Hello everyone! Thank you all for support for this story. Sorry for the long wait I have forgot how I wanted this story to go and kind of did a lot in the last chapter. Hopefully this chapter makes more since. I also went back a fixed and added a lot in the earlier chapters.

Lastly I am looking for a new Bata reader for this story if anyone is interested please PM me.

Natsu was in his study going over his studies Invel had given him which were honestly giving him a headache, there was so much to remember so much on edict, duties, history and so on. Natsu groaned and leaned back in his chair

"Is there something you need, sir?" Alexander asked peaking his head in the door

"I am fine" Natsu muttered his eyes closed It had been several weeks with his new staff and trying to get used to the fact he had a personal servant. He didn't know how he felt about asking the boy to wait on him and get stuff for him and for the first week he didn't ask anything from the servant until Yajeel pulled him aside and said it was literally the boy's job to help him out anyway, he could. "Actually, Alex could you please get me something hot to drink?" Natsu asked not opening his eyes but he could sense the boy smiling nodding before closing the door quietly. Natsu let out another breath he thought about his staff thinking that he hasn't done much with them either. He though back to the first day he was working with his staff his staff consisted of five people six if you counted Alexander.

Flash back

It had been three days since everyone had made it back from Ishgar and yesterday was the trail to pick Natsu's staff, he was anxious not really sure what to expect or how he should address them. He followed Invel to the practice filed to see his five knights/ mages two of them were male and three were female. The night after the tails he had read their files and though they would be a good fit.

"Introducing his royal highness, the prince of the Alverez Empire Prince Natsu Dragneel." Invel announced the five moved to stand at attention

"That isn't necessary." He said walking up with a smile "nice to meet all of you." He said after brief interdiction's he got to know them a little bit.

There was Fairuza Gracelyn an only child from the northern province of the empire. She was mostly here to prove her self to her father who wanted a son. She has a form of water magic it made him think of Juiva a little when he saw it but it was more like Lyons where she could not only control water but can create and talk to any water animal.

Next was Rekia a shy girl still thinking coming to serve the royal family is a dream. She has no family to speak of and no home to really speak of either. Natsu told all of them he didn't care about what their standing was before this and he could tell she loved to hear it. her magic was the creation magic a form of lost magic being able to create any solid object form nothing. The predecessor to the elemental creation magic.

The last girl in the group Nori Anne Ronnelle comes from a noble family of all girls from the west of the empire. Her magic was not really impressive to her family had if she didn't get a job in the royal castle would have been disowned. Natsu was upset about it when he had found out. Her magic is to create force fields and magic barrios Zeref thought this was a good power to have when protecting the prince but Natsu argued the fact he wasn't the one that needed nor wanted protection. But she also had a dark side a curse she called them demonic eyes one she had trouble controlling. Her eyes often destroyed anything in her line of sight if she got overly emotional

Then there was Morpheus D, Ryszard a noble man's son. His magic was darkness magic having the ability to control all things that roamed in the dark he controlled shadows and was the exact opposite of Larcade and his holy magic.

The last was Lycus Purba he was from another country that was taken over my Alverez in the last decade or so. he had and affinity for magic weapons the magic kind of a master sword fighter he also had magic that Natsu didn't really understand but it was popular in Lycus home country called Lunar Magic Natsu had been told that it was a mixture of light /dark and nature magic but Natsu hadn't seen much of it since Lycus relied on his swordsmanship.

There was a knock at the door bringing Natsu back from his thoughts and Lycus walked in one of his protections details that Invel appointed to be his head of staff and his main body guard. Natsu didn't understand Invel one minute he was praising how strong he is then the next says he needs a body guard.

"Lycus what can I do for you?"

"My prince you have a fitting now and then your lessons with lord Invel at 3pm" he stated reading off a magic pad

"Tell me why am I doing all this again." Natsu grumbled

"you're the prince."

"Right well tell them I am not the prince and I can be left alone." Natsu said wanting to set fire to the papers in his hand

"I don't think that is going to work."

"Alright fine let's get to this fitting over with but if I don't dress myself, I am setting something on fire." Natsu stated walking around his desk and to the door he catches Lycus smile. At the fitting Alexander was there to help out in anyway he could and trying to make helpful suggestions on an outfit but Natsu could tell the royal seamstress was getting a little annoyed not only with Natsu not staying still but with all the 'helpful' suggestions from Alex.

