July 16th, x778
In the early morning hours, four mages waited silently outside a makeshift operating room in a facility hidden in the bustling depths of Fiore's rotting underground. A girl with white hair and angel wings was the first to break the silence as she glanced at her now-blind teammate and hissed, "What the hell happened?"
Angel could hardly believe how shitty of a condition three of the members of the Oracion Seis returned in. Cobra was fucking blind, Racer lost his foot, and even Midnight, who returned with the most surface-level injuries, couldn't remember how he fucking got them. The last thing he said he remembered was an older man showing up and interrupting his fight with Jellal's brother, who, guess what, she also hadn't known existed until the three stooges came back.
"How did three of you get overpowered?"
It was fucking embarrassing, they were in the same guild, and her beauty sleep was in the trash, knowing two guild mates had gotten crippled a mere day ago. She could chalk some, the barest hint of that to concern, but most of it came from two warring thoughts that circled her mind.
Who could have done this to Cobra and Midnight...
Excluding their guild master, Cobra and Midnight were the strongest mages in their guild; it wasn't close. The idea that they had accidentally stumbled upon such a heavy defeat while searching for that stupid weapon was terrifying to her.
Whoever it is...
As for the other reason for her concerns.
Brain won't be pleased once he-
Angel's thoughts, which had been circling on terrified and anxious, came to a screeching halt as she heard the door to the operating room click open. Her eyes flicked towards the doors along with everyone else's, barring Cobra's, and she watched as Brain walked out with a frown.
"I was able to save Racer's foot; if it was any later, it might have been lost for good."
His words were casual, but their tone sent shivers down Angel's spine. She knew that iron-laced connotation could only mean one thing.
"So now that we haven't time to worry about..."
Brain was furious.
"Explain."
Absolutely furious.
"Why have three of my guild members come back in such... unsavory conditions."
Brain's words echoed through the room as Angel and Hoteye kept their mouths shut and stayed still. The two knew not to do anything that could catch their guild master's ire as they watched Cobra and Midnight share a glance—as much of a glance as Cobra could give anyway—before the snake charmer began recounting his side of things.
"It was during a storm outside of Devi when everything started..."
Cobra's side of the story was a much more complete recollection than the half-baked and hurried summary of accounts that Midnight had given once they had arrived before Racer had to be immediately brought in for surgery.
"I heard Jellal's name."
Cobra retold his side of things, from Racer getting a first swing at Jellal's brother, to Cobra and Coballios fighting Jellal, to their eventual loss, to the second round, and finally to the eventual end of the match, where his words began sounding a bit suspect.
"I would've died, but thankfully, Coballios' injuries weren't as fatal as I originally thought. She had enough strength left to bite me before she passed out. It healed my worst injuries."
Cobra's snake looked a little more than 'fine' after the near-death experience she apparently faced.
"When I got up, Jellal was gone, and I found Midnight and Racer unconscious in the woods. I figured it was better to cut our losses."
She looked in perfect condition, actually.
"That was all-"
"Cobra," Brain interjected, silencing the dragon slayer as he walked over. Ignoring the snake that hissed protectively from around the blind mage's neck, he whispered, "Do you take me for an idiot?"
Brain knew a liar when he saw one.
"Next time, be more forthcoming with your answer..."
Brain spoke without a hint of remorse as he held a hand out, watching as the snake around Cobra's neck hissed but stopped. Its instincts saved it from an instant and painful death as Brain put his palm over Cobra's trembling face and reminded his stupid little pawn, "It'll save you a lot of pain."
Cobra whimpered, and green static flashed from Brain's hand. The buzz filled the air as Cobra screamed in utter agony; all the while, Brain sifted through his memories uncaringly. He picked Cobra's brain apart, one memory at a time, until he got the actual story.
This imbecile nearly ruined everything!
Brain had never been so utterly furious; he needed Jellal alive. The fact that this imbecile nearly fucked up his plans was utterly aggravating. If the idiot hadn't been blind already, Brain would have torn those useless eyes out of Cobra's head.
