I cannot say how much I am sorry for taking so long! Time flew by so quickly, but I finally got a taste of freedom to work on this! I'm sorry if the ending is disappointing or not what everyone wanted, but hey, that's what stories are like. It's definitely not long enough to make up for all the time that has gone by, but I hope you enjoyed nonetheless! Thank you for being patient and giving this story a chance!
My body... feels light as a feather. Huh... light...
That's right. Sting was fighting just now, against Rahkeid. He used the greatest potential of both White and Shadow Magic to get the upper-hand against his opponent. Sting showed me the power of two contrasting forces, not as adversaries, but as partners. He showed me what my potential could be. He gave me that opportunity. But then again, I don't have that possibility anymore. My body feels light and yet, there's nothing light in me anymore.
"Come now, you're the last person to believe that people are inherently evil just from using Black Magic," that snickering voice... I can instantly recognize it from anywhere. It was like an out of body experience just by hearing it. My eyes shot wide open and standing right in front of me was that unkempt, spiky hair unfashionably paired with a formal suit. That smug look on his face obviously making it clear to me that he is taking in the delight of seeing my reaction. Tears streamed down my face. I would normally hate for him to see me cry. I always wanted to be the adult. But this time... I didn't care at all. He tilted his head to the side and just smiled softly. Like a parent understanding why his child is hurt. He suddenly appeared right in front of me and started petting my head. "Cla~ri~on~chan."
"How am I seeing you... Lucifer?"
"Technically, I'm not Lucifer. But, you wanted to see me, and therefore, I will be here... like I have always been," he said with a smile and a wink. He changed the image of the space around us to that of the night sky, full of stars.
I didn't quite understand what he was saying. But he did have a point. There was no way that Lucifer could just suddenly appear by my side. We had no contracts, no locks, nothing connecting him and I to allow him to enter this world. And just now... I was with Sting and Rogue.. and everyone else. But where exactly am I now? I was able to stand, make a few steps, turn my head around. I was in a sea of nothingness. Everything was white, but you can clearly see that there was some sort of floor for the both of us to stand up straight on. However, it also felt like my body was detached from the gravity. It felt as if I would just float away if I were to tip toe on my feet. The best that Lucifer could explain where we were was in my heart. It sounded like a cheesy, naive thing to say, but really, I couldn't explain this phenomenon myself. If we were within my subconscious, then there must be a reason why my body is trying to tell me something.
"Have it ever occurred to you why a devil like had powers of the light?" he said as he looked up at the sky. "I was once a Celestial Spirit, you know. But the Celestial King didn't fancy me making a contract with Zeref... I was too prideful of myself. And then everything fell into place when I fell from the Celestial Spirit World to the Devil Spirit World. But Clarion-chan..."
"Why are...," I was about to ask him why he was telling me all of this. It wasn't Lucifer himself... so how could I believe these new facts? Has he told me this before? Is it some sort of information that I learned when our contracts were broken? But he looked back down and interrupted me.
"It just goes to show... that everyone has their past, their history, everything that makes up their resolve," he finished his sentence as I looked past him to the stars behind him.
"Let's go, Clarion," I looked over to see that it was a new voice that had spoken. He had heavy sounding footsteps that started echoing throughout this field that has changed again to nothing but a dark mass. He had long white hair and a rather thick coat that covered the rest of his body. But noticing that I wasn't following him, he stopped and turned around, allowing me to confirm the identity of this new face. "How long are you going to keep standing there, child?"
"Hades...," I picked up a slow, but steady pace behind him as we continued walking to who knows where. It was difficult to return to this memory. I've spent a good chunk of my life in Grimoire Heart. And that whole time, I never knew that Hades had already been connected to my life. I would have never been born if it wasn't for him. I wonder what he thought when he realized that I existed... well of course, he located me down to offer me a place of belonging. Even though I never felt at home in that guild. "What's happening to me?"
"Your life is at a war within itself, it's struggling to come to terms whether or not you should exist."
"Can one's body really do something like that?" I questioned even though I had no right to argue against something I wasn't even sure I knew the answer to. For quite some time, I've always felt like I was at a war with myself, but I thought it was a mental thing. How come I've lived throughout my childhood and adolescence without feeling this way? Was it because I wasn't as aware of it, or mature enough to understand it? Was there something protecting my body from rejecting itself? Was it... Zeref's necklace protecting me this entire time? With it being cracked and broken... has it finally been the time for me to come to terms with myself? I've been overdue for everything huh...
"It can, if its born from multiple species... imbued with different properties... or all of the above," he said as he turned around. I blinked and Hades became Zeref himself with that usual, soft smile on his face. You couldn't tell if his grin was meant to be menacing or soothing. He spoke again, "You will probably never hear enough that you were born from interesting human beings."
"Acnologia isn't human," I immediately retorted his statement. The thought that I was born from that monster disgusted me. I hate being reminded of that. I could usually just ignore that fact from my mind and reject from being a part of my memory... but my existence isn't something that could always be avoided or forgotten. It isn't something I can change. It's not something I want to accept at all... but I am who I am, that's all that should matter... and that's why I can't standing hearing it over and over. I don't need to hear it, because I already know. I was content just hearing it once.
