I may or may not have been drinking and not my normal self when I wrote this chapter. I can't remember. That could be reaally good, or reaaally bad. Meh. We'll see.

Deicide

Why would they take her eye?

The thought had occurred to me and given me severe pause after Angel had joined me. It made no sense. Logically, it was highly inconsistent and incredibly implausible.

Why would they take her eye?

I was a slaver, intent on resurrecting an evil mage to destroy the world. A young female slave had come out as being the one responsible for a recent escape plan. I want to punish her. I want to break her spirit and ensure she never considers escape again. I want to inflict pain and misery upon her and her companions to show how evil and amoral I am. I torture her. And then I do the worst thing possible –

I take her eye.

No. No, that was both ridiculous and inconsistent. They were slavers who answered to no higher authority. Slavers who wanted to break the will of a female slave. Why go through the process of removing her eye, when there was another process that would be pleasurable for you, and at the same time accomplish your goal?

Realistically, the loss of an eye was completely implausible. More realistically, the girl would have been gang-raped for several hours to the brink of death, and then tossed back into the cell without a care in the world assuming she did not die from the experience. It would break her spirit, her will, and that of her companions in one swoop.

I immediately realized the grim fate that awaited Erza should she be captured.

Of course, there was also the possibility, that her magic would be awakened during this process, and she would slaughter them all for their deeds. If the death of a grandfatherly figure was enough to necessitate the trauma to activate her magical prowess, there was little to no doubt in my mind that rape would not.

Was there any point in me saving her?

I contemplated it for several seconds. Then, I disregarded the notion. I stood nothing to gain and much to lose. Nothing to gain save for Erza Scarlet herself. Daughter of Irene Belserion. Titania. Eventual strongest female mage in the entirety of Earthland.

…

I did possess something to gain after all.

I shook my head. No. Regardless of any possible benefits such a relationship with Erza would provide, I could not risk my safety. I could not waste this ample opportunity to escape. The slavers quarters were empty. There was a path that led from these quarters to the outside. The path would be less guarded once the revolt began.

If the revolt begins.

If. It was a tremendous if. Erza would certainly be in no situation to lead a revolt were her fate to be as I suspected. Rather, Jellal would be the one to do so. He would be consumed by enough rage to do so.

Still, all of this was speculation. Meagre speculation. I could be entirely wrong.

"ATTENTION! ATTENTION! SLAVES ARE TRYING TO ESCAPE!"

The cry resonated throughout the tower. It was as I suspected. I felt a figure barrel into me, and clutch me tight. I rose an eyebrow, before I understood – the scent of onions lingering explained her fear.

"We are not the ones they are looking for."

This was the second iconic movie line I had uttered so far. I would need to make a habit of it. It was certainly amusing. She glanced her head up and stared at me, I could smell her surprise and uncertainty. I paid it no heed, and instead, I began walking at a brisk pace.

"We need to move fast. Our window of opportunity to escape is slim."

In the end, Erza's fate was no business of mine. Or perhaps, what occurred to her would make her far more fascinating. I cared little for either way it progressed. Instead, I dashed down the halls, making sure to keep my nose peeled for any smells that would indicate guards.

"W-W-wait – !"

I frowned. Angel was far behind, panting desperately. Being a malnourished slave girl did not give one much stamina. I, in contrast, was enhanced. My stamina was extraordinary, and almost ungodly. I could, theoretically, never get tired. As soon as I did, I ate the ambient miasma of chaos in the air, and I was refilled. However, I was certain that this would only work in places with dense concentrations of chaos and negative emotions. I would need to work on consuming pure ethernano once I could.

I lunged for the girl, sweeping her into my arms in one smooth movement.

"E-Eep!"

I paid no heed to where or what my hands held or touched. Instead, I began sprinting at full pace now. There was no way I would lose my major opportunity to escape because of her. Eventually, I came across a staircase. The staircase was long and spiraled, jagged, with no hand-railings. My goal was to head to the lower levels, but –

I shuddered. I could smell it. I could smell it above me.

