Jura had fought and won. Brain now lied at his feet, defeated and completely out of it, and Wendy and Carla had joined up with them. However, Nirvana wasn’t stopping, which worried them greatly.

“Do you think the girl from earlier is the one controlling it?” proposed Gray. “He mentioned a mission, didn’t he?”

“She flew at the top of this tower,” Lucy remarked, lifting her eyes to said top.

“Richard-dono mentioned her before Nirvana went into its second stage,” mentioned Jura, deep in thoughts. “She uses the codename Truth and joined Oración Seis a year ago. Her primary Magic is Telekinesis, yet a more advanced form. She learned Theft Magic a few months after joining. She is also said to be… mentally unstable. She won’t hesitate to kill us, for she is extremely loyal, no matter the circumstances. We will have to be careful while facing her.”

“Got it!”

When they arrived at the King’s Summit, it was only to find the mysterious girl lying on her back, unconscious. She seemed to have difficulties breathing, her eyes wide and unable to focus on anything. Sweat drenched her heavy clothes, her pale complexion turning to a sickly shade. Her hands kept clenching and unclenching, blood dripping from her nose and ears, and a few tears had leaked out of her eyes. For a moment, they stood still, unsure about what to do. Then, a whimper escaped her. It snapped them out of their daze, and Wendy and Lucy ran to her.

“She’s not physically injured,” announced Wendy, checking for any visible wounds. “It’s just her magic that’s completely depleted, dangerously so.”

“But what could she have done to end up in such a state?” wondered Lucy, frowning.

“Wait… she can copy Magic, remember?” Gray recalled his Ice-Make Hammer with a slight scowl. “If it’s true, then that Brain guy must have sent her to copy Nirvana.”

“C- copy Nirvana!?” repeated the blonde mage. “But it’s a giant walking city! How could she copy that!?”

“This city itself is merely a weapon, a vessel for Nirvana’s Magic,” Jura frowned, thinking quickly. “If Gray-dono is right, then she must have copied its Reversal Magic. It would make her—“

“The perfect weapon,” realized the Celestial Mage, placing a hand over her mouth as she recalled the black-haired girl’s earlier statement.

Gray rubbed his temples for a second, shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter right now. She’s obviously not the one controlling it, and we still have to find a way to stop this piece of junk.”

“But… how?”

How, indeed. Too bad they pummeled Brain before he could answer their questions.

“Shit!”

Truth sat up, only to come to a brutal halt as her head hit what seemed to be a rock ceiling or something.

“What…”

‘No idea’

‘Can’t say either’

“G- guys? S- she’s a- a- a- awake…”

At the new, unfamiliar voice, the black-haired teen snapped her attention at a blonde girl, who cowered under her confused and wary stare.

“Where are we?” she asked, feeling a lump in her throat. “What happened? I feel so weak… I copied it… I accomplished my mission… but where’s Brain? Why am I with these scums? I can’t remember anything…”

She looked around, aware of the wariness of the three other mages around her. She easily recognized Natsu -who seemed to be healed from his motion sickness-, Gray and Lucy. There was also Happy and Jura, who was lying next to them and was obviously injured. She shook her head, getting out from under the rock dome. Somewhat swaying on her feet, she faced them, her hands shaking.

“Why am I with them? Where’s Brain? Where are the others? They can’t have left, right? I accomplished my mission… I’m useful… I’m a useful weapon, they can’t leave me behind… Brain… where’s Brain?” she mumbled, a hand over her forehead.

At that, though, Natsu snarled. Without any warning, he ran to her before roughly grabbing her collar and lifting her from the ground.

“What the hell is wrong with you!?” he exclaimed angrily, shaking her a little. “Talking nonsense about weapons like that… You’re not a tool, damn it!”

“You know nothing, you scum!” she retorted, kicking her feet without much strength. “Damn, if I still had enough magic left, I’d make you implode…”

“You’re the one who knows nothing!” He shook her yet again, making her head spin. “We barely talked and you piss me off already! Damn it, you turned your back on your friends then asked for them not to do the same? What kind of nonsense is that!?”

Her eyes widened at that, but her body only trembled more.

“I… I can’t… I don’t betray my allegiances! I don’t break my promises! I don’t lie! I swore my loyalty to Brain and Oración Seis and I won’t go back on my word, no matter what!” she protested.

“Wasn’t Cobra a part of Oración Seis too!?” he snapped.

She gaped at him and stopped moving altogether, as if that thought had never even crossed her mind before.

“He… was…” She looked down, eyes wide. “He was… but I swore to Brain first… I’m a useful tool… owners don’t throw useful tools away… and he made me stronger… if I stayed weak, they would’ve taken me back… but Cobra… and Cubellios… I abandoned them, just like everyone abandoned me… What have I done? My mission… I copied Nirvana, I did it… I kept my oath… but my friends…”

Natsu dropped her as she brought her knees to her chest, barely breathing as her mind sunk in a turmoil. Soon, the words leaving her mouth became gibberish—she talked too fast for any of them to understand a word.

“Oi, flame-brain, I think you broke her,” sweatdropped Gray.

“I—“

“What a joke…”

At the new voice, Truth’s rambling stopped as the Fairy Tail mages looked around, searching for the source.

“Brain used up all the rest of his power and could only get rid of one of you…” pursued the dark voice.

“Who is it!?”

“Up there!”

They turned around as a figure came out of the smoke.

“Pitiful… he’s a disgrace to the Six Generals.”

They all tensed as the figure fully revealed itself to be… the staff.

…

…

…

“Uh?” blinked Lucy, startled.

