Sometime in the year x777
The air was still, and the night was silent as the night sky blanketed the horizon. The rest of the world seemed to be quiet here, so far away from land, on an island with nothing except the rocks, the sky, and a tower. A tower that was under construction yet wouldn't be done for years to come, a building that had cost a lot of souls a lot of pain and still needed to be finished. A tower that would be finished, no matter the cost, "To what do I owe the pleasure, Brain?"
Jellal would ensure it, sitting atop his throne on the highest floor they had built. His short blue hair and red tattoo were overcast by darkness as he watched a man in a white robe with tan skin and a long white hair bow. The formality resulting in a quirked eyebrow from Jellal, who was curious but not quite invested in this little visit. He had a far grander goal to achieve than figuring out why the mad scientist who led a cult, would deign to arrange this meeting.
"Ah, it's nothing so inconvenient as to need your worry; I simply need to borrow a few things," Brain muttered with a small smile and humble posture, his eyes low as he stood before the child genius. No, genius didn't do it justice. Jellal Fernandez, the one blessed by the stars, would be a talent that appeared once every 100 years. It had only been a little over a year; the boy was only 13, yet he already had the power to take complete control of the 8th tower and everyone in it. Jellal, indeed, was a monster.
"Speak then; I have another meeting after you."
Thankfully, Brain knew he wasn't perfect; with all that talent the boy possessed, he still managed to overlook the actual threats to him. That made him more valuable alive than dead, and if Brain had to share Jellal's talent with Grimoire Heart, then that was fine; he was willing to be patient to get what he needed, "As you know, my cult's forces have officially committed to creating a dark guild in my name. However, beyond their use as research assistants, I find them lacking."
Brain snapped his fingers, opening his requip space and taking out a list of five applicants he swiftly passed to Jellal to read. Brain had them memorized; he had most of the tower's residents memorized, but papers always did well to speed these meetings along, "I think I would prefer to take a more quality over quantity approach with my guild, seeing as it will soon be the focal point of the underworld."
Jellal only hummed in response, lazily scanning through the papers before burning them, his eyes dulling, glancing at Brain, who watched patiently, hiding his self-satisfied smirk as Jellal swiftly adhered to his demands, "Very well, you can take them; I'm not lacking on slaves so I don't see a reason not to."
"Thank you, the Oracion Seis will not forget this-"
"That being said," Jellal casually interrupted Brain's glib tongue, a slight smirk playing on Jellal's lips as he killed Brain's proposal with a dismissive wave, "Simon is off the table. Pick someone else to be your guild's sixth member. I don't care who it is; it just can't be him."
Jellal quirked an eyebrow as Brain frowned, his reluctance reflected in his voice as he spoke, "I'm sorry, but is there a reason why I can't have him? I have done well in helping with the logistics of constructing such a massive tower, have I not? If you could lend me, Simon, then-"
"I would be letting you have your most valuable prospect, and that wouldn't be fun now would it," Jellal spoke with a sneer, chuckling as he saw Brain shiver involuntarily, the little charade Brain had been playing falling through as his ass-kissing smile fell to a flat frown. Brain's eyes were cold as he glared at Jellal, who barely acknowledged it as he waved him off, "Choose another and leave; I'm busy. I'm pretty sure there were rumors of an Angel or something in the tower; why don't you pick her instead? I'm sure she'll fit your criteria."
For a second, the sound of gritting teeth was the only sound echoing in the area, the moments ticking by before Brain reluctantly nodded and turned to leave. His footsteps quietly echoed out of the room before they stalled, with the sound of Jellal's taunting voice pulling him to a stop before he stepped out of the room, "I think I'd rather kill him than let you get your grubby hands on him Brain."
Brain gnashed his teeth as he glanced back over his shoulder, his hidden fury mounting as Jellal sneered, "In case you were thinking of going behind my back to steal him later on."
Brain didn't say anything; he didn't trust himself to. He left the room to collect the Angel that would become a part of his new dark guild. The boy genius left behind to watch the mad scientist leave in a heated silence, the boy hiding a grin on his face that only one person in the room could see.
The one hidden by an illusion in the corner of the room stepped out with a slight chuckle, leaving her red lips as she glanced at Jellal with a honey-tipped comment, "Oh my, you made him mad, Jellal. Are you sure that's wise? He is the best scientist in the underworld; if he chooses to vanish, even you'll have a hard time finishing the tower."
