Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail

Waking up was an odd sensation, considering the fact that Zeref truly could not recall the last time he had actually slept. Oddly, he felt refreshed, as if something had been weighing on his mind and was now suddenly gone. What had he been doing? As he opened his eyes and frowned at his surroundings, he couldn't help but wonder where he was and what had changed. He knew that he had been fighting, and yet he oddly could not recall an exact purpose for a moment. Then, it hit him. He felt unusual since it had been so long since he felt calm, since his mind was free from the pressure constantly driving him mad due to his curse. That was the reason for the war, the guarantee that his suffering would end so long as he resolved the issues of his past with Neo Eclipse. That was what was missing now, making him feel oddly relaxed for the first time in ages.

Standing in front of him, he saw the familiar faces of his enemies groggily recovering from whatever spell had been cast on them. Zeref really hadn't expected magic like this from their guild at all. He had done his research, after all, learning about the most powerful members of Fairy Tail and plotting out just how to counter each and every one of them. His Spriggan Twelve were unreasonably powerful, to the extent that he had been confident that it would take multiple Fairy Tail members to take them down. By the time Fairy Tail had exhausted its members and resources, Zeref thought it would be a simple matter for him to finish the task and take what was rightfully his, Fairy Heart.

Still, the unexpected did make his war far more interesting. He had not expected such a strong fight from Fairy Tail, hence the reason he sped up his plans to approach the guild on his own. By moving quickly and deliberately, he had managed to send enough fear into their members to make them flee out of their own free will. He would have succeeded, had it not been for his current predicament. What spell had caused this? More importantly, where was he standing? This place seemed to be filled with unusual life, of a sort he had never seen. While the ground was covered in dirt much like a desert, and the heat also similar to such places, the plant life was colorful and vibrant, almost reminiscent of a rainforest with vines and flowers trailing along the path and giving Zeref the sense that it would be difficult to travel across this terrain.

Turning his head around to see how far the odd region spanned, Zeref was given a rude awakening of just how recovered the Fairy Tail wizards were. His brother spotted Zeref rather quickly, rushing forward with a glare and slamming a fist into his stomach. The air was knocked out of Zeref in an instant, while Natsu practically growled at him in anger. "There you are, you bastard! If you think I'm just gonna stand down because of some creepy spell, you've got another thing coming."

By his side, Lucy seemed to hesitate, staring at Natsu with a bit of an uncertain expression. "Um…Natsu, I don't know if I'd go—"

"I did not cast that spell." Zeref interrupted her, meeting his brother's gaze calmly as he stood up. Oddly, his stomach felt a lingering soreness from where he had been hit. Touching it gently, Zeref blinked in surprise, meeting Natsu's gaze with wide eyes. "There is no magic in this place. That is why it feels so…different."

"You think?" The blue haired girl sat up, rubbing her head with a scowl. "I figured that out the moment I woke up and couldn't manage a defensive spell against you." Zeref hadn't heard her shouting a spell of any kind, but perhaps he had been too lost in thought. "It definitely isn't the guild hall, and to be honest, I don't think he's lying. Zeref might be a lot of things, but he doesn't have anything to gain by taking all of us, including himself, away from the guild hall where he knows Fairy Heart resides."

At least one of them had the intelligence to see that much. Zeref nodded towards her, smiling darkly. "Indeed, though it still does not mean I will not have what I desire. Conflicts such as this simply make the game more interesting."

"Did you seriously just call this sick war of yours a game?" Lucy objected, making Zeref shrug in response. "People die in wars. Fairy Tail has been suffering from the moment you decided to start this game of yours, and you are just trying to have fun with the challenge? What kind of person does something like that?"

"An enemy of Fairy Tail we're better of ignoring. Come on, Luce, let's go figure out how to get back before Zeref beats us to it." Natsu moved to walk away, but Zeref hesitated. If this place had no magic, it definitely did not exist anywhere within Earthland. While Zeref had not truly investigated them entirely, his former research had brought him into contact with theories about parallel dimensions, and if that was where they had somehow found themselves, getting back would be problematic. After all, magic had been required to enter, and they did not have access to such a power anymore.

