Incarcerated Innocence, a Fairy Tail fanfic by Tsunami Storm

Chapter 9: Insurmountable Integrity

"Alright, listen up, kids!" Makarov announced one morning in mid-February. Seemingly as one, everyone looked up from their respective breakfast or drinks to listen to their Guildmaster. "As most of you probably know, this week is normally celebrated as the 'Feast of St. Valentine', a time when couples and families show their support for each other by engaging in various tandem activities. Normally this would be the time in which Fairy Tail's respective lovebirds would pair off and select team missions and Job Requests to complete together." At this, everyone in the Guild looked excited and turned to their respective special someone, most of them either grinning or blushing bashfully.

"However!" Makarov continued, cutting off the hushed conversations that had cropped up in the interlude. "This year I've decided to do something a bit different. Instead of our various couples going on their respective Job Requests, I've decided to pair you off in a different manner. At your seats, you will all find small envelopes containing a special strip of paper. The mark on said paper will determine who your partner for the week will be. I'll give all of you a half-hour to find your 'platonic partner' and select a Job from the Request Board, then I'll see you all off for your mission that you chose." At this, more conversations and mutterings sprang up among the wizards gathered on the ground floor of the Guild, and quite a few groans of disappointment could be heard from some of the couples. "But- Juvia wanted to be paired with Gray-sama!" The romantic Water mage groused none too quietly as she dissolved into a pool of tears. "All right, let's get going! Hop to it, kids!" Makarov grinned with an impish smirk on his wizened face.

Ten minutes later, most of Fairy Tail had paired off and selected fliers from the board, gathering in the courtyard when they were ready to depart. To everyone's surprise, Natsu had been paired with Romeo and Macao, Erza was to accompany the Connell family, and Happy, Wendy and Gray were packing for a mission on Mt. Hakobe. To Lucy's confusion, her partner had yet to speak up, and she had no idea who the mysterious mage was going to be.

"Um… L-Lucy?" A shy, deep voice suddenly spoke up from somewhere behind her, and the Celestial heiress squeaked as she jumped and whirled around to face the speaker. To her surprise, Jellal was standing a few feet away from her, holding a small strip of paper marked with a star; the same as her own.

"Oh, hey Jellal." Lucy smiled nervously. "Are- you my partner?" She asked, holding up her strip of paper. In confirmation, the bluenette held up his own paper, the familiar star marking sparkling gently in the dawning sunlight. "Master must have charmed this ink to change the shape of the mark to synchronize with the magic of the wizard who selected it." Jellal mused quietly so that only Lucy could hear it. The blonde nodded. That made sense.

"Now that you've all found your respective partners or teams, go ahead and take a flier off the Request Board. You can take an S-Class flier only if your team contains at least one S-Class or Wizard Saint-level mage. We don't want a repeat of the Galuna Island incident." Master chuckled, grinning pointedly at the various sheepish members of Team Natsu, sans Erza, who was merely smirking fondly at the memory.

"So… you picked the job. What did you end up choosing?" Lucy asked conversationally to break the semi-awkward silence.

"A Dark Guild has been causing trouble for this area for a while. Given what I've been doing for the past six years, it seemed fitting." Jellal answered with a shrug and small smirk as he studied a map of their destination as they sat in the train car bound for Onibas. It was the closest settlement to their apparent mark. "And there have been quite a few people who have gone missing from the neighboring towns and settlements. Not just adults, either. Kids too. Given my- colorful past, I tend to prioritize every abduction and kidnapping case that I find on the Request Board." He smiled ruefully.

"Dealing with an entire Dark Guild by ourselves?! Are you crazy?!" Lucy nearly cried. "Aagh! I'm too young and cute to die so soon!"

That comment earned her a quiet chuckle. "Nonsense. It's not like it's part of the Balam Alliance. You and Erza did the same thing with Eisenwald during the 'Lullaby' incident in Onibas station."

"I guess, but Erza took down most of them." Lucy deflected. However, this was not entirely true. Cancer had also helped considerably, shattering the men's confidence as well as their weapons when he subjected all of them to instantaneous male-pattern baldness.

"Well, then- if it makes you feel better, you could stay behind in camp when we stop for the night." Jellal suggested kindly, folding the map and stowing it back in his pocket. "Maybe summon Leo if you feel uncomfortable."

"Or he'll just show up on his own." Lucy joked. "He tends to do that."

"He's really attuned to you. Must be because you're such an awesome Celestial wizard." He praised, causing his partner to pink prettily.

"You flatterer." Lucy teased with a light mock-punch to the Wizard Saint's bicep.

