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Chapter 1 – Acnologia
Mount Zonia was a towering peak located in the remote snowladen land near Fiore's North-Eastern coast.
Standing tall, far from the nearest town, it was a mountain renowned for its quiet beauty and frigid weather. Sitting in the epicenter of an eternal blizzard, a near spotless blanket of the purest snow covered everything as far as the eye could see. The cause of the mountains endless winter was something that few cared about, though the ones that did attributed it to magical phenomena, refusing to believe that such a storm could be natural. With a thick fog and wispy clouds obscuring the peak, it should come to no surprise that its mysterious aura would inspire superstitions amongst the locals that dared to approach the mountains base.
One such tale spoke of two angels, one birthed from the shadows with wings to match and the other with wings that could match the purest dove, who fought over a man whose identity had been lost to time. In the end, the angel of white emerged from the battle, crippled but victorious, and blessed the mountain with its everlasting snowfall to hide the scars left by their battle. That, of course, is merely a legend spoken by the superstitious to all who will listen.
Few can claim to have successfully climbed to the peak of this mountain making it the perfect place to hide from the public eye, so long as they didn't mind the year-long cold and chilling winds. Adding to the remoteness of the mountain, it stood a surprising distance from the warmer mountain ranges to the East, deterring any would-be mountain climbers or thrill-seekers; even those seeking a euphoric rush of danger wouldn't climb such a mountain where death was almost guaranteed.
It was for this reason that the Dragon King, Acnologia, chose this place as his refuge.
Peaceful, quiet, remote, and far from one of his least favorite creatures on Earthland: Humans. He couldn't stand nor understand the pathetic little creatures and they personified the one thing he couldn't stand, the one thing that he hated above all else: weakness.
Over the course of his immense lifespan, many of the insects had tried to lay claim to his head, disillusioning themselves with the thought that they could conquer him and mount his head as a trophy like they did with their little beasts. They were met with the same agonizing end that came to all beings believing themselves his superior.
One could say that it was due to his lack of understanding of this weakness that led to his hate for it. As one of the most, if not the most, powerful beings in Fiore, even in the entire world, the concept was so utterly alien to him that he couldn't comprehend that others were unable to obtain the same level of power as he did all those years ago. Here though, on the snowy slopes of his mountain, he had peace and quiet, undisturbed by the outside world. Here he could live in solitude with the only creature he cared for; himself.
He supposed one could consider it ironic, the fact the he too was human, once upon a time. Over 400 years ago, a war had broken out between dragons and the humans they oppressed. Thanks to their superior strength, it wasn't long before it had seemed as though the dragons would come out on top. Luckily for the humans, there had been a few dragons who spoke out against the war, those who cared for the humans and allied themselves with them. Foreseeing that they were fighting losing war, the humans and dragons fused their magic together, giving humanity the power to push back and defeat their adversaries: the power of the Dragonslayers. Among those chosen few, a young blue-haired child stood out as exceptionally powerful.
But that was long ago, another time, another life. He had since overcome and forgotten that weakness he had possessed.
So it was there, on the peak of the lonely mountain that Acnologia rested, lost in his empty thoughts until a wave of magic washed over him.
The great being known as the Dragon King grunted in annoyance and opened a beady white eye. Even after so many years, humans still seemed to believe their paltry magic could pierce his scales. For a moment he debated on whether he should even deign to give such a weak attack a response before noticing something… unusual about the magic. It felt like the magic was searching—for lack of a better word—for something. For… him?
It was a stark enough change from the norm that it gave him pause, allowing him to further learn about the strange magic. It felt far different from what he was used to, far different from any kind of magic he had experience before. It was almost as if-
And just like that it was gone.
It was enough to leave even him confused. Was this some new magic the insects had made to hunt him down?
It seemed as though he would soon receive his answer as the same magic flashed some distance away, one the white plains at the foot of the mountain.
Taking a deep breath, he found a far too familiar scent tied to the magic.
'A human?' He narrowed his eyes in the direction of the scent. 'These insects are getting bold.'
On a normal day, the fearsome dragon would ignore any such disruptions and return to his slumber. He had lived far too long for a human to surprise him. However, the strange and foreign magic this human had brought with it had piqued his curiosity.
