KEEPING SECRETS CHAPTER 24- DIVINE AMNESTY

"Well, uh, I don't know about this guys. Usually, I'm summoning Chronos in the middle of battle. I have no idea if he'd agree to just show up and chat."

Natsu, Zeref, August, and Invel sat in the Imperial Palace's grand council room, all facing Dimaria, who had a thoughtful look on her face.

"Dimaria, please." Invel said. His voice carried its usual commanding authority, but also genuine pleading could be heard. "This is of the utmost importance to the future of the empire."

Not exactly a lie, but still feels like you're kinda stretching it there, Invel. Natsu thought. He hoped it worked, though.

"Dimaria... there is no one else who could possibly help us in this situation. I get it's unconventional and probably unprofessional too, but please... all we need you to do is ask." Zeref said, giving her a pleading look.

Dimaria's eyes widened for a moment as she stared at Zeref, before she began to laugh. The laugh wasn't mocking or belittling though, it was... bright? Happy? "My God, Your Majesty, I've never noticed before, but you got some real adorable puppy dog eyes when you look at someone like that. All due respect and all that jazz, if I was this Mavis person I keep hearing whispers about, all you'd have to do is look at me like that and I'd be Jello in your hands!" Dimaria said with a big smile on her face, which seemed to grow as the other four men in the room's faces began to turn red."

"Uhhh... thank you?" Zeref said, obviously confused.

Invel exhaled deeply. "Dimaria, that comment was entirely unnecessary. Will you do it?"

Dimaria waved a hand. "Oh, thaw off, Invel. You need to learn to stop being such a stick in the mud." She smirked. "Yeah, I'll do it. Just give me a sec, this isn't what I'm used to so it may take some time to figure out..."

Closing her eyes and slowing her breathing down, Dimaria muttered an incantation in ancient Mildian. As she did, the other four felt the magic pressure in the room intensify. The light lacrimas flickered and the room itself seemed to shake as an overwhelming and arcane power that could only belong to a divine being filled the air.

Dimaria's face scrunched slightly during, but then evened out as Chronos took control of her body. It was as if a shadow now covered her skin, with golden lines that resembled clock hands covering her body. Her hair had grown as well, and stood on end, glowing a faint orange and as her eyes opened, they were likewise glowing with golden, divine energy.

In a deep, powerful voice that sounded nothing like Dimaria's, Chronos, god of time, spoke- "I find this request to converse... most intriguing."

The group would have looked excited if they weren't also so shocked they were speaking to a literal god. Before any of them could say anything, Chronos, who had been looking around the room, focused in on Zeref. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the creator of the Eclipse Gate. I never realized my vessel had sworn herself to your service."

August's eyes widened. "You know our emperor, Lord Chronos?"

Chronos nodded. "Of course. Mr. Dragneel here created a spell that is directly involved with the realm of existence I govern... why wouldn't I know who he is?"

As the others let the shock of this information seep in, one who was present cut straight to the point. "You know Zeref?" Natsu said, voice clearly on edge. "Are you the reason he's cursed?"

"Natsu!" Zeref said frantically. "You can't just-"

"I am not." Chronos answered plainly. "Though I understand your frustration, young dragon slayer. Gods do not experience emotion the same as humans do... though there are some that are more understanding to human thinking than others."

Invel cleared his throat. "Am I correct in assuming Ankheseram would fall into the latter category then, Lord Chronos?"

Chronos nodded. "Ankheseram has acted foolishly." The god smirked, and continued, "He's always been a being of pride... and said pride was hurt by Zeref's achievements. Ankheseram wished to pass judgement with the curse of contradiction when Zeref first developed the R system spell. Many of the other gods and Elohim- divine beings, that is- protested. They claimed the punishment was unnecessary, as Zeref had not broken any 'rules'. You see, every natural phenomenon in what you mortals call existence runs off a certain process or equation, if you will. All young Zeref had done in his 'creation' of the R system was discover the equation to returning a deceased soul to life. However, Ankheseram took great pride in his governance of the realms of life and death- he saw Zeref's spell as an affront on what was rightfully his."

