Part IX

Hyssop

(Sacrifice; cleanliness)

Gajeel stands a little too close to Levy as they stare at the small, seemingly untouched cottage that sits in the middle of thick foliage. After glimpsing the destruction of Magnolia once more, it's even more odd to see. Erza and Rogue, who had agreed to accompany them, have already started patrolling the close vicinity, ensuring that the area was safe for them. Levy is grateful for it.

Levy adjusts the bag she's brought with her, takes a deep breath, and glances at Gajeel. The dragon's expression twists into one of disagreement before she's even opened her mouth. "Look, I know this was your idea, but–"

Gajeel's crimson eyes flash with agitation and he glowers at her. "Like hell you're going alone."

"I've seen Porlyusica before," argues Levy, rolling her eyes. "She's not going to turn around and curse me unless I say something really bad." Still, Gajeel's clearly refusing to let her go without him, so she sucks it up and knocks off a point in her favor before they've even begun. "Come on then, let's get this over with. Porlyusica will be as excited to see us as we are with the idea of a demon showing up on Tenrou Island."

Together, they approach the cottage. Levy can't say she minds Gajeel's proximity when he rests a hand warily on the small of her back. She knows he's simply worried about what will come of this interaction. He's put a lot of hope in Porlyusica being capable of helping her. The witch's help in the war is a secondary thing for him.

Admittedly, Levy hasn't been able to stifle her hope either.

She knocks sharply on the cottage door, calling hesitantly, "Porlyusica?" She silently prays that they've not made some horrific mistake. If Porlysuica was killed in the invasion of Magnolia, then she doesn't know what they're going to do. Witches are difficult to find, and even harder to make friends with. Porlyusica is the only one she knows of, let alone knows where to find. "Porlyusica, it's Levy McGarden. I'm one of the Fairy Tail guild, and Makarov–"

The door flies open, cutting her off. Levy gawks at the cranky, perfectly unharmed older woman on the other side of it. Her gaze cuts like a blade as she looks Levy over from head to toe. She does the same to Gajeel and immediately winces away with a small look of disgust that draws an agitated huff from Gajeel. Levy stifles a sigh. She'd warned him before they'd come that Porlyusica isn't a fan of dragons.

"Porlyusica," repeats Levy, smiling politely, "I'm Levy, one of–"

"I know who you are." Porlyusica draws herself to her full height, returning her full attention to Levy and ignoring Gajeel entirely. Gajeel's immediately offended. Levy ignores him, too, as he grumbles about it. "And I know why you're here. Makarov made contact with me last night and called in a favor. Come in." Her words are curt and irritable, but Levy doesn't care, hastily following her in. Gajeel moves to follow and Porlyusica steps between them to stop him. "You are not welcome, dragon."

Gajeel draws himself to his full height, immediately furious. He bares his teeth. "Like hell I'm not coming in."

Porlyusica is unimpressed with the display of anger. Her face remains stone cold. "Make yourself useful and help your companions with the demon that has rooted itself in the thicket behind my home, and perhaps I will hear what you have come to say. Until then, you are not welcome."

Levy fully expects Gajeel to rip her apart. Instead, she's unprepared for the way he immediately settles, grumbling still. As he glances briefly at Levy over the witch's shoulder, she realizes there is a look of grudging acceptance there and recalls that witches are like the stars. In exchange for what he wants Porlyusica to consider, he must do something for her. Still, Levy worries despite her best efforts. Gajeel is strong, but demons can be stronger.

Porlyusica doesn't give her so much as the chance to wish him luck before she slams the door in Gajeel's face, whipping around to narrow her piercing eyes at Levy. "So," says Porlyusica, stepping past her. Levy studies Porlyusica's untouched home with awe. It's beautiful, covered in various magical plants that she's sure are helped along by the witch. Simple furniture is arranged with care. It's clear that Porlyusica cares deeply for her home. "Makarov says that you supposedly wish for me to consider joining in this war of yours."

"Among other things," admits Levy with care. She and Gajeel have agreed that Levy will try to convince Porlyusica to join the war. Gajeel will inquire about what can be done for Levy. They've agreed that Porlyusica is far less likely to help their war efforts if Gajeel asks her on behalf of the dragons, and more likely if Levy does so on behalf of the guild Porlyusica works alongside with occasion.

Porlyusica presses her mouth into a hard line, not pleased, but doesn't fire off a refusal right away. It gives Levy some hope. She makes her way to a small wood stove, where she's boiling a kettle of water. "Let's get something straight, child," Porlyusica says sharply, her eyes flashing as she glances over her shoulder. "I have no desire to join the war. I am fully aware of what happens to those who cross a demon, and I want nothing to do with it. There is nothing you can offer me that would convince me otherwise."

Levy winces. "I know," she sighs, digging through her bag. "But one can always try." She takes a breath and withdraws a bottle of wine. Porlyusica's interest sharpens as she sees it. "Makarov suggested you might like it. It's a gift, not an attempt at bribery or anything," Levy says quietly. "A thank you for even allowing us to speak with you."

It's a way to soften Porlyusica, Makarov had told her. She's more likely to soften up if Levy continuously shares her gratitude for Porlyusica even considering interacting with them. It's what Makarov had always done when she'd come to speak with him, he'd told Levy, and he'd claimed it worked every time.

Porlyusica eyes her with a thoughtful expression. After what seems like forever, she grudgingly snatches the bottle from Levy's hand. "Makarov taught you well," she huffs, studying the bottle with an admiring look. She whirls away and Levy's startled when Porlyusica immediately pops the bottle open and meanders over to a pot that's boiling on a small wood stove. She doesn't hesitate to dump the bottle's entire contents into the pot, which settles its chaotic bubbling into something softer. She adds a few more things – herbs, seeds, even what looks like a few bones. "I admire your courage, girl. Even witches are not deafened to your attempts to bargain with the stars."

"Not attempts," Levy corrects confidently. "We came to an agreement."

