Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or The Infernal Devices

Will was in the training room, trying to banish images of Zeref's recklessness from his mind. He beat it out of the training dummies, each punch blocking the sight of that demon's mouth surrounding Zeref's body. He remembered the boy's gasp of pain, the widening of Zeref's eyes. Carrying the boy, seeing just how feverish Zeref had become. Another punch slammed out, a glare on his face as he remembered Zeref's wild eyes, focusing on random shadows in the streets.

Words in his mind, the way Zeref spoke in emergencies. Something had been terribly wrong, if Zeref wouldn't speak out loud. Grimacing, Will pulled away from the training dummy. This was not helping anything, nor had it helped over the last two weeks. Zeref was with Magnus, and the warlock continuously kicked him out before he even got inside the door. Will hadn't seen Zeref since he dropped the boy off at Magnus' home. Apparently, he was too loud and obnoxious for Magnus to focus on magic when Will was around.

With the physical combat having no effect, Will moved on to target practice. Pulling out throwing knives, he began focusing on the weight of a blade in his hand, taking a deep breath as he raised it into the air. He remembered his own words to Zeref, desperate to give him some form of hope with whatever insanity he was seeing. Even mentally, Zeref's voice had sounded pained and fearful, a tone Will was not used to hearing in the black eyed boy's voice.

Will's blade flew through the air. He heard the small thunk as it sunk into the target, close to the edge unlike his usual aim. Glaring at the target, Will grabbed another blade. He couldn't believe Zeref had done all of this, just to get his hands on some stupid tooth. Then again, from what he had heard from Jem, he had done the same thing. Over the week, Jem had explained what he knew of Zeref's spell, describing the strange sensation of traveling back in time to try and prevent Will's death. He didn't doubt that Zeref would go so far, but Will wondered why Zeref hadn't used that spell long ago. Wouldn't time travel have saved Natsu?

Another blade hit the target, only mildly closer to the center. His distracted mind was not good for battle. Thinking about Natsu only made him remember when the boy walked in on their discussion, staring with wide eyes. Natsu had even named the spell, apparently having found the notes on it while he and Zeref still shared the same body. That was even more proof that it was possible, that Zeref had just gone back in time to sacrifice himself instead of Will.

Picking out another dagger, Will was going to continue on in his work when someone else ran into the training room. Jem was there, with Natsu right behind him. "Will! Magnus just sent a fire message to Charlotte. He wants you to come over immediately," Jem said.

"Wait, what?" Will asked, blinking a few times. "Did it say anything else? Is Zeref recovered?"

Jem shook his head, already moving out the door with Will at his heels. "No, but…it did only ask for you. Natsu overheard and insisted on coming, and I thought you wouldn't want to be there with only Natsu."

"Hey, he's my brother! Of course I'm gonna go see him too," Natsu responded, upset with Jem's complaint.

Unconcerned, Will began to move quicker. "I don't care who comes, to be quite honest. It's about time that warlock let us see Zeref. I swear, he's almost as bad as the ducks. I'm considering boycotting his services at this rate."

Sighing, Jem turned towards Will. "He's one of the only warlocks in London, Will. Magnus is the only one capable of healing demon toxins this strong, too."

Thinking about it for a moment, Will changed his mind slightly. "Fine, we'll simply rely on the Silent Brothers for help."

Natsu snorted, giving Will a slight smirk. "Great, I'd love a good fight," he commented. "After all, Silent Brothers just love hearing all about the experiments done to myself and Zeref. I'm sure they'd be eager to see what we can do."

Blinking, Jem ran a hand through his hair. "Er, that's one way to put it, I suppose," he said. "Either way, he makes a valid point. Keeping Zeref's power a secret would be a challenge with them around."

Groaning, Will shook his head. He didn't feel like he was weighed down anymore, now that he had this news. He could joke again, and the light had returned to his eyes. Zeref was coming home, and that was all that mattered. "Fine, but that warlock better learn how to behave. Honestly, what kind of man refuses to help simply because we are too noisy?"

"Magnus Bane," Jem replied calmly, while Will only sighed. They ran in silence at that point, climbing into the carriage for the ride to Magnus' home.

That was when Will learned an interesting fact about Natsu. The pink haired boy refused to enter at first, glaring at the carriage. "No way, I'm not getting in that blasted thing! It was fine when I had Zeref's body, but not anymore!"

Sharing a look with Jem, Will raised an eyebrow at the boy. "We don't have the time for this, Natsu. Get in, or I'll place a hoard of wild gnats in your bed tonight."

This time, Jem gave Will a confused smile. "Gnats? Why Gnats?"

