Welcome to my new, and first, Fairy Tail fanfiction! Remember to favorite and follow if you like the story, and please, leave a review or PM me with suggestions or comments. This is going to be a Natsu x harem story, but I haven't decided who will be in his harem, so you all can also tell me who you would like to be in it. For now, I welcome you all to the story of our favorite salmon-haired dragon slayer in his quest to reach the ultimate goal that fate has in store for him: kill the strongest mage of all time and his brother, Zeref Dragneel.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail. Those rights belong to Hiro Mashima.
"Natsu." -Speech
"Zeref." -Thought
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" -Attack
Without further ado, let the action begin!
Chapter 1: Zeref's Lament! The Birth of Dragon Slayer E.N.D: Etherious Natsu Dragneel!
A man stood in an open grotto surrounded by collapsed trees. He recalled the carnage from moments ago and stared at the three bodies that littered the ground of the clearing. The man started trembling violently and eventually fell to his knees, drained of his strength. His entire body then collided with the soil. He laid there for a few seconds before he used his arms to push his torso up.
He banged his fist against the ground and begin to silently weep.
"How… How could I just let this happen? Father… Mother… Natsu… All three of them… How could I let this happen!?" The man yelled.
"I couldn't do anything! It happened so suddenly! I'm completely worthless!" He shouted as he began to sob violently. "Worthless." The man looked at the body of his younger brother and began to make more sorrowful noises.
The sobbing man began to recall his final memory of his brother.
"Look what I caught, Zeref!" Natsu held up a large fish in front of his brother. Zeref admired the catch and patted his little brother on the head. "That's great! We can cook it up and have it for dinner! I bet you anything that mom and dad will be really proud of you!" The last thing Zeref remembered was the wide, toothy grin Natsu gave him. Zeref could still feel the warmth of that smile.
"Natsu! Why did you leave me!?" Zeref looked up to the sky and shouted as loudly as he could. He sobbed for a few more minutes before coming to a decision. He made graves for his parents and marked the area with wooden branches from the nearby remains of uprooted trees. Then he picked up his dead brother's body, and with tears in his eyes made his way back to their village.
From that day forward, Zeref began studying magic at Mildian Magic Academy, devoted to the idea of reviving his fallen brother. Zeref mastered the magic he was taught, but he was never satisfied with what he had been learning in conventional classes. He turned to forbidden magic in a desperate attempt to bring his beloved brother back, but he was soon discovered and expelled from the academy with his superiors warning him about the impossibility of his goal.
This enraged Zeref, who began devoting all his time to studying life and death and any magical means that could return Natsu's life to him. As a result of his constant attempts to revive his brother and defile the laws of life and death, he was cursed by the god Ankhseram. Zeref's cursed state unintentionally caused the death of everyone at the Mildian Magic Academy.
Zeref wandered around grief-stricken over the Mildian massacre he caused, unsure of what to do with his now immortal life, until he created the first of the etherious so that he could be killed by one. All his original attempts were unsuccessful, and so he resorted to reviving his younger brother as his most powerful etherious: "Etherious Natsu Dragneel," or "E.N.D."
Zeref raised his younger brother for several months before stumbling upon a hidden area in the forest that he was currently collecting herbs in. Inside this hidden area was a sleeping fire dragon.
Zeref woke up the dragon to the dragon's displeasure. The dragon groggily opened his eyes and stared at the human that had disturbed his slumber. "What is it, human? It takes a lot of nerve to disturb a dragon."
"Excuse me, but I was just passing by and happened upon you sleeping. It's nice to finally meet you, Igneel. My name is Zeref Dragneel." Zeref smiled.
"Ah, then you have heard of me?"
"How could I not have? You're King of the fire dragons, and I made a special effort to research your kind after one of your brethren ruthlessly slaughtered my family in cold blood." Zeref's smile persisted. Igneel looked at the boy in mild surprise.
"I see… He smiles to try to avoid revealing his pain. Though it's odd that he would then also be so incredibly blunt. He must be experiencing an amount of pain that I can't even fathom."
"I am very sorry for your loss, young Zeref. Have you come to claim your revenge?" Zeref shook his head. "There really is no reason. I happened upon this clearing, just as I said. At the very least, I was able to resurrect my brother."
