Hi. Thanks for joining me in this story. I will try to update regularly.

Chapter 1

He woke up a bit drowsy that day. He sat up and hung his armoured feet off the bed, the metallic boots clanking on the stone floor. He exhaled and stretched, his body still ringing from hangover. He had had one too many ales last night in preparation for the great war. One would usually check their armour and weapons, build and requisition more arrows for their crossbow, check their climbing hook shots necessary to vault over castle and bastion walls. He was glad to report that he had already done that, but then he had some free time left. He spent all that time in a tavern by the encampment, singing with the other newly promoted knights and drinking. He had known it was irresponsible of him to get hungover before the big fight, but he couldn't turn down the allure of hard thick liquor in celebration before a great fight.

He looked straight across the rows of empty beds before him inside the camp hall. He missed the privacy of his private quarters back at the castle, but this wasn't so bad either. The entire night was spent with his mates telling them stories of the unseen fantastical non-human creatures that they had seen, living deep in the mines and in the forests and atop the tallest mountains. He had even heard a tale of a dragon in the caves west of Tavaria from the bard that had visited them. The bard was beautiful, her long hair flowing in the breeze and her pale white skin glowing by the light of the fire. He saw her leaving towards the private quarters with one of the paladins last night, and his hopes of spending more time with her were crushed. He sighed. He couldn't have done anything anyways. Paladins were his senior officers. And no matter how much ego-blasting they did on the newly created knights such as himself, he couldn't say a word back. Insubordination had its consequences.

He heard the rattle of chains somewhere on the ground around him, which woke him up from his remnant sleep. He looked around and found the sleeping quarters empty. Everyone had already woken up and were going about the preparation for the war. The demon king had been cornered in his castle. Years of war had come to a conclusion here, and most of his armies had been crushed. It was just a matter of defeating his elite guards and his generals who all were holed up in his bastion three miles off the town of Alveria, where they were camped. They had amassed the greatest army ever seen by the world. It was led by Sentinel-Captain Gildarts.

Gildarts was a behemoth of a man, being able to lift and manoeuvre the greatest of greatswords with one hand. Natsu had never seen anything like it before. He had always thought that greatswords were to be held by two hands, which nullified the possibility of wielding a shield. But this heavily armoured man–Gildarts–whose armour was so thick and heavy and big that being in it lifted his already massive figure inches taller, wielded both a triangular shield and a greatsword. He was carrying thousands of kilos of weight on him. And yet he was as nimble as a cheetah and as deadly as a charging rhino on the battlefield. He had seen him at work. It was a sight to behold. He was a berserker in flesh.

Then there was the Paladin Jellal. He was a master of magic, being able to create fire, water and lightning out his body like he was an elemental. Him and his unit were the ones that would create fires for their camps, and drinking water for their garrisons. Natsu knew Jellal and his associates didn't do this so much for helping others out as much as they did it to show off their powers. But Natsu didn't blame him. If he had such powers, he wouldn't be ashamed of showing them off every chance he got either. Jellal was deadly on the battlefield. He was a one man army. Just as proficient with his metallic weaponry as he was with magic, he was capable of laying waste to the enemy forces in seconds, using both his various elemental magics and his sword–The Lucifer. It was just like him to name his longsword something fancy.

"Still messing around in bed? Get up. You don't want to get an earful from the proctor."

Natsu heard a familiar voice. He looked at the entrance of the tent, and found Gray standing there, dressed in his knight's armour, his helmet clenched around his arm.

Natsu smiled at him.

Gray was a tall and slender handsome knight from his unit, with crystal-like shining skin and black spiky hair. He was popular amongst the ladies, even amongst Paladins and even some Sentinels. But he didn't pay much attention to their advances–he was always focused on his task. He was a patriotic and dutiful knight, and it showed in his career. He had been promoted to a knight summarily with Natsu and many others, but he was well on his way to become a knight captain now, and then a Paladin next. That's what the Knight Captain of Natsu's unit had said. He was a quick and nimble knight, proficient in ice magic. Natsu had seen him in action, and even though they were the same ranks, Natsu could assess the great difference in the skills between the two of them. It required a knight to be proficient in a particular form of magic to be eligible to become a Paladin. And knowing Gray, he was already Paladin material. Soon, Gray would be his superior.

