Chapter 31

Soulmates have existed for as long as any dragon can remember, it's one of the first things they teach us as whelps, and many dragons seem to have one. However, there is little recorded information on how they came to be or what the effects of soul bonds are on mated pairs.

"Tell me about it," Atlas grumbled. For all the scrolls he'd pored over, there was little useful information. He continued reading, hoping that this journal he'd found, written by a dragon named Alienòr, whose scrolls he vaguely remembered reading, would end up being useful.

Not having a soulmate of my own, I became increasingly interested in this topic, curious to understand if there was something I was missing. After spending several centuries observing as many mated pairs as I could find, I have come to the following conclusions on this topic.

Although I came no closer to determining how this bond comes about, I determined that there are several stages involved in reaching a successful mating:

I call the first stage awareness - Many mated dragons described sudden knowledge that their soul mate had come into existence. They did not know who it was or where they might be, but they were full of certainty that they had entered the world.

The second stage is pull - Years after they achieve awareness, the dragons will inevitably meet; they will experience a sort of pulling sensation that will guide them to their mate. One fire dragon I talked to described a pull so strong it drove him to fly one thousand miles to a place he was unfamiliar with, only to find his mate living in a cave there.

The next stage is recognition - Mates will immediately recognize each other once they are in each other's presence, regardless of age or gender. It is more common for this to happen after the onset of puberty, but I also witnessed it in younger dragons. The relationship remains platonic until both dragons have reached sexual maturity.

Atlas stopped his reading to think about how that applied to what he knew of Natsu and Igneel's situations. Why had they ended up near this tiny village? Had it been arbitrary, or was Igneel drawn here? He couldn't be sure. Igneel had been acting strangely at the time, but they'd both been under a lot of stress.

Natsu, however, had described a scent that guided him to fly to where Gray was. Atlas remembered Igneel's insistence that Natsu did not need to go off searching for Gray as he would make his way to Natsu on his own. That sounded like the pull Alienòr had described.

He also knew that both Natsu and Igneel had immediately recognized Gray and Porlyusica as their soulmates. So far, their experiences matched up to what the journal described.

Once mates have recognized each other, a sort of courting process begins, which seems to vary both in time and method from race to race, although the overall goal to impress the other remains the same.

Fire dragons, for example, use involved flying acrobatics to impress their mate. I have added an extensive list of some feats I witnessed in my notes.

The dragons offer tokens to each other when they are ready to mate. The mating act itself seems to be what causes the souls to rejoin.

Although soul bonds are not sentient, they behave in a way that suggests specific aims.

The bonds seek to have mates coexist in each incarnation for as long as possible. This phenomenon is most noticeable when the mates are from different races. As an example, I observed a mated pair comprising an Earth dragon and a Sky dragon. The Sky dragon was the elder of the two by about two hundred years.

I have known Earth dragons to live upwards of fifteen hundred years, whereas a Sky dragon's lifespan is around six hundred years. However, this Sky dragon lived to the unlikely age of close to a thousand years, while the Earth dragon died at eight hundred.

I have listed additional examples in my investigation notes, but this pattern was consistent across mixed-race soulmates.

"Where the hell are these notes he keeps talking about?" Atlas muttered to himself. He couldn't recall having ever come across them, and it sounded like they had information he might find useful. Looking down at the mess of scrolls and books that took up almost every inch of his room, he sighed, knowing finding them was unlikely.

With natural death, mated dragons with longer life expectancies died earlier than was usual, while dragons with shorter life expectancies saw their lives extended.

When a mate's death is precipitated by anything other than natural causes, there is a powerful urge for the surviving mate to take their own life. This urge can be surpassed, but it is rare to see the dragon reach full maturity. It is my opinion that there is some outside force working away at their life force so the cycle can begin anew.

Side effects/ Abilities of the soul bond

Although there doesn't seem to be one unified experience, there are certain phenomena that are oft-repeated:

Mates have limited telepathy with each other; however, they cannot intrude on each other's thoughts. This ability can improve with practice.

Heightened senses let them detect each other's location.

Lying or acting in any way that will upset their mate will cause acute anxiety and inner conflict.

Mates cannot consciously hurt each other.

Have an open mental connection often described as a continuous background hum, allowing them to recognize any significant shift in emotions or pain levels

Based on these observations, I have devised spells that will grant me the ability to examine souls. I hope that reviewing what differences might exist between the souls of dragons with soulmates and those without will give me new insight. I'm also quite curious to learn if there is any way to study the soul bonds directly.

Atlas turned to the next page excitedly, wanting to read any results or conclusions Alienòr might have reached, but to his dismay, there was nothing but empty pages.