"Alright. I'll scout ahead. The Mayor said the Dark Guild's base was somewhere deep in this forest. Hopefully this small clearing will be safe for you to stay until I return." Jellal wished worriedly, concern written all over his face for his companion.

"I'm sure I'll be fine." Lucy assured, waving her hand dismissively. "Honestly, I'm more worried about you."

"I'm sure I'll be fine." Jellal echoed with a laugh and a sly wink. "As they say: 'This isn't my first rodeo'."

"Right." She snickered. "Be careful!" She urged. "Erza would kill me if you got hurt- or Heaven forbid, worse."

"Doubtful. You're one of her best friends." Jellal teased right back, though at the same time, his eyes held nothing but truth in their depths. Then he sighed. "I'll be careful. I promise." With that, he walked off into the darkened wood.

"I finally found you, Fairy Tail fly!" A vaguely familiar voice growled from somewhere up in the canopy above, and that was all the warning that the Heavenly Body mage got as he was suddenly struck from behind and rendered unconscious.

"Unnh. Where- where am I?" A certain bluenette mage groaned as he lifted his head from his breastbone, squinting around futilely as his eyes attempted to adjust to the darkness. Unsurprisingly, he felt a pounding headache from the blow he'd taken earlier, and surmised that he probably got a concussion to add to his list of newest injuries. He could feel chains around his raw wrists, anchoring him to the cold, stone wall of the dungeon, and his attackers had apparently stolen his attire while he was out and left him with only a threadbare, holey tank top and a pair of- hauntingly familiar- ragged prison pants tied with a simple rope. Well, at least they spared my dignity. He thought wryly. The new clothes were only infinitesimally more durable than the rags they'd been forced to wear as children in the R-System island prison.

"Ah. You're awake." Another hauntingly familiar voice sneered. "At last. I've been waiting for this reunion for years, Siegrain. Did you miss me?"

"Nadal." Jellal growled back, recognition and anger burning in his voice. "I thought you worked for the Council?" The frog-lizard hybrid was indeed clothed in the robes of an attendant of the Magic Council, but these looked torn and in much need of repair as the sadistic serpent seethed outside the bars of his cage.

The anthropomorphic amphibian snarled. "I was forced from service. Apparently you've still got friends in high places, miserable wretch though you are. Sir Doranbolt was monitoring all activity in Era's prison, and he witnessed what I did the day you somehow faked your death and escaped custody. I wanted revenge; on the selfish sinner who instigated my removal, so I eventually joined this new elite team. The Dark Guild: 'Damashigami Vengeance'! And I'm not the only one. There's plenty of other wizards here who feel as I do: a hatred for Fairy Tail, and hearts darkened by revenge on the world that rejected them and the one man who humiliated each and every one of us; you, Jellal Fernandes!"

"We've finally captured Jellal? At last! I swore I'd never play second string to anyone again after that whacked Tower of Hell." Yet another familiar voice called from deeper within the ruined fortress that served as 'Damashigami Vengeance's Guild Hall. As with Nadal, Jellal had no trouble identifying this member as well. "Vidaldus." The heroic wizard breathed simply, looking down at his feet in shame. Not that he could really see anything still. The rocker member of the Death's Head Order Assassin's Guild was yet another part of his past that had come back to bite him. Another reminder of his multitude of sins for which he still must atone.

Suddenly- from somewhere else in the deep darkness- a clink of chains sounded, and a small voice that filled Jellal with hope as well as horror followed. "D-Dad? Is t-that you?" She stuttered, shivering in the cold of the black dungeon.

"Wendy!" Jellal cried out in horror, dismayed that even his daughter had been kidnapped and imprisoned here. She was clothed in ragged attire similar to his own, just a small light-cyan dress that reached to her knees and clung to her small shoulders with barely a few strands of thread. Once again, Jellal was forcibly reminded of the slave-clothes he and the other children had been allowed (read: forced) to wear in the dark cult's twisted Revival operation. Now his daughter looked even more like a younger version of her mother- just with long azure locks rather than short crimson as she'd had.

"Wait. Dad?" Nadal breathed, confused momentarily and forgetting his thoughts of revenge. "Are you even old enough to have a twelve-year-old child?!"

"Not that it's any of your business, but she's from an alternate future. One which she herself played a part in permanently preventing." Jellal growled protectively, not unlike a panther guarding its young. "Now let her free this second, and maybe I won't reduce you and this place to a pile of ashes." He threatened, and his eyes glowed gold to corroborate his statement.

