Fiore Academy
Chapter 24 – The Lord of Death
Authors' Note – Hey guys, back with another chapter, and at least this one didn't take anywhere near as long to upload as the latest previous chapters… so there's a bonus. Regarding the title of this chapter, I would like to clarify something about Hades which I feel a lot of you are getting confused about. The Hades in this series is not based upon the character itself in Fairy Tail, the second master of Fairy Tail, Precht. It is however, based on the Hades of Greek Mythology, whom I have decided to view as a child-like figure… who is really thousands of years old. Anyway, that aside, I hope you enjoy the chapter, because guess what? It's a long one… at least for me, because there are some crazy authors on this site who basically write a book for each of their chapters… it amazes me.
With the sun struggling to shed its light across the horizon as it sets, everyone had gathered within the Lesser Dining Hall to have dinner. At first, there was a large argument that had ensued, as to who should be allowed to sit next to Natsu, which was quickly overturned by Katherine.
Now, with Natsu sitting at the Head of the table, with Zeref to his left, and Katherine to his right, they all enjoyed their dinner.
In the memory of the Dragneel Family, they could not recall the Lesser Dining Hall to be so occupied. On the left side, starting with Zeref, it went Virgo, Ultear and Kagura.
On the right side, starting with Katherine, it went Karen, Mirajane, Erza and Hisui.
The meal was plentiful if simple; roasted legs of ham and pork, coupled with bowls of boiled seasonal vegetables. The drinks went as wine for Zeref, Virgo and Katherine, to fruit juice for everyone else.
As Natsu took a sip from his own drink, he looked down the table, where everyone was eating, drinking, laughing and joking around. For most of his life, he had sat at this very table, where quiet conversations were laid out with the occasional joke. Not once, had he felt so happy to eat a meal at this table. It was as the saying went; food was more delicious when eaten with more people.
For the first time, he truly realised how happy he was.
With the plates cleaned of all food, the servants carried the dishes off to be cleaned.
"This is a strange feeling; having servants take care of everything" Mirajane smiled, stunned by this reality.
"I agree; though most here are by no means poor… most of us are not used to such a lifestyle" Erza smiled as she took a swig of her juice.
"Before we depart for the night, would anyone care for desert?" Katherine asked them all.
"I don't know, I'm feeling kind of full" Erza answered the lady of the house.
Katherine smiled an evil smile, "We're having cheesecake, as well as soufflé".
…
Later, in his room, Natsu stared out the window facing toward the entrance to the estate with a smile on his face. He always did enjoy the view from here, where he could stare at the sky, which was currently filled with thousands of stars, a beautiful mirage of light.
After dessert, Erza had to be carried off to her room to digest approximately a tonne of cheesecake and soufflé.
"I knew Erza loved cheesecake… but who knew she loved soufflé as well?" Natsu remarked to himself.
"It's a little known fact, but she actually loves it as much as cheesecake" a familiar voice said behind him, closing a door he hadn't heard opened.
Natsu smiled, "I didn't hear you come in Mira".
Turning around, Natsu came face to face with Mirajane, who met his gaze with an affectionate smile.
"Tonight was really good, wasn't it" Mirajane cheerily supplied as she walked to Natsu's side.
Taking her in an embrace, Natsu shared a deep seated kiss with his first girlfriend. He felt so content to hold her in his arms, and she felt content to melt against his chest and his lips.
When they separated, it was with audible breathlessness; they hadn't kissed for very long, but the others' passion drove the wind out of them.
Staring into each other's eyes, they could not hold back a giggle.
"It was a good night… one of the best I've had" Natsu declared.
Mirajane smiled, "Stick with us, and every night will be just like this one".
Smiling, Natsu reached down yet again to seize yet another kiss from Mirajane… but was interrupted by a knock at his door.
Pulling away reluctantly, with Mirajane still in his arms, Natsu called out, "Come in".
The door opens, and the last person either Natsu or Mirajane expected to enter… entered.
"Well aren't you two cosy" Mavis Vermillion spoke up with a raised eyebrow, "Hope I wasn't interrupting".
