Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail

"We've arrived at the designated coordinates, Father." August spoke, walking towards them from the front. "I've set the aircraft to hover over the region…though it may be wise to maintain a pilot there as I work on trying to restore the tower."

"Of course." Zeref rose to his feet, feeling slightly unsteady with the odd balance inside of the aircraft. However, he had grown used to differences in transportation over his long life, and adapted quickly. "Then I will need to move quickly, based on the accounts of the others." He had yet to explain that piece to them. Levy likely would not approve of the risk he was taking, assuming he'd be able to alter the spell as needed to avoid the living sacrifice component in its creation. "If it appears as if we are nearing the end of the time limit…revert it to before it reached its activated stage."

"What will that do to your own modifications?"

"With nothing to modify, it will simply be wasted energy." August nodded, moving to focus on his task. However, the others were listening in, watching closely.

"Zeref." Levy spoke, frowning at him. "You're talking like you might not be able to activate the spell before this tower explodes again."

He nodded, glancing towards Natsu. "As the one who stopped its activation before, Natsu can likely explain why there is a delay."

Frowning, the dragon slayer glanced between them. "I did?" Then he blinked, as if remembering something. "Right! That's when I ate that ethernano stuff and got really sick. It felt worse than a train." Yet, he oddly seemed well on the airship. He had noticed it early on, and failed to ask how. Perhaps he'd ask August what he had done to make this happen, since it had not been something Zeref had considered beforehand.

"And that explains nothing. Zeref, Natsu might've been there, but he usually isn't the kind of person to pick up on details like that," Loke commented.

"Yeah, plus I was too focused on trying to stop Jellal from sacrificing Erza for his stupid plans anyway!"

That made Levy blink, focusing on Natsu. "Sacrificing Erza? What does that have to do with the spell?"

"That's how it activates, in its current state at least." Zeref saw her grow pale. "My earlier contemplations on resurrection were always based on such a model. Based on the false belief that magic could not interfere with what lives and what dies, I was of the impression that a trade would be required regardless of which method I utilized. I've since learned that I was incorrect in that assumption, however."

"Um…we're not…here to be sacrifices, right?" Nab looked over at Zeref.

Given their history, it was a valid question. "Zeref wouldn't do that!" Levy, was adamant in her response. "He said he'd be delayed, which means—"

"He's expecting us to resist?"

"No!" Levy glared at Loke, crossing her arms over her chest. "He needs to change it before he can use it."

"Levy is correct." Glancing towards the others, Zeref tilted his head. "Did you really think I'd intentionally kill others after I've finally rid myself of that which was forcing me to unintentionally kill them?" It was an odd phrasing, but accurate either way. Loke glanced away, closing his eyes. Nab nervously played with his hands in his lap, avoiding Zeref's gaze. "The issue lies within the fact that I will have to alter it while it is active…meaning the spell will be resistant to such changes. Depending on how much energy I exhaust, someone else may need to activate the R-System once I've finished the alterations."

"And I will be focused on ensuring that the tower is not near exploding." August glanced at them, nodding. "That is your role. Should my father be incapable of finishing the spell, amongst yourselves should be enough power to do so."

"All of us to make up for just him?" Natsu frowned, glancing at Zeref. "That doesn't make much sense."

"I've been alive for centuries, Natsu. As such…my capacity for storing ethernano is far greater than that of your normal wizard." He could accomplish spells that were normally impossible as a result. Yet, that was not quite the goal here. "The R-System can be activated with fewer. The excess is a precaution, in the event that someone is unable to determine the process to activate it." Glancing over towards her, Zeref smiled. "Levy should be more than capable of doing so, but I leave the decision of who actually acts up to you, if it comes to that. Natsu likely has the higher personal stake in the matter, but lacks the technical knowledge to work with something as complex as this."

