Fairy Tail: Collapsing Stars

Chapter 357: August: “Mavis, That Is My Mother”

”Wait… why does the ruler of the Alvarez Empire have a symbol on his hand that looks like the emblem of the Fairy Tail mage guild?!”

”What is going on here? No… somethingʼs definitely wrong! Could this be a dream?!”

Crawford Seam stared at the shining mark on Augustʼs hand, his body trembling, pupils dilated, sweat pouring from his forehead. His heart thudded violently in his chest, growing more intense, more terrified by the second.

”No, this definitely isnʼt a dream. If thereʼs one thing Iʼd never mistake, itʼs that symbol.”

”But why does he have the Fairy Tail emblem on his hand?! That mark of evil, why would it appear there?!”

His eyes locked on Augustʼs hand, watching the emblem, Fairy Tailʼs crest, with narrowed pupils.

So… the leader of the Alvarez Empire… is also a Fairy Tail mage?!

And that meant all the venomous things he had just said about Fairy Tail…

Crawfordʼs face turned deathly pale. He didnʼt even dare to imagine what he had just done.

He had just ranted at length about Fairy Tail, in front of one of its own mages. Didnʼt that mean he was about to die on the spot?

But how could the enemy of Ishgar, the ruler of the mighty Alvarez Empire of the Western Continent, also be a member of Fairy Tail?!

Crawford could not understand it. He racked his brain, desperate to make sense of this situation, thinking that perhaps, just perhaps, if he could figure it out, he might have a sliver of hope left.

”...”

August said nothing. His expression was blank as he stared coldly at Crawford. The moment he revealed the emblem on his hand, Crawford had become a dead man.

”Wait a second…”

”So thatʼs what this is all about?”

Just as August remained silent, curious to see what sort of conclusion Crawford would reach, suddenly, a flash of realization lit Crawfordʼs face. After much thought, he finally understood…

”Of course… just like how Yajima hid his identity and infiltrated the Magic Council, slowly replacing all the people around him with Fairy Tail members, this was all part of Fairy Tailʼs grand plan!”

A smug grin crept onto Crawfordʼs lips, he believed he had seen right through August.

Yes, he knew this pattern well. Crawford had his own name for it, he called it the Fairy Tail tactic, infiltrate, replace, assimilate.

”First, hide the fact that a mage is from Fairy Tail. Then insert them into an organization Fairy Tail plans to take over. Once inside, use their overwhelming charisma and ʼassimilationʼ ability to convert everyone around them into Fairy Tail lackeys, or just assign them outright!”

”Then repeat. Like a snowball rolling downhill, theyʼll keep absorbing and transforming the people around them until itʼs too late to stop it, like a virus!”

Crawford himself had fallen victim to this method. By the time he realized what was happening and tried to move against Fairy Tail, even the security guard at the Magic Council gates turned out to be from the Fairy Tail Special Ops Unit against dark guilds.

He had been horrified, shattered, even. His grand Council crumbled overnight, and he fell from a position of power to a forgotten hermit in the mountains.

Of course, in nicer terms, he had ”retreated into seclusion.” The reality? He had been driven into the wilderness by Fairy Tail and could only cling to life in the uninhabited depths of the forest.

”Damn it… all because the emperor of this nation wasnʼt around. That gave Fairy Tail the chance to sneak in and take over.”

”And now that the emperorʼs still absent, a Fairy Tail mole has risen to the top of the country. What the hell am I supposed to do now?”

Crawford knew the truth, the mighty emperor of the Alvarez Empire was traveling the world and wasnʼt currently in the empire. This meant that he likely had no idea that his own country had already been thoroughly infiltrated by Fairy Tail.

And now, this mighty empire had unknowingly walked the same path as the Magic Council once had. If someone didnʼt stop Fairy Tail soon, even the emperor himself might end up like Crawford, exiled, disgraced, and hiding in the mountains just to survive.

