genessia | ⚜ ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ-ᴛʜɪʀᴅ

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⚜ ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ-ᴛʜɪʀᴅ - video

{ Zeref takes a moment to adjust the device. He's leaning forward, fidgeting with... something. The sound of a heavy object behind the screen being adjusted behind the device could very clearly be heard. The device seems to be placed strategically to leave as little detail about where he could possibly be posting from; the area behind him was non-descript, except for a simple bare, wooden wall, typical to buildings in Fayren. There were no nearby windows or any decoration of any kind behind him. }

Is the concept of a 'mage guild' truly so foreign to other worlds? Other worlds with magic, of course. { Zeref had never been a part of one, nor did he have any desire to join one, but they were such an integral part of society in his world that it seems strange to him that so few others seem to know what they are. At least they exist in Fayren. } I'm curious... in those worlds in which they do not exist, what, exactly are mages expected to do? Join the military? Live as hermits? Die?

{ He's aware of more than a few worlds where mages are persecuted out of fear by non-mages, if not killed outright. }

[ Pivate to Mavis - text; backdated to the 14th ]
Can you meet me at Scribes and Scripts? There's something I want to give you.

[ Pivate to Erza Scarlet - text ]
Hello, Erza. Are you available? I'd like to talk about something if you have time.

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[Erza had trouble following Zeref partway through that explanation, but at least she got the gist of it - people had figured out why time was weird in the Celestial Spirit World, or how the Eclipse Gate could move people through time, without magic. While Nova City was a testament to what could be accomplished with technology, it was still an impressive feat.]

I'm sure you know a lot of it - Acnologia was defeated, and the war is over. Things are back to normal. [She thinks back to her conversation with Zeref, when she decided to go to the Dream Docks in the first place. Finding out that your friends great-great-great-great-etc. grandmother knew someone like Zeref isn't something that's easily forgotten.] But this is about Anna Heartfilia, isn't it? Lucy's ancestor?

'Normal' has little meaning to someone like me, least of all when I won't be around to see it. { Not that he's complaining; he can't think of a better way to be free from his Curse, than to be freed from it both by and with Mavis. But the more time he spends in this world, where Ankhseram seems to have little influence and flare-ups with his Curse are few and far between, the more he thinks that maybe he doesn't want to go back. Mavis seems to be of a similar mind. }

Yes, it is. I almost didn't believe Mirajane when she told me, but it would have been impossible for her to know who she was when even Lucy didn't know.

{ Zeref brings the too coffee cups to the table where he was seated at and offers one to Erza. He then takes a seat again, slouched, and frowning. }

I won't bore you with the background details, you probably already know them by now, anyway. I just found it a little insulting that she spent so long in the present and didn't even try to contact me.

Edited (damn you autocorrect) 2018-03-24 12:51 (UTC)

I don't know how much help I'll be - we only talked for a little bit, and we were being chased by Acnologia for most of that time. [Erza accepts the coffee cup, taking a seat in a nearby chair.]

She said that it took her five years to find the Dragon Slayers, and during that time, she found out about something called the "Time Lapse". It was a hole in time and space, and it was created as a result of the Eclipse Gate being used. Anna was under the impression that nothing could exist there, though that turned out not to be the case.

Nobody knew that you and Emperor Spriggan were one and the same until recently. I guess she thought that the Time Lapse was the best solution to the threat of Acnologia, and focused on that since she didn't know where you were.

{ The Time Lapse. Of course. Of course she'd find out about that, and then spend the next fifteen years, while Alvarez was building up its strength, the Dragon Slayers became some of the most famous wizards in all of Fiore if not all of Ishgal, and the dragons themselves reappeared and destroyed Face throughout the continent, studying it and didn't even try to contact any of the above until the eleventh hour. }

I don't need to tell you that she was gravely mistaken on every single count. As I told Mirajane, if I had thought it would have been as simple as pushing Acnologia into it, I'd have done it myself. { His grip visibly tightens on his coffee cup, but not enough to break the glass. } If she were still the same person I knew three and a half centuries ago, I'd have thought that if anybody would have known how to get my attention besides Mavis, it'd have been her. But then, the same person I knew back then wouldn't have staked so much on an untested, half-baked theory, either. For that matter, we might as well have concocted a plot to send him to Edolas, and hope that magic deficiency disease kills him.

