Macbeth

Macbeth (マクベス Makubesu), formerly known by the codename Midnight (ミッドナイト Middonaito), was a Dark Mage of the Oración Seis: a Dark Guild composed of highly powerful Mages whose goal was to find a Magic known as Nirvana, a very destructive power that was sealed away long ago. After the rebirth of the Oración Seis, Macbeth referred to himself as Brain II. He joined Crime Sorcière as an Independent Mage after his escape from prison, per Jellal's request to help him take down Zeref.

Appearance
Macbeth is a very lean, slightly effeminate young man with short spiky black hair on the top, and longer, straight white hair on the bottom; he has long strands of white hair framing either side of his face, with the right strand, in particular, being adorned by five maroon beads. He wears a black leather vest with white fur trimming, a white armlet around his right bicep, and a black choker around his neck. Macbeth also wears a pair of yellow pants with black designs on them and burgundy boots; there are spiked bracelets on his wrists and skull earrings in his ears. Macbeth's lower eyelashes are very prominent, and he wears dark eyeliner and plum-colored lipstick. Macbeth's red Oración Seis Mark is located on his right shoulder, and he wears dark nail polish.

As of X791, Macbeth's black spiky hair has grown considerably; it now reaches midway down his back, obscuring the vast majority of the white portion of his hair, save for a small braided lock dangling down the left side of his face. He now wears a full-body white suit that has a maroon stripe decorating the mid-thigh region, as well as a maroon neckline. He completes his outfit by donning a black vest, over which he also wears a white fur-trimmed brown coat.

Personality
Macbeth is a very relaxed individual, evidenced by his incessant sleeping, most often done on a flying carpet. He seems to believe that his power is absolute, or, at least, greater than anyone else's: in battle, he often expresses boredom with his opponent's lack of strength, leading Macbeth to exude an air of superiority and arrogance. However, Macbeth does speak amiably to others, as seen when he addresses his guild members though he does not necessarily extend the same courtesy to non-guild members.

He seems to be sadistic; when he finds a strong opponent, he will make them suffer. He is also afraid of his foster father Brain, as when he was defeated, Macbeth expressed his fear at the thought of Brain abandoning him. In spite of his seeming reverence of Brain, Macbeth is eventually disillusioned by Brain's manipulation, coming to realize that Brain only viewed him and his guild members to be pawns to seal Zero. Consequently, Macbeth gives Cobra the permission to kill Brain, smiling as the man he formerly viewed as a foster father died, displaying a ruthless part to his personality.

Like the rest of the guild, Macbeth values his freedom very much and is willing to go to great lengths for it. From Macbeth's words to Jellal, it can be gleaned that he somewhat appreciates his guild members and has a resilient bond with them all, aside from Brain. Macbeth trusts Cobra explicitly, remarking that if what Cobra has heard is true, then there is no reason to doubt him.

Macbeth shows an understanding and respective side to the members of his guild, as seen when Hoteye decides to follow Jellal, he simply states that everyone has the freedom to choose what they want.

Macbeth joins Jellal to obtain true "freedom" and to defeat Zeref. It is unknown if he is truly dedicated to Jellal's goal or not.

History
Not much is known about Macbeth's past, except that he was a Tower of Heaven slave as a young child, much like the other Oración Seis members. As a young boy, out of fear, Midnight was unable to sleep under Jellal's reign, until that is, with Jellal's permission, Brain selected Macbeth and four other young children to become a part of his guild.

Oración Seis arc
In the battle against the Allied Forces, Midnight remains asleep on his flying carpet; Natsu Dragneel tries to attack the Dark Mage, but his spell is subconsciously diverted by Midnight's Magic. Racer then appears and attacks the Fire Dragon Slayer, mentioning that to wake Midnight would be a terrifying mistake. As the Oración Seis split up, Midnight stays with Brain as he has the captured Wendy Marvell revive Jellal. However, Jellal attacks Brain and knocks Midnight off his flying carpet, the latter remaining asleep the entire time.

However, it isn't until Brain feels the defeat of Racer that he orders Midnight to awake and kill the Allied Forces, to which Midnight happily complies. Soon after departing, Midnight easily defeats Eve Tearm and Ren Akatsuki in two separate instances, wondering, during both, where the strong opponents were.

Midnight later, after Nirvana's activation, confronts Gray Fullbuster, Lucy Heartfilia, Jura Neekis and Hoteye on the mobile ancient Magic after hearing of their intent to stop it. However, upon hearing Hoteye call Brain's idea of interchanging light and darkness wrong, Midnight loses his calm and attacks the group. After saving them, Hoteye claims that he will fight Midnight, stating that the Oración Seis are all equal strength, and orders the others to flee.

