DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything except for my own characters.

Chapter I: She Opened the Gates of Hell…

"And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you."

-Friedrich Nietzsche

WEDNESDAY, JULY 7th X791, 9:27 PM (MINUTES AFTER THE ECLIPSE GATE IS OPENED)

CROCUS, FIORE (OUTER RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT)

The world was a cacophony of screams, fire, and destruction in every sense of the word, yet he didn't care. He didn't care about the people who were running for their lives in the opposite direction. He didn't care about the numerous homes and buildings that had once been the pride and joy of the capital as they burned and crumbled to the ground, occasionally dropping hundreds of pounds of broken rock and burning wood on some poor, unsuspecting civilian who was unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Everywhere he looked people were running, falling out of nearby balconies to their doom, being trampled on by the frenzied masses, slowly burning to death in their homes or on the streets due to the flying monsters above, who until minutes before were only thought to be myths and legends used to entertain and scare children into behaving. And right now, those very same children were being slaughtered along with their parents by the very monsters that had been in their story books.

Yet all the same, he still didn't care.

He especially didn't care about the orders he and the rest of his squad had been given by the Chief Knight after this entire disaster had started.

"Evacuate the City! Protect the Princess at all costs!"

The people I understand. But why the hell would even think about risking my life for some preppy royal bitch whose responsible for this entire catastrophe in the first place?

He didn't care about the fact that he might be dishonorable discharged or labeled a coward by the entire order for disobeying orders and abandoning his position. He didn't care that he had broken his sworn oath to defend the Royal Family at the cost of his life and might be sent to prison for it. He did not care about defending someone who was responsible for all this death and destruction. He simply did not care.

As soon as the first dragon came through that gods forsaken gate, his first and only concern was getting to his family and making sure they were safe and far from harm.

So here he was, stripped out of his armor that he had discarded back at the palace and racing down the destroyed and ruined streets of the kingdom's outer residential district, narrowly avoiding frightened civilians and falling debris from the nearby houses. His military-issued sword that he decided to keep was tightly secured in its sheathe that was strapped onto his back. He knew that he would never stand a chance against one of those flying monstrosities, even less so without his armor, but he would be damned to the lowest pits of hell if he wasn't going to at least go down fighting if it meant giving his family a slight chance of escaping with their lives. And he swore to himself that if by some miracle they all managed to escape alive, he was going to take his family and move as far away as possible from this cursed city and all of its idiotic aristocrats.

Finally reaching the familiar corner of Sunset Horizon Boulevard, he made a swift skid turn to the right, taking a moment to catch his breath before breaking out into another sprint. He felt as though he had already run an entire marathon, though that was not very surprising considering the fact that the Flight Light Palace Mercurius was about a mile or so from the rest of the districts, though thankfully the residential districts were the closest out of the rest. Sweat was pouring down from his forehead like a perspired waterfall, not just from the endless running he was doing but also from the nearby fires that were consuming nearby houses. Seeing the destruction so close to home only made him sprint faster down the street. He purposefully ignored the pain and stress that eating away at his legs or the fact that his heart was pounding so hard that it threatened to break out of his chest.

Damn, knew we shouldn't have gotten a house this far down the street. Please just let them be okay-

"LOOK OUT!" he heard someone from nearby yell out. He didn't have time to stop before the entire sky suddenly lit up like a bonfire. Keeping a steady pace he looked up and was horror-stricken when he saw what looked like a dragon made completely out of fire flying straight towards his position. The hellish beast let out a booming roar that threatened to shatter his eardrums before letting loose a colossal torrent of fire from its mouth and raining it down on the buildings below, leaving behind a blazing trail of hellfire in its wake. His horror only increased when he saw that the fire was steadily making its way towards the position of his home. If his family were still inside then there was no way that they would be able to survive the incoming torrent of death. Despite his legs begging for rest, the mere thought of his family burning alive in his own home pushed him far beyond his breaking point. With a surge of pure adrenaline, he sprinted past the last remaining houses before skidding to a sudden stop as the familiar sight of his front porch came into view. He quickly jumped his way up the front steps before practically barreling his way through the front door and into the sanctity of his own home.

