Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail
Instinctively, Zeref shoved Mavis behind him, quickly moving in between her and the death magic emanating from the people arriving at the top of the tower. At the same time, Jellal came running away, his eyes wide at the sight of the magic nearby. "What is this power? No, wait…I've seen this before…that wizard, the guild master of Fairy Tail, he's here." Jellal gazed back at them with a frown, before turning towards Zeref. His gaze had harshened into a glare, looking quite furious now that the shock was wearing off.
"However, that is not a concern of mine." He grabbed Zeref and threw him towards the death magic. In response, Zeref quickly teleported away. Despite being Mavis, he realized that magic flowed far better within her body than it even did in his own. She had all the potential in the world, and she never once realized it. He ended up landing just beside Jellal once more, and this time, he glared at the blue haired wizard. "I'm not going to let her death be in vain! This dark magic, all of these things trying to enter my mind and influence my thoughts…I will kill you for them all!"
With his outburst, Jellal became a golden blur once more. Zeref felt Jellal manage to collide with him. He had expected it to be a speed based attack, but there was a lot of force behind Jellal's motion. It sent Zeref flying back, making him collide with Mavis and sending them both sprawling onto the floor behind them.
Sitting back up, Zeref planned to retaliate, but Jellal swirled around and came after him again. This time, he came dangerously close to the place where Erza must have been, surrounded by the black magic of his curse. Sliding across the surface of the tower, Zeref slowed his progress by grasping one of the passing pillars. It appeared to have been the sacrificial lacrima from before, but it didn't matter anymore as he grimaced and rose back to his feet. A golden blur alerted him just soon enough to dodge, but he needed to do something to at least make Jellal hesitate.
Remembering a spell Mavis had shown him before, Zeref closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. While her spell had created images of animals to approach him, he altered it for his own needs. Monstrous figures seemed to appear, coming to life from his own memories. To his left, Deliora stood side by side with Lullaby, as if ready to battle. To his right, Mard Geer's etherious form came to life, along with Tempester's demonic form to add to the effect. Behind him, the rest of his strongest demons appeared, all of them looking vicious and cunning, ready for battle.
Seeing them, Jellal only smirked and hovered in the air for a moment. "I've eliminated the barrier to my magic while you were trapped within the Tower of Heaven. Now that I am at my full strength, do you truly think even this can stop me?" He laughed darkly, as if amused by Zeref's actions.
Tilting his head, Zeref focused even more on the magic within this body. He could feel the restlessness of Fairy Heart in his veins, but he overlooked that in favor of drawing on the more natural power within her. Illusion magic was one step behind its ideal form, a true thought projection. There was more than enough power to bring these illusions to life, and with their basis on creatures that truly existed, Zeref could give them physical form to battle with. Jellal managed to quickly attack both Mard Geer and Tempester. The two demons flew backward, their forms falling off of the small battleground on the tower. With two eliminated, Jellal turned around with a grin and seemed to prepare himself to continue.
"No!" Zeref heard a girl's shout, making him turn to see Mavis getting up and preparing to defend him. Startled, Zeref stopped in his actions, watching as she attempted to battle with the sword Erza normally wielded. The weapon was not nearly as graceful as the requip wizard's normal strength, but Zeref noted that it did seem to have the same decisiveness and determination that he recalled from Mavis. Her heart went into that attack, but Jellal managed to dodge with ease. In retaliation, he used his full force to slam her back down into the tower.
Mavis groaned, and the sound made Zeref clench his teeth together. If that was how Jellal wanted this battle to go, he would gladly acquiesce. Around him, the air seemed to shudder with the force of his magical aura as he drew upon nearly all of Mavis' normal power. Around him, more forms appeared, but they were no longer the demons he had been creating. Instead, an army of dragons appeared in the sky, hovering and awaiting his command.
The visage of Igneel came swooping down on Jellal, who was watching with wide eyes. Narrowly, he dodged to the side, but that was when the thought projection of Skiadrum rushed in and grabbed the wizard between his claws. Retreating towards the shadows swiftly, Skiadrum managed to send Jellal slamming into the surface of the tower as the dragon vanished from sight to a place where the wizard saint could not go. Before another dragon could attack, however, Zeref stepped forward and gazed down at Jellal with a scowl.
