Chapter 48
Disclaimer: I do not own High school DxD or Fairy Tail they are property of Ichiei Ishibumi and Hiro Masima respectively.
Kriim-Sauce786: I hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you for the suggestion.
-With Natsu and Wendy-
Wendy took hold of Natsu's offered hand, still held tight in his comforting embrace. Natsu released his embrace of her and moved his now free hand to her face and gently wiped her remaining tears away.
"We can't have the birthday girl sad all day," Natsu quietly said before azure flames started to cover the both of them. As the azure flames became mixed with a violet purple and aquamarine green flame, just like before, a happier giggle could be heard coming from Wendy.
When the flames dissipated Wendy was met with yet another scene, though this one was far from the sombre stony forest where Natsu had a grave for her mother and his brother.
What Wendy's eyes were greeted with was a beautiful and vibrant lake surrounded by large old trees. On one side, a small waterfall fed the beautiful lake with crystal clear water while a dim blue light filled the area. As Wendy's eyes travelled to the sky, she was surprised to see that instead of the open sky, she saw the bubbling world of the underwater ecosystem. She quickly realised that they were in fact under the ocean, with this place being some sort of sanctuary. A dome under the oceans where a beautiful lake laid, untouched by almost all beings.
"Welcome to the Seat of Tranquillity. This was your mother's favourite place to come to when she had spare time. We are deep beneath the great oceans of the Dragon Realm, and only a few know of this place, and fewer still know how to get here," Natsu told Wendy when he saw the questioning look in her eyes.
Satisfied for the moment, Wendy continued to take in her surroundings. The luscious undergrowth provided a vibrant green colour to blend with the calm blue of the ocean sky, creating a serene atmosphere where Wendy felt at ease, all the worries of the outside world, being pushed to the back of her mind.
The cool breeze filled her lungs and replenished her energy. The temperature of the area was surprisingly warm for being under the ocean where no sunlight could reach. Wandering towards the water, Wendy gazed over the calm lake, watching in wonder as the reflection of the ocean above shimmered on the calm waters.
Suddenly there was a disturbance under the water, somewhere from deep within the depths of the lake a massive thing moved. She saw a hulking figure starting to rise to the surface, a feeling of fear starting to enter her mind, but it was quickly squashed as the warm and comforting aura of Natsu enveloped her with his steady hand resting on her shoulder.
"No need to worry Wendy, this is the guardian of the Seat of Tranquillity, Vatnsvor," Natsu informed her as the two of them watched the massive Dragon rise from the water. Water cascaded down his bright blue scales as they reflected the blue light that filled the sanctuary. He had a triangular-shaped head with two large horns beginning just above his eyes in a black colour that slowly morphed into the blue of the scales that covered his body and spread across his body, crystalline spikes jutted outward along his entire length.
Water rolled off his colossal wings, forming a multitude of small waterfalls that send shimmers through the once calm lake waters. His long neck swung towards the other two occupants of the sanctuary, Wendy saw the power in Vatnsvor's being, a testament to the power of the Dragons.
"My King, I sense a familiar presence, yet different, from the one you brought," Vatnsvor said as he closed his red eyes and bowed his head towards Natsu.
"Vatnsvor, I introduce to you Wendy Marvel, daughter of the late Grandeeney Marvel, the devil who was granted access to this sanctuary all those years ago," Natsu introduced Wendy to the Dragon.
Wendy felt a bit nervous as the giant Dragon lowered his head and looked at Wendy with a thoughtful look. Wendy nervously waved a greeting, not able to find her voice at the moment, then Vatnsvor raised his head once again and turned his gaze on Natsu.
"The stones are restless, one will reveal itself to who it deemed worthy of its possession," Vatnsvor said, the cryptic message confusing Wendy but Natsu gained a slight smile.
"You are the guardian of this sacred sanctuary and as I once requested of you, I will once again request of you to grant this young devil of the Marvel house the privilege to visit your sanctuary," Natsu requested in a formal tone.
"As is the tradition of the Seat of Tranquillity, those who seek to access it with all that comes with it should be accepted by the sacred waters of the lake," Vatnsvor declared as he sifted his gaze to Wendy. The giant Dragon then receded back to the lake and to keep up his eternal vigil.
