A.N. (9/7/21) - This is the first of a two-parter mini-arc. Hope you enjoy the chapter!


Chapter 7 - Guardian Flame

Part 1

Seven months have passed since Vale joined Fairy Tail.

During that entire time, Vale had been expecting an invitation from a certain someone. When the first few months passed without any change, he decided to just put that thought into the corner of his mind and wait instead. He knew that they would be busy with their normal affairs.

So when one day he received a message from Warrod Sequen to visit his cottage, he invited Romeo and Zera to come along with him.

In hindsight, he should have known better that such an act would end up this way.

"Ugh," Zera's face showed how nervous she was. "I am so not ready for this."

"We are about to be in the presence of someone of a very high rank," Romeo said. "And yet, Vale can somehow get invited to his house so easily. What's your relationship with him again?"

"He was one of my sponsors," Vale explained. "His letter of recommendation helped grant me citizenship here in Fiore and also allowed me to join Fairy Tail."

"I sometimes forget that you immigrated from another country. But join Fairy Tail? How come someone like that helped you join a guild like ours?"

"Don't you know?" Zera asked. "Warrod's one of the founders of Fairy Tail. Heck, I've met the guy when Fairy Tail wasn't even a thing yet."

"Really?" Romeo blinked. "Huh, I never heard of the guy before. Do the other members of the guild know?"

"I think your dad knows," Vale said. "Not sure if anyone else does though."

"I can't believe that I'm going to meet Warrod after all this time." Zera seemed to calm down somewhat. "And this will technically be our first conversation. Oh, what am I even going to say?"

"Hasn't it been about a hundred years or something since you've met?" Romeo asked. "Wouldn't that make him an old man by now?"

"Despite being an old man, he is one of the Four Emperors of Ishgar." Vale shuddered. "He's the kind of person who is really unusual in terms of strength."

"Huh, how so?"

"Let me ask you two a question then," Vale suddenly said. "If I said that I have a potion that would make you as strong as a Wizard Saint, with no side effects, would you drink it?"

"I wouldn't." "I would."

Romeo and Zera both blinked before staring at each other.

"Well, to me it sounds like cheating." Romeo crossed his arms. "To become strong, you must work hard to reach that level."

"But hard work doesn't always pay off," Zera countered. "If there's an easy way to get stronger without any repercussions, why wouldn't you take it?"

"See," Vale said. "This is an example of how people with different philosophies would answer. Well, Warrod's the type who would also answer that he wouldn't drink the potion. To reach the level that he is today, he invested countless years of time and effort in order to become that strong. He's the type to work for his achievements and was somehow crowned one of the Four Emporers despite not specializing in combat-oriented magic."

"Huh," Zera tilted her head. "It's weird to hear other people talk about Warrod like that."

"Speaking of which, what about you Vale?" Romeo turned to face him. "Would you drink the potion?"

"Of course," Vale said. "Wouldn't even hesitate."

Romeo sighed. "Somehow, that doesn't really sit right with me. But I guess it doesn't matter, since there's no way such a potion exists."

"Well, maybe not a potion. But if you're ever interested in unlocking your Second Origin, hit me up."

"No thanks," Romeo's eyes widened and he crossed his arms. "I'm not looking forward to falling unconsciousness due to large amounts of pain."

"But technically, the pain is a cost for that much power. So it's not really cheating if you undergo the process."

"I'll wait until I'm a little older. Besides, I'm pretty sure you said that it's best not to do it when you're young. Isn't that why you have Magic Overload or whatever?"

Vale winced. "Just a mistake of my youth. I promise that I won't mess up if I do it with you."

"Yeah, I'll have to say no for now."

"I'm going to have to agree with Romeo this time," Zera said. "Maybe I'll change my mind in the future, but that's a no from me as well."

"Oh," Vale stopped. "We're here."

The three of them saw the house in the distance and began walking towards it. Entering through the doors of the cottage, the sight of hundreds of plants greeted them. Standing in the center of the room was an old man that didn't look that much different from a tree himself.

"Welcome, Fairy Tail mages." Warrod swept his arms outward. "Now, which one of you is Vale?"

Romeo blinked. "Erm… what?"

"Oh?" Warrod turned to face him. "Are you Vale? What happened to your clothes? And when did you decide that your stomach needed to be displayed out like that? Not that I'm saying it doesn't look good on you."

"As you can see," Vale sweatdropped. "He can be a bit… barmy. It takes a while to get used to his unique sense of humor."

Zera spoke up from where she stood. "Warrod…"

"Hmm?" He turned to face her. "Yes, young miss."

"D-Do you recognize me…?"

He blinked. "I'm afraid not. Should I?"

