Author's Note: The reason this chapter took so long to upload was because of various reasons. For one, my dog died from osteosarcoma, two, my brother moved and left chaos in his wake, three, school started again and I had a much larger workload this year than the years before. I leave for school at around 7:30 AM and come back at around 7:50 PM. Not to mention the copious amounts of homework I have to complete and other extracurricular activities I have to participate in over the weekends; that and a case of writer's block and a span of time where I completely forgot about writing.

I had only recently begun to write for this story again. Over Thanksgiving, I did start to write, but it was mostly for a project that is splintering off this one. It is most likely going to be a one-shot spinoff which breaks from Even God Rests' canon around midway into the story. The title is "The Runner" and like this one, it is going to be full of angst. A hint as to what it is going to contain is this: "Even if it is already too late for his own salvation" and "This is the story of a despairing man, fighting for the years to come." It will mainly focus on the subject of the passage of time, degrading will, regrets, old ghosts, memories, maturing through life experience and love beyond death.

Believe it or not, a song inspired me to begin writing The Runner. While I am not normally the person to delve deep into the meaning of songs, this one I found was of particularly high quality. This story was also inspired by that song which is one of the reasons I truly listened to the lyrics. The Runner – when it is posted – will be under the category Fairy Tail due to the fact that it takes place exclusively in Earthland and has little aspects of High School DxD in it; only mentions of some characters including God, Great Red, Trihexa and Gabriel. Really, only God will be a truly important DxD character.

But I digress, a significant portion of this chapter will be focused on Freed Justine with the other parts being told fixed on Natsu and Father. I also introduce my first important OC who will heavily influence Natsu, Gabriel and the entire plot. This is going to heavily focus on making Natsu Dragneel a much more complicated man than he was in canon. I will attempt to add multiple layers upon his personality to make him three dimensional as some would say.

But enough about my ramblings and on to the story!

Even God Rests: Chapter 5: Against the Dying of the Light

"And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day." – Old Testament: Book of Genesis: King James Version: Chapter 1: Verse 5

The serene air of the white flower fields was cut by the gut wrenching sobs of a beaten man. Natsu knelt in the arms of Father as he cried for his dead and beaten friends. Father was stroking his back as He hummed a hymn that soothed the soul. The loss of Erza broke Natsu and Father pulled him into His domain to comfort him. War cost the tired dragon slayer much and his breaking point was reached. All hope seemed lost for him and Father saw the need to motivate him, or at least give His son some council.

A warm and crisp breeze blew through the fields as white flower petals danced in the air. They blew around and past the two occupants almost as if they were trying to uplift Natsu's spirit.

Despite the Salamander's vast strength, he could not keep his family safe. On that fateful morning when Igneel was brutally slain before him, Natsu promised himself and Igneel that he would never let anything like that to happen again. Now look at the situation… his world is crumbling around him, his family lies in tatters and his home is in ruins. That made him a betrayer to Igneel, to his family and to himself. He hated those who did not keep their promises and now he was one of them.

'I'm no better than scum.' Natsu despaired as he sharply inhaled to prevent mucus from escaping his nostrils.

His eyelashes were sealed shut by his tears and his eyes burned with more tears waiting to be released and there was a lump in his throat that refused to go down. Natsu's seemingly infinite capacity for strength and hope was an illusion that was shattered to pieces. He was often seen as the heart of Fairy Tail by many, but what does it spell for the guild if that heart is broken and ceases to beat?

"Do not despair, I am with you." Father whispered with solemnness and warmth.

Natsu gave out a few sobs as he forced his eyes open, his vision clouded by his tears which continued to shed unending. "Father, what should I do?" He pleaded like a prayer.

Father gently pushed His son out of His embrace, placed His hands on Natsu's shoulders and met his gaze. "I feel your pain My son, and I shall give you advice." His otherworldly blue eyes were lit with kindness and understanding. "Your future is one filled with hardship and seemingly unending labor. You feel as if you failed in your purpose to live, your very reason for existing. Igneel is dead, Fairy Tail is in its darkest hour and Magnolia is no more. You find yourself in this dark, water filled trench where you do not know up from down. What you must always remember is that even in the darkest of places, there will always be light however small. What you must do is find your light, whether is be in Me, Igneel, your family, a romantic partner or even within yourself."

Father wiped the tears off of Natsu's cheeks as he forced out a desperate question. "What if I never find my light?"

The Lord of this domain smiled with warmth. I have complete faith in you. I have watched over you and I know that you are not one to stagnate, for when you do, you stop truly living. Is it not one of your core beliefs that life is one of the most valuable things in existence? That life is priceless, irreplaceable and must be lived to the fullest. Is it not why you and your friends avoid killing when you can?"

Natsu merely nodded in response as Father continued. "Erza would wand you to live on and live life to the fullest. Remember that she once had a group of close knit friends in the R-System? She lost them all in the folds of lies and manipulations of those with fark hearts. Did se fall to despair, or did she pick herself up and eventually join Fairy Tail? You are strong enough to get past this just as she was."

"I always did say that I would surpass her." The slayer of Acnologia whispered.

Father nodded. "Indeed! You have a fire within you that burns hot and bright! While there will be times that fire is faced with strong winds and rain, I know from the bottom of My heart that you will persevere as you always have."

"What good is perseverance if your efforts do nothing to help?" Natsu muttered in downcast.

"What good is perseverance?" The white-haired Man repeated in rhetoric. "When you were defeated and beaten by the hands of Zero, did you give up or did you persevere, and in doing so, attain victory?" Seeing the Last Etherious nod, He continued. "When Phantom Lord ambushed Makarov and drained him of his power, did Fairy Tail cower and never stand back up? When Erza tried to sacrifice herself to control the Etherion, did you up and leave her in those life stealing crystals?"

He shook His head as He made His point. "No! By giving up, all of those victories you achieved would be terrible defeats and Fairy Tail would be no more instead of alive as it is now. A good need only to give up for evil to win and Fairy Tail up till now has never given up. Alvarez was a significantly larger and more powerful force than Fiore and their guilds and did you just kneel before them and hope you will be spared? Zeref is slain and so is Acnologia thanks to your and your friends' perseverance."

Despite all of this, Natsu was still not in a good state of mind and Father could see this. He needed something that would stay with His son. "Let me show you what it would be like if you did give up when it was not an option." He placed his index finger on Natsu's forehead and his world went dark.

First, it showed Natsu in his fight with Erigor just as the Fire Dragon Slayer fell into the ravine after his opponent blew him of the tracks. He would have hit the bottom and broken more than one bone which left him unable to walk. Then the vision showed Erigor play Lullaby in Clover and as a result, all of the guildmasters would have died, their souls being devoured by the demon flute.

Even if it was merely a vision of what could be, it still pained him to see Makarov die along with the other guildmasters. Luckily, she was not there.

The scene changed and showed Fairy Tail giving up as Phantom Lord launched the Jupiter cannon, destroying the guildhall and all of its former occupants. But the magic cannon's beam did not stop and kept going, killing hundreds of innocent civilians. With Fairy Tail gone, Lucy was doomed to become a source of money to be squeezed by Jose all the while Gajeel tortured her when he could.

Natsu could feel despair starting to well up even more inside of him. He was aware that it was merely what ifs but the visions were so real.

Then it showed the Tower of Heaven bulging and bursting as the Etherion went out of control. He saw Erza lay his unconscious form down as she thought of how to save him. When she remembered what Jellal told her as she was about to be sacrificed, she placed her hand on the crystal and sunk in. His vision self awoke to find Erza halfway in. She said her speech and sunk to the depths of the Etherion while he saw himself banging on the crystal before slumping and giving up.

Seeing her die and with her real death, Natsu could feel even more soul clenching sadness. Outside his mind, he cried through his closed eyes as his head was resting on Father's chest.

A new vision appeared, this one of Zero beating him, Gray, Lucy and Happy down. They gave up and Cait Shelter was obliterated, the illusions failing as Roubal's ghost was corrupted. Wendy, not knowing all of her guild was an illusion, fell to despair as she numbly stared at the remnants of her guild. Zero eventually defeated the remaining Allied Forces and converted them to darkness as he let them loose on the guilds and innocents they once served.

Now it showed the harrowing event of Y Dinistr, with the acres of flames burning Magnolia to the ground, the red glowing sky with the screaming and dying people below it. Acnologia was laughing and it made it seem as if the flaming sky itself was growling. Men and women burned alive as they fruitlessly attempted to put themselves out. Lucy was unable to muster any courage and Acnologia slaughtered all of the remaining mages in Magnolia, leaving the rest of the allies alone, dreading and knowing that the rest had failed.

Suddenly, the white fields showed before Natsu's eyes once more as he breathed heavily. Coldness, deep hoarfrost chilled his body as he thought back on the horrors he had just seen. All of them were terrible, but the vision of Y Dinistr was the worst. The hellish mockery of Magnolia with the sky on fire overhead, the screams of his friends and family echoing through the roar of flames and the laughing of the Apocalypse.

It was Hell. There was no other word for it, Hell. He could only imagine what it was like actually being there, smelling the choking smoke, feeling the burning fires, seeing his comrades being burned alive, ripped apart, drowned in their own blood, crippled, mutilated and vaporized was something that would stay with him for as long as he would live.

At least that is what he thought…

"While those events never did happen, they were possibilities that would have happened if you and Fairy Tail gave up. Natsu, you are in a fork in the road; a fork in which can lead to two results. At this moment, Fairy Tail is leaning on the side of giving up, dissolving, breaking apart during this darkest of hours. It is ultimately up to you and a few others to pick up and guide the remnants." Father advised.

But know, even if you and your friends go down the correct path, there will be much hardship no matter which way you go. There will be times where the unthinkable would become thinkable and that there is no end to the woods, no light to be found in the darkness. When this happens, please look back and remember your dear family, your loves and Me, for even if we do not see each other, know that I will always watch over you, guiding you to a better future no matter how subtle My influences are."

Natsu's eyes regained light as he squeezed Father's hands with renewed strength. "I promised Igneel that I would live my life to the fullest." He met eyes with Father and continued. "I promised him that I would stand up no matter how many times I was knocked down. While I may have broken my promise already, it doesn't mean I have to stop trying."

Father smiled widely, showing His perfect pearly white teeth. "Yes! That is the spirit!" He stood up, pulling His son up with Him and patted Natsu's shoulders. "Now go! Go and show Fairy Tail, nay the world that you and your friends are not broken! That your famous bonds are not yet severed and that as Fairy Tail always has: getting up no matter the darkness that assails them!"

The Dragon Slayer nodded with pre-war vigor as his body began to break apart. "Before you go, I would like you to have this." Father spoke up. A rather thick beige book was in His hand that had gold text in the hard cover that read "Holy Bible".

'When did that get there?' Natsu thought in confusion, certain that the book was nowhere near them. It was as if it appeared instantly, subtly like an assassin in the shadows.

"Think of this as a farewell gift. It has My beliefs and teachings in it; use it to guide you in your times of hardship." Something about what he said was off to Natsu, but he ignored it.

"Alright." The Salamander accepted as he broke apart into motes of light with the Bible clasped in his hands.

Natsu opened his eyes and saw the expected view of the roof of his tent. He pulled himself up and off of his sleeping bag and put on his outdoor clothes. All he had to do was throw on his vest and slip on his sandals and he was ready to go. Next to his bedroll was the Holy Bible, Father's gift to His troubled son; he would read it later. The Last Etherious pushed his tent flap open and winced at the bright rays of the sun. His destination was the mess tent where the residents, or rather former residents of Magnolia received their food during their stay in the tent city on the outskirts of the ruins.

