*Spoilers & Language*

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Cynthia's POV

I don't know how long has it been since Sting and Rogue finished off Jiemma. Maybe almost an hour since then or half?

I don't know.

I was still here kneeling on the ground, my hands covering my face as I continued to weep in front of their fallen bodies.

My eyes were starting to sting and were already swollen from crying for quite a while now. I could practically feel my whole face was turning red, getting puffy and bruised as well, due to Jiemma's attacks a few moments ago.

My chest continued to swell up on the inside, my breathing patterns were off, making me to clench my teeth, grinding it so hard that I could taste copper from the inside of my mouth. My heart was pounding crazy and so was my head.

I feel like I could throw up at any moment right now. Why do I feel like this? I was obviously worried for the both of them, but my heart is leading me more towards Sting, who had a sleeping face...  but with injuries.

Slowly crawling towards Sting, I hesitantly brought up one of my hands to slowly part his bangs that were slightly covering his face. A sigh escaped from my lips. I bit my lip from quivering and brought my face closer to his chest to feel his heartbeat.

I gave out a loud sigh as relief washed over me, making me to feel slightly better.

He's still breathing.

Then I turned over to Rogue who was laid on his side who was closer to me and I pressed my index and middle towards his neck, to check on his pulse as well. I chuckled, knowing how stupid I was from crying, as I figured out that Rogue was okay as well. They both were okay, making me to face palm then wiped off my dry tears with the back of my hand.

"D-Dummy." I muttered to no one in particular. I lifted Sting's head a little so that he could rest on my lap and unconsciously started to play with Sting's soft and smooth blonde spiky hair.

It felt nice to play with it as I continued to run my slender fingers through them. I never knew that his spiky hair would be this... soft. I expected it to be like more spiky and with a gel feeling that would help hold it up. But surprisingly, he didn't use any gel at all.

"Light of Regeneration..." I softly whispered towards both Sting and Rogue, noticing to see a gold light engulfing them and their injuries slowly healing.

I felt a small smile to tug on my lips, letting me to relax for a bit before I glanced ahead of me to see Natsu, Gray and Asuna-onee-chan fighting against a now demon looking Mard. Instantly, my eyes went wide to see three injured comrades of mine who look like they were about done to fight and Mard who was thrown up in the air by Natsu.

"This isn't over! I'll destroy every bit of flesh on you!" Mard shouted, making his fist to contact with Natsu's head.

"Natsu!" I heard Asuna to shout in worry who was already bleeding from her spot.

"Asuna-onee-chan... everyone..." I softly whispered, still running my fingers through Sting's hair as I scrunched my face for a sign of hope.

"Heh, unbelieveable... my magic's at zero and you're still...." Natsu chuckled who was still up in the air as Mard was coming down at him.

"Disappearrrrrrr!" Mard yelled.

"But... I too, believe in..." Natsu added in with that mischievous grin on his face, and I knew that something was up.

I felt my heart to beat fast as I looked down below Natsu to see both Gray and Asuna-onee-chan, struggling to get up but concentrated their magic together.

"Gray! Asuna!" Natsu roared as I looked to see Gray with an ice molding bow and arrow, along with Asuna who held her spear with all four elements of fire, water, earth and wind magic that was swiveling and surrounding her spear and her body.

"Ice Devil's Zeroth Destruction Bow!", "Gargantuan Elemental Wave!" they both shouted in unison as their powerful blows directly pierced Mard in the middle. Sending enormous amounts of pressure and dust to screen the view.

"They finally did it..." I grinned wide, tears spilling once more but was suddenly stopped as a sweat drop appeared on my forehead to see both Natsu and Gray fighting over the book. Along with Asuna-onee-chan who looked slightly annoyed and wincing in pain from her battle.

"I said, I'm destroying it." Gray said.

"Igneel asked me to take it to him..." Natsu argued.

"Cut the crap!" Gray hollered, making me, Natsu and Asuna to look at him in slight puzzlement. "Now, who's the one screwing around. This thing made Tartaros... and the strongest demon in Zeref's book. All the more reason to get rid of it, don't you think?"

