Alice has her claws stretched out as she is flying towards Zero.

"History will come to an end before my very eyes. A new Era of Nothingness shall be ushered in." Zero tells Alice

Alice about to reach Master Zero.

"Genesis Zero." Purple tendrils come out of the ground around Zero. "Now open, Portal of the Demon's Wail."

Purple looking ghosts fly towards Alice. Her eyes widen.

"Go travelers of the void." Zero ushers. "I want you to consume that woman's soul and her memory. Consume her very existence."

Alice growls as she continues moving towards Zero and the ghost travel towards her.

"Devour her." Zero commands. "Do it for the sake of your Master."

The spell hits Alice and she's pulled back. She tries to fight against the spell, but it pulls her under and she disappears. 

"And now, you too, are a traveler of the Infinite Void. Goodbye, Fairy Knight."

Alice is stuck in a grey nothingness.

'Where am I?' She asks herself. 'It's all grey.'

Alice groans.

'I feel so weak. Why do I have to be so powerless.'

A sultry laugh echoes through the void.

"Ara, ara, what have we here?" A mature female voice asks.

'What? Who's isthat?'

"Why are you here? You have the power to destroy him."

Alice tries to look around, but she can't move.

"Use the power of the void, to crush him. Show him your true form, Alice Synthesis Thirty. Do it, I command you to absorb the power of the void and crush that man like a bug." The mature female voice commands.

"Yes, mistress." Alice says.

Alice's right hand glows purple and the void starts to move.

 

 

 

Zero chuckles to himself.

"All that talk and nothing to show for it."

Zero's eyes suddenly widen as he begins to sweat.

A feeling of great Dread washes over him.

"What is this?" Zero asks. "Where is it coming from?"

Suddenly the air a little ways in front of Zero begins to warp and shimmer. Suddenly a purple portal opens.

"The Void?" Zero yells out in shock.

But a hand with sharp red nails comes out of the void and grabs the edge of it. Then another hand with sharp red nails comes out of the portal and grabs the edge of it. Blue tattoo markings travel up the arm.

Zero yells in shock as Alice steps out from the portal. But she's different. Her once long blond hair is now black with horns that curve backwards, sitting on top of her head. Her blue eyes have turned into pupil-less green ones. The blue tattoo marking travels all the way up her right arm and it stops at her shoulders. Two black arrow markings are below her eyes.

"Is that her? But what happened?" Zero asks.

Alice tilts her head and the portal disappears behind her. Alice begins to walks towards Zero and releases her magical power.

A black and purple aura appears around Alice and Zero sees a large figure behind her with an evil smile.

Zero begins to freak out. "She's- She's like a demon!"

Alice bends her knees and flies towards Zero and punches him in the face.

Zero flies into the air.

Zero watches as she holds her right hand up and blue energy travels up her arm and forms into a ball.

Alice smiles showing off her sharp teeth with an expressionless face. Zero screams in horror as Alice fires off the ball of blue energy and it leaves a trail of crackling magic behind it as it flies and hits Zero in the chest.

Zero screams as he travels through the air and crashes through multiple ceilings. Alice jumps after him and she brings her foot up and kicks Zero through the Lacrima, destroying it.

Alice lands on the ground and she stares at the downed Master Zero.

Alice falls to her knees as her horns and nails shrink and disappear and her eyes and hair return to normal. Her tattoos and markings fade away. She's breathing heavily.

"What? What- did I just do?" Alice asks.

Alice brings a hand up to her head and holds it.

"My head." Alice groans in pain.

Alice stands up and looks over to Zero. She chuckles a little.

"I guess all that is that I won."

Suddenly Nirvana starts to shake and rumble. 

"If only I had some magic left!" Alice cries out.

The ground beneath her gives way and she begins to fall. But Jellal grabs her hand and stops her.

"Wow, thanks." She says to Jellal.

"I've got you." 

"For now anyway. This is bad for the both of us, you know?"

More rubble falls around them.

"I hope you have a plan." Alice asks.

Jellal nods. "I might."

A new voice speaks up. 

"I'm here, Oh, Yeah!"

They both turn to see Hoteye at the entrance of the room.

Little later.

Alice blinks a few times as Hoteye rises out of the ground, holding both Alice and Jellal.

"Love drives us to save our friends. Oh, Yeah!" Hoteye says.

"There she is." Gray says.

"That was a cool entrance, Alice!" Natsu says.

"You're okay." Wendy cries as she runs over to them.

Hoteye drops Jellal and Alice. Wendy hugs Alice.

"Thank you!" Wendy laughs as she hugs Alice. "You kept your promise. You're the greatest. I can't thank you enough."

Alice gains a soft smile as she hugs Wendy back. Alice looks over to Natsu and he smiles and gives her a thumbs up.

 Wendy looks up to Alice. "If it weren't for you, Cait Shelter would've been wiped out."

"I had some help, I don't think I could have done it on my own." Alice turns to her friends. "Thank you."

"You saved my guild."

"Actually, we all saved your guild."

Wendy laughs and Alice raises her hand up and Wendy high fives her.

Then Alice sits down.

"I'm glad everyone made it out of there okay." Happy tells everyone.

"It was close. Excellent work by all involved." Jura compliments.

"I think it's time for a group hug. Who's with me?" Ichiya asks the group.

"Forget it, creep." Lucy sweat drops.

"Hey." Gray turns around and looks to Jellal. "Speaking of creeps, who's that?"

Lucy also turns around. "I don't know."

"Another pretty boy from Blue Pegasus?"

"Wouldn't we have met him earlier?"

Erza steps up next to the two. "It's Jellal."

Both Gray and Lucy panic.

"You kidding me?" Gray asks Erza.

