Inside the Fairy Tail guild.
The mood was somewhat subdued. Macao's prolonged absence still had everyone worried. All they could do was hope Natsu would bring back good news.
Sitting at the bar, Lucy watched Natsu head off on his own. Curious, she leaned toward Mira and asked:
"Miss Mira, what's gotten into Natsu? Why did he suddenly..."
Mira lowered her brows slightly, deftly mixing a drink as she spoke in a gentle voice tinged with melancholy:
"Seeing how helpless Romeo was probably reminded Natsu of himself."
"Hm?" Lucy tilted her head in confusion.
"Natsu's father suddenly disappeared one day, too, and never came back."
Mira gently slid the finished drink toward Lucy and explained with a smile,
"Though when I say father, I mean his adoptive father. And he was an actual dragon."
"A dragon?! You're saying Natsu was raised by a dragon?!" Lucy jumped straight off her stool in shock, drawing looks from several nearby Wizards.
"That's right. The Fire Dragon, Igneel, was the father who raised Natsu."
Mira folded her hands in front of her, lost in recollection,
"Igneel found Natsu in a forest when he was little. He taught Natsu everything himself-language, general knowledge, even the Dragon Slayer Magic he uses now."
"But one day, without any warning, Igneel vanished completely from Natsu's sight."
Understanding dawned on Lucy, and the scene of their first meeting surfaced in her mind:
"So that's why... No wonder he kept talking about finding the Fire Dragon when we first met."
"Natsu... has been looking forward so much to seeing Igneel again all this time. Isn't he sweet?" Mira smiled gently.
Natsu's story stirred something in Lucy's heart, leaving her touched and a little sad for him.
But soon, inspiration struck her-wasn't this the perfect opportunity to prove herself and improve