Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail

As a result of the delay from cleaning up after his own antics last night, Zeref and Levy arrived rather late to breakfast that morning. Invel seemed to already be there, glaring at them when they arrived. "Levy, we hardly have time for you to be—"

"That is enough, Invel." Zeref spoke sharply, interrupting him with a harsh gaze. "Levy will be accompanying me today. Your assistance will not be required." Invel frowned faintly, gazing at his emperor with level eyes.

After a moment, Invel sighed and gave a slight bow towards him. "Of course. Please, keep in mind the importance of her learning such facts, your majesty. Do not delay this for too long."

With that, Invel left. Levy shook her head, sitting down and starting to gather her own meal from the table. Zeref did the same, smiling faintly as he did so. However, neither of them seemed to notice that August was still there, waiting as well. "Good morning, Levy, Father." He smiled at them, and Zeref turned towards him. "I take it you've recovered from last night?"

Nodding, Zeref closed his eyes while Levy seemed to stare intently at her plate. "Yes. I…I'm feeling far better now, thank you for asking."

"And yet, you made the same claim before. Clearly, your self-assessment methods are flawed."

Narrowing his eyes, Zeref frowned at August. "And what do you expect me to alter about them? If the idea is analyzing myself, and my own mindset, there should be few other methods other than considering my most recent thoughts."

Instead of replying, August turned towards Levy. "How has he been recovering?" Blinking, Zeref glanced between the two of them. Was his own feedback not enough?

Meeting his gaze, Levy took a deep breath and shrugged. "Okay…I think. He seems like he's back to his usual self."

That seemed to satisfy August where Zeref's own words did not. The elderly man nodded, taking a bite of his meal before focusing back on them. "And for further clarification…am I to assume that you've spoken about the matter of your affections towards each other?" Levy seemed to blink at him at those words, her eyes widening.

Sighing, Zeref shook his head. "Of course. Given the cause of last night's events, such a discussion was inevitable."

"Good. Why people fail to realize the benefits of speaking openly about such matters always remains a mystery to me." August shook his head, smiling faintly. "Then, I suppose that also explains why you will be joining us this morning. Despite what he may have informed you, legislative work is rather boring and uneventful, Levy."

Zeref narrowed his eyes, scowling at August. He didn't want her to decide to do something else. Despite it coming about from her refusal to trust him, Zeref wanted her there. "Yeah, I figured as much. I imagine it's a lot like filing papers, or organizing books back home. It's tedious and repetitive, but it still needs to be done, right?" August nodded, while Zeref's expression returned to something more neutral again. "Besides, it'll be new to me, so I'll at least be doing something different. I need a break from reading every once in a while, despite what Invel might think."

August frowned, glancing towards Zeref before letting out a long breath. "Levy…you are aware of what he is instructing you for, correct?" Yet again, Zeref felt that irrational fear of her pushing away as a result. Invel had assumed far too much, likely teaching her because of future plans Zeref himself had not even considered. Still, Levy nodded, her cheeks faintly pink as her eyes flashed towards Zeref for a moment. "I just wanted to ensure you were aware. For Invel…this is no game or simple task done for amusement. He seeks out the best for Alvarez, and if he sees you having a future role in the empire, he will continue to push this further."

"That's fine." Levy seemed to smile faintly, and Zeref watched her closely. "I…I'll be honest, I still haven't had the time to give much thought as to how long I want to stay here. Really, there's so much I could learn here…and I could easily see people like you and Invel becoming good friends with me, just like I had at Fairy Tail." She stared at the table, sighing. "But…that's the thing. I'm also a part of that guild…and I don't want to leave them either. I…I really don't know what is in the future for me, and I can't say I know for certain which future I want either."

Still, Zeref's eyes were wide. There was a chance…she'd stay. That he wouldn't lose her at all. He could feel August's gaze on him, studying Zeref's reaction, yet the black wizard hardly paid him any attention. No, his gaze was focused solely on Levy, wishing he could find a way to give her both. Yet, when Zeref said nothing in response, August seemed to continue the conversation for him. "I see. Surely…given what I've explained about my father's prolonged absences, you've come to realize that you could likely do the same."

