EarthLand.
It would be no mistake to call this place the Land of Magic.
Magic.
Magic has been wielded by mages for centuries. Throughout history, it has been suppressed and feared, but little by little, it became an everyday phenomenon, fully accepted by society.
Even though only ten percent of the population could use it, society had still grown deeply dependent on it.
... ...
On the continent of Ishgar, there lay a prosperous nation called Fiore, surrounded by azure seas and crisscrossed by fertile plains, ancient mountains, and dense forests. Though its beauty and wealth captivated anyone who visited, Fiore was also a land where mage guilds flourished as pillars of society, yet fiercely competed with one another for fame, jobs, and even political power.
At the heart of the kingdom stood the city of Magnolia, nestled on the banks of a great river that wound through the region.
It was a vibrant commercial hub, always noisy and colorful, where merchants, travelers, and mages mingled freely. The streets were narrow but alive, lined with shops, fruit stands, bakeries perfuming the air with the scent of freshly baked bread, and ever-crowded taverns.
The people of Magnolia were more excited than ever before. One of the city's guilds, once the most famous in the entire Kingdom of Fiore and regarded by many as the strongest, had finally returned!
Its most powerful members, who had vanished for seven long years, were back at last!
Seven years that had caused the guild to decline, but now, with the return of its heroes, hope of rising once more burned stronger than ever…
Hidden deep in the forest near Magnolia, among tall trees and branches swaying in the wind, stood a simple house resembling a yellow bungalow with a brick chimney and a few decorative elements around the door and walls. This was the home of Natsu Dragneel, one of the core members of the Fairy Tail guild, known as "Salamander" because of his unique fire magic.
Before the seven-year disappearance, the exterior had been surrounded by dead trees. However, with the changing seasons, the house was now encircled by a lush garden filled with bushes and trees, showing it was located deep within a forested area.
During his absence, one of the Fairy Tail members had looked after the house and kept it intact.
The roof was still covered in red tiles. The house remained naturally messy; one reason being the trees growing straight through the walls. The surroundings also contributed to its neglected look, with a decayed fence and withered trees sprouting randomly around, or in some cases, inside the house itself…
Yet somehow, it still felt cozy.
A thin wisp of smoke rose from the chimney.
Inside, the silence was broken only by groans coming from someone lying in bed.
The "bed" was actually a patched hammock with tattered pillows and a torn blanket, one end tied to the ceiling, the other to a tree that protruded through the roof. The tree grew right up from the floor inside the house, breaking through the wooden boards and warping them.
Atop it lay a young man writhing and sweating coldly, his breathing labored. He was a lean, muscular youth of average height with slightly tanned skin, black eyes, spiky pink hair, and sharp canines. His clothing was simple: a scaly-patterned scarf, bare chest, and white pants.
This was Natsu Dragneel…
Or it was supposed to be.
"Damn it…" He pressed a hand to his forehead, trying to pull himself together. "Where… am I?"
Memories came in disjointed flashes. A night of laughter and clinking glasses at a college dorm party. Empty bottles, loud music, two women pulling him by the arms… and then everything blurred. He remembered taking something, a bluish pill his friends had given him amid laughter and teasing, saying he'd need it to "keep up" with those two gorgeous women. Tadalafil, that was the name.
After that… pain. A crushing pain in his chest, as if his heart had burst from the inside.
And now, here he was, lying in the makeshift hammock of a fire-breathing dragon slayer.
"This doesn't make any sense…" he muttered, squeezing his eyes shut. "I died… didn't I? So why am I… inside Natsu Dragneel's body?!"
The walls around him felt familiar, as if he had seen them a thousand times. The smell of wood, the warmth radiating from every corner; everything screamed "home." But to him, it was all impossibly alien.
Wind blew in through the open window, and the rustle of leaves brought a strange calm. Still, his heart, or rather Natsu's heart, pounded wildly, refusing to accept this new reality.
He tried to stand, but weakness forced him back into the hammock. He took a deep breath and let out a nervous laugh.
"So that's it… I died of a heart attack after a stupid night out… and reincarnated as one of Fairy Tail's main characters?" His eyes glinted for a moment, torn between shock and disbelief. "This has to be a joke…"
But the scent of charred wood, the heat on his skin, the latent power coursing through his muscles; none of it felt like an illusion.
He was Natsu now.
Quickly regaining control of his emotions, Natsu breathed deeply, clinging to whatever thread of rationality remained.
Yet the more he searched through memories that weren't his, the heavier the weight on his chest became.
Happy… was dead.
