Okay, so I just want to warn you all now, that updates on this story will be slowing down for a bit. Real life is far more important than a simple story after all. I have no idea how sporadic the updates might become, but the story has to take a backseat to problems in real life.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail. I do not own these characters. I do not own the story idea, at least not entirely. Then again, someone else may have had the same ideas I did. Eh, how about I don't own anything in this story. Is that a good enough disclaimer?
Chapter 6.
The Dragons' Advice
Due to being far more fit and active than most, the dragon slayers and Elefseria were able to cover the majority of the distance between Hargeon and Era. It was going on nine o'clock at night when the stopped, which coincidentally would have been the time they arrived at Era if they'd gone by train. Instead, they would rest for the night, wake up about eight, pack up camp and get moving again by nine in the morning and arrive at noon.
"Now then. I believe I promised to answer your questions?"
Elefseria said as he settled down in front of the campfire.
Natsu who was sitting directly across from him nodded.
"Yeah. I've got a few, and some of them are probably pretty important, so I'll let these guys ask their questions first."
Nodding in thanks to him, Wendy turned towards the older mage.
"Do you know where our dragon parents are? I mean, is it true that they sealed themselves inside us?"
Hearing the uncertainty and the pain in her voice caused everyone else to frown lightly. Elefseria might have taught himself all the magic he knew, but he could understand the desire to find ones parent. He could see the fear and the loneliness at being lost and abandoned in her eyes as she asked.
"Yes it is true they sealed themselves away inside of you. You may not be able to see them, and you might not have been able to talk with them, but they have always been with you."
He tried to cheer the blue haired girl up.
"You wouldn't happen to know of any magic we could use to contact them, would you? It's nice to know that pops is doing something for me, but I still want to tear him a new one for leaving without a warning."
Gajeel commented somewhat bitterly. Unlike Wendy who was still young and fearful of being abandoned by her adoptive mother, Gajeel was angry. He didn't mind that Metalicanna wasn't around, but he was absolutely pissed that there was no warning.
"I can think of a few spells that might do the job, but I'm not certain. If you'd like we can test them out however."
"As fun as that sounds, let's hold off until all of our questions are answered."
Gajeel replied. While he wouldn't openly admit it, he really did want to know if Elefseria could say or do anything that might help Natsu become a 'True' Dragon Slayer without going insane or getting himself killed in the process.
"That's fair. So Mr. Dragneel, What questions would you like answered."
The dragon in human form turned back towards the pink haired man.
"First, you said you can sense that I'm 'close to breaking through' do you know how long it'll take me to get to that point? Or were you saying that you sensed that I'm close enough to that level that it won't be long before I do break through and become a True Dragon Slayer."
Elefseria hummed as he stood up and leaned over the fire to study Natsu a bit more closely.
"By my estimations, you have approximately a year before the process starts and you become a dragon. Should you follow the pattern it will take a full week of your magic fluctuating so wildly that you have no control over your magic. Then on the eighth day you will feel extreme pain as your body forcefully adapts to the form that you magic feels most comfortable with."
"What do you mean should I follow the pattern?"
Elefseria shrugged.
"Well, I'm self taught and all the records I could find mentioned that process and it is how it happened to me. But the records I found were all of people like me who had learned the magic on their own. Having been trained in it by a dragon might drastically alter the process."
Realizing the older wizard had a point Natsu sighed.
"Alright, I doubt you know this… but next question. Do you have any clue what the Trial of Dragons is?"
But the dragon shook his head.
"Not really. I only ever found one book about such a thing. As the name suggests it is a trial testing a dragon's worthiness to become the Dragon King."
Natsu just sighed in response.
"I haven't been able to read through the books in Igneel's hoard just yet, but if information on the trials is that rare… I'm going to kick Igneel's scaly ass the next time I see him."
"Any other questions?"
Natsu was about to shake his head when he realized there was still one question he had.
"You estimate a year before I become a dragon. Is there a way to slow that down? Igneel's letter wanted me to take the Trial of Dragons because to complete it, the trial would force him out of my body, which needs to happen otherwise his presence inside me would cause the transformation to go awry and kill me."