This little... No... I must stay calm.
Killing one of his more valuable pawns wouldn't do Brain any favors. After such a setback, he needed all the strength he could get.
This was a slight miscalculation on my part for not warning them of Jellal's importance. I'll readjust.
Brain had yet to tell them about Jellal's knowledge of Nirvana. That was an error in judgment. He would fix that mistake after probing Cobra's memories and stressing that Jellal was off limits.
I can take the new information as it comes.
Jellal was injured heavily, although chances are that the little dragon slayer, who had an uncharacteristically close connection with him, had healed the worst of the wounds. Maybe even his arm, it was hard to say, but more importantly than that was the timing.
Why was Jellal outside of his tower...
As far as Brain knew, Jellal only left that tower if something piqued his interest. The only thing in the forests in Devi that could do that was...
Cait Shelter.
A no-name guild that Brain had just heard of. Yet their guild master had strong-armed Cobra and defeated Midnight.
What secrets are you hiding...
Something was off; Brain would have to go personally to check out the mysterious guild. The guild, with a master strong enough to keep Midnight in check and catch Jellal's interest, was worth seeing.
I'll leave when dawn breaks.
Brain had no reason to wait; he would personally see the guild in question when the sun rose. Jellal would still be recovering, and Brain was confident he could deal with whatever tricks the older man had played on Midnight. That only left one possible candidate to challenge him, and Brain wasn't worried about him.
As for you...
Brain had almost forgotten about the blue-haired dunce it had been so long.
I knew those cuts looked familiar.
Brain frowned as he reminisced on the clean and utterly flawless cut through Racer's leg. It was so precise that it helped the surgery reattach it, as the cleaner cut meant more straightforward access to the nerves. It was almost nice to see that his test subject's old skills had stayed the same over the years since he'd last seen him.
So Number 8 joined Phantom Lord...
That left a bitter taste in his mouth. That guild was an utter annoyance in his plans. Brutal and unforgiving, just like that cocky guild master and his legion of ghosts. Brain would have to think up a plan to deal with them eventually, but that could come later.
I figured he would've died in the lab.
Brain's initial calculations were off when he left his head cult member in charge of the lab so Brain could be free to search for Nirvana. That fool and his tacky red robe, Harby, if he remembered right, must've messed up something in the plan before he died. Now, Brain had to deal with the fallout.
I'll have to erase that stain personally.
Brain clicked his tongue at the thought of getting his hands dirty with old business, shaking his head as he finished sifting through the old memories and was about to release his grip, only to stop in his tracks and murmur surprisedly, "Oh... what's this?"
Brain had stumbled upon something interesting.
There's a hint of magic in there.
It was small, like a little bubble in the back of Cobra's mind, but as Brain went to prod it with his magic, it expanded, and he ended up getting sucked into a world hidden in the back of Cobra's mind. Brain's body was left in the outside world as his consciousness was taken and trapped in a spell so old and intriguingly intricate it took his breath away. It was like he was in a dream, standing in the middle of a dense forest underneath an entire city that stood on legs of pillared earth. A colossus of architecture that could only come from centuries past.
"So you're the one..."
An aged voice echoed through the dream or illusion? It had to be an illusion, as Brain gazed at the edge of the walking city and saw an older man sitting with his legs hanging over it. The tan man with a feathered headdress and worn eyes looked down at him disappointedly.
"Who is searching for my creation."
It was at that moment that Brain knew.
"Tell me, boy..."
His dreams hadn't been foolish.
"Why do you seek Nirvana."
The creator of the ancient weapon, the one who had developed a power that could destroy the world, was standing above Brain. Brain was being judged on whether or not he was worthy to gain access to Nirvana; and the entire things was just...
"HAHAHAAHAHA!"
Fucking hilarious.
"ME!? Why do I search for Nirvana? What a stupid question!'"
