Chapter 92:
Acnologia looked at the gathered dragons, eyes studying the faces quickly before they flickered to the orb above the tower.
The thing was still pulsing with barely constrained energy but it was not shaking the whole island. The four kings could do little about it, their probing too superficial to give any results but they ran out of time before Acnologia and the other three managed to figure out what to do with it.
A shriek sounded behind him, far in the distance.
The king took a deep breath, eyes moving away from the bright gold and back to the dragons standing in the early night. He turned around, staring into the darkness of the night before he spread his wings, claws scraping against the rock on the edge. Behind him, the dragons rose into the air, not a sound leaving the numerous throats. He pushed off of the edge, diving into the open sky before twisting and facing the dragons. His dragons. His army.
"Behind me is an army of demons," he spoke, voice barely louder than usual but every ear heard him. "But in front of me is an army as well. No armies the likes of these clashed in eons"
His blue eyes passed over the sky, the sounds of thunder that so many wings created mixed with the ever-approaching shrieks.
"You all know what's at stake!" he was talking louder now. "Not just the existence of humans and animals, not just dragons. The fate of the World, of Reality, is in our claws! That's what at stake! The demons have forgotten what it's like to fight a dragon. We will remind them! We will remind them to fear! They are trying to reach The Blade. We. Will. Not. Let. THEM! We are the dragon kind! The first warriors! Show them what it means! SEND THEM BACK TO HELL!"
He roared, loud and clear and angry and the dragons responded in kind, the very Island shaking from the force.
He twisted in the air turning towards the now clearly visible shapes of the demons. The sky exploded in bright lights, the roars turning to magic.
"Don't die, Acnologia!" Igneel shouted as he dived beside him, flying away and into the rows of the demons. "Don't die either, old bastard. That's a direct order from your king" the dragon king responded before he dived, magic exploding around him.
He eyed a group of demons, moving towards one of the smaller dragons.
It turned its long snout toward the dragon slayer, old but sharp red eyes eyeing the dragon slayer. ''You are getting too careless, my apprentice''
The white-haired dragon slayer frowned. ''I did not die, master. Isn't that what matters?''
''I am not talking about your life for I know it was not in any greater danger than of any other mortal in this battle. I am talking about the attacks that missed, those that hit your comrades'' The Old One was not pleased.
Acnologia shook his head to clear it of the memory, roaring in response and tearing through the demons.
The water woke him up. It crashed into the little camp on wherever they were and sent him spiraling over the edge of a ruined floor before anyone could react to the sudden flood. It carried him through the corridors, his eyes wide as he tried to get up and above the surface for air. He didn't manage to get a grip on the surrounding walls, his mind, and limbs too sluggish to respond to his attempts properly. He did manage to get the air he so desperately craved for. But it was hardily in a form that he welcomed. The tide shot him straight through one of the outer windows and the frigid air against his wet skin was enough to finally kick-start his brain.
Laxus gasped for air, eyes even wider than before as he realized he was falling some three hundred feet towards the ground. His lungs felt like they were on fire and not just from the prolonged lack of air. His form flickered, lightning dancing almost hesitantly around him before he shot off towards the protruding tips of the walls that weren't submerged.
He crash-landed onto it, very nearly falling straight off of the wall that he landed on and back into the black water. The lightning user blinked rapidly, shivering as the cold air blew past his wet skin. He swallowed, throat dry, and groaned as he leaned back against the higher end of the wall.
He felt awful. The flu he had as a kid did not hold a candle to whatever this was. The effects of those particles, no doubt. He grimaced, trying to shift into a more comfortable position while he surveyed his surroundings.
Where the hell was he? It was eerily quiet, the only sound the rushing water some fifty feet below him. The last he remembered was the Fairy Tail infirmary. He blinked again, turning around but he couldn't see anything that would give him any clue as to where they were. The little bit of land that he could see this high up in the pitch-black darkness of the night looked like a charred wasteland. A crater actually.
This wasn't Magnolia? Was it?
He swallowed again, shivering once more and he clenched his teeth to stop them from chattering. Should he try finding others? He glanced back at the water and bit the inside of his cheek. Hesitantly, he reached for his magic, pushing it to his hand. He scowled as it slipped from his grasp, barely a spark flying between his fingers and an uncomfortable numbness followed it. He shook his hand, trying to get rid of the pins and needles.
He wasn't sure how long he sat on that wall, shivering and fighting back the urge to throw up when he jerked in his spot and blinked, realizing he almost slipped into unconsciousness once again. And then he realized what brought him out of that state, blinking as another orange ball in the distance ate through the walls and floors, debris flying all around it.
An explosion? No, a fight.
Maybe someone from the guild? He pushed himself to his feet, using the wall he was leaning against to balance himself. He looked down, realizing just how high he was now that the water disappeared (And when did that happen?)
