Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail
The doors to the Fairy Tail guild hall burst open, the familiar sight of the Rune Knights greeting them all. Within, everyone did their best to continue on as normal. Mira kept serving drinks for the others, while Cana showed off her drinking prowess by outdrinking everyone inside. Even Makarov couldn't beat her, and the short old man was known for getting more drunk than any man in the guild.
Leading the raid was Lahar, a strict man with black hair pulled up behind his head. He frowned at everyone within, turning towards Mira who smiled politely and waved at him from within. "Where is your Master this time, Fairy Tail?" he demanded, pulling out a scroll from his robes. "I have it on file that your guild has still neglected to update us on the status of the selection of your next master. If you do not select one by the end of the week, we will be forced to expel Fairy Tail from the official guild roster and disband the wizards gathered here."
Smiling, Mira nodded and walked forward. "Of course, but I thought we told you who our Master was the last time you were here?" she commented, frowning as she gazed around. "Wasn't it…oh, that's right, Happy was the Master we named for you!"
In response to her words, a flying blue cat landed by her side with a wide grin, saluting Lahar. "Aye! Fairy Tail's third master, here and reporting for duty!" the cat stated. The captain scowled at the creature, closing his eyes and pushing his glasses further up his face.
"What kind of a fool do you take me for? A cat is not a wizard, that creature is not even fit to be a member of a wizards' guild, let alone the master." Lahar stated tersely. "This is the fifth time you've named a false leader for us. First, you claimed your former leader still remained. Based on our records," Lahar began, glancing down at the scroll in his hands. "That would make this…Spriggan nearly one hundred and fifteen years old, an impossibility through sheer logic. When we requested a proper update, you then gave us the name of Ichiya, a member of Blue Pegasus. Going in to the others…an obvious fake name, a mere child named Romeo…and now, a cat."
Cana put her drink down, wiping off her mouth and glaring over at the rune knights standing in their guild. "Hey, do you have a problem with us? Tell you what," she began, smirking as she slammed two mugs down in between them. "If you can outdrink me, I'll tell you who the real Master is around here."
Sighing, Lahar turned towards his knights and waved his hand in the air, gesturing for them to leave. "One more day, Fairy Tail. If you give me another false name tomorrow, I will hasten the demise of your guild. Many on the Council agree with me, your guild is far more of a burden than a help to our society at this point."
The crowding footsteps slowly faded away as the rune knights left. The guild began to return to its normal activity. Macao and Wakaba were grinning and checking out Mira while she served drinks. Erza, sat quietly in the corner, enjoying a piece of strawberry cake. Happy flew around, laughing as he joined his best friend within the guild, Lisanna. She was sitting next to her brother, Elfman, who was challenging Gray to a duel.
Glancing around, Mira walked back behind the counter, disappearing into the back room for a moment. When she returned, a young boy followed after her with a slightly amused smile on his face. "Hey, the Master's back out!" she shouted. A few cheers echoed around, before Mira turned towards him with a slight frown. "Did you think we did well again this time, Spriggan?" Mira asked him, gazing out over the others.
With dark black robes covering most of his body, Spriggan seemed quite dark for such a bright crowd. His white sash-like cloth, draping across his torso, seemed to make up for his darkness, but his mind was closer to the darkness of his robes than the brightness of the sash. "We shall see. I do believe this will not go over well…perhaps it is time for my 'son' to take over." he suggested.
Frowning, Mira glanced at the counter and sighed. "I wish it would work…the other masters already know your face. Once they see you, it'll all be over." she commented.
Taking a glass from behind the counter, Spriggan, or as he was more commonly known, Zeref began to pour himself a drink. "I see the dilemma. Is there someone you'd recommend, then? The title must be passed on in name alone…unless….perhaps we could become a dark guild."
Gasping in surprise, Mira stared at Zeref with wide eyes. "No…you said you did not want to go down that path again. That was what pushed you to us, wasn't it? From the stories I've heard…dark guilds from all over the continent sought out your power. They wanted to know the secret to your long life…and to your ability to create living creatures from nothing, an art known as Living Magic."
Chuckling, Zeref began to take a sip of his newly made drink. "Yes, that is quite correct." he informed her. "Even so, I simply wished to avoid other dark guilds. Founding one on my own, however, is another matter entirely. Fairy Tail, led by their Spriggan leader onto a path of darkness and despair…it seems quite fitting, does it not?"
Walking up towards the counter, Lisanna took a seat and frowned as she overheard his comment. "Zeref, you know why we have to do this." she stated quietly. "We're wizards, we need to be an official guild to keep taking jobs. It is how we make a living, because unlike you, we don't have massive empires funding our every action." she commented, smiling light-heartedly at the mention of his status within the Alvarez Empire. "Is there really something terrible about letting someone else lead the guild, even if it's in name alone?"
Quietly gazing at the counter, Zeref frowned. "This guild…it belongs to Mavis. I cannot…it must stay how she envisioned it becoming. I am the only one who knew her personally, the only one who can shape this guild into what she desired it to be." The sadness in his tone made both sisters turn away. Neither of them knew Mavis personally, but their master's love for their first master was known to all members of Fairy Tail.
Slowly smiling, Lisanna covered Zeref's hand on the counter. "Well, then why not continue leading us, then? I'm certain the Council will understand when you—" she began, but Zeref glared harshly at her, stepping towards the counter and leaning forward into her face.
"I am not informing anyone of this power, Lisanna. Who am I?" he asked quietly, demanding an answer.
The girl swallowed, leaning back slightly at the dark look in his gaze. "Z-Zeref. The Black Wizard Zeref."
Smiling, Zeref leaned back and raised an eyebrow at Mira. "Exactly, and tell me, just where does the Council believe me to be?" he added.
