During Those 7 Years

by legoman7861

When Natsu's injuries sustained in a recent guild brawl with Gray prevent him from participating in this year's S-Class exam, how will he cope with the inevitable future ahead of him without his closest and most powerful Nakama there to guide him every step of the way? More importantly, what does this mean for the future of the Fairy Tail Guild hall? (AU disclaimer)

30. Chapter 30 - Origins: Finale

Author's Note (EXTREMELY IMPORTANT): What's this?! A nearly 30K word update?! Yes, that is correct. To compensate for the fact that I have been off the grid for the past few months, I wanted to thank you guys for your patience my making this a chapter to remember. In the event you are not keen on reading a daunting 30K word update in one sitting, I have divided it up into multiple sections for ease of mind. Just stop wherever you see a line break (those are typically after massive cliffhangers), and come back at a later point to finish it up!

As for my absence, the final weeks of school were rather busy for me. I had multiple borderline grades to get in check, and now that I have finally put those to rest, I look forward to providing all of my readers with more updates to come!

Here it is: the finale to the Origins Arc. I could not be more satisfied with how the arc turned out, and the amount of plot twists, suspense, and emotion added to it should serve as the hallmark proceeding the next timeskip for Fairy Tail!

The importance for this update is actually none of the reasons above, but is in fact because I need you guys help again! You guys have to help me answer the question, "What do you want to see happen to Rebuke?" The First Dragon Slayer, Natsu's mentor, and the one who mastered the art of the Flames of Emotion in their purest form. What happens to her is going to be decided on the poll I plan on posting on my profile's page.

If you REALLY want to make a justification for your choice, remember... I read all reviews on my phone, and I get an immediate notification when someone leaves one. So, let's say on the offchance someone leaves a nice review for me to read, maybe that could possibly entice me to become biased towards their opinion...? I'll just leave it at that (;

With that being said, thank you all SO much for continuing to support this Fanfiction. Every time I go to see the statistics and success it has have, I find it hard to believe that the reason I have all 194 reviews, 759 followers, 676 favorites, and 203,550 views is because I wrote 99 percent of this story's plot during the extra time of my Calculus 2 final, and it just so happened a few of you started picking up on a random, cliche plot which you somehow manage to enjoy. I cannot thank you guys enough for every bit of support you give me.

As always...

Thank you all for you time, and I hope to be back with another update.

---

During Those 7 Years

Chapter 30: Origins: Finale

Scene Change - Present Day Time

Many of the Dragons were too shocked to even react, Grandeeney only managing to sport a look of sorrow as her lifelong friend dissipated in the blink of an eye: causing the bodies of her comrades to immediately tense up over time.

The site of seeing a lifelong friend was something that stirred a feeling of longing that was so foreign, that Igneel and the company almost believed it was non-existent.

"A-Atlas…." It was the only name shrouding the minds of those scattered across the prairie.

Igneel was the first to regain his bearings. His face sported a look of absolute rage and betrayal. Without a moment to spare, he thrust his body towards the remnants of the prairie, using the surface to heroically launch himself towards where Acnologia triumphantly stood.

As nimble as Acnologia was, he was barely able to evade the unfathomable speed of a Dragon as powerful as Igneel.

As Igneel turned around to reface his newest threat, he muttered as flames started to erupt from his nose and his mouth. "Acnologia… DO YOU MEAN TO ANGER THE ONE AND ONLY IGNEEL?! YOUR WILL TO LIVE WILL END WITH ME!"

The rage of a Dragon was not to be underestimated, but at this point, Acnologia treated it as a comedic joke: causing him to manically laugh. "HAUGH- HAUGH- HAUGH… IS THAT YOUR PLAN?! ASK YOURSELF," He paused to grandly raise his hands above his head, all the while having a confident smirk on his face, "IS ENDING MY WILL TO LIVE WHAT YOUR FRIEND WOULD HAVE WANTED, BEFORE YOU WATCHED HIS LIFE FADE FROM THIS EARTHLAND?!"

Without warning, Igneel launched himself back towards Acnologia once more, as the Void Dragon Slayer's open posture left him vulnerable to a follow up attack. Igneel extended his claw as his wings furiously propelled his body towards Acnologia's.

Before Acnologia could even react, Igneel secured his claws around the Void Dragon Slayer's body, before violently pinning him against the ground. "DO NOT SPEAK HIS NAME!" Igneel boomed as a massive plume of dust was ejected from the area where Acnologia was immobilized.

Before Igneel could even question Acnologia's motive for his betrayal, a darkened aura of Void Dragon Slayer magic erupted from Acnologia's body. The Aura relentlessly assaulted Igneel, emitting the sound of static upon contacting his body.

"ARGGHH!" Igneel grunted in pain as he was forced to reflexively release Acnologia from his claw's grasp, while the plume of dust was thrown in an outwards sphere.

Using this opening as an opportunity, Acnologia leapt into the air before Igneel was able to recover from the immense spell he was struck by. He watched in sick satisfaction as the magic potential surrounding his body caused the other Dragons to enter a daze out of astonishment. They immediately readied their stance in the event they needed to retaliate against Acnologia to protect Igneel.

Grandeeney, on the other hand, used her body to shield the Dragon Slayer's in her embrace from Acnologia's presence.

"No… This cannot be happening," Grandeeney swayed her lowered head in denial, "How could one human wield this much magic potential?!"

Igneel grunted in response and regained his composure in the air. "Grandeeney… We'll take care of Acnologia! You need to protect those humans with your life. We're all in this together!"

"Buh- How… What about… Atlas…?" She stuttered as tears began to well in her eyes, clouding her gaze from any incoming threat.

Igneel gritted his teeth and lowered his shadowed gaze in absolute rage at the fate of his best friend. He muttered across from Grandeeney due to previously being hurled towards her. "We will have time to mourn over our loss later. But right now," He paused to gesture towards Zirconis' corpse, "Each Dragon Acnologia kills only maddens him with power. He's only going to gain magic potential unless we work together to stop him once and for all."

"I agree with Igneel! I know I can't help much because of that spell I used, but I'll help Grandeeney protect the Dragon Slayers and warn the rest of you if anything doesn't seem cool… We're gonna do this for Atlas!" Aqua Regia declared through labored pants.

Despite Igneel's resolve, each word her friends spoke behind Rebuke's back fazed through her without any form of reaction emitted from her mouth. She was too shocked to even react, as her ghost-like expression was mindlessly fixed into the distance where her father figure vanished without a trace.

Irene looked over her shoulder towards Acnologia hovering in the air. She peered into his red glare and spoke with confidence and arrogance. "Let me take Rebuke. Look at her… She's to scared to even react," She referred to her posture, "I've always wanted to settle my score with the wench. I'm the real queen of the Dragons, and it's about time I showed her." Irene hissed as she shot a condescending gaze towards Rebuke.

Acnologia only nodded in response, before he diverted his attention to his newest enemy: Igneel and the Dragons. "Yes. That will give me time to take care of the beasts."

As the Dragons prepared to confront Acnologia, Rebuke's internal expression of absolute dread and anguish shifted into utter rage as she realized the extreme Irene went to.

She knew needed to confront Acnologia once and for all, but she would have to get through Irene first. She remained certain that her friends would have no problem facing Acnologia for her in the meanwhile.

As the two female Dragon Slayers remained separated from Acnologia and the rest of the Dragons, Rebuke tuned out the entirety of her surroundings and focused on Irene in front of her.

In the remaining moments of odd serenity shrouding the prairie given the passing of Atlas Flame, Rebuke was never able to look over her shoulder towards her comrades confronting Acnologia. Not even Igneel was able to give Rebuke any attention or empathy for their loss before their enemies began their onslaught without another word.

Without a moment to spare, a wave of fury was plastered across Irene's face as she leapt across the ground and towards where Rebuke was standing. As her body remained angled towards the ground, she balled her dominant hand into a fist, causing a silvery-green magic circle with the image of a Dragon formed at her knuckle's tips. Her eye's flared up in a flurry of her magic as she roared her spell without hesitation. "SAGE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!" As Irene closed the remainder of the gap, she threw a punch with incredible speed towards Rebuke's face.

The spell struck Rebuke's cheek without remorse, causing her body to produce a shroud of dust as she launched towards the prairie.

"She doesn't even have the will to fight anymore. This is over."

Before Irene could advance towards where Rebuke was hurled, a massive plume of reddened flames erupted from the cloud of dust. Rebuke used as much magical potential she was capable of mustering to engulf her body in a blistering aura.

"Perhaps I was mistaken." Irene thought with rage as she finally felt her opponents potential.

Irene averted her gaze and reflexively used her hands to shield her face from the intense heat being generated. As the aura began to dissipate, she was once again able to divert her attention towards her former comrade.

Rebuke's cheek was marred with a throbbing, purple bruise from the slug Irene threw. However, that physical pain paled in comparison to the emotional pain coursing throughout her body. Her facial expression was riddled with confusion, anguish, and dread: causing her to lose her composure and frantically shriek as those emotions took control over her. "WHY?! WHY DID YOU JOIN HIM?! YOU COULD HAVE WARNED US! BUT INSTEAD… YOU'RE NO WORSE THAN HIM!"

"THAT'S JUST RICH, ISN'T IT? LEAVE IT TO THE 'GLORIOUS' REBUKE TO DECLARE WHAT'S RIGHT FROM WRONG. EVERYTHING ACNOLOGIA DOES FROM HERE ON OUT IS FOR THE ONE PERSON HE EVER LOVED," Irene paused to approach Rebuke's emotional stature, while engulfing her other fist in a flurry of Sage Dragon Slayer Magic, "IF I CAN'T HAVE ANY RECOGNITION BY BEING APART OF YOUR 'COMRADERY,' THEN PERHAPS I CAN HAVE SOME RECOGNITION BY JOINING HIM!" Before Rebuke could even break free of her emotional restraints, Irene rushed forward once again and delivered another remorseless blow to the Fire Dragon slayer's opposite cheek, "SAGE DRAGON'S IRON FIST," Causing her body to hurl towards the prairie again.

Rebuke attempted to overcome the physical and emotional pain enveloping her body a second time, but to no avail. Instead of engulfing her body in another blistering aura she could attempt to retaliate with, she could only succumb to the pain as she realized she was defenseless. "Nuh- No… It can't end like this… Everything I worked for… I just need a little bit more magic potential to stop them… Please…" She desperately whispered to herself: something she could only recall doing when her village was destroyed.

As the cloud of dust dissipated once more, Rebuke's frail body was revealed to be incapacitated on all fours. Her head was dropped towards the fine surface of the prairie out of emotional confusion, and her body was wracked in pain from her cheeks bruised a grotesque purple.

Rebuke's ears twitched as the sound of an approaching figure drowned out anything she could manage to sense. She desperately raised her hand above her head for some sort of assistance, and slowly managed for her gaze to follow behind in anticipation to face the figure approaching her.

Irene was revealed to be towering above her, and sneered in response to Rebuke's desperate composure. Instead of accepting her grasp pleading for support, Irene lifted her foot on top of Rebuke's forehead. Rebuke opened her mouth to say something: anything, but to no avail.

Without another word, Irene shifted her weight onto her foot and ruthlessly forced Rebuke's head into the prairie, causing her hand to plummet to the ground: silencing the Fire Dragon Slayer once and for all.

---

She could hardly tell how much time had passed. The only sense of reality she had was the fact the sun had fully set. Even then, she could hardly bring herself to contemplate anything but the present. Anything more would send her already throbbing mind into a world of indescribable pain.

Rebuke could sense two voices conversing from above her, as her head swayed above her sprawled body.

"What are we going to do to her…" The 'Queen of the Dragons?'" The feminine voice sneered. Rebuke groggily peered through her clouded gaze and realized it was none other than Irene standing triumphantly above her.

After realizing she was once again conscious, Acnologia kneeled to her level without bothering to close the distance between them. "I want her power for myself. Those golden flames. Once they're mine… No Demon, Dragon, God, human, or being will ever be able to withstand what I will be capable of."

"And the others?" Irene gestured towards the other Dragons: Igneel, Metalicana, Nakazato, Weisslogia, Skiadrum, and Grandeeney. All were sprawled and gravely wounded by Acnologia's hand.

"We'll come back for them. Right now, as long as we have her, the others won't matter."

As Acnologia snapped Rebuke back into some sense of reality, she barely managed to form a response. "Thuh- The fact that you've come this far means you already know… I- I'm as close to mastering Dragon Slayer Magic as you'll ever be. Those golden flames are the flames of emotion in their purest form… And there's no goddamn way I'm letting you take what's mine. Even if you try to force me. I'll never give you what you want."

Acnologia chuckled and inched towards Rebuke, not once averting his gaze from hers. He leaned in towards her face while engulfing his dominant hand in an aura of Void Dragon Slayer Magic. "That's where you're wrong. I know your weakness… Even if you're not aware of it as much as I am." Without another word, he uppercut Rebuke across her face, causing the Fire Dragon Slayer to lose conscious once more.

---

Hatred and disgust were the two emotions coursing through Natsu's body. Many of his guildmates had similar reaction of shock and mortification, but none comparable to that of Natsu who now clenched his fists in rage at the sight presented to him. This was not something that could be forgiven.

"How can that monster even think about pulling shit like that?!" Natsu growled demonically spat as his eyes flashed with emotion. "What the hell does he even get from just betraying you like that?!"

"Natsu, we need to relax and let Rebuke continue. We're not going to get anywhere, unless we understand what is going on. I doubt that's how things are left as." Kagura whispered to her Guild Master, squeezing his shoulder to perform what little action she could to calm him.

"It just doesn't add up... There's gotta be some other explanation for all of this... Right?" Macao weakly questioned in uncertainty.

Through a saddened gaze, Rebuke slowly shook her head. As the remainder of the prior comments began to plague her mind, she could only sigh to herself as she was well aware that the worst parts of her past were still to resurface.

---

"Urf… Where am?" Rebuke managed to speak within a dimly lit cell. She felt the weight of her body on her knees against the ground, and her bare back was pressed against a cold, metallic surface. In front of her was the barred entrance to the cell extending from both concrete walls towards her sides.

Rebuke looked down and noticed her hands were not at her sides. Instead, they were restrained behind her by a pair of magical restraints. Her typical attire consisting of her one piece bodysuit and dark olive joggers were completely tattered, primarily from Irene's previous onslaught.

She attempted to stand up and part her body from the surface her back was pressed against, but to no avail. A metallic whipping post of some sort was wedged between her back and her restrained hands resting behind her.

Despite the nature of how she was restrained, Rebuke managed to remain calm as she surveyed the room. "This is how torture victims are restrained… But… There's nothing that can even be used to harm me."

"Does that 'harm' include the very race you tried to save?" A voice spat from the other side of the barred cell she was in. The voice belonged to the silhouette of a man who began to emerge from the darkened background. The man was of average stature, but wore a chain mail vest signifying he must have been one of the guards to the cell she was in.

Rebuke was in shock. "How the hell didn't I sense he was there?!"

She gritted to herself within her mind before being reminded of the magical restraints. She paused in an attempt to look over her shoulder. "These damn magical restraints… I can't even use my enhanced sense."

She then slowly turned her head around after realizing what the man had originally said. She narrowed her gaze into his eyes before speaking out loud. "What does that have to do with why I was brought here?"

The man shook his head and continued. "What if you failed at the one thing you live for: saving humanity? What would that bring you to do?"

"I'm trying to do more than just save humanity. I'm trying to show the world that our race can coexist with Dragons!" Rebuke barked slightly, causing her to subconsciously struggle against her magical restraints.

"And some of us are trying to show you that we don't need you." The man declared with a stone cold demeanor.

Those words caused Rebuke's eyes to soften in sadness and betrayal. She knew that there were humans that aligned with this belief, but it didn't hurt any less to hear it for the first time. Before she could even retaliate, she watched as the guard turned her back to her and speak in disgust.

"I had a wife and a daughter. Their names were Helen and Anastasia. All we wanted was to live a simple life with each other without the political intervention of the Dragon King Festival," The guard paused to lower his head, as reminiscences of his past began to loom over his conversation, "But then... It happened around six years ago. The year was X394. I lived in the same village as him at the time of its destruction; the boy's name was Acnologia. I was one of the lucky ones that day. I tried saving them: Helen and Anastasia," The guard paused as tears began to well in his eyes, "But it was too late. I wasn't able to make it home in time."

