Volume Nine: Phantom Revelations
Earthland-2, Galuna Island, X784: Gray
"There's only one way to lift our curse," the village chief explained. "The moon...please destroy the moon."
Natsu and Erza looked away, Erza rubbing her chin. Jellal and Lucy stared. Happy sighed alongside Gray. Well, this job's off to a great start. Shipwrecked after being led here by a ghost, surrounded by half-demon people who set off every Devil Slayer instinct I have, and now the chief wants us to destroy the moon. Which, for some reason, is purple here. Gray shook his head. Well, grief does funny things to people. I know that too well.
The villagers led them to a pair of huts, where they prepared to spend the night. Erza and Lucy had joined forces, moving towards one of the huts with determination. No surprise there. Not like any of us are going to try something funny. Jellal won't make a move even when he should, Natsu still hasn't gone through puberty, Happy's only got eyes for Carla, and I like breathing. Erza stopped briefly, hand on her chin again. "Maybe my Giant Armor," she muttered.
Gray froze, eyes bulging as he gaped at his teammate. "Wait, you're – you're not seriously considering it!"
Jellal glanced between his old friends, blissfully unaware of Titania's plans. "Considering what?" he asked.
"Gray, we have a request from our client," Erza explained. Jellal and Lucy went pale, and Happy gulped. "It's our responsibility to consider his outlook."
"Yeah," Natsu chimed in, "it would dishonor Fairy Tail's name to leave a job unfinished."
"Our job's to lift the curse, Natsu!" Lucy blurted, arms waving wildly in the air. Ah, sanity, sweet sanity, Gray decided. So why in Zen's name is she working with flame-brain? Natsu blinked at her in typical clueless fashion, and Lucy facepalmed. "Whatever's causing their condition has to be on the island. Besides, we can't destroy the moon!"
"Of course we can!" Natsu fist-pumped and grinned, eyes gleaming. "I'm all fired up!"
Jellal joined Lucy in matching palm to face. "Natsu, even if your magic could reach across 380,000 kilometers, then hit your target with enough force to do significant damage, destroying the moon would have catastrophic consequences for all life on Earthland." Lucy nodded in desperate agreement.
"Like what?" Natsu asked, crossing his arms.
Gray put a hand on Jellal's arm. "People wouldn't be able to go moon-viewing," he said to Natsu. Leaning closer to the star mage, he whispered, "It's Natsu, keep it simple." While Natsu panicked over moon-viewing steaks, Erza retreated to the women's hut, Lucy trailing behind with a bowed head. "Maybe you should talk to Erza in the morning."
"I'm sure she wouldn't really try to destroy the moon," Jellal whispered back, grimacing. Gray shivered. Yeah, right. I'm more worried about her than Natsu. She might actually find a way to do it!
The next day, they marched towards the ziggurat at the peak of the island's tallest mountain. Gray rubbed cobwebs from his eyes, trudging at the back of the group. Man, this place just rubs me the wrong way, he moped, jaw clenched. I dunno if it's those poor half-demons or the weird purple moon, but I've got a bad feeling about this place. He looked up.
Erza was leading the way, Natsu by her side, the duo smashing a path through the forest. Jellal was barely paying attention as he followed, making notes on his pad while staying close to Titania. Man, whatever happened last time, Jellal really needs to try again. I love Erza like a sister, but she can be colossally thick sometimes. Lucy and Happy were just ahead of Gray, both hiding in Horologium as the animate clock-man waddled through the woods. "'Guys, this is taking forever. Do we have a plan?' – she asks," Horologium reported.
"We're making it up as we go along, I say," Natsu droned back. Gray snickered.
Jellal looked up from his notes. "Actually, I have a theory," he replied, looking from the spirit to the ziggurat. Of course you do, Gray thought, grinning for a moment. "Lunar energies are one of the most mystical forms of cosmic magic. They're ideal when dealing with ether, spirits, any wizardry that deals with magical force itself." He glanced over his shoulder at Gray. "Didn't the locals say this pyramid is a temple to the moon?"
