Well, welcome to chapter 8, probably the darkest chapter this story has seen. I hope you like it, and as always, let me know what you think in reviews. Enjoy!
Somewhere in Fiore, X777
"It all began on July 7th, X777. My dad, Igneel, suddenly disappeared. I was sleeping on his leg the night before, and when I woke up, he was nowhere to be found. At first, I thought he flied off in search of some food, but after few hours, I started to look for him. This kept on for days."
For the probably tenth time this day, a pack of birds flied out off a treetop, startled by the same screams that kept on echoing through the forest for days now.
"Igneel, where are you?!" called a young, male voice. It was hoarse and tired, having lost its previous unquestionable energy and loudness.
A young boy, no older than 11 ran through the forest, calling out to his father in pure desperation. His pink hair was messy, even messier than usual, with dry mud and leaves entangled in its locks: he fell so many times, he lost count. His pants were ripped and dirty, barely hanging onto his waist. His naked torso was dusty and scratched, mostly from his falls. The only clean part of his appearance was his white, scaly scarf, miraclously free of any germs and somewhat fresh.
For the umpteenth time this day, his belly grumbled painfully, his stomach sucking itself in from hunger. Since there was no fire around for him to eat, and the animals were both too fast and far to catch, he had to resort to some weird looking berries, which didn't really do any good. The constant feeling of hunger and the lack of sleep crippled his mobility quite heavily, rendering his search much less effective than it could have been.
"Where are you?" whimpered Natsu to himself, tears starting to form in his eyes. He couldn't understand why Igneel left him all alone without saying a word. Did he do something wrong? Was he too much of a trouble to the dragon? His self-blame caused the tears to pour out and flow down his face, as he sobbed quietly.
"What did I tell you about crying?"
Natsu's eyes shot wide open, as he remembered one of his dad's many lectures. If there was one thing Igneel truly disliked about the boy, it was his constant crying and whining.
"You're a man, Natsu. Men do not shed tears this easily! Grab a grip of yourself and face your problems with your chest puffed out!"
Natsu sniffed and wiped his eyes. "I don't have time to cry. I have to find him!" he stated firmly and took a deep breath.
Suddenly, his sensitive ears picked up a suspicious sound coming from nearby bushes. He quickly turned his head in the noise's direction, his body tensing up.
"Could it be...?" he asked himself hopefully and sprung towards the noise. "Igneel!" yelled the boy, emerging from the thick bushes. He found himself on a small plain, with two deer calmly eating grass right in the middle of it.
"Finally! Food!" screamed his brain. Feeling saliva forming in his mouth, Natsu licked his lips and lowered himself, moving to his left, making sure his steps were as muffled as possible. However, after couple steps he stopped in his tracks, rethinking the situation.
"But they look so cute... Can I really kill them? I've never done this before..." Natsu doubted both himself and his idea. He never had to worry about food, since Igneel always took care of meat on his own, saying that it'd be more effective and less time consuming. He did teach Natsu how to distinguish certain berries from others, which mushrooms to eat and which trees gave good fruit, but this forest had none of that. Since food has always been right under his nose, Natsu never gave where the meat came from a second thought. It always seemed so easy: find an animal, hit it, eat it. But now, seeing the animals up close, the seemingly easy task has become much harder.
His train of thoughts was interrupted by his stomach, which was now convincingly trying to eat itself. Natsu grimaced from the unpleasant feeling and clutched his naked belly with his hand. "I gotta do it." he said in his thoughts and shook his head, trying to clear his doubts.
The deer haven't noticed the boy, as the continued their meal. Feeling sweat forming on his forehead, Natsu carefully put his feet down, making slow but sure steps. He was now mere few meters away from his range, where he could use his magic to catch one of them and fill his belly up.
"Just a little closer..." he muttered, now very close to the animals.
Just when he was about to make his last step, a loud thud echoed throughout the forest, startling the animals. They both raised their heads, then another one hit, making them shook their ears and run off, leaving Natsu behind.
"No, come back!" he yelled after them, reaching out to their figures as they ran through the leaves, disappearing from his sight. "Damn it!" cussed Natsu and kicked the ground in frustration, a small spark of flames coming out of the kicked place. "What is making that noise, anyway?!" he asked no one in particular, puffing his cheeks in frustration.
Natsu didn't get to pout for too long, though, as the thuds were now becoming louder, with their culprit slowly making their way towards the young Dragon Slayer. The leaves split and something terrifying came out, making Natsu open his mouth wide in shock.
A giant, monkey-looking monster came out of the bushes, sniffing the air. He was at least 3 meters tall, with green fur covering majority of his giant body, mostly his long, well muscled arms and legs. His torso, face and hands were purple, his eyes pure white and rid of pupils. The Vulcan noticed Natsu and stared him down with his eyes, his teeth slowly baring themselves.
"W-what the hell is that?!" asked terrified Natsu, making slow steps back.
The monster grinned menacingly and started to make his way towards the Dragon Slayer, who was now trembling. "Get away!" he screamed, waving his tiny, covered in flames fists, hoping to scare the monster off. But that was not the case, as the Vulcan picked up its pace, continuously grinning.
"You're asking for it!" screamed Natsu, as he kicked the ground and rushed the monster, pulling his arm back.
FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!
Natsu's fist made contact with the Vulcan's abdomen, his fire dealing absolutely no damage to the monster. Not giving up, Natsu pulled back his other arm and hit again, again and again, desperately trying to hurt the beast.
Vulcan snickered at the boy's attempts and slapped him with his right arm, making him roll on the ground. Natsu yelped in pain, feeling cold ground, sticks and stones scrape his naked torso and arms, the place he was struck in numb and pulsating. After few meters, Natsu stopped and tried to get up, which came with great difficulty. The monster simply stood in his spot and roared into the sky, pounding his chest with his fists.
Natsu clutched his aching left arm and decided to run away. He mustered all the remaining strength he had and ran through the bushes, the leaves scratching his already hurt skin. The loud, heavy steps that shook the ground indicated that he was being chased, which further fueled his legs.
"What the hell is his problem?!" he yelled in confusion and fear, with the Vulcan slowly but surely closing in.
Just when he thought he'd get caught, Natsu crossed yet another set of bushes and came out right above the edge of a cliff. Before he could register what was going on, he was rolling down the cliff like a ball, guarding his head with his put up arms. Diziness taking over his mind, eventually he stopped thinking, letting himself roll down God knows where. Finally, after what felt like eternity, Natsu's back came in contact with solid, even ground with a loud thud, knocking some air out of his lungs. Exausted, hungry and achy, he stared at the orange sky with his half-closed eyes.
"Dad..." was all he managed to muster, before falling into unconsciousness.
"After wandering around for so long, and getting my ass kicked by that Vulcan, I fell off a cliff and lost consciousness. While I was lying there, I thought it was the end for me. Until I woke up."