Before the guard managed to let his tears run free, a wave of anger ushered across his facial expression as he realized the reason for his emotional pain. He then directed his newfound anger towards Rebuke. "But you wouldn't know that… Would you? Because you don't care about the humans who don't have a say and those who just wanted to live a life of happiness. Instead, the Dragons only pursued us more relentlessly, since they assumed all humans were opposing them. You spoke for the minority… And that's why my village was destroyed that day... Along with my family."

Rebuke was awestruck. She opened her mouth to form a response and plead her case for the possibility of forgiveness, but only managed to stutter. "Uh- I... I had nuh- no idea-"

The guard shook his head and retorted. "Whatever it is you have to say, it's too late. Nothing you say will help you find the closure you're looking for. You'll just have to live knowing the emotional pain you forced upon others." And with that, the guard left the cell without another word, not bothering to look at Rebuke's distraught face for any longer than he needed to.

Rebuke was left alone. As she began to hyperventilate, the only sound bring able to comfort her was the creaking of the barred entrance swaying being swayed open by the guard. Once Rebuke remembered the predicament she was in, she managed to calm herself down and spoke to herself once more. "No… I need to stay calm. This has to be why Acnologia brought me here. He wants my emotions to take advantage of me, so he can take advantage of my golden flames. That guard was just one of the humans who doesn't support the coexistent between Dragons and Humans. All of us had sacrifices to make in the Dragon King Festival: not just him."

She continued to comfort herself as much as she was capable of, to the point where she was unable to tell how much time had passed until she noticed the figure of another man looming outside her cell.

The man observed the chained women inside the cell. And after noticing how detached Rebuke's senses were from reality, he slowly stepped into the cell and revealed his presence by standing in front of her.

Rebuke could barely manage to realize someone approaching her by the sound of resounding footsteps, and only bothered to raise her head when she was absolutely sure someone was in there to accompany her presence. It was there her gaze was met with the harsh glare of Acnologia himself. He seemed completely unfazed from everything that had happened on the battlefield prior to her arriving to where she was right now.

Rebuke shook her head, not bothering to break the connection between their gazes. "After everything you did, how can you just stand there without any emotion whatsoever?" She barely spoke above a whisper.

"Can't you see it yet...? This was my plan all along. With Irene at my side, I will put an end to this Dragon King Festival once and for all. Now," Acnologia paused to lean in towards Rebuke and cup her chin with his dominant hand," You're going to give me the one last thing I need to do that."

Rebuke only continued to sport her facial expression of shock and of refusal. After realizing Rebuke was refusing to cooperate, he sported a look of seriousness and uncupped her chin. "Your comrades are either injured, or dead. The Dragon Slayers who fought beside you did not make it off that battlefield alive. I made sure you have nothing worth fighting for in this Earthland. There is no hope of you leaving here without me getting what I want. I highly suggest giving me what you were brought here for."

Rebuke shook her head and sported a small glare out of anger now. "You killed innocent humans, you hurt some of my best friends who I can only hope you spared, and I watched you kill the one Dragon I considered my father... Before I could ever tell him how much he meant to me," Rebuke began to grit her teeth and hold back her tears, "I know that doesn't change the fact that every single one of us knew what we signed up for when we chose to fight for the coexistence between Dragons and Humans, but the fact that you've went to these lengths just to end the Dragon King Festival is despicable! If this is what you envisioned for the past six years I've known you, then you've just wasted your time." She spat.

"That is what I was afraid of." Acnologia sneered, as he realized it was not enough for Rebuke to emotionally crack. Without another word, he straightened his posture, turned his back to Rebuke, and walked out of the cell into the darkness of the hallway: only bothering to close the barred door.

"Is that it...? He's just going to let me go?" Rebuke softly whispered to herself before shaking her head. "No. If this is seriously what he's been planning for the past six years, he wouldn't let go of me that easily-"

"Glunk- Glunk- Glunk- Glunk-" Before she could continue speaking, her thoughts were interrupted by the clunking of gears lowering the barred entrance to the cell, allowing her eyes to further adjust to the darkness of the massive hallway.

Before she could lament on the interior beyond her cell, she began to grow unnerved at the sound of heaving men approaching her from the darkness.

As the sound of heaving men approached her from the darkness, the first person she was able to identify was Acnologia. Just from the sheer amount of magical potential he possessed, Rebuke could sense the Void Dragon Slayer emerge from the darkness while signalling towards the sound of the armored men.

The men trudged towards Rebuke. Each step they took revealed what they were heaving. Slung over their shoulder guards was an array of tightly strung cables, leading towards a massive creature restrained in the darkness behind them.

The creature's body resembled that of a blue Amphibian with a tail. A white fin encircled his neck with a top mounted dorsal fin protruding from the top of his neck. The fin led down his spine and up until the point his tail was split in two; unlike the rest of the Dragons. The fin around his neck gave him the appearance of an amphibious water salamander, or a Dragon without wings.

Rebuke's jaw went slack as she realized who the creature was, but also from the discomfort it appeared he faced from being strung by the cables.

"Uh- Aqua Regia!" Rebuke revealed the creature's name in concern but slight relief, "You're still alive!"

"Well, I wouldn't go as far as saying that." He sheepishly replied, as his body was littered with gashes and clotted wounds from the battlefield.

"Wuh- What happened to everyone else?"

"I... I don't think the Dragon Slayers made it. Acnologia here blasted Grandeeney while she was trying to protect them, and I don't think they survived the attack."

Rebuke was so relieved to see her best friend, that she was oblivious to Acnologia's presence. Her eyes immediately widened as she was reminded of the predicament she was placed in. Before Rebuke could respond out of concern and confusion, their conversation as immediately halted by the intervention of the Void Dragon Slayer. Acnologia formed a blade of the darkest Void Dragon Slayer magic he could muster in the grasp of his dominant hand. And without any warning whatsoever, the Void Dragon Slayer briskly pressed the blade against Aqua Regia's throat.

"You can leave now." Acnologia spat at the men surrounding the Dragon, prompting them to immediately turn around and reenter darkness.

Aqua Regia anxiously gulped at Acnologia's sheer amount of magical potential. Even being in the presence of such a darkened mage caused him to reel in fear. "Wuh- Woah, bro. This doesn't seem too cool. Whatever it is you want, I'm sure we can all work it out. Please. We've been so cool with each other for the past six years."

"Shit," Rebuke cursed to herself, something she resorted to only as she began to lose her composure, "How the hell did you even end up here?! You had time to escape before he came back for you!" She gestured towards Acnologia.

"Quite ironic, is it not? The 'great Rebuke' who fought tirelessly for the coexistence of Dragons and Humans, but was acquainted with friends who abandoned each other during the time they needed assistance the most."

It took Rebuke a few moments to understand what Acnologia was implying, but immediately shook her head in denial after realizing how Aqua Regia ended up there. "No... They left you behind?!"

"Don't listen to him Rebuke! It was my choice," Aqua Regia began to condescendingly chuckle, "I volunteered to stay behind, if it meant everyone else had enough time to escape safety," He then diverted his attention towards Acnologia, "This was all part of our plan to make sure you don't have the last word. You'll never find any of our cool friends again. You're left with nothing."

Acnologia scowled. "That's where you're wrong. I don't need to find or even kill those beasts to have everything I need to end this war once and for all."

"Then what is it that you want?"

Acnologia continued to speak, while pressing his blade down on Aqua Regia's throat only far enough to draw a slight bit of Dragon's blood. "SHE knows damn well what I have brought here here for," He paused to focus his glare towards Rebuke, "The flames of emotion in their purest form. You have exactly one minute to decide which you value more: the Dragon King Festival, or your friend's life. I wouldn't hesitate to give you the 'emotional encouragement' needed for you to GIVE ME WHAT I WANT." Acnologia maniacally boomed with authority.

Without moment to spare, Aqua Regia struggled against Acnologia's blade and began speaking. "Rebuke... You'll always be my best friend. But I need to know... Do you consider me your best friend also?"

"Uh- Of course I do." Tears began to well in her eyes, as she refused to believe what Aqua Regia was about to refer to.

"Then... You need to trust me when I say that everything is going to be alright. Just don't give him what he wants! Promise me that you will not let him harness your flames of emotion, otherwise, everything we fought for would have been for nothing! It's just like you told me! You're the one who's mastered them, so only you have the decision to keep them. Promise me you won't give into him! No matter what happens! That's the only thing he could possibly want from you at this point." A lone tear fell down his face, approaching his amphibious like jawline.

"I- I promise. None of you have ever let me down, so I could never do the same to you."

Seeing as Acnologia's patience was running out, Aqua Regia clenched his teeth and prep "Rebuke, do you remember the time when we met all those years back? It was at the diner your father hosted. You asked all of us if we considered you to be our friends."

Rebuke nodded her head in uncertainty, now beginning to tremble as the remaining tears began to form in her glossy eyes.

Aqua Regia manged to sport one more meek smile. "Rebuke, I think I can speak for all of our friends and family when I say we will always and forever lov-"

Aqua Regia was never given the opportunity to have proper closure. Without hesitation, Acnologia ran the length of his darkened blade across Aqua Regia's throat. The gruesome scene that unfolded paled in comparison to the last thing Rebuke witnessed: the life fade from her best friend's eyes. As the Water Dragon's meek smile transformed into a lifeless expression, his head hung helplessly from the gash created along his throat. Rebuke watched as the lone tear which ran across his jawline fell freely, solidifying in midair before rolling across the ground and towards where she was restrained.

"Clink... Clink- Clink." The teardrop made as it rebounded off the surface of the cell and towards Rebuke, before quietly resting without a sound.

It was that instance that Rebuke's heart was overwhelm in emotional pain beyond her control. A massive wave of golden flames ushered across he body which instantly turned her light and flawless skin into dragon like scales. Her dark hair was immediately lit ablaze as complete and utter magical potential consumed her, while her appearance was adorned by a pair of fire like wings spanning at her sides.

Acnologia entered a trance, as the blade he formed dissipated from his grasp. He ruthlessly shoved Aqua Regia's lifeless corpse to the side with bottom of his sandal before triumphantly spanning his arms at his side in wonder. "The flames of emotion in their purest form have recognized their ultimate wielder..." He paused to take an offensive stance. "WITH THAT MUCH MAGIC POTENTIAL, I DON'T EVEN HAVE NEED FOR THAT PATHETIC LIZARD'S BLOOD OVER THERE. NO DRAGON OR HUMAN WILL EVER BE ABLE TO OBJECT MY DESIRE TO END THIS DRAGON KING FESTIVAL! THIS CELL WILL BE THE GRAVE OF BOTH OF YOU!"

It was at that moment that the Rebuke broke free of her restraints and fell to the ground. She used her trembling grip to pick up the solidified tear of Aqua Regia, clenching it to her racking body. As she lifted her gaze to meet Acnologia's, she formed a piecing glare which caused him to take a step back. Even he was now overwhelmed by the immense amount of magic potential and her new physical appearance, fearing as to how she was even able to destroy her magical restraints reduced to pieces.

Before he could even retaliate, Rebuke let loose an immense cry which was enough to warn Irene and any other human in the facility of the danger she posed, "RAAUGHHHHHHHHH!" She then launched off the ground on all fours at an inhumane speed towards Acnologia, cleanly wounding the man's abdomen where he stood and pinning him to the ground.

As she was mere inches from his face, she was so consumed by magical potential and emotional pain that she had nearly broken the promise she made to Aqua Regia, and thus everything she had fought for. This is what Acnologia wanted.

After realizing what she had nearly succumbed to, her face of rage and vengeance turned into that of disbelief. The wave of magical potential consuming her body immediately vanished, leaving her figure covered in the dragon like scales that continued to consume her figure, while her hair continued to represent that of cascading fire. Rebuke lifted her hands to her face and began to shake her head after realizing what she had become. All the while, Acnologia triumphantly smirked from below her, paying no mind to the massive wound dealt to him.

Without giving the man a chance to react, Rebuke propelled herself away from his body on all fours using the might of her wings to stabilize her throughout the flight. She flew in a state or disorientation down the hallway, paying absolutely no attention to Irene approaching to confront her. Without warning, she desperately hurled herself through a wall of the building she was held captive in, never to be seen by Acnologia or the Jade Dragon Slayer again.

---

Scene Change - Present Day Time

The teacups scatted across the tray had long been emptied. No one has the audacity to break the intense silent plaguing the room, as they awaited to hear the next part of the story: absolutely anything to have some sort of resolution or closure to the bittersweet interaction which left Rebuke in unspeakable emotional turmoil.

Rebuke's eyes were closed as she grimaced in silence upon recalling those events. She slowly opened her eyes to ensure Akagi was safely resting on the sofa once again. She then uncrossed her legs, stood up, and head to the kitchen with the tray of empty refreshments in her dragon-like hands.

Rebuke's sudden movements snapped the Fairy Tail Guild members out of their daze, prompting Natsu to stutter in confusion. "Wuh- Wait. What about the ending? What happened to Igneel? When do you go back there to kick Acnologia's ass and avenge everyone you lost?!"

Rebuke sighed and shook her head. "I could have told you a happy ending, or the real ending. I gave you the real ending. You'll eventually learn about your father if you please bear with me."

"Don't pay attention to our Guild Master's language," Macao chimed in while shooting a small glare towards his Guild Master, "But I do have to agree with how surprised he was at how everything turned out."

Rebuke sported a meek smile while disposing of the tray of teacups. "Don't worry about it, I'd have to say I'd be just as disappointed in what happened."

"Suh- So that pendant above your chest. That was the tear drop that fell from-"

Rebuke nodded her head towards Sayuki. "You've got it. It's the only thing I have to remember my past by."

Natsu then gritted his teeth in frustration after hearing Rebuke's interaction with Saykui. "I swear on my goddamn life... I need to find that bastard and rip his freaking head off!"

"Master Natsu..." Kagura lightly butted him with Archenemy's hilt, "Don't you think you need to focus on why you're here in the first place?"

"She's right," Rebuke nodded in response, "While I'm glad you despise his actions as much as I do, it'll all be for nothing if you don't get your magic back."

"Buh- But there has to be something else that happened. I'm so sorry you had to live through all of that, and I don't want to bring it up more than I have to... But I just can't believe you're telling us it ends there." Macao was too focused on finding a solution to a resolution to the Dragon King Festival than he was paying attention to Natsu's antics.

"I pretty much summed it up before I brought is back here. When Aqua Regia died, so did a piece of my heart. It was what Acnologia wanted all along: for me to lose control over my emotions, so he could harvest my golden flames for himself. After realizing that, I left for good. The Dragon King Festival continued, but this time, I made sure it was without me. Dragons and humans were continuing to slaughter each other every day without me, and I didn't want anything to do with it. After witnessing innocent humans die before my eyes, coupled with being left alone in a war ravaged Earthland, I didn't want to be remembered as the reason Acnologia turned into the monster that he is. I just wanted it all to stop."

Rebuke paused to ensure her guests were understanding her. "The Dragon King Festival eventually ended, but only after Dragons and Humans killed each other thinking it was the only way to express their beliefs... Even still, neither side won. Instead, Acnologia's involvement on that battlefield so many years ago was the beginning of his racism towards Dragons and any Humans who were acquainted with them. After that day, each Dragon he killed only maddened him with the power to kill more. Acnologia remained the sole victor of that time's Dragon King Festival, and only because of his indiscriminate killing of Dragons and Humans alike. With both sides completely decimated, Acnologia's appearance is considered to be a historical mockery of the countless deceased. Even to this day, he never told me the reason he's trying to erase the history of Dragons from this Earthland, but he's still out there... And he will not stop until it is done."

Silence filled the room out of respect for Acnologia's immense amount of magical potential. As powerful as he knew the Void Dragon Slayer was, Natsu refused to allow that to faze the sorrow he felt towards Rebuke. "Acnologia... I can't allow him to just get away with everything he's done to you. Is that your favor? Is that how I get my magic back? By stopping him?"

Rebuke held her hand up. "Before we get to that... There's one more thing I have to show all of you."

Natsu darted his head to his guild mates on either side of him before speaking. "What is it?"

Rebuke now gave her undivided attention to Natsu, and no one else. "Natsu, what you say from here on out is your decision and your decision only to make. I already told you everything you need to know if you just came here to get your Dragon Slayer Magic back. If that's still all you came for, you've already learnt about the history of your magic and enough to understand why you lost it in the first place."

"I think I'm sensing an 'or' here."

"Or... You can listen to one more story I have to tell. By listening to this last story, however, you will be bound to complete the one task I was never able to: finish the Dragon King Festival once and for all. It's obviously more complicated than getting your magic back, and I can promise you, it might just take your entire lifetime to accomplish. But, if you chose to accept it, I promise you'll not only get your magic back... But you'll become more powerful than you can ever imagine. And that power is what will help you accomplish what I was never able to do for the past 400 years."

