Hiya! Sorry for the absence, work, a cold, and dinner preps for Thanksgiving, then some more work, also working on 3 other fanfics which caused a minor detour on my train of thought! *BOWS* My apologies. So now the tangle mess starts to unfold, I promise not lose ends! so, little by little but of course my prediction on this ending by Ch 40 is bull and will not happen since I let the story write itself I'm not able at this point to determine how long it will take to conclude it until the final point I want to take it to, so, let's see where this adventure takes us.
For the ones that had sent PM about it: I agree, Aporia is a bitch and yes she is based on someone I know
-A
"People believe, thought Shadow. It's what people do. They believe, and then they do not take responsibility for their beliefs; they conjure things, and do not trust the conjuration. People populate the darkness; with ghosts, with gods, with electrons, with tales. People imagine, and people believe; and it is that rock solid belief, that makes things happen."
― Neil Gaiman, American Gods
Mal frowned, his eyes showed much more than just concern but he knew that he wouldn't be able to win this argument, not even with a full explanation. He nodded and gave Lucy a deep look "If anything happens... if you are scared, in danger or pain… hold the necklace and call my name and I'll come to you"
"Even if it means leaving your master to fend for himself?" Loke's eye was twitching. He did not like the man in front of him, he could respect him as a higher spirit, but him and his group had caused too much pain to his mistress.
The knight smiled "I've made him a promise that I intent to keep" he smiled and bowed before disappearing into the golden light
Mal reappeared in the castle in no time and knew there were many things to be considered, he absolutely had to find out where the kids were being held but now the situation had become so big that he had no idea what he had to do, because even if you were an immortal celestial being… choices had consequences and he had firsthand experience on that.
On one hand, recovering the kids would sooth Natsu's soul, but in order to do that he had to get to Radoub which was of course being held somewhere by Aporia's magic, that by itself presented an issue; on the other hand, Lucy's condition was far more dangerous than he led on, and he absolutely had to make sure she was safe… the only way to do that was getting her to Natsu which would undoubtedly be a problem since he refused to find her, of course, he could always be honest and tell him that her life was at risk, but what would that piece of information do to his current state?
Now he faced the ultimate question… how would he do it all? Lucy was adamant on helping the kids which would put her in trouble not only because the magic council was out to get her but the fire she contained within would harm her… if things hadn't happen the way they did, if Merryl hadn't almost killed her, maybe they could have had a chance at normal life, but he would never know.
He couldn't stop thinking on how incredibly stubborn they both were, she refused to let go of Natsu and was adamant on saving him even against his will, and he wouldn't budge on doing the same by getting as far away from her as he could. He thought them blind and oblivious to how much harm they caused each other, but then again… he also thought that was partially his fault.
The golden knight walked through the aisle deciding to take a page out of old Natsu's book and figure it out on the run, however, he never made it there. Mal stopped at the image of the man he wanted to protect standing outside of Aporia's library, arms crossed above his chest and frowning while observing the door.
He walked closer deciding to ease the atmosphere by teasing him a bit "That does seem like an interesting door" Natsu rolled his eyes "Ass much?… I'm thinking more in what's behind the door, idiot"
"Ah yes, your grandmother's life obsessions and failures, a sad thing to behold" Mal arched his eyebrow "Why are you interested in those?"
"She hides too much stuff, and not only that but those journals are made with dragon skin, the smell breaks my focus… there's thousands of them" Mal frowned and shrugged "So? We already know she's a soulless murderer, why are you surprised?"
"How come she hasn't run out of it?" Mal shrugged, not really understanding what Natsu was referring to "Of dragon skin, I mean"
"Maybe she killed too many dragons, even I don't know her full story"
"Nope" he shook his head and brushed his hair "Those come from the same dragon"
"How can you be so sure? I mean… I know dragons have been gone for a long time, but there was a time in which there were thousands of them"
Natsu closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the scent of the books that were held inside the very in front of him filled his senses "The smell… I would know that smell anywhere"
"Natsu…"
"Even if it wasn't the same dragon that killed my parents Mal… It would still be the same smell from the one Lucy found" he widened his eyes and cursed himself for forgetting, he had asked his grandmother why the journal had been found in Fukuro's house and hadn't gotten an answer other than it being "complicated", and he decided that it was about time to get some answers for himself.
Of course, when he had taken that deep breath to fill his memories with the image of the dragon, another scent had reached his sensitive nose, and he couldn't help but turn to his ally with a blank and emotionless expression.
"Where did you go Mal?" the knight stiffened and attempted to sound as nonchallant as possible "I was out, nothing important" Natsu's expression changed to disappointment and anger, it was a particular look that meant he knew he was lying and would hold him accountable for it.
"I'll ask one more time, and I'll like to remind you that there was a promise you made to me about full disclosure" Natsu walked closer to him, closed his eyes and took a deep breath and Mal knew… of course Natsu would know, his nose wouldn't lie to him… if he could recognize the smell of a dragon that had been dead for centuries, how could he not smell her on him "I apologize, I didn't want to disturb you… I… wanted to make sure your former comrades were safe"
"You are not to make these decisions without consulting me first, is that clear?" Mal semi nodded but not enough to be considered a full acceptance "Were they safe?" There was no easy answer to that "For now… but I'm afraid that won't last unless we take down the council"
Natsu nodded, turned his back and started walking but only took a couple steps before stopping and without looking back he asked, "H-how is she?"
"Hanging in there… she's… a bit under the weather, but I made sure to keep her safe for now" he nodded again and kept walking towards his room with Mal following close behind him; he knew he would have to come clean eventually, but now was not the time. "Natsu I think we need to retrieve Radoub"
The pink haired Dragon slayer waved his hand "Well I guess is about time he delivers my message to Shiro, honestly I had forgotten about him… I wouldn't be devastated if he died alone in whichever corner of hell he is being held"
"I think he can serve a better purpose" Natsu gave him an incredulous glare "Humor me, what other purpose could we have for that piece of trash?"
"Jeez… I guess we are both dense… Look, we know the council took the kids, but we don't know where… and we know for sure it won't be a place as obvious as Crocus"
"Your point?"
"Radoub may know what that place is, even if he doesn't know for sure he can come up with the best options"
"I highly doubt he will be in a cooperating mood… but I guess that's the best we've got" He took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes and that's when Mal noticed the dark circles underneath them "Trouble sleeping?"