There was no other way down than using lightning. And any doubt he had about it was destroyed as another explosion bloomed in the distance. He pushed himself into another free fall, gripping his magic and forcing it to work. He shot towards the source, lightning arching over the sky in response to his gathering magic.
Whoever or whatever caused those explosions they better hope it didn't hurt his guildmates.
He moved from one wall to the next, jumping in the lightning form as quickly as he could. He grimaced as he landed on one of the walls, pausing to catch his breath. Gods, he felt awful.
"LILY!"
He blinked, head snapping around at the scream that still seemed quite a distance off. But he knew the voices that were calling for the black cat – Happy and Carla. And it sounded like they were in trouble. He probably shouldn't move so much in his condition, a part of his brain supplied, but he would be damned if he let anything happen to them while he just stood on the sidelines. He stood on the sidelines for far too long.
The sight that greeted him was enough to enrage anyone. Happy and Carla, terrified. Mira, Arthur, and Wendy unconscious and injured. And further down, through the collapsed floor, Lily glowing with golden seals and a demon grinning from ear to ear.
He was upon the demon before even he fully registered that he was moving and he slammed into him, lightning propelling the demon even further away. He snarled at the demon, face twisted in a furious scowl while the other grimaced, picking himself out of the rubble. The lightning mage glanced over his shoulder towards Lily. The cat lied on the ground, his other form lying prone and unmoving, golden seals covering half of his body. For a moment Laxus thought the cat was dead but then he caught his eyes. Brown eyes stared back at him, tears trickling down the side of his face, and for a brief moment, the cat smiled.
Laxus stared, unable to truly process what he was seeing before the light on the seals turned white and he was thrown back by the shockwave of another explosion. He slammed into a wall, eyes flying wide as the heat washed over him and something wet splattered his face and hands.
"LILY!"
The explosion died down and Laxus blinked at the blood that seemingly coated the entire wall the cat had lied against. There was so much of it. It trailed down the wall and Laxus stared at the slow trickles, feeling completely detached from the scene.
"That was rude," the demon spoke behind him and Laxus' eyes flew away from the wall, right before he managed to force himself to look down at what no doubt had been the body. "Interrupting my fun like that," the demon continued and Laxus stared at him, something about him familiar.
It didn't matter, the dragon slayer decided easily enough, moving once again as a lightning coated fist slammed into the demon before he could respond. "You -" the lightning mage growled through gritted teeth as he slammed another fist into the demon, "Will PAY!"
The demon slammed back into the wall he had climbed out of with a grunt, a crooked smile on his face.
"You shouldn't -"
"Lightning Dragon's ROAR"
Jackal blinked, eyes widening as he stared at the tornado of lightning that sped at him far too fast and from a source far too close for him to dodge. The demon screeched as it connected, the wall behind him crumbling and he was sent flying a good distance away, finally stopping as he slammed into another wall, the attack dying down. He groaned, pushing himself to his feet unsteadily only for Laxus to once again appear above him, hands clasped together as he slammed them into his head.
"LIGHTNING DRAGON'S JAW!"
Jackal slammed into the ground, crater spreading around the two.
Laxus took a deep breath, stumbling back and his mouth filled with a taste of copper. He grimaced, running his thumb over his lips before he looked at it, the digit bloody. He looked down at the demon's still form, spitting on it for good measure.
Only for the demon to twitch, muscles moving and the demon turned his head so that his face wasn't smashed into the rock. Blood ran down his nose and out of his mouth, a good portion of his right cheekbone and face structure gone. But the bastard was still laughing.
"You should've listened to me," the demon grunted, pushing himself to his feet. "I tried telling you not to touch me," he grinned even wider, revealing several teeth were shattered. "But I'm not complaining"
"What are you talking about?" Laxus growled, glaring at the demon who swayed on his feet before him.
The demon grinned wider, "Don't you know who I am? I am Jackal! Everything I touch turns to explosives!"
The demon fell silent, watching the dragon slayer expectedly. Laxus stared back, fist clenching beside him and lightning coating the limb as he prepared the next attack. Jackal blinked, the grin disappearing to be replaced by a wide-eyed stare. "Wha… What?! You touched me!"
Laxus bared his teeth in a mockery of a smile. "I never touched you"
Jackal blinked, staring at him. "Yes, you did"
The dragon slayer paused for a second before he twisted in the spot, slamming his fist into the demon's face. "Lightning Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Jackal flew back, crumbling to the ground with a groan but his eyes still stayed trained on the dragon slayer. Focusing, he could see the barest flickers of his seal blooming across the dragon slayer's fist, still crackling with lightning, before the seal disappeared along with the lightning.
