Chapter 1: The Fateful encounter
The tower of heaven was meant to bring true peace to the world. By reviving Zeref he could have created a true paradise. One where no one had to suffer. One where everyone could get along with each other, not caring about material gain or anything of those sorts.
Everything Jellal did was for this one moment of truth. He finished creating one of the eight R-System towers and kept it hidden for almost 7 years from the prying eyes of the Magic council. Then he managed to convince the very same council of firing Etherion, a weapon of mass destruction capable of leveling an entire country, normally used only for the most urgent of matters. Its magical output was then used to power up his tower with enough energy to revive a single person from the dead.
Having revealed his true colors, the young mage completely shut down their whole organization with the help of his versatile tool Ultear, a woman so useful she leveled a good portion of the Magic Councils headquarters to the ground. Giving him enough time to finish whatever needed to be done to bring his dream into reality.
For seven years, ever since he was still a little child the former Councilman deceived his friends for his cause, convincing everyone of them that Erza, HIS Erza, the person they trusted the most betrayed them all.
When everything was put into place after keeping up the whole charade for multiple long years, Jellal managed to bait her, the love of his life into becoming the key for his plan to work. He killed Simon, one of his oldest friends who sacrificed their life for Erza, yet this death meant little to the wizard compared to the grand scheme of things. Even when he was defeated by the pink-haired Salamander of Fairy Tail, of all people, Jellal was certain that nothing could stop the resurrection of the Black Mage. He made sure of that.
The tower was already overflowing with crackling magical energy, just bearably containing the massive amount of power borrowed from the super weapon. All it needed now was for the key to merge with the tower to set everything into motion before it gave in and atomize everything in radius of its blast. The only person able to stop that from happening was, of course, the kind-hearted Erza. Knowing her she would without missing a single beat sacrifice her own life just to safe her friends. He should know, after all he was once her closest one.
And if he betted wrong? Well, the mad mage did everything he could to ensure that his plan would not fail. There's no doubt in his mind that this will end in anything but victory. Everything went as expected, well except his own defeat against the pink haired maniac. But hey, who could have predicted that Dragon slayers were able to consume pure magic stored in lacrimas and use it to quadruple their own power output.
Ignoring this wild card Jellal was certain of his success, having put his old childhood friend in a position where it could only end in his favor. So, with that in mind the young mage allowed himself a moment of weakness and let his mind fade into unconsciousness. Crashing deep into the tower, after the final punch from the raging Dragon slayer.
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While the young magician was out cold, he failed to witness the process of reincarnation of his so called 'Paradise'... Or what would have been had Zeref truly been dead.
The tower run into a certain problem. With the soul of Zeref missing it couldn't revive the targeted person, so under normal circumstances the tower would have stopped and waited for another target to be chosen. But as luck would have it thanks to the destruction caused by the battle and adding to that the removal of the key from its system, it resulted in the machine doing something completely unexpected, a bug if you want to call it that.
First it chose a random soul out of the countless in the afterlife. Then thanks to the enormous energy level the tower gathered from Etherion, it had enough to create a body for the soul to reside in. But the tower was not intelligent enough to just create a new body without a provided blueprint, so it used the last imprint it had in its system, which in this case was from Erza Scarlet, The Titania of Fairy Tail and so-called Fairy Queen.
A giant flash emitted from the tower. It signaled the end of the revival process having depleted all the excessive energy left in its system by sending out a large shockwave rocking the waters around it, creating a giant wave of destruction as it's last action on this planet. Then it crumbled under its massive weight, devoid of its previous shining aquamarine exterior.
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When Jellal woke up only one thing entered his mind. Did it work? Did the last 7 years finally bring its fruits at last? He was still alive so Erza must have done exactly as predicted. Casting his gaze from his new position, the first thing to catch his sight was the tower, or what was left of it. The once mighty structure was now reduced to only a mountain of rubble. Its pieces scattered everywhere in every size and form imaginable, while the rest became part of the ocean floor.
Turning away with disinterest, the state of the building was off little importance to him. Having no time to waste Jellal wanted to start his search for the black mage that should graze the lands now, but just as he started to move, he felt a ripping pain in his right arm, stopping Jellal from advancing any further.
Turning around to face this new obstacle the young man just now noticed that his arm was squashed under a large chunk of the towers remains. The hand no doubt crushed under its heavy weight, as the lack of responsiveness indicated.