“Well, as long as Midnight is here, we haven’t been defeated. And dear, oh-so-loyal Truth, who accomplished her mission despite the odds…” the staff chuckled darkly. “Well, I shall clean up the rest of you fools.”

It flew closer to them as the teen gazed at it in confusion.

“I lived for one fricking year with them… and never knew the staff was alive…?” she wondered quietly.

“That’s the staff that Brain had,” recognized Gray.

“What’s going on?” added Lucy, kind of freaked out.

The staff laughed, and laughed, and laughed… until Natsu grabbed it and started hitting the skull against the ground like a hammer.

“Oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi—“

“Wait, don’t touch it! We don’t know what it is!” protested Lucy.

“Stop this big city, you rotted stick!” Natsu ignored her.

“R- rotten stick!? How rude!” exclaimed the staff, bending itself so that its eyes would be to Natsu’s level. “Stick I’ll accept, but what do you mean by rotten, uh? I am the seventh member of Oración Seis! I have awakened from my slumber to defeat—“

“I said stop this city!” Natsu started hitting it again.

“Seventh? But doesn’t Oración Seis has only six members?” replied Lucy, confused.

“Plus that one over there, then it’d mean they’re actually eight,” added Grey, gesturing to Truth, who still hadn’t moved from her crouched position.

The staff managed to escape Natsu’s hold and flew farther away.

“You violent brat… soon, I’ll be able to see the Guild of those fools… I must clean up the trash without delay.”

“You mean Cait Shelter?” inquired Lucy.

“Exactly!” The staff fixated its eyes upon her. “We will begin our destruction by crushing them!”

And it started laughing again.

Truth merely watched as the Fairy Tail mages got beaten around by the staff. She was unable to move on her own. She wasn’t going to help them of all things, of course not, but she didn’t like the damn staff, which talked as if it was superior to Brain.

‘It’s not like you got much magical power left anyway. It barely started replenishing, attacking now would probably send you into a coma or something’

‘I don’t like it either, though. It’s creepy’

“For once, we agree,” sighed Truth.

At that moment, the staff stiffened.

“Incredible… All six… all Six Generals are wiped out!”

It felt as if someone just punched her straight in the guts as the staff let go of the sphere in its mouth, which cracked when it hit the floor.

“They… all fell?” she whispered. “They’re… dead?”

“No, this is bad,” the staff wailed. “Very bad! He is coming!”

“What’s he saying?” wondered Natsu.

“He?” repeated Happy.

“There’s someone else? Don’t tell me the Ninth?” deadpanned Gray.

But the staff wasn’t answering, mumbling to itself and cowering in fear.

“He’s not making any sense!” grunted the Ice-Make mage.

“He’s juicing like crazy!” added the cat.

“Oi, who’s he talking about?” Natsu turned to Truth.

She slowly shook her head, still unable to wrap her mind around reality. Her friends were gone, Oración Seis had been wiped out, she had lost them all and she didn’t do anything and damn it was it her fault that they were gone gone gone gone—

“… I don’t know,” she mumbled.

“Brain…” muttered the staff.

“If you’re talking about him, Jura beat him,” announced Natsu.

“What?” Truth’s fists clenched. “They beat Brain? Then it means… I’m the last one… Oración Seis… is no more?”

“No,” refuted the staff. “Brain has another personality. There is the front face, codenamed Brain, who holds so much knowledge. Then, there is the back face, Zero, who loves nothing but destruction.”

“Loves destruction?” repeated Lucy.

“Zero?”

“Due to his overwhelming, evil, magical powers, Brain sealed that existence away himself with six keys,” pursued the staff.

“And those are… Oración Seis!” then understood Gray. He then glanced at Truth. “But… what about her?”

“Truth only arrived a year ago, when it was already sealed away. And, when the Six Generals fall, and their Body Link Magic is broken, the personality of Zero will be reborn once again…”

Truth wasn’t listening anymore, though, lost to her thoughts and growing despair.

“Brain has been beaten… Racer, Angel, Cobra, Hoteye and Midnight are dead… Oración Seis is no more… what can I do? What should I do? There’s this Zero guy coming… will he take me too? Will I be a useful weapon to him? Will I—“

The wall exploded.

As the dust settled down, a familiar and yet unknown figure walked through the settling dust as the staff kneeled to the ground—well, as much as a staff could kneel.

“W- welcome back, Master Zero!”

“Klodoa, it seems things have gotten quite interesting.” It was Brain’s voice, yet it wasn’t. “Even that Midnight was beaten?”

“I- I truly apologize!”

“Although, it sure has been a while, to have this feeling… to have this body… this voice… this magic! It all brings me back… I’ll handle the rest. Stand back, Klodoa,” ordered the man.

And that mysterious Zero fellow proceeded to beat the shit out of the light mages. As he did so, Kaelys’s eyes followed the one-sided fight without really seeing it. Soon enough, though, the Dark Mage won, leaving three battered bodies and a cat on the floor—unconscious.

“I- Impressive, Master Zero! Excellent work as always! Defeating these annoying brats like they were nothing…” praised fearfully the staff.

“But they still live,” remarked Zero with a smirk. “You’re still alive, aren’t you? Stand up. You still have form!”

But they never got up. With a scoff, Zero then turned his blood-shot eyes to the black-haired Thief Mage.

“Truth,” he called. She snapped her eyes to him. “Come, and stand by your new Master.”

Her blood froze. Then, slowly, she got back on her feet and made her way to him without another word. He let out a mad laugh, roughly placing his hand over her head, before ordering her to transport them at the King’s Summit.