"Rebuke." Natsu lowly spoke while lowering his head, causing all his guildmates to monitor him with utter suspense. Without warning, he bolted his head upright and managed to form a toothy grin. "I don't know why you bothered promising to make me more powerful! I'd do it just because the quest sounds badass!"

While everyone deadpanned in response, Rebuke was the only one not amused. "This is not a joke Natsu. If I show you this last thing, there will be turning back. I'm not just offering you a newfound power to entice you, it's also because without it, you might very well be killed."

"Rebuke... 2 years ago, one of my closest friends told me that everything we face in life happens for a reason. I'm not doing this because of what I'm being told I could embrace... I think the reason I want to do this, is because I'm a Fairy Tail Guild member! Even though I promised my Nakama I would change for them and not make reckless decisions, after everything that bastard's done, did you honestly expect for me to NOT confront him even if I didn't accept your offer?"

Rebuke lightly chuckled. "Erza was the one to give you that advice, wasn't she? It's guided you to where you are today, along with everything you do for your friends, so It seems I don't have a choice."

Kagura chimed in. "For what its worth, whatever path Master Natsu chooses to go down, we'll always be there for him until the end-"

Rebuke warmly smiled. "There's no need to try to convince me of Natsu's intentions. He'd never do anything to endanger Fairy Tail. After all, I'ts all because of how much your guild supports each other. There was a time when Jellal was a free man and would try to visit me often, so he could tell me about how your guild changed his life from the brink of insanity during the creation of the Tower of Heaven... It's just incredible to see it for myself. But that still doesn't change the fact that this is a decision Natsu has to make for himself," She began to grow serious again while diverting her attention towards Natsu, "If you are truly willing to accept the task of one day ending the Dragon King Festival, you need to understand what you have always been destined to do."

Nods of confidence were reciprocated from all the Fairy Tail Guild members present, which served as the signal for Rebuke to divert her attention towards their Guild Master. "Natsu... Are you ready?"

"Fairy Tail Guild members always help those in need. If I said no to this after coming this far, I might as well not even call me a Dragon Slayer."

Rebuke leaned in towards Natsu and spoke with absolute clarity and seriousness. "Here it goes. Natsu. I already know a lot about you and your friends, so I hope this next part won't come as a surprise," She paused to clear her throat, "9 years ago and 7 years before your best friends disappeared, you woke up in a forest. It was the place you trained all your life, with the father you knew as Igneel. But the morning you woke up, he vanished without a trace. And since then, I take it you've noticed some... Unusual coincidences..."

"'Unusual Coincidences?'"

Rebuke rubbed her chin before continuing. "Have you ever noticed random things as a Fairy Tail Guild member, or just in your life that seem way too lucky to be a coincidence: to the point where it makes no sense at all?"

After a few minutes of contemplating, Natsu began to slowly nod his head in agreement. "Are you talking about how Igneel disappeared on July 7th, X777?"

Rebuke nodded her head and smiled. "Exactly," She then extended her dominant hand towards the group one last time

"And you know what... Speaking of Dragon Slayers, back when Laxus went crazy and tried taking over Fairy Tail, I kind of found it weird that Gajeel and I were like the only two people who couldn't get out of the guild hall. Apparently Freed put up some runes that made it so anyone over 80 year old couldn't make it through...It's probably because Laxus was too scared to fight a couple of badass Dragon Slayers!" Natsu triumphantly laughed.

"You already know a lot more than it seems..." But I can show you the real reason why you couldn't pass through that barrier. And... I can show you what happened to your father." Rebuke paused to extend her dominant hand towards the anxious group, "All of you... Take my hand, for the last time. But once Natsu see's this last story, there will be no turning back for him," She paused to once again speak directly to Natsu, "You must embrace the future it leads to."

Every Fairy Tail Guild member in the room immediately thrust their palms towards where Rebuke had extended her hand: all except for one. As they turned to face the lone member, they noticed a confident expression plastered upon his face.

Natsu clenched his fist in front of his face and nodded his head in agreement and spoke his signature line, "I'm all fired up now," before relaxing his grasp and inserting it into the circle.

In an instant, a torrent of golden flames erupted from the bottom of Rebuke's hand.

The fire engulfed the group which caused a golden hue lowly emanated throughout the room, causing a ghostly sound tinted with glistening to howl from the spell. The flames almost immediately dissipated into beautiful embers floating in the air, causing Rebuke and the Fairy Tail Mages to vanish from the middle of the room without a trace.

---

Scene Change - X400 (386 years ago)

A massive creature was walking through the forest. Although the X-shaped scar across his abdomen was clotting from the previous wound dealt to him, it could never compare to the immeasurable physical and emotional pain coursing throughout his body.

An equally massive creature walked beside him and revealed the original creature's identity. "Igneel, what the hell are we doing here? If he's really out there hunting down Dragons, this is the first place he's bound to search for us down. You're just going to get us killed," He paused to grimace over the fate of one of his friends, "You know... Aqua Regia didn't volunteer to hold that monster back for nothing. We need to be using the time he bought us to move on, while we still can."

"Yes. Which is exactly why we have to come here. I forgot something very important."

"Doesn't the old saying during an emergency go, 'leave everything behind? The only thing we can't replace is yourself?' This is a damn good time to put those words into action."

"Not until you see this for yourself. This is something that cannot be replaced." Igneel bantered as he finished the remained trek around the mountainside to his den beneath the waterfall. Water droplets produced from the rushing water were carried by the light breeze throughout the nighttime sky. The landscape was as beautiful as ever, despite the grave time.

"Hmph," Metalicana grunted, "This better be worth our time."

As Metalicana rounded the corner and raised his gaze to survey the den Igneel inhabited, his eyes widened in astonishment and disbelief. The beautiful scenery immediately vanished from his focus as he directed his attention towards what he was staring at.

In front of him was the body of a young boy. He had a fair skin complexion coupled with spiky, pink hair. His attire was rather simple: consisting of a red, button up tunic, mustard tinted cargo shorts, and velvet boots. The only accessory other than his attire was the cot he was currently resting atop, comforting the boy in his deep sleep.

"Who the hell is that? Another survivor from the village we were at earlier?" Metalicana asked in utter confusion.

Igneel shook his head. "His name is Natsu. Natsu Dragneel. He's the Fire Dragon Slayer I've been training for years."

"What do you mean he's a Fire Dragon Slayer? You told the rest of us that you never found anyone worthy of learning Dragon Slayer Magic," Metalicana paused to avert his gaze in each direction, "Whuh- Where the hell are the things that raised him?"

"There's not much of a backstory as you are probably hoping for... The day Rebuke's village was destroyed all those years back, there was more than one survivor. Natsu's parents survived the long night, same as Rebuke. As morning struck, they managed to escape the village and towards the East side of Ishgar: where Dragons were known to coexist with humans. They managed to settle down and start a family. Natsu's mother gave birth to him around the time we found Acnologia 4 years ago. In that exact same village… She and her husband never made it."

"So the entire time you said you were never training a Dragon Slayer…?"

"Was because I expected something like this would happen," Igneel managed to continue from where he interrupted Metalicana, "a man- no… A monster so overwhelmed with the will to slaughter Dragons or those who dare associate with hem that he has completely forgotten his former identity."

Metalicana was left speechless. To say that he believed this was completely ludicrous was an understatement. For once in his life, it was him who believed that he needed to be the Dragon to reason with his rival. "Igneel… You are by far the most powerful and patient Dragon I have met… But even you must realize how absurd this plan of yours is! What is it that Natsu can do now? We've lost! We have nothing! We have absolutely no idea where to begin reforming, our friends are gravely injured, and Acnologia has Rebuke… ONCE HE FINDS A WAY TO FORCE OUT HER FLAMES OF EMOTION, NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO STOP HIM. HE WAS ONE STEP AHEAD OF US THE ENTIRE TIME. IT'S TIME YOU JOIN US AND REALIZE WHEN YOU'VE DONE EVERYTHING IN YOUR CAPABILITY TO BE THE DRAGON YOU ENVISIONED. REBUKE IS GONE, AND OUR COMRADERY WILL DIE WITH HER. IT'S TIME TO BACK DOWN-"

A resounding slash was heard across the landscape as Igneel struck his comrade across the face. As Metalicana began to recover from the blistering attack, Igneel boomed in response. "THEN WHAT WAS THIS ALL FOR...?!

Metalicana reeled. Every ounce of his nature wanted to retaliate against his rival, but even he knew it was unlike Igneel to lash out for him in such an aggressive manner. "What was what for..." He stated with an even tone.

"EVERYTHING WE WORKED FOR ALL THESE YEARS. THIS ISN'T ABOUT REBUKE ANYMORE. IT NEVER WAS. REBUKE KNEW WHAT SHE SIGNED UP FOR, AND SHE KNOWS THE CONSEQUENCES OF ACNOLOGIA HARNESSING THE MAGIC POTENTIAL OF HER GOLDEN FLAMES…" He took a moment to calm himself, "Do you truly believe Rebuke would betray all of us that easily? She's lived through hell on Earthland just to be here today... And you're seriously considering that she would have been taken advantage of that easily?"

Metalicana huffed in relief from realizing that Igneel had began to calm himself. "What the hell do you have in mind?" He used his claw to tend to the fresh would across his cheekbone.

"It's too dangerous for the boy to train anymore. He needs to go to a new time. A time where it'll be safer to train. That time is 400 years from now: where the world will have moved past the events of the Dragon King Festival."

"Igneel, Rebuke is possibly the most powerful mage of all time, how do you expect this young boy to be burdened with such a task: the task of ending the reign of Acnologia, a man who will have nearly 400 years of training and dueling experience?! This doesn't even include the amount of magic potential he will consume from every Dragon unfortunate enough to be slaughtered by him!"

Igneel calmly replied. "He won't realize it now, but this is what must be done. I've never even spoken to him about Acnologia, or any of the other drama we've managed to consume ourselves in, but I know that Natsu's cause is just; I trust when time comes, he will do what is necessary to bring Acnologia to justice and not succumb to his reign."

"And you expect him to do this alone, after Rebuke would have barely had the magic potential to defeat him, assuming she were at full strength during our encounter with him."

"No...?" Igneel rhetorically groaned. "You'll be sending your Dragon Slayer with him. Same with Grandeeney."

"You mean Kyoichi and whatever that blue haired girl's name is... Wendy? Two of the Dragon slayers Acnologia killed?"

Igneel lightly shook his head. "Kyoichi managed to survive, but barely. I didn't mention this to you prior, since I knew you wouldn't have as hard of a time parting from Kyoichi as Grandeeney would have from parting with Wendy."

"And you know of some magical place which will transport them into the future?"

"Not a place, but a person. Her name is Anna Heartfilia. She support the coexistence of our species, and will take care of them for us. Kyoichi and Wendy won't have any memory of the Dragon King Festival."

"But you're not afraid that Natsu, or any of the other Dragon Slayers, will piece all of this together before they're even ready to face Acnologia? He's a kid, for crying out loud."

"And when the Dragon Kind festival first started, so was Rebuke. But for good measure, we planned on you renaming Kyoichi, while Grandeeney agreed for Wendy being transported as an adolescent. I'm sure they won't have too much trouble getting along, once they meet."

"I'm pretty sure Kyoichi tolerates Wendy only because she's attractive, I don't know how that's going to play out if she's like 13."

"How humorous, but now's not the time," Igneel sighed while looking up into the nighttime sky. A pang of relaxation coursed throughout his body at how calm the stars above him appeared, visible creating strands of patterns throughout the sky coupled with the particles of water from the nearby waterfall . "How Ironic... The most peaceful of scenery to accompany the greatest of sadness..." He then paused to divert his attention back towards Metalicana. "Well, I am still waiting for some sort of reaction from you. You typically always try to have the final word with anything I have to say. Could it be that you finally agree with a plan I propose?"

A tick mark appeared across Metalicana's forehead. As much as he hated to completely agree with Igneel, he attempted to act defensive for the sake of his pride. He unclenched the wound adorning his cheek to retort in bewilderment. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?! You planned on just sending Kyoichi 400 years into the future without even telling me?!"

"Oh, do I sense a form of affection you share towards him?"

"Boo- hoo... Of course not. I'm just pissed off you planned on doing all of this without even telling me!" The Iron Dragon defensively declared, while immediately dismissing the subject. "I just wanted a heads up, seeing as I'll have one less problem to worry about. Once I get rid of that runt, I can finally focus on other things in my life... But if this might be the last time I get to see him, you might as well take me to see whoever this 'Anna Heartfilia' is."

Igneel nodded in response. "Of course, I cannot argue with what you wish to do after you part with Kyoichi. If you wish to meet Anna, you must not mention this conversation in front of the Dragon Slayers.

"Why would I? I could care less what that runt does with his life, even if it is 400 years from now. You said that Kyoichi was with Grandeeney, right? Just take me to where the hell they plan on meeting this Heartfilia." Metalicana snorted.

Igneel chuckled to himself and sighed. "If that is what you want, then we should get moving as soon as possible. You were right about one thing... Acnologia is still out there somewhere, so we cannot afford to linger around here much longer."

With that, Igneel managed to approach the den housing Natsu's sleeping body. He quieted his movements as to not disturb the boy's slumber, to the point the could clearly hear the rhythmic breathing accompanying his sleep.

Not giving any thought to how Metalicana might react, he approached Natsu's ear and lowly spoke in a fatherly tone: one last time to the boy he considered his son. "Natsu... You may not realize it now until far in the future, but you may very well be the person destined to end the Dragon King Festival once and for all. I have no doubt you will one day end Acnologia's reign. You are a Dragon Slayer, and with that, you hold the power to slay one. You may find yourself alone at times, but you will have Kyoichi and Wendy supporting you every step of the way. No matter what happens, you must never allow yourself to succumb to weakness. I am not asking the impossible of you; I know you have the power to do this, so you must NEVER doubt yourself. Even when you might think there is no hope, never forget you are a true dragon slayer, and that you must take pride in that accomplishment... No matter what happens, I, Igneel, will always be proud of you."

---

Scene Change - Present Day Time

It had hardly been an hour since Rebuke revealed the one part of Natsu's life he would need if he were to ever end the Dragon King Festival, but it felt like an eternity for anyone who had any sense of Natsu's reality.

Macao's eyes were shot open and his fists were gripping his purple hair in disbelief. He gauged the room in as the newest revelation plagued his thoughts, only to realize his other Guild Mates were just as speechless as to what was revealed to them

Kagura's Katana, Archenemy, weakly dangled from her grasp at her side. Hey eyes quivered in uncertainty to how her Guild Master would react from this. Sayuki was fully immersed in the scene that unfolded, only managing to subconsciously inch towards Rebuke while gnawing on her fingernails.

And then there was Macao again. Having known Natsu personally longer than anyone else in the room, he knew the severity of what Rebuke had showed them; this was not just what Natsu needed to end the Dragon King Festival, it was everything he had been searching for his entire life.

All three Guild Mates immediately darted their gazes towards the slightest movement coming from next to them; it was from one person in the room expected to be influenced by this revelation the most. Natsu managed to weakly stand up, staggering to his feet in uncertainty. Just as he expected the weight of his body to completely overcome the strength of his legs, Kagura stood up to support his shoulder as he managed to finally bring himself to speak. "Igneel... My dad... All this time, he never left me...?"

Rebuke managed to sport a meek smile in response. "Of course not... The day of July 7, X777, you woke up in the den you were raised in only to find your father missing. That was the day you were transported nearly 400 years into the future. All those moments you remember with your father, where he taught you the art of Dragon Slayer Magic and how to level mountains, happened 400 years ago," She paused only to ensure Natsu was comprehending the massive "And as you can probably tell... You know Kyoichi by the name of Gajeel."

"Is what he said true? That... It's up to me to end the Dragon King Festival?

Rebuke nodded her head. "That was the plan he envisioned, but, he wouldn't have thought of you any less if you didn't choose to embrace that path. He only expected you to do what you thought was right in the end, which is why I said it was up to you to decide whether or not you wanted to bare the task of ending the Dragon King Festival. But after hearing this... I think you can understand why there's no turning back... Even after the faith of Gajeel and Wendy. "

Natsu clenched his fists in anger again. "It's not like I planned on backing down in the first place. Whether or not Gajeel and Wendy were here right now, doesn't change the fact that Acnologia's killed too many innocent Dragons and humans for no reason at all. Rebuke, whether or not my old man wanted it," Natsu paused to clam himself before speaking with complete resolve, "I'm gonna take it upon myself to end the Dragon King Festival."

