I have been having so much trouble with Mandarin Oranges lately. I'll peel one, split it in half, eat one half, and poof! The other half will be gone. Just like that. I feel like I'm going to be attacked by a swarm of rogue Mandarin halves sometime.

updated 2023/10/27, replacing chapters 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11.

Phoenix, more you shall have! Natsu may or may not be in trouble. Maybe. Maaaybe. I'm dying to write the Phantom Lord arc, honestly. This God Serena guy interests me more and more at every turn. Ooh, a different twist with Zeref? I never even thought of that. Hmm… Now how could I go about that… I guess you'll have to wait and see!

Pheonix, people died! And hey, you're the first person to pick up on Mr J(R)ude Heartfilia. So... Watch all of the openings? Got it. Yes fatherly Gildarts and DadMight are like my favourite things have no fear. There will be plenty of fatherly Gildarts. I'm still toying with your suggestion, you know, how it would work into the story and what character dynamic would change? I mean this whole thing that's going on right now started on the drop of a dime, so who knows what'll change? I, personally, I'm really hyped for writing the Grand Magic Games, it's my personal favourite arc. (This fic was originally gonna be a surprise! Natsu has all these crazy powers all of a sudden in the middle of the Tenroujima S-Class trials!) yeh yeh yeh, I've started reading the manga and he's been in like five panels and I like God Serena already. I do have a time slotted for him though, provided things work out. so... Is this too late? Or has Thursday already come and gone? :) oh dear I've done the cliffie again haven't I? Whoops.

Guest(1), yes, well,you are not mistaken, that was in chapter two previously, but I decided to edit that out. You see, I didn't really have Natsu's character down, or, at least, the Natsu in this universe down. And that was out of character moment for him, and since this is a more character driven story I'm tryin real hard to keep him in character, see?

Phoenix(1), haha, well what else could I do? The best person on this site asked me to update before Thursday after all. Tower of Heaven is happening! Juvia Juvia Juvia. I'm going to have fun with Juvia. Especially since the Phantom Lord arc hasn't happened yet. Or will the council fire etherion at all? We'll probably see Natsu living with Jude after Phantom Lord, but I'm in a bit of a devil may care mood right now, so who knows? Ashes Remain, On My Own? I'll have to give that a listen. I'm dying to type this chapter, honestly. (Summer time, yes. Now I can write more! And more! And More!)

Guest(2), well, I'd typically capitalize it, but I don't want to paint Natsu in a religious light. But hey, you know what, I'll go back and do that. :)

Phoenix(2), yea, I'd love to add that at the moment because I'm starting to think Natsu needs a hug. Oh, you read Dragon Tail? Aw, now I'm kinda embarrassed, you're too kind. Honestly. Yea, I'm Kinda figuring out the Dragon Force right now. Like is it gonna be all five elements, or less than that, or is it just gonna be one based off what day it is? Hmm.

Phoenix(3), Happy Canada Daaayyy! (Bri-tish Co-lum-bi-a!)

Phoenix, LYON! Perhaps. Yea, Natsu's got first class seating. Ooh, that's something I haven't thought of. Thanks for bringing that up, I'll have to put some thought into that… I have seen the sacrifice Natsu instead of Erza plot line several times… They typically end up with shipping NaZa. Though, I always thought Jellal was referring to Natsu when he said he had other sacrifices in the tower… well, this chapter was dated for July 4th but if you insist…

Guest, more!

Erza Ashley, no need to worry. I certainly don't expect my writing to be on the top of anyone's priority list, and most of the time I should be working on this I'm reading either His Majesty's Dragon (good book, recommend it) or reading fanfiction, so its completely understandable! I haven't completely caught up on the manga yet, where I left off Natsu was like 'my right arm is my special weapon to kill Zeref!' And everyone was like 'ooooooo'

Phoenix, Jellals got leverage, so Jellal is gonna use that leverage. Although, he may have leverage in a different way than you think… They might have inside help, but Juvia strikes me as someone who's pretty loyal… yea, I was kinda gunning for the family dynamic, but I didn't really lay out places for each dragon. (Except Igneel. Igneel is the dad, and that's that. Dadneel?) oh hoho! I have got something big planned for the Ice Dragon Slayer Magic! It's gonna be a real game changer. Maybe. Who knows how things'll go? Not me! Ah, let's not put the show on the road, it might be hit by a car. You gotta have proper road safety, yanno? At least look both ways first.

