Kai rubbed some sand from his head as he marched down the streets of Magnolia.
"Had to pick a messy job, didn't you?" Kai grumbled to the floating cat next to him.
"What?" Iggy asked. "It was a decent paying job! You and Erza should be happy that I found it for you."
"I'm happy, for sure," Kai said. "I could use the money right about now."
"For a ring?"
"For a house." Kai hesitated, at last removing bits of sand from his hair. That stuff was all over that house, what curse had they inflicted on their poor one? "And maybe a ring."
"When are you going to do it? Soon? Tomorrow? I know the perfect spot."
"Would you settle down? I haven't even picked a ring yet."
"Oh, come on."
Kai swatted at Iggy as she flew closer, making her keep a fair distance. The two marched through the streets at a bit of a slow, more relaxed pace. Iggy had only just gotten back from her job and Team Natsu was finally back from the Sun Village.
They arrived back at the guild hall while everyone else, for the most part, was caught up in their own business. The Thunder Tribe, barring Evergreen who was with her totally-not-but-definitely boyfriend Elfman, had gone out on an errand. Gildarts was out, as usual.
Kai, though, tilted his head at the sight of the three other natural Dragon Slayers all gathered in a tight circle around Levy, with Lucy poking her head in as well. Carla, Happy, and Panther Lily sat in front of Levy near an old book. Iggy wandered over as well.
Kai joined them, sitting in as Levy continued her story, or explanation, or whatever she was doing,
"Whatever this E.N.D. thing is, we have to be careful," Levy said. "According to this, it's Zeref's strongest demon, even more than Lullaby and Deliora."
"How many demons does he have?" Lily asked.
"I don't know, it doesn't say," Levy said.
"What even are they? Some monsters he makes?"
"Depends," Levy said.
"From the sound of things, Zeref conjures these demons through various books," Carla said. "I'm sure Lullaby and Deliora had their own Book of Zeref, so to speak."
"It's an ancient form of summoning magic, and seems to be Zeref's thing," Levy said. "E.N.D. probably has a book of his own he can use to conjure it."
"So we need to take it," Natsu said.
"We don't even know where it is," Kai said.
"Oh yes we do," Natsu said, leering at Kai. "Remember what Warrod said? There's a guild out there that worships Zeref. You really think Tartaros wouldn't have this E.N.D. book?"
"We can't just storm Tartaros to get it back, though," Carla said.
"Oh yes we can."
"Sure, why not?" Gajeel interjected. "I'm with Salamander on this one. We can go in there and knock some heads."
"Igneel couldn't beat E.N.D., so maybe this guy knows something about him," Natsu said. "It sounds like they were either close enemies or knew each other, so maybe this E.N.D. book mentions Igneel."
"Or Metallicana," Gajeel added.
"Or Grandeeney," Wendy added.
"Or Kairi," Kai added, just to round them out.
"That's all well and good, and maybe it's true, but we need to be more cautious when dealing with Tartaros," Iggy said. "When Carla and I were out in the field, doing our quest, we heard a lot of rumblings that Dark Guilds were suddenly vanishing."
"Yeah, it's Jellal's crew," Natsu said.
Kai shook his head. Iggy had actually mentioned this to him earlier, trying to see if it was indeed Crime Sorciere that was going around taking out all the other Dark Guilds. But they'd been, for the most part, quiet as they started to prepare for their next big task.
"There's no coincidences here," Iggy said. "A dragon is mistaken for a demon just a few days ago, and now, the guilds that work with demon worshippers have started to vanish? Something is definitely happening with Tartaros."
"Good, so they're distracted and we can take the book!" Natsu said. He stood up straight and folded his arms.
Kai just bowed his head, exasperated. That thick skull must be a nice echo chamber. Kai pushed himself to his feet, ready to ask Levy another question, when the door to the guild hall swung open, quieting several people.
"Kai."
He sighed, grasping his sword.
Ultear Milkovich strode through the Fairy Tail guild hall, to both the offhand looks of those who knew her as a member of Grimoire Heart, and the perverted looks of those who liked to see her in her leotard.
She half-grinned at him. "It's time."
Iggy glanced at Kai, who nodded back to her.
"Watch after Erza for me?"
