Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail
After talking with August, there really wasn't much left to do but wait. Levy stared at the lacrima in her hand as the light vanished, feeling her heart pounding. She had revealed to August what Zeref now knew. Why had she opened her mouth and said anything? Sighing, she shook her head and held the lacrima back towards Nab. "Sorry for taking over there. I spoke with August before so I thought I might be able to reason with him for a bit."
The animal possession wizard nodded, taking the lacrima back and pushing it into his pocket. Really, contact from Earthland at all had been startling. However, given the nature of how communication lacrimas functioned, it made sense why that could work when other things wouldn't. "He's a bit intimidating to be around…and he's way too direct about what he says…"
"Really?" Levy smiled, shaking her head. "I feel like he's way too vague…he makes cryptic comments that sound like they're really wise, but doesn't explain a thing."
"But then he goes and tells everyone about who someone is in love with…" He glanced at Levy at that, biting his lip. "I mean, isn't that what he was implying with you?"
She nodded, blushing and looking away. What was that August even thinking? Zeref had not agreed to stop the war when they returned. They were going to be enemies, or at least, they were likely going to be in that position. As much as she might have wanted to understand more about him, it just wasn't possible given their circumstances. Levy didn't love him at all, nor did she really have that kind of a bond with him. It took trust and understanding to reach that point, and she definitely didn't understand him at all.
Still, she had to at least be able to pretend to understand him. Somehow, she had to be him when she returned. Glancing at her hands, she frowned. Just what would that entail? Sure, she could answer questions vaguely, but what about the curse? The other Zeref didn't even seem to notice it, so maybe she wouldn't either. Then again, this was also a world where magic shouldn't exist, so that likely had its own affect on him anyway.
"Just because he says something doesn't mean it's true." Lucy walked towards Levy, smiling at her friend and giving her a curt nod. "Levy knows better than to be interested in a guy like that, trust me. I mean, just think about everything Zeref has done! Whatever we know about, you can trust Levy to know double that about history and facts given how she works."
Frowning, Nab glanced between the two of them. "Well…just because something doesn't seem right doesn't mean it can't happen. I mean…I know I'm not really that interesting, but that…well, it doesn't really…see, August still managed to—"
"Look, we don't have time for your stuttering idiocy, or whatever crap other me wants to go on about." Edo-Levy spoke, interrupting whatever Nab was about to say. "No offense to you guys, but we've gotta finish dealing with Mavis and this Alvarez group she founded. You're welcome to help us keep tracking down the others, but since you seem to have a way back now, I don't really think you're going to stick around for much longer."
Frowning, Levy glanced back towards Nab. "Right…how exactly did that guy plan on getting us back anyway?" Natsu beat her to the question, but Levy still wondered how. After all, hadn't August said he didn't know the right spell to travel between dimensions? Maybe he had found something back home, but Levy really couldn't remember seeing any books on a topic that obscure. Few people really had an interest in leaving their home in such a dramatic manner, especially with all the theories about how unpredictable it would be when arriving somewhere new.
"I'm not sure…that was why he wanted me to keep working on improving my magic." Nab rubbed the back of his head, sighing. "I guess I really did screw up again…but it's not my fault I got distracted! Loke was asking me about…stuff, and then August just kept pushing and then…" He broke off, taking a sharp breath. "Oh god, he didn't even react when he saw me again! Does he think it was just a lie? Maybe I can work with that…yes, I can just pretend August said nothing at all!"
Whatever Nab was trying to reason through, Levy really wasn't certain if she wanted to be a part of it. "Well…either way, it sounds like we're going to be here for at least another night. Natsu and I have been crashing with Mystogan while we were here, since he was a former guild member after all. But…you really haven't been with us for long here." Lucy paused, glancing towards Levy for a moment. "You were staying with the other Natsu, right? I'm certain Mystogan has room for one more person if you want to head back with us…"
"Pick what you want. I'm heading out, and Mavis is coming with us." Edo-Levy grabbed Edo-Mavis' arm, not leaving it up for debate. The blond shrugged, looking rather unconcerned for someone getting arrested. However, Zeref watched her with dark eyes, giving her a faint smile and nodding.
