Author's note

... oh hi there. What's it been, like 4 months now? Ya, something like that. But hey 4 months for an update isn't too bad right... right?

Okay, I'm sorry. I've been kinda lazy and in all honesty, this should have been out like a month ago.

But this chapter was giving me some trouble. The character interactions here were kinda tricky to work out. Thinking about how each person would respond to different issues given what they were trying to get out of each conversation was difficult to keep straight and I'm still not sure I did it justice.

Add on to that my turning a kind of existing character into a kind of OC (You'll see what I mean) and deciding what their personality was gonna be like was just another headache to deal with.

But regardless it's done now, And all things considered, I do like how it turned out. Hope you enjoy it too.


The Greyhound Part 4: A Place to Lay His Head

Chapter 35

Alone a woman sat in the snow, breathing out a steady stream of mist into the cold air. It was nice in a way. This was the first time in days she'd been able to properly manifest herself. Trying to use what little ethernano she had to form ice in the real world was taxing.

Until a few moments ago she had only been a collection of thoughts and magic without a body. But now, now Ur Milkovich had form once more. Even if it was only in her student's dreams.

It was a good thing, yet her mind was filled with worry. Worry for her students. Lyon who was far off, Gray who was near, Kinzo who was proving to be a real problem child, and of course… her daughter.

"Haaah"

Finding out the girl was alive had been the best and worst feeling she'd ever experienced. Pure joy knowing that she was alive, yet self-loathing that she'd left her own daughter alone in the world. Hope at the idea that they could be reunited, yet horrified to find out what she'd been doing with Grimoire Heart.

Searching through Kinzo's memories had turned up more than a few encounters between the two, none of them friendly. She was somewhat proud to see that Ultear seemed to 'win' most of their little fights whether the battle be physical or mental, but it was easily overshadowed by her concern.

Just what had happened to her little girl? That, even Kinzo's memories couldn't tell her.

And speaking of Kinzo, he was going to be a problem as well. In fact, he was the reason she was so worried. Worried because his little distraction was coming to an end. Soon he would want to start 'working' again. Soon he would want to start hunting again.

His arm had been broken by Jose during their fight, something that scared her, but ended up being a blessing in disguise when everything was said and done because it kept him from just running off to chase Grimoire. But soon enough it would heal.

A week ago she wouldn't have seen this as too much of a problem. She was confident in her ability to keep Kinzo from doing anything too immoral as he tried to gather information on the dark guild's location. And she was already planting seeds in his mind that there was a better way to live than his current nomadic revenge-driven lifestyle.

An idea that he himself seemed to agree with, yet resisted for some reason.

She was absolutely certain that she would convince him to give it all up eventually, over time, and to settle into a more peaceful kind of living… that is until her daughter did something she couldn't have predicted. She'd threatened Gray's life, used him as a bargaining chip to keep the assassin in line. And he believed her when she said she'd do it.

That was the moment that warning lights started to flash in Ur's mind. When she realized something needed to change and fast.

She couldn't handle the idea of her daughter killing Gray. Or worse, guilty as it made her feel to admit, Kinzo killing Ultear in his hunt for Hades.

She couldn't handle that, she wouldn't allow it. But the only way she could think of to stop it, the only common variable these incidents all shared was Kinzo showing aggression toward Grimoire and their activities.

Ultear only threatened Gray when the metal mage tried to fight her, and those two only ever really ran into each other when Kinzo was sticking his nose into the dark guild's business.

So to try and stop it all, to try and keep the peace if only for a moment longer, she would need to convince her student to stop digging, to stop looking for his mother's killers altogether.

She knew it wasn't foolproof, and by no means a long-term plan. To get him to stop she was going to have to say some things he would probably resent her for. And even if it was true she didn't want to hurt him unnecessarily.

But even if she could convince him to stop, just because he wasn't looking for trouble didn't mean trouble wouldn't come looking for him.

Ultear had made it pretty clear that Hades wanted to meet the boy who'd caused so many problems for his organization. And that the only reason she wasn't taking him to her master now was because she wasn't done 'playing' with him. For lack of a better term.

What she was about to do was high risk for her and Kinzo's relationship, yet the payoff wasn't even guaranteed. The thought of doing it made her sick to her stomach, but not as much as the thought of her family tearing itself apart any more than it already had.

"I'm sorry, but I don't see another way."

For now, all she could do was wait for him to get here. And in the meantime, she would calm her nerves. Breathing in and out, filling the air with mist.


Fairy tail's temporary bar was usually a place for making merry and sharing the latest news among guild members. There was always warm food, more than enough ale to go around, and an ever-cheerful barmaid to keep patrons company.

At least that was the normal sight.

Currently, things were quite different. There was still food, and far too much alcohol, but the normally joyful drink server was currently looking at the counter in distress.

She wasn't alone in her misery though, on the other side of the bar resting on a stool sat an armored knight who was just as absorbed by her own sulking mindset.

Now both women normally radiated confidence, never wavering in what they set their minds to, yet right now that was anything but true.

The reason being?

An all too elusive boy who was near impossible to figure out or pin down… at least from their perspectives.

Makarov did little to hide his sigh. The two of them clearly had a lot running through their heads and he had every intention of helping them work through it.

Which meant he likely wouldn't be sleeping much tonight if he even got to go home at all.

"Erza, Mira, don't let him trouble you. We all know how he can be."

The barmaid took a moment, looking up before responding.

"How he can be? You mean completely dismissive of other people and their feelings right?"

Makarov had to stop for a moment, he had been expecting his child to be worried and downcast but her tone held far more irritation than insecurity.

"I mean honestly all I wanted to do was talk to the guy. To try and make sense of this mess inside my head but when I try to put those jumbled thoughts into words he just cuts them down."

The frustration was oozing from her speech.

"And when I tried to thank him for all the help he gave us, not even that, just when I try to talk to him seriously at all he just hand waves me away!"

"Ughuugh! It just so… he's so!…"

Looking up herself, as Mira struggled to find the right word, Erza offered one that came to her own mind. "Rude"

"RUDE!" The barmaid exclaimed glad that someone else seemed to get where she was coming from.

Oh and don't even get me started on just how Arrogant that punk can be."

"Entitled"

"Condescending"

"Bullheaded"

Makarov could barely comprehend what was going on. Weren't they sad a moment ago, unsure of their current standing with the rogue? But now the two women were playing violent verbal ping-pong with some of Kinzo's admittedly less than commendable traits.

Maybe he'd misread the situation.

"Haaaaah" the Strauss sighed, coming down from her little rant. Quickly letting her head and arms come to rest on the bar as her venting relented.