"Your royal highness you look dashing in this." The man said stepping back from the latest fashion nightmare

"It is uncomeatable tell me again what this if for?"

"a ball his majesty is hosting." Alexander sated "I think you looked better in the blue one." He suggested pointing to the mentioned garments

"No, I am picking this and I am done standing around I got things to do." Natsu grumbled stepping off the pedestal after almost two hours which would be an all-time record on Natsu's patience.

"I like the red and black one but take off the cap and make it less flashy and weighted down in gold please." Natsu said taking off the clothes he was wearing and putting on his usual clothes then handed the dresser pieces of the clothes he did like.

"Excellent my prince I will get on with that right away!" the royal dresser shouted and ran off.

"Your late for your classes." Alexander said quickly walking behind Natsu

"I know." Natsu said turning the corner to get to the library where todays class was being held only to open the door to find a disappointed Invel

"Your Highness it is not prudent for the prince to be late."

"Please Invel lets just get this over with my patience is already pretty thin." Natsu said sitting down at one of the tables Invel just nodded. Today Invel went over politics and procedure then after that Natsu had a dance lesson in the ball with the royal dance instructor at lest she didn't spin him around like Erza did in her dance lessons. Natsu was finally finished at about 9 where he wondered to his room. Alexander brought him dinner.

"Is there anything else I can do for you tonight?" he asked placing the plate for roasted chicken and potatoes

"No, you go home to your family good night Alex." Natsu said kindly giving the boy a smile

"Good night your highness." He said bowing and closing the door behind him

Natsu stared at the food remembering a time he would swallow that plate whole and ask for ten more. He looked at the calendar; less the two days before the barrier came down. The time was going by to fast. During this month he got to spend time with his brother and the 12 he got to know them better and actually started to understand them better. He knew Marin was a little upset with him still for not accepting him for his detail he remembers when the space mage came to his office asking if he had done something wrong. Natsu didn't want to take him from Brandish without her knowing and told him that when she came back Marin could ask to be transferred. Natsu was still in control of the Brandish division until her return but that didn't mean he wanted to make any permanent changes to her squad without her consent. So much had been happing this last month, he slowly ate the meal thinking about everything that was going on. Sorano would be shipped off to Ishgar tomorrow he hadn't really seen her since she was captured only finding out what they could then left her alone. He also needs to see if Mavis would be going back as well.

Mavis Fairy tail's first master he liked her well enough. He did give up part of his soul to free her, for his brother's sake he wasn't even sure if she still loved him as he seem to love her and that hurt Natsu a little his brother deserved to be happy with everything he had sacrificed he deserves a to be happy and in love.

Lastly Natsu thought of Happy he hadn't seen the little fur ball in over a year he felt quilt for leaving without a word and not taking Happy with him. they had rarely been apart since his birth and for the first few mouth Natsu kept forgetting he wasn't there. He thought about Gray wondering what he was doing right now. He didn't keep track of what everyone did while Fairy tail was disbanded but Natsu knew that Gray had spent time in the dark guild Avatar since he tried to keep track of anything remotely related to his brother. There were a lot of fanatics out there coming up with stupid rituals to try and 'revie' Zeref, Natsu often wondered where they came up with the crazy ideas. He worried the reason Gray had behind him joining the dark guild which probably wasn't because he suddenly had an aberration towards his brother. He had a feeling he only joined the guild to find information about him or really END because there was no way he found out they were one in the same. He knew if Gray found out he would be coming after him, if he wasn't planning that already.

The next morning, he was woken up by Alexander he had a lot to do today if the list Alexander was reading off while he got dressed was any indication not to mention all the other things, he needed to do that weren't on the list. Natsu tried to remember a time he was free to do what he wanted but frowning because when he thought of happier times made his heart hurt. The time with his brother before his parent's death, his time with Igneel, his time with fairy tail

"Thank you, Alex let's just, work our way down the list instead of reading the whole thing off your making my head spin." Natsu said it in a light tone. Lycus then came into the room out of his staff these two were around him all the time which both annoyed him and also, something he appreciated with the new faces and keeping busy as this empires prince he wasn't stuck in his darkening thoughts all the time.

Seizing a break in his schedule he slipped away from his shadows. The barrier was coming down tomorrow, today he would be needing a decision.

