Prologue: Infernum Mountain

-Crime Sorcière --

A month had passed since Fairy Tail had defeated the demons of Tartaros, and disbanded. This lead to a time of peace and quiet…if only temporary. The Fairy Tail family had gone their separate ways, but fate would bring them together again. It all started one hot day in Gazania town, the only civilization near Infernum Mountain just beyond the Fiore Kingdom. The independent guild, Crime Sorcière, had recently arrived. They were staying in a small inn, to avoid any unwanted attention. They were directed to come here, to scale Infernum Mountain…something that most of the members were not very keen on doing.

"Why are we doing this again?" asked Sawyer, otherwise known as Racer. "I mean, that place is super creepy."

The guild was having a meeting in their Jellal's room, discussing the plan to scale the mountain.

Macbeth, or Midnight, was in the corner, away from the others. He was fawning his hair nervously. "Indeed, this is a foolish idea. There are rumors about that place, rumors that kept even the bravest of mages away from it. We of the Oración Seis never came near this town, let alone the mountain," he looked at Meredy. "What about Grimoire Heart?"

Meredy shook her head dramatically. "No, no, no, but Master Hades..." she paused and placed her finger over her mouth. "I mean…Hades…or Precht, or whatever, told us all to avoid that place like the plague."

Erik, who was known as Cobra, laughed nervously. "It's said that even the demons of Tartaros gave that place a wide berth."

"And why, exactly, is that?" asked Jellal, who was legitimately interested. His eyes were filled with conviction. "My source tells me that—"

"And what source would that be?" asked Sorano, formally known as the Seis's Angel, with a sly smile.

Jellal's face turned red.

Sorano giggled. "My, my. We do hours of recon and careful research with every other lead, but when a certain red-haired fairy says something, he takes her word as Gospel."

Richard, known back then as Hoteye, petted his mustache. "Ho, ho, ho. He's smitten by love's beautiful arrow. His beloved Erza has spoken, and he must heed her sweet call, oh yeah."

Jellal glared at him. "It isn't like that, and you know it!"

Meredy smirked. "I could perform a sensory link, and that would tell us."

The whole room, save Jellal and Macbeth started to laugh.

Jellal stomped his foot. "Enough!"

Everyone went quiet.

"This is a serious matter. We're here for one purpose: to see if there really is dark magic up there related to Zeref. It seems quite plausible, seeing as not even the previous Baram Alliance would set foot up there."

Macbeth stepped out of the shadows. "It wasn't just the members of the Baram Alliance that wouldn't go near there…it's said that even Zeref himself would avoid that mountain, save for only once or twice. Some have even speculated that not even Acnologia wouldn't dare fly up there, lest he meet some dire fate."

"Which is exactly why it's suspicious," Jellal said. He combed his fingers through his blue hair. "And I'm going up there, you can all stay behind, if you wish."

Everyone in the room shook their heads.

"I will follow you wherever you go, oh yeah!" Richard said.

Sorano sighed. "I'll tag along, too. Honestly, you men need a feminine touch to even out all of this testosterone, right Meredy?"

She nodded. "Yep, I'm going too."

Sawyer smiled, but he was shaking a little. "I'll go, too…but can we hurry with it? I don't want be up there longer than I have to."

Macbeth frowned. "I suppose I'll go. I mean, it would be interesting to see if the rumors are true. But how did Titania receive such information?"

"I truly don't know," Jellal said. He thought back to two days prior.

Jellal had been doing some recon three towns over. He had heard tell of some strange goings-on there, and went to check it out. That's when he saw Erza. He tried to avoid her when he noticed her, but it didn't seem to work out very well.

"Jellal," she said, quietly.

He shushed her, and the two of them went into an alleyway.

"What're you doing here?" he asked.

She smiled at him. However, it wasn't her usual, captivating smile that melted Jellal's heart. It was a desperate sort of smile…an unfamiliar smile. "I came looking for you," she said.

"What for?" he asked.

"I've heard some rumors about a certain mountain not too far from here. The rumors have to do with Zeref."

"What do these rumors say?" he asked.