Sayuki immediately beamed upon hearing Natsu's resolve. She ended the seemingly endless gnawing at her nails to triumphantly raise her fists. "That's the spirit, Master Natsu!"

Sayuki's momentary rejoice was enough to cause her other guild members to smile in agreement, but not nearly enough to distract Natsu from the biggest revelation of all. "It's just a lot to take in all at once... It's hard to believe how I'm nearly 400 years old. Does that mean Igneel is..." Natsu began to fear the worse.

"Hm?" Rebuke , before immediately reassuring Natsu, "Oh, nononono... I'm sure Igneel told you that Dragons tend to live for hundreds of years, so I can assure you he's far from dead."

Macao then intervened. "It sounds to me like you know where Igneel is."

"In fact, I do," Rebuke paused to approach where Natsu was being supported by Kagura. She slowly raised her dominant hand and used it to lightly press against Natsu's chest: an action even Kagura wasn't too fond of, out of the slightest pang of jealousy. After a few moments of utter suspense, Rebuke broke the tense silence by raising her gaze from Natsu's chest and towards his dumbfounded expression. "Igneel is here." She replied with absolute seriousness.

Natsu transitioned his gaze back and forth from Rebuke's dragon-like hand resting on his chest and towards the seriousness plastered across her face. After he assumed her realized what she was implying, he only groaned in annoyance. "Ugh... C'mon, Rebuke. I already know he's in my heart-"

Rebuke chuckled and Natsu's and shook her head in response. "Igneel is not in your heart..." She paused to gesture to Natsu's entire body. "Igneel is inside your body."

Natsu could only scratch his head in confusion. "And you expect me to believe that? Igneel is like the size of those mountains I used to destroy!"

"Ask yourself this, what do you think is responsible for you not transforming into a Dragon like Acnologia?"

"I don't know... ? Maybe it's because I'm not a stone cold killer who is so desperate for magic potential that I have to kill innocent Dragons and Humans?" He sarcastically responded.

Rebuke once again chuckled. "Well, you are not wrong. But, you're missing the bigger picture here. Acnologia transformed into a Dragon, because he was never able to respect the sheer amount of magic potential that accompanied him learning Dragon Slayer Magic. And to an extent, the same principle applied to me," She paused to sigh and gesture towards her dragonified body, "In order to ensure that this would not happen again, Igneel performed what is known as a Dragon Soul Technique in order to prevent your body from turning into either of ours."

"So your're telling me," Natsu dramatically lowered his head, causing everyone in the room to grow concerned. He then shot his head upright with a tooth grin plastered across his face. "That I'm older than Gray?!"

Everyone in the room deadpanned, which was immediately dismissed by Natsu. "I'M JUST KIDDING. SHEESH!"

"You'd better be. You learn you're 400 years old and that your father, an actual DRAGON, is now an embodiment of your existence! I'd be damned if you weren't kidding." Macao added.

"It all makes sense now," Natsu paused to reflect on his past, "Whenever my father would give me advice when I needed it the most, it was because he never left my side. He has always been right here with me. The night before I thought he left me, he told me the same story of yours I ended up sharing with the rest of the Magical Alliance. I just never knew that tall along, this was all for a reason."

Rebuke confidently nodded in response. "I'm not sure if he can only hear you under specific circumstances, but even if it's not always possible for him to give you advice, I have no doubt he would be the proudest father right now."

Kagura along with the rest of Natsu's Guild Mates nodded in agreement. "She's right, Master Natsu. I've always had a hunch that Igneel would be proud of you just from stepping up to the task to be our Guild Master, so I can't even imagine how proud he must be to be ending the one task he worked his whole life towards."

Natsu sheepishly rubbed his head in slight modesty. "Awe... Thanks guys, but if I'm being honest, I'm now more concerned with how I'm going to be able to do all of this without my magic."

Rebuke began to grow serious again and nodded her head towards Natsu. "That's right. It's the reason you came all the way to Dragnof in the first place," Rebuke paused to gesture towards Akagi resting on the couch, "I think you can finally understand why Akagi's village was destroyed by Dragons; they were some of many who are still seeking vengeance over me. And it was all because I proposed the notion that Dragons and Humans could coexist together, when in reality, that notion raised the very monster to use the magic passed down to some humans to kill everyone... Acnologia."

"It all makes sense." Natsu lamented as he pieced the entire history of Dragon Slayer Magic together.

"Now that you understand why this little girls town was destroyed, and why you are the human destined to end the Dragon King Festival, you must take my flames to the top of this mountain. It's the highest one in the region. Up there, you should find a spire waiting for you and your friends. Upon lighting that spire, you will be declaring to the entire Earthland that you have brought it upon yourself to end Acnologia's reign, and thus the Dragon King Festival."

"Sounds simple enough." Natsu shrugged while eagerly approaching Rebuke again.

"I wasn't finished," She paused to hold up her dominant hand in order to stop Natsu's advance," Throughout the trek to the obelisk, you must remember that without your Dragon Slayer Magic, it will be up to you alone to control the immense power of the flames. If you lose control over them, the flames could very well get out of hand and harm your surroundings, leaving you unable to light the spire at the top. If you were to not fuel the flames with enough confidence, they would completely dissipate, leaving you defenseless on the trek."

"'Defenseless?' What is it that he has to defend himself from? If it's something dangerous, why can't you just come with us. We can all tell how powerful you are, so wouldn't it be a lot safer that way?" Macao added in slight concern.

Rebuke shook her head and held out her hands in slight disgust. "Look at what happened to my body. The day I watched the two closest people in my life die right before my eyes was the day I let my emotions take control over my body. I was trusted to ensure that Acnologia never took advantage over the Flames of Emotion, and how I look today is a statement which represents how I was unable to do that. This is the reason why Igneel resides in your body; Dragons recognize my skin as a failure to them. I was unable to control my lost magic, and because of that, I succumbed to it."

Macao solemnly nodded his head in acceptance. "Wuh- We understand everything you've been through, and why you can't come with us... You're doing it to protect Natsu. Thank you for everything you're doing for him."

Rebuke manages to slightly smile before continuing. "You're doing so much more for him then I'll ever be able to. Natsu understood that there would be dangers with accepting this task, and the least I can do now is tell you of them," She paused to extend her dominant hand towards Natsu, as she prepared to further instruct him while transferring her flames.

As Natsu approached Rebuke's empty hand, he cocked his eyebrow in confusion and spoke once more. "Sooooo, where are those flames you wanted me to use?"

After taking a deep breath to calm herself, Rebuke opened her dominant hand. To the utter shock of everyone in the room, a beautiful array of golden flames was produced in its palm, causing Natsu's eyes to widen in response. "Wait, YOU CAN'T Mean... Your golden flames?!"

Rebuke nodded towards Natsu with complete confidence, not breaking their locked gaze out of respect and trust for the young Dragon Slayer.

Natsu was still left reeling at Rebuke's offer. "Uh- I wasn't thinking you meant THOSE... They're the Flames of Emotion in their purest form! I thought you were gonna lend me those red ones you usually use."

Rebuke shook her head and chuckled. "It's not like you to back down from experiencing new magic," She then grew more serious after realizing the daze Natsu was still in, "The reason I'm trusting you with these flames, even though you're unable to use your Dragon Slayer Magic, is because you'll need them to protect you if you wish to make it to the spire."

"You're right about one thing... Of course I'm not gonna just back down from learning some badass magic. Give 'em here-" Natsu attempted to lunge for the beautiful flames emanating from Rebuke's hand, only for her to retract her offer slightly by pulling it towards her body.

Kagura was the first one to shake her head at her Guild Master's antics. "Wait, Master Natsu. She wasn't done speaking. Don't you remember what Macao said? This is going to be dangerous."

"Yes..." Rebuke nodded in response, "Before you take these flames, you have to understand the price that comes with it. The moment you accept the Flame of Rebuke…"

Kagura's eyes widened, as she knew what Rebuke was implying. "You bear the sins of the wielder."

"Just like the time I nearly doubted myself when I fought Zero. I was nearly consumed by his magic." Natsu recited to himself.

Rebuke continued. "Yes. These flames are so powerful, that they will serve as a beacon for those Dragon who attacked Dragnof. The moment you accept these flames and bear my sins, the Dragons will return to kill you and anyone who is acquainted with the wielder. This is why I can't assist you with this. The Dragons will either kill me out of disgust when they remember who I am, or I have to kill them. I vowed to never participate in the Dragon King Festival after I nearly succumb to what Acnologia wanted from me."

"It all makes sense." Kagura realized the outcome associated with Rebuke accompanying them.

"I lost everything that day: Including the side I was fighting for," Rebuke's solemn demeanor began to light up with hope, as she redirected her attention towards Natsu. "But YOU give me hope, Natsu… You have yet to participate in the Dragon King Festival. No one knows your name, you have a clean slate, and you are able to finish what I was never able to even start: putting an end to Acnologia's reign and the Dragon King Festival. By taking it upon yourself to do this," She calmed herself before speaking with absolute clarity, "I have no doubt in my mind that you will rediscover your magic and become more powerful than you could ever fathom."

Sayuki immediately nodded in anxiousness, as she began to grow impatient. "Whatever it is we have to face to make it to the top of this mountain, all of us knew what we were signing up for if it meant getting Master Natsu's Magic back. You have nothing to worry about, Rebuke. We're Fairy Tail mages... That's just what we do!" She confidently flashed a thumbs up towards Rebuke.

"Thank you." Rebuke sighed while managing to smile. As she returned her attention towards the golden flames glistening in the palm of her hands, she began to slowly reach out to finally transfer their essence to Natsu.

Before she made the final transition, she spoke one last time to the anxious Guild Master. "You already know what these flames are capable of. They will keep you safe. These flames are much more versatile then anything you will ever experience. If they even come into contact with another life form, they will become 'alive,' latch onto them, and eradicate whatever magic potential they mean to harm you with: intensifying their hunger while pulverizing the victim completely. These flames will destroy anything they touch as they expand in a sphere like formation, are impossible to extinguish with water, and will only obey the commands of the wielder. They move, burn, and inflict pain all depending on what you desire them to do. They will pursue the enemy you desire with immense speed, accuracy, and strength. These flames are my entire past, and in your case, your entire future. They are the flames of emotion in their purest form, and I promise they will aid you towards the summit's spire."

It was at this moment that Natsu knew there was nothing more that could be said which would prepare him for what was to come. He nodded in confidence before speaking to the Dragon Slayer in front of him. "Rebuke...? I've only known you for a short time now, but everything you've done for me just shows how much of a good friend you are. I can't just let the Dragon King festival end like this. I'm a goddamn Fairy Tail mage. Of course I'm gonna do this for you."

Rebuke's eyes fluttered for a moment out of realizing the lengths Natsu would go just to aid someone he hadn't even spoken to for a day. However, she was never given the chance to embrace the heartfelt moment. Before she was even able to react, Natsu firmly grasped Rebuke's hand which contained the golden flames, slightly pulling her body towards him. The golden flames immediately transferred to Natsu's body, encasing him in a powerful, golden aura.

As Natsu's body accepted the Flame of Rebuke, his physical appearance immediately began to adapt to the sheer amount of Magical Potential associated with it. His skin began to adopt a reptilian, scale like pattern, and his teeth became adorned with sharpened canines which began to protrude from his mouth. Natsu had entered the Dragon Force.

Before any of the Fairy Tail Guild members were able to react to the sheer amount of Magical Potential stemming from their Guild Master's body or the dragonified traits he adorned, an ear piecing screech resounded in the distance throughout the nighttime sky outside Rebuke's house. "ROOOOAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR." The monstrous voice resounded, producing a gust of wind so powerful what the front door they originally entered through blew open, shattering the frame it was secured in.

Every Fairy Tail Guild member flinched at the magical potential accompanying the roar, stemming from the far distance, confirming the presence of the very entity Rebuke warned them about on the final trek: a Dragon.

In a moment's notice, the Fairy Tail Guild members bolted up and were prepared to leave. Natsu scoured the room, only to see his Nakama with confident glares plastered across their faces. Kagura secured Archenemy firmly in her grasp and was fully prepared to draw it, Sayuki's Fire-Make magic was flared up around her body and ready to take form, while Macao encased his dominant fist with his Purple Flare.

"Ruh- Rebuke… I can't thank y-"

"GO!" Rebuke interrupted Natsu by barking at him. "Or the Dragons will find you here, and this will all be for nothing!"

Natsu was not given another choice. He frantically nodded his head towards Rebuke and looked over his shoulder to yell over the howling wind, "C'mon! Let's get going!" Before powering through the torrent of wind with his Nakama behind him, allowing the golden flames encasing his body to light the darkened path filled with uncertainty.

---

The Fairy Tail Guild members had grown accustomed to the light jog Natsu had set for them, however, this did little to settle the unnerving feeling of Dragons pursuing them in the distance. "ROOOOAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR." The cry of Dragons echoed from behind them, this time, closer than what was originally heard from Rebuke's house.

As they continued maneuvering through the flora scattered across the mountain's surface, Macao lamented on the Dragons approaching in the distance. "We're definitely not outrunning those Dragons! You can tell that they're getting closer just by listening to them!"

Natsu looked over his shoulder to gauge their distance from his friends, but only cursed to himself when he was met with the darkness of the night. "Shit! I can hear them closing in, but I can't tell how far away they are! It's too dark!"

"Try moving those flames towards the sky so we can at least see what we have to deal with!"

"That's not gonna help us! These flames are too bright and close to us to be used to see anything in the sky. The light just ends up obstructing our field of vision more!"

"That does not really reassure me, Master Natsu! Think about how easily they can see you wielding those golden flames! We're probably sticking out like a sore thumb on this mountain!" Kagura barked in response.

"Hey, this wasn't exactly meant to be a cakewalk! This isn't as easy as it looks for me, right now!" Natsu sarcastically chipped.

"No one said it was supposed to be a cakewalk, we're just asking for you to lend us a hand over here! I can feel those flames practically smothering me with magic potential from all the way over here. That just very well might be be the most powerful magic any of us will ever experience in our lives, and it's up to you to somehow control it without your Dragon Slayer Magic while worrying about Dragons chasing after us!" Macao briskly exclaimed.

"Oi! OLD MAN! Are you with me, or against me?! Because it's kinda hard to tell right now!" Natsu comically barked.

Sayuki immediately began to frantically wave from behind Natsu, as if he could somehow see her. "MASTER NATSU! Don't worry about whatever they have to say, because I'm right at your side! Just don't forget what Rebuke said! If you need to kick some ass, those flames will be there to help you! I'm sure you'll do great now that you look even more like a badass!" Sayuki chimed in with her positivity.

Before anyone could comment on Sayuki reminding them of Natsu's dragonified appearance, Natsu groaned at her antics. "Argh! Thanks for the endless support, Sayuki... But It's not about whether or not these flames can help me, it's about knowing whether or not we're about to be goddamn attacked!" Natsu paused to gather a small amount of the golden flames in his palm, only to use the momentum of his body to hurl a blistering orb of it towards the summit of the mountain.

As the golden orb traveled behind the general area of the summit, its dazzling radiance outlined the edges of the ruins in a shadow which contained the spire, revealing a general approximation of how far they had to travel. "THERE, does that make ya'll happy?! I think I can see the ruins to the spire at the tip of the mountain: the entrance to the summit is just up ahead."

Satisfied with the answer he was given Macao began to grow more concerned of Natsu's reptilian appearance. "That's one thing taken care of... Now... Do you ever plan on telling us why you look like a freaking Dragon-

The seemingly nonsensical banter between Natsu and his Nakama was immediately interrupted, coupled with the confident pace they had set towards the mountain's summit.

As the Fairy Tail Guild members approached the architectural ruins leading to the spire, their advance was halted by a massive figure plummeting to the ground from the endless darkness front of them. "Kuh- THUD!" The sound of multiple figures created as they impacted the ground, forming a massive wave of dust response. The cloud of dust dissipated into the atmosphere over the next few moments, allowing Natsu's golden flames to reveal the figure of three massive Dragons. The Dragon looming across from him was a male covered in metallic, silver like scales. His wings were divided into multiple, metallic pieces spanning his sides.

This contrasted from the two Dragon on either side of him, one being a female covered in red, reptilian scales with spikes running down her spine. The other was a male Dragon, covered in smooth, green scales across his body.

The Fairy Tail Guild members immediately readied an offensive stance, preparing to retaliate against the Dragon at the slightest sign of hostility. Kagura was prepared to draw Archenemy, Macao's fists were enveloped in an aura of his Purple Flare, and Sayuki had surrounded her body in a wave of her Fire-Make magic.

