To be forthcoming

by Aeso3

Forced to live with a curse that has haunted him all his life, Sasuke Uchiha struggles to find his place in this new world. Even learning to care for the people who've filled the void in his heart isn't enough for him to tell them how he really feels. But if one thing is certain;no matter how far, he will always be there to protect them and to watch them grow.

9. Chapter 9

Invocation of magical chants reverberated throughout the main chamber of the tower. A young girl watched as the two figureheads of the tower perform some sort of ritual that caused strange markings to be imbued into a boy's body while he was being held together by chains. She couldn't hear any sort of scream or cry for help as they invoked the spell and yet, in between those times, he would verbally insult them in defiance. She couldn't help but be intrigued by the fact that he was still resisting.

Not that it was a difficult endeavor to begin with, since the spell that they were casting was an inferior version of the one she was planning to cast on him as well. All she had to do was wait for the exact moment when he would be at his most vulnerable. After that, she would be able to dutifully carry out the orders that she was given; one she was more than happy to carry out if it meant putting her one step closer to her goals.

The two men continued their little experiment, blissfully unaware of the fact that they were being watched by a little girl, who was the true architect behind this entire tower and the one who instilled upon them their dreams of resurrecting their god through the R-System. Not that they would be able to find her in the first place since she was concealed with magic. Even if they were able to discover her by chance, they'd be disappointed to find out that she was just an astral projection.

After hours of trying to use a possession spell with minimal success, the two cult leaders roared and ranted in frustration as their patience waned. "This is pointless, we've been at this for hours!" one of them complained. Eventually, they decided to hold off on their ritual for the time being and began exiting the chamber.

Ultear smiled at the turn of events: it was just as she had anticipated. With no one else around to interfere, all she had to do now was to break his spirit and show him what a real possession spell felt like. Raising the orb that she held in her hand, Ultear slowly walked over to the boy as she began conjuring a ghostly entity to begin his corrupting him, both in mind and soul, ensuring that the tower had a strong leader to maintain it for as long as Grimoire Heart needed it to be. After all, it was for this very reason that she sought out someone like him in the first place: she needed someone who had witnessed the worst that this tower had to offer and festered an incredible amount of hatred.

But the closer she got to him, the more she felt a strange presence emanating from him; a dark, cold and powerful aura. "It looks like you already have something inside of you" Ultear commented, watching the boy catch his breath and recover from his torture. Did the worshipper's ritual work? Or was this simply a strong manifestation of his negativity? No matter what it was it would only serve to hasten the process.

"Who…..are you?" the boy whimpered, slowly opening his eyes. His voice was frail and weak, yet his tone suggested that there was still enough strength within him to resist anything thrown his way. But that wasn't what took Ultear by surprise or cause her to hesitate; it was the strange pattern of his left eye that caught her attention.

Fear and uncertainty seized her the moment she identified what that eye was, or at least what she thought it was. Suddenly everything made sense: the reason as to why they were so fixated on breaking and molding him towards their cause.

Before she could lose herself in those thoughts, Ultear shook her head in order to snap herself back to reality and to regain focus on the task at hand. If this went well then she'd be killing two birds with one stone.

"So you can sense me?" she asked, her voice augmented and distorted to better maintain the façade of the persona with which she was conversing as. "Then it seems, you're a quite a fortunate boy to be able to have a conversation with me, the one, and only Zeref"

The boy slowly looked around to see where the voice was coming from, but the only thing he could see was a thick red fog forming all around him. "Zeref?" he said, confused and unsure of what to make of all of this. "So you're the god responsible for all of this."

"Amusing, isn't it?" Ultear said, still maintaining the guise of Zeref. "I'm all around them, watching them and yet, they seek to make me-"

The sound of fist and steel clashing interrupted her speech, as another boy came crashing into the room, carrying a massive sword. The fog slowly dissipated as Ultear slithered her entity back into the shadows, glaring at the other boy with anger and annoyance for ruining her plans.

"Sasuke!" the blue-haired boy shouted as he rushed over to his friend. With all of his strength, he brought down the chains that held Sasuke together before quickly catching him as he fell to the ground. The boy gasped in horror as strange glyph marks were formed all over Sasuke's body.

"What have they done to you!?" he cried out as he held his semi-conscious friend in his arms. His whole body shook as he tried to hold back all the rage that was fuming inside of him.

"Jellal? Is that you?" Sasuke called out as he slowly began to recover. There was almost a sense of relief in his voice, not because Jellal came for him but because he was alive and well.

"It's alright" Jellal reassured him, taking one of his hands and placing it over his shoulder as he helped Sasuke to his feet. "I'm going to get you out of here."

Ultear watched as the boy named Jellal carried the other one towards the exit, with a sword in hand. Part of her wanted to follow after them and finish what she started, but that would shatter the image that she had cultivated here and she knew better than to leave a certain someone in the dark.

"Master Hades" she stated, placing the orb in front of her face as a silhouette of a man appeared before it "forgive me for calling you at a time like this."

"If I recall you were given an important mission to complete at this moment" Hades growled, clearly irritated with his subordinate, "so there better a good reason for as to why you call for me."

"Of course" Ultear calmly replied, "I have a matter to discuss with you and it's something that you might be interested in."

"Is that so?"

"Yes," the girl affirmed, "There's a boy who lives in this tower; he possesses a very special eye. The very same eye that you've spoken of a long time ago."

While his face was obscured by the darkness, there was no doubt that Hades was smiling at her answer as he let out a chuckle. "I see. Tell me more" he urged.

…..

"How are you holding up?" Jellal inquired, holding Sasuke's left hand across his shoulder as he aided him in walking.

"I'm doing just fine" the Uchiha answered but was wincing in pain as he said so, "I should….be the one asking you."

Jellal knew that he was lying. The look of pain on his face betrayed his words and he knew full well that this was just another attempt at keeping up with that tough guy act.

"You don't have to lie to make me feel better, you know," Jellal said with an exasperated expression, "I mean, look at you, you're a mess." After everything that had happened, Jellal was not in any mood to listen to any sort of false reassurances from Sasuke, since he could see that something terrible had been done to him.

Sasuke kept quiet as he glanced towards Jellal, whose eyes faced forward as he marched straight ahead while dragging him along. "We were worried about you…..all of us were. You might not look like the friendliest guy in the world and I know you've got a lot of secrets, but that doesn't change the fact that you're our friend. We'd never abandon you" There was a hint of irritation in his voice, one that he knew was somewhat justified. After all, he was risking everything just by trying to rescue him, even if it was a monumentally stupid thing to do.

And to be honest, he was a mess. Strange markings were plastered all over him as an immense pain engulfed his entire body, making it difficult to stand let alone talk.

"They performed some kind of ritual…..on me" Sasuke explained with great pain in his voice, "something about making me serve someone called Zeref."

"Don't worry" Jellal reassured him, "Grandpa Rob's a mage, once we get back to our cell he might know what to do."

The Uchiha grunted but held his tongue as he listened to his blue-haired friend. Seeing him take the initiative and risk his life just for someone like him was genuinely surprising for the Uchiha. He smirked at the thought of how much Jellal was willing to do for others, he liked that about him.

As if he instantly sensed his thoughts, Jellal looked over to Sasuke and after a bit of confusion, smiled back. "So what are you smiling about?" he asked intuitively.

"Nothing" Sasuke shook his head, 'It's just….only an idiot like you would risk your life like this. You know what's going to happen to you now, do you?"

"I know" Jellal answered, "but there's no turning back now. We're going to have to fight our way out of here and that's it. Once we get back to the cells, I'm going to convince everyone to fight and take back our freedom."

"Spoken like a true idealist" that was the thought that ran through Sasuke's mind. With each passing second, Jellal was beginning to act more and more like a leader who was going to change things for the better.

However, as the two continued walking forward, strange magic circles began to appear around them. Slowly but surely, hideous and grotesque creatures began to emerge from those seals; the same creatures that served as beasts for their tormentors.

"Magic soldiers!" Jellal exclaimed, gently putting Sasuke down on the floor as he readied his sword. "Don't worry, just stay still and let me handle this."

Sasuke gritted his teeth as he watched his friend make a stand. He hated the situation he was in, hated the feeling of being so weak and helpless, unable to do anything about it at his current state where he could barely move a muscle. But the thing he despised the most about all of this, was the fact that if he gave in to his hatred, gave in to his worst impulses, he would've had the power to easily crush them. But he knew the cost of such a power, the effect it would have on his mind, and the dire consequences that came with it. He already felt it when he nearly lost his mind and tried to kill Simon. That was not the person he wanted to become once again, because if he did, Sasuke feared what would happen to Jellal.

For now, the only thing he could do was place his trust in Jellal and have faith that he could pull it off. There was no doubt that he had remarkable skill and talent for someone who had no combat experience. He hoped that it would be enough.

---

A chilly breeze blew past the cells as the prisoners sat quietly. A place that was once filled with lively children was now replaced by faces filled with worry. "I hope Jellal is alright," Shô said as he stared at the ground, concerned not only for the safety and well-being of Jellal but for Sasuke as well. The other kids shared the same sentiment as well as Wally and Erza sat next to him while Millianna stood close by.

"Do you think they'll be alright, Grandpa Rob?" Erza asked, looking up at Rob.

"Jellal is as brave and fearless as they come" Rob answered with a reassuring smile, "and as for Sasuke; they can torture him all day and night but they'll never be able to break his spirit."

The old man's words filled the children's faces with hope as they all looked at him. In this dark hour, he was one force holding them all together and making sure that they didn't give in to despair. And that included Simon as well even if the others felt uneasy with his presence despite standing far away from them as he listened in on the conversation.

"Get in" a guard shouted as he tossed Sasuke into the cell. Another one followed; bringing in a cart full of working tools.

Simon's body instinctively tensed up the moment he saw the lifeless Sasuke lying on the ground. Sweat poured from his head followed by the erratic beating of his own heart. "No way…" he whispered with a look of utter disbelief.

"Big brother!"

"Sasuke!"

The rest of the kids rushed over to the Uchiha's side with mixed feelings of joy and worry. Rob followed suit and gently placed a hand on the back of Sasuke's head while holding his right hand.

"What's happening to him?" Millianna asked with a horrified look, pointing out the markings all over his body.

"I can't say for certain, but whatever it was, it seems to have failed, otherwise they wouldn't have thrown him back here" Rob answered.

A powerful feeling had overcome Simon as he approached the group. His heart was in immense pain as he watched Sasuke writhe in agony while everyone around him wept. No amount of reasoning or justification could ever alleviate what he was feeling right now.

This was his fault and he was paying dearly for it.

As if on cue, Sasuke came back to consciousness as he slowly opened his eyes. The others looked on with bated breath, hoping that he was alright.

"Erza?" he asked weakly, slowly glancing towards the red-haired girl. "You need to…" Sasuke was struggling to get his words out, but Erza knew that he was trying to tell her something.

