(Mostly New Chapter)
I do not own Fairy Tail Hiro Mashima does
The Distant Past Of Draconia
***POTD***
It took Natsu several moments to shake himself out of his shocked stupor, as well as the roars of multiple Dragons.
Somehow, he'd managed to go back in Time to witness the fall of the Dragons…
"This is unreal," the Dragon Slayer murmured, shaking his head in disbelief as he slowly rose to his feet. "H-How…?"
Be calm, Natsu Dragneel…
He froze, eyes widening in shock as he felt the words of something echo through his very being. To their credit, the words were indeed soothing, a gentle, feminine voice accompanying them.
But it still only added to the anxiety he felt being in such a place, witnessing such history, especially when he hadn't a clue on how he got there aside from the staff.
Remain calm. All will be explained soon…
He felt the voice flow through him again, though he felt slightly less worried as it reassured him that he'd be getting an explanation. Curious, he decided to voice aloud his thoughts.
"Who are you?"
A friend… Well, a friend of a friend, I suppose…
"How are you speaking to me? It's…strange?"
I am currently preparing to come meet you face to face… However, my absence from my current location requires some preparation on my part. To compensate for this, I am projecting my thoughts upon you…
"Well, that explains why my body feels weird every time you speak," Natsu muttered in reply, eliciting a rather cute giggle from the voice that made his body vibrate strangely.
You're quite the fellow, Natsu Dragneel. Most would have suffered a panic attack by now… Though, I suppose you have been through far greater trials over your life than most, haven't you?
"So, do I just wait here?"
I would advise you bear witness to what you see before you… Although it may appear so, you have not truly traveled back in Time. Rather, your consciousness has been projected back through time via the staff you touched.
"My consciousness? How does that work?"
I will explain the finer details upon my arrival. However, for the moment, all you need to know is that you are akin to a ghost, and can watch the events play out without damaging the Timestream…
"So, I'm fine to explore this place?"
Correct. You may as well make use of this rather unique opportunity to learn something, no?
Natsu was about to respond, questioning if he was allowed to do something like that, when an all too familiar roar shook the entire capital, including the land upon which he currently stood.
"COME, O MIGHTY DRAGONS! Come and test your might," a deep, hate fueled voice boomed across the entire capital, as all the Dragons looked out toward the seashore. "Crash against the insurmountable wall of your own creation, and know fear in your final pathetic moments!"
Natsu watched from afar, his body shuddering, as a much smaller Achnologia emerged from the sea. Standing around four thousand feet tall and six thousand in length, almost half the height and length of the one he knew, Achnologia still struck a terrifying visage.
The Black Dragon King lacked much of the scarring his later incarnation would later come to bear, his wings notably being shorter, and lacking the tatter around the sinewy flesh. His head was also slightly smaller, and lacking the numerous scars he no doubt gained through this battle.
But then, Natsu looked to either side of the future Black Dragon King, and he saw them…
The Four Harbingers of Achnologia.
Shaking his head, he knew he needed to get closer to the action below. This was an opportunity he'd never get again, and he needed to capitalize upon it.
Conjuring a pair of Demonic wings, Natsu flew down to the front line where nearly a hundred Dragons stood, many snarling and flaring their wings at the invader, as more dropped in behind their kin.
"One or one hundred, it matters little… All of your precious strength shall be mine!"
The Folly Of Dragon-kind Made Flesh
The Devourer Of Dragons
The First Dragon Slayer
The Future Dragon King
Achnologia (791 Years Ago)
Looking around, Natsu could see many of the Dragons stood absolutely no chance, even against this version of the Dragon King. The difference in Magical Power was still vast, despite the fact that the Achnologia that stood before him was hundreds, if not thousands of times weaker.
Your thoughts are correct… These Dragons stood absolutely no chance against him.
"And that was how he wiped them out," Natsu muttered darkly, as one bold Dragon at the front charged forward.
"You vile abomination! We won't allow you to-!"