"Wait, Dad! Gray and Happy are in here too! Further in, I think. Their leader said something about torture for all the members of Fairy Tail that they managed to capture. You can't destroy this place until everyone's safe! The only reason I'm up here is so I can't use my Sky Magic to heal them." Wendy cried, fearful for her friends and teammates. At her words, Jellal relented and his eyes returned to their familiar hazel.

"That's not all, Fairy fly." A third voice pitched in. "You're bait. So start acting like bait!" Erigor slammed his fist into the bars of the cage, shaking the whole structure and making Wendy shrink back and cower in fear. "Speaking of torture, I suppose I should get back to it. Can't let that Owl-head Fukuro have all the fun with our Ice-Boy." He mused, hovering past Jellal's cell door with his Wind Magic and a sadistic smirk aimed in his general direction. "Don't go anywhere now, my friend. You're next." He promised sinisterly, then all three members of Damashigami Vengeance left the black hall and ventured deeper into the bowels of the fortress.

When The Reaper had passed out of earshot, Jellal lifted his head again to look at his young angel. "Did they hurt you?" was his soft question, but that quiet tone belied his boiling rage and barely restrained bloodlust.

"I'll be okay." Wendy answered, ashamed and avoiding the question directly. Not for the first time, Wendy found herself wishing that her magic could be employed to heal its caster as well as others, but Grandeeney had told her years ago that this was impossible for Sky Dragonslayer magic. Sky Godslayer magic was up to the task- as employed by Lamia Scale's youngest member Shelia Blendy- but she was nowhere near the Fairy Tail family at the moment and had no idea of their current predicament.

"Did. They. Hurt. You?" He repeated in a deadly whisper, righteous anger burning in his hazel eyes not unlike his 'Flame of Rebuke'. Then, softer: "Tell the truth, Wendy. I'm your father. You can't hide anything from me."

Wendy was silent for a full minute, but then finally breathed, "…yes."

Jellal released a nearly animalistic growl. "They're going to pay for this." He vowed, visibly shaking with the depth of his outrage.

"No Dad!" Wendy suddenly cried. "You can't! It took so long for you to forgive yourself for what happened with Mr. Simon, and that was with the special circumstances in which I was able to heal him. I know you weren't in control then, but just think how much more you'll blame yourself if you take another life by your own will! They should be brought to justice, you're right- but you are not their executioner."

Jellal smiled sadly, his righteous anger once again assuaged by his little angel. "You're right, Wendy. It was a miracle, with Simon. You are my miracle." Using the smallest modicum of his strength, he broke the manacles that shackled him to the stone slab of the wall and tore through the cell bars as if they were made of aluminum foil. Conjuring his 'Flame of Rebuke' at the tip of one finger, he carefully melted the lock of the fetters that bound his daughter, then both bluenette mages took off running for the descending staircase that led deeper into the bowels of the dungeon- Jellal scooping up the injured Wendy into his arms with one fluid motion and perching her on his back as they flew through the halls with 'Meteor'.

All Wendy could think as they flew was: Please don't let me throw up on him. Motion sickness was the worst sometimes.

"Thank you for your service, former Councilman Jellal. Your actions in eliminating the Dark Guild 'Damashigami Vengeance' are much appreciated." Lahar stated testily, still mistrustful of the former Wizard Saint that stood before him silently, not even meeting his gaze as the former assassin leaders and Era's prison warden were put in chains and led away.

Jellal was breathing heavily yet shallowly as he spoke with the head of the Rune Knights, barely able to stand due to his many wounds and injuries incurred from his capture, then battling the Dark Guild almost single-handedly and rescuing three of his Fairy Tail family members. Amusingly, an unconscious Happy was perched on the Heavenly Body mage's head, almost perfectly blending in with Jellal's cerulean hair. Or he would have, were he not recolored in his own blood. Fairy Tail's best Ice Make wizard was also insensate, collapsed on his rescuer's back. Beside the hero of the day, Wendy shyly shuffled her feet, embarrassed that she couldn't do anything to help her father and other Guildmates- having been completely drained of her magic power by the despicable dark mages that had kidnapped and tortured her and her Fairy Tail family.

"Unfortunately we've no Healers present among our team tonight, but we do have a small mixture of herbs with us that is quite useful in quickly restoring one's magic power. It is the least we can do in gratitude." Lahar admitted, and Jellal nodded slowly and cocked his head toward Wendy, indicating that she should receive the concoction. "It's a fairly new discovery, and all Rune Knight captains are now required to carry a bottle or two on every mission. It's not yet ready for mass-production, explaining why you may not have heard of it." He explained further, passing the small bottle to the greatest Healer Fairy Tail had ever seen.

