Oh me oh my, how these first few weeks of school have been packed. This update took much longer than I'd hoped, but I suppose that's life when you try to balance school/work/friends while moonlighting as a FF author :p
Hope you guys enjoy the chapter, it took me awhile to edit it to something that I somewhat enjoyed without being too cheesy (but still cheesy enough, I am a big cheese fan after all.)
Hopefully the upcoming chapters will be easier to write as I won't have to watch the episode 10 billion times to get the schematics right.
Mashima owns these characters (I'd be shocked if you thought otherwise)
Have fun jerza lovers :3
~TortoisLume
Jellal's dreams of the world he would create developed further; how he would rule, what he would command, and who wouldn't belong. The heretics that run this place should be the first to go. He thought.
I'll officially rename this place the Tower of Heaven to remind me of my goal. I will attain paradise and rule.
He'd already decided that Erza would be his queen; it wasn't even a question really. Their love would prevail, they would be a family, and Jellal would be able to say and do all the things he'd held back before because he was nervous of rejection. She will surely be a magnificent queen. She's beautiful, majestic, and her love for me will grow and grow. She'll be all mine.
In his unconscious state, he heard the voice of that fat man who had taken such pleasure in tormenting him. "Uh-oh, they're revolting! What are we gonna do?" he cried. He sounds so pathetic. "Run for it!" cried his accomplice. They really are cowards. He heard some commotion nearby, but was not yet strong enough to look up. Zeref's enlightenment had taken its toll on him. He heard footsteps, then the sound of metal.
"Let's not do anything hasty" Said the voice of the bucktoothed fellow. "It's not our fault; we were just following orders!" The fat one continued.
"Out of my way!" Came the voice of his dreams. Erza. He thought fondly. She's come to save me. She wants to be with me. He heard a clang of swords, and the guards falling to the side. He heard her footsteps rushing towards him. "I'm here to save you!" She told him, and he felt his heart warm. I can't wait for us to work together for our paradise. Once she learns of Zeref and all he has to offer, we can finally have the life we've always deserved. Though he was still too weak to move much, he felt her sword cut through his hand bindings. "Everything's gonna be okay. You're safe now." She said soothingly. He began to fall to the floor without the bindings to hold him up.
Erza caught him gently and lowered him down. "We fought them just like you said we should. Everyone was so brave." Perfect. She's already begun to work towards our future. "Simon ended up getting himself hurt pretty bad, and Grandpa Rob saved my life, but he didn't make it." Jellal felt nothing but a pang of annoyance at Simon's name. Why does she have to care so much about what happened to him? This stuff is bound to happen. "But we beat them, we fought for our freedom and we won!" He felt relief flood him. Finally, those deplorable bastards have been overthrown. Erza did well to accomplish this. "C'mon, we've gotta meet Wally and the others. They found some boats so we're going to leave this place for good!" She sounded so cheerful. She doesn't understand yet the importance of staying here. Not to worry though, once she knows it is my dream to complete the tower and bring back Zeref, she'll surely come around.
He leaned forward towards her, and encircled his arms around her, relishing how she felt. He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of her hair. "There's no reason for you to leave the tower, because true freedom is right here with me." He held on tighter as she made a squeaky noise. "U-uhm, Jellal? What are you talking about?"
He didn't let go. He ran his hands down the length of her back towards her waist, feeling excitement rush through him at their proximity. "Don't worry Erza, I have it all figured out." He drew his head back, looking into her face with his arms still around her. He couldn't help glancing down at her lips briefly.
"All this time...the people that have been forcing us to build this tower...they never understood what they were doing. But I understand. That's why we should stay here. I have so much I want to share with you!" She winced away from him and he let her go, walking over towards the big lacrima. She just doesn't understand the full situation yet.
"But I thought you wanted to get out of here too?! This is our chance at freedom!" She cried, evidently distraught by the idea of him staying. She loves me. Of course she does. We are meant for one another.
"Don't you see? There's no freedom in this world." He began releasing magical energy, emitting the red mist that signified Zeref's power. "Those fools who built this may not hold you prisoner anymore, But you haven't experienced true freedom." He felt Zeref activate in his mind, working together with him to show Erza his newfound strength. "Because that can only be found..." His eye dilated into the ancient symbol Zeref had shown him. "...In Zeref's world."
