Hello, people. I am back to writing! Honestly, I needed that 10 days break. I've been writing nonstop since September, so it was nice not to worry about having new chapters ready for a while.

I actually don't think this story is the right way to return to writing, but I've had the idea for so long that I just had to write it. I always like to picture scenarios in which Juvia's evil because she's a badass and I'd love to see her telling Gray off one of these days. That's not exactly what happens here, though.

I hope my explanations will suffice because I wasn't really in the mood to focus too much on the backstory, just the events happening in the present.

After the week I had, I needed to channel my emotions into productive work and well, this is the result.

WARNING: This isn't a happy story. In fact, it's the most depressing one I've ever written. If you're sensitive to topics such as murder and suicide, don't read.

Good luck! Don't forget to leave your comments.

Demons-Imagine Dragons

When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide
Don't get too close
It's dark inside
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide

It was the night of the Grand Magic Banquet, a week after Fairy Tail and other famous guilds had saved the world from the biggest threat since the Dragon War. Needless to say, everyone was immensely relieved that the fight was over, so they were more than glad to celebrate their victories against the dragons that had invaded Crocus.

It was supposed to be a night of happiness, joy, and bonding time. Or at least, that's how it started.

"Is everything alright, my love?" A soft voice called the attention of the ice mage, who was currently lost in thought, a smile on his face.

A week before, during the attack, he had finally realized his true feelings for her and had lost no time in telling her. The moment of his confession couldn't have been more poorly chosen, though, considering they were fighting off dragons.

Juvia had been caught off guard and he had seen a moment of indecision, which had confused him. But soon she was telling him that she loved him too and they were kissing for the first time, which felt amazing. It was the beginning of a new era for them, one in which they would let go of their pasts and focus on the (hopefully) bright future that awaited them as a couple.

"Yes, I was just thinking about how happy I am." Gray replied and she gave him a gentle smile.

They were currently in the castle as the Grand Banquet carried on, dancing together. He would have never thought that he would be dancing, in public, with someone. But Juvia had asked him and he hadn't been able to resist her.

"Are you really?" He nodded to her question before bringing her closer so that they could share another amazing kiss. He liked kissing her, hugging her, touching her.

"I love you." Juvia repeated and he sensed an urgency on her tone.

"Are you okay?" He worriedly asked and she put on a smile, although nervous.

"Yes." Her reply came out as forced as the smile and he suddenly had a bad feeling. "Just tired."

"Me too. Guess that gives us an excuse to escape this party soon." She laughed and he couldn't help but to smile as well. He liked seeing her happy, specially when he was the reason for it.

Gray was unaware, though, that very soon their happiness would vanish as everything he knew was turned into a hellish nightmare.

Unnoticed by the two lovebirds, a group of friends watched them from afar.

"Look at those lovebirds." Lucy smiled at the couple.

"They're disgusting." Natsu complained and the blonde raised an eyebrow.

"You just say that because you're jealous." Happy chimed in, smirking. Before Natsu could retort, Erza spoke next.

"As we should all be. They found happiness with each other, that's something we should all aim for." She wisely told them and Lucy sighed.

"If only it was easier." The others didn't have an argument for that.

"I still have a bad feeling." Carla told them, she and Wendy were sitting on a chair close to the trio.

"What do you think it means, Carla?" Wendy asked and the white exceed looked towards Gray and Juvia.

"Something feels off, I don't know what, but I can feel it." She told them.

"Have you had any visions recently?" Erza asked and she nodded.

"I told you the vision I had about the dragon's arrival, the fall of the castle and Lucy's pain." They nodded and she sighed. "A few days ago, there was a new one. It was similar, so I didn't pay much attention to it, but I have a feeling it might come true."

"What as the vision about?" Lucy asked and Carla's face turned to horror and fear as she told them.

Chaos. Destruction. Bodies scattered all around Crocus. Rain falling harder than ever, washing away the blood. The castle destroyed, the city wrecked and one lone figure watching it all happen from afar. Zeref.

"You're right, it's very similar to what happened. Except no one died." Erza replied, there was a thoughtful expression on her face.

"How are Gray and Juvia related to it?" Lucy asked. It was clear they were involved somehow, seeing as Carla kept glancing towards the couple.

