Sorry for the delay in updating. I need to catch up in speed haha! Well, I don't really like to write battles which can be watched from the anime especially I'm not good at it.

There is a reason why Gajeel will specially hold his concert for Natsu and make sure Natsu get to listen to his singing. I want to clear this arc soon. Things will get interesting later.

Reviews are always appreciated.

Chapter 6: The Truth behind the Darkness

Jellal had fallen. He was defeated by Midnight.

Lying on the ground, he struggled to get up; he could not lose when he was so near to the truth.

"Forget it you can't defeat me in your condition. It seemed to me that you are affected by his magic. How I wish I can have the honour to battle you in perfect health?" Midnight commented looking down on the fallen Jellal who tried hard to stay awake. Midnight massaged his tired neck a bit. The battle with Jellal sucked. It bored him to death. This sight was witnessed by Erza who came after him.

She could not believe that a Wizard Saint like Jellal would lose a battle like this. Midnight acknowledged her presence. He respected the capabilities of the couple. They were really powerful if they were serious and in perfect condition.

"Oh… Isn't that the wife, no, the ex-wife of Jellal?" He looked to his back and he spoke up. "You better bring him home. He can't fight in his current condition not to even talk about obstructing me on my plan".

"Don't… Don't leave!" Jellal sputtered. "I have not lost."

Midnight sighed at his persistence. "This is not even funny. You are no longer the high and almighty Wizard Saint of the Magic Council. Right now, you can't even lift a finger to even protect anyone". Midnight was practically rubbing salts into Jellal's wound.

Erza narrowed her eyes. She was wondering about their conversation. What are they talking about? She did not give into much thought. Jellal was trying really hard to get something out from him. If it was something only Midnight might know, then she could not let it pass. Erza summoned a sword and lunged at him all the sudden. Midnight managed to dodge catching Erza by surprise. Erza started attacking him randomly. If Jellal had lost, can she even land a hit on him? Erza began to doubt herself.

Due to her lack of confidence, Erza was easily overwhelmed by Midnight by his magic Reflector which had the ability to reflect, distort and twist all matter of object. He was able to reflect and distort whatever attack Erza thrown at him. He distorted Erza's sword and bind her with it. Erza was stunned by his ability. Subsequently, Midnight shattered her Heaven's Wheel Armour effortlessly and inflicted great damage on Erza. Jellal could only watch as Erza fell to her defeat.

"Erza!" He cried as he saw his ex-wife with her armour all shattered landed beside him unconscious.

"Don't worry. She will not die from this." Midnight was tired of them. He needed to leave. Just before he made his move, he recalled something.

"By the way, are you thinking of saving the dark mage? I thought so when I saw the true appearance of his vessel. Trust me. I believe you don't know about this and so I won't ask you. This mission was a trap to lure him over to us. Grimoire Hearts desires for his power. I intend to use Nirvana's power of reversal on him so that he will switch to our side as the bargaining chip for my father. Grimoire Hearts had killed many to achieve their ambition. Many had perished in the course of their experiment over the years to revive Zeref and one of them happened to be my younger brother".

Jellal was surprised they were actually victims from the experiment by Grimoire Hearts. "Why not you join us since we are all fugitives of Magic Council and we had the same goal to annihilate Grimoire Hearts? I'm more than willing to take you in as the Master of Oracion Seis although my father is calling the shot now." Midnight approached Jellal and offered his hand to him but retracted as soon as Jellal looked up at him. Midnight took a quick glance at Erza's fallen form and shook his head. "Forget it. You are too weak; you can't even protect your beloved wife. Useless, I should say" He started laughing at him. He could not afford to have someone weak in his guild for the sake their objectives. They were desperate. "If you can stand, take your wife and leave. I have no time to entertain you. The vessel should already be around by now. I shall be on my way to pick him up.".

"Bastard, I can't let you hurt him again. I must save him!" Jellal bellowed at him in anger. He recalled how Natsu suffered under the hands of his father and he almost died. The scene of the healers rushing to fix him in the A&E after they rushed him to the hospital had etched in his mind. The fight to keep Natsu alive did not come easy.