Shock coursed through him like lightning. He nearly fell from the hammock as pain, not just physical, tore through him. It wasn't a distant memory; it was an open wound in the heart of the original Natsu.
He clutched the scarf around his neck.
That piece of cloth, once a symbol of warmth and friendship given by his father Igneel, now felt heavier than ever.
"So… this is the difference between the world I knew and the real one…" he murmured hoarsely.
In the anime of his previous life, Happy had been comic relief, the inseparable partner. There was always a joke, always an "Aye, sir!" to lighten battles and failures. But here, he had died, and reality was suffocating.
The memories were crystal clear: Tenrou Island, where the S-Class Mage Promotion Trial took place, had been thrown into chaos when attacked by Grimoire Heart, one of Fiore's three strongest dark guilds…
He had been exhausted after trying to devour Zancrow's God Flames, completely paralyzed by pain and the corrosive effect of that magic, unable to move or react. Zancrow, sensing his vulnerability, gathered power for one final attack.
Happy, flying overhead searching for a way to help, realized Natsu couldn't escape. In that desperate moment, he chose to act not as transport, but as a shield. Using an improvised variation of his Aera magic, he expanded his wings abnormally, creating a fragile barrier against the black flames.
That heroic act came at a terrible cost: the divine fire, incompatible with ordinary magic, corroded his body and destroyed his wings almost instantly.
Even in unbearable agony, Happy bought just enough time for Natsu to recover slightly and muster the strength to dodge.
His friend died in that moment.
The original Natsu hadn't even had time to say goodbye.
Happy's life was brutally and cowardly torn away, yet Natsu kept fighting, shattered inside, fueled by rage as he defeated Zancrow and later Hades.
The newly arrived Natsu, the one who had died in a filthy dorm room with a little blue pill still in his bloodstream, now felt the abyss between the two realities.
There was no way to treat this like "an anime world" anymore.
Never again.
"He…" His fists clenched until his knuckles turned white. "He really suffered alone until the end."
It made sense why Natsu had isolated himself since returning.
A week had passed since the Tenrou heroes came back. A week in which the entire guild celebrated, laughed, and cried tears of joy. But Natsu… Natsu didn't laugh. He locked himself in solitude, hiding even from those closest to him, worrying his friends who visited repeatedly. The grief of his best friend dying to protect him had utterly destroyed him.
The new Natsu felt a stab of shame. He, who had fallen into this body by pure chance, now carried not only a second chance at life, but a responsibility: to bear the memories of his predecessor who had become part of him.
With effort, he rose from the hammock; his muscles responded as if this had always been his body.
He took a deep breath, thinking of future enemies, Tartaros, Zeref, Acnologia himself. Each of them wasn't just a threat to him, but to everyone the original Natsu loved. Since he had inherited that body, he would protect them the best he could; he had to become stronger!
He let out a long, heavy sigh and shook his head.
"What a mess… I die in a crappy dorm just to wake up with these monsters on my to-do list…" he muttered to himself, almost laughing at the absurdity.
But the laugh died quickly. Thirst clawed at his dry throat, pulling him back to something simple. He needed water. His predecessor hadn't eaten or drunk in a week; if he weren't a Dragon Slayer, he'd already be dead…
He stood, feeling the wooden floor creak beneath his feet, and headed to the kitchen.
Walking through the hallway, he glanced at the house that Romeo had kept clean and organized during the seven years he was gone. The table in the center even had blue flowers a guild member had left upon learning of Happy's death. The brown leather sofas were new compared to the barely-held-together ones in his memories. There was even a nice matching brown dresser with a mirror. The chandelier swayed lazily from its chain, and above it, the crude doll resembling Erza still held a pipe like some comical ornament; that hadn't changed.
His eyes swept the floor that used to be cluttered with junk, stone weights, gears, chests, makeshift toys. All of it had been the chaotic reflection of its owner and the companion no longer there. Now everything was tidy and clean. For a moment his gaze lingered on the punching dummy in the corner and the training dummy with "Erza" scrawled on its face. Above them, the completed mission posters he and Happy had collected were still pinned to the wall.
He swallowed hard and looked away quickly before the original Natsu's memories could flood him with emotions again.
Reaching the soot-covered stove, he grabbed a chipped mug beside the sink. He turned on the faucet, let the water run clear, and filled it.
He downed the first gulp almost in one go, the coolness soothing his parched throat.
Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he finally noticed the hunger for the first time since waking. A strange hunger, different from any he had felt as a human. It was as if every cell demanded fuel, something far more potent than bread or rice.