Suddenly, with the surge of power Zeref's presence inside him brought, he began to feel insufferably hot. He took his shirt in his hands and tore it, throwing the remnants asunder. "Now I understand why they made us work so hard on this tower. They believe they could use it to resurrect Zeref." He walked around, finding the man with oversized teeth cowering on the floor like some worthless half-dead animal. "You claim to be such devout followers, but you couldn't even sense your god's presence here, could you?" He grabbed the man by his collar, lifting him easily with one hand and marvelling at the fact that he ever felt fear around such a feeble being. "This tower belongs to me now. I will finish its construction and bring Zeref back to life!" With a rush of magic, he propelled the bucktoothed bastard around the room, finally smashing his head into the ceiling and letting him fall to the ground, crippled.
He heard Erza gasp behind him. "That's magic!" She sounded surprised. I suppose she hasn't seen me use it before. She doesn't yet know how powerful I've become.
He noticed the colossal glob of lard start to run away, yelling "Somebody please help!"
I don't think I've ever seen anything this pathetic in my life. He should be crushed like the little cockroach he is.
He reached his palm out lazily, taking hold of the man-whale telekinetically and slamming him against the wall. He fell down, jiggling as he hit the ground knocked-out. "Stop it! You're hurting him Jellal!" Erza cried. Jellal felt a twinge of annoyance. Why doesn't she understand? This man deserves pain. He took her eye, he laughed at our pain. We don't need to fear this cockroach. I can keep us safe now forever, from anything. We can finally be a family here.
"So what?" He questioned her interjection. He felt her soft hands close around the wrist of the hand he had still pointed at the fat man. "Why do you care? I thought you hated them?" He asked her, annoyed. Why doesn't she trust me? I'm doing what it takes to put us in power, so that we'll be the ones that don't have to listen to anything we don't care for. I, along with Zeref, will be a pragmatic and just ruler, for I have accepted the true state of reality, and know now that the paradise I've always sought is attainable.
"You're right I do, but you're being cruel!" She rebuttled. So naive, Erza. Jellal had trouble not rolling his eyes.
He pulled his arm out of her grasp. Kill the monster. Zeref's voice echoed through his mind. "If you want to sense Zeref's presence you have to focus on your hatred!" He let his disdain for the man run through him. He's the one that took Erza away. I still remember when he brought me here, how happy he looked then. I'm glad to finally see his face scrunched up in terror. He aimed his arm towards the fat guard, grasped on to him with his telekinesis magic (courtesy of Zeref), and let his contempt and disgust for the man surge through him, squeezing him until he popped like a balloon. Erza gasped at his action. Jellal just laughed. Once she understands reality, how the world really works, she'll condone my undertaking.
"You killed him! What's gotten into you?" she screeched at him. Power. Confidence. That's what's gotten into me.
He snatched his arm away from her. "I haven't changed one bit." He began to walk out of the room, into the hallways where he had been captured before. "I'm renaming this place the Tower of Heaven. Erza, you and I will stay here and finish it together." He felt excited at the thought. Just me and Erza alone here...working together...I can't wait to explore all the things we can do together.
"What?" She asked, sounding hesitant. He felt a pang of resentment that she didn't feel the excitement he did. Why doesn't she understand? We're going to work together. We're going to be together.
"Once it's completed we'll resurrect Zeref." He told her. She should get it. Zeref is the single most powerful entity in this world. I know, I've been chosen by him for a reason. He saw that I was born unsuitable for this world. I experienced these terrible things because I don't belong here - many people don't belong here. The only way to be rid of this world's cruelty is to reawaken Zeref. I will have the paradise I've always deserved.
"Why would anybody want to stay here when we finally have a chance to leave?" She asked him, sounding incredulous. Jellal's heart stopped for a moment. His blood felt like hot ice as he felt it pound in his ears. She doesn't consider you as important to her as she is to you. All you've been feeling and planning has been one-sided. He clenched his fists hard. Why is Zeref saying this?
Let her go. She'll regret it eventually. But use the others to work, to create this tower. If you really want her in your paradise, there is a very important role she can play.
What's that? Jellal asked in his head. Use her body as the sacrifice for my reincarnation, and you'll never have to let her go. She will be honored in paradise and subservient only to you. She will, in all senses of the phrase, be entirely yours.
Jellal trusted in Zeref. He let the God take over inside him.
He felt himself move from Zeref's volition, looking at Erza over his shoulder and invoking his telekinesis magic once more. He felt his eye glow red with magic power, let Zeref's magic flow through him, and blasted Erza backwards through the building debris and down, falling so far beneath him.
