"So did you two enjoy your trip to Magnolia?" Ankhselam said. Airin and Kisaru already seemed bad enough, but the fact that they work for Ankhselam is making this even worse.
"Not really." Kisaru said.
"I believe we have an idea or so of what we're up against." Airin said. "We've encountered a few of the more well-known members. They do have some power to them, at the very least they could hold their own in a fight."
"You're giving them too much credit." Kisaru said.
"Tell it in the meeting." Ankhselam said as he stood from his throne chair. "We're gathering together to discuss our plans." The other two stood up and made their way to this meeting. "Our final battle draws closer and closer, Fairy Tail."
...
Fairy Tail
Fairy Tail was pretty shook up for what happened to Erza. When everyone was trying to figure out what was going on, Zeref arrived. He apparently knows what is going on and his timing is perfect. Fairy Tail is going to have a real challenge ahead of them.
"Uncle Zeref, it's good to see you again." Nashi said as she was glad to see her uncle again. "We haven't really seen you since the Grand Magic Games."
"I'm glad to see you too, Nashi." Zeref said as he walked through the guild. "I just wish it was under better circumstances. You were just attacked by an unknown enemy. Well, I know who you just fought." Zeref made his way to Fairy Tail's stage and stood on it. "I'm here to warn you, Fairy Tail. A great threat is coming your way."
"A great threat?" Laxus said.
"Yes. Something that will be a real challenge." Zeref said. "The men you fought were part of an empire called the Duat Kingdom. The Duat Kingdom is a large and powerful kingdom that is to the southwest of Ishgar, across the water. It's planning to wage and attack on Ishgar, specifically Fiore."
"Say what?" Storm questioned.
"An entire empire is coming here and is going to attack? How come?" Gale said.
"Because of who is in charge." Zeref said. "It's Ankhselam." Hearing his name was certainly a shock to a lot of the members.
"Ankshelam?! Again?!" Nashi said.
"Are you saying he's in charge of an entire kingdom? You've got to be kidding me." Storm said.
"I'm afraid not. Ankhselam is a powerful being." Zeref said. "There's really no limit to what he can do."
"So what is he after this time?" Nova said.
"Let me start from the beginning." Zeref said. "After what happened at Tenrou Island, I've been traveling around. I've been trying to keep tabs on Ankhselam. I've been trying to learn everything I can because that is a dangerous man to be left alone. I've learned that Ankhselam has been gathering forces, power, and much more with it all leading to a moment like this."
"Sounds like Ankhselam is entering his endgame." Simon said.
"Indeed, he is." Zeref said. "Ankhselam plans to destroy the world as we know it. Everything he's done has all been leading up to this and he's more than prepared to go to war."
"Well, there's actually something you should know. We've learned a few things about him ourselves." Sasha said.
"For one thing, the guy claimed be a god, but he was a real fraud." Gale said. "He's not a god. He's just a guy with a hell of a lot of power."
"It's true." Nashi said. "He was once a regular person, but when he was a kid, he went through a lot. It seemed like no one cared about him. He use to work for a guild and he had nothing, but instead of feeling sympathetic, those people ridiculed him. They didn't treat him like he was part of the guild."
"They're right." Lucy said. "We learned that he's actually under the same curse you were once under, Zeref. We don't know how he obtained this power, but that's the truth. Also, unlike you when you resisted it, this guy fully welcomes it. He wanted it to be this way."
"It's a little understandable. The guy went through hell when he was a kid." Storm said.
"So he was once a regular human and he decided to take the name Ankhselam. That explains a little." Zeref said. "No matter what happened before, it doesn't matter at this point. The fact still remains that this is going to happen. The Duat Kingdom is ready to go to war and they'll be attacking very soon. They're strength is grand. They have an army that numbers in a million and maybe more. As soon as I learned all that I needed, I came here to alert all of you about this. Sadly, it would seem I arrived here just too late."
"You got that right." Gray said. "Look at what they just did to Erza."
"I assure you that what you might have experience was just a mere drop in the entire ocean that comprises of the Duat Empire." Zeref said. That gave some of them members a good scare. They almost put Erza in the hospital and Zeref is saying that it was nothing compared to the entire kingdom. "The Duat Kingdom is not a threat to be taken lightly. They'll lay waste to the entire country if they must."
"Oh man. Sounds like a real storm is coming our way." Raio said.
"A storm doesn't even begin to cover what the Duat Kingdom can do." Zeref said. "The Duat Empire spreads far and wide in the south lands. Against just Fiore, the odds are very much against us."
"But why are they waging war against us in the first place?" Ul questioned.
"Yeah. What are they after?" Damien asked.
"Who cares what they're after?" Natsu said. "We're not backing down from a fight. We got to make these guys pay for what they just did to Erza. That's how the guild works. When someone strikes at us, we strike back harder. I don't give a damn as to what they want. We're going to make them pay that they even decided to come here and pick a fight with us."
