Notes: Ah, this chapter... I wrote out a completely different chapter 3, but it was a complete struggle and I felt tired just thinking about chapter 4... so I scrapped the initial proto-3 and instead wrote this, which goes in a completely different direction, whoops.

In response to some reviews, sorry about Gray's characterization being apparently OOC, tbh I'm not too clear what he was like as a kid, post-Brago. Regarding the pairing, it's more a theoretical thing. They're obviously not going to get together as kids, and we're not due for a real timeskip for a good while (if I ever get that far).

~.~.~

III. Pride and Proving

Gray had tried to look more presentable, the next time he went to the palace. He wasn't just some kid anymore, after all. He was representing his shop and his creations — and through that, his master and her teachings. A sloppy appearance implied sloppy work, and that was something he wouldn't abide by.

He actually had money for new clothes now, but unfortunately he had also been so busy with new orders that he'd barely had time to sleep, much less shop. Well, at least everything was clean and new...

Hailing the guards at the small side entrance, he'd tugged nervously at the narrow tie around his neck and clutched the package closer to his chest. It was just because the order would be hard to replace if it was stolen, he told himself, not nervousness or anything like that. The materials alone, much less the catalysts, had been… very expensive, and rare. Good jade was hard to come by, out west.

But to his surprise, the guards parted to let him pass almost immediately. It hadn't been this fast even with Erza, a knight. "You are expected," one of them told him. "I'll show you the way."

The palace halls were just as impressive as Gray remembered — more so, since they did not head into the knights' section, but into a more ornate, opulent area meant for visitors. His head began to crane back as he stared at the fresco on the ceiling… only to snap back quickly as Gray remembered himself.

"Please wait here," the guard guiding him said, as they finally drew to a stop at the door to a small but still fancy waiting room. "His Majesty will see you once he is available."

"Um, yeah," Gray said, and immediately winced internally.

He didn't dare sit down in any of the embroidered chairs and settled for studying the tapestry on the wall. It was just a flower pattern, but the weave was different than what was used in Isvan. 'If you cross the threads like that, the energy is going to flow differently. The count is off too,' Gray thought. 'I wonder what kinds of looms they use? And I've never seen that color thread before…'

Someone cleared their throat, making Gray jump and spin around. A short older man was standing behind him, watching Gray with amusement.

"Y-yes?" Gray asked.

"You are from Heart Kreuz, then?" the man asked. "Thank you for delivering my order."

"Your… order? Then you're…" Gray muttered, realization dawning on him. "Y-Your Majesty! Thank you for your patronage! It's an honor!"

The king laughed goodnaturedly. "Now, now, there's no need for that," he said. "Just think of me as another customer. How was making the pendant? Any trouble?"

"No, uh, sir," Gray mumbled, keeping his head ducked as he held out the package. "One jade amulet for protection, as requested. Jade is good for almost any kind of spell, a wise choice." 'Flatter the client a bit,' Ur had said wisely. 'It's good business sense.' Gray cleared his throat, "Given the name, I assume the princess will be presenting it?"

"Yes, Hisui asked for me to commission it for Arcadios," the king chuckled. "You could say it's more her order than mine, although it's still an official commission... But as it happens, there is something I'd like to request as well. Do you have a bit of time?"

"Um, yes. Of course, Your Majesty," Gray said. Like he could refuse... but he really did have time. He'd been glad to have an excuse to refuse making any more dresses and cleared his schedule with perhaps a bit too much haste. Even if he hadn't liked it, those had been customers too.

Shoving the self-recriminating thoughts away, Gray followed the king out of the meeting room when beckoned and through the castle halls. Everyone they encountered scrambled to bow, but Toma only waved to them, smiling pleasantly. Feeling the questioning stares that slid toward him, Gray tried to shrink as small as possible. He really should have dressed nicer…

Despite his admonitions to Erza about politeness, Gray didn't actually know much about proper protocol, especially not for a far west country like Fiore. He had just been using what Ur taught him about how to treat customers who thought a lot of themselves.

But, now that he thought about it, the king didn't seem to be that kind of customer to begin with, if his benevolent act and Erza's stories were to be believed.

"Is becoming a crafter difficult?" the king asked conversationally. "I must admit, I haven't met many. There is that wood-worker girl, of course, but her personality is a bit…"

Blinking in surprise at being addressed and at the question, Gray took a moment to form an answer. "No, not really… At least, I don't think so," he said. "Anyone could learn to do it. It's not like you need to have strong magic or anything like that." At the king's encouraging look, he elaborated, "If you have strong magic, you can brute force spells onto things, that's true. But because you're using your own magic, any magic tools you make like that will only work best for you, or it might not even work for anyone else at all. And if you force spells to engrave quickly, that damages the integrity of the object, so it'll break down much faster."

The king hummed thoughtfully. "So you use a method without your own magic?" he surmised.

"Well, it helps to use a little of your own magic to start the processes and to keep an eye on everything," Gray admitted. "But it's so little anyone can do it. Everyone has some magic inside them, you know. But it's better to use a long process, so the magic you're crafting can filter through the reagents into a smoother flow and the right type, before it's applied to the object. And since the process is long and very gradual, you might as well just use magic from the world instead, since it filters more easily. From the sun, or the earth, or the water, things like that."

There was a lot more he could say, but realizing he had been speaking for a while, Gray cleared his throat awkwardly and fell silent.

"You're very knowledgable about it," Toma noted.

He meant it completely honestly. But, since from his perspective he was only saying obvious things, Gray assumed he was being humored. "It's just what my master told me," he muttered.

"But your master didn't come with you to Fiore?" the king asked. "I heard you run your shop alone."

"No… she's… Master Ur isn't here," Gray stumbled over his reply.

"Striking out on your own, then?" Toma guessed, chuckling. "Well, it's good to stretch your wings, see the world, find your own path… That's part of growing up."

He had misunderstood, but Gray didn't correct him, only averting his gaze uncomfortably.

"Ah, here we are," the king went on, coming to a stop in front of a rather plain door at the end of a side passage. Pulling out an old, heavy key, he slid it into the equally heavy lock and jiggled it for a moment until the mechanism clicked open and the door slowly swung open.

The room inside was musty, the air stale, but there was no dust on the floor. It seemed to be some kind of storage chamber, with preservation runes carved into the walls. However, it was almost entirely empty. The only thing inside was a single stand holding up a suit of white armor.

The king and Gray made their way inside, approaching the armor in the center of the room. It had once been an impressive work, Gray could tell immediately, and it had done its duty — the chest plate had been rended open by some incredible force, several other pieces dented and gouged, and the edges had even begun to melt once the main enchantments on the suit had given out.

"This is the White Lily Armor, which had been one of the treasures of the crown for generations," Toma explained, standing back as Gray slowly circled the armor. "Traditionally, it is awarded to a knight who gains the crown's full trust. A few years go, I allowed Arcadios to use it when he volunteered to spearhead the attack against the ancient wyrm that had been terrorizing the countryside. He was able to defeat it, and the armor saved his life, but as you can see…"

"It broke," Gray finished. "Not just physically. The spells on it cracked too."

"That's exactly right," the king agreed. "So that brings me to my request — will you repair it?"

All things considered, Gray should have expected that — What other reason could there be to show it to him? — but the question still took him by surprise, and he spun around to stare at the king, wide-eyed. "Me?" he asked, pointing at himself. "But isn't this armor… really important? Are you sure? …Uh, Your Majesty, sir."

It was Toma's turn to regard Gray with some surprise, and a bit of amusement. "Why you, hm... In your homeland, are there a lot of crafters?" he asked, instead of answering.

