Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

Fairy Tail—The Master and the Dragon

Chapter 50

802 YEARS AGO

Nikolias sat on the grass of the training field, leaning back on his arms and stretching his legs out as he looked up. "I don't get it. I thought we were jumping right into training today."

Dagor craned his neck forward. "You certainly are eager. I am glad."

"What did you expect, Dad?" he asked. "I mean, I just became a Half-Dragon yesterday. I wanna get started with transformations!"

"Yes, in a moment we will," Dagor assured. "However, there is something very important that I realize I forgot to tell you yesterday."

"Something important, huh?" Nikolias sighed. "What, do I only have twenty years left to live now?"

Dagor tilted his head. "Why on earth would I have you go through a ritual that would shorten your lifespan? You will actually live much longer because of the ritual." Dagor shook his massive head. "No, what I want to talk to you about is something of great significance that you must always remember."

"Okay, I'm listening."

"I want to talk to you about a phenomenon known as Dragon Feast."

"Dragon Feast?" Nikolias repeated. "What's that?"

Dagor lifted his head. "It is the drawback of your newfound power."

"How so?"

Dagor hummed. "I believe the best thing to start with is better explaining what you have become. You are now part dragon, Nikolias. It is a new side of you, meaning that you not only have a human body and consciousness, but you also have a dragon body and consciousness."

"What do you mean by consciousness?" Nikolias asked.

"In a sense, it is like there is another you inside of you; a dragon you."

"So what, is it gonna break out?" Nikolias asked.

"No, it is not a separate entity. You are in complete control."

"Then why are you telling me all of this?" Nikolias asked. "What's the point if I have complete control over this supposed other side of me?"

"I am telling you this because of the one instance when your control is threatened and that instance is Dragon Feast," Dagor said.

"Alright, now what is Dragon Feast?" Nikolias asked impatiently.

"I am about to explain it," Dagor huffed. "Dragon Feast is a phenomenon where the dragon side of you tries to become the dominant side in order to feed. If your dragon side manages to take control, you will not be able to regain control until the hunger of the dragon is satisfied."

"How long does it take for the hunger to be satisfied?"

"Roughly a day. The more you eat, the faster it will pass, though."

Nikolias scratched his head. "Sorry Dad, but I can't see what the big deal is. So what if the dragon side of me comes out? I'm not evil, so I wouldn't attack my friends or the townspeople."

"It has nothing to do with being good or evil, Nikolias," Dagor said. "When Dragon Feast occurs and if the dragon is in control, you will eat anything you see that is considered edible to dragons."

"So deer, fish, birds…"

"And humans."

Nikolias' eyes widened. "What?"

Dagor looked sadly at Nikolias. "Now you see why I am telling you this. If you allow the dragon in you to take over and you see a human, you will hunt them down and devour them, even if there is other food around."

Nikolias was sitting up now, fear in his eyes. "Crap, when does this Dragon Feast happen?"

"There is no way to predict when it will occur," Dagor said while shaking his head. "It can happen at any time and be separated by any number of years."

Nikolias leapt to his feet. "Then what do I do, Dad?" he begged. "I don't wanna eat people!"

"The key is to recognize the signs."

"What are the signs?"

"Your sense of smell will be heightened slightly, you will feel aggression towards others, especially those you feel are threatening your mate, and it will feel like something is trying to break out. Once you begin noticing this final sign, you have perhaps a day's time before Dragon Feast begins."

"And what happens when I notice the signs?"

"You must immediately prevent your dragon side from taking control by eating nonstop for, at most, 24 hours. That satisfies your inner dragon."

"Eating what?"

"Anything. There are no specifications."

Nikolias let his head hang. "Wow. That's a lot to take in."

"Nikolias," Dagor said moving his head directly in front of Nikolias, "promise me that you will take care to not let your inner dragon take control during Dragon Feast."

