First interlude is from Kira's pov and set at the start of the story.

Second Interlude is from Mard Geer's pov and set following the moment everyone else disappeared to Edolas.

...

-Kira(Past)-

He stared down, an easy smile on his face as he asked Lucy what might've been the most important question of his life.

His suddenly created life that was. He wondered if anyone, if any of themunderstood what it was like to suddenly exist. To suddenly come into being. A conscious that had never existed beforehand, suddenly coming to life out of thin air.

Had it just been that? He would've been fine. Oh, so perfectly fine.

Then he suddenly received those memories. Memories that told him the world he was in was fictional. Was pointless. Was some stupid fantasy.

And if that hadn't been enough, he was created for the sole purpose of being his counterpart.

His entire existence amounted to being his shadow.

To the side, he had to hold his urge to glare at the stupid quest.

It had given him a simple choice.

Follow the quest and join this guild of outlaws.

Or remain stuck in time, frozen, unable to move, speak, so much as twitch unless it was in the right direction.

He'd long run out of mana trying to break it. His health still hadn't recovered. It was unnerving how much his psyche seemed to rely on health for that matter.

"Yea, no." Lucy gave him a dismissive wave as she turned away.

He snorted. He wasn't sure if she was joking or not... The sheer thought of suddenly not being allowed... It perplexed him. Though it certainly made sense when he thought about it in a certain way... If he was made to be the opposite then perhaps he wasn't meant to be apart of Fairy Tail.

What exactly did that mean for him though? He needed to join them to complete the quest, he was literally unable to so much as focus a lip elsewhere without his entire world freezing.

"Well, shoo, if you don't have a job for us... We're not really looking for more people,"

It made sense. They couldn't just randomly let strangers join.

But they couldn't understand. He literally had nothing else he could do at this point.

So he tried again.

"Why not?" He questioned. The smile in place again, tight as it was.

"Why not what?" Lucy didn't miss a beat, her eyes narrowing slightly. Protective. Again, he understood the need.

But, still. He couldn't do anything else. Literally. He tried to turn around and leave and simply found his bones frozen.

"Why not let me join?" The words flew off his tongue easily.

"We don't need anyone else right now," Lucy gave him a look over.

"Will you need someone later on?" Odd, thought the stranger. It seemed far easier to control his movements through emotion.

He was probably not going to be allowed to join considering the accidental glare he'd sent her.

Lucy simply stared at him, unmoving. He could feel the tension in the room rise as some of the others tensed.

Another prompt appeared. For a moment, he almost let out a breath of relief. Until he noticed the sudden looks around him.

Right. Easy access to magic wasn't exactly a good sign for any of them.

He gulped down as he opened up the sudden quest prompt.

-Tutorial updated, seek Lisanna's help,-

He sighed as he closed the prompt and took a long look around him. Narrowed eyes, even glares in some greeted him back. Again, he couldn't blame their train of thought. He caught sight of Lisanna's gaze and held it. He wasn't sure but he could've sworn he saw something flash through her eyes.

But still, they could never understand. But at least with the update, he had some more control. He wasn't sure how long it'd last, not that he expected it to be all that long.

He turned around and left the building.

...

He hadn't gotten very far of course, mostly because Lisanna herself had stopped him.

"Hey... Are you? F-from there?" She questioned wide-eyed at him, her hand outstretched from her pull.

He blinked at the question. "No. I am from... Somewhere else,"

It probably would've been easier to lie.

He probably should've.

But then it could've very easily set him off as the bad one, what if his memories about them were wrong? And she questioned him on it? He knew what generally happened to those that found themselves on their wrong side in this world. If those memories were anything to go by at the very least.

But still, he probably should've lied.

She'd immediately lost any interest as she turned away.

"A-h wait," He called out, barely grabbing her shoulder. She turned back surprised.

"Could you help me join? It's... It's really important..." He could've worded it better but again he'd not really had any time to prepare for any of this.

"Why?" Her eyes narrowed the slightest before softening.

Regret? What would she feel regret about? He filed the thought away.

"Because..." And for all that he thought, he couldn't come up with a single reasonable answer. "Because I have no one else to turn to..."

And for a moment she actually looked like she might agree.

"OI, what are you doing Lis?" Lucy crossed her arms.

And Lisanna froze.

And he knew then, he wasn't going to get any help from there. He knew from the moment he heard her whisper out her apology there was going to be no help from her side. He ignored whatever the two seemed to be talking about as they walked away.

The downpour seemed to start the moment they walked back in.

And once again. He couldn't move. The quest prompt stared back at him, mocking him.

-Seek Lisanna's help-

That was all he could see, no breath passed him, nothing. He was still as a leaf...

Frozen, millions of droplets filled his vision, all frozen in time with him.

There was nothing else he could do...

...

He wasn't sure how long had passed, he'd lost count long ago... He'd honestly thought he'd be frozen until, at the very least, the main world had finally shown up. Just because one world froze, didn't mean another did. Well, he'd certainly hoped so.

But still, he knew he would never forget the moment his entire world finally shattered. Though not for the reason he would've preferred, but at the very least it had changed something.