Not really knowing what to say about the transformation killing him if Igneel were still sealed inside him, Elefseria ignored that part of Natsu's question. Instead he thought about ways to slow the process down.
"Well…. The easiest way I can think of is to learn a new kind of magic. Even if it's just a second element, having a new magic to adapt your core to will slow the transformation down. I wouldn't recommend it, but if you were to have a lacrima the size of my fist," here the dragon paused as he held up his fist to show Natsu the size he was talking about. "If you were to have a lacrima this big embedded in you body, it would extend the time before you transform to two years because you would have to adjust to the lacrima first."
Having already been considering using the lacrima that Igneel had left him to become an Earth Dragon Slayer, Natsu just nodded thoughtfully.
"Why wouldn't you recommend it?"
Wendy chimed in, curious about the different things they could do to help Natsu have enough time to safely prepare for the Trial of Dragons.
"A lacrima just grants you access to the magic. It doesn't help with control at all. Unless he already knows the magic, in which case all it does is boost the size of his magic container, which would speed up the process of becoming a dragon. So again, I just wouldn't recommend it."
Having expected an answer like that Natsu just sighed.
"Right… Well, the remainder of my questions can't really be answered by you since they're for Igneel. How about we get started on figuring out which of the spells you thought of would allow us to talk with the dragons."
"Hold up Salamander. It's not that I don't appreciate this, but I want to know why he's being so helpful."
Gajeel cut in. He wasn't exactly accusatory, but they could hear the warning in his tone.
"I am the Law Dragon. Information is my specialty. While I do not know everything there is to know, I have learned quite a bit. The gods themselves have abandoned this world, stating that Acnologia is the Dragon King's problem. As it stands, Natsu is nowhere near ready for that title, let alone a fight with that bastard. If I can help increase his odds of winning the fight then I will. For if he loses and Acnologia kills him, this world will be doomed."
Elefseria revealed in a somber tone.
None of the three Fairy Tail wizards, could speak after hearing that. The idea that the gods had abandoned them wasn't all that absurd, but to hear that they had to pin their hopes on one person was a bit much. Despite the fact that it often came down to Natsu to finish the fight against the tough opponents he was never truly alone. Instinctively Wendy and Gajeel moved closer to Natsu, as if telling the world they wouldn't let him take on the burden alone.
The sight caused Elefseria to smile. His instincts were telling him that he'd made the right choice in acting on the knowledge he had gained and using his position as Guild Master of Magia Dragon to guarantee this meeting.
"Now then. Let's get started on contacting your parents."
- XXxxXxXxxXX-
The Law dragon found himself impressed by how quickly the three slayers in front of him had picked up the spell he had started them on. Of all the spells that he could think of that might work in contacting the other dragons, this was the one he was most certain of.
As he reflected on how easily they had gotten the basics of the spell down and were able to practice it with each other, the older wizard couldn't help but smile as he recalled a saying he'd heard long ago.
'With each new generation, the young surpass the old. Learning from the past to shape the future.'
After another few minutes of watching over them he smirked and clapped his hands loudly. The sound caused all three dragon slayers to flinch, though he noticed that Natsu managed to keep concentrating on the spell unlike Wendy and Gajeel who had let fail when they were startled by the sound.
"Well you took to it far faster than I expected. You might not be masters of the spell any time soon, but you can use it to contact anyone you've ever met. Now lets see if it actually works with your dragons."
Gajeel slowly settled himself down into a meditative pose, unlike Wendy who quite eagerly did so. Natsu just simply stayed seated in a manner that was comfy for him. Without any word of warning the three let their magic roll off of them in perfect sync. Elefseria found himself awed as he watched their magic flow from them as if it were the element they commanded. Gajeel's green magic flowed thickly as if it were a slab of metal, shining brightly despite the flickering reddish orange of Natsu's magic beside it, while Wendy's soft blue magic swirled around her in a soft lazy manner. As one the three magics surged from their bodies before flowing up towards their heads and condensing inward vanishing from sight.
"Link Format: Connection of The Mind"
The three voiced in almost perfect unison and harmony.
