Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail
The sudden message had been alarming, to say the least. Standing in the room after hearing from him, August had simply remained silent for a moment, cutting off both the connection to Zeref and to Wendy rather suddenly. August had not been expecting to be contacted by his majesty at all, let alone to see him in such a state. Simply being aware that the man could perish in that world made him feel as if their current task was all the more urgent. After all, wasn't it part of his majesty's wish to simply die? Perhaps in that moment, he had wished to live, but that desire would weaken over time and he would return to his former wish. August could not let that happen. He had no desire to live long enough to see his father perish, not when he still had yet to see what it felt like to be loved by his parents.
Then again, if he wanted such an answer, perhaps he would have told Zeref the truth. August had known for the majority of his life. Precht, the second master of Fairy Tail, had been the one to try and raise him, talking of his father in an almost worshipful way. August had been meant to be a tool to mimic Zeref's magic in his eyes. When August could not accomplish such a thing, he was cast aside in favor of researching the source of all magic. So, he went out in search of his true father. He had heard rumors of the curse, from Precht as well, and as a result he knew not to reveal much of his connection to the man. His majesty had seemed so alone and without direction at that time, but August had wanted nothing more than to be by his side.
Now, he still was as close to his father as he could manage without the curse interfering. August wasn't certain if it was what he had wanted so long ago or not, but it was certainly enough for him now. Having Zeref die…having that man wish to die when such a path was an option for him, would be problematic. "Invel…I will be returning to Fairy Tail to cary out his majesty's wishes."
The winter general nodded at him, clearly not in the mood to interfere. "I expected as much. In the meantime, I will see if we can find records of creatures from this Edolas his majesty spoke of. Perhaps that girl's assumption was correct…" He frowned for a moment, glancing towards August. "Though, it was odd to see Emperor Spriggan defer to her in such a manner. His behavior in general…it seemed rather unlike him, wouldn't you agree?"
Thinking about how his majesty had acted, August frowned. "It wasn't entirely out of the norm for him…if you had seen him outside the empire, perhaps you would have agreed." It had been closer to what Zeref had been like when he was uncertain of his feelings towards life. That indecisive attitude often pushed him into despair, which oddly seemed to have been calmed by the girl at his side. August had tried to help her continue to support his majesty with his advice, but perhaps he had not spoken as bluntly as he should have. Zeref rarely spoke of his true intent, and as such, she should not have taken his threat as what he would truly act upon. "The only action that stands out to me…is his warning. Why would his majesty warn us of something we are well aware of?"
Crossing his arms over his chest, Invel frowned. "He has reason to believe he will be lacking control when he returns…however, I am inclined to agree with you. As his generals, we are all aware of the risks of being in the vicinity of his majesty's curse."
The door to their room in Sabertooth's guild hall opened, revealing one of their members entering. Still, August payed him no mind with the current topic. His majesty had looked oddly uncertain with that warning, as if debating how to word what he wished to say. "I am in agreement on that matter. Was there a hidden message in such a warning? Perhaps he was trying to hide his true intent from the Fairy Tail wizard by his side."
The blond haired dragon slayer raised his eyebrows at them, overhearing that brief comment. "Hey. Sorry to interrupt, but I figured I'd see what's up. After Invel rushed out and demanded to have a communication lacrima at once, I thought something was going on."
"We've received contact from his majesty, along with one of Fairy Tail's missing wizards." Invel frowned, glancing towards August. "However…there was something off about his majesty's actions. In fact, I am more inclined to believe that if there were some hidden message in his words, it was entirely for you, August. After all, he did direct his warning to you specifically."
Yes, he certainly had. August frowned, wondering why. True, he had been one of the more trusted advisors to his majesty, but that did not necessarily mean much in terms of his value to Zeref. Considering his pause after calling August's name at the end…had there been something else he intended to say? "Regardless…I do not think this conversation is moving us forward. I am of the impression that his majesty simply decided against providing us with further orders."
"And I am of the impression that he would have said something further if he had been speaking with you alone." Invel narrowed his eyes towards August, shaking his head. "He has always been more…trusting towards you, than the others. Considering your long service to his majesty, it is expected that he inform you of more confidential matters than he would the rest of us."
"And I'm of the impression that what he did or did not want really doesn't matter at this point." Sting interrupted, smiling at them and placing his hands on his waist. "So, if you guys spoke to him…did we finally figure out what the hell happened?"
