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Once, he was king. His grand scales shone like rubies in the sun, and his brilliant eyes twinkled with power and pride.
He breathed magic into the humans that worshipped him, giving them blessings and watching as they grew
And grew
They never stopped…
They never stopped, not until they died.
He watched them become what they feared. Dragons that lost their minds with power. Watched as they killed each other. Watched as they killed other dragons.
Once he was king…
Igneel, the king of fire. The master of the red element. Master of heat and warmth.
He was the one who gave humans fire. Long ago, when they were naught but helpless ants. In this world of monsters, they needed it.
He watched as they took it and grew
And grew
And grew
And kept learning.
New magics bloomed, some of which had never been seen. Some of which were without peer. He watched as these ants held the stars in their hands, opening gateways to the celestial realms.
Once he was king.
Lord of mountains, champion of the thirteen colored alliance. It was he who gathered them together and watched as their children flourished.
And grew
And bloomed
Until the storm came…
He watched Elexion fall to a man with no name. A man who thought his gemstones made him important, whose gold had infected his mind…
Then the palace crumbled…
He watched as one by one, his children went mad. He watched as they ripped each other apart. He watched as the apocalypse came.
Once he had been a king…
He watched as the black wings descended, like those of a vengeful angel. He watched as a single roar felled his children. He watched his brothers and sisters of the thirteen color alliance consumed by the apocalypse's power.
He watched them fall.
Once he was king.
He threw down his crown and fled, along with his four remaining brothers and sisters.
Igneel, in the great volcanic expanse of the west. Metallicana, under the metal-rich mountains of the north. Weiss Logia and Skiadrum, residing on the border between shadow and light.
Grandeeney became the wind and began to circle the world, making sure that they remained aware of each other.
Once he had been king.
Igneel huffed as he sat at the bottom of his caldera. Here, the apocalypse could not reach him. But what would happen if it destroyed the world? Could he live, knowing that the world had only so much time remaining?
"Excuse me?"
Igneel's pupils dilated as he heard the garbled language of Mildian. It was a lost language… one belonging to a dead country.
He sniffed the air, retching as he smelled the palpable magic of death upon the air. It must be him. Acnologia, the apocalypse. It had to be.
Igneel let his eyes close as he resigned himself to his fate, before stepping up and out of his heated cavern.
Once, he had been king…
Igneel was surprised when he found a young man dressed in black robes standing outside his lair.
He had grey eyes, which seemed haunted by knowledge that was well beyond his years. In his arms, he held a bundle of cloth, which sported a frock of pink hair.
A baby?
Acnologia would never. No, this was not the apocalypse.
"Great king of fire. I have spent many a year tracing thee. Please… help me."
Igneel lowered his head before the meager human, blowing hot steam from his nostrils and across the human's face.
"Why have you come here human?"
The young man cringed before taking a knee and offering the child to Igneel.
"This is my brother, Natsu. He was killed many years ago by one of your kind. Using magic, I brought him back."
Igneel felt his lip curl. This human dared to trifle with the magic of life and death?
Suddenly, the scent made sense. The boy had been cursed.
"I fear my longing for him to return was for naught. I may never see him again, else he may die."
Igneel bowed his head again and sniffed at the babe. The cloth fell away, revealing bright eyes that stared at him in awe.
Awe.
When was the last time a human hadn't been afraid of him?
"Please, raise him. Teach him the magics that you know. Let him grow into someone who can protect his family. Someone better than me."
Igneel turned his eyes to the kneeling human.
"You bear a curse far beyond your understanding…"
"The magics of Ahnkseram are understood by none less than myself. I have spent centuries learning them. I know that my brother will not be safe."
Igneel sighed, breathing another puff of hot steam out from his nostrils. The heated gas spread over the baby, prompting a giggle from them.
"He is unaffected by heat…"
"By measures of human wizards, my brother would be considered inhuman. While my other creations are made of ethernano, his is present in the body that he originally inhabited. It allows him to adapt to many magics…"
"A demon… A human… a dragon… You understand that if he is under my wing, he will have to choose just who he wishes to be?"
"It is my hope that he will come for me. It is my hope that whichever choice he makes makes him happy."
Igneel grunted and shifted his front claws, gripping the edge of his volcanic lair as his eyes met those of the babe once again.
He couldn't do such a thing as doom this child…
"I am a king no longer. I cannot grant your request."
"My mother told us centuries ago of the dragon whose breath could scorch the stars themselves. He who gave light to those without it. Igneel, lord of mountains."
"I have not been a lord in many years, young one. I should strike you down for even knowing of me."
"Both you and I know that my curse prevents such a thing from being possible."
Igneel curled his lip. He understood the magics of Ahnkseram enough to know the boy spoke true. It was beyond his power to strike the human down.
But perhaps… that could be a blessing.
"If I am to raise this one for you, I will require something in return. A deal of sorts."
"A deal?"
"Indeed. I wish for you to aid me and my kin in return for raising your child."
"Whatever it is, I will do it."
Igneel bared his teeth. "Very well then. I wish for you to hunt the apocalypse."
The human's eyes widened. "What?"
"He was once a human, before he bathed in the blood of the wyrms he culled. Acnologia, the one who drove me and my remaining kin from your world. Find him, and eliminate him."
Zeref's eyes hardened. "And what if I fail?"
"Should you fail, your brother shall take up the task himself."
Zeref looked at his brother. "Natsu… I… I can't have him do such a thing…"
"You wished for him to seek you out and deliver you from your curse. Is such a thing so far beyond your own request?"
The human's face became one of guilt as he looked down at his brother. Igneel could see the love in his eyes as he brushed some of the pink hair from the child's face, prompting a tiny sneeze to echo around the edge of the caldera.
"Do you wish me to raise him?"
The boy bit his own lip, holding back tears as he looked back to the dragon.
"Yes… I do…"
"Then it is done."
"Please. Do not make him face that monster!"
"He will not have to, so long as you succeed."
Zeref bit his lip again, bringing his brother down and looking him in the eyes. The baby giggled, and then gave a tiny burp. "Natsu… do you… do you think that you could?"
"Make up your mind, dark one. My time is precious."
Zeref nodded, giving his brother a kiss on the forehead and setting him down in front of Igneel. "He is in your care… I will not fail you."
Igneel huffed and knelt down to pick up the child. "I will make sure that your choice is the proper one."
Zeref nodded before turning and walking away. "Thank you."
"Until we meet in the stars, dark one."
Zeref paused before turning and giving Igneel a large smile. "Until we meet in the stars, king of fire."
Igneel watched the human go, and then waited to see if he would return. Only when the baby in his clutches started crying did he turn and begin planning for his new purpose.
Once, he was king.
Tomorrow, he would raise the heir.