Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or The Mortal Instruments
Zeref and Mavis were not the first ones to locate the demon. When the arrived at Central Park, a wide open space for the dragon to fly, Fairy Tail wizards had already begun fighting against it. "My magic isn't hitting this thing, what the hell is it?" Natsu complained, releasing a massive torrent of fire against the monster. Acnologia seemed to smirk in response, opening his mouth and swallowing it whole.
Zeref saw this, grimacing as he realized what had happened. August's magic, his ability to see any style of magic and know its weaknesses, had still remained strong within Acnologia. "How many of you have attacked thus far?" Zeref asked, seeing the others turn towards him. They were breathing hard, Erza with her heaven's wheel armor on, Gray shirtless, and Lucy with her whip in hand.
Lucy turned towards Zeref, frowning with wide eyes as she kept her gaze locked on the attacking demon. "All of us have tried, nothing seems to work. It's as if he knows about all of our magic already…"
Zeref nodded, stepping closer to Acnologia with a dark look on his face. Mavis was left standing next to Lucy, watching him with worry in her eyes. "I see, so you've unlocked that ability, have you Acnologia?" Zeref questioned.
The dragon seemed to smirk as he turned towards Zeref, lowering his neck so his gaze could lock on the demon emperor. "Indeed, the few remnants of the old man you once knew are fading away. Soon, I shall know all of his secrets, and with that, I will know the key to destroying you."
Zeref narrowed his eyes at Acnologia, his irises flashing red for a moment. "I am immortal, and at the moment, I hold no desire for death." Zeref stated. "You should have came for me sooner, Acnologia. Perhaps then I would not feel the need to defend myself."
"Your wizards have lost the element of surprise, and I've seen their magic. With August's copy magic, do you truly think they can stop me?" Acnologia insisted, glancing at the wizards. As if to prove his point, the dragon lashed out with his front left claw. It rushed towards Gray, who grimaced as he prepared to block it.
"Ice Make: Shield!" he shouted, ice forming in front of his body to attempt to block the attack. Acnologia's claw smashed directly through it, shattering the ice and sending Gray flying backward onto the grass below.
Zeref watched blandly, turning towards the others with a frown. "I see. Lucy, you utilize celestial magic, correct?" he asked, watching the girl nod. "And Erza, you are a requip wizard?" Erza did the same, her sword held ready to fight. "It appears as if the two of you are best suited to the task of battling against him. He may understand your magic, but unlike the others, he cannot utilize it himself."
They nodded, stepping forward despite their exhaustion. "Come on, I wanna fight too!" Natsu complained, glaring over at Zeref.
"You are free to try, however, it will be dangerous. Acnologia can counter every spell you throw at him, Natsu. Keep that in mind as you battle," Zeref warned, seeing the fire wizard grin and join his friends. "I need you to buy me some time. It will be a moment before I can implement the spell I have planned."
The set-up for the spell was complex, that was something Zeref had known from the start. This was where the risky part came in, seeing Erza charge forward with her sword in hand. Acnologia swatted it aside, barely breaking a sweat as he lunged forward to eat the wizard. Seeing his attack, Lucy lashed out with her whip. The object itself seemed to be magical, stretching as far as she needed it to and wrapping around Acnologia's jaw. Lucy pulled hard, jerking the dragon back and away from her friend.
"Open, Gate of the Bull, Taurus!" she shouted afterwords, swinging a key through the air. A massive cow seemed to appear from no where, joining the fight and swinging his axe towards the dragon. Meanwhile, Zeref knelt on the ground. A small flame was in his hand, being utilized to char the ground and draw a magic circle beneath his feet. The symbols had to be placed just right, and in the correct order. Otherwise, this would fail completely and Mavis would use her last resort once more.
Acnologia spun around towards Taurus, his claw slashing against the cow and stopping him almost immediately. "Just one attack? Oh no, we're screwed!" Lucy stated, running away when the dragon turned on her. She managed to get quite a ways, but the demon was faster. Acnologia slammed the back of his claw into her back, sending her flying into one of the few trees in the park. Lucy groaned, hunched over on the ground as Natsu moved in to try his hand against the demon.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu shouted, charging forward carelessly with flames dancing around his hand. The dragon watched with a bored look, letting the attack hit his chest. Not even phased by Natsu's flames, Acnologia picked the boy up, holding Natsu up to his face.
"You are an irritating pest, I'll admit that." Acnologia commented, smirking over at Natsu. "However, you are still weak. You will fall just as the others have. I hope you enjoy death, wizard!"