"No problem." Iggy nodded down the guild hall as Erza marched her way down from Makarov toward the new arrival.
They clasped hands, Erza grabbing it rather hard. Kai approached and smiled at his girlfriend.
"I'll be back soon," Kai said. "I promise."
"Be smart," Erza said.
Kai nodded. "I'll have good backup with me."
"They're a dangerous bunch, and it isn't like you're going in with all that much surprise. You're absolutely sure I don't need to come with you?"
Kai desperately wished to say that she would be welcome with them. But, he'd thought it over plenty of times already. If Erza joined him, it would tip things too far into Fairy Tail's hands. This was something for Crime Sorciere, and Kai was only there as support for one person in particular, potentially the one who could change the hearts of everyone involved.
He roped her in for a big hug and kiss in the middle of the guild hall, drawing a great amount of whoops and hollers from everyone. Neither blushed as he pulled away from her, and she gave his hand one last squeeze.
"See you soon," she said.
Kai nodded, then headed out along with Ultear, who'd already had a slight side-conversation with Gray. Juvia steamed while Ultear winked at her, definitely just to screw with her, and she rejoined Kai as they headed out the door.
"Ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
"Good. Grab my arm, we'll get there in a second."
"You can teleport?"
"Kai. I'm a former member of the Magic Council, of course I can teleport."
"Why didn't we teleport before?"
"Before wasn't urgent?"
"Urgent?"
The rushing sound of fast footsteps quickly approached as Jet and Droy made their way up the steps and dashed toward the guild hall. Kai'd only just grabbed Ultear's hand when they cried out to the rest of the guild that something had happened, something bad, but the two vanished away before Kai could know what.
Ultear and Kai landed out in a wasteland, surrounded by large cliffs, boulders, and not much else beyond that. They touched down and Kai let go of Ultear, glancing over his shoulder at her.
"What's going on?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
Kai pursed his lips, but trusted her enough to just nod. Jellal and Meredy were nearby, but nobody else. Wait, no…was that another scent? A familiar one, but not one he could easily put a person to.
"They're not here yet," Kai said. Stating the obvious would hopefully get Ultear talking, at least.
"They'll be on their way soon," Ultear said. "We just need someone to let them out is all."
"It isn't Jellal?"
"Things have changed."
"I was hoping you'd be less cryptic."
"The meeting spot is more this way, we can sit and wait for everyone there."
Ultear guided Kai around a cliff face and a massive wall of stone, then situated herself within the stones and eased back, pretending she was comfortable. Kai remained standing, arms crossed and head turned away from the sun, so to not blind himself.
Time seemed to slow, and not just because Ultear was with him and using some magic. No smells or sounds came to Kai, the place just stood empty, a great area of nothingness.
"Shaba, Fiore," Kai muttered. "I get why they release prisoners out here, huh?"
"Makes them wish they'd stayed somewhere with a bit of color, even if it is just a bunch of reds and blues that stop your magic." Ultear crossed her legs, her back straight. She was so prim and proper.
They waited in silence for a bit longer. Kai, for a little, regretted his decision to have Erza stay behind. At least then he'd have someone to make idle chit-chat with. Ultear wasn't anyone unfamiliar to Kai by any stretch of the imagination, but she also wasn't the most talkative person unless she was speaking to Meredy, who made conversation quite easy.
Soon enough, too, the final members of Crime Sorciere crested a bit of the rocks. Ultear and Kai didn't move to greet them. Jellal wore his standard stoic face while Meredy, trying to remain sullen and stoic, waved down at Kai.
"Should be any minute now that we see them," Jellal said.
"Doranbolt can't join us?" Meredy asked.
Ah, that's right, Doranbolt. Or, as he was known to the Fairy Tail guild, Mest Grader. A secret agent working with the Magic Council once to spy on Fairy Tail, now apparently working alongside Crime Sorciere for this job.
Kai had no idea how Jellal convinced Doranbolt to make this happen. Perhaps it was Fairy Tail's inclusion that suckered Doranbolt in; according to Jellal, ever since the Tenrou group returned, Doranbolt has tried his damndest to make up to the guild for spying on them to the Magic Council. Kai appreciated the sentiment.
"Things have come up," Ultear said.
