So here's the second chapter. Thank you all for the reviews so far by the way and I hope you enjoy this chapter too. Just to give you a heads up, Natsu won't have all his powers right away. It will take periods of time before he is back to full strength. I reckon by the end of the Tower of Heaven Arc he will be back at full power.
Anyway, read, enjoy, and be sure to review!
(Magnolia, Fairy Tail Guild)
Two hours after Natsu had woken up, the entirety of Fairy Tail had gathered to an open field near the guild, in order to witness the battle between Natsu Dragneel and Erza Scarlet. The field was wide enough for them to fight without causing any serious damage. Said people were in the center of an open space, with their guild members, and a few townsfolk, around them and giving them plenty of space to fight.
To the side, a betting stand had been set up, run by Fairy Tail's Card Mage, Cana Alberona. Already people had placed their bets on who was going to win the fight, with Erza receiving the majority of bets. It was only obvious though, as she was the youngest person in the guild's history to become an S-Class Mage. But today would be different, not that anyone else knew that.
"Heh, can't wait to see flame brain get his ass kicked again…" Gray said with a smug look on his face.
"Both of them look so serious." Lucy commented. She was standing alongside Gray, with Elfman and Mirajane being nearby. Lying on Elfman's head to get a better view was Happy.
"Well Natsu has always wanted to surpass Erza. And Erza was never the kind of person to hold back much." Mirajane added.
"This is going to be a battle of men!" Elfman declared loudly, followed by Happy adding an "Aye!"
"But Erza is a woman." Mira corrected her brother.
"A scary woman…" Gray added with a shudder.
As everyone was talking with each other and waiting for the match to begin, Natsu was having an inner debate with entity. 'I'm gonna kick Erza's ass this time!' Natsu declared confidently.
The entity sighed. "Don't get to cocky. Only your physical prowess has returned back to what they were. Which by human standards would pretty much devastate a small army. And your intellect is slowly returning to what it was, and perhaps your magic too. Still, don't underestimate your opponent, and don't use your sword either."
'What? Why?!' Natsu asked, annoyed by that. He had really wanted to try out Dyrnwyn after hearing how it killed Lullaby with one attack.
"Two reasons" The voice began. "One, your mind hasn't fully regained the swordsman skills you once possessed yet. Using it now would only hinder you since your brain is still locked in unarmed combat for now. You have a better chance of getting use to it again when you train on your own. The second is that it isn't a blade you can use at your leisure, not with its abilities, not just yet." The flame entity said before adding, "I'll tell you more about it's properties later, but it looks like we're about to begin."
Sure enough Makarov appeared in between both mages, looking at them with equal stares of seriousness. Then he spoke. "This is a one-on-one match between Natsu Dragneel and Erza Scarlet. The winner will be decided once one person is knocked out or unable to fight anymore. If both combatants are down for the count it will be a draw. If I see things going to far I will stop the fight immediately, understood?" Makarov asked.
"Understood" Erza replied, her gaze kept on Natsu.
"I'm all fired up." Natsu said, a fanged grin on his face.
"Very well then" Makarov said before moving out of the way. Once he was in a safe distance, Makarov raised his right arm before swinging it down. "FIGHT!" He shouted.
The instant those words were yelled out, Natsu disappeared instantly before reappearing directly in front of Erza. The armored mage was taken aback by the sudden boost of Natsu's speed. So surprise that she was unprepared for a devastating punch straight to the face. The blow was so strong that it sent her back several feet before crashing into the ground, a dust cloud rising from the impact zone.
Everyone was looking on in shock, with mouths open, eyes wide or both. While no one doubted that Natsu was a strong mage, potential S-Class, for him to land a blow, the first blow, in his fight against Erza, was unconceivable. Even Makarov looked slightly surprised by this.
Meanwhile, Natsu was laughing cheerfully, hopping from one foot to another. "Hahaha! I feel light as a feather!" He exclaimed gleefully.
Suddenly movement could be heard from within the cloud of dust. A pulse of magic could be felt before Erza shot out of the dust cloud. She was now in her Black Wing Armor, with a visible bruise on her left cheek, courtesy of Natsu's punch. With a sword in hand, Erza launched herself at Natsu, the armor's wings giving her a boost of speed.
"Moon Flash!" Erza yelled as she neared Natsu, performing a slash at him in a cross pattern once she was close enough. But Natsu once again took her and everyone else by surprise as he managed to dodge the strike, moving to the side to avoid it.
With Erza's back facing him, Natsu shouted, "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" And ignited his right hand in flames before landing a punch directly to Erza's back. Once again Erza was sent back several feet, though this time her armor protected her. But at the cost with it cracking slightly and even the wings fell off from that attack.
"What the hell? Since when did Natsu get so good?"
"Erza hasn't landed a single blow at all!"
"Natsu's the MAN!"
"Maybe I should rethink my wager."
These were the words being said from the crowd in response to what they were seeing. However Natsu wasn't focus on them. His mind felt clear for once, blocking out any distractions and needless thoughts. The only thing Natsu was concern about was the fight. Inside him, the voice could tell that his fighting instincts from the past were kicking in at a surprising rate. True Natsu was already a skilled fighter, but it paled in comparison to the combat prowess of the strongest of Zeref's demons that he once was.