Zeref's eyes widened as he saw Natsu's predicament. He stopped drawing, biting his lip as he glanced over at the other book he had with him. Natsu could be saved…if he became a demon. END had the strength to get out of this, but at the same time, Natsu would never be the same once the demon was unleashed.
Acnologia roared in pain suddenly, snapping Zeref out of his indecision. At the dragon's feet were two new individuals, who had just rushed into the battle from the other side of the park. "Man, you weren't kidding, this really is one ugly bastard." Jace commented, having just slashed through Acnologia's leg with his seraph blade. By his side was Clary, holding her own glowing sword in hand with a wicked grin.
"I would not taunt him if I were you." Zeref warned, but it was already too late. Acnologia dropped Natsu after Jace's attack, the dragon slayer slumping over on the ground after his long fall.
"Natsu!" Lucy shouted, limping over to his side and checking on his health. Acnologia was still turning towards the new fighters, the shadowhunters at his legs that were clearly angering him.
The dragon lashed out with his claws at first, attacking Jace with the sharp and lethal weapons on his own body. The golden shadowhunter jumped aside, dodging swiftly and moving to attack again with his seraph blade. "Meddlesome creatures! Always, fools getting in my way. You shall die a painful death like all the rest!" Acnologia declared.
Jace blinked, clearly not expecting the demon to speak. "Oh, so you can talk, huh?" he commented, glancing over at Clary. The red-head had circled the dragon and was now poised to strike his other hind leg. "In that case, you should know that I am not a fool! I am the most amazing person you'll ever meet, Jace Herondale!"
Zeref wanted to smack the boy. His snark was about to get himself killed. Clary took her attack, slashing out at Acnologia's uninjured back leg and making the beast roar once more. Angered and injured, the beast finally decided to take this battle seriously and end it quick. He leaned back, his jaw wide open while Zeref's eyes went wide. "Run!" he shouted, picking up both books and charging towards Lucy and Natsu on the ground. Mavis joined him, staying close to his side as he pressed his hands against both of the wizards' arms. The shadowhunters could save themselves, but these two could hardly move. Erza and Gray were a bit off to the side, so while they would feel some of the blow, the blast would not hit them head-on.
Jace and Clary blinked at him, taking his advice and rushing deeper into the park. Zeref quickly activated his magic, teleporting the four of them to the other side of the dragon as he released his breath attack. A devastating torrent of water was unleashed, instantly flooding streets and killing countless of innocent lives. Buildings were torn apart, their windows shattered from the force of the water, and in the park, trees were torn from their roots. Lights went flying away, shattering at some distant point in the city and benches were lifted into the air and tossed aside like pieces of trash.
When the breath attack ended, Zeref was left staring at a soaked battleground. Water still covered most of the area, though the force of his attack had sent the majority of it into the main city. Lingering puddles splashed as Gray and Erza rose to their feet, facing the demon with looks of fear on their faces.
Glancing over at Jace, Zeref scowled. "I told you before, it is not wise to taunt Acnologia. Much like with myself, people tend to die when he is angered."
Acnologia turned towards them, glaring harshly at the group still standing after his attack. "Well, that would have been helpful to know a bit earlier," Jace commented, grimacing at the sight of all the damage. "What now?"
Zeref glanced over towards the soaked ground. In the dirt, his burnt circle still remained, finished just before Acnologia's breath attack. "Keep him distracted. If possible, guide him towards me in just a moment," Zeref answered, moving back towards the spell he had created.
Acnologia was not going to let him do so, however. The dragon slashed his claw out towards Zeref. The surprise attack gave Zeref no time to dodge, leaving Zeref gasping as the dragon's talons slashed through his skin. Blood dripped down his body while Zeref shoved himself free of Acnologia's claw. He coughed violently, aware that the attack had pierced through his lungs. It was hard to breath; the attempts he made created hitching noises in the air as he closed his eyes.
Acnologia did not let up, either. With Zeref already wounded, he moved to slam the demon emperor into the ground. One claw stepped on Zeref, leaving him painfully broken on the grass. Bones snapped, the sound echoing around him as the dragon's weight put more stress on his body.
"Zeref!" Mavis shouted, seeing what was happening.
The demon emperor saw her face, the worry written across her expression. Grimacing, he realized he needed to break free soon. She was going to call upon Raziel if he didn't, and that would not end well for either of them. Focusing, Zeref called on his magic again, this time teleporting to his circle rather than running. Acnologia roared in anger, moving to chase after him.