It helped that he was bored. He might as well stretch his muscles a little.
The undefeated dragon rose from his resting space and spread his wings. He was truly a sight to behold, with wings that could blot out the sun and indestructible scales that shimmered under the sparse light, he had paralyzed entire armies of mortals with his mere appearance on the battlefield.
A sense of satisfaction overcame him as he remembered their terrified looks at his mere gaze.
With a leap off the ground and a beat of his wings, he took off in the direction of the scent.
Reaching the foot of the mountain, he tracked the scent as he soared over the snowy field, each beat of his wings sending clouds of snow back into the air. It wasn't long before his draconic eyes caught sight of the source of the strange magic, though it took a moment to make sure it wasn't some kind of illusion.
Surely even humans couldn't be this impudent?
'A child?'
It was obvious the small human had noticed his approach as it attempted to run away from the flying dragon. Acnologia flew closer and soon enough landed hard enough for the snow around them to obscure even his massive form, leaving nothing for the child to see but a pair of slitted eyes staring through the cloud as the force of his landing knocked the boy down.
It was obvious now that it truly was a flesh and blood human child. One with messy black hair and a dark, tattered shirt that exposed his small frame to the dragon, even his pants had holes in them with bruises showing through them, and the way the child held one arm implied further injury. The scent of flames lingered on the small human.
It was none of these, however, that truly caught his attention. What caught his attention the most were his eyes. Behind a set of glasses—if he remembered the name correctly—were a pair of deep green eyes. That in and of itself was nothing strange, the astonishing thing was the emotion behind them.
Normally when humans gazed upon his form, it was with looks of total fear, pure horror, and sometimes even hatred. Other beings may be discomforted by such looks, but not the Dragon King. Looks such as those merely served as a reminder that they were weaker than him and could do nothing to stop him.
It was oh so satisfying.
But this child, this insignificant whelp of a human, held no fear or hate in his eyes; at least none that he could see. Instead, his eyes seemed filled with awe and… wonder?
In a brief moment of befuddlement, the mix of his own confusion and the child's wonder—two things he rarely if ever experienced—sent him into a flash of rage.
How dare this insect mock him! He was the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse, a symbol of fear and strength! He wasn't some puny hero of a fairytale for children to get starry-eyed at!
He dropped his snout down in front of the child, jaw open and teeth as large as the boy himself ready to tear the child apart. He would teach this boy to fear him before he ended his insignificant life. As he prepared to tear the boys arm off, the boy did something that he had never thought possible.
The child raised his uninjured arm in a moment of panic and Acnologia—the dragon known as the strongest in history—smashed his jaw into some sort of invisible barrier, causing him to reel back in pain.
He stared at the child in disbelief, running his tongue over his teeth to ensure he wasn't imagining things. He couldn't believe it; it had lasted but a second yet he had felt something he hadn't felt for centuries: pain. No one had caused him pain in such a long time, how had a child—a human child—done so?
He stared down his snout at the boy who, seemingly having realized what had nearly happened, now held some fear in his eyes, though—much to Acnologia's annoyance—the awe and wonder from before still remained.
Rising to his full height, he stared down at the whelp that had caused him pain and asked, "Who are you, boy?"
The child merely stared at him with an open mouth.
Acnologgi growled at the lack of response. He dared defy him?! "Speak!"
The boy, startled, spat out his answer. "I-I'm Harry."
Harry? A weak name for a weak insect. "How did you get here?"
"M-My village was attacked by b-bad magicians and they killed my friend. I… I don't know what happened next," he stuttered out in rightful fear.
The Dragon King leaned closer and stared at the child. With his superb senses, he could detect even the minute fluctuations in someones magic when they lied to him. There were no lies in what the boy said, but it was obvious to him that there was more to it; the foreign magic that radiated off of him wasn't something that could just come from an unstable core. He had never encountered anything like it, certainly not in this world… hm.
"There is more than what you are telling me. I do not recognize your magic, it is far to foreign to be from this land. Lie to me, or omit the truth again, and I will be most displeased. Now, how did you get here?"
The child's eyes widened in shock, seeming to realize what the dragon was referring to. "M-My uncle beat me when he saw my book. I-I wanted him to st-stop and I… appeared at the village."
