It's been a year. Oops. Didn't realize, sowwy.
*HIDES AF*
Hey guys! Here's the long-awaited chapter of Dragonling! And don't worry. I won't leave it unattended again. I wanted to update NeuroLink first, considering the shitty cliffhanger, but I realized I left this one for toooooo fkn long! Forgive me :(
Warning: Un-betaed: Casual scanning (pls point out errors, if any), Angst, Blood
Disclaimer: I don't own FT.
Chapter 2
The Thirst for Revenge
"NO! BRING HIM BACK, YOU MONSTER!" Natsu sat frozen, his eyes fixated at the glass building, as it reflected Lyon. Lyon had run from the road at the side to the cross-point where the man once stood, the man who had just killed his best friend. Lucy sat beside him, clutching her hair, wailing. He couldn't see her. He couldn't see Lyon either, because his eyes were fixed at the spot where Gray's body once laid.
"GRAAAAY!" Lyon cried out, collapsing onto his knees. He heard Lucy standing up shakily and going towards the huge mountain of rubble at a distance: the rubble where Gray was killed. His body was taken away by the man, the inhumane monster who had killed Gray.
Somehow how eyes fixed onto another form in the reflecting window. Blank eyes, tear-stained cheeks, and unmoving features: it was a dreadful image. Later he realized that the person was him. He blinked, looking at himself, but not looking at all.
He sat there frozen in the world of destruction, without his best friend, with an endless pain in his heart.
He couldn't think anything. He had a feeling if he began to, he wouldn't be able to cope with it, cope with himself.
"…tsu! Natsu, p-please!" He vaguely heard a voice. He realized he was so lost in his own reflection that he hadn't sensed Lucy and Lyon approaching. "C'mon, we need to move! T-This place is dangerous, p-please Natsu, move!"
Natsu took in a shaky breath. He looked up at the blond beauty. Tears flowed down freely from her eyes. He looked at Lyon. He held his arms, sobbing.
He heard another huge crash a mile away. He heard screams. Somehow those screams blended into another single scream. The scream rang through his mind relentlessly. He shivered and tried to shut it off.
At last, he closed his eyes and stood up shakily.
A heavily cloaked man walked through the dark alleyways in the outskirts of Magnolia. He was alert, his senses heightened to catch even the smallest of disturbances around him. Even a random cat couldn't catch him red-handed. After all, Gray didn't want to be caught dead even anywhere around the organization.
At least, his image should remain intact, despite his ventures into the largest underworld organization in the world.
Gray gulped. Something told him this was the beginning of something big, something dark. It gave him an unpleasant feeling in his stomach.
'I should have told Lyon…' he thought, 'No, that would have put him in danger as well.' He trudged ahead with steps light as feathers.
The moon and the stars were camouflaged by the clouds. The alleys were deserted. That seemed plausible, considering no one wanted to be around the dark part of the town. The area seemed to ward off human civilization naturally.
After thoroughly checking around for the fifth time, Gray shuffled silently towards the huge metal gate. His paranoia was getting better of him. He fished out a hairpin and struggled around with the locks. The raven-haired man smirked, remembering it was one of the accessories he had bought for Natsu's little dare.
He quietly slipped inside. Looking up, he saw the sign proudly displayed on the top of the ten-storey building:
Tartaros Headquarters
A shiver went down his spine. No matter how many times he had been here, this building never seemed to become any less eerie.
"Oh, look! It's you," Gray looked down towards the entrance of the building. A blond-haired boy leaned onto the pillar, smirking towards him. "I thought I had sensed some high-level dirt," Jackal drawled, "Can't believe my guess was right."
Gray's face remained expressionless. Jackal took it as some sort of invitation to blabber on, "I wonder how those shining eyes of yours look like when your body is covered with holes." He snickered in his own morbid fantasy, "Oh, I would pay to see the life fade out of them."