Natsu got up off his bed, finding it difficult to walk in his heavy armour. He couldn't believe he had gone to sleep in it.

He bent down and picked up his greatsword. He was still getting used to its weight. But he had learnt how to handle it better over the last few years. That was something he could be proud of, but it wasn't really that impressive. People learnt how to handle their weapons better overnight–something he was still learning even through years.

Gray smiled at him and left the tent, putting on his helmet.

Natsu watched the empty doorway for a while. Disappointment and unfulfillment filled his heart up. He was surrounded by so many strong and capable soldiers. People that were heroes–war heroes. And what was he? A simple knight? And he became a knight in the first place because luck was on his side. Nothing more.

A few months ago he had gotten word of a group of raiders pillaging in a nearby village. No one else wanted that task, considering it to be beneath their ranks. Word was that the raiders had kidnapped a local tavern owner's daughter as well. Natsu knew what kind of people raiders were. Raping and exploiting women in their paths, burning down towns and villages as they went, pillaging everything, murdering and destroying everyone, and then finally skinning their captives alive once they were done with them. He knew that after they were done raping the daughter of the tavern owner to their fill, that's the fate that awaited her. He had left to rescue her at once. Innocent left to fend for themselves was something of a trouble for him. Killing the raiders in their hideout, he came across their commander general. It was a mercenary named Cobra.

Natsu had heard of him before, and knew well that he was far beyond his skill to be able to manage alone. The only reason Natsu was able to defeat him was because the daughter was able to distract him. Seeing the chance, he thrust his sword through his back and out from his chest. For managing to defeat Cobra and saving a village from his whims, and also rescuing a civilian, he was awarded the rank of a knight. But, somewhere, Natsu felt that he didn't deserve that rank. If it hadn't been for the daughter distracting Cobra, he wouldn't have been able to defeat him. He had reported to his senior officers that he had just gotten lucky, but they had promoted him anyway, quipping that there was a necessity for more knights in their chain of command. But Natsu knew he was nowhere strong enough to be one.

A knight was made from an initiate when the initiate became proficient enough at using one of the primary types of weapons. Greatswords, warhammers, maces, gauntlets, battle axes, claymores, longswords, knuckles.

Natsu's was his greatsword, but he was still learning how to wield it properly.

A knight became a Paladin when they were proficient enough in the use of a certain type of magic. And then a Paladin became a Sentinel when they could handle the heaviest of the armours that the kingdom's armoury had to offer–The Cloaks. That's what Gildarts wore. Natsu knew it was a long road to get there, and his life was passing by him fast. He didn't even know if he would ever make a Paladin. He knew fire magic, but it was far from perfect. Other than creating small bursts of fire from his hands that burnt for a few seconds and then vanished back into his fingers, and being able to throw small embers that barely lit a campfire, he really couldn't do much. And he was lost in the sense of where to get fire magic training. Fire wizards were rare–almost non-existent, and it required a higher cap of skill to learn and perform, which was something that he couldn't learn from other paladins or sentinels. He felt somewhat special knowing that his innate affinity was for fire, something that was considered to be one of the strongest kinds of magic and extremely rare. He was the only member of his order of the knights to be able to use it. He had gotten a lot of attention from his peers and seniors when he first showed the ability to use fire, but that was soon overshadowed by his gross incompetence to properly use it.

It was a waste of a great and legendary skill, as his proctor had quoted.

Natsu groaned as all these thoughts got heavier in his mind and heart, disappointing him and filling him with defeat. He at least had the ambition to do better, so he had that going for him. But he had no skill to further that ambition, and no guidance to help him at all.

He walked to his table and picked up his helmet. He put it on, and then walked outside the tent.

