Freed, Bickslow, and Jellal had made their way to the last known location of the dragon slayers, oblivious to their silent tails.
Kina, Shido, and Shiro meanwhile, were sure to be cautious as they followed the three older men. They maintained a significant distance, following them with Kina's heightened hearing while the younger two merely messed about.
"Have they found anything?" Shiro asked as he lay in the grass, tossing a rock into the air and catching it again. His blue eyes looked expectantly to the purple-haired girl who was perched in a tree, listening intently to the conversation happening a mile away.
"There was an enchantment here," Freed murmured darkly as he touched the ground.
"There's a huge amount of magic left over, evidence of something," Jellal recognized as he walked around the field.
Bickslow lifted up his mask and peered around, "I don't see any souls... And there isn't any trace of death that I can sense. I mean... that's good, right?"
Freed closed his eyes as he pressed his hand against the ground and with immense focus, he tapped into the remnants of an enchantment. The line of runes appeared before his eyes and he studied them carefully.
"What is it?" Bickslow asked coming over and leaning on Freed.
"See these runes," Freed explained pointing to two symbols. "These seem to be runes for 'travel' and 'port' but they've been written strangely. Look at these tails added to the verticle lines. And over here, that's the typical ancient rune for reflect but that rune next to it, I've never seen that before. The handwriting also shifts far too often for one person to have written this enchantment, look at how these runes are round and these are angular, that's evidence of different magic users collaboration. And over here - "
Freed continued to rant while Jellal scanned over the field. His eyes were drawn to a patch of grass that seemed brighter than the rest. He knelt down and felt the patch, his eyes narrowing. He picked up a blade of grass and studied it.
"There's been time magic used," Jellal called to the other two.
"What makes you say that!?" Bickslow asked.
Jellal stood up and dropped the grass. "The grass over there has all been aged unusually," he explained pointing to a small patch of darkened grass. "This grass here is unnaturally young, that usually only happens when there's unstable time magic being used."
"Time magic, enchantments, what the hell did our dragon buddies run in to?" Bickslow asked.
"Trouble," Freed breathed. "Whatever happened here... I don't think our dragon slayer friends left this field. This rune," Freed explained tracing a rune in the air, his gaze dark, "This is the rune for opening portals. Somone transported the dragon slayers somewhere."
A mile away, Kina stiffened.
"Are you okay?" Shido asked, recognizing the girl's posture. He stood off to the side, in the shadows, practicing his sword skills.
Kina didn't answer and leaned into the next words from the far-away adults.
"What do we do?" Bickslow asked.
"Report back to the guild," Freed explained briskly. "There's no time to waste! There's a plot afoot and a group of imprisoned dragon slayers somewhere. The enemy has already caught us off guard, we need to regroup and plan our next move."
"What about the dragon slayers!?" Bickslow cried. "We gotta try and help them."
"Yes, but we need to get back to Magnolia and make sure that whoever struck here isn't going to catch us off guard again," Jellal concurred.
"Levy can help me decipher these runes," Freed agreed, closing the runes in front of him with a wave of his hand. "We need to be cautious. We have no idea what we're dealing with."
Bickslow nodded reluctantly and his dolls looked at him, seeming nervous.
"God, those guys better be alright," Bickslow bit.
Kina leaped down from the tree and hissed.
"What!?" Shiro asked sitting up. Shido paused his sword-practice and looked to the girl.
Kina glowered and a growl built up in her throat. "Someone's caught Dad."
"What?" Shido questioned.
"The dragon slayers were caught in an enchantment that teleported them somewhere. Freed doesn't know where but the enchantment was strong and had something to do with time magic. Natsu, Gajeel, Laxus, Sting, Rogue, and Dad... all of em', gone," Kina hissed.
Shido and Shiro's eyes both widened in horror and fear.
"W-what do we do!?" Shiro trembled.
Kina looked up, her purple eyes turning a dangerous hue or maroon as her pupils turned to slits. "Dad came out here to help some dragons with fifth gen's... We're gonna find those dragons and ask what the hell happened."
