Chapter 11: Fire to the Wind

'Thinking' – thoughts

"Speaking" – speech

'Thinking' – Dragon/God/Beast thinking

"Speaking" - Dragon/God/Beast speaking

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters they are property of Hiro Masima.

Kriim-Sauce786: I have a very special idea with regards to Wendy, but that will still be some ways off. I hope you enjoy the link I added here to Natsu, thanks for the idea.

zzdragon: Thank you, Lisanna and Natsu just fit so well together in the flashback scene in the anime :)

MaTachin: Lisanna first shows the Nine-Tailed Fox takeover in the 100 Year Quest (after the final episode of the anime) but that is where I got the idea from and I don't think she had it during the anime. I haven't thought out everything just yet but I do have plans for them to participate in one of the Grand Magic games before Fairy Tail returns.

yogaratw607: No I haven't.

-Tenrou Island-

Battles raged over the sacred grounds of the Fairy Tail guild, the valiant mages of Fairy Tail faces off against the Seven Kin of Purgatory and the army of grunts at their disposal. Above the shores of the island, a dark airship hovered, the home base of Grimoire Heart and the launching pad of their invasion of the island. Facing this airship, a giant stood tall with a bright ball of magic between his palms.

"And three, I invoke Fairy Law," Makarov's voice boomed as he closed his hands.

"Impressive Boy, but there is something I need to show you," an old, armoured man said from his position on the airship. Holding his palms towards one another a dark purple ball of magic formed. "Grimoire Law" the man said as a deep purple pillar of magic exploded around him as a bright golden pillar surrounded the giant.

"Impossible, Master Precht," Makarov said in disbelief as the pillar of golden light around him disappeared shortly followed by the purple pillar around Precht.

"You have done well as my successor, though this is sadly where Fairy Tail ends. My time with Fairy Tail is over and now I am Hades, Master of Grimoire Heart," Hades said as a dark smirk formed on his face.

"I don't understand, you were a great master, always teaching us about the light and vanquishing the dark. What in the world happened?" Makarov asked in desperation. Here, standing in front of him was the man he looked up to, the man who passed on the role as Master of the Fairy Tail guild over to him, a man who was once in the light, leading others to the light, now shrouded in darkness.

"My eyes were opened to the origin of Magic Boy. The concept of a light and dark side, good and evil, are clouded views. But I don't expect you to understand. I have simply come here today to complete my destiny and sadly Fairy Tail's demise is a by-product of circumstances, please do understand," Hades said as he lifted a hand as he readied his spell. "Grimoire Chain" Hades called out as a white chain shot out of his extended hand and latched onto Makarov.

"All magic can find its origin in the darkness. Grimoire Heart will reawaken Lord Zeref, and he will grant us passageway to the Ultimate Magic World. A world where only those with magic will reside, in its purest form, a darker magic," Hades declared as he swung his arm to the side, sending Makarov barrelling towards Tenrou Island as his gigantic form shrunk.

'A darker magic. Natsu my boy, I do hope that the darkness within you won't corrupt you," Makarov thought as Hades' words echoed in his mind alongside Gildart's concerns about Natsu as he closed in on the ground.

-With Wendy-

A pained grunt escaped Wendy as she pushed herself into a sitting position. Looking around her she saw that she was in an open area with a few large trees scattered around. As she looked upwards, she saw the upper layer of the island. It dawned on her that she had fallen from the upper layer due to an enemy attack. Memories of the encounter rushed to the forefront of her mind as she looked around in alarm, searching for Evergreen and Mest, but unfortunately, she was alone.

Standing up Wendy kept her calm. 'Now is no time to panic, first I need to figure out if there is anyone close by,' Wendy thought. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Wendy sniffed the air around her and spread her magic through the air in an attempt to locate someone nearby.

She picked up on one signature quickly approaching, but she quickly felt that it didn't belong to anyone she knew. A thud behind some of the trees alerted her that whoever was approaching her was now close by.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are little Dragon Hunter," a taunting male voice called out followed by a crazed cackle. Wendy recognised the voice as the blond man from before.

