"How did you even find us here?" Lyon asked. "Last I heard, you intended to remain at that camp in Alvarez."

"We were having a discussion." Ankhseram started walking, guiding them towards one of the larger buildings in the frozen village. Zeref could only assume this was the place Invel had stumbled across years ago. That fact was confirmed when they walked inside and found themselves surrounded by people frozen in statues. "That discussion has since ended and reached a conclusion. Since none of you were anywhere to be seen, I could only assume what this idiot was up to." She gestured towards Zeref vaguely with a waving hand.

"Perhaps it is not entirely his fault. I was not clear about what circumstances this plan was to be used for," Chronos said.

Closing his hands into fists by his sides, Zeref let out a slow breath. "No, you were not." He looked between the gods before scanning over his current team. The odds were not in their favor, if they attempted something now, not if Ankhseram had anything remotely close to her former power. "Yet, you seem to be attempting to take back the permission you granted now."

"It was not intended to be a means to undo death." Chronos watched him calmly. "You should have been quite aware that magic relating to such things is not my area of expertise. Permissions I grant are solely for those risking interference over time; once motivations shift, I alone cannot grant such exceptions."

"This is the type of thinking that got you into this mess in the first place," Sora added. "Did you really think it was smart to move forward with it?"

Looking at the ground, Zeref frowned. "It…I suspected you would not be pleased." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Even so, I had some measure of agreement with my methods, unlike my other options."

Snorting, Ankhseram shook her head. "Yeah, so you took advantage of the situation." The god of death leaned against one of the frozen statues, narrowing her eyes. "Have you ever taken a moment to think of how the people you resurrect might react to even the slightest of mistakes in your magic? Considered a situation in which their memories weren't perfect at the time of resurrection? Or perhaps you accidentally called back the wrong soul with your spell?"

"Hardly." Zeref shrugged. "If something went wrong, I had the necessary tools to unravel my creation and start over."

"It isn't always that simple." Ankhseram took a step closer. "Let's say…it was Natsu this happened with. Suppose the spell went wrong and warped his personality." The god met his gaze. "I am aware you have some degree of control over such things - you could attempt to restart and manipulate it to better align with your memories. Yet, at that point, is it truly the same person? Or would he be just another demon, with a personality of your own making?"

With his expression hardening, Zeref met Ankhseram's eyes. "Natsu is different. I—"

"This is the same situation, Zeref." Ankhseram took a seat, shaking her head. "Back then, it was just him. Now, it's him and yet another person you can't let go of. People like you…people with your knowledge combined with this refusal to grieve and move forward, they are always some of the most dangerous. They'll never learn their lesson until it directly harms them and in your case, even that does not seem to be enough to get you to understand the consequences."

"Wouldn't that make time travel a safer method?" Ur frowned. "There'd be no risk of them returning as anyone other than themselves."

Chronos shook his head. "Altering time comes with its own risks." He looked over at Ankhseram for a moment. After sharing a look, Chronos nodded and turned back towards them. "Rewriting history can create anomalies that are nearly impossible to stabilize. While I was still learning more about my own talents, I nearly destroyed this world with such a thing. Even now, I cannot say my solution was ideal to handle the problem."

"Wait, you're saying you found a way to stabilize that time rift thing everyone's been talking about?" Lucy blinked at him. "I was getting the impression that this time rift thing was pretty dangerous."

Nodding, the god of time gave her a small smile. "It is. I had to replicate this entire world in an effort to isolate its damage. Even then, the anomaly triggered unusual effects on this alternate dimension. Random disappearances, unstable means of energy, unusual mutations in specific forms of wildlife…ultimately, what was originally an exact copy became a distinct location that only offered more chances to worsen the problem I could not fully eliminate."

"How would making another world stabilize such a thing?" Meredy frowned. "That doesn't really make sense. Wouldn't a rift in time need some form of time magic instead?"

