"speaking"

"Thinking"

On with the story

Everyone stood within the remnants of the Black forest of Sardonia as it was all gone now

Zeref was covering his face with the remains of his helmet, facing away while Natsu stood in front of his mates and children

He had a questionable look to them as they were all here in Ishgar where the place was dangerous for beastmen

Natsu glanced at them all before he sighs and rubs his hand to his tired face

"I stated just one simple order" Natsu muttered out as he glanced at his Uncle and Grandeeney before he looks down to the dirt ground and sighs "how did this all happen?"

He turns his attention to his mates and children as they all stand on the opposite side of him

Natsu looks at them before he slowly made his way in front of them and then kneels in front of Kagura who had Kaithen and Levia hiding behind her tentacles

Kaithen and Levia hid behind as they didn't want to get mad by their father for misbehaving and going off from Dragnof yet again

"come on out" Natsu said with a stern yet gentle voice as his two first born children just hide from him

It took a few minutes but Kaithen and Levia reluctantly face their father

Touro and the others joined in as they were equally in trouble with their older siblings

Natsu looks at them as his kids look down to the ground like it was the most interesting thing in the world

"you all went off again" Natsu said sternly "I'm not happy about that"

His children merely stayed quiet, not wanting to enrage their father even more but that thought was soon moved away when Natsu patted Touro's head

"that was some ramming you did, Touro" Natsu said with a smile "I might find myself out cold if I got hit with that attack"

The Dragon King started to compliment his children and their capability in their Dragon Form as he was praising and being a proud father

Natsu heard some squeaks bellow as he looks down to see Tanit with Callista, the two hatchlings trying to climb up his legs

The Dragon King looks at them before sighing as he carried them up and place them on his shoulders

Tanit and Callista squeaks to their father as Natsu scratches their head and chin before turning his attention to his other children

"I've been trying to protect you all the wrong way" Natsu stated "I've made my kingdom into a cage for you all. And that was my fault"

Natsu sighs as he got Tanit and Callista off his shoulders and set them down to the ground before scratching their heads a few times. He sets eyes on his kids as they all look at him

"there will be the time for you all to leave the nest and I'm just caging you all in" Natsu told them "I'm sorry that I yelled at you all and your mothers. I was very worried when you all just leave the kingdom and into a world that is filled with dangers. I was just….a worried father.."

Natsu opens his arms as Touro and the others look at each other while Kaithen and Levia went towards their father and hugs him which was returned back

"when we get back, have as much fun as you want outside of Dragnof" Natsu told them as he patted Kaithen and Levia's head a few times "I know that one day, all of you will be great Dragons and great leaders for Dragnof."

Natsu caressed their backs a few times before pecking their foreheads once each

"just…don't make me or your mothers worry, alright?" Natsu said as he looks at his firstborn and they nodded to him which made him smile

Natsu hugs them before Tanit and Callista came climbing up his back

The Dragon King chuckled before Touro and the others started to crowd him, starting a climbing game where they started climbing on Natsu

Natsu gets up with all his kids climbing on him as he spins around slowly

Lucy and the other mates smile to see the father having make up the little trouble the kids made

"looks like they all made up nice and fine" Cana said with a grin

"at a good or bad time too" Lucy added in

Natsu place his kids down before he turns to look at Zeref who nudge his head to the side two times

"go back to your mothers for a moment" Natsu told his kids before he went towards Zeref

Natsu got near Zeref who stood near a broken down dead black tree

"what?" Natsu asked as Zeref just points at the ground where there were some glass shards which were emanating a golden glow "this is?"

"that man was doing something in this area" Zeref told his brother as he picks up a shard and showed it to him "and it must have something to do with this land"

"something to do with this land?" Natsu repeated his words "what could that be? This land is a wasteland for centuries. The only good here is just calling undead of such"

"not quite" Zeref stated as he looks at the shard in his possession "I sense an aura coming from this shard….an aura such as that of a god"

"a god?" Natsu asked as Zeref nodded before the shard instantly shatters into pieces, a golden-colored mist flies to the sky above and disappears

"you don't know, do you?" Zeref said as Natsu looks at him with a raised eyebrow "about how this land came to be"

"a god was slayed here by a mortal, right? His corpse defiled the land and turns it all into what we are standing at" Natsu said, looking like he just stated the obvious

"but do you know the name?" Zeref replied "the name of the mortal who defeated the god?"

Natsu merely shrugs his shoulders as he didn't know the answer

"it was your father" Zeref replied "centuries ago, the mortal who slew the god of gold, Maharoso. It was Igneel, your father. You didn't know?"

Natsu's eyes widen a bit as he seems extremely surprised to hear so

"the mortal who slayed the god with the golden sword enchanted with magic" Zeref stated as Natsu holds up his father's sword that glowed "that was who Igneel is"

"i…he never told me that" Natsu said as his sword glowed before dimming

"he must've had his reason..just like how our mother did" Zeref stated as he patted Natsu's shoulder once

Natsu nodded before he turns his attention down because of Tanit who is still latching on his legs even after putting his kids down

Tanit squeaks as she climbs up his legs before falling back down from a loose grip

Natsu sighs as he carried his youngest daughter up and place her on his shoulder

Tanit squeaks out a few times before she rubs her head against Natsu's cheeks

Natsu scratches her chin, getting her to growl and purr with a smile

"let's think of that for a later time," Natsu said while caressing Tanit's head a few times before looking at Zeref "for now, it's time for us to think of how we are going to gather our armies against him and his allies"

"good idea" Zeref replied before seeing that Tanit was staring at him with a curious look which made him smile a bit and gave the Loving Dragon a few chin scratches that got Tanit to growl and purr "I'll need to meet with the Demon Kingdom and try to sort things out with them"

"I don't think your kingdom is where you should be going to," Natsu said as Zeref is presumed to be deceased to the whole continent and he was a man wanted by the human kingdom and the demon kingdom

"then if the Demon Kingdom is a no go, then what should we do?" Zeref replied

Natsu sighs as he started thinking while letting Tanit off his shoulder and into Zeref's arms, the Loving Dragon getting some back scratches from Zeref

"for now, let's just get back to my kingdom and converse with my councilmen," Natsu said as he took a glance to his family who are all getting on Grandeeney's back for their departure back to Dragnof "I think there might be something in the great library that might help us"

"I see" Zeref said while giving Tanit a belly scratch which the young hatchling likes by how her hind legs were wiggling around from getting the scratches "we'll plan first before we act."