Not letting Erza recover from the blow, Natsu did a jump in midair, rearing his left leg back. "Fire Dragon's Tail Slash!" He said as his foot and foreleg were engulfed in flames. Then, while in midair, he performed a long horizontal sweep, releasing the flames in the shape of an arc. The attack flew through the air, and Erza had little time to react as it struck her, bursting into flames.
"Whoa! That's a new one!" Jet, sitting next to Levy and Droy, shouted. Both he and the rest of his team had looks of shock and awe as they watched Natsu get the upper hand on Erza.
"I never knew Natsu was this strong…" Lucy murmured in amazement. Meanwhile Gray, who was sitting next to her, just stared silently. He couldn't help feel jealousy at the sight of his rival slowly overpowering Erza.
Back with the two combatants, Natsu eyes were on the flames as they died out, leaving only smoke. When that cleared it revealed Erza, standing and unharmed, wearing her Flame Empress Armor. Her sword was out and held high.
Giving Natsu a stern stare, Erza said, "I admit you took me by surprise with those last two hits. You have indeed grown Natsu, but from this point on I shall hold nothing back." And then she launched herself at Natsu. However, this time Erza wasn't planning for a frontal attack like the last time. Instead, just as she was nearing him, she did a quick sidestepped to the right before swing her sword at Natsu.
Natsu engulfed his hands with flames and managed to deflect the blade and the two engaged in close quarter fighting. They moved so fast that few of the spectators could follow their movements. But after a while, Erza managed to find an opening when Natsu used both hands to block her blade. That left him opened as Erza slammed her foot into his chest. The blow sent the Dragon Slayer skidding back. Feeling confident, Erza moved in for another strike with her blade. Only to have Natsu, having recovered from Erza's kick already, duck and avoid the blade, while following it up with a kick to Erza's feet, trying to knock the Titania's balance off. But Erza saw this and instinctively jumped into the air. What she did not expect however was for Natsu to grab both her ankles with his hands. Now with her in his grip, Natsu began slamming Erza against the ground repeatedly.
For the next minute, everyone looked on in amazement as Natsu banged Erza around like a ragdoll. Eventually, Erza had enough of it. Slamming her sword into the ground, she managed to stop herself from being smashed against the pavement again. Using the blade for support, Erza performed a flip in the air, taking Natsu, who was still holding her ankles, with her. Natsu's grip on her ankles weakened, and he flew away from her, but managed to land on his feet.
As she landed, Erza used the momentum to launch herself at Natsu once more. Pulling her blade out of the ground, Erza now had the blade above her head, and though she was slightly bruised from the repeated slamming Natsu had done to her. She was determined to end this match once and for all.
But Natsu once again took her and everyone else by surprise. With lightning fast reflexes, Natsu shot both his hands upwards, clapping them against the blade, halting it in its tracks. Before Erza could even recover, Natsu inhaled a large amount of air before shouting, "Fire Dragon's Roar!" And released a giant stream of flames that hit Erza head on. But these flames were different from the ones he usually released. The colors had changed into a dark crimson color and were so hot that the spectators could feel the heat from their positions. In fact the colors of Natsu's flames had changed at the very beginning of the match, but no one had paid much attention to it.
"D-do you think Erza is okay?" Lucy asked worriedly. The sword mage had take a direct hit by those flames from close up. And even if she was, as some people described, a 'monster woman,' being hit by flames of such intense heat had to leave some damage.
"She'll be fine" Gray said confidently. Though you could tell he was a bit worry for Erza too, from the way he stared intently at the flames. "Natsu wouldn't do anything that might kill her, and her Flame Empress Armor makes her immune to fire-based attacks."
As he finished his sentence, the flames finally died down, revealing that Erza had been sent back several feet away. What the Fairy Tail Mages saw shocked them. Erza's armor had been damaged significantly, but still covered her modestly. Furthermore she had multiple small burns in several places, mostly where the armor had been damaged. Her eyes were wide open as she let out several gasps of air before falling to her knees. The gasp of air looked to be more from shock rather then actual pain.
Seeing the redhead's condition, Makarov knew that the battle was over. "Winner is Natsu Dragneel!" He declared before asking Reedus to take Erza to the infirmary.
As the Art Mage took Erza away on a wheeled bed he drew, the rest of the guild was still staring in awe at Natsu. They had just witnessed him finally defeat the strongest woman in Fairy Tail. And he did so with barely any effort with little damage. Natsu, getting a bit annoyed by the silence, finally said, "Well, what the hell are you all doing? The silence is killing me!"
And that soon broke everyone out of their stupor as they cheered and laughed for the Dragon Slayer. Happy flew around the area, letting out a happy "Aye!" as he cheered for his best friend. Though, a couple of people were weeping silently over the fact that they lost a good amount of money since they betted on Erza. Natsu's eyes focused on Lucy and he couldn't help but blush a bit when he saw that she joined in on the cheering too. Fortunately no one caught that, well, except for a certain former white haired demon.
