towerofanimus | 3rd Heavenly Body

Entry tags:

[ou] jellal fernandes

3rd Heavenly Body

Characters: Jellal, Fairy Tail, Zeref and Open!
Setting: Floor 003 - General Library, Floor 025 - Meadow Floor, Floor 032 - Forest Floor #2
Format: Action to start off, but I'll match
Summary: Jellal is released from the tower's brainwashing and left to deal with the fall out.
Warnings: brainwaishing, angst, ect.

[A - Floor 003, July 12th, Morning - OPEN]

[It's very different this time around - there is no voice, silkily whispering promises of power and true freedom, no moment in which he is absolutely convinced that this is his own will. Rather than that, he is trapped inside his own head, watching horrified as the doll called 'Jellal' interacts with those around him, watches him greet the new arrivals from Earthland, watches him talk to the one named 'Zeref' in his words, in his manner. Watches as nobody suspects anything.

Just the thought, the memories of it, leave him feeling sick and afraid - not for himself, but for those around him, because really they are just lucky this time that he wasn't able to discover anything really substantial and how knows when this will happen again. It's easy to see just how shaken he is as he sits a one of the terminals in the library, face pale and shivers racing through him every now and then as he types up a post, an apology and a warning both at once.]

[B - Floor 025, July 12th - CLOSED to Fairy Tail]

[By the time that he's made his way up to the meadow, Jellal has regained most of his composure - the discussion that is to follow is important and he needs to focus on that, needs to keep the cracks in him from showing too much. There are so many of them now, so many that shouldn't be in this place (though given the information that had been spread... maybe this is the better alternative after all? Time would tell...), and they need to know what they are facing, for all that Jellal knows only so much himself.

He will not let them fight this unprepared, not after what happened to him.]

[C - Floor 032, July 12th - CLOSED to Zeref]

[Again, later that they, Jellal is waiting again, sitting on a tree stumps in the middle of the upper forest floor. He isn't entirely sure what to expect of the man that he is about to meet, the one that is calling himself Zeref... All that Jellal knows is that his words, his manner of talking had been very different on the Network than what he remembers of the voice of 'Zeref's ghost', the whispers that had guided him for the better part of his life, that had lead him to commit so many atrocities...

And now he finds himself wondering, questioning, and he needs those answers and if the darkest mage of all is the only one who has them then so be it.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ As Zeref entered the floor, he expected the trees to begin wilting immediately from his mere presence; but to his surprise, they didn't. He had heard that powers don't work on a few floors. This Jellal person was smart, then.

Good... very good. He didn't want to kill someone on accident. Maybe he would be able to meet others on these floors, if they could be around him without needing to fear for their lives.

He eventually steps out from behind a tree, his eyes, thankfully, black. ]

You wanted to speak with me.

[ It's not a question. Zeref doesn't get very close. ]

[Zeref's magic is one reason that he had chosen this particular floor... one, but not the only - his main concern had been to make sure to meet on absolutely neutral ground, because that is where he wants to keep this conversation, for all that it is personal to him.

He looks up and nods when Zeref shows himself, expression neutral, but a wary look in his eyes - the other might not want to kill, and they both might be lacking their magic right not, but this is the Black Mage Zeref before him (allegedly at least).]

I did. Thank you for coming.

[ Zeref stepped forward, more into the light. He probably doesn't look like how anyone imagined him; Lucy already had stated that she thought he'd look like an absolute monster, not... well, someone who barely looked any older than she herself did. And don't even get him started on Natsu. The great Black Wizard, who killed a wizard like Hades with a single spell and left his followers paralyzed with fear, literally crying over his past. ]

What did you want? [ He asks. He appears skeptical, but not outwardly hostile. ] Anyone who has actively sought me out, more often than not, did so for nefarious reasons.

[ The only real exception being Mavis, but... well... she's another story altogether. ]

[He certainly doesn't look the part, not like anyone would really ever imagine Zeref, the man whose name had been all that 'Siegrain' had needed to manipulate the Magic Council to his liking, but Jellal knows better than to judge by appearance.

As should anyone who even remotely dabbled with magic.

He can hardly blame Zeref for being wary, not knowing what he knows and after all...]

I admit, there was a time where I would have belonged to that number... but that's in the past now.

[It's a past that he bitterly regrets, that he would undo if he could, but that he will bear for the rest of his life.]

About ten years ago, I was taken and enslaved for the sake of building the R-System to revive you. During that time I came to hear the voice of an entity that claimed to be your ghost. Seeing you now here... and after reading the conversations you had with Natsu and Lucy on the network, I can't help wondering... that wasn't you at all, was it?

[He is almost absolutely certain of it now that Zeref is before him... but it would be nice to have confirmation of that.]

Good.

