Changes - A Jerza Story

We Know Each Other

Alvarez headquarters was a dark fort. One could actually smell the shady businesses that went on there. And that's what made him want to throw up.

Jellal had entered the fort with his platoon as soon as Laxus had given the signal. The idea of the signal was Laxus's. Alvarez would definitely be suspicious after seeing the birds. But the place from where the signal was given, did not harbor any platoon. A common tactic, it wouldn't take them much time to figure it out.

Jellal, along with his platoon, proceeded inside the fort. This mission was of extreme importance and deserved his undivided attention. But Jellal couldn't do that. His attention wandered to two places. To Erza and to Zeref. He still didn't know what to do with Zeref. He didn't trust him completely but Zeref had provided them with sensitive information regarding Alvarez. But somewhere in his mind, he still blamed Zeref for his father's death.  And then there was Erza. He was completely opposed to the idea of bringing Erza along with them to the attack. He knew that if she came with them, he would keep worrying about her but if she had stayed, he would keep thinking if Zeref would cause a problem for her. But most importantly, Erza was an independent woman. She could make her own decisions and she didn't need someone else to do it for her. Jellal respected that. Her father dictated her whole life, even though it was for her protection, but he still did. Jellal wanted her to live her life to the fullest now, even if that meant that she would choose Fairy Tail over him.

His chest twisted in pain while thinking that. Just the thought of her leaving him was painful. He had no idea how he would deal with the separation if she decided to leave him.

He shook his head. This was not the time to be thinking about all that.

"Your Highness, what will be our next move?" Macbeth asked in a hushed voice.

Before Jellal could reply, they heard  collective war cries of members of Alvarez.

They had been found.

*******

Erza couldn't remember how many people she had fought and slashed off in the last three hours. She had a cut on the right side of the neck, nothing too major. The right side of her torso was bruised as well, but she was managing.

They had been extremely careful while entering but Alvarez was ready with a  counterattack. They had been fighting continuously and fortunately, their had not been many casualties on their side. At least on their platoon.

Natsu and Gray were having little difficulty in taking on the enemies. Natsu had a nasty gash on his left arm, making it hard to use it. He had somehow managed to wrap the wound with his scarf, which was now drenched in blood. He didn't like it but he had to make do. Gray was in a similar condition. An arrow had pierced through his right shoulder. It was sheer luck that it had not hit him in the chest. Nevertheless, he was not able to use his right arm in any way.
Erza had no idea about Lucy, Juvia and Gajeel. They had been far away from each other, so they had been separated easily. She could only hope, no, she believed that they would be fine.

Suddenly, one of the Alvarez shouted,"FALL BACK!" and the soldiers of Alvarez started retreating.
Erza and everyone else were confused. They found them, attacked them and now they were retreating?

The ground started shaking, and to their horror, they found that that part of the fort was collapsing. Everyone started running in all directions. No one had seen that coming. Erza ran in a random direction and saw a gap between the walls, enough for her to go through it. The ceiling was about to collapse when she passed through it and lost conciousness.

*******

Jellal was starting to get suspicious. His platoon was attacked by a handful of soldiers, but now it seemed like the bulk of the enemy army was attacking them. That was normal. But what was not normal, was the fact that they were not trying to eliminate them. They were just cornering them, even though they were not very successful. Platoon 0 was composed of elites. They weren't that easy to take down. But he couldn't understand why they were doing so.

Suddenly, the enemy forces started retreating. His men were shocked. Then the ground shook. The ceiling started collapsing. Everyone ran. And everyone was separated.

Jellal barely got away with his life. He had no idea who all had survived. He held his knees and panted. After collecting himself, he took in his surroundings and saw the silhouette of a man in front of him. He was old, had long white hair and beard, and looked at him with cold and judgemental eyes.

And somehow, just somehow, Jellal knew that he was the leader of Alvarez.

*******

When Erza came to be, she was alone. She saw that she was in a dark place. The gap from where she had escaped existed no more. She gathered her bearings and decided to search the place thoroughly. She may find a way to get out of there.

As she walked further, she realised that there was nothing to find. The place was completely barren.

Then she heard something.  The clicking of heels on the ground. She held her breath and waited. There was nowhere to hide. So she would have to face the enemy. Or whoever it may be.

In the dark, she first saw the feet of a woman. She just stood there and didn't come forward. Erza held her sword in front of her. "Show yourself."

The woman came towards her. She had long, braided hair, and were of the same shade as her own. Surprised, Erza asked,"Who are you?"

Amused, brown eyes bore into her similar ones."Little Erza, we know each other."

A.N. - Surprise! I updated faster than expected. You, my lovely readers, can consider this a new year gift. This is the first time I tried writing changes of sceneries. Do tell me how it was.
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Thank you for reading!