Meanwhile…

Back on the Ishgar continent, deep within a remote forest in a certain kingdom…

In a place even more remote than Crawfordʼs hiding spot, a black-haired young man walked alone through the wilderness. Suddenly, his expression shifted, and his brows furrowed.

”Is someone calling me? …Could it be Evan? Iʼd better hurry.”

The black-haired youth was none other than the legendary dark mage Zeref, also known as Spriggan, emperor of the Alvarez Empire. He had sensed something and began walking faster.

Yes, what Crawford didnʼt know… was that even the emperor of the Alvarez Empire himself had deep, tangled ties to Fairy Tail, ties that could never truly be cut.

Back in the West Continent, within the Alvarez Empire…

”Is this really the end for me, Crawford Seam? Will I truly be defeated by Fairy Tail once again?! Is it my destiny to fall to them?! No! I refuse to believe in destiny…”

Crawford screamed inside. He had risen from nothing to become the Chairman of the Magic Council, not by yielding to fate, but by defying it. Now, he was furiously trying to figure out how to survive.

”No! Thereʼs still one last chance!”

Just as he teetered on the edge of despair, his beady eyes suddenly locked onto Augustʼs gloves.

”Strange… why the gloves? A fashion statement? No… was he trying to hide the guild mark on his hand?”

Crawfordʼs eyes narrowed.

He noticed something, August only wore one glove, the other hand, the one with the Fairy Tail emblem, was bare. And when August removed the glove to show him the mark, he had sent everyone else away.

Which meant… August didnʼt want others to know he was part of Fairy Tail. If that identity were exposed, it might cause him significant problems.

”Heh heh…”

A smug little grin crept onto Crawfordʼs face.

”Hmm?”

August was surprised. Why was this man smiling, when death was right in front of him?

”Your nameʼs August, right?”

Crawford spoke coldly.

”Correct.”

August answered indifferently.

”You havenʼt completely taken control of this country, have you?”

Crawfordʼs smirk deepened.

”Hah?”

August blinked, unsure what Crawford was implying.

”Drop the act. I know all about Fairy Tailʼs little plan.”

Crawford chuckled grimly, shaking his head at Augustʼs fake expression of surprise. He may be powerful, Crawford thought, but heʼs a terrible liar. His face is too stiff, his acting is garbage.

”Fairy Tailʼs plan?”

August frowned. What plan? Could it be that Fairy Tail was working on something behind the scenes that even he didnʼt know about? Something Evan had kept secret?

”Still playing dumb?!”

”You guys at Fairy Tail have been planning that thing for over a hundred years, havenʼt you?”

Now that Crawford believed heʼd seized the upper hand, he grew calm and composed.

”That thing? Over a hundred years?”

August froze. Fairy Tailʼs been around for just about a century. Could it be that… my mother founded it for some greater purpose…?

”Ah, now youʼre finally showing a normal expression.”

”Heh, Iʼll admit, you almost had me. If I hadnʼt read so many ancient texts…”

”Hah! I mightʼve believed you didnʼt know a thing.”

Crawford sneered, staring at the visibly confused August.

”...”

August said nothing. His brow furrowed deeply.

And it was his silence that convinced Crawford that he had guessed correctly.

”This guy… heʼs scared of me!”

Crawfordʼs grin widened. In his heart, he rejoiced, he had found his way out of this. Fate hadnʼt abandoned him. No, this was his moment of victory.

”August, you havenʼt fully taken control of this empire yet, have you?”

”And you wouldnʼt want Fairy Tailʼs plan to fall apart now, right?”

”If not, then maybe you should hear what I have to say…”

Crawford, now brimming with confidence, made one final gamble.

”Hmph?!”

Augustʼs brows pressed together tightly. Without a word, he activated a memory-probing spell on the man before him…

”Heh heh…”

”Iʼve won…”

Augustʼs silence made Crawford completely relax.

The fact that this man, hailed as the regent of the Alvarez Empire, the so-called ”King of Magic”, had initially hidden the Fairy Tail guild mark on his hand behind a glove, spoke volumes. It meant he couldnʼt reveal his identity as a member of Fairy Tail. It meant he hadnʼt fully seized control of the empire. If word got out that he was part of Fairy Tail, it could be devastating, for both Fairy Tail and himself. At least, thatʼs how Crawford saw it.