Acnologia growled, not detecting any lies from the boy. He set himself down on the snow, folding his forelegs over one another, never taking his eyes off the child. 'So, he was abused by his family?' He mentally snorted. Typical humans, not caring the least for their own kind or kin. Just another reason to hate the insects—the for their unwillingness to care (not that he cared) and the abused for being too weak to stand up for themselves.
"What country are you from?" He eventually asked.
"England, s-sir," came the answer.
Acnologia mentally raised an eyebrow at that. He couldn't ever remember being called sir before. Still, he searched his memory for a place matching the one the boy had mentioned. Even in his vast memory, he couldn't think of any country, past or present, matching that name. Combined with the foreign magic, there were few options left and only one that he cared to entertain.
"I do not recognize that name. You are not from Earthland, are you? By the scent of your magic, I'd say you came from another world entirely."
"U-Um, yes, sir." A hint of confusion made its way into his eye, suggesting that the boy himself wasn't entirely sure it was correct.
He examined the child, taking in the visible wounds on the frail body. A few looked recent, no doubt from these 'bad magicians' the child had mentioned, but the majority looked rather old, likely from this uncle of his.
The dragon frowned in distaste. If the boy didn't enjoy being hurt so much, then why did he not stop this uncle? Why did he not tear the man to pieces?
He might as well ask. "Your uncle… you say he beat you. Why did you not stop him?"
The child grimaced as though remembering the beatings he had gotten to receive such wounds. Eventually the child replied, albeit with tears in his eyes and a shiver to his form, though if it was from the memories or cold, Acnologia knew not. Humans were such fragile creatures. "I…" the boy swallowed a lump in his throat, "I don't know. I-I," he sniffled, "I was too w-weak."
Acnologia wasn't expecting such a response. The boy had actually admitted to being weak? No normal human, child or not, would freely admit something like that out of the blue.
The boys tears continued as the dragon took in his answer, quickly turning into sobs that grated Acnologia's earfins. It was obvious he wouldn't be talking coherently any time soon.
'Great,' he thought, 'now I need to calm him down if I want him to talk again.' Ignoring the fact that he had no experience in doing such a thing, he simply asked, "Why are you crying, whelp?"
"I-I don't have a home, I have nowhere to go and m-m-my friend d-died. H-he t-t-tried to f-f-fight them but-but he..." the child trailed off, still sobbing. Ah, so that was the reason. Well, there was no question as to why he died, at least in Acnologia's mind
"Then your friend was weak. Just like you," he remarked.
In a pathetic attempt at intimidation, the boy glared at him and cried, "He wasn't weak!"
Typical human. "If he wasn't weak, he would not have died so easily. You were both too weak." To Acnologia, it was simply the truth and nothing more.
The boy thought otherwise as he shouted, "You're lying!"
The dragon huffed in exasperation at the denial before him. "I have no reason to lie to you, boy." Why did humans always deny the truth even when it was irrefutable?
The child continued his pathetic glare, though he didn't say anything else.
After a moment, he shakily stood and yelled at the behemoth before him, "I'll show you! I'm not weak!"
Normally, Acnologia wasn't one to believe in paltry things such as destiny or fate, to say nothing of prophecies, even ones predicted with magic held little weight and could be thrown off by merely having knowledge of the event, but when the boy stood up, still wounded and announced his desire, he felt something within the boy. Something that he himself had been told he had plenty of when he had been chosen as one of the first Dragon Slayers: potential.
With that thought, something seemed to click in Acnologia's head. A child with a desire for power and hatred for weakness, one originating from another dimension that just happened to be transported right to his domain through foreign magic. Subconsciously, even if he wouldn't admit it, the black dragon began connecting certain dots. If he really planned to do what he was thinking, then the human would have to be special, utterly unique, and a little mage from another world certainly fit the criteria.
The black dragon let out a slow chuckle, the rumbling noise gaining the boys attention. White met green as the bane of all dragons asked, "Tell me, boy, do you desire power? Do you wish for strength beyond mortal kind?"