It was Dark Magic. A thick, heavy amount of dark magic was above me, it scented to my nostrils like well-cooked and properly garnished lamb. It was the thickest, largest and juiciest lamb I had ever tasted.

"Ah – you're –"

I looked down. I had drooled all over her chest. My mouth was salivating uncontrollably. Angel scented heavily of gingers and onions. Fear and uncertainty. She did not know what I was going through. She thought I was contemplating doing something to her.

"I have no desire to eat you."

She seemed strangely unconvinced. I could not blame her. Nearly all my instincts screamed at me to run up, to find the source of that divine smell and consume it whole. My common sense, what little I possessed left, told me that doing so could cost me my opportunity to escape.

Do it – Do it – Do it –

My desire for freedom overwhelmed my desire for the taste. I dashed downstairs, my feet rapidly making a silent beat as I moved, step after step, descending lower and lower in the Tower.

Peppers! Peppers!

I cursed. I could smell it – anger. There were people coming – people climbing up the spiral stairs. And they were angry. I needed to think. I needed to think. I needed to find a way to stop them – I needed a plan. The two spells I knew were useless combat-wise. Alarm and Dark Lock. They could only be cast on objects, and not people.

Alarm – Notified the caster when someone touched an item that was enchanted prior.

Dark Lock – A spell that securely locked an object and prevented it from opening, sending nasty shocks to anyone who attempted to forcibly open it.

What could I do with these?

The smell grew stronger, and now, I could hear their footsteps. Angel stiffened in my arms. Running back up was not an option. That meant the only option was to fight and attack. I whipped my head down to Angel.

"I need you to do something."

She turned her gaze to me. "W-what?"

"There are two slavers coming." I said simply. "I cannot take both of them on at the same time. I need you to distract them."

"H-how?"

I dragged off her bedsheets, leaving her naked once more. She immediately tried to cover herself up, but I did not let her.

"Y-you –"

"Tempt them." I said bluntly. "If they possess the same tastes as the fat one, it will buy me enough time to deal with them."

I could already smell the emotions wafting from her. Disgust, fear, uncertainty, anger –

"I will not let anything happen to you." I said simply.

Surprise. "R-really?"

"Of course. You are mine, remember? No other person shall have you but me."

She shivered, and I could tell she was disturbed. Disturbed and… proud? Such a confusing girl. I let her stand in place, before ascending up the spiral stairway, making sure I stood at an angle that would be easy enough for me to do what I needed. Merely kicking them off the stairway wound not kill them – and it would possibly alert any slavers who were down below that there was someone approaching. No, I needed to take care of them here and now.

That was how I watched a young naked girl lie on a staircase and do her best to look pitifully sexy. Ah, what a tale my life has become.

"What the fuck?"

I was not sure if it was the sight of Angel lying spread eagle on the staircase that made the slavers stop and stare in shock and confusion, or it was just the general fact that a slave was here. Regardless, I did not care. I lunged, Angel's bedsheet flapped behind me like a parachute. The two men looked up, but it was too late. I landed in their midst, using the bedsheet to wrap around their faces and heads, rapidly tying it into a knot, obscuring their visions and slamming their heads together.

"Hey – I can't see – what the –"

"Dark Lock."

The rune smacked unto the bedsheet, and it took effect almost immediately. It was 'locked' by me, with their heads tied inside, and any attempt to forcibly 'open' it would lead to –

"Rune Magic: Electric Blanket."

Thick, dark purple bolts of lightning emanated from the bedsheet along with two horrified screeches. The continued contact with the material made the shocks and lightning to continue, and the more they tried to struggle free from it, the more the shocks continued. Until, eventually, the smell of sizzling meat and burning flesh began to waft from beneath the bedsheet, and the material caught fire from the heat.

But it had served its purpose.