Guest, well I was thinking of skipping right ahead to sixteen, but then I realized I didn't like sixteen too much, so I thought about it for a bit and I was gonna go straight to 24 because that's my favourite number, but if you insist, fifteen chapters it is! So you challenge me to do it in seven hours seven minutes seven seconds, but also to get it done as soon as possible, eh? I typically write a chapter in a bout an hour or so, so seven hours would be a real challenge, I might just take you up on that when I'm more experienced.

"You're going to get yourself into trouble someday," Grotee mused, shifting his great head from where it lay.

"Hm?" Natsu looked up from the doodle he was etching in the dirt, giving the elder dragon his full attention.

"I just hope you can get yourself back out of it again, too…"

"On what grounds," had been the first question Erza had asked, though they hadn't gotten an answer. Still, it wasn't uncommon for Fairy Tail Mages to be arrested— even if it typically happened sooner after whatever incident prompted it.

With varying degrees of reluctance, they were handcuffed, read their rights, and taken to the ships. At the very least, they were all taken to the same one— thrown in the same cell, even, given their status as Fairy Tail Wizards.

"It's probably just a courtesy arrest," Erza says, arranging herself so that the already motion-sick Natsu has his head on her lap.

"After a month, though?" Gray says, leaning back against the bars.

"It is strange…"

They fall silent as the ship lurches into motion, accompanied by the sound of someone approaching from down the hall— probably the messenger from earlier, meant to read their charges.

It isn't.

It's Makarov.

"Master!" Lucy gasps, shooting to her feet.

"I'm sorry to have surprised you with this," he began, "I did my best to talk them out of it, but the magic council were insistent that someone needed to be held responsible for the incident with Lullaby." The little old man sat on the other side of the bars, propping up his head with a hand. "Well, they'll probably just hold you overnight!"

"That's a relief," Lucy says. "After a month on that island, I'm looking forwards to getting home. Hot running water…"

"Fresh fish," Happy joined in, tone longing.

"We ate almost nothing but fish while we were there," Gray says.

"I'm glad you all had fun!" Makarov says, apparently listening to a different conversation than the one they were actually having. "That wouldn't have happened to be a greater land demon I saw as we were approaching though, would it?"

"Virgo said it was an earth demon, but yeah. The island was probably its home." Lucy nodded.

"Heh. It was probably there before the island was! That's the way these things tend to go. How'd you wake it up?"

"There were a couple lizards that kept stealing our food," Gray says, holding a hand out with full intent to make a small icy lizard to illustrate his point. A moment later, he remembers the magic suppression cuffs they're all in, and so he balls his hand instead. "We followed them to where they were staying, and they led us straight to where it was sleeping."

"Ahh," Makarov says, nodding, "they must have been keeping it fed."

"With the fish?"

"Hah, no." He let the silence sit for a moment, and then continued. "I want all of you to keep your eyes out, alright? I suspect the magic council has ulterior motives with this arrest."

They sobered with the grim reminder.

Makarov wasn't allowed to speak for them for much longer, after that.

The rest of transport was spent in contemplative silence, broken only occasionally as they were taken off the ships and onto magic powered land vehicles, and then into the closest branch of the council. The first real disruption came as they were being moved into the cell they'd be held in overnight, so the council could speak to them tomorrow.

"Hold up," one of the guards says, and they all obediently shuffle to a halt— with the exception of Natsu. He's still pale and vaguely green, the excessive transport having taken its toll. He's being supported by two other guards, head rolling listlessly as he tries not to hurl.

"Says here this one is meant to be held separately," the initial guard continues, gesturing to Natsu.

"What?" Gray says, taking half a step forwards.

