Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail
Without further delay, August brought Levy to Kingston, landing in the empty city. "We have yet to determine the exact location of the time rift. However, given the first location evacuated, I assume it to be in the vicinity of this city." Levy nodded, glancing around.
"I know of its location." Jellal spoke, glancing towards them. "We investigated the rift, together."
Other airships landed, and gradually, Levy was joined by the other members that would be returning with her. "Irene, go watch over things in Vistarion, please. We need to keep a look out for Fairy Tail's approach from overseas." She glanced at the others, who had been only barely introduced to her before they began to invade Fairy Tail. "Neinhart, Wall, Jacob, I'd like the two of you to observe the ports, if possible. Split up if necessary, but report back to Irene if you see incoming conflicts."
"Of course, your majesty." Jacob gave a bow, lowering his gaze. The others just nodded, before leaving off on their orders. That left her alone with only the group she needed to deal with the time rift.
"Jellal…" She trailed off, glancing towards the man. However, he already nodded, giving her a faint smile.
"I will lead the way."
With that, they turned, following the guild master out of the city. Technically, Levy supposed he was the newest general, but she had sorta forced him to take the position. Yet, Jellal did not seem angry about it. Rather, he seemed calm, pleased almost. Maybe he'd grown tired of constantly living on the run. He needed to stay in the shadows to work as he did, at least in Fiore. Yet, Alvarez wouldn't mind his methods, so long as results were seen. Plus, with a position in the government here, Fiore would be at least a little hesitant to target him as a criminal. Even Era would hesitate, given the strength of wizards in the empire.
So, really, she supposed this position held value to him as well. With her friends here, she could stay strong enough, to get through this. "Are you certain of the time you wish to travel to?" August glanced at Levy, pausing as they neared the rift. "Once you activate the spell you will not be able to change destinations. You will arrive switching places with your former self, essentially. In body alone, you will retain your former age, but mentally, you will be yourself of the future, and nonliving objects will be brought back with you."
She nodded. "There's no guarantee, that another time would work." She looked out into the desert, seeing Jellal waiting for them. "And I can make Zeref see the value in his life again. I know him now, and understand how he thinks. At least, I'd like to say I know him well enough for that. Even if I don't, I'll have the rest of you to help me."
By his side, Invel nodded. "Of course. Ideally, Alvarez requires his majesty to function as a peaceful, unified nation."
"And if it wasn't for him, I suppose I wouldn't have a job, which would make it a pain to cover all of my travel expenses," Brandish said.
Dimaria snorted, placing a hand on her hip. "All of you guys are just emotional idiots, you know. Alvarez would be fine with Levy as empress anyway, even if you guys can't see it." She blinked, gazing at the time mage in surprise. "What? You wanna disagree with me?"
"Not exactly…" She trailed off, frowning. "I just thought that, well, I thought you didn't like me that much."
The time mage chuckled, giving her a smirk. "Nah, I just think you need someone around to toughen you up a bit. Being from Fiore makes you a bit weak, ya know? But you're tougher than most, for handling me without flinching. Especially for doing so after the whole mess with Spriggan."
"Dimaria, he has a title for a reason."
She snorted. "Like I give a shit about that now. He's dead and gone, so there's no way he'll complain about it anyway." That was one way of putting it. Yet, Levy managed to only frown, hiding away the rest of the pain from her words. "We're going to fix this problem before it begins and I'm gonna make sure Zeref understands that he can't go around doing stupid crap like this again. Levy here? She'll be back in no time, and pretty soon, I bet we'll have two leaders to worry about being all respectful to and crap."
"You know, I really don't mind if you don't want to call me by some title, Dimaria." Levy smiled at the girl, shaking her head. "In fact, I think I'd prefer you to just call me Levy. After all of this, all of us here, we're friends, comrades, just like Fairy Tail always was to me. We work together, and we defend each other no matter what it takes. Maybe we're an odd bunch, but we're important to each other, and I'm glad that all of you will be coming with me."
"You bet we will!" Natsu grinned, shoving his fist into the air. "I'm all fired up for this trip! Let's get going and bring Zeref back, so I can finally yell at him for leaving all of his problems for us to deal with."
