That night, Domus Flau was empty, the arena filled with nothing but various types of exercise gear assembled together to make it look like one big obstacle course. The stadium was particularly silent, except the only noise came from Natsu's shouts of tremendous joy. The salmon-haired boy ran, flipped, jumped, and slid over every obstacle as an essential part of his workout, his body and voice booming with excitement. Happy sat on a bench, watching him while eating a fish.

By the time Yajima entered the arena, it was with a heavy heart. He was not sure of how he could break this down to Natsu; he was very much in love with Lucy, and when he knew the truth about her, it would break his heart. But Yajima hoped he would understand.

Happy noticed Yajima's arrival and said, "Would you look at that, Yaj? Natsu's more happier than he's ever been before." He added with a sly grin, "He's in love."

"Yeah, sure…" Yajima muttered, walking past Happy and coming over to the Fire Dragon Slayer. This was the point of no return.

Natsu spotted the old man and greeted with a cheery smile, "Hey, Yaj! What's up?"

"Hi, Natsu," Yajima greeted back. "Have you seen Wendy and Romeo?"

Natsu answered, "They're on vacation. They'd be back in the morning."

"Oh, I see," Yajima confirmed, before he cleared his throat. "Aside from that, there's something I want to talk to you about—"

Laughing excitedly, Natsu grabbed Yajima's body and spun him around. "Yaj, I just had the greatest day of my life!" After releasing the old man, he flipped himself up on top of a metal bar hung by a double-sided platform, "I can't stop thinking about Lucy!" He lied down with an exhilarated sigh, "She's somethin' else."

"That's why I'm here! It's something about Lucy!" Yajima shouted desperately, with Natsu swinging on the bar. "Would you come down here and listen?"

"Awww, how can I come down here when I'm feeling soooooo UP?" With tremendous force, Natsu jumped off the bar and rocketed upward into the sky, miles and miles away.

Chewing the last bits of his fish, Happy confirmed with a smile, "Yep. He feels soooooo up today."

Just then, a sweet, delectable aroma permeated the arena. No one knew where it came from, but its draw was irresistible. Emerging from the open coliseum gates, an object resembling a huge rainbow-colored fish wrapped in a bow appeared, deep fried, chewy, and juicy sweet. The scent was so alluring that Happy alone was attracted to it. His mouth watering with drool, the blue Exceed goofily followed the large fish into the coliseum foyer. No cat on Earth, even an Exceed, could resist the pure deliciousness of a deep fried fish!

Moving all by itself, the large fish ventured into the foyer, and Happy followed its every movement. The trail ended when it led him inside an unfamiliar room…

…and all of a sudden, the large fish was split in two, and its halves transformed into two familiar menaces!

"GOTCHA!" Kain Hikaru yelled, as he and Rustyrose pounced on the helpless Exceed. He fell into a trap, as Wendy, Romeo, Carla, and Gajeel did!

Back outside…

While oblivious of the capture of Natsu's friends, Yajima tried to speak with Natsu, "Ah, yes, that's good. Now, about Lucy—"

From his sky-high leap, Natsu returned to the ground and gave a dismayed Yajima a tight hug. He cried happily, "Yeah, I know! If it wasn't for you, Wendy, Romeo, Happy, and Carla, I never would've met her." He gave Yajima a noogie, "Oh, I owe you guys big time, I really do!"

Yajima broke free from Natsu's hug and snapped, "Will you just knock it off for a couple of seconds?!"

"Rule #38! C'mon, Yaj! Keep 'em up there, huh?" Natsu said mischievously. He pretended to box Yajima, "Yaj, two words for ya: duck!" On 'duck,' Yajima dodged the blow.

Yajima argued, "Listen to me! She's—"

Natsu asked, "A dream come true?"

Yajima shook his head, "Not exactly."

Natsu asked again, "More beautiful than Aquarius?"

Yajima was close to losing his temper, "Aside from that!"

Natsu asked a third time, and his voice became loud, strong, and joyous, "THE MOST WONDERFUL—"

"SHE'S A FRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUD!" Yajima finally lost it. Natsu snapped out of his façade, finally listening to the old man's outburst, and his happiness was replaced with shock and confusion. "She's been playing you for a sap!"

Natsu felt a wave of uneasiness rushing in him. Why would Yajima accuse Lucy of being a fraud? He didn't know if he was honest or joking, but he didn't like the sound of that. Not at all. Natsu chuckled exaggeratedly, "Aw, come on, Yaj. Stop kidding around."

"I'm NOT kidding around!" Yajima protested. "Lucy's a lying con artist!"

