A blood-red light had fallen over Crocus, a bitter sea of flames blanketing the entire city. Embedding themselves across the streets, the guards arrested those perceived as accomplices for the gypsies, and often followed up with impromptu floggings or executions. Larger groups of soldiers ambushed and grazed the surrounding houses, buildings, and stores, burning them to the ground as they marched past. Some of the villagers had retreated into the comfort of places untouched by the Minister's treachery, while those unfortunate enough to have felt the full force of Acnologia's wrath were left to roam the streets, pleading their luckier neighbors for shelter.

Everything that happened was all because of a dark and obsessive search for Erza Scarlet.

Choir: Kyrie Eleison
Kyrie Eleison

In an alley, Acnologia paced circles across the cobbled streets. The stress was killing him; if he doesn't find Erza soon, he would be stressed even more. Painstaking as it was, he simply had to find her.

A feeling that somewhat resembled relief washed over him as Kain and Rustyrose trudged in, saluting in front of him. "Well? Anything?"

Rustyrose reported, "No, sir. We searched every part of the city, but there's still no sign of the gypsy girl. We even searched the cathedral."

"The cathedral…" Hearing those words, Acnologia looked away in thought, pondering to himself. "I had the entire cathedral surrounded. I had guards stationed at every door. There was no way she could've escaped…"

Somewhere off in the distance, the low clangs of the bells of Notre Dame caught his attention, and the pieces clicked together in his mind. The last time he saw Erza, she whisked Zeref to safety at the Feast of Fools. Acnologia realized it was not how she escaped, but who helped her escape. It took a little prompting from a certain bell ringer to find out the answer.

"Unless…"

Up in the bell tower, Yury, Precht, and Zera remorsefully watched the wretched state of the city from the balcony's stone railing. Zera sighed, "This doesn't look so good."

"It's hopeless, absolutely hopeless," Precht agreed. "I never thought we'd see the day our beloved city burns. The greatest atrocity ever made by the hands of man." He then sighed, "What a complete and utter loss."

"You're tellin' me." The two turned to Yury, who was playing poker with a pigeon, and humorously losing. "I'm losin' to a bird!" He threw his cards down in frustration.

"Oh, but that poor gypsy girl," Precht lamented. "I'm beginning to fear the worst. If anything happens to her, who knows how Zeref will react?"

Zera said, "Now, don't say anything to upset Zeref. He's worried enough as it is."

"Yeah, you're right," Yury agreed, joining his friends. "We better lighten up."

Precht glanced over his shoulder at approaching footsteps. He whispered, "Shh, shh, shh. Here he comes."

"Now, just stay calm," Zera advised.

"Not a word," Precht nodded.

"Easy does it," Yury added.

"Stone-faced," Precht breathed.

Having finished his hourly job of ringing the bells, Zeref climbed down from the rafters and made his way out to the balcony, where the gargoyles stood still, pretending to act stone faced.

"Any sign of her?" Zeref asked, looking out over the balcony.

Precht tried to stay calm, but his right eye twitched and his body shook, until he suddenly screamed, "Oh, it's a lost cause! She could be anywhere!" He briefly grabbed Zeref by the front of his robe, "In the stocks, in the dungeon, on the rack!" He began sobbing, and Zeref patted his back to comfort him.

"Nice going, Precht," Zera remarked sarcastically.

"No, he's right," Zeref said. "Erza could be anywhere in the city. What are we going to do?"

"What are you guys talkin' about? Erza's smarter and stronger than people might think," Yury grinned, picking his cards back up. "If I know her, she's three steps ahead of Acno and well out of harm's way." He shuffled the cards from Queen of Hearts to Three Hearts to Joker to make his point.

"Do you really think so?" Zeref wondered.

"Just wait and see, Zeref," Yury reassured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "When things cool off, he'll be back, riding into town like a valiant warrior princess. You'll see."

Zeref chuckled at Yury's words, feeling a tender warmth rise to his cheeks. He asked, "What makes you so sure?"