Wendy instantly dashed towards a tree to hide as best she could. She knew that there was no hope of escaping and that a confrontation with the man was inevitable, but that didn't mean that she would just rush in. No, she would bide her time, strike when she gets the best opportunity and hopefully get some semblance of an upper hand through that.

The time she spent with the Thunder Legion helped her a lot with forming strategies while facing foes stronger than her and hopefully another member of Fairy Tail will be able to join the fray if she can keep him at bay long enough.

"Maybe over here? No, then what about here?" the man came into view as he shot small balls of black flames at bushes that were large enough for a little girl to hide in.

"I know you're here somewhere Dragon Hunter. I can feel your anticipation," the man said. "Flame God Fire Walk" the man called out as black flames started to flood the forest floor. Seeing the flames approach, Wendy poured magic into the soles of her feet, creating a draft of air that propelled her up to a low hanging branch in the tree.

"So, you don't want to play with me? How about I introduce myself, that should put you at ease right little Dragon hunter?" the blond asked in a fake hurt tone. Wendy started to draw upon her magic, focusing it on her fists. Her time to strike was approaching.

"No reply? Well, no matter, soon you will fall before me, Zancrow, the Flame God Slayer and member of the Seven Kin of Purgatory," Zancrow asked softly before loudly proclaiming his name and status, throwing his arms outwards as a large pillar of black flames shot from the ground around him and a maddened cackle sounded from within.

Wendy's eyes narrowed in concentration as she felt the power accumulating for her spell. 'As soon as that pillar drops, I strike,' Wendy decided. Time seemed to slow for Wendy as the pillar of flames subsided.

Wendy kept her attention on the silhouette of Zancrow as it became more defined as the flames dissipated. His posture seemed to be at ease with his arms still stretched out. The wind around Wendy's hands started to pick up as she started forming her spell. As the fire completely disappeared Wendy launched herself from the branch with a call of "Sky Dragon Wave Wind".

Wendy swung her arms in front of her as she released the magic she had gathered, forming a massive tornado that rushed towards Zancrow.

"There you are little Dragon Hunter," Zancrow called out in excitement, snapping his eyes toward where he felt the burst of power. A mad cackle sounded from where he stood as the tornado crashed into him.

Wendy landed gracefully on the ground, instantly falling into a fighting stance, knowing that her attack didn't finish the fight. The dust cloud that was brought about thanks to her attack was suddenly split in two, revealing Zancrow, a crazed grin on his face and black flames covering his hands. Though the attack had hit him directly, there was very little evidence of it, only a slight shift in how his clothes sat on him.

"That was a nice ambush little Dragon Hunter, but it seems like you have the element of Air, a shame really," Zancrow taunted as he saw the frown on Wendy's face.

"You have come to our sacred grounds for your own selfish desires. I may not be the strongest fighter in Fairy Tail, but I know I'm more than a match for someone like you," Wendy declared, putting on a brave face.

"I hope you can do better than that first attack, otherwise this will be over quickly and I will have to go find someone else to play with," Zancrow said before he dashed forward. Wendy was only able to block his first punch thanks to the stance she took, though it didn't spare her from being pushed back.

"Sky Dragon Claw" Wendy called out as Zancrow made his second advance. Wendy did a backflip, landing her wind infused kick to Zancrow's jaw. The Flame God Slayer was surprised by the counter but his maddened grin remained.

"Looks like this will be fun after all. I guess that I will actually have to try and use some spells," Zancrow said as he whipped a bit of blood from the split in his lip thanks to Wendy's kick.

"Fire God's Blazing Slash" Zancrow called out as he brought his hand down in a slashing motion. A vertical wave of black flames rushed towards Wendy, which forced her to roll to the side to dodge the attack. As soon as she completed her roll, however, she was met with one of Zancrow's feet as he called out "Flame God's Burning Kick".

