Zeref was running, his theory fleshed out as much as it would ever be to put it to the test. Energy manipulation was not strictly an intended use for magic even if it was a loophole he could exploit. As something powered by energy, manipulating its own source was something it naturally resisted doing. Yet, after hours of focus and re-designing the same spell over and over, his theoretical means of creating an energy-link connection between two wizards was in his hands.

He began to approach the tent, only to freeze at the sight of Lucy hunched over something on the ground. By her side, Erza was sitting down and wrapping an arm over her shoulders. Lyon was standing as still as a statue, unmoving with a blank expression on his face that became more clear as Zeref got closer. The black wizard's pace slowed, halting entirely when he was far enough past Lucy and Erza to see exactly what had them crouched on the ground.

Natsu. His brother was there, unmoving. His brother, covered in soot and buried under some firewood that had gotten tossed around in the attack. No visible signs of injury indicated how he'd died. No visible signs of injury were on his skin but the sheer amount of smoke meant that Zeref didn't have to do much thinking to know the cause. Time was passing on without him and he was far too young for this. It made no sense. It wasn't fair for one so young to just die without warning.

Zeref inhaled sharply, forcing himself to turn away. The memories side by side with the present kept attempting to overlay the two tragedies and treat them as one. That was a different time. He'd suffered for his reaction then. Death…was natural. People lost and they grieved. He'd learned this…accepted it. Yet, his eyes still landed on even strangers reacting to such an event. Wendy was being offered comfort by Eve, mumbling something about how useless she was to help.

The most shocking was likely between Lyon and Juvia. The water mage was certainly crying over the loss and Zeref saw her make an attempt to embrace the winter mage. Yet, Lyon did nothing but stand as still as a statue. It was like he didn't even notice her presence, despite being almost as hyper-aware of her actions as she had been of his. Behind the two of them was the entrance to the tent but he didn't know if he dared to get any closer. Inside…would be Gray.

Every demon was dead now. Ankhseram would be pleased. Yet, the thought rang hollow. There was no pride in this. He'd killed two people to find his own happiness. Really, it was simply a more minor version of his war - this was two lives rather than the thousands that would die in the invasion. He supposed it should comfort him, but it only left himself with a heavy weight in his chest that just wouldn't leave, no matter what he tried to think of.

I've killed my closest companion for this. Zeref stared at his hands, swallowing. Where were his notes anyway? He noticed the book on the grass out of the corner of his eye but disregarded it quickly. When he heard footsteps, he didn't bother looking away. "You dare to come back here?" A harsh voice told him to expect something. "I'll kill you for this!" Icy roses formed, launching towards Zeref. He felt them pierce his skin but his body continued to heal as if nothing had happened.

He…didn't want this. Life had almost been worth continuing for a brief moment. Yet, despite taking the 'correct' path…everything still hurt. Always, he sacrificed for his own gain. Yet, for the loss of curse…that event alone should allow him to lose this sense of isolation. He should be able to embrace people again, but did it even matter? The two people he'd most wanted any level of connection to were gone. He'd…been careless. He thought he had time.

Someone else approached, picking up his notes. He saw a flash of pink and oddly, he found he could care less what she learned from his magic. She could go damn herself like him. At least then, he'd have one person to understand his suffering. She'd become another Mavis, another person just aimlessly wandering and attempting to find an answer on how to be content with their choice.

"You—" Meredy broke off, taking a step back. "This was what I was trying to manage before. You actually—"

"I took too long." His voice was dull, empty even to himself. "My calculations were wrong. He had less time than I'd thought."

"Your calculations were wrong?" Another spell came from Ur. Zeref again allowed the attack to hit, sending him flying back onto the ground. "Is that all you have to say?"

No, it wasn't. He…couldn't do this. Going through this again, losing Natsu and the small measure of peace he'd found…he couldn't do it. Zeref closed his eyes, feeling moisture on his cheeks. Why wasn't it over? Ankhseram had to…no, she wouldn't. Even if she did, the thought of just throwing everything away now made him feel sick. All of this would be meaningless. Acting per Gray's wishes meant he had to live no matter how miserable he was. Yet…if he was going to be miserable…

The thought stirred something in him, even as he refused to allow himself to finish it. This wasn't the plan he intended to use. Out of all of his options, Neo Eclipse should be the one he was contemplating. Yet, at this point, too much had changed. What if he made things worse? As Invel had stated, returning meant facing Acnologia again. It meant risking poor timing with Grimoire Heart if Gray's team refused to find a means other than infiltration for the answers he no longer needed.

