Any (helpful) feedback or constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated. As for scheduling, expect chapters to come out every two weeks, at least for the first five. I'll be sure to answer any questions you leave in the next chapter. Until then, I'm signing off.

Note: I do not own either RWBY or Fairy Tail. Those are owned by Rooster Teeth and Hiro Mashima ( and FUNimation). Please support the official release.

Note two: Bolded text indicates telepathic dialogue between Mavis and Zeref. Italic text indicates a flashback.


Ozma was not a man who typically took walks. He had lost that spark to explore long ago. Besides, managing the Kingdom of Vale took much of his waking hours, leaving little room for recreational activities. He only trekked out here to investigate a rumor that might pose a threat to his realm.

That's what he told his advisors anyway. One thing that Ozma never lost was an innate curiosity, so he was investigating rumors regarding the Emerald Woods. Residents who got lost–or attacked–in the forest often found themselves deposited back on their family's doorstep, completely unharmed. Every witness saw either a figure–sometimes with black hair, and other times with blonde hair, wearing a dark cloak, who seemingly came from nowhere. Beyond the rumors that filtered back to Oz, one thing was for sure: magic was at play.

Almost all the CCTV footage was corrupted. Most residents of the town lost their memories of their time in the forest.

When people tried to talk to either of them, they sprinted off, melting back into the trees. Except for one child anyway. Ozma was curious about what was so special about this child–August. What made him so special?


August was reading a fairy tale book when Ozma arrived.

"Hey sweetie," a voice called from behind the bedroom door. "Could you come with me? Someone wants to talk to you."

"Okay!" the boy flipped the book on its spine, before hopping to join his surrogate mother on the other side. "What did they want to talk about?"

"Well," she flickered her eyes away uncomfortably. "It's easier if you heard it from them. They're in the living room with Ben."

Stepping from the hallway into the living room, the blonde boy squinted from the sunlight illuminating August's stepbrother and the man in question.

"Hello August," the stranger sat in the brown armchair, near the bookshelf that held August's ever-growing collection of books. Every time his family would travel to Vale, he'd spend most of his time at the bookstore, either quietly reading in the corner or talking to the shop's owner. "Your brother has much about you."

"Has he?" August stared at his stepbrother. "Who is this person anyway Ben?"

"Well, brother," Ben smirked. "We saw him a few weeks ago, the last time we were in Vale."

August mentally slapped himself. "Oh…hello, your majesty." What did the King of Vale want with him?

The monarch waved off August's apology. "Call me Oz. Vale won't be a monarchy for much longer–but that is beside the point. I'm here today, hoping you answer some questions for me. If your brother and mother could give us some privacy…?" The statement and tone may have been innocent, gentle even, but the young wizard could see the king's inquisitive eyes. Could this man be after his parents?

"Of course," Ben stood, before following his mother into the kitchen, out of sight.

"Okay," August plopped himself on the couch.

The king leaned forward slightly. "There have been some rumors regarding a mysterious figure in the Emerald Forest."

This man was definitely after his parents. "I don't know what you're talking about," August shrugged.

"I should clarify," Oz picked up the previously forgotten tea cup. He swished the liquid round and round. "Men, women, and children alike who wander too deep into that forest are rarely seen again, at least, alive. Until someone began rescuing them from the Emerald Forest. Now, any who venture too deep into those woods return sound asleep on their doorsteps."

"What does that have to do with me?" August feigned ignorance. Inside, his stomach turned itself inside out.

Oz merely smiled at the boy. "Strangely, no one can seem to talk to this mystery person. When anyone tries approaching them, they run away. Or sink into the ground. Or several other methods to avoid detection. Except for you. Why is that?"

"Oh well, I stumbled across their house once," August decided on a half-truth. "They live in the forest."

Something changed in Oz's demeanor–skepticism August supposed."Is that so? Would it be possible if you could tell me where that is?"
"No!" Alarm bells began ringing in his head. "I mean, no, I can't. Neither of them wouldn't want me to."

"A shame," Vale's king took one final drink from his teacup. "I'll be taking my leave now, August. It was a pleasure meeting you." Oz gripped his cane before standing to leave. "What did you mean by 'neither'?"

August had stopped paying attention to the king. "What?"

