Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
Fairy Tail—The Master and the Dragon
Chapter 2
Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Gray, and Happy led Gracie and Nikolias through Magnolia. As time passed, Nikolias seemed to be regaining his strength and, after a couple of minutes, was able to walk under his own power. Gracie had bought him another bag of chips as they walked, so he strolled alongside the group, munching away and smiling with content.
"So where exactly are we going?" Gracie finally asked.
Lucy turned to her. She still seemed a little nervous after what Nikolias had said earlier. "We're going to our guild. We can find privacy there."
"Guild?" Gracie asked.
"Guilds are places where wizards gather to take on missions," Lucy explained. She then pointed to the insignia on her hand. "We're all members of the Fairy Tail Guild!"
"Fairy Tail?"
Natsu looked at her with a big smile. "The best and strongest guild out there!"
Gracie giggled.
They walked the rest of the way partaking in idle conversation. All four mages tried to get to know Gracie a bit more since they already figured they would get nothing about Nikolias right now.
"So Gracie, are you a mage?" Gray asked.
"No, I'm afraid not."
"So what do you do?" Erza asked.
Gracie thought for a moment. "I think I'll save that for later. I promise to tell you, though."
"Why can't you just tell us now?" Gray asked.
Gracie just smiled. "It will make more sense when I explain everything at once."
The four mages were getting more and more curious by the second. They each stole a glance at Nikolias who was simply eating his chips and paying just enough attention to not crash into anybody.
"So Gracie, how long have you known Nikolias?" Lucy asked.
Gracie thought for a while. "My, how long has it been? I guess it's been…roughly ten years."
"Wow, that long? That's great! No wonder you two seem so close."
Gracie just smiled and nodded.
Eventually, they arrived at their destination; Fairy Tail.
"Here it is!" Natsu called out as he ran ahead. Happy flew after him with Gray, Lucy, and Erza following close behind.
Gracie stopped and stared at the building in amazement. "It's huge! What a lovely building. Niky, look at this building!"
"Very nice," Nikolias said simply, earning a slap to the head by Gracie. "Ow! What?"
"You were spacing out weren't you?"
"No I wasn't!"
"Then there's no excuse. What kind of answer is 'very nice'?"
"It's a perfectly good answer. What'd you want me to say?"
"Something more enthusiastic!"
Nikolias simply huffed and kept eating his chips. Gracie scowled at her partner for being so oblivious to anything other than food.
"Excuse me," Erza called from the door, "if you two are finished, you are welcome inside."
Gracie smiled and nodded before running ahead, giggling. Nikolias simply shook his head. "Why does she find everything so interesting?" he mumbled to himself, but quickened his pace slightly to catch up to her.
Erza held the door open for Gracie and Nikolias. Upon entering, both of them looked around in surprise. There were people sitting around, eating and laughing, telling stories, drinking at the bar, and even a peculiar old man walking around. Gracie and Nikolias looked at each other. Gracie had a huge smile on her face, completely in love with the environment of the guild. Nikolias, on the other hand, looked very uncomfortable.
"Come on in, guys!" Natsu called from across the room. This caused everyone in the guild to turn their heads to see who was at the door.
Gracie shot a hand in the air and waved excitedly. "Hey everyone!"
Nikolias just stood there, silently eating his chips.
"Good afternoon, you two," said the peculiar old man, who had made his way to the door to greet the guests. "My name is Makarov. I am the Master of Fairy Tail. And who might you be?"
Gracie bowed low. "It's a pleasure, Master Makarov. My name is Gracie."
Nikolias just stared at the old man, but an elbow to the gut from Gracie forced him to follow suit. "My name is Nikolias," he said, bowing.
"I see. Very nice to meet you both. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"
Erza interjected. "We met these two in town, Master. Natsu and Gray were fighting when Gray collided with Nikolias. After that, something strange happened and we were promised an explanation when we found a more private location to discuss things."
Makarov raised an eyebrow. "Something strange? Like what?"
"We're not entirely sure, Master, but hopefully we will know soon."
Gracie nodded. "Yes, Niky says it's okay to explain so if we can find someplace to talk, I will tell you what happened."
"Of course," Makarov said. "You may have a seat right there and you can tell your story." He pointed to a table in the middle of the room.
"Oh…that's not really as…private as I thought it would be," Gracie said slowly.
"You can trust everyone here," Makarov assured. "Besides, it would spread around the guild anyway, so it's best if you tell everyone yourself."
