The landscape beneath him was nothing but a blur as his mighty wings carried Igneel through the skies with each flap. His little detour had expanded quite a lot and had taken him several hundred kilometres away from his home already. He simply followed the wind wherever it blew. It was his personal tour guide and transportation at the same time. He had passed many open plains covered in the fresh green of healthy grass, peaceful, calm lakes and wide mountain rages that kissed the skies, but he was still moving forward towards an unknown goal. It was liberating for him to be freed from the shackles of his father for once. If he had stayed in his so-called home, he would have had to deal with annoying political schemes and that was the last thing he needed at the moment.
Ignis had said some days earlier that there was something they needed to discuss. It was an important matter for the Fire God Dragon, but Igneel hadn't the patience to listen to his father's blabbering. In the end, it would only be something benefiting Ignis's well-being while all the other dragons, including his sons, would come out empty-handed. So Igneel had all the more reason to postpone this conversation for as long as possible. His father was very creative when it came down to tasks he needed to be done. And more than often, his sons had to do his bidding.
To escape from this prisoning grip, Igneel had set out on his small adventure so he could enjoy freedom for a little while. However, it seemed even if he was this far away, he couldn't flee from his family because it was swimming through his mind in constant streams. It felt like a never-ending waterfall, continuously falling on him and making it near impossible to escape. But before the still young dragon could sink deeper into these kinds of thoughts, he suddenly sensed the magic of his father spike unnaturally high. The amount which was released surprised and worried Igneel simultaneously because never before had he experienced such intensity and density of his father's magic. Even if he was having one of his infamous fits of anger right now, it was still too much.
At the same time, Igneel was reminded of how large the power gap between the two of them was. Igneel might act against his father's will but only because he had tolerated it so far. In the end, if Ignis's patience should ever snap, Igneel didn't stand a chance against his father. It was one of the few aspects of his father he admired. The strength he possessed rightfully earned him the title of Fire God Dragon. If he would use his power for people other than himself, the world would be a better one. So enormous was the strength of one of the Gods of Dragons.
But this fact only increased Igneel's unease as it twisted inside his body. Since Ignis was so extremely strong, Igneel couldn't decide upon any threat that would force his father to answer with so much of his power. So what possibly could possibly coax the Fire God Dragon to unleash enough magical power to burn the world itself? Following this thought, Igneel's worry turned into fear because there was only one plausible explanation for this event. If someone existed who could force his father to fight with so much of his strength released, it could only be someone similar to him. Someone, who's equal in power and claimed the same title as Ignis did. It had to be another God Dragon! But why would one of them challenge Ignis's reign in this land of fire? If two God Dragons were to fight each other seriously, nothing would be the same afterwards. They should know that their clash could easily destroy an entire country if not even more.
Lost in his thoughts as Igneel was, he failed to take notice of a large shadow circling above him. The shadow had followed Igneel for several hours by now, surprised by the fact, that he was still going unnoticed. There must be many things running through the mind of the son of Ignis. Otherwise, he would have been detected a long time ago, before they could even see each other eye to eye. Igneel had a sharp mind when it came to danger and it was near impossible to catch him off guard. So to find him in his current unprepared position was a one in a million chance that couldn't be left unused.
An evil smirk formed on the shadow's face before he mumbled his malicious intent slowly to himself. "It seems you need a bit of help getting this sorted out, Igneel. I'm glad to be at your service then." The shadow Inhaled deeply as he collected magic in his belly before he released it with a mighty roar towards the still unaware son of Ignis.
Igneel only snapped out of his thoughts, when the air above him suddenly brightened and the temperature skyrocketed. Being a fire dragon himself, the heat was of no concern to him but being hit by a stream of relentless fire was still not on his list of things he wished to experience. However, it was already far too late for the dragon to react one way or another, so he had no other choice but to unwillingly give in to his fate. The pillar of fire smashed right into his back, and he shrieked upon contact in surprise. The force was great enough that he was rendered completely helpless in face of the surprise attack from above. Igneel couldn't prevent his fall from the skies and ended up crashing ungracefully onto the ground. His descent created a large smoke screen as he groaned from the harsh landing. From above, he could hear bellows of humorous laughter washing over him and Igneel grumbled and cursed under his breath at that. For once, he didn't pay attention and that was what he got for his carelessness.
