Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
Fairy Tail—The Master and the Dragon
Chapter 65
"Three! Two! One! BLAST OFF!" Gracie exclaimed as she leapt forward. She landed a few feet away in a hunched position with her feet together. She froze for a moment to ensure that she was balanced before springing rigidly upright and thrusting her arms out to the side. "Aaaand she stuck the landing! Ta da!"
"You're more off the walls than usual," Gajeel grumbled. "What's the deal?"
"I like seeing Gracie so happy," Wendy said with a smile.
"She's just being her usual self, Gajeel," Levy said.
Christina giggled as she walked up to Gracie. "What was with the countdown?"
Gracie spun on her heels, took Christina's hands, and vigorously shook them. "Congrats, everyone! We've officially taken our first steps into Bosco!"
The sun was starting to set, bathing the landscape in a dim light and casting long shadows across the grassy field. The team had been walking since roughly noon and hadn't stopped once. They knew how close they were and it kept them going.
Natsu held his stomach. "Okay, we reached Bosco. Now can I get something to eat?"
Happy landed on Natsu's head. "I'm with Natsu. I'm hungry."
"Try to hang on just a bit longer, guys," Lucy said.
"Once we reach the train, we can rest and eat," Mira said with a smile.
"But it's been hours!" Natsu complained.
"Tough it out," Gray huffed as he walked past the groaning Dragon Slayer.
Natsu gritted his teeth and grabbed Gray by the shirt. "Oi, you got something you wanna say to my face?"
Gray smacked Natsu's forehead with his own. "Moron. You need to get your head out of your stomach. We're so close to Juniper, so we need to keep moving. So tough. It. Out."
"Easy," Erza demanded as she separated the two boys before they could get into a full on brawl. "We can't fall apart now. We need to reach the station before night fall."
"So where is the train station?" Christina asked. "Is it far?"
Gracie hummed. "Let's see…" She slowly scanned the terrain. "It shouldn't be too far. They'll never admit it, but the government here in Bosco depends on Rolen for trade. Because of that, they have to have some form of transportation somewhere near the border to make it easy for people all over this country to reach Rolen."
"Why wouldn't they admit it?" Wendy asked.
"Eh, it doesn't really make too much sense to me. To make a long, boring, and pointless story short, Seven and Bosco don't get along too well. There have been plenty of mini skirmishes over the years. Who knows when a full-scale war between the two could break out?"
"The relationship is that disheveled?" Erza asked. "Do you know why?"
"Eh, something about Seven being a lowly piece of shit full of crime while Bosco is full of pompous rich kids. Classic economic gap. Makes them hate each other. I don't particularly care." Gracie stopped scanning and pointed. "Ah! I believe the train station is thataway!"
"You sure?" Gajeel asked while narrowing his eyes in the direction that Gracie was pointing. "I can't see anything anywhere. How do you know that this is the right way?"
Gracie put her hands on her hips and laughed. "Have you forgotten, Gajeel? I used to live in Calione, a town that sat right on the border of Seven and Bosco. I know this area well, even though this isn't Calione."
"Calione is in Seven, right?" Christina asked. "I didn't know that you used to live there."
Gracie winked at her. "That's old news! I'm a Fiore girl now and Fairy Tail is my home."
"So how do you know so much about this area?" Erza asked.
Gracie looked out at the distant mountains and smiled as the wind carried her fine blonde hair off to the side. "When I was little, I used to go out of town on adventures. I would walk out of the gates, step into Bosco, and walk the border for miles sometimes. It was fun for me. There were never any people, but I got to see a lot of pretty meadows. I do remember seeing a train station once on a day I decided to head west out of Calione. I'm pretty sure we're close to that train station now if memory serves."
Christina's eyes sparkled as she looked at Gracie. "You're incredible, Gracie!"
Gracie puffed out her chest. "I know it!" She giggled before marching off. "Come, my fellow compatriots! The train station isn't too far away and Erza was right when she said that we need to reach it before night fall. The trains will probably stop running once the sun goes down, so we need to book it."
Everyone walked after the blonde.
