Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail
With her head start, Levy arrived at the lacrima long before anyone else. Once again, she couldn't help but feel an odd bit of awe at what stood before her. It was a massive crystalline form, encasing two bodies and preserving them from decay. The sheer amount of magic within was no joke, and even she could sense the protective spells layered around the lacrima to stop that magic from dissipating away. Zeref had bypassed those spells with ease, but Levy knew it had to have been difficult to manipulate that magic into any form other than the preservation spell she currently stared at.
Looking around, Levy frowned. What kind of message could he have left for them? Mavis mentioned something about marking his own body…but she just felt weird staring at it. Neither of the two inside had clothes on, after all. Still, Levy slowly moved to the side of the lacrima, lifting her chin to focus on the frozen form of Zeref inside. On his chest, she saw exactly what Mavis had been talking about. An intricate magic circle rested there, filled with complex interwoven runes and layered rings that spoke of enchantment magic. It wasn't her specialty in any regard, but she had read enough books on magic to at least recognize the style.
Frowning, she walked closer to try and get a better look. Just what kind of an enchantment was it? Part of her wished she was back home, where she could at least get ahold of reference materials to study the runes. She thought she recognized a few, but what she could spot were the aspects of the spell that would allow it to be enchanted onto a person. Scowling, Levy looked down and tried to consider why Zeref even bothered leaving a magic circle behind for them, rather than a legitimate message.
As she stared at the ground, she began to sense something odd. It felt like there was magic nearby other than the lacrima, something she hadn't been able to sense at all for the majority of her time here. Levy had figured it related to the limited magic that Zeref described in this world, only building slowly within her system after being here for so long. Still, just sensing magic wasn't much in terms of helping them get back. Glancing up, she blinked in surprise at the odd shape of spiraling magic energy. It seemed to glow red for a moment, before something shot out and it vanished from sight. Lying down on the ground, Nab seemed to remain unconscious before her.
Moving closer, Levy inspected the man for a few moments. Did this mean they had figured out a way to get back? She hadn't expected them to figure it out so quickly. Then again, they were in a different world. All things considered, it was highly likely that time flowed differently in both dimensions. The sheer probability of another dimension like this even existing had only been theoretically considered, and could not be properly calculated given the fact that little evidence suggested such a place existed. As a result, other factors were not even able to be analyzed, with this being one of them.
Studying Nab, Levy could at least see that he didn't look that much older than before. He was still the same as she remembered. When Levy gently shook his shoulder to try and wake him, the man seemed to jump up, alert in an instant. "I'm sorry! I—" His gaze flickered around, frowning for a moment. "Wait…where's Loke and August? I thought…maybe I fell asleep."
That at least told her that this trip wasn't expected. A knot was building in her stomach at that thought. If Nab was here, who would be able to bring them back? "Welcome to Edolas, Nab. I wasn't expecting to see you here so soon." He glanced towards her, his eyes growing wide.
"Edolas? But…I mean, this job wasn't one I was good at…I was failing…" He trailed off, glancing around. "Wait, Loke! I need to go back and explain things to him. Maybe…maybe I can convince him that August really was just joking. Yes…yes, that would be best…"
From the little time she had spoken with the elderly wizard, Levy highly doubted he made jokes very often. Still, Nab looked highly concerned about whatever had been going on. Was Zeref's assumption really that accurate about him? How was it that he knew more about their own guild member than most of Fairy Tail did? "We can't get back. That's kinda why we were relying on you, remember?"
Nab's expression fell, his head hanging low. "Right…I forgot…" He trailed off, glancing up at the lacrima for the first time. His eyes went wide, and he instantly backed away. "That…that's…what is he doing in there?"
"Something stupid, that's what." Levy glared at the frozen form of Zeref, shaking her head. "The idiot decided to trade places with his dead counterpart…meaning he's dead, and we have the Edolas Zeref with us instead."
