Thanks for all of your support! It means a lot to me ️

A small fun fact about this chapter. Originally, it was supposed to be chapter 5 but then Igneel's flashback literally exploded and I had to push it back over and over again. So glad that I can finally share it with you guys. Enjoy!

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Weapons clashed against each other and when they shattered, their wielders threw them away and used their fists to beat each other to death. Elsewhere on the battlefield, similar fights took place albeit there the opponents fought each other with their respectively magic. All different kinds of spells were cast, the cruelty and brutality only increasing no matter how many found their bloody end in the raging inferno of war only to be replaced by a new set of warriors throttling the life out of each other. This grotesque scene was hell incarnated and brought forth by the madness of the world. It corrupted a once innocent boy into a twisted shadow of himself. No longer was he able to have a single clear thought for himself as the curse of contradiction was weighing heavily upon his shoulders.

He had only wished to restore the happiness he had lost four hundred years ago during a tragic event that would change the course of the world. The scars from that day never healed but the young boy pushed forward, using the genius mind he had been gifted with at birth alongside the teachings of the man he desired to be. The boy has been always looking up to the tall man that was his father and still did so in the depths of his soul, albeit this part of him was sealed due to the curse and beyond his access. Many years had passed and he had become a sorcerer without rival. Maybe he has even become the mightiest human, who has ever walked across the lands of Earthland.

He was the emperor of a vast empire, one of the mightiest states in the world. Under his rule, the gigantic Alvarez empire prospered and obtained enough power to even challenge the scourge of the world, the King of Dragons Acnologia himself, a legend of the past and the present. But he himself was also one, a walking legend, one of the few authors of the world's history. He was none other than the Black Mage Zeref. If Acnologia is considered to be despair, then he is demise incarnated. One word from him and his army will conquer the world for him but he never held any interest in such a meaningless possession. There was only one thing he wanted, one aspect he wished to tear apart from the world and keep all of it to himself, one emotion he desired with his heart and soul.

Love. To be loved and to love as well. Simple yet so fulfilling. He has known it well and in fact, he did so two times in the past and both times he lost the love he had found. His entire being was shattered two times and his heart broken two times as well. The world truly was a cruel place to live in but Zeref knew it was worth it if only one was embraced tightly by the warmth only love could offer. Therefore his armies marched, they marched for the sake of love even though they didn't know. He would obtain the Fairy's Heart and turn back time. Further, with the knowledge of today, he would assure an age of peace by pulling out the roots of evil. This way he would make amends for the atrocities he committed in the present. Horrific it might be but sometimes a bone needs to be broken before it can grow back together in the rightful order.

Above the battlefield, he waited for the message that Fairy Heart was captured and secured. He has waited for so long so a bit more would do not make a difference. He was surrounded by a simple building, mostly formed from wood. He sat in the vast main room at one of the many tables. It was the place where fairies dwelled, their home where the sweet creatures lived their happy and joyous life. He was called an ugly demon and looked so out of place, being the evil invader in this divine land but he could merely chuckle about this false view. He was not a demon but an ugly fairy, a Spriggan. However, a Spriggan is also a fairy so he was not an uninvited guest but a lost child that had finally found his way back home, to Fairy Tail.

Fairy Tail is an embodiment and the very definition of family and maybe it was because of this, that the ebony-haired male was overcome by drowsiness. He tried to resist the urge to give in to the welcoming and inviting sensation but his battle was lost before it had even begun. His body slumped forward and his head came to rest upon his folded arms. The trumpets of victory sounded within his mind, called forth by his unconsciousness. All seals became momentarily undone and everything, that had been locked away for so long, flooded back to its rightful place. Soft snores could be heard as the mighty black mage had fallen asleep. He looked so innocent and peaceful as his sharp features softened. This retreat revealed the still existing boy within him once more to the world. He's the emperor of an empire and an infamous black mage but he never cared for titles such as these.

He only ever cared, that he is Zeref Dragneel. And this is his story, the story that changed the world.

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The soft rays of the sun caressed his face. The spiky heads of the grass tickled his pale skin but he didn't find it in himself to scratch the itching portions of his largest organ or even care. He was content to just lay here all day long and let his body soak in the beams of light from above. He let a happy sigh pass his lips, sinking deeper into the wonderful sensations to enjoy them to their full extent as the wind softly played with his black locks.

