Gray didn't know why he'd stayed as long as he had.
He should've left immediately, just packed his bags and disappeared. That would've been the wise, the right, thing to do.
And yet he'd stayed for a little over a week.
He supposed a part of him was reluctant to leave the place he'd come to consider a home in the past year, even after everything that'd happened. As he stood in front of the familiar little house he couldn't help but notice how empty it was. No. This wasn't home anymore. Not without Ur and Lyon. And he had only himself to blame.
Walking away was still one of the hardest things he'd ever done.
"-I'll seal away your darkness-"
"I won't let you harm my students!"
"-Iced shell!"
"Ur! No-!"
Waking up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat, had become a regular occurrence; about a month had passed and the same memory kept haunting him.
It was particularly bad that night. Even after waking up, Gray could still feel the fear gripping his heart, could still see Ur's warm smile and the determination in her eyes. Forcing himself to take deep breaths, he eventually calmed down and looked up at the sky. It was sometime early in the morning, he figured and decided he might as well get up and continue his journey. He was sure he was nearing a town which was good because he hadn't had anything to eat in a few days and he was starving.
He had no money (he hadn't taken any of Ur's, he had no right to) so stealing was his only option. He'd felt awful the first time he'd done it but as time passed he'd come to realize he had no other choice and had started seeing it simply as another mundane chore.
In the back of his mind he wondered what would Ur think of him if she could see him now.
"Lyon! What are you-"
"-the only way-"
"I must've taught him well..."
Oak Town, that was the name. Though Gray didn't really care: names, like many other things, had become irrelevant at some point.
Wandering trough the streets, the boy looked around for a potential victim. Finally he spotted an elderly woman holding two big bags full of groceries. He wasn't a big fan of fruits and vegetables but at this point he was so hungry he didn't care. He could always steal something else later.
He watched as the woman walked down the street without paying any attention to her surroundings and almost felt bad at how easy this was going to be.
The theft itself happened quite quickly and when the woman finally realized what had happened, there was already a notable distance between them. To prevent anyone from following him, once Gray was far enough, he set the bags down and got in position for ice-make.
"Ice-Make: Ice Wall!"
A relatively big ice wall appeared and while a mage could easily break it, Gray was sure it'd successfully stop the villagers. He quickly grabbed the bags and turned around, ready to keep running. However in his hurry he didn't notice the man standing in front of him until he almost collided with him. Managing to stop himself just in time, Gray took a step back and took a good look of the stranger.
The man's most notable feature was perhaps his long, thin moustache. Otherwise he looked ordinary enough, with black hair reaching his shoulders, dark lips and long eyebrows. His clothes weren't anything unusual too; he was dressed in a plain shirt, dark pants and a simple purple robe.
His eyes however... they made him seem dangerous. They were filled with barely suppressed anger and envy and that made Gray feel on edge.
"Oh? What do we have here, an ice mage? What's your name, my boy?"
Refusing to say anything, Gray merely narrowed his eyes.
"How rude of me, asking for your name without introducing myself," continued the man, ignoring the way the boy had tensed. "I'm Jose Porla, one of the Ten Wizards Saints and the Guild Master of 'Phantom Lord'."
"A Guild Master?" muttered Gray, gripping the bags even harder.
Jose nodded.
"I don't want to fight, my boy," he said when he saw the barely concealed fear in the child's eyes. "I'm curious about you, that's all; ice mages are rather rare, you see..."
Gray stood in front of the man, unsure of what to say or do. He didn't like the idea of sharing anything about himself but if the man was telling the truth, he was an incredibly powerful mage and refusing to talk to him wouldn't be smart.
"Gray," he said at last. "Gray Fullbuster."
"Well then, Gray-san, would you possibly be interested in joining my guild?"
"H-huh?"
"'Phantom Lord' can use someone like you, Gray-san. And I guarantee if you agree, you'll become an extremely strong mage."
"Strong, you say..." murmured the boy under his breath.
That was what he needed, wasn't it? Strength. Power.
To be able to defeat his opponents on his own, to never feel this weak and helpless again.
"What do I need to do?"
"Deliora-!"
"Gray, stop-"
"-You're not ready!"
"-get revenge-"
His guild mark was on his right pectoral. Close enough to the heart but not quite there. Gray liked it. It symbolized a new age for him; the lost kid was now replaced by the Phantom Lord mage.
Gray liked the guild too. There wasn't a warm welcome but he neither expected nor he needed one; the nods he received from the other members were enough.
And that first night, lying in an actual bed instead of on the cold ground for the first time in months, he vowed he'd become strong enough to never lose a fight again.
He was done being weak.
I'm not really happy with how this turned out but oh well. Anyway, I'm always happy to hear what you think so don't hesitate to leave a review!
Another thing: I don't have a beta so if anyone's interested please message me. English isn't my first language and I'm sure there are mistakes, which I apologize for.
Until next time!