Nikolias looked up and, with a serious look on his face, nodded. "I promise, Dad. I'll do everything I can. I don't want to devour anyone."


PRESENT DAY

"Something to eat?" Dayton asked. "Why do you want that?"

Nikolias was trembling as his fingers cracked the stone floor. "I don't have time to explain," he panted. "Just give me anything, please!"

Dayton turned to Soyer. "What do we have to eat?"

Soyer eyed Nikolias. "We're not allowed to give food to prisoners."

Nikolias' body was beginning to shine, even with such little light, from the heavy sweat that was clinging to his body. "You don't understand," he growled. "If I don't eat something now, bad things will happen."

"I don't believe you," Soyer said.

"Come on, Soyer," Dayton said. "He's clearly in pain."

"He's a prisoner, boy," Soyer grumbled. "He doesn't get special treatment because you idolize him."

Nikolias was now violently shaking while his body was tensing up. He could feel his dragon side pushing harder than it ever had before, trying desperately to take over. And if he didn't get anything to eat soon, it was going to succeed. He tried to pick his head up off of the floor to look at Dayton and Soyer, his pained eyes flickering. "Please," he whispered, "give me anything to eat. Not for my sake, but for all of yours."

"What are you talking about?" Soyer growled.

"I…can't explain…now," Nikolias wheezed. He could feel himself slipping away. "Not…enough time. Please."

"Just give him something!" Dayton begged. "What can we give him?"

Suddenly, Nikolias' back arched off of the ground as a painful cry erupted from his throat. "I can't hold it back much longer!" he roared.

"What's happening?" Dayton asked.

Nikolias knew he had very little time left, so he knew he had two options. Option one was to try to explain things to the two guards before tearing their flesh from their bodies. Option two was to get them out of there. The choice was clear. He squeezed his eyes shut as another wave of intense pain surged through his body. "Listen…to me," he rasped. His voice was rougher and deeper than before. "You need…to get out…of here. Leave…behind as much…food as you can…in plain sight. Then, get…everyone out. Don't let…anyone stay here." He cried out as he felt like his body was on fire. Time was running out.

"Explain yourself!" Soyer demanded.

"I DON'T HAVE TIME!" Nikolias roared, his eyes now fixed on Soyer—eyes that were dragon-like. "Please, Soyer. You have…a family to…think about. I'm begging you…don't let me be the one…who takes a father…away from his children. Please."

"Are you threatening my family?" Soyer hissed.

"He's not," Dayton said. "He's trying to save us."

"How naïve are you?" Soyer shot at Dayton.

Nikolias' hair was standing on end and his breathing was getting heavier. "There's not much time," he said. His voice was now extremely rough, almost animalistic. "Please do as I say. Get away from here, leave plenty of food lying around the building in plain sight, and for the love of God, GET EVERYONE OUT OF HERE!"

Dayton was pulling on Soyer. "Come on, Soyer. Let's go!"

Soyer yanked his arm from Dayton's grip. "Are you really that stupid? He's clearly trying to escape by scaring us."

Nikolias let his head sit on the floor. He realized that there was nothing else for him to say. Soyer was refusing to listen and Nikolias could feel his dragon side taking over. He panted from fatigue and frustration as his teeth began to elongate.

Dayton turned and ran for the stairs. "Well I'm going to warn everyone. You should come too, Soyer."

Soyer glared at him. "I am going to do my job, boy."

Dayton stopped at the first step to look at Nikolias. He couldn't see too well in the light from that distance, but he could tell that Nikolias was still shaking and was still in pain. He then looked to Soyer and saw that the older man had returned to his post. "Fine. Clearly nothing can change your mind." With that, he ran up the stairs.

Soyer turned to Nikolias. "This little act of yours is convincing, but I'm too good at what I do. You won't get rid of me that easily." Nikolias didn't respond. His heavy breathing had evened out and slowed down and his body looked far less tense—but far more black. Soyer narrowed his eyes, thinking that he was seeing things in the poor light. "What the hell?"

