Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail
The train ride was a bit tense, Zeref noted. Laxus and his team spent the time glaring at anyone who walked by, and sometimes at Zeref as well. It was obvious that they had not agreed with his decision, but he would stand by it. Zeref had not lived as long as he had without dealing with people who tried to fight back against his decisions. It was quite common, and he was used to thinking through their complaints logically before finalizing his choice.
This time had been no different, but it did not change the fact that Laxus, Freed, Evergreen, and Bickslow seemed to want to do something about his choice. Their only words on the trip were suggestions about how much happier Mavis would be, if Zeref was still around when she was freed. Constant attempts to rationalize surviving were being thrown at him, all varying from doing it for Mavis, to staying alive for the guild. None of them even attempted to say Zeref would be happy in his life, and for that, Zeref was glad. He did not think he would be able to remain calm if any of them stated it would be simple and pleasant living his life.
Luckily, the train ride was over now. Laxus and his team had not gotten any closer to convincing Zeref that he had the wrong decision in mind. Instead, Zeref began walking silently, seeing that they had arrived in a rather small village. Houses were sparse and slightly run down, and people seemed to stay close to their homes. As Zeref walked passed, he watched a mother grab her child's hand, pulling him away quickly as the wizards traveled along the path towards the eastern side of town.
"So, where are we even going in this place?" Laxus asked, frowning at their surroundings. "It looks like a dump to me, and the people don't seem all that willing to share info with us."
Reaching into his pocket, Zeref pulled the map out once more. Spreading it out, he could see the lines drawn on wrinkled paper, with landmarks detailing the area nearby. Currently, they were in the nearest town to the forest. From there, it appeared to be a short walk to the place that held the spell. "Eisenwald did have a map available for use, though the exact location was not known to them. It will still get us close enough for me to sense where it is. At least, that is my hopes for now."
"What about this other guild you mentioned? Did you have a plan in mind for dealing with them?" Evergreen demanded, a hand on her hip. The town seemed rather hushed as they walked, with people gazing at them as they passed. It was odd, the way they avoided strangers and seemed to cling to the buildings of the town. Then again, this close to Nirvana, they had likely seen some minor effects of the spell surrounding the city. Places and people that had once been light had been tainted and transformed into darkness.
That was likely why these people were wary of strangers, especially a group heading towards the forest that contained Nirvana. "I will make one when the time comes. As of right now, I am not entirely aware of the magic used by their members. Rumors are not a good basis for making plans, and as a result, we will need to face them for a better idea of their power." Zeref explained.
Soon, the path ended in town, cut off by thick trees that bordered the landscape. A farm rested to their left, the fields running all the way to the forest before stopping. No one was around to question their presence, and Zeref was not in the mood to wait too long before entering this place. Ignoring the sign put up, labeling this as a dead end, Zeref moved forward into the forest. He pushed aside branches, trying to keep them from cutting into the paper map he had. To protect it, he folded it once more and put it away for now.
Following behind him, Laxus came a bit closer. "Sounds like you're not so sure about this idea yourself, if you ask me. Incomplete plans for locating Nirvana, and no plans at all for dealing with these great threats you tried to warn us about. Maybe we should back out of this, Master. After all, we wouldn't want you to kill yourself and regret it later."
"By what logic did you reach that conclusion?" Zeref questioned, turning his head towards Laxus. "There is no reason to believe that an afterlife exists. Once the body dies, there is nothing more. No more thoughts, no more pain, no more regrets. All that is left is peace, an endless void that will swallow me whole and finally end all of this sorrow and suffering I've seen and experienced in life."
Tilting his head, Laxus seemed to smirk slightly. "Well, nothing says there isn't one, either. What if you're wrong? Are you really interested in seeing hell, Old Man?" It was usually the nickname used for Makarov, but at the moment, Zeref could not help but feel it was fitting for himself as well.
Shaking his head, Zeref frowned slightly. "It would not be so simple as that. Are our actions judged, or our intentions? Determining if my afterlife, if such a thing exists, would be pleasant or not would be quite a challenge. Centuries of choices to judge, not all of them made for the right reasons. Darkness surely outweighs the light, however, so perhaps you are correct. Even so, no torture conceived after my death could be worse than the torment I've experienced in life."
Freed joined in, seeing opportunity to debate with Zeref once more. "Well, what about Mavis? Surely you do realize that you are the only wizard capable of comprehending the spell that binds her to her current state. Are you going to leave her like that for all of eternity?"
