Chapter 2: The Ice Dragon's Submission
The acrid scent of Natsu’s release still hung heavy in the superheated air, mingling with sulfur and steam rising from the sizzling puddle on the rock. Draco’s crimson gaze lingered on the pink-gold dragon kneeling before him, satisfaction radiating from the ancient beast like heat from the lava flows below. Natsu remained utterly still, head bowed, the powerful lines of his draconic form radiating nothing but vacant obedience. The internal fire that once fueled his defiance was now a banked furnace, solely responsive to his Master’s will.
"Impressive," Draco rumbled, the sound vibrating through Natsu’s scales. "Your submission is… complete." The massive dark purple head tilted slightly, those glowing red eyes narrowing with predatory calculation. "But fire alone is volatile. Unstable. It needs balance." A low chuckle, like grinding boulders, echoed in the crater. "Ice. Cold control. The perfect counterpoint."
Draco shifted his immense weight, claws scraping deep grooves in the volcanic rock. He focused entirely on Natsu. The command wasn’t spoken aloud this time; it slammed directly into the transformed dragon slayer’s consciousness, bypassing any lingering shred of independent thought.
Summon him. The Ice-Make user. Gray Fullbuster. Bring him to me.
The name sparked nothing in Natsu’s hollowed mind. No memory of rivalry, of friendship, of shared battles. Just a target. An objective. A purpose given by Master. Pure, unthinking instinct surged. Natsu lifted his massive head, jaws parting wide. Deep within his draconic chest, the furnace roared. Not a roar of defiance, but a focused signal.
He unleashed a torrent of pure, concentrated flame. It wasn’t aimed at the sky; it was shaped. Compressed. A searing, white-hot projectile screamed upwards, punching through the swirling vortex of dark clouds and lightning. It exploded high above the crater rim in a deafening CRACK, blossoming into a vast, fiery sigil – a stylized, draconic claw wreathed in impossible flames – that burned against the bruised sky for several blinding seconds before dissipating into smoke and embers. The heatwave washed back down, stirring ash devils across the crater floor.
Natsu lowered his head, his breath steaming in the aftermath. He waited. Motionless. Eyes fixed on the spot where the signal had flared, reflecting only the dull glow of distant lava and the unwavering crimson of Draco’s gaze. Anticipation? Not as a human would feel it. More like the coiled readiness of a weapon awaiting deployment. Master desired ice. Therefore, ice would come.
Gray Fullbuster skidded to a halt on a precarious ledge overlooking the volcanic hellscape, his boots kicking loose scree over the edge. The heat hit him like a physical blow, instantly sucking the moisture from his skin and making his ice magic prickle uncomfortably beneath the surface. He’d felt the unnatural tremor, seen the unnatural fire-signal blazing against the storm-wracked sky – a signal screaming Natsu’s signature, yet twisted, wrong. Worry, sharp and cold, had propelled him here faster than thought.
"Damn it, Natsu," Gray muttered, scanning the churning cauldron below. Ash coated his dark hair and clung to his sleeveless vest. The stench of sulfur was overwhelming. "What kind of idiotic stunt are you pulling now?" His sharp eyes picked out the massive dark shape perched high on the crater wall. Draco. Ancient. Malevolent. Power radiated from the creature like heat haze. And then, lower down…
Gray’s breath hitched.
A dragon. Smaller than the dark purple monstrosity, but undeniably draconic. Sleek, powerful lines covered in shimmering pinkish-gold scales that reflected the hellish light. Wings folded tightly against its back. A long tail twitched restlessly. It stood utterly still, head slightly lowered. And it was naked. Utterly, inhumanly exposed on the scorched rock. Something about the curve of its horns… the set of its shoulders…
"Natsu?" Gray’s voice cracked, disbelief warring with dawning horror. It couldn’t be. But the faint, lingering scent beneath the brimstone… charred wood, burnt sugar… Natsu. The realization slammed into him, colder than any ice he could conjure. "NASTU!"
