Chapter 2
"Wake up boy…." Acnologia growled as Hiro woke up dazed and staring at the ceiling of the cave, "Anna….always let me sleep a little longer" Hiro groaned trying to go back to sleep. "Do you see Anna over here….?" Acnologia questioned, "No…." Hiro answered innocently. "Then that mean's you don't get to sleep any longer…" he demanded.
Acnologia and Hiro began to trek into the wilderness, "Uncle Ace…." Hiro began when Acnologia interrupted him "Call me Uncle or Acnologia. I only ever let Anna call me Ace….don't make it a habit boy" Acnologia growled at him his gaze piercing, sending chills up Hiro's spine. "I'm sorry Uncle, I was just wondering wether we could stop and eat something before continuing ?" Hiro asked hopefull. "There will be no eating, until we are done training Hiro" Acnologia replied, "But….but I feel hungry" Hiro began to cry.
Acnologia stopped trekking "Hiro….what I'm about to give you is an opportunity far more precious than anything you could ever imagine. I'm not just giving you the chance to save our family, but also to lay claim to my title after me". "Your title….?" Hiro asked curious. "Yes my boy, for you see I have not only amassed the power to eradicate the Dragon's. I am one…." Acnologia finished. "You are….?" Hiro asked amazed, "Well I will be, that day isn't far little one. I can feel it and when that day come's, I will wipe the Dragon's out of existence and be known as the Dragon King. The one Dragon who stood far above the rest, for all ages to come" Acnologia grinned.
He turned towards Hiro "And I want you to succeed me as the Dragon King, that honour my dear nephew, will be your's after me". Hiro scrunched his face "But what about the good Dragon's ?" Hiro asked "Anna said that they were good Dragon's among the monster's,who fought to protect us". "Hiro…" Acnologia bent down looking into his eyes "There are no good Dragon's, all they do is hide their true intention's and await the time, to seize their moment" he stood up beginning to walk again as Hiro ran after him to catch up. "But you and I have seen their destruction haven't we Hiro, you and I…. we know what those monster's can do…" Acnologia looked up into the sky the memory of his village, his family etched into his eyes.
"One single rampage is enough to destroy entire cities and towns, Hiro" Acnologia closed his eyes as tears began to roll down his cheeks,Hiro hesitated a bit before rushing into Acnologia's arm's comforting him. "You see that's all I want Hiro, to avenge our family and to etch, the name of our family into the history books as the greatest clan to have ever lived. When the time come's, I wouldn't hesitate to cross you if that's what I have to do. I would expect you to do the same with me" Acnologia smiled at Hiro "But to do that little one, you will have to grow stronger than me, if not as strong as me".
"With the two of us together no one in our towns, cities, the country, the entire continent would ever have to be afraid of anything. So what do you say Hiro ?" Acnologia asked him. "Our family,Anna, none of them will ever have to fear the Dragon's ever again". Hiro's face grew determined " I will Uncle….for Anna, For my parent's, For Natsu and Zeref and for you" he declared.
"Good, now then Hiro I am not Anna, the way she taught you and the way I'm going to teach you will be completely different. I might seem too harsh at times, but I promise you, it is only to make you that much more efficient at Slaying a Dragon" Acnologia remarked "That said, I want you to climb to the top of those trees and pluck some branches for fire and shelter, I want it done before lunchtime or there will be no lunch for you". Hiro looked like he wanted to say something but when he saw his Uncle's expression, he bit back his retort and obligingly began to make his way to the top of the tree.
Over the days, Acnologia began to train Hiro in physical combat and magic arts as well. He was surprised by how adept Hiro was at learning the technique's, his growth was rapid and he was turning out to be a prodigy.
One day as Hiro was practicing alongside Acnologia, he felt the whole atmosphere change around them as even Acnologia looked to be on guard looking around and up in the sky. "What's wrong Uncle….?" Hiro asked him quickly keeping his guard up as well, like his Uncle had taught him. "I didn't expect them to find us so soon….at this rate I won't be able to complete our training" Acnologia began to mumble, as Hiro looked at him "Uncle…what's that ?" he asked pointing into the sky where a huge figure was flying towards them growing larger by the minute.
The Dragon flew into the clearing as the trees around them crumbled under the pressure, Acnologia stood his ground and to his surprise Hiro stood beside him struggling but boldly facing the Dragon. "My… my Acnologia you are a trouble to find, do you know that ?" The Dragon growled in a deep voice. Acnologia barely flinched, which awed Hiro who was scared and wanted to run away. But his Uncle's presence filled him with confidence as he mustered all the strength and courage that he could, standing beside his Uncle.