"Not a lot, I guess," Gray said uncertainly. "But there's one in most towns, or one town over. The nomads have their people too… I suppose most of them wouldn't be able to handle something like that armor, since they just work on everyday stuff. People on Master Ur's level are rarer, but they travel around everywhere, so you could still place an order with them…"

He pursed his lips, beginning to guess the directions of the king's query. Arcadios had said something like that too, before — that there weren't any other crafters in Crocus. It had seemed strange to Gray even at the time. Who made the wards against snow storms? Who set up the guideposts on the roads? Who repaired the heat stones, or the purifying runes on the wells?

But when he looked around Crocus more closely, Gray had started to realize that there wasn't much of anything like that. It wasn't just that his shop was in a nearly abandoned area. The entire city seemed to run with very little magic. The only magic tools that were common at all were the lacrima lamps, and carving the natural crystals was very simple.

"It's… not like that here, huh?" Gray muttered.

"No," Toma said, "not quite. There is only one other professional crafter in Fiore that I know of. She specializes in working wood and rarely takes commissions. And certainly, the White Lily Armor is outside her skills. I always thought it might never be repaired, at least not during my reign..."

Glancing at the white armor on its stand again, Gray wondered if it would be outside his skills as well. He had never worked with anything that old before. And to begin with, his knowledge was in weapons. Defensive spells were a different thing. He could figure something out if he was working from scratch, but repairing existing spells? And on something like that... There would be only one chance. If anything went wrong, the armor would be ruined forever.

His uncertainty must have shown on his face. "Can you do it? Or is it too much?" the king asked. There was no reproach in his question, but Gray's expression hardened.

If he admitted he couldn't do it...

'I can't do it. Creating something like that isn't possible, even for me,' Ur had said, and Gray dismissed her, like the idiot he had been. Nothing she'd tried to tell him after that had mattered to him. No matter how skilled she had proven herself, once she had admitted her limitations...

If he admitted he couldn't do it, it wouldn't matter what he could do. He'd be dismissed as useless.

Clenching his fists, Gray squared his shoulders. "I'll do it," he declared.

He couldn't afford not to, he thought.

~.~.~

Not for the first time, Erza thought she definitely didn't understand the princess at all.

There should have been very little reason for her royal highness and a new knight to ever cross paths, even if they were both young girls of the same age and even if they lived in the same castle. So, having decided that she wished to interact with Erza further, Hisui simply went ahead and manufactured such reasons. No — calling them reasons implied that there was some actual purpose to their meetings. Instead, Hisui had taken to simply summoning Erza to a drawing room, a balcony, the gardens and… talking for a while about various subjects.

Hisui, naturally, did all the talking.

At least Erza wasn't the only one bemused by the princess. The whispering among the other knights, which had begun to die down a little, resumed with new fervor ever since the first time Erza was approached by a servant because Her Highness "requested her presence."

It all reached new heights when Hisui personally came to the training grounds, beaming at Erza as if she didn't even notice the knights around them dropping everything they were doing to stare, bow, and gossip. Maybe she really didn't notice. Being stared at was part of a princess's daily life, after all.

"I thought we might visit Master Kreuz today," Hisui said, as Erza obediently moved to her side.

"Yes, Your Highness," Erza said indifferently, after a moment to puzzle out that 'Master Kreuz' was Gray. Pausing, she added, "Have you informed the staff?"

Last time Hisui had decided to take a trip into the city with only Erza for company, the row that followed had involved what seemed like half the palace staff and a good quarter of the ministers, culminating with the king himself and Arcadios having to get involved — all because apparently the princess couldn't walk around in her own city with just one knight as protection. Hisui had continued to smile the entire time, but it had been impressively frigid.

"Oh, you didn't know?" Hisui realized. "Master Kreuz has been at the castle for the last week. He's been hired for a special commission by the crown." Her usual sunny smile turned a little devious. "I thought we might surprise him."

Erza hadn't picked up on it, but Hisui held a bit of a grudge. Gray's crime? Being the one who suggested Erza stick to yes or no answers — a habit she had yet to entirely break.

Their destination was the same out of the way storeroom that the king had led Gray to a week prior and that Gray had then appropriated for his work — and a week later, it had changed greatly.

Long banners of plain white cloth had been hung along every wall, though they hadn't remained blank for long. Black ink was scrawled across every banner, in rows of symbols large and small. However, there were obvious gaps as well, where the symbols abruptly ended as if erased or where thick black furrows blotted them out.

The writing was a visual representation of the spells on the White Lily Armor, the incantations, intent, history that went into the original crafting, which Gray had extracted to try to understand how it had worked, when it had still worked. Judging by the mass of scribbled notes strewn across the floor, increasingly messy and frustrated, it hadn't particularly helped.

There was a tray of half-eaten food by the entrance and even a nest of tangled cloth that might have been a blanket or a couple of wrinkled shirts, which had been clearly used as an improvised sleeping roll.

But, surprisingly, Gray himself was not inside.

"He must have stepped out," Hisui said, mostly to herself. "What ill luck..."

Erza shrugged. "He'll be back soon," she said. From prior experience, she knew that Gray tended to get almost obsessively focused on his work, to the point of forgetting everything else. He had probably not left the palace even once since receiving the commission.

"Yes, but… I have an appointment in an hour," Hisui admitted, pursing her lips in disappointment. So she couldn't wait for long.

"Then let's go find him," Erza said, already turning and striding out. "...Your Highness."

Smiling again, a bit more triumphantly than appropriate, Hisui hurried after her.

To be perfectly frank, Erza had no idea where Gray might have gone — To clear his head? Back to his shop? To do research? — so she headed where she herself would have gone. That is, to the armory to see Lambert and ask for advice.

As it turned out, Gray had actually done the same thing.

"He stopped by a little while ago," Lambert confirmed. "He's been by a few times, asking about the armor, how it was made, when, things like that. I only know the rumors anyway, but I guess since he's from another country, he hasn't heard even that… This time, he wanted to know if there's any wizards at the palace specializing in combat."

"Are there?" Erza asked, with mild interest.

"Not as such…" Hisui said. There were a few wizards at the palace, certainly, and at noble households and guilds around the city, but they specialized in more day to day magics, things to make lives easier.

Lambert smirked a little, the scar on his chin twisting a little. "Well, there's those guys. The executioners. I told him about them," he said. "But I don't think that's going to help him much. He'd have to find them first."

"What guys?" Erza asked, turning to look between Lambert and then Hisui — who had paled somewhat alarmingly.

"Oh… oh dear," the princess murmured. "There is a… small issue. They are here. Right now, have been for a while." She wrung her hands, avoiding Lambert's stare. "There's… well, there's a lot of talks going on, with Father and the ministers, so they were called back."

"Who?" Erza pressed, only to be ignored again.

"That kid… he might have gone to meet them," Lambert admitted, frowning. "And I think he's been given run of the palace, so no one might stop him."

Hisui bit the inside of her cheek. "Then… I will go to check. If he did… it's dangerous," she decided.

So this was what Gray was always getting mad about, Erza realized. Getting talked over, about something everyone except you knew... She glared half heartedly at Hisui's back as the two of them hurried out of the armory, at a walk as brisk as socially acceptable, the princess leading the way to a section of the castle where Erza had never gone before.

It was annoying, and Erza wanted to dig in and refuse to go along with it, but… "Is Gray in danger?" she asked, catching up to Hisui.

"Well, no… not necessarily. I mean, they won't kill him," Hisui said distractedly, barely acknowledging the knights and servants they passed, all of who stopped to bow to the princess. "But they're unpredictable. If they get angry, or if they feel like toying with him…"

"I don't know who you're talking about," Erza said flatly. "Who are they?"

