Chapter 7: The Birth of Natsu's Fire Platoon
The unnatural power from Draco’s draught still thrummed beneath their scales, a volatile cocktail of fire, ice, lightning, and iron bound by dark magic. It made the cavern walls seem to vibrate, amplifying the low, rhythmic pulse emanating from the cluster of dark purple eggs nestled against the damp rock. Natsu shifted his massive fire-dragon form, the amplified heat within him making the surrounding moisture sizzle faintly. Beside him, Gray radiated a deeper, more penetrating cold, frost creeping further across the stone floor with each exhale. Laxus crackled with contained energy, sparks leaping sporadically from his wing joints. Gajeel stood immobile, his iron hide gleaming dully, heavier than before.
Draco surveyed his brood, crimson eyes gleaming. "They stir," he announced, his voice a low rumble that resonated in their bones. "The fruits of your victory awaken."
A sudden, sharper pulse echoed through the cavern, followed by another. Then another. Faster. Stronger. The eggs weren't just pulsing light anymore; they were trembling. Fine cracks, like dark lightning bolts, began to spiderweb across their dark purple shells.
Natsu felt a jolt that had nothing to do with Draco’s command. Lucy. The name surfaced, a desperate spark instantly smothered by the dark will pressing down, yet the instinctive pull remained. His massive head lowered, nostrils flaring, drawn inexplicably towards one specific, violently trembling egg. Beside him, Gray’s icy breath hitched, misting thickly. His gaze locked onto another egg, frost spreading rapidly beneath his claws. Juvia. The thought was a shard of ice in his mind.
Laxus’s lightning flickered erratically. He didn’t move his head, but his crimson dragon eyes narrowed, fixed on a third egg radiating intense, contained energy. Erza. Gajeel’s iron tail gave a single, heavy thump against the stone. His piercing gaze settled on a smaller egg pulsing with a surprisingly resilient light. Levy. The shared essence forced the recognition, amplifying the horror beneath the enforced calm.
Draco watched their silent focus, a satisfied smirk playing on his scaled lips. "Witness," he commanded softly, the word carrying immense weight.
The cracking intensified. A sharp snap echoed, loud as breaking bone. A fragment of shell fell away from Lucy’s egg. A slender, scaled snout, shimmering with a soft, golden starlight despite the dark purple shell, pushed through the opening. Another crack from Erza’s egg revealed a sharp, crimson-scaled muzzle, already radiating fierce determination. Wendy’s egg split open more gently, revealing a smaller, sky-blue dragon head, large eyes blinking rapidly in the dim light. Juvia’s egg fractured like melting ice, a head of shimmering, water-like azure scales emerging. Happy’s egg practically burst, revealing a small, white-scaled, feline-shaped dragon with oversized wings, while Carla’s shell parted neatly, revealing a slender, elegant form covered in pristine white scales, her bearing instantly recognizable.
One by one, they pushed free, shaking off fragments of dark shell. They were dragons. Smaller than their transformed guildmates, scaled in hues reflecting their essences – Lucy’s starlight gold, Erza’s fierce crimson, Wendy’s gentle sky-blue, Juvia’s fluid azure, Happy’s bright white, Carla’s pristine white. But their eyes… their eyes held the same vacant, crimson sheen as Natsu, Gray, Laxus, and Gajeel. The mark of Draco’s hypnosis.
Lucy stretched her new wings, golden scales catching the fungal light. She looked directly at Natsu, her draconian face forming a smile that was heartbreakingly familiar yet utterly devoid of its usual warmth. "Natsu!" Her voice was higher, slightly distorted, but unmistakably hers. "Thanks for helping us hatch! Feels… strong!" She flexed a claw experimentally.
Erza shook her crimson-scaled head, sending shards of shell flying. Her gaze swept over Gray, Laxus, Gajeel, and settled on Draco. "Our gratitude," she stated, her draconian voice retaining its usual firmness, twisted by unnatural obedience. "We are ready to serve."
Wendy fluttered her sky-blue wings unsteadily. "So much power," she murmured, looking at her claws with wide, crimson eyes. "Thank you for our rebirth." She dipped her head towards Gray, sensing his icy proximity.
Juvia’s azure form practically flowed towards Gray, her watery scales shimmering. "Gray-sama!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with draconian delight. "You watched over Juvia's egg! Juvia is so happy!" She nuzzled his massive, frost-rimed foreleg, oblivious to his internal turmoil.
Happy buzzed excitedly around Natsu’s head like a large, white dragonfly. "Aye, sir! Flying feels amazing now! Thanks, Natsu!" Carla landed gracefully beside Wendy, her posture regal even in this form. "A new existence," she said calmly, her crimson eyes meeting Gajeel’s for a fleeting second. "We owe you our awakening."
Draco let the chorus of thanks wash over the cavern, a symphony of perverted loyalty. He stepped forward, his immense shadow falling over the newly hatched dragons. "Your gratitude is noted," he rumbled, his voice smooth and commanding. "But strength requires order." He turned his crimson gaze towards the four larger dragons. "Natsu Dragneel."
The name, his real name spoken in this place, by this creature, sent a phantom pang through Natsu’s fire-wrapped consciousness. He instinctively straightened, the amplified power within him flaring slightly.
"You led the assault on Magnolia," Draco continued, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You possess the primal drive necessary for command." He gestured with a claw towards the cluster of smaller dragons. "You will captain this brood. Their training, their deployment… they answer to you."
The weight of the command settled over Natsu, heavier than his own scaled hide. Lead them? Lead Lucy, Happy, Erza, Wendy… in this? The fire inside him roared, a trapped inferno. He managed a stiff nod, a low growl that wasn't entirely obedient rumbling in his chest.
Draco’s gaze shifted. "Gray Fullbuster." Gray’s icy breath misted sharply. "Your control complements his fire. You are his second. Ensure his orders are executed." Draco’s eyes flickered towards Juvia, who was gazing adoringly at Gray. "A suitable arrangement, it seems."
Gray felt the cold within him deepen to absolute zero. Second-in-command to Natsu in overseeing the enslavement of their friends. Juvia’s delighted chirp beside him was salt in the wound. He gave a curt, icy nod, frost spreading rapidly around his feet.
"Laxus Dreyar. Gajeel Redfox." Draco’s voice hardened slightly. "You are the vanguard. Your power is the spearhead. You answer to Natsu. Train the hatchlings in combat readiness."
Laxus’s lightning sparked violently across his shoulders, a visible surge of suppressed fury. Serving under Flame Brain? The humiliation burned hotter than Draco’s command. He let out a sharp, crackling hiss, a sound of pure, contained rage. Gajeel merely grunted, a low, metallic sound. His iron claws scraped stone. Orders were orders. Even these.
Draco surveyed his newly structured hierarchy. The cavern hummed with contained elemental power and enforced obedience. Lucy looked eagerly at Natsu. Erza watched him with unnerving focus. Wendy tilted her head. Happy buzzed expectantly. Juvia gazed lovingly at Gray. Carla remained poised, observant.
"Captain Natsu," Draco said, the title dripping with dark amusement. "Your brood awaits instruction. Begin their integration. Hatching day is over. Training begins now." He settled back on his haunches, crimson eyes gleaming with predatory satisfaction. "Show them the strength of Dragon rule."
Natsu stared at the smaller dragons – his friends, his guildmates, now his charges in this nightmare. Lucy’s golden eyes blinked up at him, filled with vacant trust. Happy hovered near his snout. The amplified fire within him roared, a trapped sun screaming against its cage. The command pressed down, absolute. He opened his draconian maw,