"If you even consider harming Mavis again, I shall use whatever power is necessary to destroy you." Jellal was staring with wide eyes, his gaze flickering across the army of dragons in the sky. By Zeref's side, the demons seemed to crowd as well. Behind him, Loke, Irene, and Wendy all stayed close to each other, just barely beyond the reach of the black cloud around Erza. "As for your sacrifice, if you had not been so foolish you would have learned the truth. All of your effort…all of the sacrifices you've gone through and the pain you've suffered…I want you to know that it was for nothing. I want you to look at your past actions and be horrified at the person you are, because only then will you even come close to understanding the pain you've desired to inflict upon me. Realize how dark you are, regardless of if you are possessed or not, then imagine what life is like without the single person who believes in you. Imagine that life…and then, you will understand just a fraction of my own suffering."
Jellal seemed to stutter for a moment, his golden magic dying out as he tried to scramble back from Zeref. "I—you can't possible be serious. No one could possibly see good in you…no one that is on the path of the light. Perhaps my thoughts have been muddled, but I am seeing things clearly now. There is no greater villain than you…" Jellal touched his forehead with a grimace, likely feeling another attempt to persuade his thoughts back towards their former darkness.
"Zeref is not a villain." Mavis stepped forward, smiling and folding her arms behind her back. She seemed to be recovering from Jellal's attack rather quickly, but Zeref didn't want to take any chances. "He's just a person, a wizard who made a simple mistake. That's really all any of us are, even the people we label as villains. Sometimes, we just need a push in the right direction, isn't that right, Zeref?"
Mavis seemed to be looking for an answer, though it was odd to see such a bright expression on Erza's face. Her arms were swinging slightly behind her back as she nearly closed all of the distance between them, leaving Zeref wishing for more space to move away. "I…Mavis, I told you before that this curse can still affect you." He felt a slight pressure building in his head, a sign that he was too focused on this again. It had been coming on and off ever since he brought back Mavis, but the pain was worth it.
She sighed, shaking her head and taking a few steps back before turning towards Jellal. "Fine, I'll listen for now. But…you have to promise me to bring me back to the guild when we're done here! I wanna see all of my old friends, I bet Precht has missed me so much! Oh, and Yuri—" Zeref turned away, frowning as she stopped at the expression on his face. Her smile faded, and slowly, she took another step back, as if something had dragged her foot away. "No…they…you said a century, so are they…?"
Mutely, Zeref nodded, though he added more to try and comfort her. "Most of them, yes. Makarov is still alive…though he was merely a child when you were last at the guild. As for Precht…I cannot say if he is alive or not, as he left the guild not long after your life was stolen from you."
Silent tears were streaming down her cheeks, and Zeref left her to her own grief. Instead, he knelt down in front of Jellal, frowning as the man seemed to be trying to calm himself with deep breaths. "As for you…I suggest you stop attacking me, as I am the one in control of the only person capable of returning your queen to your side." That made Jellal freeze, his gaze narrowing at Zeref.
"The Tower of Heaven has no more magic to give…accumulating that much power had been my life's work, it cannot be done again."
Chuckling, Zeref shook his head and turned towards Irene. "Irene, I believe a slight alteration will be necessary. Can you switch three individuals with your enchantment, or are you limited to two?"
The enchantress frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "Of course I can do three…your majesty?" A questioning tone made Zeref nod slightly, confirming his identity. "It'll just take a little more time is all." Glancing behind her, she scowled at the black magic near her. "I guess this means that we were traveling with that little brat this entire time. No wonder you ended up so tactless and out of control for a moment. However, I suppose my enchantments were enough to at least contain some of the blast, even if it didn't stop it entirely."