"Mm, that pathetic excuse for a demon that Igneel calls a son, yes?" Levy blinks, unprepared for that. She'd not anticipated Porlyusica knowing what Natsu was. They'd kept such information under a tight wrap, worried about what would happen when it got out. As it was many of the mages still hard at work in Hargeon still blamed a select few. "The stars are coming out on top with that bargain. You know what he is capable of, do you not?"

"Natsu?" she says, puzzled.

"Is that what you call him?" Porlyusica muses, offering a sly smile. "In my younger days, we called him something else. The child who would bring about the end of the world as we know it."

"He's Natsu," says Levy. She is confident in that. "He is Natsu, and nothing more than what he wants to be."

"You say that without knowing what he is truly capable of." Levy watches as Porlyusica calmly stirs the pot she's been brewing something in, her eyes locked onto her work. "And that way of thinking is why no one ever wins against demons, Levy McGarden. You refuse to use dishonorable ways. The methods that witches were burned for – why we remain as we are, hidden from this war. I will not fight in a war when I will be crucified for my methods afterwards, when the leaders of this forsaken country need to clean up their 'messes.'" She snorts loudly at the idea. "No, I will not fight your war for you, but I will tell you what I know of the weapon in your midst. Makarov has done a lot to ensure my safety at the edge of his town. For that reason, I will pass on the knowledge."

"Natsu isn't a weapon." Levy lifts her chin. Still, she knows they are running out of options, and it doesn't mean Natsu can't refuse to do whatever Porlyusica suggests. "But…thank you."

Porlyusica points to a shelf filled with powder-filled vials. "Bring me the third one on the left, top shelf." As Levy does so, having to stand on the very tips of her toes to reach what Porlyusica has asked for, the witch tells her, "He was known as END before he was reborn as the dragon-child you call Natsu. Zeref used him to wipe out entire continents and form the empire he calls home. Zeref has always been one for ancient, forbidden magic. Igneel used his own tricks against him and stole his greatest weapon away, forging him into an actual being with emotion and empathy. The boy possesses magic that could destroy the stars, but he wouldn't for the love of one."

"Natsu's a good person," says Levy firmly, confident in that decision. "He wouldn't hurt a fly – unless that fly hurt someone he cares about."

"As I said. It makes him all the more powerful." Porlyusica takes the vial and puts some of its contents into her pot. "Unfortunately, it takes powerful emotion to trigger such magic. A clever lock on Igneel's behalf. If someone already feels as strongly as he does, feeling even greater amounts of an emotion is difficult to do."

Levy considers what she'd seen on the beach, when Natsu had turned an entire beach to glass. The mere threat of losing Lucy had done that. Levy suspects what Porlyusica is going to say before she says it.

"Loss," says Porlyusica quietly, "and grief and pain are the easiest emotions to feel at great amounts. When you are happy, it is rare to feel happier. When you are angry, you are usually capable of a greater rage, but our minds don't like to remain that way. Even witches are social creatures. Being angry creates divides, and humans and those like them avoid those divides in order to survive. Betrayal is a good one, but if you love someone enough, you will forgive them, and love itself…well, not everyone is capable of it."

Which, in Levy's opinion, is rather unfortunate. "Please tell me you're not suggesting that Natsu has to lose someone he cares about to trigger something," Levy says faintly, and Porlyusica laughs, cackling to herself as she stirs her pot. When she has stirred it a few times, she glances up at Levy, eyes sparkling with mirth.

"No," she says firmly. "No, the boy doesn't need to actually lose someone. For someone like him, something like him, all it should take is the mere thought or suggestion."

Once again, Levy recalls an entire beach turning to glass. "That's…cruel," she says softly.

"So is war, girl." Porlyusica pours her creation into a vial with careful hands and plugs it with a cork. Levy is stunned by the small amount that she's come up with; the vial is no longer than Levy's finger. She smirks. "And so is Zeref, to have made it that way. Now. Here." She offers Levy the vial, and Levy takes it with some surprise, her lips parted. "Take that to Makarov. It is for his ridiculous ailments that he likes to hide. I think you're an idiot, by the way," she adds nonchalantly as Levy holds the vial, unsure of what it was even supposed to be. "You're ridiculous to fall in love with a creature that would outlive you in a time of peace, let alone in a time where demons and their poisons seep into everything they touch."

"Maybe," says Levy softly, pocketing the vial. She smiles faintly at the witch. "But I don't regret it one bit."

That said, Levy heads for the door, only to pause when she reaches the door, for Porlyusica speaks once more. "I cannot help you. The poison the demons have infected you with…there is no cure, girl. There is nothing I can do for you, nor can the stars, dragons, even the demons that might be inclined to turn against their allies. It is a poison designed to eat away at your magic – your very lifeforce – until nothing remains. Even without using your magic, you will be dead sooner than you need to reach old age. The end of this year, the end of ten. It will still be sooner than you'd like."

Levy's stomach twists with agony at the very thought. "And if I use magic?"

"Then you will be dead by morning."

Levy chooses not to tell anyone of Porlyusica's warning. She simply tells Gajeel that there is nothing Porlyusica can do to help her. He is livid about it, and even goes off on his own upon their return to Hargeon. Levy hopes he doesn't do anything stupid as she fumbles with the vial in her pocket, intent on taking it to Makarov.

Makarov is amused with Porlyusica's potion, even as he frowns at what Levy tells him. Clearly, he'd been hoping that Porlyusica would be willing to help them in their war against the demons, though he says nothing. Makarov takes his potion and sends her on her way, leaving Levy to her thoughts.

Levy wanders carefully among Hargeon, eagerly going to seek some peace among the crazy number of people that have taken shelter there. She waves at the guild members she comes across when they greet her, and her heart aches. Fairy Tail is her family, and knowing that she will die regardless of what she wants and hopes for…

To take Fairy Tail's family from them…

She hurts.