Natsu came down to earth, his eyes slightly twitching as he awoke. The so familiar feeling of cold he was slowly starting to get used to was now replaced by warmness, warmness he hasn't felt in days. His back was lying on something warm, something completely different from cold, muddy and full of stones soil. His sensitive nose picked up a smell that nearly spun his head around, immediately alarming his empty stomach, while his ears were now picking up the sound of running water.. Natsu slowly opened his eyes, his vision initially blurry and his eyes stinging. He narrowed them and blinked a couple times to get rid of the unpleasant feeling, before focusing them on a wooden ceiling that was hanged above his head.
Confused, Natsu sat up in his spot. only to feel a blanket slide off his chest. His eyes widened at the sight of a bed he was currently in, more from shock that he was actually sleeping in one, rather than the fact he switched locations during his sleep.
"Oh, you're awake? Sooner than I expected." said a female, joyful voice.
Natsu immediately jumped to his feet, as he was currently standing on the bed, his fists raised in preparation for combat. He looked around the room and sniffed the air around in search of its owner. He found her pretty soon, deducting that she was right behind the door that lead out of the room.
"Hey, hey, calm down. No one's going to hurt you." this time the voice laughed.
"H-how can you see me?!" asked confused boy, putting his fists down.
"I have a mirror in here, see?" asked the woman, putting her hand in the doorway, as she pointed at a round, small mirror hanged right on the cupboard that was in front of it. "That's how."
The sound of running water came to a stop, followed by a clank. "I'm coming in." she called, before doing so.
A young woman walked through the door, not older than late teens. She was of average height and quite gifted curves, with a joyful face and big, kind blue eyes. Her light red hair reached her shoulders, with her bangs completely covering her left eye. She was wearing a dress, with a blue apron tied on her waist. Overall, she looked like a kind, playful girl.
"Slept well?" she asked him with a smile, disturbing the Dragon Slayer a little.
"Who are you? Where am I?" he asked, slightly less afraid of her than previously.
"You don't have to be so afraid, it's not like I'm going to hurt you." she laughed and waved her hand in front of her face. "...yet." she added under her nose, which didn't go unnoticed by Natsu.
"What do you mean, "yet"?!" he yelled, making the woman laugh once again.
"Sorry, sorry! I was just trying to loosen you up. You looked really tense, so I thought you could use some help." she reassured him in-between her laugh.
Natsu blushed in embarrassment, only amusing the girl even further. "Whatever! Who the hell are ya? Where am I?" he asked in a demanding voice.
The woman stopped laughing and quickly put her finger in front of Natsu's eyes, her previously playful expression becoming stern all of a sudden.
"First of all, it's common courtesy to introduce yourself first, before asking for someone's name, and when you do so, you don't say "who the hell are you". Second, when you're asking someone a question, you speak in a polite tone, not the one you used just now." she scolded him. "Let's try that again."
She crossed her arms on her chest and looked at Natsu with her only visible eye, staring him down with anticipation.
"W-well..." began the Dragon Slayer, suddenly slightly scared of the lady. "My name's Natsu...who are you?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow, unsure whether he did a good job.
The woman nodded eagerly in response. "Not bad, but we'll have to work on that.". Her face relaxed, a smile once again finding its way onto her lips. "My name's Marie. pleased to meet you, Natsu."
Natsu sighed lightly in relief. "Where am I?" he asked.
"In my house. I found you last evening when I was going back from the forest, you looked awful. I took you in and patched you up. How did you even end up like that? Where are your parents?" she asked with a frown.
"I was looking for my dad. He disappeared few days ago, so I started to search for him. I couldn't find any food, I was hungry, I lost my shirt and then I found that stupid monkey and tried to fight him, but he was too strong, so I had to run, and then I fell down the cliff and that's the last thing I remember." Natsu said truthfully, holding his chin with his hand to help him remember the last couple of days."
"Hold on one second." threw in Marie, holding her hand on front of her face. "A monkey? You couldn't be possibly talking about a Vulcan? A big, green monkey?"
"Yeah, that one." nodded Natsu, shocking the redhead. "You know him?"
Marie's smile faded away, as her face grew pale. "You fought it?" she asked, finding it difficult to believe his words.
"Yeah. Don't believe me?" he asked with a frown, his pride hurt.
"Grown up men are like children to them, so sorry for not believing you right off the bat." she answered, laughing nervously. "Never mind that, you said you were looking for your dad. Do you remember where you saw him the last time? Maybe we could search for him together."
"Really?!" Natsu jumped up to the girl and grabbed her hand, suprising her a little.
"Of course." she smiled in return. "Can you tell me what he looks like?"
"Sure. He's big, red and has a scar on his right eye."
Marie blinked a few times. "Big? Red? Are you sure you're describing your dad?"
"Yep." nodded Natsu, confusing the girl even further.
"I mean no disrespect, but I've never heard of red humans, so sorry for being so suprised." sweatdropped Marie and scratched her cheek with her finger.
"Igneel's not a human." Natsu shook his head. "He's a dragon."
Marie smiled at Natsu and blinked a couple times, possibly too fast than she should. "Excuse me?" she asked in a quiet, weird sounding voice.
"Igneel's a dragon." repeated Natsu, this time with a frown.
She was about to say something, when she noticed the look in Natsu's eyes. She's been around children for way too long to be fooled by their little lies and stories. But his eyes were different, there was not even a trace of a lie, or imagination behind them. Only pure determination and fire.
"Okay." she sighed, her smile returning to its place. "We'll look for your dad."
Natsu's face beamed, as he jumped out of bed. "Neat! Let's go!" he yelled, before storming towards the exit. He opened it and was blinded, as the morning sun hit his face with all its strength. Squinting, Natsu put up his hand to block the flaming orb and readjusted his eyes, as he looked around.
He was surrounded by few houses, all of them nearly identical to the one he just walked out from. In-between the buildings, there were basic things, such as ropes full of laundry tied to each house, small fields that were currently being tended to by some adults, and lots of children running around, playing and screaming. The village was placed right outside of the forest, the sound of singing birds and woodpeckers reaching Natsu's enhanced ears. Overall, he found it pretty, but something didn't feel quite right.
"Gezz, don't run out like that. Take a look at yourself, from time to time." sighed Marie and forcefully pulled a shirt down Natsu's head. He didn't even protest, instead, he was focused on what was in front of him.
"What is this place?" he asked in a muffled voice, his new shirt stuck on his scarf.
Marie took her eyes off Natsu and looked around the village, her smile deepening even further at the sight. "Sunspear Village. A pretty bizarre name, for a bizarre village."
The boy looked at her with a raised eyebrow, not convinced by the name. "Hey, don't look at me, I'm not the one who named it." she defended herself, finally winning her fight with Natsu's scarf. "But still, I love this place. I was born here, and so was everyone else."
Natsu hummed quietly in responce and looked at his new shirt. It was plain blue, but since he's never wore blue color before, he found it pretty weird. He looked at himself from couple different angless, as if expecting to find something new and interesting.
"And who might this be?" asked a new, unfamiliar voice that belonged to an elderly man who was currently walking up to the pair.
"Chief!" exclaimed Marie, running up to the elder and offering him her arm.
"How many times have I told you I don't need your help?" he asked irritated, not even fighting the woman's iron grip under his arm.
"And how many times did you fall on your face while walking up these stairs?" she asked in return, receiving quiet grumbling in response.