"Apocalypse Dragon King's Roar!"
Natsu was left speechless as Achnologia instantly arched his neck back and fired breath attack that easily eclipsed those he actually put effort into charging up. Even at this time, the Dragon King was simply on another level.
The foolish Dragon that had rushed Achnologia died screaming, as the breath attack ripped his massive body apart, the Aqua Blue blast engulfing his form in under a second, as his shadowy form was visibly blown to atoms.
In an instant, chaos erupted, as the Four Harbingers vanished from Achnologia's side and started attacking the nearest Dragons to them. His eyes immediately moved to Harbinger Famine, the one he'd actually fought before, noting that this version of him was over twenty times as strong as the one he'd fought in Scarlione.
Looking to the other three and taking note of their appearance, he was shocked to find Harbinger Famine was the weakest, with Harbinger Pestilence being slightly stronger, Harbinger War nearly double their power, and Harbinger Death being ten times stronger than Harbinger War.
It was clear now just why the Governments of Ishgar feared the Harbingers. He recalled that Harbinger War had been the last to manifest, and couldn't help but wonder just who could have slain a titan such as that.
As he was now, he'd be crushed…
The sound of pained cries snapped his attention back to Achnologia, who had since taken to the skies as he was rushed by dozens of Dragons. Currently, his fore-claws were deep into the gut of a Dragon, as he finished it off with a low powered breath attack, sending it flying to the ground.
Snarling, the Dragon King tanked twelve full powered breath attacks before vanishing, reappearing next to a particularly large Dragon that had grass across its scales. The massive Dragon performed multiple barrel rolls in an attempt to get the smaller Dragon off of him, but Achnologia seemed to have predicted this, as he sunk his claws into the Grass Dragon's scales.
Arching his neck forward, Natsu watched as the strange Aqua Blue Aura coated Achnologia's teeth, the Dragon King biting down on the wing joint and easily ripping off the Grass Dragon's wing, tossing it to the side as it roared in agony.
"My Harbingers! Slaughter the Dragons and find the Monarchs," Achnologia roared, biting down and tearing out the throat of the Grass Dragon as it hit the ground, blood splattering Achnologia's black scales. "Their cores are MINE to devour! Bring me their Lacrima, I MUST HAVE THEM ALL!"
As he watched the Harbingers regroup, the five standing upon the corpse of the Grass Dragon, he felt chills run up his spine as the four Harbingers spoke as one.
"His will be done… Life undone… We destroy, all as one!"
He then watched in horror as the strongest of their number, Harbinger Death, fired a deadly attack that instantly killed over ten Dragons before they even had the time to react. Harbinger Pestilence then placed a hand upon the Grass Dragon, as its body rapidly decayed until naught but bone remained.
At the center of the Dragon, however, lay a bright red Lacrima crystal, that Achnologia immediately ripped out of the Grass Dragon's corpse, devouring it whole. Natsu then felt it, as Achnologia's power increased, the Black Dragon letting out a mighty roar.
"What…?"
The core of a Dragon…
"What? What do you mean," Natsu asked the strange voice, as Achnologia and the Harbingers continued their one-sided massacre. "You mean that Lacrima was-?"
Correct. The Dragons of Earthland are not native to it, but instead came from outside its confines…
"Wait… If they require Lacrima within their bodies, does that mean they came from Edolas?"
A good guess, but no. Dragons are not native to either Earthland OR Edolas… However, shortly after their arrival, the Dragons realized they could make themselves stronger by infusing themselves with Lacrima, allowing them to absorb the ether of Earthland and wield its power on top of their already formidable strength…
"That's…"
This process occurred thousands of years before what you see before you now, and modern Dragons evolved to be born with these Lacrima within their bodies. These Lacrima are, in essence, the heart of a Dragon…
"The heart of a Dragon," Natsu whispered, as he watched Achnologia devour several more. "And he just…"
That's right. Achnologia devoured the hearts of thousands of Dragons, even most of the Monarchs… This is but one of the reasons he possesses such frightening and overwhelming strength.
