Chapter Text
His senses started returning slowly, one by one.
The sense of touch.
He could feel the gentle breeze dancing across his cheeks.
The sense of smell.
He could smell the freshness only the aftermath of rain could bring.
The sense of hearing.
He could hear nature speak in an ancient language, long forgotten by mere mortals.
The sense of taste.
He could taste death, like a vile piece of chewing gum forever stuck to the back of his throat.
And finally, the sight.
He could see again. His unnaturally black eyes adjusted to his surroundings. Taking in the beauty of the place. How picturesque.
His brain woke up the last. Rationality catching up to him. His name was Zeref. The Black Wizard Zeref, Zeref The Terrible, The Spriggan, The Immortal. That was just a small list of titles he acquired throughout his immortal life.
Come to think of it... immortality...
Did he... fail? Was his curse so powerful that it still managed to resurrect him despite all of his efforts?
"Natsu... I'm sorry..."
Tears pooled in his eyes. All these years of suffering, and death... it was for nothing. His greatest plan failed. He was still alive, he could feel it. His body was back at its one hundred, and his magic stronger than ever. Zeref exhaled, his body almost sinking into the ground in defeat. Oh, how he wished that the ground would open up and swallow him right now. Didn't he suffer enough? Didn't he hurt enough? Didn't he put enough people through misery and pain? Why couldn't it all just end? Why did he have to keep living?
Lost in his lamentations, a high-pitched squeal of fear brought him to high alert. His eyes immediately zoomed in on the ground below, a little girl surrounded by a mob of men. Zeref's brows immediately furrowed in displeasure. It was no secret that he was not a saint. Zeref killed, and he murdered, and he tortured. He cared not for the gender or age, as long as it helped him achieve what he wanted. But despite his faults, Zeref was always careful about the collateral damage, so to speak. He was always mindful not to hurt innocent bystanders. Shed as little blood as he could.
The men surrounding the child were burly, muscled like human-grizzly bear mutants, towering threateningly over the small girl. Even a grown-up adult would find it difficult to defeat someone this physically advanced, let alone a small child no older than eight. The expression on her face was that of complete fear and terror, and yet there was a fire burning behind her eyes. A small smile tugged at Zeref's lips. Natsu was just like that. A fire that burned despite hardships. In the rain and in the hailstorm, unending passion, and vitality. That's why Igneel liked him too.
The same fire burned in this girl's eyes. Her face was etched with determination. Even though she knew that she was no match for them, she was not backing down, she was still staring at them defiantly. Zeref decided that enough was enough, so he, in a whisper of wind, found himself staring the men in the eyes, covering the little girl with his body. The wind picked up, and his cloaked swished majestically in the air. It added an air of grace and mystery to him that just looked so very natural and elegant.
For a moment, all was silent, the treasure hoarders blinked at the sudden change in the scenery and jumped back, staying cautious of the newcomer. They looked at the boy, dressed in fancy rich boy clothes, and almost scoffed. Almost. Treasure hoarders knew better than to underestimate their opponents. They had to, in a business like this, surviving was a difficult thing. Surviving and being good at your job – even harder. There was something different about this boy, they noted. Something about his eyes. They were black, like the darkest night. They were compassionate and cold, cruel and kind at the same time. The boy was like a walking contradiction.
"What business do you have with this child?" Zeref's voice was sharp and cutting, it left no room for argument. It demanded immediate respect and imposed its authority over the listeners. One might think that he was using his magic to accomplish this. The truth is that he spent so many years as an emperor that the tone of voice he was currently using was second nature to him. It's the same tone of voice he always used with his subordinates.
"Listen here, pretty boy, you have no business here. Leave if you want to stay pretty!" one of the thugs spat at him nastily. Zeref almost smirked. He, the thug, sounded like a dying wolf. All bark and no bite. He could hear the tremble in his voice, the uncertainty. The feeling that he was feared brought dark arousal and euphoria to him, seeing them trembling at the very sight of him. Delectable.
Zeref's expression didn't waver or change as he gazed unflinchingly at the insignificant threat to his life. What did he have to fear anymore? Careful years of planning his own death and he still survived. At this point, he would applaud anyone who would manage to put him down permanently. Not that someone as pathetic as these men would ever manage to defeat him.
"Are you deaf or daft, boy?!"
"Neither. You, on the other hand, are about to be very cold and lifeless if you do not leave immediately."
The thugs exchanged wary looks, eyeing him up and down. "He doesn't have a vision." One of the younger ones whispered to the other. The rest seemed to agree with the assessment. Their previous fears have seemed to vanish, disregarding their primal instincts. Foolish mistake.