"What is it Sasuke!" she said, holding onto his left hand and squeezing it softly. Tears slowly welt down her cheeks at the sight of one of her closest friends in such a state.

"Jellal…they took him in my place and… they're going to do the same thing to him that they did to me" the Uchiha stated, speaking with more strength than he did just a moment ago.

Everyone gasped as they realized what he was saying, the very thought of that happening to another one of their comrades shocked and horrified them. "Jellal!?" Erza exclaimed.

Sasuke tried to get himself up to an elevated position, only to fall back down to Rob's hands as the agonizing pain overwhelmed him. "He needs you..." he continued in his current state, gripping Erza's hands tighter "he…needs our help. We have to fight…..it's the only way."

Fight? That was something she never thought she'd hear from anyone, let alone him. The very thought of fighting back was thrown out the window a long time ago. Nearly everyone in the group unanimously agreed that brute-forcing their way out of the tower was suicidal. So to hear someone as cautious as Sasuke tell her to fight back was not only surprising but absurd as well. "B-but, i...don't .." Erza tried to argue.

"I can't take it!" Shô cried out, snot and tears dripping all over his face. The constant fears, the torture, the betrayals, it was an emotional rollercoaster for the young boy as he finally let it all out at the sight of his beloved big brother lying there in agony with the thought of Jellal suffering the same fate. "I can't take it anymore!" he wailed.

"Quit your crying kid" a guard rudely refuted.

"It's alright. Everything is going to be just fine" Rob tried to calm the young boy but it was to no avail as he continued bawling his eyes out.

Erza's hands were shaking as they held onto Sasuke's hand while she continued to hear Shô sobbing. Her tears started shedding even more as she began to break down.

"Erza..." the Uchiha's words snapped her back to reality, his hands squeezing hers tighter than ever. "You can do this….Erza. You're strong…stronger than you know. I….believe in you."

"Shut it you little brat!" the guard shouted again, slamming the end of staff onto the ground.

"Leave me alone!" Shô cried out even more.

Then, right as the guard was about to come over to Shô, something happened. Erza's eyes widened as she slowly let go of Sasuke's hands, wiping the tears from her eyes. A combination of Sasuke's words and Shô's crying had awakened something in her.

The sounds of explosions drew the attention of prisoners working outside as they turned around to see two guards getting tossed out of the cells.

"No way"

"Could it be?"

The guard that was still conscious tried to yell something at her, only for it comes out as gibberish thanks to a few missing teeth as he fell to the ground.

"Erza? What's gotten into you?" Simon said, looking just as surprised as everyone else was.

Gone was the scared and crying little girl who trembled just a minute ago; in her place was an angry, determined warrior, one who was fed up with everything that was happening to her and her friends. This was a girl who was going to fight for everyone who had suffered in this tower.

Angrily gritting her teeth, Erza turned around with a shovel still in hand to face the rest of the prisoners. "Find a weapon!" she shouted as everyone looked at her with interest, "We can't escape and they're not gonna set us free! So if we want a way out of here, we have to fight! For our lives! For our freedom!"

Her words were the final push needed for the rest of the prisoners to gain the courage to fight back. They were the rallying cry for freedom as the rest of the prisoners began shouting at the top of their lungs and fought back with all their might.

The rebellion had begun.

---

It took all of his strength and willpower to resist the effects of electricity coursing through his body. The pain was immense, but nothing Jellal had not experienced before. He knew that there was nothing he could do now but bear it.

"This kid's no fun. He hasn't made a peep this whole time" the fat cultist complained.

"Drop the tough guy act or we'll go to more extreme measures like we did with your friend. Of course, unlike him, you don't seem worthy enough to be exalted" the leaner one added.

Given the fact that they decided to send Sasuke back to the cell and have him in his place, Jellal could only speculate that whatever they were planning on doing to Sasuke had failed and that they had given up on him. For that, he was relieved.

"You just don't get it" the fat one continued, "You and your buddies just don't realize how lucky you are to be building the R-System, do ya?"

"It's a special honor and once it's completed, everyone who worked on it gets to go to heaven" the lean cult leader asserted.

"We're going to use the R-System to resurrect our god and your friend was going to be of service to him" the fat one added with a mocking gesture, "It's a shame he failed to live up to that. Guess all that showboating was for nothing."

Mustering all of his strength, Jellal managed to focus his gaze straight at the two cult leaders. "Shut up, you fat pig!" he snapped at the fat one, having grown tired of their ramblings, their utter lack of empathy, and the way they disrespected Sasuke.

"What did you just call me!?" the stout cultist snarled.

"Forget him" his leaner partner interrupted, "We're wasting time here. We have to deal with the rioters."

The man grumbled but nodded in agreement with his partner. But just as they were about to leave, the two decided to pull off one final act of petty cruelty and intensified the shock of their spell. They watched with joy as Jellal screamed in pain before the spell eventually wore off. "Rest up kid, because we're gonna keep you till you beg our god for mercy," one of them said and left the room laughing with this one final act of spite.

Now devoid of his tormenters, Jellal was left to lick his wounds as he laid there hanging by the chains. How many years has it been? So much suffering and pain had been inflicted on him and those he cared about. How much more of this did he have to put up with? Is this supposed to be the work of a benevolent god? What a joke!

"God….." the blue-haired boy said, "I don't believe there is such a thing. If there was, then we wouldn't have to suffer like this."

A sinister crimson fog began to envelop him. It felt like the hatred that he had held onto his whole life had begun manifesting itself on the outside after spending so many years bottled up.

"I hate it" he growled, no longer bothering to hide the venom in his voice.

"Is that so?" a voice called out, a cruel twist of irony to have his prayers answered only when he denounced the idea of a god answering them.

"All of it. I hate them and their god. Everything about this lousy world" the boy answered. At this point, Jellal no longer cared about holding it in. He had enough of it all and all he could think about was the cruel prank that life had been playing on him. Why does trash have to go unpunished while he suffered, no matter how much good he did?

"Embrace your feelings of malice and share them with me" the voice spoke again.

Jellal raised his head to find the source, only to discover that the world around him had changed. His initial look of surprise gave way to uncertainty as to what that distorted voice wanted from him.

"I thrive on dark emotions" the mysterious voice continued, it felt sinister yet tempting to listen to. "They make me stronger"

"Who are you?" Jellal asked.

"What amusing creatures. I'm right here within their tower, so very close. Yet they've gone through all this trouble to resurrect me; just to make me flesh and bone."

"Show yourself!" the blue-haired boy yelled out. As intriguing as that voice was, it felt like another one of those tricks the cultist played to mess with the mind, and he wasn't having any of it.

A strange, shadowy mass began dropping from the ceiling and into the ground. "They may have all the faith in the world, but it is your hatred that allows you to sense my presence" the voice explained as its shadowy mass of blob began to take shape until eventually, a somewhat humanoid figure stood before him, with red glyphs similar to the one that was all over Sasuke's body.

"Jellal" the figure said as it moved in closer to him. "You are a fortunate child, for you have met the god they so revere."

Jellal's eyes were wide open at the revelation. Was this real? The god that he had denounced and hated was now right in front of him. The god laughed as it inched closer to him, causing him to gasp and tremble before it.

"My name is Zeref and hatred is my existence!"

Jellal panicked and struggled to break free as the same markings began to form all over his body. But as the process continued, he realized that, unlike Sasuke, he felt no pain in his body. "What is this?" he inquired, eyes darting all over to see his body being taken over.

"Do not resist. I will help you unleash your true potential. I will help you realize your dream, I will grant you true freedom!"

Jellal couldn't help but agree with what Zeref was saying. He could feel it; the magic potential that had been inside of him all along. He could feel the power coursing through his veins as the markings began to travel to his eyes before slowly disappearing. This unfathomable power, there was no doubt that this was a gift from Zeref.

"So do you understand now?" the voice of Zeref asked him.

The boy's breathing became steady as a malicious grin formed on his face. "I understand Lord Zeref" Jellal complied.

"Very good" Zeref's voice acknowledged his answer. "But before you begin working towards achieving your goals, there is one thing you must give me as an offering."

"Of course, Lord Zeref"

---

"Don't go messing with mad dog Wally!" the boy cried out, taking out two of the cultists. His newfound bravery was achieved thanks to the support of hundreds upon hundreds of prisoners joining him in the fight for freedom.

But as the war for liberation raged on, a few remained in their cells, hoping not to get caught up in the fight; among those were Rob, Sasuke, and Simon. Despite being one of the few prisoners capable of actual magic, Rob opted to stay behind and figure out a way to help Sasuke with his situation, a sentiment that was shared by Erza and the others. Simon stood back as well, though he had his reasons for doing so.

Observing the strange markings on his body, Rob deduced that they must have tried some sort of ritual in an attempt to brainwash and corrupt him. The fact that they dumped him back to the cell meant that it failed or perhaps the boy's willpower was stronger than they had expected, but whatever the case, it was clear that Sasuke was in great pain and he had to do something about it.

Rubbing his chin, the old man began to think on the best course of action moving forward. This was not his area of expertise, but he had to do everything he could within his power. It was then that an idea struck his mind as he snapped his finger as if coming to a realization.

Rob focused his attention on the boy lying on the ground as Simon looked on. The old wizard began chanting some sort of incantation as magical circles formed around his hands.

"What are you doing?" Simon asked. Observing with great interest and hoping to assist him in any way that he could.

"I don't think I can cure him of his affliction but I can lessen the pain. It's a nifty little spell taught to me by my guild" Rob explained, continuing his ritual to counter the effects of the original.

"Do you need me to help you with anything?" Simon offered, showing an earnest desire to make things right.

Rob could see that the guilt of betrayal was consuming the boy and that this offer of help was a desperate attempt for atonement. "Thank you" Rob smiled and nodded, "you can stand guard and watch over us, make sure we are not interrupted."

"Got it" Simon responded dutifully, grabbing a sledgehammer and stood guard at the entrance of the cell.

The process felt like it went on for an eternity, even if it lasted only for a few minutes. By the time it was done, Sasuke slowly opened his eyes once more and immediately got up to a seated position as if all of his strength had been restored.

The Uchiha looked straight into the eyes of the one who sold him out as the other boy himself looked equally surprised.

"Simon?" he asked, still confused by everything that's been going on, "What happened?"

Simon was overjoyed to see Sasuke alive and well again, but that couldn't take away the immense guilt that was haunting him.

Everything that had happened to Sasuke was because of him. His cowardly decision had nearly cost him a friend and to be honest, it may have. He wasn't sure if Sasuke would ever forgive him for what he did that day.

A sickening feeling rumbled in his stomach, causing him to remain quiet, offering no explanation or words of comfort. With a look of shame on his face, Simon turned away and looked in the other direction.

Sensing the uneasy tension that was in the air, Rob decided to cut in and act as the mediator. "You fell unconscious after your talk with Erza, while that happened I managed to invoke a spell to ease your pain" Rob explained.

