Zeref took a deep, shaky breath, like he was trying to exhale four whole centuries of weight.
He shook his head with a dazed look. "Rarely… I'd even say almost never."
His voice was thick with exhaustion and helplessness. "Because this curse kills anything alive around me whether I want it to or not. I can't stay anywhere near people for long, let alone sit down and properly study or train."
"And the worst part… I have to constantly fight myself not to care about life, or the Death Predation kicks in. But deep down, I can't actually ignore the lives I've taken."
"This constant tearing conflict never leaves my head."
He tapped his temple, pain flashing across his face.
"Sometimes I hear the dying curses and screams of the people I've killed. Other times… for some reason I can't explain… I hear these weird, fanatical voices worshipping me."
"Those chaotic voices and emotions torment me every single second. I'm just… tired. So unbelievably tired."
"That's why, for the past few hundred years, pretty much all my time and energy went into two things."
"One: finding a way to break the curse. Two: finding a way to finally end my own cursed existence."
"In that state, I never had the mental space to think about getting stronger."
A complicated look flickered in his eyes (something between realization and bitterness). "But now that you've pointed it out… yeah, this curse really does feel like it was designed to hold me back."
"It makes me hate my own existence, hate this immortality, even hate the power I have."
"When you're stuck in that headspace, of course you're never gonna try to improve that power."
"Voices… worshipping you?" Roger's brow furrowed as he zeroed in on that odd detail, opening his mouth to dig deeper.
"HEY, YOU DARK GUILD JERKS! GET OUT HERE ALREADY! I'M GONNA KNOCK EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU INTO NEXT WEEK!!!"
Natsu's loud, hyper voice exploded from behind them like a boulder dropped into a quiet lake, instantly shattering the heavy mood in the forest.
Zeref whipped around. The moment he laid eyes on the pink-haired kid with that trademark goofy grin and burning fighting spirit, his whole body froze.
Every ounce of calm vanished from his face. Shock, excitement, nostalgia, pain, all of it crashed together. His lips trembled as he whispered, almost in disbelief, "Natsu…?"
"Huh?" Natsu stopped bouncing around looking for enemies, blinked, and pointed at the super-emotional guy. "Roger, who's this dude? Friend of yours? He's acting kinda weird."
Happy fluttered over, tilted his head, and instantly picked up on the vibe. "Natsu, the way he's looking at you… he's practically shaking. Feels more like he's your friend."
He struck a detective pose, paw on chin, side-eyeing Natsu. "←—← Hey, Natsu, did you forget about another friend again and now he's tracked you all the way to Tenrou Island to yell at you?"
"Wha—really?" Natsu folded his arms, tilted his head, and started digging through his memory like it was a junk drawer. Pure confusion was written all over his face.
"I don't remember ever meeting the guy… Happy, are you sure he's not actually your friend and you're just pinning it on me?"
Roger watched the usual clown show unfold and let out a long, suffering sigh. "Your brain circuits are as wonderfully bizarre as ever."
"He's—"
Before he could finish, everything went sideways again!
Zeref suddenly clutched his head and let out a muffled groan of pain.
Thicker, suffocating black death energy erupted from his body like a wild animal breaking its chains, spreading out in every direction.
"Watch out!" Roger's expression changed in a flash. He threw up both hands and fired two beams of purifying light.
Pure white light slammed into the pitch-black death aura, sizzling and crackling like water on a hot pan until the second wave finally died down.
"Sorry… again…" Zeref wheezed, looking even paler than before, drowning in guilt and exhaustion.
He glanced at the still-clueless Natsu, then back at Roger, voice full of apology and a faint, weary warmth. "I can't stay any longer. If I do, I might end up hurting your other friends."
He paused, and for the first time there was real gratitude in his eyes. "Talking with you… it's the first time in forever something actually reached me."
"It gave me a whole new perspective on this curse I never considered."
"I'm really glad we met, Roger."
Then, without another second of hesitation, he took one last long look at Natsu, turned, and walked unsteadily toward the bushes.