"Of course he isn't to you," Zeref kept that same smile. Of course, Acnologia was human. I don't know the process behind turning into a dragon and I don't know how much of his human genes that he retained. If he is the ultimate dragon... then I suppose he can be whatever he wants to be... and do whatever he wants to do. "And that's why I'll do anything to annihilate him."
The sound of my heartbeat felt like it echoed across the entire space. My vision had spaced out for a bit and I was completely zoned out from all my surroundings. Zeref always did want to beat Acnologia, to destroy him... even if it meant taking the world with him? What was Zeref's goal? What happens after? To create a new world... to let the world start over before it was thrown into darkness by him and Acnologia? For my sake? Because he destroyed my childhood? But for what?
What was it?
"Clarion," that voice brought me back to my senses, but my vision was still trying to adjust back to reality. My eyes were open, but all I could see was a pink blur you could recognize from anywhere. Who else could it be other than Natsu? Was it just my imagination again? My conscious manifesting him? I just smiled to myself that all these figures in my life have been repeatedly changing, it was ridiculous. What was the purpose of everything? "You're here too?"
"Too?" I questioned him. The fact that he was wondering why I was here... means that we were both being manifesting in some sort of conscious state, connected somehow, through someway. Now that I think about it, there was something about Natsu that felt different from the other figures that appeared before me. Something did felt like he was more human, warm, and had a conscious on his own. His presence seemed genuine, and that alone was enough to confirm his identity. So our state of mind has been intertwined for whatever reason. I suddenly felt another presence, it wasn't just me and Natsu in this space. And all I had to do was just turn around.
And there was the intensity radiating from a dragon's body.
"You're.. Igneel," I said softly. Seeing a dragon up close, illusion or not, was always a sight to see no matter how many times you've been close to one of these monstrosities. It was almost terrifying to be right in front of the Fire King himself, but knowing it was Igneel... made me feel more at ease. After all, he raised Natsu like a father. I could always trust a father of Natsu's... but I can't even trust my own... not Acnologia, not Zeref... Lucifer could also be in question from all the things he and the rest of my sins had kept from me. Next thing I knew, there wasn't just an empty white space around us anymore. I could see the ground, I could see distant terrain. It almost looked like a stereotypical vision of what hell would look like. The ground the cracked, smoke filled the air, volcanoes erupting, but there was no crackling sounds, or puffiness in our lungs.
"The dragon seed...," he spoke with great ferocity in his voice, but you could tell that he had wise words to say. "It's the identity of what's inside your bodies... it grows within the darkness that Dragon Slayers carry..."
"Both our bodies?" Natsu turned to look at me for a moment, and then turned back to his foster guardian. "Last time I checked, Clarion ain't a Dragon Slayer."
"That's true... but you do not need to be a Dragon Slayer for your body to identify with a dragon seed," he explained.
"Is it that one time...? With Acnologia?" Natsu mentioned the time that Acnologia emerged from my own body at the same time as the other Dragon Slayers had with their respective foster parent. I hated that we had to talk about this again, but I suppose that it is within Natsu's best interest if this sort of this was not kept from him. If Igneel sees Natsu gaining some sort of benefit or understanding out of this, I rather not oppose his reason to why he is revealing this to him. But we are within our subconscious... maybe I really wanted to tell Natsu.. and this is just a better way for me to tell him.
"That's one of the reasons... however, Acnologia did not have the intention of preventing Dragonification," Igneel explained. "During the events at Tenrou Island, Acnologia attempted to destroy it but that was thwarted from Mavis' Fairy Sphere and Clarion's Magic."
"My Magic? But I didn't even know I had Black God Slayer Magic at that moment,"I questioned.
"You didn't have to know, all that mattered was that you tried using it," he said. "Because of that, you ended up creating a void within your own body which Acnologia ended up being absorbed similarly to how us Dragons confined in the children. With the presence of other Dragons in the area, he was able to break free."
"How is that even possible with Clarion...?" Natsu finally asked that ultimate question.
"Acnologia created her," he revealed. "With the help of a clone of Mavis, created by Hades. But... that's not the only reason. There's still one more seed within her... and it is within you as well."
"Seed? There's another identity to both of us?" I started getting lost.
"Let's call it the demon's seed. It is proof that Natsu is E.N.D. and Clarion...," he looked at me knowing that I was growing anxious at this cause it was the first I was hearing any of this. I didn't expect Natsu to learn more than just my connection to Acnologia. "Hades did clone Mavis... however, he was given the task by Zeref himself. He was the one to return her body to Hades after she was left in a comatose state and also left him one of his books. From the Book of Zeref, Hades was successful in using the taboo to create something similar to how Natsu was reborn... as a demon... who later became your mother."
I was left speechless and in shock. My mouth was slightly open as if I wanted to say something, but I didn't have a voice.
"These two seeds that are inside both of your bodies are trying to fuse... and that's what's happening inside your bodies."
There was a brief pause before Natsu spoke up.