Their emotions were peaked – fear. Their peaked fear gave the aroma of sautéed onions on a rich potato dish – and I wasted no time in opening my mouth and taking a big, manic bite.

It was only as I did this, that I remembered I was the cause of their fear – which meant –

Mind-Shattering Pleasure.

FOCUS! FOCUS!

There was no use. I was floating amongst the stars and constellations. Aphrodite herself came to greet me, she giggled, and her lovingly sensual lips, thick with red make up, roamed all over, licking underneath, above, around, and finally engulfing me –

She did not care how easily I released from the pleasure. She continued with her lips, unaware of my pleased anguish at how extra-sensitive I was, yet, she continued slowly, teasingly – agonizingly –

…

I gasped for breath and fresh air. For several seconds, I could see nothing but white spots in my vision. I could think of nothing but the bulge in my pants and another 'stain' that was added. I blinked. I blinked again to try and regain my thoughts, and then, the sight of a naked girl with white hair came to my vision.

It killed my post-euphoric bliss almost instantly. Undeveloped breasts, unfeminine figure, lacking curves –

I shook my head and clarity came back. I turned my attention to the two slavers. There was nothing left of them but dust. Dry, empty dust… grains of dust that were smoother and finer than powder and flour.

Consuming someone's peaked fear… turned them to dust. I noted down the results, silently, turning my gaze back to my companion.

"My apologies. You will have to walk around naked until we find another suitable replacement."

"…walk?"

I rose an eyebrow. Oh.

I sighed, moving forward and bending slightly. "On my back then."

I tried my best not to think of anything sexual when she gleefully, and gratefully did so. Part of me wondered if I was truly going to such extents just so I would have sex with her in the future, when she was more mature. Saving her life, and doing all this merely for sex was a bit extreme.

Of course, I did not have the best track record when it came to things like this, and thinking with my 'other' head. If I did, I would never have died in the first place. I continued our decent downwards, marching over the dusty remains of the slain slavers.

"Um…"

"What is it?"

"I… I-I don't know your name."

That – that was true. We had not even possessed a moment of reprieve since we met. I had not introduced myself.

"Jason." I said simply.

"I'm… Sorano."

"Huh."

"W-what?"

"I believed you would be named after your hair. Something like… Angel."

She did not say anything. Of course, I could smell her embarrassment easily enough. It smelt like Tangerines.

"Do you mind if I call you that from time to time?"

She nodded into my neck softly. Her embarrassment increased twofold. I eventually reached the final floor of the Tower of Heaven. Then, I saw it, the large open arc of light, the path that led towards the outside. The path that had less and less of the dark scents of the Tower. Sorano saw it as well. I could not help the first burst of genuine emotion that had reached me since I entered this world. I dashed forward, pushing this body of mine to its maximum limits

"Alright, Angel." I said as the wind rushed past me "We are going to escape this place. We are going to live. And we… are going to be free. What do you say to that?"

Excitement. Excitement and... hope. Oranges and passion fruit.

"I'd like that…" she whispered. "I'd like that very much."

My feet burst out through the open door.

And for the first time in a long while –

I saw the sky.

XXXX

Tiny events and small changes often rippled outward into disastrous consequences.

In another time, another world, Erza Scarlet and her group of friends would have never met a young boy with magic called Jason. They would have not been presented with an earlier opportunity at escape. It would have taken them at least three to four more months before they grasped at that chance of freedom.

In that world, the old man Rob would not have been with them. They would have been caught by a group of guards who were malicious, but lenient. A group of guards who wanted to punish them for their escape, and revel in their sorrows. A group that had the time to toy with them.

In that world, Erza Scarlet would have lost her eye after the guards refused to believe Jellal was the one responsible for the escape plan. In that world, Jellal Fernandez would have been tortured. A revolt would have broken out.

But… this was not that world.

Rather, they were caught by a different set of guards. A set of guards who were more apathetic than the ones they were destined to encounter. A set of guards who felt that it would be a waste of their time and effort to actually punish the slaves, when slaves where a dime a dozen. A set of guards that did not care in the slightest about who was the mastermind behind the escape attempt.

