Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail
Really, Levy thought they were making good progress together. August offered to let her stay in the apartment with him while they worked out the full details of their plan together, and in the meantime, he tried cramming as much information about Alvarez as possible into her head. Rapid learning was never good for keeping information in long-term memory, but they needed something quick before the rest of Alvarez got suspicious. So, Levy did her best to make do with what she had.
However, the next morning was when she realized things weren't always going to go according to plan. She had been sitting with August, eating breakfast, when the door to the apartment opened without warning. "August! I've been searching for you all throughout town. Sting contacted me to inform me that the missing Fairy Tail members had returned, so I came to ensure that—" A calm voice had been speaking, breaking off upon spotting Levy. Levy turned towards him, quickly squashing down the impulse to panic and get away from the sense of the magic coming from this wizard. It wasn't quite as strong as August's, but it was definitely more powerful than an average wizard. "Your majesty." He gave a slight bow, only reminding Levy that her role was beginning at once, rather than much later like they had begun to plan.
Quickly, Levy tried to calm herself and focus on being the man she appeared to be. Nodding towards him, she turned away to at least have to avoid mimicking facial expressions for the time being. "Invel." Zeref wasn't really one for eloquent greetings after all. At least, she didn't think he was.
"Forgive my intrusion, I had assumed that you remained in Edolas when I heard no news of your return alongside of Fairy Tail."
Looking at August, Levy still felt tense. However, she swallowed, making sure to be quiet as she took a deep breath to steady herself. "Why would they have any reason to abandon such a task? I did give you two orders to ensure they would remain motivated to seek out my return." Calmly, Levy took a bite of her eggs, trying to ignore the churning of her stomach for talking like that. Still, it was the most accurate comment she could think of for Zeref to say. "Plus, August was the one to retrieve me, not Fairy Tail. All things considered, it was rather unlikely for them to return without me."
"Of course." Invel seemed to glance towards August, frowning for a moment. However, whatever message passed between the two of them was not one that Levy could read. Invel nodded after a moment, before focusing on her again. "Now that you've returned, I must request that we hastily focus on our next move. Fairy Tail has grown lax given our truce, which means it is the ideal time to strike against them. Currently, the majority of the Twelve have returned to Vistarion, but they are awaiting your orders to resume the march on Fairy Tail to—"
"Not now, Invel." Levy tried to quickly think of some reason to stop this. She had to stop the war, but she had to do so as Zeref. "I've grown rather tired of this game." She knew that Zeref spoke of the war as a game, luckily. Could she think of something better than simple boredom though? That was a stupid reason to stop a war!
"I see." Invel frowned, glancing towards August. "Then…are we returning home?"
Wait, he had just accepted it? August inclined his head ever so slightly towards her once Invel looked away. Biting her lip, she slowly nodded, hardening her expression before turning towards Invel. She couldn't have this entire conversation while staring at August, not when Zeref at least managed to make eye contact with conversations like this. "Yes. I do believe we are." Yet, what about trying to avoid Alvarez during this job? Scrambling, Levy frowned as she tried to think of what else. "Though…there was something I saw in this other world that interested me. I planned to investigate it further with August, so it may be best for you to simply go on ahead. Tell the others that until further notice, the game is over."
Giving another slight bow, Invel moved to leave again. "Of course, your majesty." He paused, hesitating at the door. "And…it is good to have you back. I was concerned, given the state you were in when you last contacted us. Yet, it appears as if you've recovered well and have returned to where you belong."
Frowning, Levy simply nodded, uncertain of what to say in response. Still, Invel seemed satisfied enough to leave, making Levy relax the tension in her limbs very suddenly once the door shut behind him. August remained still, gazing at the door for a few moments longer before speaking. "He should be far enough away to not overhear conversation." He paused again, studying the door for a little while longer "That was an unexpected visit. Why would Sting worry himself over contacting us for this matter? I would imagine as your ally that he would delay passing along potentially harmful news for as long as possible."
Really, that detail didn't matter. "Maybe he just thought it would be fair to do so." August shrugged, while Levy bit her lip. "Did…do you think he at least bought the act?"
"If he did not, you would be quite aware of it. Invel is rather protective of his majesty, and he is quite direct about doing so." She swallowed, not wanting to imagine what that would have meant for her. "Though…what made you think of the request to investigate something from Edolas?"