"Only my magic touched you"
Jackal stared, silent for a moment before he growled at him, expression morphing into one of rage. "First that blasted dragon and now you. You fucking humans! You dare to think you are better than the Etherious?!"
His form shifted, the demon growing taller and Laxus took a step back. The demon growled at him, baring what was left of his teeth. "You humans should learn your place already!"
The speed with which he moved was staggering and entirely unexpected considering his size. Laxus stumbled out of the way of the first fist, lightning gathering around him like a cloak moments before Jackal slammed his fist into his stomach. The dragon slayer gasped, blood flying out of his mouth as he flew back. The demon caught up to him before he even touched the ground, his knee driving once again into Laxus' stomach. Jackal barely twitched at the lightning dancing around the dragon slayer as he was sent flying almost back to where the fight between the two started.
Laxus grunted, pulling his feet under him in a moment. "The bastard's actually not weak"
"For someone who is filled with Magical Barrier Particles, you are certainly hard to kill"
Laxus blinked, looking up to see the demon standing above him, palm facing the dragon slayer. Lightning flickered around him despite how much his body protested and the dragon slayer slammed into the demon just as the air behind him exploded. "You haven't seen anything yet! You demons are the stupid ones! Looking down on humans! Do you have any idea what we're capable of?!"
Each sentence was followed by a new hit or a kick, the first two the demon blocked but the rest met their mark. The demon stumbled back and Laxus didn't pause. Not this time. "Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!"
The lightning trident slammed into the demon even as he tried to move out of the way and Jackal screamed, flying back and falling to the ground, the golden fur on his body smoking from the attack. The demon growled, pulling his arms underneath himself and turning his head to look at Laxus who was standing above him, form pale and shaking but back straight and eyes furious.
"How are you still fighting?! Tempester said you ate enough particles to kill a town! You should be dead! In a coma! Not fighting!"
"Poison. Fire. Explosions. Magical Barrier Particles. It doesn't matter," the dragon slayer snarled, lightning exploding around him. "As long as I can move one muscle in my body I will fight"
"I will not lose to a fucking human!"
"You already lost"
"Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: -"
Jackal glared back, fingers moving as the beginnings of his seals spread around them, "What the fuck are you?!"
"ROARING THUNDER!"
The sky split in half as a bolt of thunder struck the ground where Laxus and Jackal stood, obliterating what was left of the ceiling above them. The demon screeched, wide eyes staring at Laxus as his muscles spasmed and locked, his large form forced to stay in one spot as the thunder burned him alive.
Laxus stared at the charred remains of the demon, blackened face frozen and twisted in pain. "I am a Fairy Tail wizard"
With the adrenalin gone, the exhaustion hit him like a train. He stumbled back, eyes falling shut for a brief moment only for him to blink them open as he found himself on the ground, eyes staring at the concerned faces of Carla and Happy.
"Laxus!"
Happy all but jumped onto him and the dragon slayer tried to sit up only for the pain to shot through him and almost make him cry out. "Don't move," Carla needlessly advised and the dragon slayer suddenly realized the two cats were sobbing. Laxus blinked, looking around. The three mages that the cats were protecting before he arrived were lying next to him and he couldn't help but stare at them. They did not look good.
"What's going on?" he grunted, staring at the two cats. His eyes fell on a familiar red sword, embedded into the ground a few feet away from them. "Where is Lily… Is he…?"
Happy bit down hard on his lower lip, looking at the ground and Carla looked away, head nodding towards the corner of the room. Laxus' head snapped to the side, to the scarlet wall and the somewhat dried blood. Bile rose in his throat at the sight. The headless corpse was torn to pieces, one side almost completely missing from the rest of the body, the half of the head lying in its own pool of blood some distance away. He looked away quickly but it didn't help, the image already burned into his eyelids.
"I was too late"
Happy glanced at him, small paw hesitantly reaching to touch his shoulder, "I-it's not your fault"
Carla nodded, "It's all Tartaros' fault! Everything!"
Laxus stared at the two cats, the edges of his vision already turning black. They were not safe here. Not with this many injured members and only the two cats to protect them. He can't lose consciousness now. The black spread and the voices became distant. He simply can't–
"Laxus? Laxus!"
Carla pulled at his shoulder and Happy turned to look at her, vision blurred because of tears. "What are we going to do Carla?"
The white cat swallowed, shaking her head, "I… I don't know"
"We can't stay here," she continued, staring at the pale faces in front of them. "Lily never told us where Ultear and Lisanna are… One of us should go to Natsu and… well we can only hope that no one from Tartaros finds us here"
Happy bit his lower lip, nodding, "L – Lily was the only one who could fight… without him…"
Carla nodded and the two fell silent for a moment. "You go and get Natsu, Happy"
"But -"
"You're faster than me… I'll try to… Do something"
"What if someone finds you before we get back?" the blue cat looked reluctantly at Carla even as the white wings spread behind him.