With no cloud tainting the skies and only a soft breeze blowing across the wide fields it was the definition written down in books of how a beautiful and peaceful summer day must look like. Not too hot and not too cold. There is nothing that could disturb this little image of heaven.

Even better he could enjoy this every day since his home was close by, located in the dimmed shadows of a valley. The path up here is a bit dangerous but he could manage this more than fine since he ventured almost every day up here.

His father had shown him how to climb up here safely and since he learned fast was soon allowed to do the trip on his own much to the dismay of his mother. Luckily his father knew the buttons of his wife too well so everything it took to get her permission was a wide, toothy smile accompanied by his own, smaller version. The double pack of pearly white teeth did wonders and maybe they should make use of it more often. And while they are already at it they might as well make it a triple pack.

Himself, his little brother and their father all smiling at the only woman in the household. Surely she won't be able to block this onslaught of happiness. If that shouldn't do the trick they can always add their puppy eyes on top. With that they will always end up victorious, he's sure of it. And if everything should prove inefficient his papa will find a way to turn the tables.

In moments like these, he realises just how much of a happy family they are. They don't have arguments, there's no sign of strife and no discussions either. Nothing negative at all. Instead, there's always an everlasting gentle warmth surrounding all of them at home and just thinking about it makes a smile appear on his lips.

He couldn't be more fortunate to have been born as Zeref Dragneel. He doubts his life would be this full of love had he been born as someone else. The weather of today portrays his family situation perfectly. For him, every day is like this inside of his heart and he hopes this will continue for eternity. Only his mom, his dad, his little brother and him. It sounds nice, really nice and turned his smile even brighter.

One of his eyes opened lazily. Even though it was midday he was tired. The warmth emitting from the faraway sun lulled him into a soft sleep. He raised his right hand to shield his vision from the brightness. He watched as the light made his hand slightly lucid. As his palm turned into a mixture of red and orange hues he thought about his brother. Seeing the sun and feeling its warmth always reminds him of the little tyke. Zeref's older by two years than him and at first glance, they don't seem like brothers at all.

His brother is basically a smaller version of their father in terms of outer appearance. Spiky pinkish hair, pointy eyes and tan skin. If he grows up they will look like twins and knowing their characters they are going to use this to the best of their abilities. Further, he's lively and usually in action if he's not sleeping which often sound more like a dragon snoring somewhere nearby. He can't help the small chuckle escaping his lips at that thought. He can't lean back and simply enjoy life for once but instead needs always something to do. Sometimes Zeref wonders from where he gets all this energy.

Compared to that he himself is the complete opposite. His hair is raven black and according to his father, this colour can only be seen in a starry full moon night kissed goodnight by the sun. His father always has these moments where he uses more poetry than actual language and given his physical appearance it's hilarious to hear words like these from him. In all honesty, his dad looks more like a thug than a poet.

And speaking of the moon, his skin is just as pale as the large orb dominating the heavens during the night after the blazing sun had left the heavenly theatre. Once he was unsure how he should feel about his brother but it was his dad who helped the young boy to figure out his worries have been for nought.

As distant as they may be, sun and moon are one and the same after all, connected by the source of everlasting radiance. And if they should ever fall apart it will be light that will connect them once again. His black orbs starring into the wide sky closed again and the smile plastered on his face grew bigger and more toothy.

His dad somehow always knows how to cheer him up, even if it's from his memories. He's so young yet he holds a pearl of wisdom larger than even the accumulated content of all his books united together. But as much as he loves his father and little brother there's one thing that irks him greatly.

Unlike the other males in the family, his locks don't defy gravity except a few spikes sitting atop the middle of his head to whom his father and brother – much to his displeasure – refer to as an antenna. Sometimes they even ask him whether they should help him with the alignment or not. Only thinking about is enough for irking marks to appear on his forehead but the collected black-haired boy calmed down soon enough. But calling forth all of the members of the Dragneel household forces him to think back to that one time.

Then and there he was distressed about the missing familiarities between him and the rest of his family, so much that he even thought he might not be related by blood with them. He didn't understand why but one day his father was suddenly crouching down in front of him out of nowhere in their home and unlike usual his expression had shifted from gentle to the one Zeref likes to call The Perfect Poker Pace.

