To Drasil (2)

Yuno's POV

The train rattled beneath us as we traveled toward Drasil, but I barely noticed the sound. My mind was elsewhere, turning over the events of the past few days. Ever since the old lady's prophecy—if that's even her real form—everything had felt like it was spiraling out of control. The three of us had been crushed by her words, the weight of her vision threatening to overwhelm us. But we'd come to a unanimous decision: a wish to simply go home would be a waste.

No, we had a different wish now. A new goal. We were going to erase the Sinner—whoever he is—from existence, wiping him out from the moment he warped us away. If we could do that, it should reverse everything he's done. All the destruction, all the pain… it would be undone.

Of course, I wasn't an expert on time or space. A grim thought settled in my mind: what if, instead of fixing our world, we only ended up creating an alternate timeline? A world where the Sinner never reached his goals, but where our home still suffered its fate. The possibility made my stomach twist.

Something told me that this wish—this attempt to rewrite reality—was far more complicated than just traveling between dimensions. It could very well be the only wish Elefseria was capable of granting. And if that was the case, it would mean closing off our one and only chance of returning home. But we'd already accepted that. If it meant ensuring the safety of our kingdom, our friends, and our families, we were willing to make that sacrifice. They deserved to live in peace, even if that peace was in a world without us.

The thought of never returning home, never becoming the Wizard King, didn't weigh on me as much as it should. As long as I had Asta with me, I didn't feel truly lost. Besides, Earthland had its own charm. It was a far larger place than Clover Kingdom, with advanced technology and a far more structured regulation of magic. It had eliminated much of the classist discrimination we were used to back home, something that Lord Julius had always strived for but never quite managed to achieve.

If we had to settle down here, it wouldn't be the worst thing. Sure, I'd miss the dream of becoming Wizard King, but Earthland wasn't without its opportunities. As Natsu had pointed out, some wishes could probably be achieved along the way. Elefseria had mentioned that Earthland was no stranger to other worlds. Who's to say that someone else from another realm hadn't already brought technology or magic capable of interdimensional travel?

It was a long shot, but it was still something to hope for. Even if it ultimately came back to hurt us—leading to more disappointment, more despair—I wasn't ready to give up. We'd keep our fingers crossed. We'd hope. We'd do something presumptuous and… try.

My thoughts were interrupted when Noelle broke the silence, pulling me out of my brooding. I snapped my head up, my attention shifting back to the present. Whatever she was about to say, it seemed important.

Noelle's POV

We rode silently on the train, the rhythmic clatter of the wheels the only sound between us. I rested my head gently on Asta's shoulder, finding a bit of comfort in the steady rise and fall of his breath. Across from us, Yuno sat with his usual quiet intensity, while beside him sat Carla, now in her human form. It was still strange seeing her like this, but she seemed unbothered, her eyes closed as she softly stroked Wendy's head. Poor Wendy looked like she was going to lose her lunch at any second.

A similar, yet far more chaotic, scene unfolded on the other side of the train car. I couldn't help but sweat drop as I watched Lucy, with a smirk on her face, "affectionately" choke Natsu, who lay sprawled in her lap.

"G-gawk, p-please, Luce! I-I'm sorry! I-I'll never do it again!" Natsu begged between strained breaths, but Lucy seemed unfazed, tightening her grip.

Erza and Gray looked on with fond amusement, like this was a regular occurrence. Meanwhile, Happy gnawed on a raw fish, completely ignoring his buddy's plight.

Seriously... where does that cat even pull those out from?

Despite the bizarre and hilarious interactions around me, there was still this awkward tension hanging in the air. Our groups had mellowed out, sure, but the silence between us told me we weren't quite at the point of making small talk just yet. The things we'd done—things I'm not exactly proud of—had driven a wedge between what could've been the start of a friendship. It was a small miracle Wendy and Carla were sitting with us at all, but that probably had more to do with the unspoken connection Wendy seemed to share with Yuno. Maybe it was the fact that they both had similar magic elements. Solid aside, I've always found it easier to get along with water mages or anyone with an elemental affinity similar to mine.

So, there we sat in silence—well, except for Natsu and Wendy, who were doing their best to keep their motion sickness under control. I would've been content to let it stay that way, but there was something I needed to bring up, something that had been bothering me ever since the chaos had died down.

I lifted my head slightly, glancing toward the Earthlanders—because calling them our "friends" would be too presumptuous at this point—and my gaze settled on the blonde celestial mage.

"Lucy...?" I called out softly, my voice breaking the quiet. It wasn't just Lucy who turned to me; the rest of the group's attention shifted in my direction too. Even Natsu and Wendy seemed to stir, their nausea momentarily forgotten as they blinked at me.

"Yes, Noelle?" Lucy responded with a gentle smile, one I appreciated. She seemed like a kind person, and I wasn't sure how I would've handled it if she'd given me the cold shoulder.

I took a breath. "You seem like a well-learned person," I started, watching her blush slightly at the compliment. "Do you mind... telling me about the Dragon Festival?"