After their battle ends in Midnight's defeat, Midnight, lying on the ground, expresses his total disbelief at the fact, as well as his fear that Brain may abandon him for having lost. Declaring that he will not lose, Midnight rises once more and seeks refuge behind a nearby building. Hoteye's Heaven's Eye, however, allows him to see Midnight through the building, and the Dark Mage is attacked by his former comrade's Liquid Ground, leaving him heavily injured and destroying the building he was using as shelter.

After the fact, however, Midnight reveals the battle to have been an illusion, and easily defeats Hoteye with his Magic; Midnight states that he is unaffected by Magic and is the strongest of the Oración Seis, even more so than Brain himself. Walking away from Hoteye's unconscious body, Midnight reveals that as long as he remains standing, then Nirvana will not stop. After Brain activates his trap in the Throne Room of Nirvana, Midnight appears behind Jellal and Erza Scarlet, stating that it was nasty of Brain to take away some of his enjoyment, adding that since they three are the last ones left, then they should all have some fun. Jellal then orders Erza to stop back, resolving to take on Midnight all by himself. However, Midnight quickly defeats Jellal (who was weakened from his Self-Destruction spell) and motions to his next victim; Erza.

Walking away from Jellal, Midnight asks the man if, along with his memory, he is unable to remember how to perform Magic. When Jellal tries to get up, Midnight turns around and states that he truly desires to see the fright in Jellal's face, prompting Erza to run at the Dark Mage and unsuccessfully attempt to slash him; maliciously squinting at Erza, Midnight announces that it's time for the main dish. Midnight then proceeds to deflect all of Erza's slashes before using his Magic to bind Erza. Surprised at the Fairy Tail Mage's sudden freeing of herself, Midnight explains the nature of his Magic: to distort the space around anything he wishes. With Erza charging at Midnight once, the Dark Mage asks her if she hasn't learned that none of her attacks can harm him. Midnight then proceeds to reflect all of her incoming swords back at the S-Class Mage herself and, although she deflects them, twist the space around her Heaven's Wheel Armor, destroying it and wounding Erza. Relishing in Erza's pain, Midnight licks his lips, sadistically stating that he wishes to see more agony etched unto Erza's face.

Midnight then dodges Erza's thrown sword and attacks her with his Magic once more, completely demolishing her armor. With Erza on the ground, Midnight asks her not to die, as he wishes to be entertained until they reach Cait Shelter; Midnight answers Jellal's question as to why they wish to target the small guild, revealing that the guild is full of the descendents of the Nirvit Tribe: the very tribe that created, and sealed, Nirvana. Ecstatic at the thought of their destruction, Midnight exclaims that to prevent a wonderful Magic such as Nirvana from being sealed away once more, then they must destroy the remains pacifistic tribe by having them kill each other via Nirvana's light-darkness changing properties. Midnight then turns to Jellal, who refers to Midnight as "disgusting", and tells Jellal that he himself is no better than him, as he killed his friend, forced children to labor, and nearly killed Erza. Destroying Jellal's confidence, Midnight reaches out his hand, offering Jellal a place amongst the Oración Seis. Erza, however, interrupts Midnight's proposition by rising from the ground (donning a new armor) and declaring that Jellal is full of light. Calling Erza impressive, Midnight finally gives the Mage his full attention, declaring her to be worth destroying.

With Midnight stating that her attacks will never reach her, the Fairy Tail Mage slashes at the Dark Mage with her spear and, although he reflects it, she punches Midnights away with her bare hand. Midnight, now taken aback, listen as Erza explains the two weaknesses of his Magic: he cannot reflect or distort the human body and that he cannot use Reflector on more than one thing at a time, being bombarded by an array of Erza's swords as she says so. Breaking out of Midnight's reflective hold, Erza states that as an elastic armor, Midnight's Magic will not work on her while she is wearing the Robe of Yūen, declaring it to be Reflector's third weakness.

Cursing Erza, Midnight states that he was "almost there", explaining that at midnight, Reflector is at its strongest; Midnight transforms into a dark, gargantuan monster. Attacking Erza, Midnight declares that he no longer cares what happens. After a sizable explosion, Midnight impales Jellal and Erza with two tendrils, asking them not to die on him, as the real fun is just beginning. However, his speech is cut short, as Erza lunges forward and slashes the real Midnight, leaving him flabbergasted as to why his illusions didn't work. Looking up at the sky, Midnight begins to sob when Erza explains that visual illusions are ineffective against her because of her fake eye. Declaring himself to have been the strongest of the Oración Seis, as well as the unbeatable one, Midnight falls, defeated, internally reciting his prayer: to find a quiet place to fall into a peaceful slumber. Midnight is later arrested by Lahar and the Rune Knights.