It had been a day since Erza was buried and the moral of Fairy Tail was at an all-time low. The Re-equip mage had always been a symbol of strength and stalwart bravery. Now, that symbol was dead, and with the large amounts of death and the loss of their home, the end of the tunnel was not in sight for them.

Fairy Tail was founded on the beliefs of friendship and camaraderie, and that the bonds shared between guildmates was more powerful than any weapon or magic. With the Dragon King Festival of x792, the boisterous guild was left in tatters, and that belief in the power of friendship was ashes and dust. It was a mercy that Mavis was never going to see how far her beloved guild had fallen after her long overdue passing. It would have broken the already fragile heart of the First.

Natsu once said to Kama of the Hungry Wolf Knights that Fairy Tail would fight the Kingdom, demons and even gods to protect their friends; they failed in the face of Acnologia's brutal slaughter. The beast had been the the source of many nightmares and woes for all of Fairy Tail, even before the war. Even though they were able to catch up for the most part, those seven years would have allowed for monstrous if not godly amounts of improvement which would have been vital in the war. In the end, it all comes around to the Dragon King.

The whole of Fairy Tail got a taste of his power during his and Igneel's clash over the ruins of Plutogrim; earth-shaking explosions created with ease, powerful shockwaves that blew people away and the slaying of the mighty Fire Dragon King.

The alliance had to face such a powerful creature – and in an instant, hundreds had died, possibly thousands. Not only were the explosions powerful in physical force, they were bright as well. Many leagues away, people describe the events of Y Dinistr as a blue dawn.

On that darkened horizon of the night skies appeared brilliant and blinding lights remanicent of supernovas, intense, fleeting and a symbol of the end of life. The earth shook as those lights began to fade as an eerie red glow replaced it. A powerful force rushed past them – remnants of the kinetic force of the blasts as animals roused, birds fleeing, wolves and dogs barking and howling, cats hiding, deer and various fauna running from the red shine.

Natsu opened the lace flaps of the mess tent and observed the sight of various families eating their breakfast. There were five mess tents in total to accommodate the survivors, this was Mess Tent Two, where the remnants of Fairy Tail ate. In the corner sat the Fire Dragon Slayer's friends who were listlessly consuming their food silently with an aura of gloom and despair hovering over them.

He felt an indescribable feeling rise up within him. He knew it was a negative emotion due to the fact it did not feel good. Natsu knew they were feeling down and defeated with all of their losses, and so did he; but that did not mean he was going to roll over and give up like the rest of them seem to have.

The Kingslayer drifted over to the food service tables where the standard breakfast was presented. It consisted of freeze-dried fruit, mashed potatoes, toast and milk. The milk was made from powder, the toast had no butter, the dried fruit was stale, the mashed potatoes were runny and the milk was watery and lacked a nice chill; a fitting meal for their situation. The state of the food mattered not to Fairy Tail, as most had little appetite or all sustenance turned to ash in their mouths. Such were the effects of their troubled psyches.

Natsu made his way to his friends, weaving past people while ballencing his tray of laughable food on his left hand. He spotted Romeo, last of the Conbolts, sitting next to Lucy, last of the Heartfilias; both were in their own worlds. The diverse fire mage was paying no attention to his blonde elbow pal, focused on his own despair. The same could be said for Lucy, who was absently eating her liquid potatoes with a spoon while writing in a notebook.

The tragic hero placed his tray of food next to Romeo's untouched tray of food, and sat down; the teenager did not even acknowledge his idol. Natsu knew that he was hurting more than enough due to the deaths of Macao and Wakaba.

The scarred mage did not know too much about the boy's relationship with the chain smoker due to the fact he was always on jobs with his team and did not spend much time with Romeo in the more recent times. Natsu suspected they had an uncle/nephew-like bond.

What Natsu did know, was that the purple haired child did not interact with much of the other members of Fairy Tail besides his father and Wakaba. The Last True Dragon Slayer knew Romeo looked up to him as seen by his imitation of behavior and fasion.

"How have you been?" The vessel of E.N.D. asked softly, despite knowing the answer already.

Both Lucy and Romeo looked at Natsu, but the latter could see the question was directed at the youngest of the three.

"Not too good." He who was in question mumbled. "I can't sleep without nightmares, all food tastes bitter and I constantly seeing Father and Wakaba being torn apart in front of me."

All of those who were there at Y Dinistr understood what he was going through. Lucy herself frequently had those dreams; dreams of fire, death, screams, destruction and the wails of men and women alike. Both she and romeo beheld the hell created by Acnologia from a bird's eye view first hand.

"Humph…" Natsu grunted softly, "Wendy died before my eyes, blown open by Acnologia as she apologized for no making it. We all witnessed death."

A silence befell the three as Natsu reluctantly began to consume his meal. It was hard to make conversation with others when you too were sorting out your own sorrows. The talk with Father had helped him greatly, but it was still not enough. All those around them were also not in an emotional state which could allow them to console those in a not too good state of mental integrity.

Lucy's notebook caught Natsu's attention, she was writing a novel from what he had last known. From what he had gathered and from what she had allowed him to know, in was based on her own life but fictionalized with different characters, settings, names and so on. But what with all that had happened, her priorities may have changed.

"What are you working on, Lucy?" He inquired. It was a weak conversation starter.

"Hmm?" The Celestial Spirit Mage looked up at Natsu. "Oh, I am working on my novel." She sighed tiredly as she closed her eye. "I changed the title from 'The Adventure of Iris' to 'I See Fire in the Sky'" She turned to the cover of the notebook and showed the crossed out 'The Adventure of Iris' and 'I See Fire in the Sky' scribbled below it.

The pink-haired Fairy Tail mage could hypothesize the reason as to why his friend changed such a thing. The visions given to him by Father gave him insight over what it was like experiencing Y Dinistr; he saw the sky on fire. Acnologia's attacks – while not fire based – had tremendous amounts of heat within them. That heat combusted the wooden buildings and the winds spread the flames throughout the fallen city and into the air. Normally, the strong shockwaves would have put out any fires; however, these fires had magical origins and thus were much more resilient than any flame created by mundane means such as a flint and steel.

He was also aware of the effects his battle with Acnologia caused once he reflected upon it and heard of the situations throughout Fiore that were bred by the destructive forces the apocalyptic pair were utilizing. In the heat of combat, Natsu paid attention, yet, did not pay attention to his surroundings. To go into more depth, Natsu observed his surroundings at an inhuman rate and dismissed anything that would not be vital to his fight against the Dragon King. Anything dismissed was pushed to the back of his mind in order to focus on the more important information. His mind, trained and conditioned for conflict, can swiftly scan the battlefield and sift through data and identify vital data in order to increase his chances of victory. In the midst of his battle, the destruction around them had little importance. Only attacks performed by his opponent and the opponent himself mattered at that moment.

It was only after the dust had settled had he realized just how much people got caught in the collateral. Hundreds if not thousands of innocents were killed by the earthquakes and the suffocating volcanic ash caused by the godly forces originating from the demon and the dragon; not to mention the harm brought upon Natsu Dragneel's allies when the explosions threw molten rock upon the retreating party. During that time, the sky was aflame.

Then on the morning of Erza Scarlet's discovery, the Salamander snapped and great flames expelled from him, and the sea was burning, and the skies were aflame once more.

It was a strange pattern; Fairy Tail's worst losses seemed to all have skies which burned overhead, almost as if the gods themselves were enacting bitter irony upon them. For so long, flames meant victory, hope and the indomitable power of the bonds shared between guildmates; now it represented failure, death, destruction, despair and broken promises. Ask anyone before the war who was the heart of Fairy Tail – who was the man who carried its spirit with all their might; all would answer Natsu Dragneel. His dragon-fire brought honor and volumes of victory for the lively guild. He literally got stronger the more he passionate he became; and his friends brought a deep, ardent flame which brought him to unprecedented heights. But what did that matter in the face of Alvarez and the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse.

But a heart cannot live on without the other organs supporting it every step in the journey of life. A heart needed nourishment from the lungs, the liver, the stomach, the brain to function, and so on. What good is a heart when it failed due to the absence of one of those vital organs? Erza was like Natsu's circulatory system – irreplaceable. Makarov was much like the brain, and he had perished, leaving a damaged and dysfunctional mass of neurons – incomplete and lacking in wholeness. The health of the body greatly depended on the emotional state of the subject as well – the subject/body being Fairy Tail. The body can fail when the mind is in great turmoil. Cases can be observed in which men and women die shortly after their spouse's demise. They simply lack the will to continue on in life alone.

While Fairy Tail was still holding it together, but if something does not change, it will crumble and dissolve.

The events of Y Dinistr forced Fairy Tail and her allies to witness death and destruction the likes of which they had never seen before. Friends and comrades died uselessly in droves, helpless to save anyone or anything, let alone themselves.

Suddenly, Lucy sighed. There was a touch of annoyance and agitation in it. "Do we really have nothing to do but wallow in our own pity today?" Many heard her question.

A grimace grew on the son of Igneel's face in response to his blonde friend's words. "We suffered many losses and the future doesn't look good. I believe it's no surprise we're down in the dumps."

"That may be so, but it doesn't mean we should chase that future! We should be doing something instead of droning on mindlessly with only despair to keep us company!" She retorted.

"I don't see you doing anything!" Evergreen spat heatedly.

"I'm writing about my experiences so that others may have some shred of understanding of what we went through!" The one-eyed celestial spirit mage hissed venomously.

"Calm yourselves, girls! You are not helping anyone with your senseless bickering!" Cana declared.

Their ire was directed at the brunette card mage now. "Now hear this, drunkard-" The fairy obsessed woman began.

"Enough you all!" Natsu shouted as fire both demonic and draconic began to expel out of his body. "You two," He addressed both Lucy and Evergreen. "shut up, sit down and listen!" His now metallic voice demanded their compliance. They obeyed instinctively. "We are all suffering and we don't need your hostility to add to our troubles, we are divided enough as we are!"

"He speaks reason." Cana added. "Fairy Tail has only survived this long because we have always come together as one when it really mattered. Lucy, I think I can speak for everyone that we all know your frustrations, but your attitude is not getting us anywhere. Evergreen, we know you are distressed over Laxus' distraught state," The Thunder Legion all formed a collective grimace as the rest of Fairy Tail and the civilians listening in winced at the straightforward admission. "but that does not justify dragging others deeper into your pit so that we all can be collectively miserable just as you are. The Laxus we all know – not the one we see today, would adamantly reject this. So if you cannot get your asses into gear then do as we always have and reach out to those around you: us." She gestured to all of Fairy Tail. "That is how we've always been. When we couldn't face a foe on our own, we stood together with our friends and we overcame it."

"Couldn't have said it bett-" Natsu stopped suddenly when he began to cough, it was a harsh, wheezing and hoarse. He put a fist to his mouth as he gasped for air fruitlessly.

"Are you okay?!" Lucy rushed to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder. The dragon slayer could not answer as more coughs racked his body. After ten more seconds, he finally calmed down.

He looked down at his hand and saw blood mixed with a black, unidentified sludge.

"Wh-what is that?" She whispered as a familiar coldness settled in her heart.

"I don't know." The demonic metallic tinge of his voice was gone. "But I feel fine."

"Don't give me that crap, Natsu! You're definitely not fine!" Her one eye burned fiercely and a manic gleam shined in it. "I'm taking you to Porlyusica."

'It has begun, I see.' E.N.D. said within Natsu's mind.

'What has begun?' The vessel of the fire demon responded.

'Your demise.' E.N.D. stated plainly.

'What do you mean by 'my demise'?!' Natsu screamed internally.

'It means that you are dying, boy.' It grunted. 'The stress of handling my power was too much for your feeble human body. While you surrendered your humanity when you became a dragon slayer, you still share some human characteristics, and curse power was never meant to be wielded by humans. Due to your acceptance of my power, your body is self-destructing. At the rate it is going, you will die in three-and-a-half years' time.'

