[Exam: B] Tick Tock {Ibara}

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Ibara's eyes were motionless due to an obscurity that would probably not have been there if it weren't for an attentive disability that he currently occupied himself with, mouth wide open emanating sounds very similar to a snore; he was asleep. Only several minutes before the time of his exam and if it weren't for an angrier older woman banging on the door frame while it threatened to break inwards despite her small stature, the young dragon would have definitely missed this important moment in his career.

With a shock more alarming than thunder striking from the heavens, the fiery dragon slayer launched out of bed, quite literally, with flame propelling his bottom upwards so he'd crash into the ceiling while igniting his bedframe in the process. It took him several more valuable minutes to put out the flames before shoving on a pair of trousers, forgetting a shirt in the heat of the moment, and dashing outside with one shoe on while the other remained dormant atop his head. If it were his preparation skills being assessed, Ibara was sure he wouldn't pass.

A minute to go and the horizon was coming into view, a searing ball of flames against the backdrop of a cerulean blue sky almost awestruck the young dragon in his tracks but instead of stopping and staring, he decided to augment his speed further, adding a burst of flame to each step he took so he was literally launching himself off the ground like a rocket with each passing movement. Several seconds to go and like all things that were actually important to the fiery dragon slayer, something simply had to go wrong; for example, one foot colliding with the other, transforming Ibara's quick-motioned pace into a rolling, indiscernible ball of mass which picked up speed as it continued to roll along the path to the Sabertooth Guild Hall. He had time before his fall to activate his teleportation lacrima which would transport him to just above the Sabertooth court yard. It was there he came to a halt, his legs curled over his shoulders while his eyes formed comedic whirls. It wasn't any recognizable guild member that he managed to abrupt his swift roll for though but a beautiful blonde that would most likely gaze at him with a look of absolute confusion. Ibara decided to "roll" with it though and raised an arm weakly which had previously been under his bottom; tangled in the mess that was his body, now a heaped mess on the ground.

"Ibara. Reporting for duty." He groaned with a slight yawn.

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"Unless questioning me on my past is part of the test, I'd really rather not talk about it."

His dignified and menacingly subtle tone wasn't justified by the fact that he was being dragged, his ankles bent so his toes curled along the ground, by a very petite blondette whom hadn't seemed to of released his hand after helping him up. He meant it all the same though. After many encounters and many searches trying to retrieve all forms of information that could relate to his missing father; none proved to be successful. The topic had run dry for a while and the young dragon didn't like to go beyond that, it triggered too much emotion, emotion that he certainly wasn't willing to share with an absolute stranger. Her innocence and kindness despite his unprepared demeanor and appearance slackened his intuitiveness a little though and he spoke up again in an apologetic manner.

"It's not an interesting story anyway. Let me tell you another, albeit being a rhapsode was never really one of my strong points."

He cleared his throat and his eyes flared with emotion for a moment, reliving detail after countless detail in the span of a few short seconds, a gift Ibara had received (most probably from his parents) to travel back into his past; to relive certain events so that he'd be able to tell them with the finest considerations in mind.

"My journey from my home to Sabertooth. It was a long one and I covered many miles in days where night came as quick as day broke, or lands that never knew the moon, only relentless heat under an overbearing eternal sun. My wasteland of a home was long gone and I longed for something new. An adventure. I forked my way through countless ruins, encountering many interesting people, both good and bad and some completely inbetween. One even proposed I become a human furnace for a living, he offered to pay me good coin too, sometimes I wonder if, having accepted that offer, I'd live an easier life than I do now; that's not in my nature though, to turn down a challenge I mean, and becoming a organic appliance doesn't seem all too difficult does it? Many days passed, a reptilian silhouette guided my path. I arrived at Sabertooth and they took me in as one of their own. A place to call home, I was wary at first and even to this day, I'm surprised why they keep me around. Even I know I'm a hot-headed loudmouth who won't back down; maybe it's because I emulate the asshole of a Guildmaster; self-proclaimed Lord Frederick. Heheh.."

The fiery dragon slayer didn't realise what kind of a tangent he just went off on. His eyes were glazed over though and a rare smiled dawned on his face, cracking on his lips to express the rarity of such a movement. He shook his head and the smile had faded as quick as it came; albeit allowing to keep his hand in the blonde woman's grasp, he got to his feet so he could walk alongside her rather than having her drag him the rest of the way. His muscles stretched and a crack could be heard which only went to express how prolonged his state of concluded movement had been.

