Hello and welcome to the finale of Tenrou Island Arc. I know this chapter is late but 1. it's 15k long, 2. I am in Sweden with my girlfriend(Julia I love youuu) and 3. I had some issues with writing it.

I know this arc had its ups and downs, therefore I promise you that the next one will be much, much better., I am sure you will love it.

I'd like to remind that if you wish to support me and\or receive something in return, you can use ko-fi and fiverr. Both links can be copied off my profile.

I hope you enjoy the chapter. Read away!

Lisanna took the cloth off her sister's forehead and dipped it in water, before squeezing the excess out and putting it back in its place. She knew it didn't do anything major, but if she could take away at least a small bit of discomfort, she'd do it with pleasure. She wiped her forehead and sighed tiredly again. She was restless and extremely worried.

It has been almost an hour since the vanguard left to face the last remaining enemy, Hades. So far their only updates were sudden rains of magic power and earthquakes that could have been caused by anyone present on the ship.

Freed and Bickslow, who were in charge of covering the ground could not stop themselves from taking short peeks in the ship's direction, worried just like Lisanna.

Levy, who was helping Lisanna out with the wounded took the cloth from the girl and cleaned it in fresh water, sighing as she did so.

"I can't sit straight." she admitted with a sad smile and cleaned Elfman's forehead. "I just can't shake this bad feeling off."

Lisanna nodded. "Me too."

Cana, who was quietly sipping her bottle of booze in the corner, stood up and threw it away. She didn't feel like drinking her sorrows. "I'm going to find Gildarts." she announced.

Freed immediately turned to her and raised his hand. "You can't. I know how you feel, but we mustn't split up. Please, be patient. Knowing him he is well and safe. He will probably come here very soon."

The brunette bit her lip and sighed through her nose. "Fine." she said and joined the girl, grabbing another cloth from them. "How are they?" she asked Lisanna and replaced Makarov's cloth.

"Stable. They had a fever, but I think we've finally knocked it down a notch." she replied and looked into her sister's face. "All of them have used a big chunk of their magic, so that's holding their recovery back. Wendy cannot restore magic power, so she did what she could."

Cana sighed. "Yeah, I think we're all running on fumes, one way or another. I still can't believe those guys had enough strength to go pick another fight." she chuckled and pointed in the ship's direction with her thumb.

"This is not the time to make jokes." reminded her Levy.

"Well, if they fail, then this might be the last chance to have a laugh. Might as well use it now." retorted the brunette and shrugged.

Levy bit her lip but did not say anything. This must have been Cana's way of dealing with the weight of the situation they were in.

"Hey, check this out!" yelled someone all of a sudden. This someone turned out to be Bickslow, who was several meters away from the camp. The girls ran out of the tent and looked at him. He was pointing at something in the distance. The ground beneath their feet has slowly started to shake and as the girls looked at where his finger pointed at, they all felt their eyes widen in pure shock.

The Tenrou Tree was slowly but surely returning to its original state. The upper half of the trunk was slowly levitating upwards, pieces of wood flying back to their original place, giving it a feeling of watching a movie in reverse.

"What the hell..." frowned Cana.

Freed, who was just as confused, walked up to the girls. "This is not the magic of someone from our guild. Who and why would they do this?"

"Guys..." began Lisanna and looked at her hands, which she was now repeatedly clenching and relaxing. "Is it just me or is our magic coming back?"

Everyone looked at her in shock and focused on their bodies. She was right - their magic was coming back to them along with the progression of the Tree's revival.

"Well, now I've seen everything." commented Bickslow and scratched the back of his head, as he watched the tree put itself back together with the rest.

"Whoever that is, they are doing us a great favor." stated Freed. He dropped his usually suspicious thoughts - they needed this boost. Boost of both magic and hope.

"I bet this will help the injured recover sooner." smiled Cana and patted Lisanna on the shoulder reassuringly. The girl smiled gratefully and nodded.

Behind them, in the tent, Mirajane grunted and turned in her bed, the magic boost already doing wonders to her battered body. Right next to her laid Makarov, whose fingers gently moved on his bed, which soon turned into is right fist clenching itself gently.

Several kilometers away, Ultear was standing by the very base of the Tree, her arms raised. She was panting heavily, but still continued to pour her magic into the spell, which was responsible for the Tree's restoration.

The woman raised her head and regained her focus. "Make up for my past...like hell I can do that. Even if I do only good things from now on, that will mean nothing to those who have been hurt by me in the past. But...if I can save lives by doing one good deed...then I will do it. If I can at least try to be a person like my mother, I will do it. As many times as I can. I will stand up and walk forward, until my legs give out. This will be my salvation." she whispered and picked up the spell's pace.

In the distance, Meredy listened to her surrogate mother's words, her back planted against a tree trunk, her face puzzled and unsure of what to do. She bit her lip and slid down the tree, mixed thoughts racing in her head.

What was she supposed to do?

Hades slowly stood up from the ground and wiped his left cheek, Natsu still piercing him with his glare. "This magic...how truly intriguing." commented the elder under his mustache.

Erza blinked slowly in awe. She couldn't see anything. Was this the power of Dragon Force?

"Look." said Laxusand pointed with his finger. Having followed it, Erza felt her eyes widen. The Tenrou Tree was putting itself back together. "How could this be?" she whispered.

Natsu gently shifted his right foot to the side. Hades blinked and a split second later felt his eye widen in shock, before quickly turning his head around. In a blink of an eye Natsu managed to get behind his back, a feat never achieved by anyone who stood in Grimoire Master's way. He's gotten even faster?!

Natsu clenched his right fist and struck Hades right in the left cheekbone, smashing the elder's face into the ground, his head and shoulders buried in the floor, his legs sticking out like a carrot ready to pluck out of the soil. He then flexed his left leg and kicked Hades in the gut, breaking him out of his prison and forcing him to fly through the floor across the hall, pieces of wood and metal flying everywhere.

Hades rolled on the ground and pushed the floor with his hands to launch himself in the air, a giant hand made out of flames crashing from underneath the floor he was rolling on just a moment ago. He canceled it out with a spell and landed, finally regained his footing, immediately snapping his head back to Natsu, who was already right in front of his face. Hades moved his body to the left and dodged the Dragon Slayer's charge, countering him with a palm strike to his stomach, a strike that carried a binding spell similar to the one he used on Erza.

Natsu flipped in the air and landed safely on the ground, and when Hades spotted his figure, he was up for a surprise. The strike that was meant to reach his stomach was successfully blocked with his left elbow, yellow letters spreading across the arm. Natsu raised it and set it ablaze, the fire purging the spell away.

Hades whistled and caressed his beard. "I see. Your already enhanced senses must have been brought to an even higher level, one that when combined with this magic power makes you a force to be reckoned with." he analised. "Makarov truly has a good eye when it comes to his offspring. Perhaps letting loose once in a while wouldn't be that bad of an idea." he said and increased his magic power even further, which when combined with Natsu's was truly unbearable to endure.

Their combined magic started to alter the weather itself, lightning striking down around them with huge ferocity. The air was so heavy that the already downed Fairy Tail was being grinded into the ground, their lungs being squeezed, leaving them with barely anything to breathe with. Wendy was long unconscious, with Lucy hanging on to the last bits of her consciousness just a feet away from her.

Erza was forced to Requip out of her armor to avoid being burned by molten metal. She gently raised her head and watched the battle anxiously, at the same time trying to muster the strength needed to stand up and do something other than watching.

"Have faith in him." Laxus told her firmly. "He knows what he has to do. Right now he's our only hope. If he falls, it's all over. He knows that. So do the one thing you're still capable of and trust him."

All of a sudden Hades raised the index and middle fingers of his right hand, an explosion erupting under Natsu's feet. The Dragon Slayer moved out of the way just in time and dashed to the right, using the smoke created by the explosion to hide from his opponent- Knowing well where he was, Natsu dashed through the smoke but felt his senses crying out just as he entered the smoke. He quickly bent his knees and jumped upwards just in time to avoid being taken by yet another Amaterasu Formula.

He landed few meters away from the spell and charged again, too fast for the elder to keep up with once again. Despite his attempts, Hades felt his ribs being bashed in by a kick that sent him flying. He quickly regained contact with the floor and tried to unleash a spell on Natsu, who had already caught up to him.

FIRE DRAGON'S PURGATORY!

The elder was swallowed by flames that came out of Natsu's hands, which were currently on his chest. Hades quickly jumped out of the flames and conjured a chain before throwing it at Natsu, who sidestepped to his left and grabbed it. He then pulled on it and forced Hades to fly in his direction, blasting him with yet another pointblank torrent of flames, this time from only one hand.

