Jellal walked through the empty countryside, nothing but his thoughts and his footsteps on the dusty path to keep him company. His bag hung heavy against his back, stuffed to the brim with a few pairs of clothes, his now unneeded jacket, a communication lacrima at Meredy's behest, snacks he knew the pink haired wizard snuck into his bag when he wasn't looking, a letter entrusted to him by Meredy's best friend, and most likely a bunch of other random things his guildmates threw in there.
He rolled his shoulders, raising his gaze from the empty road to lock on the far away horizon partially hidden by a distant grove of trees. "Utterly unattainable," he sighed, feeling the need to speak aloud after spending the past day and a half by himself.
Once he arrived at the train station, he was able to figure out which train Erza and her team had taken. And then at the next town, he figured out where they had gone next. At least, he hoped he did. He just took what he knew about Erza and Natsu, paired it with his limited knowledge of the others, and determined their most likely course of action. But since he had only spent a small amount of time with Erza overall in the past twenty years… he was worried he didn't know her as well as he thought.
No trains came this way, so he was stuck walking. Not that he minded it. Sometimes he missed the days when it was just him, Meredy, and Ultear in Crime Sorciere, when there was occasional peace and quiet. Of course, he enjoyed the change all of the new members brought. But he couldn't remember the last time he'd been completely alone since they'd joined the ranks of the guild. His guild, he supposed. Although Meredy was pretty much his co-guildmaster at this point. Maybe he'd let her take over completely when he returned. Then he'd have more time to do whatever he wished. Even if he wasn't quite sure what that was yet.
Jellal desperately hoped he would be able to find the seven Fairy Tail members quickly. He hated being so far away from Fiore; there was always danger stirring, and he didn't like the idea of leaving the action to his friends and fellow wizards when he was more than capable of helping them himself. And everyone was worried about this team. He owed it to them to find Erza's team as soon as possible.
But the odds stacked so high against him. He was searching for five people and two cats in an enormous country. And there was no guarantee that they would remain in Coracre. For all he knew, Lucy's search for the Zodiac key may have brought them to the far reaches of the continent. How was he, a single man, supposed to find their group out of the hundreds of thousands of people on this continent? He really was digging up the dregs from his drained cup of luck.
He sighed again, shoving his hands into his pockets and tightening his fists. Magic swirled beneath his veins and through his limbs, begging to be used after a month and a half of nothing. His last spell had been cast while breaking up a fight between Sawyer and Erik (he suspected that Erik let him break up the brawl since the Poison Dragon Slayer had to have seen the attack coming). But he'd had no need for magic, not once he boarded the boat in Hargeon. His body hummed with energy, pointless energy that had nowhere to go except burn through his skin and into the air around him. He supposed he could cast a simple spell to dispose of all the excess magic power, but he quickly discarded that idea. Who knew who might be watching him or might be nearby, and he had no idea when he might need to be at his strongest. No, far better to suffer with the slightly trembling limbs and inability to sit still than to be caught off guard.
It was wise Jellal was so paranoid. Or, perhaps just prepared. Whatever the case, his vigilance meant that noticed the instant the group came into view once he entered the grove of ancient trees. He continued to walk, not letting on that he knew something was amiss. But he loosened the straps of his bag, preparing for whatever was to come.
He lowered his head, the new position allowing him to look around without alerting the strangers that his gaze wandered. Figures moved amongst the trees, but they cloaked themselves in shadows, either through skill or luck, and he was unable to estimate the number of opponents he faced. He tried to move with ease and give off an air of unbothered arrogance that Erik constantly exuded, yet he didn't think he pulled it off quite right. He hoped his bag hid the tension in his shoulders well enough.
The stress was getting to him. If he had to walk for another five minutes while surrounded by strangers who most likely meant him harm while pretending that he didn't know they were there, he might actually flip his lid. And he rarely lost his cool.
And then his wish came true.
Ahead of him, someone stepped into the road. Jellal instantly locked onto the man, taking in the magic power emanating from him. He's strong, the Heavenly Body wizard thought, tilting his head to the side with a raised eyebrow. But he's not strong enough. He's nothing compared to my guildmates.