Jellal was trapped and when that realization struck, he immediately tried to blast that damn rock of him, but to his surprise the rock just absorbed the magical blast, giving of a bluish color in return.
The young mage took a deep breath, before trying again and again and again. Each attempt becoming more frantic as he refused to wait any longer for his paradise when it was already this close. The mad wizard punched the rock, headbutted the rock, even resorted to grind his teeth against it, but to no avail. He was physically too weak to destroy that damn boulder and magic spells were as effective as throwing a wet towel at it. It was a crushing stalemate.
Jellal became furious, his eyes as wide as the ocean around him and as crimson as the blood leaking from his self-inflicted wounds. He can't be stuck now. He NEEDS to see Zeref.
After yet another failed attempt to free himself, the young mage had finally enough. He spotted a palm-sized sharp lacrima piece not far from his position and grabbed it from the glassy ground.
'Nothing will stand in my way' he mumbled under his breath, pouring more and more magic into the makeshift blade making it glow and hiss with power, before placing the shining lacrima above his still trapped arm. The process was quick and with one swift move the now one-armed young magician freed himself and landed in a crouched position still feeling winded from his previous attempts.
Ignoring the pain of this minor obstacle he used an advanced healing spell to stop the blood loss, closing the wound from hindering him any further, not even sparing a glance at the severed arm left behind.
Still wobbly on his feet he started the search of his paradise, as each step was giving him more and more strength, despite how much it hurt. Jellal's mind was filled only with the determination to finally see the result of his quest. No matter the cost.
The sun was rising on the sandy beach of Akane Resort. The waves gently sliding on the shining golden sand, giving of a calming song to anybody who dared to listen. It was mostly a peaceful morning, so much so no one would have suspected that just hours ago a kidnapping had occurred here. And it all happened so fast.
Members of the Fairy Tail magic guild were enjoying a nice night in the casino when some lunatics busted in and kidnapped Akane's premium guest, Erza Scarlet an S-class Mage from said guild. The rest of the members followed in hot pursuit after them leaving the on-site staff with a now trashed casino and their own hired muscle nowhere to be found.
That was a big blow for the Management of Akane Resort. A sign of weakness that could potentially scare of new and existing customers. If they couldn't provide the safety for their best paying guests, then their business may as well just burn down to the ground without anybody batting an eye. Not wanting to let it come to this, a quick solution had to be found. So, they resorted to the only logical step that could stop their downfall from becoming reality.
They hired the Magic Busters, an elite service specialized in handling mage related incidents and neutralizing them. In contrast to the Magic guilds the MB is a more reliable service with more promising results and offers even long-term protection for the right amount of money.
They may be on the pricier side, but their track record speaks for themselves. There's a saying between businessmen 'The guilds eliminate threats; the Magic Busters prevent them from becoming one'.
A 'Messier Star', their strongest rank presence alone makes even a Dark Guild of the Balam Alliance reconsider its plan of action. A 'Giant Star' can stop S-Class mages in its tracks. Even its weakest members, the 'Dwarf stars' can defend a single village from an entire common Dark Guild single handedly with almost no collateral damage, unlike a very popular magic guild which name shall not be uttered unless money was involved. In short, Magic Busters counted on quality over quantity where each member was handpicked based on their specific abilities.
Don Flam the director of Akane is a greedy person and did not listen to his fellow men back then, but now his livelihood was at risk as he was losing face the longer he waited for the inevitable call he got to make. There was just no other way. After a long sigh that honestly felt like his life flashing before his eyes, Director Flam dialed the number he got way back on a business meeting in Draera. His fingers trembling on his Miniature Communication Lacrima barely holding it in his hands, while he mentally prepared himself about the money that's going to jump out of his wallet, as he waited for the other side to finally pick up.
"Welcome to Magic Busters, how may we help you? " Ringed the sweet voice of Margett, the secretary of the Magic Busters full of energy despite the late hour. Don was thankful that their office provided a 24/7 service, the voice of Margett calming his nerves for just a second before he utters the following next words.
"Could…. I please speak to the Manager. " His voice shaking with each word that escaped his mouth. This was not a question or a request. This was a cry for help. One he was not going to regret.
The morning sun was shining a red glow on the vast ocean, as near the coast of Fiore a small boat could been seen slowly nearing its destination. Its occupants were the Fairy Tail members involved in the later known Tower of Heavens incident, having saved not only Erza, but also her old slave friends who were led astray by the snake Jellal. All of them just barely fitting inside this small eggshell and everyone visibly exhausted after all that happened just hours ago.
