Anyone else feel like Mavis being Rahkeid's mother doesn't really make sense? She only kissed Zeref before she died, and then existed as a ghost for 100 years. According to August, he is made of Light, so I guess he was created instead of born the normal way? Oh well. Enjoy!
Songs
Layla is Allied with Isabella: On the Precipice of Defeat (Bleach OST)
7 Enemies: Fairy Law (Fairy Tail OST)
White Shadow Dragon: Lightning Flame Dragon Roaring (Fairy Tail OST)
August was looking down on all of Jellal's guild.
"Do you mean to tell me...that we, Crime Sorciere, have been single-handedly annihilated…?" Jellal murmured. "This man…" he started to get up, before August stomped his head back onto the ground.
"You were once a devout believer in His Majesty, were you not? It was foolish of you to choose a path which would pit you against him…" Jellal clenched his fists.
"The light...I was finally able to obtain it. The brilliant light in my heart which illuminates the darkness…"
'Erza…'
"And that light is your justice? While darkness is your transgression? How utterly shallow. His Majesty reared a single son. He was a child born with a mighty power of light at his disposal."
'Zeref...had a child?!'
"However...that child never knew what it was to be loved by someone. Before long, he began to waver around the space between light and darkness...and shortly thereafter, reached a state of mind devoid of anything. There is no good or evil in light, or in darkness. It does not exist. If there is true justice in this world, it may well lie in love, and naught else…" August stated, walking away from them.
'Stand...rise to your feet! In order to protect Erza, I must…!'
X
"Zeref's son, you say?"
"My name is Rahkeid Dragneel. The son of Zeref Dragneel."
"Dragneel?! That's…" Yukino said, shocked.
"He's got the same last name as Natsu!" Lector finished her thought.
"Were you not aware? Natsu is my father's younger brother. I suppose that would make him my uncle."
"Lord Natsu is…?!"
"I was very much looking forward to finally meeting him in the war today...How could I not?" He smirked. "It seems my father holds him much more dear than I, after all. And that is something that cannot be forgiven...wouldn't you agree?" He sent out numerous blades of light towards them. Kagura dodged and slashed through all of them.
"How long do you plan on lecturing us from your high perch? Come down and face me!" She yelled, slashing his plateau clean off the ground. Rahkeid stood up and clapped his hands. The white tentacles of light appeared again and lunged towards her.
"Lady Kagura!" Rahkeid jumped down onto the ground.
"I shall introduce you to the sweet nectar of pleasure as well…" The tentacles ensnared her.
"Humans cannot possibly disobey their natural instincts."
"Lady Kagura, you must resist!" Kagura began to cry out in pain and pleasure before biting her tongue and regaining her senses. She slashed through all the tentacles, surprising Rahkeid.
'She actually bit her own tongue?! By inflicting great pain upon herself, she was able to liberate herself from the pleasure?!' Kagura rushed up to him, preparing to draw her sword.
"What a vulgar magic you wield."
"Such speed…"
"No...it seems my blade of resentment has not wavered a bit. Judgement!" A blast of light appeared where her sword struck. When the smoke cleared, Rahkeid had blocked it with two fingers.
"You stopped my sword with your bare hands…?!"
"It would appear you lot have made a horrible miscalculation after managing to defeat several of the twelve." He swiped his fingers past each other in a cross formation.
"August, Eileen, and I...We are...how should i put this...special exceptions." Kagura gritted her teeth and rushed towards him.
"Such a delightful expression. It is the face of one who has completely abandoned hope...knowing they cannot possibly defeat the enemy before them. Once again, her sword was blocked with two fingers. With his other hand, he sliced a third of her body in half.
"LADY KAGURA!"
"Fear not. Your pain, your suffering...before long, it will all transform into pure pleasure. A short while ago, you referred to my magic as 'vulgar', did you not? That might very well be the case, so to speak. However, this can also be called 'love.' I shall give you a peaceful death...one without even a hint of anguish. Let her pure white soul ascend to the free heavens." She fell over, bleeding profusely.
"LADY KAGURA!"
"How wonderful...I will dye your very despair in pure pleasure."