One of the bolder ones, or foolish if you were to ask Zeref, took a step forward, aiming his weapon at the immortal. Zeref didn't move, he didn't even twitch as the mobster charged at him with a battlecry. Some wondered if the boy was mentally ill, just standing and staring there like that.
Thud
The body dropped to the ground. It dried up like a husk as if someone sucked out all of its life juices; a human raisin. Its disfigured corpse stared grotesquely at Zeref, its empty eyesockets gazed accusingly at him.
That's when they realized that they were doomed. That's when they realized that they needed to run from this monster as far as they could, as fast as they could. But their bodies were slower than their minds, Zeref's magic—faster. The rest soon followed, falling down like dominoes. The grass around their corpses turned black, slowly withering away into nothingness.
The heavy presence of his black magic sucked out all life from the surrounding area. Zeref stared at the ground another minute before realizing that he needed to confront the child. Maybe she would listen and realize that he meant no harm.
Zeref sighed mentally. He hated talking to children. They were so... difficult. They spoke too fast too many things, none of which made sense in the end. They were just so troublesome to deal with. He just hoped this one would prove to be slightly more tolerable, because no matter how much he wanted to, Zeref didn't speak child.
Zeref slowly turned around to face the girl. "Are you okay?" he asked with the friendliest voice he could muster. Spooking her, even more, was the last thing he needed. She was a tiny girl with pointy ears, dressed in red clothes. For a second, Zeref was worried for her mental health, because his anxieties were unfounded — she smiled.
She smiled at her savior and Zeref's heart stopped for a moment. Mavis. But then he immediately shook the ridiculous thought out of his head. She may not have been Mavis, but she had the same kind smile. Zeref wondered if this is what their children would look like if fates were kinder to them.
"Thank you so much, big brother!" Klee enthused with a toothy grin, wasting no time to wrap her tiny arms around her new big brother. Zeref stiffened and 'Eck'-ed, the sound dying in his throat as his mind tried to analyze what the hell just happened. She was still hugging him. Zeref's hands were hanging limply around his sides, unsure what to do with them. He twitched a few times, hoping she would get a hint and let him go.
Once Klee deemed Zeref 'hugged enough', she held up some sort of doll made out of cloth. It looked like a lovechild of a raccoon and a bunny "You really saved Klee and Dodoco just now. The meanies wanted to take the money Master Jean gave Klee."
Despite the peculiar speech pattern, Zeref managed to deduce that the child was called Klee, while her toy's name was Dodoco. He tried to add the names to his memory, trying to keep up with the hyperactive little girl.
'Natsu used to give his toys the weirdest names. I guess all kids have that in common...' Zeref thought with a fond sigh.
"I see. It's very nice to meet you, Klee, Dodoco. I'm Zeref," he carefully observed her reaction or lack of it thereof. Not to sound like a dick, but Zeref was a big deal. Everyone trembled at the mention of his name. There wasn't a single child in Fiore or whole Earthland who hasn't heard horror stories about the terrible Black Wizard Zeref. Filing the information for later, he decided to switch the topic, "Are you hurt anywhere?"
Klee thought for a while and then shook her head. "No, Klee is all right thanks to Zeref."
"You're quite welcome. Allow me to walk you home, it's not safe."
Zeref had to admit that he had an ulterior motive for asking her to walk her home. Despite how completely inadequate children were when it came to explaining things, Zeref still found it necessary to learn as much as he could about this place. There was no telling how much time has passed since his pseudo-death and resurrection: the lack of reaction on Klee's part suggested that a lot. But despite his intention to grill Klee and ask her questions, he couldn't help but let his mind wander.
Zeref's magic was the blackest of magics, the most forbidden and frowned upon magic in his time. Magic that allowed him the dominion over life and death: the living magic or death magic. Hence his many titles. Many people attempted to practice such magics, but everyone failed where Zeref succeeded. He mastered the forbidden magics and became immortal. Those who master death and life, can never truly die again. His reckless action brought upon him a curse of Anksheram. Anksheram was a god who preceded over the balance between life and death.
He put a horrible curse upon Zeref. Curse of Contradiction. For as long as Zeref valued life, everything and everyone around him would keep dying, the moment he stopped caring, that's when he would be able to control his magic and his actions. Usually, he could never control his black magic. It spread, bursting out of his form, and killed everything it touched. And despite the fact that it still killed the thugs, Zeref was the one in control, Klee was alive, and he didn't feel like bursting at the seems from black magic.
Zeref assumed that either Anksheram has faded and his curse was no longer valid, or his previous death and resurrection broke it. He was still immortal, he could feel it, but the heavy and oppressive feeling that the curse brought to him was gone. It felt like his lungs were free of that constricting heavy feeling that was sludged in his throat and down his respiratory system.