Gray gazed at him unblinkingly, "Pay me with your life and I might as well reward you with an illusion of the shit you're into." He quietly walked past Jackal, ignoring his very presence. Jackal turned towards him, sneering, "Do what you want, you filthy half-breed. I will see how much of that attitude you would have left till tomo-"
"You're here." Someone intercepted Jackal. Gray looked up to see a dark-haired man with a huge scar on his face, wearing is usual armor with "Absolute Zero" carved on it. Gray watched as the dark-haired man glared at Jackal. The said blond scoffed and walked out.
"Come with me," Silver said, looking at him. "The boss awaits you." Gray nodded.
"What did he mean 'how much you'll have left till tomorrow'?" Gray asked, making Silver look at him sharply, "Is there something special tomorrow?"
Silver pursed his lips and sighed. "You're too smart for your own good sometimes." Gray's lips tugged at the corner.
Silver's gaze hardened, "You'll know soon." He pushed the double doors open.
Gray had only seen this room once in his life. Huge screens covered the walls of the big wide hall, leading to the main supercomputer controlling them. A dark-haired man sat at the end of the hall, operating the computer. His long ponytail swayed around when he twirled around in his chair. Blue eyes met charcoal black, as the latter smirked at Gray.
"Come in, Gray-kun." Mard Geer said in his sickly sweet voice. "Silver-san, please stay outside. I don't want your accidental relationship become a hindrance in my negotiations." Gray turned towards his father. Silver nodded at him and stepped back. The door closed behind Gray, leaving the raven-haired male in a brightly lit room with his mortal enemy.
"Why did you summon me here?" Gray started. Mard Geer made a sound of annoyance and said, "Oh, Gray-kun, no need to be in such a hurry." Mard Geer picked up his cup from the nearby table, looking at the boy approaching him. He gestured Gray towards the chair beside him. Gray sat down and looked at Mard Geer skeptically.
"Coffee?" Mard Geer offered, sipping his own.
Gray inhaled, "If you don't have an actual agenda for this meeting of ours I would like to take the leave. You see, I need to pick a gift for a friend of mine's birthday."
"Oh, birthdays," Mard Geer casually continued, "Aren't those so much more significant than the end of the world?" Gray's gaze hardened, "What do you mean?"
"Ah, now I have the Dragonling's attention." Mard Geer kept away his cup and crossed his fingers. Gray's eyes narrowed. The long-haired male snickered, leaning to the side, resting his face on his palm. "What the date tomorrow?"
"21st of June."
"And what does the date signify?"
Gray's palms fisted on the top of his trousers. "The eclipse," Mard Geer said, "Or the solar eclipse to be precise." He leaned forward to look at Gray, whose bangs covered his eyes, "And do you know what happens on the Solar Eclipse to you people?"
Gray gritted his teeth. "Why are you doing this?"
The Head of Tartaros sneered. "You caused us a lot of damage, Gray-kun." He said, "You killed my people; you infiltrated our headquarters and you-"
"It was a legitimate war that YOU were responsible for-"
"You destroyed us," Mard Geer raised his voice, "My army; my whole underworld network."
"You were smuggling illegal-"
"That's enough!" Gray felt his breath being knocked out of him. His vision got blurred and he felt himself falling backwards off the chair. Mard Geer stood above him, a sinister look in his eyes. "Looks like your physical prowess is already decreasing." Gray tried to stand up, panting, but was suddenly hauled up by his collar.
"Surrender to us, Gray. Or we will declare war: The war of Magic."
"You can't," Gray gulped, "Our previous agreement forbids you from harming the people of the world. It's a pact between the Light and the Darkness and violating the sacred pact would bring you nothing but destruction."
Mard Geer smirked, as if waiting for Gray to say that, "True, we had a pact. The Darkness was forbidden from causing any harm to the mortals and the Light was forbidden from intervening into our activities. And that pact was only rendered possible because your loving father-"
"He is NOT my father!"
Mard Geer laughed out loud. "Of course, dear Gray. He stayed with you all this time without you realizing he was our agent in disguise. Oh, it was marvelous, the way he single-handedly brought down your entire-"
Gray kicked Mard Geer swiftly on his knee. Mard Geer hissed and let go of the boy. "Shut up!" Gray screamed. Mard Geer straightened up with a scowl on his face.