Wendy carefully uncorked the bottle and sniffed gently. "Wow!" She breathed. "This smells amazing! Do I- drink it? Or rub it on like an ester or perfume?" She asked curiously, studying the mysterious contents in intrigue.

"Either." Lahar answered with a smile. He was actually quite fond of the angelic Dragonslayer sired by one of Fiore's most powerful former foes. "Though most of my men prefer the former method."

"Thank you, Mister Lahar!" Wendy squeaked and quickly bowed in appreciation for the gift, uncorking the concoction again and upending the small bottle into her mouth. Almost immediately, a gentle vortex of wind formed around the Sky maiden, and she gasped in surprise. "Whoa!"

Both sire and captain smiled fondly at her reaction, then the conscious Fairy Tail mages bade farewell to the Rune Knights, wishing them a safe return to Era. Then Jellal adjusted his grip on the unconscious Gray on his back and turned to his young progeny, suggesting they return to the camp at which Lucy was waiting, likely worried sick by his unexpected delay.

"L-Lucy?" A weak voice called from the darkness, and the Celestial wizard jumped a foot in the air and squeaked in surprise. Recognition dawning on her after a moment, the blonde stood up from her makeshift seat and smiled in greeting. "Welcome ba-" She started to say, but the scene before her eyes took the words from her mouth and all the breath from her lungs. A flash of light flared at her side, and suddenly her strongest Spirit and Leader of the Zodiac was helping the critically wounded hero into the camp.

"Oh my gosh!" Lucy cried as the boys and girl stumbled into the clearing, Leo graciously taking the burden from his friend's back and shouldering his former S-class partner himself instead. "Lucy." The Lion breathed, no trace of humor in his face or eyes. This was definitely not the time. "Summon Aries. And ask her to create some small Wool Walls we can use as beds. Maybe a few Wool Shots for pillows."

"Right!" The blonde nodded as she reached for her Gate Keys fastened to her hip. With practiced ease, she removed the correct key within seconds and summoned the Spirit from her celestial home. "Open, Gate of the Golden Ram!" She cried, holding aloft the rare golden key and summoning the shy Celestial Spirit from the Star dimension.

"Aries, I need-"

"I heard, Miss Lucy. I was watching over you from the stars. Most of us were." The normally shy and retiring Spirit interrupted quickly, knowing full well the gravity of the situation. "Wool Wall!" She cried, stretching her arms out and summoning a pile of cotton candy-like fluff from nowhere.

A weak gasp, then all looked to Jellal as he finally collapsed to the ground, his strength spent. Happy rolled off the bluenette's head and tumbled forward, his normally white wings dyed red with his own blood, and his blue fur recolored purple. Gray also was covered in bruises and lacerations, showing very little skin that was unmarked by injury. Wendy too was black-and-blue from head to toe, but mercifully wasn't as wounded as her father and other Guildmates.

Between Lucy and Aries, both ladies managed to get the former Wizard Saint up onto a makeshift bed, and adjust his position so he'd be somewhat comfortable as Leo did the same with a still-unconscious Gray and Happy. Wendy had zonked out on the fallen log that Lucy had occupied earlier, having already exhausted herself with healing Happy and Gray of their injuries and unable to cast even the simplest spell in her repertoire to help her father. Healing magic took a surprising amount of energy from its caster, and the twelve-year-old child was utterly spent.

"Miss Lucy? There's a small stream about a hundred feet that way. Summon Aquarius when you find it." Aries requested shyly after a few moments of awkward silence, pointing to a location just south of their current position.

The one-time debutante groaned. "Must I? You know she hates me."

"Yes." Aries answered in the most serious tone Lucy had ever heard from her meekest Celestial Spirit, however, she couldn't tell if the Zodiac Ram had answered her first inquiry, the second, or both.* "She can heal."

[It's both.]

"WHAT? How did I never know about this?!" Lucy cried as she ran through the wood, Aries keeping pace beside her. "You never asked. But- she's really choosy about her 'patients'. They have to have certain 'characteristics'- actually, scratch that. I think she just likes blue hair like hers. I think she would agree to heal your friend, and his affinity for the stars certainly doesn't hurt. She's not like Miss Wendy, with her unconditional love for all her Guildmates."

"Gee, thanks, Aries." A mocking voice sounded from the area ahead. Then without so much as a glance at her wizard, the mermaid hovered back to the makeshift camp to see to her 'patient'.