"I want to be strong! I don't want anyone to hurt me again!" The boy yelled, "I want to be strong like… like…" he trailed off for a moment, before realizing the perfect example of strength was a mere stone's throw away. "I want to strong like a dragon!"
Acnologia chuckled slowly before it turned into raucous laughter that disturbed the snow around them. This was what he was looking for! This is what he wanted! More than anything, the Dragon King desired a challenge, a battle where he could fight at his full strength. He had yet to find anyone who could grant him such a pleasure, not since that damnable wizard in black had disappeared, so, when the child proclaimed his desire, an old human saying popped into his head that fit the situation perfectly: If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.
If he couldn't find anyone that could give him a challenge, he would make one that could do so. What better challenge was there than on such as himself?
With a grin on his face that would terrify all but the hardiest of beasts, he stood to his full height once more and spread his wings wide, engulfing the boy in shadows. "You wish for power? Then you shall have it. You desire strength? Then you shall achieve it. I will grant you power beyond mortal men…"
"For I am Acnologia, the Dragon King. And you? You shall be my Dragon Slayer… and my son."
-OBW-
It had been a week since Acnologia had taken Harry in as his son and needless to say, he had been thorough in his training. Having decided to do away with the boy's thin frame, the dragon had put him through a series of rigorous physical tests that most his age would have despaired over. After discovering that the foreign magic seemed to respond to the boys need for warmth and rest, Acnologia hadn't hesitated to capitalize on letting the boys magic do his work for him by forcing him to sleep against the rocks, away from the dragon, and giving the boy just enough rest to keep him healthy and no more.
What surprised Acnologia the most was the lack complaints from the child.
As for Harry himself, it hadn't taken him long to understand his new father's training regime. Having started the morning after he had been brought to the mountain, Acnologia had given him no time to grieve for his fallen friend and had immediately forced him to go to sleep only to wake him up early the next morning for training. Still, he never once protested or complained; he didn't want his body to be weak, after all.
It had helped that the Dursleys had made him sleep in a cramped cupboard with little heat and had worked him to exhaustion every day for no other reason than him being a 'freak'. He had learned not to complain or question when told to do something, especially when the person telling him to do something was a massive dragon that had promised to train him.
He didn't want to let his new father down, after all.
The only true downside was the fact that he was given no time to grieve for Kazuto, something that gave him nightmares and disturbed his sleep. He would often see his friend's anguished face amidst a burning village as he was cut down by that armored man.
Still, he didn't complain.
But even with the unknowing support of his inner magic, Harry's frail body and mind could only endure so much. So it was that on the seventh night, a snowstorm blew over the mountain and Harry had had enough. As Acnologia slept unperturbed by the freezing cold, Harry woke from another heart-wrenching nightmare as he shivered from the cold. With a glance around, he noticed that the snow around the dragon had melted from the warmth of his scaled body. Despite his mind telling him that he shouldn't bother the dragon, his body slowly got up and hobbled over to the dragon.
Without a word, he lay down and curled up against his father's warm body.
"What are you doing, whelp?" Acnologia growled, having been woken by the boys strange magic moving closer before settling against his own body.
His only reply was a dazed, "You're warm."
"I told you to sleep over there."
Harry didn't listen, and even dared push himself a little closer. "It's cold and you're really warm."
Acnologia merely grumbled in frustration. Why did humans have to be so fragile? The whelp hadn't complained once in the past week, so why now? The most frustrating part was that he couldn't refute the boy's logic, knowing that even with his magic, it was a miracle the boy hadn't complained about the cold before now.
He adjusted his head to see the whelp's now sleeping form to nudge him away when an image flashed in his head, overlapping reality with a past he wished to forget. A little girl, lying wounded on the cold ground had replaced the frail boy for but a moment, but it was enough to give him pause. He stared at the boy for a moment as if the girl would return. Eventually, he sighed in resignation. If he was really going to go through with this, then he couldn't afford to cut corners; it wouldn't do for his challenge-in-the-making to break down before he had even taught him any magic.
He curled his tail around the boy and extended a wing over the makeshift hovel to block out the cold. "I suppose it can't be helped. Tomorrow, we're going to the nearest human settlement to acquire some clothes for you, but you will learn to take care of yourself."
If he wished to train a dragon, he would first need to learn to raise a human.