"And it sounds like we're just the middle ground between the two, then." Zeref nodded at Loke, seeing the celestial spirit smile faintly. "Alright then. If it means we're not getting sacrificed, I'd say I'm all for the plan." With that, Zeref nodded and took the wheel, observing outside the front window. He could feel August activating his magic, a style he had copied long ago after a visit he'd paid to Era. August had been registering their legal guilds with the Magic Council when he saw a rare form of magic used by one of the council members…a lost magic known as arc of time. Zeref always knew it would be of use to him one day, but he had not expected it to play a role like this.

Where there seemed to be nothing but water, Zeref slowly saw the area began to shift. It started small, looking to be the base of an island at first. Then, things seemed to spiral rapidly in reverse. He saw rubble flying upward, rebuilding the tower. A flash of light seemed to cave inward on itself, imploding rather than exploding as it had before. What had appeared to be odd pieces of the tower solidified together as one, and a beacon of white light vanished from sight, dragged back into the tower in an instant. Then, Zeref saw the blue glow of the lacrima, sensing the energy that had now returned in an instant to the spell. "He really did manage to do it…" Studying the tower, Zeref felt an odd moment of pride. He'd created this spell, after all. None of it would be possible without his own plans from before.

"It is ready. Your time is beginning now, Zeref." August's voice reminding him to move. Taking the wheel once more, August observed as Zeref teleported the rest of them down to the tower, to the only spot he could see. The top of it had its own platform to stand on, it seemed. There, he could easily see the flat surface meant to serve as the sacrificial alter for the tower.

First, he needed to alter the target of the spell. Resurrecting himself would be rather pointless after all, and that much was simple enough to change even in this state. Magic was mostly about intent, and while the tower had been constructed with his name in mind, none of the cultists had been able to tailor it to who he was, or his image. Resurrection required knowledge of the soul and mind, which made the hold on his own self weak. Breaking that and substituting in a desire to return Igneel was almost child's play. Zeref might not know everything about the fire dragon king, but he knew enough to overshadow the desire to return himself that had been placed within the initial construction of the spell.

Next, the actual circles confined in the lacrima needed to be changed. Usually, this would have been done by hand, with a chisel of some sort to give it a permanent mark on the cylindrical walls of the tower. However, Zeref had no such ability to do so in this state. Instead, he closed his eyes, expanding his energy and sensing each individual rune. Some of them needed to remain in place, but others needed to be eliminated and rewritten to override the tower's requirement for a sacrifice. With his eyes closed, he hardly noticed the circle that had formed beneath him as he sensed out for the other runes. That black circle remained intact, simply glowing and spinning underneath him, giving him the ability to see the entire tower in his mind's eye, and know where to focus.

Next, with that active, he began isolating each rune to change one by one. He did not move, only remaining seated as if in a meditative state while he worked. "Is this normal for him?" Loke spoke, yet Zeref was not allowing it to disturb his concentration.

"He's performing a sensing spell. At least, that's what I can see." Levy frowned, watching Zeref closely. "I suspect he's trying to sense the tower's magic, so he can change it like he said he planned to. Beyond that, whatever magic he's using is beyond my own research."

"But it's boring to watch! I mean…last time I was here, I was at least fighting that Jellal guy. Can't we do something other than watch Zeref sit around and think?" Natsu glanced at the others.

"We could play a game of 'I Spy"…" Nab spoke timidly, and Zeref could only assume how that suggestion would play with this group.

"Um…sorry Nab, but I don't really think this place is good for that game. There's not really much to see other than the tower, water and…well, us." Levy at least tried to be kind about it, making Zeref smile as he worked.

"Right."

I estimate about five minutes until the tower's stability is compromised. August's voice reminded him to work quickly, making Zeref's smile fade. Natsu made it sound as if the explosion had come quickly, but perhaps the battle had accelerated the process. Either way, five minutes should be plenty of time.