"I-It's me," she said. "I'm Zera. Y-You know, Mavis's friend…?"

His jaw dropped.

}-{

"That's…" he paused. "That's quite the story."

The four of them were currently sitting at a wooden table, with everyone telling the elder man the events behind Zera joining Fairy Tail. They even explained how she was able to get a body of her own by possessing one of Rustyrose's creations.

"Well, I would certainly like to get to know you better Zera." Warrod smiled. "If you ever feel the urge to trade stories of Mavis with me, my doors are always open. It would be nice to talk about old times again with someone."

"T-Thank you for the offer," Zera said shyly. "That would be nice."

He nodded, before turning to face Vale. "Now, it's been a while since we last met, hasn't it?"

"Several months," Vale replied. "I thought about visiting earlier, but I know that you're usually not at home. So I figured that I would wait for you to invite me instead."

"Hmm, I see…" Warrod stared at Vale with a hand on his chin. A strange look crossed his eyes. "You've gotten weaker."

Romeo blinked. "What?"

"You've gotten taller, but it seems that you're still the same weight as before. Your physical abilities haven't been keeping up with your growth. You've been relying too much on your enchantments to carry you in a fight, meaning that you haven't been training your muscles. Not only that, but your magic power hasn't grown naturally ever since you've put that restrictive constraint on yourself. If you relaxed the restrictions more, it wouldn't be as bad."

Hearing the words coming out of the other man's mouth, both Romeo and Zera were surprised. It had only been an hour, but Warrod was able to tell that much from just a casual observation.

As expected of a top Wizard Saint.

Vale sighed. "Is it really that bad? I've been training a lot recently."

"But not as much as in the past, is that correct?" Warrod shook his head. "You've gotten lax compared to when we first met. But maybe that's not such a bad thing. After all, it looks like you're a lot happier compared to before."

There was a story behind those words, but Romeo and Zera realized that they weren't going to be privy to it.

"Speaking of which," Vale said. "Why did you call me here? I doubt it's just a social call."

"Oh, that's right." Warrod stood up and began looking for something on the table next to him. "You remember that favor you asked me a while back? I finally found that place you were looking for a few weeks ago. I figured that you would be interested in visiting yourself."

Passing over a map to Vale, the younger boy picked it up and unfurled it on the table. His eyes widened once he noticed what was on it.

"You mean… you really found it?"

"What?" Romeo peered over Vale's shoulders. "What is it?"

"It says… the Sun Village," Zera read. "How come you're interested in a place like that."

"I've read legends and stories about the place," Vale explained. "Myths about a tribe of giants composed of a people under the protection of a guardian flame deity."

"A deity? Like a god?"

"Not exactly. In this case, it's a being they worship. I've been meaning to stop by there at one point, but I could never figure out where their village was located until now."

Turning to Warrod, Vale gave a bright smile. "Thank you."

"Oh, it was no problem." Warrod waved his hand. "I didn't enter the village myself, but I saw the giant eternal flame from a distance away. I was mighty amazed by the sight if I'm being honest."

"That's exactly why I have to visit this place." Vale stood up and bowed. "Apologies, but I'll be taking my leave here."

He quickly made his way towards the door.

"W-Wait up!" Zera scrambled after him but paused to look back at Warrod. "It was nice to meet you again. I'll see if I can visit again another time."

"Me too," Romeo said. "I wanna hear old stories about Fairy Tail."

"Oh, I'll look forward to it." Warrod smiled. "Now, I think you should catch up to your friend."

Both of them nodded and ran after Vale. Warrod smiled as he watched them leave his house, and he closed his eyes in contentment.

"It's been a hundred years since then." His eyes began to water. "Mavis… your dream lives on in these children. I can tell that the future of Fairy Tail is bright with these three leading the way."

}-{

"Vale… Vale… slow down," Zera cried out. "What's got you so worked up?!"

"Yeah, you still haven't told us what's so special about this place," Romeo yelled. "Why are you so excited?"

Stopping all of a sudden, Romeo and Zera skidded to a stop before they crashed into Vale in front of them. Turning around, Vale looked straight towards Romeo with a strange look on his face.

"Actually, this might be convenient. Admittingly, this ain't no magic potion. But if there's ever a way to get stronger for a fire mage…"

Romeo blinked. "What are you talking about?"

A smile suddenly covered Vale's face, and he threw an arm around Romeo's shoulders.

"Buddy, how would you like to become a dragon slayer?"


Part 2

A large map was spread on the ground, with Vale marking off various parts of it in a bright marker.

"This should cover the majority of the densely populated areas on our trip there. The travel expenses shouldn't be too expensive, and it's not like we're on a deadline. So we can relax and enjoy our time traveling."

"No, I feel like there are more important things we should be discussing."