Wendy was sent tumbling into a large tree trunk with a considerable burn wound on her cheek. Feeling her instincts screaming for her to move, Wendy rolled away just as another flaming foot came down on the spot where she was, cracking the ground with the force behind it.

"Sky Dragon Roar" Wendy quickly called out and blindly sent her attack to where she was just a moment ago. She was relieved to hear a thud further down the clearing and quickly got back to her feet. Looking towards where she heard the thud from, she saw Zancrow sitting with his back against a tree trunk, a slight frown on his face.

"Was that kick a fluke? I was really looking forward to a fun fight," Zancrow asked in a disappointed tone as he stood up, no bruises or battle damage apart from the split in his lip.

Wendy felt a sliver of fear worming its way into her mind but she quickly squashed it. Now was no time to be afraid. Taking advantage of the moment of inaction from Zancrow Wendy made her next move. "Fast wind that run the heaven… Vernier. Power of the stout arms that tears heaven… Arms. Guard that protects heaven Armor" Wendy chanted as a blue aura surrounded her.

Zancrow snapped his head up and locked eyes with Wendy as soon as he felt the spike in her magical power. His grin quickly returned as he stood up.

"Seems like the little Dragon Hunter had a trick up her sleeve," Zancrow said while lighting his hands in his black flames once again, but his eyes widened in surprise at Wendy's new speed when she suddenly appeared in front of him, fist cocked back.

"Sky Dragon Gale Fist" Wendy called out as she landed a heavy wind enhanced punch on Zancrow's face. Once again Zancrow was surprised, this time by the power behind the blow as he was sent flying through a tree. Not giving her opponent a moment to recompose, Wendy prepared her next attack.

"Sky Dragon Wing Attack" Wendy called out as she formed two whirlwinds around her arms before swinging them like whips at Zancrow. Her attack connected with the area where Zancrow landed, and a large dust cloud rose.

Wendy retreated to a safe distance to regain her breath and assess the state of the fight.

"That chain of attacks packed quite the punch I'll give you that, but now I'm done toying around," Zancrow said in a more controlled tone. His power spiked considerably as black flames started to seep from the dust cloud.

"Fire God's Kagutsuchi" Zancrow voice sounded from within the dust cloud just as a giant ball of black flames burst out, rushing straight towards Wendy. Seeing that she didn't have enough time to dodge the attack Wendy attempted to counter it. "Sky Dragon Wave Wind" Wendy called out and sent the large tornado at the ball of black flames.

The two attacks made contact and for a fleeting moment they were locked in a stalemate, but that quickly changed when the ball of black flames broke through the tornado and smashed into Wendy. Now it was Wendy's turn to be flung into a tree and breaking it upon impact.

Struggling to her feet, Wendy was met by a wave of black fire as Zancrow called out "Fire God's Bellow". The attack sent Wendy flying into yet another tree, this time the tree didn't give but the hard impact rendered Wendy dazed and momentarily immobile. Wendy felt her magical power beginning to fade, her reserves running dry.

"It's time I show you exactly where you stand in the food chain little Dragon hunter," Zancrow said as black flames surrounded his right arm. A rumble sounded in the distance, though neither of the two combatants paid it any notice. "Fire God's Scythe" Zancrow said as a large scythe of black flames formed on his right arm. He slowly started to advance on the dazed Sky Dragon Slyer, red eyes lit up in ecstasy and a maddened grin on his face.

-With Erza-

Erza was cutting her way through a group of Grimoire mages as she made her way to the high concentration of magic near her. Dispatching the last mage, Erza saw a massive tower of flames exploding from the area where the high concentration of magic was. She was about to move in when Evergreen came flying towards her, badly wounded.

"Evergreen?" Erza exclaimed as she caught the Fairy Magic-user and gently sat her on the ground.

"Erza, I would have never thought the day would come when I was actually glad to see you," Evergreen said with relief in her voice.

