Natsu found himself floating in a dark empty space.
It was a void completely devoid of sound, light, or direction, an endless abyss that seemed to stretch out infinitely in every conceivable direction.
He floated aimlessly for a few moments, the absolute silence ringing loudly in his ears, before he felt his feet touch a solid, yet invisible, floor beneath him.
His brows furrowed as he continued to walk, his heavy footsteps making no sound in the vast emptiness.
He looked around, trying to make sense of this strange, quiet realm.
Soon, he found a source of light—a faint, flickering crimson glow cutting through the oppressive darkness in the far distance.
He picked up his pace, moving toward the warmth, and as he stepped into the light, the void dissolved around him.
Suddenly, he found himself standing on a vast land filled with volcanoes, magma, lava, and cracked earth.
The sky above was a heavy, suffocating blanket of thick black ash and dark red clouds, illuminated by the violent, bubbling rivers of molten rock that carved deep chasms into the jagged landscape.
Volcanoes erupted violently in the distance, spewing fountains of brilliant orange fire into the air, and the sheer heat of the place would have reduced any ordinary human to cinders instantly.
Yet, to Natsu, the blistering heat felt strangely comforting, like a familiar hearth.
"What do you think?"
Natsu turned around, his instincts instantly flaring, and saw another version of himself standing just a few feet away.
This entity looked almost identical in stature and build, but its colors were completely inverted and corrupted.
The figure was completely white, with unruly purple hair framing its face. Its skin was a pale, ghostly white, completely devoid of any healthy color, but the most striking feature was its eyes—pitch-black sclera housing piercing, luminous yellow pupils that stared back at Natsu with an eerie, knowing intensity.
"So it's you. Where am I?" asked Natsu.
He looked around at the apocalyptic landscape once more, his initial defensive posture relaxing just a fraction as he realized he wasn't sensing an immediate threat of hostility.
The White Natsu tilted his head, a faint, amused smirk playing on his pale lips. "I expected you to be more wary of me."
"Ah, that, I normally would've. But you really saved my ass back there," said Natsu, sighing in relief as he placed his hands behind his head in his usual carefree manner.
He looked at his inverted lookalike with genuine appreciation. "I would've died if you didn't take over."
The memory of the grueling battle against Animus was still a bit hazy, but he vividly remembered the crushing weight of defeat looming over him before a sudden, terrifying surge of foreign power had erupted from deep within his soul, turning the tides of the battle in an instant.
White Natsu hummed, his yellow eyes tracking Natsu's relaxed movements. "I see. I guess there's an upside for being a simpleton."
"Are you calling me dumb!?" Natsu suddenly glared at him, his sharp teeth baring as a comical irk mark popped up on his forehead.
He aggressively stepped closer, pointing an accusing finger at the white entity. "Say that to my face again, you copycat!"
White Natsu didn't answer and completely ignored the outburst, stepping past Natsu to look out over the vast landscape of molten rock.
He folded his arms, his tone becoming serious and analytical. "Your body now contains two different Heavenly Flames, and your flames now should be on a different level than before. You should try learning other magic lest you start destroying your surroundings just by activating your flames."
"Is that so?" Natsu paused, his anger evaporating as quickly as it had appeared.
He looked down at his own hands, opening and closing his fists as he tried to feel the magical pathways inside his body.
He jabbed the air a few times, testing his punches. The air cracked faintly with a dense, hidden heat that hadn't been there before.
He grinned, feeling the immense pool of raw power dormant within him. "I guess I should try learning ordinary fire magic."
White Natsu shook his head, looking back at him with an expression of mild exasperation. "That would be fine, but I suggest learning other types of magic just to make yourself more versatile. How about lightning?"
"Nah, that's Laxus' schtick," Natsu crossed his arms, leaning back as he thought for a moment, rolling his eyes at the thought of copying his guildmate's signature element.
He liked his fire just fine, and mixing it with lightning was something he had never thought of.
Although, a fire and lightning does sound cool. What should he call it.... Lightning Flame Dragon Mode, maybe?