The more runes he changed, the more Zeref felt the spell resist his actions. The tower was built and ready to activate, and it no longer wished to change its path. Putting more energy into each alteration, Zeref grimaced. He had enough energy for this, surely, but it had not been his intention to push the actual resurrection onto someone else. If he wasn't careful, the wizards here might do the same thing he and Mavis both did and curse themselves. After all, her own variation of the story would imply that such a thing would occur.

He was sweating as he got to the top circle on the walls of the tower, scowling at the work he had done. Thus far, he knew he had depleted too much energy. August had been correct to assume he'd need assistance after he'd dealt with the technical aspects of the spell. Yet, Zeref had stubbornly tried to insist he'd be able to do it alone in their discussions before. However, once he finished the last change, Zeref let the sensing spell drop almost immediately. His eyes flashed open, and he took a deep breath, glancing around. Nothing obvious seemed to have changed about the tower, however, the feel of the place had changed.

"Zeref?" Levy spoke, seeing the spell fading away. "Is it ready?"

He nodded, glancing over at them with exhaustion seeping in. How had altering one spell exhausted him so much? Then again, it was black magic, which usually required more energy than most spells. "August was correct to assume I'd expend too much energy on this. I…I do not have enough to activate the spell."

"Alright, then I'll just release the magic by burning its shell away!" Natsu seemed too eager, flames dancing in his hand.

"That won't be the answer, Natsu." Loke glanced over at Zeref, frowning at him. "Explain it, in as simple of terms as you can manage. What will activate it at this point?"

Someone needed to activate it, with Igneel in mind. That meant it had to be Natsu, yet Natsu's own immediate reaction told Zeref he wouldn't be able to do so. What could he do? Glancing around, his gaze landed on Levy. An idea started to form, one that would not only make this easier, but also let the spell function without him. "I don't think we're going to make it…the energy here feels…angry." Nab spoke, glancing at his feet. Considering he'd hardly been able to sense the magical aura of the dragon egg from before, Zeref was surprised he even realized the instability of the tower.

"There's no time. Levy…this may feel odd, but it is what I have enough energy to do for now." She frowned at him, and Zeref reached over, pulling her towards him. He closed his eyes, reaching for his telepathy to connect their minds. Yet, it wasn't a simple telepathic spell. Usually, those were used for simple communication. Zeref needed her to see more than just that, more than just words to explain the feel of the R-System and who Igneel was. So, Zeref remembered. For the first time since he had begun fighting against the memories of his past, Zeref focused on what he had lost.

Images of going to Igneel as a child flashed in his mind, sharing those memories with Levy. He remembered reading in the forest with Igneel, while the dragon tried to pull him away from his books. He remembered complaining to Igneel about the other kids in his village, saying that he could get stronger than them by simply knowing how to do things they couldn't. He remembered how betrayed he felt, when he saw the fire dragons flying away from his home that had burned to the ground. He remembered going to Igneel after his curse for the first time…with Natsu and his false hatred as his guide.

Levy was crying with him, while Zeref pressed on. She knew Igneel…next, he needed the spell. He showed her what he had felt before, with the sensing magic he had used. She saw the layers of the tower, how they all connected and spoke to each other. A flashing image of the final circle, one to be placed on the top of the surface to signal for the spell to begin, was the last thing he left her with. Pulling his mind away, Zeref watched her stumble back, slightly dazed. "What…was that?"

"Telepathy…a stronger variation of it, at least." It had been the magic he first went to school to learn. Magic over the mind was subtle, and not all that unlike the illusions Mavis had mastered. Yet, it also could do far darker things…and in a time of war, he'd needed the safety that came from the knowledge that he had some method of defending himself.

Nodding, Levy glanced at the tower. Two minutes. Hurry…or else I will be forced to unravel this tower completely. August warned them again, and Zeref watched as Levy moved towards the center.

"Damn…so there's nothing we can do?" Loke glanced around, staring at the crystalline tower they were on. "Please tell me he showed you something that can help, Levy."