Carla swallowed again, a lump in her throat refusing to leave, "They won't"
Happy paused at the conviction in her voice and he wasn't sure if it was because she saw it or because she had to believe it. But he will have to believe it as well. There wasn't much choice. He nodded, leaping into the air and disappearing in a blur of blue and white.
"I wanted to end it all," Silver whispered, grimacing in pain as he sat on the frozen ground. Gray stared at him, eyes wide and hurt. "… and entrust everything to you"
Tears pricked the corner of his son's eyes and the demon slayer turned his eyes back to the frozen ground, waiting for the inevitable anger. "How dare you?!"
"You did all this… to make me overcome my nightmare," the teen said through gritted teeth, clenched fists shaking at his side. The ice mage swallowed, staring at his father who refused to meet his eyes, "How selfish can you be?"
Silver blinked, daring to look into his son's furious eyes. "After all these years… After attacking me and my friends. Forcing me to go through my darkest memories again… now you ask me to kill you?! And you call it a favor?!"
The ice mage glared at him and Silver looked away, shame burning in his gut. "Do you have any idea what you are asking me to do?! I… I… I hate you! I fucking hate you!"
The mage paused and the slayer dared another glance at the hurt look mixed with fury etched on his son's face. "Then please… just end it. End me"
Gray looked ready to throw something, scowling fiercely at him. "Don't you get it?! I can't kill my own father!"
Silver blinked, eyes lifting to look at his son. A smile lifted the corner of his lips and he pushed himself to his feet. "That's what makes you human"
Gray stood frozen in spot, eyes wide as he watched the demon slayer who was smiling gently at him. His father. His dead father. A tear leaked down his cheek and he stumbled forwards first two steps and by the third, he was already standing next to him. He tensed again, not sure what to do as he looked at the larger man, searching his face for any sign of the man he used to be.
And he found it. Because this was his father and no matter how much he hated him… he still loved him. The demon slayer spread his hands slightly, not sure if that was the right thing to do but his son collapsed against his chest, fists twisting into the black fabric of his shirt. Silver smiled again, sad, mournful expression as he wrapped his hands around the smaller teen.
How many times did he dream of seeing his father again?
How many times did he dream of seeing his son again?
And here they are. For just a brief moment Gray managed to pretend he was not hugging a corpse. For just a brief moment, he could pretend that Deliora never happened.
"I am so proud of you," Silver whispered and the sound of his voice broke through the haze that settled over Gray's mind and the ice mage blinked, wiping the tears out of his face. "This isn't fair"
The teen expected some empty platitudes of 'it will be alright', some overused lines of 'life isn't fair'. His father nodded instead, a tear trailing down his own cheek. "It isn't"
And just like that, he disappeared.
Gray stared at the flickering light, hand halfway up to reach for the warmth of his father's touch before he forcefully pushed his hand down, moving it to his face.
"I am so very proud of you, Gray"
The ice mage looked up at the still flickering lights, his father's voice coming to him like a whisper in the wind.
"That is why I am passing this on to you. I believe in you and I know that you can do it"
Gray swallowed, "Do what?"
"Kill END. That was my mission. And now my legacy"
"END?"
The light flickered out, not even a trace of it left.
"Father?"
Gray swallowed, but the thick lump in his throat refused to move. "Rest in peace, Father. You deserve it, you bast -" he choked on a sob, not able to finish the sentence.
Tempester stared at the torn corpse of Keyes, barely able to process how it happened. He looked back at the dragon, red eyes staring back at him with silent, cold rage. Tempester swallowed, "You needed help to defeat Torafuzar. Keyes was weak and I will not fall that easily"
Natsu blinked, staring at him for a moment before an ugly smile stretched his lips. "You truly don't know anything," the dragon spoke quietly, taking a step towards Tempester, "I was pushing back the four of you before Gajeel and Gray showed up. Do you truly think I needed help?"
Gajeel snorted behind the two and Tempester's eyes flickered to the sitting dragon slayer who raised his eyebrow at him, as if to say 'You're an idiot'.
"I was teaching, you idiot," Natsu said, lips twitching into another dangerous smile before he moved, rushing at Tempester in a blink of an eye. "Chaos Dragon's Iron Fist!"
The demon was sent flying back and Natsu disappeared into the Void, reappearing just as the demon landed and he twisted in the air, heel catching the side of his head, "Chaos Dragon's Claw!"
"I won't always be there to fight their battles," Natsu spoke, at the demon's incredulous look as he tried to regain his footing. The dragon rushed at the demon who moved away with a whispered word, lightning arching towards the dragon a second later. Natsu twisted out of the way, Chaos bubbling around him even before Tempester appeared next to him in a swirl of twisting winds. The demon spoke and at the word, his fist was wrapped in the wind. Natsu moved to the side, twisting into the demon's guard and gripping the elbow of the offending hand. "Chaos Dragon's Grip Strike!"
