Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail

"So…now the issue lies in determining what to do from here." Edo-Levy spoke, glancing back towards the others. "Really, you guys still shouldn't be involved…but we aren't about to object to help."

They were walking back away from Sting's home, towards town. Really, Levy wasn't certain what to do at all. They had a few names, sure, but they were people Mavis wanted them to find. "I say we just arrest those Dimaria and Brandish chicks and move on."

"No!" Lucy complained, rubbing her arm and looking away. "I mean…we met Brandish in our world. She was rather nice…once she stopped trying to attack us. I can't see her actually wanting to hurt anyone, really."

"Yeah, but did we meet Dimaria? For all we know, she was an insane wizard just like the rest of the Twelve." Natsu sighed, glancing towards Edo-Levy. "I'm certain we can handle any trap this Alvarez leader has in mind for us. I say we take them on, and don't hold back."

"Coming from the wizards…who don't have magic…" Edo-Levy shook her head, smirking at him. "Last time you were here, you guys failed miserably at fighting like that. Sorry, but I'm not going to take a risk like that again."

Natsu seemed to want to object, but he sighed and dropped his gaze. "Right. I keep forgetting about that…" He sighed, glancing towards Levy. "You know, kinda makes me wish we had Zeref. It's weird…but I feel like he'd know what to do." He glanced towards Levy, raising an eyebrow at her. "Do you know where he went? I mean, I figure he's just avoiding us…but I think it's about time we actually try acting like we're working together for a change. Maybe he isn't so bad, when he's working with us at least."

Really, she had no idea where he could have gone. However, she did have one idea. Taking the lead, Levy began moving towards the park. "He may have gone back to see how much magic was left in that lacrima…it's not likely, but that's my only guess at the moment." Now that more time had passed, she was really beginning to think she had done something stupid. Zeref would have known Invel in the first place, and now, he would have been so much more helpful just to have some kind of a basis to judge Dimaria and Brandish off of.

"Seems rather pointless to me, if it can't get you home." Edo-Levy frowned at them, while Levy shrugged.

"He didn't tell me a thing about where he was going, okay?" She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I made him mad, and he just stormed off on his own."

"You…made him mad?" Lucy looked at Levy, biting her lip. "You don't think he's going to abandon us here then, do you?"

Blinking, Levy froze. Was there a chance he'd do something like that? Considering his threat…it was a possibility. Picking up her pace, Levy closed her eyes. "Maybe…he just…he said something that made me upset. An order he gave to one of his generals…it just didn't sit right with me, and I couldn't help myself from…yelling at him about it."

Snorting, Natsu shook his head. "Yeah, I can see him doing something like ordering for the war to continue on back home."

"Actually…it was the opposite." Levy looked at the ground, clenching her hands into fists. "He ordered them to stop the war at home…but to threaten its continuation here. He told them to pass along that if they didn't hurry and bring us back…he'd kill the three of us instead."

Edo-Natsu cringed again, clearly not used to the darkness of this Zeref yet. He still didn't seem comfortable even imagining it, yet it was Lucy who shuddered slightly in fear. Natsu, in the meantime, only frowned. "Well, that makes no sense. I mean, I get that we'd be in his way back home…but killing us now isn't going to make them work faster, and it isn't going to bring him closer to Fairy Heart. Really, it just sounds…pointless. I just can't see him doing something pointless, given the fact that he's outsmarting Mavis with this war."

Tactically speaking, Natsu had a valid point. Zeref was a strategist, and she'd seen firsthand what his strategies were like. No move was taken for no reason. In that sense, she frowned, trying to see the reason that he would benefit from their deaths. Really, time had no effect on the benefit of eliminating an obstacle from his path in the future. If he wanted that, they would have been killed already. So, why now? Then, she froze, her eyes growing wide as she recalled August's vague warning. Zeref said many things, but did he always say what he meant? Maybe…maybe it was a false threat. She could see the motivational tool there, despite disliking how dark it was.