Smiling, Levy glanced over at him. "Oh…that. Well…see, it's actually something I might be interested in learning about, that Zeref already seemed to understand perfectly well. He kept saying magic was somehow returning to their world, yet nothing was actually going on to make that happen."
"Oh?" August frowned, glancing at the walls for a moment. "How intriguing. His majesty already determined why…given his usual scattered thoughts, the knowledge came from something recent if the answer came so suddenly." He frowned again, before narrowing his eyes. "The only unusual concept he had been investigating as of late would be what he had me searching for during this war. While the rest were tasked with facing off against you in battle and getting him closer to Fairy Heart…he asked me to seek out a different power, which he had narrowed down the location of to this general region." He paused, smiling towards her. "In this world, a time rift exists. None know what happens to those that enter, beyond the fact that they disappear from this world entirely. Perhaps such a creation exists in this other world as well, establishing an odd reaction in a world that should not be able to sustain the existence of a magical creation of that nature."
As interesting as the idea was, Levy filed it away to look into another time. "Maybe. We can use that as the excuse if any of them actually ask what we've been looking into." August nodded, while Levy rose to take care of her plate. "For today…since I think I actually just managed to deal with Alvarez far quicker than I expected, I think we should try looking in the library here. It might be ideal to get Zeref's notes, but that would involve more deception…and I really don't think I'm comfortable with that, not after how tense I was dealing with just Invel alone."
"You did quite well, all things considered." Levy didn't really know what to say, frowning at that.
"I…it didn't feel comfortable." She looked back at him, shaking her head. "Talking like him…it makes me realize just how direct and threatening he can be. Zeref doesn't care about how others react to his words…he just says what he wants to, and moves on."
Nodding, August smiled faintly at her. "Yet, you did not let that discomfort display. That is why you are for more adept at this role than the other Zeref. Unlike him, you can at least attempt to hide your emotions, even if you are not as skilled as his majesty at doing so."
That much she could agree on. Snorting, she shook her head. "Yeah, that's what told me he wasn't Zeref right away. I mean…he was smiling. Zeref never smiled, not like that." August nodded, while Levy looked away. "Though…I kinda wished he would have. For someone with such kind dreams…just wanting to be with his family…he always seemed so sad and alone."
"Because he was. His curse didn't allow him to be anything else." Really, there was nothing more to add to that. So, Levy finished cleaning up, before moving on to their plans of heading into tow.
Magnolia was fairly empty today, though she should have expected it. Fiore had just technically fought in a war, even if Levy had always thought of the war as being directed towards Fairy Tail. Alvarez had to travel through other parts of the country as well, though. Warren had kept them updated, so she knew the battles had spread out to Hargeon and other areas in the North, West, and East. Fiore must have had devastation scattered throughout many cities in the country, and Magnolia was no different.
Even so, most of the buildings hadn't been completely destroyed. People in Magnolia were used to having to rebuild quickly, especially with how destructive Fairy Tail wizards could be. A few people were out working on repairs as she walked through town, though when they spotted her, she saw a few of them grow pale and back away. Some actually let out screams before running and hiding in the nearest building, making her frown slightly. August made no comment, but that was when she realized that they were simply recognizing her. How did everyone know her when the world thought Zeref was dead? Then again, he had started a war. Wars tended to get notice, which meant Zeref's face was likely widely known once more.
Trying her best to ignore the terror, Levy simply focused on the path ahead of her. It didn't take long to arrive at the public library, but once there, the librarian's eyes widened at her. "You! Get out!" She blinked, opening her mouth to object to the young woman manning the front counter. She had come to this library all of the time, but she wasn't used to this kind of treatment here.
"I'm only here to—"
"I don't care!" A book was thrown at her, making Levy quickly move to dodge. It hit the wall behind her, and she simply stared with wide eyes at the angry librarian. "You've destroyed this town! No-good emperor of a no-good nation….I do not allow such patrons in my library! I will not tolerate it!"
"Is that not a poor example for others, when you should be teaching children acceptance of other cultures?" August attempted to reason with her, but all that resulted in was another book being launched towards them.
"I'm also teaching them about the dangers of the Black Wizard! Get out and take your rotten slave with you!"