"It'll be okay…I promise, I'll come back soon. You know I wouldn't leave you and Natsu for long, not if I had the choice to do something else."
She smiled at him, shaking her head. "There were so many things I didn't get to tell you…" She glanced towards Levy, sighing. "But I guess they really don't matter at the moment. Do whatever you want…I'm not going to stop fighting for this, Zeref. One day, I will bring you back to life…and this time, I won't be just letting someone else take your place instead."
"Yeah! And…and I'll help her too!" Edo-Natsu smiled, nervously glancing at his brother and nodding. "Maybe we don't even need magic…if we just look more into technology, I'm certain we could advance to that point. We already have these cool machines that mimic the magic that ran the amusement park in town…and they say they're even getting closer to a non-magical form of a car! Can you believe that?" He looked so eager and excited that Levy couldn't help but smile at him. From what she knew, it was highly unlikely that something so basic could actually fight back against death, but she didn't have the heart to tell him that.
It seemed like even Zeref agreed, smiling and laughing softly at his words. "That sounds amazing. Maybe we can go on a ride in one of these cars when they're finished?"
Edo-Natsu nodded, grinning before turning to leave with Edo-Levy. "I'll be looking forward to it!" He glanced towards the lacrima, pausing and smiling up at the frozen form of Zeref inside. "And I guess I need to apologize to him as well…I think I didn't treat him like I should have at first. Maybe it was wrong of me to project my real brother onto him…"
"He actually didn't seem to mind that all that much." Levy smiled at him, nodding towards Natsu. "Zeref might not show it that well, but he does care in his own way. Don't just think he's hurt because he didn't reciprocate your actions." Part of Levy wanted to wince at her words, and how authoritative they sounded. Really, who was she to speak on Zeref's motivations? Maybe she had heard him speak a little bit about his suffering. Maybe she knew more about him than the rest of her guild. However, there was still far too much about Zeref that was a mystery.
Scratching the back of his head, Natsu nodded as well. "Yeah, Levy's probably right. I mean, I wasn't all that much of a brother to him anyway…I hardly know the guy, and the only times we've met, I've always just jumped into fighting him. He probably just didn't know how to react to me not attacking him!"
"Why would you want to fight your brother? That's just…so cruel…" Edo-Natsu looked ready to cry, while Earthland Natsu laughed.
"Well, he did nearly kill my friends that first time…and the next, we were at war…" He paused, before his eyes went wide. "Oh, but wait! There was that time at Tartaros! I didn't attack him then…but that was when he promised to bring despair into my life, so I guess it still wasn't all that good of a memory…" Natsu slowly began to frown. "Why am I fighting to bring him back again? Levy, this is all your fault! I can't figure out if I should help because he's my brother or not because he's…well, Zeref!"
"It sounds like this other me is a bit…unusual. Is it normally this difficult to make decisions regarding me?" Edo-Zeref looked faintly amused, smiling at them with his hands folded behind his back.
Glancing towards him, Nab shook his head. "Well, not really. Most people think you're dead."
That seemed to make the other Zeref blink, staring at the others in confusion. Edo-Natsu shook his head at them, before Edo-Levy grabbed him and began to drag him away along with Mavis. Still, the others remained in the forest, near the massive lacrima holding the two frozen bodies within. "Nab does have a good point." Lucy crossed her arms over her chest, glancing towards Zeref. "See, Zeref kinda managed to break all kinds of rules. I don't understand why or how…but he's centuries old at this point. How Natsu's his brother at all is even more confusing than that…but I figure things are already weird enough with this guild, so it can't really get that much worse."
"Yup!" Natsu smiled as if that were a compliment for them. "Fairy Tail always has the most interesting situations to deal with. See, we're kinda at war with you, Zeref. I guess that means we're enemies, huh?"
