"Reunion"
Drake clapped his hands, as if dusting them off.
As he'd said, the weaklings were no trouble; the fight lasted only a minute. All the Iron Forest members lay at his feet.
Lucy exclaimed, "Amazing! You defeated everyone so quickly!"
Drake replied politely, "Nothing special; if the Fairy Queen had full magic power, she could easily do the same."
Erza, hands on her hips, said, "Don't be modest; I've never seen such a spectacular fight."
Drake waved his hand. "Let's not flatter each other. Your mission is more than just defeating these weaklings, right?"
Erza realized. "Right, we need to find Erigor immediately!"
Erigor was likely the Iron Forest leader; Drake remembered this part of the plot.
While Acnologia was the final boss, tracing the events back to their source, it was almost certainly Zeref's fault.
This was the same; it started with a magic tool Zeref created—demons.
To revive his family, Zeref committed a taboo and was cursed by a god—immortality—causing centuries of suffering.
To end this curse—his life—Zeref created numerous demons. These demons were living magic, each possessing immense power.
But none fulfilled Zeref's expectations; they only brought pain and fear to the world.
The demons recorded in Zeref's book were considered forbidden, passed down through generations.
The Iron Forest discovered one, a flute-shaped magic tool called Lullaby, and wanted to use it to achieve their goals.
This ragtag group had no concept of secrecy; they boasted openly, and Erza overheard.
Erza, Natsu, and Gray attacked; they found these people at Oshibana Station after some searching.
Then came what Drake saw; Erigor had already taken Lullaby; Erza was naturally anxious to find him.
Although Erza had already sent Natsu and Gray after Erigor, those two were unreliable.
Erza considered this. "But first, we need to evacuate the crowd! I'll handle that; Lucy and Happy, chase after Natsu and Gray.
As for you, thank you for your help! But to avoid misunderstandings, please wait here!"
Drake shrugged; Erza didn't trust him yet; he didn't mind and found a place to sit.
Soon, Drake sensed immense magical power enveloping the entire station.
Then he saw Erza running back, furious.
Erza grabbed a still-screaming thug, shaking him violently. "What's your goal? Weren't you going to use Lullaby through the station's broadcast?
Why did Erigor use a magic wind barrier to surround the station? How do we get out of here? Tell me everything!"
Drake pointed at the now-unconscious thug. "If you were gentler, he might have answered before he passed out."
Drake felt sorry for the thug; already seriously injured, he was now being subjected to Erza's "interrogation"; even if he wanted to speak, he couldn't.
"Damn it!"
Erza casually threw the "useless guy" to the ground; the thud made Drake wince.
Just as Erza was looking for her next victim, a boy with dark blue hair ran out.
"Erza!"
Erza looked up and called out, "Gray, Natsu isn't with you?"
The boy was Gray Fullbuster, Fairy Tail's Ice Make mage, the undisputed "second male lead" of the series.
Gray shouted, "We split up! But this isn't the time for that; the Iron Forest's target isn't this station, but the town beyond.
It's where the old man holds his regular meetings; they're going to use Lullaby there!"
"I see!" Erza's expression turned extremely serious.
Gray also saw Drake. "Who are you?"
Drake greeted him. "Don't worry about me; I'm not an enemy; I'm just looking for someone!"
Erza nodded. "He knows Natsu; he's not with the Iron Forest. But this isn't the time for introductions; we need to get through that magic wind barrier!"
Gray agreed. "That's right; if we try to force our way through, we'll be cut to pieces!"
Erza seemed to have an idea. "I remember that Iron Forest guy, Kagura; he single-handedly unsealed Lullaby; maybe he can dispel the magic wind barrier!"
"An unsealing mage? That might work," Gray mused, stroking his chin.
Erza didn't waste words and immediately sprang into action. She remembered that Kagura had gone after Natsu earlier… if she was too late, he might no longer be able to dispel the magic wind barrier.
Drake also started to pursue; he'd sensed Natsu's magical power in that direction.
Passing through the station corridor, Drake quickly saw the walls and floor ravaged by flames.
Through a large hole in the wall, they could see the back of a pink-haired figure, with Kagura sitting on the ground leaning against the wall in front of him.
"Natsu, stop! We need him!" Erza shouted urgently, fearing Natsu would kill Kagura.
Natsu, looking confused, turned around, his eyes immediately falling on Drake behind them.
"You are…?"
Erza drew her magic sword, stepping past the stunned Natsu and thrusting it next to Kagura's head.
"If you don't want to die, dispel the magic wind barrier!"
With such a large sword pressed so close to his head, Kagura's face drained of color.
But Natsu forgot about fear; he just stared at Drake, who was getting closer, even rubbing his eyes, fearing it was a hallucination.
Gray noticed Natsu's unusual behavior. "Firebrain, what are you spacing out for?!"
Natsu ignored Gray's usual insults and lunged forward, practically hanging off Drake.
"Drake! It's really you! Where have you been all these years? One day I woke up, and you and Igneel were gone! You have no idea how long I've been looking for you!
Where's Igneel? Where did he go? Isn't he with you?"
Drake laughed, but still said with a hint of exasperation, "Hey! Natsu, calm down; you're asking too many questions at once! I can't answer them all!
And you have something to do right now! Let's talk properly after you've finished; I'm not going anywhere."
Natsu jumped off Drake, grinning widely. "Okay, I won't let you disappear again. Let's deal with this first."
Suddenly, Kagura screamed, a hand emerging from his chest. Kagura collapsed, revealing a fat man behind him.
"Is that piercing magic?" Drake commented.
During the previous fight, Drake had noticed a magical presence moving through the walls and floor.
To be honest, while Drake remembered the general plot direction, he couldn't possibly remember such insignificant details.
And because of his reunion with Natsu, he'd let his guard down, allowing the fat man to get the upper hand.
Dark Guilds were Dark Guilds; they were just as ruthless to their own members.
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