"I guess you could call it that"
"Kid, you need to take better care of yourself" Natsu all but snorted "S'fine… at least when I die, I'll be able to rest"
"Wow… you sound like a depressive old man with a terminal disease" Natsu laughed sadly "Well, I am over 400 years old and on my way to imminent death… I've made my peace with the fact that I'm walking the end of the line man, it's ok… I thought coming to terms with one's death would bring peace, it turns out I was wrong"
Mal felt his heart clench at that, knowing that this was somewhat his fault too… he felt so unworthy and for a moment he wondered what his old friends would think of him; Igneel and Phrix would probably be disappointed at how poorly he had managed their departures.
They heard steps coming closer and it didn't take long for a voice to interrupt their conversation "Dinner's ready, Aporia wants to know if you two will be joining us or if you still want to break her neck"
When before, Helle referred to her aunt, the name would roll out of her mouth with sweetness and love, now… it held a coldness that neither man had seen before.
It was curious, the seemingly young girl he met seemed colder now, almost like Juvia when he first met her and Natsu knew that was somewhat his fault, he had forced her to face the fact her beloved family was not better than any dark guild; the love they claimed to have masked the need for endless power and made her easy to manipulate.
She looked up and tilted her head before taking a step forward to fix Mal's shirt "You look nice without your armor, you know?" he gulped and looked the other way "It was necessary at the time"
"Well, maybe you should try it more often" she placed her hand on his chest and smiled and Natsu knew, that was an honest smile to the only person she considered to still be in her corner. He stared at her for a couple of seconds and then broke they weird moment causing Helle to remove her hand quickly "We'll dine together… I have a few things to discuss with them. Inform them that the guild leaders will eat in their own camp and shall not disturb us until tomorrow"
"Of course, my prince…" she bowed and turned on her heel "Hey Helle…" she turned back just enough to see his face "I'm still Natsu for you… don't go all proper on me all the sudden ok?" she blinked a couple of times an felt something warm inside her chest… he looked so much like her brother; the look Natsu gave her was the same Phrix would give her when he stopped being angry at her. She smiled and nodded before leaving to do his bidding.
It was dark… too dark… darkest than it had ever been for him which was hard to begin with; Calei couldn't feel his arms anymore, the only thing he felt was the liquid still dripping from his head and a throbbing pain accompanied by nausea.
The stench of the place filled his nose and it overwhelmed him… this smell wasn't new for him; the scent of dead was something that despite his young age, he was no stranger to after growing in a guild that dedicated itself to torture and decimate. His hair was sticking to his forehead due to some of the dry blood, but he didn't mind, it wasn't the first time he bled, and he was sure it wouldn't be the last.
He still felt proud, the blood that stained his face had been spilled because he had been brave enough to be there for his family, at his young age he had already accomplished more than what his parents had ever done, he had found people worth fighting for and had overcome his fears and weaknesses.
Calei tried to wiggle his fingers simply to make sure they were there and flinched at the tingling sensation which meant he'd been in that position for some time now; he did his best to pull his arms to test the restrains but they didn't move at all, he couldn't see… of course he had never had good eyes to begin with, but during the last couple of weeks he had learnt to trust his senses just as Natsu told him to.
'In battle you can't always trust your eyes kiddo, but you have something greater than that to trust… see beyond what people see, breath in their scent, feel the floor vibrate under the weight of their feet'
Now that was a bit easier said that done when his feet weren't even touching the ground at the moment, but he had learnt that with enough focus, he could see the energy around him and how it flowed connecting everything and everyone and he feared… he feared that if he couldn't sense his adoptive siblings then that mean they were dead. What other reason would there be for him not to see them?
A small whimper brought him back from the dark thoughts and his heart skipped a bit "Adi?" he heard shuffling and the sound of chains, and felt a wave of relieve when he heard Miko's voice "You finally woke up dumbass… we were worried about you"
"I can't see you… I thought…"
"It seems these cuffs cut through our magic… we can't use any of it" it made sense, if the uncomfortable restrains stopped him from using his magic then his senses were no good in this situation.
"I… I'm sorry"
"Cai what are you talking about?" the young brunette felt tears streaming down his face and bit his lip "I had him! I really thought I had him!"
"Hey this is not your fault, he was hunting us down and you did your best, if anyone should apologize is me, I did nothing at all…"
"Well join the club then…" Teiga was still sitting on the floor while brushing Neri's hair with his fingers.
"Why don't you stop feeling sorry for yourselves, uhm?"
"Adi… there's not much else to do here, is there?" she held her broken wrist to her chest, every move she made sent a new wave of pain through her body and caused her to cry again but she knew right now it wasn't the time "Papa would be so mad at you boys…" they stayed silent for a couple of seconds before she continued "What did you think was going to happen? We've been training for less than a month… sure, we could have taken care of ourselves but not against someone like him…"
They knew she was right and Miko felt ashamed that someone as young as her had to put him back in place; the sense of calmness ended when they heard heavy footsteps slowly getting closer. They felt shivers down their spines and coward as close together as they could although it was hard to do with their current restrains.
The incredibly big man that had taken them down was standing across the bars, but what impressed them the most was the smaller figure next to him, his footsteps had been so light that they hadn't even noticed his presence until he was right in front of them.
The elderly man that accompanied Arlo brushed his hand on the door allowing it to open and took a couple steps inside "I thought I said I wanted them in one piece"
"Well they ain't in pieces either, count your blessings Shiro" he sighed and approached the kids "Very well then… I'm so sorry we had to meet this way" he offered them a sympathetic smile while he held his hand close to his heart.
"I am sorry it had to come to this… but I need you to tell me" he stared at every one of them before continuing "Where is Natsu Dragneel?" the kids remained quiet, their heads as tall as they could with the unimaginable pressure they felt from the seemingly nice man.
"Let's not do this the hard way children" Teiga took a step closer and fisted his hands "We don't know… but even if we did…"
"You wouldn't tell me… I see… you do sounds like him a bit, no wonder why he took you in" he sighed again and got closer to the tall six-year-old causing him to flinch "I highly recommend you take the easy way out of this, boy… I am a generous man, but I'm afraid my patience is thin"
Teiga spat on the floor "We ain't giving him to you on a silver platter, even if we could"
"I really wished you had chosen the easy way out of this, I've never been a fan of torturing children" Shiro moved too fast for the naked eye to detect almost like a breeze; he grabbed Teiga by the neck, but only enough to stop him from moving; with surprising delicacy he raised his index finger and placed it on the child's forehead "I'm going to get him one way or the other kid… he broke an important promise and now he will be held accountable for it, so, where…is…he?" silence filled the room and a couple of seconds later the kids heard their friend gasp.
"N-no… stop!"
Teiga had never felt so much pain in his life, it felt like someone pulling his organs through his eyes but he didn't feel any blood dripping, the shock was too big for him to scream, the air kept getting stuck in his lungs and it felt as if his own breath was so heavy that it constricted his very being.