Every last emotion vanishes from his face when he puts on this mask and it becomes impossible to tell what's going inside of him. However it's safe to assume that something has to be amiss, otherwise, there wouldn't be the need for the shift, and when his father asked him what causes his inner turmoil Zeref realised he himself was the reason.

Totally caught by surprise and nervous from the emotionless yet intensive stare from his father, Zeref stuttered at first before he forced an 'I'm fine' out. A lie naturally and one that was apparently, not very convincing because his father narrowed his gleaming red eyes dangerously and in the next moment pulled Zeref's cheeks all ways possible.

"Ow... ouch! Stop that dad! It hurts! Ow! Stop this already!" Zeref voiced his protest as small tears formed in his eyes from the stinging sensation and tried to somehow release his cheeks from the painful iron tight grip his father had on them but failed miserably. His father didn't let go though and continued his assault relentless and only stopped when Zeref's cheeks had become numb.

The moment his father's hands left his reddened cheeks he replaced them with his own and started rubbing them, trying to soothe some feeling back into them. He glared at his dad who was calmly watching him again. Zeref couldn't bear the awkward silence so he decided to break it.

"That was too much, dad." he pouted, still rubbing his sore cheeks.

"You deserved that, Zeref. That's what you get for lying to me. Also, stop pouting."

Zeref looked to the side. No matter what happens, it seems there's nothing he can hide from his father's all-seeing perception. Whether it's physically or mentally isn't a criterion either.

"I'm not pouting." Zeref grumbled as he returned his gaze to his father.

"Yes, you are."

"Am not."

"You are."

"Am not!"

"You are."

"AM NOT!" he shouted this time and regret immediately washed over as shock did as well. Did he just really just scream at his father? He looked to the side again. He was ashamed of his own behaviour and didn't dare to meet his father's stare he still could feel on him, too afraid of what he would find there.

Only when a large palm was suddenly placed on top of his head and ruffled his hair did he look back. Instead of sadness or anger, there was only the typical gentleness in his father's expression as a small smile had formed on his lips as well. He was neither mad nor disappointed but somehow it made Zeref feel even worse than before because his dad didn't deserve this. But before Zeref could indulge deeper into his growing self loath his father spoke up again.

"Zeref, let me rephrase my initial question. Is something bugging you?" Both of them knew the answer already even though it was still unspoken. Also, he doesn't need to voice out his problem if he's questioned like that. A simple yes or no will suffice and he can keep the cause for his distress himself.

No matter what happens, his dad is always looking out for the feelings of the people around him. Whether he does so intentionally or unconsciously can probably only be answered by himself. Still, this out looking persona of his father was pulling him in like a strong magnet and before he realised it himself his answer was already vibrating in the air, while his gaze wandered sideways to the ground once again.

"Yes..." It was barely forceful enough to count as a faint whisper. The keen ears of his father however picked it up nevertheless. The lingering small smile on his face morphed into its larger and toothier version after hearing his son's response.

"See? That wasn't so difficult now, right? You can do it if you just want to. Besides, being honest with yourself about your own emotions is not a sign of weakness. It's the opposite. Voicing out your problems and henceforth admitting something is not perfect is a sign of strength. After all, you can only start fixing the problem when you have identified it beforehand. Especially if you have people around you whom you trust from the bottom of your heart. So answer me Zeref. Do you trust me?"

Absorbing every word of his father's lecture Zeref stared at the man in front of him in awe. It's not the first time that his father suddenly started to give him an elongated explanation, with every word fulfilling its own carefully chosen purpose for the greater cause.

It's outstanding and equally marvellous. Despite his young age he always acts with such grace and wisdom that Zeref has never seen or read about anywhere. It felt like the crystallised behaviour from centuries of life but that couldn't be possible. After all, a human could never live this long.

Instead of giving an audible answer, Zeref let his actions speak as he jumped into his father's chest. His protective arms immediately embraced him and pulled him closer. Small tears formed in Zeref's eyes, when he remembered his earlier outburst.

"I'm sorry for shouting at you..." he mumbled into the warm skin surrounding him. In response his father fastened his hold on him, signalling that he heard the apology.

"Don't sweat it Zeref. That's why I'm here. To look after you and make sure that you grow up into a fine man. From time to time you have to get it out of your system before it gets better. So if you think you are ready to tell me what's bugging you don't be afraid to speak with me. I'll be waiting. Okay?"

