A/N: Episode 265.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX: THAT'S THE POWER TO LIVE

Makarov still stood in front of Lumen Histoire with his eyes closed. "The dragons saved us. I didn't have the courage. The courage to use Lumen Histoire..." Makarov stated.

"That's fine." Mavis's voice was soon heard. "That means it wasn't yet time..."

After the battle was finally over, Metallicana, Grandeeney, Ketsu, Lunioseith, Bluoro, Weisslogia, and Skiadrum gathered in front of the Fairy Tail Mages and the Dragon Slayers. Verinth had gone to meet up with Quartz.

"Grandeeney..." Wendy muttered.

"Everyone's courage and Igneel repulsed Acnologia." Grandeeney said.

"Dragons are our allies... I got such a feeling of superiority right now!" Jet exclaimed.

"Yeah, right?" Droy agreed.

"But I heard there were thousands of those Faces..." Romeo mumbled.

"The dragons destroyed all of them?" Macao questioned.

"Incredible!" Wakaba added.

"You did well destroying one of them." Grandeeney told Wendy.

"That's because Carla was with me." Wendy claimed, wiping her eyes.

Gajeel stared at Metallicana, who stared back. "This is Metallicana?" Lily asked.

"Gajeel..." Levy muttered.

"As always, you've got that nasty look in your eye." Metallicana commented.

"Shut up!" Gajeel shouted in irritation.

Akame stared up at Ketsu as Dusk, Chii, and Bruno were with him. "Ketsu..." Akame mumbled.

"You good-for-nothing asshole! I spent years searching for you only for you to show up and say you've been inside my body?!" Akame shouted. "I bet you were laughing at me, were you? Damn jerk!"

Dusk and Chii both deadpanned. "I'm sorry, Akame. But you must understand it was within good reason." Ketsu stated.

Akame scoffed, crossing his arms before sighing. "Still, it's great to see you again, old man." He confessed, making Ketsu grin.

Zack and Jim were standing in front of Bluoro. "Got a girlfriend yet?" Bluoro teased.

"That's the first thing you ask me?!" Zack yelled at him in irritation, his face flushing red.

Sting and Rogue stared up at their dragon fathers. "Weisslogia... I killed you..." Sting claimed.

"And I saw you die before my eyes too, Skiadrum." Rogue added.

"Human memories can be falsified in any number of ways." Weisslogia said.

"Although Igneel was against it... At the time, we intended to give you Dragon Slayers the memory and achievement of slaying a dragon." Skiadrum stated.

"Verinth did the same." Weisslogia added. "That being said, saying we died isn't too far from the truth."

This grabbed Sting's attention. "We are already dead." Lunioseith announced, confusing Dusk.

"Long ago, Acnologia's Dragon Slayer Magic ripped out our souls. So inside your bodies were objectives. 'Protecting against turning into a dragon,' 'defeating Acnologia,' and extending our own lives." Grandeeney explained.

"What?!" Wendy spoke in confusion.

"Once we left your bodies, we became unable to return there. Today we showed you our power for the first and last time. And we want you to understand why we couldn't show ourselves until now." Skiadrum continued.

"Not even Igneel could defeat Acnologia. But... even Igneel only had the last of his power left before dying." Metallicana added.

"Humans, please do not allow the majesty of the Fire Dragon King to be tarnished." Ketsu said.

Gajeel glanced over to where smoke was emitting from the ground. "There is no dragon braver, nor one who loved humans more, than Igneel." Bluoro finished as Natsu was in tears.

"Dad... You promised me... You said you wouldn't go anywhere. Don't go back on your word! I..." Natsu started to say, wiping his face. "I've looked for you all these years. I finally learned how to write. I learned how to use Magic more, too. I've made lots of friends. And I'm working, too. I... I... I wanna talk to you more! Igneel!"

Natsu continued sobbing as Happy watched from afar with tears also flowing from his eyes.

"We have not told you everything that should be said, but the time has come. The time to part ways." Grandeeney said.