"I promised Igneel..." Natsu blurted in disagreement. "Gimme the book!"

"No."

"Hey you two... let's think about this and what to do with the book. Okay?" I said sheepishly but received glares from them, making my hairs to stand.

"Oi! Natsu, Gray! Don't you dare talk to Cynthia like that!" Asuna hissed, cracking her knuckles towards the two.

Within a minute or less than that... they started to bicker even more, making me to go uneasy but I looked down to see Sting with a small smile on his face, making me to blush. But it didn't take too long when we felt the ground the shake as the rocks and stones were slowly falling apart and tumbling down.

"Huh?!"

"This..."

"What the hell is happening?!"

"I... feel weak all of a sudden." I said slowly, my vision getting slightly blurry.

"Cynthia?!" Asuna shouted in worry.

"This is only the beginning." Mard said, who was laying on his back within a crater that was created after Gray's and Asuna's attack.

"W-What do you mean?!" Asuna asked sternly, her eyes narrowing at him.

"The disappearance of magic will eventually become 'emptiness' and E.N.D shall resurrect, feeding off of that energy. And when the strongest etherious rises, you humans will no longer have the defense you call magic." Mard gave a small grin before he looked towards me, making everyone and me in precaution.

"You..." I sent a devilish glare towards him. "I-I need to finish healing Sting and Rogue... and you guys too... m-my magic..." I stammered, but felt someone to place their warm hand on top of mine. Startled by the sudden touch, I looked down on my lap to see Sting awake, his left eye slightly open towards Mard.

"That's quite enough Cee-chan." Sting said softly with full of concern and compassion.

"S-Sting... you should rest easy." I said and looked over to see Rogue as well who lifted his face slightly to glare towards Mard as well. "You too Rogue. You guys..."

"You need to rest... you've been using your magic on me and Rogue... thank you. But you should be the one who needs some rest too."

"B-But..."

"Damn itttt!" Natsu yelled making me to flinch, but felt Sting to give a squeeze on my hand, feeling warm tears to slide down my cheeks.

"U-Up there..." Asuna stuttered, making me to stare up at the direction that everyone was looking towards. I couldn't believe it. I must be dreaming to see all of this up front.

A dragon?! No.... there were two of them!

"Acnologia." Gray's eyes widened making my heart to stop beating for a minute.

"A-Acnologia..." I said in fear to see both dragons fighting off one another.

"Don't give up, humans!" the big red dragon roared and I noticed to see Natsu with a surprised expression on his face.

'Wait... is... is that his dad? Igneel the dragon that he was always telling me and everyone?' I thought, to see everyone's faces in distraught.

"Impossible... I can feel Wiesslogia..." Sting managed to say from my lap, still holding tightly onto my hand.

"Wiesslogia?" I asked carefully but got no answer from him.

"Skiadrum too?!" Rogue added in.

"Rogue?" I tried to ask for the second time, but still no reply.

"The dragons that you've freed... are dancing in the skies of Ishgar!" the red dragon roared, feeling that he was Igneel.

"Don't ignore Cynthia, you idiots..." I heard Asuna to curse under her breath making me to go uneasy.

"Never." Sting answered her with a smile on his face, along with Rogue.

"Um..." I managed to squeak.

"We have stopped the revival of E.N.D. Victory is ours." Igneel declared making me to grin.

"Defeated...?" Mard choked.

"Weisslogia was alive...?" Sting mumbled, his eyes dilating and I stared at him in wonder.

"And Skiadrum, Metalicana, and Grandeeney..." Igneel added in. "Everyone... was alive inside the bodies of the Dragon Slayers.

"Alive in the Dragon Slayers?! But how..." I asked in shock.

It took a couple of minutes after Igneel explained most of the things that happened, until Acnologia appeared once more, making Igneel to fight against him once more.

"Book?" Sting asked in wonder.

"I believe this is what he's talking about." Gray butted in with the book in his hand.

"The book that Mard always carries... E.N.D" I replied calmly.

"Gray." Natsu gave an uneasy look, along with Asuna who was staring at him but with a calm expression instead.