"They are much harder to catch than flies, of course. Plus, have you ever had those things fly up into your nose? It is a dreadful feeling, almost makes flies pleasant to be around," Will explained.

Grumbling, Natsu got into the carriage, glaring at everything within. It began moving almost immediately after, and that was when Will realized why the boy wished to walk instead. His face immediately seemed to grow pale, almost taking on a green color as sweat beaded on his skin. Natsu gripped his stomach, groaning and falling over against the carriage wall. One hand went to his mouth, and his cheeks seemed to fill with something that the boy quickly swallowed back down.

Watching him, Jem began to lean away from the boy subtly. "How did he get this sick so quickly?" he questioned.

Will shrugged, more focused on what he had to say to Zeref when the arrived. "Who cares? We'll get to Magnus' soon, so it's not like he'll be sick for long." he stated.

Zeref was immortal, that was the only consolation Will had over the last few weeks. If he remembered that, he'd be able to tell himself the boy would recover. Despite how sickly he looked, despite the blood and the fact that his wounds weren't healing, Will had to know that Zeref was okay. His heart was pounding when the carriage arrived. He got out, walking up to the door and staring at it for a few moments.

Jem walked to his side, with Natsu weakly crawling towards them on the ground. "We're here for you, Will. Come on," Jem stated, patting his parabatai's shoulder. Knocking gently on the surface of the door, Will waited for Magnus to answer.

The door opened, revealing the cat-eyed warlock leaning against the door frame. His eyes scanned over them, frowning for a moment. "I distinctly recall asking for Will, not the entire household of shadowhunters in the London Institute."

"Hey, Zeref's my brother!" Natsu complained, glaring at Magnus. "I'm not leaving until I've…wait a second." The pink haired boy frowned, glancing around and sniffing the air. "He's not here. The scent isn't strong enough for Zeref to be here, even if he was here earlier."

Something froze inside Will for a moment. How could Zeref not be here? Surely, the boy wouldn't just leave him. Zeref was helping him with ending his curse, and he still had to find Acnologia and the Magister. "No…Zeref's here, he has to be," Will mumbled quietly.

Magnus' green eyes stared down at them sadly, taking a deep breath as he stepped aside. "Come on in, it's going to be a long night," he commented. Will watched the others go in, but he remained where he was. He needed an answer first, to hear what had happened to Zeref. "Will…Zeref wouldn't want you to stand out here in the rain and freeze yourself to death."

Those words, something about how they were phrased made it hit him, hard. "He's…but, Zeref's immortal…" he breathed out, choking slightly. Magnus pressed a hand to Will's back, dragging the boy inside and pushing him onto the couch with the others.

The pale skin on Will's face and the emptiness in his eyes seemed to make the others look alarmed. Will ignored them, trying to face the numbness growing in his body "Look, I don't usually do this for my clients, nor is it typically my place to deliver news of this nature," Magnus began, folding his hands in front of himself. "As you all know, Zeref was already badly poisoned by the toxins when you brought him to me, and curing such things typically is a delicate matter. There is only so much magic can do, and in situations like this…time is of the essence."

Will felt Jem press a hand to his back, softly trying to support him. His chest was rising and falling rapidly, his gaze focused on his shoes on the ground. He didn't want to hear this, to listen to how he had failed to protect Zeref. More accurately, this was the story of how Zeref sacrificed himself for Will. It was his fault, just like his sister. Just like Ella, the one person Will opened up to was now gone.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Natsu burst out, yelling at Magnus. "I don't care how poisoned he was, Zeref always comes back. He can heal from any wound…" Natsu attempted, but the sadness in Magnus' gaze silenced him.

"He did come to, once, and he gave me a request. This was why I asked for Will, and not the rest of you." Magnus began, pulling a tooth out from the pocket of his pants. Glancing up, Will saw the glint of the white weapon, anger rising within him. He didn't deserve it, to have his curse ended. Maybe he should just leave it in place and suffer, because that was all he ever caused others to experience. Zeref had been in agony at the end, and he had forced the boy to use a spell he wouldn't even consider to save his own brother. Will was a monster, and he wasn't going to let himself have the pleasure of finding peace so easily.

"No." Will stated darkly, glaring at him. "I don't care what he asked you to do, I don't want that anymore."

Raising an eyebrow, Magnus folded his arms across his chest. "I never even said what he asked. For all you know, he could have told me to destroy this tooth, or maybe he wanted a necklace made out of it, or even a poison made from the saliva to coat your blades." Magnus suggested. Will only glowered in response, his eyes dark and lifeless. Magnus sighed, shaking his head at the boy. "I will honor his last wish, Will. He wanted me to summon this demon for you, and that is what I will do."