That, at least, seemed to finally get through to Hisui. "The Garou Knights," she said with a glance back at Erza, worry furrowing her brow. "Originally, there were four orders of knights in Fiore. Two have since disbanded. The order you are in, the Katou Knights, has become so prominent it's often treated as the only one. But there's one more, the fourth... the shadow order. The Garou Knights are all wizards, but some of them used to be criminals who were pardoned or mercenaries chosen for their power. So their reputations is..."

Unwilling to slander a knight order of the crown, Hisui trailed off, but Erza understood the implication.

"They are almost always out of the palace. They make the court nervous," Hisui went on quickly. "And they... have short tempers."

The section of the castle that must have belonged to the Garou Knights was not dirty or dusty, which the palace staff would have never allowed, but the impression of neglect was still obvious. There was something that made the halls seem unlived in and unused — perhaps the lack of any decorations, or the way every door was closed, or the fact that they were completely alone, passing no one in the corridor.

Picking up the pace without thinking, Erza quickly passed Hisui. Up ahead, she could hear shouting.

She burst into a large chamber, probably a ballroom of some sort — almost entirely empty, except for a puzzling array of furniture and other objects gathered into several clusters around the center of the hardwood floor. Two young women sat on one of the larger piles, watching the row taking place in the middle.

"Just show me your dumb magic already, you cultist wannabe!"

"And I said you should just get lost, you snot-nosed brat! And don't call me a cultist! I'm a reaper!"

Erza sighed. She couldn't help it.

Gray was standing on what looked like an overturned bookshelf, rising on his tiptoes to glare into the face of his opponent — a man in a long dark cloak over armor, with twin scythes on his back. The man's expression was an equally matched glare. No, it was far more intimidating, but the fact that he was directing it toward a petulantly scowling child made it difficult to take seriously.

One of the young women in the audience finally noticed the new arrivals and, elbowing her companion, ducked her head in what might have suggested a bow. "Your Highness," she greeted loudly.

The man turned sharply, his eyes widening for a moment. "...Princess Hisui," he said, straightening and apparently intending to pretend the previous scene had never taken place. "What an unexpected surprise. What brings you to the Garou Knights?"

He smirked and backed away toward the largest pile of mysterious objects, dropping onto it and sprawling like a king on a throne — a throne made of two cabinets, an upside down sofa, a grandfather clock and several banners draped over it all. The two young women also leaned back on their own thrones of destruction, expressions equally confident and lazily amused.

The purpose of the seemingly destroyed furniture suddenly became clear — simply, atmosphere. The Garou Knights liked to greet any messenger sent to summon them with an air of danger, destruction, and irreverence.

Typical wizards, in other words.

Hisui smiled. "It's a wonderful opportunity to meet our strongest knights," she said, without the slightest hint of hesitation. "You are Commander Kama? It's a pleasure."

"Don't worry, we wouldn't do something like breaking the kid just because he's annoying," Kama snorted. "It'd be a pain to deal with all the fussing afterwards. The ministers are already always breathing down our necks."

"I'm very sorry to hear that," Hisui said diplomatically. "We are always very grateful for your service and loyalty. ...However, if it would be possible, perhaps you would be willing to assist Master Kreuz with his commission, as it is also an order from the crown."

Standing to the side, Erza felt her lips quirk up a little at the expression on Gray's face at being addressed as 'Master Kreuz.'

"And how can the Garou Knights help with fixing the White Lily Armor?" Kama drawled. Naturally, they were completely up to date on all the castle gossip.

When Hisui turned to him for the explanation, Gray grimaced and shifted awkwardly. "Well, it's... I mean..." he mumbled. "I just... It's because of me." He winced, just saying it, but barreled on. "The structure of the spells in the armor doesn't make sense to me. It's too different from anything in Isvan. So I need to study some Fiore spellcraft. Combat magic will be closer to those defensive spells, so..."

It was easy to see that Kama wanted to refuse. Wizards too had things like trade secrets, even if they were generally not so closely guarded, but for a combat wizard in particular — catching an opponent off guard with a secret skill could mean the difference between victory and defeat.

"...If it is the princess's order, we will certainly obey," he said finally. "But I'm hardly a teacher. I can only show you my magic... through combat."

Reaching over his shoulder, Kama grasped one of his scythes and swung it forward with the ease of great skill. The blade hummed as it was pointed toward Gray, gleaming in the faint light coming through the shuttered windows.

Gray's expression twitched a little, his thoughts obvious — he wasn't a trained fighter, and while he was reasonably confident in his ability to pick up the general pattern of the spellcraft from observation, doing so while desperately trying not to get beheaded…

"Fine," he bit out, raising his chin defiantly. "I'll—"

"I'll do it," Erza spoke up.

"...Hoh," Kama drew out, his gaze moving to her and turning rather considering.

"That's a fine idea," Hisui agreed. "Then I will observe."

"You said you have a meeting soon," Erza pointed out, apparently not realizing the purpose of Hisui's decision — with the princess watching, the Garou Knights were less likely to get... carried away. Pausing thoughtfully, Erza added, "I'm supposed to report in too."

"Then I will inform your captain about your location," Hisui said. "Arcadios as well."

When he was first interrupted, Gray had turned to Erza, a protest already on his lips. But then, Kama and even Hisui had kept talking over him, leaving Gray standing uselessly with his mouth open, waiting for a moment to jump in. Finally, he huffed, crossing his arms and glaring at the lot of them. Even though this was about his job, everyone was deciding things without even consulting him… not that he couldn't work with watching Erza fight.

"If you're going to fight," he declared, making everyone finally remember his presence again, "fight her first."

He had pointed at one of the two young women, who had watched the entire scene with amusement. "Me?" she said, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah. You use a style from the Yakuma, right? I know some of those, so it'll be the easiest to understand," Gray said.

"Fine," Kama said. "Kamika, you go first. Then, Cosmos. Play nice, now… and if the girl is still up for it, she can try me last. I'll be interested to see what the Katou Knights can offer."

~.~.~

The fact that Kamika, one of the Garou Knights, supposedly the strongest wizards in Fiore, couldn't take down one little girl — even if she was holding back and only sparring — was rather insulting. It shouldn't have been close, but it was. Kamika had experience on her side, certainly, but not enough to cover the difference in their power. Weaker than a child... that was insulting in a way too. As it stood, there was no telling who would win in a real battle to the death.

Arcadios could understand the frustrated, strained look on Kamika's face, and the unwilling admiration beneath it. He had felt the same, watching Erza vanquish a monster he had barely survived facing with far more support at his back. At the same time, a knight who couldn't acknowledge another's strength, whether ally or opponent, wouldn't have made it to commander, or in the Garou Knights at all. He and Kamika, and her watching comrades, knew better than to deny Erza's power.

Watching the two of them fight, Arcadios could only be impressed by her strength all over again.

"That girl's something else," Kama commented, coming up to stand beside Arcadios as they overlooked the small training field that Erza and Kamika were using. "Her power alone is insane, but she's used to fighting too — life or death, at that. I heard rumors before, I can see how she made it into your order at that age."

Serious as always, Arcadios only turned to regard Kama patiently. For all that most of the court looked down on the Garou Knights, Arcadios had always treated Kama with the respect afforded to an equal. They held the same rank, after all, both knight commanders. Whether that respect was real or just propriety…

"But you know she's wasted in your order," Kama went on. "What do you say? Why don't you let us have her?"

This time, a frown tugged at the corner of Arcadios's lips, and his brow furrowed in disapproval or perhaps concern.

