Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail
Zeref never had peaceful dreams…but he wasn't quite certain if that was how he'd describe this dream either. At first, he'd thought it was a dreamless sleep. There was just a blankness there, but then gradually…a voice. "Wh..where is this? When…" It trailed off, and it was quiet again. Yet, it returned again, louder this time. "Something is wrong. But then, perhaps that is expected…it was a last-second creation, and those typically don't end well."
Last-second creation…a spell made out of desperation? Zeref knew a few things about those. Usually, the end results went terrible; if he was attempting to cut his hair, for example, it may instead attempt to slice off his head. Which…wasn't pleasant to experience, to put it lightly. So, whoever this was…likely, they had attempted magic out of desperation. Now, the result placed them…inside of Zeref's dreams? Inside of his head? He wasn't quite certain.
"I…someone is there. I sense you…but…it is difficult. Magic…am I still drained? Or, no, I simply don't have access because the spell failed."
Taking a breath, Zeref decided that speaking would do little harm to the poor soul now trapped in his nightmare of a mind. "I…cannot assist in understanding what you've done with so little information."
He couldn't see anyone, which was a bit irritating, but the voice did grow silent. "That…" Still, the voice sounded somewhat familiar. Zeref knew it, and felt like he should be able to identify this person…but something just seemed slightly different, different enough from familiarity to make him uncertain of the owner. "So, it was mostly successful. You simply refuse to let go…how strange. I thought you'd be eager for death, given the era I was hoping to return to. If Dimaria had received my warning, surely she would have known to go back to…" He trailed off. "But that seems unimportant. Perhaps I am alone, perhaps I succeeded in following her as I had hoped I would. Either way, I needed a chance to correct my mistakes before it is too late…and Fairy Heart was too far away to even hope to claim. This…this will be a peculiar existence, I think."
The strange rambling…the names, the way he spoke…Zeref narrowed his eyes. "Are…did you attempt to use Neo Eclipse? Is this what it feels like to have my future self…return to the past?"
"No…I had the time rift, but not Neo Eclipse. Given the fact that I was dying, I had few options but to try a…rather unstable spell, an earlier variation of Neo Eclipse, I suppose." Zeref had made many earlier variations of that spell…one without Fairy Heart, though, hadn't been formed. He'd suspected it would kill him to even try, and if it didn't…well, it would destabilize the time rift for certain.
Yet, then he realized what his future self had just claimed. He'd been…dying. In the future, he'd come to the brink of death…yet still returned to live. Why? "You…you had your peace, the end to this suffering. And…and you still chose to held on?"
"Ah…yes, I suppose that would seem confusing to you at this time." Future Zeref paused, frowning. The dream…rippled, almost, shifting. Then, Zeref had sight. He saw…himself, sitting at a table next to a familiar girl. It was in Alvarez, in the archives. She had books spread around her, and across from both of them, Invel seemed to be standing and…saying something. "I had found a reason to hold on, something in life worth valuing. It…I cannot say it was easy, to start seeing such things, but gradually, I had come to realize that I valued my existence, and the future that lay ahead of me."
August entered the room as well, and…future Zeref was smiling. His hand was holding that girl's, the girl…that Zeref already knew he had a strange draw towards. After seeing her similarity with Mavis…he'd told himself to stay away. Yet, curiosity and intrigue had made him restless, pushing him to see if his actions had truly kept her in a…lighter mood than before. "Levy."
"You…you've met her?" Suddenly, he saw someone by his side. His…future self, he supposed. It was strange, not quite looking at a mirror by close enough. This Zeref…his hair was actually longer, something that was impossible for his own to manage. There was an openness to his expression, and the sorrow was almost gone. Zeref wanted to reach into his mind, and take that peace for himself…find a way to eliminate his pain, just as this version of himself had done. "Sorry, but…that shouldn't have happened. Maybe…maybe I've taken myself to an alternate universe, or an alternate timeline…" Future Zeref ran a hand through his hair, frowning. "Time rifts can make spells unpredictable, I suppose."