{ It's abundantly clear that Zeref was awfully bitter about that bit of news. Anna was someone he considered a partner if not a friend. That... kind of stung. }

It... wasn't the best thought-out plan, but it seemed like the best option we had at the time. [Not that they had many options, considering that they were in the middle of being chased by Acnologia when it was brought up.] Maybe she believed the rumours that you were sealed away, but seeing as she actually knew you, I doubt it.

The results were mixed; it wound up making Acnologia more powerful, but it also made it possible to destroy him.

I never thought her to be the type to give up so easily... or to be so gullible. But then again, I've made that mistake in the past with others. { Specifically, with Precht. }

Mirajane told me Acnologia was defeated in the end. At what cost, I don't know. But I guess, maybe, that was the best ending I or anyone else could have hoped for.

It's hard to say, really. I probably should have asked her more afterwards, but once Acnologia was dealt with, why she did what she did didn't seem to matter.

I'm just glad it worked out. Master Makarov was revived, nobody had to sacrifice themselves to stop Acnologia... Even you and the First got a happy ending, I think - I'm not sure what all happened, but we saw two people who looked just like you at an award ceremony for Lucy. [She's not going to pretend to understand how any of that worked.]

((OoC: Not sure how much you want Zeref knowing about what happens to him, so feel free to send me a PM or a message over Plurk if you want me to change anything.))

{ Zeref listened, patiently. He was surprised to hear that Makarov died - that was his first time hearing that - but, by some struck of luck, he survived once again. If Zeref didn't know any better, he'd think he was immortal, too.

But what she said next stunned him, for a brief moment. He was told that they had died; both he and Mavis believed it. But people who looked just like them? At an award's ceremony? For Lucy?

Zeref's shock was quickly replaced by another frown, and then a sigh of exasperation. }

Even in death, Ankhseram continues to mock us.

{ Because Zeref simply refuses to believe that a deity who punishes those who break the laws of life and death so harshly suddenly gained a taste for reincarnation. But then again, this same deity's idea of punishment for subverting death involves immortality, so there really was no rhyme or reason to Ankhseram in the first place, beyond seemingly having no limit to how much he enjoyed tormenting them. }

Edited 2018-04-13 15:22 (UTC)

I thought it was romantic.

[And this is where Erza's love of cheesy romance novels kicks in, as her description gets fairly melodramatic.]

Your love was so strong that no force in the universe could keep you apart for good!

{ And show it does. He definitely appreciates the sentiment, but maybe he's just a bit too jaded to completely buy into it... even if he's positive that that's exactly how Mavis feels about it, and would have agreed with everything Erza was saying. After all, that's exactly what happened with this world. Maybe it wasn't by coincidence that they ended up here.

Zeref stares into his still-steaming mug for a few seconds longer, before raising his featureless, black eyes to meet Erza's own. }

Tell me something, Erza. Suppose Natsu returns to this world again. How do you suggest I deal with that?

[She has to think about that for a bit - it's hard to predict how Natsu will react to any situation, especially this.]

Hm... In my experience, actions work better than words with him. If he sees that you and the First are happy here, and that you aren't trying to get Fairy Heart, maybe that will be enough? [At least Erza and Mira would be here to ~~scare the crap out of him~~ keep him in line if that doesn't work.]

I hope you're right about that. I've always known him to act first and think later. { If ever. } I'm aware of his tendency to... loosely interpret Makarov's orders on occasion. Do you think he'd do the same to Mavis?

Edited 2018-05-09 08:39 (UTC)

...It seems like it could go either way. He did well with listening to Mavis when Ajeel showed up, [Even if every single person involved forgot that Dragon Slayers would get sick on airships] but that's the only time that he's had to follow the First's orders.

If he had been at the Grand Magic Games, I feel like it would have ran for Jura or Sabertooth at the first opportunity.

Ajeel isn't exactly good at following orders, himself. I suppose that was only fitting.

I was mostly disappointed by what I saw at the Grand Magic Games. For all of the hype surrounding them, Sabertooth was left wanting, and when the dragons showed up, I was left worrying that the four hundred year plan was doomed to failure. That was the lynchpin for me deciding that I needed to take matters into my own hands. Igneel's hand being forced only confirmed it, to me.

The dragons... could have been handled better, but it gave us all the motivation we needed to get stronger. We were lucky that destroying the Eclipse Gate sent them back to their own time, but I figure that we'd fare much better now.