It was hardly unfounded. The rumors were exaggerations, but they held some grain of truth. The Garou Knights were no place for a child. But Erza was not exactly a child, not really.

"What were you going to do with her anyway? Transfer her into your Cherry Blossom squad?" Kama said, knowing from the small twitch in Arcadios's expression that he had guessed right. "The girl's wasted on patrols, and her squadmates aren't going to like having the princess getting personally involved with one of their knights anyway. Has her captain complained to you about her yet?" Another twitch, which meant a yes. "But your squad only guards the royal family, and that's even more of a waste. Now, if she's with us…"

He gestured broadly. The Garou Knights were few in number and much freer to take "special" assignments, which would be a far better use of Erza's strength.

"We can give her training too, for her magic," Kama added his last point. "Even if she doesn't want to become a wizard, just swinging around a sword isn't going to let her reach her full potential."

Arcadios sighed. "I have considered transferring Erza as well," he admitted. "However. Until such a transfer takes place, she is one of my subordinates and her well-being is my concern. And, if you excuse my bluntness, I have a great many concerns regarding the Garou Knights."

That bluntness made Kama smirk. "What exactly do you think we're going to do?" he shot back. "When the princess visits at least once a week?"

Arcadios didn't answer, but that was answer enough. They both knew it was the most logical, convenient solution.

Down in the training field, the fight reached a conclusion — but no resolution, as Gray called an end to it. Erza and Kamika both stopped, straightening almost unwillingly, and turned to him as Gray approached. Kamika's expression grew slightly chagrined as he began to say something, gesturing broadly.

He was explaining what he'd observed of her magic, and it seemed he was almost completely spot on. 'That quickly? Not bad,' Kama thought.

Cosmos glided over, waving cheerily — she and Kamika most often worked together, and they had adjusted their magics to be more compatible as a result. Observing her would be the natural next step. She was also more vicious than Kamika. Her bright smile shifted into a dangerous smirk as she regarded Erza.

Erza stared back impassively, her sword held loosely in her hand. She appeared barely winded from her rounds with her previous opponent and not even slightly uneasy. Well, Cosmos would wear her down a bit more, and then...

Then it would be Kama's turn to test out their potential new recruit.

~.~.~

"Where exactly are you leading us?" Gray said suspiciously. His gaze, fixed on Kama's cloaked back, strayed for a moment as they passed what was clearly a row of cells, the outline of chains and shackles visible behind the bars.

"Can't you just follow quietly?" Kama grumbled.

"No," Erza declared flatly. "Where are you leading us?"

Her hand lingering near her sword. Ever since their match had ended in her defeat, she had been uneasy and constantly on guard in his presence.

He hadn't even needed to injure her, only slipping past her attacks and sliding the edge of his scythe against her throat once he had been satisfied with his assessment of her skills. If he had been serious, she would have been dead before she even realized what was happening. The awareness that he could defeat her so easily, at any time he wished, settled poorly with Erza's instincts.

But it wasn't fear that she felt, and her tense glare only made the Garou Knight Commander's smirk, hidden under the metal mask he had donned, widen.

"I heard you're looking for dragon bone," Kama said finally.

"Yes, I am," Gray admitted cautiously. "To fill in the damage, it's best to use the same materials, and I heard the White Lily Armor was made using dragon bones. That's all that's left now. ...Why?"

It had taken him another week and a half of intense work to sort out the armor's spells as much as he could hope for and to create a design for the repair ritual. There were still various preparations to be made, of course, but the biggest obstacle remaining was the materials.

The armor wasn't made out of bones, of course. But some must have been infused into it using alchemy, and repairing it would require adding new materials at least close to the original, or the seams would be too obvious and the spells would not integrate correctly.

"Figured out the rest pretty fast, didn't you?" Kama commented. "You sure using the same thing is good? Sure didn't help much against the wyrm."

Gray bristled. "I'm not an amateur!" he snapped. "I know plenty of magic styles already, I just needed to see how you do it here! It's not like I need to know the specifics. I'm going to be remaking it anyway!"

"If you're going that far, Master Kreuz, why not just make a new one?" Kama shot back.

"If I made a new armor, it wouldn't have the history behind this one," Gray gritted out. "An older, inherited tool is always stronger because of the accumulated magic in it. That's why I'm going to remake it, like the nomads do with their tools."

There was a special method the nomadic tribes around Isvan used, which Ur had learned it while traveling with them. Because the tribes had many old, powerful tools the likes of which they were no longer able to create, they had developed a way of reforging those tools into new ones that would inherits the original's properties.

Ur had enjoyed telling her apprentices about those experiences — her time with the tribes, learning from their shaman crafters, how it all compared to Isvan's other styles, and why this was a perfect example of why learning about other magics was so important to a crafter. 'Never stop learning,' she'd lectured. 'Crafting is about finding the right method to create the right tool. Learn as many methods as you can. Each one's another "tool" for you!'

Gray had listened and remembered, of course, always looking for a way to reach his goal, but he hadn't understood, not really...

Scowling, he shoved the thought away and continued ranting, regardless of Kama's increasing amusement.

"And so what if it broke against a wyrm? That's not how defensive properties work in the first place," Gray steamed on. "Monsters are good against their own kind, so you can make weapons from parts of them, but armor doesn't work like that. It might've even been the opposite. Ancient wyrms are supposed to be wyverns that are evolving into dragons, right? If the dragon whose bones were used wasn't defeated by a human and didn't give its blessing to humans, its will could turn to support its… kin, instead of the wearer!"

"How superstitious," Kama said. "You people out east sure believe in some quaint things."

Gray glared at his back. "You could call it two kinds of draconic energy resonating and weakening the protective spells on the armor," he said, "if you don't believe in things like will or blessings. But it's still true."

Of course it was, and any wizard worth their salt could feel it. But baiting him was entertaining, so Kama only shrugged, as dismissively as possible.

"It's your commission. It's on your head if you screw it up," he said, ignoring Gray's quiet growl. "As it happens, I know a place where you can get dragon bone. Might even be the same place they got it originally."

"A place under the castle?" Gray guessed, as they headed down yet another staircase. This one was even more roughly hewn than the last, and even more dark and dank. There were no lamps or even torch brackets left on the moss overgrown walls, but small patches of rough, low-quality lacrima crystals had begun to emerge from the cracks, glowing just enough to light their way.

Mercurius must have been built on the foundation of a much older structure. Something deeply steeped in magic, so thick that it crystallized. Erza had noticed it too, the cadence of her steps faltering a little. The deeper they went, the heavier the ambient energy became, until it was almost stifling.

"That's right. Under the castle, there's a massive cave system. It's been there since before Fiore was founded," Kama explained. "See, this land used to belong to the dragons, and it's where they fought their last war. So when humans first started building here, they sealed it all underground — the dragon graveyard."

The way he tilted his head to look back at them over his shoulder threw his face into unsettling shadow. Gray twitched a little, struggling to maintain his skeptical glare.

"Piles and piles of dragon bones," Kama went on. "But since you're the superstitious sort, I'm sure you can guess. All those dragons dying left behind a lot of malevolence, lingering thoughts of violence and battle... It's easy to get lost or even die down there." He paused. "We use it for training, can't go all out on the surface without the ministers complaining again... and for initiations."

"If it's like that, Gray doesn't need to come," Erza spoke up unexpectedly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gray demanded. "I can handle it!"

"I doubt it," Kama muttered.

Falling back a little, Erza drew level with Gray. "You should go back," she said quietly but firmly, her brow furrowed in an uneasy frown. "It's dangerous. I can get it."

"I can—"

"Does it even matter who gets the bones?" she demanded, glaring at Gray. "Is there some requirement?"