No matter the appeal, time travel was not the answer. It never would be, not with the risks involved and the potential for it to change absolutely nothing about his predicament. So, his alternative still remained - taking the known punishment over the unknown risks. Distantly, he felt another attack from Ur, this one stirring him slightly. "Stop." He slowly sat up, his head turning towards Natsu first. It had been ages…but at least Natsu would be simpler, with his book already formed. "I need my energy."

"I'm not—" Zeref teleported her out of his way, sending her to the Alvarez Airship somewhere nearby. Then, he turned towards Natsu and requipped a book into his hand. He held it for just a moment, feeling its deadened energy and stroking the cover softly. Closing his eyes, he debated one last time. Unlike before, he knew the exact consequences for this choice. Any chances of appealing to Ankhseram would vanish in an instant, but in return, he'd have them both back now. It would take mere moments to bring back Natsu and then Gray would come after.

Zeref grimaced, closing his eyes and shaking his head. The book lingered in his palm, gripped tightly as he felt something shudder through him. Gray wanted him to find another answer, a way to end this curse properly. The ice mage had already fought back plenty against any self-sacrificial means of ending the curse - Zeref couldn't imagine him not doing the same now. He could practically hear Gray shouting at him for being an idiot and not thinking through things fully. Hadn't he learned some measure of patience in the last four centuries? Neo Eclipse…it was by no means the easy path, but it was an option that he'd been granted permission to use.

Zeref let the arm holding the book fall to the ground. He slumped forward, kneeling on the ground and closing his other hand into a fist as he sent the book of E.N.D. back into his requip space. "I'm sorry. I've failed them both."

Startled, Lucy looked up for a moment. "You…but you can help them, right?" Tears keep falling down her cheeks as she turned towards him. "That's…your specialty. Natsu can just be brought back and Gray—"

"Lucy." Erza was quiet, kneeling next to the celestial wizard and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Our goal was to appeal to Ankhseram to end this curse. As painful as this may be, we cannot take the path of black magic to solve our problems," Erza began with a rough voice. Looking over at Zeref, the scarlet haired wizard narrowed her eyes. "You had a back-up plan for this scenario. A time travel spell, correct?"

Taking a deep breath, Zeref slowly adjusted his position on the ground until he was seated. "Neo Eclipse." His eyes flickered over towards Lyon and Juvia. "I'm…not entirely certain if this was the scenario Chronos had imagined when he gave me permission to seek it out. However…I also cannot sit idly by and do nothing."

"Is Zeref confident it will work?" Juvia turned towards him, her gaze meeting his calmly. "Juvia does not wish to give her beloved hope when there is none."

Zeref's eyes locked on Natsu, motionless on the ground. The body needs to be preserved. If he could buy enough time, he'd be able to— A headache flashed through him and Zeref pressed a hand to his head. He took a few moments, counting his breaths to fall into a meditative state to at least clear some of the memories. It did nothing to ease the whirlwind of emotions surging through him. Rage at himself, for failing them. Guilt, for not acting. Misery, from the loss of the few companions he had left to care for. Fear, for he had no way of predicting the full impacts of Neo Eclipse.

As he inhaled again, he tried to push it all away. That numb focus from the airship before was what he needed now. Neo Eclipse…he needed to be Emperor Spriggan, the leader who would conquer Fairy Tail and claim Fairy Heart for himself. After another moment passed, he opened his eyes and focused on the water mage. "Hope matters little in regards to this spell - I will be the only one involved in its use."

"No way." Lucy glared at him. "I'm not going to just sit back and do nothing when you have a plan to bring back my friends!"

Nodding, Erza folded her arms over her chest. "Our team remains, Zeref. Gray fought hard to make us work together. He insisted we were allies, that we could be friends, if we overlooked your past and focused on your present." The woman looked over at him and narrowed her eyes. "Are you going to act so disrespectfully towards him now? Will you refuse to embrace the comrades he thought you deserved to have?"