"I see" Sasuke responded dully, "And where is everyone else now?"

"We're in the midst of a full-scale rebellion. Erza, Millianna, Shô, and Wally are fighting with the other prisoners to liberate us all from this tower" Rob continued explaining, slowly helping Sasuke get up to his feet. "And how are you feeling?"

The Uchiha slowly stretched his arms and moved his shoulders to see what his condition was. After a few more moments of warming up, he looked at Rob and gave him a nod "Better now."

"That's good to hear" the old wizard affirmed with a smile. While he didn't show it, Simon also heaved a sigh of relief.

Without wasting a second, Sasuke walked over to the cart and picked up a shovel, something that both Rob and Simon knew what purpose it was for.

"Sasuke…" Rob tried to call out, concerned that he was willing to risk his life again just as he recovered from a grueling torture ritual.

"I'm going to find the others and finish this fight" Sasuke interrupted, staring into Rob's eyes with a look of determination. "You can stay here and rest, I'll come back for you once everything is done, I promise" Sasuke announced as he made his way over to the cell entrance where Simon stood guard.

Rob was surprised by the uncharacteristically kind words Sasuke uttered to him. Though the old man felt that this was the boy's way of showing thanks and appreciation for what he did without telling it outright.

"Before you go Sasuke" Rob called out once again, "There is something else you must know."

"What is it?" the young Uchiha asked, placing his full attention towards the old wizard.

Walking over to him, Rob placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and began speaking. "I'm aware that stopping you is futile. After all, you and Jellal are quite the stubborn bunch" he chuckled, "but you must know that my spell only stops the pain momentarily, not cure it. Fortunately, I believe I may have found a solution to that problem."

Sasuke raised a brow but continued listening to the old man's explanation quietly.

"There is a certain healer in my guild who might be able to free you of this curse" Rob addressed.

"Your guild?" Sasuke asked, "You mean the one you said was called Fairy Tail, right?"

"Correct" old Rob affirmed with a nod, "Once you escape this tower, look for a small town named Magnolia. It is where the guild resides."

Sasuke was taken aback by this trove of information but was appreciative of it nonetheless. There was at least a solution to the problem, even if it was arduous. Still, there was something about his explanation that was bothering him quite a bit. "Why don't you take me there yourself once this is all over?" Sasuke said wearily.

Rob's expression turned sullen as he let go of his hand from the boy's shoulder and shook his head. "There is a chance that this might be the last stand for me" he answered with a cynical tone, "I have to prepare for the worst, and in the event, this old body gives out, I want to at least pass on this information."

His explanation still didn't put Sasuke at ease but he decided to not say anything about it. "So how will I know which place belongs to your guild?"

"Look for this symbol," Rob said as turned around and showed his back. It was there that the Uchiha saw a strange tattoo marked on the old man's back. It was something that boy had seen many times before but didn't think much of it until now, where he had to memorize it by heart.

Once he etched the image of the guild's symbol on his mind, Sasuke resumed towards his original objective and walked towards the cell entrance. "You know, you don't have to be melodramatic about all of this," he said, stopping in his tracks, "you're going to make; I'll make sure of it."

Rob was taken aback by the declaration but felt pleased by it nonetheless. Perhaps the idea that people could still care enough to protect an old geezer like him was a pleasant feeling to have. Regardless, he was glad that he was at least able to stop most of the children from falling into despair, even if Simon was on the brink of it for a while.

Speaking of Simon, as Sasuke approached the entrance; he opted to step aside and look the other way, hoping that the raven-haired kid would simply ignore him and walk past by. The other part of him, however, secretly expected Sasuke to retaliate with the same physical violence as Jellal did if not, more.

He wouldn't mind it if it came to that. After all, half of what happened to them was partly his fault: he let his fears and paranoia get the better of him, forcing him to get easily manipulated by others and caused so much pain to his friends.

But as he waited for the inevitable beatdown that was supposed to happen to him, moments instead passed by with awkward silence as he was being subjected to something far worse. He could feel Sasuke's presence, standing right next to him and staring at him with a piercing gaze. Sweat poured from his head to his hands as he began trembling. It was almost as if Sasuke was expecting him to make the first move.

This was so awkward. What was he supposed to do?

Taking deep breaths, Simon worked up the courage to at least turn around and look at Sasuke in the eye. He could feel the other boy's steely gaze ready to cast judgment upon him. And if that were to happen, Simon felt that he should at least try to make amends with him, even if it was an exercise in futility.

"Sasuke, listen…I-"

"The others need help" Sasuke stopped Simon's attempt at an apology mid-sentence, baffling the other boy, "But I can't do this alone. Fight with me, and once it's done, then we'll talk. Is that fine with you?"

Simon was left stunned and speechless by this turn of events. He had expected physical retribution or a verbal tongue lashing, but instead, he got a request for aid. It was bit much to take in but in the end, Simon acknowledged that this was the right course of action. They were in the middle of a full-on rebellion and trying to make apologies was only going to waste even more time.

"Yeah," Simon agreed, "I'll take you to them."

Sasuke nodded in agreement as Simon lead the way while the Uchiha followed behind. Once all of this was over, Simon was prepared to receive whatever judgment Sasuke was going to give him, but for now, it was time to fight back and earn their freedom.

As the boys left, Rob couldn't help but look on with a smile on his face. It was plain to see that their bonds were stronger than any grudge that could be held and that make him more than happy.

---

The battle between the prisoners and the soldiers of the cult raged on, with the former gaining ground over the latter. With Erza leading the charge, the rioters fought against their tormentors as hard as they could, no matter how weary they were getting. For some, it was an act of desperation, their final chance at freedom, for others, it was catharsis, to be able to give back the pain that was inflicted on them tenfold.

Amongst the armies of the prisoners, Shô, Wally and Millianna were all doing their part as well, fighting just as hard as the adults were, if not, more. But in the heat of battle, chaos and confusion took hold and it made inexperienced children vulnerable targets as two guards attempted to get the jump on the three of them from behind.

It seems Shô, Millianna, and Wally were too busy fighting on the front lines to realize the danger that was fast approaching them from the back as sounds of screams and explosions drowned out any footsteps.

But the killing blow never happened. Instead, as the three kids turned around, the screams were that of the two cultists as they fell to the ground as Simon and Sasuke stood atop of them.

"All that manual labor has only made us stronger" Simon announced while Sasuke remained quiet.

"Simon?" Wally asked, running up to the two.

"And Sasuke too!" Millianna added as she joined up with Wally.

Shô's face lit up at the sight of Sasuke, alive and well. Not only that, he had arrived in the nick of time to save him, just as he always did and he still looked cool doing it. There was a reason why the boy looked up to the Uchiha so much. "Big Brother!" he danced with joy and dashed for him.

"Sorry we're late, but it looks like we got here just in time," Simon said and smiled a little.

"Guess so" Wally responded before looking at Sasuke "So he's all fixed up now huh."

Simon looked over to Sasuke, who was busy chatting with Shô and Millianna, or to be more precise, the two were busy chatting up to him. "Kind of" Simon reported, "Grandpa Rob patched him up but he said it isn't going to last for long. It's kinda confusing and it's not really my thing."

The other three looked over to Simon and Wally's side as they slowly approached them. "So where's Erza?" Sasuke asked.

"Well…." Wally smiled as he pointed towards the direction where the red-haired girl was, "Take a look."

The two watched as Erza proceeded to cut through a group of armed men like they were nothing. Not only was she fighting on the front lines, but it was also obvious that she was the one leading the charge. Simon was visibly shocked and impress by the transformation from a meek girl into a strong leader, and while Sasuke wasn't as expressive as Simon, he shared the same sentiment to an extent.

"You brats!' one of the magic wielders yelled, only for Erza to cut his staff in half before kicking his face into unconsciousness. She stood alone on the battlefield clad in armor while armed with a sword on one hand and a wooden shield on the other. It took a few more moments but the girl finally turned around and began to notice the presence of two new arrivals.

Erza made her way to her friends, looking just as surprised as the two boys were. "Sasuke!?" she uttered, unable to control the delight in her voice, "You're alright! But how?"

"It's a long story" Sasuke responded, "I'll tell you everything once this is over."

The red-haired girl was ecstatic to see her friend walking and talking normally again albeit with those strange markings still covering his body. She was sorely tempted to drop her weapons and embrace him once again, but as she looked around at her bruised and weary comrades as well as the carnage all around her, she knew that this is not the right time for any of that.

"Yeah, you're right" Erza acknowledged, holding onto her weapons tighter, "But what about you? Are you sure you should be fighting?"

"I'm fine for now. And you're going to need all the help you can get to free everyone from this tower" Sasuke reassured her.

The two smiled in mutual acceptance as the rest followed with smiles of their own. It left Simon as the odd one out, as he kept his distance from the group. The more he saw them smile, the more his guilt over his actions worsened.

But, at the same time, he felt an apology was still in order. Whether they accepted it or not was an entirely different matter and one he felt he had no right to partake in.

"Ummm, guys? Listen…" he started wearily as everyone looked at him.

"About what I did, I know that nothing I do will ever make things better again. But I just wanted you all to know that I never meant for things to be as bad as it got" Simon addressed to the group before looking at Sasuke, "All this time, I thought I was doing something to protect all of you, but the only I did was make things worse. I'm sorry, I really am. You don't have to forgive me if you don't want to. And Sasuke, I'm really sorry for believing all the things they said about you, they're wrong and you don't deserve that judgment."

Was he wrong though? Sasuke pondered that question every day and night. Through what they've seen of him, perhaps but if they knew about the kind of person he was in his former life, they might not have that same high opinion of him again. He could've been angry at the betrayal that Simon committed against him but he just couldn't, no matter how hard he tried. He had no right to judge him after his own record of betraying everyone around him.

There was silence within the group before Wally began to speak up, "Whoah, easy with the big speeches buddy, you gotta leave those things for someone like Jellal. It just doesn't suit you."

"W-what?" Simon was taken completely surprised by Wally. He expected verbal lectures or silent glares, not some friendly quip.

"Yeah, he's right. You're more of the 'voice of reason' type of person" Millianna chimed in, still seemingly chipper about all of this.

Simon was getting more and more confused by the minute. "What are you guys saying? Aren't you all angry with me?"

"Well, I don't really know how to feel about all of this" Shô gently answered back," But I just want things to be back to the way they were."

'Shô…" Simon said as he tried to fight the tears. This isn't what he outwardly wanted to happen but deep down, no matter how hard he tried to deny it, Simon did want them to forgive him, no matter how undeserving he was of it.

"Simon" Erza stated, slowly approaching him, "I agree with Shô. It's been hard on all of us, so we don't really know how to feel about all of this. But I think I speak for everyone when I say that I just want all of us to be together as friends again like we used to: with Sasuke, Jellal, and even you, Simon."

