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[Adam C. POV]
After leaving the Strauss siblings in Makarov's hands, I retired to my apartnt, having the peace of mind that the old man would do a far better job than helping them.
He was the heart and soul of our guild.
The father of everyone.
"Maybe I should get so food before going ho," I mused out loud.
Maybe a nice steak.
Or so sandwiches... maybe a sub?
That settles it, I'm going to get sothing to eat.
Smiling at the thought, I changed my path towards the open market to get sothing for dinner, however, once I did, sothing in the air changed, sothing cold, sothing dark... to the point I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease prickling at my skin.
This feeling of unease continued to grow until darkness around the streets of Magnolia seed to swallow everything whole, creating an eerie atmosphere that made want to quicken my pace.
I scanned the area, feeling nothing worthy of notice, the town looked normal, just as always at this ti of night. The sun had set hours ago, leaving the city illuminated only by the dim glow of street lamps and the occasional window.
But... this feeling wasn't normal, was it?
As I turned the corner onto my street, I noticed a figure lurking in the shadows.
At first, I assud it was just a passerby, but sothing about their posture sent chills down my spine. They seed to be waiting for , lurking in the shadows like a predator.
I considered turning back, sothing inside wanted to avoid this feeling as much as possible, but I knew that if I turned back now, and sothing happened to those I loved, I would never forgive myself.
Pushing through without hesitation, I approached slowly, trying to make out who it was in the darkness. As I got closer, I could see the approaching glint of a knife making its way toward my face.
Calmly, I reached for my blade, which was concealed under my coat, before slicing through the attacker's arm in one smooth and precise movent.
The blade shone in the dim light of the night sky, cutting through their flesh, separating their wrist from their arm with one swift motion. The attacker let out a scream of pain and stumbled back, clutching their injured arm, as blood slowly dripped from the wound down their arm and onto the ground, creating a small pool of crimson at their feet.
"Who are you?" I asked, not really paying this unknown attacker much attention.
Whoever this unknown was, he wasn't the one behind this feeling of unease, not by a long shot. No one this weak should be able to make feel this way.
"You will pay for this!" The attacker growled a soft animalistic hiss escaping his lips that echoed off the cold, damp walls of the alley we were in, however, before he could say anything else, sothing happened.
Suddenly a grimace contorted his hidden face as an indescribable pain gripped him, his body convulsing against the cobblestones beneath his worn-out shoes.
He scread.
A soft, blue glow radiated from him, making the shadows of the alley dance erratically on the wet pavent. His silhouette began to distort, the boundaries of his physical form blurring and then fragnting.
It was as if he was being pulled apart, each piece of him disintegrating into a fine cloud dust before my very eyes.
His arms, once poised to gesture, splintered into countless fragnts, shimring in the spectral light before evaporating into nothingness.
His legs followed suit, the solid mass of his body crumbling away in a cascade of glowing particles, each one dissipating into the night air like motes of dust caught in a beam of moonlight.
The man's torso collapsed inwards, the last remnants of his form surrendering to the inexplicable transformation. Yet his face remained intact, a fleeting expression of resignation and peace gracing his features before they too succumbed, fracturing into the sa mysterious, luminescent dust.
With a final, silent gasp, the man's form was no more.
His essence had transford, leaving nothing more than a fine, glistening cloud hovering above the dank cobblestones. Then, just as inexplicably as it began, the cloud solidified, coalescing into a tangible form that gently fell to the ground.
There, lying amidst the detritus of the alley, was a book. Bound in worn, dark leather, its edges gilded with a touch of gold.
A book?
...
A million possibilities rushed into my mind as I stared at the book, but only one ca above the rest.
Zeref.
"I must apologize, it seems I have underestimated your skill, and sent an unqualified individual to test you."
I froze, a chill running through my body.
He was behind .
Jumping to my feet, I turned around to face the man, to find that he had been standing a few feet away from , his expression empty of emotion.