Shaking his head, Zeref violently seemed to disagree, taking a few steps back. "No! I don't want to fight anyone. Really, violence doesn't do anyone any good…can't we just find a way to be friends instead? I could talk to whatever group there is back in your world trying to fight you…maybe they'd see reason—"
"And that's why August doesn't trust you to be Zeref." Levy sighed, shaking her head. "I may not be an expert on Zeref or anything…but I do know him well enough to say he wouldn't back out of this war without a good reason. He wants something our guild has very badly…and to be honest, I don't think I can really hold a grudge against him for his reasons behind his actions, no matter how wrong his path turned out to be."
"You think Zeref should win the war?"
Lucy's words made Levy frown, shaking her head. "That's not what I meant." She paused, considering for a moment. "It's just…he is only fighting for what he thinks is right. Isn't that all we can really ask anyone to do?"
"But if he wins…doesn't that mean all of Fairy Tail falls?" Nab spoke, looking at the ground. "I mean…it's not like I'm incredibly attached to the guild or anything…but after all that work for us to get back together, for everyone to be united again…" He trailed off, biting his lip. "There were some people I really wanted to see again…and I only just had the chance to really talk to anyone too. I know I'm not exactly the most popular wizard, and I know I'm rather useless…but I really want to still stay near everyone. I just…I don't like being alone."
Out of everyone in the guild, Nab was the last person Levy expected to feel so down about the potential fall of Fairy Tail. Still, he looked so dejected, staring at the ground as if it would tear away everything he knew. "We won't let that happen." Natsu spoke, giving Nab a determined nod. "After all, we're Fairy Tail. Nothing will stop us from finding a way to keep moving forward, Nab. That means that no matter what, we'll still be nearby, and that you'll always have someone to consider your family."
"And I'm not about to let us all go our separate ways again so easily either. I'll found a new guild myself if I have to to make sure we stay together." Lucy smiled at him, looking just as determined as Natsu.
Staring at both of them, Nab slowly began to nod. "Right…I'm just being ridiculous. Really, I was even thinking about quitting the guild again the other day…I don't even know why I care so much that it doesn't go away."
Touching his shoulder, Levy gave Nab a small smile. "It's not the job that you're afraid of losing. Just like you said…Fairy Tail is a family. You don't want to lose the people there, and that's exactly why you are afraid to leave."
Looking towards her, Nab's eyes seemed to widen. Then, they seemed to pool with water as he nodded, sniffling and wiping away at his eyes. "Thank you…Levy. I…I think you're right. I just could never leave…because if I left, there was a chance that I'd miss my opportunity to see him…to see everyone I'd grown happy to watch inside the guild hall." He looked up, his gaze hardening as he focused on Lucy. "I won't fail him now. Loke needs Lucy to come home…otherwise, he'll never be able to return to the celestial world."
Blinking, Lucy spun towards him. "Wait, what? That's why Loke is still in Earthland and not back with the other spirits?" Nab nodded, while she glanced towards the others. "This isn't good. If we can't get back and close his gate—"
"But we will." Nab spoke, smiling with more confidence than Levy had ever remembered seeing him have. "I have faith in them…I think that's what he'd want me to do. Who knows what will happen when we get back? Maybe Loke really will hate me for all of this…maybe he won't. All I know is that I have to keep trying…to keep pushing forward, no matter what happens."
The more he spoke, the more Levy was starting to see. He seemed to worried about seeing Loke earlier, and the way he talked about August's comments…she smiled, shaking her head. If he still wanted to keep that to himself, it was just fine. However, she was almost certain that he cared a lot more for Loke than he was trying to let the others see. Maybe it would make things awkward for the lion spirit, but she supposed it could also show him a decent lesson in the end. She had never once seen Loke take anyone's flirting seriously, and most girls he dated always ended up with a broken heart. With a guild member like Nab, who was so sensitive and shy, it was likely different from anything Loke knew. It might not become anything, but it could show Loke a thing or two about how to take someone's emotions a little more seriously, and at least help him grow to see that it just isn't right to toy with that kind of thing so light-heartedly.