"The rain. It wasn't natural, she was the one causing it." The exceed replied and Erza's eyes widened.

"But Juvia's in control of it now, since she met Gray she never caused the rain to fall." Natsu said and the red head swallowed.

"So that means something bad will happen to Gray. We have to warn them." She glanced in their direction once again, relieved to see they were hugging each other.

"Do you know when the vision took place, Carla?" Lucy asked and the white exceed looked worried.

"I'm not sure, but it was during a grand party. So chances are it'll happen tonight." Her reply left them all uneasy and afraid.

Before Erza could suggest that they spoke to master Makarov about it, it began. The rain. Falling hard on the castle windows, everyone could hear it. They were confused, seeing as Gray and Juvia were still embracing. Why was the rain falling if they were both safe?

"Juvia, are you okay?" Gray asked the bluenette in concern as she removed her arms from around him and stepped away. He could hear the rain falling and he knew it meant she was upset.

She didn't reply, instead looking around the room and there was a bittersweet expression on her face that worried him even more.

"Juvia?" She looked back at him and sighed.

"I am sorry." Her words shocked him. She sounded so sad, so broken. What was going on?

"Why? You've done nothing wrong." She laughed humorlessly and by then many people stopped dancing and stared at them. Their friends, with concern. The other guild mages, with interest. And the white exceed who knew something terrible would happen, with worry.

"Nothing wrong." Juvia repeated his words, her tone suddenly cold. "You don't even suspect it, do you?" She questioned and the ice mage felt uncomfortable at being watched, but replied nonetheless.

"What do you mean?" She shook her head, the rain falling harder by the seconds.

"You're clueless." Her tone was still cold and harsh and Gray was having trouble connecting this woman to the one he loved. She sounded like a completely different person.

"Then why don't you enlighten me?" He asked, starting to get angry.

"Even if I did, it's far too late now." She replied and this time there was pain clear on her face.

"You said yourself it's never too late." Gray replied and Juvia laughed once again.

"I said many things, most of which are untrue." He raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Why are you doing this now?" Her reply sent shivers down his spine.

"We've reached the end of the line, I'm afraid." Carla gasped as she came to a realization and Wendy stared at her in concern.

"It can't be." The exceed whispered as she recalled something from her vision.

A lone figure, standing by Zeref's side as he watched the destruction unfold. Her eyes were the same bright blue, but no longer full of love and life. Everything about her seemed faded, from the lack of emotion in her eyes to the paleness of her skin. She seemed to be nothing more than a ghost as she extended her hand to accept Zeref's own and climb onto the platform made of ice where he resided.

"Is it done?" He whispered, but Carla could clearly hear him.

"Yes." Juvia replied and he nodded before letting go of her hand.

"Good." Zeref replied before everything darkened.

The vision had ended and, for some reason, Carla had forgotten about it. But now that she remembered, the bad feeling she had been having increased as she realized that Juvia might be working for the enemy.

"The end of the line?" Gray asked and Juvia crossed her arms as she answered.

"It's strange. I always knew it was coming, but I would have never imagined that I would feel so…empty." He gave her another puzzled look.

"You're not making sense." Her look softened and she gave him a small smile.

"If I had time, I would explain everything clearly. But my orders were clear and I have to be fast." She uncrossed her arms and the rain was so hard by then that the only reason people could hear their conversation was because the room had fallen into a deadly silent.

"Orders? Whose orders?" Juvia raised an eyebrow.

"I think you know the answer." He shook his head, fear filling his heart as he considered the possibility. It couldn't be true, it just couldn't.

"No. NO!" He screamed and Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Gajeel and Levy pushed through the crowd so that they could approach the couple.

"Okay, that's enough!" Erza commanded and Juvia looked over her shoulder and gave them an unimpressed look.

"You're too nosy for your own good, do you know that?" She told them and they were taken aback by the harshness of her voice.

"You're the one who's yelling in the middle of the room." Natsu shot back and Lucy cast him a warning look.

"I don't mean now. If you knew better than to mess with things that aren't your business, we wouldn't be caught up in this mess." They were deeply confused, but also fed up.

"What the hell are you even talking about?" Gajeel asked and Juvia's stare was firm.