But they never reached their target. Hades managed to raise his left hand just in time to create a magic circle that protected him from the attack, the flames spilling to the sides, unable to pierce through. Seeing this, Natsu let go of the chain and clenched his left fist, only to then smash it into the circle with all his might, a giant explosion erupting where they stood.

Fairy Tail was forced to stay on the ground and defend themselves from the waves of wind, magic power, flames and pieces of debris. Watching was the only thing they could do, despite their freshly regained portion of magic power. Gray. who had awakened from his beating, was now groaning in pain as he tried to adjust himself on the floor.

With the smoke coming down, Erza was met with the sight of Natsu and Hades being locked in a power struggle. Hades' right hand was wrapped around Natsu's left wrist, his fist mere centimeters away from the elder's face after breaking through the magic circle. Their remaining hands were grabbing one another, their fingers crossed.

Floor beneath their feet continued to break, its pieces rising up and down, making the terrain heavily uneven. Fed up with this embarrassment, Hades began to create strange signs with his and Natsu's hand, preparing a spell. Before he could use it he was nailed with a powerful kick underneath the chin, one that rocked his head like a bell. This pinched a nerve in the usually composed Master, who simply headbutted Natsu so hard the Dragon Slayer's eyes lost their focus for a split second. A moment used wisely by Hades, who punched Natsu directly in his solar plexus and blasted him away with an air current that almost knocked him off the ship.

The Dragon Slayer dug his nails into the floor and killed his momentum, stopping himself just before he fell off the ship. He quickly pulled them out and jumped to the side to avoid being impaled by a giant spear that has been Requipped by Hades. Soon more spears found their way in his direction and the Dragon Slayer dodged all of them but the last one, which he caught and threw back at its owner, who merely deflected it with a spell. Natsu then kicked the ground and dashed forward, his right fist landing right on Hades' raised left forearm. The elder then smacked the fist aside and attacked with a right palm strike that was avoided by Natsu's headslip to the right. He tried to counter with a left compact hook aimed at Hades' liver, but it was caught by the elder's left hand just before his ribs. Hades then gripped the fist tight and struck Natsu with his left elbow right under the chin and then followed by a powerful wide right hook.

Natsu's head was blown aside, blood splattering on the floor from his cut lip. Hades, however, was not happy with the strike, for just before being struck with full force, the Dragon Slayer slipped his face on the fist and nullified plenty of damage. This allowed him to keep his senses and quickly counter.

Natsu slid his chin upwards alongside Hades' still extended arm and landed a powerful right punch to the gut, one that despite being blocked with a forearm still threw the elder up in the air. Natsu then jumped to obtain higher ground and threw a kick that was blocked with the Master's left forearm. Not giving up, Natsu flexed his leg and pushed as hard as he could, successfully pushing Hades back. Turning his feet into thrusters, Natsu followed after Hades and tried to hit him with a right straight, only for Hades to step aside just in time. What he did not avoid in time, however, was a kick Natsu threw at his head at the last moment while passing him by, his left heel catching his right temple and knocking him off his feet once again.

Having landed, Hades frowned in anger. This had been dragging out for far too long. As soon as Natsu's feet touched the ground, Hades raised his left hand and aimed it at his legs, a giant magic circle forming beneath Natsu- The Dragon Slayer growled upon feeling his legs being restrained and replied by forcing his way through, with the circle gaining more and more cracks with each second. Surprised and genuinely impressed, Hades motioned with the fingers of his raised left hand and casted another spell, one that appeared in a form of a blue snake that started to wrap itself around Natsu.

Having noticed soon enough that this was also not enough, Hades casted aside his pride and used his right hand as well, using three more binding spells. Natsu's struggling body was surrounded by pieces of debris of the ship, thick, purple ice, and a magic circle that poured gravity onto him from above. All of those five spells have successfully robbed the rampaging Slayer off his speed and ability to move, which pleased Hades dearly. With Natsu being already swallowed by a giant ball of debris and with 3 other spells binding him underneath, he stopped using gravity on him and instead started to make signs to merge the remaining binds and turn them into a bomb, one that would not leave a trace of Natsu's existence.

Sensing trouble, Erza and Gray quickly started to get up, unwilling to let Hades go through with his plans. Their intentions, however, were quickly proven to be in vain.

Without any warning what so ever Natsu broke from his binds, the debris and remains of the spells blasting in all directions, the debris cutting through objects and walls like through butter. His magic power increased so much that even Hades' body has started to feel heavy and freshly recovered Erza and Gray were once again pinned to the ground.

In a deafening roar, Natsu straightened his figure and raised his head, howling into the night sky like a beast, his aura of flames growing in size, now three times as large as its original state. Lightning has started to surround it, with both elements merging, yellow and red cloak towering into the sky like a beacon.

The ship has started to catch on fire just from Natsu's magic power alone, its heat unbearable to endure. Gray helped his friends remain conscious only thanks to the iceberg he created at the last second, which he was now trying to sustain best to his ability.

Erza watched Natsu through her squinted eyes, worried beyond belief. She knew very well that his body was being torn apart at this very moment, she could hear it in his voice. His roar expressed all of the stress, anger, confusion, and frustration he held deep in his heart up until now, but it was also fueled by pain. What little recovery he had made in the past month, he has now thrown away.

Hades' eye widened in pure shock. In all his years, he's never seen anything like this. He didn't, however, let it get to his head - he was far too experienced for that. "Dragon Force combined with two elements at once? No matter how thick your skin is, your body is beyond its limits. I doubt you can even move in this state. You will soon collapse, broken by your own magic." he deduced and raised his right hand, his own magic as well.

Almost as if a trigger, Hades' voice received a reaction from Natsu. The Dragon Slayer pierced him with his glare, only to then open his mouth and start sucking his own aura in, his chest puffing itself up along with his cheeks.

A fraction of a second. That's how long it took everyone on the ship to realise what was about to happen. Hades quickly dispelled the offensive spell he was building up and raised his hands to defend himself. Gray quickly punched his palm and started to create the biggest shield that has ever come out of his hands. Laxus grabbed Erza by the back of the head and pushed it into the floor, at the same time using what remaining magic he had to protect himself and her, while turning back around to yell to the others.

"GET DOWN!"

LIGHTNING FLAME DRAGON'S ROAR!

Natsu released all of the magic that was stored in his body, as a gigantic torrent of flames and lightning three times the size of the one he unleashed in Tower of Heaven came out of his mouth, swallowing Hades along with the half of the ship that was behind him. The wind pressure knocked Fairy Tail off the ship, with those conscious barely holding onto the wreck with one hand, with those unconscious in the other.

The remaining half of the ship has started to melt and deform itself, steel parts becoming yellowish-red in color, their state changing from solid to liquid.

The roar has cut through the island like a laser, forcing everyone to view it. Those left by the camp could simply stare in awe, their jaws long wide open, their eyes glued to it, none of them able to look away. Gildarts, who was still resting from his battle, looked up and simply smirked under his nose at the sight. He felt proud.

Natsu continued to pump his magic into the roar for a while longer before being completely drained of magic. He snapped his mouth shut, his teeth making a sound similar to a steel trap going off. His flames have begun to extinguish and soon the gravity and temperature in the area went back to normal.

Laxus grunted under his nose and threw Gajeel onto the ship, pulling himself up a second later. The rest has also successfully made it back and only now could they finally see the aftermath.

The ship was unrecognizable. The parts that have been touched by the Roar have been completely vaporized from existence. What was not made out of something other than metal was scorched and blackened. Metal parts were bent and molten, some of them still dripping onto the floor, each drop followed by violent sizzling. The floor was so uneven and broken, that there was literally no safe space to stand on. You risked falling through at every step. Gray looked around and frowned. He never believed in it, nor did he ever give it a though, but if he were to guess, he'd say this is what Hell looked like. Lucy, who woke up just a moment ago, has also observed the ruins, scared.

Natsu stood still in his spot, panting heavily. His body was slowly going back to normal, his nails retracting and scales falling off to the ground. His eyes were barely open, his figure wobbly and barely able to sustain itself in its place. Hades was sprawled on the floor before him, his limbs thrown to the sides like a doll whose strings were cut. He was missing majority of his clothing, his pants being the only piece that was spared. His entire body was dosed with burns and missed skin in some places, his mouth wide open, his eyes rid of pupils. He was still alive, but it looked like this was the end. They have won.

Suddenly, Natsu's eyes lost their focus and he started to lean backwards, his body about to fall down. Just before this could happen, he was caught by Erza, who quickly ran up to him and wrapped her left hand around his nakle. She hissed in pain as she did so - she'd just realised her arm was badly hurt from Hades' attacks.