Swallowing, Zeref looked at the ground. He couldn't bring himself to speak. Yet, another hoarse voice joined in instead. "Gray wouldn't let you do this alone." Lyon paused, slowly turning to stare at him. "I've worked with you longer than anyone else here, Zeref. You are prideful, arrogant, and refuse to let others offer their own opinions on your goals. If you think for one moment that we're going to just sit on the sidelines - that I will - you are gravely mistaken."

Inhaling slowly, Zeref looked up and stared at the remaining members of Gray's team. "Are you certain? I cannot say what this will entail." He paused, his brow furrowing. "While Fairy Heart may be one component I can resolve more peacefully than I had originally planned, I cannot say that alone would allow me to avoid war for what I need."

"Juvia will do whatever it takes to help her beloved and his friends."

A faint smile flickered on Erza's face. "We've become quite used to your extreme tactics, Zeref. Fairy Tail will be here to assist you as Gray once did, ensuring you do not take your plans too far even if it is for the sake of undoing this tragedy."

"What do you think would trigger a war anyway?" Lucy asked.

Slowly, Zeref rose to his feet and forced himself to not look at Natsu. If he looked, the calm would vanish instantly. "That is now dependent on the location of the time rift." Pausing for a moment, Zeref let his eyes drift back out towards the camp. "Dimaria and Ultear should be of some assistance with that."

"And after we have its location?" Lyon frowned. "You do realize we know nothing of this spell, correct? While we are going to help, I would appreciate having some idea of a plan in mind."

He considered for a moment, tilting his head. The time rift would be ideal to secure down, but once found, there was no telling when it moved again. "Fairy Heart first." He looked over at the others. "I suppose it is time for us to appeal to Mavis. She remained in Fiore, correct?"

"Right. Fairy Tail was going to reform and try to help the royal family work on rebuilding things." Lucy slowly rose to her feet.

Erza did the same, looking over at Zeref. "We need to gather our full team before leaving. Are you able to help find Ur? You were the one who sent her away." He nodded, inhaling slowly and not meeting her gaze. "Good. We will gather the others and meet you at the airship." He heard their footsteps as they began to leave, in motion again now that a plan had been provided. Zeref felt cold, that numbness lingering as he kept his back towards the tent. He would fix his mistakes, no matter what it took.

Ur should have known this would happen. From the moment she'd been freed from iced shell, she'd seen the type of person Zeref was. He would threaten people's lives to manipulate others and he wasn't afraid of making sacrifices for his goals. No matter how friendly he pretended to be, Ur should never have forgotten that first impression. If she hadn't, maybe then she would have fought more to stop this. Maybe then Gray would still be alive.

Letting out an angry shout, Ur found herself running through the camp. That damn black wizard thought he could get rid of her so easily but she wasn't ready to give up. He'd had the magic necessary to save Gray. She'd heard him admit it; selfishly, the man had refused. Ur would never be able to understand how he could prioritize some deal over Gray's life. Then again, she supposed he prioritized almost anything over people's lives. It was just part of who that man was and this time, she wouldn't forget it.

She saw a flash of black in the distance and slowed down, readying her magic. She pressed her hands together, preparing to attack just like before. The dark wizard paused when he saw her, standing still as he watched her magic activate. Vines of ice rapidly extended from where she stood, curling and forming patterns as she extended them until they pierced through the man's body.

Zeref let out a grunt, coughing as Ur pulled the attack back and prepared another. She moved closer for this one, creating razor sharp flower petals that flew through the air. Small yet numerous, she watched as cuts began to form and instantly heal on the black wizard's body. "I'm not going to give up, damn it. I'm—"

"Going to kill me?" Zeref met her gaze, breathing heavily. "Is that what Gray would have wanted?"

Letting out a shout, Ur clasped her hands together again. "Shut up! Don't you dare pretend to care about him, not now." Widening her stance, she cast another spell. "Ice Make: Tree!" A massive tree of ice began to grow, its branches extending towards Zeref. They wrapped around him, forming a cage to keep him immobilized. "Ice Make: Thorns!" Growing on the branches, spiky edges began to coat the cage already tightly hugging Zeref's body. She smiled as she saw red staining his white sash. His sharp intake of breath was the only sound he allowed to show the pain he had to be in.