How dare this old fossil try to deem who was worthy of his creation?
"It's because only I have the intellect to use it properly, you old fool!"
That wasn't his choice to make.
"So tell me where it is, you ancient failure!"
Whoever this old man was had failed to use Nirvana correctly, and because of that, it was sealed.
"I'LL USE IT IN WAYS YOU NEVER COULD DREAM OF!"
It was Brain's turn, and as his crazed greed and gluttonous desires washed over the illusion, it became clear that he would have to take what he was owed. He would have to shatter this shitty illusion and burn that forest to the ground to get what he wanted from the old fossil.
"I see..."
It was apparent the old dumbass disapproved.
"So you're one of those people."
Brain shrugged off the older man's disappointed words as he drew his magic, latching it to the surroundings as he prepared to shatter the illusion. His eyes tinged with delight and manic anticipation as the air started to crack and web around his body.
Only to crumble away and reveal him standing in the same spot.
"What the-"
"You're very arrogant, you know..."
Brain flinched at the older man's words, this time their echoed weight hitting him as he tried to shatter the illusion and succeeded, only to end up in the same place. Again and again, and again, every time he broke it, he ended up back at the foot of the giant walking fortress, all the while the older man's words continued to echo through the illusion.
"I was alive before you were even a thought."
It was after the tenth time that Brain finally realized...
"I watched the dragons fall from the skies and crown man the kings of the new world."
He had to kill the old man.
"Did you really think..."
He was the biggest obstacle to achieving his dream.
"I would just let you leave?"
Brain released a guttural roar as he turned towards the older man, dark magic concentration around his palm as he glared daggers at the old man standing in his way. The air trembled under the weight of tainted magic before two green lasers fired, barreling as the old man watched with a slight frown, "How unfortunate..."
Brain watched, his rage falling to utter despair as he saw the old man wave a hand. The green lasers that could destroy buildings with ease hit a web of cracks floating in the atmosphere itself. It was like a spiderweb etched into the air stood in their path, and from it, the green lasers dispersed into a swarm of butterflies that flew harmlessly into the sky.
"Even your magic has bad intentions."
Brain felt his breath stutter, and as panic began to creep under his skin, the man disappeared before he had a chance to try another attack. He vanished off the face of the earth, like a fleeting apparition that left Brain's body at the height of nervous tension.
Where'd he go...
Brain looked around frantically, his mind trying to solve the puzzle he was stuck in before he felt a cane tap the back of his leg. Brain looked back to see the old man gone before turning down and seeing his leg bubbling like a balloon, the skin bulging and blood boiling until it reached its breaking point.
Brain's scream was otherworldly. He fell to his ass, his throat going hoarse as he reached down to his lost leg and felt something he hadn't expected. Something that shook him to his core.
What...
His leg was there; there was no blood, no wounds; it was like it had been blown off in an instant, and in the next, it was back. It was perfectly functional and clean as if it had never imploded in the first place.
What the hell is this place?
Only the pain lingered.
"I suppose I should apologize."
The old man's... the old monster's voice sounded a few feet before Brain as he looked up. Fighting back the phantom pains that racked his leg as he saw the old man standing in front of him, watching him squirm on the ground with dead eyes and a stoic expression, "I can't let Nirvana fall into the hands of someone like you."
It was a first for Brain. Even his old master hadn't been able to sew them so wholly.
"But I took an oath never to take a life..."
The seeds of fear.
"So the only thing I can do..."
For the first time in his life, as he stared up at a being that had outlived the country he was born in...
"Is break your mind."
Brain felt the height of terror and trepidation.
"I'm sorry," the old man said honestly. The sincerity of the cruel words startled Brain so much that he shot another beam of dark magic in response. Only for the old man to swat it away like a fly and snap his fingers, "If it makes you feel any better..."
