Chapter Four: The Truth of the Infinite Flame
Aura glared at the salmon-haired Fire Dragonslayer will eyes overflowing with nothing but utter hatred and rage. Her hatred and rage toward the male was not shown in entirely her eyes, but her severely clenched teeth, and, in addition, fists. It had, quite oddly, seemed as though there was an anger-filled aura swarming around her. It shrouded the minor details of the female's body.
Maybe that was why she was given the name "Aura" at birth… Lucy had quietly thought to herself, and only herself, hoping that the Dragonblood known as Yiro couldn't do anything bizarre, like reading minds. She did so whilst eyeing the Dragonblood, who went by the name of Aura, with her shocked doe-brown irises. But wonder shot into her veins as a thought formed in her head. The thought, but it was more like a question, was: "Why would Aura hate Natsu? Had he done anything wrong to cause Aura to hate Natsu?"
The thought then hit her like a bullet to the chest. Natsu was a Dragonslayer, last time the Heartfilia checked. A Dragonslayer had killed Aura's father when she was young. That would explain a hell of a lot of her bitter thoughts about the Dragonslayer, Natsu, along with her angered state. Then, another thought passed through the Heartfilia's mind. The question being: "Wouldn't Aura've been raised with a Dragonslayer of her element? With the Dragonslayer that her father taught? Or… Did her father even teach a Dragonslayer?'
So many more thoughts became coherent in the blonde teen's head. At that moment, however, Aura began chanting, but more like shouting, accompanied by a magic circle underneath her, "AKUMA NO FUKKATSU!" which translated into, "Demon's Resurrection." But, Lucy hadn't caught onto that. Lucy was too deep in thought to even remotely pick up on the fact that there was an attack heading her way. She only became remotely became aware of such an attack when Natsu bellowed from the sides, whilst tackling her, "LUCY, LOOK OUT!"
The "Akuma no Fukkatsu" chant had become the attack that was shot toward Lucy. It had lights swirling toward the middle. It was quick like a bullet; yet, it was able to miss Lucy, not because Aura missed, but because Natsu interfered, taking the attack to the chest. A roar of immense pain bellowed out of the hollows of the Dragonslayer's throat. Damn, that must have been painful. Not only did it sound like it was, but it looked like it was, too.
Natsu, his salmon-hair quite frizzled, was panting heavily on the floor, his eyes shut. Wounds that heaved heavy amounts of blood shrouded his skin. The attack also tore a part of his navy coat, more than it already had been. When the blonde witnessed her best friend, who had fallen on her behalf, it felt as though she had just been stabbed by Gray's Ice-Make: Lance. Tears started to bombard her cheeks as she bawled, "NATSU!"
How long had it been since he last scared her like this? How long had it been since he last terrified her so much that she regretted the day she was born? Probably a few hours go when the airship crashed. But only God knew how long it had been since she was kidnapped. Well, God, the two males who were not Natsu in the room, and Aura. Not even Lucy, herself, knew how long it had been. She had probably been unconscious most of the time.
"Fuck you… Fuck you, Aura… Why…?" Croaked the blonde, torn, Celestial Spirit Mage of Fiore's strongest guild as she brought Natsu's unconscious body into her arms. It was a futile and extremely petite attempt at trying to wake him up from his unconscious state. However, if he, in fact, hadn't fallen into the depths of unconsciousness, it would've been an attempt to comfort him. Nevertheless, Lucy had felt as though she had broken her "sworn" oath to herself, and to Natsu, about protecting the young slayer. A princess's oath… Broken… What did this mean?
Yet, when Lucy thought deeply about it, Natsu wouldn't ever be overpowered by just one attack – be it powerful or not. Not even that of Mard Geer Tartarus was able to take Natsu down with only one attack. Hell, Natsu had immeasurably increased his strength, and probably durability and stamina as well, over the past year.