"Damn it!"

He slammed the journal on his worktable in frustration. Atlas knew he recognized the dragon's name, but he couldn't remember which of his scrolls he might have read. With no other alternative left, he began sorting through the mess, trying to locate Alienòr's work.

0-0

Gray had informed Atlas and Igneel of his decision as soon as he'd returned from his trip with Lyon. Igneel had acted pleased while Atlas had disappeared to his room in a foul temper, claiming he needed to work on the spell. He only came out to eat and to spend time with Igneel.

Gray had left them to their preparations while he focused on training, applying himself with the same dedication he'd had when learning Ice Make magic from Ur all those years ago. He practiced his astral projection for hours at a time until he felt comfortable leaving his room and exploring the cave. Sometimes Igneel joined him, and they'd chat about Natsu, which only bolstered his determination to work hard. During those moments, Gray could tell that Igneel seemed sad about something, but he followed Lyon's advice and didn't let it worry him.

"I think you've got the hang of this now, how about we try something new?" Igneel asked, appearing in Gray's room just as he was getting ready to move around.

"Sure, what did you have in mind?"

"I thought you could try to use your magic."

"I can use my magic like this?"

"Of course. Your magic is a part of you, you might as well get used to wielding it."

"Does that mean I've always had ice magic?" Gray puzzled. Until he'd met Ur, he'd had no sign that he had any magical power.

"Yes, it might just have taken a while to manifest while your dragon soul learned to adapt to being in a human body."

Gray supposed that made as much sense as anything else.

"Will it be different from what I already know?"

"Why don't you try it and see?" Igneel encouraged, watching him with great interest.

Gray thought it best to cast a spell he used often, since he was nervous about invoking his magic while in astral form.

Ice-Make: Cold Excalibur

An ice sword materialized in front of him, just as it always did, but this time it clattered uselessly to the floor when he attempted to close his fingers around it. It was only then he remembered he no longer had fingers to speak of. He'd also forgotten to account for his now larger size, so the sword looked more like a toy than a weapon.

Igneel chuckled at his horrified expression. "You might have to change how you think about it, though. Creation magic is powerful. You'll just have to devise ways to use it that will suit your dragon body. Until then, your talons, fangs, wings, tail, and even the horns on your head are all powerful weapons you can use to great effect. As a dragon you'll also gain a breath weapon and improved control over your element."

Gray hadn't even considered he might have to use his magic differently once he switched bodies, but he'd figure something out. That was the thing he'd always loved about his magic. It would never fail him as long as he could think his way through a problem.

He couldn't contain his excitement at the thought that in a few short weeks he'd be with Natsu again. And this time he'd be the one to surprise him with a grand gesture, just like he'd always wanted. They'd be able to have the life they'd always dreamed of.

He was still nervous about how that was going to play out, though. He knew next to nothing about being a dragon.

"What's the matter? You look worried. Are you afraid you won't be able to do it?"

"No, it's not that. It's just, I don't know the first thing about being a dragon and-"

"You'll be fine," Igneel assured him, "Believe it or not, a lot of it will just come to you by instinct. I have to say, I'm a little curious though. It's obvious you're some sort of ice dragon, but you don't look like any I've ever seen."

"I don't?" Gray frowned, not understanding what Igneel meant until he remembered the last dragon that had attacked Talos. It had been an ice dragon, and it'd been white and smaller than Natsu.

"No. All the ice dragons I've encountered have had white, light blue or silver scales, and they were on the smaller side. They looked nothing like you." Igneel said, pointing at Gray's navy blue fur and larger size.

Gray was a little disappointed, Natsu had found ice dragons pretty, and he'd been looking forward to his reaction when he realized his mate had turned into one. Then again, he had a feeling that would be the last thing on Natsu's mind when he saw him

.

"So how do I use my breath weapon?"

"Can you feel your magic inside you?"

Gray nodded, it didn't feel any different than usual.

"If you're used to creating things with your ice, you probably let out your magic in even spurts. Am I right?"

"Yeah, I don't really need to use a lot at once unless I'm molding something large," Gray agreed.

"Breath weapons are very effective, but they take a bit of time to charge up. That's why you need to learn how to use other parts of your body to fight while that happens. Now, I want you to collect as much magic as you feel comfortable with, and then I want you to let it out all at once through your mouth. You can't hurt anything here, so aim wherever you want."

"Okay." Gray closed his eyes to settle his nerves and began calling on his magic, letting it collect until he didn't feel like he could hold it in anymore. It felt like a tremendous amount, even though it was only a fraction of what was available to him. He released it all at once, feeling as it traveled through his lungs, up his long neck and out through his mouth.