"No! AHHHHHHH!" She was caught by the white tendrils again.
"Now...rise to the heavens...and your death."
"His Majesty's child...If he even were to be defeated, it could only be by...the hands of his mother." August said to himself.
X
"Gray and Juvia are going to be alright despite their severe external injuries…" Porlyusica told Lucy and the others, who were back where Dimaria was.
"Not to worry; I already shrank all his wounds."
"Thank you, Brandish."
"In Juvia's case, we have Wendy to thank."
"But the real problem here is Natsu, isn't it?" Carla asked.
"That mass inside his body...it's now become impossible for me to alter it with my magic. In other words, it is a powerful 'something' which has completely transcended my magic power."
"It's ability to move even while time was suspended...that pure, unbridled aggression with its killing intent laid bare...the likes of this...It is beyond my abilities as well. There's absolutely nothing I can do to help."
"That thing is a demon...there's no other way I could possibly describe it." Dimaria mumbled.
"You're wrong! Natsu is…"
"And what exactly do you know about him?"
"I sure know a lot more about him than the likes of you ever could!"
"No...people don't know as much about those around them as they think. Even the ones you considered to be precious friends and comrades have a hidden side to them. Isn't that right, Randi? You are the living embodiment of this idea, girl. You met Isabella, didn't you? You know nothing of even your own family and yet you claim you know your friends more than I."
"...It may be true that Natsu is violent, rough around the edges and generally uncooperative, but...he's as straightforward and honest as they come. Natsu has no hidden sides...I believe that in my heart of hearts."
"She's totally head over heels for him." Ever whispered into Brandish's ear.
"Ah, that explains it."
"That's not what I was getting at!" Lucy protested. "Natsu was the impetus who brought about my joining Fairy Tail, you know...and that's exactly why…" She was cut off when Natsu's body began to emit smoke.
"This is surely coming from that mass within his body…"
"Hey, Natsu…! He's so cold...Natsu! Please! Open your eyes!"
X
"Natsu…"
"...What is this place…?" Natsu asked himself. There was only whiteness around him. "Hm? Is somebody there?"
"It's me, Natsu."
"Zeref!"
"Don't get any funny ideas. This is the inside of your heart. And as such, I have no physical form here." Natsu tried to punch him, but passed right through him.
"Huh? The inside of my heart?"
"Indeed...At the very least, if only while we're in here together, I have no problem if you wish to address me as 'big brother.'"
"Yeah right…"
"As much as it pains me to say this...you are going to die soon. And it's for that very reason that I've come here now, in your last moments, to fill in the gaps in your lost memories."
"Huh?"
"I'm referring to your memories prior to your waking up in X777."
"I was together with Igneel!"
"I'm talking before...even earlier than that." Zeref created a vision that showed an old fashioned town.
"We lived in a small, quaint village. Those two are our mother and father." Natsu saw him and Zeref as kids sitting at a table while a young lady with dark brown hair tied up and a muscular man with short spiked hair sat next to them. They kind of resembled Cana and Sting.
"However, one day...the village was attacked by a dragon, and completely annihilated. Father, along with mother...and you. On this day, all three of you lost your lives. But even so...I tirelessly continued my research, and finally, I was able to resurrect you...as my very last demon...E.N.D. Ah. I believe I already spoke to you earlier about the particulars of what occurred around this time. And so, I entrusted you to Igneel. But, from that point on...your memories are likely vague and cloudy. Side effects of the Dragon Soul Ceremony, I'd say. Back then, you had already met Gajeel and the rest of the slayers. You and Gajeel were a couple of rascals...always at each others' throats. And Wendy, who would come to try and break things up, would always burst into tears. As for Sting and Rogue, who were around the same age as Wendy, they idolized the two of you as their adopted older brothers."
"Several times a year...when our dragon parents would gather for their meetings, we'd all be seated together." a new voice said. Natsu turned around.
"Sting!"
"...Or so I'd like to say, but in reality, both you and I have no such memories of those events."
"Where did Zeref-"
"This is the inside of your heart, ain't that right Natsu? Your 'consciousness' erased Zeref's presence. That's all there is to it."