Nikolias snorted. "Of course they wouldn't be able to keep a secret. Typical of humans." This earned a questioning glance from everyone who heard.
"Niky, we're guests. Be polite!" Gracie scolded. Nikolias just looked away. Gracie sighed and turned to face Makarov. "Very well, if you think that's best." She made her way over to the table and sat down. Nikolias followed and sat beside her.
The entire guild gathered around, interested in the tale. Natsu and his team stood in the front as the story involved them.
Gracie smiled at her audience. "I think this will go faster and be much easier if you ask questions and I'll answer. If I feel like the question pertains to anyone here, then I will answer. However, we did just meet, and although I like you guys, there are some things better left unsaid. So if I feel that the question is—with all due respect—none of your business, then I will simply say that I can't answer. Does that sound agreeable?" Everyone nodded. "Very well then. Ask away!"
Lucy was the first to ask a question. "What did Nikolias mean when he said we were almost dinner?"
Everyone who hadn't been there looked shocked and stared at Nikolias in confusion.
Gracie nodded. "I will answer that. You see, Nikolias is…" she stopped as she suddenly found it hard to explain to strangers exactly what Nikolias was. She turned to Nikolias, who simply placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and gave a small smile, telling her that it was okay to explain. After taking a deep breath, she continued. "Nikolias is a Half-Dragon."
Everyone gasped.
"What's a Half-Dragon?" Lucy asked.
"I guess that does need to be answered to answer the first question. I won't go into the whole process or the whole story, but I will give you a short summary. Half-Dragons are a long extinct breed. They are the result of the intense bond of friendship shared between a dragon and human. When the dragon feels the bond is at its peak, it chooses to undergo a special ritual with the human called Dragon Spirit; the ultimate bond between man and beast. When the ritual is complete, the human becomes a Half-Dragon."
"Why do they call it Half-Dragon?" Natsu asked, clearly interested in every word Gracie said.
Gracie smiled at Lucy. "I swear I'll answer your original question." She then turned to Natsu. "They're called Half-Dragons for a very obvious reason. Half-Dragons have the ability to partially and fully transform into a dragon."
All eyes turned to Nikolias, stunned expressions on their faces. Upon seeing their faces, Nikolias simply laughed before returning to his chips.
"Anyway, to go back to the first question, because Nikolias is a Half-Dragon, he gets incredibly hungry from time to time. This kind of hunger rarely appears, but when it does, it can be trouble. He has to constantly eat until he is 'full'."
Erza stepped forward. "I understand now that Nikolias acted the way he did because his hunger was unsatisfied, but how does that make people 'dinner'?"
"This kind of hunger is brought on by his dragon side. It's a hunger that calls for Nikolias to eat anything that is considered edible to a dragon, which includes humans. As long as Nikolias keeps eating until he's full, though, that side of him will lie dormant until the next time the incredible hunger returns."
"How rarely is rarely?" Erza asked.
"I've been by Nikolias' side for about ten years and I've only seen it twice. The most recent occurrence is present day. The other time was about nine years ago. I wasn't prepared for that one, though." Gracie looked at the ground, slightly sad. "Anyway, it's not like clockwork, based on what Nikolias has told me. It happens randomly, but the shortest gap between instances was apparently five years."
"So what happens if this 'dragon side' is awakened?" Gray asked.
Gracie looked up. "He'll partially transform into a dragon and eat whatever he sees. If he sees a human, though, he goes straight for them, even if there's other food in the area."
"Can you explain this partial transformation?" Makarov asked.
"He takes on only a few dragon characteristics and maintains the other human characteristics and his body size."
Makarov spoke up again. "You mentioned earlier that Half-Dragons were long extinct. If that's true, then how is Nikolias one?"
Gracie shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't answer that one." Makarov grumbled, but he did agree to leave Gracie be if she didn't want to answer, so he left it alone.
"Is Nikolias a danger to be around?" Erza asked.
Gracie shook her head. "That one's difficult to explain. The short answer would be no, though."
"Can you explain when he is dangerous?" Erza followed up, looking for more details.
"On the rare occasion he is experiencing his incredible hunger, he is dangerous when he is not eating anything. That's all I'm comfortable saying about that, though."
"Does he ever lose control?" Gajeel asked. He was also becoming more interested in this Half-Dragon business.
"Again, if he doesn't have anything to eat during his immense hunger swings, then he loses control until his hunger is satisfied."
"That's it?" Gajeel huffed. "That's the only way he loses control?"
