His blood boiled in his veins, freezing at the speed of liquid nitrogen. Tendrils of seething darkness traveled through his body, searching and paralyzing. The feeling was unbearable. He could feel his heart slowing and speeding up and slowing again at an erratic pace. His body temperature was lowering at an exceedingly fast rate, though sweat dotted his brow. It was impossible for Gray to even think with all the pain coursing through him.
Gray was kneeling on the ground, brought to his knees by his father's strength. He was outmatched, that much he knew, but he couldn't stop fighting. Silver towered above Gray, smiling down at him. He was stronger and he knew it.
"Do you remember?" Silver asked, eyes shining, "The night your father died? When I destroyed your entire village."
Gray didn't respond, couldn't respond, his breathing still ragged. He remembered alright. That was the night his life ended. When his father died, his mother, his friends, the whole town was razed by Deliora. Gray didn't know what was worse; that his father was dead or that the demon, Deliora, was using the corpse as a vessel.
"I remember," Silver continued, "I remember ripping houses apart and crushing people under my feet. I remember killing your father when he stood against me."
He hated Deliora with every fiber of his being. This was the creature that killed all his loved ones. Anger roared to life inside Gray. He sprung into action, positioning his fist in his palm in his standard ice make stance.
Gray's mind was growing fuzzier with each passing second. It was like the pain was erasing who he was.
Silver lay on the ground, beaten to a pulp. Gray wasn't much better off, but at least he was still standing. They were both panting heavily. It was possibly the hardest battle Gray had ever fought, but he managed to come out on top.
Silver laughed, "You actually beat me. I can't believe you actually beat me."
Gray didn't know how to respond. He wasn't exactly used to his opponents being so positive about their defeat. Of course, he also wasn't used to fighting his dead father who was possessed by the demon that killed him.
"The son is more powerful than the father," Silver continued, "But I must be the most powerful of all. Which means I must have you."
Silver began radiating powerful magical energy, tendrils of darkness that reached towards Gray. Gray backed away, afraid. The tendrils just reached farther for him.
"What is this?" he asked.
"This is me," Deliora's voice came from the groping strings, "And soon to be you."
And the tendrils reached Gray, pulling him to the ground. He screamed in pure agony.
"Gray-sama!" Juvia called, "Gray-sama!"
Through his haze of pain, Gray could just hear her. She was looking worse for wear, but seemed alright. She stumbled through the rubble.
"J-juvia," Gray whispered, "Run."
And then his world turned black. Juvia saw her beloved lying on the ground not too far from his father. She rushed to his side.
"Gray-sama?" she yelled.
He grabbed her arm and pulled himself up. Juvia tried to balance him. He looked up at her. And when she looked into his eyes, she saw within their depths anger and hatred so vast that she felt her heart jump in fear. She couldn't comprehend the vast amounts of darkness in her beloved's eyes. She didn't know that she was no longer supporting Gray but a demon of great evil. And that demon was Deliora.