"If you want your freedom so much – you might as well just die and get it."

"Hey, Noran, hurry up and get rid of those slaves already, I'm getting hungry."

Rob was aware that this situation was bad. He knew it in his mind and in his heart. Still, he was the adult. He moved forward, doing his best to protect the children, raising his arms in a defensive position as he began to cast what little remnants of magic he could –

"Oh? So the old timer is a mage huh? Fire Magic? Let's see who's flames are hotter."

Rob swallowed at those words. He swallowed when he noticed one of the slavers begin to chant, thick dark yellow fire rushing forth from his hand –

Only for a spike of earth to lunge forward and imbed itself into his skull.

"Pft. Dumb old fucker. He actually thought I was going to use fire magic? Can you believe this guy?"

The children could do nothing but stare, shiver, and let out silent screams as their grandfatherly figure fell to the ground, a bloody spike splattered with gray-matter and brains being where his face was. No final words for him. No last thoughts. He was alive, and then he wasn't.

"Wait – p-please –" Cho had managed to let out just those two words before a fist made of solid earth slammed through his chest cavity, leaving a large gaping hole where his heart should have been.

Erza screamed.

Jellal roared.

"Will –" An earthen spear pierced through Jellal's chest, "You –" Another one ran through Simon's "Shut –" Through Millianna "Up!"

Erza knew nothing but pain, indescribable pain as she looked down and stared at the jagged earthen spear that had run itself through her stomach, occupying a massive amount of space where her stomach was supposed to be. She coughed up blood, and instantly, panic entered her heart as she realized she could not move or feel her legs or lower regions. The attack had damaged her spine –

Yet, she was the lucky one. The aim had been lower for her, than for everyone else.

She was the lucky one, because she was still alive. Or rather, she was the unlucky one.

Jellal lay on the ground, his eyes opened, his mouth wide, his final expression permanently etched into one of disbelief. Cho's final expression was confusion. Millianna was terror. Simon was sadness. All of them – all of her friends –

Dead.

"Finally. Some peace and quiet. Now – let's go get some lunch. I'm fucking hungry."

And the people who were responsible –

"You're always fucking hungry."

"Yeah, yeah – it's not my fault I've got a large appetite."

"That's your excuse for being a glutton."

"Better a glutton than a kiddie lover. Geez – don't think I didn't see you eyeing the redhead."

They had not a care in the world.

They were chatting.

As if they had not just killed her friends.

Killed her loved ones.

KILLED HER FAMILY.

Rage. Rage. RAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGERAGE –

She wanted them to suffer.

She wanted them to burn.

She wanted it all to burn. EVERYTHING!

The entire Tower of Heaven.

SHE WANTED IT TO BURN!

BURN!BURN!BURN!

BURNBURNBURNBURNBURNBURNBURNBURN!

"RAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGGGGGGGGH!"

Erza Scarlet roared.

And the world exploded.

XXXX

I smelled it before I saw it.

My neck whipped up to the tower as the overwhelming scent of chilly and meat assaulted my nostrils like two nuclear bombs over a deserted farmhouse. I lost control of my ability to not salivate and I almost jumped off the small vessel and into the sea, tempted to begin swimming back to the island just to have a taste of it.

Except, things happened in a manner that I could not have possibly predicted. From my position on the shipping vessel, I sensed the gargantuan build-up of magical pressure and energy. Magic tinged with the overwhelming scent of rage. It gathered to such an extent that was disastrous, and spelt one possible outcome.

What I witnessed was equivalent to the launch of a rocket into outer space, overlapped with the video of a nuclear explosion. The outer-shockwave followed first, blasting massive winds at the sails of the slaver's vessel, sending it, and me, fleeing from the source of the explosion like devout man with demons at his heel. The actual flames followed, engulfing the entirety of the tower in a brilliant flash that appeared as though the sun had landed on the horizon. It came with a wave of heat that supercharged the water, creating steam, and further giving rise to massive waves in all directions, away from the epicenter of the blast.