His question was the one that had given Zeref pause for most of this trip, but Jackson's comment had proven to Zeref that this was the right path, the one that helped at least a single person. "In time, someone will learn to analyze and understand her curse. It may take longer, but one day, someone will put an end to the puzzle created by her existence. Meanwhile, the world will have…peace, in a way, without me. No more pointless death, and no more suffering for those who lose loved ones to my magic."
Evergreen snorted, shaking her head. "If you ask me, you are taking the easy way out. We all have problems, but it is just improper to attempt to hide from them like a coward." she insisted.
This time, her words made Zeref stop and turn towards her. "Hide?" he questioned darkly, his gaze hardening and transforming into a glare. "Evergreen, can you possibly imagine what my life is like? Take a moment and see things from my point of view. I've watched as wars began and ended, and seen all of the death and blood that came from them as a result. I've watched the death of my entire family, and at some point, I've even forgotten the value of life. I created destruction and chaos, attempting to end my life long ago, before finding a single moment of peace, a single reminder that life could be valued. Now, imagine that at that moment, you lose control of the power you possess. The abilities you have, the ability to create and end life, spin out of control and spill out, much like water overfilling a glass. Death now surrounds you, the deaths of the few people you had become friends with, the ones that reminded you of its importance. Tell me, would you wish to continue on, after killing every single one of your friends? If your magic killed Laxus, are you saying you would be pleased with the result and not wish to run from the pain?"
Her face was ashen, pale as she gazed around at her companions. Everyone was silent at his outburst, uncertain about what to say to his story. Zeref rarely spoke about his past to anyone, but at the moment, it was the only way to make them understand. "I…I did not mean to say…" Evergreen tried, but she broke off at Zeref's harsh glare. Her gaze turned downward, staring at her feet as she crossed her arms in front of her, clasping her hands tightly.
"Of course you did not. No one ever thinks their words through, and it always leads to insults and pain." Zeref stated darkly, shaking his head. "Everything in this life, no matter how innocent it may seem, will ultimately lead to more pain and sorrow in the end. That is the true reason I feel as if death is the best option, because after all of these years, it only seems right that I am claimed by the same force that ends everyone else."
No one had anything more to add at that point, simply following in silence as Zeref created a path through the trees. A few dips in the landscape made the trip tiring, with hills dotting the area. Deeper in, bushes and roots would get in the way. There was not a path made for travelers here, and the spell was likely hidden in the center of this place. Zeref would not be surprised if they had to wander for hours to find Nirvana.
Closing his eyes, Zeref tried to sense for a magical aura within this forest. Most wizards could do this to find another wizard, but it became more challenging to use it to locate a spell. After years of studying magic and living in this world, Zeref's senses had expanded to the point where he could locate almost any magic with this method.
The aura of Nirvana should have been strong, considering the power of the spell. However, it was difficult for Zeref to sense as he walked through the forest. Someone had sealed it away, it appeared, dulling the normal magical energy that would resonate in the air, guiding him in the right direction. In fact, it was almost easier to narrow down the location of the seal, rather than the actual spell. That indicated a powerful seal, one that would actually take some time for Zeref to unravel and break. The sheer amount of magic coming from the seal was enough to make him hesitate, unsure of if he could break it without knowledge of exactly which sealing spell was used. A variety of spells can seal away magic, though they all had the same result. The main difference was in how to unravel that energy, and the difficulty of breaking it for those unaware of the true spell that had been cast.
Following the signal of the seal, Zeref turned as he passed by a thinning tree. The landscape here seemed to be altering slightly. Trees were more scarce, and there were a few open areas where smaller shrubs and plants could be seen. As he passed by a slight clearing, he could see the downturn of a cliff, overlooking the center of Rosenwald. Staring off into the distance, Zeref frowned at the sight of black spreading like ink across the trees below. Nirvana's taint seemed to be affecting the plants here, not just people.
Pointing towards the sight, Zeref stopped his companions. "There. Within the sea of darkness is where we will find Nirvana. I am rather surprised others have not located it before, it seems to be giving off quite a powerful signal with the discoloration of the forest." His comment made the others nod, while Freed frowned thoughtfully.
"Perhaps they were afraid of the dangers of the spell. Is it possible that Nirvana can affect us, even before it is activated?" Freed questioned.
