Dust and Echos || redeem-the-heavens
Recognition was absent in the woman’s gaze, even while the man who called her ‘Ultear’ extended his reach towards her battered form, no sign of recollecting his visage, or even to the young woman that stood by his side. A note was taken from the mute woman while her listless gaze took full account of her anguished features that painted the girls’ countenance. What could cause such a reaction the woman did not know.
A blink broke her still expression as the syllables that formed out a name reached her ears, and a pang of familiarity echoed its beat deep in her soul.
Ultear Milkovich.
Yes, that was her name. It was, right? That was the name she was given, it was how she was acknowledged, how she was recognized, for what she was worth.
It seemed to be that case, and was what she felt was the truth- a statement of fact that could not be swayed, no matter the possibility. The name passed from the man’s lips with such reassurance that it left the woman without any doubts. His statement was firm, though harried with unease- yet that too was understandable. Their surroundings were wrought with destruction and gore, the earth ripped open and splintered by malicious beasts, giants of chaos and death.
Escape or death— those were her only options. What other choice was there, but to grasp the cloaked male’s hand, and continue living to face tomorrow? Oblivion of her mental state made her unable to look forward to any tomorrow, and these people, these kind souls who dragged her further away from the danger held no sentiment in her. What stake did they have in saving her?
Slender limbs wrapped around her middle to help her stand, her legs a blotted color that caused a look of alarm to pass the pink-haired girls countenance. Mutely she watched her sweep her gaze across her form, her semi-nude state catching the girls’ attentions long enough to shed her coat from her body and cover her own tattered form. From there, they lead her out on the outskirts of the city and into a wilderness that shrouded them under the cover of foliage and darkness, a canvas of peace and safety.
When they finally stopped, their company was in a slight state of breathlessness, yet enough air filled her lungs to speak words of inquiry.
"Tell me…who you both are…please…"
Rescuing Ultear certainly was a near-run thing. Even the most magically inept person could not have ignored the nexus of magical power that had been unleashed on Crocus. Thankfully, neither Jellal nor Meredy were untrained in the art of escape. As soon as the woman, in her near-advanced state of nudity had accepted their hand, Jellal had gripped onto both her, and Meredy. With a burst of celestial energy, he felt himself removing the limiters on his ability. Just before the advance guard of the Magic Council was drawn to their location, he had invoked the power of 'Meteor'. At that point, it wouldn't have mattered if there was an entire legion surrounding them. Only a blinding light marked their passing, and their eventual retreat into the depths of the outlying forest.
After their relative safety had been ascertained, Jellal picked up on a single query from the woman. This query managed to earn a saddened look from his pink-haired companion, and he could not blame her. This woman had once been the closest thing Meredy had to a mother, and now, she remember nothing. All the joys, pains, and reconciliations they had endured meant nothing to her. Jellal's history with the woman was just as coloured, but in the end, he managed to blink past whatever sorrow he might have felt.
Ultear's sacrifice had not been without merit, and he was not about to bemoan the trade-off's dire effect on her. Without her action, as abrupt as it was, humanity's end would have brief, and painful. All he could do was be grateful for magic itself rescinding on its desire to end the woman's life. Perhaps, if Ultear ever recovered the full extent of her memories, he'd ask about that particular miracle. Until then, he would simply focus on giving this woman a new lease on life.
"I am Jellal Fernandes," he began, while picking out a tree to lean his back against. "You bewitched me when I was a young child, and through my hand, proceeded to commit atrocities with my body. For a time, our relationship was that of master and puppet. When I learned of this, I hated you, and I wanted you to die. At the same time, I was also rotting in jail, so my desires did not matter much. In time, you freed me, for reasons that I cannot even understand today.
From there, my hatred of your being faded away, as I understood the woman you had become. You were no longer callous, or cold. What I saw in you was a woman of light, and from that light, I found a measure of peace. I never properly thanked you for that, for I knew that I would never hear the end of it. But now, I can thank you for that. Without you, I would not have found redemption.
The woman that gave you her cloak is Meredy. You plucked her out from a village that you had destroyed, and you took her on as your daughter figure. In your darkness, she was perhaps the only light that you truly had. She too took after you, and grew in coldness as you once had. In the end, an encounter with Fairy Tail saved her soul, and it saved yours as well.
Since then, the both of you were close, and you had a bond that was unbreakable. As did the three of us. All of us sought redemption by destroying guilds of darkness, even if we were never to receive it. That was our goal. But now, I believe our goal is to make sure you have a good life."