Simon was at a loss for words, for no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get the words out. If that's what they felt about the whole thing, then this was far better than he felt he deserved. It only served to accentuate his guilt even more as he rubbed the tears from his eyes. He turned his attention towards Sasuke, the person who suffered the most with his betrayal, only for the Uchiha to respectfully nod his way.

'Well, that settles it" Wally announced as he put his arms around Simon's shoulder, "Now that we're all back, let's kick some more butt!"

"Agreed" Simon reciprocated Wally's sentiment, slowly reverting to his old self once again. As strong as the guilt was, the feeling of relief was even stronger: relief in knowing that his friends were still there for him not what he did and that they too just wanted things back to the way they were.

Seeing the old Simon back again renewed Erza's vigor as well. "Alright then, it's time to free the rest of the prisoners from sector 8" she announced as a rallying cry.

"Umm, Erzy" Millianna said with a concerned tone, looking a bit uncertain alongside Shô "I know we'll have to fight to get out but I don't think Shô and I can do this all day."

"But Millianna, we have to" she argued, lowering her head, "It's the only way we'll be able to save Jellal."

Simon felt a bit tense hearing her response, something Wally was quick to pick up on as he leaned in closer to Simon. "I guess she's really into him, sorry old buddy" he teased.

Sasuke watched as Simon's cheeks reddened, though he had no idea why as the boy slowly approached the girl. "Erza, umm….you-you don't happen to have a crush on Jellal do you?" he asked.

"What? Why would you ask me something like that right now" Erza was taken aback by his question as her own cheeks became red, before breaking eye contact with the boy, "We…need to focus."

Wally nudged Sasuke with his elbow as the two watched the scene unfold. "Whoa, he's really going for it" Wally commented.

The Uchiha remained deadpanned with his expressions, having no clue on what the big deal was with regards to Simon and Erza.

"Oh right, I forgot," Wally said smilingly, "you're totally clueless about all of this."

"Sorry" Simon apologized, "But I just wanted to make sure because-"

Before Simon could get the words out, the conversation was abruptly brought to a halt as a large explosion blasted him backward along with the others.

"Where'd that come from?" Wally asked, startled but alive.

"Look! Up there!" Millianna cried out and pointed her finger towards the assailant. A massive group of monstrous humanoid creatures floated in the air and began moving towards the rioters at a rapid pace.

"Magic soldiers!" Shô shouted before quickly hiding behind Sasuke.

The Uchiha paid no mind to the boy behind him as he looked over to Simon, whose face was buried on the ground, unconscious.

"Simon!" Wally exclaimed as he knelt to check up on his friend.

"He's hurt. What'll we do?" Millianna stated with worry and unease.

As if things couldn't get any worse, the creatures began opening their mouths once again as they got ready to open fire. Sasuke and Erza gritted their teeth as they braced themselves for the inevitable.

Beams of magic power scattered throughout the battleground, blasting every unlucky victim caught up in it. Perhaps this was it; this was the limit of what they were capable of fighting back as the cultists began bringing out their big guns. The rebellion was going to be crushed and now they were paying the price.

Panic screams echoed all over the place as the prisoners scrambled to get to safety, pushing and tossing each other without care even as they caused a stampede.

"No, you can't give up like this!" Erza pleaded with every prisoner running away, "We have to fight to be free!"

Her cries fell on deaf ears as rioters retreated in droves. "Out of the way!" one of them shouted as he pushed Erza to the ground.

However, even facing the dirt and getting trampled on was not enough to deter Erza as she reached out her hand and continued pleading with the others to keep fighting. "Please come back! We need your help" she called out as her hand tried to reach towards the fleeing prisoners, "We have to save Jellal."

As the sounds of the terrified prisoners grew fainter, Erza retracted her hand as her eyes broadened at the realization of what she had gotten herself into. She could not see it but the red-haired girl was able to sense the presence of the magic soldiers hovering right behind her.

"Watch out!" Shô yelled with all of his might.

"Erza!" Wally did the same while carrying a wounded and unconscious Simon around his shoulders.

Before either of them could realize it, Sasuke had dashed past them and made his way over to Erza, standing between the girl and the monsters ready to vaporize her.

The Uchiha stood still without flinching as the girl looked over his way, stunned and in awe. "If you're not going to throw in the towel, then I won't either" Sasuke proclaimed as he readied himself to face down the creatures.

There he was again, facing danger without a single shred of fear or hesitation. It was that same fearlessness that he displayed back in the village and it was the one thing that drew her admiration for him, aside from his incredible magic powers and skills. But no matter how hard she tried, Erza felt like she could never reach up to where he stood, even now as everything was going to hell, Sasuke was the one coming to save her again.

Erza gathered dirt in her hands as she clawed the earth in frustration. Nothing's changed since their time in the village and nothing ever wi-

"Are you going to give up now, Erza?"

Hearing those words, Erza's eyes felt like they had opened up for the first time. She slammed her fist to the ground and pushed herself off of it, feeling stupid for forgetting the amount of faith that he had placed in her. "No, of course not" she answered, readying herself for battle once more. He believed in her, and she was going to live up to it.

"Then let's see this through to the end" he announced as he began weaving his signs, "even if it's just the two of us, we'll save Jellal."

As the creatures opened fire again, Sasuke retaliated with a blazing inferno of his own, resulting in a clash of power as each side intensified the volume of the output given. The creatures continued pouring out magical blasts as Sasuke blew out more flames. The clash eventually ended with an explosion between the two sides.

"Whoa, Big brother's awesome" Shô's face was gleaming with veneration as he watched Sasuke.

"Yeah, Saucey's really strong" Millianna admitted.

Sasuke, Erza, and the remaining prisoners covered their eyes and held their ground as the explosion rocked them off their feet. As the dust began to slowly settle down once more, both the children and the adults looked in with awe at the resulting carnage.

As the others looked on with amazement, they failed to realize that that victory might have been called too soon as Sasuke was visibly panting from casting just one jutsu. The Uchiha speculated that this was likely a side effect of that ritual and as the old man had said before, his spell to lessen the pain was temporary and it was likely that the immense pain would come back soon.

"Sasuke, are you alright?" Erza asked as she looked over to Sasuke, concerned about his current state.

Her concerns were warranted, that much the raven-haired boy accepted. But this wasn't the time to mope about in anguish, because right now, another kid was probably going to suffer the same fate as he did and that was something that Sasuke wasn't going to let happen. "I'm fine" he lied, he knew he had to put on a brave face, not just for himself but to make sure everyone else's morale wasn't broken.

Just as Erza was about to argue against him, unforeseen circumstances forced her attention elsewhere. Everyone's faces looked like they had broken down as they realized that most of the creatures had survived the clash with Sasuke's fire attack. And just when things couldn't get any worse, they were now supplemented by additional reinforcements consisting of stave wielding mages and even more creatures.

Sasuke was really in a bind at the moment. There were too many to handle, even with his jutsus and despite what he said, the two of them were not going to beat them all by themselves. He had to be realistic about his chances of survival if he and Erza made a stand, yet there was no going back either since they'd be shot down the moment they ran for cover. The only thing he could do was hold his ground and fight back with everything he had.

The mouths of the creatures glowed as they began to open fire again. Erza closed her eyes in anticipation for the worst to come while Sasuke tried to weave another sign as fast as he could. As the beams shot for the two once more, a blinding light flashed before their eyes.

As the smoke cleared once more, what stood in front of both was none other than Rob, leaving Erza and Sasuke with a look of surprise.

"Grandpa Rob?" Erza said, her eyes were wide open.

"You? What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked, never having thought that the old man would come all the way from the safety of the cells. He was quite the mage for sure, and the Uchiha couldn't forget the fact that he had been of immense help to him, but it was for that same reason that he insisted on the old man staying back for his own safety until things were over. At the very least, if they had failed, he might've been spared by sitting back.

"My magic may not be as strong as it once was but it's still enough to protect these children" Rob boldly declared as he stretched out his arms in a protective stance. Sasuke could feel it; a sudden surge in power emanating from him, hidden all along behind that sickly-looking body. "I will not let you take the lives of two innocents" he continued as moved his hands in a circular motion before placing them forward.

With a yell, Rob blocked all of the incoming attacks with some sort of invisible barrier before reflecting them back to their attackers, resulting in another explosion that annihilated most of them.

The other three children looked on with more amazement, as each successive effort from Erza, Sasuke and now Rob wowed them even more.

"Did you see that?" Wally uttered with a look of disbelief.

"Yeah" Millianna agreed with him, holding onto Simon's left arm.

"He reflected their magic back" Shô commented, moving a few inches closer to the conflict zone.

This may have been a cause for celebration, to have an experienced mage bolster their ranks to improve their chances of victory. But for Rob, this fantastical display of magic was to be his last as he collapsed to the ground with his hands and knees being the only thing holding him. His skin was turning pale green as cracks began to form all over his body.

Erza rushed to his side and knelt next to him, taking hold of his arms to stop him from falling over. "Are you alright?" she asked; the same question that she had inquired Sasuke about was now being directed towards him as well.

"Yes," the old mage replied to her, "I may be a decrepit old man, but deep down I've still got some fight left in me. As a wizard, my magic has always been intertwined with the very essence of my life…..but I didn't realize how much so until I lost it and soon found myself in this sorry state."

The young Uchiha looked on with silence as he listened to Rob's heart-to-heart conversation with Erza. He knew that these were the parting words of a dying man yet he didn't have a single clue on how he could be of comfort to the old wizard in his final minutes. He had spent so many years witnessing so much death and suffering, that his heart had become completely numb to it and now was unable to show how it really felt, even when it came to people he cared about.

"Don't end up like me Erza; you have so much potential" Rob continued passing on his final words, hoping the young girl would take them to heart, "Don't let it go to waste."

"Grandpa…." Erza was on verge of tears, just barely fighting back to remain composed yet concerned for the only grandfather figure she had ever had in her life. It was a sentiment Sasuke resonated with to an extent, and for that, he couldn't fault her for not paying attention to the advancing army marching towards them.

There was a feeling of shame inside Sasuke for not being able to comfort Rob as he departed, but the Uchiha figured that at the very least, he could fight on their behalf. But as he was about to charge forth, he felt a hand grab his shoulder.

Turning around, Sasuke looked straight into the eyes of an old man crumbling to dust, yet still smiling as he faced his inevitable demise. "My words weren't just for Erza, they were for you as well" he addressed as he slowly rose to his feet. "I can see that you have a difficult time showing your true feelings, but don't condemn yourself over it, Sasuke. I'll never hold it against you because deep down I know that you are a kind soul."

Try as he might, Sasuke was at a loss for words over what he had just heard. No matter what he did, he just couldn't get the words to come out of his mouth. A kind soul? That was too much praise for someone like him, more than he deserved. "You don't know anything about me old man" he uttered in his thoughts, having realized that for some reason, he just couldn't argue back against Rob.

