Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail
They returned to the guild not long after the dragons left them, feeling confused and lost on what to do next. Igneel had been their strongest ally, their best chance at defeating the black wizard, but now, they were back where they started. "Looks like we're gonna have to call on some other friends for help. I'll talk to Lyon and try and get Lamia Scale involved in this." Gray stated, sounding determined to keep going as they walked back into the guild hall. It was getting late, but wizards were still gathered within, wanting to spend as much time together as possible before their next battle began.
"The tom cat and I can fly to Sabertooth and pass the message along to them." Charle suggested, wanting to help however she could.
"Oh, I can go with you! It will be great seeing Rogue and Sting again, plus, I haven't really gotten the chance to meet their dragons yet." Wendy stated, sounding eager to do so.
"I suppose I could try and contact Jellal. His group would be ecstatic about any opportunity to fight back against Zeref." Erza suggested, sounding thoughtful as she did her best to keep her expression neutral. It was always so obvious that she was struggling to keep a straight face when she talked about Jellal, but no one ever made any comment on it.
"Wendy, do you think you could stop at Blue Pegasus on your way back? We'll need all of our allies for this one, not just a few of the local guilds." Gray asked. Lucy and Natsu were listening silently, Natsu somewhat more thoughtful than usual. He seemed to be brooding, likely upset over Igneel's refusal to help.
"Natsu…things'll turn out alright. Fairy Tail has always found a way in the past to keep moving forward, we can do it again." Lucy told him, trying to bring back the smile she was used to seeing on his face. The others continued discussing contacting others for help, but Lucy was too focused on Natsu to really listen in any further.
Her words barely seemed to register with him once more, though he did flicker his eyes towards her briefly. After a few more moments of silence, he sat down, slamming his fists into the table as he did so. "This isn't right….Igneel has to be right. I want to fight…but what if it's the wrong thing to do? My friends will keep going, regardless of what I have to say. A dragon's instincts are never wrong, Luce, if Igneel says not to fight Zeref then we shouldn't." he stated after a few moments.
Wendy didn't seem to feel the same way as Natsu, but she was younger and probably a bit more open to believing the best in her friends. "Why don't you tell them that? I thought you sounded pretty sure of being able to beat him before." Lucy stated, a little confused. He had argued with Gray for fighting this battle, yet now he seemed to disagree.
"That's different. We're strong enough to win, but Igneel said bad things would happen if we did. I trust Igneel more than anyone else, Luce, I really don't think this is the right thing to do." he explained. Lucy thought back to his words, realizing that they really had just been about fighting with sheer force against Zeref. Maybe he really didn't want to fight this battle, as strange as it was for Natsu.
Lucy nodded at him, resting her hand on top of his gently on top of the table. "Alright then. I won't fight either, Natsu. We're partners, we have been since the moment I first joined Fairy Tail. I'm not going to abandon you now, not when you might be right." she stated.
Natsu stared at her in surprise, slowly beginning to grin back over at her like he usually did. "Thanks, Luce! Come on, you can help me convince the others to stop this too!" he insisted, jumping up and pulling her along. Before he could get any further, though, the guild doors burst open, a new person standing just on the other side.
Everyone froze at the sight of the man walking inside, dressed in a black robe with a white sash covering the majority of his torso. He seemed calm, yet sad somehow, as he calmly walked into the guild, his gaze focusing on Natsu. "Zeref…." Natsu stated, recognizing the man inside.
This was not good, not when they had just decided not to fight him. If the war came to Fairy Tail, nothing Natsu or Lucy said would do any good. They would fight to defend themselves, regardless of the danger that it might pose in the end. "Natsu, I am sorry it had to come to this. Unfortunately, neither of you were quick enough to bring me my demise." Zeref stated softly, giving the pink haired boy a small smile.
Lucy watched as Romeo charged forward in anger at the man barging into their guild. "Get away from Natsu! I'm a Fairy Tail mage, I'm not going to let you hurt any of my friends." he insisted, while Zeref gazed at him with a small frown. He lifted his hand, a black orb appearing in it rather quickly and launching directly towards the boy, sending Romeo flying back into the wall on the other side of the guild. Some members gasped in anger and shock at Zeref's actions, but few were willing to attack just yet.
