All right belong to Hiro Mashima, who owns Fairy Tail and the characters. AU - Where Ultear failed to possess Jellal, and Team Jellal successfully escapes the Tower of Heaven.

CW: Some chapters contain graphic descriptions of violence.

Façade

Chapter 1: Porlyusica

"In a place like this...freedom is in your heart."

- the voice in the darkness

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Year X776

"Give it a try." Brain studied Jellal trying to perfect a spell he taught his pupil. The young boy concentrated as hard as he could to place the magic circle near a mountain, isolated from the rest of Magnolia. He didn't understand why Brain tried to be so stealthy when it came to Fairy Tail. Then again, Makarov didn't know he was with—perhaps the most dangerous man—in the middle of nowhere. The rain pelted heavily against the dark cement. The young mage jumped into the air with his arm outstretched, his other hand gripped the outstretched one, watching the purple markings on his arm glow when he activated the spell. One moment the markings shone brilliantly, then they gradually dissipated. Jellal gracefully landed on one knee with his breathing slightly labored.

"What do you think?" Jellal's eyes narrowed to the odd marks on Brain's face which were continuously glowing.

Brain swallowed hard, he marvelled at Jellal's prowess in magic; this boy was a force to be reckoned with. "Yes, you exceeded my expectations…"

The mage shrugged at his comment; it was nothing new to his ears. Deafened by the sound of the rain, Brain led him to a nearby shed, deserted for as long as the elder could remember. "Did you touch up on the ideology of the Black Wizard?"

Shockingly enough, he shook his head. Jellal crossed his arms and acted as if he held no value for the renowned wizard. "I have no interest in a mage who is supposedly dead, if that's what you legitimately claim. Though, that's hard to believe."

"And why would that be unbelievable? No mortal man can live eternally."

"True, these theories may be somewhat ingenious and comprehensively justified. But you're forgetting the single fact that Zeref is immortal. He's somewhere in the world, hence why all the dark guilds try to locate him. I can't speak for you—I'd hardly even call your little organization a guild."

Brain laughed, Jellal was quick and vigorous. "I'm not holding the children against my word. I promised them freedom, though it's a universal concept, wouldn't you agree? The freedom they dream of differs from how I interpret it."

Jellal pitied those children, Brain was no savior. Not when those kids had prayers unable to be granted. Not until they escaped themselves. It was a bold risk, but it'd play out as Jellal predicted. They would escape captive's wrath and rebel against him. Like a ravenous, wild dog.

The boy's lips curved into a smug expression. "They'll abandon you subsequently, I'm sure of it."

He had the physique of an eleven year old, but he was a child prodigy in magic. A mastermind at the very least. "Perhaps, and what will you do about it, Jellal?"

"Watch the whole scenario play out."

If Jellal was being sarcastic, he didn't provide any comic relief. Fact-of-the-matter, he was dead serious. His every movement was thorough and calculated. Jellal knew who was his friend and foe, there was no deceiving him. He lost interest in allying himself with others the moment he escaped the Tower of Heaven. His friends were the only ones loyal to him, but Fairy Tail was still not a place he could place his faith in. Not now, he would put them through a series of tests to determine the extent of their trust.

Jellal grabbed his coat lying on a bench just outside the shed, much to Brain's disappointment. The infrastructure seemed to provide a roof one meter within the shed. "Leaving so soon?"

The sun was almost setting, and Makarov would doubtlessly notice his absence if he didn't leave right now. "Yes, my guild master will start searching for me if I don't return soon."

Brain nodded and watched Jellal grab his coat and place it above his head. He made a run for it as the rain didn't stop. The grass beneath was slippery, he lost his footing twice. It would be humiliating for a mage to injure himself by falling onto the grass.

Jellal stumbled into the guildhall where many people resided since the rain wouldn't let up. Much to his miscalculations, Makarov was back before he reached the town. The young man's inexcusable behavior wouldn't go unnoticed. The guild master suspiciously watched Jellal casually walk in the guildhall, unnoticed by many mages. Fairy Tail found him peculiar, perhaps because he would rather practice magic rather than enjoy the leisure. But in reality, he knew the true nature of the guild, rowdy and foolhardy, just like their unfounded motto.

"Jellal," emphasized Makarov, "where have you been? What took you so long?"

The mage gave a timid grin. "Well, I was busy training up in the mountains. It's good to practice in the rain, that way I'll be immune to the rain."

His excuse didn't convince Makarov. Young Jellal was punctual and sensible, unlike many of the mages in Fairy Tail. "Of all people, I wouldn't expect you to be in the rain practicing. Loosen up a bit, kid. You have a whole life ahead of you."

Jellal didn't heed his warning, as if he'd listen to an old man who read magazines during his free time. "Touché, as if I'd have anything better to do."

In that moment, five of his friends joined Makarov, giggling at Jellal's baffled countenance. Erza was the first to join their conversation. "He's right, it doesn't hurt to take a break once in a while."

"It hurts my dignity," he mumbled unintelligibly. Arms folded, he glanced at Erza's eyepatch. Jellal didn't realize he held his breath until he looked away guiltily.

Makarov followed his gaze, jumping to a conclusion with that single glance.

