A/N: True motivation struck at the hands of Sanaa and Jan's need to call me a burnt, barely-glazed sinnamon roll. I love you guys. This chapter is also a late birthday present for my lovely Sanaa, who I love with all my heart and I hope she enjoys the chapter. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail

Chapter 20: Promises
"Quite unfortunately for you, little one, there are people in this world that we must...prove a point to. People that have floundered a land ever so prosperous, people who need to be put to rest. But I have a certain way of operating, and that includes fear tactics and methods of psychological warfare. They need to fear me, before I even descend upon their kingdom. Before I kill their wives and their children and men, before I ruin them as I ruined you. Sleepless nights, pain, paranoia...all of this. They must feel all of this for it to truly be an apocalypse."

Previously...

"You're right, I am fortunate to say I've never lost a sibling," a stark contrast to earlier's passionate anger, her voice was soft. He could barely hear her over the whistling of the winds, the rustling of the leaves in the faint distance. "But I do know what it feels like it feel a life leave you. I know what's it like to realize that you've failed a life not yet crafted, a life that I was meant to protect."

Her voice caught painfully, tears burning in the corners of her eyes. Jellal started, horror settling deep into his bones as her cryptic words came together to form a scenario that he did not wish to see. Memories echoed through her mind, reminding her of all she had lost. Voice wavering, heart burning with agony, she carried on.

"I know what it's like to wake up to a room full of pitying faces and tears, to be told that I had lost a baby I'd never even known I had growing within me. So, no, Jellal...I don't know the pain of losing a sibling. I know a pain that, as a mother who was never meant to be, is forevermore greater in my heart than any physical wound can bring me. Any pain that anyone else can bring me. Because I know I have not only failed myself, but I have failed a life that had never gotten a chance to live. To breathe. To love as I once did."

There were tears dripping down her face, tears she had once thought she was done shedding. A sardonic smile graced her lips. A mourning mother's pain is never over. It was embedded in her soul, and would haunt her to the grave she was all but buried in.

Jellal didn't realize he was crying, too, until the salty water was running down the underside of his chin, sliding down his neck and wetting the collar of his cloak. He had said so much, done so much, all without the knowledge of the fact that Erza, somewhere along the broken path that had led her back to him, had lost her, their, baby.

"Erza..."

She didn't acknowledge the fact that he had spoken; instead, she turned back around towards the fated forest, eyes searching for the clearing where she had lost it all. It was as Jellal began to open his mouth to speak that the door to the tower opened, and a figure emerged.

It was Laxus, his eyes grim. Right away, Erza could tell something was wrong; the way he held himself was that of a man ready to snap.

"You're both required downstairs immediately," he finally spoke. "Something's...something's happened."

Erza made no protest, but instead strode past Jellal and followed Laxus back down the stairs wordlessly. Jellal, however, took a moment longer, his chest painfully tight and throat clogged, before he, too, descended down the stairs. How had he lost so much in a mere few months? First Erza, then Ultear and her unborn child, and now the child he was meant to have with Erza.

It wasn't fair.

"She told you," a voice pulled him from his dark thoughts, and Jellal glanced up to find Laxus watching him with wary eyes. Unable to formulate a verbal response, he simply nodded, wondering if the larger man intended on blaming him for the whole incident. A part of him thought the notion was absurd, but at this point anything, he felt, was possible.

"I don't know what to tell you," Laxus finally spoke again after a prolonged pause. He waited for the blame, the bitter, acrid hatred. He wouldn't be able to blame the man; a part of him already blamed himself. "Other than offering my condolences. For both Ultear and...the baby."

Jellal found he couldn't respond, not without his tears spilling. Laxus seemingly understood, though; without much prompting, the man fell into step beside Erza, the silence in the hallways a testament to their feelings.

He had...Erza had been...no matter how desperately he tried, the thought wouldn't formulate; instead, it stayed as a handful of fragments within his mind, floating around in an abyss of loneliness and hatred. A baby. They could've had a baby. The world, he would've...he would've given them the world...