Struggling to pull him up, the knight felt someone put their hand on hers. To her surprise it was Gray, who was kneeling right beside her, a small smirk glued to his face. "You don't have to do it by yourself, you know. He's our teammate, too." he told her, with Lucy, who grabbed Natsu's other leg nodding from behind him.

Erza smiled and nodded and the three of them pulled Natsu back up. He opened his eyes and looked at them, before smiling weakly. "Thanks. I'm completely spent, can't even move."

Gray grinned and gently punched him in the leg. "Learn to warn us before you use that much magic. One day you will kill us." he said jokingly.

Natsu snorted quietly and immediately hissed from pain.

"It's a good thing we didn't fly away in the middle of battle." pointed out Lucy. "Do you think Lily and Carla disabled the controls?"

"Even if they didn't I doubt this thing will ever go anywhere again." said Laxus and looked around. The ship was nothing more than a wreck right now.

"The Tree is back to normal." gasped Wendy, who had just woken up. "How?"

Gray looked at the tree and grinned. "I think I might have an idea."

Everyone looked at him curious, but before anyone could ask any questions, Erza stood up. "We should go back to the camp and let everyone know what happened. We also must inform the Council of our current aituation and-"

"How utterly terrifying."

Erza's voice was killed in her throat, cold sweat covering her forehead in an instand. Her eyes widened in pure terror, just like everyone else's, as they were all robbed of the ability to breathe. Gravity increased once again and all of the colors turned dark. Erza slowly turned her neck to the right, which came with great difficulty. Before she was forced to drop to her knees she registered Hades raising himself up to a sitting position.

"For the first time in my life...I felt fear. I did not expect to get out of this alive." confessed quietly the elder and stood up, how body starting to release steam. The steam was coming out of his wounds, which were now slowly but surely closing themselves, his burns fading away and his cuts closing themselves. "You managed to break through my strongest defense spells. A truly formidable feat." chuckled Hades in an elderly manner.

"Impossible..." choked out Lucy in despair. "Was it not enough?!" She broke down.

"Is there a spell this bastard doesn't know?!" growled Laxus.

Erza clenched her teeth in fear and frustration. It was over. No one had enough strength to stand up, let alone fight.

"I do not feel hatred nor anger towards you, Dragon Slayer." stated Hades and cracked his neck, a short sigh of relief escaping his lips. "If anything, it is gratitude. I never expected to learn something new at this old age of mine. I feel more complete as both a person and a mage than ever before."

Natsu scowled and tried to raise himself up- All of his muscles cried out in pain and fatigue, his chest was throbbing and burning, almost as if someone put a melting rock inside his body. Still, he punched the floor and got himself to a sitting position, his eyes glued to Hades'.

The elder Requipped into a new set of clothes, a black cloak dosing his shoulders over a grey buttonless jacket. "Now that you have showed me what Makarov made of the guild and taught me this valuable lesson...I shall send you to the depths of darkness by using my full strength upon you." he said and grabbed his eyepatch. "Devil's Eye - activate!"

As soon as he took it off, Wendy turned to the side and vomited, with Lucy following her few seconds later. Hades' magic was so overwhelming that Fairy Tail was now struggling to breathe, none of them able to defend against it.

"His magic can rise even higher?!" wondered Gray.

"In order to reach the very center of magic, one must throw themselves into the depths of darkness." said Hades. "At the bottom of those depths one shall find the source of magic - the One Magic."

Lucy's eyes narrowed. One Magic...she heard this term before. But where?

"Although I am the closest human being to ever reach this depth, I am also still very far away. Even if I lived for a dozen of lifetimes I would never be able to reach it. That is why Grand Magic World must happen! Only this world, Zeref's world, can dig it out and let me attain it!" monologued Hades and spread his arms. "You, who have followed Makarov's teachings for years are not yet ready to step into this ultimate world. You shall perish tonight, and upon your ashes a new world will be born. You have my gratitude for entertaining and educating me, Fairy Tail. It is time to close your eyes now."

Nobody moved. Their thoughts were racing like crazy. They were terrified. Not that anyone could blame them. Somewhere deep in their hearts they all felt that this could be their last battle. Their last stop before lights go out. They knew it all too well. Still, none of them was ready to accept it. Not like this.

Erza tried to get up but her legs were trembling far too much. That was the case for everyone else - even Laxus tried to use the pain of his leg to break through this thick wall of fear. To no avail.

The only person who managed to do anything was Natsu. He managed to get up on his feet, his legs pathetically bent at weird angles, his knees trembling. But he had managed to do something nobody could - he stood up. He lifted his head to face Hades and to the elder's surprise, his onyx eyes have yet to go out. They were still alive.

"You still choose to struggle?" asked him Hades. "Are you not afraid?"

Natsu grinned weakly. "No, I'm shitting myself over here. Trust me, everything in my head is yelling at me for even trying to stand up."

"Then why do you choose to suffer even further?"

Natsu gently clenched his fist. "Because I've been letting fear control me for years. Letting it get to my head, make me do things that would later haunt me for a long time. Even if the odds are stacked against me, I want to win over fear this one time in my life. If I am to die, then I'd rather die on my own terms. I refuse to let fear control me again. I'd rather be proud of myself for those few minutes I have left than die as I lived. Like a caged animal. I'm sick of it."

Wendy's eyes opened. She knew exactly what Natsu was talking about, she was told by him after their trial. Now that she thought about it...she's been standing up to her fears ever since she remembered. The outcomes varied, but she always managed to pull through and win the battle inside her head. This was just another test she had to pull through.

Erza, Gray, and Lucy started to get back on their feet as well, their faces changing greatly. Their trembling was still there, but they were its masters. They had it under control.

Laxus smirked under his nose and forced himself back to his feet as well. As long as he had one leg to stand on, he'd do it.

Although this was not his intention, Natsu's words sparked fire in Fairy Tail's hearts. They sure as hell did not expect to defeat Hades, not at all. But they all agreed on one thing - if they were to die, they would rather face it with what little courage they had. They would stay true to their guild's resolve that has been passed on for generations.

Hades kept his eyes on each and every single one of them for a moment. So, they still chose to struggle. Even in death they still stayed true to fairy tales told them by Makarov? This was just sad. Still, he could not help but let this tiny flame of respect light up his long cold heart.

"Very well." he said and raised his hands. Rubble has started to rise and join together into weirdly shaped masses. "I shall grant your wish. Sleep now, Fairy-"

All of a sudden, Hades' face twisted in a painful grimace. His eyes widened drastically as he staggered in his place. He quickly raised his hand to his right eye and touched it, magic oozing out of his body at rapid rate. Could this be...No, that's impossible! They couldn't have!

Carla stirred and slowly opened her eyes, only yo quickly hiss in pain and grab her head. Her vision was blurry and she felt sick. It took her a few moments to remember what happened to her.

She was currently lying down on the ground, surrounded by rubble. While Pantherlily was busy fighting off the enemies, she did everything in her power to disable everything she could, hoping that one of those buttons controlled the ship. Her plans were interrupted by violent shaking that caused destruction to the room. The control and consoles were in pieces, crushed by debris and metal bars. The floor was littered with unconscious mages, some of them defeated by Lily, others by the shaking and rubble.

Carla groaned and slowly lifted herself off the floor. She had to find Lily. She didn't have to search for long, though.

"Hey. You finally awake?"

She looked up and her eyes widened at the sight. Pantherlily was currently above her, a grin glued to his face. He was seriously injured, multiple wounds covering his body. Not surprising considering how many enemies he had to fight off. But the shocking part was his sword, which was currently stuck right in the middle of a giant beating heart, blood oozing out of the pierced spot.

Grimoire Heart members started to drop their weapons to the ground one by one in shock. Some of them have already left the room and started to run away. Carla blinked slowly and finally managed to speak. "What...what have you..."

"There was too many of them and you were out of it, so I bet everything on my last card and stabbed this thing." explained the male Exceed and gripped his sword tight. "Figured this might be the power source. Whatever it is, as soon as I stabbed it they lost their will to fight. I say our job here is done."

With that said he pulled the blade out, blood pouring out of the now rapidly beating heart, its sounds terrifying. Lily jumped down next to Carla and quit his battle form, his new blade reducing in size to match his new look. He grabbed her paw and pulled her towards the exit. "Let's go. Others might need our help."

With that said the Exceeds have left the room, leaving broken and terrified Grimoire soldiers to themselves.

