Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail

Arriving near Mildia wasn't quite as bad as Zeref expected it would be. At a distance, he could at least pretend it was some other set of ruins, given the lack of detail he could see. However, he still felt wary of approaching. Almost immediately, he could sense the magic aura Loke and Nab had been sent to track down. It was powerful, almost overwhelming to his senses. Yet, why had it not been there before? It made him wary, wondering who had hidden this away. Such a spell would deteriorate over time, and it would have had to come from someone powerful in order to hide such a strong aura.

Still, his thoughts on the magic he was sensing were interrupted by Loke. "I wasn't expecting so many to come along. Really, I was just looking for someone to free Nab so we could keep moving forward."

"If you keep moving forward, you'll find more enchantments such as this, some more dangerous than others." Loke frowned, and Zeref glanced out towards Mildia. Holding out his hands, Zeref closed his eyes and drew a circle in front of him. A flash of light seemed to found outward from him, white in color. Just moments after it spanned outwards across the dirt-covered ground, flashes of gold seemed to sparkle for just a few seconds before fading away. "Each flash of light was a different enchantment placed, meant to activate upon proximity to the spell. Do you truly think you understand this area enough to avoid them all?"

Loke didn't answer, gazing outward with a faint frown. "Why would they even go to these lengths?"

"We were at war, with a race that magic could not fight against directly." He shrugged, moving towards where he saw Nab standing. "Scales prevented the majority of magic from affecting dragons, as it did with physical attacks. As a result, most of these enchantments influence the mind, the only weak point a wizard could access in such a battle without dragon slaying magic."

Staring at Nab, Zeref began to sense which enchantment had been activated in particular against him. However, August approached, shaking his head. "I've become quite familiar with enchantments lately. One such as this should be simple enough to unravel for me, if you'd prefer to conserve your energy." Pausing for a moment, Zeref hesitated. He didn't know if he wanted to be exhausted or energized for the search. However, he likely was better off letting August take the lead. It would be more practical, given August's own magic being designed to copy and cancel any style of magic.

Nodding, he backed away. Taking his place, August lifted his hands, a white flow emanating from them for a moment. In an instant, Nab seemed to stumble backwards, tripping and falling onto the ground with a gasp. "Stop!" He was shouting, flailing about on the ground. However, as the haze of the illusions wore off, he seemed to come back to himself, glancing around with wide eyes. "Wait…you're not…you're not the creatures I saw. What…where did they go? And how did Zeref get here…?"

Glancing towards Zeref, Loke frowned. "What is he talking about?"

"An illusion enchantment, forcing him to see that which was not here." Zeref knelt down, staring into Nab's eyes. "Such visions were not reality. Yet, by mimicking the effects of sleep on the mind and blocking its ability to tell the body to move…this enchantment established quite a story for you, didn't it?"

"It…it wasn't real?" He seemed hesitant to believe that fact, gazing around at the others. "Of course it wasn't…it made no sense." He sighed, rising to his feet and shaking his head.

"Yet it took place within your mind, hence the reason why you believed it without hesitation." Zeref shrugged, turning back towards Mildia with a frown. "This wasn't here before, or if it was, it was hidden very well. Despite how simple this task may appear to be to you…do not let your guard down."

"I already figured that much. I just wasn't expecting…that. When Nisa mentioned ghost stories and monsters in this place, I figured it was just fictitious events made up by young teenagers messing around in this area." Loke sighed, glancing around. "I didn't realize actual enchantments would do something like that to a person."

"Well…it makes sense." Nab spoke, shrugging. "I mean, enchantments do all sorts of things, right? Seems like they'd have one that could affect pretty much anything, really."

In essence, there was. That was why Irene's mastery was so unusual when it came to that branch of magic. "It would also explain that odd amnesiac rumor too. I'm guessing one of these enchantments is supposed to make you forget why you even came to this place." Nodding, Zeref remained silent. How far was he going? Did he want to stop? Standing here, it felt difficult to convince himself to move forward. Yet, he'd made a promise, right? It had been so long ago, but he owed Igneel that much.

