Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail
Being taught such a complex form of magic was a rather tedious task. Invel spent the majority of his time pouring over notes given to him by Zeref. This was done in the basement of the Fairy Tail guild hall, given the nature of what he was pursuing. According to Zeref, he had limited time to learn such magic as well, as normal preservation spells could only keep Dimaria's body as it was for so long. Wendy had taken care of the physical damage to her form, but the rest was going to have to rely on the magic Invel was busy learning.
Zeref often stopped by to quiz Invel on certain aspects of living magic. He would ask about the placement of certain runes, the sequence of activation for the various magic circles, and even the precise placement around the body for each circle to remain in. He asked about where Invel would gain enough energy to cast this magic, and to that end, Zeref began ordering frequent meditation to build his capacity for storing ethernano. Overall, the process left him exhausted and wondering how much longer he would have to go through such things.
The entire time, the numbness remained. Invel couldn't help but feel his mind wandering, wondering what he could have done differently. Really, it all started back during that first battle, didn't it? What if he had refused to let her leave his prisons? Then, she would be safe in the Ilora Mountains, alive and by his side. Acnologia would be someone else's problem, and Dimaria would eventually grow to be happy there.
However, as soon as he thought that, the idea slipped away. As a prisoner, she would never be happy. Her history with that church would destroy any potential she had to smile in his palace, as a result of it coming from a source of unwillingness. However, if not that, then what? He still had no answer, and he did not know if he wanted one. Invel simply wanted her, plain and simple. With her, this hole would not exist. With her, he would be normal again, albeit with a curse that made him like Zeref. Would she not admire him for that, though? She admired Zeref, after all. This would simply make him more like the emperor she seemed to adore so much.
Eventually, Zeref deemed him ready. However, he was surprised when he ordered Invel to halt before beginning. "As I stated before, you will do this precisely as I command, Invel. That was the arrangement, to allow you to learn this forbidden form of magic from me directly." He had nodded. Really, he wouldn't be using it for anything else. All he needed was Dimaria. All other life forms could be created by Zeref.
When Zeref returned to the basement, Invel was surprised to see him carrying a book, followed by August. "Now…this should make retaining Dimaria's personality and memories simpler. For your first attempt, I did not expect you to learn something as intricate as how to create the book of binding for the spell."
Invel's gaze glanced towards August, who seemed to be studying him with narrowed eyes. However, he simply nodded, not questioning a thing. This was Zeref's decision, after all. He had made a deal, and there would be no backing down now. "You know what to look for?" August nodded, making Invel frown. What was going on? However, he did not say a word. Zeref almost seemed eager for Invel to move forward, a dark joy in his eyes at what he was doing. "Then Invel, you are free to proceed. Do not blame me when you cannot contain the results."
Invel did not respond. Instead, he reached out his hand, touching the cover of the book Zeref made ever so gently. "Kyrie…I'm bringing you back. Please…do not hate me for this. I simply do not wish to be alone like this…to be without the one who helped inspire fear with me by my side." Taking a deep breath, Invel glanced towards her body, resting in the center of the floor where Zeref had once been preserved. Now, it was an empty pedestal, used to hold a still form. Drawing on his magic, Invel took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He knew which circle to start first, growing a dark blue light hovering just above the book. Then, an identical circle began to hover over her body. Each and every circle formed, back and forth to mirror each other and their placement between both the body and the book. Zeref claimed this established the link, the one that would allow the book on the desk to be the binding source, rather than something random to be supplied with the magic's own words.
It didn't take long for Invel to feel the exhaustion Zeref warned him of. His eyelids drooped, and he found he was leaning on the table for support. However, that was when he heard an odd voice in his head. Another intruder in my domain? How many more will it take for such foolishness to cease?
Invel did not know what to make of the voice, frowning as he suddenly seemed to be taken away from that room entirely, now standing before a child with pure white hair and dark black eyes. She gazed at him wordlessly, studying his form for a moment. "I apologize for my shout. I suppose that was rather unnecessary…however, I find it tedious to be giving this warning out quite so often these days."