Nodding, Levy smiled faintly at her food, stopping eating for a moment. "I did. That's…that's actually the thought that somewhat helped me, when I agreed to work with Invel. I keep thinking…that there is a way out there to do both. I mean…" She paused, glancing towards Zeref. "That is, if Zeref is actually okay with all of it. It's not like he's the one that brought any of this up with me—"

"I am." Zeref spoke swiftly, meeting her gaze. "You are welcome to stay as long as you wish, Levy. Whether that entails simply remaining until you return back to your home in Fiore…or you truly making Alvarez your home, I will not stop you from doing either."

Nodding, Levy smiled slightly at him. "Sounds like someone is a little eager for me to stay…" Frowning, Zeref tilted his head at her teasing. Had he not made it clear that he'd understand either choice of hers? Yet, she was still smirking confidently at her answer. When she saw his confusion, she laughed and shook her head. "You answered way too quickly for someone looking to let me just leave, Zeref. I'm guessing that means you'd probably prefer me staying here and visiting Fairy Tail rather than the other way around."

He didn't answer, gazing at the table instead. "Father…Levy does not mind if your desires conflict with her own. She simply wishes to know your opinion." August seemed to intervene when the silence lasted a bit longer than it should have, making him look up and meet her gaze again.

"I suppose I would." He smiled slightly at her, tilting his head. "Still…the matter will require further thought." Glancing towards August, he frowned. "Have we finalized the treaty with Fairy Tail yet? Political matters could likely complicate such things…especially with the public opinion."

"Indeed. They could very well see this as a political move on their part, attempting to ensure that war does not resume." August frowned, glancing towards Zeref. "Which, in turn, would result in a less than respectful image of Levy should she take that role. As far as the treaty goes…I was of the impression that the draft was halted in preparations for speaking with Fairy Tail's allies first."

Nodding, Zeref ran a hand through his hair. He had forgotten that he needed to plan out a meeting between all of them to finalize things. "Right. As far as Levy's public image goes, I suspect I could sway their minds easily enough." August nodded, while Levy seemed to be listening with wide eyes. "Though…I think we are getting ahead of ourselves, August" Zeref glanced at Levy, seeing her staring at them in silence. "I suspect Levy needs time to consider further before we begin any actions of making our relationship public in any form."

"Of course." August nodded, while smiling towards her. "And I suspect she intends to inform Fairy Tail of her dilemma first as well. People often request advice from comrades and friends in times of indecision, after all."

Nodding, Zeref hesitated and focused on Levy. August was right, of course, but he had not truly thought about Levy leaving so soon. "Right." He paused, hesitating yet again. "Did…would you like to return to consider such things? I'd…with August here, and knowing you'd return, I should be—"

"No." Levy glared at him, narrowing her eyes. "I was right down the hall and you still went and…" She trailed off, shaking her head. "I'm not leaving soon, Zeref. That much I'm certain of."

"What if he accompanied you?" August gave the suggestion, while Zeref stared at them with wide eyes. Fairy Tail…wouldn't let him, would they? Perhaps Natsu and Lucy had grown somewhat accepting of him, but they were the minority of that guild.

Levy frowned, watching Zeref for a moment as she considered the suggestion. However, as she opened her mouth to speak, the door opened. "There's people outside that were bothering me when I tried coming here, your majesty." Brandish was there, lazily leaning against the door. "I told them to go away, but they refused until they saw you. It seemed like too much of an effort to do so again, so I thought I'd just let you do it instead."

Really, this was the issue with Brandish. Sighing, Zeref shook his head and glanced at the people following her inside. Granted, the girl was not stupid and knew to avoid certain areas with them around. However, she also refused to put much effort into her actions unless Zeref demanded it of her. "Emperor Spriggan, I'm sorry to disturb you so early, but we've yet to receive a response to our request for a meeting so we decided to come to you." A familiar short man spoke, with an orange vest and a tired face. This was the master of Fairy Tail, and with him seemed to be other strangers he had yet to meet.

"I'm getting breakfast. Vistarion has the best orange juice in all of Alvarez…I missed it." Brandish grabbed a glass, taking a drink before glancing towards August. "Grandpa! So you've been here working this whole time? How boring…" She seemed to trail off, starting a conversation with him as Zeref focused on the others in the room.

