Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail
Being in Vistarion without Zeref wasn't really that much different than before, though for some reason, it still felt just strange. Levy's habits hadn't changed at all; she would wake up early for breakfast, go to her room to practice magic, get lunch, and then spend the majority of the afternoon with Invel on lessons. Yet, there were no random conversations or advice given throughout the day. Typically, Zeref would be there at each meal with her. They'd separate after them, since Zeref had plenty of other things to take care of, though he'd usually take a break and give her some advice towards the end of her meditation and magic work, before joining her for lunch.
Even the lessons with Invel weren't all that different, and Zeref had been sitting in on them for about a week now. Zeref would be quiet, and usually would just read while she was working, but she'd grown used to him sorta following her around when he had free time. She'd originally been somewhat irritated, thinking that he didn't trust that she could learn things on her own, but that had calmed when he didn't comment or try to change the way things were going. Instead, she had gradually realized he just had more time and wanted to spend it with her. That was what made her wish they were doing something that actually had them working together instead of the lessons, hence the whole spur of the moment date in town.
Sighing, Levy realized she'd been ignoring most of her lesson, lost in thought. Invel was talking about trading policy still, and it wasn't all that interesting if she was being honest. Today was Saturday, so it was supposed to be the day she and Zeref planned to go out again. Of course, that wasn't able to happen, even when he did have more free time. Her gaze flickered towards the door, idly wondering if he'd be back for them to go out next week instead.
Originally, she'd considered trying to see if Brandish or August wanted to do something instead. She didn't want to spend this much time doing nothing but research, but she also didn't really know what else she wanted to do instead. Part of her wanted to take a break and read a novel for a change, just to relax for a day, but Invel was so insistent on these things and she hadn't quite reached the point of telling him to stop yet. Plus, Brandish had left for the day, claiming she had some errands to complete before their shopping trip. She'd grumbled something about a lazy assistant before leaving with a huff. Levy didn't quite know what she was so upset about, but she wasn't about to try and start a conversation with her instead and find out what it was.
August, in contrast, was working. He'd apologized for not having time, but he had extra work to complete with Zeref being gone and with two official members of the Spriggan Twelve gone. Dimaria had just arrived too, but Levy wasn't certain if she wanted to approach her or not yet. She had immediately rushed to see Brandish, and Levy hadn't spoken to her much beyond greeting her before the two went off on their own to do…something. Given how they were practically strangers, it just felt weird to try and talk to her about much of anything yet.
As a result, the only thing left for her to do was research and lessons. "—our empire is mostly landlocked deserts, so we tend to have little in terms of agriculture and seafood for exports. Yes, we do produce some crops to sustain ourselves, but we tend to keep such materials for ourselves. Instead, our focus is on exporting more developed products, specifically newly developed enchantments, holder magic, and similar items. With the numerous guilds and wizards in the empire, we have the opportunity to create them far more efficiently than any other nation, while also developing new devices that are easier to use, and less time-consuming for a wizard to produce…"
It was all so repetitive. She knew at least this much about Alvarez, without being here. They were a military nation, so they also had weapons available, of high quality. Plus, geography alone gave her a good idea as to what products they could make themselves, and what they'd require as imports. She supposed without Zeref's explanation of his own enchantment that she would have been slightly off about the agriculture side of the empire, but that would have been only a minor miscalculation based on the assumption that magic hadn't been used for their growth. Beyond that, with such a heavy focus on military she could easily see Alvarez importing a lot of their other products like clothing, seafood, and other manufactured products. Obviously they wouldn't need any assistance getting their hands on magic with over seven hundred guilds, but the rest would still be lacking with the focus on magic and weapons internally for production.
There was even a book in front of her on the subject, explaining what Alvarez typically traded for, and with whom. Some nations charged too many tariffs to really warrant much business, while others just had a tense relation due to Alvarez' military. There were actually very few countries on good terms with them, because they were known for rapid and rather sporadic expansion. Invel had explained that the reason behind that stemmed from Zeref's 'unique strategies' in terms of utilizing surprise to conquer others. Though, Levy was more so inclined to associate it with his mood swings - it seemed more likely that Zeref just didn't want to begin wars most of the time, yet when he was too burdened by his curse, he would have been intent on expansion so he'd be able to enact his Neo Eclipse plan in the future.
