Ok, so I managed to finish chapter 2 faster than I had expected... that's neat. It's also twice as long as chapter 1 was. I'll try to work on keeping future chapters more-or-less the same length, so I'll hope you'll bear with me until I get into the swing of things.

I'd also like to say thank you to the people who've chosen to like this story and leave reviews, even in this early stage. It really means a lot and now I'm all fired up to write some more. (I'm sorry, I had to slip that catchphrase in there.)

Anyway, enough sappy stuff. On with the chapter!

Heart of Fire
Wings of Light
I have withstood the harshest of winters
In this barren heart of mine
So cold and empty without you here
And yet my flame burns on

The boy's new plan was simple in theory but tricky in practice. Finding Igneel on his own was an impossible task and even if he had several hundred others searching with him, luck would have to be on his side if he wanted to find Igneel before old age set in. No, one set of eyes wasn't enough, nor even a thousand... but several million might be enough.

Despite living in isolation with Igneel for several years, the boy was not totally ignorant of the wider world. Igneel had taught him many things about the land he was living in, which had only made him realize that the world was a very big place. This land was part of the Kingdom of Fiore, which had a population of seventeen million. The idea of so many people living in one place boggled his mind and try as he might, he couldn't understand Igneel's lessons about human politics.

As confusing as it was though, it granted him an opportunity- one which he planned to exploit to the best of his ability.

While people might not be willing to actively participate in his search, they may still help him indirectly. As a general rule, when people encounter something out of the ordinary, they tend not to keep quiet about it. In fact, they will often do the exact opposite and tell as many people as they can. It's almost a guarantee that anyone who saw Igneel would shout about it from the rooftops. After all, it's not every day that you see a dragon in the flesh.

Yes... Igneel is a dragon. Not much more to say there, so moving on.

Anyway, rumours spread like wildfire, as you might say- and fire was something that the young lad was intimately familiar with. All he had to do was be in the right place at the right time and keep his ear to the ground. Because as soon as Igneel was spotted, the rumours would spread and eventually they would reach the boy's ears. It was just a matter of time.

However, rumours of Igneel's whereabouts would be of no use to the boy if he was not there to hear them. For the time being, he needed to find a highly-populated town in which to settle down in. However, it could take him several days or even weeks to find such a place.

With this in mind, the boy wanted to waste no time in setting off. Igneel had once told him about a small human settlement not too far away. Despite the fact that he had wandered around aimlessly for several days, the boy was still confident that he could find his way there. Shielding his eyes, he took note of the position of the sun to orient himself, before marching off with a determined stride.

After a few days, the landscape started to change. The previously flat terrain had turned into a gentle downward slope and the older, more established trees had given away to younger trees and saplings. The further the boy walked, the more he saw signs that people had once passed through here. Broken snares, abandoned campsites, the odd footprint or pathway- all indications of hunters or travellers who visited this stretch of woodland.

Feeling that he was finally on the right track, the boy grinned wryly- it was good to know that all the walking he had done over the last few days hadn't been for nothing. As eager as he was to follow the 'trail' though, the light was beginning to fade and finding his way was getting more and more difficult. It was time for him to make camp for the night.

The boy moved as if to take off his backpack, but froze halfway. It's not that he had changed his mind about spending the night here- this was actually quite a decent camping spot. There was enough space for him to build a fire, but at the same time, the trees were also dense enough to shield him from the elements.

It wasn't because he changed his mind.

It was because he sensed something.

Something that wasn't right.

Suddenly, his light-hearted demeanour was gone, replaced instead with a cold and rigid intensity. He brought all of his senses to bear, desperately trying to grasp what was out of place. What was causing this feeling of unease within him? His instincts were screaming at him to take action, but he suppressed the primitive urges and focused.

What was that he was hearing?

Voices. They weren't raised in anger but instead laced with unpleasantness.

The air was eerily still and the normally vocal birds and insects of the forest were oddly silent. Perhaps they could also feel the tension, or smell the smoke in the air. Now, the boy couldn't say for certain, but in his opinion, all of this pointed to one thing:

Imminent combat.

Like a shadow, he crept towards the voices, taking care to avoid making any noises that would draw attention to himself. While most people would have trouble moving quietly in this semi-darkness, the boy had exceptionally sharp eyes and incredibly good night-vision. He was also blessed with great balance and coordination and so, was able to move almost silently under most circumstances.

He took extra care crossing the last stretch of distance, making sure to hide behind a bush that would conceal him, while letting him see through.

Through the gaps in the leaves, he could see a small clearing with a small campfire in the very centre. On one side stood four rough-looking men and on the other stood two children, one boy and one girl, both with blue hair. The boy stood opposite the four men defensively. In his hands, he clutched a staff almost as long as he was tall.

Though he wasn't sure what gave him this impression, he had a feeling that the two children had been camping here, when the four men had stumbled upon their campsite and approached them.

"Come on little man, we're not asking for much. All you need to do is hand over everything you have and then you won't get hurt," the middle thug proclaimed coercively.

"That's an interesting proposal. However, I think it would be much better for you if you just left", replied the blue-haired boy nonchalantly. Despite his laid-back response, he held his weapon ready.

"Aw, don't be like that boy. Didn't your parents ever teach you about the importance of sharing and charity? I mean look at us!" the thug said, gesturing to the men with him. "Don't you have any pity for those less fortunate than you? Can you really blame us for just trying to survive?"

"Surviving is one thing, but preying on others and taking what they have is wrong under any circumstances," said the boy solemnly. "If you want something, you should work hard to make it a reality, just as I have worked for what I have. I won't give you anything."

"Please Jellal, just do as they say!" the girl cried desperately. "I don't want you to get hurt."

The boy glanced at her briefly and his face seemed to soften slightly at her words. It was clear that he was quite fond of her.

"You should listen to the girl- Jellal, was it? If you care about your life- or hers for that matter- you should just hand over your stuff," cackled the thug with a sneer.

Jellel didn't bother to reply. Instead, he simply turned towards his face towards the girl and spoke.

"Wendy... sometimes you have no choice but to back down and let your enemies win. But this is not one of those times. Sometimes you have to fight for what you believe in. I will not let these thieves steal from us and have you go cold and hungry.

I will deal with them. Go and wait for me somewhere safe... I will be finished here soon."

The girl sobbed, but after only a brief hesitation, she took flight and fled into the trees.

The moment she left, the atmosphere changed yet again. The thugs, who had moments ago looked almost relaxed, suddenly straightened up. They had been throwing their weight around before, but now they were gearing up for a fight.

"Big mistake, kid," the thug growled. "What happens next is on your own head."

And with those words, they advanced on Jellal.

And that's it for chapter 2. Sorry to leave it on a cliffhanger, but it was just a super-convenient place to leave it off before the chapter got too long.

Hopefully chapter 3 will be out soon, though it might take a bit longer. I'd already written half of chapter 2 by the time I submitted the 1st chapter, so that made it a bit quicker, whereas now I need to write all of chapter 3. Fortunately, I have a good idea of how to write the next segment, so it shouldn't take too long.

Anyway, I'll see you guys again soon, byeee.