Acnologia watched as Natsu Dragneel, dawned with all of the dragon slayer's powers, hurled a fire dragon's fist at him. He smiled, realizing many things; unable to move, he felt weak, but he felt human, something he hadn't felt in a while. Before it all ended he passed on the only thing he could to the true dragon king... his title. Then it all went black.

He had dealt with death, killed many, but he had never felt it. His death did not feel complete; in fact, he did not believe that he had truly died.

"Acnologia," a voice called startling him.

He opened his eyes and found himself lying on a grey floor which was covered in mist. The mist was everywhere. He got to his feet and looked himself over. He was in human form, and his clothes were the same, he looked at his hands... his hands

"What the fu-" he began to think marveling at the fact that his entire arm was back.

"Acnologia," the voice called again.

"Show yourself!" he replied yelling into the mist, his body shook as the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He hated when someone could sneak upon him.

"I'm right here," a soft voice responded.

Acnologia spun around to see someone he did recognize. She stood still with a strange smile on her face. Her smile was bright but her eyes were full of pain.

"Anna?" Acnologia questioned, something in him wanted to smile but the feeling was crushed by a flood of absolute rage.

"Hello, Acnologia... it's been too long," she smiled sweetly as if nothing had ever come between them.

"Why am I not dead?" he gritted his anger flooding through his body and pounding in his ears.

She smiled, "I'm so sorry Acnologia."

"For which offense," scoffed Acnologia.

"I know Sonya's death was hard, I know your master's death was... simpler, but I'm certain that it was ultimately my leaving that drove you to the edge."

"Oh, I see," Acnologia growled.

"I'm sorry about... everything," she said sadly.

"I promised myself that I would kill every dragon in existence, it didn't occur to me that my mate would bring along my downfall," Acnologia growled turning his head away and adding a hint of scorn to his voice.

The mist formed into images; there was a huge black dragon slaying a red one, a black dragon attacking an island, a dozen other images formed of a black dragon with blue markings, usually slaying dragons or slaughtering humans. None of them bothered the man.

"I did what I had to do, no matter how hard it pained me," Anna breathed looking to the images.

"I'm sure it pained you ever so much to leave me," Acnologia said sarcastically.

"It did!" Anna objected desperately.

"If it pained you so much why did you leave!? Why did you go with Igneel and Zeref? Why did you plot my downfall?"

She looked on the verge of tears, "Because you weren't the man or dragon I knew."

Acnologia couldn't look at her; he had changed tremendously after Sonya's death... but so had she. Just looking at her brought crushing emotions of betrayal and anger.

"I watched you slay thousands of dragons and bathe in their blood. What could I do, I had to turn to the one person that had a plan to stop you," her eyes filled with tears as she spoke, she too had to look at the ground.

"Zeref," he growled, the name left a foul taste in his mouth.

"He told me of a plan, and I followed."

"I thought you died," he spat.

"Most thought I had died, but I had to stop you...even though-" she choked.

"You were..." he growled, he couldn't make himself finish the sentence, "... And you left me, do you know what that did to me?!"

She nodded, "It hurt my heart to leave you, but I had to save everyone... from you."

"Yeah, you also didn't want to be affiliated with a mass murderer," he nodded with a murderous look in his eye.

"Acnologia, the black dragon of the apocalypse, the king of the dragons, no matter what name you went by, I always knew who you were. You were many things Acnologia, but you were never merciless," Anna said her voice softening at the fond memories that danced through her head.

Acnologia scoffed, "let's look over my kills shall we?"

"When that part of you changed, I knew you weren't the man I loved."

"So you decided to kill me, how thoughtful."

"I can give you another chance," Anna said looking up, smiling.

"I don't want anything you offer," Acnologia growled turning away. He strode away not sure where he was going or how he was going to get there, he only knew that he needed to separate himself from the blonde maiden behind him.

"Not even a chance for you to undo it all?" she called.

"Why would I want to do that?" he growled looking back at her.

She smiled, "If you undo all that you have done, and save all that you can, we will never have reason to part and you will be remembered as a glorious king."

"There may have been a time when that was appealing, but that time has passed," Acnologia growled turning away once more.

"Like it or not it's happening," Anna called.

Acnologia turned angrily and strode back up to her hissing his next words, "What? You've succeeded in killing me so now you see fit to order me around like some dog!"

"We are in the bonds of time; I traveled through time so I am one and the same with them, and you ate them," Anna said ignoring Acnologia's last remarks.

"As I've said previously; What do you want?"

"Look for anyone and everyone who ever traveled in time, you will see a remnant of them here," Anna smiled ignoring him.