Jace and Clary interfered, their seraph blades dancing around the demon. Jace jumped onto Acnologia's back, his blade piercing through the dragon's scales and imbedding itself into his back. The dragon's eyes widened, spinning around in anger as he growled towards his attacker. His motions became wild, trying to shake the shadowhunter from his back. Clary moved quickly to dodge his footsteps, rolling across the ground when she got close to becoming squished beneath Acnologia's weight.
Seeing a small opening, Clary dove underneath the dragon, slashing her blade across his abdomen and leaving the demon in even greater pain. "I shall destroy you all! No one survives after attacking me, the King of the Dragonidae!" he shouted, his voice echoing throughout the city.
Taking in shaky breaths, Zeref could already feel some of his wounds healing. Blood still covered his clothes and skin, making him look far worse than he actually was. Glancing over at Acnologia, Zeref narrowed his gaze. His hands pressed into the ground, just on the edge of his circle as black lines seemed to glow, rising into the air. The notebook rested in the center of the circle, its pages flying as if a massive wind had just arrived in the park.
"I shall stop you, Acnologia. I will seal away this darkness, by bringing back the life owed to the light." Zeref promised, his gaze dark as he rose to his feet. His jeans were beginning to be affected by the spell, rustling as his hair flew around his face. Zeref's arms raised into the sky, his eyes closing as he focused his gaze upward.
The spell was enacted, ensnaring them all, but for some reason, it wasn't working. Black light circled around Acnologia, leaving the dragon roaring out into the sky on the grass. He lashed out in anger, his tail swishing on the ground and slamming into Clary. The red-head gasped, coughing as she flew back onto the ground from the attack. "Clary!" Jace shouted, rushing over to her side as he glared over at Acnologia.
"His spirit isn't there, Zeref." Mavis stated calmly, gazing over at the dragon. The demon emperor frowned, sensing the issue as well. What he had done was trying to seal away the demonic power of this beast, but the body could not find anything else to replace it with. "The spell will fail if we do not find it soon. You cannot seal away power when there is no spirit to replace it with."
Clary glanced over at them, overhearing her comment as her eyes went wide. "Zeref…blood…calls to…blood…" she mumbled, sounding weak as she clutched her stomach tightly. She may have broken a few ribs in her fall, and right now, it seemed to take most of her effort to speak.
Acnologia roared again, his pain resounding around the city as Zeref stepped closer. Picking up a fallen sword, likely one of Erza's from the wizard's attacks, Zeref dragged it across his own wrist. "Indeed, blood calls to blood. August, if you truly are of my family, heed my call and come forth," he ordered, standing calmly before the dragon.
The black light seemed to be lessening, its hold weakening on the dragon. Nothing was changing, the demon still in control of the beast writhing on the ground. Scowling, Zeref raised his arm again, this time letting his blood drip onto the beast in the grass. "August, Angel of Creation, I call upon thee! You will obey my command, and return to your body!"
There was a forcefulness to Zeref's voice, tinged with anger and malice as dark red liquid dripped onto the dragon at his feet. The light of the spell was nearly gone, swirling shadows fading away into nothing and leaving Zeref's eyes wide. The dragon's motions had stopped, but now, there was nothing to seal away this power. Stepping back, Zeref prepared for another attack.
As he did so, golden light seemed to explode from the dragon's body. Shadowhunters, wizards, angels, and demons alike stood and watched as the light blinded them from what was occurring within. It was like a beacon, shining upward into the heavens. The notebook in Zeref's magic circle seemed to glow with a darker light, shadows surrounding it and becoming runes in the air. They flew from the sky and towards the pages, appearing to fill the book in an instant before it slammed shut. The notebook looked nothing like before now transformed into a tomb quite similar to the Book of END. The only difference was in the words on the cover, Acnologia instead of END.
Where the dragon once stood, the light began to fade away. In its place was now what appeared to be a man, ancient with pure white hair flowing behind his back. He wore no shirt, but luckily, he did have a pair of tattered brown pants on as his eyes flickered open. Zeref remained still, still in disbelief as August sat up and frowned at the place around him. Black eyes met each other, leaving father and son staring at each other silently in the park, the destruction around them just a distant memory.
So, I am half-asleep, which likely means there are some errors in this chapter. Sorry ahead of time for them! Feel free to review and tell me what you think!