For a moment, Lucy looked confused, her expression thoughtful as she processed my question. "Do you mean the Dragon King Festival?" she asked.

That name alone made me feel uneasy. "Is there a difference?" I asked, genuinely curious.

Lucy tilted her head, pondering for a second. "Not that I'm aware of. People tend to use them interchangeably, but I wanted to make sure we were talking about the same thing. Who knows? There might be festivals somewhere that actually celebrate dragons."

I blinked in confusion. "Isn't that what a festival is?" My bewilderment must have shown, because Lucy's smile grew a little strained.

"Well..." she hesitated. "If your idea of a festival involves a cataclysmic event that nearly wiped out the entire dragon race and ended their reign, then... sure."

"Oh." It was all I could say. The grim reality of what she'd just explained seemed to darken the air around us. Even Wendy and Natsu stopped complaining about their motion sickness, their faces turning solemn.

Erza, who had been sitting quietly beside Gray, spoke up, her voice as commanding as ever. "May I ask what brought this up?" Her scarlet hair and elegant armor gave her a regal presence, one that reminded me a bit of the portraits of my mother.

Asta and Yuno both looked at me now, curious. I could feel the weight of their attention, but I swallowed and pressed on.

"After Asta defeated Leviathan and I went to help... I had a run-in with Ignia," I admitted, feeling Asta tense beside me, his arm tightening protectively around my waist.

Natsu snapped upright from Lucy's lap, his eyes widening in shock despite the clear signs of nausea still etched on his face. The rest of the group stared at me, eyes wide, their silent question loud and clear: How are you still alive?

Yuno's gaze flickered with guilt, his self-blame practically radiating off him. Asta's grip tightened further, clearly blaming himself for not sensing the Fire Dragon God.

I quickly gave them a reassuring nod before addressing the elephant in the room. "He... completely ignored me," I said with a bitter chuckle. "According to him, I'm too weak to be worth killing."

The sympathy and quiet anger in the eyes of the Fairies caught me off guard. They barely knew me, and yet, they were upset on my behalf. These people—who weren't even quite friends yet—were good people.

"As for why I asked about the festival..." I trailed off, noticing the way everyone seemed to lean in slightly, eager to hear what I'd say next. "Ignia told Leviathan that the Dragon Festival is going to begin soon. Or... based on what you just said, I guess 'resume' is the better word."

The look of horror that washed over their faces was answer enough. Whatever was coming, it wasn't good.

Lucy's POV

Resume? I mulled over that word like it was my worst nightmare. The war from 400 years ago—the one that brought an end to the strongest race after the gods died and left Earthland—was about to resume?

How could that even be possible?

In a sort of denial or a desperate attempt to shut down such a ridiculous idea, I chuckled nervously, feeling sweat slide down my cheek. "Noelle, Ignia must've been referring to something else. The Dragon King Festival was a war 400 years ago that involved the entire dragon race—thousands of dragons fighting over an idea."

As Noelle leaned in, curious, I kept going, mostly to calm myself down. "The idea was whether they should live in coexistence with humans or rule over them. Eventually, some humans became the first Dragon Slayers, gaining the strength to fight and stand on equal ground with dragons. That's how they earned their recognition."

Asta and Noelle stared at me with wide eyes. That didn't surprise me. What did was Yuno's reaction—or rather, his lack of one. Was he just good at hiding his emotions, or did he already know about this? If he did, why didn't Noelle ask him first?

"But here's the thing," I pressed on, trying to push the thought of Yuno aside, "one Dragon Slayer took it too far. He was so consumed by hatred for the dragons that he decided to switch from prey to predator. Instead of just surviving, he slaughtered them all."

Asta and Noelle looked stunned, but Yuno remained calm. Meanwhile, my guildmates exchanged grim nods. I knew they were remembering that beast from nine years ago—although for us, it was just two years ago. Two years that changed everything.

"That's how Acnologia, the Dragon of the Apocalypse, came to be. He singlehandedly wiped out the dragon race… or so we thought. Turns out, some escaped to Guiltina."

Asta and Noelle's expressions shifted from shock to confusion, catching me off guard. It took me a moment to realize why. Just as I was about to explain, Yuno spoke up, beating me to the punch.

"The first generation of Dragon Slayers had a side effect. Using dragon slayer magic caused a dragon seed to form inside them. The more they used the magic, the more that seed grew. Eventually, it led to dragonization, and they turned into dragons themselves. In this case Acnologia"

That was a textbook response—so thorough I couldn't help but stare at him in disbelief. How did Yuno know all this? Why didn't Noelle just ask him earlier?

As Asta and Noelle glanced at Wendy and Natsu with growing concern, I felt a warmth bloom inside me. They really were good people. But before I could respond to their unspoken questions, Yuno jumped in again.

"To prevent their children from undergoing dragonization, the Fire Dragon King Ignia and the Sky Dragon Queen Grandeeney used a Dragon Soul Technique. They spiritually reside within their children, releasing draconic antibodies to kill the dragon seed before it sprouts."

