Haloha, everyone! Hope you're having a good day! Thanks for the continued support as always!
These past two weeks have been quite busy, but now I have some extra leeway to release a new chapter. Hopefully, I can return to a consistent, weekly schedule.
This chapter will dive a bit more into the dragons and bite marks, as well as develop more on Wendy's relationship with her friends.
Anyhow, enjoy reading!
Chapter 42: To the Library!
"Hmmm…"
"What's catching your eye, Jellal?"
Jellal was watching the lacrima television after breakfast. The television was currently broadcasting a view of the resort's library and its vast selection of books.
"I've never seen that many books in one place." He said, folding his arms. "It's… an impressive sight."
"This resort is full of surprises." Erza agreed. "I would say we haven't even scratched the surface of what the resort has to offer."
"Haha, I suppose that is true." He smiled. "I'm quite curious about their selection."
"Is that so?" Erza placed her hands on her hips. "Why don't you give the library a visit? It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance while you're here."
"That does sound like a wonderful idea…" Jellal stroked his chin and pondered that thought.
"As it happens, Wendy is planning to visit the library." Erza motioned to Natsu and Wendy's room. "You should go with her."
"Oh, she is?" he raised his brows. I think I may know why…
Wendy stepped out of her room. She was wearing her signature emerald, green dress with her hair tied into a single ponytail behind her head. A pink and white bag was strapped around her shoulder. The multicolored hairpin was also attached at the side of her hair. She wouldn't want to forget that.
"Wendy!" Erza turned to the bluenette's direction. "Talk about perfect timing!"
"Mhmm?" Wendy walked to the scarlet-haired wizard.
"Jellal was just thinking of checking out the library." She said, patting his shoulder. "Would you mind if he accompanied you?"
"Oh, not at all!" Wendy smiled. "I would appreciate the company. I think I could get lost on the way."
"I'm not much better myself." Jellal chuckled, standing from the sofa. "If that's the case, I'll take my coat first." He walked back to his room.
"Okay!" Wendy nodded and waited in the living room with Erza.
"Wendy…" Erza called in a soft tone. "Have you checked up on Natsu? How's he doing?"
"Yeah, he's sound asleep..." Wendy replied, casting her gaze down. "His fever… it's really high. Higher than what you'd normally expect"
"I'm sure it'll go down in no time." Erza patted her head. "Natsu won't let that hold him back."
"I know…" Wendy rubbed her arm. "But… I can't stop myself from worrying. I've… never seen him like this before."
"Wendy, are you… blaming yourself for what happened to him?" Erza crouched down to her level.
"Ah…" Wendy's eyes widened in surprise. Erza's words hit too close to home. Of course, the elder mage was rather perceptive to her little sister's worries. I can't hide my feelings well from her…
"Don't be too hard on yourself, Wendy." Erza stroked her hair reassuringly. "You could have never known it'd lead to this. And I know you would never intentionally wish harm on Natsu."
"Mhmm…" Wendy looked to the side.
"Come now, Natsu wouldn't want to see his adorable girlfriend like this." Erza gave a warm smile. "He'd want to see you smile."
Natsu would say that… every time Wendy felt down in the dumps, Natsu would always find a way to cheer her up. Whether it be hanging out, a dumb joke, or just a returning a toothy grin of his own… he'd always want her to give the brightest smile she could muster.
"… You're right, Erza." Wendy clapped her cheeks to encourage herself. "I want to make Natsu better. I can't do that if I'm sad."
"That's the spirit."
Jellal stepped out of his room, wearing his typical dark coat. Seeing Wendy and Erza talking with each other, he chose not to intrude and waited for them.
"Oh, don't mind me." Erza waved her hand. "Wendy's ready to go."
"Haha, all right." Jellal walked to the door leading out of their hotel room. "Ready to head out, Wendy?"
Wendy dived her hand into her bag to make sure she still had the map of the resort. It's in my bag. She turned to Jellal and gave a little nod. "I'm ready!"
"Have fun, you two!" Erza waved at them. "Don't worry, Wendy. I'll look after Natsu with the others."
"Thanks, Erza!" Wendy waved back and left the room with Jellal. "We'll be back soon!"
And so, the unlikely duo made their way to the resort's library…
…
..
.
In the elevator…
"The resort seems to lie at the central level, is that right?"
"According to the map, yeah."
Wendy and Jellal were waiting in the elevator, which was bringing them to the floor of the library.
"I doubt we'll be able to explore everything the resort has to offer." Jellal let out a soft chuckle, motioning his eyes to the floor buttons. "Just look at the number of floors they have here. And the library is its own entire level."