"Eesh. What'd you do to yourself, kid? Take on a whole Guild by yourself?" She asked rhetorically, knowing full well that this was exactly what he had done. Jellal couldn't answer, as he was still unconscious as he lay on the makeshift bed of wool that Aries had created. Lucy snorted quietly when she heard her Spirit referred to Jellal as 'kid'. With all that he had been through, he seemed older than his mere twenty-four years of age. Behind everything he could do, and all of his carefully controlled power, it was easy to forget that Jellal was still just a young man, now badly hurt. "Sigh. Hero-types." She groused with a roll of her eyes, but Lucy could tell that she was smiling too.

The mountainous terrain erupted with explosions of magic as Jellal Fernandes- or more accurately his thought-projection Siegrain- clashed with the group formerly known as the Oración Seis. Amidst the group of five, their leader Brain lay face-down on the ground, unmoving and silent as his adopted son surveyed their opponent with contempt. "The Seis despises prisons, and you of all people should know why that is, Jellal. Your Tower was our first jail. It was Brain who set us free. Or so he led us to believe." He sneered as everyone else watched silently. "We were torn from our homes. Taught by your whips to curse the world, and used as his pawns. Now we finally have the chance to put that behind us, to live for ourselves." He turned to the side and glared at the endless expanse of rocky terrain before him. "To be free."

Racer grunted as Jellal sped in front of him and handed him a knuckle sandwich straight to the face. "Who are you trying to fool?!" The heroic bluenette growled. "There's a victim inside every villain, that does not absolve us of our crimes!" He continued to the shock and dismay of the rest of the Seis who had not yet spoken. "Own your sins! Feel the weight of what you owe this world and pay your penance!" As the Seis fell, the seals on Brain's insensate visage evaporated like dust in the wind, turning his dark skin pale and his white, pupil-less eyes red like freshly-drawn blood.

Jellal was breathing hard, one man against five of the most powerful wizards in the 'pillar' Guild Oración Seis of the Balam Alliance. Behind him at a distance, Meredy had watched the battle unfold with trepidation. She truly felt sorry for the former Seis, but she also didn't want her 'big brother' to be hurt anymore by all this fighting. "What'll you do?" She breathed apprehensively as she held a fist to her chest.

"That was a pretty speech you just gave us." Midnight sneered. "Do you plan to persuade us to yield?" He glared at Jellal with contempt and derision.

"You're too far gone to reach with words." Jellal announced, causing the rest to look at him in shocked horror. He wouldn't- would he? "The Oración Seis must die! Prepare yourselves!" He cried as he leaned forward to pounce into action once again. At his words, Midnight tapped into his power of illusion and caused his eyes to turn from a dark hazel to unnerving magenta. It was time for a little sleight of hand. Behind them, Master Zero stood to his feet with a triumphant growl. "Oh, we're all gonna die! Everything ends! But I think I'll start with you!" He laughed maniacally.

"It's Zero!" Angel gasped in horror.

"How did he break through our seals?!" Racer demanded, while Cobra just looked back in disbelief. He'd punched a hole through the former Guildmaster's chest with his Poison claws. He should be dead! "Why the hell is he alive?!" He cried as Hot Eye gasped in horror, staying out of the battle.

Jellal merely gasped in shock and froze with disbelief as a beam of 'Dark Capriccio' sped toward him and tore straight through his abdomen, obliterating his right lower ribs and leaving a gaping hole where his liver and right kidney used to be; A fatal wound if not treated immediately, and the wizards were miles from any civilization or hospitals. This was it. He'd failed. He would die here, having accomplished nothing in his efforts to redeem the former Dark Guild. Oh Meredy. He thought absently. Forgive me. I've left you all alone. Behind him, Meredy screamed, "Jellal NO!" momentarily confusing the doppelgänger with the real deal. The real Jellal was still home in Magnolia, or perhaps on a Job Request for Fairy Tail. Zero grinned and laughed wickedly, and Jellal could do nothing but gasp in agony as he was thrown backwards from the force of the spell.

"This can't be- real-" Jellal gasped weakly as he lay on his back, head turned to the side and wound still smoking from the force of the blast. A few feet away, Midnight smiled sinisterly. His illusion had fooled everyone completely. Now Jellal would surely die. On the other side of the battlefield, Meredy sprinted toward her fallen comrade, crying out tearfully, "Jellal! I'm coming!" not knowing what she could do to help- as she had no knowledge of any healing spells- but maybe she could at least offer him some company and comfort in his final moments.

"No- run away- while you can-" Jellal gasped worriedly, trying to protect his little sister.

"You want me to abandon you?! I will never do that!" Meredy wailed as she never faltered in her stride.