"What happened here?" Erza demanded as she held her sword tightly in her hand, ready for when whoever attacked Evergreen showed up.

"Way too much to tell you the full story right now, but what's important is that one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory of Grimoire Heart named Azuma is here and even though I hate to admit it, he is too much for me to handle alone," Evergreen said just as a dark-skinned man walked out of the woods.

"Now this is someone I do indeed recognise, Titania, queen of the Fairies. Yes, you will prove to be a worthy opponent," Azuma said with a grin forming on his face which had been mostly emotionless up to this point. A massive amount of power started rolling off him.

"Ever, I will only say this once. Retreat to base camp, once you are there signal the retreat and rally flare. The Seven Kin of Purgatory might be too much for some of the mages we have here so it will be best to fight as one. I will buy you time," Erza said in a serious tone.

Evergreen wanted to object but one look at the serious expression on Erza's face along with her tone told her all she needed to know. Victory wasn't assured and with Evergreen already in a wounded state, trying to defend her while battling Azuma would prove to be a disadvantage.

"Fine, I'll do it for the other guild members, but I won't just sit and wait, I'll go and help whoever is near," Evergreen said as she started to retreat. The guild had to be placed above her pride this time and Wendy was still unaccounted which caused Evergreen much more concern than she would openly admit to the rest of the guild.

Erza was on edge and ready to jump if Azuma wanted to attack Evergreen as she retreated but she was surprised that he seemed to have forgotten about her completely.

"You will soon realise the fatal mistake you made when you decided to attack Fairy Tail," Erza growled as she readied her sword for combat.

-With Gildarts-

Gildarts was running through the woods to where he last felt Makarov's power spike. Normally, he wouldn't rush in to interfere with Makarov's fights because he knew the power Makarov held, but something was wrong. He felt the unmistakable aura of Makarov's Fairy Law spiking near the shore of the island, but what concerned him was the magical aura of another spell that was eerily similar to the legendary spell, though the other spell, instead of protruding a warm and protective aura, it had a chilling aura filled with malice and darkness.

Whatever that spell was caused Makarov to cancel Fairy Law and subsequently the power that his giant form radiated disappeared. One thing was abundantly clear though, whoever it was that Makarov had faced, was a powerful foe indeed.

Gildarts was closing in on the position where Makarov was when he saw a bright pillar of light shoot up into the sky quickly followed by a purple ray of light. A battle was underway. Gildarts quickened his pace even further once he felt an unusual gravitational pressure descended on the area alongside another magical signature alongside Makarov's and his opponent.

Reaching a destroyed section of the island, Gildarts saw Makarov battling an old man with long white hair and a middle-aged man with extremely long dark hair done in a ponytail. Not waiting any time, Gildarts dashed to the enemy closest to him, the middle-aged man.

Landing a heavy blow to the side of the man's face, Gildarts sent his opponent barrelling into the other enemy. All three of the combatants were surprised by his arrival with one of them feeling relief flood his system.

"Now, would you be so kind as to tell me why you would dare interrupt our young wizards when they are pouring everything they have into this trial?" Gildarts growled as he stood beside Makarov.

"Be careful Gildarts, before us stand two powerful foes. The second Master of Fairy Tail, Master Precht or as he now refers to himself as, Hades, who turned his back on the light and another mage I don't yet know. Though they both are powerful as you can surely tell," Makarov informed his Ace.

"I thank you for the introduction Boy, and this man here is the Second in Command of Grimoire Heart, Bluenote Stinger. I must say what a collection of mages we have here. Fifth Wizard Saint Makarov and the Ace of Fairy Tail, Gildarts Clive against myself and the most powerful wizard under me," Hades said with a grin.

"I have heard of you, Gildarts Clive. Yes, this will be a worthy battle. Now I wonder, can you fly?" Bluenote spoke in a tone devoid of emotion, his face blank.

