The War with the King
Act One
"Alright, so we're all up to speed?" Cain asked.
None of the other eleven Disciples objected, so he nodded and exhaled loudly. The twelve of them were currently in their meeting hall, which was a room towards the side of the castle that overlooked the first four districts of the capital. The massive window behind Cain showed them the city, the sun shone weakly through the panes. Odd, it usually wasn't this dark out at three in the afternoon. All of the Disciples were dressed in similar clothing, which were black robes adorned with ancient symbols nobody without divine ether could comprehend.
"Good," he said. "We'll start recruiting from the populace as soon as possible. Remember, they have to be treated better than the average citizen. If it's not different, they won't spread the word."
"We got it," Momus replied. The boy's ascension to Godhood had healed him of his horrific injuries, having both eyes and all fingers again. The Disciple of Mockery sighed and ran a hand through his brown hair. "This is so much more work than I anticipated. When can we just start delegating our work to other people?"
"Probably not for a century or two," Eris replied. Her shoulder-length kaleidoscope-esque hair was very distracting to look at, the Disciple of Chaos kicking her feet up on the table. "We need to ensure rebellion doesn't happen."
"And rebellions only happen when people are displeased with their lives," Philotis said. Her red hair shone like fire, her green eyes welcoming. "So we need to be friendly, amicable, and decent while still upholding the laws."
"Says you," Deimos hissed. The Disciple of Fear's brown hair was tied up in a ponytail, a beard having grown over his face in the last four months. "Your district is the run horribly! You're far to friendly!"
"Well is anyone under my care unhappy?" Philotis shot back. "I'm sure your people are too scared to pee without permission from you!"
"Yeah?" Deimos demanded, "well, at least my people know when to fall in line. Better watch out, sister, or your district will rise against you first."
"Usually it's the despots who get targeted first," Nemesis pointed out. The Disciple of Revenge's red eyes shone dangerously in the low light, her black hair tumbling down her back. "You know, revenge for the way you treat them."
"Well wouldn't you know?" Momus asked her with a grin. "Your punishments are especially strict."
"Why so annoying today, Momus?" Nemesis fired back. "Did your last stand-up show not get any laughs? Oh wait, everyone has to laugh or they die. How horrible it must be to have such a fragile ego."
"Enough."
Cain jumped from his seat and bowed curtly, as did the other Disciples. He didn't dare raise his head as Zomrus entered the room.
The God of Death's presence filled the room completely, bearing down on all of them like a million pounds of crush force. He sauntered in slowly, torturing them all with his silence.
"I will not have my Disciples arguing like petty children," he said stoically. "I did not elevate you all to Godhood so that you could compare district quality."
"I-I'm terribly sorry, Zomrus," Philotis said weakly. "I-I let my attitude get away from me."
"...As did I," Deimos said. Zomrus was quiet for a moment before a low chuckle practically shook the room.
"I am not angry. I cannot expect mortals to simply shrug off the roots of their behavior. Raise your heads, my children."
Everyone rose their heads at his command, and Cain saw he was smiling.
"Good," he said, "now I've come because I have new orders for you."
"Anything sir," Geras, still bald and decrepit looking, said. Zomrus took his time sauntering over to the window, lazily regarding his new capital.
"As I'm sure you're aware," he finally said, "all of you have a powerful guild within the borders of your districts. I want you all to start keeping a close eye on them. Do not restrict their freedoms, but make it known you are watching. You especially, Cain."
Cain nodded solemnly. With the remnants of Fairy Tail within his borders, he knew he needed to keep a close eye on them.
"When the children light the fires of rebellion, they will go for their allies first," Zomrus continued. "Ensure that when any message arrives, you see it before they do."
"They won't so much as sigh without us knowing, Zomrus, " Oizys said. Her silver hair was tied up in a bun, her eyes of the same color looking downcast.
"I expect as much," Zomrus replied. "The children are nothing without their allies. If we keep them fractured and without assistance, they will crumble before the year is out. Any help they find will surely not be enough."
