Fairy Tail: The Phoenix Prophecy [AU] [Discontinued]

Chapter Seventeen (Edited)

Natsu slowly opened his eyes and blinked the haziness from his consciousness slowly. He was in some kind of dank room filled with darkness that wouldn't allow him to see anything around him, and the pains in his wrists and ankles that haven't yet resided had returned. With a passion. Oh GOD how much it HURT TO MOVE! A terrible headache was brewing up behind his skull and his brain felt like mashed potatoes. His body wasn't quite responding to his movements, and as his senses sharpened due to consciousness, Natsu quickly came to understand why.

He was in his human form (though he hadn't remembered using any spell to transform into it), and his arms and legs were strapped to the armrests and the front chair legs. The chair was anything but comfortable. It was wooden and splintered right at the back rest that stabbed painfully into his back. It didn't help that the nape of his neck was exposed to the uncomfortable wooden object, and speaking of which...

WHERE WAS HIS SCARF?!

Natsu gasped in surprise and looked around, but the room was too dark for him to make out anything. "My scarf! Damn it!" Natsu jerked his body around, ignoring the screaming agony arising from his limbs like smoke and the uncomfortable position he was putting his body in. "WHERE THE HELL DID YOU BASTARDS PUT MY SCARF!? LET ME OUT! I'LL BURN YOU ALL TO A PILE OF ASHES!" Natsu roared and clenched his fists, trying to use his animus magic to summon up his flames.

Nothing happened.

Frustrated and somewhat afraid, Natsu tried lighting his fists up again but no matter how much rage or power he threw into the fire within him, he didn't feel the familiar tingle of power at his fingertips. He still didn't see any smoke.

Why is it that HE of all people kept on loosing his ability to use magic? Like come ON! Whatever weird godly creature or spirit or WHATEVER was up there, target Gray or Gajeel for once! (A/N: Nope :3)

"Well at least we know he's awake," some person said from outside.

"Yeah. Stay here and watch him, will ya? I'm gonna go tell Acnologia he's awake," said another, and Natsu's keen hearing caught footsteps marching down the hall.

"Alright, just don't tell that one creepy black dragon though! You know, the one with the blood eyes?" Are they talking about Zeref?

"I ain't no fool as to actually approach that monstrosity, dude and you know it." The voice was fainter now, as if he was halfway down a long hallway.

"Just sayin', man! He's the closest to the boss than the others!" the second guy called after him.

"Whatever you say!" the voice was barely a whisper even to Natsu's ears, and he was certain that he had left.

Natsu tried again with his bindings, but his strength was gone. Frustrated, Natsu settled on trying to have small talk with the... human on the other side of this door. "Oi, bastard! Where're my friends?" Natsu called out to him. There was a faint shuffle and a slot on the door at just around human eye-level slid open, revealing a pair of human brown eyes looking straight at him with faint orange light in the background. Natsu became suspicious immediately. Any dragon, no matter the species, possessed slightly reptilian eyes if they were to ever use anything to transform themselves into humans. Whether it was an enchantment or not didn't matter. It's really the only way to know a human disguise apart from an actual human. And yet this human... his eyes had the same dark brown irises that most humans have, the same small, rounded black pupils.

Why would Acnologia ever want to hire a human to guard a dragon? Let alone one that could use magic?

"I ain't tellin' you, you stupid lizard," the man growled and the slot closed quickly.