"It really is amazing…" Wendy scanned the contents of the map in her hands. So far, they've gone to the cafeteria, the beach, and soon, it'll be the library. There were other places she wished to explore. Of course, she wanted to make many memories with her dear friends… and especially with Natsu. Though he wouldn't appreciate the elevator rides, would he?
"If I may make a guess, Wendy…" Jellal folded his arms, resting his back against the metal wall. "Will you be searching for a book related to Natsu's… peculiar condition?"
"…Yeah." Wendy nodded. Even Jellal's seeing right through me, huh? "I was wondering if the library had any books about dragons."
"I see! That is a good first step." Jellal bobbed his head in agreement. "I'd say dragons would be a fascinating and commendable topic."
"I sure hope so…" Wendy sighed, dropping her shoulders. "I want to help Natsu in any way I can." Right now, she felt powerless in her ability to help him directly. But she didn't want to falter just yet. Natsu would always keep a smile on his face for her, so she would the same for him, too.
"You're very thoughtful, Wendy." He smiled. "He'll be happy knowing you're doing this for his sake."
"You think so, Jellal?" Wendy rubbed the side of her neck. "I hope he can get back to his usual self."
"I have no doubts he will." He replied. "I don't think his condition is life-threatening." At least, that's what I want to believe…
Life-threatening… That was the last thing she wanted to happen to Natsu. As tough as Natsu may be, Wendy knew he'd always put on a facade for her sake. Even if his life was on the line, he'd always keep his spirits up for her. But the elder Crime Sorciere wizard was much more knowledgeable than her. Hearing his opinion on the matter did ease some of her worries.
TING!
Signaling they reached the destination, the elevator doors slid open, allowing the duo to leave. Wendy and Jellal stepped out of the elevator, and they couldn't see… anything that told them it was a library. As they walked forward and looked over the railing, they were immediately greeted with the sight of tall bookshelves that seemed to descend into the floors. It turns out they were standing on the highest floor of the library!
"W-Wow, are you seeing what I'm seeing, Jellal?" Wendy's mouth went agape in a comical fashion.
"What a magnificent sight…!" Jellal's eyes widened in awe. From where they were standing, they could see hundreds, maybe thousands, maybe many more of these books lined up in shelves, which seemed to descend in a spiraling pattern through each floor.
"It's practically a treasure of books!" She exclaimed. Lucy and Levy would consider this heaven… those two would greatly enjoy themselves here.
"The library already looked impressive in the brochure and on the television, but seeing it in front of my eyes… I wouldn't be able to find the right words to describe it." he said.
BEEP!
A holographic screen appeared in front of the wizards. On the screen, a sad emoticon appeared.
"WELCOME TO THE LIBRARY! UNFORTUNATELY, OUR AUTOMATION SERVICES ARE CURRENTLY UNDERGOING REPAIRS DUE TO A RECENT POWER OUTAGE. WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE."
"A power outage?" Jellal folded his arms. "Wouldn't that be referring to…" his gaze drifted to Wendy, who was looking away.
"Yeah, please don't remind me." Wendy scratched her cheek awkwardly. "I really feel bad about it."
"Haha, forgive me." Jellal chuckled. "It seems we'll have to navigate the library without any assistance."
The two wizards followed the path, eventually finding a staircase which led to the lower floor, though it seemed the stairs split into multiple paths, each leading to a different section of the library.
"It looks like a maze here…" Wendy looked around, hoping to find any signs or directions. I'm seeing some genres there…
"And by the looks of it, it is quite crowded in some areas." Jellal instinctively pulled Wendy closer by her shoulder. "We could get lost here if we're not careful."
"Where would books about dragons be found?" Wendy asked, curious.
"Hmmm…" Jellal pondered her question for a moment. "Dragons… it's hard to limit it to a few genres. Textbooks? History? Encyclopedias?"
The conversation Wendy had with Levy flashed through her mind. The books she showed me seemed to fit those genres quite well. I should have asked about the genres, though. Jellal's guesses seemed accurate enough. They could start searching with that in mind.
"Let's explore those sections." Wendy suggested. "Maybe we'll find something."
"Good idea."
With Jellal leading the way, the duo explored various sections of the library. Fortunately, each section was clearly labeled with their genres, so they knew which sections they could skip over. Even so, there were a lot of sections to get by.
"You know, Jellal…" Wendy put her hands behind her back. "You remind me of someone."
