These next chapters are going to be longer! I felt that 1,000 words just wasn't cuttin it!
As always, I claim no copyrights to anything used except for what I own.
Lucy snapped her head and kept the smooching Dan at bay with her hands, "Igneel?" The white-haired man stepped closer to the dragon, "I've been searching for you for years Igneel, and now I've finally got you." The man lifted his hand a large pulse of purple and suddenly, Scorpio disappears, the ice covering the arena vanishes, and Erza's weapons and armor return to normal. And Natsu, stumbles to the ground.
What the hell...the mages collectively thought at once. They had never seen this kind of magic before. It was like a cancellation sort of magic.
"Allow me to introduce myself...I am King Byro, former ruler of Zentopia in the southern continent. Lucy here is familiar with my son Daniel," he gestures toward Dan who is desperately trying to plant a kiss on Lucy.
Erza and Gray stand there, magic-less, and confused. "What the hell did you do to our magic?!" Gray barked out. The Duke let out a low chuckle and continued his stride toward the dragon.
"Just a bit of Nullification magic son, you'll get it back once this here dragon is dealt with. Can't have y'all interfering now," he pats the thick scales of the dragons side.
This earned a low grumble out of the weak dragon. While Natsu's dragon form wasn't entirely magical, the energy used to keep him up and fight came from his extremely strong Fire Dragon magic. The "King" canceling out magic, took every bit of energy from Natsu.
"Now...to that magic I've been after for so long..." The Duke grinned maliciously and snapped his fingers, causing Dan to rush to his side.
"You'll surely get that throne back Father!" Dan grinned innocently and removed his sword from the scabbard.
Lucy recognized that sword, it was a fabled sword written about in many old books said to be harnessed by old dragon slayers. The kind that didn't care for magic and relied on strength and power to kill their foes. However...something had been changed, it had a sickly green essence floating around it that wreaked of death.
Erza and Gray took off in a sprint. Natsu couldn't defend himself, this was surely a planned execution. Erza roared and kept up in the air and aimed to take that sword out of Dan's hands. Gray kept running forward, hoping to tackle someone to the ground.
Dan, caught off guard, found himself tackled to the ground and his sword sliding 15 feet away. "No!!!" He managed to blurt out before Gray clamped his mouth shut. Erza slid across the rough dirt and brandished the sword in her hands, even in holding it she could feel the raw evil energy that had been imbued into this sword.
"Your foolish attempt to stop this is meaningless.," Byro spoke. "Igneel here destroyed my castle and uprooted an entire government all those years ago. The people live destitute with no monarchy to rule them."
The words he spoke were true, Lucy had heard that a small Kingdom had been destroyed and ransacked, but in the years following the destruction they were actually thriving. The former citizens of Zentopia rose up and created a more democratic government for themselves.
"You're lying! Those people were freed of your regime and live better off without you," Lucy stepped forward and cried out. "Your selfish need to restore your own power and greed is disgusting, that's why you had to incapacitate the dragon! YOU'RE WEAK!!!"
Her words ring throughout the arena, going into the very souls of her comrades. Lucy stands strong and powerful.
"If you were truly a King, you would fight at full strength. But you're just a more pathetic version of my Grandfather," her glare was filled with fire.
Those last words struck a chord with "King" Byro. "If it's a challenge you want...it's a challenge you get." He released the Nullification Magic on Erza, Gray, and Lucy.
Gray trapped Dan in a mound of ice and slapped a bit of sheet ice on his mouth to keep him quiet. Erza requipped into her Ataraxia armor. Lucy scowled and opened up 3 gates, Capricorn, Taurus, and Virgo.
The three stood steadfast next to each other. "You messed with the wrong guild." They all let out a yell and lunge forward to attack.
The fight was exhausting. Every attack the Fairy Tail wizards tried was nullified. Nothing was working. Bruises started to develop on the wizards from how long this fight had trudged on.
"How are we supposed to beat this guy..." Gray held onto his arm, breathing heavily. Erza hurled another blade at Byro, "I'm beginning to think we can-"
"We have to beat him!" Lucy cried out as Taurus swung his axe from behind Byro and managed to catch him off guard and hit him.
"Enough of this!" He let out a massive wave with a crack of his staff that knocked everyone to the ground. "You've had your fun, now it's time for business."
He walks to Erza and steals the sword from her scabbard, "I have a dragon to kill."
Lucy winced and lifted herself up slowly but surely. Her legs bowing together, covered in scratches and bruises.
"You pathetic little girl. I should have killed you just like that weakling of a grandfather." Byro sneered.
"You're...the pathetic, one," she struggled to get her words out. Standing alone felt exhausting.
"Helluvah comeback, this ends now!" He turns to the dragon and lifts the sword.
Natsu's eyes and dull and clouded. The light that captured the hearts of so many and inspired countless others was gone.
Natsu's POV
Everything felt dark and cold. I had never been stuck like this for this long. I didn't feel anything in this form but fear right now. I'm usual the one doing the scaring.
I managed to peer into my surroundings, and I saw a sword coming down on me. I guess this is the end...I'm so sorry Lucy...
Just as the sword pierced my flesh I was falling. I didn't think that dying would feel like this. I always there there was some sort of light to follow or maybe one of those Angel things would come and get me.
But I guess falling is what it truly felt like. Down into an endless void.
Until I hit something really hard. Owwwwwwww
I felt like myself again, like I could control this form. All of the damage I had in battle seemed to have gone away... I opened my eyes and didn't see pearly white gates or even fiery ones. It looked like I was under an ocean. Blue swirling and iridescent water above me. Below felt like smooth stone that was cool to the touch.
Is this being dead? I thought there would have been more people...I guess when you're a dragon they put you somewhere different.
I wandered around for a few minutes, wherever I was, was enormous. You could probably fit all of Fiore in there.
I could hear the sound of muffled voices above me, and even the sound of swords clashing. That's odd...
I guess I could get started on spending eternity here, it doesn't seem so bad.
A few minutes pass by and I start to see the faintest sparkle on the swirly ceiling. I narrowed my eyes and slunk towards it. Maybe this was a holding area, like purgatory or somethin.
The sparkle got bigger and bigger until I could almost see into the opening it was creating.
I backed away slowly, maybe they'll let me stay if I don't look threatening.
The mumbling I had heard earlier started to become more clear and I could hear faintly. "YOU'VE GOT IT!!"
I could hear a lot of voices, some I recognized even. Was that Erza? Gray? Gramps???
Suddenly a hole opened up and something was dropped inside. I slid a little closer to examine it only to be hit on the head by whatever the hell came after it.
Why does everything fall around here?!
I backed away from the hole, not wanting anything else to fall on top of me. And saw someone gathering up the stuff that fell the first time.
Those round chocolate orbs that I had come to get lost in where looking directly into my own eyes.
"Natsu...I think I can break your curse."
Stayed tuned in for next time!! I'm graduated from
College now! So I have plenty of more time to finally finish this story. Thank you all for sticking with me through it all. You mean the world to me 3