genessia | ⚜ ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ-ꜰɪʀsᴛ - [ ᴛᴇxᴛ + ᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ]

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⚜ ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ-ꜰɪʀsᴛ - [ ᴛᴇxᴛ + ᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ]

Action: Fairy Haven, Master's Quarters - Open to any member of Fairy Tail or anyone who lives in Fayren Haven

{ It would be quiet; barely audible, depending on where one was in the sprawling compound that Fairy Tail calls home. It was unmistakably Zeref's voice, but there could be none other heard. It might sound as if he were just... talking to himself. }

I almost gave this to them, you know. I was curious to know what they would have done with it.

{ There's the sound of rustling. Zeref sounded slightly sleepy, if one bothered to listen, as if he had only just woken up despite it being the middle of the afternoon. Maybe he was up late? }

What would they have done? Destroyed it? Opened it? They would have been in for a surprise if they had.

{ Whoever he's speaking to doesn't respond. If one bothers to peek into the room... he's speaking to a book laying on a desk parallel to the bed, propped up against the wall. Completely seriously, as if the book were alive and he was somehow expecting it to respond.

Suddenly, Zeref sighs, reaching for the white, outer-layer of his robe, unceremoniously discarded at the foot of the bed. He pulls it on, over the rest of his outfit. }

Why do I bother? I doubt you can hear me, anymore. I wonder if you're even alive in our world without this.

Text - OTA

I'd like to pose a rhetorical question, if I may. Much has been made about the issue of necromancy, in this world. The act of reanimating the dead into 'undead,' as the term I've been hearing up until now.

What I've heard little about is resurrection. Not merely reanimating the dead; restoring life itself. Reversing death. Bringing a soul back from the afterlife and returning it to this world. In my world, it is taboo, regardless of the circumstances or how unfair or undeserved the death was.

Death is ultimately meaningless in this world, at least for those of us with amulets. When one of us dies, we reawaken in the Bay, even if doing so often has a price. Regardless, I've heard some of us say that impermanent death cheapens it.

Why this distinction? What difference is there, truly, between necromancers, and whomever, or whatever it was that brought us here reducing death to a mere transaction?

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If she suffers from the same motion sickness as the other Dragon Slayers, she hasn't told me. Nor do I expect she would if she did. { She's too prideful for that. }

There... is something we have been working on in the case he were to appear here, but... { Maybe the idea that he can't kill anybody permanently would be a deterrent. Oh, who is he kidding? That just means he'll never get bored, and this world not only has its own dragons (and dragons from other worlds), but people with forms of magic he's never even heard of. This would be heaven to Acnologia. } We haven't tested it, and it would be too dangerous to test anywhere but the most controlled of environments. I would elaborate, but Mavis wanted to be the one to share it with you, first.

All right, I'll have to ask her some time. Hopefully it doesn't come to that, but it couldn't hurt to be prepared.

[Seems like now's a good time to change the subject - the idea of Acnologia showing up in a place like Genessia out of the blue is enough to keep anyone up at night.] From what the First has told me, it sounds like things are going well between the two of you.

{ His thoughts exactly. He'd take anybody but him. Any of the Spriggan Twelve, hell, any of Tartaros would be preferable. At least in the case of the former, there was precedent. Seilah behave herself no other reason than because he told her to (and he even had a chance to bond with her when it was reduced to just her, Mard Geer made more than enough enemies to distract himself with, and Silver was, well, Silver. Worst that happened with him was finally finding out about the whole stripping thing with Gray. }

It's... not something I ever expected would happen, truthfully. But I'm grateful for it. { A sigh. There's just a little bit of cake left on his plate. He just... stares at it. } Had she not died that night, I would have asked her to return to Alvarez with me. There was a time when I genuinely thought she might have been the Empress the citizens of Alvarez periodically say that they want. Maybe then, I wouldn't have left the Empire whenever I felt bored, or just wanted to get away from the politics.