"Can I ask a question?"
All eyes turned to the quietest Disciple. Apate, Disciple of Deceit. Her blonde hair was cut short, similar to a pixie cut. Her blue eyes had more light in them day after day, which was good. Cain had been afraid that after her time in Tartarus, not even Godhood could save her.
"Apate my sweet," Zomrus said with a smile. "You look healthier by the day. Has your workload been too much? Do you need assistance?"
"I am fine," Apate replied with a reserved smile. "The divinity you've given me has healed my mind and body exceptionally well. I thank you again, Lord Zomrus."
"Because you are still recovering from your previous fragility, I will forgive you calling me 'Lord'," Zomrus said. "What was your question, darling?"
"What is it exactly the children are looking for?" She asked, "the ones in the North."
All eyes turned back to Zomrus.
"I'm curious as well," Thanatos said. "You've been vague so far."
"I think we should know," Philotis said, "we're family, right? Let us know, maybe we can help."
Zomrus regarded the twelve of them quietly, scoffing eventually.
"Already demanding answers, huh?" He asked. "Very well, I'll tell you who and what the children seek. Sit, and I will tell you a story." All of the Disciples sat and quietly waited for Zomrus to start, who was still looking out the window.
"It begins before time itself was kept track of," Zomrus started. "Back in the first era of creation, as mortals first began to walk the earth. In this time, Ankhseram and I both began to garner worshippers within both humanity and dragonkind. Some would go further, though, and became direct followers of ours. These groups would come to a head when the God War started, and the world was nearly torn apart."
He paused to sigh.
"As you all know, you are descended from the remnants of my followers after the God War. Well, except for Cain. My followers grabbed my staff and fled into hiding, where they waited for thousands of years. However if I had followers, so too did Ankhseram. And if my group survive, his had to of as well."
"Wait, didn't that group eventually merge with Zentopia?" Cain asked, "I remember reading about that when we toppled the church a few months ago."
"A portion did," Zomrus confirmed. "However, my brother would not have left the safety of the future he wanted in the hands of those who converted. No, he would trust those who still followed him directly. His Order of Life. In the prophecy Chronos gave Ultear Fullbuster, he spoke of one called Mother. I know this to be who leads the Order of Life, as that was her title years ago as well. Chronos sent the children to find this Mother, who presumably holds the answers to their rebellion."
He turned to the Disciples then,
"If they reach Mother, we have already started down the path to violence. Because if they do, they will gain hope. That is the one thing they cannot have."
"So why don't you send us after them?" Deimos asked. "We could find them faster than some weaker, resurrected souls."
"Maybe so," Zomrus said, "but you are the keys to Ankhseram's binds. If you were to fall, his restraints would loosen just as mine did. I cannot allow that."
"Could they even kill us?" Apate asked, "Besides Nashi Dragneel, I mean?"
"Yes, they could," Zomrus confirmed. "Nashi Dragneel aside, they have four God Slayers, three of which have touched Ascension. They could kill you. Ultear Fullbuster used Third Origin in her battle with Mezevera, pulling on all magic power she will have ever had in her life. If she's smart, she's realized that she can bypass the time limit by using her Arc of Time on itself, perpetually rewinding her strength to full. Which is to say nothing of the fact that any one of the remaining ten Gods above could choose to bless them in combat, meaning you might have to face them with the strength of one of the Gods. No, you must stay here. I will exhaust all others options before sending you all out after them."
Silence fell over the room as Zomrus turned to them.
"Worst comes to worst and their rebellion reaches our walls, I will kill them myself. I will not let any of you fall into their hands." Cain had to admit he wasn't a fan of letting the children run wild, but Zomrus made good points. They couldn't very well just go after them.
"What of the others?" Hypnos asked. He had his eyes closed as usual, but somehow he looked the most awake and alert. "Their parents and other annoyances escaped with Crime Sorciere. The Olympians have also gone into hiding, their previous bases empty."
