NOTice: THE PAIN TRAIN IS TAKING YOUR TICKETS, NOW.
"Everything alright with you, Zeref?" The words that left Yury Dreyar's lips were on every Fairy Tail members' minds, as their black-haired boy of a master sulked by the bar. In reality, he wasn't really a boy at all, more like a twenty-six-year-old man trapped in the body of a sixteen-year-old.
"Yep. Everything's fine." He murmured in response, tapping his fingers on the counter anxiously. He was like an open book to the blond, who felt an amused smirk rise to his face.
"Do you want to go on a mission?" He questioned, gaining the attention of Zeref. He lifted his head from the bar's smooth surface, his eyes shining with excitement, before dulling once more.
"Even if I do, your wife is sure to pop any day now, Yury! You can't just leave."
"Have you checked with Precht and Warrod?"
"Precht is dealing with a ton of paperwork, and Warrod is messing with his plants today. I wouldn't want to bother them." Zeref muttered, his dark eyes drifting to the mission board. "Going with anyone else just doesn't feel right…"
"How about just taking some time to relax? You don't get enough of a break around here." Yury said as he leaned against the bar next to the seated Zeref, whose eyebrows furrowed as he began to think.
"I think…" Zeref slipped out of his seat, as he reached a conclusion in his mind. A smirk rose to his face as he brushed by the blond. "That's a great idea. Someone is actually thinking today, Yury."
"You're lucky you're the master, or I'd kick your sorry ass, Zeref!" Yury shouted after the black-haired male, who was about to exit the guild.
"I don't doubt it." Zeref called back, gaining the attention of all of the other guild members. "Everyone, I'll be out for a little while."
Magnolia's cheery atmosphere surrounded the boy as he entered the city, greetings being given to him as he passed by. His destination was the forest that lied to the north of the large town, a quiet place that would allow Zeref to just think and chill for a while. It was funny, for no matter how much time ticked by, old memories of saving Magnolia always floated through Zeref's mind as he visited these specific woods. Meeting that girl, defeating Blue Skull, all of it had happened ten years ago, and yet, it was still a fresh memory.
A whole lot had happened since then. The Second Trade Wars had occurred, and in that time, Zeref had made a name for himself as a powerful mage. After the battles had all been fought, the level of casualties had ended up being almost ten times the amount of the first. Many believed this was because of mage guilds, so a series of treaties were approved that stated these guilds could no longer participate in wars, no matter the reason. After that, Zeref spent six years going on adventures and spending time at Fairy Tail with Yury, Precht, and Warrod. And during all of this, Zeref's body didn't age one bit.
Zeref was thankful that he was stuck in the body of a sixteen-year-old, rather, someone of a much younger age. Still, though, many times he wasn't taken seriously, which could be a bit annoying. The male didn't regret his decisions that caused his frozen-age at all, for if he never performed Law all those years ago, the life he held today would most likely not exist.
As he entered the forest, Zeref was engulfed by a feeling of serenity, a relieved sigh escaping his lips. Yury was right; Zeref really did need some time to finally relieve stress. Although Precht helped with a lot of his duties, the black-haired male spent all of his time dealing with Fairy Tail, and it could be completely exhausting. He left the narrow dirt road that ran through the woods, weaving through trees and vines, and jumping over fallen logs. The forest's music floated passed Zeref's ears, and he found himself singing along. However, it cut short when his eyes fell upon a certain person he hadn't seen in a long time. It was odd, meeting her in the same place as before.
"Ah, Ms. Black Wizard!" He chimed, as he ran towards the young girl who, surprisingly, looked the exact same.
"Zeref?" She said, completely shocked, as Zeref placed his hands upon her shoulders and inspected her being. "H-Hey! Stop! I'm cursed, remember!"
"It really is you! I didn't think I would see you for a long time." Zeref murmured, memories flashing in his mind. Suddenly, he pulled the tiny girl into an embrace.
"W-What are you-"
"I can't thank you enough. Because of you, Magnolia was saved, and my friends are alive."
"Me… Actually help someone… That's sure a change." The girl murmured, and Zeref was unable to pick up on the words.
"Hmm?"
"Nothing… But Zeref, there are a couple things I wish to discuss."
"Yes, it will be nice to catch up."
The two broke apart, and found a rather large boulder, leaning against it next to each other. A comfortable silence fell over both of them, before the girl cut it short.