"You are" both Natsu and Mirajane replied with frowns.
Natsu was unaware as to what it was that Mavis disliked about him… but Mirajane knew herself.
"I guess it's a good thing that I don't really care if I interrupt you two… I needed to speak to you" Mavis said, facing Natsu.
"I thank you for your restraint" Natsu replies sarcastically, earning a smile from Mirajane.
The remark earned a smirk from Mavis.
"I dislike you, Natsu Dragneel… and for that, you dislike me… we both understand this much about each other…" at this, Mavis' face became more serious, "But I have been unable to find Katherine and your brother Zeref… and your father is out of the question naturally… so I fear it falls to you…"
"What falls to me?" Natsu asks, losing his sarcasm; he sensed there was something serious she had to say… something that deeply affected himself and those he cared for… it was a strange feeling…
"You are aware I have the ability to host gods and utilise their powers?" Mavis asks them, to which both Natsu and Mirajane nod, "Well sometimes they force me to host them, and earlier today… Delphi forced me to host her during my afternoon nap".
"Delphi? Who is that?" Mirajane asked.
But Natsu was frowning; he had learnt a lot of things in the Estate library as a child with nothing to do… and a certain section came to mind that brought alarms bells to his head when he heard that name.
"Delphi… Apollo's Oracle?" Natsu asked.
Mavis smirked, "I see you can read books… I give you far less credit than you deserve it seems… in reality however, she is a goddess".
"Oracle?" Mirajane asked, deeply confused.
"Apollo was a Greek God… and a lot of the Greek Gods and Goddesses had more than one domain in which they had control over" Natsu began to lecture, "Apollo for instance, was the God of Archery, Medicine, Poetry… and prophecy… and Delphi was his Oracle in the myths… the one who delivered his prophecies to mortal kind" Natsu finished his lecture.
"But in reality, she is the Goddess of prophecy" Mavis finished, "And when she possessed me… she forced me to see a vision… a prophecy…"
"What did you see?" Natsu asked; he could sense that something was wrong… and he was beginning to notice that it wasn't just…
"The Blight" Mavis began, "The Capital of the Blight, Elysium, known to Demons as the Heavenly Palace… a great battle takes place… you and your group are participant in this battle… and I remember now that there was another part of the vision… you… and Ultear… in chains…" Mavis suddenly clutched her head; recalling prophecies always gave her a headache.
Natsu was beginning to feel the hairs on the back of his neck begins rising… his alertness was skyrocketing… but he was barely listening to Mavis at this point…
"What are you talking about Mavis?" Mirajane asked the lithe girl, "Be more specific" Mirajane demanded.
"I'm trying to be… as detailed as I possibly can" Mavis clenched out through the pain of her headache.
"Why is it so dark outside?" Natsu muttered loud enough for the girls to hear him.
The girls looked at him, as he stared out his window; the stars were gone and he couldn't see further than a hundred yards past the front of the Estate.
"What the…?" Mirajane muttered.
Suddenly, Natsu sensed a tremendous amount of magical pressure, and the next thing he saw was a skeletal arm as long the estate, wielding an axe as large as the Estate, spring from the darkness.
It swung, cleaving through the magical barrier that defended the Estate like it wasn't even there… and cleaved through the second story of the estate… the floor that Natsu and everyone else, were currently residing.
Natsu had only enough reaction time for one spell before the world around him erupted in splintered wood and shattered stone… he hoped it was enough.
…
With Erza passed out on her bed, the other girls took in their lodgings.
The girls were given a suite within the Estate on the second floor. The main door led to a common area that contained comfortable sofas, a large television and a large marble fireplace.
Coming off the common area, were six doors, three on each side, that led to individual rooms identical to all the others. The main room of each one had a canopied bed along with bedside drawers, as well as a television on a wall mount. Each room also had its own walk-in wardrobe and a personal ensuite complete with all the essentials.
As Erza laid down in her bed in her own room, everyone else was gathered around her; Katherine, Karen, Hisui, Virgo, Kagura and Ultear.