”Year X686, April, the founding of the Fairy Tail Mage Guild. Thatʼs when all evil truly began…”

”Four petty criminals, Mavis, Precht, Warrod, and Yuri, supposedly turned over a new leaf to found a guild of ʼlightʼ magic?”

”Donʼt make me laugh! It was a front. The greatest darkness always hides under the sun. Mavis Vermillion, the so-called ʼFairy Tactician,ʼ used her genius intellect to orchestrate a massive scheme. Her real goal wasnʼt peace or unity, it was world conquest!”

Crawfordʼs eyes glowed with manic intensity as he yelled at August.

”What?! World conquest…”

August, mid-magic, was visibly startled by Crawfordʼs sudden outburst.

”Heh…”

Crawford smirked. He saw the fear in Augustʼs eyes. He was sure of it now, August feared the truth getting out. And Crawford would make sure he heard everything.

”Mavis… the ruthless fairy. She may look holy and pure, but inside? Bloodthirsty. Do you know how many people she killed during the Second Trade War using her magic and cunning? You donʼt, but I do. Iʼve read countless ancient records. No one understands Fairy Tail better than me…”

”The Second Trade War made Mavis… and it broke her. In war, she found her purpose, her calling as a strategist. As long as she existed, she would lead armies to victory. As long as there was war, she would be adored, worshipped even. But when the war ended, what then?”

”Year X690, May, the war ends. The Inter-Guild Anti-Combat Treaty is signed. Mavis lost her place. But a bloodthirsty fairy like her couldnʼt stand irrelevance. If there was no war, then sheʼd create a bigger one. A war that would engulf the entire world.”

”A brief peace only masked a greater hypocrisy. Maybe even Mavis didnʼt foresee her own sudden death. But the darkness didnʼt end there, her will lived on in Fairy Tail. Her dream of world conquest never died.”

Crawford was obsessed, he saw Mavis as a fellow power-hungry soul. Just like he couldnʼt give up being the Council Chairman, she couldnʼt give up her status as the Fairy Tactician.

”Year X731, Warrod leaves Fairy Tail and starts engaging in global charity, reforestation, and image-cleaning. But that greenery? A smokescreen for ambition! He was laying the groundwork to manipulate the Magic Council!”

”Year X736, Precht steps down as the second guild master and gives the title to Fairy Tailʼs darkest figure, Makarov Dreyar. Precht disappears, but not really. He takes on a new name, Hades, and becomes the leader of the blackest guild of all, Grimoire Heart.”

”From X736 to X774, the ʼSon of Darknessʼ Makarov expanded Fairy Tailʼs ranks. Under the cover of being a Wizard Saint, he trafficked children across the world, brainwashing them with twisted ideals, turning Fiore into a land of silent suffering!”

”Outwardly they fought ʼevilʼ, black guilds, dark magic cults, but what did they really do? Level towns. Scorch landscapes. Bury mountains. Each time, we had to redraw the damn map!”

”Why? Because Fairy Tail couldnʼt stand competition. Take the Tower of Heaven incident. You must know of it. That cult trafficked children with magical talent from across Ishgar…”

”And that crossed Makarovʼs line. In his eyes, there was only room for one human trafficker, him! So he dispatched his most loyal pawn, the brainwashed prodigy Evan Belserion, to erase the Tower from existence. Then, wearing the mask of a hero, Fairy Tail took in all the trafficked children to raise as their own!”

Crawford sneered, as if he had uncovered all the truths of the world.

”From X774 onward, Fairy Tail had enough power to act openly. That year, their mage Ul became a Wizard Saint, making them the only guild with two Wizard Saints. The public hailed them as the strongest in Fiore, no, in all of Ishgar!”