I think she would have liked that too. The life of luxury would have been different for her, but I could see her treating all of Alvarez like how she treats the guild. [Not to mention the fact that they would have been able to raise August like a son, but nobody present (and, indeed, nobody but Hades and August himself) is aware of that.]

Is that why you were on Tenrou Island, then? The politics?

I can't think of a better person suited for it. Alvarez would have the ruler it deserves. Its citizens may love me, but I never founded the Empire looking for glory, or even for the sake of the people of Alakitasia. I just knew it was the only way to provide a counterweight to Acnologia. I have no doubt she'd have made the Empire a place to be envied and admired, not feared.

{ If nothing else, the world would be a very different place, with Fairy Heart not existing, Alvarez's military being backed by Mavis' tactical brilliance, possibly improved relations with Fiore... who knows, Fairy Tail might have even insisted on going with her. Of course, that would still beg the question of how they would deal with Acnologia. Dragon Cry? Hoarding Dragon Lacrimas to create new Dragon Slayers?

Doing what they're considering now, in Genessia, should he ever appear? }

One of many reasons, and the least important. I had grown so tired of... well, everything, that I had chosen to go to a place where I thought would be left alone, and where I could feel Mavis' presence. It was just my luck that a few years later, Fairy Tail would decide to hold their S-Class trials there, and Grimoire Heart would follow them. Seeing how far Pre--... Hades had fallen, and seeing that Acnologia was no longer content to sit on the sidelines, finally forced my hand after all of those centuries.

...Even if you aren't royalty, the two of you have a second chance here. Maybe you can make something like that happen. [She may be wary of Zeref, but that's one big point where she can relate to him - she's well aware of what it's like to believe that someone close to her has died, only for them to return unexpectedly.]

I guess our timing for going there could have been better. I don't know how a Master of Fairy Tail, and one of its founders, could fall so far - Master Makarov didn't want to talk about it, and I respected his wishes and didn't ask.

I don't know whether I'd still be considered royalty or not. I guess that's a bridge I will cross if I ever come to it.

{ Specifically, if somebody from Alvarez shows up. Being an Emperor wasn't something he advertised, here; not like so many others of royalty who showed up and announced it over the network on day one. }

I have my suspicions. { Finally, the cake is finished. He leans over and begins cutting another piece. } He wanted to use me to create this 'Ultimate Magic World.' He even seemed to believe the old wives' tale about my power being sealed, and there being a 'key' to awaken me. The way he was going on about it, he seemed to think I was the source of the 'One Magic.'

{ The piece cut, he leans back, and brings the plate back in front of him. }

He of all people should have known better. His delusions were not only wrong, they were insulting. And to have arrogantly believed that I would simply go along with his plans... needless to say, he paid for it with his life.

I can't believe a former master of Fairy Tail could fall so far... [Most of the other Masters of Fairy Tail were paragons in the mage community (in her mind, at least; she tends to gloss over their worse traits, like Makarov's and Gildarts' perversion), with even Macao making the best of a bad situation.]

I'd like to think that the First could bring him back to his senses if he showed up here, but even then, I have my doubts. [From what she heard about his plans, he'd consider most of Genessia to be targets.]

He is the one who 'discovered' Fairy Heart, isn't he? It is likely that he thought that I created it. He mistook the One Magic for infinite magic. I needn't tell you the leading theory as to the nature of the One Magic. Mavis, and Lucy, while she was here, share the belief that it is 'love.' The implications in his belief that it is me, and that I had intentionally created Fairy Heart was the last straw. It was the first time in decades that I had intentionally killed somebody.

{ He takes the bite of the cake. This one tastes even better. Zeref pauses, staring at the cake as if trying to process the thought of what it was he was taking, and continues. }

That would depend upon his own timeline. Mavis actually experienced that memory. One of Genessia's little quirks; stars appearing in the world, creating lifelike illusions of the memories of those who pass by. To paraphrase... the Precht she knew was already dead, and had been for a long time. She held no ill will against me.