"I suppose I should warn them not to perform this spell in the open until they've mastered being able to cast it in less than a second. It's way too flashy for them."
Elefseria muttered before his thoughts turned towards his other reason for coming to Ishgar. "This meeting of Guild Masters from the world over is bound to be a headache. But it needs to happen" He told himself sternly as his mind started to drift.
- XXxxXxXxxXX-
Gajeel felt his vision fade though it wasn't to a black or a white like he would have expected. Instead it grew into a green that matched his magic.
"You must have really wanted to see me again brat."
The deep guttural sound of Metalicanna's voice cut through the space around him as the dragon came into sight.
"You stupid bastard! Why didn't you say anything?"
Having known it was coming Metalicanna let Gajeel rant and rave about how horrible he was for leaving him they way he had.
"Normally you would have had it explained to you. We just didn't have the time."
Metalicanna finally spoke again when Gajeel had started panting from all of his yelling.
"W-what… Do you.. mean?"
The Iron Dragon Slayer slowly inquired as he tried to regain his breath.
"I mean exactly what I said. Acnologia had begun hunting dragons down in earnest and we had to act quickly. Not only would he have killed us, but he'd have killed you as well. So we sealed ourselves inside of you slayers before we were supposed to. But that wouldn't have been enough to stop that blasted murderous fool. Igneel had made a deal with a powerful man. In exchange for helping him with something, the man would wait until we had sealed ourselves away and he'd send you into the future, where Acnologia wouldn't be hunting us down."
Gajeel started to growl at the idea of being treated like prey, but he understood his adoptive fathers worry. He'd never seen the 'black dragon of the apocalypse' but he'd seen the carnage left behind by the monster.
"Calm yourself brat."
Metalicanna whacked his son on the head with his tail.
"Hate to break it to you pops but that bastard is still around."
He responded to the dragon after rubbing the back of his head.
"I know. But he spends his time being idle rather than actively searching for dragons. I may be sealed inside of you but that doesn't mean I don't sense a few dragons still roaming Earthland… Either he isn't as strong as he likes to think and can't sense them, or he thinks they aren't worth the effort to track down."
Part of Gajeel felt relieved to hear that. But then he remembered the situation with Natsu, and what Elefseria had said.
"Pops… He's gonna go after the Salamander isn't he?"
"Igneel's brat? Yeah, when he attempts the Trial of Dragons Acnologia will know, and will likely attempt to go after him. He won't be able to do anything until after the trial is finished however. Magic itself will prevent the trials being interrupted."
Metalicanna answered with a scoff. Igneel had sworn them to secrecy about the truth of Natsu Dragneel. Despite the fact his son had joined the same den as Igneel's kid, he wouldn't break his word. If Acnologia wanted to go after Natsu Dragneel, he'd find it to be far more challenging than he would have expected.
From the tone of his reply, Gajeel knew his father didn't share his concern for the alpha of his group. He didn't push it though, as he knew when the dragon held things back, it was for a reason. Instead he asked the question he'd had on his mind since he read the letter Igneel had left for Natsu. Elefseria had given a bit more insight to the process, but he didn't really trust everything the law dragon had said.
"Pops… Is it really that dangerous for a slayer to become a dragon?"
"Yes. The influx of magic caused the vast majority of slayers who reached that point to go insane and die from the pressure. Only two slayers that succeeded in becoming dragons lived through the Dragon Civil War, and even then, I'm not sure either of them could be considered sane. Acnologia went mad with power, and Irene… Well she was a broken shell of herself after the war."
He heard the warning loud and clear. But Gajeel had already decided that if his alpha was going to break through his limits, then so would he. There were extremely powerful monsters in the world, and despite his strength, Gajeel knew that he couldn't match up just yet. There was no way he would let his alpha stand alone against whatever threats would come at their home and family.
"It's going to be different this time."
Gajeel muttered to himself, missing the proud look Metalicanna shot his way. The dragon knew his son well, and knew exactly what he had resolved to do.
"You've got some training to do then."
- XXxxXxXxxXX-
A soft white took over her vision before it darkened into a blue as pure as the sky.