Natsu had braced his body to retaliate using the golden flames given to him, but was immediately halted as his eyes scanned the Dragon looming above him. "Wait a minute... I know you from somewhere." He began to glare towards the metallic Dragon.

The Dragon snorted in disgust from hearing a human, Natsu, talk down to him in such a disrespectful tone. "How DARE you speak to me with such gall demeanor?! HAVE YOU NO RESPECT FOR WHO WE ARE?!"

"'We?!' There's only three of you clowns here," Natsu paused as his eyes widened from coming to the realization of who the Dragon was, "Wait, that voice... YOU'RE THAT DRAGON WHO KILLED REBUKE'S DAD! WHAT'S HIS NAME... Kengoo?"

Kagura groaned after realizing Natsu, the person who told her the first part of Rebuke's story, had already forgotten the father's name. "Kenji. The father's name was Kenji."

The silver Dragon condescendingly beamed, upon hearing Rebuke's name. "AH! SO IT IS TRUE. HUMANS HAVE HEARD THAT WOMAN'S TALE. 'THE FIRST DRAGON SLAYER.' HOW WEAK SHE WAS TO TRAIN THE VERY DRAGON SLAYER WHO WOULD END UP KILLING ANYONE ASSOCIATED WITH THE DRAGON KING FESTIVAL," He paused to lower his voice, "I shouldn't be as extravagant as I am, seeing as you're the human wielding her flames. But to answer your comment... Yes, I was the one to kill Rebuke's father the day we invaded her village."

"Master Natsu..." Macao whispered beneath his breath, only so Natsu was able to hear him with his enhanced hearing. "Is this the Dragon who invaded Rebuke's village?"

Natsu subtly nodded his head in response.

This caused Macao to squint towards the Dragon with uncertainty. "That should be enough to tell you that they're not playing around, and you heard what he said. There's bound to be more of them closing in on us... So you have to light that spire. If you're able to get your Dragon Slayer Magic back, we shouldn't have a problem taking the rest of these bastards down. I can buy you some time with my Purple Flare, but you're going to have to trust us to hold them off for you." Macao turned to Kagura and Sayuki standing on either side of him: both reciprocated nods of approval to protect Natsu and the golden flames he was bearing.

As much as Natsu hated to admit it, he knew Macao was right. If there were more Dragon to "Yes... I remember you now." Natsu spoke out loud to the Dragon, managing to secretly communicate to Macao while nodding his head in approval. "Can you promise me something?"

The Dragon cocked his gaze in confusion before letting out a coarse laugh. "Haugh- Haugh- Haugh... Humans are in no position to asking for favors from Dragons, especially from the three of us," He paused to slowly approach the group of mages with the two Dragons following from behind, "Let that be the lesson you carry to your grave."

Natsu ignored this hollow threat and continued. "Promise me that if you guys need anything, you yell my name!" Before the three Dragon were given the opportunity to react, Natsu used his entire body to propel himself from the surface of the mountain and above the Dragons, using the head of the metallic one to provide him for a second boost of momentum.

A pair of magic circles formed beneath each of his feet with the image of a golden Dragon's head inscribed within each. "Fire Dragon's Claw!" Natsu roared above the mountainside, causing a stream of golden flames to erupt from the bottom of his boots. The momentum from the spell provided him with a massive boost of agility to power through to the entrance of the ruins. He used the golden aura provided by the flames to safety land on the stone surface of the ruins, providing him with the vision needed to transverse across the landscape towards the spire before they could even react.

Natsu noticed that the ruins were surprisingly level with the summit of the mountain. His flames provided him with just enough vision to recognize the spire residing at the other end of the summit, still a sizable jog away. The main pathway before him was clear of any debris from the ruins scattering the sides of the plateau.

Without a moment to spare, Macao conjured the purple flames encasing his hands into chains bound to his wrists. He then used his legs to launch himself into the air towards the faces of the Dragons, where he rotated his upper body around his waste, allowing for the chain-like fire to strike their eyes.

"AAAAAAAUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHH!" The three Dragons roared in unison.

Immediately after watching him activate the spell, Sayuki turned giddy and hopped into the air in excitement "THAT'S NATSU FOR YAH! HE'LL SHOW ALL OF YOU DRAGONS WHO'S THE REAL BADASS!"

As the Dragons flushed in rage and regained their bearings, the male Dragon covered in green, reptillian-like scales turned his back to pursue Natsu. He was immediately halted by the female Dragon extending her claw across his chest. "Let the rest take care of him. You don't want to piss off Steelbeck and ignore what he said," She referred to the metallic Dragon's will.

"But he's going to get away! If he manages to light the spire, he will practically be declaring to Acnologia that he plans on ending his reign! Acnologia will only begin his pursuit to end the existence of Dragons again!"

"You heard what Steelbeck said!" Ruebinol hissed. "We can't afford any distractions when going for those flames. We can't underestimate whoever has the power to wield them!"

This conversation was interrupted and fell on deaf ears to Steelbeck, who growled before writhing in embarrassment. "I'll be damned if we're made fools by some punks who have no respect for our history. Garther and Ruebinol," He referred to the male and female Dragons, "You handle the one with the Purple Fire and the obnoxious one who can't stop screaming. Let me take the one with the sword, she seems like someone who I can unleash my rage in peace... WITHOUT being disturbed." Steelbeck referred to Macao's attack.

Macao began to grow agitated, as the three Dragons began to approach them individually. He slowly backed away from the rest of the group, as he began to come face with the male Dragon, Garther. "Here goes nothing." He spoke just loud enough for his Nakama to here.

As Kagura began to grow separated from the rest of the group from Steelbeck's advance, she responded with the same concern in her voice. "I really hope we didn't just make a mistake by letting him leave with those flames. Those are the only way we can actually defeat these Dragons." Kagura referred to Natsu leaving with the golden flames, and thus, the only connection to Dragon Slayer Magic which could aid them.

"That's not what I'm worried about . This isn't about whether or not he can stop these Dragons, if on the offchance more decide to show up, we can't risk Natsu losing control over those flames by fighting any more than he absolutely needs to. He needs to have a way to light that spire for us, so it's up to us to buy him enough time."

"Does that include backing away from the problem that's facing you?" Sayuki deadpanned at Macao multitasking between communicating with them, and analyzing Garther's stance.

Macao was never given the opportunity to respond. Before he was able to stall the inevitable confrontation any longer, Steelbeck hurled his claw out of rage towards where Kagura was standing.

Kagura expected Steelbeck to lose his composure, and nimbly performed graceful a roundoff from the Dragon's fist contacting the mountain, before performing a handspring off his head. She positioned her body to land within the architectural ruins and along the same path Natsu had taken to the spire.

"ENOUGH OF THIS STALLING. YOU WILL FACE US WHERE WE STAND!" Steelbeck boomed while turning to face Kagura once again.

Kagura scowled at the premature onslaught led by her enemy. Macao and Sayuki were completely separated from her outside the ruins, and she knew she could not afford to pay either of them any more attention, as it now had to be given to Steelbeck. "If this is your definition of a clean and fair duel, Steelbeck, then I will gladly enjoy cutting you down where you stand." Kagura muttered while raising Archenenemy's scabbard in front of her, before briskly lowering it to her side.

"HAUGH! THAT IS THE SPIRIT! RAISE YOUR WEAPON AND BE REMEMBERED. OR DIE, AND BE FORGOTTEN AS A COWARD!"

After realizing Kagura was awaiting for him to proceed with another opening attack, Steelbeck took an offensive stance and inhaled a massive amount of air, causing a silver magic circle with the image of a Dragon inscribed within it to appear in front of his gape jaw. After a brief delay, he activated the spell out loud for all to hear. "ALLOY DRAGON'S ROAR!" He boomed, causing a silver streak to hurl towards Kagura with so much much magic potential that she couldn't even fathom the notion of being struck by it.

In an instant, Kagura brought Archenemy up to her her chest, where it diagonally rested across her her body. A blinding light from Steelbeck's spell flashed across her hazel eyes before it impacted her sword, creating a massive plume of molten metal in the wake.

Steelbeck triumphantly muttered in disgrace, having been satisfied from his spell. "You humans are always the same: overestimating your capabilities, to the point where it blinds your race to the most ridiculous of notions-" Steelbeck was never able to finish his comment. As the molten metal alloy from his attack began to settle across the mountain, even he was horrified to witness Kagura emerge from the attack without suffering excessive injury.

In fact, the only sign of Steelbeck's spell being executed as he intended was the molten metal solidifying across the plateau. Kagura was standing in front of the Dragon and remained completely unfazed by his attack. Although her attire had suffered multiple tears, with her skin being littered with cuts and scratches, the damage paled in comparison to the immense amount of magical potential used. Kagura responded in her native language with her signature line, before beginning her onslaught. "Honki o misete miro. Show me what you can really do, Dragon!" She translated. Kagura then swiped her scabbard in a downward motion which projected a majority of the Dragon's magic magic in an arching, silver wave towards him.

Steelbeck took flight in an attempt to avoid the spell being deflected, but to no avail. The bottom half of his figure took the blunt of the impact as he crashed into the ground. "AAAACHHHH. Huh- How the hell is that even possible?! You haven't even drawn the damn sword!" He tended to the gash forming across his body while managing to regain his footing.

"It's quite simple... You seemed to have overestimated your capabilities, to the point where it blinded you three into underestimating what humans are capable of." She confidently smirked, as she finished the comment Steelbeck was unable to.

After taking a moment to regain his bearings, Steelbeck chuckled. "Have I now? From what I can tell... My attack was still able to faze you, which leaves me to believe that your deflect wasn't executed as perfectly as you had hoped. Could it be that this can only occur if the spell you attempt to deflect overpowers the magic potential of that sword of yours?"

Kagura's grip immediately tensed around Archenemy's grip. "He's right... I already know I can't afford to get hit by any of his spells, so why did I decide to test how powerful he is by opening with that?! I should have saved it to where he wouldn't have time to think twice about it, just like how I did when I first fought Natsu," Kagura then shook her head rapidly, as she realized what was happening, "No... I can't allow him to cause me to second guess myself. I've come too far to do that... But... Would drawing Archenemy be enough to stop Steelbeck?" Kagura momentarily thought to herself.

Seeing as Kagura refused to respond to him, Steelbeck began to take another offensive stance. This time, by raising his wings above his head. He then interrupted Kagura's train of thought. "Since there's no point in me trying to waste any more energy trying to defeat you with projectiles, perhaps you would struggle in close combat!" The Dragon declared, while using his wingspan to take flight just above the ground. He darted at a blistering speed towards Kagura while activating another spell. "ALLOY DRAGON'S WING ATTACK!" Steelbeck's wings began to glow a bright silver color, while the edges began to sharpen to a razor-like consistency.

Kagura narrowly dodged the edges of the Dragon's wingspan by throwing Archenemy up into the air. She then leapt after the sword's hilt while performing an impressive sideways full twist, managing to catch Archenemy midair. She continued with her counterattack by using the momentum of her fall to lodge the sword's scabbard into Steelbeck's metallic back, dragging scabbard in a downwards motion through the Dragon's midsection and towards his tail.

"DAMN YOU!" Steelbeck cursed, as he winced in pain from Archenemy's scabbard.

Kagura was unprepared for Steelbeck to follow up with a secondary attack. The Alloy Dragon flicked his chest in a downwards motion, causing his tail to reciprocate in a much loose manner, comparable to that of a whip.

Steelbeck's tail struck Kagura's body across her entire length, completely knocking the wind out of her before she could even retract Archenemy's scabbard from his back. "Ach..." Kagura manged to croak, as Archenemy was forcefully removed from Steelbeck, causing her body to rack in pain. She plummeted towards the ground without any hope of her being able to recover from the attack.

"Clankity... Clank-Clank." The sound of Archenemy made as it clattered across the ground.

Kagura landed shoulder first against the stone surface of the ruins. She immediately doubled over from the immeasurable pain coursing throughout her abdomen. "Goddamn! My ribs... I think they're broke-" Kagura was never able to finish muttering to herself. The stinging pain throughout her core paled in comparison to what was before her.

As the purple haired guild member lifted her head to gaze across the plateau, her eyes fluttered at the sight of a golden aura attempting to approach the obelisk. Kagura realized the faint glow in the distance belonged to none other than Natsu. And of course, she was unsurprising to see that her Guild Master had somehow managed to find himself confronting two Dragons simultaneously.

"Master Natsu... Of course you couldn't just ignore them." She manged to whisper with a smile through the pain she experienced. Despite how far the two were away from each other, the only reason Kagura was relaxed was because of how beautiful the spectacle was. It was truly a sight like no other.

Even though Natsu was defending himself from two more Dragons attacking him from above and below, it was almost as if it was in his nature. Whether or not she knew if he lost Dragon Slayer Magic in the first place, Kagura could not deny how inspiring Natsu's tenacity was. She could tell how powerful the flames he were wielding were, just from the sheer spectacle before her.

"FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST" She ever so faintly heard him roar, causing a golden magic circle to appear in front of his fist. He used the momentum of the golden flames propelling him above the ground to launch his body towards the Dragon below him, smashing his fist across the Dragon's jaw. A massive golden sphere like explosion was created around his fist, before the Dragon was launched into the opposite end of the ruins without any possibility to retaliate. Any Magical Potential the Dragon was using to counterattack was completely suppressed, pulverizing the helpless body in the wake of the explosion.

It was then that Kagura began to fear the worse. Each spell Natsu used caused his flames to grow more and more alive, to the point where his face contorted out of discomfort. But he knew he had no other choice but to defend himself.

"Macao was right. So there ARE more Dragons here... Master Natsu, you really are amazing," Kagura meekly chuckled to herself, before realizing what her Guild Master's discomfort meant, "Buh- I have to help Master Natsu. He can't push his body that much. Each attack he uses is causing him to lose control over those flames!" She grunted while attempting to crawl to her feet.

Kagura then glanced down to Archenemy's scabbard, resting beside her lifelessly. "Uh- I promised to never draw you until I found my purpose in life. But... Would drawing you be enough to stop Steelbeck and help Master Natsu? Is this the point in my life where I have to tell myself to move on? Maybe it is, all because of Master Natsu... Is it because... Everything he's done for me led me to where I am today? Is it because... Buh- Because... I lov-"

It was too late for her to come to the decision. As she attempted to outstretch her dominant arm for Archenemy's scabbard, she could faintly hear Steelbeck announce his presence by grunting. As the Alloy Dragon approached from behind Kagura with rhythmic steps, the purple haired guild member was forced to double over on her back. She couldn't bear to directly face Steelbeck and risk causing any more harm to her ribs.

Out of her peripherals, Kagura managed to catch a glimpse of the massive Dragon looming over her. She wasn't able to respond to his presence before he continued his ruthless onslaught. "You know nothing of our race's past, but I know everything about your's..." Steelbeck paused to inhale deeply, before losing the little patience he had left for Kagura. He raised his sharpened claw in the air for the summit to witness, before lashing it across Kagura's frail body. "WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DRAGONS WHO ENDED UP SUPPORTING REBUKE?!"

"SCHHH- Clish." The sound of Steelbeck's claw made as contacted Kagura's body from the side. The attack created a sizable gash across her length, streaking blood across the ruins. The brute force of the attack hurled her body across the stone ground and away from Archenemy. The utter shock which struck Kagura was the only factor allowing her to subconsciously stagger to her feet.

Kagura's vision was now clouded in a haze of confusion and dizziness. Her dominant hand was placed on her purple hair, attempting to sooth her distant thoughts. Her other hand attempted to scour her side for any sense of how severe the wound was.

Just as she could feel the dripping of blood pooling through her fingers, Steelbeck had already lifted off the ground and began a frantic charge through the air towards her. She was unable to even react to the faint blur before succumbing to another lethal blow, this time, from the Dragon's razor sharp wings. "ALLOY DRAGON'S WING ATTACK!" Steelbeck roared.

Kagura had no way of reacting to the onslaught, and was instead forced to bear the pain of Steelbeck's wings ripping into her upper body. "SCHHH- Clish..." The sound of the brutal attack made as even more blood began to pool across the stone ground. Kagura's body was sent tumbling across the ground, this time, impacting any debris landing in the way as her body traveled further into the ruins. Massive gashes now littered her body coupled with broken bones and ligaments, causing her to drift in and out of consciousness.