"No…I do not think you'd make quite that large of a mistake." Zeref was starting to think, seeing pieces fall together rapidly. His future self had been dying and attempted to save himself with some variation of Neo Eclipse. He'd warned Dimaria, which meant she'd likely do the same. Dimaria had been acting strange the last few days, eager to go to the time rift and gather data herself, rather than just calculate here. Perhaps…perhaps she was following orders from his future self. Plus, Dimaria had been asking about that guest, almost from the very moment she arrived. She said she was interested in the little girl who'd managed to break down Zeref's wards, but there was something almost strange about the request.
Yet…Levy was also there. The locket, with his name in it, and this image, along with Dimaria's interest in her…combined with all of her secrets, it pointed to a single, surprising fact. Dimaria wasn't the only one to use Neo Eclipse; this girl had traveled back as well, and was now attempting to…do something. "You think this is the past of the timeline I came from?"
Zeref nodded, smiling faintly. "Dimaria has been acting strange…and that girl…I wondered about a few things." He glanced towards his future self, frowning. "Did you gift her with a replica of our family locket?" Future Zeref looked away, shaking his head.
"No…I had intended to, but—"
"Then my assumption…is that Levy has also utilized Neo Eclipse in some form. She intends to change our future…and if my future lies on a path to eliminate the curse and find such peace, then I will not allow it."
Future Zeref grabbed him, and suddenly, Zeref found himself pinned down to the ground. It was strange…fighting with himself, in a dream. "You will do no such thing." He met dark black eyes, seeing them glare into his own. "Levy…if she returned, and is in Vistarion, then she has one goal. She wishes…to help you. Perhaps speed along your progress to where I am, while assisting Dimaria in…"
"Dimaria is eliminating the time rift." Levy had even suggested betrayal amongst the Twelve. Had he truly let curiosity get in the way of seeing something so obvious? She'd gained their loyalty, somehow, in an alternate future. Well…Zeref would just have to take that away. "That girl is destroying everything! I will not—"
"That girl is the only one who I've met who sees our past and our darkness, and is still willing to be in our presence, without fear." Future Zeref kept him pinned. "That girl…chose to love us, despite our desire to destroy her family and everything else she held dear. She offered us another path, one that allowed us to move into the future, rather than the past…and still eliminate our curse, and ensure Natsu had a future with a family he wished to remain with."
That phrasing…Levy had said she had another option, another way to achieve his goals. Was…did she truly mean well? To help him, rather than cause his downfall? "Please…do not harm her." His future self…cared for her, deeply. Right now, Zeref could almost see why. If he'd met her on Tenrou Island, he likely would not have even hesitated to give in to his interest in her. Though, there…it would have led to her death. "She offers the brightest future we could hope to find. So please, if she wishes to help you, do not refuse her."
Zeref glanced back at the image, seeing the scene in the library. His brow furrowed…what else was there? What future had he lost, due to bringing the time rift to an unstable place? "Perhaps…perhaps I could change my mind, if I knew her better." Future Zeref sighed, shaking his head. "What else has she done? Why should I trust her?"
The image shifted, and then it was somewhere unfamiliar to Zeref. "This…was during the Alvarez War, towards the end, actually. As you likely know…Levy is a member of Fairy Tail as well." He nodded, but inhaled slowly. He remembered….she'd said she wasn't certain if she could fight against Alvarez, before she grew upset and left. However, this…this was such a calm, peaceful setting. His future self was holding her, resting on a bench…and it was almost as if she was sleeping, calmly resting as the sun set. "I had learned some…startling news, recently, and at the time, was not able to contact my usual advisors. So, I turned to the one person who was nearby who…somewhat understood me, at least." Future Zeref had a faint smile. "In a hypothetical world where the war could not reach us, she promised to be our friend. And…in one where it could…she promised to try, regardless of where we stood."
She'd stand by him, despite the torment he put her through? Zeref didn't know what to make of it. Yet…he saw the blackened dirt in the grass nearby, and the dead tree above them. The curse existed. Just maintaining the moment had meant he'd…wanted to be near her, greatly.