"You completely lost me."
"C'mon, follow me. You'll surely arrive at your answer."
"Answer?"
"The true identity of what it is that lurks inside your body."
X
Back in real life, the real Sting was continuing to head towards the battlefield.
"Thanks to Freed, I somehow managed to make it this far, but...Lector...Rogue...Everyone...just where the hell are you?! This smell...it's…"
"Yukino…" Kagura gasped. Rahkeid's power was destroying her.
'My mind...has gone completely blank…'
"If...if you're out there...please...you're our last hope...Sting!" Lector cried. Just then, Sting jumped over the hill and kicked Rahkeid, who blocked the attack.
"I can't help but be fashionably late!"
"Master Sting…" Yukino said happily.
"Looks like you really did quite the number on my guildmates in my absence!"
"My, my...yet another poor, misguided fool who dares stand against me…" Sting punched Rahkeid back.
"Did you honestly expect such a meager attack to have any effect?" Rahkeid clapped his hands together, and his white light began surrounding Sting.
"Master Sting! That attack is…!" Sting simply began eating it.
"!"
"The hell is this stuff...tastes kinda funny...though, actually...it's making me feel kinda good! Nothing white is gonna work on me. That's one of the perks that comes with being the Light Dragon Slayer! Oh, I can tell you and I won't be getting along...the thing is, your stench reminds me of my good old friend Natsu." he said angrily, glaring at Rahkeid.
X
Layla appeared in Zeref's room in the Vistarion Palace. She stared at the large king size royal bed where she and Zeref first slept together. She searched around his desk for a journal or diary of some kind. She didn't really expect him to have one, but on the off chance that she's lucky, she wanted to present it to him as proof that he knew about her mother.
"What are you doing?" she heard a voice ask. She glanced behind her.
"..." She didn't say anything.
"Layla, I asked you a question." Again, she remained silent.
"Answer me." HIs magic power began to surround him.
"Don't get so upset, Silver." She turned back around and kept flipping through Zeref's journal. "Besides, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be back at the guild with the others?"
"Yes, but I sensed your magic power disappear completely for a short time. Then you finally reappear here. I just wanted to know what was going on and if you were okay."
"I'm...fine."
"You don't sound fine. Remember, you can tell me anything."
"...I feel betrayed. By Zeref and Yury. They didn't tell me that my mother is still alive."
"Isabella?"
"Yes...I met her. She leads the five gods we serve."
"Leads them?"
"Yes. She's...a combination between herself and Chaos."
"I see...and you have decided to join her because you feel hers is a more noble cause than ours?"
"...Yes."
"I normally agree with you on these kinds of things, but not this time. Layla, you dedicated yourself to Alvarez for 30 years now. I don't believe that you suddenly left us and joined Isabella simply because of what she told you. How do you know she's not lying?"
"I couldn't sense any fluctuations in her magic power when she was telling me about herself. I don't think she was lying."
"I'm sorry. But I can't support you this time. Even if we have to fight each other eventually...then so be it. I'll bring you back."
"Go ahead and try."
"..." Silver created a portal and left. Layla continued to look through Zeref's journal, and tied her hair back in a single long ponytail.
X
"Who the hell are you? And why do you reek of the same stench as Natsu?" Sting asked.
"That guy has the last name Dragneel...same as Natsu!" Lector said.
"To be more precise, Lord Natsu is Zeref's younger brother, and the man standing before you is Zeref's son…" Yukino clarified.
"Huh? Sounds complicated."
"Fro thinks so, too!"
"No...even if all that is true, it's still strange that he's got the exact same smell on him as Natsu. If he smelled like Zeref, that'd make sense. But in reality, Natsu and Zeref both have completely different smells. You see, people's smells...they should be different between brothers...between parents and even among their children. And yet here we are, with this guy smelling exactly like Natsu."
"That is because, in a sense, Natsu is also Zeref's child." Rahkeid said, clapping his hands together and sending beams of light towards Sting. But the Dragon Slayer just devoured all of them.
"I already told you, didn't I? Light and anything else that's white ain't gonna work on me! Holy Ray!" Sting yelled, compressing a ball of light in his palms and releasing it with a flurry of light beams. It shattered the ground beneath him and Sting rushed up to him, intending to attack him again.