"MARIA! ISABEL!" he screamed frantically as he searched high and low for any signs of his wife and daughter. Each moment spent finding them only increased his anxiety to new levels. His family weren't anywhere to be found. His labored breathing became rapid as he search high and low for anywhere they could be found. Finally he slammed open his daughter's bedroom door and noticed that it was a mess. Everything looked thrown out of place, her toys were all over the floor and her bed covers were hastily thrown off the bed.

She must've been sleeping when everything went to hell he thought. He noticed with a slight measure of amusement and relief that her prized teddy bear was nowhere to be found. She never let that thing out of her sight ever since I bought it for her. Least that means she and her mother got out in time. Now I just need to get out before-

He didn't even have time to move before a stream of fire broke through his daughter's bedroom window and bathed the place in its hellish blaze. The entire house shook as though hit with the force of an earthquake, causing him to fall back and yell out in agony as his entire left arm was consumed in the flames. He wasn't able to douse the intense heat of his sizzling skin as his entire house suddenly collapsed out from under and on top of him. He back nearly broke as he struck a piece of rock, his ribs cracked and some even broke as tons of debris landed on top of him. Finally, like a lid on a casket, his entire roof collapsed on top of him. His only saving grace being two halves of a large stone pillar that he had landed in between catching the majority of the wooden roof, saving him from a grim fate of being squashed to death by a full ton of flat wood.

Unfortunately he didn't have the privilege of celebrating his near death experience as the world around him began to fade into darkness.

Maria…Isabel... his only lasting thoughts were of his lovely wife and beautiful daughter. And though he physically couldn't, he prayed. He prayed for their safety. He prayed that they had somehow gotten through this whole disaster safe and sound. He prayed that they were alright and far away from this hellhole. But most importantly, he prayed that they would live out the rest of their lives in safety and peace knowing full well that he wouldn't be there to live it with them no matter how much he wished it to be.

…please be safe.

…

…

…

"Hey, hold on a second! I see someone buried under there!"

"Son of a bitch! Hurry! Get him out of there!"

"Holy shit…look at those burns! We need to get this guy a medic on the double!"

"Looks like he has some broken bones too. No way his arm and legs should be able to bend that much. And look at the bruising on his chest. Might also have some broken ribs. It's a miracle this guy's still breathing."

"Thank you for the observations Captain Obvious, now quit your gawking and get this guy to the medical tents! NOW!"

"Sir, yes sir!"

CROCUS, FIORE (TWELVE HOURS AFTER THE ECLIPSE GATE IS OPENED)

…Hello darkness, my old friend…

WE COMMEMORATE THIS WALL IN LOVING MEMORY OF THOSE WHO WERE LOST IN THE DEVASTATION

BEATRICE MACHIEVELLI

JOHNATHAN MOORE

HENRY DOROS

ANNABETH LÉROASCH

LILLIAN FLAVIA

MAXWELL ARTORIUS

KIZUNA FIRENZE

NAPOLEAN CONSTANTINE

…I've come to talk with you again…

"We are gathered here today to mourn those we have loved and have lost. The devastation brought upon us by the dragon attacks has left our once great city in ruins has taken many lives in the process. Our hearts go out to those who have not only lost their loved ones but also to those who were lost themselves during this time of absolute crisis. Rest assured that those-"

…Because a vision softly creeping…

The world around him was just as silent as he was. The very sky itself seemed to cry for the people of the kingdom as light droplets of water rained over their heads and onto the charred ground below. Though the rest of the world was sad and in mourning he, however, was not. He had already done his fair share of mourning and crying when the news was first delivered to him. As if the burns in left arm and broken bones weren't cruel enough, fate seemed to have other ways of making him suffer.

