"Hey—spit that out!"
The wicked grin on Shane's face froze instantly, replaced by very visible panic.
His Flame burned at an absurd temperature—hot enough to melt through steel. If this clueless newbie swallowed it, his throat and stomach would be charred clean through.
Shane lunged forward, forgetting all about "veteran dignity" and pranks. He reached out to pry Natsu's mouth open, trying to force him to cough the flames back up.
But Natsu took a nimble step back, dodging Shane's hand.
His cheeks bulged as he chewed, like he was working through some insanely tough chunk of meat.
"Mmm… thanks for the treat—"
Then, in the next second, his chewing slowed, and confusion spread across his face.
"…Huh? Why can't I swallow it?"
His throat bobbed a few times as he tried to force it down, but it wouldn't go.
Thin wisps of black smoke started leaking uncontrollably from between his teeth and out his nose.
"Cough—cough, cough!"
With a wet pfft, Natsu opened his mouth and spat the lump of crimson Flame out—completely intact.
It hit the floor with a sizzle, scorching the boards.
Now it was Natsu's turn to be shocked.
"No way! How can I not eat it?!" He stared, eyes wide with disbelief.
He actually dropped to the floor like a food-guarding wolf cub, huffing and sucking and blowing at the still-burning flame, trying to gulp it down again.
Watching him obsess over the fire, Shane's mind flashed to something Ultear had mentioned before:
Controlling fire, eating fire, standing above fire…
"Hey—wait, are you… Zancrow? Is this… Fire God Slayer Magic?"
The pink-haired boy snapped his head up, clearly annoyed. "Who the hell is Zancrow?!"
He puffed out his chest, brimming with pride. "My name's Natsu! Natsu Dragneel! And this isn't some God Slayer thing!"
He declared it like a banner: "This is Fire Dragon Slayer Magic—Igneel taught me!"
"Dragon Slayer Magic?" Shane blinked at the unfamiliar term.
"It sounds like God Slayer… Is it a dragon-killing style developed specifically to fight dragons?"
His thoughts immediately jumped to that massive silhouette from the "great event" trial—human facing dragon. The connection felt way too strong.
He stared at Natsu and pressed, "Then who's Igneel? A super powerful mage? He taught you Dragon Slayer Magic?"
"Not a mage!" Natsu shouted, correcting him. "Igneel is a dragon!"
"Oh, a dragon." Shane nodded automatically.
Then his brain caught up a beat later.
"…What did you just say?! Igneel is a dragon?!"
"Yeah. So?" Natsu looked at him like you're the weird one here.
"That's impossible!" Shane blurted out.
His mind flashed to the creature he'd seen at the Eclipse Gate—an existence so vast and overwhelming it made you feel small just by being there. He couldn't imagine something like that raising a human child.
"I'm not lying!" Natsu snapped, clearly used to people questioning him. "Igneel raised me! He taught me this magic and lived with me!"
Shane studied Natsu's expression. Those eyes held nothing but irritation at being doubted—no hint of deceit.
And, honestly… if anyone could teach magic meant to slay dragons, it would be dragons themselves. They'd know their own weaknesses better than anyone.
It was insane—yet the logic held.
Shane thought fast. And for some reason, Natsu carried a faintly familiar "feel" about him.
Wait—Natsu uses Fire Dragon Slayer Magic. And the dragon he saw inside that red streak was a fire dragon.
Shane's mind jumped to Anna's words.
Don't tell me… Natsu is one of the five kids she's looking for?
"…Fine," Shane said at last, exhaling slowly. "I believe you were raised by a dragon."
The situation was getting messier by the second, and Shane knew he didn't have enough information to untangle it right now.
He decided to shelve it—later, he'd ask Layla whether she could contact Anna.
Still… no matter what Natsu's deal was, Makarov had accepted him. That made him—at least halfway—guild.
"Snap." Shane flicked his fingers. The Heartflame burning a hole in the floor winked out instantly, leaving only a charred, scorched scar where the boards had been eaten through.
"Hey! I wasn't done eating!" Natsu protested, staring mournfully at the spot where the flame had been.
After all the "crash course" tutoring in Layla's study, Shane's magic fundamentals had improved a lot. For once, he had the patience to explain:
"Your current level… isn't enough yet. Even if your magic lets you eat fire, you probably can only digest normal flames."
He shrugged. "Get stronger, then try again."
"No way!" Natsu clenched a fist, then jabbed toward the bar. "I can eat Macao's purple flames! I'm Igneel's kid—how could I not eat yours?!"
He started circling Shane, pestering him nonstop, demanding he release Heartflame again.
Shane felt—once more—the same weary helplessness Makarov probably felt every day dealing with the guild's problem children.
He sighed. Cornered by pure persistence, he flicked a finger and let a tiny, obedient wisp of Flame drift out.
It floated to an empty patch near the guild's front door and burned quietly.
"Om nom!"
Natsu's eyes lit up like a starving wolf. He whooped and pounced, throwing himself at the little flame with intense enthusiasm, immediately experimenting with how to "bite" it.
Shane finally exhaled. Annoying… but simple-minded, at least. Easy to distract.
Then he turned toward Macao, who was watching the chaos with a snickering grin, and walked over with a scowl.
"Macao. You knew Natsu could eat fire, didn't you? You could've warned me. I panicked for nothing."
"C'mon, c'mon." Macao lifted his mug, looking utterly pleased with himself. "It's rare to see you flustered, Shane. I'll buy you a drink as an apology—how about it?"
"You know I can't drink," Shane said, exasperated by the veteran's shameless dodge.
Nearby, Cana didn't join in. Her gaze drifted to the amber liquid in Macao's cup, thoughtful. Watching the adults drink like it was water every day, she suddenly found herself wondering—for the first time—what alcohol actually tasted like.
Shane shook his head and walked over to Gray, who'd just about recovered from his sulk.
"While I was gone—besides Natsu—anything interesting happen?"
"Hah… ha…" Gray laughed awkwardly, eyes darting. He rubbed the back of his head. "Nah. The guild's been peaceful. What could happen?"
As he spoke, he somehow, out of habit, peeled off the pants he'd just put on and tossed them aside.
"Pfft—" A passing guild member couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing. "Peaceful? Yeah right! Gray and Natsu can start a fight in under three minutes!"
"Oh, and two days ago they flipped Erza's table and got absolutely destroyed for it. It was brutal!"
"Erza?" Shane blinked. Given her strict, no-nonsense personality… yeah, she totally would step in and punish guild brawls.
"Erza?! Where?!"
No one expected it, but Natsu—still near the door, busy with the flame—snapped his head up like he had a radar.
He scanned the room like a startled rabbit.
Shane: "…"
Gray: "…"
Everyone: "…"