The elderly god shrugged. "As simple as such an answer would seem, the matter itself is far more complex." He tilted his head. "Consider the impacts of such a rift - it connects all timelines together into a singular point, through which matter can pass through. Time as a dimension is not intended to have such a physical manifestation - oddities occur as a result. New people appear from thin air, others vanish without warning, and history itself would randomly shift and align with events in an alternate timeline. While its physical presence could not be eliminated, its…energy and natural force could be directed elsewhere. The dimension I created was intended to be a mere false fabrication that would absorb its impact. I never expected the beings inside of it to survive, yet it was not an impossibility for such a thing to occur."

Nodding, Erza frowned. "I see. So, using magic intended for time travel would risk unraveling what you had done to divert its energy away from Earthland."

"I'm sorry." Mavis lowered her head. "I didn't realize just how much it would risk to help them. When I offered to help, I thought it would do nothing more than help my guild bring back their friends."

Ankhseram nodded at her. "It isn't you that I thought would need such details to convince." Her eyes turned back towards Zeref. "We had to create an entirely new dimension to handle the distortion you are attempting to toy around with. If you think I am going to calmly sit back and allow this absurdity to continue, you're wrong. It isn't too late to pause and consider your actions, Zeref." The woman folded her hands into her lap. "Do you truly wish to remain cursed for another four centuries? Would you like me to let your companions join you in such torment? Because while I may not be at my full strength, I assure you, I have plenty of power to punish all of you for fighting against what rightfully should have happened."

"He shouldn't be punished for my actions!" Zeref slammed a fist into the ground. "I created demons. Without me, devil slayer magic itself would be impossible to have." He stepped closer to Ankhseram. "His death was triggered by an unnatural force already. How is that something that was intended? What 'greater balance' do you gods think you are preserving by stopping me from rectifying what I've done?"

"Zeref, please calm—" Sora broke off when Ankhseram held out a hand.

Rising to her feet again, the god of death looked up to meet Zeref's eyes. "Contrary to popular belief, gods do not fight to preserve anything. We are not all-powerful, all-knowing beings that can prevent every catastrophe. We do not exist simply to 'smite down' those who deviate from what we think is right." She stepped closer, giving Zeref a dark smile. "All we've ever attempted to really do is live in peace and survive. Eventually, I realized that those goals were mutually exclusive - I chose peace over survival and had every intention of letting our race die, Zeref."

Inhaling sharply, Zeref glared at her. "Then why? What purpose does this curse serve? Why care if dead wizards come to life? If new lifeforms are created?"

"Because." Ankhseram looked away, folding her arms over her chest. "As I explained before, resurrection is not a perfect art. First and foremost, resurrected beings don't absorb ethernano as you've already learned. Their alternative energy source, their makeshift 'magic'… is deadly to all living creatures. Gods, giants, dragons, humans…all of us will die at the hands of this created race."

Before he could object further, Ankhseram was continuing. "Secondly, they are difficult to manage. As hard as you may try, as focused as you may be, there are simply some things you cannot predict or control about those that come back to life." Ankhseram gestured to the room around her. "See this room? See these people here?" Zeref frowned, staring at the people trapped in an icy curse around them. "I told you before this was a curse cast by a god named Yuki. That was true." Ankhseram sighed. "But, as I said when I first ran into you, I have a much longer story to share to hopefully open your eyes to the dangers of what you continuously toy around with, Zeref."

Slowly, he nodded and took a seat on the ground. The rest of the group gradually began to do the same, keeping their distance from Zeref and his curse. Ankhseram paused for a moment before turning towards him with a sigh. "This story takes place long before you were born, before the Dragon's War and before the War Against the Gods. At some point in time before all of it…a girl came into existence. She didn't know anything other than her name, but as she traveled, she found others knew more about herself than she did. They called her a god and feared her presence. Where she went, death followed. When she left, plants would bloom and new life would be born. For years, she could not control this mysterious gift. It wasn't until she found others like her that she began to learn. She found friends, fell in love, and began to truly become happy once she realized she was not alone."