"His majesty was sent to another world, one by the name of Edolas. From what we've gathered, there is very little magic within this world, and as such, he is incapable of returning with his own ability." August glanced towards Invel, frowning for a moment. "While he has approved of our truce…he has also given a warning to ensure Fairy Tail cooperates with our goals. He is of the opinion that it would be far more expedient for us to retrieve them, rather than for him to investigate a method fo leave on his own."
"So he's threatening to have you guys resume the war or something?" Sting frowned, scratching the back of his head. "Damn…that just seems counterproductive, if you ask me."
"Actually, his threat was to resume it on his end." Invel spoke, looking up and meeting his eyes. "Likely, he intends to kill your companions if Fairy Tail refuses to begin moving towards our goals."
Sting was silent for a moment, staring at them with wide eyes. "But…Fairy Heart isn't…how would that even help him move towards his goal?"
"Those companions would stand in his way, would they not?" August stared at Sting, who slowly closed his hands into fists. "War is war, and his majesty has no qualms about battling in such things himself if he feels it to be the proper course of action. There is much about our attempts to retrieve him that even we are incapable of grasping at the moment…and without that animal possession user mastering his abilities once more, we will never obtain them again. Truly, this is the best means we have of motivating that wizard to act, rather than simply remaining passive. From what I've witnessed, he is far more of a reactionary individual, only willing to move forward himself when the world pushes him into action."
"Right." Sting ran a hand through his hair, sighing. "This is why I hate dealing with things like this. Why does he have to make it all so complicated?" He glanced towards Invel, who simply frowned at his comments. From what August had witnessed, Invel had been speaking far more with Sting than was required for this task, an oddity for the normally reclusive winter wizard. "Do you think this is the right way to keep things moving forward? I mean, it isn't like he'll know if you did as he asked or not."
"Are you suggesting that we disobey his majesty's orders?" August spoke darkly, narrowing his eyes at the man. Invel had not replied, looking away and standing stiffly in the room.
"I'm just saying that maybe we should try something else first." Sting frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "Sure, Fairy Tail can be a bit unusual to work with, but threats and tormenting them isn't exactly a way of making sure we work together peacefully. There has to be a way to motivate Nab without threatening to kill his friends."
"To be exact…I believe his majesty's intent is to imply a threat towards the celestial spirit that is trapped in this world." Invel spoke, frowning faintly. "Emperor Spriggan is of the impression that Nab is rather attached to that spirit…and by killing his master while that spirit is summoned, he believes that spirit will be banished to this world under the assumption that he had failed to properly protect his key holder."
"And once again, is that really any different from threatening his friends?"
Neither of them could deny such a comment. Still, Invel seemed to be the one considering his words more deeply. What had changed in the first place? August couldn't fathom why Invel was willing to listen to this boy, but he would not stop the winter general from simply making conversation with their temporary ally. "That is quite a valid point. Yet, is fear not a strong motivational tool? This Nab seems to be rather unwilling to even attempt a single spell. We have done little more than suggest he practice. Not even Dimaria, as impatient as she can be, has demanded that he immediately send us through to his majesty's side. Unrealistic goals will mean failure in the end…yet this man seems to be unwilling to even do what is quite possible at the moment and simply utilize his magic for something."
"Right." Sting sighed, closing his eyes. "Have you tried getting Loke to offer training to him then?" August frowned, tilting his head slightly in confusion. "I mean, he's the one you guys think is Nab's strongest source of motivation. He's suggested that Nab take your offer…but has he actually offered to help with that training? Maybe Nab wants to practice with people he knows. Maybe he's intimidated by you, actually." Sting studied August for a moment, before smirking slightly. "To be honest, I'd be a bit intimidated to practice with you too. You have this magical aura around you…that makes me feel like I'm nothing more than an insect that you could squash with ease."
Was his aura really that problematic? August knew his power was what instilled fear in many enemies of Alvarez in the past. Zeref himself had stated that he was unusually strong in comparison to the average wizard. Yet, did that mean people would not realize he truly could hold back when he wished to? Control was needed to gain such a vast ability over magic. Still, perhaps Sting was correct in Nab's reasons for refusing him. "I see. Very well…we shall compromise, then. I will attempt your method of reasoning first, Sting of Sabertooth. Should that fail…then his majesty's orders will be followed and fear will be our weapon of choice. I will not disobey his majesty's orders if we cannot obtain his end goal through other means."
