Back in the lively guild hall, once Natsu had recovered a bit of his magic power, Roger placed the prophecy crystal ball on the table in front of him.
"Put your hands on it, think of the question you want answered most, and pour your magic into it," Roger instructed.
"Got it!" Natsu took a deep breath, a mix of excitement and nerves, and pressed both hands onto the cool surface of the crystal ball, channeling the meager magic he'd just regained.
Hum…
A familiar purple glow flickered to life inside the crystal ball, and that lazy, raspy voice echoed again:
"Tch, another job, huh… Let's see who's up this time… Whoa!"
The voice cut off, as if it had seen something unbelievable.
"Your past… talk about a wild ride! Demons? Dragons? Time travel? Resurrection?"
"You're no small fry, kid!"
"Looking for the Fire Dragon King Igneel? Ha! He's not just in your… your… uh?"
The voice glitched, like a bad signal.
"He's in your XX!"
"XX!"
"Damn it! A soul imprint!" The voice spiked with shock and a hint of irritation.
"Those two old fogies put that kind of magic in you?!"
"You're XXX, your brother is XXX, you're a XX, you're from XXX years ago!!" The voice grew frantic, angry, as if fighting against an invisible barrier, only to be blocked again and again.
"You piece of— I can't say anything! I'm done!!"
Pfft—
The purple glow snuffed out like a candle, and the crystal ball went completely dark, silent, and dull, like an ordinary rock.
Natsu froze, hands still on the ball, and slowly turned to the circle of equally stunned guild members around him.
"It… it just stopped? Did I not use enough magic? Should I try again later?" he asked, bewildered.
Gulp… Cana swallowed hard, breaking the eerie silence, her voice brimming with awe. "My gosh! In all my years, I've never seen the crystal ball choke like that! No wonder you were raised by… er, the Fire Dragon King!" Her eyes sparkled with respect as she looked at Natsu.
Roger rubbed his temples with a sigh. "It's no use. No matter how much magic you pour in, it's not gonna work."
"And…" He glanced at the now-dull crystal ball, his tone heavy, "you probably won't ever get an answer from this thing again."
"What?!" Natsu's eyes widened in panic. "Then how am I supposed to find Igneel?!"
Erza crossed her arms, her gaze calm and sharp. "Don't panic. We can piece things together from what the crystal ball managed to spill."
"'Demons, dragons, time travel, resurrection'—those describe your past, Natsu. Do any of those ring a bell?"
Natsu shook his head blankly. "Just the dragon part. The rest… no clue."
Erza nodded. "Alright, those clues are a dead end for now. The key is the 'soul imprint.'"
"It's likely an extremely powerful sealing magic placed on you. It's blocking the crystal ball—or anything else—from directly revealing your origins or Igneel's whereabouts."
Natsu's face paled, his voice trembling with worry. "Then… is Dad in danger?!"
Makarov's steady voice cut in. "Danger? A being called the 'Fire Dragon King' isn't some ordinary dragon. That kind of power could wipe out an entire nation with ease."
He stepped up to Natsu's side. "You said you woke up one day and Igneel was gone. That means it was either done in complete silence, or you were hit with some serious sleep magic."
"Either way, taking on a Dragon King or slipping past one to mess with you would've caused a cataclysmic fight."
"And in this world, those capable of defeating a Dragon King… you can count them on one hand."
Roger chimed in with a gentle smile. "So, what if there's another possibility? What if Igneel… chose to leave on his own?"
"Chose to leave?!" Natsu's head snapped up, his face a mix of confusion and hurt. "Why? We were doing fine! If he had to go… he could've at least… told me!"
"I know! I know!" Cana slammed the table, leaping up with a gleam in her eyes, like she'd cracked the case.
"It's gotta be a secret mission!!" she declared, mimicking a dramatic manga hero. "Igneel's out there on some ultra-dangerous, top-secret job that he can't let anyone know about! To protect you, he had to slip away without a word—not even a goodbye! That's how it always goes in manga!"
She got more hyped, pointing at the dull crystal ball. "That's why the ball got gagged! It tried to spill Igneel's location! It all adds up!!"
"Secret mission? Manga?" Natsu's head spun from Cana's rapid-fire theory, question marks practically popping over his head. He had no idea what she was talking about.
His brain short-circuiting, Natsu started babbling, "Uh, Igneel's doing manga, er, secret mission, he flew off, crystal ball got… dizzy magic?"
The guild hall fell into a bizarre silence, everyone's faces sporting matching sweatdrops. '=_=||'
This guy's comprehension skills were as off-track as his sense of direction!
Erza couldn't take it anymore and stepped in, her voice clear and concise. "In simple terms, Igneel might've had to leave for your safety, so he didn't tell you."
Her straightforward explanation cooled Natsu's overheating brain. His eyes widened, and he smacked his forehead, shouting, "I get it!!"
His gaze ignited with fiery determination. "So, if I get crazy strong, I can help Igneel beat that 'secret manga' thing, right?!"
This time, the entire guild went dead silent, giant ellipses practically floating over everyone's heads.
This guy… completely missed the point!
But Natsu, oblivious to the collective facepalm, was already in full-on hot-blooded mode!
He planted one foot on an empty stool, striking what he thought was a super cool pose, and bellowed at the ceiling, "I'm gonna train like crazy from now on! Igneel, just wait—I'll come help you soon!!"
Cana, watching Natsu's wildly off-base but passionate display, felt her curiosity spark again.
She sidled up to him, eyes glinting mischievously. "Hey, Natsu… did your dad, Igneel, leave you anything special before he took off? Like… a lucky charm or something?"
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