"speaking"

"thinking"

On with the story

Erza and the others ventured in the forest as they followed the tracks of where the old man and Happy went to

"this way" Kagura said touching the tracks before they all followed behind

They all ventured further in and finds the river stream with the waterfall and the small cabin

"get down and be quiet" Erza said as everyone hides and they see the old man coming out of the cabin with a tray of tea with him

The old man sat down by a log stump as he pours himself some tea and now looks to be relaxing while taking a few sips of his tea

"should we go and greet?" Kagura asked while staying quiet

"if you want to get burned that is" Mira said as they remembered how powerful the old man is

"I don't see Happy anywhere" Lucy said not seeing the blue feline

"there" Éclair pointed out as Happy came out of the waterfall before going to the old man

The old man takes out a small fish sticks and gives it to Happy who bites on it

"strange no?" Ikaruga said looking at the old man

"what is?" Erza asked looking to her

"I feel that he knows that we are here, yet he does not come and attack?" Ikaruga said

"what are you blabbering about?" Mira said to the swordswoman

"think of with that brain of yours, Mira-han. We've come to the forest in search of Happy-han and that old man found us before attacking" Ikaruga explained before looking to the old man who poured himself some more tea "yet he is blind with no sight"

"blind?" Lucy said before remembering the scars of the old man's eyes "she's right!"

"he is no ordinary old man then" Éclair said

The old man drinks his tea before sighing as he sets the cup down

"I know that you are there" he voiced out as Erza and the others heard him "if you are to spy on one, you must have the element of silence"

Erza and the others looks at them before to each other and nodded

They went out of hiding as they approached the old man and Happy

Happy meowed as he walks towards Lucy who carried him up

"name yourself while my tea is still warm" the old man said as he holds his cup of tea and drinks a sip

"my name is Erza Scarlet, these are my friends" Erza introduced herself before to the others

"Lucy Heartifillia, nice to meet you" "I'm Éclair Feniks" "I'm Mirajane Strauss" "Ikaruga Ryu, nice to meet you acquaintances" "I am Kagura Mikazuchi" everyone introduced themselves to the old man who sips his tea yet again

"and?" the old man asked "for what reason that brings you here to these woods? My home?"

"we were here to find Happy, a friend of ours asked us to take care of him while he is away" Lucy answered before Happy meowed and got some scratches to the chin

"I see" he replied pouring himself more tea "my name is Atlas Flame, Master of the Dragon Flames"

"that Atlas Flame!?" Lucy exclaimed in surprise

"you know him?" Mira asked as everyone looks to her

"who doesn't!?" Lucy replied "he's one of the world's strongest mage! They call him a genius because he created thousands and thousands of branches of Fire Magic that are all high ranked! He once fought an entire army that consists of 1000 soldiers of the north! He earned the alias Hellfire Dragon! He burns his foe with his fire magic that is unlike any other fire magic!"

"ho? some remembered this old fool from the old past" the old man said having an amused smile

"but they said that you've disappeared 20 years ago when you battled the army of the west that consists of 20.000 soldiers" Lucy said making everyone looks to him "they said that you died in the battlefield long ago"

"heh! Those fools of the council make up such foolish stories and spreads them to the world" Atlas said drinking more of his tea before sighing a bit "but, being told that I have died is better than disappear"

"disappear?" Erza repeated his words

"I may have the power of my flames, but these scars…" Atlas said touching the scars on his eyes before opening them to reveal his eyes were dull white "..are evidence of my utter foolishness"

"did something happen in that last battle of yours?" Mira said as Atlas sips his tea before finishing it

"leave now" Atlas said setting his teacup down "my tea has gone cold"

"wait! How about we make you more!?" Lucy said as everyone looks to him

"make more?" Atlas said repeating Lucy's words

"we just happen to have the best tea maker of our school!" Lucy said motioning to Ikaruga who sighs


Everyone was now in the small cabin as Ikaruga poured in some tea into Atlas' teacup

Atlas took the cup and sips it before sighing in satisfaction

"very satisfying" Atlas said having a relaxed smile from drinking the tea "very refined and calming taste. Never have I tasted such calming tea"

"see? Ikaruga-senpai can make tea out of any tea leaves" Lucy said smiling

"I have to give her praise" Erza said sipping a cup of tea "this taste even more calming than the one she made at school"

"I use simple green tea in school, but the one he has here" Ikaruga said holding a glass case filled with green tea leaves "are simply high quality, these tea leaves aren't like any you can find in any store"

"those are Green Dragon Leaves" Atlas said sipping his tea before sighing in satisfaction "they are only found in the forest; and are extremely hard to harvest and brew perfectly. I had my fair share of brewing it many times, but this is the first time anyone has ever brewed it magnificently"

"now that we are having tea and all" Mira said holding her cup of tea "mind telling us on why you are here?"

Atlas took another sip of his tea and sighs

"oh yes, the reason on why I am here, you say?" Atlas said before he was poured more tea by Ikaruga "I am simply here for my retirement and to guard the forest"

"retirement and guard the forest?" Éclair said while having Happy sleeping on her lap

"my last battle took my sight, and the council do not need no blind fool anymore" Atlas said taking a sip of his tea again "I retired from servicing the world, and came to Magnolia to spend my last years in peace"

"then guard the forest?" Mira asked taking a sip of her tea before her face went blue to how utterly bitter it tasted

Ikaruga giggles as Mira glared at her hard while trying not to spit out her bitter tea

"ah, a mistake in this old mouth" Atlas said "I guard this domain in truth"

"this place?" Lucy asked thinking that he was saying of his home

"yes and no" Atlas replied "this place may be my home, but it was originally belonged to an old friend of mine"

Happy meowed as he purred getting scratches on the back by Éclair

"I am doing a long owed favor by my old friend, I guard this domain in his stead" Atlas replied

"I see" Erza said before she saw a picture frame of Atlas in his young age with someone who looks identical with Natsu but he looks gruffy and like and old man who was grinning in the picture "is that your friend?"