Mira smiled as she watched Gracie parade down the path. 'I can tell how excited Gracie is just by watching her move and hearing her talk. She's feeling so much better now that we've gotten so close to Juniper.' She looked up at the sinking sun. 'Tomorrow, Nikolias. Please just hold on until tomorrow.'
The large wooden door to the laboratory swung open and in strode Vyril. He was grinning from ear to ear as he approached his table of surgical instruments. "Good evening, dragon."
Nikolias lifted his heavy head. All of his muscles were sore from being bound for an unknown number of days and his body ached from being dissected constantly. "Great. You're back," he said sarcastically.
Vyril chuckled. "You missed me? How touching. Don't you worry, though. I'll always come back to you. You're my favorite little mystery."
Nikolias sighed. "Mind if I ask a question?"
Vyril hummed. "I suppose you can since you actually asked politely. Go ahead. Ask away."
"What's the point of all of this?" Nikolias asked. "Why cut me open? Is it torture?"
Vyril sighed. "I don't want to ruin the surprise, so I can't tell you that. What I can tell you, though, is that everything that I've done is for a purpose. I'm not just cutting you open for the fun of it, even if that is an added bonus." He grinned evilly. "You'll learn soon enough, I suppose. I've been informed that Master Jarvan's experiment has cleared Phase One and has progressed to Phase Two."
"What experiment?"
Vyril thrust his arms out to the side and tilted his head up towards the ceiling. "It's an experiment that will change the world!" he exclaimed. "A weapon that will be highly desired for it has the power to wipe out entire nations!"
Nikolias gritted his teeth. "What the hell is he building?"
"Patience, my dear subject," Vyril said as he calmed down and adjusted his glasses. "Like I said, you will learn of it soon enough. Once Phase Four has been completed, the weapon will be ready for its test run."
Nikolias narrowed his eyes at the mad scientist. 'What in the world is this group up to? And why do they need to cut me open to do it?' He closed his eyes. 'More importantly, how does Gracie tie into all of it? From what I hear, she's the one they want, so she has to be in even more danger than I'm currently in and that's not a good thing.' He opened his eyes and looked at Vyril. "Well you were very unhelpful, but maybe you can answer another question of mine with a little more detail."
"I can try," Vyril replied while picking up a syringe and flicking the long needle. "Just make sure you don't make it too personal."
"Why is your boss after Gracie?"
"She has something that he wants and he will do whatever he can to obtain it," Vyril answered. "I believe you asked that question before."
"Yeah, and you gave me the same damn answer," Nikolias retorted. "Now I want more. What does she have?"
Vyril sighed. "I told you that I don't know what it is. Weren't you listening when I told you before?"
"And I think that you know more than you're letting on," Nikolias spat. "I find it hard to believe that he would leave you completely in the dark about all of this, especially since you clearly know who Gracie is."
"We've never met before, she and I, but I've heard a lot about her."
"Okay then, best guess. What does she have that this Jarvan guy wants?"
Vyril thought about it. "Best guess, huh? I really don't have one." He walked over to Nikolias. "And frankly, I don't care. I don't concern myself with things that I can't carve up. You, my wonderful subject, are the only one I care about. Now stay still. This will most likely sting." Vyril lined up the syringe's long needle and drove it into Nikolias' chest.
Nikolias felt like his chest was twisting in knots as the thin needle pierced the tissue of his heart. He wanted to scream in agony, but all that he could manage were coughs that sent blood flying across the room. "Wh…What the hell are you doing?" he rasped.
Vyril slowly extracted blood from Nikolias' heart before withdrawing the needle. "Master Jarvan doesn't require any more data on you at the moment, so he rewarded me with the liberty to experiment as I please." He analyzed the dark red blood that rested in the tube. "This is where I'd like to start."
"And the point to stabbing my heart was?"
"I want to learn more about the Red Eye and where better to start than its origin; the only living subject to have the prototype coursing through their veins?" Vyril answered simply.
"The Red Eye?"
"Yes."
"So then why stab me in the heart?"
Vyril looked at the Half-Dragon from the corner of his eye. "Are you seriously asking that? Are you stupid?" He turned to face him. "Think about the Red Eye for just a moment. What does it do?"