"—Levy…Levy!" She looked up, blinking and focusing for a moment. Invel sighed, pressing a hand to his face and pinching his nose. "Have you been disregarding my information this entire time? If that is the case, we will restart this again tomorrow." Tomorrow? She frowned, glancing at him. For some reason, the room was feeling strangely warm. She was sweating, and she shifted in her seat, trying to get more comfortable. Invel pointed towards her wrist, with a sigh. "Regardless, it appears as if we have something more pressing to focus on. Just what sort of spell were you attempting just now? Or is that just meant to be an unusual fashion statement?"
Her gaze flickered to her wrist, which rested on the table in front of them. Levy's eyes widened, seeing a pink band flickering and circling around it. "I…I wasn't using magic." She lifted her arm, frowning. Part of her felt like she recognized this from somewhere, but it just wasn't familiar enough to identify. Had she read something on it? Even if she had, she had no idea what sort of spell could affect her from long distance. Obviously, Invel wouldn't harm her, and within Vistarion, there was only him, August, and Dimaria left. Dimaria's time magic…Levy wouldn't have noticed a physical sign of it like this.
"You weren't?" Invel frowned, reaching out and grabbing her arm before she could say anything. He glanced at the glowing pink circle closely, before releasing her with a shake of his head. "I'm sorry. I haven't the faintest idea of how this managed to influence you. I'm not familiar with this spell." He paused, crossing his arms over his chest. "Though, August likely is. We should see him, to see just how dangerous this could be."
"But I feel fine." She glanced at her hand, frowning at him. "What makes you so certain it is dangerous? I thought Zeref would have put wards or something up to stop harmful magic from affecting him here."
Invel narrowed his eyes at the spell, pausing. Then, he shook his head and continued walking. "Perhaps, but it is better to be certain of that fact. His majesty left you in our care, and I will not be responsible for harm coming to you as a result of this magic." Without leaving room for argument, he continued on. Levy sighed and followed after, her eyes flickering down to the magic on her wrist on occasion.
They arrived at a door further into the castle, which Invel knocked on quickly before opening within seconds. "August." The elderly man looked up, raising his eyebrows at the younger general. "Someone is targeting Levy with a strange sort of magic. I thought perhaps you could be of use in identifying what it was." Invel nodded towards her.
Moving towards August, Levy held out her arm. "Sorry to interrupt your work…" She trailed off as he blinked at her arm, before meeting her gaze with wide eyes.
"Are you harmed in any way? Do you feel any sort of discomfort?" She shook her head, and after a moment, August closed his eyes. He rubbed his forehead, before nodding to himself and pulling out a lacrima. "I see. I believe I can confirm my suspicions quite quickly this time…though I must admit, this is an unexpected spell to see. I cannot say I've witnessed this magic in decades now."
As August activated the lacrima, he turned towards her to continue explaining. "Sensory link magic is a forgotten art. It connects two individuals with a strong connection of any form - be it love, hatred, anger, resentment, fascination, they all function perfectly well. It holds the potential to be dangerous, and at the moment, I can think of at least one companion of yours that may be encountering strange magic, given what he is currently working on."
She watched the lacrima light up, connecting to the other end. She had a strong feeling of who was there too, making her sigh as Zeref's voice spoke. The lacrima was handed to her before she could say anything, leaving her with Zeref talking to her rather than August. "I'm sorry, but can you reach me again later? I'm somewhat preoccupied at the moment."
"Yeah, I sorta figured that much out." She glanced at Invel, before shaking her head. If Zeref was being targeted by a wizard in battle, she didn't have time to fully explain all of what had happened. "Sorry. I was just a bit concerned when this showed up. August is here too, listening in by the way."
August leaned over, frowning at the limited view they both had of Zeref's surroundings. "Hello. My apologies if this is disturbing you at a poor time. Given Levy's lack of discomfort, I was assuming it had yet to evolve to an actual fight, however."