Considering what he'd seen of Natsu's breath attack, even in his human form, he'd expected to see a large cone of ice spewing out from his mouth. However, no ice had come out at all, even though he'd felt something. It took him a moment to notice a sort of fog surrounding him.

"Well, that was pretty pitiful," Atlas snorted from behind him, "What's the matter, forget how to make ice?"

Gray startled at Atlas' voice and instantly felt something shift in his magic. He didn't quite understand it, but he noticed the mist had gotten thicker.

"What the hell?" Atlas sounded puzzled, and he stared at Gray, eyes narrowing as his brow furrowed.

"Is there a reason you're gracing us with your presence?"

"Look at his side," Atlas urged Igneel, who only shrugged.

"I don't see anything."

"It's not doing it on that side too?"

"Doing what? What are you talking ab-," Igneel moved to stand beside Atlas, peering through the mist to get a look at Gray's side.

"What is that?"

"No idea, I've seen nothing like that before. Did that mist get thicker when it started?"

"Could be. Are those markings?" Igneel muttered, "Do you think they mean anything?"

"Maybe? Maybe some kind of mutation," Atlas suggested, "or he could be some special type of ice dragon? Might explain why he looks different."

"I don't understand, why didn't any ice come out? My ice make worked just fine," Gray interrupted the two brothers before they got involved in one of their discussions.

He didn't get why they were so worked up about the inky tendrils that had appeared on his forearm and shoulder. Frankly, he was more concerned with his magic not working the way he'd expected.

He didn't really get why they were so worked up about the inky tendrils that had appeared on his forearm and shoulder. Frankly, he was more concerned with his magic not working the way he'd expected.

"I don't know," Igneel admi, d, "but it's the first time you tried to use your breath weapon, it could be you just need practice."

"I guess," Gray said, feeling disappointed. It had felt like he'd done everything right.

"Don't beat yourself up," Atlas said, "the astral realm doesn't work the same way as what you're used to. Things here work off two things: intent and instinct. You followed your instinct, but since you don't know what to expect, it would make it difficult to visualize the outcome well enough to materialize it here. I'm sure that will change after-"

"So what did you come here to tell us?" Igneel changed the subject abruptly.

"I'm taking off for a while. I found something I think might be helpful, but it's incomplete. Maybe the rest of it is still in Desierto."

"It's a waste of time, we have everything we need here," Igneel argued.

"No. We don't," Atlas growled, "I'll be back in a week. You should do some research on those markings while I'm gone, it could be something. Odds are if we haven't come across something like that, he hasn't either."

The hellfire dragon disappeared from their view before Igneel could protest further, and although he still looked upset, he also seemed pensive.

"Why don't you try one more time before we call it a day?"

Gray nodded and began collecting his magic once more.

0-0

Atlas hadn't returned to Desierto since they'd moved to the mountains near Talos some twenty-five years earlier, but he'd lived there for almost four hundred years. He still knew just about every nook and cranny of the vast cave system they'd called home. He'd first explored it as a whelp along with Igneel, Deliora and several of the other dragons they'd grown up with.

It was also the place where he'd first discovered his love of magic, something his parents had quickly recognized and done their best to encourage, despite him being a hellfire dragon and unlikely to progress very far. It had taken him decades to see any development, but once he had he'd never looked back, learning more and more until it seemed like there was no problem he couldn't solve with magic.

Atlas had told Igneel he'd only be gone a week, and it had taken him two days of swift flying to get here. That left him with about two days to search and one day to rest before embarking on the flight home.

Atlas knew Igneel had probably been right in saying this was a fool's errand, but if he could somehow keep his brother from having to give up his life to do this for Natsu, it would be worth it.

Familiar scents greeted him as he stood inside the main entrance, filling him with a profound sadness. A lot of those dragons had passed away during the war, and would hopefully be reborn soon. But some hadn't been as lucky. For those, the only remaining trace of their existence lived inside Acnologia.

It grieved Atlas to think of how many soulmate pairs the renegade had destroyed with that soul reaping spell of his. He wished they'd realized how dangerous Acnologia was earlier. They might have had a chance then, before he'd collected so many types of magic and become so unpredictable. It would have saved them a lot of heartache. Sadly, there was no magic that could turn back time, and it was something he had very little of at the moment.

Where should he look first? The old library seemed the most likely place to start, but he'd supervised its relocation himself, so it was unlikely anything of import would still be there. Alienòr was a name he'd vaguely recognized, so he'd likely died before Atlas had been born, as he'd apprenticed under all the red dragons that had studied magic.