"He is very good at controlling his abilities."
Gajeel just glared at Nikolias. He knew that there was something Gracie was leaving out, but he didn't know what.
"How long do his hunger swings last?" Lucy asked, nervous about the answer.
"Less than 24 hours. This current instance should pass in an hour or two." Gracie's answer allowed Lucy to exhale in relief.
Mira, who had been listening intently to everything since Gracie and Nikolias arrived, stepped forward. "Gracie, why does Nikolias seem to think so little of humans if he's part human?"
Gracie smiled sadly at the mage. "Nikolias doesn't have the best history with humans. He doesn't hate them or anything, but he can't see why some act the way they do, so his view of them isn't always positive. I'm sorry, but that's all I can really say on the matter."
"I see," Mira said sadly. She looked at Nikolias and was surprised to see him looking at her, too. She locked onto his eyes and found that she couldn't bring herself to look away. His eyes were a golden brown with flecks of black and they had her in a trance. As she stared, she felt like she could see pain in his eyes, pain that he was trying to hide and forget. She felt like she could cry and she didn't even know what happened. She felt the need to know this boy and understand what he had seen and experienced. After staring at each other for a while, Nikolias gave her a small smile and broke the eye contact.
How weird, Mira thought. It almost seemed like he forced himself to look away…
"Any other questions?" Gracie asked after there had been a silence for a while.
"Yes, Gracie. You said that you would tell us what you do. Can you explain now?" Erza asked.
Gracie nodded. "Of course! I almost forgot. I am a Dragon Master."
"What's that?" Erza inquired.
"It's my job to make sure Nikolias keeps his composure. It rarely becomes an issue, but it does happen, so I become a calming effect for him. Other than that, when we're fighting, I give commands and such, like a tactician. That's not to say I don't fight, but strategy is important."
Natsu raised his hand. "Can Nikolias show us some stuff?"
Nikolias raised an eyebrow.
Gracie laughed at the boy's excitement. "That's up to Niky."
Natsu looked pleadingly at Nikolias. Even Gajeel and Wendy had hopeful looks, although Gajeel was trying to mask it as best he could.
Nikolias sighed and stood up. "Fine, I'll show you one thing, but let's take it outside." He moved towards the door with Gracie right behind him. Natsu followed eagerly with the rest of the guild right behind him. They all wanted to see what Nikolias would do.
Outside of the guild, everyone stood directly by the gate to provide Nikolias with space, per Gracie's instructions.
"Alright, you get one thing, but it can't be too big. I don't want to destroy the whole town. What do you want to see?" Nikolias called out.
"Transform into a dragon!" Natsu called out excitedly.
Nikolias sighed. "That's too big, kid. Think smaller."
"What about a partial transformation?" Makarov asked. He was still a little confused by this concept.
Nikolias pondered this request. "I could show you that if you want."
"Wait, what about his hunger thing?" Lucy asked nervously. She didn't want to die a virgin and she especially didn't want to be dragon food.
Nikolias ran a hand through his hair. "As long as I'm the one to call out my dragon side, I have complete control. It's only when I try to repress it that it becomes a problem. Does that make sense?"
Lucy shook her head. "Not really. I don't see how that small difference could matter."
Nikolias thought. "Think of it like this; when I choose to transform, I keep my thoughts, beliefs, emotions, etc. Because of that, I'm not a mindless eating machine. However, if the transformation occurs without my consent, then my mind can't go with it."
"But if you can feel the transformation occurring like you could back in the square, why not transform voluntarily every time you feel it?" Lucy asked.
"The dragon inside isn't constantly trying to push through when I go through these intense bouts of hunger. I eat like I do during these times as a way to ensure I'm satisfied for the duration. It's more precautionary than anything else. However, when my dragon side is trying to push through, like you saw in town today, I don't have time to get my mind in order to perform a transformation through choice. Attempting it would allow my dragon side to easily take over."
Natsu turned to Lucy impatiently. "There, ya happy, Lucy? He won't eat you." He looked back to Nikolias. "Can you transform now?"
Nikolias sighed. He took one more chip out of the bag and ate it before tossing the bag to Gracie. He then took off his shirt to reveal a muscular body with toned abs and incredible pecs, making most of the girls blush. He tossed this to Gracie as well. "Alright, alright. Hold on." He then proceeded to close his eyes.
Everyone was waiting excitedly.
Suddenly, Nikolias' entire body became engulfed in thin shadows that danced around him. Everyone was in awe. The transformation was beginning.