"Why can't he just be normal? All I want is to talk, without him telling me my thoughts are wrong right off the riff. I don't want him to tell me I'm right either, just… I want him to get where I'm coming from."

"I know that some of the stuff I'm thinking is wrong but it's still there, and it needs to be dealt with. Saying it out loud is just how I do that, how I decide if it's right or not. So stopping me in the middle of a thought and telling me I'm wrong isn't exactly helpful."

There was a gleam in her eye as she spoke that last sentence. And a light glare was sent Makarov's way. The old man could only scratch his head in embarrassment since that was exactly what he'd done to the girl less than an hour ago.

"Haaah, either way, I just hope he understands at least a little bit. It seemed like he had a lot on his mind too."


It was cold, so cold.

Frozen Mountains and barren tundra surrounded him, the peaks of which stuck out over the clouds.

The snow pelted his skin as the subzero temperatures tried to steal any semblance of heat from his body.

The conditions were unlivable, but for him, they were a blessing.

He'd long forgotten what it even meant to be cold having spent two years in the snow with hardly any clothing as a child.

This didn't phase him.

No, in recent years it had only been fire that scared him.

Because fire burns everything. It was fire that destroyed so much, and fire that plagued his mind.

He would take the cold any day.

But sightseeing and philosophy weren't why he was here, not this time.

"You kept me waiting."

This time there was someone important waiting for him.

"..."

And for once he didn't know what to say.

They stood together in that clearing, snow reaching up to their ankles but neither bothered to acknowledge it. Strong winds whipped past, howling in the air, but the sound couldn't be farther from their minds.

"What's wrong kid, nothing to say?"

What could he say? Just taking her in he felt the guilt gripping his throat. Felt his own sins crawling across his skin.

"I'm not sure what you wanna hear." He'd fought against her hard, kicked back in anger every time she pressed him to help Fairy Tail. What could he say that would remedy that?

"Why don't you stop thinking about what I want to hear and start telling me what's on your mind."

What was on his mind? There was a lot, and most of it he didn't think should be said out loud.

"Why do you wanna know what's going on up there?" he questioned.

He hated this, hated how distant and guarded this conversation was. It was painful how much thought had to go into every word he let out, afraid he might say the wrong thing.

"Am I not allowed to be concerned about you now?"

"..."

Why were they doing this, playing these verbal cat and mouse games? Honestly, he couldn't tell if she was angry, or just trying to read the mood like he was.

"Kinzo."

What was her angle, what was she trying to get out of him? How should he respond? Was there a way for him t-?

"Kinzo!"

"I'm nervous!"

That seemed to catch her off guard as her previously neutral expression turned to one of surprise. What he'd said was obvious; anyone who'd known the boy for more than a few days could tell he lacked the confidence he normally walked with, what surprised her was that he admitted to it.

He'd blurted it out more than intentionally told her but even so, it was out in the open now and he couldn't take it back.

The ice woman's expression softened a bit before speaking again, as she noticed the poorly hidden distress on her student's face.

"Why?" she asked him. And his mind ran wild.

"Why?"

It was a simple question on the surface, but if he dug past the superficial base level self-reflection he'd done all he could find for his answer was a bunch of half-formed thoughts and misunderstood fears.

Why

Because he hadn't listened to her.

Why

Because he'd hurt her.

Why

Because he'd taken every lesson every skill, every piece of wisdom she'd taught him and used it in a way she never would have wanted.

But why… why did that matter? The same had been true during their last conversation and it hadn't really bothered him then. So what was different?

What was different was, this time "it's real."

Ur paused a moment, somewhat confused by the statement but eager for the boy to continue.

"Before when we talked, I didn't have to see it, didn't really have to acknowledge you. I could hide behind the idea that you were just some cruel fabrication my mind came up with. That you weren't actually there, just some last-ditch effort by my conscience to stop me."

"But now, now that I've heard you outside my dreams, now that I've seen your ice out there. I can't pretend."

"I can't pretend this isn't real anymore."

Ur was intrigued by his thoughts, and the slightest glimmer of hope that this might be easier than she thought crept into her mind.

"And what changes now that you know it's real?"

"…Nothing."

"Now I just have to acknowledge that you would never approve of me or what I've done. Which is something I already knew, but now it's. Heh, now it's real."

But that hope proved to be false.

"And you're just okay with that?"

She needed to press him.

"What's the alternative?"

"You could stop."

Was that a joke?

"Heh, I could stop?"

He almost thought she was taunting him with the idea.

"Kinzo I'm serious. I want you to stop. No more fighting, no more hunting dark guilds."

He would have kept chuckling, but he could tell by her tone: she was serious, and she wasn't asking either.

"You see this is why I've been dreading this conversation. Because I do respect you Ur, and I know you want what you think is best for me. But no, I'm not gonna throw away the last 5 years of my life by giving up now just because you tell me to."

And this is where it starts.

"Throw away the last 5 years? Kinzo, that's what you've already done. Half a decade, that's over a quarter of your life spent hunting a dark guild that you're no closer to actually finding. And to make it worse you've not only hurt yourself but also bystanders along the way. Normal people just trying to live their lives snuffed out on this crusade of yours."

She knew he already hated himself for some of the things he'd done, and she didn't like to bring it up, but he needed to see, she needed him to see that his actions did more harm than good.

"And what should I be doing instead! Ignoring the monsters in the dark like everyone else? Pretending they don't exist? Meandering through life like some sheep, docile and oblivious to the wolves just waiting to slaughter me!?"

Why was he so angry, why was he getting emotional about something like this, a simple conversation where someone disagreed with him? Maybe because Ur wasn't just someone. Maybe it was the fact that She and Daniel both thought he was doing the wrong thing, two of the only people he respected and tried to listen to in this world.

"I never said to be defenseless, just that you don't need to seek it out. Don't waste your life chasing after them, that's no way to live."

"So Grimore can hunt me and the people I care about, but I'm supposed to just sit here and wait for it!? And you think going out and trying to solve the problem is 'no way to live?"

She could feel the frustration in his voice, but his emotion didn't change the fact that the way he'd been living was destroying him. Or at least that was the line of thinking she used to justify her next words.

"'Going out to solve the problem' is that what you're calling it? Giving up everything to hunt down a madman whose face you've never even seen. Throwing away not just your own future, but the safety of the people around you for the sake of some petty revenge."

"Petty Revenge? You think this is just som-!"

"Yes, that's exactly what it is, and you can't tell me otherwise, because I'm in your head! All your thoughts, memories, emotions, realizations. I can see and feel it all, or at least the ones that matter. You know this is all a fruitless effort, you've known for years now."