Atlas found his way to the old library, which as expected was empty. While debating which areas of the lair had the highest chance of gaining him results, he felt a pull and groaned, recognizing it as Natsu wanting to communicate.

What now?

He headed to his old quarters, casting a barrier spell at the entrance on the off chance there was someone else inhabiting the cave. Natsu waited for him at their usual meeting place.

The souls that visited the astral plane could shape it into whatever guise they wanted. For Igneel, that often meant a volcanic region, but for Natsu it was their mountain. He sat atop it now, staring up at the stars as he often did when he was home.

"Everything okay?"

Natsu sighed, "Yeah. We're almost done sending the dragon slayers home. Most of them had their magic removed."

"I see. Does that include Wendy and the others?"

"No, they all kept theirs. I had to remove Irene's magic, though."

Atlas couldn't help but notice the sad expression on his nephew's face. "Something's bothering you. Out with it."

"I didn't have time to tell you last time, she began to dragonify."

Atlas grunted his displeasure at the news. Irene was a friend. She'd fought hard for them from the very beginning, having come from Dragnof where dragons and humans had once lived in harmony.

"How bad?"

"Her face, I'm not sure where else. I removed her magic to keep it from progressing, but she-"

"Let me guess, she doesn't want Anna or Erza to see her like that?"

"Yeah."

"Stubborn as always, but don't worry about it. Tell her I can help her, but only if she comes home."

"Thanks, I was hoping you could do something." Natsu looked relieved, but Atlas couldn't help but notice that the underlying sadness remained.

"It's the least we can do for her," Atlas smiled, remembering some of Irene's feats. "Erza's the one that used to beat you up when you were a kid, right?"

Natsu nodded, his eyes soon returning to the night sky. "How's Gray doing?"

"About how you'd expect, he mopes around without you and complains about the heat."

Natsu chuckled, but soon turned quiet again. His tail twitched behind him, giving away his agitation.

"Seriously, kid, what's eating you?"

"Sting and Rogue are coming home."

"And you don't want them to?" Atlas wondered out loud.

"I don't know. Talos is their home, even more than it's mine. It's just—I'm worried," Natsu said, "You know what? Nevermind, it's stupid."

"I don't follow. Is it because you're still angry?" Atlas pressed.

"No, I mean I am, but that's not really it."

"Then, why don't you tell me what it is you're worried about?"

"It's just—things between me and Gray are hard enough now. He goes off to work every day, and I do my King thing. Neither one of us fits into the other's world. Not as things are. And I know he says he's happy, but he's my mate. I can feel his sadness."

Natsu teared up. "How's he going to feel when he's confronted with Sting and Rogue? When he sees them having what we once had, but never can again. Is it going to destroy what we do have? Is he going to resent me?"

"Why not go somewhere else then?"

"I can't take Gray away from his brother and his friends, that wouldn't be fair. And where would we go, anyway? I can't take him to Drak Aast, not after I agreed to remove all humans from the island."

"Ugh, this whole thing sucks!" Natsu roared out his frustration. "This is exactly why I wanted to set him free."

"You know that wouldn't have changed anything. From what Igneel tells me, Gray would be a lot more miserable without you, and I think he's right. Think of how far that boy came to be with you. I think you should have more faith in him."

"Yeah, you're right. I guess I'm just scared. Now that he's been living with us—I don't want to go back to the way it was before."

"Things will work out somehow, I'm sure of it." Atlas nuzzled his nephew's cheek, wanting to offer him some comfort from his gloomy thoughts.

"Thanks. I should go, there are still a lot of things I need to do before I go."

"Sure. When will you be home?" Atlas asked, trying to appear uninterested in the response.

"One week's time. At least it was a brief trip, huh?"

"Yeah, we can talk more when you get home."

Natsu grunted his agreement, "Bye, Atlas."

And just like that he was gone, and the mountain along with him. Atlas' soul returned to his body, and he was once again in his old bedroom. He paced the large room, cursing this newest problem.

Atlas wanted to tell Natsu the truth. He thought Igneel's plan was unnecessarily cruel, but he supposed it would be even crueller to make Natsu choose between his father and his fondest wish.

Natsu was coming home in one week. If Atlas didn't return right away, they might not have enough time to perform the spell before Natsu arrived with the dragon slayers.

But he hadn't even searched yet.

Natsu doesn't need me anymore, but he needs Gray. This current arrangement they have, you know it's hurting them both.

Igneel's words haunted him. Damn it, why did he always have to be right? It pissed him off.

And how the hell could his brother expect him to let go of him so easily? The only time they'd been apart since they'd hatched was when Igneel had lived in Talos with Porlyusica, and even then they'd seen each other regularly.