Vale looked up and found his two companions looking at him strangely. "Hmm, like what?"

"Can you get back to what you said earlier," Romeo said. "What did you mean about me becoming a dragon slayer?"

"Exactly that," Vale said. "The place we're going to, the Sun Village, is under the protection of a dragon. We're going to see if we can talk to him and ask if he can teach us dragon slayer magic." He paused, then gestured towards Romeo. "Well, you specifically. I'm not exactly interested in becoming a dragon slayer, and I don't think Zera's really suited to their kind of magic."

"What do you mean?" Zera asked curiously.

"At their core, dragon-slaying magic is a type of enchantment process." Vale took on a lecturing tone. "By transforming the mage's body into that of a dragon's, they take on the properties of the creatures they are training to fight against. A dragon's lungs exhale their element, their scales dissolve their element, their claws enveloped in their element. This is an alchemical process that transforms a dragon slayer's body and gives it the aspects of a dragon. And since Zera's body isn't exactly like normal people, I'm not too sure that the transforming aspect will work on her."

Zera blinked. "How do you know so much about dragon slaying magic."

"Because my mother used to be one."

It took a few seconds for the other two to take in what he said.

"WHAAAT!?"

"Well, I say 'used to' but that's not exactly accurate." Vale ignored their reactions. "It's more that she doesn't use dragon slayer magic much anymore."

"You're mother was a dragon slayer?!" Romeo asked with surprise. "Like Natsu-nii and the other dragon slayers in our guild?"

"It's not something she likes to talk about." Vale shuffled uncomfortably from where he sat. "But yeah, that's how I know so much about dragon slaying magic. It was also because of her that I know a lot about dragons. Most of my childhood consisted of hearing stories of children's tales involving dragons of some sort. And when I grew older, I began to research them. That was also how I found out about the Sun Village, and how there's most likely a dragon there."

"I can't believe there are still other dragons out there," Romeo said. "Well, I knew that Acnologia existed. But Natsu-nii and the others always talked about learning from other dragons, even though nobody has seen dragons for centuries."

"That's mostly because of Ragnarok," Vale replied. "The war between humans and dragons eventually escalated until the total population of dragons drastically decreased. Although there are still a few dragons that are alive, there aren't that many in Ishtar at present."

"Ragnarok?" Zera questioned. "What's that?"

"Oh," Vale blinked. "Sorry, I forgot that it's called something else here. It might be better to call it the Dragon King Festival. If you look up a few history books, you'll find out that it was a war that took place about four hundred years ago."

Romeo was silent for a moment.

"Um… Vale, do you really think I can get dragon slaying magic?"

"Why not?" Vale raised an eyebrow. "Sure, it'll be up to you to convince the guardian of the Sun Village to train you. But that's not really the important thing, there's something else that I forgot to ask you."

Vale turned to stare straight into his eyes. "Do you want to become a dragon slayer? I won't lie, there are several issues with becoming one. If you just want to train your purple flare and rainbow magic, that's also fine. I'm just wondering if you're okay with taking another option."

"W-What issues?"

"I think I mentioned this to Zera before, but all lost magic have some kind of detrimental side effects." A dark look crossed his face. "That's the same for dragon slayers, there's a reason why it's not as widespread as it was several hundred years ago. Even my mother wasn't able to escape the fate that befell upon her."

He sighed. "Either way, this all depends on whether or not you can convince the dragon we're about to meet if you can become his disciple. For now, just think about it."

Romeo hesitated.

"I… I'm still not certain whether or not I really want to become a dragon slayer." Conviction filled his eyes the next second. "But there's something else. Two years ago, Acnologia attacked us and made himself an enemy of our guild. Right now, none of us are strong enough to defeat him. But if dragon slaying magic can help me get stronger, then I have no other choice."

He stood up. "Fairy Tail does not allow its enemies to roam free. For those that hurt our family, we will fight with all our might."

Hearing such a shonen line coming naturally out of Romeo's mouth, all Vale could do was smile.

"Heh, then let's do our best. We'll head to this Sun Village, and make sure you get this dragon to help you become stronger."

"Alright!"

}-{

The days quickly passed as they made their way to their destination.

During that time, Zera and Romeo trained together to level up their proficiency in their respective forms of fire magic. Since Vale couldn't exactly help them in that regard, he made sure to take care of other matters like planning their route and dealing with the majority of issues caused by traveling.

It was even to the point when night came, Romeo's body would collapse from exhaustion. Hearing his snores coming from where he slept, Vale could only smile wryly before moving over to where Zera was.

"So, how are you keeping up?"

She gave out an exhausted groan. "You really lit a fire under his bum. He's so motivated these days that it's exhausting keeping up with him. Before, the two of us were around equal in terms of power level. But already, I can tell he's quickly surpassing me."