Zera offered a gentle, knowing smile, "The answer is clearly obvious; she likes you. We always said you were the cute one."

Yury stuffed his face with sausages and chewed them. He said with his mouthful, "I thought I was the cute one."

"No," Zera answered sternly. "You're the crazy lunatic with the big mouth!"

"Whatcha sayin', exactly?" Yury questioned.

"Take it from us, Zeref," Zera smiled. "You've got nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, you're irresistible," Yury agreed.

"Knights in shining armor certainly aren't her type," Precht added.

"And those guys are a dime a dozen," Yury stated. He walked over to the window and grabbed a skewer and a raw sausage. "But you, you're one of a kind. Look." He stuck the sausage on his skewer and held it over the balustrade, before he began to sing.

Yury: Crocus, the City of Lovers
Is glowing this evening
True, that's because it's on fire

Once Yury brought the sausage back, it was on fire.

But still, there's l'amour

Yury blew the fire on the sausage and took a bite out of it. He shuffled a stack of cards, flicking them so they were faced up, and an Ace of Hearts landed in front of Zeref.

Somewhere out there in the night
Her heart is also alight
And I know the guy she just might be burning for

Yury set the sausage to his lips, inhaled it like a cigar, and blew out a ring of smoke shaped like a heart to Zeref. It moved to him, and then it touched his face.

A guy like you
She's never known, kid
A guy like you
A girl does not meet every day

Yury playfully took some curled shavings and put them on his head, making it look as though he had hair.

You've got a look
That's all your own, kid

Yury stepped back and pretended to take pictures of Zeref, before he bonked his head on a shelf and saw a double vision of the Black Wizard.

Could there be two?

Precht and Zera: Like you?

Yury, Precht, Zera: No way!

Yury hung some dolls from a toy gallows, and batted them around.

Yury: Those other guys
That she could dangle
All look the same
From every boring point of view

Zeref stared at his reflection in the bells, while the gargoyles rang the bells for fun.

You're a surprise
From every angle
Mon Dieu above
She's gotta love
A guy like you

Now Zeref, Yury, Precht, and Zera were playing poker.

Precht: A guy like you
Gets extra credit
Because it's true
You've got a certain something more

"You're aces, Z," Yury said.

Zeref, Yury, Precht, and Zera were now in a haircutter's setting.

Zera: You see that face
You don't forget it

The gargoyles trimmed Zeref's hair until it looked like Marie Antoinette's.

Precht and Zera: Want something new?

Yury held up a hand mirror to Zeref.

Yury: That's you!

The hand mirror shattered.

Yury, Precht, and Zera: For sure

Zera: We all have gaped
At some Adonis

Precht: But then we crave a meal more
Nourishing to chew

Precht looked through a basket and took out a croissant.

Yury: And since you're shaped
Like a croissant is

Yury took the croissant, but was then chased by a bunch of pigeons.

Yury, Precht, and Zera: No question of
She's gotta love
A guy like you

Precht, dressed in a bowtie, began playing the piano a la Liberace while Zera was sitting on the piano, dressed in an orange evening gown. She laid on her back so her head and shoulders were over the edge, looking at Zeref seductively.

Zera: Call me a hopeless romantic
But Zeref, I feel it

Yury passed by, still being chased by the pigeons.

Precht: She wants you so any moment
She'll walk through that door

Finally escaping the pigeons, Yury jumped through a door, dressed as Erza.

Yury, Precht, and Zera: For!

The big finale was coming up.

Yury, Precht, and Zera: A guy so swell
A guy like you
With all you bring her
A fool could tell
It's why she fell for you-know-who

Yury: You ring the bell

Yury, Precht, and Zera: You're the bell ringer

When she loves ooh-la-la
And she wants you-la-la
She will discover why
You're one heck of a guy
Who wouldn't love a guy like you?

Yury: You've got a lot
The rest have not
She's gotta love a guy like you!

"Zeref?" a voice called, interrupting everyone. "Zeref?"

