Supported by Erza and led by Makarov, Ankh walked slowly toward the back of the Fairy Tail guild hall.
They passed the bustling bar and the noisy tables, heading into the quieter, dimmer corridors of the basement.
There stood a detention room originally designed by Makarov specifically to confine Natsu, Gray, and their troublemaking companions for "reflection time" whenever they caused too much property damage.
Unexpectedly, before any of the usual idiots had been locked up, a Ten Wizard Saint ended up being the first occupant.
Ankh found this somewhat amusing.
'Fairy Tail's detention room started at quite a high standard,' Ankh mused.
Well... What Ankh didn't know was that in the future, this very detention room would likely confine several Spriggan-level figures.
It was destined to become the VIP lounge for defeated villains!
As Makarov led them down the dim corridor, the air grew cooler. Erza's hand, which was supporting Ankh's arm, began to tremble slightly.
Noticing her unease, Ankh stopped.
"What's wrong?" Ankh asked softly. "Are you afraid to see him? If you want, you can wait upstairs."
Erza shook her head, her scarlet hair swaying. She hesitated before speaking, "I... I always thought that the next time I met Jellal, it would be a fight to the death. I prepared myself to kill him, or be killed by him. I never expected..."
Ankh smiled calmly and said, "Isn't this better? A happy ending where no one has to die? Or do you still want revenge?"
For some reason, Erza froze.
She looked at Ankh, then at the door. Suddenly, she smiled brightly—a smile that reached her eyes, dispelling the gloom of the corridor.
"I don't," she whispered firmly. "I don't want revenge. But... even though the evil spirits have dissipated, can Jellal, who has already committed such sins, ever free himself from his burdens?"
"Managing that alone would be tough for him," Ankh admitted. He squeezed Erza's hand reassuringly.
"But there's no obstacle in life that can't be overcome. Don't worry, I'll help you with this matter."
"You two kids..."
Just as they were having a tender moment, Makarov's gruff voice interrupted them from down the hall.
"What's with all this inspirational talk?! The prisoner is waiting!"
The moment was ruined.
Erza blushed slightly, but she took a deep breath and laughed brightly.
"You're right, Master!"
She turned to Ankh, her expression serious and grateful.
"Ankh, thank you. For always taking care of me. For caring about and protecting my past when I was too weak to do it myself."
She placed a hand over her heart.
"But don't worry about me anymore."
"Those painful scars... they will only become medals of my strength. I'll use these honors to protect those I love! I am Erza of Fairy Tail, and I will not be broken by the past!"
After saying this, Erza regained her confident demeanor. She swung her arms and quickly caught up with Makarov, her steps light and purposeful.
Ankh, however, remained standing there, momentarily stunned and confused.
'Why did she suddenly make a vow and give a thank-you speech?' Ankh wondered.
That was very dramatic.
Also... Erza didn't call me "brother" just now.
Is she rebelling? Or growing up?
[Ankh...]
Seram's voice echoed in his mind, sounding thoughtful.
[I think I understand the source of that power within this female human now.]
Ankh sighed and murmured to himself, "Yes, I understand. I'm starting to get some ideas too..."
Knowing he had some understanding, Seram fell silent.
Ankh quickly caught up with the other two.
After walking for a while, the three finally arrived at Jellal's detention room.
Makarov unlocked the door.
Creak.
In the modest room, illuminated by a single lacrima lamp, Jellal sat on a wooden stool.
He looked terrible. His blue hair was messy, his clothes were tattered remnants of his "Siegrain" coat, and his eyes were somewhat vacant.
His expression was numb and rigid, staring at the floor as if counting the dust motes.
When he saw the visitors outside, some light finally returned to Jellal's eyes.
He looked up slowly.
His chapped lips trembled as he whispered.
"Erza..., Ankh."
The inconspicuous old man Makarov waved his hand from below eye level.
"Hey! What about me? What about me? I'm the Guild Master!"
Ankh looked at Jellal's wretched state—the once proud Wizard Saint now reduced to a broken shell.
Ankh sighed, leaning against the doorframe. "I heard from Mira that you haven't eaten or drunk anything these past few days. You've been staring at the wall. Why torture yourself like this?"
"Thank you..." Jellal rasped, his voice hoarse from disuse. "Thank you for pulling me out of that disgusting darkness."
Jellal lowered his gaze, his body slightly curling inward.
He was completely devoid of his former arrogance and confidence, now appearing insecure and fragile.