Igneel was more than his brother, he was his best friend. Atlas had never needed anyone else. He'd come to Desierto in search of a miracle, desperate to find anything that would keep him from having to let go, but...

Igneel had long ago made his peace with his sacrifice. Atlas was being selfish, and no matter how much Igneel's decision hurt him, it wasn't his choice to make. And Natsu had unwittingly confirmed why it was so important.

After everything Natsu had done for them, didn't he deserve to live the life they'd always promised him? Especially when Gray was willing to trade everything he was on the off chance they could manage it.

Atlas could spend days here, but he knew he was unlikely to find anything that would help. They had moved everything of importance twenty-five years ago. Even if he found those notes, they might not help him at all. And then he'd have missed his last days with Igneel for nothing.

He'd always bet on magic to solve all his problems, and maybe with enough time it could. But he knew he had to follow his heart this time, or he'd regret it for the rest of his life.

He would head home in the morning, but first he needed to rest.

0-0

Gray raced down the mountain path, making his way towards the lake where he knew he'd find Lyon and Erza. They went there every day to watch the sunset before heading home to get dinner started.

Natsu and Happy would be home in four days, but for once that wasn't the reason he was so excited. Atlas had told them the dragon slayers would come with them. All of them.

He wasn't sure how he felt about Sting and Rogue's return, but he also knew it wouldn't be an issue. By the time they arrived, he'd more than likely be a dragon. If that were the case, it would be a lot easier to forgive them for what had happened.

Gray ran past the field and through town, waving at the people that greeted him along the way. He didn't stop until he saw Lyon and Erza standing by the shore. It took him several minutes to catch his breath and by that point his friends had already noticed him and were watching him with concern.

"Is something wrong?" Erza asked, and he wanted to laugh because it was just the opposite but held it in to avoid choking and really worrying her. Instead, he raised his hand at her and gestured for her to wait.

"They dragon slayers are coming home," Gray finally managed to get out in between pants. He peered at Erza with a big smile and added, "All of them. Natsu got in touch with Atlas and told him, they'll be here in four days."

"My mother?" Erza breathed, tears welling in her eyes. "She's coming home?"

Gray could only grin at her as she tackled him so hard they both fell on the ground.

Lyon helped them up, laughing at Erza's embarrassed expression as he wrapped her up in a hug. "That's amazing! She's finally coming home, I'm so happy for you."

Gray couldn't resist teasing his brother, "You're going to get to meet your mother-in-law, I sure hope she likes you."

Lyon glared at him, but Erza was quick to shut Gray down, "Nonsense! Of course she'll love him. How could she not?"

Gray could think of a few reasons, but he kept them all to himself because Erza turned to smile at him then and she looked so radiant it took his breath away, the setting sun no match for her beauty.

"Why am I standing here? I have to tell Anna!" Erza glanced over at Lyon, "Do you want to come?"

"I'll stay with Gray, there's something I want to talk to him about, and I imagine Anna would rather hear the news in private. Take your time, I know the two of you will have a lot to talk about."

Erza waved at them and then ran in the orphanages' direction.

"It's nice to see her so happy," Lyon commented, as he watched her retreating figure. "She's waited for that for so long."

"Yeah, she certainly has."

"So, what does this mean for you? You'd said you needed to do your thing before Natsu returned."

"I'm handing in my resignation tomorrow morning, so I guess I'll say my goodbyes then. We're planning on doing the spell the day before Natsu arrives to give me some time to get used to—uh, everything I guess. Not sure what will happen after he gets back."

"Have you thought about what you're going to tell people?"

Gray hadn't given it any thought. "Why would anyone care?"

"Because you've been a guard for a very long time?"

Gray shrugged, "I dunno, I guess I'll say my husband and I are moving away somewhere."

"As crazy as it sounds, I'm so proud of you. I'm sorry I gave you a hard time on that trip. I just—"

"I know. You were trying to look out for me, I'm glad I stuck it out though."

Lyon squeezed his shoulder, "I am too. I know it wasn't easy, but now that you're about to get what you've always wanted, I couldn't be happier."

He suddenly laughed, "You know, I never thanked you for nagging me to move here. And I'm glad everyone is coming home, it hasn't been the same without them."

Gray smirked, "Maybe you can take down Wendy someday... but I doubt it."

"You promised you'd never bring that up again," Lyon whined, much to Gray's delight.

"They're going to be different," Gray warned, thinking of the things Natsu had told him.

"I know, but we can still be here for them."

"You've grown up a lot."

"I had an outstanding teacher," Lyon remarked, playfully punching Gray's shoulder.

