It was strange. That strange sense of isolation that washed over Lyon the moment he heard Tenrou Island had been wiped from the face of the planet. The knowledge that he alone was left to carry on Ur's legacy weighed heavily on him and the icy numbness that washed through his veins surprised him. With as much time as he had spent alone in his senseless pursuit to free Deliora, he thought he would have grown used to the sensation of loneliness.
No, that wasn't true now was it? He had never been truly alone, not even in his darkest days clawing through the ice and snow to pursue a dream that no longer had any purpose. He had those from lamia scale and the followers of the 'Cold Emperor.' They had chosen to follow him and his foolish dream, supporting him. Even when his own hubris prevented him from seeing what was in front of him.
A wide, gentle hand found it's way onto his shoulder, jolting him from his thoughts, "Lyon, perhaps you should return home."
Lyon turned his gaze up to meet the steady eyes of Jura. That's right, he was still at the guild hall. The ice Mage frowned as he turned his attention to his guild mates. All worried. All standing and waiting for him to say something. What they were expecting from him he didn't know, but he felt his mouth dry. Swiftly, he schooled his expression into one of detached calm, a familiar one to reassure his comrades, "I'm fine."
"Your magic suggests otherwise," Jura's eyes drifted to the bar counter where Lyon's hands were splayed over where a thin coating of frost now collected under his fingers. He blinked in surprise.
He hadn't even noticed.
When had been the last time he allowed his magic to slip? Not since he was a child and mourning the loss of his beloved master. What a fool. Fighting against a dragon. Moron. That was why they had three dragon slayers in their guild, wasn't it?
"No one would think poorly of you if you chose to take some time to yourself," Jura continued, his deep voice kind and gravely. Normally it would bring Lyon comfort, but the way he was talking made it seem like there was no hope. No chance that Gray–
"We know you were close with Gray, you two studied under the same master," Sherry tried, her voice soft but carrying enough for Lyon to hear, "You loved him like a brother."
Denials rose in the back of Lyon's throat but he swallowed them down. They stuck like tar in his lungs and threatened to suffocate him. In one motion he rose from his seat and whipped around to look at his team. Jura, Sherry, Toby, and Yuka all looked at him in surprise, not used to Lyon moving in any way other than with the deliberateness of a steady snowfall.
"I'm taking a job," Lyon announced, his eyes challenging anyone to try and dispute him, "I refuse to believe Gray would be killed so easily."
He had seen his stupid comrade overcome obstacles that would bring most men to their knees through sheer determination alone. He had fought through fatal injuries, no magic, and attacked with bloody knuckles alone. To think for even a second he was dead brought dishonor to the name of Ur. Lyon wouldn't harbor such thoughts, even as grim reality sunk in on him.
"When he returns, I will be stronger than him," he said firmly, "and when he does, I will show him his place." He pushed his way through the members of his team to glare at the bulletin board. The concerned voices of his comrades carried to him, but with his back turned to them, he could finally release the sting of tears trying to push from his eyes.
Gray. Stupid Gray.
He pulled a flyer from the bulletin blindly and stormed from the guild, not even reading the job. Once outside, he noticed the steady rain that had been falling since news had hit was now turning into hail around him. Frozen pellets rained down in steady sheets as his friends from lamia scale murmured to one another, confused over the sudden change in weather.
Lamia Scale. His family was here now, and all because Gray had pulled him back from a slippery slope and shoved him back on a path to light. A place to call home when he had all but abandoned the thought. Gray had given that to him, alive or dead. Some of the sadness began to lift from his shoulders as the thought struck him.
That was right.
He wasn't alone.
His stomach churned with guilt. What had he been about to do? Withdraw back to a tundra to nurse his heartache by himself? Without the support of those who reached out to him in their time of need? He turned back to the entrance where the ever calm Yuka was waiting patiently for him.
The man tilted his head and raised a thick eyebrow at Lyon's expression.
"What mission are we going on?" He asked, making no comment on the tears that had frozen on Lyon's cheeks.
He brushed them off and the tension drained from his shoulders. The cold slipped away like a second skin and he felt warm again. His fingers itched to remove his outer jacket, a stripping habit he had all but mastered. Gray hadn't been so lucky in that regard. Lyon smiled at the thought and he passed the job flier to Yuka.
"Putting on a performance to bolster revenue for a theater house?" Yuka scanned over the page, his eyes falling on Lyon, "Not typically your style, is it?"
"I suppose not," Lyon admitted. In truth anything could have been on that piece of paper when he snagged it from the board, "but perhaps it's time to expand my horizons."
The footsteps for the other members caught Lyon's attention and he smiled as Jura read over Yuka's shoulder.
"Performance hm?" Jura gave Lyon a smile. It was a very Fairy Tailesque mission, but the large man wisely said nothing, "Do you mind if we come along?"
Lyon watched his group, Toby yelling angrily about how excited he was over getting to show off to a crowd, Yuka patiently telling him not to get mad, and Sherry explaining how she would spread love through her marionettes. It was decided at that moment that he was not going to waste time on grief or isolation.
Gray had given him something important by pushing him. To squander that would be a slap in the face to his fellow ice Mage. To him and to Ur.
Lyon let a shrewd smile flicker over his face, he waved an absent hand and cocked his head, "Do what you want."