Igneel's eyes widened. "Surely you must know the consequences of such magic?" Zeref nodded. "It was still worth it in the I must admit, my brother is a bit of a challenge to handle. It must be a side effect of my magic. I'm sure I don't need to explain it to you, but because my brother was dead and departed human souls can't be returned to this world, he was revived as a demon."
"I am aware of the spell. Although, I am confused about your purpose for telling me all of this information." "I would like you to train my brother Natsu in the art of dragon slaying magic. I don't believe our meeting to be mere coincidence, and even though you yourself are a dragon, I would like for my brother to be able to kill them through any means."
Igneel stared at Zeref. "It is possible for me to train your brother, but are you absolutely positive that this is your best course of action? You have the brother back that you had to defy the laws of nature and suffer for to revive, and yet you just want me to take him?"
"It may seem a bit odd, but it's what I choose. It's for the best." Igneel shook his head and sighed. "You may feel that way, however you should not allow your grudge to determine the future of another."
Zeref closed his eyes as his grin widened. Tears began to flow down his cheeks.
"You misunderstand me, Igneel. The price I paid for resurrecting my dear brother was great. Ankhseram gave me the curse of contradiction, and I am now immortal despite my longing for death. I revived my brother not just to fill the empty void in my soul and slaughter dragons, but also to kill me. It is the only loophole I can find in the curse to end my life. One of my creations must kill me, and the strongest demon I have ever created or ever can create is my brother Natsu. The issue is that in his current state he is still not strong enough to kill me."
Igneel sighed and closed his eyes. "I see. Your tale is quite the sorrowful one, Zeref." Igneel opened his eyes. "I promise I will do what I can to make your brother the best fire dragon slayer to grace Earthland."
Zeref looked at Igneel dissatisfied. "Only fire magic? If my brother is going to kill me, or even Acnologia, he'll need to master every known kind of dragon slayer magic." Igneel looked at Zeref with curiosity. "Your research has even informed you of our struggle against Acnologia? Very well, then. My comrades and I will make it our duty to civilization to make young Natsu the most powerful mage of all time. Bring him to me immediately."
Zeref bowed. "It has been an honor, Igneel." "A pleasure, Zeref. I wish you luck with your plan." Zeref wiped away his tears and nodded his head before heading back to the house he shared with his demonic brother, basket of herbs in hand.
As Zeref approached his residence, Natsu stormed out of the house and charged Zeref. "I've got you this time, Zeref!" Natsu raised his fist to punch Zeref, but Zeref easily stopped his brother's advance with a single hand. Zeref kneeled and rubbed Natsu's head. He looked into Natsu's eyes with a wide grin.
"Looks like you're still not strong enough, Natsu." Natsu groaned and crossed his arms. "I will be! Someday, anyway… I'll find a way to surpass you and kill you!" Natsu pointed at Zeref and gave him a toothy grin.
"All Natsu can ever think about now is ways to kill me. My old brother is truly gone, isn't he?"
"About that, Natsu… How would you like to train with a dragon?" Natsu's little face lit up. "That sounds amazing! Take me to it, right now! Now! Now! Now!" Zeref picked up Natsu and dropped the basket of herbs off inside the house for safekeeping. "Alright, alright! I'll take you to meet him now, just like you want." Natsu jumped onto Zeref's back and they began walking to where Igneel was resting.
The walk to Igneel's grotto wasn't long, but it felt like an eternity to Zeref. Whether Natsu's constant questions or the knowledge that he wouldn't see his brother for at least a few decades was to blame was not clear to him.
"How tall is he? What does he look like? What kind of magic am I going to learn? Will it be strong enough to kill you?" The questions wouldn't stop. "You'll find out when we get there, Natsu."
The brothers eventually ended up where Igneel was resting. Zeref promptly got Natsu off his back and made the dragon aware of his presence. "Igneel! I'd like for you to meet my brother, Natsu."
Natsu's eyes widened before he ran towards the dragon at full speed. "Woah, so this is a dragon? So cool!" Natsu ran towards Igneel, who subsequently picked up the salmon-haired ball of energy in his claws.
"This is my new pupil?" Igneel looked closer at Natsu before scoffing. "Rather puny, but I can make him great."
"I leave everything in your capable hands, Fire Dragon King Igneel."