So she did.

“I can see it! I can see it! Master Zero, I can see it!” exclaimed giddily Klodoa. “That’s the Guild of the race that has sealed Nirvana for an eternity! All we have to do is destroy them, and then Nirvana can never be sealed again!”

“It wouldn’t matter if they sealed it again,” remarked blankly Truth. “I copied its Reversal Magic. This walking city is merely a weapon, just as I.”

“Of course, of course, but—“

“This is stupid.”

At that, the staff and the girl turned to look at their Master.

“What?”

“You heard me, Klodoa.”

Before the teen could fully understand what was happening, the silver-haired mage destroyed Klodoa without a second thought, cackling like crazy.

“This is stupid!” he repeated, laughing madly. “Destruction! All I want is to destroy! Anything and everything! This will be my first shot. There’s no reason. Until it no longer has a form left to destroy!”

Magical energy started gathering in Nirvana’s canon as the man turned to face the teen and roughly grabbed her chin so she’d look at him in the eyes.

“As for you, Truth… Oh, your power is exquisite… I saw the blood you spilled… All those who fell under the power of your very mind…” His eyes gleamed with fire but they were colder than ice. “You shall destroy anyone who stands in my way!”

She didn’t answer as he kept on cackling.

They had left the King’s Summit to go inside, reaching one of the Lacrimas powering the engine. Truth had sat the farthest away she could, eying with wariness the electricity visibly crackling around the sphere, while Zero just kept on laughing like some sort of maniac, which was honestly starting to freak her out.

‘And to say you’re the one who was called crazy…’

‘This guy doesn’t have a screw loose… He fucking lost them all! Why are you still here!?’

“Waiting,” she answered in a low tone. “I’m waiting.”

‘… for what?’

“My chance.”

Chance for what, she would never be able to answer.

“Everyone should just be destroyed!” yelled her new master.

And Nirvana fired. Zero’s cackles, however, died down as suddenly, the whole city shook on its legs and the magical ray blasted by the canon deflected, missing Cait Shelter.

“What!?”

She stayed behind as he ran back to the King’s Summit. She was tired of running up and down, and extremely wary of Zero. Plus, the explosions that seemed to come from outside didn’t exactly reassure her.

Then, it happened.

Her chance.

“Can you hear me?”

She stiffened. It was Archive Magic, without a doubt. This Hibiki fellow hadn’t been careful, though. Being an Archive Magic Mage too due to her Thief Magic, she was more apt to intercept these types of conversations. After all, magical reserves had grown since the beginning of the battle between the Allied Forces and Oración Seis.

At first, she had to copy the strongest she could find, hence why she had done so when the Allied Forces were beaten the first time around. Her magic regulating meant it adapted to allow her to use the stolen Magic to its full potential. She had some trouble when copying Jellal’s, since her Magic wasn’t fully stable at the time, which is why she erased three of those she had stolen sooner. When her Magic finally regulated itself, she was much stronger, enough so to copy Nirvana’s powers.

If she hadn’t gone through all these stages, Nirvana’s power would have been too much for her to handle and would have killed her. However, it was a close call, and she was still extremely sensitive to the Ethernano around her, hence why she was now able to intercept Hibiki’s telepathic link.

She opted for listening.

“Everyone…”

“Erza Scarlet, Requiping Magic, copied,” recognized quietly the girl.

“Thank you… thank you, everyone!”

“Wendy Marvell, Sky Dragon Slaying Magic, copied.”

“As you can hear, we’re reaching the limit of our magical power. We can’t attack from the ship any longer. I don’t know how long we’ll be able to stay in the air either. Don’t worry about us, though. Just listen to this, before it’s too late. It took a long time, but I finally found it inside the Archive! The way to stop Nirvana!”

“R- really?”

“Nirvana has six leg-looking things, right? They’re actually more like pipes that suck up magic energy from the earth itself. The Lacrimas that regulate that absorption are located where the six legs join the main body. If you destroy those six Lacrimas in different locations at the same time, Nirvana will be completely deactivated. One at a time won’t work, because the other Lacrimas will regenerate the one that was destroyed.”

“Destroy six Lacrimas in different places simultaneously? But how?”

“I’d like to coordinate the timing… but I don’t think I can keep the telepathy link for that long. I’ve uploaded the timing in your mind.”

“T- twenty minutes?”

“Nirvana is almost ready to fire again”

“Six Lacrimas…”

“Men…”

“I just know you all can do it! I- I believe in you!”

“Impossible.”

“Fuck!”

Truth grabbed her head, wide-eyed, her heart thumping wildly. If she had joined in the mental conversation, then Zero would have known and destroyed her before she could even blink. She kept on listening, though. At first, she was intent on telling them how to stop Nirvana, but they seemed to already have this covered. However, they would need more than four people to do this, and even more so now that Zero got involved.

Maybe she could help them out?

“… nan.”

Oración Seis’ mission was to awaken Nirvana. Her friends had died for the sake of accomplishing this mission, and she would be damned if she stopped it herself. However, she wouldn’t stand in their way either. But would she have to? If Zero ordered her to wipe them out, then what would she do?

“Siding with the Allied Forces would mean treason, but siding with Zero would mean my friends never were my friends in the first place…” she murmured. “Who did this? Who killed them? Was it the Allied Forces? Or was it Brain? Was it… was it me?” She hugged her knees tighter against herself. “Did I kill them too?”

“I am Zero! Zero… the Master of Oración Seis! First, let me praise you. I never thought there would be someone who could use Archive like Brain and Truth. Though, talking about her… come on out, Truth!”