"Holy Nova!" Sting slammed his fist into Rahkeid, who was sent flying back.
"Guah!" He stopped when he hit a boulder.
"A rather troublesome opponent indeed. However...Soul of the Forbidden Meal!" Rahkeid swiped his two fingers behind him, extracting all of the light from Sting's stomach.
"You cannot possibly endure this sensation of hunger."
"Ah...I can barely...move a muscle…" Sting grabbed his stomach in pain. Rahkeid took the giant cross off his back and tossed it towards Sting, slamming into him and knocking him far back against the ground.
"Sting!" Lector cried out.
"Lector…! Lector…?"
"Sting?"
"You sure look tasty…" he started drooling and the color drained from his eyes. He started walking towards him.
"Sting, snap out of it!"
"Whatever is the matter, Master Sting?" Yukino asked, now looking like a popsicle.
"Hey...quit giving me those strange looks…" Kagura said, looking like dumplings.
"Please, eat to your heart's content." Rahkeid smirked.
"Sting! Cut that out, it's me! Your old pal Lector!" Sting was now starting to bite him.
"No, you're meat! Delicious meat!"
"Open your eyes!" Kagura yelled. But soon she felt someone starting to bite her shoulder. "Yukino!"
"I'm...hungry...so very hungry…"
"Yuki...no…" They both got the same look in their eyes and began trying to eat each other.
"The world of mortals...is full of nothing but wants and desires. Now perish, as you devour one another to death." Even Frosch was getting hungry.
"Fro's really hungry too, but Fro always eats his meals together with Rogue, so he'll be patient."
Suddenly, Sting came to his senses.
"I'm starving as well, but...if it's you, Sting, then I…"
"Sorry about this, Lector!" Sting punched his head, knocking him out. "Yukino, Kagura, sorry to you too! And you, Frosch!" Sting took all of them down.
"I had no choice but to do that...to keep all of you from falling victim to your hunger!"
"Oh? In that case, what are you planning on doing about your own hunger?"
"I'll make you my main course, bastard!" Sting yelled, rushing towards him. He punched towards Rahkeid, but the light mage simply side stepped and knocked Sting to the ground by chopping his neck.
"Look at you...so hungry that you can't muster up any power…"
"Even so…" He stood up and readied another punch. Rahkeid stopped him but slamming a beam of light into his side.
"How utterly futile."
"I'm Sabertooth's Master!"
"Sabertooth? Never heard of it." Rahkeid's cross came crashing down and impaled Sting through his shoulder.
"You're not even a member of Fairy Tail, so I would ask you to not intrude...if you know what's good for you."
"The whole reason I'm intruding...is for Fairy Tail's sake! For the sake of the guild that made me...made us see the light...but above all else…" He pulled the cross out and tossed it to the side.
"IT'S FOR NATSU'S SAKE, DAMN IT!"
"In that case, there is no cause for concern. Natsu's soul will soon be set free as well. Because I've long since decided that I shall be the one to kill him." But just then, Rogue appeared, swapping with Yukino's body.
"Rogue?! This must be the Mistress' territory!"
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm running on empty here too. I'm here as a special delivery from the Mistress. Now, eat me!"
"Rogue…"
"You're hungry, aren't you? Eat it...all of my remaining magic!" Rogue sent his shadow magic towards him.
"You know I can't just eat magic of a different property! Grgh, guess I've got no choice!" Sting started devouring it.
"All humans have three primal desires: Sexual desire...Hunger...and the desire for Slumber. So the final desire which I shall bestow...is that of sleep. However, the sleep that I grant is, unfortunately, eternal."
"Quit running your mouth! I can't stand that damn smell of yours!"
"And I cannot stand the fact that a pathetic weakling like you is still drawing breath."
"Rogue! Lend me your strength!" Sting's body began turning black.
"Fight on...White Shadow Dragon."
"I'M ALL FIRED UP!" Sting yelled.
"Allow me to introduce you to...the infallible magic of desire: 'R.I.P.'"