Erza, seeing the familiar expression on Jellal's face and couldn't help but speak up.
"Jellal," she said softly. "Brother eradicated the wraith within you. What happened before... it wont happen again."
A bitter smile forced its way onto Jellal's face. He silently shook his head without uttering a word, rejecting her forgiveness.
Ankh had personally confronted the corrupted Jellal, but facing this current "naively innocent" and self-flagellating version left him utterly disoriented.
'He went from Super Villain to Emo Teenager in record time,' Ankh thought.
Still, he remarked with exasperation. "Hey, Jelly... no, J-Man... uh, Jellal, you really don't need to suffer like this. Everyone knows you were brainwashed—it wasn't your true intention."
Jellal's eyes brimmed with tears of remorse. He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.
"No," Jellal spoke in a sorrowful, low voice. "Whether it was the brainwashed Jellal or the current Jellal... that was still me."
"My evil deeds are mine alone—there's no excuse to shirk responsibility!"
Ankh let out a long hiss of surprise, staring strangely at the Jellal before him.
'Such a responsible statement,' Ankh thought.
Even a certain Winter Soldier from that manga would exclaim he's learned something new about guilt.
Still, this indeed aligned with Jellal's character.
When corrupted, he was consumed by inner malice; after redemption, he's burdened by inherent, overwhelming goodness.
A life spent either committing sins or atoning for them—truly tragic.
If this guilt-ridden Jellal doesn't resolve his inner demons, Ankh analyzed, cultivating those idealism-based magics in the future will likely be hindered.
"Precisely because of this," Ankh said sharply, his tone changing from comforting to commanding.
"You should focus on doing good deeds and earning forgiveness from those you've harmed. Wallowing in self-pity helps no one."
Seeing that simple persuasion was futile, Ankh shifted to an alternative approach.
He decided to attack Jellal's logic.
Jellal caught the implication in his words, looking up at Ankh with slight confusion.
"What do you mean? I... I'm going to the Council prison. I will accept judgment."
Ankh scoffed. "And rot in a cell? How does that help anyone?"
Jellal blinked. "You mean... you don't intend to imprison me in the Council?"
Ankh nodded, smiling dangerously. "Of course not. Your mistakes must be rectified by your own hands. Sitting in a cell eating tax-payer bread isn't atonement."
Ankh stepped forward, looking down at Jellal.
"Think about it, Jellal. How many of those you deceived into building the Tower of Heaven on that island are still out there, searching for their families? And where are their loved ones, yearning in anguish?"
"How many corners of this world remain trapped or dead due to inhumane black magic cults like the one that took you? How many other 'R-Systems' are being built right now while you sit here crying?"
Ankh grabbed Jellal's shoulder.
"You possess the power of a Wizard Saint. You clearly have the power to save or change all this—why waste it in the Council prison, appeasing those incompetent old fools?!"
Ankh's rapid-fire tirade made Makarov's eye twitch nearby.
'This kid,' Makarov thought, sweating.
'He's already captured some of my essence in talk-no-magic! Listen to this nonsense... ahem, persuasion—how utterly convincing.'
Jellal was no fool, but Ankh's words struck directly at the guilt festering within him, desperate for release.
Was languishing in the Council, inactive, until his dying day truly punishment? Jellal asked himself.
Or was it an escape?
Compared to that, wouldn't it be better to atone through action, as Ankh suggested? Even if he could never fully redeem these sins, even if he died on this path—at least he could partially make amends for those harmed by "Jellal."
Erza listened for a long time.
Finally, she grasped Ankh's meaning.
She glanced at Jellal, who seemed inwardly moved, his eyes regaining a spark of life.
Then she turned to Ankh and asked softly, "Brother... Master... Are you planning to let Jellal go? To let him escape?"
Makarov coughed twice.
He looked at the ceiling, carefully phrasing his response.
"Ahem. Ankh is probably just... advising him. Trying to prevent Jellal from doing something drastic. We'll definitely still hand him over to the Council."
Makarov winked.
Hearing the Master covering for him, Ankh smiled imperceptibly.
'Handing him over didn't matter anyway,' Ankh thought dismissively.
With the Council's pathetic prison system... to put it bluntly, it was like a public bus that anyone could enter and exit freely!
Not to mention Anselion was waiting on the other side to receive him as a "special prisoner."
Even if left to his own devices, a mage of Jellal's caliber could probably break out from the inside with a spoon if he truly wanted to.