Natsu is not down…
It is impossible…
He couldn't be…
Not Natsu…
Never again…
Not even once…
As the blonde's theory about Natsu not being down was proven to be one-hundred percent correct, Natsu pushed himself out of Lucy's arms. He, of course, didn't mind being in Lucy's arms, as she treated him with love and care, but he knew that things had to be done. Like, for example, fight a bitch. Yet, Natsu didn't know that he had been unconscious, whatsoever. But, at that moment, he honestly did not care. No. The only thing he bore concern about was the fact that Lucy was crying. He only cared that someone, or something, had made Lucy cry. The Fire Dragonslayer of the Fairy Tail guild promised himself, and always had promised himself since he met her, that he'd burn everyone or everything that made Lucy cry.
As Natsu pushed himself up, facing his opponent, of whom he still hadn't known by even a name – not like Natsu could put a name to a face anyway – he brushed a shy amount of blood from the corner of his mouth. Natsu's anger pulsated all around him, much like that of Aura's. Yet, his was as black as the night sky. An aura that had never been emitted from the Dragonslayer prior to that moment in time. Or, at least not that recognized. An aura emitting from Natsu like that actually, believe it or not, slightly frightened Lucy.
From across the room, nevertheless, there was a maniacal laugh that began to burn through the throat of Aura. The brunette's eyes had turned into a shade of pitch black, much like that of Natsu's aura. Yet, Natsu's aura was translucent, whilst Aura's eyes had turned into nothing but opaque black. It wasn't just anger radiating from the Dragonblood's body anymore. At this particular point, Aura was emitting an aura that suggested proudness. But, of what?
The next thing Lucy knew, a dark magic circle enveloped Natsu, shooting the blonde individual out of the area she had been occupying. A similar magic circle of magnificent unique patterns of which Lucy had never actually recognized that was under Natsu grew under the legs of Aura, yet this one was rainbow instead a shade of black. Strokes, outlines, and configurations of magical shapes began to cover Aura's body.
The patterns enveloped what seemed like even the brunette's soul. The first lines that were formed on her skin grew from her right shoulder blade and grew like flowers in early bloom down her arm. The colours changed dramatically, also alike that of a flower. It curled beautifully around her elegant, yet not visibly evil, fingertips like velvet. In actuality, it seemed like the patterns that crawled up her arms were three-dimensional. The next patterns began to swathe around her eyes, which were still very dark. And as such happened, her black irises began to form a blood-red pupil in the middle of them. It was beautiful, yet horrifically terrifying at the same time.
Could that possibly have been Dragonforce that Aura had been using?
Aura's lips began to move steadily in what seemed like words and chants that Lucy hadn't had the ability to make out. Then, subsequently to that, her hair turned a neon green shade and left her shoulders, blossoming into what Mirajane Strauss's hair was when she transformed into her Satan Soul. What's going on…? Lucy questioned in a quiet thought.
What is going on? What is she doing to Natsu? The blonde thought to herself. Lucy had almost said it aloud, too, but she didn't have the ability to even commit such an action at that moment. All she could do, and all that she did, was sit in horror and watched the scary, yet intriguing situation. She hated how she found it intriguing, too. Her mouth was shut even though her jaw was a lot lower than it usually was. The long blonde-haired Celestial Spirit Mage's doe-brown eyes were immensely wide as she pondered her next course of action.
Before a coherent decision became even remotely evident in the young blonde's mind, Aura began to speak words that Lucy barely knew – only because of Levy did she know the translation to the following words. "Fukkatsu, maō Ēnu Dī, sore wa anata no mokuteki o kiryoku suru jikandesu! Zeref o koroshimasu, Ēteriasu Natsu Doraguniru." This directly translated to, Resurrect, demon lord E.N.D. It is time to fulfill your purpose! To kill Zeref, Etherious Natsu Dragneel!"
The words that had just escaped Aura's mouth… Those words the Dragonblood female had stated… It can't be… It just can't… The blonde who bore thick, long locks couldn't comprehend the words that had just escaped the mouth of her Dragonblood foe She couldn't possibly accept the fact… She just couldn't accept that… But, at the same time, what could she do? Nothing. To her, with Natsu's sudden increase in strength following the year of his disappearance, it somewhat made sense. It also made sense as to why Igneel hadn't wanted the Book of E.N.D to be destroyed… A memory came to her mind that moment.
"E.N.D is a Fire Demon..." Mard Geer Tartarus had said this during the battle against Tartarus. Natsu is the Fire Dragonslayer… Igneel was the Fire Dragon… Igneel couldn't kill E.N.D...