"Have you told Erza about the spell?"

"No, I didn't know what to say, and I kind of thought you'd like to tell her." Lyon snapped his fingers, "Don't forget you promised me a ride!"

"Sure, sure. You'll probably crap your pants," Gray snorted, but Lyon's words served as a pleasant reminder that his brother loved him no matter what.

"Hey, do you remember that time we iced Sting's locker?" Lyon giggled.

"His face!" Gray roared, laughing at the memory. "And then Natsu refused to help him melt it, so Rogue had to phase into it and get everything out for him so he wouldn't be late for his shift."

They sat down to watch the sunset together, laughing as they looked back on the good memories they had made during their earlier years in Talos.

0-0

"Do you have a minute?"

Gray looked up from the sketch he was working on before going to bed to find Igneel standing at the room's entrance.

"Yes, of course," Gray put his pencil down and gestured for Igneel to come inside, curious what his father-in-law wanted to talk to him about.

Igneel ambled in, "I just wanted to let you know Natsu got in touch with us a few minutes ago. They've just left."

Gray tensed up at the news. It thrilled him that Natsu was coming home sooner than expected, but it also reminded him how little time they had left.

Igneel glanced around the room, his eyes coming to rest on the piece of paper Gray had been working on, "I didn't know you drew. Is that Natsu?"

"Yeah, it is." Gray scratched the back of his neck, feeling self-conscious. He'd only ever let Natsu and Lyon see his drawings. "It's not something I do often, just when I'm anxious, I guess. Keeps me from getting inside my head too much."

Igneel nodded in understanding, "I suppose that would be magic for me. Speaking of which, I'm sorry to say we've yet to find any information on those markings of yours, but we'll keep looking."

"I still don't get why you guys are so excited about that."

"Well, it's because it has the potential to be a weapon against Acnologia. We don't understand much about how his magic works, but he has one spell that allows him to reap a portion of a dragon's soul. When successful, he links the soul to his magic and gains a certain resistance or immunity to that magic."

"That happened to you, didn't it?"

"Yes, along with many other dragons. It's why he's so hard to kill, he's made it so our magic is useless against him. But if we could find something he's never encountered before," Igneel shrugged, "who knows?"

"I doubt that mist would do much of anything against him," Gray muttered.

Igneel chuckled at him. "Don't sell yourself short, we don't know what it can do yet. I'm sure Atlas will figure it out once you can wield it. It will be an excellent distraction for him."

Gray stopped to wonder what it would be a distraction from, but the sheer panic at having to fight Acnologia someday soon replaced it.

"I'm going to fight that thing?"

"It's possible. Does that scare you?"

"Well yeah, he held his own against all of you, and you knew what you were doing."

"There's something I told Natsu a long time ago. It's likely the most important thing I ever taught him, and I'm going to share it with you as well." Igneel disclosed.

"Regardless of who you're fighting, the critical thing in any battle is to keep a level head. You have plenty of weapons at your disposal, but your mind is the most important one. If you let yourself panic, then you've already lost. I think as a creation mage, this is especially relevant to you."

Gray nodded, understanding the truth in those words. He only hoped he'd remember them when the time came. He was aware of how terrifying Acnologia was. Then again, the next time they met things would be different. He'd no longer be a human, and Natsu would be right by his side. Not to mention, Gray had a score to settle with him, for hurting Natsu the way he had, and for taking away the life they'd just begun.

He did, however, want to change the subject to something more pleasant, especially with Natsu on the way home and the possibility of danger never far from his mind.

"Do you think you could teach me how to fly once I've changed? I'd like to surprise Natsu and I'm not sure I could survive Atlas teaching me anything else," Gray implored, recalling how miserable he'd been when the hellfire dragon had taught him how to astral project.

"You don't think you being a dragon will be enough of a surprise?" Igneel joked, but his laughter sounded hollow, and Gray couldn't help but notice Igneel had averted his eyes.

"Igneel?"

The fire dragon stared at the ground, remaining silent long enough to make Gray feel uneasy.

"I haven't been entirely truthful with you," Igneel admitted, looking up at Gray at last.

"What do you mean?" It amazed Gray how calm he sounded, because inside he was anything but. He'd known from the beginning that Igneel was keeping something from him, and as much as he wanted to know what it was, he'd also been dreading it.

"I'm afraid I won't be here after you've changed."

"Won't be here?" Gray repeated, "I don't understand."

"What we're trying to do, frankly, it's never been attempted before. I'm not sure anyone but Atlas could manage it, and it would never work if you didn't possess a dragon soul."

"How to explain it?" Igneel's talons tapped the cave floor as he thought.