She sighed, placing two fingers to her temple.

“I hear you.”

There were a few gasps, but she said no more, still conflicted.

“Good. Listen well, wizards of the light! Starting now, I will destroy everything! As a start, I have destroyed three of your friends. A Dragon Slayer… an Ice Make Wizard… and a Celestial Mage! Ah, and maybe a cat too…”

“Natsu and the others!”

“That’s got to be a lie!”

“I believe you said something about destroying the Lacrimas at the same time? Right now, Truth is waiting at one of those, and I myself am standing in front of one of those six Lacrimas.”

He started laughing.

“As long as I and the girl are here, destroying all six at the same time is impossible!”

She flinched when Zero abruptly cut off the communication, but Hibiki’s own telepathic link was still set up, and she realized that it was now weaker, hence why Zero would no longer be able to intercept it. However, she was still extremely sensitive to the magical waves.

She could still hear them.

“Zero has cut off his communication!”

“If we are going to destroy all six at the same time, then we have no choice but to split up and each head to a different place. The chances of encountering Zero and Truth are two on six. What’s more, unless it’s you, Erza, there’s no chance of winning against him, and the girl is an unknown factor.”

“Wait a second, what are you even saying!? We don’t have six people! We don’t have six wizards that could destroy the Lacrimas!”

“I… I can’t use any… any magic that can destroy! I’m sorry!”

“… we have two here. Is there no one else that can move?”

“My honey… am I not still here? Although, I am tied up…”

“Ichiya-san! That… makes three…”

The communication seemed to fade somewhat.

“Uh-oh! My magic power… my telepathy is going to run out…”

“We need three more! Someone answer me! Is there no one else!?”

“Look! Christina is… it’s losing altitude!”

“Christina is crashing!”

‘Kaelys…’

‘What are you going to do?’

She looked down. Then, slowly, she placed two fingers against her temple once more, careful as to not alert Zero. If she used too much Magic, it’d get his attention for sure.

“Your friends are still alive,” she then announced.

“W- what?”

“Who said that!?”

“It’s that Truth girl!”

“I will not help you destroy the Lacrimas,” she pursued, unperturbed. “It would be treason. However, I will not stop you. I am now going to rejoin Zero, leaving the Lacrima I am supposed to guard defenseless. If one of you shows up at Zero’s Lacrima to destroy it, then I will take care of him while that person takes care of the Lacrima.”

“… how can we trust that?”

“She’s Oración Seis! Of course we can’t trust her!”

“B- but… she can’t lie. S- she told me herself, back in the cave… and Brain knew that too, that’s why he warned her not to say anymore…”

“I do not lie, Erza Scarlet,” the black-haired girl simply assured. “I do not care if you believe me or not either. The rest is up to the rest of you.”

Satisfied, the girl then cut the communication fully. Letting out a heavy sigh, she rubbed her temples.

‘Going against Zero, then?’

“I believe I am.”

With that, she left her Lacrima to go find Zero, ready to fight if needed. If none of the legal mages showed up, she wouldn’t bother. She could very well die if she faced him, after all. However, she should be able to use the Lacrima’s destruction to go for the kill.

“Maa, it’s all ‘what if’s anyway,” she grunted.

But… what if she was right?

Truth was waiting in the shadows. She knew that Zero was aware of her presence, but also knew that he hadn’t heard about her… truce, with the Allied Forces. If he did, he would have killed her right away. Much to her surprise, she didn’t have to wait for long before none other than Natsu showed up. He had some trouble walking, his breath short and ragged, but he was still standing. His jaw tightened at Zero’s sight.

“Still alive, are we?” taunted the silver-haired man. “What’d you come here for, you little brat?”

Natsu chuckled, rather darkly.

“Will it be you who breaks, or me? Let’s find out!” he taunted.

But, as he was about to attack, Truth jumped in between the two of them.

“Truth, I thought you would have stayed to your Lacrima,” remarked Zero, apparently not all that bothered by her presence. “Back up for your Master, uh? Such loyalty truly is refreshing. Well, while you’re at it, take care of the trash.”

“Understood.”

She Requiped her Book, and formed a circle with her fingers around her mouth, turning to Natsu.

“Fire Dragon’s Roar!”

She blasted the fire attack at the boy, already knowing the effects it would have on him. And, just as thought, he wasn’t fazed by the spell at all. In fact, he merely ate all the flames, his energy instantly flowing back into him.

“Woah, you really can copy magic uh?” He grinned her way. “That’s awesome! Thanks for the meal, by the way!”

“Truth!” seethed Zero, from behind. “I said to eliminate the trash, not power it up!”

“My apologies.” She tilted her head his way. “I won’t miss next time.”

With that, she shot a powerful blast of Magic, which had been stolen from Jellal earlier… at him. Zero raised his shield, barely in time, but he did seem startled by this sudden turn of event.

“Oops, guess I did miss again,” she deadpanned.

“What do you think you’re doing!?” practically snarled her supposed Master.

“Taking care of the trash. Fire Dragon’s Roar!”

As the flames engulfed the man and his shield, Natsu hit his fist against his open palm.

“The others weren’t sure you were going to show up, but I guess I should thank you for that, uh?” he remarked, grinning again.

“Don’t mistake my intentions. I’m not doing it for you, for your friends or for that Guild,” she warned, glancing at him from the corner of her eyes. “I simply don’t want to destroy the whole world like Zero. And I don’t want to lose my prayer either.”

“Your prayer?” he repeated, somewhat confused.

“Dark Capriccio!”