As the cult mages and their monsters began to open fire again; Rob pushed Sasuke back as he stepped up to take his place. Throwing himself to the front to take the brunt of the attack, Erza and Sasuke watched as Rob stood in front of them.

"Your beautiful smile is the only thing that's kept me going while I've been stuck in this wretched place" Rob chuckled, as the two understood that his words were meant for Erza.

But the red-haired was in no mood to smile: her adopted grandfather was dying before her eyes and the tears that she had been holding back were starting to stream over. "You're hurt, aren't you?" she asked.

Rob didn't even bother answering her question as he continued parting his last words. "Remember this" he told her, "Your freedom lies within your heart child."

As the enemy prepared for another barrage of attacks, Rob used all of his strength to turn his head towards the Uchiha one more time, who realized that it was his turn after he had spoken to Erza. "Sasuke, please look after them once I'm gone. They'll need your strength and courage to see this through. You have a troubled heart that no one can peer through but I believe that you'll make a fine wizard one day. Promise me you'll live up to that potential."

He hated it, hated having someone say those things to him. To have people believe in the best of him, unaware of the horrible things he did in his past life only sought to make his guilt stronger and worsen the pain in his heart. But…..these were the dying words of an innocent man, one who tried his best to help him just like the old couple back in the village. And just like Wells, Rob was giving his life for trash like him, accepting his final request was the least he could do. "I will" Sasuke answered softly.

Magic beams rained fire on the trio once again as Rob took all of the hits, but this would be his last one. The very essence of his being was slowly beginning to crumble away. "Follow your heart, and your dream of becoming a wizard will come true!"

"Grandpa! Nooooo!" Erza screamed like she had never before as she desperately reached out for him but it was in vain as she watched the old man Rob crumble to dust as she and Sasuke were blown away.

"If only you could see them, Master Makarov. These children embody the spirit of our guild better than anyone I know."

Sitting on the ground, Erza opened her eyes once more, only to see that what was left of her adopted grandfather was the magic bracelet that had been placed on every prisoner as a shackle. A solemn reminder that he had given up his life just to be free.

Next to the red-haired girl, the young Uchiha witnessed the same event through his eyes. A strange feeling came over him as his hands twitched and his body felt like a boulder had crashed onto him. It was a feeling that he had felt before, one that was coming back to him after a long time: anger.

"You two, we gotta retreat! C'mon!" Wally called out to them, walking away with Simon and Millianna.

"Sister! Big brother!" Shô cried out, trying to reach over to them, only to be held back by Millianna.

Their calls fell on deaf ears as the two sat in stunned silence. Sasuke was the first to rise with his fists clenched. They were shaking and trembling, not out of fear, but from how tight the Uchiha was gripping his hands as he slowly marched over to the enemy, each step taken with a loud and firm stomp to the ground.

Tears flowed from Erza's eyes like a stream as she mourned with her head faced to the ground. But the tears wouldn't stay for long; they couldn't because it wasn't the right time or place to mourn. As she watched Sasuke keep moving forward, Erza knew that mourning him now would be a disservice to the sacrifice Rob had made. Right now, she was feeling the same thing that Sasuke was: anger. And unlike that Uchiha, and unbeknownst to her as well, that emotional turmoil was causing something inside of her to awaken. She could feel something strong and powerful surging within her.

Holding on to all the feelings she had inside of her, Erza let out a scream as a magical symbol formed beneath her. It was enough to cause everyone; friend and foe, to pause and take notice as the earth began to shake and weapons began floating in the air. Even Sasuke stopped in his tracks and looked surprised.

Placing her hands forward, the weapons obeyed her command and flew past Sasuke, aiming straight at the people responsible for hurting Simon and killing Rob. Getting over his initial shock, Sasuke blew fire from his mouth and charred the flying creatures before they had a chance to retaliate as Erza's magic took care of the troops on the ground. With their combined efforts, the tides finally began to turn back in the favor of the prisoners once more.

By the time the ensuing carnage was over, the surviving prisoners, along with the four kids, circled the crater where Erza and Sasuke stood. The prisoners began speaking in hushed tones over what they had just witnessed, scared yet relieved at the same time.

"How'd they do that?"

"They defeated all of them"

"Oh wow! Those two used magic!"

Sasuke couldn't care less about what they were saying. Not too long ago, many of them were quick to pin the blame of their misfortune on him and his supposed 'cursed eye', now they were singing his praises along with Erza's; how quickly opinions change at the drop of a hat.

That being said, there was only one thing that he did care about at the moment, and it was the girl who was standing next to him. From the day she sought him out to learn the Chidori, to the moment he was living in right now; Sasuke always knew that she had potential. It wasn't just her willingness to learn from him or teach him to read, it was the fact that she possessed the same fire inside of her as Naruto did, despite their somewhat different personalities. Now she was living up to everything he had expected of her and more. Exceeding those expectations, Sasuke was starting to feel like maybe he was finally leaving something good in this world at last.

"Erza…" he uttered, in a tone that almost had a tinge of happiness and pride in it. And maybe to an extent, it was.

Unfortunately, it was within earshot of her vicinity as she turned around to look at him. "What is it?" she gently asked.

Sasuke readied to open his mouth before pausing as he thought carefully about his choice of words, especially after what had just happened. As he observed her, he realized the sad irony of it all: for the longest time she wanted to learn magic so she could be acknowledged and accepted even as an orphan, but no matter how hard she tried, it was all in vain, especially because Sasuke knew he could never teach her his jutsus: she was simply incapable of them. But now she had everything she had wanted; she became a skilled fighter and a strong leader in her own right much like Jellal, she now had access to magic comparable in power to Sasuke's current jutsus, and she had the love and admiration of nearly everyone around her. And all of this came at a tremendous price.

"Nevermind" Sasuke shook his head, deciding not to press things any further for the time being. Picking up a sword from one of the fallen cultists, he slung it across his shoulder and looked at her with a firm gaze. "So what now? Ready to save Jellal?" the raven-haired boy brought forth a rhetorical question.

Erza's response was to look at her hands and close her eyes. After a few seconds of deep thought, she picked up her sword and raised it high up in the air. "We have to fight for our freedom!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, "follow me!"

The crowd erupted into a roar as they raised their weapons, ready to fight with renewed vigor.

---

By the time the fighting was over, most of the liberated prisoners had begun making preparations to march towards the island's harbor, where the most of ships and boats were located. It felt like an eternity but the nightmare was finally coming to an end.

Walking amidst the busy crowd, Sasuke instinctively scanned for what remained of Rob. Despite having witnessed the old man disintegrating before his very eyes, a part of him hoped that some part of him remained intact, so there could be something for the Uchiha to remember him by. His relationship with the old mage was distant at best but Sasuke still respected him after everything that he had done for him.

As he continued looking around, Sasuke finally saw the bracelet on the site where he and Erza made their stand. It laid there, rusted and ignored but he did not doubt that it belonged to Rob. No one else, not even those amongst the casualties had their bracelets removed.

The boy found himself looking at the object longer than he had reasonably expected himself to. Perhaps his bond with the wizard was stronger than he had thought it was.

"He was quite an extraordinary man, wasn't he?"

It felt like forever, but the Sage of the Six Paths finally spoke to him after a very long time. Closing his eyes and entering the deepest, depths of his mind, Sasuke found the ancient being floating with his legs folded as he had always been. It was such a strange feeling to have but he almost felt relieved to have the Ōtsutsuki converse with him. Maybe after everything that had happened, having someone from his old life to talk with was a comfort in itself.

"I wish he didn't give his life up like that" Sasuke admitted, somewhat hesitant.

Hagoromo stroked his beard, putting some thought into his answer. "Perhaps, but had he not given up his life, many would have been dead and young Erza would have never realized her true potential" he pointed out.

"Hmph, fair point" Sasuke admitted, before turning his attention towards the towering cage "And what about him?"

Sasuke's counterpart lit up as he approached the edge of the cage. Normally, he'd linger around and talk a lot, but for some reason, he was uncharacteristically quiet as he rested his back on the cage.

"Not gonna tempt me today?" Sasuke asked, cautiously approaching his other half. "Or have you given up on trying?"

"I don't need to," the doppelganger told him, "With the way things are going outside, there's no reason to waste time trying to get you to accept who you really are. At this rate, you and I will inevitably be closer to being whole."

Sasuke felt a tinge of discomfort as his eyes narrowed. To an extent, he could understand what his other half was talking about. He could feel it inside of him, all the pain, suffering, and deaths of those he had started to grow closer to, they were starting to take their toll on him, even if he never showed it on the outside. It meant only one thing; that the darkness inside of him was coming back to haunt him once more.

And if the darkness returned, then it meant only one thing: the Sharingan.

"You feel it don't you? That pain inside of your heart that's growing stronger and stronger. Make no mistake, I may be stuck here like some tailed beast, but I'm nothing like those animals. I'm the real you, the true self that the Sage locked up here, thinking that it would magically fix us" the dark Sasuke continued.

Then something unexpected happened; instead of trying to refute that claim, Sasuke nodded. "You're right. And maybe someday I'll be back to who I was before, but until that day, I'll make sure no one repeats the same mistakes that I did" he refuted back.

"You can try, not like it'll matter in the end" the other Sasuke responded. "Because soon, the cracks on this cage will start to form, and once that's done, you and I won't have to argue about anything anymore. We'll be the same again."

Sasuke looked at his counterpart with surprise as he faded into darkness. He gritted his teeth at the thought of the inevitable, having no idea how he could reign in these feelings quelling inside of him. He tried so hard to control them; to keep them inside hoping that they wouldn't affect him as they did long ago but it seems that he was just deluding himself. He and the other half of him were the same person, split by a powerful entity, whose reunion was fast approaching.

"Sasuke" a voice interrupted his musings. The Uchiha knew that it was the Sage of Six Paths calling out to him. "Whether or not the future will happen is irrelevant within the context of the present. Focus on the things that are happening now. There are people who need you at the moment."

Sasuke let out a deep sigh and faced the Ōtsutsuki with a scowl. "Fine, I'm leaving now" he responded nonchalantly. However, internally, he knew that Hagoromo had a point. Right now, he needed to work on rescuing Jellal, and wasting time thinking of his demise was not going to help.

The Uchiha watched as the Sage of Six nodded as he closed his eyes to wake up in the real world again. Part of him couldn't help but feel like this was just another secret test of his, a chance to observe Sasuke's actions and to cast judgment on whether or not he was worthy of regaining the powers of the Rinnegan; that would explain why he had the pattern but was unable to use a single power of the left eye despite having chakra. The Uchiha was slowly but surely no longer buying into his answer that he did it to make sure his current body wouldn't overload with power. It might've been part of the reason but with how cryptic the old relic was, there was no telling what his true intentions were.

Opening his eyes once more, Sasuke knelt to grab the bracelet that was on the ground. He felt his hands twitch as he grabbed the item, though he wasn't sure whether it was fury or something else that was driving him at the moment.