"You don't care about killing Hades because he's evil or you think he's hunting you. No, you just blame yourself for Victoria's death and somehow convinced yourself that if only you could settle the score then everything would go back to normal."

"But that's such a childish way to think. Killing him won't change anything, and even if you do win in the end things won't go back to 'normal' because they never changed to begin with…"

What came next was something she'd wanted to say since day one, but at the same time, she wasn't sure if it would do more harm than good to the boy.

"Kinzo, your mother doesn't hate you, she doesn't blame you. She never has. You don't need to do this."

She watched as he locked up, her last statement seeming to do more to close him off than help the situation. It seemed that Victoria was still a taboo topic, and of course, she knew that. But what she'd said was true, and it might just get him to listen.

"…"

He took a moment to himself, trying not to let his mind run wild, or his tongue lash out. She'd brought up his mother, something he considered to be a low blow. Part of him agreed with what Ur said, the idea that his mother did love him.

Hell, he had the recording she left him where she ended by saying as much.

But his thoughts were so easily drawn back to his nightmares, where every night she told him how much she hated him.

He wasn't sure which voice to believe, but either way, he wasn't stopping. He had other reasons to carry on. Or at least other reasons that sounded good.

"Even if you're right, someone still has to do it. Grimoire is too big of a threa-"

But his reasoning was shot down before he could even voice it.

"And then anytime someone calls you out on it you resort to this! Ignoring reality, running away from the root problem, and trying to claim that your actions are for the greater good like you're on some holy quest!"

She hated this, hated the way she was verbally tearing him down. Not because she was exposing his faulty justifications, those needed to go. But because at the same time she was bringing what she knew to be deep-seated insecurities and shortcomings.

But she couldn't stop, and she couldn't be meek about it. She had to get threw to him before he just shut her out completely.

"Damn it Kinzo! You don't need to do any of this. We can't go back to change the past, what's done is done, but please don't waste the rest of your life on something that no one wants for you. Don't waste precious time on something that your mother would have never wanted for you."

She was right. Or was she just saying what she knew would mess with him? Kinzo wasn't sure. But either way, he wasn't okay with it. He wanted this conversation to end, and part of him was willing to concede right now just so she would never bring any of this up again. So he wouldn't have to think about it.

But the rest of him wasn't so willing to stop.

"I can't just-"

He started, but she was quick to stop him again.

"Why, why won't you just listen to me?"

Uhh, why was he still trying to argue with her on this?

"I could ask you the same thing, why won't you just let me be? Just let me do what I need to do, whether it's the right call or not!"

She found herself surprised by his words, as though that was something she would never have expected him to say. Hearing that he just wanted to be left alone was almost enough to make her stop altogether. But as those words reached her, she was reminded again why she couldn't just sit back and watch things play out.

"I can't do that."

"The last time I let one of my kids run off to do what they thought 'needed to be done' Gray tried to fight Deliora. And we both know how that ended."

"At that moment my irresponsibility as a parent cost me, and letting him go that day is the reason I couldn't be there for him as he was growing up. It's the reason I wasn't there for you when you needed me."

And with that, he started to get it. Perhaps she was worried he was running off to his death and terrified that if she did nothing she would be repeating that same mistake. That he understood.

But this was nothing like Gray's situation. He wasn't running headfirst toward a demon he could never hope to beat. No, he was planning, watching, waiting for the chance to strike, and he wouldn't move until he knew he would win. He wasn't an angry child, he was long past that phase.

Or at least he'd convinced himself he was.

"I get it, but I'm not Gray."

"Just stop all this! Didn't you already tell that Mirajane girl that you thought I was right when I told you to help Fairy Tail? I didn't lie to you then why would I be leading you astray now?"

Please she just wanted this to be over, just wanted to know that he wouldn't be doing anything to put himself, Gray, or Ultear in danger.

"Just let it go! Couldn't you be happy here, with your brother, with this guild? They're good people, and after supporting them you had to have noticed that they're treating you more kindly. You could buy that house the old man was talking about and enjoy some real peace for the first time since you were a child. Isn't that enough?"

He thought about it for a moment, what it would be like to stop it all now. To live in this little fairy tale she was proposing.

He really could buy a home anywhere he wanted, he could sleep at night without having to worry about being attacked. Sure the nightmares would still be there but with Ur here to keep them at bay the possibility of rest could be a reality.

He could live here with Gray and his irritating but well-meaning friends. Take jobs if he wanted, or even work with that blacksmith in town. Life could be peaceful, he wouldn't need to fight anymore unless the fight came to him.

It sounded so nice, so easy.

But the more he thought about it, the more something felt off.

"Why can't you just let this go?"

Then there was the fact that Ur was acting differently as well.

She was being far shorter with him than she had been in their last two meetings. Before she was patient and comforting but now. Now it was like something was causing her to press him more.

Maybe it was his own admission that he knew she was real? Maybe she was just being over-protective. Either way, it didn't make much sense to him.

If she was really trying to persuade him, or even to manipulate him into doing what she wanted, she would have waited longer. It had only been a few days since he realized this was really her.

If it were him and he was trying to influence someone else's thinking he would have been more patient. Played the long game, and slowly shown his target why they should trust him.

What was particularly strange was the fact that Ur seemed to be doing just that the last time they spoke. She didn't try and force him to admit he was wrong and she didn't try to strong-arm or guilt-trip him into complying. No, instead she just asked him to try something.

Before all she'd asked of him was to speak with Team Shadow Gear. She was trying to show him that people mattered and that he should care about them, but she wasn't forcing the idea on him, only asking him to see for himself by doing.

That method was smart, effective, and meaningful. It's how you actually change someone's mind, by showing them what you believe is right and letting them experience it for themselves.

But now she was being so much more forceful, exercising so much less tact. Not that there isn't a place for being extremely blunt in a conversation like this, but it just seemed so out of character.

It felt… almost desperate.

Like this was some last-ditch effort, it didn't make any sense.

But then he remembered something she'd said. "All your thoughts, memories, emotions, realizations. I can feel it all". She could see and feel everything he could, she'd experienced the last few days with him and everything that came in them.

That's when it clicked.

There was only one thing that he'd ever seen crack Ur's cool and collected demeanor, or rather one person. And that was her daughter.

Ultear.

The youngest Milkovich was a serious problem, and one they had yet to talk about. There was uncertainty even in his own mind about how to deal with her, and slowly as he started to ask himself questions, Ur's behavior became more understandable.

Would he fight Ultear again, would he try to kill her?

