Erik stumbled through town–with Wendy next to him in order to help keep him standing–as he tried to make his way to the Fairy Tail Guildhall–or, more specifically, the library–as that's where he needed to be. His cloth was tied around his neck, just under his necklace. The last thing he needed right now was to hear souls.

Ever since the incident outside the barrier, Erik hadn't been the same. No matter how much the others tried to assure him that he had nothing to feel guilty over, the feeling still ate away at him. He hardly left his nest for much of anything, and it worried the others. The only thing that encouraged him to finally get out of the house was a stray thought.

He couldn't let it happen again.

And the only way to prevent another incident like that occurring was to become stronger. He had to become stronger for his friends.

"Careful.. Careful.." Wendy murmured as she helped him down the stairs into the library. He made a point to ignore the murmurs and whispers of the people in the Guildhall. They had no business wondering about his bandages and he had no obligation to tell them.

Once inside the library, he broke away from Wendy and made his way over to one of the shelves. He traced a claw over the books until he found the one he was looking for, a book on Poison spells. How useful it would be to him was yet to be determined, since it was a book meant for humans instead of Dragons, but he held out hope it could provide something for him.

He switched to human and unsteadily walked towards a table, sighed in relief once he sat down as the aching in his legs faded ever so slightly, then opened the book and started reading. Wendy sat next to him.

"Wendy, you don't have to follow me around everywhere, you know," he grinned slightly. Wendy made a quiet noise, "I'm worried about you.."

"We're in public, so it's not like I'm by myself. If something happens, someone will see and help me," Erik stated. "If you have things you need to do, then I shouldn't keep you from doing them."

"It's really not a bother," Wendy said, gently rubbing her beak against Erik's cheek assuringly. He lifted a hand and scratched her neck–smiling slightly at her happy trilling sound–and said, "I promise, I'll be fine. It doesn't even hurt as much anymore."

Wendy looked torn for a long moment, then sighed, "If you want to be alone for now.. then I'll leave you alone. But I will be back to check on you, and please don't push yourself too hard!"

Erik smiled, placing his hands on Wendy's face and pulling her closer so he could rest his forehead against hers, "I won't, sis. I'll be careful, I promise." His smile grew when he gently scratched her cheeks and heard her chirp quietly. "I'll be back in an hour, okay..?" Wendy nuzzled him.

"Alright. I'll see you then," he nuzzled back, then turned his gaze down at the book once she finally left. He flipped aimlessly through the pages until he came across a spell that caught his eye. The figure had their arms behind their back in the first one, and in the second, their arms were thrown up in front of their chest in an X position. Erik hummed as he stared at the figure for a long moment, before moving onto reading the text.

After a few rounds of reading and re-reading, he closed his uninjured eye, trying his damndest to memorize all of the new information. He groaned and rubbed his temples as a headache started forming. Thinking was far too much of a chore than it had any right to be at that moment.

When he opened his eye again, he spotted Belserion–currently human since his Dragon form wouldn't fit within the library–nearby. Upon seeing the bandages that covered the older Dragon, he felt guilt wash through him like a tidal wave.

When Belserion glanced his way, Erik flinched and lowered his gaze to the table.

Belserion sighed quietly and walked over, "I see you're feeling better, if you're up and walking around." Erik awkwardly nodded, unable to raise his gaze to meet Belserion's.

"Look at me, young Poison," Belserion pulled out a chair, sitting next to him. When Erik finally lifted his head, Belserion continued, "I recognize that look anywhere. You still feel responsible for what happened, don't you..?"

Erik slowly nodded, "My friends.. could've.. died… And to the same Feral that.. that destroyed their h-home.." Erik had to pause when his voice became more and more shaky as he tried to speak. "You aren't m-mad at them… are you..?"

"I'm not mad at any of you. I had felt a lot of emotions that day, but anger was not one of them," Belserion explained. "When your friend ran up to us, I was fearful. I was so afraid that I would fly out there and find some corpses… When I saw you lying on the ground, I was so afraid that you had been that corpse.."

"Everything was my fault.." Erik whined, holding his head in his hands. "It… it was m-my idea to go.. out there.. I just wanted to see.. what was outside…" He grimaced as his breath hitched, "R-Rogue kept insisting.. that we shouldn't.. sh-shouldn't.." Erik's head hit the book on the table as he broke down. He sobbed quietly, trying to speak, but anything that came out was an incoherent mess.

Belserion gently rubbed his back, letting the younger Dragon cry it out. Once he had calmed down enough, he lifted his head again and wiped his eye. With a sniffle, he shakily said, "I-I don't.. want it t-to happen again…"

"As long as you stay within the barrier, it won't," Belserion assured.