A pause accentuated between his previous story and the blondette whom didn't seem to speak in return to his initial monologue. The fact didn't surprise the young dragon though. His story was dull and truth be told, he wasn't being entirely honest with her. That reptilian silhouette in the sky, it was oh so much more than a simple figment of darkness. His father. He had to explain regardless of the obscenities that obstracted him from telling her the entire truth.

"Sorry.. I didn't really explain much, did I? There's one more thing. An important thing that I hope you won't tell anyone. My father, or whom I'd like to believe as my father anyway, Igneel, once proclaimed as King of the Fire Dragons. That silhouette that I explained earlier? He's the one that guided me to Sabertooth; revered as the strongest guild in all of Earthland, he knew that I would develop and cultivate my strength there. He was a large dragon, bigger than most or so they say, red scales, yellow eyes similar to my own. He wasn't kind and he wasn't gentle but that was his way. With such extravagancies came weakness that he couldn't hope to afford considering the environment in which he raised me. His voice echoed sternness, and every matter he spoke of was important. It usually entailed my training, he's the reason I know my magic after all but sometimes training was excused and we'd have fun together, regardless of how strict he was, we still held a father-son bond; one that could never be broken until a twist of fate opened my eyes. I'd been at Sabertooth for several years after he had delivered me there and returned home, stating I must walk my own path from now on. I wish I knew what he had meant; independence is great but most have a family to return to despite the distance they travel. I did not. I returned to our sacred training place, a small raging volcano many miles from here and he was no where to be found. That's why I'd rather not speak much further."

Ibara shrugged and his grip on the blondette's hand loosened; clearly distressed by the matter that he had delved into such detail for. It was his clear by his expression and demeanour that he grew with great passion talking about the subject as if reliving his memories of the grand dragon would somehow rekindle their bond and revive hopes of him returning one day. Regardless of such ambitions though, his current demeanour spoke otherwise, his shoulders slumped and his head down so the red mop of hair shrouded over his two-toned eyes.

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Relievement of pressure from a curled grip brought Ibara back to his senses. His previous story had dulled his mind temporarily and the young dragon allowed himself to slip into this state of tranquility while his hand, rather embarrasingly, remained slotted into the blonde-haired woman's own. She didn't seem to resist for that matter though which, to some men, would have been seen as an extremely positive sign; not this fiery dragon slayer though. An abrupt halt of movement caused Ibara to shake his head and ruffle the tufts of red locks away from his face in order to respond to her.

"W-wait-- what do you mean final sta--?!"

Ibara's sentence was prohibited from proceeding any further as the blonde-haired woman that he had come to know and even delved into his life-story with faded as quickly as she had come into a mirage of flower petals and butterflies causing the young dragon to merely roll his eyes at the sight.

"Really..? Flower petals and butterflies? Give me a break."

Ibara's words were inhibited by another though, the movement of his rolling eyes that seemed to tinge with sarcasm were also halted at the appearance of another woman; beautiful like her predecessor but shaped and dressed in a very different manner. Her midsection was completely enveloped by that of an hour glass. It seemed to encompass the entirety of her body between her collarbone and her waist. Meanwhile, her face was pretty much indistinguishable from the last girl; blonde hair, purpleish eyes. It was a short while after Ibara spent gawking that she finally began to speak. The words that flowed from her graceful mouth spoke of a challenge, a challenge that required Ibara to navigate through a stone labyrinth that soon began to present itself through a veil of mist in a completely spontaneous manner. Her voice trailed off, signifying she had finished, after mentioning the conclusion of this final challenge would end after Ibara had completed the maze and defeated the entity that lay in wait at the end.

"Sounds simple enough.."

The young dragon grinned at his own youthful arrogance before turning away from the hourglass woman. He couldn't bare to see yet another companion of his disperse into sand and glass or something (the components of an hour glass). With the spinning of his foot and the redirection of his body, Ibara didn't hesitate as he took the middle path; it seemed the simplest and only time would tell whether he would live to regret his decision or die knowing that it was completely incorrect.

There was a loud whish behind him which Ibara assumed was the woman's dispersal after the young dragon had made his ultimatum. The path didn't seem windy nor were the directions he undertook confusing. There were no dilemmas, no crossroads where he would be forced to choose between several different options with only one being correct. Simplicity in the likeness of a labyrinth.

