Back with Natsu X Ultear

"speaking"

""thinking""

On with the story

4 Centuries ago

Mildian Academy

Several professors were reading the research works of a young boy with black hair

"This…this paper…is this your work?" one of the professors stated to the young boy with eyes wide as saucers and were shaking in utter surprise

In his hands were papers filled with incredible knowledge of the magic of life and they as seniors and elders of the academy could not believe that a child at such a young age could write such thing

This child was no ordinary child, his name is Zeref, Zeref Dragist. The Future Black Mage

"Yes." The small Zeref responded with a smile to match his stature.

The professor stared in silence before coming to a conclusion. "It's a wonderful paper, but the theme is a little too heavy for you. It's not something you should be doing at your age. Furthermore, life and death and its connection to magic has been and still is taboo for us." Upon hearing this, Zeref's head lowered.

"Even an adult wouldn't dare right about something like this." Another professor stated.

"True…prying on a topic like this will only enrage the almighty Ankhseram."

"Please refrain from doing any more research like this in the future. Humanity is already on very thin ice…but that topic also doesn't concern you. Do you understand, Zeref?"

"…Yes…" Zeref meekly responded before leaving with his papers in hand. He was presumably returning home, but the conversation still lingered in his mind. He didn't understand what was so sensitive about this topic. "I was just curious, that's all. Why do we live and die…?"

somewhere

Zeref opens his eyes as if he was awoken from a dream

"…A dream? Everything's a surprise, huh?" Zeref said as he sat up and looks to the blue sky before looking to the side and he was granted with the sight of the book of E.N.D right next to him

He smiled softly as he looks at the book before looking back into the sky.

"Natsu…I used to have a younger brother, but he died a few years after his birth. I couldn't understand why that happened and it bothered me, so I decided to do research on life and death…"

Zeref's mind wandered back to the days of his youth. A few years later from the dream he experienced. This older Zeref stood before teachers and students alike, using a large board for his presentation. "It's still a theory…but if we could successfully gather 27 million of these magic spheres…the R System would be complete…"

His presentation caused the audience to mumble. "Amazing…"

"That's a wonderful research proposal…"

"He's talking about bringing back the dead…?"

"The kid's a prodigy, one that the academy hasn't seen in years…"

Meanwhile, the same professor who told Zeref to stay away from such topic was not very happy with what he was doing

After finishing his presentation, Zeref walks in the hallway before meeting his professor again

"How many times must I tell you, Zeref? It is taboo to bring back the dead. And based on your theory, we'd require a sacrifice in exchange for the life you're bringing back." The professor told to Zeref as he started to fear the worst will come "Life and death is a natural process, and it is unwise for us to tamper with the order."

"But wouldn't you agree that life itself is artificial in many ways?" Zeref rebutted. "So why aren't death and the afterlife that acceptable?"

In response, the professor just shook his head. "Oooooh! O-mighty gods, please be forgiving of this child…."

"….." Zeref couldn't muster a response. His gaze just went to the ground.

After a few years, Zeref was now in his teenage years as he was in his study at the moment.

The room was riddled with various books, notes, and papers scattered about. The male sat at his desk when he had a guest walk in and it was the same professor that had to keep talking sense into him for years now. "I thought I told you to stop working on the Eclipse Project?"

"It'll be finished in a bit…" Zeref said absentmindedly. He was in the state where he could hear people but didn't quite comprehend what they were saying. "This way, we won't have to use my theory at all. Eclipse…a time travelling door…" Zeref had a grin on his face.

"What do you plan to do when you've gone back in time then?" The professor inquired.

"Well…" Zeref muttered

"All these projects of yours; the Eclipse, R System, all of it was to bring back your brother, wasn't it?" After all that is said and done, you just can't seem to let go of the idea of bringing back the dead, can you?" The professor sighed as Zeref remained silent. "The board of directors have agreed on expelling you from the academy."

"…!" Zeref turned around, jaw dropping from the shocking announcement.

"They all had such high hopes for you, but…it's such a pity."

Zeref stood up from his seat, trying to muster an objection. A cold sweat ran down his face. He was so close. Would they really forcefully end his research!? "But…I…!"

"Your brother isn't coming back." The professor said in a stern tone. Zeref looked horrified, and it was then the professor just had to drive the point home once and for all to put an end to Zeref's taboo ideals. "YOU CAN'T BRING HIM BACK!"