"He'll kill you too- Run Meredy!" Jellal ordered with the last remnants of his strength. He was fading fast and there was nothing she could do about it, so she might as well save herself at least.

"Not while you're alive!" She argued. "This isn't over yet! Fight!"

"Sorry." He breathed, turning to face her for one last glimpse of his close friend and fellow Guild member. "This is it-" He exhaled softly as he closed his eyes in calm acceptance. Above him, Zero had pounced and aimed a punch directly over his heart. "Goodbye, Jellal!" The mad wizard crowed as he landed and drove his fist through his defenseless opponent, completely obliterating the Heavenly Body mage and sending a single boot flying through the air- laughing like the maniac he was as he did.

Meredy was horror-struck as she sat back in shock, barely able to breathe. "What- what have you done?" She squeaked in terror. Behind Master Zero, Midnight continued to smirk triumphantly. His illusion was flawless. Everyone believed that Jellal was no more. "There's nothing left of him." Angel whispered in disbelief. "He killed Jellal. Erased him." She continued, still unable to process her words even as they left her mouth.

"How tragic." Hot Eye breathed, truly mournful of the powerful mage's death.

"Is this for real?" Cobra echoed his comrade, doubtful that the former Wizard Saint could really go down so easily.

"It only took him one attack-" Racer finished, also staring at his leader's back, dumbstruck.

"I always hoped I'd get to be the end of you, Jellal!" Zero laughed as he stood to his feet, blood-red eyes still fixed to the spot where his opponent had lain. He continued to laugh maniacally as Meredy sat transfixed with horror- when suddenly his laughter was cut off, and a diagonal slice appeared through the madman's face- almost like a crack in a pane of glass. As the seconds passed, more cracks appeared until the façade that masked reality literally shattered, revealing a fully whole and living Jellal, who stood with his arm out and his eyes closed, blood dripping from his eyelids.

Midnight gasped in horror as his illusion crumbled, hardly believing the truth before his eyes. His illusion was perfect! How did Jellal see through it? Last time he'd checked, Jellal was not immune to visual magic like his girlfriend had been! Then he spotted the blood dripping from the Heavenly Body mage's face.

Behind him, a still-stricken Meredy breathed in disbelief, "I thought you died! What happened?" She asked, but received no answer.

"My nightmare-" Midnight breathed incredulously. "He tore it apart."

"His eyes-" Angel breathed, equally shocked.

"Did he- blind himself?!" Midnight echoed his comrade, the same shocked disbelief clear in his voice.

"No way-" Cobra growled, grudgingly impressed with the man's conviction in spite of himself. He would risk permanently disabling himself just for a chance to save their futures?

"That'd be crazy!" Racer followed, equally stunned. At that moment, seven shafts of light erupted around the four remaining members of Oración Seis and they turned to Jellal, who had united his hands in a specific formation to cast one of his most powerful spells. "May the seven stars bring judgment upon you!" He cried as the light intensified and imprisoned the four. "Grand Chariot!"

"We will not fall!" Midnight snarled as the light and power swirled around him, making his cloak whip like the wings of a hummingbird in the gale-force winds.

As if he had not heard his opponent's stubborn cry of denial, Jellal immediately shifted into another battle stance, driving two fingers to the ground with both hands, then separating them so they pointed in perfectly opposite directions. A meteor suddenly appeared from a void in the firmament, speeding down to Earthland in a blaze of glory. "True Heavenly Body magic?!" Midnight gasped in horror as Jellal cried, "Sema!"

The meteorite crashed to the ground, producing a monumental explosion that nearly obliterated ally along with foe in its radius, causing Meredy and Hot Eye to shield their faces from the titanic burst of light and debris. When the smoke cleared, not one member of the Oración Seis was left standing or with the strength of will to continue fighting.

As the dust dissipated, Hot Eye breathed in wonder and no small amount of fear. "I've- never seen a spell of such might!" He exclaimed, thoroughly impressed with the man's skill in the rare form of magic with which he'd been blessed so many years ago.

"You've won." Midnight breathed weakly in resignation. "Now finish it!" He challenged.

"That's not my intention." Jellal answered sadly, still hoping to save the former slaves of the Tower of Heaven. Their circumstances were his own, after all. Perhaps there was still hope for them, as was in his case.

"You lied. You will send us to jail." Angel accused, lifting her head from the ground and glaring at their prison warden.