"So, that's why we're dying?"
"Correct, the fuse between those two seeds are disturbing your life force as a human."
"As a human...," I thought in my head. All of this information was starting to hit me... and I grew even more confused with my identity and the purpose of me coming into this world. Was I just created to be the anti-Acnologia? If it was Zeref who gave Hades the guidance to create my mother... was she naturally drawn to Acnologia somehow? Someway? Was this Zeref's plan? He loved Mavis-dono... he did, right? He failed Mavis... he failed my mother... he's failing me. I don't understand anything anymore, but neither did Natsu. What were we suppose to do?
"But don't try to fuse them... pick one," Igneel informed us. "Are you dragon... or a demon...?"
But why only those two choices? Sure there is two seeds in both of us... but there is one body that contains them. Natsu had the same thought as well. It wasn't a matter of picking one or the other... the fact was that we were both raised as Mages... human Mages.
"Natsu was brought up as a demon... raised by a dragon... Clarion was born from a demon and a formerly human dragon, raised by devils... but you are both made to be humans," Igneel smiled as he was satisfied with our thought process toward his question. "Now go forth on your feet once more you two..."
"Let's do this... Clarion!" Natsu squeezed my hand as we were both being engulfed with the light, preparing to revisit the world that attempted to shut us out.
My eyes slowly fluttered, adjusting itself back to reality. I don't know what kind of phenomenon made my consciousness go into some other state along with Natsu's... but I'm glad it didn't take me somewhere I didn't want to go. My vision got a little bit clearer and I started getting my sense of touch back. Before I could even see anything, I soft fuzzy, fluffy thing clung itself onto my face.
"Clare-kun!" Lector cried out as he hugged my face. I was going to question why he chose this area out of all places, but I realized that I had every other part of my body covered with... other bodies that I had to kick away. "Your body temperature dropped and felt so cold! So Sting-kun made everyone help out to keep you warm!"
"Stupid," I commented under my breath. Sting himself was still holding onto me. I must have made him worry to death. I sure would have if Sting suddenly had his body feel cold and lifeless. But this wasn't the time to feel sorry about it. Natsu must be awake wherever he is too, and he must be heading over to Zeref. Before another word could be said, massive amounts of lights came shining through the ground and up to the sky. We were all confused and concerned about this foreign light, but it didn't feel threatening. We braced for ourselves, not knowing what will happen with this light (this sort of stuff seems to happen a lot... how much Magic do people have to make the whole area glow like this).
"We're...," Sting said as he looked around him. I moved my head to the side as well to see that we were in the market area of Magnolia. It appears that the terrain had returned to normal, that's good... that gives us a better advantage and a little bit of momentum on our end. That also makes things easier by already knowing that Zeref is in Fairy Tail's building. No matter where Natsu ended up, he would always be heading there, everyone must be heading over there. Sting noticed that I was trying to get out of his grasp, but he reacted by holding me closer.
"What are you...," I tried asking him what his problem was.
"Please, don't...," he was showing a side to him that he would only show to me... only I would break him down like this with all the things I put him through. "I... I can't lose you..."
"Hey... don't think like that," I softened up a bit to be nicer to him. It wouldn't be fair of me to beat him down while he's so broken right now. I bet he thought he lost me a lot of times, he must be at his limit. No matter what words I tell him, the truth is that neither of us really know what the outcome of this war will be. But if he dwells so much of the worst case scenario, then we will never win. We have to believe that there is always a chance for us to come out alright. If we admit defeat now, we might as well be dead already. He seemed to calmed down a bit, but I couldn't just stay here when everyone else is fighting.
"... Father... I have to protect... father...," a straining voice was heard around the corner. We didn't immediately draw ourselves to the source of the voice, but we knew already that it was a weakened Rahkeid pulling his body toward Zeref. He was forcing himself so much despite the fact that he was in no condition to move... let alone protect one of most powerful people on this battlefield. My initial response was to go follow him, but Sting knew this already and held me back with one arm around me.
"He can't hurt me," I tried reasoning with him. Sure, this was the guy that attempted to kill us all (but who doesn't, right?).
"Someone else can," he responded back immediately in the most serious tone I've heard him say.
"Then what do you want me to do?" I started getting agitated. I understood why he wanted to protect me, but keeping me away from the fight won't solve anything. "Stand around and do nothing while everyone else is putting themselves out there for our sake? Natsu is going where Rahkeid is going... and they're going to Zeref."
"So, you want me to just leave you? Let you go?" he asked sternly. He really wanted to ask me what he would do if he were to lose me. In that moment, I had to think about what I'd do if I lost Sting. I closed my eyes shut to try clearing my thoughts. I wanted to tune everything out so I could think clearly. With my eyes still shut, I instinctively gripped onto Sting's hand. I squeezed it tightly to show him that I was scared, that I'm not trying to run away. But I had to make decisions.
