Hey everyone! I hope you all enjoy part 3! Letting you all know that the tone is much different compared to part 1 and two. So, different that I decided to change the rating from K+ to T. If you all feel that this is not the proper rating, let me know. And also, make sure that when you are done reading, that you read the notes I have at the bottom. There is a lot of info. in there that I recommend you read. But do that AFTER you read because there are spoilers! (Not future spoilers though). But anyway, I hope you all enjoy and have a nice rest of your day. Enjoy!
Zeref was walking through the field for about an hour. He had been looking for the missing father. He kept looking up at the stars every now and then. He loved the way they looked. They look beautiful. He thought to himself. He didn't think many things were beautiful anymore. The world had rejected him, so he had to reject it. But the stars always accepted him. They wouldn't reject him, like the people in this world.
While searching for the missing father, a light appeared in the distance. Zeref decided to walk towards it, thinking that the father might be there. When he got close enough, he saw two men laughing and drinking around a campfire. He stayed in the bushes, trying to analyze the area.
Zeref eyes zoomed past the men, looking at a dark blue tent that was set behind them. It looked empty, but he couldn't be for sure. Next to the tent was a tree, where a man was tied up and appeared to be unconscious.
That must be the missing father. Zeref thought to himself.
Zeref stood up, about to enter the camp, but something he overhead got his attention.
"Haha, pass me the bottle Herack." Laughed the man.
Herack passed the bottle to the other man and said, "You shoulda seen that old hag," chuckled Herack. "I grabbed her daughter by the hair and took her to Leoin. The mother was screaming, begging me to give her back her daughter. So, you know what I did?"
The drunk man looked up at Herack, eagerly waiting for a response.
Herack laughed and shouted, "I smacked her!"
Both men were laughing hysterically, spilling their beers onto the ground.
While they were laughing, a tall sturdy man walked out of the dark blue tent, heading towards the two drunk men.
"How much did Leoin give you for the girl?" asked the tall and sturdy man.
Both of the men stood up, hiding their bottles behind their backs.
"He uhhh…" Josia looked at Herack with a scowling face. "He gave me 30,000 Jewel!"
The tall man looked at Herack and snapped, "That isn't enough Herack! "We need more money!"
Both the men started stepping back, trying to stay out of Josia's reach. "I'm… I'm sorry Josia." Stuttered Herack. "He… he wouldn't offer me mo…"
Josia slapped Herack so hard that he fell to the floor. The other drunk man stepped to the side, trying to stay out of Josia's line of sight.
Josia started to kick Herack over and over until Herack begged for mercy.
"Please!" Begged Herack. "I'll get more money! I promise!"
"Oh, you'll do more than get more money!" Scolded Josia. "I am going to teach you a lesson on what happens when you don't get things done." Josia kept kicking and kicking without remorse, the other man just stood there, in horror.
"When I tell you to do something, you do it! UNDERSTAND!"
Herack didn't answer. A pool of blood started to envelop him. Josia looked down on Herack's face and spit on it.
"Can't do a single thing right," Josia Muttered.
There was a pause between Josia and the other man. The man was too afraid to look at Josia. He was hoping Josia's wrath wouldn't come on him.
"Neither of you can do a single thing right!" Shouted Josia. "You will learn what will happen when you disappoint me!"
Before Josia could say anything else, Zeref stepped out of the shadows. His eyes were red with rage. He looked at the two men, and then down at Herack. Zeref eyes widened, his eyes were now glowing.
The other two men stood there, confused who this mysterious man was. Zeref took his hand and reached into his pocket.
Josia pulled out his sword and yelled, "Who are you!"
Zeref didn't answer. He grabbed a necklace out of his pocket and pointed it at Josia.
"Well?" Insisted Josia. "You going to say who you are, or do you want to die?"
Zeref looked at Josia with his angry red eyes and said, "Do not blame me for your fate. You can only blame yourself."
"What are you even…" Before Josia could finish his sentence, his body burst into flames. Josia was screaming, begging for the pain to stop. The other man looked at what was happening and fell to the floor. He didn't know what to do. He felt his body burning up, he couldn't breathe anymore. He looked at his hand as it burst into flames, then his whole body burst into flames. Both of the men were screaming at the top of their lungs. They were feeling an immense pain not many feel, and those who do, never survive. Their screams echoed throughout the night, like wolves howling at the moon.
Josia and the other man kept burning until a bright light came out of their body, floating towards Zeref's necklace. The light went inside Zeref's necklace and then Zeref shut the necklace. Their bodies fell to the ground in pieces. The flames were now gone. The only thing left was their bones. They were black and smoke was still coming out of them.