”X775, Fairy Tail brainwashes councilor Torch Org, uses the BLACKVOX prison to wipe out dark cults, crush the Tower of Heaven, and absorb the stolen children…”

”Sounds noble, doesnʼt it? But Precht, Hades, was the one behind the Tower all along. He hadnʼt disappeared, he went deeper underground. Grimoire Heart and Fairy Tail, one ruled the darkness, the other the light. Together, they controlled all of magic!”

”That so-called ʼrescueʼ mission? Just relocating the children from one prison to another, the Tower to Fairy Tail. The trauma stayed with them. But for her ʼservice,ʼ Evan was promoted to Wizard Saint. What a joke!”

”X776–X777, I tried to retake the council. I failed. Fairy Tail had too many seats. Even Warrod came out of hiding to crush me, and I was exiled.”

”From X777 on, the entire continent of Ishgar fell. All independent mages were branded dark. Resistance was crushed. Even Jose Porla, a brave Wizard Saint, couldnʼt rally enough support. Dozens of guilds were wiped out. Fairy Tail had unified the continent.”

”Mavisʼ dream was almost realized. World domination! Thatʼs the real history of Fairy Tail. Did I say anything wrong?!”

”Now itʼs X779. I thought the Western Continent, Alvarez, was our final hope. But no, even here, Fairy Tailʼs corruption runs deep. But you didnʼt expect me to come here and discover your secret, did you, August?!”

”Heh heh… maybe this is fate. I will expose you. I will stop Fairy Tail from conquering the world. Once I expose your identity, the Emperor of Alvarez will see the truth and stop this madness!”

Crawfordʼs voice trembled with fervor. He stood tall, believing himself the last beacon of justice, the lone hero shouting down the devil king.

”Pchh!”

August calmly picked up his broken staff, and drove it straight through Crawfordʼs heart.

”Ugh?”

Crawford froze. He looked down at the staff piercing his chest, his face pale with disbelief.

”Why…?”

”You… you canʼt kill me. I came to help Alvarez defeat Ishgar! They all saw me arrive! I havenʼt even met your emperor…”

”If you kill me, heʼll question you… Heʼll know…”

Crawford gasped, voice faltering.

”My dear Mr. Crawford. You sure talk a lot.”

”And I believe you may have misunderstood something.”

”I am August. Not just the regent of Alvarez…”

”I am the son of Emperor Spriggan, Zeref, the Black Wizard.”

August smiled down at the dying man.

Yes, Evan had warned him to keep his identity hidden. Yes, Zeref and Mavis knowing could be disastrous. But… this man was already dead. There was no harm in telling him.

”Wha?!”

Crawfordʼs pupils shook.

Zeref was the emperor? This man… his son?

”Then why… why join Fairy Tail? Why betray your father?! You unfilial..!”

”Betray? Iʼve never betrayed my father.”

”As for Fairy Tail…”

”Why wouldnʼt I join the guild my mother founded?”

Augustʼs smile widened.

”Mother…? Wait..”

The only female founder of Fairy Tail was, 

”Mavis?!”

Crawfordʼs face froze in horror.

”Yes. The bloodthirsty fairy Mavis you ranted about… is my beloved mother.”

”And the Black Wizard Zeref, the so-called ʼevil fairy Spriggan,ʼ is my father.”

”I, August, am the most wicked, bloodthirsty fairy this world has ever known.”

”Farewell… Mr. Former Chairman.”

With a smile, August extended his aged hand.

BOOM!!

A surge of magic incinerated Crawford instantly, erasing him from existence.

At least, in death, he got to hear the ultimate gossip, that Zeref and Mavis had a child.

”…Now then,” August muttered, lifting his head.

”I suppose itʼs time I asked Evan, what is this ʼworld dominationʼ Fairy Tail is supposedly planning?”

He had read Crawfordʼs memories. The man hadnʼt lied. Everything he said, he truly believed.

And his reasoning… was disturbingly sound.

But August knew more than Crawford. He knew that Fairy Tail had already subtly absorbed both Edolas and Elentear.

So no… it wasnʼt just world domination.

Fairy Tail was aiming to conquer the entire universe.