And then there was Juvia, the blue haired water mage currently gently pushing this piece of wood in the general direction of their point of departure.
It was quite an eventful day if she was going to be honest. She never expected that all of this would be her first interaction with her Gray-sama after their guilds had...let's call it a quarrel for now, would result in a full-scale rescue mission. This was a great opportunity to make up for the past mistakes and spend some quality time with the handsome Ice Maker Mage, maybe even break the ice between them. She could already picture their romantic dinner and maybe even ….
Anyway, this day was not like her typical off time activities and felt more like taking an S-rank quest back in her guild. Now long story short, after basically defeating everyone who stood in their way to reach Miss Scarlet residing on top of the tower guarded by an evil Sorcerer, which just sounds like a fantasy story she read just yesterday, they got bone chilling news. The Magic council, the highest authority second only to the King himself, decided to fire their most powerful weapon to evaporate this very tower they are standing on from existence. Time was not in their favor, so a plan had to be created on the spot if they wanted even a chance of survival.
Two people, Natsu and Simon (one of Titania's old friends if Juvia was not mistaking) were sent to retrieve the target on top of the tower, while the rest were making their way to provide for an escape vessel and wait on open waters for the rescue teams return, while getting away from the tower as far as possible. Juvia had an excellent idea. She concluded that if the beam hit the tower its initial impact should create enough force to create a giant wave, which should enable her to ride the boat on it without capsizing thanks to her magic, helping them to put the much-needed distance to survive the aftermath of the devastating explosion that will most definitely follow.
The descent from the tower took longer than expected with everybody still present more or less pulling themselves together. Finally reaching the so-called port the only thing available was a small fisher boat, the rest of the ships taken by the fleeing cultist after hearing the terrible news, but this would do the job.
After just a few minutes of nerve-wracking waiting Etherion shot its load covering the whole tower in a white pillar of light, as if God itself had just smite it from the heavens.
Juvia ignored everyone present and spared a long glance at her beloved Groney (a pet name she just came up with for her Gray), as shock and regret could be made out in his eyes. She concluded that he may need a shoulder to cry on after all this was over, something the young woman was ready to become, which was really working in her favor and making it easier at closing the gap between them.
So great for her, despite the fact this traumatic experience will certainly mentally scar everyone present for the rest of their lives. Not that she could do anything about it. Stopping laser beams from space is outside her provided resume.
Now Juvia was a former S-class mage of Phantom Lord and something like daydreaming about her future spouse would never slow her down in the slightest, no matter how tempting it may be to just ogle at his perfect abs and forget everything around her. No, she was mentally prepared. Waiting in anticipation for any changes in the water all in preparation of the wave that should come any second….it never did.
Nothing really happened except this lightshow before them and when it was finally over the only thing that remained there was a giant aquamarine pillar of rock.
Turns out the tower was in reality a giant lacrima, which only defining function was to suck as much magic into itself as possible for future usage, unless they melt and explode if overcharged. This one here just casually absorbed a shot of the biggest cannon in magic history rumored to be on par with the cataclysmic breath of the legendary Dragon of Doom Acnologia, which just shows on what ridiculous level this particular lacrima is, despite its messy and ugly jagged exterior.
No wonder they needed 7 years to build that thing. And now here they are, unharmed in their little wooden eggshell floating next to a literal country busting bomb. Its power so overwhelming the seas temperature around it became a few degrees higher, not that anybody other than Juvia would have noticed. Their eyes practically glued to the structure before them just as hers were on Grayberry, now with a big smile on his face and secretly wiping away the tears, before anybody would notice that he had some feeling for his hotheaded rival.
"I shouldn't have doubted him, damn bastard making me worry about nothing" Gray murmured under his breath. No doubt talking about the Pink haired Dragon slayer who beat Gajeel back then. So, there was still hope that the Salamander succeeds. While Juvia silently mourns her lost opportunity of getting closer to GrayBear it would be better that her beloved would not bear this cross in his heart.
Flames could be seen on top of the tower on which sight Gray just beamed with joy, which in turn made Juvia happy. But this joy only lasted for a few minutes before the whole tower began to shine and change its shape.
It became obvious that the tower could no longer hold the energy stored, while a loud hissing sound was emanating from the pillar, hurting the ears of everyone in range. The team was desperately trying to cover their ears to stop the pain. Then it stopped, the tower stopped all actions except shine in its primary aquamarine color and now bloated body.