"Will one of you explain just what is happening?"
"The Magic Council has been attacked and destroyed," Jellal said, so plainly that Kai almost forgot to be shocked. The color drained from his face as the words settled in. "The Dark Guild Tartaros is suspected to be behind it."
"Master Hades always feared Tartaros, and their master, the unconquerable and legendary E.N.D."
"That's impossible. E.N.D. can't be their master," Kai said. "He's a demon of the Book of Zeref."
"Yeah? What do you think the rest of the guild is made of? Why do you think they worship Zeref so much?" Ultear asked.
Kai swivelled his gaze from Jellal to Ultear, his mind racing so fast he couldn't even keep up. That didn't make sense. An entire guild made up of Demons?
How the hell could that even happen? They weren't just worshippers of Zeref, they were his creations. No doubt they idolized their master quite a bit. But how hadn't they heard of this before? How hadn't other guilds been warned that actual demons were in their midst, in their kingdom?
Tartaros never appeared in many stories in the news, never really made a big name for themselves. Yes, they were in the almost-defunct Balam Alliance, but as a quiet member. Grimoire Heart, it seemed, was the more intrusive guild of that bunch.
But attacking and destroying the Magic Council? Something had to be afoot. Like the girls said in the guild earlier, the supposition of coincidence was long out the window. Tartaros was on the move, and it seemed nobody was all that ready to stop them.
"Listen," Kai said to the three rogue mages. "Some people in Fairy Tail have reason to go after Tartaros. They can't just jump into a fight against them, not if it means that they're fighting even more creations of Zeref, fighting things on the level of Deliora. If Tartaros is making moves and Fairy Tail rises to meet them, I have to go help them. And you know we'll need your help."
Ultear craned her head toward Jellal, who remained stoic as the wind blew his cape around him.
"Of course," Jellal said. "We're destroyers of Dark Guilds, and Tartaros stands as the worst of the bunch. And that's why our plan here has to work. They have as good a reason to fight Tartaros as any."
Kai grimaced, and, over the ridge a little ways off, six voices rose up. Footsteps echoed around the canyon and rocky area. Kai balled his hand into a fist.
A man with a voice Kai heard not long ago chuckled, and the familiar smirk of Cobra from the Oración Seis bounced all around them. Following just behind him were Brain, Midnight, Angel, Hoteye, and Racer.
Beyond a fair bit of aging on most of their parts, except for Hoteye, everyone looked similar to what Kai recalled of them during the Nirvana incident. Hoteye, of all the group, stood the most stoic and at peace. If Kai recalled correctly, he'd been the one best effected by Nirvana, as it turned him from a raging homicidal monster to someone quite a bit more peaceful.
Angel looked Kai up and down while Midnight couldn't help but bow his head in boredom. Racer burst out laughing.
"Is that you, Jellal?" Racer asked. "Come to put us back?"
Brain, though, stepped in front of Racer. "Well. Jellal Fernandes. Ultear Milkovich. The rumors are true. You're working together. And I see you've brought your woman with you, Ultear."
"Don't forget the Fairy in our midst," Angel pointed out.
Jellal stepped down from the cliffs and started toward them. "Your time in prison is over. The idea of a former prisoner like myself becoming your jailer is positively laughable. I wanted your freedom just as much as you did."
"That's just not true," Cobra said. "Besides, I can hear your thoughts, Jellal. You seek something else."
Brain stepped forward once more, drawing ire from Cobra.
"Jellal no doubt wants revenge for what we had him do at Nirvana," Brain said. "Something I don't think any of us have come to regret."
"Speak softly, father, and for yourself," Midnight said. "We're free, now. The Seis are done. We can all go our separate ways, and we can do whatever we wish."
"Indeed!" Hoteye exclaimed. "For it is in the name of love we may now forge our future, and indeed, I see love in these wizards. Whatever Jellal wishes of us, I would see it through."
Racer barked a laugh. Kai nodded, though still stood rather still and tense.
"You're not still under Nirvana's grasp, are you?" Angel asked.
"I am not," Hoteye said. "It's worn off, but our time these last seven years has taught me that the enemy of progress is destruction and hatred. We cannot live in a world without love."
"Let him be," Midnight said.
