"Don't worry Natsu Dragneel you will find out soon enough. The E.N.D is near."

Mard Geer raised the book of E.N.D over his head and smiled at it.

"The time has come Master, no longer will you have to wait."

The wheels of my brain started to turn as I started to process everything. The book, everything had to do with the book. Igneel's words rang in my head.

"Natsu, you have to get the book quickly!" I yelled frantically.

Natsu hesitated for one moment but in the next he was leaping into the air after Mard Geer. The king of hades beckoned his army of vines, they twined themselves around him and out in front of him making a barrier. Natsu rolled to the side then kicked out his leg to try and knock Mard Geer of his feet. But instead one of the vines wrapped itself around Natu's leg and flung him into a brick slab and Natsu's head slammed against the brick with a sickening thunk.

"Natsu!" I screamed worriedly.

"Don't worry Lucy I won't be beaten that easily." Natsu slowly stood up and grinned in my direction. I could make out a red liquid dripping from his head as he regained his composure.

"My dad made a official request to me for this job. I will complete it and then my dad will explain to me where he has been all this time and why he left me. I WILL NOT LOSE!' Natsu yelled as he propelled himself forward to attack Mard Geer again.

Lucy could feel the anger, sadness, and loneliness in Natsu's words, all of his emotions felt like her own as she watched him continue to fight Mard Geer with determination. Hope started to rise in her stomach as Natsu started to gain the upper hand. The king of hades was having trouble with keeping up with Natsu's fast attacks and Natsu was only getting quicker. Natsu's flames burned even brighter then usual as he punched, kicked, and attacked Mard Geer, it was if the sun itself was fighting a battle with the moon. Lucy smiled, that was the Natsu she knew, always getting stronger and never giving up no matter what the odds. Just when Natsu was inches from getting the book a high shrill noise erupted in my ear drum. Pain, it blinded my vision and made me bite down so hard on my tongue that blood filled me mouth. I felt myself drop onto the floor and I curled up in a ball. All I could do was will myself to not black out and to take the pain.

Natsu, was he okay, was he going through the same pain that I was going through? The last thing I remember was hearing something laughing, not a laugh that was pure and innocent, but a laugh that was full of something much darker and crazier then I had ever heard before my vision went black.

When I woke up I knew that something was wrong. My body somehow in someway felt empty inside. I felt like something very important had disappeared but I couldn't figure out just what it was. My eyes slowly opened and I took in my surrondings. I was still inside the thorn cage that Mard Geer had put me in and my body was curled up into a ball. I uncurled my body and looked outside of the cage. Natsu was laying on the floor few feet away from me unconscious.

"Natsu." I croaked. "Natsu!"

I saw his body shift a little bit then I heard him groan.

"What the hell?" He sat up and looked around.

"Did you hear that noise to?" I asked.

"Yeah, it about blew up my eardrums." He looked around again. "Where is Mard Geer?"

I looked around the area and saw no signs of him. "I have no idea."

"Well I guess we should get you out of that cage then." He smiled.

"I Guess!?"

He laughed one of his famous laughs and walked up to the cage.

"You might want to move back." he said while he prepared himself to melt through the vines.

"But Natsu, Mard Geer said that your fire doesn't work on his vines."
"I am just going to prove him wrong. I'm fired up!" He grinned.

I backed away from the front of the cage as Natsu put his hands on the vines.

"Anytime Natsu," I muttered.

He looked up at me and my stomach dropped. This was not happening.

"Natsu..."

I slowly reached down to my key pouch and pulled out Virgo's key. But when I tried to call her out nothing happened. I started to shake and my stomach was churning. Now I figured out what that important something was that I had felt was missing.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO!" Natsu bellowed as he dropped onto his knees.

Then I heard the laughing. The same laugh that I had heard before I blacked out. That evil sadistic laugh.

"I see that you two have discovered what has happened." He sneered.

"Our magic..." I sputtered.

"Yes your magic. Face has been released and now all of the wizards on the planet are powerless." Mard Geer exclaimed excitedly.

Natsu was still on his knees looking down at his hands shaking his head, I faintly heard him muttering no again.

"Natsu..."

He looked up at me with glazed eyes. It felt so foreign to see him like this, so unsure and confused. I reached out throught the cage bars and put my hand on his shoulder trying to comfort him. His eyes came out of the glazed state and he stood up. When I dropped my hand away from his shoulder he grabbed my hand with his own and squeezed mine almost like he was trying to reassure me as we looked into each others eyes.

"I am sorry to say but I have to end this little moment. What am I saying I'm not sorry." He laughed out his own horrible joke.

"Lucy."

"Igneel!"

"Mard Geer is going to open the book of E.N.D, I was foolish to believe that we could stop him from doing that so now you have to be ready to do your part."

"But I don't have magic anymore! How am I suppose to do my part when I can't use magic?"

"You will find a way Lucy, I promise you."

"Alright I will try.."I said unsurely.

"Thank you, and one more thing Lucy."

"Yes?"

"Don't give up on Natsu."

"I wouldn't be able to."

"Good luck."

I watched as Mard Geer started to raise the book above his head again and I could feel my heart starting to beat faster. Natsu squeezed my hand tighter as Mard Geer lowered the book in front of him.

"My Lord, after all these years it is finally time."

My heart was now beating so hard that you could probably hear it. Questions ran through my brain. What is E.N.D going to be, how powerful will this thing be? Mard Geer looked up at us one more time and then he opened the book of E.N.D.

"My Lord, come out."

I squeezed Natsu's hand and closed my eyes and waited and waited and waited for E.N.D to appear but nothing happened. I could feel Natsu's hand getting hot in my own, we were both probably just sweating with anticipation, but his hand kept getting hotter and hotter to the point where my hand started to burn.

"Natsu!" I yelled as I pulled my hand away from his.

I looked up at him in confusion. My blood ran cold. Natsu's mouth was hanging wide open and his eyes were opened wide.

"Natsu! Whats wrong?" I questioned.

But before he could answer a blood curdling scream made its way out of his mouth. I jumped backwards as his whole entire body erupted into flames.

"Answer me Natsu! What is happening!?" I yelled at him.

But somewhere deep inside me I knew what was happening to him, but I couldn't admit it to myself because if I did I wouldn't know if I could handle it. But the more and more I watched Natsu twist in agony and pain the more that terrible thought came to mind. My body crawled as Natsu continued to transform, I wanted to help him but all I could do was hang on to the side of my cage and watch Natsu go through something this terrible by himself. I watched in horror as horns erupted from his head, they came right out of his soft pink hair that I loved so much. Then as he give a huge shriek wings erupted from his back tearing holes in his skull jacket.

"NATSU!" I screamed.

I put my hands up to my face and felt tears streaming down my face.

"Natsu.." I called again this time between sobs. But unlike the last time, Natsu looked up at me. I saw the terror and pain flashing through his eyes, I saw how scared and lost he looked but then all of that was gone in one instant. Because the oynx eyes that always kept me going and comforted me disappeared as they were replaced with pitch black eyes that was devoid of any emotion and held no sign of Natsu Dragneel that I knew and cared about. That was the moment when I finally admitted it to myself.

Natsu Dragneel was E.N.D.