"That's what I heard," Gray shrugged. Erza and Natsu tore through yet another veil of greenery, then froze. "Oi, why are we stopping?"
"Look," Erza commanded, pointing ahead with her sword. Jellal and Gray walked over to join them, stopping and staring alongside their teammates. The Moon Temple was just ahead, portions of the steps covered in moss or vines. Above the door and on the pillars to either side of it were hints of a curved crimson symbol, but all three markings were covered...
...by Phantom Lord banners.
"Well," Jellal grunted, crossing his arms. Erza snorted. Natsu growled. "This job just got more complicated."
Horologium chose that moment to vanish, dropping Lucy and Happy on their respective tails. They rubbed their backsides in annoyance as the team entered the temple, where more symbols awaited them. At least Phantom Dork didn't cover them all up in here, Gray noted, while Jellal Meteor-zipped from image to image. "Moons," he muttered, looking from his notes to the walls and back. "Drawings of every phase. Why red, though? A visual reference to lunar eclipses, perhaps?"
"Who cares?" Natsu rumbled, kicking the floor. "This whole place is dodgy. Even the ground's a mess. Just the sort of place you'd expect Phantom Lord jerks to be."
"Them maybe you should stop–" Lucy began, but was cut off by the floor collapsing beneath them. Everyone screamed except Erza and Jellal, who caught them before they'd plummeted to their deaths (or at least multiple contusions).
"You do remember you have wings," Jellal pointed out to Happy, who dangled from his hand, "right?" Gray exhaled in relief from the star mage's other arm, while Erza cradled Lucy gently in one arm and held Natsu by his collar.
"Aye," Happy whimpered, looking down and rubbing his feet together.
When they landed, Gray's spirits were lifted by Erza's furious glare at sulfur-breath. "Natsu..." she snarled.
"aye," Natsu whimpered, his whole body wavering under Titania's withering gaze.
"Um, guys," Lucy added, brushing herself off, "I'm as mad at Natsu as the rest of you, but we may be in luck. There's a cave down here," she pointed out. Gray peered in the direction Lucy gestured in. Huh. Squinty's stupidity might have actually come in handy for once.
Natsu decided to make himself useful, turning his fist into a torch, and they worked their way through the cavern. The passage was long and utterly lacking in combat. It looks like Phantom's already cleared out, Gray decided, shoulders slumping. I guess we all stand around while Jellal does a thing. Well, there's worse ways to make a million...Jewels... They reached the end of the passage, entering a massive opening beneath the heart of the temple.
Gray stared up in disbelief at a massive figure made of ice, standing in a pool of water that it somehow didn't freeze. At first, he thought the ice was in shadow, but the shaft overhead brightened as they approached. Black ice, Gray realized. Moving, living black ice. And that silhouette – why is it so familiar? Lucy squealed. "Don't panic," Gray insisted.
"Gray Fullbuster," the giant rumbled. Though the voice was deeper, the ice mage recognized it immediately. Lyon, he thought, eyes widening. "Somehow, this was inevitable. I might even call it 'destiny,' were I in a nostalgic mood." The ice monster raised its head, and Gray's heart missed a beat. Deliora?! He trembled, caught between terror and rage, as its eyes opened. Erza and Jellal gasped in a single voice, while Happy wailed and flew behind Natsu. The Dragon Slayer snarled, fists blazing hot enough to drive back the monster's frigid aura. "Dragon Slayer. Devil Slayer. You take such pride in those titles, but there is a power that surpasses you both."
The frozen Deliora flexed its arms and stepped forward. "God Slayer," Lyon said, and his creation roared.
"Lucy? Now you can panic," Gray hissed. Lucy screamed and dove behind him. "Ice-Make: Rampart!" Not-Deliora's fist came at him like a train, crashing into his Rampart. A second blow shattered it, but that was more than enough time for them to get around the monster.
Erza and Natsu both charged at the thing with wordless battle cries, her sword and his fists leaving cracks in the false demon. Those cracks healed as they watched. "Why are you doing this, Vastia?" Jellal demanded, glaring up at their foe.