"I want you to trust me," I finally looked back at him while saying those words. His eyes slightly opened up wider as if he was realizing something. He was shaking, but still pulled me in for an embrace. He whispered ever so softly to be careful. I was more than motivated to come back alive. I don't know what I'd do if I come across something worth my life... but I really hope that it really doesn't have to come to that. I lost a bit of time, but with Rahkeid's state... he shouldn't have crawled so far. Before moving out of Sting's sight, I felt his gaze on my back. I turned around back at him to see him off one last time before heading off.
"Sting-kun!" we heard Lector cry out from a few blocks away.
"Come back to us, safe and sound," Sting said solemnly as that was his cue to get back to his partner. He accepted that he had to let me go, but I won't let that be the last words I hear from him. Rahkeid was out of my sight, but I went into the direction of the guild's headquarters. I couldn't run at my full capacity, but it will have to do. I should probably be able to beat Rahkeid getting there, hopefully.
As I got closer to the guild hall, I could feel the rumblings of a battle just by stepping on the ground below me. It felt much more intense than a normal brawl that would usually happen inside. Rahkeid's presence was very faint, but I could sense that he was about to arrive shortly. Instead of confronting him, I decided to just hide away and let him do what he wants. I had a feeling in my gut that he wouldn't have a big impact on the fight between Natsu and Zeref... but not for the reason that you would think. Based off of our encounter... Rahkeid is unloved by his own father, that must be something so damaging to his mind. Even now, he's still trying to get Zeref to look at him like a son. It was heartbreaking to see that someone like this could grow up to be demented and twisted. Maybe it was just me saddened at how someone that could be family would end up like this. I'm too much of a good person. Rahkeid almost killed us. But maybe all he needs... is just some form of love.
I watched Rahkeid enter through one of the open doors of the guild hall, he managed to get up on his feet, but was still slouching and struggling to stand. He didn't seem to notice me because he was so invested in getting to Zeref. At this point, I didn't bother to hide so I just slowly followed behind him.
"Slumber," he dared come between Zeref and Natsu. Although Natsu was pretty resilient from spells targeted on him, he still found himself under the effects of getting sleepy. Again, Rahkeid didn't seem to notice my presence, still has his tunnel vision... so fixated on his focus with Natsu. He saw his father's little brother... as the one source of his suffering... the reason why he can't get over to love his child. Although I can't imagine how Rahkeid was conceived, he was raised to believe that Zeref, his creator, is his father. He really has no one else in his life to turn to, to ever come to for love. What's left is someone who shares no amount of affection for him. He was doomed from the start. For all of his life, he will always have unrequited love from the only people he sees as family. Was that how he was created? "Hurry up and kill this hindrance! Be free from your curse of your younger brother!"
Rahkeid began laughing maniacally. Using all what's left of his strength to bask in this moment. He though he had done it, he had given his father what he wanted.
"Don't interrupt," Zeref said in quiet anger. But I couldn't react fast enough and I could feel a surge of power rushing toward one direction along with the painful screams of Rahkeid. But I had to react now, or things will get worse.
"Ogama...," I conjured my scythe into my hand and immediately dashed from behind the doors right, preparing to strike at Zeref who was only surprised for a second from my presence. He simply dodged my slashes and moved back to get some distance between us. I didn't persist with the strike, I still wanted to hear what he could say.
"Father... it hurts... it hurts...," Rahkeid cried out in pain which only had Zeref grit his teeth in annoyance.
"I have no children... I have no family...," he called out. "You're a book I created! A demon from that book!"
He held his hand up and I didn't move from my position in between Rahkeid and Zeref. Without a moment's notice, the agonizing screams of Rahkeid was heard from a blast straight through his upper body. I thought I was going to hear more words, not cries... and then, there was nothing more. There wasn't anymore sounds, I couldn't even hear Rahkeid's panting, the sound of his breathing. The last thing I heard was his pain, and Zeref just stopped it right then and there. My heart sank as I was starting to take this all in. I crouched down and just held my head to contain all these feelings. It also didn't help at all how similar he looked like Sting.
"Clarion," Zeref spoke out to me. "He wasn't who you think he is. He isn't who he says he is. I am no father and he was not my child."
"But you are a brother," I said softly without moving my body around to see him. Despite the brief surge of despair I felt a second before, hearing Zeref's voice so calm also calmed me down. I felt like he was telling me the truth, that he was just some demon he created. But Rahkeid still had his own feelings, his own emotions, his own life. But if I let my emotions go down in a spiral, it might be the end of me. Maybe not by Zeref, but by something else threatening our home.
"I'm-"
"Yes, we know who you are. You're a brat who takes a father for granted," Natsu interrupted him by throwing a fist full of flames into the Black Mage's face. I took this moment to stand up In Zeref's brief moment of distraction, he took the force of the attack and flew straight back. But the force of that wasn't enough as Zeref returned back on his feet, somewhat giddy by the initiation. It wasn't something Natsu had to pull all his strength in, it was more to snap out of Zeref's thought process and senseless chatter.
"I... struggled a lot, I tried so hard to obtain happiness," Zeref went on with what he wanted to say anyways. He didn't look at any of us in the eye, just gripped a lone fist in his hand. "But this body kills everyone I love without mercy..."