Hades buckled over in pain, pained grunts escaping his mouth. My heart!

Fairy Tail watched him in confusion, not really sure what was going on.

"Is he...in pain? Did we do something?" asked Lucy.

Erza shook her head gently. "I doubt that was us. If anything it was..."

"Carla!" beamed Wendy. "They did it!"

Hades snapped his head upwards and pierced them with his glare, once again stopping them in their tracks with fear. "The secret to my immense magic and longevity may have been destroyed...but I am still perfectly capable of disposing of all of you." he whispered menacingly and aimed his right hand at them. "Your end will not avoid you , Fairy Tail."

"Oh, it will."

Hades' right arm was swallowed by a ball of green energy, which knocked it away from the group and severely damaged it. Hades stared at his hand in shock for a moment, before lifting his eyes up, only to be shocked even more.

Erza's eyes were wide as well, as she stared blindly into the horizon. This warmth, this magic...This voice. It couldn't be...

As the knight turned around she felt all of her fears and despair dropping from her chest like a massive boulder. She allowed her knees to buckle under her weight and dropped to the ground, Lucy and Gray doing the same. It was all right. They were safe.

Hades' eyes narrowed as he clenched his injured hand. "So, with the Tree's return you have come back from the grave as well...Makarov."

Makarov Dreyar stood proudly behind his children, his coat hanging on his naked, bandaged torso. His eyes were determined and piercing, but still retained their usual kindness.

"You must have expected this." said Makarov. "I've always been a sore loser. Never knew my boundaries and when to give up. Despite that you have not finished me off and instead left me to die on my own. Looks like you have become arrogant, Master."

Makarov started to walk towards Hades. Laxus met his grandfather's eyes and nodded with a gentle smile, receiving a nod in return shortly after. Lucy and Wendy looked at one another and smiled in happiness, with Erza smirking behind them as well. Gray had a shit eating grin glued to his face and tapped unconscious Gajeel on the back, as if letting him know that it was going to be all right now.

Makarov went past everyone and met Natsu, who was still standing in the front. The tiny Master stopped for a second and put his hand on the Dragon Slayer's back. "You have done well, my children. I am sorry for making you carry this burden in my stead." he said and resumed on his way. "Rest now. I shall finish what I started."

Hades straightened himself proudly and exhaled through his nose. "So, this is what it has come to. You stand before me once again, boy. I suppose I am in no room to complain about my current condition, for your heart ceased to work last time we battled. I guess that puts us even."

Makarov scoffed. "It has always been meant to be. We may have tried to settle our score at the very beginning, but in the end we still meet once again, our feet submerged in the blood spilled by our children. We both have failed as parents."

"Do not put me on the same page as you, Makarov." warned Hades. "Ever since they were branded with my mark I have been training them to not depend on emotions, I have been telling them they will be left behind if unable to keep up. We may be standing in their blood, but the only one feeling guilt over it is you."

Makarov's eyes narrowed. "Have you always thought of them as stones ready for you to jump on if it came to that? Were they just pawns?"

"Unlike you, I have long prepared myself for the possibility of their failure." replied Hades. "I do not expect someone with your ideology to understand, but they were never disposable resources. They were soldiers I have raised to help me acquire my goal. I was long prepared to part ways with them at one point. Stop trying to patronize me, Makarov."

Makarov frowned sadly straightened his back. "Why have you fallen into darkness?" he asked quietly.

"Magic itself is darkness. In order to understand it, one must throw themselves into its depths. After I left the guild I traveled for a long time. I wanted to discover the base, the foundations on which this world has been built. And I did. It lies deep withing darkness, deep within Zeref's world. So I jumped into it and collected all the keys necessary to awaken Zeref. I was close...so close to getting there! One Magic!"

"Even if you did indeed get there, nothing would have changed." stated Makarov, much to Hades' surprise. "If magic is darkness, then so be it. I cannot change that. If it's light, I will accept it as well. It can be yellow, red, black, blue, darkness, light, even an item - but it's alive. Magic changes with its times, its use varies from era it is used in. It adapts alongside humanity, it adapts to an individual's wishes. Even if you did in fact attain your goal, it would be just another change in its nature. One that cost many lives, one that was forcefully changed. It's just one of the endless possible changes. You are the one who taught me that, old friend."

"I have long abandoned these opinions." stated Hades. "You are basing your beliefs on an outdated way of thinking. I do not think I will be able to make you see the truth. Talking is pointless."

With that said, he raised his arms and held them in front of his chest. Makarov closed his eyes slowly and did the same. Magic power of both mages started to raise, although Hades' was no longer as high as it used to. He was heavily weakened. Light started to emerge from their hands, dark purple in Hades' and green in Makarov's.

"Do you truly possess the will to go through with this spell, Makarov?" taunted Hades. "Does your heart truly see me as an enemy?"

"My heart is no longer conflicted." replied Makarov. "I have finally realised what needs to be done. This spell may be aimed at your flesh, but it is not intended to who you were, but who you are now. I have finally managed to realise that."

Hades released an impressed and somewhat proud noise. "Let us see, then. Let us see whose resolve is stronger!"

Both elders counted down from three and clapped their hands at the same time. Green and purple lights collided, blinding everyone present at the scene.

GRIMOIRE LAW!

FAIRY LAW!

Immense warmth swallowed Erza and the others, blinding them in the process. Magic filled the air, making it hard to breathe. After what felt like years, the light has finally subdued. Dust was raised high in the air and upon settling down, Erza felt her eyes widen.

Both elders were still standing in their positions, their hands still joined before their chests. They were both quiet and immobile. After a short while Hades started to stir, only to drop to his knees a second later. His hands slowly dropped to his sides, his body tilting itself to his left. Grimoire Heart's Master fell to the ground onto his left side, his wide, shocked eyes glued to Makarov, who released a loud sigh and relaxed his hands. He did not fall. He remained on his feet. He was victorious.

The tiny mage stared his fallen predecessor down with sad eyes and as the first beams of sun peeked through the dark, night clouds, he spoke out.

"It appears that, without even realising it...your heart was not as prepared as you thought it to be." he said quietly. "My resolve was stronger...Master."

Lucy hugged Wendy so hard the girl thought she was going to pass out. Gray and Laxus smirked and fistbumped each other. Erza smiled dearly and walked up to Natsu, who has finally allowed himself to drop to his knees. She knelt down beside him and put her hand on his shoulder. He looked her in the eye and noticed her soft smile and eyes. They soothed him. Realising that it was finally over and he could let it go, he smiled and soon passed out, his head falling on her chest. She didn't mind. Even if she wanted to throw him off, she lacked strength to do so. Instead she gently put her hand on the back of his head and caressed his hair.

"Master!"

The short moment of peace was interrupted by Freed and Bickslow, followed by Levy and Cana. Having noticed Makarov sneaked out of the camp they rushed into the wilds to look for him.

"There you are!" wheezed out Cana and put her hands on her knees to catch her breath. "We've been looking for you everywhere!

Makarov scratched the back of his head and grinned. "Sorry! That was careless of me!"

Freed sighed in relief and noticed the vanguard. "What the...You are all seriously injured! Laxus, your leg! And Gajeel...is he still alive?!"

Upon hearing his name, Levy cut through the wreck and ran up to the Dragon Slayer, who was still unconscious. "Gajeel! What happened to him?!"

Lucy pushed Gray away from the man and started to calmly explain what happened, with Wendy backing her up. The Maker shook his head and walked away. He walked up to Natsu and Erza and squatted before them. "Need a hand?" he asked and extended his hand in the redhead's direction.

Erza blinked and smiled, gently nodding. She let him grab Natsu's other side and get him on his feet.

"How much do you want to bet he will sleep for at least a week?" he asked her.

Erza laughed gently. "Nothing. Why would I agree to a bet I am bound to lose from the very beginning?"

Gray laughed and the two of them gently carried Natsu to the rest of the group.

Makarov watched his children talk and laugh, their nightmare over. Just 15 minutes ago they were all full of despair and fear, but now it was all gone. Just like that.

"Finish me."

Makarov's eyes narrowed as he gently turned to face Hades, who was now on his back, staring at the sky. "Finish me, Makarov."

"You of all people should know I will not do that." said Makarov. "I am granting you an escape from this island. Gather your people and leave. Do not stand on our path ever again."

Hades laughed weakly. "You are repeating the very same mistake that brought my downfall. If you let me go, I will come back. I will destroy your guild."

