"speaking"

"Thinking"

On with the story

Natsu and Zeref flies in the sky before they swoop down to the large crater and into the tunnel where it would lead them into the hidden oasis and sunken volcano

"that Dryad girl is with your family, right?" Natsu asked as he and Zeref started walking to the underground forest

"yes, but when I dropped her by with Mavis and our kids. She said that she wasn't a Dryad and a Dryad at the same time" Zeref said as Natsu raises an eyebrow in confusion

"what does that mean?" Natsu asked "is she saying that she's a half?"

"I think so" Zeref replied while rubbing his chin "Mavis has this pedicular trait where she can just see through you"

"you married one heck of a woman, didn't you?" Natsu said with a chuckle

"says the Dragon King who has 11 wives and 12 kids with the addition of one more coming soon" Zeref replied as Natsu smirks in response "how do you coop with that? Me and Mavis already have our hands full just having August and Larcade together"

"who knows?" Natsu replied while shrugging his shoulders "my wives usually do the caring part; I just make sure that they won't make trouble in my kingdom"

"I see" Zeref said humming a bit as the two reaches the opening in the forest where the former Demon King's home resides

Mavis, with her two sons; Larcade and August were just standing near their home while watching the large round wooden cage with the Dryad woman sleeping inside of it.

"I wonder how long she's been asleep?" Mavis asked while tilting her head to the side and with a finger to her chin. Her two children mimicking her pose as they were kids.

Natsu and Zeref came into view as Larcade and August smiles before the two runs to their father and uncle

"welcome home~!" Mavis hollered to the two as Larcade and August hug their father's legs

"I'm back" Zeref replied to his wife before he caresses his two son's heads while having a smile "have you two been good boys?"

"yup!" "yes!" August and Larcade replied smiling at their father as Zeref chuckles

The two soon went near the wooden cage as they inspect the sleeping Dryad inside the cage

"tried anything to wake her up?" Natsu asked Zeref whose hands were getting pulled around by his sons in a game of Tug war.

"I tried sensing any magic that comes from the cage or from her, but I didn't sense anything" Zeref replied "it's like she's in hibernation but there's no magic gathering into her"

"no magic gathering into her?" Natsu said looking confused as every being in Ishgar or in the world have the capability of gathering magic in the very air itself, one that cannot gather magic would only be the demons who uses curse power instead of magic power "but aren't Dryads known for their capability to gather and contain vast amount of magic power from the land and the air itself?"

"I believed so too" Zeref said as he looks at the sleeping Dryad girl "for whatever reason, I don't think she has any magic within her at all"

"no magic, huh?" Natsu said before looking at the sleeping Dryad girl in the wooden cage "that voice I heard…I think it's from her but I have no idea how did she relay it without the help of magic"

"Dryads are known for their natural capability in connecting to the roots of the earth" Zeref stated as Dryads are biologically half human and half tree or plants "it could be that ability of theirs"

"I heard the voice in my head and there were no trees near me when I heard it" Natsu replied as the two brothers started to discuss about how to wake the Dryad girl up while Mavis and her two sons played around.

3 hours later

Natsu and Zeref had sat down on the grass as the two were looking tired and stressed.

"we're getting nowhere," Zeref said as he crossed his arms while rubbing a hand to his forehead "how can solving a single small thing like this Dryad girl can be so troublesome?"

"beats me" Natsu replied sighing tiredly

The two sat in silence as the only sound that was heard is the breeze. The quiet atmosphere was just calm before Zeref's chuckles was heard

"what's so funny?" Natsu said glancing at his brother

"not funny, but nostalgic and a bit funny in a way" Zeref replied as he looks at the moon in the night sky through the hole above "my father and our mother used to bicker in discussions like this. They would go on and on till they reached an agreement which took at least a whole week"

"hmmm. With my dad, she just dominated the discussion with a single word" Natsu said as a male Dragon is always dominant in mating but Hael wasn't that easily dominated "I guess my dad was kinda weak to her, huh?"