Besides, with the right team, we'd be able to beat them. We were able to stop Acnologia by working together, even though it seemed impossible! [Though actual dragons wouldn't have to worry about motion sickness...]

From what I understand, Acnologia required the combined efforts of nearly every single mage in Fayren, as well as whatever was left of Alvarez. That doesn't inspire confidence.

{ But it's a moot point. Acnologia is gone, and the dragons are extinct. The greatest threat to humanity remains humanity itself. }

Still, I wonder what will happen next. Several people attempted to 'resurrect' me out of some delusion that I was dead, and would approve of their depraved efforts to bring me back even if I were. Somehow, I can picture somebody being insane enough to think something similar about Acnologia.

[She'll have to think about that last statement for a bit - it's a terrifying possibility.]

It's hard to say, I suppose. On one hand, nobody thinks of Acnologia in a positive light, and I can't imagine that he'd listen to anything that anyone has to say. On the other hand, the sort of people who would do that aren't known for thinking logically.

Up until you learned about my past with Mavis and that I am Emperor Spriggan, you thought something similar about me, didn't you?

{ Of course, the difference is that most of Zeref's infamy stems from myths and legends, while just about everything Acnologia is not only true, but Acnologia is proud of it. }

I put nothing past humanity anymore.

I suppose so.

[It's not something that she'd like to dwell on, though. Taking down Acnologia was tough to begin with, but the idea of defeating him again, when he has the full use of his mind, is not a promising concept, despite her usual faith that her guild will pull through.]

Back to your point about Natsu, at least he's the only one that you might have to worry about from the guild. ...Probably. Gajeel and Gray might be troublesome. [Gajeel might wind up picking a fight with Zeref just to prove he's better than Natsu, and Gray's known for doing really stupid things when Zeref's involved.]

{ Zeref is silent for several seconds, trying to recall his few interactions with Gray in this world to the surface. They didn't talk much, of course; not as much as Zeref had with Erza, Lucy, Mirajane, and especially not Mavis, but for the most part, Gray restrained himself. Perhaps it was Mavis' influence, or perhaps Gray was actually using his brain for once, but whatever the case, Zeref was grateful that his interactions with Fairy Tail in this world have been mercifully peaceful if tense on occasion. }

Gray was in this world for a while. I don't think he ever told me which timeline he was from, but he behaved about as well as anybody could have hoped. I suspect Mavis had something to do with that, or perhaps Silver did, but I never asked.

That's good - from what I heard, he was going to take drastic measures to stop you before Natsu put a stop to it.

Still, if he didn't try anything last time he was here, then you shouldn't have a problem with him.

I never got to meet Silver, but from what I'm heard, I'm glad he showed up here rather than some other members of Tartaros. I'd hate to imagine what this place would be like if Kyouka was brought here...

He wouldn't be able to stop me. At most, he'd only be able to delay me, and even then it would be at the cost of his own life. { Oh, yes, he knows about Gray. After all, when Gray was here, the 'fear event' that had Erza confronting an apparition of Eileen had Gray staring down Deliora. Zeref knew why. After all, before Alvarez' invasion, he had the Empire's intelligence assets look into every single member of Fairy Tail, but especially Natsu's friends. And the story of Ur was well-known. }

Other members of Tartaros did show up here. Not Kyouka, but Mard Geer did, as well as Seilah. Needless to say, it took a great deal of effort on the part of both Mavis and I to prevent war.

I'm just glad he didn't follow through; no victory would be worth that price.

...And how did you pull that off? I haven't met Mard Geer, but if he's anything like the rest of his guild, I can't imagine he'd be too pleased to stop trying to kill humans, even if you were the one telling him. [Erza figures he'd think that Zeref had gone soft, or that he was an impostor, or something of that nature.]

I gave him something else to focus on. Or rather, someone. Kefka didn't exactly make it difficult to do so, he was quite obviously spoiling for a fight, and even attacked Tartaros' former headquarters in Everglade. Eventually, his instincts as an Etherious took over, and he recognized Kefka as the greater threat, not just to me, but to himself as well. Ultimately, his natural inclination to serve my will won out over his pride, even if I expect he would have immediately focused on Fairy Tail again afterward if given the chance.

{ It also helped that Kefka expressed more than a little interest in E.N.D.'s book, and Zeref gave Mard Geer explicit orders that Kefka was not to lay one finger on it, even at cost to Mard Geer's own life. }

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⚜ ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ-ᴛʜɪʀᴅ - video

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