Something wasn't right.

There was never a day when the blue-haired apprentice was late. But it was nearing noon, and she had yet to show herself.

The atmosphere in the magic headquarters had grown tense. Master Makarov was sitting on the counter again; his fingers or brow would twitch now and then. Laxus couldn't care less about the girl's welfare, but he did care that he had to help out to cover for her! Then there was Gajeel… he was just about ready to drop what he was doing and search for the small fry!

The chime of the bells brought everyone's attention to the door. A young maiden stood in the entrance, but it was not the one they were expecting.

"Hello, Master Makarov," Lucy Heartfilia greeted respectfully.

Makarov smiled at the girl, hiding his agitation. "Lucy, my child! What brings you here?"

Lucy smiled back, though she gave a wary glance at the other two men in the room. She couldn't deny they were intimidating, but she had a mission. With a deep breath, she focused her attention on the master.

"I was… hoping Levy would be here. Now that I see she's not… we might have a problem."

Gajeel had originally chosen to ignore the blonde bimbo. That changed the moment Levy had been mentioned. 'Does she know somethin' we don't?'

It was possible. Lucy Heartfilia was one of Levy's closest friends, which Gajeel had come to learn. So if something were happening in Levy's life, Lucy would know.

"I found this on the street."

Lucy held up Levy's magic pen. Everyone in the room knew the little mage was rarely without it, seeing as it was the medium for her powers. If it was lying on the street…

"I checked Levy's house already," Lucy continued, "but she wasn't there. I was hoping maybe she was in a rush and dropped it on the way here."

Silence followed her words. Lucy kept her eyes on the ground, biting her lip to stop herself from getting emotional. Of course she was worried about her best friend, but there was no guarantee she was necessarily in any danger. At the same time, the odds didn't look so good.

Suddenly, Makarov jumped to his feet.

"Laxus! You must go after Miss McGarden!"

Laxus stared in disbelief. "Are you kidding, Gramps? Why do I have to do it?"

"Because I order it! I would look myself, but I have responsibilities. I must stay here."

"But why should I look for that brat? She should know how to take care of herself!"

Lucy had just about enough of Laxus' attitude. Did he not care about Levy at all? "Laxus, you—"

"I'll go."

Everyone turned to Gajeel; his eyes were hard, and his fists were clenched. "I'll look for her. I think I got a better chance than Sparky over here."

"Who the hell are you calling 'Sparky'?!"

Ignoring Laxus outburst, Gajeel turned to Makarov. "You can trust me, old man. I'll get yer fairy girl back."

Makarov stared at the man, as if he were searching him for signs of deceit. 'He may tease Levy about as much as Laxus, but the look in his eyes tells me he's serious. He'll keep her safe.'

The old man nodded in acceptance. "I shall leave her in your care, my boy."

Gajeel grunted in acknowledgment before turning to leave. A small hand on his arm stopped him. Red eyes gazed quizzically at the blonde heiress. She was obviously still nervous around him, but she looked directly into his eyes.

"Please. Bring her back safely."

Gajeel only stared at her before a small smirk appeared on his features. "You got it."

"Ah!"

Levy cried out in pain as she was blown back by a purple blast of magic! She tumbled to the ground, adding to the scrapes and bruises already present on her body.

With her remaining strength, she tried to force herself up. A boot roughly pushed her back down.

"I am losing my patience, girl. Tell me what I want to know, and this torment will end."

Levy could only grit her teeth as the boot pushed down on her back. Just how long had this been going on?

That morning, Levy had hurriedly left for work. Just because she was stressed did not mean she should skip out on her job. And if she remained at the magic headquarters, Jose would less likely become suspicious of her. With him around, now was definitely not the time to visit her dragon.

'I need to stop worrying about it. That dragon was surviving just fine before I discovered it. Though it might get ornery without its iron…'

Distracted by her thoughts, she failed to notice the presence behind her.

"At last we are alone, Miss McGarden."

Before she could react, a strong arm held her against a body, and one hand was covering her mouth. She shuddered in fright as her attacker whispered, "You are coming with me."

The next thing she knew, a purple haze had surrounded them, and she was transported deep into the forest.

Jose had been interrogating her ever since. He was convinced that she knew about the dragon. It was the truth, but how did he find out? She had been so careful!

"I… I don't know what you're talking about!" she shouted. There was no way she'd allow him to get to her dragon! She'd rather die than hand her friend over to this monster!

A hand grabbed her hair, hoisting her up. "Still stubborn I see. Makarov must have rubbed off on you." Levy's eyes widened at the sinister grin on Jose's face.

"Nevertheless, you'll soon see I can be quite convincing."