"...No," Gray admitted. "It doesn't really matter which ones you bring. And it's fine if it's you, since you're a knight too. But it's my commission. I should be the one to do it."

Erza didn't have a chance to protest further, as they finally reached what must have been the entrance — a set of thick, towering double doors, kneeling statues on either side. When Kama made a sharp gesture, they began to open, creaking slightly.

A low, voiceless groan echoed out from the space beyond, and cold air sluggishly curled around their ankles like an undertow. Squaring his shoulders, Gray marched ahead first, before Erza could stop him.

As she followed after him, Erza let her eyes linger on Kama. The faint light played across the jagged designs of his mask, making them look like the fangs of a beast, and his eyes glimmered under the shadow of his hood. He looked like the grim reaper rumors made him out to be, and Erza's grip on her sword's hilt tightened. Her every sense strained to remain on him when she stepped through doors after Gray. She could almost feel the blade at her back...

But it never came.

"You weren't kidding about it being massive," Gray muttered, stopping at the edge of the platform and staring across the wide open space of the cave, its depths disappearing into shadow. "How far is it to the... Hey! What are you doing?!"

He had glanced over his shoulder back toward Kama, only to spin around fully, staring in shock and rising fury. Erza turned too — but it was already too late. The great doors were swinging shut, already down to only a narrow gap. From the other side, Kama raised his hand in farewell.

"Try not to die before you reach other side!" he called out.

The doors slid shut, the moment before Gray reached them. "You can't do this! You can't just leave us in here!" he yelled, pounding his fist futilely against one of the doors, which let off a strange, dull clang. "What the hell is your problem?!"

There was no answer. The only sound was another deep, low moan from somewhere far into the caves behind them.

Frustrated, Gray hit the door again. Then, took a slow, shaking breath through his clenched teeth.

"Gray..." Erza started to say.

"Sorry," he muttered, "I should have listened and stayed behind. I could go get help then... I don't think anyone even knows we're here." Running his hands over the door's surface more gently, he added insistently, "But I'll figure out how to get out of here. Just give me a bit of time."

"I can't cut it?" Erza guessed.

"It's made to seal magic, so it'll dispel your magic too," Gray said distractedly. "But there's got to be a way to open it from this side too..."

"Don't bother," Erza said, making Gray stop and turn to look at her with a frown. "It's a test."

She had been in enough of those to recognize it. It felt just like being back in the arena, faced with some monstrous opponent while the masked figures watched from above. Can you pass? Can you find a way to win? Can you survive?

The fact that Erza still stood there today was proof that she had never failed. She couldn't afford to fail now either.

She had been thinking it ever since facing the Garou Knights — if the kingdom had people like them, skilled and experienced and loyal, could she be sure of her place? She wasn't blind. She knew she didn't fit in, she saw the frustration and distrust in her captain's and her supposed squadmates' faces. Before, she'd thought they would acknowledge her power, that she had proven that she was good enough by passing the trials.

But if there were other, stronger soldiers...

She couldn't afford to fail.

"There's another way out, and we're supposed to reach it," Erza judged. "If we try to cheat, we'll just get punished. So let's go."

Her expression was cold and hard as she glared out into the shadows, enough to make Gray hesitate to press her further. But she softened a little as she glanced back at him.

"Let's get going," she said. "Stay close to me. I'll protect you."

"...I don't need—" Another low moan echoed from the darkness, making Gray shudder. "L-let's stick together," he conceded, "and get out of here quick."

"We need to get the bones first," Erza pointed out.

For a moment, Gray considered protesting. "...Only if we find some on the way," he compromised.

~.~.~

There was no point in trying to track the wind currents to an exit — the magic was too thick, and the air was constantly moving subtly under some unseen force. Gray's hair stood on end, and his back was tense enough to snap, yet looking at Erza, she seemed more at ease than when Kama was leading them down.

"How can you be so calm?" Gray blurted out without meaning to. "We're trapped in some haunted cave, and there's no telling if there's an exit, or if they'll let us out, or if we're just going to die down here..."

"We're not going to die," Erza said calmly. "I won't let us die. I just need to defeat anything that attacks us."

"That might work for normal enemies, but there's no guarantee you can beat what's down here," Gray said ominously, drifting closer to her even as he glared at another cluster of glowing crystals. "He said the dragons left something behind when they died. It's... not like something you can fight. It just pulls at you, so you walk in circles, or you don't see a cliff until you're already over the edge... Everything down here is already dead. Except us."

"I won't die," Erza repeated. "And I won't let you die either."

Gray sighed. "Like it's that simple," he muttered.

"It's not simple. But I won't die, or I'll die trying. That's all," she said. "What are you so afraid of?"

"...Yeah. There's worse things than dying, huh?" Gray said quietly.

They trudged on in silence, though there was no way to tell if they were actually making any progress. They could have easily been walking in circles, but Erza seemed sure of herself as she led the way. Given her own strong magic, it was possible she could resist the addling effects of the caves. But having high magic power sometimes made a person more sensitive instead. What made the difference...?

Pondering over this, Gray nearly ran into her back when she came to a stop.

"There's some," Erza said, nodding to herself in satisfaction.

Dragon bones, she meant.

They littered the basin ahead, though it took a moment for Gray to realize what they were — the rows of ribs looked like the beams of a ruined building, towering well over of a human's height. Piles and piles, Kama had said, and he hadn't been exaggerating.

"How many is that...?" Gray wondered as they slowly made their way down into the graveyard and among the skeletons. "There were this many dragons in Fiore once? And something managed to kill them all? Or did they kill each other...?"

"It wasn't a human that did it," Erza confirmed, looking at one giant ribcage that appeared to have been caved in by something equally large. However, unlike Gray's uneasy expression, she seemed indifferent to the events of the past. "So?" she asked, turning to him again. "Which one are we taking?"

"R-right. Well, we should take a piece about this big," he said, making a shape with his hands, slightly larger than a forearm's length. "It's better not to break any though, so let's look for one the right size. Other than that... dragons are supposed to have an innate element. The one they used for the armor, I can't really tell what it was, so let's try to find something like earth or metal, or maybe. Just... use your intuition, I guess."

Erza nodded, peering at one of the skeletons around them. "Zapping... lightning," she judged.

"...Just like that," Gray muttered, shaking his head. He was pretty good at judging magic, but Erza's senses were something else.

It should have been easy to find bones that suited their need. Earth or metal or maybe water, and to be honest, any element would have worked. Gray had only made a general guess about that. But intuitively, none of the skeletons they passed felt right.

Some, Gray hadn't even dared to touch, the sheer malevolence radiating from them making him steer away. Erza too was not forging straight ahead in her usual way, looping in her path, her brow furrowing.

The cave was silent except for their muffled footsteps, but Gray would have sworn that something was growling, low and insistent and slowly building.

"It's getting dangerous," Erza admitted, voicing his thoughts. She had drifted closer to him until they were moving nearly pressed together.

"Maybe we should turn back and try circling around this place," Gray suggested.

"No," Erza said, her lips pursing, "I don't think we can do that."

Feeling the pressure at his back, the instinctive knowledge that something furious and hungry was watching their every move for the first hint of hesitation or weakness, Gray thought she might be right. If they tried to turn back, the magic and tension building around them would break.

It might break anyway, of course.

'...I went too far again,' Gray realized, something cold twisting in the pit of his stomach. 'I got obsessed and stopped thinking about the consequences. It didn't need to be dragon bone. I should have settled for using something safer. Coming here was a mistake...'

Thinking that was a mistake as well. His spirit wavered, as if flinching in the face of challenge, and something out there noticed.