Vale blinked at that. "I'm surprised. After all, from what I was able to figure out, you seemed pretty knowledgeable in terms of magic."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I did get personal lessons from Zeref himself… not that I knew who he was at the time. Even if I don't have a lot of practical experience, I knew a lot of theory."

Both of them were silent for a few seconds.

"...you don't seem surprised by what I just said."

Vale blinked "Oh, you mean about Zeref. Sorry, I guess I didn't really process that until you mentioned it."

"Stop lying," Zera said. "I haven't brought it up before, but I feel like I should ask now. When we fought against Zancrow, there were a few things you said that worried me."

He paused at what she said. "...what are you talking about?"

"You called Zeref 'your majesty'."

"Ah," he winced. "You heard that…"

And at the time, he thought that nobody but Zancrow heard him.

"What exactly did you mean by that?"

Their surroundings were quiet as Vale tried to think about what he should say.

"...you know that I used to be a part of the Alvarez Empire, right?" He waited for her to nod. "What most people don't know is that the empire is ruled heavily by military force, all organized under the founder and emperor of our country."

"You're saying…"

"Emporer Spriggan," Vale sighed. "Otherwise known as Zeref. Two years ago, after the events of Tenrou Island, he returned to our Empire and made his return known to the entire country. As far as I know, he's still there even now."

The memories came back to him at that moment. The day his mother prepared for him to meet with his emperor, the day he encountered Zeref, the day the man noticed him for the first time.

"Hmm, you look like you'll be useful."

Vale shivered.

"Ever since I left, I haven't received word about him since."

"But Zeref, what in the world is he? How come he's so powerful, how come nobody knows anything about him?"

"That's not my story to tell," Vale said. "But one thing I know for sure is that as an enemy, he's extremely dangerous."

At their current level, there was nobody in Fiore capable of facing off against him.

"In terms of power level, it's hard for most mages to truly compare to each other unless there's such a disparity between them. For example, if I were to utilize my full power without the restrictions keeping hold of me, I would probably have enough strength to at least sink a Magic Bomber Airship on my own."

"Hold on, I think you just said something pretty incredible there…"

"Jura could probably match around five Magic Bomber Airships, and he's around mid-tier in terms of Wizard Saint-level mages. Warrod could probably fight against an entire fleet on his own without too much trouble. And Zeref is even higher than them, strong enough to probably match the strength of a thousand Magic Bombers."

"I feel like your power scaling is a bit skewed," Zera sweatdropped. "Also, are you seriously using Magic Bombers as a unit of measurement?"

"There's such a difference between us and him that it's not even funny." Vale sighed. "But so far, Zeref has no interest in taking over Ishgar. The council has several deterrents that protect us from further invasion."

Without warning, Vale stood up and startled Zera. "Well, that's enough talk for now. I feel like we really derailed from our original conversation."

"Wha-"

"So, Zera." Vale turned to look at her. "Since Romeo is trying to getting stronger, I feel like there's a way for you to catch up with him easily."

"What do you mean?"

He gestured for her to move closer. "I'm thinking about teaching you a certain enchantment. It should be possible for you to master on your own, even if enchantment magic isn't your specialty. I feel like this spell is uniquely suited towards you."

"A spell?"

"Yup," Vale nodded. "It's not really useful for me. But in your hands, I believe that it can be considered an ultimate technique. If we push the possibilities, you may be able to use it by the end of the month."

Zera's curiosity was piqued. "And what exactly is this spell supposed to be?"

Giving her a serious look, he grinned.

"The spell is known simply as Residual Thought Enchantment. It's a spell that draws power from memories…"


Part 3

Several weeks later...

The total distance traveled amounted to approximately twelve hundred miles from Warrod's house to their destination. During that time, the three children had all trained together by either having mock spars with each other or improving their magic.

It was basically a training trip, a time where all three of them grew in strength together. The guild had already received a message from them to let them know that they would be busy for a while. Even if it was a bit irresponsible to inform them only after deciding to leave on a long journey.

Eventually, they arrived near their destination.

"This magic power…" Vale paused. "It feels familiar, but..."

"Hmm?" Zera turned back. "Did you say something Vale?"

"Ah, maybe it's nothing." He shook his head. "I think you can see the flame from here."

"Woah, you're right!" Romeo jumped up and stared from the top of a ledge. "Damn, I think I can feel the heat from all the way here. Are you saying all that fire is actually a dragon?"

"Probably," Vale replied. "We probably need to get a closer look first. But to do that, we have to enter the village."

"Then let's go!"

"Ah!" Zera cried out. "Hold up! Don't leave us behind."