"That's ridiculous. We're all Fairy Tail Mages, you will not separate us."

Erza does not take a step forwards, but she doesn't need to— her glare is more than enough.

"Sorry, orders from the top. I'm just the messenger, please do not kill me— we can, uh, put him across the hall? His charges are different…"

"They are? How." Erza, if anything, gets more intimidating.

"I— uh, I can't— . It says here that he's charged with the, uh, supposed destruction of several guilds and. Uh. Other stuff. Please stop looking at me like that ma'am I have a family to go home to."

"You will not separate us," Erza repeats, tone like steel.

"I— I can't— look, I really can't afford to lose this job, putting him across from you is the best I can do! That's still line of sight, right?" He makes a gesture, and Natsu is lead away from them.

"Erza," Lucy says, quietly, which is what gets Erza to back down more than anything the guard says does. "We can't make this any worse right now."

Still. It simmers, especially when the guards aren't especially gentle about putting Natsu down.

They aren't left alone, with guards down the hall, but it's as close as they'll get.

"Master was right," Erza grits out. She's pacing the wall closest to Natsu like a tiger, gaze fixed, angry. "They're up to something."

"What do you think they meant by that?" Gray asks, and where Erza is all motion he's perfectly still, radiating cold even with the suppression cuff. "It can't be true, right?"

"I don't know," Erza responds, "it may be an attempt to isolate him from us, physically and emotionally. But why? What's their game?"

Lucy considers bringing up that Erza had, essentially, bullied that information out of the guard, and then discards the idea.

"Whass who's game?" Natsu asks, propping himself up. He still looks faintly green. A colour that intensifies when he notices the cuff. "Wherrram I?"

"Natsu!" They call in unison, snapped out of their brooding to press up against the bars. He swings his head around, eyes almost glazing past them before he focuses.

"Hey guys…" he closes his eyes, presses a firm hand against his mouth.

"I never should have let them separate us," Erza says, voice thick with recrimination.

"Buh," Natsu says, "everythings moving."

Lucy speaks up— "It might take a little bit to pass. The ship, then the magic mobile, and then the guards, without any breaks… no wonder you're feeling sick!"

"The guards count as vehicles?" Happy wonders, quietly. Nobody answers him.

After about a minute or so, Natsu cracks an eye back open, gaze much sharper. He doesn't try to stand, but he's a much healthier colour. He must have remembered what happened while fighting the motion sickness, because he says, "The magic council?"

"Yes," Erza says.

"A courtesy arrest, for Lullaby," Lucy says.

"Except for you, apparently," Gray says.

Natsu blinks at them, taking a moment to untangle their concurrent statements. "What did I do?"

"That's what we wanna know!" Gray fires back, "they said something about you being responsible for several guilds disbanding?"

"… oh."

That was not the response of an innocent man. Before they could pry any further, though…

"Well, aren't you a sorry lot?" A new voice joined them, one that prompted an immediate reaction from Erza— her shoulders stiffened, and she drew in a sharp breath. For a moment, she was in a different world altogether, and just as suddenly she was back.

"Siegrain," she greeted, cooly.

The man in question sauntered down the hall, as casual as ever. "Fairy Tail getting itself in trouble again, I see. Still, I can't help but think this is a little unnecessary— Eisenwald was captured, after all."

"We were thinking the same thing," Erza returns.

"Well, I can probably get the three— four," he paused, noticing Happy and adding him to the count, "of you out tonight. Him, though…" he cast a glance over his shoulder at Natsu, who had managed to find his feet but was leaning heavily on the bars.

"You will release all of us or none of us." Erza's tone booked no argument. Still, Lucy took a quiet moment to mourn the swift death of her hope for a hot bath tonight. Not that she would have actually left Natsu alone done here, especially not when he still looked so ill.

"Oh, is that so?" Siegrain says, faux expression of surprise flitting across his features, "even if I told you about—"

"All of us. Or none of us."

"Hmm… well, I suppose I could manage that. On a condition, though." He paused, clearly waiting for one of them to ask. None of them did.

