Jellal was taken aback by Zelos' sudden request. He had to make sure he heard that correctly from how casually he said it. "I'm sorry, you want me to…"
"Take my spot on the team." Zelos repeated himself. This was one of the rare times he was genuinely serious. "You're the official backup member in the roster, so it's only fitting to ask you. Then again…if you didn't agree to meet with me, I would've had to resort to asking Gray…." He said it like it was a problem.
"That's true, I am. But I don't understand why…" Jellal said.
"I'll break it down for you, then. My talents are needed somewhere else…so I need you to take my place." Zelos explained, but Jellal was still confused. Because of that, he sighed and went into deeper detail. "I'm sure you're wondering why you haven't heard from Ultear and Meredy lately. That's because they were captured in Crown Castle by the Wizard Hunters."
"What!?" Jellal's eyes widened. But he realized that his outburst caused a few people to look at him, so he quieted down a bit to not cause a scene. They were in the bakery, the strangest place for this type of conversation, but he was starting to see why that was. "How do you know that?"
"Because I've been working with them for a while." Zelos admitted. That confession caught Jellal by surprise.
"You…what? You're a double agent?" Jellal wanted to believe that Zelos was admitting he was a traitor to Fairy Tail. "But wait…that doesn't make any sense. If you're working with them, why did they kidnap you?"
"That…was to impede Fiore's progress. It worked out but…it pissed me off." Zelos admitted. "So I'm returning the favor to them. I'm not a Wizard Hunter myself, but my current position allows me to know the ins and outs of this operation in particular. My place in Fairy Tail has no bearing on the Hunters, in case you're wondering."
"…." Jellal narrowed his eyes. This felt a bit odd, but Zelos was also entrusting this information to him. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because if the others knew, they'd throw a fit. I figured you were the best person to tell." Zelos shrugged, but Jellal still didn't seem convinced.
"So you expect me to believe that you're allied with the Wizard Hunters, but have good intentions for Fairy Tail?" And Jellal was right to ask that question. The Wizard Hunters had done nothing but harass Fairy Tail for years. All Zelos was doing right now, was giving Jellal plenty of reason to tell Erza about this.
"I figured you'd say that. And I understand why." Zelos then pulled out his blade, the Last Fencer, and placed it on the table. "My word against my word." The green gem embedded within the hilt of the sword shining brightly as it displayed a visual recording.
"What is this?" Jellal asked.
"This is a lacrima recording. The gem in the sword serves as a camera." Zelos explained. The sword displayed a recording of Zelos, Lucia, and Mii, prior to the tournament starting. About the deal with Mii staying alive per the Executive Order. "I couldn't tell the others about this, but this should serve as proof enough that I'm on your side against them."
"You've stalled the order against Mii's life?" Jellal was taken aback. It seemed hard to refute this… "I don't understand why you're doing any of this."
"Well, Mii-chan was a personal thing. She needs more time than people are allowing her, so I thought I'd give her a bit more." Zelos shrugged. "As for the Wizard Hunters, surely you're aware by now that Pergrande and Joya are connected in some way, you're a smart man. Your two friends must've found out what it is if they've been captured, don't you think?"
"Why did you join Fairy Tail if you were working with the Wizard Hunters?" Jellal had to know.
"I just wanted to see what it was like in her shoes…" Zelos said wistfully. "And once I did, I realized what I had to do. You know, Jellal…can't you feel it? The heavy air. Once tonight is over, there's no going back."
Jellal just stared at Zelos in confusion. "…?"
"Tomorrow's a big day; it'll decide the winner of this tournament. But there's something else coming too." Zelos then stood up from his seat. "We're approaching the end. If you don't think you can trust me now…then how about this? The final event is a massive free for all. If I'm right, you have to take my word. If not, you can throw all of it to the wind. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go make a deal to get those two lovely ladies out of jail."
Jellal was silent at first, but had one question at the forefront of his mind. "Zelos, who are you?"
Zelos was walking off, but stopped at Jellal's question. "Just a shadow." And with that, he walked off.
"…" Jellal was utterly speechless at what he was just told. He then reached out for his communication lacrima, deciding to make a call in case Zelos' plan didn't go through the way they were hoping.
"Mii did what!?"
Jenny was holding up the two devices for Hisui and Emerald, grinning as everyone stared in shock. "In a surprising turn of events, it seems your friend had a change of heart and stuffed these into my swimsuit! She's got some quick fingers; it's a bit freaky, but hey. She asked us to find a way to deactivate them."