He certainly didn't want to, but she wasn't giving him much of a choice at the moment.

She'd already threatened Gray's life, would she do something like that again if he kept getting in her way?

Would it all stop if Ur could convince him to just stay put and use Fairy Tail as a kind of protective shield?

That was when he really understood the way his mentor was thinking. She just wanted her family, as warped and mangled as it was, to stop hurting itself. She wanted her students and her daughter back.

She was afraid of what might happen if she let things continue like they were.

"Do you even understand how dangerous what you're doing -?"

"Stop!"

"Just, stop."

And so she did.

"Do you think I can't see what you're doing?"

And then her concern started to grow.

"Was this why you wanted me to help Fairytail so badly?"

Because while it was unlikely.

"Because you thought they would accept me if I did?"

She always knew.

"That I might get attached and consider dropping everything?"

Kinzo was a smart kid.

"Was that why you wanted me to talk to Levy"

And there was a chance.

"Haaah."

However slight.

"Ur, we really need to talk about your daughter."

He would see right threw her.


Dark, it was really dark. To the point where when he glanced down he couldn't see his own feet. Honestly just to be sure he was still there he started patting himself.

Two hands, ten fingers total. He could feel his sandals and consciously wiggled all ten toes. That checks out.

Cargo pants around his legs, which were in fact still attached to his body. Vest around his torso with an arm sticking out of each sleeve hole. Ok good so far.

Next, moving to his face. Two ears, lips, teeth, tongue, and one nose. He could feel the bumps under his eyelids so that meant he probably still had eyes, probably.

Racking his fingers through unruly hair told him it was still there, and finally, he checked for the most important thing he had.

Reaching for his neck his anxiety was quelled as he felt a familiar scaley scarf there, just where he left it. Yes, everything was alright, Natsu Dragneel wasn't missing anything.

But even so, he still couldn't see and there was no sign of light anywhere around him. Then again he hadn't really bothered to look for any.

So pulling a 180 the Salamander spun and what do ya know in the distance sticking out among the vast black canvas was a single flicker of light.

What could he do besides walk towards it?

"Man, what is this place?"

The last thing he remembered was saying good night to happy back at his cabin but now he was in this pitch-black space.

The question went unanswered even as he approached the light and even as the area around it came into view.

The first thing he noticed, maybe 20 meters out, was that the single light he'd been following wasn't actually a single light. It was four, four torches spread out around some dark mass. And as the flames danced, their light showed the object to be an almost metallic color.

Moving ever closer the next thing the boy picked up on was that the large object seemed to have an almost armor-like pattern carved into it like it was some kind of massive steel sculpture. But that didn't seem right, this thing seemed, almost alive?

Taking another step he halted, as the ground beneath him started to feel different.

Up until now, it had been solid, but with his last step, it felt as though he had placed his foot into a shallow puddle. It felt slick and being accompanied by the sound of his sandals slapping against the wet earth was enough to make him stop. Shifting his eyes away from the figure before him and instead to the ground below.

He'd expected to find a puddle, a wet spot, maybe some mud, but this was not mud. It wasn't even water.

No, it was dark red, it was blood. And it was everywhere.

The smell hit him all at once. That coppery taste he knew so well filled the air along with the scent of rotting flesh. It took everything he had not to start gagging.

But where had these fumes come from, there was no way he could have gotten this close without smelling this putrid stench. It was like it had simply appeared, like it didn't exist until he realized it was there.

Forcing himself again to focus, he looked down once more.

Crimson covered the ground, it coated the earth as it continued to flow toward and past his feet. That was when he realized it was moving, it wasn't stagnant. But where was it coming from?

Following the liquid back to its source, he found it to be leaking out of the object he previously perceived to be a statue. Now he knew better.

He continued to walk, treading across the red trail, coming closer until the picture before him was clear. From a distance, it looked like some collection of metal pieces but now he could see parts that weren't visible before.

Notably, a long pointed piece of steel that seemed to look like a tail.

Thick pieces of plated armor stacked together forming the appendage lead up and connected to the main mass he'd seen earlier. And that mass he now recognized as a massive body.

Similar to the tail it was made up of various slabs of metallic material all layered atop one another. But something that really grabbed his attention was 2 exceptionally large iron plates sticking off of that body.

Initially, he thought they were just broken-off pieces. That perhaps something had ripped those portions off, but the more he looked the more he realized they were still attached at what appeared to be a joint.

He couldn't deny what he was seeing were wings. They were able to almost seamlessly blend in with the rest of its metallic armor, but it was unmistakable, they were wings.

From there he quickly pieced together what this thing was, after all, he'd grown up with one.

And as he followed the body up it connected to a large neck, and finally finishing with its head that came to an almost axehead-like point, his suspicion was proven right.

The entire creature looked strange, like someone had taken a living being and simply clothed it in armor. But he knew what it was.

A dragon.

And one that almost felt familiar to him. In a Deja vu kind of way.

Where had he seen this thing before?

"Me… Meta?"

Oh, it was on the tip of his tongue.

"Metalicana?"

He asked himself. But, why had he said that? He definitely didn't know this dragon but why was he so sure that was its name. Oh, this was hurting his head.

He would have continued to ponder until he noticed the dragon's breathless form start to tremble. Not in any large way, as though it were going to move. But in a rabid way as though something else was thrashing it.

*grugh*

And then he heard.

*crunch*

The unmistakable sound

*crack*

Of ripping skin fill his ears.

But then all was quiet, and the dragon's lifeless body stilled.

Yet from the silence, his senses were assaulted.

The sloshing of saliva against tissue.

And the clanging together of teeth as they pierce muscle.

The disgusting cacophony of chewing, the ring of rendering flesh.

And finally a large gulp.

"HaaaaaH"

He heard something sigh from the other side of the dragon carcass before it seemed to continue feasting on the decayed remains.

The sound scared him, it scared him in a way it shouldn't. He knew what it sounded like when one animal ate another. Hell, he'd spent the better part of his childhood living with Igneel in the mountains. The sight of predators hunting, killing, and consuming their prey was commonplace. But even so, something felt off, wrong about what he'd just heard.

Whatever was on the other side of this corpse was no normal animal. And he couldn't help but voice that confused fear.

"What the hell?"

It proved to be a mistake.

The sound of gorging ceased, and the first thing he saw was a clawed hand reaching over the dragon's side. Before piercing its skin and pulling down.

Slowly it started to emerge. That thing, that abomination.

First horns, large twisted horns poked over the corpse's side, as its hunter climbed higher.

Next came matted-down pitch-black hair. It was filled with knots and seemingly scorched tips, but that was the farthest thing from Natsu's mind.

