In the modern age Zeref isolated himself and seems to have a gentler, melancholic personality. He is often seen behaving calmly in extreme situations. He apparently wishes to die to atone for all the sins he has committed and may commit in the future, and when he realizes that Natsu isn't ready to kill him yet, he breaks down in tears. He commits incidents without his own knowledge or out of his own control, as seen when he kills Zancrow.
However, he is still shown to be extremely intimidating when angry, and will not hesitate to punish those he believes to be evil, such as Grimoire Heart.
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