More messages written at the end of the chapter so that I won't be cluttering this part. :D
Prologue: The Birth of an Assassin
"Seven years ago, the Ardent Flame fell against the Eternal Frost." The raspy voice began as soon as the person who came had reached the center of the archaic room. The air inside was chilly and was permeated with a spell of an ancient magic. The atmosphere in the room was much different from the outside, evidence of the lingering magic that mysteriously dwelled. "Seven years ago, a lot of people had to pay for the price." The voice continued, while the person listened. "They had to pay with their lives just because of it,"
The man shifted, seemingly troubled by the ominous words thrown to him. Strands of his dark locks jutted from the hood of his cloak, yet his eyes remained under the hem of the covers. The dark shadows continued to cover his expression, and, as gloomy as the air around him, he remained inscrutable at most. He remained silent though, and appeared to wait for the voice's additional words. It had been one of the rare moments that the guiding voice had spoken so many and he would not miss the chance to get as much input from the enigmatic presence.
"The Ardent Flame is the magic of all hope. It represent the very good that rests within the hearts of all living beings." The voice maintained, after it noticed that his listener were willing to wait. "It is the light that transcends everything and helps us achieve peace. However," the voice paused for a while. "The Eternal Frost is its enemy. The Eternal Frost is the power that could take away the Ardent Flame; the one that could destroy all hope." It said. "If the Ardent Flame is the fire that lights life among us, then the Eternal Frost is the ice that destroys that fire."
It was some disconcerting words, he could not deny. Even after the tragedy that happened seven years ago had long passed, the voice now repeated the warning that foretold the demise of hope itself. It appeared to him that something would happen again, that something dangerous would claim the very little bit of hope that remained within them. He raised his head slightly, as if trying to gaze at the source of the guiding voice – an owner which he had yet to see with his own eyes. The feeling inside became heavier as the time moved forward.
"Seven years ago, when the Eternal Frost overthrew the Ardent Flame, a particular guild had suffered the consequences. The evil of the Eternal Frost was even more powerful than the greatest magic that time, and all of them had to endure under the hands of death." The voice retold the story that happened back then. "When the Eternal Frost appeared inside you–" the voice now addressed the man who listened "–the evil grew inside you. And all you had to do back then was to murder everyone that stood up against the Eternal Frost; against you."
At that point, the hood that covered the man's face had been slid down to reveal a regretful expression. The pair of dark orbs conveyed the heap of guilt that welled inside him. Pain and sorrow spewed out from his irises, as if they had remained in them for all eternity. Just like what the voice said, he was the one who wielded the Eternal Frost – he was the one who have caused the tragedy seven years ago. "It is because of the Eternal Frost inside you that caused you to murder everyone you loved in Fairy Tail, Gray Fullbuster."
Gray looked ahead with sad and tired eyes. His hands curled into fist as he fought the feeling of remorse inside him. "That happened in the past," he answered, trying to sound so level and emotionless. "I know that it was by my hands that the mages from Fairy Tail had been killed. I killed them all back then, murdered them because I am simply too powerful." He continued. "However, just as you said, it all happened back in the past. The dead won't come back." Gray told the enigmatic voice. "I come here for repentance. I want to ask forgiveness for the lives I have taken myself."
"The dead won't come back," the voice repeated Gray's words. "But the horror remains," it added. The room yet again swirled with the ancient magic, flooding everything inside with some trickles of energy. "Everything is already lost until this point, dear ice mage. When the Ardent Flame was destroyed by the Eternal Frost seven years ago, all hope was lost. The death of Fairy Tail was the first bane to all that is good. As long as the Eternal Frost exists, the world will be swallowed in grief and sorrow. The world will have to suffer once more." The voice continued to say.
"It was a sin of the past," Gray answered. "But you are saying that the Eternal Frost inside of me is still a real evil until now," he noted. "I have tried everything to stop this evil inside me. And up to this point, I am still successful in controlling this cursed magic with myself." He defended himself. It was not the time for the voice to blame him, now that things have remained as good as it was now. "Are you trying to say that the Eternal Frost is a threat until now?"
"You killed your fellow mages from Fairy Tail seven years ago," the voice said, tone reverberating all across the room. "That itself is evil. However, the only real force that is stopping the Eternal Frost right now is the very fabric of time itself." The voice explained. "You have come to me in order to seek repentance and halt the growth of that evil magic inside you, but time grows weak in this very moment. The threat of the Eternal Frost spans everything – to everyone – not just this period, but of every timeline that occurs."
Gray was now curious. "What are you trying to tell me?" He looked around, for the voice that spoke to him came from all direction. He didn't have the idea as to where it was coming from. He still remained in the center of the room though, and waited for a response.
"There are two ways to defeat the Eternal Frost." The voice spoke. "Just two simple ways… find the Ardent Flame and hide it from the Eternal Frost. In order for the world's hope to survive, the Ardent Flame must be kept away from its natural enemy." The voice added.