The tension shattered, almost physically lashing against them.

There was a roar, like thunder. Deeper, even. It resonated down to their bones — Gray could feel it, despite clapping his hands over his ears. It felt like it was dragging across his insides, harsh and intrusive. It reminded him of— It was almost like—

—A dark giant towering over the ruins and the flames—

Erza crashed into him, just barely managing to shove them both out of the way as something struck the place they had been standing. Dirt and gravel showered them as they hit the ground, hard enough to knock the air out of Gray's lungs.

Through the cloud of dust, Gray caught a glimpse of a massive, spectral shape — a heavy, square jaw, rows of jagged spikes, leathery wings spreading wide. A dragon, translucent and glowing with magic, like the lacrima crystals. A ghost, made of lingering thoughts. Parting its jaws, it roared again.

Gray's mind had gone blank, but his instincts kicked in and he was already scrambling to his feet. His grip on Erza's hand was nearly crushing as he tried to drag her with him in desperate flight — only to find himself pulled to a halt.

Erza was on her feet, but her back was to him. Facing their enemy, sword already in hand, she dug in her heels and refused to budge.

"What are you doing?! We have to run!" Gray yelled.

"You said it didn't work because the dragon hadn't been defeated by a human," Erza said, far too calm. The ground trembled as the ghostly dragon advanced on them, but she didn't flinch, her expression utterly focused and unmoved. "I'll defeat it, and we'll take its bones. That's the best, right?"

"Are you out of your mind? It's a dragon! You beat it — just run!" Gray nearly begged, caught between his terror and his unwillingness to flee alone.

"No," Erza said. "It's just a grudge that was left behind. The dragon is already dead. It was defeated, and I will defeat its last will too."

Then, there was no more time for talk. The ghost dragon was upon them.

Ripping her arm free of Gray's grip, Erza shoved him away and sidestepped just in time to avoid another strike of the ghost's claws. Its thick arm swept across the ground, sending bones and rocks flying. Erza jumped over it, and seeing an opening, leaped with her sword aimed for its neck.

There was a sharp, metallic screech as her blade struggled against its translucent scales. Then, twisting, it slipping aside without making a cut. Her magic too crashed over the dragon's hide like waves against a cliff. For an instance, Erza hung in the air. Before she could begin to fall, the dragon's long serpentine tail swung forward, bashing her aside with the force of a battering ram.

"Erza!" Gray yelled frantically.

She had managed to turn with the blow and, despite plowing into the ground, rolled to her feet. Her sword was still in her hand — but what could she do? Gray had altered it to channel her magic, and only that, unlike the sash she'd used against the wyrm. Here and now, Erza herself fell short — she was unable to do more than crudely strike out with her power, which couldn't begin to dent even a dead dragon.

She couldn't cut it. She couldn't beat it down. Its throat was hard and scaled, unlike the wyrm.

'I wouldn't lose,' Erza thought stubbornly, like a mantra. 'I will win.'

She had to.

—But how?

The ghost rose again, towering over the the bones, the basin, and Erza, and tilted back its head. Light and power gathered between its jaws. This was the magic that the wyrm hadn't had a chance to unleash. But the sheer magnitude of the spell… She wouldn't be able to block or deflect it. The distance between them, after she was thrown back, was too far to close in time to interrupt the attack. If she tried to run, the dragon would turn to follow.

She would have only one chance to dodge. A dash out of the way just as the ghost unleashed its roar.

How wide would it be? How far did she need to go? Would she make it?

Erza shoved the useless thoughts away. There was no time.

Her body tilted, her legs tensing and—

The gravel shifted. Her foot slipped, giving out under her. Erza's eyes widened as she began to fall, caught helpless before the light. Time seemed to slow in horrible realization.

'Now, of all times...?'

The dragon's ghost roared.

"ERZA!"

"Hedge!"

"Paper Blizzard: Grey Dance!"

Three people had moved at once — Gray, running toward Erza, and two others, silent observers who had been hidden in the shadows.

The dragon's roar bore down on them, as Gray reached out his hand. Vines sprang from the ground, thickening and twisting together into a solid, rising wall between the children and the massive spell. Squares of gray paper swirled on its other side, forming another barrier.

Gray collided with Erza, arms wrapping around her instinctively. He squeezed his eyes shut, knowing there was no time to get clear of the blast. Their shadows sharpened, dark and stark against the ground.

But while Erza's shadow remained pointed away, across the ground opposite the light, Gray's turned suddenly — extending toward the dragon and its roar, impossibly long and dark. Something surged out, a wave of stinging, staggering cold that crashed over everything.

Then, silence.

Feeling Gray trembling against her, Erza hesitated to push him away. But what had happened? Where was their enemy? Finally, Gray lifted his head and loosened his grip, allowing her to do the same. They turned together, to where the dragon had been.

It was still there. But, like everything else around them, it had been covered with a layer of ice. The rocks, the lacrima crystals, the half-formed wall of thorned vines, the barrier of paper, the ghost — all of it was frozen and still.

"...What happened?" Erza wondered.

Swallowing heavily, Gray tried to form an answer. "It's... it's still..."

They started, Erza scrambling to her feet, as someone landed next to them. It was Cosmos, one of the Garou Knights that Erza had sparred against. Her face was set in a cold, grim expression, lacking her usual sardonic smile. "No time, let's go!" she ordered. "It's going to break loose!"

She was right. The ice shell over the dragon ghost was already beginning to creak and crumble. The thing within groaned and snarled, struggling.

Cosmos glanced toward her partner, who had moved in front of them. "Can you disperse it?" she asked.

"I'll try," Kamika said, pieces of paper already in her hands. "Paper Blizzard: White Dance!"

The white squares flew like a gale, shining with holy magic. Trapped, the ghost howled.

Cosmos had grabbed hold of the children, hauling them away. But while Gray hurried along, stumbling a little, Erza ripped her arm free of Cosmos's grip and spun around, back toward their enemy. "Hey! Newbie, wait!" Cosmos yelled, futilely.

Erza's sword was still in her hand, and it gleamed as she brought it to bear.

If she couldn't cut it or crush it, she would have to pierce it. That was what Erza decided. She wasn't stong enough to overcome it. She didn't have the skill of a swordmaster. But she could compress all her magic into a single point and—

Erza drove her blade into the ghost's chest. Made brittle by ice and weakened by holy magic, the hard scales resisted for a moment and then gave way, Erza's sword and her magic thrusting deep into the phantasmal form.

There was a sharp crack.

The ice shattered as the ghostly dragon shrieked in pain and fury. A storm of glittering dust and wisps of half-formed magic washed over the cave, the bones and the humans, momentarily blinding and deafening everything.

Erza was the first to straighten, sheathing her sword and taking a step forward, while the others looked around cautiously. "Is... Is it gone?" Gray wondered, letting Cosmos haul him up.

"Fo now," Kamika allowed. "But it'll be back. It's not something that can be killed." She exchanged a look with Cosmos, more white paper clutched between her fingers at the ready.

Cosmos snorted. "That's why we can keep training against them — they always come back. But even we're not crazy enough to do it alone! What's wrong with your head, rookie? Hey, are you listening?" she called out to Erza with growing agitation.

It took a moment for Erza to answer, preoccupied with scanning the ground in search of... a piece of bone a little larger than her forearm. Hefting it up, she finally turned back to the others. "You weren't testing me to see if I could win?" she asked, frowning a little.

Palming her face, Kamika sighed. "I told you she noticed us," she muttered.