*Flashback*

Natsu had stopped breathing by the time he got to him two years ago after he defeated Brain and got him into custody. He had already went into shock for some time back then when Jellal tried to feel for his pulse. As not much time had passed, there was still hope for him. Jellal had transferred the remnants of his magic power back to his body and was doing CPR on him all the way to the hospital on a carriage. That was all he could do to try to keep him alive till he could receive medical attention as his body had been rejecting all sources of magic. It was miracle that the healers managed to get him to breathe again but Natsu had fallen into coma as his brain had been deprived of oxygen. Jellal felt guilty when he saw Natsu breathing softly through his oxygen mask. Natsu was not able to breathe on his own back then when he fell into coma. It took him more than a year to finally wake up from his deep slumber.

Jellal first talked to Natsu when Natsu was staring blankly at the ceiling. He had been in this state since he first woke up after more than a year long of sleep. Natsu had not shown any sign of response even though he was awake with his eyes opened. That really scared him even though he never showed any sign of anxiousness like Tsuna did. The healer told them it was normal as it would take Natsu some time to adjust to his waking life after being out for so long. Tsuna was trying really hard to talk to his brother, to the extent of wheeling him out in the wheelchair to get him a change of scenery and some fresh air in the garden. He was hoping that his twin brother would give him some response but he was always disappointed. Natsu only stared at what was in front of him blankly like an unresponsive doll.

Tsuna had requested the rest to help but they were the only ones around Natsu as the rest including Lucy were mostly out on mission and were not informed about about Natsu's regaining of consciousness. It was Gajeel who finally succeeded to make Natsu respond to him a few days after he returned from his hiatus from Fairy Tail. He came in white suit and his guitar and tried to sing for him again.

"Did you try to sing for me?" Natsu managed to utter his very first words ever since he first reopened his eyes. "Are you trying to wake the dead up with your horrible singing? It's so noisy that I can't even sleep". Even though Natsu sounded weak, Jellal swore he witnessed the tears of Kurogane flowing down his cheek. He hated to admit he felt the same too.

*End Flashback*

Erza struggled to stand up abruptly breaking Jellal's line of thought. She could barely make out what Midnight was saying but she was sure he had insulted her husband, calling him useless for not being able to protect her. Erza could not take this lying down.

"Did you just say my hubby is useless?"

"Erza." Jellal smiled in contentment. His wife actually still acknowledged him as her husband.

Erza requipped into another armour in a purple theme kimono, Robe of Yuen which was elastic in nature. She was determined to defeat him. She had understood the weakness of his magic which caught Midnight by surprise as his magic no longer work on her. He could no longer bind her with her robe. Erza was not a S class mage for nothing. She managed to defeat with a few swift attacks and succeeded in defending Jellal's pride.

"Please save my father. The vessel will certainly kill him with his negative emotion activated against him. The vessel intend to get rid of anyone he held resentment with as he works on his negative emotion." In another words, Midnight was trying to say that the vessel was acting according to his own will. Midnight kneel and begged Erza before he collapsed from his injuries. He could not do anything to save him.

"Father!"

A few years down the road, Midnight focused on getting stronger so that he could have his chance for revenge for his father and his younger brother who was thought to have died earlier died by the hands of Zeref. He was the only one who escaped from being captured by the Magic Council after the Nirvana incident.

He stood on top of a hill. By then, his black hair has grown down to his back, covering his white hair and was wearing a light brown coat with white fur-like edges. He watched a little boy in hood getting ready his weapon for his mission that night.

"Natsu Dragneel..." He muttered in resentment.

He could finally end the life of the 25-years-old Head of revived Dragneel Clan with his own hand should the final weapon developed by the Magic Council over the years using the blood of of a certain creature work.

"What?" Erza questioned but she was shocked to see Jellal in fury. What was it that could cause so much anger to well up within Jellal?

"It's impossible. He is not like what you describe him to be. He is just under control" Jellal placed his hand over his face trying to convince himself. "He was supposed to be kind and innocent".

At the same moment, a black haired boy was approaching the man he most hated, Brain. Brain could sense his eerie aura as the boy closed in to him.

"Long time no see, my tool. I could sense your presence of death from afar. Have you fallen into the darkness already as the dark mage, Zeref? Or should I address you as Natsu Dragion?" The former Master of Kingdom Empire, currently the one who called the shot in Oracions Seis acknowledged his arrival. He finally acknowledge the boy as a human.

"I'm done cleaning up your friends including your son after the members from the Alliance had done their jobs by defeating them. You are the only one left. I have a request for you. Can you please die for me?" The boy requested obliviously as he lifted his head to look at him coldly.

Brain's bloodcurdling scream could be heard through the night as he was seen falling to the ground defeated.