"Mr. Zereeeeef~" Klee sing-songed, breaking Zeref out of his musings. "What element do you use?"
"Element?" Zeref tilted his head. Did she confuse his magic with elemental magic? It was not a wild assumption, considering that his magic did have a black color. Maybe she thought he was a shadow magic-user?
"I know the meanies said that you have no vision, but if you don't have a vision then you couldn't have used your powers, right? Klee has a pyro vision," she proudly displayed an amulet of sorts. It had a fire symbol on it.
Vision. Not magic. Did mortals simply forget of its existence? Or did they come up with a new name for it?
"I'm afraid I have no vision."
"Whoa! Really?!" Klee's eyes lit up in excitement. "Mr. Zeref is so cool. Klee can use fire. Klee doesn't complain because Klee likes exploding stuff!" Zeref blinked a few times, but Klee was lost in her little monologue. "We have all kinds of vision-users in Mondstadt—that's where I live. You've heard about Mondstadt before, right?"
Zeref shook his head, deciding to allow Klee to do all the talking. She was doing a fine job.
"NO?! HOW?! Mondstadt is the city of freedom. It's governed by the Anemo God, Barbatos. He was the one who thought I was worthy of my vision. That's how people get their powers. Master Jean says that when people's ambitions impress gods, they look upon them with favor."
Zeref was trying to listen and comprehend the information load that was just dumped on him courtesy of Klee. Children would never cease to amaze him. How did they talk so much?! Barbatos was the name of one of the demons that he created. Could it be?...
Barbatos. He was one of the demons Zeref created in his quest to end his own life. Zeref, Father of Demons. Another title to his already growing list of titles. He created them, birthed them even, and breathed life into them with one sole purpose. Never disobey their creator, their father. And then he commanded them to kill him. They all failed. One after the other.
Unable to carry out their only order, they started destroying and killing everything around them. Bringing ruin and destruction to many innocent lives. Some part of Zeref was always reluctant to kill them. They were useful, he told himself. And there was this budding feeling of attachment. They were his. His children, his creations. Etheriouses.
No, surely not. Klee said that this Barbatos was an Anemo God. People wouldn't call him a god, would they? Honestly? Zeref wouldn't put it past mortals to do just that. But he sincerely doubted his son, Barbatos, had any patience to deal with humans. His demons hated them with a burning passion.
They wouldn't associate themselves with them, let alone become their patron deities.
So magic was distributed by gods now? Limited to select few chosen individuals. Interesting.
"...and anyway, big brother Albedo said that he was busy today, he's an alchemist you see, so Klee went fish blasting instead..."
Zeref just kept nodding at appropriate times, trying to remember all the new names and places Klee kept mentioning.
"...I hate, hate, hate Mondstadt crabs. All of them! Do you hate crabs Mr. Zeref?"
"...I'm not overly fond of them."
Klee jumped in joy. She was glad she found a fellow crab hater. "I tried blowing them up once but Master Jean sent me to solitary confinement. It was worth it though!"
"Solitary confinement?" What a fancy way to say time-out corner.
"Solitary confinement is when Klee misbehaves, so she has to be punished. Master Jean says that as the Spark Knight of the Knights of Favonious, Klee has to be an example for the common folk."
"Knight?" Zeref raised an eyebrow. She was just a child. How could she achieve knighthood so early? Zeref could never understand the mortals. Wasn't this technically considered child labor or something?
"Yes. Knights of Favonious protect Mondstadt from evil people."
"I see. So you got punished because you broke your rules?"
"Yes," Klee pouted. "Explosion inside city wall, grounded be thy woe," "Explosions can hurt people, Jean can be dreadful," "Mondstadt be bombed, Klee be doomed." Those're the survival rules that the Knights of Favonius gave me."
Zeref nodded again. He noted that he was doing a lot of those recently. So he woke up either in the future where no one even remembered his name, or this was a completely different world. As ironic as it sounded, at least he still had his magic and knowledge with him. Funny, a few hours ago he was happy to die and be liberated of his magics, but now? Now he felt safe that it was still with him. Stronger than ever, without Anksheram's foul curse polluting his system.
"Look, Mr. Zeref! That's Mondstadt!" Zeref looked where the child was pointing at. Mondstadt indeed was as beautiful as Klee boasted the whole way. Huge windmills loomed over the city walls, its stone walls created a powerful yet cozy image. Zeref frowned. Monsdtadt looked nothing like Fiore. The architecture, the style... it was all wrong. Different.