"He basically wields the strength of an entire race," Natsu gasped, staggering backward in a mixture of shock and outright fear. "H-How could anyone face that…!?"
The voice didn't respond. Instead, the entirety of Draconia seemed to tremble beneath the feet of all present, as a massive shadow quickly covered all present. To Natsu's shock, Achnologia simply started laughing, completely unbothered by the new arrival, as he sunk his claws into a Dragon and ripped it in half, blood splashing across his face.
"Its about time," the Black Dragon laughed, as he tossed the two halves of the corpse he held aside, looking toward the dozens of Dragons he'd massacred alongside his Harbingers, with only a handful remaining. "My stomach aches for your strength…"
"Disturbed abomination, advent of our folly," a regal voice boomed, the shadow that loomed over the area darkening. "Your murderous rampage halts here!"
Natsu was nearly knocked over, as a Dragon that was nearly the size of the Achnologia he knew touched down, skidding across the plains as it flared its wings threateningly. With scales of sparkling silver, and eyes to match, the massive Dragon roared at Achnologia and the Harbingers threateningly.
Judging by its size, Natsu already knew exactly which Dragon this was…
The Last King Of Draconia
One Of The Strongest Dragons Upon Earthland
The Empyrean Dragon Monarch
High King Grendel
"Harbingers… Leave this one to me," Achnologia spoke, his tone surprisingly normal, startling Natsu who hadn't assumed the Black Dragon King capable of it.
As one, the Harbingers vanished, the sounds of battle resuming as they raided the capital further, much to the chagrin of High King Grendel, who snarled whilst flapping his wings.
"How dare you bare those false fangs against us… You, a mere Human!"
"The scum called Dragons robbed me of my Humanity decades ago," Achnologia replied darkly, the Aqua Blue in his eyes increasing in brightness as Natsu felt Achnologia's Magical Power begin increasing. "All that remains is the hunger… I MUST have your Lacrima, even at the cost of my vengeance!"
"So its true, you really are slaughtering the Dragons for our Lacrima," Grendel sighed, his colossal sized body beginning to glow brightly as it began to shrink. "As King of the Draconian Dragon Clan, I cannot allow you to devour so much as one more of my subjects!"
Achnologia snarled as Grendel's form shrank right down until he was around thirty feet tall, standing upright like a humanoid on two legs. His form was disturbingly similar to how his own looked in the Second Stage of the Dragon Force, though there were notable differences.
Grendel had absolutely no Human traits. Instead of hair, he had a series of horns protruding from the top of his head, seemingly made of the same silvery substance as his scales. He also had no visible skin, just Dragon scales, and his chest had a strange glow beneath it, clearly the Lacrima Achnologia so desperately sought, shining brightly like a silver star before vanishing abruptly.
It was then that Natsu found himself frozen in place, as Achnologia's form also began to glow, before rapidly shrinking down. Now standing around twenty-four feet tall, Achnologia was clearly in the Second Stage Dragon Force, the Human-like traits present which confirmed his origins…
Long, shaggy, Aqua Blue colored hair flowed freely down his back, his Black Scales covered by glowing Aqua Blue markings, his black scales shining brightly amidst the raging fire around him. His wings flapped several times as he slowly floated upward, his scarred body tensing as he glared down at Grendel.
"You dare mock me with that form," the Black Dragon hissed, his fury being felt by the entire capital. "You dare assume a bipedal form to mock me!?"
"This form is nothing for a Dragon Monarch," Grendel huffed, clenching his fists. "How else would we capture your kind? Always so fragile, your bodies shatter in our true forms… Several hundred years ago, a bipedal form was researched in order for us to better deal with Humanity."
