Devil's Word Magic In Fairy Tail

Once Zeref told me of his ambition, a wave of darkness erupted from him, killing everything other than me in a diameter of over a kilometer with him as the center.

Animals like beasts, critters and even bugs, trees, grass and vines, nothing survived.

"Sorry, I may have gotten a bit excited." Zeref said, turning back to me once more.

"…" I stared at him in shock.

He wants to kill the gods? Is that even possible?

"I don't know how to even reply to that…" I simply stated.

How DO I reply to that?

"Hahaha!" Zeref laughed, "Yes, I guess it would seem like a pipe dream to another. But I'm quite serious."

"Should you be telling me this? Aren't they watching the game unfold?" I asked.

If they knew of his intentions, would they not prevent him when or actually IF he got close to accomplishing them?

"You don't need to worry about that," Zeref said. "I've had nearly three hundred years to figure out how they view the world from their plain of existence, thanks to that idiot always contacting me it was easily done over the course of two centuries."

Easily my ass! It took you half your life!

"I'm using a special item I created over the years to simulate a different illusionary space around the island. Currently what they see is me sleeping under a tree, while another illusion is made for you and anyone else whom might be on the island, as it's mostly automated so I don't need to make the illusions myself." Zeref explained.

"So your excuse for not killing me is sleeping on the job?" I asked skeptically.

"Precisely. Besides, it's not my fault you're here early. You were supposed to be an a.d.u.l.t when you came here." Zeref replied.

"Ah! The Tenrou Arc… How much do you actually know about the original timeline Zeref?" I inquired.

"Not much, I just know I was one of the more important characters in a sort of book in your world, now with the game taking place here I would imagine that the world and people are quite different." Zeref said.

I thought for a second and replied.

"There are changes, yes. Your personality itself is a bit different…" I commented.

"Well, I definitely have a different goal… Say, what was my original self's ambition?" He asked me.

"You wanted to either die or turn back time and save your family." I replied truthfully.

"Ah, I suppose my original goal never changed from back then… I only resolved myself to kill the gods after living past my first century and learning of the game and my role in it… It was that bastard's fault I had to suffer in the first place... I now have a target to point my anger at, all that's left is just to exact my vengeance." He said, clenching his teeth in seething rage.

"I can only wish you luck with that." I replied to Zeref's anger induced monologue.

"…" He stood silent for a while, so I decided to break the awkwardness and speak up.

"Um… About my involvement in all of this, specifically me I mean." I asked my other question.

"Yes… I guess I should explain that too, you remember when you met the god of your own world right?" Zeref asked.

"Ugh… Don't remind me… He's a real weirdo…" I shivered at the memory.

On that topic though, I wonder how that horse face is doing?

"Yeah, so I've heard." Zeref said, "Do you remember if he told you anything about the past games?" He asked

"He only told me he won the previous one and that he has confidence in his participants…" I replied.

"I see, well I suppose he merely didn't find it necessary to tell you." Zeref replied.

"Tell me what?" I asked

"That he's been on a forty seven consecutive win streak…" Zeref said, with a sigh at the end.

"F-Forty Seven?! What?!" Honestly I was baffled.

How do you win forty seven times in a row in a game of random chances?!

Do those isekai people from my world have plot armo-

Oh wait they do.

"To put it simply, the other gods are fed up with him winning and decided they'd give extra perks to the home world owner, that being stuff like giving me information, removing the bad ability rolls from the wheel of fate and directly talking to me once a year. For such a petty reason they're inclined to do so much damage…" Zeref replied.

"H-he can do that? Remove rolls from the wheel?" I asked.

"Apparently, though it will be his own undoing in this case." Zeref replied.

"From my understanding, the wheel of fate stands above the gods. It is an impossibly ancient relic that has omnipresent properties and omnipotent wish granting capabilities. It changes one's very fate to be precise. That also means our abilities are the closest things a normal participant possesses that can oppose them." Zeref explained.

"Sounds like a big deal… What is your ability anyway?" I asked.

"I'll tell you once I can actually trust you." Zeref replied.

"You already know much about mine though." I said

"I do. Not everything though." He shrugged

"Haaa… Whatever…" I sighed and spoke up again.

"So let me get this straight, the reason I'm targeted is because that Horse faced weirdo pervert has had too many good participants and the other gods simply want to end his win streak?" I asked.

