If people from parallel worlds always have corresponding counterparts, then what about those who transcend time itself?
Would their counterparts still appear in two different eras simultaneously?
And if so, why? By what reason would they appear?
Four hundred years ago, Natsu Dragneel was born. In the present, he exists as a member of Fairy Tail.
In the present, Natsu Doragonion also exists; but four hundred years ago, was there also a Natsu Doragonion?
And what about their brother—does he exist too? Has he lived on until this day?
…
Crack—
The space-time membrane shattered like breaking glass, scattering into countless shards before vanishing without a trace.
Scarlet flames streaked down like meteors, thunderous as they fell. As the flames dispersed, the figure within was revealed—
a cherry-haired boy, his expression cold, eyes locked on the black-haired youth who had been operating some strange device.
Behind the cherry-haired boy, more figures descended with overwhelming force.
A red-haired swordswoman, clad in armor sharp as a blade itself.
A white-haired demoness, terrifying yet radiating a dangerous allure.
A youth wreathed in biting cold air.
And all around them, vast torrents of magical power converged, creating such extreme pressure that the clouds above churned endlessly.
"Who are you?" Natsu's eyes narrowed as he glared at the "Doragonion" before him.
The scent was wrong. Utterly wrong. This man was not Doragonion.
"You must be the Natsu from the other world," the black-haired "Doragonion" said, smiling faintly as he raised a hand and dismissed the glowing magic screen he had been working on. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Zeref—the elder brother of Natsu Doragonion. Due to certain circumstances, I've temporarily taken over his body."
The name struck like lightning.
The red-haired knight's pupils shrank sharply, her voice trembling:
"Zeref?!!"
"You—you're the Black Wizard Zeref?!!"
Everyone else's expressions froze in shock. According to the correspondence between the two worlds, if this Zeref was Doragonion's brother here, then did that mean their own Zeref was also Natsu's brother in their world?!
Impossible. Absolutely impossible!
Zeref was a black wizard from four hundred years ago. Natsu was barely a teenager!
Something was wrong—deeply wrong. The balance of correspondence between the worlds was broken! Yes, that had to be it!
Their gazes shifted uneasily between Natsu and this Edolas Zeref. Among them, Gray's expression was the most complicated. Almost without realizing it, a strange glimmer flickered in his eyes as he looked at Natsu.
He muttered under his breath: "Zeref… the creator of demons."
Erza, meanwhile, thought back to another matter. During Laxus's Fairy Tail rebellion, Natsu had been unable to pass through Fried's barrier spell that restricted entry by age.
Her expression darkened.
"It seems my reputation isn't very good in your world," Edolas Zeref chuckled, amused yet unconcerned. This was his birthplace, after all. Doragonion was his younger brother here.
As for the other world—and everything that happened there—it had little to do with him.
"You've taken Doragonion's body." The truth hit hard, but Natsu felt strangely calm. Shock should have been his natural reaction, yet his heart remained unshaken, his emotions flat.
Ignoring that unsettling lack of feeling, he asked the only thing that mattered to him: Doragonion's safety.
"This is merely a safeguard I left behind within Doragonion," Zeref explained calmly. "If he's ever in grave danger, and his spirit destabilizes, this safeguard activates. It's a one-time measure. Soon, it will dissipate.
But—" His tone grew more serious. "The real me will soon arrive to speak with all of you. I hope by then you'll be honest with me. I wish to know about that monster. You should already be aware of what he has done."
Edolas Zeref scrutinized the Fairy Tail mages of Earthland, watching their reactions closely.
Their expressions wavered. Some even lowered their heads, avoiding his gaze, as if burdened by a shameful truth.
"Before that—shouldn't you first be honest about the role you've played in this world's history?" Carla's sharp voice cut through the silence as she and Wendy appeared, floating into view. Hovering in the air, Carla's tone carried an imperious edge as she addressed Zeref.
Her words shifted the focus once more.
In Earthland, the Black Wizard Zeref was the creator of demons, the Death God's chosen, perhaps the strongest mage in history. His existence had brought countless disasters to the world. Entire nations had been annihilated by his hand.
The histories of magic spoke at length of his horrors.
But what about here, in Edolas?
A man who had survived four hundred years, who could so easily take over another's body—surely his influence was no less terrifying. What role had he played in this world's history?
Erza glanced toward Lucy. Of everyone present, only she had deeper knowledge of Edolas's past.
Lucy shook her head, her voice low and heavy:
"There's almost no record of Zeref in this world's history. I only stumbled across his name in an old diary."
She then looked at Carla. Something was off. Carla had been born in Earthland, raised alongside Wendy, and this should have been her very first time in Edolas.
So how did she know all of this?
Erza noticed as well, silently filing away her suspicions.
Zeref followed the sound of the voice, eyes falling on Carla. For an instant, he looked surprised. Then he spoke evenly:
"Of course, if you wish to know, then naturally I can—"
"—tell you."
But before he could finish, his body began to glow brighter and brighter.
And then, just like that, the glow faded. The black-haired figure's hair shifted back to cherry pink as Doragonion collapsed weakly to the ground.
Natsu rushed forward, catching him immediately.
…
Far behind the rebel lines, a flourishing city showed no trace of war's devastation.
At its center stood a grand temple, and within it, a faceless goddess idol loomed in the most prominent place.
"High Priestess, you really are austere," an old man remarked as he entered from the temple's doors. His eyes swept briefly over the faceless statue before settling on the white-robed figure kneeling beneath it.
The priestess's voluminous robe concealed everything—even her face was hidden beneath a deep hood.
"You cannot understand the greatness of God," she answered in a low, magnetic voice.
The old man snorted, dismissing her words. With a wave of his hand, workers flooded in, hauling away the faceless goddess and replacing it with a new statue.
Unlike the anthropomorphic or beast-like forms of traditional deities, this idol was abstract—almost like a painting carved into three dimensions. From a single black dot at its center, countless dark lines radiated outward like rays.
"Well? This meets your request, doesn't it?" the old man asked, his voice tinged with regret. "We carved it from the finest grade of magic crystal—the most expensive material we have. I hope it's good enough."
It pained him. Though magic power had recently begun to recover, the ingrained habit of frugality was hard to shake. To waste a whole block of pure high-grade magic crystal on a sculpture was obscene.
"Barely acceptable." The white-robed priestess nodded. "As for the old idol, you may destroy it. This world needs only one God. All else is heresy."
"Tch." The old man scoffed inwardly at her hypocrisy. She had once revered that very "heresy" as a true god.
With a flick of his wrist, he drew his magic weapon and fired. One blast—
and the faceless goddess shattered into fragments.
Satisfying. So very satisfying.
"Clean it up," he ordered his followers.
Soon, the temple was spotless once more, its doors shut to outsiders.
"My God, what revelation do you have for me?" The priestess raised her eyes to the abstract idol, her voice trembling with fervent devotion. She knelt and bowed deeply, lost in prayer.
There was no reply.
But she murmured on, whispering to herself:
"Yes… I understand. All of this is your doing. This is your power revealed. This is your strength."
"I will sweep away every obstacle in Your name. I've already found him. I will kill him. I will correct all the mistakes of history, and return this world to its rightful path."
As she prayed, her hood slipped slightly, revealing strands of crimson-red hair beneath.