With that, Irene raised her hands towards them. Jellal watched in confusion as Mavis and Zeref both began to illuminate with a pure white light, filling the air around their bodies. Within the cloud of darkness, a slight hint of white became visible, shining throughout the shadows and peeking its way out towards them. As the light grew, the sensation of tugging returned to Zeref. He remembered feeling this before, when Jellal first attempted to bring him back to life with the R-System. This time, he did not resist as he was pulled away from this body and lifted back into his own. Unlike the tower, this spell was a much quicker way of switching the souls within multiple bodies. Before long, he found himself gazing out in a sea of darkness, feeling mildly tired as the magic slowly faded away.
"You know, I feel like we didn't really do anything here." Loke glanced towards Wendy with a frown. "Why did he even take us along?"
The sky dragon slayer turned towards Zeref, who ran a hand through his far lighter hair. "I'm not sure…maybe he just wanted someone to distract him from Irene?" Both of them turned towards the scarlet haired enchantress and shuddered slightly. "She didn't seem all that kind…"
Snorting, Loke crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. "Yeah, she was even immune to my charms. It's a shame I didn't get the chance to woo her sooner on the boat ride here, but she was far too focused on worshipping Zeref for me to do so."
Looking a bit uncomfortable, Wendy sighed and shook her head. "I don't think that's what I meant…"
Smiling, Loke patted her back and nodded. "Of course, a young lady like you doesn't need to understand such things. However, love will blossom one day for me, hopefully with a far more amazing woman like Sherry…or maybe Taylor…or how about—" Zeref tuned out the list of Loke's lovers, hoping he hadn't actually attempted to seduce Irene. Just imaging that left him horrified, wondering how bad the battle had been on the rest of their journey up to the top of the tower. The world likely wasn't ready for that, to see just how overwhelmed Loke had been in the presence of such a wizard.
Turning towards Erza and Mavis, Zeref watched as both woman seemed to recover quickly from the spell. Erza placed a hand to her chest, shaking her head with a grimace as her other hand rose to touch her head. "I never imagined such a pain before…I cannot believe the suffering our Master endures on a daily basis." Her gaze flickered open towards Zeref, nodding quickly with a strict look. "You have always held my respect, Master, but only now do I see how truly deserving of it you are. I urge you, focus on your mission to free yourself from that curse, before you go mad from the pain."
Uncertain if it was too late for that or not, Zeref simply nodded. By Erza's side, Mavis smiled brightly and nodded. "Of course he will! After all, I still have a promise to keep, and I've already spent too much time making Zeref wait for me. A hundred years…" Her voice went distant as a haunted look entered her gaze. Then, she shook her head and her smile returned, though it wasn't quite as bright as before. "I can't imagine making him suffer that long, and it is about time I did something about it."
Flabbergasted, Jellal interrupted the sweet moment by leaping between them all, standing in the center of the tower. "Wait! Just how…what just happened?"
Lifting an eyebrow, Zeref approached him and picked up the white king yet again. "Often times, people mistake a fallen king for a dead king. When a king is dethroned, his power is lost, and his actions are forgotten. The river of time flows on, and history writes off his deeds, both good and bad, as the actions of a simple ghost. No one ever wishes to see a dark ghost's return to life, and no one wishes to believe the ghost had always existed in the first place. In the future, I would advise against believing every tale you hear about history. Historians make mistakes, and often times, reality is far simpler to see than one might think."
Tossing the king through the air, Zeref watched as Jellal caught the piece, his eyes wide. "You were always Zeref. We were right all along, yet I…no, we, pushed to grant you freedom. Ultear…she told me it was impossible. Why?" Grasping his hair tightly, Jellal seemed to struggle with seeing the truth.
"Perhaps she has been by your side for longer than you thought. Possession isn't a type of magic I am particularly skilled at, after all." Turning around, Zeref let his hands cross behind his back and moved to join the rest of his guild. Behind him, Mavis eagerly followed after, her arms swinging by her sides as she stuck close to Zeref. However, Erza remained where she stood for a few more moments.
Waiting by the entrance, Zeref glanced back to see the requip wizard slowly taking a step towards Jellal. "Possession? Now I see….I should have seen it long ago, now that I recall our childhood." Her hand clenched into a fist, and she slowly shook her head. "Perhaps one day, you could forgive me for my oversight? If I had been here…if I had never left, I could have freed you sooner."