"You there!" The stranger called. He planted his boots firmly in the dirt, his hands hanging by his side as he prepared for action. Or maybe that was Jellal just reading too deeply into the situation. "Stop where you are! Hands where I can see them!"
Jellal paused, staring the man down. Then, with a slowness meant to be antagonizing, he raised his arms, stopping when his hands were level with his shoulders. He kept his face blank and devoid of all emotion, determined to not give this man anything. "Alright. I'm cooperating."
The man rolled his shoulders, a cloak hanging from his broad shoulders. At first glance, the man was dressed finely, but upon closer inspection, Jellal noted the tears and dirt stains on the clothes. So he obviously isn't rich, so he likely doesn't have power. Doesn't mean that he isn't powerful, though. Don't let your guard down.
"I don't suppose you and your friends could cooperate with me as well? Reveal yourselves, won't you?"
The stranger frowned slightly before nodding and waving his arms. From all around Jellal, fighters stepped out of the trees, surrounding him on the dirt path. Since he didn't want to turn in a circle, he forced himself to judge their numbers purely on their magic power. He guessed there to be about sixteen, both men and women, all with varying levels of magic power. However, none of them bothered him. Even the strongest of them was weaker than Wally or Shô, both strong wizards in their own right but truly no match for him, especially when he put his mind to it.
The man crossed his arms, putting most of his weight in his right leg. "We've shown ourselves, as you wished. Now, you will do as we say."
Jellal raised an eyebrow. "There's still the two hiding to my left."
The man stared in blank shock as the last two members stepped into view. "H-how'd you-?"
Jellal's other eyebrow lifted. "You and your little group aren't the only ones who can sense magic power. I assume that's why you waited so long to attack me, is it not? You sensed my magic power and waited until I was completely outnumbered and encumbered by the trees before you struck back."
One of the members snorted. "Well duh. There's no way you can take all of us. We can all feel your magic power, and it's not that intimidating. So unless you wanna get completely decimated-"
"That's enough." The leader silenced his companion with a sharp gesture of his hand. "I think everyone here knows just how unequal a fight could be. And he can tell that his best bet will be to surrender completely to us before he gets hurt."
Jellal shook his head slowly, fighting the urge to blast them all away at once. That would do nothing good for anyone. "What do you want?" He asked tiredly, hoping they would believe he was hesitant to fight.
The leader raised his chin in victory. "Drop your bag. And I think your clothes would fit me nicely."
"Oh, can I have his shoes, boss?" A man called out, hands tightening around his club.
"I want his shirt!"
"Do you think he's got socks in that bag of his?"
"Silence!" The leader roared, cutting through the chatter. "I get first pick! And whoever pleases me gets to go next! So you all better shut up and not disrupt me any more!"
While they all argued amongst themselves, Jellal let the straps of his bag slide down his arms. The backpack hit the road with a heavy thump, startling the group. They all stared at the blue haired mage once more, falling quiet. "I find this conversation quite tiresome." With his arms free from the restraints of the bag, Jellal moved his feet into a ready position. His hands lifted until he looked prepared for a fight. "You have two options. I can either fight and win, or you can all slip away and leave me be. I don't have much patience left, so choose quickly."
The same member who had spoken so rudely earlier began again in earnest. "Dude, what's up with Ishgardian wizards being so cocky? Unless you're hiding your magic power somehow, you're not that strong. The guys we fought last month were way more powerful than you."
The blood in his veins froze in place. "You fought with wizards from Ishgar?"
The man rolled his eyes. "Duh, that's what I just said. Man, you're not that smart, are you?"
Patience was leaving Jellal as quickly as the sweat dripping from his brow. "Who were they? Where were they?"
