I felt like remaking this one-shot, so I am.
The original story "Land of Make Believe" was the first fanfic I ever wrote, so since it's been a while, I decided to re-write it. I got the idea from listening to the song of the same title by From Ashes to New.
I get my ideas from the weirdest things.
It may not be much, but I still wanted to try doing a re-write.
Crossover elements exists, but if you know me, you would have expected it.
Enjoy, or not, I don't care you all have your opinions.
Everything belongs to their respective owners.
Pain… that was the first thing Erza felt when she began to regain conscious. The red head woman managed to get back on her feet, though with a little difficulty due to the pain she was feeling in her stomach.
"Ugh…," Her eyes were still closed as she tried to ignore the headache she had right now, "What happened?" Erza asked herself that, as he opened her eyes as the headache went away.
However, her eyes widened in shock when she found herself surrounded by flames. She looked around as the S-Class Fairy Tail mage noticed some kind of fire covered the landscape. She looked down to see the ground itself charred beyond recognition as the flames around her still danced strong. The odd thing though that got her attention was that the fire was a darkish green color. Erza has never seen fire of that color before.
"What is all of this?" Erza asked herself in confusion as she tried to remember what happened before. The red head woman remembered seeing a mysterious man with long blue hair show up. He then attacked her mother's corpse, to which she couldn't see anywhere right now, then her and Wendy…
Her eyes widened as she realized that Wendy wasn't around.
"Wendy!" Erza called out, hoping that the blue haired sky dragon slayer was around to hear her. However the only thing that greeted her was the noise caused by the green fire around her.
Erza began to worry, and it wasn't helping much that the green fire that covered the land gave off feelings of dread as she tried to remembered what happened after the blue haired man showed up.
The knight of Fairy Tail then remembered that the blue haired man attacked her, slammed his fist into her stomach. After that, everything was a blank.
"How… how long was I out for?" Erza has questions but no answers to any of them. Where was Wendy? Why is the land covered by these green flames? Are the others alright?
Knowing that simply standing still wasn't going to help, Erza began to head to Magnolia, hoping that the city was alright. The red haired woman made sure to not get near the green flames that littered the area.
It wasn't long as she arrived at Magnolia, however her eyes widened in horror by what she saw.
The entire city was destroyed. The ruins were being consumed by the green fire that engulfed the landscape. Not wasting any time, Erza ran into the still burning city, hoping that anyone in the ruins of the city was alright. As she ran through the ruins of the burning town she called home, the red haired woman was trying to figure out what exactly happened. Who caused this? Was this Zeref's doing?
Erza continued to run until she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. What she saw in front of her would forever haunt her.
Dead bodies littered the burning streets of Magnolia. But what brought tears to her eyes were that these bodies were the corpses of her friends.
She recognized Lucy, whose eyes were wide open in terror as her body lay dead on the ground; her skin was charred all over as well. It was like the life of her body was sucked out of her. Near her she saw Gajeel's copse as well, who was in a similar state. Looking all around, she saw the bodies of everyone she ever knew. Her friends from her guild and her friends from the other guilds were lying dead in front of her. Some of their bodies weren't even recognizable as they were charred beyond recognition and were alit with the green fire that was now burning the landscape.
"No…" Erza couldn't take the sight as she fell on her knees, tears streaming down her face, as she began to sobbed uncontrollably. They were all dead. She couldn't do anything to save them.
Erza stayed in that position as she cried her eyes out, not caring how loud she was being. However her eyes widened as she suddenly heard a loud scream coming from the other side of the burning city. That sounded like…
"WENDY!" Erza immediately got up as she began to dashed to where the scream came from. If any of her friends were still alive, then she must save them before they end up like the others.
Erza ran as fast as she could to get to where the source of the screaming was. The red haired woman then found herself in an opened area of the still-burning Magnolia. However horror overcame her as she saw the sight before her.
The body of Gray was lying on the ground, as a massive hole was where his chest was as blood poured out of the corpse. His body was burned all over as well as his eyes were wide opened as he laid dead. More tears spilled from Erza's eyes, but then the red haired woman then saw two figured in the green fire behind Gray's body.
It was Wendy, but she was being choked by a figure in the green flames. Erza could see a figure in the fire, but the only thing she could make out was the glowing crimson eyes that were in the fire.
"WENDY!" Erza shouted in worry and fear as she started to run to where the Wendy and the figure who was enveloped in the green fire was at.
The blue haired girl, despite her life being at death's door, heard someone shouted her as she turned her eyes to see Erza running to her. This seemed to get the figure enveloped in the green flames attention as well. Wendy managed to raise one of her arms slightly despite her trembling she tried to reach out to her.
"E-Erza…," Wendy managed to get out as she had tears going down her face, knowing that she was about to die, "R-Run…"
Her words got Erza's eyes to widen, but before the red haired woman could get to them, the figure in the green flames let off more of the fire.