The horrified expression quickly turned into a mortified one with those words. This was the trigger. Zeref clutched his head with both hands, a black, misty aura beginning to emanating from him. "Ahh….ah…..ahhhh….." The nearby plants quickly withered and die just from being near Zeref.

"Zeref….?" The professor began to sweat.

"P-Professor…." Zeref could barely get any words out. But if he could, the thing he wanted to say the most was 'please, run'.

"Is this…Ankhersam's wrath…?"

"And when I opened my eyes…the teachers…even all of the students…everyone had died" Zeref sighed as he continued to talk to the book. "I guess the gods really were angry at me, and that's why they put this curse on me. The more I loved life, the more I robbed people of it. And if I wanted to keep the curse under control, I couldn't think of life the way I wanted to. The curse also made me immortal, much to my dismay."

A lingering silence filled the space as Zeref continued to remiss on the past. The days of him wandering alone, isolated from the world because of the curse the gods placed on him. "Having to deal with the guilt of taking lives away from people day by day…but also the privilege if unnumbered days allowing me to do as much research as I wanted. It was a complicated feeling. I spent years wandering the labyrinth of my thoughts…"

"I wished to die. So that was when I delved deeper into the dark arts, creating demons that could hopefully end me. These became what were later known as Zeref's demons. They were once called Etherious, because they were beings made of pure ether. But sadly, neither of them could kill me. Some of them tried and perhaps came close, but in the end, they failed. And so finally…"

Zeref was standing in a dark room as it was filled with giant cracked eggs but he only focus his attention to what was in front of him.

An egg was cracking as inside was a being of darkness and destruction, his own little brother who he resurrected as a demon, a true Etherious, a true Demon from the Books of Zeref

The egg burst and from within in came from the E.N.D. the true demon

Natsu drops to the ground as purple water got coughed out of his mouth and onto the floor

He wobbles to stand up as his small figure slowly adjusted itself to its host

"so finally…I made you. Etherious Natsu Dragist…E.N.D for short."

Zeref leans his hand forward to Natsu who looks at the black mage as he does not know anything at all

"My name is Zeref Dragist. I am you're bother, Natsu…"

Zeref began to stand up with the book in hand. "We'll talk about the days you spent with Igneel and how I met Mavis some other time. I've got some people to meet today." When he thought about it, he realized that wasn't quite right. "People? No…not exactly…"

Hours passed and Zeref made his way through a mountain range. His trek continued until he reached a cave. When he walked in, there was someone already waiting for him. A man with brown skin, blue markings and dark blue hair…a black cloak covered his body and more specifically, covered the missing left arm. "I didn't think you'd actually agree to our meeting. Ah…so that's what you normally look like. How's the arm, Acnologia?"

"What do you want, Black Wizard?" Acnologia responded while staring at Zeref. He was oddly calm and composed compared to his prior appearances, although they were few and far in between, they were deadly to everyone else.

"You wish for destruction. A rather small ambition, though. You actually have the power to rule the world if you felt like it." Zeref said. "I just can't tell why you aren't doing so…or the reason behind your actions. At the very least, I would have expected you to exterminate all dragons, correct?"

Acnologia was silent for a moment. "I can be rid of them whenever I so wish. They are no threat to me. But aren't you the same also?"

"I've been lost my whole life." Zeref replied. "And that's why I've been watching from the sides for the most part. I thought I found some meaning in my actions two years ago, but I realized it was far too soon the moment you were drawn into the battle." The Black Wizard then extended his hand. "I couldn't decide if I wanted to fight against you…or with you. But either way, I didn't need to choose. I will annihilate both you and mankind. That is my mission."

Zeref's eyes darkens as cold chilling air breeze in the cave

"You've been waiting, haven't you? Waiting for the END, the only being who could fight you in the same footing"

Zeref's eyes briefly turned red, a black mist seeping out of his body.

"the last battle between a dragon, immortal, and mankind. I wonder who will win in this war"

Acnologia merely stared at the Black Mage before a burst of power exploded from Acnologia's own body

"leave" Acnologia said as Zeref merely smirked to him

"the last battle…..will be a massacre, Natsu" Zeref said with his eyes turning red

That's a wrap!

Bye bye