"This is exactly why you all deserve to die," Achnologia snarled in reply, visibly shaking as Natsu found himself strangely siding with arguably his worst nemesis. "How dare you…"
"I dare because it is my right as High King," Grendel replied coldly, releasing his own Magical Power. "We Dragons were some of the first to tame this world, whilst Humanity wallowed in its own ignorance! How dare your kind even conceive of rebelling against us!"
It is difficult to face this, isn't it…?
Natsu couldn't help but silently agree with the mysterious voice in that moment.
Although he absolutely despised Achnologia, and would never, ever forgive him for what he'd done… In this particular instance, he could actually empathize with the Black Dragon. He who had once been a broken slave, had tried to fight back, only to be ruthlessly attacked and tossed out along with countless other slaves.
What emerged from that ravine was a being hell bent on wiping out the Dragons, and he honestly couldn't blame him. However, it was clear that this was still a far cry from the Achnologia he knew.
The Black Dragon King of his time rarely spoke, and would ruthlessly slaughter absolutely anything he fancied. His Harbingers openly warred against the Governments of Earthland, and worst of all, he took a sick pleasure in destroying the world they all lived in.
That being the case, he still held little pity for the ruthless Dragons of Draconia. Though it did raise a few questions within his own mind, as he pondered just what the full truth to the mystery of Achnologia truly was…
"Before I kill you, I want to know something," Achnologia snarled, as the entire area seemed to crumble beneath their combined power. "Where is the Dragon Sage Belserion?"
Grendel seemed shocked that Achnologia had asked such a question, the High King momentarily stunned, before shaking his head.
"Far from here, and away from your madness! Why do you seek him!?"
"I know he can get me what I seek," Achnologia smirked, licking his lips in a manner that greatly unnerved Natsu. "You will tell me exactly where he is before you die…"
"I don't know where he is-!"
"I know you're lying," the Black Dragon replied confidently, holding out his palm as an Aqua Blue light momentarily blinded everyone nearby. "This one was quite forthcoming with the information I sought…"
Natsu couldn't help but wince as the severed head of a bronze scaled Dragon was tossed halfway between the two combatants. He could see the shocked and heartbroken gaze of Grendel, immediately realizing this was likely a close family member of his.
"Y-You monster! MY SON-!"
"Tasted rather delicious," the Black Dragon smirked, which seemed to set off Grendel, as the Silver Dragon vanished from where he'd been standing, reappearing right in front of Achnologia with an attack fully charged and ready to go.
As the attack struck Achnologia in the chest, the Black Dragon laughed, even as he was blasted away, dust blinding Natsu from what was going on, as he went to take flight so he could observe the battle.
However, before he could, he found himself frozen in place…
My apologies for the delay…
Slowly, Natsu felt himself turned around, right as a golden portal opened up, and a thirteen-foot tall, slender woman strode out of it. She had long flowing blonde hair, though curiously, numbers seemed to constantly manifest from her locks as they flowed freely behind her, manifesting and de-materializing in mere moments.
She wore only a white robe, golden eyes shining brightly with her iris' being nothing more than a golden vortex of raw swirling energy.
"Y-You're…"
"I must admit, you look much more impressive up close," the woman smiled lightly, looking at him with a semi-glazed stare that made it apparent she wasn't fully focused on him. "Yes, I see you…"
One Of The Cosmic Force Gods Of Terminus
Forty-Ninth Goddess Of Time
Fifteenth Matriarch Of The Kali Clan
Felicity Ahm-Zar
"Y-You're the Time Goddess," Natsu whispered, unable to hide his shock as the sleepy looking Goddess casually strode over and gave his bicep a gentle pat.
"No need to be so worried, Natsu Dragneel… After all, you've done nothing wrong here," Felicity smiled gently, before motioning around their position. "All of this was the direct result of others. Specifically, it was the result of a long-standing grudge…"
"A grudge?"
"Yes," Felicity replied, as the entire area seemed to pause, before the events around them started playing out thousands of times faster than he could even begin to process. "Allow me to show you the truth…"
"Are you making Time flow faster!?"