"Yes." Zeref replied.

"Damn gods… For such a stupid reason they're making things hard for everyone… Anyway, guess I'll have to dodge anyone else who's in on this 'Kill Arthur' conspiracy." I said

"Hahaha, yes you probably will. Now then, let's discuss business." Zeref said, erecting a stone table and two chairs from the ground for us both.

I sat down and replied.

"I'm listening." I said, trying to avoid rejecting him out right.

If I denied, he might just kill me later as to not pose a threat to him…

"Right, first things first. I cannot add you to my 'team' not officially at least." Zeref replied.

"The gods would be able to see us on the same team then, and you'd get an earful from your boss no doubt." I jokingly said.

"Not my boss, but yes. We shall not communicate with each other over the next years but we will stay in touch through other means. Let me inform you that as it currently stands, I am the emperor of Alvarez, the continent north-west of Ishgar." He said, pausing to let the information sink in.

"Yes, I already knew that." I replied

"Good, less to explain then, I will most likely send one of my personnel to speak with you personally while in possession of a jamming item as we both cannot be seen together without me killing you, and another of my own talking to you would be suspicious. You will become a secret unofficial member of the spriggans. I value people who've gained strong powers you see, yours could use some work but it's over all an amazing ability. Do you have any way of improving it?" He asked, seemingly very interested in the possibilities.

"None, only my imagination and abiding by its limits." I lied through my teeth.

Truthfully, once I obtain my grimoire, my world soul magic will blossom to its full potential.

I would potentially be able to replicate complex techniques from other anime without going through a roundabout way like with the Rasenshuriken or True Sun.

"Too bad, well either way I trust you'll find a way to get even stronger over time." He said pausing for a moment.

"Once you finish your business here on Tenroujima, I shall remain as ordered until the day you were supposed to arrive comes around, though I might move back to Alvarez soon to check in on things… Once I'm back I'll brief your future colleagues on the situation and establish communications." Zeref explained.

"Alright, but what would be my job in all of this?" I asked.

"The gods are certain that we both and potentially a few others will be the core pieces in this game, they don't really seem to care which one of them wins the game as long as it's not you and your god, though I'm not clear on the exact situation about all of that nor do I care. The point is, once I'm ready, I'll reveal your connection to me and have you join the system managed team officially, hopefully stirring them up enough to act rashly. Once we're summoned to their plain of existence in X795 and they're mad at me for not completing my supposed duty, we'll have a perfect chance to use the confusion as a starter to our battle, I doubt they'd expect it as from what I know it's never been attempted before. Don't worry, I have numerous ways to defeat them planned aside from our powers, I just need more time to get them set into motion and working…" Zeref said with uncertainty

"Are you absolutely sure these plans of yours can do anything to gods in the first place?" I inquired.

"Yes, I'm sure. The gods themselves are similar to us. The only difference is their bodies are immortal and more powerful than ours, and also that they use a higher, much, much higher form of magic than our Ethernano, or any other magical system of another world." Zeref explained.

"So enlighten me, what are these plans of yours?" I asked once more.

"I won't tell you everything, but one thing I have been trying is to recreate their powers and higher forms of magic. Though I did successfully create a higher form of magic for myself and others… It's still not enough, but I'm getting closer. I have another eighteen years until the confrontation. That's plenty of time." He said.

"I see… so this is your proposition then?" I asked.

"Indeed, it would be as if we never made a deal on the outside, you could even go back on it at any time..." Zeref calmly stated, "Though remember. If you do go back on your words here I will be forced to kill you, and everyone you else hold dear." He concluded, releasing a killing intent strong enough to overwhelm me.

Damn… That's as if he's telling me I can't reject this deal…

"… I…" I started speaking, while thinking of what I should say.

I don't want any part of this madness!

Kill the gods? Are you kidding? I don't care what power you want to recreate! They've been using that same power for millennia already! And our powers?! They gave us those willingly! Even if the wheel is above them, they wouldn't hand out abilities like fresh vegetables at the super market if they don't have a way of countering them!

This is just plain suicide!

This whole proposition is insane! What kind of four idiots signed up for this sh*t?!

Damn it… I have to at least pretend to accept and figure something out later…

"I acc-" I was suddenly cut off.

"Stop." A soft, female voice rang. It was like the voice a young girl yet gave an impression more like that of a m.a.t.u.r.e woman.