Rising to his feet, Zeref nodded and sighed. "My apologies. I've been…distracted, as of late. If you'd please follow me, we can convene in a room more suitable to such a meeting." Zeref moved to lead them, and as he did so, Levy seemed to rise to follow him. She seemed to raise her eyebrows at him, as if to dare him to tell her to stop, but he simply smiled and nodded at her.

Following his gaze, Master Makarov seemed to turn and spot Levy with wide eyes. "Levy? What on earth are you doing in Vistarion?"

"She's my guest." Zeref spoke, smiling faintly. "I invited her to remain here, after she assisted August in retrieving me from Edolas."

Glancing at her, Master Makarov seemed to shake his head and continue following after Zeref. "I knew she helped…but why not invite Natsu and Lucy as well?"

"Because Levy has her own talents…and unlike them, she seemed to be willing to accept such an invitation."

By his side, a youthful blond seemed to frown. "But…Levy? I'm sorry, but I can't quite see how rewriting enchantments and solid script magic was all that useful in opening a portal between worlds."

"I'm assuming you mean Jutsu Shiki enchantments?" Levy nodded, and Zeref smiled. "Still, she has an aptitude for learning at a rapid pace. Given another era, she would have been labeled as a prodigy, I'm certain."

"That still doesn't answer my question…" The young guild master seemed to watch him, looking a bit exasperated while Zeref shrugged.

"It was neither of those talents that assisted me. Levy actually managed to learn a spell developed between myself and one of the Spriggan Twelve that allowed her to return me to this world." That seemed to make the man glance towards Levy with a frown. "As I stated before, her aptitude for simply learning new information is exceedingly rare. Considering the resources at our disposal, I thought she might be interested in studying here for some time."

Zeref turned down another hall, eventually finding himself in the meeting room he used for the Spriggan Twelve when they all convened. The guild masters seemed to situate themselves, each taking a seat as Zeref walked to the head of the table. Levy sat down next to him, staring at her lap uncomfortably. "Now that we are all convened, I suppose we should at least begin introductions. You all likely know that I am Zeref by now, but I hardly know any of you."

"And you have already spoken with me." Master Makarov spoke, seated next to Levy as he nodded. "Yet, I will introduce myself nonetheless. I am Master Makarov of the Fairy Tail guild."

Next to him was an elderly woman, with her gray hair tied up in a bun on her head. "And I'm Master Ooba of Lamia Scale. Do anything to invalidate the peace in this meeting, and I'll be sure to spin you good, Zeref."

Uncertain of what to make of that threat, Zeref moved on. Next to her was a young woman with dark black hair, leaning away from the gentleman on her other side. "I'm not the guild master of my guild, but our master unfortunately had other business to attend to. As a result, I am the representative of Mermaid Heel, Kagura."

A man with a dark cloak with an odd guild symbol Zeref had not seen before was by her side. Yet, his face was familiar, and Zeref knew immediately who this was despite never actually speaking to him. "My name is Jellal, and I am the leader of the independent guild, Crime Sorciere. While not an official guild, and while I may still be a criminal in Fiore…my guild has its own stakes in this treaty."

A criminal was an odd choice to bring along, but Zeref had little grounds to speak on in terms of legal actions. Next to him was the blond from before. "I'm Sting, guild master of Sabertooth."

By his side was a larger man, dressed in a bright pink shirt with an odd smile on his face. "And I'm Master Bob of Blue Pegasus. I think that we skipped introducing that cutie pie over there, though." He pointed towards Levy, while Zeref frowned. Perhaps she would be involved, but this wasn't exactly the work he intended to bring her to.

Sitting up straighter, Levy nodded and smiled at him. "Right. I'm Levy…guild wizard of Fairy Tail." Zeref wondered about her hesitation, but didn't say anything of it. Likely, she was thinking further about their conversation from before. However, with everyone here and introduced, Zeref knew it was time to begin. He felt as if there were a few guilds still missing from the delegations, but he supposed this would suffice for their needs.