The image shifted again, turning into something different. "It…isn't something you can quite see well in this one." It was Levy, standing there with August and himself. Yet, his own expression…Zeref didn't quite know what to make of it. He looked stunned, shaken, and almost…devastated and desperate at the same time. "Surprisingly, it was not us, who determined the nature of our curse and how to eliminate it. Rather…it was her." He nodded at the image. "When you have people you trust and can rely on, I imagine she will tell you again. It was…not the easiest thing to accept." There was a frown on his future self's face, and the image already shifted quickly. This one was…much darker. His future self was…covered in blood, not healing, and likely on the brink of death. Levy stood over him, a knife in hand…hovering over her own wrist.
Zeref turned away, feeling a desire to intervene. He…shouldn't wish to stop her. That girl meant nothing to him, nothing at all. Yet…the girl his future self described…Zeref wanted to see her. He wanted to know a person capable of…caring for him, despite the things he was willing to do, and despite all that existed in his past. "There is more…but for now, are you at least starting to see? Levy means you no harm. She'd put herself through her own form of suffering…to help you find your own happiness, after all you've gone through."
The image with the knife…had he pushed her to the same despair he'd once felt? Given her expression the other day, it wasn't impossible. "I…will not harm her." No…he'd talk with her more, spend more time with her. At least, he'd make an attempt. She'd offered friendship to his other self, it seemed…perhaps he could gain that as well, and see how much trust she'd allow him.
Future Zeref nodded, letting out a slow sigh of relief. Yet…the dream slowly seemed to be fading away. "I…think I will be somewhere in your mind, watching over you. I cannot say this was my intention with the spell I utilized…but for now, unless you are ready to let go of the past and move forward…do not speak of me with her, please. I do not wish to make her suffer further, knowing how close things were to us meeting again."
Nodding, Zeref felt the dream fading away. His eyes gradually opened…only to widen in surprise. He was…surrounded, by death predation. He should have expected this, given his thoughts in the dream. Future Zeref had made him care, or at least value, that girl slightly. Now…he inhaled slowly, trying to redirect his thoughts. Dimaria…Dimaria was closing the time rift. Did it even matter, if he chose the path of war or not?
The magic faded. Then…Zeref remembered where he'd fallen asleep at. August was going to be furious, considering he rarely was able to wake up early on his own. Still, that wasn't the largest concern. "Levy?" He was afraid to look up, to see where she was.
"I'm okay." Her voice was steady, and he let out the breath he'd been holding. He glanced up, seeing her sitting on her bed. "You were…far enough away, at least." She smiled and shook her head. "You know, you could have gone back to your own room if you were tired."
She was…teasing him? He frowned, uncertain. "And you could have awoken me if you wished for me to do so." He wasn't certain if the magic would have allowed for it, but her attempt would have likely done something at least.
"Touché." She smiled again, before a yawn was released. It was…strange, how unaffected she seemed by what had just happened. She wasn't flinching, or even trying to put more distance between them. "Is that normally how you wake up? Or were you already awake for a while before that happened?"
Such a normal question, for an odd situation. He watched her, before the dream came to mind. Speaking with his future self in a dream…well, that was even stranger. "I…no, that isn't typical." He wouldn't ignore that man's advice, for now. If he wished to obtain the same peace he saw in his future self…well, he supposed his future self's advice was the one to take. "However…I believe it resulted from my dream." Lying to Levy, however, would not be the way to push forward into gaining her trust. Well, lying through omission, he supposed. "It was…oddly pleasant, a sort of dream that is rare for me." Compared to his usual dreams, that one had…given him a strange hope. While he couldn't hold onto it well, he had seen a future which…made him desire life, it seemed.
"Well, that's good."
What? Did she not understand how foolish she was being? He narrowed his eyes at her. "I could have killed you, you know."