Before anything more could be said, something changed. She didn't quite know what it was, but instantly, Levy began to feel light-headed. She opened her mouth, trying to shout something to August, but she wasn't quite certain what came out. Her legs gave out, and she found herself breathing heavily, kneeling on the ground as if she'd just finished some magical battle against a strong opponent. Faintly, she heard Zeref's voice, just barely coming through over the lacrima again. "Get…rid…of it. You'll…kill all of us, at this rate." With that, the lacrima's connection broke, going dark. Soon after, the glowing band on her arm vanished as well.
Taking a moment, Levy closed her eyes and remained on the ground for now. She felt drained. How had that even happened? She turned her head, preparing to ask August. Yet, she froze when she saw he was on the ground next to her, a hand pressed to his head. Invel was crouched near him, seeming to be trying to support his weight slightly. "Invel, what happened to him?"
The man glanced over at her, his expression grim. "The sensory link. For a moment…I believe I saw it flicker to life on his wrist as well." So, whoever Zeref had been facing tried to extend their control even further. That didn't sit well with her. The link was gone, but why had someone created it originally? They wanted to hinder Zeref from attacking, but they had also refused to attack.
There was one explanation that at least fit with that detail. "Whoever did this was also a part of the link." Invel glanced at her, raising his eyebrows. "None of us were harmed, and this magic clearly has the ability to target multiple powerful wizards at once. They…they wanted something from Zeref. This was their way of making sure he didn't…fight back."
"Then what exactly went wrong?"
She stared at the lacrima, slowly shaking her head. Her magic was gradually recovering at least, though not fast enough for her to feel like she could manage much. "I don't know. It felt like all of my magic was being drained out of me…"
"Yes. That is exactly what it felt like." August glanced at the lacrima, his eyes narrowing. "Yet, this sort of link does not typically tie together magical energy, at least not in the sense of energy utilized by the wizard in the link. The only way such a thing would be influenced is if an outside source were physically pulling it away." He paused, narrowing his eyes. "It required the activation of magic to do so, that much is clear, based on the timing of it all. The draining of our energy only began once the fourth connection began to form."
They were all quiet with his explanation. It didn't sound good, at least. Levy glanced at the lacrima, wondering if Zeref was okay. However, if something near him drained magic away, she didn't know if the minimal magic of a communication lacrima was enough to actually begin the process again. She couldn't put him in that sort of danger, even if she wanted to know if he was alright. Her heart pounded in her chest, staring at it. What would happen if he wasn't? Her eyes closed, and she forced herself to take deep breaths. Zeref was four hundred years old; he had to at least know some way to recover from this on his own. Besides, if August was right, the attacker was the one directly affected, not him. So, that meant something, right?
"This is not an ideal situation." Invel rose to his feet, shaking his head. "We cannot risk contacting him again, which means we are once again without our emperor, for all intents and purposes. In addition, we are short three members of the Spriggan Twelve, although only two of them officially assisted in governmental means. Alvarez cannot manage with such limited resources at our disposal."
"Invel." August spoke, his voice coming out strongly despite his own weakness. Levy knew what he must be feeling, but his gaze was still able to be threatening, and his voice stable. "Do not speak as if he will not return. Our emperor always returns, even if it takes time."
"And yet, it is clear he is near the cause of this energy drain." He'd come to the same conclusion as her. "As a result, he is facing off against two enemies, of unknown origin and with unknown intents. For all we know, given his loss of immortality as of late, he may have already given his life."
August's hand clenched into fists, and Levy glared at him, rising to her feet. Her head spun, and she felt unstable, but she wasn't going to just let him say things like that. "No."
"I know it is not what you wish to hear, but you should prepare yourself for news that your lover has—"
"I said no!" She shouted, shoving him back weakly. Yet, he still stumbled, watching her with wide eyes. "Zeref…Zeref will come back." She looked away, taking a deep breath. "He has to." She'd never planned on completely leaving him out of her life. There was no way she'd just accept him being gone. Even if he was, his old resources…if she found them, maybe she could do for him what he'd done for Natsu and Igneel. There was always an answer, and she wouldn't give up on him, not when he was already unwilling to give up on those he cared for in return.