Currently however, Hisui was causing a fit.
"I see no reason why I should be placed in these quarters; I want to be with Natsu!" Hisui demanded for the umpteenth time since they arrived in the suite.
Katherine smiled coldly at Hisui as she said, "As I have said numerous times Hisui, I'm sure all of you feel the same way, and though I have no qualms about you wanting to engage in 'physical activities' with Natsu, the simple fact of the matter is that Natsu's bed isn't large enough for all of you".
"Then I'll be the only one!" Hisui argued back.
Katherine shook her head, "That would be very selfish of you Hisui; like I said, all of you would want to stay with Natsu, but all of you can't do so at the same time… it's called being fair to one another, and if you wish to be with Natsu, it also means you have to share him, and to share him, you have to be fair to the other girls involved".
Hisui, sulking, sat down on Erza's bed; she knew what Katherine said made sense… and though she hated it, she agreed with her.
"I don't have to like it though" Hisui pouted.
Katherine smiled more warmly at the girl this time, "You don't have to… but you do have to accept it".
The room went silent for a little while, before Kagura spoke up.
"Where did Mirajane go, exactly?" Kagura asked for a change of topic.
"I believe she went to see Natsu" Katherine replied.
"I bet she's trying to put the moves on Onii-chan" Karen gritted her teeth.
"When you turn sixteen, you can feel free to put the moves on him yourself" Katherine replied with her cold smile.
"What about Zeref?" Hisui asked, "Is he with Natsu as well?"
"He went off to check the Estate's perimeter; we are not excluded from the possibility of attack from potential threats such as assassins and other such Ilk" Katherine replied and pursed her lips, "Also, with the Eclipse Gates so close to opening… there's always a possibility a tear may appear nearby, allowing small forces of demons to attack".
"You mean a Demon attack is already a possibility?" Erza spoke up, and everyone turned to the scarlet knight.
"Erza-nee!" Kagura exclaimed happily, immediately reaching her beloved senpai's side, to embrace her.
"Enough Kagura" Erza scolded her Kouhai; though they were in the same year, it was how they both saw each other.
"I was so worried!" Kagura continued to snuggle up against Erza.
Erza sighed, "It was only a stomach ache; I simply ate too much dessert".
"I would recommend you refrain from eating any cheesecake or soufflé any time soon" Virgo spoke up, which earned her a death glare from Erza.
"Don't ever say such blasphemous words ever again" Erza growled. Most would cower before her glare, but Virgo simply shrugged her shoulders, "Next time you have a stomach ache, I'll spend some time with Natsu then".
"What's that supposed to-" Erza began but was harshly interrupted by Katherine.
"Silence! All of you!" Katherine frantically yelled, pulling the girls gazes to her.
"What's the matter mother?" Karen asked with a frown.
Katherine could feel it; it was cold… a cold and menacing aura that pulled the hairs on the back of her neck.
"Something isn't right" Ultear spoke up from the corner she was standing in, for the first time letting herself be known and heard, "The atmosphere… it's…".
Katherine frowned, "All of you… if you have any defensive magic, use it now… if you don't, then pair with someone who does, because-"
They all felt it, the sudden surge in magical pressure… the feeling of something large descending upon them… the subtle hiss of a swung weapon.
Katherine cast her spell just in time before the world around her erupted in splintered wood and shattered stone… she hoped her spell was enough… she hoped her warning to the other girls, wasn't too late.
…
Hades smiled to himself from his vantage point overlooking the Dragneel Estate, as he watched the last of the light of the sun disappear behind the horizon, the world swallowed by suffocating darkness.
He looked up in the sky, where thousands of stars glittered brightly like thousands of diamonds collaged on a blanket of black.
He smiled at the sight; in the Blight, there was an endless sky just like this one… but it was nothing but a layer of smog… nothing bright and cheery for any of his kind to gaze upon at night.
It was for simple yet meaningful things like stars and a clear sky… that he loathed the Mortal Plain; why should such an inferior race like the humans, have the privilege to gaze upon such a sight as this… not just that, but take such a sight as this for granted.