Call Erik a pessimist, but he had a very strong sinking feeling that the barrier might not be enough one day. There was this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that something dreadful has still yet to come. However, he decided against voicing that and instead said, "I-I know.. but.. I still want to grow stronger.." After another bit of thinking, he said, "Besides.. we.. we can't stay inside the barrier forever.. What if we ever.. Go on jobs for the Guild.. or we travel.. I want to protect my f-friends…"

"A very commendable thing, young Poison," Belserion said, and Erik felt the guilt slowly ease up at the praise. "But I don't think it's something you should be attempting at the moment."

"I-I have to.. I need to become stronger.. for my friends.." Erik argued. "I need to do this.. please.."

"I understand how you feel," Belserion said, "I was the same way when I was your age. But you need to understand that to try and push yourself in your current state could reopen your injury." He paused, watching Erik lift a hand to the bandages over his eye. "Not to mention, you've taken a nasty beating otherwise. It's best to not try anything too strenuous when you're as hurt as you are. In fact, I've barred Sting and Rogue from the training grounds for the same reason."

Erik glanced up, spotting Rogue–as a human–who was holding onto a shelf in order to keep himself standing. He was covered in bruises, no doubt from the times he was thrown to the ground, similar to Erik himself. A black-haired girl that Erik didn't immediately recognize–although he could swear her name started with an M–and Yukino were helping him stay upright.

"What if I.. just read for now..?" he asked. "I can sit, or lay down, or otherwise rest.. while just reading.." he held up his book. Belserion closed his eyes, considering it for a moment, before nodding, "I can allow that. As long as you actually rest."

"I will.." Erik nodded. "It'll give me plenty of time to find spells, and memorize them. I can practice once I'm actually feeling better."

"That would work."

Erik grinned slightly.

xXxOxXx

Erik stumbled towards the gazebo, reaching out to grab the pillar for support. His depth perception was screwed up, which made trying to reach out for anything an ordeal, since nothing was actually where he thought it was. Once he finally grabbed it, he leaned against it for a short moment to catch his breath. He had been too stubborn to ask for assistance when walking out here, and that, admittedly short, trip from his house to the park had taken a lot out of him.

Once he had regained some energy, he slowly climbed into the gazebo, then practically collapsed into the closest chair. It was nice and warm from the sun shining down on it, and that same light was now shining down on him. If he weren't out here to read in a quiet spot outside of the Guild's library, he would enjoy napping here.

Erik adjusted his position, then opened his bag and pulled out one of the books, along with some notes. The gazebo was such an ideal spot for reading, in his opinion. It got him out of the house in order to get some fresh air and sunlight, and it was nice and quiet.

'Twin Fang.. Spiral Jaw..' he thought, closing his eyes and picturing the moves in his mind. These moves were meant for humans, but after he had attempted to practice these moves–which didn't end well, but at least he was in his backyard, so the others had been able to help him back inside to sleep off the failed attempts–he realized that Spiral Jaw worked just as easily for his human form, while Twin Fang could be used regardless of which form he had been in. He renamed the attacks to be more fitting of a Poison Dragon, and he was quite proud of them.

His daydreaming of the battle moves slowly wandered into other things as he gradually nodded off.

'Don't fall asleep,' he thought, suddenly jolting up when he realized what was happening. Maybe sitting under the sun was a mistake. It was always a good way to knock him out. With a yawn, he moved under the shade, which wasn't nearly as comfortable, but would at least keep him awake.

"I thought I'd find you here."

Erik glanced up from his book, spotting Macbeth. He chuckled, "Aren't you normally asleep around this hour?" Sure it was the afternoon, which meant most people would be awake, but Macbeth's magic all but sapped the life out of him during the daytime.

"I couldn't sleep.. Haven't been able to for a while.. Every time I close my eyes, I see the Feral staring at me.." he admitted, moving to sit down next to Erik. Erik tensed slightly, feeling guilt weighing down on him again, but it didn't last long as Macbeth rubbed his back, "Don't look so down.. Remember what Sorano said, we all agreed to go out there."

"I suppose.. ugh.. I just wish I never thought of it to begin with.." Erik said, pulling his knees to his chest.

"Hey, we do stupid stuff all the time," Macbeth said, "Even if it wasn't you who said it, it would've been one of us. We still likely would've gone out there. To be honest, I had been thinking about it before you told us you wanted us to go out there."

Erik sighed, "I guess.."

"What happened had been.. not the best case scenario, but better than the alternatives.." Macbeth leaned back in the seat, kicking his feet up onto the footrest. "We learned our lesson, and none of us died.." he inched closer to Erik, leaning against him.

Erik opened his book, "You plan on using me as a pillow?" he joked, trying to change the subject to something more lighthearted. "I feel safe with you.." Macbeth admitted. "We all do.."

Erik smiled slightly, but it quickly fell soon afterward. They trusted him to keep them safe, and he failed at that. In fact, he had done the exact opposite, but at the same time, they knew this. They knew his actions could have led to their deaths, and yet they still chose to trust him in spite of that.