[ Zeref patiently listened, and closed his eyes as he heard Jellal's story. So... Another group of fools who believed and latched on to one of the many myths and legends about him. Zeref was an incredibly powerful wizard, yes, maybe even the most powerful. Such power, in combination with his sudden disappearance, inevitably leads to speculation, which leads to rumors, which leads to myths. ]

I'm sorry that happened to you. [ Zeref replied, quietly. ] But what I am even more sorry about is that your captivity, and everyone they hurt, was for nothing.

[ Zeref finds a nearby tree, and places his hand against it. It felt odd, being able to touch a tree without it dying on contact. ]

It's unfortunate. Your captors, Grimoire Heart... All chasing myths and legends about me. Just as the Keys to unseal me were nothing but useless artifacts, the R-System wouldn't have worked anyway.

[ Zeref turned back to Jellal, frowning. ]

You can't resurrect someone who was never dead to begin with. Just as you can't unseal someone who was never sealed.

[The irony of this is utterly profound and for all that he might have started to suspect as much already, the truth of it still cuts deeply into Jellal. All he has done, all the people he has hurt, all those that had suffered as a result of his actions... it was for naught.

For a moment he closes his eyes, grimacing as guilt and grief wash over him and he can just feel the weight of his sins increasing. He exhales after a moment - he's already suspected this and really, there is nothing he can do right now, not to atone and certainly not to change it. What can do now - what he has to do now - is to pull himself together.

Finally he nods to himself, ready to continue the conversation.]

So you were alive all this time? I was beginning to wonder...

[He is still wondering, really... Zeref had been thought dead for centuries after all and hiding this particular feel of magic? It must be difficult.]

I hope you don't mind me asking, but... where were you all this time?

Yes. I was.

[ Zeref took a seat at the base of the tree, kneeling. It was sad, that so many people were doing these types of things in his name. It was part of the reason why he wanted to die so badly, so that his legacy could finally have some closure. ]

Tenrou Island. [ A small, out-of-the-way island that is now private property owned by Fairy Tail. The last place anyone would think to look for the Black Wizard, especially since that magical presence might have been cancelled out by that of Mavis Vermillion, who herself is also a fairly powerful wizard, even posthumously. ]

Tenrou-?

[The name tugs on Jellal's memory; he has heard it before at least, though he can't quite place it right away. After a moment his eyes widen slightly as it comes to him though, and he may be smiling faintly; that's certainly not a place anyone would think to even consider in connection to Zeref. There is definitely some irony to it.

Not that it matters anymore, especially now that they all wound up here. And that is another thing that Jellal would like to talk about with Zeref.]

...How much have you been told about this place so far?

Yes.

[ He knows it's ironic, though he had a few very specific reasons for choosing it. Reasons he doesn't feel like getting into right now. ]

Only that those of us 'lucky' enough to show up here were spared the destruction of our world. [ And the only thing he knows of that can outright destroy Earth Land is Acnologia. Not even Zeref is powerful enough to blow up the planet. Cleanse it of life, sure - though that would take a while - but not cause it to explode like it does in that one floor. ]

[Well, Jellal is certainly not going to pry about them - he is just glad that Zeref has answered his questions so far.]

There is a floor a little further down that shows images from the destroyed worlds and from the accounts I've heard so far they show the truth. I haven't experienced it myself yet, but sometimes people get sent back there for a while.

[It's not something he is all too keen on experiencing anyways... Saber's account had been enough to convince him.]

Our surroundings however... this room, all the other floors... even our very appearance... they are all just a giant illusion. It was shut off for a few hours last month and since then it has been flickering out every now and then. If you ever see a metal construct rather than your body... that is our true appearance in this place.

I only know of one thing that can destroy our world - Acnologia. [ A term he's sure most people have heard of. Acnologia might just be the one thing in their world that scares people more than he himself does, even if he's changed quite a bit from how history remembers him. ]

I see. [ Well, there were a few forms of magic in their world that could create illusions... but... ] You are certain the opposite isn't true?

According to the information I have, the cause of the destruction doesn't come from any of the worlds themselves, but rather is unrelated from them.

[He's heard the name, he's read the tales related to it and he knows there is a Council order for members and subordinates alike to absolutely avoid confrontation with the Black Dragon, to pull out of any mission, if there is just the slightest chance of it appearing.

But if the information he's come across in his time here is true, then even Acnologia...]

Yes. That initial failure was not intentional and what it revealed is the truth, as hard as it is to believe.

Edited 2013-08-11 12:39 (UTC)

... something from another world destroyed our own?

[ That was always possible in theory. Zeref had heard a few things about Edolas, though in his hayday, it was often dismissed as a myth. Perhaps something - or someone - from here could have done it?

When Jellal continued, Zeref closed his eyes. ]

Then I would question why they chose to save me, and not others from my world.

