I went back to the cell to find both Natsu and Lisanna awake. Worried, I rushed over to the cell and put my hands on the bars. "Hold on guys, I'm going to get you out of here," I whispered to them, trying not to get caught.
With a deep breath, I closed my eyes and tried to use my black magic to incinerate the bars. When I opened them again, the bars were little more than dust. Without a single word, I stepped over the dust to my friends, who were still handcuffed with magic-cancelling cuffs. I hesitantly reached my hand towards them to try and incinerate the cuffs as well. It surprised me when they didn't even flinch, but instead moved their backs towards me to make it easier for me. It also made me really happy because it showed how much they actually trusted me, and how little they feared me.
I wrapped my hand around the chains on Natsu's cuffs and watched as they too turned to dust. I then moved on to Lisanna. When I was done, I turned around to see Natsu pick up a flame sword that was lying on the ground. "Thanks," he said to me as he turned around to face me. "Where's Mira?"
Breathing heavily, I replied, "Regeneration chamber". Without another word, they ran off, leaving me standing there watching them leave. "Do they even know where they're going?" I asked myself with a smile on my face. I shook my head. "19 years and a time machine, and he hasn't changed a bit".
After a moment of admiring my big brother, I teleported away to go help Erza. To my relief, Kyôka was nowhere to be seen. Keeping one eye on the giant octopus above Erza, I quietly walked up to her to try and destroy the cuffs binding her. When she was free, she fell into my arms. "Are you ok?" I asked her, worried.
"Where is she?" She asked, the anger seething off of her.
I knew who she meant. I shook my head. "I don't know".
After making sure she was ok, I said to her, "I have to go". She gave me a nod to tell me that she understood. I knew she wanted to stay behind to seek revenge on the very demon that captured her anyways. With a final nod, I teleported away.
I thought I was done after I rescued my friends, but apparently, I was wrong. I still had somewhere else I needed to be, for a moment ago, I started sensing Zerefs presence on this very cube.
I teleported to where his presence originated from to find him talking to Natsu. It appeared I arrived just in time because I heard Natsu say, "E.N.D, thats the one Igneel tried to kill". Not so much a statement as a realisation.
Zeref replied, "I think it would be more accurate to say that Igneel couldn't kill him".
I giggled and they both turned to me. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't help but admire the irony of this situation". Zeref smiled because he knew where I was coming from, but Natsu just looked confused. After a few seconds, they turned back towards each other while I silently watched their exchange.
Natsu recklessly charged at Zeref only for his sword to get cut in half. I mentally facepalmed. Apparently, Natsu still hadn't learned that Zeref couldnt be killed.
"You should consider why Igneel failed, the answer might surprise you," Zeref said. Natsu blinked in shock and confusion. "You'll face the same choice as Igneel, to let live or to kill". Yet another reminder of the day I was dreading the most.
As he was saying his goodbyes, he said one more thing, "Who will reach me first I wonder, you or E.N.D". A sad look washed over my face at the reminder before I quickly replaced it with the mask I had been wearing since I got to Tartaros. I turned to look at Natsu to find him still staring at the spot where Zeref had been.
Hesitantly, I walked up to him and slowly put my hand on his shoulder, which seemed to snap him out of whatever trance he had been in. I looked behind him to find all the guards unconscious thanks to Zerefs immobilization magic.
"Come on, let's go," I said as I grabbed his hand and started running. We ran until we reached Franmalth, who seemed to be holding Lucy and Happy hostage with what looked like Aries' wool. He was also trying to grab Carla and Wendy who were flying away. Natsu sent a fireball at Franmalth's arm causing the wool on it to break.
While Natsu kept him busy, I snuck over to Lucy and Happy to help them get out of that wool. Suddenly, Franmalth changed so he looked like Taurus. Natsu charged at him again but he changed his face to Aries making Natsu stop. As a result, he was punched by Franmalth.
My friends all looked at me, waiting for an explanation. I rolled my eyes. Apparently, I had become in charge of explaining anything related to the Black Arts that no one else understood. "That's his curse," I explained, gesturing to the demon in front of me. "He's able to absorb souls and use the magic of the ones he's absorbed".