Eventually, Levy finds her way to a beach and sinks down in the sand there, finding that she is comfortable alone. She smiles fondly at the ocean waves. This beach, away from people and the chaos, reminds her of Tenrou Island, and Levy finds herself longing immensely for the times before things had gone south. She misses simply studying the culture of another species. She misses translating mysterious old languages, misses the simplicity of life. She misses everything, and logically, Levy knows that her being there when Lucy fell changes nothing, but at the same time…

She wonders. If things would have been different had she joined another guild, had she not befriended the dragons, had she kept to herself. Would she be in the situation she is in now?

Levy hums, resting her chin in her palm. She watches the waves for some time. She is numb to the fact that she will die, wondering how she will tell anyone – and decides she won't. She'll keep that little piece of information folded up in a back corner of her head, where no one will know. There is a war they need to worry about.

She is still quietly considering decisions when a heavy body drops into the sand at her side. She can't help the smile that quirks her lips when a hand drops atop her head and ruffles her blue hair askew. "Gajeel," she complains quietly, swatting his hand away. Her gaze slides to him, studying her dragon love with fondness and guilt. She should have never allowed what is between them to grow to the extent that it is.

She could, Levy supposes, end it. She could make him hate her. Make him want to avoid even the town she is in. But something tells Levy Gajeel would see right through her, and likely fight even harder to stick close. Besides, if Levy is to die…she doesn't want to be alone and miserable. Better to be close to those she cares for.

"What's got you so pathetic-looking?" mutters Gajeel, and she rolls her eyes. It's his attempt at inquiring of her wellbeing, and it's a terrible attempt.

"We wasted so much time trying to talk to Porlyusica, getting her to help us, and we came up with nothing," says Levy. It's not a lie, though she doesn't feel that talking to the witch was a waste of time. She'd learned valuable information. She simply doesn't want to share it.

Gajeel grunts, not looking inclined to disagree with her. "We'll figure something out."

"And if we can't?" Levy asks, testing the waters. "What if we can't figure something out, Gajeel?"

He blows a breath out with a heavy sigh. "Then we're all screwed, I guess. Besides. She ain't the only witch, y'know." Sharp red eyes dart to Levy's face and narrow. "But maybe we don't. Wouldn't know unless you spit out whatever it is that you haven't told me yet." Levy doesn't know why it surprises her. She sputters, staring at him, and his lips curve into a broad, sharp-toothed smirk. "Yeah. I know that look. Spit it out, shrimp."

Levy scowls at him. "I don't know what you're–"

"Don't you fucking try it."

Agitated with his words and tone, Levy grumbles at him, pulling her knees to her chest and returning her gaze to the sea. She watches it surge in and out as the tide decides whether to come in or ebb out, and she listens to the soothing crashing of waves. "Fine," she whispers, "I'm lying, but I don't want to tell you."

"Why?" Gajeel demands.

"Because if I say it out loud, then it becomes real." It's still a half-truth, but at least it's something. It's true, Levy supposes. If she keeps it to herself, then…maybe something won't happen. Maybe they can all go on pretending that Levy will be fine, that she'll live to be a ripe old age. It's a nice thought that she'd never wanted before – to grow old, wrinkled and slow.

Gajeel rolls his red eyes, as if praying for patience, and Levy scowls at him. She almost swats at him again, annoyed with his own annoyance. "It's real anyways," he retorts. "You might as well just say it."

A little sharply, Levy says, "I don't want to talk about it, Gajeel." She's not ready to tell him the truth of what she's learned from Porlyusica, and she doesn't appreciate his prying when she isn't. She does know she'll tell him, though she doesn't know when or how soon, but certainly not now, when the feelings are raw and fresh in her chest. They have enough to worry about with Natsu and Zeref and the war at hand.

Gajeel appears startled when she snaps at her, blinking once. He grows riled then, narrowing his gaze, and it's Levy's turn to roll her eyes and hope she has the patience to deal with him, because she's forgotten just how quickly dragons can apparently become offended. Aiming for a bit more patience and not wanting to fight with him, Levy says a little gentler, "I know you're just trying to help, but I'm not ready to talk about it. When I am, you'll be the first person I tell, okay?"

She doesn't want to fight. Not with Gajeel, not with anyone. What's the point of wasting her time on arguments?

"Don't tell Jet and Droy," she adds with a wince. "I promised I'd tell them things before anyone else a long time ago, and they take that little vow seriously."

Gajeel's not amused with her small attempt at some humor. Instead, he grumpily looks away and Levy fights the urge to roll her eyes again. She draws her knees to her chest, resting her chin on them. She sits beside him with silence, considering the facts.

She is dying, infected with some demonic poison.

There is a war of so many realms raging around them.

Zeref is nowhere to be found.

And they are, more than likely, losing that damn war.

Levy has never been one to give up and roll over like a defeated dog, but she finds herself wondering what might happen if they do so now, if losing the war would save lives. She knows instinctively that that is not the case. The demons would devour them all, just as they'd destroyed the likes of Crocus and Magnolia. But it would be a lot easier than what they are doing now.

But then, she thinks, gaze drifting over the waves with grim acceptance, what kind of lesson would that send to the children they protect? What kind of lives would they never lead if she rolled over and let this defeat ruin her optimism of finding some other route through this war?

Determined, Levy ignores Gajeel's scowl and says, "Where are the other witches? We should ask another, like you said. Maybe they'd be willing to help us. We can make some other kind of bargain. I mean, we're running out of options at this point, so…"

"We don't know any other witches." Gajeel's words are blunt and irritable. He's still angry with her. Levy's jaw clenches in frustration. They're all entitled to secrets, and she doesn't feel like telling him hers at the moment.

Deciding that she's had enough of it, Levy rises to her feet and brushes the sand away. They need to get back to Tenrou anyways, rejoin those she's left behind there. They've done what they'd set out to do in Hargeon. They need to return to their research on the written spells, which she feels confident is where she'll be most effective. She needs to organize their return, Levy thinks, and say goodbye to Droy and Jet, maybe try and eat dinner with them before they leave. She misses them more than ever, wishes she could take them with her, but at the same time…

She knows they aren't quite so fond of Gajeel, which will always be disappointing to her.