He did his best to remain composed as he got up and took another look at the object in question. To think that Rob of all people would be the one to finally awaken Erza's magic and single-handedly turn the tide of battle in their favor. For the entirety of his time spent in the cells, Rob had become a sort of grandparental figure for most of the kids here, comforting them in their worst moments, supporting their hopes and dreams, telling them stories of wizards and guilds, and finally, giving his life up for them. It's no wonder that they all affectionately called him 'Grandpa'; he had earned that level of respect and adoration.

"If you're out there somewhere, listening to this….thank you" Sasuke said, staring at the bracelet, "I don't know if I can live up to your promise, but I'll do my best old man."

Placing the bracelet inside of his pocket, Sasuke dusted himself, grabbed his sword, and made his way to where the rest of the children were gathering.

"Over here!" a familiar voice called out to him. Sasuke looked straight ahead to see an enthusiastic Erza waving her arms around, letting him know where they were with a radiant smile.

At the same time, he knew what their final objective was and he was certain that Erza was taking this just as seriously.

Finally reaching her, Sasuke could see that the rest of the kids had already made preparations to leave the place for good. Wally and Shô were carrying boxes of supplies while Millianna was busy wrapping bandages around Simon as he laid there on a makeshift stretcher. "How is he?" Sasuke looked over to Simon with concern and inquired.

"He's breathing and we've managed to take care of the wound" Erza answered earnestly, hoping to ease Sasuke's worries. "Hopefully with enough time, he'll wake up again."

He didn't show it, but the Uchiha was relieved to know that he was going to be fine despite putting up a stoic front. "That's good to hear" he calmly said, trying his best to maintain a composed image. He found it strange that he was happy that the person who betrayed him was going to be alright.

Could he forget the fact that he betrayed his trust and tried to sell him out? Of course not. But part of him also felt that Simon wasn't particularly malicious on that front and that he had good but misguided intentions driving him. Seeing how earnest he was to make things right only rebuilt that broken trust faster and honestly, Sasuke felt like he couldn't fully judge him for his act considering his own history.

"Alright, I think we've wasted enough time. We have to save Jellal quickly" He announced, quickly changing the subject.

Erza wasn't one to object to that, being well aware of the stakes at hand. "Right, let's get going" she agreed.

"Wait!"

The two turned around to find Shô running after them. Sasuke looked indifferent while Erza watched with concern.

"Sister! Big brother! I wanna help too. Let me come with you" the young boy earnestly pleaded.

Sasuke would have to disagree on that front because he was only going to put himself in danger. Before he could say anything, Erza stepped up and faced the boy.

"Shô" she began speaking with a soft tone, "once we go, there'll be no one else but Wally and Millianna to protect Simon and others. Stay with them and look after them till we come back."

Shô was taken aback by her words but eventually conceded to her request. "Alright, I understand" he answered, his face growing sad for a moment before quickly reverting to his more energetic self, "but the two of you better come back with Jellal soon!."

"That's the plan" Sasuke nonchalantly answered, before slowly turning around and walking away.

"Wally, Millianna, Shô…..please take care of Simon," Erza said before joining up with Sasuke.

Shô watched alongside Wally and Millianna as their two most capable members took leave to save their last friend.

"Shô, we should get going too," Wally said, patting the kid on the shoulder.

The younger boy looked on one more time, only to find an empty area before turning around. "Okay," he said firmly, making his way over to the stretcher to help carry Simon.

This was the last obstacle in their path towards true freedom. All of their hopes and dreams hinged on this one final rescue. Shô prayed that the three of them would come back soon.

…

Sasuke and Erza had been running around the tower for minutes on end, looking for the disciplinary chamber where Jellal was most likely being held. It was the last stronghold of enemy resistance and the one place that they hadn't picked apart.

To Erza, it felt like they were running in circles due to the sheer size of the tower and how empty it was now that their tormenters had been dealt with. Regardless, gripping the two swords in her hands, Erza resolved to remain focused and see things through.

Suddenly, just as the two were finally nearing their destination, the last remnants of the cultists emerged from the front and the back, trapping them in a small tight corridor.

Erza was surprised but this time, there was no longer any fear in her eyes. For Sasuke, this was business as usual as he analyzed the situation at hand.

"This is bad. If we fight them all now, we're going to waste time" Erza stated, visibly upset by the situation they were in. If she could, she'd rushed to Jellal in an instant.

"They're trying to stall us" Sasuke replied, having realized that most of them were now just as scared of him and Erza as their victims were of them once. "Listen, I'll find a path for you to get past them. Once you're on the other side, get to Jellal and save him."

"But what about you?" she asked, apprehensive about leaving him all by himself.

"I'll take care of them. It won't be a problem, so let's do this before we waste any more time" Sasuke replied.

She hated having to leave him to fend for himself, but Erza had to reluctantly accept that he had a point; these people were just buying time for their leaders to escape, possibly with Jellal. Letting one of them take care of the distraction while the other completes the rescue was a reasonable plan and she knew full well how capable Sasuke was in a fight.

"Alright, so what's the plan," Erza agreed.

Instead of verbally responding, Sasuke jumped as high as he could and, by some miracle, managed to stick his feet to the ceiling, hanging upside down without any sort of equipment. Erza's mouth was wide open as she looked in disbelief.

"Whaatt!" she shouted, utterly floored by this new magic ability that he had never revealed before. After this, she wouldn't be surprised if he began walking on water.

"D-did he just…"

"He's sticking to the ceiling like a bug"

The cultists were just as equally flabbergasted by this random and strange act.

The only person who was still focused was Sasuke as he reached his hands out while hanging upside down. "Erza!" he ordered, to which the girl snapped out of her stupor and immediately jumped and took hold of his hand. Erza had no idea what he was planning, but whatever it was, she hoped it would work.

In yet another turn of surprise, the young Uchiha began running in the ceiling, as if the laws of gravity meant nothing to him, taking Erza along for the ride as she held onto him while being dragged. The ride itself did not guarantee safety as the cultists tried to harm them by thrusting their weapons upwards as two ran past them, carefully dodging each strike.

With their magic division completely wiped out, the cultists had to rely on their melee weapons to bring the two kids down. Unfortunately, it was made clear that they were woefully ineffective as they barely made a scratch on the kids as they finally reached the other side. Once they did, Sasuke first released Erza from his grip as her feet touched the ground before he joined in and dropped down as well.

Wasting no time, Erza immediately ran straight ahead as the cultists tried to catch up to her, only for Sasuke to block their path and stand in the way.

Watching the lone kid stand in front of them, the guards began to hold on to their weapons as tightly as they could. They were well aware, that this was no ordinary kid: this was the same brat that killed scores of their colleagues with terrifying ease and without a single shred of mercy or hesitation. He possessed powerful and lethal magical abilities coupled with a ruthless fighting style.

Sweat poured from their heads as some of them gulped to calm the nerves. They were facing a monster in the body of a kid and fighting him without their mages was akin to suicide.

"I'm not as soft as the girl you saw, so if you want to see your god so badly" Sasuke announced as electricity coursed through his hands, the sounds of screams emanating from it. It was enough for all of them to back away a little bit, as some of them began praying in earnest.

"I'll send you to him" with the threat of complete annihilation, Sasuke charged forth. If they retreated, they might live but if they fought back now, then there was going to be no mercy. Not after everything they had done.

The cultists screamed till their lungs collapsed, hyping themselves up as they ran straight towards Sasuke, praying to Zeref that at least one of them would be able to land a lucky blow.

…

"The prisoners have taken over the whole place! What are we gonna do?" the stout cult leader said, his frightful tone indicative of how they had lost control of nearly everything in such a short period.

"Run for it!" the leaner one replied, equally panicked as his partner in crime.

But just as they were about to make their way towards the exit of the room, a young girl stood in their way. With two swords in hand, she slowly walked over to them, eyes burning with resentment towards them for all the things that they had done.

After so many years of being their punching bag, the tables had turned, and now they were the ones who were at the mercy of one of their many, many victims.

"Let's not do anything hasty" the lean one tried to negotiate.

"It's not our fault, we were just following orders" the fat one backed his partner up.

Sadly for them, Erza was having none of their excuses. "Out of my way!" she yelled, slashing her sword against their chest as it sent them flying. As they fell to the ground, Erza realized that they were still alive, defenseless but alive as they crawled away. At this point, Erza felt that they were no longer a threat and couldn't care less about what happened to them, so long as they didn't think about striking back. All that mattered now was the boy in front of her.

"I'm here to save you" she proclaimed, rushing towards him and cutting off the chains that held him. Quickly catching him as he fell to the ground, Erza gently laid him to the ground so he could rest and to see if he was in any condition to walk.

"Everything's okay now, you're safe. We fought just as you and Sasuke said we should" Erza tried to cheer him up with words of comfort as she slowly took his left arm and placed it across her shoulder. "Everyone was so brave. Simon ended up getting himself hurt pretty bad and Grandpa Rob saved my life but he didn't make it. But we beat them, we fought for our freedom and we won."

Erza slowly began carrying Jellal to the exit to meet up with Sasuke, but as they walked, Jellal suddenly grounded himself to a halt. "What's wrong, Jellal? C'mon, we have to walk a little bit more. Wally and others found some boat so we'll meet up with them and leave this place for good."

"Erza" Jellal said with a grin, quickly embracing her in a tight hug that took her by surprise, "There's no reason for you to leave the tower because true freedom…is right here with me."

The young girl couldn't believe what she was hearing. They had fought for so long and sacrificed so much for this, and now, he was telling her that all of this was meaningless? Erza watched as Jellal began to walk on his own two feet, almost as if all the time he spent getting tortured was nothing. "But I thought you wanted to get out of here too" she argued, running up to him, "This is our chance at freedom!"

"Don't you see" Jellal spoke back, "there's no freedom in this world."

The more he spoke, the more she couldn't make sense of what he was saying. Jellal was contradicting everything that he had once stood for.

"Those fools who built this tower may not hold you prisoner anymore" he continued rambling on as a sinister red aura formed around him. "But you haven't experienced true freedom" Jellal asserted as he turned around to face her, looking completely different from the boy she knew long ago, "Because that can only be found… In Zeref's world"

She began to dread what he was about to say next, as with each word he spoke, Jellal began to seem more and more deranged. The strange shape that his right eye was in, only accentuated that image. In a way, it neatly contrasted Sasuke's left eye.

"Now I understand why they made us work so hard on this tower" Erza was frozen in place as Jellal began walking over to one of the defeated cultists, leaning on the large crystal at the center. "They believe they can use it to resurrect Zeref."

The lean one cowered in fear as Jellal slowly inched closer to him, the expression on the boy's face suggesting that he had cruel intentions for him. "You claim to be such devout followers but you couldn't even sense his presence," the blue-haired voiced his disgust towards his former tormenters, "Could you?"