"Natsu what are you doing here?" Mavis asked it had been a little less than a month that she had woken up and had a talk with Zeref they had been talking a lot actually trying to get to know each other again he was happy for his brother seeing him more relaxed and happier made Natsu happy. But Natsu was honestly avoiding Mavis he had only talked to her a couple of times during this past month.

"Mavis, I need an answer." Natsu stated not wanting to jump around the bush with pleasantries

"An answer to what?" she asked putting down her book and looking up at him

"You know, are you going to go back to Fairy tail or are you staying here?" Natsu asked he watch as the first masters face became guarded as she looked down her hands folding lightly on her lap

"I think I would like to stay I am getting to know Zeref a little more and it think I need to find out-"

"Find out what exactly?" Natsu asked cutting her off his eye narrowing "I hope you don't plan on staying only to find out his weakness and report them back to your guild."

Mavis eyes wide and she glared up at Natsu

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Mavis you are the first master of fairy tail you know they will come looking for you when that barrier comes down all I am asking if you want us to fight Fiore for you or if you plan on returning?"

"I don't see why I have to choose or why we would fight them all we have to do is explain the truth."

"We can't do that." Natsu hissed his eyes flashed

"Why?"

"We can't. even if they believe us fairy tail wouldn't make it from the troubles it already has, just imagine it the black mage Zeref 400-year legend about death itself is now part of fairy tail? Do you want to ruin the guild you sacrificed so much for? Fairy tail would be marked as a dark guild if they have any connection to Zeref and not to mention…" Natsu paused he didn't want to say how many members of the guild's lives were affected because of them. "You can't just break old legends and almost 500-year-old hatred by simply saying it was different." He finished instead looking down sadness in his eyes.

"But they would understand it wasn't his fault." She tried to protest the heat in the room steady rising as Natsu's eyes flashed again

"You don't even know the full story yet you pretend that you understand Fairy tail can't know the truth any version of it" Natsu could see the defiance in her eyes start to waver and he closed his eyes pinching the bridge of his nose. Forcing himself to stay clam he had gotten better at it but he hated when his power seemed to flare out a little to easily "did you really love him?" Natsu asked after almost three minutes of silence

"What?" Mavis asked taken a little off guard by the question

"Do you love him?" he asked again Mavis didn't answer a mask falling over her face again "you proclaim that you understand him, yet I never heard you defend him. You said you love him, yet I never saw you stay by his side you were accusing him and planning how to kill him off. He fell in love with you for real, but did you?"

it broke her heart but she knew there was at least a little truth in what he said. yes, she did know the curse messed up Zeref's head she knew it but what could she do when he decided to die what could she have done to prevent him from declaring war? She didn't know how to lift the curse if there was even a way… which there was and Natsu found it Natsu saved both of them from their curses when she had given up thinking that falling in love with the black mage was her sin was her cures.

"I don't know I thought I loved him when I didn't know who he was I felt pity for him when I saw his cures, I hated him for what he did…" her voice faltered

"So let me ask you this are you going to stand by him against fairy tail or are you going to return to fight him?" Natsu asked

"What about you?" she asked looking up expecting the blood red eyes only to see the black voids so much like Zeref filled with old pain, regret and something else "you were the pride and joy of Fairy Tail I watch countless times you fighting for your family the guild how many times you got pushed down to just get up again giving hope and light to the guild. so how is it that you are here throwing it all away?"

"I made my choice to stand by my brother's side just because you can't make a decision doesn't mean you should try to guilt me for making mine." Natsu hissed yes it hurt yes it was a tough decision but he didn't regret it not once he needed to make up for everything, he had done in the past. part of that he did make right or at lease tried to this all the good he did in Fairy Tail, but now he needed to make up for everything his brother had done for him all 500 years' worth of it. "I need your answer by the end of today." With that Natsu turned to leave Mavis let out a breath the pressure Natsu was putting out was almost suffocating.

She lay down on the sofa lost in her thoughts everything Natsu said was true she had wanted to kill Zeref because he was evil but was, he? She thought back to all the lessons Zeref gave her how without him she wouldn't have had the strength to fight off the dark guild controlling Magnolia and create fairy tail. He did kill her because he loved her as goes the cures of contradiction. The boy in the forest she met was kind and shy trying hard to distance himself to save people. She was also contradicting herself long before she had that curse. The last mouth was… nice she got to see a whole another side of Zeref how he got lost in his studies and reading just like she did. How he interacted with the castle staff and the 12. How she had caught both him and Natsu asleep under the big apple tree in the garden a book forgotten in his lap. She got to see him smile for the first time those not a bright as Natsu's his was still beautiful how it filled her with happiness and made her feel safe she wanted to keep seeing that smile she wanted to see both of them smile.