"So all you need to do is focus on fighting and winning that tournament!" Eve said with a firm nod.
"Just leave the rest to us!" Hibiki said.
"As men, we will fulfill our duty!" Ren added.
"Men~" Ichiya finished it off with a pose. Blue Pegasus was determined to see this job through to the end. Even though they were pretty odd at times, their determination was appreciated.
"Well, I'll be surprised. Here I thought she wanted to see you guys struggle." Minerva shrugged. "But I guess people are more complicated than that."
"If we can win now, we can save Mii too. That's the only thing we have to focus on too!" Lucy felt a large weight off her shoulders. In turn for Mii helping them out, it was now their turn to finally help her. "…One of us is going to have to tell Emeraude."
"I don't know if she'll believe that, though…" Erza stroked her chin. "It's something we can deal with when we get there. Regardless of her mother's safety, I'm sure it wouldn't change how she plans to win…but I do not wish to keep her in the dark for too long."
"We have to talk to her anyway." Natsu said with a firm nod. "Let's go Lucy!" And Nastu was already dragging Lucy off.
"Wait, the last event…" Kagura pinched the bridge of her nose. "And they're gone. What are we going to do if they don't come back in time?"
"Apparently Count Waltz is gonna make an announcement when it's time. So they should have some time." Luke pointed out.
"I'll go after them and bring them back! Well…maybe only Natsu. Lucy is heavy." Happy snickered. But that one got him a smack on the back of the head by Minerva. "OWWWW…"
"Don't insult a woman's weight." Minerva said.
"I think we should go after them…?" Wendy poked her fingers together. "Just in case?"
"Yeah, Natsu will probably try and pick a fight with Emeraude if she says something he doesn't like." Sighing, Gray slid his hands into his pockets and left…with Juvia clinging to him as usual. "Agh…"
Cynthia giggled at the display, she, Wendy, and Carla following along Gray and Juvia. "We'll be back!"
"So, we only got a few hours left until that finale, huh? I wonder what it's gonna be like. Probably somethin' massive if the entire country is involved." Bacchus pointed out. He was pouring some alcohol into his gourd, saving it up for tomorrow in case it was needed.
"Whatever it is, I intend to win it all." Reve said. "Try not to hold me back."
"I knew he'd say something condescending the moment his mouth opened…" Lector groaned.
"Don't worry, Lector! It's just Reve-san's way of trying to motivate us!" Sting said.
"No it isn't." Reve snapped.
"Yeah, I know…I was just trying to be optimistic…" Sting's head lowered.
Emeraude was standing on the balcony, looking up towards the moon as night was upon them. She had a lot of thinking to do and her Spriggan were busy making preparations for the final event that was coming. Emerald approached her daughter from behind, offering a slight smile. "Shouldn't you be preparing for the final event?"
"The others are spending their time as they see fit until the announcement comes. Once it does, I will discuss the perfect plan to lead them to victory." Emeraude replied.
"Oh, good. So that means that right now, you have time." Emerald said.
"…Time for what?" Emeraude turned around. The tone her mother had when saying is what concerned her.
"Time to talk to your friend. Mii." Emerald said softly.
"…I have nothing to say to her." Emeraude immediately turned around, letting out a huff at the mere thought of her mother suggesting that. "I thought I already made myself clear: she's an enemy. As long as she's with Pergrande, I cannot…"
"I can tell I raised you well, because you are a terrible liar." Emerald said, her gaze narrowing, hands on her hips. "You are one of the most loving, compassionate, down to earth people I know, Em. Those were all traits you picked up no your own, just from us living together. So I know when you're lying and how you really feel. Why won't you admit those feelings out loud?"
"…." Emeraude gripped the nearby railing, a bit upset her mother called her out like that. She should have known that she couldn't lie to her own mother, but she did have to try. "What do you expect me to do? Walk over to Pergrande and ask to talk to her? Ashnard would mock me and I will not be a source of his ridicule!"
"Is that what this is about? Your pride?" Emerald was about to groan. She loved her daughter, but even she thought Emeraude's ego was too much at times. "Is your pride so great you won't talk to your friend?"
"Ashnard knows of our relationship. He's attempting to exploit it so he can mock me. I won't have that." Emeraude shook her head. "The last thing I need is for him to find any reason to turn me into his personal jester."
"Do you hear yourself right now? You're allowing him to control your actions whether you know it or not. What if this is what he wants? To separate the two of you? That girl is desperately waiting for you to reach out to her again. You've known her for so long; of course she's going to look to you first if she needs help."