"Oh my little hatchling, it's good to see you again."
The light and airy tone of Grandeneey called to her. Wendy was in motion before her mother had even come into sight, launching herself towards the voice with a cry of "Mother!"
"Please don't cry little one. I didn't mean to leave you so alone."
Grandeneey softly spoke as she cradled the Sky Dragon Slayer.
"I know you didn't want too."
Wendy commented before she began blubbering about everything they'd learned from the letter Igneel had left for Natsu. Unlike the Iron Dragon Slayer, she had wanted to believe it was true. Because it would mean that she hadn't been abandoned for being weak and unworthy of calling herself Grandeneey's daughter.
"Yes I know about the letter, and honestly I'm a little mad that I myself didn't think of it."
The dragon chuckled as Wendy slowly stopped crying.
"How do you know?"
"I may have been sealed inside of you, but that doesn't mean I don't know what's going on. I am a part of you and have access to your memories. I might not have been there psychically, but I have always been with you."
The sheer joy of hearing those words caused Wendy to hug her mother even tighter than she had when she first latched onto the dragon.
"You have persevered through everything life has thrown your way. You've made great friends and have pushed yourself even harder since meeting them. You've grown so much. No matter what happens in the future, know that you have made me proud my daughter."
The word 'friends' reminded Wendy of Natsu's situation. Her smile faltered just a bit as she looked up into the eyes of her mother.
"Natsu's going to need even more help isn't he?"
The worry in her voice was obvious, and Grandeneey couldn't help but smile at just how strongly Wendy had bonded with the son of Igneel.
"Igneel's child is quite strong, but yes he will need your support, and not just for fighting."
The blue haired girl found herself a bit confused by that statement. What else could Natsu need help with, aside from growing strong enough to fight whatever battles were coming his way?
As if reading her mind, Grandeneey chuckled at the look on Wendy's face.
"While growing stronger and helping in battle is admirable, it is not the only way you can help your brother in all but blood. You just need to keep doing as you've been doing."
The dragon commented causing Wendy to smile at the label of her relationship with the Fire Dragon Slayer.
"When his emotions get the best of him, you be there to help calm him down. When he needs healing because of a dangerous fight, you be there to patch him up. If there is ever a time where he doubts himself, you remind him that he is your brother and that he can do anything."
As the Sky dragon spoke, Wendy realized her mother was right. She had been doing all of that from the moment she met Natsu. So of course she would keep doing it. He was her family, and a dragon did everything it could for their family.
"You're right Grandeneey."
Wendy smiled as she hugged her mother once more, feeling her resolve strengthened by their talk.
- XXxxXxXxxXX-
A dusty brown color surrounded him. But as his eyes focused, Natsu noticed what looked like crags and craters filled with a fiery orange. The more he looked around the more of the fiery orange he found. Though there were small cracks of a deep crimson scattered about as well. To him it was a strangely beautiful sight.
"The true depths of your magic are a sight to behold aren't they."
The rumbling voice of Igneel interrupted his observations.
"What do you mean the depths of my magic?"
Natsu questioned, not even turning to look at his father.
"Every living being has a magical container. This is what your container looks like from the inside. Those that have the skill to study their magical container and see this core of their power will always know what magics fit them best."
"Did you teach me Fire Dragon Slaying magic because of my core? Or is my core like this because that is the magic I learned?"
Natsu wondered, showing off his intelligence freely. As the person that knew him best, he had no doubt his adoptive father would see through his act otherwise.
"A little of both. You were born to be a mage with multiple magics, and because I taught you such a powerful magic, your core adapted slightly, showing that you currently have more proficiency with fire."
The colors made him think of the lacrima that Igneel had left him. Part of him wanted to snort.
"Fire and Earth. You must have been ecstatic to raise me when you learned that I could one day represent both you and Tektari."
This time he did look towards the dragon that was Igneel.
"I can't say that I wasn't happy to see your potential suited my mate and I both. But I never intended to push you to learn anything you didn't want to. I can tell you still haven't fully decided to learn Earth Dragon Slayer magic. It's your choice and I'll support you either way."