Yes. Though I don't know anything further about that.

[Jellal chuckles lowly; though there is absolutely nothing funny at all about any of this.]

I have asked myself this question many times since my arrival.

[Just why him? Why not...?]

Of all the people they could have chosen, they picked me... [ It's almost ironic. Aside from two, maybe three people who would say otherwise (dark guilds notwithstanding), Zeref was the least deserving of anyone to be saved from something like that. ]

I have heard talk of 'going back' to our worlds. How is that possible, if they are destroyed?

[Jellal can certainly relate... with all that he's done, possession(?) or not... there are certainly so many, many persons much more derserving than him. But of course, the choice wasn't theirs to make...

He nods at that.]

If the displays on the fifth floor are to be believed, while the surface is trashed and everyone else is killed... the earth itself stays intact.

Then what would be the point of sending us back at all?

A week ago, I wouldn't have known how to answer that... but some new information came to light since.

[Information that had he'd been forced to search the source of for the administrators.]

It appears that the head administrator has the ability to siphon off energy of those trapped in their original worlds and is doing so to fully restore this tower again.

Perhaps I'm not one to talk, but... that is foul.

[ Zeref closes his eyes, and lets out a low exhale. ]

They really are evil. [ When he says that, his voice is quieter, and his tone far harsher. ]

Edited 2013-08-15 21:43 (UTC)

[Jellal just nods quietly - after what happened just a week ago, he can only agree.]

There was one administrator that attempted to aid the residents, Dax. He was killed almost half a year ago, but from what I understand he has left behind information and messages to aid us.

Like what?

[ His eyes still don't open, though his brow furrows. He's gathered that fighting the Administrators would be futile even for him, but... there has to be something he can do. ]

[As a librarian, it was also important to make sure that the terminals and the people operating them were using them correctly, so Tohko would occasionally look over them to make sure and to take a look at the network herself. However, when she saw a person that looked quite frightened sitting in front of one of them, she paused, and looking a little puzzled, spoke to him. As usual, her stalker of a retrieval unit, Ivan, was a few feet behind her, wearing a nametag, a paper hat, and a taped message about the possible fate of the souls in the other world to his chest.]

Hey..are you alright? What's wrong? Do you need to go to the infirmary?

[As replies trickle in, as he talks to Natsu and Lucy, Jellal starts calming, color returning to his face the more time passes. He jerks up when he's suddenly spoken to, smiling at her (for all that it's forced) a moment later (though he just might flinch a little at the idea of going to the infirmary).]

I'm fine. Or... I will be.

[Sooner or later. Probably.]

[While it was good that this person was looking a bit better, that didn't mean that they weren't hurt emotionally right now, and that 'will be' comment didn't help her, so she sighed before speaking again.]

Most people will usually be fine..but if they don't talk to others, it's harder for them to be fine sometimes. If you need to bend an ear, I wouldn't mind listening.

[He shakes his head; she is making a point, but... these issues are non that he would want to burden anyone else with, especially no young girl. Besides...]

I know... and I have people to talk to. [...Maybe not quite the kind of talk she is thinking about, but there is no need to bring that up.] Still... thank you.

[It's good to know that people still care in this place, in spite of the horror, in spite of the distrust the administrators are attempting to foster.]

[Tohko might have been young, but she was very emotionally strong and would probably be able to take anything that this man wanted to talk about. At that, Tohko sighed, but nodded.]

You're welcome..but make sure you talk to them soon, okay? You really don't look well..and who are you, by the way?

[Jellal doesn't know her well enough to judge that though, nor is that the kind of trouble easily shared with people that have no knowledge of his history.]

I'm meeting them later today for just that purpose. I'm Jellal... and you?

[And nor did Tohko know that about him, for better or worse. However, she would smile a little bit at that comment.]

Well, that's good! I'm glad to hear that. And it's nice to meet you, Jellal! I'm Tohko Amano, the book girl.

[He nods, then frowns for a second.]

You are another of the librarians here, right?

[At that, Tohko sighed. She didn't mind explaining this, but it was tiring to hear the same deduction over and over again.]

I am, but that's not why I have the title of the book girl! I was called that back home because I loved and knew the most about books! So, that's why I'm teh book girl.

[It took Gajeel some doing, but he found his way to the meadow. He was one of the newest members of Fairy Tail to arrive, so it probably made sense that he hadn't completely learned his way around this place yet. But it was something he was going to do over the next couple of weeks.

Knowing the layout of the place was just as necessary as knowing the ins and outs of what went on in the tower.]

Am I late?

[Even if it took him a while, Gajeel is still very much on time it seems, so far there's only Jellal waiting for him. He shakes his head at the Dragon Slayer in answer to his question.]

You are right on time... the first to arrive in fact.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

3rd Heavenly Body

C

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Library

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

B

no subject