"I did not wish to bring anyone pain, that was never my intention. However, this world continues to reject me, therefore I only have one option. I have come for your greatest secret, fairies, your greatest spell that your master has so kindly left unprotected for me. Fairy Heart will be mine, and it will finally bring me the justice I deserve." he told them, leaving many confused on what Zeref was truly searching for. Sure, Makarov had left the guild to meet with the magic council recently, but none of them knew anything about a spell hidden within the guild.
Natsu glared at him, stepping closer slowly. "The old man may be gone…but we're still here. I might not be willing to kill you, after all, I made a promise to myself to keep Igneel's advice in mind, but I sure can send you back to where you came from!" he declared, glaring harshly at the black wizard.
Zeref gazed at him, looking rather uninterested as he held a book up in his hands, a slightly smile on his face. "I am quite aware that you would choose to fight. Since the time has come for the end, I suppose I should enlighten you all on just who is living within you, acting as a member of your guild." he stated, sounding calm as he stepped closer to Natsu. "A very powerful demon is among you, his power still dormant and contained deep in this book." he stated, watching the guild stare at him with wide eyes.
Gray was the first to speak up, slowly shaking his head as he gazed at Zeref with shock on his face. "That's…impossible. END couldn't possibly be….a member of Fairy Tail. Master would never allow such a thing!" he shouted, seeing a few others begin to nod in agreement with his words.
"Gray is right, no true man would let a beast like that in the guild!" Elfman shouted in agreement, as the other mages began to grow agitated with Zeref's words.
Zeref closed his eyes, a small smile on his face as he nodded in acknowledgment to their arguments. "True, a demon at full strength would never be allowed into Fairy Tail. However, END is no typical demon. He is very precious to me, my most powerful creation as well as someone I knew many years ago." Zeref stated, gazing out amongst them.
"Maybe it'd be easier to believe you if you just told us who it was? Come on, stop playing games and just spit it out already!" Natsu demanded. He was irritated, but Lucy could tell he would take this over a real fight at the moment. Anything to keep the agreement they had to spare Zeref's life.
The black wizard gazed over at Natsu, his gaze sad as he smiled. "END, my most powerful creation, the one I had hoped would be powerful enough to finally bring about my own end. Perhaps it would be more accurate to call him by his full name, Etherious Natsu Dragneel." he stated. Natsu's glare vanished, now simply staring with a focused look at Zeref. "Here you stand before me, and for the first time in years, I feel no desire to battle with you. No, I have a different plan in mind, one which I intend on carrying out. If I am going to finally be at peace, if I am going finally end, the only solution is to eliminate my immortality. The key to doing that lies in the past, and to access that, I need something you posses." he insisted, explaining a bit more of his plan.
"Originally, I had planned to launch a war against your guild. After all, a large group of mages can be rather tedious to deal with. My own army was prepared, a specialized group known as the Spriggan Twelve trained to destroy each and every one of you. However, I was not expecting the dragons to survive after being bound within your bodies for so long. Even my mages cannot fight against the power of a dragon, and it is rather pointless to simply destroy a useful pawn that can be played later in the game." Zeref explained, staring at them with a look of boredom.
"You're friends….these comrades you have….do you really think so little of them?" Natsu demanded, his glare returning as he stared down Zeref. The guild seemed to have gone still since the announcement of Natsu's true identity, some unable to believe it while others questioned if it could be true. After all, no one could quite compete with Natsu's fire magic, not when the boy really got serious about a fight.
Zeref seemed to be on the verge of replying when he stopped, his gaze glancing in between the crowd and into the heart of the guild. Lucy followed his gaze, her eyes wide when she saw their first master standing within the guild hall. "Mavis….I knew you'd come to stop me. Perhaps it is better that I can't see you, that way I will not be capable of seeing the pain on your face as your beloved guild perishes before my power." he stated.
