Thank you all so much for the reviews!
To Guest #1, I promise this chapter won't end with Jellal arrested haha. I was so mad at the Magic Council when they did that in canon.
GNTR96, I'd like to think Erza's arm wouldn't affect her as much. It certainly bothers Jellal though, so of course losing her arm's going to be a huge deal to him, lol.
On another note, I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on this question: at this point in the fanfiction, who do you believe is likely to lose their moral compass, Jellal or Erza? I'm curious to see everyone's thoughts on it.
Enjoy!
Façade
Chapter 20: Wizard Saint's Advent
The biggest concern for Gray aside from the task to find Lyon was the urge to stop searching for him. Thinking about it, the very man who he was searching for took Erza's limb, albeit he was hesitant to do so.
Gray shook his head. He wouldn't allow himself to succumb to the darkness. His thoughts were trying to provoke Nirvana to tear through his heart. He continued the search with Sherry, who was awfully quiet along the way. Sometimes he could sense an ominous presence of magic energy behind him, while most times it belonged to the love-obsessed mage.
The Ice Mage watched as the legs for Nirvana went from eight to six within an hour. The sun had set, and they made no progress in sensing Lyon's presence. Although, they encountered Angel, who was sleeping in the shallow river. There weren't any remains from the explosive or the clothing it was torn off from. There was only a moderate sized crater that formed, with trees struck down as a result of the blast.
"Lyon! Where are you?" Gray called out, caving his mouth with both hands. His voice resounded through the voids of nothingness. Sherry clenched her fists by her sides.
"So that's it? Lyon's not here anymore?" Sherry assumed with an edge to her tone.
"He must've survived it! Lyon won't die from an explosive, I know he's stronger than that."
"Or are you saying that because you let him die?" she hysterically retorted, using the branches from the trees to restrain the Ice Mage.
Gray gasped as the branches tangled around his neck. His face darkened significantly at Sherry's claim. "Like how you stood there and watched as Lyon cut off Erza's arm?" Gray twisted his wrist, loosening the grip before reaching out to freeze the branches. He broke free from the bindings and held his palm out. "Erza lost her arm, and Lyon fell off the cliff to save us. Both of them sacrificed themselves for the mission, but you don't see how desperate I am in trying to help them. You're using me as your scapegoat, to pin the blame entirely on me."
Sherry chuckled darkly. "It's the entire Fairy Tail guild's fault. I'm going to destroy every one of you fairies to avenge my beloved's death."
"Then I'll exact my revenge. You contributed to Erza's arm being cut off, it's only fair if you lose a limb too."
For a second, Gray froze. He replayed the words that came out of his mouth, finding it inhumane to wish the same atrocity on Sherry that was done to Erza. He tried to remember that it was Erza's decision. It was necessary to save her life.
But that never gave them the right to deprive her of an arm.
He horrifically realized that both he and Sherry capitulated to Nirvana. He clutched his head, backing away from her. "What's—happening to me?"
Sherry didn't waver between her feelings anymore. If he had to guess, she was conflicted during their journey down the cliff. She surrendered to the darkness once Lyon hadn't responded to their calls.
She used the unmoving moment to knock Gray off his feet with a swing of her legs. "You finally understand your fault in letting my beloved Lyon die. Guilt is engulfing you, just as it should! I will not let you live. No, I'm going to get rid of you for good."
"You're the only one who's going to be dead by tonight." Gray declared, jutting his chin out. "Let's see if you hold a candle to me."
"There's only one way to find out," she hissed, before using the ground beneath him to send Gray flying into a tree stump. The surface was uneven as he bumped his chin onto the hollow wood. His eyes fluttered open when he felt a person beneath him.
Racer was unconscious with his wounds slightly healed. He looked in better condition than when he and Lyon battled him.
Sherry ran in his direction, yelling, "I'm not done with you yet, Gray Fullbuster!"
He conjured a shield in front of him before cocking his head in Racer's direction. "If you're going to blame someone, he's the one who attacked Lyon."
Sherry grabbed her new target by the throat, locking eyes with Gray. "After I exact my revenge against him, you're next."
Gray didn't pay her threat any mind. He summoned a dagger made of ice, clutching it in his right hand. I'm going to kill you right after Racer dies.
She applied pressure to Racer's neck, savouring her revenge with the slow and agonizing death. She laughed maniacally. "This is for my darling Lyon! You've been nothing but a nuisance for him. You'll pay with your life!"
Gray and Sherry weren't sure what caused her to collapse heart-first into the grass. A burst of Spacial Magic hit Sherry and knocked her off Racer. Her reflexes allowed her to dodge the remaining attacks. "Who's there?"
Ren appeared in front of her along with Eve, who protected Racer's unconscious form. The older male's face countenance contorted into a sneer. "What do you think you're doing?"
Sherry took a moment to register her appearance before brushing the dirt off her dress. She accusingly pointed to Gray and Racer. "These two are responsible for Lyon's death. There's no love for murderers in this world!"
"Taking someone else's life will not bring them back." Eve replied, tilting to the side to get a clearer look at Gray's hand. "Gray, what about you? Don't tell me you both fell victim to..."
Gray clenched his teeth. "It's been a rough day for me and this chick's trying to kill me on top of this chaos! Of course Nirvana's going to take over if she keeps provoking me!"
Hibiki came from behind the group, leaning against a tree to support himself. Horrible didn't begin to describe his condition. "Gray, it was Erza's decision. She did the right thing, because she would have died. You need to come to terms with that."
Gray's eyes widened, "I know...yeah. But I—it's not fair to Erza."
"Fair or not, we can't do anything about it but accept the consequences. You can, however, honour her sacrifice by helping out on the mission."
The Ice Mage took a deep breath. "I suppose you're right. But Lyon, he..."
"Lyon is not dead. Ren and Eve found him after the explosion."
Lyon emerged behind them with a bandaged abdomen, awkwardly waving at the mages. Sherry cried softly at his return. Gray dropped to his knees and blinked repeatedly. "I was a fool...I let Nirvana get the best of me."
The dark magic escaped both Sherry and Gray, returning to the heart of Nirvana. They slumped to the ground as their thoughts cleared up.
"It almost happened to me," Hibiki informed. "We're prone to dangerous situations when we suffer losses."
Gray brought himself to his feet, staring intently at Nirvana. "Now that's settled, do you know how to stop Nirvana?"
Hibiki smiled. "I do. We've recovered Christina after the Seis attacked it. From what I've gathered, Nirvana's also able to move. It's most likely headed towards a mass amount of people, though, we have yet to confirm this with the Oración Seis."
The forest ground shook beneath them as the legs of Nirvana shifted positions. Gray turned to them. "I should get going to help Natsu and the others!"
The others watched him pace to the leg of Nirvana in a desperate attempt to climb it. Lyon turned back to the group, eyeing Christina. "The Oración Seis also destroyed your airship. What about the rest of us?"
"I think we have the means to repair it. However, it's going to require a lot of magic energy." Hibiki responded sheepishly.
Sherry looked away for a long moment before taking a deep breath. "They need all the help they can get."
For the most part, Jura was asking himself why he was tagging along with a man who kept saying his head was reminiscent of a potato. Sure, Jura was bald, but he didn't think his face would resemble a potato!
"Sir Richard, where are we going?" Jura questioned, breaking the long-held silence as they continued travelling into the depths of the Nirvana civilization.
Well—the silence was on Jura's part, who listened as Hoteye rambled on about the better ideology determining the outcome of a fight.
"Please, Jura. I thought we were past the point of formalities."
Jura considered dropping the honorary he clearly didn't deserve since he was an ex-criminal, but respected him for his newfound goals in life.
He wanted to reunite with his brother. It was such a simple thing which drove him to madness. Jura would never understand why people would go to such extremes. The situation mirrored Chairman Crawford's obsession with power. "...right, my apologies. I was wondering, do you know about this civilization?"
"Oh, yes!" the mage beamed delightfully. "I know many things about it since Brain used to explain the origin of Nirvana to better understand how to unseal it. He promised that it would fulfill our prayers."
