The demon released

Chapter 24: In Natsu's perspective

Natsu's PoV

After leaving Magnolia, following the scent that led down a forest, I started feeling a sense of dread. It felt like I was leaving more than Lucy in Magnolia. Something that I had to protect, but I didn't know what. I was leaving family.

After a whole day of travelling, I was in the mountains, sitting under a rock ledge as the sun set. "Luce would love this." I sighed, leaning back on my hands as I thought about my girlfriend. "I've seriously messed." I sighed, thinking about our fit. "She probably hates me right now. Walking out on her like that." I grumbled, looking over the edge of the cliff. "She hates everyone when a demon is possessing her." A deep voice said from behind me. I span around, as I was expecting to be alone. I saw a man with pitch black hair, strange attire, and a dark aura around him. He was smirking. "Who are you?" I stepped back, not liking the feeling of this. "The real question is how I know about your little girlfriend. And how I know she is possessed." His face quickly went blank, unreadable. "Tell me who you are before I beat the crap out of you." I commanded, sneering as I set my hand on fire. "Always straight to violence. No wonder Shadow likes you so much." He sighed, walking to sit on a rock. Before I could ask for a third time, he interrupted me. "Patience. In time, you'll know who I am. We must wait for someone first." He looked into the forest below. "You don't have time to wait." I went to punch him, but was stopped by a force coming from the opposite direction. It was ice. "Invel. There was no reason for that." The black haired man commented as a man with long hair in a low pony tail walked out of the shadows the sun set was creating. "I am sorry Your Highness. It was a reflex." Who I guessed as Invel, said back.

Invel encased me in ice as they waited for whoever it was they were waiting for. After a while, I gave up on breaking or melting the ice and sulked on the floor, with both my arms and legs crossed. Soon, I heard people walking up the trail I had used to get here. "This would be a good place to stop." Hearing Erza's voice, my ears peeked, pushing my ear against the freezing ice. "How far could he have gone?" Wendy asked whoever they were with. "I don't know, I didn't leave them for very long." Lucy sulked, a slightly different smell on her as I smelt. It almost smelt similar to mine. "I'm going to kill him for making us go this far." Gray grumbled, making me angry.

Suddenly, I saw peoples' heads pop up from the trail. "Natsu?!" They all screamed, Lucy being the only one to come to my rescue immediately. "Natsu!" She screamed, trying to break the ice just as I had before. "Behind you!" I screamed, but it didn't seem like anyone had heard me or seen the suspicious figures. "NATSU!" Lucy screamed, but I couldn't call out to her. When I saw Invel smiled evilly, I got more panicked. I started pointing manically at the two, but everyone just tried to break me free.

When I saw the black haired man walking closer, I got more panicked. Suddenly, Invel appeared behind Juvia and Gray, knocking them out without anyone noticing me. "Natsu, just melt it!" Erza screamed, stabbing a sword, but it only bent the metal. Then Invel knocked Gajeel and Levy out, Wendy and Erza soon after. Levy noticed and span around, pushing her back protectively against the ice. "Oh my god." She gasped, freezing when she saw the unnamed man. "So you remember me? It's been so long. You've changed a lot Shadow. I thought you didn't like being controlled." Shadow quickly took over as the man spoke. "Only to people who are able to. Not the cursed like yourself." She spat. When she finished, the ice around me quickly froze and Lucy, well Shadow, fell into my lap. She sprang up on her knees and faced me, putting both hands on both of my cheeks. "He didn't hurt you did he? Lucy would be really upset if you were to get in harm's way." Her face softened for the first time I've seen with Shadow in control, concern in her eyes. "I've been waiting for you Shadow. We've all been waiting for you to return home. There's a new plan." The man spoke up as she checked for any signs of pain. Everyone was still passed out around us. "Alvarez Empire is no longer my home. It's in my past." Shadow turned back to him, holding me behind her protectively. "Is that right? Then where is your home? No human will truly ever care for you. Not while you're possessing the one they love." The man told her. "No Zeref. Fairytail has taken Lucy in as their own, and I will make sure they continue to think of her as their family." Shadow addressed the man who she called Zeref. "Then I guess we'll have to kidnap you and my greatest creation." Zeref raised his hand, his eyes looking dead.

Just as pulses of black fog surrounded him, Shadow put some sort of protection spell on the others and jumped on me, taking the full blow of his magic. She quickly became limp on my body as I took fell into a deep, deep sleep.