Freed tore through the forest, slashing away branches and leaping over logs as they moved deeper and deeper into the underbrush. Rogue and Natsu, who Freed had hastily tucked into their pockets, whined in confusion, and desperately tried to climb out. Sting squirmed in Freed's grip, kicking at their arms and making soft, distressed sounds that increased in volume the further they got from Gray.
"It's not safe," Freed panted, keeping an eye on Laxus, who had barely figured out flying and was hovering awkwardly just ahead. Freed ducked around a large tree as they held Sting tighter against themself, heart pounding as they listened for sounds of being followed.
Laxus moved further away, then turned back to Freed and made a soft trilling sound. Freed could feel a slight tug in their stomach – the same feeling they got when Laxus asked them to trust him in battle. They nodded, kicking several dead branches out of the way as they followed him.
Eventually the undergrowth opened into a small clearing, walled in on three sides by high stone walls. Freed exhaled in relief. Holding Sting under one arm, they held their hand out and quickly scribbled some runes into the air, pulling up a barrier that kept them both enclosed and invisible.
"Thank you," Freed murmured as Laxus fluttered awkwardly down onto their shoulder, rubbing his face against their cheek and making a comforting sound. Sting squirmed out of Freed's grip and immediately ran for the wall, pawing at it and making distressed sounds. Natsu and Rogue quickly joined him, whining and digging at the ground, then turning back around to look at Freed accusingly.
"I'm sorry," Freed said, dropping down and leaning back against the stone wall. They ran their hands over their face, trying to catch their breath as their heart pounded in their chest. Sting scampered back over to them and hopped into their lap, standing on his hind legs and pressing his paws to their chest. "I'm sorry," Freed said again, stroking Sting's head as he chittered frantically. "We have to—I had to keep you safe. We're going to rescue him, I promise."
Natsu growled, headbutting the rune wall and scrabbling at it with his claws. He stood on his back feet, pressing both paws against the wall and staring out into the trees as if it would magically summon Gray.
"It's okay," Freed said as their breathing started to return to normal. Laxus made a comforting sound and cuddled closer to them, and Freed reached up to pet him as they continued to run their fingers comfortingly through Sting's fur. "We can find him," Freed reassured the dragons, reaching out and beckoning for the other two. Rogue slunk over reluctantly, but Natsu remained at the barrier, making soft whining sounds and pawing at it.
Freed unbuttoned their jacket and dug around in the inside pockets, eventually pulling out their communication lacrima and wiping the screen clean. They swiped their thumb across it to power it up, sighing in relief when they saw that it was still connected.
"Freed?" Levy's voice came through, muddled by static but clearly there. "Are you all right?"
"Gray's in trouble," Freed said, tipping their head back against the wall. "We need to find him. Warren – his magic radar – does it still work? Can he find someone this far away?"
"It should work." Freed winced at the way the sound warbled, and they were barely able to make out her next words. "I'll-him, bu-take some t-call you back?"
"Yes," Freed said, sighing and sending out a desperate plea to the universe. "Yes, I'll wait for your call."
The sound of people arguing dragged Gray from unconsciousness. He blinked slowly awake, wincing at the throbbing in his temples.
"We need to do it soon," a voice said. It echoed, as if coming from far away, and Gray shook his head to try and clear his blurry vision and figure out where he was. The ground underneath him was jagged and uncomfortable, and when he pushed himself up, he felt cool rock beneath his fingertips. Gray stumbled to his feet, swaying and steadying himself against the wall. A faint green light shimmered nearby, and it took him a second to realize that it was some sort of moss, bioluminescent and lending a faint green light to the darkness of the room.
"He'll wake up soon," another voice said. It was deep and lightly accented, and Gray immediately recognized it as the man who had hunted them down last month – Siedge. A chill ran through Gray and he rubbed at the scar on his wrist.
The first voice sounded closer as it replied, "He should be out for a few more hours – the sleep magic is strong."
"He's stronger."
The voices were now joined by footsteps and the sound of something jingling. Gray's vision slowly adjusted to the dim light of the room, and he could just make out the shape of a door across from him. He stumbled over and pressed himself to the wall behind it, taking slow, even breaths and trying to push away the nausea that blurred his vision.
"Just bring him to the room," Siedge said, and then there was the sound of keys in a lock as the door started to swing open. Gray curled his hands into fists, ready to summon his magic, and he was so surprised when it didn't respond that he was taken aback by someone reaching out and grabbing his arm.