"Was it that obvious," the Time Goddess smirked, before shaking her head. "If someone else were doing it, I think we'd have much greater concerns…"
Feeling rather silly, he waited until Time resumed at its regular pace once more, as the pair found themselves back upon the hill he'd started at, the Dragon form of High King Grendel bleeding out in the ocean as Achnologia and the Harbingers hacked apart his corpse.
"Was this what you wanted to show me," Natsu asked slowly, only for the Time Goddess to shake her head, motioning for him to look to their immediate left.
Once he did so, Natsu was shocked to see a group of Dragons observing Achnologia's actions, several of whom he knew personally.
"T-That's Xicor," Natsu gasped, as the Dragon God stood tall above the others, a saddened look upon his face. "And they're-!"
"Yes. These are the Dragons who would come to formulate the plan to create a group of Dragon Slayers in the future," Felicity replied with a curt nod. "Metalicana the Metal Dragon Monarch, Grandina the Sky Dragon Monarch, Weisslogia the White Dragon Monarch, Skiardrum the Shadow Dragon Monarch, Florumm the Forest Dragon Monarch, Umikura the Ocean Dragon Monarch, and you obviously know Lykyria and Igneel…"
Natsu was completely dumbfounded as he beheld these powerful Dragons, especially those he knew were sealed inside of the other First-Generation Slayers. His eyes soon shifted toward Florumm and Umikura, before quickly darting back to Felicity, who already had an answer ready.
"Lykyria was not the only Dragon who hadn't opted to adopt a Human child. Like the Gravity Dragon Monarch, they too are deep in hiding, waiting for Lord Xicor to command them once again, as they suppress themselves to avoid Achnologia's detection…"
"I had a feeling there might have been others," Natsu muttered in reply as he beheld the two Dragons he'd never heard of before.
Florumm was around the same size as Grandina, and covered in bushes, moss, grass and other flora. Her wings, most interestingly, were made entirely out of wood, rather than flesh and bone.
Umikura was basically the polar opposite to Atlas Flame in terms of appearance. The Ocean Dragon Monarch was short, but his entire body was made from pure water, molding itself into the shape of a Dragon. He knew that one wouldn't have had much trouble hiding from Achnologia, given the vastness of the oceans.
Everything seemed to move rapidly once more, as Natsu found himself standing at the center of the crumbling city, the group of Dragon Monarchs and Lord Xicor surrounded by dozens of wounded Dragons.
"Though I cannot allow you to witness everything, I would have you witness this moment in particular," Felicity murmured, as she waved her hand, Time resuming at its regular pace once more.
"Lord…Xicor…"
"Save us Lord Xicor…"
"Save us!"
Looking around him, the wounded Dragons limped toward the group, as the Dragon God opened what he assumed was a portal to Terminus behind the Monarchs. The other Dragons desperately crawled toward them, as they slowly started to leave.
"Lord Xicor…!"
"Why…Why are you not helping us too…"
"Save us…!"
"Save the Dragon race…!"
Natsu watched as most of the Monarchs departed without a word, until only Xicor, Igneel, Grandina and Lykyria remained.
"There is nothing left here, Lord Xicor," Igneel spoke solemnly, shocking Natsu to the core as the Dragon God looked between the Fire Dragon Monarch, and the wounded Dragons scattered around the area crying out for help. "They were warned of his coming, yet chose to remain and arrogantly fight. This is their punishment for not adhering to Lord Belserion, and choosing to side with Grendel."
"We've taken all we need from this place," Grandina sniffed, glaring down at the wounded Dragons coldly. "Leave them to their fate, Lord Xicor."