The idea of a spell granting them freedom interested Jura. "Really? If the nature of this magic has been kept a secret by the Magic Council, then how is it a device to fulfill your wishes?"
"Fret not, Jura. I do not believe Nirvana will grant my prayer, for I have gone astray from the path of greed. However, you would be mistaken to assume the Magic Council has any control over it. In fact, many on the council do not know of its existence."
"This I got to hear."
"Oh yes! There are few people who have discovered Nirvana for what it truly is, one of them being Brain. It's the first time in the four hundred years it's been unsealed, and by Jellal of all people. How he acquired the knowledge is something I cannot answer, but he truly is a remarkable wizard! Oh, yes!"
Jura's eyebrows furrowed at the revelation. "Jellal unsealed Nirvana?"
"That is the only probable explanation since Brain was pining after him ever since he took an interest in Nirvana. I assume he somehow forced Jellal to unseal it."
"Sounds unlike Jellal to get caught so easily," Jura replied skeptically. There were rumours circulating weeks ago about Jellal's involvement with dark guilds and Chairman Crawford's schemes. After being confirmed by Yajima and Belno about the accusation being false, the idea died down.
"He is a target for many dark guilds. Jellal was appointed as the next chairman, which says a lot about the value he brings to the Magic Council."
Jura raised a brow, "From what I heard, his position was merely talk amongst members of the Magic Council. Surely he couldn't have refused such an opportunity."
"From my experience, my best guess would be he refuses to become powerful in fear of becoming consumed by greed and tyranny. Oh, yes!" Hoteye exclaimed.
"Still, for him to turn down such an offer..."
All the Wizard Saints were formal as required by a code of conduct. Jellal only interacted with him at gatherings between the Wizard Saints, and even then, Jellal didn't care for small talk. Quite contrary to what Jura expected, the Wizard Saint remained quiet but observed keenly.
"Ah yes," a voice interrupted the melancholic spectacle, disappearing and reappearing around the mages. Midnight appeared in front of them with his arms crossed, taking the mages by surprise. "Jellal's value to the Magic Council is one reason we mages seek him. To hunt him for sport, destroy him, and see the end of the Magic Council's reign." The tone became darker, laced with malice.
"Now, now, Macbeth. That is no way to speak about him. You must admit he's quite an extraordinary person. Oh, yes!" Hoteye reasoned. Midnight hissed in response.
"It's so unlike you to behave like this, Richard. And what happened to using our code names?"
Richard gave a small hmph in response before placing a hand over his chest. The mere sound reminded Jura of Lucy Heartfilia's attitude. A bit of a dull comparison, if you asked him, but close enough. "I have found new ways thanks to the power of love! Oh, yes!"
Jura was ready to fight the member until Hoteye held his fingers in front of his eyes, tapping into his magic. "Leave, Jura. I can take care of him."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course. You catch on with the others. This won't take long at all."
Heeding to Hoteye's advice, Jura made a sharp right and disappeared out of Midnight's sight. He glanced behind once to see if the Earth Mage made any progress with the battle. Both of the Oración Seis members remained still.
Jura stumbled upon Gray, who clutched his abdomen and ground his teeth in pain. He had just finished climbing the legs of Nirvana and found Lucy along with Happy. Natsu had disappeared the moment they were caught off guard while trying to devise a plan.
Gray beamed at his presence. "Pops! Where were you this entire time?"
"...I confronted one member. Nirvana had tampered with their affiliation and they had a change of heart—so to speak."
Lucy grinned, "That's great! One less person to deal with. In fact, he's now an ally."
"Yes," agreed Jura. He found Richard's reliance to be more reassuring than untrusting. He of all people could understand the certain factors which made one question their alignment with light or darkness. There had been a time when Chairman Crawford was pushing for certain practices of magic to be unbanned, which were immoral to some, but fine for others.
Such as the controversy of magic.
A hoarse call from behind followed by a gurgle caught their attention. Jura whipped his head and found Natsu being dragged against the ground by Brain, with Klodoa in his other hand. "Happy!"
"Natsu!" they gasped. Jura rose his hand, producing a rocky terrain beneath the dark mage.
The Oración Seis member undid the spell with a swing of Klodoa. Unsurprised by the effortless reflection, Jura sighed in relief as Happy and Natsu scrambled away from the enemy.
Although he was a very polite man, Jura was just as aggressive when it came to his opponents. "Tell me, what are you planning to do with Nirvana? Where is it taking us?"
Brain held out Klodoa with a maniacal expression. "You won't be getting that answer on my watch, Wizard Saint."
Erza's eyes fluttered open to gaze upon the clock tower in the centre of the city. There, she also found Jellal and Wendy scouring the area for any enemies.
"Is the battle over?"
"Afraid not," Jellal answered, offering his hand to her. She hesitantly took it, trying to recall the battle before she passed out.
Upon hearing her voice, Wendy ran to her, overjoyed by her awakening. "I'm glad you're awake! How do you feel?"
"Better than before. The last thing I remember was my arm..."
Erza gave her now-separated arm a hard stare before shooting a look to Jellal. Her arm was right beside her, crystallized. It was most likely Jellal's doing.
Seeing Erza's struggle to get up, Jellal placed one hand on her waist and the other to her hip before helping her stand up. She shivered in his arms and Jellal released her, thinking she was uncomfortable with the gesture. Erza wordlessly brought his hands to her again and nodded, sighing in exhaustion.
He checked around to see if she sustained any other injuries. Finding that his search was quick, Erza assumed he already checked for any other injuries when he first came across her.
"Jellal, how did you find me?"
His eyes held their softness. "I returned to the estate to find it in ruins. Natsu was watching over you, while the rest went to track down the other members. He was crying, Erza."
She averted her gaze. "I'm aware that my decision upset him, but it had to be done. We didn't have the means to find a cure because you were absent. That, and the Oración Seis attacked us earlier than we anticipated."
Jellal felt like he was revisiting the nightmare of Erza's injured eye in the Tower of Heaven. He sucked in a sharp breath, "I'm sorry I didn't come in time." He paused, trying to find the right words to say to her. "Was there no other way to go about your arm?"
She gave him a hard stare, "It's not like we had time, Jellal. This was our last resort. We couldn't risk finding help, oblivious to the fact that you could have been in potential danger."
"But I was fine," he assured in a soft-spoken voice.
"Why would we ever assume that?" she reprimanded. "We couldn't risk hoping for the best since they defeated us with ease."
He lifted his head upon hearing her. "I'm being realistic, Erza. My situation was plausible enough to hope for the best."
"Because you're a Wizard Saint?" she responded in kind. Her fingers bunched up a handful of his coat's material. "I'm still not going to risk thinking that you're safe. My arm is not a grand sacrifice compared to your safety."
Hurt. It was written all over his face. "You took the risk of severing your arm rather than assuming I was fine. Have you already forgotten what happened to your eye all those years ago because you made that call?"
The statement left Erza gaping, and it hurt him as much as it harmed her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring up the past."
"No, you had every right." She spoke, unable to meet his eyes.
"Erza," he tried finding the right words to say to her. Nobody could understand the logic behind her actions, least of all, Jellal.
"I never want to assume you're safe when you're not," she took a shaky breath as she recalled their fight with Jose. "You're capable of getting into danger just like any of us. You almost bled to death to save me."
He would do it a thousand times over if it meant keeping her safe. She knew.
Jellal simply offered her a smile, "This is your weakness, Erza. You put others before yourself."
She seemed relieved upon hearing him, and mirrored his expression. "You've said that for a while."
Wendy and Carla glanced at each other, pondering their conversation. Wendy knew Jellal held Erza close to his heart than anyone else, despite whatever history she assumed to have shared with him. Their history was so much more intertwined.
An explosion resounded behind them, startling the group of mages. Wendy and Carla tripped, clawing at the ground for support as debris flew across them. Jellal caught both Wendy and Carla to prevent them from rolling into the destruction.
The mages turned around to confront the source of the destruction, only to be met with a sickening voice from behind.
"Father always ruins the fun for me. Now all I'm left with are these pesky mages." A voice addressed dreadfully. He picked at his nails boringly.