Sunlight filtered into the grills of his helmet, blinding him for a while. A gust of wind caught his knight's cape that was attached to his shoulders and fluttered by it. Soon, his eyes adjusted to the light and he was able to see clearly. He scanned the horizon, and could see a low lying mountain range all across it. Some peaks were snow capped, and some had clouds circling them. His eyes then came across a tall peak, the tallest of them all. It had the height of 8 mountains slumped all together on top of one another. Natsu felt anxious as he continued watching that peak. It was rugged and jagged, no trees or greenery on it, no signs of life, no signs of light. The most distinctive feature was the massive circle of dark clouds around it. The clouds circled and revolved around it, as if performing a ritualistic dance. Lightning cackled and thunder roared from it from miles away.

Natsu clenched his armoured fists. That was the peak that had Etherious's bastion on it. It was on the other side, so it was hidden from them. And the peak was miles away from their location anyway. The weather anomaly was likely a result of the extremely dark and deep power that was concentrated in that region.

The majority of the demon king's forces had been defeated, and 13 companies of knights, paladins and sentinels had laid siege to his castle. Now it was time for the main forces to assemble there as fast as possible and expel the demon from inside and kill him outside for the entire world to see. Hundreds of years of his evil reign would come to an end in two days from now. No more living in fear, no more hiding away from darkness, no more wars and violence, no more paranoia and fear. No more demons.

'We are coming, Etherious.' Natsu thought.

"Natsu! Over here!"

He heard Gray's voice. He looked in the direction, and saw a group of similar looking full body armoured knights standing in the distance. Somehow he knew exactly who they were. Those were the knights from his unit. Some of them had been knights for a long time, and some were promoted alongside him.

He walked over to them, his armour clattering.

"What's happening?"

Gray turned around to look at another congress of knights and paladins a distance away. This group was massive, a forest of gleaming clean steel armours all huddled together, looking at a rock platform. The platform was empty except for a banner flag depicting the symbol of their knight's order–The Ordeal.

"Paladin Titania is about to give us a speech before the final stride of the great war. Then we start our march towards the demon's citadel." Cana answered. She had her knight's helmet off, which she quickly put on as a proctor walked by her.

Gajeel and Levy stood together, in their armours, chattering amongst themselves.

Sting and Rogue walked up to Natsu, Gray and Cana.

"Great day, huh?" Sting said. "Looks like we finally get to beat the demon's ass today."

Rogue elbowed him. "Remember to be careful. We might have subdued most of his land forces, but him and his generals, and not to mention his special guard, are not to be forgotten." He warned.

Natsu looked at him.

"Yeah, well. We are just the knights. It's them that have to do the heavy lifting." He said, looking and nodding towards a group of Paladins that stood separate from the knights. "We'll finally see today what those guys are capable of."

Rogue looked at Natsu. "Well, we must share our burdens. We can't let them do all the work."

Sting laughed from under his helmet. He patted Rogue's armoured shoulder. "Worry not. We have some great heroes amongst us. Titania herself is probably capable of defeating his generals all by herself. Then we have Jellal, Gildarts, Kagura, Ultear… the list goes on. All these Paladins and Sentinels can wreck havoc on his forces, as they have already before. And then… we have him."

The group fell silent at his mention. Everyone exchanged anxious glances. They were talking about Sentinel Laxus. The strongest amongst their ranks. The strongest knight in the history of fighters and warriors. He was a lion on the battlefield. With his lightning magic and his behemoth greatsword, it was said that there was no foe that he couldn't handle. He was a beast on the field. Enemies dropped like a bundle of sticks before him, sometimes even before he had struck them. Natsu had never had the fortune to look at him even once, but he had heard his fair share of stories. It was said that his lightning could take form of a knight itself, fighting by his side as if a brother at arm. Natsu never knew which of the stories were true and which were just rumours. Rumours tended to follow everywhere that man went. It was said that Sentinel Laxus was a god amongst knights, a reincarnation of the olden deities of war. He was sent onwards to Earth for the very reason to battle Etherious–the demon king, and defeat him once and for all. To bring peace and order in the land laden with chaos and misconduct due to the demon king.