That was one thing she wasn't lying about she did want to know more about this Zeref she did want to stay but a what cost? Was she really ready to give up Fairy Tail?

Natsu had been right she didn't know the whole story the two brothers had, she didn't even know how Natsu was Zeref's brother and how he had ended up in Fairy Tail. She didn't know anything, so was it worth going to war over this going to war over love she didn't know if she still had?

Mavis got up and wondered down the halls she finally found Zeref in his office the one he uses as emperor. There she found him going over papers Yajeel and some others from his staff Faithfully by his side.

"Hello Mavis." He said not looking up from the paper he was reading when he didn't get a response, he looked up concerned "Mavis is there something wrong?" he asked his head tiling to the side it was really cute show of worry she wanted to break out in teras and spill out all her worries, she resisted that urge.

"I had a talk with Natsu." She began not sure how to really go about talking about this Zeref frowned and motioned for the others to leave them alone. He waited until the door closed now only leaving Zeref and her alone.

"What did you too talk about?" he asked standing up and leading her to sit down on the ornate sofa seeing how upset she was

"That doesn't really matter right now but… but I wanted to asked you something." Mavis looked up meeting those dark eyes he squeezed her shoulder for reassurance she took a deep breath "tell me your story?" she asked immediately he let go of her and looked down at his lap his eyes clouded over with pain and sadness "please Zeref I need to understand tell me everything."

"I-I can't" he sighed getting up off the couch walking over to the window his eyes cloudy and uncertain

"Why not what could be so bad that either you or Natsu are talking about it what could be so bad that Fairy Tail can't find out?" she almost demanded

"What exactly did you and Natsu talk about?" he asked turning to look at her instead of answering her question.

"He asked if I was staying or going back to fairy tail if me staying might lead to war." She said watching Zeref closely but his face and body language didn't reveal much she just saw his walls going up all to easily.

"It probably would." Zeref muttered

"wouldn't they understand?" she asked

Zeref took a deep breath and let out a sigh his shoulders slumped "Natsu is right that you shouldn't know and really it is his decision whether to tell you or not as it is his past as well as mine honestly, I don't know how you would see me if you knew the whole truth"

"Are you afraid I will reject you? Be afraid of you?" she asked "you have the reputation for being the evilest wizard of all history what more could there be?" Zeref didn't say anything an old sadness filled his eyes. Mavis saw the same look in Natsu but she didn't understand why. Why did the two brothers have to be so stubborn. Natsu seemed so completely different now then in his time with the guild so their past couldn't be that bad if he could still smile and joke, though she had seen less of that Natsu while he was in this castle. That worried her.

Mavis didn't understand why they rather keep it secret than telling the truth to get help. Why did they not trust people who would want to help them. she saw the hurt in their eyes and knew the isolation was hurting both of them.

Mavis gave Zeref a disappointed look her frustration growing at their stubbornness "are you going to leave Alverez?" Zeref finally asked looking out the window again not wanting her to see the hurt in his eyes

"I don't know yet" she turned and left more confused then ever, and a little hurt that she was left in the dark not knowing the darker side of their past. Her eyes flashed in determination to find out this hidden past for herself.

With Natsu

He felt a little guilty leaving Mavis like that and for yelling at her. There were many reasons he didn't want fairy tail to know the truth it wasn't just for their safety but for his. he didn't want to see how they would react if they found out the truth about him and his brother the centuries of pain, loneliness and regret. After how badly the talk with Mavis went, he debated if he should still go see Sorano. Before he knew it, he was in front of the dungeon in the lowest underground part in the castle.

"Your highness!" the two guards snaped to attention

"The spy from Ishgar is still here, correct?" Natsu asked

"Yes, your highness."

"I would like to see her." He more or less ordered one of the guards nodded fumbling with his keys the other guard elbowed him out of the way and with the right key opened the door. The guard lead Natsu down he walked pasted several prisoners surprised there were so many especially since the last time he checked Sorano was the only one.