The battlefield the four powerful mages now occupied became deathly silent, not even the sound of a breeze blowing through the undergrowth could be heard. Then the ground started to tremble as all four combatants started releasing their magical power. Two purple pillars of power, one mixing with black shot up from the two Grimoire Heart mages while a golden pillar and a pure white one rose from the side of the two Fairy Tail mages. The ground shattered around the four mages, creating a crater that looked like a rough colosseum around them.

A flash of white energy signalled the start of the battle as the pillars of power from the combatants vanished and Gildarts appeared in front of Bluenote, his fist ready for another devastating punch. Bluenote was able to raise some semblance of a guard this time as he blocked the blow but was still sent skidding backwards.

Following his ace's lead, Makarov prepared his first spell of this fight. "Rain of Light" Makarov called out as three separate magic seals formed in front of him and released a barrage of light blasts towards Hades.

Not allowing himself to be outdone, Hades held his hand above his head and callout out "Converting Absorption" moments before the barrage of light hit him and formed a dark purple dome above his head. The dome absorbed the blasts of light and converted them into a ball of darkness. Bringing his hand down, Hades fired the ball of darkness towards Makarov who promptly jumped backwards to avoid the attack.

Bluenote recovered from Gildarts' blow and raised his hand toward Gildarts, sending a burst of his Gravity Magic to the ground below him. A large slab of the earth beneath Gildarts detached and flipped over, though before Bluenote could smash the slab into the ground, a white grid formed all over the slab and moments later the solid piece of earth exploded into multiple small cubes.

Gildarts used a larger piece of earth he still left intact to push off from and honed in on Bluenote's position, fist cocked back. Bluenote launched himself towards the approaching Gildarts with the aid of his Gravity Magic and met the Fairy Tail Ace. The clash of fists sent a massive shockwave outwards, uprooting the trees in the surrounding area and destroying even more of the ground in the crater.

Hades used the flying debris as cover while he readied his next attack. Makarov had little time to react when Hades called out "Amaterasu Formula 28" and a set of purple magic seals formed around Makarov. With little time to form a defence, Makarov called out "Giant's Guard" and enlarged his forearms just in time to create a barrier against the powerful spell.

"You impress me, Boy, I never would have thought you could defend against an Amaterasu formula so easily," Hades taunted while he made a finger gun with his hand.

"I will show you the error in your ways Second Master, for as you had taught me, the light will always burn away the dark," Makarov replied, ignoring the constant derogatory 'Boy' Hades referred to him as. "Three Elemental Barrage" Makarov called out as he brought his hand from above his head downward in front of him. Three magic circles formed around Hades as a barrage of fire, ice and wind rained down on him.

With the hand he didn't form a finger gun with, Hades raised a guard against the barrage of elemental magic while calling out "Chain-link Hold" creating a chainmail-like shield that prevented the ice and most of the fire from harming him, but the barrage of wind managed to bypass this defence.

With a grunt, Hades went on the counter. "Piercing Bullet" Hades called out and a purple light formed on the tip of his finger gun. The thin beam of magic rushed towards Makarov and easily pierced the light barrier Makarov erected, piercing his left arm in a splatter of blood.

Bluenote had gotten tired of the stalemate he and Gildarts found themselves in with just their hand-to-hand combat skills and retreated a few paces to begin a new assault. Lifting his hand in front of him, Bluenote said "Rise", and the debris from his clash with Gildarts all started to rise off the ground. Bluenote closed his fist while saying "And Crush". All of the flying debris came rushing towards Gildarts from all sides.

"Mizuwari" Gildarts shouted as he imbued his fist with Crash Magic and punching the ground beneath his feet. The ground instantly shattered from the physical force of the punch and newly shattered ground, now imbued with Crash Magic, formed a makeshift barrier around him, dismantling all the debris that was sent to crush him, rendering them useless specks of dust and grains of sand.

A rumble in the distance halted the battle for a moment as the combatants backed off from one another, Gildarts and Makarov getting a bad feeling about the origin of the rumble in their gut while Hades gained an evil grin.