"Now you know how I feel, Mr. Destroy-Everything-in-my-path-during-work." Lucy glared at him, while Natsu just grinned.
"Nah, that's just part of the fun, Luce!"
"Well, either way, we're all going to remember, right?" Nab looked at them, with Loke by his side.
The celestial spirit nodded, gazing at Levy. "We will. I've at least recognized a similar spell in the past. While this one has omitted the celestial magic aspect of it, I can recognize the similar set up already."
"Then I believe it would be most efficient to begin, correct? Farewells are pointless, considering we will be reunited again soon." Invel nodded at them, stepping forward. "I shall construct the door to be utilized, since none appears to exist in this desert. Any door will do, correct?" Levy nodded. Invel sighed, adjusting his glasses and shaking his head. "Look at me, being reduced to magic as remedial as ice-make. My skills are wasted on all of you."
However, the winter general still completed the task, and a massive doorway stood in front of them all. The rest of the wizards gathered around Levy. Jellal was carrying Meredy, Natsu and the Fairy Tail team stayed close together, Dimaria and Brandish stood side by side, and August was just behind Levy's shoulder, watching over her closely. Taking a deep breath, Levy focused on what she remembered, before drawing upon the power she'd stolen away from Fairy Tail. She'd put it to good use and solve the problem that now existed in the world.
The energy drain normally would have been a problem. In fact, Levy was expecting to feel, well, something, as she transformed the ice door into a massive spell, tied into the time rift itself. Her mind remained focused on a specific case within her time as a rune knight, a case where she investigated some minor dark guild working under the orders of Avatar. It was about six months after Fairy Tail disbanded, before they'd begun the infiltration job with them. The more details she remembered, the more accurate her spell would be to bring her back to that moment. By recalling that moment, however, it gave her some time on either side of the event to act even if she did not arrive exactly at that moment.
The drain on her was nonexistent. Levy still felt strong and powerful, and as she finished and turned towards the others, she saw them staring at her with wide eyes. "What?"
"You're…sorta glowing." Lucy pointed towards her, making Levy glance down. Sure enough, a white glow seemed to surround her skin, making her appear to be entirely encompassed in magic. "And…your hair. It's, um, well…white."
That one she had no idea how to see, but it likely looked peculiar, to put it lightly. Either way, it was likely just a side effect of so much magic energy, one that she hoped would fade as she arrived in the past. "Either way, the spell is ready." She glanced at the others, taking a deep breath. "Are you all sure you want to go with me? Once we step through, we'll be in the past, for better or for worse. There will be no turning back."
"This world is crumbling away and will fall apart if we do not leave. It only seems logical to attempt to gain more time to correct the issue." Invel nodded towards her. "I am in agreement with this plan, your majesty. Perhaps there will be initial tension when we return, but it will ultimately be for the best."
"And should Dimaria be incapable of leaving her post, I will be there to locate Ultear again and have her work towards sealing the time rift." Jellal locked eyes with her. "Perhaps with it in a stable state, she might be capable of dealing with it."
"Yeah, leave the time magic to the professionals." Dimaria shook her head. "Sorry, but arc of time is a lame subbranch of what I can manage to do. Even if she's the most skilled arc of time mage there is, she'd still be nothing compared to me."
"Just what makes you so confident in that fact?"
"The fact that my magic mimics that of Chronos himself." Jellal had nothing to say to that, and Dimaria pushed ahead. "Anyway, I'm getting bored just standing around here. So, we heading through, or what?"
Everyone slowly nodded, moving to stand closer to Levy. Gradually, they approached the door. Levy pushed it open, allowing them to pass through. While not large enough for them all to enter at once, it still allowed for crowds to disappear together. Eventually, Levy walked through herself, giving the desert behind her one last glance. Somewhere near here, Zeref had died. Next time around, she'd make sure that never happened, and make sure they were never enemies to begin with either.
When Levy came out of the spell, it was disorienting to say the least. She was…somewhere, definitely not near Shishka, Vistarion, or Kingston. Around her…she blinked, her eyes widening. White uniforms were surrounding her, one bumping into her and making her stumble forward slightly. "Sorry, Captain McGarden." The knight behind her paused, frowning at her. "Is everything alright?"
