Kagura guided Jellal and Tayaka toward Meredy and the other survivors of Crime Sorciere. Her Sensory Link to Meredy was the strongest out of all of them, including Jellal, who had his significantly weakened after his time in Edolas.
They traveled for days, Jellal wary of the outside world yet still entirely focused on their mission. Hisui had a plan—a bold one, but one that she had to see through to its bitter end. He chose to believe in the power Fairy Tail had, even against the underworld itself. As such, he had to look away from them. From Erza.
Tayaka did well on the road. She was well-traveled, having lived on the run for the last few years after Ultear bestowed her Arc of Time upon her. It was strange to see someone else with the magic, yet she took to it well. She wasn't nearly as powerful or well-versed with the magic, as her skills seemed to extend only as far as manipulating the orb via the Parallel Worlds spell, as well as a rudimentary version of Restore. Still, the promise was there.
She was a quiet little thing, too. She hardly spoke unless spoken to and huddled into her robes. Kagura seemed to stand near her, as if guarding her from something. Not Jellal, but the world perhaps. The girl had rarely traveled outside the bounds of Fairy Tail after claiming her magic. She had always needed protection, but more than that, comfort. Fairy Tail had that in spades, even in their diminished state.
He still couldn't help looking upon Tayaka without an ounce of regret. She wasn't necessarily a symbol of his failure to help Fairy Tail, but at least an indication of his inability to help the world at large. There was, Jellal accepted, nothing that could be done about Zeref coming to conquer Ishgar. Had the Magic Council acted sooner, had they pulled the trigger on FACE or Etherion, they wouldn't be in their current situation. Jellal was in no way going to influence that, so with the Council's inaction, Zeref had free rein.
Tayaka had been just a little girl living her normal life until all the fighting finally came to Magnolia and her whole life exploded. Her family was ripped out of her hands, her life practically ended until Ultear gave her a second chance, but how much of a life has it really been? She's been running and living in fear that the Empire would find her and Break her. With her power, the Empire would almost have limitless potential.
They had to win the war not just to protect Tayaka, but to help her finally recover. Jellal understood that all too well. He'd thought his healing could come from running. After all, he thought his world had ended, truly ended, after their battle against the Dragon Division.
Yet, they lived on and continued fighting. And there, up ahead as they crested a ridge, they all were. Meredy stood up as she sensed Kagura coming close, and her eyes widened at the sight of Jellal.
Macbeth, Richard, Sawyer, and Millianna all got up as well while Meredy rushed to them. She still wore their old cloak, their familiar trappings. It brought a little smile to Jellal's face as he opened his arms and the girl leapt into them.
The others joined in, clasping Jellal's shoulders. Macbeth nodded to him.
"Have a good sabbatical?" he asked.
Jellal rubbed the hair out of Meredy's face. He smiled down at puffy, teary-eyed face.
"It was an unnecessary one," Jellal said. "I'm sorry for abandoning all of you."
"Did you happen to get any stronger while you were away, or did you slack off?" Sawyer asked.
"I did, I think," Jellal said. "It's hard to work on my magic in a world without it, but not all magic needs to come from muscle. Some of it is in the mind."
"Tell me about it," Macbeth muttered.
Richard clasped his hands together. "We missed you very much, Jellal! It is good to be together again once more."
"But we have a new friend with us?" Mill asked and gestured to the sheepish little girl standing just next to Kagura.
Meredy stepped away from Jellal. Kagura let Tayaka step forward. She bowed her head.
"Good to meet you all. My name is Tayaka."
Macbeth leered at her. "You're the girl, the one that Ultear…gifted."
"Oh, shit," Sawyer muttered. "You know, not sure why, but I thought she'd look like Ultear."
Meredy approached her. Tayaka was just a bit shorter than Meredy, and certainly younger. Meredy always looked quite young, but the way she approached Tayaka, with her shoulders rolled back and her head held high, made their gap in age and experience seem to widen.
"Welcome. My name is Meredy."
Tayaka's eyes widened. Her gaze momentarily flickered toward the orb. Had…it spoken with her?
"Ultear told me about you," she said. "She said that I had to take care of you. I'm sorry I haven't been able to. I'm not strong enough yet."
"You're plenty strong," Meredy said. "To have survived in this world, you're one of the strongest people I'll ever meet. Ultear would be proud."
Tayaka shut her eyes. A tear formed in the corner of her eye. Meredy knelt so Tayaka had to look down at her, then Meredy held Tayaka's hand. The orb drifted down, revolving around the two conjoined hands until at last settling. Meredy closed her eyes with a shudder, a smile, and a little tear in her own eye.
"I can still feel her," Meredy said. "Watching us from beyond. She's with us, Tayaka, with you."