"No fish for a month?" Happy offered, meekly, after the silence had gone from ominous to slightly awkward.

"What? No. You'll need to stay under supervision, but I could get you released to a nearby resort. He," and he jabbed a thumb over his shoulder, "would need to stay in his magic suppression cuff, but the rest of you wouldn't. What do you say?

Erza broke eye contact with him for the first time to glance over at Natsu, who looked more and more like he was standing under his own power.

"Natsu? We won't do this if you don't agree."

He looked disdainfully down at the cuff, an expression that hardened into determination as he looked back at them. "I'm okay with it."

The resort was nice, at the very least, for something owned by the magic council. The kind of place Lucy wouldn't mind visiting in entirely different circumstances. But, with the magic council breathing down their backs, and that stupid cuff on Natsu, it was shaping up to be a fairly miserable experience.

Natsu was doing his best to hide it, but that cuff bugged him. They were supposedly only here for a week, as the council figured out what to do with them— and spending a week here was nicer than a week behind bars, no matter how tense they were— but even just a day in he was jumpier than Lucy had ever seen him before.

They had to share a room, again, but it wasn't that big of a deal after a month with only each other for company. And, this time, there were enough beds for everyone to be sleeping at once. It wasn't terrible…

It was just…

Not great, either.

Erza was worried, constantly, about what the council was planning, Gray was shifty and constantly on the edge of pushing Natsu into an argument, and Natsu— as mentioned before— was jumpy and shifty.

Lucy needed a break.

They had a list of approved areas, which wasn't exactly long, but Lucy would have taken about anything over spending another minute in the stifling atmosphere of their room.

"I'm going to the casino!" She decided abruptly, prompting surprise from everyone.

"We shouldn't split up," Erza says immediately, firm.

Gray stands with a stretch, "It's fine, I'll go with her."

"Me too!" Happy volunteered instantly.

"Master said—"

"I don't think he thought we'd be sent to a five star resort. Especially not for this long."

"… okay. But be back by six. If you decide to go somewhere else, let us know first."

"Uh, you don't have to stay here," Natsu says, glancing at Erza.

"Oh? Is there somewhere you would like to go?" Erza asks.

"Uh, well, not really— I meant—"

"Then we're staying here."

"I'm surprised she actually let us out of her sight," Gray says, sighing.

"I think she's feeling the atmosphere too," Lucy admitted, "she's just… not sure what she's supposed to do about it."

"Mm," Gray grumbled, which wasn't really an agreement or a disagreement. "I'm gonna go sit at the bar. Shout if you need anything."

"Sure, sure. I'm going to the poker table."

So said, they promptly split up— Happy following Gray while muttering something about fish, and poker being boring anyway.

Lucy really should have considered the fact she wasn't actually very good at poker. She was losing jewel with every round, but not quickly or in large enough amount that she really felt like she had to stop playing. Even if the dealer kept shooting her odd looks. It was like the guy had never seen someone losing before.

At the fifth or sixth loss— and hundredth weird look, she finally gave up, splaying her cards out and giving up with a sigh. "Am I really doing that poorly?"

"You're from Fairy Tail, right?" The dealer asked, which didn't answer her question at all. Oh, shoot, did people know? That was so embarrassing. No wonder she kept getting looks! The dealer, that lady with blue hair, or that other guy with the weird jaw, or— maybe she was just overthinking it. She was definitely overthinking it.

"Uh, yeah!"

"I thought so. Tell me," he leaned forwards, pressing uncomfortably into her space, "do you know Erza Scarlet?"

The lights died.

There were people watching them. Gray noticed almost the second he sat down, but he wasn't sure why. Without that information, he didn't want to alert Lucy— it might tip them off, if their intentions were bad.

He was certain of a handful of things— that blue haired woman was paying more attention to him than she was Lucy, even if she could barely look at him without flushing bright red. It wasn't like he had stripped again. Wait… no, okay, he was good now. Caught in the middle of unbuttoning his shirt.

He was sure that the man with the metal jaw was watching the both of them, and there was a pink haired woman hovering out of Lucy's field of view.