My gaze was turned away from the explosion in lieu of Angel's frantic shout, and the sight of a massive wave threatening to easily to capsize the boat. There was nothing I could do to change that fact, except but to dive for Angel, hold her tight, and hope for the best.

The water crashed and we experienced Poseidon's bitch-slap. The force of the water sent both I and Sorano crashing into a mast. She let out a cry. I cursed, forcing myself to open my eyes in the salty seawater.

It stung. It stung immensely. But I had faced worse. Sorano was out-cold. We were still underwater. The boat was curving around us, capsizing. Soon, it would be upside down, and we would be underneath it. She would drown if I did not get her to the surface in time.

Why… why was I thinking of her life under such circumstances?

I was also in danger. In immediate threat of death. Yet, my concern was for Sorano's wellbeing before that of my own.

I did not waste time to ponder on it. I grabbed the girl the best I could, trying to navigate the turbulent waters.

It was impossible. I did not know how to swim with only one arm. I could not swim through such unsteady waters while holding someone else. I had to make a choice. Abandoning her and making my own escape, or dying together. Of course, I would come back as long as Eris had a vested interest in me. She had no such benefits.

The choice was taken for me in the form of a large piece of debris that slammed against the back of my head. The air was knocked out of me. My eyes widened, as I immediately realized that my lungs were rapidly filling with water. My strength was fading, as was my vision. I waddled in futility, trying my best to break the surface of water, to reach for air –

I failed.

No…

She would die. Angel would die without a shadow of a doubt. If I failed, she would die.

What did it matter? I did not know her. We were but fleeting companions. It would be a shame, that she would not grow to her full beautiful potential, but such was life. Everything died.

Except…

I did not want her to die. Not yet. Not now.

I did not understand it. I could not place it. Logically, I should have no reason for doing so. No reason to place the life of a girl above my own. No reason to fight against her demise so vehemently. No reason to reject the inevitable. Why did I want her to survive so badly?

It was such a strange emotion, a strange, overwhelming desire.

I want to protect her.

I could not afford to fail.

I felt my magical power spike. I felt raw ethernano flood through my veins. I felt the power of all the chaos and fear I had consumed. Magic, overwhelming magic, a peak of emotions swirling in the form of a miniscule tornado. My body felt hot and cold. It felt warm and chilled. Familiar and foreign. Magic, raw, overwhelming magic, magic that possessed no classification, no element, magic that was in its purest state and its purest form, like the sap drawn directly from a tree –

It engulfed me.

And I released it.

XXXX

I could not remember what happened.

One second, I was drowning, and gathering magical power, and the very next, I was lying on my back, the grainy texture of wet sand clinging to my skin and clothes. The sound of crashing waves echoed from my front, and the echo of seagulls accompanied it. My eyes turned to the sky, and I noticed that it was dark, filled to the brim with constellations. The moon hung peacefully along with it, serenely, and it made me realize just how long it had been since my gaze had been acquainted with it.

It also made me realize that several hours had passed.

I jerked up, sitting. My gaze immediately flickered around my immediate surroundings, and it made me pause when I realized that I was inside something deep. A crater. A very large, incredibly deep crater. I estimated it to be the size of a stadium.

How did I get here? What in the world could have created something like this?

I rose. All I knew, was that I did not wish to be around or nearby when it returned. It took me some effort to climb out of the crater, and back unto the beach. I set my gaze to the sea, and the Tower of Heaven was nowhere in sight. I set my gaze back to the land, attempting to find a familiar mop of white hair.

"Sorano!"

My voice called out, loudly, the resounding echo travelled farther and farther. No response.

"Sorano! Sorano are you here?"

I stood to my feet, and I stopped.

Why was I calling this girl?