"No, you will not." cut him off the Master. "Even if you come back after I am long gone, you will be stopped. Even if I have long stopped going forward, my kids will not. One day they will become powerful, as well as kind enough to stop you in my stead. Their wings have yet to fully spread. As long as they are around, Fairy Tail will always prevail. Even if you destroy our guild, kill our members...as long as the guild's ideology lives on, there will always be someone to stop you. This is yet another lesson I was taught by you."

With that said, Makarov walked away. Hades simply stared into the sky, before closing his eyes. He could not stop the gentle smirk that formed on his lips.

Looks like he still had more room for growth as well.

December 30th X784, Tenrou Island

With the battle over and the enemy successfully driven away from the island, Fairy Tail could fully focus on treating their wounded and fixing their remaining issues. Makarov managed to get his hands on a lacrima brought by Mest and let the Council know what he thought of them and their idea of nuking the island. With the threat of Grimoire Heart resolved and Zeref disappearing from the island, the Council backed down from their decision.

As promised, Makarov allowed Grimoire Heart to peacefully leave the island and collect their dead. Although Azuma's body could not be moved from its place after turning into a tree, Kain Hikaru, who died from the wounds he received from Natsu, was taken away by Grimoire's troops under the command of Rustyrose. Zancrow took care of Kawazu, Yomazu, and Rica's bodies, much to his annoyance.

Meredy and Ultear met up with Gray, who made them a boat and told them to leave the island in it.

"I know it's scorching outside, but I think with your magic you can keep it in one piece." he told them as he tapped his work. "It should last you until the shore."

Ultear nodded gently, her face puzzled. Meredy stood several meters away from her, as she hugged herself, unsure of what to do. Noticing this, Gray sighed and walked up to his Master's daughter. "I don't know what the deal between the two of you is, but you should talk to her. Get emotional if you have to. Don't leave things the way they are, alright?"

Ultear nodded gently and extended her hand to him. "This is farewell, Gray. Thank you. For everything." she smiled.

He smiled as well and took her hand. "The others would like to meet you, so come by one day if you can. I've told them you restored the tree, so they won't attack you on sight." he grinned.

Ultear bit her lip. She still did not feel well with being...thanked. With people showing her gratitude. "I will." she said and got in the boat. "Come, Meredy. There's...something I have to tell you."

The girl nodded in silence and passed Gray by. As she did, she stopped by for a second. "I'm sorry." she said quietly and got in the boat.

Not entirely sure what she felt sorry for, Gray simply shrugged and watched the two of them push away from the shore. He waved gently and watched them until they became a small dot in the horizon, before stretching his arms and sighing in relief. "Well, better go see the others."

Erza, Lucy, Wendy and Laxus were among those, whose injuries were not severe. Although they had bruises and in Laxus' case stab wounds, their life was not in danger. They all settled in with some ice and bandages, as well as stitches.

Gajeel and Natsu, on the other hand, were a different matter. Although Wendy had managed to successfully put Gajeel back together and apply certain oils to help him regrow his missing skin, Natsu was a much different case. His outside wounds were not that serious, but his inside was a completely different matter.

In order to increase his chances of recovery, Erza told Wendy everything she knew about his injured magic container. Neither of them knew what the current damage was, but his pained groans and stirring spoke for themselves.

"I don't think there is anything else I can do for him." Wendy sadly shook her head. She tried to use her magic in the place of where his container was placed, but she did not know whether it even worked. "We'll have to get help once we get back home. I cannot deal with this on my own."

Erza put her hand on her head reassuringly. "You did great, no one blames you for this. Thank you." she said with a smile. She then looked over at Natsu and smiled at him. She put her hand on his chest gently, almost as if to assure him she was there. "Thank you." she whispered to him.

"Oh, there you guys are."

Erza snapped her hand back upon hearing Gildarts' voice, who has just entered the tent. He laughed at her shyness and waved apologetically. "Sorry for interrupting. I was looking for you guys."

Erza calmed down and moved over to make a seat for him. "It's good to see you back. Even if you're not in one piece." she added after examining his injuries.

"Don't worry about it." he waved his healthy hand.

"You said you were looking for us?"

"Oh, yeah. I just wanted to see you guys and say something." he snapped his fingers. He then put his hand on Erza's head and smiled. "Well done. All of you."

Erza blinked in surprise, but it soon gave in to a smile. He always used to pet them on the head and praised them if they made him proud. Looks like even with all of them being adults he still kept this habit. Although she'd never admit it, it felt good to feel like a kid again, even if only for a minute.

"Thank you." she smiled. "Although if it hadn't been for Master..."

"I know, I've heard." he interrupted her. "But you still stood up to that monster and gave it your all. I'm proud of you all."

The redhead blushed a little and looked away, much to the man's amusement.

Mirajane, who was finally awake, was now sitting in her bed, scowl glued to her face. She kept staring at her hands and ignored everyone who tried to talk to her. Lisanna gently sat down next to her and shyly shifted a bowl of soup in her direction. "Here, Mira. You have to-"

The bowl was knocked out of her hands by Mirajane, who simply grabbed the girl and pulled her in for a hug. She held the back of her head with her left hand, and with her right she grabbed sleeping Elfman by the shoulder. "I can't go on like this anymore. At this rate, I will lose you..." she whispered into her younger sister's ear.

Lisanna was shocked. Her eyes teared up and she raised her arms to hug her sister back. "Let's get stronger. Let's all get stronger, together." she said. Mira sniffed and nodded. Things would change upon their return home

Lucy took a deep breath and pulled the key out, cutting the air with it a second later. Soon its spirit materialised, Capricorn's sunglasses glowing in the sun.

"My Lady." he bowed. "How may I serve you?"

Lucy got flustered and waved her hands in front of her chest. "No, you don't need to be so formal! Just Lucy is fine!"

The spirit straightened his back and shook his head. "It is only natural I refer to the heir of Heartfillia family as it is expected. I have been in your family's care for generations."

Lucy sighed in defeat. "Okay, then." she then beamed up. "I summoned you to apologize for not summoning you sooner. I didn't really have a chance to do it."

Capricorn smiled and shook his head. "There is no need. Patience runs in my blood. As long as my key is in the right hands, I can wait as long as it takes."

"Thank you." smiled the blonde. "I would like to form the contract now, if that's okay with you."

"There will be no need for that." stated the spirit, much to Lucy's confusion. "The contract has been made the moment my key fell into your hands. I have been yours to command ever since my battle with Leo." he then bowed once again. "My life is in your hands, Miss Lucy."

Lucy blushed and scratched her cheek, but smiled nonetheless. "Thank you, Capricorn."

With the corner of her eye, Lucy spotted a familiar head of brown hair. She excused Capricorn for a moment and ran up to Cana, who was awkwardly walking around the camp. "Cana!"'

The brunette snapped out and looked at Lucy, who ran up to her and snatched her hand. "What is it?"

Lucy grinned. "You've got business to attend to, remember?"

It took her a second, but Cana's eyes widened in shock. "No way! I can't do it! You won't make me do it!"

Lucy's grin turned into a demonic smirk. "Capricorn!" she called.

The spirit ran up to her and bowed. "You called, my lady?"

"There's something I need your help with. Could you help me escort Cana somewhere?"

"As you wish."

Cana could only scream and try to force her way out of being dragged by the arms against her will, with Lucy and Capricorn pulling her towards the forest.

Gildarts was sitting on the ground, his annoyed eyes glued to his injured hand. Although she almost fainted at the sight, Wendy managed to put his fingers back together and secured them in place with pieces of wood, which were now hidden under a giant cocoon of bandages.

"This was my drinking hand." he sighed sadly under his nose.

Laxus, who was eating his soup next to him arched an eyebrow from above his bowl and swallowed. "Is your prosthetic so bad you can't even hold a mug?"

Gildarts laughed loudly. "No, I've never tried using it that way." he said with a smile. "But I know it can do this."

Laxus barely avoided a punch thrown at his head, his soup spilling onto his lap. "Watch it old man!" he growled.

"Wanna go, punk?" taunted Gildarts. "Hold on, let me find you a wheelchair."

"You son of a-"

"Gildarts!"

Just before they could start their brawl they were interrupted by Lucy, with Cana standing by her side. The brunette looked nervous, uncomfortable even.

"On second thought, nevermind." she said and pulled Lucy by the sleeve. "I can't do it, Lucy!"

"You can't chicken out now!" hissed Lucy and pulled her back.

"I'm not! You forced me to do it! I'm not ready!"

"You are, you just have to do it!"

As the two were whispering, Laxus scoffed and grabbed his crutches. "This is stupid. I'm out."

"Watch for stones, we don't want you to trip now, do we?" called after him Gildarts and threw a rock under his feet which was kicked away by the irritated Dragon Slayer. The Crush mage laughed and patiently waited for the girls to come to terms with their business.