Marie helped the Chief walk up the stairs, with Natsu waiting on top of them. The Chief was an old man, grey hair sticking out of his hat and grey beard covering majority of his face. He was using a cane to support himself, his back slightly bent over, most likely due to age. He was looking at Natsu with kind, curious eyes.
"So, who is this young scoundrel you've brought to our cozy village?" he asked, directing the question more to Natsu, than Marie.
"I'm Natsu, who are you?" replied the Dragon Slayer.
"I am this village's Chief, Tom. Now, tell me, what is a young man such as yourself doing so far all on his own?" he asked in a kind, old voice.
Before Natsu could open his mouth, Marie interrupted him. "He's looking for his dad." she said, looking at Natsu with eyes that were hoping he picked up the hint. Mentioning dragons to strangers was not the wisest thing to do.
"Well then, I wish you good luck." said Chief. "You're free to stay while you continue your search. Normally, we don't take strangers in, but your situation appears to be pretty dire. Just make sure to not cause any trouble to the villagers, and we'll be fine. Understood?" he asked with a mocked note of intimidation in his voice.
"Yep! Thanks, gramps!" grinned Natsu, completely not phased by the elder's try, making him sigh quietly. "There's something I wanted to ask you, though..." he added, looking around the place. "Where are the adults? Why is there so many children?"
Both the Chief and Marie's faces froze at these questions, before turning into sad frowns. Natsu blinked in confusion at their reaction. "Did I say something weird?"
"They were taken by a sickness." replied Marie with a sad smile. "It happened few years ago. One of our water supplies was contaminated. We lost over half of inhabitants to fever, most of them leaving these children alone. Now, I take care of them. That's why I took you with me." she said, locking her eyes with Natsu's. "You reminded me of them."
"Oh." Natsu shifted his eyes to his feet. "Sorry."
"Don't be. You have every right to be curious. We try not to let it get to us. Their loss still pains us to this day, but we can't afford to stop because of that. We have to keep going, because that's what they'd want us to do." assured him Marie, tousling his hair with her hand. "Those children need me. Need us. We have to be strong for them, because no one else will. They're pretty strong on their own, you're about to find out. But in the end, they're still children."
Natsu listened to her with his brow slightly furrowed. "I don't really get it, but if they're strong, then that's fine." he smiled, scratching the back of his head.
"Why don't you go and play with the children?" asked Chief, directing the question to Natsu. "They really wanted to meet you when Marie brought you in."
"I can't. I have to find Igneel." Natsu shook his head, making the elder laugh.
"I'm sure they'd be more than willing to help you. Just make sure you remember your way back home."
"In that case, fine."
Natsu quickly jumped off the terrace and ran up to the children, calling out to them and waving his hand in the air.
"He's not going to find him, isn't he?" asked Marie with a sad frown.
"No." the elder replied shortly. "We are disconnected from the world, it's a miracle you even found him. Whoever it is that lost this boy, their reunion will not happen very soon. If it happens at all."
Marie watched Natsu talk to the children, as he passionately talked about something. Judging by their reaction, he must have revealed the indentity of his father, because they started to laugh at him, which made him angry in return.
"For the first time in years, I hope you're wrong." she whispered.
"After being saved by Marie, I stayed in the village. They were very friendly and helpful, keeping their disbelief of Igneel being a dragon to a minimum. They taught me some useful things, such as how to tend a garden, treat minor injuries and hunt. Marie was the one who taught me majority of those things. She was like a big sister to every single kid in the village, and soon after, I started calling her like that as well. During the day, I was helping out the adults, and during afternoons, I searched for Igneel. At first, I was alone, but after some time, I had help. I've made friends with some of the kids, especially a pair of siblings, Theo and Faye. They were really fascinated with my magic, and in exchange of me showing them my flames, they accompanied me on my walks."
"Natsu, don't you think it's time to go back? It's getting dark, Big Sister will get mad!" whined Faye. She was 10 years old. She had dark-blonde hair that reached her shoulder blades and big, green eyes.
"If it gets dark, I'll light our way with my fire, so no worries!" replied Natsu with his trademark grin.
"That's not the problem, lizardboy." threw in Theo, Faye's brother. He was an older version of his sister, with the same hair and eye color as her. He was as old as Natsu, and the oldest kid in the village. "It's not the dark that's scary, it's what comes with it, both here and back home. I'd rather not get attacked by a bear, nor have my head smacked by Big Sis."
"You're both no fun." pouted Natsu, but obediently turned back around. He had to admit, they were pretty far from the village. "Well then, let's go home. Sis's probably waiting for us."
"This guy..." sighed Theo, but followed the Dragon Slayer in suit. "That reminds me, tomorrow Sis promised to take us swimming to that pond we've found few days ago. If we're late, she'll probably make us stay home."
"Seriously?! Why didn't you tell me earlier!" shouted Natsu in Theo's face, making the boy squint.
"Don't yell in my face! Geez..." he groaned, wiping his face off with his sleeve. "It's your fault we're this late, so don't put this on me."
"You're the ones who wanted to help me search, remember? I said I'd be fine on my own, but you just followed me." retorted Natsu with a slight pinch of irritation in his voice.
"We got pretty excited when you told us your dad's a dragon, but now, I don't really buy it. I mean, it's hard not to find a giant dragon in this forest and we've pretty much searched all over it by now."
"But he is!" whined Natsu. "He's the one who taught me magic!"
"So you say, but gramps told us that magic can be taught by people as well. You have no proof your dad's a dragon!" smirked Theo. He liked to tease the Dragon Slayer when he was being irresponsible.
"Whatever!" pouted Natsu and turned back from the boy. "Faye believes me! Right, Faye?"
"Um..." muttered Faye, looking at her brother, who was currently quietly shaking his head with a mischevious smile, telling her to say no. "I'd really like to see one." she finished, disappointing her bother.
"Ha! In your face, Theo!" exclaimed Natsu triumphally, his fist raised in the air in victory.
"Tch." Theo clicked his tongue and shifted his disappointed eyes off his sister. "Traitor."
"W-what did I do?" asked the girl, genuinely concerned. She ran up to her brother, only to trip on a tree root and fall to the ground.
"Ow!" she yelped, trying to get up.
"Faye!" yelled Theo and ran up to his sister. "Are you okay?" he asked, helping her stand up. He grabbed her arm and gently lifted her off the ground, supporting her weight with his body.
"My foot hurts." she winced, carefully setting her foot down on the soil.
"Come on, let's take a look on it. Natsu, can you lend me your flames?"
"Sure." replied Natsu and picked up a stick.
Theo sat his sister down on a nearby log and carefully lifted her leg up. He took her shoe and sock off and laid them to the side. Natsu gently breathed on his stick and lit it up. He then carefully bring it closer to the siblings, lighting her foot up.
"Thankfully, nothing's broken or twisted..." muttered Theo as he examined his sister's foot. "But it's gonna leave a bruise. Guess I'll have to carry you back." he sighed, making the girl blush.
"I'll be fine, you don't have to..." she mumbled embarrassed, looking to the side.
