This world...it has changed much.." said Zeref as he walked forward and took in his surroundings. "I sense a new connection has been made...yes, another world has become permeanantly connected to this one thanks to a bridge of sorts."
Zeref breathed in deeply. "I hoped that I wouldn't be an influence to this world anymore...Natsu...but it seems I am back, for better or for worse.
Zeref looked at Mikoto. "So...I take it you are of Fairy Tail...I can sense your mark..good..I guess Natsu shall at least know of my coming...perhaps he can defeat me again and take away the pain of destroying life..."
Mikoto didn't know what to say. Zeref wasn't at all what she was expecting. From the tales she had heard about the black wizard, she expected him to be like Diablo. Intimidating, fierce, ignorant of the puny weaklings before him, and powerful beyond belief.
But Zeref looked like an ordinary black haired boy who was extremely tired of living. In fact, it looked like he might have cried once or twice before he died from the looks of his eyes. This guy almost seemed like he needed a good nap instead of a good beating.
"He may seem like a pushover now..." said Diablo from where he lay. "But his death magic is more powerful then any human magic ever seen in Earthland."
"Diablo.." said Zeref noticing the defeated mage. "So this was your doing...I'm not surprised. You who bears magic that feels even blacker then mine, I am astounded that you were defeated.
"The puny runt had help." said Diablo. "Though it's no less embarrassing when I put it that way."
Zeref sighed. "And it seems that I work for Hydra Head now..."
Zeref looked at Mikoto. "Run...I can see you are still young and have much to live for...I do not wish for an innocent one like you to feel my wrath...for once I am commanded, I will have no choice but to kill you." Zeref's hand, the one that bore the Hydra Head emblem, trembled. "Go...I can already feel Dravis commanding me to destroy....everything!"
Mikoto began to sweat and shake. What should she do? What was with this guy? Since when did the enemy care about who he attacked in this manner? And why the heck did he seem to have some weird infatuation with Natsu?"
Mikoto shook herself. Now wasn't the time to question it. Nothing mattered except taking this guy down, if half the tales were true, then Zeref could end up being a major asset to Hydra Head. And any asset to Hydra Head was a liability in Mikoto's opinion.
Mikoto stepped forward, a determined look on her face.
"So you mean to fight still." said Zeref. "You are brave...but don't be stupid."
"That's kinda similar to what Diablo told me about fighting him..and he doesn't exactly look too spiffy now does he?" said Mikoto.
Zeref nodded. "True, but I can sense that nearly all your magic energy is spent. That last battle, even with the extra power you recieved from the one within you, has taken a large toll on you."
Zeref was right, Mikoto's magic energy was at an all time low, any more attempts at using magic, and she would start suffering from Magic Deficiency Syndrome. However, her esper abilities didn't run on magic, which meant she could still throw about 1 billion volts at this guy no problem.
Mikoto's bangs sparked as she looked for an opening. But at the moment, she was lost about how to strike. She didn't know how Zeref used his magic at all.
"I would tell you to take your time and analyze your opponent." said Zeref. "But I'm afraid you have no more time...Now, I must crush you."
Zeref raised a hand, and a tremendous sphere of dark energy blasted outwards from where he was standing, attacking a 360 degree radius around him.
Knowing that whatever it was couldn't be good, Mikoto dove behind a nearby wrecked fountain as the energy blast hurtled past. When Mikoto peeked out from behind the fountain, she noticed several birds had fallen out of the air. Their seemed to be no physical harm to their bodies..but they were all dead.
"Death magic..." said Mikoto. "Even more powerful then Exisio."
"I warned you." said Zeref walking forward, a shadow crossing his face. "You should have ran while you had the chance. And now...I see nothing but death in your future."
"Idiot." said Mikoto. "I already have a death in my future...and I'm not going to let it happen in the first place."
"If you think you can rewrite prophecies...you're a fool." said Diablo. "I tried to rewrite your fate myself, and look what just happened to me..."
"That's just the thing." said Mikoto. "It's my fate to rewrite, not yours."
"You remind me of Natsu." said Zeref. "Your will to fight, to not back down even with all the odds against you."
"What can I say?" growled Mikoto. "My family tends to rub off on me."
"Achnologia would have feared you greatly." said Zeref. "That much I can say. You are not like the other mages of this world. Your heart possesses a purity I have not seen in many a year. Your love for those you hold dear seems to out weigh all your other desires. Interesting."
Zeref stepped forward again and began walking towards Mikoto. "But, that will not save you. Not now...when you are so far from help."
Mikoto took a coin out from her pocket, and without hesitation, aimed it on her thumb at Zeref, and shot it off in a burst of sparks.
The Railgun move left a sonic boom in it's wake as it shot torwards Zeref in an orange streak. However, Zeref's hand moved in a blur and and a black ray of energy eminated from his palm. The coin slowed down then froze in mid air before falling to the ground with a sizzling clatter, glowing molten from having torn through the air at the speed it had gone.
"A powerful move with such a small piece of metal." said Zeref. "And yet no magic was used. You are an interesting girl."
Mikoto stepped back, her eyes wide. No...there was no way she would be able to defeat this guy with her esper power alone...if he was able to stop her 100% Railgun so casually...she was out of her league here.
But...that was no excuse to run like a coward.
Mikoto glared at Zeref as her bangs glowed with crackling lightning. "Don't think that's the only thing up my sleeve. I'm not done yet."
Zeref stared at Mikoto for a second. "Are you perhaps...an esper?"