"I have spent three years transforming myself," Lyon replied, stomping at Natsu. The Dragon Slayer dodged, but the shockwave sent Natsu sprawling. "I have surpassed Ur herself. I will defeat Deliora, something she could not do with her daughter and this failure at her side. Then, at last, I will challenge her, and replace her as the greatest Molding Mage in the world."
"Failure? Meteor!" Jellal cried, flying at Not-Deliora. He hammered it repeatedly, the incredible force leaving wide cracks all across its body. "As a child, Gray stormed the Tower of Heaven for complete strangers. What have you done with your life, Vastia?"
Again, the damage repaired itself. "You are fighting my masterpiece, ruined one," Lyon intoned. "Dynamic Ice Magic that can challenge two S-Class wizards and their sidekicks."
"Sidekicks? Fire Dragon – ROAR!" Natsu howled, a massive gout of flame enveloping the entire creation. It melted around the edges, dripping massive dark tears, but it began reforming the instant Natsu's flames receded.
"It is a most impressive foe, Lyon," Erza added, requipping into her Black Wing Armor. "Yet all you have done in three years is torment innocent villagers. Moon Flash!" She darted past Not-Deliora, leaving a cross-shaped wound in its chest.
That, too, healed as they watched. "Innocent? You still haven't figured out what they really are?" Lyon-Deliora sighed, shaking its monstrous head. "You disappoint me, Fairy Tail." The Grim? What is he talking about?
"What they are is irrelevant," Erza retorted, circling and slashing, while Jellal landed, an explosive seal erupting atop the Dynamic Ice. Not-Deliora shuddered and fell to one knee, where Natsu hammered at it again and Lucy recovered enough to summon Taurus. "The citizens of Galuna Island are harming no one. You have no right to judge them!"
"Your best friends are Devil Slayers," Lyon drawled, swinging one massive arm. Black ice eagles flew screaming from its skin. "Do not speak to me of judgement, Titania."
Eagles from its arm? I see, Gray realized, watching Erza parry Lyon's eagles even as Gray fired an ice cannon in its face. "We need to shatter it all at once," Gray called out. "Whatever magic he used to enchanted it, Lyon still has to control this fake to keep it moving. He can't do that if it's in pieces."
Not-Deliora glared at Gray, eyes narrowing. "Clever, wretch," Lyon hissed, "but easier said than done. Ice-Make: Angelica!"
"Ice Make what now?" Natsu asked. The water around Not-Deliora erupted into a frigid geyser, taking form as a black-ice rat nearly as massive as the Deliora replica. It wore a lace headband and a frilly corset. The entire Fairy Tail team – even Erza – stared at the new creation with wide, round eyes. Then Natsu fell over laughing. "Attack of the killer rat-maid! Sca-ry! HA ha ha ha–"
Natsu was cut off when the rat plowed into him, both combatants disappearing down the cavern. "Natsu!" Lucy blurted, racing after her partner, with Taurus and Happy racing behind them.
"Good," Gray rumbled, placing fist to palm. "Now we can get serious."
Jellal gathered his magic, the light around them swirling towards the star mage. "Careful, Gray," he said, watching Not-Deliora warily. "This is no ordinary magic. The curse on the villagers was a mere side effect of this thing's creation."
"This?" Lyon scoffed. "This was but a test. My guild mates wanted to do battle with Deliora." Not-Deliora breathed in, then bellowed a gout of bone-chilling power. "Becoming a God Slayer is not a thing to be taken lightly." A fist shot out at Jellal, but the cosmic mage caught it with one enhanced palm. "I stood under the Moon Drip night after night for months, strengthening myself beneath a torrent of magical annihilation. Fought terrors summoned by the Grim Shade, facing my own fears. Froze spells drawn forth by masters of all four elements. The beasts of the village could not even approach the temple, foul as they are."
Fury gripped Gray's soul, but he forced it back. Patience. He still hasn't figured out that we're holding back. Wait until the team's ready, he told himself, gritting his teeth. "The Phantom Lord mage calls harmless villagers 'foul?' You're pathetic," he hissed. "Ice-Make: Lance!"
