"Everything was gone. You left me with nothing but a pile of rubble. Why was I alive? What was I doing? I promised to protect them and once that was gone I didn't know what to do, but there was one thing."

I know where this is going.

"You were getting ready to attack the capital of Fiore and guilds from all over were headed that way. I tried to keep Fairy Tail out of it to protect them but in the end it didn't matter. I went to the capital to fight alongside every other guild and defend the palace. Really, though, I only went because I knew you'd be there...and knew what I had to do, the only reason I was still alive. I had to kill you...and I wanted you to die. The entire time I was traveling to the capital I was imagining the moment when you would take your last breath."

I take a shape intake of breath, causing pain to stab at my chest.

"In a way it was amazing. Seeing all of the guilds that came together to protect our country. If we would have won it would have been a victory that no one would forget, the day that everyone came together, but instead it was just a bloodbath. We didn't stand a chance. It only took a couple of months before Crocus fell into your hands and with it the entire country."

He clenches his hand into a fist, showing the destruction I brought to the country.

"You had all of the survivors on their knees in a line, waiting in fear for you to decide their fate."

My mouth falls open in shock and my lip trembles.

"I was next to a girl with long white hair from Sabertooth. When you got to her you examined her longer than the others and I figured out why when I saw the keys at her side."

My hands go in front of my mouth in horror and they grab tightly onto each other to keep the tremors down.

"She trembled as you eyed her down, tears falling from her eyes. You looked at her and said you seem awfully familiar. Libra and Pisces. Those keys of yours must have been passed down from your grandmother to your mother and now to you. Do you ever wonder where the ten other golden keys are? They're hidden away in my palace. I may not be able to use celestial spirit magic anymore, but I wouldn't mind finishing my collection."

Natsu spits out the last words, hatred for the memory.

"Before You had the chance to kill her like so many others I lunged at you. I slammed into you with all of my might and we both went tumbling to the ground. A dark explosion came from your body and sent me flying off you, though."

I don't want to hear...

"You halted all of your men from interfering with a single motion of your hand. You were amused by me...amused at my desire to kill you after you had killed so many..."

I wouldn't...

"When I was getting ready to hit you, heat burning the ground all around us, you just stared at me and in that split second I thought I saw fear in your eyes. You mouthed please right as I was about to reach you...and I couldn't. I hesitated.  And in that slight moment of hesitation your face changed into a smirk and you moved out of the way, sending flames off in the direction of some of your soldiers, not that you cared."

I hold my breath.

"I had fallen to the ground and when I looked up at you you smiled at me and lifted your hand, sending some sort of signal to your men. They started executing the rest of the mages in the line, all of them falling to the ground, starting with the white haired girl."

Oh god no...

Yukino's face flashes in my mind and tears fall from my eyes at what I had done.

"It was over."

It can't...

"I couldn't get up. I didn't want to. I knew it was pointless. You looked around with admiration of what you were doing and started declaring to me the rules of your world. All guilds were to be disbanded and any members of a mage guild would be sentenced to death. The current prince and the rest of the royal family and all of the soldiers would be killed. Every mage that wasn't a part of your army and didn't have your signia would be killed. You would completely destroy magic. You looked me dead in the eye, a fire brewing in your irises telling of the destruction you'd cause and said welcome to my world."

I can see the defeat in his eyes.

"All I could do was sit there. I don't know if I would have ever moved from that spot but then something moved me. Your celestial spirits brought me to their world. It sickened me how bright and colorful it was compared to the darkness of ours. They thought we could have beat you in Fiore, but they were mournfully wrong. They had a last resort option, though, that they hadn't wanted to use unless they had to because of the risks. They gave me an opportunity to go back, gave me a reason to be alive, a little bit of hope. The celestial spirits, the king himself, they sent me back in time to kill you and keep the world from turning dark under your rule."

The King sent him...

"Old friend"

I wince and look at the carpet.

"I hesitated back then but I didn't hesitate this time. It's a shame that I used to be so foolish."

———
I honestly forgot about this story...
It was only supposed to be like six chapters but I ended up getting even more detailed with Natsu's story when it was just going to be the basics but yeah
If anybody is still reading then alright👍🏼🥳