Chapter 3 - Enter --!

Propping myself up against one of the many trees I kept taking deep, steady breaths to pace my beating heart. I felt my whole body aching, each muscle feeling sore, even my tail. I felt energy rush into me, energy I have realized is Etherano, the magic of the world.

While with my demonic heritage I seem to have some kind of generator inside me, the human half of me seems to allow for the absorption of Etherano. This makes it so that I can recover Etherano quicker than any human wizard I'd assume unless there was a way to absorb energies quicker.

I scratched an itch on my back, the sharp nails that utterly eviscerated the serpent not even causing my skin to bleed. it would be pretty stupid if because my skin is the same as any other human I wouldn't be able to scratch an itch without extreme caution.

With a sigh I thought back onto my training plan, as expected, I wasn't able to follow it to the tee. Sometimes just not enough time or stuff to do the training with. Oh hunting takes time, Hunting for a fulfilling meal more so.

"Country roads~ Take me home~ To the place~~ I Belong!~ West Virginia! Mountain mama~ Take me home~ country roads~" Singing as I slowly roasted parts of a boar with enough talent to make a certain always evolving monster impressed. I happily chewed on some of the already cooked meat as I rotated the make shift campfire and grill setup.

The first few months was hell living in the wilderness, but living here has given me enough smarts to survive, not enough to claim to be a survival expert. but enough that I don't need to keep my cloak of flames on at all times. After all, it wouldn't do to be too reliant on the cloak.

Hearing rustling I stopped my singing and slowly put the meat onto a large leaf serving as a makeshift plate? table? thing-gymajig

Turning around what I saw made my cloak spring to life.

~~~~~~~~~~

*BLURGH!*

Erza sighed for what is the umpteenth time as Natsu barfed, again. in the 1 hour trip. The train started decelerating and soon came to a stop. She dragged Natsu out of the compartment looking like a ghost. Swirly eyes, pale visage, open mouth and she swore she could see some white thing exiting it.

The people that saw the sight could only look on baffled.

A minute or so passed before like magic Natsu jumped somehow looking as healthy as possible and began looking around in confusion.

"Where are we? I swear I was at some sort of hell before..." He said with total sincerity, Erza didn't know whether to smack his head for his idiocy or look at him in disbelief.

She settled for doing both.

A few minutes later Erza looking much the same approached the mayor's office, following behind her is Natsu, this time sporting a a bump on the top of his head.

~~~

"I see, and evidence suggest that whatever has been causing this has been around the area for quite some time?" Erza asked her hand to her chin and obviously in thought.

"Yes, the experienced hunters have said it could be almost 2 years ago, but curiously it seems the burns have been more uncontrolled the earlier and weaker, the most recent ones have looked more controlled showing it is both intentional and it is training. The destruction of what we suspect are it's flames also seem to have grown in power." The mayor an elderly man with a portly body, white hair combed back neatly combined with a well maintained thick bush of a moustache, dressed in a neat suit despite some parts sticking out a little too far.

Face old and filled with line signifying his age and eyes seemingly closed yet seeing.

"Who cares! I'm a fire dragon slayer! it's flames are way weaker than a dragon's!" Natsu yelled, obviously impatient from the sitting around. The mayor looked at him strangely, as if saying what an oddity. and looked back at Erza.

"I trust your guild master's decision and you yourself being a rising star. please I hope you could subdue the monster or at least confirm it's existence and gauge it's strength." The mayor bowed and his voice pleading.

Erza bowed as well flushing at the formality but with the sternest voice she could muster responded. "You can count on us!"

~~~

A massive figure shadowed by the forest darted around, it's body long and seemingly like a whip wrapping and coiling around trees, yet seemingly flying in the air as it slithered to the next tree. amber eyes seen for a brief second before it disappears into the shadows of trees.

Birds cawed and flew off, land creatures, be it critters or predators cautious. the forest itself growing quiet at it's presence.

Smoke could be seen from a distance, despite being mid air it turned and shot towards the direction where the smoke was coming from only brief reflections from green scales before it became shadowed once more.

~~~~

I look upon the sight of Natsu Dragneel and Erza Scarlet, obviously younger looking. my cloak activating due to my surprise and letting my control slip, after all it is part of me despite how I disgust it sometimes, of course I have to restrain it.

The two tensed up ready to fight.

"Who the hell are you!" I'll give you 3 tries to guess who that was, the first 2 don't count.

I restrained my cloak of flames and held my hands up. "I'm sorry I was just surprised, I can't quite control my magic that well just yet."

They didn't quite let up so I slowly sat down and took some of the meat and offered it to them.

"A sign of my apology, I am truly sorry for startling the both of you."

Natus practically jumped at the offered piece of food and I did my best not to flinch as he took it from my hand.

Erza more skeptical, she sheathed her sword nonetheless but still tense. She sat down, farther from me and in between me and Natsu. She took some of the food from the leaf plate, table, thing.

"Why are you here?" Erza asked. I thought about a lie to tell and nodded mentally.