She didn't know when she was, or what she was doing. The faces behind her were long-forgotten, since she hardly worked closely with other rune knights for long during her work for the magic council. No, she'd just settled for work investigating dark guilds and new magics that most couldn't quite understand. "Oi, back in line." A deep voice reminded her that at least not all of them were fully unfamiliar. Gajeel glared at him, before smirking. "Or I'll arrest you for disobeying a superior officer."
Right. He'd liked having that power far too much, if she remembered correctly. Levy sighed, closing her eyes. Yet, as she lowered her gaze, her eyes widened. August had said she'd keep her belongings. However, she hadn't realized he meant quite so literally. "Captain, was that really the time to waste magic on an outfit change? I mean, not that it looks bad, but we're supposed to remain undetected. Otherwise, Fallen Freedom would locate us and realize that they're being watched."
Fallen Freedom…she tried to think back. Which guild had that been? Did she actually pinpoint the right investigation after all? Levy wasn't certain. However, even if she had, this wasn't more important than the other tasks she had to handle at the moment. She glanced around, trying to determine where she even was, to find something familiar, at the very least. Yet, all she noticed was something familiar about herself that did not belong. There was a restless energy there still and it meant that she might have a bit of a problem when encountering Zeref.
Either way, Zeref had gone over suppressing magical auras with her already. At the very least, she could hide away what she had obtained for now. Later, she'd be able to explain what she'd done. Much later, probably, once he'd understood that he could get rid of his curse and didn't have to die, of course. "Sorry I wasn't thinking." She didn't know what else to tell them, glancing over. "However, something has come up. I've got some new info about a different assignment that needs attention." She turned around at the group, before patting Gajeel on the shoulder, who was narrowing his eyes at her. "I'm leaving Gajeel in charge to deal with it. Listen to his orders, and don't screw this up."
"Oi, shrimp, what the hell is going on?"
She glanced back at him, smiling and shaking her head. "Sorry, it's complicated, to say the least. For now, let's just say that there's a bit of a magical anomaly that needs our focus, one that was rather good at staying under the radar."
Before he could respond, Levy began to run. She didn't know where she was, but with Fairy Heart, it didn't really matter. Instead of bothering to worry about the energy it would cost, Levy found herself teleporting away, placing her back in Magnolia where she'd recognize her surroundings. She didn't know if the time rift was here now or not…but she knew of others that would likely be coming to find that answer as well. She was still dressed oddly for herself, in that black and white dress with a golden circlet pushing her hair back as it rested on her head. The locket had come back with her as well, it seemed. She grabbed it tightly, swallowing and taking a deep breath. Then, she closed her eyes, sensing outward.
From how it had been described, she knew it would not be easy to locate the time rift, even if it was here. So, when she felt nothing, Levy wasn't certain if she had an answer or not. Instead, she glared up at the sky, wishing it would be easier to get an answer. Her team was…somewhere, and she had no idea how to actually get to them. If she tried to get into Alvarez…well, she could abuse her authority as a rune knight to do so, but that likely would get her fired, if not worse.
For now, it was likely best to locate the others then. Lucy was working with Sorcerer Weekly, Natsu was training, and as for Nab and Jellal, well, she really didn't know about the last two. So, she turned around, moving to head to Crocus instead. However, that was when she saw a familiar cloak, standing right behind her. "I assumed you'd come here, as soon as you were able. However, I did not expect it to be so soon." Jellal stepped forward, keeping his head low. "I thought you were a rune knight during this time? Wouldn't you be working?"
"I…sorta abandoned my job. I can't exactly remember what I was investigating anyway right now." Jellal nodded, and Levy bit her lip. "Plus it didn't go away, with the spell." Jellal's expression was hidden from her, but based on his silence, she assumed he didn't know. "The…other thing I needed, for the spell. It's still there. I think I may have duplicated it, by doing this."
"That's alarming, considering the lengths Fairy Tail went to in order to protect it."
She nodded. "And if Zeref realizes it before I manage to talk him out of this plan…"
"He'll target you as well."
She was quiet, walking with him towards the edge of town. "As much as I want to rush over to see him, we're needed here. We need to find the others, and make a plan together to work against him without actually harming him."