Shido gave a firm nod, though he was shaking. Kina could hear the fear in his mind as he fretted over his Father.
Shiro tensed and clenched his jaw, "Alright..."
A few days later, the Fairy Tail guild was unusually somber.
The kids had all caught on that something was wrong. None of the children were allowed to go on missions. The adults were spending more and more time in the secret backroom from which the young ones were forbidden. Muffling enchantments had been placed on it which only increased suspicion.
"Something's happening," Lance growled, unusually agitated. He sat at a table, laying his head down on the wood.
Nashi, who sat across from him, gave a nod.
Lance then gritted his teeth and sat up. "I have a bad feeling, Nashi. I have a really bad feeling."
Nashi looked at Lance, concern etched into her face. She knew too well that Lance's gut feeling's were often on-point.
The other kid's matched their fears. Emma and Igneel hadn't been combative all day, they had instead settled down and were playing cards with Cana at the bar. Victoria sat with Nova, watching over the triplets (since Kina had left so there was no one to babysit the kids), and every so often, Nova would look to the door, watching expectantly while Victoria would nervously clean her glasses, evidence of their concern. Kakumi sat and read, for the most part, biting his lip and worrying. Ame and Silver had even caught on to the poor mood and hadn't pulled pranks on any of the fellow children - the adults though, free game.
"Aw, freakin heck," Warren groaned as he was doused with water, keeping his language to a G rating. There was a giggle above him as the two twins scampered to the back of the second floor, away from the balcony. Storm looked over at the soaking wet Warren, shook his head, and went back to reading a magazine and drinking a milkshake. Rosemary, Simon, and Rose all sat around a board game and silently played. The only ones acting normally were Kurui and Kuro, who sat in the back with Jet and Droy coloring, but they were always quiet.
Then, in classic fashion, the quiet was broken. There was an unfamiliar roar of a dragon that made every person in the guild tense as the guild doors were blown open by a huge gust of wind.
"The heck is that?" Nova asked, standing up. Victoria took a protective stance in front of the triplets who were playing on the floor with Bickslow's dolls.
"Dragon! Dragon!" Bickslow's dolls answered.
"You don't say," Nova rolled her eyes.
"Wonder what this one wants. Dad's out of town," Igneel asked, looking up from the bar. Cana looked at the open doors warily and took another swig of beer before sauntering out from behind the bar and out to the open door. She looked up right as a brilliant orange dragon landed before her, his tail smashing a few houses as he did so.
Of course, no one lived close to the Fairy Tail guild except Fairy Tail members (for this exact reason and the lack of insurance) so no one was harmed.
"'Sup Lizard, what do you want?" Cana asked, taking another sip of her bottle.
The orange dragon curled his lip and sneered at Cana. "I've come to challenge for the throne of the Fire Dragon, Natsu," the dragon growled. At the sound of her father's name, Nashi stood up and walked up to the guild doors, leaning on the door frame so she could watch the exchange.
"Oops, bad new buddy, Natsu isn't here right now," Cana answered with a nonchalant shrug.
"I know that," the dragon laughed cruelly. "None of the Dragon Kings are! Because they're missing!"
Igneel, Nashi, Lance, Emma, Kakumi, and Nova all jumped to their feet unbelievingly.
"What do you mean, missing!?" Igneel demanded, instinctively grabbing his father's scarf around his neck.
"The hell you talking about, Orange Juice!?" Emma growled. She would've charged out the door had Lance not stepped in front of her and glared at the orange dragon just outside the guild.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Cana lied cooly. "Natsu's just out on a job right now. He'll be back in a few weeks."
Even as she said it, everyone in the guild knew it was a lie. That was the missing puzzle piece that all of the kids needed, that was why they couldn't go on jobs, that was what was freaking out the adults, that was the problem.
The orange dragon threw his head up and laughed. Cana put a hand on her hip and challenged the dragon with her stare.
"You and I both know that you're lying," the dragon sneered. "The rumor is much more than a rumor. The Dragon Kings have been missing for a few days now, no one knows where they are."
Cana's mind was racing; how the hell did the dragon know this!? Nashi was in a state of panic. If her father was missing then... then the dragon had come to challenger her!
