Darwin and Zeref hit it off immediately.
Zeref was originally a magical genius and had lived for hundreds of years; the things he had seen, heard, learned, and gained throughout his life were vast and as boundless as the sea. By simply revealing a bit of profound knowledge or the local customs of exotic lands, he captivated Darwin—who had never traveled far from home since childhood—beyond recovery.
One was happy to share, and the other was glad to listen. This rare meeting caused the two of them to gradually forget the passage of time. Like a pair of old friends who hadn't met in years, or a pair of like-minded teacher and student, they conversed freely for an entire night.
It wasn't until the sky grew faintly bright and a commotion came from the distant woods that the two suddenly realized how much time had passed.
"We seem to have talked for quite a while. Let's leave it at that for now. Thank you for being willing to listen to me speak so much."
Zeref stood up from the ground and casually patted the dust off his clothes.
"Are you leaving already?" Darwin's face showed his reluctance.
"Yes, it is time to go!" Zeref's expression was somewhat lonely.
For someone afflicted with the Curse of Ankhseram, the more they cherish life, the more life they take away.
The reason the two were able to chat peacefully all night was because, throughout the entire process, Zeref was extremely focused on recounting his experiences and knowledge. His mind was occupied, which was equivalent to not being in a state of "cherishing life," so the "Death Predation" did not activate.
But now that he had come back to his senses and considered Darwin a semi-friend in his heart, it was hard to say what would happen if he continued to stay here and interact with him.
"After you go back, don't tell anyone else you saw me, understood?"
"And, it would be best to forget everything about last night!"
Darwin knew that Zeref simply didn't want to bring him trouble.
"Will we be able to meet again in the future?"
"For your safety's sake, it's better not to!"
"What are your plans for the future? Continue living that wandering life with no fixed home? Don't you feel lonely?"
"..."
Of course I feel lonely!
But what else can be done?
For someone like him who is rejected by the world, if he stays in one place for a long time, it will only cause immense harm to the people there!
"Wait!"
Just as Zeref intended to leave, Darwin spoke up again.
"Is there something else?"
Zeref stopped in his tracks and turned around, only to see Darwin reach into his bosom and pull out a small, square metal box. After pressing it "da-da-da" for a bit and finishing a few operations, he tossed it to Zeref.
"Catch!"
Snap—!
Zeref caught it accurately. "This is...??"
"You don't know? This is a Magic Phone!"
Darwin said, "I bought this with my allowance; I only got it three days ago!"
"I just deleted all the original contacts inside. Right now, it's no different from a brand-new one; you can use it without worry."
After awakening his magic a while ago, Darwin thought about how he would be starting to take on missions in the guild as a wizard. To make it easier to contact people while away, he pulled out his saved allowance and bought a Magic Phone.
These Magic Phones, programmed by Weston and manufactured by the Magic Science Research Institute, have no SIM cards, require no real-name authentication, and have no identity binding. It's equivalent to all holders having "guest" status; as long as the password is cracked, it can be used.
"Magic Phone??"
Zeref looked completely bewildered, repeatedly scrutinizing the metal box in his hand, not understanding what this object was.
Even though Magic Phones have been around for several years now, they require magic power charging, and since this era has no base stations or servers, their functionality cannot compare to a real phone at all. Thus, the audience is small; they only circulate among towns near Magnolia, a few magic guilds in the Kingdom of Fiore, and the upper echelons of the Magic Council.
Zeref traveled the world year-round and basically had no contact with people; he was almost entirely ignorant of these magical technological creations of the new era.
Seeing that he truly had never seen a Magic Phone before, Darwin had to explain clearly.
"It's a type of magic tool that allows people to communicate over long distances, similar to a 'Miniature Communication Lacrima.' However, it also stores many 'games,' 'music,' 'manga,' and 'novels.' You just need to charge it with magic power usually."
"When you feel bored, just use it to pass the time!"
As intelligent as Zeref was, after a simple startup and some research, he roughly understood how to use it.
"It truly is a very interesting magic tool!"
"What are these 'Delivery' and 'Guild' icons for?"
Darwin continued to explain patiently: "'Delivery' allows you to search for nearby restaurants and then place an order for someone to bring food over; 'Guild' is for our work as wizards."
"But since you live in the wild year-round and haven't joined a magic guild, these two apps aren't of much use to you."
Zeref nodded and clicked the "Messenger" button. Inside, it was indeed empty. He asked again, "But if you give this to me, won't you have nothing to use?"
Darwin waved his hand dismissively: "It's fine. I'll just buy a new one in a couple of days!"
"Right, if you don't mind, how about we add each other as friends then?"
"That way, we can stay in touch often in the future!"
Add as a friend?
Zeref felt a secret wave of emotion.
Wandering this world all alone for over three hundred years, this was the first time someone was willing—and had the hope—to become his friend.
Thinking of this, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up.
"In that case, I will accept it with pleasure!"
Two seconds later, Zeref restrained his smile and silently tucked the Magic Phone into his bosom.
Just then, Chris's voice calling for Darwin came from the distance, ending their conversation.
"It seems it's time for me to leave. It wouldn't be good if people saw me!"
"Thank you for the gift, Darwin!"
"Goodbye!"
After Zeref finished speaking, without waiting for Darwin's response, he turned and walked into the distance, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Darwin was stunned for two seconds, then shouted toward the direction Zeref had disappeared: "I've already memorized the account for this phone! After I buy a new one, I'll add you. Remember to accept it then!"
A reply came through the air.
"Understood, I promise you!"
A few breaths later, Chris's figure emerged from nearby.
"Stupid Darwin, where did you run off to? I couldn't find you anywhere!"
Darwin obviously couldn't speak of Zeref's matter, so he just made an excuse: "Nowhere, just woke up early to pee."
"Who were you talking to just now? I thought I saw someone else?"
"You said 'thought,' so your eyes must be playing tricks on you!"
"Really? But..."
Chris wanted to say more, but Darwin acted as if he didn't see her and just kept his head down, walking briskly.
"Let's go, let's go..."
"Back to continue the examination!"