Dragon Soul (A Fairy Tail Story) [ON HIATUS]

Chapter 99: The End of an Era

Zeref revealed his eyes and they were bright red, nothing like the gentle black color that was seen before by others. He was furious. Kain and Rustyrose immediately bow to him.

Hades: Zeref... The Zeref is standing before my eyes... Is this a dream? Or reality?

Hades was overjoyed that the person he spent his whole life searching for was right in front of him.

Hades: The keys! Bring the keys!

They tried to move, but found themselves unable to.

Rustyrose: We...

Kain: We can't move...

Zeref: There's no need. I am awake.

Hades was shocked to hear that.

Zeref: Maybe I'm not one to talk, but how many lives did you take in order to get these "keys"? Such a tragedy. Those "keys" were nothing more than illusions.

Hades: W-What!?

Zeref: Just one of the stories made by a sect of the believers in the Black Wizard Zeref... "The Keys To Resurrect Zeref". Were you fooled by that dusty old fairy tale? I was never asleep in the first place. The man you see before you is the Black Wizard Zeref.

Hades was speechless in the face of this revelation.

Hades: You were never asleep!? I used my "eye" and saw you! I saw you, not even able to defeat one of my servants!

Zeref: Then I can skip to the chase. That what I was capable of... back then.

Zeref began exerting his magic power.

Zeref: You see, 400 years ago I saw countless wars of man... Countless deaths... But, after a certain day, I learned the value of life. Ever since then, the more I feel the value of life, the more my accursed body steals people's souls. In order to not steal people's souls, I cannot forget the weight of a human life. I sidelined myself.

Hades: You're saying you were fighting while valuing life?

Zeref: Yes... And because of that, I can't use my magic anywhere close to how I's wish to... But that all changes if I forget about the value of life. You were the people who pulled the trigger. Acnologia will herald the end of an era. Your evil deeds have summoned it.

Hades: *Stands up* Acnologia!? What in the world are you talking about?

Zeref then made hand motions to create a magic sign.

Zeref: You all shall be punished.

Hades: W-Wait! I still have things I want to ask!

Zeref: Your first sin is summoning Acnologia! And your second sin... is making me forget the value of life!

Zeref: Repent.

The ship then exploded in a pillar of darkness. Hades fell to the ground, lifeless.