"Oh, no, not him again." Lucy yells.

"He's changed." Erza tells them. "He's not the same man we dealt with before."

"He's completely lost his memory." Wendy tells them.

Natsu growls in anger but Alice shoots him a look and he calms down.

Erza walks over to Jellal.

"Really?" Gray asks Wendy. "I still don't think we can trust the guy."

"You can, I promise." Wendy tells Gray. "I'm telling you, he's actually a good person."

Alice falls back and lays on the ground and she looks up to the stars and she begins to think back to when she became...that thing.

'What was that? All that power and darkness, it seems so wrong, but it felt so good.' Alice brings up her hands and looks at them. 'What am I?'

Suddenly Ichiya yells. "My handsome face!"

Alice sits up and looks over to him. He looks to be stuck.

"There a problem, Meathead?" Gray asks Ichiya.

"I wanted to go make a letter of the alphabet, but I ran into an invisible wall." Ichiya tells the group.

Wendy sees some runes on the ground.

"Look. There's weird writing on the ground."

Alice looks over and her eyes widen and she jumps to her feet.

Jura goes over to the edge of the writing and brings his hand up and it hits an invisible wall. 

"No, it can't be."

The runs shoot up and trap the group.

"An enchantment?" Everyone shouts in alarm.

"Man!" Ichiya yells. "I've really gotta pee you guys."

"Who'd do such a thing?" Carla asks.

"And how come we didn't notice who cast it?" Happy also asks.

"If I had to guess, I'd say it's Freed's work." Gray remarks. "Strike that. This magic is much more powerful than his could ever be."

"Ohm great. How are we gonna get out?" Lucy asks.

Natsu becomes angry. "Okay, who did this? Show yourself."

The group becomes surrounded by Rune Knights.

"Who are all these people?" Wendy becomes slightly scared.

Ichiya grunts. "Let me go pee."

Someone steps forward.

'What's Lahar doing here?' Alice questions. 

"There's no need to panic. We mean you no harm." Lahar tells the group. "Sorry about this, but we were forced to do something to restrain you."

"Who the heck are you?" Happy yells out at Lahar.

"I am the captain of the new Magic Council's Fourth Custody Enforcement Unit-- Lahar." He introduces himself. "And this is my army."

"What?" Natsu says in shock.

"There's a new Magic Council?" Gray asks.

"Sure didn't take 'em very long." Lucy adds in.

"It is my duty to uphold the law and preserve justice throughout the land." Lahar tells the group. "So all evildoers must be arrested."

"We're not evildoers." Lucy tells him.

"I don't get why we're in trouble when we didn't even do anything wrong." Happy says in confusion. 

Natsu is shaking. "Least, not that we know of."

:That's not gonna sell him on our innocence, Natsu." Lucy says.

"I'm not here to arrest you." Lahar tells the group. "I have been ordered to take the Oracion Seis into custody. I ask that you please cooperate and hand over the member codenamed 'Hoteye.'

Jura gasps and steps forward. "No, never!"

The Rune Knights ready their weapons.

Hoteye walks up. "It's all right. I'll surrender."

Jura turns to him. "Richard, why?"

"I cannot fully embrace a life of virtue when my past transgressions continue to haunt me. This is my chance to atone for my sins. It's best that I have a clean slate when I find my brother. That way, I will have nothing to hide. Don't you agree?"

Jura closes his eyes for a few seconds then reopens them.

"Indeed, May I continue the search for your brother in your stead?"

"You'd do that for me?"

"I would be honored. I just need his name."

"His name is Wally. Wally Buchanan."

The Fairy tail members eyes widen. "Huh?"

"He's your brother?" Erza asks Hoteye.

"The Blockhead?" Gray, Lucy, Natsu and Happy shout.

"I miss him dearly." Hoteye says. "He was a good kid. In fact, he was the best little brother a guy could ask for. My brother and I struggled to survive after losing both of our parents. It was a trying time. We worked diligently in the hopes of growing vegetables in our meager garden. Unfortunately, when it came time for the harvest, we were left disappointed. Even though many years have passed since that day, I can still remember the taste of that potato."

Erza takes a few steps over towards Hoteye.

"I know your brother, Richard."

Hoteye turns around and looks at her.

"You do?"

"Yes, he's an old friend of mine. He's happily traveling the continent right now."

Hoteye begins to cry. "All theses years, I've been telling myself that if I just stayed positive, A miracle would happen, and Lo and Behold, it has."

Alice smiles.

"Thank you. Thank you." Hoteye says to Erza. "Thank you." He continues to sob.

The Rune Knight come and take Hoteye to the jail cart.

"I know someday, He'll be reunited with his brother." Alice says as she looks at Erza. 

Erza nods.

"Come on. Help me out here!" Ichiya yells out. "If you don't undo the enchantment, I'm gonna wet myself."

"You are so disgusting." Lucy yells at Ichiya.

"Sorry, But I'm afraid that's simply not an option at this time." Lahar speaks up. "Not till we've captured our true objective."

Everyone grows tense. 

"A fiend who infiltrated and destroyed the Magic Council and fired the Etherion Cannon."

Alice's eyes widen. 

"A man more villainous than the Oracion Seis. Truly black of heart. I'm referring to you, Jellal."

Jellal looks up to Lahar.

"Let's go. Know that if you resist," The Rune knights Ready their weapons. "We have explicit orders to kill you."

"Leave him alone." Wendy yells.

"You're making a mistake, man." Natsu tells him.

"Jellal Fernades is a criminal." Lahar tells them. "Society is in danger as long as he roams free. he must be brought to justice."

'What do I do?'  Alice asks herself.

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06-14-2022

1943 words