After all, how could he focus on something so trivial when those cold eyes were staring into him.

Sickly yellow, and slit they reflected back the fire's light. And as soon as they met his own he found himself frozen, unable to move. Until-

"Heh Heh-heheh. HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

That disgusting laugh shook him to his core.

What happened next was a blur. As the creature all but disappeared from sight, and he instead heard the sound of ragged breathing coming from his side.

Slowly tilting his head his eyes were once again locked with the creature and he was forced to take it all in at once.

Before it had been slow, agonizingly so, in revealing itself, but at least that gave him time to process. But now, there was no way to cope with what he was seeing.

Black leathery wings covered in some kind of oozing slime, with spiked bone sticking out at every point.

It was missing skin around its shoulders and neck, forcing him to watch as the bare muscle flexed and released every time this thing moved its head.

A jagged and almost chain-like tail slithering along the ground, acting as a horrid extension of its spine.

Stiff scales decorated in black markings covered the rest of its body, leaving no semblance of skin on its form. With one exception, its face.

The face that looked so much like his own.

"Hehehe, so the little Dragneel finally decides to visit?"

Covered in both wet

"Good, I was wondering when I'd get to see you."

And dried blood.

"When I'd get the chance-"

With bits of flesh sticking out of its mouth.

"To 'play' in the real world again."

A mouth filled with, sharklike teeth.

"But you kept me locked away in here… Fuckin Brat."

For another moment all was silent, and as his mind started to catch up with what his eyes were seeing a single question plagued him.

"What- What are you?"

That seemed to give the creature pause, as it tilted its head with exposed muscle.

Before.

"Heh hahAHAHA! You really don't remember anything! What did that damn lizard wipe it all away? Hehehe he has always been tight lipped."

The beast mocked.

"What are you talking about, where the hell even are we?"

"Well why don't we test your memory a little bit." it voiced seeming to ignore him.

And the thing disappeared again.

"For instance, you remember killing this guy?"

Before his ears perked up and his head turned. Finding the creature prowling atop the dead dragon's body once more.

"W-What?"

"So you don't then? Huh?" He said looking down at the dragon's face.

"But it doesn't really matter-" he said almost to himself, before fading out of sight again.

"As long as you still let me out."

And appearing right behind him.


"She's dangerous Ur."

"She is my daughter!"

"You think I don't know that?"

"And yet you're still willing to say you'd hurt her?"

"Not if I didn't have to!"

"But you would, if you thought you needed to!?"

"Obviously!"

"What the hell do you mean obviously!?"

"Ur I get that this is hard for you to even think about but-"

"But what, her life doesn't matter?"

"Do not put those words in my mouth!"

"Well you might as well say them, you're just tiptoeing around it at this point."

"You know that's not what I meant."

"Well, that's what it sounded like."

"You know what, no, no I'm not apologizing for this!"

"Well, no surprise there you were always awful at it!"

"Ur I will not put your daughter's life over my own!"

"I'm not asking you t-"

"YES, YOU ARE!"

They'd been going back and forth like this for some time now, the storm around them having picked up in intensity to match the conversation.

Arguing, arguing over how he was supposed to respond to Ultear's assaults when he saw her again. Because he had made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that he would be continuing the hunt.

She'd managed to swallow that pill with some difficulty, realizing she wouldn't be able to force him into agreeing with her. But this was where she drew the line. When it came to her daughter there was no compromising.

"Ur, I promise you I will do everything in my power to help your daughter. But she isn't making that a simple task at the moment."

"She's damn near killed me multiple times, and now she's threatened Gray's life."

"I know you don't like to hear this as a mother, but if push comes to shove and I have to choose between me or Gray and her. I'm picking us."

He was right as a mother she didn't like to hear it, and to an extent, she knew she was being unreasonable by asking him to put Ultear above his and Gray's own lives. Especially when she was very possibly going to be the one trying to take them.

"Kinzo, I can't just-"

But, that was her baby girl. What was she supposed to do?

"Ur, just trust me, please."

… the wind continued to roar as a harsh silence fell over them. There really wasn't much else she could say. She couldn't really operate in the real world, instead, dependent on her student to carry her necklace around.

When push came to shove what could she even do? But here was her student, someone she practically saw as her own son asking her to trust him.

"You'll do everything you can?"

"Of course. That's what I've already been doing."

"Try not to hurt her?"

"If I can, but I doubt she's gonna let me get away with pulling any punches. She's a lot tougher than you might think Ur, and that's kind of the problem."

That last part nearly made her laugh because she knew he was right.

"... Help her, please."

"In any way, I can. But she has to want help before I can do anything."

"Ya, I suppose you two are alike in that way."

Voiceless silence greeted them once more.

"Is there anything else we need to talk about?" she asked just to be sure.

And to her surprise, there was just one more thing he wanted to discuss.

"I think we should tell Gray, about you."


"Wha-what do you mean let you out?"

"Exactly what it sounds like, you let me out of this cage."

That didn't clear anything up.

"What cage?"

"Don't play dumb with me!"

"Look even if I wanted to, I don't know how to do that or what you're even talking about!"

"Of course you do. You almost let me out a few days ago when you were thrashing that other dragon brat."

Other dragon brat? Wait did he mean Gajeel, was this thing? "Are you what I turned into?" the boy asked in horror.

"Heh finally putting the pieces together? You pulled out a bit of my power, opened the door just a crack but not enough for me to leave."

The twisted doppelganger revealed, moving closer. To the point that not only could he smell but he could feel the things rancid breath on him.

"And you know, THAT REALLY PISSED ME OFF!" It screeched before pouncing.

Natsu stood no chance, not only was he paralyzed by fear but the moment this thing touched him he could feel just how much stronger it was than him. Physically he was no match, he couldn't even resist properly as this thing toppled him.

"Hrragh" it growled over him putting more weight behind its arms as it nailed him to the ground.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been in here! Walking around in the dark, held down by that damn lizard!?"

"TEN YEARS!"

"If you think for a second you're getting out of here in one piece without taking me with you, you're a fool!"

"What the hell do you want!?"

"Are you deaf and stupid brat? LET ME OUT!" it roared before plunging a claw-covered hand into his side.

"AHhaagu! Hah Hah, I already told you, I don't even know how to do that! Rah!" He struggled trying to stop the blades from pressing into him any further.

"Heh, we've been over this kid yes you do."

"No I don't, I don't know how I did it! I was just reacting to what Gajeel said, everything just went blan-"

"Blank, exactly! That's exactly it. You just stopped struggling, decided that it would be better to turn off your humanity even if just for a moment."

