**I don't own Fairy Tail, Mashima does. All that good stuff.
Thanks to all those who read, reviewed, liked, and favorited this story!
Next update will be to "To Be Cherished." I've decided this story will be fairly short. I originally planned to make it a 20+ chapter story, and then I realized I have a ton of stories I'm working on already and I still haven't posted my NatsuxIrene story (which is one of the favorites that I'm writing so far - if anyone's curious about the basic plot you can see the story on the poll that's closed but still visible on my profile). So this will probably end up being no more than 10 chapters instead.
After "To Be Cherished" I plan to update "Chinks in Their Armor," which is well overdue for an update. And... eventually I'll get back to "Exploring the World with You" as well as writing a sequel to "24 hours" (If you don't like horror, don't read 24 hours, but the sequel is safe... mostly).
Anyway, sorry about all the notes. On to the story! **
After deciding to stick around for the remainder of this year's S-class trials, Zeref headed back to the base area where he joined Mirajane, Lisanna, and Juvia. He frowned when he noticed that Wendy, the young dragon slayer who recently joined, and Mest were both absent from the base camp. His understanding was that they'd ended up losing to Gray and Loke in the tunnels. As much as he believed that Gray and Loke were strong mages – well, technically Loke was a celestial spirit – the fact that Mest had lost to them even with the sky maiden to support him showed that he wasn't yet worthy of the title of S-class.
Zeref glanced over again to catch Mira eyeing him again. He smiled and waved to the white-haired take over mage, who blushed slightly and turned away. He couldn't deny that she was beautiful. As a model, she was one of the most desired women in all Fiore for a reason. And as a mage her strength was among the top 5 in the guild, certainly.
The other S class mages, Laxus, Ultear, Gildarts, and even Erza, had already departed, on a ship back to the guild. Ultear and Erza… The names reminded him of one of the reasons that many in the guild hated the black wizard. Erza, along with many others, had once been imprisoned at a "research" facility. Ultear was taken to the same facility when a man promised her mother that they could help cure the illness caused by her magic. If Zeref remembered right, Ultear said that her mother, who also happened to be Gray's teacher, discovered that the facility was tied to a dark guild. She decided to rescue her daughter from the facility, but in doing so gave her life fighting a member of the dark guild who oversaw the research. Ultear and Erza both recalled how the man had transformed into a terrifying demon, who they later discovered was a demon created by none other than Natsu, the black wizard.
In the aftermath of that event, the council had investigated the research facility. Zeref had researched the incident using everything from magazines and news from that time to books that were written by people connected to the members who conducted the examination. Most of the children that were imprisoned there were never found. Only Erza, Ultear, Simon, Millianna, Sorano, Erik, and a couple of others made it out safely. Of those, Erza, Ultear, Simon, Millianna, and Erik all joined Fairy Tail. Sorano, according to Erza, who was the only one he had finally gotten to open up to him about the incident, had gone off in search of her little sister Yukino. The other children she either didn't know or didn't know what became of them, except Macbeth, who she said went to find a guild more suited to his taste than Fairy Tail. Needless to say, Erza and the others who were imprisoned felt a deep hatred for the black wizard who was responsible for creating the creatures that imprisoned them and treated them like animals to be experimented on. That was why he was familiar with the name Natsu.
But Makarov's words troubled him. If what the master of Fairy Tail said was accurate, the creatures now known as the demons of Natsu were said to be only allies to humans in previous years. In fact, it wasn't until well after the black mage's disappearance and presumed death that they had become aggressive toward humans and labeled "demons."
Was it possible that some dark mage, taking advantage of the black mage's absence, had figured out the secrets to his creations and also figured out how to bend them to an evil cause? Beyond that, how did first master Mavis fit in? It was clear now that she had a close relationship with Natsu. And, the more Zeref thought about it, the more certain he was that she was trying to revive the black mage. Why would Fairy Tail's first master be involved in something like that?
"A yellow flare!" Mira's voice startled him out of his contemplation, and he looked to the sky. Sure enough, a yellow flare had come up on the beach, not far from their current location.
"Yellow… means something coming in…" Zeref pondered. They were currently separated from the beach by a large outcropping of rock, but it would take less than 10 minutes to get there if they hurried.
"Come on slowpoke!" Mira smirked, sticking her tongue out at him as she was already well out of the base camp. He took off after her at a sprint. When it came down to it, Mira was probably the fastest member of Fairy Tail in addition to being one of the strongest.
As soon as he came around the outcropping he could see the reason for the flare. A large airship was coming in, and coming in fast. Not only that, its approach was low, on a collision course with the beach.