"Don't blame me for your death. You brought this on yourself." Zeref repeated.
Zeref went up to the man, using his magic to wake him up.
The man woke up, jumping at Zeref screaming, "Please! Please Don't hurt me!"
"Don't worry," Zeref assured. "Your safe now." Zeref untied the man and proceeded to help him up.
"Your…" Stuttered the man. "You're not here to kill me?"
"No, I'm here to save you."
"Who are you?" The man asked.
"I was sent by your wife to come and find you," Zeref responded.
"Edna! Edna sent you!" Blurted the man.
"Yes, she and your daughter are worried sick about you."
"What about the men who kidnapped me?"
"Don't worry about them," Zeref assured. "They have been taken care of."
"Oh, thank you! Those men kidnapped me and beat me. Demanding that I give them money! I tried to tell them I had no money, but they wouldn't listen. I hope they got what they deserved!"
"Don't you worry, they got what they deserved."
"Thank you. Thank you so much. I don't know how to repay you."
"We can talk about payment later, for right now. Let's get you back to your wife."
"Sounds good to me! By the way, my name is Adrian."
"Nice to meet you, Adrian. Now, let's get back to your wife and daughter before they start to worry more."
"Alright, let's go!"
Both Zeref and Adrian left the camp, leaving the bones to be found on a later date. That wasn't the first case of people being burned alive, and it certainly wasn't the last. They were so many cases of people being burned alive that it was eventually reported to the magic council. This would lead to the nationwide hunt to find the wizard responsible. When the wizard was found, thousands of troops were sent by the magic council to defeat him. That battle ended up being the second bloodiest massacre in the land of Fiore. Since that day, that wizard was titled the first Black Wizard, and none dare to step into his path. None but one.
They found their way back to where everyone was. Zeref and Adrian walked out of the field and saw Damen sitting on the ground holding Natsu's leash. Natsu was staring at the moon. Both the mother and the daughter saw as they returned.
"Adrain!" Blurted Edna.
The daughter turned to where the mother was looking and her eyes opened with joy, "Daddy!"
Damen got up, tying Natsu's leash to the broken wagon. He headed towards Zeref, but something didn't feel right to him. He smelled something that smelled familiar to him. He looked at both Zeref and Adrian. The smell was pungent. He knew this smell was important, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.
"Oh, thank your kind soul. How can we ever repay you!" Edna asked.
"We can talk about that later." Insisted Zeref. "I'm just glad I was able to help."
The daughter ran up to Zeref and hugged him. "Thank you so very much for finding my daddy." Zeref smiled at the daughter and said, "No problem."
While the family was celebrating the fathers return, Zeref looked at Damen and asked, "Oh, Damen. I seemed to have dropped my scarf in the field. Could you go and fetch it for me?"
Damen looked at Zeref, annoyed that he could have dropped something so big. "Sure, no problem." Damen turned to the family and smiled, "I'll be right back." And headed into the field, looking for Zeref's scarf.
Zeref saw as Damen left and turned to the family. "Well, about your payment."
"Yes! Anything you need! Assented Edna.
Zeref looked at the family as he reached into his pocket. He took out his necklace and said, "Look at this."
Damen was searching the field for Zeref's scarf. While searching for the scarf, he was trying to figure out what that smell was from. He just couldn't figure out what it was. What was that smell? I know I've smelled it before! Damen thought to himself.
Not long past until Damen found Zeref's scarf. It was hanging on a rock like someone purposely put it there. Damen didn't think much of it though. He grabbed Zeref's scarf and started heading back. While he was walking, he saw a bright light coming from Zeref's location. It was so bright that it blinded him, making him fall on his back. The light only lasted for a few seconds.
Damen got up and asked, "What was that?" Without wasting any more time, he started running back to Zeref. He knew something had happened. While he was running back, he felt something surrounding him. Then BOOM, he heard a loud explosion. Damen stopped in his tracks. He didn't know what was going on. Now he was running even faster. He had to get back quickly.
When he got back, he saw Zeref staring at the ground. He ran up to him and asked, "What happened!?"
"Nothing," Zeref answered.
"What do you mean nothing? I saw a bright light and heard a loud explosion! What the hell was that?!"
"I said it was nothing."
"Bullshit! What happened? Where are Adrian and his family?!"
"I teleported them to safety."
Damen looked at Zeref with disbelief. "What do you mean you teleported them?"
"They asked me to teleport them to their home, so I did."
"And they just left all their stuff here?"
Zeref didn't answer. He just kept staring at the ground. Damen knew something wasn't right. Zeref had been hiding something, and Damen needed to know what.