"Why are there so many prisoners here?" Natsu asked seeing cells jam packed with prisoners

"They are renovating the prison a couple of cities over and brought over some of them here for the time being "the knight stated

"that's right I remember reading about it my brother sighed off on it." Natsu tried to ignore all the people howling calling out to them that they were innocent or were shouting out insults to the royal family at one point the knight was going to lash out on a prisoner for a particular insult to the prince but Natsu stopped him.

"These people probably don't know I am the prince and are just trying to get a rise out of us. Ignore them and take me to Sorano." Natsu whispered the guard nodded and they continued on their way. At the end of the corridor, it was a lot quitter only a few cells were occupied. The knights stopped in front of a cell and looked at his clipboard

"One Sorano of Ishgar." He looked up seeing she was sitting on the back wall large magic canceling cuffs on her and a chain on here ankle that was attached to the wall.

"What are you doing here traitor?" she hissed glaring up at him

The knight hit the cells bars making the ring "how dare you address the prince of this country like that."

"Its fine. thank you I would like to speak to her on my own." Natsu stated not taking his eyes of Sorano who started at him in return

"Your highness with all due respect there is a lot of dangerous mages down here I can't in good conscious leave you here alone."

"I will be fine just for a couple of minutes please." Natsu asked giving a small smile after a second of hesitation the knight walked way.

"What do you want form me."

"I wanted to let you know tomorrow you will be taken back to Ishgar "Natsu said looking down at the ex-dark mage. Who just continued to glare back

"I bet you didn't come all the way down here to just tell me that." She hissed

"True I wanted to asked for a favor" Natsu said crouching down so he was now eye level with her. She got a weird aura coming off of Natsu. But today he didn't seem as evil or cold as he did those several weeks ago. He still didn't seem like the Natsu in fairy tail but he at least seemed closer to the Natsu she knew. That gave her a little hope.

So, against her better judgment she nodded "What is it?"

"When you go back and the barrier that was put up comes down do your best to convince all the mages of Fiore not to retaliate and not to step foot in Alakitasia."

"And what will happen to them if they don't listen to me." She asked Natsu sighed an stood back up

"They will have to face me, because I can't protect them anymore." Natsu stated as he began walking away only when he turned back slightly, she saw his eyes flashed crimson. Sorano called after him but she was ignored leaving her confused and worried.

As promised latter Sorano was loaded on a ship bowed for Ishgar the last words still repeating in her mind. she tried to get information on him when she was imprisoned but the guards wouldn't bite and she was no where closer to finding out what happened to Fairy tails fire over the last year. And now she was heading back home with nothing to show for it.

With Fairy tail

Over the last month was hard for fairy tail most didn't want to believe Natsu was dead nor the possibility he had betrayed them. Happy hadn't spoken up since he was told about Natsu part of him blamed himself for not being there for Natsu when he needed him. Gray was angry fulling believing his friend no longer existed and wanted revenge. Lucy was confused not sure what to think. The Natsu she saw in the guild wasn't the real Natsu he was still out there somewhere needing her help. Erza well Erza was always closed off when it came to her feelings but she was worried she had no drought that Natsu was strong but if the stories were true then she blamed herself for not being there, for not saving Natsu before it was to late, on the other hand she believed there was still a Natsu to save and would bring him back to his family.

Over this month of no Magic several wizards were trying to research what was going on how they could bring down the barrier but when they gave up with that, they began researching Zeref, and Alverez hoping to find any kind of advantage for them when they get out of this mess and so far, that wasn't leading them anywhere either. During this mouth the guilds went their separate ways across Fiore in search of people missing and missing archives that could help them out. Headquarters was still set up where the capital was once located. All the guild members would stop by from time to time to report in. cities were starting to be rebuilt but without magic and the lake of motivation from many of the citizens who were still reeling from resent events the building was going slow.

"What do you think happened to Natsu this past year?" Lucy asked "no one had seen him since the fighting stopped do… do you think Zeref captured him then and he has been suffering this whole time never knowing that we had disbanded and now are back together?" she asked her mind going to the thought of Natsu sitting in a dark cell for mouths wondering why no one was coming to recuse him, while he suffered and was possibly being tortured... alone.

"I don't know that is a possibility Zeref took advantage of a grieving Natsu after he just lost his father. And the fact we were all recovering for the battle." Ezra muttered hoping Natsu was still fighting somewhere out there. The guild HQ was mostly empty right now with just a few wizards from each guild keeping a kind of lookout.