A spike of earth shot from the ground and impaled Brain from behind, eliciting an ear-piercing shriek as Brain felt his organs get ripped to shreds. Yet the hole that should've been in his back and chest was nonexistent when he looked down; the only thing that lingered was pain. Mind-numbing pain.
"You wouldn't have succeeded anyway."
Second after second, minute after minute, hour after hour, until eventually the spell wore off on the third day, Brain died a total of 3,489 times.
"Even if you did find Nirvana..."
On death 2,978.
"I would have just sealed it away again."
Brain's mind shattered like fickle glass.
Angel was confident she hadn't blinked.
What the hell...
She was certain; she had watched Brain place his hand on Cobra's face and listened to the howling cries of the dragon slayer go on for a few minutes before something changed. Suddenly, the green electricity from Brain's palm stopped, and his body stiffened; if Angel squinted, she was sure she had seen his eyes glaze over.
What is going on?
Then, the next second, it was like something snapped, and Brain's body flinched so heavily it looked like he'd been electrocuted. His hand reared back from Cobra, who passed out instantly, as he released a terrified shriek that Angel had never thought she would hear from him. Not in her life.
"STAY AWAY! STAY AWAY! MONSTER!"
Brain was screaming and shaking like a terrified child.
"GUARRRHGGHHH!"
Angel and the others, for that matter, stared in utter disbelief and shock as Brain screamed his lungs horse and swatted invisible flies in the air. His eyes trembling and his hands shaking as he felt around his body as if to see what was still attached before he stumbled towards the other end of the room.
"GET AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Angel had never been more confused in her life.
"YOU MONSTER!"
It was then that Brain slammed his head into a nearby wall, blood trickling from his forehead as he did it once again. The sound of him hammering his head into the metal walls echoed for a few moments as Angel turned to the others.
"What the fuck..."
She didn't know what was going on.
"Midnight, do something."
What she did know was that she didn't want to be near Brain if he had a mental breakdown, so she swatted Midnight's arm, snapping the stunned mage out of his confusion as she firmed his scowling reaction, "Me? What do you want me to do?"
"You're his son, aren't you? Fix him."
"I don't know what the fuck is going on Angel."
"Yeah, well, neither does he, apparently."
Another bang of a skull slamming into metal accentuated her point.
"Try to... I don't know. Talk to him," Angel said with a cringe, ignoring the downright rude expression Midnight shot her way. Okay, it sounded stupid when she said it out loud, but in her defense, Midnight was the only fucking person in their guild that Brain seemed to tolerate. If anyone else tried to snap the guild master out of his funk, they would become a bloodstained mess of a corpse, "Have a heart-to-heart or something."
"I'm not doing that, Father doesn't have-"
"Your oh-so-precious 'Father' is trying to give himself fucking brain damage!" Angel hissed at Midnight as another gruesome headbutt rang through the room. Angel and Midnight ignored it as they glared at each other until Hoteye caught their attention with his idea, "Oh! Maybe we can restrain him..."
Angel and Midnight stopped their little fight, the two turning back in surprise at their giant and squarish dumbass of a guild mate. It was shocking. Usually, he didn't have any good ideas-
"WITH THE POWER OF MONEY!"
Never mind, that made more sense.
"You fucking dumb..." / "You absolute idi..."
Angel and Midnight's conjoined insults stopped in their tracks as they saw Hoteye looking at them with a slight twinkle in his eyes. It reminded them of a puppy looking for praise after doing the trick and forcing them to change their tone. Midnight gave a huff and looked away silently as Angel took it upon herself to give their big dumb idiot a treat.
"...Thanks for the advice, Hoteye," Angel murmured begrudgingly, not wanting to bully the person who was arguably the most kind-hearted in the guild. Then she ignored Hoteye's award-winning smile and turned expectantly to Midnight, who was already frowning and flaring his magic, albeit reluctantly. "Yeah, yeah, I know."