"No..." Wendy mumbled.

"I am sure you will encounter many more hardships in the days to come, but I have confidence that all of you will get through them." Grandeeney told Wendy.

"Don't go, Grandeeney! Don't leave me!" Wendy begged.

Gajeel placed his hand on her head. "Let's see them off with our heads held high." He told her as Wendy hiccuped.

Grandeeney raised her wings in the air as her and the other dragons began to take flight. "Humans, memories of war and hating one another are things of the far past. On this day, we were able to work together hand in hand." Lunioseith said.

"The Age of Dragons has reached an ending of sorts." Weisslogia claimed.

"From here on out, human power shall create the future." Skiadrum continued.

"400 years ago, the Magna Carta, a pact between humans and dragons, was formed, and in accordance with that... we dragons will continue to watch over humanity!" Grandeeney finished as a bright pink beam shot up in the sky. "For eternity..."

"Grandeeney!" Wendy cried out.

"I love you, Wendy!" Grandeeney exclaimed as she began to fade away while Porlyusica watched.

"You've got that nasty look in your eye." Metallicana told Gajeel once more as he faded away.

"Those are your last words?!" Gajeel shouted in irritation. "Dammit..."

Akame waved his hand in the air. "Farewell, old man." He bids farewell to Ketsu, who grinned down at him before fading away.

"You've grown up a lot, Zack. I'm proud of you." Bluoro said, making Zack smile as he watched Bluoro fade away.

"Thank you, Weisslogia." Sting thanked.

"I won't forget you, Lunioseith." Dusk claimed.

"Skiadrum..." Rogue mumbled.

Weisslogia, Lunioseith, and Skiadrum stared at them as they faded away. Makarov watched from afar. The pink beam finally vanished.

Pink orbs soon surrounded Igneel as he faded away as well.

"Igneel..." Natsu muttered.

"Don't cry, Natsu."

Natsu continued sobbing. "Come on. What do you do in times of sadness? I told you that, remember?" Igneel's voice said.

"I know." Natsu said.

"Then try it. Get on your feet."

Natsu then stood up. "I'll always be with you. Even now, from now on, all the way down the line. Show me more of how you've grown, of the way you live..." Igneel said.

Tears fell from Natsu's eyes. "Okay. I'm gonna keep livin'! I'm gonna get stronger! I'm gonna beat Acnologia!" He declared to the sky.

"That's right. Speak of the future. That is the power to live."

Ezekiel was sitting on a grassy hill as the sun was setting, recalling how Kyoka tortured him and making him clench his bicep. He then recalled his past of how he also got tortured in the Tower of Heaven.

"I had a nasty flashback. I'm still trembling... I was tricked, betrayed, shamed... After all that... will I be able to trust people?" Ezekiel asked himself.

"I know you'll be fine." Jellal claimed, walking past him. "You'll be fine."

"You know a person's strengths and weaknesses very well." Jellal continued as Ezekiel stood up. "Go forward. Keep going forward, on the path of light."

Jellal walked over to where Meredy, Quartz, Daisuke, Peridot, and the former Oracion Seis were.

"We walk the path of darkness. In order to defeat Zeref..." Jellal claimed.

"These robes are lame." Angel complained.

Meredy looked at her. "Don't complain!" She told her.

"Quartz..." Daisuke spoke softly to Quartz, who looked at him. "About what happened earlier... will you be okay?"

Quartz thought back to the conversation he had with Verinth.

On the outskirts of Magnolia was Verinth, who had met up with Quartz.

"So this is Verinth?" Daisuke questioned.

"Verinth... I distinctly remember killing you..." Quartz stated.

"Yes, well, human memories can easily be falsified." Verinth claimed.

"So you're saying... you created a memory of Quartz killing you but this whole time you were in his body?" Peridot asked.

"That is correct. Weisslogia and Skiadrum did the same thing with their Dragon Slayers. Although, Igneel was completely against it." Vernith replied, glancing down at Quartz. "At the time, I wanted to give you the achievement of slaying a dragon with your own hands. Besides, as I mentioned before, I'm already dead."

