*

Late in the evening. The sun disappeared long ago and the stars were scattered in the sky. The bright moon, like a small boat, moved quietly across the dark seas. Under its gentle light, in an empty meadow, lay a pale man, his head full of dark hair rested on the soft lap of a beautiful girl. In this darkness of the night, Mavis sparkled like the moon and did not leave Aidan a step.

Slowly, the guy's eyelashes trembled. He slowly began to open his eyes. A bright scarlet glow immediately lit up the night. But it was in no way comparable to what he saw upon awakening. Covering the heavens with her smile, Mavis's emerald eyes, like the most beautiful stars, confused his thoughts.

"Mavis ..." Aidan whispered, slowly turning away. He remembered everything and it only made it worse. He didn't even want to look at her innocent smile anymore. After the incident with Wendy, he forever remembered what could happen ... Since then, he has not shown his darkness to anyone, and now, the girl whom he admired, she saw everything. Calling it a failure would be too soft ...

- It's all right, - her gentle, soothing voice was heard: - You shouldn't regret such a thing, because you are not to blame.

Sitting with his back to her, Aidan exhaled heavily, even the scarlet mark on his back seemed to fade, he let out a bitter laugh and shook his head.

- That's the point ... I'm not sorry. Rather, I realized what a fool I was.

- What are you talking about?

Raising his head to the starry sky, he closed his eyes and said bitterly:

- You saw everything perfectly. My magic changes me, but this is only at first glance. The fact is that my perception is distorted even without conversion. I didn't notice it before, but after the last calls, I understood the truth ... "With a sad sigh, Aidan turned slightly to Mavis:

"Even now, everything is going according to plan. We talk, you sympathize and at the end I feel warmth towards you. You will become important to me, perhaps more important than many ... But in the end, this is exactly what I subconsciously strive for. It takes advantage of my weaknesses and leads me on the path of development without any pity. As I kill and destroy, turned into a madman, I slowly lose the value of life. But those who are dear to me, on the contrary, become the most valuable and important. That's the point and I can't escape ...

Mavis frowned grimly.- I do not understand...

With a wry grin, Aidan lowered his head.

- You heard it yourself ... It's not that I'm insane and fearless at this moment. Rather, I am fully convinced that everything is in my power. I felt Zeref was weak and wanted to absorb his death magic. I didn't think about the consequences at all, as I think now. Even though I knew I couldn't kill him, I didn't care. With you, I was ready to use the spell of Balance. Even if it's all just a projection, I didn't even take it into account. I barely learned to think and draw conclusions in my insane state. At the beginning, I could not really speak and acted on instincts ... I am sure that one day I will be able to think about the strength of the enemy. But, now it is impossible. That is why I want to develop, but the irony is that magic pushes me towards this.

Mavis got up and flew closer to Aidan, forcing him to look at himself. The girl smiled a little and said:

- I'm sure you can handle it. What happened to you ... Even if it's a side effect of magic, as long as you are away from people on this island, nothing will happen.

Aidan chuckled wryly and shook his head.

- Everything is not so simple ... I cannot control requests, if I do not achieve some small enlightenment, the frequency of requests increases. In the end, everything will lead to the fact that I will not be able to return until I fulfill what I desire in order to know the essence of life and death. This path will only lead me to the day when I finally kill someone important to me. All the most valuable is concentrated in the people dear to me, it makes me throw away sympathy for others. It prepares me for the day when I have something most valuable left, something that I will have to destroy with my own hands and I will not be able to resist, because in the end I will turn and do what I have planned. As soon as I feel the pain of the loss of what is most dear, as soon as I know this cold moment of death with my own hands, I will finally be ready to accept the next knowledge. Then, I will step on the path on which I can return the lost ... But only, I will not be the same. I don't even know if I will remain human in the end. This magic is acting too strange. I naively believed that it simply seeks to help me become stronger ... But I can't stop, the more I hesitate, the closer the worst day in my life. I must find a way to contain myself and become strong enough to control my magic as I please.

Aidan rose slowly and brushed off his knees.

- I have less and less time. This appeal made it clear that I'm getting smarter every time, but my emotions don't change, I'm still crazy. Now I am sure that I can hurt people who are important to me and the smarter I am, the easier it will be for me to do it. Even this forest I destroyed only to express my contempt for the Tenrou Tree, and I knew for sure, most likely you were watching.

Turning away from Mavis, Aidan sighed. Although he was ashamed, he was not going to snot here and feel sorry for himself. There is too little time for all this pathetic nonsense. If you do not learn more magic and do not find a way to control or an alternative for the knowledge of life and death, then everything will end in the worst way.

"I'm sorry Mavis, I think I'd better leave. Now that I've turned around, I'll be smart enough to hunt you or Zeref again. I'd better find another place and ...

- No, - Mavis abruptly stood in his way and said seriously: - You are not going anywhere. Even if you ignore your knowledge of Zeref and Fairy Heart, I'm not going to let you continue to live with it.Aidan turned and met her worried gaze.

"Damn ..." - looking at those beautiful eyes, he turned away. It seemed to him as if she was looking into his soul and trying to regret. It was frustrating and annoying ...

"I don't need your pity. If you want to stop me, then start. Either kill it right away, or close it in that box. But know, I'm not one of those fools who want their own death!

Aidan gave Mavis a determined look and spoke clearly.

"I may be dangerous, but this also applies to the enemies of Fairy Tail! I promised the old man to cover the guild. Even if it was boastful chatter, I will keep my word! Until I finally fall into madness, I will do my best to get my sister and mom back!

- I will help you! Mavis said no less firmly, continuing to stare at him.

- I'm not going to stop you, but I will try to find a way, at least a little, but to contain your curse! Don't even think that I will leave someone from Fairy Tail without support!

They looked at each other for a full minute. Crimson eyes, like a bloody sea, sparkled brightly in the night, and her, like two emerald stars, shone no less brightly. For a moment, sparks seemed to appear in the air, and then Aidan smiled, looking away in embarrassment. Mavis also looked away and asked:

- So that? Do you still want to learn my magic?

- You said that the teacher of you is not very ... - the guy remarked with a grin:

- Have you decided to change your mind?

- Hmm, - the girl smiled: - It all depends on the student!

Meanwhile, on the other side of the island.

Zeref sat on a lonely gray stone and looked at the stars thoughtfully:

"Looks like she held him back ... He sensed me. I wonder who he is? I did not think that at this time someone might appear with this curse. If he were to a place other than this island, I might be a little surprised, but ... He is here, where she and I are. All this, isn't it fate? " - Closing dark eyes, Zeref fell silent. He had a lot of questions, but he continued his solitude. It's not time to meet yet ... Who knows where the rush will lead - as long as it is predetermined, it will happen one day anyway.