"Jellal," surprisingly enough, it was Erza who spoke softly to him, shaking him from his reverie. He blinked, shaking his head softly and glancing over at the redhead who stared back at him. In that moment, a flick of understanding passed between them, a common level of thinking shared by none other than the broken couple.

It was the connection of two mourning parents.

"We need to plan," she watched him with observant eyes, taking note of the tiredness growing heavy within his irises and the sudden sag of his shoulders. A sag that had gotten worse with time. "There's little time to mourn, Your Majesty."

His breath caught. She knew, she knew of the turmoil in his soul. Only Erza truly knew of the depth of his pain, and he...she was extending the olive branch to him. She was swallowing her pride, in light of their joint loss. Only she had suffered as thoroughly as he was beginning to, knew of the decay of his soul. How could she think he was willing of her forgiveness?

"Of course, my apologies, Erza."

He accepted it.

She offered him a shaky smile, a gesture he returned, before the two of them walked back into the hall together. Everyone was gathered up at the table, on their feet and examining the mass of maps that were placed haphazardly across the table. Natsu and Gray had looked up as the duo walked in, both wearing equally weary expressions, but Mystogan began speaking before anything could be thrown at them.

"Rosemary has been attacked."

Erza sucked in a breath, genuinely stunned at the news. She could hear Jellal's similar reaction, a sharp hiss that escaped through his teeth. Rosemary...Rosemary was on the outer rims of the country, a quaint and peaceful kingdom run by Simon Mikazuchi and his younger sister, Kagura. What good would attacking them have brought the enemy?

"Is it too late to offer assistance?" Jellal couldn't help but ask, despite knowing any attempts to reach the isolated lands would result in nothing. They were simply too far away, and by the time Magnolia or Sorciere's forces reached them, the kingdom would have been razed to the ground. Mystogan's closed off expression answered the near rhetorical question.

"To the best of our knowledge, their next target is down by either one of our kingdoms," Mira spoke up, tone thoughtful albeit hard. The impending battle was not being taken lightly, for obvious reasons, but everyone was now driven by a personal need to come out victorious. They had lost too much to the war, too much pain and agony had resulted for them to lose now. The stakes were simply too high to make mistakes, and it was reflected in the tense atmosphere suffocating all of them. Erza took a deep breath to try and rid the lump in her throat to no avail, instead opting to shake her head and turn her attention to Laxus.

"Are we mounting defenses?" Absentmindedly, her fingers traced indistinguishable patterns atop the map closest to where she stood, the aged paper rubbing against the pads of her fingers pleasantly. Her mind, however, flashed back to the day in the forest, and the vast area they hadn't been able to cover. The pandemonium that had ensued as a result of their thinned forces. "We have ample time, but..."

"Not enough men," Laxus finished, nodding with a sigh. "There's also no way of guessing where, exactly, they intend on attacking...and we don't have enough men to protect both kingdoms. The short distance separating the kingdoms may work in our favour, but not fast enough. It's too much of a risk."

"What of an ambush?" Jellal cut in, glancing back and forth between his ex-wife and Laxus. The room's occupants all looked at him, startled, but he pressed on with the solution. "it is true we do not have enough men to arm both kingdoms with confidence. We do, however, have enough men to lead a full-frontal attack, as they march in our general direction. We ride for Rosemary, and use the element of surprise to our advantage to destroy them once and for all."

Silence.

Everyone stared at him, whether it was in awe or surprise. Mystogan, however, only wore a smirk; he already knew the kind of leader his brother was. Jellal was a genius, and always had been, and it was no surprise the man could work out such an thoughtful plan on a time crunch. He had a mind for battle, and if things had gone the way they were set to...Jellal would've been his strongest asset. His righthand man.

"That...might just work," Gray admitted begrudgingly. He still didn't particularly care for the man who broke Erza's heart so thoroughly, but if she could forgive him, he supposed he should be able to as well. "I mean...there's still a good chance we may have to retreat, but it's much better than sitting here and waiting to be defeated."