He started smiling like a maniac. That curse of his obviously taking a toll on his mental state.
"I could not have a family...," his smile grew as he laughed out everything he said. "I could have have happiness... I will never be forgiven!"
Natsu grunted as he took steps forward closer to Zeref until he was right up at his face. "It has NOTHING to do with forgiveness! YOU make your OWN happiness!"
"Look at right's in front of you, Zeref...," I said in a more calming tone than Natsu's rage. The two brothers were prepared to start another round of fighting, something I felt like I shouldn't come in between. "This is family... no matter how twisted and complicated it all came out to be..."
"Clarion! Can you hear me?! Come to me, quickly! I've found it! I've found a way to defeat Zeref... but this is our last chance!"" It was the sound of the First in my head through telepathy. I thought back to respond to her that I hear her. I hesitated for a moment, but you could physically feel the passion in the air. I looked back at Natsu, and Mavis seemed to tell that I was worried about leaving him behind. "Have faith in Natsu!"
"Are you sure about that?" I asked her again for confirmation. I stared down at the petite founder of Fairy Tail. We both had our hands balled up in fists.
"Yes, I'm certain that it's the only way," Mavis said with utmost confidence as she looked up at me with the most serious eyes I've ever seen on her.
"You don't have to do this alone just because you suffer from a similar curse," I responded back. Zeref suffered all his life with the Curse of Contradiction that everything he loved was destroyed around him. Although Mavis contracted the same fate as he did, she was spared from all that suffering from getting into that comatose state and encased in lacrima to protect everything around her. But it does make sense that... the only person that could ever stop Zeref would be something or someone he could never destroy. Because, she is immortal, right? But..., "But, what if it doesn't work out the way you planned? You are Zeref's target, his ultimate goal."
"Then, that's where you come in," Mavis said almost immediately. Even though I was expecting her to say something like that, it wasn't the answer I wanted to hear. I lifted my fist up and stared down at it. It frustrated me to just think of myself as worth something more than what everyone's giving me credit for.
"Bullshit. Why do they even call this God Slaying Magic? Has anyone even slain a God?" I spoke out in resentment. "Zancrow, Shelia, Orga, Me... none of us. That God Soul Mage... she wasn't even a real God and that was much more than anything I could have ever handled... it costed a lot just to take her down, and Natsu... all it took was Natsu... and he's the one fighting Zeref, not me. What makes everyone think I can somehow make a difference in Ankhseram...? All this time, I've been believing in things that I couldn't see, things that weren't proven to me, and it's just eating me up inside."
"You're looking at me now, aren't you?" she responded without moving her gaze away from me. She stood on her tip toes to hold my shoulders. I could feel her arms shaking ever so subtly. "You look at Fairy Tail, our guild. You look at Sting. You look at Natsu, Zeref. Now, look what's happening now."
I stayed quiet, but I saw what she was trying to say.
"I know your life has been nothing but disorder, full of people with lies and secrets. But, I beg of you, Clarion," she bowed her head in front of me. "Give me one more chance. Leap into faith with me, just this one last time. You may not see it now... but you'll be able to see your own path again, just... I just need you."
What choice do I have really? I really am just letting the past and other people catch up to me. But I guess I just needed to hear some reassurance to push me one more time. For now, I have to leave all those thoughts aside.
One last go.
It was strangely quiet, but we barged through the doors to the guild hall to see that Zeref had restrained Natsu with whatever binding Magic of sorts he had. Mavis called out to him for his attention, and he immediately turned his eyes and removed everyone else out of the picture. He was all tattered up, dried blood around the edges of his lips, and visible wounds on every point where you see skin. Even so, he curled up a smile as soon as he had his eye on the prize.
"Mavis... the preparation for the Neo-Eclipse is now complete...," he blabbed to himself as if he was being enlightened by the presence of Mavis.
"Neo-Eclipse?" I repeated his words since that word for a certain celestial alignment brought back memories. "Is that the same as the Eclipse Gate?"
"Oh, that archaic thing...," he responded back, clearly answering that the two were not one in the same. "That gate was used centuries years ago... I'm afraid I don't have time to explain the full story. Long story short, that gate was used to send Dragon Slayers from the past 400 years into the future in order to harness the full potential of higher levels of Ethernano... all of that to be the most powerful they can be. Especially Natsu, to become strong enough to defeat me. But.."
"Back off guys!" Natsu roared out from his lungs as he emitted flames out from his body to burn away the binding that constricted him.
"Dragon force…," Mavis recognized Natsu's state with the scales and dragon eyes his body was become. Dragon Force would have to be one of Natsu's last ditch efforts to face Zeref. Dragon Slayer Magic is definitely a fascinating kind of power… and Natsu is a fascinating person. He is able to harness and gather power from other sources and even tap into dormant Magic that could give him a boost in a pinch. No matter how much power he wastes from earlier squirmishes, he is able to come back with full force… even more than what he started with.
"It's useless Natsu," Zeref taunted him. "But I wish you had the power to transform into a Dragon like Acnologia…"
"I'm a human being," he argued back his statement. "I have nothing to do with Acnologia… This is for my father, Igneel!"