"Lemme… stop it," he mumbled, bringing his hands up and scrabbling weakly at the person's grip. His tongue felt thick in his mouth, and the place inside him where his magic usually lived was like a void.
"Come with me," the person said, dragging Gray forward and into the hallway. They were tall and beautiful in a cold, frightening way, and the Vengeance Soul guild mark took up half of their face.
"Where…" Gray tripped over his own feet, nearly falling into the mage.
"I told you." Siedge's deep voice was accompanied by a large, terrifyingly familiar man with long blond hair pulled into a braid. He grinned at Gray, showing off sharp teeth. "He's strong." He grabbed Gray's chin, tipping his head up. Gray growled weakly and tried to struggle against the grip, but everything in his body felt like it was being pulled down into the earth.
"Fuck you," he spat. "You almost killed Sting."
Siedge laughed. "You escaped me last time, I have to give you credit for that," he said, letting go of Gray and reaching up to touch the scar on his own neck from Natsu's flames. "But you don't have your dragon slayers to save you this time. They're not quite as ferocious now, are they?" Gray glared at him. "I'll admit, when Laka here suggested the spell, I didn't think much of it, but it's been surprisingly effective. And in your haste to discover its origin, you walked right into my trap."
Laka tugged Gray backward by his arm and he stumbled after them, nearly tripping and falling to his knees. Whatever they'd used to put him to sleep still made everything hazy – and apparently blocked his access to his magic. The empty feeling in his chest expanded as he tried to awaken it again.
"Don't bother," Laka said, shaking their head. "Nobody can lift those runes except me."
Gray frowned, then looked down at his chest. A mark was etched just over his heart – an unfamiliar rune that looked like it had been burned into his skin. It didn't hurt, but he could feel the magic emanating from it.
The haze and confusion slowly receded as they made their way down a long, dark hallway – Laka in front, pulling Gray along by his bicep, and Siedge following behind. By the time they arrived at their destination, Gray's head felt clearer and he was strong enough to walk without stumbling.
"Get him set up," Siedge said, pointing to a chair in the center of the room. Magic bonding runes glowed around the arms and legs and Gray's heart jumped as Laka shoved him toward it. He pulled weakly away from them, but the little strength that had returned to him wasn't enough to break their grip on his arm.
"Why?" he asked as Laka shoved him down into the chair. "This is stupid. You can't just take someone else's magic."
"Actually," Siedge said, moving away from the chair and picking up a book from the desk along one wall, "I can." The cover of the book shimmered faintly, and it took Gray a minute to realize that it was patterned exactly like the devil slayer marks. The faint hum of fear that had been coursing through him since he woke up solidified and he tugged harder against the restraints.
"Where did you get that?" he demanded, swallowing against the nausea that was starting to rise in his throat. The pattern on the book shifted in a sharp, uncomfortable way that made Gray's vision blur. It was wrong – deeply, horribly wrong – and he couldn't breathe.
"Irrelevant," Siedge said, flipping the book open. A sharp flash of pain spiked through Gray's temples and he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. The ache quickly spread, racing down his nerves until the marks on his arms felt like they were on fire. It hurt worse than any burn Natsu had accidentally given him – the searing pain was bone-deep, eating him up from the inside, clawing its way out of him and taking the magic with it.
"S-stop," he managed, shuddering and trying desperately to slip his wrists free of the bindings. He couldn't feel his hands. Someone was talking, and then something touched Gray's forehead, and he was sure he was going to die, and then—
—then the pain stopped abruptly as something exploded.
Gray gasped as the devil-slaying magic returned to him, searing across his skin and slamming into his chest so hard that he could barely breathe. Siedge stumbled forward, cursing and dropping the book face-down on the stone floor.
"Gray!" Freed's voice quickly followed the explosion, and Gray looked up to see them standing in the ruins of the wall with runes sketched in the air around them. Their right eye glowed purple, swirling with magic that made Gray's markings pulse and ache.
"Freed, don't—"
"I thought you said your barriers were impenetrable!" Siedge growled, whirling around to look at Laka. They were staring at Freed, who glared right back, rapier moving quickly in front of them to create more runes in the air.
"They should be," Laka said, stepping forward and waving their hand in an attempt to dismiss Freed's magic. Nothing happened, and before Laka could write any more runes, a burst of lighting sparked through the air and singed off a lock of their hair.
"What the—"
A flash of gold was the only thing Gray saw before Laka shouted in pain and started flailing, trying desperately to remove an angry Laxus, who was clinging to their arm and had his teeth sunk into their neck. Siedge moved to help Laka but was quickly stopped by a burst of fire that raced across the ground and hit him in the shins.