She nodded, glancing towards Natsu with a faint smile. "He did." She pressed her hand to the surface of the tower, closing her eyes. "Zeref showed me the spell. And he showed me the most important thing needed to make it work…" She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. "It feels like I was there with him, like I was the one who was with Igneel as I grew up too…" Zeref knew it would likely have a strong reaction with her. That was how such spells tended to affect others, which was why he had hoped to avoid something like this. Yet, the circle began to flash on the tower underneath Levy, expanding outward until it covered its entire surface. "He shouldn't be gone. Igneel, for both of you, needs to be here."

"Levy, how does Zeref even know…" Natsu trailed off, glancing over at his brother. Still, the spell seemed to activate at that moment before Natsu could finish his question. The spell beneath Levy seemed to start glowing white in color, taking on life with the energy she gave it. Gasping, Levy's eyes flew open and she stepped back, the activation aspect of the spell complete. What was left was for the tower to do the work it was constructed for, using the energy inside of it to fuel each layered circle within and bring back a life from nothing.

Watching, Zeref stared as the tower itself seemed to glow more intensely, the energy of the lacrima slowly activating and being put into use. It looked much like any other lacrima being activated, pulsating with bright light and glowing from the action. Yet, that light also was different than others as it was used. The glow slowly began to fade with each activated layer, using and expending that energy far quicker than an average lacrima would. As the glow itself faded, layers of the tower seemed to return to its former material, taking on a dull brown coloration as the energy faded away.

Just as the last crystalline piece of the lacrima at the top of the tower began to transition over to its former state, something seemed to shake the entire tower. A tremor filled the structure, and Zeref smiled faintly as he realized the spell was complete. From the pedestal still in front of them that had once been designed to take in a sacrifice, a massive blast of dark light seemed to shoot upwards towards the sky. It expanded from there, filling the sky with a dark black cloud in an instant.

"Is that…supposed to happen?" Nab gazed at it, and Zeref nodded.

"Despite how gentle the idea may seem, black magic always is dark in appearance. Resurrection is no different." Zeref glanced towards him, watching as Nab nodded in response. Along with the beam of light, something else seemed to shoot out from the pedestal, towards the center of the tower rather than into the sky. Black, runic writing seemed to spiral and weave through the air, coalescing at that central spot in the tower and forming an indecipherable sphere of writing that only Zeref could understand.

He watched the runes carefully, seeing the way they wove together and started taking on a physical form. Everything seemed to be in place, from the energy to the book itself. "What is that stuff? It can't be natural."

"That's the replacement for the sacrifice." Zeref answered quickly, rising to his feet slowly. He felt like he should probably continue to rest, but Levy also looked nearly as exhausted as he was. Walking towards her, he placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled faintly. "It will form his book…which will become tethered to the life of the one who cast the spell, binding its energy to theirs." Yet, this was why he was moving. It looked as if it was moving along just fine, but Levy did not have his energy capacity.

"That sounds odd." Loke glanced at him, frowning. "Shouldn't there be something more to pay for a spell like this?"

"The wizard's energy will continuously be drained to feed that of the resurrected." Zeref glanced towards Loke, holding out lifting his palm into the air. First, he needed a few protective spells that he usually would have ignored. Luckily, he'd at least learned them after his first few demonic creations showed him that the demonic taint from creation alone wouldn't kill his immortal body. "That is why I needed to be the one to cast this spell…or all of you as a whole. Levy doing this alone was unexpected…I will have to intervene."

Really, could he sustain that kind of energy alone? A dragon had far more magic power than a wizard. Likely, Igneel surpassed even his own strength. Bind all of us. This was all of our goals, Father. We will stand together and serve as that which maintains his existence as one. August's advice again made him smile, nodding in agreement. Glancing at the others, he saw them nodding as well, having heard August's telepathic message.