"It's funny you should say that, Natsu." Zeref said. "The truth is...you're what they're after. They're doing all of this to get to you." Hearing that was a real shock to everyone.
"They're after Natsu?" Wendy questioned.
"I don't understand. Why do they want Natsu?" Lucy asked.
"To be more specific, they want Natsu's power. They know that you're really an etherious, Natsu, and they want your power because of that." Zeref said.
"No way. I'm human." Natsu said.
"Natsu, it frankly doesn't matter what you believe or how much you believe that." Zeref said. "It's in your blood, your body's components. They're still coming after your power and they want it. Ankhselam has gathered everything else he needs. You are the last piece he needs for his master plan."
"Master plan?" Ul questioned.
"He claims he wants to break the illusion we call hope." Nashi said. "He thinks the ideal of hope isn't real, but we cling to it. So he wants to destroy that by destroying our world. He wants to break our very spirits."
"How exactly does he plan to do that?" Storm said.
"By reviving a force that can't be stopped. He plans to revive...Acnologia and take control of him." Zeref said. That was the biggest shock of all and it shook many to the very core.
"Acnologia...?!" Lucy said.
"Acnologia? Isn't that the evil dragon from your stories?" Nashi said.
"The Black Dragon of the Apocalypse." Laxus said.
"Acnologia was the alleged king of all dragons." Lucy said. "He was a human being centuries ago and turned into a dragon since he used dragon slayer magic."
"The guy was immortal and no magic could really harm him." Gray said. "Fire to Natsu and Nashi was every form of magic to him."
"That's right. Even I feared his power during my darker years." Zeref said. "Back when I ruled over the Alvarez Empire, I had it as my goal to defeat him. Of course, the only way I thought I could do that was by using the power of Fairy Heart so that I could travel back in time and prevent so much. It could have caused this world to be erased and a new one created. I thought I was actually doing it for the benefit of humanity."
"Yeah right. You were only thinking of yourself." Natsu said.
"Not now." Happy said.
"Is this Acnologia really that bad?" Gale asked.
"It took everything we had and more to defeat him." Wendy said.
"He lured us dragon slayers to some space between time itself." Gajeel said. "The guy was a lunatic that wanted to destroy everything."
"And while the dragon slayers were doing that, we had to attend to him on our side." Lucy said. "The only spell that could work on him was Fairy Sphere and it took everyone across Fiore lending their magic power for it to work."
"How does Ankhselam plan to bring him back? There's nothing left of him." Gray said.
"What does that have to do with Natsu too?" Happy said.
"Ankhselam has created a spell that will revive him." Zeref said. "A very powerful spell. He requires powers of light and darkness, time and destruction. By combining those, he will bring Acnologia back to the land of the living. He already has the light of time."
"Light of time?" Nashi said.
"What is that?" Simon questioned.
"I'm sure many of you know about my Eclipse Gate from the Grand Magic Games in the year X792. For those who don't, it was a device that I created. A large gate that was powered by celestial magic with the twelve zodiacs. It actually had the power to travel through time." Zeref said. "While it was destroyed, Ankhselam was able to salvage a piece of a lacrima that powered it. He's restored power to it. I understand that you faced dark versions of the zodiac spirits. It was because of him restoring power to that lacrima that those dark spirits came to existence."
"Why am I not surprise?!" Nashi said as she was getting irritated now. "Almost everything we've been through, he's had some sort of part in it."
"Quick question. If you wanted to go back through time, why didn't you just use your own gate thingy to do that?" Nova said.
"I couldn't. The Eclipse Gate requires a great deal of magic power for it to be used and it was destroyed long ago." Zeref said. "I would also need the twelve zodiac keys to open it, which I did not have. The gate was also in the hands of Fiore's kingdom after it was used to bring Natsu and the other four dragon slayers into this time. Correction, the other SIX dragon slayers. You met Coro and Stella. They were dragon slayers from the past just like the rest of them, but something went wrong and the two of them ended up going further into the future. I suppose it was the same phenomenon that created the space between time. In fact, Acnologia was the reason for such things. The dragon slayers were sent through with their teacher, Anna Heartfilia, because the dragons that raised them entered their bodies. The goal was for the dragons to enter a time with a dense amount of ethernano in the air so they could be brought to their greatest potential. It was all to defeat Acnologia."
"Oh man." Nashi said as she didn't know what to think of all this. "We were told stories about this before, but that's a lot to take in. Now Ankhselam is planning to bring back something so evil and destructive."
"Now that he has the light of time, all he needs is the darkness of destruction." Zeref said. "The powers of an etherious would fit with what he needs. Do you understand what I am saying, Natsu? If Ankhselam gets his hands on your power, he will revive Acnologia and the world as we know it will be destroyed." Ankhselam is making his big move. Fairy Tail might have their work cutout for them. If they fail, the most destructive force the world has ever known will rise once again.