"It enhances bodily functions to help fight off diseases and heal injuries rapidly, it significantly improves the rate of muscle growth, and it drastically increases lifespan," Nikolias answered. "I know all of that, but why my heart?"
"How has the Red Eye activated in the past?"
"My emotions. But emotions take place in the brain, dumb ass."
"Oh, so you never noticed it?"
Nikolias raised an eyebrow. "Noticed what?"
Vyril put the syringe down on his table, pulled up a chair, and sat in front of Nikolias. "You never noticed that when the Red Eye self-activated, your heart physically broke?"
"What are you talking about?" Nikolias asked.
"Interesting," Vyril murmured. "So you didn't notice."
"Start explaining yourself," Nikolias demanded.
Vyril crossed his legs. "Alright, but keep in mind that this is only a hypothesis. I haven't proven anything yet, which is why I want to do my experiments. Also, since you never noticed it before, it's possible that it is most untrue."
"Whatever. Just talk."
"Fine, fine. I already miss your politeness, even if it only lasted for a few minutes. You see, I've read Dr. Gorn's notes on the Red Eye and the Half-Dragons extensively. Within that information, Dr. Gorn observed that not a single human case resulted in consuming rage when the subject became overly emotional. However, in the one case where a dragon survived, the Red Eye consumed him when he became overly emotional and led him into blind fury.
"I was intrigued by your survival and your body's reaction to the virus. I dug deep for any information on you beyond what Dr. Gorn had already recorded. After collecting data on all three cases—the Shile case, the Argon case, and the Magnolia case—I realized something. The level of rage and power as well as your body's energy levels all increased with each activation. Did you notice that at least?"
Nikolias glared at the old man, but thought about it nonetheless. He recalled the Shile incident. After the Red Eye activated, he had managed to walk out of the building before he became a dragon. The destruction that he caused while in his dragon form was very patient as well. He had walked the streets burning and devouring before destroying everything. Once it was all over, he felt incredibly drained.
He recalled the Argon incident. He remembered his anger building far more rapidly than it had in Shile. Also, when he became a dragon, he was far more menacing. He terrorized the people from the skies, making all aware of his presence and allowing them to fear him by seeing him constantly. His destruction was far more rapid. And once the Red Eye deactivated, he didn't feel fatigue. It was more of a feeling of hopelessness.
He recalled the Magnolia incident. His sorrow was replaced with rage far quicker than ever before. However, he didn't jump straight to his dragon form. While he was still plenty lethal, he fought in human form and partial dragon form before resorting to his dragon form. He supposed that that was because he could see the cause of his anger and sorrow standing before him unlike the other two incidents. But still, even when he became a dragon, no civilians died. He burned and destroyed some buildings, but no one died. So this idiot had to be wrong.
Nikolias smirked at Vyril. "I hate to disappoint you, but you're wrong. The most recent incident was by far the least destructive of the three."
"But your rage built up faster, did it not?"
"It did, but you hypothesized that rage, power, and energy levels all increased with each self-activation. Naturally, that would include the level of destruction and the number of casualties."
"I see," Vyril said while standing up. "Perhaps my hypothesis was wrong. I'll have to run some tests." He picked up a second syringe, flicked the needle, walked over to Nikolias, and once again stuck the needle into his chest where his heart was. He extracted more dark red blood before withdrawing the needle. He then grabbed his other syringe and made for the door with both blood samples in hand. He opened the large wooden door, but before he left, he stopped. "Keep this in mind, Half-Dragon. Dragons were never meant to survive the Red Eye. Even though you weren't killed by it, having it in your system must be causing some kind of damage. That is what I firmly believe. The intense rage you feel when your emotions run wild is but one negative side-effect. I still believe that the virus is destroying you somehow." He smiled as he waved the syringes over his shoulder. "But we won't know anything for sure unless I run some tests, now will we?" With that, he left.
Nikolias looked down at his chest. 'There's no way he's right. My heart literally breaking? That couldn't possibly happen.'
Vyril walked a ways down the hall before stopping in front of Jarvan. He chuckled. "I believe it worked, Master Jarvan."