But the cheering came to an end when another set of hands clapping could be heard. As one, everyone turned towards the source of the clapping, which was coming from Ultear who was watching from the edge of a building. She had a calm smile on her face, matching how relaxed her body's posture was.
To the side, Gray's eyes widened as if he was looking at a ghost. 'U-Ur?!' Gray thought, as he stared at the replica of his deceased master, thinking it she was back from the dead. But he quickly shook that off, it was impossible for Ur to be alive. He saw her die right before his eyes. 'So then who the hell is this?' He wondered.
"Quite the impressive match Natsu-kun." Ultear said as she floated down towards said mage. She ignored the looks she was getting from the other Fairy Tail Mages, as well as the looks of lust from the men as they stared at her voluptuous body, which her white kimono did little to hide. Her eyes were still glued to Natsu, trying to spot Dyrnwyn but to no avail "Of course seeing how you easily destroyed Lullaby, I shouldn't be so surprised." She added.
Natsu said nothing, just gave her a quick look. Even if she didn't show it, the Dragon Slayer knew that Ultear was a powerful mage, and could probably give even an S-class mage like Erza a run for her money. Before he could speak however, Makarov appeared beside him, addressing the young woman.
"Ultear Milkovich I presume?" The short man asked. "One of the recent members of the Magic Council. May I ask for the reason of your presence here?"
Looking at the Guild Master, Ultear replied, "I am here at the council's will, and of my own curiosity, to see if Fairy Tail is loud and wild as the rumors say they are." She explained. Then her eyes shifted back to Natsu. "I was also curious to meet the one who killed a demon of Zeref. Quite a rare feat since even a Wizard Saint-class mage would have trouble with such an opponent. Though, perhaps some of the credit goes to this sword of yours, Natsu-kun…" Ultear added as her hands reached for the sword's handle.
But before her fingers could even brush against it, Natsu's right hand immediately appeared, and gripped the handle tightly, as if it would disappear if he let go. "Don't touch" Natsu said in a low, but dangerous tone. It was slightly distorted, mixed with both his and the voice's, the entity glaring at Ultear through Natsu's mind. However the only people who noticed the change of voice were Makarov and Ultear, being the closes to him.
Everyone blinked in surprise at Natsu's sudden fierceness. Even from a distance, they could tell that Natsu was absolutely set on making sure no one touched the blade. Makarov also was taken aback by Natsu's tone, but said nothing on the matter, merely eyed him curiously.
Ultear, who was also surprised, managed to recover quickly enough and retract her hand, placing both of her hands up in a defensive gesture. "My apologies" Was all she said before adding, "But at the very least, could you take it out so I could have a better look at it? I promise not to touch it."
Natsu eyed her warily, before glancing towards the others. They too, now had looks of curiosity as they stared at him. Originally none of them thought much on the matter of the mysterious blade. But after seeing that little scene they couldn't help but wanting to take a look at it. Knowing that refusing would arouse suspicion, Natsu sighed but complied with Ultear's request. Natsu summoned the sword and held it up for all to see.
Everyone gazed at the sword in awe. The weapon was indeed a sight to behold. From its handle, to the demonic looking guard, and up to its silver blade the reflected the sunlight with the red writing, no one could deny that it was an impressive looking weapon. They could also feel the power radiating from it, like a small heat wave hitting their bodies. Makarov also gazed at the weapon, an inquisitive look in his eyes, as if trying to decipher the weapon's origins.
Ultear's eyes were immediately captured by the sword's appearance, and the power it radiated. It felt exactly like, no, greater then any of Zeref's demons or objects she had encountered before. Her eyes greedily took the sword's form, but she paused slightly at the ancient words carved in red on the blade. "Ferrumque Lapsum Omnibus Perveniendi Ad Finem" was what they said. She knew it was an ancient language, but Ultear could not quite translate it, not yet, not now. She did know that she had to report this to Hades right away.
After a minute or two, Natsu quickly put the sword back into its scabbard, not waiting for a response. His eyes still staring at Ultear intently, the woman snapped out of her trance before smirking at Natsu.
"Well I thank you letting me see a rather interesting sword if I say so myself." Ultear said. "I hope we meet again in the future, Natsu-kun." She said the last part seductively, before vanishing right in front of everyone.
As everyone else was still trying to regain their bearings of what just happened, Natsu immediately walked away, not saying a word to anyone. "Oi, Natsu!" Makarov called out to the Dragon Slayer. But the young man ignored the guild master, his thoughts on other things.
"Attention!" A male voice suddenly yelled. The Fairy Tail mages turned their attention towards the source. It was a humanoid lizard wearing fancy clothes and had an emotionless look on his face. Behind him were two lines of Rune Knights, weapons at the ready. "I am here on behalf of the magic council."
"Hey, isn't that one of Magic Council's messengers? What's he doing here?" Levy questioned, getting shrugs from her teammates as they and everyone else watched Makarov approach the humanoid lizard.
"To what do we owe the pleasure of the Magic Council's presence?" Makarov asked in a serious and business-like manner.
