Chapter Text
Gods, she was such an idiot.
Acnologia has no idea what was going through his best friend's mind, but he knew she was being an idiot.
Especially for trusting and helping Zeref with some fucking project he had. Something about a gate, Acnologia doesn’t really remember, he was too busy fighting dragons and saving humanity…even though he hated them too.
Really Acnologia hated everyone equally…other than Anna and Zeref. One he (don’t tell her this) liked and enjoyed hanging out with, and the other, he despised him with his entire being and soul (said person...wizard? knew this already though).
Back on topic though, Acnologia couldn’t believe his best friend was such a fucking idiot with trusting Zeref. Trusting, even just knowing Zeref, always ends badly for those people.
Case in point: Anna dying from helping Zeref open this stupid ass gate.
If he could, Zeref would be dead 10 times over. Unfortunately, Zeref can’t die, his dumb, immortal, cursed ass.
But as he held Anna, watching her soul leave her body, all he could think of at that moment was, “why couldn’t you have just waited?”
“Sorry Acno, we couldn’t wait any longer. The gate had to be opened.”
“Why though? There was no point in opening that stupid gate!” Even though he was trying to hold back, some tears still left his eyes.
“You’ll find out in the future. It’ll be good for you,” Her breath was getting shaky. She didn’t have long. Acnologia hated thinking that. “Plus, I think you’ll end up liking what happens. Just promise me one thing.”
Shaking his head, “always thinking of others. You idiot. What do you want me to do?”
“Live. Be happy. Don’t let yourself get taken over by the dark thoughts telling you to kill everyone, dragon and human alike.”
“You know I can’t promise not to kill. I…can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I have a duty to kill them.”
She smiled. That gods-be-damned smile. “Well, then promise me if you are to kill, then kill the bad ones. The evil ones with no humanity left.”
And he smiled back, however this was a sad one. One that could tell this was going to be one of the last times he got to speak to her. “If I promise that, then I’m killing Zeref first.”
Anna laughs, but she starts coughing. There wasn’t much time left. “Oh leave him be you damn dragon, he was just trying to help. But, you gotta promise me.”
Accepting his fate, Acnologia responded, “fine, I promise that I’ll only kill the bad ones. Whether dragon or human or whatever. Now, you gotta promise me that you’ll always smile and be happy.”
Acnologia could tell his tears were stronger. He really didn’t want the last thing Anna to see was him crying.
“I promise, Acnologia. I will always be happy and I will always smile.” And he could see that she was going to keep that promise, because here she was dying, but smiling and being happy as if it was any regular day. Her coughing up blood however was showing that it wasn’t any regular day though. It was her last one being alive. “Tell me a story, Acno, something happy please.”
“Well if you want something happy, then there was this princess. She was kind to everyone, even the monsters. One day, while she was out on a ride through the forest outside of her castle, she came across something.” Sniffling, trying to hold himself together while telling her the story of how they met, “and what she saw was a dragon. This gigantic beast, where all anyone knew about them was that they were evil things, hoarding anything they could get their hands on. But this dragon was hurt. And instead of doing what any sane person would do like run the other way, this princess got off her steed, and went to help the dragon.”
“She told the dragon, ‘Don’t worry, I’m here. I’m going to help you so I need to know where you are hurt. Can you show me?’ And hearing the kindness in her voice, the dragon moved his wing to show he had a cut about a foot long on his back leg. Quickly grabbing some emergency healing supplies from her side saddle, the princess set to quick work.” Acnologia couldn’t bear about how his best friend was leaving him now, he knew what she wanted in her last moments, so he continued. “And from that moment on, the princess and dragon became best friends. The princess would sneak away from her duties to the kingdom to go to the forest and go on adventures with her best friend. And the dragon learned that not all humans were greedy, little things that killed for no reason. He learned that some humans were kind and nice and genuinely happy to just be alive.”
Her breathing was getting slower, the light slowly leaving her eyes. “And nothing could separate these friends, not the princess’ father that tried to get the knights to kill the dragon, nor other dragons wanting to snatch the princess away themselves. Through everything these best friends made it through. They lived happily ever after”
But real life was not happily ever after, and it showed in how Anna no longer was breathing and her eyes were closed. She kept her promise though, she died smiling and happy, in her best friend's arms.
As he felt the pain and anger grow in him, all Acnologia could do was scream to the heavens, questioning the gods on why they would have someone with such a beautiful soul leave the world. He wanted to go on a rampage, killing everyone and things he came across till someone ended him and his misery.
Acnologia knew that he had to keep his promise though, and so he would do his best. He might not be able to be happy the entire time, but he would live, if not just survive to see why Anna thought of opening that damn gate and trusting Zeref.
Zeref… Oh that damn black wizard better hope he and Aconologia never come into contact ever again because there was a chance that not even his promise to Anna could keep him from killing the wizard.
And so after a burial Anna deserved, Acnologia turned into his dragon form and left. To where? He didn’t know. All he knew was that he needed to get away from that place.
So he left, and for almost 300 years (he thinks, he doesn’t keep track of time that well) Acnologia did nothing but survive, till one day.
One day he lands on an island with a huge tree in the middle and two girls living there.
And that's where his story starts. On Tenrou Island with Mavis Vermillion and Zera.