X
"What was that back there?" Lucy asked. "Mom wasn't herself…"
"Your mother has a certain psychological condition." a voice said. Everyone turned around quickly to see Silver standing there. They all went on guard.
"Calm down, I'm not here to fight. Besides, none of you would stand a chance against me."
"Silver…" Porlyusica lowered her hands.
"Hello again. It's been quite some time, hasn't it?"
"Lord Silver, what are you doing here?" Brandish asked respectfully. Dimaria remained silent.
"I'm here to explain a few things." He sat down in a nearby chair.
"Explain what? Why are you helping us?" Lucy asked.
"Fairy Tail was once my guild too. There's two things I think you deserve to know. The first is about your mother's little anger issues."
"Anger issues?" Lucy asked. She didn't like where this was going.
"Right. I'm sure you know this well, but she's a very friendly and loving person most of the time. In fact, she's almost never angry, and there's not much that can make her mad. Because of this, she's unintentionally repressed her emotion of anger deep inside of her mind. But on the off chance that something actually does make her angry…"
"That anger pours out and overtakes her? Like what we saw?" Lucy asked, frightened.
"That's right. What you saw was simply the beginning stages of it. Actually, one of her spells...well, when she uses it, it increases her bloodlust exponentially. She gets a thirst for battle that isn't quenched unless someone actually overpowers her form and makes her use something stronger."
"What kind of spell is it?" Lucy asked.
"It's a Takeover Spell. Actually, it's like Mira's, but a much stronger form of it. It's a Satan Soul spell: Lucifer."
"Mom uses Satan Soul?"
"Yes, and like I said, when she gets angry, the dark powers of her Lucifer form can overtake her personality, and make her angry and reckless."
"How do you know all this?" Brandish asked. "I've been part of Alvarez for a long time, but I know almost nothing of her powers, save that she was a Celestial Mage."
"I've been friends with her since childhood. In fact, we lived in the same town, and I would often visit her, and she would visit me. We're the same, after all. She always told me that I was her best friend, because she could relate to me."
"You mean you're both Gods?" Lucy asked.
"Oh, so you know."
"Yes. We found out from Gildarts."
"Ah. That would explain things."
"What...what was the second thing you wanted to tell me?" Lucy asked.
"Yes. This part is also directed at you, Dimaria." He looked over at her. She raised her head slightly.
"Layla has...discovered that her mother is still alive." Dimaria's eyes widened.
"I assume you saw that Isabella took her away with her? Well, the two of them met, and Layla has decided to leave Alvarez."
"That's great! She's back to our side then?!" Lucy asked excitedly.
"No. Actually, it's worse than that. She's joined up with her mother, as a third party."
"She joined her?!" Dimaria asked angrily.
"Yes, and I'm sure you know that that spells trouble. The two of them together...they could crush us all. If Isabella wishes it, everyone in Fairy Tail could be dead in an instant. She is not someone you want to mess with."
"What exactly...are her powers?" Lucy asked.
"She's in control of everything." Dimaria said. Everyone looked to her. "She's Chaos. She controls every aspect of this world. It may be hard to understand, but when you fight her, you'll get it. Although you'll never want to fight her. Layla's not stupid, she'd be slaughtered if she fought against her."
"Right. But in any case, you won't have to worry about Isabella right now. I doubt she'll make any moves at this point in the war. It's too early for her. However, be wary of Layla. She's more distant than she used to be. And actually, she's against both sides now. I don't think she'd have a problem killing any of you." Silver stood up and started walking up the stairs.
"I'll be waiting for you. I have a feeling I'll have to join the fight soon." He left.
"What exactly is your relationship to my family?" Lucy asked Dimaria curiously.
"I am also a god. I am descended from Chronos, the God of Time. At one point, your grandmother was looking for an assistant to help her. I was recommended for the task, so she came to visit my village to see me for herself. My mother put every effort into preparing me for the job, and hoped that I would be accepted. But as you can see, I wasn't. Isabella didn't want me. Because of the denial, my village was shunned by other various gods. We were laughingstock because they thought I wasn't chosen because I wasn't good enough. Later on, my mother sent me to Vistarion to join Alvarez and serve the Emperor, another god like me. Although when I joined, I discovered that the Empire was run by two people, an Emperor and an Empress. That would be Zeref and your mother, Layla. At first, I thought she was Isabella, and tried to attack her for picking Zeref as an assistant instead of me. But she destroyed me without even moving."