Acnologia grinned "Has my aura become that threatening that a Dragon had to come searching for me himself. You shouldn't have bothered yourself, I would have done the favour and come found you instead" he remarked smirking proudly. The Dragon began to laugh which sent chills up Hiro's spine, "Do you know what they call me ?" he asked as Acnologia stared coldly back at him, "They call me Skull-Crusher. Do you know why they call me that boy ?" he demanded. "Let me guess, because you crushed skulls ?" Acnologia asked not impressed, "Yeah at your size crushing human's shouldn't be considered a feat" Acnologia remarked. "I didn't just crush human skulls boy, I crushed Dragon's underneath my claws" he roared.
"Well then, you would imagine the company I kept would certainly be worthy of my affiliation. Imagine my surprise, when I found most of my companions dead when I returned to them" he growled at Acnologia, who cooly responded "They weren't really a challenge". "I'm going to crush you, you puny insect" Skull-Crusher growled.
"You'll try…." Acnologia grinned as the Dragon swiped his claws at him, Acnologia dodged the claw easily toying with the Dragon at will. Hiro looked on in amazement as Acnologia effortlessly dodged the Dragon and managing any offense that he could muster in between. "Is that all you got….?" Acnologia mocked the Dragon as Skull-Crusher began to grin "You're dead now, brat" he growled as he charged a powerful roar straight at Acnologia, who didn't even bother to dodge the blast, while Hiro scrambled behind a boulder to protect himself. The trees were blown to smithereens turning to dust and the ground cracked under the tremendous pressure. Skull-Crusher deciding the bout finished, began to relax as the dust settled. He was shocked to find Acnologia standing in the crater unscathed.
"How…?, What are you….?" the Dragon demanded confused. "What am I ?. A better question would be who am I" Acnologia grinned "I am the Dragon King, that's who I am". Skull-Crusher began to laugh "The Dragon King…..?, you a human ?. I'll give you this much, you've got skill. And to beat someone your size, with your speed. I'll have to come down to your level to deal with you" he said as the Dragon began to shrink in smoke, his figure taking on a human form with red eyes and scars all over his body. He basically had no hair and still the Human/Dragon instilled fear in Hiro's heart, as he looked on at the two of them.
"I like what you've done with your hair" Acnologia remarked, as Skull-Crusher grinned back at him "Battle's don't take kindly to me in this form, but you should be proud. I've barely had a chance to showcase this form's abilities" he said staring calmly at Acnologia. "Well I pity you then, I've had many battle's and have no scar's at all" Acnologia replied. Skull-Crusher growled charging at Acnologia who was amazed at the speed but responded in time as the ground cracked under the pressure of the two of them, the shockwaves obliterating whatever was remaining of the boulder that Hiro was hiding behind.
The two of them traded blows that sounded like canon shots retaliating and blocking and dodging blow after blows. "It look's like we are evenly matched" Skull-Crusher remarked "I could use someone like you, even if you're not a Dragon", Acnologia interrupted him "Who said I'm not a Dragon….?". He grinned as his aura rose the ground crumbled under their feet, the scales growing more prominent on Acnologia's face and arms. "What's this, have you been hiding this all along ?. You're a Dragon Slayer, that explains the abilities" Skull-Crusher exclaimed. "So what element do you use..?" he demanded. "Element….?" Acnologia scoffed "I don't have any element…".
"What….how is that possible…?" Skull-Crusher demanded. "As I said I am the Dragon King, I have no element. You could say, I use the very essence of chaos. Because... I am chaos" Acnologia replied. " A big mistake, telling me that. Knowing one's abilities and power's is like knowing one's weakness" Skull-Crusher grinned at him. "Let's see what you do with that information" Acnologia replied.
The two of them clashed again and even with his risen aura, Skull-Crusher was still able to match Acnologia blow for blow. Acnologia grew enraged as Skull-Crusher smirked at him "Is that all you've got he remarked". Acnologia went back on the offense as Skull-Crusher matched him once again parrying effortlessly. Acnologia's rage grew with every passing moment, he felt his mind getting clouded his vision becoming a haze. "Admit it, we are at a stalemate it's best we leave it at this" Skull-Crusher proposed. "Never…." Acnologia retorted as his hands turned into claws, scales enveloping him almost completely, his eyes grew black as he let out an animalistic roar. "What's this….." Skull-Crusher began but before he could complete his sentence, Acnologia had severed his head from his body as the Dragon transformed back into it's beast form, the head still severed.