Nikolias' hands and feet were large claws, talons gleaming in the small firelight as they bore into the stones. Black scales covered the parts of his arms and legs that were visible and black, scythe-like blades extended from each of his forearms. Black and bony spikes rose from the back of his skull and Soyer could no longer see his ears. A long black tail had appeared from his backside and sat motionlessly on the ground while thin, spiked plates lined his spine. His back was arched as he stood on all fours, his head down while pained grunts occasionally escaped his throat.

"What's going on?" Soyer demanded.

Nikolias' shirt ripped open as two massive black wings shot out from beneath his shoulder blades. He stretched them out fully and slowly as he began to stand.

Soyer felt his body freeze. "What are you?"

As Nikolias continued to straighten up, he bared his fangs and glared at Soyer with golden eyes that glowed in the darkness, all the while growling at the man. Once he straightened up, Soyer could clearly see that his entire face was covered in black scales that traveled part way down his neck.

Soyer unconsciously took a step back. "You are a monster."

Nikolias' growl deepened at the remark before releasing a powerful roar at Soyer. The roar echoed throughout the small dungeon area and traveled up the stairs. He then made for the cell bars, but immediately tripped due to the cuffs around his legs.

Nikolias grumbled as he looked over his restraints. He pushed himself back up to his hind legs so that he was standing upright and, with a mighty roar, pulled the cuffs around his wrists apart, snapping the magic that connected them. He then wrapped his talons around the iron cuffs and broke them off with a single pull.

Soyer had seen enough. The supposedly unbreakable iron of Captain Caro's Iron Touch magic was snapped like it was made of clay. The magic chain alone should have kept him from breaking free. With a fearful cry, he turned around and bolted for the stairs.

Nikolias narrowed his eyes at his retreating prey. He roared as he kicked forward with his left leg, easily snapping that magic chain as well. Once again, he broke off the iron cuffs with little effort for no reason other than it was too annoying to just keep them there. Nikolias then lifted his hands to the thick iron ring around his neck and pulled, easily snapping it in half. He let the iron fall to the ground with a loud crash. He then set his eyes on the true prison; his cell.

Shadows shrouded his blades as he lunged at the iron bars. With a huff, Nikolias swung his right arm high and across his body, slicing through the bars like they were butter. His momentum had him crouched low and, with another huff, swung his left arm low and across his body, once again slicing through the iron. He got down on all fours to watch the iron bars fall and clang on the ground. Once his door had presented itself, he leapt out and bounded for the stairs, taking multiple steps at a time.

For he could smell delicious things above him and he wanted to feast.


"Soyer?" Dayton asked, noticing the older man had caught up with him. "I thought you weren't coming?"

"Mind your own damn business and run!" Soyer shouted, passing the younger guard as he made for the door to the main hall. "The dragon is on his way here!"

"Nikolias broke out?" Dayton asked in shock.

"He broke Captain Caro's iron like it was nothing!"

Dayton paled slightly at hearing just how strong Nikolias was. "Then we need to hurry. I'll leave food around while you warn everyone to get out of here, just like Nikolias said we should."

The two guards continued to quickly climb the stairs until the exit from the dungeons was in sight. Soyer was the first to reach the large wooden door. He threw it open and immediately started shouting, "DRAGON ON THE LOOSE! EVERYONE RUN!"

There were a few guards in the area, since it wasn't a typically heavily populated section of the Magic Council. Of the seven men in the area, two ran to spread the news. The others laughed it off as Soyer going senile. After all, Captain Caro had arrested the dragon. How could he possibly have escaped?

Soyer was too focused on spreading the news to notice that he was being ignored. He dashed down hallway after hallway, shouting at the top of his lungs, "DRAGON ON THE LOOSE! EVERYONE RUN!" Still, not many guards ran.