"Where is Natsu Dragneel?" Tears started running to the child's cheeks while he bit his lip so hard that the coppery taste of blood filled his mouth.
The kids yelled his name and tried to aid him, but they kept being pushed back by the incredible energy surrounding them and they could do nothing else but watch as a small thin thread of silver light was pulled from their friend's forehead.
Shiro let the kid fall to the ground before licking his index finger. Arlo chuckled before kicking the child closer to the corner, his limp body reaching the wall in no time while he shook in a seizure like way "I thought you didn't enjoy torturing children"
"I don't" he smirked to no one in particular "but I must admit the taste of their souls is the sweetest" they turned on their heels and closed the gate leaving the sobbing children calling for their friend's name; he was breathing but his eyes kept rolling to the back of his head and despite their efforts they couldn't wake him.
"How are you feeling, princess" Loke sat behind her to rub her shoulders, and she was thankful for it "Tired… but better"
"You no longer have a fever, but you still need to get some rest" she nodded and looked at the stars before sighing "What's on your mind"
"I just want this to be over…" she looked down at her ring finger and stared at the red stone shimmering, almost as if reflecting the skylights "Lucy… you know there's a chance he won't…"
"I don't want to hear it" her tone was definitive, Loke closed his mouth and bit his lip "Whatever it takes Loke, I'm going to see him one more time"
"That's what I'm afraid of… you seemed determined to do it even if it's the last thing you see. Lucy, I don't trust that celestial spirit of his"
"He came to ask for help Loke, and Fairy Tail doesn't turn their back to people in need, you should know that better than most" he huffed and removed his hands from her shoulders before moving close enough to see her face "That's the whole point… he shouldn't need help! He is a war spirit Lucy, made for battle! This is his freaking playground! what on earth could be happening that he can't handle?"
She considered it for a moment and shook her head "I don't know, but he reminds me of Natsu… a bit"
"Well… talking about people made for war" she gave him an unforgiving look and he raised his hands in apology "Come on… you know Natsu, he thrives in battle and goes above and beyond to come out as the victor, he is reckless, selfish and…"
"And sensitive, caring, honest, my best friend, and the love of my life… so, we are helping him" he took a deep breath and nodded "We are helping him" the seriousness was broken by Lucy's growling stomach and she couldn't do much more than blush.
"Wow, hungry aren't we? I've never heard your stomach make those sounds"
"Ha… ha… shut up and get me some food before I chew your head off…" he smiled "I'll get Virgo to put something together for you guys, give me a couple minutes"
"Bring fish! Lots of Fish!" he nodded at the blue exceed and left in a shower of bright lights as he usually did.
"Stupid cat and your stupid obsession with fish"
"You're being mean just because when you eat what you like you get fat Lushy…" Happy snickered behind his paws and flew away with barely enough time to miss her anger "Stupid cat!"
"Damn Bunny girl… not even my stomach growls like that" she rolled her eyes and heard the rest of the party giggling "Happy is annoying enough" she pouted and crossed her arms below her chest "I don't need you being annoying too"
"Aw, come on Lu… he is not that bad" she snorted and waved her hand "Oh shut up Mrs. Redfox, of course you are going to take his side"
"Oh Mrs. Redfox sounds nice…" Gajeel leaned and pulled Levy in before giving her a loud kiss "Really, really nice"
"Can you stop with the PDA? It's kind of gross…" Lucy made a gagging sound causing the rest to laugh again "I have to agree with Lucy on this one, no one wants to see you tackling Levy to the ground, you could crush her"
"Shut it IcePrick before I make you into tiny ice chips" Gray laughed loudly and shook his head "Jeez, your insults are getting lame, maybe that's what happens when you get married, you get soft"
"Juvia thinks once Gray marries her, he will become soft too" he blushed and cleared his throat "When are you planning to make an honest woman out of Juvia?"
"E-Erza I d-don't think that is something we should discuss just yet" she stared at him and he felt his skin tingling under her evil glare "Oh… so you think you can defile her honor before marrying her? Is that what I'm hearing?"
"N-no! I didn't s-say that" the bluenette blushed and held his arm against her chest causing Gray to blush 4 shades redder than before "Juvia will wait for Gray, Juvia doesn't mind Gray def…"
"Dinner is here!"
"Oh thank Mavis…" Gray rubbed his forehead and placed Juvia in between him and Erza, knowing that the great Titania wouldn't try to hurt him with her in the middle.
Loke and Virgo had brought enough food for every one of them and some more. "Princess…" Lucy looked up at her pink haired spirit and smiled "Your magic seems a bit off, are you feeling better?"
"Meh, been better but nothing I can't handle" Virgo blinked with her emotionless face and nodded, she turned to Loke "Big brother, if this is all then I shall take my leave" the leader of the zodiac smiled and tried to place a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder but as soon as he did, sparks zapped them both.
"What the hell was that?"
Virgo scratched her shoulder where she could feel the sparkling feeling "I'm unsure" he scrunched his nose and shook his head "Let's not pull on Lucy's magic anymore, we'll discuss this later"
She nodded and left quickly, and Lucy could immediately feel the pull on her magic receding.
Natsu and Mal entered the dinning room and walked to their respective places, Natsu at one end on the table with his knight next to him, while Aporia sat on the other end with Nephele at her side; the silence filling the room was enough to choke anyone under the pressure, but no one there reacted to it.
Helle came inside the castle and bowed "The guild leaders have been instructed to not enter the castle until tomorrow morning Natsu" he nodded, and she straightened herself. Her mother smiled at her but instead of responding as she usually would and taking her place next to her, Helle frowned and sat in front of Mal, and to the other side of Natsu.
"To what do we owe the honor of a private family dinner?" Ria entwined her fingers and rested her chin on her hands "What's the occasion?"
"Call it what you wish, we have matters to discuss" Natsu rested his back on the chair, not even caring about the frown Nephele had on her face while noticing the great distance between her and her daughter "I need Radoub"
He could tell that Ria's eye had twitched just a little, but he pretended not to notice "Why?" he laughed and slammed his hand on the table "None of your business, I just need him"
She smiled at him and relaxed her back into the chair, taking a similar position to his "That's not a really nice way of asking for something, dear… you'll get as much as you give, that is the principle of reciprocity" he nodded "Ok, then how about this" he lit his hand on fire and moved it around "Either I get Raboud or I'm burning every single sad book on that library of yours, how about that for reciprocity" she widen her eyes and scrunched her nose, he could tell she was grabbing on to the arms of the chair now but she refused to give in "You are completely missing the meaning of the word, I'm getting nothing out of this"
Natsu smiled at her and sent his fire away "Not enough? Ok then…" He stared into her eyes "Mal… sword"
"Natsu… what…"
"Sword… now" Mal gulped and nodded before summoning his sword and placing it in Natsu's hands "Child, you should know by now your treats to my life have no meaning for me"
"Oh, I know that grams… but you did say you needed to get something, right?" he smiled defiantly and placed the sword against his neck. Nephele threw her chair back, panic filling her eyes which matched Mal and Helle's expression.