Natsu jumped away while the girl flew higher to avoid the sudden attack from Zero.

“Don’t think I’m on the same level as Brain,” he warned, jaw clenched tightly and his teeth gritting loudly against each other. He then glanced to the girl. “As for you… I thought you never betrayed your allegiances, Truth?”

“I swore my allegiance to Brain and Oración Seis,” she stated, landing back on her feet. “You are neither of them. You aren’t my Master, for I no longer have any. Begone.”

She sent him crashing against a wall, making the whole room shake. She would have killed him right on the spot with her telekinesis, but the man kept his shield up, probably more than aware of her abilities. She would have to do it the old way.

“Then… you will be destroyed, like the rest of them!” he snarled. “Dark Capriccio!”

The green serpent-like beam of light came at her again but, as she avoided it, it followed her. Narrowing her eyes, she kept jumping from one side to the other when another came from behind, ripping away the skin on her left side. She fell back on the floor but used Meteor to increase her speed and destroyed the beams hot on her heels. Zero was laughing again, though.

“Zero Slash!”

The whip was about to hit her when it was practically annihilated by Natsu’s fire, who stepped in between the two of them.

“What, forgetting about me already?” he sneered, getting in his fighting stance.

Zero casted his Dark Capriccio again, but it was too late to take the Fire mage by surprise.

“Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!”

Both magics encountered each other and, for a second, Truth truly thought the boy would be killed. However, somehow, the fire blast managed to stop Zero’s attack.

“Oh? You’re able to stop Piercing Magic… Interesting.”

Before Natsu could answer, though, another fire blast sent from behind sent the pink-haired mage flying away. Surprised, all heads turned to the door, only to find Jellal standing there with a smirk.

“Jellal!” gaped the pink-haired boy.

“Did your memories returned?” inquired Zero, smirking smugly, as if he had already won.

“Aa,” simply answered the blue-haired mage.

“You… bastard! Jellal!” exclaimed angrily Natsu.

The Dragon Slayer ran at him, intending on pummeling him to the ground, but was caught in yet another fire blast.

“Fire ain’t gonna work on me!” he yelled.

“I know. I remember. You’re Natsu… our only hope.”

As the two of them squabbled and whatnot, Truth used Wendy’s healing magic to heal the wound on her side. As it fully closed, though, Zero attacked them once more, only for Jellal to take the full hit, protecting Natsu. Then, he fell to the floor.

Natsu’s eyes widened. “Y- you…”

“I- if you want to do me in, you can do it anytime,” assured Jellal, gasping for air. “I’m already on my last legs… now… the power to defeat that guy… “

In his palm then appeared Golden Flames. As some more drama occurred, which the black-haired teen didn’t care to pay attention to, she got back on her feet. Natsu was then engulfed in the Golden Flames, which he ate fully, growing even stronger than with the boost Truth had given him earlier.

“I have your power now, Jellal,” he then said, clenching his fists.

“The Flame of Guilt, uh?” smirked Zero. “By eating that, you take on the same sin.”

“I’m used to that,” retorted Natsu. “For a Fairy Tail wizard, the true sin is averting one’s eyes and no longer being able to believe in anyone! Truth!”

She stiffened as he called her name, and raised her eyes to his.

“They’re alive!” he then assured, making her freeze. “Cobra, all the others, they’re still alive! But they won’t be for much longer if you keep using those half-assed attacks! To save them, you have to stop Zero! Isn’t that why you’re here? So why the hell are you so weak!?”

“Weak!? I’ll show you weak, ash-for-brains!” she snarled back.

But his grin merely widened knowingly and, as one, they launched themselves at Zero.

‘Your power is great, but slaved by your emotions’

‘That guy isn’t half-bad. Angering you like that, he knew what he was doing’

“I hate you!” she yelled, literally kicking Zero in the face as he was occupied with blocking Natsu’s punch. “You’re the one who took them away! You manipulated Brain, manipulated them, manipulated me! I don’t care about myself, but I won’t let my friends be hurt anymore! I won’t let you kill them! And I won’t let you kill me either… I’ll never be your weapon, no matter what!”

“Yeah, that’s the spirit!” cheered Natsu as they sent him crashing in the ceiling.

As the man fell back on the floor, creating a hole, the Golden Flames engulfed Natsu once more as he stared down at his hands in wonder.

“This power… It’s similar to when I ate Etherion… Eh, it’s like my power’s doubled, or even tripled…”

“Tche,” grunted Truth. “No wonder Cobra lost to you. You’re a fricking powerhouse.”

“Dragon Force,” then stated Zero, facing them again. “The final form of Dragon Slaying Magic. Its magic power is said to rival that of dragon’s, capable of annihilating anything… annihilation… Interesting!”

That however brought a small smile to Truth’s lips, who Requiped her Book.

“I guess I have to pull out the big guns too, uh?” she remarked quietly. “You won’t mind if I come to full power too, will you?”

“Come at me with any power, I’ll defeat you without even trying!” simply boasted Zero.

“Well, Natsu Dragneel. Shall we?” mused the girl.

“Here we go!”

“Meteor!” she cast.

At the signal, they both dashed towards the man, only to encounter his shield. However, it was no match for a Dragon Force attack and the Heavenly Magic. But, as the shield broke, the silver-haired mage slapped his palms on the floor.

“Dark Gravity!”

The ground broke under their feet. Instantly, she Requiped away her Book to catch her fall and levitated Natsu too, while she was at it. Lifting the both of them out of the hole, she placed him next to Jellal before facing Zero again.