'You didn't tell me accepting you would kill me!' The brother of Zeref growled.

'Did you think that by just accepting me you would be able to use my power without consequence? No, the power of curses is not something you can throw around easily like you can with magic.' The demon within admonished. 'But worry not, my dear vessel, for I have a solution to your woes'

'Tell me, what is it?!' He could not die on his friends like this.

'I must alter your body so that it may become capable of fully utilizing my power without consequence. During this process, you will find yourself slowly weakening until you become as durable as a non-magical human, but then…' The Demon King paused, inviting its host to finish the sentence.

'I'll be in better shape than ever.' Natsu finished.

'Indeed. But take this into account: not only will your body weaken, but so will your magical prowess for I will be creating a 'curse container' along with your magic container. The interference of the creation of the curse container will disrupt your magic container. You will temporarily lose your dragon magic.'

'I-If it means my survival then…'

'The process will take about six years.' The Last Etherious bluntly declared.

'Six years?! I can't go six years without my magic! I won't be able to do any jobs!' The soon to be magic-less mage thundered.

'I am well aware of that, which means you will be out of a job. You will be forced to find a new one to support yourself in those six years that does not demand the use of magic or intense physical stress.' E.N.D. advised. 'Besides, I am sure many would be eager to hire the boy who killed Acnologia.'

'That's not what I'm worried about! I've never done anything other than guildwork!' Natsu fumed.

'Well, then you can use this opportunity to learn something new.' The demon within smirked.

'You're enjoying this aren't you?' The pink-haired soon to be not-mage growled.

'Oh, yes I am.' The war veteran could easily hear the amusement in its voice, along with a malicious tinge accompanying it.

E.N.D. did not hold special dislike or malice over Natsu or any other human, but that does not mean it did not find pleasure in their suffering. It saw all others as toys, things to provide it with entertainment now that its programed goal of killing Zeref was no longer unreached. It knew it could annoy and provoke its host as much as it wished for he was stuck with the vindictive etherious.

'Bastard.' Natsu got a chuckle in response.

'Before you get all pissy with me, I must have your full consent to alter your body in order to save your life.' The other side of Natsu stated.

'Why do you need my permission?' The time-traveler inquired.

'Because while we share space within your soul and mind to a certain extent, it is ultimately your body you are using – my vessel. I have no physical form, only you own a body and I need consent of the owner to make changes to the body or otherwise it will result in mutual destruction.' E.N.D. explained.

'So to get things straight, I am dying – and I will die in about three-and-a-half years, but you have a solution that will leave me powerless for six years.' Natsu clarified.

E.N.D. grunted in response before speaking up again. 'Oh, and during the process, the specific parts of your body I am changing will ache, so when I reach your brain, you will have some rather uncomfortable headaches.'

'Wait, altering my brain! Who said anything about altering my brain!' He cried.

'I said I will be altering your body, yes?'

'Yeah.'

'Your brain is part of your body.'

'…'

E.N.D. sighed in resignation. 'You can be so stupid, boy'

'Hey, shut up!' The embarrassed pseudo-teenager barked back. 'I just think messing around with my brain is not all that good of an idea!'

'If I leave your brain alone, it will die before the rest of your body – and while you seem to make little use of it, you still cannot live on without it.' The fire curse wielder pointed out.

'It's just… messing around with my brain seems like a bad idea.' Natsu sighed.

'I promise I will not mess around with your memories, personality or anything else you consider vital. While in the process of altering your brain, I will send all stored information to a different area so you may continue to function normally. Think of it like this: say I need to move your memories, I will store your memories in another part of your brain and once I finish, I will move them back. You will not notice anything other than a headache.' E.N.D. reassured.

'How do I know you're not lying?' The Fairy Tail mage countered.

'I have told you no lies, not now, nor ever.' There was an uncharacteristic solemnness in its voice which reached Natsu's skeptical mind.

'Al… alright, I give you permission to do whatever changes you need to do to save my life.' He consented with resignation as he gave a 'handshake' to the demon.

(Heheh, never make a deal with a demon.) E.N.D. privately thought. 'Then I shall begin immediately. You will begin to notice some changes almost immediately, like your voice reverting back to its original timbre. I must first begin purging demonic taint from your body and then slowly reintroduce it so you may safely use my power without the consequence of death.' It fell silent as it retreated to the far reaches of Natsu's soul. The news the Salamander received from his demon resident weighed heavily upon him.

He brought himself out of his musing and noticed Lucy had taken him to Porlyusica's tent, where many were still being taken care of. The busty blond pulled him inside as the scent of sterility assaulted his nose, causing him to wince.

"Hey, Porlyusica! Nastu has coughed up some weird substance. I want to make sure he is alright." Lucy called out to the grouchy healer.

"What has the troublesome brat gotten himself into now." The pink-haired woman groused as she washed her hands in a basin.

"Hey, I didn't go looking for trouble!" Natsu whined.

Porlyusica sighed with closed eyes as she dried her hands on a towel. "You most likely did not even realize you got yourself into trouble."

Natsu did not respond due to the truth of the statement.

"Let me see this substance." She demanded as she grabbed his hand which was stained with the blood and black ichor. She took a whiff of it and scrunched her nose in thought. "Well, the red substance is blood, but this black trace is not something I can identify by just scent. I will have to more thoroughly observe it with my instruments and magic tools."

"I know what caused it though." The Fire Dragon Slayer revealed. "The problem will solve itself."

"How do you know? Are you lying?" Lucy grilled with such intensity, it made him step back.

"Well, E.N.D. explained it is caused by some stress caused by my use of his power. According to him, humans are not meant to use curses. He has already begun removing demonic taint so I won't be in any trouble." Natsu explained.

"And you trust it?" Lucy snapped, flabbergasted he would trust a demon.

"Hey, the only reason he lives is because I live. It fits in his best interest that I'm healthy." He attempted to calm her.

"Maybe that is true, but why would it help you when it seemed to have no trouble trying to kill Gray?" The last Heartfilia hissed.

"That was because he believed Gray would stop him from killing Zeref. Now that the bastard is dead, he has no purpose." Natsu defended.

"I wouldn't be so trusting of it. I have read many stories where the main character gets screwed over because they trusted a demon. Not to mention it is a creation of the Black Wizard." The Celestial Spirit contractor chastised.

"Aren't I?" The brother of said Black Wizard pointed out.

"You're different." Lucy's voice was rising.

"How so?" He responded.

"Well for one, that thing is a demon; two, you were not created with instructions like Zeref's demons are!" Her voice was beginning to border on yelling.

"Shut your mouths, children! I have patients in here!" Porlyusica grouched as she smacked the heads of the arguing pair. "I will see if what Natsu claims is true." The strike did not hurt them, but it did get them to stop. "Now, you lay down right there." She ordered, pointing to a cot several paces away from them.

"Fine." Natsu mumbled as he shambled to the cot and lied upon it. Lucy followed as she grabbed a nearby chair and dragged it next to him. She grasped his hand with both of hers.

"Look, I'm sorry if I have been a bit overbearing, but what with all that has happened… I just don't want to lose anyone else. I know I have been moody and quite frankly, bitchy, but the war… the memories and our losses," She felt tears threatening to escape her control. "I'm just tired… so, so tired."

"It's alright. We've all been on edge."

"The brat was correct. Traces of demonic taint are slowly leaving his body. I estimate he will be clean in a few months." Porlyusica said as she reorganized her tools, having finished his examination. "Natsu is in no threat of death. You need not worry over him like an overbearing mother."

If Lucy was embarrassed by the old woman's quip, she gave no outward sign of it. "It seems that demon is somewhat trustworthy. But I am not completely placing my faith in that thing yet, perhaps not ever."

"I understand. We've all had bad experiences with demons. E.N.D. is the only demon who has helped us in any way. Without him, we would have all died." Natsu responded.

"Now, unless you have any other ailments or wounds, get out of my clinic! I wish to see as little of you troublemakers as possible!" Edolas-Grandeeney yelled as she began to shove them out of the hospital tent.

"Alright, alright." Natsu grunted with exasperation as they left the tent followed by his brown-eyed friend. "I wonder what made her so grouchy."

"I can understand why she is like that." Lucy began as she pursed her lips in contemplation. Out of the team of five back in the old days, two of them has died and the rest she never sees anymore. Add that to the fact that she is a healer who has seen all manner of injuries caused my humans harming humans. In all her years, she was bound to see some pretty horrific things that were testaments to the extent of human violence and cruelty. That is bound to cause a person to become jaded and cynical. I find myself in recent days having dark thoughts about humans myself.

Just look at how much we are capable of: cities destroyed," She waved in the direction of the lost city of Magnolia. "families torn apart, murder, corruption, fraud, starvation, torture, sadism and countless cruelties that are impossible to grasp unless experienced firsthand. I mean, can you say you are unaffected by what we have went through?"

"No, we all have changed, for better or for worse I can't say for sure, but I do know most of us are in a bad place. But what do you mean by starvation? I know not being able to eat is a terrible thing, but why do you consider it human cruelty?" The Deicide questioned.

"Many use starvation as a form of torture – to weaken the will before fully commencing into the main act so to speak. Also, have you seen what Alvarez did to our crop fields? Every acre of farmland they came across, they razed to the ground. We are definitely going to have food shortages in the near future. Do you know what that means? Famine, which means riots, which means internal conflict and civil disarray. We may have won the war, but we are not out of the woods yet." The one-eyed Fairy Tal mage explained.

"The royal family will no doubt hoard a lot of the stored grain and food for themselves, as will the wealth politicians and landowners. The middle-class and poor will be left with scraps while the rich stay safe and sheltered in their fortresses with their own hired bodyguard, most likely paid with food rations. Those not as privileged will have to fight every day to eat and survive if things get as bad as can be expected. Unless a miracle happens, I don't see Fiore surviving in the coming years." She concluded.

"Wow, you've really thought this all out." Natsu said, amazed by her thought process.

"Do keep in mind this is merely assumptions based on reasonable and predictable events that may or may not happen. There is a chance that I am completely wrong, so don't get all worried yet. Just prepare for the worst and hope for the best." Lucy lectured.

By now they were passing the mess tent where Fairy Tail ate. At the moment, the Thunder Legion barring Laxus was making their way out of the crowded tent. Freed wore a troubled expression on his countenance.

"What's wrong, Freed?" Natsu inquired. "You seem to be a little down."

"It's nothing Natsu. I was just elected to be the ninth guildmaster of Faity Tail. It is not a position I desired." The enchantment mage answered.

"Why not?" Lucy prodded.

"I do not feel worthy enough to take the position left by Master Makarov." He admitted.

"You were chosen by the guild because they believed you would be a good fit." The Last Dragneel chimed in.

"That may be true, but I believe Lucy would do better than I. She was the runner up and you were third choice." He sighed. "I will have to attend the guildmaster meeting to represent Fairy Tail."

"When are you leaving?" Lucy brought up.

"I will be departing midday tomorrow. That will give me time to settle down before attending the meeting." Freed informed.

Two days passed and the guildmasters' meeting was scheduled for today and it was taking place in a town neighboring Clover which still had a crater where Natsu, Erza and Gray took on their first demon of Zeref. The town was called Dovos and it was a relatively small town that held nothing remarkable. The building that was to be used for the meeting was the town hall. The mayor graciously lent it to the guilds for their needs. It was there Freed along with the other guildmasters were convening.

With heavy steps, the Ninth Guildmaster of Fairy Tail walked into the Dovos Town Hall. There he saw the master of Mermaid Heel, Sasha Vaughn, a powerful mage that used polarity to launch metal, control blood to a certain extent and cause even pseudo-earthquakes by disturbing the metals in the ground.