"That doesn't mean I can do it again, that's not something you can just do!"

And just like that the pressure against him relented, and claws retracted, albeit painfully, from his skin. His words seemed to have some kind of effect.

"You're right kid, it's not something you can just do. It's something that happens when you're desperate. When your mind breaks."

But any relief Natsu felt a moment ago left him as he heard those words, and watched a bloody smile stretch across his teeth.

"So I guess that's what I'll have to do."

The moment this thing finished speaking, was the moment it struck, trying to bring its clawed hand down on him again this time aimed at his face.

The fire mage shot his own hands up to catch the attack, locking his fingers around both sides of this thing's hand. His muscle and bones struggled to hold it back, but in the end, it was a losing fight. As the seconds ticked by his strength left, fatiguing far more quickly than he'd like. If he did nothing it was over.

"Haaah!" So he decided to change strategies.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" He spat, throwing strong waves of flame toward the beast.

The spell all but exploded as it made contact with the creature causing it to stumble back a half step, which was more than enough space for the Dragon's son, hopping to his feet and dashing back.

Putting several meters between him and the monster before turning again to take in the situation.

Smoke from his attack was still partially covering the dimly lit area but he strained his eyes and ears searching for any signs of movement.

"Haa-ah"

But even after hearing the things voice, he couldn't find what he was looking for.

"Using my own element against me now brat?"

He heard echo out from the void.

Circling around desperately searching for his hunter, praying that his senses could pick up something.

"You know I was hoping to make this quick."

It started again.

All he could do was continue to search. But something felt off.

"It could have been painless for you."

He let out a dark chuckle as he heard that. The puncture wounds in his side still very much stinging, as he kept his guard up and continued to watch. Still unsure what was causing him to feel 'off'.

"Oh well."

It continued to speak and he continued to search until he found it more and more difficult to see, and he finally realized what was making him feel uneasy.

The torches were going out.

"Results are the same either way."

The light was dying.

As quickly as he realized what was happening his sense of sight was stolen from him yet again. He was blind for the second time tonight, but this time he knew something was hunting him.

"What's wrong boy, you're not scared are you?"

Of course he was.

"How pitiful for a Dragneel to be reduced to a quivering child."

Its voice continued to mock him from the abyss.

"Tell me are you praying for protection, desperate for someone to come save you?"

Could anyone help him at this point?

"Who would you call? I wonder, who do you most trust in this world?"

Who could take his fear away?

"The Heartfillia girl?"

No Lucy couldn't help him here.

"No too weak."

"The ice mage?"

Why would he drag Gray into this?

"Too prideful."

"The cat?

"No, keep his son far away from this thing.

"Heh no, what help would he be?"

"Maybe you think the old man can save you?"

Gramps? Is that who he wanted here?

"Or maybe it's someone else…"

As he continued to push the thoughts away, ever focused on his pitch-black surroundings, a sense of dread came over him.

When he thought he saw the darkness move.

"I, WONDER!"

As the beast screeched it also pounced latching onto his arms and forcing him to the ground again. Its body slammed into him, the weight more than enough to break him down. His back smashed against the dark earth and all he could do was close his eyes in anticipation of the strike that would kill him.

"N-u."

But there was nothing.

"Na-su"

No pain, no searing cuts, not even the stench of blood was left. Even so, he couldn't bring himself to open his eyes. He was far too afrai-

"Natsu!" he heard his voice called and strong arms shaking him.

His eyes snapped open to face the one calling him but once he did, he was completely floored by what he saw.

It was his room. His cabin.

The same wooden walls he'd built himself, his hammock strung from the ceiling. A cluttered living room, and beams of sunlight pushing through the holes in his raggedy curtains.

He was, in his home.

"W-wah?"

"Natsu are you okay?"

His thoughts were taken away from his environment and brought instead to the person calling his name. It was then he noticed two things.

First, he was still on his back. Held to the ground by the person over him who was straddling his core, their weight pinning him down.

And second, scarlet hair.

"E-Erza?" he asked not believing his own eyes. His senses still running on straight adrenalin unwilling to accept the appearance of a friendly face.

"Ya it's me are you alright?"

Her voice touched his ears giving him the slightest reason to relax, but still not enough.

"What, what happened?" He voiced his own question, trying to put the pieces together himself.

"I don't know when I walked in you were thrashing about, slamming into walls, and screaming. I kept calling out to you but you weren't listening."

He was barely listening to her, instead searching his surroundings, waiting for that monster to pounce on him again. And as he did he missed all the concern in her voice, the worry on her face.

"It was like you started sleepwalking in the middle of a nightmare."

And that grabbed his attention, that one sentence, because it gave him an out. It gave him an excuse to believe that what he'd just seen was all in his head. So that's what he went with, for his sake and for the sake of the girl who he now noticed did look very worried.

"Hah hah hahaha. A nightmare ya." he squeaked out.

Apparently, he didn't sound confident enough.

Her hands found their way to the sides of his face, as she forced him to look at her.

That gave him a minute to think, as he let himself stare into her eyes. Brown eyes that he'd become so familiar with. He started to let his gaze wander, really taking in the friendly face.

Her hair was down like she usually wore it, but strangely enough, she wasn't wearing her armor. Instead just her white blouse.

For many reasons he was thankful for that, not the least of which being how much lighter it made her as she was still sitting on his chest. But honestly, he just preferred the white top to her armor. Because whenever she actually took it off you could be certain that she felt comfortable. It meant she trusted you and that the person you were talking to was the real Erza.

And that's what went through his head. "This really is Erza." And as that realization really sunk in he couldn't help but chuckle. Ya, this was her, and he was home. She was really here and that was exactly what he needed. After what he'd just gone threw, it was definitely needed.

Every sensation this place offered instantly became a comfort. He could smell the remains of the campfire he and Happy had started last night, could hear the sound of birds chirping just outside his home. Even the feeling of Erza's boots digging into his side.

Even those ridiculous boots that didn't match the rest of her outfit at all were a comfort. Jeez, just how scared was he? He asked himself before laughing once more.

But the redhead who was still cupping his face seemed to take that as a bad sign.

"Natsu talk to me. You're really starting to scare me here."

No don't, please don't worry. That was the last thing he needed right now, one of the people he cared about wasting time on him. Especially when it was Erza who he knew was still recovering from her fight with Jose.

"No no don't worry it's nothing Erza. I'm fine theirs nothing to worry about. And especially with you here, this is the safest place in Fiore."

"Safe ya, ya it's safe," he said before finally relaxing, letting his limbs go limp, and closing his eyes. Looking like a child who'd flopped down on the ground after playing too hard.

