Phoenix Fire || Fairy Tail [1]

𝐱𝐥𝐢𝐢𝐢. 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐱 𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫

Only she wasn't.

The villagers who were conscious were packed together closely in the untouched clearing, tending to each other's injuries, but the phoenix was nowhere to be seen. Rose frowned at the unusual occurrence. Felliora was a sucker for deadlines – why would she be late? She had never done this before.

A dreadful sensation washed over Rose's senses, and she knew that something had gone wrong. Terribly, awfully wrong.

In the distance, the victorious roar of a lone dragon. Rose's pupils dilated, and instantly all her training was forgotten. Leaving the unconscious villagers with their companions, she turned tail and sprinted through the trees towards the village.

Somewhere in her hasty run, she shifted into her phoenix form. The trees blurred around her as she burst through the canopy and soared up – up until she could see a massive, hulking black dragon, and a slightly smaller firebird.

Felliora.

Before she knew what she was doing, Rose was spiralling down towards the battle zone, wings tucked in at her sides and wind whistling around her. A split second before her landing she returned to human form in a burst of flame, not sparing any time before rocketing towards her mentor.

"Don't," Felliora murmured, too soft for the dragon to hear. "You are young. You won't survive a battle with him."

Rose's vision was tainted red with rage, and everything in her was telling her to fight – to protect her mother from the same monster that had killed her parents and destroyed her old home. She knew that Felliora was right, that she didn't stand a chance against the hulking mass of obsidian scales in front of them, but that wouldn't stop her from trying.

"I'm not leaving you," Rose insisted. Felliora's wings spread out as if to shield the slayer from view, fiery plumage glowing in the light of the dying flames. Rose could see the dragon eying her mother, no doubt recognising the being that had interfered so long ago, back when he had first tried to kill her.

"You must," Felliora whispered. Her words reverberated in the silence, but Rose couldn't bring herself to leave. Fire flickered across her skin and hair.

"I won't," Rose repeated, "either we both fight, or neither of us do."

"You don't realise the dangers associated with fighting him, do you?" Felliora murmured, though her tone was one of resignation.

"I do," Rose replied, stepping out from Felliora so she could lock gazes with the black and blue dragon. "I just don't care about the risk."

"You're far too reckless," Felliora said finally, just as the dragon lurched forward.

Rose wove beneath him before he could strike her, using his incredible size against him, and blasted flames at his stomach. Felliora released a wave of fire at his open maw, giving Rose the chance she needed to clamber up his arm and cling to the large scales on his neck. She felt the muscles rippling beneath the scales as he attempted to twist and fling her off his neck, and the shift in gravity as her mother rammed into his side. Whilst he was still distracted, she used grips the scales provided to perch herself on his head. A chant summoned more flames to wreath her wrists, which she slammed into his skull repeatedly.

"Get back," Felliora called to her. Rose obeyed reluctantly, throwing herself off of the dragon and landing conveniently between Felliora's wings. The phoenix reared back, flames building within, and released a torrent of fire at the dragon whilst he was distracted. He didn't seem to be very experienced despite his immense strength, and it became evident that he was actually quite young.