Date: July 21, 2026

Location: A Battlefield Near Oak Mountain

(Igneel's pov)

"Dragneel! Get your ass over here!", one of my squadmates shouted from across the trench that I was currently at.

'Is he crazy?! I can't just rush over to them! Bullets are flying everywhere!'

I didn't want to accept it but I was trapped. I couldn't go anywhere, all I could do was stay put and hope that I wouldn't get shot.

Which was going to be a difficult task because every second that passes by a new bullet would always graze my red hair.

'Shit! I can't just stay here forever! But what can I do?!'

"Dragneel! Come on!"

'If I keep my head down maybe I can move my way over there to them'

I peeked out of the trench carefully to see them waving at me.

They were pretty far away but I had no choice.

"Alright! I'm coming!"

I lifted myself out of the trench and made a mad dash towards them. The shower of bullets brushed past my body as continued to run past them.

"C'mon Dragneel! You're almost there!"

'C'mon I can do it! Legs don't give up on me!'

My courage was taken away from me an a instant when a bullet went straight through my right leg.

I fell to the cold ground as blood gushed out of my leg.

I wasn't used to seeing all of this blood at once, it was terrifying. But I didn't have time to worry about that, I had to get out of here.

'If I stay any longer, I'll die!'

I tried to pull myself up but that was a horrible decision. Pain shot throughout my whole body. The stinging sensation got to me as I crumbled back down in pain.

'Somebody….help me'

I laid on the floor in defeat. There was no fire in my body to encourage me. I had lost all hope in myself.

'Why isn't anybody helping me?!'

I gazed over to where my squadmates were but to my surprise they were all gone.

'Th-They….left?!'

A pain far worse than the bullet caused me formed in my chest.

'No they wouldn't do that…...would they?!'

I picked up my radio that was on my chest and pressed the small red button that allowed me to speak.

"This is…...Dragneel…...can anyone hear me?"

I was greeted with the sound of blaring static.

This made me worry. I pressed the button harder this time as I yelled into the radio.

"Can anyone hear me?! I need assistance!"

There was still no response.

'It's no use I've been abandoned'

I chucked the radio off into the warzone and laid on my backside. I watched the explosions and planes in the sky as I waited for my demise.

"Looks like I'm not coming home…."

"Natsu…"

My vision was then clouded into darkness.

…

"Hello? Can you hear me?"

"Hello?"

"Hey wake up!"

My eyes jolted open to the view of a white room.

There was lights shining everywhere, there was no piece of darkness anywhere.

"Am I dead?", I whispered softly

"No you're not thanks to me", a voice right next to me said.

I turned my head to face them. It was a tall young man. By my judgement the man looked like they were in their early twenties. They had short shiny blonde hair that glowed in the white light, making it appear gold.

He wore a white lab coat that made me guess that he was a scientist of some sort.

"What do you mean thanks to you?", I questioned as I took in all of my surroundings.

"Hehe did you not hear me?"

"Yeah I did but I just want you to clear it up for me"

"Well ok if you really want to know I'll tell you"

"Thank you"

"Alright, well for starters I found your unconscious body in the middle of the battlefield. It was really a tragic sight to see. I just couldn't take it so I picked up your body and patched you right up. So I really did save your life. Because if I didn't show up, you would've lost too much blood and perished"

"Well then you have my greatest thanks", I bowed down in front of him.

"I didn't save you so you could thank me. I saved you for a greater purpose!"

"And what would that purpose be?"

"To make you my lab rat! I have this perfect theory that I want to try out on you!"

His smile turned ice cold as he inched closer to me.

"So you better do what I say or else"

"Or else what?", his smile just made me want to punch him in the face. I couldn't stand it and now he was talking like he owned me. I wasn't going to take this.

"Or else you'll be punished"

"Punished?-

Suddenly my brain felt like it was being fried.

"ARRGHHH!"

The pain was too much for me to handle, I cowered on my knees and held my head tightly, trying to make the pain go away. But it didn't go away it just kept on getting stronger and stronger.

'H-How is he doing this?!'

Any second now my brain was going to be turned into mush but I kept trying to fight the pain. But I knew I couldn't win, I just didn't want to accept it.

"Alright that's enough you get the message"

The man waved his hand in front of me making the pain disappear in a instant.

I panted heavily as I tried to recompose myself.

"Anytime you disobey me I will put you through that hell again, got it?"

"Please huff no", I whispered as I sucked in the air around me.

"You don't have a choice you owe me. I saved your life! I fixed you up! I prevented you from dying! So you belong to me!"

He cackled wildly as he stared at my defenseless body.

"Sorry but I don't belong to you"

"Yes you do! You don't get a say in this!"

"You might own my body but you'll never own my heart!"

"If it wasn't for me your heart would've stopped!"

"I never asked for your help!"

"But I'm asking for yours, so please if you would join my cause", he raised his hand in front of me expecting a handshake and a agreement.

"Hehe sorry pal but I have something to achieve I can't be hanging out with fools like you"

I slapped his hand away from me making his eyes glare at me.

"Aww well that's too bad. I really thought that we shared something special but I guess you won't cooperate so…"

"ARRGHH! WHY?!"

The pain from before returned, but this time it wasn't just in my head. Now it was all over my body and it was growing rapidly.

"GAHHHH!"

My body completely shut down, I couldn't move a single thing. My body had its energy drained from it in a matter of seconds.

And that was the last thing my heart actually felt. Because after I closed my eyes that day, I was born into a cold hearted monster.

"I'm sorry Natsu…"

…

(Natsu's pov)

'So…..that's what he went through…..'

'It was for my Mom…..and I'

'But then why?'

"Natsu"

His voice brought me back to the cold cave we were currently in. Just hearing his voice made me snap back into the present.

But now I wasn't in front of a cold hearted man.

I was now in front of my Dad. My loving Dad, my best friend.

I could tell it was him because his eyes now were filled with regret and sorrow.

They didn't have a single speck of evil on them.

"..."

"Dad…..I-

"Well now you know Son, about me"

"You still didn't answer one thing…...why?"

"Why?"

I nodded slowly not taking my eyes off of him.

"The man that cause you so much pain wasn't me. It's the perfect version that the 'Master' created"

"Matser? I thought you were the leader of the Red Death?"

"No the blonde haired man that saved me is the 'Master', he is the real threat"

"But just a couple of minutes ago you were trying to kill me"

"Like I said that wasn't me, that the other side of me. I did my best to take control from him so I could talk to you, and it worked"

"S-So….it really is you?"

"...Yes"

"Dad….."

"I-

"Natsu can you do me a favor?"

"Yes, of course anything for you"

"Kill me"

A/N: Hey sorry about the late update guys. I've just been super busy and stressed out . Please forgive me.