"And who might you be?" Erza demanded, stepping forward to confront the mysterious figure.
Jellal caught on rather quickly after studying the appearance of their opponent, "Midnight."
"I'm flattered the Wizard Saint of Ishgar knows of my existence. It's quite an honour, I must say." His eyes darted from Jellal onto Erza's missing arm. "And you must be the infamous Titania I've heard about. It's a shame you lost your arm to a snake. You may have saved yourself back then, but you have only prolonged your inevitable death."
Jellal handed the crystallized arm to Wendy, who was strictly ordered to stand back.
Erza grit her teeth. "I will not die to a coward like you!"
Midnight smiled, "There's the fire I've been dying to see. I've heard many tales about you, and I've been wondering if you're worthy of a good fight. I've been getting bored, so make this entertaining, will you?"
Jellal sensed the threat in his tone and stepped forward, blocking Erza's path. "I can deal with him."
"Jellal, I'm fine. Really."
The corner of his mouth quirked up. "I'm not doubting your power. I haven't had many opponents today, so I think it's fitting that I handle him."
Erza reluctantly nodded and stepped back. Midnight looked surprised at the sudden declaration, but it soon faded into indulgence, as if pleased with Jellal's decision.
"I do love a good challenge, Wizard Saint. Let's see if you're capable of your title."
Jellal swiped his palm and produced magic rays in order to test the waters, watching them all divert away from the target.
Midnight studied each one as they flew past him. The mage didn't make any effort to move aside. "Forgot how to aim, Jellal?"
After a moment of recalling all his opponents in the past, Jellal deduced the magic he practiced. "You're using Reflector against my attacks. It refracts the air, distorting the image of the target altogether."
His opponent cocked his head to the side curiously. "It seems the rumours about your intelligence are not at all farfetched."
Midnight stood in his spot for a good moment. The other mages found it odd that he did not make an effort to attack them. His magic did not pose a problem to anyone until Jellal turned around to find Erza's Heart Kreuz armour and Wendy's outfit wrapping around them. They squirmed within the suffocating material, trying to escape it.
"Wendy!" Carla screeched, trying to undo the spell on her by clawing at the material.
"Let's see how long it takes Jellal to defeat me before I crush the bones of your other arm, Titania."
On instinct, Erza forced her arm out of the bindings and swung a sword at Midnight.
The Fairy Tail mages noted that Midnight's tilted his head to the side in an effort to dodge the attack. He could've easily used Reflector against her sword.
Unless it has a weakness. Erza thought.
A warm light engulfed Erza as she vanished her armour, remaining in her blouse and skirt. "I can just requip out of whatever it is you're twisting." She changed into her Heaven's Wheel and found her logic outsmarting Midnight's. He effortlessly waved his hand to twist her armour, yet again.
He crossed his arms, as if bored. "And I can twist all those pretty clothes of yours until every one of them is unfit to wear."
Jellal used Midnight's opening as an opportunity to strike him down with a fist, sending his enemy flying towards the ruined structure of a building behind them. Meteor added to the intensity of the attack, amplifying the effects of the punch.
Jellal glanced at Erza. "He's prone to physical attacks."
Erza gave a hum in agreement. Midnight got back onto his feet, using Jellal as his next target, twisted his clothing. The coat didn't do much to harm him. Rather, it was the metal plating beneath it that caused him to grunt. Wordlessly, the Wizard Saint endured the attack and observed his surroundings.
He wondered why Midnight was targeting his clothing rather than distorting his body. It would be an easy victory to twist the organs within a person. It would be a slow and agonizing death.
"You're the fearsome Jellal everyone talks about? It's a shame you can't escape a simple attack, Wizard Saint."
Midnight's use of his title was mockery, meant to show how undeserved his formality was.
While he was occupied with Jellal, Erza used her telekinesis and summoned a variety of weapons above him. The mage tensed when he noticed the attack, rolling to the side as the blades rained down on him. He emerged with countless injuries, banging his fist to the ground.
Erza padded towards him in prideful steps, relishing in their easy victory. From the distance, Wendy sighed in relief. "You also have another weakness. You're only able to control one space at a time. Either yours or the opponents, leaving you completely defenseless."
A grandfather clock from a distance struck twelve, resounding Nirvana.
"No!" Midnight cried out, "I was supposed to surpass Father's power! I was supposed to fulfill his prayer, and now it's too late!"
Erza smiled, "Yes, it is too late."
Midnight scowled at her, getting on his knees. "No, I meant that it's too late for you! When the clock strikes twelve, chaos erupts!"
Hence his name, Midnight.
He seemed so grossly happy, it somewhat scared Erza. The members of the Allied Forces watched as Midnight grew into a hideous monster by the second. The sky turned red and black.
In the blink of an eye, Jellal found Erza in the clutches of the monster.
"What kind of magic is this?" Jellal wondered aloud, pacing around to try and reach Erza as she tried breaking free from the excruciating force. She painted heavily as the claws compressed her. This time, she felt her good arm give out.
Wendy screamed as a large tower was summoned in front of Jellal, showing him and Erza the memories of the Tower of Heaven.
Midnight held his hand out, "Look Jellal, come see the kids you were unable to save during the rebellion. Look at all those souls who were left to die!"
The children screamed and screamed as whips collided with their backs, large chains incapacitated them as they yelped for freedom, for murder, and death.
Jellal found himself bound by the wrists and back inside the very cell he was tortured in by the guards. Suddenly, he felt like the boy he once was all those years ago as the distorted grins plastered on their faces revered in their accomplishments. "This can't be real..."
"Oh, but it is!"
He could never forget the weapons they used to electrify him until no screams were able to escape him. Jellal's throat constricted as he relived the pain in the tower as an adult.
Erza screamed and thrashed against Midnight as she witnessed the torture. Wendy shrunk back and wondered why this was happening to him. What children did he leave behind? What place was this? What did he do to deserve such a fate?
"STOP!" Wendy screeched, trying to run around the countless corridors of the Tower of Heaven to find Jellal.
Midnight cackled as Jellal grit his teeth to contain his screams. Sweat trickled down his forehead as the pain became more unbearable.
"Doesn't this bring back pleasant memories, Jellal?" asked Midnight.
The irony of the situation—being asked that question in the place he feared and dreaded. Jellal never wanted to imagine his days working until he was sore, then sleeping on the unforgiving floor while trying to find a way to escape. The sleepless nights he was forced to endure for the sake of his friends. The punishments he took on for Erza and Simon to make sure they wouldn't be made an example of. All because of their precious freedom
Jellal stopped fighting the pain. He accepted it wordlessly as Midnight relished in his final achievements. His gaze weakly flickered to Erza, who was burning with anger and passion.
"JELLAL!"
Erza's scream woke him up from his trance. He found himself standing again beside Wendy as Erza sliced her spear through Midnight, hearing the grandfather clock strike again.
Three times, three seconds. That's all it took to bring him down as Erza defeated him with her eyes closed.
Jellal surveyed the area then locked eyes with her, finding the torture to be surreal despite going through the pain moments ago. "...an illusion?"
Midnight collapsed to the ground when Erza struck him, keeping an eye closed. "I'm immune to illusions because of my right eye. I suppose you can count that as a weakness as well."
Midnight lay on the floor and reached up for the sky, tears welling up in his eyes.
Erza face twisted in disgust as she guided Wendy with a hand on her back. "Come on, let's go."
Jellal stayed back and heard him say, "All I ever wanted, my only prayer...was to be able to sleep peacefully."
The Wizard Saint looked back at him and no longer feared the Tower of Heaven. "You were also a victim in the tower, weren't you?"
Midnight gave a dry laugh, "I was."
Jellal stood there in silence as Midnight struggled to find his footing. The mage ended up slumping against the ruins, releasing a puff of air. "You should have seen our desperation when all the children watched as you and your pals escaped the Tower of Heaven. We wanted freedom, too. Makes me wonder what you did to deserve it."
"Did you not take the opportunity to escape with the countless ships once we defeated the cult members?"
Midnight sneered at him pitifully, "It wasn't even a minute in when they recovered and secured all the children who tried following you. None of you dared look back or tell the government of the atrocities on that island. How could you?"