"But the Ardent Flame had been destroyed seven years ago." Gray answered. "I know I destroyed it back then. It was the only thing that was stopping me from gaining much power and, in the end, I knew it was destroyed, together with the mages from Fairy Tail." He said, giving an impassive stare forward. "The Eternal Frost inside me is trying to control my will, but I'm doing my best to stop it." He told the voice, clasping his chest with his hand. "How can we save what cannot be saved anymore?" He posed; the logic behind those words easily noticeable.
"Do not be too naïve, Gray." The voice responded, tone now angry. "Even if the Ardent Flame cannot be found anymore, then what needs to be done is to destroy the Eternal Frost itself." It said, which made Gray looked wide-eyed. "That in itself is the greatest action one can do in order to stop the evil taint from brandishing this world. The destruction of the Eternal Frost will ensure that the people's hope will survive with the future." The voice said to Gray. The room glowed once again from the magic in the air; Gray did not pay any grand attention to it though.
"The day of your redemption comes, Gray Fullbuster. The very strands that keep time in one complex piece have been severed." The voice declared. "The tragedy that happened seven years ago will be repeated as part of the cycle – the cycle of strife between the Ardent Flame and the Eternal Frost." It made Gray shiver in fear. He had done everything possible just to prevent such tragedy from happening again. "That evil magic will once again wreak havoc to the innocent. But it will do so not in this timeline, but of another time." The voice added.
"What are you saying?"
"Gray Fullbuster, the Eternal Frost inside you will manifest in your past self."
"But that is—"
"In order to prevent the same tragedy from happening again, you need to destroy the Eternal Frost before it appears to your past self." The voice cut the ice mage off. "As have been said, your redemption will only come if you destroy the Eternal Frost yourself."
The implication hung dry upon the air. Gray's eyes were only grief-stricken, as the meaning of those words took force in battering his mind. It did not need the greatest thought to be recognized and—
"You need to kill your past self, Gray Fullbuster." The voice finally said.
The heaven was covered with pitch black clouds that day. Thunders rumbled from the distance. The winds howled with the symphony of the cold and bleak weather. It appeared that even nature mourned for the innocent lives that have been lost, even from those which disappeared seven years ago. There was no amount of effort or repentance that could erase the memory of that tragedy. Gray Fullbuster was then known as the murderer of the Fairy Tail Guild after it happened, and news spread like wildfire throughout the whole kingdom.
No, the heaven did not mourn for the dead. It mourned for him. Despite the fact that he was the murderer of his own family – Fairy Tail –, he was the living tragedy that was made from the time past. He was still living, yet his heart was already dead. He was not even struggling to live anymore, for it had been forfeited after he committed his sin. He was still living, yet his path was already set to the fiery depths of hell itself. Gray Fullbuster was a sinner, for the sin he had done could never be forgiven.
But redemption was still an option for him.
Gray blinked as he watched the clouds collect atop the earth. Lightning started to streak over the skies, creating lines of jagged light that would vanish as soon as it formed. Almost subconsciously, he brought up a seven-year old poster he kept with him from the moment that he destroyed his guild: it was just a simple drawing of his guild insignia. Every time he felt sad and lonely, he would sometimes take a peek at that poster. The memories were embedded in that simple image alone, and it gave him a slight feeling of relief. However, at that time, he was asking that image itself for an answer to his question. Finally, redemption was at hand. Finally, Fairy Tail would be saved.
When both lightning and thunder appeared, a single drop of white came down from the heavens, which was followed by countless more. The trickle of white, a newly fallen snowflake, had rested upon his palms after Gray reached for it. After some seconds, the lone snowflake melted under the warmth of his hands. "That is correct," he then muttered to himself, while he watched the flake turned into fluid.
"If there is one person enough to destroy the ice that makes you, then it will be me," he continued to speak to himself. "This has to be the decision to be done; there is no other choice." He slowly replaced the poster back to his pack and began to walk away from the location. "It's as simple as it looks like. In order to save Fairy Tail, in order to stop the Eternal Frost, all what I need is to do a simple thing," he said.
"I need to go back to the past and kill my younger self."
At that point, he decided that he would become his own assassin.
- End of Prologue -
Post-chapter warning and disclaimer: All writing errors you may have read above are my sins. Plus, I don't own Fairy Tail.
Hey, guys. This is a rewrite of 'The Ice Mage's Assassin.' To my readers of the fic, I'm really sorry for the lack of update. It's not really because I don't like to write it anymore, but I just felt that I need to make it better than before. With this, I'm probably going to announce Chap22 of the The Ice Mage's Assassin a grand cliffhanger (see the original fic in my profile). I'm really sorry for the change.
I'm trying to turn the 'The Ice Mage's Assassin' into a Dark!Fiction, similar to how I twisted some of the stories I wrote for other anime/manga. I feel that this story will become better if I made it this way. Perhaps, there will be some changes different from the original story, so let's just see how this one will perform. :)
And thanks for taking time to look at this rewrite! Thanks for reading, minna-sama! :)