"You implied that there are two of them," Oz turned to look back at the blonde, who squirmed under the man's gaze.

"I…did," August managed to get out before bolting away from Oz. What was he going to tell his dad?


The sun beat down on Zeref, as the former Black Wizard carried a watering can, supplying the plants he and Mavis were cultivating with water. He took his time inspecting each potato plant for insects before moving to the next plant. Despite the fact the Curse eliminated the need to eat, it gave Zeref something to do to pass the time.

It also helped him practice controlling his emotions, for he had to venture into town often, and the risk of harming someone was ever-present.

"Zeref! I got a deer." a familiar voice called out. His heart skipped a beat. "Could you help me drag this in?"

"Of course love," Zeref stepped back into the cabin he'd built, at this point, ten years ago. He placed the copper watering can on the counter to the right of the side door. From here, the Spriggan could see his Fairy Queen struggling to haul the corpse of a young deer buck. Jumping the fence that encompassed their small garden, Zeref ran to help his wife.

"How are the plants doing?" Mavis inquired.

"No signs of decay," Zeref noted. "How was the hunting trip?"

"I couldn't get the rabbit from the traps," Mavis pouted. " Because of this. But I didn't lose control this time! So, maybe you should leave the hunting to me." She gave him a smirk.

He gave her a flickering smile. "Maybe." He grabbed the doe's legs. "The potatoes will be ready in two weeks, and onions won't be for another month."

Mavis grinned mischievously. "So, it's my turn to cook, right?"

Zeref chuckled. "Right," he agreed, knowing that Mavis was no culinary expert. As they continued to walk towards the house, Zeref turned his mind towards prepping the kitchen for butchering.

The town had a butcher they could've brought the deer to, but the man didn't have any experience dismantling deer–a byproduct of the forest's Grimm infestation. No one had ever been able to hunt. It also helped that both he and Mavis wouldn't have to go into town as often, if they were able to source their food.

Something jolted his senses, causing Zeref to drop his side of the deer.

"Ah," Mavis clutched her head in shock. "Zeref is that-"
"Magical energy?" he finished. "Yes, but it isn't-"

"Salem's," Mavis agreed. "So-"

"Let's get the deer in first," the Spriggan sighed.

"You want to try my cooking again?" the Fairy gave a cheeky smile.

"I'm saving dinner Mavis," was his only response. "I am not having more vegetable soup ever."


Finding the cabin was a lot harder than Ozma first anticipated.

He'd expected to trace the source of the magic easily in the forest, but it took a few hours before the ancient deity picked up the trail. Even then, multiple decoy signatures faded too quickly for Oz to make use of. Most lead into random parts of the woods–except for one.

The king smelled the carnage before he saw it. The ordinarily vibrant and clean smell of the Emerald Forest was instantly replaced by ash and decay. It was a mixture of burning and rot–neither the smell of decomposition nor burnt forest. A clearing of hundreds of feet was barren, save the dead trees. Black particles mixed into the soil, turning it gray. What had happened? Ozma tentatively touched one of the few trees that survived standing; it crumbled under his touch, carried away by the wind. Life itself had been completely crushed, so where were the Grimm? Oz had to consider: was this a new Grimm Salem managed to birth, another abomination against humanity? But if so, how did that explain the lack of Grimm?

By the time he'd reached his destination, the sun was disappearing behind the treeline. However, once the clearing revealed itself, many signs of habitation appeared. There was a long patch of grass that'd been walked on enough to reveal the hardened earth underneath. Oz passed by many tree stumps that thinned the closer he got to the house on the hill.

The cabin's posts were made from the trunks of surrounding trees. The walls, while predominantly made out of smaller logs, were interspersed with small windows, with their wooden shutters kept open to allow sunlight and air into the cabin. As he approached the front door, a squelching noise could be heard, causing him to pause. They were probably cooking something Ozma reasoned before knocking on the door.

He only had to wait a few seconds before the door creaked open.

"Good afternoon mam," Ozma gave a slight bow. As he did so, the king observed the woman. She wore a simple light pastel dress that faded to pink, with a blue sash around the waist. Her hair was a pastel blonde that flowed to the back of her knees, with the winglike ornaments she wore on her ears sticking through her hair. What interested Ozma more was her almost childlike build–as if her growth had been stunted.
He could faintly smell the same ashiness that he'd felt earlier, in that clearing.