Edited 2017-08-24 13:11 (UTC)

All of this "One Magic" talk is probably beyond me. [Finding out the origins of magic might be interesting from an intellectual standpoint, but it's definitely not a priority as far as Erza's concerned.] Still, in a way, it sounds like all of you are right - Fairy Heart only existed because of your love for Mavis, after all. [There's more to it than that, but Erza's oversimplifying the (partially censored) story that Mavis told her.]

Really? I haven't seen those yet, though it might be for the best. [Her memories aren't exactly something that she wants brought back to life. Sure, she has plenty of good ones, but odds are, it would be something from her childhood, a time where Jellal was brainwashed, her time in Tartaros's torture chamber, or Neinhart's Historias attacking her. Not exactly the sorts of things that she would want to revisit.]

Not even I fully understand it. The majority believe that it is a myth, and even among those who believe that it is love, most of them see it as a metaphor, and not to be taken literally. Still, if that is truly how Fairy Heart came into existence, it's a discovery I could have done without.

{ Of course he loves Mavis, but no matter what Mavis says now, he'll never believe that it was worth it. Even if it does lead to Acnologia's undoing. ~~And it doesn't.~~ }

They don't appear all of the time. The last time was a little over a year ago. But, if they do reappear... you'll know one when you see one.

Agreed. The way I see it, it doesn't matter where magic came from; it's what we do with it now that matters. [Then again, Erza's never really been one for looking into the hows and whys of things; she prefers action over extensive thought.]

I'll be sure to keep an eye out. There's some memories I'd like to relive, but I'd rather not go through a lot of my recent ones again.

I was fortunate. It was a recent memory, and not one I find particularly painful. Mavis took it incredibly well, which, I suppose, in hindsight, shouldn't be surprising. There were far worse choices it could have made.

{ The night the dragons killed his family, the day he was cursed, and Mavis' death to name a few. }

Out of curiosity, how well-equipped are you to fight spirits? And I'm not referring to Celestial Spirits, I mean actual ghosts.

Hard to say - I haven't had a chance to fight one, but I have a few weapons and sets of armour that might be useful. [She likes to be prepared for anything; hopefully they work as advertised, as some of them were quite expensive.] Why do you ask?

They lie behind the barriers of the cities. If you were to go far into the woods of Fayren or try to fly into the atmosphere, you would find a barrier that even my magic can't break, not unlike Fairy Sphere. Occasionally, however, something does cause them to falter, or crack. And when they do... otherworldly spirits pour in, and they can't be harmed by what humans would consider 'normal' means.

{ Zeref pauses. He's encountered them a few times, and his magic was one of the few things he knew worked against them, but they were still incredibly dangerous. }

They feed on emotions. Direct contact with one has caused people from this world to become husks of their former selves. Only certain types of magic seem to effect them, specifically magic designed to fight spirits, or magic that can affect the soul itself. They were part of the reason why I've been teaching Mavis to better control her curse.

{ Of course, that's not the main reason, which should be obvious. }

Interesting... I can't say I've seen that barrier yet, so I'll have to go on a trip out there at some point. Can the spirits do anything to harm the rest of us?

Yes. They have had their emotions drained, as well. If you don't have any weapons that can harm the immaterial, find one. Otherwise... you're going to have to leave it to Mavis and I if they ever come back.

I'll have to check - I might have bought one recently, but I haven't had a chance to test it out. [She buys a lot of weapons, but after her fight with Jose from Phantom Lord, she would have definitely looked into that.]

If not, I'm sure you can find one in town. It just likely won't be cheap. { Demand is likely still pretty high, after last time. } I can't believe I'm saying this, but Franmalth would have been a huge help against them.

What happened to him, anyway? I never felt my magic stop flowing into his book. That would indicate to me that he's still alive.