He loathed all of them… but one day he knew… it would be his and all of Demon kinds' right to gaze upon this beautiful night sky… whereas the humans will be one of two things; extinct or enslaved.
That was the future… the future he would fight for with everything he had.
Standing up from where he sat, he gazed down at the Dragneel Estate; none of them had a care in the world… they felt safe and secure in this realm of peace and prosperity… little did they know that in a moment, he would bring their illusion to rubble.
"If you weren't looking at my home with such loathing eyes… I would've thought you were just an ordinary child enjoying this beautiful night" a voice behind Hades spoke softly.
Hades nearly flinched; he was caught off guard.
Turning calmly, Hades turned to the sight of a man in his early twenties, with jet black hair and soft facial features. But those onyx eyes… those eyes held no warmth or softness.
Hades gave a short laugh, "I apologise if I offended you; I'm just a poor boy from a poor family… I was simply jealous of your life…" Hades smiled, doing his best to deceive the man before him.
The man frowned at him, "Why try to deceive me; I know full well you are more than what meets the eye… who are you?"
Hades smiled innocently, "How rude of you, my mother always said that someone in your situation should provide their name first".
The man smiled coldly at him, "The way you speak and phrase your words… you're no child… but if you insist, then my name is Zeref Dragneel".
Hades lost his smile; so this was him… the man who was possibly his only true obstacle in this mission… the mission given to him by his King… a mission he refused to fail.
Hades regained his smile, "I see… the Black Dragon".
Zeref did not flinch at his title; it confirmed his growing suspicion of the 'boy'.
"Allow me to introduce myself then" Hades spoke with a small bow, "I am Hades, the Demon Lord of Death, sent by my King to retrieve two persons of interest… who are currently resided in your family's Estate".
Zeref frowned, "You're rather straight-forward; why bother to tell me what your objective is?" With these words, Zeref stretched out his hands, creating twin blades of black flame in his grasping hands.
"The answer is simple" Hades replied with a flick of his hand.
A sudden burst of magical pressure washed over Zeref… and out of nothing, a huge skeleton of a man appeared, wielding a massive axe.
The Skeleton swung back the axe, as Hades flicked his other hand, creating dozens of bone spears in mid-air.
As the Skeleton began to swing it's massive axe toward the Dragneel Estate, Zeref watched, knowing he should've restrained the 'boy' before speaking to him; there was nothing the Knight-Captain could do to stop this attack.
"I told you all of this… because I know either way, I will not fail" Hades finished his sentence as he flicked his hand, launching the spears at the speed of sound toward the Black Dragon… just as the Axe, cleaved through the Dragneel Estate, creating a sound to only be compared to an explosion.
In just a few moments, the peace and prosperity that those within the Estate had known for so long, had come as Hades had intended… to rubble.
…
There was a ringing in his ears; he wondered if he was still alive… he wondered if those he cared about were still alive.
With a groan, Natsu sat up and began to take in his surroundings, feeling like his body was going through shock… everything, all his senses, seemed to have dulled.
But second by second, things began to start getting clearer… and with every second, he began to realise just how terrible his surroundings were.
The first thing he took notice of, what a black half-sphere, surrounding himself, Mirajane and Mavis. He looked into the magic of this sphere and gritted his teeth.
"Again?" He thought to himself bitterly.
It seemed the shield he erected had not been enough… and with his life in danger, it seemed the Demon inside him was able to take control for a split second…
A split second to erect a shield in order to protect its host… or so was the thought process in Natsu's head.
Natsu turned to Mirajane, who still appeared to be unconscious, and immediately walked to her side as the black flame shield was dissipating.
Holding her head when he reached her, Natsu called her name.
"Mirajane… Mirajane… MIRA!" Natsu cried frantically.
"Calm yourself, It looks like she's still alive" a cold voice observed behind him.
Natsu turned to stare at the lithe form of Mavis Vermillion, picking herself up from the rubble, appearing a little dazed; he figured that's how he must look at this moment.