"Without moving?" Brandish asked.
"That's right. She stood still during the whole fight and still managed to defeat me. She clarified who she was to me and said that I would never match up to her or her mother." Dimaria growled.
"Hmph. I did the same when I joined, discovering that she was the leader, but once again I was defeated by her, and it cost her no effort whatsoever."
"It makes me wonder…" Lucy said.
"What?" Brandish asked.
"Since discovering that my mother is still alive, I've heard nothing but information about how strong she is. If she really is able to singlehandedly control the entire Alvarez Empire and all of you Spriggan 12, then how are we ever going to beat her?" Lucy asked.
"We're not." Dimaria said.
"Huh?"
"I know you members of Fairy Tail are used to defeating opponents by trying harder and protecting each other and all that, but that won't work this time. There are 5 members of the Spriggan 12 left, the 5 Gods of Alakatasia, and then Isabella's forces. Two of the Spriggans, Jacob and Ajeel, you've defeated before, so you'll probably be able to do it again. But then there are the other three: Rahkeid and August are far stronger than any of the rest of us. Above them are the five: Silver, Eileen, who's the strongest member of the Spriggans, Zeref himself, Yury, and then Layla. Apart from being incredibly powerful in their own rights, they also have a God Soul on top of that. And above them are the actual five gods: Uranus, Gaia, Erebus, Aether, and Nyx. They all serve Isabella, who is unbeatable. Now you see why Brandish warned you against fighting us. It was a foolish choice."
X
Silver walked back into Fairy Tail and took his place behind the bar counter.
"Did you find her?" Zeref asked.
"...Yes. She's in the palace, in Vistarion."
"What's she doing there? The place is practically empty at this point."
"She's in your room."
"My room?"
"Zeref...she knows about Isabella."
"...What?"
"That magic power we sensed. It was Isabella after all. She's still alive."
"Damn it. So then she's actually planning to intervene in this war after all…"
"So you did know about her."
"Yes. She met with Yury and I at one point about 30 years ago. She said that she will always be watching us."
"Watching us? How come?"
"Yury and I intended to invade Ishgar much earlier. But when we discovered that her purpose was to stop us from doing that, and the abilities that she had, we called off the invasion until we had all 5 of us assembled. I knew we'd have to face her sooner or later, and figured we'd have a better chance at fighting her with all of us."
"Lucky for you that one of the gods was her daughter?"
"Yes and no. I always wondered if she would end up joining Isabella eventually. I had hoped that she wouldn't, but I guess that's changed."
"...I think it's time I start heading towards Mavis. Eileen is fighting Erza now, after all." Yury said, walking out of the guild and beginning to head down the mountain.
X
"I've been chasing behind Natsu as long as I can remember. And right now, you're in the way, you bastard!"
"With this very hand, I will purify Natsu's soul once and for all. Someone as weak and insignificant as you hardly warrants my time or energies."
"Then have a taste! Of mine and Rogue's combined power of the spirit of Sabertooth!" Sting rushed towards him and punched him across the face. Rahkeid recovered quickly and tried to overcome Sting with more of his own magic, but the rays of light disappeared.
"They vanish…!"
"Your white magic is offset by Sting's own power...and…" Rogue said.
"Rogue's shadows will annihilate you!" Sting yelled, knocking Rahkeid back further. "And if I combine our two powers together…!" He created an explosive wave of light and shadow that injured Rahkeid.
"Combine as many people's powers as you'd like; it matters not. You cannot possibly resist the Final Desire. The Eternal Sleep of Death: R.I.P.!" Rahkeid's white magic power exploded around him. Sting and Rogue were startled, and suddenly became very sleepy.
"I'm being overcome...by drowsiness…" Rogue muttered, trying to keep his eyes open.
"The moment you close your eyes...will be your very last."
