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"What are you doing here?" He questioned as he held a hand out to the man in front of him.
Zeref took a moment to realise that he was no longer alone before straightening up, ignoring the spell dancing on the other's fingers. "I don't think that's any of your business."
Jellal only snarled in response. "Anything you do is my business-" He snapped though he didn't get the chance to finish as all of a sudden Zeref zipped past him ignoring the clear threat and instead threw up a shimmering purple barrier.
The projectile aimed at them bounced harmlessly off it as cult members gathered on the other side.
"Nice try… but I know they're working for you." Jellal hissed.
Zeref only rolled his eyes in response as he readied another spell before dropping the barrier and firing it at their attackers.
As the last man fell Zeref turned to Jellal, his face thunderous as he snapped back at the taller man.
"Just because they worship me doesn't mean they work for me, the two are very very different I assure you."
"I find that hard to believe."
"Well believe it! They don't follow me they follow their ideal version of me, a version that doesn't -" His words were cut off in a sharp gasp as he fell forward clutching his side.
On instinct Jellal caught him before he hit the floor before mentally chiding himself for helping. Though he could hardly not help now that the dreaded Black Wizard had been reduced to nothing more than a shaking mess in his arms.
The man had gone frighteningly pale as he gasped through the pain. The wound on his side was steadily leaking blood, staining his clothes. More worryingly was the way it sparked with purple and black energy.
Then as if to spur him into action the damn cultists that had just arrived began firing on them both.
It took all of two seconds for Jellal to make up his mind as he mentally groaned before hefting Zeref into his arms and taking off in the opposite direction to their attackers.
"You owe me!" He growled, though he was sure the man had not registered any of his words with the way his face was screwed up in pain.
~*~
Escaping the hideout was easier said than done now that they'd been discovered, strangely it seemed that the cultists were just as intent on shooting at their supposed 'saviour' as they were him. It didn't really make sense.
Unfortunately it wasn't as if he could ask why either as the only person with him quickly lost consciousness in the break out, going limp in his arms. The patch of red across his clothes growing worryingly quickly, that wasn't to mention the way the wound still sparked with malignant magic.
When they finally did get a safe distance away and Jellal was sure they weren't being followed he quickly set Zeref down.
The man had been pale before but he was practically white as a sheet now, his breaths coming in short sharp pants that were gradually slowing with every second.
Perhaps Jellal should've been happy that the mage was dying before his eyes but somehow it only enraged him.
"No!" He yelled as he grabbed fistfuls of the mans robes, "you don't get to die now, you don't get that luxury! You are going to suffer like you've made everyone else suffer!"
His cries fell on deaf ears though as the man breathed once more… then stopped. The magic that had been sparking around the wound dying off soon after.
"Dammit!" He let go of Zeref's robes before tangling his hands in his own hair.
It wasn't… he couldn't…. where was the justice, the retribution! For him to die now, to something so ridiculous without even paying for his sins-
.
Zeref suddenly sat up with a gasp.
.
Jellal yelled as he threw himself back and away from the man who appeared to have come miraculously back to life.
He could only watch in mild horror as the Black Wizard checked himself over, seemingly more annoyed than anything, as if dying and coming back to life were a regular occurrence.
Slowly the man stood slowly and unsteadily until he was finally upright before turning to his rescuer.
"I suppose I should thank you, I don't think I would've gotten out on my own with that magic they were wielding… though I don't expect to cross paths with you again for quite sometime… goodbye Jellal." He said with mild disinterest.
Jellal realised moments too late what was happening and had only the chance to yell, reaching out to try and stop him before the air shimmered and the Black Wizard disappeared.
The only evidence that he has been there at all was the blood stain in the grass where he'd just been lying.