No one could believe what they were seeing. Nikolias' arms had black scales forming on them, starting at his mid-bicep and working their way to his hands. When the scales reached his hands, his hands began expanding into large claws. His fingernails started growing longer until they formed solid razor-sharp talons. Out of the sides of his forearms appeared two long, black, sharp blades that bent upwards and pointed to the sky.
Out of nowhere, the shoes Nikolias was wearing exploded off of his feet, revealing that his legs and feet were also covered in black scales and his feet were now slightly larger versions of his hands.
From his backside, a long black tail shot out and slammed into the ground with incredible force. From the tip of the tail, spiked plates started rising up and moving up his spine, increasing in size as they went up the spine.
From beneath his shoulder blades, two massive black wings shot into the air. Nikolias spread them out fully to stretch them, even flapping a few times to shake out the stiffness. The membrane was thin, but not transparent and was slightly lighter in color than the rest of his dragon parts. After stretching them out for a while, Nikolias folded his wings back up against his back.
Nikolias' teeth started to elongate slightly, turning into sharp fangs. He could still close his mouth and conceal the teeth if he so chose, but instead allowed them to shine in the light of the setting sun. Black scales surrounded his closed eyes and began spreading outwards. However, once scales covered his eyes, temples, cheek bones, and the bridge of his nose, they stopped expanding.
Nikolias' ears disappeared into his skull. From the crown of his skull rose four long, boney black spikes. The two in the center were slightly shorter than the ones on the outside.
It took a total of about ten seconds for Nikolias to transform. Now that he was done, the shadows that were enveloping him vanished, giving everyone a good look at the result. Nikolias opened his eyes, revealing golden eyes with black flecks mixed in and black slits for pupils. With the transformation complete, he threw his head back and unleashed a mighty roar. Chills went down the spines of all in attendance, Gracie being the only exception.
Nikolias went down on all fours, as this felt more natural to him in this state, and sat staring at the amazed Fairy Tail wizards.
"Awesome!" shouted Natsu as he jumped up and down.
"Incredible…," Gray whispered.
"Holy shit, he can actually do it," Gajeel said.
"How cool!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Very interesting," Makarov said as he studied the creature in front of him.
"Beautiful…," Mira breathed.
All the Fairy Tail wizards began throwing their thoughts and opinions around about what they just saw and what they were currently seeing.
Gracie simply giggled and walked over to Nikolias' sitting form. He saw her walking towards him and bared his teeth in a smile. When she got to him she started petting his head and waited for the commotion to die down.
After about 30 minutes of banter, Makarov put his hands in the air. "Alright everyone, that's enough. We saw something incredible today, that's for sure." He looked to Gracie and Nikolias. "We greatly appreciate you showing us this transformation, Nikolias."
Nikolias bowed his head in acknowledgement.
Makarov looked at Gracie. "Can he not speak?"
Gracie shook her head. "Only through the mind, but you have to form a special communication link to talk with him. Unfortunately, unless he completely trusts you, he won't offer that link. He can understand you though; just don't ask him anything you need an answer to."
Makarov scratched his chin. "I see. Well, if you wish you can transform back, Nikolias, but it's up to you."
Nikolias closed his eyes, stood up on his hind legs, and once again, he was surrounded by thin shadows. Everyone watched as the scales vanished, the blades retracted, the claws and talons became hands, feet, and fingernails, the teeth shrank back down, the boney protrusions in his skull disappeared while the ears reappeared, and the tail and wings vanished back within his body. The shadows disappeared and Nikolias opened his eyes, revealing the golden brown eyes he had before. He shot everyone a smile. "Show's over!"
Everyone was still blown away, but Makarov found the ability to speak. "My boy, you truly are impressive. Thank you for showing us that."
"Happy to oblige."
Makarov looked at Gracie. "So where are you two staying?"
Gracie smiled. "We had no intentions of staying. We were just passing through."
"Well surely you can't be thinking of leaving at this hour? It's almost dark out," Makarov said. "You may sleep in the guild if you wish."
Gracie looked at Nikolias. "Can we, Niky? Please? I bet they have really comfortable beds."
Nikolias sighed. "Fine, we'll spend the night."
Gracie squealed with glee and threw her arms around Nikolias' neck. "Thanks, Niky!" She then ran towards the group and started chatting with the girls about having a slumber party in the guild, which all the girls excitedly agreed to.
Nikolias could only sigh at how quickly Gracie could make friends, but there was no mistaking the small smile on his face.