"You have my word, Zeref. I will make your brother a wizard capable of killing you." Igneel looked at Zeref and nodded. Zeref did the same.
"This is goodbye for a long time, Natsu." Zeref whispered to himself before starting to cry again. He started to walk off when his Death Predation flared up and began to kill the surrounding trees. Igneel and Natsu watched Zeref until he was out of sight, and then began discussing Natsu's training.
As Zeref made his way back to his home, Death Predation began to die down. Zeref thought to himself as he gathered the herbs that he had picked.
"I truly am sorry, Igneel. I am aware of what damage he may cause, but it was completely unintentional. The first etherious I created was the same supposed dragon that destroyed Acnologia's home city and caused his fury to unleash itself upon the world. I may have helped him turn into the Black Dragon, but how else was I to get you to train Natsu if you were still acting all high and mighty? Then again… You deserve the pain that Acnologia will cause, don't you?"
Zeref once again wiped away his tears as a grin began to form on his face. "Natsu will kill Acnologia and myself. I know it."
It had been a year since Natsu had first begun his training under Igneel. The first month had been torture for both of them, since neither were able to get along. However, as Natsu started training more and more, he began to grow fond of the fire dragon. Igneel had taught Natsu how to read and write in the current language in addition to fire dragon slaying magic. Igneel had also taught Natsu about proper etiquette and how to show respect and loyalty to others.
Natsu was now facing his final test before Igneel deemed him worthy of using his fire dragon slaying magic. Igneel started by reviewing the Dragon King Code of Honor.
"Never hurt others without a good reason. Never hurt somebody who can't defend themselves. Never hit a girl unless she hits first. Always protect the ones you love. Listen to my next few words, Natsu. This is the most important thing you must take out of my lessons. The Dragon King's Creed. 'You don't die for your friends. You live for them.' These are the rules a Dragon King lives by, and therefore you must as well. Do you promise to live by these rules, Natsu Dragneel?"
Natsu stood before Igneel, wearing a basic red shirt and yellow shorts. Natsu clenched his fists and gave Igneel a wide grin. "I promise to always live the ways of the dragon! I will live by these rules, Igneel! For the rest of my life!"
Igneel smiled and nodded his head. "I didn't expect anything less from you, Natsu. Now, to test your abilities…" Igneel looked around the forest that he and Natsu were now training in and attempted to find something big enough for Natsu to destroy that would prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Natsu was a completely capable fire dragon slayer.
He settled on a mountain-sized boulder that was nearby.
"To complete your training, I want you to smash the large boulder over there using what I've taught you." Igneel pointed to the gigantic rock. Natsu turned to look at the boulder and immediately lost his composure. "You want me to destroy that thing!? It's huge, Igneel!" Natsu pointed at the rock as he looked on in shock.
Igneel simply nodded his head. Natsu turned to face the dragon.
"You don't really expect me to shatter that all by myself, do you!?" Igneel leaned down until he was on the same eye level as Natsu. "I'm not asking the impossible of you, my boy. I know you have the power to do it. Stop doubting yourself! Never forget, you are a true dragon slayer, and you should take pride in that accomplishment! Know that whatever happens, I, Igneel, will always be proud of you."
Natsu hesitated for a few seconds before surrounding his hands in fire. "If you have faith in me, then… Okay! I'll try my best!" Natsu turned around to face the rock. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them once again. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art! Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!"
Fire began to cover Natsu's arms and spread to the surrounding area. Natsu ran towards the rock and spun around to create a spiral of fire. Each hit to the rock created an explosion that blew chunks of rock all across the forest. Natsu then covered his fist in fire and aimed his body at the rock.
Natsu used his fire to ignite his feet and create a boost that sent him flying at the rock. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu's flaming hand collided with what little was left of the rock and sent scattered debris flying everywhere. Natsu thought that he would hit the debris with one more attack for good measure. He brought his hands to his mouth and bent them as if he was grasping a large tube before breathing in as much as he could.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
A large beam of flame shot out into the sky from Natsu's mouth and annihilated the remaining debris. When Natsu fell back onto the ground, the rock was completely gone.
He took a few seconds to recover his stamina and then turned to give Igneel a thumbs-up while panting. Igneel smiled at his foster son. "I knew you had it in you, my boy." As Igneel admired his fully trained student, he couldn't help but recall Zeref.
