then jumps back to the field as the flames grew bigger and bigger before it was lit
"he did it!" Flare exclaimed in joy as the Eternal Flame was lit once again
"I can finally hear the voice" Natsu said while taking off his helmet
"That's what I felt!" Wendy shouted in realization. She grabbed a nearby rock and began to etch writings into the ice. "This goes here, right?" she muttered.
"Wendy?" Charla called out in confusion when she realized what she was doing her eyes widened. Once the dragon slayer finished her writing she kneeled in the center of the magic circle, clasping her hands in prayer as her body began to glow in a bright green light.
"What is she doing?" Gray asked.
"She's using a spell." Charla answered as she looks at the magic runes Wendy was drawing on the ground
"What kind of spell?" Lucy inquired.
"Milky Way." Charla informed. "It's one of the spells Porlyusica taught her from the book Grandeeney left behind."
"Nya meow (What does it do?)" Milo meowed to her.
"It lets Wendy summon the spirits of dead dragons." Charla replied to him
"are you saying that..?!" Gray exclaimed
"there's a dragon in the flames!?" Lucy finished his sentence
"How is that possible?" Gray asked Wendy
"It's weak but…it's still there." Wendy mumbled to herself. She lifted her hands to the sky, chanting her incantation. "Oh wandering spirit! Bestow upon me your voice!"
"Milky Way"
The circle around Wendy glowed green as the air around her started forming around in a gust of wind
"it's been a long time for you hasn't it?" Natsu said as in the giant flames a skeletal being was starting to form
"is that?!" Gray exclaimed
"good to see you again, Uncle" Natsu said as in the eternal Flame came out the Hellfire Dragon, Atlas Flame
That's a wrap!
Bye bye