Her eyes clenched tightly shut, mimicking her hands. In front of her, Jellal's gaze seemed to soften, his hand reaching out and gently grasping a single strand of her hair in between his fingers. "It is not you who needs forgiveness, Erza." He let the strand slide between his fingers, slowly releasing it into the air. "One day, I will atone for my sins. Then, I shall return to your side as a better man. Until then…I think it is time for the king to finally fall, and leave his kingdom to his queen." Jellal's gaze flickered over towards Zeref, giving him a small smile. "I may not understand entirely what you've done to free me…nor do I care to waste time understanding your actions, but I do know that I owe you my gratitude. Please, take care of Erza for me."
Nodding, Zeref kept his expression impassive as Jellal gave him a slight smile. With one last look towards Erza, he began walking towards the edge of the tower, his body illuminating with golden light. He jumped off, plunging towards the water below and vanishing from sight. Erza remained by the edge of the tower, watching the waves crash against the base of the tower below them until Zeref came to her side, pulling her away. It was time for both of them to leave this place behind, and move on from their pasts. The future awaited them both, and with Mavis back, Zeref knew that someone would finally be by his side that would manage to convince him to actually take Natsu's advice and begin to melt away the hardened shell of ice he had placed around his heart so many years ago.
The return to the guild was sudden, though Zeref had left Irene at the tower. She had insisted on finding her own way back to Alvarez, and Zeref wasn't going to argue with her over such a simple matter. He had teleported the rest of them directly back to the guild, though it had taken quite a bit of his magical power. Zeref had forgotten just how far away the R-System had been, and as a result, he spent far too much energy on bringing them back.
Arriving in Oshibana, the five of them appeared directly in the center of the guild hall, startling everyone within. Zeref had landed directly onto one of the long tables within, and Mavis stumbled slightly with only one foot on top of it. Reaching out, Zeref grabbed her arm and pulled her upright, though he did hear a muffled cry as someone else tumbled over. Glancing to his left, Zeref saw that Wendy had actually fallen off, landing on Loke who stumbled back to try and catch both of them from collapsing on the ground.
Around them, the guild seemed to have gone still. Cana held a mug half-way to her lips, blinking at them for a moment. By her side, Makarov stared with his jaw dropped open at the girl standing by his side. After a moment, he closed his mouth and his shoulders seemed to shake slightly even though no sound came from him. By the bar, Mira frowned at the commotion and stopped, holding a serving tray to her dress with a frown. Sitting at the table to Zeref's right, Lucy and Lisanna turned around and frowned. The blond whispered something to the other girl, who said something in reply while pointing towards Mavis. Afterwords, Lucy couldn't seem to look away from the First Master along with the rest of the guild.
Footsteps grew loud and became the focus of Zeref's attention, as there was no other noise to really hear at the moment. Glancing towards the doorway that led to the staircase, Zeref saw Natsu coming through, dragging Levy behind him. "I smell him! Zeref's back, you gotta come out here and talk to him!"
Frowning, Zeref observed as the girl struggled to free herself from Natsu's grip. She looked uncomfortable and irritated, scowling when Natsu finally released her directly in front of the table next to Zeref and Mavis. "I don't think that's really necessary, Natsu. I didn't even—"
"Come on, just talk to him already!" Natsu cut her off impatiently. "We've been getting a head start on fulfilling that promise I made to you, Zeref. Levy's been showing me all those books you have upstairs, and I figured one of them should tell us something about your curse, right?"
"Are you back on that again, flame brain?" Gray shouted from across the room, scowling and shaking his head. "Zeref spends more time in that room than anyone else in the guild. If there was some kind of magical solution to his curse in this place, he would have found it by now."
Glaring at the black haired wizard, Natsu approached Gray instead. "Oh yeah? Well, I'd like to see you try and end his curse then!"
"I'm sure I'd do a million times better than an idiot like you!"
"Well, at least I can keep my clothes on while I look for a cure, you stripper!"
Watching the two of them argue was beginning to give Zeref a slight pain in his neck. Having to turn his head to gaze at each boy as they spoke was irritating, so he settled with simply listening after a moment. "If we're dealing with something so important, who the hell cares if I've got clothes on or not?"