Natsu reasoned, "Look, I know you're upset about today, but that's no reason to…"

Yajima shot back, "Natsu, you're missing the point!"

"The point is, I love her," Natsu argued.

"She doesn't love you!" Yajima yelled. "She doesn't even care about you!"

"You're crazy!" Natsu growled.

"She's nothing but a two-timing, back-stabbing…"

"STOP IT!" Natsu suddenly lost his temper.

"...good for nothing, lying, scheming…"

"SHUT UP!" With an angry roar, Natsu did something unthinkable: he threw a hard smack across Yajima's face, sending him flying towards a set of equipment with a loud crash. A few seconds later, the old man stood up with a groan.

Yajima exclaimed, "Are you out of your mind?! I'm telling the truth! Lucy is a fraud! A villain! She's trying to kill you!"

With a sudden rage, Natsu grabbed Yajima's shirt and threw him to the ground. He snarled, "Don't you dare talk about Lucy that way. I love her. She loves me. Our love is real! You don't know anything about her. You never even met her!"

Yajima cried out, "When have I ever lied to you?! I saw it with my own eyes! Lucy is—"

"DON'T TALK ABOUT LUCY THAT WAY!" Natsu repeated, and his voice rose to an explosive scream. He kicked Yajima in the gut, causing him to roll over and clutch his stomach. "Lucy would never do such a thing! There's no way! I can see it in her eyes!" He grabbed Yajima by the throat and lifted him up, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't smash you right now because of your trash talking and disrespect!"

"WILL YOU JUST LISTEN TO—" Yajima screamed, his breath wheezed by Natsu's grip.

"NO, YOU LISTEN TO ME!" Natsu roared, and he smashed the old man to the ground, creating a small crack on impact. "ALL YOU CARE ABOUT IS TAKING ME TO YOUR STUPID TRAINING! I WASTED MY WHOLE TIME TRAINING, WHEN I SHOULD'VE BEEN WITH LUCY!"

"W-What…?" Yajima croaked, tried to ease himself up on his elbows. His mouth was agape with complete disbelief at what Natsu's just said. "Did you say… my training… was stupid…?!"

Natsu sprang over the old man and continued his temper tantrum, "You heard me, old man! Stupid! I've completed my training on Sirius Island; that means you don't have to train me anymore. I'm fit as a fiddle, and I'm complete fine, so there! You're not the boss of me. You're not my teacher anymore. And then, here you are, trying to weigh me down and take Lucy away from me! It's all your fault. You were jealous! You were holding me back!"

"What's wrong with you?!" Yajima snapped at the salmon-haired boy's behavior. "I've spent years training you to be a great hero, and for what? So that you can play Twister with your so-called girlfriend in a love that was never real to begin with?!"

"NO! YOU'RE WRONG!" Natsu screamed at Yajima's face. "OUR LOVE IS REAL!"

"But—" Yajima began, almost standing on his feet.

"OUR LOVE IS REEEAAAAAALLLL!" That was the last straw. His eyes flaming with rage, Natsu threw a massive fireball that drove straight into Yajima's chest, pushing him straight into a wall close to the coliseum gates and destroying it on impact. By the intense strength and speed of the fireball, a normal old person would have all his bones broken, but Yajima, no ordinary old man, stood up and recovered from the attack, albeit with a hint of pain in his body.

Yajima could not believe this. This was not the Natsu he knew. He was not the same rookie who became a hero, praised by all of Fiore. He was not the best star pupil since Gildarts. He was not the same compassionate boy who would never doubt the loyalty of his friends. He was beyond help, consumed by the temptations of Lucy, a willing pawn of Mard Geer Tartaros. Nothing could save him now.

Natsu was dead.

When the Fire Dragon Slayer Magic calmed down for a short while, he remembered where he was. He stared at Yajima's solemn face, and the next minute, he was horrified of what he did. Yajima's eyes no longer laughed or wondered; only pain and grief festered in them now. Natsu tried to apologize, "Yaj, I… I didn't mean… I'm sorry, I…"

Instead of accepting Natsu's apology, Yajima gave a bitter reply, "Alright, that's it, that's it. You won't face the truth? Fine." He turned to the coliseum gates, "I shouldn't be here anyway."

"Yaj, wait," Natsu stopped him. "Where are you going?"

Walking towards the exit, Yajima answered, "I'm getting the first boat out of this joint. I'm going home to Sirius Island. I'll send a letter to Fairy Tail with my regards."

"Fine!" Natsu scoffed. "Go on, get outta here! I don't need you. I don't need anyone else. I've got everything I wanted right here." He then resumed his training, taking a large dumbbell and lifting it.