Damen grabbed Zeref's arm and turned him around shouting, "Zeref! "You need to tell me what is going on. You can't keep hiding the truth from me!"
Zeref looked at Damen with a cold stare. He seemed angry that Damen kept asking questions, but Damen had enough of Zeref's lies.
"Tell me Zeref." Damen insisted. "I need to know the truth."
"I have told you the truth." Zeref insisted.
"Zeref… you haven't told me anything. You've only told me what you wanted to tell me."
Zeref seemed even more annoyed know. He looked up at Damen and said, "Damen, you need to stop. When I tell you to shut it, you shut it!"
Damen looked straight into Zeref's eyes. He wasn't backing down, and neither was Zeref.
A gust of wind blew towards Damen, throwing that pungent smell right into his face. It was so strong that it almost choked him. Then… he remembered… he remembered where that smell was from. It was from the destroyed village!
Damen looked at Zeref with fear, he backed away from him. Damen knew what Zeref had done.
"It… it was you!" Stuttered Damen.
"What are you even talking about?" Asked Zeref.
"You… you destroyed that village!" Damen shouted. "You told me a man came by and… but… but… it was you!"
Damen charged at Zeref yelling, "You killed them! You killed those people!"
Zeref grabbed Damen by the head and threw him against the wagon.
Zeref walked towards the wagon shouting, "You don't know what you're talking about."
Damen got up. He was in immense pain. His arm was broken, but he continued to walk towards Zeref.
"You killed those people. You killed Adrian and his family. How could you do that?! Damen screamed, trying to lung at Zeref again. Zeref grabbed Damen's throat and screamed, "You don't know what you're talking about."
Damen couldn't breathe. He felt the life within him withering away. But before he passed out, Zeref let go.
Damen fell to the ground, coughing and wheezing, trying to catch his breath.
Zeref looked down at Damen. Damen could feel the energy coming out of Zeref. It was death. Zeref was surrounded by it. Damen looked up at Zeref. He couldn't believe what Zeref had become. He put his arm on his leg and pushed himself off the ground. Zeref and Damen were face to face. Damen took in a deep breath and said, "You're a monster."
"Don't you dare call me that." Zeref cautioned.
"You're a monster!" Damen yelled.
"No, I'm not!"
"You're a murd…"
Before Damen could finish his sentence, Zeref lunged at Damen, stabbing him through the stomach.
Damen's eyes widened, he looked down at his stomach and saw Zeref's hand through it. He looked back up, coughing blood into Zeref's face.
Zeref threw him on the ground. Tears coming out of his face. "You're just like the rest. You all reject me!"
Damen couldn't say anything. He couldn't breathe. Zeref threw him on the ground. Making Damen lay in a puddle of his own blood. He could feel himself fading away. Zeref walked towards Natsu, grabbing his leash. "Come now Natsu, we must get going."
Zeref looked down at Damen crying, "You did this to yourself. We could have walked this world together, but now… now you will die."
Both Damen and Zeref started at each other. Zeref pulled Natsu's leash, "Come Natsu." Zeref and Natsu started to walk away from Damen. Damen tried to call out for them, but he couldn't. His vision was fading. He saw as Zeref and Natsu disappeared into the night. He tried to stay awake, but he couldn't. His vision kept fading until… until everything went black. Leaving his body to lay there, in the night, to be devoured by nature itself.
Wow! Now that was a ride. At least for me. It honestly is amazing how this part has turned out. I came in here with a plan but that completely got thrown out the window. You see, every time I write a part, I know how I want it to turn out. But every time I have written a part (except for part 1), the ending has changed. For example, part two was meant to be much longer, but then I decided to let Zeref go look for the father alone. Instead of Zeref and Damen going together to go find the father. Then for this part, it was supposed to end completely different than how it ended. Different, place, time, everything! I don't want to say much because it might spoil somethings. But I honestly don't know anymore. I know how I want to end this fanfic, but now a lot has changed. Now the ending may turn out different. And I think that is a good thing. It keeps me on the edge of my seat. I get to go on a ride with you guys. Well, now I have to go. I am currently on vacation. It was a last-minute vacation that I was invited to. So, this means that I won't be uploading anything next Friday (December 28,2018). I will however, upload the next-next Friday (January 4, 2019). I feel like there is a better way to say next-next Friday. But I honestly can't think anymore. I've been writing all day. After all, I am on vacation. But anyway, I hope you guys liked this part and I hope you guys like the new darker tone. I love feedback. Good or bad. They both let me improve myself and my writing. I want to thank everyone for reading my fanfics, it means a lot to me. But anyway, I don't want to keep you. Hope you all have a wonderful rest of your day, and hope to talk to you guys later! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!