Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Danny Phantom
With the alarm ringing through the halls, students seemed to pour out from classrooms everywhere. Danny didn't know what the heck Zeref thought he was doing by hiding all of this from them, but it didn't sit right with him. At the same time, he could hardly blame the guy either, based on what he had described. Basically, Zeref was responsible for a disaster that just might have the potential to destroy the planet. It wasn't the kind of thing Danny would want to broadcast to others either.
Keeping a hand on younger Zeref, Danny rushed out with the others. They seemed to be rather calm, all things considered. No one was running towards an exit, and there wasn't the panic he expected to see if they were under attack. Frowning, Danny began to move into the flow of bodies, with Zeref and his other companions close by. "Attacks happen often. I recall my own discussion about this project being delayed for this very reason," Zeref spoke quietly towards Danny, while the younger version of him remained silent.
"So…does this mean you are going to be able to warn us about every dragon attack in the future? Because that would be seriously helpful." Tucker's comment came with slight strain in his voice as he glanced around him.
His only response was a scowl, shaking his head. "Do you recall every detail of your past?" Tucker shook his head, while Zeref lifted an eyebrow at the boy. "Then how do you suppose I would do the same, when my past consists of a much longer timeframe?"
"Well, how was I supposed to expect that? Seriously, a thousand years? No one is that old and still looks like you!"
"Guys, could you cut it out?" Danny interrupted them, before their argument could get any more involved. "Listen, I get that Zeref kept his secrets and I know that we're still trying to figure out how to work together…but this isn't helping. Right now, we need to focus on surviving this attack and not changing—" Before he could finish, he felt Zeref grab his arm, pulling him back.
"The roof is going to be destroyed in a moment, stand back." Zeref seemed to be waiting, frowning as he gazed at the ceiling. The younger version of him frowned, watching it as well.
When a loud rumbling noise tore through the room, making the walls shake and steadily crack, Danny had a feeling it was coming. "Everyone, get close to me!" Feeling Sam and Tucker rush in close, Danny quickly went intangible, taking his friends with him. Seeing the action, Zeref, Mavis, and Natsu joined in, each resting a hand on their huddle as the ceiling caved in above them. Dust spewed into the air, blinding him for a moment. Coughing, Danny felt his powers rescind slightly, making them visible again as rubble seemed to settle along with the dust.
Not coughing, the younger Zeref gazed up at the now-visible sky. Above them, Danny could see a massive dragon with dark green scales, roaring in anger. "An earth dragon." His voice was calm, almost distant. "The dragon slayers are already here to dispatch it, though. I bet we didn't even have to hide to survive that."
Behind him, Natsu seemed to narrow his eyes at the boy. He sniffed the air for a moment, before nodding in agreement. "Yeah, sure smells like it." Younger Zeref turned at that, as if noticing Natsu for the first time. He frowned for a moment, before his gaze seemed to focus on Natsu's hair. Then, his black eyes went wide, gasping slightly and turning towards his elder counterpart for a moment. "Maybe I should go and—"
"No." Elder Zeref stopped him, frowning at his younger self rather than focusing on Natsu. "And before you ask, yes, that is Natsu. However, it took me years to reach that point with my studies."
"Aww, come on! Why can't I go fight that thing? My magic is supposed to be for this, so I can handle it."
"Because the dragon slayer dealing with it is Acnologia." His voice held warning to it, something almost ominous with that name. Danny remembered him mentioning it before, but the details were always vague, just mentions of something they had to stop without time travel.
Stopping for a moment, Natsu gazed at the elder Zeref with wide eyes. "Acnologia…that just means I should go out there and beat both of them!"
"Natsu, that is reckless and impulsive. In this moment, he is not the enemy you remember. Despite what you may believe, Acnologia truly joined this war effort to try and gain peace…he did not go mad until humanity turned on him in kind. If you attempt to defeat him now, countless lives will be lost that were meant to live on…likely including those of the individuals in this school." There was a hesitation in his voice before adding that, a pause as he glanced at his younger self before focusing on Natsu again. Seeing that, Danny realized there were still plenty of secrets in his head that he was keeping from them, but now was not the time to dig for them.