To make matters worse, his first attempt at righting himself was rendered useless by a fireball being shot at him. He was pressed once more into the cool earth by the impact and a new wave of loud laughter rang through the air. His patience was seconds away from snapping as he suffered from the antics of the culprit. Among all the people he knew, there was only one who would do these things to him. For his next try, he flapped his wings once and cleared the dust out of the air so he could see properly. He turned his narrowed gaze upwards and the first thing he saw was the large, shit-earning smirk on the face of his assailant. Teasing him must have been really funny.
"Would you look at that? Who would have thought that the mighty dragon Igneel could produce such cute noises? How hilarious!" the shadow mocked with amusement dripping from every tune he spoke - much to Igneel's annoyance.
He was uncertain about whether it was actually good or not, but Igneel knew exactly to whom this voice belonged. It wasn't the first time that an event similar to this took place, but normally Igneel was not caught off guard as it was the case this time around. And much to his dismay, he would most likely never hear the end of this. Above him in the skies, the clouds began to shift before they parted, and his initial assumption was confirmed when the shadow emerged from the white fog.
The colossal and muscular body was adorned in reddish scales similar to his own, a defining feature shared by nearly all fire dragons. Two rows of obsidian-coloured spikes ran along the entire length of its spine to the very tip of its tail, every point ignited in the fire. The expansive pair of wings that kept the large creature in the air cast wide-sweeping shadows over Igneel and the land below. It was another dragon, another fire dragon and a dragon Igneel could without a second's hesitation consider as his best friend despite all of his doings. A large smile appeared on Igneel's face upon the descent of his dear brother in mind.
"Atlas Flame!" Igneel shouted happily. The growing annoyance about the rough treatment vanished before it could take root in his heart. The other dragon could be a teasing shit but if he was honest with himself, he wouldn't want it any other way. Atlas Flame cared little about the fact that Igneel was a son of the Fire God Dragon Ignis and treated him the same as he did everybody else. For him, there was no difference at all, so Igneel had not much of a choice when Atlas Flame became his closest and dearest friend. It was nice to be treated as "normal" for once, even though he had a scarce understanding of the term.
"How have you been, Igneel?" Atlas Flame raised one of his claws in greeting as he questioned Igneel's well-being. He was glad to see that he succeeded in pulling his friend out of whatever gloomy thoughts he was having. Being a living relative of a God Dragon surely did have its perks but many tend to forget that there were just as many disadvantages. And considering Igneel's earlier expression, most likely even more than that. Hence, he was more than happy to offer some much-needed distraction.
"As good as I can be with my father being the person he is," Igneel answered as he shrugged his shoulders. Atlas Flame sighed at the sight. It was typical for Igneel. That blockhead could never be honest with his feelings and always tried to act like a tough guy but centuries of friendship enabled Atlas Flame to see through the barriers his friend had constructed around his heart and soul. By now, it was second nature to him to dismantle the barricades in only a few seconds, but he also sensed the rise in Ignis's magic from far away. Probably the cause of Igneel's distress. He disliked Ignis greatly, that much Atlas Flame knew, but that still didn't change the fact that they were father and son. They shared a bond of blood that couldn't be separated. That was why Atlas Flame was aware that he needed to proceed carefully from here on out - at least for now - if he wanted to help his friend out. For that reason, he chose to play along with Igneel's tough-guy act for now.
"I see. Nothing has changed then," Atlas Flame consoled.
"Yeah. But more importantly Atlas, what are you doing all the way out here? Do you need something from around here or did you go out for some fresh air as well?" Igneel asked. When the other dragon heard that, a small tick mark formed on his right temple.
'Catching you off guard is one thing but seriously, just how lost in thought have you been all this time, Igneel?' Atlas Flame internally questioned himself. That guy was completely hopeless. He could only wonder what would have become of Igneel if he hadn't always been there to have his back. A lost case through and through. The mighty fire dragon sighed once more before he gave his slightly irritated retort.