"I am here on orders from the council regarding the Eisenwald incident." The lizard man said before continuing. "A member of the Fairy Tail Guild has been charged with eleven counts of property damage in connection to said incident: Erza Scarlet."
That caused uproars from the mages, seeing the arrest as being ridiculous. In response, the Rune Knights behind the humanoid lizard went stiff, their hands on their weapons, preparing to act if necessary. However the loud roar of Makarov's voice stopped any fights automatically.
"ENOUGH!" He shouted towards his children. The look in his eyes showed he was in no mood for arguments. Once the Fairy Tail mage settled down the Guild Master turned to look at the lizard man. "Erza will answer the call of the council. However I must ask for you to wait for a few minutes, since she was just sent to the infirmary with some injuries. She can go with you once she has been stabilized enough, which shouldn't taking to long knowing her." He said in a tone that left no room for dispute.
The lizard man felt like arguing, but he knew better then to discuss about the welfare of a guild member in front of said member's master. "Very well, but do try to be quick about it. The Council is not known for its patience."
With that settled, Makarov escorted the lizard man to the guild, while the Rune Knights followed suit, though they would wait outside. The rest of the Fairy Tail mages began to disperse back to the guild. All of them were discussing about either the match or Erza's arrest. Lucy, who had just been talking to Levy, was about to head back to the guild when Mirajane approached her, followed by Elfman. The latter was holding a large brown bag in both hands.
"Here you go Lucy." Mira said as her brother handed the large bag to the blonde, before heading back to the guild.
"Eh?" Lucy questioned, a surprise look on her face. It only got more surprised as she saw that the bag was filled with money, enough to pay half a years worth of rent!. "What's all this?" The blonde asked, completely dumbfounded.
"The betting money" Mira said. "Since you were the only one who betted on Natsu, all the money goes to you." The barmaid said cheerfully.
"What? I never made any bets." Lucy exclaimed. She was completely startled by this revelation, especially since she didn't want to risk losing any of her rent money on silly things like gambling.
"Really? That's odd, the bag of jewels that was placed had your name on it." Mirajane said, a confused look on her beautiful face. Then there was a look in her eyes of remembering something. "Actually now that I think about it, I think Natsu might've placed that bag there. Oh how sweet! He must've been trying to get you some money!" Mirajane squealed, a cute smile forming on her face.
Lucy nearly dropped the bag of money at that comment. A furious blush covering her face as she tried to desperately deny what Mirajane was implying. Though the Celestial Mage couldn't deny that it was very sweet of Natsu to do, but it still made Lucy feel all flustered inside. She immediately took the bag and hurried back home, trying, and failing, to hide her growing blush from Mira. Said barmaid just smiled happily, ideas of getting the two together already swimming around her head. Still both girls had to wonder: Where had Natsu gone?
(With Natsu)
After the match and later meeting with Ultear, Natsu had taken off, to find a place to be alone. He had moved so quickly that he was unaware of the fact that Erza had been arrested. The voice telling him to find an isolated place overridden anything else Natsu had been thinking of. And half an hour later, Natsu had arrived to a large clearing, deep within Magnolia's forest. It was far away from the town so that no one would notice him.
"So what are we doing here?" Natsu asked the flame entity.
"We're here for you to remember how to wield Dyrnwyn. I was a bit surprise by you regaining your former strength, speed, durability and stamina. But the return of your past combat instincts returning so soon had taken me by surprise. Combined with the ones you received from your Dragon Slaying Magic, it wasn't much of a shock of how easily you defeated the redhead." The voice commented.
"Yeah, that was a bit surprising to be honest." Natsu commented. While it was true that he had confidence in his abilities, and he thought his new found physical powers would give him an edge. Natsu hadn't expected to defeat Erza that easily. To him, the Titania's movements were slow and predictable, as if she were a beginner fighter in Natsu's eyes. His mind had felt a lot clearer then it did before, not filled with unnecessary and needless thoughts, but only focused on the battle. Even the kick to the stomach from terrifyingly strong Erza Scarlet barely hurt. Hell, Natsu didn't even feel a thing from that kick.
"By the way, what kind of magic did I have when I was…you know, a demon?" Natsu asked. This whole thing was making the Dragon Slayer acting a lot more serious then he normally was.
"It's not unlikely." The voice said. "Since it's been embedded into your memory, plus the fact that it's the element of fire, it is possible you might retain it afterwards. The problem is that while many Etherious, that's the name for Zeref's demons, used magic, many, especially the stronger ones, used Curses."
"Curses?" Natsu asked.
"You created them actually." The voice commented. Natsu made a surprise noise. "Long ago, near the time when the One Magic began to separate into the many diverse forms of Magic we know today. During that time of development and expansion, you found a different route that magic could take and called it Curses. Your goal was to give your people a different form of power, to separate them from others. Now, Curses have many similarities to Magic, such having large varieties. The key difference is that unlike magic, which comes from the physical embodiment of the spirit that connects with the flow of nature, the powers of Curses come from the negative emotions that all humans possess such as greed, envy, and hatred. Another thing is that Curses are unaffected by magic nullification items or spells, which was another reason why you created them in the first place. Some demons imbued their Curses with items, just like mages. Take Dyrnwyn for example.
