Makarov was expecting the worst when he arrived.
His heart was beating like crazy as he thought of possibilities.
So, when he arrived at the scene, his expectations unfortunately came to fruition.
He didn't ask what or how. Just took out an artefact he had on his and, without thinking, activated it on Cana.
He didn't think about how this artefact was quite rare and 10 times more effective than the pendant Kazu had used.
He didn't check whether Cana is dead or not.
He instinctively did it, only focused on making sure that Cana lives.
Cana's body started healing rapidly, startling both Kazu and Gray.
They looked back and found Makarov standing there with a serious expression.
Despite Makarov being short and old, his presence alone reassured everyone—as if everyone would be alright.
For a few seconds, the brooch in Makarov's hand shone before dimming.
Kazu quickly checked Cana's pulse.
"Her body... She's alive! SHE'S ALIVE!"
Kazu sighed in relief as tears continued to flow.
"Thought she'd already gone to hell… guess I'm stuck with her nagging for a while longer." He tried to smirk, but his eyes betrayed him.
"How did this happen?" Makarov asked, still having his serious expression. Fury is barely hidden behind his facade.
"Master, it—"
"It was me." Kazu cut off Erza.
"Huh?" Makarov became confused. He glanced at the sword lying on the ground, dyed with blood.
"I was the one who plunged the sword into her," Kazu said before Makarov could ask anything.
"But..." Erza had a conflicted look on her face.
'Did Erza accidentally cause this, and Kazu is taking the blame for her? Or is it really Kazu who did that?' Makarov's confusion only increased. Neither Kazu nor Erza were the type to make such a serious mistake.
If he had to choose between the two, he would think Erza was the one due to her recent joining. However, Makarov remained silent.
He glanced at Gray, who was looking at the unconscious Cana.
Makarov then looked around the forest.
His eyes widened when he saw 2 dead bodies—one recognisable and one only having bones left.
"Is that Anne?" Makarov walked to the body and kneeled. He turned her body and saw her face.
'It's really her... This was supposed to be the worst-case scenario, yet she is the one who is dead.' Makarov felt multiple conflicting emotions.
He was happy that what he thought of didn't happen, yet sad that she died.
"Do you know her master?" Erza asked with an uncertain tone.
"You could say she's an old friend... who took the wrong path."
"Friend?" Erza's face showed shock. She didn't expect such a vile person to be connected to the guild master.
Makarov then shook his head. "Friend or not… she chose her path. And this is where it ends."
He turned towards Gray. "Gray, tell me whatever happened in this mission from the start. Don't leave anything out. We will move to the nearest town to make sure that Cana is alright."
Gray nodded after a few seconds.
---
"I see." Makarov and others were now in an inn. The doctor had told that Cana's body was alright and she should wake up in a few hours.
Makarov turned towards Kazu. The latter was looking at the floor with a blank expression.
"Kazu...Tell me what exactly happened for you to do this. What were you feeling during that time?"
"Master...I had said that to Tracy as I was partially responsible for her current state... and could sympathise with her somewhat. So, I thought it was only natural for her to take revenge against me, so I let her go."
Gray frowned.
"But...when she said that she would take everything from me, I...I felt angry?... No, beyond angry... This led me to lose myself in my emotions..."
Makarov had a kind expression throughout. "I see. Why did you get angry?"
"Master, I… I thought it was just bad luck before. Something I could shrug off. But when she said she'd take everything… I felt like… like the past was clawing back. And I—" Kazu's fist trembled.
"We have talked about this before—"
"And it happened again." Kazu cut off Makarov unconsciously. He paused when he realised that he had cut the master off.
"It's fine. What happened?" Makarov said before Kazu could apologise.
Kazu had talked about Makarov after the mission with rats. At that time, he wasn't explicitly aware that his luck was bad, but was just suffering from the possibilities of the future.
However, the 2 days had made Kazu doubt everything.
"I...They...died...Me..." Kazu lost his voice completely. His throat suddenly felt quite heavy as he recalled what exactly had happened with the siblings. His fists clenched in anger at himself and Anne.
"What?" Makarov's face showed concern as he saw Kazu react like this. Despite almost killing Cana, Kazu didn't react this strongly. Though the reason for this was that Cana didn't actually die.