"You expected me to provide a safe haven for you when not even I had the means to survive? I would have helped every last person escape had I been powerful enough."
"You were your group's precious leader who initiated the escape in the Tower of Heaven. Who else did we expect to come save us?"
Jellal clenched his jaw, "I was not a miracle worker at the age of eleven. Nor did I have the power to execute an escape with a significant number of people. The plan would only fail."
"None of you had come back to save the remaining children."
He found himself guilty of never revisiting the Tower of Heaven because of his past. It only brought on feelings of regret and guilt. "I know I should've gone back, and I was planning to, but-"
But Erza had begged him not to return once he had devised a plan to get the remaining children, in fear of becoming imprisoned again.
"If only we had the same luxury."
Jellal tucked his hands in the pockets of his coat. "Do you know what happened to the remaining people in the Tower of Heaven?"
"You won't believe it, but Father reported the cult to the government months after you escaped. Ever since then, nobody has set foot onto the island."
It made sense why the Magic Council did not have an inkling of the Tower of Heaven's current status, nor did they concern themselves with the abandoned structure.
Putting the pieces together about Brain's action of reporting to the Magic Council, he came to a realization. Jellal's eyes narrowed, sending chills down Midnight's spine. "Do you know why he reported the activity to the Magic Council?"
"He...promised us freedom. Father understands the pain we endured." He replied in a singsong voice. "Let him attain Nirvana, Jellal. True freedom lies within him."
Reaching up to use his magic on Jellal, the Wizard Saint pummelled him to the ground and bunched the fabric of his shirt into one hand. "The reason why Brain reported the cult leaders is that he had a direct connection with the Tower of Heaven."
At this, Midnight cackled in hilarity. "You can't expect me to believe that. He was not involved with the cult."
"He discovered that some children escaped the Tower of Heaven. If we were to report it to the Magic Council, the cult would reveal all the members involved in the operation, Brain included. If Brain reported them himself and used the Oración Seis as pawns, none of the blame would fall into his lap."
"Father would never use us as pawns. He's gone this far so we can attain our dreams, I doubt that's the case."
"Your freedom is a farce. It's a lie he keeps feeding you so that you continue to do his bidding. He is as guilty as those who captured us. In fact, he spent years experimenting with some children he encountered, according to the Magic Council's intel."
Midnight's scowl returned, "You're lying! He has no need for the Revive System! It is an invention created by Zeref, and we do not seek him."
Jellal relinquished his hold on Midnight and started off in the opposite direction. "Believe what you want. It was a well-planned scheme, and he fooled many."
"I hope the Tower of Heaven becomes your grave, by some miraculous event."
The words did not bother him. Despite being a victim of the Tower of Heaven like his other friends, Jellal was no longer afraid of confronting his past, not like he was years ago.
"Huh?" Natsu stared at the sky, dumbfounded by the telepathic connection. "Who's in my head right now?"
He shook his head vigorously as if the voice would disappear.
The voice spoke again, surprising the group of mages who scoured a nearby tower after defeating Brain. Gray and Natsu were left gaping at Jura's immense power. They were coming up with hypotheses about the outcome of a battle between Jellal and Jura.
Jura, being the humble man he was, answered, "Jellal would most certainly claim victory. He is just below the Gods of Ishgar."
"Gods of Ishgar?" mouthed Lucy, trying to recall the name.
"Yes. The most powerful wizards in Ishgar are not human. Hypothetically, it is safe to assume that Jellal is the strongest human Wizard Saint."
"So when do I become a Wizard Saint for beating him up?" challenged Natsu, rolling his shoulders in circles. He felt sore everywhere, but cracked a smile nonetheless.
"In due time," the telepathic voice spoke again. "I need to ask you all for a favour."
Lucy gulped, "Who is this person? What if they're the enemy?"
The voice sounded delicate, unlike the cacophony of noises they'd been hearing throughout the day. "Nah, I bet it's the guy Pops was talkin' bout earlier." Gray suggested, earning a nod from Jura.
"This is Richard. He's on our side, so we should heed his advice."
"Oh, yes!" he chimed. "I was no match for Midnight, unfortunately. You all need to defeat him together. But be wary, he is stronger than Brain."
"Brain? That means we need someone of Jura's strength to fight him!" Lucy gasped.
Natsu crossed his arms, "You're all forgetting that Jellal and Erza are out there as well. I'm sure they'll make easy work of him."
Gray nervously bit his lip, "But what if they got into trouble? Jellal can use telepathy too, and we haven't heard back from him."
Lucy nodded, "He's right. We can't risk assuming they're fine when they can be in grave danger."
"Excellent," the voice said pleasantly. "If you defeat him, then Nirvana will cease, rendering useless."
Natsu squinted his eyes. "Who are we talking to?"
From above the platform they stood upon, Natsu scanned across the city to try and find Hoteye, to no avail.
"This must be the work of Organic Link Magic," Gray concluded. Happy groaned audibly at their discovery.
"He's below the Royal Throne. Please be careful. He's powerful!"
"I'm all fired up!" Natsu exclaimed with laughter. Happy raised his paw in protest.
"Our goal is to stop Nirvana. Besides, I highly doubt you're going to fight Midnight if you didn't stand a chance against Brain."
Lucy cocked an eyebrow at the familiarity of those words. "It seems like Jellal isn't the only one who thinks Natsu's overconfidence is a bit far-fetched."
"Jellal doesn't have faith in my powers? Don't be silly Luce, I've saved him a thousand times over."
"Sure you did." She responded unenthusiastically.
Upon hearing Hoteye's strangled words before the connection cut off, Jura called out for him. "Richard!"
Gray shrugged, "Well, it looks like we have to get down there through the stairs."
Natsu was the first to dart through the stairwell in the cylindrical tower. The Royal Throne, as it was referred by the Nirvits. For something so pleasant sounding, the staircases were dingy and gave off a dangerous aura. Lucy stayed hot on Jura's steps in the event of something dangerous coming.
Little did she know that she was walking into danger.
As the group neared the bottom, Natsu rocketed into a door with a brilliant shade of red crowned with a green dragon. The facade of the door appeared inviting and stood out, unlike the other sections of the Royal Throne. To Jura, the ordeal seemed very intentional, as if Midnight wanted them to find him.
"It's not opening!" Natsu heaved, pulling the handle. Gray reached out for the one on the right and flung the doors open, baring themselves to the light.
Inside was not Midnight like they expected, but projectiles and combusted materials ready to burst at them.
Jura shoved the others out of the way. "It's a trap!"
He buried the others beneath a protection spell and produced beams of iron in front of them, barricading them inside.
Gingerly, Gray felt his surroundings and bumped his head with a layer of cemented dirt. "We're caved in?"
Natsu proved otherwise, poking his head through the barrier. He felt himself suffocate at the sight of Jura collapsing from up ahead.
"POPS!"
Jura coughed as he spoke up. "To think we fell for such an obvious trap."
Lucy's eyes watered at his gesture. She thought he had a heart of gold to protect him with whatever strength he had left. It was selflessness she had not yet gained. "Jura...? Please, please wake up!"
No response came from him, and instead, the Fairy Tail mages were met with bellowing laughter.
Klodoa confronted the group, spiralling around them in joy. "Oh good, Master Zero will be pleased by the Wizard Saint's defeat. But if I recall correctly, there are two of you, aren't there?"
"What about it, jerk?"
Klodoa's countenance contorted into irritation. "I'm assuming you're not the other Wizard Saint, considering how vulgar your vocabulary is."
Natsu cracked his muscles before pouncing in the staff's direction, trying to catch the animate object. Gray chimed in, shirtless, and prepared to be a martyr for the cause.
And Lucy watched embarrassingly at the lack of professionalism in their techniques. "That will not get us anywhere..."
Another cackle interrupted the battle, and all the mages were shaking in fear at the presence. What seemed like a comical atmosphere soon turned into a horror scene.
This time, it was a battle for life and death.
"Master Zero!" Klodoa announced, making himself scarce from the group and travelling to his side. Zero observed the surroundings with his maniacal expression, and it wasn't long before he struck Jura.