"Very well." Holding out his hand, now glowing with an odd red light from his protection spell, Zeref grimaced and reached into the stream of demonic writing. He felt the sharp sting of burning pain from rewriting the words in any form, yet that was something he was familiar with. The path of the writing was split and divided by his intervention, spiraling around his hand as he rapidly checked and altered the writing in quick succession. Levy watched, her eyes curious as she saw the unfamiliar writing flash by, still forming the same ball as before but this time with Zeref's added changes.

When he pulled back, Zeref quickly pulled his hand to his side, trying to hide it from view. His robes hid most of it, but Loke narrowed his eyes at what he saw. "What…what kind of magic is this even? This isn't any kind of language I'm familiar with, and that's saying something."

"This is the language contained in each of my demonic books." He glanced towards Loke, sighing. "It…isn't quite a workable form of magic for wizards. At least, I've yet to decipher a proper way of utilizing it."

"Then how did you just mess with it?" Natsu was frowning at Zeref, even as the dark cloud above them continued to grow.

"Practice." Yet, he could still feel the burning in his arm, growing stronger and spreading. This had happened each time he made a demon, and he'd always survived. It did not mean he hadn't suffered through each attempt, though. With this one, it had been so long since his last living magic spell that it was almost unfamiliar, the way the stinging took on a feel like electricity rushing across his skin and making it tingle. Numbness spread with it, making him grimace and look away.

"And those black marks on your hand? Is that normal as well?"

So Loke had seen it. Zeref sighed, lifting his arm weakly. Vein-like black marks trailed along his skin, halting at his elbow where he had isolated his protective spell. "It is not possible to prevent…so yes. All I could do was limit the extent of the damage, by controlling where the demonic taint believed my body would begin and end."

"That spell from before, the red glow…" Levy stared at him, frowning. "It was energy manipulation of some kind, almost like an illusion, but not one we could see. Is that what you were talking about?" Zeref nodded, watching as she moved closer. She touched his hand gently, looking worried. "Will…will it stop?"

"Eventually, yes. However…it typically lasts for about three days, at minimum. That's what I recall from my previous alterations of the books, anyway." Still, the spell was almost complete anyway. He saw the written words cease to flow from the pedestal, and the writing circulating around the center of the tower seemed to halt for a moment. Then, in a flash of light, energy blasted outwards, pushing back all except for Zeref who had expected the energy. A book was in its place, falling to the ground with Igneel's name in black lettering on the cover.

Above them, Zeref heard the shift in the air. There was a faint noise, the noise of wings flapping that most could not hear from birds or other insects due to their size. However, Zeref smiled when he saw red scales come into view, growing closer and more prominent above them. As he picked up the book and stepped back to give Igneel room, the others seemed to blink in surprise. "That's…wow, we really did it." Nab glanced at his arms, frowning. "I thought I'd feel tired…but I don't notice it at all."

"That's because of how many people we have bound to him." Zeref glanced at them, sighing. "If some of us begin to perish for some reason, you'll likely sense more of a drain."

"That voice…" A gravelly sound came towards them, just as Igneel landed and narrowed his eyes at them. "I suppose that alone explains how I've returned when I know it should not have been possible. Have you not learned your lesson, old friend?"

Smiling at Igneel, Zeref walked towards Levy, pressing his hand to her shoulder. "I've learned rather well, I think." Igneel blinked at her, before chuckling and shaking his head.

"Then I am glad, for you seem to be doing rather well." Glancing around, his grin widened even further. "And I take it this is the reason I've been brought back. Leave it to Natsu to be stubborn enough to refuse to let me go…and to find you to make that reality."

"Hey! Zeref came to me with this idea, not the other way around." Natsu glared at him, before slowly looking away. "But, I wasn't going to stop him either. I mean, there's still a lot for us to talk about. Fairy Tail, my family, and now Zeref…did you know I had a brother out there, Igneel?"