Before exiting completely, Yajima looked back one last time, and his face had more sorrow than bitterness. He whispered sadly, "I thought you were going to be the all-time champ… not the all-time CHUMP." With that, he disappeared from the coliseum, fated to never speak to the Fire Dragon Slayer again.

Natsu kept on lifting the dumbbell, trying to put this whole business behind him. His irrational behavior cost him his friendship with Yajima. Then again, he didn't need his help anymore. It was his fault for badmouthing Lucy.

Without warning, the dim lights surrounding Domus Flau were put out, much to Natsu's confusion. He muttered, "Okay, who forgot to pay the electric bill?"

"Oh, my goodness gracious," a deep voice echoed from the shadows. "For an old trainer of heroes, he is rather naïve. Wouldn't you agree, nephew?"

"Nephew?" Natsu raised an eyebrow. Turning his head to where the voice came from, he saw Mard Geer Tartaros relaxing on the bar. With a swift jump, the Lord of the Dead landed gently on the ground.

Mard spoke, "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mard Geer Tartaros, Lord of the Dead, ruler of the Underworld, and Igneel's brother. It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Natsu Dragneel."

"I'm tired," Natsu sighed exasperatedly. "Can we talk some other time?"

"Oh, Natsu, Please here me out," Mard pouted. "I'm your uncle, and you're my nephew. We're family. We're both gods. I only need a few minutes of your minute. I've got this major deal in the works, and you're going to hear me out."

"You've got the wrong guy," Natsu groaned, and he walked away.

"LOOK, YOU LITTLE—" Mard's demonic aura nearly erupted, but he managed to calm down somewhat. "Listen to me. I'll make this short and sweet. I highly recommend that you take a day off from this hero business of yours. All the monsters, villains, natural disasters… All you need is one whole day, alright?"

"You're outta your mind," Natsu scoffed, not interested in what his uncle was offering.

Mard interrupted, "Not so fast, Natsu. Because, you see, I've got a little leverage you might want to know about."

That was the cue. With a snap of Mard's fingers, Lucy appeared from the darkness. Natsu couldn't believe his eyes. "Lucy!"

"Natsu, no! Don't listen to—" Lucy was cut off when Mard snapped his fingers again, and he summoned chains of shadow that wrapped around her body and gagged her mouth. She fell to the ground, and before Natsu could reach her, she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Let her go!" Natsu demanded. He threw a punch, but Mard teleported out of the way, causing him to miss.

Mard reappeared with a slight chuckle, "I'm glad we understood each other, nephew. Now then, I will offer you a very simple arrangement. You give up your Fire Dragon Slayer Magic for about twenty-four hours, or the next twenty-four hours. Do so, and your precious Lucy will be free and safe from harm. We dance, we kiss, we schmooze, we carry on, and we go home happy. What do you say? Come on."

"But what's the catch?" Natsu asked with a concerned look. "Somebody's gonna get hurt, aren't they?"

"I'm appealed!" Mard gasped. "Silly boy, there is no catch! There is a possibility that violence and chaos would continue to run rampant. It happens all the time. The people looked up to you as their hero, and they owed you for what you've done. But what do you owe them?" Mard snapped his fingers again, and Lucy reappeared beside him. He held her face and spoke in baby talk, "Isn't Lucy much more important than they are?"

"Stop it!" Natsu was furious of the way his uncle treated Lucy.

"Isn't she?" Mard deadpanned.

"You've gotta swear she'll be safe from any harm," Natsu bargained.

"A very difficult choice, I must admit," Mard nodded. "But there is a counter-effect. If Lucy ends up getting physically hurt in any way, your magic will be restored. So do we have a deal?" He extended his hand, eagerly asking his nephew to shake it.

At first, Natsu hesitated. Would he give up his Fire Dragon Slayer Magic in exchange for Lucy's safety? Or would he keep his magic and continue protecting the people at the risk of losing her life? This was a very difficult choice to make.

"Nephew, I really don't have enough time. I'm on a tight schedule. This deal only comes once in a lifetime, so give me your answer now," Mard demanded impatiently. Natsu turned to Lucy, who silently begged him not to take the deal, shaking her head desperately. "Going once, going twice..."

"Alright!" Natsu accepted. He made his choice.

"Yes, we've got a deal!" Mard boomed.

The moment their hands connected, a tremendous mixture of energy thundered, one force trying to dominate over the other. In the ensuing transformation, Mard's magic won the battle. Letting out a gasp of pain, Natsu felt his magic draining away, racing out of his body. His strength was sucked dry, his muscles turned weak, and the fire in his belly was snuffed out.