“It is almost time,” she then remarked. “I will keep my word. Accomplish your mission, Dragneel. I shall accomplish mine.”

Before any of them could react, she used her Telekinesis to push Zero in the hole, before jumping after him and closing said hole behind her with Hoteye’s Earth Magic. They fell –well, she flew- through five floors, before reaching the very last one of the main body of Nirvana. They faced each other, next to them yet another hole leading to the forest a few kilometers under their feet. A fall for him would mean instant death, he knew that much. She was at a clear advantage with her telekinesis.

However, the only attacks that could work on him were direct combat, in which she was still inferior –she had just trained for a year, after all- and her Thief Magic, but it took quite a lot of energy to cast a spell that wasn’t hers, to begin with. She had to make every attack count right now, or at least until they destroyed the Lacrimas.

“Zero Slash!”

She jumped from side to side, avoiding the green-dark whip coming for her and searching for an opening.

“Ice-Make: Wall!”

He easily passed through, ice shards flying around, and she dodged barely in time his magic-empowered punch.

“This is bad,” she gritted her teeth. “If I go on like that, I won’t be able to attack… What to do, what to do…”

“Dark Delete!”

“Fuck!”

This time around, she was caught by three of the projectiles. Gritting her teeth, she decided to take care of her injuries later. She couldn’t afford to lose more of her magic right now. After all, copying Nirvana had taken a lot out of her and was still taking its toll on h—

“Nirvana…” Her eyes widened in realization.

“Come on, little pawn!” cackled Zero, unaware of her newly found plan. “Can’t you do better than that!?”

“… pawn?”

Her face suddenly turned blank, her eyes dimmed, and she straightened to face him, not saying another word. Yes, he was right. Pawn… This was just another game of chess, in the end. And if there was one thing she was good at, it was chess.

She knew what do do.

“Nirvana.” She summoned her Book. “Reversal Magic copied not even an hour earlier. I’m curious about its effects. Aren’t you?”

His red eyes widened in understanding, and he instantly attacked her with an onslaught of Dark Capriccio once more.

“Reverse.”

The spells simply disappeared in nothingness. He was starting to panic, that much was certain, for he kept on throwing attack after attack, each more powerful than the last. And her? She kept Reversing them without too much effort.

“It is time,” she then announced, walking up to him without a care. “The Lacrimas will be destroyed in less than a minute. What about you, Zero? What do you think will happen to you?”

“No! Trash like you can’t win against me, the Master of Oración Seis!” he snarled.

“You are the Master of nothing!” she spat, clenching her hands around the Book. “You have no Guild, no power, no will… You are nothing!”

“Genesis Zero!” he invocated, moving his hands in a circle. “Vanish into the great nothingness! No one will remember you, no one!”

“One of us is going to die, and it isn’t me!” she replied, propelling herself at him.

“I cast open the Gate of Wraithwail!” called the man. She kept on running at him. “People of the Nil, erase this person’s existence, devour his very memory and soul! Begone! Begone before the name of Zero!”

The girl was then engulfed by the purple mass of wailing souls, hands grabbing her by all sides as if to extinguish her very being.

But she wasn’t done.

“Full Reverse: Light!” she yelled.

Time seemed to freeze before the wraiths pulled away to turn against their original caster.

“W- what!? Impossible! I am Zero! I am the Master of Oración Seis!” he protested, casting them away at the best of his abilities. “You damn trash… I’ll kill you! I—“

He stopped talking, his blood-shot eyes widening in shock as blood suddenly splattered his clothes.

There was a hole in his throat.

Lifting her hand, Truth caught her scalpel without much care about the red liquid running down her hand.

“You left your back open,” she simply stated. “Farewell, Zero.”

Using her Telekinesis threw him out without much of a care and he fell, his mouth opened in a silent scream. The momentum and panic had lowered Zero’s awareness, which had allowed her to strike the fatal blow. And now? She flew back to the Lacrima room, just in time to see Natsu strike the giant sphere down with what remained of his Dragon Force. There was a moment of silence before all Lacrimas exploded at once.

“Damn, that was one hard Lacrima,” grunted Natsu, falling back on his feet. He then took notice of her and grinned once more. “Oh, Truth! You beat him?”

“Obviously,” she muttered under her breath. “You should get out of here. It would seem your friends managed as well, and Nirvana is now going to collapse.”

“Eh?”

As if on cue, the rest of the floor broke. She simply levitated herself as Natsu fell down once more, only for Jellal to catch him in time.

“Don’t let go!”

“Idiot! You’re also in trouble, you know!?”

“I could help them,” the girl mumbled. “But wouldn’t helping them be treason? No, Oración Seis is no more… I have no more allegiance… Though, it would probably annoy Cobra, though… Oh, then let’s save them alright!”

She levitated them to her level, avoiding the rocks falling around them.

“Eh, I can fly!” exclaimed Natsu, wriggling around.

“Stop moving!” snapped Truth. “Keeping my Telekinesis on three people while deflecting all this damn stone isn’t exactly easy and—“

“Watch out!” warned Jellal.

The piece coming was too large, though, and she visibly struggled to keep it from crushing them.

“Damn… to think… I could have saved my own skin…” she huffed, limbs shaking. “I really… I really…”

“This is love, yes! You have learned as well, Kaelys dear, yes!”

Stunned by the sudden appearance of Hoteye, her concentration wavered and the rock fell. However, the man grabbed the three youngest wizards before disappearing under the ground while creating a protecting dome around them, thanks to his Earth Magic.