"It's more along the lines of I don't know who to turn to since I want to learn it before using the lacrima. I do want to use the lacrima, especially seeing as how it would allow me to feel connected to Tektari without having met her. But after hearing Elefseria's explanation on why I shouldn't use a lacrima… I still want to but I want to make sure I have enough time to truly prepare you know?"
Igneel chuckled even as he leaned down to look Natsu in the eye.
"That is a valid concern, but the law dragon does not know everything, despite knowledge being what his power is. There are a few benefits for both of us should you use Tektari's lacrima. Though I would still prefer it if you didn't use her lacrima until after gaining the Earth element."
Somehow understanding that it would help with his goal of slowing the process down rather than speed it up, Natsu nodded.
"I'll get right on that then."
"Another thing that will help is your mate. She should be able to siphon off some of your magic. Of course you have to bond with her fully first."
That made Natsu blush a bit. Despite how much he wanted to bond with Cana, he was taking it slow. After all she was the only one for him, but that didn't mean she couldn't fall out of love with him and move on to find someone else. He wanted to make sure she won't leave him, especially seeing as how once he fully bonded with her, it would cripple him in many different ways if she left.
"Besides, now that you can speak with me when you need to, I can help with your preparations for the Trial of Dragons. Elefseria was right when he said you aren't anywhere near being ready. We'll have our work cut out for us, but that'll just make it all the more satisfying when you succeed me as Dragon King."
Natsu snorted at that. Though he agreed that it would be more satisfying if he had to work hard.
"Speaking of… How come you never told me you were the Dragon King? I thought you being the 'Fire Dragon King' just meant you were the strongest Fire Dragon."
"While I am the strongest Fire Dragon, the simple answer is I forgot that the tradition isn't all that well known outside of my predecessors. Every dragon that has ever become king has been addressed that way. For example the king before me was the 'Solar Dragon King' and his magic was based on the sun. Before him was the 'Frost Dragon King' who was a powerful Ice Dragon. Aside from the first two kings, all of us have been known by our magic as well as being the king."
Natsu shook his head as he listened.
"So say I succeed and become king. How would I be titled?"
"Well… Considering there was already a Fire Dragon King, the trials to become king would force you to use all of your abilities in an attempt to help you find something that stands out to use as a title instead."
Igneel answered, though he was rather sparse on the details of the trial of Dragons itself. Not that Natsu would have expected differently. Igneel liked to make Natsu learn through experiencing things for himself rather than just simply sharing information.
Before Natsu could do anything else he felt a hand on his shoulder. Shaking his head Natsu grinned before looking to Igneel.
"Looks like they need me out there. I'll talk to you later Igneel."
- XXxxXxXxxXX-
Natsu cracked an eye open as he looked towards the arm that was extended to shake his shoulder. Wendy was looking at him with a bright smile. She had just opened her mouth to speak.
"The old man here decided he wanted to see just how capable we really are."
Gajeel's voice interrupted whatever it was the blue haired girl was going to say.
"Yes. I've heard quite a bit, but I'd like to see you in action. Which is why I have suppressed my magic for now. While the three of you were talking with your dragons there was a rather large group of miscreants watching us from over there."
Elefseria commented, ignoring the fact Gajeel called him old. Jumping to his feet even as he rolled his neck Natsu couldn't help but cheer "I'm all fired up!"
The law dragon shook his head at the enthusiasm. When they first withdrew to chat with their draconic parents he suppressed his power, wanting to see what would happen if the group that he sensed nearby came to investigate. His enhanced hearing lead him to hear that they were bandits, and that they wanted to be cautious since several of them recognized Natsu and Gajeel specialty. So he woke them up when he felt the bandits approaching again.
"They're almost here."
Wendy whispered, knowing that Natsu and Gajeel would still hear. Despite their love of battle, they knew that it would be better to turn the fight into an ambush, and positioned themselves in such a way that the shadows of the night would hide them until they could strike.
Letting the majority of the bandits enter the clearing they'd been using for their campsite, Natsu and Gajeel leapt out behind the group with matching smirks.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
"Iron Dragon's Club!"