"Yes, I do. It's big brother's duty to protect his little sister!" he exclaimed, hitting his puffed out chest with his fist.
"You wouldn't be protecting me from anything by carrying me, you know..." muttered Faye.
"Of course I would! If I carry you, then nothing will be able to touch you, and you won't trip again. I will protect you from anything, because this is my duty as your brother!" Theo continued his speech, embarrassing his sister even further.
"Hey, can I try something?" asked Natsu, knocking the boy out of his role.
"Try what?" he asked with a light frown, not really fond of the idea. Natsu's "something" usually ended up with something being destroyed.
"Just hold this."
Natsu passed his flaming stick on to Theo, who was still very skeptical, and kneeled in front of Faye. He grabbed her hurt foot with his hand, making the girl grimace in pain.
"Ah, sorry." he said. "Faye, do you trust me?" he asked her.
Faye looked at her brother, who simply shrugged, and shifted her eyes back to Natsu. Slowly, but surely, she nodded.
Natsu replied with a nod of his own and concentrated his magic in his palms and covered Faye's foot with them, suprising the girl. "It's alright, I won't hurt you." he assured her. The girl nodded and relaxed, allowing Natsu to carry out his task.
"What are you doing?" asked Theo with a frown, clearly not fond of what was happening to his sister.
The pinkette ignored him and continued to hover his hands over Faye's foot. After a short while, the girl felt pleasant warmness on her skin that soothed the pain, the heat doing its wonder on the hurt area. It didn't even take two minutes to almost completely take the pain away.
"There. Try to stand up." smiled Natsu, wiping sweat off his forehead. He's always been good with destroying things, so doing stuff that required self-control was something new and tiresome for him.
The girl slowly and carefully moved her foot around, before setting it down on the ground. She grabbed Natsu's shoulder and used him to support herself, pushing him down and standing up to her feet. She gently took her foot off and put it back down a couple times, before smiling in joy. "It barely hurts! What did you do?"
"Sis told me that when something hurts, warming it up makes it feel better." grinned Natsu. "I tried it on myself and it helped, but doing it on someone else is much different. You're actually the first one!"
"So you just used my sister as a guennie pig?" asked Theo, his voice sending shivers down Natsu's spine.
"No!" he tried to defend himself from the angry brother. "I just wanted to help her, that's all!"
"Stop it, big brother!" Faye scolded her brother. "No fighting, or I'll tell Big Sister!"
Natsu laughed at his friend's terified face.
"As if you're in any position to laugh. It's already dark! Sis is gonna kick your ass for this!" yelled Theo, shutting the Dragon Slayer down, who was now sweating. Marie was a very kind and gentle woman, but when she was angry, it was almost as if something was possessing her. Her wrath was the one thing every child and adult in the village has feared.
"But Faye's right... thanks, Natsu. I owe you one." mumbled blushing Theo.
Natsu simply grinned at his red face. "No biggie!"
Despite the successful procedure, Theo refused to let Faye walk back home on her own, and after a much too long battle, the trio finally took off, with embarrassed Faye sprawled all over Theo's back. Their journey went on in silence, since it was pretty dark. Talking could have alarmed animals that were definitely lurking around. They used Natsu's flaming hand as a torch, which was placed inside of a jar, to prevent any leaves or branches from catching fire. Despite being far from home, all three children knew their way around the forest. Even Natsu, who lived here for only few months, knew majority of the forest like his own pocket. Deep in his heart, he knew that there was no way Igneel could still be in this forest, but a part of him refused to give up on the search. His friends sensed it as well, but didn't say anything for his sake. For that, he was extremely grateful.
After 40 minutes of walking, the trio crossed a set of bushes and found themselves standing in front of a giant, familiar boulder. They used it as one of their usual spots to play, meet, or store every interesting thing they've found while skirmishing in-between the trees. It was also very close to the village, only 5 minutes away by foot.
"Wanna switch?" Natsu asked Theo, who was starting to get closer to the ground with each minute. Carrying his sister for so long took its toll on his young back.
"No way in hell. I'm not even tired." replied Theo in a strained voice, clearly forcing himself to remain on his feet.
Faye simply sighed at his words. "I told you I'm fine. Let me go, I'll walk on my own."
"No! I'll get you home safely, just watch!" the boy was too stubborn to give up, as he resumed to walk, his steps slow and heavy.
"I'm afraid if you continue to carry me like that, we won't get home at all."
Natsu simply laughed, as the siblings continued to bicker. Suddenly, his laughter died down in his throat, his eyes narrowing dangerously. His nose sniffed the air after being hit by an unpleasant smell. He quickly rotated his head, searching for its source. It smelled of burned wood, grass and iron. But not the kind of iron that was used by Marie when she prepared meals for the villagers, Natsu knew this smell. It was the smell he was so used to picking up when he used to come back from training back to his and Igneel's cave. It was the smell of blood.
"Theo, Faye, stay here." he commanded them and lit up a couple of sticks, before putting them in the jar. He put it on the ground for the siblings to use and started to run in the village's direction.
"Wait- What's wrong, Natsu?!" Theo yelled after him, utterly confused.
"Something's happening at the village! Hide!" was all they received in response, before the pinkette disappeared behind the bushes.
Natsu ran through the forest, cold, night air filling up his lungs and nose. With each step he could, the smell was getting gradually stronger. Being this close to the village, he could now hear what was happening out there: screams, laughter and crying of children.
The young Dragon Slayer clenched his teeth so hard he cracked one of them, its piece shooting out of his mouth. Panic, anger, confusion and fear started to form in his chest, leaving him with unbearable weight that effectively slowed him down. Blur started to form in the corner of his eyes, his mind taking a trip somewhere else. For a moment, he felt like he was watching what was in front of him through someone else's eyes.
He jumped over the small river and found himself in front of the village's trademark chain of trees.
"Behind those trees, there's the village. When I cross them, everything will be fine. This smell and voices are not real, everything will be fine. Please!" he desperately pleaded in his thoughts, his feet mere two meters away from the village.
Speeding up, Natsu shot out of the forest, his feet making contact with the village's ground. He shifted his head up and felt his eyes widen in terror, air leaving his lungs.
The village was burning. Every single house was taken by the purging fire, some of them already collapsing. The fields, gardens and trees raised by the villagers were now history, stomped, burned and stained with blood. The ground was filled with bodies of dead adults, tied up children and blood stains.
Natsu watched as a young, brown-haired girl, not older than Marie, put both of her swords through Chief's wife's stomach, lifting her now limp body up in the air and licking her lips sadistically. Her long hair that reached to her lower back flown in the cold wind, giving her a sinister look. He watched a small, azure-haired boy torture a man with his magic, as he shot green beams into his limbs, watching him scream in pain in amusement. He watched as an older man with graying hair, clad in a black suit, held a little girl under his boot and tied her hands behind her back, as she cried for her mommy, who was currently being held by the neck by a blonde-haired man. In one, swift motion, he broke it and threw the woman aside like a doll, listening to her daughter's screams with a small frown of irritation on his face.