"Zeref resurrected this boy from the dead. I was hoping it wasn't Natsu when I first heard the stories, but I am now fully aware that he is E.N.D. And yet, I just can't bring myself to kill him. Now I can't even do it if I wanted to, because he has become too important in our plot to kill Acnologia."
Igneel waited a few seconds before speaking once again. "Natsu Dragneel. As of now, you are a full-fledged fire dragon slayer. However, this is not the end of your training." Natsu looked at Igneel in confusion.
"I'm a dragon slayer now, Igneel! What else can I learn from you?" Igneel shook his head. "You misunderstand. I will not be teaching you. You know a single form of dragon slaying magic, but there are many more for you to discover. I have comrades that have offered to help train you, but it is your decision as to who you will train with first."
Natsu's eyes widened.
"But I don't want to leave you, Igneel." Igneel remained silent for a few more seconds. "You will see me again. I don't know how long it will be, but we will see each other again." Natsu was starting to tear up.
"Natsu, you are truly a magical prodigy. You mastered fire dragon slaying magic, one of the most powerful types of magic in the world, in the span of a single year. You surpassed all my expectations. I believe you can master all these other types within just a few years. I can't imagine it will be too long before we see each other again.
Natsu thought about it for a moment. "If… If you say I need this training, I'll do it." Natsu wiped his tears away and looked up at Igneel with determination in his eyes.
Igneel smiled.
"Great to hear, Natsu! I'll let you choose from 5 of my dragon acquaintances in any order. It may be a difficult journey, but it will surely make you one of the most powerful mages in all Earthland for centuries to come. In addition, now that you've already mastered one dragon slayer art, mastering the rest should be fairly easy."
Natsu processed what Igneel was saying. "If it's what you want, Igneel, and it will make me strong enough to kill Zeref, then I will learn these other arts!"
Igneel laughed heartily. "Very well, Natsu! These are the dragons you must train with: King Boreas, the wind dragon, who will teach you Sky, Lightning, and Gale dragon slayer magic; Then there is Queen Terra, who will teach you Iron and Cavern dragon slayer magic. King Venom will teach you poison dragon slayer magic, King Wave will teach you Sea King dragon slayer magic, and Queen Stella will teach you Purgatory, White, and Shadow dragon slayer magic. Though it may seem rather excessive, you must learn these arts if you wish to defeat Zeref."
Natsu's resolve didn't waver. "If that's the case… I'll start with Boreas." "Then hop on my back, my boy! We have a bit of a journey." Natsu climbed onto Igneel's back and held onto his scales. "We're off!" Igneel began to flap his wings, lifting his body off the ground and into the sky.
Igneel began making his way to the north of the continent until he eventually landed in a secluded grove much like the one that Igneel trained Natsu in. Natsu could see the body of a dragon sleeping not too far away from where Igneel landed. Natsu scanned the area and realized that night had fallen.
"Watch your manners when you speak to him, Natsu. Remember what I've taught you. Now hop off and I'll introduce you to Boreas." Natsu climbed down off Igneel's back and walked with him to where Boreas was sleeping. Igneel turned to Natsu when they were right beside the sleeping dragon. "Step back a bit." Natsu retreated a few yards before Igneel lifted his foot and slammed it against the ground. The impact created a shockwave that could be felt for miles.
Boreas woke up almost immediately.
"Igneel!" The startled and exhausted dragon cried in frustration. "I know your pupil needs to be trained, but can't it wait until tomorrow? You didn't have to create an earthquake to wake me up, you know!" Igneel chuckled. "Just as rowdy as ever, I see. Natsu, this is Boreas. He will be teaching you the sacred arts of sky and lightning dragon slayer magic."
Boreas gave Igneel a stern look. "Now hold on a second! You forgot about gale dragon slayer magic!" Igneel answered sarcastically. "Oh yes, how could I forget the most useful of all the dragon slaying techniques?" "You'll see, Igneel! The ability to consume turbulent winds may be very circumstantial, but I'll show Natsu how to consume any type of dragon slayer element and convert it to magic power that can be used to fuel any kind of dragon slayer technique!"