"You make me sick, you pervert!"
"And you make me feel like my brain cells went and died, idiot!"
With a harsh glare on her face, Erza came forward and stood between both of them. "Both of you, that is enough." Flames seemed to be dancing around Natsu now, as he glared at Gray from his spot in the guild.
"Tell him that my plan will work, then!"
"No, tell him that reading books Zeref has already gone through is just a waste of time!"
This time, Erza looked like she had lost her patience. She grabbed both boys, slamming them into each other and then throwing them onto the ground in front of her. Startled, they both stared at her with wide eyes as Erza placed her hands on her hips. "Now, both of you are going to be getting along from here on out. I may not entirely know who this newcomer is, but I am familiar with you, Gray, and I expect better things from you."
"Yes ma'am." They both replied in unison, the fight ending in an instant.
By his side, Mavis was frowning and studying the people that had been talking in the guild. "He said he was trying to break your curse." Zeref nodded, frowning as Mavis did the same. "Does he realize just how difficult that task will be?" Another nod was his response again. With that, she seemed to smile slightly and jump down from the table, walking over to Natsu with her hands clasped behind her back. "Alright then, I think I'm going to like you a lot. You want to help Zeref, right?"
The boy blinked at her, his eyes wide as he sniffed the air around her. His gaze shifted between her and Zeref, before a toothy grin spread across his face. "Hell yes, I do. After all, he's my brother, so I kinda have to help him out. That's what family does, right?"
That startled Mavis, making her green eyes flash towards Zeref. "Brother? That's…but Zeref's almost three hundred…no wait, four hundred years old." She barely caught her slip, but Zeref noticed. She was still adjusting to her new reality, to the fact that she had been dead for so many years.
"Of course, that's why he's all depressed all the time. He keeps going on about how all these people die around him, so we've gotta work to fix that, right?" Scratching his head, Natsu frowned as the others just stared at him. "I thought it was obvious, but maybe I was wrong. Either way, I'm glad you're back around. Zeref hasn't been able to stop talking about you since the day I met him, actually."
That made Zeref shake his head, almost snorting at the boy's words. "I've discussed many other matters, Natsu. You simply fail to pay attention to most of what I have to say."
Waving him off, Natsu turned back towards Mavis. "Yeah, well, you keep talking about boring stuff like how magic works. Even when you start talking about your curse instead, it just gets too repetitive, don't ya think?"
Looking amused, Mavis laughed at their conversation and shook her head. "I didn't realize Zeref's brother was still alive! It is a pleasure to meet you, I'm Mavis Vermillion, Fairy Tail's first guild master." With that, the frozen state of the guild seemed to finally break.
"Master!"
"She's finally returned."
"Now that's the power of a real man!"
"She's gotta have a drink with me to celebrate!"
Shouts echoed around them as wizards rushed to crowd Mavis. Looking startled, Mavis seemed to pull her arms in closer to her body, her shoulders hunching over slightly as people attempted to smother her in a massive group hug. However, her green eyes began to grow wide, more panicked every second she was trapped within them. Seeing her state, Zeref quickly shouted above the noise. "Get away from her, now!"
People turned towards him with surprise in their gazes, but slowly, they began to listen to his request. The crowd began to disperse, just as Mavis' magic was unleashed. A wave of darkness crashed over the center of the guild. It came just inches away from stealing away the lives of Alzack and Bisca. On the other side of the guild, Laki pressed herself against the wall to avoid being hit with the black magic. Reedus rushed for the stairs, with Jet and Droy following quickly after. Jet blasted past both of them, dashing off with a puff of dust using his magic.
"It appears as if you were telling the truth. I wonder how the Council never realized it…how we never once saw that Fairy Tail's founder was cursed with such dark magic." Lahar watched in amazement, coming to stand by Zeref's side. "Regardless, I suppose I should congratulate you on your success. However…I can't help but wonder, just what is it that you plan on doing now? Everyone claims the next step is to end your curse, but based on what I understand of you…that doesn't necessarily align with your own goals."