Steelbeck continued to roar in disgust. "THERE WERE DRAGONS WHO I CONSIDERED FRIENDS, WHO LEFT ME TO FIGHT FOR HER CAUSE. THEY TRUSTED HER... AND WHAT DID SHE DO? HER AND THOSE WASHED UP DRAGONS RAISED THE ANIMAL WHO SLAUGHTERED US ALL!"

Steelbeck once again thrashed Kagura's body further into the ruins, causing her body to lose the ability to breath. Even her vision was barely clinging to the nighttime sky above. Whatever remained of her body was slumped against a rock. While her body was generally intact, her appearance was ravaged beyond belief from the deep cuts across her skin.

Kagura's hearing began to dissipate. In the last few moments of her being able to register her surroundings, Steelbeck approached her and triumphantly bellowed from above. "I will slaughter any human who dares support the notion of our coexistence. Any human who thinks they have the power to stand up to that monster... Acnologia... is mistaken. There is not point in anyone declaring an end to the Dragon King Festival, if we are all to just die. That is the very notion which has brought us to this fateful day, where Acnologia continues to mock us."

As the Dragon lifted his mighty fist above Kagura's body, she managed to roll her head to the side to see Natsu for the last time. To her surprise, he wasn't fighting the two Dragons anymore, and he wasn't even content with lighting the spire. Instead, the Fire Dragon Slayer was frantically sprinting towards her in the far distance.

Even still, Kagura couldn't even muster a smile to the one person who had done so much for her. At least, not before the Steelbeck roared for the final time. "HUMANS DESERVE TO DIE!" And with that, the Dragon used all his might to bring his fist down on top of Kagura's body.

"Shh- DOOOOOM!" The sound of the impact resounded throughout the nighttime sky. As the cloud of dust began to dissipate into the evening atmosphere, the Dragon loomed proudly over Kagura's still body. Her head was slung to the side, coupled with her purple hair being caressed by the ghostly breeze lightly howling in the distance. The subtle rise and fall of Kagura's chest was no longer present, and was replaced by a light stream of blood pooling out of her mouth. Her body was cold as the night, and still as the dead. Kagura was gone.

---

Scene Change - Unknown Location

"Goddamn... That felt like a living hell…" A female figure muttered to herself in discomfort. She managed to stagger to her feet before groggily opening her eyes to the white realm before her. As her hands subconsciously scoured her waist for her defensive weapon, she frantically panicked and spoke out loud and revealed her identity. "Wuh- where's Archenemy?! Natsu needs my help still! I have to let him know that I'm alright." Kagura exclaimed.

"Shh- tock... Shh- tock... Shh-tock." The sounds of footsteps approaching in the distance resounded throughout the barren background.

As Kagura continued to scour the white ground of the realm for any trace of her Katana, she failed to even notice the rather large figure approaching her from behind. "Hello, Kagura… It has been a while." The voice of an all familiar man spoke out to her.

Kagura's eye widened upon hearing the masculine voice. Her body stiffened at the sound of her name being called out to her, and her hands reflexively bolted to her mouth. She slowly raised her head to a comfortable position before turning around to face the man who had approached her. As she gazed into the man's black eyes, she could only bring herself to whisper one word. "Simon."

Simon's appearance was entirely the same as Kagura had expected. Her brother's physique was massive, only complemented by his bulging muscles. A singular eyepatch no longer adorned his face, but the lightly wrapped turban continued to be present around his head. The main pieces of attire covering his body continued to be the diagonally draped sash across his chest coupled with his loose, dark pants.

Simon immediately chuckled at Kagura's reaction. "Took you long enough to come to your senses."

"Yeah, it's because- But... Uh- I thought... You're supposed to be dead." Kagura defensively declared.

"Wow... It's been years since we've last seen each other, and that's the first thing you have to say to your big brother?" Simon sarcastically sweatdropped. After realizing the confusion written across Kagura's face continued to plague her, he began speaking again. "However, you're correct about one thing... I am no longer alive."

Kagura began to fear the worst after hearing this. "Thuh- Then where am I? Uh- All these years, I just missed you so-" She frantically began to speak.

Simon interrupted her by holding his hand to her face. "I know. You don't have to tell me. You just want resolution, that's all you've ever wanted," He paused to address Kagura's previous question, "But right now? I expected your soul to be getting judged."

"I should be getting judged...?" Kagura skeptically asked. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means whether or not your soul rests in a paradise," Simon paused to gesture towards one side of the white realm, where there was a projected image of children frolicking in sheer happiness, coupled with adults drinking the purest of wine while eating from a banquet. "Or plummet into the endless void," Simon paused a second time to gesture to the other side of the white realm, where a second projected image consisted of ghostly souls traversing a darkened, bottomless abyss. The souls seemed lost, shamed, and traveled without any purpose whatsoever.

"Suh... So that settles it then... I'm dead." Kagura declared with disbelief, as her gaze transitioned between each projected image."

"You are, but something tells me it's a bit more complicated than that. After all, how can someone who is dead already be able to communicate with the deceased before even being judged?"

"Are you saying I could have controlled whether or not I was sent here?"

"Not really," Simon stroke his temples while thinking of a way to rephrase Kagura's fate. "Think about it this way, I already know where I belong. It's over there, in the paradise. But what do you think this white realm represents?"

Kagura looked around the white realm in an attempt to relate the environment to a metaphor. "Does this place represent Uncertainty? I mean, other than that, I can't seem to find any deeper meaning to it." She replied while managing to adopt her signature stoic persona. She began to adapt to the reality of the situation with each moment she spent with Simon, and even became more interested in what their conversation meant, rather than desperately clinging to his soul now that he had confirmed his own death.

"Well... That's up for you to decide once we're done here. But let's be honest," Simon shrugged his head in slight sadness and disappointment, "What I can tell right now is that you've already decided on not giving it your all for Master Natsu. After all, why else would you be here?"

Kagura's face immediately grew red in defense. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN I NEVER 'GAVE IT MY ALL?!' YOU TRY FIGHTING THOSE DRAGONS!" She childishly fumed.

"I'm only messing with you." Simon chuckled, while apologetically holding up his hands. "Well, only partly. Just take this as food for thought and hear me out... You looked towards both Paradise and the void, but have you ever thought about looking at what might be above and beyond." Simon paused to point towards the sky of the white realm. A third projected image was resting there this entire time, which Kagura never even expected. "Whether or not you end up defeating those Dragons isn't what matters. The question is... Why was Archenemy sheathed this entire time," He paused to gesture to the Katana above them, with an image of Kagura's lifeless body resting on Earthland.

Kagura sheepishly rubbed her head in embarrassment after witnessing how wounded her corpse was. "Damn... Steelbeck really did it to me."

"You're avoiding the question."

Kagura knew the answer to the pressing question Simon asked. But it was something she never wanted to admit. She made a promise with Mater Natsu to one day find her purpose in life, which would give her a new will to fight for it by unsheathing Archenemy. This was the obvious reply to give Simon, but what if it was not the complete truth? Kagura could not fathom lying to her own brother. She averted direct eye contact from him before giving a genuine response. "It's because... I love you, and I didn't want your name dying in vain to the hands of Jella-"

Simon stepped forward, and hugged Kagura tightly. "KAGURA!" He boomed before continuing, "I will always love you, but you are lying to yourself right now if you say that's the only reason. I know you would never lie to me intentionally, but something is keeping you from moving on." He paused to allow a moment for the duo to embrace each other.

After a few moments of comforting the conflicted nature of her sister's response, Simon broke the bittersweet atmosphere by revealing the one truth which Kagura was not able to comprehend ever since she made the vow to kill Jellal... Until now. "Are you doing this for my sake, or do you refuse to draw Archenemy for anything else, because you don't want to move on and love something just as much as you love me?!"

"Whuh- What are you saying." Kagura began to sob lightly, as her brother had uncovered the truth. Even though she knew there was no point in her trying to speak in defense anymore, she felt so embarrassed to face the reality of the situation that it was all she was capable of doing.

Simon warmly smiled and now comforted her sister by stroking her purple locks. "There, there. That's all I wanted to hear. There's no reason to be embarrassed with how you feel; it it isn't something you can just control that. The reason you refused to move on is because you think it would be a disgrace to everything we once had."

"Mmmhmmm..." Kagura's muffled sobs now resounded throughout the realm.

Moments passed without any interrupted speech to break the silence. However, the words to eventually escape Simon's mouth took Kagura by absolute surprise. "You love Natsu... Don't you? And I'm not talking about 'Master Natsu...' I mean, JUST Natsu. You love Natsu Dragneel, just like how a mother and father love each other. You love him for everything he helped you through. It's just that you just could never reciprocate those feelings until you had closure with me. That's what this was all about, wasn't it?"

Kagura was now gripping her brother tightly. She used all the strength she could muster to separate herself from him before looking up towards his gaze, wiping the tears from her hazel eyes, and managing to smile in response. "You don't know how long I've been waiting to admit that."

"Kagura..." Simon chuckled in disbelief at how petty this conversation was to him. "You never needed to have closure with me for me to tell you that you have every right to find happiness in your life. And if Master Natsu is that happiness, then how could I even fathom being disappointed in you moving on? You never needed my permission to do that in the first place. But... telling him how you feel is up to you, not me. Whenever that time my come, I have no doubt he will realize what a beautiful person you are."

A bright smile was now plastered upon Kagura's face. She manged to separate Simon from her grip before beginning. "Thank you Simon. This was what I was looking for this entire time. All these years, I just needed closure to start my new chapter in life, a new chapter with Fairy Tail," She then began to grow slightly concerned of the situation, "But... This is Natsu we're talking about... He doesn't even understand what half the emotions he experience even mean."

Simon stroked his chin in response. "Well, I can how much of an emotional connection he has to you just from how much you mean to him." Simon paused to gesture towards the image of her Nakama within the summit's ruins.

The scene which was unfolding caused Kagura's heart to sink.

Natsu was balling his eyes out in the distance from witnessing Steelbeck attack her. He wasn't anywhere near her body. In fact, he was still close enough to the spire to light it if he turned around. But the reason he couldn't advance to check on Kagura's condition was because Macao was restraining him.

Macao was embracing Natsu as would a father console his crying child, but his face was hardened with resolve; Macao kept on pointing towards the spire in the distance, all the yelling a series of inaudible instructions which Kagura couldn't hear. "Muh... Macao's telling him to light the spire I think, and that Sayuki and him will make sure that I'm alright," Kagura then lifted her head to speak to Simon, "Buh- But there's three more Dragons on the mountain! He can't light the spire if he has to deal-"

"Look again." Simon instructed Kagura.

After reverting her attention back to the scene, Kagura's eyes widened. From what it appeared, Natsu reluctantly locked his hand in a type of brotherly grasp with Macao, transferring a portion of the golden flames to him. Through Natsu's teary gaze, it was almost as if the golden flames recognized Macao as a Dragon Slayer.

"Imagine how it must feel: that you trust your friends to take care of each other in your absence, just so you have the possibility of getting your magic back. Imagine the heart and tenacity he must have to do this. Despite remaining unknown to the extent you were harmed, he still breaks down in tears at the thought of you in pain. From that alone you can tell the emotional value he invests in your wellbeing."

"Yuh- You're right." Kagura gripped her hair while crouching towards the ground. "Instead of listening to Master Natsu's advice to embrace the future, I never wanted to move on because I treasured our past," She paused to allow herself to stand erect. She then inhaled deeply before fully embracing the next statement with confidence. "But now, I've had the small bit of closure I needed to realize that... I really do love Natsu... Don't I?"

Simon didn't respond. A response wasn't necessary. Instead, he simply smiled at her sister staring towards him.

Kagura then rapped her fingers across her head in frustration. "But now what? You said it yourself; I'm dead. There's nothing I can do."

Simon chuckled at Kagura's oblivious nature. "You can always go back. That Dragon might have torn you a new one, but I have a feeling someone is trying to save your life right now." He finished by meekly smiling.

"I have a choice to go back?" Kagura excitedly quipped.

"Of course you have a choice," Simon sighed with an ever so slight sadness tinting his voice, "I'll be sad that you have to leave, but it would be selfish of me to convince you to stay behind when you finally understand yourself."

"Thuh- Then I've made my choice. Simon... I love you, but you know I can't just stay here after everything we talked about. It's made me realize that I can finally move on without living in guilt of embracing someone more than how much I love you."

Simon sweetly smiled, stepped forward, and spoke once more. "Of course I understand. I never would have helped you realize this if I wasn't supporting it to my fullest."

"Uh- I'm ready then... And I won't ever stop loving you. I promise."

"I love you too," Simon reciprocated the affection before pausing to hold Kagura in a sibling's embrace. He then leaned forward to rest his lips on Kagura's head, "Just remember, don't ever let your love for me stop you from loving something just as much... If not more. Because his name is Natsu Dragneel..."

In the final moment the siblings spent together, Kagura relished the sight of her brother for the last time. As she lifted her head to gaze into his pitch black eyes, the last thing she remembered before slowly vanishing from the realm was the smile she yearned to see all over again.

---

Scene Change - Present Day Time

"Mmmph..." The voice of a female called out, as she attempted to form words at her lips. The female's body was resting lifelessly within the summit of Dragnof's tallest mountain, within the ruins which housed a spire meant to be lit by the person who would be destined to end the Dragon King Festival.

"Mmm- Mmmph..." The voice stirred again. This time, the female began to grow aware of her presence. She could physically feel a light force being pressed against her lips, causing her eyes to flutter open from the death-like trance she was in. The feeling she experienced was caused by a pair of thin lips being pressed against hers.

"Nuh- Natsu...?" The voice called out, expecting the pair of lips to belong to the female's Guild Master. As her eyes began to rest on the figure before her, the female was shocked to see an all too familiar face pressing her lips against hers.

The female pressed against the original voice had beautiful brown hair which cascaded down her shoulders and was coupled with a fully mature body. This only complemented the expensive white dress and sandals which were also part of her attire. "Suh- Sayuki?" The voice groggily revealed the person providing pressure to her lips, after realizing it was none other than Sayuki performing rescue breathing on her. "Suh- So that's who Simon mentioned was trying to save me."

Sayuki's silver eyes immediately lit up in bliss. She separated herself from the female voice and clung to her upper body. "KAGURA!" Sayuki revealed the identity of the female voice, while beginning to hiccup uncontrollably. "Macao and I though we lost you. We had to tell Natsu we would save you just so he could get to the spire without any second thoughts. Your body was so bad when we first saw it… I didn't think the rescue breathing and the Flame of Rebuke would have been enough to bring you back." Sayuki only tightened her grip around Kagura.

Kagura returned the embrace to comfort Sayuki. "It's alright," She managed to hoarsely chuckle, "It's going to have to take more than just Steelbeck to keep be down-" Before Kagura was given the opportunity to share a heartfelt moment with Sayuki, her speech was interrupted by the sight of a massive, metallic Dragon approaching her from above. "Steelbeck." Kagura growled with absolute intent, revealing the Dragon's identity. Steelbeck's companions, Ruebinol and Garther, followed closely at his side.

She was so preoccupied with the three Dragons approaching from above, that she failed to notice Macao trailing their path from below. "HEY GUYS! I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT KAGURA'S ALRIGHT, BUT WE'VE GOT OTHER PROBLEMS TO WORRY ABOUT." Macao managed to approach Kagura and Sayuki. To both the female Guild Members surprise, the three Dragons continued overhead in the direction of the spire, without paying any of them the slightest of attention.

Macao rested with his hands on his knees to recover from the sprint he performed. "Kuh- Kagura. How are you feeling? You had us scared for a minute."

Kagura confidently nodded. "I'm alive, and that's all that matters right now. What's the problem? Why aren't those three bothering to fight us anymore?"

"Steelbeck, Garther, and Ruebinol didn't expect us to stall them for this long. They're saying 'screw it' and are heading straight for Natsu."

"Natsu..." Kagura's heart fluttered at the name spoken, and immediately plastered a look of resolve across her face after realizing the man who Simon helped her understand she loved was in danger.

"Natsu should be able to handle himself. Right? He took on two other Dragons by himself." Sayuki added with concern.

"No," Kagura declared with her signature stoic persona, "If I'm going off what Sayuki told me, part of the reason I'm even alive right now was because Master Natsu lent Macao a portion of the Flames of Rebuke to help my wounds heal. That means that Master Natsu has even less Magical Potential to light the spire with, nonetheless take on three more Dragons."

"Please tell us you have a plan in mind. We're all out of ideas!" Macao responded with concern, after realizing that Kagura was right.