He shook his head, dismissing the deep magical theory for now. "Well, I'll think about it later."
Just then, Natsu noticed that his hands were starting to become translucent.
He looked down in shock as the edges of his arms and legs began to dissolve into shimmering, golden particles, blending into the ambient light of the volcanic landscape.
He panicked, flailing his arms as he felt his grip on this inner world rapidly slipping away.
"H-Hey, what's going on!?" he yelled, looking at his disappearing limbs.
"Calm down, you idiot," White Natsu sighed in annoyance, rubbing the bridge of his nose as if dealing with a hyperactive child. "This whole space is your consciousness, so that just means you are waking up. The Three Thousand Burning Flame should've already healed your body, so there is no need to worry."
"Is that so?" Natsu breathed a sigh of relief, his panic subsiding as the golden glow enveloped his chest.
He let out a hearty laugh, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "That's good, I thought I was dying."
As the world around him began to blur and fade into a bright mist, Natsu turned back towards White Natsu and grinned widely, his signature bright, toothy smile breaking through the chaos of his dissolving consciousness.
"Well, I'll see you around!"
With that, his presence shattered into light, and he disappeared entirely from the spiritual realm, returning to the waking world.
White Natsu stood alone in the quiet intensity of the volcanic waste.
He stared at the empty space where the Dragon Slayer had just been standing until the last remnants of Natsu's magical signature entirely disappeared.
The smirk faded from his face, replaced by a quiet, contemplative expression.
Slowly, he turned his head towards a massive, towering volcano sitting in the far, distant horizon—the largest peak in the entire landscape, pulsing with an ancient, terrifying magical pressure.
"He's grown into such a fine warrior, don't you think?" White Natsu spoke aloud to the seemingly empty air, his voice carrying a strange blend of pride and reverence.
At first, there was absolute silence. The bubbling lava seemed to still, and even the falling ash froze in mid-air as the entire realm held its breath, waiting for a response from the heart of the domain.
Just then...
"Hmph!"
A cold, thunderous snort echoed across the wasteland, carrying such immense power that it caused the entire space to vibrate violently.
The ground beneath White Natsu's feet fractured further, and ripples formed in the rivers of magma as the sound waves tore through the sky.
Then, from the glowing, tempestuous mouth of the massive volcano, a giant red western dragon crawled out.
Its scales were the color of deep, burning embers, scarred from a lifetime of ancient wars, and its eyes burned like twin suns.
It rose to its full, magnificent height, towering over the landscape like a god of ruin.
The beast spread its massive wings, the sheer force of the movement creating powerful hurricanes of hot wind and ash that swept across the plains—winds so violent they would definitely decimate entire human cities in the outside world.
"He's still too weak! He couldn't even handle an ordinary dragon! I am ashamed to call him my son!" the dragon roared, his voice shaking the foundations of Natsu's mind, though the fierce glint in his massive eyes betrayed the harshness of his words.
White Natsu chuckled softly, entirely unbothered by the terrifying display of draconic power or the scorching winds sweeping past his pale frame.
He looked up at the great beast with an amused smile. "The Dragon Cry boosted Animus' powers to that of an Elder Dragon, so it's only natural he still wouldn't be able to handle him. Cut him some slack, Igneel."
The dragon, Igneel, the Fire Dragon King, let out another heavy snort, a cloud of black smoke billowing from his nostrils.
He looked down at the pale manifestation of his foster son's inner demon, his posture shifting as a deep, ancient exhaustion seemed to settle over his massive frame.
His glowing eyes narrowed, the fierce light within them dimming slightly.
"I need to sleep once again," Igneel rumbled, his voice dropping to a low, heavy vibration as he began to retreat back into the warmth of the molten caldera. "Look after him for me, END."
White Natsu, the physical manifestation of the ultimate Etherious, END, just chuckled, a dark but fiercely loyal glint appearing in his yellow pupils as he watched the Fire Dragon King submerge back into the lava.
"You don't have to tell me that."