"Why are you doing this, and where is Jellal?", Erza asked.

"I'm not obligated to answer either. But I will tell you this, Scarlet. Whatever Jellal is doing now - it is more important than anything to him. You will not understand it", he retorted.

"Then, I will have to beat it out of you. You would answer me then, wouldn't you?"

"Over my dead body"

"Poor choice of words", she whispered and raised her arms before pointing towards Siegrain. Hundreds of swords formed in the air and automatically charged towards the man who had only equipped a dagger.

Siegrain Meteored out of a few swords' direction, but it was obvious that his speed was almost half, no, less than half of the original speed, rendering him overly sluggish. A few swords narrowly missed him and some grazed his sides before he moved behind her.

"I think it is obvious, Siegrain. You don't stand a chance against me. I made those swords miss you. If I did not do that, this battle would be over in less than a minute. Do both of us a favour and tell me where Jellal is. I only want to help hi-"

"OF COURSE YOU DO!", he snapped and Erza raised her eyebrows.

"Are you implying that I am planning to betray him?", she asked him softly as her eyes naturally met her feet.

"Maybe", he whispered and Erza shot up. She charged at him with a speed that he could not fathom with half of his power and slammed her knee against his chest, effectively shattering a few ribcages.

"Don't you dare...", she began as she pointed the tips of her swords against his Adam's apple.

Siegrain's face morphed into one of pure rage as he raised his knee and slammed it against her spine. Erza's hands weakened for a moment which was enough for the man to slam his fists against her chest and move away from her grasp.

"It is almost funny how you get angry over a small assumption of mine when you were the one to ditch Jellal on a whim three years back", he snapped and charged at Erza again. The Requip mage expected this and drove her swords against his abdomen instantly causing him to double over and cough out some blood.

Siegrain however, was far from done as he dragged her by her hair and slammed her face onto the ground and landed a solid punch on her cheek causing Erza to stumble back.

"Do you think you understand his pain?", he snapped again. Erza gritted her teeth and pointed her sword towards Siegrain repeating her previous attack. This time, the attacks did not plan to miss.

Siegrain was already weakened by the stabbings and the dozens of swords impaled his body repeatedly, leaving him as a bloody mess. He dropped down to his knees and Erza knelt down to face him.

"I don't understand and I don't think I am strong enough to fathom it. But I will do everything in my power to ensure that his pain dulls down. Right now, the only thing standing in my way is you, Siegrain", she gritted her teeth and caught his collar. Siegrain was growing delirious and it was obvious that he did not have a long time remaining.

"Enough of this fight. Tell me where he is. That is the only way I can help him and it is the only way he does not have to waste his energy on you", she whispered and Siegrain grinned before headbutting her and smashing his head on the ground.

Erza was bewildered by his act and felt Jellal's magic spread into the air. In an attempt to trace it back, she got up to the sky, wasting more of her precious magic energy, but to her surprise, a powerful arm caught her by the neck from behind and flung her down onto the floor.

The impact was strong. Her skull was still ringing from the strong impact and Erza looked up to see Siegrain all fixed up and she was back to square one.

"What did you say just a few moments back? You will dull his pain?", he sneered before taking the same stance with his knife.

"What is wrong with that?", she asked as she charged at him as she sheathed one sword, giving him a small handicap. Siegrain dodged her direct blow and elbowed her waist, causing Erza to drop down in pain. Not wasting a moment, Erza swung her sword towards his knee and it dislodged into his skin causing the Thought Projection copy to yell out in pain, but he responded by stomping on her hand. Figuring out that both of them were quite open to attacks, they jumped away from each other, not taking their eyes away from each other for a single second.

"I cannot let you meet him, Scarlet. If he breaks, I break. His anger, jealousy, rage, grief and anxiety keep swirling inside my head and I don't know when they will break free. I guess that is why he never brings me out", he whispered as he clutched his dagger so hard that the handle crumbled into dust. Clicking his tongue, he repaired it with magic and continued his staring contest with Erza.

"We have been living together for a bit more than four months. He hasn't lost control of his emotions", she explained and Siegrain rolled his eyes.

"Of course he hasn't! He has been dumping them onto me. I am an inferior part of Jellal, and that is something that I have come to terms with. I can do anything on my own, but I will not do anything that endangers his safety and peace, because I get the firsthand mental pain!"