He hurried to the magical refrigerator and opened it. To his surprise, it was stocked. Someone from the guild, probably Romeo again, had left fresh food. Fruit, bottles of milk, vegetables, and in the corner, a generous cut of meat wrapped in thick paper. He took the meat, set it clumsily on the table, still not used to the routine, and rummaged through cabinets for salt and spices, finding only a jar of coarse salt and a few vials of dried herbs.
"Good enough."
He sprinkled a handful of salt over the meat and rubbed it in, remembering countless impromptu barbecues from his past life.
The smell already awakened something primal in Natsu's body, and that's when the idea struck.
He raised his hand and instinctively activated his magic.
A magic circle appeared, and fire came.
He didn't need to focus or draw on magical power; the flame simply emerged, flowing from his fingers like an extension of his own skin. It glowed orange and seemed alive. It didn't burn his hand; it didn't hurt. The heat was real, comforting even.
"Hah… so that's how it works." He smiled faintly, still in disbelief.
Holding the meat in one hand, he enveloped it with fire from the other. The scent of melting fat filled the kitchen, crackling as the heat penetrated the red flesh. He turned it a few times, instinctively adjusting the flame intensity so it wouldn't char outside while staying raw inside.
In minutes, it was done.
He took the first bite ravenously. The simple yet satisfying flavor exploded in his mouth. Each piece seemed to replenish something deep within, and before he knew it, he had devoured almost everything.
When he finished, he leaned back against the new leather sofa, letting out a heavy sigh.
"Much better… way better…" he said, lightly patting his stomach.
Energy returned quickly, as if the fire inside him had been fed fresh logs. His body felt lighter, yet more aware. Every muscle brimmed with vitality; every breath carried that warm sensation his old human body never had.
He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the cool leather contrast with his inner heat.
Why had he been reborn in this world?
He hadn't asked himself that earlier because he was too focused on his current identity's memories.
But that was his biggest question now!
Suddenly, as he pondered, a sharp pain stabbed through Natsu's head.
It wasn't ordinary pain, but crushing pressure, as if an invisible hand squeezed his temples and forcibly poured something into his mind. He nearly fell from the sofa, clutching his head as memories that weren't his mixed with something even stranger: pure information from beyond comprehension itself.
Answering his question, his unique ability, one that seemed sentient, manifested. It was called [Traveler].
From the outside, everything was merely fiction. From the inside, it became reality. When unobserved, it simply ceased to be. Reality shaped by perception. Perception shaped by understanding. Understanding shaped by will. Will shaped by intent.
In short, the ability allowed him to travel between worlds, and it had already been used once after his death. [Traveler] ensured his death would never be permanent. He would always be reborn somewhere.
A cold shiver ran down his spine, contradicting the natural warmth of his new body.
But that was only its passive effect. There were active ones he would have to discover, though only one was revealed: [Subjective Reality]. The power to bring into reality anything he had ever seen or read in fiction, characters, objects, concepts, powers; everything could be torn from the imaginary and shaped into the world he currently inhabited.
But it came at a cost.
His body, life force, and magical power were all tied to the limit of what he could manifest. Trying to bring something too large would be the same as imploding himself. Somehow, he instinctively knew his limits, as if the ability itself protected him from fatal mistakes.
The shock left him breathless. His mind reeled between disbelief and dark fascination.
This was a power that transcended the logic of any world.
If waking up in an anime character's body had already been strange, this had gone from bizarre to utterly absurd. [Traveler] and its sub-ability [Subjective Reality] sounded like a sick joke. Bringing anything he had ever read or watched into this world? Traveling between worlds? It wasn't just overpowered; it was too surreal to believe.
He covered his face with one hand and laughed quietly, half-nervously.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
His heart raced as he thought about the details of his unique ability.
It was the overwhelming feeling of a horizon expanding beyond all reason.
It wasn't just Fairy Tail.
It wasn't just Fiore.
It wasn't just EarthLand.
Everything.
Every page he had read, every episode he had watched, every world that once made him dream; they all existed somewhere, waiting for him to visit.
If before he had been anxious and confused about living in a world as dangerous as Fairy Tail, remembering the future and unsure whether he would survive since he wasn't the same Natsu, that worry now crumbled before what he had just discovered.
The potential this ability gave him erased all fear. He was no longer limited; he could grow stronger incredibly fast!
Unfortunately, the passive effect that allowed world-traveling was currently locked. The ability had been spent on his own reincarnation and couldn't be used again until next month.
But that hardly mattered now.
Because [Subjective Reality] was still there, and he was eager to use it.
Taking a deep breath to calm the storm of emotions about his awakened unique ability, Natsu extended his hand.
