Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail
The trail from the aura was leading Zeref to the last place he wanted to be in Mildia. He stopped when it brought him to a destroyed building, one that looked far more preserved than the others. Upon one of the few times he'd returned to this place, he had placed spells on this house to prevent its decay, and to stop others from invading it. Yet…he hadn't expected the aura to bring him here. "The aura is definitely coming from here. Is there a reason for the delay?" August glanced towards Zeref, who inhaled deeply.
"Levy…you'll need to wait outside for a moment." He moved closer, pulling his hand free of hers. "I will tell you when it is safe to enter." He didn't want them inside, but he had little options. Ignoring her protests, Zeref moved inside, quickly turning around before letting his gaze focus on anything. If he focused on something, memories would come back. He couldn't remember without August or Levy with him. Instead, he focused on the magic, breathing in and out deeply. Releasing the protection spell on the door, he pulled it open and nodded to the rest of them.
When they moved inside, Loke and Nab were frowning at him. Levy moved towards him immediately, questions in her eyes. However, he simply looked back towards the door, moving to recreate the enchantments he had just broken. Rather than make them the same as before, he took a safer route…ensuring that along with himself, Levy and August could gain entry without needing the same alterations he had just done. "Why is this house warded and not the entire town? It seems weird…" Loke spoke, glancing around the place. "Do you think it was to hide what we're looking for?"
"No." Zeref spoke, turning around and staring at the room after a deep breath. It was exactly as he remembered, destroyed and half-burnt to the ground. The living room was charred, with a few crumbling remains of chairs lingering. Curtains were nonexistent, and it seemed like a few walls were entirely absent from the area. Yet, the ward covered areas not defended by the door and walls anyway. "It was to prevent thieves from entering and disturbing this place. I…I didn't want it to change." Despite the horrid memories here, he did not want it to be destroyed further. This was his home…and it was where he could still find the odd pleasant memory of himself with his family for a change. Touching the locket at the base of his throat, Zeref closed his eyes and took a deep breath again.
"If…we can leave, if this is too much." Levy spoke to him quietly, looking over at him. "I know you have some personal investment in learning this, Zeref, but you just recovered from…"
"I know." Zeref spoke quietly, reaching over and pulling her into his chest. She made a slightly startled squeak, but didn't stop him as he pressed his chin into her hair. "That is why I have you and August with me. It makes it…easier, to remember why this should remain my past and not influence my future as it always has."
"Can you two stop flirting for a second and focus?" Loke spoke, shaking his head. "I'm starting to understand how people feel about me when I act like that. Either way, we've got a job to take care of, and despite whatever memories you have of this place, whatever you once knew here is gone. Stop thinking of this building as it was in the past, and focus on what's here in the present."
However, the past was where the answer would lie. Zeref knew his parents were wizards, and he knew they had some form of involvement in the war. Growing up, he could remember them vanishing for days or weeks at a time, sending one of their neighbors to watch over him and Natsu while they were gone. Usually, when they returned, there was nothing different about them or their actions. They would smile, hug both Natsu and himself, and tell them they were happy to be back. They would ask if they had kept things together while they were gone, and if they were staying strong and hopeful for the end of the war.
Usually, Natsu would always answer with a grin and a nod, insisting that he'd be fighting by their side soon enough. They'd laugh at him and ruffle his hair, sending him on his way. However, even back then, Zeref had been more of a realist. He'd frown at them, asking how they could possibly win when they had few feasible weapons against dragons. Those sorts of questions usually seemed to make his parents disturbed, however, so he had learned to stop asking them and to just nod as Natsu did upon their return.
Even so, he had searched his own house years ago for some form of magical artifact remaining behind after their loss. It had been…difficult, but he'd done so. There had been nothing here, beyond the wreckage of the home he once knew. Yet, his parents were excellent at keeping secrets. After all, Zeref had gained the skill from watching someone. He'd seen them go to their neighbors before, requesting the strangest objects for random reasons. When it was building materials like wood or cloth, the excuse was that they were working on making a new toy. Considering their status as parents, it was usually believed and traded away with little concern. However, the toys they had been building were usually weapons, a new experiment to see if one could be forged to break through the scales of a dragon.
If that wasn't enough, he still had the odd memory that only solidified his confidence that something was here. He'd known it before, but he'd told himself that whatever was here had simply been removed without his knowledge before. It had been about a week before the attack, when his parents returned from their final task during the war. "What were they thinking? They shouldn't have taken this at all."
His father spoke first, making Zeref frown as the sound of voices woke him up. Usually, they would let them sleep and greet them in the morning, however, Zeref had always been a light sleeper. "I know. Are you really certain it is okay for us to bring it here? They'll be looking for it…"
"But I'm not going to let those damn over-eager bastards add more chaos to the war for no reason." There was a loud sigh, while Zeref frowned at his father's language. He clearly didn't realize anyone was listening to him, even after Zeref walked to his door and cracked it open to listen in. "We…we'll find a way to bring it back. Keep it safe and hide it for now. We can't have Natsu or Zeref finding this. Who knows what they'd do if they knew…"
"They wouldn't understand." His mother spoke, an oddly sad note in her voice. "Natsu, he's always been too eager to fight. As for Zeref…I can't say. Either way, I don't want them involved in this war, on either side. Promise me that by keeping this here, we aren't dragging them into this. Promise me that we aren't making things worse for our family by protecting them."