Yet, she only shrugged. "Well, if you'd just drop your war plans and trust me instead, you could stop worrying about that now." Yet…his future self said to ensure he had people to rely on, before taking that path. She had the answer, he knew that. Neo Eclipse allowed her to retain that understanding, the understanding she had gained to free himself before. However, Zeref did not know if he could carelessly rush into this, not with what he had also seen as the aftermath of losing the curse. When he didn't respond, Levy sighed, and shook her head. "Anyway, I figure I'm going to get breakfast and then actually start reading these instead."
Reading? Oh, right…his old journals. Yet, she'd been working through them last night, making marks. He'd been convinced she was doing so, marking her confusion as she found them almost impossible to read through. "You…weren't reading them before?"
"Well, not quite." Then what had she been doing? He frowned, trying to think of what else would look similar. "You did your best to make them hard to decipher, and really…I don't think many people could figure out how to go through them right now. It's really…ingenious, to organize them based on the layout of a magic circle—"
"You determined that already?" How? He just couldn't understand. No one had that sort of education anymore…unless his future self had spoken with her more on such topics than he suspected. That…might explain how she'd gotten through the wards, too.
"Um…yes?" She sounded uncertain, and bit her lip. She hadn't meant to reveal that, then. Based on what he'd seen thus far, it meant the knowledge had come to her in the future, then.
Still, he didn't want her uncomfortable at the moment, and he needed to give that future a chance to form. His future self said to…let her in, though that alone would be a challenge. How could he rely on her, with the curse risking her life? He just couldn't fathom it. "I…" He took a deep breath, coming up with something at least to keep her attention. "Perhaps, even if you fail…I'd be interested in hearing your theory at least." He'd need it, without the war having a chance to succeed. "Though, I do not think now would be the ideal time to hear such a thing. I…" How to explain what he'd seen in a dream? He frowned, before deciding to…try and rationalize it without that. "It would prematurely end the challenge I've given you, and that just seems…"
He couldn't finish. Yet, she did. "Like giving in?" He couldn't say anything to that. His eyes were on her, and she seemed to just go with whatever he said. True, she'd protected herself when he attacked at first, but beyond that, she hadn't refused to stay here, despite having every right to fight for freedom. She offered some information at least, and…the way she kept holding the locket. However she'd obtained it, the engraving ensured she knew where it came from. This girl…cared for him, and he just could not determine why that was. "Well, tell you what. You had other questions for me too, right? And I wouldn't answer all of them either." He nodded, seeing her trying to keep the conversation moving anyway. "If you prematurely drop your war plans in favor of my plan to get rid of your curse, I'll answer them all, no more refusals. I'll talk as openly as you want, about where this locket came from, how I got through your wards…really, anything else you might wish to know."
She'd admit to the use of Neo Eclipse? "I…" Yet, the image of him covered in blood, collapsed in his own room came to mind. She'd been joining him as well. He swallowed, looking away. "Levy…could I…think on it further?" She nodded, and he took a deep breath. He had some of the answers he wished for, just not all of them. "In the meantime…am I still allowed to ask questions?"
"Sure, but there's still a chance I'll refuse to answer."
So, she'd keep her secret until the war was no longer a threat, it seemed. "That seems…quite fair of you."
"Well, to be honest, there's really one rather large subject I'm trying to avoid." She shrugged. "If I think your question gets a little too close to that topic, that's the sort of question I'll refuse."
Well, he could play along with ignorance too, for now. "One subject?" Levy nodded, and he tilted his head. "Then…given the oddly broad spectrum of refused answers, I am inclined to believe it is a specific event, to be accurate." Technically, it was an entire timeline of events, but he didn't quite have enough information to make that leap, without the dream.
"Believe what you want." She grinned, getting up and stretching. She was still wearing that same dress from when she arrived, one that strangely looked like Brandish's creations. For all he knew, it actually was one. He might need to obtain more for her, if she was staying for long. "Anyway, I'd say it is time for breakfast, and then more research since I can't quite get your agreement yet."