"As it stands we have no way to find them," Zomrus said. "Ankhseram's blessing continues to hide them. All we can hope to do is take away all aid they could ever find. To that end, I plan on redoubling my efforts to take the last city in Alakitasia. Dimaria and Chronos have held so far, but they will fall without backup from the outside world. The dragon colony to the South will be more difficult to take, but I must quash it as well. Aether will not keep them safe from me."
"What is this dragon colony?" Apate asked, "I thought all dragons were dead."
"Dragons on the continent, darling," Zomrus replied. "I can't see much thanks to the barriers created by the Sage Dragons, but I know they factor into this somehow. He must keep our enemies separated and without help. Then they will crumble."
Zomrus laughed, turning to them with a smirk.
"Although if I had to hazard a guess, those poor kid's camaraderie is already reaching a breaking point."
It was cold.
Even though it wasn't winter anymore, somehow the wind still whipped a frigid breeze through the forest. Animals went about their lives as they always did, untouched by the chaos enveloping everything else. After all, they were innocent. What did they have to worry about?
A lone stag wandered through the forest, sniffing at the ground. He'd been grazing on berries and grass for the last few minutes, trying to get his fill before he moved on. A sound caused his head to snap up to attention but, when he saw nothing, he returned his attention to the grass he was chewing. A few more seconds of silence passed, and the stag prepared to move on.
Before an iron lance pierced it's heart.
The projectile cleaved right through the animal's torso, cleanly slicing an entry and exit wound as it buried itself in a nearby tree. The stag collapsed in surprise, the little life it had left trying to find a way to get out of this situation. Even for the less intelligent life on the planet, the stag could guess what had happened; he was to be someone's meal. As his life faded, the stag watched a young human wander up to him, looking down with a hint of regret in her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she said, raising her hand. Her arm transformed into the same projectile that had struck him before. "I need you."
Another lance was fired, and the stag's life was snuffed out.
Such were the rules of nature.
Elise Redfox sighed after she dealt the finishing blow to the animal, disgusted by the blood that seeped into the grass at her feet. She didn't like having to do the hunting, but as her friends had said multiple times, she was smallest and least noticeable. She could do it just fine. Agreeing to this hurt her pride somewhat, seeing as it meant she was agreeing her height was diminutive, but that didn't matter anymore. Not with the way the world was now.
Leaning down, Elise reached towards her shadow and tapped it three times with her index finger, a signal to Keita. Once she had done it a dark maw opened up in the darkness, and Elise shoved the animal's carcass through it. It was a simple strategy, using Keita's ability to shadow travel so that hunters could avoid dragging their kills back to camp. He had been disgusted at first, but hunger soon won out.
Watching as her kill disappeared into the vortex, she exhaled loudly and stood back up. That would be enough, seeing as they were going to be on the move soon, but she didn't want to head back to camp just yet. She needed to stay away for now, lest she punch someone in the face.
Walking away from the blood-soaked grass, Elise ran her hands through her greasy hair, annoyed with the feeling. There was only so much bathing in water without soap could do, and currently they were all filthy. Everyone had already shortened their hair as much as possible with Simon's blades, leaving them all with misshapen hairstyles that looked like a toddler did it. But the smell wasn't why Elise wanted to punch someone.
Saying the group was barely holding together was an understatement. As it stood, all of them had split into three groups. There was those who were pushing them to keep going and reach their destination, which she was in. Simon, Ultear, Michael and Keita were also in this group, leading the rest and trying to keep spirits up. Easier said than done these days.
The second group was basically being dragged along, as Elise was convinced they would rather just lay down and die than keep going. This group had a wide range of people in it though. Steph, for example, had barely spoken to anyone in four months and was like a zombie mindlessly following them around. Tetsu was in a better mood than most, but it was clear the fatigue of their journey had worn him down to where he was. He looked tired all the time, like he never got any sleep. Granted none of them did, but he looked worse somehow. Nashi was also in this group, but she fell somewhere in between the other two. Some days she was raring to go and looked determined, and others she looked dead behind the eyes. Elise sympathized at first, but she was at the end of her rope now.