Flinching, Levy glanced towards August. However, the elderly man did little beyond give the woman a respectful nod, turning around and walking away. Levy took a step backwards, gazing at the librarian before slowly turning around and fleeing the library. She felt an odd pang in her chest, still unable to quite process what had just happened. Had she been kicked out of the library? Not just kicked out, but banned completely? It wasn't right. She hadn't done anything…heck, even Zeref hadn't done anything to the library. Yet, this was the result of just wearing his skin. She stared at her hands, the realization sinking in. Was it really so common for people to treat Zeref like that?
She felt August squeeze her shoulder, smiling sadly at her. "I should have warned you, I suppose. His majesty typically is not allowed to enter public places such as this." Then where could she go? Hesitantly, she glanced back towards where the guild hall stood. Fairy Tail was fairly forgiving, but this might be pushing it. She would also have to go there with the premise of being Zeref again…but the threat that came from them knowing the truth was far less than what would happen if Alvarez found out.
"Maybe…maybe there is another library that we can get access to." Still, she needed a plan for this one. What reason would Zeref have for wanting Fairy Tail's library? As she tried sorting it out, she blinked and realized how simple it was. Zeref could be searching for an alternative to Fairy Heart to achieve his goals. He could be searching for a way to avoid the war, and still give both sides what they want.
Moving with a faster pace, she noticed August staring at her with greater confusion the closer they got. "We are heading towards Fairy Tail." She nodded, not answering as she was focused on staying in the role she'd need to play. "They have a library…but yet again, I cannot imagine them allowing Zeref access to such a place."
"Normally, I'd agree…but Fairy Tail is more forgiving than you might think." Levy smiled, already moving to walk inside. She nodded towards August, before letting her smile drop in favor of the usual frown she had grown used to seeing on Zeref's face. When she walked into the guild hall, plenty of people noticed. Natsu stopped his fight with Gray, glancing up and blinking in surprise. He grinned and waved, probably one of the only people here aware that she wasn't the real Zeref. However, Gray looked pale at the sight of her. Erza stiffened, rising to her feet and standing ready to fight. Others grew tense, preparing to battle. Any mirth and laughter died down quickly, a reaction Levy was foreign to but one she had expected for now.
Lifting her gaze, she did her best to mimic Zeref's smile of dark amusement, though she was fairly certain it didn't look much different from an average smirk. "Hello again, Fairy Tail." She kept her voice quiet, never remembering a single time Zeref raised his voice. Everyone stayed tense, while she gazed over their faces calmly. "My apologies for the interruption…but I was in the area, and I thought this might be the perfect time to extend our…temporary arrangement."
August watched her in silence, yet others still shied away from him. Mest seemed to sweat slightly when August walked by him, never quite taking his eyes off of the elderly man. Still, it was Master who moved forward to speak with her, not one of the members. "And exactly what is it you want? We've already worked hard to return you to this world along with our own comrades. Asking for Fairy Heart right now…even you would know such a thing is not something we are willing to simply hand over on a whim."
Trying to deepen her smile, Levy nodded. Yet again, she felt like she wasn't quite able to pull off Zeref's dark side, but at least the face gave her some leniency in this case. "Of course. Strategically speaking…well, Mavis would have stopped a plan like that long ago." Master looked pale, but Levy simply moved to take a seat at one of the tables, leaning back calmly. "No…I wish for something a bit less taxing for you, yet still beneficial for me. Fairy Tail does still desire an end to this war, does it not?"
"Of course we do!" Cana stepped forward, no longer able to stay quiet. "What kind of an idiotic question is that?" Makarov held out a hand, stopping her from getting any closer to Levy.
Meeting his gaze, Levy saw the narrowing of the Master's eyes. She wondered if she had given something away, but he simply seemed to be waiting. "Those are not the actions of someone seeking out peace," Levy said. Cana glared at her, clenching her teeth together. Seeing that anger left an odd pang in Levy's chest, but she ignored it and continued on. "I want Fairy Tail to help me." Everyone seemed to freeze, looking startled by the request. "If you can help me come up with some way to achieve my goals without Fairy Heart…well, then we just might be able to move on from this war."
