Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail

Zeref was silent, shutting down and letting his body simply remain still while his mind raced. Mavis was August's father. Familial relationships in this realm seemed to be preserved. That meant that…Mavis was August's father. How? Zeref simply could not understand. When he knew her, she had no such child. After he knew her, Mavis was dead. There simply was no time for a child to be born, so could it even be true? He wasn't certain. Given the nature of the curse, it was possible for her bodily functions to remain intact, despite her stolen consciousness. If that were the case, someone would have needed to deliver the child in the first place, since Mavis would be incapable of doing so. One of the guild members, perhaps? Zeref once again wasn't certain, and he couldn't know while he was here.

Edo-Mavis smiled at Jellal, giving him a slight curtsey as she entered the room. "Thank you August. I should have actually requested that you bring our guests as well…given their current search, following Natsu on this job may be helpful for them to begin understanding the layout of Edolas better." The young man nodded, meeting his gaze while Mavis rose and faced him. "As for you…please wait until their companion has joined them for the explanation. I'd rather not force her to wait, simply because you were concerned about bringing along companions I was unaware of. If Levy trusts her, then I see little reason not to allow her to join."

For some reason, Zeref found this oddly amusing. Then again, nothing seemed to appear normal at the moment. August was Mavis' son. August was fighting against his own mother. August…had been loyal to the one who killed his mother. Why? What did that child serve to gain? He couldn't fathom it. Revenge? No, if that was August's aim, Zeref would have already seen some signs of such a plot. Considering the man's age, he truly did intend to remain loyal until the end. "Zeref?" Edo-Natsu touched his arm, looking rather concerned. There was something vacant about his current expression, despite it being devoid of the emotions spinning around within him. Really, even Zeref couldn't identify what he was feeling. He had grown used to ignoring such things, after all.

That name seemed to make Mavis turn, sucking in a sharp breath as her eyes widened. "Zeref…" She repeated Natsu's comment, only for the boy to blink at her, blushing slightly.

"Mavis…it's been a while. Um…about Zeref, see, he's kinda…"

"Alive." Mavis smiled so brightly at him, as if it were the best thing to hear about in the world. "I don't know by what miracle…but he's actually alive. Whatever you did Natsu…thank you. Thank you for bringing him back to me…to us…" There were tears in her eyes, making Zeref realize he had to put a stop to this. His deception, his silence, was a cruel form of torture he could not force anyone to endure.

Looking up, Zeref shook his head at the girl. "I'm sorry…but I am not the Zeref you wished were here." The girl blinked at him, while Jellal frowned.

"What exactly does that entail? From what I understood, you are Zeref—"

"And I am also Emperor Spriggan." That silenced Jellal, his eyes widening in shock. Smiling faintly, Zeref chuckled at his reaction. "I suspected you would not believe that to be the case. It is one thing to hear rumors of my immortality, and another to see proof of it before your eyes, in the case of my lack of aging since we first met."

"Wait…you've met Jellal before?"

Nodding, Zeref sighed. "Yes…in my own world. As I was explaining to Mavis…I am not the Zeref of this world. He is still quite dead."

Whatever hope had been blossoming in her expression began to die away. That smile faded, transforming into a dejected frown as her head fell to her chest, her eyes gazing at the ground. "Oh." She paused for a moment, biting her lower lip.

Moving closer, Edo-Natsu touched her shoulder with a small smile. "Yeah, but this Zeref says he'll stay, Mavis. He is going to still be with us—"

"And you think he can replace our Zeref?" That was exactly how Zeref felt, though he remained quiet. Meanwhile, Edo-Levy sighed and seemed to comment to Jellal about going to get their other companion. As she went back towards the door to retrieve Levy, Mavis continued on in her pained complaint. "Zeref was special. He was kind and sweet…he saw the world in a way I've never seen anyone manage before. Never did he do a thing for himself…always, it was for you, Natsu. I think that maybe…just maybe he tried doing something for me, after he realized how I felt…but you were always the closest to his heart. One day, I hoped he would love me back—"

"So the roles truly did reverse…" Zeref murmured his comment to himself, but it seemed to be loud enough to catch her attention. Mavis blinked at him, while he sighed. "My apologies. The parallels, and differences, between this world and my own fascinate me. There is little pattern to what changes and what remains…even things I thought to be constant clearly cannot be, given what I see now."

"What do you mean reversed roles? Are we…in your world, do we even know each other?"

Zeref looked away, letting out a sigh. "In my world…you are dead." He paused for a moment, frowning faintly. "Or at least, close enough to that state that I would not consider you to be alive."

"Then is she in a coma?" August spoke, frowning faintly at him. "There are few states of mind which can mimic death so well."

Mavis looked a bit startled at his odd curiosity about such a dark subject, but Zeref smiled faintly at the boy. He was rather similar to his own August after all. "No." Zeref met the young boy's gaze, his smile deepening and becoming something darker than before. "She has become a contradiction…both alive and dead at the same time. Magic can accomplish some rather unusual things in our world."

"Wait…so Mavis is gone in your world?" Edo-Natsu blinked at him, his eyes widening at the concept. "Then…then what about everyone else? I mean, you said I'm alive…and surely, August is around. I mean, I can't really imagine something so tragic as your own son not even—"

"Excuse me?" Zeref did not mean to speak, but he had finally heard too much. Ever since he saw Mavis enter the room, he had been contemplating the mystery of August's connection to her, and through that, himself. Yet, never had he even suspected such a concept.