It all added up.
"Etherious Natsu Dragneel…?" Lucy, the Celestial Spirit Mage from the Fairy Tail guild, could only manage a scrawny whisper of the translation of Japanese that Aura had just spoken. "Etherious Natsu…" She sighed, still more than slightly shocked, even though she had added it all up in her head. It just didn't seem possible, either way. Not to Lucy.
The wind in the area had managed to dry off the tears that had accumulated in the crevices of the Heartfilia's eyes. Now, they had been accumulating once again… but only because Lucy had found out about her friend. Even though she knew that Natsu was the Etherious Demon, Etherious Natsu Dragneel, she still couldn't comprehend that her best friend, AND POTENTIAL LOVER, was a freaking DEMON. Let alone him being THE DEMON. Natsu was too nice for that… Wasn't he?
Just as her sentence finished escaping her lush lips, a strange thing happened. Natsu, the salmon-haired male, of which was just exposed to be Master E.N.D that even Mard Geer feared so, collapsed. RIGHT IN FRONT OF LUCY. Lucy attempted, fustily, to run into the Magic Circle that enveloped Natsu. Yet, when she did so, she was shot back, her spinal cord smashing against the brick wall, which slightly collapsed onto her, crying in ghastly pain. Cries could be heard as she, once again, crawled to the magic circle beside Natsu.
Blood spewed from her back and she watched, just staying beside the magic circle, not attempting to enter it. "Natsu…" she was gasping between ghastly sobs.
It only happened for about 3 seconds, but it had happened. On Natsu's skin, white lines became temporarily, opaquely, engraved, think and bold. Lucy could not see Natsu's eyes, though. She couldn't focus through the harsh waves of pain. But, on Natsu's eyes, had flame-like patterns, simply made, engraved around them. Protruding from his hairline.
She remembered that she had heard a crack, obviously, emit from her back when she collided with the wall. Shit.
But that, at that moment, was not the problem. At that moment, the real problem was the fact that the bandages on Natsu's arm burst into flames, burning it right off of his bare skin, revealing a tattoo. It had the letters, "E", "N", and, "D" engraved in fancy calligraphy that not even a famous artist could do. With similar lines that had been engraved around his irises, the letters were surrounded.
Did Natsu know he was E.N.D? Lucy pondered, eyes wide with pain, but shared wonder. Could he possibly have known, though? Maybe his secret weapon was demolished and replaced by that of th mark. That'd be only logical, right? Right? RIGHT? RIGHT?! Of course it was replaced. Natsu was too stupid to know that he was the Grand Demon of all creations of the Book of Zeref. It was the ONLY logical reason.
After those three, short, but important, seconds passed, Lucy came to one-hundred percent acknowledge that Natsu was Etherious Natsu Dragneel, even though she had already come to that conclusion. It just confirmed it furthermore, would be easier and more realistic to say. Lucy wasn't happy, despite the fact that she probably had a broken back. Hot tears streamed heavily down her injured face, striking even more pain as the salt of her tears invaded her wounds. Easily, that would have stung her. It would have stung anyone, but she was already so torn from Natsu, it was nearly impossible to comprehend.
Once the lights flashed, Natsu began to arise from where he was laying approximately a minute after his tattoos were temporarily revealed. His eyes were literally glowing golden; his mark underneath his bandage had vanished, revealing a very sharp edge to his elbow that hadn't been on the other elbow. Was it muscle, probably not? Natsu hadn't had any injuries at all across his entire body, which astounded both Lucy AND Aura. Had Aura not expected Natsu to be uninjured? Or was the surprise coming from somewhere else…?
As soon as Natsu arose, he growled, his voice as low as the perception of the Devil itself, "Where the fuck am I?" His eyes eyeing everyone around him. Natsu's eyes grew dark as all hell when they landed on Lucy. "Zecerowa?" Natsu cracked his knuckles as the exact same patterns grew on Natsu's face and arms as before, but this time they were in black. They brought out the black in his eyes, and the now dark-cherry blossom colour of his locks.
This was no longer Natsu...
Lucy could tell...
It was only Etherious Natsu Dragneel.
The one created to kill Zeref.
The ultimate Demon.