The strange man led Natsu far out into the desert just as the sun began to sink below the horizon. They walked for miles in near silence, the sky slowly shifting from gold to deep indigo, until at last they reached the crest of a lonely hill.

"What are we doing here?" Natsu asked.

"Just watch," the old man replied.

He tilted his head toward the sky and waited.
The full moon rose slowly, climbing into a perfect position between the stars, its pale light spilling across the sand like silver water. Then without warning the earth shuddered. A seam split open in the desert floor, revealing a hidden stairway descending into darkness.

"Now listen carefully," the man said, his voice suddenly sharp. "You will go down those stairs until you reach a hall. Do not touch the walls, if you do, you will die instantly. Beyond the hall, you will find a garden. In its center is a terrace. On that terrace lies a lamp. You will take it and bring it to me. Is that understood?"

"Yes," Natsu said, nodding.

"Good. And hurry. The entrance remains open only while moonlight touches it. Once the moon shifts, it will close and not open again for seven months, seven days, and seven moons."

Natsu swallowed, then stepped forward. From his satchel, Happy's voice came again, tight with unease.

"It's not too late to back out, you know."

Natsu paused.

"Yes it is, Happy," he said quietly. "Because if I don't do this I may never see Lucy again."

"Is that really so bad?" Happy asked. "She's only the first girl you've ever really met. What if she doesn't even feel the same way? What then?"

Natsu exhaled slowly.

"Then I'll accept it," he said. "I can accept defeat but only if I try and fail. If I never try at all, I'll be stuck wondering what could've been forever."

He glanced back at Happy.

"You don't have to come. You can wait up here."

Happy immediately crossed his arms. "Yeah, no. That's not how this works. If you do something crazy, I'm obligated to do it with you. That's what being friends means. I didn't choose you because you were smart, Natsu. I chose you because you're you."

Despite everything, Natsu smiled.

"Thanks, Happy."

He took a breath, steadied himself, and faced the opening in the earth.

"Alright here we go."

He stepped into the darkness. The air changed immediately as he descended—cool, still, and heavy with something ancient. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he found the narrow hall the old man had described. Carefully, he moved forward, keeping his hands tucked close to his sides, avoiding the walls as instructed.

Eventually, the corridor opened into a vast underground chamber and there it was. A garden. Impossible and alive beneath the earth.
Strange trees rose from rich soil, their branches heavy with luminous fruit that glowed faintly in the dark. A soft, unreal breeze drifted through the space, carrying the scent of sweetness and something almost dreamlike.

At the center stood a terrace and for the first time in days, Natsu's hunger, stirred at the sight.

"Stopping for a little snack won't hurt."

"Oh finally! I'm starving!" Happy said, licking his chops.

Natsu wandered over to the nearest tree, its branches heavy with ripe, jewel-toned pomegranates. He reached up and plucked one from its stem. The moment it left the branch, the fruit changed. Red skin hardened. Light flared within it and in Natsu's palm, instead of fruit, lay the largest ruby he had ever seen. He froze. Blinked. Rubbed his eyes.

"Happy... did you just see that?"

"Yeah," the cat groaned. "A perfectly good snack just turned into a rock."

"It's not a rock!" Natsu said, turning it over in disbelief. "It's a ruby! A real ruby! And it's huge!"

His gaze snapped to the other trees.

"I wonder..."

He moved to the next tree, where figs hung low and soft. He plucked one carefully. It transformed instantly into a flawless diamond. The third tree, heavy with pears, yielded a glowing topaz when touched.

Natsu's eyes lit up. "This is incredible! Lucy would love these!"

"Sure," Happy said flatly. "But she's a princess. Doesn't she already have like a million jewels?"

"I'll give them to her later," Natsu said, already opening his satchel and carefully placing the gems inside.

Then he moved deeper into the garden. From the shadows, something watched. Golden eyes, unmoving and patient. A predator observing prey. It slid silently between the dark edges of the chamber, never rushing, never revealing itself—studying every step Natsu took. But even in silence, it could not escape what was already waiting. A cat's instincts.

"Don't move," Happy said suddenly.

Natsu stiffened. "Why? What is it?"

