Book 3: Stolen Crystal (Rogue Cheney Love Story)

Chapter 13

"Called overkill! Ever heard of it?!!!" Lucy shouts, hands covering her head to protect herself from our fiery onslaught.

I let Natsu finish it off. "Fire Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Flame Lotus Exploding Flame Blade!!" The fire hits the bird and explodes. When the flames vanish, the bird is revealed to be unconscious and burned.

Flare puts her hand to her face in shock as tears drip down her mouth and she sobs in gratitude, "The Eternal Flame... our guardian deity... you brought it back!"

The once tiny flame now burns brighter and is as tall as a building.

Natsu and I land next to Momo and Happy in crouched positions. The Fire Dragon Slayer looks at his friend as he asks, "Yo, Happy, I wanna get to the top of this thing. Do you mind giving me a lift?"

"Do I have to?! It's scary!" Happy exclaims. He picks Natsu up as I straighten and flies him up to the top of the flame.

"This is where the voice came from," Natsu states.

On her knees, Wendy says in realisation, "The voice and the thought energy are one and the same! That settles it!" She clasps her hands together as a light green aura swirls around her.

"Hey, there Uncle! How've you been?" Natsu greets. The Eternal Flame swirls until it takes on the form of a dragon.

"Well met, son of Igneel," He returns. "Aside from being imprisoned in ice, I've been good."

"It's Atlas Flame," Gray observes.

"Oh, yeah! From the Eclipse Gate. That's the dragon that helped us fight Rogue," Says Lucy.

Charlele says in confusion, "But the Eclipse Gate was destroyed, sending the dragons back to their time."

Atlas Flame confirms, "That's correct. It sent us 400 years into your past. And all that time, I've burned on."

Natsu says, "Didn't know you were still alive. You must be ancient."

Happy says slightly nervously, "Yet you look so youthful!"

"Ancient, yes. But alive? No. Far from it," Atlas Flame says.

Wendy informs us, eyes closed in concentration, "Atlas Flame has been dead for centuries. I used my Milky Way spell to give form to what remained of him."

Charlele asks in surprise, glancing at Wendy, "What?"

Atlas Flame says, "I thought as much. I don't recall dying, but, I do remember life. And this isn't what it felt like."

"Sooo, are you not all there, or what?" Nanami asks.

"I don't have the perspective to say. But my memories are clouded. Muddled. Who am I? What place is this?"

"I'd be forgetful, too, at your age. Relax!" Natsu says.

I deadpan at him as I point out, my voice dripping with sarcasm, "Uh, you'd be dead at his age, Natsu-kun."

Charlele questions Atlas Flame's memory, and Wendy explains that his amnesia might have something to do with the ice.

Atlas Flame muses, "Ice... yes. All around me. I didn't know what cold was, till then."

"About that... could you tell us how everything got like this?" Natsu demands to know.

"Please, Sir! I really need to know," Flare pleads. "You see, I used to live here."

After a short pause, Atlas Flame speaks up. "... His intentions were not evil, but he mistook me for something I am not."

"Did you say 'he'?" Lucy asks.