A/N: Hey guys! next chappy up! Uppy goo…. (tryna be Mario, but doesn't work)

Lol

Enjoooy!

Chapter 15

Blaze Natsume. A child amongst adults, he held the responsibility of the world in his fingertips. Currently residing in the cave of challenges, he was not a boy of much opinion. Quietly watching over his frail mother and already learning to cope with the hardships of living. Having never seen the outside world, he possessed an ethereal appearance; pale skin paired with black hair covering one of his differing eyes. His father, Tony Marcell, was a mage of unrivalled ability. Already, some of that ability, or talent, was present in the next generation. Though not related by blood, the family was held together by a much stronger bond; love.

At four years of age, Blaze was already capable of completing tasks that an average ten year old would have difficulty carrying out. His mother taught him the ways of the world through books, while his father would bring him to the caves at times of maintenance and periodic checkups, to learn and practice together with the elements. He was independent on day-to-day activities and was already adept in cooking and cleaning. His intelligence was seen in his choice of books and his work pieces. There was not a simple drawing in sight; every painting produced was up to calibre with famous artists. Pieces were so detailed; they were likened to real photographs.

Through it all, Blaze was happy; he was surrounded by people he loved and was not one to complain of duties. His serious nature had constantly worried Carina and Tony, for no child his age should grow up with such weight on their shoulders. They already held a guilty conscience over his restrained freedom; there were no children to play with, nor an 'outside world' to explore. However, any attempt to spoil him was rejected by the child himself. He, himself, wanted to do work, to fulfil his duties; he had learnt to cook and clean voluntarily. If ever questioned why, he would always reply with the same answer.

"Because I want to help people I love."

…

They had been discovered.

The explosion was earth shattering, blowing up their safe haven. Now was not the time to hesitate in their escape. In a predestined move, the elements had removed all traces of their activity in the cave; with them, they brought the magic guides and prizes to another destination several miles away.

All that remained was the small family of three, who were trapped at the back, almost totally buried in rubble. Tony was the first to emerge, quickly rushing to Carina, the worst victim. At the sight of her, he knew that it was already too late. Legs trapped within her smashed wheelchair, she lay beneath a falling rock; one large enough to crush her into pieces. Behind him, he heard his child get up and swiftly turned to hug him, in an attempt to seal his eyes. It was the wrong move; Blaze wrenched out of his grasp and watched his mother in her last moments. His breathing became heavy, eyes starting to water. But he listened to his father's commands.

"Don't cry now, Blaze! They'll find mummy."

In the time it took for the villagers to locate their home, they had exited the choir forest, intent in finding new shelter. Blaze was sobbing into the shoulder of his father, heart wrenching cries of despair. The situation was tragic and Tony had to find a hideout soon, if only to protect his son from further danger.

…

A man led the group into the rubble, searching for signs of the fugitives. He needed, had to get hold of the weapon, no matter what it took. Only with Carina's child in his hand would he fulfil his desire in controlling what he wished. Only with Carina's child would he finally complete one part of his plan to dominate the world. Dragon Claw was ready to finally make true to their words, even if it meant that he used his own kin to get there.

Sniffing around, he finally found signs of life. Blood. The metallic smell of glory. Walking to the place of evidence, he smiled lasciviously at the sight before him. There she lay, his wife of seven years. Carina Cleargold, formally Carina Natsume. Wife of royalty and the mother of his son, weapon of destruction.

"Well look at that, Carina. For all that you did to protect him, that child will soon be my hands." He laughed quietly to himself, "You were never in a position of power, so why defy those who were? It made your death much more painful than it should have been, darling. Look what happened when you took what was, what is, mine. I would have preferred you alive, to witness your failure."

With a gesture, he had fellow villagers pick her corpse up, to be unceremoniously thrown into the back of a truck.

"Don't throw it away yet. We may still have use for her leftovers."

…

It was nightfall. Gasping for breath, the pair had finally reached a small town. Blaze had fallen asleep still whimpering for his mother. In no moment did Tony release him from the strong hold in his arms; the boy was in no state to be left alone, even to relieve his arms. They had travelled since dawn that day, making them that much more tired. Sneaking into a small stable, Tony sought refuge for the night, to rest and prepare for more travelling early the next morning.

Tears slid down his face. In all the action, Tony did not have time to mourn for his beloved. An instant was all it took to take away the one who held his heart. No planning, no tearful goodbyes; just the sight of a motionless corpse, broken and battered. After all he had promised, he could not prevent the enemies from finding her. The feeling of despair was overwhelming, almost enough to drown him. Never to see her smile, her optimism in dark situations; the woman he grew up with, grew to love and cherish. To know, with no doubt, that she was now gone. The feeling of loss was great, the hurt never ending.

Into the night, a strange weeping sound was heard in the stables of a local hotel. Many suspected, some dared to look, but nobody found the culprit. The sound held much sadness, enough to stop the hardest of hearts in their tracks, always thinking twice before committing a sin. Over weeks and months, no answer was found for such an event, but many tales were told of the event. Any person to have heard the sound of such sorrowful weeping lost the will to perform evil; it was the sound of remorse.

…

His only saving grace was Blaze. If there was a reason to live, it was to protect Blaze. Over the months, the child had become a doll; never speaking, nor eating properly. His face held the stories of tragedy, eyes having seen too much. Doctors feared a memory loss, due to the trauma; any talk down memory lane resulted in the child going berserk. Withholding his silence, he would destroy the things around him; sometimes with magic, sometimes by hand. Carina was never mentioned and Tony continued to travel, in hopes of finding the way to help his son.

Two years had come to pass, when they stepped foot into a city known for their medics. Saffron town, a place not far from Magnolia. Famous for centuries, it was a place well known and pictured in books around the world. On seeing the place of such lively atmosphere, Blaze finally smiled. He tugged on his father's shirt, saying quietly as they walked.

"Mummy would have liked this place. Let's stay here."

To Be Continued…

A/N: Aww, my baby!

While writing this chapter, I just noticed the irony in naming the (adoptive) son of an ice mage, Blaze. However, that only came to be because I had originally planned for the boy to be adopted by Lucy, herself; plotholes appeared and I came up with the best solution- Gray ..Gray.. Gray Fullbuster! ( Sorry, been so long that I had to look up the surname)

Anyway, I'm off to have a honey lemon combo after which I'll be cooking dinner, sooo see ya!