"Wow" Was all Natsu could say to that. He hadn't realized how amazing his past life was, to have created a whole new power different from magic, but at the same time similar too. "So what was my Curse?"
"You actually had several Curses in fact." The voice replied. "Just like with magic, a person can have more then one Curse. Though the more powerful members of your race were able to do so, some were content with just possessing one single curse that suited their combat style and physiology. And as the creator of Curses, you had the most than any other Etherious in your arsenal. But back on track, your main curse was the fire curse, Hellfire. Powerful flames that could take on forms and burn through anything, even magic. That and more"
Natsu swallowed. That sounded like a really powerful ability to have, flames that could even burn through magic. The voice spoke again, catching Slayer's attention. "Natsu, for now don't focus on that. We'll get to that at some point but for now we're focusing on getting your memories of sword wielding. That way you can improve your skills to protect Lucy, while I continue sorting out your memories."
"Fine" Natsu grumbled, ignoring the pink dust on his cheeks at the mention of "protecting Lucy." He quickly summoned Dyrnwyn and under the voice's instructions, began to practice in wielding the blade once more.
(Next Day, Fairy Tail Guild)
"So it was all a sham?" Gray asked Erza, as he, Happy, and Lucy were looking at the redhead. Standing with them was Mirajane, the barmaid bringing a cake for Erza. Around them the rest of the guild was doing its usual antics of a brawl.
Said woman was eating strawberry cheesecake, having just returned from her one time night in prison. Erza was in a bad mood after her so-called trial. It did not help Erza that she had to have a 'reunion' with an old acquaintance, Siegrain, who had decided to bring up the Titania's traumatic past during her time in jail.
But now she was back at her guild and with her friends. That and Mirajane's delicious cake was all she needed to get her mood up again. Erza didn't even try to stop the brawl, just wanting to calm her nerves. She had just finish explaining to the others what had happened.
"Yes, as I expected, they merely used me as a way of showing their power, that they wouldn't tolerate lawbreakers." Erza said before eating another bite of the heavenly cake.
"Well, at least they didn't throw you in prison for life. A little humiliation is better then that right?" Gray said as he unconsciously took off his shirt.
"True" Erza commented. As she moved her right arm she flinched a bit. She wasn't wearing her armor at the moment, instead opting to wear her normal attire of a white blouse and blue skirt. Bandages could be seen wrapped around her arms and forehead, a result of her battle with Natsu yesterday.
"Still hurts?" Lucy asked, having noticed the movement.
"A little" Erza said as the pain subsided. "Thought I suppose it would've been a lot worse if I wasn't wearing my Flame Empress Armor at the time. Even then I felt like I was going to melt."
"I'm still shock that flame brain managed to damage your fire resistance armor, let alone beat you." Gray commented in an annoyed tone.
"Speaking of Natsu, I wonder where he is?" Mirajane said. She had not seen the Dragon Slayer all day yesterday after the match or today.
"That's what I've been meaning to ask you guys too." Makarov said. The short Guild Master approached the table, a beer in his hand.
"Something wrong Master?" Lucy asked.
"I just want to talk to Natsu about that sword of his. I'm a bit concerned since a member of the council came here personally to meet him." Makarov explained.
"Council member?" Erza asked, confused.
"Ah yes, you were in the infirmary at the time." Makarov said. "A member of the council, Ultear Milkovich, had appeared. Apparently she wanted to see if our guild was everything those geezers said was true. However she took a deep interest in Natsu, and that sword he carried too." He explained.
"Natsu did act odd when it came to that blade. I never seen such a serious look on his face before." Mirajane commented, remembering the face Natsu had when Ultear tried to touch the blade. The look in Natsu's eyes at the time was very intimidating, even for her.
"Well I don't think he came back to the guild afterwards." Lucy said.
"Aye! And he didn't come back home last night either." Happy added in while munching on a fish.
Before more could be said, the guild door opened. Everyone at the table looked up to see that Natsu was coming in. He appeared to be fine, though his hair was slightly messier then usual, dirt on his body, and his clothes were a bit shaken and rumpled, like he came back from a brawl. And he was holding Dyrnwyn in his hand, but besides that nothing else out of the ordinary and there were no signs of injuries either. All there to see was the small smile on Natsu's face.
"Hello!" Natsu greeted, his voice loud and boisterous as usual. He walked up to where his team, Mirajane and Makarov were. "Hey Mira, can you make me something? I'm starving!" Natsu said to the barmaid.
"Sure Natsu, I'll make the usual." The model said with her cheerful smile and tone before walking back to the bar.
Natsu then turned his attention towards his team. He took noticed of Erza and the bandages covering her. "Hey Erza, you seem to be doing pretty well." Natsu said.
The Requp mage nodded with a small smile. "Ah, yes fortunately the burns weren't too serious. Though I have to say that was some intense flames to released." Erza commented.
"Yeah, sorry about that. Guess I got a bit carried away." Natsu apologized, a sheepish grin on his face.