It was becoming more and more clear that The Ordeal was able to declare a war against the demon king knowing Laxus was on their side, confident that they would win. And they definitely had been winning all this time. Their frontline units had been ruthless, demons collapsing around their armies ones after the other. Laxus was a part of that unit, currently laying siege to the demon king's castle. Laxus was definitely not the one for rules and good behaviour, but he was so strong and efficient at combat that The Ordeal had to turn a blind eye to his behaviour. The fact that he was the lauded and legendary 'Hero'--as everyone thought, didn't help his reckless and insubordinate behaviour either.

Natsu looked again at the banner of The Ordeal on top of that rock that everyone was facing. He saw the face of the bull on it, its eyes leaking lightning, and a circle drawn around that bull with their motto under it–To Fight For Those That Can't. The bull was supposed to be Laxus. He was so important in their world that he had become the rallying symbol of their cause.

Natsu wondered what he was doing at the moment. Was he battling demons? Was he training his subordinates? Was he drinking and partying? What was going on in his head? Did he feel the pressure of the billions of people of the entire world hoping and relying on him? How did he not slip under that pressure? Natsu would have.

As he was watching that rock he saw someone climb atop it. It was a Paladin, as known by their armour and the blue colour of their cape. Soon, that person took off their helmet, and the face that was revealed left Natsu breathless.

The woman had dark intense eyes, a bind of her crimson hair falling to the side of her face, and the rest of it on a bun behind her head. Her skin was slightly tanned, glowing brilliantly under the bright sun. Her nose was sharp and cheeks sunken, her cheekbones prominent and her jawline sharp and well defined. It was a sight to behold. Her in her shining heavy armour, standing before the legions of knights and paladins, a few Paladin guards standing behind her on either side, and the banner of The Ordeal flowing beside her in the unkempt winds.

Natsu kept staring at her, and her only. She was beautiful.

"Titania…" he muttered.

That caught his friends' attention, and they all looked at the woman knight as well.

"That's her… oh god. She was here this whole time?" Cana said, exasperated.

Gray smiled, impressed by her legendary visage. "She rode overnight to our camp, leading a special unit of Paladins. The king sent her especially to oversee the assault detachment and its safe hike towards the siege site."

Sting laughed in mania. "Well, if she's here, we have nothing to fear. The war is already won."

Rogue was as guarded and cautious as usual. "We can't let her do all the work. She hasn't had a moment to sleep last night. We must do all we can to assist her."

A gust of wind passed by Natsu, whose eyes were constantly widened at the great sight he was witnessing. The words of his friends fell silent to his ears as all he could wish was for Titania to speak, so he could hear her voice. All he could wish was for her to let her hair loose, so he could see her in her complete beautiful glory. She was a mesmerising sight to behold, and his heart couldn't be contained at the moment. He was glad he had his helmet on, so no one could see the beatific smile on his face, and the redness of his cheeks.

He found himself spontaneously walking towards the rock, to merge into the vast army of knights and paladins that were awaiting her words. His friends followed him.

Erza looked at a Paladin guard beside her and said something to him. He leaned his ear close to her and then nodded and straightened back to his original position.

Erza then looked forward and drew a deep breath. She was ready to address the soldiers.

"My brothers and sisters at arms." She began. "Beyond that mountain lies our enemy. He sits waiting, mocking us, drinking and feasting. He pays no heed to the siege beyond his bastion gates. He has no care for the millions of his soldiers that died for his selfish cause. Nor for the billions of innocent men, women and children whose lives he has crushed with his bare hands. He isn't worried about the great and honourable army that we are, about to knock down his wooden gates and storm his castle. That's because he has tricks up his sleeve reserved for this very moment. He is calculating, snide, proud and malignant. And he is clever. Thus, we must be careful. I know that the war isn't won yet. We have had victories, yes. But he is still breathing. As long as he lives, our world will be tainted by his unforseen darkness. His fathomless dark whims. His curse."

She shut her eyes for a moment, and then when she opened them, there was fiery determination in them. The people looking at her couldn't take their eyes off of hers. She raised a clenched fist into the air.