Natsu found himself surprised that this was Grandina, the Dragon Wendy often spoke fondly of. There wasn't a single trace of sympathy or pity in her eyes for her own dying kin, only contempt and even disgust. It was a far cry from the kind, caring and motherly Dragon Wendy said she was, of that he was certain…
"My children… I apologize to you all, but there is nothing I can do for you," Xicor spoke quietly, silencing the desperate pleas from the Dragons as they seemed to lose their strength. "Achnologia is an entity that cannot be slain by regular means, and so, a solution shall have to be devised. I truly am sorry, but I must leave you all to your Fate…"
The Dragons almost immediately began crying out, outraged as their God openly spoke about abandoning them. Many tried to stand, but couldn't due to their wounds. One did manage to drag himself before the God, teeth barred as he slammed the ground with one of his foreclaws.
"We were faithful to you for millennia, Lord Xicor! Faithful to the God of Dragons! Now when we need you the most, you turn your hide upon us!?"
"I-I'm sorry… I cannot risk facing Achnologia," Xicor whispered, taking several steps back toward the portal as Achnologia landed behind the dying Dragon, his mouth twisted into an amused smirk.
"Xicor, God of Dragons, abandoning your patrons to save your own hide," the Black Dragon smirked, even as blood oozed from multiple gashes across his body. "I'll have your power one day, one day soon!"
"I will not allow my power to fall to the likes of you, and abomination upon Reality!"
"Ah… I see now, you know the truth about me," Achnologia chuckled darkly, stepping on the dying Dragon as he crushed its head, killing him instantly. "You'll not be able to hide forever… One day, I WILL devour a being with Aura, and then, I'll come to feast upon God and Devil both!"
"It won't happen…"
"Oh, but it will! I know for a fact that recently, a certain shame of both the Gods and Devils recently arrived here, and is currently wandering the world… I wonder what would happen if I devoured this being, taking its power for my own!?"
"It will not happen Achnologia," Xicor replied firmly, as he stepped back into the portal. "One day, you will be put down!"
As Xicor and the others left Earthland, Achnologia couldn't help but roar with laughter, turning around to face the other Dragons as the Harbingers hacked them apart for their Lacrima.
"He believes himself a step ahead of me, does he? Well… I shall soon show him his folly," the Black Dragon smirked, before flaring his wings and letting loose a triumphant roar. "He thought to hide Belserion from me, but the Dragnof Kingdom will NOT HIDE HIM FOR LONG!"
As his voice turned more maniacal, the Harbingers finished harvesting the Lacrima from the Dragons, and hopped onto Achnologia's head. The Black Dragon cackled as he took to the skies, leaving the capital of Draconia completely decimated.
Time suddenly increased, as Natsu found himself standing in the strange room he'd found the staff, Felicity at his side.
"I have advanced time forward by twenty-five years," Felicity explained, as she pointed up to the roof, with Natsu noting the stone roof was a deep red color. "The blood of Dragons has the power to perform many miracles across countless Realities, yours being no exception."
"Is this how that staff was made then?"
"Correct," the Time Goddess smiled, as the red stain across the roof cracked, and a single bone fell through the roof, striking the ground along with a solid mound of dirt. "Twenty-five years of festering resentment, hatred and animosity toward the Dragon God Xicor, as well as the harbinger of their destruction, Achnologia, brought about a unique miracle."
Natsu watched as the Magic in the air seemed to react to the dried blood mixing with the Dragon bone, the dirt flicking up as the bone slowly began to levitate.
"Desperate for revenge, the blood of these fallen Dragons cries out, demanding a miracle. Though they cannot return from death, they can help to bring death upon those who denied them life…"
Natsu watched in awe as a bright white light flashed through the dark room, the dirt being blasted away, revealing the staff he'd found down here back in his own Time. The staff gently floated downward, coming to gently rest upon the place he'd come to find it.
"This is how it all began… The hatred for Achnologia, for Dragon God Xicor, and eventually, toward the living world itself," Felicity spoke, moving to stand next to the staff. "What you see before you, is a staff that could destroy entire countries if it ever managed to make its way into the wrong hands. A weapon borne of the blood and tears of Dragons…"
Time moved forward again, as Natsu watched a strange group of Humans appear. They were clearly cultists of some sort, wearing black robes and all possessing similar staves to the one sitting upon the altar.