"I'd like to think they wouldn't see us coming," Erza mused, her eyes roaming across the maps. She calculated the distances between the canyons and ridges, trying to figure out the best path for them to take. Rosemary was beyond many of the region's mountain ranges, and it would prove to be a difficult journey. "The distance between Magnolia and Rosemary...it's expansive, but we can make that work to our advantage. To fully utilize the element of surprise we hope to have, we cannot move as one group. Possibly...three? Four?"

"Splitting up the armies will increase our chances of losing if and when we run into the enemy without the support of the other groups," Mystogan spoke up, voice grave. He himself was calculating the possibilities of survival, of death, in his head, the probabilities so unfavourable he cringed. "Though it's safe to assume we have no other choice."

"Who's left to defend the kingdoms?" Mira interrupted, glancing up at her husband. Laxus grit his teeth, acknowledging the issue at hand with the safety of their homes. Another bout of silence descended upon the group, lasting only until Erza stepped closer to the table.

"I'll stay. This kingdom, our kingdom...I shall protect it. Until my every last breath."

Her response was met with very little surprise, and many nods and proud smiles. The return of Erza's renowned conviction was a pleasant sight, one that brought a feeling of hope into the hearts of the gathered Magnolians. Only Mystogan, who was unaware of her hardships, frowned to himself, wondering why one of the strongest warriors walking their earth would remove herself from the offensive lines. A part of him knew it wasn't his place to ask, however, and instead he took note of the acceptance and subtle sympathy of her family. And his brother, staring so openly at her, with such pain and yet pride, that he knew something had happened when the duo left the room.

"Good. I shall stay with you," Mira replied, tone firm and leaving no room for argument. Erza offered her a grateful smile, the irreplaceable bond between the two women making an appearance.

"How quickly should we move out?" Natsu wanted to know with another look at the maps laid out before them. His blood boiled over the fact that Rosemary, a peaceful, small kingdom left out of any bloodshed for the last few years, had been terminated as if it weren't the home of people. Of human beings, with lives and families, with dreams and wishes. It was so fucking unfair.

"Immediately," Laxus responded, already beginning to clear up his end of the table. "As much as it pains me to say so, it won't take Zeref's men very long to dismantle Rosemary, given its size, and there's a high chance they're already moving towards us. The sooner we move out, the sooner we intercept their path, the more surprise and the better for us."

The prince of Magnolia was in his element, his mind working through their numbers, their best fighters and their strongest leaders. "I want Natsu and Gray leading a division, and Gajeel and I will lead the other. Mystogan and Jellal can divide their army between themselves; Cobra will join either one of them. We'll leave a handful of men with the ladies as their backup, with Mira and Erza in charge. They can set up the patrol and defenses as they see fit. Any questions?"

Rather than questioning the plan, everyone nodded in acceptance, their own, individual ideas for their men forming. Erza knew they would leave a platoon of her own men to guard the castle with her and Mira, and for that she was grateful. She knew how they operated, she knew how they thought and worked best. Jellal and Mystogan, too, had their respective men, and each man knew certain squads better than others. It was a sound plan, and it was their best bet.

Even though they were all silently accepted their best may not be enough.

"We'll be leaving in two hours. Be ready, and make sure to say your goodbyes."

With that, Laxus, his hand entwined with Mira's, strode out of the room, the meaning of his words clear.

They might not make it out alive.

The two hours passed by quickly.

Erza hadn't had the chance to speak to Jellal any further, her kingdom's safety her top priority. Jellal was in the same mindset, and both had parted with heavy glances to deal with their men and the positions that had to be assigned. She didn't know where Mira and Laxus had run off to, despite having a very good idea of what they might be up to, but she was pleased to find out Laxus had assigned one of her platoon to her before vanishing. The men she had so vigorously trained were extremely pleased to see her, and vice versa.

She was quick to set out a plan for patrols, knowing Mira would have no qualms with her decisions. Lucy was also put on patrol, albeit much less than Erza's men. The celestial mage would be integral in the face of a surprise attack, and she would need to be near to be most effective. Besides, risking Lucy's life was out of the question. The thought of losing her dear friend, the thought of what Natsu would do...Erza felt a shiver pass through her. His anger would be unprecedented.