Natsu simply stood there and took the picture in, not understanding why it was happening. The entire village was now gone. Everything, and everyone was either destroyed or killed. In the flames, he noticed the Chief, who was staggering towards a tall, silver-haired man, who was currently watching the flaming buildings with sheer fascination.
"Please, stop this madness! We mean you no harm! Take me, but don't harm the children! Please!" he begged, his shaky, old hands grasping the man's coat.
"You!" called the brunette with swords, outraged. "How dare you touch Master Silva with those dirty hands?!" she yelled, running towards both men.
"Halt, Jolene." commanded the man, making the girl stop in her tracks. She sheathed her swords and bowed.
"Forgive me." she said, before turning around and walking in different direction.
The silver-haired man simply looked at the Chief, who was staring at him with furious, teary eyes, before touching his forehead with the index and middle fingers of his right hand.
"You're of no use to me." he said, as the elder's upper body exploded into nothingness, leaving only his lower body, which fell to its knees.
At this sight, Natsu fell onto his knees, tears streaming down his face. This wasn't happening...it couldn't...
"Natsu!" called a voice behind him, shaking him out of his trance.
"Theo, don't come here! Get away!" yelled Natsu, his teary, terrified gaze meeting the siblings' green eyes.
Theo opened his mouth, about to protest, when he noticed the village. His eyes widened in shock and pure horror took over his face, as he started to tremble.
"W-what is this?" he asked quietly. Faye simply watched, the fire reflected in her teary eyes. She covered her mouth with her hand: she spotted Chief's remains.
"We have to get away from here, we're not safe here." said Theo through his gritted teeth. His fear was slowly being replaced by pure anger.
"Bis Sister!" called out Faye and reached out in the village's direction. Both Natsu and Theo turned around at those words.
They noticed a big, muscular man with green hair, who was currently dragging Marie on the ground by her leg. Her head was bleeding, her light-red hair now taking the color of scarlet. She was followed by the children, who desperately tried to free her from the man's iron grip.
"Grigol, what the hell is this supposed to be?" asked the swordswoman.
"I caught them trying to run away. This whore was trying to hide them in a tree trunk. A tree trunk! She must think of us as fools!" exclaimed the man in anger. He stopped walking asnd threw Marie onto the ground, making her lie before him, as she coughed up from getting the wind knocked out of her. "You thought you could make a fool out of Seven Commandments, you bitch?!" the man yelled and brought his leg up, before smashing it into the woman's right arm, breaking it like a twig.
Marie's screams echoed throughout the forest, remains of her bones piercing her skin and blouse. The man grinned sadistically, as he listened to her pain in delight.
"Oh, music to my ears. You're going to sing for me for a while, my lady." he moaned, before lifting his leg once again.
"Stop it!"
He was stopped by a sudden yell coming from the forest. He quickly turned his head around in its direction, before raising his eyebrows mockingly.
Natsu dashed out of his hiding at full speed, his teeth bared and fists clenched. His eyes expressed pure fury, his pupils now barely visible.
"You bastard!" he yelled and pulled back his arm, fire erupting from his fist.
FIRE DRAGON'S-
His attack was interrupted by a powerful strike to his abdomen. The swordswoman quickly closed the distance between him and the green-haired man and struck him with the handle of her swords. Natsu felt air leaving his body, as big amounts of spit found their way through his now open mouth. He fell to the ground and clutched his aching stomach, struggling to breathe.
"Did this kid just use magic?" asked the man.
"Indeed. And not any ordinary magic, he's using Dragon Slayer Magic." confirmed the older man in a suit.
"What- Isn't that Lost Magic?! Hey, Master!" the swordswoman called out, gaining attention of the silver-haired man. "This kid is a Dragon Slayer! Are you gonna steal his magic?"
The man's eyes slightly widened at her words, as he slowly walked up to Natsu. The boy lifted his head up and met the man's cold eyes with his own, making sure his expressed as much hate as possible.
"No, I am not." denied the man, not taking his eyes away from Natsu's. "I am unable to steal Lost Magic. But this child will prove to be a big stone in our plans. Put him with the others."
Natsu felt himself being picked up by the older man. He had no strength to fight back.
"What about this woman?" asked the green-haired man, turning Marie over with his foot.
"Useless. Kill her."
"No!"
All the adults turned their heads in the voice's direction. Theo, who was now walking up to the commotion, held his hands up in the air, giving himself up.
"How many of them did you let escape? You dumbass!" asked the brunette, smacking the giant with her hand.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill her. Depending on your answer, I will either smash her head under my heel, or let her live. You have five seconds, kid." said the green-haired man, ignoring his comrade.
"You don't need adults, right? You only came here for children. Well, some of them can't live without Big Sis's help. They're too young, and I don't think any of you are going to tend to them, right?" Theo desperately bargained for Marie's survival, his voice shaky from fear, but audible.
The adults simply looked at each other, without saying a word. Taking it as a sign, the boy continued. "Unless you want half of the children to die on the way to wherever you're taking us, you need her."
The silver-haired man walked up to the boy and squatted in front of him. He looked all over his face with his cold, crimson eyes, before smirking lightly.
"You're too smart for you own good, boy." he said. He then stood up and faced his subordinates. "The woman lives until we reach our hideout. Arthur, patch her up. Grigol, find yourself a different toy."
The man in a suit bowed and put Natsu down on the ground. He then walked up to the woman, while the green-haired man clicked his tongue in annoyance and took his foot off her head.
"As for you..." Silva said to the Dragon Slayer, who continued to stare him down. "You piqued my interest. You'd make a fine member of our guild, but unfortunately, we are out of space. You could become our Officer, if you'd like."
"Drop...dead." muttered Natsu in response, greatly amusing the man.
"I knew I'd like you. Jolene, cuff him up. He looks like a troublemaker, and that's the last thing I want on our way back. Round our loot up and tie them together, including that little girl hiding in the bushes over there."
Theo's eyes widened, as Silva pointed in Faye's direction with his thumb. Natsu, who was currently being put in anti-magic handcuffs by Jolene, tried to rip his arms out of her grip, only to get slapped across his face with her right hand.
Faye was dragged out of her hiding by the azure-haired and black-haired boys, who both took one of her arms. She tried to fight them, but they were simply too strong for her fragile body.
"Man, what a shitty night. I didn't even get to enjoy myself. That girl's arm was my only moment in this hunt." whined Grigol.
"You'll pay for this."
Grigol looked at Natsu, who glared at him from the ground. A vein popped on the man's forehead.
"What did you say?" he asked the Dragon Slayer, his fist clenching.
"Not today. Not tomorrow. But I will make you pay for this." hissed Natsu. "I will never forgive you!"
"You dare threaten me? Me?!" yelled Grigol and raised his arm, ready to punch the pinkette.
"Calm down, Grigol." said a blonde-haired man. "You know that if you hurt him, Master will tear you a new one."
Grigol looked at his friend, but complied. "I know, Dryden. I'm just pissed." he sighed.
"Then again, this kid is really annoying." threw in Jolene. "I doubt Master will complain if I do this."
As soon as she ended her sentence, Jolene smacked Natsu in the back of his head with his sword. His eyes lost their focus, as he quickly started to fade into unconsciousness.