He wanted to test if it was truly real. Naturally, he aimed to bring something extremely useful to himself…
The air around his hand vibrated for a moment, as if space itself cracked. The magic in his body was brutally drained, like a river dried up in midsummer. His heart pounded; every muscle screamed in protest. Sweat instantly beaded on his skin, running down his face as his breathing turned ragged.
Just when he felt his energy was about to vanish completely, something solid formed in his palm.
A small pill.
Its surface shone in contradictory colors: half pure white like the full moon, half pitch black like absolute darkness.
Natsu collapsed to his knees, supporting himself with his free hand on the wooden floor, feeling as if he had run a marathon non-stop. His body shook, his vision blurred, but despite the brutal exhaustion, a smile crept across his lips.
"I did it…" he rasped, almost laughing at his own state.
In his palm rested the [Yin-Yang Soul Pill], a high-grade medicinal pill from a world far superior to this one. He clearly remembered its description from a web novel in his previous life: a pill capable of fusing opposing essences, integrating fragmented souls, and restoring life.
He had chosen this pill precisely to solve a problem that would haunt him in the future.
According to everything he knew about the original timeline, he was the "reincarnation" of Zeref's younger brother. Over 400 years ago, Natsu, Zeref, and their parents were attacked by dragons. Only Zeref Dragneel survived the massacre. Unable to accept the loss, he preserved his little brother's body in stasis, determined to bring him back.
Consumed by that goal, Zeref delved into magic research, becoming a prodigy. Through countless experiments, he created the Etherious, demons, and implanted one, E.N.D., into Natsu's corpse, granting him new life.
After Natsu's resurrection, Zeref entrusted the child to Igneel, a dragon who lived in harmony with humans. Igneel raised Natsu as his own son, teaching him to survive. Knowing the demonic power inside the boy, Igneel trained him as a Dragon Slayer to control it. Later, through a magical ritual, Igneel sealed part of himself inside young Natsu to protect and support him in the future. Then, along with the other Dragon Slayers' dragons, he passed through the Eclipse Gate into the future with the additional purpose of helping defeat Acnologia.
He knew Igneel would eventually help him handle the conflict between his demonic and draconic sides, but the pill he had just brought into this world was a better solution.
This pill would allow the two forces to coexist peacefully and unlock his demonic side; it would likely also fuse Igneel's sealed power with his own. That way, he might see Igneel again.
The plan was simple yet insane: fuse the demonic side (yin: dark, unstable) with the draconic side (yang: vital, elemental) until they became a single essence.
Natsu closed his eyes, gripping the pill between his fingers. Sweat dripped from his chin onto the floor. Extreme fatigue made his hands tremble, but he didn't let go.
Without further hesitation, he brought it to his lips.
He swallowed.
Bitterness spread across his tongue, but that was the least of it.
The world around him exploded in light and pain.
His chest burned as if set ablaze. His body arched, veins bulging, the scarf falling aside as he choked on a muffled scream. The heat was unbearable, yet at the same time, an icy darkness crawled through him, trying to swallow him whole.
Yin and yang.
Demon and dragon.
Light and darkness.
Inside him, the two forces clashed like opposing storms. A dragon's roar echoed in his mind, followed by a demon's distorted howl; sounds that belonged not to the physical world, but to his very soul.
Natsu clawed at the floor, grinding his teeth.
"I… won't… lose…"
His heart felt ready to burst, but amid the chaos, a spark held firm. His will, the same one he carried from his past life, now reinforced by the original Natsu's burning determination.
And that was when the pill revealed its true power.
The yin began flowing into the yang. The yang penetrated the yin. The two essences no longer tried to destroy each other, but slowly intertwined, like opposing currents merging into a single river.
In his mind, he saw an unforgettable scene: Natsu smiling as he flew deeper into his soul atop Igneel, waving goodbye with deep gratitude. In that moment, he felt free… An indescribable feeling, as if the body that once rejected him now fully accepted him now. Strangely, he heard a faint voice in the back of his mind: "Take good care of everyone…"
He had no time to ponder what it meant. Natsu gasped as his body felt torn apart from within. The absolute forces of yin and yang raged through his veins, burning and freezing every cell simultaneously. His skin flickered between blazing embers and cutting ice, as if split between two colliding worlds.
The heat made him burn as if submerged in volcanic magma, while the cold crushed him like the darkness of an endless abyss.
Near his heart, something took shape. A tiny seed of light and shadow pulsed, black and white, spinning slowly in an eternal cycle, like the Yin-Yang symbol. With every heartbeat, the seed glowed, sending waves throughout his body.
