Location: Unknown cave…

Year: X791

Water dripped from the sharp rock caves on top of the cave. It was slightly cold and dark. But it was safe and calm for the time being. That was all they asked for. Within the end of the cave were two fugitives. One was as old as he could be and looked sickly ill. He coughed violently as he tried to get comfortable in the bed of leaves explicitly made for him.

There was a wet cloth on his forehead. It felt nice, but it didn't dwindle the fact of his decaying health. On his side was the last of his children.

The other was a tall, muscular figure who wore a red scaly cloak, which covered his entire body and face. The mysterious man took the cloth from his Master's forehead and dipped it on the cold puddle next to him. He squeezed as much water as he could and placed it back on his Master's head. There was little he could do. They had no medicine nor a healer, but the least he could do is make sure that his Master was comfortable. His fire could give him warmth and comfort, but it wasn't enough.

The Kingdom of Fiore was in ruins. All the guilds were destroyed, and their members were killed. The demons of Zeref roamed and slaughtered everyone in their path. As far as both Natsu and Makarov knew, they were the last survivors of Fiore.

They were risking it by staying in this spot too long; they were most likely to be discovered. But they didn't have a choice. He had been severely injured from his earlier battles, and his Master was too weak and tired to move. They didn't have any food, medical supplies, and water.

After a few more agonizing moments, the elder turns to his child.

"N-Natsu." The older man coughed.

Natsu snaps his head up and uses his bandaged up hands to remove his hood. Blood soaked bandages cover his right eye. In his previous hasty attempt to escape cost him a hideous scar, which caused him the loss of his eye. His black orb was ringed in with dark bruises from lack of sleep. He had a long scar on his cheek, and his wild, dirty salmon hair was down to his shoulders that were tied up in a messy ponytail. He had a look of heavy defeat and tiredness.

"Gramps…" He murmured.

"Natsu, It's time..."

Natsu's eyes widened in realization, horror, and denial.

"No…" He murmured, "No, no, no! Gramps! You can't die!" He choked on his words as he refused to let any tears fall, "I can't fight this on my own."

Makarov coughed, and weakly placed his hands on Natsu's shoulders "Listen to me boy, I don't have much time left!" Makarov attempt to sound demanding in his state, "from the start, we've been fighting a losing battle, but there is one way to stop all of this."Natsu swallowed and nodded.

"I'm too weak, but I have a magic spell that can help you go back in time." Makarov pauses as his mind goes back to when the war started. The guild had been fighting against the demons of Zeref. There has was a burst of bone-chilling laughter as a silhouette of a demon behind the smoke and fire was shown. The military and other guilds were fighting alongside Fairy Tail. Bodies of comrades, friends, family, and foes were everywhere on the bloody battlefield. Makarov thought back to whenever he couldn't join a battle, he would away sit down and read spellbooks. In hopes that he would find a solution.

In his most desperate hour, he found an answer.

"Whenever I couldn't join the battle, I would do more than just pray for your safety. I spend most of my time reading and practicing this specific spell. The salmon haired man's eyes widened as realization struck him. "It's a time travel spell, Natsu. You can go back and stop this war before it began."

"Gramps-" He wanted to protest but was interrupted.

"Natsu, you must go back in time and prevent all this bloodshed from happening. You must train harder than ever before and become stronger… And put an end to the monster who caused all of this!"

Natsu wanted to argue but kept his mouth shut.

"You are strong. It is why you've kept both of us alive for as far as you could. But it isn't enough. There are more of them, and there's just two of us. However, you are in no condition to fight, and I am on my last final breath. I hate to put the lives of my children in line, but I don't have a choice. Natsu, I don't doubt you will survive without me, but it could take you for so long before you are dead."

"Gramps… I…" He swallowed, "I can't do this… I-I just c-can't."

"Listen here, brat," Makarov scowled, regretting it instantly as he felt a painful tug on his chest and coughed, "Everyone is gone, dead. And soon I will be gone too, leaving you alone! You must go back to the past and save everyone and kill Zeref and his army of demons!" His tone softens, "You even can save Lucy and actually marry her."

Pain inflected in his chest as tears swelled in his eyes. Lucy Heartillia was the fire of his heart, but he never did anything. He loved her, and he knew she loved him, but both of them danced around in years that got the guild fed up with it.