"Now…previous discussions with Master Makarov had us come to a few conditions within our truce." Zeref saw the elderly man nod, folding his arms across his chest. "First, it was established that Alvarez would cease all attacks on Fairy Tail and its allies immediately. That, however, is implied by the concept that this is meant to cease the war itself. Secondly…there were to be no further efforts made to retrieve our targeted objective."

"And what exactly is that target anyway?" Jellal spoke, narrowing his eyes. "No one seemed willing to share what it was Alvarez wanted, and the war came without warning. While we all gathered together quickly to stand against you, the mystery still remained."

Glancing towards Makarov, Zeref inclined his head. "That was the third condition…that Alvarez not reveal what it was we intended to retrieve had we been successful in the war."

Murmurs spread throughout the guild masters, while Makarov folded his hands on the table. "I'm sorry, old friends…but secrecy is necessary, regarding this matter." He looked around at the others, keeping his expression focused. "Can you trust me enough to know that this is being done for good reasons?"

"Of course! We go back ages, anything for you, Makarov." Bob spoke, smiling brightly.

Meanwhile, Sting seemed to frown, glancing over at Jellal and shaking his head. "We put our own guild members on the line for this, Makarov. I think we, at the very least, deserve to know what we were fighting to stop."

Frowning, Zeref glanced over at Makarv, seeing the elderly man struggle for a response. However, Zeref was skilled at avoiding the truth by telling only part of what was real. "Without violating my agreement with Fairy Tail…I suppose I can reveal what I intended to do with what I obtained. Would that suffice?" Sting seemed to think for a moment, glancing over towards Jellal. Crime Sorciere's leader nodded first, slowly and reluctantly before Sting joined.

"I intended to utilize a new spell of my own creation…one which would have allowed me to stop numerous tragedies throughout all of history." He saw them frown at him, while Zeref looked away. "In essence…I was fighting to destroy my own legacy and the destruction I myself had caused."

"Yet the war was causing further death and destruction. What sort of spell allows you to undo such actions while furthering your own dark reputation?" Kagura spoke, frowning at him.

Glancing towards Levy, he wondered if he should reveal everything. The girl stared at him, and after a moment, she nodded and gave him a small smile before speaking. "A time travel spell." They seemed to pause, their gaze turning towards the unexpected voice joining in. "Zeref altered the Eclipse Gate spell…to allow him to change his own past. Much like what Princess Hisui planned to do during the Grand Magic Games, Zeref intended to go back to a time before he was immortal and rewrite history. The outcome of that…would have been unpredictable, to say the least."

"And what would you know of his plans?" Ooba spoke, glaring at her. "You're just some Fairy Tail wizard, which means you fought against him just like the rest of us here."

"But I've also been living in Vistarion ever since the ceasefire began." Levy countered quickly, glaring back at her. "I was one of the Fairy Tail wizards that got sent to Edolas with Zeref. I worked with him there…and we came to an agreement even then to halt the war and work together. What is so hard about just extending that agreement?"

"Because we have no guarantee that a wizard like him will keep such promises." Jellal spoke, narrowing his eyes. "Just examine the history of the matter, Levy. As one who understands so much, surely you know of the stories. He kills, destroys, and creates demons. Even today, his most powerful demon still exists, even if none have even seen it."

"I suspect any who have likely died and could not tell the tale." Bob spoke, shaking his head. "My my, what a dark thought. Then again, this is END we are referring to."

Stiffening, Zeref locked eyes with them. Sting seemed to nod, folding his arms across his chest. "Yeah. That…that should probably be the start, actually. We have no guarantee that he's honest unless he backs it up with truth. I want any last of your demons gone, Zeref. I might not be stupid enough to request that you eliminate the Twelve, because I know that Alvarez needs some form of military…but that much I can ask for, right?"

"No." Zeref spoke swiftly, glaring at him. "Any other demon…I will destroy all of them, except END. That is the most I can offer in terms of that."

"All of them except the strongest?" Kagura narrowed her eyes. "It sounds as if you are planning something."

His hands tightened into fists, glaring at them. "There is no plan except to let him live. END will not be destroyed."

"And what is so problematic with that?" Jellal spoke, narrowing his eyes. "It is a demon, which entails that its life was never meant to be a part of this world. Your dark magic corrupts it as such, after all."