"And now it's in the hands of Natsu-san and Gray-san..." Sting muttered trying to get up, but I gripped onto his shoulders, holding him for support.

"Hey Sting you shouldn't get up yet! Your wounds aren't healed yet." I said trying to push him back down, but instead of hearing him to argue back, I slowly felt myself to get dizzier by the second and didn't notice myself to fall to the side. But instead of feeling the hard stoned ground, I felt a pair of strong arms being wrapped around my waist, holding me close to their chest.

"Cee-chan, are you okay?!" Sting asked in worry and I slowly nodded, bringing a hand to my forehead, trying to stop the dizziness.

"I'm just dizzy..." I said truthfully.

"Let go of her this instant..." Asuna growled towards him, but Sting only held me closer to him. I swear I could even hear a growl erupting from his throat. I mentally cursed in my thoughts that everyone was on edge right now.

"It vanished!" Gray answered in shock, making me to pen my eyes and stare at them in wonder.

"Gray!" Natsu and Asuna yelled in unison.

"It wasn't me!" Gray defended.

"Then who?!" I asked, feeling Sting's breath against my neck, getting me all flustered and what not.

"This book belongs to me." a familiar voice said, making me to froze and tensed up at his voice.

"Oi! Cee-chan... what's wrong?!" Sting shaked me as my eyes were glued to the ground.

"Sting you baka! Don't do that to her!" Asuna glared trying to throw a punch at him but he swiftly dodged it with me in his arms, and soon I too, felt him to stiffen up at the new person in front of us.

"I've simply taken it back." the voice started to say, and I noticed to see Mard in shock. "After all it's a very precious book to me..."

"Zeref..." Natsu and I hissed in anger, my eyes glowering towards him with a smile.

"We meet again my dear Cynthia."

"So this is.... Y-You! You're the one...-" I heard Sting to growl in anger.

"Zeref, is it?" Asuna glared.

"Mard Geer. You did well. We were but a step form bringing back E.N.D." Zeref said to a very displeased Mard. "Sleep, now." Zeref smiled, making Mard to grit his teeth in fear as sweat beads were falling from his face. "Your desires... Mard Geer...to fulfill them... there's nothing more you can do." Zeref finished.

We all looked to see that Mard was instantly turned into a book as the dust or smoke was swirling around, as if he disappeared. But then it was somehow destroyed and burnt into nothing but ashes.

"You bastard! That's one of the demons you yourself made!" Gray shouted.

"And I no longer require his assistance, nor his plans with Cynthia... It wouldn't even work cooperatively." he smiled towards me, giving me the chills.

"Don't you dare get close to her." Sting snarled, covering myself in his arms protectively.

"If you do, I won't hesitate to kill you." Asuna added in with a very terrifying glare.

"You need to get past us first... you won't ever get her for yourself or her powers." Rogue blurted as Natsu and Gray stepped in as well.

"My... what scary body guards you have there... But, not as of right now... I don't need her just yet or her powers at all. I have come here today to finally settle things with you." he turned over to Natsu.

"Huh?" Natsu questioned.

"But... Acnologia decide to stick his snout in things. Will he once again end history? Or will a miracle occur... I do not know." Zeref sighed as he stared up towards the two Dragons.

"What the hell are you blabbing on about?!" Natsu asked.

"If you somehow manage to make it through this hopeless situation... Then...I shall grant you an even deeper hopelessness."

"Damn you Zeref..." I winced from my spot to see him walk away and vanish into thin air.

"That bastard... he took the book and disappeared like a fart in the wind..." Gray scowled.

"Seems... like he usually does this." Asuna interjected.

"He does..." I answered to feel Sting who was still tensed up at Zeref's presence and to also see Rogue clenching his teeth.

"I swear I will kill him when the day comes." Sting said in a cold tone, making me to shiver.

"Sting?" I asked.

"Don't worry Cee-chan... you're safe now..." he smiled gently.

'Am I really safe?'

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Mistakes and grammer, etc. I will fix it later . I hope you guys like the chapter ! :))