SailorStar9: We now continue with Chapter 128 and this fic will be on hiatus until Season 3 comes out.(Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review, instead of just putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts?

Disclaimers: I own nothing, except for the plot bunny and my OCs.

Chapter 128: Tartarus Chapter, Finale – Where the Power of Life Lies

"We prevented END's resurrection." Igneel stated after Grandeeney, Metalicana, Weisslogia and Skiadrum destroyed all the Face structures across the continent. "We won."

"Defeat..." Mard Geer was stunned.

"Weisslogia was..." Sting started. "Alive all this time?"

"Skiadrum, Metalicana and Grandeeney." Igneel confirmed. "All of us were inside the Dragon Slayers' bodies. Or to be more precise, we were lying dominant inside your bodies through a secret art."

"And when I felt that pulsating..." Rouge mused. "That was you rising inside of me?"

"That's right." Natsu fired back. "Come to think of it, I didn't ask about that. What the hell we you inside my body? I don't remember eating you."

"There are two reasons for that." Igneel replied. "The first is him." the Fire Dragon King looked at the downed Acnologia at his feet. "It was to prevent Dragon Slayers from turning into dragons like Acnologia. The other reason..."

"Igneel!" Natsu shouted, Acnologia getting his second wind and pushed Igneel off him.

"I'll tell you after I deal with him." Igneel assured, taking after his foe. "Get that book."

"This book, right?" Gray held up the END book. "The Book of END. I made a promise to defeat END without fail."

"Jackass..." Natsu growled.

"It's gone." Gray blinked, feeling the book vanish from his hand.

"Gray!" Natsu fumed.

"It wasn't me!" Gray argued.

"This is my book." Zeref reminded, teleporting the book to his hand. "I'm taking it back. It's an important book."

"Zeref!" Natsu growled.

"Mard Geer." Zeref walked past his creation. "You did well. You were one step away from reviving END. Now you can sleep."

"Mard Geer..." Mard Geer stammered. "Can being about... whatever you desire."

"No, you can't." Zeref corrected, dissolving Mard Geer into a smoke with a snap of his fingers. The smoke then turned into a book in his hand, which Zeref then incinerated.

"You!" Gray barked. "You created that demon yourself!"

"True." Zeref admitted. "But I had no more use for it. I came here to settle things once and for all between us. But Acnologia got in the way. Will he end history once again?" he mused. "Or will a miracle happen? I don't know. If you can survive these hopeless circumstances, then I will give you even more despair."

"That bastard..." Gray growled, after Zeref vanished from sight. "He took the book."

"Igneel!" Natsu suddenly looked around.

"There is something I need to tell you while I have the chance." Igneel told his protege. "There are two reasons we dragons lived inside the bodies of you Dragon Slayers. The first, as as I said, to prevent you from turning into dragons by creating antibodies. Owning to that, there is almost no chance you will ever become dragons."

"Natsu!" Gray turned to see Natsu running off.

"I never showed myself before under any circumstances because I was busy making those antibodies." Igneel continued. "And the other reason was to defeat our negative legacy, Acnologia, ourselves. We were waiting for an opportunity"

"You can tell me all that later!" Natsu shouted back, hurrying over to his adoptive father. "Wait, Igneel! I'm coming to help you."

"You must stay away!" Igneel objected. "Acnologia is stronger than I expected. You don't want to get involved in this. I was waiting for this time. The moment I could kill Acnologia with my own claws. Natsu..." he trailed, falling down to the ground after Acnologia took out most of his body. "I've been watching you grow up all this time. You've gotten... so big. The days I spent with you..." he muttered, knowing that Acnologia's breath attack would end him. "Were the happiest ones of my life. You gave me the power to love."

"Igneel!" Natsu screamed in horror when Acnologia's attack landed.

"Natsu..." Ulyo frowned, looking at the sky. "Igneel... has he been defeated?"

" Grandeeney..." Wendy beamed in relief, seeing her foster mother before her after the battle.

"Everyone's courage and Igneel repulsed Acnologia." Grandeeney replied. "You did well in destroying one of them."

"This is Metalicana?" Pantherlily gaped at the dragon.

"As always, you've got that nasty look in your eyes." Metalicana remarked.

"Shut up!" Gajeel snapped.

"Weisslogia..." Sting stood stunned before the white dragon. "I killed you."

"And I saw you die before my eyes, Skiadrum." Rouge added.

"Human memories can be falsified in any number of ways." Weisslogia stated.

"Although Igneel was against it." Skiadrum added. "At the time, we intended to give you Dragon Slayers the memory and achievement of slaying a dragon."

"That being said, saying we died isn't too far off from the truth." Weisslogia noted.

"We are already dead." Grandeeney explained. "Long ago, Acnologia's Dragon Slayer Magic ripped out our souls. So inside your bodies were objectives. 'Protecting against turning into a dragon', 'defeating Acnologia' and extending our lives."

"Once we left your bodies, we became unable to return there." Skiadrum continued. "Today, we showed you our power for the first and last time. And we want you to understand why we didn't show ourselves until now."

"Not even Igneel could defeat Acnologia." Metalicana took over. "But Igneel only had the last of his power left before dying. Humans, do not allow the majesty of the Fire Dragon King to be tarnished. There is no dragon braver, nor one who loved humans more, than Igneel."

"We have not told you everything that should be said." Grandeeney stated. "But the time has come; the time to part ways. I am sure you will encounter many more hardships in the days to come." she leaned closer to her adoptive daughter. "But I have the confidence that all of you will go through them."

"Let's see them off with our heads held high." Gajeel rested a hand on the sobbing Wendy's head.

"Humans," Grandeeney spread her wings. "Memories of war and hating one another are things of the far past." she stated, the dragons starting to take off. "On this day, we were able to work together hand in hand."

"The Age of Dragons has reached an ending sorts." Weisslogia remarked.

"From here on out, human power shall create the future." Skiadrum declared.

"400 years ago, the Magna Carta, a pact between humans and dragons, was formed." Grandeeney added. "And in accordance to that, we dragons will continue to watch over humanity! For eternity! I love you, Wendy." she voiced, before the pink light beam took the dragons away.

"You've got that nasty look in your eye." Metalicana droned, before vanishing.

"Those are your last words?" Gajeel twitched.

One week later...

"I figured I'll find you here." Ulyo stated plainly, standing beside Gray who was sitting in front of his parents' grave marker. "Here." she thrust a pack of unopened dark chocolate in front of him. "I... won't apologize for defeating the necromancer that was controlling your father. And, if you hate me," she let out a sad smile and letting the chocolate fall on the snow. "I understand." her eyes widened when Gray drew her into a tight hug.

"Thank you..." the ice mage muttered into her shoulder. "I'm sorry..." he wept. "I swear I'll bring down END." he promised, his back was now leaning against Ulyo's, the dark chocolate was open and half-eaten.

"You do realize the both of us will need lots of training, don't you?" Ulyo reminded. "Both the 'Heaven Subjugation' and my 'Final Release'... I have yet complete control over them."

"Hey, Ulyo." Gray started after a while.

"Hm?" Ulyo blinked.

"After all this is over, let's get married. " the ice mage proposed.

SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.