"Uh, hi." She maintained a neutral tone, but he could see her green eyes dart slightly, observing his features. "Who are you?"

"Call me Oz," he fiddled with the cane in his hand. "May I come in?"

"Oh," the girl raised her hand to play with her hair ornaments. She twisted it around her index finger. "Sure. Just…take a seat. I'll be right back." She quickly walked away from the door, leaving Ozma to enter the home by himself. Pushing past the rough-hewn wood revealed a fairly cozy cabin.

Its floor was made of the same wood as the cabin itself, with fur rugs covering large empty spaces. There was a fireplace on his right side, with a green loveseat facing it. Beside the sofa was a plush dark green armchair.

It only took a few minutes before the same woman returned with steaming cups of tea–and someone else. Oz noted the man's taller, but slim body structure, his black hair and tunic, and the white robot that looped around his shoulder. The man's coal-black eyes seemed…cold and distant as if he was pretending the king wasn't there.

He could smell death on him too.

"Hello," the black-haired stranger guided, who Ozma suspected was his wife, to stand further away, but still within view. "Why are you here?"

"I see you're not in the mood for pleasantries," the former wizard took a long drink of tea. "You know, I had some of the same tea earlier this morning."

"What an interesting coincidence," the girl narrowed her eyes. Was it his imagination, or were her green eyes tinged red? Wait, both of their eyes were.

"Regardless, I've sensed magical energy, coming from both of you." Oz waited for their reactions, staring.

"You never told us your name," they both said at the same time.

"Then it's only fair you tell me yours," the king's tone took on a hard edge.

"Zeref," the man shrugged.

"Mavis," the girl intertwined an arm around Zeref's.

"Oz," the former wizard's voice returned to normal. He didn't recognize either name. Zeref was kind of a strange name for someone native to Vale.

"Oh!" Mavis's eyes lit up. "Like, as in Ozma?"

"What?" Ozma quickly stood, ready to use his cane. Where had she gotten that name? "Where did you learn that name?"

Zeref took a slight step in front of his wife. "You do not want this fight." Then he turned to look at Mavis. They stared at each other for a few seconds. Then Zeref finally answered. "We heard it from one of your twin gods. The dark one."

"You met-" Oz had to sit back down. "If you don't mind, explain a few things to me."

He had to know what the brothers were doing by communicating (and possibly bestowing magic) to these two strangers. What kind of message were they trying to send?

"Well, we should start when–" Mavis nudged Zeref. "You say it." The Mistral (at least, Ozma assumed) native raised an eyebrow. "Really?" She responded by nodding vigorously.

Zeref closed his eyes. "When we died."


"Die!" tears streamed down Mavis's cheeks. She slammed her fists against Zeref's chest again and again. "You killed Makarov! You are the guild's worst enemy; the world's worst enemy! So please…"

She buried herself in the Black Wizard's chest, her hand cupping his bruised and burned face. Neither of them stopped crying.

Zeref tilted her face up with a finger. "I'm…sorry, Mavis.". A wave of sadness threatened to crash into Mavis again, so she did the only thing that could stem the flow.

Their kiss broke something in Zeref–as if an embedded knife had been removed from his heart. Something stirred inside of him, something long forgotten. "I'm…truly happy." Zeref wondered aloud. "Thank you," he raised an arm, wrapping it around Mavis's scabbed and bruised back. Despite that, the embrace felt…nice. "After all this time…" He closed his eyes. "I…I wish we could've talked more, wish I could've truly met my brother, Mavis."

The Fairy looped a hand through the Spriggan's. "Take me with you, Zeref."

"No," Zeref loosened his grip slightly. "Y-you must live."

"Is that what your heart truly wants?"

"No," the Black Wizard opened his eyes one final time. "Then, the curse…"

Fairy Tail's first master simply smiled back. "Together, Zeref." The world around them was engulfed in yellow light, flower petals dancing in the wind around them.

"This feels warm," he murmured.
"Of course it does," she answered.

"The power that surpassed immortality itself-"

They rested heads against each other. "Love."


"And before you ask, no, we don't really know why they sent us here."


The God of Light had been scouring worlds for centuries now–trying to find a suitable inspiration for his next creation. Or should he say, their next creation?