Natsu's head was starting to spin as he put all the effort he could into trying to comprehend the amount of training he was going to have to go through so that he could learn these arts. As the dragons finally began to stop bickering, Igneel said one last thing to Boreas. "In any case, I have fulfilled my role. Natsu Dragneel is your pupil now, and I wish you the best of luck in making him an incredibly powerful wizard. Farewell for now, Natsu."
Natsu began to tear up. "Goodbye, Igneel! I will find you again! I promise! And next time I'll be even stronger, just you wait!" Natsu gave Igneel a thumbs-up gesture. Igneel smiled and nodded his head. "I expect great things." With his final words, Igneel took off towards the forest where he had trained Natsu.
Natsu turned to Boreas. "So, you're my new teacher?" Boreas nodded. "Indeed, however your father disturbed my slumber and so your training will have to wait until late tomorrow." Natsu had learned about proper etiquette when in front of dragons from Igneel, so he chose not to show his frustration and instead just nodded and fell asleep next to his new teacher.
3 more years had passed, and the salmon-haired dragon slayer had become used to the daily routines of his training. Natsu's 11th birthday was fast approaching when he had finally mastered the last of the Dragon Slayer arts. He had been steadily learning arts faster and faster starting with his second dragon teacher.
Natsu had taken about a year of training to master the Dragon Slayer techniques taught by his second teacher, the rowdy King Boreas. He then wasted no time and began to train with the much more mature Queen Stella, who spent 9 months teaching Natsu her techniques.
Natsu then studied with Queen Terra, who with less techniques to teach and Natsu's greater amount of experience managed to finish training Natsu in only half a year. Natsu's last two teachers, King Wave and King Venom respectively, managed to fully train Natsu in 5 months each.
Natsu's bonds to these dragons had grown rather strong, as Natsu had begun to consider them his family as well as Igneel. However, whereas Igneel was like a father to Natsu and was irreplaceable, Natsu's other mentors were more like brothers and sisters.
All his busy training had even led his mind away from thoughts revolving around killing his brother.
For the most part.
With all his training finally completed, Natsu was on his way to see Igneel, walking to the forest where Igneel had trained him the ways of fire dragon slaying magic over 3 years ago. As Natsu finally arrived at the clearing where Igneel had usually slept, he noticed Igneel talking to two other individuals.
One of them was a blonde woman of average height, who most notably possessed a curvaceous figure and wore long clothes with a cape flowing behind her.
The other was a young man with black hair and black clothing, with white clothing that draped over his left shoulder and wrapped around his entire torso. Natsu immediately recognized this man as his older brother, Zeref Dragneel.
Igneel turned to where Natsu was standing. "Surely you can't be planning to hide forever, Natsu?"
Zeref immediately perked up and quickly turned his head with wide eyes to where Igneel was looking. Natsu walked out of the shrubbery with a sheepish grin as he looked at the three people present. "It's been a long time, dad!" Natsu said excitedly to the fire dragon.
Igneel smiled gleefully. "Good to see you again, Natsu! Oh, how you've grown, my boy!" Igneel turned to the woman. "Anna, I would like you to meet the 'ace' of our plan that I was telling you about. This is Natsu Dragneel, Zeref's younger brother."
The woman turned to Natsu. "It's nice to meet you, young man. My name is Anna Heartfilia." Natsu nodded. "I-It's a pleasure."
Zeref couldn't say anything as he just fought to hold back tears. He hadn't expected to see his brother again so soon, but with the plan that he and the other two had been devising he knew that this moment would be short-lived.
Natsu realized that Anna was holding a white scarf in her hands. Igneel noticed where Natsu's eyes were looking and began explaining.
"Ms. Heartfilia was generous enough to knit you this scarf from some of my scales. It should be a constant reminder that your dragon family will always be with you wherever you go."
Natsu awkwardly and hesitantly walked up to Anna, not used to being around humans other than his brief stay with Zeref. He grabbed the scarf and wrapped it around his neck, finding it to be very comfortable. He stood there adjusting it for a few seconds before he thought it looked perfect.
"I can't thank you enough, Ms. Heartfilia and Igneel. I will treasure this scarf forever." A light tinge of red appeared on Anna's cheeks.
"You know, Igneel, your boy has a way with words. And I can tell that he'll be quite the looker in a few years!"