She gritted her teeth, eyes closed as they made their way to God-knows-where. She was troubled. For some reason, Hoteye was spouting some nonsense about love as he used to about money, which honestly worried her. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the popped out from the ground and fresh air hit her face. Letting out a shaky breath as he placed them down, she slumped to the ground, slightly dizzy.

“Love will save your friends!” then exclaimed Hoteye. “Yes!”

“Sheesh, making us worry like that,” Gray shook his head with a smile.

“N- Natsu-san!” Wendy ran to the boy, relieved tears in her eyes.

“That’s Hoteye!” recognized Carla. “Why would a member of Oración Seis—”

“It’s a long story,” smiled Jura. “But don’t worry, he’s a friend.”

“Natsu-san!” Wendy latched her arms around the boy’s waist. “You really… kept your promise… Thank you, for saving my Guild!”

“It’s because we all had the power, right?” replied the pink-haired mage, turning to the rest of them. “You have the power too, Wendy.”

“M- me?”

“This time, give me a happy high-five!”

“R- right!”

So they did. At that moment, though, Truth got back to her feet and faced Hoteye.

“You have betrayed Oración Seis,” she plainly remarked.

“I merely disagreed with Brain’s ultimate goal, yes!” He shook his head. “And you have helped our new friends as well!”

“I killed Zero for he would have killed me and all of you,” she replied, more coldly. “I never betrayed my allegiance. But, I guess it can’t be helped. Oración Seis is no more, Brain is dead, and our goal will never be achieved. Our ways part here, I suppose—“

“Hey, Truth! Thanks a bunch for the help back there!” then exclaimed Natsu, placing a hand over her shoulder.

“I said I would take care of Zero if one of you showed up to his Lacrima. That is all there is to it,” she replied, shrugging him off. “I—“

For a second, black spots danced before her eyes. She shook her head, feeling weak all of sudden.

“I used too much magic, uh?” She sat down, rubbing her temples. “And copying Nirvana sure was awful… damn, what do I do now? I still need to get stronger… but the others are alive… Should I go back to them? But I don’t know where they are. Cobra was on Nirvana! Oh, he’s safe, Cubellios must have brought him to safety…”

“Err… why is she talking to herself?” Gray inched away slightly.

“Our dear Kaelys always says what she thinks out loud, for she is unable to think in her head due to the voices she hears, yes!” informed Hoteye.

“… voices?” sweatdropped the Ice-Make mage. “That usually means you’re going crazy, you know?”

“I’m not crazy!” she snapped his way. “They’re real, and they’re my friends!”

“Nevermind!” he raised his hands in surrender.

Wendy crouched in front of her, biting her lower lip.

“A- ano… are you injured?” she asked shyly.

Truth blinked, mildly surprised.

“I’ve been hit by Zero’s attacks a few times. I believe my ribs are broken, and I’m bleeding quite a lot,” she flatly answered.

“D- do you want me to heal them for you?”

“Wendy!” instantly protested Carla. “She’s with Oración Seis! And you’re out of magic power!”

“B- but…”

“Aw, you’re cute!” suddenly grinned Truth, ruffling the girl’s hair. “But I can do it myself, no worries.”

To prove her point, she summoned her Book and used Wendy’s Magic to heal the few wounds she had, while those who didn’t know about Jellal learned about his resurrection and loss of memories. However, the Book Requiped away by itself before she could finish, making her hiss in pain.

“Damn it… I really can’t use more, or I’ll pass out…” she muttered. “And I still have to go, too…”

“Go where?” asked Lucy, kneeling next to her.

“… I don’t know. Somewhere, I guess.”

“I’m afraid we can’t allow that to happen.”

At Erza’s statement, all turned to the redhead, startled.

“What do you mean?” The black-haired girl’s voice had grown noticeably colder.

“You are a member of Oración Seis, a criminal,” the Requip Mage answered firmly, now standing in front of her. “Even though you helped us in the end, you have committed numerous crimes for which you have to answer to.”

“I won’t deny the crimes but, if I have to repent for those, then so do Hoteye and Jellal, aren’t I right?” replied the teen.

The redhead lost some of her composure at that, apparently not having thought about it this way.

“I joined Oración Seis because Brain was the one who offered to teach me to control my Magic when I awakened it a year ago,” announced Truth. “I committed those crimes for I pledged my loyalty to them and therefore obeyed their commands. It wasn’t about doing right or wrong: I was simply following orders. I won’t try to excuse what I have done, for I don’t regret it. It was simply the way things worked out for me. Had I been found by you, Fairy Tail, I would more than probably have followed your rules instead. But it wasn’t Fairy Tail who found me, or Blue Pegasus, or Lamia Scale, or Cait Shelter: it was Brain and Oración Seis. That’s all there is to it,”

A heavy silence followed her statement when it was broken by Ichiya’s cry.

“W- what’s happening?”

“There are some markings on the ground!” informed Wendy.

“Those are…”

“Runes!?”

Truth stiffened. Runes? That meant they were trapped. And if they were trapped, then the people who set these up…

She placed a hand over her mouth. “No…”

“When did this…”

“What’s going on!?”

“The same ones as Freed? It’s just as… No, even more powerful!” remarked Gray.

“We’re trapped?” realized Lucy.

“Trapped,” echoed Truth, recoiling on herself. “Trapped, trapped, trapped…”

“Show yourself!” yelled Natsu, pissed off.

And they were suddenly surrounded by some sort of legion, all men wearing white clothes and cloaks, and armed with spears.

“W- who are they?”

“I wish to do you no harm,” informed one of them, walking closer to the Rune Barrier. “All I desire is for you to stay here, without moving, for a little while.”