"Ah, I'm taking you all to see Porlyusica so she can treat Erza's eye. It won't be long before she can see with both eyes."

The idea scared all the children, who never thought about what would be behind the gauze she wore to replace the eye socket. Jellal, having done some of his own research, said nothing. Best to keep his mouth shut before Makarov discovered the books hidden in the spare rooms on the second floor of the guildhall. That was the only place they could stay in for the timebeing, until the children earned enough money.

Makarov took it that Sho and Millianna didn't fancy Erza's memories, which was completely fair. There was no point of rubbing salt in a wound when it was ineffective. "At ease, Erza will be fine."

"Make…make sure she doesn't get electrified," whimpered Millianna, recalling the long staffs with magic strong enough to severely injure a slave. Makarov watched the little group of friends suffer in silence, thinking of horrible memories.

"What? No, Porlyusica is a remarkably nice woman. She wouldn't do anything of the sort!"

"Nice, huh?" mocked Jellal, watching the old lady smack Makarov on the head.

Porlyusica was anything but nice, she unapologetically glared at him, blemishing his perfectly bald head. "What are you pestering me about this time? I swear, if you try anything with these kids, I will personally send you to hell."

Makarov couldn't find the right words, everyone was coming out as jumbled words, words stuck in his throat. Jellal decided to answer for the woman, "We're from Makarov's guild, and our friend needs help."

"That's as vague as you can get, child. Next time state the obvious with a little more detail. Much appreciated."

Makarov blocked her apathetic remark with his laughter, "Nononono!" before he whispered through gritted teeth to Porlyusica, "They know Rob."

The woman gasped, "Why didn't you say so?" she implored the kids to come inside, before barring the door on Makarov. She purposely took pleasure knowing he got what he deserved. Porlyusica didn't trust Makarov's less than decent intentions. It seems Jellal wasn't the only one who found out about the guild master's wildest fantasies.

The geezer groaned, "What's this about?"

"Give me a few hours with these kids. I'll make sure they return safely. Maybe."

She neglected the guild master's protests, leaving him no choice but to leave after five minutes of no response.

Erza looked away from the woman the moment she made eye contact. The lady was intimidating to say the least. "Calm down, I'm not as scary as Makarov made me out to be."

Jellal laughed, "Believe me when I say he underestimated your hostility."

"Hmph, I only do that to annoy him. But he's probably right, I don't help people because I want to. I'm only doing this because you guys know Rob. Where is he?"

So much for getting straight to the point. Erza teared up, sniffing to prevent her tears from falling. She tried to find the right words, but every time her mouth opened, nothing came out. Until she found a way to describe his death without getting all sentimental. "He's…gone."

"Gone?"

Jellal bluntly said, "He passed away trying to protect Erza. That man was a great guy. I'd appreciate if you would stop asking such personal questions. If you can't tell, we're orphans who escaped slavery. We're not exactly living the best life right now."

To his surprise, Porlyusica nodded. Nothing more, nothing less. "I see."

Now it was awkward because Simon had many questions for Porlyusica and vice versa. "So, how do you know Rob?"

The woman glared at the young boy. "Why do you ask me such questions if I can't do the same?"

Agitated, she hastily flipped the pages, unable to find the spell. Jellal helped, approaching her and flipping to the exact page, just how he memorized it. He didn't even look smug about it. The old woman was glad he had that much decency.

"How did you find it?" she peered at him uncomfortably.

He shrugged his shoulders, "Luck, I guess."

There was no way a resourceful man like him could guess the page number. She gave a grunt before grabbing a combination of bottles. The children were twiddling their thumbs, skeptical of how to act in front of her. She sighed before giving in to their curiosity. Simon's question replayed in her head until she told them about Rob. "I met him in my younger years with Makarov. We used to be good friends, but Rob disappeared when he took on a quest. We all thought he died, but I assume he was a slave too, correct?"

Everyone slowly nodded, reminiscing over scary memories they overcame together. She pressed on, hoping to learn more about them. "How long ago has it been since you fled that wretched place?"

This time Wally spoke after recovering from his meandering thoughts. "Three weeks. But man, it feels like we escaped just yesterday. Hard to believe we were the lucky ones."

"How did you all escape?"

There was a newfound light in his eyes as he began to describe the fortunate turn of events. "Erza got a hold of the ship, and then Jellal hid us in the underground compartments of the ship. He and Simon fought the guards off pretty well. They hoisted the sails and made a run for it, trying to save as many people as they could. Ever since then, we discovered Erza could use magic. The ship was controlled by a lacrima she fused with her body. I can't believe she became a mage at such an early age."

"And you can't?"

Wally shook his head, "No, but I promise to learn when I get older. Just you watch me!"

Everyone cheered on for Wally's new goals, while Jellal had an unsettling glint in his eyes. Porlyusica could tell something was different about this boy. Same age, same story, different approach to everything. This boy matured faster than anyone else his age. She was convinced this wouldn't be the last time Jellal would see her. Porlyusica removed the eyepatch and replaced it with a clean gauze for the time being, so her abnormal face wouldn't frighten the kids. But Jellal made sure to get a good glimpse before turning away, letting her continue with her work.

Never had she felt so watched in her life.