He stepped back from her crumpled form, and his eyes began to glow. He raised his hand toward her, and long, purple streams of magic appeared. They moved toward her, coiling around her body like snakes!

Levy was helpless as the magic lifted her into the air, holding her in a crucifix position. The purple magic had wrapped around every inch of her body: her legs, her arms, her torso, and her neck. She scrunched her eyes shut, refusing to give him the pleasure of making her scream.

"I must warn you, child. These coils will tighten as you resist. Best submit to me before it is too late; suffocation truly is a painful way to go."

Just as he said, Levy could feel her body being crushed! Her teeth were grinding into dust, no doubt, and the dark magic was sending painful shocks throughout her being. Unable to hold it in any longer, Levy released an ear-piercing scream.

Jose smirked, enjoying the girl's pain. He wouldn't go as far as killing her, since she was his source of information. But that didn't mean he wouldn't have a little fun with this interrogation. He reached out to hold her chin.

What he did not anticipate was being hit in the face by what felt like an iron club!

"DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!"

Being caught off guard, Jose crashed into a thick tree trunk, and his concentration was broken. The purple snakes evaporated, and Levy dropped to the ground. Luckily, her rescuer was fast enough to catch her before gently laying her on the ground.

Jose chuckled through the pain. "I had a feeling you would show up… Gajeel Redfox."

The man said nothing, but his glare was deadly. Gajeel had ventured to the forest to search for Levy; one should never doubt a dragon's sense of smell. When he heard his shrimp scream, all bets were off. Whoever caused her pain would pay with his life!

He cracked his knuckles as he stepped closer to Jose. "Shut yer mouth! You'll regret hurting her!"

Instead of fearing Gajeel's threat, Jose smiled at him. "Oh, will I?"

He rose to his feet, facing Gajeel with a steady gaze. "I must say, I have been rather curious of you, Mr. Redfox. If that is really your name."

'What is he talking about?' Levy thought from her position. 'Does he know something about Gajeel?'

"Cut the crap!" Gajeel shouted. "Beggin' for yer life won't help ya now!"

"Have you ever noticed that you have a different magical aura? At first, I thought it was merely because of your type of magic. But I realized, I had never found a presence quite like yours."

"Shut up already!" Gajeel punched Jose in the face, but the man did not waver.

"I give you credit. You hid your presence well. With that disguise, you even managed to change your aura."

"What the hell are you talkin' about?!"

Jose did not reply. Instead, his eyes began to glow once more. Without warning, Gajeel was nearly blown away by a magical blast.

"Gajeel!" Levy cried in horror.

Gajeel jumped back and prepared to counter. "That ain't gonna work twice!"

But those were only words: before Gajeel could get close enough to touch him, he was thrown back once again by that shade magic.

'Damn! The old bastard's stronger than I thought!'

Jose chuckled as the dark magic surrounded him. "I shall force you to reveal your true form!"

Gajeel braced himself for the coming attack, but it never came. "What the—"

His eyes widened in panic as he realized Levy was being lifted off the ground! Her body floated back, leaving her hanging over a cliff!

"Shrimp!"

Levy reached out to him, her eyes wide with terror, but she was immediately dropped and out of sight! Gajeel knew he wouldn't make it in his human form. This was exactly what that twisted wizard wanted him to do, but he had to save Levy no matter what!

In the blink of an eye, Gajeel's magic energy burst around him, revealing his true dragon form. Without a moment's hesitation, he took off and dove after the girl.

As Levy plummeted to the ground, she heard a roar from a distance. She looked up and saw her dragon coming right to her! Though she was relieved to be saved, she also was horrified at her dragon's fate.

"No! What are you doing here? Get away from here! NOW!"

But the dragon paid her pleas no mind. It dove below her, positioning itself to catch her falling form. Levy grabbed on the moment she landed, and the dragon abruptly flew straight up to the sky.

"We have to get away!" Levy cried out.

The dragon glanced back at her, ready to depart. But dark magic had already claimed him, holding him in place. In one final act, the dragon managed to grab Levy with its tail and toss her to safety.

Jose laughed as the dragon was completely ensnared by his magic. "Haha! And they called me a fool! Now all shall see the true power of Master Jose!"

He held out his hand toward the dragon. "From this day forth, thy name shall be 'Black Steel.'"

The dragon's ruby eyes shrank away, leaving only white. Its scales slowly shifted from silver to black, and its aura became completely menacing and dark.

"You are mine to command, Black Steel!" Jose cried in triumph.

Levy could only watch helplessly as her beloved dragon disappeared before her eyes.

"NOOOOOO!"