"We're not alone," Happy whispered. "Something's in here. Don't make a sound."

Natsu went perfectly still. Not even his breath dared move. Then ring on his finger began to glow. A low, violent roar shattered the silence of the chamber. Before Natsu could react, something massive struck. Claws slammed into his back and drove him into the ground, pinning him effortlessly. Natsu gasped, twisting his head and saw it.

A dragon. Colossal, crimson-scaled, wings folded like a storm contained within flesh. Its eyes burned gold, ancient and sharp as blades.

"Oh God!" Natsu choked out.

Happy trembled inside the satchel. The dragon lowered its head. For a long moment, it simply stared at him. Fire and fury filled its gaze—wild, untamed, unstoppable.

Natsu swallowed hard. "Uh... nice dragon," he said weakly. "Good dragon. Gentle dragon. Merciful dragon—please be a merciful dragon."

The dragon sniffed him. Natsu shut his eyes tight, bracing for fire, teeth, or worse. Instead a warm, wet tongue dragged across his face.

"Huh?"

He opened one eye. The fury was gone. In its place was something almost playful. The dragon licked him again and again. Like an overexcited beast greeting someone it liked far too much.

"Hey—! That tickles!" Natsu laughed helplessly. "H-Ha! Stop! Stop it! Down, boy! Hahaha!"

The dragon lifted its massive claws, releasing Natsu at last.

Natsu scrambled to his feet, wiping his face.

"Eww! We're covered in dragon spit!" Happy complained, shaking himself off.

"Happy, you're covered in spit half the time. You lick yourself."

"That's different!" Happy snapped. "Unlike this overgrown lizard, I don't drool."

The dragon, seemingly unbothered, leaned in and rubbed its enormous head affectionately against Natsu's side, nearly knocking him over.

"Whoa—hey there," Natsu laughed, steadying himself. "You're pretty friendly for something that just tried to squash me. What's a nice guy like you doing down here guarding a place like this?"

The dragon stilled.

Its golden eyes dimmed, sadness washing over them. It turned its head upward and beat its wings, trying to rise only to slam against the stone ceiling above. Once. Twice. Again. The cavern trembled with each impact, but the stone didn't so much as crack. The dragon fell back to the ground with a low, defeated rumble.

Natsu's expression softened. "Oh... you're trapped here, aren't you?"

The dragon lowered its head and gave a slow, heavy nod. Something about that sight twisted in Natsu's chest.

"Man... that's messed up," he muttered. "How could anyone lock you away down here?"

The dragon huffed quietly, as if the answer was older than words. But when it looked back at Natsu, something had changed. Recognition. Warmth. It nudged him again—gentler this time.

Natsu smiled faintly, reaching out to pat its snout without thinking. "Well... I don't like seeing anyone stuck like that. So I'll tell you what—once I get what I came for, I'll help you get out of here. Deal?"

The dragon's entire body lit up with energy. It shot into the air, circling the cavern as best it could, before swooping down and enthusiastically licking Natsu's face again.

"Okay—! Okay, I get it!" Natsu laughed. "You're happy! Message received!"

He wiped his face again, grinning. "You've got a lot of spirit, you know that? Must mean you've got one heck of a soul."

The dragon tilted its head.

"Hey... do you have a name?"

It shook its head.

Natsu blinked. "Seriously? No name at all?"

Another shake.

"...Do you want one?"

The dragon nodded eagerly.

Natsu snapped his fingers. "Alright, I've got it. Aatamgosh. It means inner light—inner soul. Fits you perfectly."

The dragon—Aatamgosh—nodded enthusiastically.

"Nice to meet you, Aatamgosh," Natsu said with a grin. "I'm Natsu. And this is Happy."

"A pleasure," Happy said. "...And also a surprise that you didn't eat us. So, uh, thank you for that."

Natsu chuckled, then glanced around. "Alright, we're actually here looking for a lamp. You wouldn't happen to know where it is, would you?"

Aatamgosh perked up immediately and nodded, then zipped off deeper into the cavern.

"Guess that's a yes," Happy muttered.

They hurried after him. Soon, they reached a raised platform. At its center sat a single object.
An old oil lamp.

Natsu slowed, frowning. "That's it? That's what people risk their lives for?"