"This is all but over now Boy. Honestly, it pains me to see Fairy Tail fall, but for our goal, it is a necessary evil," Hades said, a slight amount of regret in his voice, but the triumphant tone completely drowned it out.

A bright blue flare lit up the sky and caught the attention of Makarov and Gildarts. Their anxiety increased, in combination with Hades doing something that was clearly a detriment to the Fairy Tail mages, now Erza authorised a 'Retreat and regroup' flare.

"This has gone on long enough Master Precht," Makarov shouted in rage as his form rapidly grew. Bringing his massive fist down at incredible speeds, Makarov attempted to crush Hades in a fit of rage. Hades had trouble blocking the rage-filled barrage of strikes, but a quick cast of his 'Grimoire Chains', chaining Makarov to a tree gave him a moment's reprieve.

Bluenote watched curiously as Gildarts stood still, a scowl on his face but no movement to aid his Master. A curious act indeed.

As if things couldn't get worse, just as Makarov broke free from the binding chains, an overwhelming dark power rushed over them. Makarov shivered at the feeling of hopelessness and death the magic projected. Bluenote held his indifferent expression, but it was clear that his attention shifted from the Fairy Tail mages. Hades gained a gleeful expression as his eyes lit up.

Gildarts felt a power he felt before, one that brought him a massive amount of concern, his previously concentrated expression now being filled with worry.

"We have found him. He has awakened. The Ultimate Magic World is within our grasp," Hades shouted in delight as a triumphant laugh escaped him.

"What is this evil power?" Makarov wondered out loud.

"This, Boy, this is the power of Lord Zeref himself, the reawakened power of the great Black Wizard all of history feared," Hades gloated. Makarov and Gildarts both visibly flinched at the mention of the source of this power, but for slightly different reasons.

"It's time we move on Bluenote, without the power the Tenrou Tree grants them and Lord Zeref being reawakened, we can't waste any more time here," Hades said as a multitude of purple magic seals formed around Makarov and Gildarts. "Amaterasu Formula 100" Hades called out while Bluenote's eyes widened menacingly as he brought both his hands from above his head in a downward position and slammed them into the ground while calling out "Graviton Downfall".

A combination of the powerful shockwaves created by the Amaterasu Formula and the fluctuating gravitational forces from Bluenote's spell bombarded Makarova and Gildart's location with relentless force. A massive dome of destruction that could be seen from almost anywhere on the island was left as a result.

"Come Bluenote, for Zeref awaits," Hades commanded as he walked away from the destruction they had left. With a last glance at the remaining dome of debris, Bluenote followed Hades, leaving the two Fairy Tail mages to their fate.

The Grimoire Heart mages had left the scene long before the dust and debris settled, but once it did a series of broken magic seals and a dome of white magic energy underneath it was revealed.

"We need to hurry back to base camp, the first priority is the safety of the guild members, after that we can see how we will deal with Grimoire Heart and God forbid, Zeref," Makarov said in a laboured tone. The defensive seals he and cast weren't complete and if it wasn't for Gildarts' Crash Barrier, he would have surely been out of commission.

After not hearing a response from Gildarts, Makarov turned to look at him. The serious expression laced with worry didn't match his unresponsiveness, so Makarov gently nudged him.

"Let's go," Gildarts plainly said before starting to move towards the base camp. Makarov had a concerned expression with regards to the odd behaviour but decided to question Gildarts about it later since he knew that if it was important to the current situation, his Ace would immediately share it.

Gildarts' mind was filled with confusion. The power Hades said belonged to Zeref, the legendary Black Wizard, was frighteningly familiar to him. But coming across dark power wasn't anything that had concerned him in the past, no the concern he felt was directed at the mage he saw as a son, Natsu.