"You don't need the others for that, Levy." She bit her lip, glancing at Jellal. "I know you, and I also know him. When we spoke, his anger was greatest at the threat to you, not him. While I may not have understood much, I did understand that you meant a lot to him. Gaining that trust again, while it may take time, does not seem to be impossible, given such a connection. He seems to be the sort that does not let go of such ties easily."
What made him so certain? Then, she blinked. Of course…Natsu. Zeref never let go of his brother, and it had been four hundred years. That was who he valued the most and also, likely her way to reach him at the moment. She almost flinched at the thought. It sounded…so much like the argument Zeref had used, to motivate Nab when they were still trapped in Edolas.
Glancing at Jellal, Levy slowly nodded. "Right. I suppose I don't." So, she really should throw caution into the wind. She'd thought that was just her emotions speaking, but even logically, it made sense.
Jellal held out a lacrima towards her, making her blink in surprise. "I will find your allies. Contact me if anything important happens while we are apart. You will be in Alvarez and I'll complete the necessary work here to allow for Dimaria and Ultear to handle the rift."
She nodded, taking the lacrima and glancing around. She didn't exactly have pockets. Chuckling, Jellal shook his head, reaching into his cloak. A folded cloth back was pulled out, and handed towards her. The fabric was black, so while it wasn't exactly the best match for the dress, it didn't stand out massively at least. "Good luck. I look forward to hearing from you soon, Empress Levy."
The title made her smile faintly, knowing it would likely be a long time before she heard it again. He waved, and began walking off, remaining close to the shadows and avoiding attention. Jellal really was skilled at being discrete and while Levy typically was as well, right now that wasn't the skill she needed. To get Zeref's attention, she needed to be loud and logical; she needed to do something he'd see as impossible to accomplish, so he'd speak with her before actually enacting his war. Just what would that be, though?
With a grin, Levy realized exactly what she could do. Using another burst of magic, Levy vanished from Magnolia, this time appearing just outside of Vistarion. She didn't want to attract too much attention. After glancing around to see that no one was watching, Levy took a deep breath and began walking through the crowds. Her destination was the castle, which was impossible to enter without permission, due to the wards Zeref placed around it. As the wards were created by Zeref himself, most people couldn't even manage an attempt to work past them. However, Levy had been taught about their function, about how to hijack them and place them under her own control, after his supposed death.
Zeref would notice right away, with how tense he was due to the war plans. She approached the wall, slowly glancing around to make sure she was away from the crowds. Most people gave Zeref his space, out of respect for their emperor. Yet, he wasn't her emperor at all. So, Levy had no qualms about standing right next to the gate, seeing the guards frowning down at her in confusion. "What business have you here? Emperor Spriggan has requested all guests be refused, to ensure he remains focused on his current war plans."
She glanced up with a smile, shaking her head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you." Yet, her magic was already working, faint and unseen to the guard focused on her. She felt the resistance in the ward, as someone fought back against her…however, they reacted too late. She'd already gained access, and was able to step through before she lost control again. Right now, Levy wouldn't risk using Fairy Heart to actually overpower Zeref, given his goals. "As you can see, his majesty requested that I come to visit personally. I didn't realize he had yet to inform the guards."
The two of them shared a look, before looking down at her with hesitation. "Would you please wait for a moment, while we confirm with his majesty?"
"Of course." She paused, blinking as if forgetting something. "Oh! And please tell him I have urgent news about Natsu. He'll know what it means."
She didn't know if they'd listen or not. So, she stood still, standing inside of the gates but still beyond the door to the actual castle itself. It didn't look different at all, from when she'd first arrived. It was cared for, and cleaned likely to the point of perfection by Zeref's staff. "His majesty says he is intrigued by you and wishes to hear of your news. Please, proceed ahead. He will be waiting for you in the foyer."
Levy gave a slight bow, before turning around to walk inside. This was her act of shock. Getting into Vistarion without her title would get his attention. From there, it was up to her to convince him of what she'd done, and hopefully convince him to at least listen to her as an ally for now. As for the rest, she'd get to that, with time.