Really, things were rather uneventful after that. Levy and Nab ended up staying in Jellal's castle with Lucy and Natsu. With the space provided, they actually were rooming with the kingdom's servants, making living quarters fairly small. However, Levy spent most of her time in the library there, reading the books of another world to make something of her time. As soon as she had gotten to the castle, she had taken the time to carefully draw out the circle Zeref left behind exactly as she remembered it, but beyond that, she hadn't done much to be productive.
The castle's library was vast, filled with all kinds of information. On some days, Lucy would join her, reading some kind of fantasy or romance novel when there wasn't anyone else around to do things with. Even rarer yet were the times Nab stopped by. The animal possession wizard just didn't seem to know what to do with himself. Whenever he was around, Levy could see him looking through journals and encyclopedias about the local wildlife of Edolas. Maybe Nab didn't read as much as her, but she smiled when she saw that even he had his own particular set of interests that would keep him entertained.
One day, she even figured out what it was he had been looking for. "I found it! Ha, I knew we would eventually…though…maybe I wouldn't have found it back home…" Nab trailed off after his triumphant declaration, scratching his head before turning the book towards Levy. "See this?" The page was picturing the strangest animal she had ever seen. Though, considering the little wildlife she had witnessed thus far, it really shouldn't have been surprising to see the weird monster-like animal in the book. "It is called a Legion. This encyclopedia says it is known to live in the skies between islands in this world…though how it travels over such vast lengths without stopping is unknown. It is believed to be one of the few creatures that has truly explored all of Edolas, and they would have been revered like the Exceed if not for their lack of mental awareness. Instead, the army tamed them and used them as mounts to give them the upper hand in battle…though I suppose that doesn't really interest you, does it?"
Smiling, Levy shook her head. "I don't mind. Really, I read so much because I love to learn new things. Every book…even fiction sometimes, can teach you new things. You just have to know how to look at them properly to know what is true and what is fake." Even nonfiction had that issue. Discerning information from biased sources was difficult, which was made easier by referencing the source material from the books she read. Overall, it made her reading far more involved than most people thought, given how she used the references in texts for new book recommendations to read next.
"Good! Well…I'll admit, I get bored unless the subject interests me…but that's good that you can get into so many subjects like that." Nab smiled, looking up at her. "Even Edolas doesn't know much about the Legions…but I'm certain that's the animal spirit I used to travel to this world. It has its own magic…and I'm guessing that it is that magic that allows it to travel so far! Teleportation, even the ability to cross over into new realms…it really is a unique creature."
Smiling, Levy had nodded at him. "Yeah, I guess it is." She paused, frowning for a moment. "Do you like animals, Nab?"
Nodding, Nab smiled brightly. "Of course! I've learned all about them growing up…after all, that's kinda what I need to understand to use the magic I have. My parents taught me when I was young…but there's something about nature that's always inspired me. I know…I know that someone like me really shouldn't have survived as long as I have, given how nature operates. Yet, some of us are just fortunate…and to be honest, I don't think I really would want to give up so easily either."
It was oddly more information than Levy ever expected to know about Nab. Did anyone at the guild hall even know him? Part of her almost felt like Fairy Tail knew Zeref better than him, and that was just…disappointing. Nab was part of their family, yet he was always written off. Maybe his magic was weak, but he wasn't an idiot and he had aspirations of his own. "I'm not exactly the strongest person out there either." She had smiled at him, rising to her feet with a new book of her own. "Still, if you learn to use your mind and plan things out properly, you'll figure out a way to use your own skills to your advantage. Everyone is different and has their own way of fighting, Nab. I think you just need to find yours."