Kazu glanced at Erza. He didn't trust his voice to tell the events.
Erza grimaced as she prepared herself to tell the events.
Gray perked up, realising that it's related to something that happened in the village. He still didn't know what had happened in the village.
---
"This..." Makarov felt his gut twist. He knew about Anne's major deeds, but this... All the sadness he had felt over her death vaporised.
Gray vomited for the second time during the day.
"So, those kids we met..." He glanced at Kazu, who was still looking at the floor. His expression had returned to blank.
"Master... I don't think I can continue. When I first joined the guild, you told me to live for myself. That time I thought I wouldn't get attached."
'I really thought I wouldn't care much. Like, they are just 2D characters, right?' Kazu clenched his fists.
He glanced at Gray, who gulped. The latter somehow could guess what was going to happen next.
Kazu then turned towards Erza, who had her usual stoic face.
He finally looked at the sleeping face of Cana before turning back to Makarov. "I was wrong... I was wrong that I won't attach." He was already attached.
"I thought it was just the world… just bad luck. But today I saw it's me. I'm the one who destroys what I care about." He clenched his hands further. It was so tight that veins were visible.
Makarov had a weary expression. "Though you did that, I am sure that Cana will forg—"
"Master, this is not about forgiveness..." Kazu cut him off again. He didn't become aware of that this time, and continued speaking. "I... I have been thinking about this since that happened... I am afraid that one day I might see you guys in such a state..."
Makarov tried to interrupt. "That—"
"That is a big possibility." Kazu's expression turned resigned. "Master, this might sound like a lie, but... Zeref is alive. And before you say that I am saying this 'coz of Anne, that's not it. I have got this information from another source, which I can't speak of, but Zeref is alive."
Makarov frowned. He had his own suspicions due to knowing about Ankhseram's Curse, but he hadn't heard anything concrete about the Black Wizard in his entire life. So, either he is dead or is currently inactive.
However, Makarov knew all that due to being the guild master. Kazu had said his statement with all the confidence that made Makarov believe that it was true.
Kazu took a deep breath. He then looked at Makarov right in the eye.
"I can't stay, Master. I can't trust myself not to destroy what I care about. I am leaving the guild."
"..."
The silence that followed was painful. It was so silent that a pin drop would feel loud.
Gray had an expression as if he wanted to say something, but wasn't getting the right words to express himself.
Erza's face was in shock.
Kazu turned around and started walking away.
"Hey!" Gray called him. He still didn't know what to say, but he couldn't just let Kazu go.
Kazu just waved his hand without turning back. He stopped just as his hands touched the doorknob.
"One last thing… Zeref's after what's in the guild's basement."
The door clicked shut. And for a long moment, no one in the room remembered how to breathe.
---
'Maybe I shouldn't have told them about that...' Kazu felt conflicted about sharing his meta knowledge with Makarov.
He didn't know if that action was due to his emotions or due to his instincts.
'Then again, not like it would matter. Thinking too much about Canon is meaningless. This won't change the main events probably, and if it does, I will face it when the time comes.'
Kazu zoomed through the streets. To normal people, he was a blur.
He soon entered the forest.
'It hasn't been that long. I still should be able to find Tracy's tracks. With my speed, it shouldn't be that hard.' Kazu's eyes suddenly turned black.
However, it disappeared as soon as it appeared.
'Jeez. I am getting angry just by thinking about it. Though I am parting ways with the guild, I still don't want them to cause any harm. I created this problem, so I will solve it... by eliminating all the loose ends.'
Kazu soon reached the spot where Anne had died. Makarov had taken the corpse with him along with Lucas's, so only the aftermath of the battlefield remained.
'That direction. I sh—'
"Who are you?"
Kazu flinched as he snapped his head towards the sound.
There stood a tall, elderly man with long, slicked-back, silvery white hair. He also has a moustache and a similarly long yet mildly thin and curly beard, reaching down to his lower chest. An eyepatch covered his right eye.
All the hair on Kazu's body stood as he took a guarded stance.
However, all his instincts screamed it was meaningless.
Kazu's mind was no different.
He recognised the man.
The founder of Grimoire Heart.
And the previous guild master of Fairy Tail.
Hades
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