The pink-gold dragon’s head snapped up at the shout. Its eyes… Gray recoiled. Not Natsu’s fiery determination. These were vacant pools, reflecting only the crimson glow emanating from the larger dragon above. No recognition. No spark. Just… emptiness.
Draco’s low rumble vibrated through the crater, thick with amusement. "Ah. The Ice Prince arrives. Punctual." The ancient dragon shifted, his massive head swinging towards Gray. Those crimson eyes, like pools of molten blood, locked onto him. "Welcome, Gray Fullbuster. Your counterpart awaits."
Gray didn’t hesitate. Fear for Natsu ignited a fury colder than the deepest glacier. "What did you do to him, you bastard?!" Ice exploded from his palms, crystallizing instantly into twin lances of razor-sharp cold. He hurled them with all his strength, the projectiles screaming through the thick, hot air towards Draco’s eyes.
Draco didn’t flinch. A ripple of dark purple energy shimmered around his massive head. The ice lances struck the barrier and shattered into a million harmless, glittering shards that vaporized instantly in the intense heat before they even reached his scales. The effort left Gray panting, the volcanic environment actively fighting his magic.
"Futile," Draco sighed, the sound like stones tumbling down a mountain. "Your ice is meaningless here, boy. Meaningless against me." The crimson eyes intensified, their glow deepening, pulsing with a hypnotic rhythm. "Look at him," Draco commanded, his voice weaving through the oppressive heat, insidious and cold despite the surroundings. "Look at your friend. See the strength he has gained. See the freedom from his pathetic human bonds."
Gray tried to tear his gaze away, to focus on Draco, on escape, on anything but those horrifyingly empty eyes in Natsu’s draconic face. But the command was a hook in his mind. His eyes flickered back to Natsu. The pink-gold dragon stood passively, a monument to subjugation. Gray saw the raw power coiled in its form, the primal draconic energy radiating from it. An image flashed unbidden: soaring through frozen peaks, invincible, unburdened… belonging. The cold promise of absolute power whispered seductively against the oppressive heat.
"No!" Gray snarled, shaking his head violently. Sweat stung his eyes. "That’s not freedom! That’s slavery! Natsu! Fight it!" He took a step forward, desperation clawing at him. "Remember Fairy Tail! Remember Happy! Remember…" His voice faltered. What memory could penetrate that vacant stare?
Draco’s chuckle was a physical pressure. "He remembers nothing but me. As you will." The crimson glow flared, becoming the entire world. Gray felt an unnatural chill seep into his bones, deeper and more invasive than any ice he’d ever conjured. It wasn't temperature; it was an absence, a void leaching his will, his warmth, his self. His muscles locked. His breath froze in his lungs. The heat of the volcano vanished, replaced by an inner, soul-deep frost.
"Yield," Draco’s voice resonated within Gray’s skull, absolute and freezing. "Yield… and embrace your true form."
Gray fought. He gritted his teeth, muscles straining against the invisible ice encasing him. He tried to summon his magic, to coat himself in protective ice, but the cold was inside him, extinguishing the spark. He saw Natsu watching, those vacant eyes fixed on him. Not with concern, not with encouragement. With… anticipation. The pink-gold dragon shifted slightly, a low rumble escaping its throat – a sound that sounded disturbingly like eagerness.
The sight broke something in Gray. His friend… waiting for this. The despair was colder than Draco’s magic. His resistance crumbled.
Agony erupted. Not the burning transformation Natsu endured, but a shattering, glacial torment. His skin didn’t ripple; it crystallized. Sheets of smooth, pale blue ice, hard as diamond, erupted across his arms, his chest, crackling as they formed. His bones didn’t groan; they snapped with the sound of breaking glaciers, elongating, reforming under the freezing pressure. Jagged spines of ice burst from his spine, shoulders, and the crown of his head. Wings, vast and crystalline, tore from his back with a sound like fracturing icebergs, scattering shimmering ice dust. His jaw distended, teeth sharpening into icicle fangs. His clothes, already half-shed in his unconscious habit, were simply engulfed and shattered by the expanding ice-form. The cold was absolute, burning with its intensity, scouring away Gray Fullbuster.