"I did." Igneel glanced towards Zeref, frowning for a moment. "It was not my place to speak on such matters, not when he needed to be the one to reveal the truth."

"Well, it's not like he wasted his time to tell me or anything. Can you believe he only told me we were brothers when I was about to kill him? I mean, we were—"

"You did what?" Igneel blinked at Natsu, glancing between the two brothers again. "Zeref…care to explain what my son is referring to?"

"My plan." He saw Levy glare at him, making him look away. "Former plan, at least." Sighing, he glanced away. "I started a war with Natsu's guild…to try and correct my mistakes. It took me far too long…to let go of the past. Part of me still refuses to move on…yet I understand your advice better now, then I did then, I think."

"And you've grown as well." He crouched down, leaning towards Zeref. "Just how long has it been for you? Being with Natsu hasn't given me much to go on as far as the time difference."

"Four centuries." Zeref saw Igneel's gaze soften, and the dragon reached forward, stretching his neck and pressing his snout to Zeref's hair. It was an odd gesture, which made Zeref stiffen, but the dragon did not seem to notice.

"Then I'm sorry to have made you wait for so long." Igneel pulled back after a moment, gazing at Zeref. "Bringing me back like this could not have been an easy task. Don't tell me that I'm the past you've been failing to move on from, Zeref. I know we did not part of the best of terms."

"Yet I also am not able to say we parted on poor terms either." Zeref smiled faintly, glancing at the others. "No…the past I could not move on from was my own. The things I'd done, the guilt I live with…they are things I must learn to carry with me, without letting them bring me lower than I am, I think."

"Hey!" Natsu glared at Zeref, crossing his arms over his chest. "Since when is Igneel all that close to you? He's my Dad, so back off."

Glancing at Natsu, Zeref frowned. However, Loke intervened first. "Natsu…you're brothers."

"So?"

"Brothers have the same parents, Natsu." The dragon slayer blinked, before scowling and looking away. Loke chuckled, while Zeref smiled in amusement. "Though, I don't think Igneel knows Zeref the same way he knows you."

"I was the one who gave you to him in the first place, Natsu." Zeref glanced towards the boy, who blinked in surprise. "Perhaps I did not explain this well enough before…but Igneel and I are…old friends, I suppose. There were times when I nearly despised him, and times when he was the only person I could rely on…so much like you, he is a vital piece of who I have become."

"And yet I fail to understand the need to bring me back now." Igneel glanced between them. "Sorrow, grief and loss…these things make parting that much more difficult, but I know Zeref has at least some experience in moving past such feelings. So…why bring me back, if you've started looking towards the future rather than the past?"

"Because it's still alive." Zeref glanced towards Igneel, who frowned towards him. "And I still have a promise to fulfill as a result. Perhaps you did not think it possible, given the path we had taken together…but given what I found, with there still being a method of bringing you back…well, it was a rather simple decision to make."

"You found it?" Igneel was staring at him with wide eyes. "But…it's been…"

"I know." Zeref smiled faintly, looking away. "It was difficult for myself to believe as well. However, it was alive. And…it was closer to me than I ever realized. My parents seemed to have kept it safe…hidden where neither myself nor Natsu were able to find it."

"And I'd like to confirm that it's there too, but I honestly have nothing to base it on except for his word that there was a dragon egg in that house." Loke glanced at Igneel, giving the dragon a wave. "You probably don't know me, but I'm Loke. I've been a member of Natsu's guild for a while now, and I'm also Leo of the Zodiac spirits."

Glancing towards them, Igneel seemed to realize exactly how many were here. Nab stepped forward as well, smiling nervously at him. "And…well I guess I didn't see it…but its spirit is strong. That much I could tell when we entered that town…"

"And that's Nab." Levy spoke for him, walking forward. "He's probably too nervous to introduce himself."

"And you are?"

"Levy, I'm also a member of Fairy Tail."

"Yet you seem closer to Zeref than you do to my son."