"I want you all obliterated." He declared, "You have caused enough damage to my clan. I can't have you run amok in any manner."
Gray glared at his enemy, "You will not harm my friends, or any of the humans living in this world. If you do, I will stop at nothing to kill you all!"
Mard Geer laughed, making Gray frown, "You? Stop us?" His smile morphed into a scowl, "Tomorrow is the eclipse, Gray. And you are the Dragonling. Tomorrow, you will be nothing but a weak, powerless human, presenting himself to us for manslaughter." His eyes glowed with menace, "First, I will kill you, the Pact Maker. Then I will move on to your pansy comrades. And then when the Light is gone, the Darkness will prevail in this innocent, innocent world. Wouldn't that be beautiful, Gray?"
Gray scowled, glaring at Mard Geer, "Why are you telling me this?"
Mard Geer narrowed his eyes with a smirk of anticipation, "What did you say?"
Gray gulped, "Why let me know about your plans? I have enough power right now to escape and warn my comrades. What good would that do to you?"
Mard Geer smirked. An unsettling feeling settled into Gray's gut. "Now you are asking the real questions."
"Every living soul should know that Gray Fullbuster is dead." Gray heard the low, taunting voice from behind him. He watched Natsu run towards Lucy, away from the danger, away from him. He sensed Lyon stirring on the road on his right. Thank gods he didn't tell Lyon anything yesterday.
His gut felt heavy with dread. His palms remained fisted by his side. A traitorous tear slipped out of his eye.
But he could never let his fear show.
"You promised," he said, surprising himself with his unwavering voice, "You promised you would not hurt my friends. How would I know you would keep your side of the arrangement?"
"Oh, don't you worry, son," Silver Fullbuster smirked. Gray turned to look at the devil behind him, "This was just a warning attack so that you don't back away." Silver walked down the pile of rubble of a nearby building.
"I won't," Gray said, looking at his father standing in front of him. "I will keep my part of promise, and you better keep yours." Gray closed his eyes, letting the welled-up tears escape. He felt Lyon's confused gaze on him. He felt Lucy's eyes blinking open. He opened his eyes and looked at Silver right in the eye.
"I surrender."
"It was just a guess, Mard Geer-sama," Kyouka reprimanded, pouring a glass of mind, "You shouldn't have taken such a huge step, just on the basis of a guess."
"Our guess was correct though." Mard Geer said, taking the glass from Kyouka, "I felt it, the dissipation of a huge power, and the end of a person with significance. He indeed was the Dragonling we had been searching for," he laughed out loud with mirth, "I can't believe our greatest adversary is gone for good!"
Kyouka smiled at his apparent glee, "You shouldn't have taken such a huge step without me though."
The smile disappeared from Mard Geer's face, "And why not? What makes you so significant that my decisions have to be based on your presence?"
"T-That's not what I-"
"Oh, don't fret, Kyouka," he stood up and approached her, and stood in front of her, looking down. "The truth will remain undeterred. I got rid of the Dragonling! I completed the task I gave to you ages ago."
Kyouka took a deep breath, calming her nerves, "All I meant to say was that our enemy was too smart for his own good. I do not mean to disrespect you. I just want to state the fact that Gray Fullbuster cannot be underestimated." She paused to check her boss's expression, only to find him bemused, "And I would like to know how you did it."
Mard Geer smirked with narrowed eyes, "All in good time, Kyouka.
"But before that, we need to figure out a plan to get rid of his weakling comrades."
"That's not going to happen," a new voice echoed in the huge hall. Both the eyes turned towards the entrance, "You can't harm his friends. That was the pact."
"Ah, if it isn't the Dragonling Slayer!" Silver scowled at his title, as he entered the room. He carried a bundle wrapped in his cape. Gray's head rested on his breastplate and his arm dangled uselessly. Blood covered the lower half of his jaw and his visible fingers. Mard Geer's eye's glinted at the very sight of the body.
Kyouka recovered from the shock of seeing the body, "He is really dead… I can't believe it. But isn't the pact worthless if the only pact maker is dead?"
