A gentle breeze swept through the meadow, filling the air with the sound of rustling leaves. The tall grass swayed in the wind, making ripples like the surface of disturbed water. Birds chirped far in the distance, and the sound of the living was a constant presence.

Zeref pitied all of it.

His back was pressed against the rough bark of a healthy tree, his hands clasped to pillow his head. He looked up at the clear sky and sighed, wondering why such a pointless thing existed. The grass swished around his legs with another breeze, but he could barely feel it. Through half-open eyes, he stared at the thriving scene before him.

He could destroy this all in the blink of an eye.

"What a power to be cursed with…" he muttered to himself.

The bush next to him suddenly quivered. Zeref jumped up with surprise, immediately backing away. Neither the trees nor the grass was shaking, meaning that the bush wasn't being blown by the wind. Which, in turn, meant that something living was causing it to move.

"No…I don't want to hurt anyone else." The bush shakes more violently still. He squeezed his eyes shut, holding his hands out in a universal gesture to stop. "Stay away! It's not safe here!"

The rustle of branches stopped abruptly. Zeref slowly opened one eye. A tiny little girl with silvery blond hair stood before him. Little wings stuck out from either side of her head like ears, giving her a fairy-like appearance. Though her dress was frilly and elaborate, her feet were completely bare. She watched him calmly as he lowered his hands and faced her.

"A person? Who…?" Zeref asked.

The girl blinked with slight bemusement before smiling. "My name is Mavis Vermillion, Fairy Tail's first guild master."

"Fairy Tail?"

"You're trespassing on our sacred land, but that can easily be forgiven. Who are you, kind stranger?" she asked.

He looked down at his hands, and was not terribly surprised to see them shaking.

"I am not kind…nor should I be forgiven," he said in a wavering voice. He looked up into the flat, green eyes of the girl. "I am the Black Mage Zeref. I apologize for intruding upon your land. I promise that I will leave, so please…don't come near me."

Mavis tilted her head in a gesture of curiosity.

"The Zeref? Really? I heard you died over—"

"Four hundred years ago, yes," he interrupted, edging away slowly. "Those rumors were false. Though, I had wished they would come true with all my might. I am still alive, and the power inside me is still capable of destruction."

But instead of retreating with horrified fear, Mavis smiled faintly and started walking towards him. Zeref backed away hastily, wanting nothing more than for the girl to run away. There was no way he could have the blood of such an innocent person on his already tainted hands. His foot hit a tree root in his rush to get away, and he fell hard on his back. Mavis blinked at his reaction and stared at him with a puzzled expression.

"You…you're not afraid of me?" he asked, pushing himself up on his elbows.

"What is there to fear?" she replied.

"If you've heard of me before, you should know all the terrible things I did. I've killed thousands of people, destroyed dozens of towns, and even created a handful of demons to serve under me. And now, with my control withering away, my power can break free at any given time." His eyes shut, and Mavis watched as tears squeezed through. "I can never keep living company for long. None of them can withstand my curse."

The wind stopped. The distant calls of wildlife cut off without a warning. A violent chill cut down Zeref's spine, and his head suddenly weighed a ton. A high, keening sound cut through his mind, abrupt and painful. The ground started spinning under him, and he felt himself sway on the spot.

"No…not now."

But it was already here. He pressed his palms against his temples as if that would hold it in, but it was no use. The black aura gathered around him in a deadly sphere of death until the girl was a hazy image. He screamed for it to stop, but the force had never listened to him before, and it was not about to start now. He could only watch helplessly as his deadly magic burst out of him in a sickening wave, killing every living thing in its path. Trees withered, grass dried, and leaves crackled into nothingness. Dust and dirt rose up everywhere, obscuring the once-peaceful scene with a filthy veil. It was a while before it settled to reveal the transformed forest.

Zeref fell back to the ground once more, drained and miserable.

"So I've taken another innocent life…" he said shamefully. "How many lives must be extinguished before this evil power is satisfied?"

"Are you planning to keep killing to find out?"

He jerked into sitting position to stare in disbelief at the fairy-like girl still standing in the exact same spot. There was absolutely no damage to her, and her smile was still in place.

"H-how did you survive that?" Zeref stuttered. He rubbed at his eyes to make sure he wasn't imagining it. "Nothing can take that magic and live!"

Mavis bowed her head and walked towards him with a slight flutter in her step. "That may be true, but your magic can't hurt me. Because I am already dead."

Zeref stared.

"You…you're not alive?"

"Sadly, no," she said, shaking her head. "I died a long time ago. My grave is down on the west side of this island."

He looked at his hands once more. He could talk to her, without killing her. For the first time in a long, long century, Zeref found himself smiling. The action felt remote and alien to him, but it was also warm and hopeful.

"I should be sad that you are gone from this world, but for some reason, I am glad that you are dead and my magic cannot touch you." He laughs softly. "I…truly am a sick and twisted person, aren't I?"

"One cannot answer that without having traveled in your shoes," she replies. "But if you despise yourself so much, why not stop? You yourself seem to know how dangerous you are. Then why not rid the world of such danger?"

"Are you saying I should end my own life?"

"You undoubtedly know that would be the logical explanation."

He frowned bitterly.

"I have tried that before," he said. "But it is impossible. There is only one force, one person powerful enough to destroy me. Until I meet that person, I must continue to live whether I like it or not. I am willing to wait, but I can't keep hurting others."

"So you've compromised by isolating yourself on this island," Mavis said with an understanding nod of her head.

Zeref found himself on his knees in front of the girl. "Please, I beg you. Let me stay here. I promise I will try my best to stay away from the creatures that live on this land. I will never intentionally taint the holiness of this island." Tears streaked down his face once more. "I have nowhere else to go. I don't want to kill people anymore."

"And what if people come here?" she asked. "Where will you go then?"

He searched for an answer. "I…will decide that when the time comes."

Mavis smiled brightly. "You may stay, but keep in mind this is still the property of Fairy Tail. If members are to set foot on this island, you are to leave immediately. The temporary eradication of the wildlife I will permit. But the loss of any Fairy Tail mage will not be taken easily." For a moment, her flat-colored eyes flashed with defiance.

Zeref could not help but flinch at her look.

"I promise I will leave as soon as I see these mages," he swore. "But I don't…I mean, being alone all the time is painful. Can we…meet again?"

She looked slightly taken back with his request, but then she made a sound Zeref had never heard before.

She laughed.

"Of course. I know how lonely solitude can be." There was a soft glow, then a flash of light. "Take care for now, Mr. Black Mage," she whispered.

When he opened his eyes, Mavis was gone.