Emeraude didn't say anything. Of course she considered that possibility, but… "…I offered my hand to her once, but she turned me down. She much rather accept a fate of death than stand by my side. I have no need for someone who won't share the same ideals as I do. In turn, she's stood against me numerous times."
"Who are you trying to fool, Em?" Emerald took a step closer. "You've fought her a lot, but I know you haven't actually harmed her. Furthermore, if you didn't care about her as much as you claim, you wouldn't have saved her from Ashnard the other day. I know you don't want him to have anything, but you didn't need to go out of your way for that. You did it because that girl means something to you, doesn't she? Sometimes the best friends you have are the ones that butt heads with you when you need it. That girl is breaking down and needs someone…she needs you."
"…." The railing Emeraude was holding onto crushed within her grip. Her hair created a shade over her eyes.
"Why do you pretend not to like people?" Emerald asked a simple question. Yet it was one Emeraude didn't have an answer to. "Of all the things to inherit from him, it had to be his pride…but you're better than that, Em. Don't let your hubris prevent you from doing something you want to. Because you might end up regretting it later."
"The chances are low if I do go." Emeraude mumbled.
"You should still make the effort." Emerald's smile softened. "Because that effort will come back around. I know deep down in your heart, you don't want to lose anyone else. Is that's why you're afraid of making connections…?" Emeraude did lose a lot of people in her life, all of them she was close to. That sort of loss would make anyone a bit reclusive.
Of course, Emeraude would not admit this. She said nothing again, moving herself from the railing and started to walk off. "…." As soon as she was out of sight, that slow walk turned into a bit of a sprint. Her mother's words did push out a worry that was truly at the forefront of her mind this whole time. "Mii…"
Brandish was watching the whole thing from around the corner. Truthfully she had something to ask Emeraude, but that talk was more important. "That pride is going to end up crushing you at this rate…"
"You enjoy causing trouble, don't you?" Ashnard was speaking to Mii, whose gaze was directed anywhere but directly at him. "I let your actions the other day slide, but this one is something I will not forgive."
"Don't you think you're doing enough already?!" Mii asked. "There's no need to put so much pressure on either of them, I realized how stupid and unnecessary it is. Toying with both Kingdoms just so you can prove a point, how extra do you have to be?"
"That is none of your concern." Ashnard scoffed and snapped his fingers. Mii's eye lacrima started to spark and once again sent her in a state of pained shock, and there was nothing she could do about it. "It is not your place to question me. You do not have the position to do that and you never will."
"Agh…" Mii placed a hand over her left eye, groaning in agony.
"What your actions have told me is that you do not intend to honor our agreement." Ashnard said.
"W-Wait, no…that's not it…" Mii struggled to speak.
"We made a deal. Between King and Commandant." Ashnard's tyrannical gaze did not leave Mii, even for a second. "Fiore dragged an officer of mine into the war with Alvarez…thus involving Pergrande into a battle it had no intention of fighting to begin with. So I have full rights to destroy the guild that sought to drag Pergrande into its mess. But you begged me not to…you told me you would do whatever you needed to to prevent Fairy Tail's destruction at my hands."
"Please, don't…" Mii pleaded. It was all she could really do in her position. No matter what she did, something always went wrong…
Ashnard picked Mii up by her hair, dragging her across the floor and into the room where Pergrande's team was waiting, holding her up as she remained in agony. "Do you see this, everyone? This is the woman who continues to throw Pergrande's name into the mud. Your chances of victory are constantly being diminished by this selfish woman's actions. First her battle in day 2, and now the previous event, all could have been spared if she did as she was told."
"Hey, asshole…" Blair narrowed her eyes at Ashnard. But Cloud was the one holding her back.
"Don't." Cloud uttered.
"Oh? So what should our little traitor do to make up for her crimessssss?" Shade asked with a hint of a sinister snicker. "We went through ssssssso much work to sssssset this up, and you had to ruin it…"
"And to think I trusted you to touch me…" Lucia sighed. "But whatever you choose, I have an agreement to uphold. So she cannot die."
"I have a simple solution." Ashnard said, tossing Mii onto the floor. "If she so wishes to prove herself to Pergrande…then she should have no problem eliminating the Fairy Tail members from Fiore's team. It would be a suitable way to repay the debt, don't you all think?"
"Father's being brutal as usual." Adeline shrugged her shoulders, watching Ashnard make his demands from afar with Takeba and her brother, Alex.
"She deserves it for not following his will." Alex said. "It was her duty to honor their agreement, but she threw it aside for some reason. She's reaping what she sows."