"shouldn't be such a surprise" Zeref added in "our mother was called the Valkyrie of Death and the Dominator of Wars for a reason"

"is that so?" Natsu said before he started laughing with Zeref

The two laughs for a good minute before they stopped while having smiles

"sometimes I get dreams, you know" Natsu said as Zeref glances at him "dreams that you and i…with mom and my dad or your dad….be just one happy family in some timeline"

"that would be a nice dream" Zeref replied smiling "but for now, it's a dream that will come true in the coming time of the future"

"future, huh?" Natsu said before sighing "that is going to be a very long time"

"yeah" Zeref added in

The two sat at their place before Natsu stood up from his seat

"I better get back home" Natsu said while dusting off some grass that latches onto his legs and hands "I need to check on my kids. Especially my 2nd son's eye. That kind of wound is going to leave a scar"

"okay then" Zeref replied before looking at the wooden cage where the Dryad was still sleeping within it "I and my family will watch over her till we can find out on what or how we can wake her up"

Natsu nodded before he spreads his wings and took off to the sky by flying through the hole above

Zeref waved his hand goodbye to his little brother who was now gone to the night sky and was heading back to Dragnof

Night-time at Dragnof. Things there were calm in the kingdom, but it had the exception of Dragnof ships patrolling around its sea borders as the attack on the day made the kingdom go on high alert on another possible enemy attack.

Natsu flies in the night sky before he zooms down and landed in front of his castle

The soldiers patrolling the surrounding area bowed to Natsu who waved at them before going into his home

Walking in the hallway of his own castle, Natsu made his way to his chambers where his mates and children would be sleeping within

Gently and slowly opening the door, Natsu checks inside as he finds Lucy, and the others asleep on their beds with their children

Natsu quietly enters as he checks on them and made sure they would have a good night rest

Tanit squeaks in her sleep as the little Dragon's right hind leg was moving around before Natsu caresses her back and she stops

Natsu smiles at his children and his mates as they were all safe and sound.

He hears some small squeaking as he turns to see Callista waking up from his sleep on the bed with Hiusi who was fast asleep. Callista squeaks while looking drowsy before getting a gentle head pat by Natsu.

"couldn't sleep?" Natsu whispered to his youngest son as Callista purrs from his father's affection

Callista squeaks before the little dragon flaps his wings and flies over from his mother's bed to Sorano's.

The young hatchling snuggles close to Tanit who wake up and squeaks to Callista before rubbing her head against his and the two went to sleep together

Natsu smiles to see his youngest daughter be such a loving sister to his youngest son. The Dragon King then decided to check on Touro who was fast asleep with his mother.

Natsu sees that the bandages on his son's right eye was taken off and revealed that he now has a scar over his right eye while a piece of his right horn was gone.

"the horn will regrow but this scar…" Natsu whispered as he gently place a hand to his son's head and caresses it "…I'm sorry that you had to have a scar in such a young age, Touro..but I promise that I'll be more stronger than before so that I can protect you for sure"

Natsu pecks his 2nd son's forehead before he leans away and made his way out of the room while gently closing the door.

Going out into his castle's hallway, Natsu was about to head to his room where he has some papers from Fiore and other kingdoms that he needs to attend to.

As he was heading to the room, Natsu spotted a red glow coming from bellow the door of his armory room.

"who could be?" said Natsu before he takes hold of his father's Golden sword and draws it out. He stealthily approached the room as his eyes glows red and he could see that there was a cloaked figure inside the room. "who?"

Natsu took one deep breath before he goes right into the room while holding his sword at the intruder.

"you!" said Natsu as he looks at the cloaked figure who stands in front of his father's shattered Dragon Armor, alongside his mother's armor as well. "who are you?!"

The cloaked figure gave no reply but instead takes out a pinkish red orb and leans it towards the two armors. Natsu watched as his father and mother's armor started to glow crimson and black, both armor's damaged areas were slowly regenerating.

"you….who are you?" said Natsu as the cloaked figure holds the orb before it shatters into pieces and both armors have finished regenerating their damaged areas.

"who I am does not matter" said a low and feminine voice as the cloaked figure turns to glance at Natsu with the hood covering the identity of the mysterious intruder. "you have barely touched the true power of Igneel's sword and your mother's power. You cannot defeat Efam in your state"

"why do you?" said Natsu before the cloaked figure takes out a staff and slams its end to the floor, unleashing a vibrating pulse that made the Dragon King guard himself for a moment, thinking that it was attack. When Natsu put his guard down, the mysterious hooded intruder disappeared. "where?"

"you must awaken Cosmos….her knowledge of Efam and his allies are essential to you and the future of Dragnof…awaken her and know the power that you never knew you ever had" the mysterious voice spoke out as Natsu looks around for the intruder but there was no sight of the hooded figure.

"awaken Cosmos?...that sleeping Dryad girl?" said Natsu as he looks around before he looks at his parent's armor and saw that the damages that they sustained were gone. "who is that person?"

That's a wrap!

Bye bye