"Wait, summon that thing back here?" Jem demanded, his hand falling from Will's back. His gaze turned towards his parabatai, worry dancing in his silver gaze. "Why…why would Will even want to see it again?"

That day flashed in his mind again, the first time he saw the blue demon in his father's study. Will's shoulders shook, trying to think of anything else. His curse was his atonement for what he had done, that was what he promised himself. Still, he could already see what Zeref would say. He would try and find some calm and wise way to tell Will to be happy. Remembering his words before, Will took a deep breath and tried to focus on not blaming himself. Zeref chose this path, that much was clear. He just needed to face that, and understand that this was always how things were meant to end.

"Oh, that? Well, I don't know the details myself, but Zeref did give me a little bit of an idea about why Will cares so much about this demon," Magnus mused, seeing Will's blue eyes flash.

Natsu listened carefully, glancing over at Will and nodding slowly. "Will, just get it over with. We all have secrets, and I know Zeref trusted you with his. If he wants this to be done for you…there's no reason not to go through with it."

Will remained silent, still conflicted. He wanted to see Zeref's mindset, to see how the boy could be so calm about his own potential death. Then again, Zeref actually wanted to die most of the time. He thought he had taken that away from Zeref. Will had seen light in his eyes lately, and his laughter was more common than ever before.

"Damn it, Will, can't you open your eyes and see things clearly for once!" Natsu shouted, this time making Will blink. "Zeref was my brother, Jem's friend, we all miss him. He hated pointless suffering, Will, so he'd hate having you mope around like this. Zeref knew death was a possibility when he did this, yet he did so to keep you alive. Don't waste his life by killing the person he was trying to save, Will. If you do that, I promise I'll kick your ass myself to show you what he wanted."

Taking a deep breath, Will slowly began to nod. There was a valid point within Natsu's shouting. Zeref really did hate suffering and pain. It was why he disliked the ways of the world so much. "Yeah…alright," Will said quietly. "Do you have everything you need to summon it?"

Magnus nodded, gesturing for them to follow. "I still have everything set up in the room I lent you two. Are you sure you want them to see this?" he questioned, eyeing Natsu and Jem.

Glancing towards them, Will realized it didn't really matter at this point. He was tired of all of this, of all the secrets and lies to his friends. He didn't want to push them away anymore, not if he could avoid it. "It's fine. It's not like they wouldn't have found out eventually," Will commented. "That demon…I've encountered it before."

"I figured that much. The first time you saw that demon…you charged in there like a madman. I couldn't react fast enough, and that was how you ended up with the tooth in your arm, rather than…" Jem began, trailing off slightly.

Frowning, Magnus turned towards him. "First time? That doesn't even make any sense. Time travel is not possible, not even with magic."

"Zeref found a way," Natsu said quietly.

Something seemed to shine in Magnus' cat-eyes. He nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Hmmm. I suppose we'll never know how it was done again, then."

The three of them glared at the warlock, before Will continued on in his story. "Anyway, that demon…the last time I saw it was seven years ago, back in Whales," he began quietly. Jem looked surprised, while Natsu only frowned. "Long story short, I did something stupid and ended up cursed. Zeref's been helping me try and break it ever since he learned of the curse's existence. " He paused for a moment, grimacing at his own mistake. "Well, he was helping me with it, anyway."

"Alright, I'll beat this demon into breaking that curse for you, Will!" Natsu stated eagerly, Flames danced in his hands before Magnus shot him a glare. Will watched the magic die away, but Natsu's eagerness remained. "I'm getting fired up, let's go summon that demon."

Will could feel Jem's eyes burning into the back of his head. He knew his parabatai wanted to help, but there was nothing Jem could do. Zeref was gone, it was as simple as that. Without Zeref, Will was alone again. The immortal boy who could love Will without being harmed had lost that immortality a moment too soon, and now, Will had pushed away anyone else who may have loved him.

The familiar empty room made Will stop for a moment. A pentagram was still etched on the floor in white chalk, used excessively for multiple summonings every time he came here with Zeref. He still remembered that first demon, the one that left far more slime than Will thought was possible. Somehow, Magnus had cleaned up the mess before they returned again two days later.

Tears were not expected, but Will felt them begin to pool in his eyes. Summoning demons shouldn't have been a pleasant memory for him, but Zeref had been there. The boy's small smiles and amusement at Will's way of rejecting demons had made the process strangely enjoyable. The times that Zeref exhausted himself were sweet as well. Will rarely saw Zeref as unguarded as he had been on those nights, leaning into Will for support to simply walk. The proximity to Zeref had always left Will feeling oddly protective of the boy. He had immortality, yet in many ways, Will had been afraid of seeing Zeref break. His heart was fragile, despite the strength of his body.