Makarov came around, or rather over, the mountains at the same moment, his giant foot crashing down on the beach before he shrunk back to normal size. He stood there, staring at the approaching airship as Zeref and Mira ran up to the beach. Gajeel, apparently the one who had fired the flare, was already there.
Makarov looked out, then grew to his titan size, a grim expression on his face. As the gathering members of Fairy Tail arrived, each stopping to watch the spectacle before them, he caught the ship in his hands just before it crashed, slowing its descent to the ground.
Once the airship landed, Makarov returned to his normal, short size. "Zeref, Mirajane. Come with me." He said, and started up to the deck.
On the deck, they opened the door to the pilot house and went inside. There, in a large chair, an old, bearded man was slumped over, his gray hair falling over his face and hiding much of it from view. His clothing was in tatters, and bruises and lacerations were visible all over his body where the torn clothing didn't cover.
"Master Purehito!" Makarov said, his voice sounding alarmed as he rushed forward. Zeref followed close behind, with Mira right beside him. As they approached, the old man lifted his head with a groan.
"What happened to you?" Makarov asked as he reached the old man.
"Tartaros…" The word escaped his lips in a hiss of pain, and his head slumped forward, his consciousness slipping away again.
"Zeref, go find Wendy and bring her here at once." Makarov spoke with a grim tone as he turned to the dragon slayer. Zeref nodded, turning without question and heading back to the beach where the other members of Fairy Tail were gathering.
It wasn't long before he saw her. The young, blue haired girl raced toward the beach. Her partner, Mest, was already there, but that was to be expected with his teleportation powers. Zeref ignored the questioning look that Mest shot him and waved to the girl running toward him.
"Wendy! The master needs you inside right now! It's urgent!"
"C-Coming!" The girl called. Zeref almost laughed as he watched her trip, slamming face first into the sand. Despite her occasional clumsiness, Wendy was as good a team member and reliable a wizard as any others in Fairy Tail, and stronger than anyone else her age for sure. Yet she was still timid, though the white exceed that usually accompanied her made up for it with her sharp and fearless tongue.
The exceeds… Zeref missed Happy right now, but when the exceeds discovered that all their respective dragon slayer partners would be participating in the exams without them they had decided to take a little "exceed holiday" visiting some of their kin that returned with them from Edolas. Happy was, perhaps, the most reluctant to go. But he was convinced by Carla, who promised to eat fish with him if he accompanied them. Carla was the most insistent on leaving, saying that she had no intention of sitting around some stuffy island waiting for Wendy to finish these ridiculous exams, especially since she wasn't even up for promotion.
Now, running back up to the ship, Zeref wished their partners were there. Even though all of them had their foibles, they always managed to add a certain amount of levity to any situation. And things were now starting to look bleak.
Little was known about the guild Tartaros. Officially, nothing was known about them. Their activities, members, and location were all a mystery. Rumors from the human experimentation facilities whispered that the guild was populated with demons, but these rumors were dismissed by the council as nonsensical.
And yet here was Master Purehito, Makarov's predecessor and a very powerful wizard by any account, badly beaten, with only the guild name to utter in explanation. And this just after Mavis was on the guild's sacred island attending what appeared to be the body of none other than Natsu, the fearsome black wizard.
Who, again, was perhaps not so dark and fearsome as current legends made him out to be. Damn this was confusing. All this time studying the history of magic and of the guild only to discover that half of it could be a lie? A twisting of the truth by a corrupt council to placate the fears of the people of Fiore?
It was frustrating to say the least, but at the same time exciting. Perhaps this would be a chance to find out the truth about magic. The truth about himself. Who he was. Who his parents were. Who his brother was. Yeah. If Natsu was really his brother, he couldn't be all bad right?
But then why did he feel so strongly that Natsu should be dead? It seemed to be one of his deepest rooted desires to see the dark mage fall. When he first discovered this feeling – this nagging desire deep in his heart to kill the dark mage Natsu, he thought perhaps he was the reason that Zeref was orphaned in the first place. That Natsu killed his parents and left him for dead, after which he was miraculously saved by Igneel. But if he was his brother that seemed much less likely, and even less so if, as Makarov said, he wasn't the black mage that everyone thought he was.
He let out a frustrated grunt as he headed back into the airship, where Wendy was just finishing the healing process. The girl seemed exhausted as she drew back from the older mage, whose face now seemed more peaceful, though his eyes remained closed.