MARIA ALEXANDRIA

ISABEL ALEXANDRIA

…Left its seeds while I was sleeping…

"-whose names have been engraved in this stone wall shall never be forgotten as long as we live. We must honor their memory by standing together not only as a kingdom but as one people. This attack may have bent our spirits today but it will never break them as long as we stand together as one."

There was no priest at the service. Instead the King himself saw it right to oversee the entire event not only as a mass funeral but also as an address to the people of Crocus. The minuscule King was standing on top of a podium directly in front of the endless crowd of mourners. His daughter and the Chief of the Royal Guard were both standing at his right while dozens of knights stood at perfect attention further away from the other two. Gathered at the front end of the crowd near the King and his entourage were the various Magical Guilds that had participated in the Grand Magic Games. Like the rest of the silent masses, they too had their heads bowed in mourning and respect, the banners of the respective guilds fluttered lazily in the wind.

…And the vision that was planted in my brain…

…Still remains…

He almost couldn't believe that they were gone. After he had been given the news shortly after he woke up in one if the medical tents, it was like he had instead awoken into a nightmare that he had no chance of escaping from. His family was gone. They were gone from this world with absolutely no chance of coming back. He didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to either of them. Never again would he hear the sweet, melodic voice of his wife wishing him a good day at work or the feeling of her soft lips against his cheek. Never again would he ever hear the innocent giggling of his baby girl as he picked her up and placed her on his shoulders or her exited cries of delight as she discovered the dozens of presents that were left for her under the brightly lit tree at Christmas time. He wouldn't see their smiles, wipe their tears, or make any more joyful memories with them. His family was gone forever.

He would never see them again.

He knew he should've been crying. Wailing, even, to the skies above. He should have been screaming about how unfair it was or cursing the gods above for not taking him instead of his wife and daughter. He was the one who was nearly dead. He was always the one who was in constant danger due to being a knight of the Royal Guard. It should have been his name that was engraved on that stone wall, not his family's. And yet here he was, standing alone amongst thousands of people of who had also lost someone important to them.

He knew he should have been feeling something but the truth was he felt nothing. He had already done his fair share of crying back when he was still bedridden. He even vehemently tried to deny it at first, trying to tell himself that there was no way they could be dead. They had to have made it out he kept repeating to himself inside his head. They just had too.

All of that changed when he had first laid eyes on the pair of battered corpses that used to be his family.

He had nearly thrown up right then and there. An entire building which had been on fire at the time had been dropped right in top of them as they were being evacuated out of the city. The building's supports eventually gave out which had caused it to come tumbling down on a group of civilians and a squad of knights. Everyone who hadn't been able to escape in time had been crushed and killed instantly due to the several tons of rock, burning wood, metal, and shards of glass. And it just so happened that his family had been two of the people unlucky enough not to get out of the way in time.

The only small amount of relief he got (if you could call it that) was that it had been an instant death, which meant that they at least hadn't suffered in their final moments.

He should have felt something but the truth was he felt nothing. Because half of himself had also died under that building.

…Within the sound of silence…

"That is why I swear this oath to all of you here today that I, King Toma E. Fiore, ruler of Crocus, will not rest until our great city prospers ounce again! With your help along with the help of all the Magical Guilds who risked their lives to save ours, we will not only build it back from the ground up but we will also make it stronger than ever! I swear to you all that never again will our kingdom come into such ruination as it has today! Never again will we have to mourn the deaths of our loved ones! So I ask you this, great people of Crocus! Will you stand not only by each other's side but by me as well?! Will you help me in this grand endeavor to bring this great kingdom back to life?! WILL YOU JOIN ME?!"

What was once a mass of depression and sadness soon erupted into cheers and claps. As far as the eye could see, people were raising their fists into their air and chanting an endless cacophony of "YES, YOUR MAJESTY!" along with other valiant cries of hope and determination. Tears of sadness were soon replaced with tears of joy as people from all over the kingdom gave praise to their brave rulers. Even the guilds had once been at each other's throats during the Magic Games were erupting into cheers and some even clasped each other's shoulders or shook hands as a sign of friendship and hope for a better future.