"ah, if you are referring to the picture frame hanged up behind me, then yes he is" Atlas replied before drinking his tea again "my trusted old friend, Igneel"

"Igneel? As in Natsu's Father?" Lucy said as Atlas smiled in amusement

"must be fate" Atlas said chuckling a bit "tell me, is your school Belserion High?"

"u-uh, yeah" Mira answered him "you know our school?"

"know it? Another old friend of mine owns it" Atlas replied as he takes out an old photo from inside his robe

He showed it to them as in the photo is Atlas, Igneel, and a woman who looks identical to Erza.

"she looks just like you, Erza" Kagura said seeing how identical the woman is to Erza

"that's my mother" Erza replied looking at the picture

"eeeh!? So identical!" Lucy said as they were such a spitting image to each other

"ho? One of you is my friend's daughter? I have never known" Atlas said sipping his tea "tell me, is she faring well?"

"y-yes" Erza replied before frowning a bit "she is"

"hmmm" Atlas hummed before pocketing the photo into his robe "I, Igneel, and Irene were comrades once in the battlefield. We were called the Three Dragons"

"I've heard of that name" Éclair said while petting Happy "they say that the Three Dragons were three people who have very rare and very ancient magic that was lost through time"

"yes" Atlas said as he holds up his hand and a small fire appeared on it "Dragon Slayer Magic"

The small of fire transformed into a small dragon that flies around before disappearing

"Dragon Slayer Magic? Magic use to Slay Dragons?" Erza said as Atlas nodded

"why was there such a magic? Aren't Dragons just fairy tales?" Mira asked

"to the age of the present, not to the age of the past" Atlas replied before finishing his tea "Dragons do exist, but they are merely in hiding"

"hiding? Why?" Éclair asked but Atlas didn't reply

"do you have any other questions?" Atlas said as he was poured more tea

"Happy seems to know you, why is that?" Ikaruga asked Atlas who sips his tea

"why? He is my Nephew's pet cat, of course" Atlas replied

"wait, Nephew? You're Natsu's Uncle?" Lucy asked as Atlas nodded

"we may not be blood related but I see him as my own family" Atlas stated before sipping his tea again

"then do you know where he is?" Ikaruga asked "he disappeared when Summer break comes"

"he did not disappear, rather he comes here" Atlas replied

"then is he here now?!" Mira said standing up

"he is" Atlas replied before they heard a ring from the clock as it was closing to eve

"the night is coming, it is best for you all to leave now and come back in the next morning" Atlas said standing up while holding his staff

"eh why?" Lucy asked standing up as well

"do you not hear the howls of pain that echoes from this forest? Those who hear it will die" Atlas said making Lucy shiver in fear "hurry before it comes"

"what about you?" Erza asked as the others stand up from their seat

"I have lived my life in peace here, a mere howl of death that comes will not disturb me" Atlas said opening the door "now, go and come in the morning. Do not stay here for too long"

"should we?" Mira asked as Erza sighs and nodded

Everyone went out as they were heading back to town

Atlas stayed in his home before seeing Happy running to him

"no, Happy" Atlas said kneeling down to the little feline "come in the morning, not now"

Happy meowed to him before getting his head patted by Atlas

"I know that you want to stay but it is best not to make your friends worry of you" Atlas said smiling to Happy "I promise you that he'll be fine"

Happy meowed before going back to join the others

Atlas stands up before he turns towards the waterfall where Natsu was in


Atlas went into the secret cave behind the waterfall as he brought a tea set with him

"there is only one day left before the moon changes" he said before sitting down in front of the prison where Natsu is in "you must steel your resolve till then"

"i know, Uncle" Natsu muttered out before black markings spreads all around his neck to his face "damn old man, kept me in when the girls came to visit"

Atlas poured himself some tea as he sips it

"one day, there won't be anyone to guard this domain anymore and when that day comes; I'll be free! I'll take them all and make them bear my children! Making an army of my own children!" Natsu shouted like crazy as he grins with his fangs growing "and the first step to achieve that dream of mine is by killing you, old fart!"

"silence with you! I will not let you harm my Uncle!" Natsu shouted as he clenched his fists tight

"like hell I care! I told you, remember!? When the full moon comes! I come! You had the nerve to come back to this fucking stink hole and sealed me in when I could be outside in the town, getting as much girls as I want!" Natsu shouted back as he looks to be in an eternal battle in his body "I haven't been freed for 10 years straight! I'm always stuck in you! I want a girl! I want to rape a girl! I want to have fucking sex for crying out loud!"

"just shut up!" Natsu shouted before he let out a roar that shook the cave

Atlas drinks his tea as he did not mind the rumbling cave


Erza and the others got back into the town before they soon heard the shouting and the screaming coming from the woods

"this is just so creepy" Lucy said carrying Happy "what makes those noises?"

"an animal? a person?" Ikaruga guessed "or merely a monster?"

"he said that Natsu is there, right? If we meet the old guy again, we can find him?" Mira asked

"probably" Kagura replied "it might just be a lie"

"it's not" Éclair said "I know a lie when I hear one"

"there's only a few days left before Summer Break is over, let's go back there tomorrow morning and find out the truth" Erza said as the others nodded

Everyone soon went back their way to their home while hearing the howling screams


That's a wrap!

Bye bye