"And yet, as you've stated yourself, no accounts have been told of END even existing." Levy interrupted, before Zeref could speak out again. Glancing towards him, he saw her give him a faint smile. "END…is just a name to us, really. We've heard he's the most powerful and most dangerous of Zeref's demons, but what evidence do we have? There are no ruins to see, like there were from Deliora. There are no destroyed homes and towns, like there were with the demons in Tartaros. END might exist, but whatever that demon is doing, he isn't like the others."

"Levy…why does it sound as if you are siding with him?" Makarov spoke, his eyes wide. "I understand your kind nature, and desire to help…but this makes little sense. Why defend a demon's existence? You are a member of Fairy Tail…"

"Yet I'm also training to help Zeref in Alvarez." She met his gaze, and Zeref wondered just how much she would reveal. He would not stop her from revealing her role here, yet he did not know how the others would react. "If you won't trust that explanation…then at least trust this. I know, and have met, END myself. It isn't a demon you should be worried about."

"You've met END?" Sting stared at her, his eyes wide. "What was he like?"

Smiling, Levy seemed to shake her head. "Reckless and impulsive, not all that smart. But still…kind, unlike most demons." It was a rather accurate description of the Natsu he saw these days. Granted, Zeref hadn't really thought much of Natsu in a while. It seemed easier, to move on past his history than it ever had been. Yet, he still would not take away his brother's second chance at life, the second chance he'd promised to give Natsu the moment he found his body.

"Hmph. I'm half-tempted to spin you for saying such a thing…but I guess it is clear that Zeref won't budge on the matter. Shall we move on to something else and come back to this discussion later?" Ooba made the suggestion, glancing around. Nodding, the others seemed to pause and consider the next point.

"I know you said you believed it to be an unreasonable request, Sting, however…I am in disagreement on that matter." Kagura spoke, meeting Zeref's eyes. "Alvarez is a militaristic nation…with an army vastly larger than it requires. In order for us to safely believe you to have peaceful intentions, I would like to formally request a lessened force of your army. Halve your amount of generals, to start with, and from there, start releasing members of your military into the public for other jobs."

He suspected this request from them, unlike their unreasonable request involving END. "The army itself…while it would have to be staggered to avoid economic conflicts, I could manage." Zeref considered the Spriggan Twelve, shaking his head. "However, the generals you speak of are not simply generals in times of war. They are my advisors…functioning in governmental roles for the majority of the time."

"And you cannot divide such tasks differently to allow for a smaller force?" Makarov made the suggestion, frowning at him.

Thinking about it, Zeref glanced towards Levy. However, she was already meeting his gaze, speaking calmly. "In the past, Alvarez actually has done so. However…that was also before they conquered the nations of Milutha and Portage, and were given leadership of Gorgol. With the expansion of their territory, it became too difficult for the advisory team, formerly consisting of nine members, to exert proper control over each territory. As such, they were forced to expand their leadership and divide tasks into even more segments, that way each advisor had the time to also enforce their regulations while establishing them for approval by Zeref."

"Then eliminate a few of your territories. Seems like Alvarez has plenty of land to decide to shrink down a little for this to work." Sting spoke, shaking his head.

"And tell them what?" Zeref studied the dragon slayer, who blinked at him in surprise. "Contrary to what you might think, Alvarez is rather fond of my leadership. True, I could simply decide on a whim to allow certain regions to govern themselves as opposed to forcing them to follow my rule…but that would also force them to suffer, since they have not done so in nearly a century's worth of time, at the shortest." He had stopped expanding in terms of territory then and focused on the military instead. Really, Alvarez had been growing for almost as long as he'd been trying to escape his curse, which placed the nation as being nearly as old as himself.

"Then would a compromise be sufficient for you, Kagura?" Jellal spoke, leaning forward and folding his hands on the table. "I suspect Zeref is correct in stating that he cannot so simply eliminate vast territories of his empire, and that he requires a large number of governmental positions to oversee it all. Therefore, I think we can be content with simply limiting his military forces, and not the officials he uses in governmental roles."

Nodding, Kagura looked away. "Very well. I suppose that will have to do."