"Natsu," Gray gasped as the tiny red dragon appeared between Freed's legs, snarling at Siedge before darting across the floor. He scrambled up onto Gray's lap and immediately started chittering as he pawed at the magic restraints. "Get out of here," Gray hissed, tugging at the bonds again. "You're gonna get hurt." Natsu growled in disagreement and bit at the magic, hissing when it started to spark.
The ache from earlier still tingled under Gray's skin, but it was quickly being overwhelmed by a protective fear for the dragons. He could see the other two out of the corner of his eye – a dart of black and a flash of white that came at Siedge from both sides.
"He's too strong," Gray said, trying to shift his legs so Natsu would jump down. Natsu glowered at him and clung to him stubbornly, digging in his claws. "Please, I can't watch any of you get hurt again."
A cry of pain filled the room as Laka fell to their knees, bleeding heavily from their neck. Laxus scrambled backward, spreading his wings and growling at them as electricity crackled around him. Siedge moved toward him but was blocked by a blast of magic that swirled together in black and white, hitting him in the chest hard enough to knock him onto his back. As soon as he hit the ground, Freed was standing over him, rapier pointed at his throat.
"Don't," Freed said as the tip of the sword moved quickly, creating a rune that hung over Siedge's chest. He snarled at Freed, struggling against the magic that appeared to have paralyzed him. Sting and Rogue, who had been sitting near the door, scampered over to Siedge and growled at him, both of them humming with magic power.
"Are you all right?" Freed asked, glancing over at Gray as Sting clambered onto Siedge's chest and bared his teeth. Laxus growled at Laka, who was still holding their wounded neck and glaring at Freed.
"Fine," Gray said, exhaling in relief. "Just..." He nodded down at the bonds around his wrists that Natsu was still attempting to chew through. Freed made a quick gesture and the bindings dissolved, immediately lifting the pressure on Gray's wrists and ankles. Another flick of Freed's wrist dismissed the rune on Gray's chest, and he exhaled in relief as the familiar cool sensation of his ice magic tingled across his skin.
"Thanks." Natsu made a soft chirping sound and scrambled up onto Gray's shoulder, rubbing his face against Gray's cheek and purring happily. "I'm okay," Gray murmured, kissing the top of Natsu's head and pushing himself unsteadily to his feet. Frost covered up the devil slayer marks that quickly started to spread across his body, reacting to the heady demonic magic that emanated from Freed.
"You have to stop." He squeezed his hands into fists as the magic tried to pull him forward, whispering, destroy it, destroy them, destroy the demon. "I can't control it," he gasped, trying to step away. Natsu made a concerned sound and nipped at his ear, and Gray tried to focus on that instead of the angry insistence of his magic.
Then Freed's magic shifted, and their eye returned to its natural blue. The tense pulse of the magic in Gray's arms quickly disappeared, and he fell to his knees, suddenly exhausted.
"Don't even think about it," Freed said, turning their gaze to Laka, who had lifted their hand into the air. Laxus snarled at them and darted forward, teeth bared and ready to pounce. Freed gave Laka one more disdainful look, then drew a quick rune and flicked it toward them. They fell unconscious almost instantly, slumping backward onto the floor. Siedge followed quickly afterward. Sting, who was still sitting on his chest, growled at him once last time, then looked over at Gray.
"C'mere," Gray said, holding out his arms. Sting immediately darted over, followed closely by Rogue, and they stood on their hind legs, pressing their paws against his chest. Their distressed sounds quickly turned to affectionate purrs as Gray petted them. "I'm okay," he reassured them, feeling the warm, familiar sense of calm flood through him at their presence. "It's okay."
Sting whined and wriggled up onto Gray's other shoulder, anxiously nuzzling his hair, while Rogue clambered into Gray's arms and continued purring so hard he was nearly vibrating. Gray sighed in relief, holding the three of them close.
"Thank you," he said again to Freed, who was holding a smug-looking Laxus, still crackling with electricity. "He was—they were after the magic. Again." Gray gestured to the book, which was still face-down on the ground where Siedge had dropped it. Looking at the marks on it made Gray feel nauseous again and he quickly looked away.
"I'll take that," Freed said. They leaned down and grabbed the book, studying it for a moment before sliding it into their jacket. "I'll call the Council," they said, pulling the lacrima out of their pocket. "It's time to put these two away where they belong."