"Wrong again." Jellal denied, approaching the group with calculated, careful steps. "The Oración Seis- has been vanquished." Jellal announced with only the slightest hesitation in his voice. His injuries were starting to affect him more now that the adrenaline of battle had begun to wane. "Now, I invite you to join my Guild. The world never answered your prayers, so you raged against it- as did all who belonged to Crime Sorciére. Try the path of redemption: it will lead you to your answers. I will not promise what I cannot give, but I can at least offer some of you closure." He smiled kindly at the former Dark Guild pillar of the Balam Alliance.

He turned to the de facto leader of the former criminals now that Brain was incapacitated: his son, codenamed Midnight. "Macbeth. I cannot guarantee you will find peace and quiet in a- boisterous Guild like Fairy Tail, but surely laughter and revelry are preferable to screams and perpetual nightmares borne from a guilty conscience." Jellal smirked, and a few of the other Seis snorted quietly, as well as Meredy behind him. That certainly was one way to describe the crazy Guild the former Wizard Saint and his little 'sister' now called home.

Turning next to the tallest of his former opponents, Jellal smiled at Hot Eye. "Richard. You have been searching for Wally all these years. I do not know exactly where he is at the moment, but he often checks in at Fairy Tail to catch up with old and new friends. If you join me, I can guarantee you an eventual happy reunion with your remaining family."

Turning next to the lone woman of the group, and smiling slightly wider in reaction to the overjoyed gasp from Richard, Jellal addressed Angel with the same gentleness in his deep voice and soft hazel eyes. "Speaking of family: Sorano, Yukino is a member of Sabertooth. I know you must have missed her terribly. I will not ask you to join Fairy Tail, only that you abandon your criminal past and walk in the light once again."

Cobra the Snake Charmer and Poison Dragonslayer was next as Sorano collapsed to her knees in tears of immeasurable relief, and no small amount of gratitude towards their one-time slaver. "Erik. That friend of yours, whose voice you heard during the battle to save Crocus? She is an employee of Fairy Tail. Her name is Kinana, but you would probably remember her as Cubellios. Come back with us, and you can finally hear the voice of your one friend in the Tower. You do not have to become a member of our Guild, but know that you will always be welcome as a friend."

Ironically, the final member of the former Oración Seis to be addressed was also the swiftest- as well as the flightiest. Racer could have bolted at any time, so Jellal had purposely left him for last- so that he could hear his comrades' prayers being answered and might be convinced to join them on the path to redemption. "Sawyer. I cannot promise that there will not be any danger of capture by Dark forces if you come to Fairy Tail with us, but I can at least present you with a challenge. You are not the only wizard who employs Speed magic. Other than myself, there is also Jet, an experienced member of our family back home- that could really give you a run for your money." He grinned and winked playfully at the pun he'd made, and Racer merely rolled his eyes under his goggles and grimaced while his comrades snorted in amusement.

Macbeth frowned, not yet convinced. "Another pretty speech, Jellal, but what about him? Do you plan to redeem the irredeemable Master Zero as well? Without our unanswered prayers keeping him sealed, what's to stop him from awakening and actually piercing you through the chest with 'Dark Capriccio'- or any one of us for that matter?" He scoffed, doubting the wizard's sincerity and his skill in magic- as if he hadn't just got his butt kicked by the True Heavenly Body mage after he'd already blinded himself.

Jellal looked down, regret shining in his golden hazel eyes, still red from being maimed. "No. You said it yourself: Master Zero is irredeemable. He will be tried for his crimes by the Magic Council and imprisoned for the rest of his life. Hopefully the new Council will be just and fair in its rulings and not biased based on past prejudices. With good behavior, perhaps there may be a possibility of parole, in a few years." The bluenette lowered his gaze further, unable to meet the eyes of the man to whom he was speaking. "I truly hate to split a family this way, but the right course is not always the easiest path to walk."

"No need fer your 'regrets', Blue." Cobra growled flatly, glaring back at the prone form of his former Guildmaster and leader with his remaining eye. "Midnight's just tryin' to pull another one over on ya with his stupid illusions. Brain's dead, and Zero can't come out to play without a living host. As fer the 'family' part, there's no blood involved. Midnight was Brain's adopted son. Not really family in the first place."

"That is where we differ." Jellal argued sadly, still unable to lift his head. "Grandpa Rob may not have been related to any of us by blood, but as far as I am concerned, he was just as much family as were my birth parents. And all of us kids were pretty much family in there." He smiled fondly, recalling the boys and girls with whom he'd spent at least a decade of his formative years. And of course Erza, the woman who he'd always loved with all his heart.

"…To free the victim in your heart, you fight to build a better world. A world that victim can forgive. I go my own way, but I have respect for yours." Macbeth nodded as he stood to the side, away from the rest of the former Seis that decided to join the bluenette mage on his journey home.