Only to blind Gray and the rest when it emitted a giant flash of light, followed by an enormous bang. Everyone tried to cover their ears again, while trying to regain their composure having this ringing sound stuck in their heads.
While they were distracted or more accurate blindsided the whole group failed to fitness the big tidal wave that threatened to swallow them whole, were it not for Juvia creating a water barrier around the wooden boat to protect her Graypay…and the rest of the group while she was at it.
Her training and experience as a S-class mage paid off again, her instincts screaming as if the ocean itself told her to watch out. Juvia did not know why, she never did in all those years, but those instincts have more than once saved her life and it seemed this time was not different.
After the split-second decision, while everyone was trying to regain their bearings after being blinded, deafened, and having lost their center of gravity, only the young water mage spotted a trail of fire in the sky above them, slowly losing its orange intensity before disappearing completely. No doubt about it being the rescue team falling from the sky.
So, while everyone was basically still out cold, Juvia left her barrier spell activated and jumped out. Sliding on top of the water like a jet ski at neck-breaking speed, thanks to her elemental body negating all water resistance. Juvia needed to be as fast as possible to catch the falling pair of mages in time, before they crash-landed into the sea ending them for sure, a sight she didn't need her beloved to witness … and also because the young water mage doesn't want them dead after going through all this trouble.
A lot of people forget that landing on water can become as deadly as falling headfirst into concrete when you enter it at a certain speed from a high enough altitude. Common knowledge for a Water Mage as herself, which in turn saved their lives, bringing Juvia one step closer to redemption after her former guild kind of almost wiped Fairy Tail from the surface.
When she came back most of the mages had already more or less regained their bearings. The moment they saw Titania and Salamander their faces lit up and smiles adorned all their faces, after which exhaustion finally took a toll on their bodies and they all dropped like flies.
Juvia would have normally caught her love and would have never let his body fall like a sack of potatoes, but as an elite mage it was drilled into her mind by Master Jose 'the lives in her care had the highest priority'. So, no matter how much it stung her, she first made sure that both of her rescues were in a save and comfortable position.
But one person was missing, something miss Scarlet's old friends took immediate note of.
"Where's Simon?" asked Sho, his voice almost breaking, fearing for the worst, pleading with Juvia that it's just a stupid prank and she would bring him out of the water any moment now.
Before she could answer, Natsu slowly opened his right eye as if the question was directed at him. Breathing heavy and visibly struggling to move his mouth correctly to form even a coherent sentence, it took all of Salamander's energy to utter one single word, his eyes never leaving the card mages one.
"…. Sorry" with that Natsu slowly closed his eye. His head comfortably resting on her love rivals lap, providing the hero a soft pillow that the blondie didn't mind being, despite Juvia practically forcing the young man on top of her.
Hearing that, Sho and the rest of his group just dropped their heads in shame, tears running out of their eyes, not daring to wipe them away.
Juvia did not understand it really. Must be a way to mourn their fallen comrade perhaps. Right now, it scared the young Water mage how cold hearted she had become to other people. It was just a way for her to deal with the constant bullying she received all those years since she was a child. Right now, the only person who can make her show real emotion was her Gray.
It was not always like this. She remembered a better time, but maybe if she stuck around more with Fairy tail …. and with her crush… then maybe she could finally be free from this self-inflicted curse. But that was a thought for later.
Looking from an outside perspective the former slaves may have gained a sister back, but a brother was lost in the process and for anything specific they had to wait for the duo to wake up to hear the whole story, but Juvia could see it in their eyes how unready they were to hear what happened. Now all they could do was watch that wretched tower that has abused them for far too long crumble more and more before their eyes. All while Juvia was pushing the boat at a slow pace, not wanting to cause them discomfort or ruin this moment for them.
Slowly but surely the tower of Heavens disappeared in the horizon, yet the former slaves never stopped looking back in its direction, their mind probably too focused on their deceased friend, while only occasionally sparing a glance at Erza's lying form bringing forth a small bittersweet smile.
Juvia could now only hope it stays so peaceful before they hit land, which at this rate may take a few hours. Not that she really minded it.
This was a perfect opportunity to make out her Graytys muscular form up close and burn this view into her mind without being seen as a creep. He was even down to his boxer again. How she wished to be born with photographic memory…. maybe she should learn it?
In theory such magic should exist, shouldn't it!? If not then that old hag from the Magic Council must have the memory of Zunisha itself, if she doesn't use some form of it to remember even half of all the Guild quest or what not.