Fed up with her friend, Lucy pushed Cana forward and ran away, leaving the two of them alone. Cana's face was pale.

"Well, go on. What is it you want with me?" asked her the man with a smile.

Cana gulped loudly and took a deep breath. Lucy was right, she had nothing to fear.

"When I joined the guild all these years ago..." she started shyly. "I did it to find someone. To find my...dad."

"Oh yeah, Master did mention that." nodded slowly Gildarts. "Did you find him?"

Cana paled even more. Cold sweat ran down her face. After a while, she nodded.

"That's great! Who's the lucky fellow?" he asked curiously.

Cana mouthed something, but it was so quiet he couldn't make what it was.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Cana sucked air through her teeth and closed her eyes. She then opened them and repeated the word.

"You."

Gildarts simply continued to smile at her, her answer sinking in very slowly. He blinked slowly once. Twice. Thrice. "What?"

"My father...is you, Gildarts." she said shyly. "I've wanted to tell you for years, but...an opportunity never came. I wanted to do it after passing the S-Class exam, but I kept failing, so...I kept it in. Until now, that is." she scratched the back of her head and laughed weakly.

Gildarts just stared at her, dumbstruck. He lowered his head and bit his lip gently. "Your mother...what was the name of your mother?"

Cana looked at him for a moment. Of course someone like him would not know which woman he had a kid with. She wouldn't be surprised if sheif she had half-siblings.

"Cornelia." she said quietly.

As soon as the name escaped her lips, Gildarts shot up and threw himself at her in a powerful hug. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed her against his chest, his nose buried in the top of her head. "Of course it was her. Those eyes...I could never forget them." he mumbled into her hair and caressed the back of her head.

Cana was shocked. She never expected such a reaction.

"Cornelia was my one and only wife. I loved her more than the world itself, but I have also neglected her. I was too busy with work and so she left me. I never held it against her. To think she left with a child in her belly..." he mumbled and hugged her even tighter.

Cana felt weight dropping off her chest at rapid speed. She smiled against his chest and hugged him back. "You're taking this much better than I thought you would." she joked.

He laughed. "Well, not always do you find out you have a badass for a daughter."

Cana sighed in embarrassment and tried to push him away, but he didn't let her. His laughter died out and he clutched her even stronger. "I'm sorry you were alone for so long. I should have asked you about it sooner. I always thought you looked familiar...but I simply shrugged it off. No more. I'm not asking you to live with me, or spend every moment of your day by my side. Just...grant me the right to love you and try to make up for all those years. That is all I ask for."

Cana smiled and felt her eyes tear up. "Permission granted. I do have to warn you - my expectations are quite high...dad."

Gildarts smiled proudly and sighed through his nose. He felt like a piece of him he didn't even know was lost has returned.

Lucy, who was listening to their talk from behind the trees sniffed and wiped her nose, a happy smile glued to her face. Unbeknownst to her, the scene was seen by one more person. A young girl with long pale blond hair.

Grimoire Heart's Escape Ship

Hades stared at his bandaged hand and frowned. He was currently sitting in the throne room of the ship, which was put back together by Rustyrose and his magic. Zancrow and Rustyrose sat together with him, their injuries also patched up. Their mood was sour to say the least.

"I can't believe I lost to that Dragon Hunter." hissed Zancrow through his teeth. "Losing to Fairy Tail of all people...What an embarrassment."

"Be quiet, Zancrow." warned him Rustyrose. "Master Hades is in a very foul mood. Unless you want to be killed, do not speak."

The God Slayer clicked his tongue but went quiet. Rusty sighed and clutched his face with his hand. "We were so close! So close to the Grand Magic World! Zeref was right in front of us!"

Hades said nothing. His head was too busy to pay attention to his underlings.

"It is because of people like you that I have turned out like this."

The Kin snapped to their feet in an instant, as a strange voice spoke out from the shadows. Hades slowly looked up, not surprised at all.

"It is your evil thoughts and intents that have summoned Acnologia upon this land."

As soon as the voice's owner stepped out of the shadows, Zancrow and Rusty dropped to their knees in shock and horror. Hades felt his eyes widen in shock, as he slowly stood up from his seat.

The voice belonged to none other than Zeref, who was slowly strolling towards them, his step carefree and relaxed.

"Zeref!" exclaimed the elder. "The Black Wizard himself! But...how...why are you on my ship?!"

Zeref arched an eyebrow. "To leave this island, obviously. I have spent years in solitude on that island, but it appears that I am once again forced to interact with humans." he explained, putting a lot of pressure on the second half of the sentence.

Hades' hands were shaking. "The Black Wizard...right in front of my eyes..." he then smiled like a madman and turned to his underlings. "Quick, the keys! Bring me the keys!"

Zancrow could only raise his head a little. "We...can't move." he grunted, with Rustyrose nodding weakly beside him.

"There will be no need for keys of any sort." stated Zeref loudly. "I am awake. I have never been asleep."

Hades' face dropped. "What?"

"Tell me something." began Zeref. "I am by all means in no place to judge you, but many people lost their lives in your pursuit of the keys, am I right? People paid the ultimate price just so you could get your hands on those. It really makes me sad...and angry. Those keys have always been a myth, a legend created and spread by third-rate Zeref worshippers, who never gave a second thought to do some proper research on the person they devoted their lives to."

Hades punched his throne, its armrest falling off. "No! I did my research! The keys are necessary to awaken your true magic! Your true form! What you are right now is just-"

"I really hate repeating myself." Zeref's voice echoed dangerously, wind suddenly appearing inside the closed ship. Gravity in the room increased for just a brief moment, but it was just enough to knock Zancrow and Rusty unconscious and force Hades to sit back down in his chair, terrified. It took only one glimpse at Zeref's magic, but it was enough for the elder to feel like a defenseless child.

"The keys are an old fable. They were never real to begin with. I have been awake all this time. The person standing before you is the real Black Wizard Zeref." said the man once again.

Hades was lost for words. "But...how is this possible? I saw you being tricked and defeated by my underling! Someone of your caliber would never have fallen for such a childish trick!"

"The person who was bested by that woman was not the person who is standing before you at this very moment." explained Zeref. "Back then that truly was my real power. But, as you can tell, that is no longer the case."

The ship began to creak, cracks appearing in the walls and floor. Zeref's magic was enormous, but stable. It created an illusion of filling the room like a balloon, putting constant pressure, but keeping it on a non-aggressive level.

"Despite your age you look no older than my youngest underling..." whispered Hades. "How?"

Zeref smiled sadly. "Would you like to learn the secret of my immortality, you poor fool?"

Having received a nod, Zeref told him the story. "Over 400 years I have seen countless battles and deaths. They started to become something...daily, for me. Like breathing. But one day, I was shown just how valuable life truly was. That was also the day I became cursed. From that day, the more precious I find human life to be, the more of it I steal. To stop killing people, I must forget the weight that is a human life."

"Are you saying you are constantly battling the weight of human lives?" asked Hades.

Zeref nodded. "That is correct. That is why my magic never works as I want it to. I can never control it. But, if I forget the weight of life...now that is a different matter."

Hades started to choke, his hands mindlessly going towards his throat, as if that would help him breathe properly. Zeref's eyes changed color from black to red, his hair being gently raised by his magic. His face, although stoic and seemingly emotionless, hid a vast ocean of anger underneath. An ocean Hades has just realised he was staring at.

"You are guilty of many crimes, Precht." he said quietly. "You are guilty of taking innocent lives in my name, of making me forget how precious human life is, of calling Acnologia onto this island, but most importantly...for being the reason this era has come to an end."

"Acnologia?! What are you talking about?!" choked out Hades.

"When exactly did I say you are permitted to speak?" Zeref's voice was cold and merciless. It pierced right through Hades' heart. making the elder terrified to the point he was incapable of further speech. "For the things I have mentioned, you shall be punished. I am going to steal from you, Precht. I am going to steal the most valuable thing a human can offer, something you have been stealing ever since you took a step towards darkness. Your life."

Hades extended his hand and tried to speak out one last time, asking Zeref to give him just one more moment to ask just one more question. Before he could open his mouth to speak out, he noticed that all the lights have gone out and he was thrown into darkness. Darkness heavier than anything he had ever seen. Just when the initial shock has worn off and his mind started to realise where it was, his eyes have started to close themselves, one final thought forming in his mind.

Oh. So this is what death feels like...

