"The Garden Game"
"So cool! Drake, can you let him fight me?"
Natsu was clamoring, clearly serious about fighting the enormous creature before them.
Drake punched Natsu on the head. "No fighting! He's my partner, not your toy."
Lucy's voice trembled. "It's a real dragon? Such creatures actually exist?!"
The others were equally astonished. Except for the three Dragon Slayers, everyone had only encountered dragons in stories.
Drake had summoned Fal. After the fight with Jose, Fal had complained about being confined to the magic book.
Drake felt a little guilty. He usually had Far accumulate magical energy for World Magic, only summoning him for battles.
More importantly, Drake realized he'd overlooked Fal's usefulness as a means of transportation, a solution to his own aversion to conventional vehicles.
Patting Fal's neck, Drake announced, "This is Fal, a fire elemental spirit I've contracted. We'll be relying on him for transportation this time."
After Drake repeatedly reassured everyone that Far was an intelligent spirit, not a beast, they cautiously climbed onto Fal's back.
As Drake grew stronger, Fal's maximum size had also increased considerably. Even with seven people and a cat standing on his back, there was still ample space.
Fal spread his wings and soared into the sky, heading towards the distant horizon.
Drake had already obtained the location of the Tower of Heaven from Ultear, and Fal, following Drake's instructions, flew at breakneck speed towards their destination.
Because Fal wasn't a conventional mode of transportation, Drake, Natsu, and Gajeel experienced no discomfort whatsoever.
Natsu spent the journey spinning around on Fal's back, exhibiting his characteristic lack of common sense.
Despite the incredible speed, Fal's body was enveloped in a protective layer of magical energy, shielding the passengers from the suffocating winds and extreme cold of the high altitudes.
Natsu quickly grew bored with his antics and settled down cross-legged beside Drake. "Drake, Igneel's come to mind," he said quietly.
Drake fell silent, a wistful expression crossing his face.
In their childhood, Igneel had frequently carried them both on his back, soaring through the skies.
Although the sensation was somewhat different this time, it inevitably brought back a flood of memories for Natsu.
Seeing Natsu's melancholic demeanor, Drake fully understood his longing for Igneel, for he felt the same way himself.
Gajeel silently approached the pair, his attention drawn to their conversation, a topic that resonated deeply within him.
He, too, yearned to know the whereabouts of Metalicana, the Iron Dragon who had raised him.
For a fleeting moment, Drake felt an overwhelming urge to reveal everything to them, but he hesitated, fearing that they might not be able to accept the harsh reality of their dragon fathers' deaths.
Both Natsu and Gajeel were far from emotionally mature, and Drake couldn't predict how they would react to such devastating news.
Moreover, Drake harbored a long-term plan. World Magic allowed him to traverse different worlds, and he believed that there had to be a world possessing the ability to resurrect the dead.
For instance, Drake recalled witnessing the use of the forbidden magic, "Reincarnation," by a demon in the Black Clover world, a spell that, in conjunction with a reincarnation technique, had successfully revived the entire elf race.
However, acquiring this magic presented significant challenges. Drake couldn't learn it himself, and the conditions for its successful execution were incredibly stringent.
The demon Zagred, for example, had waited five hundred years before finally witnessing the reincarnation of the elf souls. Drake simply didn't have that kind of time, nor the patience to wait.
But if that world proved unfruitful, there had to be another world possessing a simpler and more convenient method of resurrection.
And if all else failed, he could always search for a way to preserve Igneel's soul! Drake recalled several worlds possessing the abilities and artifacts capable of achieving such a feat.
Once he obtained one of these, he could then reveal the truth to Natsu and Gajeel.
Drake had initially intended to remain by Natsu's side for a while longer, but considering the current circumstances, it seemed prudent to embark on his next interdimensional journey as soon as possible.
And so, three more individuals joined the ranks of those burdened by heavy hearts aboard Fal's back.