"That's much better."
Grigol's laugh was the last thing his ears have registered before passing out.
"After the destruction of Sunspear Village, Seven Commandments dragged us across the country. As promised, they kept Marie alive. They patched her arm up to the point where it didn't pose any threat to her survival, but it was still not enough. Lack of food, rest and proper hygiene took its toll on all of us. After weeks of wandering, some kids started to get sick, and some of them even died. Obviously, Marie was the one who took all the blame, and as punishment, she became Grigol and Jolene's plaything. I was being kept in chains for the entirety of our trip, much to the Commandments' amusement."
Natsu felt someone kick him in his ribs. It wasn't a hard hit, but it was enough to wake him up from his slumber.
"Wake up. Breakfast. You have five minutes." said Luppi and walked up to the rest of the children, waking them up in the same fashion.
Natsu slowly sit up on the ground and winced in pain. His hands were constantly burning and itching as of late, with blood streaming down to his elbows from under his cuffs. Marie said his hands were slowly becoming one with the binds and if not taken off soon, he could lose his hands due to infection. The only answer she received from her captors was a mocking "We'll think about it."
He looked to his right, where other children were sitting. They all looked awful. Their clothes were now worse than rags, some of them missing parts of their clothing. He spotted Theo and Faye, who sat few meters away from him. The boy was practically naked, his shirt currently hanging on his little sister.
"Here you go." whispered a kind voice. Natsu recognized it right way, it was one of the main things that kept him going. Marie handed him a dry piece of bread, carefully putting it in his hurt hands.
"Thanks, Sis." he grinned weakly, receiving a smile from the woman in return. She looked even worse than the children. During the day, she had to take care of them, and in the evenings, she acted as a servant to the Commandments. She barely had any time to sleep, which could be easily noticed, with her blue eyes now bloodshot, with giant bags placed underneath her lower eyelids.
"Are we going to die?" asked a little girl, her body shaking from her quiet sobbing.
Marie bit her lip in frustration. Truth to be told, she wanted to cry as well, but not for herself. She felt so much grief and sadness at the sight of those poor, innocent children, that her chest was getting heavier and heavier with each day. But right now, she was their only pillar of hope, and she couldn't afford to break down.
"No, of course not." the redhead comforted the girl, hugging her with her healthy arm.
"Someone will save us?" the girl asked with a muffled voice.
Marie hesitated before answering. "I don't know." she replied truthfully, hugging the child even harder.
Natsu grit his teeth at the sight. For the past couple weeks, the only feeling and emotion his mind was managing to register was anger. Pure, clean fury. He clenched his fists, ignoring the pain in his wrists, his teeth bared. "If only I was stronger, none of this would have happened."
"Hey, pinkie." called out Grigol, as he walked up to the children, who shook in fear at the sight of him. "Good news, you're losing those cuffs of yours. But I warn you, if you try anything stupid, I'll rip your arms off, understood?"
The Dragon Slayer stared at the man with hatred in his eyes, but nodded his head. "Good boy." smirked Grigol and kneeled in front of Natsu, grabbing a hold of his hands.
Natsu grit his teeth in pain. "Oh, sorry. I forgot." said Grigol, his face not sorry at all. He put the key inside of the cuffs and turned it. The metal clicked, making some room around Natsu's wrists. In one, swift and brutal motion, Grigol ripped the cuffs off Natsu's hands, making him yell out in pain. The anti-magic handcuffs came off, along with the Dragon Slayer's skin, leaving round, crimson wounds all around his wrists.
"Ah. Music to my ears." moaned Grigol and put the cuffs in his back pocket.
Natsu's eyes teared up from the pain. He didn't expect it to hurt so much, but slowly, the pain was starting to weaken. He moved his arms around, making round motions with his stiff shoulders. After warming his sore arms up, he reached out for his bread.
"Bitch, what did I say? Everyone gets the same amount of food, which part of that did you not understand?"
Natsu quickly turned his head in the voice's direction. He noticed Jolene, who was currently standing over Marie and Faye. The swordswoman was holding two pieces of bread, staring the redhead down with hateful eyes.
"This girl is one step away from starving, she can't survive on one piece of bread per day!" Marie tried to reason with the slaver. "Please, she's always been sickly!"
"In case you haven't noticed, I don't care!" hissed Jolene, before kicking Marie in the cheek, The woman fell to the ground, blood splashing onto the ground from her cut lip. "It seems I haven't trained you enough-"
Jolene's threat was interrupted by a flaming punch to her right cheek. Reaching his limit, Natsu launched himself at the woman and caught her by suprise with his Iron Fist. The woman took couple steps back, taking in the full extent of the blow. She looked at the Dragon Slayer in shock, her cheek stinging and numb. She felt blood fall onto her shoe and brought her hand up, wiping her bloodied lip with her thumb. At the sight of blood, her face twisted in a horrifying grimace, pure fury taking over her mind.
"You little bastard-"
"Fight me!" roared Natsu, putting up his fists. "Let's end this right here, right now! If I beat you, you let us go!"
Jolene was now about to explode. "You dare make demands to us?! You little shit!" she screamed, dashing at the boy.
"Jolene, wait!" called out a voice, making the woman stop mere centimeters away from Natsu.
Silva stood up from his spot and walked up to the pair. "Master, you can't possibly turn a blind eye on this?" asked the woman.
"I have no intention of doing so, but the boy is right. He has every right to fight for his freedom." replied the Master, confusing his underling. "Boy." he called out to Natsu. "I will grant your wish. You're free to engage Jolene in battle. If you win, I promise to set you and your friends free. If you lose, you will remain with us, and cause no further problems on our journey. Do we have a deal?"
Natsu considered his options. He looked at his friends, who were staring at him with weird looks on their faces. Marie silently shook her head, worry expressed on her face. He looked at Theo, who met his eyes. He nodded with determined eyes, giving Natsu a signal. "We must fight."
Natsu inhaled to calm himself down and shifted his eyes back to Silva. "Deal."
The man smirked coldly. "Very well. Jolene, take over."
The woman broke her neck, keeping her eyes focused on the Dragon Slayer. "I'm going to enjoy this."
Natsu lowered himself and put his arms to his sides.
"Ready?" asked Silva. Both fighters nodded, not taking their eyes off each other. "Go!"
Jolene quickly drew one of her swords and dashed at Natsu. She was up for a suprise, though, as the Dragon Slayer closed the distance as well, not in the woman's range.
"Closing in against a long ranged weapon? A wise choice." Arthur praised the boy with his hand on his chin.
Jolene clicked her tongue in annoyance and slashed at Natsu, who had to literally fall to the ground to avoid being cut. Despite using the element of suprise against her, he was still losing in speed. He quickly rolled over to his back and brought up his knees, before kicking them up. His feet were aimed at the brunette's chin, but instead, they hit her swords, which she brought up to defend herself.
"Damn." whistled Dryden, impressed with the boy's effort. "Seems like both of you have some competition." he said to Jellal and Luppi, who watched the fight with stoic expressions. Luppi merely raised an eyebrow at this statement, while Jellal chuckled in amusement.