He nodded, rising to his feet as well. "Would you mind if I accompany you again this morning? I…I apologize for upsetting you yesterday, but I will attempt to avoid such subjects again, if you wish." His future self hadn't indicated what it was that would upset her so greatly, but Zeref was starting to get an idea. If she'd been forced to utilize Neo Eclipse, she needed to act against her own guild. That was the sort of action that would inspire guilt, and also make her unwilling to meet with her guild master again.
"Oh. That wasn't your fault." She wasn't meeting his eyes, and her cheerfulness seemed to dim for a moment. "Don't worry about it."
He didn't want her to be sad. It was a strange desire, one he wasn't used to…but perhaps he should adapt to it. Still, he remained silent as she walked towards the dining area, and he took a seat at the table, still somewhat unfamiliar with this routine. She moved to sit next to him again…yet his head throbbed, making him hold out a hand, stopping her. "I…as a precaution, perhaps you would take the seat across from me instead?"
She stared at him. Yet, slowly, she seemed to smile, nodding and moving over there. It shouldn't please her, to have to move…but then he realized, with a strange sort of logic, he'd shown that he cared for her in some form. "Sure. I didn't realize you cared." Indeed…that had been her logic after all.
"I…I shouldn't." It made no sense, yet it still was appearing to be the case. Perhaps his future self's emotions were merging with his own, as a side-effect of the spell. Regardless…he wasn't quite able to stop himself from acting based upon them at the moment. "You are an intruder, one who seems to know an odd amount of information about internal affairs."
He saw her eyes widen as she drank, and she lowered her cup almost immediately, swallowing. "Um…right." Did…she know even more than he'd realized? "So, what questions do you have for me today?"
Last time, he'd wanted to see her logic. This time, his future self was on his mind. He wanted to…understand her, and see if she still was willing to be near him, despite not having lost so much of his…dark tendencies, quite yet. "What sort of friends do you typically have at Fairy Tail?"
Based on her pause and wide eyes…he realized she hadn't expected the shift in his line of questioning. Still, she didn't take long to start speaking anyway. "Well, you already know Natsu…but I wouldn't exactly say we knew each other well until a little…incident recently." So Neo-Eclipse had somehow brought them together? That was…strange. "Probably the friend I was closest to, outside of my team, was Lucy. She's a celestial wizard, but she also loves to read and write…it isn't much of a passion of hers as it is mine, but she still promised to let me read her novel once she gets it finished."
The library…so that was why she had been there, in that image. "You enjoy reading?"
She nodded, smiling. "Well, books usually help me learn new things. For the longest time, that was how I was going about trying to understand more about magic, really." Vague…so his future self likely had taken an interest and started to assist her. "I learned a lot about written magics, and that sorta became my specialty. But, i still studied more, thinking that so much could be done if I understood the foundations of magic entirely…" Which…led to him, it seemed.
Either way, it wasn't as if he could state that he knew any of that. So, instead he stared at her, tilting his head in contemplation. "You are incredibly dedicated, to have taught yourself so much." His assistance helped in foundational learning, but she still learned much on her own based on that explanation. Yet…the future…there was something he needed to work towards, he supposed. "Would…do you think you'd still wish to read further, during breaks from reading my old journals?" He saw her nod, staring at him silently. "After you finish eating…I will show you to the library then." Yet, did he trust her to that extent? She already had his journals he supposed…and his future self told him to believe in her. Perhaps he could start with this, and see if she abused it or not.
"That…that'd be great!" Her smile…it was brighter than what he'd seen before. It seemed to light up her face, and for a moment, Zeref only stared. He…wanted her to keep that smile, if he could. Gradually, the more he saw of her, the more attached he was becoming. Maybe he wouldn't need to wait so long, before accepting the path she had to offer. After all, he'd spent his entire life, relying on no one. Surely, with at least one…he'd be capable of dealing with whatever aftermath there was, to knowing the truth of his curse.
I don't really know what it is that appeals to me about situations like this, but part of me seems to have a lot of fun with weird mental connections like this (hearing voices in one's head, telepathic connections, reading minds, etc.). There aren't many stories I incorporate them into often, but it shows up a lot in the drafts of some of my original stories, and now it seems to be starting to bleed into fanfics as well. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!