Gajeel doesn't move, doesn't so much as ask where she's going, though his gaze tracks her every movement as she says without looking at him, "I need to talk to Rogue." That said, Levy leaves.

She hates war.

"You've got an ugly look on your face, brat."

The words stop Gajeel in his tracks, and he turns a slow, irritated glare onto his father. Metalicana watches him closely. His teeth flash in a draconic grin that aggravates him further and he scowls at him. Still, he doesn't continue on his merry way as Levy, ignoring them both, scampers over to greet Lucy, Natsu, and an impatient Wendy. His frustration swells when he glances over his shoulder at her.

Even more than a day later, Levy still won't tell him what's wrong, and has even started to ignore him entirely.

"Shuddup," mutters Gajeel, deciding he doesn't particularly feel inclined to talk to his old man. He decides to go in the opposite direction as Levy, wanting to be alone to muse over what might be wrong that she wasn't talking about, only for Metalicana to cut him off, blocking his way with his massive tail. "Move." Gajeel wishes more than ever that Rogue had been the one to bring them back to Tenrou Island. Metalicana had ultimately denied their initial plan to steal Erza, claiming that demons had been clustering near the southeastern side of the beachside town, and that they needed her there to help protect the innocent people gathered within the town's slowly building walls.

Metalicana makes a show of making himself comfortable. "I ain't goin' anywhere until you talk, Gajeel."

It says a lot, Gajeel knows, as to what he must be looking and acting like if Metalicana's decided enough is enough. He can count on one hand how many times in the last century that Metalicana has cut into his personal life with his sharp words. He's about as good about talking as Gajeel is, but he tries, and Gajeel supposes it's more than a lot of people get. Levy, for example, had told him about her father, and the man had never come around to check on her and how she was feeling.

He hates that even when he's mad at her, Levy occupies his every waking thought.

Knowing that Metalicana's going to be a pain in his ass until he actually talks, Gajeel checks over his shoulder. The others have hesitated, watching them to see if Gajeel will join them, but Levy ushers them on, determined to get a move on. It makes him unhappier than everything else, to think that she doesn't even want to be around him right now. Not that he's much better; he'd been keen on getting away from her, too.

Only when they are gone does Gajeel admit to his father, "Levy's hidin' something from me."

Metalicana studies him for a few moments, and then bursts into loud laughter that booms across Tenrou's beaches. "You ain't talkin' to your little girlfriend because she isn't telling you something? For a brat who's as old as you are, you're rather childish, aren't you?"

"Thanks," mutters Gajeel with no small amount of sarcasm.

Still chortling, Metalicana rests his large head on the sand and rumbles, "She doesn't have to tell you, brat. It's up to her if she wants to tell you whatever secrets she's keeping. Just as I'm sure you have secrets of your own."

Gajeel knows this. Has known this. "The witch told her somethin' and wouldn't help her, old man. I know it's nothing good."

"It doesn't matter." Metalicana is clearly unsympathetic, which admittedly annoys Gajeel. Metalicana is his father. Isn't he supposed to side with him when Gajeel fights with someone else? Why is he siding with Levy now, when whatever it is she hides is clearly bothering her so badly? "If it isn't anything good, Gajeel, then she needs your support more than ever. If she won't tell you, then it is likely something particularly bad, and the last thing she will need from you is for you to abandon her to suffer on her own." Gajeel opens his mouth to protest that he would never do so to the odd little shrimp who'd stood up to him when he'd tried to scare her off, but Metalicana cuts him off. "Levy needs your support, not your anger and desire to argue with her right now. That is how you will gain her trust and convince her to tell you what it is she hides from you. Not by forcing it out of her in a way that will make her resent you."

Gajeel scowls unhappily at Metalicana. He's right, of course, and Gajeel has known all of what he said from the beginning. It doesn't mean he has to be happy about it. "Don't you have a town to get back to?" He still doesn't know why Metalicana had chosen to keep Rogue and Erza in Hargeon rather than allow them to accompany them to Tenrou Island like initially planned, but Metalicana has always had strange twists of instinct that are usually right enough that Igneel allows him lenience in such circumstances. Gajeel hopes that everything will be okay in Hargon.

Metalicana grunts and says, "I will return when I am confident that you and the little one are on better speaking terms."

Gajeel puffs out a breath, frustrated with his father, but knows better than to argue. Metalicana is the most stubborn dragon on Tenrou Island, and he knows without a doubt that he'll do exactly as he says. So, he admits reluctantly, "I thought she trusted me."

That might be the root of all his frustrations regarding the matter at hand. Levy supposedly trusts him – so why won't she just tell him what's so bad that it's haunting her every waking moment? They have trusted one another immensely since Lucy had fallen – even if they'd not necessarily liked one another at the beginning of it all. So why wouldn't she trust him now, when they were so much closer? When he could have happily spent his time in her company instead of fighting with her?

"Perhaps that is why she won't tell you," says Metalicana unhelpfully, his teeth gleaming in a grin. "Give her support and time, Gajeel. That is what she needs right now, and when she is ready, you will be the first person she goes to."

Gajeel nods slowly, simply accepting the advice rather than trying to work around it. Metalicana isn't quite as ridiculous as other dragons tend to think. Rather, his father knows quite a lot, and has experienced many things even Igneel hasn't. "I'll try," is all he promises before stalking off, and content with Gajeel's answer, Metalicana spreads his metal wings, preparing to take off.

It is unexpected, and perhaps that is why it is so devastating.

A high-pitched metallic screech lights the air as something pierces Gajeel's body. Blood spatters the hot sands as he hits the ground, more from shock and a lack of preparedness than anything. Metalicana snaps his head around, a roar thundering in his throat. Gajeel shoves himself onto his knees with a hiss, hand pressed over the bloody wound in his gut. He is aware that something has gone clean through his back to cause such damage. Blood pools and drips between his fingers. He is unprepared for what he finds when he looks back.