"That he hid something away up there, something powerful…will you and your guild go up there and look into it for me? I would do it myself, but Gray and I have some business to take care of."

"G-Gray, the ice wizard?"

She nodded. "Yes, why do you sound so surprised?"

"I-I'm not…I'll look into it for you, Erza."

"Thank you, Jellal. I knew I could count on you."

He went to touch her shoulder, but she recoiled. "I must get going. It was good to see you again," she said.

Suddenly, Jellal's ears started ringing. He grasped his ears and looked away for a moment, when he looked back to continue speaking to Erza, she was gone.

"Whoever told her, she didn't reveal to me," Jellal said, looking at Macbeth.

"Well," Macbeth said. "I truly hope we find nothing up there."

"Part of me does, too, Midnight," Jellal thought. "I have an uneasy feeling about this."

Early the next morning, the guild of guilt-stricken mages departed to climb the dark cliffs of Infernum Mountain.

"Oh, I do wish there were an easier path," said Sorano. "These shoes were not made for climbing."

"We'll be up there in no time," said Jellal.

"Besides, it's your own dumb fault for bringing those torture devices you call shoes to climb a mountain!" Erik said, perturbed at her complaining.

She gasped and put her hand on her chest. "These shoes make me look more elegant than usual. In fact, they make me look like an—"

"If you say angel…I'm going to have to hurt you."

"Hmph," she grunted. "It would do you some good to care about what you look like once and a while, Cobra. I mean, your hair always looks like you got into a fight with a lightning wizard."

"Enough," Macbeth said. "We need to keep our wits about us up here, remember?"

Erik and Sorano looked away from each other.

"Finally," Jellal thought. "A little peace and quiet."

They trekked the rest of the way up the mountain in silence. They got more and more anxious the higher up they got. When they reached the top, they came upon what looked like a temple carved into the jagged rocks of the mountain's peak. A thin, but heavy presence of dark magic was coming from the temple.

Meredy shivered. "D-do you feel that?"

Jellal glared at the temple. "Yes, it's definitely evil…and it certainly brings Zeref's dark works to mind."

Macbeth looked a little frightened, but also a little intrigued. "But it feels…different from his demons, but only slightly."

"As well as feeling more powerful," Sawyer said.

"Nothing can beat us, if our convictions are righteous and strong enough, oh yeah!" Richard said triumphantly.

"You're going to make me vomit," Sorano said.

"Let's go," said Jellal.

He walked toward the temple, unwavered by its ominous and powerful aura of darkness that seemed to increase with every step.

The rest of them looked at each other, and reluctantly followed.

"There's definitely something in there; something dark and powerful. I've never sensed anything quite like it," Jellal thought. He stopped right at the temple's entrance and peered into the darkness inside. "What's waiting for us within?"

He turned around and looked at his comrades. "If anyone wishes to stay out here, do so. I will not hold it against you."

"Nah," Sawyer said. "We came all the way up here. May as well finish the job."

"How can I call myself the master of nightmares if I just stood out here like a coward?" Macbeth said.

"You have my undying allegiance, Jellal," said Richard.

"I'm goin' in, too," said Erik.

Sorano smiled. "I have no fear of the dark."

Meredy gulped. "I wish you were here with me…Ultear," she thought.

"Thank you, my friends," Jellal said, smiling a little.

They entered into the darkness, unsure of what they were walking into.

As soon as they stepped into the temple's chamber, the room lit up with a vile, purple light. There were seven objects floating in midair in the midst of the chamber. Three on the right side, three on the left, and one in the middle.

Jellal looked surprised. "Those are—"

"Books," Macbeth finished. "Books of Zeref, so it seems. But these ones look…off."

Each tome was a different color, and each had an image of a different beast inscribed on their covers. The book on the far left was red, and had the image of a pig. The next book was blue, and had an image of a sloth on it. The next one was golden yellow, and had the image of a frog. The one in the center was white, and had an image of a beautiful black bird with four large wings and a long, wavy tail. The next one was green, and had the image of a snake on it. The next one was black, and had a white dragon on its cover. The last was purple, and had a fish on its cover, adorned with fins and a tail that glistened like diamonds.