"So, I get him, or you can get a table full of blood and your plans going down the drain, what's it gonna be?"
"That would kill Chrysomallos first, are you willing to take his life before taking yours?" Natsu didn't need to answer "I would willingly give my life if Natsu requires it Ria… don't ever forget that" she said nothing.
Natsu pressed the sharp blade next to the scar on his neck causing a thin thread of blood to drip all the way to his shoulder "Tsk… so dramatic, definitely you take after your mother… always backing down from her obligations… Fine… you can have him although I can't see what use you would have for him…" he pulled the sword back and handed it over to his friend "Aw you see, how hard was that?" she rolled her eyes and grabbed a grape from her plate.
She didn't want to give him up, Aporia now cursed herself from deciding to put him in her dimensional space instead of the dungeons but when Natsu had said to put him somewhere where he couldn't hear him or smell his scent, she had thought it was the best choice.
The man now had seen too much and she knew once she brought him out, one of her secrets would be out in the open and she would have no choice but to respond to Natsu's questions, but then again… there was not much he could do with that knowledge and she was confident neither man sitting at the end of the table was bright enough to figure out the one thing she needed to keep to herself.
So, she decided bringing Remy Radoub out wouldn't be as bad… hell, she could even play this to her advantage, after all… as long as she kept playing the angle of "Family that takes revenge together, stay together" she would be ok. Natsu was, after all made for war and she knew his anger and power had no limits, she had to trust that would be enough to get him back to her side.
Dinner went as quiet as expected, Natsu never removed his eyes from Aporia and Nephele, while Mal and Helle glanced at each other in concern, not knowing how things would develop, and soon, dinner was over, and it was time to pay up.
There was still a bitter sweet taste left after Aporia mentioned his mother, for some reason the comment struck him as odd, he had only heard a few words about his mother from Ria's mouth, but they had always been kind… and that made him wonder.
It took a snap of her fingers to materialize Radoub in front of them in between purple clouds, but that man didn't look at all as Natsu remembered him.
His eyes were open to the extreme where they seemed willing to pop out of their sockets at any moment and fixed to nowhere in particular, his hair disheveled and his clothes barely hanging to his skinny frame. He still carried the blood stains on his skin and what was left of his shirt, his hand deformed from the previous injury and fear oozing through his pores… No, this was not the man he remembered… and even more off was the familiar smell he carried around which shook Natsu to his very core.
Aporia noticed recognition flashing in her grandson's eyes, he knew, and she needed to start thinking of a version of the story that would satisfy him.
Mal stood up and grabbed Radoub from below his arms and the man was so out of himself he merely flinched at the contact before staring at Natsu as if he had just noticed his presence, he turned to look at the rest of the people in the table before his eyes met Aporia's cold stare… she was smirking and tilted her head at their prisoner before he shivered.
He threw himself at the Dragon Slayer's feet "Kill me… just do it, please…" the pleading tone made Natsu flinch too; before, Radoub had been an opponent, an enemy, but now he was a no more than a shadow.
"You still have a debt to pay, and I won't let you die before you do…" the man seemed broken and ready to cry, but his eyes were too dry and even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to create a single tear. Natsu stood up quickly and Mal could feel the anxiety rising in his master's chest, he didn't know why but whatever had startled Natsu was enough to make him move and grab their prisoner before pulling him up.
Natsu fisted his hands and started walking outside, and Mal and Helle followed him each grabbing one of Radoub's arms. Soon, they were all standing in front of the small garden that carried the memories of the children they were so desperate to save.
Natsu paced from side to side without turning his eyes to them, mumbling to himself too low for them to know that he was saying; after the longest minutes ever, he stopped; his breathing was faster every time and he had to hold himself for another minute and look up to the night sky before turning to the weakened form of his enemy.
"Why…" he shook his head and closed his eyes "Why do you smell like it?" Remy said nothing, he simply started shaking and scratching his face as if trying to get rid of something on it "I'M ASKING YOU A QUESTION, BASTARD!"
Mal and Helle didn't understand what was happening, the golden knight took a step forward and tried to grab Natsu's arm, but he shook it off and walked straight to Remy to pull him up by his shirt "WHY THE FUCK DO YOU SMELL LIKE THAT SON OF A BITCH, ANSWER ME!?"
"Natsu what in Ares' name are you talking about?"
"He… smells like the books Mal… with one tiny difference" Mal's eyes went wide, he stared at Radoub and he could see fear in his eyes "The skin on those journals smells dead, as it should… but he smells like a full fleshed living dragon, one that I know very well"
"D-dragon…" Radoub's breath hitched "Oh… he… please! Kill me!"
Natsu scrunched his nose and got his face so close to Remy that he could feel the hot breath of the slayer on his face "You don't deserve my mercy…"
"I can't do this, I can't do this" Natsu grabbed his chin and forced him to look directly at him "He's alive? You've seen him?"
The man shook and looked to the ground "I can't…" patience was running low but there was little he could do to convince him, at this point threatening him would do no good since he was begging for his death.
"I promise you that whatever you are scared of… is nothing compared to what I can do to you"
"You don't understand… it… I…"
"So, you have seen it"
"I h-have… if alive is how you would describe him" Remy sniffled and shook his head "He's hanging there, f-from his wings and legs, can't move or do much… most times"
"Then why are you so scared?" Natsu scrunched his nose "Did the big bad dragon scare you?" his tone was teasing, almost cruel… but he didn't expect his pray to look into his eyes before grabbing him and pulling him closer "N-not him! That… witch! She…" there was more fear in his eyes that they'd ever seen.
"Tell me…" Remy bit his lip "S-she goes there every couple of days, she cuts, and pulls and makes him roar in agony and I can't take it anymore" he covered his ears and closed his eyes "The sound… is too horrible, like a thousand bombs going off at once while you hear its victims cry in pain… and when it's all over she is covered in red and licks her fingers" it seemed as if Radoub's eyes went blank from the memories "I-it tries to defend itself and spits some sort of thing from his mouth everywhere… it's been close to tearing me to pieces but it never reaches her"
Natsu was baffled, he felt his stomach tumble just as if he was in a car or a boat and suddenly, he allowed his weight to take him down and sat on the floor. He hated the dragon, he wanted to kill him with his own hands for taking everything away from him, but this… keeping something alive to torture and take from it… although he didn't necessarily feel bad, he did know his old self would be angry, sad, and devastated knowing something like this was happening.