“Who are you?” replied Happy.

“I am Captain of the Reformed Magic Council’s 4th Enforcement and Detention Corps. My name is Lahar.”

“Who?”

“Reformed Magic Council?”

“They’re already back into business?”

“We have been reborn to uphold the law and protect justice. We have no mercy for those that do evil acts,” pursued the Captain.

“What do you mean?” inquired Carla.

“We haven’t done anything bad!” added Happy.

“I am aware,” assured Lahar. “Our sole purpose here is to arrest Oración Seis. Please, hand over that person codenamed Hoteye to us, along with that other person codenamed Truth.”

A whimper escaped the girl, who placed her hands over her head, which was hidden in her knees. Wendy shot her a worried look as the rest gasped.

“Wait a minute!” protested Jura, coming to face the man.

“It is alright, Jura,” however intervened Hoteye.

“Richard-dono…”

“Even if my soul has been awakened to righteousness, that does not wipe clean my past evil ways. I wish to start over from the beginning. That way, when I finally reunite with my brother, I can look him eye to eye, yes,” explained the ginger man.

At that, Jura allowed a small smile to grace his lips.

“Then, I shall search for your brother in your stead,” he then promised.

“Y- you will!?”

“Please, tell me your brother’s name.”

“H- his name is Wally. Wally Buchanan.”

“W- Wally?” repeated Erza, obviously recognizing the name.

Wendy wasn’t really listening, though, bothered by Truth’s state. The girl had started shaking, bands of sweat rolling down her forehead. Wendy could smell her fear from miles away.

After Hoteye, or rather Richard, was done crying, he got back to his feet and faced Lahar.

“I am ready to follow,” he announced. “But I ask of you… one favor.”

“You are in no place to ask favors, Hoteye of Oración Seis,” remarked the man, tightening his lips.

“Please, listen!” pleaded the man. “Truth… no, Kaelys, is just a child. She joined a year ago because she had no other choice. She’s still young, she can still learn! And… she can’t stay restrained… Her past has left some heavy psychological scars, so you won’t be able to take her back. Please, allow her a second chance! That is all I’m asking for, yes!”

“I am afraid it will be up to the Reformed Magic Council to decide,” replied blankly Lahar.

Understanding he couldn’t change his mind, Hoteye simply let them cuff him before going to sit in the carriage. He, however, shot a worried look at the girl, still crouched on the ground, who was eying his own restraints with blood-shot eyes.

She’s about to snap… he realized, guts churning with worry.

“Our true objective isn’t Oración Seis,” then announced Lahar. “But the one who infiltrated the Magic Council, destroyed it and fired Etherion… There is a far greater evildoer among you, yes? You, Jellal. Come! And take the girl with you, while you’re at it. If any of you resist, I have orders to use lethal force!”

“But that’s…”

“Hold it a second!” protested Natsu.

“That man is dangerous. We cannot allow him loose in the world again. As for the girl, she killed many already. She has to repent for her crimes, both of them have to.”

Two of the soldiers walked in and cuffed the blue-haired man, who lowered his eyes.

“Jellal Fernandes… I hereby place you under arrest for the crime of high treason against the state,” announced Lahar.

Two other soldiers approached Truth as Jellal was brought away. The others tried to protest, but Lahar would listen to nothing they said. So, they started fighting. In the sudden confusion, no one noticed as the two soldiers after Truth were sent crashing against the Runes.

“Arrest them all!”

“Enough!” then intervened Erza. “That’s far enough!”

Everyone turned to stare at her.

“I apologize for the fuss we’ve caused,” she then stated firmly. “I will take full responsibility. Jellal… take him.”

“Erza—“

“Sit down!”

“Yes ma’am,” paled Natsu, obeying instantly.

Therefore ending the fight, Jellal was taken away in the carriage. Lahar, however, narrowed his eyes at the young girl whom, for some reason, had yet to move from her spot.

“Truth of Oración Seis, come now,” he then ordered, stepping closer to her. “You—“

“… come?”

He stopped in his tracks as her voice echoed in the sudden silence, so void of emotions it could have been mistaken for the breeze. For a second, his heart seemed to stop as her purple eyes met his, wide and terrified.

“Come?” she repeated, her voice growing high-pitched as she got on her feet. “I- I’m not coming! Hell no I’m not! You can’t take me back there! I’m not going back!”

“What—“

“You can’t take them away! You can’t restrain me again!” she screeched.

The wind started swirling around them, a few rocks exploded.

“I’m not going back! They’ll hurt me again! I’m not an animal! I’m not crazy! I’m not going back, damn it! I’d rather die than go back there! They won’t hurt me again, I’d rather- I’d rather die!!!”

With that, she took off. Breaking through the Rune barriers as if they weren’t even there, she dashed through the forest, ignoring the cries behind her. She didn’t have enough power left to kill them. She didn’t have enough power left to flee by the air. She didn’t have…

“I’m too weak…” She ran faster despite her strength dwindling a little more at each step. “But… no matter what… I’m not going back. If I am too weak to stop them… then I’d rather die free!”

And then she saw it. The cliff was there, approximately twenty meters away. She ran faster, focused on a single thought. She wouldn’t come out of this alive, but she couldn’t flee anymore. There was nowhere left to run, and that only left her with one option.

“They won’t hurt me again,” she repeated, her throat tight as the edge of the cliff grew closer and closer. “Not again…”

Ten meters.

‘W- what are you doing!?’

‘Stop it!’

“Not again…”

Five meters.

‘STOP IT!’

‘KAELYS!’

“NOT AGAIN!!!”

She jumped.