The last group was Winter, Rina and Katsuchi. It was this group that was causing the others to suffer, as the trio of God Slayer's had changed over the last four months.
At first no one really noticed, but as time went on it became obvious their attitude was changing. They began speaking down to the others, acting like they were inherently superior. Then they started ignoring requests for help, not interested in helping the others. As if that wasn't bad enough, now they were trying to order the others around like they were in charge. Elise wouldn't have minded if it wasn't such a blatant attempt at grabbing for what little power they could, and it annoyed her. That was why she had stormed off to hunt alone, because Winter had tried to get her to dig her a bath so she could lounge about. She was not about to do that.
It wasn't lost on Elise why this was happening. Winter herself had told the others what Archos had told her. That Ascension caused a God Slayer to become power hungry and more God-like, eventually losing their humanity in search of more strength. It was the only reason why she hadn't killed one of them already, because she knew it wasn't really them. That Ascension, like Dragon Slayer magic, was changing them. It wasn't fair to judge them completely for that.
She still didn't want to deal with it though.
With the group consisting of those trying to keep order, those who barely cared and just followed along, and those who were being indignant, the stress at base camp was at an all time high. She couldn't be there right now, not if she wanted to keep her sanity. They needed to reach this 'Mother' soon, because if they didn't Elise feared someone was going to get hurt, or worse. And that was the last thing they needed right now.
She lost her train of thought when her eyes honed in on something abnormal in the distance, not fitting in with the trees and brush. Squinting, Elise tried to figure out what it was, before a rock settled in her stomach and she realized what she was stumbled upon.
The wreckage of a town.
As she got closer, Elise was greeted by a small village that had been torn apart. The buildings had lost doors and hinges, the streets were destroyed, and skeletons of those unfortunate enough to resist Zomrus' takeover were strewn about. They had long since been picked clean by scavengers, leaving nothing but bones and a sad, empty place. The longer she stared at the wreckage, the sadder she became. This was what most of the world looked like at that given moment. On all continents, in all cities. Billions of lives, ruined or lost because of Zomrus.
This was what Magnolia looked like right about now.
Elise saw flashes of her mother and father when she looked at a small skeleton being protected by a larger one, and she had to hold back the sob working it's way up her throat. She had no time to cry. Her parents would be fine, they were fine. She knew that.
She had to believe that.
Walking down the empty streets quietly, Elise came upon the center of the town, marked by a fountain that had long been destroyed. No water flowed from it's figurehead, the basin crushed into rubble. It was just another marker of what they had lost. Turning her head, Elise saw what looked like a bar standing across from her. It too had it's doors ripped off and a wall destroyed, but her nose had picked up something nice over the death.
Booze.
Jumping in over the rubble of the wall, Elise walked to the counter and saw her prize waiting for her; shelves of bottles that had somehow survived the destruction around them. Perhaps this was a blessing from one of the Gods to keep her going. She jumped over the counter and grabbed for the nearest bottle, seeing it was whiskey. Not that it mattered, she needed something. She opened the bottle and took a swig, taking what little satisfaction she could from the liquid burning her throat. Had to enjoy the little things.
Taking the bottle with her, Elise jumped back over the counter and regarded the rest of the bar quietly. It had clearly been where the townsfolk had made their last stand, given the piles of bones piled in the corner. She wondered how many people had watched their loved ones die in this bar. How many had to wraith's carted off before deciding to just massacre the rest? Did most of the town die, or survive?
It barely mattered. This town was one of millions all over the globe. A few lives here or there were nothing at this rate. It was a callous way to think, but seeing so much death did something to the human brain. Elise had grown shockingly cold to an 'average' amount of corpses. This thought caused her to chug more whiskey, deciding to focus instead on getting drunk.