Wringing her hands, she walked through the crowded fields of horses and men, smiling at everyone who offered her a greeting. She could tell they were relieved to see her, and that fact alone had her heart swelling with affection for the people of Magnolia. Men and women she'd been fighting for with for years now. Her kin.

"Erza!"

Finally, she could see Laxus, and with him were the rest of their family; everyone was milling about, handing out farewells and trading soft kisses and whispers. She felt a pang of loneliness echo through her, and fought hard not to instinctively look for Jellal.

Plastering a fake smile on her face, she made her way over to the others and was immediately pulled into a fierce hug by Laxus. Without missing a beat, she wrapped her own arms around his neck, squeezing tightly and silently communicating her demand.

Come home.

The sounds around them faded as one by one, everyone joined in on the hug, until they were just a mass of curled limbs and quiet fears. Erza Scarlet was a seasoned warrior, a figure of tragedy, a political warhead. She was the epitome of strength to her men, and a being of pure compassion to her family. But even she felt fear; fear of the unknown, fear of loss, fear of tragedy. She was scared that they weren't going to come back in one piece, if at all. She was scared her friends would be left without their other halves, left with children bearing features of their lost loved ones. She feared the possibilities, she feared the loss. Simply put, Erza Scarlet was scared out of her mind.

"Don't do anything reckless," she all but pled as they all untangled from each other, eyes moving from face to face as she begged for them to make her the promise of caution and of diligence. "If not for my sake, then for the sake of your wives and unborn children. You must...you can't..."

"I don't intend on dying out there, Titania," Gajeel interrupted her, voice gruff. The man, for all his pretences as a rough man with no heart, had an arm wrapped tightly around Levy's shoulders. His reassurances, however subtle they may be, sent a jolt of warm through her heart. A jolt of relief. They'd come home, they always did. They always will.

"None of us do," Laxus agreed firmly. He knew Erza, and he knew she was genuinely scared of losing them. But he would not be response for any one of her tears. He would not cause her any more pain than she had already faced in the name of this bloody war. He wouldn't. He couldn't.

Not too far from where the Magnolians were talking stood Jellal, Mystogan, and Wendy. The latter had her arms wrapped tightly around both her brothers, shoulders shaking as she tried to suppress her fears. She was to stay behind in Magnolia, far too young to be brought out to war with them. Their injured men, Magnolia's and Sorciere's alike, would be left in her care. Mystogan was speaking soothing words, trying to calm their little sister down, but Jellal couldn't hear him. He couldn't hear much, really, for all he could think about was Erza, standing no more than a couple feet away.

Jellal was no fool. Despite their extensive planning, despite the meticulous details they had ironed out, he knew their chances were weak at best. There was a very good chance they might not all make it back. How could he, in good conscious, ride to his probable death burdened with such regrets and guilt when he could fix it all that very instant? If he could lift the burden off himself, with a single admission of foolishness to the woman he loved?

How could he bear to leave without telling Erza he was sorry?

It was as this very thought flickered through his subconscious that the redheaded mage looked up, as if she could feel his thoughts, and their eyes met.

Everything else faded away into nothingness. All the sounds, all the talking...he could hear none of them. He could only see Erza, he could only see her eyes light up marginally before she blinked, forcing her euphoria down as if the very thought of being pleased by his presence made her sick. No, not sick...tired. She looked ever so tired, standing there looking at the man who held and break her heart all too quickly. He wondered if she held regrets. He wondered if she, too, was fighting the urge to come over and say something, anything, before he had to leave.

Without a sound, she walked over to stand directly in front of him, so close that he could feel her body heat. Her smell, of strawberries and vanilla, engulfed him, and he fought the urge to inhale deeply. He had no right, not after the way he had treated her. Not after he sent her away so cruelly. A heart of his heart crumbled at the memory of her shock, her agony. Caused by him. Another burst of pain, bright and blinding, at the memory of their lost child. When would he be given time to mourn? To count his losses, to scream betrayal at the gods above?