Invel was quiet, as was August. Yet, gradually August rose to his feet as well, closing his eyes. The elderly man had paused, and seemed to be watching her. Then, he slowly walked towards her, pressing a hand to her shoulder. "Levy, I know it isn't easy to accept. However…it is not an impossibility." She shook her head, taking in a deep breath as her eyes began to water. "The link broke, that much is true. However, consider how much energy we both already lost to it. Zeref is near the source of such a draining power. It could be another wizard, it could be an enchantment, or some sort of trap. Without confidence in the cause, or in the location it occurred in, we cannot even go to investigate ourselves without putting our lives at risk."
"But we know where he was, right? He…" She trailed off, realizing the rest was still a mystery. Levy closed her eyes, hanging her head low. She had hope for now, but should she really hold onto it? Zeref had been doing so much better lately, and was smiling so much more. He'd wanted to spend more time with her, to help her learn new things and follow her goals. Zeref saw the best of her, and thought she was capable of anything, whether it was in learning new magic, being an exceptional wizard, or even leading an empire by his side.
August and Invel shared a look, with Invel staring down the elderly man. After a moment, the younger general nodded, stepping back. "I will leave you to process all of this for now, Levy. August will have some important measures to discuss with you, and given the situation, perhaps it will be easier to hear from him than myself." With that, the man turned and left the room. It didn't seem like he even cared at all. Yet, as Levy watched him, she saw his arms held stiffly by his sides with his hands closed into fists. Invel was upset, but he just wasn't letting anyone see.
When she looked back towards August, her cheeks were wet and she knew she'd been crying already. He sat down on the ground with a sigh, and Levy joined them, her weakness quickly returning now that her sudden denial was fading. "This does not bode well for Alvarez, Levy." She numbly stared at the ground, listening. "Invel, unlike the rest of us, always puts Alvarez first, and the individuals second. It is what makes his advice so useful, in moments like this when emotions run strong." Even his voice sounded rough, like he was uncertain of how to speak about the matter so calmly. "I…I've managed to discover, what we could have been. If he is not able to return, I can say that at least I have few regrets in how things were between us towards the end."
"But he was finally getting better. He…"
"If something has happened, then he finally managed to end things while experiencing a joy he had lost long before I was even born." August inhaled deeply, while Levy closed her eyes and pressed her head to her knees. She was curled into a ball on the floor, uncertain of what to think or what to do. They were all speaking like it was so probable that he was gone. None of them were certain, of course, but it wasn't like Fairy Tail, where they assumed the best scenario was the true one. Invel immediately assumed the worst, and seemed to be planning for it to be true. They rationally decided that it would be unwise to try and determine which answer even was right, rather than moving forward recklessly to make the answer the one they wanted.
Part of her almost wanted Fairy Tail to be here instead. She wanted that mindset, needed it right now. Yet, she'd always thought it ended up putting them in tough situations. Jumping ahead rashly led to the war with Phantom Lord, even if they were pressured into it. It led to Natsu getting Erza arrested at her trial, and to the whole punishment and body switching incident after stealing that S-class mission. Logically, she knew Invel had the right mindset. Often times, she'd thought to herself that Fairy Tail should pause and consider what would happen if they all ended up in danger, rather than just a few of their friends. As much as she hated the thought, she'd always preferred the idea that she'd lose just one friend, rather than her entire family. The risk was just too great in her mind.
This wasn't any different. Yet, why did she side with Fairy Tail now of all times? Why did she want August and Invel to recklessly try and finish a job even Zeref couldn't manage? Her shoulders shook, and she tried to take a deep breath. It wasn't certain that he was gone at least, but they had to act like he was, to calm panic before it began. An empire wasn't just a guild; millions, if not more, would suffer if he was gone and there wasn't a plan in place. "So, what do you do now?" She didn't know what the plan was, for Alvarez without Zeref.