"Excellent. You have two samples like I asked?" Jarvan inquired.
"But of course, Master Jarvan," Vyril said as he handed over the two syringes. "The one labeled 'A' was drawn before the story. The one labeled 'B' was drawn afterwards."
Jarvan smirked as he took the syringes. "Excellent. Should my predictions be correct, Phase Two will be no trouble at all and Phase Three can be quickly achieved."
"I look forward to hearing about your progress," Vyril chirped. "Also, should you require anything else from me, please let me know."
Jarvan put the syringes in a small wooden box before putting the box in his lab coat pocket. "Of course."
"Would you like anything from me now?"
Jarvan shook his head. "No, you've done more than enough as of now. I'm curious to see, should this prediction fail, whether or not isolation will have an effect. Don't bother the creature for a few days. Let him hang there miserably with no one to talk to."
Vyril seemed disappointed, but he nodded. "Of course, Master Jarvan. Still, I'm a little sad to be torn away from such an interesting subject."
Jarvan turned around and began walking away. "Try to control your homicidal tendencies for a little while, Dr. Vyril Lyno."
"If you insist."
"And don't be too disappointed. Once I've gotten all I need and have reached Phase Four, I'll let the Mad Surgeon of Seven loose once more."
Vyril grinned wickedly. "I look forward to it," he hissed.
Gracie slumped down in a seat and stretched. "Phew! We made it just in time."
Gray sat beside her. "What are you talking about? We made it with plenty of time."
"Why must you hate on the drama?" Gracie asked out of the corner of her eye.
Christina and Mira sat across from Gracie and Gray. "You really are in a great mood, Gracie," Christina commented.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Gracie asked. "We're just a train ride away from Juniper! That means we'll make it there tomorrow morning!" She thrust her fist in the air. "Niky here we come!"
"Yay!" Mira cheered giddily as she mimicked Gracie.
Natsu, Lucy, Levy, and Gajeel sat in the seats across the aisle. "I'm really not looking forward to this," Natsu murmured.
"Just lie down on my lap and you'll be okay," Lucy said soothingly.
Natsu nodded weakly and lied down, prepared for the train to lurch forward at any moment.
"And you, Gajeel?" Levy asked.
Gajeel looked away and crossed his arms. "Like I'm gonna get sick like Salamander."
"That didn't stop you before when you were riding the horses," Levy replied softly.
"What was that?" Gajeel grumbled.
"Nothing," Levy said with a giggle.
Wendy sat next to Christina. "I'd offer to use my Troia spell, Natsu, but it didn't seem to work too well last time."
Erza sat beside Gray. "He can survive a few hours on a train. He's a Fairy Tail wizard after all."
The train whistle blew, the doors closed, and the train began pulling out of the station. As soon as it did, Natsu began to wail as his stomach began to betray him and Gajeel was trying to act tough, but he was clearly feeling nauseous.
"So I have a question," Christina began.
"Ask away," Gracie said as she leaned eagerly forward.
"I hear all of these bits and pieces about Nikolias, but I'm curious; what's he like? What kind of person is he?"
The nine Fairy Tail members looked at each other and then around the car as they tried to think of the best way to describe Nikolias.
Natsu was the first to speak up despite his condition. "He's really strong and a great fighter," he managed to say.
"Yeah, you really don't wanna threaten him or piss him off," Gray said with a nod.
Gajeel smirked to add to his façade. "He's a total bad ass."
"Oh, I see," Christina said.
"Those things may all be true, but don't get the wrong idea," Erza said with a smile. "Nikolias cares for all of his friends immensely. He looks out for those he considers friends and family. He cares about the well fare of innocent strangers as well."
"It's just the kind of kind hearted person he is," Levy said.
"He's really thoughtful," Wendy added. "He's helped me a lot and I think that goes for everyone in Fairy Tail."
"He can be a little scary on the outside if he doesn't know you well, but that shell masks a sweet, caring, and considerate guy," Lucy chimed in. "He's always thinking about how others may be feeling."
"If you ask me, there aren't enough words to express how wonderful Nikolias is," Mira said softly. "He's loving and kind and loyal and courageous. He's always looking out for me and everyone else. He's incredibly thoughtful and polite and every day with him makes me love him even more."