He walked up to get a better look at her fallen form, standing on the wooden fixtures. She doesn't want to be with me here? Fine. But I won't let her get away without making sure I am the single most important presence in her mind. I need her to not ever be able to go one day without thinking of me...Zeref wants me to use the others to build the tower, but if she hears that, she'll definitely insist on staying with me, right? Nothing is more important to Erza than protecting her nakama.
"Fine, if you want to leave so bad then I'm not going to stop you, but you'll have to go alone." He said, smirking. She has to insist on staying. She has to.
"What do you mean?" She asked. She sounds so frightened.
"There's no way I could finish the Tower's construction by myself, so I'm going to keep the others here with me. But don't worry, I promise I won't mistreat them, I'll make sure that everyone's fed and clothed, and that they get plenty of rest between their shifts. I'm sure Zeref would prefer that I build more hatred by ruling with an iron first, but weak and unhappy people don't make very good workers." He explained. Just say you'll stay here with me. Tell me it's what you want.
"They're not going to agree to that!" She exclaimed. He really didn't want to hear this from her. She should be begging to stay with me. I am the chosen vessel of Zeref, she should want to be here with me more than anything. "Everybody's on the boats, ready to go. They're just waiting for us to join them! There's no way you could convince them to stay and work for you now." He'd had enough of her rubbing in the fact that she didn't care whether or not she was with him.
"Oh, I don't think I'll have any problem convincing them, because I'm going to give them a purpose. Once they learn of Zeref's power they'll happily work to resurrect him." He felt so vindictive he was sure he could accomplish anything if he set his mind to it.
"But none of them would willingly become a sacrifice!" Erza cried. She should want to be your sacrifice. It is quite the honor. To be all yours...
"It doesn't matter. Zeref told me sacrifices aren't necessary; he' s such a benevolent god, isn't he?" He lied, but he just wanted to prove Erza wrong right then. That's what she gets for rejecting me like this.
"Please Jellal...you've got to try to come to your senses." She begged of him. He felt hot anger rise in his stomach. How dare she try to make a mockery of my dream. I know Zeref will give me the ultimate power. He felt almost on the verge of tears, but would hold them back as if his life depended on it. I need to make her feel what's it's like for me to just not care...what it's like to feel like her absence won't make a difference in my life.
"I could ask the same of you!" He yelled in anger. He let his frustration and rage encompass him and felt Zeref's magic flow again. He grabbed her with Zeref's powers, dark with the blood red runes. He pulled her up to his level so he could see her tormented face properly.
"I don't need you anymore, but since you took care of the fools who were in my way I'll let you live." He lied through his teeth, wishing that she would feel broken at his words. Wishing that the thought of him not needing her would sting. "Enjoy your new found freedom, but I have some rules for you before you go." He tightened the grasp of Zeref's magic around her.
"I can't breath" She barely wheezed out, gasping for air.
"I demand you never tell anyone of this the government found out about the Tower of Heaven I'd be in serious trouble. If word were to get out." He drew her close to him. He reached out and placed his fingers gently on her chin, tilting her head to the perfect angle. He found himself looking at her face, drinking it in.
"Then I'd have no choice but to destroy the tower and everyone inside it. You are forbidden from ever returning here again. Set one foot on this land, and I'll kill your friends." She looked horrified and he couldn't help but feel elated that he had instilled such fear. Maybe she will still insist on staying here with me to save her friends. Come on Erza, just say it. He tightened his grip on her chin and drew her even closer to him, taking a moment to breath in her scent. "I figure Sho would have to be the first to go."
"No! You wouldn't!" She yelled in terror. Jellal felt his conviction to make her feel pain amplify. She's forcing my hand. She could have just said she wanted to stay. No matter, she's just being too ignorant to follow. I suppose the other prisoners will build the tower more quickly anyway.
"One false move and your friends will die! I'll enjoy true freedom while you suffer, burdened by your guilt!" He laughed as he watched her horrified face contort in agony. She was trembling.
She withdrew from him slowly. She looked at him with those big brown eyes and he almost asked her to stay here with him one last time. No. I won't be so pathetic. She should be begging to be with me. The fact that she's not is a mistake on her part...Besides, Zeref assured me that with this plan, she'll be all mine in the end anyway. I'll just have to be patient.
Before he had time to decide how best to deal with her, she ran off scared.
Jellal realized quickly that she might try to warn the others against him. I have to stop her I suppose.
He grabbed her quickly using Zeref's power, and ignored her gasps and screams as he threw her far out into the water. Towards that land she so desperately wants to see. Enjoy your false freedom Erza. Time will bring us back together. You'll see.