Still, even that one conversation was not enough to truly understand the odd man. Levy spent more time reading than she did talking. Really, did the guild even know her all that well? Lucy might know her, but the celestial wizard spent more time with Natsu and her team than she did with Levy. Levy's own team had once been there for her, but years had passed and they had grown apart after her time working for the magic council. Maybe Gajeel had been nearby while she did that kind of work, but the iron dragon slayer had just been too insensitive at times, despite what she wanted. She had tried so hard to get his attention, to make him see that she had forgiven him and was ready to take their relationship to the next level…but he had just always ignored her. Every time, work was more important. Gajeel wanted to be strong, and while she could admire that, she had grown to accept that they were just too different for anything to really grow between them.
Oddly, Levy found herself comparing him to Zeref. Unlike Gajeel, Zeref never made any signs of wanting to be strong. He already had that kind of power, after all. Zeref used his mind above his ability, and from what she had seen, he liked being mentally challenged. He analyzed everything he saw, and sometimes, he overthought the smallest of things. Yet, when it came to people, he was woefully ignorant. He doubted his ability to come across as friendly, and he didn't even think about how his words and actions would affect those nearby. He did what he wanted, was stubborn, and yet, he had an unyielding desire to do whatever was necessary to protect what he cared for. She had to admire that, even if it led him down dark paths she preferred not to think about.
To keep herself distracted and forget about such thoughts, Levy returned to her books. More days passed, and the waiting began to grow tedious. Mystogan began working on processing Mavis' trial, and other members of Alvarez were brought in. Confirming her suspicions, Sting and Invel both were returned to the cells. Rumors had spread that they were among the elite of Mavis' group, but Levy really didn't care so much about that in this world. No, she just wanted to get back so she could work on bringing Zeref back here.
When August finally did come, none of them were really expecting it. Too much time had passed for them to really be hoping for anything at that point. Levy had grown bored of her research, Nab had taken to trying to play games with Natsu of all people, and Lucy had started talking to Levy about her future plans for her novel back home. When the younger August knocked on their door, entering alongside his older Earthland counterpart, Levy had been shocked. "I appear to have arrived at an unusual location. Fortunately for me, I seem to have encountered this variation of myself, who was aware of your current location." He glanced towards them, nodding slightly. "It is good to finally meet you in person, Levy."
She blinked at him for a moment, before grinning at him and rising to her feet. "Likewise. So, are we all set for whatever plan you have in mind?"
August nodded, holding a lacrima out towards them. "I've stored a variation on the portal within this lacrima. It should reverse the spell and bring us back home."
"How did you even manage something like that? I mean…it's a way more extreme version of teleportation." Lucy frowned, shaking her head. As her roommate, she was the only one of their team in the room.
"Simple. I observed and learned the magic utilized by your friend when he attempted to come here on his own. While the concepts are similar to that of teleportation, it utilizes a far more complex layout of the circular matrix rune formation than most spacial—"
"I don't think she really cares about the specifics, August." Levy smiled, faintly amused that even he had the background to speak about magic in technical terms. "Still, we might as well get the others, right? I'd rather not waste too much more time here than we have to."
He nodded, staying put while she left. Just down the hall, Natsu and Nab were sharing a room. Zeref had been given one to himself, upon Levy's recommendation. She thought it would help once the curse began building magic within him again…but oddly, nothing seemed to have happened as a result. Right now, she was thinking that maybe it wouldn't do anything until they were in Earthland. Still, Zeref himself seemed unaware and she didn't want to scare him for nothing, she she remained silent about it for now. Natsu had seen it before from what she understood, so he should know to keep his distance at least. Nab would be too frightened to stay near him for long, and Lucy would follow Natsu's lead to get away if something happened.
"What's up, Levy?" Natsu answered the door, smiling at her. In the room, Nab sat at a game board, frowning in confusion at the pieces resting on it. The game wasn't really something she had remembered from Earthland, and she highly suspected that Natsu and Nab had just made up their own rules…but she wasn't going to complain.
"August is here." Natsu blinked at her, while Levy smiled brightly. "We're going home."