"As she learned, the fear lessened. People would ask her for favors, humans and dragons alike. Wanting to maintain the peace between the magical races, she would grant them all." Ankhseram met Zeref's gaze. "Healing, killing, bringing the dead back to life…the god would do it all and ask for nothing in return. Eventually, people had new requests - rather than wanting her to bring back the dead, they wanted to learn how to copy her abilities. Considering them to be friends, she turned to the human she trusted the most and made her first attempt to be a teacher."

"The human wizard struggled and failed, despite her teacher. In response, the god took a new approach and granted the human a gift - a sliver of her own magic, imparted onto the wizard." Ankhseram's gaze turned distant. "She was able to bring plants to life immediately and ran off to show off her strength to her village. Pleased with her work, the god left her alone and returned to her own kind, forgetting the incident and enjoying her peaceful existence with the others like her."

"Like all things, the peace did not last." Ankhseram's gaze hardened. "My partner, the love I had found…he went missing. For years, we searched. Eventually, we began to make the assumption that gods were able to vanish from existence just as suddenly as they could appear. I grieved, assuming him to be dead. Yet, I questioned if perhaps there was a way to bring him back. If I could find his body, I knew it would be possible. So, I left the others on this selfish quest to save him."

"The journey brought me to the human village where my student lived. As a whole, the town itself was relatively poor. They were a farming village in the northern regions, where rocky soil and sudden drops in temperature often killed their harvests." Ankhseram's hands were tightly clasped together in her lap. "When I arrived, the town was celebrating. I asked someone what the festival was for…and was told they were celebrating the end of the harsh cold they'd always suffered through."

"In the center of town, a stage had been built. My old friend had been there, crowned and praised as if she were their new god. She had been smiling, looking oh-so-happy that day." Ankhseram gave a dark smile. "By her side, Yuki was strung up on a pillar, dangling in the air for all to see. The human I'd shared my magic with had used it to kill him. That…was the day I realized that gods possessed the power to kill each other, if they chose. Gods could also grant humans the same ability, based on the demonstration in front of me. Humans…who put forth so little effort to understand the true source of their issues. They sought to blame others so when they became aware of the existence of a God of Winter, they killed him."

"I nearly killed them all in an instant. Yet, fear made me choose a more subtle route." Ankhseram met Zeref's gaze. "When the festival ended, I stole Yuki's body back in the darkness. As much as I disliked what they had done, I could at least attempt to understand. They'd proven my magic would be able to affect my own kind too - no real harm was done since I could simply bring him back."

"I took Yuki to the forest beyond the human kingdom, not quite back home but isolated enough that I felt safe enough to bring him back. Yuki cried when he came back and clung to me, shaking and unable to speak for more time than I can recall. I assumed it to be shock, from the memory of dying. It seemed reasonable and after a few days of resting, he seemed to be back to his normal self. We agreed to travel back to our home together and I thought that was the end of it."

Taking a slow breath, Ankhseram shook her head. "It was far from over. When we returned, my entire home had been abandoned. Neither of us could find any signs of those we'd lived with for centuries. Yet…I did find one thing. The fallen body of another god was inside of one of the homes. It was a gruesome sight - nothing natural could have managed to cause such damage."

"Yuki reacted far more strongly than I did when he saw it. He began to mumble about monsters and insisted that we leave immediately. Wanting to calm him, I followed." Ankhseram sighed. "We ended up here, creating this kingdom of ice for just us. Humans followed eventually and we coexisted in peace. Yuki smiled more and seemed happy. We were together, even if the others were never quite found."

"It took years for me to realize just how mistaken I was. When it comes to those we care for, seeing signs of anything problematic is always difficult to manage." Ankhseram shook her head. "I was woken one day to the sound of laughter. It was…different than usual. Unhinged, in a way. Yuki was laughing, grinning wildly and insisting that he'd finally found a way to stop the crazed humans from abusing the gifts given to them by the gods. He insisted that he'd found a way to stop them all and defend our kind. When I was finally awake enough to see what I was referring to, I was staring at this very room…and the frozen statues of the humans that were once our peaceful neighbors and friends."

