Fairy Tail: Strongest Creature

It really was the Dragon's Cemetery. Su Yan stared in fascination at the countless bones piled around them. He knew the legend of the dragon they sought but explaining it now would be tedious—he'd keep that for later.

System: Automatic sign-in successful!

Location: Dragon's Cemetery

Reward: 50 free attribute points!

Su Yan's eyes lit up. Fifty points, but it would take fifty days of daily check-ins to claim them all. Still, he had plenty of points already—and a long life ahead—so he'd gradually collect these later. Even fifty extra points could turn the tide against any future foe.

"There's a Celestial Spirit magic I learned—the Milky Way Resonance. It lets me tune into the voices of dragon souls. If anyone's lingering here, we might learn why so many bones lie in this chamber…and perhaps uncover the truth about the disappearance of our own dragons."

She knelt and drew a circle on the ground with a broken branch, inscribing elegant stars and constellations. When she finished, she stepped back and beckoned everyone.

"Stand clear."

Wendy settled at the center and intoned, "Spirits of dragonkin who wander here, grant me audience—Milky Way Resonance!"

The circle blazed with starlight, collapsing upward into a miniature galaxy of shimmering points. Bones all around began to tremble.

Lucy yelped and darted behind Su Yan. "B-but they're moving!"

"Relax," Su Yan murmured, placing a hand on her shoulder. "The magic's only drawing out their voices."

Moments later, motes of emerald light gathered before them, coalescing into the shape of a towering dragon, its scales glinting like jewels.

"By the stars…!" Gray's eyes widened.

"Is that…a dragon spirit?" Happy squeaked, hopping onto Carla's head.

The dragon's lips curved into a playful grin. "Frightened faces are so entertaining." Its voice rolled like thunder and laughter.

"Who—what are you?" Wendy asked, voice firm.

"I am Zirconis, the Emerald Dragon," the spirit rumbled. "Your Milky Way magic has awakened me. Where is the caster?"

Wendy stepped forward. Zirconis lowered his massive head until his emerald eyes were level with hers. "So you are the little Dragon Slayer responsible for my stirring."

Natsu leapt up, brandishing his fist. "Don't you dare harm Wendy!"

Zirconis laughed, flames flickering at his nostrils. "Do you intend to swallow me whole? Oh, how amusing! Humans and cats—so eager to bite the hand that feeds them." With a casual flick of his tail, he brushed aside Natsu's advance.

"This spirit…" Gray muttered. "He's not malevolent, just…taunting."

Zirconis bowed theatrically. "Forgive me. Allow me to speak plainly: The truth you seek lies over four centuries past."

"You have no filter!" Gray grumbled.

"Long ago," Zirconis began, voice hushed, "the dragon clans ruled this world—soaring above kingdoms, masters of sea and sky. All lands belonged to us, and humankind was at best our livestock."

A shiver ran through the group. Lucy pressed closer to Carla.

"But among us," Zirconis continued, "some dragons grew curious—dreaming of peace with humans. Thus began a great schism, dragons of harmony against dragons of dominance. I fought for supremacy."

Happy's ears drooped. "They…waged war on each other?"

"A war that sundered continents," Zirconis nodded gravely. "At last, the peace-minded dragons unleashed an unthinkable strategy: they granted selected humans the power to slay dragons—Dragon Slayer Magic."

Natsu and Gajeel exchanged shocked looks. "You mean our magic?"

"Indeed. That power nearly turned the tide—but they underestimated its might. Dragon Slayers could not distinguish kin from foe, and slaughter became indiscriminate."

Zirconis's gaze darkened. "Amid that carnage rose one man—a man drenched in dragon blood. Night after night, he hunted us without mercy. His flesh hardened into scales, his bones reshaped into draconic form. His name…"

Su Yan's voice broke the hush. "Acnologia."

At the sound of the name, even the spirit's emerald glow flickered with fear.

Zirconis bowed his great head. "Yes…Acnologia. Even now, his legend haunts my soul."

Silence fell as they absorbed the weight of history—ancient power, betrayal, and the birth of the very magic Natsu and his friends wielded.