AN: Hi, everyone! I'm back! This story's got 20 favs and 24 follows, a lot more than A Change In Fate, which is four chapters long! Wow! I hope you guys enjoy!
Allons-y!
Chapter Two
Seeing Erza's shocked look, Jellal smiled a little. "Erza?"
"What does that mean...? The Master... of Death?" Erza whispered.
"It means exactly how it sounds, Erza. It was my last life that I became the Master of Death, and it certainly wasn't intended." Jellal had a humorless half-smile on his face. "There was a legend in that world, called the Tale of Three Brothers. Only a few believed it was anything other than a bedtime story for children. The story went that three brothers, wizards, came across Death one night and avoided him. As a reward, Death granted them each one gift. The eldest, Antioch Peverell, asked for a wand that was more powerful than any wand before or since; the second brother, Cadmus, asked for a stone that would bring back the dead." Seeing Erza's flinch, Jellal continued, "The youngest brother was Ignotus, and he asked for a cloak that would hide him from even Death.
"Antioch was killed in the dead of night for the Elder Wand, as it came to be known, while Cadmus killed himself to join the girl he'd loved in death. The Ressurection Stone was passed through an ancient Wizarding Family for generations until I came to have it. And my own family, the Potters, were descended from Cadmus, and the Invisibility Cloak was handed down through the years. I claimed their allegiance, and I still have, even here in Fiore."
Erza noticed a symbol appearing amid the red tattoo on Jellal's face; right underneath his eye, in that little space, was a circle inside a triangle, run through the middle with a line. "That is the symbol of the Deathly Hallows, which is what the three items are when combined," Jellal said quietly. "Only those who know who I am can see it."
"..." Erza gave herself a little shake and stood, determined to get all the information she could. "Jellal... you can't have lied to me, due to the Vow, so I ask you now..." The red haired mage walked forward until she was right in front of her oldest friend and took his hand in her own. "Is it really you? The you I knew before?"
Jellal stared into her eyes, a dark, rich brown like melted chocolate. "Yes, Erza. It is me."
Erza only studied him for a few moments before sheathing her sword. "Very well then. Now, tell me what's going on with Ultear? What was she planning?" But she had a gentle smile on her lips, one that Jellal hadn't seen for years.
"Ultear means to resurrect Zeref, the Black Wizard, and the Tower of Heaven is one of the keys to breaking Zeref's seal. She's obsessed with him for some reason; she even pretended to be Zeref that day when she took control of me. I think that the R-System just has to be powered up to give her the key; that's the purpose of the Etherion blast. She and Siegrain, my Thought-Projection, would convince the Magic Council to fire one and thus doom us all."
Titania nodded slowly. "I see." The Tower of Heaven began to shake, the pillars smashing into rubble as they hit the ground. Erza wobbled a bit, and Jellal staggered. "Jellal!"
"It's Ultear," the bluenette said with a wince. "She's going to reassert her control over me soon. With my powers halved and not enough time to defy her, I can't stop her," he warned. "You'll have to defeat me."
Erza bit her lip, eyes uncertain. She didn't want to fight him! Not this Jellal, the one that she'd lost all those years ago! Erza didn't care if he was reincarnated into this life and held a title she didn't really understand; Jellal was her friend, the one who had shaped her life in so many ways, and she didn't want to lose him again!
Jellal embraced her, shielding her unarmoured body from the falling debris. Unseen to the Master of Death, Erza's cheeks reddened. "Hold on to me, Erza!"
0o0o0o0o0o
When the rumbling stopped, Erza opened her eyes slowly, and the first thing she saw was bright blue crystals, glittering and sparkling in a very menacing manner. The entire Tower of Heaven, she noted absently, was made out of Etherion now. Yet despite its beauty, Erza shivered, feeling a sense of coldness and danger despite being... in Jellal's arms?!
The Titania leapt back, startled, falling onto her backside when she lost her balance. Jellal blinked, gold-green eyes surprised, before his lips turned upwards in a small smile. Erza blushed despite herself and got to her feet, as did Jellal. "So this is the R-System, fully activated?" she wondered, hugging herself to gain some warmth. "It's so... cold."
Jellal opened his mouth to reply, then staggered, letting out a small noise of pain. "Ultear... you won't... win... Erza... she'll stop you... I know it..." he muttered, almost snarling the words in his anger.
"Jellal!" Erza exclaimed. Her two double edged katanas appeared in her hands automatically, Erza knowing soon her showdown with the Ultear-controlled Jellal would begin.
"Don't hold back Erza, because he won't," the Wizard Saint said softly. "I know you can do it."
She had barely nodded when Jellal fell to his knees, teeth gritted and writhing in pain, the Deathly Hallows mark on his cheek flashing a dark, sickly yellow. And when he looked up at her, the gold-green depths were blank, with no personality or soul. Just Ultear's obsession with a man long dead.
Erza took a deep breath to center herself, then leapt forward with a battle cry.
I swear to you, Jellal, that I will free you from this! She won't get away with controlling you any longer!
0o0o0o0o0o0o
Erza stared blankly into the cup of hot chocolate someone had shoved in her hands. They'd gotten back to the guildhall not too long ago, with two casualties. The redhead flinched badly when someone-she didn't know who-touched her shoulder gently, spilling the now-cold drink on the floor. Makarov stood in front of her, his expression grave as he looked at, in some ways, his most vulnerable S-Class wizard.
"What happened at the Tower of Heaven, Erza?" the Third Master asked quietly.
