[X784, Edolas, Somewhere deep in the forests]
— Ultear Milkovich —
The forest was too quiet. There was no birdsong, and not even the slightest rush of wind. Just an eerie stillness that made Ultear's skin crawl.
She and Zancrow pushed through the wet undergrowth until the trees parted, revealing the massive form of the Grimoire Heart airship.
The mobile headquarters of the guild now leaned against the earth, the hull cracked and a whole section of it having torn at the forced travel between worlds.
The regular members of the guild were already busy trying to repair it. Dim lacrima lights were prevalent everywhere that lit up the night as the men whispered as Ultear and Zancrow passed.
Every single person here was a dark mage. Thus everyone was weary as they all felt the odd and terrifying feeling of having no magic to call upon. It was a strange thing, to be rid of a sense you had known almost your entire life. Like waking up blind after living years with the ability to see.
Ultear herself was no better, for she certainly did not expect to be here. In all her years serving in the Magic Council, as a member of the Wizard Saints, not once did she ever have an inkling to the existence of another world.
Grimoire Heart had simply been cruising over the lands of Fiore. Master Hades had some sort of plan in mind that involved the ancestral island of Fairy Tail.
According to him, he had detected the presence of Zeref on that island five years ago. However, Tenrou Island itself heavily warded and the location was kept a secret, the keys only known to the current Guildmaster and Ace of Fairy Tail.
They had spent the past few weeks scouring the southern coasts of Fiore in search of the island, only for the skies to churn and their ship to be pulled upwards towards the sky.
Master Hades had to pull out the Amaterasu Formula to protect them. However, it was apparent that the man had prioritized himself and the beating heart inside the airship, for many members were pulled away and were swallowed by the storm.
This resulted in most of the members having turned to lacrima, with Master Hades, Zancrow, Ultear, and thirty other dark mages being the sole exceptions. Even Bluenote was taken away, which genuinely worried Ultear to no end.
If even someone as powerful as Bluenote was forcibly turned, then their enemy in this strange world was not to be trifled with.
Her biggest worry was Meredy, who had just fully recovered and returned to her full strength. The lightning of a dragon slayer did not heal easily, and Meredy would bear the pain and scars forever. She hoped that the turning to a lacrima did not turn her injuries for the worse.
She offered the others no passing glance as she ignored their murmurs. Her eyes were already fixed on the figure at the airship's heart.
Master Hades stood near the base of the gangplank, his long coat dripping with rain, a cane resting lightly in one hand. Zancrow followed behind her, dragging his feet through the mud
"Master Hades," Ultear called, stepping forward and bowing slightly.
"Ultear, what have you discovered?" The man turned to regard her. Even robbed of his magical power, the aura he radiated was suffocating.
His single lone eye pulsed. The numerous magic experiments that Hades had conducted to his own body had made sure that Master of Grimoire Heart remained a threat even without any magic to call upon, especially considering that his true source of power, the heart inside the airship, has remained beating even now.
"The world we currently reside in is called Edolas," Ultear answered, "It is both a parallel and a mirror world, a reflection of our own, where most of the faces are familiar, but their fates are twisted."
"I suspected as much. The flow of magic here is… stunted. It feels wrong. Like a song missing half its notes." Hades nodded, having already come to that conclusion. "And who is responsible for pulling us here?"
"The reigning monarch, King Faust. I infiltrated the capital briefly. He's declared the success of an operation to steal magic from Earthland." Ultear stated.
At that, Hades finally turned. Even in the gloom, his smile was faint but sharp. "I see. Desperation perhaps, or was it mere greed that made him pull us here?"
Zancrow scoffed. "Pulled, dragged, whatever. All I know is it fried half the ship and turned everyone else into glass statues!"
The young god slayer's temper flared as he kicked a piece of scrap metal. Flames licked across his shoulders before he smothered them with a curse. "Rustyrose, Azuma, even Bluenote! All turned to lacrima. You should've let me torch that lightning freak when I had the chance!"
"Lightning freak?" Hades asked.
"Laxus Dreyar." Ultear answered. "Fairy Tail is here, Master Hades. And not only that, but a few of their members are also free and capable of using magic."
That caught the old man's interest. "Are they now?" His chuckle rumbled deep in his chest. "I shouldn't be surprised. Mavis' guild always did like to attract trouble. Though I am interested in how they are able to use magic."
