#ignicity

❛ heeey, natsu ! ❜  her voice faintly sounds from the other end of the square.  she manages to catch up to him in time, gently tugging at his hood for his attention.  meredy beams a smile, despite having something clearly weighing on her mind.  

in that moment, he was everywhere–––his mind was, at least. he remembered the first time blood trickled down his skin. most children felt the sting of such wounds by something so minuscule and mundane: a scraped knee, a paper cut, or a scuffed elbow. he remembered how it slithered down his wrist, ankles, and forehead the first time. he hated how it smelt. he felt pathetic by how he looked at it with such horror, struck by the bitter realization that he was a prisoner to his fragile, helpful vessel. he remembered what it was like to finally cleanse those wounds, to rid himself of the pain those shackles once brought them. 

he remembered the first time he spilt blood that was not his own, how he momentarily hated himself–––his inability to take back his actions. he pitifully justified his attack; ‘ it was my blood or his. ’ 

there was always a feeling of shame which accompanied his blood. he remembered how his master–––his father figure had threatened to make him bleed more if he ever failed him. he only fed his shame further by asking such things like, ‘ are you still that sad, pathetic boy from the tower, cobra? ’ since then, erik never wanted to see his own blood again. 

in the blur of his reminiscing, he found refuge in the sight of his face. if the earth had stopped spinning on its axis, he wouldn’t have even noticed. as natsu had stepped forward, his movement appeared to him in slow motion, with all around them out of focus. it felt like he was in dream that he’d surely struggle to retell. desperately trying to gather the racing feelings of every passing second, he felt frozen. as natsu’s hand lifted, erik thought to pull back by urgency of habit. he didn’t this time. as he let his hand reach his chin, his gentle touch felt ghostlike after the violence that had previously burst at his cheek. while his thumb had glided softly at erik’s lip, he felt the blood trail smear and lift away. before natsu pulled back, erik almost instinctively reached up to snatch his wrist–––his grip harsher than he intended. he stood there with his arm in his grasp for a few moments, his gaze firmly planted on those tired, yet hopeful green eyes. though he fought it, erik’s tensed expression grew soft.

- - - - - - - - - -  ; ✶. * 「 INBOX. 」. * ⋆ ★                                                 ↳   ( IC : )  MERCFOVIA !

     “Dragon Slayer. Have you come to end my LIFE ?”

“The rumor come out,