Meanwhile, Dayton had made it to the kitchen, grabbing as much food in his arms as he could carry. He then took the food and began running down the halls, dropping an item here and there so that it was in plain sight. Once he ran out of food, he joined Soyer's efforts in warning people. Unfortunately, due to his age and inexperience, even fewer people took him seriously. They figured he was just a scared newbie who thought that a small scratching sound was the dragon's grand escape.

Dayton and Soyer met up at the entrance to the Magic Council, both panting from their running. "What now?" Dayton asked.

"You run with everyone else," Soyer said. "I'm going to quickly alert the Heads of the Magic Council before getting out of here myself."

Dayton nodded. "Okay. Be careful, Soyer."

"You too, kid," Soyer said with a nod as the two went their separate ways. Soyer gritted his teeth. "The Heads sure did pick a grand time to be away for a meeting."


"What was that?" a guard asked as he turned his attention to the wooden door that led to the lower dungeons.

"I didn't hear anything," another guard said. "You must be getting paranoid like Grandpa Soyer."

The first guard narrowed his eyes at the door. "I could've sworn I heard…"

The second guard waited patiently for his friend to finish his sentence, but he got tired of waiting. "Heard what?"

"A roar."

Suddenly, the wooden door burst open, sending splinters of wood in every direction. And crouched in the now vacant doorway was a growling Nikolias in his partial dragon form.

"The dragon is loose!" cried the second guard. "Sound the ale…" However, he wasn't able to finish his sentence, for in the blink of an eye, Nikolias was upon him, sinking his long fangs into the man's neck. Blood sprayed out as the man collapsed to the ground, his neck still in between Nikolias' jaws.

The first guard let out a scream as he fell to the ground. His legs had turned to jelly and he couldn't bring himself to move. All he could do was watch as his friend was being devoured before his very eyes.

Nikolias ripped a piece of flesh from the man's body and quickly gulped it down. He licked his lips before driving his fangs back into the man's flesh for more.

The first guard had finally recovered enough to stand. He stood on shaky legs and ran as best he could, shouting at the top of his lungs, "DRAGOOOOOOON!"


"Excellent work, Captain Caro," Gran Doma said. "A truly fine job."

Caro bowed before the Heads of the Magic Council. "Thank you, sir. I do apologize for interrupting your meeting, but I felt that I should inform you of the status of the mission."

"No need to apologize," Gran Doma said. "You were right to fill us in."

Caro bowed again. "Thank you, Chairman."

Gran Doma leaned back in his large seat. "So the dragon has finally been captured? This truly is excellent news."

"Yes sir," Caro said. "He even went quietly."

"Even better," Gran Doma said. "Now, we need not worry about another dragon attack. He will lie in that cell for the rest of his unnatural life."

"Yes sir," Caro said.

Suddenly, the giant communication lacrima sitting in the middle of the wooden meeting table began to light up and make a high chirping sound. Gran Doma turned it on with a sweep of his hand and saw a guard panting heavily. "Why are you calling in the middle of a meeting?"

"I apologize, sir, but it's an emergency," the guard said.

"Sir Chairman," Caro spoke up. "This guard is one of mine. Please allow him to speak."

Gran Doma sighed. "Very well."

Caro bowed. "Thank you, sir." He then looked to the communication lacrima. "Speak, Soyer. What reason do you have in contacting the Magic Council when you know that they're in a meeting?"

"Captain Caro!" Soyer exclaimed. "The Half-Dragon has escaped!"

Caro's eyes widened. "What? What do you mean he's escaped?"

"He's escaped, sir!" Soyer repeated. "He broke free of the handcuffs!"

"Impossible!" Caro shouted. "Those cuffs were made of my iron—iron so strong and dangerous that I'm required to wear these gloves so as to not accidently harm anyone or destroy anything. And you're telling me he broke it?"