Zeref and me both turned to the side, looking at the young girl, a bit shorter than me, dressed in a mostly white dress with a bit of blue. She had very long pastel-yellow blond hair that reached down to her b.a.r.e feet, big dark green eyes with no pupils and two wing like ornaments placed in her hair right above her ears.

That's Mavis Vermillion! The first master of fairy tail!

"First Master!" I exclaimed in surprise.

"Mavis, to what do we owe the pleasant visit?" Zeref asked with a smile.

"Zeref, I would like to kindly ask you to not poach or threaten the lives of my guild members." Mavis said, glaring at Zeref calmly.

"I am doing no such thing, I simply asked him to help me with something." Zeref smiled at her kindly.

Can he see her too? I thought only fairy tail members could see her…?

No perhaps just like in the original, he's talking to her via his own powerful perception…

"I see you still haven't given up on that stupid ambition, when will you learn that this is not the right path?! You should stop before it's too late." Mavis half yelled at Zeref.

"You know better than anyone that I can't do that, no, no… I won't stop, not until they've all been returned to dust." Zeref said, holding his forehead with one hand.

"I'm worried Zeref… Worried you'll completely lose yourself in this, worried you'll end up in a situation where I'd lose you forever…" Mavis spoke softly, there was a sense of pain behind her voice.

"There's no need to worry, by the end of this I'll have fixed everything." Zeref said walking up to Mavis.

"Fixed what? What would happen to all the worlds without their gods? How would you even accomplish killing that many of them in the first place?! You will fix nothing! Only either get yourself damned or succeed and potentially bring everything to ruin! So tell me? What will you do and how will you succeed?" She yelled at him angrily.

"I have my ways." Zeref sneered.

…

An awkward silence followed for a while, neither speaking up while glaring the other.

"This seems like a complicated situation…" I murmured to myself.

The first to speak was Mavis, who could only sigh and give up on persuading Zeref for now.

"Fine, but at least don't involve my guild any further with your insanity." Mavis said, glaring at him.

"I need Arthur, he's a big part of this whole thing." Zeref replied with confidence.

"From the sound it, it's not that important of a role. Figure it out at a later date. Now if you'd please be so kind as to leave my island." Mavis said, still glaring at Zeref.

Zeref seemed to give up himself as he raised both hands up in surrender.

"Fine, I'll do it your way Mavis." He said, and c.a.r.e.s.sed her hair before continuing. "I'll come back to visit at a later time." He said with a warm smile to her.

Okay, so he CAN see her… wait even touch her?

That's a ghost you know?

Mavis smiled back and spoke. "I'll await for your return like always."

"A seriously, very complicated situation…" I murmured once more.

"Arthur." Zeref turned around and called to me.

"Yes…?" I asked, wary of what he may say now.

"I guess it won't work out for now, we'll be seeing each other later. Hopefully." He said and started walking away.

Suddenly however, he entered a telepathic link with me and spoke again.

-"I'll get in contact with you at a later date, this isn't over yet. Remember, you're required."- Zeref said telepathically and vanished before I could even reply.

That now left me together with the first master.

"So you're Arthur then? It's a p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to finally meet you, my name is Mavis Vermillion as I'm certain you already know." She said, giving a short courtesy like bow.

"Ah, yes… Sorry things are going a little too fast…" I said holding my head in an attempt to alleviate the growing headache I was having.

In the end I didn't even get to deny or accept huh?

"I can understand that… Truly, I'm sorry about Zeref's behavior, he sometimes gets like that… Don't worry though, I'll be sure to convince him to give up on that mad ambition of his." Mavis said with a smile.

"… First master, I don't know if-" She cut me off.

"It's fine, trust me." Mavis said with confidence, "Now then, you have an exam to get back to don't you? Go and enjoy yourself for now." She concluded with a smile and walked through the forest disappearing like she was never there in the first place.

Okay then…

Things just got a WHOLE lot more complicated…

Honestly I feel as if Zeref wasn't telling me something… Though I can't quite put my finger on it…

How the hell do I deal with all of this…

"Haaaaaa…" I sighed, "Time to get back to the others I guess." With that lingering thought, I teleported to the shore where the others had been waiting for me.

For now I'll focus on what's in front of me, when Zeref does contact me I'll try to figure things out with him…

Darn…

Sometimes I wish I was in a normal isekai…

…