Alright, that's twice now. How do you know all this?

Even in their sick state, Wendy and Natsu narrowed their eyes at Yuno, clearly suspicious like I was. But Yuno just shrugged.

"Elefseria told me," he said casually.

"Yeah, I don't believe that," Gray—unsurprisingly naked—chimed in. "It's one thing for him to explain stuff about Tantaros, but this didn't need to be said."

Erza crossed her arms, fixing Yuno with a stern gaze. "We respect your privacy regarding your wish, but we can't accept strangers knowing so much about us without a proper explanation."

To Yuno's credit, he didn't wilt under Erza's intimidating glare. Instead, he turned to Asta and Noelle, and once again, I watched in frustration as the three of them seemed to communicate through silent gestures. Fingers pointed, shoulders shrugged—it was almost like they had their own secret language.

After what felt like an eternity of nonverbal exchanges, Yuno finally turned back to us.

"The eastern continent is very isolated from the rest of the world," he began. I rolled my eyes. Levy always wanted to go there, mainly because she couldn't find much information about it in her books. She even told me she planned on taking Gajeel and their family there for a trip after she gave birth.

When Yuno saw us nod, he continued. "Our customs, language, technology, and even our currency are very different. Elefseria, out of pity, gave me access to a Spirit Library—a collection of the world's knowledge—to help us integrate into the outside world."

"Like 'Archive,'" I muttered, now more curious than suspicious. It made sense, but it was still unsettling that Yuno had access to so much knowledge about us.

But wait—if Yuno had access to the world's knowledge, why was he surprised about our wishes? Why was Elefseria so surprised that Natsu was the one who defeated Acnologia? And why didn't Elefseria just tell us where to find the dragon gods? Why make us go on this wild goose chase? And if Elefseria could give Yuno the library, why didn't he give it to us too? Sure, we didn't need it as urgently, but it would've made things a lot easier.

I glared at Yuno, all of my questions written on my face. My guildmates must've been thinking the same thing because they were all staring at him too. Even Asta and Noelle had furrowed brows as if they were just now realizing something was off.

"I understand what you're thinking," Yuno said, his voice calm. "The Spirit Library requires an enormous amount of magical power and a very strong soul. Without both, you wouldn't be able to use it. Worse, it could cripple you."

Alright, that's a pretty good reason.

Yuno glanced at me and Wendy before hesitantly adding, "You two almost meet the criteria. But Elefseria wasn't willing to take the risk in case something happened to you."

That made me feel a bit better.

"As for the gaps in my knowledge," Yuno continued, "there's a reason. Rather than calling Elefseria the Dragon of Law, it's more accurate to say he was the Dragon of Law."

Was? My eyes widened, and I could feel my guildmates mirroring my shock.

"There used to be six Dragon Gods," Yuno explained. "One hundred years ago, Elefseria killed the weakest of them—the Earth Dragon God, Dogramag."

Gray let out a whistle, clearly impressed. But I still had more questions.

"You're probably wondering why Elefseria didn't keep fighting the other dragon gods after defeating one," Yuno continued. "The truth is, he no longer has the strength."

We all leaned in, hanging on his words.

"When he fought Dogramag, the dragon stole his heart. Ate it. Dogramag's corpse became a massive dungeon, and Elefseria can't retrieve what was taken from him."

"His heart was stolen?!" Erza exclaimed, her voice echoing my own thoughts. "How is he even alive?!"

"When Dragon Slayers undergo dragonization, their organs also transform. Elefseria assumed a form that didn't need a heart, but that heart was the source of his Law magic. Without it, he's lost his unique abilities. That's why his records from 100 years ago and onwards are vague. His knowledge of this century so incomplete. Currently, he can only learn about new events by witnessing them firsthand or hearing about them."

Alright… that's actually a really good reason.

"Anyway, the main problem here is, how does Ignia plan to start a new Dragon Festival?" Yuno asked, his voice calm but laced with concern. "Is he really naive enough to think that just five self-proclaimed gods can replace an entire race? Or, like Leviathan, are there other undocumented dragons still roaming this world?"

He paused for a moment, letting the weight of his question sink in. "This generation doesn't seem to lack dragon slayers though. Diablos is an entire guild of them, and there are plenty of others on Ishgar, considering that was where it all started. Though Ignia's arrogance is obvious, I doubt someone who survived Acnologia's massacre is an idiot. He's lived for 500 years—more than enough time to cook up an evil scheme that we can't ignore. We need to keep a closer eye on the fire dragon god going forward."

We all sat back, digesting Yuno's words, letting the silence take over as his point hit home. The train jerked to a halt, signaling our arrival. Natsu's infectious laughter echoed through the cabin, breaking the tension, and we couldn't help but chuckle along, even if it was brief. There was still so much to figure out, so many questions left unanswered. But at least, for now, we had a clearer direction.