"Hmmm?" Jellal raised an eyebrow. "Who would that be, Wendy? Mystogan, perchance?"
"Mysto –hey, you knew!"
"Haha, isn't that too obvious?" Jellal let out a little laugh. "He looked after you when you were younger, didn't he?"
"Yeah!" Wendy nodded. "I imagine Mystogan would do the same if he were here."
"Interesting…" He hummed. Perhaps we are similar in that regard… I wonder if Wendy often sees Mystogan in me? Are we really that similar? Someday, he'd be honored to meet his Edolas counterpart.
Eventually, Wendy and Jellal stopped at a particular section, which seemed to house mostly informative books.
"This seems like a suitable spot to find books about dragons." Jellal said. "What do you think, Wendy?"
"Yeah, I think I'll start searching over there."
Wendy walked to one of the shelves and began scanning the titles on the back of each book's cover. It didn't take too long to go from title to title, but there were still a ton of books. Luckily, the books were sorted in alphabetical order, so Wendy could easily jump to the initial letters that Levy's books had.
Jellal began his own searching spree, starting at a different shelf. He was still amazed at the ridiculous number of books the library had. There's bound to be something about dragons, I bet. Skimming through the titles, he noticed the information was quite diverse, ranging from the most general topics to the most miniscule of topics that never crossed his mind. I wonder what else I could find here…
"Mnnguh…!"
A grunting sound prompted Jellal to turn around. Wendy was struggling to reach a book on a higher level of the shelf. He walked to her side and grabbed the book she wanted to take.
"Here you go, Wendy." He handed it to her hands.
"Ah, thanks." Wendy scanned the book cover and skimmed both sides. What do you know, it was exactly one of the books Levy showed her!
"Oh, is that a book about dragons?" Jellal asked, noticing the illustration of a dragon on the cover.
"I think so!" Wendy hurried to a nearby table and dropped the book on it, creating an audible thud! "Whew, it's a big one!"
"I wonder if it has anything about dragon slayers?"
"I wouldn't bet on that…"
"Fair enough, dragon slayer magic is considered an ancient spell…" Jellal ran his fingers through each book cover on the shelf, scanning each title. Ancient spell, lost magic… maybe there's a book on the general topic?
Wendy opened the book and began reading the first few pages. W-Wow, there are a lot of chapters! Seeing the author's page, it seemed to be written by a team of researchers who researched the existence of these terrifying creatures of the sky. Let's see if I can find anything useful…
"I think I'll read this book." Jellal placed a book on the table beside Wendy. It was another book about dragons, but this appeared to dive into biology specifically. "I'll see what I can find."
"I appreciate it, Jellal."
The two began reading their respective books about dragons. Wendy was quite surprised with how much information was packed into the book. Though most of it was theories and speculation, Wendy could relate to them since she's had her fair share of facing dragons. It would be nice if I could read this with Grandeeney…
"… It is believed that dragons are closely related to lizard-kind, so I've first thought to observe their behavior as one would do to them. Although, I've had varying degrees of success with it."
"… Hmmm?" Wendy's mind was distracted by the oddly calm monologuing. She turned her head to her right.
"But these dragons… they're breathtaking creatures. I would dare say they could be gentle creatures of flight if approached carefully."
Jellal seemed to be reading the book out loud to himself. He seems engrossed in it…
"One of the most fascinating aspects of dragons is their mating behaviours. You'd think dragons, as a whole, would share the same, or at least similar, behaviours as other animalistic organisms, but you'd be wrong like me."
Wendy's ears twitched at the words leaving his lips. M-Mating behaviors?
"… based on my observations of these great creatures, the dragons don't share a universal preference for their mates. Some prefer to have multiple mates and be in polygamous relationships, while others seem to prefer a monogamous relationship, a lifelong partner if I may label it."
By this point, Wendy closed her book and focused on whatever Jellal was reading because it was… eerily relevant to her experiences.
"These monogamous dragons caught my interest, you see. Their mating behaviors are a sight to behold. Despite their imposing appearances, they're quite gentle with those they choose as their mate. In most other creatures, males always compete with each other to win the right to mate with the female. But with dragons? It goes both ways. Both the male and female need to choose each other, it's mutual!"
We chose each other, huh… Wendy felt that was the case.
"And how do these dragons become mates, you may ask? Well, they submit to each other! I've observed that dragons bear their necks as a sign of acceptance and submission to their mate. And what the mate does… is bite their neck, leaving a permanent mark. And then it repeats the other way around! I've never seen anything quite like this."
We did bite each other last night… Wendy's face heated at the memory.