"Energy can't be created, it can only transform from one form to another. And it will take a lot of energy to create the body that matches your soul. To accomplish this, Atlas will have to deconstruct both our bodies and transform the released energy into your new body." Igneel explained, gauging Gray's reaction before continuing.

"However, despite having a dragon soul, your current lifespan is still that of a human. So the second part of the puzzle was, how can we prolong that to closer match Natsu's? There's only one solution. I will merge my remaining life force with yours. From what Atlas discovered in his research, your soul bond should take care of the rest."

"Are you saying in order for me to become a dragon, you have to... die?" Gray balked at the thought.

"Gray—"

"No!" Gray stood up from his chair, moving to bridge the distance between them. "How can you talk about this like it's nothing? Do you have any idea what your death would do to Natsu? Because I do. I've lived it."

It scared him to think of how Natsu had acted after that nightmare, and back then he hadn't even known for a fact if Igneel was dead.

"Gray—"

"How can you ask this of me? I've already put him through so much, I can't be the one responsible for taking you away. Can't you see that? And how the hell is Atlas—"

"GRAY!" Igneel roared, cutting off the rest of his protests.

"I understand how you feel, but I assure you I didn't decide this lightly. And I do know what it will do to him. But I also know that Natsu is strong. Losing me will make him sad, but it won't destroy him. Losing you, however, is a different matter."

"But your soul," Gray objected, trying to think of anything that might change the dragon's mind. "Natsu told me if you died before Acnologia you wouldn't be able to—"

"I appreciate your concern," Igneel frowned, "but any doubts I may have had were gone the moment I realized your magic might be what we need to defeat that abomination."

"But we know nothing about it!"

"It's still the only lead we have. I've had a wonderful life, Gray. Full of love and magic. It's all I ever wished for. So please, don't change your mind now. I know it's asking a lot, but let me do this for the two of you. I want to."

This was insanity. There was no way he could be a part of this. Natsu would never forgive him. Not in a million years. Gray felt the room closing in around him as everything fell apart.

"I can't—," He didn't know what it was he couldn't do, breathe, go through with the spell, understand what was happening? It felt like all of them at once.

"Just think about it, okay?" Igneel pleaded.

"I have to go."

Gray turned around and ran out of the cave, not at all sure what he was running away from but needing to breathe some fresh air, heat wave be damned. He headed down to the lake again, knowing it would be cooler near the water. Maybe he'd go for a swim. He needed to think, and it was late enough he didn't expect to see anyone.

He stripped before wading into the water, letting himself float while looking up at the night sky. The stars shone brilliantly, reminding him of all the nights he'd spent at the top of the mountain with Fukou.

What was he supposed to do?

According to Lyon, he wasn't responsible for the choices of others, but surely there had to be a limit to that. Going through with their plan meant Igneel would die.

But Igneel said it was something he wanted, and Atlas wasn't trying to stop him anymore.

If he went through with it, would Natsu hate him for taking his father away?

If he didn't would he regret it when he died and Natsu had to continue living alone because of the promise he made?

Back and forth Gray went, getting no closer to an answer he could live with. If only he could talk to Natsu to get a feel for what he'd want him to do. That was what he hated the most out of all this. This decision affected both their lives, yet he needed to make it on his own.

Why couldn't they just wait until Natsu returned?

"Gray?"

He forced himself back to the present, glancing at the shore and finding Juvia peering at him with a concerned expression. How long had she been calling for him?

He didn't feel like talking to anyone at the moment, but he also didn't want to be rude.

"Yeah, it's me," he said, standing up in the water and walking towards the shore. "No need to make that face, I just felt like cooling down."

"Oh," She didn't look very convinced, but she didn't call him on it and she perked up when she saw he was walking over.

"Juvia is glad to run into Gray. Juvia was afraid she wouldn't get to say goodbye when she missed the meeting." She sat down on the sand, delicately arranging her skirt around her.

"Well, Natsu won't be back for another two days. I'm not sure when we're leaving," Gray said, grabbing his clothes and putting them on before sitting next to her.

If at all.

"Juvia also heard congratulations are in order."

"Congratulations?"

"Gray married Natsu," She blushed prettily.

"Oh that," Gray had forgotten he'd announced it at the meeting, "uhm thanks."

"Lyon said Gray had been in love with Natsu since he was very young. And when Natsu went off to fight in the war, Gray wore his scarf and waited for him to return for so very long, never giving his heart to anyone else."

"Gray is so very romantic!" Juvia cooed.

"He didn't say this in front of anyone else, did he?" Gray groaned at the thought.