"Leave it to you to find a bar," a voice said. Had this not happened many times already, Elise would have been startled. She knew who it was, though.
"What do you want, Keita?" She asked, looking over her shoulder at the Shadow Dragon as he appeared from her shadow. His ability to shadow travel had proved immensely useful in all sorts of scenarios over the last few months, but she had to admit being checked on like a child when she didn't come home on time was annoying.
Like everyone else, Keita's hair had been cut short so that it wasn't an annoyance to him. It gave him a rugged attractiveness that Elise would have paid more attention to in any other scenario, but the world was kinda ending. His hazel eyes had bags underneath them, but he was no exception. They all looked like shit.
"Just wanted to make sure you were okay," he said, approaching her. "Can't be too careful."
"Well I'm fine. Bye."
Elise walked past him back to the bar, jumping over it again to look for more liquor. She heard him walk up the counter behind her, but she ignored him.
"Wanna talk about it?" He asked her. She scoffed at the thought.
"No," she said succinctly.
"Why not?"
"There's nothing to talk about," she replied. "I'm mad, easy as that."
"You know you'll have to come back eventually," he said. "We're leaving at sunrise."
"Guess I'll see you then, huh?" She asked, going back to ignoring him. Although she appreciated the gesture, she didn't want to talk right now. She needed to be alone and vent her frustrations.
"You really gonna make me wait until you lose your temper?" Keita demanded. "Out with it, shorty." Normally that would have made her even more irritated, but she found herself scoffing instead.
"Shut up," she replied. Turning back, she placed a bottle down for him, which he took and raised to his mouth. They drank in silence for a few seconds, Elise gathering her thoughts.
"I don't know how much longer I can put up with this," she finally said. "Being in camp makes me feel like I'm going to lose my mind."
"I don't blame you," Keita replied. "It's getting more difficult by the day."
"If one of those God Slayer's tries to order me around like a peasant one more time, someone's getting punched," she warned. This just made him snort.
"I might beat you to it," he admitted. "I'm losing it too."
"Not to mention Nashi, Steph and Tetsu," Elise said, clenching her free hand into a fist. "Like, we're all going through hell, suck it up and get moving. We have a world to save!"
"Everyone processes trauma differently," Keita reasoned. "We've all been through hell. Steph had to watch Damien die, Nashi thinks this is all her fault, and Tetsu thinks his failure to protect Vantros caused this."
"We all watched Damien die," Elise said angrily.
She couldn't get it out of her head.
Damien, the strongest of them all, the most powerful friend she had, dead. She had watched his throat be slashed open and his lifeless body hit the ground. Even now, she could smell the iron of blood like it had just happened. The bottle started shaking in her hand as her chest tightened.
"She's not special," she snapped.
"Don't be so callous," Keita replied. "It was her brother. You know it's different."
Elise wanted to disagree. The heartless part of her wanted to say Steph barely even knew her brother, had barely ever spent time with him, and couldn't possibly have loved him as much and she and the others did. Part of her even feared she truly was a bully, like she had been in her younger years.
Deep down, though, she knew this was not how she really felt. She knew she was snapping not because she believed those things, but because she was stressed and constantly low on sleep. She didn't truly blame any of them for falling into a depression, she was just so scared and stressed that she needed to vent her frustrations somewhere. Anywhere. They just happened to be the easiest targets.
"I know," she admitted, "I'm just so fucking stressed out."
"Well, you won't hear me disagreeing," Keita said, taking another swig from his bottle. He placed it back down on the counter, his eyes drifting towards a pile of bones nearby. "I wonder how many people lived here," he said solemnly.
"Don't wonder," she advised, "you'll lose your mind if you think about it too hard."
"Yeah, probably," Keita relented. "I just...I'm just scared Gazania looks like this too." Elise remembered how Keita had made his way to them, that Rogue had forced him to shadow travel to Michael when the wraiths attacked Sabertooth.