Trying to fight back the memories dancing in his mind, Zeref spun around, moving to circle around the ruins for a moment. Levy followed, watching him with a frown. "Zeref?" She hesitated, her voice quiet by his side. Instead of answering, he reached over and grabbed her hand tightly, wanting that little reminder of why he needed to fight against the memories this place held. She squeezed his hand, walking close to him as they moved. After a moment, the others seemed to follow as well, looking uncertain about what else to do.

When he found the old path, now overgrown and blending in with its surroundings, Zeref turned. "There is a specific path meant to be used to gain entry. Perhaps it has been some time…but I still know this place rather well."

"I'd remember it too, if I grew up here." Loke glanced over at him, hesitating for a moment. "Are you alright to be returning now? It seems like something…that you'd rather forget."

Zeref wasn't certain, and he was rather confused as to why this man was so concerned. "Perhaps." He did not bother to elaborate. If it was just Levy and August, he would have, but he did not know these strangers and he'd already said too much to them.

"He doesn't really talk much from what I've heard…" Nab spoke, glancing over at him. "That's why the other Zeref was so weird to Levy. He talked a lot…and was less…depressing."

Nab seemed hesitant to label Zeref as such, but the term was rather accurate and he made no objections. Levy moved closer to him, her head brushing against his arm for a moment. Glancing towards her, he gave Levy a faint smile and nodded. He was doing okay, for now. "Well, I can't exactly blame him either." Loke looked distracted, shaking his head. "This is exactly what I was talking about before, the kind of mood I was afraid of if I interacted with humans on a normal basis. Celestial spirits, we really aren't meant to have that kind of companionship, not outside of our own kind."

Glancing towards him, Zeref frowned. Which spirit was he, then? It was odd, to have one traveling with him without his wizard, but that also spoke to his power. He had to be one of the zodiac, at the very least. "Yet you cannot stop yourself from desiring that which you know is impossible to gain." Zeref spoke quietly, watching Loke turn towards him with wide eyes. "I gave up on that ideal long ago. I advise you to do the same. Suffering…it is impossible to avoid, and I can promise you that despair will come the longer you live. Yet…it was when I failed in hiding from emotions and bonds that I managed to find my few pleasant memories to recall. I may not be the best person to go to for advice on how to cope with immortality, but I do understand that in my failings, I've learned a few things on how to live amongst humanity, despite being set apart in a way that they cannot quite comprehend."

Oddly, this personal topic seemed okay to discuss with him. As a spirit, Loke would at least gain something from his knowledge. Just as Levy suggested, it was best to try and share what he knew with others, and he would do so if they would utilize that information. "And how did that work out for you? From what I can tell…you've got plenty of problems that you won't even talk about."

Nodding, Zeref shrugged. "Indeed. Yet, I also bore a curse that forced me to avoid that which you have no reason to."

"And the fear of loss wasn't enough of a reason?"

"Wouldn't anyone have that same fear?" He glanced towards Loke, shrugging. "Death is a part of life. As such, even those without immortality…fear losing that which they love. Your partner understands that much quite well, given his reaction to me threatening your existence before during our battle. He has little strength of his own from what I can sense, but like most magics, that power can be strengthened if the emotion fueling it is strong enough to overcome such boundaries."

They were nearing the town, and Loke had fallen silent in thought. August and Nab were staying out of the conversation, listening in as Zeref spoke. Even Levy seemed a bit surprised that he was speaking so openly, not interrupting and simply walking in silence by his side. "Well…I can't say you're wrong there. And you're also right about something else…you really can't fight against what you feel, even if you think you should."

Nodding, Zeref smiled faintly at him. "Then all that remains is if you wish to act on such feelings or not."

Glancing between Zeref and Levy, Loke smiled faintly and nodded. "I guess so. This job…was kinda meant to help me sort those feelings out, really. Part of me thinks I probably didn't even need it to figure things out…but I guess I was still afraid. Though, if someone like you can move on past the things you've done…surely, I can do the same, right?"

Why would a celestial spirit feel guilty for his past? Then, Zeref recalled something from his recent exploits in celestial magic. He had learned of it while designing Neo Eclipse, his first concern over activating it. When he discovered the banishment of one of the twelve Zodiac spirits, he knew he needed to find a method avoiding celestial magic to open the gate. "Leo…you're the lion spirit, the one that was banished and then granted a pardon for your actions in abandoning your master."

Nodding, Loke pushed his hands into his pockets. "That's me. Are you going to tell me how it wasn't my fault like everyone else too now?"