"AND I WANT TO STOP HIM SO THAT HE CAN FINALLY STOP HURTING HIMSELF! LET ME HELP!", Erza roared and a powerful fist met her cheek. Erza was sent skidding over the floor. Looking up, she saw his bloody knuckles and slapped herself to focus on her opponent. His fist had hit quite close to her chin and had managed to cut her lip.

"You still don't get it, do you? You are the reason behind his grief and I am not talking about the incident at the court", Siegrain whispered with a glare as he reattached a dislocated finger with a grunt of pain.

"What?", she whispered back as she stood up with a confused expression. What did he mean by that?

"Was my kindness a sin? Was it wrong of me to fall in love with a man who I've always admired? Is it wrong for any wife to shower her husband with all the love in the world?", she spat and Siegrain shook his head.

"You won as a wife and as a mage, Erza. But to make you win, Jellal had to lose everyday. Every single moment since your marriage, he has been losing. Every morning he put on a brave face and goes along for your sake. Jellal Fernandes won as the husband of Erza Scarlet, but lost everyday as an individual. You have not done anything to hurt him directly, but everyone else did. They pity you, Erza. They pity you for marrying Jellal", he glared at her and Erza charged at him stabbing him repeatedly with her swords. Erza summoned hundreds of swords and plunged them onto his hapless body, forcing him to appear in a state worse than that of a worn out training dummy and after "dying", Siegrain reappeared behind her.

"How...How dare you?", she asked and clutched his collar with tears in her eyes.

"Is that how he has been thinking? Does...Does he just see me as a piece of meat like all other men? Am I...Am I just a source of sexual entertainment to him? Or am I the idiot for running behind him when he has already moved on?", she asked as she slowly avoided his eyes. Her eyes were closed, but she could feel Siegrain's sheer wrath.

"Do you want me to explain? Or are you just going to kill me again?"

"Explain!", she snapped as she pushed him and instantly pointed her sword at the tip of his throat.

"When was the last time someone appreciated Jellal for something he had done? You did, but I am not talking about the stuff inside the house", he asked and Erza started to ponder, thinking about the various situations when they had teamed up to clear dungeons and defeat monsters.

"Jellal chose not to do things alone because well, if something happened to him, there was a certain someone waiting for him back home. Even though he had confidence in his strength, it was a risk he was not willing to take", Siegrain sighed and Erza frowned, not having gotten the point.

"So, what? Is that a reason to avoid my help? How...How selfish can you be? If you have an issue with me, tell it to my face, you dolt! If I'm screwing up, spit it on my face. What the hell are you going to achieve by hiding it or storing it inside like a damsel in distress?", Erza roared as she charged at Siegrain again and a massive hand to hand combat battle took place between them.

Erza's mind was filled with thoughts regarding Siegrain's words. Each time they did finish a quest and went to claim the rewards, she did remember Jellal getting congratulated and praised for his efforts. What was Siegrain talking about?

"Fine", Siegrain whispered and stared at Erza's face. The Requip mage flinched for a split second on seeing the pure rage on his face and before she could counter, Siegrain grabbed her face and slammed her into the ground. He caught her wrists and gritted his teeth.

"Then I will explain it to you like how I'd explain to a child. INFERIORITY COMPLEX! Understand?"

"W...What do you mean? I...I haven't treated him like..."

"You haven't treated him like that, Erza. Perhaps that was what kept him sane for so long. Jellal thinks he needs you alone, but that is not the truth. He wants to be loved by everyone, he wants his efforts to be recognised, he wants to be treated the way he deserves to be treated", he explained and weakened his grip on her wrists.

"Irrespective of whether you saved a life or killed a monster that attacked you, what would everyone say when you're done? 'Ah, thank goodness we have someone responsible like Erza on our side'. Jellal was really happy about it. Around him, you were cute and girly, and when required, you acted like a responsible and capable leader. He was truly happy when people recognised your efforts. The same time...what did they say when Jellal helped them? 'He is just repenting for something he did' or 'He didn't touch you inappropriately did he?' or 'Just cleanse yourself when we're away' or 'Look at him! Walking around as if he had nothing to do with it' and so on!", he whispered with trembling lips.

" 'It is just for a couple of years. Eventually, they will accept me. It will be hard, but I CAN earn their trust'. That was what Jellal thought. One year became two, two became four and in the end, he is back to square one", Siegrain smiled as he ran his hand through his hair before his momentary smile vanished and he punched the floor an inch away from her left cheek, shattering his knuckles and cracking the floor.

"AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS MADE A MISTAKE? LAXUS, MIRA, YOU, LUCY, NATSU, EVERYONE! EVEN ZEREF! EVEN ZEREF IS TREATED AS A HERO! AND WHAT ABOUT ME? WHY AM I BEING PUNISHED FOR BEING CONTROLLED AND MANIPULATED INTO BEING THE VILLAIN? ANSWER ME! WHEN EVERYONE LOVES YOU AND RECOGNISES YOU FOR PROTECTING THEIR LIVES, WHY AM I STILL BEING TREATED LIKE A CRIMINAL WHEN I'VE SAVED AS MANY LIVES AS YOU? WHY DO I STILL RECEIVE THOSE SNEERS AND GLARES EVEN AFTER I HAVE REMOVED TONS OF DARK GUILDS PUTTING MY LIFE ON THE LINE? ANSWER ME!", he roared with trembling fists and finally dropped to the ground.

"He wants to scream this out in front of everyone. Jellal is jealous of everyone, Erza. He is jealous of the fact that they were forgiven. Why does he still have to suffer when his hand was forced when he had no control of himself? Why is the arrow being blamed when the bow is forgotten? If anyone is accused of something, people do not make assumptions immediately. A year back, when Laxus was accused of being the serial killer, did anyone speak behind his back? He had everyone's support and everyone patiently waited for a proper reasoning. What about Jellal? When the accusation was made, everyone started to demand for a trial, instantly perceiving that he is guilty. What is the point when his best friend, friends who he thought of as his own siblings and his own wife don't trust him? Does he still have a point in living? Is he still in the wrong for feeling inferior and unlucky? He is broken, Erza. Jellal is just a shell of a man glued together by his extreme power. He is not alive by choice, it is just by his responsibility for a shitty world and useless denizens who do not deserve this gem of a man. Can he just brush it off and keep living?", Siegrain asked through his tears and Erza did not have an answer. She deftly avoided his question and looked down in shame.

"All of his dangerous thoughts are forced onto me, Erza. Siegrain is not just a decoy. Siegrain is the ONLY source Jellal can depend on to stay sane. The other projections are far too weak to handle it", he continued and got up with a determined expression on his face and stared towards the sky with a worried expression on his face.

"Everyone has an imaginary opponent, don't they? The opponent seems SO powerful, but ultimately, he loses. He always loses. Siegrain is the embodiment of Jellal's imaginary opponent, and no matter what the situation is, I will lose to ensure his victory. Even if it is the last thing I do, Jellal should never lose, and I will make sure that it happens. So, Erza Scarlet, if you understand what I am talking about, leave now. Even if it were against your wishes and intentions, you have been trampling on his ego for years! Just go back home. If Jellal dies tonight, he will die with the satisfaction of knowing that he gave his everything and just that the bastard was far too strong. His ego is already broken, Erza. Do not shatter it. Let him win, AT LEAST ONCE, ON HIS OWN, against his world", he explained and took his fighting stance again. That moment, Erza realised something. The man in front of her was just a shell of a man, clawing up with all his might, only to see everyone turning their backs on him. His strong demeanor was just a front to hide his shattered confidence and pride, and his wife knew what she had to do to protect him.

Erza walked towards him with her swords by her side. Her hair had covered her face and Siegrain charged towards her, taking the initiative and Erza mirrored his movement. To his surprise however, she tossed both of her swords to the other side and engulfed him in a bear hug.

Siegrain did not know what to do. It was not as if they had never touched each other. The perverted Erza did have...a vivid set of interests within the bedroom, but this was perhaps the first time there was emotion in her touch.

"If you keep me as your prisoner here, you would win, Siegrain. You would win against me as well as against Jellal. Didn't you say that you were his fall guy? I am begging you as his wife, Siegrain. Tell me where he is. Jellal needs every bit of strength he can muster, and that is obviously not possible when you are here, making me your prisoner. I promise, Siegrain. As much as it would destroy me, I will not raise a single finger until Jellal asks me to do so. I...I just want to be with him. Please...", she asked him tearfully and Siegrain started to falter. His eyes shot back to another direction and he chuckled, realising that he was on a wild goose chase.

"Even if I beat you by some miracle, I would have lost", Siegrain chuckled with trembling lips before meeting eyes with Erza and flashed a watery smile at her.

"You won, you damned woman", he smiled before vanishing. Erza traced his magic and took off, dashing towards the source of the intense magic.

"I am not letting go of you ever again, you dolt"

To Be Continued...