In the end, Natsu was left virtually powerless, both from his own action and from the deed of the one he made a deal with. He collapsed into the ground, exhausted and barely able to move.

Mard laughed cruelly, "Poor little Natsu. You're feeling a little queasy. Maybe you should sit down and RELAX!" He picked up a dumbbell and shot it like a cannon, pinning Natsu underneath it. For the first time in his life, the godly powers he inherited from his father Igneel, the powers that helped him overcome the impossible odds over the years, had failed him. With no strength, no magic, and no willpower left, Natsu could not lift the dumbbell.

Towering over his defenseless nephew, Mard chuckled sinisterly, "Not so funny to be on the receiving end of the blow, right, nephew? After all these years, you finally knew how it feels to be just like everybody else. Isn't it just… peachy?" He paused, before he continued, "Oh, which brings me to this one last loose end." Mard turned to Lucy and snapped his fingers, causing the bondages to disappear, "As promised, Lucy. A deal's a deal. You're off the hook." He turned to Natsu with an evil grin, "By the way, is she not a brilliant actress?"

"Stop it," Lucy cried desperately. With Natsu down for count, the Lord of the Dead decided to give his nephew the most crushing blow of all.

"What do you mean?" Natsu tiredly asked, his every bit of drained strength showing a hint of worry.

"You mean you haven't realized it yet? Lucy was working for me the whole time!" Mard revealed. "She was my underling, sent as a spy from the very beginning to keep an eye on you! You should've listened to that old man, nephew."

"No… No!" Natsu was stunned by the shocking revelation. "You're lying!"

Just then, the two boys Natsu rescued at the beginning of the Ophiuchus incident appeared. One of them coughed, "Help! I can't breathe!"

"Jeepers, mister, you're really strong!" the second boy exclaimed.

Suddenly, the boys transformed into Kain Hikaru and Rustyrose and started laughing at him. Kain taunted, "Ha-ha-ha! Fooled ya!"

Rustyrose added, "You should've seen the look of your face!"

Sorrow rose in Natsu than he had ever felt before. Lucy was the one who lured him to Ophiuchus under Mard's orders, with Kain and Rustyrose's help. In fact, she had been following the Lord of the Dead ever since she unwillingly became his servant. Natsu's heart tore itself to pieces, and he bawled his eyes out with an endless stream of tears. Now, he wished he would've listened to Yajima.

As for Lucy, she felt her heart heaving with sorrow and guilt, and felt tears of her own. Would Natsu ever talk to her anymore, now that he knew who she really was? Witnessing his downfall drove her to despair.

Mard turned to his former minion and remarked her well-served purpose, "Well done, Lucy. I couldn't have done it without your help. Finally, my true plan will come to fruition."

"No, it's not like that!" Lucy pulled away from Mard. She ran over to Natsu, futilely trying to work things out between them. "Natsu, I didn't want this. I didn't mean to… I… I couldn't…"

The salmon-haired boy responded by brushing her away, and he shook his head. He felt betrayed by the girl he thought he loved.

"I'm so sorry," Lucy whispered, the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"OUR HERO'S A ZERO! OUR HERO'S A ZERO!" Kain and Rustyrose taunted as they threw dirt, food, water, and other stuff, a living reminder of what Natsu had been reduced to.

From the coliseum gates, Jose Porla and Banaboster, accompanied by the Phantom Lord and Twilight Ogre wizards, entered the arena.

"Well, Lord Mard Geer?" Jose asked. The two villainous guilds were eager to have their own end of the bargain fulfilled, now that Natsu was broken and weak.

Mard gave a sinister chuckle and replied, "He's all yours."

"HOORAY!" the Phantom Lord and Twilight Ogre wizards cheered. One by one, they joined Kain and Rustyrose, and they all proceeded to torture, humiliate, and abuse Natsu in the worst suffering possible. This was payback for all the inconveniences the Fire Dragon Slayer brought upon them in the past. "OUR HERO'S A ZERO! OUR HERO'S A ZERO!"

"Well, as much as I'd love to stay and watch the former hero suffer at the hands of Phantom and Twilight, I'd better be going," Mard smiled. Snapping his fingers, he summoned a black chariot operated by a winged demon. "There's a whole cosmos up there waiting to be taken over!" He, Kain, and Rustyrose boarded the chariot, leaving Natsu to the Phantom Lord and Twilight Ogre wizards. "So much for the preliminaries, and now on to the main event!"

The demonic chariot yanked Mard and his minions up into the air, as Natsu and Lucy watched helplessly. A glorious hour was at hand.