Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail
Fairy Tail had gone on ahead of him, Zeref noted. His brief pause in the alley had led to them failing to notice his absence. It wasn't entirely uncommon, since he often disappeared from sight at random moments from the wizards he found himself surrounded with. His curse was not an easy thing to live with, nor was it simple to control.
Walking out onto the street, Zeref paused and glanced up towards the sky. The sun was almost centered above him, nearing midday. People were still panicking in the streets, running passed him to see the remains of Fairy Tail. He cared little for them, though. It often made him wonder why his magic acted up on days like this, when he saw the strangers that meant nothing to him. Few of the citizens of Magnolia even knew of his existence, let alone took the time to speak with him.
Still, as he gazed down at his feet, Zeref knew what he was missing. Maybe he did not value them in particular, but there was a small group of individuals slowly growing closer to him. Each day he spent as Master brought him closer to the wizards of Fairy Tail. He was becoming a part of their family, and as such, it was becoming dangerous for him to remain with them. While he had no intention of leaving, after leading the guild for nearly fifty years, he did know it was best to keep his distance.
Taking a step out towards the public, Zeref made sure to avoid as many people as possible. He hated crowds, and this panic was putting his nerves on edge. The more people he was surrounded with, the more danger he posed to the world. That much he knew well, but Fairy Tail had already been built in this public place when he came into leadership. As such, he dealt with it as best as he could. Often times, he would leave in the dead of night for some peace of mind, resting in the surrounding forest rather than in his own bed.
The main streets were slowly becoming calmer, Zeref noted. People were returning to their homes, a few of them glancing towards Fairy Tail's guild hall as they did so. Parents ushered their children away from the dangerous place created by the destruction of the building, hurrying away from the former site of the town's guild. That, however, was not what caught Zeref's attention.
Scattered throughout the citizens of the town were rune knights. All of them dressed in their uniforms, with long robes covering their bodies and decorated on the chests with ankhs. They would stop citizens in the streets, pulling them aside and whispering under their breaths. Ducking his head, Zeref hoped to avoid their detection and move on without much notice.
"Excuse me." he whispered, brushing past a woman already being interrogated. She paused, glancing at him before stepping aside to let him pass. The knight before her seemed to follow his motion. Zeref could feel the man's gaze on him as he continued down the street, in search for the wizards he traveled with. Hopefully, they had managed to avoid detection themselves, because otherwise things would become far more challenging than they already were.
Turning down another street, Zeref let out a breath of relief. He had avoided one obstacle, and now, he was that much closer to the train station that would hopefully be where Fairy Tail had found themselves. Things were looking well until he felt someone grab his arm, making him stiffen and instinctively rip his arm away. He jumped back, putting some distance between himself and the other individual, his eyes wide when he saw the blue and white robes of a rune knight.
"Sorry for startling you, sir, but we have a few questions concerning the incident earlier today." the knight stated. Glancing down the street, Zeref began to realize it would be futile to resist. Nodding, he returned his gaze to the knight, following the man towards the side of the street to begin the questioning. "Now, where were you when the collapse began?"
Zeref was never good at lying on the spot. He had lived for a long time, and while he could be deceitful, he did his best to avoid outright lies to others. "I…at home, I suppose." he commented softly. In a way, the guild hall was his home. He had no where else to go, since he did not purchase lodging within Magnolia.
The knight nodded, writing something down on a paper he held in his hand. "I see…oh, I almost forgot what my first question was meant to be. Can you identify yourself for our records? We need to ensure that no one was injured or killed during the collapse." he added.
Stiffening, Zeref blurted out the first name that came to mind. "August." Maybe they wouldn't identify the member of his guard in the Alvarez Empire, but it was an odd enough name as it was.
The knight made a note, frowning only slightly at the strange name. "Last name?" he added, waiting for Zeref to continue.
"Yura." he stated almost numbly. If he was utilizing the names of the Spriggan Twelve, he might as well continue on with the rest.
Nodding, the knight glanced back towards Zeref. "Very well, Mr. Yura. You were at home when the collapse began. Did you see anything odd around you at the time?"
Thinking back, Zeref tried to recall if there was anything odd about the guild when he began leading them to destroy their former home. He was frowning as he thought, folding his arms over his chest before slowly shaking his head. "No, I do not recall anything out of the ordinary." Destruction was common for Fairy Tail wizards, after all.