"No," Juvia giggled, "Only Juvia. Lyon is proud of Gray. Juvia thinks he's a bit of a romantic too."

"He's something, alright," Gray laughed along with her. "How about you? How's the mysterious boyfriend?"

"Juvia is on her way to see Logan. He lives on the other side of the lake," Juvia smiled, her eyes shining as she looked across the water.

"I'm glad you found someone who makes you happy."

"Juvia is too, it's much nicer when the other person likes you too."

"Juvia... I'm sorry—"

"No, no!" Juvia raised her hands in protest. "Juvia didn't mean it like that!"

"Juvia had no one to teach her how to use her magic. So Juvia made it rain all the time, and it drove people away. Juvia was always lonely. Then Gray defended Juvia, and Juvia wanted to believe it was because Gray loved her."

"So Juvia forced her feelings on Gray and drove him away too. Anna helped Juvia understand that was not what love was. Then Juvia met Logan, and he was very interested in Juvia and Juvia's friends."

"Oh, have the others met him?"

Gray couldn't recall hearing anything about it, but that wasn't all that unusual. He didn't precisely socialize with anyone outside of Lyon and Erza, and his problems had distracted him from everything else.

"No, Logan doesn't enjoy crossing the lake, but he cares about Juvia. Logan asks about Juvia's day and about her friends. And now, Juvia is happy. She would do anything to be with Logan."

Gray blinked at her, knowing those words sounded familiar. It didn't take him long to remember why. He didn't need to guess Natsu's answer, because he'd already given it to him when they had been trying to find their way back to each other.

If there were any way to change what I am, I'd do it in a second. I'd do anything to be with you...

There might not be a way to change what Natsu was, but Atlas and Igneel had given Gray the opportunity to do just that, and he'd come so close to throwing it away. While he still didn't feel right about Igneel's sacrifice, he would accept it. After all, hadn't his own parents given up their lives for him?

"Thank you!" Gray wrapped Juvia up in a quick hug, flustering her even as she looked confused by his outburst. "I have to go!"

He scrambled to his feet and ran back home to tell Igneel what he'd decided.

Juvia watched him leave in stunned silence. Gray had been the first man Juvia had ever loved, even if he'd never returned her feelings. And he'd also been the first person to show her any kindness. She would always remember him fondly.

She waited until she couldn't see him anymore and then turned to the water and waded in. Once the water reached her neck, she switched to her water body and swam across the lake, her mind filled with her upcoming rendezvous.

It didn't take her long to reach their meeting spot. Juvia dispelled her water body, her clothes already dry by the time she reached her lover.

"You're late," Logan snapped.

"Logan waited for Juvia!" Juvia ignored his rebuke. She walked up to her boyfriend and grabbed his one hand in both of hers and smiled up at him. "Juvia is sorry for being late. Juvia ran into one of her friends on the way."

"It's alright," Logan drew in a long breath before returning her smile. "I was just worried about you."

"What should we do tonight? Shall we go to Logan's house? Juvia can make some food if Logan is hungry."

"It's such a pretty night, why don't we go for a walk?" Logan offered, leading Juvia towards the forest once she agreed.

The blue tattoos that ran down Logan's arm gleamed in the moonlight, contrasting with the dark skin that Juvia had always considered exotic. She stared at them briefly, once again wondering what they meant. She'd asked him one time, but he'd changed the subject.

Gray had referred to Logan as mysterious, and Juvia had to admit he wasn't wrong. She knew little about him, even after months of seeing each other. Whenever she asked him questions about his past, Logan somehow turned the conversation back to her.

"So which of your friends did you run into?"

"Oh, it was Gray," Juvia replied, her attention on a flower that only bloomed at night.

"Wasn't he the ice mage that was injured during the dragon attack?" Logan's tone was casual, but his hand squeezed Juvia's tighter than usual.

Juvia frowned. She'd been about to complain when he relaxed his grip, flashing her an apologetic smile.

"Sorry darling, you know how just the thought of dragons gets me all worked up."

"It's alright," Juvia assured him, "It's not something Juvia likes to talk about either, but yes, that was Gray."

"And how is dear Gray doing these days?" Logan let go of her hand, picking the flower Juvia had been admiring and placing it in her hair.

"Wonderful!" Juvia blushed at his attention, her hand moving up to her hair to touch the flower. "Gray's husband is coming home at last, and they'll be moving away soon."

"Who is his husband again?"

"Juvia has never met Natsu, he's one of the dragon slayers that left to fight in the war."

"Natsu," Logan's voice dripped with a venom Juvia had never heard him use before, "I sure hope he gets the welcome he deserves."

"Logan?"