"I should be the one asking this! For my part, I wanted to pay you a visit, but you flew away the moment I arrived at Mt Hakobe. I even called out to you, but you flat out ignored me and went your merry way. That's why I figured I would simply follow you. Someone has to look out for a daydreamer like you after all, or you will likely end up in trouble again."
Hearing Atlas Flame's explanation caused Igneel to feel a bit embarrassed. Luckily his scales were red but still, had he really been so distracted, that he didn't notice his friend following him all this time? Apeenetly, the worsening relationship with his father did affect him more than he initially thought or wanted to admit. Maybe this was the reason why his father wanted to talk with him? And he simply fled the scene and didn't leave a message behind. Slowly but surely, regret collected inside his heart as he mulled over the possibility. It would also explain the intensity of Ignis's outburst. Igneel cursed under his breath.
Great. Now he felt bad for simply leaving without a word. It might be best to return as fast as possible. The longer Igneel waited, the sourer his father's mood would get. And when Ignis stepped over a certain line, there was no possibility of reasoning with him anymore.
Igneel lost himself in his inner thoughts again, so he didn't notice how a pair of eyes narrowed dangerously as they continued to observe him intensively. Their owner was honestly surprised by Igneel's actions. He had known the other dragon for centuries but he couldn't remember a time when Igneel was as distracted as he was now. The entire situation must really be weighing down on him - much more than Atlas Flame thought it would. He redirected his stare towards Igneel's home and let the sensation of the Fire God Dragon's magic invade his body. Instantly, his senses became numb even though he was so far away. Such was the power of a dragon who was proclaimed a god. This affirmed Atlas Flame's resolution and belief that there was nobody who could overcome the lord of the fire. All worry was for nought, so he could proceed with helping out the blockhead he called his friend, in the only way he knew would work.
Atlas Flame clenched his right fist and set it ablaze with his soaring magic. The fire surrounding his claw was like a small firestorm and it flickered wildly in every direction. The light which emitted from his spell illuminated the nearby environment even stronger than the daylight did, yet Igneel still didn't emerge from the self-inflicted cage trapping his mind. He sank deeper and deeper into the darkness that presently occupied his inner world but was abruptly stopped from sinking further into his wild imaginations by a fiery fist connecting with his jaw. Before he'd processed being struck, he was soaring several yards back until he was able to catch himself. He glared at his best friend for punching him out of nowhere, especially since he didn't hold back as he did with his initial surprise attack from above the clouds. Igneel's jaw was throbbing in pain!
"What the hell do you think you are doing, Atlas Flame?" Igneel roared his demand at the other dragon. This time the annoyance he felt didn't suspend but instead grew with every passing moment. Unimpressed by Igneel's outburst, Atlas Flame, who had crossed his arms over his chest now, merely watched with a neutral expression how Igneel grew angrier by the second by the ongoing silence.
He sighed and shook his head as the first irk marks appeared on Igneel's head. That guy was the biggest meathead he had ever met. And he had to take back what he had thought earlier. Igneel was not a lost cause. In fact, he was a fool beyond help. There was nothing that could be done in order to change that but Atlas Flame didn't mind. If Igneel was a hopeless case, then he was one as well since he would continue to stick with him no matter what might happen in the future. That was what friends were there for after all. With that thought lingering in his mind, he gave his brief response. "Helping out a friend."
"You consider punching me in the face as 'helping me out'?" Igneel asked in utter disbelief upon hearing Atlas Flame's reasoning.
"Don't shove the fault for being such a big airhead at me. Besides, I didn't punch you that hard. Didn't know you were such a whiny chicken though," Atlas Flame mused. When his mind conjured an image of Igneel covered from head to toe in feathers as he was lurching across the ground in his search for some cereal grains, he couldn't suppress the amused snort that rumbled from deep within his belly before he was laughing wholeheartedly. It looked so ridiculous!