All while he, himself, continued to silently stand among the cheering masses. Not once did he even attempt to rejoice with his fellow man.

You people make me sick. Look at all of you, cheering for a hopeless future that will never come into fruition. All while your children, parents, and friends are rotting in the ground.

He was supposed to feel something but still he felt nothing. Not even as the deafening roar of the people still surrounded him.

But that all changed as soon as his empty eyes landed on the Princess of Fiore, who had her hands clasped together in front of her and was staring out into the endless crowd with a bright smile on her face.

He was supposed to feel something. And as soon as his eyes caught sight of that smile he soon began to feel something that quickly overflowed the emptiness that surrounded his entire being.

Pure, indescribable, rage.

This is all your fucking fault, you little whore. If you hadn't opened that damn gate in the first place then all of those people mounted on your little wall, my family, would still be alive. All of this death and destruction is your fault yet you have the fucking nerve to stand there and smile like none of it ever happened.

His teeth gnashed together and his fists tightened to the point of showing bone as he glared at the Princess with barely restrained fury. His glare soon shifted over to the small King, who had his hands up in the air as he cheered along with his people.

You're to blame for this too, you arrogant little shit. You could've stopped this. You could've ordered your whore of a daughter to not open the gate. Or better yet, you could've buried that damn thing a hundred feet in the in the dirt were it would never see the light of day ever again. But no. Once again you chose to ignore your duty as a King and decided to act like a fucking toddler by playing dress up in that ridiculous Halloween costume. What the hell ever made me decide to serve under some deluded old midget is beyond me. But no more. I'm not going to waste my time protecting some ignorant royals who refuse to see the error of their ways or the consequences they bring.

With that last thought, he turned around and hastily pushed his way through the crowd, whose deafening cheers had soon died down and were slowly but steadily making their way back to their homes, eager to start rebuilding not only their homes but the peaceful lives they had lost.

However just before he left, he took a quick moment to look back over his shoulder and cast one more murderous glare towards the Princess, who was currently conversing with a pair of girls with blonde and white hair.

Go ahead and celebrate your little pyrrhic victory for now, 'Princess'. But mark my words, Hisui E. Fiore that the next time I see you I'm going to fucking bury you and your little puke of a father for what you did to my family. On this I swear as a former Knight of the Royal Guard to the now fallen Kingdom of Crocus.

And it is with that solemn vow made to himself that the man known as Brutus Arteria Alexandria, former Knight of Crocus and once defender of the Royal Family, disappeared into the crowd like a ghost among men. For that was all he was anymore, a mere ghost who had lost all in life and was left to wander aimlessly amongst the living. And he was just fine with that. All that he had loved and enjoyed in life had been violently stolen from him. Now he was simply a shadow of the man who once existed. A simple face in a crowd of thousands who could be seen one instant then forgotten in the next. And yet he was fine with this. He had always been somewhat of shadow for his entire life. That was until he had met his beautiful Maria, whose smile shined like the sun and casted away the shadow. She not only gave his life purpose but she had also given him a daughter. And he swore from the second he held her in his arms that he would protect her with all of his being.

But he had failed. Not just with his daughter but with his wife as well.

And it all began with the Eclipse Gate.

He had once heard someone say that magic was the source of all beauty in the world. That it was magic that made the world what it was today and without it, the world would surely be brought to its downfall. It was because of magic that all living things existed and where all source of purpose could be found.

How wrong they were.

Magic wasn't what brought beauty into the world and it sure as hell wasn't the source of all life. It was a dangerous abnormality that brought nothing but chaos and needless destruction. Magic is what had turned the ancient and powerful human known as Achnologia into the wretched and evil beast that it was known as today. It was what the Black Wizard Zeref had used to create demons and usher in an age of unspeakable evil and darkness. It was magic that had caused those dragons to attack Crocus and almost bring the once thriving kingdom to its knees.