Natsu ceased his brooding, for the silhouette of the island and the towering structure had already appeared on the horizon.
"We've arrived. This is the Tower of Heaven," Erza declared, stepping to the forefront, her gaze fixed upon the island with a solemn expression.
Drake spoke, "Tower of Heaven? All I sense is an overwhelming aura of suffering."
The entire island had been transformed into an integral part of the R-System, and Drake could feel the island itself being manipulated as a gigantic magical artifact.
Perhaps due to this transformation, Drake perceived an unusual spiritual energy emanating from the island, yet this energy was permeated with profound pain and resentment.
Both Jellal and the Dark Guild had enslaved countless individuals to construct the Tower of Heaven, and as a result, the R-System was saturated with the agonizing curses of those who had suffered during its creation.
Drake sighed, "So much suffering, all for something so utterly useless. It's both tragic and pathetic."
The R-System was a forbidden magic developed centuries ago by the Dark Mage Zeref, with the goal of reviving his parents and younger brother, all of whom had perished at the hands of Acnologia.
However, Zeref's attempt had failed miserably. Not only did he fail to resurrect his family members, but he also incurred the wrath of the Ankhseram god for violating the sacred laws of life and death, resulting in a curse of eternal immortality intertwined with the paradoxical ability to inadvertently take the lives of others due to his deep-seated appreciation for life itself.
Therefore, Drake hadn't even considered using this system to resurrect Igneel, and he had never even contemplated such a notion within this world.
This world, after all, was governed by inviolable taboos that prevented the transgression of the boundaries between life and death.
Even Zeref, the master of all lost magic, had been unable to accomplish this feat despite centuries of relentless effort, a testament to the inherent limitations of this world.
Drake knew it was impossible to find a method of resurrection within this world before Igneel's soul completely vanished, a timeframe of seven or eight years at most. His hopes, therefore, rested on the possibilities offered by other worlds.
With a swift dive, Fal descended directly in front of the Tower of Heaven, where numerous mages loyal to Jellal stood poised for battle.
Everyone leaped from Fal's back, but Drake remained in place, stating, "Leave these insignificant minions to you; I'll go and have a little chat with Jellal."
With that, Fal ascended once more, carrying Drake to the very apex of the Tower of Heaven.
Drake sensed the magical energy emanating from within the tower—the same energy he had detected during his encounter with Keyes at the Council meeting.
Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!
Drake unleashed a powerful punch, the resulting fiery blast piercing straight through the outer structure of the Tower of Heaven.
Drake leaped through the hole he had created, Fal shrinking down to land on Drake's shoulder.
After traversing several corridors, Drake arrived before a large door, beyond which lay the source of Jellal's magical energy.
Drake pushed open the door and found Jellal seated before a chessboard.
"Ah, you've arrived! Indeed, you are Igneel's child; that reckless approach is a clear inheritance," Jellal remarked with a hint of amusement.
Drake's voice was cold and sharp, "Don't act as if you're so familiar with Igneel! I didn't intend to engage in direct combat with you, but don't push me to change my mind."
Jellal raised both hands in a gesture of appeasement, "My apologies. I, too, had hoped to avoid a confrontation with you so hastily."
Jellal was still unaware that Drake possessed complete knowledge of his plans. His current priority was to buy time, attempting to persuade Keyes to convince the Council to activate the Etherion.
Drake seated himself opposite Jellal, his gaze fixed upon the chessboard.
Fifteen chess pieces were arranged upon the board, but they were not the standard chess pieces; instead, they appeared to be meticulously crafted figurines resembling various individuals.
Jellal spoke, a hint of challenge in his voice, "This, then, represents the combined strength of both you and I.
What say you? Are you interested in partaking in this game of 'Garden of Eden' with me?"
Drake, of course, understood that Jellal was merely attempting to buy time, but from his perspective, this game was already a foregone conclusion—a checkmate from the very beginning.
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