"Since we could not agree, we sought the word of our ruler- El-Olam. El-Olam told us since Ankheseram was the appointed ruler of the laws of life and death, that he could choose to deal punishment if he wished- however, El-Olam warned Ankheseram to judge wisely, as judging solely based on his pride would bring about destruction and sorrow, more than the world had ever seen- and that its consequences would rock the Heavens themselves."

"This seemed to calm Ankheseram for the moment, and he delayed casting judgement... until Zeref completed his designs for the Eclipse Gate spell. Technically Zeref was interceding into my territory, but when I informed Ankheseram I had no plans to curse the boy, he claimed authority over the matter due to the fact Zeref was travelling back in time to return his family to life- making it a resurrection of sorts. So, Ankheseram cursed Zeref... and everything that El-Olam had warned us came true, almost instantaneously."

"Gods function best when they have worshippers, and the center of Ankheseram's worshippers was none other than Mildian... which was almost completely annihilated the second Zeref was cursed. I had a connection to Mildian too, but I had other centers of worship- so while I lost a chunk of my power, I saw Ankheseram wither and weaken before my eyes to a mere shell of what he was. El-Olam said since Ankheseram chose not to heed His warnings, he would pay the price of his arrogance... and in addition, make it so Zeref could be cured. And so reluctantly, he did."

The four men stared wide eyed at each other, and at Chronos. Natsu was the first to speak: "If the other gods were so against Zeref being cursed, why the Hell didn't they do anything about it? Why not just cure him themselves?!"

Chronos chuckled. "Tell me, did you summon me to question me on theodicy? Or did you have another reason? I could attempt to explain the inner workings of the Heavens in greater detail, but, the longer I stay here the more strain it puts on my vessel's body."

"The R system." August said. "Will we be cursed if we harness its power?"

Chronos smiled. "No. As I said before, Zeref discovered the process for exchanging a life for a life... you are not manipulating the laws of life and death... you are merely taking part in them."

Zeref furrowed his brow. "I'm sorry Lord Chronos, but that all leaves me with one big question. I know from experience Ankheseram can still curse others. What's stopping him from cursing everyone else who would potentially be involved in casting the R system?"

Chronos's expression darkened. "Ankheseram is unable to curse anyone ever again. I know you have questions about Mavis Vermillion, his final victim... but I'm afraid I'm out of time." Chronos groaned and grasped his head. "Your path is... still wrought... with danger... proceed... cautiously..." At that, Dimaria's eyes, hair, and skin shifted back to their normal color, and her head fell against the table.

August was immediately by her side, palm of his hand on her forehead. Turning to the others, he explained, "I don't think she's injured, but her magical energy is drained to almost nothing. I will go ahead and take her to the infirmary as a precaution, however." With that, August scooped Dimaria up, and both of them disappeared.

The remaining three sat in silence for a moment before Natsu broke said silence with a chuckle. "Told ya something was off." He said, looking at Zeref.

Invel stroked his chin, thoughtful look on his face. "I suppose it does make sense, in a way. When humanity discovered the process in which rain occurs... whoever the water god is didn't curse whoever the first person was to theorize and experiment with the water cycle."

Zeref sighed. "So, I just got stuck with the most vindictive god of all. Just my luck."

"Don't look so down," Natsu said, smiling. "Now we can do it- we'll actually have our family back, Zeref! And we know for sure that it's possible for you to be cured too! "

Zeref offered a small smile. "I never thought in all my years something like this would be possible... Color me impressed, Natsu."

Natsu beamed at him. "Make sure to thank August too, I never would have come up with this idea to talk to Chronos without his help!"

Zeref's smile in response was a bit uncomfortable. "I guess I need to... I don't know what you two talked about, but whatever it was, it must have really helped both of you... I can tell a big difference in both of your demeanors."

Natsu nodded but had a serious look on his face. "You need to apologize to August too, for what you said in the gardens. Trust me, you don't know how much your words hurt him, so you saying that would mean a lot." Natsu let out a deep breath and added, "Even if ya just gotta look at it from the perspective of keeping your 'pawns' happy."

Zeref's smile slipped but he nodded. "I see your point. It's still shocking to me how deeply it hurt him, since he knew better than everyone how the curse treats my mind. Guess it just shows you as well as you think you know someone, there's still things you've not realized about them, as well."