"After this, both the male and female bodies seem to undergo physiological changes. I would believe this prepares them to engage in the next phase of mating…"
T-The next phase…? Wendy clawed at her mouth. She and Natsu… haven't moved to that stage. Yet.
"… I should mention that I've yet to observe the consequences of this initial mating act, but I have a few educated guesses. There's a transfer of magic power between the dragons that happens through the fusion of blood when they bite each other. I've taken several blood samples of unfortunate corpses…"
A transfer of magic power? Blood…? Wendy scratched her head in confusion. When she bit Natsu, she did feel her magic energy was shifting and fusing with him. Is that what happened?
"… Interesting, interesting." After reading a few more lines, Jellal skimmed the rest and turned to the next page. He glanced at Wendy, noticing the redness of her cheeks. "Oh, sorry, Wendy. I didn't mean to read it out aloud. It just fascinated me."
"No, no, it's fine!" Wendy frantically waved her hands around. "I… quite enjoyed it myself."
"Ah, really?" Jellal mused. "What struck me as familiar was the mark this author mentioned. I wonder if it's the same mark that's on Natsu's neck?"
"… Maybe?" Wendy avoided his gaze. He's going to notice it, isn't he? Jellal hasn't understood the implications of what it meant yet.
"But that would mean…" Jellal drew his chin back and placed his palms on the table. If it's as the book says, that means that mark appeared on Natsu because someone bit him? And that would refer to his… mate? He bobbed his head in understanding. Then who would–… his eyes shot open in realization. He drew his gaze to Wendy, who was instinctively rubbing her neck.
"You've probably figured it out by now, huh?" Wendy gave an awkward laugh.
"You… and Natsu…"
"I may or may not have caused his mark to appear…" her face grew flustered.
"O-Oh." Jellal blinked a few times, his face rising in heat. "I, uh… w-wow." Wendy and Natsu… become mates? W-Wow… so it applies to dragon slayers, most likely.
"I was… too embarrassed to tell you…"
"T-That's fine! I believe that's a private matter!" Jellal shook his head. "I thought… it was something far more serious, but this is fine."
"Fine?" Wendy cocked her head at a curious angle. How is this fine…?
"If you don't mind, Wendy… could I see your mark?"
"Oh, sure?" Wendy shifted the shoulder strap of her dress a bit, revealing two bite marks on her neck.
"I see…" Jellal leaned closer and observed the bite marks deeply. I assume Natsu bit her there… "And I presume it hasn't glowed unlike Natsu's?"
"That's right." She nodded.
"Hmmm…" Jellal straightened his posture and crossed his arms, staring at the ceiling in deep thought. There's nothing mentioned about glowing marks… but that may be because they're human, too. It's only just a guess, but…
Jellal seems to have an idea… Wendy stared at him, dumbfounded. Meanwhile, I am still clueless…
"Wendy, I think I've figured out something…" Jellal placed his fist on his palm. "There might be a way you could… make Natsu feel better and ease his fever."
"… Really?" Wendy's expression lit up instantly.
"It's only with the assumptions that what this book says is reasonable… and it seems you and Natsu do take on these dragon characteristics."
"I… would have to agree." She blushed faintly. If last night is anything to go by, I'd say it's a perfect description…
"But…" Jellal grumbled, rubbing his temple. "It's… a rather ridiculous idea, I must admit."
"I'll do anything at this point, Jellal." Wendy clenched her fists with determination. "Anything to make Natsu better."
"A-Anything?" Jellal found her resolve surprising.
"I've… put Natsu through a lot of pain." Wendy frowned, fidgeting with her hands. "I know he, and even Erza, told me to not blame myself, but… I feel powerless. If there's anything I can do to make him feel better, I'll do it."
Jellal didn't sense the slightest hesitation coming from her words. No second thoughts at all. It made him crack a smile. She truly loves Natsu… what a sincerely wonderful girl.
"I can see why Natsu's chosen you as his mate, Wendy." Jellal gave a sweet smile. "You're a kind soul."
"Ahah, it's nothing, really…" Wendy curled her finger around her hair bang, feeling embarrassed at the direct compliment. "I just… want to be there for him, that's all…"
"I see." Jellal chuckled. "If you're feeling up to it, here's what I'm thinking…"
Jellal crouched down to Wendy's level and began whispering in her ear. Wendy intently listened to every word. The idea Jellal was suggesting…
It was a simple and straightforward plan, much to Wendy's surprise.
A plan that would require a lot of determination and self-control on her part.