Zeref looked around the room, seeing the people staring at them. He knew what that state was like; all of them would be able to hear every word Ankhseram had to share. He couldn't imagine what was going through their minds, seeing her again. Were they angry? Exhausted? Perhaps it was closer to a parallel of his own past with his teachers and peers - a level of understanding, anger, and fear mixed into one.

"Others inevitably found the village and what Yuki had been done. Legends of the God of Winter turned harsh, labeling him as a god even more dangerous and deadly than me. Yuki reveled in his reputation - I didn't know if the change was my own doing or if something else had triggered it. Regardless, if things continued…the peace would not last." Her eyes met Zeref's calmly. "I recalled how at least one wizard had my magic out there. I knew others had shared their magic as well, hoping it would ensure closer relations. War…it would be more dangerous than the gods were prepared for. We hardly knew what we were in the first place, let alone how to fight. All we wanted was to just coexist without issues. It was humans who decided we were more than that."

Ankhseram closed her eyes. "The first attack began before I could make any decisions on how to act. They came for Yuki first…targeting his isolated icy nation. None of their weapons could destroy his ice. In desperation, I fought by his side, killing countless wizards who thought they had the right to end his life. Cold and death became synonymous for the time being…but the war expanded. Other settlements of gods became hated, their worshippers turning against the 'deities' that were 'controlling' them. None of our kind was safe."

"It didn't take long for humans to realize their usual magic was useless against us. They appealed to the dragons for help in their conflict, a race that often kept to themselves. Seeing an opportunity to replace gods as the one that held the humans' respect…ultimately, they agreed to such an allegiance." Ankhseram grimaced. "Even dragons failed to harm us, but they held certain resistances to our magics. When they got involved, battles would wage for months with neither side making progress. As conflicts began to strain more and more kingdoms, more worshippers turned against the gods and joined in the conflict. Eventually…those that possessed gifts from us joined in. They found Yuki and killed him for the second time, when I was too slow to react."

She looked over at Zeref. "God Slayers…that became their name. The most powerful of them all was the one I'd made. With Yuki gone, I followed those rumors, seeking out the general known for leading an army of monsters. I found them eventually and discovered exactly what sort of creatures living magic can make." Her eyes locked on Zeref. "Countless gods were dead on a battlefield with a single human laughing at the destruction she was causing. Rather than targeting her, I focused on defending the remaining survivor…Chronos."

Ankhseram inhaled deeply, shaking her head. "My choice to bring back Yuki…her choice to create living creatures and toy around with death magic…both choices combined triggered that war, Zeref. If it were not for me, things would be quite different." She stared down at her lap. "It took years for Chronos and myself to come up with a plan to put an end to it. Neither of us had any idea how many gods were left. All we knew…was that it was too late to save our kind. If people were going to destroy us anyway, we'd ensure that those who had our magic died with us. So, we began to teach each other. Chronos gave me insight on the timeline, trying to show me spells that would allow me to identify people who believed in the existence of gods. I showed him how to impart his magic onto others, how to heal, and how to defend himself with death if needed."

"Not letting him take on the burden, I alone enacted the plan. Targeting that belief, I killed anyone who still thought gods were real. Most of the humans that remained were those that lived in remote regions, or those too young to truly learn of other races. Of course, the spell wasn't perfect - some survivors remained to know the truth."

"Like me," Dimaria said quietly. "Not that it mattered much. It wasn't like I was participating in the war anyway."

The god of death nodded at her. "The war made me and those that remained wary. Without belief, our power was greatly diminished." She focused on Zeref with a dark smile. "So, we began to devise means of defending ourself against potential threats. A…government of sorts formed amongst us. Chronos and I were elected as leaders, by default of us being the ones responsible for the situation we were in. Together, we created curses and spread rumors amongst the remaining humans of what would happen if we were angered. Gods weren't real…but old books and stories remained and could be altered as needed to fit our needs."