"Exactly, sir!" Soyer said. "I wanted to keep you updated, but I'm going to leave now. I believe the dragon to be out of the dungeons, for more and more guards seem to be fleeing for the exit."

"Is he attacking?" Org asked. Below Chairman Gran Doma, he had the most authority in the Magic Council. He was opposed to the arrest of the Half-Dragon since he felt that Fairy Tail could keep him under control. He also feared this very situation. After all, how could they hope to contain such an unknown?

"I believe so, sir," Soyer responded. "I heard a silenced scream not too long ago."

Gran Doma rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Before you retreat, contact Fairy Tail and let them know what's happening. Tell them we need their assistance. He's one of them, after all."

Soyer nodded, but the fear of staying any longer was clear in his eyes. "Yes, sir." The lacrima then went clear, indicating that Soyer had cut communications.

Caro clenched his fists. "He broke free of all my restraints and broke out of his cell?"

"Caro, what are you going to do to clean up this mess and stop this beast?" Gran Doma barked.

Caro bowed low. "I promise you, sir Chairman; I will handle the situation." He turned on his heels and walked quickly out of the meeting hall, an angry scowl on his face. "Oh, I'll take care of it," he growled, "even if I have to kill that Half-Dragon myself."


Nikolias yawned as he calmly strolled through the halls of the Magic Council, his talons clicking on the tiled floors and echoing in the empty space. He was still incredibly hungry, even after eating all of the food he had found lying around. He had even come across another human and was able to hunt him down with ease, but still, despite all of the food and two humans, he needed more—much more. But the halls of this strange building were barren and he was not happy about it.

He continued to search the halls, scattered papers and books littering some of the floors, but nothing edible in sight. He huffed in frustration. There had to be food somewhere, and he was determined to find it. His golden dragon eyes scanned every inch of the area, hunger driving him to keep searching.

Suddenly, his sensitive ears picked up a faint sound off to his right. His head whipped around and he crawled like a cat over to the sound, slowly and quietly. He followed the sound all the way to a small room. There, he saw a tall man with short gray hair and a scruffy gray goatee whispering at a shining crystal orb. He could smell the sweat clinging to the man's skin and he could hear that his breathing was uneven. Nikolias licked his lips with his long, slender tongue before slowly opening his jaws and releasing a low growl.

The man heard this and slowly turned his head. Nikolias could both smell and see the fear that resided in this man's heart. This fear further excited Nikolias as he began to salivate. He crouched down slightly and lunged for the man.

And the last words Nikolias heard the man say before he reached him were, "I love you, Heather. Daddy loves you, Sadie and Rebecca." As soon as those words left his lips, they were immediately replaced by agonized screams as Nikolias' fangs and claws tore through the man's flesh. He tackled the man to the floor, knocking over the crystal orb in the process and causing it to shatter. Blood pooled on the ground below the man as Nikolias feasted on his flesh. The man's suffering didn't last long. He died in a matter of seconds.

Once he had his fill of the man, he licked his lips and talons clean before walking off in search of more food. However, he could no longer sense any food in the giant building, although he kept patrolling the halls in the hopes that he could find something to eat. He eventually came across a hallway with giant windows as one of its walls. He could see the sky and large mountains encircling the building he was in. His instincts told him that he was sure to find food out there so, with a roar, he broke through the windows and took to the skies, soaring high over the mountains until he saw a large forest sitting on the outskirts of the large mountains. He could smell and hear wildlife coming from the wooded area so he headed straight for the forest floor, prepared to continue the hunt for food.


A FEW MINUTES AGO

Mira stood behind the bar, mindlessly wiping down some glasses. Her eyes were downcast and her expression was that of sorrow. Nikolias had only been gone a few hours now, but she already felt like her world was crashing down around her. She had no idea how she was going to survive an entire lifetime of knowing that Nikolias was in prison forever. It also didn't help that her walk made things worse, especially what Laxus said. He had been so cold, his words like daggers all because he was jealous. Couldn't he see how much she was hurting? Why would he do that to her?