"That's where you are wrong, Kyouka," Silver spoke, striding into the room. "This pact came into force when the pact maker died. In other words, it becomes a Blood Pact. If you dare to refuse to abide by it, blood will fall upon you and your comrades."
Kyouka's face whitened. Jackal entered the room after Silver, his face slightly pale. Mard Geer smirked and approached Silver. "If that's the case, then be it." He reached out to Gray's face. His palm slid down from his cheek to his neck, and rested on the artery. "He is so cold."
"He was an Ice Dragonling." Silver answered monotonously, "He is meant to be freezing cold."
"Hmm, fair enough," Mard Geer turned around and walked towards his seat, "Leave the body here. We will take care of the rest."
"No."
Mard Geer turned around sharply, glaring full force at Silver. "Why not?"
"He is my son, not a plaything." Silver bit his lip, "I want him buried."
Mard Geer laughed with mirth, "That's precious, coming from the guy who killed his son ruthlessly."
Silver's eyes widened, "How did you know?"
Mard Geer looked behind Silver, candidly gesturing at Jackal. "I had him record you as you killed him. To be honest, it was a sight to see."
Silver's eyes flashed, "You had me monitored? You didn't trust the fact that I could kill my son?" He let out a hollow laugh, "If you actually saw the recording of the event, then you must have also seen how I make the enemies pay, even if the enemy is my son." He lowered his voice, "And I would like you to know that if you even dare to do that again, you would become the other end of my rage."
"That's enough, Silver," Kyouka intercepted. "That's your master you are talking to."
"And I am the Dragonling Slayer you are talking to." His eyes met Kyouka's, who immediately averted hers. He turned towards Jackal, who scowled at him. "I want the funeral's preparations to be over by tomorrow." With that, he turned around and walked towards the exit, followed by Jackal.
"You make me sick," Jackal murmured. Silver scoffed, "Looks like someone did not take the murder well. And yesterday, you were blabbering on about how you'd pay to see what you saw today."
Jackal scowled and disappeared into the shadows. Silver stood there looking at the spot where he disappeared. He then turned to look at the raven-haired male he was carrying. He sighed and continued walking.
They had run into the forest, Natsu recalled. Lucy sat in front of him, trying to make him talk. Lyon was curled up in a corner, crying. They were in a shed, a hideout of some sort he presumed.
"Why," Natsu gulped. His throat felt scratchy from not being used. Lucy looked at him expectantly, "Why was he killed?"
Lucy let out a strangled sob, "I… I-I don't-"
"Because he was the Dragonling," Lyon spat out, "He was the Dragonling and they wanted him out of their way. And they knew we were powerless against them because of the sacred pact." He stood up in anger and walked towards the door, "I will kill them."
"No, Lyon!" Lucy ran towards the white-haired male, clutching his arm, "We can't act recklessly right now!"
"They killed my brother!" he screamed.
"And they will kill us too, if you don't think and act!" Lucy panted, looking at Lyon.
"I c-can't sit here doing nothing, Lucy."
"Then we will have our revenge." Lucy said with authority, "They broke the sacred pact by harming the citizens of Magnolia today. That means we are allowed to attack them. But we don't even know who they were, Lyon! And for our assault to be any damaging, we need a plan, Lyon," Lucy stressed the last four words.
"He knew," Natsu muttered.
Lucy turned towards him with wide eyes, "What? Who knew what, Natsu?"
"G-Gray," Natsu bit his lip, "He knew he was gonna get killed."
Before he knew, Lyon was towering above him. "How do you know?"
"He asked me to pick truth or dare," As Natsu recalled the scene, it made him realize how foolish he was. "He dared me to walk away from the scene." He continued, unable to stop, "He told me to go to Lucy. He asked me not to look back and I di-"
Lyon suddenly held him by his throat and Lucy gasped. "You are telling me that you walked away from the scene when Gray needed your help?! How fucking shameless could you be, you piece of-!"
"Lyon, please," Lucy struggled to free Natsu from Lyon's vice grip. "What could he have done? He is not one of us!"