Natsu couldn't help but snort loudly. Zeref raised an eyebrow at him but was cut off by Invel. "You underestimate the effect you have on those around you, Your Majesty. I'm sure some in the Twelve would be angry at discovering what you originally planned, but others would have likely reacted similarly to August. You can't tell me Larcade would be emotionally composed hearing what you told us? Or even Irene, despite the brave face she puts on both of the time?"

Zeref had almost forgotten Invel was in the room. "I see your point, Invel. You've taken all of this remarkably well, if I do say."

"I try to be as understanding as I can, Your Majesty, given your curse and the effect it has on your mental state. That said, I also had hope once you calmed down you would realize that plan was futile. I am happy my prediction was correct."

"Still, Invel... I... apologize that I rewarded your devotion and service to me with... that." Zeref said, somewhat awkwardly.

"I appreciate that, Your Majesty. Hopefully soon, your curse will be a thing of the past and situations like this will no longer even be on our radar."

"Wow, I'm happy you could finally learn to say sorry to someone the right way, Zeref!" Natsu said cheerily, patting Zeref on the back, who made a bewildered face.

"Ummm... thanks, I guess." His face became serious as he said, "I think we need to discuss how exactly we are to proceed if we are moving forward with using the R System... the power source is accounted for, but we still have the sacrifice and means of construction to figure out."

Natsu furrowed his brow. "Didn't we decide on using someone on death row?"

"I'm simply being cautious, Natsu. No one has ever actually been revived by the R System before- it never made it off paper from my time at the academy, and you destroyed it before Jellal could finish casting it... which even if he had, it likely would have failed anyway, with me, the person he was trying to resurrect, still being alive. All that said, I think it'd be best to revive mom and dad one at a time. That way, we can ensure the spell works the way it's supposed to. So, I hate having to pick, but..."

"We should bring Mom back first." Natsu immediately said.

Zeref smiled and nodded. " If it works, I don't know how Mom and Dad are going to take this... whole plan. But Dad would have both of our heads for sure if he knew we saved him before saving Mom."

"Right!" Natsu said, smiling.

"Still though, that presents a concern. I designed the tower to have a very precise body modification system- basically, when the spell is cast and the soul of the person, you're wanting to revive is returned to the mortal plane, the R System reshapes the sacrifice's body to match the soul of the person who's being revived. In theory, anyway. But as an extra precaution, I'd like to find someone healthy, and as physically similar to Mom as possible for the sacrifice."

"I see." Invel said. "While I would point out your magical theories have almost always proven accurate, Your Majesty, I understand why we should take extra insurance to ensure everything goes the way it should. To that end, I can inquire if we have any healthy female prisoners sentenced to capital punishment in the late twenties to early thirties age range. Would that be acceptable?"

"That would be great Invel... I get how selfish this whole thing is... so thank you."

Invel smiled slightly. "As I told you before, if there was a way I could help you achieve your ideal world and keep the empire safe, I would... and now a way has presented itself, at least in part. For all you've done for the Empire, to make its citizens' lives better... even if it is just from a perspective of keeping your 'pawns' happy- I am happy to help you see this plan through to repay that." Invel's face became serious as he stated, "But I must remind you we do still have the issue of its construction to consider. We simply cannot spare the amount of jewel it would take to acquire all that ethernano."

Natsu scowled. "How the Hell did Jellal and Grimoire Heart afford to build it then?"

"Well, when you're already a dark guild, I'm sure crimes like theft and piracy are nothing to them. Plus, with Jellal and Ultear on the Council during the tower's construction, we can safely assume embezzling was involved... Long story short, a lot of different, definitely illegal, ways to make money." Sighing, Zeref said, "And while our treasury is nothing to balk at, we really would be risking the Empire's stability to purchase that much ethernano at once. Raising taxes after what happened with the revolution in Devereaux, and now the war coming up with Ishgar, would be suicide... and unfortunately, after watching Ashford's failure of a rebellion, all the nobles seem on their best behavior so there isn't any corruption to root out or fortunes to seize out from under them at the moment."

"Be great if we knew someone who could just rebuild it with a spell." Natsu grumbled.