The demon howled, flying away from the dragon who stared impassively back, hand still holding the severed hand of the demon.
Tempester swallowed again, staring at the eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness of the night. "You're a monster!"
Natsu paused, his head cocked to the side. "Don't you think that's a bit hypocritical"
"Boulder"
Natsu jumped back moments before a giant rock landed on his head and Tempester jumped to his feet, moving over the rubble and dust of his attack to jump at the dragon. Natsu deflected the first fist, ducking under the heel before he trusted his hand forward, Chaos magic exploding from his palm.
Tempester slammed into the ground some distance off, already pulling his feet under him when the dragon appeared above him, red eyes glowing in that barely constrained fury. "Chaos Dragon's Wing Attack!"
The attack slammed into the demon, the floor below him crumbling and the two disappeared into the lower level. The magic tore into his skin and muscle, burning it away. He landed on the ground below, right on the pipe that protruded from the debris and it pierced straight through the side of his stomach.
Natsu jumped onto the groaning demon, hand gripping the pipe and bending it over the demon to make sure he does not pull himself off of it. The movement was almost casual and the demon all but froze when the red eyes turned to look at him again. He moved closer, rage evident in every graceful movement. A predator walking towards its downed prey. He kneeled beside him, wrenching the hand that had been grasping at the pipe away from it and twisting the wrist until they both heard something snap.
"You angered the wrong guy, Tartaros"
Tempester swallowed, staring at him through the black spots in his vision. "Maybe… but you are too late. The Blade of Ankhseram is closer with every passing second and our army is moments away"
Natsu paused, the grip on the demon's wrist tightening, magic leaking from his form, and burning the demon beneath him like acid.
"Where is it?"
Tempester grunted in pain, eyes squeezing shut.
"Where. Is. It?"
Something cold twisted in Tempester's gut and the words tumbled out of his mouth, almost as if dragged out of him. "The D-Dragon Island"
Natsu froze, eyes widening. 'Our army is moments away
Tempester watched from his downed position, dark blue eyes staring at bright red. The dragon looked on the verge of a frenzy. Walking on the line between sanity and madness. Natsu moved before Tempester managed to so much as twitch, gripping the side of his head with enough force that Tempester could feel his skull cracking. The dragon locked eyes with the demon one last time, a furious look in his eyes which made the demon freeze.
"Burn in Hell where you belong"
Before Tempester could truly process the parting words the dragon jerked his hands, twisting his neck completely to the other side before he pulled and twisted it again, tearing the head of the corpse off of the neck. Black blood sprouted from the neck, spraying a good portion of his face and right side of his chest.
Natsu jumped back to the upper floor a moment later, moving towards Gajeel who stared back, looking rather wary of the dragon. Natsu stared at him for a moment, face completely and disturbingly blank. The dragon slayer nearly jumped out of his skin when the dragon kneeled beside him suddenly, fingers pressing against the broken bone. The dragon slayer yelped, twisting out of the offending digits but Natsu gripped his knee tightly enough for the dragon slayer to grimace. He did calm down, though.
"Calm down," the dragon snarled and Gajeel swallowed, "I'm trying to see if the bone is broken or just -"
He stopped turning to look back towards the hole in the floor where Tempester's corpse lied. His eyes widened at the black particles that were filling the air.
Gajeel cursed, "The particles! This is how the guy got Laxus!"
Natsu stood up, staring at the darkening surroundings, one hand over his nose and mouth. Not that it would help much he knew. Before he could even begin to contemplate how to deal with them, however, the black flickered and the air turned frigid.
'Silver!'
The dragon turned on his heel towards the familiar scent, ignoring the suddenly frozen particles. Only to see Gray standing there, face calm but eyes furious. The dragon felt himself relax, relieved at seeing the ice mage relatively unharmed after assuming the worst. The relief was turned to wariness as he focused, once again brain moving to the reason why he mistook him for Silver in the first place.
His scent changed. The magic he used to freeze the particles in an instant…
"Who are you?"
Gajeel blinked, turning to look at the dragon and then back to Gray who paused as well, turning to look at the ice mage. "Uh… that's Gray?" the dragon slayer eyed him as if he had lost his mind and Gray continued to stare at him for a moment, not making a sound.
"You don't smell like Gray," the dragon cocked his head to the side, red eyes flashing dangerously and both mages tensed, eyes slightly widening.
"I am Gray," the ice mage bit back, a flicker of something entering his eyes, and his voice sounded hoarse, tired. Natsu didn't move, still staring him down. Gajeel swallowed, pulling himself to his feet with a wince and tugging the dragon's shoulder. "Natsu, calm down. It's Gray. What's gotten into you?"