The leader of the gang narrowed his eyes, confused as to why this foreigner was so interested in those other foreigners. But his subordinate kept talking, oblivious. "A few towns back, in Camdo. Man, they were cool, weren't they, boss? Legendary wizards from Ishgar! Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster, oh, and Erza Scarlet! I'm not even that mad we lost to them; I mean, out of everyone to beat us, at least it was these super cool, powerful wizards. But jokes on them, we're gonna get them when they come this way. We'll be way stronger too, so there's no way they'll be able to win this time. Ha! We'll catch those losers off guard and completely take them out, maybe make them work for us! Then they and the entire world will tremble before the Naked Mummy guild! Once we beat the strongest wizards in the world, no one can ever stand before us again!"
"You know that's not the name!" A woman complained. "That's never been our guild name!"
She didn't get a chance to say any more. They were all struck dumb as sheer magic power flooded the grove of trees, overwhelming them instantly by the force of the power. Several cried out in fright and two clutched each other for support. The very ground shook beneath them, the trees bending and swaying as the wind picked up and sent leaves and dirt swirling.
"What is the meaning of this?!" The leader shouted, looking around wildly for who could possibly have appeared to give off that much magic power. It was with fear in his eyes that he finally turned his gaze to the blue haired man at the center of their circle. Wind whipped around him, this wizard was obviously the center of the storm. His entire form began to glow with an eerie, ethereal light, energy crackling around his hands and behind his furious eyes.
"I was fully prepared to leave you all unharmed and free," Jellal began, relishing in the magic thrumming through his veins. The sky darkened above, night rushing in at three in the afternoon. All sixteen trembled in fear and terror as the magic power grew and grew and grew. "I would have let you go. But you don't get a chance now."
"How is this possible?! Your magic power wasn't this strong!" The loudmouth cowered, wanting to run as far away as possible as fast as he could.
Jellal's head tilted slightly. "Siegrain may have just been a projection, but he had half of my magic power at his disposal. He was elected a Wizard Saint because of that. I am twice as strong as Siegrain, more powerful than several of the Ten Wizard Saints in Ishgar. And magic like that hates to be contained for long, especially with little hope of an outlet. So I tend to only keep a small amount of ethernano inside. Maybe that makes me an easier target for douchebag guilds such as yourself, but that doesn't make me any weaker. After all, ethernano is all around us." His stare intensified. "But while my magic begs to draw this fight out, I believe a single attack should suffice."
"What did we do to deserve this?!" A woman wailed, hugging her arms to her chest and stumbling away.
Jellal whirled, magic ramping up several notches. "What did you do? I'll tell you what you did." His voice remained level and calm, betraying none of the true anger beneath. "You threatened my friends. After they beat you, they likely told you to change your ways or suffer the consequences, am I right? But instead of heeding their words, you got as far away as possible and prepared for a counterattack. You'd repay their kindness and mercy with betrayal. Well, I'll make sure you don't get the chance."
"We're sorry! We didn't know! We'll change, I swear!" The leader of the dark guild threw himself to the ground and prostrated himself before the furious mage.
Jellal looked down at him as one might look upon an insect they found revolting. But he let the storm abate, doing nothing to lessen the magic power building up beneath his skin. "I find that hard to believe. I'm no less terrifying than Erza or Natsu when they are angered. So why is my anger the catalyst for your change of heart?"
The leader remained silent, no good answer coming to mind. Jellal snorted, turning his gaze to all of his opponents. "That's what I thought. I'm not heartless, however. I'll give you a chance at redemption." His eyes returned to the man who'd spoken of their plans. "You. You spoke the names of three of their group: Erza Scarlet, Natsu Dragneel, and Gray Fullbuster. But that wasn't all of them, was it? There were two young women with them, right? A blonde woman and a blue haired girl." Jellal raised an eyebrow, looking down upon the man. "What were their names?"
The man looked up in blank confusion. "I, er, what?"
"You heard me." While amusement danced in the line of his mouth, Jellal's eyes rivaled the coldest ice Gray had ever summoned. "Tell me the names of the two girls, and I will let you go. Better yet, I'll let your entire guild go."
The man stared at him, brain obviously working yet no thoughts coming to mind.