Hiro jumped in fear as Acnologia threw the severed head away, he slowly made his way over to his Uncle, "Did we have to kill him…?" he asked. Acnologia began to breathe heavily as his claws began to transform back, his scales disappearing as well. "It's either them or us Hiro. Given the chance, he would have killed the both of us without a second thought" Acnologia replied. "But Uncle, you just beat a Dragon" Hiro exclaimed in amazement. Acnologia looked straight into his brown eye's, "Yes I did….and if you train sincerely you can too" he replied. "Really…." Hiro exclaimed but his face fell suddenly the joy disappearing abruptly. "What's wrong….?" Acnologia asked. "Your hands and face they turned, didn't they ?. It looked like you were becoming a Dragon yourself" Hiro replied.
"I feel it was a mistake leaving you with Anna" Acnologia smiled to himself "Well….. you would have figured it out anyway sooner or later, since you're so smart " he replied smiling sincerely at him. "It's true the more you use Dragon Slaying art's, the more it turn's you into a Dragon, or so I have heard. I feel if I keep going this way, then yes I may probably become a Dragon myself". "Cool…." Hiro exclaimed before his expression turned to one of curiosity " Will I become a Dragon, if I use Dragon Slaying magic ?" Hiro asked. "I am not sure….we'll have to see. We'll deal with it, when the time comes" Acnologia answered. Hiro looked at Acnologia and he had a million other question's he wanted to ask but the look on his Uncle's face said that the conversation was over.
"Well that deal's with food scavenging" Acnologia remarked pointing at the body of the Dragon. "That mean's it's back to training for you" he replied as Hiro groaned. The two of them resumed their training. Hiro's training was intense and Acnologia was relentless in making sure Hiro didn't slack.
At the magic academy Zeref was found researching forbidden technique's and magical arts. The board of director's warned him on several occasions but he hadn't heeded to their warning's, now the board had made their decision to expel Zeref from the academy for breaching the rules set by them. The chairman of the board approached Zeref, who was busy shuffling through a huge pile of research. "Zeref…" the chairman addressed him, the board behind him. Zeref turned surprised by the sudden audience, "There is no easy way to say this, but the board has decided to expel you from the academy" the chairman stated his voice calm and his expression somber.
Zeref felt his whole world crashing around him "Why….?. I've been an excellent student, I've excelled on my test's. Why are you expelling me ?" Zeref pleaded sad and confused. "My boy…." another member spoke up "You're an Exceptional student, there's no denying that. But the research you've been doing and the magical art's you're trying to dabble with, have been forbidden". "We've tried warning you in the hope that you'd deter from going back and meddling with these art's, but you haven't heeded our warning" the chairman continued. "You've left us no choice Zeref, we respected your parent's and took you into this Academy for their sake and this is how you pay us back ?" he demanded. "From this day forward you are no longer a part of the Mildian Magic Academy. We will give you a day to pack your belongings and leave" they commanded.
Zeref was dumbstruck as the board began to walk away "And….what if I don't want to leave…?" he asked his face furious. "Excuse me….?" The Chairman asked confused " I don't think you heard us correctly we aren't asking you to leave, we demand" he replied. "Make me…." Zeref replied as the wind raged around him, his aura rising uncontrollably, the board struggling to stand their ground. "Zeref…..stop this at once…." they demanded as each of them tried to counter his magic but to no avail."You….don't understand….none of you understand. I can still save him, I know if I had the time. I could find a way to bring him back, why don't you people understand" Zeref screamed out as the roof began to cave in under his immense magical pressure.
The board feared for their life and they collectively called out "God Anksheram help us…." as they cowered waiting for the debris to fall on top of them. Suddenly the wind's stopped and Zeref felt as though he was stuck in time a shadow appeared in front of him, the board falling down on their faces worshipping the deity that had materialized.
Anksheram cleared the debris around them as he turned to face Zeref, who was afraid and felt his aura fade away almost instantly. "Now….was it you who was causing all that commotion ?" Anksheram asked intrigued as Zeref didn't respond. "You could have killed them you know…. ?" Anksheram asked Zeref who just stared blankly back before responding "Well then they shouldn't have interfered, I will do whatever it takes to get my brother back" he declared.
The Chairman slowly lifted his head up addressing Anksheram "God Anksheram, that boy…. is a monster their whole family, their bloodline's must be eliminated, they are a danger to the people around them and to the world" he declared, as Anksheram turned and glared at him shutting him up.
"Well…you seem to have an immense potential, even at such a young age, boy. I wonder….?" Anksheram closed his eyes in deep thought before addressing Zeref again. "Still…. I, God Anksheram cannot let any action go unpunished, though you would make a nice pawn for me" Anksheram grinned as Zeref found himself paralyzed by fear, while black smoke filled his lungs and surrounded him.