But before they could take a step, something flew out of the air and surrounded them without warning. Unable to react in time, all three cried out in shock as their bodies were bound together by several strands of something long and red.

"Hey, what's going on?!"

"What th-," Romeo glanced down at his body. "Is this… hair?!"

"Mmngh… mmh…" Poor Vale was unable to speak as his mouth was gagged. "Mgh… mmngh…"

Falling to the ground, all three of them struggled as they tried to move.

"Romeo, I can't move. Do something!"

"Me? I can't move either, what am I supposed to do?"

"Use your magic!"

"Why can't you use yours?"

"I don't want to set us on fire! Use one of your purple flare spells, that won't burn us if you mess up."

"Mmngh… mmgh…"

"See, Vale agrees with me."

"Actually, I think he's suffocating."

True enough, Vale's face was slowly turning red as time continued to pass. Before they could panic any further, a high-pitched voice called out. "W-Who are you people? A-Are you another group of thieves?!"

"Not thieves, we're not thieves!" Romeo cried out desperately. "Hey, whoever you are. Can you please stop choking my friend, I don't think he likes it!"

"Mmgh… mgh…!"

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!"

All of them were suddenly released as a whirlwind of crimson hair flew around them for a moment. A few seconds later, the mass of hair retreated until it revealed a small young girl their age before them.

The three of them blinked as they noticed her.

"Wait a second," Zera cried out. "You're a girl, a human one!"

"I thought this place was only supposed to be filled with giants," Romeo followed up. "How come there's a human here?"

"Mghh… I'm the only human in this village," the girl replied. "Who are you… are you thieves?"

"No *cough* *cough* we're not thieves," Vale cleared his throat. "We're here to meet with the guardian of this village and learn the ancient ways of dragon slaying magic from him."

"Dragon slaying…" the girl blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"You know," Zera gestured towards the direction where the giant flame was billowing. "We want to ask the dragon guarding your village if we can learn under him."

"I-I'm confused." The girl gave them weird looks. "There's no dragon here."

"What?" Romeo faced the girl. "Wait, this is the Sun Village right?"

She nodded. "This is the Village of the Sun, correct."

"Protected by some kind of flame guardian?"

"You mean the Eternal Flame?"

"Vale!" Romeo turned towards his guildmate. "Are you sure we have the right place? I mean, are you even sure that there's a dragon here?"

"There's no doubt that the Eternal Flame is what we're looking for," Vale replied with some doubt creeping into his voice. "But now, I think I might have misunderstood something…"

"Great," Zera groaned. "So we might have come here for nothing."

"U-Um…" All three of them turned to the girl once more. "I-If you're not thieves… and you just want to visit the village, I can take you to some other people who might answer your questions."

"Now that you mentioned it," Vale looked around. "This is supposed to be a village full of giants, how come we haven't seen any so far?"

Just from a casual look around their surroundings, all three of them couldn't find a hint of anyone in sight. As far as they could tell, the only people there were the Fairy Tail members and the unknown girl standing in front of them.

"T-They're all gathered at the town hall," the girl answered. "R-Recently, the Eternal Flame has been acting strange. Everyone gathered together to discuss what might be the reason."

"Strange?" Vale gave her a curious look. "Strange how?"

"S-Sometimes, it would get smaller. Other times, it would suddenly rise in temperature to the point where even giants think it's hot. Nobody knows why, it's never done anything like this before."

"And when exactly did these strange things begin to happen?" Zera asked. "Was it sometime in the past month?"

"Oh no," the girl shook her head. "It's been even longer than that, around two or three years now."

Two or three years...

An idea began to form in Vale's mind, and he voiced his suspicions. "Did it start to happen after mid-December of the year X784?"

"What?" The girl blinked. "E-Erm… I'm not sure exactly, but that sounds about right. I think I recall people noticing around the beginning of the new year festivities."

The three Fairy Tail members glanced at each other.

December 16, X784. The day Tenrou Island was supposedly annihilated by Acnologia, the Black Dragon.

Could it be a coincidence…

"You know what," Vale turned once more to face the girl. "I think it would be best if we had a chat with the other villagers. Is it alright if you lead the way?"

"H-Huh," the girl blinked. "S-Sure, just f-follow me…"

"Great," and Vale smiled. "Speaking of which, we haven't introduced ourselves yet. The three of us are mages from a guild called Fairy Tail. What's your name?"

"F-Flare," the girl answered. "Flare Corona… it's nice to meet you."

}-{

It took only a few minutes for their group to traverse through the village and the giant doors of a large wooden building. Inside the place were several dozens of gigantic figures all chatting animately with each other.

So far, nobody has noticed the four small human children entering the room. Vale's eyes widened as a giant boot crashed to the ground barely a few feet away from their group.