"Hey, Mira," Gracie said as she walked over and let her head rest on the counter.

"Hello, Gracie," Mira said softly. "How'd it go?"

Gracie closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm coming up empty. This so sucks."

"You're doing your best," Mira said.

Gracie slammed her fist on the counter, startling Mira slightly. "But it's not good enough! I need to figure out how to get Niky out of that prison cell. Doing my best, but still failing to figure out how to legally free him isn't something to be proud of."

Mira placed her hand gently on top of Gracie's fist. "I appreciate all your hard work."

Gracie lifted her head to look at Mira's sad smile. Tears immediately began filling the blonde's eyes as she let her head hang. "I'm sorry, Mira. I'll figure it out. I promise I'll figure it out."

"I know you will," Mira said with a nod while squeezing Gracie's hand. If there was anyone who wanted Nikolias freed more than her, it was Gracie, so she knew she could count on her to figure something out.

"Everyone come here quickly!" Macao cried, holding a communication lacrima in his hand. "It's the Magic Council. They say they have something important to tell us!" Macao placed the communication lacrima on the counter so that everyone could gather around. Once they did, they could see a fearful looking man with short gray hair and a scruffy gray goatee in the communication lacrima.

"How can we help you?" Makarov asked. He had made sure to be at the front of the group.

"Please, you have to help," the man whispered. "The Half-Dragon has escaped and is attacking us."

"What?" Gracie shouted.

"Tell us everything," Makarov demanded. "What's going on?"

The man took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. He kept his voice low as he began. "We were guarding him and everything was fine. He said he had no intention of escaping. However, out of nowhere, he just went crazy. It seemed like he was in pain. I turned away for just a moment and there were suddenly scales all over his body as well as wings and a tail. He broke free of his restraints and has started attacking people."

Gracie pushed her way to the front so that she could look the man in the eyes. "What's your name?"

"Soyer," the man whispered.

"Alright Soyer, you're going to answer every question I have," Gracie said.

Soyer's head quickly whipped around, but seeing nothing there, he returned his attention to Gracie. "Please, I don't have time. That thing is out there and I need to get out of here. I have a family to think about after all. Look, the Chairman of the Magic Council asked me to inform you of the situation and is asking for your aid. That's all I can say right now."

"I still have questions, bub," Gracie spat, but before she could ask any, a low growl could be heard through the communication lacrima.

Soyer's eyes widened as he slowly turned his head to the side. "I love you, Heather. Daddy loves you, Sadie and Rebecca," he whispered. And then he was gone as a blur knocked him over. Everyone in Fairy Tail could hear agonizing screams for a second before communications were terminated.

Lucy gripped Natsu's arm. "Nikolias wouldn't just attack the Magic Council, would he?"

"This makes no sense," Gray said while crossing his arms. "The whole reason Nikolias went with them willingly was to avoid a fight. And now he's attacking them? Something ain't right."

"This is all wrong," Mira whispered. "There's a mistake. It's not Nikolias."

Gracie was gripping the bar counter so tightly that her knuckles were white. Her body was trembling as her eyes were focused on the clear communication lacrima. "Niky, don't tell me…" She then whipped around. "Someone get me a map of the Magic Council's headquarters!"

Levy ran to her books and flipped through them before finding the one she wanted. She ran it over to Gracie and opened it to a certain page. "There it is," Levy said. "The new Magic Council headquarters."

Gracie studied the map intently, her eyes darting from detail to detail as she analyzed it thoroughly. After a few seconds, she pointed to a forest. "I bet he'll go here," she whispered to herself as she dragged her finger across the paper to a small town, "and will start to make his way here." She tapped the map with her finger. "We're going here; to Sapphire Village."

"Why there?" Erza asked.

Gracie straightened up and looked at her with a face more serious than anyone had ever seen Gracie make. "Because I have a very bad feeling that I know exactly what's going on."