"Oh…I don't think Invel will be happy with that." Nab shuddered slightly. "He'll…he'll start the war again…after all, that's what he kept threatening me with every time I failed to show progress…and then there's Larcade. I can't even…I don't even want to think of how he'll react…probably with that creepy smile, saying he'd show us the greatest pleasure before getting his revenge…"
Had he really worked that much with the Spriggan Twelve? Levy could hardly imagine it, but it sounded like he had met quite a few of them. "Yeah, we're kinda in a bit of a situation here. That mark on his chest…Zeref left it behind, but I can't quite figure out what it means without my books from back home. It's definitely an enchantment spell of some kind…one meant to be cast on a person…but it doesn't look anything like Wendy's spells, and the complexity of how the rings interact is far more interwoven and advanced than any enchantment I've seen."
"I'm sorry…but I'm not good at analyzing magic either." Levy knew that, of course. She sighed, glancing back towards the trees. She heard the footsteps of the others arriving, and she gave them a slight wave. Nab glanced over, blinking in surprise as he saw two Natsus, a second Levy, Lucy, and Mavis walk through.
"Took you guys long enough to catch up. Anyway…what kind of a message is this even supposed to be?"
Mavis crossed her arms over her chest, raising her eyebrows at Levy. "He said it was in the event that one of you wanted to see him. Don't ask me what it was supposed to mean."
Frowning, Levy glanced over towards Mavis. "And that is exactly how he phrased it?" She nodded, making Levy pause and glance at the circle. That meant he really only left it behind for one of them. Based on the fact that it was a complex magic circle, she could immediately decide it wasn't meant for Natsu. As strong as he was in a fight, he definitely did not have the background knowledge to interpret the circle in any way. Lucy might have a better chance, but Levy was almost confident Zeref left it for her. Yet, wasn't he angry with her? She was the one who had yelled at him, so why did he leave her some kind of message to try and decode?
Sighing, Levy shook her head. "I guess it isn't going to be easy to figure out what he wanted to tell us then." Glancing towards the others, she noticed Natsu had glanced at Nab, grinning and walking over. Clearly, she was one of the only people heavily concerned with this at all. Lucy looked worried, but that worry was directed towards Levy and not Zeref. Maybe it really was that challenging to be concerned over someone who had once been their enemy. Then again, they had accepted Gajeel and Juvia fairly easily after the Phantom Lord incident.
"Hey, it looks like Nab's here too now! How've you been? Did you finally find a job or something?" Natsu was grinning, patting Nab's shoulder.
The animal possession wizard looked nervous, rubbing the back of his head. "Um…not exactly? I…I was just trying to…well, to help bring everyone back. I guess I just traveled here on my own instead…"
"Your magic allows you to travel between worlds?" Edo-Zeref spoke, smiling and walking forward. "I'd love to hear how that works. Do you need something akin to a teleportation circle? But those are usually limited to taking the user to places you've seen before…and you've clearly never seen this place. Is it similar to somewhere near you? I imagine similarities would make it easier to visualize and arrive here—"
"Gah!" Nab backed away, his head flashing between both Zerefs rapidly. "Wha—why are there two of them? I don't…I don't understand. Are…are you really helping us now?"
"Relax, he isn't your Zeref." Edo-Levy spoke, leaning against a nearby try and glaring at the lacrima in the clearing. "He won't attack you…though I can't say the same thing about us. What the hell is with you guys hiding important info from us? This lacrima…Mavis being the actual leader of Alvarez…you are screwing with our world and still asking us to help you. Do you think we want to deal with this crap along with our own problems? Our concern is stopping magic from entering this world, not playing games with each other while we wait for a rescue party to arrive."
She was glaring at Levy, who met her gaze steadily and narrowed her eyes. "First of all…I told you that Zeref made those arrangements with Mavis, not me. We're not to blame for what he does." Though, they had agreed to work together. Still, none of them had agreed with that decision in any way. "As far as 'screwing with your world goes', what exactly have we done? Natsu and Lucy helped interrogate Sting, Zeref volunteered to give information about our version of Alvarez to you…and I joined in the research effort as well, to try and stop Zeref from…well, doing what he normally does." She didn't exactly want to explain what that entailed unless she had to. "You want to blame us for magic existing here? Take a look at the lacrima behind me and tell me we brought it here. Take a look at it…and explain to me how we're at fault for something other people keep doing. Zeref said magic would come to this world regardless of what anyone did. He's been alive for four centuries, and he knows more about magic than anyone that exists in our world. If he says that is the case, while I don't have my own research and evidence to back it, I'd be inclined to believe his assumption is correct."
