Ignia, the Fire Dragon God.
The moment Rowan Mercer first heard that name, it lodged itself in his thoughts like a splinter. Ignia. Igneel. Both fire dragons. Names too close to be coincidence. Natsu had once spoken of his adoptive father, Igneel, with a reverence that lingered long after the words ended. Rowan had even tried tracking Igneel before, only to find nothing. No trail. No echo.
If Ignia truly was related to Igneel, then perhaps things would not begin with bloodshed.
A day later, Rowan reached the far northern edge of the continent. Volcanoes dominated the horizon, their peaks breathing smoke into a red-stained sky.
And nestled among them was a city.
"That's… unexpected," Rowan murmured.
The city was not large, nor did it feel alive in the way human cities did, but it stood proud among the magma fields, as if the land itself had raised it. Following the trail of his tracking spell, Rowan folded his wings and descended in silence.
The instant his feet touched stone, a presence bloomed behind him.
"Who are you," a voice demanded, calm and burning all at once, "and why have you come to my city?"
Rowan spun around.
A young man stood there, bare-chested, a blazing sun sigil etched into his chest. The heat rolling off him was overwhelming, not wild, but absolute. Fire in its purest form.
So this was him.
"There's no doubt," Rowan thought. "That's the Fire Dragon God."
Only a dragon could possess fire magic this dense, this violent, this alive. Elefseria had said that powerful dragons could assume human form, though their strength would be diminished. Even so, Rowan's instincts screamed a warning.
He could not win this fight.
"Excuse me," Rowan said carefully. "Are you Ignia?"
The man's eyes flickered with interest.
"So you know my name," Ignia replied. "Then you didn't wander here by accident. Let me guess. Another mage sent by that spell dragon to throw his life away?"
Rowan coughed lightly and changed course.
"Do you know a dragon named Igneel?"
The temperature spiked.
Ignia's expression hardened, fury flashing across his face. "You know my father's name," he said slowly. "Tell me who you are."
Rowan froze for half a heartbeat.
Father?
His thoughts detonated.
So Ignia really was Igneel's son. Which meant…
"Wait," Rowan thought, stunned. "Does that make him Natsu's—"
"Actually," Rowan said quickly, "Igneel raised a human child. His name is Natsu. I'm his friend."
Ignia snorted. "That human whelp? Four hundred years later and he's still breathing?"
Rowan's smile collapsed.
"You think that gives you leverage?" Ignia continued, his voice turning sharp. "Dragons don't form bonds like humans do. Father, son, it means nothing. And that child? I despise him."
Flames curled around Ignia's fingers.
"If he's still alive, I'll burn him to ash. Starting with you."
Rowan's mind raced.
Four hundred years?
A memory surfaced. The barrier during the guild conflict. Natsu being unable to pass through it.
A terrible possibility took shape.
But there was no time.
Fire surged toward him.
"Alright," Rowan muttered. "Guess we're doing this."
Teleporting away would have been the smart choice. But curiosity gnawed at him. He needed to know. How strong were the Dragon Gods, really?
"Protego."
A shimmering barrier snapped into place.
It lasted less than three seconds.
The flames didn't break the shield.
They melted it.
Rowan's eyes widened as the defensive spell dissolved like wax under a torch. He'd blocked Laxus's strongest attacks without a scratch. And this was Ignia's casual flame, in human form.
That realization hit harder than the fire.
Lightning crackled through Rowan's body as he retreated, claws slicing the air.
"Plasma Railgun!"
A column of blazing plasma tore forward, powerful enough to shear mountains. It slammed into Ignia and hurled him backward.
Ignia landed on his feet.
Fire surged around him, forming a blazing mantle that kept the plasma at bay.
"A talking cat with teeth," Ignia said, amused. "Interesting."
He stepped forward through the beam.
"I have a fire cat of my own. Serve me, and I might let you live."
Rowan's fur stood on end.
"That's not happening."
Conventional magic wasn't enough. He felt it clearly now. If he didn't escalate, this ended here.
"Super Magic," Rowan said, bringing his hands together. "Fairy Law."
Blinding white light erupted skyward. A vast magic circle unfolded above the Fire God City, divine and merciless. A pillar of judgment crashed down, swallowing Ignia whole.
Silence followed.
Then the light faded.
Ignia still stood.
Blood spilled from his mouth, dark and burning, veins bulging along his face as rage twisted his features.
"Well done," Ignia growled. "You're the first in a century to draw my blood. I'll reduce you to nothing."
Flames exploded outward as Ignia vanished, reappearing in front of Rowan in a blink.
Rowan's heart slammed against his ribs.
"That took a third of my life force," he thought grimly. "And it barely scratched him."
He didn't hesitate.
Rowan pulled out a mirror already primed with illusion magic, stepped into its surface, and vanished in a sharp crack of displaced air.
The city burned behind him.
...
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