"…" Takeba pursed her lips.
"That's enough outta you." Keele said, not so much caring about Mii, but he was tired of Ashnard walking all over people in general.
"Oh?" Ashnard looked down on Keele, a menacing smirk on his lips. "Do you really think a street rat like yourself has any room to talk to me? You're lucky you have some modicum of strength."
"When this tournament is over, I'll show you just how strong I really am. Don't forget it, Ashanrd. I'm gonna take you down." Keele gave a menacing smirk of his own, threatening the King of Pergrande without any hesitation.
"I said you had some strength. I never said it was enough to come close to harming me." Ashnard scoffed. "If your brother didn't beg on his knees, you wouldn't even be here to fight to begin with. You should be thankful I had enough kindness in my heart to give you a chance to save your sister. But if you dare raise your hand to me, I'll have no choice but to wipe the Makoto family out of existence with my own hands."
Keele's hand clenched into a fist, but Aki held him back. Barely, since he was angry too. Ashnard had a way of pushing people's buttons, but he could get away with it because, well…he was one of the strongest wizards alive. "Not now, Keele. We have to focus on tomorrow."
"…" Keele didn't say anything, but he was seething and he let it show.
"I think it would be wise to let her go, too." Elly gave Ashnard a bow while making her question. Seeing Mii in so much pain wasn't something she wanted to look at.
"You will make sure she does not leave the area." Ashnard told Elly. "We cannot risk her acting brazenly again…but if she does, Patty is only a single call away and she can finish the job she's been inching to begin."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Elly nodded.
"Ah…" Mii's pain finally ended and she just lied on the ground. Elly was the one who had to support her and help her.
Ashnard then turned his back, proceeding to walk off. "You already know what tomorrow entails. So I expect the best from each and every one of you."
"I'm not a servant of yours, asswipe…" Blair grumbled. She was so ready to lunge, but had a number of reasons why she couldn't.
Once Mii was in her room again, Elly left without saying a word. Mii lied face down, curling up as tears started to spill from her eyes. She couldn't take this anymore. She was lost and didn't know what to do…and everything hurt. She could take pain, but this was too much… "Em, please help me…it hurts…" She quietly sobbed. "Em…Natsu…Lucy…someone…."
Despite everyone, Emeraude really was going to try at least once. She didn't have a lot of time, but as her Mother said, it was best to put that effort out there. She was walking down the street, an odd protective instinct surged to the forefront. "…." Her pace increased; however it wasn't long before she was halted by Takeba.
"Long time no see, Em! What brings you to our little doorstep?" The witch asked with a friendly smile.
"I'm going to see Koryuji. If you would be so kind as to direct me to her…" Emeraude said. Takeba was more reasonable to deal with than Ashnard, so maybe things did fall in her favor for once.
Takeba pursed her lips. Considering what she just saw and her new orders… "I'm afraid I can't do that."
"What? You push her on me and now when I want to see you, you're barring me entry?" Emeraude raised a brow. That was some twisted irony.
"King's orders, back then and right now." Takeba explained, holding the tip of her witch hat with her index finger and thumb. "Tonight's a bad night, I'm afraid. She made a deal with the King and has breached that deal several times, so she's receiving her due punishment. She has orders to follow and isn't allowed any guests."
"What did she do?" Emeraude demanded to know.
"Unfortunately for you, I cannot say." Takeba shrugged her shoulders. "All you need to know is that she's under severe punishment at the moment…so you'll just have to wait until the tournament is over…if she'll last that long."
"Move, witch." Emeraude wasn't going to waste any time here. She was a woman on a mission.
Takeba quirked a brow. "Wow, it's been a long time since I've seen this side of you. You two were rather close thanks to the arrangement, huh? I think that's adorable…but we both know that if you were to start something now, it would look bad for Alvarez in more ways than one. You have far too much on your plate to think about starting another fight, besides…if you couldn't defeat Rubicante, what makes you think you can beat me?"
Takeba made several points, though the part about not being able to win in a fight made her scoff. "I was formerly among Pergrande's strongest, at the top. I've grown strong enough since then to topple that bastard King as well. If you will not let me see, her, will you at least pass her this? Surely you have enough dignity to pass a simple note." Emeraude held out a scrap of paper.
Takeba took the piece of paper, sliding it into her pocket. "I can't promise I will. But I will tell you one thing, Em. You're gonna have to decide which mask it is you want to show…I can tell you're slowly breaking down from everything~" And in a puff of pink smoke, Takeba vanished before Emeraude could make her retort.