"Okay..."

'I've got the best dad in the whole world,' he silently thought to himself while he buried his face deeper into his father's chest, inhaling his scent and relishing in the heat and love he emits constantly. And as much as he didn't want to, he couldn't help the toothy smile identical to the man hugging him right now and by the small chuckle right above his head, he was certain his father could feel it with his skin.

They stayed like this a little longer before his dad released him upon hearing his wife calling for him. Zeref returned to his room, wanting to finish the adventure book he has started a few days ago and was the best he had read so far. Also, he had made his resolution. The aching inside his young heart has vanished completely during the conversation with his father. He didn't care about it anymore. It was just out of curiosity now and when today's supper's finished he will ask about it.

Opening the door to his room he found his thoughts and attention instantly drawn elsewhere. He is not one of these perfectly organised children who do everything on their own accord. He needs a little kick up his behind to get things done so when his mother asked him this morning with her customized death glare to clean up his room he started right away, not daring to oppose her. It took him two full hours before had sorted everything.

His books were back in the cupboard, neatly organised in alphabetical order. The notes he has written about them, containing information he deemed important for later, were collected in one place and stacked. His toys were stored away to where they belonged. He even went so far as to dust his whole room and wipe the floor. When he was finished at last his personal space was sparkling in every corner and he could even see his own face on the ground. Satisfied with the results and quite proud of himself he called his mother to do the final check-up.

It took her only a glance before she praised him for his effort and as a reward, he could choose tomorrow's menu causing him to bless the world with one of his rare smiles.

The current state of affairs inside his chamber however was not how he remembered when he left. In fact, it looked even worse than before! Books were strewn everywhere and from what he could see some of the pages had ripped out of them. His memos shared the same fate but to make things even worse they were covered in unrecognizable scribbles. And most of his toys were broken and unusable now.

It looked like some sort of wild animal had wreaked havoc but he knew that wasn't the case. It was something even worse. The culprit behind this mess was still in the room, not even trying to hide his presence as Zeref's ears picked up the delighted giggles. The responsible's location was also easily identified with the comforters on Zeref's bed moving in wild motions from one side to the other until a small head adored by pink spikes peeked out from underneath them.

Said person saw Zeref and spouted the biggest smile he could muster all the while he continued to giggle and showed no sign of stopping any time soon.

"Zeref!" he exclaimed happily "It was so borrowing without you! Let's play!"

Small veins formed on Zeref's forehead. Of course, it would be him. The only one capable of such devastation is his little brother.

"Natsu" Zeref growled calmer than he expected as his facial features were hidden beneath his black bangs "Do you know how long it took to clean my room? Mom's gonna kill me!"

Completely obvious to his big brother's growing anger about the mess he has created the young boy still giggled and tried to persuade his older brother for attention.

"How about catch? Let's play catch, okay!? This would be so cool!" Much to his displeasure his older brother didn't make a move and stayed where he was. So boring! He waited a little longer but nothing happened. Apparently, his brother was a lame-duck again today but he can deal with it! He knows how to keep himself busy and if everything else should fail as well he still has his father left.

Returning to his prior actions caused Zeref to gasp and his eyes to bulge after he saw what exactly his little brother was doing. One of his hands was equipped with a permanent marker, the other flipping through the pages of a book until he stopped and started to draw unrecognisable figures on the pages with his tongue sticking out of his mouth in concentration.

This was not just any book but the one Zeref adored and hasn't finished yet. Now it was ruined for eternity. Before he realised what he was doing he had started to close the distance between him and his brother at a rapid pace. For the last quarter, he jumped high into the air and was ready to pounce onto the culprit.

"NATSU!"

Hearing his brother screaming his name, Natsu shifted his attention from the awesome drawing book he had found back to where had last seen his older brother. He was not here anymore. Confused he looked around but couldn't see his brother anywhere, at least not until a shadow from above made him look upwards. What he saw caused his giggles to erupt anew.

"So you want to play catch after all Zeref!" Natsu exclaimed giddily from happiness. He managed to roll out of the way just in time before Zeref crashed into the blanket fortress he had built. With the suddenly added weight, the whole bed shook and both of them bounced up and down.