He stepped forward and picked it up carefully.
It was underwhelming. Dusty. Tarnished. Plain copper. Not even remotely impressive.

"This thing doesn't even look valuable," he said. "I don't think it could light anything, let alone be worth all this trouble."

He shrugged. "Well... if that's what the old man wants."

He tucked it into his satchel.

"Alright, let's get out of here."

Aatamgosh happily followed as they made their way back toward the staircase. But as they neared the entrance, the dragon suddenly stopped.
A low, warning growl rumbled from its throat.

Natsu turned. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Aatamgosh stepped back, shaking his head, eyes suddenly wary.

"I thought you wanted to get out of here—"

The ground shook. Hard. A crack split across the ceiling.

"Oh..." Natsu looked up. "That's not good."

Rocks began to fall. The entire cavern groaned like it was waking up.

"We gotta move!" Happy shouted. "Now!"

Natsu bolted up the crumbling stairway, taking the steps two at a time.

Behind him, the cavern roared to life.

Stone cracked and split apart, chunks of rock raining down as the very earth seemed to collapse in on itself. Wind howled through the passage like a living thing, thunder echoing from somewhere deep below. Lightning flashed in jagged bursts, blinding him for a split second at a time.

"What is this place?!" Natsu shouted, barely keeping his footing. "A cave or a death trap?!"

The ground lurched violently. A massive stalactite tore free from the ceiling and crashed down behind him, right  onto Aatamgosh.

"No!" Natsu skidded to a halt, turning back.

The dragon roared, pinned beneath the weight of stone, struggling to break free.

"I'm coming back!" Natsu shouted.

But before he could move, the ground split open between them. A jagged chasm yawned wide, cutting him off completely.

"Natsu, go!" Happy cried. "You can't help him if you're dead!"

Gritting his teeth, Natsu forced himself to turn and keep running. The stairs gave way beneath his feet just as he reached the top. He lunged forward and barely caught the edge of the opening. His fingers dug into the sand as the last of the staircase collapsed into darkness below. Above him stood the old man, watching.

"Help me out!" Natsu shouted, struggling to hold on.

"Do you have the lamp?" the old man asked coldly.

Natsu blinked in disbelief. "What?! Yes—now help me!"

"Give me the lamp first."

"You'll get it! Just help me up!"

"The lamp, boy. Now!"

Natsu's grip slipped slightly. "No!"

The old man's eyes hardened. "Then you'll never get out."

"And you'll never get the lamp!" Natsu shot back. "Why can't you just help me?! You'll still get it!"

Instead of answering, the old man lunged forward and shoved his hand into Natsu's satchel, trying to snatch the lamp for himself.

"Oh no you don't!" Happy snapped, biting down hard on his hand.

"AAH!" the old man screamed, jerking back.

In that instant the opening sealed shut. Sand rushed in, swallowing the entrance completely.
Natsu lost his grip. He fell fast.  The darkness rushed up to meet him until a powerful shape burst through the dust. Aatamgosh. The dragon had freed himself. He swooped beneath Natsu, catching him mid-fall, his wings spreading wide to shield both him and Happy as debris crashed all around them.

Then...silence.

Above, the desert stilled. The cave was gone.
No trace remained, only endless sand beneath the moonlight. The old man stood there, breathing hard.

"Damn it all by Allah!" he snarled, ripping off his fake beard and wiping away the disguise, revealing himself to be Zash. From a nearby tree, Nebaru watched, feathers ruffled.

"Nice going, genius," the parrot squawked. "You really outdid yourself this time."

"Oh, shut up, you rat with wings!" Zash snapped.

"Hey, don't take it out on me," Nebaru shot back. "If you'd just pulled the kid out like he asked, you'd have the lamp right now! But no—you had to double-cross him too early! Selene was right. You're too arrogant for your own good."

Zash turned on him, eyes blazing. "Enough! Or I'll send you back to her plucked, stuffed, and roasted!"

Nebaru puffed up, then quickly shrank back. "Polly... shutting up."

Zash turned away with a furious huff, fists clenched. The lamp had been within his grasp and now it was gone. Buried beneath sand and stone. Along with the boy.

For now.