He had always wondered who she was referring to. As a child, he'd assumed it was Natsu and himself, but it had been an odd phrasing for self-doubt. His father had responded with reassurances for her, and from that point on, their voices were too far away for him to hear. The next morning, he saw no signs of anything hidden away in the house, and they were their usual selves. For the entire week, he'd tried searching for whatever they brought with them, curious as to what they were so worried over. However, he found nothing, and on the day of the attack, he'd been out looking for Igneel, to try and ask the dragon about what might've had his parents so worried.
Looking around the room now, he could now see that perhaps his mother had been referring to something else. Perhaps, like Irene, she had been trying to protect the dragons. "There is no separating this place as it is from what it was in my past. Doing so…will waste our time, considering I've already searched it previously."
"And I think that would still waste less time than whatever you are reacting to right now." Loke gazed at him levelly, looking calm as he reasoned through his decision. "I understand you've got your own past that you'd rather not deal with. I understand that you probably don't have much control over what you remember, either. However, this magic aura we're feeling…whether you're right about what it is or not, it's going to bring others here. People are going to want something they think is this powerful, Zeref. So if you don't pull yourself together and start searching, we're going to have a lot more people than just us in these ruins."
He knew that would be the case. Yet…Zeref almost didn't want to confirm his thoughts. He didn't want to think about how his parents were different from what he knew, about how they had been almost like him. If he'd been more open, told them about Igneel, would they have all survived? If it truly was a dragon egg hidden, they had likely not returned it due to their inability to find a dragon. Yet, Zeref had visited Igneel's home at least once a month to get away from Mildia. He'd done so to avoid the teasing of the other kids in town, who insisted he'd amount to nothing because he couldn't physically fight others with much skill.
Even worse than that…he didn't want to confirm that his tragedy stemmed this far back. His parents brought this object here, that much he was certain of. However…did it mean his family was responsible for the destruction of Mildia? Not only himself because of his silence, but his parents for simply trying to do what they thought was right? Closing his eyes, Zeref remained silent in response to Loke's request. "Um…Loke? I think…I think he needs some time." Nab spoke, watching Zeref closely. "He…he seems kinda different in this place. I really wouldn't keep pushing him like that…"
"Yeah, he does." Loke sighed, looking towards Nab. "Then where do you want to start looking? I think we should leave him to his memories and—"
"No." Zeref spoke, turning towards them and shaking his head. "Unless you wish to stumble upon a corpse on accident…I recommend you wait until I decide to search with you."
Levy seemed to flinch slightly at the dark tone in his voice, glancing up with a frown. "Zeref? Are…are you absolutely sure you're okay?"
"I'm certain that I'm not." Zeref inhaled deeply, pressing her closer to him. He was not going to release her, not right now. "Yet, I am stable enough to continue working, if that is what you are searching for. Despite contemplating what this means about my past…I've yet to consider searching for…a repeat of last night's incident." He had no desire to reveal to Nab and Loke just how poorly he could react to something like this.
Levy didn't object, and August raised his eyebrows at him. "Would you like me to begin with something then? If you know which areas to avoid, then it might be best for you to delegate areas to each of us." Yet, Zeref didn't want to search the entire house. Some rooms would bring back too much. Glancing at the half-wrecked wooden stairs, falling apart with holes torn through them and charred, he hesitated.
"Do not go upstairs, not without my permission." He spoke on that with finality, refusing to do so even himself. "That is where…I preserved them. Too much damage had been done, unlike with Natsu, so that was the best I could do for them."
He didn't explain who they were, nor did he elaborate on how he did so. Talking about his parents, despite the time that had passed, brought an odd mix of emotions to him. Part of him missed them, but so much time had passed that he could only remember them in small fragments. "We can't limit our search that much, Zeref. It's not like we haven't seen a body before—" Loke moved to object, but Zeref turned towards him with a sharp glare.
"I said do not go there." He walked towards Loke, releasing Levy for a moment and daring him to challenge further. "This place…is my home. If you think I don't know the places in which to hide things, you are mistaken."
"Um…guys?" Nab spoke, trying to interrupt the growing tension between them. "We could just start down here anyway…I mean, there's nothing saying it won't be on this level, right? So…we'll figure out later…if we need to go up there or not…"
Nodding towards him, Zeref stepped back and closed his eyes. "Loke, Nab, it might be best to just listen to him for now." Levy spoke quietly, moving back to his side. Zeref reached over towards her immediately, and she leaned into his side rather quickly in response to his arm wrapping around her shoulders. "Things like this are hard for him. Zeref isn't going to be all that calm, not in a place like this. So, just try not to push him, okay? Try to listen to him so we can get out of here as soon as possible."