Glancing over at Zeref, Levy nodded and wrapped her arm around herself. "I guess I kinda am. Natsu is a good friend, but he has a different team that he usually works with than us. We're—well, it's kind of a long story how we ended up working together."

"And it is a long flight to Mildia, I suspect. Where are we anyway?"

"In the ocean between Ishgar and Alakitasia." Zeref smiled at Igneel, who blinked in surprise. "This tower is illegal black magic. It is only logical that it is constructed in a difficult location to reach."

"And you didn't even build it." Loke shook his head at Zeref.

"But I oversaw August's rebuilding of it."

"He just did that thing that weird time-lady did!" Natsu glared at him, shaking his head. "That's almost like…cheating."

"And did we have the time to rebuild a fully functional version of this tower? Then to work towards convincing the Magic Council to launch an Etherion blast at it?"

"It sounds like making this tower was complicated…" Nab spoke, and Zeref nodded. "We'd probably have failed trying to do that ourselves. Really, building the tower wasn't the right job at all for us. This…using what was already here, that made a lot more sense to me."

A low rumbling chuckle came from Igneel, watching them talk about what brought them here. "Zeref…I'm glad to see you've made friends like them." His gaze flickered towards Levy, an odd light in his gaze. "And that you've found someone to be one with you in your heart as well." Levy blinked at him, her eyes wide. "Has he spoken to you of me at all? I could easily see him overlooking that detail, given how long he's lived."

"He—to get the spell to work, he kinda showed you to me." She bit her lip, glancing at him. "So, I've seen a lot of his memories involving you."

"Then all that remains is for me to learn more of you." Glancing towards the others, Igneel smiled faintly. "Though, I suspect we will have much time for such things in the future. From the discussion thus far, it appears as if there is something Zeref intends to bring me to."

Nodding, Zeref glanced upwards. "I do. And I am rather exhausted and likely can't teleport us that far…." Spotting the airship, he smiled. "Would you be able to follow us? Our airship could take us to Mildia quite quickly anyway."

"No way! I just got Igneel back, and we've still got a lot to talk about. I'm not going back in that thing…even if it doesn't make me sick."

"Then you can fly with me as I follow them." Natsu smiled brightly, as if he had been given a great gift. Really, his father was back, so it wasn't entirely inaccurate either. Igneel let Natsu climb onto his back, nodding towards Zeref. "Thank you, Zeref. For keeping your word to me…and for going to such lengths to do so."

"It would be a shame to let such a race vanish entirely, if I could have avoided it." Igneel nodded, and Zeref smiled faintly. "Perhaps it won't be pleasant…but that dragon deserves a chance just as we all do."

"That doesn't sound like the Zeref I last knew." Maybe it wasn't. Zeref shrugged, glancing towards Levy and grabbing her hand in his own. "Though, it sounds much more like the Zeref I first met. Are you certain you've moved on from that past?"

Staring into Levy's brown eyes and thinking about what lay ahead of him, Zeref smiled. "I have. My curse is gone…and there are plenty of things I seem to have missed out on in life because I let that dictate my actions. Now…now it is time to enjoy things once more, as I did when we first met. Perhaps it seems as if I am regressing to that past…but I see it as moving on from the person who was held back by what he lost instead."

"And you've grown quite wise as well. I look forward to discussing things further with you, old friend. Perhaps we can return to how we once were as well." Nodding, Zeref smiled. As Igneel took to the skies, Zeref brought the rest of them back into the airship. He was tired and needed rest, but there would be time for that later. For now, he had a dragon egg to hatch, and Igneel was his key to doing so.

And Igneel's back! I know a few of you probably wanted more of a reunion between Natsu and Igneel, however, I thought it was more fitting to put more of a focus on Zeref's reunion with him instead. Given the fact that Zeref is a more prominent character in this story than Natsu, it just seemed like the better focus to have. So, I hope it doesn't bother you too much here. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!