"To Fight For Those That Can't. Those are our words. Our motto. Our rallying cry. Today, we fight for those that are weak. Innocent. Tortured and hurt. Afraid and frightened. Today, we fight for justice and virtue. We fight for the light. All I ask of you, my companions, is to be careful. Each of us has worth. Distinct, but equal. We may lose this war, but never lose sight of ourselves. Mind your flanks, be wary of what's behind you, be careful of the darkness that hides behind corners and at a distance, and be alert to the trickery of the dark. To Victory!"

Every knight and paladin, and some sentinels that were there, raised their fists into the air.

"TO VICTORY!" Their cries were heard.

"AD VICTORIAM!" Natsu's friends yelled.

As the knights were dispersing, riding upon their horses and chariots and sheathing their weapons and armaments, Natsu lost sight of Titania. He passively looked around, but she had already donned her helmet and was lost in the throes of many paladins that stood behind her. He sighed sadly. That was it for that day. Maybe he'd get to see her again.

As he and his friends walked to their positions in the marching party, Sting was energised.

"That was cool. I can't wait to become a Paladin. I wonder why she didn't speak of the Hero sentinel Laxus."

Rogue dawned in on the conversation. "She couldn't speak of him. That was the point of her speech. She wanted us all to know our innate worths and for it to not be overshadowed by the hero's. She is rightfully cautious in her approach to this battle. I understand her deeply."

"You are besotted with her, aren't you?" Sting teased.

Rogue got defensive. "I admire her. She has the great qualities of caution and alertness that all of us should assimilate. That's why she is so strong."

Sting laughed. Rogue and his caution. He turned to Natsu.

"Speaking of besotted, that initiate girl is really into you, Natsu."

Natsu was still in thoughts of the great paladin he had just seen, mesmerised by her glory and beauty. No other woman could compare.

"Who?" He asked, mostly dismissively.

"What's her name…? The cute one with silver hair. Why do you get to be her favourite?"

Sting subdued his jealousy and thought for a while. "Oh right, Lisanna. That's her name. She was asking about you last night."

Natsu looked at him. He knew Lisanna. Mostly, he knew her older sister–Mirajane. A Paladin of great respect and honour. Her beauty was matched only by her skill in battle. And she had quite a snobby attitude too, and a temper as well. Natsu would never want to get on her bad side.

Lisanna on the other hand was a sweet girl. She definitely was beautiful. He first met her right after he had come back from rescuing the tavern owner's daughter. She had just been initiated into the order as an initiate at the moment. She was really impressed with Natsu's commitment to save the girl, as she told him. She had said that she was a fan of Natsu's after seeing his willingness to take on a job that most would consider beneath them. Natsu had suspicions that she was interested in him after that, but he didn't want to lead her on. She didn't deserve to be hurt. And he didn't deserve nor wanted to be the subject of Mirajane's wrath should she know that he was messing around with her darling younger sister.

"Speaking of her…" Sting said before his voice trailed away.

Natsu looked in the direction he was looking at, and found Lisanna walking towards him in her initiate armour, a large smile on her face.

"Sir Natsu. I heard that you'd be a part of the assault detachment heading towards the castle. I wish you the very best–"

Sting jumped in between her and Natsu. He took off his helmet and ran his fingers through his hair, flaunting his good looks around.

"So, initiate Lisanna. What do you say we party after I kick the demon king's butt? Just you, me… and my sword."

Lisanna smiled nervously, sweat forming on her forehead. She was bereft of any words at his very inappropriate advance.

Rogue walked up and thwacked Sting over his bare head, causing him to groan, and then he pulled him away towards the rest of the knights.

Gray and Natsu watched them staggering away. Gray then looked at Natsu.

"I'll be waiting for you. Don't get left behind." He walked away as well.