Shaking his head, Zeref looked up at the sky. "That would be rather pointless. After all…perhaps it was a decision made for the reasons you believed in, but that does not mean it did not have the effect of ending your masters life."

"Zeref!" Levy shouted at him, glaring at Zeref.

However, Loke chuckled, shaking his head. "You aren't one for false comfort, are you? I wondered…with the way you spoke so calmly about how Nab might die. Yet, I didn't expect it to run that deep."

"Lying rarely benefits anyone and I always see the worst in the world." Zeref glanced towards Levy, his gaze softening for a moment. "Gradually, that is shifting…but the darkness will always linger, I think. It is just something I will have to grow used to in time."

"Then let's grow used to that guilt together, Zeref. You and I, I think we could be friends." He smiled faintly, glancing towards Nab. "And I think…I think that maybe it's time I let go of some of those old habits, and try exploring something new." His voice was quiet at the end, likely too quiet for Nab and August to hear. However, he had a faint smile, and there was a light in his eyes as he gazed at Nab that was softening ever so slightly. Maybe it wasn't a romance filled with a strong bond quite yet, but there was an affection from him that was slowly growing.

Looking towards Nab, Zeref nodded. "While I cannot speak much of friendship…I can say that I wish you the best. No one deserves to suffer isolation for quite so long, and you've suffered it just as I have."

Nodding, Loke smiled over at him. "Yeah, but we're both moving on from that now, right?" Glancing towards Levy, Zeref nodded in agreement. "So, let's work together on this one. We'll find this object and get out of this place before long, so just try and push past whatever history you have here and finish the job."

Yet, Zeref might not want to remove the object from this place. He had a promise to keep, after all…one that he wished he could have fulfilled sooner. "Then allow me to be upfront about my intentions this time. Whatever we locate in this village…there is a high probability that I will not allow you to return it to the person who gave you this task. I made a promise to someone long ago…one I was not able to fulfill due to my failure to locate something in these ruins."

"Then we'll deal with that when the time comes, alright?" Loke glanced at Zeref, who nodded. "Until then, we work together. Now, what kind of an object do you think we're even looking for? I'm not even a wizard, and I can sense it already."

Something powerful that was kept hidden. Zeref frowned, focusing on the direction the magic was coming from. As he moved through the wrecked streets of the old village, he had an odd chill filling him. Burnt crumbling buildings surrounded them, with nothing changed from the moment he remembered. Beyond further decay from time, this place had been preserved simply due to the protection spells it had from intruders so many years ago.

"Something alive." Nab spoke before Zeref did, making the black wizard narrow his eyes at him. Turning towards them, he frowned. "I'm not certain what…but I can feel the spirit of some animal in this town. It…maybe I'm wrong…no, I'm certainly wrong…because it couldn't have survived this long, right?"

Yet, the odd chill was not leaving Zeref. Something seemed to be triggering in his memories, something Igneel had said. This is the first step then, to make up for what was taken. Yet, promise me…if I do this for you, the moment you find what was taken, you will use this spell and bring me to you at once. Zeref had not understood what Igneel was searching for, nor had he understood what was being made up for. Yet, that had been his words…when he'd offered Natsu to Igneel as his son. Zeref had been so afraid of harming his brother, of killing him with his curse, that he knew he had to get rid of the young boy. Without any friends to go to, and without anyone he trusted, Igneel had been his only option. Yet, oddly, it had sounded like this object was something more vital to the dragons than he had believed. If Nab sensed an animal spirit, Zeref was not going to claim it was false given the very premise of his magic. No, as he gazed at the town that had burned to ashes before as a result of dragons desperately trying to retrieve something that was theirs…only one answer came to mind. "An egg." Yet, despite knowing what it was, Zeref had little idea on where to begin. So, he simply continued following the trail left behind by the magic aura, moving deeper into the ruins and wondering who had taken an egg away from a peaceful clan of dragons, and for what purpose they meant to have it to serve.

Sorry for another delay! I've recently gotten a new idea for another Fairy Tail fanfic, and I've been focused on trying to draft up that story instead. So, revisions fell behind for a little bit. I do hope you enjoyed this chapter! We're gonna be getting a little more info on Zeref's past in this arc, among other things. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!