Before reading, there will be a Zancrow and Erza pairing. Zancrow will have other lovers as well but Zancrow/Erza will be the main focus. If you don't like the pairing I strongly suggest you do not read this story.


CH1: Death and Rebirth

Zancrow discovered Ultear and Meredy's betrayal, and he was furious. After little struggle, the God Slayer managed to take possession of the Black Wizard Zeref, whom his treacherous guildmates planned on kidnapping and using for their own ends. Zancrow couldn't fathom the reasons for their betrayal but nonetheless, there was no justification for turning on Grimoire Heart. He was going to vaporize both Ultear and Meredy. That was the plan had the not awakened in that moment. Zancrow saw the wizard's eyes open and as his black magic engulfed him, he felt nothing. Zancrow's senses died and his body collapsed on the ground. Everything came back to him during his last moments of reminiscence; His loss to Natsu, Ultear and Meredy's betrayal, his imminent death. Being hit with Zeref's black magic, darkness was the only thing overcoming the God Slayer's vision. His body became limp, his pigment was fading, and with his dying breath he uttered the words,

'I don't want to die…'

With those final thoughts, Zancrow lost consciousness.

Time went on. How long had it been, minutes, hours?

It was cold, windy, and Tenrou Island was in a chaotic state due to the war between Fairy Tail and Grimoire Heart. As his awareness slowly settled in, Zancrow could feel the rain pouring down on his body. He was still laying on the ground, weak, beaten, and humiliated.

"What happened?" he thought.

The God Slayer's eyes opened and he slowly propped himself up and looked around. That's when he saw death all around him. The grass was withered and grey while the trees were black as coal, naked and lifeless. As Zancrow got on his feet, he saw the world spin as his vision came back into focus. He was weak and off balance but at least he was alive. He stared in disbelief at his arms as color slowly came back to his once lifeless body. Just as the pigmentation of his skin returned, so did his memories. He remembered all of it. His defeat to Natsu and Makarov, Ultear and Meredy's betrayal, and Zeref's magic.

"Natsu!" Zancrow spit his name out with distaste as he punched a nearby tree.

"That Dragon Hunter will get what's coming to him! Ultear and Meredy will be dealt with as well. We don't need traitors in our guild. I will make sure that they regret the day they crossed me, all of them! And as for Zeref…," Zancrow trailed off as he remembered when the black wizard gave him a one-way ticket to oblivion. At that moment, a wave of reality crashed down upon the God Slayer as he swallowed his pride and admitted the cold truth, "I should be dead."

Zancrow had no idea how he survived his encounter with the black wizard. As far as he knew, anyone hit with a level of magic that powerful should not only die, but STAY dead. He looked toward the ravine where he last saw Meredy. How dare she, the single person which he had trusted the most had betrayed the guild that raised him. She betrayed him. As a result, Zancrow died, or so everyone believed surely.

"I wonder how much has happened since my… passing?" Regaining his composure Zancrow started wandering towards Grimoire Heart's airship. He made his way out of the forest and through a meadow towards the beach where the base was stationed at. "Who do those two think they are, betraying the very guild that practically raised them?" He made his way to a steep cliff and was shocked at the sight before him. He slid down towards the beach and hurried to the once proud airship of Grimoire Heart which was now in ruins. He saw a makeshift bridge of ice leading to the upper deck of the ship as well as a "homemade" door which lead to the interior of the hull. The inside of the airship looked as if an army had stripped it of its once proud glory. The deck was splintered and the helm bearing the Grimoire Heart crest was shattered. It was as if a small war had taken place within his home. "Fairy Tail," he said with a dangerous tone of voice. "How dare they."

He tried to piece things together. His battle with Natsu was short as was his encounter with his two female guildmates and a certain dark mage. Overall at that point he must have been on the ground no longer than an hour. How long had he been unconscious? He sensed no magic energy coming from within his destroyed guildhall nor could he feel any of his guildmates magic power. "Am I the only survivor? No way an incompetent guild such as Fairy Tail could take out our big guns. I can understand them taking down Kawazu or Yomazu, they were always the weak links… but Bluenote and Azuma… have they been defeated as well?"

What about their mission? Without Zeref, there would be no new world order. It was the perfect world envisioned by Master Hades where Grimoire Heart would reign supreme and unchallenged. Any hope of that world coming to pass is gone now without Zeref. "What a joke, being defeated by fairies. I'll tear them apart one at a time if I have to, as soon as I settle the score with Nat..."

(Acnologia Roar)

Zancrow covered his ears, it was all he could do to shield himself from the earthshattering roar emitted from the sky. Zancrow emerged abovedeck from his airship when he was then engulfed in a shadow approximately three times the size as his guildhall. He stared in disbelief towards the heavens as he was a black scaled flying beast hundreds of meters above him. He seemed to be dropping altitude as he flew towards the opposite side of the island. "This…is impossible. I thought dragons were extinct! Where did it come from? First Natsu, then Zeref, and now an ACTUAL dragon? This day couldn't possibly get any worse." As Acnologia headed inland he roared again this time tearing trees up from their roots and shattering boulders nearby.