"As you know, Zeref, I am one who had been cursed." She stated, to which the boy nodded. "Do you know my name?"
"No, you've never told me." The boy replied, and oddly enough, it didn't feel weird that her name was unknown. To Zeref, it didn't really matter. The girl was quiet for a moment, before speaking up.
"Mavis…" She whispered, catching Zeref off guard. A young girl who knows black magic, suffers a godly curse, and is named Mavis?
"Don't tell me that you're…"
"The one and only." She murmured, and the boy could only gasp. "The Black Mage, Mavis Vermillion."
"You're really her?" Zeref gaped in disbelief, and Mavis nodded.
"That's why I wished to keep my name hidden."
"You're the one who's lived 300 years?"
"Yes." Mavis stated, gaining a far-away look in her eyes. "Has it been that long already…"
"I've heard many, many rumors, and you don't seem to fit any of them." Zeref replied, turning a bit to face the "young" girl.
"The bad ones, huh? Most are accurate, though."
"Mavis, it's hard to think such a way, and not just because of your appearance." Zeref stated, and Mavis looked up to meet his eyes. "You look upon the world with fondness and care. I don't care how accurate you say they are, part of me has a hard time believing those rumors."
"You hold such an innocence…" She said with a bitter smile, and yet again, silence was cast over them.
"Do you remember Yury? The idiot's going to be a father soon."
"Him, a father? He was young back then, wasn't he?"
"That was ten years ago, though." Zeref said with a wistful look in his eye, and Mavis looked over him.
"You seem to be the exact same, Zeref."
"Ah, yes. Evidently, that with the ten years we did not see each other, my body did not age. A consequence of Law, it seems."
"W-What?" Mavis sat up, her eyes widening dramatically. "You… casted Law, back then?"
Mavis reached up, placing her hands on Zeref's head, and forcing him to lean down to her height. The two were dangerously close, practically touching foreheads.
"What are you…" Zeref was unable to finish the sentence, gulping a small bit as the girl's eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Suddenly, though, she broke away, a shocked expression adorning her face.
"It's not that you've stopped progressing, Zeref." She murmured, and Zeref became more confused than ever. "You've become immortal, as I am."
"What?" Zeref's eyes widened as large as could be, disbelief pulsing through his veins, sweat beginning to drip down his forehead.
"I wonder, have you chosen what lives you will be taking? To your own discretion, of course…It's the Ankhseram Curse. The more you don't wish to take a life, the more it'll…"
"That's nonsense!" Zeref yelled, interrupting the girl. "No one around me has died…"
"Not now, however, there was a war, right? Wars make you see lives in a different way. Maybe that's why you haven't noticed it as much."
"I-I didn't-"
"You don't know the true meaning behind taking life away. Once you find out… Everyone around you will disappear."
Zeref stood up abruptly, clutching his black robes tightly. It became considerably harder to breathe, air forcing itself into his lungs. His mind ran a million miles a minute. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening.
"Why are you saying these things?" He asked in bewilderment.
"It's the truth. Do you understand now, Zeref?"
"I thought you would be…"
"Everything you've heard about me is true."
No longer able to handle the girl's words, Zeref sprinted away from her and the giant rock, heart pounding in his chest.
"So, it's true…" Mavis murmured as she stood up as well, watching the boy run away with a sad smile. "You've always had it in you. The power to walk along with me."
This can't be happening….
"You truly don't realize how precious life is."
Inside of the famous guild Fairy Tail, loud cries and yells of celebration rang out. This certainly wasn't an odd thing, but now, they cheered for something even they had never had the opportunity to throw a party for: the birth of a child.
"It's a boy!"
Guild members surrounded the small bed where a woman named Rita lie, a newborn child in her arms. Of course, they weren't there the entire birth, but now that the baby was born there was no keeping them from seeing it! As Zeref entered the guild hall, panting heavily, at that moment all frightful thoughts left his mind. Yury ushered him over, and soon the black-haired male found himself face-to-face with the blond's small child. It seemed, that in that short time he was gone, a brand new guild member had been delivered to them.
"I want this child to grow up with the guild's love…" Rita, breathing rather hard, stated to Zeref. "Will you do the honors of naming him, Master?"