'It borderlines on godhood, if nothing else' ranted Juvia in her headspace, never the wiser of what's to come.
A pair of three were standing on the water, their forms hidden in the bright morning sun some few hundred meters between them and the small eggshell.
"We got visual. Anna the usual. Ben, you go dunk yourself under the water, cover our asses if anything goes catrish, kapisch? I will do the rest." came the voice of a young man stroking the air with his left hand as if pretending to scratch his nonexistent long beard, while his other one was pointing a finger in the boats direction.
Surrounding him was a chubby elderly woman with technical gear covering most of her body, her eyes checking every monitor in her possession right now and a giant slim entity covered in rags, before it submerged without a single sound, almost ghostlike into the waters below.
The rest of the two vanished from sight, as did the rags underwater.
Was it the fifth or the sixth? Jellal couldn't remember anymore.
His mind was getting crazier the longer he had to wait for him. Wandering around this island, reaching with his senses, desperate to find even the slight signal of a living person.
His feet were screaming at him, as it was getting harder and harder for the young mage to take each next step. Like a mother desperately pleading her children to stop their weird fixation with Video Games, while they were already playing it for 2 days straight despite their bloody eyes.
After the tenth round of circling this damned island, the body revolted against its master. Making Jellal fall face first into the rocky ground, providing him with a new set of wounds on his left cheek and forehead. Not that he cared, he was too focused on only his set goal. With a grunt the mad mage barely turned himself around, his back now resting against the rough surface of the towers remains.
As much as Jellal wanted to continue it seemed a quick nap was inevitable and against his better judgment he dosed off, allowing himself another moment of weakness, the second one in a single day. He sure hoped that this was the last of it.
What felt like minutes were hours and the former councilman had probably just the best sleep in his entire live right now, but as all good things nothing really stays that way.
The sound of something emerging out of the water could be heard. Wet footsteps coming closer followed by something being dragged around as it was sliding on top of the rocky surface. Jellal was fully awake right now, but to his surprise he couldn't open his eyes. Dark, forbidden magic could be felt from this entity closing the distance between them. The concept of dread entered his mind and a fishy smell his nose.
This had to be Zeref and that smell… he must have gone hunting. Resurrection would make everyone hungry Jellal supposed and right now the thought of food was a pleasant one. But still the former council member just couldn't open his eyes, as if he was afraid getting blinded be the dark mages shining magnificent aura.
Finally, the moment the young mage was waiting for his entire life since his enlightenment was right before him and still Jellal couldn't open them even a little bit. Part of him was quite scared what HE would think about all the things Jellal did that were necessary for this course of action.
Maybe that's why he let Zeref approach him. To be judged by him. So, without making a single sound and his breath taken away, the young wizard waited for the decision of his new omnipotent master.
A beautiful angelic voice spoke, having closed the distance while the mage was daydreaming.
"Hey, are you alright Tattoo face?" Jellal could feel petite hands touch his neck, most likely checking for his pulse. The young mage never would have imagined that a 400-year-old dark wizard would have such soft, almost womanlike hands.
"Good he's still with me. Hey, come on tattoo head. Don't die on me yet." Before the same hands slapped him across the face hard, breaking Jellal out of his trance and opening his eyes wide, while grasping for air he so desperately needed right now.
As expected of the black mage he knows how to…. every thought Jellal Fernandes had was replaced with utter confusion when right after opening his blood-stained eyes stood Erza…..a naked Erza…..a naked Erza with green hair, dragging around a giant green Sword shark behind her like a sack of potatoes.
All he could do was stare, his mind trying to make out the likeliest solution for this…..
Is fate playing a sick game with him right now!?
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So, this it. After putting it off for 2 years I finally started to write this thing. I'm honestly quite moved. So now after having read this chapter to the end I hope all of you, my dear readers, are ready to pay. I accept positive and negative reviews and even suggestions so feel free to let your mind speak out. I expect you to tell me what you liked and did not like, even if it's something like a gut feeling, Kapisch?
And if you hate what I have created say it, show me the errors of my ways. I cannot please everyone, but another perspective helps a lot.
Nothing is perfect and if you want something to improve talk about it with the proper authorities. which in this case is me.
Well then, I hope you had at least fun. Let's hope the next one comes sooner rather than later.
UPDATE: Some lines were missing for some reason, so I added them + changed a little the spacing.
Chapter version v3 : 26.11.2021
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