Prologue: Body and Soul
Blood. The red iron-scented liquid gushed from the gaping wound. The red haired executioner stared down at the dying person with sadness, regret and love in her eyes, trying with all her might to justify killing the man she loved. But alas all she felt was shame; shame for not being able to find a way to save him from the darkness that had taken root since their traumatic childhood. She then knelt down and pulled the dying man into an embrace, tears running down her face and mixing with the blood on her hands. Voices started to cry out around the two persons, one such voice belonged to the dying mans' sister; who was being comforted by her boyfriend. The crunch of footsteps on the loose gravel battlefield, accompanied by the sharp sound of metal told them of the armies arrival.
However, instead of the General, the group were met by the wizard saint Draculos Hyberion, he was as usual sporting a dress shirt, dark slacks and a black cape, and he had his clean-cut black hair and moustache, well groomed. Looking down at the dying man Hyberion sighed before a green-blue magic circle appeared in front of him. The redheaded female was immediately on edge. "What are you..." she began, but she was cut off by the other woman's hand on her shoulder. "Lucy..." she began again, "Erza. I asked Draculos here because I knew that there was no other way to end this war except with my brothers' death" Lucy replied. "But I can use a spell that would encase him in a lacrima preventing death and allowing us time to think of a way to remove the evil god from him" Draculos stated. The air stilled as she took in those words, frowning a little as she knew that it was still unknown territory. Freezing someone in time was a rare magical talent but for her the question of how long would she have to wait for the renegade god to be exorcised from his body was the sticking point. "This is the only way" Lucy's boyfriend spoke, "we all want James back, but with the curse still active is problematic. With this we have time on our side". Despite their trying nature Erza reluctantly agreed, even though she believed that James was now forever lost to her. Tears ran down her face as she gave him one final kiss before Hyberion activated the spell "Time Sphere". Lucy held Erza's hand, whilst also being comforted herself by Gray, "we'll get him back" he whispered. The silvery-blue magic circle encompassed the fatally injured James Heartfilia, before instantly solidifying and turning into a giant forty metre high lacrima with James in the centre, "it is done. Death has been halted and now we have time to save him" Hyberion spoke.
Yet, what they didnt take into consider was the law of neutral existence; an ancient rule that time magic had to obey. And as a result of Time Sphere's usage, the physical body of James Heartfilia remained trapped in the lacrima in Ishgar, where as his mind and soul were given a new body as his old life was deemed by the ancient gods to be over, despite being frozen in time. So as James Heartfilia 'died', a child was born into the world thousands of miles away across the seas in the Goa Kingdom.