The door opened, and Zeref saw August slip inside. Nodding, Zeref gestured to one of the empty seats next to him, and he slowly sat down. "Pardon the intrusion. I am August, of the Spriggan Twelve. I was delayed by a meeting with another member, but given the fact that I've been tasked with drafting this agreement, I thought it would be useful for me to be present for these discussions."

"Thus far, the only added term to our previous agreement will be a reduction in the size of Alvarez's army. We have yet to specify by how much, however." Master Makarov glanced at August, who nodded calmly.

"I see. Please, continue then."

"Crime Sorciere would like to formally request information regarding your past creations, spells, and anything involving dark magic that you've been directly involved with." Jellal spoke next, meeting his gaze. "As someone with personal experience in such matters, I think I can state that these dangerous tools should not be allowed into the public."

Pressing a hand to her chest, Kagura glared at the table. "They are dangerous. Because of them…a dark guild took my brother away. Because of that guild's cult activities…he perished, never seeing me again." She glanced towards Jellal, her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. The guild leader looked away, frowning with his jaw tight and his body tense at her words.

There was an odd tension between those two, but Zeref did not make any comment on the matter. "That information would be dangerous, even to you." Zeref spoke calmly, looking away. "Given the number of dark guilds searching for such things, do you truly think yourself capable of keeping that information hidden? The fewer aware of the truth, the simpler it is to keep it secret. August can attest to this quite well, given his own history of secrets."

If it had been anyone else, Zeref's words might have been seen as offensive. Yet, August simply nodded in agreement, staying calm as he focused on the group before them. "Indeed. Even now, only a select few know the truth."

"I am more than capable of fending off dark guilds. I was once a wizard saint, Zeref, and while that title was stripped from me for my own actions, that does not mean I've lost any of my ability."

Raising his eyebrows, Zeref studied him for a moment. "And yet, you yourself are a criminal. For what, I might question? Why trust you with information that we are all afraid of being abused?"

"Because I've learned from my mistakes and seek to atone for my sins." Jellal glared at him, slowly seeming to grow more angered. "My history…my history was the same as that of Kagura's brother. My life was spent in service to an occult group, seeking to bring you back to life, Zeref. All this time…and you were always alive, yet they tormented so many children to accomplish this goal."

It wasn't the first time he'd heard of a group believing him to be dead. Zeref shrugged, looking away. "And did I ask them to accomplish this task? When have I ever indicated a desire to prolong my own existence?" Levy flinched, making Zeref grimace at his choice of words.

"Yet you were the reason for it all! I was manipulated, controlled into leading the project after the others perished…and we succeeded. We finished building that blasted tower and—"

"Tower?" Zeref frowned, narrowing his eyes. "They couldn't have possibly found…" He trailed off, debating. Then again, those notes were likely the most public attempt he had at his early times of resurrection. When he had presented that project, he'd already made attempts to publish it as a formally documented theoretical spell with tests and models to back up its potential success. Attempts to bury such knowledge wouldn't work completely, not at that point. "Then again, I suppose it was their only possible variation to discover."

"Variation? What are you even talking about?"

"The R-System." Zeref spoke, shrugging. "An old theory of mine…abandoned due to the impossibility of activating such a spell."

"But I found a way…and as you are likely aware, the fact that I could only proves how dangerous even your former theories were."

As interested as he was in knowing about what method he found to gather so much energy, Zeref still did not like the idea of sharing quite so much. "Others are not you, and if even I have abandoned a project, the likelihood of success is minimal to none. Few could compete with my work back then, Jellal. Unless you can prove to me completely that you are not only capable of defending this knowledge at all costs, but also able to avoid utilizing it yourself…I will share nothing."

Frowning, Levy glanced over at him. "But…what if he's right? I mean, would it really be so bad to share some of it at least? Maybe not how it works…but the already finished spells, like the Lullaby Flute, could be found and sealed off before others try and use them."

"Not with him." Zeref spoke, glancing towards her. "If you wish to know about such things, perhaps later we can discuss them…" He trailed off, remembering the fact that he was still in a meeting with others. Sighing, he shook his head and returned his focus to them. "What is your next request?"

"I'm afraid that we still haven't figured out the last one." Sting shook his head, closing his eyes. "Sorry, but we've all suffered too much at the hands of your own creations, Zeref. Like it or not, they're dangerous and we need to put a stop to them."