Jellal only chuckled as he glanced at Ultear, his most devoted follower, before giving a slight shrug, "He won't; as much as he wants to pretend otherwise, he needs me and the knowledge I possess. If he left, he'd be alone in finding his precious treasure, and he can't afford to take that risk."
Jellal tilted his head as he turned to Ultear, who was waiting with a doll-like expression. Jellal dropped the formalities as he moved on from the boring topic of Brain and his childish ambitions, "Now, is there a reason you need to see me? Last I checked, I sent you to look for a way onto the council; any progress so far?"
Ultear hid a smile behind the sleeves of her long kimono, her voice thick with practiced devotion, "I've found most of the requirements to be strenuous and can be skipped with a good recommendation from a current council member. That or a member of the Wizard Saints," Ultear tilted her head innocently, "You were already planning on becoming one in the future, no? Membership on the magic council is assured as long as you can become one."
"Then that matters settled; I'll be a Wizard Saint in a few years, so no need to worry over the logistics of the magic council," Jellal tilted his head, narrowing his eyes at Ultear as he spoke with a slight but controlled curiosity, "Although I doubt you would come here just to tell me that."
"Do I not perform my duties to the best of my abilities?"
"You do, but you're usually more casual about them. Scheduling a meeting with me is unlike you, so why did you come here?" Jellal asked with a slight frown; his eyes narrowed as Ultear merely chucked from behind her sleeve. Her voice was light as ever as she spoke with a slight hint of amusement, "Well, I suppose you're not wrong. I came here recently because of a matter that caught my attention; I figured it would be good for you to know beforehand."
Ultear watched as Jellal raised an eyebrow, his perfectly calm and confident expression falling for one of surprise when the following few words left her mouth, "There are rumors of a pair of new mages, young mages joining the rank of Phantom Lord. I didn't believe them at first, so I decided to go and take a peek at their profiles," Ultear pulled out two portraits from the national identification registry, the photographs of the two newest residents of Oak Town and, by extension Fiore's citizens printed plainly to see, "Here, I printed the other one just in case you were interested. Still, I figured the blue-haired one would catch your eye more."
Ultear floated the two pictures towards Jellal, watching as he glanced at them before snapping his head to the one on the left. Jellal immediately burned the one on the right as he looked at the left photograph with the utmost interest, "What's his name?"
"He's listed as Siegrain, a pretty name if you ask me. Whoever named you two must have put some thought into"
"Leave."
Ultear stalled in her words at Jellal's iron command, her eyes widening a fraction of an inch before settling. Her exit is swift and polite as she left Jellal to stew over the discovery, his entire focus only on the picture before him. After an eternity, he finally set down the paper with a small sigh, "So his name's Siegrain, huh..."
Jellal set the paper down, his breath deep as he glanced at the open roof, the stars littering the sky and gazing down at him. There was always something he loved about them: no matter where he was or where he'd been, there was always a sky and the stars somewhere far above him. Far enough that even when he finished building this tower he wouldn't be able to reach them.
"I'll have to change my plans to account for the new variable."
No matter what this accursed world threw at him, the stars were always shining.
"Although it could prove useful..."
If Jellal hadn't committed himself fully and utterly to reviving Zeref, he probably would have wondered...
"Having a piece that looks exactly like me."
If his brother believed they shined just for him, too.
Present Day - x778
A moment passed without anything happening; the three mages in the hallway were too lost in their heads to do anything. Vera was too shocked that Wendy had shown up in Phantom Lord's guild hall without warning, Siegrain too stunned at being confused with someone else, and Wendy so elated at finally being reunited with the one who took care of her when Grandneeny disappeared that she didn't have any words.
He's here...
Wendy smiled into the white clothes Jellal wore now, her tears flowing as she felt him stiffen and try to pull away. Wendy panicked and gripped tighter with her arms that barely reached past his waist, looking up at Jellal, who was looking at her with wide and confused eyes, "Don't go!"
Wendy couldn't let go...
"Don't leave me alone again! I'm sorry for whatever I did. Don't leave again!"
Wendy had just gotten Jellal back...
"Please don't leave, I promise..."
She didn't want him to leave again...
"I promise I'll be better, so don't leave..."
She didn't want him to leave her alone again.