Jellal started to turn again. "Anyone? No one remembers their names? Here, I'll even give you a hint. The younger is also called the Sky Maiden; the older carries ten of the Celestial Zodiac keys." No one spoke, all keeping their eyes downcast as their fear began to overwhelm them. This was to be their downfall? Not recalling the names of two girls who traveled with the legends from Fairy Tail? What sort of shitty trial was this?
Jellal let the wind die down completely. His brow arched haughtily as he allowed his magic power to swirl internally. "You mean to tell me you have no idea? Just because they haven't been doing awesome and inspiring things for as long as other members of their guild doesn't mean that they aren't any less amazing." And that wasn't the only thing that annoyed him about the situation. Lucy and Wendy were important members of Erza's team. Without Lucy, Acnologia would have won. And without Wendy… well, he would be dead right now. Ten years ago, actually. How could he put up with strangers disrespecting the friends his Erza held so dearly?
"I'm sorry, sir! All I know about the blonde lady is that she's Natsu's girlfriend! That and that she summons spirits and, and, and," the woman trailed off, remembering nothing else about the wizard they'd fought a month ago.
Jellal paused in place. "Girlfriend?"
The woman nodded aggressively. "Yeah, they were definitely dating. She was holding his hand and I think they kissed and-"
The Heavenly Body mage held up his hand, forestalling any other words. "So that's what Lucy's been diminished to? Natsu's girlfriend and nothing more? She's much more than that, as is Wendy. I know you've heard of them, especially now that I've said their names. How is that fair? What if people only knew you as the guy who didn't shut up? Or as the girl who had dirt stains on her knees? Only being known by some small part of your story hides all of the other accomplishments you've done throughout the years. Lucy and Wendy aren't the only ones the stories have forgotten. Do better, all of you."
The leader of the dark guild looked up, his lip curling. "Oh yeah? How're you gonna make us? You're just a random Ishgardian trying to scare us into turning good. As soon as you leave, you can't stop us."
His guildmates stared at him in horror. Why in Earthland would he possibly antagonize this terrifying wizard?
Jellal seemed in agreement. The night returned, the wind whipping through the trees. He drew on his years of cruelty and forced a sneer to his lips. "Oh, really? I'll have you know, the only reason I've yet to cast a single spell is because I'd rather not destroy all of these ancient trees around us. And if I take you out, this entire grove is likely to go out with you."
"You, you, you don't scare me," the leader stammered out, gulping as Jellal stalked to stand right in front of the man. Jellal glared down, energy burning on his hands once more.
"You should," he growled. "You should be very, very scared. I've done things worse than you could ever dream of. You think you're bad? You're not even close. I was the host to the black wizard Zeref himself for years. I murdered my childhood friend. I attempted to sacrifice Erza Scarlet to bring about Zeref's resurrection and the 'true freedom.' I've hated myself dearly throughout the past twenty years because of what I've done, but I would do worse today if it meant keeping my friends safe from you. So act tough if you wish. It won't change the fact that I will destroy you."
That finally cowed the leader. Jellal looked down on them all in disgust, letting the sheer power of his magic continue to slam into the dark guild for several long moments. Then he let go of the power, the ethernano dissolving into the air.
"Go. All of you. Get out of here. And if I ever see you or hear of you again, there will be retribution. Now go."
The members of the dark guild scrambled to their feet before they all bolted, racing away as fast as possible. Jellal stood where he was for many more minutes, remaining in place until he could no longer trace their magic power.
He released the tension in his hand, letting out a deep and shuddering breath. Then he sank to his knees, head falling into his hands as what he had just done fully sunk in.
Ooo, Jellal was a total badass in this chapter, right? Or at least, I hope he was. Jellal's character is definitely harder to write since we don't see as much of him, but I hope I did him alright. And don't worry, the Jerza moments are coming...
So sorry this came out so much later than normal. I've been really out of it lately, and writing's just been hard to focus on. Not to worry though. But on that note, there will not be a chapter next week. I'm going on a first year adventure trip through my college, so I'll be completely off the grid for a week. But chapters will resume (hopefully) normal updates after next week. See you all then!