Then the war started, and neither had time for themselves to begin dating or think about getting married. It was all about survival. Then Lucy lost her life by the hands of Zeref himself a few months ago. He was enraged and managed to inflict significant damage on the dark mage. But unfortunately, it wasn't enough, and in the end, he lost her.

He mourned for her to this day.

"I know the memories are painful, but this is your chance. To save Fairy tail. All of humanity."

Natsu's lip quivered. He sucked in a breath and looked at his dying Master with utter sadness, "I-I'll do it, master…"

Makarov smiled sadly before going in a coughing fit. Natsu patted his back gently. Once he gained his composure, the former guild master looked at Natsu, "My boy, you've come a long way since I found you in the forest all those years ago. It still amazes me how much you've grown and gotten stronger since then. It is a parent's greatest joy to see their children grow. However, it is my greatest regret as a parent to give you such a heavy burden and responsibility. But we don't have any other option."

Natsu couldn't help but give a small, sad smile at that. He remembered the good old days. He and his rivals would wrestle and reck the guild with any onlookers joining in from time to time. Spending his time and going on missions with Happy and Lucy. And despite the shiver down his spine, he also missed Erza's wrath and strict personality.

He remembered when Wendy was still a sweet, innocent girl and, of course, Carla, despite her snobbish and overprotectiveness towards the girl. And he could never forget his time training to become even more influential in an attempt to surpass Erza.

But, overall, he missed the time he and happy would sneak into Lucy's home, either at day or night. Lucy would scream at them before kicking them out from her window. He missed the days he and Happy would goof off and didn't have to worry about this... About surviving this losing battle.

His smile fell off the reminder. He missed the peace and everyone he grew up with.

"Natsu, I will lend you my magic. And with it, you can cast your soul back to your younger self's body. Do you understand?"

Natsu gave a hesitant nod.

"Your memories, magic, and strength will go back with you." He coughed violently, and Natsu patted his back, "...promise me that you will train…" He pleaded.

Natsu's heart broke at the sight and pleaded tone Makarov gave. He swallowed and finally nodded.

"Good…" Makarov smiled for the first time in years, "...Keep everything to yourself. When you return, no one will know about the war. Tell no one about his, not even me! Keep everything to yourself. You are a strong my boy, but you must become stronger and kill the monster that did this."

"I-I will... Gramps." Natsu held back his tears. "I promise I will master."

Makarov smiled sadly at the boy he considered his own, before coughing violently as blood came out. He felt a pain in his chest. He was running out of time.

"Quick Natsu, give me your hand!"

Natsu did as told. Suddenly he felt a spark of a foreign energy transfer into his body. It felt both strange and familiar. It wasn't good, but it wasn't bad either. It was just there, infused with his Dragon Slayer magic. Snapping out of his musings, he looked at the dying form of Makarov.

Makarov gave a sad smile at Natsu. "It is up to you, my boy. I wish you good luck."

Makarov's grip lessened, and the tenseness in his body relaxed. Natsu hitched his breath, and he shook his Master, in a fruitless attempt to wake him up. Finally, the realization hit, and Natsu burst into tears. Sorrow and despair shook his body, and he held his tiny Master close to his chest.

When he was young and joined Fairy Tail, he never thought he would ever feel loneliness ever again since Igneel disappeared.

But now he felt just as alone, if not more.

Location: Ruins of Magnolia

Natsu moved around the dirt with his hand before standing up and shaking the dust off his hands. He looked down at the fresh grave where his Master would rest. There was a rock for a tombstone said, "Master Makarov." He looked up from the grave to see the rest of a graveyard and ruins of a city.

There were so many people he was forced to bury.

He buried Master Makarov next to his Grandson, Laxus, and the Thunder God Tribe, courtesy of Bixlow, Evergreen, and Freed. There was a grave for Elfman, Lisanna, Mira. The three siblings will now never worry about being separated again.

There was one for Gray and Juvia; he honored the blue mage wishes to be near her beloved. Next to the couple's grave was Erza, Wendy, Carla, Happy. All of his friends were together. He wouldn't dare separate Romeo and Macao, so their graves are as close, along with Wakaba. There were more graves, but next to Erza's grave was someone...special.