The path continued, it had gone on for some time now and the young dragon found that no amount of walking resulted in anything happening at all. For no matter how long he walked, nothing would happen other than this incessant straight line that he had seemed to persist at for what seemed up to at least three hours by now. The young dragon blazed with rage while this labyrinth seemed to offer no opposition in return. Fire poured off his body and magic seeped into the surrounding air while Ibara shouted into the endless abyss.

"..GIVE ME A SIGN. WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!"

It was too late to walk back now, he had gone on too far and to turn on his heel and return within another three hours only to return to his starting point seemed like an impossible venture; a path that he would not undertake. That's when he noticed it. The incessant two-walled labyrinth beginning to crumble, a result of his intensifying magic surrounding into the nearby air. Ibara raised an eyebrow for a second time, the first being when he noticed the change in the first place.

"Can't contain me, huh?! Heheh.."

Ibara's back tensed and he crouched downwards, allowing his magic to centralise in his stomach. The young dragon's magic was overpowering his body to an extent where it was leaking outwards into the open air, challenging the seemingly magical properties of the labyrinth itself. All of a sudden, the fiery dragon slayer shot to his feet from his originally crouched position to unleash the magic that was building in his gut. The desired result came to fruition. The labyrinth itself burst like a temporary bubble.

"Clever.."

Ibara muttered to himself while glancing at his surroundings, temporarily winded from the short-burst magical performance that he had put on display. What he saw next shocked him though. An open plain that seemed scarce. The Labyrinth was a portal, that was easy enough to presume, but where had it transported him too? No rockfaces, no hills, no water, no sand, no sea. Nothing significant marked this barren piece of land. Nothing at all. Only an empty space. It was as if that portal, the labyrinth that had enveloped the young dragon, had transported him into his own subconscious.

"Well.. I guess the only way outta here is to defeat that enemy the hourglass woman was talkin' about.. but where the hell is the punk?! Hurry it up already!"

The fiery dragon slayer was getting impatient. He saw nothing, he smelt nothing, he heard nothing. He was left alone to his own devices in this barren wasteland, if you could call it that, with no objective to fulfill other than to twiddle his thumbs. Where was his opponent?

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A tremor of raw power exploded from a singularity as the dragon of a lifetime landed directly infront of the redhead. It's yellow eyes, behemoth like body, rippling muscles and gargantuan wings were unmistakable to the young dragon's honed mind. He had seen this sight too many times before but the fact that it had become a reality, a mere figment of his imagination — the idea of seeing his father again — it wasn't significant enough to believe. Ibara couldn't control his legs and they gave way underneath him along with flames that began to lick along his skin such was the intensity of his emotions. Feelings of animosity, bewilderment, love and a bond that had once been locked tight all swelled within his stomach. All these emotions brought to light at this one point in time. The point where he was finally reunited with the one thing he cared about, above all else — his father.

"Y-you.. tha.."

The fiery dragon slayer whom used to show his emotions with words that flew like daggers along a battlefield was finally at a loss for words. Seeing his father again silenced him like nothing had before. What could he say? What would he say? He used to walk and talk with this creature of power with the utmost confidence on a day-to-day basis. That was until he had disappeared, gone from the face of the earth as were the results of relentless searching on the young dragon's part. Only now did he decide to surface. On this day of all days.

"THAT'S ALL YOU CAN SAY?! LEFT WITHOUT A TRACE..? MAN, YOU WERE ALWAYS AN ASS BUT THIS IS TOO MUCH. ARGHHH!"

Ibara couldn't handle his emotions intensifying much longer. Fire bubbled along his skin while the same element lit up his eyes, causing the very inferno of emotions to become a physical significance as the liquidated heat leaked from his eyes as if they were tears. Tears of a dragon..

"LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT YOU'VE BEEN MISSIN'.."

Ibara launched from the ground while it splintered underneath him, the rocky crevices that had once comforted his feet while he was emotionally grounded rocketing into the sky such was the force of the young dragon's take off. He moved at a speed incomprehensible to the human eye but Igneel was wise beyond his years, skilled in the art of combat, and best bar-none at reading his own blood's movements. The King of the Fire Dragons didn't even bat an eyelid before launching a claw at his son to bat him away in the same instance — sending the fire dragon slayer into a rolling motion across the rocky surface.

As if it were over there. As quick as he'd been batted away, Ibara flipped to his feet with his fists now ignited combined with a roar of emotion as he launched towards the sky, angling at his father from a completely different angle at an even more incomprehensible speed.

"DON'T THINK IT'S OVER YET!"