The quest had changed. It no longer required him to join Fairy Tail. No, though why it had finally decided to give him his freedom he would never know.

Perhaps it just wanted to irk him. Because now that he was free enough to do what he wanted...

It wanted him to -Destroy Fairy Tail-

When he closed the prompt, he was surprised to suddenly find himself covered in shadows.

...

When he reopened his eyes, they momentarily narrowed at his lack of ability to move... Was that just another stupid dream!? Worse yet, was he to be bedridden?

He blinked before looking up at the stranger in front of him, he himself was laid out on a bed. He recognised said stranger, Ultear Milkovich.

The first thing he noticed was that he wasn't in fact frozen, simply limited in his ability to do, well, anything... The second was...

This wasn't Edolas. The island-less sky was one thing, the free-flowing magic in the room was another.

"Hello," The woman seemed to grit.

He turned back to her and was amused to see her irked about something.

"Where did you find me?" The complete freedom in what he chose to say, how oddly...Invigorating... And yet he couldn't seem to do much else... Almost as if he we were a simple spectator.

"You passed out near the port," The woman answered, a somewhat unamused look on her face.

He could hardly blame her, he had just dismissed her, thoroughly, but considering his circumstances, he could hardly be blamed at his own surprise.

"How long have I been out?" He questioned. Eagerly enjoying the ease which he chose his words.

"Under an hour," The woman answered, her hands locked together as she seemed to search for something. "You're not at all what I expected..."

"Yes, I imagine that'll change soon enough, well... Eventually at any rate," he replied quickly, amused to see her eyes narrow even further.

Free speech truly was invigorating, sure he didn't have full control but that honestly was better then what he'd had, for practically his entire life.

He looked forward to his return. Somehow he knew... True freedom awaited him there. And he had a quest to do.

But as he tilted his head the slightest at Ultear's confused expression, he let a grin fill his face.

There was more than one Fairy Tail after all, and while the only thing he seemed in control of were but expressions and words...

That was more than enough.

...

-Mard {present}-

Mard stared around his empty surroundings with a frown on his face. He was still, as of this moment floating in the middle of the sea. Just ahead of him, he could make out the island he had originally been heading to with the rest of END's guild.

His attention was then brought back to the strange, archive-like box in the middle of his vision.

Zeres has invited you to join his Party.

What a curious creature.

He wouldn't call him Human. No, Zeres was as much of a human as END was.

Natsu Dragneel.

He had to remember to use his proper name. He doubted he would appreciate his previous title.

He had journeyed to Fairy Tail on rumours of a salamander. A picture he'd seen. A name he'd read. And an... Aura that stood out. While Fairy Tail may have not noticed it... Any Etherius demon would be hard pressed to miss it.

Natsu Dragneel. E.N.D. Zeref's true secret.

Of course the fact months ago, a malevolent curse suddenly and utterly engulfing the entirety of Magnolia also had something to do with it.

And yet. He had not expected to find anything else of interest. Much less a creature that would so willingly invite someone he did not trust into his party. He had a faint idea of what to expect should he say yes. That wasn't all of course. It was the way his mind seemed to work, the strange expression he showed at almost every thing and one he seemed to interact with... The way he saw them. Zeres seemed to have even less of an opinion of them then himself...

Which frankly said enough. If you consider those around with less respect then an Etherious demon... Mard doubted there was a good enough explanation for that level of indifference.

Not to mention the abilities he showed. He'd heard of what had occurred with Lullaby... Someone of Zeres's capabilities should not have had much of a chance against a demon from Zeref's book. And yet he'd annihilated it, in it's entirety.

Not to mention the aftermath... Mard had never thought he'd see the day where he'd be incapable of a thought, let alone the ability to move! Lullaby's death hadn't caused it. Something else did, something else that seemed powerful enough to affect even E.N.D. Though to a much lesser extent from what he'd heard. At least he had been able to move.

For two days, he had had to hide in the shadows, he had never been so susceptible! So vulnerable! A mere human could've very well hurt him! For the first time since his creation, Mard had felt fear for his own life.

All of that occurred from what was most likely a side effect. No human could do that.

And of course the resemblance to his own creator's name...

Still. Saying yes... Would be rather stupid. He did not fully understand what he was agreeing to. He would not wilfully put himself at an disadvantage, weak though Zeres seemed. He had been capable of taking out Lullaby.

In mere seconds.

Whose to say he could not replicate that side effect, with his ability to teleport across vast distance at hand... It would take moments to finish him off in such a state. There was no guarantee he could leave once he'd accepted either.

Still, he supposed he should at least help the other one that had left. The crazed dragonslayer with a temper currently trying to battle Delior-

-Splash-

The great Mard Geer of Tartaros had lost control of his magic and fallen into the sea. Something had broken his concentration... He forced himself up out of the water. Though he had no real problem staying under water... He had momentarily felt as if someone had attempted to wretch his soul from his very being.

-Thump- Mard Geer winced as another attack seemed to fill him. It felt as if someone had hammered his head with a mace.

What was this!? Who dare's-

The attack returned, faster then before. It was an attempt on his mind. Whatever it was, was currently trying-

-Thump- There it was again, only... it seemed more concentrated... Instead of a blow to his a head... It felt more like someone had injected something directly into his br-

-Thump- Another attack filled his thoughts, clearer, more concise... More accurate in it's target...