"Then his majesty will venture to stop them himself." August spoke, meeting their eyes. Hearing his title once more made him frown, but he made no comment yet. "They are his creations, and as such, it is his responsibility to deal with them. Would that not be a satisfactory method of dealing with this?"

"But the knowledge would still exist, and people will still abuse it." Makarov sighed, closing his eyes. However, before he could think further and add his own suggestion, August seemed to blink, his eyes widening. Reaching into his robes, he pulled out a communication lacrima that seemed to have been activated at a rather inopportune moment.

"Excuse me…I was not expecting anyone to—"

"August, please tell me you're near Zeref." It was a voice Zeref actually didn't know, which made him wonder who wished to speak to him. However, the elderly man glanced over at Zeref, questioning him what to do next.

Makarov was gazing at the lacrima with wide eyes, shaking his head. "Loke? Why would he be contacting you?"

"Is that Master Makarov?" The now-named Loke seemed to question it, while Zeref slowly nodded. August handed the lacrima to him, and he set it on the table and frowned. "Did I miss something?"

"I am meeting with the guild masters to discuss the terms of ending the war. Given the circumstances, you will likely be getting an audience with them as well as myself, since I cannot exactly interrupt…" He trailed off, gazing at the background he could see behind Loke in the lacrima. It was familiar, a land covered in dirt and ash. He could see faint hints of buildings crumbling behind Loke, and he narrowed his eyes. The lacrima seemed to spin around, giving him a better view of the ruins which only confirmed his suspicions. For a moment, his heart almost stopped at the sight. A flash of a memory filled his mind, seeing smoke and fire filling the horizon. Another one, of him coughing violently as he stumbled through his home…only to find everything taken from him.

Without thinking, Zeref flung the lacrima away, shoving it off of the table. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes. By his side, August rose to his feet, touching his arm gently. "Sire?"

Closing his eyes, Zeref simply took deep breaths, trying to remain calm. He couldn't break down here, not in front of them. Not only that, but he couldn't put Levy through that again. "So, I was wondering if the rumors were true and if you actually know a thing or two about this place. I was on a job with Nab, and we were supposed to find something here. The person who gave us the job said it was rumored that you had something to do with—Zeref? Are you still there? I'm not seeing much other than white, I think."

Given the position of the lacrima, he could likely only see the tiled floor. "What of it?" He spoke through clenched teeth, still trying to calm himself. Levy was watching him, on her feet as well. He felt her hand cover his own on the table, her brown eyes trying to catch his attention.

"Something happened." That much was obvious. Zeref knew quite well what surrounded Mildia, and he understood why it was foolish of anyone to try and get inside. "Nab. We were walking, and he thought he heard something. He went to go ahead and check it out, but then he just…stopped. He seems unfocused, and he clearly can't hear or see what I'm doing and he's just been standing there, staring at nothing for about four hours now."

"One of the illusion enchantments, then. Consider yourself lucky you triggered one that far out." Zeref glanced towards Levy, seeing her frowning at him. After a moment, he let his gaze wander around the room, shaking his head. "How urgent…do you consider this meeting to be?"

"Are…are you offering to help them?" Sting frowned, looking doubtful. "That…I mean, you don't strike me as the kind of person who would do that. No offense, but you don't have anything to gain."

"Yet none of you idiots could manage it." Zeref shook his head, sighing.

"I've broken seals and enchantments before." Jellal seemed to try and argue against it, but Zeref glared at him.

"Any that were meant to be powerful enough to entrap a dragon?" That seemed to make him fall silent, while Zeref rose to his feet. "August, get Invel for a moment. I have a feeling I will need to instruct someone on guidelines for our guests while I am away."

"I could handle—"

"You're coming with me." Zeref spoke swiftly, glancing at the lacrima with his stomach churning. "As is Levy. This situation…will likely worsen what I warned the two of you about when Levy spoke to me of the details concerning the curse."

Levy bit her lip, frowning at him. "Where are we even going?"

"Some ruins of a town known as Mildia." Loke spoke, answering her. "I didn't realize you were there too, Levy. Still…the rumor says you destroyed this place, Zeref, so why does it bother you so much?"