He walked towards the grave that held withered flowers. He kicked the flowers off the tomb to expose the name of the person who was buried here; "Lucy." He regretted not bringing any fresh, beautiful flowers for her burial.

Tears leaked until he finally let them out and fell to his knees. He was alone. Everyone was gone. He had failed them, but now he was given a chance to fix his mistakes.

"E-everyone…" He sucked in a breath as he held in the sobs, "I-I failed you… I failed all of you. I promise I will fix this."

He looked directly at Lucy's grave, he placed a delicate hand on the tombstone and kissed it, not caring about any dirt or dust.

"Luce… My only regret was never telling you how I felt towards you. We both knew how I felt… how we felt… But neither of us had the courage…" He chuckles bitterly, "Our friends called us dense as we denied how we felt… and they were right...We were idiots." He sniffed a single tear from his eye and fell to the grave. "Once I go back to fix things, I promise I won't let our chance slip by my fingers again."

Natsu, ever so slowly, stood up. He looked around from the ruins of Magnolia. This place he used to call home was nothing but a graveyard for the residents. Buildings were destroyed or burned. Any standing buildings were left to rot.

He closed his eyes as pain swelled in his chest. He turned around and walked away from the sight of destruction and death. He needed to get away from the pain and focus on the spell.

He walked for what seemed forever, but he managed to make it to a small house that had minor damage. He looked over the sign, it was partly burned off, but a miracle would have it was still standing. His name had been burned off, but the "& Happy's house" remained.

While the house perhaps was one of the very few buildings standing and in one piece, it seemed mother nature and age had overtaken the small shack. There were overgrown plants, weeds, and the wood was beginning to rot. There was a giant hole on the ceiling too. Despite it all, Natsu opened the surprisingly intact door and walked in without a single thought.

Once inside, he went on his knees as precious memories began to surface involving a certain blue exceed and all the fun times he had whenever he and the guys had a guy's night. He snapped himself out of it by shaking his head. Now was not the time for him to wallow in self-pity.

He knelt and removed his cloak to expose his muscular upper body. He wore no shirt, most of his skin was covered in red, reptilian scales and black markings. There was a single demonic-like wing attached to his back with black claws on his hands.

Natsu looked down at his hands sadly. Before, he clutched them and closed his eyes and let out a sob. It was his fault, to begin with. All because he was Zeref's ultimate demon, and he abandoned his mission to slay his own brother.

He had been too weak and foolish. His friends, Fairy Tail and everyone else in Fiore had paid the price because of his mistakes.

He chokes on his sobs in an attempt to calm down as he reached behind his back and pulled out a book that was strapped on his back.

This was the book of E.N.D, short for Etherious Natsu Dragneel.

This book was his life, and he had given it to Lucy before she died. This book was also the reason why Tatarous went into genocide in an attempt to awaken their Master. Natsu felt the stab of pain as he thought of the loss of those he loved dearly. Zeref and Tartarus Guild will pay dearly for messing with Fairy Tail.

Although Natsu wanted nothing more but to destroy this book, he couldn't as the book was now the only thing to rely on. If he tried to stop this war before it even started, he needed to gain all his powers to achieve it. That and he was sure that by destroying this book, it would kill him.

Which meant he had no other choice. He must become E.N.D. if he were to become stronger and prevent this disaster from happening.

He removed the tears out of his eyes and sighed. "Once I go back, I have to be careful not to arouse suspicion. This means I must act as though I am just as strong as I was back then and force myself to be all child-like and carefree again. But after what I was forced to witness, I'm not so sure if I'll succeed… I need to do baby steps."

He closed his eyes and started chanting. His mind was clear, and his tensed body slowly began to relax. "Mjsnljh welg ez iwmsl mjd hnal, iljd ao iepjd fmsc hrgepvr hrl wmih" (Ancient power of Space and time, send my soul back through the past)

A magic cycle appeared underneath him, but he didn't stop his chantings. His cloak and the book of E.N.D arose in the air. The book opened and began to flip over the pages. Natsu felt lighthearted and began losing consciousness, but he didn't cease.

Suddenly, a bright light exploded in his chest. The body went limp and fell with a heavy thud as Natsu's soul disappeared along with the red cloak and the book of E.N.D.

Location: Unknown (Wormhole of space and time?)