Natsu was the first to reach the safe ground. The moment his small bare feet connected to the wooden floor he dashed away. Zeref was hot on his tail, his bare feet thundering across the floor as well.

"Catch me, Catch me, you lame duck! Catch me if you can, Zeref!"

"Come back here, Natsu!"

The whole house was filled with Natsu's happy and Zeref's angered shouts. Their mother working in the kitchen only sighed at the sudden noises. Those two come way too much after their father. Childish and always causing trouble. Basically, they are smaller versions of their dad. With Natsu, it's obvious and with Zeref as well if only you push the right buttons.

She won't complain though. After all, he is the man she has fallen in love with and showed her how bright this world can be. Having him multiple times around has some perks she admits with a soft smile on her lips.

It lasted until there was some sort of crashing sound coming from the living room. Alarmed she ran to the room next door and found both of their sons lying on their sides, pulling at each other's faces. Due to their little brawl, they had pushed against a table, housing an expensive vase.

It tumbled from side to side before the precious porcelain fell on the ground and broke into million pieces, effectively stopping Zeref and Natsu. Both of their faces went paler than snow and sweat started to cover their bodies when they realised what had happened.

That wasn't good. That wasn't good at all and they knew. To a certain someone, this ugly thing was very important.

"Oi..." a low voice seethed behind them. "What do you think you are doing?"

"Ahhhhh!" both, Natsu and Zeref screamed simultaneously, their faces mirroring nothing but fright as they ran away as fast as their legs could carry them. Their mother stormed after them, her blond hair flipping wildly as she was hot on the tails of her sons.

"Come back here you little shits!"

Meanwhile, their other parent was fast asleep on the couch, exhausted from whatever chore his wife had assigned to him when she called for him. He was not bothered by the increase in the volume at all and he simply continued to lazy around.

That however didn't last for long because his frighted sons decided in their panic to jump over the couch on their escape from the furious woman chasing after them. But since they were so small they needed more than one jump to cross the hindrance.

This resulted in them jumping on their dad's stomach, ripping him effectively from his peaceful slumber. His eyes almost popped out of their sockets as he withered in agony and groaned when his sons dug their heels into his belly and jumped off. Unfortunately for the poor man his wife was right behind them and had decided to use the same path as her sons and crossed the couch with a side jump.

The poor man couldn't even react before both knees of his wife made harsh contact with his face and knocked him out cold as he tumbled on the ground and didn't move anymore.

"Dad's dead! Dad's dead!" Natsu screamed horrified at the sight.

"We can worry later about him. First, we gotta escape!" Zeref responded, pulling Natsu by his arm away from the scene.

"Stop running already! I will catch you one way or another anyway!" their mother screamed, unbothered by her husband's sorry state she was responsible for.

The chase lasted a few minutes longer until their mother ultimately caught them. Both of them ended up with a large and aching bump on their heads and joined their father in his knocked out state. It was not the first time this has happened and it wouldn't be the last.

In other words a totally normal day in the Dragneel household.

Zeref still thinks often about this day because of the conversation he had with his dad. Even though it's out of pure curiosity now he still hasn't found the resolve to ask whether there is a blood relationship between him and the other family members. He wondered how to possibly best ask this.

Lost in his own world for the moment, Zeref didn't notice a certain small ball of energy sneaking up on him. Mischief was written all over his small face and he giggled impishly the whole time. This is a perfect opportunity for him!

"Chance!" he suddenly screamed.

Taking a run-up, he dashed forward and bounced off the ground towards the young boy resting on top of the grass.

"Zeref, I've Found You!"

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Did any of you expect I would include the original Dragneel household into the story? Aside from a few fan mangas on youtube, there's basically nothing. Sure, there are stories with this aspect but Igneel is always the father. Back then when it was released in the manga I was awestruck by this specific scene because for the first time in his life Natsu saw his real parents or rather remembered them. I was sad about the fact that that was everything we got from them. There is so much potential how it could have affected both Natsu and Zeref but like many other things as well it was simply dropped and never picked up again.

Well, but that's what we fanfiction writers are there for 😁

And just so we are on the same page I didn't write this scene only for the fact of introducing Zeref's and Natus's parents. I hope you are diligently connecting all the hints I have revealed so far because the truth is not far away anymore :D

Also, don't be shy about sharing your opinion with me. It's always a pleasure to hear you guys' thoughts 😁