The dealer for Lucy's card game might be in on it, or he might just be nervous. She was on quite the losing streak… she seemed to notice this, as she set down her cards with an air of defeat. The dealer pressed forwards into her space. Oh, he was definitely in on something. Unwilling to let Lucy face this on her own, he stood, and in perfect sync the lights died.

"… if you have anything you would like to speak about," Erza started, piercing the awkward silence that had settled between them.

"… not really," Natsu admitted, "but I get the feeling it's going to come up wether I want it to or not."

Erza grimaced, "Ideally, this wouldn't be an issue at all— Fairy Tail is a very open guild, but we're good at leaving the past in the past. I'm sorry that this is being dragged up."

"It's alright… when they return, I'll resign my position as a Fairy Tail mage. My problems are—"

Erza shot to her feet with a crash, standing quickly and forcefully enough that one of her legs went clean through the coffee table. Natsu was startled into silence.

"Absolutely not. You will not face this alone, Natsu!"

Unfortunately, Natsu wouldn't get a chance to respond. Between one second and the next, he simply… wasn't there anymore.

Noise caught in Erza's throat, head whipping around as she noticed the group that, in a similar fashion, hadn't been there seconds ago. A familiar group. A group she knew.

A group she thought she'd never see again. Changed, granted, aged and scarred, but unmistakable.

"Shou?" The name tripped out of her; the rest followed in kind. "Milliana? Wally— Simon? You all— you have magic?" The question pulled on something inside her, and she blinked memories out of her eyes. "What did you do with Natsu?"

"Aw, Erzy! We thought you'd be happy to see us!" Milliana— because that had to be her, no question— chirped.

"I—" she couldn't answer that question. She couldn't give anything up, not if there was the slightest chance Jellal could take it incorrectly.

She had to change the subject.

"Where is Natsu," she repeated, trying to put more force into her voice— it failed, she thought, because there was no way for her to shore up her emotions against this. It was impossible. It was crushing.

"Aw, don't worry, big sis!" Shou said, "we've taken good care of all of your friends! You can come with us with no worries."

His words stirred guilt, worry, and anger up inside her, and she clung to the last— finding her own magic again to requip a blade. She did not level it at them, but her grip on the handle was firm. Wally reacted swiftly, one of his arms morphing into a gun, but Erza was confident in her ability to out-speed him.

"What have you done to my guild mates?" She asked, and this time it came out with the anger she wanted— anger that hid the fear and regret.

"What's wrong, Erzy?" Milliana tilted her head to the side, and her eyes took on a cruel glint, "I thought you didn't have any problem with betraying people and leaving them behind?"

She— she wished. She wished she wasn't here. Wished the tower didn't exist. Wished she had found Jellal sooner. Wished she could tell her friends the truth.

But she couldn't change any of that. Feeling as though she was lifting a mountain, the tip of her blade found their group.

"You will tell me."

"They'll be okay," Simon says, speaking up for the first time, "as long as you come with us."

She meets his gaze, searches his eye. With a pulse of magic, her requip vanishes.

"Fine."

Earlier…

Gray had reacted to the blanket of darkness swiftly— he wasn't able to pin where it came from, having spread too fast, but he could guess the targets. Refusing to be a sitting duck, he had moved, leaving an ice double behind in the hope that it would draw attention away from him. In some ways, it worked— he couldn't see, but he could hear the massive crunch of the bar shattering, wood and metal and glass crumpling in on where he had stood.

In other ways, it didn't. He had barely a second to celebrate his quick thinking getaway when water wrapped around his legs. There were two quick strikes to the backs of his knees— not enough to bruise, even, but paired with the tension he was already under just trying to keep himself upright— his knees crumpled beneath him, bringing the floor— and a surge of dark water— up to meet him.

The first surprise was that he could breathe. He could still feel the water, but there was a pocket around his face. He reached for his magic instinctively, which prompted the second surprise.

"Please don't," a voice whispered, uncomfortably close to his ear. "Juvia is trying to keep Gray safe."