"Natsu Dragneel isn't here," a strong voice shouted. They all looked back as the adults emerged from the back, Lucy in front. Anyone who thought the blonde-haired woman didn't look terrifying with her brown eyes blazing was either dumb or lying to themselves.
The blonde fearlessly strode past Cana, right up to the dragon.
"Natsu is out on a job. He will be back in a few weeks," Lucy reiterated strongly. "If you wish to challenge him, you can wait until he returns and he'll gladly comply."
The orange dragon growled. "I know Natsu is gone! I've come to claim his throne! Get out of my way, human, or die."
"BACK OFF!" a new voice shouted. Lucy looked back as her daughter took a step forward, furious.
Nashi was an image of fury with her pink hair waving as the heat around her body tripled in temperature. Her hands burst into flame and her eyes burned in anger. No one threatened her Mom.
"Dad's not here right now, but I'll slay you if you keep threatening my mother, you ugly, arrogant, stupid *input word*!"
The orange dragon only smiled in cruel joy. "So you are his heir then. I can smell it."
Nashi snarled.
The dragon took a step forward before a star shot slammed into his chest sending him flying backward. When he got to his claws, he found Lucy standing there, dawned in her Sagittarius Star dress, her bow raised and her eyes narrowed.
"Take a step near my daughter and the next arrow will pierce your eye," Lucy swore as she drew back the bowstring, an arrow appearing in it. "I may not be a dragon slayer but I have slain plenty of dragons."
The orange dragon snarled, "You cannot protect her! I will claim the throne!!"
"How about you chill the heck out!" another voice laughed. Sting Eucliffe emerged from the guild, smiling in a cheeky manner. Everyone froze and looked to the dragon slayer in wonder and amazement.
The dragon's eyes widened and he stumbled back.
"What? How? You're supposed to be - " the dragon hissed.
"Look buddy, I don't know what you've been told but you're very much wrong," Sting laughed as he walked past Lucy who still had her arrow at the ready.
"No... no, he told me!" the orange dragon hissed.
"He who?" Sting growled.
The orange dragon let out a hiss and slowly backed away. His legs scraped against buildings and his tail flicked nervously.
"I'm sorry... it seems I was mistaken," the orange dragon murmured.
"Damn right you were," Sting hissed, bringing his hands together so that they glowed dangerously. "Now get out of here before I blast you to hell for threatening my brother's little girl!!"
The orange dragon needed no more incentivization. He took to the sky and flapped away with as much speed as he could muster.
"Jerk," Sting hissed striding away. He stepped back into the guild alongside Lucy and Nashi who shut the guild doors behind them.
Then, with a shimmering of light, Sting's appearance melted away to reveal Mirajane. The white-haired woman let out a bated breath and looked to Romeo.
"That spell of yours worked," Mira nodded. Everyone noted her singed hair and clothes. Romeo smirked as he held up a green flame in his hand.
"Dragons can't smell squat with this sucker burning," Romeo nodded before extinguishing the fire. Immediately, all the dragon slayer kids took a deep breath in and nodded, noting how new scents suddenly appeared.
"So... it's true then?" Lance demanded, crossing his arms and looking at the adults. Levy met his gaze and slowly, she bit her lip and nodded.
"We don't know what happened," Levy confessed, "But your father and his brothers were caught in an enchantment and sent somewhere. We don't know where, we don't know why, and we don't know who did it."
"Whoever it is must be bragging about it," Elfman stated crossly.
"Yes, how else would dragons know that they were missing?" Evergreen concurred.
"So... so Dad's gone?" Kakumi asked, trembling.
"No. No way," Nova growled. "Dad's fine. They must've sent him somewhere far away, somewhere where they could try and control him but it isn't gonna work. Dad can't lose. To anyone."
"I wish it was a simple as that," Freed murmured looking down. Everyone looked at him. "Those runes opened up a trans-dimensional gate. The dragon slayers weren't just sent somewhere across the world, they were sent to another world entirely."
The kid's eyes widened.
"And you didn't TELL US!?" Emma cried angrily.