Invisible magic shot forward, and Brain's tenth, twelfth, Angel wasn't sure, but either way, his next attempt to bash his own skull was stopped in its tracks. Their guild master growled as invisible magic held his body in a vice grip, stopping his movements in their tracks.
"LET ME GO! STAY AWAY! NO MORE! STOP!"
His cries and terrified screams never stopped, though.
"There," Midnight muttered as he turned to Angel, keeping his invisible grip on Father. Midnight caught Angel's hesitant breath and almost grateful nod before the screams abruptly stopped, and the three turned towards Brain, only to see him slumped over as if he'd passed out. Midnight was the first to voice his confusion as he saw the color drain from Brain's skin.
"What the-"
Midnight's surprised murmur, spoken under his breath and conveying what everyone was thinking, was cut off as Hoteye shot forward and pushed him out of the way. Midnight flicked his enraged gaze towards the big oaf before he felt his invisible magic snap, broken under an instant influx of power that flooded the room, and a green beam of dark magic, of evil magic, blasted Hoteye into a nearby wall—knocking the big guy unconscious and leaving Midnight and Angel standing alone, staring at their downed guild mate in shock.
"I'm surprised he saw that coming..."
A voice, a grave one, came from Brain's body and caught their petrified attention. Midnight and Angel turned slowly, terrified to move too quickly, as they stared at Brain, who looked incredibly pale. He stood in a relaxed pose, his shoulders hunched, his white hair dropping over his face as he stared at the ground and spoke.
"Seems this bastard picked his guild members well."
Angel reached for her keys, and Midnight coiled magic around himself, only for them to stop. The air suddenly became filled with toxic magic pressure, the evilest desires that shook them to their cores. Sweat dripped down Midnight's chin and Angel's cheek as they stared at their guild master, no whatever used to be their guild master, and saw the man stand to his full height. Brain's long white hair that used to run to his back was now shortened to shoulder length as the man ran his hands through it and wiped the bloody bruise on his forehead with a sneer.
"I must be lucky..."
Brain's bloodshot eyes were revealed to them, and instantly, any thoughts they had of attacking fell through. It felt like they were being watched by death itself; the twisted desires that dark magic made the air feel heavier, and all they could do was watch as this new Brain held up a hand and inspected it, like checking out a new toy.
"I never thought this asshole would let his guard down."
It was only a few seconds of silence and tension as this new entity glanced over his body and around the room, but it felt like an eternity. Then, once the man did speak, it was even more terrifying to the two remaining mages.
"Pfft..."
It was a chuckle that bubbled into a loud and uncaring laugh. The hauntingly gleeful sound echoed through the room until the man looked up at the ceiling before cackling like a madman, "YOU HAVE MY THANKS, OLD MAN!"
Angel didn't know what was scarier, the presence he carried that screamed of a need to destroy.
"I'LL NEVER FORGET SUCH A WONDERFUL GIFT FOR AS LONG AS I LIVE!"
Or the wide smile plastered on the man's face the entire time, screaming with a sadistic joy that she didn't even want to begin to unpack.
What the hell is going on...
Angel gulped as she watched the man collect himself before sharing a glance with Midnight, who was just as confused and cautious as she was. The two's silent conversation froze as the man spoke with a new and terrifying calmness.
"You two..."
Angel almost preferred the angrier voice.
"What day is it?"
Angel gulped as she turned to red eyes that watched her like a hawk, her voice shaking as she spoke with slight trepidation, "July 16th... year 778."
The man took her words with a smile, rubbing his chin as he glanced at the operating room in the corner with a smirk, "That long, huh..."
Angel gulped, and Midnight opened his mouth to speak, only for a laser to fire between them and destroy the surgery room to their back. Their eyes wide before Midnight cursed and shot invisible magic into the room, dragging out a singed and soot-covered Racer, but otherwise still alive. Midnight's face twisted to annoyance as he turned back and hissed.
"What are you doing, father!? This isn't like you-"
"Oh, did you just notice," The man interrupted Midnight's speech with a laugh, ignoring Midnight's bristling anger as he put his hands behind his back and walked towards the two, "I think it's time to make something clear here."