Magnus got to work quickly, with Jem and Natsu standing inside. Will stepped closer a moment later, taking a deep breath as he waited for the demon to appear. After watching so many demon summonings, he had grown to know what to expect. Sparks danced along the pentagram as Magnus began his incantation, calling forth the demon linked with the fang in the pentagram. Only a few more moments of waiting was required before the demon appeared.

Just as blue as he remembered, Will felt a streak of rage at the sight of the creature. It burned through his veins, seeing the thing that killed Zeref alive and breathing in this world. Somehow, he understood how Zeref felt when he found Mavis at De Quincy's. Will wanted to murder this thing now, but he had a question to ask first. "Marbas, Will here has a question for you. You will answer him," Magnus was saying, already starting up a conversation.

Coming closer, Will locked eyes with the creature. "Seven years ago, in a study in Whales, you cursed a young boy, didn't you?"

The demon nodded, smiling at him. "Ah, yes, I remember you. Edmund's child, the spitting image of the man that imprisoned me."

"You are going to take it back," Will stated darkly. "I've had nearly a decade of living with your curse, of pushing everyone away—" he began, but Marbas cut him off.

"Yes, yes, I am aware. Everyone who loves you will die, unless you separate yourself from them first. I shall start it with her, or something along those lines," Marbas interrupted. "If you ask me, you haven't suffered enough. I spent centuries inside that box, so maybe you should keep this curse for just as long."

"Wait, what?" Jem asked, turning towards Will with wide eyes. The blue eyed shadowhunter glanced away, aware that he had not explained the details of his curse quite yet. "I…you can't do that to him. You've taken enough away from him, can't you see that?"

Marbas frowned at him, before a small grin spread across his face. "Ah, yes, the warlock boy who fought like a shadowhunter. I assume he is dead now? Not surprising, considering he spent quite a bit of time in my mouth. That magic though…nasty, vile spell. The likes of Asmodeus or Lucifer's magic, likely. Whoever his father is, he is indeed one of the Princes of Hell."

A chill rushed through Will, hearing those names. He didn't know the origins of Zeref's power, not specifically at least. Experiments of all kinds resulted in them, but this demon had no clue about the truth. "Marbas, that is quite enough." Magnus stated, interrupting Will's thoughts. "There is something odd about this entire story, to be quite honest. From the sounds of it, you emerged from a pyxis, did you not?"

The demon growled under his breath, looking irritated. "Yes, the box that imprisons many of my kind…"

The warlock nodded, glancing over at Will with a small smile. "I see. Now, that's where things get confusing. Most demons are quite weak when they emerge from a pyxis, having been starved while inside. Casting a curse as intricate as the one you've place upon Will…well, it would take much more power than you had, wouldn't it?"

Freezing, Will's eyes widened and locked on Magnus. It couldn't have all been a lie. His entire life, he had thrown it all away on this curse. "Curse you, warlock," Marbas growled. "Yes…it was all a lie."

Ella's face flashed in Will's mind, the one thing still making the curse real. "My…my sister, she died—" he tried, but Marbas waved his tail in the air.

The stinger caught Will's attention, curved and lethal on the end. "I got her with my stinger. Much like my teeth, it is quite venomous." he mused.

"You blue-skinned bastard…I'll…" Will began, rage in his chest burning away his clarity. His family, he had left them over this. Zeref was dead, and Ella was gone. Will had nothing, he was nothing, all because of a lie he believed when he was a child. The only thing he had left was Jem, the one person Will had allowed himself to have. It wasn't enough, though. Jem would never understand him, Will had made sure of that.

Pulling out a seraph blade, Will began to take a step forward. Magnus held his arm out, however, pushing Will back. "Don't break the pentagram, Will. I'll deal with it." Magnus stated, glaring over at the demon. "You know, Will is right. You are a blue-skinned bastard. Burn in hell and die!" Flames burst into life inside the pentagram, filling the room with the demon's screams.

Will was shaking, unsure of what to believe now. Everything had changed, but at the same time, nothing was different. Zeref was gone, his curse wasn't real, and he was still completely alone. Stepping back out of the room, Will scrambled to rush away. He plunged himself into the rain, feeling the drops pelt his hair and soak into his clothes. With no goal in mind, he began to wander the familiar streets of London once more. Perhaps it would be best if he wasn't here. With Cecily's face in mind, slowly overshadowed by the image of Zeref, Will set off towards Wales. It was time for him to go home, to see what he could salvage from the life he had destroyed with his own hands.

So, Will's heard the news and his curse is 'gone'. Not exactly a joyful moment, but it still needed to be done. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!