When this mysterious Cerex and Sapphron attacked Magnolia, Nashi and Drake were the ones that faced them. Nashi went after Sapphron and left Cerex to Drake. Drake was doing slightly better against Cerex. As Cerex had ice attack Drake, Drake generated a powerful soundwave that caused the ice to shatter.

"Damn! Why can't I land a hit against you?!" Cerex complained.

"You can throw all the ice you want at me, but I can hear it all coming." Drake explained. "My magic allows me to hear your thoughts, including the movements you make."

"It's all sound, is it?" Cerex said. "Well, either way, you won't be able to defeat me. You have no idea what you're up against."

"Yeah, yeah... I've heard all that before." Drake said.

"Drake!" Drake caught a break when he saw some help arrived. He was fortunate to see it was Nashi's friends.

"Hey. Am I glad to see you guys. Especially you, ice freak." Drake said.

"Bite me. It doesn't seem like now is the time." Storm said. Drake was tempted right there to tell Storm about what happened between him and Nashi, but he was respecting Nashi's feelings and didn't say a thing. Plus, there's something more important going on at the moment.

"We were helping out the citizens when we all saw that dragon around this area." Simon said. "When we saw it disappear, we all hurried here as fast as we could. Drake, where did that beast go?"

"You're looking at him." Drake said as he pointed right at Cerex, but none of them really understood.

"That guy?" Gale questioned.

"What do you mean?" Nova said.

"This guy has the ability to transform into a dragon." Drake said. They were all a little surprised when he told them that.

"You're kidding." Sasha said.

"This is no time for jokes." Storm said as they were all a little disbelieved about it.

"I'm telling you the truth." Drake said. "This guy is not just an ice wizard. He's actually a dragon slayer just like us." All of them were surprised even more to hear that Cerex was a dragon slayer too. "Nova and Gale, I might need your help with this guy. He's powerful. You can just feel it from his magic." Once they all started to feel Cerex's magic, they could tell what Drake was talking about.

"Whoa... Gale, do you feel it?" Nova questioned.

"Yeah... Drake's right." Gale said. When they both saw they were dealing with a fellow dragon slayer, they moved in and positioned themselves to attack him on the side. Cerex was getting a read on them as well.

'Her... Him... They're both dragon slayers too.' Cerex thought. 'They're part of that generation. I guess I'll have to show them what the real thing is about.'

"We're not letting you three having all the fun." Sasha said as she and the boys were ready to join in the fight.

"You three stay out of this." Drake said. "This guy has dragon scales. Regular weapons and other magic won't work so well against this guy."

"We can't just sit around and do nothing!" Storm said.

"If you want to do something, go help Nashi. She's dealing with another one of these guys and she's on her own." Drake said.

"Nashi is?!" Simon said. All three of them looked at each other and agreed. "Very well. You three be careful." Simon, Storm, and Sasha left Cerex with the others. This was turning into a dragon slayer montage.

...

Nashi

Nashi was facing Sapphron, a fellow dragon slayer who uses the fire element in a form known as sapphire. What Nashi didn't expect to hear was the last thing Sapphron claimed.

"Did you just say you had four-hundred years of experience?" Nashi said. "That's impossible."

"In this world that we live in nothing seems to be impossible thanks to magic." Sapphron said. "My comrades and I were among the first set of people to become dragon slayers."

"You're kidding..." Nashi said as she had a hard time believing that.

"We lived in the era where dragons were alive." Sapphron said as he remembered those days well. "In those days, there were two kinds of dragons. There were those who wanted to live alongside humans and those who wanted to devour humans. It was war and terror when the two sides fought. You would know it today as the Dragon King Festival." Sapphron was there when he saw it all happened. He remembered the terror, the destruction, and the mayhem that came with dragons fighting each other. Humans tried to join in the fight, but they couldn't do a thing until Dragon Slayer Magic was invented. "When Dragon Slayer Magic was invented, humans joined in the fight. However, none of us prepared for the curse that came with this magic."