"For a spell to recreate something that complex, the spell would most probably have to be very complicated as well... we'd need a very talented mage to cast it." Zeref explained.

Natsu furrowed his brow. "If you don't know any spells like that, how about we ask August?"

As if on cue, August reappeared in the room. "Dimaria is fine." He spoke. "Hosting Chronos that long without releasing any of his magic energy merely exhausted her. Dr. Williams sent her back to her room and told her to simply rest for the day, and she should be back to 100% tomorrow."

"Excellent." Zeref said. "Now, August. About this plan you and Natsu have drummed up."

August raised his eyebrows. "I take it this means you intend to go through with it, Your Majesty?" Natsu didn't miss the excitement in August's voice.

"If we can solve the problem of its construction... yes." Zeref said. "It's far too expensive to build from scratch, however... Natsu has suggested we attempt a spell to reconstruct it. Do you know of any such spell or mage who could do something like this?"

August stroked his beard, looking deep in thought. "Not personally, though... in my travels, I read about such a spell. A very rare form of lost magic, banned by the Magic Council; but in theory the spell would allow its caster to create anything they could imagine... it is called 'Arc of Embodiment'."

Natsu's eyes widened. "I... feel like I've heard of that... I just can't remember where."

August looked a little surprised. "Interesting... from what I heard, and this was several years ago, mind you, the last known practitioners of the spell were a minor noble family from Fiore, so it makes sense you could have heard of it... though unfortunately the entire family was killed off shortly before you came through the Eclipse Gate, Natsu."

"Just out of curiosity, what was the name of the family, August?" Zeref asked.

"The Rose Family of Crocus."

"Hmmm. Never heard of them." Zeref said.

"I would give that report another look over, August. Since Prince Natsu seemed familiar with the name of the spell, at least. We cannot afford to leave any stone unturned in pursuing this. " Invel said, as he stood from his chair. "I will go see who we have in our prisons awaiting capital punishment."

"I'd ask Bloodman, Invel. He keeps track of those sorts of things since he's our executioner." Zeref said.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I'll take my leave then." Invel bowed and briskly left the room.

August bowed as well. "I will take my leave as well, Your Majesty, Natsu. I'll consult with Jacob to see if our intelligence has any more information on this Rose family."

"Eh, August..." Zeref awkwardly said. August turned around, and Zeref continued. "I… wanted to apologize for what you heard and witnessed in the rooftop gardens last week. I didn't realize how badly hearing those things would hurt you... you've been a great help to me over the years, so you didn't deserve that."

Relief could visibly be seen washing over August's face as he bowed again. "I appreciate that greatly, Your Majesty. I think, after working together for so long, I grew too used to you managing your curse... and I failed to notice just how deeply it had affected your mental state. For that, I apologize."

Zeref smiled a little. "No apologies needed, August. In fact, I should also be thanking you. Natsu says you were able to help him through this ordeal quite a bit... as well as help plan the strategy he shared with me earlier this morning."

"Think nothing of it, Your Majesty." August said, walking over to purify the scarf. "Natsu was able to offer his support to me as well." Natsu smiled and nodded in response.

Zeref regarded them both with a raised eyebrow for a moment, before he said, somewhat playfully, "Are you two... hiding something?"

August paled and Natsu immediately became defensive. "It was personal stuff, aka not your business!" He exclaimed, startling Zeref.

"What Natsu's saying is we discussed our bonds... with each other, you, the Twelve... and the other members of Fairy Tail, for Natsu. In the end, we felt a deeper connection and came to an understanding." August hastily followed up.

Zeref nodded at that, smile returning. "I'm happy you two have become good friends."

Natsu and August both seemed content with that, smiling and nodding in return. "I'll be on my way to find that report on the Rose family now." August said, bowing slightly before he left the room.

"I think I'm gonna go get somethin to eat. All this planning has made me hungry!"

"Wait, Natsu." Zeref said, looking at him intently. "I wanted to ask you... are you sure about this plan? I know several of your friends suffered greatly because of the R System..."