'How is it possible that the power of the Black Wizard is so similar to the darkness I sensed within Natsu,' Gildarts thought. He had no idea as to how the two were connected or as to how it was even possible. The norm was that Zeref perished hundreds of years ago, yet now Hades said he was reawakened. Was Zeref just in a hibernating state? And that boy he encountered earlier with the dark power, was it possible that he was none other than Zeref?

'Please Natsu, stay strong and in control of your power and emotion,' Gildarts thought as he remembered a conversation he had with a younger Natsu.

-Flashback-

A young Natsu was assaulting a large boulder in the middle of the woods with his fists lit up in flames, with tear stains on his cheek.

"Stupid Gray always saying I'm lying when I talk about Igneel. Stupid Erza, always beating me up when I fight with Gray and saying that guildmates shouldn't fight only to go and fight with Mira afterwards. Stupid Mira always teasing me when I talk about Igneel," Natsu sobbed out as he continued to pound away at the boulder.

It had been a year since Master Makarov had invited him to join Fairy Tail. Today, a full year had passed since he last saw Igneel and like most days when he talked about him, Gray was at the forefront of the group of kids who constantly denied the existence of Dragon. It was only Lisanna who believed him.

"I'll show them all. I will get so strong that they will have to listen to me," Natsu shouted as his sorrow turned to anger. This past year, Natsu had thought about leaving the guild multiple times, but only when he thought about Lisanna or Gildarts did he discard those ideas.

"I will grow stronger," Natsu shouted at the top of his lungs as a dark crimson flame formed around his fist just as he slammed it into the boulder. The boulder was completely destroyed and Natsu felt his consciousness leave him since he had used up all his magic reserves.

Just as Natsu lost consciousness, Gildarts walked into the clearing with a concerned expression. 'That power is one filled with darkness, but Natsu seemed to have tapped into it subconsciously. Does he know he possesses it?' Gildarts wondered as he knelt down beside the boy.

Placing a hand on Natsu's forehead and another on his stomach, Gildarts closed his eyes and concentrated on Natsu's magic core, the source of a mage's magic.

'Whatever that power is, it is separate from his Dragon Slayer Magic, yet it is still housed in the same container. It doesn't seem like any connection to this power had been made so that can only mean that something triggered it to flow out,' Gildarts summarised as he sat down next to Natsu's body.

"Your emotions are deeply connected to your magic Natsu, both your Fire Dragon Slayer Magic as well as this darkness," Gildarts mused to himself. Coming to a decision, Gildarts gently lifted Natsu up, and took him home with him. Once he arrived at his home, Gildarts placed Natsu on the bed and took a seat on the couch, waiting for the boy to wake up.

"What, where am I?" Natsu's confused and groggy voice sounded from the bedroom. Before the pink-haired boy ran out of the room with wide eyes.

"Good to see your up again Natsu," Gildarts greeted the boy with a grin.

"Gildarts? Wait what's going on?" Natsu exclaimed before calming down and asking his second question, feeling safe and more at ease with Gildarts around.

"I found you unconscious out in the woods, you used up all of your magic reserves, so I brought you to my home," Gildarts explained. At the mention of the woods, Natsu's mind seemed to clear as he remembered what caused him to be there. Gildarts saw the hyperactive Dragon Slayer's expression settle into a sad one, something that just didn't fit the jubilant boy.

"Want to talk about it?" Gildarts asked as he motioned to the open spot on the couch next to him. Natsu hesitated for a moment, seemingly weighing his option before he let out a sigh and took a seat next to Gildarts.

The next few minutes consisted of Natsu telling Gildarts about how the guild never believed him about Igneel and how they would deny his existence. Gildarts knew the boy was proud to call himself the Son of Igneel, and by people denying his existence was similar to them denying a part of Natsu himself. Tears started to flow from Natsu's eyes as he mentioned that he hadn't seen Igneel in a whole year.

"Natsu, I know things seem bleak now but remember that there are those who already believe you. I know little Lisanna believes you, the same goes for me. Look at it this way, no one at the guild had ever seen something like a Dragon so to them it seems unbelievable, but I have seen so many things in this world that I'm sure Dragons exists, maybe not around here anymore but I do believe they are out there. Don't blame them for their inexperience Natsu," Gildarts comforted the boy.