This clarified many things and open another thousand questions, and even more wounds… The Dragon that had so carelessly ripped his mother and father to pieces in front of him, the one who had killed him while he tried to protect his brother… was alive, not only alive but being punished by the one who claimed to be his grandmother, his very own blood was taking piece after piece just as it had done to them… but still, the words of old Natsu kept ringing on his ears and memories filled his mind.
Memories of Shadowgear pinned on a tree, memories of Lucy's bloodied form being kicked by Gajeel, memories of Crime Sorciere's members… and after all, he had chosen not to end them, he had decided they still had lots of good to give… He didn't understand why or how he had become so forgiving, and in this moment, he wished he hadn't made a promise to himself to abide by old Natsu's life rules.
When he didn't snap out of his trance, Mal decided to intervene; he knew this was huge, but they had more important things to take care of "We need to know where the council would take prisoners they want to hide"
"Why would I tell you that?" for a second there, Remy almost sounded like his old self "They took five kids, they are not even above 10 and they are trying to use them to get to Natsu… kids, they are just kids"
"They would never hurt kids… the council I…"
"The council is bullshit! You know better than this, you must!" Remy avoided Mal's stare and turned to Natsu, his eyes were shielded by his messy hair, not one single muscle of his face moved before he spoke "They sent Arlo for them"
Radoub opened his mouth and shook internally "Do you still think they wouldn't hurt kids? He was one of your men, you know what he is capable of"
"You're lying…" the pink haired man stood up and patted his clothes "He tortured a woman from town to get intel on them, then he waited for them to get to my house"
"Lies!" Raboud slammed his good hand on the floor, tears still trying to poor from his dry eyes and it hurt… the burning sensation of the lack of tears and the pressure behind his eyes that couldn't be released was something he hadn't experienced before, because the one thing he had always believed in was the council.
"Their blood was on the floors and the walls and when he had enough that asshole paraded them around… town folks fear the council now, are you sure you are still with the good guys?"
Remy flinched… he had moral standards despite of what his actions made everyone think, sure… he had agreed to go after Natsu because he thought he was the personification of evil, why would he not believe his superiors? They had never lied to him… had they?
His mind was a blur; he could hear all the encouraging words he had received in the council, every attack, every arrest, every medal he had happily stuck in his coat. His mind stopped for a second… and in that one, tiny, single second… he heard everything he had blocked, everything surrounding those words of encouragement; once he removed the positive reinforcement the background noise was screams, men, women, children, prisoners he didn't know if had committed a crime because he hadn't seen them… their pleading sounds claiming to be innocent filled his ears and the last thing he pictured was himself looking down at them with disdain.
How… how could he hold the same believes after being under Aporia's watchful eye for a few weeks? No, his believes had been shaken and he could no longer believe that the man standing in front of him was the enemy… the face of evil was not Natsu Dragneel anymore.
Raboud could see now that the face of evil changed depending in who told the story, and he knew he had been that same face for many people before, people who didn't understand why life had punished them in such a way… but there was one thing he still believed, the truest face of evil in his story, was the tall, black haired woman who had haunted his dreams… and that was the only reality he could afford to grasp with his broken mind.
The broken man sighed to himself and clenched his one good fist "T-there's a handful of places that would work for that… Crocus, one deep underground at the end Phoenix Mountains, the Waas Forest, and the last where the Tower of heaven used to be"
Natsu nodded and got close to Remy, but this time his eyes were blank, no evil nor good… just empty "Don't think for one second this means that you and I are done… but I want to know… why the change of heart?"
"They said you would be the end of life as we know it… he… he said if we didn't take you down the land you would bring chaos, worse than what your brother did" he looked up and Natsu saw doubt, fear and pain, but most of all regret and that was something he knew well "I thought as long as I broke you, things would be ok…"
"And now?"
"Now I know, the only reason why hell would be unleashed would be because of her" Remy sniffled and shook his head "When we fought, I know we pushed you to the limit… I never intended for Merryl to do what she did, I thought we could just take you down and call it a day because I knew you wouldn't allow for her to get hurt… but even when you snapped I could see pain in your eyes, after you changed I didn't see hate, there was just nothing there, but that woman… she has nothing but hate, she is raw evil"
"So, that's why you decided to help?"
"The information is a peace offering… but she needs to be stopped, that woman has no heart" Helle stepped in front of him and stomped her foot on the floor "And you do?! Do you think you are any better?!" Remy flinched and blinked a couple of times without being able to form a coherent thought "Do you think your boss is any better?! UHM?! You've ruined lives!"
"I…" he shook his head "I'm sorry… I didn't…"
"WHAT? You didn't know? How easy it is for you to be oblivious to everything that has happened for the last four hundred years you petty… petty human!"
Natsu grabbed her wrist, not too tight but in a comforting way and she immediately took a step back and bit her lip before turning her back at the victim of her anger "Tell me about the place where you were kept"
It took him a couple of seconds to compose himself after her words, but eventually he managed to gulp the guilt down "It's… empty, as if dark engulf it and it's just… nothing, it changes every now and then"
"Hmh… sounds vaguely familiar, anything that we find interesting there? I mean besides the huge centuries old dragon" Remy closed his eyes for a second trying to remember; when he was there he usually tried to look away from the bloodied angry dragon, and when Aporia was there he tried even harder, so the answer that immediately came to him was a firm no… but there was something on the back of his head that kept bothering him; just when he was about to respond he heard a clicking sound in his mind along with a humming tune.
Natsu recognize the look on his face and knelt before grabbing his shoulders tightly causing Remy to flinch "What?!"
"If I tell you… you need to promise that I won't get back there" Natsu clicked his tongue and shoved him towards the floor "I don't need to promise you shit, you… caused this"
"I followed instructions just as you did! Can you blame me?"
"YES! I can blame you, it takes someone without a conscience to…"
"To protect what one believes in?!" Remy had fire in his eyes again "So, I was wrong in some things, but you are no better than me! You've killed, tortured and sacrificed for your believes… and so have I"
Natsu felt, it had started happening more and more often and it excited and worried him. He felt fire building up in the pit of his stomach and rising though his chest all the way to his throat… almost like a dragon's roar but without real fire… he recognized this feeling, he knew what rage felt like. The sensation of that heat got lodged on his throat and caused him to feel choked, but he knew… it was not only Remy who was causing it, the words he had spoken stroke a cord within him, an ounce of doubt… because in the end he knew the man standing in front of him had a point, not that he would willingly admit it aloud.