Natsu sighed. "Yeah, they did... But I was thinkin about what we've talked about, that it's the mage that makes the magic good or bad. You didn't create the R System for bad reasons... but Grimoire Heart used it for bad reasons anyway. I doubt my friends would like it, but... it doesn't bother me anymore. Guess my mind has changed... especially knowing you came up with it, at least in part to bring me back."

Zeref sighed. "I think you're sounding too much like me again, Natsu."

"Don't start with me on that crap, Zeref. I'm your brother- and like it or not, we ARE alike. You just helped me realize some stuff I couldn't put into words well myself. But that's what happens when people spend time together- they rub off on each other. I know for sure a bunch of people here have told me you're smiling a lot more and seem way more carefree about stuff since I showed up. You're welcome."

Zeref chuckled a little bit. "Alright, I see your point Natsu." As he stood from the table, Zeref said, "I think… I'll go rest in my suite for a while and clear my head. This has been an eventful morning."

"Alright, just don't start coming up with any more bad ideas while you're alone." Natsu (half)-jokingly said with a smile. He threw up a hand as he left. "Later, big brother."

Zeref smiled and waved as well. "I'll certainly try not to. Later, Natsu."

One thing that had definitely NOT changed about Natsu was his appetite, and after the eventful morning he had so far, he was beyond ready to fill up on some delicious food. He made his way to the palace's all-you-can- eat cafeteria and filled his tray up with as many plates as he could physically fit on it. He then carefully made his way to an empty table and sat down, ready to dig in.

Despite his productive morning, he still felt a pit in his stomach. He thought he really should be happier. Zeref had agreed to his and August's plan. The god of time had told them they wouldn't have to worry about being cursed. They were making progress on a spell which could recreate the R system- which when successful, would give Zeref and Natsu their parents back. His and August's strategy for the invasion had scaled Zeref's 'one sided annihilation' down to scare tactics- exception given to the Magic Council, of course. And with August, he had discovered he had more living family than just Zeref, who even had ties to Fairy Tail to boot, which meant he understood Natsu's struggle better than anyone else.

But the fact he would be his guild's enemy, at least temporarily, ate at him. Part of him wished he had still gone back to see his friends. He still had no idea what he would have said to them, especially after all of August's revelations. While he was certain his friends wouldn't condemn him simply for who his family was... he didn't know how they'd take the fact that he was prioritizing saving Zeref above all else.

But saving Zeref meant saving the world, right?

Without Zeref, Erza would never have been born.

Gramps would never have been born.

Lucy's family could have died off before she even had a chance to be born.

Wendy would be dead.

I would be dead.

There would be no Fairy Tail.

He owed it to his brother to remain by his side in his hour of need.

That said, he still didn't have to like that he'd be an enemy of Fairy Tail.

He sighed and took another bite of the pork chop in front of him.

A second later, a voice called out to him-"Boss!" He saw Jackal striding over to him with his own tray. Noting the less than happy look on Natsu's face, his own smile slipped. "You okay?"

Natsu sighed. "Yeah, I guess. Just got a lot on my mind."

Jackal nodded and sat down. After a second, he asked "Is it about your decision? I know you told Lord Invel you'd decide by today-"

"I'm staying in the empire. My brother needs my help, and I can't abandon him. If I go, he'll be alone- I mean I get he's the emperor, but I'm the only one who can actually hold him accountable and stuff." Natsu said seriously, not looking up from his food.

Jackal stared at him with wide eyes. "Wow... His Majesty's gonna be thrilled! But, uh, what about your friends?"

"I'm working on a plan with August to make sure everyone- in Fairy Tail and the Empire- stay safe."

Jackal nodded. "Uh, that's real good, boss... Hehe..." Looking a little nervous, the etherious continued, "I just wanna say, I woulda supported you whatever you chose, but... I was still nervous if you picked to go back to Fairy Tail... heh, I guess I'll have more time to work on this." He slid a messy and crumpled paper over to Natsu.

Furrowing his brow, Natsu picked it up to get a better look at it... not that it helped, because Jackal's handwriting was abysmal. Natsu wasn't even sure if the etherious had even written any legible words. "What is this?" He said, obviously confused.

"Well, uh, I kinda tried to write an apology speech to your guild I was gonna say once we got there... mostly about trying to blow you guys up, the things I did to your pals Happy and Lucy... stuff like that, you know?"

