Chapter 75: The Man Revived, Nirvana Activated (4)
Western Sector of the Worthwood Forest
Jura was sprinting alongside Hoteye—now transformed into a saintly figure—to stop Nirvana.
"What did you say?! Nirvana is a magic that inverts people's personalities?!"
"That is correct."
Hearing the true nature of Nirvana and Oración Seis's real objective from Hoteye, Jura exclaimed in disbelief. Hoteye, however, kept his serene smile, calmly continuing his explanation.
"And that first stage—the black light—it forcibly switches anyone lingering between good and evil."
"Then at that moment… you yourself were standing on that boundary between light and darkness?"
"I may have been chasing money… but I couldn't help but feel, just a little, that what I was doing was wrong."
"That sounds rather shameless…"
"It was all for my younger brother. I needed money to find him."
Though he committed evil in pursuit of wealth, buried regret and conflict had lingered in Hoteye's heart. That tiny spark was enough for Nirvana to strip away the darkness, restoring the kindness he once had.
While Jura fully recognized the danger of Nirvana, he couldn't help but feel gratitude that the spell had brought someone back from the shadows into the light.
"Watching you… reminds me of the past."
"Don't tell me… you think I resemble your brother? Surely not, hoho…"
"No, not that. You remind me of the potatoes I used to eat with him."
"Potatoes?!"
"Come! For the sake of love, let's go stop Brain and the others!"
"Uh… r-right."
Jura rubbed his bald head, still unconvinced, but ran alongside Hoteye toward the tower where the black pillar of light rose.
....
Elsewhere
"Ghh… ahhh… uhhk…"
Brain writhed on the ground, frothing, his eyes rolled white. He could only groan, swiping uselessly at the air.
The man standing before him explained.
"What happened to him…?"
At my question, that man—Ciel Illusian—answered with a soft smile, his voice calm.
"I cast an illusion upon him that can never be erased. He no longer knows who he is, why he has lived, or how to go on. He is nothing but a broken husk."
Saying this, he placed a hand on my shoulder and looked down at me.
"Kyaah…?!"
"…Sorano."
The voice I had once found unsettling now reached my ears as something sweet, almost tender. Yet beneath that tone lay only sorrow and torment.
His bright voice somehow carried such weight, as though steeped in grief. With that pained voice, he asked me:
"Why… did you choose to side with me, rather than with Brain?"
His cold eyes bore into me. But I could see it clearly—beneath that gaze was anguish, conflict, and pain he could not voice.
Just what burden was this man carrying that left him so tormented?
"When my spell was broken, I was certain you would betray me and return to Brain's side. The outcome defied all of my expectations… I don't understand."
"I already told you, didn't I? I fell for you~"
"…"
He said nothing in return, simply staring into my eyes.
At first, my intention had been to eliminate this man along with Jura of the Ten Saints and that lecherous old pervert, seizing whatever information I could. But he had stood in my way, again and again, hindering me.
I had hated him—hated that he would dare obstruct my prayers.
Even when I was shackled by his strange spell, reduced to a slave of pleasure, unable to resist my own maddening urges, I could only cling to him. It was like being injected with the most addictive drug, flooding my body with unbearable stimulation.
But after the battles with Oración Seis, he weakened that spell as much as possible.
I could have left then. In that moment when his comrades lay poisoned, when I could have returned to my guild by striking them down in their weakness—opportunities had been countless.
Yet… when he called me not by my codename but by my true name, gently, as though I were truly human—something in me shifted.
Even knowing it might be nothing more than a fleeting illusion, I found myself… wanting to stay by his side.
Am I… reaching out not for my prayer, but for a fleeting illusion?
Is it prayer… or merely a mirage shimmering in the desert?
As I wrestled with the thought, Nirvana activated.
A strange sensation rippled through my mind, and I realized something.
I am neither angel nor demon.
I am merely… a human being. A sinner who has borne his sins.
If so, then perhaps grasping this fleeting illusion—rather than clinging to the darkness of prayer—is the punishment I deserve.
My darkness consumed every trace of light that once illuminated me.
And in that instant, as I looked upon his anguished face, I discovered another truth.
This man was just like me moments ago—trapped in conflict—yet also different.
A purity bound in shadow, unable to understand what emotions should guide his words or deeds.
He suffers, he hesitates, tormented by feelings he does not even recognize.
I wondered if this too was Nirvana's influence.
But no—he is different.
Because now, under Nirvana's effect, I can see it clearly.
This man has been agonizing like this for a long time, long before this moment.
Like a child reaching out for someone—anyone—to explain the emotions and actions he cannot grasp, waiting for a hand of salvation that never reaches the abyss he's fallen into.
"I cannot understand. To throw everything away… for something so trivial…"
"It isn't trivial at all. What you call trivial—those are the very things most important to human life."
"…An element of being human…"
He echoed my words, his face still clouded with doubt.
I pitied him. He did not know the answers his own heart longed for. He moved blindly, led by feelings he couldn't name.
What kind of life had he lived to become like this?
A man who had lost everything a human should hold dear, nothing more than a living doll.
"If you truly want the answer, I can explain it with words. But… would you really be satisfied with that?"
"…That won't be necessary. Sorano, I am not so weak that I need your teachings."
"Ahh~! Then let me come with you, Master~♡"
He pressed his hand against his forehead and started walking toward the pillar of light.
Watching his heavy back, I followed in silence.
And I prayed.
Even with these blood-stained hands… at least for this fleeting moment—
Let me be the angel of this wretched man.
....
Remote Cliffside, Southwestern Forest
Wendy sat with Charle upon a lonely stone outcrop, lost in worry.