Grabbing him by the collar, Jellal pinned him to the crystal. The man still did not utter a word as he trembled in fear, while Erza was unsure of what to make of all of this. "This tower belongs to me now. I will finish its construction and bring Zeref back to life" he announced with almost sadistic glee as a purple emblem glowed beneath, similar to that of Erza.

In an instant, the man was flying through the air while getting repeatedly smash into various walls before crashing into the ceiling, almost akin to getting beaten to death.

"That's magic!" Erza remarked.

Keen to avoid the grisly fate of his partner, the fat cultists made a break for it. Only for Jellal to use his magic to telepathically throw his stout body to a nearby wall and bring him to his knees again.

"Stop it! You're hurting him Jellal!" Erza protested. To her, there was a difference between killing out of need or in defense and killing for the joy of it. The way Jellal was acting out on them, it almost felt like he was enjoying this.

Jellal was having none of it, however, as he simply ignored her pleas. "So what" he argued nonchalantly before taking aim at the remaining leader as he was crawling away.

Erza immediately stepped in and grabbed his hand to stop him. "Why do you care? Sasuke's killed dozens of them before and I think you've done the same too" he pointed out, annoyed by her interference, "Besides, I thought you hated them."

"You're right, I do but you're being cruel" she insisted, hoping he'd try to reconsider his.

Sadly, by this point, Jellal was too far gone to reason with as he broke free of her grip. "If you wanna sense Zeref's presence, you have to focus on your hatred" he proclaimed as he took aim once again, focusing all of his powers on his target. His magic emblem glowed beneath the fat one as his body began to combust before exploding in a puff of smoke.

Erza was mortified by what she had just witnessed. It was true that she killed many, but she never took pleasure in any of it and she assumed Sasuke didn't either. But Jellal was cackling at the corpse of his kill like a madman, almost as if he took great pride in what he just did.

"What's wrong with you!?" she called him out on his change in behavior. It almost felt like another person was possessing Jellal.

"Nothing" Jellal retorted, "I haven't changed one bit."

…..

"I'm renaming this place the Tower of Heaven" Jellal announced, walking through the desolated hallways without pause.

"What?" Erza followed behind, trying her best to figure what was even happening to him.

"Erza" he said as he stopped walking, "You and I will stay here and finish it together. Once it's completed, we'll resurrect Zeref."

The red-haired girl was appalled by what he was saying. He was going against everything that they had fought for and was now planning to do the very same thing that the cultists wanted to do. No matter how fruitless it was starting to become, she had to get through to him. "Why would anybody want to stay here when we finally have a chance to-"

Erza stopped speaking midway as she saw a figure walking towards them. She was nervous at first, but that changed to joy as it became clear that the person walking towards them was none other than Sasuke. Bruised and bloodied, but alive nonetheless as he limped towards the two of them.

"Sasuke! You made it!" she happily greeted him, almost feeling relieved to see him again. She hoped that maybe he can get through to Jellal.

The Uchiha himself was glad to see her and the fact that Jellal was with her meant that she succeeded in her mission. Now they could finally get off this godforsaken place and leave it for good.

"So you made it as well" Jellal commented as his full attention on Sasuke, "Good. Now the work will be easier."

Sasuke tilted his head, confused as to what he was saying. "Work? What are you talking about? There's no time for this, we have to leave now."

"Something's wrong with Jellal" Erza explained, running to Sasuke's side, "He keeps talking about wanting to complete the tower."

Sasuke raised a brow, hearing her explanation. "Complete the tower? Why would anyone want to do that? That's ridiculous" he stated.

"Ridiculous?" Jellal almost seemed offended by that statement, "Don't lie to yourself, Sasuke, you know that's not true. After all, Zeref reached out to you as well, didn't he?"

Zeref? Why would he talk about these things? Sasuke mumbled in his thoughts. He was slowly beginning to see what Erza was trying to explain before. Jellal's behavior had undergone a sudden change, one so drastic that they might as well be two different people.

"After all" Jellal continued as he pointed his finger towards Sasuke, "That left eye of yours is proof of that. It's a gift from Lord Zeref."

First, he wanted to rebuild the tower, now he beginning to believe all the rubbish about the Uchiha's left eye being connected to their god named Zeref. "My left eye has nothing to do with Zeref and that's the truth" Sasuke argued.

Jellal suddenly went quiet on hearing his answer, almost as if Sasuke had triggered something inside of him. "More denial….." he uttered those words in a tranquil yet venomous tone, "How disappointing."

Before either of them could react, Jellal's right eye turned red and telepathically pushed the two of them, all the way from the corridor and into the open area where the battle took place. Sasuke took the brunt of the hit as he shielded Erza with his back. Unfortunately, their weapons were no longer within their possession.

By the time, they recovered; Jellal was already standing on top of the scaffolding looking down on them. As Sasuke readied himself for battle, Jellal used his telepathy once again to take hold of Sasuke.

The Uchiha found himself frozen in place as red glyphs surrounded his body, trapping him. His eyes widened as he struggled to break free but found himself floating according to Jellal's whims, as he proceeded to slam him into a wall several times.

"Jellal, what are you doing?" Erza cried out, but Jellal didn't bother listening to her.

Over and over, he slammed his former friend into the wall, but each time he did so, the Uchiha simply gritted his teeth and toughened through the pain.

"You know, I always thought of you as my brother: someone who could understand me better than anybody else, someone who would be by my side through everything. But I guess I was wrong!" an irate Jellal snarled as he continued pounding Sasuke to the wall.

"No, stop it!' a desperate Erza implored one more time before taking matters into her own hands as she summoned a weapon from a nearby corpse and threw it straight towards Jellal.

Jellal easily swatted the incoming sword away with his magic but the distraction was enough to let go of Sasuke, who fell to the ground. Already beaten up from the previous battles, Jellal's assault only aggravated his injuries on top of Rob's spell slowly beginning to wear off. He had no strength or chakra left in him to fight back, as he struggled just to get up.

'Hold on, Sasuke, I'm comin-"

Just as Erza was about to make her way to Sasuke, she was immediately held in place by Jellal as the glyphs took control of her instead.

"If neither of you wants to help me, then you can leave this place," he remarked with a chuckle, watching Erza squirm and struggle to free herself as he brought her closer to him. "But there's a price for that freedom."

Sasuke tried his hardest to get back up but just couldn't find it in him to do so. The realization had set in that Rob's magic had finally worn off and the immense pain had returned. Still, he mustered up enough strength to push himself to a kneeling position as he looked up at Jellal who holding Erza hostage.

"You're on the cusp of getting the freedom you always wanted…and the chance to make your dreams a reality. So why are you throwing it all away?" Sasuke pointed out as he clutched his arm.

"No, I'm not throwing away my dream" the blue-haired boy shot back, "In fact; I'm going to make it a reality, with Zeref's help. And I'll do all of that by completing this tower and bringing him back to life. Of course, there's no way I'm going to finish the tower's construction by myself, so I'm going to keep the others with me."

Sasuke stared at him with a look of disbelief. First, he changes his mind completely about the tower, and now he wants to drag everyone else to live through this hell all over again. Looking at Erza, despite her struggling, he knew she felt the same.

"I can see it in your eyes, I know exactly what the two of you are thinking right now" Jellal addressed the both of them, wearing a sadistic smile while he was at it. "But don't worry, I promise I won't mistreat them. I'll make sure everyone's fed and clothe and that they get plenty of rest between their shifts. I'm sure Zeref would prefer I build more hatred by ruling with an iron fist but weak and unhappy workers don't make for good sources of labor."

"And you think they're just going to agree to that?" Sasuke shot back, "They're already getting ready to leave this place. What makes you think you can convince them to come back here?"

Jellal's response was to simply laugh it off and shake his head. "Oh, I don't think I'll have any problem convincing them, because I'm going to give them a purpose. Once they learn of Zeref's power, they'll happily work to resurrect him."

Sasuke was completely appalled by what he was saying. "You're talking about sacrificing them as if they'll just throw themselves away for some worthless cause."

"It's not worthless. Zeref told me sacrifices are necessary" Jellal argued back before looking up at the ceiling with a gentler smile, "He's such a benevolent god, isn't he?"

"Please….Jellal. You gotta come to your senses" Erza begged as she struggled against his magical grip, still trying to get him to see reason.

However, that only seemed to enrage Jellal further at this point as he tightened his grip on Erza, choking the life out of her. "I could ask the same of you!" he growled.

"Let…her go! She has nothing to do with this" Sasuke proclaimed, fighting through the pain to stand up.

"I don't need the two of you anymore. But I'm feeling generous, so I'll spare her and let the both of you go…..on one condition" Jellal asserted.

As Erza struggled to breathe and with Sasuke was having trouble just getting up, both of them realized that they had no choice but to listen to what he had to say.

"Sasuke, that left eye of yours; it's a gift from Zeref. I want you to give it to me" Jellal demanded.

Having heard the terms and conditions needed to secure Erza's life and their freedom, Sasuke was at a loss. He always knew that the left eye attracted unnecessary attention, more than what was warranted, but now it had gotten to the point that the Rinnegan was becoming a danger to him and those near him.

This? This was too much.

"Why do you want it?" Sasuke inquired, wanting to hear his reasons before doing anything, as irrational as they may be.

"Zeref wants me to give him your eye as an offering. I thought I could convince you to do that once you saw reason but I guess I was wrong" Jellal explained.

Sasuke grinded his teeth against one another as he clenched his hands into a tight fist at the thought of what he had to do. He hadn't felt this weak, powerless and pathetic in a long time. Not since….not since the day he witnessed the murder of his entire family.

But perhaps there was a way out, a solution that didn't require him to lose his eye or give up Erza's life either. All he had to do was embrace the darker side of him once more, to bring back all the hatred that quelled inside of him and use it to fuel his powers.

"Don't waste my time!" Jellal snapped him back to attention, "Make your choice now or I'll kill her. It'll be easy, like crushing a bug."

Just to show that he meant what he said, Jellal tightened the magical glyphs around Erza, causing her to gasp for air. Seeing the first friend he had made since coming to this world in such a state, changed something in Sasuke. For the first time in a long time, his expression was no longer one of stern stoicism, but one that looked sad, with eyes that almost seemed pleading.

He closed his eyes and faced the ground. What was he going to do? Forsake himself and become the monster he once was, saving Erza but potentially killing Jellal? Or sacrifice his power to save someone dear to him?

That answer seemed easy at first glance, but the more he looked at Jellal, the more he began to see a mirror image of himself: of the old Sasuke, the one who threw away his friends and cut off his bonds in exchange for power. Now, it felt like the positions were switched with him in Naruto's place and Jellal in his. Was it painful for Naruto as well? To feel the sting of betrayal from a dear friend.

Sasuke pondered on the idea of whether or not he could go through with it. The last time he lost control of himself, he very nearly killed Simon. All the effort he went through to better himself would be undone. Could he give up his integrity and live with the shame?