Zeref closed his eyes and breathed out, as Hades' lifeless corpse fell off the throne. Magic stopped putting pressure on the room, colors returning to their original state. He started to say a small prayer for all of the people who died in pursuit of his keys, but soon stopped after hearing a sound. A sound that never failed to send a chill down his spine.

Zeref turned to the window and frowned gently. "Here he comes." he announced in a whisper.

Gajeel who has woken up quite recently was slowly trying to eat his soup. Every time he moved any part of his body it stung, so he settled in with a closed tent and a straw he slurped the dish through with. He ate it lost in his own thoughts, only to have his ears pick up something. A nostalgic sound that for a second rendered him dumbfound. He shook his head, blaming his imagination, and got back to eating, only to hear it again. This time louder.

Gajeel slowly stood up and frowned, his ears picking the sound more and more with each second. Now pissed, he walked out of his tent and wanted to find other Dragon Slayers to confirm his theory, only to be met with the sight of Wendy and Laxus staring into the skies. Wendy's face expressed hope and a small dose of fear, while Laxus' confusion. In the tent behind them, Natsu was trying to get up after being woken up, much to Erza's dismay, who started to push him down into the bed.

"What the hell?" frowned Laxus and turned to Gajeel. "You hearing that?"

The man nodded. "Yeah. It sounds like..."

"A dragon!" finished Wendy.

Lisanna looked at her funny. "A dragon? Are you sure?"

"It is." wheezed out Natsu from his bed. "But it ain't Igneel. I can tell. This one sounds more-"

"Hostile." finished Laxus.

"That's because it is."

Gildarts ran into the camp, Cana dragged behind him by his hand, much to her annoyance. Makarov has also returned from his walk, a concerned scowl on his face. He had his suspicions. Gildarts' face was white in color, courtesy of pure fear that was filling every fiber of his being. "All of you, run." he commanded them in a quiet voice. His tone filled Fairy Tail with horror - they have never heard him this scared. "Right now. it doesn't matter where or how, split up if you have to. Just run."

"Gildarts." called to him Makarov. "Is that who I think it is?"

The man nodded slowly. Makarov closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose, before roaring on top of his lungs. "All of you, leave the island! No matter what or how, do as I say! Run away from here as far as you can! Don't look back, just-"

Makarov's order was interrupted by a deafening roar that came from behind the clouds above them. Just when everyone looked up in the sky, a dragon as black as death descended upon the island, spiking at it like a meteor. Just before it could smash into it it spread its wings and stopped just above the land, the wind created by its wings knocking everyone to the ground, trees bending as if they were made of rubber.

Its eyes were crimson red, comparable to the color of blood, that although dried out still dosed its claws. The tail resembled a giant sting, with four sharp ends that could easily cut rocks in half. Its scales were pitchblack, its skin whiteish in color, a tone comparable to that of a regular human. Steam came out of its mouth with each taken breath, as it stared Fairy Tail down from above, like a predator eyeing its prey, unsure of what to do with it just yet.

"W...what is this...thing?" choked out Lucy in terror.

"This can't be..." whispered Erza, just as shocked. She was currently helping Natsu stand, his weight on her shoulder. He stared the dragon down with a scowl, the pain he still felt making it look more like a grimace. "I knew dragons were still around." he growled. "But..."

"...This one sure as hell ain't a friendly one." finished the thought Laxus.

"It's the very same dragon I've met on my Quest last month." stated Gildarts and walked up in front of everyone. "I know what it's capable of. All of you leave this island immediately, I'll do something about it. I know how it moves, so-"

"No."

Makarov's voice was stern and loud. He threw his shirt aside and began to increase his size to match that of the dragon, who has just landed on the island, its weight causing it to shake. "You will all run away from here, right now. None of you is allowed to challenge this beast. That is an order. Run. Don't look back. Keep moving forward."

"Like hell we're gonna leave you!" roared Gray with still unconscious Juvia on his back. "We will fight!"

"Those who can still fight, prepare yourselves!" yelled Freed and pulled out his blade. "We shall hit it with everything we've got!"

"Lisanna, go to Elfman." said Mira, her body starting to glow. "I'm gonna blast this piece of-"

"I told you to run!" roared Makarov, his voice loud enough to make the Dragon Slayers grimace in pain. "That is my final order as Master! You shall all run to the ship and get away from here! Are you going to disobey my orders until the very end?!"

Fairy Tail was shocked. Final order? If this was supposed to make them more eager to listen, then he was a fool. If anything it rallied them up even more.

"Like hell we're gonna-"

Gray wanted to argue, but he was stopped by Laxus, who simply grabbed him by the collar and started to drag him towards the ship. "Enough. We're leaving. You heard him, Master's orders. Shut up and obey." he said quietly.

Gray wanted to snap on the man, but he soon felt his eyes widen in shock. Laxus was crying. He wasn't even trying to hide it - soon all could see tears flowing down his face.

Taking his tears as a sign that it truly was their only option, Fairy Tail grit her teeth in frustration and started to run, some of them sobbing. They've decided to leave Makarov by himself.

The elder smiled under his mustache and turned to the dragon, who jumped forward, almost as if trying to get to them. Makarov clenched his fist and punched the dragon right on the jaw, before wrapping his arm under its head and securing it in a choke hold. Acnologia roared and started to push, but Makarov did not move. He flexed his muscles so hard they were crying out in pain and continued to strangle the beast with everything he had.

"Like hell I'm letting you go through!" he growled. "Those are my kids behind me! I don't know what you came here for, but you will not take their lives! As long as I have limbs to move with, you will stay here!"

Acnologia's eyes narrowed. He then reached out to Makarov's right thigh and stabbed it with his claws, all five of them penetrating the elder's skin. Makarov cried out in pain but stayed on his feet, his choke hold still going strong. Suddenly the dragon pushed his claws even deeper and pulled his hand back, successfully tripping Makarov and slicing through his leg like butter. Makarov's leg was now half severed. The elder lost balance, with Acnologia's head slipping out of his grasp. The dragon raised his hand high in the air and jammed it in his left shoulder, successfully pushing him to the ground. Makarov was now being mounted by Acnologia, his mouth just in front of his face.

Although he was screaming in pain, Makarov tried his best to turn it into a laugh. He knew he was one step away from death, but he still couldn't shake this feeling of pride. Pride of himself. That he had finally acted like a true parent. He had no regrets.

Just when Acnologia opened his mouth to bite through Makarov's throat, both giants felt ground shake beneath them. Soon Acnologia found himself being risen above by giant pillars made out of the ground, all of them cut out in a shape of squares. A magic Makarov knew all too well.

"You fool!" he roared, blood spilling out of his mouth. "I told you all you run and leave me be! Why have you come back, Gildarts?!"

Gildarts, who was responsible for the attack, retracted his fist away from the ground and straightened his back with a nervous smirk. "You're not dying today, Master. No one is. I came back because you are not done yet. The guild needs you."

"I can be replaced!"

"That may be, but not yet. Besides, I'm the one who fought this thing. I know how it moves! I can't let you kick the bucket while doing something I started!"

With that said, Gildarts put his hands on the ground once again and made Acnologia fall into a giant pit, one that separated him from Makarov. "We're going home, Master!"

Fairy Tail ran forward as fast as they could, most of them sobbing and turning around. Cana was among them, as she was now greatly worried about her father. He disappeared without saying a thing, most likely because he knew he would be followed or stopped. Old fool.

She stopped running and turned around. This was spotted by Lucy and Gajeel, who also stopped.

"Cana, we must move!" Lucy called to her and pulled her by the arm.

"Don't do anything stupid, ain't no way we can fight that thing!" added Gajeel and grabbed her other arm. They were both shaken off.

"Is this really what we should be doing?" she asked in a low voice.

Spotting the commotion, the others stopped in their tracks as well, with Laxus cutting through the group to make them keep going. Erza, with Natsu sprawled on her back, has also walked up to them.

"Cana, I know how you feel, but we were given an order." reminded her Erza. "Master wouldn't want us to die. That's why he stayed behind, to make sure we can live on. We must honor his pleas and-"

"Since when were we so concerned about what old man says?" cut her sharply Cana. "Since when do we leave people behind? The guild I joined would never leave anyone behind. Even if the only thing we will witness is his dead body, we can't just leave him here!"

Silence fell as soon as she spoke out. They all felt she was right, they wanted to go back there as badly as she did. But they couldn't. Not even because of the orders or respecting Makarov's last wish. It was fear. Fear refused to let them move their feet.

Laxus took a deep breath through his nose and walked up to Cana. "I'll go back with you." he declared.

Everyone looked at him, shocked.

"You can't be serious!" exclaimed Levy. "Even you can't fight this thing!"