Looking towards Natsu, she felt her stomach churn. Maybe Natsu was right and he wasn't going to do a thing. "You're right. I…I'm thinking that maybe he didn't mean he would actually do that now. Maybe he was just trying to convince the others to keep progressing back home." Wasn't that even what Zeref himself had tried to tell her? Yet, she'd refused to listen. She had yelled at him, calling him a villain and abandoning him with ease. Biting her lip, she realized that she really did need to apologize to him. After all, they had planned to be friends in this world. Fights still happened between friends, but it didn't sit well with her to leave things like this between them, because of her misinterpretation of his intended actions.

"Either way…that's kind a a messed up way to do something like that." Edo-Levy frowned, shaking her head. "You have every reason to be mad at him for that. I know I'd be rather pissed if someone threatened to kill me and my friends."

Still, she knew how Zeref worked. Levy should have seen it coming, given his very direct and dark outlook on almost everything. Sighing, she kept walking, seeing that they were at least on the sidewalk in the park. Edo-Natsu frowned when he glanced to the side, spotting the patch of death that Zeref had created while here. "What happened there? It's weird…that's the only spot like that…" He glanced around, while Levy stared at her feet.

"That's Zeref's curse. He…lost control for a moment, which is why he knew magic was actually in this world in some form." None of them really had anything to say in response. Edo-Natsu just stared at that patch sadly, before shaking his head and continuing on.

After passing by the bench, Levy looked up. She could see other benches lining the path, and up ahead, she saw the thicker grouping of trees that began the forest they had wandered through to find the lacrima. However, on one of the benches, she saw him. Edo-Mavis was there, kneeling down in front of him with a soft expression on her face. "—okay? Don't worry about what he said. You're here now, and that's all that matters."

Approaching, Levy frowned. What was that about? However, Zeref had an odd look on his face. He seemed to be smiling, reaching out and patting Mavis' head with a laugh. The laugh was what really struck her. It sounded light and pleasant, a tone that she had never once associated with Zeref's way of speaking. "You're right. It's probably nothing…and I'm here now. So, how's the work on Zera going?"

Levy held out an arm to stop the others, shaking her head. Pressing a finger to her mouth, she gestured for them to be silent. She wanted to hear what was going on, to hear what Zeref was even trying to do. "Well…we've hit a bit of a roadblock. You see, a few years back, someone came to this world and took away any magic that remained." Zeref's smile fell slightly, but it didn't vanish entirely. "I've gathered a lot of people who agree that we need magic back…but it's difficult. King Jellal doesn't want it back, so I have to be careful and hide my actions. I'm one of his advisors, so it makes it a bit easier to keep him away from me…but right now, I'm trying to convince him that one of my subordinates is actually the leader. Once he thinks he's finished off Alvarez, that's when I'll be able to strike without fear…when I'll be able to steal away the blueprints for the Anima machine and recreate them myself."

"But what if he finds you?" Zeref frowned, touching her cheek gently. "I don't want you to get hurt for this, Mavis. Please…just consider finding another way. Going against the king is dangerous…you'd need an army to even hope to stand a chance against them…" He trailed off, watching Mavis before he shook his head, chuckling slightly. "Then again, you would have considered that long before me. I guess you probably have an army prepared for that very reason. Still…wars are rather awful things, aren't they? People die…and Natsu…"

"I won't hurt your family, or my own." Mavis met his eyes, looking fierce and determined. "To ensure that, I've even begun sending Natsu around on errands…I intend for my generals to be familiar with his face before any battles could even hope to begin. They'll know who is supposed to survive this war, because Natsu will meet them all. Though, Natsu doesn't realize he's meeting with them yet…"

"But I…I can't support killing people for this. Isn't our goal to stop death? That…killing to achieve that just seems…wrong."