"Yet you are doing nothing to try and help us stop it! Magic caused all of our problems before. Maybe we miss it some days, but Fairy Tail has adapted…and we find we rather like our lives without it now." Edo-Levy glared at her, stepping forward. "Do you know what it is like to live in fear of being hunted down for just using magic? Do you know what it is like to lose your friends to the government, simply because magic exists? Magic was outlawed…treated as a commodity and used only for the elite. This way, things are more equal and there are no more debates."
Looking towards the crystal, Levy felt an odd wish for Zeref to be here. He'd be able to give reasons why they weren't doing anything wrong. He would even be able to relate to her problems. Still, Levy had to try. Taking a deep breath, she hardened her gaze back at her other self. "If it could have been stopped…Zeref would have stopped it." That was the start, anyway. Logically, she knew this world was almost like a paradise for him. It was an escape from his curse, if it truly could be a world without magic. "That was why he wished to stay in this world. Not only was Natsu…different here, he also lacked magic. Despite being a master of utilizing it, Zeref despised his magic completely. He wanted it gone, and this world let him get rid of it. As a result, stopping the process bringing magic into this world would be nearly impossible and require far more effort than either of us can likely imagine. My assumption would be that there is a natural connection between our worlds, one that keeps getting tapped into whenever anyone travels between them. It would explain why your animas could steal our magic away so easily, rather than connecting to some other dimension neither of us are aware of. It would explain why Nab's magic brought us here, as opposed to some other dimension yet again. Something is constantly connecting our two dimensions whether we like it or not…and that means that the magic in this world is flowing from ours, and it will continue to do so until an equilibrium balance is established between the two."
Still, she had no idea what formed such a connection. Based on Zeref's reaction, he had known exactly what it was. Either way, it was enough for her to stand tall, meeting Edo-Levy's gaze calmly. "We need to get home, Levy. This problem might affect both of us, but to be honest, I don't think either of us could stop it if we wanted to. Arrest Mavis if you want, and keep pursuing Alvarez if you think it'll help, but don't expect us to get dragged into your war with you. We've got a war of our own to finish back home…and staying here dealing with this issue isn't getting us any closer to fixing it."
"But you need magic to get all of you back." Edo-Mavis smiled, almost looking pleased with her assessment. "After all, isn't it rather problematic to leave without your companion that is now trapped in that lacrima? Even if that weren't the case, this idiot clearly can't manage to bring you back on his own."
Nab bit his lip, looking away from Mavis. "It's true…I'm still useless, even when I do manage to succeed…now I can't even keep practicing like we planned."
"Well…this way, we aren't exactly leaving them with our problems…" Lucy trailed off, biting her lip. "Levy…we really can't do anything about Zeref right now. I have no idea what that circle is supposed to mean, and if you knew, I imagine you'd already be off trying to do something about it."
Closing her hands into fists, Levy felt her shoulders shake. Once again, she was reminded that she was the reason they even had this problem. "I…I know that if I just had more time…or maybe my reference materials…"
"But you don't." Mavis still looked pleased, moving forward. "Therefore, I recommend we align our forces. We can work together, you know. I would be more than pleased to have assistance from Earthland wizards in retrieving enough magic for me to accomplish my goals, and yours. After all, wouldn't resurrecting this Zeref solve both of our problems now?"
"Mavis…you don't have to force them to do this." Zeref sighed, glancing towards them with a small smile. "Sorry, she can be a bit forceful at times, but she means well. I don't exactly like the idea of manipulating others to help…but she does have a point. Magic could make this a lot easier for all of you, if we had it. Plus, Mavis says that your Zeref apparently left behind something that could help accomplish that goal with magic." He frowned, patting his body before reaching into his robes and pulling out the Book of END. "I think…I think this is it. Right? This book helps—"
Levy moved forward, snatching it away from him with a glare. "Don't play with that!" Even Natsu looked tense, watching the book warily. "It isn't some toy, and we aren't using this magic at all. You have no idea what it does…what it can do." Really, Levy didn't know much about it either, but she knew what it could create. She had seen the demons of Tartaros in battle, and she had almost died against one of them. Maybe Natsu was different, but this book was still connected to his life. Pressing it close to her chest, she took a deep breath, calming herself. "Magic…magic isn't the answer, not right now. Even with it here…I wouldn't have the faintest idea of what that spell Zeref left behind is supposed to do. So, I say we work on our original goal. Natsu, Lucy, Nab and myself will go back to Earthland. I'll do some research…and then one day, I'll come back for him. Zeref is going to come back home, whether he wants to or not."
