-Third Person P. O. V.-

Zeref instantly ran to Mavis, embracing her in a hug. Both shed a few tears out of concern for each other.

"Mavis... What happened here?... Who hurt you and killed Rita?..."

Mavis looked up at him, crying more and more with each word. "We... fell down... in pain... We just collapsed... She died and I lived... Why did this happen, Zeref?... Why did she just die when both of us were in pain!!!"

Zeref looked down at her, his expression serious and sad. "Mavis... My curse... The one that makes me immortal and keeps me looking young... you have the same curse..."

Mavis was shocked, her tears stopping, but not her sadness. "W-what..."

Zeref continued, each word making him sound more depressed. "You are immortal... you will look this age forever... Why do you think that I did not object to you being Master?... That I didn't disagree with the assistant outliving the Master?... Because I knew that I wouldn't... We would live together, forever, at Fairy Tail..."

Mavis felt a bittersweet feeling. She gets to live with Zeref at Fairy Tail forever? "Why didn't you tell me before?... When did you know?..."

Zeref seemed to crack a sad smile, filled with pity, sorrow, and regret. "I knew it when I first met you, back in your town... I decided not to tell you unless it took effect, as it would just cause you trouble. You would worry and live in fear..."

"T-took effect?..." Her voice was breaking, unable to process all this new information.

"Your curse... Our curse... In moments of extreme happiness, extreme sadness, any emotion that becomes extremely strong...

You and another person or animal you care about will have a severe headache...

Then that person or animal will die, leaving you lying there in pain..."

Mavis burst into tears, clutching to Zeref like it was her only connection to life. "I... I... I don't want anybody else to die, Zeref!..."

Zeref held her as tight as he could. "I didn't, either... That is why I let you be my light... I always left a shadow everywhere I went... A path of death and destruction from this curse... But with you, I want to leave a different path behind, one filled with laughter and life and happiness...

A shadow of light..."

Mavis was finally able to smile. "We will... You haven't had a headache since we met, you told me. Now... we can live together at Fairy Tail forever... Together, we can conquer this curse and leave shadows of light together...

As a family..."

Zeref smiled and hugged his fiance. The two sat there, smiling, hugging, keeping each other from crying, knowing that they will conquer the curse together.

Until...

They both fell to the ground...

Both with massive headaches...

-Somewhere else in the woods-

Mavis's mother, the captain, ran through the woods, her two bumbling guards struggling to keep up.

"My daughter is in danger! I will save her and kill the Black Wizard Zeref!" She shouted, brushing past trees.

"I don't doubt that you can save your daughter, but I doubt that we can kill the Black Wizard." One of the guards said as they ran.

"I will kill that evil man, I will save my daughter, and I will stop that path of death and destruction that that evil being leaves if it's the last thing that I-"

And then she collapsed to the ground, her head pounding with a terrible headache.