"hehehe" she giggled at his antics.

"Ya safe" she mimicked back, "Sure It Is."

The moment that voice touched his ears he tensed again but it was already too late, as he felt something slice through the side of his cheek and the unmistakable smell of blood assaulted his nose.

His eyes locked on his attacker again but when they did it wasn't what he expected. Gone was the color of his room, the light of the sun, the comfort of home. He was once again encompassed in the black.

But when he looked up ready to see sharp teeth and scaled skin, it wasn't there.

It wasn't the monster. It was her. Long red hair. Striking eyes, beautiful features. It was still Erza.

But why was she-?

"Oh-ho-ho, poor boy." came the voice of the girl he knew. But something was wrong, she didn't have that stern yet caring look she always wore. Instead replaced with haughty eyes and an arrogant smirk.

"You humans are so easily toyed with. All I have to do is show you what you wanna see and you believe it without question."

She spoke swapping between the voice he knew, he trusted, and the demon's.

"I will say though, you trusting this girl more than Makarov is a bit of a surprise. The old man is much stronger."

"Why the hell are you talking like you're not the one who picked it?" he mentally seethed.

"Because I didn't, we're in your head brat, I just let it give what you wanted."

"Holy shit did he hear that?"

"Like I said we're in your head, you don't get private thoughts in here. Heh but I think I've played with you long enough." Said the monster wearing his friend's face as 'she' brought a clawed hand to his slit cheek and carved deeper into the wound.

"Ahhha rah!"

All the while wearing that cruel smirk.

"Hehehehe"

That was it game over.

At least it should have been, but everything stopped.

"ROOOOOAAAR!"

A roar cut through their space and his eyes were assaulted by light, as the sky filled with fire.

The monster all but jumped to its feet looking toward the sky in a mixture of fear and rage. Before screaming.

"RaaaGhH! So the old bastard finally found us huh!" it bellowed.

Natsu also found himself glancing toward the sky, but more in wonder than in fear. The scene almost looked familiar to him. The red and orange light streaming across the horizon.

Whatever had done that was extremely powerful, yet for some reason, he wasn't afraid. Only relieved.

As he pulled himself from the comforting thought he put his head back on straight, hopping to his feet. There was still a face stealing monster in front of him.

But his concern was short-lived as the world around him started to fade.

He looked at his own hands in confusion as they started to fizzle away before the creature called him back.

"Heh saved by Pops huh? That's just like you." came its call and as its eyes came to land on him he watched as its face shifted back from Erza's feminine features, to his own sharper ones. And its previously human body shredded itself to reveal the twisted reptilian form he knew.

They stared for a moment longer all the while more and more of Natsu's body was disappearing. A fact he was strangely comfortable with.

"Don't get cocky now brat. You got away this time, but now that I know where to find you. It's only a matter of time."

"You're not getting away from me. After all, I'm the one who decides how your story ENDs!"

And everything faded away.


His eyes shot open, and he nearly leaped from his hammock. Breathing erratic, and a serious pain in his head. The only thing that stopped him from moving was the familiar presence he felt curled up on his chest.

Blue fur and a consistent purr let him know Happy was still there, right where he always was. The constant hymn of his pseudo son's breathing seemed to help him calm his own.

What the hell was that?

Just a dream?

Either way, it didn't matter he needed to get up. So as gently as he could with shaking hands, he lifted up the feline and swung his legs off the suspended mat. Placing the cat back down who was now none the wiser to his absence. And the moment he was free the dragon's son violently stumbled to his bathroom.

Passing a clock that read 3:27 A.M. but not bothering to read it.

He stepped into the room, quickly starting the faucet and rinsing his hands off, before splashing his own face and placing his hands on the counter for stability. He slowly managed to look up, glancing at the mirror, and immediately felt uneasy at the sight of his own face.

"Stop it Natsu, it was just a dream." He told himself.

Slowly his breaths were becoming more even and his shaking hands more steady. "It was certainly a step up though."

He'd been having dreams for the last few nights but nothing like the one he'd just experienced.

"Calm down, breath… breath-ahhhh."

He was okay now, almost normal, especially as he continued to tell himself not to be afraid of something that happened in a dream.

Ya, everything was okay.

"Urgh!" he grunted.

Feeling some discomfort on his side.

"Ah, what the hell?" was he cramping or something. He asked himself placing a hand over the spot and looking down.

But the discomfort only continued to grow, and a strange wetness covered his palm.

Stopping for a moment, he raised his hand up, only to find it covered in red. And looking down he could see a crimson stain covering his shirt.

He was quick to rip the fabric off, tossing it to the side. And even quicker to find five small punctures. Bleeding lightly and evenly spaced along his skin. Shooting his eyes up to the mirror he found that when he really looked at the wound it almost looked like something with claws had-

"No." he stopped himself. "No, no, no." his mind was not going there, that thing was not real!

But what had caused it? Where else could have it come from?

"I don't know, but it wasn't from that!" He all but snarled to himself.

Looking at his own reflection he found himself staring into his own eyes. Onyx, not yellow. With round pupils, not slit ones. "Calm down, maybe- maybe Happy did it in his slee-"

He tried, he really tried to come up with something to handwave it all away. But even he knew he was grasping at straws. And as willing as he was, even he couldn't pretend his excuses were real when he felt his cheek slice open.

Not only did he feel the pain, feel the skin separating, feel the blood falling. He also saw it happen, he watched in the mirror as his otherwise normal face seemingly of its own volition decided to split open.

He started to pale, and his limbs locked up. He swam around in his own mind looking for anything he could use to fight back, anything to tell him it wasn't true.

But there was nothing.

He panicked, trying desperately to move away, but his limbs refused to cooperate. In the end, all he managed to do was spasm slightly, causing him to lose his balance and start to fall backward.

Looking up the last thing he saw was the mirror, and the most pitiful expression staring back at him.

He landed hard, all but slamming his back against the bathroom cabinet.

*Crash*

The sound thundered threw his home.

But he couldn't bring himself to care. The only thing running threw his mind

"No no it's not real, It's not real!"

Was denial.

But what was there to deny. Stab wounds on his side, and a deep cut on his cheek. It matched. It matched perfectly with what had happened to him in his mind.

With what that thing had done to him.

In a matter of seconds, the boy who had nearly composed himself fell apart. His breaths became heavy and erratic, his limbs all but stappled to the ground unable to move, and his eyes unfocused staring off into nothing.

He'd decided that feeling nothing was better than acknowledging that thing's existence.

And he would stay like this as long as he could.