Laxus snorted, shaking his head. "Yeah right, like that'll happen. If Nirvana was that dangerous, the Magic Council would have destroyed it ages ago. Those old geezers may not do much, but they are smart enough to know when to stop a catastrophe like that."
While Laxus was confident in his words, Zeref was not quite as certain. "Perhaps they did already act…the aura I'm sensing is not that of Nirvana, but that of a sealing spell surrounding it. Someone did not want Nirvana to be used, and it would not surprise me if the Council had a hand in hiding it away." He narrowed his eyes, staring deeper into the forest as they approached the edge of the cliff. He would have to find a path down, but for now he could get a better grasp of where he was going.
Keeping the landscape in mind, Zeref began to walk along the edge of the cliff, trying to locate a path down towards the center of the forest. "A sealing spell, huh?" Bickslow commented, grinning. "Looks like this'll be interesting. My babies will blow right through that thing for ya, Master."
It appeared as if his companions were not intelligent in the workings of sealing spells, Zeref noted. At least, that was his first impression until Freed spoke again. "Don't be a fool, Bickslow. Sealing magic isn't all that different from my enchantments. It will require precision and a delicate hand to undo such a spell, especially if it is powerful enough to be sensed from this far away. I wouldn't be surprised if it took multiple wizards to establish such a powerful seal."
Nodding in agreement, Zeref smiled slightly. "Indeed, however, I think we have more than enough strength to break it right here. Freed, have you ever attempted breaking such spells before?" Zeref turned towards the man, watching the other wizard shake his head slightly.
"No, that typically isn't my area of expertise. I'm usually the one writing the rules, creating traps for oncoming threats while Laxus fights them off after our opponent is immobilized." Freed explained, glancing around at the others. "If we are facing multiple opponents, Evergreen and Bickslow help fight off the threats as well. My talents lie in ensuring that everyone is trapped as needed, and that they fall into the right place at the right moment to activate my spells."
Evergreen crossed her arms over her chest, sighing as she shook her head. "Honestly, I thought you knew our magic better than this, Master. If you wanted someone to break sealing magic, you should have looked elsewhere for your assistants." She sounded a bit annoyed, but Zeref did not really mind.
Observing the group for a moment, Zeref nodded to himself and moved on. He had finally found a path down, though it was a bit of a steep walk. The hill inclined sharply, and was covered in tree roots from the plants growing at the edge of the cliff. Walking carefully, he began to descend towards the center of the forest. "I am quite capable of breaking it myself, however, a second person would have made the process a bit quicker." he explained.
"Well, so much for hoping you wouldn't be able to reach Nirvana." Laxus commented, shaking his head. "Seriously, I get that life sucks, but why go to all of this effort just to die? Don't take this the wrong way, but you should at least think about the guild for a moment before doing this, Master. I…as much as I hate to admit it, there isn't anyone else capable of leading the guild with you gone. Not even I could do a decent job, not with us being a dark guild and all. I just don't know how they operate, not like you do."
"Do you truly wish to discuss this again?" Zeref stated quietly, a tenseness in his voice. "I've made my stance clear, and you will not be altering my decision."
Ignoring any further protests, Zeref picked up his pace to travel towards Nirvana. He could see the landscape around him transforming, becoming darker as he neared the spell. Black snaked along the ground, tainting plants and leaving Zeref feeling as if he was surrounded by his own magic for a moment. It was odd, seeing something so different act so similarly to Ankhseram's Curse. Then again, this spell was designed to transform light into darkness, so perhaps it wasn't all that different than the contradictory nature of his own magic.
When they reached another clearing, this time Zeref stopped. A massive sphere-like object rested before them, practically implanted into the ground. Surrounding it was a lacework of magic circles, all of them interwoven and glowing brightly in a dark purple color. His companions stared at Nirvana with wide eyes, as Zeref smiled and reached his hand out to touch the magical seal, almost as if it were a wall before him. It felt almost like a weight was rising from his shoulders as he stared at it, the one object that may be his salvation. Finally, he had a path to reach peace. All he had to do now was lift the seal, and activate Nirvana to transform his dark curse into its complete opposite.
Okay, so Zeref has finally located Nirvana and is now going to be working on breaking the seal! Things are going to get exciting pretty quick with this section. However, first, it is time to take a look back on what's happening with the investigation. I hope you guys are as excited as I am for the future of this story! Feel free to review and let me know what you think.