He hated him, but at the same time he recognized something of himself in the enemy before him, if this had happened years back, he may have fought the idea because how can someone who fights to do good be anything like someone who tries to destroy it? But present Natsu was not like past Natsu… he was broken, yes… but the brokenness also came with a maturity he didn't have before and reality was that both of them had believed in something so strongly that had committed their life to it and failed.
"Tsk… I can't promise you won't go back, but I can promise to get you out of there… if what you tell me pays off"
"I… can't see what she does… but I hear her" there was something haunting in Remy's eyes, as if the mere memory would keep his eyes from ever closing again "When she finishes with it, she goes around back and does s-something"
"Well I don't have all day… what does she do?" Natsu was starting to lose his patience, and glared angrily at Radoub "I don't know, but I know that it's painful… there's a clicking sound and then she stays there for a bit… humming"
Helle popped her head behind Natsu curiously "What does she hum?" Remy squeezed his eyes and started humming the sweet notes between shaky breaths, and they all recognized the tune in their hearts… suddenly every other sound seemed to freeze and stop on its tracks.
The sound they heard conflicted their hearts… both joy and pain mix together but mostly fear at this point. It was the lullaby, the one Natsu and Zeref sang together as children, the one their mother sang them to sleep, the one Helle had learnt from her mother and aunt to promise her a brighter tomorrow where their family would be together again.
Natsu's heart clenched not only at the memories but at the thought itself; memories of his mother's arms wrapped around him, covering him with the scent of freshly made cookies suddenly overtaken by the image of a blood covered Aporia humming while torturing what could be the last of the dragon kind, and he could only shiver at the thought… that woman was poison, and one way or the other he had to get rid of her.
"We need to find a way to get there…" the water nymph shook her head "Her space is endless, we can't find exactly where it is"
"That's… not necessarily true" everyone looked at the golden knight who seemed deep in thought while rubbing his chin "If we could pin point it's location I could probably get us there, after all going to one of her spaces shouldn't be any different than moving through any of the ones I use; at first I had to find them and mark them as mine, well.. all aside my original one that is"
"What's the big idea?" Natsu walked closer to his friend, he was impatient as usual but there was also a hint of excitement… he had forgotten what it was like to go on an adventure and even though it gave him mixed feelings he knew, this was as close as he could get as feeling like himself.
"How often does she go there?" Remy shrugged "I can't be sure… time is not easy to tell there, if I had to guess I would say every 3 or 4 days but I can't be sure"
"Fine, if you had to guess, when is the last time she was there?" Remy looked up as if trying to analyze and bit the inside of his cheek making his mouth look crooked "Maybe 2 days?"
"Very well… this is how it's going to happen then…"
"They are talking too long" Aporia tapped her dark purple manicured fingernails on the table while resting her chin in her left fist; Nephele nodded and shrugged "I'm sure Natsu has plenty of anger to release on him, maybe you're overthinking this?"
"Are you that stupid?" the black-haired woman gave her an unforgiving look which made the cloud-nymph flinch "I-I'm sorry Ria, I didn't mean…" Aporia waved her hand and sighed before grabbing her friend's hand "No, no… I'm sorry for snapping, he's just getting on my nerve" she rubbed the skin on the back of her hand in soothing circles "He's too stubborn"
"M-maybe… I mean I was thinking, maybe if we gave him a bit of what he wants Ria… we never even asked him if he wanted to help, this wasn't his battle to begin with; I know Phrixus would have wanted hi…"
Aporia released Nephele's hand harshly "Well he doesn't have the ability to want anymore, does he? He's dead, they killed him, remember? I saw them with my own eyes"
"I know, but…"
"Our children were powerful enough to rule the lands, they had responsibilities and both decided to play house and throw all of it away and look what it got them" she stood up and walked behind the nymph before grabbing her shoulders "This is his battle, it's been foreseen by the stars themselves, it's in his blood whether he wants it or not, do you feel you are entitled to stopping fate?"
"N-no, I didn't say that, but…"
"You couldn't even stop Helle's fate… I did, I brought her back for you, didn't I?" Nephele nodded "I never thought you would turn your back on me Ele, after all I've done for us…"
The nymph turned and grabbed Aporia's hands between hers "I would never! Ria, I owe you everything! I know you gave me my daughter back, you killed that bastard who had sentenced them to death, you tried so hard to save my son! How could I ever turn my back on you?"
Aporia smiled and hugged Nephele's head against her chest before brushing her fingers through the pink-gray strands of hair "I knew I could count on you". The scene would have been sweet if it wasn't for the subject being discussed and the wicked grin on the dark sorceress lips while her friend buried her crying face on her chest.
Still sniffing Ele pulled her face away "Ria, wouldn't it be smart to move your memoirs into your dimensional space? I mean Natsu has already threaten to burn them… I would hate for us to lose so much history"
She chewed the inside of her lip and sighed "I would prefer not, but I guess I have no choice now… do I?" a dragging sounds and steps interrupted their conversation and in a couple of seconds they could see the group of 3 returning with a steaming body being dragged on the floor.
"Well that was some good exercise" Aporia walked closer to him and smiled "I wondered what was taking you so long"
"Just some good ol'fashion fun… since my ability to scare you is close to none, I thought I'd try my luck with this bastard"
Aporia inspected Radoub a bit, he seemed dirtier than before, dirt covered several patches of skin that seemed slightly pink as if it had submitted to heat but not burnt. His deformed hand was now bandaged in a fist along with the left side of his face which caused his eye to be covered; his mouth was relaxed, almost drooling… a clear sign that the man was unconscious.
"Doesn't look like you went too hard on him" Natsu chuckled in such a sadistic way that even Aproria widen her eyes; he put his arm around Helle's shoulders and squeezed "We just discovered we make a pretty good team"
"How come?" She was still staring at him with doubt "I remembered the time I met her, she tried to heal me and help me rest with her water magic" he smiled and nodded "So, I figured we can cause as much damage as we want while we heal him, he'll stay alive for as long as I want him to and he still has OH-SO-MUCH to atone for"
"Very well, are you done with him for now?" Natsu nodded "I may ask for a play date soon… but you can take him back if you want, unless you want us to put him in the dungeons"
"No, that's fine… Chrysomallos, please follow me" the knight turned to Natsu for approval and once he was cleared, he followed Aporia while dragging Radoub all the way to the library "You can leave us here, I'll take care of the rest"
"Don't you want to take me in case you need help?" she smirked "Wouldn't you love that… no, like I said, I am perfectly capable of handling this, now please leave and don't let the door hit you on your way out"
He bowed and stepped away from the room and as soon as the door clicked, he felt the magic release behind the door, he allowed for a couple of seconds to pass before opening it again. The library still had shelves above shelves, the couches and desk… but there were no books left behind, not a single paper laying on the floor, not even a hint of what occupied its space before.