Hearing this, Natsu placed his hand over Mirajane's chest, above where her heart ought to be… and he felt it.
The regular beat of her beautiful heart.
"Thank goodness" Natsu sighed in relief.
"Now that we've confirmed that she is alive… perhaps we should begin evaluating what just happened… tell me, the magic power that was used… did you find it familiar?" Mavis spoke up, no longer dazed as she took in her surroundings.
"Familiar? Why should it?" Natsu asked the girl.
Mavis sighed, annoyed by his sometimes slow mind, "I am not asking if you know who cast that magic… I'm asking if you felt something familiar about it… it could be anything".
Natsu frowned… then gasped.
She was right… it was…
"Demons" Natsu muttered. He remembered the cold feeling, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up… that dark aura of power…
Mavis nodded, "Though if I were to guess, there's only one".
"I haven't heard of a Demon that appears as a large skeletal arm" Natsu frowned, picking Mirajane up into his arms.
"I believe there was a full skeleton actually… but that itself wasn't a Demon… it was the magic of the Demon itself… and based upon that information, I can only recall one Demon, a Demon Lord at that, who could do such a thing" Mavis evaluated.
Natsu continued to frown, and said, "I sometime forget you fought in the last war, the last time the Eclipse Gates opened".
Mavis nodded, "I know every single Demon Lord… all six of them, and those that are within their faction" Mavis turned to Natsu, "Luckily for us, this Demon Lord only has himself and no one else".
"So we have one opponent, excellent" Natsu grinned; he could look all around, and see the devastation of his home… he wanted payback.
Plus, this Demon Lord could have hurt Mirajane and… and…
"What about the others?" Natsu asked himself aloud, shocked.
Call him a bad person, but that thought had only just now, truly come to his mind.
"I'm sure they're fine" Mavis answered, "They were all by no means weak… we should meet up with them… you may be strong, but without your Demon powers, you won't stand a chance against the Lord of Death".
"The Lord of Death?" Natsu asked; was he the Demon Lord she spoke of.
Mavis nodded, "Given our previous conversation, you would also know his name; amazing how accurate the Ancient Greeks were, even if they were off by a fair margin".
Natsu nodded; there was only one mythical figure that fit the description, the Lord of Death.
"Hades, right?" Natsu answered, to which Mavis nodded.
"With the first gate opened, you might last a minute or two against him… if the second gate were opened, it would be a very close battle, no certainty you would win… but if the third gate were to open" Mavis smiled, "You'd die, for sure… but so would Hades".
Natsu looked down at Mirajane sadly.
"I know the day will come when that gate must open" Natsu began to say quietly, "Likely, during this Eclipse Gates… I will die using the third gate, but…"
Natsu looked up and smiled a toothy grin at Mavis, "That'll be for when I fight the Demon King, not some Demon Lord".
Mavis' eyes widened; he plans on taking on the Demon King?
"You're mad" Mavis says emotionlessly.
"Stop insulting me; we've talked enough!" Natsu replied angrily with some fire.
Turning to the scene around them, Natsu spoke, "We should finds the others, and together we'll take down this Demon Lord".
Mavis shrugged her shoulders, "Until then, I suppose you and I must act as a team… though I loathe to hav9ing to team up with a despicable Demon like yourself".
"How many time have I had to tell you?" Natsu said as he walked off with Mirajane in his arms, "I myself am not a Demon… I am simply a host…"
With Natsu out of earshot, Mavis frowned at his back.
"So you say… and perhaps that is what you believe… but Natsu Dragneel, there is no doubt in my mind… that Natsu Dragneel, and the Demon… are one and the same… and time will prove my words true".
…
Erza coughed as she woke up.
She remembered feeling that intense magical pressure… she remembered the Estate, erupting in splintered wood and shattered stone… she remembered the fear…
The fear of Death.
Sitting up, Erza looked around her; she was shocked to say the least.
Herself, along with all the other girls, were now laying down, in the rear courtyard of the Dragneel Estate.