"He's after Pops!" Gray yelled, intercepting the attack with a shield of ice.
Natsu growled, "You lookin' for a fight, punk?"
"How dare you address Master Zero with such degrading terms?" Klodoa barked.
"That's quite all right, Klodoa. He's asking for a fight, and it will become his downfall."
Rolling his jaw, Natsu grinned. "That's more like it. I get to fight the guild master before Jellal has a chance."
Lucy exhaled, "You're missing the point."
"I think Flame Brain here has been hit in the head one too many times," Gray said through gritted teeth.
"What'd ya say, Icy Popsicle?"
"Are you kidding me? We have to stop this guy and you two are starting an argument-"
The blonde yelped when Zero attacked both her and Jura, sending them flying against the wall with an overwhelming force.
The fear that consumed her at the start of the mission had returned. Her throat constricted at the agonizing feeling of defeat. Glancing at Happy, she could see him struggle with tears in his eyes.
"Happy, it's alright, it's going to okay." She hyperventilated, unsure why she kept feeding herself lie after lie.
"Get out of here with Pops!" Natsu demanded, forcing himself to strike Zero at every given chance.
Both he and Gray hadn't made it far. Within a few minutes, the two were lying on the ground like battered fish.
When she realized there was only her, Happy, and whatever remained of Jura, Lucy's shrill echoed throughout the room. The mass of the tower above them collapsed around the group, trapping them within the once revered figure in Nirvana.
Erza took sharp turns into the corners of the city, in search for an entrance to the tower where the explosion resounded.
"Erza, where are you taking us?" called out Jellal from behind, carrying Wendy and Carla. They didn't have the stamina to keep up with the S-Class mage, and Jellal himself was finding it hard to follow her without magic. Every step was made on her own accord, and whimsical.
She stopped, turning around to face him. "It's no use, we'll have to break into the place. I know this is a historical sight, however..."
Having been wary about having additional damage charges against Fairy Tail, she stared at him for confirmation. "Be my guest."
"Actually, I would like it if you could do the honours." Erza responded in kind.
Jellal set the exceed and mage on the ground, destroying the side of the tower with a mere kick.
He hadn't expected to find more rubble inside, and investigated the situation, surprised the wall did not reveal a room or a hollow space.
Erza dropped to the ground, trying to grasp the wall behind her. She clenched her teeth to endure the pain. Her legs and abdomen cramped from the strenuous battle and legwork resulting from it.
Jellal examined the tower and noticed the rubble piling over the tower. Anyone inside it might as well been deprived of air. "Weren't Natsu and Jura at the top of this tower before we fought Midnight?"
Wendy nodded, recalling that during their scouring while Erza was unconscious, Natsu had been running around in circles victoriously while Jura seemed to be communicating with somebody.
"Then why can't I sense a telepathic connection with them?"
He spun on his heel to discuss the topic with Erza and found her placing a hand over her stomach. "Erza?"
"Sorry...it hurts."
"You don't need to apologize," he quickly answered, lifting her to her feet.
Carla observed the Wizard Saint keenly, "She's in no condition to walk, especially with her recent battle."
"I'm fine," Erza insisted, leaning against Jellal. He wrapped her arm around his shoulders and shifted her weight to him, easing the burden upon her.
Her eyes narrowed to the remnants of the tower. "I think they're in there. The explosion came from around here, and it's possible Brain might have got them."
"The only member remaining is the guild master. According to Cobra, he could sense Brain's defeat."
"Natsu must have tried to fight him. I can only imagine how that ended for him." Erza resisted the urge to sigh, since she expected nothing less from the Dragon Slayer.
Jellal concurred, continuing to study the structure ahead of them. "This all must have been a setup. It's no coincidence he eliminated Jura's group so easily."
With his Telekinesis, Jellal worked to remove several rocks at once, careful to not use any destructive spells in case they encountered anyone.
A groan resounded the empty area once Jellal finished. Wendy followed behind as the two Fairy Tail wizards ventured into the Royal Throne.
"Jellal, they're here!" Erza deduced, leaving his side. She knelt in front of the Lucy to roll the Celestial Mage on her back. "She's unconscious..."
"Even Jura's out. Just what happened here?"
Jura remained unresponsive to any movement, just like Natsu and Gray. But they did hear a sniffle, coming from Happy.
"Tomcat's awake," Carla announced with her arms crossed. She assisted Happy very reluctantly by guiding him up until he was sitting on the concrete. Happy's vision refocussed on Jellal, and his cry of relief resounded the Royal Throne.
"Jellal," he wailed, crawling to the Wizard Saint. "They got us, it was a trap. Jura's friend led us down here, where-"
Happy exhaled sharply, tears prickling his eyes. "Friend? You mean Hoteye?"
The exceed groaned hoarsely, clutching his body. "Yes. The room exploded...Jura—he saved us. And when Zero came to life, Natsu and Gray fought against him, while Lucy and I were told to run. But they-"
His voice cracked the second time, and this time tears slid down his face. "You gotta stop Nirvana, Jellal. They're headed for Wendy and Carla's home!"
At this, the exceed and girl reacted heartily. "Why would they go after Cait Shelter?"
"I have no clue," Jellal confessed. "But we have to destroy Nirvana before it reaches its destination."
"Do you have a plan?" Wendy asked, almost hopefully.
"I discovered years ago that Nirvana has six crystals powering it. I suppose it's another term for the lacrimas. They're likely the powerhouses of this spell. We need to find where they're located."
Carla huffed. "One problem, we don't have this information."
"My knowledge of Nirvana only goes so far. Brain used Archive to discover it. Something like his magic would prove useful."
Erza looked above at the sky, "Doesn't Hibiki have it? He already knew of Nirvana's dangerous nature. If we can reach him, we'll be able to stop Zero and this spell. Jellal, use your magic and try connecting all of us telepathically."
Jellal surveyed the surroundings, trying to pinpoint the airship, Christina. He found someone else reaching out to him instead before he attempted his telepathy.
"Can anyone hear me?" the voice called out weakly. Hibiki, Jellal recognized.
Another voice responded to the Archive Mage rather enthusiastically. "Loud and clear! Meeeennnn!"
The sound of Ichiya caused Erza to sigh in relief instead of dread his presence. "Looks like the others are still fine."
"Fine wouldn't be very accurate," Hibiki replied. His voice echoed throughout their heads and did not stir a reaction from the unconscious mages. "I have to make this quick, so please listen up."
The Wizard Saint asked, "Hibiki, would you be able to use Archive to stop Nirvana? According to intel, it's headed for Cait Shelter."
"That's precisely why I contacted you all. There is a way to stop Nirvana, but there's an infinitesimal chance we'll succeed."
A timer appeared over everyone's head, counting down from twenty-three minutes. "Above, I placed a timer to indicate how much time we have to execute the plan. I've also downloaded a map into your minds. There are six pathways which lead to control rooms. They each have a lacrima that must be destroyed simultaneously. While Nirvana's cannon is readying up, it will interrupt the system, which will put it out of commission."
Erza glanced around, finding Natsu and the others still unresponsive. "We don't have six people."
Hibiki's gulp was audible to the group, "They're all down? Even Jura?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Jellal answered. "Including Ichiya, that makes the four of us. Even then, Erza doesn't have the strength to fight."
"You need somebody to destroy the lacrimas, right? I have to help." She cut in with as much seriousness.
"But what if your magic is not enough? You're barely able to stand, let alone, walk."
Carla glared at the group of mages. "Wendy cannot destroy the lacrima either! She's exhausted her magic energy because she's spent the entire day healing everyone."
"That makes three of us, including Erza," he corrected himself, surprising Hibiki.
"I'm sorry, but all of us on board Christina don't have enough ethernano to keep Christina moving for long. We're going to-"
Another voice cut in, intruding and obsessed with the idea of the Allied Forces' defeat. "Did I hear that correctly? Only three mages up to the task of destroying Nirvana? Well, you can certainly try. But I'll be waiting at one of the control rooms."
Before he could speak any further, Jellal took over the telepathy and disallowed any jacking from the guild master.
"We don't have much time, so we need to assign numbers." Hibiki announced.