Gracie stretched her arms above her head. "He's self-less to a fault. He's always putting others' safety above his own and getting injured because of it. He's an idiot, but he's a loveable idiot." She relaxed her body and looked out the window at the starlit sky. "Even though we're not related by blood, he's my brother. He cared for me and stayed with me when no one else was there for me. Even after everything that happened to him before he met me, he didn't abandon me and we grew closer because of it. I don't think that it's an exaggeration to say that Niky is the foundation of my world. Without him, I may as well be falling into nothingness. Even though everyone in Fairy Tail is my family and I love them beyond measure, no one can replace Niky in my heart."
Christina held her hands close to her chest. "That was beautiful, Gracie. And Nikolias sounds more amazing than ever before."
"You should still form your own opinion of him when you meet him tomorrow," Mira said. "I'm sure you'll love him, though."
"I'm sure I will," Christina said with a nod. "If he's anything like you guys, then I bet we'll get along great."
Gracie yawned. "I don't know about all of you guys, but I'm beat."
"It's been a long day of traveling," Erza said with a nod. "We could all use the rest. I suggest we eat something now and then sleep until the train arrives in Juniper. Do you know what time that may be, Gracie?"
"This train will take us to the town right before Juniper," Gracie said. "I thought it ran straight to it, but according to the sign at the station there are no trains headed there or returning. It's okay, though. The town before Juniper is Vail and the train should get there in ten hours."
"How long?" Natsu complained.
"Be a trooper," Lucy said calmly while petting his head.
"How far do we have to walk to get from Vail to Juniper?" Christina asked.
"It's roughly three miles from the station," Gracie said. "So if the train gets in to Vail at roughly six o'clock in the morning and we factor in a couple hours for walking to Juniper, we should make it to our destination by eight o'clock the earliest."
"We're so close!" Mira exclaimed.
Gracie took Mira's hands with a big smile on her face. "Very close."
"Alright, let's eat and then sleep for the remainder of the trip," Erza said. "Natsu and Gajeel, do your best to rest."
"What are you talkin' about?" Gajeel barked. His skin was now glistening from the sweat that clung to his body. "I'm totally fine."
"I want off," Natsu begged.
"You can do it, Natsu!" Happy cheered.
"Just twelve hours total," Panther Lily summarized. "To think we traveled so far in such a short amount of time."
Gracie leaned against the window. "It's great. And tomorrow we can put this whole nightmare behind us."
After the group had a quick bite to eat, they all closed their eyes to rest. As sleep began to claim most of them, everyone had small smiles on their faces, even Christina. Everyone was excited to see Nikolias tomorrow.
"What the hell happened here?" Gracie breathed.
The group left the train station a little after six and walked quickly all the way to Juniper. It was roughly quarter of 8 when the first buildings came into view. However, these buildings seemed off to the group of ten.
They looked abandoned.
There were no lights emanating from the streets or houses. There were no sounds except for the lonely wind. The road seemed unused and unworn.
When the group reached the town, their suspicions were confirmed. The houses were old, broken, and had not been taken care of for quite some time. Windows were broken, doors were toppled, walls were falling apart. No one was around and it appeared that no one had been there for years.
"This is Juniper, isn't it?" Christina asked.
"It is…it has to be," Gracie whispered. "This has to be Juniper."
"Well then where the hell is everyone?" Gajeel asked.
"Maybe they're all still asleep," Wendy offered. "It is still early in the morning."
"Wake up, child," Carla scolded. "It's plain to see that no one has been here for years."
"This isn't right," Gracie said while slowly shaking her head. "This so isn't right."
"What's wrong, Gracie?" Erza asked.
"You remember what Niky said when he came to me with this job, right? He said that Xeeval the Executioner was spotted in Juniper."
"Who's Xeeval the Executioner?" Christina asked.
"A murderer," Erza replied.
"Then why would Nikolias come here if he knew someone like that was here?" Christina asked in surprise.
"It's a long story," Lucy said with a small laugh. "We'll tell you later."
"Please go on, Gracie," Erza requested.
