Fairy Tail: Starting with Marrying the Dragon Queen Irene

"Damn it…"

Blood trickled from Zero's mouth as he felt his life slipping away. He knew he couldn't fall here. Summoning all his remaining magic, he gathered it at his fingertips and shouted: "Genesis Zero—"

"Dark Paradise!"

But Ian was faster. His spell, Dark Paradise, manifested behind Zero, pulling him in before Zero could unleash his final attack.

"You liar… You said you wouldn't interfere!" Zero screamed, his eyes filled with rage and despair. 

"You filthy, deceitful Light wizards!"

"Idiot," Ian replied with disdain in his eyes. "You're a Dark wizard, and you actually believed your enemy?"

Ian's principle was simple: never fight alone when you could gang up, and never give the enemy a fair fight when you could strike from behind.

Boom! 

Before Zero could respond, both his magic and his personality were sealed within the Dark Paradise. Only Brian, now powerless and ordinary, crashed to the ground.

Ironically, in the end, they did achieve the separation they always wanted.

"We'll keep him alive for the Magic Council to deal with. For now, we can't kill him," Ian said to Ur softly.

Such a significant event needed someone to take the fall. And who better than Brian? After all, it was his mess to begin with.

"Is he… dead?" Ian kicked Brian's limp body a couple of times. 

"No, just passed out. His magic core's been completely destroyed, though. He'll live the rest of his life as a normal human… not that he'll live long anyway."

With Zero out of the way, Ian turned to Gray and Lyon. "You see that? This is the price of falling into the darkness! If you don't learn properly and stay on the right path, you'll end up paying the same price. So, stick to learning magic from your master, Ur, and keep working hard."

Gray and Lyon stood in silence, their minds racing. For some reason, they felt like Ian was the one leaning toward darkness.

First, he didn't keep his word. Not the most honorable move. 

Second, even though he had a massive advantage, he still struck from the shadows. 

If I can beat you face-to-face, it's because I'm strong. 

If I attack from behind, it's because I'm smart. Victory doesn't have to be pretty!

But of course, neither Gray nor Lyon dared say these thoughts aloud in front of Ian.

"Now, let's focus on freeing all the kids that were being experimented on," Ian said, turning to Ur. "You've already notified the Magic Council, right?"

"Yes, they're on their way," Ur nodded. Before confronting Brian, she had already reported the entire incident to the Council. 

Though their response was slow, as they needed to convene a full meeting to discuss the matter, Ur had left them with: "We're already headed to the Magic Development Bureau to take care of this ourselves. Just send your arrest team."

"What?!" The head of the Council had been utterly shocked, but Ur and Ian had already stormed the Bureau before he could say anything more.

About an hour later…

All the imprisoned children had been freed. Ur had taken care of their safety outside the Bureau, while Brian and the rest of his research team had been encased in ice, awaiting the Council's arrest squad.

After everything was settled, Ian led Ur, Gray, Lyon, and Ultear back into the building. They approached the massive magic development machine responsible for so much suffering.

"This is the thing they used to hurt people?" Ur said, lifting her hand, ready to destroy the device entirely.

"Wait, Ur," Ian stopped her, gazing at the machine thoughtfully. 

"Sure, it's brutal, but the magic enhancement it provides is real." He glanced at Gray and Lyon with a mischievous smile. "You two interested in trying it out?"

"Ian!" Ur's voice was sharp, her eyes filled with anger. She thought Ian was being reckless with the boys' future.

Gray and Lyon, however, exchanged a glance before turning to Ian.

"Ultear was subjected to this every day, wasn't she?" Gray asked.

"Yes," Ian nodded solemnly.

"Then we want to try it too," Lyon said firmly.

"Ian…" Ur called his name again, her voice filled with worry.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure it's safe," Ian reassured her, giving her shoulder a comforting pat.

"Sigh… fine," Ur relented. She couldn't argue against Ian, Gray, and Lyon's combined determination.

"Let's get started, then!" Ian's magic surged as he used his gravity powers to connect the machine's wires to Gray and Lyon. 

To ensure their safety, Ian put the machine on its lowest setting and had both boys undergo the process together.

"Here it comes!"

Ian flipped the switch.

Zzzzzt! 

Electricity crackled through the air.

"AHHHH!!!"

The boys' screams filled the room, echoing off the walls.

Ian watched with a gleeful expression. "This is perfect!" he laughed. 

The machine, he thought, could be brought back to Fairy Tail. It would be a perfect tool to train those hardy kids like Natsu, toughen up misbehaving wizards, and keep the rowdy ones in line. A multipurpose magic device!

He looked at Brian's barely-breathing form nearby. "Such a shame," he muttered. "The genius who made this is already dead… and I'm the one who killed him."

Ian chuckled as his imagination ran wild, picturing a future where every Dark Guild wizard in the world cursed Fairy Tail. 

"Fairy Tail scum! You wretched Light wizards who have no idea what suffering is like! If you'd lived our childhoods, you wouldn't have even half our compassion!"

To which Fairy Tail wizards would surely respond: 

"If you'd lived our childhoods, you wouldn't even be alive."