"But what makes you human exactly, E.N.D.?" Zeref ridicules him further. But with all words aside, Natsu was prepared to give him a blow with his dragon fist engulfed with swirling fire. Zeref was also prepared to retaliate with his own power. I hesitated on the spot. The two aren't suppose to be fighting based off of the plan. But as he was prepared to pounce, I looked at Mavis who made her move to stop them before she had the chance to make a difference herself.
"What are you doing first?!" Natsu questioned as he was bewildered by her behavior.
"Please, give me a chance!" She stood her ground. "Give me the opportunity to talk to Zeref myself!"
I noticed that smile on Zeref's face he had earlier instantly curved down to a frown, almost gritting. He raised his hand up and was prepared to grab onto Mavis' head, but I managed to swoop in and intervene. He didn't present himself too much of a threat, I simply slapped his hand away and he made no effort to force anything further. He looked at me with demented eyes, something I've never had to deal with. But this was the man taking away my childhood the more I keep looking at him. It was breaking my heart, my chest sank. But Mavis told me... that I had to help. I could help free him from this curse.
"It's useless," he didn't believe what Mavis had in mind. "I've tried every possible way to die, not even E.N.D. can defeat me."
"So, why are you so afraid of Acnologia?" she questioned after everything he has done to this world was to either kill himself or to defeat the Black Dragon.
"Because I cannot defeat Acnolognia," Zeref said with a shaky voice as he tightened his fists. "And I failed to raise Clarion to be powerful enough. I was too kind. That innocent smile... I didn't want to erase it and turn her into a cold, emotionless weapon. But I failed in the end, because I couldn't defeat Acnologia. Mankind is doomed... and we're doomed to be his toys forever as long as we live in this eternity."
"There's a way to end this eternity!" Mavis tried once more to get it through his head. But she wasn't giving him anything concrete, only making claims, not putting forth any action.
"Yes, and now I have it," before I could blink, Zeref quickly grabbed onto both of our wrists. And with that skin-to-skin contact, he immediately enacted on his own idea. "Neo-Eclipse!"
Energy was suddenly escaping from my body. Surrounding all of us was a wave of Magic that was shooting upward toward the sky. All Mavis and I could do was scream out as our power was being forced out of our bodies. But this lasted only a short while for me as Zeref had no qualms about tossing me aside as he embraced Mavis to fully absorb her Fairy Heart. Natsu quickly caught me as I felt my vision going blank and my body going numb.
"She's not dead," Zeref read Natsu's face full of rage. "I only needed a small amount of the Magic she had left. She did inherit some of Acnologia's power, it's a pity that more of it did not get passed down."
The Fire Dragon Slayer attempted what he can to try and at least save his guild founder, however, Zeref effortlessly flicked Natsu away. With the pressure of Fairy Heart being extracted out of her body, Mavis was aware of her surroundings again. Looking up at the Black Mage, she couldn't believe that he was going this far to take the Magic away from her. He looked back down at the petite Mage, smiled softly, but the vibe was still eerie.
"Mavis... Neo-Eclipse is a spell that will take me 400 years back in time...," he sighed as he thought about his memories with a family, before all the chaos and mayhem he caused. All this time, he had hurt so many people on the sheer condition that he will make it all right when he changes the past. The immortality that cursed him all for loving his younger brother caused centuries of grief and suffering. He could almost taste the air that he once breathed before the ability to die was taken away from him. He could be liberated and the world could be a better place. "It would be a shame not to meet you or see you anymore... but I'm sure you'll be happier this way. I'm sorry, Mavis."
"Ze...ref...," Mavis' weak voice managed to escape, looking straight into Zeref's eyes which slowly turned more softer and caring.
"I promise to give it my all... defeat Acnologia... fight alongside Natsu to protect the future of mankind... that's why I'm willing to say goodbye to this world," Zeref said in tears, the little remnants of humanity he had left inside him. Mavis, too, shedding tears for Zeref as he was going through with his plans to erase today's time.
"Please... don't erase this world," she begged of him as she grew more anemic from the Magic being drained from her. "This is the world... where we met... this is the world... where Clarion can only exist..."
Without Zeref saying another world, but with sighs of regret in his breath, Mavis fell to the floor as the transfer of Fairy Heart was finally completed. Natsu, feeling helpless the whole time as he could not prevent this from happening, had to face his brother once again. But with Neo-Eclipse completed for Zeref, with the possession of infinite Magic, he is able to hone in the powers of a God and be able to change time.
But with the threat of being taken away from Fairy Tail, he would have to go through Natsu in order to make it happen.
The air smells like it's been cleared. Whatever was polluting it was gone.
It woke me up from my slumber. My eyes slowly opened and I could see the ground below me.
"Natsu...," I realized that it was Natsu who had my arm around his shoulders to help drag me out of the guild building.
"Yo!" he greeted me cheerfully. I could only assume that he won even though he had a horrible arm injury where it looked all burnt up. With Natsu himself managing to burn his own body... I can only imagine that it was some sort of power strong enough to defeat even Zeref. I'm not sure how, but he would probably tell me the details after the recovery period. "I dunno what the First did... but I'm happy I left it to her."