"I've never heard of books such as these…not even in Zeref's own archives!" Jellal said.

"These books, why are they here? Why would Zeref seal these away all the way up here?" Meredy said, her voice cracked with fear.

"I don't know, but we must destroy them," he said. He took a stance to perform a spell.

Suddenly, the ground shook. The floor turned black as pitch, and something shined above the books.

Jellal's concentration was broken. He looked up with surprise and shock. "What's this?" He said. "A spell circle?"

A dark-purple spell circle descended upon the books, encapsulating them. Each book began to glow.

"Wh-what is this magic?" Jellal yelled.

Erik began to cover his ears. His eyes were full of fear. He fell on his knees and started to wail. "This…this noise! The books are shrieking! I can't stand their screams!"

A spell circle appeared under each member of Crime Sorcière, and zapped them with incredible force. Pain and agony surged through each of them, and within seconds they were on the ground, all but Jellal was unconscious.

Jellal got up. "What is the meaning of this?" He looked ahead, and an icy chill ran down his spine.

Seven figures stood where the tomes had just been. The power they were emitting frightened even him.

The figure who stood where the purple tome was, on the far right, stepped forward. Jellal saw that it was a woman, but she was still covered with darkness.

"Who, urk!" He grabbed his chest and winced in pain. "Who are you?"

She stepped out into the light, and Jellal couldn't believe what he saw.

"Erza?" he cried. "But…how…why?" He clenched his chest again, and tried not to collapse.

It was Erza. She was wearing a revealing purple robe. His aching heart skipped a beat at the sight of her.

She knelt down and gently touched his chin. She looked at him with a friendly smile. But…there was something wrong with her eyes. Her usually warm and lovely eyes looked void of any soul. "You saved me, Jellal." She went to kiss him.

He pushed her away from him. "Y-you're not Erza!" he said.

She giggled. "Well of course I am…at least, that's how you see me. That's who you—" she gagged. "Love with all of your feeble little heart. But it's not love that allowed me to take this form, dear boy."

Jellal looked at her in silence.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," she waggled her finger at him. "You naughty boy…you don't just love her, but you also lust after her."

"Who…are you?" he asked again.

She snapped her finger, and her guise vanished, revealing her true form. She was a tall, slender and busty woman. Her face was covered by a veil, revealing only her soulless, purple eyes. "My, my, my," she said in a seducing soft and soothing voice. "I must say, tricking you was way too easy…Jellal."

"You…you deceived me…" he said, ashamed.

She started to float, and she lied down in the air, seductively. "Yes, I did. Apparently it's a nasty habit of yours. Something that worked to our advantage. "You see, we needed seven particular individuals to set us free. We needed seven wizards who were touched by darkness, and yet strive for the light. Your little group of emotionally-challenged mages were perfect. All it took was a little thought projection of your beloved Erza, and poof, you were here in a heartbeat."

"I'll…I'll kill you!"

She appeared before him in the blink of an eye. She was still laying down in the air, but she was upside down, floating right above him. She grabbed his head and forced him to look at her. "That would be a fun trick, truly it would. You're gonna be a fun plaything…it's been quite a while since I've had one as handsome as you. Oh, the screaming you'll make."

"That's enough, Nataliah—" said one of the figures in a booming voice. It was the one in the center, where the white book had been. "We have work to do. And you can't go killing him, or the others that came with him…not yet."

She sighed. "Sorry, Jahlly-bean. Looks like play time's going to have to wait." She vanished in a purple flash, then appeared next to the other six figures.

"The time is soon upon us," said the man in the middle. "Soon, we will shake the realm above, and the earth beneath. This land will soon be a haven of darkness, and everyone will be under our control. The time of the Virtues is soon to be over."

"Time of the…Virtues?" Jellal thought.

The seven dark figures vanished in a multicolor flash of light. Jellal collapsed. "Was I really…fooled again? Will I ever come out of the dark? Will I ever be able to look you in the face and feel worthy enough, Erza? What have I done? What kind of evil did I just set free?"