They attacked simultaneously. Taking it as a sign that the fight had started Wendy took in a breath before unleashing her own attack.
"Sky Dragon's Roar!"
Elefseria found himself intrigued by how much they obviously held back. Of course being a dragon slayer turned dragon he understood the power of their magic. But he didn't understand why they would hold back as much as they were. It wasn't until a man landed on the ground at the law dragons feet that he realized. The three of them were used to only using as much power as necessary. Not to mention they obviously held back on the lethality of their magic. Despite himself, the dragon was impressed at just how much they could hold back.
"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"
The twin streams of fire from Natsu's arms whipped through the air, tossing several of the bandits to the ground.
"Leading Sky Arrow!"
Wendy lunged towards a bandit, a whirlwind of magic encasing her leg. As she did that Gajeel turned his arms into metal poles and rotated his upper body.
"Iron Dragon's Lance!"
By that point there were only a few bandits still standing and they were all right in front of Natsu. Grinning the pink haired man finished them off with his signature attack.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
Elefseria clapped politely.
"Considering my senses, I was able to gauge just how much you were holding back out of your full strength. I'm impressed at just how much control you have. While I can't say anything about the higher end of your skill levels, I can give basic advice."
Facing Wendy first he smiled softly.
"As the youngest you are the least experienced. But your effort to catch up with the two of them is quite noticeable. Your natural abilities lend well to being in a supportive role. After all as a Sky Dragon slayer you have the ability to enchantment your allies and even heal them should it be required. When practicing magic those should be your priority. As for the physical side of things, even when you are older you will naturally be built more for speed than power or endurance. Your fighting style should incorporate using that natural speed to blitz an enemy with attacks on their weak points."
When she nodded at his words, the law dragon turned to Gajeel next.
"You however are almost her direct opposite. While iron may not be the absolute strongest metal, it is still extremely durable. Your goal should bea defense near impregnable. With raw strength to crush those that threaten yourself or your allies. As it stands your magic container is actually the smallest. But that shouldn't bother you. Learn to turn your iron into scales, or if you already know how, focus on doing it instinctively. If you can't outright defeat your enemies make yourself outlast them. You are the one that should come out on top in a battle of attrition."
Instead of saying anything Gajeel just activated his "Iron Dragon Scales" silently. But the look in his eyes told the older man that the Iron Dragon Slayer had done so simply to work on maintaining the spell for long periods of time, which would in turn strengthen his scales as well.
Smirking at the dark haired mans actions Elefseria looked to Natsu.
"Natsu, if Wendy is speed, and Gajeel is defense, that makes you the power. Of course that should be obvious considering the true dangers of fire. After all if you were to condense your flames enough you could make them cut through anything. But that requires a level of control and finesse that you haven't even begun to approach. Despite being a Fire Dragon Slayer you don't even have enough control to perform pyrokinesis."
"I've tried to gain enough control for pyrokinesis. It's like there's something stopping me."
Natsu replied a bit grumpy to be told he needed to work on something that he had done before without results.
"I believe you. But given your situation right now, control isn't your only worry. The transition from human to dragon is extremely painful as I said before. Considering you had no difficulties with these bandits I have no reference point for your endurance level, but you need to raise it. Similarly to Gajeel, you should always be able to win in a battle of attrition. Unlike him however your endurance needs to be godlike. The reason most go insane rather than survive the transformation is because the pain is akin to having every part of your body destroyed, except your heart, and having your magic rebuild your body piece by piece."
All three of the Fairy Tail wizards were shocked by what the process of becoming a dragon was like. The idea of submitting yourself to that much pain was ridiculous. Wendy's worries for Natsu were only increased upon hearing it. Gajeel started to doubt if he could keep up with the alpha of their den. Natsu however…
The Fire Dragon Slayer narrowed his eyes towards Elefseria and just nodded. He would do whatever it took to make sure he never abandoned his friends and family. If it meant becoming a god among men to survive dragonification, then he would do it. The determination to succeed was clear in his eyes, as a brightly lit flame, which caused Elefseria to smirk.
'This kid is going to outshine all of us.' He thought to himself.