"I never said I'd fight it." replied Laxus, annoyed. "I'll make sure Cana's safe and, if needed, we will bail old man and Gildarts out. Our magics are the most useful ones for this."

Some of Fairy Tail have only now realised that the Crush mage was missing.

"If you're going, then so are we." declared Freed.

"We can't just leave you guys alone." added Lisanna. "Cana's right, itäs not in our nature to leave people behind."

"We can be chewed up by gramps later if it comes to that." spoke out Gray. "But I sure as hell am not leaving him. We will follow you regardless of what you say Laxus."

The Dragon Slayer clicked his tongue in irritation and turned around. "Those who can't keep up better stay here. We're going top speed." he said, before turning into lightning and blasting away with everyone else following him in suit.

Although it took them just few minutes to get back, to them it felt like hours. Tremors, Acnologia's roars, rains of magic power that nearly drilled them to the ground, the anxiety of what they would see once there, the small flames of regret lit up in the hearts of pretty much everyone - they all slowed time down. Still, despite all that they continued to push through, their destination closing in at last.

They spotted Laxus standing still in his spot, as he blindly stared at something, his face expressing despair. Soon, they all knew why, some of them falling to their knees at their sight.

They were greeted by Makarov's unconscious body lying in a giant crater, his tiny figure covered in blood. His bandages were torn, exposing both old and new wounds. His right leg was barely hanging by few muscle fibers and skin, a giant pool of blood forming underneath it. His chest was rising slowly every now and then, indicating he was still alive, even if only barely.

This sight was where the horrors ended for some of them. They did not dare to look anywhere else. Perhaps they refused to admit the other things happening at the time, or maybe they simply didn't notice, Makarov's state clouding their minds like a giant blindfold. Those unfortunate enough to have enough consciousness to look past Makarov were thrown into a dark ocean of despair., with Cana sinking in the fastest, as well the deepest.

Erza dropped to her knees along with Natsu, their eyes glued above Makarov. They were watching Acnologia, who was currently examining his left hand, with Gildarts being impaled on his index claw. The claw went right through his stomach, blood and insides glued to the claw, some of them falling off to the ground. The man was still alive, as he tried to free himself by weakly pushing the claw out of his body.

Having noticed the newcomers, the dragon quickly swapped his hand to the side, violently hurling the man from his claw He landed right in front of Fairy Tail, who were forced to watch the man cough up and wheeze in agony, the hole in his stomach imprinting itself on their minds.

Cana couldn't make up a single sound, silent tears flowing down her face. She blindly started to walk towards her father, only to drop to her knees by his side, too shocked to register the reality of the situation. The man opened his eyes a little and tried to reach out to her, too weak to even lift his arm up.

Levy and Lisanna both dropped to their knees, both choked by uncontrollable sobbing. Gray grit his teeth in fury so hard he cracked one of them and gently put Juvia down on the ground. Elfman clenched his fist and straightened his back, with his sister doing the same. Laxus inhaled through his nose loudly.

All of a sudden, they all roared on top of their lungs and threw themselves at the dragon, their anger and despair merging together. They have long forgotten fear, pure anger fueling their veins, making them move. Erza and the Thunder Legion have joined them shortly after, as Acnologia soon found himself being bombarded by spells of various kind, none of Fairy Tail mages holding anything back. Even Natsu, who could barely breathe with all the pain that filled his body, has managed to throw a Roar of his own. He didn't give two shits about his current condition, or that as soon as he launched the spell he lost the stamina to even stay on his knees. Seeing Makarov and Gildarts like that fueled him with pure fury, one he hasn't felt in a while.

Acnologia spread his wings and swung them, knocking all incoming spells away, their casters blown back by the sheer wind pressure. Erza rolled on the ground like a log and was forced to stab the ground with her blade to stop herself, Natsu just behind her. Gray and Laxus flew into nearby rocks, their already battle-worn bodies crying out in pain.

The dragon narrowed his eyes at the mages and flew up, seemingly leaving them alone. Cana, who didn't even register the fight, stayed by her father, her hands long wrapped around his, her eyes glued to his stomach. Wendy looked up at the dragon. "Why are you doing this?" she asked him, her voice dry and hoarse from crying. "Why are you doing this?! What is your goal?!" she roared, her pent up feelings letting go, almost as if a dam has broken somewhere inside her.

Ignoring her, Acnologia retracted his head back and opened his mouth, a ball of white light forming in his throat.

Having recognized the spell, Gajeel roared to the others. "It's a Roar! Everyone, hide!"

"We have no time, we must block it!" deduced Freed and started to write in the air. "Those who know defensive magic, please give me your strength!"

Levy quickly ran up to him, followed by Lucy who although did not know such spell was still willing to help.

Chaos broke loose. Those who have yet lost their spirit were now focusing on Freed and Levy, passing their magic on to the two. Wendy was panicking, unsure of who to tend aid to - Makarov or Gildarts. Laxus and Mirajane were still trying to stop Acnologia by force, their attempts being the only offense Fairy Tail had to offer.. The dragon replied by unleashing yet another deafening scream, one that caused pain even to those with non-enhanced senses.

Erza Requipped out of her armor, unsure of what to do. She knew trying to stop the dragon by force would not work, but she also could not heal, nor help in preparing the defensive spell. Giving too much magic to Freed and Levy would only backfire.

The island started to shake, with Äcnologia's attack becoming more and more imminent. Cursing her powerlessness, Erza clenched her fists so hard her knuckles became white.

"Erza..."

Suddenly she heard a voice behind her. As she turned around she spotted Natsu, his barely conscious eyes glued to hers. Awaiting a followup, she stared at him impatiently. But it never came.

Natsu continued to look at her with his half-open eyes, a glimpse of a smile glued to his face. He sluggishly reached out for her hand and placed his on top of it, giving it a light squeeze. Erza looked at him in confusion and slight irritation even, willing to speak out, but that plan was smothered as soon as it was born.

His eyes were so tender, so warm and…sad. His smile grew wider and finally he spoke out, and as he did, all of the sounds around them suddenly stopped being picked up by Erza's ears.

The yelling, the crying, the terrible roar trying to rupture their eardrums from above – none of it existed anymore. All Erza could hear right now were his words, and they left her stunned.

"It wasn't for long, but the time we spent together...I felt alive. More alive than anytime I can remember."

Erza blinked. What was this sensation? Despite his continuously growing smile that was clearly being forced through pain, his face looked pained, and not because of the physical discomfort. However, she could relate to him – she felt the same.

"Thank you, Erza. For showing me a better way. For teaching me how to live like a human, and not like an animal. I wouldn't have done it on my own." he said quietly, but she could hear every single syllable.

The weird sensation in her chest continued to grow, tears slowly forming in her eyes. She knew they had no way out of this. No more second, or third chances. They were seconds away from being obliterated, and this must have been the reason he was telling her this.

Natsu squeezed her hand tighter as soon as the light above their heads had started to grow even bigger, which he most likely took as end of the line.

As soon as the light had started to descend upon their heads, Erza has finally put the pieces together, the puzzle in her mind finally forming into one solid object. Something she couldn't have figured out for weeks turned out to be something so simple. With the remaining time she had left, Erza turned her hand by 180 degrees and returned Natsu's grip, their fingers crossed. She opened her mouth and tried to speak out.

As she did so, he lifted his head as high as he could and grinned, giving her the widest smile she'd ever seen on his face, and while he did so, he muttered few more words, beating her to it and stealing them right from her mouth.

The scene, along with everything that happened before, was being watched by a small girl with long pale hair, who smiled sadly and joined her hands together before her chest.

As soon as Natsu was finished, the blinding light took Tenrou Island with it, swallowing it whole.

Mest and other Councilmen could only watch in horror from the distance, some of them falling to their knees, as the island was now being obliterated by a pillar of white light, as tall as the sky itself. Zeref slowly closed his eyes and gently bowed his head, paying his respects to the guild he made so many good memories with in the past. Ultear and Meredy stared at the light in horror, with the latter's eyes becoming teary.

Once done, the light dispelled, showcasing a giant crater being put in the place of where the island used to be just a minute ago, and with the force gone, the ocean has started to slowly, but surely pour into the hole, filling the crater in and covering the tracks of the island's existence.

Just like that, the Tenrou Island and Fairy Tail were no more.

Thank you for reading this chapter. I hope you liked it.

I'd like to thank Lorgar Aurelian, who has been helping me out with this story for a year now. Some of his ideas have been found in here and he is the man who'd stop me from doing stupid shit back when I was not yet experienced. Thank you, buddy!

Thank you guys for reading, too. I will see you soon!