"Only one."Kagura spat with resolve. The purple haired female managed to completely separate herself from Sayuki. As she staggered to her feet and regained her balance, she sighed in relief after realizing that the majority of her pain was healed by the Flame of Rebuke. She confidently walked towards where Archenemy had fell in front of her, and picked it up without hesitation.

She held the Katana vertically in front of her, glossing over every curve and edge of its design. From the metallic chain that was attached to the sword's handguard wrapped in bandages, to the white scabbard adorned with a gold protector finishing the tip's design.

Kagura took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She ran her fingers along the scabbard's length, before grasping it at her side with her dominant hand. She used her free hand to reach for the scabbard's end towards the hilt wrapped in bandages, using the few moments of silence to observe the Dragons approaching Natsu in an attempt to prevent him from lighting the spire. There the Guild Master was: moments away from lighting the spire in the distance, with only the three Dragon separating him from it.

Kagura then held her breath with as much concentration as she could muster.

As she closed her eyes for a moment, time itself froze around her. The nighttime atmosphere was as dark and as still as ever for her. She then opened her eyes for a few, precious seconds: only to line the Dragon in her sights, as she hoisted Archenemy at her side. She narrowed her gaze further into the distance, allowing the determination of saving the one man loved to course through her physical and emotional stature."For Master Natsu." That was the only thought she would let cross her mind.

And with that, a blinding light pierced the nighttime sky unlike any other, as Kagura's hand resting on Archenemy's scabbard moved in a single swift motion.

"SHHHIII- TINGGGGGGGGGGG!" The sound of Archenemy made, as it was finally unsheathed from its scabbard.

Before the Dragons, or any other living being on the mountain could react to the blinding light, Kagura performed a blistering dash towards the spire resting towards the far end of the summit. Without even the slightest remorse, she cut down all three Dragons in her path, before they even react to the intensity of the light produced from her unsheathing the legendary weapon.

"AAAAAUUUUUUUUUGGGGHHHHHH!" Their wounded roars echoed throughout Dragnof, as massive gashes were ripped throughout their scales

Without giving them an opportunity to recover, Kagura turned around to face her astonished Guild Master, only managing for her to sport an expression of absolute terror and intimidation. Her eyes were bulged open, as she spoke with a a voice just as intimidating as her facial expression. "MASTER NATSU?! YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO!" Kagura roared at the top of her lungs. With the power of the Lacrima implanted inside of her, Kagura's body remained perfectly levitated above the writhing bodies of the three Dragons she mortally wounded with the help of her Gravity Change. She was currently the only figure separating Natsu from the small staircase leading to the spire.

Natsu snapped himself out of the staggering daze he was reduced to. He managed to flash Kagura his signature toothy grin, before nodding his head in absolute confidence and understanding. Even Kagura couldn't manage to sport her look of dread and terror for much longer, before reciprocating Natsu's warm smile back towards him.

"YOU'VE GOT IT KAGURA!" Natsu roared with all his might, after seeing her facial expression soften. "Now I've got a fire in my belly... And it's SURE AS HELL raging to get out." Natsu paused to lower his stance slightly. He then began to mentally prepare himself to activate the most powerful spell he could fathom. "Here it goes." He paused only to inhale deeply and close his eyes in concentration. After a few moments of utter suspense, a glistening golden magic circle with the image of a Dragon inscribed inside of it appeared below his stance. The ground began to tremble slightly, followed by an increasing plume of spiraling golden flames raging from the magic circle.

Natsu then boomed the spell above the mountain's summit for all of Fiore to here. "FIRE DRAGON'S SECRET ART. HIDDEN FIRE FORM. FLAME LOTUS: PHOENIX BLADE!" Without any hesitation, the spiraling plume of golden flames raged freely and encased Natsu's body. This was followed by a massive vortex of golden flames erupting from the ground below him. The pressure created by the flames was so powerful, that it propelled his body above Kagura's levitating body, flying towards the spire similar to a comet traveled, and shattering it upon impact before igniting the entire ruins around him in a sea of golden flames.

In an instant, a massive beam of golden flames erupted from the summit, and shot into the sky many miles high. The three Dragons sprawled across the could only groan to themselves in pain from being pulverized by the immense magical potential, as the sky was completely lit ablaze. Even then, whatever noises escaped their mouths was masked by the ghostly glistening of the fire. The vortex of flames was so bright, that it was possible for the entirety of Fiore to witness its intense radiation.

Garther and Ruebinol were reduced to moaning below the intensity of the spire, while Steelbeck's eyes managed to bulge. He used whatever strength he could muster to raise his head to stare mindlessly towards the source of the incomparable heat being generated, causing his eyes to tremble in fear from the sight he witnessed. Natsu's already dragonified body was levitating high above Kagura's: being supported by a pair of golden wings glistening with the surrounding flames. He was a Dragon, a firebird, an absolute force to be reckoned with.

It was then that Steelbeck could clearly make out the afterimage of a massive, red Dragon resting behind Natsu. "Uh- IGNEEL?!" Steelbeck declared in horror, before blinking his eyes in disbelief. The brief moment he spent fluttering his eyes caused Igneel's afterimage to vanish from sight, without a trace of his existence. "UH- IMPOSSIBLE. HOW CAN A DAMN HUMAN WIELD THIS MUCH MAGICAL POTENTIAL?! " He began to question the incomprehensible reservoir of magical potential spilling from the architectural ruins.

Natsu's face sported a menacing glare of absolute terror. The Guild Master completely ignored Steelbeck's dazed comment, and boomed with an inhuman voice like no other: only comparable to the King of the Fire Dragons himself, Igneel. "NOW YOU UNDERSTAND WHY I LIT THIS SPIRE," Natsu paused to use his arms to emphasize the marvel, "IT I WHO HAS DECLARED TO END ACNOLOGIA'S. I WILL SMITE ACNOLOGIA WHEREVER HE MAY BE, AND WILL BRING IT UPON MYSELF TO END HIS TYRANNY. AS FOR YOU, STEELBECK... YOU WILL BOW TO ME, THE WIELDER OF THE FLAMES OF EMOTION. YOU MAY HAVE THE RIGHT TO SUPPORT THE COEXISTENCE OF DRAGONS AND HUMANS... BUT HEAR MY NAME," Natsu roared the previous statement with as much power as he could muster, causing the three Dragons to wince in pain from the sheer volume, "IF YOU AS SO HAPPEN TO HURT MY NAKAMA, OR DOUBT I HAVE THE MAGIC POTENTIAL TO END ACNOLOGIA'S REIGN EVER AGAIN...? THEN I, NATSU DRAGNEEL, WILL END YOUR WILL TO LIVE."

In the time it took Kagura to cut the three Dragons down, the unfathomable spectacle unfolding had come to an end. With Natsu declaring his intent, a flash of yellow light streaked the nighttime sky, before the raging flames throughout the summit instantly vanished without a trace.

Natsu's body was slowly lowered to the ground by his golden wings, to the same place Kagura had subconsciously lowered herself to marvel at the display before her. As Natsu's body was drained completely of magic potential, the golden wings which adorned his back dissipated into embers throughout the nighttime sky, causing him to stagger weakly into Kagura's arms as .

Kagura scrambled to grab her Guild Master, all the while sporting a ghostly look across her face. "There's no doubting it at all. That was the most amount of magical potential I have ever seen on this Earthland," She paused to momentarily scan her body, "Muh- My wounds... They're all gone-"

Kagura was so occupied with supporting Natsu's body, coupled with slowly peering over her shoulder to acknowledge Macao and Sayuki walking towards the duo in a ghostly trance-like state, that she remained oblivious to the stirring of the three Dragons below her.

"Stuh- Steelbeck. C'mon. Now's your chance to get him. He's done for." Garther used all his strength to speak towards Steelbeck, who was the only Dragon with enough strength to adequately move his body.

The metallic Dragon held his claw out to signal his comrade to stop speaking. "No," He then paused to speak to the four Fairy Tail Guild members surrounding him, "Hear this loud and clear. We will leave in peace, as your Dragon Slayer requested. After all, we cannot kill the very being that might be out races only hop of survival. However, know that it is solely because he has proven to us that he wields the magic potential needed to be possessed to end Acnologia's reign. Just know that now that he has declared his destiny, he cannot afford to fail. If he does... It will be the exact same outcome from when Rebuke did: 400 years ago."

Natsu managed to regain consciousness from hearing Steelbeck speak. He opened his mouth to respond, and was prepared to separate himself from the body who supporting him, but was instead interrupted by a female voice from above: belonging to the body he rested on.

Kagura's ghostly facial expression turned to that of agitation, after hearing Steelbeck speak. "That is where you are mistaken," She scoffed in a stoic manner, "You don't know Master Natsu like we do. He doesn't have to prove anything to anyone for him wanting to end Acnologia's reign. This is the path he was led down, and the path he's chosen to embrace. It's the path which allowed him to discover the origins of Dragon Slayer Magic, and what it means to be a Dragon Slayer," She paused to plaster a slightly threatening look across her face, "You best remember that the next time you dare hurting any of our family members again. That includes... Rebuke."

As Steelbeck was given enough time to regain basic movement over his body, he managed to support Garther and Ruebinol on either side of his body. "Now what the hell do we do?" Garther groaned in concern.

Steelbeck's gaze transitioned between his two comrades and the Fairy Tail Guild members on either side of him. They all had looks of resolve plastered across their faces: even Macao and Sayuki, who both managed to recover from the immense power Natsu displayed. "We're gonna get the hell out of here. If Acnologia somehow managed to see how much magic potential that monster has, then I don't want to spend any time around Dragnof until I know for sure how this Dragon King Festival ends."

As Steelbeck stumbled across the mountain's summit towards the two Dragon Natsu defeated and eventually out of vision, Natsu managed to lift his head to be met with Kagura plastering a warm smile across her face. "Yo Kagura...? Those Dragons are gone now. Sooooo... Can I stand up now?" He sweatdropped at how his head was buried above Kagura's chest.

"Err...! Sorry!" Kagura embarrassingly separated herself from Natsu, before she could even think twice about how intimate they appeared to be. She immediately sheathed Archenemy back into its scabbard and began fiddling with its design as a way to distract herself.

"Don't be. After all, it wouldn't be the first time you managed to look out for me." Natsu sheepishly rubbed his head, while referring to the sword she purchased from him, marking his anniversary as Fairy Tail's Guild Master.

"You did it Master Natsu. That's all that matters," Macao warmly smiled while sighing in relief, "And I'm glad to see that the display he put on managed to heal your wounds, Kagura." He finished by diverting his attention towards the purple haired Fairy Tail Guild member, while sheepishly reminding himself of the immense amount of magical potential his Guild Master presented to them.

"I know, those flames really are something else..."

As a short silence fell upon the Fairy Tail Guild members, there was still one question plaguing the minds of everyone present. It was just that no one knew the way to present it.

Macao and Sayuki approached Kagura's side, and the three of them waited in suspense for someone to break the silence. After a few moments, Kagura inhaled deeply and began to speak towards her Guild Master. "Master Natsu...? How do you feel? Do you think you want to try using your magic again?"

"What kind of question is that?" Natsu comically scratched his head. "We didn't come out all this way for nothing!" He chuckled to himself.

Everyone was relieved to tell that Natsu had returned to his carefree nature, but instead of returning the light attitude, they patiently awaited in suspense for the moment of truth to be revealed. Natsu slightly backed away from his Nakama, and reached his dominant hand into his cloak's pocket. After a few moments, he retracted the hilt of the bladeless sword Kagura gifted to him; the design of the hilt consisted of a Dragon's head found within one of Natsu's magic circles, complementing its red tint.

"Alright… Here goes nothing." He spoke while inhaling deeply. Natsu tightened his grip around the hilt and prepared to transfer a controlled amount of Dragon Slayer Magic from his body and to the hilt.

Each passing second caused his Nakama to subconsciously approach the Dragon Slayer inch by inch, anxiously waiting for what was to come.

And with that, Natsu forced a small amount of Dragon Slayer Magic into the sword's hilt. But what he wasn't expecting was for the eyes of the dragon-like head to flare up with a golden hue, causing a beautiful, sharp blade of golden flames to erupt from the sword.

Natsu's eyes began to quiver in disbelief. Whether it was from reacquiring his Dragon Slayer Magic, or accomplishing such an unthinkable feat, he could only bring himself to acknowledge how this could even be possible. "The Flames of emotion in their purest form." Hie internally commented to himself.

That exact same thought plagued the minds of his guild members, and the silence between them was interrupted by none other than Macao. "No way... Golden flames?!" Macao's breath was taken away at the sheer beauty of the spell. "Uh- I thought you just used all that power on the trek to light the spire," Macao's eyes then widened as he realized the only explanation for Natsu's newfound potential, "Unless... This is what Rebuke meant by you becoming 'more powerful than you could even imagine!'"

"Uh- I don't know... But I think I know a away to test whether or not you're right." Natsu beamed in triumph. He concentrated on the magic using to form the sword's blade, and in an instant, the flames reverted back to his original, red ones he had full mastery over. Although immensely powerful in their own right, the red flames contained considerably less magical potential than the golden ones. And just like that, after he concentrated a second time shortly afterwards, he was able to convert the magic potential back to its original state through the use of the sword's hilt, adding an immense amount of magical potential to the red flames and causing them to convert into a dazzling gold; they were the Flames of Emotion in their purest form.

"Holy cow..." Sayuki lamented in awe, "I can't believe how much magic potential those flames have. You can tell they're just as powerful as the ones Rebuke showed us and the ones you used to light the spire!"

"Yeah... It's so weird. I don't know if this makes any sense, but I'm not really using more magical potential. I'm just concentrating on the form the flames take, and that's enough to transition from my original flames to the Flames of Rebuke. That's gotta be why they still have the exact same properties as when I used them to stop Zero, defeat those two Dragons, and light the spire!" Natsu commented in sheer happiness.

"Uh- It makes sense to me. You really are something else, Master Natsu. It's like no matter how strong we think you'll end up, you keep drawing magic potential from an unending reservoir... But this is something on an entirely new level." Macao spoke out loud before allowing his thoughts to plague his mind.

Natsu flashed Macao a toothy grin from the compliment he received. "Thanks old man!" He then began to tend to the flames in front of him again, while tuning out his surroundings slightly.

As Macao watched Natsu experiment with the sword's blade, he began to reflect on those thoughts to himself. "I didn't think Natsu could get more powerful then when we started training using the Magic Power Finder... Who the hell am I joking? I didn't even think he would release that much magical potential from just lighting that spire! But this is insane. Both times he used those golden flames, it felt like I was standing in the presence of an actual Dragon. But this time, he's crushing me with just the amount of magical potential those golden flames have. Whenever he transitioned between his original ones and the Flames of Emotion, I could just feel the difference from standing next to him. Without Gajeel and Wendy here... It only makes sense he would need this to end Acnologia."

Each moment Sayuki observed Natsu wield the golden flames caused her to grow giddy in excitement over her idols accomplishment. "Master Natsu?! You and Rebuke have got to be the most badass mages I've ever met. You've totally gotta let me train with you more!"

Natsu sheepishly rubbed his head with his free hand. "Of course I will Sayuki. Anything to give attention to my Nakama."

Kagura watched as the spectacle unfolded in front of her. She then brought herself to approach Natsu and rested a comforting hand on her Guild Master's shoulder, before sincerely speaking to him. "Master Natsu, even though I never met them personally... Something tells me that not even Erza or Master Makarov would be able to stand up to you now," She paused to flash a confident smirk his way, "And you were the one to tell me Erza was a Master Sword Specialist."

Natsu patted Kagura's shoulder in response, and delivered a sweet smile while gazing into her hazel eyes. "Thank you Kagura," He paused to allow a devilish smirk to graze his face, ruining the heartfelt moment. "Well... There IS a way we can test that out."

"Oh, no." His Nakama immediately sweatdropped in response.

Natsu separated himself from Kagura and immediately retracted his magical potential from the sword's hilt, causing the golden blade to dissipate in embers of the night, allowing the hilt to become lifeless in the palm of his hand.

He slowly began approaching the closest edge of the summit: directly behind the lifeless spire. As he triumphantly stood over the ledge expanding towards the horizon, he peered through the nighttime sky to allow his gaze to admire the beauty of the mountain range before him.

Through the limited vision he had, he scanned the area for an appropriate target. As long as he would not mind destroying it, it would serve suitable enough for him to test his new found magical potential. As he began to realize how limited the selection was, his eyes began to rest on the largest mountain in his sights. Although not as large as the current one he was standing on, it undoubtedly towered over the mountains he was accustomed to destroying as a child.

"Perfect." Natsu spoke to himself, completely unaware to his three Friends approaching from behind.