"How do we get them back!?" Lance demanded, pushing his sister aside.
"It's not that easy, Lance," Levy explained. "We don't know what dimension they were sent to and without knowing the castor of the enchantment or their plan, we can't be sure. I promise we're trying everything we can but for now you all need to stay here."
"We cannot have you all running off," Erza explained crossly. "That dragon that came here today is the first of many, I would bet. If any of you, any of you head out without our knowledge, you will be opening yourself up to attack. All of dragon kind knows Fairy Tail and the ambitious ones will not hesitate to weaken our ranks."
"Is that why Yukino, Kagura, Kinana, and Minerva went after Shiro and the others?" Nashi asked crossly.
"...Yes," Lucy nodded. "It's important that you all stay safe and close."
"So, no one is going anywhere, clear?" Gray snapped.
There was no answer. The kids all looked at the ground, some glaring, some on the verge of tears.
"Yeah, alright," Storm answered finally, with his arms crossed.
Everyone else glanced at one another and their gazes hardened.
Shiro, Kina, and Shido crept through the streets of a small town, Kina listening intently. She held up her hand, a gesture for Shiro to stop. Shido slid out of the shadows, besides Kina.
"What do you hear?" Shido hissed.
"That guy I told you about, the one who kept thinking about our Dads," Kina murmured. "He's talking to a bunch of fifth gen's... talking about a 'rumor' he's heard that says that 'all of the Dragon King's are gone'."
"He's riling them up," Shiro realized.
"Walking around and telling people that Dad's gone will make challengers get up and fly to Fairy Tail to challenge..." Shido began, he then died off.
"Us... to challenge us," Kina snarled.
"Well... you, we're not... I'm not initiated yet," Shiro murmured.
"Shiro, you turn fifteen in two weeks. You're basically a drake, that means that you're by default Sting's heir if he stays missing," Kina hissed.
Shiro's face paled.
"I... I can't fight challengers off," Shiro trembled.
"Nor can Lance, or Nashi, or - "Kina began.
"Kakumi..." Shido realized in stark horror.
They all froze at the mention of the small thirteen-year-old boy. The idea of him fighting a dragon made all of them suppress a shudder.
"What do we do?" Shido asked darkly.
"I tell you what we're gonna do," Shiro answered, his blue eyes growing sharp as his pupils turned to slits. "We're gonna beat this guy up and find out what the hell he's planning."
"I bet you Kina heard all of it... that's why she, Shido, and Shiro ran off," Lance growled sitting down next to Nashi who was staring darkly at the guild-hall wall.
"It would've been nice if Shiro could've shared some of that info," Nashi murmured sullenly.
"What could we have done if they had. You heard everyone, we've got to stay here," Lance reminded his friend.
"There will be more challengers," Nashi growled, gripping her hands together. "What do we do when Mira's illusion doesn't cut it anymore?"
Lance looked to Nashi and then looked down. "I guess we fight em'."
Nashi scoffed at that. "We can't... if we fight, we'll lose. If we lose that means that we'll make that dragon a new Dragon Ruler."
"Well, what do you suggest?" Lance snapped.
"We go," Nashi murmured. "We go and draw the attention away from the guild. With no heirs here the challengers won't know where we are or where to go."
"Until they start tracking us," Lance denied quickly. "You and I both know that's a stupid idea. We're safer here where we have the strongest mages on earth ready for a smackdown. You saw your mom today, she would've taken that dragon on no sweat!"
"But see, Lance, that's the issue!" Nashi gritted. "How many people are going to throw themselves in harm's way, how many people are going to get hurt or die because of this. Dad's missing, challengers are rising, and the only thing standing between a bunch of scaled jerks and our Dad's power is us. Teenagers, Lance. What the hell are we supposed to do?"
Lance looked down for a moment. Then, he put a hand on Nashi's shoulder reassuringly.
"We face whatever comes, together," Lance assured her with a grin. "I mean come on, it's not like we're facing a whole dragon army."
Nashi chortled and nodded.
"Alright," the pinkette nodded. "Thanks."