Ichiya proclaimed, "My parfum tells me that number five is the one I was destined with."
Erza narrowed her eyes, "You're only saying that because it's the closest one to you."
"Erza, honey. Why must you embarrass me like that?"
The sound of her growl scared Wendy to her wits. "Do not call me that."
Jellal smiled at the momentary normality of the situation, before trying to figure out how they could get three more people. Judging by the sounds coming from Christina, the others had pushed themselves to their limits. "Is there no other way to go about this?"
"I've tried calculating other ways, but we don't have time. If it's you, Jellal...I know you'll find a way to destroy all six."
The sound of the airship crashing resounded their ears, and the telepathic connection cut off from there. Jellal leaned against the wall, trying to think of the best way to go about the situation in twenty minutes. "Ichiya has number five, which leaves us with the other five control rooms..."
"I'll take number six," Erza volunteered, getting up from her spot and brushing off the dust from her skirt.
"We can't take the risk. What if you encounter Zero?"
"I can handle him," she reassured.
"I can't allow you to go alone. You barely have the strength to stand."
"Who's going to help, Jellal? They're all down for the count. I can still hold my ground." She affirmed, pointing at the mages anchored to the concrete.
"If I can somehow destroy the other five I'll-"
Erza clasped his hand with her own, intertwining their fingers. "Stop, please. Don't burden yourself with the impossible. We can't continuously rely on you for the outcome of this battle. You need all the help you can get."
"She's right," a voice mumbled painfully, coming from below them. Natsu propped himself on his elbows shakily. "We're gonna help ya. Oi!"
He shouted loud enough and stirred Gray awake, followed by Lucy, who grasped the wall for support. Erza and Jellal steadied the mages until they were on their feet, ready to make their trip.
Gray laughed half-heartedly, "Natsu's right, you can't go stealing the spotlight in this mission, Jellal. There's a reason we're working with three other guilds."
"I'm taking number one!" Natsu hollered in a guttural voice, sprinting across the rubble aimlessly to find the first control room. Jellal watched him as he made his way out of the tower until he was out of sight.
"He's going after Zero."
Erza tapped his shoulder, "We should fill them in on the task before running after Natsu."
Of course, that had been the plan the entire time. Natsu would have been the easiest way to discover where Zero would be.
Wendy stood in a corner in anticipation, unable to see herself so helpless amid mages who should've been lying in their deathbeds.
Especially Erza. Wendy thought everything about her spirit was wild, fearless, and the embodiment of what it meant to be Titania.
"I think I heard it all, I guess telepathy has its effectiveness," Gray mused. "I'll take the third one, then."
"Fourth," Lucy called out, taking off with Happy in a struggle.
"Two remains, since I have the sixth one." Erza reminded, trying to convince Jellal to let her destroy the lacrima. "Now that we know Zero is in the first one, you don't have to worry about me."
"I trust you," he conceded. She released his hand with a knowing smile.
Wendy caught Erza's arm on her way out, staring at her. Even covered in dirt, she was beautiful. Unlike anything she had ever laid eyes upon. "Wait! I'm going to take number six...please." She took Erza's hand and placed the crystallized arm in her grasp. "Hold on to this and stay with Jellal."
"Wendy, I still have enough magic energy."
"No, I insist! Like Jellal said, you did so much for this mission. You owe it to him to return with your arm."
Wendy's eyes twinkled with ambition, and Erza embraced the young girl. "You're a brave girl, Wendy."
"Really?" the young girl asked, teary-eyed.
"I know so," Erza gave a small hum, while Jellal watched with a growing smile. Wendy caught it and cheerfully fled with Carla.
Once the two mages were left alone, she prompted to the unconscious Wizard Saint, "What are going to do about Jura?"
"I suppose we should leave him here for the time being. He'll be a good distance from the destruction we're about to cause." Jellal answered.
Erza wordlessly concurred with him, before eyeing Jellal with a pleased expression. "Revisiting your old idea, how bad does it seem compared to this one?" Erza questioned smugly.
"You're far better at decision-making than I am," he said.
"Then I suppose you should let me decide things more often. You've proven yourself reckless today." She implied slyly. "But I suppose that's what Fairy Tail does best."
"You're right" she could hear the grin in his voice. "Thank you, Erza."
"Oh, Jellal," she approached him and embraced him with the fervour they both held for each other.
His name on her lips was a prayer. Jellal found everything about it to be the epitome of perfection.
They were inside the tunnel leading to one of the six control rooms when they heard a loud rumble from ahead. They both released hands and ran towards the scene, finding Natsu being pummelled to the floor.
Natsu mustered up the energy to stalk towards the Wizard Saint in an unruly manner. "I was gonna show you out before you arrived here. I'll beat this clown, just you watch!"
He was already exhausted, and arguing did not help his case. Jellal held out a hand to Natsu, offering to help him up. "Leave the rest to me. Reach the other lacrima as fast as you can."
"No way! I got here first, so I'm going to fight him!"
Both mages were wide open for Zero to attack. He pointed a finger at them. "Dark Capriccio!"
Jellal noticed the incoming attack and pushed Natsu out of the way, striking Jellal to the floor.
"No!" Erza and Natsu yelled. The Dragon Slayer was at a loss for words, glaring at Zero as he laughed.
Jellal had only been moderately injured, sitting up with some difficulty. He turned to Natsu with a hard look. "Listen to me. Go to number two and destroy the lacrima. We're running short on time."
"But-"
"That's an order."
"Yes, sir!" he squeaked before racing out of the tunnel. There had been few times where Jellal had been assertive about his orders. It was the kind nobody could turn a blind eye to.
The S-Class mages noticed Happy wasn't with him. Their second guess was Lucy, since she didn't have the strength to tread.
Zero cackled in their direction as if the spectacle provided him some modicum of entertainment. Erza tucked the large chunk of ice beside her, sitting against the wall. Jellal stood up, waiting for his opponent to speak. Erza made herself scarce as the darkness of the tunnel allowed her to conceal her appearance.
"This is more like it! That Dragon Slayer didn't hold a candle to me with all those injuries. I'm going to take pleasure in bringing you down, Wizard Saint."
"Careful, that may become your demise very quickly."
"Indulge me, Jellal. I've been wanting to witness your power for quite some time."
"Meteor!" Erza did not perceive his movements in time. One second he was in front of her, and in the blink of an eye Jellal right hooked Zero from behind, sending the guild master crashing into the floor.
The dark mage whipped his head around the room, trying to pinpoint Jellal's location. It seemed nearly impossible, especially with the golden streaks of light flashing around him. The guild master growled at his failed attempts to find out where he was.
"If you're going to keep running away, then I suppose a spell such as yours should counter your movements. Dark Capriccio!"
This time, Jellal noticed it was an altered version of his original spell. He used it as a whip and moved his finger along, forcing Jellal to stop using Meteor. Now he was dodging all the attacks with acrobatic leaps, despite not using magic. His evasion impressed both Zero and Erza.
With Meteor, it would be risky since he was likely to collide with the spell moving in an unpredictable pattern. Zero used his other hand and held his palm out, producing a large burst of magic energy. The entire spell sent Jellal crashing down to the lowest grounds of Nirvana. Beside him, he could see the distance between the civilization and the forest ground.
Erza gaped at Zero in disbelief as he jumped into the hole, preparing to annihilate the Wizard Saint, who was still recovering from the blast.
Jellal jumped away from the attack and held his palm out, producing his Heavenly Arrows. Zero flawlessly dodged them all, whirling his way closer to him.
"Meteor!" Jellal sped towards the top of the room, where Zero shortly followed. There were still three minutes until the lacrimas were to be destroyed. The older man blocked Jellal from coming near the lacrima, using variations of Dark Capriccio.
Jellal had remained in his spot, waiting for the guild master's next attack. Zero smiled widely, holding his palm out as his opponent stood there idly.
Erza screamed, not caring if she drew Zero's attention. The gravity of the spell overwhelmed "Jellal, what are you doing? Get away from him!"
"Zero Genesis!" darkness surrounded them, blocking Erza's view from Jellal. She froze when she realized her mistake of blowing her cover.