"Me?" Zeref said in disbelief. (It seemed, that had been happening a lot that day). Yury nodded, a small grin on his face.
"How 'bout Pippoco?" Precht piped up, but was dismissed as Zeref leaned closer towards the child, giving a smile of his own.
"Makarov. It's the name of a kind prince from a book I read long ago."
"That's a lovely name…" Rita said, as sweat dripped down her forehead. She didn't look well, but Zeref assumed it was from the exhaustion of childbirth. Yury lifted Makarov up into the air, and Precht grumbled a bit, as he was totally ignored. Rita lifted her hand towards Zeref. "For this child's future, we must…"
"Yes. We must go hand in hand." Zeref finished, interlacing fingers with the pale woman. Everyone smiled, but they were soon replaced with frowns as Ritas' eyes fluttered shut, her arm going limp. Yury was the first to move, going to his wife's side, her name leaving his lips in a yell. Many others began to do the same, but Zeref did the opposite. His eyes widening in bewilderment, he stumbled away from the bed, Mavis' words replaying in his mind.
"You don't know the true meaning behind taking life away. Once you find out… Everyone around you will disappear."
At that moment, something snapped inside of Zeref, as his voice ripped through the air in a scream, and tears began to leak from his dark orbs. He sprinted away as fast as humanly possible, shoving passed confused guild members, and knocking over tables and chairs. He continued to run throughout Magnolia, and when he reached the southernmost forest, he still kept at it with every fiber in his being. However, in his haste, his foot got caught on a tree root, and he fell to the ground.
As he warily lifted his head, a plant in front of him caught Zeref's eye, gently swaying in the breeze. He lifted a hand to it, just like Rita, and to his utter terror, it wilted away.
"No! Stop!" He yelled, and just like the simple flower, everything around the boy began to die, too. The trees, the grass, even the birds that were flying nearby. Zeref curled into a ball, sobbing, as the realization punched him in the gut.
Rita was dead.
And it was he who killed her.
A curse of contradiction.
The more you love life, the more it will steal from those around you.
But if you stop loving, it will stop taking as well.
He wanted to go back.
He had been gone for almost a year, now, and his heart ached with loneliness. He yearned to return to his home, to his family, to see the people he cared about.
But if he did, he would kill them all. He knew this to be true.
Because every time he thought about returning to his guild, he would feel Rita's hand slipping out of his grasp, and see the life escape from her body. He would think of all the despair he had caused, and of the death that followed in his footsteps.
After that fateful day, Zeref stopped showing up at Fairy Tail. He fled to the wilderness, where he couldn't hurt people. His feet padded against the ground on an endless loop, and his heart beated to the tune of misery with every step. After a while, he learned to not let the deaths of animals and plants get to him. But still, helpless humans would walk into this path from time to time, only to be met with a disturbing fate.
He didn't eat, and yet, he did not starve to death. Even if someone were to pierce his heart with a spear, he would not die. It's funny, for once upon a time, it was something that Zeref wouldn't mind, to be immortal. But just like most treasures in life, behind it were shadows and despair that the boy could never imagine. He could only wonder how Mavis bared it, for 300 years.
With too much time to think, the girl had been on his mind frequently, for better or for worse. Part of Zeref wanted to be angry; it was her fault, right? If she hadn't taught him that magic, then he wouldn't be in such a state. But then, he wouldn't have been able to save Yury, right? Fairy Tail probably wouldn't exist! His heart battled whether or not he regretted learning magic every day, a ceaseless battle that, at times, seemed to have no victor.
But always, at the thought of not having Fairy Tail or Yury, one side would overpower the other. And then the heartache would start, to return home, and then Zeref would begin to think of the cursed girl Mavis, and then everything would repeat on a loop.
As Zeref sat, knees pressed against his chest, clothes tattered and torn, his mind and body screamed a wish that never did he think he would want to come true.
The wish, more than anything in the world, to die.
This just, I just, I don't know. The next chapter will be even harder, and I'm gonna get even sadder, which seems kind of impossible right now, but I just…
This chapter was actually quite similar to what happened in the manga. I tweaked a few things, but in general, many parts were the same. (This is both good and bad, I guess…)
On a different note, I hope all those who celebrate it had a great Halloween and stayed safe in whatever activities they performed!
Thank you to all who read, favorited, followed, and reviewed!
Until next time,
~K