"Breaking down? Hardly…" The Empress scoffed.
"Emeraude!"
"…" And Emeraude's expression fell. That was Lucy. This night was already troublesome enough and this was the cherry on top. "What do you two want?"
Natsu and Lucy found Emeraude, the two of them stopping in front of her. "You said if you weren't busy you'd talk to us. And it looks like you aren't busy." Natsu said smugly.
Damn it. Emeraude sighed and turned her head away. "You have five minutes of my time."
"…But you're the one who…" Lucy just groaned. "Okay, listen. Mii stole the devices that the Wizard Hunters were using for Hisui and your Mom. With Blue Pegasus' help, they're going to disable it!"
"…What?" Emeraude was genuinely shocked. "She did that? Is that why…"
"So you don't have to worry anymore." Lucy said with a slight nod. "They're taking care of it."
"Give them to me, I'll disable them faster." Emeraude held her hand out, as if they had the devices on hand.
"We don't have them." Natsu held his hands behind his head. "Besides, it's Blue Pegasus' job. But more importantly, now it's your turn."
"What happened to me the other day?" Lucy asked. "Why could I hear Sophie's voice…and her magic…?"
Emeraude let out a slight huff. "I'm sure you recall when Sophie sacrificed herself to save us. Those glitters of pink light that fell down upon us in the throne room were her essence. It was designed as a backup in case she took fatal damage, to hide away within another being while her magic recovered. Because there were so many of us at the time, it spread between all of you, me, Koryuji, and Hisui."
"So she's been inside of us all this time?" Natsu was shocked. He also only kind of understood what was going on.
"Yes." Emeraude pointed at Lucy. "The reason she did not make any sort of contact earlier is due to the fact Neinhart had control of her consciousness. After that she must have fallen asleep until recently. I've been using my Spriggan to retrieve her from you all. If I can gather all of her essence again, I may be able to return her to the world of the living…"
"What? Is that why you and Brandish have been trying to stab a needle into me!?" Lucy's eyes widened. It made sense… "Why didn't you just ask!? I want Sophie back as much as you do."
"You and Koryuji are the only two I need." Emeraude continued. "I've been using my time this week wisely to ensure the highest chance of returning her…I couldn't say anything about this earlier because…"
And on that cue, Yeager hopped down from a nearby building, standing in between the three of them. "Well well, what do we have here? The Empress of Alvarez holding a discussion with Fiore? I wonder what juicy details are here, hm?"
"You!" Natsu was ready to fight.
"That's why." Emeraude sucked her teeth. Every time the Wizard Hunters showed up when they were most unwanted. "What are you doing here, specifically?"
"Count Waltz's announcement is about to come on. I had to make sure everyone was where they should be, non?" Yeager gave a bow and pointed up to the sky, where the lacrima screen appeared with Count Waltz on it.
"Attention, competitors of Ishgar's Strongest…" Count Waltz began.
"It seems like it's about to start…" Pandora took a glance at Prometheus. She was still injured but mostly recovered by this point. "What do you want to do?"
"We'll let it play out." Prometheus said with a grin. "I actually wanna see who comes out on top. And once the winner has their five minutes of fame, that's when we strike. Humanity's end will begin once the strongest country falls first."
Zelos was in Crown Castle, making his way towards dungeon where Meredy and Ultear were. But he was halted by Cain and Weavel, both surprised by his appearance. "Excuse me, gentleman. Would you care to step aside?"
"Why are you here? The details of the final event are about to be delivered. Shouldn't you be with your team?" Cain asked.
"There's been a change." Zelos responded. "I'm going to turn myself in here, in exchange for the prisoners."
"What?" Weavel stared at Zelos. "What's your game? One of you is only worth one of them. And you know that we can't do that. You already used your Executive Order, so you can't boss us around."
"But are you in a position to deny a captive such as myself? I'm of great value, you know…besides, I've got more information than the two of them combined." Zelos held a knowing grin.
"…Tch…" Cain sucked his teeth in annoyance. "So that's your angle. I should've expected that was your plan as soon as you mentioned it.
"Who does this guy think he is?" Weavel scoffed. "Waltzing in here like…"
Cain then lifted his hand, pointing at Zelos to finally shed some light on his identity. "You are aware of how our temporary friend Mii is currently the strongest Commandant of the 13 in Pergrande? Well, this man…this is Zelos Wilda. One of Pergrande's strongest soldiers, ranked #2 of the 13 Commandants…"
.
.
Next Time: The Final Event.