Juvia? Not a name he was familiar with, but she knew him… could be good or bad. He couldn't get a read on the situation while blinded, and no matter how he tried his eyes weren't adjusting. That alone suggested that this darkness was more than a failure of the lacrima system— it was magic based.

As if that frustrated thought alone caused it, light returned, flooding in sudden enough that even underwater he flinched and hissed. Juvia must have released her spell while his eyes were shut, adjusting, because when he eased them back open the blue haired woman from earlier was kneeling next to him, hands folded nervously in her lap.

"Thanks," he says, before taking in the rest of the space— totally deserted. He didn't hear any panic, but it was possible he tuned it out while dealing with his own problems. The guards posted on them probably already noticed something was wrong— and knowing them, Fairy Tail was going to catch the blame instead of the people attacking them.

He needs to regroup with Lucy, Erza, and Natsu. Regardless of his personal thoughts on the matter, Natsu's still a guildmate. They face this problem united.

Dammit, Erza was totally right, wasn't she?

"Did you see what happened to Lucy? My guildmate— the one playing poker really badly, blonde hair?"

"No. Juvia was focused on protecting Gray."

Okay. Alright. A little weird, but he could roll with it. Heaving himself to his feet, he took one step towards the poker counter with intent to check around when a bark of laughter interrupted him.

"It figured that you'd be too stubborn to die now, Gray."

He knew that voice. "Lyon?"

What the hell was Lyon doing here? He didn't have much time to wonder— a surge of frigid air was his only warning. He reacted more on instinct than thought, diving into a roll as a tiger made of ice shattered into the ruined bar behind him. There was a shout, and a blade of water cut through another ice make creature, and then the swarm of battle was on them. Lyon was relentless— it seemed for every creature that they cut down, two more took its place. Juvia was, at the very least, helpful— he didn't have to worry about protecting her, with the proficiency she had over her water magic. Though it had sc— startled him, the first time she revealed she could do that.

He was just starting to feel the drain on his magic when something broke the stalemate.

And also the wall.

It was… huge. It smelled terrible. It was— a rat? In a— a maid costume?

The pink haired woman he had noted earlier was scooped in its hands, and she reached out— Lyon leapt to catch her hand, swinging into the rats hands.

"It's done?" He asked. The woman nodded.

"Wait!" Gray shouted, sending a burst of ice at them, but the rat was faster, exhaling a noxious cloud that served both to obscure vision and make Gray gag. When he felt bold enough to try and crack his stinging eyes open again, they were gone.

Damn. He needed to regroup— now. With any luck, Lucy and Happy would already be with Erza and Natsu in their hotel room.

They weren't. Damn. What the hell could have gotten the better of Erza? It didn't even look like a fight had gone down— aside from the hole in the coffee table.

"Where the hell is everyone?" He expressed, wishing some clue had been left.

"Um… Juvia thinks… Juvia might know…?"

She had followed him? He didn't even notice— hold on, what did she just say?

Things were, as they always did, going wonderfully. Closing his eyes, he let the vision of Siegrain convincing the council to fire Etherion melt away. "Soon, Zeref," he mused aloud, feeling the clouding press of his dark gods mind. Impatient, the both of them.

He had already been informed, through Siegrains mind, of what happened— four Fairy Tail Mages— five, if one wanted to count the cat— vanished, damages left behind with no clear culprit. The sacrifice should arrive soon.

He should be a good host. A gracious host. After all, soon her blood and body and magic would be whittled away, drained into a perfect vessel for Zeref. A perfect resurrection. The least he could do before she was gone forever was see her off.

(and some part of him, distant and crushed, wanted to see her one last time, before the end of all.)

Before that, though— one other detail to check on. He had more than enough time, of course. Every step was measured, every second counted. Grains of sand trickling towards resurrection.

His secondary project was no closer to completion— unfortunate, really. He had hoped to greet Zeref with one of his creations. It did make sense, of course, that progress would have slowed… as pathetic and out of the way that island— what was it, Galuna?— had been, it did receive a more concentrated dose of moon magic than the tower did.