"They called it, Dragon Cry… To touch Dragon Cry, one would feel what the Dragons of old felt during the massacre of Draconia. To a being such as yourself, it is merely experiencing the memory, your consciousness pressed back through Time to observe the event. But to a weaker Human, they would lose themselves to their hatred, their will lacking, and their hearts tainted…"
"Dragon Cry," Natsu murmured, slightly in awe at the powerful weapon before him.
"Time shifted ahead another few years, showing the cultists now dead, along with dozens of armored knights wearing strange looking armor.
"Word of Dragon Cry inevitably spread, with many vying for its power. Despite Draconia's destruction, more wars were fought upon this ground, as entire nations destroyed themselves for the chance to harness the power of Dragon Cry."
"I think I can guess what inevitably happened…"
"Yes. Eventually, the last two Human nations upon the continent of Draconia, their ancestors being slaves of the Dragons who once ruled here, ultimately slew each other to the last. Humans wiped themselves out on Draconia, leaving Dragon Cry to fade into the annals of history…"
"I see… I assume there's a reason why you're telling me this?"
"There is, yes. I'd have you take the staff and place it within your Requip Space for now."
Natsu went to grab it, only for his hand to go right through the weapon. Felicity giggled, shaking her head, as she snapped her fingers, the pair immediately reappearing back in the correct Time period, as Natsu stumbled backward, falling over.
"W-Wow… That hurt my head…"
"I've been told that happens to people when they project their consciousness forward or backward through Time," Felicity smiled kindly. "Since you just touched the staff, the power within it has gone dormant for the moment, so it should be safe for you to touch it again."
Natsu nodded slowly as he pulled himself to his feet. Shaking his head, he slowly walked up to the staff and placed a hand on it, wincing as if he'd expected it to bite him or something. Once he was certain it wasn't going to do anything, Natsu sent Dragon Cry to his Requip Space, before turning to look at the Time Goddess.
"So, what do you want me to do with it?"
"For now, nothing," the Time Goddess replied rather bluntly. "But I won't hear of you wielding it against someone!"
"I-Uh… I didn't really plan on it, considering what you said," Natsu muttered, somewhat surprised at her rather cute glare. "So, I assume you just want me to hold onto it for now?"
"That's right. After all, we've got far more important problems to deal with," Felicity nodded sagely, flicking her hair back as numbers fell out of it, bouncing on the floor before vanishing in a poof of golden dust.
"Is your hair supposed to do that?"
"Hm? Oh, that? Well, ever since I became the Goddess of Time, it just does that," the Time Goddess shrugged, flicking it at him as he was knocked over by some of the numbers. "I'm a physical representation of Time, directly serving under the Time Primordial, so its only natural that my body would change to accommodate being able to wield a portion of his power, no?"
Slowly hauling himself back to his feet, Natsu rubbed his chest where the numbers had hit him, recalling back in Terminus how all the other Gods had given Felicity a slight berth.
"Now that makes a heck of a lot more sense…"
"Anyway, we need to get out of this dusty place," the Time Goddess chirped, skipping toward him and grabbing his arm with considerable force. "As we stand around joking, Zeref's Eclipse Gate remains open!"
"W-Well yeah, I knew the Eclipse Gate had to be dealt with," the Dragon Slayer spluttered, as he felt like his arm was being torn off as he was dragged up the stairs. "But the Dragons are here, so why does it matter!?"
"It matters because the longer it stays open, the longer two separate points in Time cross streams," Felicity huffed, as if she were talking down to a child. "I know you aren't quite savvy on Time, Space and Dimensional Theory, so I'll try to summarize this like I do for the beginners in the Time Class…"
"I feel like this won't be beginner level," Natsu mumbled to himself, as the Time Goddess chose to ignore his comment.
"Existence governs what we call everything. It is literally all things from the Infinite Outerversal Planes of existence, to the microscopic Infinitesimal Planes of existence. Each of these have countless Timelines that follow their own sequential order across a predetermined number of years."