There was sound of ticking occurring around him. Natsu struggled to keep his consciousness and he looked around his surroundings. He was inside what seemed to be a blue wormhole. There were also transparent clocks with time going backward that keep popping up in seconds before disappearing. It was a strange feeling in his soul. He looked down to see his hands and Natsu saw that his hands were transparent.

Natsu suspected that if he hadn't been tired, then he would have scream in shock. With whatever remaining strength he had, he looked down to see that his entire body was transparent. Suddenly lost his strength and he fell asleep.

His soul began giving in a glow before flashing. Natsu's soul became similar to a white glowing orb with a few specks of red peeking out. The soul shot out of the wormhole and suddenly it was in Magnolia in the middle of the night, long before it's demise. The orb shot towards Natsu and Happy's house without stopping.

Year: x782

Location: Magnolia; Natsu and Happy's house...

Inside the house were a sleeping Happy and Natsu. The soul phase through the roof and slowly reached towards Natsu's body. It hesitantly floated next to the Dragon Slayer before finally gaining the courage and pushed itself forward. The soul entered the body without any problems and fused with the soul inside the body.

Suddenly, Natsu blinked himself awake, the first thing he noticed was that it was dark out and that he was staring at the ceiling. Immediately he shot up and looked around. He was apparently sleeping in his old hammock, and from the looks of how dark it was outside, he would guess that it was the early morning.

He looked around. There were no signs of moss growing in his home, nor was the wood rotten. There was a lack of burns, cracks, and holes. The furniture didn't have dust, and they looked new. He looked up to see that there was no hole on the ceiling. He looked down and saw that there was a giant mess down there.

He couldn't help it and let out a low chuckle. If Lucy were still alive, she would have his head if she saw this mess. Suddenly his demeanor soured.

Some snores caught his attention. He trembled as he looked down, a hopeful glint in his eyes. Sure enough, underneath him was another, yet smaller, hammock. And currently, it was being used by none other than his long-deceased best friend and adopted son: Happy.

Natsu could never forget the small blue exceed dying in his arms and then burying him with the rest of his dead friends. To see him here, breathing, sleeping, but still alive, he wanted to cry and hug him as tightly as he could and not let him go. He restrained himself, though.

With a shaky breath, he got off his hammock, quietly to not disturb his companion. He walked towards the window and took a peek. The forest hasn't overgrown itself, and the signs of the genocide and destruction were nowhere to be found. The air around him was clean; there was no scent of death, dust, or fire. It soothed his soul slightly, and his muscles relaxed upon knowing that he was safe.

It had been a while since he felt such relief. No longer than he had to keep moving from place to place as he kept an eye behind him to see if a demon of Tartaros or Zeref were behind him.

But no matter how safe he was, the memories of the war and genocide will remain firmly stuck in his head. It was now his mission to prevent this from happening again.

And to ensure his future never comes, he must kill Zeref once and for all.

He looked down at his hands, and it took him a moment to register the lack of his markings and scales. His back and head didn't feel as heavy. If anything, he hasn't felt this light for so long. His hand touched the top of his head. There were no signs of his horns. He ran his hand through his hair and noted that it wasn't as long as it was a few minutes ago. The other hand went on his shoulder blade and waist. He didn't feel his wing and tail.

He was once again human. He looked weaker, as indicated by how smaller he was; he lacked the scars and muscle he had minutes prior.

He didn't know whether to be glad or disappointed having that feature gone.

He rushed towards the calendar and map. Before he met Lucy, he would mark and travel to find any whereabouts of Igneel. By looking at the date stamp in the calendar, he can confirm his suspicions. It was x782, two years before he would meet Lucy and bring her to the guild. It was also a couple of months before Lisanna would be 'killed'.

He had to ponder over this. It hurt that his best friend and love interest wouldn't recognize him or the bond they shared. But he would do something for her, and maybe he could do something about her father. He remembered briefly how strained Lucy's relationship with her father was. When Jude passed away, Lucy had been wallowing in guilt, misery, and despair. Such emotions didn't fit for her pretty face.

It was hard for Lucy to accept that the only living relative of her's was gone and that her last words towards him were anything but kind. It was too late to apologize, and Lucy regretted it. He stood by her side.