So far, my behavior was peculiar. Too peculiar. Originally, I could not have cared less about her life. Now, on the other hand, I was immediately rushing to find her, to take care of her, placing her safety above mine?

Something was wrong.

I sat down, closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Chocolate.

The smell made my eyes snap open. I could smell the lingering aroma of chocolate around me. It wafted from me like an overwhelming cologne. It gave me pause, particularly as I identified the emotion with it.

Selflessness.

That was impossible. Selfless? Me? Incredibly impossible. I was the same person who demanded something in exchange for the freedom of slaves. Clearly, something was wrong here. There was something I was missing.

I needed my ability to smell to be sharper. Sharper than it was now. I was not sure how well it would work, but I channelled my magical power to my nose, rifling it with ethernano. Then, I took in a deeper breath.

Selflessness: – Self-sacrifice. Self-interest. Loneliness. Desperation.

The barrage of scents bombarded my nose as though I snorted cocaine while whiffing a cigarette, sending me into a coughing fit. I shut off the magical power to my nose, returning it to its default state. I grit my teeth as the barrage of different emotions wavered with different aromas in the air.

I cared so much about Sorano, because I was lonely and desperate for some form of companionship? I valued her life above mine because I could not truly die, and I feared I would be alone if she died?

Nonsense. Errant and absolute nonsense.

Or was it?

My brow furrowed as I did my best to remember how I had survived. That rush of magical power, that overwhelming feeling that had made me somehow leave the ocean –

The Desire to Protect.

Putting the life of someone else above your own. It had caused my magic to react. The emotion of self-sacrifice, or the illusion of the emotion of self-sacrifice – to care about one's life more than your own, to want to do something, anything to protect that which you felt was precious to you –

It supercharged my magic.

I blinked.

Could it be?

The One Magic was love. Emotion was magic, and if Fairy Tail was to be believed, stronger emotions could generate greater magical prowess. What I had done, it was essentially the same as what those Fairy Tail mages did again and again, using their 'nakama power' as it were to deliver themselves out of a harsh spot.

What was 'nakama-power' exactly?

Love. Romantic love, Platonic, familial – it mattered not. Love was what powered them.

What was love?

The scientific aspect and definition aside, there was one thing was central in love. It wasn't trust, compassion or even desire, it was rather:

Self-sacrifice.

"For God so loved the world, he sent his only begotten son…" I recited with a dry chuckle.

Self-sacrifice. That was it. A mother, starving herself to ensure her children possessed food on their plates. A father, working tirelessly, enduring insults and hardships in order to come back home with money to witness the smiles on his family's face. A husband, turning down a large promotion in order to stay by the side of his sickly wife. A boy, devotedly in love with a young girl, but yet, choosing to help her achieve someone else, someone better than he could ever be. Self-sacrifice, or the illusion of self-sacrifice.

It was the closest thing to pure 'love.'

"Fascinating."

If such were the case, it would explain why the villains of this world could and would never succeed. They could not love. They were too selfish to do so. Their magic was fueled by selfish desires – the very antithesis of self-sacrifice. Against the Fairy Tail mages and others, they stood no chance.

The question however remained –

"How do I use this to my advantage?"

The illusion of self-sacrifice seemed to work just as well, however, the problem was the fact that self-sacrifice was not a 'naturally occurring' emotion or sentiment. I could not just stand and declare that I was feeling self-sacrificial. It would not work. That untapped well of powerful magic could only be locked if there were actual stakes, and an actual sacrifice was made.

I would need to find a way…

"J-Jason!"

I snapped up to attention at the call, and I whipped my head to the side. There she was, running on the beach towards me, thankfully, she was clothed. Clothed in rags, but clothed.

I nodded. "Sorano, it seems that you are well –"

My words were cut violently short as she barreled into me. Rapid instincts almost had me interpreting the movement as an attack, but I curbed it.

"Y-you're alive! You're alive!"

"Yes – yes I am." I said.