The blue haired girl held out a hand to stop them, pushing Natsu back with a glare. "Hold on a second! Just think about that plan for a moment, Natsu." She looked towards Zeref, glaring at him at first before focusing back on Natsu. "I don't like this at all…but do you really have any idea how to get back home from here?" He didn't respond, scowling and burying his head into his scarf for a moment. "Even less than that, can you tell me where here even is?" He still remained quiet, while the girl seemed to be on a roll. "We have no magic, and we are stuck in a place without any way of contacting home and telling Fairy Tail where we're at. I might be good at breaking codes and solving puzzles, but this is even beyond my realm of expertise. Unless Lucy has something in mind, we shouldn't be so quick to dismiss…potentially difficult solutions." Her gaze moved back towards Zeref with that, narrowing her eyes.

Following her gaze, Lucy seemed to shake her head adamantly against the implied suggestion. "No way! I don't care if we're stuck in this place forever. I am not going to work with some idiot who just seconds ago was threatening to kill us!"

"Actually, that was likely a few minutes ago, at bare minimum. Given the odd recovery when arriving, I'd estimate closer to a few hours, to be honest." Zeref corrected her, but it did not seem to help the situation. She only gave him a harsher glare, which made him turn towards Levy with a calm gaze. "As far as the situation appears, I am inclined to agree with your companion. Despite what you may think, I am rather reasonable when it comes to such things and I am not opposed to imposing a temporary truce until we've resolved this issue. It is not ideal for either of us to remain in this realm, and while I could likely find a path back home alone, I cannot say I feel confident in remaining motivated to do so at the moment."

"We're trapped in a world without magic…away from the ultimate unstoppable power you created an entire army for over the last century…and you can't think of a reason to go back?" Lucy's eyes were wide, her glare gone now that he had just delivered a far more open statement than he intended. Staying silent, he simply shrugged and looked away, focusing on Levy instead. "Damn…you have got to be the strangest person I've ever met. What even made you want Fairy Heart in the first place if you can't even focus on why you wanted it?"

It wasn't the time to reveal such matters to them. However, he couldn't help but feel his gaze flicker towards Natsu. Even when the boy thought it to be false, his every action was done for his brother. From the day Natsu was born, he had been the center of Zeref's world. When Natsu perished in the war, something vital had been stolen from Zeref's life, something he knew needed to be fixed. So, he fought to give back to Natsu what was stolen from him. He gave Natsu life again, and now, Natsu still endured all kinds of suffering. Natsu never knew what it was like to have true parents, to live with his family and know his brother as he truly should. That was why Zeref needed to do this, he realized. Just thinking about it now was enough to solidify his resolve, reminding him of why he needed Neo Eclipse so badly. All of this suffering and the pointless wars and deaths, they would all lead to a world in which Natsu would have the life he deserved. Zeref would make sure that came to pass.

Something hardened in his gaze and he focused on Levy after the silence drifted on into a slightly uncomfortable pause. "I am just as unfamiliar as you with where we've arrived, however, I do believe remaining near your group will continue to remind me of the purpose of my war. Perhaps you think me a monster for such things, but I will not stop, not when I am so close to realizing my goals."

"What the hell?" Natsu glared at him, shoving Zeref from the side. "I mean, we're talking about starting a truce, right? Don't go threatening us with war again already. I'm not about to forget that we're enemies. I'm not about to forget…that stuff you talked to me about before, either."

He looked away, clearly not wanting to elaborate. Levy and Lucy looked mystified, telling Zeref they were uninformed about what Natsu had learned. The realization made him smile faintly, almost pleased to still have some unique connection to Natsu that even his companions were not allowed to hold. No one could take that from him, not even this world without magic. After all, the Book of END still rested safely within his robes, hidden from sight and close to his heart. "Right…so, let me get this straight. As long as we remain in this realm, you will not approach us with the intent for harm in any way?" Levy met Zeref's gaze, who slowly nodded. Harm to them might not occur, but he still wasn't so certain he'd be able to avoid the easy path of harming himself. "And as soon as we return…you plan on continuing the war." She did not sound pleased, putting it bluntly.