"Here Wendy, I believe this is in your size. Sorry, I didn't inform you to bring swimwear, but I didn't want to spoil any of the surprises. You will need to take a swim in these waters to be officially accepted by the sanctuary, but don't worry I will explain the relevance of it soon," Natsu said as he revealed a box and presented it to Wendy.
Wendy eagerly took the box and opened it up, revealing a green two-piece bikini, with the bottom piece being a skirt. The swimsuit had a scaly pattern on the top had yellow details.
"Thank you, this looks so cute," Wendy beamed with a happy smile.
"Why don't you go and change into them, then we can go for a swim," Natsu offered with a kind smile which Wendy returned.
A few minutes later Wendy returned to the lake, now wearing her new swimsuit with her hair done in a single ponytail held together by a yellow bow. A slight blush formed on her face as she approached Natsu and showed him how his gift looked on her.
"I might just have to kill some of those perverted devils when they come after you. You really grew up to be a beautiful woman Wendy," Natsu commented, teasingly at first but with sincerity filling his voice at the end.
Wendy's face lit up in a heavy blush at the compliment as she started to try and shrink in on herself in embarrassment while sputtering incoherently. This caused Natsu to let out a hearty laugh as he allowed Wendy to calm down.
"D-Don't say such embarrassing things," Wendy whined as she tried desperately to reduce the massive blush she was sporting.
"Come now Wendy, you need to be more confident in yourself. You are starting to resemble how I remember your mother to be, and I believe you will soon step into the same light that the world had once gazed upon her beauty," Natsu complimented the birthday girl.
"T-Thank you," Wendy smiled at the compliment and being compared to her mother.
"Now, why don't we go for a swim, the water here is something else, but you will have to go in to find out," Natsu said, a grin forming o his face at the end before he headed into the water, his normal clothes having been switched out for a flame patter swimming trunk.
"What's wrong with the water?" Wendy asked in concern.
"Nothing's wrong with the water, it just has some special properties. I will never put you in harm's way Wendy," Natsu replied, his voice becoming serious at the end. This was enough for Wendy to convince her to follow him into the beautiful and clear water.
As soon as Wendy entered the water, she felt the fatigue of the day wash away, her mind seemed to clear from the troubles of the rating games that lie ahead for Rias' peerage. She suddenly felt at ease. She sent a questioning look at Natsu.
"This is the main reason why Vatnsvor is the guardian here. This water has rejuvenating properties," Natsu explained as he lifted some of the water in his hand and allowed it to flow through his fingers and fall back into the lake.
"Like a Fountain of Youth?" Wendy asked as she looked over the lake with amazement and wonder in her eyes.
"To a degree, but unlike the stories, this water doesn't restore youth, it restores your energy and soothes your pains, it accelerates healing, like your magic. Why don't you try and fire a large attack up into the air, don't worry about damaging anything," Natsu clarified before suggesting her to attack as he swam over to her.
Wendy nodded as she closed her eyes and focused her magic, then she started chanting her spell. "Let the wind blow, Turbulent Gale-force" Wendy called out as she swiped her arms in front of her, throwing everything she had into the attack since she didn't need to conserve energy and magic for a battle.
A large gust of volatile wind rocketed up into the sky where it smashed against the upper barrier of the sanctuary before dissipating into the air. Wendy expected to feel magical exhaustion from the large-scale attack, but she was surprised as she felt her magical container rapidly filling up.
"Told you it restores your energy," Natsu said with a smug grin as a look of amazement and surprise overtook her expression.
"How is this possible?" Wendy asked as she ran her fingers through the water, feeling a familiar feeling she could only compare to her own healing magic.
"This is where Dragons first developed healing magic, and as you know, the only true healing magic that works quickly is yours if you don't count the Sacred Gear Asia has. The Dragons who created healing magic were a Water and Sky Dragon. They combined their knowledge of how energy and magic flow throughout the world and within beings, and seeing that wind and water are the elements most closely associated with the flow of things, this isn't too surprising. Anyway, the first being, not part of the Dragons who learned this magic was your mother, and now you have followed in her footsteps," Natsu explain the brief history before a proud smile etched its way onto his lips.
Wendy sunk into the water as she smiled happily. Even though she never knew her mother, the stories Grayfia used to tell her about her were amazing and Wendy hoped she could one day be like her.
The two spent the next hour in the water, either splashing water at one another or talking about a various array of subjects like Natsu's love for cooking or Wendy's upcoming party and how she was excited to celebrate with her new friends alongside the old ones.