Igneel was caught off guard by the intensity of his son's emotions. Never had he seen him so strong before and with that in mind even the King of the fire dragons himself was forced to raise a wing and backpedal a little bit to shield himself from the fists of fury that his son dared to rain down upon him.

"YOU'RE NOT ESCAPING ME.. NOT THIS TIME!"

Blow after blow, each from a different angle. Ibara kicked, punched and screamed all in unison as if he were a child throwing a tantrum — although this situation seemed to elevate onto a far more serious, and dangerous level. Explosions erupted after each connection of Ibara's feet and fists on Igneel's wing. His father even went so far as to wince at his son's blows. Whether this was a sign of significant physical dress or extreme emotional pain at having to deal with his blood this way was unknown.

Igneel shook his head and let loose a laugh — albeit refusing to let loose a single word in response to his son's aggravated screams of animosity. With said laugh, he launched the wing that he was prohibiting his son's blows with forwards to bat the young dragon away from his elder. The force alone would have been enough to send any deadbeat mage into oblivion but a son, empowered by the blood of his father, wouldn't fall here. Despite being launched into the air, columns — streams even, of roaring flames burst from Ibara's feet and rocketed him, from the air, straight back at his father with a mouth gaping wide. Flames could be seen flickering.

"FIRE DRAGON'S.. ROAR!"

A monumental pulsation of roaring fire that rocketed from the young dragon's mouth was sent at blinding pace towards it's intended target. Igneel's eyes widened. Many years ago, a power gap existed between him and his son, a power gap on such a level that this old dragon thought his son would never ascertain his level. Seeing him now though, he saw a new fire that blazed within his future's eyes. Fire that really would light the way. Fire for humans and dragons alike. So much potential caused the King himself to smile and bellow with laughter.

"Son.. you really have grown.."

A tear of pure flames dropped from the old dragon's eye although this was indiscernible to the dragon slayer above him whom seemed solely focused on defeating his former master. Igneel could only shake his head and finally get up from his formerly seated position, raising himself to an extremely impressive stature, so much so that he towered over the rockfaces that they surrounded themselves with. His chest billowed and power welled within him, forcing the very earth around him into submission. Everything seemed to silence for a moment while energy flowed around the old dragon's veins. It all erupted in an instant though, Igneel channeled the exact same roar though augmented on a completely different level to his son's.

The flames collided together in a perfect epicenter between father and son. A collision that eviscerated the ground underneath them — propelling a scorching shockwave across the earth that surrounded them and turning it all into a crevice that would have even been significant to see from the stars above.

Though Ibara's power levels were significantly increased, the gap between him and his father was still noteworthy and soon enough, the young dragon found himself overwhelmed with the force of a thousand suns. He could feel himself lose consciousness amongst the flames that surrounded him. His eyes began to close slowly. This feeling of euphoria flowing into every orifice that still remained open as his sentience started to fade. Lights out.

"F-father.."

The last words the fiery dragon slayer could muster before he finally dropped from the sky, the flames that once coated his skin with burning intensity simply faded. Igneel could only swing his hand out to catch his former pupil. To even call him that seemed a shock to him now. Ibara's newly ascertained powers that came with his growth had shocked the elder dragon to no end and with their battle concluded — he didn't know what to do anymore. With this confusion came more tears, similar to before, as Igneel glanced at his unconscious son. A bright light that would shine down on the path to his future.

"It is a sad day when I finally realise that I have nothing left to teach you, my son. I fear that it is only a matter of time that you surpass me, I grow weaker with age and the lack of dragons on this earth increase day-by-day. With this in mind, I fear seeing you surpass me in a final battle between us both is simply out of the question, I have far too much pride for that, my son. A trait I believe you may have inherited as well. That time will come though and I will be watching as you surpass me and light the way to your future.. no.. our future."

Igneel could only smile as he gazed down to his son before closing his eyes while simultaneously laying his unconscious boy back to the ground again where he would lie in a state of tranquility that had become very rare within the young dragon. Maybe it was the fact that he had finally saw his father again or a reason unbeknownst to anyone. Igneel mirrored his son and closed his eyes, channeling his thoughts to one fair wizard in particular.

"He is ready."

That's all the King of the Fire Dragons had to say on the matter before a powerful beat of his wings sent him rocketing into the sky and through the clouds. This was the last people would see of the fabled Igneel, a true genius amongst his kind but unknown to all, a loving father as well. There was only one thing he would leave behind — his legacy, the fated Ibara, the Prince of the Fire Dragons.