Her eyes locked on Zeref. "The Curse of Contradictions was born as our main means of defense. Should humans toy around with dangerous magic, the human causing the threat would instead be the source of death for their own kind. They were granted a unique form of immortality to ensure that others could not kill them until the threat from that individual and those around them had been minimized. Usually, its duration was short as I've explained before." Her eyes locked on Zeref. "As time went on, I grew weaker and less able to remove it. So…if you want a true answer as to why your curse exists, why you shouldn't toy around with any of this…the answer isn't anything as grand as you're imagining." She met his eyes calmly. "Simply put, my goal is to die peacefully without seeing another war target what remains of my kind. Resurrection has been proven to trigger more conflicts than it resolves…and I am not willing to let others make the same mistake I made."

"Your circumstances were unique," August said quietly. "Understandable, but highly unlikely to be recreated. His majesty has refined his means of resurrection since then."

She snorted. "Hardly. He's managed to do nothing more than create a mimicry of the real thing." Her eyes focused on Zeref. "That curse may simulate some of our abilities but it isn't anything like the magic of a god slayer."

Taking a slow breath, Zeref closed his eyes. A few of the others started to chime in, most confused as to how such a fear translated into the gods intervening now. Yet…Zeref understood. Past mistakes often influenced future decisions. Zeref knew this from experience, always feeling an irrational irritation with those who attempted to learn about his magic after Mavis was cursed. It was why he'd been so insistent on investigating the R-System when he'd seen it so long ago, even if it had no actual impact on their goals at the time.

Resurrecting Gray and Natsu would not trigger a war directly. However, there was the chance of unpredictability in either path they chose. Perhaps time travel would trigger some unforeseen event after changing the past. Perhaps Gray would have a bit too much of a demon's nature after resurrection, growing impulsive and violent without warning. No matter how hard he tried, Zeref couldn't be completely confident that the seal would block all of the changes a true transformation into a demon would have.

His chest ached at the thought and his eyes burned. They truly were gone then. If…if he accepted this was not an option, that was all that was left. Lowering his gaze, Zeref stared at his hands. This hollowness in him would be all he had. Gray's team would blame him for giving up and ultimately hate him for buying into Ankhseram's story. True, he'd still have his generals…but he'd spent too much time distancing himself from them. Changing that mindset to try and see them as friends…it would be uncomfortable at best, if he could even manage to force himself to think of them differently.

So, he'd be left with no one then. Perhaps he could start over elsewhere, with his curse gone, but the thought only made his body feel heavier. Maybe he'd follow Lyon on whatever path he was taking…but that would also mean following Juvia. The idea, while amusing at first, did not seem to feel right for the long-term. Really, did he even have a place even if his curse was gone? He had an entire empire to rule over, but Alvarez had never truly been a home.

A few small tears dropped onto his palms, warming his skin. He did nothing to wipe away the moisture, just letting more fall silently into his lap. This…was the price of freedom. He could have exactly what he'd been fighting for over this entire journey with Gray. Ankhseram would still forgive him, if he accepted this as the truth. If he didn't…either option held the same outcome. Time travel and living magic were both motivated by the same desire to just…not be alone.

"August." Zeref spoke quietly, interrupting whatever debate had been ongoing around them. "I'm tired. I would like to return." Those that were not from Alvarez turned towards him with wide eyes. He could hear Ur starting to shout objections. Lucy's brown eyes began to water while Erza and Meredy both kept stern, calm expressions on their faces. Lyon's hand clenched into a fist by his side and Juvia reached out to grab it gently. Despite all of their reactions, Zeref turned away. He didn't speak or offer anything further on the subject. Right now, he just wanted to rest and forget about all of this. Maybe things would make more sense in his dreams. Maybe, he'd be able to think through this mess better once he was well-rested and not rushing through a desperate plan formed from a haze of grief, guilt, and fear.