As silence descended on the two and they just floated in the water, enjoying the rejuvenating feeling the water gave, Wendy saw a ripple in the water and a few lone bubbles popping. While she didn't see it as her attention was on the disturbance to the flat lake, a small smirk formed on Natsu's lips as he heard the soft pop of bubbles as they reached the surface.
Wendy saw a deep blue stone ascending to the surface of the water as she inspected the bubbles. She was surprised when the stone, a beautiful sapphire, started moving towards her on the water surface.
Wendy held out her hand in the water, just below the surface and the gemstone settled in her palm. As the stone broke the surface of the water as she lifted it up, Wendy saw what looked like a storm raging in the centre of the stone. She was captivated by the beauty of the stone and the world around her dimmed to her senses.
"A raging storm within the calm blue sapphire, quite appropriate for the latent power you possess," Natsu's voice cut through the little world Wendy found herself in as she gazed at the stone. She turned to look at the voice that entered her world of wonder and saw a pleased smile on Natsu's face.
"It's called a 'Vers Ternesj' in Draconic, though the common tongue doesn't have a name for it, but that isn't a surprise since it is a great treasure for the Dragons and only a few are granted one," Natsu said.
"Oh, then I should give it back," Wendy said as she moved to give Natsu the stone, but she was surprised when he took her hand and closed it over the stone.
"The stone reacted to your magic, your being, who you are Wendy. These stones are curious, almost as if they have minds of their own, and one can only be granted the stones by their will. This stone chose you Wendy, and it's now up to you to discover what the stone provides you," Natsu explained with a kind smile and a proud gleam in his eyes.
Wendy looked down at the stone in wonder as thoughts rushed through her mind. 'Why would it choose me? I'm not a good fighter, nor am I powerful,' Wendy thought before she steeled her resolve with a final thought. 'I will use this to protect those close to me,' Wendy declared in her mind.
"May I?" Natsu asked with a hand outstretched, cutting through her internal thoughts.
"Oh, yeah. Do you know what the power is that this stone possesses?" Wendy asked as she handed the gemstone to Natsu.
"I do, and once you figure it out, I will provide you with the support you need to master it," Natsu said as he looked at the gemstone with a thoughtful expression.
"I think it's time I give you a birthday gift," Natsu said after a moment of silence between eh two as a grin formed on his face. Natsu closed his hands around the gemstone and a faint glow escaped from the gaps between his fingers.
Wendy watched in anticipation as Natsu did something to the 'Vers Ternesj', wondering what this had to do with the gift he mentioned. The glow faded from Natsu's hands and as he opened them, Wendy saw a small ring, the sapphire gemstone as the centrepiece and a Dragon's tail forming the loop. The colour of the tail was the same dark blue as her hair while the deep blue stone surrounded the raging storm.
Natsu presented the ring to Wendy and gently took her hand before slipping the present on her fingers. Wendy looked at the ring that fits perfectly on her finger with a bright smile.
"This is beautiful, thank you Natsu," Wendy said as she wrapped her arms around Natsu's waist. Natsu returned the embrace as the two floated in the water.
"There is one last thing I want to give you before we return Wendy," Natsu said as he pulled back to look the young girl in the eyes.
"You really don't have to give me anything else Natsu, this is more than perfect," Wendy tried to deny but failed miserably as Natsu let out a chuckle.
"No, I'm putting my foot down Wendy, you will receive this gift," Natsu stated with a playful smirk which caused Wendy to pout, but her feeble attempt at refusing was squashed.
Natsu brought his hand to Wendy's forehead and placed his index. This action confused Wendy until she felt a rush of information entering her mind. She was shocked and didn't understand what it was that Natsu did.
"I implanted the knowledge of a transportation spell, one that will allow you to come here whenever you want. This spell isn't capable of bringing others here though, to keep the secrecy of this place and all that," Natsu answered her unasked question.
"I-I don't know what to say… Thank you," Wendy said as she once again tightened the hug.
"There is no need to say anything Wendy, Happy birthday," Natsu said warmly.
Hey guys, here you have the new chapter. Sorry for the long time I was gone, my final year project report took all the time I had but the 85 pages are in and I have some breathing room so I can focus on the stories again a bit apart from my usual university work. So I will be skipping the celebration with everyone else and next chapter we will dive into the events of the rating game with Diodora. Leave a review with your thoughts and I will see you next time.