His voice drifted back softly as his figure faded into the trees. "I hope… we get the chance to meet again someday."
"When that time comes, let's pick up where we left off."
And just like that, he was gone, as if he'd never been there at all, leaving Roger deep in thought and Natsu and Happy completely lost.
"Who the heck was that guy?!" Natsu scratched his pink hair, brow knotted in frustration.
"The Black Wizard, Zeref."
"Zeref…?" Natsu scrunched up his nose, trying to jog his memory.
"Wait, that name rings a bell… I swear I've heard it somewhere—"
"ZE—ZEREF?!" Happy's fur stood straight up like he'd been struck by lightning, eyes practically popping out of his skull.
"Didn't that guy die like four hundred years ago?!"
"Somebody brought him back to life?!"
"Nope," Roger chuckled, shaking his head at Happy's over-the-top reaction. "He never actually died."
"He's been alive this whole time. Because of the horrible curse on him, he's had to wander alone in places where no one lives so he doesn't accidentally kill anyone."
Happy swallowed hard, staring in the direction Zeref disappeared, voice shaking. "Zeref's still alive… if that info gets out, half the continent's gonna freak."
Three giant glowing question marks popped up over Natsu's head. He looked left at Roger, right at Happy, totally blank. "What are you guys even talking about? Is he strong or something?"
Happy let out the longest sigh, looking like a tired old man, and threw his paws out. "Natsu, remember the Tower of Heaven? The guy that creep was trying to bring back?"
"The most evil, most dangerous black wizard in history!"
"OH YEAH!" Natsu slammed his fist into his palm with a loud smack, face lighting up like he'd just solved a puzzle.
"That guy!"
Then he whipped around and gave Roger a super judgey once-over. "Roger, your taste in friends is weird as hell! You're basically on Lucy's level!"
Happy nearly fell out of the sky, face full of deadpan lines. "=—= Natsu, is that seriously the part you're focusing on right now?!"
"Lucy?" Roger raised an eyebrow, suddenly interested. "What's so weird about her friends?"
Natsu instantly perked up and started counting on his fingers like he was reading a police report.
"Gorilla maid, pervy cow, dude who cosplays as his horse, and the angry mermaid!"
"You're telling me that's normal?"
Roger snorted so hard he almost choked. "Those are her Celestial Spirits, man."
"But yeah, to Lucy they really are important partners and friends."
"Whatever!" Natsu shook his head like he was trying to fling the conversation out of his skull. "That's not the point right now!"
"We gotta go beat the crap outta those Grimoire Heart punks so the S-Class trial can keep going!"
Before the words were even fully out, he blasted off like a rocket, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Happy! Quit standing there—move it!!"
"Aye, sir…" Happy groaned, flapping after him while muttering, "Nency… why is he always like this…"
Roger watched the cat-and-dragon duo disappear into the trees, then turned toward the coast, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
"Alright, mystery of Zeref pretty much solved."
"Next up: the master of Grimoire Heart, Hades."
"Precht, Fairy Tail's second-generation master, the one they called a genius."
"The guy who took First Master Mavis's nearly-dead body and turned it into a miracle beyond Fairy Tail's three great magics—Lumen Histoire—an ultimate weapon that supplies near-infinite magical power."
"Just that alone proves he deserves the 'genius' title."
"And then, using the knowledge he gained from creating Lumen Histoire, he went and remade his own heart into the Devil's Heart, a crazy organ that pumps out massive magical power and basically makes him unkillable."
"In the original story… if it weren't for Natsu, Happy, and the others, the entire guild really would've been wiped out by him."
Roger started walking toward the shore.
"I wonder… does the Devil's Heart count as a droppable magic item?"
Meanwhile, back at the temporary camp on Tenrou Island…
"Ughhh, I'm so mad!" Lisanna slammed both palms on the makeshift wooden table, cheeks puffed out like an angry chipmunk. "Mira, you have no idea how unfair Erza was this time!"