"Hey now, can't have you rushing off and dying before you confess your love to Snowboy," Lance grinned slyly.
Nashi's face turned as red as Rosemary's hair.
"H-HOW DO YOU - " Nashi cried.
"Buddy, I'm a dragon slayer, I know things," Lance laughed, raising his eyebrows and laughing.
Far off from Magnolia, hidden in the cool air of a mountain tunnel and listening to the solemn tempo of water dripping off stalactites, a man stood and overlooked his preparations that were sprawled out in the cavern before him.
Off to the side were the enchanters who were ensuring that the dragon slayers stay stuck in their little dimension, The Bonds of Time.
To the other side was a group of planners, preparing to put the rest of the plan into action.
Finally, straight ahead of the mastermind, below him was evidence of his work: Eggs, dragon eggs.
The eggs were of a wide variety of colors and sizes, sitting in a pile kept warm by a fearful tan-colored dragon who watched the many guards fearfully as she attended the large nest of eggs that did not belong to her. There were twenty-nine eggs, all told and the female dragon had long forgotten from which nests they were stolen from. Her forked tongue flicked out and brushed against the cool blue shell of one egg... a water dragon's egg if she remembered correctly.
There was a small reaction to her tongue as the young dragon inside shifted. The female dragon immediately brushed up against it with her snout to soothe the young.
"It's alright, little one," she soothed the unborn child.
Dark thoughts and fear swirled in her mind.
Where were the parents of this little one? Of all the little ones??
Would these hatchlings live to see their first day? What could one man want with so many?
She curled a tail around them protectively and looked up at the man who stared down at her like a piece of meat. A snarl built in her throat, but instead, she lifted a tan wing and covered the eggs with it, hiding them from the man's gaze. Her wings were torn and tattered, meaning flying was useless, but that was the least of her concerns.
Would she live to see the light of day again?
A commotion attracted the attention of the tan dragon and she watched as two guards, dressed in dark-colored garbs, dragged someone up to the mastermind of a man. The person they had dragged up had a sack over his head and looked worse for wear. His high-collared black garbs were covered by a white sash both of which were filthy and tattered. Anti-magic cuffs were strapped to their wrists and ankles.
The man in charge of this madness turned to the two guards slowly. His dark eyes looked to the figure the two guards were dragging nonchalantly and they darted back up to the guards.
"Were you followed?" he demanded.
"No Master Riki," one of the guards denied certainly. "We lost the demons thanks to our teleportation. They flung the figure forward where he lay, clearly unconscious.
Master Riki crouched down and grabbed the sack that covered the person's head. He ripped it off, exposing a head of blonde hair. Riki smiled cruelly as he put a hand on the person's head.
From below, the tan dragon craned her neck to try and make out the figure at the feet of Master Riki. The new scent finally wafted into her nose and her eyes widened in shock. Whoever it was had the strangest scent she had ever smelled.
It smelled like a boy, but the scent was also strange. The magic power radiating off the boy was immense. Who was this?
The boy stirred and he slowly pushed himself up on his elbows, groaning as he slowly opened his eyes.
Riki smiled as he grabbed the boy by his chin and forced his head to look up. The boy's large black eyes looked back and the boy looked forward in confusion and a bit of fear.
"Hello there... August," Mast Riki chuckled. "It's so nice to finally meet you."
Nineteen-year-old August Dragneel met Riki's gaze and clenched his jaw, his blonde hair falling around his face save for a single strand that stuck into the air.
"Can't say the same," August stated, his gaze firm. "You must have a death wish to kidnap me."
"Oh," Riki laughed, "You don't know the half of it."
(I dunno guys, I've got mixed feelings about this chapter. Is it cheesy? I feel like my writing is rough to follow, if you have any idea on how to make it better I'll gladly take it.
On another note - You've met my random OC villain that I plucked from my subconscious. He'll have future villainous development but for now, the focus is on the brats and how they're gonna cope with the dragon slayers being trapped.
If you have any questions or something is confusing, please feel free to ask. My writing is kinda iffy in this book and I have no real excuse for it. As always, best of luck to all of you reading this. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day/night.)