The place was brimming with life itself. Which made Zeref even more reluctant to follow Klee inside. If there was one thing Zeref was good at, it was snuffing out life. Wherever he went, no matter how hard he tried, he was always the last man standing. Such was the nature of his curse. No matter how hard he tried to tell himself that he didn't value life, that he didn't care — there was no deceiving that curse.
It always lashed out of him, uncontrollable like a tantrum of a toddler and consumed, gorging itself on every breathing thing it could reach with its gluttonous grasp. Could he risk so many people's lives because he got lonely and sad? Like a moth to a flame, Zeref was drawn to the living. He was drawn to life. Hanging in the middle, neither dead nor alive. He didn't belong.
His world always rejected him. Like a virus or a bacteria, it was trying to purge from its ecosystem. Yet, he couldn't feel the usual effects of his curse. He could always tell when it was coming. But now? It was all gone.
'I'll just make sure that she's all right, and then I'll leave' he lied to himself. The truth is, Zeref felt empty. Hundreds of years living in isolation like a hermit crab; he missed people. And for once, his magic felt like his own, completely under his control. He wanted to indulge himself a little.
The moment they passed the guards who eyed Zeref with suspicion, they were immediately greeted by a strange group of people.
"Klee!" They cried together as they run towards her. Two ladies: one of them was wearing what Zeref would call a classical witch attire, with a purple witch hat to complete the looks. The other one looked more dignified, her blonde hair tied in a professional hairstyle. Master Jean. Klee's descriptions seemed to fit. The young man was handsome as if carved from marble. His alabaster skin looked flawless in the sunlight. His eyes immediately zeroed on Zeref, dissecting him with them. They all looked disheveled and frazzled, obviously shaken by Klee's disappearance.
Zeref stood on the sideline, not wanting to disturb the reunion.
Klee buried her head in Jean's neck while with her other hand dragged Albedo, attempting to melt him into their embrace somehow. The boy allowed her, giving her a few pats on her back. Zeref could see that he actually cared about her, there was warmth in his eyes, one that was previously lacking. Klee's emotions suddenly resurfaced due to meeting Jean, she started sobbing quietly in her embrace.
"Shh!" Jean rocked her a little bit, a gesture that seemed so motherly to Zeref that he wondered if Klee was her child. Then again, why would you allow your daughter to call you a 'Master'?, Zeref wondered.
"What happened?" she asked. Jean was trying very hard not to sneak glances at Zeref, but she was doing her best to let Klee do the talking.
"I went to explore the pretty valley, but when I was collecting ingredients for my new bombs, big meanies attacked Klee and Dodoco. They kicked away Klee's bomb bag so Klee couldn't protect herself. Big brother Zeref protected Klee and va-pooshed the bad guys."
The suspicion melted away immediately once Klee was done with her tale. "Thank you so much, Mr. Zeref." While Jean seemed more friendly, Albedo's scowl didn't lessen one bit.
Zeref nodded his head in acknowledgment, ignoring the different looks he was getting from all the gathered knights. He noticed that their little reunion gathered them a small crowd. "I didn't do anything special. She's just a child. Anyone would've done the same."
"I'm Jean, the acting Grandmaster of the Knights of Favonius. Allow me to express my gratitude on the behalf of the Knights of Favonious for protecting one of our own. Mondstadt welcomes you, traveler."
"Hello, cutie, I'm Lisa," the lady next to Jean introduced herself. "This grump is Albedo, and this is..."
"Oh!" Amber exclaimed. "I'm Amber and this is Aether. He's a traveler looking for his sister." Zeref observed Amber, wondering if she was a knight too. She didn't look that knightly, but neither did Klee... here we are anyway.
Aether was a young adult of a slender build. His blond hair was tied in a long braid. He was wearing comfortable traveling clothes with a crop top that revealed his toned stomach. Zeref assumed it was for keeping him cool in hot places... or just a fashion statement. Either way, he memorized their names and nodded his head.
"My, my, so many tourists in a day," Lisa said. Her tone of voice was full of lust and playfulness. Zeref couldn't tell if it was lust for him and Aether or for knowledge. She certainly seemed like the know-it-all type who liked knowing things. Aether just waved his hand in greeting. Zeref reciprocated the gesture.
Jean was about to say something else when the winds picked up, unnaturally strong winds. Zeref frowned immediately, recognizing the power. Whoever was doing this, was using very powerful wind magic. It was rough, and probably a little wild, much like a child just learning how to eat, but Zeref knew magic when he felt one.
Wind magic wasn't common magic, fewer and fewer people knew how to wield it in his time. They either rediscovered it or... No. Whoever was using this magic was no ordinary sorcerer. To cause such devastation that even the sky changes color. Zeref's eyes narrowed in while he tried to pinpoint the source of magic. The storm clouds started gathering and the wind became harsher.