"So am I!" Zancrow exclaimed loudly. "I was fighting that Laxus bastard and he blasted me with lightning! I could've gotten some answers from him if Ultear didn't pull me out."
"Like I said, fighting someone as powerful as the Thunder God right now would do us no good. Our forces are severely depleted and we still do not have a full picture of the dangerous figures here in Edolas." Ultear cut him off before he went on a tangent. "We still have the Kingdom's Royal Army as potential enemies, not to mention this 'Black Band Rebellion' led by this world's Dannis Martell."
"Tch, whatever." Zancrow crossed his arms and scoffed.
"Now now, Zancrow. You will face Laxus Dreyar soon enough, but Ultear is correct." Hades patiently stated. "If anything, knowing we aren't the only ones here from Earthland calms me down somewhat. In the worst case scenario, we could always work with Fairy Tail to figure out a way back."
"You want us to…work with them?" Ultear asked, eyes wide.
"Why of course. Do not forget that despite our clear difference in the spectrum of light and dark, we are still fellow Earthlanders. If Fairy Tail is here, it means that they must also have some members turned to lacrima, no?"
"That's true…" Zancrow muttered, crossing his arms. "And that damn lightning bastard could use magic, means there's some way to have it return to some of us."
"About that, Master Hades," Ultear furrowed her brow. "I did see something back in the Royal City."
"And what's that?" Hades asked.
"Dannis Martell, our version, was there. And I saw something." her brow deepened. "We knew he was capable of summoning shadow soldiers after the whole debacle with Phantom Lord. However, one of those shades bore Jellal's face."
Hades' expression flickered. A rare moment of visible surprise. "Jellal?"
Ultear nodded slowly. "It was unmistakable. The presence, the likeness. The shade moved like him, fought like him, even used his magic. Took down the woman they call Erza Knightwalker in one strike."
"Intriguing…truly intriguing."Hades stroked his beard thoughtfully, muttering to himself. "So the summons of the Eclipse-born are not mere constructs. They are bound spirits, perhaps even remnants of true souls." His smile returned, dark and intrigued. "Fascinating. That explains much about your failure with resurrection, Ultear."
The words stung, but she did not flinch. Failure. That's all her attempt to bring Jellal back had ever been called. The empty husk of Jellal's body was now kept in a cryogenic chamber inside the airship, having been kept there after Ultear's haphazard attempt in reviving him back in the Tower of Heaven.
She lowered her gaze. "If that's true… then his soul no longer resides within Earthland. It belongs to the Black Blade now."
Zancrow let out a derisive laugh. "Hah! So that bastard turned Jellal into his pet? So much for a Light Mage, eh?"
"I'm more worried about the capabilities of the Black Blade now." Ultear said. "He has command of the soul of a former Wizard Saint. And if he's capable of learning the memories of these souls, then Fairy Tail would know of my actions in manipulating Jellal."
"That doesn't matter." Hades waved his hand. "That knowledge only threatens us had you still been undercover. For now, we focus on Edolas. We tread unfamiliar ground. Until repairs are complete, we move cautiously."
He turned toward the airship, the faint pulse of its heart. Deep within the airship, the Devil's Heart thudded faintly through the hull. Even in this world void of magic, it continued beating, pumping out waves of unnatural energy.
"Ultear," Hades said at last, "continue gathering intelligence. Learn the nature of this King Faust and where he keeps the lacrima of our members. If there is a way to reclaim them, you will find it."
"Yes, Master," Ultear replied, bowing low.
"Zancrow," Hades continued, "continue patroling the perimeter. Turn away any animal or beast you can find, but no unnecessary fights. We cannot risk you as the sole combatant we have. If you see Laxus Dreyar, pull back and retreat."
Zancrow gritted his teeth, but the command of Hades was law. "Tch. Fine."
Hades' gaze lingered on them both, his tone deepening. "Remember this, we may be exiled from Earthland, but our purpose remains. The Key of Zeref will reveal itself again, and Grimoire Heart will not falter. Not here. Not in this mirror world."
He turned away, hands clasped behind his back. "Go."
Ultear and Zancrow bowed in unison. "Yes, Master Hades."
…
[X784, Edolas, New Magnolia]
— Dannis Martell —
The breath of the camp felt like a wounded animal clinging to life. Every tent, every creaking cart, every fire crackling in the dirt whispered of desperation barely held together by hope.
Levy's voice broke the silence first. "What are we gonna do, Dannis?"