{ As... a mushroom. That Mashima seems to have forgotten all about. }

Edited 2017-09-25 10:35 (UTC)

Franmalth... Franmalth... [Erza vaguely recalls Minerva mentioning that name. The redhead's main obsession at the time had been beating Kyouka, so she wasn't overly concerned with the other members of that guild, and they didn't have a lot of time to discuss what happened at Tartaros before the Fairy Tail guild was disbanded.] He was part of Tartaros, right? There was a mushroom who claimed to be one of the Nine Demon Gates - I think that's what Minerva called him.

He had the power to absorb the souls of his enemies and assimilate their magic into himself. Exactly the sort of power these spirits dread.

I see... He must have been weakened quite badly, then, because he didn't try anything like that with us. There was a woman - Sayla, I think? Her powers seem like they would be useful as well, if she could control that many things at once. [She could control corpses, so she might be able to control these invaders; she'd rather not have any demons from Tartaros here, if possible, but any of them would be an improvement over Kyouka in her mind.]

Ah, yes. Sayla. { He actually says that with a hint of fondness. } She was here, for a while, along with Mard Geer and Silver. In hindsight, I allowed myself to be closer to her than I ever was to any of the other Etherious. She would do things like leave books in my room for me to read. She had an... interesting taste in literature, but not a bad one.

{ He definitely bonded more with her than he ever did with any of the others, while Tartaros was here. }

Unfortunately, she never got the chance to test Macro on the spirits. She did help me to fight off Kefka's monstrosities, after Mard Geer dealt with the majority of them.

{ Sometimes, he wonders if any of those monsters survived. He doubted it; even if they were freed from Alegria when Mard Geer left this world, it's been close to a year, and they'd have starved to death or asphyxiated by now. Of course, this world has also shown little desire to adhere to the rules of logic, and he's been wrong about things like that before. }

So, you've met her, then? You're lucky. Her particular Curse is one of the most dangerous I've ever created, though it still wasn't enough to fulfill the purpose for which I created her. I would say few ever fight her and live to tell about it, but it would be inaccurate. Much like Dimaria and Bloodman, her opponents really don't get to 'fight' her at all. By the time they're under the effects of her power, it's already too late.

I met her briefly, when they were trying to activate Face. [If Kyouka hadn't said her name, she wouldn't have known which one it was, but it's hard to forget being forced to strangle yourself.] If Mirajane hadn't blind-sided her, I don't know what I would have done. [She considers thanking the other woman, if she ever shows up or Erza gets back home, but any member of Fairy Tail would have at least tried to do the same thing for each other, so it goes without saying.]

I haven't heard anything about Bloodman, but I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Is he one of the ones that you were worried about? I remember that you said a few of the Spriggans were a risk to the First, since they had personal reasons for wanting her captured. [Zeref seemed more open now, so she might as well press the issue; she has no idea what's going on back home or what could have changed since she got here, and while the others might not be as rebellious as Eileen, they could still be a threat.]

{ It's true; he has relaxed a fair bit since they started eating this cake and talking. Most of what he's told Erza is nothing she couldn't have found out on her own, and since Sayla isn't here anymore, he has no reason to withhold anything about her. He never did feel his magic stop flowing into Sayla's book, come to think of it... did she manage to survive, too? }

Yes, but not necessarily for that reason. { Larcade might, though, but only because his delusion that Zeref is literally his father might extend to her being his mother. But that's purely speculation at this point, considering he ~~and August~~ never said one word to her when he had the chance. } Bloodman is another Etherious I created, which means he'll behave himself if for no other reason than I ask him to do so. He was killed in action, but being dead certainly hasn't stopped anyone from appearing in this world, before.

What made him dangerous enough to be a cause for concern is his very biology. His entire body is composed of Magic Barrier Particles, which are lethal to mages. He's routed entire armies without having to cast a single spell. In a world like Fayren, well... use your imagination.

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