Once the gargoyles returned to their statue forms, Zeref looked down towards the entrance to the bell tower, encountering a familiar figure emerging from the shadows.

"Erza!" His sheer joy taking hold, Zeref ran towards the crimson-haired girl, enveloping her in a tight hug. "Erza, you're alright! I knew you'd come back!"

"Of course I came back," Erza returned the hug, before she pulled away. "So, have you been practicing your magic, like I told you?"

Zeref nodded, "Yeah. It was rough, but I think I'm getting the hang of it." He rubbed his head in embarrassment, "I still have a long way to go."

Erza's expression turned serious, and she gently took Zeref's hand. She said, "You've done so much for me already, my friend. I can't thank you enough, but I must ask for your help one more time."

"Of course, anything," Zeref replied. He then noticed Millianna emerge with the body of certain unconscious light blue-haired man draped on her back. Zeref's smile faded into a look of confusion.

Millianna groaned, "Owie! Seriously! Jelly-Welly needs to lose a little weight!"

Zeref asked, "Who is this?"

"This is Jellal Fernandez," Erza explained. "He's wounded and a fugitive like me. Acnologia burned the Connell family household during his search for me. His Captain of the Guard, Jellal, objected to his barbarous actions and publicly disobeyed him, as I did. He was struck by an arrow before he could escape. He can't go on much longer. I knew he'd be safe here. Please, can you hide him?"

Zeref shifted awkwardly on his feet, unsure of why Erza's concern for Jellal made him feel uncomfortable. Shaking off the feeling, he led Zeref up the stairs. "This way."

Making their way up to Zeref's quarters, Erza and Millianna gently carried Jellal to a worn mattress that had for years served as Zeref's bed. The girls stooped down to their knees beside the makeshift bed, carefully laying down the wounded ex-captain.

For a minute or two, three eyes watched in silence as a soft moonlight leaked from the window and settled on Jellal's skin. But then, with a soft moan, Jellal began to come to, noticing Erza's form seated beside him. "Er… Erza…? Wh… What—"

Erza gently shushed him, "You'll hide here until you're strong enough to move." She brought out a flask of wine, and pulled the cork from it.

"Great," Jellal grinned weakly. "I could use a drink." Erza poured the liquid at the wound in his shoulder. He cried in pain, "Aaggh! Yes! Mmmm! It feels like an X740 Burgundy… not a good year."

"You fell into the river after you rescued the Connell family. They owe you their lives," Erza continued, as she began stitching up the wound. "You're either the bravest soldier I've ever seen, or the craziest."

"Ex-soldier, remember?" Jellal reminded her, moaning. "Why is it, whenever we meet, I end up bleeding?" He groaned softly, gritting his teeth, as Erza bit the thread, cutting it.

"You're lucky," Erza pointed out. "That arrow almost pierced your heart."

Jellal took her hand and laid it on his chest, "I'm not so sure it didn't."

Watching from a beam, Zeref's eyebrows shot up at this realization: Erza was infatuated with Jellal. Returning his soft smile, Erza carefully cupped the back of his neck, leaning down to place a gentle, loving kiss on his lips. Sighing slightly, he gladly kissed her back, neither noticing as Zeref slipped back into the shadows.

The black-haired youth felt his heart break. Leaning back against the beam and shaking his head softly, he looked away with tears forming in his eyes.

Zeref: (in his thoughts) I knew I'd never know
That warm and loving glow
Though I might wish with all my might
No one with such magic in my hands
Was ever meant for heaven's light

Sadly taking out the Ace of Hearts card Yury gave him, he tore it in half. Across the room, Erza gently cradled Jellal in her strong hold. His eyelids fluttering slowly as he drifted off to sleep, she caressed his cheek.

His back sliding down the pillar, Zeref dropped to the floor, sobbing silently. It would appear that Erza had already found her knight in shining armor… and Zeref was not that kind of guy. Beside him, Zera gave a gentle pat to the black-haired youth, trying to comfort him.