Nikolias prowled through the brush, careful not to rustle the branches and leaves. He peered through the shrubs, his golden eyes narrowing at the deer before him. It was grazing peacefully, completely unaware of his presence. He lowered himself to the ground, wiggled his tail slightly, and sprang forward.

The deer wasn't able to react in time as it was tackled to the ground. It cried out, but was quickly silenced when Nikolias plunged his fangs into its neck. Its body twitched for a moment before lying lifeless underneath Nikolias' clawed hands and feet. Feeling the animal's heart stop, Nikolias began to feast on his prey.

He had been hunting through the woods for a couple hours now, finding a few creatures he could hunt. He found a couple rabbits, some birds, and even a bear. He loved the rabbits the best, though, because they ran upon sensing him and there was nothing Nikolias liked better than prey he could chase down. It excited him.

Nikolias finished picking at the deer's carcass, licking his lips and talons clean before continuing his search for more food. Even after all he ate, he still wasn't satisfied. He needed more—much more.

He continued roaming the forest floor when his nose picked up a rather sweet smell. He sniffed the air repeatedly, trying to identify the sweet aroma, but he couldn't. However, even though he didn't know what he smelled, he knew it smelled good and he knew that he wanted to eat it. He followed the smell through the trees until he reached the forest's edge. He stepped out into the light of the setting sun and sniffed the air again. He was getting close.

His gaze then fell upon a small village. The houses were set up in neat rows, forming a grid-like pattern. The largest building sat at the very center. Nikolias sniffed the air again and huffed. He was sure that the sweet aroma was coming from that area. Determined to eat whatever was making that delicious smell, Nikolias bounded towards the small village.


The sun was sinking lower and lower into the horizon as Gracie, Mira, Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza, Gajeel, Laxus, Wendy, Makarov, Elfman, and the three Exceeds ran as fast as they could from the train station to Sapphire Village.

"Gracie, would you please tell us what's going on?" Erza asked. "You wouldn't say anything on the train ride over."

Gracie gritted her teeth. "I'd rather not say until I'm completely sure."

"What if it's too late by then?" Gray asked. "I f you keep us in the dark too long, we may not be able to help."

"Look, I just don't wanna say it out loud until I see Niky with my very own eyes, alright?" Gracie snapped.

"Are you sure he'll even be here?" Laxus asked.

Gracie nodded. "I really do think he'll be here."

"Look!" Natsu cried while pointing ahead. "I can see the village!"

"Good. Let's hurry," Gracie said as she ran even faster. 'Niky, please don't tell me I'm right.'


"Throw me the ball!" a little boy shouted at his friends.

"No way! You'll drop it!" another little boy threw back.

"No I won't!" the first little boy denied.

"You always drop things," a little girl said. "You're a butterfingers!"

"Am not!" the first boy refused. "Throw me the ball! I'll prove it!"

"Fine," the second boy said while throwing a red rubber ball at the first boy. However, it went right between his hands and bounced away. "See, Ralphie? You can't catch."

The little girl giggled. "Butterfingers! Butterfingers!"

"Shut up, Jack! Shut up, Lizzy!" Ralphie yelled. "It was a bad throw!"

"No it wasn't!" Jack shouted back.

"Just get the ball, dummy," Lizzy said.

Ralphie huffed as he turned to get the ball, but froze once he saw where the ball had landed. "Um, guys? What's that?"

Jack and Lizzy looked towards where the ball had rolled and their eyes widened.

Sniffing the ball was Nikolias. He studied the strange ball that had hit his foot, even giving it a tentative lick with his long, slender tongue.

"I don't know," Jack said quietly.

Lizzy screamed at seeing such a strange creature.

Nikolias' head twitched slightly at the sound. Slowly, he lifted his head and stared at the three children before him with his golden eyes. He then proceeded to curl his lips back to reveal his sharp fangs and growled.