Natsu watched everyone leave. Cana waved him a goodbye, and Gajeel and Levy nodded at him before joining up with the congress of knights. Natsu stared at their receding backs. He didn't have much in his life, but his friends and companions were something he cherished deeply. He was thankful for them being willing to spend their time with a nobody like him. He knew they all had great potential. Soon, they would be ahead of him in the ranks, and he would be left behind. But knowing them, they would never leave him behind even if they crossed the highest of the ranks. He hoped for it.

He then looked at Lisanna.

She smiled warmly at him, before walking up and taking off his helmet.

Natsu looked at her confused.

"Don't worry. I just wanted to see your face before you went away." Lisanna said.

She smiled gladly at him. To be able to see his face was an honour for her. She slowly slid her hand over his cheek and caressed gently.

"Please be careful. I heard Paladin Titania's words. And I agree with her. The demon king wouldn't give up so easily. He has tricks up his sleeve that he is planning to exploit. I know it. Don't rush in. Don't be reckless. Don't… do anything silly. Please. I beg of you."

Natsu returned her smile. "I won't. Anyways, I am just going there to show my face. The Hero will be doing everything."

Lisanna shook her head. "No. You were made a part of this assault consignment because you have proven yourself on the battlefield. I know that you'll be very useful. Somehow, someway. I know you'll do well. I believe in you. Just be careful. I… I wouldn't want to see you… gone."

She looked down at her feet. "Just… return back. I would like to see your face once again after this all is taken care of."

Natsu stared at her downtrodden form. What exactly was she worried about? That she wouldn't see him ever again? And why did she say that she trusted him? Did she really have that much faith in him? Was she really so proud and trustful of him? She'd be the first one to do so. He was glad for that.

He gently placed his hand over her shoulder and gave her a gentle shake, causing her to look up at him again. There was numbness in her eyes.

"I will return. And I will tell you myself how it went. Don't worry."

Lisanna managed a smile. It was insincere. One could tell that she was afraid. Frightened of what came next. But Natsu gave her a wide smile, letting her know that things would be alright. The demon army had been crushed. The war had been won. Everything was in its place. It was just a matter of walking to the demon king's doorstep and flushing him out, and slaying him outdoors to showcase to the world the might of The Ordeal. To make an example out of him. That was the plan.

"So… where's Paladin Mirajane?" He asked.

Lisanna wiped her eyes. "Oh, sister is back at the castle. She is running some covert ops for the king. I don't know the details. I have been sent here on medic duty. To tend to the wounded. Most well known Paladins and Sentinels are back at the castle. Ultear, Jellal, Kagura, Mirajane… Erza was supposed to be there as well, but she was sent here last night to assist with the battle. Her and sentinel Gildarts are both here."

"I… see." Natsu muttered unsurely. He wondered what was going on in the king's mind. Why would he keep the strongest and most well known knights out of the last battle? Was he planning something? Preserving them for another battle? What was his plan?

"Natsu!" He heard Gray's voice. He looked in that direction, and saw that the March had begun. He quickly put on his helmet. He glanced at Lisanna momentarily, as a way of saying goodbye. As he started walking away, she grabbed his armoured hand.

"Natsu… wait."

Natsu looked back at her hand first, and then at her.

She appeared restless and anxious. Something was tickling the insides of her heart that she was finding difficult to say out loud. She finally did.

"I… I wish to spend my days with you, Natsu. I… I was hoping I'd get to tell you. I… I have feelings for you. Return to me once this is over. I will await your answer."

Natsu's expressions were hidden from her because of his helmet. All he appeared to be was a metallic figure with a mask on his face. That sight made her even more anxious. What was he thinking? Did he accept? Or had he already turned her wishes down? She didn't know. And she wouldn't know until he came back. She hoped to the gods that he did.

She released his hand, but Natsu stood before her for a while, thinking, staring at her, before another cry from Gray diverted his attention and he looked away. He walked to his position in the back, beside Gray, and the march began.

The final stride of the war. The war that would decide the fate of the world for generations to come. The war of humanity and light against darkness. The war of virtues and duty against chaos. The war of preservation against annihilation. The war between life and death.

Thousands of armoured feet clanked on the ground as the army marched. Was that the sound of the demon king's demise?