Mal turned away and left while keeping his face as expressionless as he could, which was an ability he had mastered during his time with Aporia. Of course, he could only wish his plan worked as expected, hoping she wouldn't simply kill Raboud to avoid the trouble; he was counting on the fact that Natsu had expressed his desire of taking him out again would stop her from following through with whatever plan she had.
Loke sat down next to Lucy who was still enjoying from the diverse food Virgo had provided, he was happy to at least see her eat with gust; since this whole thing had started she hadn't taken care of herself as she had to and he was becoming concerned, but in this particular moment it seemed she had put her worries aside.
She was munching on a sandwich that was probably a bit too big for her, and for some reason he found it amusing; he smiled to himself and shook his head "What?"
"You have some mustard on your chin, princess; when did you become such a messy eater?" she blushed and cleaned her face before taking another bite "Aye! Maybe Natsu rubbed off on Lucy!"
"I'm sure he did…"
"Gajeel!" Erza smacked him on the back of the head "I-it's none of our business what they do as a couple"
"OI! You just tried to murder me for defiling Juvia!" the dark aura that emanated from Erza caused Gray to feel small in a matter of seconds "Then you admit it… the impudence of you speaking of such things aloud…"
Jellal grabbed Erza's shoulder gently "They are all consenting adults Erza, why don't we let them be?" she calmed down in a second, as if he had a soothing quality for her.
"Maybe you should rub off on Erza!" Happy thought that was the best idea he had ever had, and he nodded excitedly. The blue-haired man widened his eyes and stared at Happy "W-what?"
"Aye! She seems happier and calmer now! So, if you rub off on her maybe she'll stay like that!" there was silence, deadly, sinister silence… everyone was doing their best not to laugh because they knew anything at that point would trigger Erza, of course that only lasted for a minute before they all exploded, leaving a blushing red-headed mage shaking and speechless.
"What? Did I say something wrong?" Lucy patted Happy's head "Nope! You said all the right things buddy" they kept laughing at their friend's expense for a bit when Lucy felt a puncturing pain on her side which caused her to squint her eyes and scrunch her nose.
"Are you ok, Lu?" she waved her hand "I'm fine, just tired" Levy turned to Loke with concerned eyes, but he seemed a bit too surprised, he seemed lost in thought as if he had just noticed something peculiar "Are you sure you are ok, princess?"
"I said I'm fine" she stood up and walked to her tent before closing it and calling it a night "Woah… What's wrong with Lushy now?" Loke scratched Happy's ears and tried to look calm "I'm sure she is just tired"
"Loke… what's wrong?" he looked at Levy and rubbed his face with both hands "I didn't feel it" it didn't make much sense to anyone except for Jellal who immediately look up.
"Has that ever happened before?"
"N-no, I mean not like this…" he could see the confused expression on everyone's face and he inhaled slowly before proceeding "She was… is in pain, and I didn't feel her distress… Levy noticed before I did, that's not normal"
"Indeed, that's out of the ordinary, do you think it has something to do with what Virgo mentioned?"
"Possibly"
"Why don't you go back and ask that weird looking clock? That gaffer seems to know lots of shit"
"Is your brain filled with rusty nails, you metal eating idiot?! I can't leave her, I promised!"
"You left to get food… how's this any different?"
"I left for a couple of minutes, this is not the same… I'm not sure how long it'll take"
Levy noticed his discomfort and smiled at him "Loke, you wouldn't be leaving her, you would be trying to help" he grunted, stood up and turned his back at the group "You don't get it"
"What do we not get? That you feel guilty for not being there for her before?" Gray's voice was filled with anger "Do you think we don't know what that is like Loke?"
"It's not the same!"
"Man, we're family"
"You couldn't possibly know the bond a celestial mage has with her spirits!"
Gray slammed his fist on Loke's face in a matter of seconds "You, selfish prick! We've known Natsu since we were kids and he still didn't feel he could trust us enough to tell us he was hurting… possibly for years! The idiot went and put his neck on the line because he thought he would keep us out of trouble"
"Gray…"
"No! you are going to listen now, we didn't make it in time to save Lucy either and he had to risk his life AGAIN, she wanted our help to go after him right away and we turned our backs on her, why? Because we were a bit shaken after Flame for brains showed us a side of him we didn't know? She still had fate and we didn't, and you feel entitled to tell us WE don't understand what guilt feels like?!"
"I… didn't mean" he sighed "I… apologize"
"Fucking asshole…" Gray offered his hand to Loke, which the spirit gladly took "Now, stop being an ass and go find some useful information, we'll watch over Lucy, ok?" he nodded and smiled at his friend "That was some weak ass punch"
"Well it still threw you on your ass, I wouldn't want to damage that pretty face of yours… how would you pick up chicks after that, uhm?" they both smiled before Loke patted his clothes "Just… keep her safe, ok?"
"We will guard her with our lives" Erza placed her hand above her chest and he felt calm washing over him; for some reason there was nothing more reassuring than a promise from Titania to protect their family against any harm. Maybe it was the brutality he'd known her capable of, possibly her raw strength, but above all… her heart would always force her to keep going despite all odds, she would always protect the ones she loved.
For a second he pictured Natsu instead of the red-headed mage, grinning at him and telling him everything would be ok, letting him know no harm would come to them, and he knew… the guild may had been disowned but the spirit of Fairy Tail still lived on every single one of its members, and as long as there was one beating heart among them, the flame of Fairy Tail would burn strong.
Loke left in hopes we would find the answers behind the messy energy.
Natsu laid awake in bed, staring at the cold, dark rock ceiling; he didn't know why but his instincts told him something wasn't right, there was a void in the pit of his stomach and he couldn't stop himself from sighing.
There had been many battles in the past in which his flight or fight instinct had kicked in, although for him it was an obvious answer to always fight because no matter how scared you were, things weren't over until there was only one person standing, usually, this filled him with energy and the adrenaline rushing through his body made him keep going… so, why? Why was the sense of anxiety as overwhelming now to a point where he felt like ripping his skin apart?
The acclaimed new demon king felt itchy in the back of his head, just as when that horrible contraption had been placed there by the council, just as when he was trying to contain himself around her and that feeling only went away when he declared himself a loser against his instincts and surrendered to her warmth and the softness of her skin… when her scent filled his nose and her hair brushed against his face.
He knew she probably hated him now, for lying, for leaving, for killing… for so many reasons that he couldn't keep track of them anymore, but she would never hate him a much as he hated himself for all the times he'd failed in keeping them safe.