"Right." Jellal answered simply. "Good fortune follow you, and may you find peace in your new path." He prayed solemnly. Macbeth softly gasped when he saw nothing but peace and forgiveness in the young man's eyes, no hint of lingering animosity or revenge for his actions against the Coalition seven years ago with the Nirvana incident. Jellal truly had moved on from the past. Maybe it was time he did too.

-Meanwhile-

"Rufus Lore." Erza smiled as she put both hands on her tasset about her waist. "Didn't expect to run into you all the way out here."

The Minstrel Who Sings to the Red Moon bowed and doffed his cap to the ladies of the Requip mage party, and offered a friendly handshake to Alzack, who shook it heartily. "After the Grand Magic Games, I realized that there are many types of magic that I have not yet added to my repertoire. To correct this travesty, I've decided to travel. See all the sights, witness all types of magic, commit everything to memory."

"I'm glad." Erza smiled. "You should see the world, witness all the wonders it has to offer. There's a whole world of miracles out there, and you should see it all with your own eyes. That's the best way to commit all good things to memory. And- speaking of memory-" She broke off, suddenly hesitant and unsure. "Are you practiced in- have you ever manipulated another's memories? Are you skilled with removing or replacing harmful memories that are detrimental to their holder's psyche and mental health?"

Rufus bowed his head and slowly shook it from side to side. "Regrettably, I have never had the occasion to do so personally. However, my mentor regaled me with anecdotes and soliloquies of his escapades in the subject. I would consider it an honor to aid any friend of The Titania, She who slew 100 monsters in Pandemonium and put Fairy Tail back on the tongues of Fiore."

Erza pinked prettily at the accolade, smirking at the fond memory of the epic battle. She knew that she could have easily selected just 51 monsters to fight- ensuring that no other contestant could defeat a higher number than Fairy Tail and giving the other participants a chance to show their mettle and prowess- but Fairy Tail never does things by half or by taking the easier route. "So," Rufus continued with a smile. "Who is to be my first 'patient'?"

"My fiancé. Jellal Fernandes." Erza answered, looking down at her armored feet. "You would remember him as 'Mystogan' of Fairy Tail Team B in the Games. He- he's had a dark past. By a heaven-sent miracle, he was able to erase one of his egregious sins from history, but the memory of his past actions still plagues him. It does nothing to aid anyone, and the guilt tears at his spirit every single day. If you could somehow change or remove that incident entirely from his conscience, it is my belief- my hope- that he may return to his original self. Carefree, endlessly optimistic- and most importantly, guilt-free and no longer obsessed with punishing himself for something over which he'd had no control."

Rufus nodded, much to Erza's joy. "I shall make my way to your lovely Magnolia at once, with all speed. Expect me at Fairy Tail in a few days' time. And may I offer my belated congratulations to you on your engagement. It is my belief that everyone deserves happiness, and Fairy Tail has been overdue for its share for far too long. I have no doubts that your marriage will be nothing short of memorable."

Gasp! "Oh thank Mavis! You're awake!" Lucy exclaimed quietly so as not to startle Jellal, who was still lying on a fluffy makeshift bed courtesy of Aries and her 'Wool Wall'. She'd been sitting by the firelight, worriedly scribbling in her notebook that she'd brought along on their mission in case of some downtime like this, when suddenly her partner had shot up bolt-upright with a loud inhale of breath and hazel eyes wide as saucers. Beside him rested three more members of his Guild and family, all sleeping peacefully atop identical 'mattresses', two of whom were fully healed thanks to the second girl of the team and he himself healed by Aquarius.

"That- was something." The bluenette mused tiredly when he'd calmed down as he put a hand over his left eye in a vain effort to reduce his sudden, splitting headache. "I've had lucid dreams before, but this one felt like- back when I used Siegrain."

"Maybe you did use him without knowing it." Lucy answered absently. "Hey, you think I could put that in your story that I'm writing?" She asked rhetorically with a giggle, and Jellal smiled gently, "Go- right- ahead-" before suddenly falling asleep again and leaving the Celestial wizard alone with her thoughts by the dying embers of the campfire.

"Can't really write about it if I don't have the details." Lucy huffed in disappointment, but then smiled gently when she saw how peaceful her friend looked when he was asleep. Poor thing. He's lived through Hell for most of his life, and through no fault of his own. He deserves all the peace he can find in this crazy world. I'll let him sleep. Tomorrow will be a new day.

End of Chapter 9

God Bless!

Tsunami Storm