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_•_
Mavis hummed as she watched the night sky on her back. She felt a soft smile come to her lips when she felt someone lay down next to her.
“It's a beautiful night, isn't it?” Mavis asked softly, her voice almost sounding like bells in the night.
“Yes,” the person, a male, responded, though he wasn't looking at the sky; he was looking at her.
Mavis looks over and smiles at him. “Did you find anything interesting, Zeref?” She asked softly, her hand moving to gently hold onto his that lay next to him.
“No, but I didn't want to be away from your side any longer.” Zeref responded honestly, and Mavis giggled softly and sweetly, and Zeret felt his cheeks warm.
“I… could stay in this dead forest forever with you.” Mavis admitted to shifting to rest her head on his chest.
“I too could stay here with you forever.” Zeref agrees before pressing a soft kiss to her forehead and watching a pretty blush come to her cheeks.
Sadly, their happiness didn’t last; a month later, Mavis’s soul got separated from her body.
_•_
Zeref was making his way through the mountains when he heard a soft whimper. He tilted his head and couldn’t help but follow the sound out of curiosity. Inside the cave were 2 little bundles that were whimpery. As he approached, he found 2 barely a week old babies, clearly having been abandoned.
There was a boy with blond hair, and the baby blue that all newborns have was starting to fade; his eyes seemed to become black. Next to him was a girl with black hair that had blond hair underneath the black, and the baby blue in her eyes was fading to green. Both were clearly twins, but the girl caught his breath; the reason for that was the 2 wings on the other side of her head, right behind her ears.
‘It can’t be…’ Zeref thought it had been a little over 9 months since he had thrown Mavis’s body at Precht Gaebolg’s feet.
He forced himself to stop doing the math because he could feel the cure start. If his thoughts were right, though, he would kill Precht for doing this to his—and Mavis's—children. He carefully picked up each twin and slowly made his way to Alvarez. He makes it to Alvarez; he ignores those who wanted his attention for whatever reason. He headed to his office and placed both babies down and looked at them.
After a long moment he touched the boy. “August… After a month I met Mavis.” He spoke softly, giving the boy a name, and then he looked at the boy’s twin.
Zeref's hand shook a bit as he touched her cheek. “Asteria… After all, Mavis found the night sky to be so beautiful.” He spoke just as softly, his finger tracing the girl’s cheek.
Asteria giggled softly and reached up, grabbing his finger. Zeref's breath caught, and he swallowed hard. He looked at the girl who looked so much like him and Mavis. Asteria had his eye shape but no doubt will have Mavis’s green eyes. Asteria was a risk to his curse; August wasn't. August has his eye color, but everything else is Mavis. It was easier thinking August was Mavis’s child without tying the baby to him. But Asteria? Asteria was too much of a blend of Mavis and himself.
"Forgive me, little one… one day you’ll be able to actually live.” Zeref whispered to the Asteria, who gave him a soft smile, seemingly understanding what he said and what he meant.
Zeref stood and picked up Asteria; he made his way to the wall behind his desk. “It’ll be quite a few years, I’m afraid." He adds, pleased, a soft kiss on her head before whispering a time trap spell and sealing the girl away into the wall. She won't age or change until he unseals her.
Zeref turned and picked up her twin. “Don’t worry, one day your twin will be able to live a normal life one day.” He informs the boy before he walks out of the office, missing how August looked over to the wall with knowing eyes where his twin now slumbered.
_•_
It had been 69 years since the day Zeref found the twins and sealed away the little girl. Zeref was in a meeting with August, who always did his best to sit near the wall behind Zeref. Zeref never questioned why August did that. There was a knock at the door, and both looked over.
“Lord Spriggan, a woman saying her name is Layla Heartfilia is here.” One of the gourds spoke, a gourd Zeref never bothered remembering the name of.
“Send Lady Heartfilia in,” Zeref responded to the guard as he leaned back, wondering what the lady wanted.
With a wave of magic from August, he was now looking like the 69-year-old he should look like. He naturally looked no older than 19 or 21, but only Zeref that August didn’t age after his magic majority. No one else knew this, and no one else needed to know… He had a feeling when the time comes his twin would be someone. He tilted his head, still staying close to where his twin was sealed. He rested his head slightly against the wall. Something tells him something is telling him something about how to change. He watched as Lady Heartfilia came in, her hands clapping in front of her. She gave a curtsy as she came to a stop in front of them.
"Zeref.” She spoke his real name as she looked up at him. “I request a favor.” She spoke softly, and Zeref tilted his head.
“What is the favor the Lady needs?” He asked, not yet agreeing to anything without knowing what she wanted.
“I want a child… it seems I am barren," Layla spoke softly, her head tilting down.
“A child?” Zeref blinked slowly at her words.
“Yes, I plan to open the eclipse gate in 7 years, but before that… I wish to raise a child of my own. My husband and I have tried, but it seems the Heartfilia bloodline dies with me. Perhaps it is because I am the one meant to open the gate, so the bloodline is no longer needed, and the family curse will come to an end with me.” Layla admitted, softly looking out a window.
There was a long moment of silence.
“My twin, my Lord,” August suggested as he set both up. Layla looked at him with a raised brow, taking in his old age, and Zeref hummed softly.
“Yes… I do believe it is time for her to live.” Zeref admitted and stood up and ruined the wall behind him.
He waved his hand and whispered a spell. In a flash of light a small bundle appeared in Zeref’s arms. He handed the bundle to August, who took it gently.
"Hello, sister,” August whispered and made his way to Layla. “It’s time for you to live your own life. I wish you were my sister.” August nodded just as quietly and kissed her forehead gently.
“What is her name?” Layla breaths out and gently holds the baby girl August handed her.
“Asteria,” August responded and took a step back once his sister was snug in the woman’s arms.
August watched as Asteria looked at him and seemed to understand what was going on, and August knew she did. She was like him, both born with too many memories. Asteria smiled at him then looked up at the woman. Asteria, with a wave of magic, put a powerful illusion on herself, so now she looked like Layla. The Heartfilia family curse meant she would pass as Layla’s daughter.
Layla gasped and held the girl closer. “Thank you,” Layla breathed and pressed a kiss on the girl’s forehead. “When you look like me, like you were born to the Heartfilia bloodline, your name will be Lucy Heartfilia. When you look at your true self, then your name will remain Asteria.” Layla spoke gently to the girl.
Zeref watched from afar, his jaw tightening. He looked away and took a breath. This was for the beast. Asteria was at risk around him, and she deserved to live her life… maybe he could watch her from afar. He had a feeling August would be doing that anyway.
_•_