August closed his eyes, glancing at the ground in front of him. "To be honest, I believe that partially depends on you." She didn't want to think, or consider why that was. She just felt tired. She wanted to go home, to gather her team or anyone and go after Zeref Fairy Tail style. Yet, she had to think of this on a larger scale than usual. Recklessness wasn't worth the cost they would pay if something went wrong. "Invel has been working with you for good reasons. I believe he'd wished to speak with you himself, but I did not think you would be wanting to listen to him. He is the sort to ignore pain and grief, and speaks bluntly and logically about any situation. While I strive to be similar, in this case, I feel as if I can at least relate to your uncertainty with the situation, and your potential loss."
Of course he could. Zeref was his father, and had still practically raised August even if it wasn't in the traditional sense. "I…you're probably right about…that much, at least." Yet, her mind was slow. Why did her training matter at all? Then, she slowly blinked. "Invel…he wants me to…" She trailed off.
August slowly nodded. "It…the intent had always been to give you time for your decision. With Zeref here, it made it simple to do such things, to delay matters and allow you to decide if being a Fairy Tail wizard was your priority, or if staying here by his side and leading became more important." He sighed. "Unfortunately, Invel has a habit of being correct about these matters. If we do not declare at least a temporary leader, as we would during a prolonged absence, Alvarez will notice, and panic will gradually spread."
Usually, August filled that role. "Why not you? Until we know for certain if…"
"Because we need someone who would be able to transition into this position permanently, if things are not as ideal as we wish." Levy swallowed, taking slow breaths. "My age would put us in this situation again in only a few more years. However, with someone youthful and new, it would alleviate some of our current struggles. You are capable of being a leader for years to come, and you are also able to take on the responsibilities that are no longer being observed due to the loss of Larcade and Bloodman. Considering the time you've spent here, you are the ideal candidate, one who has been trained to understand our government and the typical policies the empire is used to."
Yet, she couldn't focus right now. Deciding now was too sudden. She'd had time before, to consider leaving her friends. Before, the decision had always been based heavily on if she wanted to truly live with Zeref too. Without him, did she want this for herself? Even if she didn't, could she live with herself for saying no? Alvarez would crumble. She'd seen the monuments around town, and listened to Zeref's stories about the various civil wars they'd fought in before. Unless a strong leader unified them all, Alvarez would fall back into that state, and their peace would be lost. For all she knew, they might even go back to war with Fiore, if the wrong person managed to obtain power.
It might not be the best place for her personally. She wasn't known to much of the empire, and she hadn't been studying their government in detail for long. Personally, she had far more ties to Magnolia, but she also couldn't abandon people in need. Fairy Tail had taught her that much, to always lend a hand and see things through to the end, no matter where they may lead. She'd agreed to help Zeref with Alvarez, even if she made Fairy Tail her priority; staying now, to keep them stable, that was seeing this job through to the end, given what might have happened.
Taking a deep breath, Levy glanced over at August. "I'll…" She inhaled again, wiping away at her eyes. "Give…give me some time to at least focus myself again." The man frowned, and she looked into his eyes. "Alvarez will need someone, and if you really think I'm what you need, I'll stay. But I need some time to think about this, I think."
August nodded. He gave her a small smile. After a moment, he reached out, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her into a small hug. "We will move forward, Levy. Regardless of if Zeref is here or not, life moves on and knowing him, he'd wish for the two of us to find happiness, regardless of what has happened to him." She nodded, letting herself relax and lean on his shoulder for now. She was tired, and didn't want to think. Soon, she'd have an empire to lead, and for that, she'd need to be stronger than before and capable of pushing past this stress to look towards the future.
I wanted a place to show more contrast between Fairy Tail's reactions to events and Alvarez', and this seemed like a strong place to put it in. Yes, Invel is overreacting, but he also seemed to strike me as someone who is far more likely to consider the worst case scenario and act on that, rather than other possibilities (he did act on the thought that Natsu would be able to kill Zeref in canon, rather than disregarding it in favor of Zeref's curse potentially keeping him alive). Sorry if you disagree with that assessment, but that is the reason for the actions of Invel and August at least here. As far as Levy goes, you already get a lot of her internal thoughts, so as you saw, she's finding herself influenced by a much more negative environment than she's used to with her guild, while handling the stress of exactly what this means for Zeref. I hope it worked well enough for reactions to be believable for everyone. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!