"This… is…" Natsu couldn't finish the thought, air escaping in a strangled groan.
Then came the explosion.
His previously depleted magical power instantly refilled to its peak and expanded violently, as if space itself bent to contain it. The floor beneath him creaked, cracks spider-webbing through the wood. The air grew heavy, vibrating as if swallowed by an invisible storm.
The sweat running down his body evaporated in seconds into white steam that rose to the ceiling, only to freeze into tiny glittering ice crystals that fell slowly.
The tempest of energy inside him seemed endless. Every breath was a struggle; every heartbeat a thunderclap that shook his soul. His whole body burned in fire and ice, as if hell and the void fought over who would devour him first.
And then… silence.
The pressure collapsed suddenly, as if an impossible burden had been lifted. The previously tense air now felt light, almost serene. The black-and-white seed near his heart spun once more, sending a gentle wave through him before stabilizing…
Natsu slumped to the floor, panting.
He raised his left hand, and a black demonic flame danced before his eyes.
Thanks to becoming a fusion of Etherious (demon), human, and incomplete dragon through the pill's refinement, his dormant demonic side had awakened, granting him access to Curse Power.
From what he remembered of the original story, Curses are powers used primarily by the demons of Tartaros. Unlike normal magic, which draws from magical power, Curses are fueled by negative human emotions such as hatred, envy, and greed.
Though similar to magic in some ways, Curses are markedly different. They are considered dirtier and crueler due to their direct link to negative feelings, and cannot be nullified by magic-canceling items or spells, making them even more dangerous. Each demon has a unique Curse suited to their fighting style.
The fuel for this power is called Curse Power (Juryoku). It is generated from intense negative emotions, converted into energy and stored within the user's body, functioning similarly to magical power. The more Curse Power a demon possesses, the more curse techniques they can use. However, like magic, it is not infinite; overusing it can leave the user weakened, exhausted, or even kill them if completely depleted. Some demons can unleash their full potential in their true Etherious Form, becoming far stronger and capable of devastating curse techniques. Curse Power can also mix with Ethernano, making attacks even more destructive and shrouded in dark aura.
In battle, Curses excel at being naturally aggressive and lethal. They were created to destroy, inflict pain and suffering, often cruelly, almost like torture. Some enhance close combat, but most poison, painfully restrain, manipulate the living or dead, and sow chaos. Casting usually requires a gesture, hand sign, or simple motion like pointing or snapping fingers. Demons can also release Curse Power as a dark aura that intimidates and physically pushes enemies back. The stronger the demon, the more oppressive the presence, instilling fear before the fight even begins…
This energy can be sensed by those with high sensitivity.
He now possessed a reservoir of Curse Power, and this black flame was its manifestation.
Unlike the scorching heat of his dragon fire, these flames were frigid, sucking the warmth from the surrounding air in a chill that prickled the skin. He decided to call it [Curse of Everflame]. He would have to explore its uses himself, but he instinctively knew it could achieve many effects.
Natsu slowly closed his fist; the black flame shrank and vanished, leaving only a trace of cold smoke that dispersed.
Silence returned to the house, broken only by his heavy breathing.
He leaned back against the nearest sofa, letting himself sink into it lazily, almost mockingly, arms crossed behind his head. His body begged for rest, but his mind was already racing elsewhere. He needed to master this curse, train his Fire Dragon Slayer magic further, and try to combine the power he had absorbed from Igneel to achieve the Fire Dragon King Mode he knew he could reach in the future. But that could wait…
Natsu closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, wanting to rest a little…
Suddenly he snapped them open, smacking fist into palm.
"That's it!" he murmured, his face a mix of realization and excitement.
At that exact moment, his [Subjective Reality] ability reacted to his desire. A warmth spread across the back of his neck, and then the memories, not his own, but those of the original "Natsu Dragneel" who would have lived through every battle of Fairy Tail until the end of the manga, began weaving into his mind. Every detail came not as scattered recollections, but as structured knowledge, as if he had read the manual to his own existence. How his body absorbed Ethernano, the true mechanics behind Dragon Force, the essence of Dragon Slayer magic, even the limits that would only be broken in future battles like Fire Dragon King Mode; everything was laid bare.
He gasped, pressing fingers to his temples.
"Tch… that's a lot…"
It was like decades of experience, battles, and emotions being imprinted in seconds. The headache was brutal, like his brain might split, but he didn't stop; he couldn't waste this.
When he finished absorbing all the original Natsu's experience and memories, his mind simply refused to stay conscious.
His eyelids grew heavy as lead.
And he fell asleep…
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