Key of the Starry Sky arc
Note: Events in this arc occur only in the anime and do not constitute canon material.

Tartaros arc
After Tartaros attacks the Council, and through careful coercion on Cobra's behalf, Midnight and the rest of the other imprisoned Oración Seis members are released from their cells. Walking free, the group comes to a stop when Brain moves to thank Cobra, almost announcing their guild's return before Cobra suddenly turns and attacks the man, grounding him. Cobra moves to apologize to Midnight for the action, but explains that Brain's mind was filled only with thoughts of them as his pawns, prompting Midnight to agree that Brain should no longer be a member of their group; looking over his father's form, Midnight states that they shall be moving on without him. As his friends begin to wonder what they will do with themselves now that they are free, Cobra tells them not to get ahead of themselves, as they have a job to do. With Midnight watching on, the group is approached by Jellal and Meredy, with Cobra telling them all to get geared for battle.

With Jellal audibly announcing that he will be enough for the five, Midnight questions the man as to whether or not he was sent to imprison them, a fact which Jellal both denies and finds humorous. However, when Hoteye states that he doesn't wish to fight and is berated by his comrades, Midnight tells them all that it doesn't matter and that as they've obtained freedom, they can each do with it what they wish; smiling and moving forward, Midnight tells everyone that his name is Macbeth and that he'll destroy everyone who stands in the way of his freedom. Then, watching as Jellal brushes off each of his fellows' attacks, Midnight remarks that he can have more fun with Jellal than he did seven years ago. A short while later, as Jellal is beginning to be overwhelmed by the might of the Oración Seis, Midnight walks towards the injured man.

Coming to a stop, he watches as his comrades deliver multiple blows on Jellal whilst claiming that the chains that once bound them are no more. Sequentially, he recollects on the memories of their paths that started at the Tower of Heaven; stating that they were deceived by the false freedom Brain spoke of. Interrupted by Jellal, who promises to free them, Midnight can only stare in shock as he assaults both Cobra and Racer. After expressing his shock, he questions Jellal over what he could possibly do. After Jellal states that he will defeat them, Zero awakens and sends forth an attack towards Jellal, pleasing Midnight. Smirking upon the sight, Midnight is suddenly shocked as he sees Jellal break free of his nightmare by crushing his eyes, revealing the events to have merely been Midnight's illusion. Suddenly, Midnight notices a seal formation surrounding him and the rest of the Oración Seis, barring Hoteye, as Jellal attacks them with Grand Chariot. Angered and hurt, but not beaten, Midnight expresses his frustration with Jellal, only to see the changes in the sky, noting that Jellal is preparing to use True Heavenly Body Magic. Hit by Jellal's Sema spell, Midnight is down and declares the battle his loss, instructing Jellal to kill them. However, the former councilor declines to do so and instead invites him and the rest of the Oración Seis to join Crime Sorcière. Grabbed by the collar, Midnight is directly addressed by Jellal, who states that they need to work together to defeat Zeref. A week after this, Midnight and the others walk along the streets of Magnolia with Jellal and Meredy, having joined their Independent Guild.

Magic and Abilities
Reflector (屈折 Rifurekutā): Reflector is Macbeth's exclusive Magic, which has the ability to reflect, distort and twist all manner of objects, save for living things, such as human beings. Reflector is an extremely powerful Magic which has received praise from the former member of the Ten Wizard Saints, Jellal Fernandes, who, while he was in a weakened state, fell to it. Macbeth claimed that his use of it made him the strongest member of Oración Seis, surpassing even Brain. However, in truth, he is second only to Brain's alternate personality: Zero.


 * Invisible Scythe (インビジブルサイス Inbijiburu Saisu): By twisting the air, Macbeth is capable of generating ethereal slashes which he can send flying at his opponents. Both their size and the numbers of generated blades can be greatly varied, ranging from barrages of small attacks to single, devastating cutting moves which he generates by waving his hands, and which are strong enough to effortlessly slice through solid stone buildings, cleanly bifurcating them.


 * Distort Shield: Macbeth's ability to twist everything makes it very difficult to hit him, as he can freely distort any incoming attack to negate their effects, even turning them against the very same opponents who originally employed it. He is capable of reflexively invoking this defensive spell even whilst asleep. (Unnamed)


 * Spiral Pain (スパイラルぺイン Supairaru Pein): A powerful spell which Macbeth initiates by swiping one of his arms before himself, the index finger stretched, and the others bent, as if he was pointing to something. This prompts the intended target, located some meters away from Macbeth himself, to be caught within a vortex of distorted air, which inflicts heavy damage upon them, seemingly striking them with incredible brute force, covering them in bruises and shattering armors as resistant as Erza Scarlet's Heaven's Wheel Armor, leaving her afterward.