Meredy poked Tayaka's chest, and the young woman let out a gasp.
"You will live up to all she was and more," Meredy said. "And you will help change this world. Maybe not in the way you expect, and maybe not against the Twilight Empire. But you will bring the light to break the storm."
"And we'll help kick anyone's butt who gets in the way!" Mill exclaimed.
"Indeed. The love Ultear has put into you empowers the rest of us. Her sacrifice can never be in vain!" Richard exclaimed.
Jellal nodded. "We'll stand by it, and our vow to defeat Zeref no matter what." He and Kagura locked eyes for a moment. "Which is why we're here. We have to reignite the mission."
"Way ahead of you here," Sawyer said. He sat back on a small bump in the ground. "We've had Dark Guilds on the run for weeks."
"We know," Kagura said.
"Which is all well and good, but Tartaros, and the Empire at large, are preparing a massive move in response," Jellal said. "We need to hit them before they can really extend."
Macbeth folded his arms. "How so?"
Jellal ushered everyone to sit. They did so, gathering in a small circle. Meredy and Tayaka sat next to one another, Kagura with Meredy, while Millianna found a small perch. The other members of the original Seis were scattered but attentive. Jellal eased back against a small boulder covered in moss.
"We can't deal as big a blow to the Empire as you all have recently," Jellal said. "Right now, Hisui and Fairy Tail are engaging Tartaros in all-out war to protect whatever rebels remain. None of that is our objective."
"Seems pretty important, though," Sawyer said.
"I agree. But our fight can't be there. If we were to join, we tip the scales to the point of calling attention to the Twilight Division." He considered revealing that Irene was among the rebels, but she swore a vow to only step in if Erza was in danger. She would not fight for the sake of it, and they'd need time to convince her otherwise. She was the only one capable of fighting August. Regardless, he kept his mouth shut on that front. "While they're distracted, we need to call attention to ourselves. We know that the Dragon and Hunter's Division won't be coming after us, so we're gambling between them possibly sending troops from the Crystal Division or, even, the Twilight Division."
"They'd probably like to see us wiped off the map," Macbeth said.
"Considering how they treated your dad? Yeah, I agree," Sawyer said.
It would've been a lot worse, Jellal knew, if Macbeth hadn't stepped up. He always had a haunted look to him, and though he despised his father, the shadows still loomed long. Macbeth didn't regret what he did, but any child who had to put their parent down had to carry a heavy weight.
"What we need," Jellal said. "Is something of a micro-attack. I want to hurt the Empire without actually fighting anyone. Consider it a moral blow against August and Zeref."
"You're speaking in riddles," Meredy said.
Kagura folded her arms. "We mean to bring Sorano and Erik into the fold. Unite the living members of the Seis once again."
Sawyer and Macbeth scowled while Richard clapped and beamed.
"United at last!"
"Those traitors would never go for it," Sawyer said. He eased back. "They made their choice."
"We have one bit of leverage that could secure at least Sorano to our side," Kagura said. "Her sister, Yukino, has fully committed to the rebellion."
"Sorano isn't the one that concerns me, no disrespect," Meredy said. "It's Erik and Cubellios."
"Why's that?" Jellal asked. "Sorano is one of the three great Celestial Spirit wizards in the whole world."
"Because in the time you've been gone, having lost everything, Erik put himself to mastering his skills with the Dragon Division's help. Erik committed to the only cause in front of him. He didn't Break, not in the traditional sense, but he is a broken man nonetheless."
Jellal balled his fist. "Then he'll understand that he can have his allies bring him back from the dark once again."
Meredy flattened her expression, but nobody objected to it.
"Having the full power of the Seis away from the Empire is a definitive gain for the rebellion, and I believe we can sway them. You all set out to stop Zeref once. I believe, in their hearts, Erik and Sorano hold to that resolve."
Nobody spoke up, once again. They looked to one another, once somber eyes turning to once burning with resolve and ambition.
"I don't know what we'll encounter if we can draw them out," Jellal said. "But I have to trust in who they once were and can be again."
It was a blessing bestowed on him. And for those once trapped in the Tower of Heaven, it was a well-deserved second chance.
"So what's your plan on doing that, anyway?" Macbeth asked. "Sending them a letter?"
"No," Jellal said. "Kagura?"
Kagura stood, holding onto Archenemy as she did so.
"We will reunite the Seis where they last stood united," Kagura said. "We must head for Nirvana."
A chill ran through Sawyer, Richard, and Macbeth. Jellal set his jaw at the sound of that name. It was where he'd been captured, too, but at least a place he could prove to Erza that he was, maybe, on the path toward redemption.