-OBW-
Harry woke to a warmth that he couldn't recall ever feeling before. He rubbed his eyes, moving his brittle glasses and noticed that the rocks he usually slept on were further away than before. The rumbling voice he had come to associate with his new father made him turn his head.
"Wake up, whelp."
He turned to see the dragon practically wrapped around him. Not remembering the night before, it should come to no surprise that he was rather confused. Why would his father help him deal with the cold now when he had been content to let him freeze every other night?
"We are going to get you some supplies,"Acnologia said, lifting himself up and holding out a black claw for him. "Get on." There was no way he was going to let a human ride on his back. He wasn't one of those pack animals humans rode on.
Snapping out of his trance, Harry climbed onto the dragons open palm after which Acnologia closed his hand enough to keep the child secure.
With a mighty beat of his wings, Acnologia and Harry were soon soaring across the snow covered land. Despite the nearest settlement being over a hundred kilometers away, Acnologia could easily make it across that distance in a few minutes, even with the need to keep his passenger safe.
As they soared across the empty sky, Harry took in the passing landscape with a look of awe. The stress and exhaustion of the past week was forgotten as he became entranced by this new look at the world around him. It wasn't long before the snowy plains were replaced by a grassy countryside, leaving the displaced child reveling in this new sense of freedom.
It was enough to make him proclaim to the world and his father, "Now I really want to be a dragon if I could fly like this!"
Unexpectedly for Harry, Acnologia was able to hear his voice over the roaring winds thanks to his enhanced senses. "You will do so in due time. I would expect no less from my Dragon Slayer."
Soon enough, the two landed several kilometers away from the nearest town, called Kilika, far from any prying eyes.
Harry was left confused as his exhilaration died down. "Why couldn't we land closer?"
"Don't complain, whelp. Now get off."Harry opened his mouth to protest but was cut off. "Now!"Harry stood there for a second before jumping off the now-open palm, grumbling as he did so.
"Don't do that. It's unbecoming of you," his father ordered, his voice sounded far quieter than any other time he had heard the dragon speak.
Turning quickly, Harry saw that, instead of a dragon, a man stood before him. Standing tall with defined muscles, the man's dark skin and shark eyes were a stark contrast to most men Harry met. There were strange blue marking adorning his arms and face similar to tattoos and his long blue hair was something Harry had never seen before. The man's high-collared cloak and baggy pants were black with blue markings along them as well. Around his neck was the one item on him that didn't seem to be either black or blue: a necklace of crimson teeth.
Harry blinked in confusion. What had happened to his father?
"You didn't think I would enter a human town in that form, did you?" The man's condescending tone matched his father's perfectly.
While a bit baffled at the man's statement, his little jaw slowly dropped as he connected the dots in his head. "Did you just…?" he gestured to the man.
The man—or rather, Acnologia—raised a brow. He was expecting a bit more of a reaction, if he was honest. Still, no time for delays. "We're wasting time, follow me." He turned towards the town Harry had spotted in the distance and started walking, Harry close behind.
They soon reached the small town. It was a rather unremarkable one, nothing really stood out amongst the shops or people.
As the two walked through the town, Harry looked up at his father and asked, "How did you do that? Turn into a human I mean." He hadn't read anything in his books that said dragons could turn into humans!
While annoyed at his son's sudden questioning, he supposed he did owe him an answer, even if it would go over his head. "I use a very special kind of magic called Dragon Slayer Magic. My type of magic in particular allows me to absorb the energy of the pathetic dragons I have slain. The more I slay, the more my power grows, until it enabled me to reach this form. While it is weaker, it is rather functional for many situations such as this one."
Harry just gave him a weird look. "I don't understand." He said.
'Maybe he isn't as observant as I thought he was.'
After buying some clothes (consisting of pants, sandals and shirts) using money Acnologia had scavenged from the frozen corpses of those he had slain—those that had their packs intact, that was—the two headed back to the main street. They passed by a small bakery, where several pastries were left out to cool, letting their aroma spread. Harry took a whiff and was reminded by all the bread and pastries he ate with Kazuto. He tried to turn towards the bakery, but his father pulled him back.