His apology caught the others off guard. Since when did Natsu Dragneel ever apologize? Usually the stubborn headed Dragon Slayer never apologized unless he was force to or was seriously intimidated. Clearly something weird was going on with Natsu, that was something the others were certain of.
Snapping out of his shock first, Makarov looked at Natsu. "Natsu, there was actually something I needed to talk to you about. Regarding that whole thing with Councilor Ultear and-"
His sentence was cut off when several yawns could be heard throughout the guild. Makarov could feel a familiar magic moving through the air and he knew what was going to happen next. One by one, mages slowly began to fall asleep where they were. Those who were sitting down either leaned against their chairs, rested their heads on tables or slid off of their seats. Many who were standing hit the floor quickly, snoring away. Everyone was falling under the sleeping magic; even Erza Scarlet was no match for it as she too left for dreamland.
"He's back…" Makarov muttered tiredly as he quickly caught Mirajane who had just returned from the kitchen with a tray of food, one being for Natsu. However, after setting Mira down gently on a nearby chair, and the tray of food on the bar, Makarov turned around and was surprised to see that Natsu was still wide awake. The Dragon Slayer didn't look the least bit affected by the magic. Instead he was placing Lucy's head gently on the table, the blonde letting out soft snores as she slept. He ignored Gray, who fell off his chair and onto the floor and Erza whose face was now comically buried in her cake. The Guild Master also took note at the fact that Natsu's eyes lingered a little bit longer on the Celestial Spirit Mage. 'Ah, young love.' Makarov chuckled internally, recognizing the look in the Dragon Slayer's eyes.
Soon the guild doors opened. Walking in was a young man dressed all ninja-like, heavily cloaked and his face covered minus his eyes. Strapped to his back were several oddly looking staves. The man said nothing nor paid any heed to the sleeping mages everywhere, though he did make sure not to walk over them as he approached Makarov.
"I'm back Master." The cloaked man said.
"Mystogan" Makarov responded with a nod. "Good work, but must you always do this?" The guild master asked.
Mystogan merely shrugged before walking towards the request board. After a few seconds of deliberation he grabbed one and showed it to Makarov. "I will be taking this one Master." Mystogan said. He was about to head off when he spotted Natsu. Said person was wide-awake and sitting at the bar and happily eating until he felt the cloak man's eyes on him.
"Yo Mystogan! Nice to see ya!" Natsu said cheerfully with his trademark grin.
'He was able to resist my sleeping spell…and he doesn't look the least bit affected.' The surprised Mystogan thought, but he did not show it. "You too, Natsu." The man said. "I heard about your match against Erza. Congratulations on winning." Mystogan commented politely.
"Thanks! Good luck on your job." Natsu replied before returning to his meal.
Mystogan merely nodded before heading towards the door.
"Be sure to release the spell!" Makarov shouted.
"5…4…3…2…1" And with that he was gone. Following quickly, the others began to awaken. Many were groaning, feeling like they had a headache.
"Man I'm tired." A guild member said.
"Ugh, was that Mystogan?" Levy asked.
"Damn punk! I hate when he does that!" Macao complained with a groan.
"Huh, Mystogan?" Lucy asked. She had to push away Happy's tail since it was in her face. Said cat was pulling his face from his half-eaten fish.
"Another S-class mage and one of the strongest mages in the guild." Gray commented as he got up off the floor.
"But he always puts people to sleep whenever he comes to the guild. And leaves shortly after picking up a request." Mira said while rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"Eh? That's kind of creepy." Lucy commented.
"His sleeping magic is so strong, that no one has seen his face except for the Master." Erza added, offhandedly licking the cake icing from her face.
"Now I can't let that slide!" An arrogant voice shouted.
Everyone minus Natsu, still focused on his food, looked up to the second floor. Leaning against the rails was a tall blonde man, wearing fancy clothes, with a coat draped over him like a cape, and had a pair of magical headphones over his ears. A lighting-shape scar was over his right eye and a cocky smirk formed on his face.
"Laxus?" Warren said.
"When did he get here?" Max wondered.
"Whose that?" Lucy whispered to Gray.
"Laxus, another candidate for the strongest mage." Gray scowled as he glared at said person.
"I've also seen Mystogan's face too, he's a pretty shy guy." Laxus said. Then the cocky smirked reappeared. "Besides, weaklings don't have the right to know anyway!"
That received roars of outrage and anger from the rest of the guild. Even Erza seemed annoyed at that comment. Many of the more hotheaded ones were shouting threats and looked like they were going to attack Laxus. But as usual the man paid no heed to them, his eyes focused on Natsu. Said person was still eating his food and ignoring the yelling going on.
Finally Laxus said, "Though I have to admit, I didn't expect you of all people to be able to stay awake through Mystogan's spell Natsu."
Those words made everyone pause as they turned their attention from Laxus to Natsu, who ignored the looks he was getting.
"What? Natsu didn't fall asleep from Mystogan's spell?" Droy asked.
"Oi, are you serious?" Gray asked.