 * Illusions: By refracting light, Macbeth is capable of generating visual illusions. This peculiar use of his Reflector Magic is the source behind Macbeth's codename: during his battle with Erza Scarlet, he used an illusion to make it appear as though he turned into a massive, powerful monster who was capable of both overpowering and completely brutalizing both Erza and Jellal; he resorted to employ such means just as a clock struck Macbeth, claiming that at said hour Reflector is at its strongest. However, as it is a visual illusion, this spell is ineffective against those with artificial eyes. (Unnamed)


 * Invisibility: Macbeth refracts the light around him, becoming invisible and at the same time being shown capable of levitating in midair, appearing and disappearing as though as he was teleporting. (Unnamed)

Darkness Magic (闇の魔法 Yami no Mahō): A type of Magic that Macbeth has learned during the seven year disbandment of the Oración Seis. According to himself, he sacrificed the future in which he would be reunited with his "father" in order to attain this power. Macbeth uses this Magic the same way that Brain did, allowing him to cast dark Magic Power in different forms to attack his targets. Trying to become like his "father", Macbeth also learned to use Zero's most powerful spell: Genesis Zero.


 * Dark Rondo (常闇回旋曲, ダークロンド, Dāku Rondo): Macbeth gathers Darkness Magic and then fires it at his opponent. Macbeth's particularly utilizes Reflector in conjunction with this spell, thereby preventing it from being evaded or deflected.


 * Dark Capriccio (常闇奇想曲, ダーク・カプリチオ, Dāku Kapurichio): Macbeth fires drilling beams of darkness that can pierce through defenses from every direction.


 * Genesis Zero (ジェネシス・ゼロ Jeneshisu Zero): Macbeth first gathers Darkness Magic on his hands and summons thousands of black phantoms to strike his target. The phantoms, once they make contact, completely engulf Macbeth's foe, dragging them into a world of nothingness.

Personification Magic: Macbeth utilized this Magic to transform Lucy Heartfilia's doll into Imitatia, giving her both a life, and a purpose.

Enhanced Reflexes: While prone to negate any attack directed towards him through the use of his Reflector Magic, Macbeth possesses sharp reflexes, high enough for him to dodge a sword which Erza Scarlet threw at him with a calm, slight movement of his head, as well as to emerge with minimal injuries from a downward barrage of blades, dodging most of them.

Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Macbeth appears to have practiced unarmed combat during the seven years which followed the temporary disappearance of Tenrou Island. As the leader of Reborn Oración Seis, he has achieved enough physical prowess to fight toe-to-toe with a melee specialist, such as someone the likes of Natsu Dragneel, for a fair amount of time, as most of the final part of their battle consisted of melee combat. He was shown using his Darkness Magic to enhance the power of punches and kicks, highly reminiscent of how Natsu himself uses his own Fire Dragon Slayer Magic, even managing to overwhelm Natsu utilizing such a method.

Equipment
Magic Carpet: Macbeth used his Magic Carpet as a means of transport during his constant bouts of sleeping. This carpet is capable of hovering several inches off the ground and followed Brain everywhere he went.

Fairy Tail Gekitotsu! Kardia Daiseidou
Midnight appears as a playable character in the DS Game Fairy Tail Gekitotsu! Kardia Daiseidou upon being unlocked. In this game, Midnight possess the following moves:
 * Main:
 * Sub 1:
 * Sub 2: Reflect (リフレク Rifureku)
 * Sub 3:
 * Super: Phantom Fear (ファントムフィア Fantomu Fia)

Fairy Tail: Zeref's Awakening
Midnight appears as a mini-boss in the PSP Game Fairy Tail: Zeref's Awakening. He can be unlocked as a playable character with a password.

Trivia

 * Macbeth's character design seems to be influenced by Visual Kei, evident by his striking makeup and elaborate clothes.
 * Despite Macbeth calling Brain his father, they are actually not blood-related, as he was once a slave child of the Tower of Heaven.

Quotes

 * (To himself) "I am... the greatest... greater even than my father... the greatest of the six... the undefeatable... ultimate... Mage..."
 * (To Alzack Connell) "In order to achieve something, you have to pay a high cost. You two are lacking. Lacking in readiness to lose something!"
 * (To Jellal Fernandes) "Our paths began in a dark tower. We believed we had been saved by Brain. But that was a false Freedom. Torn from each other, cursing the world, we were nothing more than pawns meant to seal Zero. Now... finally, true freedom lies before us."