"If Xeeval was last spotted in Juniper about a week ago, then why does this place look like this?" Gracie pondered. "This level of mold, weeds, and decay is far more consistent with several years."
"Good point," Levy said. "It would be odd for people to have lived here as recently as a week ago. Besides, if Xeeval really did murder everyone here so recently, where's all of the blood? Where are the bodies?"
Gracie cautiously eyed the surrounding area. "All great questions. None of this is sitting right with me."
"So what now?" Mira asked.
"We look around for Niky," Gracie said. "This was where he was headed last. He's gotta be here."
"Should we split up?" Natsu asked.
"No, stay together," Gracie said. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing straight like needles. Something about this place was making her feel very uneasy. Even though they could find Nikolias faster if they split up, she had a feeling that doing so would be disastrous.
The group began to explore the empty town, but they were finding no clues as to where Nikolias was or what had happened here.
"I'm not seeing anything," Mira said worriedly. "What if he's not here after all?"
"Don't give up hope yet," Gracie said. "He has to be here."
"Look! I think that's the center of town," Wendy said.
Gray peered ahead. "I think you're right, Wendy."
Natsu squinted as well, but raised an eyebrow. "Is that a person up ahead?"
Everyone started to strain their eyes forward in an attempt to see what Natsu could see.
"No doubt," Gajeel said.
"I think you're right, Natsu. That looks like a person," Wendy agreed.
At the very center of the town lay a massive stone statue resting on its side. Weeds were wrapping around it and binding it to the earth. And leaning against the rugged, cracked base was a man.
Gracie narrowed her eyes. 'My bad feeling is getting even worse.'
The man leaning against the base was slim yet very fit. He wore a red shirt with the sleeves torn off and a single piece of dull chest armor. He wore navy blue pants and a pair of black sneakers. A sheathed blade was attached to his thin brown leather belt. His strong arms were crossed over his chest and his messy, long, jet black hair hung over his bowed head.
"Who is that?" Lucy asked.
"Could it be a civilian?" Christina asked.
"I doubt it," Erza said, quickly becoming suspicious of this man.
The man lifted his head to reveal a long scar that stretched diagonally across his face from the bridge of his nose and over his right eye up to his forehead. His right eye did not open, but his left eye did, revealing a cold, dark, black eye. He did not smile and he did not move. "It's about time you got here," he said, his voice rough and deep. "I've been waiting for almost a week now."
The group stopped at the very edge of the center of town. Gracie's eyes never left the man. 'That face…I know that face from somewhere.'
"Who are you?" Erza demanded. "What happened here?"
The man straightened up. "I'm not supposed to answer any questions. Those were not my orders."
"What are you talking about? What orders?" Gray asked.
"I'm tired of waiting. My blade has been very thirsty," the man said as he put his right hand on the handle of his blade. "I'm going to begin carrying out my mission now."
"What mission?" Lucy asked. "You better start talking if you don't want the crap beaten out of you."
Slowly, the man drew his blade from its sheath. Once he had removed it, he held it in front of him. The blade was heavily rusted and was a mix of gold and crimson. It was a jagged and slightly curved blade and it was slightly wider at the tip than at the base. "I was about to tell you that, for it is my principle to clarify my mission verbally before I begin."
Gracie's eyes widened. She knew that weapon. "No way…a machete." She knew where she recognized this man from. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face as she took a step forward. "It can't be…it can't be you!"
"Gracie, you know him?" Wendy asked.
Gracie gritted her teeth. "That man…is Xeeval the Executioner."
Everyone stared at the emotionless man before them with complete shock.
"That's Xeeval?" Levy asked.
"But…what does that mean? Is Nikolias okay?" Mira asked as worry began to course through her body rapidly. If Xeeval was here and Nikolias wasn't, had Nikolias been defeated?
"Where's Niky?" Gracie roared. "What have you done with him?"
"I'm not supposed to answer any questions. Those were not my orders," Xeeval replied. He gripped his blade tighter. "My mission is to apprehend Gracie Amier and bring her back with me." He narrowed his cold, black eye at his foes. "The rest will feed my blade with their blood."