Nodding the dragon slayer sighed. "I guess that's the best I'm going to get." Sting paused for a moment, frowning towards August. "What did that guy even do to get you so convinced to follow his every word in the first place? I mean, Invel told me a little bit about how he ended up in Alvarez…but you seem even more insanely loyal than he is."
Each member of the Spriggan Twelve had their own reasons for serving. August was surprised that Invel had spoken of his own, but based on the way that Invel was avoiding his gaze, it was not something he wished to bring up with August now. Still, August smiled faintly, thinking about his own motives. Really, he had more reason to keep this to himself than any other. HIs majesty certainly couldn't find out, not when it would agonize him so much to cope with the information along with his curse. There was no need to pressure him further with that knowledge, and August was content to let things remain as they were. If the others knew the truth, perhaps he could at least speak about his own personal feelings on the matter, but that would also lead to potentially being pitied and leaking of information to his majesty. No, it was better to keep it to himself and leave things as they were.
Looking towards Sting, August kept his faint smile as he began walking towards the exit of the guild. "A long time ago…his majesty gave me advice on how to stay motivated to continue living on." It had been an odd moment for a child to have, his contemplation of if his life held any purpose. Most children would not be concerned with such things, but August had not been raised like a normal child either. Precht had abused him in many ways at the time, leaving August tormented with the drive to excel in all forms of magic. When Precht labeled him as useless to his goals, August had felt like a failure. He had hoped being near Zeref would remedy that useless feeling, that need to be wanted, yet that had not been the case. At that time, his majesty had practically ignored his presence, doing little more than tolerating his insistent questions and following of wherever he happened to go. It only worsened his mood, and eventually, it became too difficult to keep up the facade of being content with the way life seemed to be for the majority of creatures. Death was what awaited him one day, after all, so what reason did he have to wait?
Invel blinked at him, raising his eyebrows. As one of the Spriggan Twelve, he was quite aware of Zeref's mood swings and seemingly random longings for death. August had seen the pattern, that those attempts to end his life came not long after reminders of his own family or loved ones. "I find that rather unusual of him. His majesty is not known for finding reasons to live so easily."
No, he hadn't even been skilled back then. Yet, the mere knowledge that he had tried was enough. His father had tried to convince him to live, and for the first time, August felt like he truly had succeeded in being useful to someone. Zeref might not be the type of person to show it well, but he had needed the presence of another by his side. Perhaps his majesty would push him away and try to isolate himself, but August had promised to never stop forcing himself into that position. He would be his loyal son and follower, even if Zeref never learned of the truth. "The simple fact that he made an attempt was enough for me." He did not explain further, while Invel shrugged and let it drop.
"That's just…weird. You do everything he asks because he tried to stop you from…being depressed?"
Sting's question and blunt way of stating it made August's smile widen as he chuckled faintly. "Indeed. I suppose it does sound rather odd…but it is as close to the truth as I can manage at the moment." Invel was watching him, clearly suspicious that there was more to the tale. However, August was not going to reveal it to anyone. "Now, I do believe I have a conversation with Loke to begin. If anyone can convince Nab to begin this training…it will be him. Hopefully, I can at least oversee the process and learn a few things about this magic Nab can utilize."
"And I will send a message to Irene about researching creatures from other worlds in Alvarez." Invel seemed to be preparing the communication lacrima to connect them as opposed to Fairy Tail. "Perhaps they can locate an actual living specimen of this species for you to observe. That alone would be enough for us to manage without Nab at all."
Nodding, August said nothing in response. Either result would be acceptable in the end, after all. So long as his majesty was retrieved before he lost the will to live again, things would be fine. Hopefully, that Fairy Tail wizard would take his words to heart for now. If not, that moment of depression might strike sooner than August anticipated. His majesty did not cope well with losing that which was important to him, after all. Whether that turned into wrath or depression varied, but Zeref was far more sensitive than he let others see, and that was always one of the few weaknesses August had seen in the immortal wizard that was his father.
Lustwell: Thank you for the review! I'm glad to hear you've enjoyed thus far. I know, I'm not the greatest at summaries...but even if I was better, the concept for this story is a bit strange, given the challenge it was based off of. I still am rather excited for a few other things I've managed to incorporate beyond the pairings, so even if the pairings aren't exactly your favorite aspect of this story, I usually tend to focus more on the plot than the pairings anyway.
For everyone else, please review and tell me what you think!