"Jellal," she murmured. Her voice was filled with...an unidentifiable emotion. One that if they were different people, in a different lifetime, he would consider warm. But they were broken and fragmented and walking two different paths. She was on a path he could never put himself on again. It was all his fault. This was all his fault. To keep her safe. To keep his one true love safe, the owner of his heart. He had to, he had too-

"Jellal."

He stared at her, somewhat longingly, filled with despair and agony. There was a chance, he knew, that she would never know a thing. She would never know he threw away their love for the possibility to save her, to save her life. She may never know he put her above the needs of an entire kingdom, because Erza Scarlet was worth loving and worth all the kingdoms of the world. Worth the stars and the planets and the galaxies contained in their universe. Erza Scarlet was...indescribable. Age-old memories of warmth bubbled up within him, and it took a monumental conscious effort to stomp them down.

"Erza, I just...I need to tell you I'm sorry, I'm so sorry-"

"Come back," she whispered, voice cracking. The sudden tears in her eyes pulled violently at his heartstrings, clenching his heart in an icy grip. She couldn't say 'home', because where exactly was home? He belonged in Sorciere and she in Magnolia, separated by a vast distance. Two living entities rather than a single force, with tragedy so strongly wedged between the cracks in their hearts. Perhaps they never were meant to be anything more than acquaintances. Nothing more than faint memories, lost in the whispers of the winds. But he wanted it. She wanted it.

But the real question was whether or not they could have it.

"I will," he avowed, voice hoarse as he reached out to grab her free hand. She squeezed tightly, and he brought the slender limb up to his lips and pressed a warm, chaste kiss to the back of it. He did his best not to read into the subtle tightening of her fingers, the way she gripped his hand as if he were her only remaining lifeline and she was unwillingly to let him go. Perhaps that was how he felt.

"Promise," Erza stepped closer, their hands still entwined. Together, as one. Bonded. "Promise."

"I promise," he gave her a soft, reassuring smile. His eyes searched her face, his mind screaming desperately for her to see how much he cared. How much he loved her. The way he loved her; fully, wholly, truly. "Always."

Suddenly, she lurched forward and pressed her lips against his with bruising force. It was a stronger way of her drawing the promise from him, sealing his words with actions. He drunk in the feeling of her in his embrace again, the world melting away into nothingness as he got lost in the feelings only Erza could bring upon him. It was a surreal moment, but in that moment he felt the flickering embers of a long broken bond reemerging in his chest, ignited by the tragedy and loss they shared between them. Love built on tragedy. Love not built to last. But hell if he didn't intend on fighting tooth and nail to keep it, keep it with him in the darkest moments if he could not indulge in the brighter days. He wanted it; it was his to keep, his to cherish. Their love.

After a lingering moment, they broke apart, locking eyes and breathing heavily.

"We will speak when you return," she whispered, eyes looking up at him. He found himself nodding, knowing there was much to be said, much to be done. Much to be explained, and hopefully much to be fixed. He was offered a weak smile, but it was tender in its appearance. For him. It was for him.

The war horns sounded in the distance, and with a roar the large masses of warriors began moving forward as a cohesive unit. It was time to go.

Jellal glanced at the moving bodies, at Laxus staring at him meaningfully, before fully breaking away from Erza and moving towards his own horse. She watched him mount the great stallion, cloak billowing in the fierce autumn winds. She watched him, and much of her family, until they were lost to the horizon. Jellal glanced back only once, his resolve wavering, before he steeled himself. Before he rode off to uncertainty, and the hell that await, thinking of his promise to Erza. The promise to return.

Looking back, it was the one promise he wished he didn't break.

All around him, buildings burned and the stifling stench of blood hung in the air, his own blood singing. The skies were full of ashes, falling all around him in a flurry of demonized snow. Long had the screams of the men and women of the village died, their bodies left to pile up in the narrow streets. He took his time walking through them, enjoying the hellish view of death and ruin. His domain. His power, spread across these infested lands without so much as a breath. It didn't take much for them all to fall.