Meanwhile, their impromptu tour guide continued to introduce everyone.

"That's John running the bar, and that's Miss Gretchen who runs the nearby bakery. Over there is Paul, who's the best blacksmith in the village. Next to him is his brother, Mike, who is the only other blacksmith in town."

"Have you lived here your entire life?" Romeo asked curiously.

"Yup!" The girl, Flare, beamed at them. At least she was less shy around them now. "Everyone here helped raise me when they discovered me abandoned nearby. Ever since I could walk, I've had dozens of uncles and aunties watch over me as I grew up."

Coming to a stop, the three of them noticed a small ladder running along with one of the table legs. Flare's hair whipped out as she used her magic to climb up, her hair acting as extra-large arms, and everyone hurried after her.

"Ugh, this is so high. Do you always climb up like this?"

"You get used to it after a while," Flare's voice said from above them. "Although, I might be cheating compared to you guys."

"Well, if magic helps then we should follow in her footsteps." Vale gathered a small amount of magic power. "Enchant Type - Boost All Attributes."

"Oh, hey!" Romeo cried out. "This is so much easier now, thanks Vale!"

"My poor limbs sure are thankful," Zera said. "Let's just get to the top and get this over with."

It took several minutes for them to finally reach the top, and they found Flare waiting patiently for them.

"Alright, I'll introduce you guys now." She turned around and cupped her hands over her mouth. "HEY EVERYONE, WE HAVE SOME VISITORS!"

An unexpectedly loud voice came from her mouth, and the entire room heard her words as they paused to turn in their direction. Suddenly, all four of them found themselves the center of attention.

The room was silent, and all three Fairy Tail members grew nervous as they felt the stares on them.

"H-Hi…"

"N-Nice to meet you all…"

"H-Hello there…"

A shadow loomed over them, and all of them looked up to find a menacing-looking giant staring back down at them.

"Hmm… so we have guests. It's been a long time since this village has ever received anyone." He glanced down towards where Flare was. "Are you certain that these aren't thieves?"

"I don't think so," she replied. "They seem nice."

A smile blossomed on his face.

"Well, then that's great!" The entire room's atmosphere changed to a light-hearted one. "Hey, let's bring out the good stuff. We have guests over!"

"Alright, time to party!"

"It's been forever since we had some humans stay over."

"Aren't they just adorable? I think they're all around Flare's age."

"GWAHAHAHA!"

Meanwhile, the three Fairy Tail members were stunned at the scene.

"Wha…?"

"They seem," Zera hesitated. "Very jubilant."

Vale smiled. "I think they're nice."

}-{

"So you all wish to see the guardian of our village?"

After partying for the next few hours and resting, Vale and the others found themselves meeting with what appeared to be the chief of the village. Standing nearby was a curious Flare who watched the occurring meeting with curiosity in her eyes.

"Hmm, and you believe that our guardian is some kind of dragon?"

"That's what I'm unsure about," Vale answered. "According to my research, this should be the territory of a dragon by the name of Atlas Flame several centuries ago. I figured that the Sun Village grew up under his protection."

While not exactly the truth, what Vale just said wasn't a lie either. From past research, he did learn that several people used to document the various territories of any noteworthy dragons at the time. Ever since learning about the location of the village from Warrod, Vale has delved even further into his research about the area over the course of the past few weeks.

"But yet, none of you seem to agree with me."

"I'll admit," the giant began. "If the Eternal Flame truly is a dragon, then he's probably the quietest dragon I know. For my entire life, the Eternal Flame has always just been this giant bonfire watching over our village."

"Sometimes we hold ceremonies in his honor," Flare added. "And those ceremonies are important to the villagers here. In fact, that's how I got my magic. When I was little, I received a blessing from the guardian flame. Afterward, I was able to control my hair however I wished."

She wiggled a few strands as a demonstration.

"But otherwise, it's just a - if admittingly, large - bonfire."

"But what if the flame was just dormant," Vale interrupted. "What if the past two years were just signs of it waking up?"

The Chief shared a look with Flare, before looking back at Vale.

"Then if that's the case, maybe we can allow a meeting between you and our guardian deity. If what you claim is true, then it is in our interest to get to the bottom of what's going on."

He stood up.

"Follow me, I'll take you there now."


Part 4

The chief took them down a path that led to the altar of the flame. Even from a distance away, all of them could feel the heat wash over their faces.

"Sheesh, it's hot." Romeo began to fan himself. "But from its size, I thought it would be a lot hotter than this."

"The Eternal Flame does not exactly behave like normal fire," the chief explained. "Some legends say that it was a gift from the dragons, which does add some credibility to your theory. For hundreds of years, we have kept it going. Despite its large size, the heat is always a comfortable temperature against our skins. Keeping us warm, no matter the season."