Was this even Zeref? Levy could hardly believe what she was hearing. However, Mavis kept on going. "But we can bring them back too! We just need magic, Zeref. That's all that's missing…because the other Zeref left behind the key to it all. He had a book…and I'm certain it is still with you, one that he claimed was the key to bringing the dead back to life."

Other Zeref? Levy suddenly had a sinking feeling. "He…he told me not to destroy the book."

"And we won't."

Zeref rubbed his head, frowning for a moment. "The headache isn't quite gone yet…I'm sorry, I'm probably a bit unfocused as a result." He sighed, smiling slightly. "Still, I'm glad. I'm glad that he was so willing to help us…though I wonder why he wanted this. He told me he didn't want to live, Mavis. So why? What was he running from?"

Edo-Natsu was crying by now, seeing him talk to Mavis. Lucy and Natsu were frowning, glancing towards Levy in confusion. Edo-Levy simply frowned at the entire exchange, glancing towards Levy as well after a few moments. "Who cares? Forget about him…he was the one who tried to destroy all of our plans, Zeref. Now, we can work on a real way to bring the dead back. If you are feeling guilty about trading places with him, then we can bring him back too."

Moving forward, Levy slowly inched closer to them. Edo-Mavis wasn't looking at her, however, Edo-Zeref seemed to notice her and blink in surprise. Slowly, he smiled at her, rising to his feet. "Levy? I didn't think you'd be here. You hate the outdoors." He tilted his head, his eyes oddly light. "I guess this is probably a bit surprising for you…last I saw, you were only a little girl too. But, it really is me…I'm back, Levy. I will be returning to Fairy Tail soon."

Shaking her head, Levy felt tears welling in her eyes. Her chest hurt. Why? Why was she so upset that someone had taken Zeref's place? Closing her hands into fists, she lowered her gaze. She knew why. It was all her fault, after all. "I'm not…that Levy." Mavis turned around, narrowing her eyes at the girl. However, Levy pointed over towards the others, glaring over at Zeref. "That is the Levy you thought you were talking to. I'm the Levy from Earthland, like the Zeref you've replaced."

His smile faded, staring at her with wide eyes. "I…I'm sorry." He looked away, closing his eyes. "Of course, this would have hurt others. I knew it would…but I didn't realize he'd actually do something like this, when I told him I wanted to live. Please, don't be mad, Levy. We'll find a way to fix this, I promise—"

"Stop saying things like that!" She didn't want Zeref to be this kindhearted person. It was wrong, and it felt too strange. "Zeref isn't kind! He isn't gentle! So why…?" She bit her lip, closing her eyes. "This is all my fault…I should have just…kept my anger to myself. I shouldn't have…"

"Yes, it is." Edo-Mavis stared down at her, narrowing her eyes. "You get what you deserve, for trying to interfere with what you don't understand. Can you see now why this world needs magic? Bad things happen without it, just like they happen with it. Really, it makes no difference in the grand scheme of things…but with magic, we can undo these tragedies."

Falling to her knees, Levy scowled. She didn't know if she wanted to be angry or sad, or just plain numb. All she knew was that Mavis had to be wrong. "But…undoing his mistakes was what led to all of this." Levy remembered how he talked, about the way Zeref regretted so much in his life. "He wanted the same thing as you, and he hated himself for what it did to him!"

"I'm not him, and I'll do things my way. Really, this was the best option…at least some part of him lives on. Zeref told me if I didn't let him do this, he would have killed himself anyway…"

"Shut up!" Lucy walked forward, surprising Levy. She glared at Mavis, crossing her arms over her chest. "Are you even listening to yourself? I can't believe you are even any form of Mavis, talking about someone's death so casually. Zeref is still gone, even if he did just trade places with someone else. Maybe he was a villain and maybe he caused all of us a lot of pain…but no one deserves to die for making a few mistakes. Everyone can change, and if you can't see that, then maybe you're the one that needs to be stopped."