"I'm…not giving up…yet." Zeref's dark eyes met hers. "Have you forgotten our back up plan, Ur?"

Snorting, Ur stepped closer. "Like I'd ever let you go through with that now. For all I know, this is just an excuse you can use to manipulate others into getting what you want." Her eyes locked on his. "You'll abandon Gray in favor of reliving your childhood. Don't you dare tell me you aren't considering it."

She kept her body tense, ready to fight. Yet, her attacks halted for the time being. She could feel her energy was draining already and for now, she would wait until she saw a better opportunity to keep going. It wasn't like anything he had to say would stop her, not now. "I won't." Zeref met her gaze calmly, grimacing as he remained pierced by the thorn-covered tree. "But I will not…just let him die either."

Stepping closer, Ur narrowed her eyes. "I told you, you damn monster…don't lie to me!" A blast of cold air lashed outward, freezing the ground beneath his feet. "You already stood back and let him die, Zeref. You knew how to save him and you refused."

"The others are already—"

"The others weren't there when you used me to manipulate Gray into taking your twisted deal!" She glared at him. "They aren't wise enough to see just how deceptive others are. A guild like theirs…one that values friendship and bonds like that…" Ur sighed, running a hand through her hair. "It doesn't surprise me to see that they ended up being far too trusting."

"Then don't trust me," Zeref said. "Attack me as much as you wish. Try to kill me, trap me in iced shell if you want." His dark eyes landed on hers. "But first…allow me to propose a…compromise of sorts, to see if we can manage to at least work together towards sav—something."

"Another damn deal?" Ur felt an ache in her chest. She could still see Gray's body, looking like he was just sleeping. She hadn't even noticed anything changed just by looking at him, not at first. If he…hadn't taken any deals with Zeref, he wouldn't have been there. All of this, it was all Zeref's fault. "I—"

"You will be the one to travel back, Ur." Zeref spoke before she could speak. "That, is what I want to propose."

"Oh?" She folded her arms over her chest. "So, you think I'll just trust you to use some unknown spell on me?"

"Neo Eclipse cannot be cast on another person." Zeref met her eyes. "I…I would be…teaching you how to use the spell yourself." After a moment, he looked away. "You would have complete control over when you arrived, how you react to try and prevent Gray from becoming a devil slayer…" He closed his eyes. "For all I care, you can announce to everyone that I will be personally responsible for his death. Separate us then and don't allow anything to continue…really, the details don't matter. Just do whatever it takes to ensure Gray doesn't learn that magic."

"This…you have to be joking. Tricking me in some way - you'll…teach me the wrong spell."

"You can verify the details with your daughter, if that reassures you." Zeref inhaled slowly. "Honestly, it likely doesn't matter how many people learn of the proper methods of casing the spell. If someone is going to use Neo Eclipse, no one will remember it except the person who uses it."

"And what's the catch?" Ur narrowed her eyes. "Suppose I do agree and Ultear does verify the spell will do what you say it will. You cannot make me think you're doing this for nothing, Zeref."

"You'll…never quite believe me, I think." The black wizard kept his eyes on the ground. "Regardless…my goal isn't that far from yours, Ur. I don't know how to convince you of that, but I truly do not want Gray to be dead. Loss…isn't something I handle well."

Staring at him, Ur frowned. "You say that like you actually care."

"Because I do." Zeref was quiet. "It…really, it comes down to a variant on the impossible question of ethics people often toy around with. Do nothing and you guarantee your current path leads to the death of the few. Act and you can save the few at the cost of many." He finally looked up, his eyes meeting hers. "My curse will not stop killing simply because I attempted to act selflessly, Ur. If I deviate away from this path, from appeasing Ankhseram's wishes, I will keep killing. Saving Gray…I'm not giving up on that task, but I cannot take the path I'm known for to accomplish that."