Igneel's thin thread of patience snapped after hearing his friend's loud laughter. He knew Atlas Flame well enough, especially his playful and idiotic side, to understand, what was going through his friend's head right now.
"That's it!" he roared before he charged forward. He had clenched his own fist and covered it in blazing flames in order to deliver the payback. However, he was not the only one who could read the other like an open book. Atlas Flame expected this kind of reaction and swiftly dodged with time to spare so Igneel's raging fist only hit empty place.
"If you wanna hit me, you're gonna have to try harder than that." Atlas Flame mocked as he easily parried another of Igneel's enraged strikes. But his overconfidence vanished when he realised that the prior attack was merely a fluke and he had moved right into the position Igneel wanted him in.
Twisting around his own axis, Igneel swung his still burning fist again and this time, landed a solid hit. It was Atlas Flame's turn to crash into the ground with a groan. Earth and rocks crumbled and cracked open beneath his massive body, making the impact more painful. Igneel had never really understood the meaning of 'holding back'.
Atlas Flame grumbled under his breath while he stood up, shaking his body from side to side in order to get rid of all the debris lingering on him. Then he looked towards his friend hovering in the sky above. This time it was Igneel who sprouted a large, shit-earning grin as he gave his snarky comment about the sight beneath him.
"What are you doing down there? Seeking some cereal grains or what? Last time I checked they were all gone already."
Immediately, Atlas Flame fumed. This fucking smart ass! Now he was in for it! A strong push with his tail and a mighty flap of his wings catapulted Atlas Flame back into the skies, directly into Igneel's direction.
Igneel, unprepared for such hasty movements, was caught off guard as his eyes turned bigger and bigger. He could do little to nothing against the full-body slam he received from his friend. Staggering backwards he gasped for precious air, which had been knocked out of his lungs by the impact.
Opposite him, it was Atlas Flame's turn to smirk again, much to Igneel's displeasure. Igneel would make sure to wipe the smirk straight from his face!
Both dragons darted forward at the same moment and met each other with a sickening sounding head butt. They roared and before long a full-blown brawl was raging between the two fire dragons. For outsiders, this may look like a fight to the death, but it wasn't. Otherwise, the smirks on the faces of both dragons wouldn't be there. These two were best friends and nothing could ever change that. At the same time though, they were rivals and needed to exchange blows from time to time, to determine who was the stronger dragon at the moment. They used a considerably large amount of their strength but were still pulling their punches in the end. Neither of them wanted to actually afflict any serious injury to the other. Besides, in this way, they could continue to bash each other's heads around for a prolonged time and hence increase the fun their clash caused them both.
As they traded blow after blow, smirks never vanishing from their visages, Igneel silently thanked his friend for the much-needed distraction. All thoughts connected to his family issue were pushed into the back of his mind as they engrossed deeper into their fight, so deep that they forgot time and didn't notice the increasing violence in the far distance.
XXX
The pillar consisting of molten stone, smoke and ash rose from the ever-spitting throat of Mt Hakobe. The volcano had a reputation of being a straight gateway to hell because there had never been a moment in history where it didn't spit its contents into the world. That fact was the very reason why Ignis had chosen the fire mountain, long ago, as the domain he would rule over with an iron fist. But on the day when Ignis' former hostage returned in his search for revenge, the volcano increased its output to unseen heights. The volcanic column darkened the heavens and turned day into night with the hellish sight it offered. The thick clouds of destruction were pierced by violent and relentless volcanic lightning bolts with every second that passed. Together with the burning boulders acting as small meteorites and the hot rubble raining down on the charred ground like a hailstorm straight from the depths of hell, it would appear the world had been illuminated with the lights of the apocalypse. But the true terror took place in the volcano's innards.
The entirety of earth and sky were shaking from the brutal clash of two gargantuan magical forces over and over again inside Mt Hakobe. A duet of roaring pillars of fire fought against each other for dominance. Neither of them conceded even an inch of ground to the other side as they were filled to the brim with their respective casters' wills to kill. Seldom seen was such a view of equality between the powers of two entirely different beings. Normally one side was stronger than the other and it showed more than anything in a direct clash of similar magic.