"And we do not have the amount of people with strong bonds necessary for Fairy Sphere, either." Mavis warning came from the other side of him, though she gave him a slight pat on the arm. "Don't worry, we'll figure something out. For now, let's just get to safety. Zeref, er…" She trailed off as both Zerefs turned towards her.
"Yeah, we really need to figure something out for this. Dealing with one of you was weird enough, having two is just a nightmare." Danny sighed, glancing towards them. "Older Zeref, lead the way."
"You know, technically I would have the better knowledge of this place. I might not have been here long enough, but studies show that time wears away memories and makes them—"
"Vague, hard to recall, and inaccurate." The elder version finished for his younger self, smiling slightly. "I am quite aware of my faults. However, this school is a place I would never forget. After all, it is where I finished my mission…and it was my first home after I lost everything that truly mattered."
Tucker blinked at him, following as Zeref began walking again. They turned down a different hallway, considering the rubble from the roof now blocked their original path. Students were more scarce now, most likely in whatever safe room they had set aside for this situation. "You know, that's just plain creepy. Finishing each others sentences just isn't right, even if it is yourself."
Sharing a look, both Zerefs shrugged without concern. After a few moments of silence, the younger one seemed to smile, speaking to their group. "I know this may seem rather odd, but I am glad all of you are here. Really, just seeing you…seeing Natsu…I now know that it is possible to accomplish my goals. Nothing can stop me…I will bring him back."
Remembering Zeref's story, Danny rubbed the back of his head and glanced towards Natsu. "Right…about that. See, Natsu is actually—"
"Not now, Danny. Discouraging my younger self is what will lead to…" Zeref trailed off, glancing towards the more youthful Zeref.
"I understand. If there is something I need to avoid tampering with, I will avoid it. So long as I can evade that element while accomplishing my goal, it will be worth it. Then, I can spread my knowledge to others and perfect the art…even managing to evade whatever that thing was you were talking about earlier."
"The curse." The elder Zeref spoke with a frown, glancing towards Mavis who avoided his gaze. "Every word I stated…that is the cost for tampering with the balance of life and death. It does not matter which method you choose to utilize. If you wish to bring Natsu back…that is the price you must personally be willing to pay."
That made the younger boy grow quiet, staring at his feet for a moment. His hands clenched into fists, and his shoulder seemed to tremble slightly. "No…that isn't right. Others shouldn't have to die for him..maybe…maybe I can find a way to go back like you did and—"
"No!" Zeref stopped them all, grabbing his younger self's wrist and glaring harshly at the boy. "I will not allow it…if I must drastically alter the future to preserve life as we know it, I will. If I must kill myself to prevent disaster…I will not hesitate to destroy you." There was something dark in his eyes, and this time, younger Zeref began to look frightened. In an instant, the younger boy teleported out of his older self's grip, reappearing further down the hall.
Sighing, Zeref did the same, following after the boy. When the younger Zeref began to run again, everything around them seemed to change for a moment. The world turned grey, no motion seen in the halls around them. The few students that had been milling around were frozen, and the only people moving were those that came back from the future. "It has been a long time…since I've utilized magic. I had almost forgotten the feel of it." A small smile was on Zeref's face as he approached his younger self's frozen form.
After a moment of silently observing the boy, Zeref seemed to close his eyes, grabbing something off of the wall. Danny thought it looked like some kid's art project, but the wizard only held covered it with his hands for a moment. Danny could have sworn he saw an odd light from within his clasped palms, before he pulled them apart to reveal what looked like a thin necklace, made from the paper. Then, he seemed to hold it in front of his eyes, studying it for a moment before lifting his palm, letting it stand flat in the air, not touching the necklace. It looked almost like he was asking the object to give him a high-five, which just seemed ridiculous. However, that was when dark light seemed to emerge from his palm. A dark purple glowing circle seemed to form in front of him, layered with different runes that seemed to write themselves in the air. It hovered for a moment, as if waiting for a command. Then, Zeref pushed his palm forward slightly, and as if the motion created a breeze, the circle moved. It attached to the necklace, wrapping around the surface and altering its own size to adjust to the object. After a few more moments, the piece of paper now seemed to have odd purple patterns traced along the surface, nearly unseeable due to the small size.