"Symbolic," Macbeth. "I like it."
"A symbol of our bond, once broken, to be reforged!" Richard exclaimed.
"Something like that, sure," Sawyer grumbled.
"We set out once everyone is prepared," Jellal said. "The ruins aren't far from here."
They all stood up. Meredy and Jellal locked eyes, but her gaze didn't have the shakiness it did when they proposed the plan. Kagura stood with Jellal, Kagura believed in this plan—it was, after all, her's originally.
That was more than enough for Meredy. She would see it through to the end, and fight for those two lost souls.
It didn't take long for the group to gather their belongings and then set off. Jellal walked alongside Meredy at the back of the pack while Mill chattered at Tayaka a few feet in front of them.
"We'll need your magic," he said. "Your Sensory Link will be the key to everything. If they can feel their old bond within their very souls, that may be enough to turn the tide."
"I don't want to force them, though," Meredy said. "It's like we're Breaking them."
"No," Jellal said. "You're just helping them remember. Nothing more. Connect them, Meredy, and then leave the rest to the Seis."
Meredy nodded. It was a lot to bank on, a lot to bet on. Jellal figured, if they could get Sorano and Erik's attention, they wouldn't come alone. That, too, was no problem. He and Kagura could take care of that while Meredy watched over Tayaka.
Or, he thought, Tayaka would have to fight. She couldn't hide forever.
The more the rebellion whittled away at the Empire, the more they chipped at its army, the closer they got to a showdown with the great Spriggans who brought Fiore to its knees all those years ago. They'd need Tayaka then, and couldn't wait for her to be prepared.
"It's good to have you back, you know," Meredy said. "We missed you."
"And I see I missed a few things," Jellal said, gesturing toward Kagura.
Meredy blushed. "Just a few. Makes you wish you had that time back with Erza, doesn't it?"
Jellal went beet red, too. "Not the point, Meredy. Not the point."
Sorano, beckoned by an urgent summons, strode through the Twilight Division tower toward a small space set aside for a few of their members to discuss the goings-on in Fiore. A viewing lacrima was displayed in the center of the room. Sorano brushed her hair back from her shoulders as the door eased open for her.
For a moment, she was alone. It was…odd.
She hadn't been alone like this in some time. For one reason or another, she had someone with her. A lover, sure, but then also her followers. Constituents, clientele, colleagues. Her hands twitched.
Though the sun still shone over the capital, the name Twilight Empire felt truer than ever. Sorano had no one to turn to, and as such had little reason to leave the tower. Light filtered in on its own but could not fully penetrate the thick walls and harsh shadows that pervaded it. Sorano took no missions, did no jobs. She worked drills and sent orders, but nothing outside of the walls.
To go outside would require being in the same space, the same world, as her sister.
Sorano could not yet face that world.
So she stayed in her own. She invited the people of the Empire to her room for meager comforts, bestowing them blissful hours of pleasure while she received, perhaps, minutes of it. She watched downtrodden eyes shift up for her because they feared her, they feared what she'd been and could be to them. She could cast them out, she could steal their partner, she could rid them of their power.
None of which, of course, she'd done since, in her opinion, the Empire really exposed itself: Minerva assassinating Orga only to be sent to the slaughter by August, and then Kip and Levy getting killed by August and Axel. Her mouth twitched at the thought of Axel, who'd been doggedly pursuing and harassing Sorano as if she were just another rebound. She wished Lucy had kicked his face in during their fight.
She searched the viewing lacrima, her eyes lingering on a small ping. That area. Did she know it?
The doors eased open. A slight cold entered the room, forcing Sorano's attention. It was Alok, the masked and robed sage, who held tightly to his staff. Then, the room warped, and August emerged from the bookshelf.
"Apologies," he said. "I was delayed. Tartaros has been successful in repelling Fairy Tail and Yukino."
"Excellent," Alok said.
Sorano nodded. "What do you want with me, then?" And what's Alok doing here? The summons was only for Sorano.
"This," August said, and expanded the view of the area with the ping. "An old stomping grounds of yours, I believe. These are the ruins of the magical artifact Nirvana."
Sorano glared at the display. No wonder that stupid piece of land was familiar. She'd stared at it for weeks, trying to get ready for the big move with the rest of the Seis all those years ago.
"So what?" Sorano asked.
"This indicator only reveals itself for high levels of magic concentration," August said. "At great cost, of course. I hope you don't mind having a little less power in your room tonight."
"Pretty selfish of you."
"With Fairy Tail on the run, I want to make sure we can quell the rebellion in one more move," August said. "I'd like to know when they reappear so Mard Geer can finish what Tartaros started. However, as I was looking, I came upon this. Someone at Nirvana. Normally, I'd discard it, but we have no agents in the area and those ruins have been dormant since you lost your battle there."
