The air in the canyon, already heavy with the scent of ozone and dragon blood, suddenly curdled.
Zeref Dragneel stood amidst the rubble, his dark eyes fixed on Natsu. For four hundred years, he had looked upon the world with a mixture of apathy and loathing, but now, seeing the boy he had died for—the boy he had resurrected—his heart swelled with a forbidden warmth. It was a brother's love, ancient and pure.
But for Zeref, love was a death sentence for everyone around him.
The Curse of Ankhselam sensed the shift in his heart. The black miasma of the Contradictory Curse began to leak from his skin, swirling like ink in water. The grass at Zeref's feet turned to ash instantly. The very air began to scream as the "Death Wave" prepared to pulse outward, a silent tide that would claim every living soul in the vicinity.
"GET AWAY!" Zeref screamed, clutching his head, his face contorted in agony. "Everyone, run! If you stay, you'll die! I can't stop it!"
The Fairy Tail mages scrambled back, terror etched on their faces. They had survived Tartaros, but this aura was a force of nature they couldn't fight.
Blake however, didn't move an inch. He stood between the guild and the encroaching darkness, his hand raised.
"Not today, Zeref," Blake said firmly. "Anti-Magic Field: Null Zone."
A dome of translucent grey energy expanded from Blake, washing over Zeref and the swirling black miasma. The effect was instantaneous. The ink-like shadows hit the edge of the dome and simply vanished, erased from reality. The suffocating pressure of the curse was snuffed out like a candle.
Zeref gasped, his hands dropping from his head. He looked down at his own hands, then at the vibrant green grass that remained untouched just inches from his boots. He looked at Blake, his eyes wide with a shock that bordered on reverence.
"You... you negated it?" Zeref whispered. "Even the Gods' curse?"
"I've spent a long time perfecting the art of saying 'no' to things I don't like," Blake replied, his voice calm. He looked Zeref in the eye. "You've been looking for a way to die for centuries because you thought it was the only way to stop the killing. But you don't actually want to die, do you? You just want to be free."
Zeref nodded slowly, a single tear escaping his eye. "More than anything. But the curse is absolute. It is the fate of those who meddle with life and death."
"Fate," Blake repeated, a sharp, dangerous smile playing on his lips. He reached for the hilt of the evolved Tensa Zangetsu. "Fate is just a story written by someone who hasn't met me yet."
The guild watched in breathless silence as Blake drew his massive, chain-wrapped blade. The spiritual pressure emanating from him wasn't destructive like Zeref's; it was authoritative. It felt like the presence of a king who had the power to rewrite the laws of the land.
"Don't move, Zeref," Blake commanded.
Blake took a wide stance. He didn't just pour his magic into the blade; he poured his will. He tapped into the core of his Bankai's hidden ability—the power to interact with the conceptual threads of reality.
"Bankai: Tensa Zangetsu... UNMEI NO WARI (Fate Splitting)!"
Blake swung the sword. He didn't strike Zeref's physical body. Instead, the blade cut through the air behind Zeref, where a twisted, spectral umbilical cord of black energy connected the wizard to a void beyond the world.
There was no sound of metal on flesh, but a thunderous crack echoed through the canyon, like a giant mirror shattering. A wave of white light erupted from the point of impact, so bright that everyone was forced to shield their eyes.
Inside the light, Zeref felt a sensation he hadn't known in four centuries: Cold. The eternal, suffocating heat of the curse—the constant buzzing in his mind, the weight of the souls he had accidentally taken—it all detached. He felt a phantom weight slide off his shoulders and shatter on the ground.
Blake lowered his sword and deactivated the Null Zone.
The world returned to its natural colors. Zeref stood shivering, his skin pale but his eyes clear. He took a deep, shaky breath, and for the first time, the air didn't taste like ash. It tasted like life.
"It's gone," Zeref whispered, touching his chest. "I can... I can feel my own heart again."
"Whoa..." Natsu stepped forward, tilting his head as he looked at the black-robed man. "So, uh... who are you? And why were you crying so much?"
The guild members face-palmed at Natsu's lack of tact, but Zeref actually let out a small, genuine laugh. He looked at Natsu with an expression of profound relief.
"My name is Zeref Dragneel," he said softly. "And Natsu... I am your older brother."
The silence that followed was so profound you could hear the distant crackle of dying fires.
"BROTHER?!" Natsu's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "I have a brother? Since when? And why are you the 'Black Wizard' guy everyone is scared of?"
Zeref sighed, the weight of his long history settling on him, though it no longer felt like a burden. He began to speak, his voice steady as he told the tale of the fire that claimed their family four hundred years ago, of his descent into the dark arts to bring Natsu back to life, and the creation of E.N.D.—Etherious Natsu Dragneel.