It took a while, but with him by her side, she healed. But no matter how much it passed, Natsu knew that Lucy had a hole in her heart that would never be patched up.

From what Lucy told him, her father had arranged a marriage between her and a rich guy (he didn't care enough to remember his name) who was as old as her father, if not a tad bit younger. Natsu grimaced at the thought of Lucy marrying someone that would be old enough to be a dad. It didn't sit well with his stomach either.

Repulsing feelings aside, Jude signing that marriage contract was the final straw, Lucy couldn't take it anymore. She was done with her father, not listening to her, and she ran away. Jude kept quiet of Lucy's runaway and looked for her. Once he found out where she was (and Natsu swore he would never forgive Jude for this), he paid Jose and his Guild to drag her back to him.

Everything turned out well for Fairy Tail, and Lucy met up with her father and confronted him. But because of said actions, the wealthy family of her Ex-fiance found out and practically set out to take away everything for Jude. They succeeded that the first time he ever saw Jude, he was a broken man of who he used to be.

He knew nothing, nor did he care about politics and the wealthy. Though, he would at least help both family members patch up their relationship. It would save them from a world of emotional pain. Surely if his best friend slash secret crush works things out with her father, then Lucy won't have to hang on onto these negative emotions.

Then there's the issue with Lisanna. For as long as he could remember, Lisanna had been his best friend before he met Lucy, and they had been inseparable. Then one day, both Mira and Elfman returned, both beaten down and injured, but the older girl seemed as though she was dragged into hell and somehow came out. Fairy Tail, for the first time in a long time, saw her with no sign of her pride and instead was in tears and despair.

Mira said that Lisanna paid the price because of her pride and arrogance, and it crushed him. He did his best to push himself forward and try to pretend as though he wasn't affected. But he was sure that everyone saw how much Lisanna's death had affected him.

Her 'death' didn't just affect him, though. Everyone changed when their beloved sweet girl was supposedly killed. But no one was affected more than his two siblings. Mira and Elfman blamed themselves for her death. Mira has given up training and stopped going on missions altogether. Elfman, while he shed away his timid nature to become a man and protect his family, he had been holding back out of fear.

Natsu shook his head as he rubbed his temples to soothe the upcoming headache. With Lisanna being in Edolas, she had lost years of training. If he wanted to avoid this, he had to make them strong. Much stronger than they ever were.

The question would be how…

Well, obviously, the first step is to make sure that Lisanna is never sent to Edolas. But while doing so, he had to make sure that Mira lets go of her haughty attitude and arrogance. She has to experience defeat and make her see that she isn't as powerful as she thought herself to be.

And Speaking of Edolas, perhaps it would be best if he speaks to the alternate Jellal. He can't do this alone, and Mystogan is capable of keeping secrets and helping others. However, he'll have to figure out where he currently is as Mytogan has the tendency to fall off the face of the earth. There was so much to do that it was hurting his head to keep track of everything.

Natsu snapped out his musing when he heard a loud thud that it was a miracle that Happy didn't wake up. But then again, his little buddy was a heavy sleeper and wouldn't wake up unless he said the word 'fish.' He turned around and was surprised to see what it was.

It was the book of E.N.D.

He was surprised to see the accursed book had traveled with him through space and time. It seemed like he was bound to this treacherous book in more ways than he believed.

It was suddenly that he had an idea. He'll have to give up a portion of his human side, but if his sacrifice is capable of keeping everyone alive, it will all be worth it. By using his demon form to his advantage, he'll be able to get everything done. But he'll have to be careful. The last thing he'll want is to bring attention to himself by suddenly showing up one day and showing everyone how powerful he became in one night.

One night for them anyway. It took him years for him to become this powerful.

He'll think of something, but first things first, he must take his leave for a little trip. He left a note to Happy saying that he was going on a trip, and he had no idea when he was returning and that he should stay with Lisanna.

He quietly left the house not to wake up Happy, and he made a hasty getaway further away into the mountains. Once he was certain that he was alone and was very far away from Magnolia, he looked down at the book.

Natsu gazed down at the book in his hand with shame and indignation. "My humanity was taken away the moment Zeref and Tartarous opened this book. After all the trouble, Fairy Tail did in an attempt to return me back to normal... I will have my regrets, but I have to open this book and become E.N.D once more."