The Estate she saw, was now truly and utterly in ruin.
So much destruction, and she had no clue as to why it happened.
"So you're the first one awake" a breathless voice said nearby.
Erza looked to her left, and saw Ultear, slumped against a tree, clearly exhausted.
"Ultear? What happened?" Erza questioned as she walked over to the tired girl.
"Just before the axe reached us entirely, Katherine raised a shield of flame around all of us" Ultear rasped, "But it wasn't enough, so I had to… I had to act quickly…"
Erza blinked; what did she do?
"Using a spell that costs just about all my magic power… I was able to slow down time to a point where it was basically stopped" Ultear groaned out, "In this spell, I alone remain unaffected… in the space of about half a second in real time, but was actually around half an hour for myself, I carried all of you, one by one outside… before releasing the spell".
Erza blinked in shock; not only did Ultear exhaust herself casting a spell that literally slowed down time… but being exhausted, she took it upon herself to carry all of them out of there and to safety.
This whole time she had pictured Ultear as shallow and selfish… she had grossly misjudged the girl.
"Ultear… I don't… know what to…" Erza muttered out which earned her a smirk from Ultear.
"Don't say anything little Miss President; I'm not like my mother… I don't abandon family…"
This earned her a raised eyebrow from Erza.
"What?" Ultear asked her, confused angry by Erza's reaction.
"You referred to us as your family… so I take that to mean you want to be with Natsu for more than just a one night stand" Erza smiled at her.
Ultear gritted her teeth before retorting with a simple, "Shut up, little Miss President".
"What's… going on?" a soft voice reached the girls' ears.
They both turned toward the voice to seen Karen slowly standing up, clearly a little disoriented.
"It seems that we were attacked" Erza stated, "If it hadn't been for Ultear we'd all be dead".
Karen blinked at that as she finished standing herself up from the ground… then she turned toward what remained of the Estate.
In her eyes she saw it; the first floor looked like a set of ruins, with many walls still standing, yet crumbling as she looked on.
Small fires burning across the Estate's ruins provided both light, and the realisation that this wasn't some old ruins… this was her home, freshly brought to ruin before she could even blink.
Karen tore her eyes away from the destruction of her home; it could be rebuilt.
Instead she turned her gaze at the resting forms around her.
"Everyone is still alive, I checked" Ultear gasped out, "Right now I believe it's simply shock".
Karen nodded and turned back to the Estate.
"I wonder where Onii-chan is right now" Karen mumbled out.
Erza and Ultear smiled at that; the girl had no doubt Natsu was still alive… the question on her mind was where he was. With all the walls still standing at the moment, there was no clear view of the field of destruction before them.
"Onii-chan!" Karen cried out, hoping beyond hope that her voice reached him.
When no voice answered, Karen went into a slump; she knew Natsu was still alive, she could feel it in her heart… but what if he were hurt? What if he was in such pain, he was whispering her name, wanting her to find him?
"Onii-!" Karen began to call again, but another voice put a stop to her second call.
"Karen, show some composure!" The girls all turned to the voice, belonging to Katherine as she too began to rise from the ground.
"Mother" Karen exclaimed, relieved; though it wasn't as powerful as it was with Natsu, Karen always did feel secure when with her mother.
"We shouldn't raise our voices; whoever attacked us is still out there, and…" Katherine looked to the side, hesitant to say the next part.
"What is it Katherine?" Erza questioned.
Katherine sighed; they were going to find out any minute now anyway, for sure.
"Whatever attacked us was a construct of magic… creation magic…" Katherine began, "The actual caster however, was from the feel of the magic, not human".
"Not human?" Ultear asked; was Katherine saying what she thought she was saying.
Katherine nodded and stared at the ruins, "Somewhere out there there's a Demon, and considering how much magic pressure we felt before the attack, I would deduce we are dealing with a Demon Lord".
"A Demon Lord?" Erza asked; she knew of the Demon race and the Demon King… but she never thought that the Demons' society would be so alike as their own as to have Lords of the Domain.