"What, you think we were just going to stop if this one path failed? If you saved him, we would have kept—"

"How many would have died between now and finding that answer?" Zeref interrupted. "Even if such an alternative option existed…I do not hold any confidence that answer would be found soon." His eyes locked on hers. "Hate me if you must for this, but I…I cannot say I know which option was correct. I…I truly thought I could find a third path. Time was against me and I was not fast enough."

Swallowing, Ur stared at him and inhaled slowly. "You…you…" She broke off, unable to say anything. The burning rage was fading and as she stared at him, the more she started to notice details on his expression. He was calm as usual, acting just as arrogant as before in his plans. Yet, there was still the tension in his body from the pain caused by her cage. There was an emptiness in his eyes, almost as if he had already resigned himself to her refusal.

Ur took another deep breath. "Regardless of if you think I'll believe it or not, I still want an answer." She took one more step closer. "Why exactly are you so determined to move forward with this time travel plan of yours, regardless of who uses that spell of yours?"

"Because I do not want to continue living without them." Zeref gave her a small smile. "Natsu and Gray…are two of the only people I still cared for in this world. If I have any path to bringing them back, regardless of how it is accomplished, I will move towards it."

He was grouping Gray in with his own brother. She supposed she'd seen some signs of it previously in the way Zeref kept his distance from both of them so extensively. Plus, there were all of the unheard conversations between him and Gray. That connection had always made her uncomfortable and she couldn't deny the instinct to try and find some hint that he was lying about it now. Still, he had nothing to gain at this point by lying. Ur couldn't say she'd ever actually heard him lie, no matter how much she kept expecting one to come.

Taking a slow breath, she nodded. With a wave of her hand, the icy tree melted away and freed him. "Then I suppose we do have something we can agree on after all, Zeref." Folding her arms over her chest, she watched him. The black wizard was hunched over on the ground, healing from the wounds she'd given him. "Because there's no way I'm letting either of my students go and die before me. So, you better damn well be telling the truth when you say you can teach me that spell of yours."

"It…won't be easy." Zeref was rising to his feet. "Not that I won't teach you the spell…but it is advanced time magic. Not even Dimaria knows of how to use it and her magic was sourced from Chronos himself."

"Then it sounds like we should get started sooner rather than later." Ur placed a hand on her hip. "So, what exactly is Neo Eclipse?"

The black mage met her gaze and remained silent for a moment. Then, he sighed and nodded. "An updated version of the Eclipse Gate spell, altered to avoid the use of celestial magic and a door constructed of…very specific materials to channel the appropriate magic." He tilted his head. "As a replacement for the door, a…different mechanism is required to serve as a portal of sorts through time. This is the first condition we are lacking for its casting now - a time rift."

"That doesn't sound like a good thing."

"It isn't." Zeref smiled at her. "One does exist, but it is an anomaly for a reason." He sighed. "The location is constantly shifting - we will want to find it the moment we intend to cast the spell."

"That tells me nothing about how to cast it."

"I'm starting with explaining prerequisites to casting it for a reason." Zeref raised his eyebrows at her. "This spell requires outside components to be woven into its casting - explaining the magic circles involved and the means of guiding it to the proper time will mean nothing if you cannot grasp how to draw on the time rift during the process of using the spell."

"Fine, fine." Ur sighed. "What else?"

"Well…the remaining issue is one of energy." Zeref began walking towards the airship behind him. "That is actually what we will be resolving first, once the others join us. In its original form…energy wasn't an issue. Technically speaking, it was fueled by the energy of two wizards, two eclipses, and twenty four zodiac spirits. Half of those numbers would be on each side of the gate for fueling it - for Neo Eclipse, there is no such process. Only one wizard must somehow manage to piece together that level of energy at a minimum for casting. And I do mean minimum - the alterations to remove celestial magic increase the energy cost of the spell even further, not to mention the added energy for manifesting a physical 'portal' by expanding the size of a rift in time."

"That sounds almost impossible."

"It is why I required a war to cast it." Zeref met her gaze calmly. "Fairy Tail is in possession of something known as Fairy Heart. It is, in essence, a source of unlimited magic. Knowledge of its existence is what pushed me to create this spell in the first place - when energy isn't a concern, I could design it to my ideal scenario."