"We don't have time for this, whelp. We have to –"
Whatever he was going to say was cut off by a loud gurgling sound. One look at Harry's blushing face told him all that he needed to know. For a moment he thought about continuing to pull the boy, but his decision from the night before made him pause. 'He hasn't eaten since yesterday morning, has he? I had forgotten how often mortals have to eat to stay alive.' Dragons in general didn't have to eat nearly as often as humans did and being as powerful as he was, he had to eat far less. It was for this reason that dragons were known to hibernate for years at a time, the longer they slept, the less they had to eat.
"What do you want to eat, brat?" He eventually asked, resignation lacing his words. Raising the child was going to be much more of a chore than he thought.
Harry just smiled before pointing at the delicious-smelling pastries.
And that was how Acnologia, feared Dragon King who had slaughtered countless humans and dragons alike, found himself sitting on a bench with his son who was happily eating a large chocolate pastry while the human-turned-dragon-in-human-form held a loaf of sourdough bread that he tore pieces of. He looked at his new protégé and admitted that he looked better than before. Now dressed in a long-sleeved shirt to match Acnologia's hair, baggy pants to match his own, and black sandals covering his ankles down while leaving the toes uncovered, the boy actually looked like a decent being when compared to what he had entered the town wearing. The only eyesore he could see were his glasses. No self-respecting dragon wore those.
"You'll have to get rid of those ridiculous things on your eyes, whelp," he remarked, tossing another piece of bread into his mouth.
Harry paused and swallowed to answer back. "But I can barely see without them."
"Your training will develop your eyesight in due time. It won't be long before you can throw those things away."
Harry brightened up at that. Kids had made fun of his glasses back in Surrey, and Petunia had gotten them for him at a thrift store only after she found out he really needed them.
As Harry went back to eating, the Dragon King noticed something on his forehead, blocked by his hair. "Brat, lift your hair up for a second." Harry did so while still munching on the pastry.
On the boy's forehead was a red scar shaped like a lightning bolt. While Acnologia had seen far stranger markings on one's body, the one on his son still looked rather strange. "How did you get that scar?"
Harry swallowed the last piece of his pastry and frowned. "My aunt told me that I got it after a car crash when my drunk parents died."
While he didn't know what a 'car crash' was, Acnologia assumed that he referred to some sort of accident. But no matter how much he thought about it, that scar looked far too precise to be caused by a mere accident. He cleared his throat and motioned for the boy to come closer. He did so and Acnologia put a finger on his son's forehead and closed his eyes.
'Just as I suspected,' he thought. 'This scar was caused by a direct attack on him. One tainted with dark magic, in fact it still lingers. It might become a problem in the future, so that will have to go as well.'
He removed his finger and was met by the boy's curious stare. "Just a little suspicion of mine. But if I'm correct, then that scar will be gone by the time I'm done with you."
Harry stared at him in awe. Nothing but pure awe and adoration was in his gaze. This was the best thing that had ever happened to him; not even Kazuto could give him what Acnologia had done! The fact that he was a dragon was just the icing on the proverbial cake.
Without thinking, he threw himself at Acnologia and hugged him. "Thank you," he whispered.
The dragon froze at the unexpected sign of affection, so confusing was the action that he didn't even attempt to remove the boy from around his waist. Eventually he just sighed and marked down as another oddity from the human. Besides, Harry wasn't going to be a carbon copy of him; what fun would that be when they clash?
Still, it was a bit uncomfortable for him so he grunted and said, "Get off me, brat."
Harry did so with some reluctance since he didn't want to anger his father. Instead, he just got another annoyed stare, rather than an angry one.
"Try not to do that again, it's embarrassing."
Harry nodded.
After making sure all of their things were accounted for, the two walked back to the clearing they had landed in. Acnologia dropped the bags at Harry's feet before walking over to the center of the clearing. He turned his head to the sides a few times before turning to Harry with a smirk, revealing two fangs in his teeth and a wicked gleam in his eye.
"Don't get comfortable whelp, because when we get back I will train you so hard that you will beg for death. But I believe a little incentive is in order; should you master the power of the Dragon Slayer, this is what will await you…"
With those words, a blue aura appeared around Acnologia and his hair rose up. A crack of thunder later, and two large wings sprouted from behind his back. There was a flash of light, and where the man once stood, the form of the Dragon King appeared, towering over the boy, who gazed at the whole scene wide-eyed.