Worse, she witnessed Jellal disappear into the darkness soundlessly.
Zero turned to her. "Looks like you're next, Titania."
Wide-eyed in horror, she requipped a sword and held it out. "What did you do to Jellal?"
"As we speak, his soul is being extracted by those phantoms. I've opened the Gate of Wraithwail. I can't believe I had to resort to it, but it's erased his existence for good."
Insanity. It was written all over his face as he revered in Jellal's demise.
The revelation disheartened her. She could think of nothing else but Jellal's failed attempt to defeat Zero.
Erza's lips trembled before pointing her sword to him. Knowing one minute was on the clock, she could jeopardize the entire mission. "Jellal's not dead."
"Feeding yourself lies won't change the truth! Prepare to meet your end, Titania!"
She heaved a shaky breath, trying to clear her mind from her phantom thoughts and overwhelming emotions. Her crystallized arm was left to the side, unseen. "I swear to him I will defeat you."
"This fight is pointless! Now that Jellal's gone, nobody stands a chance against 'll befall the same fate as him, little girl. Dark Delete!"
With a sword of Crimson Blossom's caliber, Erza swung the weapon and dodged the attack. Simultaneously, she noticed someone else had caused the spell to deflect back in Zero's direction.
She found herself bumping into Jellal. Relief flooded her, knowing he had somehow evaded the attack and was in fact, not in the midst of dying.
Erza would have found the situation funny if he didn't disappear on her when Zero claimed he had died. "How did you escape?"
Jellal gestured to his Thought Projection who took the attack. He merged with it, combining his magic energy into one. "I knew that gate was a rift between life and death, so I used my Thought Projection to endure the attack while I remained in the tunnel, suppressing my magic."
Zero's eyes widened, "You insolent fool!"
Together they counted the seconds until Nirvana would strike Cait Shelter.
The ceiling started chipping away from the centre of the lacrima, forcing Zero to dodge the crumbling pieces. From under the cracks, he could see seven seals in the form of a constellation above them. Jellal brought his hands forth.
Seven seconds.
"May the Seven Stars bring judgement upon you."
"I won't let you destroy it!" Zero yelled, preparing to cast Dark Rondo on him.
Jellal raced towards Zero and drove him into the wall with brute force. The roof started raining down upon them at a faster rate.
Zero gasped when he recovered his footing. "What? Impossible!"
Three.
Jellal stepped back to cast the spell. "Grand Chariot!"
One.
The lacrimas shattered simultaneously, causing a violent rumble to ensue beneath them. With whatever strength he had left, Jellal used Meteor and grabbed Erza, racing towards the exit. They caught Gray in time as well, who took Jellal's arm as they flew away from Nirvana, landing on the forest floor. The entire civilization crumpled before them.
The three mages landed a safe distance from the ruins of Nirvana, waiting on the others. Gray dropped to the ground, panting heavily.
The Ice Mage cracked an eyelid open to him. "I gotta admit, that Blue Pegasus mage had a brilliant plan."
Erza breathed in and out continuously until her heart stopped pounding in her ears. "Nothing short of reckless, too. And here I thought we lost Jellal for good."
"That tactic was the only way to avoid taking a direct hit from his spell. If I tried to counter it, the phantoms would've teared at my soul until my existence was erased."
Gray looked at them curiously. "What are we talking about?"
Erza had questions of her own, unable to answer Gray's. "That—gate he referred to. Was that a rift between life and death?"
When Jellal gave a casual nod in response, Erza grasped his shoulders and shook him back and forth. "You could've died!"
He chuckled. "Since when did that ever change?"
"Jellal, don't be so reckless next time!"
"I don't think you have a say in that, Titania. Losing your arm was the biggest risk anyone took on this mission, lest you forget."
She conceded to his point, finding no fault in it. "But it wasn't like I was going to die or-"
Erza was interrupted by the approach of another wizard. The Fairy Tail mages did not expect to see an insanely large man with an overly toned body. The sight left Erza gaping as the man called out, "Erza, my honey! I'm glad to see you're doing well!"
Erza shivered and jumped back, summoning the same spear she used earlier for the Blue Pegasus leader. "Who are you!?"
"Answer the lady!" Gray demanded, feeling chills run down his spine by merely looking at his appearance.
Jellal raised an eyebrow. "His voice sounds familiar."
Ichiya held his arms out in front of him, trying to provide an explanation before getting skewered by Erza. "Please, allow me to explain. My Power Parfum temporarily altered my appearance. But on the inside, I'm the same old Ichiya you know and love!"
He continued flexing his muscles. Erza and Gray turned away, speechless to say the least. Jellal seemed unbothered by Ichiya's antics. In fact, Erza could've sworn she saw a smile plastered on his face. "You have quite a persistent admirer, Erza."
"Unfortunately, that seems to be the case," she responded in distraught.
From above them, a grandfather clock landed on the forest ground beside Ichiya, stretching their arms out. Horologium graciously spoke on behalf of Lucy. "So dizzy, she speaks."
Ichiya narrowed his eyes. "A new enemy?"
Erza shook her head. "That's one of Lucy's spirits."
"Horologium, the one that assisted you in the play," Jellal added. Erza's smile grew when she recalled the job request.
"That is correct, Miss Lucy says."
The Celestial Mage stepped out of the clock with Happy in her arms, bowing down to him. "Thank you, Horologium. But I don't recall summoning you..."
"I passed the gate on my own accord when I sensed Milady was in danger." He continued explaining the effects of staying in the clock, such as removing acne and blemishes, something which caught Erza's interest.
"Very fascinating," Erza commented.
Jellal shot her a quizzical gaze, "I wouldn't imagine it being a problem with you. Your skin is perfectly fine."
"You think so?" Erza said, taking the time to examine Jellal's features by holding his face between her hands. She found herself murmuring incoherent thoughts about him. "Yours too. Is there perhaps some scientific evidence proving that combat can improve our appearance?"
"I would argue environmental factors are a crucial factor," Jellal countered matter-of-factly.
She nodded her head, interested in knowing what these "environmental factors" were, and having Jellal list them all as she made a mental note. Lucy resisted the urge to grin at Erza's interrogation.
Behind them, Jura approached the group with Wendy and Carla in his grasp, barely injured. The tenth Wizard Saint asked, "Is everyone alright?"
Wendy searched the area, unable to find Natsu in sight.
Everyone else noticed his scarce presence. Gray and Lucy whipped their heads around, searching for him. Erza was the first to notice the ground rumble beneath them. They all jumped when the ground liquified beneath them and revealed Hoteye carrying Natsu. Happy shrieked in relief, approaching his friend as they both embraced, grinning at each other.
Gray studied Hoteye, "Woah! Isn't he a member of the Oración Seis?"
Jura gave a small smile. "He's the one who became prone to Nirvana's effects."
"Oh, yes!" concurred Hoteye. " I finally found my ways thanks to the power of love!"
"Great! Now that's done, we can go home and fix Erza's arm." Natsu said, wondering how she wasn't passed out from all the fighting.
"Speaking of which, where is it?" Jellal turned to Erza for confirmation. Thinking about it for a long moment, she released his face and, flustered, backed away from the group.
"We were so caught up in the battle, I didn't realize I left it on the side of the corridor..."
Everyone gawked at her, unable to believe their ears. She shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose there's nothing to be done about it."
Jellal expected her reaction. Unamused, he said, "Everyone stay here while I go find it."
"Wait!" Erza protested. "I'll go search for it with Jellal."
Natsu and Gray prevented her from going any further, to which she glared at them before they stepped aside. Jellal didn't stop them, having agreed with their decision. "I think you've had enough injuries for a night. I'll return as soon as I find it."
Gray gritted his teeth, wanting to go search with him. But he didn't, knowing it would only bring rise to unnecessary guilt and anger. Erza leaned against a small cliff, waving her arm as acknowledgement. Everyone continued looking in Nirvana's direction until Jellal disappeared.
Ichiya closed his legs tightly, squirming in his spot. "Now I need to relieve myself!"
Everyone was mildly horrified by the statement. Ichiya ran ahead, only to run into an invisible wall.