"Oh…I guess he isn't then. Huh…I wonder if August even has a counterpart in—"

"He does." Zeref spoke swiftly, dropping the subject. "It is simply of a…different role than he holds here." He did not wish to elaborate further, but he should have known August himself would not leave it at that.

"What exactly does that entail? I've always wondered how one's upbringing would affect a personality. Am I similar over there? Am I different? Or perhaps I am more—"

"You are nearly eighty-five years old, and throughout the majority of your life, the August I know has lived as the advisor and general to an emperor of a militaristic nation." Zeref met the boy's gaze, narrowing his eyes. "Now, I would prefer not to speak of such a subject." Both Levys returned as he commented, and he heard Levy gasp from the sight of Mavis in the room.

"Mavis…but you're so…how are you so old? And who is that?"

She blinked at the girl, glancing between both Levys before her eyes widened. "You're from the other world too!"

"And I'm finding this meeting growing more tedious every second. Just how many people from Earthland fell through into Edolas with Natsu and Lucy?"

Jellal's interruption made Zeref turn towards him, blinking in surprise. "They are here?"

He nodded, sighing. "They were seeking out a place to stay while here and searching for…well, I suspect you at this point. They claimed a companion of theirs from Earthland had vanished, and they were concerned as to your current activities. Still…it is bothersome, to see proof that magic can still reach this world so easily. I suspect it is once again proof of what Alvarez has managed to accomplish, even without the Animas."

There were too many people in this room, and too many different questions spinning around. Levy was smiling at Mavis, nodding in response to her question about being from another world. Edo-Levy had seemed to take a spot leaning against the wall, looking bored with the expedition already. August's eyes danced with questions, gazing at Zeref with a curiosity he knew would never be satisfied. Edo-Natsu simply looked overwhelmed, hunching his shoulders as if it could hide him from sight. All the while, Zeref simply stood and thought, uncertain of what to think without the peace and quiet of silence. He wished he were in an empty room, to be left alone with his thoughts. He wished he had not seen Mavis or August. He wished he had not learned of August's parentage, and how likely it was that such ties were identical in Earthland.

Clenching his hands into fists, Zeref tried to tune it all out. Noise was too much…people were too much. It was almost suffocating, being surrounded by it all. Why had this come on so suddenly? What had even started it? He didn't know. In fact, he hardly understood much of anything about his own empire, it seemed. August…who was August to him, really? His closest advisor, that was the obvious answer. August knew everything about Alvarez, and never questioned Zeref's reasons for his actions. August simply did as he was told, and he kept the others in line. Yet, there were also smaller moments. He had watched August grow up since he was a child. He had seen the moment that curiosity of his first started…all when the boy seemed so lost and helpless.

It had been during his time of wandering, trying to get August to abandon him. The boy had been talking aimlessly, when he made a comment that actually caught Zeref's attention. "Say, Mister…I've been wondering. There's really no point to this at all, is there?" Zeref had been confused, frowning at the boy. "Living, that is. We live to die…that's what I've seen, anyway. And while we're alive…it hurts. People hurt us…they want us to do things for them that we don't want to do…like harm family, or they simply just leave us themself."

It was the first time Zeref ever questioned what kind of upbringing August had before meeting him. It was one of the first times Zeref considered actually wanting his companion to linger by his side, for it was so similar to how he often saw the world. "That is quite true. Death awaits all of us…or at least, that is how it should be." Zeref had frowned, sighing and wondering if he truly was the kind of person capable of helping at all. Turning around, he had stopped walking, looking into August's eyes that were as dark as his own. "I've often wondered the same thing myself. Why keep moving forward? What should motivate us to continue on? Then, I realized what it was." The boy had seemed so interested in his words, hanging on them like a lifeline. "I wished to know the answers to my questions. I had long-term goals to accomplish…and to motivate myself to see them to the end, I came up with questions and searched for their answers. If you feel as if it is necessary…find a question of your own. Seek out the answer, and do not let anyone stop you from finding what you wish to know."

Staring at him, August had studied Zeref for a moment, making the black wizard feel oddly as if he was being analyzed by the child. Then, August had smiled faintly, nodding as if he had found what he wanted. "Then I will do just that. I already know what question to start looking into…but I think it might take a while to find the answer." He paused for a moment, before his smile widened. "I know! I'll look for that answer while finding others…so many things to question and so many things to learn…" From that point on, the wandering had turned into an interrogation of sorts. August had asked him about almost anything, from magic to government, to even social norms. It had been odd, but Zeref had grown used to it, and by the time he had returned, he had asked the boy if he wished to remain in Alvarez as his advisor.

Now, Zeref could see odd moments that seemed to make him question if they had greater meaning. What question was August so desperate to answer back then? From what he understood, August still had not found it. Vague comments were often made about how he felt like he was so close, yet the answer was just out of reach. Still, this August had no such drive. He was simply a curious boy, wondering about a world that was not his own. The others continued trying to question each other about the differences between each world, with Levy gushing about how well Mavis had grown and Jellal looking exhausted by simply not managing the situation as it should have been. However, Zeref's gaze was locked on August, the only one focused on how similar things were now seeming to be to the world he had destroyed while trying to save what he loved.

And Zeref is starting to see the truth about August too! I thought it would be interesting, to try and present the revelation with Earthland August no where near the situation at all. I do hope you enjoyed the chapter. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!