"Maybe dragon breath was telling the truth after all, having a dragon for a father."

The God Slayer deduced the dragon was looking for someone, or some guild which is why it was heading toward the center of the island. "Fairy Tail," he smirked. "If I follow lizard lips, he should take me directly to the fairies so that I may exact my revenge."

The God Slayer had been looking around the island for awhile and he was getting impatient.

"How could a beast like that simply disappear," Zancrow exclaimed clearly annoyed. "I could have found Fairy Tail by now, but noooo, that stupid scaly lizard had to pull a disappearing act on me and leave me without a guide.

(BOOM)

That's when he saw it, a huge explosion of magic energy and a mountain crumbling down. "Found you," Zancrow said slyly as he darted towards the ruckus. "No dragon is going to beat me to the punch. I will repay Natsu for handing me my ass earlier and payback Fairy Tail for destroying my guild! I will take them all…

(Rumble)

"What the?"

(BOOM)

Zancrow was toppled down due to the shaking earth and he was astonished to see Acnologia rise from the mountain that just collapsed onto him. He could have sworn he saw a smirk on the dragon's face but decided not to think anything of it. He got back up and peered from the cliff which he was on. He looked down and was surprised by what he saw. He saw Natsu and the wind dragon slayer that was with him during their battle, and some riveted faced wizard on the ground out of breath. Not too far from them he saw a muscular blonde man with a lightning bolt scar across his face. "He must be their heavy hitter," he thought. Overall, all Zancrow could see below was a beaten, exhausted guild. "Damn, they must have given that dragon everything they had and still, it took to the sky unshaken."

He looked towards the sky as it became several shades brighter, and that's when he saw the dragon charging up its breath attack. Zancrow then heard the wizard named Cana, "Is going to try to wipe out the whole island?"

"It can do that," Zancrow exclaimed. All he wanted to do was even the score between him and Fairy Tail. But Zancrow failed to realize that in pursuing that goal, he could lose his life again. He felt the magic power generated from the beast in the air. Waves were crashing down on the beach and mountains shook as the lizard reached the pinnacle of his power. He then thought back to his fight against Natsu, and his encounter with Ultear, Meredy, and the black wizard. "I can't die… I have so much payback to collect! That dragon may be powerful, but it is after all just a dragon, and I am a God Slayer, born to take down gods. That dragon has nothing on me!" Zancrow stood firm and maintained a confident composure. But deep down, he knew his power was nonexistent compared to Acnologia. That wasn't going to keep him from going down without a fight.

Hesitantly he began to power up, his black flames engulfed him as he began to shake the earth around him. Suddenly he felt a surge of power. But it wasn't coming from him, nor from the dragon. He looked down again at the beach Fairy Tail gathered in and saw them all, in a circle. It was as if they were channeling their power for one last attempt to save themselves. Radiating white light emanated from their formation that almost felt as if it rivaled the power of the dragon. Zancrow didn't care what they were doing. He was going to take down the dragon himself.

"First the dragon, then the rest of them…"

He put his hands together and began reciting his incantation. "I ask to scorch all from the far west to the far east, o Wrath of God!" Zancrow's attack reached its pinacle and he let loose upon the overgrown lizard. "Flame God, Kagutsuchi!"

His attack skyrocketed toward the flying beast as Acnologia released his breath attack towards the island.

Zancrow could feel it… the overwhelming power of the dragon overriding his own. It countered his black flame attack like it was nonexistent and hurled itself closer to the shore where Fairy Tail was making their last stand.

Zancrow collapsed on the grass exhausted. He barely could stay conscious due to the amount of magic power he unleashed. "Damn, I put all my power into that attack… and nothing. No wonder I lost to Natsu… I can't even take down one stinking dragon."

He closed his eyes and reminisced. Before all this madness his guild was the most powerful in the Balam Alliance. Every mission they went on they were successful until this one. And he was undefeated in regard to hand to hand combat… until he crossed paths with the Dragon Slayer.

"Natsu…"

The God Slayer thought about his relationship with Meredy and how much it hurt to find out she had betrayed the guild that raised him… and her. He remembered Master Hades saying that this mission shouldn't take long, only to find out that his entire guild, even the elite, have been defeated.

"Fairy Tail…"

He mustered up whatever strength he could. It was hard enough just to keep from fading into the black from exhaustion. "I won't let it end like this," Zancrow outstretched his hand towards the sky rebuking Acnologia. "I refuse to die again," he shouted.

The blast neared its collision with the island and the God Slayer braced himself for the tremors and volcanic heat that dragon breath was rumored to bear. But it never came. Instead he felt himself surrounded by something warm, almost like a blanket. He saw himself covered in a flicker of bright white light. But it was nothing compared to the source where it was coming from. Zancrow made effort to look at the beach where Fairy Tail last stood. He couldn't see anything, it was like staring in the face of one thousand suns. It was blinding but he couldn't look away. All he heard was one final incantation from his hated enemy.

"Fairy Sphere!"

As the dragon roar collided with Tenrou Island, Zancrow lost consciousness.