A moment of silence passed and the ice mage shifted in his spot.
"Snap out of it, Souleater"
Natsu blinked, jerking back as if struck and Gajeel stared at the brief look that passed over Natsu's features before he scolded his features into a calm mask. A barely audible sound, one Gajeel wouldn't hear had he stood any further away reached his ears and he glanced back at the dragon. The uneasy swallow, the slight trembling in his fingers. He looked fine, but something managed to shake him.
Gajeel sighed, "We're all high-strung right now so let's just calm down, right?"
He looked back at Gray, eyebrow raised and the ice mage gave a weak shrug. "What happened?" Natsu spoke, voice steady, and showing no signs that anything unusual occurred.
"Silver's dead," Gray said softly, looking around, eyes pausing at the dead bodies of Keyes and Torafuzar.
"But you didn't kill him," Natsu stated. Gray shook his head, still looking at the dragon carefully, "No, I didn't. He was already dead. I defeated him but before I could kill him, he disappeared… because you killed Keyes at that moment probably"
Natsu eyed him carefully and Gray couldn't help but shift once again under the cold gaze. "What are you hiding?"
The other two stared at him. "Leave the guy alone -," Gajeel started but Gray spoke before he could finish, "Silver was my father"
Gajeel blinked, turning to look at Gray wide-eyed.
Natsu stayed silent for a moment longer before he nodded, satisfied apparently. "I knew that already"
Silence greeted his answer and the ice mage seemed on verge of yelling when Natsu spoke again. "It's not like I had a moment to tell you this sooner. But that is not what I asked and you know it"
Gray pursed his lips and the air suddenly seemed to grow even colder. "He gave me his magic"
"Ice devil slayer magic," Natsu nodded to himself, finally moving his eyes away from the ice user and his attention turned to something in his pocket. "That explains the scent," he said absently.
The ice user regarded the dragon for a moment, the three silent before he spoke again. "He gave it to me so that I could finish what he started," the ice mage spoke hesitantly, almost as if unsure whether he should be sharing this with the two. With anyone.
He stayed silent for a moment too long and the iron dragon slayer snorted. "What? Kill Tartaros? We're on it already"
"To kill END"
Neither of the two missed the way Natsu's whole body twitched. The dragon's red eyes were staring at the ice user, something unreadable in his expression.
Natsu's eyes strayed to the sky. It's easy to keep silent on a matter that no one even mentions. It's not lying, not really. But if he didn't say something now… it's not like he will be able to say that it just never came up. Or that there wasn't a right moment.
There's never a right moment for something like this but it certainly came up.
And what's the worst that could happen? The two knew him. He liked to think that they trusted him. The worst that could happen would be that… they attack him... he could easily defeat them without killing them. But he didn't want to fight them. If he told them this now… he didn't tell anyone. Not Mira or Ultear. Not Arthur or… Annie.
"And you would be a great Fairy Tail master"
Was he a guild master in anything but a name yet? Isn't something like that built on thrust. He can't ask others to trust him if he doesn't trust them, can he? But… Should he? It would be a rather large leap of faith. He knew for a fact that even a few months ago he wouldn't say anything.
But these people went through Hell for him. Literally.
"You know something, don't you? You know who it is?"
Gray's voice brought Natsu out of his thoughts that were starting to run in circles. The dragon prince stared at the devil slayer for a moment longer before he nodded. The two mages waited for him to continue with bated breath.
Natsu sighed.
"If you want to kill END… Well, here I am"
The two stared, completely and utterly shocked. Gajeel swallowed, "That's… that's not funny, Souleater"
"It's not," Natsu agreed, red eyes staring into Gray's wide dark blue ones.
Gray felt like someone pulled the floor right from under him for the umpteenth time that day. This couldn't be right… not even half an hour ago he promised his father that he would kill END. And now END turned out to be Natsu.
He gave a wordless cry, rushing at the dragon before he even truly understood what he was doing. "Ice Devil's Fang," his fist slammed into the dragon who didn't even seem to bother with dodging. He moved to pull his ice-coated fist back only to find it in a vice-like grip of the dragon.
He blinked, eyes widening in horror as he looked at the black bruise already forming on the dragon's shoulder. He jerked back, stumbling as the dragon released the hold on his wrist.
He couldn't kill Natsu. Even if he was strong enough – which he knew he wasn't – he couldn't.
"I… I -"
This day couldn't get any worse.
The dragon had to take a breath, forcing down his rising ire. He couldn't really blame the mage for what he did. The fact that he backed off when he started thinking a bit more logically said enough to the dragon. The horror at what he did clear in his eyes. The guilt. Natsu wasn't sure how he would respond in such a situation. He didn't really want to know. He knew that heads would be rolling most likely.