Zeref realized that now was not the time. In a blink, his eyes glowed scarlet, startling the surrounding knights who noticed the sudden change. Zeref crossed his hands across each other and made a strange sigil. A magical runic circle burst to life beneath his feet. A few moments later translucent barrier surrounded the city of freedom. The effect was instantaneous: the wind died down immediately, unable to penetrate the black wizard's defenses. The sky returned to its healthy blue color.
People of Mondstadt stared flabbergasted at the young boy. Unable to wrap their minds over what just happened. One moment their city was under attack, the next this young boy does something... what did he even do? How could he conjure a barrier so powerful that it stopped Stormterror? While their brains tried to catch up with Zeref's actions, Klee wasted no time bragging about how cool Zeref was.
"I told you big brother Zeref is awesome!" Klee gushed excitedly, bouncing in Jean's arms. Jean absentmindedly passed her to Albedo who accepted the elf-like girl in his arms with practiced ease.
"Wha--how? Thank you!" Jean managed to collect herself... somewhat. She has never seen anything like this before, ever. Even Lisa, the Sumeru Academia's most promising scholar could never accomplish something so... wonderous.
Speaking of Lisa. Lisa was currently trembling. She was very sensitive to magic; to experience all of that, it was simply orgasmic in the most non-flattering way. Zeref's magic was heavy and oppressive, like that of a god. Lisa felt completely helpless, even though it flared for a brief period of time. It was cruel and kind, it was heavy and light, it was malicious and benevolent. The young man in front of her was a walking contradiction.
She wasn't sure how to feel about him. Not that she could manage to form a single coherent thought at this moment. So Lisa decided to retrieve back to her library and calm down somewhere quiet... er.
"No need. It would be counterproductive to save a child only for her to die the next hour. So... what was the source of that magic?"
"So you noticed, huh?" Jean hummed. She was definitely pleased with him for some reason. "That was Stormterror."
Zeref raised an eyebrow, still not catching up.
"One of the four winds. Stormterror is a dragon that was once used to guard Mondstadt. But now..." Jean exhaled, her shoulders dropping from the invisible weight.
"A dragon you say..." Zeref mused. "Haven't seen those in a while. So they didn't die out."
If people found his little commentary a bit weird, no one commented on it. No one but Albedo that is. "You have met dragons before?" he sounded suspicious. His eyes were narrowed into almost horizontal slits as he glared at the black wizard. Albedo, too, felt Zeref's power. He lacked Lisa's finesse when it came to sensing things and distinguishing their nature, but he felt the raw power that the young man seemed to possess.
He would need to talk to Kaeya later.
"Mhm." 'I wonder if Igneel is still alive,' he mused. "What year is it?"
"521 A.G.A.W."
"A.G.A.W.?"
"After the Great Archon Wars." The more questions he kept asking the more suspiciously they kept looking at him, so Zeref stopped. People were cautious of him already as it is. A strange man just shows up and the dragon attacks. Of course, they would be cautious. He didn't need to make them even more paranoid. Ignorance was bliss, and mortals lived blissful lives.
Zeref made a mental note to research about these 'Archons' people kept mentioning. It sounded like a title to him, perhaps an equivalent of a Wizard Saint? And the wars they seemed to have. It looked like it was a pretty world-turning point in history if they started measuring time with that. Zeref's brows furrowed ever so slightly.
The idea that this was no longer his world sounded more and more sensible.
"How long can you hold the barrier?" Jean asked. She tried to think up a suitable plan to deal with the dragon depending on how much time they had.
"As long as I like..." Zeref shrugged casually, ignoring their shocked faces.
"Are you... an Archon?"
Zeref raised an eyebrow at the moniker. Do these people call every powerful being an Archon? If that's the case it would make pinpointing them even harder.
"Perhaps. I have no idea what that means. Holding up the barrier is not an issue. It's the fact that I don't plan to," Zeref delivered bluntly. "I intend to leave. I'm not going to stay here forever."
Jean nodded her head. "I know, and it's extremely selfish to ask of you such a thing when you have already done so much for us, but please, could you buy us some time?"
"How much do you need?"
"A day is all I ask."
Zeref nodded his head. A single day wouldn't kill him. It was doable. "Is there a hotel I can stay at?"
"Right this way!" Amber said, breaking the awkwardly tense atmosphere with her cheerful voice. "I was gonna show Aether the way anyway. He needs a place to crash as well."
That's how Zeref and Aether found themselves following after Amber the Bunny Girl, neither knowing what the future had in store for them.