Watching the elder Zeref, Danny remained silent as he placed the necklace on his younger self's form. "Okay…even I have to admit, that was pretty cool. What did that just do?" Sam was watching Zeref, looking impressed with his little trick.
Stepping back from the child, Zeref didn't even glance towards her. "A magic sealing spell. This way, he cannot flee regardless of his own desires. Now that he has the idea in his head to travel through time…this will not be easy to deal with."
"You were the one who gave him that idea, you know." Danny glared at Zeref, who only shrugged. "So, we are dealing with you…sort of. How are we going to move forward with this?"
Tilting his head, Zeref seemed to inspect his former self for a moment, before smiling darkly. He lifted his hand towards his younger self, and suddenly, the young boy began moving again. However, his eyes grew wide when he noticed the change in the area around him. "What…what is this? Time manipulation may exist, but no one has come this far…" He trailed off, turning to see his elder self smiling at the young boy.
"Do you wish to learn?" It was a surprising question. Considering that they were trying to keep the kid away from messing with time, Danny thought this wasn't the right move to make. "I will not lie to you. The path you seek is dark and will cause you nothing but regret. However, if you wish to accelerate your descent into darkness…I am more than willing to be your tutor. I will show you my own magic, a field of magic which no one else has managed to recreate or even attempt to utilize in all of history. The price will be steep, and you will find yourself alone and surrounded by death…however, you will have your brother back. This much I promise you. Therefore, I ask again…do you wish to learn magic from one who has mastered spells far more advanced than anything that exists in this era?"
With the school still frozen around them, the elder Zeref held out his hand to his younger self. Watching them, Danny couldn't help but wonder what angle Zeref was playing at here. There was some plan he wasn't figuring out. He knew from experience that meeting your future self wasn't always a good feeling. Knowing how bad things might turn out normally didn't make things better in terms of imagining your own future. "You…what exactly will you be teaching me?" The younger child looked hesitant, uncertain of who to trust.
Picking up a rock from within the rubble that had collapsed, Zeref smiled. He let it rest in his palm for a moment, before a spiral of pure darkness seemed to surround it. Danny didn't know if something was happening inside or not, as the black magic kept it hidden from sight. However, when the death magic faded away, Danny saw the rock actually took on an oddly human-like shape. It had legs and arms, and seemed to be standing in Zeref's palm, still tiny just as the rock itself had been. "Living magic, the power to imbue life into anything. It goes against the natural flow of the world…however, this is the power you need to bring back your brother. Do you wish to learn, Zeref? Will you bear the price of this magic, in return for what it can offer? For I can assure you, I will not allow you to move forward in researching methods of altering time. That is one branch of magic you will never learn."
Staring at his older self, the young boy seemed to frown slightly. "That is why you're here, aren't you? Another theoretical spell went wrong…and it has put the world in danger." He didn't even pose it as a question, simply stating facts. Despite his age, this kid really was good at picking up on things. "Since it is impossible to go into the past and correct their deaths…then I suppose I have no choice. Promise me that Natsu will have his second chance…and then I'll agree to learn from you."
Glancing at Zeref, Danny glared at the black wizard. "Look…I don't know what you think you're doing, but—"
"Accelerating my past" Zeref's reply came before Danny could finish. He blinked at the black wizard, noticing the way Zeref seemed to smile at his younger self. "By learning to resurrect my brother at a younger age…things will still fall into place as they were meant to. Perhaps a few differences will be seen…but the overall effect will be as minimal as I can establish. Now, our greater issue will be dealing with Acnologia…but that too, can be determined in time." His gaze focused on the young wizard who was frowning in confusion at their conversation about future events. "For now, I have a student to begin teaching, one whose potential has been ignored for quite some time."
It has been a while since I've come back to this story. I did finish a draft of how to end it...but I didn't like how it turned out, so I've been trying to think of how to rework the end. As a result, I didn't quite know where changes would begin...hence the delay in posting this chapter. Overall, I still haven't thought of what to change about it, but I have been getting requests for an update, so here one is. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!