Wendy pointed to the ground. "Look, there's writing."
Jura pressed his hand against the barrier in astonishment. "This is...an enchantment."
"Looks like the work of Freed," Gray assumed, studying the magical barrier intently. "No, this is perhaps even more powerful than him."
Natsu gasped aloud as he concluded, "Don't tell me Jellal did this? He was probably afraid that Erza would go after him."
Lucy bit the inside of her cheek, "I'm pretty sure that's not the case. Last time he was stuck in a barrier, he needed to use a Light Pen to rewrite the enchantment."
"So this time he used an invisible Light Pen?" the Dragon Slayer asked, dumbfounded.
"No, you dummy! It means he didn't even make this barrier to begin with!" she retorted. Erza found Natsu's assumption to be believable, since it was a very Jellal thing to do. But surely he wouldn't incapacitate the other mages if this were his doing.
Ichiya shook relentlessly. "I'm going to wet myself if I don't get out of here!"
"Oh, no you don't!" Lucy shouted, clenching her fist. She wondered how her voice hadn't faded from the continuous onslaught of battles.
Opposite from the destruction of Nirvana, a group of Rune Knights appeared before them. Although Jura communicated frequently with the Magic Council, he was still wary of the council's plans. The new Custody Enforcement Unit was stricter than the last one.
The Magic Council began reforming after the Phantom Lord incident and Gran Doma coming into power. Jellal must have known Gran Doma's nature from the start to have approved him as the next chairman.
The new chairman definitely was not one to take things lightly.
Carla snarled at the group of mages. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Fret not, we mean you no harm." Lahar spoke, keeping his composure despite the presence of multiple powerful mages. "I am the Head Captain of the Custody Enforcement Unit, Lahar. It is my job to uphold the law and bring justice to all evildoers."
He might as well gone against his entire point. "We're no evildoers! In fact, we're the heroes who stopped Nirvana."
The mage fixed his glasses, setting his eyes past Jura and onto Hoteye. "I'm aware. We've come to arrest the remaining Oración Seis. I ask that you hand over the member codenamed Hoteye."
Everyone turned to the mage, finding it strange that he hadn't protested against them. Jura stepped in front of the Allied Forces, shielding Richard from Lahar's gaze. "Wait, this is wrong!"
The Rune Knights shifted their weapons directly onto Jura, who found the entire situation to be ironic. He, the one who was appointed as a Wizard Saint by this very council, was being threatened by its members.
The Oración Seis member stepped forward, unafraid of facing his punishment. "It's alright, Jura."
"Richard..."
The name rang a bell to Erza, making her recall it somewhere. His resemblance was awfully familiar to Wally, having been pointed out by Natsu previously.
Jura pondered about his decision, if he would really abandon his endeavour to search for his brother. Having been passionate about his new goal, the Wizard Saint pitied him.
"In that case, I'll be the one to search for your brother," Jura announced. The news brought Hoteye to tears as he contemplated the years spent looking for him as a dark mage, believing he had gained freedom through Brain. "What's his name?"
"Wally," he said cautiously. "Wally Buchanan...you would really do that for me?"
"Of course."
Natsu, Lucy, and Gray gawked at him after registering the name. "Wally?"
Lucy put a hand to her chin in deep thought. "Hm, now I see their resemblance."
"BLOCK HEADS!" Natsu hollered.
Erza pulled on the Dragon Slayer's scarf. "Be nice."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Erza gave Hoteye a knowing look. "Richard, we know of your brother. He's a good friend of ours, and you'll be glad to know he joined Fairy Tail along with Jellal and I."
"My brother...joined a guild?"
At Erza's nod, he fell to his knees and wept for what he couldn't all those years ago. "Thank you."
Their faces fell as the Rune Knights secured Hoteye from his arms and led him into a vehicle for prisoners. He never looked back at them, content with the news about Wally being alive and well.
"That is all for tonight. Thank you for cooperating with us," Lahar said distantly. Erza caught his eye, scanning the area, as if searching for someone else. Erza deduced he was looking for Jellal.
Once the Rune Knights left, Ichiya raced across multiple bushes with tears in his eyes. The tension thickened because there was no sight of Jellal for hours. Waiting for him had been agonizing and quiet.
"He's not back," Lucy claimed, slightly disturbed by his absence.
"What now, do we regroup with the others or search for him?" Gray asked. Everyone turned to Erza for the answer.
"The rest of you regroup at Cait Shelter, I'll stay here." She informed them. "He'll return soon."
"And if he doesn't?" Wendy questioned, eyebrows furrowed as she reminisced about old times.
"Then I'll go find him."
Almost everyone was against the idea until Jura started heading towards Cait Shelter. "She can take care of herself. There are still many unanswered questions, and I'm going to solve the remaining mysteries of this mission."
Everyone reluctantly followed him, occasionally turning their heads to make sure Erza was fine. She sat up, having no intentions of following them. Natsu frowned, opening his mouth to say something.
Nothing came out.
After a moment of silence between them, the Dragon Slayer left. Her smile was weak and tired, but he acknowledged it as reassurance.
The night was still young, Erza realized, gazing at the sky. Everything about it reminded her about the beauty of Jellal's magic.
The night sky became her keeper, and it lulled her into a dreamless sleep.
Erza's eyes opened to a crimson sunrise. Judging by the looks of it, she had been asleep for at least a few hours. She also felt her magic energy return.
...and her crystallized arm lay on her lap, which meant that Jellal had brought it back for her.
She scanned the area for him, not finding him in sight.
Jellal must've returned to the others by now.
She thought it was unlike him. He would have brought her back with him or stayed with her.
"Jellal?" she called out, wondering where he could have been if not either place.
Maybe she was overthinking it. Perhaps he left her sleeping there and returned after being informed about the situation.
The Cait Shelter guild's structure was comparable to a town, with houses designated for each mage. By the time she reached the designated area, the sunrise's colour disappeared from the sky. She noticed everyone else had changed into clothing traditional for the Nirvits.
Lucy skipped to the S-Class mage, sighing in relief. "Erza! I see you've got your arm back."
"It seems I have, thanks to Jellal. Speaking of which, where is he?"
There was a moment of awkward silence before Lucy cleared her throat, finding her question to be unbelievable. "...I thought you were going to come back with him."
Erza's face fell at the revelation. "What do you mean? I haven't seen him since he left to find my arm. I assumed he returned here."
Lucy shot her a quizzical look. "I find it hard to believe Jellal would return alone. He would've at least brought you along. None of us have seen him."
Natsu popped up behind her, causing Lucy to yelp in surprise at his presence. "He probably returned to the Magic Council or something. I can't smell him anywhere nearby." The mages found it odd, especially since Natsu could distinguish a person's scent from cities apart. "In fact, I can't sense his presence in Fiore anymore."
Lucy smacked his head. "Don't scare us like that! I know for a fact that you can't sniff that far."
"What? I can-"
She raised her palm to his face, preventing him from speaking. "I don't want to hear the half of it. Anyway, I'm sure Jellal's gone back for something urgent. It's possible the Magic Council summoned him."
"I suppose so," Erza agreed, quieter than usual.
If he were around, she would have a faint telepathic connection with him. She could even hear him through her petrified state. That alone was a miracle.
Natsu sensed her concerns as well, trying to lighten up the mood. Despite his attempt, he knew something was wrong with the Wizard Saint's abrupt disappearance. "Cheer up Erza, we'll find him in Magnolia."
She gave him a determined look, knowing they would all work together to find him, even if they were universes apart.
The only known reason to Dragon Slayers why they couldn't smell a person, was if they were no longer alive. Or their presence must have been countries apart.
Natsu considered this mystery to be the biggest one he had confronted.
Gray chimed in smugly, having overheard the conversation. "I bet the reward of finding a lost Wizard Saint is tenfold."
"There's no way he's lost. I think missing would be more accurate." Lucy corrected.
Natsu's carefree attitude returned upon hearing the possibility of finding him. "I'm all fired up! We're going to raid the Magic Council and find him."
Erza's eyes spoke volumes about her ambition, "I suppose I could go on another quest."