She wore a lightly armored outfit with her light lavender – almost silver – hair was tied up in a high ponytail with a black and white ribbon. The ponytail itself was loosely twisted and kept together with a black band and her bangs famed her face, along with her sideburns which extended down to her hips along which equated to the same length as the rest of her hair if it was untied. Her armor allowed her to speed herself up and fly using her magic. On her hip was a thin, double-edged straight sword with a standard cross guard, leather wrapped hilt and lightly decorated pommel. Her amethyst eyes were distant and tired.

Sting Eucliff was sitting at a table munching on a leg of a chicken not accompanied by Lector for once. Goldmine was sitting on a chair with his arms and legs crossed over each other wearing a brooding expression. Ooba Babasaama was spinning a glass cup while muttering to herself, and Bob who Freed barely recognized.

The normally freaky man was wearing no makeup and no feminine clothes. His stubble was shaved cleanly and his face was smooth, he donned a sleek black suit and his eyes were open, revealing hard and sharp purple orbs. Exuding from him was a serious, dark and intimidating presence. The only reason Freed recognized him was due to the Blue Pegasus emblem woven onto the breast of his suit and his familiar physique.

Swallowing nervously, the lieutenant of the Thunder Legion proceeded further and announced his presence. "Freed Justine, Ninth Guildmaster of Fairy Tail." All eyes met him as some nodded in acknowledgement, said hello or merely grunted.

He sat down on a nearby chair as the mayor of Dovos, Lorenzo Alberici began to speak. "All guildmasters are present! Commence the meeting!"

A brief silence befell the hall before Master Bob began. "I am sure you are all aware of my guild's condition." All others nodded in confirmation. "And this condition is not exclusive to my guild, but has rooted itself in all others that participated heavily in the war." More agreement.

"I have heard of a rumor that speculated that this meeting was to form a tight knit alliance, or a guild merger to save our guilds." Freed Justine added.

"I too heard the same." Sasha Vaughn chimed in.

Before anyone else spoke, Sting's voice rose. "It is true. Master Bob, Master Ooba and I agreed to ultimately merge. We were going to give Fairy Tail and any other guild that wants to join, an invitation to this merger." His tone was dead serious, so unlike his normal disposition.

"Ultimately?" Goldmine repeated.

"Yes. Our guilds will share funds and jobs, but on a legal level, we will still be considered separate." Ooba Babasaama explained.

"We will be implementing teleporting doorways that can transport the user to any of the allied guilds and those in the alliance can take jobs in guilds not their own. We will also be sharing a treasury as well." Bob informed. "This will allow us to mass much more money, draw in new members, keep old members and entice people to give us more jobs. Once we are back on our feet, our funds will be split between the allied guilds depending on the amount of jobs their members completed. Joint jobs will also be taken into account."

"During guild events such as the Grand Magic Games, we will be competing against each other as if we were not allied." Sting said as he looked at Freed with intense eyes. The question is: will Fairy Tail accept this alliance, or do they wish to stay separate?" Out of all guilds attending, Fairy Tail was the most popular even after the one year of inactivity. Their cooperation was vital.

A stream of sweat ran down Freed's back. While he was not at all intimidated by Stine, he was still intimidated by the fact that the future of Fairy Tail rested entirely on his hands. He would ultimately decide his guildmates' futures.

His hands shook under the table as his heart rate shot up. His palms got sweaty and his body felt like it had gone up several degrees. An uneasy feeling settled in his stomach which made his stomach feel nauseous. The enchantment mage clenched his fists as his mind raced desperately, reviewing pros and cons for accepting.

On one hand, this could be what Fairy Tail needs to live on. A lot of their money will be spent on rebuilding a guildhall again and with the drastic decrease in members, getting out of what can be a significant debt and revitalize Fairy Tail financially and number of members.

However, by accepting this new and never done before idea, something could go catastrophically wrong and bring about the end of Fairy Tail. At the moment, Freed could not see how the alliance would fail, but the future was unpredictable and new information and circumstances never stop arising.

There is also the fact that he does not know if the rest of his guildmates would approve of this alliance as well. Many in Fairy Tail desire to settle into normal routine once again. This may go against their wishes – too much change, when there has already been too much already. Accepting could be the wrong move and he did not want to lose anymore friends.

His own psyche was already shaken and he could not handle losing more than he already has. Laxus, the man he looked up to most, one of the strongest mages he had ever seen was a mess and had a timetable which was rapidly diminishing. His dear comrades were broken, bitter and in despair. There was no good future in sight.

What Fairy Tail needed was hope… hope which was nonexistent. He himself did not see a future for Fairy Tail – though he did not want to be the cause of the final nail in the coffin. Many core members lost their lives and the memories are too much for some. Like Blue Pegasus, Fairy Tail was also losing members almost daily. Many cannot handle the constant gloom and despondency that was associated with Fairy Tail now.

'What should I do?' Freed thought desperately.

He did not notice he was beginning to hyperventilate. All of his stress, all of his bottled up emotions and his own despair were all threatening to burst – and like a train going at full speed, the momentum was too great to be stopped.

"Hey, snap out of it!" A voice managed to get his attention and his eyes snapped to the left where he saw the master of Mermaid Heel who had a hand placed on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly. "Calm down. You don't need to answer now. We know you are new to being a guildmaster and we also know what you are going through."

She took a step back and gestured to the whole room. " We all lost dear friends and comrades, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters; but we must begin to look forward, for the world will not wait for a bunch of morning people."

All other masters gained a pained expression. Some tears rolled down a number of the hall's occupants. This included Sasha. "W-we all lost people; people dear to us. Goldmine lost Master Makarov as did Bob," She took a shaky breath as a few sobs wracked her body. "Master Ooba lost her grandson and her niece. Sting lost Orga and Dobengal." She completely broke down as the tears breeched the dam she had created. "My d-dear brother Mich-" She took desperate intake of air as she uselessly wiped her eyes. "Michael" Sasha finished with a choked whisper.

A moment of silence was taken for all those who fell in the war. Thousands – no millions died in the conflict with Alvarez and Acnologia. Families were torn apart, friendships were left in shambles, children were orphaned, romances were left broken and above all, happiness was destroyed, and with it, hope.

Sasha was but one example of families torn apart by the war. Her brother, Michael was only nineteen years of age when he died in the wake of Alvarez's onslaught upon Fiore. The older should never exceed the lifespan of the younger.

Bob gathered his composure as he spoke up. "We understand this is a big decision to make, but it is important that you decide with haste. Fairy Tail being a part of this alliance is very important. It is the most popular out of all our guilds and it won the seventh Grand Magic Games and the Salamander unofficially won the eighth singlehandedly." He let his point sink in before continuing. "Not to mention Natsu Dragneel was the one to slay both Acnonlogia and Zeref. We cannot stress the gravity of this situation."

It was not a well-known fact that while Natsu Dragneel did beat Zeref, he did not kill the mad emperor. What most knew was that the Salamander fought and defeated him, and Zeref died.

"Freed looked ar him with still glistening eyes. "Can… can I talk with my guild for their thoughts? I don't want to agree with something like this they don't approve of. Our unity is so very fragile now."

"We understand." Sting Eucliff reassured. "Sabertooth is also having similar trouble; though we did not loose as much people."

"You may." Ooba Babasaama allowed. "We know you are in a rather precarious position."

A great weight lessened upon his shoulders. It did not feel as if he was carrying the weight of the world anymore. He released a sigh of relief as he thanked them. "Thank you for your generosity. Now, is there anything else we need to discuss?"

"Wait." Sasha interrupted. "Before we change the subject, I wish to include Mermaid Heel into this alliance."

Bob nodded as he re-equipped two small stacks of papers. "Look through these and sign them. Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact me." He handed one to Sasha and the other to Freed.

"I also want to include Quatro Cerberus, we aren't going to miss out on this." Goldmine announced A new stack appeared in the master of Blue Pegasus' hand which was handed to the master of Quatro Cerberus.

"Now, if that is all settled, there is a subject that must be discussed before we depart for our respective guilds. The King of Fiore is concerned about the internal affairs of the kingdom. I have a friend in the King's council who informed me that King Toma is concerned about the dangers that come with the destabilization caused by the war." He paused to take a breath. "With our crops burned to the ground, we can be expecting food shortages. How severe, I do not know, but it is possible we will be dealing with riots and looting in the near future.

He is thinking about hiring the guilds to help keep the peace just in case things go south. It's highly possible that he will request us to assist. Therefore, it is wise to make preparations for the worst. Gather supplies, be on the lookout and keep your guilds up to speed."

A grim atmosphere befell the hall as the other guildmasters processed the revelation. They were fresh out of a horrible war, and now they have to deal with civil unrest. When will they get their rest? Was there no end in sight? When will the hardship cease?

The light at the end of the dark tunnel seemed farther and farther away.

How long must they stay the night?

"There is also the possibility that Fiore's enemies may try to take advantage of our weak state and invade. We must also consider the possibility of another war." Goldmine advised.

Dread seized the Ninth's soul. He was absorbed into his own thoughts as his brain raced. 'Another war? We eill most likely not be able to survive.' Justine gulped as his stomach did flips. 'We lost a lot of powerful allies and friends just a couple weeks ago. Can we survive without them?'

He shook his head. 'No! We have Natsu! He's practically a one-man army. But our enemies can have powerful mages as well; and war is fought on multiple fronts. Natsu can't be everywhere at once.'

What Freed did not know was that said man was losing his power.

"Can we survive another war?" Ooba whimpered, voicing everyone's thoughts.

Sting grit his teeth and clenched his fists as he thought about his guild and the state it was in. Rufus was drowning in guilt over Orga's sacrifice. Rouge was in depression, constantly mourning and despairing. He stopped eating and never got much sleep. He walks around the guild hall lost and uncoordinated, much like a zombie. The only thing keeping him sane was the support of Frosch.

Yukino was throwing herself into training, always coming back to the guild dead on her feet. She is guilty that she was unable to do much good and has become obsessed about gaining strength. She trains without regards to the health of her own body.

Minerva on the other hand has been going out and volunteering, attempting to assist civilians who were impacted by the war. She helps with restoration and construction projects, rebuilding people's homes without a demand for pay. She has been getting quite popular despite her not so friendly and rather depraved actions she displayed in the past.

The sights of her bringing food to the unfortunate, exerting herself in volunteer work and her surprisingly shy, yet warm disposition had won over the hearts of the public.

Sting suspects she still feels remorse about her past actions and is seeing her work as a way to atone for her sins. The reason she is now acting so out of character in contrast to her normally confident and outspoken demeanor was because of her guilt.

Guilt for her sadistic ruthlessness; guilt for her disregard for the lives of others; guilt for being unable to save those who accepted her despite her cruelty towards them – a case of survivor's guilt and more.

Only Minerva seemed to be pushing forward at all.

Bob had similar thoughts to Sting. Jenny had ran off to join the independent vigilante guild, Crime Sorciére. Apparently, she and Jellal had developed some kind of bond in the aftermath of the war. Her boyfriend, Hibiki was slain by Acnologia, along with the other Trimens plus Ichiya. Blue Pegasus held no meaning to her without those four. She faded into obscurity along with the rest of Crime Sorciére as their newest member.

With Bob's ace and the Trimen, along with Jenny Realight gone, many other members have left, seeing an imminent end to the guild without its most prominent members.

The possibility of war had also got Ooba thinking as well. She was relatively lucky compared to the other guilds. She had only lost Sherry, Shelia and Toby, along with a good chunk of less prominent members.

Shelia lost her magic due to her unlocking her third origin thanks to the ghost of Ultear. Even if she had not followed Sherry to who knows where, it would not have mattered much because of the loss of her power.