"Yes."

Nodding, Levy took a deep breath, as if bracing herself. Then, she thrust her hand forward, forcing a smile onto her face that looked almost painful. "Alright then. I'd say that for now, we just start over and pretend it doesn't exist. My name is Levy McGarden, and these are my friends Natsu and Lucy."

He didn't need the introductions, and he did not wish to shake her hand. After all, most who came into contact with him perished, and he had just promised not to harm them in any form. He warily eyed her hand, before sighing and realizing he had no choice but to shake it for the simple sake of societal customs. "Then I am Zeref…" He paused, glancing towards Natsu. "Just Zeref. That is all that is truly required, after all."

Natsu nodded, folding his arms across his chest and glaring at Zeref. "Alright, then what are we doing first? This place looks oddly familiar…but I have no idea what would even bring us here, to be honest. Who the heck was at the guild anyway that could do something like this?"

"I thought they had all fled." Zeref noticed them glaring at him, to which he simply shrugged. "It was the deal I gave them. There really was nothing unfair about the offer for survival either."

Sighing, Levy shook her head. "That's what makes it so weird, actually. Before we fell through…I could have sworn I saw Nab, of all people, trying to protect us from Zeref." The name meant nothing to Zeref. Why had he not heard of this guild member? He frowned, trying to recall his research. "Whatever his magic is…and believe me, I don't think anyone knows what it is…that is what brought us here."

Pausing for a moment, Zeref recalled the odd energy he had sensed growing in the guild hall when the man's spell had activated. It wasn't a common sensation, and it still left him with more questions than answers. "Animal possession magic." He spoke directly, without a hint of doubt. "Rare, but not all that helpful given the situation. Without identifying which creature granted him the ability to open such a portal to this realm, we have no basis to utilize for reversing the process."

"Animal possession, huh?" Levy frowned, placing her chin on her fist as she thought. "That's the kind of magic that's almost a more extreme version of take-over, right?" Zeref nodded, rather surprised she knew anything about it. She smiled, seeing his slight surprise and chuckling. "I've read a lot, and while I might not be as ancient as you, I do know a thing or two about magic. Still, you're right about it not being much to go off of. We could be stuck here for a long time."

"Well, then we might as well make the most out of it, right?" Natsu grinned, moving over towards Lucy and throwing an arm over her shoulders carelessly. "Let's go and explore a bit! I'm dying to see what kind of food they have here!"

His brother truly did not seem to grasp the situation, but his words still made Zeref smile faintly. Would it truly be so bad, remaining trapped in this place? Oddly, he couldn't help but feel like he would look forward to their discoveries here. "I'm not going around hunting for food when we need to be finding a way back home." Lucy glared at him, before her stomach growled and made her hang her head. "But…I am hungry…"

"And there goes their ability to focus." Levy sighed, shaking her head and running a hand through her hair. She glanced towards Zeref, hesitating for a moment before giving him a faint smile. "You'll get used to this pretty quickly. I haven't exactly worked side by side with them much…but Natsu is rather impulsive, and Lucy does her best to avoid working too hard."

"Yet I still cannot decide if I wish to stay or leave." Zeref frowned, watching him. Really, wasn't this enough to have Natsu here? However, upon hearing his voice, the dragon slayer turned towards him, tensing and narrowing his eyes. No matter how hard he tried, Natsu would never be able to see him as family, not after the legacy he had left behind. Neo Eclipse truly was the only answer, and oddly, the thought left him hollow and empty as he realized just how close to changing his entire being such a spell was.

I've got the second chapter finished already! I'm willing to bet some of you already know where Zeref, Lucy, Levy, and Natsu have ended up now. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!