It was magic that had killed his family.

As far as he could remember he had never really been a fan of magical practice in any sort form. He had preferred to living his life the old fashioned way by doing everything with his bare hands rather than constantly relying on magic to do it all for him. To him it just didn't seem like something that should be used in a person's everyday life. He had even been a little worried one time when his daughter told him she wanted to be a powerful mage like all of those others in the Magic Guilds, but he had eventually relented because it's what made his daughter happy. And nothing was more important to him than his daughter's happiness. So he pushed aside his own personal grievances and would support his daughter one-hundred percent of the way.

But then the time came when the Princess opened the Gates of Hell and suddenly his daughter's dream of becoming a powerful mage were nothing but a fleeting memory.

Magic wasn't beauty at all.

It was Madness.

And he, alone, would defy everything and everyone who stood in his way if it meant putting an end to it.

[SOMETIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE…OR IS IT?]

"Why did you kill her?!" she screamed in hysteria as she as she fell to her knees near the corpse that was less than a foot away from her. The blood that pooled around her moistened her legs but she hardly payed any attention as her hands flew to her mouth in shock as she stared at the motionless and mutilated body in front of her.

The other person at the far end of the room stopped near the opened door. Not once did they make an attempt to turn around. "I told her that I would kill her if she got in my way. It's not my fault she chose not to listen." Their voice was so cold that it was comparable to a glacier. None of it held even an ounce of the warmth it once used to possess.

"She was just trying to help you! What you're doing is wrong! YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO KILL HER!" her voice rose to a near screech as her she stared at the back of the retreating figure. Tears were pooling down her eyes like a waterfall and she shook as if the room was surrounded in ice.

Which may not have been completely wrong considering the fact that the body in front of her was a cold as ice.

The person continued to face away from her, not once looking back. "You're right. I didn't have to kill her, but I did anyway. Because she would have just kept getting in my way. I told you all that I was going to see this through to the end and that I wasn't going to stop no matter what. I gave you all a chance back then to listen to me, including her. And instead of heeding my warning she once again decided that she had to be the one to try and save the day." They gestured back to the body, still unwilling to turn around. "And now look where that's gotten her."

"YOU'RE INSANE!" she screamed as she cradled the body in her lap. "A MONSTER! YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN THE PEOPLE YOU HUNT AND MASSACRE LIKE DOGS!"

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the figure slowly turned around and glared at her with their dark eyes. "You're right again, I am a monster. But you can't deny that what he said held some truth to it. I may not agree with all of his methods but I do agree with the fact that there are people out there whose sins are far too great for them to be forgiven. This world that we live in is far too forgiving and that's why it's easier for them get away with the things they do. I believe that this world needs people like me and him who are willing to make the hard calls for the good of everyone else. Call me a monster, a demon, a hypocrite, I don't care. But I'm not going to stop just because you or anyone else think otherwise. I agree that it's not the best or only path to take but it's definitely preferable then letting them live only to make me regret it later on."

Before she could say anything else, the person suddenly tossed the object that they had been holding near the body. She flinched each time a resounding metallic 'clank' echoed throughout the room. "I already made that mistake once, and I will not let it happen again. Never again." The figure then turned back around and walked out the room, grabbing the door knob along the way out. "I'm going to say this one last time so make sure you're listening; Stay out of my way or I won't hesitate to kill you as well. Don't follow me. Don't come looking for me. And don't even think about trying to stop me, because I'm not stopping for anyone. Not even you."

And with that final note, the figure closed the door and disappeared, leaving the girl a sobbing and bloody mess and stared through tears at her reflection that projected off of the bloody, discarded knife.

Not everything is set in stone. One single event, no matter how small, can turn even the most unyielding futures into nothing but mere scribbles in the sand.