"Run!" Jack shouted. The two other children didn't argue and soon, the three started running away.

Nikolias' eyes narrowed at the retreating children. He loved it when his prey gave him the chance to chase it down. With a roar, he ran after the children with incredible speed. He would be upon them in a matter of moments.


The Fairy Tail members entered Sapphire Village and immediately ran through the streets, searching desperately for any sign of Nikolias. However, they were coming up empty.

"Maybe he's not here," Gray said. "I mean, if he was here, wouldn't the villagers be making a big fuss? Yet it's calm and quiet."

Gracie shook her head. "No, he'll be here. Maybe he just hasn't gotten here yet."

"Alright, Gracie, enough is enough," Makarov said. "Tell us why you think he'll be here."

"I don't wanna say," Gracie refused.

"Gracie, you must let us in," Erza said. "We want to help."

"No!"

"Gracie, please!" Mira begged. "Tell us what's happening. Is Nikolias in trouble?"

"I don't know!" Gracie shouted. "I'm not sure! I don't have enough evidence for a definite answer. All I have are hunches and until I'm sure of these hunches, I'm not gonna spread them around."

"Why are you refusing, Gracie?" Natsu asked. "Don't you trust us?"

"I do, but it's complicated," Gracie said softly.

"You can talk to us," Wendy said with a smile.

Gracie looked at her. She trusted them all, but that wasn't what was holding her back. If it turned out she was right, she didn't want everyone to see Nikolias that way. Who knows how they would react? But maybe it was better to enlighten them. It could be dangerous if she didn't. She took a deep breath. "Guys, I think…" Suddenly, the scream of a little girl rang through the quiet streets, attracting the attention of the other villagers as well as the Fairy Tail members. "What was that?"

"It sounded like a kid," Gajeel said.

"A real man goes to see if the kids are okay," Elfman said.

And then they heard something that had Gracie's heart beating rapidly in her chest; a roar.

"That was Nikolias," Mira said. "I'm sure of it."

"Yeah," Gracie said. "Let's move!"

The Fairy Tail members ran with all of their might, but soon found three children running down the street perpendicular to the street they were currently on. They looked terrified.

As soon as Gracie saw this, her mind put the pieces together and she acted quickly. "Master Makarov! Use your magic to increase the size of your hand and block off that street once the kids go by!"

"Why…" Makarov began.

"NOW'S NOT THE TIME! JUST DO IT!" Gracie shrieked.

Makarov could sense how desperate she was and nodded. He stopped running, activated his Titan magic in his right hand, and shot it forward. He slammed it down in the street behind the three children—just in time to stop a lunging black creature from jumping on them.

Nikolias slammed into Makarov's hand and crumpled to the ground. He shook his head and slowly got to his feet.

Mira put her hands to her mouth. "Oh my God. It's Nikolias!"

Nikolias turned his head to look at the Fairy Tail members and glared at them with golden eyes, a predatory growl escaping his throat.

Gracie was staring at Nikolias in disbelief. She could tell by how he looked and how he was acting that her hunch was correct. "Fuck. I was right."

"What's going on, Gracie?" Erza asked.

"Dragon Feast," Gracie answered.

"Dragon Feast? What's that?" Natsu asked.

"Remember that hunger I told you guys about when we first met?" Gracie asked.

"You mean…," Lucy began.

"That's not the Niky we know and love," Gracie interrupted. "He went through Dragon Feast while in prison and he had no way to fight back against his inner dragon. Because of that, the inner dragon took control—and he's hungry."

As if in response to Gracie's answer, Nikolias roared at the Fairy Tail members. He had found new prey to hunt.


Wow. 50 chapters. Thank you to everyone who has supported my writing by reading, reviewing, following, favoriting, and messaging. I really appreciate all of the love! It keeps me going. I hope you've enjoyed what's been written so far.

Here's to another great 50 chapters! Love you all!