They walked slowly through the muddy lanes of New Magnolia. Lanterns hung from ropes above them, swaying with the night breeze. The rebels had named this camp after the city they'd lost, a symbol of what they meant to reclaim, but all Dannis could think about was how quiet it felt.
No laughter. No explosions. No careless voices shouting over one another like back home in Fairy Tail. In the Earthland version of Magnolia.
Just the distant clang of hammers fixing armor, and the occasional cough of a tired child.
Dannis rubbed his temples. "I don't know." The words tasted bitter in his mouth.
His thoughts hadn't stopped racing, still in turmoil since their meeting with the other him.
The information that he had just received in the past half an hour was too much.
A prince of a noble family, one scorned by the ruling monarch of the kingdom.
His parents were alive here too, and not only that, but Fairy Tail was as unreliable as they were broken. And his other self…carrying the weight of the world as the leader of a rebellion.
He let out a breath, watching the steam curl into the cold air. 'A prince. Huh.'
It almost felt like a cruel joke.
They passed through a section of the camp where the wounded lay. Rows of cots lined the dirt floor beneath tarps.
Civilians, rebels, old soldiers, even children. All of them victims of Faust's mad crusade in annihilating all of magic outside the capital.
Without magic, their healers used herbs and bandages. There was no quick mend like Wendy's magic. No genius like Porlyusica to create potions and tinctures. The sight twisted something inside him.
No Requip. No ethernano-boosted natural recovery. Just hands, patience, and grit.
He could feel Levy and Juvia's silence beside him. The same realization written across their faces.
There wasn't a single trace of magic here. And yet, somehow, these people endured.
It was both humbling and uplifting.
"I know Edo Dannis didn't lie," he muttered under his breath. "But, I can't help feeling he didn't tell us everything either."
Levy gave him a sidelong glance. "You think he's hiding something?"
"He has every reason to," Dannis replied. "If I were him, I'd do the same."
After all, despite sharing the same face and name, they were still strangers in the end.
They walked past a group of children gathered near a fire. A woman sang softly to them. The melody reminded Dannis of something from his childhood. A lullaby his mother used to hum when lightning storms frightened him. He stopped for a heartbeat, staring at the flickering flames.
'She's alive here.'
The thought came unbidden, and it hurt. He didn't know if it was longing or guilt that burned more.
"Right now, we wait for Laxus to get here," he finally said, shaking himself back to focus. "Whatever problem lies ahead, it'll be better if we could use magic rather than without."
"Juvia agrees." Her voice was quiet, steadier than his. "If nothing else, we can share information with Laxus in case he knows something we don't."
"Agreed." Dannis nodded. "Having him also boosts our firepower by a bunch."
"I guess you're right." Levy sighed, "But are we still gonna look for Fairy Tail?"
Dannis' lips thinned at that. "I don't know, maybe. It depends on what Laxus might know. I'd hate to go there only for the other me to be right, that they refuse to help. We're already running out of time as it is. Faust could permanently convert the others to ethernano any day now."
"If Laxus could use magic, then perhaps that is the solution in itself." Juvia said, "If the four of us are back to our full strength, with the rebellion behind us, that might be enough power to challenge the kingdom. We can march to the Royal City to rescue the others."
Dannis nodded. "That's what I had in mind."
For a while, they said nothing else. They continued walking the length of the camp. He could feel the looks that everyone gave him. Some with fear, some with hope, others with curiosity.
It wasn't everyday that the doppelganger of their leader showed up like this.
Looking up towards the sky, Dannis let out a sigh before chuckling slightly. For the stars that peeked through the clouds were the same as home.
…
AN: AAAAAND WE'RE OFFICIALLY IN CHAPTER 100!!!
Man the journey to get here was wild but we got here anyways. I never thought any of my stories would ever reach this kind of length. But Skyrim got it, and now so did this. Thanks so much to everyone who stuck by me all this time, love yall lots.
The day that Hades detected the presence of Zeref was the day of Dannis' S-Class trials, where the wards to the island had been lowered.
Whether or not Tenrou Island will go the same way in terms of the S-Class trials is still a big and major if. I still have some major plot planning to do about what's gonna happen in that arc , hopefully my mind brain can conjure something up by the time we get there.
Anyways, I hope I properly portrayed how hopeless and difficult the situation is in Edolas for the people there. It's absolute hell, something that Dannis and the others have the chance to change.
Check out my P-Word for some of those extra chappies. Thanks!
I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, cheers guys!