It's merely a man before them. A man with amusement gleaming in his red eyes, his dark hair damp from the salty sea spray. A man with power radiating off of him in a way that makes even Metalicana stumble back a step, snarling in recognition. But a man, nonetheless.

A man who says calmly, a vicious grin slashed over his lips, "I'd like to speak with my brother now."

Levy is taking a break despite their short hike through the tropical forest when the cry pierces the air. Wendy and Natsu are immediately on high alert; even Lucy's whip snakes out, her eyes wide and anxious as she says, "That's a dragon."

"That's Metalicana," responds Wendy, her voice pitched high with fear.

Levy presses her lips together in a nervous grimace. Something must have happened on the beach. "Wendy, we need to make sure the young dragons are all hidden. Can you go and check on them?"

Wendy falters. "But…but Gajeel's on the beach with him–"

Something pierces Levy's heart at the mere thought and she feels as if something's punched the air from her gut. She whirls around, her eyes wild at the reminder. Gajeel. She'd not thought about that. She'd been so busy being angry with him… "Oh, God," she whispers, heart thundering in her chest as she realizes that something bad has likely happened, because Metalicana's scream stands their hair on end.

"Wendy," decides Natsu, "go and check on the little guys. The rest of us'll go see what's going on."

"What about Levy?" frets Lucy with a quick look at Levy, who scowls immediately at her friend. She knows, without a doubt, that Lucy is only worried for her. Levy can no longer defend herself, after all. She cannot use magic, not without hurting herself and leading herself down a road that will end in more death.

But there is no way in hell Levy will stay behind, not when the stupid iron dragon she cares for so fiercely is potentially in danger.

Natsu's jaw works, his eyes narrowing as he rushes to make a decision. Finally, he looks at Levy and says with a hint of apology on his face, "Levy, those young dragons are the future of this place, our families. Check the traps we set. Please make sure they're ready, even if you don't know if they'll work."

They'd not managed to get much further on those traps. They'd started getting them to potentially work, but were nowhere near ready. Not for an ambush upon the island.

Levy falters, even as Wendy reluctantly leaves, body shifting into a larger, more sturdy form that will get her to where she needs to go so much faster. It's not just busy work to keep her from the danger of the situation. It does need to be done. Even so…she finds herself exceptionally nervous about what might have happened to Gajeel.

At the same time, Levy knows she'll simply be in the way.

So, she nods once, and pleads, "Please make sure he's okay."

Natsu smiles encouragingly and then turns and bolts, Lucy a step behind him. Levy watches them go, stomach churning. She hopes they'll be safe. With a grimace, Levy turns and forces her body into a fast sprint, heading for the first of dozens of traps they'd set. They were placed carefully around the nest they'd hidden the young dragons in, and they'd all agreed that even incomplete, they were better than nothing. They would trigger at the slightest movement from anyone should someone so much as step in them, but at least they would warn someone that something was nearby.

Levy's lungs are aching by the time she reaches the first trap. Her body trembles as she rushes to finish the written spell, hastily drawing what is left in the dirt. Her hazel eyes dart this way and that, ensuring everything is correct. She hesitates only briefly before altering a section of it, hoping that it'll be useful.

And then, she pushes onto the next.

Levy doesn't know how much time passes as she rushes from trap to trap, but she is hacking blood into her hands by the time she staggers to the last trap. She hits the earth on her knees beside it, quaking hands working to set the trap. Smearing blood away from her lips, Levy doesn't think twice before stumbling to her feet and staggering in the direction of the beaches.

The traps are set.

Now, she will make sure that the end hasn't come for them sooner than they've expected.

She's taken all but three or four steps when the ground rips from beneath her feet and a scream unlike anything she's ever heard fills the air. It's not too far away, but Levy knows the direction it's come from. Face ghostly pale, she considers her options: investigate, go to safety with the young dragons hidden in their nest, protected by a few older dragons, or face the dangers of the beaches.

Levy grinds her teeth, shoves herself to her feet, and makes her choice.

And then Levy is running, her feet taking her to unknown danger. They need to know for sure if there are demons attacking the island, and she won't let them get away with it for long. She ignores the pain in her body, the burn of her lungs, and runs as hard as she can in the direction the scream came from.

When she reaches it, she is unsurprised. A demon snarls from where it has been trapped by her spell. Another one circles it, swearing under their breath as they debate how to free it. The trapped one looks mindless, Levy notes. The other one is clearly a clever one that can formulate plans and words like she can. Levy doesn't engage them, crouching in the foliage that hides her. She's grateful for the thick tropical-like greenery that cloaks Tenrou Island.

"Fucking dragons," mutters the smarter one, stopping to glare viciously at the spell written into the ground. It clearly didn't want to leave the much larger, much stronger one behind. The trapped demon blinked blankly at the other, growling impatiently. "Fuck!"

Levy smirks, proud of herself. Her traps have worked. And altering each one, not knowing what they would do…while it was dangerous, she was glad it had worked. Pleased, Levy creeps away, careful to keep as quiet as she can. Demons are not something she can defeat – not without using her magic, and everyone else is much too far away to help her. She isn't stupid enough to try and openly challenge them right now.

Levy sprints for the cave Gajeel had so reluctantly given up, her eyes narrowed as she dances around various normal traps that had been made. She knows which ones are where, courtesy of Wendy. She's grateful for Wendy's foresight, though some of it is a little off, because she very nearly falls victim to a pit that had been dug, so deep she can't comprehend where the bottom is.

Levy reaches the cave and is coughing into her hands by the time she stumbles in. "It's Levy!" she wheezes as she hears a warning snarl. "Just Levy."