The guild members listened in a state of catatonic shock. Erza, Gray, and Lucy looked between Natsu and Zeref, trying to process that their loudest, most hot-headed friend was actually the most powerful demon in Zeref's arsenal, and the brother of the world's most feared wizard.
"So..." Natsu scratched his head, his brain clearly working overtime. "You brought me back to life? Because you loved me?"
"Yes," Zeref said. "And because of that love, I was cursed. But Blake... he has undone the undoable."
Blake stepped into the conversation, looking at Zeref. "There's one more thing. Mavis Vermillion—her curse is also removed. Mavis is no longer a ghost or a cursed immortal. She is the living, breathing Guild Master of Fairy Tail again."
"She's waiting for us at Magnolia," Blake said, sheathing his sword. "And I think it's time we all went home. Zeref, you're coming with us. I think you have an apology and a reunion to attend to."
Zeref hesitated, looking at his hands. "Will they... will they accept me?"
"They're Fairy Tail," Blake smirked, gesturing to the ragtag group of mages currently arguing over who got to carry the most loot from the Cube. "They accept talking cats and strippers. A reformed Dark Wizard is basically an average Tuesday for us."
The journey back to Magnolia was unlike any other. Usually, after a war, the guild was somber, but the presence of the dragons (even in their final farewell) and the literal salvation of their world had energized them.
Natsu, true to form, spent the entire walk pestering Zeref with questions.
"So, did I have a favorite toy?"
"Did I ever beat you in a fight when we were kids?"
"Can you teach me that cool black magic stuff? No wait, that's probably a bad idea."
Zeref answered every question with a patience that only an older brother could possess. He told Natsu about their parents, about the small village they lived in, and about how Natsu used to hate eating his vegetables—a trait that clearly hadn't changed.
As they crested the final hill, the sun was beginning to set, painting the spires of Magnolia in gold and violet. The town looked peaceful, unaware of the cosmic battle that had just concluded in the hinterlands.
As they approached the guild hall, they saw a crowd gathered. In the very center, standing before the large wooden doors, was a teenager with long, blonde wavy hair and a pink dress.
Mavis Vermillion.
When her eyes met Zeref's, the world seemed to stop.
Zeref froze. All the words he had practiced for centuries vanished.
She looked at Blake, who simply gave her a small, encouraging nod. Go on.
Zeref walked forward, his steps hesitant. Mavis met him halfway, her eyes pooling with tears that she no longer had to hide.
"Zeref..." she whispered.
"Mavis," he replied, his voice breaking. "I... I can touch you. I won't hurt you."
Mavis didn't wait. She lunged forward, throwing her arms around his neck. Zeref caught her, pulling her close, burying his face in her hair. They both collapsed to their knees right there in the street, sobbing into each other's shoulders. It was a release of four hundred years of loneliness, guilt, and longing.
The guild members stood back, even Natsu stayed quiet for once. It was a moment of pure, raw humanity—the kind of magic that even Blake's sword couldn't replicate.
"Everyone," Blake said softly, turning to the guild. "Give them some space. Let's go and start the preparations for the biggest feast this town has ever seen."
The mages began to disperse, talking in hushed, excited tones as they entered the guild hall, leaving the two ancient lovers to find their footing in a world that finally allowed them to exist.
Blake walked away from the cheering crowd along with Mirajane. He had done his part. He had slain the dragon, broken the curse, and brought the family home. Now, he had a much more important mission.
They walked through the familiar streets of Magnolia until they reached a quiet, beautiful estate on the lakeside. It was a house filled with the scent of lavender and the sound of laughter.
As they opened the front door, they was immediately tackled by two small blurs of energy.
"PAPA!"
"MAMA"
Alphonse, who has a mischievous glint in his eye, and Celeste clung to Mirajane's legs.
"Whoa, easy there, you two!" Blake laughed, picking Alphonse up in his arms. "Did you miss me?"
"You were gone forever!" Celeste pouted, crossing her arms. "Mama said you were 'fixing the neighbors' roof,' but I think you were fighting monsters!"
"A bit of both," Blake winked.
Cana Alberona, holding a glass of wine but looking unusually sober, her eyes scanning Blake for injuries.
"You're late for dinner," Cana said, though she couldn't hide the tremor of relief in her voice.
"I ran into some traffic," Blake replied, walking over and kissing them both. "A very large, very angry lizard."
Blake leaned his head back against the wall. "Acnologia is dead. The curses are broken. Zeref and Mavis are... well, they're working it out. But for now, I'm just a guy who wants a hot meal and a long nap."
Cana grinned, wrapping an arm around his waist. "Well, you're in luck. I made your favorite, and I've got a barrel of the good stuff waiting. Welcome home, hero."
Blake smiled, looking at his wives and his children. He had stood against the apocalypse and stared down the gods of death, but standing here, in the warmth of his own home, he knew this was the only victory that truly mattered.
"Yeah," Blake whispered. "It's good to be home."