An unfortunate side effect, but a manageable one.

He had wasted enough time.

He reached the docks just as they were pulling in. Ah, what a nostalgic sight.

He felt the heavy push of Zerefs mind against his as Erza stepped ashore, wrists bound. Heady and dark, he ceded to it and sunk backwards, out of view.

The group passed with no suspicion, though one stops walking. The sacrifice looked terribly sad, like she hadn't enjoyed her eight year vacation at all. What a shame. Well, it wouldn't matter for long. The one that split off— he had developed the most useful magic, though his name escapes under the whorls of magic from Zeref— pulls out a few cards, shuffling them idly.

Jellal waits until the group is thoroughly out of earshot to step forwards again. "Everything went well, I take it?"

"Yes," the mage nods, eyes flitting to Jellals and then away again. Shame the boy was so nervous, so volatile— he could easily be far more helpful. He would never understand the scope of Jellals vision. "We incapacitated any witnesses, and captured four of the five wizards. The fifth has no way to find us."

Jellal says nothing. He holds out a hand, expectant.

"Er," the boy says, pausing. "One— one of the wizards was— is, uhm, a cat. Milliana wanted… to keep it? If that's okay?"

Irritation curls in his gut. What should he care— his interest is in the others. He needs hold onto the image of a kind-hearted, caring Jellal just a little longer.

"Of course she can. The other two?"

The boy hands him one card, and then pales. He shuffles hastily through the stack, twice, and then turns wide eyes to Jellal.

"I—" he pauses, licks his lips. Nervousness radiates off of him. "I dropped one."

Jellal flips over the card he's been handed.

"No matter. You kept the important one." He dismisses the boy— Shou, he thinks, the name pressing to the front of his mind as Zeref recedes— with a simple gesture.

He returns to the peak of the tower swiftly, twirling the card idly between his fingers. It's inhabitant looks pale and drawn by the time he stops, face green as he hunches over. He had noted this in the cell, of course, but the motion sickness was truly debilitating, wasn't it? Fortunate that Shou's cards had that effect.

He pulses his magic into the card, peeling back the enchantment that keeps Natsu contained. The boy can't even find the ground under his feet, making a disgusting retching noise. Jellal is swift to act, divesting him of several of his belongings. He notices, of course, and the magical tension in the air spikes, but as promised the magic cuff interacts nastily with the motion sickness.

Really. It's been made easy for him. He had expected a lot to be gained out of infiltrating the Magic Council, but a go-list of the boys weaknesses was better than he could have hoped for.

Now, let's see. Scarf, necklace, armband, ring. The book… well, nowhere on his person, at the moment. It wasn't like he needed all of them, anyway.

"Give those…" the boy started, and despite the nausea he wrestles himself up to his hands and knees. "Back."

"No, I don't think I will," Jellal decides. "In fact, I think they— and by extension, you— will be very helpful."

The boy glared, silent. A tough one, then. Zeref had broken tougher. Perhaps he needed to get the message across. They were delicate little things, weren't they? It would be so easy, to simply…

He holds the armband aloft, watching the boys eyes as he tracks it. He's considering trying something. It won't do to give up something this early, but he can make his point. His fingers tighten around it's shifting surface, careful, until just the faintest of cracks is heard.

Ah, he gets it now. There's something wild in his eyes that Zeref thinks he can use. Knows he can.

As expected, word comes a moment later that Erza has broken her bonds and escaped. The chess board has a new piece, now. Jellal wants to see how this goes.

wow, look at that. now is that not the swiftest update you've ever seen from me? (don't answer that question). looking back at my original take on the tower of heaven/galuna arc... it was really choppy. like, i was jumping all over the place constantly- it was kinda hard to follow. i'll be piecing it together a lot more, and editing some dialogue so it just... makes more sense for people to be saying. so, remember: just because something isn't being said (anymore), that doesn't mean it's not still true.

on a more personal note, hope all you guys are doing okay out there.

Ibuprofen smells weird. ~ShadeShadow