More scribbling was done as he continued making notes. "When the noise began, did you move to investigate the guild hall?"
"I was the first one to see the aftermath of the collapse." Zeref stated confidently. That much he was certain of. The other wizards had been far too dazed to observe the guild hall, but Zeref had remained calm the entire time. His magic required a calm mindset, if he wished to avoid destroying the world around him.
With wide eyes, the knight seemed to get far more interested in Zeref than before. "Really? Well, did you see anyone fleeing from the scene? Perhaps a wizard who was responsible for the destruction of the building?"
Glancing down the street, Zeref caught sight of Romeo standing in the distance. The young boy seemed to be searching for something, and after a few moments, his eyes landed on Zeref. He began to wave towards Zeref, before he noticed the knight by his side. Shaking his head slightly, Zeref tried to warn the boy to wait for just a moment. He did not have much time to finish dealing with this man, but he could not simply kill off the knight. It would leave them with more questions, and an even greater motivation to track down Fairy Tail.
Interpreting the head shake as Zeref's answer to the question, the knight moved on. "Oh, I see. Are you absolutely sure? Anything, even the smallest detail could be helpful."
Sighing, Zeref focused back on the knight. "There is little to tell. I arrived in front of the guild hall and saw it destroyed. Afterwords, I left before the crowd could begin to form. Simply seeing the destruction was enough to answer any questions I may have had."
"Hey, Dad!" Romeo shouted, startling Zeref. He did not see Macao anywhere near here, but he could have missed something. He was focused on the interrogation after all. Lifting his gaze, Zeref saw the child rushing towards him, making him blink in surprise. Romeo calmly grabbed Zeref's hand, an action few members of his guild were brave enough to take. "I've been looking everywhere for you." Romeo turned towards the rune knight, blinking innocently. "Oh, sorry to interrupt, sir."
The rune knight smiled at Romeo, putting away the paper he had been writing on and shaking his head. "Don't worry about it, kid. I was just finishing up, anyway. You two take care. Please, stay away from the wreckage, it is a dangerous place and we are still investigating the area for more clues." he stated. Smiling, Romeo nodded and began to walk off, pulling Zeref behind him.
"Sorry, I didn't know what else to say," the young fire wizard explained. Turning towards Zeref, he slowly released the man's hand and took a step away. "Are you alright? I thought you might need some help getting away from that knight."
Zeref nodded, pressing his hand close to his side now that it was released. He felt the softness of his robes swarm around his palm, leaving him comforted by the fact that it was no longer near a living being. "Yes, I suppose I am. His questions were rather simple in design. Even while telling the truth, he did not comprehend what had occurred," Zeref explained.
Laughing, Romeo folded his arms behind his head. "You sure showed them, didn't you, Master?" he stated cheerily. The boy grinned at Zeref for a moment, before moving forward towards the train station. "Anyway, the others are waiting for you. We've gotten tickets for Oshibana, so we'll be at least close to Eisenwald before we start off."
Glancing down the street, Zeref frowned. "Yes, though with all of this attention, it may prove troublesome." he commented. "Has anyone left yet?"
"I think Laxus and the Thunder Legion went ahead. He claimed that he had more important things to do than wait around with us." Romeo explained. "Other than that, the others said we had to find you first. I didn't even notice you left the group, actually. Sorry for moving on without you, Master, we were all too busy worrying about what we were doing next to even notice."
Hesitating, Zeref nearly reached out to pat Romeo's head. He wished to comfort the child, since it would be far harder on him than the others in a way. Transforming into a dark guild would corrupt his innocence, and in a way, it reminded Zeref of when August first came to him. He had been young then, too, but Zeref had trained him in the art of war. Now, the man was ancient and wise, but he no longer held the look of someone who still saw wondrous things in the world. August knew too much of the truth to see such things, and he only looked for more knowledge now.
Instead of following his initial impulse, Zeref balled his hand into a fist hidden within the folds of his robe. "That is not unsurprising. Change is often resisted by the world, you would not be different to fight against the tide pulling us onto this path," Zeref mused. "However, if you think about it, we could benefit from this path. Black magic is no longer banned from our research, and if we wish to free your first master, any spell is now a reasonable course of action. There are many such spells hidden within this continent, all we must do is search to find them."