When she walked inside, Levy felt like she was just walking home. Like she'd left out for a walk in town, and came back to return to work. She hadn't even noticed when Vistarion started to feel that way to her, when this castle became the place she wanted to be. Her eyes wandered around the walls, before a voice cleared behind her. There, Zeref stood, watching her with dark eyes. "So…I was wondering who would be bold enough to tamper with my wards. Yet, this was not what I expected."
She met his gaze, inhaling sharply. The last time they'd spoken, he'd been dying in a desert. She'd watched as he died and listened as he apologized for it, ensuring he managed to tell her…
Levy turned away, fighting back tears. She couldn't get emotional, not right now. Zeref wouldn't understand, and he needed a logical explanation for all of this. "And even after the most successful attempt I've seen to surpass my security and get inside…you simply stand there, in silence." Zeref tilted his head. "Did you not wish to speak with me? The guards said you made a claim to have been invited by me personally…which, of course, made me believe you had reason to either speak with me, or foolishly attempt to harm me."
"I know better than to attempt to harm you, Zeref." She met his gaze, seeing him raise his eyebrows further.
"Now…that is not a name I hear often here." He studied here. "Then you come from Fiore?" She slowly nodded. His grin widened further. "Ah…a member of that old man's guild, I assume? Seeking out the guild master I've kept waiting in my courtyard? Well, when the time comes, I assure you, he will be released unharmed."
"So you can begin your game, right?" He blinked, frowning now. "You want to obtain Fairy Heart, and change your past. However…there was something else I told the guard, a subject I wanted to speak to you about."
Zeref's smile faded, his eyes narrowing at her. "What of it?"
"Natsu. The reason you are doing all of this, really." Zeref frowned at her, stepping closer. "And if you think I'm going to let you go through with it, you're wrong. Because—"
"You seek to stop me? I assure you…I will let no one stand in my way, regardless of if I find you intriguing at all." His hand lifted, and in his palm, black magic began to form. Levy blinked at it, taking a step back before quickly thinking back on…well, anything, she'd read. Zeref's magic…she knew his curse, and knew how his death magic worked. There had to be something to cancel or block it…something…
She stared at it, thinking back to Igneel's scales and his magic. Zeref…Zeref had taught her enough, and she'd researched more to understand his magic specifically. With that, she braced herself, a magic circle forming in front of her as Zeref threw a ball of death magic towards her. She was just barely fast enough…and managed to see the black ball collide with a wall of magic, scattering in the air in front of her and dissipating before her.
The black wizard blinked at her, his eyes widening. "You…what spell was that? How did you…" He trailed off, watching her.
She inhaled slowly, meeting his eyes. Footsteps approached, and she glanced over, seeing August coming near. "I…" He blinked, seeing Levy there. "My apologies for the interruption. However, I sensed your magic and was concerned about a…potential threat."
"I…" Zeref trailed off, his brow furrowed. He was focused on Levy, who inhaled deeply, staying tense and ready to fight back. "I'm not certain." That was…something, at least. "She infiltrated the castle, managing to commandeer my own wards. And just now she…countered my magic."
"I…I didn't come here to fight you, not exactly." Levy saw Zeref narrow his eyes, clearly not trusting in that. "I just don't want you to go through with the war, when there are other options available to you. That's what I wanted to talk about. At least, I did before you tried to kill me." She glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Honestly, why is that always your first reaction with people? Just attack and ask questions later? What if I'd come here to say I already had Fairy Heart, wrapped up for you as a gift, and you just…got rid of it because of your impulsiveness? That would be one way to just destroy your own plans, you know."
"But…that would be absurd. To obtain Fairy Heart, you'd need to have—"
"Infiltrated or attacked Fairy Tail and stolen it from them, I know." She looked away. "Well…I did try to negotiate first." She sighed, closing her eyes. "But they just didn't seem to understand."
"You…" Zeref stared at her, and Levy realized what she'd just done. She'd…admitted to having Fairy Heart. August was staring at her, his brow furrowed, able to actually look concerned with Zeref's focus diverted. "You have Fairy Heart?" Slowly, Levy nodded, staring calmly at him. "Wh…prove it. I sense nothing of it about you…no sense of such a powerful magic anywhere near here."