His brother was still grumpy about the whole Ozma & Salem situation. He really should lighten up a bit more!

He turned his attention back to the scene playing out in front of him. Another world focused on humans. How original. The gods of this realm called it 'Earthland'. The only difference between the people of Earthland and Remnant was the abundance of magic users. While it is true that the God of Light and the God of Darkness had taken inspiration from the many different forms of magic they'd witnessed to create Semblances, Semblance was drawn from the soul and powered by Aura. Nevertheless, Remnant was seeded with passive magical energy.

The God of Light had gone through much of the history of Earthland and it had much to be desired. Like Remnant, the people of Earthland were selfish, shortsighted, and frankly cruel.

He did find a few humans funny. Like one that tried to flaunt his non-existent beauty, chanting 'Men!'.

One era that the God of Light dubbed the Fairy Tail Era, was special to him. He chose the name because of the guild's presence and uniqueness. Now this was a special group of mortals. They acted as one large family, caring for every member under its roof. Fairy Tail's compassion even spread to many of its enemies–some of which even became part of that found family.

But the most intriguing part of the world was two figures: Mavis and Zeref. Two immortal beings, cursed by their world's gods to spread pain and misery everywhere they went. At least, that's what the God of Light had originally surmised. In truth, Ankhseram, one of this world's many gods, explained the nature of, what it called, a blessing.

Simply put, the more a person loved, the more likely they would kill all dear to them. Not only that, its bearers would slowly become a walking paradox, constantly having conflicting thoughts and behaviors.

Most people would've either been driven insane or become cold, callous killers. But surprisingly enough, neither bearer did. Sure, the one named Zeref indirectly and directly caused the deaths of millions and the other, Mavis, sacrificed thousands for the sake of victory. But, they were changed by each other. Misery was an easy way to bring people together after all.

It was then that the God of Light decided to force his brother to join him.

"Why did you wake me up for this?" the younger one yawned.

"I want your opinion on something," the God of Light quickly explained to the Curse of Ankhseram.

"Wow," the God of Darkness said, almost in awe. "Why didn't we think to do something like that?"

"Because dolt," the God of Light smacked his little brother in the head. "That would've been stupid. But that isn't the point I was trying to make."

"You didn't need to hit me that hard," the God of Darkness grumbled. "And what was your point?"

"Think about it–two immortal beings who once loved each other–who then became the other's bitterest enemy."

"Oh, I see where this is going." the God of Darkness facepalmed. "You don't need to rub it in that I'm not original."

"Will you please let me finish? The two make up after a century!"

"What?"

"Well, one does accidentally kill the other, and then there is this whole war, but they get back together in the end."

"Maybe they could teach Salem and Ozma a thing or two," the God of Darkness mused. "Last I checked, your little champion wasn't doing so well, was he?"

"That's it!" the jab completely flew over the God of Light's head. "We should bring the two to Remnant!"
The God of Darkness deadpanned. "So you want a mentally unstable man, with the power to destroy the world, and an equally mentally fragile woman, who love and hate each other, to fix our problems."

"Yes!"

"Uh, sure. The other problem is that they're both dead."

"Well, can't you revive them?"
"The thing about that is both Zeref and Mavis were reincarnated already. I would have to revive them on their deathbeds."

"Will that be a problem?"

"Hmm, I suppose we could mash their souls together, which decreases the chance this fails."
"And on the bonus side, their reincarnations stay in place!" the God of Light gave a silent fist pump. "So, you agree?"

"Yeah sure, it's not like I have anything else to do. But you need to deal with Ankhseram–he's probably not going to be happy with us stealing his creations."

The older brother waved the younger brother off. "I'll deal with him, just work fast. But I'll get him to part with his precious creations–just you wait."


"He mentioned you in passing. Right before we were sent here."


Mavis opened her eyes, finding herself enveloped in the warmth of her…lover, she supposed; that is what Zeref was to her now.

"Why are we here?" The Black Wizard exited their embrace, eyes scanning their surroundings.

"Where is here?" All Mavis could see was an endless field of clouds. "Have you…been here before?"

Zeref shook his head. "No, but I have read about this place. It is a realm between realms, a transition world between dimensions."