However, in this case, it was not a given and as a result, the resistance and the endurance of how much the world could handle dwindled towards zero in an astonishing tempo. Too strong were the powers of man and dragon, but they could care less about their surroundings. They were solely out for the blood of the other side, no matter the costs. Less than ten seconds after their union, the streams of flames parted ways again and ended in an even larger explosion which threatened to tear apart the volcano the two enemies fought in. Outside, clouds of dust were stirred up by the strength riding on every shockwave emitted, phasing through the thick stones effortlessly.
This had already been the sixth time their roars had battled each other violently. Six rounds of magical wrestling, but Ignis couldn't overcome this puny insect that once again dared to oppose him as it did so many years ago. The young man always responded with the same technique and the same strength as he did, and it was infuriating for the Fire God Dragon. How could this be? He was not just an ordinary dragon. He was none other than the infamous Fire God Dragon Ignis! The lord of flames and destruction who was worshipped by his kin all across Earthland. Yet this man bared his fangs at him and Ignis was unable to understand how a mere human could possibly withstand his unstoppable attacks. And not only once by a lucky streak of fate but several times in a row.
"Worthless brat! Where did you obtain this power of yours!?" Ignis roared in frustration and abhorrence. He had to know how these unfathomable events could be possible. He had to because he would destroy the origin after he had slaughtered the man opposite him in the cruellest way possible. It mustn't be allowed that a lowly human could stand up against a God of Dragons!
In response to Ignis's enraged shout, the pink-haired man was completely unfazed and unimpressed by the furious dragon. Instead, he clenched and opened his fists in repetitive motions. This way he checked if he had sustained any damage. Facing a normal dragon was one thing but fighting a God Dragon was more like a consideration of delirium that no living being could even fathom in their right mind - at least until this very moment. To his wicked delight, he indeed had not suffered any damage. In the depth of his soul, he had been slightly nervous about whether his preparations would be sufficient. So far, he had only his clash with the Moon God Dragon Selene during the crisis in the Celestial Spirit World as reference. But during these events, they never fought each other face to face. It was more of a battle between their cunning minds in which he had come out on top. It had been his first test drive of the powers he had acquired, but how far he could trust the results, he hadn't really known, prior to this fight. It was a risky game he played but he wouldn't complain about the outcome. Witnessing Ignis's outburst was the sweetest satisfaction he could have wished for, and he would prolong it as long as possible.
Therefore, he began to calmly smile as he readied his retort. The mage was not scared to tempt the beast in front of him even further for his own pleasure. His powers had proved to be equal, even though he was far from using everything he had at his disposal. The same probably applied to Ignis as well but the man was confident to claim victory for himself. After all, magic was on his side and not on the side of the filthy lizard.
"Wouldn't you like to know, oh mighty god of dragons?" the man mocked. He could give in to Ignis's demand and share with the dragon the knowledge that he desired, but he saw no point in answering the inquiry of his opponent. After all, he would soon be lying dead on the ground in a pool of his own blood. And even if he decided to indulge his foe, the dragon was never going to believe him. The truth was simply too lunatic and ridiculous at the same time.
The evasive response seemingly fuelled the wrath of the Fire God Dragon beyond its limit. His wings stretched and massive flames engulfed his body. His voice was nothing but a low rumble anymore. It sounded as if Ignis was on the verge of turning into the embodiment of destruction and only barely hanging on to his sanity.
"I've had enough of your mockery, human. I don't care anymore, from where or whom you obtained this magic. I will simply burn the entire world together with your existence to ashes. Repent on your actions for incurring the wrath of a God, pitiful creature!"
The smile turned into a smirk. Ignis was as arrogant as ever and it would be his doom.
"Flame Deluge of the Fire God Dragon!"
XXXXXXXXX
The other day I found an amazing fan-made manga for FT100YQ and that's where I got the name for this chapter. Naturally, this means I don't claim any ownership or credit for "Flame Deluge of the Fire God Dragon".
I considered it to be a fitting connection to the next chapter. I hope you are all looking forward to some fighting :)