"I'm sure your Dad is alive," Elise said with a sympathetic smile. "He's too tough to go out like that." Keita scoffed lightly at this.
"Actually, I'm more worried about my Mom and Nami."
Elise frequently forgot that Keita's mom was Kagura and that his sister was Nami. The four of them were such an unorthodox family, so unlike each other, that she sometimes couldn't believe it.
"It's funny, isn't it?" Keita asked, and Elise was alarmed to hear his voice cracking. She looked back at him to see his eyes were glassy. "Shadow travel only works on those I have a close personal connection too. But I can't...I can't..."
He couldn't shadow travel to either of them.
Elise came to the horrific realization that not only was Keita scared for his family, but that he now thought his relationship to them wasn't sufficient for shadow travel. She could only imagine how that was making him feel.
"Don't let some stupid spell tell you how much you love your Mom and sister," she said. "You're not a bad son or brother just because you can't do it."
"Got another explanation?" Keita asked weakly.
Silence fell over the bar.
"Yeah, exactly," Keita said, taking another swig. "I always knew there was a gap between myself and them, but I didn't think...I didn't think it was this bad."
"It isn't," she insisted, putting a hand on his. "Keita, don't sweat it. There could be any number of reasons why you can't shadow travel to them. Don't think worst case scenario immediately."
"Yeah...Yeah," he admitted. "Okay." He looked back at her with a weak smile, which she held. There was a silence between them, one that reminded Elise of where they were.
"We just gonna stared at each other, or what?" She asked. Keita's cheeks turned red at this.
"Shut up and let's go," he hissed. Elise enjoyed the feeling that shot down her spine when he blushed like that. It was one of very few joys she had these days. She followed after Keita, bottle in handle, and waited as she grabbed her shoulder.
"Down we go," he said.
With this, both of them plunged into the shadows.
Michael looked up at the sound of a vortex opening, turning just in time to see his shadow spit out Keita and Elise.
"There she is," he said with a smirk. "Get lost, Elise?"
"Shove it, Mikey, I'm in no mood," Elise replied. Michael took notice of the bottle of whiskey in her hands as she walked past him and the fire cooking her kill, wandering to the other side of camp. He snorted humorlessly and looked back at Keita.
"I take it she still miffed."
"You know how she get's when she's disrespected," Keita answered.
"Yeah, shortstacks tend to be like that," he replied. Keita's eyes darted up quickly to scan for the girl in question.
"Don't let her hear you say that," he warned, "she's already in a foul mood."
"I doubt it could get much worse."
"Maybe, maybe not." Keita sighed and sat down next to him by the fire, both of them watching the venison cook silently. Michael took solace in the sound of the fat sizzling, wondering how to broach what he wanted to talk about. Might as well go all in.
"You tell her how you feel yet?" He asked. Keita didn't reply, opting to play with his hands.
"This is hardly the time or place," he said quietly. "We don't need anything else to worry about."
"Might not get a chance if you don't take it now."
"Don't talk like that, please."
"Am I wrong?" Silence came over them, and Michael sighed. "I know you just think I'm a playboy or whatever, but I'm serious. Telling her is the best way to go about it."
"How am I supposed to tell her?" Keita asked, "something like "Hey Elise, I know the world is ending and we're the only ones who can save it but I have feelings for you. Just figured I'd toss more wood on the fire". That sound good?"
"Well I wouldn't phrase it exactly like that," Michael said, making him sigh. "But yeah, something to that effect."
"I'm not saying shit," Keita insisted. "This is not the time."
"What will you do if you lose a time to do it at all?"
Keita said nothing as he stood and walked away, leaving Michael by himself. He sighed and looked back at the venison, contemplating the future of their team.
They needed to reach Mother, and they needed to do it yesterday. Time was running out on more than one clock.
As Act One of the final arc truly begins, I open with this of all things. What better time to address pent up feelings that when you're all at risk of dying? I hope you enjoyed, leave a review!