"I'd barely finished my Take Over when she came charging in and took out me and Juvia in like two seconds!"
"And she was wearing that Neptune armor that shrugs off pretty much all water attacks!"
"Tell me that's fair!"
"Ara ara~" Mira stirred the bubbling stew in the pot over the fire, the rich smell filling the air. She smiled her usual gentle smile. "Your magic is kind of a huge pain to deal with, Lisanna."
"If I were in the exam and ran into you, I'd take you out first too~"
She scooped up a little broth, blew on it, tasted it, nodded happily, then continued in that sweet, teasing voice, "In a team fight, you always prioritize the support who can heal and buff, or the squishy damage dealers with low defense. That's just common sense, right~?"
"I know that!" Lisanna blew her bangs out of her face and flopped forward onto the table like a deflated balloon. "But this is the S-Class exam, not a deathmatch! Erza takes everything way too seriously!"
Mira put the lid back on the pot, untied her apron, and hung it up. "But that's the Erza we all know and love."
"If she went easy on people, Makarov would never have decided that anyone who passes her test is worthy of becoming S-Class."
Lisanna buried half her face in her arms and grumbled, "Yeah, yeah, I get it… I just had rotten luck drawing the toughest examiner."
She lifted her head, eyes sparkling with a little envy. "Cana's so lucky. I wish Roger-nii had been my examiner…"
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure~" Mira walked over and patted her shoulder, a mysterious smile on her lips.
"I heard Roger's test this year involves zombies."
She tilted her head and watched Lisanna freeze solid. "So, Lisanna, do you still wanna trade with Cana?"
Lisanna shivered dramatically and shook her head so hard it might fly off. "Nope! Never mind! Suddenly Erza's strictness is super cute! I love it!"
Mira covered her mouth and giggled.
Juvia, who'd been sitting quietly, fidgeted with the hem of her dress and spoke up softly. "Um… are we sure we shouldn't go help everyone up front?"
"We're up against the strongest guild in the Baram Alliance this time…"
"Relax!" Lisanna straightened up, her bright smile back in place.
"Erza, Laxus, and Gildarts are all on the island! Plus Roger-nii!"
"Honestly, I can't picture anyone beating all four of them together."
"So our job is to guard the camp and make sure there's hot soup waiting when they get back. That's plenty!"
"I… I guess you're right…" Juvia thought about all the insane stories she'd heard about those monsters and finally relaxed a little, nodding. "Then Juvia will stop worrying."
Just as Lisanna stood up to grab bowls—
Both she and Mira froze for a split second, so fast it was almost invisible, then instantly went back to normal.
Their eyes met mid-air, a silent understanding flashed between them, and they kept moving like nothing happened.
Lisanna turned to Juvia with the same cheerful smile and took two steps—
BZZZZZZT—!
The ground suddenly exploded with blinding earthen-yellow light!
A massive magic circle spun to life right beneath their feet!
BOOM!!!!!
An enormous pillar of yellow energy roared into the sky, swallowing the three girls in a storm of dirt and raw power!
When the smoke finally cleared…
There wasn't a crater or any bodies—just a sturdy dome made of countless green vines wrapped in rippling blue water.
The vines sank back into the earth, revealing Mira and Lisanna (already in full Take Over forms) protecting a stunned Juvia.
Juvia stared, jaw dropped. "You both completed your Take Overs and raised a defense in the exact same instant you were attacked… that's incredible…"
"Hehe, told ya!" Lisanna, now in her half-human/half-mermaid form with a gorgeous fishtail, proudly flicked said tail against the ground.
"If I hadn't run into Erza first, no way I would've lost that fast!"
Mira (in her Sitri Satan Soul form) smirked faintly, but her purple eyes turned ice-cold as she glared at a huge tree nearby.
"Enough hiding, rat. Come out."
Her voice wasn't gentle anymore—it was sharp, heavy, and carried pure menace.
"One of the Seven Kin of Purgatory from Grimoire Heart…"
"Azuma, user of Great Tree Arc."