Biting her lip, Mira tried to shoot Lisanna a sympathetic glance before speaking. "Dead, Master. That is why we call you Spriggan…because if anyone learns of your true identity, Fairy Tail will be hunted down and imprisoned for treason." she stated calmly.
"This is why only people we trust are allowed to join…and why finding our next Master is inconsequential in the end." Zeref stated darkly, raising his glass towards his mouth. "If we attempt to falsify our next Master, we will be arrested for falsifying records. If we do not identify a new Master, we will either cease to exist or become a dark guild. Or, finally, we can identify our true Master, myself, and we will all be imprisoned and likely perish for hiding my existence from the world. Logically, the answer is quite simple, if we wish to survive and maintain the family Mavis once created."
Lisanna and Mira joined Zeref in gazing out over the guild. All of them bore similar expressions of sadness, with a resignation in their gaze. "You see, I have thought this over for quite some time. I may not be the tactician Mavis was, but I have seen many wars over the years and I know when it is time to retreat and await for a better opportunity. As of tomorrow, Fairy Tail will no longer be an official guild…instead, you will join me as we rise to become the most powerful dark guild in all of Ishgar, lead by the most powerful wizard this nation has ever seen." Zeref added darkly.
"What about those of us who are not willing to sacrifice so much?" Mira asked quietly. "Dark guilds…they murder and steal from others. Their only jobs are the ones official guilds refuse to take, because they involve illegal activities. If Fairy Tail becomes one of them, you do realize you will lose almost every wizard we have here."
Setting down his drink, Zeref began to walk out from behind the counter. A few wizards shot him looks of surprise, watching as he made his way to the center of the guild hall. A fight had broken out in the distance, with Gray and Elfman arguing over who was more powerful as a wizard. Seeing the battle. Erza rose to her feet and kicked both of them down, watching Zeref with a frown. "Master, is something wrong?" she questioned.
Smiling, Zeref lifted his head. Raising a single arm, he let out a shot of black magic towards the roof of the guild hall. The spell collided with the ceiling, sending one of the rafters falling down and collapsing at his feet. Wizards rushed to get out of the way, silence settling over them in an instant as they stared in shock at the man who was currently leading them. "Now, it is good to see I have your attention." Zeref stated quietly.
Everyone stared at Zeref. Cana looked impressed, taking a drink and smirking at him from her seat on the table. By her side, Makarov frowned, gazing into his own mug with lines of worry crossing his wrinkled face. In the table next to her, Macao and Wakaba clung to each other, their expressions transforming from fear into embarrassment as they realized what they had done while escaping Zeref's show of power. Erza stood behind Zeref, her arms crossed over her chest as Gray and Elfman slowly stepped closer to listen to Zeref's words.
"Our guild was established on a single premise, a question posed between two friends who were always of the same heart and mind." Zeref began, seeing others smile in response. "Bonds, ties…these things all keep us together as one, and allow us to remain connected to Mavis despite her current state. Now, the Council threatens to take all of this away from us. They claim I am dead, that it is impossible for me to live on. I ask you, Fairy Tail, is it impossible for a wizard to gain eternal life?"
"No!" came the chorus of shouts from the wizards, a few cheering and grinning at Zeref.
Nodding, Zeref let his head fall slightly, staring directly ahead of him. "I have lived for four hundred years. I have seen empires rise and fall, I have witnessed the era of war between mankind and dragons. In the end, no one knows better than I that everything must come to an end…that all things always end in death. Today, it is time for the end of another era, the era we are all familiar and comfortable with. I wish to ask of you, are you willing to do whatever it takes, to keep this family alive?"
Grinning, Gray turned towards Elfman and clapped the other man's hand. "Yes! It takes a real man to fight for his family!" the white haired man shouted.
"Shut up, you idiot! Not all of us are men, so tone it down a bit and let us ladies show you that we can fight for our friends too." Cana added, raising a drink towards Zeref.
Still looking concerned, Makarov slowly lifted his gaze towards Zeref. "This path…I fear it may be dark and lead all of our children down paths we would rather not face…but you may be right. There is only one way for Fairy Tail to continue on, as much as it pains all of us to admit it." he stated, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.
Erza nodded in agreement, turning her gaze towards her feet on the ground in silence. Lisanna and Mira watched from the counter, looking amazed at how well Zeref managed to command the wizards he lead. "Very well. As a master of dark magic, I shall help you in the transition over these next few months. It will be brutal, and you will not come out of this the same as when you started…but I promise you, Fairy Tail's name will live on. We will usher in an era of darkness and despair…in which the name Fairy Tail strikes fear into the hearts of everyone in the nation."
Alright, I got this idea not too long ago, and wanted to try it out. Essentially, this started out as me asking myself what Fairy Tail would be like if Zeref was the guild master, but then I decided to tweak it a bit further. What if Zeref was the master, and Natsu had never joined? Thus, this story was born. I don't have a lot of it planned out, and I wanted to post this just to get an idea of if anyone was actually interested in seeing me continue with this story. I probably won't update this story for a while, until I get an idea of what I actually want to do with it and if I have enough readers to warrant investing a lot of time into planning it out (I'm working on a ton of stories right now, in addition to work and school).
In terms of pairings, I am leaning towards Natsu X Zeref eventually, but it isn't set in stone until I actually finish it (if that ends up occurring, Zeref and Natsu will not be brothers. This is an AU, and I'm not a huge fan of writing incest). For some reason, I've found myself drawn towards that pairing after reading V. Shalyr's stories on this site. Still, if anyone wants to try and convince me for something else, feel free to make suggestions!
Reviews will tell me if you are interested in reading more! The more reviews I get, the more likely I will be to continue on further!