Without another word, he opened the book, and there was a bright red light that blinded his sight.

Location: Heartfilia Train...

Natsu's gloved fingers played silently with the black cloth mask, which covered half of his face. He was bored, and his eyes wandered at the window, and he was happy to see a beautiful landmark. The sun was barely up, but he couldn't sleep. He wouldn't sleep until he had spoken to Jude and seen Lucy at least once.

He should have expected this to happen the moment he opened the book. When the light had faded, he saw that his sixteen-year-old body had changed. He had somehow regained some features of his old body, but to his relief, he didn't have his demonic features. Well, barring the demonic marks on his arms, shoulders, back, and half his face, which went through his eye.

It was cool in his honest opinion, so he'll pass it off as a tattoo. But mavis forbids him what would happen when Erza sees his markings. He could only hope no one finds out very soon.

He regained most of the muscle he gained over the years, thus making him more muscular than he was years prior. His hair was long, wild, and messy, but he cleaned it and had a haircut. Honestly, he liked his hair like it was, but no doubt the ladies in Fairy Tail will give him hell for having his hair like that.

He's gotten taller, but he noticed that he wasn't as tall as he was in year x791. And both to his delight and dread, he regained most of his scars, including the large one on his cheek. Though, he was relieved that he didn't lose his eyesight or recovered the scar. That would be difficult to explain.

Nevertheless, he was pleased that he had his memories, knowledge, strength, magic, and appearance. Sadly he had to hide nearly everything on the list. To hide most of his appearance, he bought some clothes. But unfortunately, he couldn't hide the markings on his face, but at least he could blame his sudden height increase on a sudden growth spurt.

It was perfect, with the baggy clothes he bought, covered his shoulders to toe. He wore a simple black outfit that none of his characteristics were exposed. He had to dye his hair black because it is very uncommon for someone to have salmon hair. He had to hide his scarf in the backpack he bought. The last thing he needed was his signature scarf to expose him. So if anyone from Fairy Tail spotted him, they wouldn't bat their eyes on him.

A clever plan. Something that none of his guildmates would ever think he was capable of doing, which was insulting. He knew that he wasn't the brightest in the guild but damn it get him some credit!

Currently, he was riding the dreaded train, and as much as he wanted to avoid the moving vehicle, he didn't have a lot of time or options in his hands. He needed to reach the Heartfilia Residence as quickly as he could. This meant that he'd have to suck it up and take the train. However, he was surprised the moment the train began to move. The motion sickness that he had expected had yet to kick in. He waited, but after a few hours of moving, it never came.

"I think the Etherious blood has something to do with this. Not that I'm complaining." Mused Natsu. Now he has another reason to like his demon side as he no longer had to deal with motion sickness. It was a Dragon Slayer's wish come true. He would take advantage of it.

Staying on track, though, he would have to play the waiting game. It would perhaps be faster if he flew or summoned the doors of Hell. But both cost a lot of magic, and it had been a while since he used that much amount of magic. He needed to be in top shape to do his most advanced magic, and being in this weaker body wasn't helping either.

"Once I'm done speaking to Luce's dad, I'm going on a training trip to train my mind and body." Natsu mentally scowled as his green eyes looked down at his covered body, "I need to become stronger if I am to confront Zeref once more."

The whistle of the train drew him out of his musings. He looked up and noticed that he was almost at his stop. Next stop: Heartfilia Residence.

Location: Heartfilia manor; Jude's office...

Jude Heartfilia was, to say the least, having a pleasant day. He would go on details, but all he could think about was that he woke up in a good mood this early morning. So far, he had filled in a few papers here and there.

As of now, Jude is the current head of the Hearfilia Konzern and has indicated his life to expand his company, and so far, he's been pleasantly successful. Despite his cold demeanor, the man held a significant amount of regret for neglecting his family. He only became worse when his beloved wife passed away, and he had pushed his daughter away.

He refused to look up at his daughter's heartbroken expression every time he ignored her. Jude knew that Lucy wouldn't understand how important this was and that he was doing this for their own good. Speaking of his daughter, Jude did not doubt that Lucy was asleep and would be awoken soon for her studies.

Eventually, he'll have to speak to Lucy about having an arranged marriage. Jude knew that his daughter ultimately wanted to marry and have a family of her own. If he played the cards right, it would be a win for both of them. Lucy would be with her new family and hopefully produce a proper heir. All the while, he could expand the Heartfilia Railways.