"Damn it! Wake up! Wake up, wake up, wake up!" Sting continuously punched himself to stay awake.
"Humans cannot possibly defy their desires. Not even Acnologia can. And consequently, I am the ultimate mage who can seize victory against Acnologia himself."
"Rogue…"
"Sting…! Enter the shadow…If you're within the shadows, all of your senses will be sharpened. It should dispel your drowsiness, if only for a moment."
"I appreciate the last minute advice, but...how the hell do I do that?"
"Feel the gravity...to the point that you can feel your feet and the ground becoming one…"
"Gravity...gravity!"
"If it's gravity you seek, let me be of assistance...I shall sink you into the ground by force!" Kagura slammed her sword into the ground, making Sting fall into the world of shadows.
"So this is...the world within the shadows...he wasn't kidding...I can feel all my senses being sharpened to their limits! Alright!" He began slithering towards Rahkeid in shadow form.
"O, Pure White Soul! Ascend to the free heavens!" Rahkeid chanted.
"Try this on for size...mine, Rogue's and Ms. Kagura's...combined technique! WHITE SHADOW DRAGON'S ROUGH SILK!" Sting used his ultimate technique, manipulating white and black strings that all stabbed Rahkeid, making him cry out in pain. He fell to the ground, wounded.
"The only one going to sleep around here is you."
"Fa...Father…"
X
Natsu continued walking around through his subconscious.
"How far are you planning on taking me, Sting?"
"Huh? I'm Rogue." He turned around, now in the form of the Shadow Dragon Slayer.
"Wha?! When the hell did you…!"
"I told you already, did I not? This is the world within your heart."
"Well if this really is my heart then quit changing the identity of the tour guide!"
"That just goes to show how terrible your attention span is, don't you think? That scarf of yours...you are aware that it's made out of Igneel's scales, correct?"
"Of course!"
"So tell me, then. Why exactly is a scarf made of Igneel's red scales...white in appearance?"
"...You've...actually got a point there!"
"You didn't even think to question it until now, I see. When Dragon Scales are separated from the body of the dragon, their pigment becomes faint."
"Well, what do you know?"
"However, that's not what's important here...When the scales of a dragon are removed, and their pigment fades, they are then able to be touched by humans. Surely you didn't actually believe that Igneel took time out to knit a human-sized scarf with his own two hands, did you?"
"Huh?! You mean he didn't?!"
"The one who actually knitted that scarf for you was a woman named Anna. Although I'm sure that has long since faded into the recesses of your memory." Natsu could see a visual of Anna knitting a red scarf.
"Lucy?!"
"Close, but not quite. A striking resemblance, isn't it? To your friend, that is…" Natsu turned around.
"Zeref…"
"Anna was such a kindhearted woman...she was especially gifted at taking care of others. Now then...your 'death' has drawn near. The final answer is just a little further ahead."
X
"This is bad! His body temperature just keeps plummeting!"
"Natsu, hang in there!"
"Lucy, hurry up and strip." Porlyusica ordered.
"Wh...why?!" she blushed.
"It's our last resort...all we can do is attempt to raise his body temperature. We can only pray...that another's warmth and feelings will bring about a miracle…"
"...Okay….." she muttered.
"Zeref…Zeref...I will...defeat…" Natsu mumbled in his sleep. "Zeref…"
"Natsu...you don't have to think about that anymore…"
"Please, Natsu...Just let it go already...If you kill Zeref...I know...then you'll die too…" Happy cried.
"Wha...Ha[[y, what did you just…?!"
"What...do you mean by that?"
"Dear god, please...save Natsu! I'm begging you!" Happy hugged him.
"If Zeref is defeated...Natsu will...die?!" Lucy asked.
Gray slowly opened his eyes…
X
"I'm going out." Silver said.
"To fight?"
"That's right. I know where Natsu and the others are. I'll be waiting nearby for when they're ready to leave."
"I see."
"Last chance. Are you sure you don't want to go in my place? He is your brother, after all."
"If Natsu can't defeat you, then he can't defeat me. I think fighting you will give him a good taste of what fighting a god is like."
"...You got it. I'll be sure to give them hell."
End.