As he thought deeply about his decision, something slipped out of his pocket and fell to the ground. Sasuke looked over to see that it was the bracelet of Rob, the only thing left of him. As he stared at it, this single piece of metal made him remember something very important: He made a promise to the old man that he would protect everyone dear to him. And that included Jellal, regardless of what he had become.

There was no doubt that something had happened to him; maybe they broke him mentally, maybe Zeref did reach out to him. But whatever the case, Sasuke knew that a long time ago, he was no different from him. And if someone like him could be saved by a persistent friend, then so could Jellal. Maybe not now, but someday, he hoped that day would come.

He was taking a big gamble with this. If the outcome wasn't as expected, it would cost him dearly.

His hands shook violently as he reached for the eye. "If….you want….it" Sasuke said, gritting his teeth as he worked through the pain while his fingers dug in deep into his eyeballs.

Jellal raised a brow as Erza watched in horror as Sasuke began mutilating himself. By the time he was done, blood dripped from the empty socket.

"Then…you can have it" Sasuke reached out his left hand and presented the eyeball, "But let her go first."

Seemingly satisfied with the choice Sasuke had made, Jellal did the unthinkable and made good on his end of the bargain as he slowly lowered Erza to the ground before releasing her. It seems that despite all of the changes that he had undergone, somewhere deep inside, the old Jellal was still lurking around.

Using his darkness magic, Jellal took hold of the eye as the glyphs surrounded it before safely floating through the air until it was in his hands.

Without saying a word, Erza immediately rushed off towards Sasuke, hoping to aid him however she could. As she neared him, the sight of him without an eye as blood dripped all over his left arm was horrifying to watch. She had witnessed moments of savagery in this hellhole on many occasions but seeing a friend inflict that level of brutality on himself was something else entirely.

"You're eye!" she cried out, quickly assessing the damage in the hopes of fixing it.

"It's fine" Sasuke reassured her, trying to reject any sort of help with as much tact as he could.

Erza did not care for his objections, as she placed his left arm across her shoulder and lifted him. Sasuke groaned through the pain but did not object to her aid.

"Enjoy your new freedom," Jellal said, lording over the two, "But I have some rules for the both of you before you go."

Sasuke did not even bother to look at him in the eye anymore while Erza watched attentively with sad, woeful eyes.

"I demand that neither of you tell anyone of this place. If the government found out about the Tower of Heaven, I'd be in serious trouble. If word were to get out, then I'd have no choice but to destroy the tower and everyone inside it" Jellal warned them, arrogantly asserting his authority over them, "The two of you are forbidden from ever returning here again, set one foot on this land and I'll kill your friends. I think Shô would be a good start."

The Uchiha may not have been looking at Jellal during his speech, but he was listening all the same. Hearing him threaten to murder their friends, especially Shô, sent a sharp pain through his chest. If he could, he'd clench his fist and show him just how angry he was. "You're insane" Sasuke growled, "If you even think about laying a finger on Shô, then I'll….."

"You'll what?" Jellal mocked, daring him to test the limits of his terms and conditions, "By the time you even think about saving him, I'll have the kid dead before you know it."

"N-no! You wouldn't!" Erza gasped in fear.

Silence filled the air as Jellal chose to remain silent and not respond to her accusations. There was no other emotion written on his face other than a slit smile as he hung his head.

Erza continued watching him, yet couldn't overcome the dreaded feeling that he was about to do something terrible again. For a moment, she thought he was going to attack them again but instead, he began giggling like a petulant child.

That giggle gave way to a maddening laugh as he began cackling. "One false move and I'll end everyone, I'll enjoy true freedom while you both suffer, burdened by your guilt! Hahahahaha" he raved like a lunatic as he began walking away, displaying supreme arrogance and confidence that neither Erza nor Sasuke could do anything about it.

The room felt empty and cold, as Erza looked at the devastation around her. So much effort put forth towards earning their freedom, so much blood that was shed, so much pain and suffering endured only for it to backfire spectacularly. She never felt so….so broken.

"Erza….."

She was snapped out of her thoughts by the weak voice calling out to her. Erza looked at Sasuke, whose body had gone limp, but was still alive and breathing through it all. Tears formed in her eyes as she thought of all the things he had to go through, from the tortures to the horrific curse inflicted on him, to have witnessed the same things she did. Yet he kept moving forward without a single sign of breaking down.

"We have to go" he spoke to her again, his voice barely having any strength left, yet she could still picture the stoic, stern command he would give her.

Without saying a word, she listened to what he said and carried him in the opposite direction of where they were supposed to meet up with the others. Despite everything that happened, a part of her was glad that he was still with her. Even after everything that they had just gone through, having Sasuke around made her feel like she wasn't the only one feeling this pain.

She wished, she was a strong as he was.

---

Sasuke couldn't find the appropriate words to describe what he was feeling right now. Sitting on the beach as he rested his back on the outer part of a small boat that they had procured, the young Uchiha contemplated on everything that had happened so far.

Prior to his arrival in this world, he always thought his path towards redemption would be simple. All he had to do was isolate himself from others and live out the rest of his life that way, perhaps helping some people here and there as he walked the earth. But as he watched Erza bawl her eyes out weeping profusely, he realized things hadn't gone the way he thought they would.

He got new friends, people who cared about him and whom he cared for return. Some of them reminded him of the people in his past incarnation, the ones who he looked back on fondly. He thought that by helping them, he'd set about his path towards atonement. But that was foolish – so very foolish of him.

Instead, he prolonged their suffering and made it worse. It felt like he was reliving the nightmares all over again.

"Maybe, maybe we should go back" a tearful Erza suggested, having calmed down a little.

"No" Sasuke bluntly answered.

Erza wasn't so easily convinced, and Sasuke didn't seem too enthusiastic about it either. "But we could at least try" Erza disputed, "and maybe there's a chance Jellal might change his mind."

Glancing over at the redhead, Sasuke saw a brief glimmer of false hope. He badly wanted to say yes, to conform to her hopes and ideals, to accept the brief scenario that Jellal might go back to his old self. But he knew that it was a fool's errand and it would cost them and everyone else their lives.

"If you want to see Jellal so badly, then take the boat and go back to the island" he responded, clearly exasperated by her suggestions, "But stay on that path and the only thing you're going to be, is dead."

Emotions came flooding in, once she heard his response: Bewildered, sad, angry, shocked, disappointed as well as feeling disillusioned by the thought of him giving up.

"How do you know?" she said, standing up as she began walking towards him.

But Sasuke didn't even bother answering her; in fact, he didn't even look at her. He simply remained quiet, hanging his head as if in shame.

Rather than deter her, Sasuke's behavior only served to enrage her even more. "Answer me!" with tears rolling down her eye, she angrily grabbed him by his shirt, ignoring the physical state that he was in.

Erza held on to his shirt, her hands shaking like crazy as water streamed down her cheeks. To see the person whom she admired and respected give up after everything that they had been through hurt her.

Suddenly, Sasuke slowly raised his hands and held on to hers as he slowly looked up. Erza's eyes opened up more as she gasped in shock over what she was looking at: Sasuke's remaining eye had changed completely, from black to red with an inner black circle and a strange archaic shape sticking around the rings.

Seeing his right eye change caused Erza to let go of her grip and stumble backward. She was completely taken off guard by the sight of it. It looked so different from his previous left eye and yet, he had never been seen looking like that. Was this some sort of awakening for Sasuke?

"Sasuke….you're eye….it's" she struggled with her words as she slowly crawled back to him. There were so many questions she wanted to ask him right now.

"Erza…" he uttered once more, a weak yet commanding voice but it was enough to halt the girl."That's enough."

Erza was stunned, not because of his words but because of what she was seeing. The sight of a single tear rolling down his right eye took her completely by surprise. It was a deconstruction of the very image she constructed of him: the image of a kind, yet quiet individual who expressed more with his actions but was unfettered by the tragedies going around him, someone who was steady and unbreakable.

Seeing someone like Sasuke display such an act of vulnerability flipped her worldview of him. She couldn't describe what she was feeling right now.

Before she could say and do anything else, the Uchiha quickly wiped the tear away with his right hand and looked away; avoiding eye contact with her and facing the sands instead.

Erza knew better than to prod anymore as she sat on her side of the beach, huddled up. Sasuke had gone quiet, probably wanting some time to himself, and to be honest, she was starting to feel the same. Maybe, there was more to him than meets the eye, because his advice against going back sounded like he spoke from experience.

But more than that, she was beginning to feel bittersweet about the whole ordeal. She lost so much within a span of a single day, and yet, she was finally free. Free from the nightmares of the tower and free to pursue her dreams. However, beyond any of that, Erza finally felt like she was getting to know more about Sasuke.

Whatever the future may hold for the two of them, Erza knew she had to be strong. Stronger than she ever was before, to make sure none of this ever happened again.

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AN: Apologies for the late update, but there was a lot of things happening outside that took my attention away from this story. And then, just when I was getting my groove and writing again, I got hit with fever (Thankfully not Covid) and my 2 month old puppy passed away thanks to another pandemic for animals, so writing was a lot hard coming that place. This chapter probably the longest I've written so far, in no thanks to the long hiatus and the fact that no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't find it in me to cut the sections into chapters because each scene felt too important. Subsequent chapters will be shorter since I've already got the story drafted.

To Sai55 and Forsaken Dark Prince: So the idea for a "dark counterpart" actually came from Vol7 chapter 55 of the original manga, when Sasuke got bitten by Orochimaru. I thought of implementing the idea of someone who would represent his darker side as a means of reminding him in his journey for atonement. But I completely understand if it's not to your liking and if there's any consolation, I don't have anything planned for the evil Sasuke until much, much later and it'll just be a scene or two at most.

To Anonymous: I don't think he'd have any problem with killing, or even not killing when given the chance. He's a consummate professional through and through. The only time he's shown to be a sadistic bastard was with Danzo. He literally tried crushing him to death and then stab him through the heart instead of going for a headshot just so he could watch him limp.

To DannyPhantom619: Honestly, that is hilarious in hindsight.

To black luster: An interaction with Kagura will definitely be interesting.

To Iri: I know a lot of Naruto fics that give him a black trenchcoat and steel heavy black boots coz edginess needs to be intensified, lol. Then he starts swearing like a sailor and I lose my mind.

To HearthofDestiny: Thank you!

To Journey to the end: He does have some awkward and embarrassing moments in Boruto though, especially when he tries to bond with Sarada.

To Iskandar Hero: Actually, I disagree with this notion. To me, friendship is a big deal for Sasuke and for Uchihas in general. They may not show it but they value bonds a lot. It's why he was willing to give his life for Naruto and Sakura early on, and why ditching them in the end was a big deal. He spent most of Shippuden trying to run away from his friendships, but it only ends up isolating him and screwing him over until he learns to accept it again.