Natsu blinked and then snickered, sending Jackal into defensive mode. "Hey! I worked real hard on this!"

Smiling, Natsu said, "No... it's just... I didn't expect that! I needed something to distract me from all this serious stuff I've had to talk about this morning. Thanks!" I think I'll leave out the part about how I can't read any of it. Jackal still looked a little disgruntled, and haphazardly shoved his note back in his pants' back pocket.

"What's this great plan you and August have come up with anyway?" Jackal asked, irritation not completely out of his voice just yet.

"Uh… classified." Natsu said.

"Huh? What do ya mean classified?" Jackal said, irritation growing. "Wait, does Invel know? That's not fair! I'm your chief of security I should get-" Jackal's scowl and irritation seemed to vanish, as his eyes widened, and a bewildered look appeared on his face. "Wait… do you still not trust me? After working with ya most of the past year? After everything in Deverea-"

"That's not it, you idiot!" Natsu said. Seeing the demeanor change in the etherious, it seemed Jackal was actually hurt by the idea of Natsu not trusting him. Tone softening, Natsu continued, "This plan is… complicated. It has a lot going on in it… and it's gonna take everyone working together to pull it off. And on top of that, August said if something does go wrong, and someone gets captured during it, they can't know what everyone else is doing cuz we can't risk them spilling the beans and the others' missions being compromised…"

Jackal's eyes widened again. "Wait… you have a part for me in it?"

"Of course I do! Like you said, we've been working together for basically a whole year now… and you ain't let me down yet. So, I hope I can count on you to help us with this… buddy." Natsu smiled.

Jackal smirked. "Hell yeah, you can count on me boss! I'll get whatever you need done!"

"Thanks, Jackal." Natsu's smile faded as he thought about what still needed to happen before they could brief everyone, as August said. "That said… we have a big problem to solve before we can get this ball rolling." His expression turning serious, Natsu said, "When you were in Tartaros, you never happened to meet someone who could use a spell to like, make things with magic, by chance, did you?"

Jackal furrowed his brow. "Make things with magic?" He brought his hand to his chin, and after a moment of thinking, said, "There was this guy that made people with magic… Does that count?"

"Wait, what do you mean by 'made people'?" Natsu asked.

"Well, there were these guys that barged onto the cube once, all pissy because they said we were destroying their guild's sub-guilds. We thought they were nuts; they claimed they were from Grimoire Heart, but that guild had been a thing of the past for years at that point. And their ringleader was an ass, so Kyoka used her curse on him, and suddenly his pals vanished into thin air! Turns out he was making them with his magic- Kyoka said it was called 'Arc of Embodied Mints', I think? Anyways then he tried to turn his arm into a sword, but he was no match for Kyoka-"

"Wait, Arc of Embodiment? You're sure that's what Bird Lady said it was?" Natsu cut Jackal off, excitement filling his voice.

"Uh, yeah, I'm pretty sure…"

"Jackal, this is great! August said that was the spell we needed! Is this guy alive? Could you recognize him?" Natsu sounded hopeful.

"Well, he was whenever Kyoka threw him out of the cube… like a year ago. I never saw him, so I don't know what he looks like. Sorry, boss." Jackal paused for a second, before he added, "But I think Kyoka said his name was Rusty… something."

Natsu had pulled out his communication lacrima, and called August. Hearing him pick up, he said, "August, Jackal said one of his guildmates in Tartaros met someone who could use Arc of Embodiment! They were from Grimoire Heart… and their name was Rusty-something…"

"That's excellent news, Natsu… meet me back in your room as soon as you can. Bring Jackal too. I'll pull the file on Grimoire Heart as well."

"We're on our way. See you soon." Hanging up, he looked over at Jackal. "August says to meet us ASAP."

Jackal forked down the last of his food before grinning. "Right behind you, boss!"

"Great." Natsu said, offering a smile of his own. "Come on, let's not keep August waiting." Natsu stood and briskly made for the cafeteria's exit, with Jackal following. He took a deep breath and pushed his uncomfortable feelings down. There'd be more time to let that stuff out later.

For now, there was work to do.