"Then," Mavis poked Zeref's cheek. "You don't feel dead. So-"

"What happened?" he finished before pausing. "I…can still feel the curse."

Now coming down from the emotional high, Mavis could feel the slight pressure pricking at the back of her mind. The cloud beneath them blackened, small cracks forming all around them. "N-no," the girl gripped Zeref's arm, trying to anchor herself. "It's supposed to be gone! so why?!" Hadn't both of them suffered enough already?

Zeref placed a hand behind Mavis's head, pulling her closer. "I…don't know. I feel like this is different."

The Fairy wiped the fresh tears from her eyes. "W-what do you mean?"
"Well," the Spriggan gave a shaky smile. "We aren't dead yet."

"You're right," the truth of their current situation hit Mavis like a freight train.

"I could tell you two why." Zeref and Mavis quickly broke apart, the latter startled by another voice.

The speaker had a humanoid shape, most likely male. However, what set the man apart were the ram horns that sprouted from his head, and the fact he was made of crackling purple energy. It shifted in bright and dark spots, making it harder to look at him.

"Are you Ankhseram?" Mavis and Zeref both asked at the same time.

"Don't compare me to that stone faced doofus," the stranger seemed positively offended. "My brother is distracting him as we speak, so I'll make it quick. I am the God of Darkness, and yes, I am not from your world. Frankly, I would've never bothered resurrecting you two if it wasn't for the God of Light."

"The god of light…is your brother?" Mavis tentatively asked.

"He's a pain in the ass," the God of Darkness huffed. "So yes, he is my older brother."

"Then…" Zeref's eyes took on a hopeful tone. "Could you take our curse away?"

"Nope!" the dark god answered obliviously. "How can I put it…one can't mess with the actions of another god unless the latter gives their permission. And Ankhseram doesn't even know you're still technically alive."

"Wait," the last part of the god's sentence caught Mavis's attention. "Technically?"

"You two do know you reincarnate right? I couldn't revive either of you whole, since both of you were in the transition to rebirth. So I split your souls and mashed them together. Conveniently, both halves matched perfectly as well. Now that I think about it, that never–"

"YOU–" Zeref's eyes glowed red, just as the pressure in Mavis's head began to build. She fell to the ground, clutching her head. The dark cracks in the ground thickened and spread more quickly. "YOU STOLE OUR FUTURE?"

"Z-zeref," Mavis groaned in pain. "Sto–agh!" It felt as if her skull would burst into tiny pieces.

Almost immediately, the pain subsided immensely. "Mavis!" He was at her side in an instant, cradling her head. "I-I'm sorry," he choked out. More tears formed in the corner of his eyes.

Mavis wiped Zeref's eyes with her thumb. "I'm okay now. You don't have to apologize, idiot. You'd never hurt me."

"Oi!" the God of Darkness interjected. "If you'd let me finish, I have a few more things to tell you about this whole soul merger. As you just saw, you both now share…certain emotions and feelings. Pain, for one. Other primal emotions, like sadness, anger, happiness, and something else. Also, that curse of yours? It's much less effective now since you share the curse. Pleasure! That was the last feeling! But would it work like a feedback loo-"

"Finish talking," Zeref growled.

"You guys can also communicate telepathically," the god finished. "I guess technically you two are the same person, so just thinking a reply should work."

"But why?" Mavis was still confused. "What's the motive? Reviving us probably took a lot of effort, right? So why go through all the trouble to do so?"

"Oh, just to make things more interesting," the God of Darkness smirked. "And oh, to fix a mess we may have started. Just…don't mention us when you meet Salem. Ozma's fine to tell, even I despise the man."

"Who?" Zeref asked. Then the floor beneath Mavis and Zeref crumbled out under them, sending them into freefall.

"Waaait!" Mavis yelped as she clung onto Zeref, the wind blowing her hair upwards, causing strands to end up in the mouth. Then she noticed something strange.

"Is the moon shattered?" That had been the first time Mavis accidentally used their shared telepathy.

"Then…this isn't Earthland anymore, is it." It was a statement of fact. An earth-shattering realization. Wait…earth-shattering?

"What'll happen when we hit the ground?" Mavis thought to ask, seconds before the treeline came into view.

"We'll build a future," Zeref simply answered. "Together."