"Tenrou Island. Zeref. If you hadn't gone there, he would have never been awakened." The mention of the dark wizard caused the room to fall silent once again.

"How is it our fault?"Lucy asked incredulously.

"He had been resting there for hundred of years, away from humanity. Where he could harm no one and could live in peace as he desired. You disturbed that peace." Juvia explained and Gajeel took in a sharp breath.

"So you do work for Zeref." He stated and the bluenette said nothing, but her lack of denial told them everything.

"Oh My God!" Lucy took a step back, covering her mouth. She ended up crashing into Natsu, knocking them both on the ground. Levy, Erza and Gajeel didn't move and Gray, who had walked closer to his friends, stared at her in disbelief.

"Why?" He asked hoarsely. He felt so much pain in that moment he didn't know it was possible. He thought that losing her would be unbearable, but this was worse.

"At first it was an attempt to get information. I found the perfect opportunity to find out more about his plans." Juvia paused. "But Zeref's not stupid, he knew I wouldn't work for him without a good reason. So he gave me one."

"What could he have possibly said that would convince you?" Lucy wondered.

"He erased everything." She stated, making them stare at her in confusion. "My memories, my emotions, my feelings." She sighed yet again before looking towards the window. "Without them, I had no reason not to follow his orders. After all, he was all I knew in this world, the only person I could trust."

"That's bullshit!" Gajeel yelled angrily and Levy placed a hand on his arm to stop him from moving forward.

"Doesn't make any sense." Erza agreed with the iron dragon slayer and Juvia shrugged.

"That was a few months ago, right after we returned from Tenrou Island. As Zeref sent me back to Fairy Tail, for reasons I'll never understand, my memories returned little by little. But the same can't be said about my emotions." Another pause and Gray's heart was shattered. If she had no emotions, that meant she couldn't love him. She had lied.

"As I came to discover, faking emotions is quite easy, specially when you remember how they used to be. But I feel nothing. Happiness, sadness, anger; I don't know them anymore."

"That sounds horrible." Lucy commented and the bluenette shrugged.

"It's not all bad. Without emotions, I feel no pain. And the numbness allows me to think more clearly, act more wisely." She sounded so robotic they were having trouble connecting this woman to the laughing one from before. Was it all fake?

"So you've been lying for the past few months, about everything." Gray was glad that he sounded much calmer than he truly was.

"I'm sure if I could feel remorse I would regret it. I know I would have never hurt you before." She told him almost gently, but her face was as impassive as before. "But I've changed. Zeref's managed to eliminate the part of me that ever cared. I guess you could say he managed to defeat me."

"I don't believe that. You're stronger than that, I know you wouldn't have given up so easily." Gajeel said firmly.

"And I didn't. I fought it as best as I could, but it was no use. His power is superior to anything else and without being able to tell anyone about it, it didn't take long for me to just accept it." Gray shook his head, still in disbelief. Anger was still there and this time it was directed at Zeref. How dare he do this to Juvia, erase who she is completely. Erase her love for him.

"He'll pay for this, you can count on that." He told her and Juvia smiled for the first time since the beginning of their conversation. It was a somewhat sad smile.

"I hope he will, but you won't be able to do anything against him now." She approached him slowly and Gray stared at her tensely. She placed a soft hand on his cheek and her empty eyes stared at him. "I truly am sorry, Gray. I wish I could still feel the overwhelming love I had for you."

"I'm sure you still can. We can fix this." It was a promise, one he would never break. He would bring her back, no matter what it took.

"No, we can't." She turned her head away and looked in Gajeel's direction. The iron dragon slayer felt even more uneasy with her stare. There was an apology there, he could sense it.

"Juvia…" Gray said her name, he wasn't sure what he would say to her, but she didn't give him a chance to speak. Before he knew what was happening, she had leaned in and kissed him. He was taken by surprise, but took it as a good sign. So he kissed her back, intensely, passionately and lovingly.

The others watched, some with amused smiles, most still in shock from what they had learned. Carla was staring at Juvia with widened eyes, no words coming out of her mouth. She wanted to tell them about her vision, what it truly meant and what might happen soon. But she somehow found herself unable to do so.

"Nothing."Juvia whispered after she pulled apart. "I feel nothing." And his heart was broken once again. The ice mage silently watched as she stepped back and her eyes surveyed the room until she found what she was looking for. "Almost midnight. It's time."