Igneel's eyes widened. "Ms. Heartfilia! I have taught Natsu of no such nonsense and I will see to it that he is not introduced at his tender age!"
Anna sighed and chuckled. "Ah, well. I guess I should give my descendants a shot."
"Ms. Heartfilia!"
"Alright, alright! I get it, Igneel!"
Natsu's gaze continued to travel between the two figures. "Dad? What's she talking about?" The oblivious dragon slayer asked. "I'll tell you when you're older. In any case, there is an important matter we must discuss with you now that you are here." Igneel said with a more serious tone than usual. Natsu gulped as he prepared for whatever Igneel was about to say.
"Have your other mentors told you anything of Acnologia, The Black Dragon?" Igneel asked Natsu. Natsu shook his head. "He is a dragon slayer like you, but he is a destructive monster who kills everyone he sees and lays waste to cities. Myself and four other dragons, different from those that you trained with, were wounded when fighting this monster."
Natsu's eyes widened. He didn't know of anyone besides his own brother who would even have a chance of hurting Igneel.
"Your ultimate mission, besides killing your brother, is to track down and kill Acnologia. This is the other reason you learned all known dragon slayer arts. 4 others were trained in the ways of dragon slaying by the other 4 wounded dragons as part of our plan to kill Acnologia. Every magic they have learned you have already mastered. They were intended to fight together, but just in case this plan fails we created a secondary plan. That was why you learned every art. You are the strongest of the 5, and the only one with a shot at killing Acnologia without help."
Natsu listened to Igneel's words carefully, but he still found everything hard to believe.
"With all of this in mind, none of this can be done at the present. You must go 400 years into the future to a world filled with higher magic concentrations for you to fully utilize your magic. Under normal circumstances, one who constantly practices dragon slaying magic would turn into a dragon. Such was the case with Acnologia. I will go to the future with you by entering your soul and resting there, which will prevent you from becoming a dragon and will allow me the chance to recover my strength and join in the fight myself."
Igneel then looked at his two companions as Natsu tried to comprehend everything Igneel was telling him.
"Zeref created a time traveling machine he calls the eclipse gate that we will use to jump into the future. He and Anna are here to open it for us. However, there is a harsh side effect… You won't remember any of this. That you have a brother, that you are E.N.D, that you must kill Zeref, that I will be sealed in your soul, or anything else about your life prior to being trained by the dragons. All of it will escape your memory. You can regain your memory, but something related to your mission will have to trigger it."
Natsu stared at Igneel. "So, I may never see you or my dragon family again?" He was near tears. Igneel simply nodded. "Sadly, your other 5 dragon teachers will not survive another 400 years. I will return at some point in your life, but I do not know when. However, because you will still have that scarf and the magic you learned with those dragons, those bonds will still exist and transcend time itself. You will still remember all the time you shared with your dragon family. That being said, Zeref wishes to erase your memory of today's events so that you may live an ordinary life without worrying about Acnologia. You will remember everything when the time is right."
Natsu was now crying, but understanding that this had to be done, he just clenched his fists. "When will the time skip occur?" Natsu asked softly with his hair shadowing his eyes.
"Tonight. Be ready." Natsu simply nodded. Anna and Zeref simply walked off to wait until the events that were to take place later that night.
"It's been a few years, has it not?" Igneel began to speak softly to his foster son. "If I remember correctly, tomorrow is your birthday." Natsu nodded.
"Very well. I have one last lesson for you. Think of it as an early birthday present." The dragon said, now excited. Natsu looked at Igneel with curiosity. "What else is there for me to learn? I know all of the dragon slayer arts already." Natsu said nonchalantly.
"That's just it, my boy! You could not learn these moves until you had mastered all the other arts. This is the most powerful set of moves a dragon slayer can know. You can make your own attacks, obviously, but I want to teach you a couple: Omni Dragon's Roar is the first. Simply gather the magical energy required for each of your slayer forms and fuse it all into one enormous beam of energy. Give it a try."
Natsu took a deep breath and took a few seconds to collect himself. He began to gather magical energy around him until eventually he leaned back and his stomach grew to an abnormal size. He formed his hands into a tube-like shape around his mouth before he shouted as loud as he could.
"Omni Dragon's Roar!"
