Fairy Tail - Twilight Empire

Chapter 77 - Crime Sorciere Pt. 1

Kagura guided Jellal and Tayaka toward Meredy and the other survivors of Crime Sorciere. Her Sensory Link to Meredy was the strongest out of all of them, including Jellal, who had his significantly weakened after his time in Edolas.

They traveled for days, Jellal wary of the outside world yet still entirely focused on their mission. Hisui had a plan—a bold one, but one that she had to see through to its bitter end. He chose to believe in the power Fairy Tail had, even against the underworld itself. As such, he had to look away from them. From Erza.

Tayaka did well on the road. She was well-traveled, having lived on the run for the last few years after Ultear bestowed her Arc of Time upon her. It was strange to see someone else with the magic, yet she took to it well. She wasn't nearly as powerful or well-versed with the magic, as her skills seemed to extend only as far as manipulating the orb via the Parallel Worlds spell, as well as a rudimentary version of Restore. Still, the promise was there.

She was a quiet little thing, too. She hardly spoke unless spoken to and huddled into her robes. Kagura seemed to stand near her, as if guarding her from something. Not Jellal, but the world perhaps. The girl had rarely traveled outside the bounds of Fairy Tail after claiming her magic. She had always needed protection, but more than that, comfort. Fairy Tail had that in spades, even in their diminished state.

He still couldn't help looking upon Tayaka without an ounce of regret. She wasn't necessarily a symbol of his failure to help Fairy Tail, but at least an indication of his inability to help the world at large. There was, Jellal accepted, nothing that could be done about Zeref coming to conquer Ishgar. Had the Magic Council acted sooner, had they pulled the trigger on FACE or Etherion, they wouldn't be in their current situation. Jellal was in no way going to influence that, so with the Council's inaction, Zeref had free rein.

Tayaka had been just a little girl living her normal life until all the fighting finally came to Magnolia and her whole life exploded. Her family was ripped out of her hands, her life practically ended until Ultear gave her a second chance, but how much of a life has it really been? She's been running and living in fear that the Empire would find her and Break her. With her power, the Empire would almost have limitless potential.

They had to win the war not just to protect Tayaka, but to help her finally recover. Jellal understood that all too well. He'd thought his healing could come from running. After all, he thought his world had ended, truly ended, after their battle against the Dragon Division.

Yet, they lived on and continued fighting. And there, up ahead as they crested a ridge, they all were. Meredy stood up as she sensed Kagura coming close, and her eyes widened at the sight of Jellal.

Macbeth, Richard, Sawyer, and Millianna all got up as well while Meredy rushed to them. She still wore their old cloak, their familiar trappings. It brought a little smile to Jellal's face as he opened his arms and the girl leapt into them.

The others joined in, clasping Jellal's shoulders. Macbeth nodded to him.

"Have a good sabbatical?" he asked.

Jellal rubbed the hair out of Meredy's face. He smiled down at puffy, teary-eyed face.

"It was an unnecessary one," Jellal said. "I'm sorry for abandoning all of you."

"Did you happen to get any stronger while you were away, or did you slack off?" Sawyer asked.

"I did, I think," Jellal said. "It's hard to work on my magic in a world without it, but not all magic needs to come from muscle. Some of it is in the mind."

"Tell me about it," Macbeth muttered.

Richard clasped his hands together. "We missed you very much, Jellal! It is good to be together again once more."