A deranged cackle left his lips, loud enough to echo through the air. The silence was telling; there was no other life left around him for quite some distance. All that was left was the royal family, the two imbeciles who stayed and watched their kingdom wither away into nothingness right before their very eyes. A smirk tugged the corner of his lips upwards, dangerous and fleeting. They were resilient, he'd give them that, but...it was the resilient who were the funnest to destroy.

He climbed the short flights of stairs, heading in the direction of the crumbling castle. Already he could see silhouettes, two figures on the ground and a handful standing around them. The humans they called Knightwalker and Faust were flanking their leader; Zeref, an immortal he was very familiar with. At their feet lay Simon and Kagura Mikazuchi, the former covered in bruises and blood. The young, dark-haired woman was in no better state, for her dress was ripped and her hair was a tangled mess. Royalty befitting of the rotting remains of a petty kingdom.

His footsteps had Zeref looking away from the duo, and the man offered him a small greeting. He returned it with a simple incline of his head, having no need to flounder in front of him. They'd been acquaintances long enough for them to hold a mutual sense of...respect for each other. Respect wasn't quite the word he would use to describe their bond, but it was probably the closest.

"Ah, the leading siblings," he chuckled, watching their heads snap in his direction. Faust, too, looked up at him, a subtle sneer making its way onto his lips. The only people to react appropriately to the situation were the redheaded girl, who kept her head bowed, and Zeref. He would deal with the insolent fool of a general later, but for now he turned his full attention to the monarchs.

"What is it, your motto? 'Twice the fury'? Was the feeble force you managed to muster your 'fury'? A doubled fury? Pah, pathetic," he spat in Simon's face, laughing as the man roared and attempted to break free of the goons holding him to the ground. His sister spat out a flurry of curses, bringing his attention to her.

"And Rosemary's most prized possession!" He made a mockery of their kingdom, enjoying the flicker of fear that flit through her eyes before being replaced by a look of disdain. She did fear him, then. Good. He would show her true fear.

Without warning, he lashed out and grabbed her by the roots of her hair, tightening his grip as her brother yelled out and she let loose a cry of surprise. Faust, ever the weak-willed mongrel, jumped slightly before settling down, a look of...something passing over his face. Was it pleasure? Joy? He knew what category the man fell under; it was the kind of scum who he wouldn't dare associate himself with. The worst of the worst, beyond his own sadism. Faust, and his kind, possessed their own form of sadism, a desire for torture so twisted that even he could not bear it.

"Quite unfortunately for you, little one, there are people in this world that we must...prove a point to. People that have floundered a land ever so prosperous, people who need to be put to rest. But I have a certain way of operating, and that includes fear tactics and methods of psychological warfare. They need to fear me, before I even descend upon their kingdom. Before I kill their wives and their children and men, before I ruin them as I ruined you. Sleepless nights, pain, paranoia...all of this. They must feel all of this for it to truly be an apocalypse. And for that, you and your brother must perish along with your home."

"Magnolia will not fall," the pale-faced brat spat at him. "They will win! They have always overcome the odds, they always have, Zeref's foul magic did not spread here all those years ago and we know-!"

He slapped her, his control over his fury momentarily broken. Somewhere, within the deep recesses of his mind, a plethora of memories freed themselves from repressions, and he could remember the blood, the burning lands, and the flaming wounds he suffered. The beating wings, furious souls, and an unstoppable power.

The failure.

"You have lived far longer than you have had to," he snarled viciously, gripping her hair even harder. He didn't like the fact she showed him no fear, no pain, but he didn't want to remember. Not what she spoke of, at least. Her insolence earned her a quicker death than she deserved.

"I have faith in E-ah!"

His hand, gnarled and nails sharp and jagged, forced itself through the soft flesh of her breast, tearing through her heart and coming out through her back. Immediately, her body slumped against his own, and he relished the warmth brought on by her seeping blood. Simon cried out, this time in anguish as he was forced to watch his sister die, right before his very eyes. The man struggled against his captors, but in the end it proved to be fruitless; with a final shudder, the princess of Rosemary died in his arms.