"How?"
The ice mage barely seemed to register that he even asked something. Natsu didn't care much. He deserved to know. They all did. It was definitely not how he envisioned telling them, though.
He didn't really plan on telling them at all, truth to be told. But the cat was out of the bag and leaving it at this would only make things worse.
"Ankhseram told me. I… I have died twice already. The first time I died Zeref brought me back and in the process of doing that he… created END. Me. A part of me. I don't even know. I am END but END is not me… if that makes any sense," he paused and fought back a wince at how awkward that sounded.
Surprisingly enough, it was enough for the two. Gajeel snorted again, "Next thing I know, you'll tell me something like 'Acnologia's Erza's father' "
"I…" the dragon prince looked back at the ice mage. Gray stared at the ground, dark blue eyes clouded in turmoil and shining with unshed tears. Natsu blinked in surprise, not sure what to say and so, he stayed silent, waiting for the mage to finish.
"I am so sorry"
A tear trailed down Gray's cheek and he quickly brushed it away with the back of his hand, turning his head even further to the ground to hide his face behind his hair. The dragon was never good with emotional situations. He was awkward at the best of times. But the whole day was enough of an emotional rollercoaster for him that he felt drained enough to not particularly care for appearances anymore. And he was angry enough at Tartaros that he couldn't really bring himself to properly be annoyed about the bruise that was already healing.
Everyone reached a boiling point where they needed to lash out. Natsu understood that far better than he would like to admit. And the mage was obviously sorry. He was eating himself up over it.
"It's… it's alright," and surprisingly, it really was.
Gray blinked, obviously not expecting that easy acceptance. "Why…?"
Natsu sighed, pulling out something red and round out of his pocket. "Just give me a minute and I'll answer anything you want"
"What is that?" Gajeel asked, staring at the orb that smelled… familiar.
"A war horn," Natsu said, turning the small scarlet orb in his fingers. "Tempester told me that the Floating Island is under attack… or will be. Every dragon on the continent will know about it if I break this. And they will come"
"What's on the Island that's so important?"
Natsu looked at the two, fingers closing around the orb. "The Blade of Ankhseram"
The orb shattered, the scarlet dust flying into the wind and the dragon prince spoke, "Every dragon is to return to the Palace of Dovah immediately. The demon army is marching towards it if it isn't already there. I repeat. Every dragon is to return to the Palace of Dovah immediately"
He fell silent, turning to look at the two.
"You are… taking this rather well"
Gajeel shrugged, "I'm still pretty sure I'm in shock. But hey, you're still you. And that's enough for me"
Gray stayed silent, eyes dry, and face surprisingly closed off. "We should try finding the others," the devil slayer finally spoke and Natsu nodded in agreement, "You don't have any questions?"
"I have… a lot of them," the ice mage admitted easily, "I'll save them for later… I'm not the only one who lost someone today. It's… I'm sorry"
Natsu paused, turning around once again to look at the mage in a well-hidden surprise. He nodded after a moment.
Nothing more needed to be said.
The three stayed silent for a moment after that, each uncertain or unwilling to say anything when the relative silence was broken by one flying blue cat.
"NATSU!"
"…I repeat. Every dragon is to return to the Palace of Dovah immediately"
Acnologia didn't even pause in his stride, his tail crashing into the head of the one-eyed demon, chaos energy crackling around it. A screech behind him, almost lost in the deafening tumult of the battle around him, was the only warning he got before a white beam burst from the eye of the demon behind him. He twisted around, grunting as it scorched his side but the demon didn't even have enough time to scream before its head was gone, black and blue chaos energy reducing it to nothing as Acnologia Roared.
'What's going on there?'
"He has a heck of a timing," Igneel spoke from beside him, the fire king wrapped in flames and covered in blood.
Acnologia's eyes traveled over their surroundings. The majority of the dragons were up in the sky, fighting off the invasion and only a few dozen stayed on the surface of the island, guarding the golden orb that was the cause for all this. Acnologia stayed silent for a moment longer, focusing on tearing into the demon that rounded on the two dragons. "He does… Though I can't help but wish he had done it sooner"
Not that it would matter in the end. They would've been better prepared but even the demons' greater numbers were not helping the bastards much. It all made Acnologia that much more certain that the whole battle was a distraction.
But what was their end goal? To reach The Blade obviously. But what then? And how did they plan to do it?
The black sky did little to limit their vision and the bright golden orb behind them illuminated miles around them, mixing with the light of the spells and making the whole situation a macabre sight of dancing too dark shadows and too bright highlights. It was hard to keep track of what was happening in a battle that was not limited to the ground and it was almost impossible to do when there were so many on each side.