"That sounds amazing," Zera said. "So this Eternal Flame is your holy relic."

"Yes," he nodded. "For many years, we have protected it from thieves and treasure hunters with grand delusions of taking it for themselves. So you must understand, we are extending you a branch of trust by allowing you to see it for yourselves."

"We will not abuse the trust you have given us," Romeo said. "You have our word."

Finally, they stopped.

The giant bonfire blazing before them was simply majestic to watch. Looking at the flames flickering about, it was almost as if it were alive. The sheer raw energy and warmth emitted from it washed over all of them.

"It's… beautiful."

"Fire is energy and life," the giant explained. "It is alive, with its own desire to keep on living. You can guide it and feed it, but never be arrogant to assume that you command it. Instead, you respect and accept it."

Vale continued to stare at the bonfire, having not spoken since the entire walk here.

"...I understand now."

"Huh?" Romeo turned his way. "What do you mean?"

"I wasn't wrong, this is a dragon." A frown appeared on his face. "Or rather, this used to be one. This fire used to be the body of a dragon, but that dragon isn't alive anymore."

"Oh," Zera said. "So that means…"

"Then again, there's no way the fire would have kept going if the dragon was entirely dead," Vale continued. "His body may not be alive anymore, but his spirit is still here. I can still sense a strong residual presence around this area. If I can just find a way to speak with his spirit…"

Vale took a step forward.

"Enchant Type - Residual Thought Enchantment."

Zera blinked as she watched Vale use the spell he had tried to teach her the past few weeks. The spell covered Vale's body, and his clothes changed as they took on an orange color with frills on the edge similar to her own dress. Even though he was now wearing what looked like girl's clothing, it suited him.

"Huh?" Romeo rubbed his eyes. "Why does Vale suddenly look like Zera?"

"It's his spell," she explained. "He told me about it, it's a spell that allows him to temporarily take on the powers of a type of memory he enchants onto himself. In this case, I guess he's borrowing my power."

But why not simply ask her to use her magic?

"Good, I can probably use telepathy magic to talk to him." Vale raised his arms and pointed towards the fire. "Enchant Type - Boost Seeker Element."

Nothing happened for the next few seconds, and Vale gave out a sigh of disappointment as he lowered his arms. A flash of light later, and his appearance changed back to his usual outfit.

"It's no use, he's not responding to me."

}-{

The mood for the rest of the day was a somber one.

Vale continued to stare at the ceiling of the room that was lent out to them by the chief. Since it was only considered small by giant's standards, the room was large enough for both Romeo and Zera to share with him.

The two glanced at each other.

"Well, it's not like it's the end of the world if we don't meet a dragon." Romeo sighed. "Although, it would have been nice to actually talk to one. Maybe I could have asked in Natsu's place if they knew where Igneel and the rest of the dragons were."

Zera sat next to him. "Those are the dragons of the dragon slayers of our guild, right?"

"Yeah. I figured if anyone would know where they were, it would be another dragon."

Vale was still silent. At that moment, Romeo realized that Vale was most definitely not okay.

"Vale." The other boy looked up. "There's something else, isn't it? Something you haven't told the both of us, something to do with why you wanted to talk to a dragon."

It took a second for Vale to reply. "My mother."

"Your mother?" Romeo recalled what he was told a while ago. "You mean your mother, the dragon slayer?"

"She wasn't just any dragon slayer," Vale said as he sat up. "She was the first dragon slayer. As a matter of fact, she's the one who created the art of dragon-slaying magic."

"What?" Zera blinked. "But even during my time, I've read stories about people using dragon slaying magic. Unless your mom's over a hundred years old, that can't be possible. Are you saying she had you when she was over a century old?"

"You're forgetting, she's not my biological mother." His hand landed on his belly, where Romeo recalled Vale telling him once that he didn't have a belly button. "I'm not a pure human, I'm also a homunculus that she gave life to with enchantment magic. Other than that, it's because she's abnormal compared to most people. Trust me when I say she's far older than others believe."

He sighed. "That's not the point. What I'm trying to say is that dragons used to populate the entire country long ago. But due to rising frictions between humans and dragons, my mother eventually spread the art of dragon-slaying magic to others. Because of her efforts during the war, hundreds of dragons were slain by all the dragon slayers she taught."

"That's…" Zera's words trailed off. "I don't know what to say…"

"Because of that, I always wanted to talk to a dragon and ask their opinion on the war." Vale had a regretful look on his face. "The events of Ragnarok, of the Dragon King Festival, how much have people suffered because of what happened."

