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When he came back to his senses, his mind was still blank.
Natsu, usually thick-skinned, was at a loss as to how to deal with this older brother who had suddenly appeared.
In Natsu's memory, the ones who accompanied him on his growth journey were his adoptive father Igneel, the Gildarts he admired, the strict yet gentle Makarov, Gray with whom he often brawled, and the rigorous Erza... Looking back on his life from childhood to adulthood, Natsu was certain that Zeref had no presence in his life.
Moreover, he was only 18 years old; how could he be the younger brother of a 400-year-old monster? Yet, Noah seemed to have already confirmed his relationship with Zeref... This was not a problem he could figure out with his own intelligence.
Natsu ruffled his messy hair, no longer dwelling on it, and instead of questioning Noah, he looked at his 'brother' Zeref, "You say we're brothers, but why do I have no memory of you?"
Zeref hesitated for a few seconds, then happily said, "I understand your confusion. This question is very complex to explain, involving many things..."
"Actually, it's just that Natsu, you had amnesia when you were little."
Noah suddenly interjected, answering for him, which flustered Zeref, who was just about to set the mood; how could he elaborate on the story when his whole speech had been condensed into one sentence?
Natsu was equally bewildered by this.
He had amnesia when he was little? Impossible, he had a very good memory.
Natsu tried hard to recall the past to prove he hadn't lost his memory, but the result was a sharp intake of breath; he was surprised to find that he couldn't find any memory from before he was adopted by Igneel.
Did I really have amnesia when I was little?
Seeing Natsu's confused expression, Noah continued with a playful look, "Natsu, you actually lost your memory because you were beaten."
Erza and the others, who were watching, suddenly understood; no wonder Natsu's thought process was so peculiar, it turned out his brain had been injured when he was little, and they couldn't help but cast sympathetic glances at Natsu.
Unaware of his companions' gazes, Natsu's face was now dark.
To be beaten to the point of amnesia, I must have been really pathetic before I lost my memory. The most crucial thing was that because of my amnesia, I don't even know who had beaten me.
"Who is my enemy? I'm going to give him a good beating!"
Seeing Natsu's desire for revenge take over, Zeref wanted to explain that things weren't as Natsu thought, but Noah wouldn't give him a chance to speak, interjecting first:
"As expected of Natsu, full of fighting spirit."
"Since you asked so sincerely, I will graciously tell you that the one who beat you into amnesia, his name is Igneel."
"Eh?!"
Hearing his adoptive father's name, Natsu immediately deflated, his face filled with disbelief; the person who had beaten him into amnesia was his most respected Igneel... This was a bit hard to accept.
Noah didn't continue to reveal more, turning to look at Zeref, "I'm not clear on the specifics of how Natsu lost his memory. Anna didn't tell me the details. Why don't you, as his older brother, explain it?"
Now you remember me?
Zeref tried to suppress the urge to complain, finally sighing and saying, "That day, Igneel came to visit me, but I happened to be out. Natsu was the only one home."
"You all should know Natsu's personality; he's fearless, and sometimes acts without considering the atmosphere or consequences. He insisted on challenging Igneel."
"Finally, Igneel, annoyed beyond measure, gave him a slap, and Natsu lost his memory."
Natsu's memory loss story sounded quite comical.
While Noah was stifling his laughter, he suddenly remembered an amusing anecdote Mira had once mentioned about Natsu.
Natsu used to frequently challenge Gildarts, only to either be slapped against a wall by Gildarts or sent flying and stuck in the ceiling.
This was remarkably similar to challenging Igneel.
Even with amnesia, you still have the same stubbornness, Natsu, you really are...
Natsu was very embarrassed now. He didn't doubt the truthfulness of Zeref's words at all, because after being adopted by Igneel, he had also done things like challenging his adoptive father.
No wonder Igneel's expression at that time was so complicated.
Just the fact that Zeref and Igneel were friends was enough for Natsu to believe that the legendary Black Wizard was his older brother.
Having lived with Igneel for a period, Natsu clearly understood the Fire Dragon King's power. The fact that he could withstand a slap from Igneel before losing his memory and not die, didn't that mean he was originally very powerful?
Zeref listened to Natsu's muttering, somewhat suspecting whether his younger brother had truly suffered brain damage from Igneel's slap.
As a friend, how could Igneel possibly try to kill Zeref's younger brother? It was just that the Fire Dragon King hadn't expected that even with him holding back, he would still accidentally slap Natsu into amnesia.
"The Natsu of that time being able to survive, besides Igneel showing mercy, Natsu's own factors also played a large role."
As Noah was arrested on the spot by Erza, with no one to cause trouble or give spoilers, Zeref could finally reveal Natsu's true origins in full.
Once, Zeref and Natsu lived happily with their parents as a family of four, but an attack by an evil dragon caused Zeref to lose his beloved parents and his most cherished younger brother.
His parents didn't even leave behind bodies, and the deeply traumatized Zeref consequently conceived the insane idea of resurrecting his younger brother.
To resurrect Natsu, Zeref desperately delved into magic, and the Contradictory Curse also appeared on him at that time.
After various failed attempts, Zeref successfully brought his deceased younger brother back to life, but the awakened Natsu was no longer a pure human; he had an additional identity.
A Demon of the Books of Zeref—the "E.N.D." that would end everything.
The Fire Dragon King Igneel learned of Natsu's existence. Troubled by the need to eliminate the Black Dragon, he sought out Zeref, wanting to see if "E.N.D." had the potential to fight the Black Dragon, but the result was...
In the end, Zeref entrusted Natsu to Igneel, asking him to teach Natsu Fire Dragon Slayer Magic. Later, with the help of his good friend Anna, he used the Eclipse Gate to send Natsu and four other children adopted by dragons to the era 400 years later.
After listening to Zeref's narration, both Natsu, the person involved, and the surrounding onlookers were stunned. The amount of information was too vast and beyond common sense, making it difficult to accept such fantastical details all at once.
Especially Natsu's other identity.
The "E.N.D.," touted as the strongest Demon, turned out to be a mere youngster. It wasn't that everyone looked down on Natsu, but besides his destructive tendencies, in what other aspect did Natsu align with "E.N.D."?
But then again.
Human, Demon, dragon's child.
Three different races, three different stances, all concentrated in one person. Just based on this, Natsu's experience could be called legendary.
It was just that Natsu had only just learned that he also had such a legendary story...