"Head hurts…"
"Due to the fact that one Reality has dozens of Timelines, Time itself is rather delicate," Felicity continued. "Any slight disturbance to the Timeline, such as disrupting a Fixed Point in Time that must always occur, Time Traveling to change the past or future, or, in the case of what's happening now, linking two entirely separate points of Time together, could cause irreparable damage to the Timestream of that reality. You with me so far?"
"…Zeref did bad and is going to break Time," Natsu replied slowly, shooting her an awkward smile that conveyed he didn't really understand what she was talking about.
"Good enough," the Time Goddess huffed in reply, shaking her head. "What matters is that we can fix this mess before it does any damage to this Timeline."
"I take it that the severity of what could happen is why you're here in person, right? Eliza told me that you arguably had one of the most important jobs in Terminus and you don't usually have the Time to deviate from your job?"
"Eliza's correct. Usually, I'm fully invested into my work a hundred percent of the Time. Like I said before I appeared before you, I had to make some preparations so that Time still functioned properly in my absence," the Time Goddess replied with a firm nod. "Right now, I'm working at about ninety-nine-point nine seven percent instead."
"Wait… Huh," was all Natsu could respond with, which amused the Time Goddess enough to get her giggling again.
"You haven't got a clue what I'm talking about, do you?"
"Not at all," was his immediate reply, which amused the Time Goddess enough to where she stopped pulling him and decided to just speak to him normally.
"It's alright, I didn't really expect you to, to be quite honest. Learning about the consequences of Time, Space and Dimensional tampering can do is really only necessary for Gods and Devils, since both have the potential to mess with them."
"Sounds like there's a lot to learn about it," came the rather obvious response, as the pair continued making their way up the stairs.
"Oh yes, there's actually about ten books on each of the three main ones that all new Gods or Devils must be able to recite word for word before they're even allowed to move around freely using portals or warping."
"Wow," Natsu muttered in awe, realizing that both Eliza and Xicor could both warp around, meaning both of them had to know such complex knowledge.
"That aside though, let's focus more on the present, eh!?"
"Y-Yeah…"
"Let's start with those five Dragons who brought you here," the Time Goddess continued, as they reached the top of the stairs. "You know that you need to kill them so they'll return to their own Time, right?"
"I kind of figured that, yeah. But they wanted to come here and speak to Igneel first, and I figured it would be worth it since I could learn something new myself," Natsu explained plainly. "Given everything that's happened since I got to Draconia, I'd say I've learned a lot?"
"You most certainly have," the Time Goddess agreed. "If you want to help these Dragons speak with Igneel, then I'll allow it. However, we don't have long, so we can't dilly dally for long!"
"Fair enough," Natsu agreed, as the pair started making their way to the exit, before the Time Goddess turned to face him once more.
"Oh, by the way, your friends keep pestering Eliza and demanding she come to see if you're okay," Felicity said idly, an amused smirk on her face. "They've been rather persistent, though Eliza can't come here due to these events being a Fixed Point in Time."
"But you can be here since it's a Time incident, right?"
"Yup! You actually are learning a few things, aren't you!? Eliza told me you were surprisingly smart when you actually cared to learn," Felicity grinned, amazed Natsu had even remembered any of the finer points of what she'd told him.
"I like to learn important things that could help me in the future," the Dragon Slayer replied, feeling like he was being praised by a teacher or parental figure, which elicited a strange feeling in his chest. "Anyway, how long are you allowed to be here?"
"Until you destroy the Eclipse Gate!"
"Well, first I've got to deal with the five Dragons out there and hopefully not die…"
"Ah, you'll be fine," Felicity replied in a completely dismissive manner, which genuinely surprised him.
"I suppose we'll just have to see about that," the Dragon Slayer muttered to himself, as he followed the cheery and now wide awake Time Goddess back outside, still trying to process everything that had just happened to him…