Natsu closed his eyes for a brief moment, concentrating on the rhythmic breathing of his body. He confidently paused to inhale deeply, before slowly opening his eyes to allow himself to perceive the structure of his target before him. As a light aura began to emanate from the magical potential coursing throughout his body, a golden magic circle with the head of a Dragon inscribed within it began to form at his lips. He then shifted his stance enough to allow the dominant side of his body to face the mountain in his gaze, preparing to activate the spell residing in the back of his thoughts.

It was then that he slowly raised his hands towards his face, now resting on top of each other to form a funnel, between his lips and the golden magic circle in front of him. In the last few moments of suspense, he inhaled deeply before his eyes shot open in absolute confidence, allowing him to activate the one spell he prepared. "FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!" Natsu boomed throughout the land. Immediately after

The spell, consisting of a massive torrent of golden flames, was released from his gape mouth and through the golden magic circle, traveling towards the mountain at an unprecedented speed.

"Kuh- BOOOOMMM!" The flames contacted the mountain without giving anyone time to react, causing a perfectly golden, spherical explosion to be generated in the wake. The golden flames forming the spherical explosion further atomized the remains of the mountain, turning any debris which remained completely into burnt ash, while managing to reduce parts of the nearby mountains to rubble. The ash managed to eventually settle on the remains of any of the nearby mountains.

Natsu marveled at the sheer amount of magical potential invested in such as simple spell, which was still able to perform such a disastrous effect.

As his friends covered their mouths in awe at the spectacle which unfolded, Macao took it upon himself to break the nerve-wracking silence between his guildmates. "Unbelievable," He could only manage to speak out loud, "No wonder it was like you took the form of a Dragon with those golden flames in your hand."

"What about a Dragon now?" Natsu questioned in confusion. He managed to part himself from the destruction he caused to divert his attention back towards his Nakama.

"Well... I think I speak for all of us when I say we were wondering why you looked like a freaking Dragon when you first accepted those flames from Rebuke." Macao sarcastically added.

"OH. THAT," Natsu sheepishly chuckled to himself, "I'm sure Rebuke knows a lot more about it than I do, but that form I took was something called the 'Dragon Force.' That nutjob Zero tried telling me that it gives me the Magic Potential of an actual Dragon, and thus, the capability to destroy everything, just like an actual Dragon would. It's essentially the most powerful form we're able to achieve, and I'm guessing on a whim that Rebuke somehow got stuck in the Dragon Force when she nearly fell for Acnologia's crap. I have to be physically touching the flames to enter the damn form, which is why my body ended up returning to normal after I finished lighting the spire."

After observing the destruction of Natsu's newfound power, and hearing of Natsu's ability to enter the Dragon Force, Kagura then spoke one final line for all of the Fairy Tail Guild members to hear. "So... this is what it means... To be a TRUE Dragon Slayer." She emphasized her statement with confidence.

Natsu beamed towards the Kagura and accepted the praise in happiness. "Thanks Kagura... But that's not what's important right now," Natsu paused to lower his darkened facial expression, while slowly beginning to approach her. As Natsu's body only inched closer and closer towards her, the proximity of the duo caused the purple haired guildmate to gulp in suspense. Natsu raised his head to reveal a toothy grin plastered across his face, thus breaking the intense atmosphere between them. "LET'S STOP TALKING ABOUT ME. I WANT TO TALK TO YOU RIGHT NOW. THAT WAS SO BADASS: how you were using your Gravity Change!" He referred to Kagura being able to levitate in front of the spire.

Kagura immediately deadpanned at how anticlimactic the moment was for her. She reflexively scratched her head to distract her thoughts from the intense moment they shared, before responding to her Guild Master. "I suppose you have a point. Now that I think about it, I surprised myself with that one as well. I didn't expect to have such a good grip on it, since we just recently had that whole ordeal with Raven Tail."

"Not only that..." Natsu excitedly gestured towards Archenemy resting in her hands. "YOU UNSHEATHED ARCHENEMY!"

Macao and Sayuki immediately widened their eyes after being reminded of the condition Kagura vowed to unsheathe the legendary Katana. "Natsu's right! Uh- I guess we were so caught up in everything else, that it must have escaped our minds." Macao responded by apologetically bowing responding multiple times in succession. Sayuki was completely at a loss of words, and mimicked Macao's antics by apologizing.

"You were so badass, Kagura!" Sayuki began to praise the purple haired guildmate. "One moment, you were staring at those Dragons from the other side of the mountain. Then the next, you completely and utterly cut all three of them DOWN if it meant Natsu could light the spire! I didn't even have time to react before that flash of light was over."

"Thuh- Thank you for the praise," Kagura blushed as she began to speak her thoughts out loud. "But Master Natsu is right... Uh- I finally found my purpose in life." She referred to the man she fell in love with, unknown to anyone else.

Natsu once again rested a comforting hand on Kagura's shoulder, before continuing one last time. "Whether or not you want to share that purpose with us, I couldn't be more proud of you right now. I saw what you were able to do to those Dragons: before I could even react. After seeing the person you're become after all these years, there's no doubt in my mind that you are the strongest Master Sword Specialist I know." He sincerely stated with a warm smile.

Kagura began to quiver slightly from the beautiful comment Natsu bestowed upon her. Before she was given a chance to reflect on her emotional state, she snapped herself out of the daze to return the sweet smile by reassuring her Guild Master. "Don't worry Master Natsu... One day, when the time is right, I promise to tell you my new purpose in life." She sweetly smiled towards the man she secretly had learned to love.

Natsu then began to speak again before another heartfelt moment fell upon the quartet, "But do you what this means?" Natsu paused in anticipation, while continuing to direct his attention towards Kagura. After watching his Nakama plaster looks of confusion across his face, he broke the unnerving silence once more. "YOU'VE GOTTA HAVE A REMATCH WITH ME."

Everyone sweatdropped in response, especially Kagura as she was reminded of the promise she made to her Guild Master two years ago. "That really is all you can think of right now." She sheepishly replied.

Macao immediately held up his hands in defense, after realizing how late into the night it was. "You know what? SCREW this. We're gonna be up here all night if we let this continue. Let's just get back to Rebuke, so we can tell her the good news. Sound good with everyone?" He comically took charge of the situation.

"Aye Sir." The three remaining Fairy Tail Guild members replied to him.

As Macao prepared to lead the group back down the steep incline and back towards Rebuke's house, Natsu and Kagura shared a carefree moment between each other's company. The duo rolled their eyes in unison from Macao's serious persona taking over the mood, followed by Kagura tucking her purple locks behind her ear in hopes of getting a better view of Natsu's facial features. This caused her carefree facial expression to immediately turned into that of utter happiness, as a quivering smile was formed from ear to ear.

It was because, for the first time since Natsu lost his magic, he was plastering the most genuine smile across his face.

---

"You guys made one helluva ruckus up there." Rebuke spoke in a displeased manner, only to slowly reveal a smile hiding below her disappointed demeanor. "And because of that... It only proves you're a real Dragon Slayer... Words can't express how proud of you I am for being able to use the flames I created: the Flames of Emotion in their purest form."

The four Fairy Tail Guild members immediately sighed in relief, after realizing she was only fooling them. "You know... Now that you mention it, what gives? Why did lighting the spire just so happen to give me my magic back?" Natsu rubbed his head in utter confusion.

To answer Natsu's question, Rebuke managed to adopt a slightly more serious attitude to respond with. "Well, it proves multiple things. First off, it's a representation that you have taken it upon yourself to end the Dragon King Festival. It also represents the lengths you went on that trek to get your magic back; those flames watched over you as you protected your friends and fought for their survival until their last breaths. And finally, it represents the immense power you must master in order to smite Acnologia, thus ending his tyranny along with the Dragon King Festival."

Natsu nodded in understanding, while the rest of his guildmates listened with intent. "But what about you? You wouldn't be able to use your golden flames if I'm already wielding them... Right?" He asked with concern.

Rebuke shook her head and chuckled. "The Flame of Rebuke was only named after me because I was the first Dragon Slayer to use them. In actuality," she paused to provide emphasis to the next statement, "They are simply the Flames of Emotion in their most powerful form. If you hadn't taken it upon yourself to end the Dragon King Festival, this would be quite the different conversation we would be having. You would still be able to use your ordinary Dragon Slayer Magic, and as breathtaking and remarkable as that is, it would not be enough to harness the potential of the Flames of Rebuke, which have now been bestowed upon you."

Natsu began to nod in understanding, but was shortly interrupted by Rebuke. "So... Understanding my past allowed me to get my magic back-"

"But embracing your future allowed you to transcend into what you are now." Rebuke approached Natsu as she finished her statement to envelop him in a tight embrace. This was something Kagura did not take kindly to, out of slight defense. "I owe you so much more than my life, Natsu. You bear the sins of those flames just to complete the one task I was never able to... So... Thank you. Everything Igneel envisioned was right," She parted the embrace to gesture towards the image of the creature on the back of his cloak, "You know, now that I think about it, that cloak fits you really well. The Firebird; I like it a lot. It couldn't describe your personality any better. As long as you have the will to fight, your feathers will never stop glowing: even when removed." She finished by complementing the Dragon Slayer.

Natsu confidently smiled before shooting a warm look towards Sayuki. "What can I say? The person who designed this is related to all types of amazing people."

Sayuki squealed to herself from the compliment she received considering her mother, Jasmine, was the woman who designed Natsu's new outfit two years ago at Men ang Mages.

"There's just one question I still have," Natsu paused to stroke the stubble across his chin in confusion, "Why the hell did I lose my magic in the first place."

Rebuke inhaled deeply, causing her persona to transition to that of absolute concern. She then shifted her gaze to one Fairy Tail Guild member in particular and spoke with as much clarity as she could muster. "You lost your Dragon Slayer Magic because of your emotional connection to Kagura." She finished by gesturing towards where the purple haired guild member was standing in astonishment.

"Master Natsu's emotional connection to me?" Kagura recited without hesitation, utterly confused as to what Rebuke was implying.

The confusion throughout the room encouraged Rebuke to continue speaking towards Natsu. "I can tell that Kagura means a lot to you, Natsu. She is your Nakama after all, and I assume something must have happened where she was endangered and her life was threatened. That must have caused you to doubt your leadership as not only a Guild Master who vowed to improve after the incidents on Tenrou Island, but also as a Dragon Slayer. Your magic refused to succumb to your doubtful emotions, and your lack of confidence and trust in yourself ended with the inability to use your magic completely."

As Natsu began to realize what Rebuke was referring to, he began to avert his gaze with each passing moment she spoke. "Yeah... I think I know what you're talking about."

Kagura's hands immediately covered her mouth in disbelief, as she realized the instance Rebuke was referring to just as much as Natsu did. "Natsu... You promised me you would never say stuff like that again." Kagura gritted her teeth at how something as simple as underestimating her enemy caused the man she had come to love so much grief.

Before Natsu could respond to either of the females, Rebuke began to speak again. "Natsu," She began to add with a now serious tone, "With those flames at your side, you must promise to NEVER doubt yourself as a Dragon Slayer or human being ever again. The effects of betraying those flames would be catastrophic," She paused to allow herself to form a warm smile in order to reassure the conflicted Guild Master, "Always remember that you will never be alone, as you will have your friends to guide you on this journey. There is a difference between being confident and reckless. From how I watched you mature over the years from afar, and from this journey alone, there is absolutely no time I could transverse which would prove to me that you would perform an action which would endanger your Nakama."

Natsu was speechless. His gaze surveyed the room, only to find heartwarming smiles from everyone who was present. "Yuh- You're right," He paused to gesture to one smile in particular, a tearful one coming from Kagura in specific, "Kuh- Kagura... You're not disappointed at me?" He referred to the meek smiling she sported.

Kagura shook her head violently before momentarily embracing her Guild Master in a tight hug. After she managed to part their bodies, she swiftly wiped the tears welling in her eyes to choke back a laugh. "Of course I'm not disappointed in you. I just... Felt like I was the one who was responsible for everything Ivan put you through. After I blamed myself, one thought just turned into another, and I ended up saying things I shouldn't have believed to be true at the time," He paused to survey all three of his Nakama, "But now that I've discovered the Origins to Dragon Slayer Magic, learning that Igneel trusted me enough to send me 400 years into the future, being taught what it will take to end the Dragon King Festival, and seeing you guys trust me like this, I promise that this will be the last time any of you worry about something this stupid." He promised with absolute confidence.

Kagura warmly smiled towards her Guild Master after hearing his response. "Good. That's all we wanted to hear."

Rebuke smiled and began to provide Natsu with inspiration. "Everyone makes mistakes, Natsu. I made many mistakes 400 years ago, including one which nearly sent the entirety of Earthland into utter chaos, but that never once deterred me from fighting for what is right. That is what I am still here today."

Natsu smiled at Rebuke in understanding. He then diverted his gaze towards his Nakama once more, shifting between them and Rebuke. "Everyone...? Thank you for everything we've been through on this journey. I know I still have a lot to improve on as a Guild Master, but I have a feeling that everything I've learned up until this point will help us in our future together: embracing my origins as a Dragon Slayer, and never doubting my leadership again. Because if I doubt the decisions I make for my Nakama, then that's no different than me saying that I don't care about you." He reflected on how selfish his thinking was, as he vowed to never succumb to it again.

"There's the Natsu who I look up to." Sayuki crossed her arms in approval.

"None of us would be where we are today without you, man." Macao reassured Natsu.

"You mean more to us than any other person could ever understand. Our emotional connections to you are just as important as your emotional connections to us." Kagura gave her input on the situation.

As Natsu began to once again thank his Nakama profusely, his eyes began to wander to a small girl with long, black hair resting on the couch. "Now that this is all done, what's going to happen to Akagai?" Natsu gestured towards the sleeping girl in concern.

"Well, I suppose there's enough room in my house for two people," Rebuke warmly smiled at the idea of raising Akagi, "As for the village and the... Inhabitants... Unfortunately, not all endings to a story are happy," she paused to reassure everyone, in the event they would become saddened by the revelation, "BUT! I plan on properly performing a ritual I know to properly lay the town to rest. I'll take care of Akagi and make sure she grows up to enjoy a happy childhood: just like how Atlas Flame did to me." She paused to reflect on her past for a moment.

All four Fairy Tail Guild Members nodded in complete approval of her plan. "Rebuke...? As much as we loved to learn about the history of Dragon Slayer Magic, I think it's time we had back to where we belong: at Fairy Tail." Natsu declared with a saddened expression.

Rebuke used Natsu's declaration to relax her composure. She strolled back to the couch, sat next to Akagi, and stroked the girl's hair in momentary silence. She then plastered a warm smile on her face, before diverting her attention from Akagi'a hair and towards Natsu, where she nodded in complete understanding. "Of course you do. It's already passed midnight, and if you catch the next train to Magnolia Town, I'm sure you'll make it there before the night is over. Just promise me that you'll visit often. After all, us Dragon Slayers have to stick together. We ARE over 400 years old, after all... So don't forget about ole Rebuke all alone in Dragnof." She sarcastically chipped with Natsu.

"Of course I won't," Natsu chuckled. He paused his speech to gather his belongings from the room, followed by his guildmates shortly behind him.

"Oh, and Natsu..." Rebuke spoke, halting the group from traversing in the direction of the exit at the opposite end of the atrium. "If you ever need advice on Dragon Slayer Magic, want to learn more about your past, or... Ever just need someone to talk to, my door will always be open." She sweetly offered the Fairy Tail Guild Master.

"Then I'm glad to hear this isn't farewell. If you ever feel like stopping by the guild hall one day... I'll always be around. Just kick the doors open and shout for me. That'll be enough to quiet everyone down." Natsu chuckled with a somewhat serious nature. "No... I'm serious." He deadpanned, causing everyone to chuckle in response.

After slowly beginning to regain her composure, Rebuke began to speak for the final time. "One day... When our paths cross again." Rebuke spoke in a stoic manner, while continuing to stroke Akagi's hair in contempt.

As Natsu led his friends to the door which had no frame to secure itself to, his Nakama exited the archway, causing him to look over his shoulder one last time. He could visibly see Rebuke looking over her shoulder as well, returning a wink towards his Nakama. Natsu could only return her expression with a toothy smile. He then turned around for her Nakama to face their backs towards her, and began walking away from the doorway with a hand held up for her to see.

As another adventure ended, a new one would always wait around the corner for Fairy Tail. And with that, Natsu could only bring himself to muster a teary smile, before whispering one line to himself. "Thank you."

---

Thank you for your time!