Jura returned exhausted with many wounds. The only reason he survived was thanks to the unintentional help Acnologia lent by gutting God Serena just before he dealt the final blow.

Lyon only had exhaustion as well, but in the collateral damage caused by Acnologia and Natsu's clash, he received horrible burns on his forearms and face. The lava launched by the explosions pelted him even when he was far away from the battlefield.

He had raised his arms to cover his face and shifted his head to the right to shield his essentials. Therefore, he received burns on the left side of his forehead, burns on his left cheek, burns on the left side of his jaw, and burns on the upper and lower half of his chest where his ribcage was. He survived, but not without what will become ugly burn scars.

Sasha's guild did not lose much in regards to prominent members, however, a large chunk of the less prominent died. Those overshadowed members despite their supposed unimportance greatly contribute to the stability of the guild. Already, Sasha could predict a dramatic decrease in revenue due to their absence.

Sometimes you never truly appreciate something until it is gone.

Goldmine also did not lose many prominent members besides Warcry. He was also in the same situation as Vaughn, though Quarto Cerberus is less popular than Mermaid Heel and thus had fewer members.

Could these half-dead guilds survive another war?

No…

No… they could not, for look at what happened in the last war they fought in. The situation gets worse every conflict they come out of until they never make it out.

"What do we do?" Sting groused, echoing all of his fellow guildmasters' thoughts.

What do they do indeed. They just came out of a war with crippling losses. Their unity is broken, their foundations cracked, their walls crumbling, their roofs collapsing; when will it all end?

Not only do they have to worry about civil unrest, they have to consider the possibility of a new war on the horizon.

"Is there no end to our suffering?" Freed whispered.

"No, it seems the world is not kind enough to leave us in peace." The guildmaster of Mermaid Heel sighed.

"We cannot let our other members know about this possibility. It will only drive them away." Goldmine decided.

"But when news of the war reaches them, how will they react; especially if they found out we withheld that information." Ooba countered.

"By warning them of the potential war, we can allow them to better prepare themselves. It is the right thing to do. It is ultimately their decision if they wish to stay with us. We cannot manipulate them like this." Sasha gave her two cents.

"But we cannot take that risk. Our numbers are dwindling more than they are amassing. At this rate, some of us won't survive in the next year." The master of Quatro Cerberus argued.

This was an argument between morality and practicality. On one hand, by withholding information, there will be more mages to fight in the war, but it would also be devious manipulation. There was also the chance they would refuse to participate in another war as well – that is if the King does not draft them.

On the other hand, by warning them, they can train to become stronger and increase their chances of survival. They would be going into the war better prepared, willing and determined. It would also be the morally correct thing to do. But when it comes to affairs that involve war, morals sometimes have no place. Sometimes, one must make the hard decision to forsake their humanity in order to survive and achieve victory.

"I believe we should do both." Sting interrupted the silence "We don't tell them about this until things settle down more. When morals are higher, we break the news."

"But will the war wait that long?" Sasha asked, concerned.

"It is impossible to know for sure at the moment." Bob growled.

"Perhaps… perhaps we could send spies to the enemies with the most incentive to wage war with us?" Freed pondered, remembering Mest's own infiltration of the council to monitor Alvarez.

"Bosco has been looking to expand its borders and Seven is a lot stronger than we are now" Ooba said.

"I have not heard much of anything about the affairs of Mistrel." Bob added.

"Last I know of, Mistrel did not have much interest in Fiore, and Stella keeps to itself for the most part." Sasha stated.

"What about Caelum? Goldmine inquired.

"We are in a good relationship with them. They greatly benefit from our trade." Sasha revealed. "They will most likely be an ally should we be invaded."

"But they took no action when Alvarez invaded us!" Sting argued.

"We do not have a formal pact with them that contracts them to assist us in times of war." Goldmine articulated.

"Perhaps the King should make such a pact." Bob voiced.

Freed found himself nodding in agreement. With the help of Caelum, Fiore would be much better prepared in case invasion occurred. But would Caelum agree to such pact when it was obvious Fiore was is this bad shape, and that some may take advantage of the situation. The ruler of Caelum will be able to see this.

It all depends on the amount they have to gain should they sign the treaty. They must have more to gain than they have to lose. Such dealings will be dealt by the King and his council.

"In any case, we plant spies in the nearby nations and they report to us where the war is coming from and when." The enchantment mage concluded.

Goldmine nodded, happy with the decision. The other guildmasters nodded with confirmation. Meanwhile, Freed delved into his own thoughts once more. 'Is Fiore doomed to be wiped off the maps?'

"Yes, that is to be our plan of action" Ooba confirmed.

The main subjects and concerns were addressed and dealt with, and the meeting devolved into catch up with each other. Freed was the odd man out, being completely new in the guildmaster setting. Despite Sting serving as guildmaster for little over a year, he seemed well acquainted with the others.

This left the lieutenant of the Thunder Legion to his own thoughts once more. He did not want the responsibility of guildmaster despite his popularity with his peers. He believed he was not suited for the job and that he was not stable enough. A little over a year ago, he had taken Wendy Marvel on a job, during which he had a meltdown over how much to assist her. Freed knew he had a tendency to overthink things.

He had hoped Lucy would have been the one chosen to become the ninth, not only because of his own lack of self-confidence, but also the fact that he viewd Lucy as the perfect woman for the job.

She had spirit, kindness, honor, empathy, smarts and diplomatic skills. He just did not think that he was capable of pulling Fairy Tail out of the dark pit it found itself in.

'Laxus, I need your guidance more than ever.' The green-haired man pleaded internally.

People say that mistakes are merely means for one to learn and progress – at least for wise men – but as Hades once said: "You don't come back from true mistakes." Freed is afraid of making a mistake that would cause irreversible damage, destroying the little that is left of his home.

"So how has Natsu been?" A voice interrupted his thoughts.

He looked up to see Sasha Vaughn sitting across the table. He perked up, giving her his attention. "You speak as if you know him personally."

She nodded. "Yes, we met not long ago when Fairy Tail was still disbanded. He told me he was on a training trip so that he could slay Acnologia." The lavender-haired woman laughed. "And look at him now! He did it!"

"He visited Mermaid Heel?" The Ninth asked.

"No, I was on a vacation. Sometimes I need a break from all the responsibilities and paperwork." She cracked a wry grin. "I go on trips doing wild and reckless things like hunting dangerous magical creatures and get into fistfights with random thugs. Just because I am a guildmaster, doesn't mean I refrain from letting loose a little."

"And you met Natsu on one of your vacations." Freed concluded.

"Indeed, we spared a bit and we pushed each other to new heights." Sasha proclaimed.

"So he was not alone during his training besides Happy?" He pressed on.

Sasha nodded in confirmation as she continued. "Yes, he and I traveled together for about four months. We did everything together from fighting to hunting to and to confiding." There was a fondness in her tone.

Alarms rang in Freed's head as he processed the new information. 'Natsu never mentioned he traveled with anyone.' He thought. 'If anything, he keeps tight lips about it.' Still, the way Sasha spoke, a deep fondness made his curiosity rise. "You two are lovers?"

She furrowed her brow for a moment before she widened her eyes in realization. "Oh no! While we are close, we are merely friends, that is all."

The Dark Écriture mage was skeptical however. "It sounds like you are more than a little fond of him."

"I may be fond of him, but that does not mean our relationship is anything but platonic." The purple-eyed woman protested.

Freed did not think this was the case, or at least not the whole truth. His curiosity was burning and the temptation to press on the subject or interrogate Natsu was nearly unbearable. 'Just what happened during the time Sasha and Natsu traveled together?'

The Salamander has never showed any experience in the romantic department, nor any awareness to the particular subject. It is suspected by a few that Lucy Heartfilia had feelings beyond friendship for Natsu, but nothing concrete has been seen.

To think that there was a chance the dense fool had some romance with the guildmaster of Mermaid Heel of all people. He did not know Natsu's type if he had a type at all, but the dragon slayer was always surrounded by many beautiful women and has never shown anything resembling lust or love beyond friendship and family. It was suspected he was asexual, completely and utterly out of touch with matters concerning romance.

Thus, this eliminated beauty as a factor that could have attracted Natsu. He also spent time with many intelligent women as well, Lucy being one of them, yet there was no sign of interest being shown by him. Kindness was all around the energetic mage and still no interest. The factors that appealed to the man was a mystery.

Freed took a closer look at Sasha, trying to pinpoint any unique features that may have caught Natsu's eye. Her long light lavender hair was full and healthy, nothing he had not seen before in his guildmates. She had vibrant purple eyes with the same shade as amythests, again, beautiful eyes were not something new.

He discretely observed her figure and saw that she did not have an extremely large chest like Lucy did, nor did she have a small one like Levy. While she was above average, she was not extraordinary in that department.

Her figure was that of an hourglass which could be seen by her form-fitting armored attire. It was primarily blue and white with metal grieves, vambraces, spaulders, and faulds. But while she had a pleasing physique, many in Fairy Tail had such feature.

Her voice was deeper than typical females, possibly deeper than Erza's. A wave of sadness washed over him at the reminder. He desperately quashed it. Going back to his musings, he observed her facial features. She had soft and feminine features for the most part, but her eyes, while tired held a hardness which gave even him pause. She was dangerous, no doubt about it.

Her head was the preferred oval shape, with noticeable cheekbones, but they were neither too big nor small. She had full lips and white teeth and a proportional mouth size. Her nose was rounded, lacking sharp features or curves that resembled a beak and her chin lacked a cleft like Ichiya.

Overall, she was quite the attractive woman, but Natsu has always been surrounded by attractive women. His investigation yielded little results.

"Why are you looking at me like that? As if I am some puzzle to be solved or had some big mystery hidden?" The subject of the investigation questioned with narrow eyes, suspecting he was trying to find out things he was not supposed to.

"It's nothing." Freed answered with a straight face.

Sensing he would not answer even if she pressed further, she dropped ot. "You still haven't answered my question."

The green-haired man opened his mouth to repky, but found he had forgotten the question he was supposed to answer.

Seeing his reaction, Sasha repeated her previous inquiry. "How is Natsu?"

"Ah, well, he is doing alright given the circumstances we are in. At E-Erza's funeral, he was empty and quite frankly harrowing. Recently, he has recovered and is acting a lot better, but he has not gone through our ordeal unaffected." The elected guildmaster gathered his thoughts and continued. "He is a lot more quiet and subdued. He does not go out of his way to make himself known in normal circumstance.

He broods most of the day and looks around himself with a pensive scowl. His childish energy is gone and so is his smile. When he does, they are fake; full of bitterness and cynicism. But he is not constantly weeping or in depression. He just seemed to have lost the joy he always had; that youthful vigor and childish exuberance.

If I were to describe him in a few statements, it would be: he is a jaded and cynical man who is angry at the world and at himself. He feels useless despite his achievements and believes he must be better. There is deep sadness in him; a sea of pain, hopelessness and bewilderment. Most likely, that bewilderment is his inability to comprehend how something like this could happen.

He is a veteran of war; someone who has seen the cruelty of life and lived to tell about it. The war forced him to mature by shoving reality in his face: that anyone can die, even his dearest friends, and that sometimes friendship isn't enough. We all feel that way now."

The master of Mermaid Heel grimaced, hearing the news. "With Acnologia dead, he has no purpose now." She began. "I know he desires to protect his friends, but a large amount of them just died so he must believe he failed in that goal. Perhaps he will go on another training trip to get even stronger." But then she shook her head in denial. "No, he would never knowingly leave his friends when they are in such a state. But there is no doubt he feels inadequate or even unworthy to be in their presence, but lingers there, not wishing to abandon them. I can imagine he is uncomfortable around them. Am I wrong?"

