The Red Dragon

Chapter 12

Gratsubingo 2019

Prompt: Trust

Chapter 12

There was smoke everywhere, making it hard to see or make out any smell outside of sulfur. Natsu noticed a wall of hellfire to the left, which could only belong to Atlas.

His uncle roared, desperately trying to get at something just outside of Natsu's view. There were bursts of spells in the air as different magics clashed in a cacophony of sound and light that drowned out every other noise.

Natsu's attention was soon drawn to the ground, where blood was splattered everywhere, making it seem like the earth itself was bleeding out.

He felt a massive surge of magical power and searched for its source with alarm. It seemed to come from a man who stood alone on the field, eyes glued to the battle in the sky. Natsu studied him, sensing his importance.

The man had long blue hair, his arms riddled with markings of the same color. Natsu could feel the aura of malevolence that surrounded him as he laughed in a way that made his skin crawl.

It was at that moment Natsu saw his father. Igneel looked tired and bruised. There were scars on his body where there had been none before. He challenged the man on the field with a thunderous roar, but it sounded less confident than Natsu remembered. It lacked Igneel's usual spirit.

Everything slowed down, and Natsu could only watch with a growing sense of dread as the man transformed into a dragon. A black dragon, covered in the blue markings of the man's skin.

There was someone else like him? But how could that be? Natsu had always been told he was the only one.

The black dragon zoomed towards his father, and Natsu could do nothing but observe with a growing sense of helplessness.

"IGNEEL! IGNEEL, NO!"

Natsu could hear the desperate plea in Atlas' roar, and he forced himself to check on his uncle.

The wall of hellfire had disappeared, revealing the rest of his family. Metalicana, Grandine, Weisslogia, and Skiadrum looked exhausted, barely able to keep themselves in the air.

Atlas left them behind as he made a desperate charge towards his brother, his hellfire blazing around him, Natsu had never seen him act with such recklessness, and it only fueled his despair ...

Gray startled awake, his magic flaring as it fought against the oppressive heat Natsu was exuding. He thrashed about on the bed, moaning and muttering unintelligibly.

"IGNEEL, NO!" Natsu shrieked in his sleep, tears streaming down his face. "Atlas, please hurry!"

"Natsu?" Gray tried shaking the dragon slayer, hissing as his fingers were burned instantly.

Covering himself in a layer of frost, he continued to rouse his friend. "Natsu, wake up!"

Gray scampered away as Natsu's body covered itself in flames hotter than any he'd ever felt before. The bed and all its coverings disintegrated into a small cloud of ash.

Wendy and Sting ran into the room with a groggy looking Gajeel and Rogue lagging behind.

"What's going on?"

"He's having some kind of nightmare!" Gray yelled in alarm, not knowing what else to do. He'd never seen Natsu like this, and his desperate screams were tearing at him.

The dragon slayers all tried to get close enough to Natsu to wake him, but his infernal flames made it impossible. He continued to thrash and scream out Igneel's name, getting louder and louder as desperation took over.