Erza and Natsu were already in a defensive position, sensing that she would attack them. It was clear Zeref had ordered her to do something and since they hadn't been able to convince her otherwise, they had no choice but to stop her.

"Don't move." Erza warned while Gajeel pushed Levy behind him.

"I don't need to." Juvia replied simply before another sad smile came across her face. "You have no reason to worry, it will be over very soon."

"What?" Lucy asked, confused.

"If you think it through, I am doing you a favor." Juvia continued, as if she hadn't spoken. "The others wouldn't be as gentle, they prefer to torture their victims." The last word had Gray staking in a sharp breath.

"No. Don't do this." He pleaded and tried to step closer to her. She still didn't move.

"It's no use fighting, this is the end of the line." She raised one hand and before anyone could stop her, she had used her magic. To their surprise, it didn't hit them.

"The hell?" Gajeel asked in confusion.

"Look!" Lucy gasped and everyone stared at what used to be the ceiling. Juvia's magic had cut right through it and it had fallen, thankfully not on top of the occupants of the room.

"Strange. I thought you were going to kill us."Erza said, still in a defensive position.

"My method's not so violent. You were, after all, very important to me once, so the least I can do is make sure that your deaths are quick and painless." Her reply chilled them to the bone, the way she talked about murder without even blinking. Zeref had truly done a number on her.

"Juvia, please…" Gray started and she shook her head. The rain was now falling on them, though it felt different.

"Something's wrong." Natsu said as he looked at the black sky.

"I feel so tired all of sudden." Lucy's body nearly collapsed on him. Many people seemed to be experiencing similar symptoms.

"Lucy!" He yelled in concern before he stared at Juvia. "What the hell did you do?" She remained in place as the rain drenched her.

"I truly am sorry." She whispered just before Mirajane, Lisanna, Cana and Wendy dropped to the ground, unmoving.

"No!" Elfman tried to catch them, but ended up falling himself.

"They're gone." Laxus replied as he kneeled by Mira's side.

"You have to stop this!" Erza yelled at Juvia, who didn't flinch.

"It's too late to stop it now." Her face was still emotionless, no guilt or fear or even anger. Nothing. That's what she felt, that's what she had become.

More minutes passed and many bodied dropped. They couldn't believe what was happening. So many people were dead and it was all because of her. Who'd have ever thought that Juvia would someday live up to her reputation back at Phantom Lord of the cold hearted and emotionless woman who'd destroy others for no good reason.

They knew that they should've done something, tried to stop her somehow. But the rain had affected them all and it drained their strength and magic. It was useless fighting against it when it was everywhere. The only one who seemed to be unaffected was Juvia, probably since she had summoned it.

Unable to take it as his wife died, Alzack O'Connel ran towards Juvia, gun pointing at her head.

"Alzack, don't do it!" Warren warned him, but it was too late. The bullet went right towards Juvia's head.

She didn't move. She didn't dodge it. But it didn't kill her anyways. It went right through her body and hit Natsu right on the head. They stared in horror as the dragon slayer fell to the ground, bringing Lucy with him. Both dead. Gone.

"Natsu!" Erza screamed, horrified. She had placed on her strongest armor, but the poisonous water was had almost destroyed by then.

"No. God no." Alzack muttered, dropping the gun to the floor. He stared in shock at what his bullet had done before he too fell to his death.

"This is horrible!" Levy covered her mouth. She was hidden behind an iron barrier that Gajeel had built to protect her. Just as Erza's armor, the metal had began fading away as the rain was too strong. She was still safe, though.

Many people had taken cover underneath the tables and some even ran out of the castle, but it was no use. The rain was everywhere, there was no escaping it.

Quatro Cerberus, Mermaid Heel and Blue Pegasus had been eliminated. Most Lamia Scale and Fairy Tail members were falling by the seconds. The king of Fiore, his daughter and the prized soldiers who were in charge of their protection had been the first to go. It was the true definition of the apocalypse.

Juvia watched the consequences of her actions with that same impassive expression. It was unsettling, how she didn't react at all. The water mage herself was disgusted with what she had done, but it was too late to go back now. It couldn't be undone.