"for now, yeah" Natsu said as Tanit hops back into his arms before the two went off to join the others in coming back to Dragnof

In a dark realm somewhere, darkness was everywhere but at one-point, light shines down, creating a circle

In that circle were several grand looking chairs; all surrounding in a circle as there were 7 of them

In a matter of a passing second, shadowed figures came walking in and each one took a seat but 2 were emptied

"Efam hasn't come back yet, huh?" the first shadowed figure spoke out while looking at one of the emptied seats "I thought he would've been back by now"

"you know how that lunatic is" the second shadowed figure replied, the voice sounding feminine "he's probably having some sick fun in torturing those mortals in this world"

"we gave him the direct order to get rid of them quickly" the third figure stated with a sigh "therefore he is the second one to be given such an important task"

"what's the problem to let the brat of the group have some fun?" the fourth figure said while having a laid-back stature "it's been such a long time since any of us got any fun. Especially him"

Footsteps were heard as Efam appeared out of the shadow with a pissed look

"look who is back" the fifth figure stated as Efam took his seat while still looking very pissed "what's with the sour face?"

"shut up, shit" Efam grumbles while leaning back against his seat like a child who is in a bad mood "I don't want to talk right now"

"then don't talk at a later time" the third figure stated "did you got rid of the two mortals of this world?"

Efam merely kept his quiet as he looks to the side, still grumbling

"judging by how he's acting, I think he failed" the second figure stated as the atmosphere suddenly turned tense

"so, you failed? That's surprising coming from the lunatic of this group" the fourth figure stated while chuckling as if he was mocking Efam

"shut it!" Efam shouted angrily "one of them had that sword with them! None of you told me that he had the sword!"

"sword? What sword?" the second figure said, sounding confused

"don't play dumb with me!" Efam shouted "I thought you all got rid of that sword centuries ago! All of you are fucking liars!"

"don't use that tongue on us, Efam" the third figure stated "now calm down and tell us what had happened"

Efam started to retell of his encounter with Natsu and Zeref with the addition of their battle which ended in his retreat

"that's not possible" the first figure said with a hard and stiff posture "we threw that sword into that volcano and sunk it to the earth. There's no way that anyone could have come to possess it"

"then tell me on why it was wielded by one of those mortals of this realm!" Efam shouted "that sword was in their possession and its magic enchantment was draining my powers!"

"could it be possible that the sword was uncovered by a mortal?" the second figure asked the third figure who had his arms crossed

"the possibility is thin but it's not impossible" the third figure replied

"you guys think that this mortal might give us a problem?" the fourth figure asked as this got all to look at him

"the mortals of this world have proven to be quite problematic at some part of the century" the first figure said "one injured a god, and one even killed a god of this world"

"which mortals were to be disposed of?" the second figure asked as the third figure snaps his fingers once and technological screen appeared in front of each of them

The screen had static before it showed images of Natsu and Zeref to them

"one of them is the former demon king of this world? That was thought to be dead?" the fourth figure said looking at the information about the two brothers "and the other one is the guy who killed him too"

"Lizardius Natsu Dragneel" the second figure said looking at Natsu's face and the information on him "doesn't he look familiar?"

"now that you mention it, he does" the first figure said, eying Natsu's picture "isn't this one the son of the half human dragon breed? Igneel or something?"

"what? I thought you said that any kid of his would just die off after being born?" the fourth figure told the first

"that guy told me that his mom is the Black Valkyrie who we disposed of a few centuries ago" Efam said as this got all to eye Natsu's appearance.

"the Black Valkyrie?" the third figure said as Hael's picture appeared next to Natsu's "this one?"

The first figure eyed Hael before he swipes his hand to the side and a roster of Igneel, Hael, Sorkon, Natsu, and Zeref. Showing the tree roots of how the brothers came to be with their mother and fathers

"who is the father of Igneel?" the first figure asked as he was shown the picture of a crimson flaming Dragon who is Agni, the previous Dragon King before Natsu and Igneel. "Agni? And then who is the mother?"

The screen soon went static as a question mark appeared

"it doesn't know who Igneel's mom is?" the fourth figure asked

"maybe…" the second figure muttered out as she swipes her hand to the screen and the image of a pink-haired human woman appeared "could it be…her?"

"oy, you got to be joking, right?" the fourth figure asked "she's dead and she was sent back to our world to be buried there forever. There's no way it could be her"

"he's right" the third figure added in "there's no way she could've survived a sword through her heart, especially if it was that golden sword"

"I'm just saying that it was a big maybe" the second figure said "but then again…"

"stop with that thinking" the first figure said "she's dead for such a long time and she couldn't be alive"

"then who do you think it is?" Efam asked "it's not a normal being of this world, right?"

"I don't know" the first figure stated "but for all we know, we need to find more information"

That's a wrap!

Bye bye