"I'm sorry, Verinth. You must be extremely disappointed in the man I've become." Quartz said, making Daisuke frown as pink orbs surrounded Verinth.

"You had your reasons. But you're changing your ways, are you not?" Verinth spoke before looking at Jellal. "Human, look after my son for me, will you?"

"He's in good hands." Jellal told her as Verinth faded away.

"I will be." Quartz finally responded, making Daisuke sigh.

"But our paths may intersect at some point."

"Look at him, tryin' to act cool." Cobra commented.

"Later on, teach me how to do that!" Racer stated.

"It's love... yes?!" Hoteye asked.

"If that happens, I want you to shine so brightly that it obliterates us. Go forth, Zeke." Jellal thinks to himself.

"I've stopped trembling." Ezekiel thought.

Doranbolt teleported behind Makarov. "I did as you said. I wiped the memories of that info from everyone who was told about it." Doranbolt informed as Makarov didn't reply. "Yeah, I know. I gotta erase my own memory of it, right? I'd rather not fiddle with my own memories."

"That's okay. You're a man who can be counted on." Makarov told him, confusing Doranbolt as Makarov turned to him. "That's enough. You're relieved of 'duty.'"

The fabric of Doranbolt's coat was removed as Makarov raised three fingers in the air. "Hey... What the hell are you doin'?!" Doranbolt asked.

A red Fairy Tail guild mark appeared on Doranbolt's right shoulder. "W-What is this?! You marked me with Fairy Tail's insignia?!" Doranbolt exclaimed.

"You were already a member of Fairy Tail. You erased your own memory to infiltrate the Council." Makarov claimed, making Doranbolt let out a shout of confusion. "I told you you were that kind of man. A man who would even sacrifice himself to protect the guild."

"Wh-Wait a second! What does this mean?! I'm a member of Fairy Tail?! I erased my own memory so I could join the Council?! Then what about Tenroujima?! This is ridiculous!" Doranbolt exclaimed.

"This is why I said you shouldn't erase your own memories... It's a pain in the neck." Makarov claimed.

"Are you serious?"

"It doesn't matter. It's all over now."

"Over?"

"The brats have chosen to set out on their own path. This is the end of an era. I'm disbanding Fairy Tail." Makarov said.

By nightfall, Akame, Dusk, Zack, Ezekiel, Hana, and the Exceeds returned to Twilight Phoenix.

"They're back!" Dawn announced.

"Sorry it took us so long." Dusk stated, hugging his twin sister, who returned the hug.

"How was the clean-up here?" Ezekiel questioned.

"It went surprisingly smooth. Though, I'm sure our town wasn't as bad as Magnolia was." Loji responded, making Ezekiel frown.

Julian glanced over at Akame, Dusk, and Zack. "Are you three okay?" He asked in concern.

Akame, Zack, and Dusk thought back to their dragon fathers disappearing.

"We will be eventually." Akame was the one who replied, making Dusk and Zack nod in agreement.

Meanwhile, Zeref was sitting in a room, glancing out of the window.

"Try to surpass me, Natsu, Zack." Zeref spoke. "That is... Etherious... Natsu... Dragneel... and Etherious Zack Dragneel."

The Book of END was placed on the table next to a book with the initials EZD, both books shining in the moonlight.

A/N: And that concludes the Tartaros Arc!

Yes, Zack is also a half-demon. I had to look back at his character information before I added that last part. Mard Geer didn't have Zack's book though, as Zeref keeps his close to him. Also, for the Avatar Arc, Zack will be helping Gray, Erza, and Ezekiel. That's all I'm going to say about that. But you probably know where I'm going with that idea :)

Also, like with God Pegasus, I won't be writing the 100 Year Quest Arc for this fanfic because I have no idea how to add this guild in that Arc. So this book will end with the Alvarez Empire Arc.

Thanks for reading!

~ Kaleb.