That much he could agree with. Zeref did not want to linger in Mildia for any longer than necessary. "Have you worked with him a lot or something?" Loke frowned at Levy, glancing between her and Zeref. "I mean, I know you two seem oddly close. It's just…with the war, I can't imagine how you ended up involved with him like this."
"And I can't imagine how Nab, of all people, had the strength to send an entire group of people to a world with almost no magic at all." Levy shrugged, giving Nab a smile when the animal possession wizard stiffened at the mention of him. "Nor can I imagine why you two are going on jobs together now, and getting along rather well…seems to me like a lot happened while I was gone, right?"
"Uh…well, Loke doesn't…I mean…" Nab was stuttering, his cheeks turning red as he fiddled with his hands in front of him.
Glancing towards Nab, Loke sighed and shook his head. "Yeah, a lot happened." He glanced towards Zeref again, narrowing his eyes. "For both of us, it seems. I'm glad you're happy, Levy, but just be careful. He might have some good qualities in him, but that doesn't change the fact that he is the black wizard, and that he's done terrible things. There's no telling how many more he's willing to do."
It was the logic he was used to hearing, so Zeref hardly batted an eye at Loke's comment. Yet, Levy scowled at him. "And you expect me to just blame him for something he shouldn't change?" Smiling, Zeref found an odd amusement that she had subtly acknowledged his ability to do so, even if he had given up on the idea. "History shapes our present, Loke. Whether you like it or not, the things he's done has allowed us to come to where we are today. What do you think would have become of Fairy Tail, if Zeref hadn't been around to teach Mavis magic? Or the world in general, if he hadn't built the Eclipse Gate with a plan in mind to stop the war? Or how about all of Fiore, if he hadn't brought the actual dragons into the present, where they were able to stop Face from activating?"
Zeref stared at Levy, his eyes wide. How…how could she see anything good in his past? All of those plans had resulted in deaths. Yet, her argument still held true. "Fairy Tail…wouldn't exist without him." Nab spoke quietly, glancing towards Zeref with a small smile. "So…I guess I do want to thank him…for helping us get that far, at least."
"And you think that if he keeps doing things like that, our lives will improve?"
Sighing, Levy shook her head, standing her ground against Loke. "Zeref does what he feels is the right thing to do. Sometimes, it isn't exactly the path most of us would take…in fact, it normally isn't. Most of us…would be too afraid to follow that path. Morals and our own ideas of right and wrong stop us from acting. Maybe there are still some things he needs to work on, but that doesn't mean he is the same person he was four centuries ago. Are you?"
Meeting her eyes, Loke seemed to pause. Then, he nodded, smiling faintly at her. "I guess not. You…you feel strongly for him, don't you?" Zeref was starting to see that himself as well. He could see her slight blush at his words as she nodded, avoiding his own gaze. Still, Zeref felt that warmth in his chest again, and for the first time since arriving in Mildia, he found a moment of calmness in listening to their conversation. "Then keep looking out for him, and don't stop fighting for him too. A guy like Zeref…he'll have a lot of enemies, and you'll hear a lot more people talking like I just did about him. Prepare yourself to defend him…because from what I just saw now, he won't defend himself at all."
Had that been nothing but a test? Zeref stared at Loke with wide eyes, watching the spirit nod at him and walk by him. Leaning close to Zeref, he whispered into his ear. "And don't go abusing her faith in you, either. Be the person she thinks you are, Zeref. Honestly…I can see it too, the potential she talks about."
Loke patted his shoulder, walking off into the living room. Zeref stared at him, feeling mildly dazed as he watched Loke begin to search the living room for the object they were meant to locate. "Sir?" August moved to his side, frowning towards him. "Did…what did he say to you?" Levy was joining her guild members in the search, giving him a small smile before doing so. Yet, August remained with him so he was okay. In fact, his memories had halted entirely, in favor for thinking about how Levy had just spoken about himself.
Glancing towards Loke, Zeref smiled faintly. "I think…I think my reputation is changing, August." He glanced towards the man, feeling oddly eager for what the future might hold. "Perhaps…things like this are the start. Is…do you think it is possible, for me to have the bonds that Fairy Tail fights for so strongly?"
"Why would it not be?" August tilted his head at Zeref, studying his father with a faint smile. "Given the fact that such bonds are typical of humanity, I suspect you'd be capable of the same. After all, are we not growing such ties between ourselves right now? Levy, myself, and you…we've all grown quite close, have we not?"
It had hardly been much time since he'd learned the truth, yet he couldn't help but nod in agreement. "Yes…we are." The three of them were an odd family, Zeref had to admit. Yet, it was the family he was starting and the one he would fight to preserve. No matter how many times his past would try to come back and haunt him, he knew he'd have at least one of them by his side to remind him of what his future might hold. That alone was enough for him to smile as he stared at the wreckage of his home, even with the memories of growing up with Natsu still threatening to return and consume him once more.
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