Strangely, Lahar's understanding wasn't bothering Zeref like it usually did. Something about the man wasn't quite as judgmental as others were, despite the fact that he held such a strong sense of justice. "I cannot say for certain…to be quite honest, I didn't expect to reach this point. So many attempts to save Mavis failed…with how everything continued going on, I truly believed I'd find a method to end my own life before finding a way to save hers."
"I'd suggest listening to them, if you are uncertain. You may not see them this way, but they do care for you as if you were one of their closest friends. After spending some time at your guild, I've come to see that Fairy Tail is far more than I originally imagined…and with that, I'd like to apologize." That surprised Zeref, making him raise an eyebrow towards the rune knight captain. "Everything I did…I worked so hard to destroy your guild. In reality, all I was doing was tearing apart a family in a misguided sense of justice. I wished to serve my country, to have the strength to protect our citizens, but taking down a place like this will not accomplish those goals. Maybe one day I'll find a better way to help Fiore become stronger…because at the moment, I no longer feel as if being a rune knight is the correct path for myself."
The black magic seemed to be dying down around Mavis, though some strands still lingered in the air. "That is not necessarily true, Captain. Perhaps what the rune knights need is not to be disbanded, but to be reformed. There is no better place to work about change than from within your own government…my own decisions have been altered at times due to the influence of my generals, and you could do the same for the magic council. Keep in mind, it is your own position that allowed you to gain a trial for me, and it is also your position that allows you to decide which of my actions are deserving of the judgement of Fiore, and which are not. Without it, I believe things would have turned out far differently, so do not take your position so lightly."
Closing his eyes, Lahar let out a slight chuckle under his breath. "Never once did I expect you to be the one trying to talk me into keeping my job. It is just a sign that things are changing…as such, just do me a favor and at least consider all of your options first, Zeref. Death may seem like your only option, but much like myself, it would not do your guild any good for you to take your position as their master lightly."
With that, Lahar seemed to walk off into the guild. He took a seat next to Lucy, who seemed to have remained far calmer than most of the members of the guild. Observing them, Zeref couldn't help but frown and ponder his words. There were many options available, but only two paths seemed to be his focus. Now that Mavis was back, he could return to his original goal of finding death once and for all. The thought was actually a pleasant idea, thinking about a place where no more suffering came to him. However, that was not the path everyone else wished for him to take.
Gazing out amongst them, Zeref saw Natsu studying Mavis closely. The two of them were the only ones who stood a chance of understanding, but even they did not see the depths of his pain. Mavis had begun to relate, but she did not have the centuries of suffering he had, nor had her thoughts been clouded by the curse like his own. Her bright innocent light would be corrupted by his shadows if he remained, that much he was certain of.
"No…it's already coming back…I don't want it to…I can't…" Mavis sounded horrified as she gazed fearfully around herself. These people might have been strangers to her, but it was still Fairy Tail, and Zeref knew it would always seem like they were a part of her family.
In front of her, Natsu knelt down before Zeref could move to try and comfort her. "Like I said, we're going to end that curse, right?" She sniffled, blinking at him for a moment. "Until then, just do what Zeref does, and let us get the work done for you. Levy was reading a lot of books upstairs, she has to have learned something."
"Actually…" Levy finally managed to speak up after being dragged out here. "I was trying to tell you before. Those books didn't have any information about a single curse even remotely similar to what we're dealing with. Based on what I understand, we should be looking for some kind of ancient text for answers, and Eisenwald didn't have any of those stored away for use."
Rising to her feet, Mavis slowly began to nod and smile towards them. "Right…then let's get to work. Starting today, our mission is to find a way to end Ankhseram's Curse. If the library in the guild isn't enough to answer our questions, then we'll look to the library in town. If that has nothing, then we will travel as far as it takes to find our answer. In every book is a new adventure, and new things to learn…no matter how long it takes, we will find something that tells the tale of our curse, and of others that have been trapped with the same fate."
And we're already moving on! But, don't worry, I've still got a lot planned. This is only the beginning of what is to come...and the path towards ending Zeref's curse is a long one. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!