"I'm from a remote little town and discovered my magic, I moved to the forest to train myself better. I've been living here for the past year or so." I answered her honestly it is technically true, A little over a year more.

"So you just ran away from your parents to train your magic?" Erza asked with disbelief and I can see signs of anger in her, rather feel it.

"Of course not." Just like that her anger disappeared. "They abandoned me." Silence, even Natsu's ravenous eating stopped.

"I was dumped in an orphanage and I was raised in it, ostracized without really understanding why I was ecstatic when I discovered my magic. Not everyone was lucky enough to have parents. But I was lucky enough to have magic."

To mess with them I added in a few more words.

"Hell, it's been my dream to join phantom lord since I was 5!" I said with all the adoration I could muster. I was obviously being over dramatic and fake but they are just children, Erza is also a bit of an idiot. Natsu more so as the MC in a shounen anime.

"Fairy tail sounds so weak! I mean fairies? really? ehh." I made a sound as if I didn't know what to say, sounding both confused, dismissive, and a little derisive in that one sentence.

"YOU PUNK! I'LL SHOW YOU WEAK!" Natsu exploded in a violent rage and his fist was engulfed in fire as he launched himself towards me. I gave him a smirk and the world exploded into a blaze of yellow, red and orange flames.

(Previous readers might notice I changed this part a little, don't worry I didn't change anything above, I just changed the direction of the narrative a little.)

~~~~~~~

Natsu rushed at me with a fist full of raging flames and a bone of meat in the other, with comical ease I took the punch full force, disregarding Erza attempting to calm Natsu.

Engulfed in an honestly somewhat scalding flame I heard Erza screaming at Natsu but him just being silent, the flames faded leaving Erza silent as well.

The clothes I've fashioned out of the fur of the creatures I killed burnt off. Leaving me bare chested and for them to perfectly see the minuscule and honestly nigh existent damage dealt to me. At the center of my chest where he struck me his fist was firmly against it and surrounding it are a few burn marks too small to see normally.

I smirked at the shellshocked faces of the two and swatted aside Natsu's arm and without giving any pause to Erza summoning a sword, started walking away.

"See what I mean? I know you are a shorty but that was honestly disappointing, seems like my decision to choose phantom in the future is looking a better of an option than ever." I don't know why the hell I am antagonizing them but for some reason doing so gives me a sense of confidence, pride and honestly feels great.

"What the hell! Are you a dragon slayer?!" Instantly thinking I'm a dragon slayer cause of me seemingly being immune to your flames? Oh you naive stupid child.

"Oh please, As if I'd need to be a slayer to endure that pleasant candle heat." I looked at him as if he were a stupid kid, which he is. and shook my head.

"Oh dear, it seems that Fairies are stupid too, I knew they were brash but I thought it was a disregard for the rules, Freedom and all that mumbo and symbolization for fairies. Seems like it was born from ignorance and stupidity." I saw that, I saw that tick mark Erza.

I didn't even wince as Erza harshly smacked Natsu's head with her gauntlet clad hand.

"Don't think of him to represent all of us, I assure you that we are not an inferior choice to phantom, in fact we are better because we treat each other as family!" Erza almost repentantly said, then with zeal declared the Nakama bullshit of anime.

I blinked a few times at why she seems so set on changing my mind, this is out of character for her and she should be beating me up or something, at least according to Canon Erza personality. Well, not really but almost.

"So... Why are you guys out here again?" Wanting to rid of this awkward atmosphere, hell even Natsu looks like he saw something strange.

"Well, Apparently sightings of a possible monster has been reported, we say sightings but no definite proof. At most corpses and what seems to be resting spots." Oh, that's me isn't it?

"What's more what seems to be melted rocks and scorch marks are always nearby these spots." Oh, that is definitely me.

"Why do you think it's a monster and not a human?" Honestly, I do scatter my make shift campfires but if it is a truly experienced fantasy archer then they'll pick up on my foot prints and the campfires.

(YES I AM POINTING OUT A PLOT HOLE I HAVE MADE)

"I suppose it is a possibility... But the mayor has not mentioned the possibility." Erza spoke hesitantly and I only nodded at that. While I dunno why the mayor hasn't mentioned the very, very likely possibility. I am thankful since that takes the heat off of me. somewhat, but the both of them are daft enough to hopefully not think about it.

~~~~~~

The forest fell silent, not a single animal grazed the luscious grass, not a single bird sang their delightful tune, not a single insect buzzed in the background. Not a single thing seemed to move.

A suffocating pressure has terrified the inhabitants, a pressure seemingly only sensed by animals. One that despite spreading so miles, no human has picked up upon.

A shadowed figure came upon 3 human teens, even children, it is debatable.

A pair of slitted amber eyes further slitted and a maw filled with rows of razor sharp teeth exposed itself, a snout dragonic in nature shone in an almost metallic green reflection. and a sound rang out.

"▁▂▃▃▃▄▅▅▆▆▆▇▇▇!!!!!!!!!!"

Birds scattered and the air itself shook from the force of the roar.