"Its true" Everyone looked at Makarov. Said person was sitting on a barrel, his eyes drifting in between his grandson and Natsu. "The brat stayed awake during the whole thing. Even said hi to Mystogan." Makarov added, shocking many people and made a few jealous.
"Its impressive," Laxus's voice said, catching everyone's attention again. "But just because you stood awake through that doesn't really change anything Natsu. You're still as much as a trash as everyone else here!"
No one said anything this time. They were all waiting for Natsu's response. But instead of the loud, hotheaded ranting they were expecting, Natsu merely continued to eat his large plate of food. He didn't even look like he heard Laxus.
Laxus frowned, his eyes narrowing at the Dragon Slayer, greatly displeased at being ignored. "HEY, PINK SHIT! I'M TALKING TO YOU!" Laxus roared in a demanding tone.
Natsu said nothing at first. Then after a few seconds he paused, something everyone caught, eyes on him. He soon swallowed his food before looking up at Laxus. With a blank and bored look in his eyes, Natsu said, "Sorry, did you say something?"
The entire guild did what would be the definition of dumbstruck. A combination of jaws hitting the floor and face planting happened at that. No one could believe that Natsu, the hotheaded, idiotic, hyperactive Natsu Dragneel, not only ignored Laxus, but also talked back to him. Even Makarov was looking at the Dragon Slayer with something akin to awe.
Laxus however, looked like he wanted to murder Natsu. In a flash of lightning, he had left his spot on the second floor and reappeared a few inches behind Natsu, making a few people jump in surprise. Natsu just went back to eating, ignoring the heated glare behind him.
"Don't act so tough just because you were able to beat Erza, brat. I'm the strongest mage here, stronger then her and especially stronger then you, fucking shit!" Laxus growled as he approached Natsu.
"Laxus, enough!" Makarov ordered his grandson. He did not want these two to duke it out.
But Laxus ignored his grandfather. Instead his eyes wandered towards leaning beside Natsu. "And what the hell is a loser like you doing with a sword like that anyway? I bet you don't even have the brain cells to use it!" Laxus said as he grabbed the sword handle.
Suddenly, Natsu's right hand snapped and grabbed the handle, stopping Laxus from picking the sword up. He dropped his food and didn't move at all. Everyone was surprised of how quickly Natsu's hand moved. It was like a blur to them.
"Let go" Natsu ordered. His voice was calm and emotionless but it still managed to send an uncomfortable tingle through everyone. Natsu's eyes were wide and unblinking. His posture had gone rigid and his face was looking up at the wall, not even facing Laxus.
"Huh?" Laxus asked rudely, raising an eyebrow. He tugged the handle a little but it wouldn't budge. Natsu's grip on it was strong.
"N-Natsu, are you okay?" Lucy asked, worried about the Dragon Slayer. He was acting very odd today…and a little scary too. But the salmon haired young man did not respond to her question.
"Let go, Laxus." Natsu repeated, still not losing his blank look or voice, and his body still rigid. "Don't make me angry." He added, a threat lingering there.
"You'll get angry?" Laxus scoffed, his arrogant smile returning. "What, you're going to cry or something trash? Just because I grabbed your precious sword?"
"Let go…" Natsu said.
"Oi, Laxus, let go of the thing!" Gray said. However it was more from that he was creep out by his rival's behavior, rather then concern for Laxus's wellbeing.
"Just because you've gained some strength, and beat Erza, you think you can tell me what to do, a weakling like you?" Laxus taunted again. He tried again to wrench the blade free, with a bit more strength. But still Natsu didn't budge. "Actually, now that I look at it better, this is a pretty nice sword."
"Laxus!" Makarov shouted, but he was ignored.
"In fact" Laxus drawled as he gripped the handle with both hands this time. By then Natsu's eyes were shadowed by his hair. "A nice looking sword like this doesn't belong to a weak trash like you. I just might want it, no! I think I'll take it!"
Everything happened so quickly. One minute, Laxus was behind Natsu, trying to wrestle the sword from him. Then what followed was the sound of blade moving through the air and hitting something. Now, we see Laxus several feet away from the Dragon Slayer, down on one knee. And Natsu was now standing, facing Laxus, head down and sealed the sword.
The others were all confused as to what just happened. Then the sound of heavy breathing caught their attention. The source was Laxus.
Still on one knee, Laxus had one of his hands touching his chest. What they saw shocked them. A rip could be seen on Laxus's shirt, going from the right shoulder downwards across the chest. With it was a large gash, already bleeding a bit with small drops of blood hitting the floor. His eyes were wide, though it was hard to tell if it was out of shock or pain, or both.
It soon clicked as to what had happened. Upon Laxus's threat to take the sword, Natsu acted. He had drawn Dyrnwyn at an incredible speed and brought it down onto Laxus. Said person must've sensed it and reacted quickly, retreating back to avoid what would've been a fatal blow. But despite that, Natsu managed to leave a large gash on the S-class mage's body.
"Y-you little…punk!" Laxus gasped, glaring at Natsu.
Natsu did not say anything. Instead he just turned around and walked away towards the door. Everyone watched him go while a few people took tentative steps back. His friends were showing looks of concern but made no movements, seeing that the Dragon Slayer was acting way off.