"Why?" Nab looked at her, biting his lip. "He's…he's the one that started the war…I mean, he wants to destroy the guild and all of us."
"Because…because he needs to know that he doesn't have to be hated." Levy spoke quietly, staring at her feet. Guilt was still tearing her apart, with those words echoing in her mind. Why had she told him he was no better than the villain history said he was? Why hadn't she just…tried to see things from his perspective? "I'm not going to be the one responsible for doing this to him. I refuse to let that be the case. So…that means I just have to work hard to bring him back."
"So…you're helping him because you feel guilty?" Natsu frowned, studying her for a moment. "That really doesn't make much sense…but I guess you can count me in. Maybe if we help him out, he'll realize that his war is stupid and cancel it." Natsu glanced over towards his other self, smiling faintly. "Maybe…maybe I could try and get to know him a little better, just like other me did."
"I wouldn't say I did that much…" Edo-Natsu blushed faintly, scratching his cheek. "I just talked to him a bunch about my Zeref and about how much I wanted him back…" That was when Edo-Natsu glanced towards his actual brother, hanging his head. "I'm sorry…I really didn't think it was possible to have you back…I…I tried…the other Zeref, I wanted him to be—"
He was crying, but Zeref moved forward quickly, pulling his brother into a tight hug. "It's alright." Edo-Zeref rubbed Natsu's hair, gently comforting the other boy. "We'll always be family, Natsu, no matter what you did. I would have wanted the same thing…" He trailed off, glancing towards Natsu. "And I'm certain that my other self would be happy to get to be with his family again too."
Natsu nodded, focusing over on Lucy. "Well, then I guess I better give it a shot. What do you say, Luce? Wanna help Levy bring back Fairy Tail's greatest enemy? We'd get to be rebels for a change!"
"Like you haven't already broken guild rules, idiot." Lucy shook her head, smiling faintly. "Still, I'm up for the challenge. It sounds like just the kind of thing our team would normally do…and to be honest, I've always wanted to work with Levy on a job for once. This'll be interesting, and hopefully, you're right about him forgiving us when we're done."
"But…I still can't bring us back…"
Natsu laughed, tossing an arm around Nab's shoulders. "That's part of the fun! See, you're now a part of our team for this job, Nab, and that means this job is your job too. We'll figure out a way to get back, without magic. Then, we'll find a way to get Zeref out of this mess."
"But…what…" Nab paused for a moment, trying to keep arguing. He glanced towards the other Zeref, frowning for a moment. "Wait. Did he say you and Zeref were family?"
"Yup." Natsu laughed, grinning as even Lucy's eyes went wide. "I'm Zeref's younger brother, apparently. And you know what? I think I'm finally starting to get used to the idea." He glanced towards Levy, pausing for a moment. "Oh…and about that book—"
"I know." Levy locked eyes with him, and Natsu nodded. "I'm not letting go of it, just like Zeref before. Maybe I'm not an immortal wizard capable of protecting it like he could…but I will do my best."
Lucy looked rather lost as to her comment, as did Nab, but that wasn't the point. They were forming an odd team, working at an impossible task to save someone that they should all hate. Yet, whenever Levy thought about Zeref lately, hate wasn't the emotion that she really felt. She was curious about him. There was something mysterious about his past, and just maybe, he might be willing to talk to her more about what things used to be like back then. If not, then she'd at least manage to get through this selfish task with her friends. She wouldn't be the one responsible for Zeref ending his own life. She didn't want that guilt weighing her down, even if he thought the world would be better off without him in it.
We are now nearing the end of the Edolas arc for this story. There is still quite a bit more to come, and I hope you are enjoying it thus far. Please review and tell me what you think!