"Better late than never?" Atlas Flame supplied, appearing for a brief moment beside them before speeding away and leaving behind a burning trail of enemies.
"We'll see if that's the truth when the dawn comes," Himmel's grim voice sounded above them.
Acnologia nodded in agreement but added a moment later, "The situation is not dire – we are winning"
"I am starting to think that the bastards counted on that," Igneel growled. Acnologia glanced his way, silent and still for a moment before he nodded. The High King was obviously not the only one thinking this then. The demons planned on losing this fight.
Acnologia looked over the battle, trying to take as much detail as quickly as he could. The one-eyed demons that have been dodging them for weeks were here in force, their number alone counting more heads than there were dragons but the large beasts were joined with smaller ones that he had not seen before. If they all weren't demons fighting against them, he would've thought the two groups didn't expect each other here. But there was one thing missing and that was some sort of command in their ranks. The demons were chaotic by their very nature but he would expect that they would have someone at the head of it all.
Which could mean that they are either very stupid or – which was far more likely – the commander was somewhere hidden.
And that's when he caught the small glint of the movement far below him on the surface of the Floating Island. A small shape moved with impressive speed, doing a good job at staying unnoticed. The king roared at the sight of the demon walking on the dragon's grounds and dropped down towards it, disappearing in the Void and reappearing right in front of it, happily noting the way the demoness almost fell down as she tried to stop before she slammed straight into him.
She panted, eyes wide as she glanced around, taking a slow step back.
"What do you think you're doing, demon?" the king growled low in his throat, blue and black light already lighting the back of his throat.
The demon swallowed, staring with her blue eyes at him from underneath the white headpiece. "You cannot stop us!"
Acnologia released the roar in response, the tornado of Chaos Energy tearing into the ground but the attack only made a glancing hit as the demon threw herself out of the way with a scream. "We will return to Zeref!"
The dragon king twisted, slamming his tail into her side. She coughed, black blood mixing with spittle but before she was sent flying away completely her fingers enlengthened, green energy dancing down their length and she wrapped them around the king's tail. "Pain!"
Acnologia's only response was a growl, hit teeth snapping at her, and forcing her to move back.
She stumbled as she hit the ground, glaring at him. "You may be a dragon but I am an Etherious! A demon of Tartaros! I will fulfill Lord Mard Geer's wishes!"
Acnologia blinked, silent for a brief moment before he bared his teeth in a mockery of a smile. "I am dragon king Acnologia, demon. All you will succeed in today is dying"
He watched as her blue eyes narrowed, a scowl on her face but the look of terror in her eyes did not escape his notice.
"You are his father -!"
She didn't manage to finish, the dragon king moving far faster than his size would suggest as he moved his tail towards her. She dodged by jumping into the air, something that proved a fatal mistake a moment later as the king brought down his hand, claws piercing down the length of her torso, and pinning her into the ground as he slammed his claws into the dirt.
"I take it you met Natsu!"
The demon stared up at him, blue eyes wide and blood dripping down her chin. She breathed in shakily and a flicker of magic ran down the length of Acnologia's fingers.
"D-damn you," she whispered, azure staring into sky blue and in response, Acnologia's fist blazed in Chaos magic.
He pulled back his fist, claws coming back black with blood and he jerked the claws, ready to take back into the air now that the would-be infiltrator was taken care of. Only to freeze as the blood stopped falling to the ground mid-air and the deafening noise of the battle disappeared.
He looked around, eyes wide. Everything stood frozen. As if…
"Just as Natsu, I see"
The dragon king's eyes widened even further before they narrowed and he turned around, roar already bursting from his jaw towards the immortal that jumped out of the way as if it was nothing. Zeref landed lightly on his feet, hands clasped behind his back as he eyed the dragon king.
"Must be your affinity to Chaos. You and Natsu are the only ones who are not affected by this spell"
"Zeref"
The Black Wizard smiled gently, inclining his head.
"Acnologia"
End of chapter 92.
Let me just say that I actually hate this chapter. The reason why I'm uploading it now is partially due to the promise that I would do so on each Sunday and partially to inform you guys that this is likely the last chapter I'll update this regularly (classes started). The whole week was chaotic and I've barely had time to write this thing which meant that I've been writing on and off for no longer than half an hour at the time. So please point out everything that I messed up and I'll fix it sooner or later (I hope sooner)
Good news – or bad, depends on how you want to take it – is that this story is very close to the end so even though the updating will become quite irregular again (though more often than before, I do hope I'll finish the story by New Year) it means it won't be long before you see the big finale.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. I was torturing myself to get it done ^-^'
Please review and thanks for reading :)
P.s.
Oh! And I made an Instagram account (yes only now) where I publish some of my paintings and drawings so be sure to check it out if you're interested in that sort of thing. Search me under the name kiyoshi_01