Erza was unable to do anything as she saw Wendy be overwhelmed and consumed by the green flames. Nothing remained as the glowing crimson eyes in the fire turned their attention to the red head, who had more tears going down her face.
"No…" Erza started to speak before she suddenly screamed to the top of her lungs. After witnessing the blue dragon slayer being killed right in front of her eyes, seeing the rest of her friends dead, and seeing her home burned to the ground, it was too much for the red haired woman to handle as she broke down on her knees and hands.
Erza didn't care how broken she sounded. She didn't care if she was about to meet the same fate as everyone else. She failed them. She couldn't do anything to save them. Erza continued to let the tears flow as she let the world hear her anguish.
A demonic laugh got her to look back up at the figure still envelope in the fire. Erza, with tears in her eyes, began to get back up. She didn't care if she was going to die. The red haired woman would rather die and be with her friends in the next life, then run like a coward and be alone.
"R-Run…"
Wendy's words rang in her head again as the figure in the fire let off more power. Erza was shocked to sense the power that the being was admitting. Fear took hold of her like never before, and so the once proud and might Titania did something that no one ever thought she would do.
She ran.
Erza turned and ran. She ran as fast as she could to get away from whoever was in the flames. She ran from the bodies of her fallen family, she ran from the burning city that was once her home, she ran from it all.
Don't fall asleep, cause you can't run from me.
Erza was now out of the burning city, but despite this the land around her were still consumed by the green flames. But she wasn't paying attention as she continued to run for her life.
Don't fall asleep, cause you can't run from me.
She kept on running, not wasting any second to get away from the horror that was no doubt chasing her.
I'm coming for you, I'm coming for you.
Demonic laugher filled the air, as the green fire that engulfed the land continued to burned as Erza kept on running. Tears were still streaming down her face.
Don't fall asleep, no it's not make believe.
Erza tried to speed up, but the demonic presence was closing in on her.
I'm coming for you, yea I'm coming for you.
The red haired woman then lost her footing as she fell into the ground, charred dirt getting on her face as she tried to get back up.
Erza managed to get back up on her feet; however she froze as she felt the demonic presence right behind her.
"Ah… so you finally let little old me catch up to you." The demonic voice spoke from behind her.
Her eyes widen as she heard the voice. It was demonic, but why did it sound so familiar? Erza slowly turned around to see the monster that caused all of this only for her eyes to widen by who she was looking at.
Giant demonic wings came out of the back of the figure. Demonic horns were present on his head. Where his feet should be, hooves were there instead. He didn't have any clothing on aside from his pants, which allowed his green makings to be seen on his body and face. Charred skin covered his right shoulder, where a certain guild mark was no longer present. But what stuck out the most was his wild and spiky pink hair. Erza couldn't believe who she was looking at.
"N… Natsu?" Erza managed to get out, her voice breaking due to her break down earlier. What on Earthland happened to him? The demon let out a chuckled, which sent a chill down her spine.
"The one and only Erza. Like my new look?" Natsu spoke as he looked at himself with a proud smirk, "To think that being whole again would feel this good."
Erza didn't know what to say, in front of her was a demonized Natsu, but yet… how did he end up like this?
However, Erza then remembered what she saw. Everyone she knew, Lucy, Gray, Wendy, everyone was killed. Natsu was responsible? Natsu killed his friends? His family?!
"Aw… what's with that look Erza?" Natsu asked her, as the red haired woman began to have more tears spill out of her eyes. A look of despair and rage took hold of her face.
"You… you did this…," Erza started to say, the feeling to run disappeared as she raised her voice as she went on, "You killed them. You killed your family. You killed them all! Why Natsu? TELL ME! WHY?!" Erza ended up screamed at him, not caring how she sounded due to her crying earlier. Unfortunately Natsu only laughed at her words.
"Don't' worry Erza. I made sure to kill Zeref, his forces, and Acnologia as well. And there were NOT my family. They never were. I was incomplete, I was weak. But now…," Natsu then smiled, as he was enjoying the feeling he got from the green flames around them, "I am whole again. I'm not just Natsu. I'm not just E.N.D. I am one complete being. A true demon. I guess I have to thank Mavis though, if it weren't for her, I would have never got the chance to become whole again. An unintentional pawn she was. Fairy Heart was also a nice power up for me as well."
Natsu then walked up to Erza, who on instinct took a step back as the pink haired demon closed in on her.
"I could just kill you like the rest. However… I would be lying if I said that I don't have any feelings for you, "Natsu then smirked, "Yeah… I will make you mine."
Before Erza could do anything, the demon slammed his fist into her stomach, this got her to fall to the ground as she lost conscious.
Natsu proceeded to pick her up bridal style as he smiled at her.
"Sleep tight Erza, for we have a whole world of mortals to extinct."
You've underestimated me
I'll be the one to haunt you in your dreams
And when the ashes rest you'll see
I've torn you from your land of make believe
Don't fall asleep, cause you can't run from me
I'm coming for you, yea I'm coming for you