"Thanks for the reminder."
"I figured I would ask you, Sorano, in case you knew who would have interest in Nirvana," August said.
"Honestly, my first guess would be you," Sorano said. "You seem like you're interested in old, powerful magics."
"Nirvana is dead," August said. "The lacrima were destroyed and will not be put back together. So, who else would seek it out?"
Probably someone trying to get a message out, Sorano thought, like for someone else who used to have an interest in Nirvana. But that would probably only be the Seis…
No. It couldn't be Yukino.
"It must be your former allies," Alok said. His voice was deeper as it rang out from behind his mask. "The three remaining members of the Oración Seis."
"Which could mean Meredy, Kagura, and Millianna," August said. "High-profile rebels."
"H—how much more power would it take for you to track magic signatures?"
"These magics would have to be previously recorded."
"The Council had the Seis in your prisons for a bit. I'm sure they're in your records."
August didn't grin, but his eyes lit up just a bit.
"The people of the city would be without power for a day. It is a worthy sacrifice."
"Do it."
August raised his hands, and power easily flowed from his palms into the lacrima. Lights flickered all around the city as the ethernano meant to power the various lacrima embedded into the city was siphoned and pulled toward the relatively small display.
The image enhanced, moving in closer to reveal several more signatures than the initial three they'd assumed.
Names were displayed all around as the magic signatures were identified. Sawyer. Macbeth. Richard. Kagura Mikazuchi. Meredy. Millianna. An unknown magical signature, but the greatest of them all.
And Ultear Milkovich.
"Impossible," Alok muttered.
"It's that girl," August said. "The little one who received Ultear's powers in Magnolia. Tayaka Fukuro."
"What is she doing with Crime Sorciere?" Alok said.
Idiot, Sorano thought. None of that was the point. August was right—again—and the Seis had gathered. Crime Sorciere, in fact, had gathered, in as full strength as they could muster. Who that last signature could be was anyone's guess—Jellal was dead and gone, and all others of equal note were wizards registered with the Magic Council. Jellal had technically been one, but that was under some sort of guise, as Sorano understood. Some sort of double that allowed Jellal to distance himself from the Council yet still have access to magics like Etherion, when the Council was alive.
It couldn't be Yukino, either. She was definitely in the databanks of the Twilight Empire.
"Sorano?" August said. "This is a message for you. What will you do?"
A thousand responses rose to Yukino's voice, a thousand responses wished to cry out in glee, anger, sadness, a great mix of all three.
But that was not how Sorano, the General of the Twilight Division, should respond. That was not how the great witch of Crocus could respond. She was colder, calculating, cunning, and a killer. Sorano survived as long as she did within the bounds of the Empire by foregoing the thoughts and emotions of others for the sake of her own physical pleasures. She had to push aside a world that could hurt her and embrace a world where she could feel loved…
Yet never truly be loved.
As if the Seis had any attachment for one another. As if…
As if the Seis didn't go through hell and back, survive years of torment and torture, just to have to fight alongside one another.
"Summon Cobra, we're going to deal with this," Sorano said.
That was what they wanted, right? Get everyone back together. Fine. She'd see it through.
Enough of this nonsense. The Seis had to die. If Sorano and Cobra were all that remained, then so be it. They'd long since moved beyond what it meant to hold the legacy of the Tower of Heaven.
"We'll take Tayaka from them and bring her to you, August," Sorano said. She turned away from the lacrima, not wanting to look at the names anymore. "That'll be that. Prepare an airship for me, Alok."
"One moment, Sorano," August said.
The doors did not open for Sorano. August held them shut with his mind. Sorano did not turn around.
"Alok, I need you to understand that the situation you're heading into is a volatile one," August said. "None of the combatants you're to see are to be taken lightly. They must be eradicated. Your power is great, yes, but we need to guarantee victory."
Something surged in the room, bustling behind Sorano. She glanced backward. Alok had a slight golden glow to him, one that shimmered off his metallic mask.
"What have you done, Captain?" Alok asked.
"You have tapped into some of my own magic," August said. "It will be enough for you at last to achieve your great desire."
Sorano's heart sank. Wait, no, she…this was good.
"I can…at last…"
"Yes. Your great god of war, Ikusa-Tusnagi, is at your command. Wipe them out, Alok, if the task proves too great for Sorano and Cobra to handle alone."
The door opened for Sorano. Alok strode by her, stout and prouder than ever before. Sorano caught the door before it could close as she passed through it.
"You will not fail us, Sorano," August said. "Of that I am sure."
Sorano tightened her grip on the door. "Never have. Never will."