"But none of that is your fault," Romeo argued. "And I don't really know what happened, but it might not be your mother's fault either. To me, it sounds like it was a bad time for everyone involved."

Despite Romeo's words, there was something else that Vale knew. It was a secret that he still kept quiet about, that it wasn't just the past that was involved. There were people now who were also hurt by the mistakes his mother made.

Erza, the biological daughter of his mother.

Acnologia, a human who learned dragon slayer magic and transformed into a dragon.

And all of the dragon slayers in their guild, who traveled four hundred years into the future to escape the war along with their mentor dragons.

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation.

"E-Excuse me," Flare's voice called out. "Can I come in?"

"It's open," Zera replied.

The door opened, and the figure of Flare revealed itself on the other side. "Um… I wanted to tell you guys that dinner will be ready in a few hours."

Romeo smiled at her. "Thanks for telling us, Flare."

She nodded shyly. "If you're still sad about before, maybe I can help?"

"Help?" Zera looked up with interest. "What do you mean?"

"I told you guys how I got my magic, right?" She saw their heads nod. "The ritual that gave me our guardian's blessing was actually meant as a ceremony to speak to our guardian deity. To commute with him through prayer."

Vale gave a look of surprise at that. "What?"

"If you guys would like, I can help you try it out and see if something happens."

}-{

Once again, the four of them stood in front of the Eternal Flame.

Flare reached forward with her hands toward the fire, causing some alarm in the others. That is until she pulled back her arm and revealed that she was fine. Hovering above both of her hands were two small parts of the Eternal Flame.

"The ritual requires that you meditate while holding a part of the guardian within your palms in order to connect with him. But since this ceremony requires dealing with fire, a spotter is always needed to keep watch over those who meditate."

"And you're going to watch over us?" Vale asked.

Flare shook her head. "No, the fire feeds off your emotions and magic. You can't have any doubts or worries in your heart. Otherwise, the fire will grow and consume you. That is why you need someone you trust to keep watch over you."

She held up her hands. "Only one of you needs to spot the others, the other two can meditate instead."

The three of them stared at each other.

"So, who is it going to be?" Romeo asked. "Which one of us should keep watch?"

"I can do it," Zera volunteered. "Both of you want to speak with the dragon, so it should be me who spots."

Vale hesitated. "No, I think it should be me instead."

"Huh?"

"This ritual isn't just to talk with the dragon, but it's also a way to get a blessing from the Eternal Flame." He turned to Flare. "Isn't that right?"

She nodded. "But only if the Eternal Flame likes you."

"Then it should be Zera who meditates instead. She's the only other fire mage in our team." He turned back and smiled at Romeo and Zera. "Besides, I'm the supporter. I'm supposed to keep an eye on you guys, that's my role."

"Are you sure?" Romeo asked. "I thought there were some things you wanted to ask the dragon."

"It's fine," Vale said. "If Zera can get a blessing from the dragon, that's worth giving up a chance to ask questions. Besides, it's not like we can't just do the ceremony again after you're done."

Flare held out her arms. "Are you ready?"

They looked unsure at first, but both Romeo and Zera held out their hands. Flare deposited the small balls of flame onto their palms, where they hovered as the two brought them closer to their chest.

"This feels… weird."

"It feels so fragile."

Flare's voice rang out at that moment. "Remember, meditating is only a way of connecting to our god. It doesn't mean that you can actually talk to him."

"I can help with that," Vale said. "Enchant Type - Boost Seeker Element."

Both of them felt something wash over their bodies.

"Remember," Flare continued. "You must not have any doubts or worries in your heart. This ceremony will make your minds' inhibitions lower, and affect your mental consciousness. Expect to experience a few illusions during your meditation."

"Wait, what?" Vale turned towards her. "How come this is the first we're hearing about this?"

"Decide now," Flare said in a serious voice. "Speaking with our god is not risk-free. If you allow your doubts to grow out of control, the Eternal Flame will consume your entire body."

Both Romeo and Zera sat on the ground, the action an answer itself.

"So you have made your choice?"

"We have," Romeo said. "We will undergo this trial of fire."

"If Vale thinks I deserve to do this in his place," Zera continued. "Then I can't back off now."

"Then prepare yourselves."

The air began to shimmer around the two, and immediately their surroundings changed.


I decided to split off the chapter here since the next one is going to mostly go over the details of Romeo and Zera's trial.

So yeah, Flare Corona. If you don't remember who she is, she's the red-haired girl who was a part of Raven Tail's team during the Grand Magic Games. Right now, she's around Lucy's age minus five years, so around 12-13 years old.

Both fire mages are going to try and gain the blessing of the Eternal Flame. Should be interesting, especially with how both of them— well, you can figure that part out yourselves.