"Yeah...," I sighed in relief knowing that she managed to pull through with her plan.
"A confession?" I questioned the legitimacy of Mavis' plan.
"Yes, sort of...," she admitted almost embarrassingly. This wasn't some sort of fantasy rom-com where the heroine confesses her love for the enemy and somehow make everything magically okay again. "It's... a realization and I have to believe in it."
"What do you mean?"
"Back then... Zeref loved me... and... I couldn't find it within myself to love," she felt her chest pounding.
"But he will just take your Fairy Heart if you get close to him," I pointed out. All these years, Fairy Tail kept Mavis hidden away in order for people like Zeref to never get his hands on. But.. if you look at it another away, Zeref will never end his reign of getting to the infinite Magic to go through with his plans.
"Zeref needs Fairy Heart to change this world and undo all the mistakes he's made... to go back to a time before he was cursed," she revealed. "But I realized that... I don't want that to happen. I don't want him to take away the world where we were able to meet."
"And that is love...," I said under my breath.
"Love... is something that even immorality cannot best and therefore, it is the key to being lifted from this curse..."
I hope they are both happy.
But with what's in front of us now is what's left of all of this fighting.
Natsu was taking me to where Lucy, Gray, and Happy were, and they were so relieved to see the two of us. Especially Natsu since he was the one at risk of disappearing if Zeref was defeated, but with Natsu here, living and breathing, it is proof that he is here to stay. He pointed out that he thinks Mavis had passed away, but I confirmed it, but also mentioned that Zeref has as well. It may be bittersweet, but it is what they wanted and something that has been prolonged for so long. They have each other now, and they are more than happy to be lifted of the curse. I could only wish I could spent more time with Zeref again, but this is for the best.
But we were starting to celebrate too early.
Because Acnologia is still alive.
In a blink of an eye, the entire world around us was completely different. There was a constant breeze and you couldn't tell what was the sky and what was the ground. Everything around us were pillars of crystals coming from the ground as well as above us. It looked like space to me. The black abyss in between all the crystal seemed like it was having constant shooting stars. Or maybe... we were just moving at a speed of light. While Natsu was in awe and confusion about this place, I could sense like someone was watching us, someone else was in here with us. And by just turning my eyes to the side, I could see that my feelings were right.
"Welcome to my world," a man with blue markings and a devilish smile. "Welcome to the Ravines of Time."
"You're...," Natsu tried recognizing the person greeting us.
"Acnologia," I finished his sentence for him. Even though I was a bit intimidated by him, I still had to put up a strong face. Fear is something that he wants us to feel. "Why did you bring us here?"
Without having to respond, the ground behind us started shaking. We immediately turned around to see pillars of crystals growing. But, taking a closer look, there was something inside all of the pillars... Wendy, Gajeel, Laxus... Oracion Seis' Cobra... Rogue... Sting... all of them, Dragon Slayers, were encased in crystals. But why? How?
"After eating the Ravines of Time, I gained Time-Space Magic."
I was shocked after hearing that. I knew he was strong, but to be able to eat any Magic and make it your own?! That was something much more powerful than just being able to turn into a dragon... is that the ultimate power of a dragon? I suppose when I think about it... only advanced Dragon Slayers can eat other elements to make your own... it was further up along what Absorption Magic is... and it was almost making me tremble how we were all going to make it out of this, if we even do. So, this was how he was going to truly become an undeniable King of Dragons... he has to make everything his, including other Dragon Slayers. By being the one and only Dragon entity on this planet, without any Dragon Slayer to possibly defy him... the world could be his.
From Natsu's feet came out shards of crystals, slowly encasing his body. He couldn't use any of his Fire Magic and I couldn't budge or break any of the stalactites.
I looked back at Acnologia who would just have a satisfied look on his face.
"And you'll be my human trophy," he smiled as crystals also began to encase my feet and legs. I looked over at Natsu, who decided to struggle one last time, and managed to pull through and blow half the crystal with his flames. He was surprised at first because he wasn't the one who had all that strength. Looking behind him was Wendy who managed to break through the crystal herself.
And suddenly the crystal encasing my body also shattered without any effort on my end. With my body still weak, I lost my balance as my feet was free of the crystal. And who would've though there wouldn't be anyone else who would catch me, Sting.
"How did you.. break free?" I asked him, feeling safe in his arms.
"You needed me," he said as he tightened its grip. "And there are people waiting for us to come home."
"Let's get this party started, Natsu," Laxus said as he cracked his neck around. Readying his sore body from the crystal for a battle of a lifetime: Dragon Slayers versus the Dragon King.
I had to hide or at least get away to allow some distance. I was in no condition to fight and this was the job for Dragon Slayers. Acnologia didn't seem to care, he was only interested in proving why he is called the Dragon King.