"I know, but when everyone always calls me a liar and stuff like that, I just get so frustrated," Natsu sighed.

"I know Natsu. But the thing with mages like you and myself is that we need to be in control of our emotions, and we shouldn't allow our emotions to control us," Gildarts started.

"But Igneel always told me my power comes from my emotions?" Natsu interrupted Gildarts with a confused expression.

"And he was correct, but let me finish before you interrupt again," Gildarts said before keeping eye contact with Natsu to ensure he understood to wait until he was done. After getting a nod from the boy Gildarts continued.

"Like I said we should control our emotions, and we shouldn't allow them to control us. Take me for example, I need to keep my emotions under control unless I want my Crash magic to lash out at everything and everyone around me. This doesn't mean I need to bury my emotions. The same goes for you, your power can increase alongside your emotional state. Now the danger that can come with this is if you get angry at someone in the guild, say for instance Gray, and you allow your anger to control you, then you might end up really hurting Gray or even killing him depending on the situation," Gildarts explained. At the last part of his explanation, Natsu gained a horrified expression.

"I don't want that to happen. Sure Gray can be annoying sometimes but I would never want to hurt him really bad or even worse," Natsu said in a frightened voice.

"That is why it is so important for us to control our emotions. I know this will be difficult, but I will help you in any way I can. The best way to control your emotions is to think about why you feel these emotions, then you need to think about appropriate responses with a logical mind. This is the easiest part, to be honest. When things really get hard is in the moment. If someone does something to anger you, you need to be able to channel those emotions of anger, but instead of releasing them, you need to regulate them, accept them and ultimately, harness them. Once you can truly harness your emotion you will be a force to be reckoned with. Remember emotions aren't evil. Anger comes from being wronged, but allowing it to morph into hatred is not regulating your anger. Fear isn't evil, it's an emotion we feel that shows us our limits, it shows us what we need to improve on. Fear is a teacher that wants us to overcome it," Gildarts concluded his explanation.

"So, I can get stronger if I can control my emotions?" Natsu asked.

"Yes, and once you gain that strength Natsu, I will be waiting for you," Gildarts said with a proud fatherly smile.

'Control your emotions Natsu, and learn to control the darkness within you, turn it to work in your favour as you walk on the bright path the future has in store for you,' Gildarts thought to himself.

-End of Flashback/With Natsu-

Natsu stared at the orb of crimson flames in his hand as he thought back to the conversation he had with Gildarts all those years back. 'Is this what you meant by controlling my emotions Gildarts?' Natsu thought to himself.

He quickly realised that the source behind these powerful flames could be found in his lust for battle and the raw emotions of anger and joy that he associated with it, and only recently was he able to control the excitement he usually felt in battle enough to form a stable ball of flames if he was completely focused on his emotions. If his focus was to drop for a moment, then the flames would become wild and uncontrollable before blowing up in his face and damaging everything around him.

Natsu had decided to take his training to the outskirts of the town after he almost burnt down a house and nearly injured Lisanna who was meditating alongside him.

There was still a long road ahead of him before he could say he was in control of the flames and an even longer road before he could comfortably use it in battle.

"I will learn how to use these flames, and then I will show you just how strong I have gotten Gildarts," Natsu softly declared with a soft smile as he closed his and extinguished the flame.

Hey everyone, I'm so sorry this is coming out late, but I had some internet problems over the weekend which caused the slight delay. Anyway, the next chapter will be the final one for this arc and then after that comes what happens during the Seven-year time skip. During the time skip, I will be introducing the OC's that will join Griffin's Heaven. Now I haven't decided on exactly how many OC's I will have but the absolute max will be six and not all of them will always be at the forefront of the story, that will depend on how I write things. Leave a review with your thoughts about the chapter and I will see you all in the next one.