"Levy!" gasps Wendy as she rushes forward to greet her friend, her nose wrinkling as she smells the copper on her very breath. Levy smiles faintly at her, but Wendy isn't fooled. Levy has most certainly pushed herself further than she should have. It doesn't stop Levy from moving on, hastily telling the older dragon that peers at them what she's found: demons, seeking them out.

"Have we heard anything from the others? Metalicana or Lucy or any of them?" demands Wendy, cupping her fingers over Levy's heart without warning. Levy shakes her head, focusing on what it is that Wendy's doing. Wendy doesn't bother to explain it to her, but a warmth spreads through Levy's chest, and the vicious pain fades a little.

Quietly, Wendy says, "I can't get rid of the poison in your blood, but I can help ease symptoms."

Levy rubs her chest. "Thanks, Wendy. I'm going back out. I have to make sure they're okay. For all we know, Zeref himself is here."

"I'll come with you," says Wendy confidently.

"Levy stops her, putting a hand on her shoulder and squeezing gently. "No," she says gently. "Stay here. Help protect the little ones. Besides, if things go poorly…Grandeeney will have wanted us to keep you safe."

Wendy's eyes flash with anger. "I can fight, too."

"Which is why you're needed here," says the older dragon watching them. His voice is kind and gentle, a loud rumbling in Levy's ears. He extends a leg towards Wendy, showing the missing foot, the scarring that lances up to his head. "I cannot defend them so well on my own, Wendy."

Levy throws the dragon a grateful look, for Wendy nods after a moment. She stares sharply at Levy, dark eyes piercing. "You better come back," she says, and Levy can't help but laugh. She wraps Wendy in a tight hug.

"I will," she whispers to the young dragon. She turns on her heel and with one final look back, she's running again, her lungs burning and copper hot on her tongue.

The way through the tropical forests is tough going, and Levy remembers how hard it was to follow the dragons when they were in their larger bodies on this island. She wonders if any will come back now that Tenrou Island is officially under attack – if they even know what was happening. We should have thought of that sooner, thinks Levy to herself. We should have planted an emergency communication of some kind–

Levy narrowly avoids the creature that suddenly barrels at her from her left, splintering trees and shredding foliage as its heavy mass takes it further than it anticipates. Levy swears, realizing she is alone, now being chased by what is likely a demon. She pushes on harder, her eyes burning with tears. If she can get to the beaches, even if Metalicana is occupied with another attack, there will be Lucy and Natsu to help her – and Gajeel, so long as he's okay.

She nearly cries as she spots the break in the trees. She weaves nimbly among trees, nearly tripping over her own feet as she breaks out onto the sands. She quickly orients herself. She's further down the beach than where she'd left the others. Much further, for what she can see of Metalicana is rather small for a dragon as big as he is.

"Damn it!" she wheezes, taking off again as sand sprays and the demon lunges for her. She curses under her breath, feet slipping awkwardly in the sand as she bolts down the sandy stretch. As she grows closer, she realizes something is certainly wrong, and Metalicana's thunderous voice growls something. When she's confident that Metalicana will hear her, she sucks in a breath to scream. Pain sears her lungs and she coughs instead, harshly enough that her knees buckle and blood sprays the sand beneath her. She scowls, curling into a ball and throwing her arms over her head as the demon chasing her lunges yet again, this time carrying itself over her body. Pain scores her back where its claws nick her skin, but she ignores it.

Swallowing the blood and pain, Levy manages to cry out, "Metalicana!"

The iron dragon whips his head around and snarls, metallic hide rattling and clattering as he spots the demon that rears over her head. His jaws part and a roar blasts from his throat, but metal doesn't fly from a blow by Metalicana.

Rather, Gajeel shreds at the demon with a snarl as he bolts over, hand clasped over a vicious wound that's been inflicted onto him. Lucy trips after him, her whip in her hand and Leo at her side, both of their hands stained with crimson from trying to help Gajeel stop the bleeding. Natsu falters from where he stands on the beach, eyes round and filled with distress.

But it is the man that stands calmly before Metalicana that catches Levy's attention. His piercing gaze is filled with fascination as he orders something quietly enough that Levy cannot hear him. Somehow, the demon does, for it draws away, snickering at them.

Levy knows who he is without asking as Lucy reaches her.

Zeref.

The man they've heard so much about for so long, the one whose arrival they've been dreading. Sure enough, he is here on the island they've been preparing to defend. Already, they're at a disadvantage, and they've barely begun – and Levy doesn't miss the way his gaze lingers hatefully on Lucy, as if he wants nothing more than to claw her apart piece by little piece.

"Levy," Lucy gasps, pulling her to her feet. Half-dried blood smears on Levy's arms, but Levy doesn't care, wincing as pain lances through her back where the demon clawed her. She immediately begins to inspect the marks along Levy's spine, hissing in disapproval at the damage. "Leo," she calls as he reaches her, frowning worriedly when Levy wetly coughs into her arm, "help me staunch this–"

And then Gajeel is there, too, his hand covering his own injury. Levy feels her heart sink when she realizes blood continues to ooze from it. "I'm okay," she lies, voice hoarse. She doesn't feel fine, but Gajeel doesn't need to know that. She reaches out to cover his hand with hers, her brow furrowing anxiously. "What happened?"

Gajeel shrugs. "Not sure," he says, and while Levy wants to throttle him, she believes him. His gaze darkens when Zeref's laughter suddenly slides uncomfortably across their ears.

"And I thought a dragon and a star were a terrible match," he muses, eyes lit with cruel amusement. He studies them all as if they're mere insects. Levy finds his response terrifyingly strange, considering the fact that Zeref himself is supposedly human. But she realizes it's quite the opposite when he adds, "A dragon, considering a human in such a way? It's disgusting."

Levy recalls a distant conversation, from before she'd come to Tenrou Island, when Natsu first told her about how he'd lost Lucy. "I'm half-human, remember? My mom was a human who died a long time ago. Igneel liked her on a passing fancy and then took me at her request when he heard. My brother was entirely human. He hated the dragons. I didn't know until after he tried to hurt Lucy."