With seven Dragon Slayers, however, Acnologia is still a formidable opponent. Centuries old, able to eat any Magic, and has the power to bend anything to his will. Fighting with everyone was just play time to him. He was unimpressed with their power and each of them slowly began to lose their strength. I clenched my teeth as a way to take in this scene. They were all falling on their backs, bloodshed everywhere, and losing their breath.
"I live to slay dragons, and I won't stop until I have every one of their heads," Acnologia laughed as Natsu struggled to stand in his own pool of blood.
"Ha.. what a very funny joke," Natsu laughed through every pant. "You're a dragon yourself, right? Aren't you gonna miss a head? Ha..."
Acnologia did not see through his humor.
"Also, we're humans...," Natsu corrected himself. "We were given powers from dragons, but we're human. The real dragons are strong, noble... gentle..."
"Gentle? Dragons?" Acnologia's rage grew from that statement. The veins on his arms as he clenched his fists could be seen from my vantage point. The fangs on his teeth visible as the thought of gentle dragons seemed to trigger a personal point. "The dragons that stole everything that I had... are gentle? The ones that devoured my family? Burned the city? Killed a little girl?"
He looked up at me with cold eyes.
"I wanted to see that smile of a little girl again," he said with a deep voice. "But it was a better idea to just destroy the world and all the dragons with it. Cause dragons being gentle? That's just bullshit!"
He let out his anger onto Natsu. But he managed to subside the power. Dragons are like humans in a way, he said. There are people in this world who are good and bad... strong and weak... the same goes for dragons. For all of their parents, they were strong, king dragons who saw humans as their own children. For Acnologia, he tunneled all of his hate toward one species. And all that hate and sorrow he had toward the dragons who looked down on humans... just turned him into the kind of dragon he hated. He created me because I might have been someone who could grow powerful enough to defeat him, entertain him a little bit longer. But I failed to be that strong. He wanted to relive a family again, but all that time slaying dragons just tainted his soul... his human side. He just became blood thirsty and destructive... there was no hope saving the love he had toward his family. He lost them once and he could never regain them again. Just like Zeref... his only solution was to destroy the very world that took away everything from him. Although he attempted to make a new purpose for himself... he would only fall to his sins. I was no family to him. He felt nothing. He was not human anymore.
With Wendy enchanting everyone's magical power, including what I had regained back from Zeref's defeat, for Natsu's final attack. He gave it his all to put forth the power of seven Fire Dragons... and a hint of his own blood... for a moment, it seemed like Acnologia could handle all of the power. He grew more bloodthirsty and barbaric. But something made him freeze, his body was not functioning, giving Natsu the opening he was looking for.
With one last shot, Acnologia himself was overwhelmed with the power. Every he wanted was crumbling before him. He just became another thing I would call... what could have been.
But I already have things precious to me, and that is another thing that won't be at risk to be taken away from me anymore.
With the Ravines of Time having no one to control it, we were promptly removed from its dimension. The ground below us cracked wide open as a entry back to where we came from. Every though everyone else was screaming their minds out, I was still finally relieved that everything was over. I had still had Sting and as we were falling, I couldn't help but reach out to grab his hand.
We're finally home.
It took awhile for everything to recover. Magnolia Town was hit over and over with all the shenanigans. But a year went by pretty fast as everyone was just busy with something. Fairy Tail was as lively as ever. Although there were scars left over from the war, everyone was happy. Makarov became handicapped, but he was still the same old Master everyone loved. The other guilds have also reestablished themselves or became even closer. After everything that happened, people began realizing their feelings left and right. I mean, we were all close to losing each other... But hey, sometimes that's what it takes for people to understand.
My Magic isn't the same anymore. It was much weaker than it use to be. Based off of what Wendy tells me about Shelia, she is definitely recovering much more smoothly that I am. But there's no rush, and I don't care about being the strongest. I was done with Black God Slayer Magic, it was something I didn't choose to have. And the purpose for knowing it is gone now. But Sting convinced me otherwise, it was something that I had to go through. I helped me grow and understand myself. And I still have a lot of growing to do. I had to get back on my feet and be strong to make sure I don't lose anyone. It's an uphill battle... but with everything else cleared out of my way, I could finally do my own thing again. I had a lot of ideas in mind. Maybe one day, I'll find a way to see my devils again, maybe find my mother's foster family, and maybe... one day, I'll have my own family and help raise a new generation to uphold Fairy Tail's legacy.
Sitting in my room alone, I place Zeref's necklace which was left behind when he disappeared with Mavis next to the seven padlocks I had. They were all a part of my past now, but they created what I am today. The least I could do is be happy and live to my fullest.
The End
First of all, I am SO sorry this took absolutely forever to do. I got caught up with other things and before I knew it, so much time had already gone by. I think part of the reason was because I wasn't the most satisfied with how things ended? But I had to make use of it. I feel like a heavy load has been lifted off my chest because this series has been with me for a long time. Thank you so much for those of you who stuck by me all this time! It means so much to me and sometimes I forgot how many supporters there are. Thank you for everyone's kind words! I know this story isn't perfect, but it was my first major one that has finally been completed. I'm sure I'll write some sort of epilogue or something. But thanks again to everyone, and I hope you enjoyed as always!