Tribulation

Chapter One: Dread

Lucy didn’t know what it was that made her do it.

Maybe it was the madness that came with a near-death experience, or gaining a new power, or the fact that not one but two dragons were fighting a battle worthy of gods in the sky. That’s why when she no longer had the strength to move she did the first thing that came to mind.

She kissed him.

It wasn’t long or passionate or worthy of any decent romance novel- but somehow her heart fluttered and jumped and the world spun. She was so terrified and absolutely frightened about the events that had passed and the ones yet to come that her emotions took charge and did something she could only describe as tragic.

She had given Natsu a farewell kiss.

It was a farewell that she didn’t realize until he pulled away from her with his trademark smile, looking at her with the same love and tenderness he always did. That moment frozen in time had been perfect – until it was fractured away into fragments as his smile turned into a horrible scream. A shrill scream of the tortured and the dying, a scream Lucy would have never dreamt to leave Natsu’s mouth, as she didn’t realize Natsu wasn’t quite Natsu anymore.

That’s when she noticed Mard Geer, looking beaten and dishevelled, as he lied on the ground with a cruel smile plastered across his face. His broken laugh began then, breaking the stillness left behind from the scream. Lucy knew that he had lost- that Natsu had defeated him and stolen the book of E.N.D. – but that didn’t seem to matter in the slightest.

Lucy’s heart stopped beating when she looked what lay on the ground, only a foot away from where she stood. Natsu was holding that cursed object when she kissed him, and of course of all the circumstances in this world she happened to be the only one that would make him forget something Igneel even warned him about.

When she kissed him he dropped the book of E.N.D. Not only did he drop it- the book of Zeref’s strongest demon opened.

Lucy didn’t have any explanation for what was happening, but somewhere in the deepest recesses of her mind she knew that that very book should have never been allowed to exist, lest open because of her. That’s what made her cry. She had caused this, even though she didn’t know what was happening – all she knew is she did something unforgivable.

Therefore when Igneel thundered his displeasure in a fearsome dragon’s roar, she wasn’t surprised. Not even when he completely abandoned the fight with Achnologia to dive towards Natsu, the name booming from the dragon’s maw in despair.

Mard Geer’s laughs never faded throughout all of this, seemingly only growing in pitch as the seconds past as he stared at Natsu.

Kneeling on the ground, head in his hands and shaking, Natsu looked just as he had when Achnologia arrived. However, as Lucy dropped to her knees herself, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this was so much worse. She crawled to him as fast as she could manage, trying to determine just what that book had done to him. Around them, Lucy felt the air still as everyone watched what was unfolding- whether they were friend or foe.

As she was mere inches away, his body set aflame like he usually did in battle- but this felt so much different. Lucy scrambled back in panic when suddenly Natsu screamed once more, as if his own flames were burning him. She couldn’t believe it – that was impossible. He tore his hands from his head and stared clawing his arms and neck, scratching away the material and skin as Lucy noticed in shock that his nails were growing. Not just growing, they were elongating themselves as well as sharpening, turning once so gentle hands into those that contained claws.

Lucy didn’t know what to do. She could only watch, merely a foot away as his burning body clawed upon itself, birthing scratches and gashes glowing with crimson liquid. It didn’t stop there; next those terrible claws went for his head brushing throughout the rose-coloured hair. Lucy wanted to scream herself, to tell Natsu to stop, to do anything to stop was happening- but her voice died in her throat as her eyes stopped processing what she was seeing.

From the roots of Natsu’s pink locks did two obsidian horns emerge, finally explaining to Lucy in a second what was going on- even if she didn’t understand it.

Natsu was E.N.D.

Confused, she scrambled a few more feet away, the heat from his fire finally taking its effect on her barren skin, lightly burning and peeling it in places. Still unable to tear her eyes from the scene unfolding in front of her, Lucy watched as his self-inflicted bloodied gashes turned black and spiralled much like flames across his exposed skin.

Finally breaking from her reverie, Lucy remembered she now had the powers of her beloved friend, Aquarius, and like hell she wasn’t going to use them. Summoning magic from a place where none should have been left; she sent a pathetic wave towards Natsu. The water sizzled and steamed, but all that was left after the ordeal were the flames, no trace of the liquid anywhere.

That’s when time caught up to Lucy, and Igneel landed fiercely on the ground, sending tremors out for miles. With a claw he hurriedly snatched up the book of E.N.D., however it did little to halt Natsu’s transformation. For a third time he screamed, the skull jacket he currently wore tearing as onyx wings sprouted from his back, resembling those much like a dragon.

Then finally the flames died down, leaving an Etherious in the place of her Natsu. Not just any Etherious- E.N.D. or as she now realized- Etherious Natsu Dragneel.