"I should think not," Brain said. "And I should never heard you speak of the Seis as such again, Midnight. We're a family. We're survivors of a dark place."
"That you sent them to, Brain," Ultear said.
Brain shifted to face Ultear, a creepy grin forming on his face. Kai squinted his eyes. Something didn't appear right with Brain. The man wore similar robes to what Kai remembered him having, but…no that wasn't it.
Something about his expression, his face. Kai pursed his lips.
"Ultear, dear, don't tell me you still spite me for the greatness I unlocked in you."
Kai's eyes widened and he turned toward Ultear. Surely she wasn't a product of the Tower of Heaven, too, right?
"No." Ultear stood straight, letting her hair tumble down as she moved to her feet. "I don't grudge against anyone anymore. But I know that justice is coming for you, Brain."
"You, of all people, should've stayed in your cell," Jellal said. "I have no need for someone who thinks themselves a leader."
"I lead the greatest threat this world has ever seen."
"Greater than Tartaros?" Kai asked.
Brain snapped at Kai, his eyes locking on the boy as their color faded from the normal white to a far more sinister red. Something familiar about that, too…
"Tartaros…" Brain muttered.
Cobra stepped up behind Brain. "Well, you heard what Jellal said. There's no use for you!"
His fist flashed as his draconic talon appeared and he swiped at Brain who, in a flash, swatted aside Cobra's attack, which perforated a huge hole in the ground. Nobody moved as Brain just stared out, then back toward Kai.
"Yes, Tartaros," he said, his smile growing. "They are great. And they…ah, I understand it now."
"Understand what?" Jellal asked.
"When darkness befalls the fairies, the light shall be extinguished." Brain said it so calmly, but also, so rhythmically that he couldn't have initially spoken it.
Cobra stepped back, still agitated.
"You may all do as you wish, indeed," Brain said. "Because soon it will not matter. Soon, indeed, Tartaros will come for Fiore. She said as much."
"She?"
"Your father speaks madness, Midnight," Ultear said.
"My name is Macbeth now that I'm free," Midnight said, and unfolded his arms while he kept a close eye on Brain. "And that man…is not my father. Not truly."
Brain let out a long howl as each of the lines faded from his face and a memory whip lashed in Kai's mind.
"Master Zero!" Kai exclaimed.
Jellal grunted while the others in the Seis backed up.
"Yes, yes, this has been my task all along, just as she said!" Master Zero exclaimed, and with a roar, his black-green-red aura burst around him and knocked the others back. Jellal stepped down next to Kai.
"It shouldn't be possible for him to have unlocked that power on his own," Jellal said. "Someone interfered."
"Tartaros," Meredy muttered.
"We need the Oración Seis," Jellal said, gesturing at the group that all scowled at Jellal still. "They won't come quietly. I hoped to have you help me with Cobra, but now it seems I need your help elsewhere."
"I can take him," Kai said. "It won't be like last time."
"I should hope not."
Ultear and Meredy stepped up next to Jellal, following him off to the side as some of the Seis continued to back up away from Master Zero. Cobra stuffed his hands into his coat pockets and watched. Kai unsheathed his blade, letting out a long, comfortable exhale.
Master Zero cackled once more, the same laugh Kai heard long ago when they first fought.
"You think you'll take them from us?" Master Zero asked. "It won't matter. Soon there won't be anything left of you, Fairy Tail! Seilah will ensure of that."
"Well I'll have to ensure Seilah finds out Fairy Tail doesn't go away, even if you think you've killed us all," Kai said, lowering into a proper stance.
Cobra leered at Kai, then turned his attention to Jellal as Racer rushed the other wizard.
Five on one? Jellal could probably take the Oración Seis.
But Master Zero? That man had been on a whole other level compared to the rest. Kai summoned some ice onto his blade as Master Zero's aura burst around him once more and dark magic crackled around him.
Whoever this Seilah was that enabled him to tap into the darker personality knew that he'd have to go all-out to fight Jellal, or maybe even kill him or other wizards. Kai swallowed a heavy lump as Master Zero shot toward him.
Tartaros did indeed come after Fairy Tail; thankfully, Kai was there to put his foot down, surge forward, and punch Master Zero straight across the face.