Sure enough, Acnologia looked out and saw the images of five small children wandering around. A woman that looked related to Anna was sadly studying the stars in the sky, there was also a one-eyed dragon slayer with a torn soul walking with a purpose, and finally, there were the seven familiar dragon slayers, fighting for all that they had.

"What do you mean I have no choice?" he growled dangerously.

"I have to give you another chance," she pleaded turning to him, reaching for him.

"Why?! You succeeded! You killed me, the world is safe now can you just leave me alone!" he roared avoiding her hands.

"No!" she bit stubbornly.

"WHY!"

"Because I don't want you to be remembered this way!" she cried, her eyes watering.

Acnologia, for once, was stunned into silence.

"The Acnologia this world knows is cruel and terrible ... the Acnologia I knew was fearless and loyal and great... the world will never know of the Acnologia I knew... unless you show them," she whispered trying to wipe her tears away.

All those years later, all they had gone through, all that had torn them apart, and he still hated watching her cry... 

He sighed and then spoke, "What do you mean another chance?"

"You are not dead yet, you have a chance to restart your life, and save many from harm," Anna whispered composing herself.

"Oh sure, send the mass murderer back to save the world."

"You must... please," begged Anna. Her face was so full of pain, Acnologia could not refuse.

He sighed, "What do I have to do?"

"Take my hand," she instructed.

"Why?" he asked.

Then the world started rumbling and the sky cracked, the ground shook and the air trembled.

"What is happening?" Acnologia asked calmly, inside, he was nervously wondering if this was some sort of trap.

"The bonds of time are self-destructing; soon we shall be no more," Anna answered.

"And if I don't want to take your hand?" Acnologia asked already knowing the answer; he'd die... no exception this time.

"Please..." Anna pleaded.

He looked at her; she was so full of pain and sorrow.

'TAKE HER HAND!' a part of him cried

'Kill her' another growled.

'Walk away,' the final voice hissed.

'WE LOVED HER!'

'It's her fault we're dead'

'Just leave her, we're dead and gone, leave it that way.'

'Take vengeance!'

'Kill her first and then walk away.'

'NO, SHE IS OUR MATE! WE STILL LOVE HER!'

'She is nothing'

'She really is'

'SHE IS OUR EVERYTHING!'

He walked up steadily, after the debate in his head ended. and took her hand. She gave his hand a reassuring grip and smiled. Then the whole world melted away, Anna included. He heard her voice as he was floating in this nothing.

"I can't restart your life completely, but I have changed the past... you must change the future, remember Acnologia, once you leave here, this reality... it will be erased."

"Why me?" Acnologia growled.

"Why not, you can cause the most change, and you must remember, they are our only hope."

"Who," Acnologia huffed trying to unscramble his fuzzy senses.

Then she was there, in front of him, "the children... the dragon's children."

Then she began to fade.

"You better not mean-! Wait, Anna!" Acnologia cried, he reached out and tried to grab the remnants of her.

"I must take you to a painful memory in your new life... Sonya's death, but you can change it because instead of you going alone... I went with you," she breathed with a smile, and with that, she disappeared.

Then he was there, in the cave, the dragons in front of him and Anna with Sonya's body behind him. Anna was crying as she held Sonya in her arms and Acnologia felt a feeling of rage build up in his body.

"Die human!" one of the dragons roared... it was all too familiar to Acnologia.

"I am Acnologia, king of the dragons," the words rolled easily off his tongue as if he had rehearsed it many times, "you have harmed an innocent, so now you must pay."

'This is simple enough' a part of him thought.

With that, he lunged in human form. The fight was fierce but he slew them all, each one laid dead on the floor in a few minutes. He stepped in their blood but did not bathe in it. Instead, he looked back and raced towards Anna and Sonya. Anna was crying, and Sonya was...

'No... no, she said I could change it... she said I could-' a part of him screamed. 

Why had Anna... well previous world Anna, sent him here if Sonya was just going to die again!?

"Acnologia," choked Anna, "She was... she is..."

Then all anger at the dragons and all the hatred he had held vanished, the emotions of his past life and all that had just happened crashed into him. He sat down next to Anna, she wept and threw herself into his arms.

"She fought and held them off for us," he reassured her. 

"She's a hero," Anna choked gripping Acnologia's cloak and burying her face in his cloak. He held her and realized that this was his chance. He held her close and breathed in her scent swearing to himself that this time it would be different... he wouldn't lose Anna this time.

The two of them buried Sonya at the bottom of the mountain and planted a bed of flowers over her. Then, Acnologia marked a grave, chiseling it with his own hands.

'Here lies Sonya'

'Worthy of a dragon's heart'

Anna used her magic to make the stars dance above Sonya's grave and they sat there together through the night, mourning the young child they couldn't save.

.