Brandish scoffed making the two mages look at her without the need for magic candling cuffs and without her magic she wasn't much of a threat so after the first two weeks of integrations they let her be but still keeping an eye on her. For the most part she stuck around the Guild HQ Lucy thought she stuck around because she had nowhere else to really go, she was stuck in this anti-magic dome like everyone else.

"Do you know something?" Ezra asked in a threating manner during the integrations Brandish didn't give much information on the empire and it was clear she wasn't aware of the plan with the barrier and in turn didn't know how to take it down.

"And why should I tell you anything." She sneered

"Your empire left you here didn't they why are you showing any loyalty to them?" Lucy asked never understanding bad guys and their twisted logic. Bradish didn't say anything her mind went back to the prince he asked if she would be okay, she said yes but did he know that she would be stuck on this dreadful content without any magic. He probably did he was the prince after all. Then she thought about if she had really been betrayed. At first, she didn't think that would be possible from Natsu but now hearing Fairy tail worried for him still thinking he was out there and needed their help still believing in him… she wasn't so sure.

"Well?" Erza snapped when Brandish was taking to long to respond

"You all have it wrong." She hissed back in defiance clutching onto the communication device Prince Natsu had given her. She was not abandoned Natsu trusted her to do a job and she was not going to let him down no matter how much of a pain this job was.

"What is it that we have wrong?" Gajeel hissed coming to join the conversations this in turn caught the attention of some other mages hanging out.

"If you know something about what happened to Natsu tell us!" Wendy pleaded

"Or else what you'll kill me form what I hear all your wizards are to much of push overs to go though with a threat like that." Brandish sighed looking bored

"Please can you tell us what you know." Lucy asked her brown eyes pleading. Brandish didn't know what to think about Layla Heartfiliadaughter. After that little memory trip and Lucy's declaration on wanting to be here friend she felt something in her chest something she hasn't felt in a long time something only one other person had been able to make her feel and that was Natsu and to some extent the emperor.

"You all have it wrong… the one you know as Natsu is our empires, Prince." Everyone's eyes widened at that the mysterious 13th person they were all worried about was Natsu. They couldn't believe it. was he really that much stronger now than ever the 12 shields were weaker? Only Gray who had been listening a few tables away, didn't seem surprise in fact it only seemed to confirmed what he was already thinking.

"What?"

"Sorry to have to be the one to tell you this… oh wait I'm not. but Prince Natsu betrayed you." Brandish stated hoping Natsu wouldn't be mad at her. They were bond to figure it out eventually he was the prince after all. Many questions erupted all at once but, Brandish ignored them all she was not a traitor.

"That explains why God serena knew Natsu Dragneel by name but he said that he had fought Natsu and lost." Jura stated more to himself but his statement quieting down the uproar

"Wait the number one wizard saint was defeated by Natsu?"

"That isn't surprising I personally have never fought the prince but I have seen his power and I know what he looks like when he is angry." Bradish stated which just added to everyone's continued confusion and shock.

A couple days later the barrier became to act differently the wizards were again gathered at the port of Harrigon the barrier in front of them changing colors and looked like it was warping.

"What do you think these means are we under attack again?" people were muttering amongst themselves this phenomenon had been going on for the last couple of days but no one dared to try and approach the magic wall.

"Everyone get ready!" Erza shouted the dome began to crack. The cracks spiderweb across the sky then all at once their prison shattered. All at once the imbalances felt magic return to their bodies and the land scape also seemed to return to normal but the buildings were still in disarray.

"who's there?!" Cana shouted in the distance two figures stood

"Is that anyway to talk to your daddy?" Guildarts said coming into view

"Guildarts!" Very member of Fairy tail shouted

"Sorano" Jallel shouted coming up to his missing guildmate "where have you been?"

"I was held prisoner in the Alverez empire." She spoke looking away from her guild master.

"You what!? how did you escape?"

"I was let go."

"Did you see Natsu?" Lucy asked Sorano frowned seeing all the hope in their eyes.

"Everyone let's get back we can get answers there and come up with a plan." Makarov

Everyone was now gathered back in the castle now that it was back to where it was supposed to be but the towers were still looked like that took a beating. A couple of buildings were sticking out of the sides of castle at weird angles.

"Guildarts of fairy tail and Sorano of crime Sorcière can you tell us about the outside world and how you broke the barrier."