"…so don't disappoint me brat."
-OBW-
True to his word, when they made it back to the mountain, Acnologia made Harry run around the mountain several times. When he was finished, the Dragon King transformed into his human form and sparred (read: aggressively attacked) the boy until he learned to dodge, which was all he could do. Afterwards, he made the boy attempt to climb the mountain, something he only achieved thanks to his foreign magic. By the time the sun set, Harry's body had ached like never before and he was left panting on the ground with several wounds, feeling like his limbs were on fire. What was worse was the queasiness he felt in his stomach, which he later learned was caused by the pastry he had eaten.
'He let me eat that on purpose,' he thought with irritation. 'He just had to.'
As his breathing started to calm, he attempted to move his arms only to be met with painful aches. When his vision cleared, Acnologia's human form stood above him, arms crossed and a smirk on his face.
"You survived. You're more resilient than I thought you would be. Now get up, there's food."
Harry managed to do so despite his body's protests. Following his blue-haired father to the side of the mountain, they arrived at a series of jagged rocks. In a flash of blue light, Acnologia transformed, grabbed his son and flew upwards. But instead of flying to the top, he stopped a dozen meters below it and held out his Harry-filled palm to side of the mountain.
Harry was greeted to the sight of a very large cave. A few pointed rocks (which he would come to learn later were called stalagmites) were positioned on its far side. In the center of the cave was a small fire with the roasted carcass of an animal lying near it.
The green-eyed child drooled at the scent wafting from the carcass and hopped off the dragon's hand. He ran to the hunk of meat and began rapidly tearing through it.
When Acnologia entered himself, the sight he was met with was rather amusing to him. The boy looked like a dragon already with how he ate that. He approached Harry and cleared his throat, making the boy stop and look up at him.
"From now on you will sleep here; this is a cave I use to rest in when the mountaintop becomes boring for me, so I will sometimes drop by here. I will teach you how to hunt and make your own fire so you can get your own food, so don't expect anything like again."
Harry just nodded and went back to his food. Acnologia sat down cross-legged next to him and just stared at the fire. Eventually, a stray thought wormed its way into his head. It was so unimportant and fleeting that he would normally dismiss it, but he was (re)learning things about humans, so he might as well…
"Whelp, do you have a last name?"
Harry lifted his head from his meal and gave him an odd look causing him to reiterate. "If I remember correctly, most humans have last names; do you, or don't you?"
The boy swallowed his meat and replied, "Harry Potter. My full name is Harry Potter."
Potter? What kind of a name was Potter? Did his ancestors work with pots? Certainly not a profession or a name that instilled fear and terror, that's for sure. "That's no good," he growled, "If you want to be a dragon, then you need to have a name befitting one as well."
(300 OST - Returns a King)
Good, that seemed to get the boys full attention. He searched his vast mind for a name, one worthy of the son of the Dragon King. A minute of silence later and a name finally popped into his head; one that he had read many years ago, the name one who had once been known as Dragon King, long before his rise to power.
He got and walked towards the boy. "Stand." He commanded.
The boy followed the order and wiped his mouth with his sleeve, green eyes looked at him expectantly. He raised his arm and put his large hand over the boy's head, as though about to recite a prayer; which he was, in a way.
"From this day forward your old life is gone. It is ashes of the past. The life and power of a dragon awaits you, and so by my power as the Dragon King, I bestow upon you, my son, this name:
I proclaim you Bahamut, Son of Acnologia."
I have been PM'ed that Acnologia was accepting Harry as his son a bit too soon. Well, that might seem true, but remember that Acnologia does not remember or care about human customs and norms, at least not for 400 years. The 'son' thing is just something that he had seen the other dragons do and does not possess the same emotional attachment to Harry (not yet, at least). He also renames Harry as soon as possible to distance any further connection from humans (since Harry is a weak human name to him).
I have also decided on the pairing, after consulting the holy guide (Wiki) and rigourous meditation. The pairing shalt be...
...a secret.
What should I do for next chapter?
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