Zeref woke a few minutes later his head throbbing and his cheeks hurting as he got up looking at his surroundings but nothing seemed different than before. Anksheram was still standing in front of him as he struggled to look at Anksheram. Anksheram turned to the committee and commanded " Kill the boy…", a few of them looked on their faces ashen from the horror. One of the members ran up from behind Zeref who tried to dodge him, as best as he could but felt the blade pierce his stomach. He choked as blood sprang out from the wound. As the member retrieved his blade, Zeref was surprised to see the wound heal itself, while everyone around him looked on aghast.
Anksheram just grinned, Zeref gathered his research and left. Zeref's friend approached him as he rushed to leave the Academy. " Hey Zeref, where are you going…?" he called out, Zeref didn't wait for him, he could feel his energy swirling, his emotions raging inside him. His energy swirled around him as the plants around him withered away dying, a squirrel dropped dead from one of the trees as his friend stopped to check on the animal. "Zeref, what's going on….?" he asked concerned, Zeref started to back away from him mortified, his black aura still spreading around him "No….stay away, I don't understand why this is happening" Zeref cried as his friend approached him, his hands outstretched "Hey….it's going to be alright buddy" he said placing a hand around his shoulders.
Zeref suddenly felt the hands around him go limp as his friend dropped to the ground, his body lifeless. He let out an unearthly scream as he called out for help. People began to gather, trying to help them. To his horror each of them fell to the ground lifeless, until there was no one left. Zeref felt like he was sitting there among the bodies for age's, when Anksheram approached him. "What's going on what have you done to me….?" Zeref demanded. "You will address me as God Anksheram. I am not your friend, boy" Anksheram stated. "What happened to them….?" Zeref asked heart broken. "They're dead…" Anksheram simply replied. "Why….why would you do this to them…?" Zeref asked. "Oh…no, you did this to them…" Anskheram answered "You see….since you value your brother's life so much. I thought it would be fitting to punish you this way, the more you value life, the more life you will destroy, except your own ofcourse. I've given you immortality".
"You've made me immortal…?. But why….?" Zeref asked livid and confused. "Oh…you might think making you immortal was a gift, but you've also been gifted with the Curse of Contradiction" Anksheram began to laugh. "Why are you doing this….?" Zeref pleaded with him. "Why….?. So that the people know that Anksheram is a just God. And to make sure no other mortal, ever tries to attempt the thing's you have" he answered.
Zeref growled charging at him as his aura blazing once again, but Anksheram simply caught him. "You might be immortal boy, but I am a God" he stated, throwing Zeref unceremoniously to the side. "When the time is right, I will be back for you" Anksheram stated before vanishing away.
Zeref stayed on the ground dejected, when some of the professors from the Academy began to walk towards him. Upon seeing the bodies, one of the Professor's demanded"Zeref….what have you done….?". "That boy has been meddling with the Dark art's since the beginning, we need to hand him over to the law and let him face his comeuppance" stated another Professor. "Zeref, please tell us what happened….here ?" a third questioned him, as they approached him hesitantly.
"No get away from me…..I'm a monster" Zeref screamed as he ran away from them, the third Professor was about to run after him, when the other two held him back. "Look at the plants and the bird's" they said pointing out to the dead plants and animals that lay on the path Zeref had just run in. "For now…it's best we stay out of his path, until we figure out how to deal with him" the other responded.
Zeref ran until he was sure he was far away from people, tired he lay down looking up into the sky, the feeling of loss and pain filling his heart and mind once again. Once again the curse took it's affect as the trees withered away and any thing alive around him fell dead. Zeref was tired , he didn't want to run anymore "Atleast, I can't hurt what's already dead. I can make this my home and stay here" Zeref thought "Forever….?", the question arose in his head.
Zeref didn't know how long he was laying there in the mud, his clothes were all stained with mud, and his face was murky. "Perhap's it had been day's, week's since it happened" Zeref didn't know, he no longer felt hungry he didn't even need to sleep. All he had done was sit and ponder about ways to break the Curse or think about way's to destroy an immortal. As he sat there under a tree thinking, he realized that there was still Natsu. Who was depending on Zeref to save him, to give him a new life, a new beginning.
Zeref made his way to the place where he had preserved Natsu's body, so focused was he on getting to his brother that his curse hadn't affected anything on the way. As he stood there staring at his brother he realized, as long as he had a goal to focus on, his emotion's and his curse wouldn't run wild.
And right now, he only had one goal in his life, to save his brother and to make sure that Natsu would bring an end to his own cursed life. To make sure, that Natsu would be the END of him.