Franmalth went to grab Natsu to add his soul to his collection, but I sent a wave of black energy towards Franmalth's arm as Natsu jumped away. "Touch him and there will be consequences", I said to him.
"So you've finally chosen," Franmalth said to me.
I nodded. "I have".
He changed his face to Taurus as he came charging at us, but this time, Natsu didn't hesitate as he sent Franmalth flying back. After that, he changed his body to look like Precht, making even my eyes widen.
Natsu sent Franmalth flying into the wall with a punch. Apparently, Franmalth hadn't heard that it was Natsu that ended up defeating Precht. Franmalth retaliated by giving Natsu a taste of his own medicine.
Natsu activated his Lightning Flame Dragon Mode and used his breath attack on Franmalth, but instead of getting hit by it, he absorbed it.
Suddenly, the cube started shaking. "What's going on?" Lucy asked, worriedly as she was tossed to the wall.
"Face is activating," I answered her without a hint of emotion as I too fell to the floor.
Once the shaking had stopped, Franmalth seemed to think Face had activated, however, Natsu still had his fire magic. I decided to test it for myself by using my transformation magic to change my clothes. To my surprise, it worked. I quickly changed my clothes back as a big smile lit up on my face. Personally, I could live without magic because I still had my curse, but I had come to rely on it a lot. Plus, I didn't want E.N.D's seal being lifted just yet.
Angrier than ever, Franmalth started recklessly charging at Natsu, the latter just barely being able to hold him off. Eventually, Franmalth used Hades' spell Formula 28, knocking all my friends to the ground. Naturally, I was unscathed. I don't know how Natsu was able to get up, considering Lucy and Happy were having trouble.
Franmalth used Prechts gun magic against Natsu. Seeing that brought me back to the days when Zeref was teaching Mavis and the others to use magic. He then used Precht's chain magic on Lucy. I rushed over to her. "Let her go, Franmalth. That's an order!" I yelled at him.
"I don't have to listen to you anymore since you chose their side," he countered. I should've seen that coming and I was kicking myself for it.
When everyone was down, Franmalth started preparing to take their souls. I went to get up to try and stop him myself, but I fell down again. Not because I was hurt, in fact, I could tell that Franmalth had been careful not to touch me. Truth be told, I was starting to lose my patience with all this and it was an effort to keep my curse contained.
Staring at the ground, I took a deep breath to calm down. "Where are you?" I sent Zeref a telepathic message.
He didn't answer, but I could feel his smirk. I could tell he was doing this on purpose and I wanted to kill him for it.
Once I was calm, I looked up in time to see Lucy close Taurus' gate. It seemed Taurus was taking Franmalth with him, so he released him. I saw the perfect opportunity to attack, but I was too stunned to do anything. She closed Aries' gate as well and the same thing happened. She somehow tricked Franmalth into thinking Natsu was a celestial spirit as well, causing him to let go of Natsu out of fear.
Natsu finally defeated him by hurtling a bunch of boulders at him, crushing him in the process. I was speechless, I honestly did not think that would work. "Maybe your demons arent as fool-proof as we thought if he was able to get defeated by something as simple as that," I said to Zeref. I could hear him laughing, but he said nothing else.
All the souls Franmalth had captured were released. We saw Hades, who told us to unleash the light. I knew he was talking about the Lumen Histoire. "Wait, are you sure?" I asked. He only smiled before disappearing. I knew she could turn the tide for us, but I didn't think it was such a good idea to activate her.
"Another secret?" Natsu said from behind me. I turned toward him and shrugged my shoulders, feigning innocence.
I turned back to look at Franmalth's body to see him evaporate. I let out a sigh. I was planning to kill him, but there's always next time.
Happy flew off to tell Makarov about what Hades said. When he was out of sight, Natsu turned to me. "Can you show us where Mira is?"
I smiled. "You should've asked that before". With that, we ran off to find the regeneration chamber.