"We didn't break it." Sorano announces

"Not for the lack of trying, that was one very powerful spell." Guildarts sighed

"I just got back from the empire yesterday and found guildarts at the barrier." Sorano explained

"You mentioned you didn't escape the empire can you explain?" Makarov asked

"Actually, that is the weird thing Natsu let me go." Sorano went on to explain the weird feeling she got from Natsu and how he had to fight one of the 12 so she wasn't tortured and not seeing him for the mouth only for him to show up and tell her she was being released. "The last thing he told me though was to tell everyone not to step foot in Alakitasia"

"What why not?" Wendy asked

"His exact words were '"They will have to face me, because I can't protect them anymore.'" Everyone went silent

"I ran into Natsu a few mouths ago he also seemed completely different he seemed darker. He told me he couldn't talk about what happened to him after the battle with that dark guild but he was injured his entire right arm was encased in banges and his guild mark was gone on top of that I could barely feel his magic when I tried to question about it, he said he wasn't going to be fairy tails enemy unless we got in his way." Guildarts explained his encounter with Natsu which continued to add to the confusion on what was going on.

"It means Natsu is still Natsu and something else is going on. he is still alive our Natsu is still alive he is still fighting." Lucy stated here eyes filling with determination to save here friend

"Sorry Lucy but I don't think that is the case." Everyone turned to the person that spoke seeing Gray his hair shadowing his eyes and his arms were crossed over his chest.

"Gray?" Ezra begins

"Gray what do you mean by that!" Happy shouted

"Over the past year when the guild was disbanded, I was trying to fulfill my fathers wish to kill the Demon END the master of Tartous." He passed letting that sneak in before he continued "over that year I read a lot of information about these demons and what you have told me I believe that END has possessed Natsu."

a lot of people gasped at the news and the tension in the air thickened

"Gray can you explain your theory." Makarov asked quietly he was already thinking something like this was the case. But hoped it wasn't true. The hall stayed quieted for a few minutes as Gray gathered his thoughts on one hand, he didn't want to tell anyone what he had found out, seeing as it would just complicate his revenge to slay that demon. But this was Natsu and the others deserved to know.

"My father told me END was a fire demon and was the most powerful Etherious of the books of Zeref." Again, Gray paused still not looking at anyone. "The guild Tartous wanted to destroy magic because they believed it was the only way to open the sealed book of END"

"But magic still exists we stopped the faces that doesn't make any since." Cana argued

"That is true because those demons were misguided." Gray hissed and looked up his eyes cold and dark just thinking about END made him angry "I found information that END was so powerful that he couldn't just be sealed away like the other Etherious. Infract END's body was destroyed in the process and only the power more or less the essences of END were sealed inside the book."

"That means-"

Gray nodded "it means in order for END to be revived was to open the book with a ready vessel near by and Natsu is a fire dragon slayer meaning he was probably the best choice for the demon to take over." Gray finished his knuckles white with rage but hidden he hoped no one would notice. Once again, the room fell into uncomfortable silence with the implications of what was going on. Lucy thought back to her nightmares of Natsu suffering in a dark cell but this time trapped alone with that monster. The master of a dark guild that still gave her shivers just thinking about.

Ezra was angry thinking she had failed Natsu when he needed her the most who he was still fighting off the demon and left them in order to protect them from the demon inside him.

Makarov was also angry at himself for disbanding the guild so no one knew Natsu was in danger he was angry at Zeref for taking away one of his children like that and anger at Natsu when he was in the guild, he recognized a sad pained look in Natsu's eyes but for some reason Natsu didn't call out for help he was disappointed thinking Natsu was trying to deal with this all on his own.

Guildart thought back to his meeting with Natsu how Natsu seemed unsure and scared at being close to guildarts then turning dark in his mind he turned those reactions into two different people now realizing he was probably talking with END when the conversation shifted and hated himself for giving up so soon when Natsu really needed help.

Everyone even people in other guilds were thinking back wondering if they could have saved Natsu could have seen this coming. All of them now also had similar feeling of revenge against Zeref for doing this to someone like Natsu. Someone who went out of his way to protect people and was the life of the fairy tail guild. Then in the silence everyone's thoughts shifted on how they could possibly save Natsu so he could come home. Little did anyone know Natsu and the demon END were one and the same and there was no separating the two. Natsu, they knew was lost and trying to destroy the demon would be destroy Natsu has well.