"I thought you were going to die after you were all glowy and burning up and dragged me out of the water and split the sea and then –"

"Apologies, I did what?"

She stared at me as though I had two heads.

"You don't remember?" she said, "You helped me out of the water. You split the sea in half and woke me up at the bottom by –" her cheeks went red "k-k-kissing me and… and then we got out of the water and you ran us back to shore. But then you got all really glowy and you said you thought you might explode, so you ran off so I wouldn't be caught in the blast."

"…what?"

A dawning sensation engulfed me as I turned back to the gargantuan crater.

I… made that?

How?

"Sorano," I said, quickly turning back to the girl, "Can you remember, was there anything I said? The name of the magic I used, something, anything that sounded like a technique of sorts?"

"N-no? I can't really remember…"

I frowned. What she described… was it a Take-Over transformation? Had I unlocked some innate magic as a result of the overwhelming power of self-sacrifice? Take-Over Magic was the only thing that would have fit the bill, considering I had no memory of the transformation, and no memory of its effects afterwards.

This bore some investigation.

GRRRRRRRRRR!

Angel blushed, turning her gaze away.

"I'm hungry."

"I can tell." I said dryly.

"We're… we're free right? Which means… we can eat… anything we want, anytime we want?"

It was odd how relatable that sentence was.

"Yes, Angel," I said, "You're free."

I was not. Not yet. Not truly. Not until a goddess lay at my feet, vanquished.

"Do – do you think… the people at the Tower… do you think any of them…"

The memory of the Tower of Heaven going up in a flaming explosion made me frown. It was unlikely that anyone had survived that. No – it was very much more likely that they were all dead.

"No." I said simply. "No one could have survived that."

"Oh."

Most of the future members of the Oracion Seis were dead. Jellal Fernandez was dead. Erza Scarlet was dead.

The world was already a changed place. It mattered not. I would be ready to face any challenge that came my way as a result of the changes, ready to face this world anew, ready to consume the fine tastes of chaos, ready to overcome any difficulty.

GRRRRRRRRR!

Starting, apparently, with Sorano's growling stomach.

XXXX

Things had not turned out the way he had expected. He had plans for the R-System to be completed. He let the slavers do as they wished as long as they worked the slaves towards its completion. One of the numerous ways to eventually awaken Zeref. Of course, the Tower also provided another opportunity – the opportunity for recruitment and to find new, fresh blood.

He had instructed Ultear to keep an eye out for said fresh blood, and she seemingly had plans in mind for one Jellal Fernandez.

Of course, those plans eventually ended up no longer being used, courtesy of the boy's death.

His fortress, high up and invisible, had witnessed the sheer force of the fiery explosion that consumed the entire tower. To think! To imagine! Such a splendid and overwhelming talent had been underneath his nose without even realizing it. That a small child possessed enough magic power to create such a devastating explosion –

And then there was the other one, the one who had somehow escaped before the blast, possessing enough magical power to momentarily divide the ocean in half all the way down to ocean floor. No spells, no lost magics –

Just raw magical power.

Raw magical power, generating a wall of pure pressure and magic that commanded the ocean to split in half.

Absurd!

Even he could not perform such a feat. He could not even dream of it.

He would find the boy – the mysterious boy with black hair and red eyes. He could not allow such a powerful young child to go unchecked or unmonitored, or worse, to allow that miraculous power to stagnate and fade away into obscurity.

Regardless, although the R-System plan had been a waste, he had ultimately gained far more from it than he intended.

Collecting the broken, battered, and clearly wounded body of the girl had been one difficulty. Utilizing his knowledge of obscure healing magic to heal most of the damage had been another significant one, but, it would be worth it. It would most definitely be worth it.

"W-where… am I? W-who… are you?"

He turned his sharp and calming gaze upon the red-headed girl.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, child. You are aboard my fortress and vessel, and I am the Guildmaster of Grimiore Heart. You may call me…"

He smiled.

"Hades."