Lyon dropped Natsu to the ground, who gasped for breath. "I-I am sorry," Natsu continued his venting. "I walked away from him. And I…"
"Shh, it's not your fault." Lucy whispered to him, hugging him, "Even if you had wanted to, once you agree to a promise with someone like us, you can't back away from it." She let out a hollow laugh, "He had planned this. I can't believe it."
"Yeah, okay," Lyon spoke exasperatedly, "He couldn't have helped Gray because he was stupid enough to agree to a Pact. But I can't believe you still don't feel it, Lucy!" Lyon exclaimed. "Do you seriously not feel the energy brewing inside him?"
"What are you talking about?" Lucy asked. He watched as Lucy looked at him. Suddenly, she gasped.
"You are like us," Lucy whispered in awe, "You… I can't believe this! How is that possible? I have been with you since ages and I never… even right now…"
Natsu felt confused. "What do you mean, 'someone like you'? What energy?"
Lucy took a deep breath, "Just shut everything out for a second. You would hear it."
Natsu paused and tried to do what Lucy suggested. He exhaled and concentrated. Suddenly, his eyes flew open. He had heard a very low buzzing around himself. It was coming from him. "I hear it." Not only did he hear the buzzing, he also felt something within him, thrumming with power. He stood up, looking at his arms. A faint glow surrounded him. "I… I see it."
"Wow… that was quick," Lucy whispered, looking at him. He gazed at her. Her features suddenly became sharper. Her eyes shone brighter. He saw a faint glow surrounding her. "You too, you are glowing," he turned his head, "and so is Lyon." He nearly wanted to laugh out loud, but the situation didn't let him.
"What is happening? How long have I been like this?"
Lucy, as if recovering from her surprise, "You just unlocked your power. I can't believe it. It took me years to even realize the buzzing around me, and it only took you mere seconds."
"You are a Mage of Light, Natsu." Lyon stated, "You have been like this since your birth. You just unlocked your powers right now." He suddenly looked away, "And if I could sense it…"
"… Then Gray could too." Lucy finished. "No wonder you couldn't have stopped to help Gray. You were under the direct influence a Light Pact, after all."
Natsu's world stopped. Gray knew he was in danger. Gray had sent Natsu away by a pact in the form of truth and dare. Gray knew Natsu was a wizard, but Natsu didn't. And that meant…
"He is dead because of me."
Lyon looked away. Lucy gulped. "It's not your fault, Natsu."
Natsu let out a hollow chuckle, "At least say it like you mean it."
"I mean it Natsu." Lucy said, "He died not just for you, but for us as well. Someone must have blackmailed him. And the only reason he would ever give up his life was because… because of his nakama," Lucy bit her lip, strangling another sob, "I bet there was some point in time where he had come in contact with one of the groups of the Underworld and…"
"No way," Lyon muttered, "I never let him. And after the war, he had always been under my surveillance." He suddenly paused and thought, "Except yesterday." He gasped. "He went out yesterday evening. He told me he was buying a gift for Natsu. I can't believe he-…" he sniffed. "I will kill them."
"I'll come with you." Natsu declared. Lucy and Lyon looked at him skeptically. "Natsu, this isn't a game. This is war. People are gonna die."
"I don't care." Natsu felt the energy inside him thrumming with every word, "Gray was killed in front of my eyes and I couldn't do anything to save him." He stood up straight with determination, "I have the power to hurt them. I have the desire to kill them. Let me avenge him."
Lucy and Lyon looked at each other and nodded.
"Come along, then."
TBC
Random Glossary
Types of Pacts
Pacts are special-ass promises that are initiated and can only be made by a mage of Light. They are, as hopefully observed above, very difficult to overrule for the powerless, and is nullified for one side, if the other side of power break it. Breaking a Blood Pact results in death.
Normal Pact: a pact between a mage and a normal human
Light Pact: a pact between two Light mages
Sacred Pact: a pact between the mages of Light and Darkness
Blood Pact: a pact that comes into force when a mage of Light pays with his life as a fulfillment of wishes
Hope it was worth the wait. :P NeuroLink will be updated shortly in a few days!
Stay tuned!
Feedback is always appreciated :)
Kori