Natsu's actions seemed to only infuriate Laxus. "WHERE THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?!" He roared at Natsu. His body was now coated in lightning now, sparks flying everywhere, nearly hitting a few people. Laxus launched himself at Natsu, but before he could even go ten steps, a large hand appeared in front of him. The lightning mage hit the hand and backed away from it, wincing as his wound pulsed a little pain. Seething, Laxus turned and glared at his grandfather, standing near the bar, whose enlarged hand was still blocking his path. By the Natsu was already out the door, heading to who knows where.
"Enough Laxus." Makarov said, this time with authority.
"What the fuck old man?! Do you think I'm going to let that shit get away with this?" Laxus snapped at his grandfather.
"It's your own fault for provoking Natsu, Laxus. You let your pride and arrogance get in the way and now you're wounded." Makarov stated.
"So you're taking his side now?!" Laxus accused, furious, as more lightning emitted from his body.
"I'm not taking anyone side. I just don't want anyone getting seriously hurt over a pointless fight." Makarov explained. "But right now you need to get that checked." He said, pointing to the still bleeding slash on Laxus's chest. "So stop" Makarov finally said, exerting his own magical energy to force Laxus into compliance.
Seeing how arguing any further was pointless, plus that the wound on his chest was worsening by the minute, Laxus lowered his magical energy. "Fine, but the fucking trash better stay out of my way." The mage said before disappearing in a flash of lightning.
After a few seconds of awkward silence, the rest of the guild began to disperse and return to their daily activities. Though it was at a calmer level, with no brawl whatsoever. Makarov just stood where he was, a deep look in his eyes as he took in what just happened. He then let out a deep sigh.
"Master?" A familiar voice said.
Looking up, Makarov saw Erza approaching him, followed by Gray and Lucy, the latter holding a slightly scared Happy in her arms. The poor blue cat was probably a bit shocked and worried at Natsu's, his best friend, actions.
"Master, do you want me to bring back Natsu?" Erza asked tentatively. Her reasons were not the fact that Natsu hurt a fellow guild member (she wasn't really one to talk), and true the red hair beauty was no fan of Laxus either. But the way Natsu viscously attacked the lightning mage was unsettling to say the least. Erza was worried for the Dragon Slayer, along with the rest of the team (Gray would deny it though).
Makarov shook his head. "No I think we should leave Natsu alone for now." He said as he gratefully took a mug of beer from Mirajane. The guild master needed some liquor to calm his nerves. "However I will make note to talk to him at a later point. Right now though, its best that he just get some alone time."
Currently said person had already reached the edge of Magnolia, leaning against a tree as he promptly sat down. Natsu was taking in deep breaths, sweat pouring down his face. "What the hell was that…?" Natsu muttered.
True, Natsu was never fond of Laxus before, but at that moment Natsu felt the sudden urge to completely slaughter the lightning mage. All because he had touched Dyrnwyn and threatened to take it. Natsu knew that the voice had told him not to let anyone touch the blade. But when Laxus held on to it, Natsu felt so many emotions piling up in him, like a volcano ready to erupt. And then there were the various colors going through his head at the time too.
"They were images." The voice stated. It had been silent the whole time during the exchange between Natsu and Laxus.
'Images? You mean like, memories?' Natsu asked.
"Yes memories related to Dyrnwyn to be precise." The voice replied. "When that idiot touched the handle, those memories began appearing. But they were coming so fast and disorganized, your instincts went haywire at that moment. The only reason why you were able to stop yourself from doing anymore harm to the lightning guy was because I was able to suppress the memories and help you regain control of yourself. However this is all the more reason why you need to see your past, and gain control of your powers."
'Then why can't you show me them now?' Natsu asked with a frown.
He could feel the entity shake its head. "I can't just show you random scenes at a time. You would be more confused and cause harm to yourself and others. No you need to see your past from the very beginning all the way to the end, in order. Plus that way you can handle the revelations emotionally too." The voice explained.
Natsu frowned. 'Was my past life so awful?' Natsu asked. He had seen how cruel Lullaby was. The thought of him acting similar to that, or worse, made his stomach feel uncomfortable.
"No, but it was complicated." The voice said. "Your history, was one some could say 'An eye opener' in the sense of seeing just how complicated life truly is. Its not all black and white as people makes it out to be."
The voice went quiet after that, leaving Natsu to himself and his thoughts. With an exhausted sigh, Natsu looked up at the blue sky. Even though it was only the early afternoon, the whole event at the guild seemed to have taken a lot out of him. Slowly the Dragon Slayer felt his eyelids grow heavy and soon sleep took over.
END Chapter
Well, what do you think of that chapter? I hope I didn't go to overboard with Natsu's newfound abilities in the match against Erza. Though to be fair, some other writers have done the same in their own stories, just saying.
Anyway, next chapter begins the Galuna Island Arc. As well as some NaLu moments but nothing major since I'll be focusing on Natsu's predicament with seeing Deliora and what not. So leave a review!
Wacko12
Translation:
The Blade Comes to Bring All to End