"Ahem."

Jude snapped his head up and was surprised to see a young man standing right in front of his desk, wearing these...inferior looking clothes which were hiding his appearance. What was shocking is that he had somehow entered his study without alerting any of his staff.

"W-who are you!?" Demanded the elder as he hastily stood up.

Natsu looked blankly at Jude. The middle-aged man had slicked-back blond hair and a matching, extremely trim mustache, and a slightly firm, square jaw. The man's hair was elegant and trimmed and currently wore an expensive tailored suit. He looked nothing like the disheveled man with a long, scraggly and unkempt beard and ragged clothes.

He could feel the cold emotions this man radiated, and they were nothing like the kind, yet the broken man he met years ago. Or rather, years ahead. Nevertheless, despite his cold demeanor Natsu knew that he was a great man. And that Jude cares deeply for his daughter despite his negligence.

"Answer me!" Jude glared at the intruder. "Who are you, and how did you get here!?"

"Doesn't matter," He answered coldly at the man, Jude felt goosebumps on his skin, "It doesn't matter how I enter this mansion, and my name is not of any importance."

"Then what the hell do you want?! Jewels?"

"No."

"Then what do you want?"

Jude almost missed how Natsu's glare softened ever so slightly, "Jude Heartfilia, I'm here to speak about you and your daughter: Lucky Lucy Heartfilia." Jude froze as Natsu held back the emotions threatening to explode, "I come to save the both of you from a decade of suffering."

In her room, Lucy sat up from her comfortable bed and stretched before she sneezed unexpectedly.

She was puzzled. As far as she remembered, she didn't have any allergies. Was she getting sick? Might as well ask a doctor later today.

"What in the world are you babbling about?" Growled Jude.

Natsu remained emotionless. He removed the hood and his mask to expose his appearance. He glared coldly at Jude, in which the man himself felt a shiver of fear in his spine but didn't show it.

"I tell the truth, Jude. Let me introduce myself. My name is Natsu, Fairy Tail's Dragon Slayer. I came from ten years in the future."

Jude snorted, what nonsense was this? A lunatic coming out of nowhere without alerting his staff, saying that he time traveled for him and his daughter?

"In x784, Lucy will run away from you," Jude froze, and his eyes were wide as he stared at the man in disbelief. "Earlier that year, you ran into money problems. To save your business, you decided to sign your own daughter off to a wealthy family to marry whatshisname by the time Lucy turns Eighteen. Your daughter didn't agree with it, but you didn't listen. She grew tired of your negligence, and so she packed what little she could and left this place. Not long after, I met Lucy in Hargeon town and befriended her." Natsu decided to leave the parts about Bora. "She had wanted to join Fairy Tail for so long that I took her with me." Upon the man's horrified expression, he quickly added, "She rented an apartment for herself. I swear I haven't touched her in any way."

Jude sighed in relief.

"We became partners. Eventually, the both of us formed a group with a couple of people and became best friends."

Natsu told the tales he had with Lucy before steering to Phantom to when Lucy confronts Jude and leaves for good. Natsu explained the best he could as he told Jude how he lost his wealth, and the first time either man have met, Jude was a broken shell of the man he used to be. Lucy had spoken to him but was mostly angry at him. Eventually, he came to his death (He decided not to tell him about the whole thing with Tenrou island), and Lucy had been wallowing in remorse, guilt, and sadness. It became worse when Lucy had read letters he wrote for her since that fateful day.

Jude never once has spoken a word. He listened to every word the young man and brooded over. The elder Heartfilia knew that he and his daughter's relationship wasn't in the greatest spot. He had been cold towards Lucy when she was nothing but a child and kept pushing her away. They fell apart and never once were able to repair their relationship, which ended up hurting both of them.

He was skeptical of the pink-haired man ("it's salmon," grumbled Natsu, which made Jude realize he was thinking out loud) who claimed that he traveled through time and space. But if he says it's true...

Natsu didn't interrupt the man, as he knew that Jude was processing everything. After minutes past, Jude finally looks up at the Dragonslayer. He had a gleam of desperation and defeat. Natsu knew from there that he had the man's full attention.