"Curse?" Nashi questioned.

"Three fatalities were formed from this magic." Sapphron said. "None of us were aware of it until it happened to us. One was that many lost control of their magic and went on a rampage. Another is the severity of motion sickness."

"You don't have to explain that one to me." Nashi said as she remembers that part all too well.

"However, the third fatality ended up being the hardest." Sapphron said. "Have you ever heard of Acnologia?"

"Yeah... He was a human that turned into a dragon." Nashi said and it made her realize something. "Are you saying that's what happened to you?"

"Yes... It is the fate of all dragon slayers, at least I believe so." Sapphron said. "I do not know if that's the fate that awaits for those that aren't part of this first generation, one which my comrades and I are a part of."

"Are you saying there's more of you out there?" Nashi said. How could so many people like Sapphron and Cerex really have hidden?

"Yes. We have lived for all these years and were able to endure when we stood in unity." Sapphron said. "We too have suffered from this magic. Just like Acnologia, we all transformed into dragon slayers. We bathed in the blood of dragons, but the effects were irreversible. Acnologia was the sole victor of the Dragon King Festival, but a grave scar was placed across the land. Many kind dragons were lost, and people began to fear those like me when the dragonfication process began. They believed we would become the same as Acnologia. We had to go into hiding and were considered outcasts to the humans. Eventually, the dragonfication was complete and we lived as dragons." Nashi was fascinated by this story and was beginning to feel sorry for this guy.

"This all happened centuries ago. How is it you haven't aged?" Nashi said.

"We don't just take the appearance of dragons, our physical bodies become a dragon's." Sapphron said. "Dragons age very differently from humans. During those centuries, we tried to learn more about magic. We had our abilities grow and develop. That is how we learned to take the appearance of humans. It proved to be most fortunate to help us go into hiding."

"Hiding?" Nashi questioned.

"Acnologia still lived after all this time." Sapphron said. "Acnologia desired to destroy all kinds of dragons, no matter what side they were on. That is why that he hunted down and destroyed all dragons even after the war. We had to go into hiding for all these years, but we didn't think we were be welcomed among humans. Even if we did make ourselves look like them, we would never feel like we actually belonged with them. For four-hundred years, we lived in fear, despair, anguish, and much more. We wouldn't feel in place among the humans, but the dragons soon went extinct and we were hunted down by Acnologia. All this is what my friends and I come to see as the curse of Dragon Slayer Magic." So many years have gone by and it sounds like they were unbearable for Sapphron and others like him. Nashi couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards him. "We did learn about Acnologia's demise over twenty years ago. It was like a wave of relief washed over us and some of our suffering finally ended. Soon, it brought us to right now."

"I can't imagine what you must have went through." Nashi said. "Still, it doesn't explain what you're doing here. What is it that you're after?"

"We simple wanted to appease to the dragon slayers of your guild, the ones that were raised by dragons." Sapphron said. "Our actions might seem to counter our intentions, but our social graces have been diminished. After centuries of waiting, we are finally taking a stand and bringing what we do desire to fruition. We won't allow anyone to stand in our way. If you are not with us, stay out of the way. If you choose to oppose us, we shall unleash our wrath."

"Well, you made a big mistake here." Nashi said. "You attack one of our friends and we fight back. That's how our guild works, and it doesn't matter to us who you are. We've faced many powerful enemies before, they thought we couldn't beat them, but we did."

"But have you actually faced a dragon?" Sapphron questioned. There was that time in the war when Ankhselam revived Acnologia's body, but that was more Ankhselam himself. "I didn't think so. Adding in my experience, you are just a mere novice compared to me."

"I'll show you that I'm much stronger than you think!" Nashi said. No matter how sympathetic she feels towards him, she can't allow him to just destroy what he pleases. Nashi tried attacking him again, but Sapphron countered by driving his fist right into her gut before her attack landed. The wind was knocked out of her. He swung his leg and knocked her back with her getting knocked to the ground.