Invel nodded, his expression still just as blank as it had been before. "It is quite alright. Many lose their temper over far lesser matters, I believe."
She smiled, nodding. "It is good that you understand. Now…I must ask you, are you sure you wish to proceed here? If you do, you will have no one to blame but yourself for the consequences, Invel Yura. I ask that you stop now, before it is too late."
Meeting her gaze, Invel smiled without any real feeling. "It was too late the moment her world was stolen from her." The child seemed to sigh, shaking her head. Then, in an instant. she vanished from sight and he was back in the same room as before. He shuddered, blinking and glancing around him with a frown. The magic circles were gone, and the book seemed to be intact in front of him. He could see August watching, nodding faintly with an odd smile. However, Invel could care less about what Zeref's son was doing. Instead, he turned around, finding Dimaria where she rested on the pedestal. She was shaking her head, rubbing her forehead with a grimace. "Damn…what the hell? I thought I remembered Acnologia…" She trailed off, glancing around.
Invel smiled at her, tears making his eyes burn. Or were they making them cold? He supposed they felt the same either way, if she was to be believed, after all. "Kyrie…so you were what I was missing after all…" Then, he felt the pain. Energy seemed to burn his body, making him gasp and hunch forward. Dimaria blinked at him, before she jumped back, her eyes wide.
"Vel…no. What…what did you…" She trailed off, biting her lip as black magic exploded around the room. Invel sat in the center of it, smiling as if it were the most pleasant sight in the world. "Vel…I'm sorry. I…I didn't mean to make you do this."
He glanced towards her, smiling and inhaling deeply. "It was not your fault, Kyrie. I chose this…for I did not wish to continue feeling as I did with you gone. Now…now it feels complete again…even simply hearing your voice…it is enough."
She seemed to gaze into the haze, sighing and shaking her head. "Idiot. You don't go sacrificing so much just to talk to someone, you know? Next time…next time…just try and push through it, okay? Because…I don't want you to become like Zeref. Vel…I don't want you to be as miserable and hateful as him…because you are better than that. I know you are…so don't let this curse define you like he has."
He nodded, watching as she made her way towards the stairs, carefully staying beyond the reach of his newfound death magic. "Anyway…I've probably got a few other people to catch back up with. I'll see you when you figure out how to stop whatever this is…and if you don't figure it out soon, I guess I'll just have to come down here and drag your frozen ass out of here, got it?"
He smiled, closing his eyes and leaning back against the legs of the table. "That…that sounds quite fair. I will do my best to see you soon, Kyrie. Now…please. do not let me stop you from enjoying your life." She nodded at him, biting her lip before turning around and leaving. Meanwhile, Invel sighed, gazing around at the darkness that would likely force him to be alone for the rest of his existence. However, it also allowed Dimaria to remain, which was enough for him to think it worth it, for now. Still, the child's warning came to mind. Was it a mistake, to sacrifice so much for her? He did not know, but he was almost certain he would not regret this choice at all.
So, I know this chapter is a little short...but the next chapter should be the last one, and is quite long in comparison to make up for it. Since I plan on posting it tomorrow anyway, I don't think it'll make too much of a difference. This has been such a long story, and I'm surprised it is almost over! I will be starting another Fairy Tail fic soon, since at the end of this one, it'll be the first time I have no FT stories in progress in...years, really. The new fic will be started once I've settled on a title (I get stuck on naming stories too often, I think), and it will be strange to say the least. I was challenged to write a Nab-centric story...with an even stranger pairing as well involving Nab...and I'm not certain quite how successful I was, since Zeref still ended up being the more major focus. Either way, I'm leaning towards Dark Revelations for the title, so for those of you who enjoy my FT stories, be on the lookout for the new one! For everyone else, feel free to review and tell me what you think!