— — — — — —
After Grandeeney left, she sought out Porlyusica and asked her for one last favor.
Porlyusica refused at first, but under Grandeeney's quiet persistence, her resolve softened and she finally agreed. She promised to pass on Grandeeney's message and set off for the guild, only to discover that Kazuma was nowhere in sight.
After asking around, she learned that Kazuma had only sent Wendy and the others back. He himself had vanished without a trace.
Porlyusica spent a long time searching before she managed to get a bit of information out of Makarov.
"That brat… don't tell me he ran off to Tenrou Island again?"
Makarov remembered the last time something similar happened. Kazuma had also said he had something to take care of, then disappeared to Tenrou Island on his own.
This time he vanished just as suddenly… odds were he'd gone there again.
"Tenrou Island, huh. Got it."
Porlyusica nodded, returned to her treehouse, and contacted Grandeeney to report that Kazuma had disappeared. She also explained that he might be on Tenrou Island, but might not, and that only members of Fairy Tail knew where the island even was.
Grandeeney thanked her. Then she fell silent, thinking hard about her next move.
...
Meanwhile, within Natsu's body, Igneel had also been thinking about what Grandeeney said. After a long while, he came to a decision.
When Natsu headed outside to grab some food, his heart suddenly thumped wildly for no reason. The next second, a thunderous dragon roar tore through the sky, and the massive form of the Fire Dragon King Igneel appeared.
His voice shook the entire continent. The Shadow Dragon Skiadrum, the White Dragon Weisslogia, the Sky Dragon Grandeeney, the Iron Dragon Metalicana — all heard it.
"That idiot Igneel! Acting on his own again without talking to us first!"
"Damn it, we can't contact anyone right now. We don't know what they're thinking. Are they coming out too?!"
"What the hell is going on… everything's a mess!"
The Shadow, White, and Iron Dragons couldn't communicate anymore, so none of them knew what the others planned, nor whether they should emerge or stay hidden.
"Igneel!"
The moment Grandeeney heard his roar, she sent out her mind to contact the other dragons. At the same time, she rushed to find Igneel to tell him that Kazuma wasn't at the guild. (Of course, asking Porlyusica to.)
---
Igneel, meanwhile, stared down at the still-small Natsu before him. Natsu stared back at his father, stunned.
"Igneel! You… you came back!"
Overwhelmed, Natsu threw himself at him. He was clueless and dumb, unable to understand what was happening, but he knew someone precious had returned.
"Natsu, I never really left. I've always been inside you, watching. It's… a long story."
"I'm not explaining everything now. You only need to know one thing: this is the last thing I'll ever do for you."
"If we win, I'll come back for you. If we lose… then the future will be in your hands."
Igneel looked at the tiny Natsu with reluctance burning in his eyes. He could already feel Acnologia's presence.
The fight was about to begin. His blood boiled and his battle spirit surged.
He wouldn't allow Kazuma — that small human — to face the enemy alone. The Fire Dragon King would go first.
"Igneel, that human isn't at the guild. I haven't agreed to anything with him. You're acting far too rashly!" Grandeeney, or better say Porlyusica, finally caught up to him and used a mind magic to talk.
"It doesn't matter anymore. I can sense Acnologia. Wherever he's headed is where that human is."
"You can stay hidden and wait if you want, but I'm done waiting. I'm going to fight."
With a beat of his wings, Igneel shot into the sky. There was no hesitation. His time was short, and he would spend what remained on the battlefield.
"Igneel, you… you'll die. Completely. There won't be anything left!"
Grandeeney sighed.
"Then let this final battle be our last dance in the sky. Let my roar herald the end of the dragon race."
"My death shall buy time for the new age."
"I'm reckless. I don't think as far ahead as you do. But I know what I must do when the moment comes."
"And that moment is now."
The Fire Dragon King flew off without looking back. He didn't dare. If he saw Natsu crying, his resolve might waver.
"Fire Dragon King… you were always the strongest, the bravest, and the most decisive among us. While we cowered from Acnologia, you were the one waiting for a chance to defeat him."
Grandeeney exhaled softly. Then she, too, emerged from Wendy's body and took to the air. There was nothing left to hesitate over.
They had prepared for this long ago. Now they were simply meeting the ending they already knew was coming.
"Wendy… Porlyusica will look after you from now on. Live well. The future belongs to you."
Grandeeney looked at Wendy with gentle eyes, then spread her wings and flew without turning back. She didn't dare see Wendy cry — she feared she'd lose the resolve to face Acnologia to the death.
With the Fire Dragon King and Grandeeney emerging, the other dragons followed one after another.
They would write the final epic of the dragons.
.
.
.