Dragon Egg

At high noon, the atmosphere in the guild eased slightly.

Lu Chongwei was chatting idly with Cana, complaining about those two headache-inducing women.

Just then, the front door was pushed open.

A tall figure walked in.

With short blonde hair, a fur-collared coat draped over his shoulders, and a lightning-shaped scar on his face, his gaze was untamed and rebellious.

It was Laxus.

He walked straight to the request board, tore off an S-Class mission sheet, and turned to leave without greeting anyone.

Ever since losing to Lu Chongwei a year ago, Laxus had become more taciturn, yet also more driven.

He took on missions frantically and trained like a madman, his strength skyrocketing at a visible rate.

Just half a year ago, he had successfully promoted to an S-Class Mage.

He remained arrogant, but that arrogance now held a sense of composure, with less of the previous volatility.

"Yo, in such a rush to leave?"

Lu Chongwei's lazy voice rang out.

He swirled his milk glass as he called out to Laxus.

"Just got back and heading out again? You're pushing yourself too hard; your body won't be able to take it."

Laxus stopped in his tracks, turned his head, and shot Lu Chongwei a cold glare.

"None of your business."

"Don't be so cold."

Lu Chongwei stood up, walked over, and threw an arm around Laxus's shoulder.

Although Laxus looked disgusted and tried to break free, Lu Chongwei's hand held firm like an iron clamp.

"Heard the news? That kid Natsu found a Dragon Egg."

Lu Chongwei pointed toward the egg currently surrounded by a crowd.

"This is a rare occurrence. Not staying to take a look?"

"A Dragon Egg?"

Laxus frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping over the egg with a flash of disdain, yet his footsteps halted.

"Only an idiot would believe in something like that."

"Whether it's real or not, we'll know once we see it."

Lu Chongwei pulled him over to sit at the bar and gestured to Makarov.

"Old man, get this guy a drink. Put it on my tab."

"I don't drink."

Laxus snorted coldly.

"Then do you want milk?" Lu Chongwei pushed his own glass over.

Laxus looked at the white liquid, his mouth twitching.

"...I'll take the drink."

The two sat side by side; although there wasn't much verbal exchange, the aura between these two S-Class Mages kept everyone else from daring to approach.

Just as the two clinked their glasses and were about to take a sip:

"AAAAAAHHHHHH--!!!"

A shrill, miserable scream shattered the peace.

Natsu clutched his head, kneeling on the ground as he let out a desperate wail.

"The egg! My egg! It's gone!!!"

"What?!"

The guild instantly erupted into chaos.

The Dragon Egg that had been sitting there perfectly fine just a moment ago had vanished into thin air!

"Who?! Who stole my egg?!"

Natsu was like a crazed beast, his eyes bloodshot as he snapped at everyone in sight.

He rushed over to Gray and grabbed him by the collar.

"Was it you?! You droopy-eyed jerk! It must have been you who froze it and hid it somewhere!"

"Huh? Have you lost your mind, you fire-brained idiot?! I've been sitting here the whole time!"

Gray shoved Natsu away.

Natsu then charged toward Lu Chongwei and Laxus.

"Was it you?! You want to boil it and eat it, right?!"

Lu Chongwei calmly took a sip of milk and placed a finger against Natsu's forehead.

"Calm down. If we were to eat it, we'd fry it. Boiling such a big egg would be too much trouble."

"You do want to eat it!!!"

Natsu became even more distraught, nearly breathing fire at Lu Chongwei.

"So noisy."

Laxus put down his drink, lightning crackling around him.

"If you keep yelling, I'll roast you."

Just as the guild descended into chaos and Natsu was about to beat everyone up.

The door was pushed open again.

"Um... what is everyone doing?"

Elfman walked in.

He held something wrapped in a thick blanket, looking at the chaotic scene with a bewildered expression.

"Elfman!"

Mirajane exclaimed, looking at her brother in surprise.

"What are you holding?"

Elfman scratched his head and sheepishly lifted a corner of the blanket.

Revealed inside was an egg with blue markings.

"An egg!!!"

Natsu instantly lunged in front of Elfman, snatching the egg. Tears and snot streamed down his face.

"That's great! You're still here! You scared me to death!"

"I thought it looked a bit cold sitting on the table..."

Elfman explained with a simple honesty.

"The guild gets windy at night, so I took it home and kept it warm under the blankets. A man has to know how to take care of the weak."

Everyone was speechless.

It turned out to be a false alarm.

"I'm sorry, Elfman! You're a good person!"

Natsu, still clutching the egg, bowed frantically to Elfman.

Just then.

"Crack."

A crisp cracking sound echoed.

Though faint, it was exceptionally clear in the now-quiet guild.

Everyone froze.

Natsu stiffly lowered his head.

On the surface of the giant egg, a tiny crack had appeared.

"Crack... crack..."

The cracks spread rapidly, covering the entire eggshell like a spiderweb.

A faint but vital magical energy emanated from within the egg.

"It's coming out!"

Lisanna gasped.

"Look!"

Lu Chongwei's interest was piqued. He put down his milk cup and pulled Laxus closer.

"Hey, don't pull me..."

Laxus protested, but his body moved involuntarily, craning his neck to look inside. He too was curious what kind of creature this so-called "Dragon Egg" would hatch.

Everyone held their breath, dozens of eyes fixed on the egg.

The guild was so quiet that only the sound of the eggshell cracking could be heard. Sunlight slanted in from the window, making the patterns on the eggshell glow faintly. Natsu's hands trembled slightly as he held the egg, his eyes unblinking, fixed on the widening crack.