"Natsu, are you in there?" came a loud knock on the door and a concerned call from the other side.

"Natsu!"

"Huh!?" the boy flinched. "Wha, Ha-Happy?" he called out.

"Ya, it's me. Are you alright, I thought I heard something fall?" The feline asked from the other side of the entrance. Sleep still clearly in his voice.

That was all it took for the Pinkett to focus, and for to panic to take him again, but for a totally different reason.

Fear playing in his eyes he shot to his feet.

"Ya ya Happy I'm fine, don't worry about me. Go back to sleep I'll be there in a minute."

He said, trying to sound confident. But even he noticed how shaky his voice sounded.

"Are you sure?" He heard his companion ask. And it hurt his heart to know that the little guy was worried about him.

"Ya buddy, I'm good. Now get going, We have that trip later today, so you better get as much sleep as you can."

He tried again.

"Hmmm" Natsu could almost see the frown on his partner's face threw the door, as the unconvinced hum reached his ears.

"Alright then, as long as you're sure." And once Happy said those words he breathed a sigh of relief.

But now wasn't the time to be losing himself again. Looking toward his reflection he took in his injuries and knew something needed to be done about it. Not only for health reasons but also because if Happy saw them he would ask questions. And when he wouldn't answer no doubt the little furball would tell people at the guild.

He couldn't allow that.

So moving quickly he opened one of the cabinet drawers and pulled out a roll of gauze he knew was in there.

Before looking again at the wounds and tracing the cloth along his body.

He would cover this up, make it look like it never happened. Wrap his side with dressing, and cover his cheek with a bandage.

Even if Happy did find out, he could just say it was a wound from fighting Gajeel that still hadn't healed, or that he'd cut himself by mistake chopping wood.

Either way, it would be okay, no one would know. No one could know.

He wouldn't be a burden, that wouldn't happen.

And even if it cost him everything he would bury this.

Because the only thing he was more afraid of than the monster, was his family thinking he was one.


"You sure this is a good idea?"

"What, you think we shouldn't tell him?"

"I'm not against the idea, just, not really sure how I feel about it."

"He deserves to know."

"I'm not saying he doesn't, I just don't know if now is a good time."

And that was where he called bull.

They'd been talking about whether it was a good idea to bring Gray into the loop about her. But for some reason, Ur was being a little antagonistic about it. And he was pretty sure he knew why.

"You're worried about what I might do while I'm away from you," he said in a matter a fact tone.

She didn't say anything, but with the way her eyes slightly widened, she didn't need to.

"Haaaah, Ur look. I get that you're worried. This conversation probably hasn't gone the way you hoped it would, and I get that. But I'm not just gonna up and leave you now. No matter how much we argue I don't think I'll ever be able to do that."

"But just because you're worried isn't a good enough reason to keep Gray in the dark. And even though he's probably the most put-together of your four kids, he needs you too."

"Uhhh" She let out a rather tired sigh, Kinzo was right, this conversation had not gone the way she wanted, in fact, it had gone in exactly the opposite direction she was hoping for.

That's not to say she was too upset about it. She knew she was forcing the issue with some of this, not using very much tact but still. She just wanted her kids to be safe.

She wanted Kinzo to be safe.

"Alright, what did you have in mind?"

"Simple really I just give him the necklace for a night. You pop up in one of his dreams and talk. Just make sure you tell him to ask me about it when he wakes up if he doesn't believe it's real."

Hm? Simple enough, and this way she would only be away from her more problematic student for a few hours.

He probably wouldn't get into too much trouble in that amount of time… probably.

"Ya, that's fine." She agreed "But speaking of waking up." She'd noticed it a while ago but the world was starting to grow dim. The storm had calmed down, and even the scenery was starting to blur together.

"Ya guess it's about that time." Letting his mind and body relax ever so slightly as the words came out.

"Sorry I can't give you what you want Ur." And he meant that. He hated arguing with her, but this was too important to him. Even if he knew he was in the wrong.

"Oh don't you worry, I'll get what I want. I'm just gonna have to be a bit more patient than I planned to be." There was a bit of a playful undertone as she said one of the last lines for the night. But her demeanor turned serious again as she debated saying what was on her mind before their time ran out.

"Kinzo, I'm sorry for bringing her up."

And just like last time he visibly tensed.

"But I hope you know those weren't just empty words, she did love you."

His reaction wasn't unexpected.

"Can we… not talk about this right now?" avoiding the issue was one of his many faults.

But for tonight she would let it slide.

"Ya kid, we can leave it there for now."


Author's note

And there we go another one for the books. Hope you enjoyed it.

Writing END was kind of a mess because from the start I really didn't know what I wanted to do with him. Should he be a silent little rage monster like the Kyuubi from OG Naruto? Should he be a psychotic hedonist like Sukuna from Jujutsu Kaisen? In the end, I went with a kind of wild animal meets sarcastic killer personality, but that doesn't really help me figure out what his goals should be.

I mean obviously, he wants to be free of Natsu/control their body, but if he does do that what's his goal? Does he even need one? Those are gonna be the kind of questions I keep asking myself as I write his character in the future, but I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually.

The next chapter shouldn't take 4 months to come out I already have a decent outline written just need to transfer it to my PC and start working again.

The next couple of chapters are gonna cover some stuff with Loke, maybe a bit of my personal Lore surrounding the celestial spirits, and a healthy dose of bathhouse hilarity. See you all soon.


Magic

1) Metal-Make Magic like ice make... but with metal

2) Speed Magic (Potential energy magic- p.s. I made this up so you won't find it on a wiki... I think.) so any time you see Conversion Leap (speed boost) or Kinetic Decay (stealing something else's speed and trapping it in place)

3) Telekinesis lifting things with one's mind etc.

4) Re-Quip no armor just items/weapons

Tools

1) His Revolver- Iron Maiden (two types of ammo revealed. Puncture rounds and Flashbang rounds)

2) The rings his mother gave him - can be molded into other objects and when spun together replay a recorded message.

3) The magic absorbing metal - He can choose to make his weapons out of this or other kinds of normal metal (iron, steel, etc.)

4) The Eye of Talionis - replacing his right eye, it allows the user to see magic (Ethernano)

5) Isacc Colt's journals - three journals belonging to his father

6) metal woven into his hair - this will not play a major role for most of the story but I may as well mention it so people don't forget.

Abilities

(1) Enhanced strength, speed, and senses. - under normal circumstances, Kinzo can act like a normal human in terms of strength and senses, but when he focuses on a particular trait it can increase its effectiveness. I.E. by focusing on his sense of Sight, he can see more clearly at much farther distances.