"Please don't go..."
Wendy balled openly, uncontrollably into Jellal's shirt, her hands gripping onto his shirt like a lifeline. The seconds ticked as she trembled and held on for as long as possible, her worries rising as she felt him move her hands from his body, only to fade as he gently reached down and picked her up. Jellal mumbled under his breath as Wendy latched onto his chest like a koala, "Okay..."
Wendy felt her worries and adrenaline melt away as she snuggled closer and felt Jellal's heartbeat, just like when he used to carry her around on his ventures. Wendy felt her earlier exhaustion from healing Totamaru, and Sol caught up to her as she closed her eyes and just listened, "I'll stay."
She just listened to the sound of Jellal's voice.
Siegrain sighed as he heard the little girl's breathing even out, her soft snores echoing into the hallways. Siegrain glanced at the girl who had attached herself to him like a koala to ensure she was asleep before turning to Vera without bothering to hide his confusion and slight panic.
"Help me."
"It looks like you're doing fine, though," Vera said with a slight smirk as he watched Siegrain try and fail to glare at him while carrying Wendy. Vera didn't care if Siegrain could usually beat him into the ground, that Siegrain wasn't carrying Wendy like she would break if he dropped her, "Although you're kind of shit at carrying her."
"Well, I've never done this before!"
"Yeah, I can tell."
"Just help me!" Siegrain said in a hushed yell, his eyes twitching as Vera snickered before he almost reluctantly acquiesced. Vera went to Siegrain and, after a few minutes of gently coaxing the sleeping girl to let go of her vice grip, moved her to Siegrain's back. The girl's blue hair splayed on Siegrain's shoulder, and her eyes stayed firmly shut, indicating that she had sleepily approved of Siegrain's piggyback ride, "There, that's better."
Vera watched as Siegrain silently nodded, shifting Wendy so she was secure on his back before looking at Vera questioningly. His mouth opened before a breeze passed them by, and a deeper voice cut in with a slight tremble, "Oh, there you two are; I was looking for you," Aria glanced lightly at Wendy's slumped figure with a slight trembling in his voice, "I see little Wendy fell asleep because she used her powers too much earlier..."
Siegrain and Vera's eyes widened as they shot their heads over to Aria, who had tears flowing down his face. Aria's sniffles threatened to wake Wendy up as he spoke, "HOW-"
"She's sleeping!"
"...sad," Aria quietly cried while Vera and Siegrain breathed a breath of relief. The two glanced back to ensure Wendy was still sleeping, and she was, before turning back to Aria with silent questions in mind. Those silent questions bubbled over as the two asked him simultaneously; Vera's question was more practical, "Why's she here?"
Siegrain's less so, "Her name's Wendy?"
They both had a lot on their minds, so Aria answered their questions without too much thought, "She was brought here to heal Totamaru and Sol, and yes, her name's Wendy. If I remember correctly, Wendy Marvell. Her guild master was very proud of her skill as a mage."
Aria tilted his head as he saw the two boys nod, both stuck in their heads but less so now. Aria took it as a good sign as he told them what he had just learned from the guild master since it seemed they would now be the perfect candidates, "Well, now that you've been acquainted, let me get back to why I was looking for you two."
Aria watched as the two nodded quickly, their heads tilted curiously since Arian wasn't one to ask for anything, "I have a mission I need to go on, so I won't be able to take Wendy back to Cait Shelter. I need you two to take her back for me," Aria tilted his head, glancing at a nearby wall before looking bad at the two boys, "It'll be dusk soon; I'd recommend getting a train tomorrow morning. You'll have to walk through some forests to get to Cait Shelter, and I doubt you'd want to do that in the dark."
Two resounding shakes confirmed Aria's hunch, leaving the two with their new responsibilities for the next day. As well as a question that Vera just asked, "Where's she going to stay?"
Vera already knew the answer, but he hoped he'd be wrong.
"With you two, of course."
Since that meant his chances of avoiding a long overdue conversation with Siegrain were nonexistent.
It was quiet in town by the time the two boys and their stowaway got to their apartment, the dusk-lit sky highlighting the messy room from the cracks in the window curtains. The room stayed silent as they clicked the door shut behind them, with an awkward moment passing before Vera glanced at Siegrain, "So where are we putting her?"