Gajeel begins to growl thunderously, but Metalicana only rumbles in warning, and Levy wonders why he hasn't yet acted. If they could capture or end Zeref here and now, the war will end and the people she cares for will be safe. So why hasn't Metalicana moved against him? Or Natsu for that matter?

When she glances at Natsu, she understands what is happening. Natsu's gaze is filled with devastating grief. This is his brother, after all, and one he'd likely once admired. Maybe even loved. Levy wonders if Natsu has been trying to puzzle out a way to try and save Zeref from his hatred since the war started. Metalicana will not act – not without Natsu's permission, and he's clearly still waiting to see what Natsu will decide.

Levy knows though.

She remembers the way Natsu had turned an entire sandy beach to glass in a heartbeat at the thought of losing Lucy. She remembers how close the pair sat even after their first few hours together following a century apart from one another. She recalls a lot of things about Lucy and Natsu, and Levy knows that Natsu will choose Lucy over anything or anyone else every time. Especially over Zeref, who views him as a thing to be collected whereas Lucy sees him as the person he is.

But Zeref doesn't seem to know that. He crooks his head to the side, and perhaps it is the soul-deep craving for knowledge buried deep in her heart, but Levy cannot help but ask Zeref, "How are you still alive? You're human."

Zeref's undivided attention isn't something Levy really wants, but she has it. His lips curve into a smile that has Gajeel shifting uneasily, a snarl ripping from his throat. Levy lifts her chin. She wants to know. She needs to know.

"Magic is ever-changing," says Zeref, surprising her when he actually answers. Perhaps it's because she's a human asking. Perhaps it's because he doesn't care if they know. Maybe it's because he wants to rub it in the dragons' faces that he has figured out some secret they know nothing about. "Just as it can be used to destroy as the demons like to do," his eyes flick towards the demon prowling nearby, waiting for its master to command it to spill their blood across the sand, "it can create – even for humans. Magic is simply another form of alchemy, of science. All it takes is changing one element. One particle. It can alter magic's very core. And what is life force but another form of science and magic?"

It isn't the answer Levy expected. She had thought perhaps it was some dark, black magic, like the kind he seems to use to control the creatures annihilating dragons and mages and stars alike. This talk of something as simple as alchemy and science is such a mundane answer, yet…it tells her plenty about what kind of person Zeref is. Clever enough to puzzle out what others have been unable to. And with that cleverness comes narcissism, for he seems so smug about his success as he says, "Something the dragons and stars have dreamed of doing. How disappointing it must be for a human to do it in their place."

Lucy's hand brushes Levy's arm as Levy wipes her arm across her bloodied nose. "Levy," she whispers, lowering her voice so that only Levy can hear her, but Levy shrugs her off, knowing what she's going to say. Levy knows she needs rest, and even that might not be enough at the moment. Her breath is raspy and wet, her body aches piercingly in a way it never has before, and her eyes are bleary and streaming as if she is crying.

Maybe she is a little.

She's pushed her body far too hard today, and she just hopes that it can hold out until they've won this war.

They're at a stalemate though. Zeref's not showing his hand. Natsu won't react until Zeref makes his hand known. Metalicana's waiting on Natsu to do something. Gajeel, she, and Lucy are waiting on the rest of them. Leo's waiting on Lucy's instructions. There's a demon waiting, too, its claws still stained with Levy's blood, and Levy shudders at the sight of it.

None of them are someone who wants to take charge and lead the others. Even Metalicana is content with his place as a close consult of Igneel's. Of those present, Leo is perhaps the closest they can get to that, but even he has someone he looks to for instructions.

But Zeref is. And cutting the head off a snake may not stop its body from flinging itself around, but it will kill the brain that gives the body direction. He knows that he is powerful, both the magic he likely wields and the control he holds over the likes of demons. He is confident, even when facing a dragon of Metalicana's size.

Levy has never been one to take action. She's always preferred translation work, staying in the back and doing the research and letting the others do the hard physical work. She's never had a strong type of magic, or a body with enough muscle to do anything helpful in a fight. She's never wanted to be the person to take charge.

But no one else is willing to start the chaos that they all know will unfold as soon as someone makes a single move.

She catches Gajeel's eye, and he snaps his attention to her briefly. She takes advantage of their injuries, stepping over to press her hands over his as they rest on his injury. His blood sticks to her skin, and she wants nothing more than to erase the injury plaguing him. Zeref stares for a moment before his attention returns to Natsu. He comments on something – he'd asked Natsu something before Levy arrived, and now he wants an answer.

Letting Natsu's procrastination distract him, Levy breathes, "He's human, too."

Gajeel blinks once, alarm sparking in his gaze, but before he can have a moment to comprehend what she's asking, Levy goes to work.

Using magic never used to hurt her. Levy had once drawn on that power as easily as she could draw breath. Now, it feels like raking her flayed skin over fiery coals. She bites back the shriek that nearly escapes her, pain splintering through her very soul. It takes her a moment to make the decision on what could get the best results with, and she decides that simple is always better.

In one smooth movement, Levy scrawles out a single word: tsunami.

Zeref reacts immediately. He snarls at her as the word strikes the sea beside him, whispering a word in another language. The demon lurches forward, and Lucy shouts Natsu's name in alarm when he swings around to stop it from reaching them. Sand flies as he's slammed into the ground, flames bursting to life and turning the sand around him into splintered glass. A moment later, a violent wave surges down upon them all, sending even Metalicana stumbling. She hears shouts of surprise and fury from all sides.

Levy hopes that she's right. She hopes that while Zeref has ceased aging, he is no more immortal than she is. Why else would he hide behind so many demons in this war? If he was as powerful as they thought him to be, then he could have ended this war quickly. But he is afraid to step into the action himself, afraid to put himself into danger.

Zeref might wield death, but he fears it, too.