Beneath the horror, the seductive promise surged: invincible cold, dominion over frost, the crushing peace of absolute obedience. The visions Draco planted – soaring through blizzards, untouchable, powerful – became undeniable truth. Resistance was futile. Surrender was… relief.
The transformation ended. Gray collapsed onto the scorched rock with a heavy thud, steam instantly rising where his icy form met the superheated stone. He was larger than Natsu’s fire-dragon form, covered in overlapping plates of pale blue, crystalline scales that refracted the hellish light into prismatic shards. Jagged ice spikes adorned his spine, shoulders, and head like a frozen crown. His wings, intricate lattices of ice, lay spread around him, already shedding droplets of water that hissed violently on the rock. Utterly naked, a creature of impossible cold radiating intense frost in the heart of the furnace.
He lifted his head, a dragon’s head sculpted from glacial ice. His eyes, once cool and assessing, were now wide, vacant mirrors reflecting Draco’s crimson dominance. The sharp features were still recognizable, frozen into an expression of blank submission.
Draco loomed, a dark god surveying his latest creation. "Rise, Ice-Bearer."
The command resonated deep within Gray’s frozen core. Instinct, colder and more absolute than any he’d ever known, surged. The ice dragon pushed himself up onto powerful, crystalline limbs. Frost spread from his claws where they touched the rock, forming intricate, rapidly melting patterns. He stretched his long, icy neck, unfurled his magnificent crystal wings with a sound like chiming bells. He felt… powerful. Implacable. The volcanic heat was a distant annoyance, unable to penetrate his core of absolute zero. He turned his massive head towards Draco, the movement smooth, deliberate, utterly subservient.
A low, resonant hum, like the deep vibration of a glacier calving, emanated from his throat. Pure contentment. Pure belonging. When he spoke, his voice was layered with the crackle of shifting ice and deep, resonant tones, devoid of its former sharpness. Only obedience remained.
"Master," the dragon that was Gray breathed, frost misting the air before his snout. "I am yours." He lowered his head, pressing his icy forehead against the steaming rock near Draco’s claw. The contrast sent plumes of vapor swirling.
Draco’s crimson gaze swept over his two dragons. Fire and Ice. Pink-gold scales shimmering with internal heat beside pale blue ice radiating intense cold. Both powerful. Both utterly vacant. Both kneeling in absolute submission. Natsu watched Gray, his expression unchanging, a perfect mirror of obedient emptiness.
"Perfect," Draco rumbled, the sound thick with triumph. He lifted his massive head, surveying the swirling, fiery hellscape he commanded. "Two pillars of my dominion." His crimson eyes glowed brighter, scanning the turbulent horizon beyond the crater rim. "But pillars need a foundation… a kingdom." He looked down at his dragons, his voice dropping to a chilling whisper that cut through the volcano’s growl. "Magnolia will do. Prepare yourselves. Soon… we descend."
The oppressive silence after Draco's command hung thick as volcanic ash. Natsu’s pink-gold form remained utterly still, eyes fixed ahead. Beside him, Gray, shimmering with unnatural cold, mirrored the posture, his crystalline scales reflecting the hellish glow below. Steam curled where their contrasting auras met the superheated rock. Only the distant rumble of the volcano dared intrude.
Then, Natsu shifted. His massive draconic head, still lowered in submission, turned slightly towards Draco. The movement was deliberate, unnervingly smooth. His jaws parted, releasing a low hiss that carried more than steam. It carried words, flat, toneless, devoid of the fiery passion that once defined him. "Master?" The single word hung in the scorched air.
Draco’s crimson gaze slowly swept down to the smaller fire dragon. His expression remained unreadable, a mountain of dark scales and ancient power. He simply waited, the silence pressing down.
Natsu’s vacant eyes never wavered from his master. The request came out with chilling simplicity, devoid of any human shame or desire, only the cold logic of a slave seeking permission for a function. "Permission requested. To mount the ice-bearer." He paused, the furnace in his chest pulsing faintly. "To test his new power. Through… completion."
