Chapter Text
Fairy Tail Guild Hall, Magnolia, Fiore- x792
Zeref smiled grimly as he walked past Natsu’s prone form. It was quite ironic, having to kill the very person he planned to save. The violent action had left a bitter taste in his mouth, but it had to be done. This version of Natsu- no, END could not be considered his brother- had no intention of leaving this forsaken world behind. The corpse behind was nothing more than an imitation, a result of his treacherous research into the matters of life and death. Killing his creation had simply been a means to an end, a way to reach his goal, a way to get his real brother back.
“The doors to Fairy Tail… I shall make them the gateway to the new world.” Zeref stared at the entryway. “I need to connect the doors with the space between time.”
Zeref pointed at the doors, and the once stunning entrance to the Fairy Tail guild hall was illuminated in an ominous turquoise, The power of the time rift pulsed in violent bursts as it struggled to adjust the constraints of the doorway. Now, just a few feet away laid his salvation; the Neo-Eclipse. It had taken him years to bring his plan into action, the idea of time travel to alluring to the immortal mage. Zeref could fix everything: his curse, his family's deaths, Acnologia, all of it. He could return things to the way they always should have been. He’d get to be a normal child again. He’d have a normal life. He would finally be able to die.
The thought made him giddy. “The moment I pass through these doors, this world will crumble away, and my new world shall take its place. The Fairy Tail doors have seen countless adventurers set out and return home, and now those doors will bring this world’s adventure to an end, and mine to a beginning.”
He paused, and smiled. “Could the Irony be any thicker?”
Stepping forward, Zeref curled his fists. “I will retain my memories as they are, as I go back and redo my past life. I will not make the same mistakes. I shall save this world.”
⇹
CRACK!
A few blocks away from the guild hall, in the Magnolia town square, Lucy, Gray, and Happy could only stare in shock as the writing in the Book of E.N.D slowed to a stop and began to shatter.
“The letters! They’re shattering!” Happy screeched.
“Is Natsu hurt?” Gray’s words came out as if he were being choked. He was worried for his rival, the writing in the book was the sole thing holding Natsu’s existence together. If they disappeared, Natsu would disappear too. Gray had already lost so many because of Zeref; Ultear, Ul… his father. Hell, he almost lost Juvia a few hours ago. It was exhausting, surviving while his loved ones suffered. He couldn't bear to think what he would do if he lost his best friend and rival too.
Lucy shook her head. She had no idea what to make of the situation. Natsu was her best friend, the person that had helped her join Fairy Tail. They had been through so much together, saved each other from harm countless times. What would she do if… no, she couldn’t think about that, right now, the only thing that mattered was saving her best friend.
Swallowing, Lucy began to analyze the writing, trying to remain calm as Natsu’s lifeline slowly crumbled before her. “It’s a part of his body! He’s badly hurt somewhere!”
Lucy stood with a start. She needed something to write with. Almost as if she were possessed, Lucy’s head jerkily moved left to right, frantically observing the area for any sign of a writing device. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted it. Almost 100 yards across the square, an abandoned fruit stand sat, the open register and sales papers strewn across the table. A pen was just visible atop the stack of papers. She ran towards it.
“What are you doing?!” Gray yelled.
“Saving Natsu!” She panted. All she needed was that damn pen.
Mind addled with worry, she failed to realize how close to the stall she actually was, and Lucy crashed into the wooden cart, knocking the assortments of fruits, paper, and the pen to the ground.
Happy screamed. “Hurry Lucy!”
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
The sounds echoed violently, vaguely reminding Lucy of nails scraping against metal. They were shattering faster now. Lucy snatched the pen and booked it back towards Gray and Happy.
Gray stared at the pen in her hand as she approached. “Do you know how to rewrite it?”
“No, I’ll just rewrite the missing letters.”
“How?” Happy questioned. “They exploded so fast! I have no clue what the letters are!”
Lucy shook her head, her eyes shined with resolve. “Don’t worry Happy. I remembered all of them.”
Channeling her magic into the pen, Lucy filled in the closest set of letters that had disappeared. The golden letters shined, and the line of writing reformed with an echoing click.
“Amazing.” Gray said in awe. “The letters are returning.”