As the sea reels back towards where it had come from, the demon thrashes back to its feet. Natsu spits salty water from his mouth and slams his fists into the sand, scowling. The flame that explodes reminds Levy of volcanic eruptions, and feels just as hot as the demon burns. It screams as it thrashes about, the sound chilling.

Distantly, Levy can hear a few other similar screams, and she realizes it won't be long before a few others come, and then they'll have no chance.

Zeref looks infuriated as he shoves himself upright, clothes soaking wet and eyes burning with hatred. "You," he seethes, glowering at Levy. He snarls something in that other language yet again, and this time, Levy feels something heavy immediately sink into her chest, feels the squeeze of pain on her heart as he clenches a hand as if he holds it. She hits the sand on her knees, wheezing, clawing at her chest.

She clenches her jaw against the pain. She doesn't matter now. Levy's eyes are bleared by the tightness in her chest as Lucy suddenly darts towards Zeref, whip lashing out. Natsu hollers for her, fear in his voice, but Lucy pays him no mind as her whip curls around Zeref's wrist and she yanks. Zeref spits something at her, and Lucy looks briefly frightened, but that fear is quickly replaced by determined anger.

Gajeel moves quickly, body shoving itself into a larger form. Bones snap and alter as he roars, towering above them all. He and Metalicana cast the world in shadow as Metalicana reacts to a demon that darts from the trees. He darts out and catches it in his jaws, showering them in black blood. As Metalicana focuses on the demons springing from the trees, Levy realizes she miscalculated. There are far more than she thought.

But Metalicana doesn't pay the number mind as he and Leo work together to try and catch as many as they can before they can leap to their leader's defense. They give Gajeel room to shake his scales so that they clatter in a distracting manner. Gajeel bellows, iron shredding through the air. Zeref manages to yank aside, but the arm in Lucy's whip is caught by the shrapnel that shreds and slices it into a mangled mess. Gajeel reels his head back, snorting irritably as Zeref glares at him with malice.

Catching her breath and deciding Zeref is sufficiently distracted, Levy jumps into action.

Maybe she is not as powerful as the likes of dragons, or immortal like the stars. But she is a mage who excels in written magic, and she recalls one of the many spells she's seen in the books they've been studying. She whispers it aloud, using a hot piece of shrapnel she rips free of the sand to draw. She darts nimbly between Gajeel and Metalicana's limbs as they stumble this way and that, spins past Natsu as he yanks Lucy out of the way of a demon that lunges past them. Lucy's face is bleached white with sheer terror at the sight of the light drawn into the sand. Zeref rips the whip from his arm and throws it aside, attention locked onto Gajeel.

Determined, Levy keeps going, even as she tastes that coppery blood in her mouth again. Magic flows where she steps, winding a prison that she weaves with expertise. She doesn't give herself room to doubt a spell she's never cast before. It becomes a dance of sorts, one she gracefully performs with her body as a vessel for the magic that is cast.

And when she finishes, her ears are ringing. She wipes her hand across her nose and mouth to get rid of the blood. She feels heavier than she's ever felt before. She judges her work critically, analyzing what she's done.

Where she's stepped and used the bloodied shrapnel to draw and write, golden lines glow. They surround Zeref on all sides. It is an ancient spell, one she'd not been able to fully translate, but she knows enough.

In a war that will determine the fate of those she loves, the cost means nothing.

She means nothing.

For that reason, she ensures she is standing right where she needs to be, at the tip of the spell's compass-like point. Zeref stills when she steps into place, clutching his bloodied arm. He murmurs a command, eyes following the golden lines. Demons fall back, prowling warily around the cluster of dragons and stars and the singular mage amongst them. When Zeref's gaze lands on her, she wonders what kind of torment he longs to put her through.

The chaos draws to a stand still, filled by nothing but Levy's broken, ragged breaths. Levy lets the shrapnel drop from her fingers. Blood trickles down her fingertips, dripping steadily into the sand. She'd sliced her hand as she'd worked, and Levy hopes that her blood will strengthen this spell. It's a spell from another age, and it seems the type.

Gajeel lowers his head, and his breath washes over her. He snarls at the blood that he smells on her – at the magic coiling through her veins. She'd never told him, Levy realizes distantly. Just how soon she will likely lose her life. Maybe she should have. Because she's not sure she'll walk away from this spell.

Heaving for air, Levy lifts her chin. It's streaked with crimson, smeared with it. Levy doesn't care.

Zeref's lips twist into a dark smile. "Clever," he murmurs. "I designed that spell to destroy the king of the stars, intending to use someone else to perform it and caught a human girl by accident. The stars stopped me before it could be completed. Magic always requires balance, after all."

Shock sparks in her blood. Lucy. This was how Zeref had nearly killed her. No wonder she shakes so hard in Natsu's arms, her fingers latched onto him as if he alone will be capable of holding her to reality. Levy wonders if it's the failure to complete the spell that twisted Zeref towards the demons that he controls. It gives Levy great pride to use Zeref's own spell against him now.

With only a moment's hesitation in which she glances at her companions a final time, Levy whispers a word she knows nothing of, and light explodes from the source. It flares a brilliant, blinding gold. Levy feels heat that sears at her skin painfully, seeps in through her wounds and burns her very bones. She flings her arms up to protect her face, but it does her no good.

She'd known the kind of risks associated with ancient magic, which had oftentimes required sacrifice to work. An eye for an eye, as some would say.

At least it's quick. At least Levy will not feel the poison in her veins slowly kill her.

That light latches onto the dark, shadowy parts of Zeref's soul and rips it apart. Zeref doesn't even have time to react before he is gone.

Just as quickly, Levy feels the magic seize her own soul.

And then there is nothing.

AN UPDATE HALLELUJAH! I'm so excited. The next chapter will be the last, though there may be an epilogue! ;) Will this end sadly or happily? Haven't decided yet. So hopefully it'll be a surprise for all of us.

Thanks to reviewers (happy966, avwrites, Dragonfly2311, and piranha pk!) as well as all of you who favorited and followed! Also, thanks to EVERYONE for your patience!