"Are you crazy? You're supposed to just get through! Run!" Cosmos groaned. "She's got no sense of judgement at all! Is she really going to be one of us? She'll get herself killed on the first solo mission she takes." And in the Garou Knights, most missions were solo.

"There's no helping it, the commander's made up his mind," Kamika said.

"What are you talking about?" Erza asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Let's head back for now," Kamika went on. "Maybe he'll change his mind. I think she might have failed the initiation."

"You can't fail, it's hazing, not an actual test. It's just about seeing if you've got guts enough in the face of death," Cosmos grumbled, dragging Gray along with her as she began to move. "You just watch, he's going to make someone babysit her. It'll probably be us."

Kamika only shrugged one shoulder, not precisely disagreeing. She reached out toward Erza, trying to guide her along as well, only to be shrugged off and met with a sharp glare. "What are you talking about?" Erza repeated. "It wasn't a test?"

"Look, just ask your commander, or ours, when we get back," Kamika said, sighing again. "This isn't the time or place. The longer we're here, the harder it'll be to fight our way out. Now that we started fighting, the spirits have gotten stirred up. We need to get going."

Erza looked like she was willing to take her chances, but Gray's quiet voice made her hesitate. "Erza," he called out. "Let's... Let's just go, okay? We got what we need, right?"

Pursing her lips, she stared at him for a long moment, then finally ducked her head in concession.

Wisps of magic were already rising and curling weakling around their legs as they set out again. Something unseen moaned, coming closer. White paper, shining with holy magic, swirled around the group as Kamika readied for battle, and thorned vines slithered out of Cosmos's sleeves. Looking at them, ready to protect the two children between them, Erza felt the itching urge to draw her sword and take point.

But what good would it do? Her power alone wouldn't be enough to pierce the dragons' scales. She would have been lost if the Garou Knights hadn't stepped in. And not just her. Glancing at Gray, Erza looked away quickly.

It had been a test for her, and she'd gotten him involved. Or had she seen a test where there wasn't one, and dragged him into danger without any reason? Either way... At least her failure hadn't cost him his life. And even if she couldn't do anything to help fight, she could at least make sure he got out safely.

Silently, she reached out to take his hand.

It took a moment for him to respond, his fingers curling around hers only stiffly. But his returning grip tightened until it was nearly bruising.

~.~.~

Erza was uncharacteristically meek as she entered Arcadios's office. For all of her strength, she was still very young — just a child, and Arcadios couldn't help frowning as he regarded her.

Surprisingly, Erza spoke first. "I failed, didn't I?" she said. "The test down in the cave. Do I... have to leave the knights now?"

Taken completely off guard, Arcadios coughed and cleared his throat. "I wasn't pleased to hear about that," he said. "Don't misunderstand — I wasn't pleased that Kama went ahead with something like that without consulting me, while you are still one of my subordinates. Even if he and his people were observing you, even if it's a tradition for them to make their new recruits run that kind of gauntlet, he was out of line."

Something about his words had made Erza flinch, her face going blank and too controlled. Thinking back over what he'd said, Arcadios winced. 'While you are still one of my subordinates' — when he hadn't explained why she might not be in short order.

"...Let me start from the beginning," he said. "Her Highness told you that there are two orders of knights in Fiore, correct? It has been suggested that you transfer from our Katou order into the Garou Knights. They specialize in the use of magic in combat, and they could help you bring out your full potential. And... it is a waste to assign you to normal missions among our order. As it stands, you are often pulled away for other duties, which is not a normal state of affairs... In the Garou Knights, you would have much more freedom to take action as needed."

Erza listened with an unreadable expression. "I don't fit with the others," she judged, "and it's causing problems."

"That is... not incorrect," Arcadios admitted. "But you are one of my subordinates too, and I will support you as much as any other knight serving under me. If you wish to remain with the Katou Knights, I will not force you to leave. Kama got ahead of himself, putting you through their initiation without even approaching you as a candidate. It is your decision. If you wish to remain, we will find a better place for you here."

'But I'm in the way. It would be better if I left,' Erza guessed. And... Arcadios was saying that now, but how long could his goodwill last? He'd already made many allowances for her, letting her into the training and the trials, dealing with her captain, covering for her when she and the princess got in trouble...

"Take some time to think it over," Arcadios said. "I know the Garou Knights didn't leave the best impression, but they could help you become stronger, more than we can. Kama wouldn't have done that if he didn't believe you capable of making it through. If anything, it sounds like you were much stronger than they expected—"

"...I'll go," Erza said quietly.

"Yes, go ahead and take the rest of the day off," Arcadios agreed, misunderstanding that she wanted to leave.

"No. I'll go to the Garou Knights. I'll join them," Erza repeated.

Arcadios hesitated, pursing his lips. "You don't need to make your decision now..." he tried to say, but Erza's flinty stare made it clear she had already made up her mind. Arcadios sighed. "I see. Then if you are certain... I will handle the administrative changes, and Kama will explain the changes in your duties and assignment. We will hold the official transfer in a few days. Do you... have any questions?"

Erza started to answer a negative, only to change her mind. "Can I still get weapons from here?" she asked, refusing to meet Arcadios's gaze.

She didn't see the way his expression softened minutely, as he easily guessed what she was really asking. "Of course," he said. "The Garou Knights have no armory and they rarely use their quarters. If you need anything, we will assist you. After all, we are still comrades in the service of the crown."

Erza only nodded slowly, her expression still distant and blank.

~.~.~

Gray managed to stop himself from jumping when Kama stepped out of the shadows almost right beside him. Instead, he clenched his fists tightly and tried to keep his breathing even.

"You don't need to get so worked up. I'm not going to do anything," Kama said, his tone faintly amused, but his face still hidden behind his mask. "I won't even ask what you've got hidden in your shadow — though that was quite a show back there."

Shoulders growing even more tense, Gray didn't respond.

He had known the Garou Knights would notice — that the sudden ice magic that had frozen the ghost dragon had come from him, in a way.

"But you do know how dangerous that is, right?" Kama went on. "Sealing something in your shadow put it close to your soul. It's only half a step away from sealing it in your body. And it's unstable too. It came out by itself, didn't it? Because you were in danger."

"I know," Gray said, glaring down at his hands. "But I couldn't leave it there, and I couldn't just carry it. I can't risk someone stealing it either. It's... a weapon I made. I have to take responsibility for it."

'Something like that, at his age?' Kama thought, hiding the slight widening of his eyes under the hood of his cloak. 'That was stronger than Kamika's Silver Dance, and it wasn't even properly unsealed, just a small tremor of its power. This kid... Why was he able to make something like that? Why did he try to, in the first place?'

Well, at least that explained how he was able to work on the White Lily Armor, if he had that much experience with high level weapons. And that meant he had probably done the sealing himself.

If it wasn't something dangerous planted in him by a third party, as Kama had considered might be the case, then it became a personal matter. Among the Garou Knights, they had their share of secrets. Kama could respect that — enough to only keep a close eye on the kid and investigate quietly, in any case. There was no need to make a fuss over just a secret past. At least not until they knew what it was.

Making a sound of acknowledgement, he turned to go. "Don't go walking around alone at night," he threw back as he vanished into the shadows. "It would be a shame if we ended up with a few blocks frozen just because you got mugged."

Gray scowled bitterly at the now empty room. "It's not like I'm helpless," he muttered. "Like I'd get taken out by some mugger! ...I'm not that stupid. Not anymore."

~.~.~

Erza's lips twitched in amusement despite herself, as she watching the scene in front of her. Gray was supposed to be making a last circuit of the ritual area, but...

"We're starting quite early, aren't we? It's not even dark yet. When you said you would be using the moon, I expected it to take place at night," Hisui noted with excited interest, trailing after him.