Siegrain shifted a bit to make sure their extra passenger, Wendy, stayed sleeping on his back. His eyes were tired and a little annoyed as he glanced at Vera with a dull voice. "She can take the bed. I'll get the couch."
"One of these days, I'd like to get the first pick of where I sleep."
"Move then," Siegrain said dully, walking over and softly setting the little girl on the bed. Wendy's sleeping snores echoed through the apartment as she curled into the blankets. The dark blue hair she had splayed out against the bed, with her eyes twitching behind her eyelids. Siegrain stared at her as he tried to figure out who she was, at least going off of the few things Aria had told him and the tiny bit of information he could glean from his first encounter with the little girl.
Wendy Marvell.
The dragon slayer from Cait Shelter healed Totamaru and Sol with her Sky Dragon Slayer Magic. The girl was looking for who was special to her. The girl glanced at him for less than a second and mistakenly assumed that he was that someone.
I don't get it...
Who was she looking for?
Who's Jellal?
Why did Siegrain feel like he needed to know who Jellal was? Why couldn't Siegrain assume she got the wrong person and move on? Why was this one thing, this name, stuck in his mind like a record that refused to stop spinning?
Do I look like him? I must look like him, right? There's no way she would mistake me for him otherwise.
Siegrain's hair and face were distinct, and unless the little girl was hard on memory, which Siegrain doubted; she must have seen someone like him. Someone who probably looked exactly like him since genetic coincidence didn't account for the tattoo covering half his face, the one he'd had since birth.
Who is he...
Siegrain furrowed his brows, his mind instinctively circling that one name repeatedly. Like a missing piece of himself was somewhere in its syllables, he just had to find it.
Jellal...
Siegrain felt like he was important...
Jellal...
He didn't know why...
Jellal...
Why was this Jellal person important...
Jellal...
Siegrain didn't get it. He couldn't understand it at all. He was trying to figure out why that name felt necessary and why he couldn't figure out why it was necessary. He could have spent the rest of the night just standing there, staring into space, thinking in circles, if it wasn't for Vera chucking a pillow at the back of his head and snapping him out of it. Siegrain strumbled from the impact because he was so out of it he couldn't even think to dodge the projectile; he could only take it and listen to Vera's similarly drained voice, "Get out of your head, Siegrain, you're going to start living in there soon.
Siegrain had an annoyed huff, glancing back in surprise as he saw Vera tossing a few blankets on the ground and setting a few pillows on the couch. Standing by his blanketed floor and motioning to the sofa, Vera said, "I need to tell you something; it's probably best if you sit down first."
Siegrain narrowed his eyes at Vera, cautiously walking over to the couch before sitting down and covering himself in a stray blanket. Siegrain was about to turn back and question what Vera was hinting at before his friend spoke bluntly, making Siegrain's thoughts stall, "I know who Jellal is."
Siegrain swore he could have counted his heartbeats as he turned to Vera, his eyes wide and laced with betrayal and shock as he watched Vera, the one he trusted most now that Seven was gone, speak the same bearing truth into existence, "I've known for a while."
Siegrain didn't hear anything else after that.
Vera hadn't made the choices he'd made lightly.
Is it worth playing dumb at this point...
There were a lot of factors that he'd taken into account before he decided it was best to come clean.
Probably not.
Sure, Vera could have played dumb and let things unfold by themselves. Even if Siegrain did make the connection that Jellal was his brother, he wasn't going to find him on his own. Besides Vera, who to be honest only had a vague idea of where the tower was, only Erza knew where Jellal was, and she wouldn't tell Siegrain when her friends were still being held hostage. The most Siegrain would ever find was Mystogan's existence, which would be awkward to say the least.
But if he figures out I was lying and knew about it...
Well if that happened Vera was pretty sure he was going to lose his friend. His best friend at that, because it was one thing for Vera not to mention that he knew Jellal when it was a non-issue, and another for him to actively hide that info when it was. Vera would be burning a bridge if he did that, and he wasn't willing to risk that, not after everything they'd been through.
I'll tell him everything barring where Jellal is...
Vera wouldn't tell Siegrain where Jellal was until they were S class, he was firm on that, but he would tell Siegrain everything else, because he trusted Siegrian. They had known each other for years, and there had been plenty of times when Siegrain could have ditched him but refused to. Even when he didn't owe Vera anything, Siegrain had stayed, and that was important. That was trust, so Vera would repay it in full, even if that meant giving up his greatest secret. A secret he had swore to keep to himself back in the cave when he didn't truly trust anyone besides himself and Sho.