All the more reason to train harder. He couldn't let their trust in him be misplaced.

He lifted a hand, running his fingers through Macbeth's hair. "The nightmares don't bother me as much when I'm with you," he admitted, resting his head on Erik's shoulder. "What do you see instead? Me fighting valiantly to protect you?" Erik smirked.

Macbeth chuckled quietly, "I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"The heroic young Poison Dragon Erik, saving the day!" Erik wrapped his arms around Macbeth, jostling him and rubbing his knuckles against his head. Macbeth yelped when he realized what was happening, "Oh, you are in for it!"

Before either of them knew it, they were on the ground, wrestling. Erik relished the fact that he could go all out with Macbeth, since he was surprisingly more resilient than the other human kids.

Macbeth's elbow dug into his side, and Erik gasped and jolted in pain. Macbeth quickly climbed off as Erik gripped his side and curled up slightly, "Shit! I'm so sorry," he knelt by Erik.

"Ah, don't be," Erik chuckled weakly, before pushing himself up, "We shouldn't be doing that anyway, I need to read and you need sleep," he sat down in the chair again. Macbeth sat next to him, getting comfortable.

"You sleep. I'll wake you up when we need to leave, okay?" Erik assured him. Macbeth nodded, then fell asleep against Erik's shoulder.

Erik smiled, then opened his book and grabbed his notes, spotting a move where the figure was launching a bunch of small, thin sickles of poison.

'Hm. What if I named that one Poison Scales..?'

xXxOxXx

Meanwhile...

The sky was dark with smoke as a certain Dragon flew through it in order to reach the Kingdom of Fire. By the time that Eternal Flame-forsaken Tamed ran him off, he had realized something. Something extremely important that he wished he realized sooner.

The three Tamed dragonets he found weren't the usual Tamed elements. The last time he checked, the Whites and Shadows didn't associate with humans, and Poisons ate them whenever possible. So why had they been there?

Which is when he had remembered. Years ago, multiple Kingdoms had been in uproar because eggs were being stolen, which had led to events such as the Fires wiping out the Sages, accusing them of the theft of a Royal egg. Wars were fought between Dragons over the belief that the others had stolen the eggs.

While he hadn't seen much of a point in it–they were just eggs, after all, most of which hadn't even been Royal–most Dragons viewed egg stealing as an unforgivable crime deserving of only the worst punishments.

The Dragon that had chased him off was a Sage himself, meaning some had survived and had run to the humans for refuge. And they likely took the stolen Fire egg with them. But with this new development, it made one pause and think.

Did they take the other six eggs as well?

If they had, then they were really damn good at framing others, which came as no surprise considering their level of skill when it came to magic.

'The humans and the Sages really thought they could pull one over on us, huh? Well King Igneel will surely love to hear about this,' he thought, continuing his trek through the blinding smoke.

Unfortunately for him, the moment he broke through it and spotted the Kingdom below, his wing was struck by a searing heat, which sent him plummeting out of the sky. With a sickening crack–which promised that something had broken–he hit the ground.

Before he could push himself up, a large Fire Dragon landed on him. The flaming scales scorched his own with a searing heat that not even his fireproof were immune to.

"Atlas!" he hissed. Atlas Flame glared down at him, then sneered, "Incineration, I believe Igneel had ordered you to never return. Are you just as inept at following orders now as you were back then?"

"Trust me when I say that I had no desire to return to this dreadful place, but I have news I wanted to share."

"That'd be a first.. Speak quickly, because my patience is running thin," Atlas dug his claws into Incineration's chest and stomach, causing the other to wince. "Alright! Alright! I was flying by the human city, minding my own business–ack, ack, okay! I attacked them!" he corrected when Atlas growled impatiently and dug his claws in further. "But I wasn't chased off by the usual Tames! I was chased off by a Sage!"

Atlas hissed, "Do you think this is a JOKE, Incineration?!"

"No! I'm serious! Please, listen to me! They had Poison, Shadow, and White Dragons there too! I think they may have the King's missing egg as well!"

"Do you take me for a fool?" Atlas demanded.

"Of course not! If you don't believe me, go to the city yourself!"

"Which city?"

"The one to the East… Name starts with an M, I believe.. It's one of the barrier cities.." Incineration tried to push Atlas off, but the flames burned his talons, so he gave up pretty quickly. Fortunately, Atlas eventually climbed off, "For your sake, you best be telling the truth. If not, I will kill you myself."

"Right right, now that my job is over, I shall-"

Atlas marched in front of him, "You will stay where I can keep an eye on you. Besides, you are the one to have given me this information, so you will help me."

"R-right.." Incineration muttered.

Atlas looked away, out towards the horizon, 'I promised you I'd help you find your child, old friend. I refuse to break that promise now.' He then turned to Incineration, "Alright, lizard. Let's discuss your findings with Igneel."