"They're not royalty or anything like that" Katherine explained, "They are titles given by the Demon King; you can think of them as the equivalent to the Knights of the Red Cross' Captains… except they're all stronger than your average Captain".
Erza's thoughts went to Zeref and Jellal, both of whom having been Captains, Zeref still being so. She knew how strong they were… but she also knew how strong Natsu was.
"Even if there is a Demon Lord out there, with all of us, they won't win" Erza proclaimed confidently.
Katherine frowned at Erza, "I wish that to be true, but likely as not, even with Natsu's second gate… we're in trouble".
Karen, Ultear and Erza blinked in surprise over that statement, then they realised…
Katherine said they were stronger than the average Captain… but she didn't say by how much…
"We need to wake the others" Katherine said, looking over everyone.
Karen nodded, "Then find Onii-chan".
"And then, I guess we're fighting a Demon Lord" Erza stated, determined.
"And here I was" Ultear sighed, "Thinking I'd be having a bath right about now…"
…
Zeref gasped, blood vomiting from his mouth; he could tell some of his vital organs had surely been damaged… he laughed at that.
Of course they were damaged; he currently had three of those bone spears in his guts, courtesy of the Demon Lord before him.
"I had expected more from the one my kind named, 'The Black Dragon'" Hades smirked from atop the shoulder of the giant that destroyed Zeref's home.
"I never asked for that name" Zeref laughed; he was beginning to feel delirious from the pain and the loss of blood… pain wrapped his body from head to toe, from cuts and bruises, to clean holes made from spears.
He knew if he looked at himself in the mirror, he'd see nothing that he couldn't describe as anything else but a corpse.
But this corpse was still alive… and he hadn't given up. Not yet.
Struggling, Zeref brought himself to his feet, with Hades smirking down on him.
As Zeref began to pull the spears out, he berated himself over and over, about how he should've restrained the 'boy' before speaking to him… over and over he berated himself for having grown so weak and pitiful… over and over he berated himself… for failing.
"Who are you after?" Zeref asked quietly as he cauterised his own wounds with his own black flames.
Hades smiled at that, "Why does it matter? You're about to die… but for that reasoning I guess I can tell you".
Zeref glared at the boy above him, with his piercing black eyes; Hades flinched at the glare… those eyes almost looked as though they were red.
"Your little brother… as well as Ultear Milkovic" Hades stated, regaining some composure.
Zeref's eyes turned from anger to confusion, surprise and worry.
"Why…?" Zeref asked.
"Without going into specifics… for a ritual" Hades answered with a gleeful smile.
"A ritual? What kind of-" Zeref began asking, but was cut off.
"A ritual that no longer concerns you… for it is not a ritual that concerns the dead… and for that reason, thank me Zeref Dragneel" Hades smirked maliciously, "For you won't be alive to witness the horror of not just your home, but this entire worlds being put to rubble".
With that, a silent command was given, and the Skeleton raised its enormous axe… aiming for none other, than Zeref Dragneel.
If I fail now… I fail everyone, Zeref thought to himself.
Natsu and everyone else now came to wonder, what the great crashing sound they heard was, as the axe struck.
Authors' Note – So there you have it guys, a larger than normal chapter there for you guys, not the longest I've written but one of the top 3 I believe, 5300 words without my annoying authors' notes. I hope you guys enjoyed and I hope you don't hate me for this little cliffhanger right here, but I can promise you the next chapter will be just as long if not longer than this one as I already know what it will contain and… it's a lot of content, might be worthy of 6000 words. Because this is a cliffhanger, I'm going to do my best to upload within a week or two, but it shouldn't take longer than a month. And please leave a comment as to what you thought about this chapter… speaking of comments, a shout out to Professor Fluff, who is my latest reviewer and gave me the funniest review I've seen to date, so thank you for the good laugh! If you recall guys I said how much I appreciate your reviews and comments and what they do for me, to help motivate me, and asking you guys to leave reviews… well Professor Fluff was a genius and said, "This is a review"… that's it… made me laugh. So Professor Fluff I hope you enjoyed this chapter!