He felt his expression twist, and for a moment, his vision turned red. "I'd never do something so—" He broke off, inhaling sharply. Running a hand through his hair, Zeref closed his eyes. "Never mind." Glancing towards Levy, he took another deep breath, realizing that he likely would have to reveal this to them at some point anyway. "Mildia…is where I was born. Despite whatever rumors you may have heard, that place was destroyed by dragons, as should be clear by the damage done."

"Well, END is a fire based demon…so I thought maybe that would have been the only possible way to mimic this sort of damage."

He couldn't deny that Natsu held the potential to do so…but there would have had to been no reason to do so. "I lost everything when Mildia was destroyed. Do not so lightly suggest that I am pleased by the result, or that I would have willingly instigated that destruction myself. Do so again, and I might find myself changing my mind about assisting your friend."

"Actually, from what I observed, they are likely lovers rather than mere friends." August made the suggestion, returning to the room with Invel before Zeref even realized he had left. Makarov blinked, his eyes growing wide, while Levy smiled and shook her head. Loke did not respond, neither correcting nor denying the suggestion.

The only one to speak on the matter seemed to be Master Bob, smiling brightly at them. "Oh my, what a wonderful story. You have to tell me how you two got together, Loke. The tale of how a bachelor like you was swept of his feet by another man has got to be juicy!"

"Can we please just focus here? Nab…I really am worried about him."

"The spell itself won't harm him. Really, the only harm that would come is in the fact that he won't be able to move enough to eat or drink…which would in turn result in death through malnourishment, if not removed within a few days time."

"How, pray tell, is that supposed to comfort him about this scenario?" Jellal frowned at Zeref, who simply shook his head.

"Because I can undo the enchantment easily enough and the enchantment itself will not kill him."

"Your methods of offering comfort are…" Kagura trailed off, while Sting nodded in agreement.

"Just plain terrible." He finished for her, while Levy laughed, shaking her head.

"It's not that bad." She smiled at Zeref, patting his back. Giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze, she focused on him for a moment before glancing towards the others. "He's just a bit…straightforward about these things. Sorry to be leaving in the middle of something important like this, but I think we really ought to help Nab out for a bit.

Plus, he wanted to know what they were searching for. He knew Mildia was devoid of magical artifacts…he had searched for them himself, trying to find the reason the fire dragons had attacked. Igneel said the answer was there, yet there had been no clues in town. So, what was it? What had these strangers found that he had missed? "Invel…follow the usual protocol involving ambassadors from other nations in terms of privileges granted towards them. They are allowed to stay, or they can return home. Either way, this meeting will be rescheduled for another time."

"Of course." Invel nodded towards him, glancing at Levy. "Please make sure she studies while she is gone. Yet again, you seem to fail to realize the importance of educating our future empress on how to govern our nation properly."

Invel seemed to fail to realize how to be discrete. The other guild masters froze, their eyes wide as they glanced at Levy who glared at Invel. "Hey! Why do you keep calling me that?"

"Because it is true, isn't it?" He still seemed to fail to realize the issue, and Zeref sighed.

"We'll deal with it later, Levy." She nodded, turning away. "Invel is always…a bit lacking in keeping certain matters to himself. When it involves Alvarez, he believes he knows best and fails to consult with me properly on details such as this."

Still, it gave the other guild masters time to think over the idea before their discussion continued. Perhaps it would help them give Levy more respect when they returned, as she deserved. "August, we are leaving." The elderly man nodded, standing by his, with Levy on Zeref's other side. Closing his eyes, he created a teleportation circle at his feet, letting it expand to cover the entire ground beneath the three of them. In a flash of light, Vistarion vanished from his sight. In its place was his former home, one he had not seen in nearly four centuries despite the memories haunting him as if Mildia had been his home only days before.

Alright, so a little bit of a longer delay than usual, but this is also a bit of a longer chapter too. I think I may have covered too much at once here...I've dragged in the guild masters, started negotiating terms to end the war, and then just dragged Zeref away again back to his former home to join their storyline with Nab and Loke's. I don't know, what do you think? Feel free to let me know your thoughts on the matter in a review!