All that he had wanted before was a life with her, hadn't they said it was all more fun when they were together? Hadn't they promised to stay like that forever? Right… he failed with that too, he took the fun away along with all the promises and buried those together with the dreams he had of building a life with her, to build a in a house in a land worthy of his father, the same land he had bought so when the time came for Igneel to come back he could be proud of him… another dream, another gravestone.
Natsu felt warm liquid dripping from his mouth and noticed he had been biting down so hard that he had punctured his lip, but when he reached out to clean it with the back of his hand, what surprised him the most was not the blood but the salty liquid dripping from his face… he was crying.
He wondered how a soulless person, if he could even call himself that, could cry, and then it hit him… the sadness and pain that he was experiencing did not belong to a soulless monster but to him, the one and only Natsu Dragneel and for once he felt a bit at ease, his soul was still there, somewhere… trying to make its way back to him and he would cling to it no matter what, because that was the only thing that kept him human, the only thing that still belonged to Lucy.
It came as quickly as a wave; the pain he felt caused him to roll on his side and bring his knees closer to his chest, it was acute, as a puncture wound but there was nothing physically there. He grabbed on to his side and hissed and in a second Mal was there with a worried look on his face.
"Are you ok?! What happened?"
"I don't know… ARGH…. Fuck make it stop!" Mal reached out and rolled Natsu on his back to inspect him but there was nothing there. The golden knight places his hands above his master's side and closed his eyes.
Gold and red energy emanated from his hands; Natsu's temperature had always been higher than average but he felt warmer than usual and the celestial spirit couldn't help but frown, this was happening too quickly… he had thought there would be more time before Natsu noticed something was not right and he could only hope this could be contained until he could find a solution for this problem.
Mal placed a hand on Natsu's forehead, his temperature was rising to the point where the blankets were starting to smoke, and he didn't know what to do. He pulled Natsu up and led him to the bathroom, he threw him inside the bathtub and turned the cold water on.
Natsu hissed at the contact with the freezing liquid, but what concerned Mal the most was the water evaporating quickly under the contact with his master's skin.
He disappeared in a rush and came back with Helle following close behind "Oh God! Natsu!" she all but jumped inside the tub and wrapped herself around her nephew; her skin immediately felt the burning pain but thanks to her healing capabilities she would be ok as long as she could endure the pain.
"Chrys this isn't working!" tears started pouring down her face "We need to cool him off, what happened to him?"
"Too many things… for once he is now knowingly fighting to keep his soul in place" she pulled one of her hands away from Natsu and grabbed Mal's hand "And?..."
He sighed and shook his head knowing Natsu could possibly hear them despite the pain which they knew he did as soon as he groaned "And?... you know something… Mal… ARGH" another wave on pain caused him to stir again.
"Helle, knock him out"
"But…"
"Just do it!" she nodded and placed her hands on Natsu's forehead, her energy seeping though her fingers and filling the tub with a blue hue resembling crystals. It wouldn't fix a thing, nor would it take the pain away but after a few minutes Natsu was out.
Mal stood up and rubbed his forehead "He's going to get pissed…" she blinked a couple of times before he disappeared into a flash of lights while Helle tried to cool Natsu off without much luck, even with the constant stream of liquid, the water would heat up as soon as it touched his skin.
Natsu was back into that dark place in his mind, he felt the sweat dripping from his body and tried to control his breathing to no avail. He didn't even know he could get uncomfortable under heath, not to this extend at least.
He tried to get himself up and walk around the nothingness trying to calm down, but he felt as if his brain was burning off, all the sudden he felt a cold hand on his forehead and sighed. Natsu tried to open his eyes to come back to the real world, everything was blurry, but he saw the shape of a man, pale skin and dark hair framing his face before he closed his eyes again only to fall back into the pitch-black emptiness, but he wasn't alone.
"Natsu"
"Zeref?"
"Shh, you need to be quiet, mama said so"
Everything was still dark, but his brain was filling in spaces with objects and he noticed he was crouching while being held by a younger version of his brother; he looked at his own hands and they were so small, childish and covered with dirt.
"What are we doing?"
"Duh… mama said we should hide, so be quiet or there won't be any cookies for you"
He then noticed they were crouching next to a window that was not closed all the way and he heard whispering outside. Natsu recognized the voice and his heart ached at the nostalgia it caused; he felt a sharp pain on the left side of his head and flinched, the voices outside were almost muffled by something but he couldn't figure out what it was.
"Will you turn your back on me child?"
"I did a long time ago, I will not be a part of anything related to you and you will stay away from my family"
"I AM your family, this… whatever it is you are doing here was fun while it lasted but it is time to come home Nizza"
"You're not welcome here, that place is not my home and if I ever see you close to my family, I'll make it my personal mission to bring you down"
"That's no way to talk to your mother"
"Mother? When have you ever been such a thing?"
"Do not force my arm Nizza, you are no match for me" Natsu heard the sound of steps before he heard another familiar voice "Well, she ain't alone now, is she? Who the hell are you and what do you want with my wife?"
"Ah, but if it isn't the former prince of Boeotia… fancy meeting you here" everything went silence for a couple of seconds before the woman chuckled "Don't look so surprised child, do you think I wouldn't know what my daughter's been up to?"
"Ah… so it's you, heard some stuff, not interested in getting to know you, so if you be so kind to leave our property before we make you leave…"
"Aw… so aggressive, like father like son. Nizza you come with me now or I will make you regret your choices up to this point"
"She will do no such thing"
"Then I guess your fates are sealed… yours and the ones of those adorable, precious children"
All the sudden the objects started disintegrating, the wall and window becoming nothing but sand falling from a glass clock; Natsu tightened his grip on his brother only to feel him disintegrating, no matter how much he tried to keep him there a couple of seconds later everything was gone.
He was still sweating but felt incredibly cold, so much that his lip started trembling and his skin felt like being burnt by ice. He slowly opened his eyes to the same image from before but everything was so blurry and he couldn't focus, the shape of the pale man with dark hair was still staring at him.
"Z…Zeref, w-what…"
"Dammit, he is fucking hallucinating"
"Well if you hadn't taken so long to compose yourself after I brought you here…"
"Asshole, I was sleeping when you took me and brought me through a fucking celestial portal thing and dropped me on my ass! I felt as if my brain was going to come out from my nose!" Natsu's eyes tried to focus on one image and landed on the black marks covering the man's right side all the way from his hand to his face. The voice was one he knew, he tried to move and found himself restrained, no, locked in a frozen bathtub. "Gray?"
"Welcome to the land of the living ashbreath"