Natsu was out of the room in an instant, charging towards her own open door. Nab followed after him at a much slower pace, frowning in confusion. "I'm confused…I thought he needed me to come here? Maybe I really wasn't necessary for this job at all…"
"Actually, he said he learned how to come here from watching you, Nab." Levy smiled at him, patting his shoulder. "You did a good job for your first mission in nearly a decade. Really, I think you'd be a good wizard if you just tried to apply yourself a bit more."
He frowned, and slowly moved forward. "Well…everyone keeps saying that…but I just don't think it's for me. I'll just stick to waiting for the right job, I think…"
Not wanting to push him, Levy just nodded and let him continue walking towards her room. Continuing to move on, Levy went to the next door to get Zeref. Answering the door, Levy once again had to pause and adapt to what she saw. It was Zeref, at least in terms of appearance. However, his dark robes were gone, replaced with one made of pure white instead. It even had short sleeves, barely even covering his shoulders and making it look oddly like a dress. Still, she didn't comment, only frowning when she noticed another absent trinket. Hadn't Zeref worn some kind of necklace before?
"Levy?" Zeref smiled after a moment, before glancing towards his room. "We're leaving, aren't we? I suppose I should probably grab the other Zeref's things then…it just didn't feel right for me to wear them when they weren't really mine."
He went back into his temporary room for a moment, before emerging with a handful of folded cloth with the plain locket resting on top. It looked like silver, though it had tarnished quite a bit over time. The chain was sturdy, but it had likely been replaced given the fact that the coloration wasn't nearly as faded as that of the actual locket. "I guess I can understand that." Reaching forward, Levy grabbed the clothes from him. Zeref smiled, nodding towards her before moving towards where the others were gathered. However, Levy paused, glancing at the locket. Why did Zeref even wear a necklace in the first place? It just seemed weird, since it was normally an accessory for a woman not a man.
Shaking her head, Levy simply moved on. It really wasn't any of her business anyway, and she shouldn't just follow common assumptions like that. When she entered the room after him, August stared at them for a moment, before nodding and stepping closer. "I see that we've all gathered. Considering what we will be facing back home, I suppose this was for the best." His gaze focused on Levy again, frowning. "Are you prepared for this? It will not be simple, even with me assisting you in this matter."
She would be playing the role of Zeref, somehow. Levy nodded, hardening her gaze. Really, it was like she told Lucy. It wouldn't be any different than playing a role to deceive someone in a job. She had done so before, especially when dealing with big-time thieves or escaped criminals who thought they could outsmart a girl as small and timid as she appeared to be. They didn't seem to realize that girls could fight back, and that they could be just as smart as men when they wanted to be. Of course, some saw through her ruse, but that was also earlier on in her career as a wizard, before she really gained much experience in the art.
Now, she did usually avoid those jobs in favor of curse breaking missions. She liked the challenge of analyzing new spells and understanding how they worked before rewriting the underlying circles and runes establishing them to render them useless. Despite the delay in jobs like this, she felt like she could still be fairly decent at the role, however. "Let's go. Whatever it takes…I still need to do this, to make up for being the one who caused him to do this in the first place."
The elderly wizard nodded, smiling faintly towards her. "Very well." He held out the lacrima, and in an instant, it began to glow "I do hope you had no intentions of saying farewells. I'd rather not waste our time on pointless gestures such as those." Lucy and Natsu blinked at him in shock, but it was a bit late to stop him. With a swift toss of his hand, the lacrima hovered in the air before exploding its magic outwards. The floor was consumed by a massive spiraling portal, swiftly swallowing all of them whole and dragging them back towards Earthland.
And we are back off to Earthland next! Soon, we'll be delving a lot more into Zeref's curse, among other things. I have to say, I am really excited for my idea involving the curse in this story. It has got to be one of my favorite ideas on how to deal with it thus far, and I've written a few stories already that attempt to address Zeref's curse. I hope you enjoy reading about it too. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!