"What's it to you?" Mikoto growled. After finding out how connected her world and this one were before the Rainbow Gate had opened up in Academy City, Mikoto wasn't finding things like this too surprising anymore.
"It's everything to me." said Zeref. "Because if Dravis has returned...that means you are the girl of prophecy."
Mikoto felt her insides go cold. "And what's the stupid prophecy to you?"
"Why, I helped make it." said Zeref. "It was years before my time that the first half was made...however, the second half was left for me to complete my the one who made the first. I am astounded that I would actually get to meet you.."
Zeref smiled. Something that his face actually hadn't seemed capable of. He walked forward a little quicker this time. Mikoto backed up, feeling a little scared now.
However, Zeref suddenly stopped in his tracks, he had just stepped on the black scarf that had saved Mikoto's life.
"That scarf...it's Natsu's..." Zeref stared at the scarf as a tear trailed down his cheek. "He's here.."
As if on cue, a grunting sound was heard and Natsu Dragneel stumbled out of a pile of rubble, holding his broken left arm with his unbroken right arm.
"You..." said Natsu looking at Zeref. "Impossible...you're dead...I saw you die."
Zeref stared at Natsu a moment before shaking his head. "No...you are too weak to defeat me right now..Diablo must have injured you badly. That is unfortunate."
"Mikoto run.." said Natsu. "I'll hold him back for now, but you have to run!!!"
"You think I'm leaving you here!?" said Mikoto. "No freaking way!! And what about the others!?"
"I think this conversation has gone on long enough..." said Zeref thrusting his open palm into the air. "I'm sorry, but your time...is up."
A massive black energy blasted out from Zeref's body, going too fast and too wide for either Natsu or Mikoto to avoid. However, just as the energy was about to hit Mikoto, what looked like the shadow of a giant winged creature obscured the sky. There was a golden flash and what felt like a blow to Mikoto's gut, then everything went black.
A dream, why was it that every time Mikoto was knocked out by some unforseen event, she had to have a strange vision? Maybe it was just her very strange luck, or maybe the whole 'you have a destiny unlike any other' thing just automatically qualified you for this kind of stuff.
Anyways, Mikoto was kinda getting tired of the strange dreams.
Mikoto was soaring high over a range of mountains, before her, were what appeared to be three gates flying along with her.
The first gate was red and molten looking, as if it were made of magma. It's melting doors were adorned with silver dragons that had ruby eyes.
The second gate was purple and surrounded with foggy ghost-like creatures who moaned like they had never done in the after life. The door was adorned with black obsidian dragons with saphire eyes.
The final gate, in the center of the two, was comprised of pure silver, electric energy ran down it's metal surface as if it had a constant charge surging through it. On the door, were golden dragons with eyes made of pure clear diamonds.
Above the doors, floated a ginormous piece of black molten rock. The rock was pulsating and beating like a heart, with every beat, some molten red cracks would momentarily appear, revealing that the thing was alive.
A voice then spoke out. "Here you see the piece of Dravis's heart...if one is to finally to kill the dragon of chaos...then the piece must be reunited with the whole...then, his soul will be vulnerable."
The voice continued to speak, growing louder and more urgent as it went on. "Pass through the Roads of Time...find the gates of Igneel, Phasmaticana and Thundaarix...let them lead you to the piece of heart...This is the final hope of life everywhere..."
"Wh-what?" said Mikoto. "How am I supposed to find the Roads of Time and all that other stuff!?"
The voice only spoke seven words. "The answer lies in a mirrored world."4
Mikoto opened her eyes and sat up abruptly. The first thing she noticed, was that she wasn't in pain, which wasn't the norm when she woke up from dreams like the one she just had. The second was that there seemed to be a pink, winged, furry meteor flying right at her.
"WHAM!!" Elli flew right into Mikoto's chest, crying tears of joy as she hugged her friend tightly with her little paws. "MIKOTO MIKOTO MIKOTO!!! YOU'RE ALIVE!!!"
"Wh-where am I!?" said Mikoto looking around. It appeared she was in a large hospital room with stone walls and fancy golden chairs. The bed she was laying in looked like it would have suited the Queen of England.
"You're in the palace of course." Hope was sitting on a chair next to Mikoto's bed, she was wearing one of the royal dresses again, and her crown was back on her head. "I'm glad you're awake, otherwise you would have missed the crowning and stuff."
"C-crowning?" said Mikoto. "Wh-what? Huh?"
"It looks like I have a lot of explaining to do." said Hope cheerfully. "You see, after Zeref-"
"ZEREF!!" Mikoto interrupted frantically. "That's right!! We have to find him before he-!!"
"Mikoto!" Elli said with a cute pout. "Let her finish."
"Oh..er...okay."
"Well, as I was saying.." continued Hope with an amused grin. "After Zeref returned and tried to kill you and Natsu, he got an unexpected surprise. Before he could kill you, a relative of ours came in and shielded you. Our relative brought in plenty of reinforcements which forced Zeref and Diablo to retreat...I don't know where they are now.."
"Relative?" said Mikoto feeling confused. "Dad did all that?"
"No.." said Hope looking like she was absolutely ecstatic for Mikoto to get the hint. "I said our relative."
Mikoto thought back. Who was the only one in all of her blood family that was related to both her and Hope...?
"No way...you aren't actually saying...?"
"That's right Mikoto!" said Elli cheerfully as she hugged Mikoto tighter. "The dragons are here!!"