There was no doubt.
This... man was Zeref.
What was he doing here?!
Is still too early...
I...
I haven't prepared enough!
Trying to reign my emotions in, I stared into the eyes of the man standing in front of .
His appearance was nothing short of kind looking, dressed in a fine set of robes, his black hair neatly combed. His hands, clad in perfectly clean gloves, were folded together in a peaceful manner.
Nothing about him, at least from a first glance, would make anyone think he was dangerous.
But his aura, his aura would.
His aura was the antithesis of his seemingly harmless appearance. It felt as though I was standing at the mouth of a cavernous abyss, chilling winds of an icy void wrapping around my soul, trying to draw into its darkness.
It was a paradox, the stark contrast between his appearance and the wickedness that seeped from him.
The air around him seed to ripple with a corrupted, unholy energy that felt like poison. A sinister darkness that I could feel pressing against my very being, filling with a naless feeling of absolute dread.
Without realizing it, my feet shuffled back a step, my eyes never leaving his as I reached for the hilt of my blade at my waist. But as my fingers brushed against the cold tal, I noticed a tremor in them.
I was afraid.
For the first ti in years, fear gripped tighter than I had ever known.
I gritted my teeth in a futile attempt to curb the terror that was gnawing at .
Fear or not, I had to protect everyone.
I clasped the hilt of my blade, the familiar ridges pressing against my palm for a brief mont. Yet, trying to collect my bearings to the best of my ability, I could feel the hold on my blade was unsteady, my hand shaking visibly.
Pushing through, I unsheathed my blade and positioned myself, no matter what, I would protect them. But as much as I repeated this inside my head, my body refused to obey, my knees buckling, my blade wavering in my trembling hand under the pressure of Zeref's aura.
I can't move.
I can't even breathe...
I...
I will die.
They will... die.
No!
Fuck that!
I refuse to accept that!
Biting the tip of my tongue off, I used the pain to move forward, quickly releasing my Shikai, before attacking Zeref with all I had, with every ounce of power I could muster, all in a single attack, bringing my blade down on him.
But as my sword ca within inches of his body, he smiled, raising one finger, stopping my blade.
I had put more than enough power into that attack to destroy the Town several tis over, but he had blocked the attack with a single finger, while also managing to push back with just enough power to cancel out whatever destruction my attack could've brought.
He didn't dispel my attack.
He simply nullified it with raw power.
A soft smile ford on Zeref's lips, a gentle yet eerie curve that made my blood run cold. His voice was a gentle murmur, the calm before the storm. "Your magic is... fascinating, I don't think I have ever seen sothing like that before, that being said you're still not ready to face ."
His words were not a mockery, but rather a statent of fact.
"I won't let you hurt anyone here," I replied, blood coming out of my mouth, finding so trouble speaking thanks to my self-inflicted injury.
"That's your goal? To avoid that I hurt anyone? Then allow to give you so peace of mind, I don't intend to hurt anyone here," Zeref replied, his smile growing ever wider, his eyes twinkling with amusent and sadness. "I was rely testing you, and you passed. I am interested in you, your power, and your magic, so I will leave you to your own devices for now, but mark my words, young Fairy, I shall see you again."
Test... ?
He had co here… just for that?
To test ?
With another chilling smile, Zeref's form started to shimr and shift. His body fragnted, breaking apart into a thousand shards of darkness like a painting being washed away by a torrent of black ink.
Each piece fluttered and swirled like loose feathers caught in a gust of wind, before starting to vanish, dissipating into the surrounding gloom, and before I knew it, he was gone.
No trace remained of his presence, not even the haunting chill that had lingered in the air monts before. The alleyway was left in an oppressive silence, the only sound of my own ragged breath echoing off the cold, unfeeling stone walls.
His haunting words echoed in my mind, a reminder, a promise that he would return soday and that when he did, I would need to be ready to face him.
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