Suddenly, for some reason, he felt as if an odd cloud started to fill his vision. He felt dizzy, his power seemed to seep out as well. Almost akin to bleeding out from him.

"What... What was happening?" He barely managed to let out off as he felt another attack, far greater then before. His vision was no longer clouded, his mind however was in complete disarray.

And then a single thought sprouted out of nowhere. A thought that up until mere months ago, had been at the forefront of his mind.

He needed to find E.N.D.

The thought seemed to repeat itself in his head before...

No... He's already found E.N.D, it was the boy, Natsu Dragnee-

He needed to retrieve the book. The book that would help bring back Zeref's greatest demon! There it was again, another thought that he'd long since stopped following.

Mard Geer blinked. He already had the book... And E.N.D was already alive... Was someone tampering with his min-

-Thump- It seemed whatever was causing this effect was getting impatient, the sudden attack had practically blinded him as he felt himself drift off beneath the sea. His mind refusing to work. He needed to control it, he felt despair build up inside as he realised what was likely happen- Before the small moment of clarity he'd had had disappeared.

What was he doing in the middle of nowhere? What of his plan? His goals? To bring back E.N.D-

No! He's already found him! The thought lasted but a moment, his slowly built up defence crumbling even faster.

He slowly floated out of the sea, his head grasped in his hands. It was getting harder and harder to remind himself... It was like... No... Not like. It was happening...

He was reverting... Reverting to that... Disgrace.

He had a plan! A plan that would help achieve what he had been created for! The death his master truly want-

"NO!" Mard roared, his demonic side momentarily taking over, as his power rose. The sea itself seemed to sway at his outburst.

But for every attempt he made, it failed. He had to watch with dawning horror as he lost more and more control until...

Mard tilted his head, blinking rapidly. "What was he doin-" And then he noticed the prompt in front of him.

"Zeres?" Mard questioned, with narrowed eyes... A coincidence? "What fool dares besmirch my..." He grit his teeth as he accepted.

And it disappeared faster then it had come, it took but a moment before the cloud inhibiting his mind had left. He blinked around, his breathing finally under control. The attacks long gone... And when he looked down, his eyes widened in horror as he stared at the name etched onto his hand.

-Zeres-

He'd reverted... And the first thing he had done... Was to go against every natural compulsion... To ignore caution and dive in to what could've been his downfall. And yet, it had brought him back... It had given him his sanity back. His control.

When the realisation, the realisation that he had to rely on another creature to keep his sense... Oddly enough. Mard Geer, for the first time in centuries, laughed at the sheer audacity of things. What had this, once dull, world turned into?

He had escaped one... Really, there were no words to describe the sheer tragedy that was his creator. Only to depend on another...

Mard Geer sighed.

On another idiot who'd invited the most powerful demon into his own party. For he knew, none of his brethren had seen the error of their paths. Following Zeref was guaranteed to have one's life cut short. His creators very presence would not allow for another being to exist with him.

His mind was his greatest quality. It was what had brought him his sudden change. His plans to reverse Zeref's Immortality, in order to finally end him... For all the years he had been alive for, for all the things he knew off... That was the best he could come up with... In mere moments after his change, he'd come up with at least three that were better and far simpler.

But that wasn't what had stopped him from following in his master's confused wishes.

Simply put?

He'd be damned if he was going to use his greatest gift to plan for what amounted to suicide.

He'd decided, from the moment he felt the pure surge that had shaken Magnolia to the moment he'd first met him. Where E.N.D goes. He will follow. He wasn't sure if anyone else noticed it... But, the moment he'd laid eyes on the pink-haired mage, he knew. Without a doubt. That it was E.N.D. But the most surprising thing had to have been what could only amount to a divine blessing, practically smothering Zeref's greatest secret.

It made absolutely no sense to the long-lived demon... How could E.N.D, an etherious demon, posses such magic... Have such magic protect him. And yet be completely ignorant of it?

But it certainly meant one thing... E.N.D was meant for greatness, he had the drive to succeed and as it were, the power to follow through with it. Unlike his creator... The greatest dark mage to walk the globe and he decided to use all of his gifts in order to die. And even then, he likely didn't have the will to truly go through with it.

So if he had to choose between Zeref and E.N.D... It was a rather simple choice.

He quite liked been alive. There was too much in this world... So much he'd never seen before... His entire existence had been to make Zeref's one wish come true... And he knew exactly how that would go down. For what being truly wished for death... No, the moment he and all his fellow demons would come remotely close to making their creators will true... That was the moment he would change. That was the moment they would all fall.

"Now then..." His eyes landed on the island ahead of him. He doubted he could make whatever jump the others had, not for lack of trying, and yet for some odd reason, he believed the mark on his arm would be the secret for E.N.D to return. Still, at least he had something to pass the time with.

A small smile etched it's way onto his face. He wondered which demon was interfering with Deliora... It takes an Etherious demon to stop another from controlling one of Deliora's standards. His eyes glinted the moment he considered it been one of his own...