"And what exactly is it you are trying to do?" Master Makarov looked wary, and the question should have been expected. Levy needed an excuse other than what little truth she knew. Glancing towards Natsu, she saw the dragon slayer watching her with narrowed eyes, frowning at her.
She hoped he wouldn't ruin the plan, but her silence lasted a moment too long it seemed. August stepped forward, taking over for a moment. "His majesty wishes for a power capable of destroying Acnologia. That was his reason for seeking out Fairy Heart…for this entire war. If Fairy Tail can conceive of some alternative method to meet this goal…we will agree to halt the war until another problem arises that his majesty sees as requiring the use of such a power."
"So, what you're saying is that this isn't even a guarantee that war won't return?"
Snorting, Natsu rolled his eyes. "Of course he is! Because that's—" He broke off as Lucy grabbed his arm, smacking it harshly. She glared at Natsu, before she whispered something towards him. After that, he huffed and scowled. "Never mind. Lucy says I can't say that out loud. Stupid rules…"
"He…he isn't really asking for anything that bad." Nab spoke up, surprising Levy. She saw him smiling at her, looking oddly happier than she remembered him being. "Really, I could have easily seen Natsu going out to do this anyway without prompting…so why not at least take the chance that it'll slow down the resumption of the war?"
"But his army tried to kill us all!" Romeo let out the shout, clenching his teeth tightly together. "All of the guild…our entire family…we nearly fell apart, because of him. Master disbanded our guild for an entire year…because he did this. It isn't like Phantom Lord! We can't just trust him because he says he's different now!"
"Perhaps this was too much to hope for." Levy looked away, feeling a weight on her chest. It hurt to breath, especially hearing her friends talk to her like this. Did Zeref always feel like this around people? She could see why he hated being in public now. "I…I simply thought you might assist me in researching the issue further."
Master Makarov frowned at her, glancing around the guild hall. "We cannot trust your word, not after what you've done to these children." He shook his head, closing his eyes. "Perhaps if your goals had been different…perhaps if you had come to us first, this hatred between us could have been avoided. However, forgiveness is not something to be given freely in situations like this, Emperor Spriggan."
"And nor is assistance, it seems." August frowned, glancing towards Levy who rose to her feet, closing her eyes. "Do not regret what happens as a result of your refusal to cooperate. Whether you lose comrades as a result or whether something else precious to you is lost…I cannot control such things in the end."
"And I cannot forgive those who attack and claim their purpose to be something it is not." Master Makarov stared at Levy's back, shaking his head. "I know a lie when I see one, Zeref. You would not need Fairy Heart to destroy Acnologia if you so desired…and as such, your purpose remains a mystery."
What would Zeref say in response? Levy paused, knowing he would have at least given this man something after all of this. Touching the locket Zeref wore, she realized at least one thing he might do. "And I will do whatever it takes to meet my goals anyway, Master of Fairy Tail. While my words from before were not entirely accurate…I do have good reasons for the things I do."
Still, Makarov did not agree. Turning away, Levy waked out, closing her eyes. She inhaled deeply, glancing towards August. Now outside, she couldn't stop the tears from forming in her eyes. "They…is it always like this for him?"
Nodding, August reached over and patted her arm gently. "You grow used to it, eventually." Yet, she couldn't imagine getting used to this. She didn't even want to try other towns or other guilds for help. Likely, it would all turn out the same way. So, she numbly headed back in the direction of August's apartment. She ignored the glares and stares of terror she received walking throughout her former home. She ignored the few objects thrown at her out of hatred. She ignored all of it, instead only feeling the aching in her chest as she realized she was completely alone in trying to accomplish this goal. August would help her, but really, what could he do to help her learn about Zeref's curse or enchantments? Still, she had to try something. Tomorrow, she'd go to her own house. She'd find her old reference books, and while they might not focus on enchantment spells, they'd give her enough of an overview to at least begin on something. All today had shown her was exactly why it was so important to not give up. Zeref deserved better than this life, and she'd make sure she found a way to show him that things could be better than this, if he just let himself focus on things other than the hatred and fear that surrounded him.
I didn't really get many responses on my question last chapter, so until I hear otherwise, I will continue to respond to reviews via PMs (It makes my notes a bit shorter, for those who don't want to read such responses). Anyway, Levy is now starting to see exactly how the public views Zeref. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!