The man's presence drowned out any thoughts of resistance as the two mages struggled to stay upright under his heavy gaze. Their teeth gritted as his noxious magic pressure threatened to suffocate them under its intense weight.
"My name is not Brain. Do not ever compare me to that filth again."
It was like all the rage in the world had gathered into the body of a single person.
"My name is Zero."
Whatever this thing was...
"You will refer to me as such."
It wasn't human.
"Is that clear?"
Zero's red gaze narrowed as Midnight and Angel gulped. The two met his gaze before lowering their eyes and nodding silently. The two were shaking as he gave a slightly approving nod and patted them on the shoulder, "What good dogs you are."
The two could only stay still.
"Now..."
It was the only thing their bodies could think to do to stay alive.
"On to business."
Midnight and Angel said nothing as they watched from the corner of their eyes. The two watched Zero walk past them and stand in front of the burning surgery room with a slight smirk.
"Jellal knows of Nirvana's location. He is off-limits. Once that idiot's tower falls, and we can use him to show us the way to Nirvana, then you can kill him." Zero stretched his arms, cracking his fingers before putting his hands behind his back and adding, "As for what will happen once we have Nirvana in our grasp..."
Zero could already taste it.
"We will immediately fire it at Cait Shelter."
The power to destroy the world as we know it.
"Any questions retards?"
Zero turned back with a glance, watching as the two imbeciles shared a glance. The white-haired one with feather clothes spoke for the first time, "Until then... are we to keep searching for Nirvana?"
Oh, this one actually had good questions. How surprising.
"Sure, but steer clear of Eastern Fiore," Zero replied uncaringly, cracking his neck as he explained his plans with words idiots would understand, "There's a monster waiting there."
Zero really was lucky.
"No point in angering it until we have the weapon to kill it."
It would have been all over if that old man had noticed him in the illusion.
"Anything else?"
Zero glanced at the bird girl, who hesitantly shook her head, then at the emo boy, who gulped before shakily asking, "What is to happen to Father?"
Another good question: these two were shaping into quite a proper surprise.
"He will recover," Zero said with a roll of his eyes, sparing a yawn as he tapped his head uncaringly. "As much as I want him to kick the bucket, his intelligence is useful."
It was unfortunate. Zero had wanted to stay hidden in the back of that bastard's psyche for a little longer, manipulating the arrogant idiot from behind the scenes, but plans changed.
"It'll take me a few years to repair that shit stain's mind, and once I do, I'm sure he'll probably find a way to seal me or something similar."
Zero would just have to adjust.
"So you'll have your precious leader back then," Zero said with an uncaring yawn, stretching his arms as he walked away from the growing fire and passed the two petrified idiots. His footsteps echoed through the room until he reached the door and stopped, finally remembering a last piece of advice.
"Oh, yeah, one more thing before I go."
Zero would learn from Brain's mistakes.
"Just as with Jellal..."
It was better to clarify who could or couldn't be killed here and now.
"Simon is off limits."
Otherwise, all his plans could end up burning to ash
"See to it that you don't forget that."
Zero let his threat linger, glaring at the two standing members before turning to leave until he was confident they had understood his message. Once he got two shaky yet understanding nods, he turned to the hallways and left the room. A few self-indulgent words escaped his lips as he wandered the lonely hallways away from prying ears.
"Thanks, old man..."
Zero's heavy footsteps echoed through the halls as he strolled towards Brain's resting chambers, his eyes tilted cruelly with amusement as he sifted through Brain's memories and lingered on a few about a guild that had become a pain in the ass.
"Once I get my hands on your creation..."
Zero didn't see the big deal; even if they did become a problem, all they were doing was delaying the inevitable. Zero had waited years to get his hands on the ancient weapon: Nirvana.
"I'll finally get to see this world die."
He could wait a few more.