Freed nodded for he too had noticed it. He acted as if he was walking on thin ice, as if they were made of glass. While he had in a rare act, spoken up two days ago, there was something off about him, ignoring the demonic voice and fire. Now that he thought about it, there was a fear in his eyes.

"He feels lonely even in the presence of lifelong friends; friends he could call brother and sister. He puts on a mask to hide his human side, for he is supposed to be a paragon of fearlessness, despite knowing fear is not evil. He cannot help but allow that fear to fester because he has never faced such a situation."

The blue-eyed man was flabbergasted, shocked at the analysis. It all made sense once he truly considered what Sasha said – the awkwardness around his own friends, his developing anti-social attitude and that subtle fear in his eyes.

Just how could Sasha Vaughn so accurately analyze Natsu when she had not seen him after the war? She said thay were only together for four months, but it seems as if she was linked to him telepathically. She did mention they confided in one another. Did they share so much that Sasha knew him better than his friends at Fairy Tail?

What Freed did not know was that Natsu was at a new low during his training trip; his father and precious driving force was dead, murdered at the hands of Acnologia. Revenge was his driving him and it was a rage he never felt before in his life.

A darker side of him awoke in the aftermath of the skirmish with Tartaros – a side which was brutal, unforgiving, wrathful and grudge bearing. This was something entirely new to himself and Happy who was his only companion.

Happy was weary of the new attitude and did not know how to deal with it. Thus he was walking on eggshells around his surrogate father and best friend. He was not someone who Natsu could talk to about everything that was going on inside of him.

Then came along Sasha Vaughn who was a fresh face; one who did not have a previous relationship with him and thus would not act in an unfavorable way due to this new side of him.

At the time, Natsu desired to talk to somebody about all of the new things he was feeling, but after seeing how Happy, one of his most trusted friends act so wary as if he would suddenly decide he was a good target to vent his frusterations on, he concluded that all of his friends would act in a similar, if not the same way.

Years of friendship and Happy repays him with a wall of defences ready to flee the moment those walls were torn down. He would never intentionally harm Happy or any of his friends unless it was for their benefit, and the cat should have known this, had faith in him!

It was a betrayal in Natsu's eyes; a betrayal of the highest order.

Sasha only knew him by reputation and by what she had seen in the Grand Magic Games, and she was still much more accepting than Happy. Their meeting was by chance, but it was exactly what the newly orphaned mage needed.

Despite the smell of blood clinging to her, she was the master of Mermaid Heel which was a tight knit guild much like Fairy Tail, but they bonded in a different way than Fairy Tail's brawls and contests. Ultimately, it was the guildmaster who dictated how a guild was to be and under her leadership, Mermaid Heel was a true guild of light.

Thus, Sasha Vaughn of Mermaid Heel had to be kind and understanding as well, despite evidently having spilled blood in the past. Natsu's conclusion was correct.

Eager to confide in someone, he vented his emotions, his confusion and his overall character that no one had ever truly seen, to her. That is once he collected enough evidence that she would not do anything to betray him though.

In return, she too confided in him about her own troubles and a deep seated trust formed between the pair.

"How do- how did you do that?" Freed breathed in disbelief.

A pleased shine entered the polarity mage's eyes. "Like I said, Natsu and I confided with each other. I know things about him that no other man, woman or child in the world does."

He merely hummed in acknowledgment, not knowing what to say. Sasha seemed to hold romantic feelings for Natsu. Perhaps a romantic relationship would do him some good; Sasha was not a bad choice at all. She is strong in both mind and body from what he could tell; intelligent, kind, beautiful, down to earth and knows Natsu incredibly well; perhaps even more than anyone in Fairy Tail.

Maybe Freed could play matchmaker for once in his life.

"Say, how come you are not well known? I haven't seen you on any of the Sorcerer Weekly or any other news. You were not in the stands during the Grand Magic Games either." Freed asked.

"Oh, I like my privacy." She rested her head on her hand.

He felt there was more to it than just that, but he did not press on it

"By the way, speaking of Natsu, how did he slay Acnologia when he was supposedly immune to magic?" She inquired. "Kagura told me that all she saw was a mass of strange black fire combat him. The only reason she knew it was Natsu was because of Gray Fullbuster said that Natsu would take care of him."

Freed did not actually know this, for the ones who knew about it kept tight lips on the matter. Only Evergreen, Lucy, Happy, Gray, Juvia and Natsu himself appeared to know. "I don't actually know. Only a few of my friends seem to know what happened."

The woman across the table's expression turned pensive. She knew the Fire Dragon Slayer did not have black fire in his arsenal – god slayer flames were more grey than black – and it has been kept secret as if it was particularly unseemly. Her curiosity rose, urging her to investigate. She knew almost every fact about him and Natsu hid nothing from her by what she could tell. If the past was anything to go by, if she asked, he would tell her.

"So, how did you become guildmaster? I was under the impression Laxus would take over due to his relation with Master Makarov." She changed the subject.

The man in question grimaced as he thought back to the circumstances. "With Master Makarov dying without naming a successor, Laxus would have normally been the one to take the mantle of guildmaster, but he is not in a good enough condition to take the job. Thus, the rest of us decided to hold an election to vote in our next leader. I was the one selected to become the ninth guildmaster of Fairy Tail."

"Sting told me Laxus was fine last he saw him in the Ravines of Time. What happened to him?" Sasha prodded.

The enchantment mage's expression darkened further than it had during the meeting. There was anger in his eyes, but also a deep sadness. "He is dying." He choked out. "During the war with Tartaros, Laxus inhaled large quantities of Magic Barrier Particles. They are slowly killing him."

He was angry at the unfairness of the situation. Laxus was a good, admirable man by his eyes, and now he was sentenced to a slow and painful death for the sin of protecting his friends.

"Oh, I'm sorry for bringing up a sore subject." The armored woman apologized.

The rapier wielding Fairy Tail mage merely nodded in acknowledgment of the apology. He did not wish to dwell on Laxus' troubles.

"Well, changing the subject; when you head back to your guild, can you pass on a message for me?" She gave him a pretty smile.

"I have no reason to refuse to comply." Freed responded.

"Great! Now, can you tell Natsu to visit me at the location where we first Rested five days from now at around midday?" Vaughn supplicated.

"Where you guys first rested?" He murmured in confusion before raising his voice. "I will do as you ask."

A brilliant smile formed on her face, showing pearly whites. "Thank you." Her tone was sincere and warm, yet, there was something else in her voice that Freed could not identify. Still, he found himself smiling back while looking into the now bright and happy eyes of his conversational buddy.

'Just what is going on between those two?'

Later in the day, the guildmaster meeting finished and the attendees went their separate ways back to their respective homes. "It was around five-o'-clock when Freed reached his – that is if you consider the tent city next to a destroyed pile of ruins a home.

He was currently on a hill that allowed him to overlook the whole of Magnolus and the tent city. To the northwest there was the ruins of Magnolia which at this distance looked like a large mass of rubble, as if some giant spread a bunch of debris like a cook spreads spices.

In some places, there were large craters where Acnologia's attacks struck, and surrounding them were zones relatively clean of rubble due to them being blown away by the powerful kinetic force of the detonations.

The fires and embers have long since been extinguished by time's passage, along with moisture in the air and harsh winds. Even now, there were volunteers and mages entering the desolate ruins to recover the bodies of the fallen so that they may be given a proper burial.

Southeast of the dead city was the tent city where Magnolia's former residents currently lived for however long it would take to acquire new homes. There were two options they could take: one was to wait until Magnolia was cleaned up enough for construction to begin building new homes where the ruins once was, or two, move to an entirely new location, leaving Magnolia behind and attempt to find greener pastures.

Many are inclined to do the latter; for this is the second their city was destroyed in the span of a year. Say what you will, but that is something that greatly discouraged the residents from moving back in. The trend was that Magnolia is a hotspot for battles and that in those battles, the city took damage.

Now, some will refuse to move due to various reasons ranging from loyalty, lack of finances, familial situations, foolishness and fond memories. Those who are planning on leaving are motivated by the fact that they believe rebuilding their residence again would be the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different outcome.

Magnolia will never be the same again.

Freed walked down the hill as his rapier was lightly swaying with his movements. It took around eight minutes of walking to reach the outskirts of the tent city. Throughout his journey back to Magnolia, he took the time to reflect upon the revelations revealed during the guildmaster meeting.

There were even more dark times approaching the horizon. The drums of war were beating and their sound was already audible. To add to that, civil unrest and famine were also a high possibility should Fiore not get any assistance from Caelum.

It would take a miracle to save Fiore by the looks of it. Fiore was fresh out of a war with a significantly larger nation and quite possibly the strongest being to have ever existed on Earthland barring Natsu Dragneel. Alvarez in their march burned all the crop fields and destroyed villages along the way, slaughtering any they came across, civilian or otherwise.

The clash between Acnologia and Natsu caused earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, further destroying the land and its people. Towns were buried in ash, people were petrified by the effects of the volcanic ash and formed eerie statues of once living people.

Earthquakes destroyed many structures, including parts of Crocus and the Mercurious. People were crushed by falling debris and burned alive in fires caused by the disaster. Many areas of Fiore were left uninhabitable due to these events.

Now Fiore was possibly going to experience another war and riots by its people due to food shortages. They will would be fighting a war on two fronts; one threat would be foreign and the other will be within their own borders.

Freed gave a distressful sigh as it was all pilling up on his conscience. He forced himself to think of other things, like reporting to his friends about the alliance. This reminded him of Sasha's request to relay her message to Natsu. Perhaps the dragon slayer would give him more insight on the subject of their relationship.

But first, he must gather his guildmates about more pressing matters. He entered the mess tent which had only a few people lingering about. He flared his magic power, signaling his desire to organize an assembly.

Throughout the tent city, Magnolia and the surrounding areas, Fairy Tail mages perked up and turned their gazes to the direction of the mess tent. Slowly, the survivors gathered in the large tent where Freed Justine, the ninth guildmaster of Fairy Tail was waiting. Once al of them were there, he spoke up.

"I am sure everyone is waiting to hear about the news." Murmurs of agreement rose from the crowd. "Rumors of the alliance were true, but not all of it was accurate." He held up a stack of papers and continued. "This holds all of the details of the alliance. I have read over them so that I may summarize it to you all. Should any wish to read this, you may do so.

Now, the alliance merges our financial resources with all other guilds agreeing to join. This supports the less well-off guilds money wise. During guild competitions like the Grand Magic Games, we will still compete with allied guilds should we accept."

"You mean to say you haven't decided whether to join or not?" Laki Olieta inquired.

He nodded. "Yes. I wished to ask for all your opinions." He gestured to the mass of mages in front of him. "All guilds within the alliance will be connected via teleportation devices so one could instantly go to any guild part of it. Speaking of this, all within the alliance will be able to take jobs on request boards in guilds not our own. To put it plainly, you could take say Sabertooth job requests even if you are not of Sabertooth."

Fairy Tail stirred, interested in the prospect. "Any money earned on jobs will be evenly split between participating mages with a portion going into the collective bank account shared by allied guilds. Should a guild fall under attack like us with Tartaros, all allied guilds are expected to participate in neutralizing the enemy.

Should an allied guild fall under legal fire for breaking council rules, the other guilds have no obligation to assist, however it is acceptable to do so should all in the guild agree to assist.

After we are back on our feet, our collective account will split respectively according to the amount a guild contributed, so this is by no means a time to slack off. Once things have calmed down, our alliance may or may not end depending on the feelings of the masses. That is all.

Now, hearing all of this, do you want to enter this alliance? Please make a choice via the poll which we used to elect guildmaster." He paused before finding Natsu in the crowd. He found him next to Romeo and Lucy. "Natsu! I must speak with you privately!"