"Why…" Gray tried to ask her as he coughed. He could feel himself slipping away, but he fought against it with all his strength.

He tried to take a few steps towards her, only to fall to his knees. She finally moved, kneeling down in front of him. Her arms wrapped around him and she brought his head to her chest. He was too tired to pull away.

"Go to sleep now, my love." She whispered and as she gently caressed his hair, Gray knew he wouldn't be able to fight it for long.

"Why did you do this? Why did you give up? There must still be some fight left in you."

"I'm sorry. I wish things had gone differently, but it's no use fighting it. He's too strong and it can never be undone." If she was her normal self, tears would be falling by now. Deep down, she wished they were. Juvia wished that she could feel something other than this emptiness, this nothingness that was just as overwhelming as the love she once had for him.

Gray was almost unconscious by then, but he had one final wish before he died. It was illogical, but even after what he had learned, he still loved her. He knew it wasn't her fault that this nightmare was happening. After all, she had been stripped of everything that made her who she was. Turned to nothing but a shadow of that gentle girl he had saved countless times and who had loved him.

And Gray knew that, somewhere deep inside, she was still that girl. But she couldn't see it anymore because Zeref had destroyed her. Shattered her, piece by piece until there was nothing but an empty shell.

"I love you." He muttered as a pale hand touched her cheek gently.

"Why? I've destroyed everything. I'm a monster." Her face was filled with pain she didn't feel.

"No, if anyone's a monster here, that's Zeref." He was filled with anger, but he couldn't focus on that now. "That's why I forgive you. I know you didn't want it to come to this."

"I wish I could still love you." She admitted and a small smile appeared on his face.

"I believe you still do, somewhere inside." He stopped talking as breathing became too difficult as his vision started to blurry.

In a final decision, Gray lifted his head up a little, looking deeply into her empty blue eyes. She understood his wordless request and helped him sit up so that they could share one last kiss. It was sweet and desperate and ended too soon when he fell on top of her.

For a few minutes, she ran her fingers through his soaked black hair while holding onto his lifeless body. She didn't cry, didn't get desperate now that he was gone. Instead, a calmness overtook her as she realized that it was almost over. Soon she would be able to escape this empty prison and be free from Zeref's control.

"I can't believe you did this. You killed them. All of them." A voice called and she looked towards Levy, who sat down a few feet away by Gajeel's body. The iron barrier had long since collapsed and she was moments away from falling like everyone else had.

"Neither can I." Juvia whispered quietly, letting go of Gray and standing up as she eyed the room. There was no one left now, only Levy. "Zeref's plan is completed. My job here is done."

"What are you going to do?" The other bluenette tiredly asked, not really caring as she watched the water mage walk across the room.

"The rain won't kill me like the others. It doesn't affect me." Juvia explained as she reached the table where Lamia Scale members had been hiding, barely looking at the bodies of Lyon and his friends.

"But I won't stay here. I can't!" That said, she picked up a sharp knife that was on the table and Levy understood. She would kill herself because she couldn't possibly live with what she had done. Considering the circumstances, Levy didn't blame her.

Juvia walked back to where Gray's body was and sat down, holding onto the knife. "It's finally over." Those were her final words because the knife was plunged into her heart and her broken body fell to the floor. It wasn't long before she faded away like everyone else and became part of the nothing their world had become.

That's it. I wasn't expecting it to be that depressing, but as I was writing, the angst just kept coming. I don't think I've ever written such a dark story where pretty much everyone dies. I'm usually a sucker for happy endings, but sometimes you just want to destroy the world.

Here I incorporated Zeref as he is in Connections, with his belief that humanity must be eliminated. Sometimes I just can't help but agree. After all, we can argue all we want but in the end, humans have done too much damage to this world and I hate to believe that we'll end up destroying it one day. I hope I'm not still here when that happens.

Pessimistic views aside, what did you think? Were Gray's reactions too OOC? And do you think the ending was fitting?

Now that "it's finally over", as Juvia said, it's time to go back to Connections. Chapter 19 is already partially written and it will be posted by the end of this week. (A few nice comments would help. Did no one read chapter 18?)

Thanks everyone for reading this Shakespearian tragedy. I hope you don't come out too traumatized from this story.

I wish you all have a nice week!