"You bastard!" Simon raged, tearful. He somehow managed to live through the end of his kingdom, but seeing his sister, bloodied and unmoving in the arms of the enemy was too much to bear. "You bastard!"

"Such painful words you throw at me, little king," he couldn't help but grin, taking in the sight of the man literally writhing in pain. Such petty human connections, their concept of 'love'...all of it was futile and useless. Beneath him. It made you weak, it made you vulnerable, it made you powerless. It was a toxin, really, one humans had invented for themselves. For what? All was in vain. "Alas, much like your precious sister, you, too, much perish."

Without so much as another breath, he had buried his free hand deep into Simon's chest, much like he had for Kagura. Simon, however, put up much more of a fight; he struggling fiercely, thrashing this way and that way and only worsening the wound for himself. It took him a full minute to stop moving, and another few heartbeats to pass, covered in much more blood than his sister.

He looked at both corpses again, a feeling of satisfaction settling over him as the destruction of Rosemary was now complete, and proceeded to dump their bodies onto the dirt.

"Are we quite done here?" Faust finally spoke up, tone wary. "I hope you haven't forgotten that this wasn't the end game and that we still have two kingdoms to conquer."

"Silence, Faust," Zeref reprimanded the human, voice sharp. "You may be a general, but you are legions below him. You do not have the right to speak to him as if you are on the same level as him."

"It is of little consequence, old friend, and your little pet has a point," he jerked his head in the direction of the burning remains of Rosemary. "Your men are out there, pillaging, but we need to move. No doubt Magnolia has heard of this massacre by now, and will be throwing together a mediocre defense in preparation of our arrival-"

"I don't mean to interrupt, but I sincerely doubt that," Knightwalker, for the first time that night, spoke up, eyes off the ground and looking directly at him. A flicker of genuine respect ran through him for the girl's brashness. He nodded, gesturing for her to continue speaking; he was curious to hear what she thought. While Faust was quick to help him formulate an opinion on the man's pathetic personality, the woman had yet to say anything. All he knew of her was what Zeref spoke, and all he had were praises. He preferred to form his own opinion, especially considering the company Zeref kept. "Magnolia and Sorciere, together, have some of the greatest minds to ever weave together a battle plan. No doubt at least one of them will realize they do not have the men to guard both kingdoms. They'll ride for Rosemary."

"We should wait here?" He asked, lips turning downwards. Waiting had no merit; he much preferred the chase. To his continued surprise, however, Knightwalker shook her head, head turning to stare down at the decay.

"We ride, but we ride prepared for an attack." She paused to shrug. "We annihilate them when they come for us."

A pregnant pause.

A slow smile spread across his lips, pleased with her choice of words and line of thinking. She would ride so ruthlessly against her sister's kin? She seemed to be the only human worth any semblance of his attention, of his presence. As he collected his thoughts, he began to nod slowly, a plan beginning to form in his mind.

"The girl is right, they are foolish enough to try and attack us as we move towards their kingdoms. Ready the men as she says, and have them ready to attack at a moment's notice. The only tactic they would have going for them would be the element of surprise...make sure they don't get it."

They would burn. They would perish. And the world, so intoxicated and filled with vermin, will be wiped clean to start over. A clean slate. A new beginning.

With that, Acnologia turned and headed back into the ashes of Rosemary.

A/N: I really don't have an excuse for the lateness of this chapter :( I fell off the wagon over the summer, and then school has been hell. Hopefully, you all find it in your hearts to forgive me! I'm not too pleased with the primary-level writing (which is a byproduct of the fact that I haven't written this much in months), but nonetheless I hope you managed to sit through it!

I dropped a few hints :) Wonder if anyone caught them?

I'm still working the rest of the plot line around in my head, and as a result some things may seem odd. Considering all your emotions, I have a pretty good idea of what I want the end to be, so let's see if I stick with it. As always, I'm curious to hear of your predictions, theories, and thoughts, and until next time!