"It's the full moon, so it rises at sunset and sets at sunrise. The effects won't start until it clears the mountains, but the ritual needs to be ready before that," Gray explained, keeping his attention firmly on the black lines of the magic circle he'd drawn across the flagstones of the courtyard he'd requisitioned.

"You're using the full moon because it's also white? Or is there another reason?" Hisui pressed. Following nearly on his heels, she almost ran into him when Gray stopped to check one of the fountains that circled the plaza.

"Yeah, basically," Gray admitted, leaning inside and pausing for a moment to feel the flow of energy around the catalyst he'd placed inside. "Usually, a new moon might be better for recreating something, since it ties into the concept of new birth, but the full moon gives off more light and magic, so it'll be better for stabilizing and melding in the new parts."

"The moon is good for stabilizing? And when you say that, you mean…" Hisui prompted.

"When you alter an object, by crafting a spell onto it, you create flaws and instability," Gray said, distractedly resuming his trek. "The magic has to be integrated into the very substance of the tool, and often you have to change its composition on a fundamental level using alchemy. But that causes impurities in the object."

Hisui had to take a moment before asking her next question, as both of them carefully jumped over one of the white banners spread across the ground, the same ones Gray had used to extract the spells on the armor back in the storage room. "Like flaws in a gem, or in the weave of a fabric?"

"Right. Those impurities make it brittle and interrupt the flow of magic power through the tool, which lowers its effectiveness, but more importantly quickly degrades the tool's stability." Getting into the subject now, Gray actually turned to better present his explanation, raising one finger in a classic lecturing pose he had to have copied off an adult. "If you just craft a spell onto something or use it to channel magic, it'll crumble quickly. So to avoid that, you need to stabilize the tool as part of the creation process. Water naturally harmonizes and smooths away impurities, and in this case it'll help merge the old spells and materials with the new."

"That's why you said you'll be leaving it in the water for a month after this," Hisui nodded in understanding.

"A month might seem like a long time, but it's a moon cycle, so…" Gray spread his hands. "It links."

"That's fascinating," Hisui said earnestly.

The honest praise made Gray sputter a little, coughing awkwardly and looking away in an attempt to hide the flushed rising across his cheeks. "N-no, well, I mean, yes, it is," he stammered. "Anyway, I don't know why you want to watch, but it's not going to be anything that amazing. This isn't a flashy kind of magic, and it's not interesting to see."

"I think it's pretty interesting to watch," Erza spoke up, making Gray glare and Hisui beam.

"Fine, I don't care," Gray declared. "It's time to start anyway. The moon is about to rise."

It couldn't be seen over the mountains, so that was something only a magic user would be able to tell. But given his experience, Gray could judge it easily. As the three of them moved out of the courtyard, Hisui gestured to a servant and quietly gave the command.

They didn't speak further as they waited. Straining her ears, Erza could just make out the distant hum of the capital itself, but the palace gardens were empty and silent, the only sounds the soft rustling of the many plants in the gardens around the plaza.

Soon, water began to bubble up in the fountains, splashing softly. As the sky darkened in twilight, the lacrima lamps came aglow, their light reflecting on the rising water in the basins. When the first sliver of the white, round moon appeared over the distant mountains, the water lapped over the fountain edges and overflowed onto the flagstones.

It slowly spread over the courtyard, seeping down the cracks between stones and over the lines of the magic circle, which shimmered gently. Finally reaching the white banners that had been laid out like the rays of a star or the spokes of a wheel, the water began to soak into the cloth. Unlike the magic circle, the broken, interrupted writing of the old spells started to smear and run, splashes of black and gray darkening the white fabric and the water.

The lines and symbols of the magic circle were glowing clearly now, and faint motes of light rose from the lacrima lamps. Not just the ones around them, Hisui realized, looking up toward the castle's spires. From all the lacrima crystals across Mercurius, and even from the ground below — like fireflies, wisps of magic filled the air and danced over the smooth surface of the water.

The clouds of dark ink had dissolved completely now, leaving the white banners once again clear — until new spell writing began to appear on them, from the far ends crawling toward the center, where the armor itself lay.

It had been wrapped in white cloth as well, the dragon bone they had brought back filling in the gaping chest cavity. The pieces, bound together, resembled a mummy, or the carved lid of an ancient king's coffin. Reaching the center, the spell writing wrapped across the bindings as well and began to sink into the armor, which glowed faintly even through the cloth.

Gray, who had been kneeling on the low wall around the edge of the plaza, let out a quiet sigh of the relief as the spells anchored. They would need the rest of the night to sink in completely, and he would monitor it all the way through just in case, but this had been the most uncertain part.

"Your Highness," Erza called quietly, gently tugging at Hisui's elbow.

Glancing at her, Hisui nodded. "I suppose we should retire for the night," she said reluctantly. She had been mesmerized by the light and the energy in the air, but now she realized that the moon was already climbing high over the city.

With a last look at the scene of water, light and magic, Hisui let herself be led away. "Magic," she whispered to herself, "is really amazing."

Silently, Erza agreed, about Gray's magic, at least.

~.~.~

Appendix: Names

Since Edolas counterparts had different last names, I figured the characters in this AU should have different last names too!

Gray Kreuz - In canon, Heart Kreuz sells clothing for young women, but Erza forces them to make armor for her. In this case, Gray is the armorer of sorts, so he owns Heart Kreuz. Kreuz is, hopefully, "cross" like the one he wears in canon.

Ur and Ultear Krone - Whatever nationality Gray (and Silver) is, Ur and Ultear are the same. Krone should mean "crown" and comes from Ultear's canon spell, Rosen Krone.

Lyon Saphir - I don't know if Lyon will even appear, but his AU name comes from the real name of Dist in Tales of the Abyss, Saphir Wyon Neiss. I think you can guess the meaning of "saphir," which can be French to match Lyon's general naming theme.

Erza Senketsu - Written as "fresh blood." It was something one of the other gladiator slaves called Erza due to her bloody reputation. It comes from Tales of the Abyss, where Asch's title was "Senketsu no Asch," localized as Asch the Bloody.

Simon and Kagura Mikazuki - Very close to canon (Mikazuchi), haha. But this actually means "crescent moon."

Hisui and Toma L. Fiore - Only the middle initial changed. "L" is for "Luz," I believe, like ToA Natalia's "Luzu Kimlasca Lanvaldear." I thought about changing the last name too, but since that's tied to the country name, I got too lazy.

Arcadios Dinoia - He had no canon last name. This one comes from Alexei in Tales of Vesperia, who was also a knight commander. That's the only similarity though.

Gen Lambert - The knight in charge of the armory. Due to his injuries, including losing an eye and a leg, he is unable to take missions any longer. Gen seems like a name old "veteran" characters often have. Lambert is the name of the knight dog in Tales of Vesperia: First Strike. I imagine "Gen" looking a lot like Nylen, the dog's owner, but with a missing eye too.

Jude, Layla, and Lucy Almathis - This is Jude's last name, which makes it very close to Jude Mathis from Tales of Xillia. Incidentally, Layla's maiden name was Maxwell. That is a song reference, like Jude, Lucy and Layla, and the last name of Jude Mathis's love interest. Maxwell is also a recurring summon spirit.

Grammi and Brandish Ondine - From the summon spirit Undine.

Freed Cecille - From Tales of the Abyss's Jozette Cecille. Since it's a variation of Cecil, which means "blind," I thought it's a bit suitable. The rest of the Thunder Legion doesn't have last names, which is common among wizards, since they are often disowned by their parents or run away from home.

There may be others as well, as we go along.

~.~.~