Including the story.
Vera would have to tell Siegeain about the story, because there wasn't any other way to explain how he knew Jellal. Siegrain knew Vera had amnesia and had been with him since they left the lab; when was Vera going to say he learned about Jellal? In between one of the partnered missions or after a weekly spar with Jose? No, Siegrain wouldn't buy it, he wasn't nearly as naive as he used to be.
That way he'll believe me.
Vera would tell Siegrain about the story so that Siegrain would understand why he shouldn't go after Jellal, who was destined to be a Wizard Saint. Not when they were too weak to win against Jellal or Ultear for that matter, because she wasn't just going to sit around as they tried to rescue Jellal.
"I know who Jellal is."
She would kill them, or order Jellal to kill them, and either way Vera and Siegrain would lose, because they weren't strong enough. Vera knew they weren't strong enough because he fought a Wizard Saint every week and got his ass beat. They'd lose against two mages who were on Jose Porla's level, it wasn't even a question.
"I've known for a while now."
Vera had to try to convince Siegrain not to go looking until they were in S class and at least had a chance of doing something. Coming clean was the best bet, and even if it didn't work, even if Siegrain pursued his brother regardless, at least then he would be aware of how dangerous it was. That was better than nothing.
"What?"
Vera just had to survive Siegrain's reaction first, a task made exceptionally difficult because a threaded dagger flew toward his face when he opened his mouth to explain. Vera reacted on instinct and caught it, cursing himself a moment later as the blade exploded and wrapped his hands and arms across his chest.
Okay...
Vera grunted as Siegrain's foot slammed into his torso and knocked him to the floor, the blankets only being a minor cushion. Vera forced his magic container closed to make sure Sho didn't get out before looking up to meet the spear tip held at his throat, pushing into his skin.
He's taking this as well as I expected him to.
Vera sighed as he met the dull brown eyes hovering over him; Siegrain's emotions shut off to stop the warring factions of his brain. The only indication of Vera's words' effect on him, the betrayal he probably felt, was the white knuckle grip he held his threaded spear with. The tip of the blade drew a thin trail of blood from Vera's neck as Siegrain spoke with a sharp tone, "What did you say?"
Vera took a deep breath, meeting Siegrain's eyes as he repeated what he said with an openness that showed he wasn't trying to hide anything, "I know who Jellal is; I've known for a while now."
Vera watched as a myriad of emotions flickered across Siegrain's face, his eyes narrowing with a reflection of betrayal, confusion, pain, anger, and everything in between hidden deep behind his pupils. Siegeain's entire emotional state recovered in seconds as he gripped his spear tightly and muttered under his breath, "Who is he?"
That's all Siegrain cared about at that moment. Who was Jellal, and why did Siegrain want to know about him so badly? Why did it feel like he couldn't sleep right until he figured out who he was, "Don't lie to me, Vera."
Siegrain had to know who Jellal was...
"I won't forgive you if you do."
Siegrain had to know why he mattered so much.
"Okay, I'll tell you everything..."
Siegrain narrowed his eyes as he saw Vera's brain seemingly stall in his words. Siegrain's numb expression fell ever so slightly to concern and confusion as he saw Vera's eyes lose focus and his earlier words turn to mushy mess, "Everything... about... everything..."
Siegrain flinched in surprise as Vera blinked, as if waking up for the first time, and seemed to regain his earlier train of thought. Siegrain's confusion and slight concern over Vera's lapse in... well, everything was completely forgotten as he heard the words that left Vera's lips next, "I'll tell you about Jellal."
Siegrain honestly couldn't think of anything else except the words that left Vera's lips.
"He's your twin brother."
They were the only things that mattered to him.
"Ultear's probably brainwashed him by now because I couldn't kill her, and I told her where to go. If he sees you he'll probably kill you, if she doesn't do it first."
They changed everything Siegeain had thought he knew.
"I'd tell you how to find him, honestly I would have told you a long time ago, but you're not strong enough. We're not strong enough. Maybe when we're S class..."
They shattered the lie he had believed since Seven died.
"But not now."
That he was alone in this big, wide world.