"This brat..." thought Jolene, feeling cold metal under her chin. She quickly swat her blade to the side, knocking the pinkette's legs off her. She regained her position and stabbed Natsu, who rolled out of the blade's way at the last second. He got on all fours 2 meters away, ready to strike back, but instead, he was met with Jolene's foot making contact with his face. He was blown back, his back sliding on the ground. He opened his eyes, only to see his opponent pouncing on top of him, her blade up against his throat.
"Game over." she whispered.
Natsu pressed his throat against the blade, its tip slightly piercing his skin, as a small stream of blood flown down his neck. "Not yet." he growled.
FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!
Jolene was consumed by point blank flames, with Natsu blowing his lungs as hard as he could.
"I got her!" he thought hopefully. However, that was not the case, as suddenly he felt his mouth being grabbed, with a hand emerging from the flames. The hand belonged to Jolene, who stared at the Dragon Slayer with bloodlust in her eyes, very light burn marks covering her entire body.
"That hurt." she whispered menacingly, before smashing Natsu's head into the ground. She repeated this motion for couple times, sending him into unconsciousness even further with each hit.
"That's enough, Jolene." called Silva, causing the woman to stop. She took a last glare at her downed opponent, before getting off of him, leaving him beaten and immobile.
"As we discussed, you stay with us." stated the Master.
Marie watched Natsu with teary eyes, her hand covering her mouth. The children started to sob, their last thread of hope burned into ashes. Only Theo kept a straight face, as he comforted his sister.
"The fight may be over, however...you have yet to learn your lesson." said Silva to Natsu. "Jolene." he called to the woman. "You can do the honor."
The woman grinned sadistically in response. "With pleasure." She walked up to the children, terrifying them even more. She looked at their faces for a while, before laying her eyes down on Faye. "She's always been sickly, right?" she asked Marie. Without waiting for the redhead's response, she grabbed the girl by the hair and dragged her out of the group.
"Let her go!" Theo roared at the woman, chasing after her, only to be kicked in the teeth.
"Geez, we really have to put some work into you brats. No respect what so ever." groaned Jolene, still holding the girl by the hair. "Maybe this will help you."
In one swift motion, she drew her sword and slit the girl's throat. Marie cried out in despair, finally breaking down. The kids followed her suit, as they cried in horror. Theo simply stared at his sister, not a single noise finding its way out of his throat.
Jolene let go of the now dead girl, as she fell to the ground with a dull thud, her eyes half open.
"I'll kill you!" growled Natsu, getting back up from the ground. Tears streamed down his face, his face twisted in pure fury. "I'll slaughter every single one of you!"
"You have every right to try." replied Silva, his voice still calm and stoic. "However, every time you request battle, and fail to defeat one of my friends, one of the children will die. Everything in this world has a price. You can't expect us to just let your challenge us without paying. In a duel, you stake your own life, but since we cannot kill you, we have to retaliate in other way. Remember this day, Natsu. Remember this lesson. Do not forget this guilt."
Silva's last words hit the Dragon Slayer harder than any blow. He dropped to his knees, breaking down, guilt and sorrow filling every fiber of his being.
"We depart in 2 minutes. Clean this mess up." Silva commanded Arthur, who bowed and gave order to other Commandments.
After what felt like eternity, Natsu felt himself being dragged by his arm, his figure getting further and further from Faye's now buried body. He passed Marie and the kids, who were being led in a small formation. He noticed the familiar blonde hair of his friend and lifted his heavy head to look at him. Theo looked back at Natsu, and the Dragon Slayer felt his eyes stinging even more at the sight.
There was no hate, or anger in Theo's eyes. Only sadness and powerlessness. They didn't need to express their feelings out loud to understand each other. Natsu broke down once again, sobbing quietly.
"I don't deserve this." he thought, Theo's eyes imprinted on his mind. The eyes that didn't aim a single bit of blame.
"After this incident, I stopped putting any resistance. I blamed myself for what happened, even though both Theo and Marie assured me it wasn't my fault. Theo praised me for my bravery, but I couldn't accept it. I couldn't bare to look at him. During the next couple weeks of our travels, even more children died from hunger and sickness. To replenish their losses, Seven Commandments raided yet another village, capturing even more children than before. It was at this moment, where I've realised, that I was never going to see Igneel again. But as it soon turned out, I was wrong."
"Natsu." called out a voice quietly, barely above whisper. The boy stirred in his spot, sleep still tightly clutching his mind. "Natsu!" the voice called a little louder, effectively waking the Dragon Slayer up.
"What is it?" he asked annoyed, wiping his tired, bloodshot eyes. He's been having trouble sleeping as of late, so being woken up like that was pretty infuriating. When his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he noticed Marie's kind face right next to his.
They were currently in a shed that belonged to the freshly pillaged village. Grigol and Dryden found a huge stack of rare alcohol, loudly expressing their joy. They were even "kind enough" to let their prisoners sleep under aroof for the first time in months. Obviously, they were being watched by Grigol, who after drinking a satisfying dose of the liquor, threw himself on a chair and slept like a troll, his snoring echoing throughout the shed.
"Sis? What's wrong?" asked Natsu, matching her tone.
His eyes widened when she showed him a knife. "We're getting out of here." she whispered, quickly getting to cutting Natsu's binds. Due to his lack of will to fight and his gruesome wounds, they did not put him back in chains, instead tying him up like the rest of the children.
"Where did you get this?!" he asked, genuinely shocked.
"That's what these monsters get for drinking near a former thief." hissed Marie, cutting the ties of other kids and waking them up. "Help me out."
Natsu nodded eagerly and quietly ran up to the others, lighting his finger on fire. Both of them quickly dispatched of any binds that restrained the children and were now gently waking them up.
After couple stressful minutes, all the children were free and up on their feet. Marie rounded them up right by the door and instructed them the escape plan.
"Now, follow me. Do not make any noise, and stick together. As soon as we reach the trees, we make a run for it, do you understa-"
The woman's eyes shot wide open, as the sound of waking up Grigol reached her ears. Not only hers, as the children now watched the giant man stand up from his chair, his drunk eyes glued to Marie's back.
"You little..." he mumbled, before raising his arm to deflect a knife thrown by Marie.
"Run! Get away from here! Don't stop running, no matter what!" she roared and walked in front of the children, who kicked down the door an ran out of the shed, blindly running towards what was in front of them.
"Sis!" called out Natsu, who stayed behind, only to be dragged by Theo and another boy.
"We have to go! We can't stay here!" yelled Theo, successfully dragging the pinkette out of the shed.
Marie was slowly backing up, as furious Grigol was now walking towards her.
"I won't let you hurt them any further!" she screamed, before throwing herself at the man. This was the last thing Natsu's eyes have registered, before being dragged into bushes.
"Let me go, Theo! We have to save Sis!" he yelled, finally getting free from his friend's grip after. They were now pretty good distance away from their prison.
"You know damn well we can't!" the blonde screamed back, with tears in his eyes. "She knew what would happen! The only thing we can do is respect her wish and get out of here!"