Not-Deliora ignored the lance barrage. "Phantom Lord's support is why I am strong," Lyon retorted, smashing the ground near Gray. The ice wizard dodged the shockwave, darting aside, while Erza landed on an outcropping. "I would say the same of Fairy Tail for you, if you were not a liability for them."
A column of sapphire light erupted around Jellal. "You still haven't answered my question, Vastia. Pleaides!" he chanted, blasting Not-Deliora with a barrage of self-guided star blasts. "What have you actually done? Who have you helped? Why do you fight?"
"Only power can change the world," Lyon said, turning on the star mage with a snarling grimace. "You of all people should know that, slave boy. Ice Make: Snow Dragon!" Not-Deliora gestured in Lyon's one-handed Make style, and the dragon rushed at Jellal. "Your brother is not enough. I will remake Ishgar itself!"
Jellal smashed the Snow Dragon with one punch. "Reformation is an admirable goal," he admitted, fist still trembling, "but you cannot achieve it by staining your soul in Porla's service."
"Says the man defending this traitor," Lyon snarled, pointing at Gray. "He's the reason Ur was injured." Fullbuster paled, stumbling back. "I want to surpass her by becoming stronger, not by weakening her!"
Gray's legs wouldn't move, even as the false Deliora turned on him. "I...I..." Both hands made fists, shaking in helpless admission. Before Lyon could attack, though, Jellal resumed his offensive, Meteor seeming to carry him all over the God Slayer beast at once.
"Ur chose to go with him!" Jellal cried, hammering Not-Deliora repeatedly. "We all did! Our scars were all earned gladly! If you haven't learned that your friends make you stronger after all that time in Phantom Lord, then you're in the wrong guild!" As he so often did, Jellal used his rapid-fire assault to draw a symbol above his target. The star mage landed beside Gray, fingers splayed as his hands met. "Be judged by the Seven Stars: Grand Chariot! Now, Gray!"
Okay. Gray formed his bow while Jellal's magic rained devastation on the counterfeit demon, and even the ice mage felt the cold emanating from the arrowhead. "Ice Devil: Zero Destruction Bow!" He launched the massive burst of power into the replica's throat, widening the hundreds of fractures Jellal had sent through Lyon's monster.
"Perdition Claw: Abaddon!" Gray smiled as Erza landed beside them, Purgatory Armor already swapping out for her standard Heart Kreuz breastplate. Couldn't let him notice, could you? Otherwise, how could you claim no enemy had seen it and lived? Behind Titania, Not-Deliora exploded into shards, only the head falling into the puddle left behind by the creation of Angelica. She turned and faced the remnants of the creation, her standard sword pointed between its eyes. "Master Ur's prosthetic leaves her no weaker than my eye does me," she intoned, coolly gazing at the terrible face. "She conjures ice from it that shatters steel with her kicks. Her stamina is greater than ever. And if you believe Gray could ever betray Ur, you are a greater fool than I imagined."
It was downright stomach-churning for Gray to watch Deliora's face form an expression of joy, eyes seeming alight even made of dark ice. "She's...she's stronger? Than ever?"
"She's been training with it for three years," Jellal pointed out, arms crossed. "What do you think, Vastia?"
The head began melting, but it remained solid enough to turn a knife-edged smile on Gray. "You'll see me again soon, Fullbuster. I'll defeat Master Ur and kill the demon all of you couldn't. Everything will change from that day."
"What happened to you, Lyon?" Gray whispered, watching the head warp as it turned to common water. "What was so terrible that even Ur couldn't save you?"
"I lost my home too," Lyon explained, melting eyes streaming out of their sockets. "The difference is, you're obsessed with how, but never stopped to consider why." With that, the last remnants of the thing were gone, leaving behind only a pool of frigid water.
A massive rat's head landed at their feet, already melting. Natsu leaped in, propelled by a fiery blast. "Yeah! I'm all fired up now!" He stopped and looked around. "Huh? Huh? What happened to the other one?"
Jellal and Gray chuckled. "Erza," they said in unison.
Lucy and Happy ran to catch up, panting, while Natsu roared at the hole overhead. "Ai-YAAH!"