Her eyes stung and her throat seemed to have something stuck in it, but Erza took a breath and recounted everything that had happened, her mind flashing back to the short-lived fight between herself and Jellal...
Erza snarled, her eyes narrowed as she dodged Jellal's attacks. He smirked as he watched, an expression the red-haired mage well remembered. She had to wear him out, make him use up his magic energy, but he seemed very impatient. And there was one other difference that ultimately decided the outcome of their match: she was trying not to injure him, knowing that Ultear was behind everything he did. While he, on the other hand, had no such thoughts. Jellal was not against wounding her as long as he got his sacrifice.
One second of inattention, that's all it took, and when Jellal saw the oppurtunity, he used it. She collapsed, vision blurred and ears ringing, her two katanas clattering to the ground somewhere nearby. She choked on the debris that filled her mouth, trying to clear her head.
As the Wizard Saint approached, a wall of flame appeared, cutting off the two adversaries. Brown eyes widened as a familiar head of pink hair appeared, crouching over her protectively. "Natsu..." she whispered. "You made it... thank goodness you're all right."
"What did that bastard do to you, Erza?" the Dragon slayer growled, eyes flashing. She reached up blindly and grabbed his arm. "No, Natsu. Jellal's not in control of himself. That councilwoman, Ultear, is controlling him."
Natsu growled. "That won't stop me from kicking his ass!" With that, Natsu took Erza's place as Jellal's opponent, flying towards the controlled Master of Death with his fist on fire.
"Don't do it! Unless you want to kill me too!" Erza screamed. Her arms were outstretched, shielding Natsu with her own body. Jellal's eyes widened, sanity returning to them too late, his mouth shouting her name, but the spell was cast. The Heavenly Body Magic spell... Altairis. Erza shielded her face with her arms, only for someone to push her out of the way.
Simon stood there, arms outstretched, expression pained as he took a killing blow. Erza screamed, echoed by Jellal, when her friend fell. She scrambled over to his side, tears in her eyes even as she reached Simon.
"Simon!"
"Erza... don't cry... I did something worthwhile... Jellal... don't let... that Ultear... control you any... longer... make... her... pay, Jellal, Erza. For tearing apart... our family."
Natsu had thrown himself into the fight then, enraged that Jellal had killed one of his own friends. And the Wizard Saint... let him. The young man had fallen, his fighting just a token effort with no spirit or heart in it.
Erza had supported Natsu as the scales underneath his eyes from the Dragon Force vanished and his energy vanished. "We need to... get out of here, Natsu," Erza grunted. "You need to help me; I can't get us both out of here in time if you don't help me!"
"Erza..."
Looking behind her, the S-Class wizard saw Jellal stagger to his feet, his eyes once again free of madness. "Geez," Natsu muttered. "What's it gonna take for this guy to go down already?"
"Natsu, shut up!" she hissed.
"I can get you two out of here," Jellal said. "It's the least I can do, after..."
"But you'll die!" Erza cried. "If you stay here, you won't survive!"
Jellal gave her a sad yet contented look. "Then so be it. forgive me, Erza." With that, the freed Wizard Saint lifted his hand and blasted the two Fairy Tail wizards with a strong air spell, strong enough to send them through the crystal walls of the Tower of Heaven.
0o0o0o0o0o0o
Makarov was deep in thought. "Hmmm... I've met the young Jellal a few times; he seemed like a good lad, very bright and eager to help, but other times I heard he was arrogant and almost cruel. I can't believe I didn't notice it before... he showed all the signs of magical possession..." he muttered, then cleared his throat. "Nonetheless, that was a very risky move for Jellal to do; those Vows are not done lightly. But I am glad he managed to save you and Natsu."
Erza nodded. "As... as am I, Master." She stood, putting the cup back on the bar counter and heading out the door. She needed to get to Fairy Hills before she could have any tears. Natsu followed her, waving aside any commands to get to the infirmary to get his wounds treated. "What is it, Natsu?" she snapped. "If you want to say how much you hate Jellal, I don't want to hear it!"
Natsu shook his head. "That's not what I wanted to say, Erza. I mean, sure I might not like him because he made you cry and he had that irritating little smirk on his face, but he means a lot to you. I see the way you look at him, and it's kinda obvious." The Titania grew red at that. Was she really so obvious that Natsu noticed? "Well, I don't think he's dead. So if I ever meet him again, I'm gonna pound him into the ground for leaving you!"
Miles and miles away, in the depths of the sea, a blue-haired man's lips twitched upwards into a smile.
Before you guys riot, I wanted to clarify a few things: the tattoo on Jellal's cheek (at least in this fic it's a tattoo, I've read it could be a birthmark) is the perfect spot for the Deathly Hallows symbol to be. It can be seen only by people who know he's the Master of Death. Like a Fidelus Charm. And you might be mad that Erza lost so quickly against Jellal, but my reasoning is simple. Erza had been fighting that pink-haired woman (I can't remember her name right now) who destroyed many of her more powerful armors, and then faced Jellal not half an hour later.
I did change Simon's last words, since he knows Jellal was being controlled by Ultear, and they didn't come out quite the way I wanted them to.
I'm glad you guys have liked this story of mine so much; who wants to see Jellal get what he really deserves? I DO! This is kinda like my 'fix-it' fic; I'm changing what happens to Jellal because I don't like what canon did to him!
Anyway, I'll be uploading the new chapter as soon as I can, along with other chapters for other stories (*cough* Deathg's Mistake maybe *cough*) so I'll see you guys later! Don't forget to review! ME LIKE REVIEWS! THEY CANDY!