Gray didn't react. His frozen gaze remained fixed forward, a sculpted monument of absolute obedience. The concept of refusal, of personal violation, seemed utterly alien in his vacant mind.
Draco considered. The moment stretched, the tension thickening the sulfurous air. Finally, the ancient dragon emitted a low rumble that vibrated the very rock beneath them. It wasn’t approval, nor disapproval. It was allowance. A god acknowledging a small, permissible act within his domain. "Proceed." The word was a command in itself. "Demonstrate the Ice-Bearer's obedience in all forms."
Natsu moved instantly, the command bypassing thought. He rose onto his powerful hind legs, his form a silhouette of scaled muscle against the swirling dark sky. Gray remained kneeling, passive, his crystalline surface shimmering. Natsu positioned himself behind the ice dragon, his movements functional, efficient. He lowered his scaled haunches. There was no tenderness, no preamble, only the blunt mechanics of dominance granted.
The intrusion was sudden, violent. Gray’s head snapped back slightly with the force, a sharp crack echoing – not pain, but the sound of ice momentarily stressed. A low, resonating hum vibrated from Gray’s throat, a sound like deep glacial ice grinding. Pure sensation registered in his vacant eyes – pressure, cold, a strange friction. But no resistance. His body, sculpted for absolute obedience, accepted.
Natsu moved with a relentless, rhythmic drive. Heat radiated from his core, clashing violently with the intense cold emanating from Gray. Steam billowed around their joining point, hissing and spitting as fire met ice on the most intimate level. The volcanic rock beneath Gray sizzled and cracked where his claws dug in, frost spreading erratically only to be instantly vaporized by Natsu’s proximity.
Gray’s glacial hum intensified, becoming a deep, resonant drone that shook loose ash from the crater walls. His body, designed for power, reacted instinctively to the stimulus. The pressure built, a strange, cold vortex coiling deep within his frozen form. It wasn’t pleasure as humans knew it, but a profound physical reaction to the violation, channeling his innate ice magic in an uncontrolled surge towards its only possible release.
He arched, a sharp, jerking motion. A choked, icy gasp ripped from his maw. Not a roar, but the sound of fracturing permafrost. Then came the release.
Not warmth. Not fluid.
With a sound like shattering glass, a barrage erupted. Jagged shards of pure, clear ice, each the length of a forearm and sharp as a razor, shot forward. They glinted with unnatural sharpness in the hellish light, embedding themselves with vicious thunks into the volcanic rock several feet away. Steam exploded violently where they struck the superheated ground, obscuring the impact site for a moment. The frozen projectiles quivered, already beginning to melt.
Natsu withdrew as abruptly as he’d begun, dropping back to all fours beside Gray. Steam rose from his own scales where the intense cold of Gray’s internals had momentarily touched him. He observed the rapidly melting icicles impaled in the rock, his expression unchanged. Vacant. Assessment complete. "Function confirmed, Master," he stated flatly. "Ice-bearer releases projectiles upon completion."
Gray slumped slightly, his icy chest heaving as if drawing breath he no longer needed. Frost mist plumed from his nostrils. He remained kneeling, the forced ecstasy fading instantly, leaving only the familiar, chilling emptiness. The violation was already a forgotten command executed.
Draco observed the melting icicles, then the two dragons. A low, grinding sound emanated from his chest. Satisfaction. The fire dragon demonstrated initiative within its parameters. The ice dragon demonstrated absolute physical capitulation. Both were perfect instruments. His crimson gaze lifted, piercing the swirling dark clouds above the crater rim. He could feel the distant pulse of Magnolia, ripe for conquest.
"Enough," Draco rumbled, the command slicing through the hissing steam. "Rise. Both of you." A surge of dark energy pulsed from him, washing over the transformed mages. "We descend now. Magnolia awaits its new masters. Let them feel the fire and the ice." Power crackled in the air, thick and suffocating. "Fly."