Natsu stared at his friend, the figures of other children running behind him getting smaller and smaller with each second. He battled himself in his mind, his fists clenching themselves. He knew he stood no chance against any of the Commandments, but he couldn't just leave her behind like that.
"If you go, I won't be able to help you." pleaded Theo, reaching out to Natsu. The Dragon Slayer shook his head and turned around.
"Go ahead, I'll be right back. With Sis."
Theo lowered his head sorrowfully and turned around as well. "I see. Take care, Natsu." he whispered, before running deeper into the forest, leaving Natsu all alone.
The Dragon Slayer took a deep, calming breath. He knew damn well he wasn't coming back. But he wouldn't forgive himself if he just stood there, and did nothing, or even worse, ran away. He'd rather die, than leave a friend behind.
Just when he was about to walk back to the shed, he heard Silva's voice echo throughout the forest.
"Natsu! Come out! I have something to show you!"
Terror grasping his throat, the pinkette ran through the bushes, quickly making his way back. But he wasn't just going to give himself up like that, not without a proper plan. He reached the last set of branches and quietly kneeled in front of them, peeking through the gaps in-between them.
Silva, along with other Commandments, was now standing in front of the abandoned shed. He was holding one of Jolene's swords in his right hand, as he searched throughout the trees for the pink-haired Dragon Slayer. Right next to him was Marie, currently being held in the air by her joined wrists by Grigol. She wasn't hurt, but immobilized, and taken hostage. This slightly calmed the anxious Dragon Slayer down.
"I know you can hear me!" called Silva, still looking for his prey. "If you don't come out, this woman will die. If you do, I promise I will not harm neither you, nor her."
Natsu clenched his teeth. There was no other way, he had to give himself up. He slowly stood up from his spot and was about to walk out in the open, but something prevented him from doing so.
In all the commotion and darkness, by some miracle, Marie spotted the pinkette. She looked at the dark mages, before looking at the Dragon Slayer once again. She shook her head with teary eyes, signalizing to not come out.
"This is your last warning! Come out!" called out Silva, his stoic voice losing its composure.
Marie shook her head once again, tears streaming down her face. She didn't want it to end like this, but she'd rather face death alone, than watch yet another of her children face the same destiny.
Silva, along with other Commandments watched the area, searching for any signs of movement. Failing in doing so, they all looked at each other, some of them furious.
"Very well." said quietly the Master. "I've always hated unifinished business."
Natsu was about to step out of his hiding, when he noticed Marie's gaze. He stared into her kind, blue eyes, feeling himself getting paralysed. He watched with wide, teary eyes, as the woman smiled kindly and mouthed something to the boy in her last moments.
"I love you."
In one, quick move, Silva pierced Marie's stomach with Jolene's sword. At this sight, Natsu bit his hand as hard as he could to muffle his scream, fresh blood streaming down his wrsts. Marie's eyes misted and lost their focus, as they slowly started to close themselves, her figure becoming limper. After taking one, final look at Natsu, her head dropped to her chest, as she hanged limply in Grigol's grasp, lifeless.
Silva pulled out the sword and stroke it towards the ground, shaking the blood off the blade. He handed the sword back to its owner, before giving his order. Grigol let go off her hands, letting her drop to the ground onto her back.
"Search the area. They couldn't have gotten too far."
His subordinates nodded, before splitting up. Natsu dropped to his knees and sobbed into his hand, his body shaking heavily. Heavy tears streamed down his face, his eyes glued to Marie's body. After what felt like hours, he took them off and closed them as tight as possible, using all the strength he had to restrain himself from running up to her.
"It happened again." he cried. "I lost someone close to me once again."
He continued to cry into his hand until the first rays of sun peeked out from behind the horizon. Having cried his eyes out a while ago, Natsu continued to stare at Marie. He felt his fists clenching themselves, pure anger replacing his sorrow. He stepped out of his hiding and ran up to the woman, before falling onto his knees right next to her. He gently grabbed a hold of her limp body and hugged her as hard as he could, his last tears falling down into her red hair.
"I'll kill them." he whispered, his grip on the woman's body increasing. There was barely any room for sadness, grief or sorrow in his heart. Only one thing fueled it now, an emotion he never felt this strongly in his life. Anger.
"I will kill every single one of them. I will destroy everything they stood for, even if it costs me my life." he proclaimed, raising his clenched fist towards the sky.
"Forgive me, Igneel. You'll have to wait for a while longer."
"Shortly afterwards, I buried Marie away from the village, right by a small stream, that ran in the forest. She's always liked water, in any shape or form. That was the only way I could respect her memory at the moment. After that, I focused on training and slowly started to track Seven Commandments down. Few years later, I earned the name "Salamander", and replaced it with my real one. I felt like Natsu died that day, along with her. And now, seven years later, I'm here."
Natsu finished his story and stood up from his spot, stretching and expressing his relief shortly afterwards. All of this was followed by Erza's brown eyes, her left eye misty and red. She bit her lip in frustration, as she stopped restraining herself and let the tears flow down her face.
"Why can this man keep going, after everything that happened? How can he bring himself to smile?" she thought, not taking her eyes off the Dragon Slayer. He quickly met her gaze with his own, onyx eyes. Just when Erza opened her mouth to say something, he put his hand in front of her face.
"Stop. Don't say anything. I didn't tell you this to receive your pity." he said, before taking it away.
"Then why did you?" questioned the knight, wiping her eyes with her thumb.
"I told you, as a reminder." he replied, putting on his new jacket on. "I try my best to not forget who I was before it all happened, but I can't afford to lose the sight of my true goal. Balancing it out is pretty hard, if that makes any sense. Though..." he tied his scarf around his now clothed neck and looked at Erza once again. "I think you of all people know what I'm talking about, right?"
Erza was taken in by those words, her voice blocked in her throat for a moment. Did he know more than he was supposed to?
Just when she was about to ask her question, knocking reached her ears, with Gray entering the room.
"Sorry for interrupting you guys, but we're almost there. We're gathering up in the main room." he said, before walking out.
Natsu took a deep breath through his nose, his eyes sharp and focused.
"It's time." he said shortly, before walking out of the room, with Erza following him in suit.
Unknowingly to both of them, their connected seven year long journey was about to come to an end.
To be continued in Chapter 9: The Arsenal
Whew. This was one hell of a ride. I know I failed to properly introduce all of the Commandments, but I wanted to save it for the main event. In case you haven't realised, Dryden is the name of the last Commandment, so now, you know the names of all seven.
I didn't manage to put everything I wanted to in this chapter, and some things could help some adjustments. My free time is limited and if this chapters feels rushed, it's probably because it is. 14 hours ago I had 2,000 words, so...yeah. I promise, I will take my time writing the next ones, so that your reading experience will be at the maximum level. Once again, forgive me. Overall, I hoped you enjoyed it.
With that said, I'm going to bed. Next chapters are where the shit finally hits the fan, so don't be suprised if you see over 20,000 words in next chapter. I want to spend more time on writing them, so that the finale of this arc(I'm planing on covering Tenrou) is a solid experience.
As always, hit me with those reviews like the whore I am and stay awesome!