"I'd…rather not prove it so obviously." She glanced around. "Master Makarov is here, right? Don't you think he'd notice?" Zeref frowned, but said nothing. "So, you'll…just have to take my word for it, really."
Zeref frowned, gazing at her. However, after a moment, he turned towards August "Please…get Irene here, so we can find our answer and be done with this. If this…girl thinks she can waltz into my home with Fairy Heart and tell me not to use it…"
"Natsu will hate you, if you do this." Zeref narrowed his eyes at her. "But…if you do things my way, I'll help you. You can have your brother back, and find a way to get rid of your curse."
Zeref rushed towards her, startling Levy. She gasped, but he already had her pinned against the wall, glaring into her. "Do not think you can toy with me. I have searched for an answer…for centuries. There is no eliminating this curse."
"Then…let me prove it." He stared at her, frowning. "I will…I will use the magic that cursed you. Or even the magic that cursed Mavis, if you prefer." She met his gaze. "And if I manage to complete either, and prove to you that I am mortal, that I do not heal from any wound…then you must listen to me and agree to end the curse my way." Having him look at her with such anger…it wasn't the version of him she wanted to see. Yet, this would be the first step. He needed to trust her, before he'd listen to her advice.
"Do you actually know how to utilize either of those spells?"
Biting her lip, Levy slowly shook her head. "I…tried to find notes, on living magic. However, it isn't the sort of thing people make public, you know. And as for Law…the only version I'm able to see is what Master Makarov uses when things get desperate, rather than its…previous variation."
Zeref glanced at her, frowning. "I…if you can discover how to utilize either spell, before the time comes for my war to begin…I will consider accepting your deal." He glanced towards August, nodding towards her general. "Prepare a guest room for her. I do not want to let this…guest…leave so easily. After all, she did work so hard to be here herself."
"Of course, your majesty." With that, Zeref left. August turned towards her, and Levy let out a slow breath. "That was…quite bold, telling him you possessed Fairy Heart. Yet, also quite clever, to earn his interest."
She nodded, feeling the facade fall. She just felt…tired. Dealing with Zeref, in this mindset…it was difficult to reach him. Part of her wondered if it was worth it at all, but then she shook her head. Even if she never managed to convince him otherwise, the time rift needed to be stopped, somehow. "I only said that because it was true." August stared at her, his eyes widening. Levy level her gaze, meeting his dark eyes. "It didn't leave me, when I used the spell. It's still there, and so long as he's uncertain if I'm lying or being honest, he won't harm me."
"But he will attempt to separate the enchantment from you…and Irene…I do not think we'd be able to convince her to side with us, not even with so many of the Twelve aware of your actions."
She nodded, taking a deep breath. "We'll have allies, soon enough. For now…I think it is time for me to get to work on my last project, don't you? I never really got the chance to research Zeref's magic much before…well, you know."
"I will…attempt to bring you the materials once more." He paused, glancing away. "Though, it may be difficult. His majesty is observant, and not willing to let strange actions go by unnoticed and without comment."
"Don't get yourself in trouble for me, August." She smiled, patting his arm. "I'll find my answers alone, if I have to. I mean, it's not like I don't know where to look and can't get out of here if I really wanted to."
"Not even his majesty could stand against the power of Fairy Heart, I suppose." She nodded, and August shook his head. He walked her towards a hallway, guiding her to a room. "I apologize for the…treatment you must receive here beforehand."
"It's fine, I didn't expect any special treatment…not right now." Zeref had no reason to believe she was actually being kind to him. That kindness was what had made his trust deepen in her originally, and with how she'd arrived…Levy shook her head. Gaining his trust again would not be easy, and Zeref might not let her try, but she wasn't going to give up. As August left, Levy leaned back in her bed, pulling the locket out from underneath her dress and opening it slowly. The engraving stared back at her, the words reminding her of just how important she truly was to him…or at least, how important she could be. Staring at those words, Levy closed her eyes, finding herself falling asleep, exhausted from everything she'd just done.
And now we're back before the war even began! I heavily debated adding a time travel element to this fic, but in the end, I figured this was the way I wanted to handle the time rift issue. So, despite my internal debate over taking this path for the story or not, it is what I ended up going with. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!