"Try as much as you like, but it won't work." Sapphron said. "If this is what those of your generation are capable of, perhaps Cerex was right. You barely scratched the surface of your magic." Nashi was getting furious. She's trying to hold her emotions in, but they're boiling inside her. After all that she's been through, has she not really tapped into the full potential? "I'm sorry, but you are clearly no match for me."

"Nashi!" Nashi and Sapphron looked in the air and saw Storm arriving. "Get away from her! Ice Demon Zero Longsword!" Storm swung his attack at him, but he jumped away and avoided his attack. When that happened, Sasha appeared in front of him with a pair of twin blades. She swung her swords at him, but he moved away from each of her attacks. She had him back away and put him right in Simon's sight with him in the air.

"Heaven's Wheel! Scattered Petals!" Simon changed armor and unleashed a barrage of swords at him. Sapphron acted quickly as he unleashed a torrent of blue flames and deflected the swords.

"Blue flames?" Sasha said.

"He deflected each sword like it was nothing!" Simon said.

"Nashi, are you okay?" Storm asked as he tried to help her

"Yeah... Thanks." Nashi said.

"I don't know what's been going on here, but you should know that you made a mistake by attacking our friend." Simon claimed.

"You three are just mere humans. You don't stand a chance against me." Sapphron claimed.

"Is that so?" Sasha said.

"Let's find out!" Storm said. All three of them went at him and tried to attack him, but Sapphron had something for them.

"Sapphire Dragon Vortex!" Sapphron caused a spiraling pillar of blue fire formed around him and blew all three of them back. "I did warn you. I'm afraid that the only one who could actually defeat me is a fellow dragon slayer, but it looks like your friend doesn't have what it takes."

"I don't, do I?" Nashi said as she was getting mad. She began to unleash massive amounts of magic as fire formed around her. It certainly got Sapphron's attention. Nashi let him have it as she jumped right at him and drove her fist against his face. It had a lot power behind it as he was knocked back. Still standing, but he was still pushed back. It did catch Sapphron by surprise.

'Perhaps I did underestimate her. Where did that sudden burst of power come from?' Sapphron thought.

"Don't look down on me." Nashi said. "I've been through a lot. I've actually been through death and back. Don't tell me I don't have what it takes." All Nashi ever wanted was to be strong like her father, Natsu, and wanted to use that strength for her friends. She's been through a lot to help her make the woman she is today. Now, this guy is saying that it might have been all for nothing. With all that has been going on lately, all that's been going on in her life, her emotions are burning more than they've ever felt before. In fact, all those emotions and thoughts on the past, it's causing some sort of reaction as she actually felt something burning inside her. She could also feel something pulsating, beating like a heart, through her body. Sapphron noticed it too.

"What's going on?" Sapphron questioned as he could feel something was changing.

"What's happening to me?" Nashi questioned. A faint pink light was starting to shine and it was shining even brighter. Soon, Nashi was glowing pink. She couldn't hold back the power that was building inside her anymore and it shot straight into the sky.

"Nashi!" Storm called as he and the others were worried on what was happening to her. Something was forming in the sky. A rift in space was formed and something was coming out of it. When they all could see what it was, they couldn't believe it. It had red scales, wings, black tipped talons and claws, a tail, horns pointing in the back of its head, and had long messy pink hair like Nashi's. They all couldn't believe it when they saw what it was. Even Sapphron was awestruck by it. It was another dragon.

"A dragon?! Where did that come from?!" Sapphron questioned. "I don't think I've ever seen a dragon like her before. Who is she?"

"My name is Amata. I was forged and given life by my creator: Nashi Dragneel." A dragon that Nashi created? How could something like be possible even with magic?

...

Outside of Magnolia

A lot is going on in Magnolia, but more is coming. Someone is on their way. This person was a man that was dressed in all black and looked similar to a wizard. He wore a cape with a pointy hat and carried a gold scepter that curved at the top. He had short brown hair and had a symbol on his chest. It looked like the letter C with a diagonal line coming from it. Who is this man? Is he another enemy as well?