“Good.” Now, thinking that she would be able to complete the writing without issue, Lucy hurriedly filled in another line of writing.
The backlash was immediate. Lucy froze. Falling to her knees, red markings crawled from the tip of her pen and up her arm, around her neck, and up through her eyes. It felt like Lava was creeping through her veins, the searing heat reminiscent of Natsu’s flames; flames that had never been directed towards her.
“Lucy!” Gray screamed. “Snap out of it!”
She jolted as Gray yanked her. “Lucy! You’re burning up!”
“Its- Its because... I tampered with the-the book!” She stammered, trying to clear her thoughts. The heat made it hard to focus, yet maybe, just maybe, this could be what she needed to save Natsu. “But, this could be a clue. If I can understand this magic, then maybe I can help Natsu.”
“But-”
“I’ll be fine, Happy.”
It was a white lie. The heat was destroying her, getting hotter by the second. Lucy could hardly focus on the ground in front of her. If the heat didn’t go away soon, Lucy was afraid she would be incinerated where she kneeled.
Suddenly, as if a winter blizzard had overtaken the summer season, cold air rushed over her skin, and the heat subsided just enough for her to clear her head.
“It's cold,” She looked up. “Gray…”
He glanced down at her, magic pulsing and face seemingly carved out of stone. “Let's save Natsu, together.”
Lucy smiled, “Yeah!”
⇹
Natsu’s chest ached. Warm blood, his blood, pooled around him on the floor, clinging to his skin, his hair, his clothes… What had happened? How was he alive? Where was Zeref?
A flash of gold flooded his vision. Lucy. Had she saved him? If so, where was she? The golden light, a signature of Lucy’s magic, swirled around him, flowing into his healing chest. What was happening? Wasn’t there a big-ass hole there a few moments ago? The only thing Natsu knew for sure was that he had died, he could still feel the sensation of Zeref’s hand tearing through him, the bone-chilling grasp of Death around his neck…
Slowly rising to a stand, the dragon slayer realized just how tired he was. Natsu struggled to remain upright, the heavy feeling of exhaustion threatening to bring him straight back to the ground. He swayed dangerously, barely managing to catch himself on one of the only remaining tables in the hall.
Zeref, who was blissfully unaware of his revived audience, offered his final farewells to his original world. “I offer my thanks to this world, for it has given me the chance to bring about a new era, one without unnecessary war or death, in which this present madness will never have existed.”
Never have existed? That meant Fairy Tail wouldn’t exist. Happy, Gray, Erza, the other dragonslayers, Lucy… Natsu blanched at the concept. If Zeref succeeded, he would never meet them, never join the guild, never get to complete his goal. None of what he knew would exist anymore. All of the good that had come from this world would be wiped away, incinerated by Zeref’s selfish greed.
As Natsu thought about it-a considerably dangerous action for him- the angrier he got. Who was Zeref to dictate the way the world worked? Who was he, to decide who lived and who died; why did he get to choose who existed, what events would or would not pass in history? It was remarkably hypocritical. Just because Zeref had a tough life did not mean he got to play God and change the natural course of history.
Now seething with unbridled rage, Natsu gathered every last ounce of his remaining strength, and ran towards Zeref.
“Zeref!” He screamed, his right shoulder dipping forward to act as a battering ram.
Zeref turned in surprise, instinct screaming at him to dodge the oncoming dragon slayer. He jumped to the side, momentarily forgetting about the active Neo- Eclipse that loomed behind him.
“Huh?” Natsu stumbled as he hit empty air, unable to stop his forward momentum. He tripped.
Zeref reached out to grab him, screaming. “NO!”
But it was too late. Natsu fell forward, smashing into the entrance of the Neo-Eclipse.
The Earth beneath Zeref’s feet trembled, the magic of the gate pulsing in violent bursts as it responded to its new occupant. Around him, the world began to crumble away, becoming illuminated in a bright turquoise that threatened to blind him. Zeref sent a burst of his magic towards the Neo-Eclipse, desperate to fix his massive blunder, but it only rebounded, knocking him to the ground. The gate was rejecting him.
And, right as he was surrounded by the gates magic, Zeref smiled. "Dammit Natsu. You just had to fuck things up."
Three blocks away from the guild hall, Lucy screamed.