With a bright smile, Romeo nodded and picked up his pace. "Sounds like a plan! First, we need to get a home ready for us all to return to, though. I know my dad is going to want a place to rest after all of his hard work. He makes me proud to be a wizard's son, and one day, I'm going to be just like him." he insisted brightly.
Zeref's black eyes turned distant, considering his own personality. He often wondered if he was like his parents, and how they would feel about him now. Both of them were long gone, but moments like this reminded him that he once lived a normal life, to some degree. War ravaged the land, but they had remained separate from the battles. His parents had not been wizards, despite his own magical talents growing up. As a result, while they were poor from the suffering economy, they had peace.
Every time he thought of them, Zeref felt a throbbing in his head, paired with an ache in his heart. His magic once again wished to lash out as he recalled the lives of the few people he cared about in his past. Shaking his head, Zeref cleared his thoughts and focused back on the task at hand. Fleeing Magnolia was his first priority, and anything else was simply a distraction at this point.
Arriving at the train station, Zeref stopped and observed the gathered wizards. They blended in quite well with the normal citizens of the town. Even here, the rune knights made their rounds, interrogating people as they walked by. A few Fairy Tail wizards were caught up with the rune knights, being questioned just as Zeref had been.
Taking a seat next to Macao, Zeref kept his gaze facing forward as he spoke quietly, under his breath. "We will stagger our departures. The rune knights are searching for anything suspicious, and as such, we must take care in avoiding attracting attention. Pass this along to the others as they are freed from their questioning, for I intend on leaving first. The crowds are beginning to get to me, and I fear the result if I remain much longer."
Mildly alarmed, Macao observed him for a moment. "Are you sure you can handle it? Trains aren't going to have a smaller crowd."
Grateful that the man was at least smart enough to avoid calling him master, Zeref watched as people began to board the next train. "True, however, there are fewer threats. Rune Knights are not traveling aboard these trains, they are too focused on the citizens here," Zeref explained.
"Yeah, I've noticed that. In fact, we sent a few people ahead because of it. I hope you don't mind, but a few members of our guild are a bit more noticeable than others, if you know what I mean." Macao grinned and elbowed Zeref slightly, a light blush on his cheeks. The middle aged man may have been married, but Zeref knew all too well about the man's perverted thoughts about the younger wizards in the guild.
With his eyes narrowing slightly, he allowed himself to smile slightly. "Good, that will help us for now. I assume that is where Mira and Lisanna are at the moment?"
Searching the crowd, Zeref tried to determine who else was missing. It was hard, considering how many people had gathered within. "Yep, we sent Cana and Levy ahead as well. Oh, and Laxus and his pals took off on their own. Those brats don't understand how good they have it here, acting like they own the place sometimes." he complained.
Romeo moved to sit closer to his father, silently listening in to their conversation. "Perhaps it is time to teach him who is the true master around here…then again, I wouldn't want to scare away every member of our guild," Zeref mused, slightly amused at the idea. Glancing back towards the train, Zeref rose to his feet. "Regardless, the train is about to depart and I must be off. Do tell the others of my orders, Macao. We will meet in Oshibana, and from there, we will take down Eisenwald and create our new home."
The man nodded, patting his son's head as Zeref quickly pushed through the crowd. The doors to the train were just about to shut when he arrived. Showing his ticket to the woman at the gate, Zeref passed through and entered just in time. Closing his eyes, he moved towards the far corner of the train. Taking a seat, he made himself as small as possible, avoiding all eye contact as he awaited their destination. Soon, he would be free from the constricting feeling of being around others. Then, he could finally take a deep breath, and allow himself to think openly once more, without fear of killing everyone in the vicinity of himself.
Alright, thanks to a few amazing reviewers, my decision to quit fanfiction has been altered to taking a break from writing soon. After I finish the two stories I have that are almost complete, I will be putting the others on a temporary hiatus until my life becomes less stressful. However, I still have a question to ask all of you for this story so I can get some feedback sooner on, rather than later. With the way the outline is turning out, this story could end up being over 200,000 words long (shocking, since my longest story at the moment is about 80,000 words)...and over sixty chapters. So, I wanted to find out if you would prefer a single, lengthy story, or if you wanted me to break it up into multiple shorter stories. I'm find with either, though it may lead to some cliffhangers at the ends of the different stories since I have a tendency to end chapters in at least some form of a cliffhanger until a story is complete. Please review and tell me what you think, either for the future of this story or about what you've read thus far!