"Maybe… I shouldn't have come…"
"There you go again. Really, Wendy."
Separated from Lucy and Hibiki's group after Midnight appeared, Wendy could only blame herself, regretting her decision to join the mission.
"But still…"
"Hibiki—that blond guy—told you, didn't he? Keep thinking negatively, and the darkness will steal your heart!"
"But I… I left Lucy and the others behind and ran away alone…"
"You wouldn't have helped much if you stayed, anyway."
"…Haah… so I really am useless after all…"
Charle scolded her sharply, refusing to let Wendy sink deeper into self-loathing.
"But if it weren't for you, Erza would be dead by now. Even that man, Ciel, said so himself."
"…..But then Nirvana wouldn't have been found."
Because she was here, Jellal had been revived, and Nirvana had been set into motion. The girl regretted it, her heart swelling with darker and darker feelings.
"You don't know that… Besides, weren't you happy to see that man, Jellal?"
"That's… well…"
"By the way, who is this Jellal anyway? You kept calling him your benefactor, but I've never heard this story before."
"…That's right. I never told you."
Wendy's negativity faded just a little as she drifted into memories of Gerard.
"It was seven years ago, when the Sky Dragon, Grandeeney, and Master Ciel both disappeared, and I was left wandering alone."
"Seven years ago…"
"That's when Jellal found me. Well… truth is, he was lost too. But we ended up traveling together aimlessly for about a month."
Wendy smiled faintly as she recalled their first meeting.
A boy who extended his hand to a crying girl who had lost everything.
He laughed innocently, saying he was lost too, and soothed her tears, choosing her—someone who might only be a burden—as his traveling companion.
"But one day, Jellal suddenly started talking nonsense. He said 'Anima' had manifested…"
"Anima…?!"
"Mm. I still don't really know what it was. But Jellal said it was dangerous if I stayed with him, so he left me at a nearby guild. That guild was Cait Shelter."
"And… what happened to Jellal after that?"
"I never saw him again. After that, I only heard rumors—that there was a councilor who looked just like him, that Master Ciel had died, that Jellal was committing terrible crimes everywhere… But seven years ago, back then… he was truly kind."
"..."
"He looked exactly like Master Ciel from my childhood memories—the kind, gentle Ciel I remembered."
Finishing her story, Wendy's face clouded over again as she gazed at the fading sunset.
"Do you think… Jellal doesn't remember me anymore?"
....
"I… Who am I?! What am I supposed to be…?!"
"Jellal…"
"D-Don't come any closer!"
He had no memory of who he was or why he was here. I took a step forward toward him.
Jellal immediately thrust out his hand, releasing a surge of magic.
I didn't resist. I let it strike me.
Blood trickled from my forehead, my armor cracked—but none of that mattered.
Because I wanted to tell this suffering man the truth.
"I said don't come closer—!"
"Then you come to me."
"…What…?"
"I am Erza. Come stand before me."
At those words, Jellal's assault faltered, his eyes widening in shock as he looked at me.
"Your name is Jellal And you… are my old friend."
"F… friend…?"
"But when you were not yourself, you defiled the dead, hurt your comrades, destroyed the Council… and killed Simon."
I felt a pang of pity watching Jellal hesitate, but I still couldn't let go of my doubts.
Had he who activated Nirvana truly lost his memory?
I spoke to him, dredging up his past to provoke a reaction.
"If you truly forgot all that, then I'll draw my sword and carve it into your heart myself! So come on — come here! Stand before me!"
"…I… my friends… I couldn't have… "
"What… what did I… do…? What am I supposed to do now…?"
He trembled like a leaf, sobbing. It was the Jellal I had longed for and sincerely wanted to meet again.
But was this really the same Jellal?
He was completely unlike the figure I'd seen at the Tower of Heaven.
"I understand that you have no memory," someone said behind us.
We turned; a voice had interrupted the moment.
"Ah — no wonder I couldn't hear any inner voice."
"Oracion Seis!?"
Snapping out of my reverie, I drew my sword toward the enemy who had appeared behind us.
Cobra — one of the Oracion Seis — emerged from behind, his great venomous serpent coiled about him.
He ignored me and addressed Jellal directly.
"How did you get all the way out here? And… why did you break the seal on Nirvana?"
"…"
Jellal swallowed dryly, still wracked with anguish, and answered.
"When I was sleeping I heard someone's voice: 'Seize Nirvana.' I could faintly remember the magic circle and the hidden site…"
From inside the pillar of light behind Jellal, giant towers and buildings slowly rose into being.
Jellal paid them no heed and continued talking to Cobra.
"This magic is dangerous. It mustn't fall into anyone's hands."
"And?"
"So I unsealed it to destroy it completely."
"What…?!"
"You mean to destroy Nirvana…?"
"I already set an autonomous collapse magic circle. Nirvana will self-annihilate soon."
"What the hell has he done!!"
Cobra flew into a rage at Jellal's words and raced straight for the magic circle spread out before the pillar of light.
"Damn it!!"
"I'm the only one who knows the code."
"Jellal…"
"Goddamn it! This is a highly advanced formation…! If this continues, Nirvana will collapse on its own! Jellal! Tell us the code now!"
"Guh…!"
Jellal vomited a mouthful of blood and collapsed.
I caught him and laid him down across my knees.
This man…
"Jellal!"
"Erza… somehow that name feels warm."
"Don't talk like that! What on earth is going on?!"
-----------------+
If you want to read 10 advance chapters ahead.
Visit my patreon: patreon.com/Leonzky