A gigantic beam of white energy almost the size of a small mountain shot out of Natsu's mouth and collided with everything in its path, annihilating everything in front of Natsu for miles.
Natsu looked at Igneel and grinned. "That took quite a bit of energy! How was it?"
Igneel shared Natsu's reaction. "Splendid! You performed perfectly! Now, the final move I will teach you is this: Dragon Slayer's Ultimate Art: Apocalyptic Rage. Focus your energy throughout your body, concentrating on a single target. Then let loose!"
Natsu did as Igneel instructed in a different part of the clearing, letting out a brilliant white energy that once again destroyed everything in front of him. "Congratulations, Natsu. There is nothing left for me to teach you. You are now the strongest possible dragon slayer."
With the last of the lessons, evening had fallen. Natsu spent his last hours with Igneel reminiscing about his training and thinking about what the future would be like.
Eventually, Natsu fell asleep while resting on Igneel, tears cascading down his face as he held onto his scarf as tightly as he could.
When he awoke the next day, he felt empty.
Igneel was gone.
He had woken up slightly irritated to see his dragon mentor missing, but when hours of searching across miles of ground turned up nothing, irritation turned into worry and sorrow.
Igneel had abandoned him.
He walked around aimlessly for a while, unsure of what to do with himself. He had contemplated trying to find his other family, but rationality got the best of him and he realized that if Igneel wasn't anywhere to be found then the other dragons were probably gone as well.
Then a voice in his head spoke up.
"You are weak, Natsu. That's why they left you."
"Who's there?" Natsu spoke only to the wind. The voice wasn't his own, but somebody else's.
But Natsu knew that the voice was right.
It sounded eerily familiar...
Natsu eventually reached the edge of the forest he was currently searching when he happened upon a small campsite with a single tent.
Natsu assumed that the person had set up shelter to avoid the rain that appeared to be on the horizon.
"Somebody's here… Maybe I should go question them." He whispered to himself as he approached the camp.
He heard rustling from the small tent as a short man walked out. The man was mostly bald with some white hair on the sides of his head and a white mustache. His clothes looked foreign to Natsu, but his staff with a smiling face made him very distinguishable.
Natsu approached the man from the trees.
"Excuse me!" Natsu called, getting the man's attention. "Have you seen any dragons around?"
The man shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I don't believe dragons have been seen in hundreds of years. Why do you ask?"
"How is that possible? I was with Igneel just yesterday!" Natsu thought to himself.
Natsu explained his tale to the man.
"Hm… I see. So you were rather close to these dragon friends of yours?" Natsu nodded. "I didn't grow up having parents. I may have had a sibling, but everything just seems foggy. I barely remember anything for some reason."
Hope began to escape Natsu quickly.
"What day is it, gramps?"
"July 7, X777." The man looked at Natsu and calmly replied. That seemed off to Natsu, but be had never asked Igneel about the year.
As Natsu thought to himself, the man spoke up. "Well, if you're looking to find Igneel and your other dragon friends and you need a place to stay, you could always join my guild!" The man said proudly.
"Guild?"
The man nodded. "A place where wizards gather and form bonds while they take on quests to help people in need and rid the world of despicable acts."
"Sounds interesting." Natsu responded to the man. "Is there a special requirement?" The man shook his head. "Nope! In fact, I was on my way back to my guild before I decided to camp for the night. How about tomorrow I bring you to my guild and you can join? I'm sure you'll form many great friendships. Maybe even find your friends, too!" The man added enthusiastically.
Natsu thought about it for a minute. "Alright! I'll join your guild! We can leave in the morning!" Natsu replied with renewed vigor. "What's your name, son?" "Natsu Dragneel. What's your name, gramps? And the name of that guild of yours."
The man gave a wide grin.
"My name is Makarov Dreyar." The man said.
"The proud Guild Master of Fairy Tail!"
And there you guys go! First chapter's done! Tell me what you guys thought, about the writing, the concept, all of it. Make sure to favorite, follow, and review to keep up with my updates. For now, I'll say goodbye. See you guys next chapter with Natsu joining Fairy Tail!
Next time on The Omni Dragon Slayer!
Chapter 2: The Strongest Guild in Fiore! Welcome to Fairy Tail, E.N.D!