"Bring him to the base camp," Makarov instructed the mages who were present. "And summon any S class who departed already back to the island. I have a feeling we're going to need everyone."
Zeref nodded and watched as Elfman picked up the former guild master, placing him on his back in a fireman-style carry. He stayed a bit behind as they headed back to the base camp, waiting for Makarov. The guild master had remained on board the ship for a while after the rest of them left, possibly looking for something that would help in the search. When he finally did come out, he looked even more troubled than before.
"What's wrong, master?" Zeref asked quietly as he approached.
"I don't know," Makarov replied, shaking his head. "I can't make sense of anything, so I won't speak of what I don't know."
"What did you find in there?" There must have been something on that ship to make him feel the situation was even more dire.
"We'll know better when we talk to master Purehito," Makarov replied, looking at the ground. "Until then I won't say anymore."
"But master…"
"No. Whatever he found, he will know the meaning of it better than I. But if the notes he left behind are any indication, Fairy Tail will be facing dark days very soon."
Zeref turned, looking back to the ship and wondering if anyone would notice his absence. It would be easy to quick sneak a peek at what the old man found on the ship. And it wouldn't take more than a few minutes. He'd be back in no time.
"I put his notes in a safe place," Makarov's voice cut in. "So if you're thinking of trying to find them, don't bother."
Zeref sighed. Of course the old man would think of that. He was infurating that way sometimes. Not that his insight didn't have its advantages. For example, when Gray decided to sneak an S-class job after Zeref's promotion a couple years back, Makarov predicted he would do it. He'd even gone as far as to monitor all incoming job requests to see which one Gray might try and swipe. And he accurately predicted the one the ice mage picked. Zeref still remembered the look on the stripper's face when he ran into him, Erza, and Mirajane all waiting for him at the train station. It was hilarious! Whenever he needed a good laugh he could think back to how quickly the excitement Gray's face turned to horror when he saw them, the color draining and his body seeming to go limp. Erza only allowed them to deal 'moderate' punishment, though, saying that the worst punishment would be dealt later by the master himself.
Zeref didn't even realize that he was grinning till he felt the smile fading away from his face at the base camp. The mood of the entire group changed in an instant. Only moments ago they were excited, cheerful, and ready to conquer the s-class trials. Now they seemed fearful. Some almost depressed.
"Pathetic." Zeref turned to see Mirajane looking around, her habitual sneer back on her face. Well, they didn't call her the demon of Fairy Tail for nothing, after all. Her eyes swung over the guild, stopping on each member in turn. A small smirk played about his lips as they lingered on him for a moment longer. "Is this Fairy Tail? You've all given up, and we don't even know what we're facing yet! This is exactly why nobody deserves S class this year. You're all pathetic."
"Mira," Makarov said sternly.
The white-haired girl turned to him. "What? It's true. All the mages here except you, me, and Zeref are A class, soon to be in contention for S class. And look at them. They look like a bunch of whipped puppies just because a former master showed up a little beaten up."
Makarov took a deep breath, looking over the guild before him. "You can inspire courage without calling them all cowards," he said quietly. "They are right to be afraid. Master Purehito was a very powerful mage in his own right. For him to take a beating this severe is troubling."
He then raised his voice to turn to the rest of the guild. "But we are Fairy Tail! If the enemy divides us, we may fall. But together we are more powerful than any opponent!"
Zeref watched the faces of the group. Some of them brightened at the master's encouragement. Many remained the same, fearful or discouraged, despite the master's words. In a few he could see anger. Anger that one of their own had been injured in such a way, and determination to defeat the ones who did this to him.
Just then Purehito coughed, his eyelids fluttering open. For a moment his face reflected fear. Then it quickly changed to relief. Finally he spoke, his voice low and serious.
"Makarov, we have much to discuss in private."
Makarov nodded. "Zeref. Mirajane. You two stay here. The rest of you get back to the entrance of the caves till I call for you."
"Why do Zeref and Mira get to stay?" Gray's voice shouted from the group, and many others echoed the sentiment.
"One, because they are S-class, and will be the first to be sent if there is a need for fighting. Second, because I know that no matter what our former guild master has to tell us, it won't intimidate or discourage them. Three, because I said so. Now, if I didn't tell you to stay here, you have 10 seconds to get out of here or face a punishment."
There was still quite a bit of grumbling, but by the time Makarov finished counting down from 10 the base camp was empty, save the two guild masters, Zeref, and Mirajane. Zeref then turned his attention to Purehito, waiting to see what the explanation would be.
And there you have it. Chapter 2. Read. Review. Like. Review. Favorite. Review.
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