Said man frowned in confusion for a moment, pondering the possible reasons behind the request before nodding in agreement. Beside him, Lucy narrowed her eyes curiously; the contents of what Natsu and Freed would talk about was a question most burning. A plan to find out quickly came together in her mind and she quickly sought out Gajeel.

Natsu made his way to Freed who was stepping off the table he was standing on. The green-haired man's expression was his usual stoic one, but there was curiosity in his eyes. With the Salamander on conversing distance, Freed began.

"Sasha Vaughn of Mermaid Heel wished for me to pass this message to you." He cleared his throat. "Visit me at the location where we first Rested in five days from today at midday."

At the mention of Sasha, Natsu's posture shifted" his back straightened, his shoulders stopped sagging and a new expression grew on his countenance. "Oh, I was worried about her! I haven't heard from her in about three months! I was afraid she died in the war." That expression was of relief and joy.

'There is deep affection in those eyes.' Freed noted. "What is your relationship with Sasha?"

"We're friends. We met each other on my training trip and we bonded." The slayer of Acnologia answered.

Excitement was in his voice; an excitement that he was severely lacking since the events before the war. The old Natsu was standing in place of the brooding, gruff and introverted ,an that was produced by the horrors experienced not long ago.

"Hmm…" The blue-eyed Dark Écriture mage hmmed. He suspected it was more but he could tell by the way Natsu was acting that he loved Sasha perhaps as a woman and not as a friend of family member. "That is all."

With that, with weakening dragon slayer nodded and left Freed to his own thoughts, exiting the tent where he was almost immediately ambushed bu Lucy, Happy, Romeo, Gray, Juvia, Gajeel and Levy.

"Who's Sasha?" Gajeel bluntly asked, staring at Natsu as if he would get all his answers by looking at him.

"You heard." It was not a question, but rather a statement. The son of Metalicana grunted a yes in response. "Sasha Vaughn is the guildmaster of Mermaid Heel and we are friends." Natsu smelled the group and knew they were listening in.

Gajeel narrowed his red slit eyes in suspicion. "That may have satisfied Girly Boy, but I can hear the love in your voice."

Gasps came from the others as they stared at Natsu in shock. The oblivious dragon slayer and love do not really associate with each other, that is love beyond friends and family. What got them to the conclusion of romantic love was how Gajeel responded to Natsu.

A bright red blush burned on Lucy's cheeks as she gawked at her friend. "You have a girlfriend and she's the master of Mermaid Heel?!"

"No, we're not like that." The Kingslayer denied smoothly.

"Wait, how do you even know about this kind of stuff?" Gray asked incredulously. His face was twisted in an amalgamation of confusion, surprise and disbelief.

Natsu shot the half-naked man a glare of annoyance mixed with pain. "Erza taught me."

With that, the atmosphere fell and the excitement of the group evaporated like water on blacktop during a hot summer day. An awkward silence hung over the Fairy Tail mages who accidently brought up the more than painful subject.

The Ice Make mage scratched the back of his head with a wince as guilt crept up his face. "W-well do you like her?" He forced out, eager to change the topic.

Natsu was all to wiling to go along with the shift and answered Gray's question. "Of course I do." He said bluntly.

The pain of Erza's demise was pushed to the back of their minds as the blunt admission made by Natsu brought new shock to the forefront of their minds.

"But you said you guys weren't like that!" Lucy exclaimed.

"I did, but that doesn't mean that I don't feel that way." The host of E.N.D. admitted.

"How can you be so nonchalant about this?" Gray inquired.

The last Dragneel shrugged and responded calmly. "I just don't see the need to deny the truth. Happy was with Sasha and I when we were on our journey."

All eyes turned to Happy who grew uncomfortable under their intense gazes. The flying cat gave a nervous chuckle as he reached for the sack around his neck and pulled out a fish. He began his story as he was munching on it.

"Well, they met about six months into our trip. Sasha recognized Natsu immediately once he took off his hood and she told us she was also on a trip, so we traveled together. She ended up doing everything with Natsu." His eyes became downcast as he continued. "She even ate some of my fish."

Both Lucy and Gajeel scoffed simultaneously as the woman spoke up. "Yes, yes, we will all mourn the loss of your precious fish." The rest rolled their eyes at the exceed's despondency over lost fish. Said cat shot them an irritated look as he continued.

"They were always talking to each other and touching each other and staring each other in the eyes." The Celestial Spirit mage, the Iron Dragon Slayer, the Ice Demon Slayer, the Water Woman, the Solid Script mage and Romeo all gave varying reactions at the new information.

Lucy looked at Natsu with a bright red face, gaping at her friend, scandalized. She stared at him as if she was seeing him for the first time. The somewhat stupid man always seemed oblivious to matters of the heart. After all, there are times which has she felt less than appropriate feelings towards him and he never gave any sign that showed awareness.

Gray on the other hand simply looked at Natsu with a slight blush and narrowed eyes, suspicious of what else he was hiding behind his supposed obliviousness.

Gajeel always suspected the Salamander was hiding a side of him, The two of them have had talks that revealed a different side of Natsu that surprised the iron eater, but he would have never suspected something like this.

Juvia did not have much of a relationship with Natsu, but she did have preconceived notions over him. What was just revealed did not fit within those.

Romeo was surprised, but did not dwell on it much, for he was still busy within his own thoughts of the past and the future.

Levy, while knowing Natsu for almost all her life, did not know all sides of him, but she knew he was more complicated than what he let on. This only confirmed it.

"You did it with her?" Gray blatantly questioned.

"Hmm?" The son of Igneel hummed in confusion. "What do you mean by it?"

"Sex." The son of the Absolute Zero answered.

"When did I ever say I had sex with her?" He replied.

"Happy said you guys were touching each other." Levy quietly murmured.

The brother of Zeref locked eyes with the bookworm and spoke to her in a deadpan. "Does that mean we had sex?"

"W-well no, but it sounds pretty suggestive." She defended.

"And who is to blame for that?" Natsu grunted as he stared at a certain talking feline.

Said cat giggled in both amusement and nervousness. "Anyway! Those two got pretty close and Sasha looked like she looooved him."

Eyes shifted to Natsu which asked a question silently. He could discern what they wanted to know. "I don't know if Sasha likes me in that way, but I can tell you that I do."

"You don't know if Sasha likes you in that way." Happy repeated in a mocking tone. "She was ready to throw herself off a cliff for you."

"Not that it would be a problem for her." Natsu added. A cpnfused expression formed on the ignorant. Thus, he explained. "She wears armor and she can use her magnet magic to fly."

"It's polarity magic." Happy corrected.

"Eh, same thing." He waved off. He gained a thoughtful expression as he inwardly mused of the similarities between Sasha and Erza. It was something he had thought about before. Like the late Re-Equip mage, Sasha wore armor and utilized a sword and even launched them at high speeds just like the scarlet-haired woman. It was quite the coincidence.

"So you like her and she likes you. Why don't you guys get together?" Gray inquired.

"The vessel of the last etherious shrugged. "She has duties at Mermaid Heel and I have my family and friends here. She is guildmaster, you know."

"How can you be so alright being separated from her." The one-eyed woman questioned, feeling that if she loved someone and was separated from him like Natsu and Sasha was, she would do anything in her power to be with him. But then again, she was a hopeless romantic.

"She can't stay away from her duties for so long, and she recently took a four month vacation a few months ago. So, she can't go on another one for a while or her work will pile up.

I can't leave you guys to be with her so before we parted ways, we agreed to meet each other the next opportunity she had. Now she wants to meet me in five days."

"So have you confessed?" Gajeel asked, raising a pierced brow.

"No, I haven't told her how I feel because I don't know how she feels." Natsu answered.

Gajeel inwardly analyzed what Natsu just said. Normally, the hard-headed dragon slayer would be upfront, blunt, lacking in tact and approaching everything in a straightforward manner. But despite what he said, Gajeel could tell Natsu was hesitating, otherwise he would have already confessed to Sasha.

He may out up this casual, nonchalant attitude when it comes to love, but the ex-Phantom Lord mage suspected the man was in fact quite fearful of this new territory.

Juvia spoke gave her opinion and it was not an unprecedented suggestion. "Juvia thinks Mister Natsu should tell Miss Sasha of his feelings."

Of course this was something that was expected from the obsessive water mage. Say what you will, but when it comes to love, Juvia was very passionate.

"I will." Natsu answered.

'Yeah, right.' Gajeel thought sarcastically.

Five days passed and it was around six-o'-clock in the morning. Natsu Dragneel was traveling through a valley by his lonesome. Already signs of E.N.D.'s modifications were showing. His voice was becoming less and less deep, his fingernails were softening, his curse marks were fading and his muscles were shrinking back to their former size.

There was always a mild ache that coursed his entire body which he got used to quickly. Pain was no stranger to the warrior. E.N.D.'s ,odifications were going to change him cell by cell, causing pain, for the mutations caused a lot of stress on his body. At the moment, his body was only being cleansed of demonic taint, so he was not aching as much as he would later.

While Natsu was distrustful of E.N.D. at first, the demon has not tried to hurt his friends after Zeref's demise. It has only assisted its host in the endeavor of protecting his friends. It may be a bit of a sadistic bastard, but Natsu decided to place his trust in it.

His surroundings were nothing special. The biome he was in was a simple plains which held little noticeable features other than a few rare trees and some small shrubbery. Still, there was a beauty to be found gazing upon the land and the sparsely clouded sky, the shinning sun, the fauna going about their own business and that calm breeze rousing his hair and clothes.

His destination was a cave where he and Sasha stayed the night about a week or so. The slayer of the Dragon King felt more at home away from civilization out in nature. He grew up raised by Igneel far from humans and thus, an appreciation for peace and quiet was integrated into his mind.

Not to mention his enhanced senses put him in an uncomfortable spot what with all the smells and sounds in the big city. In spite of Igneel's sometimes harsh training and prideful attitude, the pink-haired man held nothing but fond memories of his childhood.

The message Sasha gave him came to his mind. 'Where they first Rested' was a strange choice of words but it was a phrase he understood nonetheless.

In a way, he was suffering by bottling up his troubles after Igneel died and it was only until he confided in Sahsa did he feel a weight disappear from his conscience. It was the first restful sleep he had in many months. On that same night, Sasha too told him of her own troubles after which they slept in each other's arms.

That word 'Rest' stayed in his mind for some odd reason. It was like someone or something was subtly influencing him or gently pushing him to ponder upon it. The word felt like it was capitalized, as if it meant something more than what it was at face value.

Why did Sasha use that word? She could have easily said 'where we first truly talked' or 'where we confided in each other', why 'rested'.?

In any case, Sasha desired to see him and so did he. After an ordeal like the war, talking with her would help him greatly. While Father did wonders for his mental health, he still held a lot of pain and uncertainty.

Natsu was also concerned about Sasha's own mental health. He did not know if she lost someone dear to her in the war, but it is most likely she did. The slayer of Acnologia could only hope he could assist her in that regard.

What made the vessel of the strongest demon in existence fall for the blood soaked woman was the absolute trust he could place in her; the fact that she knew him more than anyone else; the fact that she accepted all there is to him with a kind smile and a warm embrace. Her own trust in him was something he appreciated even though it was evident she had a difficult time doing so.

Just as he took a leap of faith not a few months ago, he was going to take another and confess his feelings.

Deep down in the farthest reaches of his heart, Natsu believed the most undeniable way one could show love was to sacrifice; sacrifice your safety, sacrifice your secrets, sacrifice your time, sacrifice your comfort, and sacrifice your very soul for the happiness and wellbeing of the one you love.

