“I did not leave you, my son. I made you. Every flame you conjure is my roar. Every friend you protect is my scale. You are not a boy who lost a dragon. You are the dragon who became a man.”
It wasn’t a picture of Lucy, Happy, or even the whole guild roaring at a banquet. It was a fan-made digital painting, downloaded from a long-defunct forum, titled simply: Natsu & Igneel – The Silent Promise. HD wallpaper- Natsu Fairy Tail- Anime- Igneel -...
Natsu smiled back at the screen, tears streaming down his own cheeks, and set the phone down. He didn't need to search for a new picture. “I did not leave you, my son
He had finally found the one he’d been looking for all along. Every friend you protect is my scale
Natsu grinned, a flicker of his usual fire in his eyes. “Nah. This one’s got… magic in it.”
In the image, a much younger Natsu—pre-scarf, wearing the tattered orange vest from his earliest days—sat on a craggy cliffside at sunset. Curled protectively around him, his scales glittering like molten rubies, was Igneel. The Fire Dragon King wasn't looking at the horizon. He was looking down at the boy, his enormous, cat-like pupils holding a universe of warmth and sorrow. A single, translucent tear, pixelated into a spark of light, hung at the corner of the dragon's eye.