"So, the complexities lie in drawing on some outside energy source for casting along with using a time rift as almost a teleportation-like mechanism for the spell?"

Zeref frowned, before shrugging. "I…suppose that is close enough for now." He looked over towards the camp. "The others are arriving now though. We will continue this later." He looked over at her. "Unless you want them to hear the same instructions."

"What, and start the fight over who all gets to go back?" Ur shook her head. "I've worked with them long enough to know it'll just cause more problems." She stared at him, narrowing his eyes. "At this point, I'm the only one I trust to knock some sense into Gray and bring him back to his guild safely before this mess even had the chance to begin."

"Before…" Zeref frowned. "You intend to return to the moment I reversed iced shell?"

"And this time, I won't just run off after Ultear." She met his gaze. "My daughter will still be waiting for me if I stop and make sure Gray has nothing to do with you first."

"I…" He hesitated. "Ur, at that time, I was not—"

"Heya guys! Looks like you found Ur without too many problems." Lucy nodded over at the ice mage, interrupting the conversation. Behind her, Erza, Lyon, Juvia, and Meredy were following. "Meredy wanted someone to watch things around here - she said Eve and Wendy could handle it so this should be everyone coming on our side."

Zeref kept watching Ur. After a moment, he slowly turned away. "We will…discuss this later. I…may have some advice for you, given that plan," Zeref said. Ur nearly snapped back at him to insist that he should stay out of it. Then, she blinked as she realized his phrasing. He was offering help, supposedly, not insisting she go to a time a bit closer to now. "I will be contacting Dimaria, at the very least, for this task. Some of the other generals may be following as well, knowing their current issues."

He walked off to contact his generals, leaving Ur alone with the rest of the team. Lyon had dark circles under his eyes as he walked towards her. "Are you sure you're okay with this?" Lyon was quiet. "I know you've had reservations about him in the past and I cannot imagine that…this makes things easier."

"I've come to an agreement of sorts with him." Ur looked over at Lyon, reaching out and patting his shoulder. "Are you holding up alright? It isn't like you've been given the chance to process."

"I don't want to sit around doing nothing either." Lyon shook his head. "It wouldn't change anything and it wouldn't help bring him back."

"That isn't an answer, Lyon."

The young ice mage held his head high. "I'm not…upset over this. Gray was a rival to surpass. And…" His hands began to shake by his sides as he swallowed, cutting off his words. "He…this shouldn't bother me. I am doing just fine."

"Lyon." Ur squeezed his shoulder. "It is okay to miss him, you know? This mission, the whole idea that we'll bring him back…it doesn't change that he's gone. And the whole rivalry between the two of you doesn't change that you two lived together while you trained under me. It doesn't change the fact that you two were and still are good friends."

"Brothers," Lyon choked out. "In every way that counts. Gray…is the closet thing I'll ever have to such a thing. The only person I could likely consider family without getting punched."

She flinched, recalling her harsh reaction to a much younger Lyon insisting he was replacing Ultear in her life. Lyon had been important to her, but the pain of losing Ultear had always been a sore spot. "Lyon will never be completely alone." Juvia spoke up, taking his hand. "He has Juvia and he has this new team of friends. No matter where Lyon goes, they will be available to help if he needs it."

Lyon nodded, inhaling slowly. He turned towards Ur, giving her a nod. "It…isn't okay. But we must keep moving forward. I won't let these feelings interfere with our chance to bring him back."

Reaching over, she wrapped an arm over his shoulders, pulling him into a hug. "Right now, you don't have to be moving." She rubbed his arm gently. "We're waiting for more people anyway. So, for now, let yourself feel. Bottling up these feelings is only going to make it worse later, Lyon."

Slowly, the white haired mage began to close his eyes. Ur felt warm moisture soak into her jacket as he let himself cry quietly by her side. She kept patting his arm, looking over at his friends to see Lucy rubbing at her own eyes next to Erza. Meredy was patting Lucy's shoulder while the requip mage stared off into the campsite with a distant look in her eyes. No one was really in a proper emotional place to deal with this sort of task right now. Yet, when Gray's life was on the line, Ur couldn't help but agree with Lyon when he insisted that this grief would not be enough to stop them from moving forward.