When the E.N.D Comes

Chapter 2: Melee

Then...

How it had started, he had no idea.

For the longest time-or what could be added up to the span of an eternity-he had known darkness. A cold, soulless, timeless, ageless and senseless void of nothing.

Just...nothing.

That is all that can describe darkness; a loneliness and an evil so powerful that nothing is felt.

He drifted in that darkness, his mind since lost; his memories mere broken, shattered fragments of what they used to be.

He would catch a faint whisper though every once in awhile; an echo of a memory or name that filtered across his ears only to be forgotten moments later.

Natsu, one voice would whisper with an image of a blazing fire; the heat so tangible that when it went away, he would cry out at the loss of comfort the heat gave.

E.N.D, another voice would say with the memory of vast power, power unlike he had ever experienced, ready to be used with just a snap of his fingers. But then that too would disappear...and the emptiness would return. And in turn, he would return back to the void where seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, day, night and seasons-where time itself, did not exist.

He remembers wondering which had passed first, an eon, millennia or an eternity itself.

And it started. For what reason, out of the blue, he felt it.

The call to return.

He had been summoned.

And as his senses returned, so did his memories at long last.

He remembered his name.

"I am E.N.D." He said, finally finding his voice.

He remembered who he was.

"I am E.N.D, the greatest of Lord Zeref's creations. I am the ultimate incarnation of evil; my curses beget magic and the humans who wield it."

But most of all, he remembered his purpose.

"I am E.N.D...and my one true goal is to return to Lord Zeref. I am to take his life and in turn, reshape the world the way it was meant to be."

As his senses returned, he could feel another presence-a magic that drew him in like a moth to a flame. It was a familiar sensation of heat and fire.

His host...the one named Natsu Dragneel.

Soon he could feel his power wrestle with his host; feeding off of his energies as he did so. Power, nourishment and strength returned. The host's soul resisted.

He was making things complicated.

"Do not resist." E.N.D had commanded, "You are making this much harder than it should be."

"Never!" the host raged, "Get out of my head; I don't want you here!"

E.N.D sighed. He could see his host now as the curse took shape and form as a fire-a fire which burned away the soul and consumed all that there was. His host was tall, with spiky pink hair and a soul of untapped power and potential. A strong but slightly dim witted human...perfect for E.N.D's needs.

But there was something about this human's magic. Something familiar-

"Ah," E.N.D said in understanding, "your magic...I thought it was familiar."

"You must be the son of that lizard that tried to kill me all those years ago. Imagine that, the son of Igneel the fire king is to be my host!?"

E.N.D had laughed at that. It had been a long time since he laughed.