Mavis wore a hard expression, determined as she stepped out towards Lucy, standing by her side. "Zeref, this plan of yours must stop. Even with your immortality, you alone cannot withstand the might of Fairy Tail." she stated calmly, though it was clear Zeref did not hear her words. Even if he was aware that she existed, Zeref did not bear the guild mark, and he could not interact with her.
"This time….I will make sure you survive. No darkness in your life, no curse to bring you sorrow. History will be rewritten, and it will be as if I was never in your life to begin with." Zeref stated calmly, sounding sad yet confident in his words.
Lucy wondered just how he knew Mavis, but now was not the time to ask questions. "Lucy, I need you to do me a favor. Be my mouth, speak my words to Zeref. I have a plan in mind….a very risky one, but it is our only option at the moment. Based on my calculations, even with our numbers and strength, we will only be able to delay his progress." she stated. "I know Zeref far better than anyone else in this guild, please, trust in me to guide you through this!" she ordered, seeing doubt on Lucy's face.
She nodded, her gaze focused but slightly afraid as she stepped forward, standing by Natsu with Mavis right behind her. "My name is Lucy Heartfilia, and right now, I am speaking on behalf of Mavis Vermillion, Fairy Tail's first Master." she stated, watching Zeref glance at her in surprise.
"He will not back down easily…but we cannot allow him to obtain Fairy Heart. It is far more powerful than anyone else realizes. We must give him an offer he can't refuse….and I can only think of one thing Zeref would desire enough to postpone his own plan." Mavis stated, stepping closer to Lucy as she whispered into the celestial mage's ear.
Lucy blinked at Mavis, a bit surprised and confused at what she was supposed to offer. It didn't make any sense, but she had to trust in Mavis and follow through on her promise. "Mavis states that even if you manage to take Fairy Heart, you will not accomplish your true goal. Your pain will still exist, deep in your mind, and so long as that sorrow exists, you will always remain cursed." Lucy began, hesitating and watching Zeref frown thoughtfully.
"Perhaps, but at the very least, peace could finally be brought into my life. I could ensure my family survived the war, and grow up with Natsu as a real older brother, rather than the dark wizard that brought him back to life." he argued. Lucy choked, blinking in shock between both boys, but Mavis did not stop in her words, making her focus again. She had never seen that one coming, that Zeref and Natsu were related at all.
Natsu seemed a bit stunned as well, but he was doing his best to stay out of this and leave it to Lucy. "What if there was another way? A way for the curse to be lifted without the use of Fairy Heart?" Lucy stated, relaying Mavis' words once more.
Zeref stayed silent, but Lucy got the feeling that he was waiting to hear more. Feeling a bit braver now that he hadn't attacked her yet, she stepped closer as she spoke, only to feel Mavis pull her back. "Don't get to close, you have no idea how dangerous he truly is." she warned.
Lucy nodded, focusing her gaze back on Zeref. "Give us three months. Fairy Tail has fought impossible battles before, destroyed enemies that, according to all odds, should have actually destroyed them. Regardless of what they face, be it wizards, dragons, or even gods, Fairy Tail will find a way to achieve victory. With me guiding them, we will find a way to end your curse, and bring you the peace you so desire. If we have failed by the end of our deadline, I will stand down and order the others to do the same, allowing you to take Fairy Heart without a fight." Mavis stated, her words echoed by Lucy. There was a pain deep in her voice, a sorrow Lucy couldn't quite understand, but her plan was at least somewhat decent. They would have a little more time to prepare, to be able to figure out a way to stop Zeref. She just hoped Zeref would accept it, because if he didn't, Fairy Tail did not stand a chance against his power.
Thank you to those of you that reviewed! I'm glad that you are enjoying this so far. Pairings won't be a focus of this story (I forget if I've mentioned this before or not, a downside to having so many stories in progress right now.), if anything I might have a few hints of Zervis and Nalu if anyone was wondering. I'm a huge fan of both pairings and while I am not talented at writing romance, I do tend to have hints of those pairings when I write stories about Fairy Tail.
Feel free to review and let me know what you think!