"Please…can we all just try and calm down and talk about this?" Zeref spoke, touching his forehead. "Now, I never asked to take his place. I don't like hurting others to get what I want, and I'd never willingly steal away someone's family to do so." His gaze flickered over towards both Natsus, sighing. "I've stolen away your brother…and there is no replacing that. From the sounds of things, I've stolen away your loved one as well." He glanced towards Levy, and she felt heat rise to her cheeks.

"It…we're not like that." She looked away, closing her eyes. "He's just…he's someone that I feel like needs help. He's hurting, and he has a lot going on—"

"And he didn't wish to hurt anymore." Zeref sighed, looking away. "I'm beginning to see why he came to me. Natsu hasn't even tried to defend him once…and his largest advocate hardly speaks much to him being a good person. He tried warning me that things would be a bit difficult…but I still can't quite see it."

"He warned you about the curse, then." Levy shook her head, while Zeref frowned.

"Curse?" He glanced at the others, shaking his head. "No…and to be honest, I don't exactly feel cursed either." That didn't make any sense. She had seen the curse with her own eyes, so why wasn't it still with him? "My headache is fading, and other than that, I feel perfectly healthy. Though, he did mention something about avoiding others until I can control something…would this be the curse you are referencing then?"

Natsu nodded, frowning at him. "Sounds like it. So…we've basically traded our Zeref for this one, right?" Zeref nodded, and he shrugged. "I say we're just fine with it. We were worried about ending the war when we got back, and about leaving our problems with them…I say this fixes both."

"But Zeref has other people waiting for him back home!"

"Let's be honest…it's not like he seemed to care much about his soldiers anyway." Lucy shook her head. "They're probably better off without him."

"But August—" She broke off, glancing towards Mavis and Zeref. Had she even told him yet? Closing her eyes, she realized it didn't really matter anyway. "Zeref has a son back home, one who Zeref means the world to. We can't just take him away from that family."

"Wait what?" Natsu blinked at her, his eyes wide. "So…if Zeref has a kid…then that means…I'm an uncle? Who is the guy? I wanna meet him! I bet he's strong…oh, but what if he doesn't like fighting? Hmm…"

It was odd, how different his behavior was about this nephew than it was about Zeref. What exactly had Zeref said to taint his view of the black wizard so much? Levy wasn't certain, but she had a feeling it was related to him being END. Did he even realize she knew the truth, too? Sighing, she realized it probably wasn't the time to go over that anyway. "He's in Zeref's army…one of the Spriggan Twelve, actually. But that's not the point. The point is…we can't just let Zeref trade places with a dead man. It isn't right—"

"But it is what he wants." Lucy spoke quietly, smiling sadly at Levy. "Look…I know you've talked to him a lot while we were here. Out of all of us, you probably tried the hardest to get this alliance to work…but do you really want to take away what he wants?"

"But he tried to live just earlier today!" She shouted back at her, tears in her eyes. "He fought…fought to get in contact with our world. He fought to be healed…because he wanted to live…he wanted to live, so why…?" She broke off, glancing towards Mavis and Zeref. "It really is my fault…because I yelled at him. Because…" She thought back, considering how strained his words were when he tentatively asked if she'd be his friend in a hypothetical world. "Because he thought I had taken those words back…he thought I wasn't willing to be…to try and be…" She sobbed, clutching her arms around her waist. "Please, let me fix this. I did this to him…and I need to take it back."

"Then go see him." Mavis shrugged, sitting down on the bench. "He did leave a message for you guys…in a rather annoying form, I might add. The idiot branded Zeref's body just to leave it for you…" Mavis was continuing, but Levy was already gone. What message could he possibly leave behind for them? The others were a little more hesitant to follow, but Lucy and Natsu soon joined. Edo-Levy and Edo-Natsu remained behind, likely questioning the now identified leader of Alvarez. However, Levy didn't care if she was arrested or not. All Levy wanted to do was make sure she could fix this mistake. She just hoped Zeref had left her a message she could use, because right now, she had no idea how to undo what he had just done.

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