He once said to Erza that you do not sacrifice yourself for your friends, but live for them. In truth, Natsu did not believe this; he only said those things because he was selfish; because he did not want to lose anyone. Why else would he be so ready to sacrifice himself to kill Zeref, and thereby ensuring his friends' safety? While grudge and rage were definitely a factor in his willingness to effectively commit suicide to kill Zeref, love was the main motivator.

The only reason he relented was because he could not stand to see Happy cry in front of him. It was hypocritical, he knew it; but it was a selfish and desired ignorance that initially allowed him to ignore the pain that his friends would have had if he succeeded in sacrificing himself. If a Happy was not there, weeping in front of him during that fateful moment, Zeref would have died much earlier and he would have died with his brother and creator – at least, that is what he believed would happen.

What separated love of his friends and love for another individual romantically in Natsu's case was the amount he was willing to sacrifice. Oh he would not hesitate to make the so-called ultimate sacrifice for his friends, sacrificing something like his safety in regards to the deepest and darkest aspects of himself and his most well kept secrets would not be something he would do for his friends.

If news did not get out about the fact that he was Zeref's brother and a product of his creation, not one of his friends would have known. However, he would not hesitate to tell Sasha, for he trusts her with his deepest secrets, and placed his soul in her hands.

If such a situation arose that required Natsu to choose between the lives of those he cared about or the lives of millions of innocent strangers, he would make the hard decision and damn the innocents. If such an act is evil, then Natsu will be evil.

He may be more inclined to be on the side of justice; and he may simmer in anger at the face of the many being sacrificed by the few, but he would do that act if it meant protecting the ones he loved.

It is because of this, Natsu did not see himself as truly good. Sure he leaned on the side of doing the right thing, but should the situation get desperate, he would become evil and commit any wrongdoing to protect his loved ones.

It was once said by a cynical and sociopathic man that you can know a person all your life; eat every meal with him, talk with him about every subject and live within the same house every single day; but you will never truly know him until you hold him over the volcano's edge as he reveals his true self.

In spite of the source, the son of Igneel agreed with that man in some aspects. There was only one person in the world who knew who he truly was, and that was Sasha. What he disagreed with was that there was ways you can get to truly know another person without placing them in life-threatening situations. In a way, his friends at Fairy Tail were placed in those situations many times and they still did not truly know him. He placed himself at the metaphorical volcano's edge when he confided in her, and instead of betraying him, she too placed herself at his side on the precipice.

While it is true his friends would most likely be horrified by his true self if it gets to the point they are with him on the volcano's edge, Natsu would still work to protect his friends even if they despised him and all semblance of a good relationship between them is nothing but history.

He would become a beast comparable to the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse.

The setting was beginning to look extremely familiar to Natsu. The plains were slowly disappearing and being overtaken by trees. The majority of the trees in Fiore were oak, but this was one of the few deciduous forests.

It was coincidently Fall of Autumn and so the leaves of the trees were all shades of reds, oranges, yellows and browns. Those leaves fell from their places here and there with the gentle winds carrying them in its cradle. Deeper in the forest, there was a calm lake that had some fallen leaves floating on the level surface. A family of frogs was croaking a symphony to each other near the far end of the lake, echoing across the waters, reaching the Salamanser's ears. The repetitive sound of a woodpecker pecking on a tree could also be heard to his left, forwards a way.

The air was crisp and clean, free of any pollution or taint caused by human activity. A broad-winged hawk flew overhead silently, hunting for prey to bring back to its roost. Over in the distance, a flock of birds chirped as they traveled over the forest in numbers. Along the side of the lake was a group of deer partaking in the fresh water with their eyes and ears on their surroundings, wary of any danger that may befall them. Despite not being completely downwind, Natsu could smell a pack of wolves hunting for their next kill.

Over to the right, there was a small rock formation which likely housed some snakes who hunted small rodents in the area. Off in the distance, the Deicide could see a mountain capped with year-round snow; the lake was most likely supplied with water that originated from that mountain. Closer, were rolling hills decorated with densely packed trees, coloring it with the brilliant shades of the season.

The ground was covered in grass, twigs, sticks and leaves, causing the man's steps to crunch with each bound. Nearby, a colony of ants marched in lines in the act of transporting food to their home, following invisible chemical trails left behind by scouts. A few dragonflies could also be seen darting about the calm waters of the lake.

He took a deep breath through his nose and closed his eyes, allowing his mind to clear. The traveler then exhaled from his mouth as his tense muscles relaxed and released tension. The sounds and smells of the forest calmed his stressed conscience as he focused on the cool breeze tickling his locks and stroking his body. The smell of blood and almonds was detected by his keen senses.

"Enjoying yourself?" A deep, yet feminine voice said in rhetoric.

Without opening his eyes, Natsu greeted the woman. "How have you been, Sasha?"

A pair of arms wrapped themselves around him and a warm body pressed itself against his back. A sigh of both contentment and sadness came from the woman behind him. "Not all that well, I'm afraid. I lost Michael, Natsu."

The scarred war veteran opened his eyes and turned around as Sasha's arms released him. Her amethyst eyes held a complicated rictus of pain, grief and joy. He could tell she was close to crying.

Natsu did not have much experience in counseling the grieving, but he did what he thought was appropriate.

The weakening dragon slayer pulled the woman into an embrace, stroking her back in an attempted consoling manner. The polarity mage's eyes watered as she shuddered, sobs breaking out of her control. A horrible feeling grew in Natsu; it was one he knew all too well now: helplessness.

The last Dragneel wished dearly to ease her suffering, but he found himself severely lacking. He could only wing it.

"I too lost someone very dear to me in the war. When I was deep in my despair, a man told me this: "You find yourself in this dark, water filled trench where you do not know up from down. What you must always remember is that even in the darkest of places, there will always be a light, however small. What you must do, is find your light." At this point, the fire mage delt he had to say more, so he continued in his own words.

"I can't tell you how to find it, but I can remind you that I am here for you and your guildmates are there for you." Natsu paused and quickly thought of more to say. "You once said that your brother was your only reason to live until you joined Mermaid Heel. Now he is dead and a large part of you was lost with him. I cannot say you will ever fully recover yourself, only that this world is a bug place, and thay I am certain you can find some measure of peace."

"I-" Sasha tried to speak, but she was interrupted by her companion.

"As you know, I lost my purpose after Igneel was murdered, and I quickly replaced it with revenge." He continued.

"Natsu, I-" But again, she was interrupted.

"Shhh. But you changed that. You quelled my wrath and reminded me that I still had friends waiting for my return. You brought me out of my darkness. Sasha I wan-" This time, he was interrupted by Sasha.

Natsu! Before you go on, I wish to tell you something." She shifted nervously. "If you have not realized it, I stopped crying." Sensing another interruption about to come, she quickly continued. "I wanted to tell you that I do have a reason to live. If I didn't, I would be in worse shape. I have already found my light as you called it." The lavender-haired woman sighed in frustration. "I needed to tell you that you are my reason to live."

Confusion budded in him as he attempted to process her words. He was her reason to live? What did – wait, he heard something similar to this before. He heard it from someone in Fairy Tail. Who was it?

"I love you. I have loved you since we were here for the first time."

Natsu's heart skipped a few beats as immense joy flooded his entire being like a tidal wave in an earthquake with a hurricane overhead and tornadoes roaring on the land.

But something was wrong; Sasha's expression was falling. At first, he did not know the cause, but it quickly came to him.

"I love you too. It was shat I was about to say." Natsu responded with haste.

The purple-eyed woman released a joyful sigh that evolved into laughter. Her happiness spread like a wildfire in a dry season.

They closed the gap between the two of them and their lips met. Both Natsu and Sasha smiled in their kiss all the while the wing blew softly, carrying falling leaves. They pulled apart, eyes still gazing deeply in the other. The somewhat muted colors of the world became vibrant once more as their depression vanished with the breeze, leaving only memories.

Somewhere, far away, Father looked down on His child and felt bittersweet. While He was certainly happy that His son found some small measure of happiness, Father's Sight was not limited by what He could physically see. The Old Man watched over the land of Bosco as their armies recruited more soldiers.

Their factories were at full steam, producing a new type of weapon they acquired from Joya. Once they reverse-engineered it, they started to produce their own. Supplies were being rounded up and the council of war was in meeting. They were composing a formal declaration of war on Fiore.

Father knew that His son's labor was only beginning. While He could nor See into this world's future, He knew what would generally happen due to His spn telling His daughter of what he experienced.

War was brewing in Earthland, and dear Natsu would not come out of it unscathed. While Father had great power, He could not do much to influence this world that was not of His creation. He could only push it in the right direction, for while Father was kind, He still had a goal to complete.

It required certain events to occur no matter how tragic. He would weep over the pain of His son, but sometimes suffering was necessary for a good future.

For now, His own war was brewing – a war which was necessary for the survival of His children. Millions will die and His dear daughter will suffer greatly, but He could not sacrifice the many for the few, thus regretfully, His daughter will have to go through her own labor.

However, both Natsu and Gabriel will find their Re-

"Father, the humans are still being preyed on by the Fallen and Devils."

Father sighed regretfully as the Great War was about to spark, His misguided children were falling deeper and deeper into sin, but He could not help but still hold love for them.

Lucifer's pride will not relent and he would drag His children into the war as well. A three-way war was imminent.

"I know. Summon your loyal brothers and sisters to the Seventh Heaven. We will hold a council." Father replied. He pulled His attention away from his Gaze which showed Earthland and set His eyes on His dear daughter,

She had long curly blonde hair that shined like the sun. There were no split ends on her head of hair and it held no imperfections. It was thick, healthy, full of life as she was.

Her blue eyes were like the clear blue sky on a cloudless sumer day. They held boundless kindness and gleamed with an endearing innocence. She had a figure that was inhumanly perfect. Her waist was thin, but not too thin; her hips were childbearing: wide, but not excessively so. She had large breasts which each were about the size of a gallon jug which were concealed by a conservative white sundress.

Her arms were slender and feminine which hid godly strength. Her hands were free of any callouses or signs of hard labor and her skin was free of any blemishes or imperfections. It was smooth as polished mahogany and as soft as memory foam. Behind her sprouted twelve glowing white, feathered wings which emitted soothing warmth like the sun on a temperate day. Above her was a halo which shined a brilliant gold; a symbol of purity and God's grace.

"Yes, Father, Your will shall be done." Gabriel, the Archangel and one of the Great Seraphim said. "With but a word, the Earth trembles; with but a thought, the seas part; You gave us life. We are your sons and daughters extensions and servants of Your will, Lord of the Kingdom of the Sky, God Almighty."

She bowed and disappeared in a flash of golden light, leaving Father – God alone in the Garden of Eden. He turned around and looked at the crooked white blossom tree and closed His eyes.

"There is something I must do before I leave." The Almighty concentrated and furrowed His brow. "Harland Curtis, you are important to the future." A tear rolled from His eye.

There will be no Rest for the weary dragon slayer.

That is a 20,000 word chapter! We are finally ready to shift to High School DxD. I do hope Sasha Vaughn is not going to be a wrong move on my part. I will be delving into her character, her past and her and Natsu's time together during their trip later. This chapter is extremely important to the future, as this chapter puts the final nail in the coffin for Natsu. He is now cursed, fully. Thank you E.N.D.!

Yes, while at first it may have seemed it would be a friend because it helped Natsu, it had its own motive when doing so. In the end, it will be the main villain Fairy Tail side at least.

As for the romance introduced in this chapter, I wish to address that this will not be a harem story. It will be a single pairing; absolutely exclusive. Worry not, Natsu will get together with Gabriel, just not anytime soon. I do hope this added nice depth to Natsu's character. While he is still the man who loves and wishes to protect his friends, he is a different man than he was in canon.