December, X2095

His fingers twitched as he fought the urge to remove the cloth that covered his eyes out of sheer reflex. Heat and smoke seemed to surround him, and he found himself sweating as if he stood among the chaos he'd seen. He was heaving for air now, barely able to breathe for fear of inhaling that thick black smoke. At the same time, the world continued to rock beneath his feet, even as he knew that it stood firm and still beneath his feet. A roar filled his ears, sending a shiver down his spine when it was accompanied by the coppery smell of blood.

"Jellal?"

He jumped at the touch to his shoulder. His head turned in the direction of the one who'd spoken. Erza's face was creased with concern. He could see her through the cloth, just as he'd always been able to; after all, the cloth was to protect others from being fearful of his odd eyes. It had never been for him. Or for Erza. Rather, it was for the people that now lived with them, the children that feared his "creepy eyes."

"Are you alright?" she prompted.

He smiled ruefully. "Just a vision." He rolled his shoulders, shaking it off. He turned his attention back on the window he'd been looking out before. He inhaled the fresh, crisp winter air. It was the later part of December now, and snow blanketed the ancient forest. Several feet resided there in some parts, and he liked to look at its untouched surface. It reminded him of older times, when humans didn't occupy every part of the world they could find.

Erza hummed in understanding, standing comfortably beside him. She was so close her shoulder brushed his. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He thought of the flames and smoke. It was familiar after so many visions in the past. "Natsu," he admitted. "It likely has to do with Natsu." A heavy sigh escaped Erza, and his lips quirked in a small smile. "I know. It always seems to be Natsu, doesn't it? He was under attack. The world wouldn't stand still either. It wasn't as clear as most of my visions, so I'm not entirely confident about what was happening."

Erza inclined her head, considering the matter. She braced her slim, strong fingers on the windowsill and leaned on it, pressing her mouth into a hard line. Jellal studied her closely, fondness swelling in his chest. They had been close for so long now, he couldn't remember how he'd lived without her nearby. He loved Erza, though she would have debated if it was possible for him to feel stronger than she did. He was a god though, a fallen star. He was willing to use that if the argument ever came up.

Erza glanced at him, eyes flashing. "Are you going to tell him?"

"Natsu? Perhaps." Jellal grimaced at the idea. "He still struggles. I don't want to make it worse."

"So tell Lucy," suggested Erza. "Lucy's good at telling him such things."

It was Jellal's turn to hum. "Perhaps," he murmured. He stepped back from the windowsill. "Regardless, we have other things to focus on for the time being. Like preparing our home for while we're away. Gildarts sent his invitation, and I think it would be a good year to attend the Fairy Tail reunion."

Erza immediately brightened. Jellal never wanted to go. He'd gone the first year after Fairy Tail's disbanding, but never after. It was too much pain for Erza, though she'd never admit it. Still, Natsu and Lucy would likely be invited this year, and Jellal thought it a good idea to be there, just in case.

Besides.

He liked to see the joy that now resided on Erza's features.

Happy holidays and welcome to the short fic that follows life after ODAS! Here's my gift to you all this fine month! I've been hinting at it for a week or so since I started writing it over on tumblr, so for those of you who follow me there... ;) I'm still working on Starfall though, and hope to release it at the start of the new year!

I won't call this a sequel, because it's not. It's simply a little spin-off, meant to answer a question I left open in ODAS: what happened to Mavis that made her disappear for so long before her first few appearances in ODAS? Alongside it, the reintroduction of Natsu and Lucy to Fairy Tail in a world that doesn't remember them. I thought it'd be fun. You can expect some wild stuff, the usual trouble, wonderful angst, and some fun, powerful mythics that I'm very excited to include! I hope that you enjoy this as much as I have enjoyed returning to the world of ODAS. :D

On another note, this will update every Monday outside of this release! I wanted to get it out in the first days of December. You'll see the first official chapter on Monday!

Enjoy!