The five of us gazed up at the demon encased in ice. "Deliora…" Gray said, his voice almost a brutal growl.
"You sure this is the demon your Master sealed away?" Natsu asked.
"There's no doubt about it."
"Why would someone go through all the trouble of bringing it all the way here." I wondered, crossing my arms. "Galuna Island is really far from the Northern Continent."
"You don't think this demon could have something to do with the Island's Curse, do you?" Lucy wondered.
"I wouldn't be surprised if it did." Gray said. "It may be enclosed in ice, but that thing's still alive."
"Sweet!" Natsu exclaimed. "Give me a go at it! I ain't afraid of no stupid demon!"
"You know, brute force isn't the only way to solve a problem, Natsu." Lucy commented.
"A little fire 'ought to do the trick." Gray then turned on Natsu and socked him in the jaw, knocking the pink-haired boy back.
"Gray just punched Natsu!" Happy exclaimed.
"This wouldn't be the first time he's done that." Lucy told him.
"What's the deal?" Natsu demanded. "What'd you hit me for Gray?"
"I don't want you and your flames anywhere near it." Gray said. By the look in his eyes, I could tell he was serious. "If that ice melts and Deliora is revived, there's no way we'd be able to stop it."
"Come on, do you really think a huge chunk of ice would be that easy to melt?"
"No…"
"Hey, Gray." I called softly, stepping towards him. "Is everything alright?"
"I'm the one who got hit for no good reason!" Natsu exclaimed. "Watch your temper man!"
"Please, you're one to talk." Happy said.
"Many years ago, my master, Ur, cast a spell called Iced Shell on this demon, enclosing it in a form of ice that can't be melted." My breath caught in my throat, Iced Shell? No wonder Gray doesn't want it to be melted. "It's so strong that even the most powerful flame spells have no effect on it. If they knew that the Ice couldn't be melted, then why'd they bring it here?"
"Maybe they didn't know." Lucy commented. "They might have brought it here to try and melt it somehow."
"But why would they do that?!"
"I have no idea!"
"I just don't get it." Gray said. "Who would bring Deliora here? And more importantly, why?"
"We need answers." Natsu stated. "Let's go find those guys."
"Yeah, ok." Lucy agreed.
"No!" Gray ordered. "We're gonna stay here and wait."
"What's waiting here going to do?" I asked him.
"For the moon to come out."
"It's the middle of the afternoon!" I exclaimed, "That's gonna take forever!"
"Why does the moon matter?" Lucy wondered.
"I have a feeling that the Curse on this island and Deliora are somehow connected to it. And I heard those guys we saw earlier say something about collecting moonlight."
"I heard that too. I guess waiting 'till nightfall is the only way we're gonna find out what's going on."
"I'm not waitin'!" Natsu exclaimed. "We got work to do!" Natsu fell asleep in a matter of seconds.
"Must be nice." Lucy sighed. "He doesn't have to worry about anything but eating, fighting and sleeping."
"Aye, that's Natsu for 'ya." Happy agreed.
"Man." I sighed, sitting next to Lucy on a rock. "He needs to grow up soon."
"Why's that?" Lucy asked.
"Because if he doesn't, then his Mate might reject him." I crossed my arms tight over my chest, clenching my fists. "And if that happens...I don't know what'll happen to Natsu."
"What's a Mate?" Lucy tilted her head.
"They're...they're kinda like a soulmate. The one person in life that you're destined to be with. My Dad never had a mate, he was...to preoccupied with his mission, and he swore to himself he wouldn't even look for his Mate because he was afraid of rejection." I scoffed. "Lot of good that did him."
"What happens if a Dragon does find their mate?" Lucy asked.
"A Dragon will do anything for their Mate, no matter the personal cost to themselves. But, you can never compare the pull of a mate to the ferocity that one would protect their kids, it's a whole different situation. I'm not sure if Natsu can relate, but even though my dad was harsh and drilled me like crazy, he was super protective. He let me fight my own battles, but when I was hurt, I couldn't calm him down...he was...it was like he had become a Monster."
"That's intense…"
"I know. I don't care much he abandoned me, he taught me all I needed to know and for that, I can thank him. If I ever see him again, he's getting a good old knuckle sandwich though."
"Have...have you found your Mate yet?" I glanced over at Lucy. She had a large blush on her cheeks and was looking away from me.
"Yeah." I told her softly. "At least, I think I have." I looked away from Lucy. "But...I haven't got to know her all that well yet, so I'm waiting until we're closer to...you know...ask her out."
"Wow, who knew Dragon Slayers were so instinctual. Though I gotta admit, I'm a little bit jealous of Natsu, he can zone out like no tomorrow." We sat in silence for a while, but I could tell it was getting to Lucy. "I know I agreed to wait, but this is so boring!" Lucy complained.
"Aye…" Happy sighed.
"Oh! I know! Open! Gate of the Harp Constellation! Lyra!" A doorbell echoed through the cave and a woman appeared, wearing a blue dress with pink hearts on the skirt and was lugging a huge harp on her back.
"Oh wow! I haven't seen you in forever Lucy!" Lyra cheered, her hand waving manically.
"Hey Lyra." Lucy greeted.
"Say, how come you never call me anymore?" Lyra demanded, moving closer to Lucy. "It's not fair. I would love to help you out, but you ignore me meanie."
"Meanie, huh? You're the one who told me you were only available three days a month."
"Uh...are you sure about that?"
"Great, another weirdo." Happy commented.
"At least she's not a perv." I added.
"So, what would you like to hear me sing?" Lyra asked. "Any requests?"
"Nope, whatever you want." Lucy told her.
"Do you know any songs about fish?" Happy asked excitedly.
"Kay! I've got a song I think you're gonna love Lucy!" Lyra exclaimed.
"Lyra has the most beautiful singing voice." Lucy explained.
"Well Mira's a singer too you know." Happy countered. "And she sings songs about fish for me." Lura then started to play, the melody echoing through the cave. I closed my eyes with a happy sigh, letting the words soothe me.
Words are born into air
And quickly fade out in the wind
But they find their way inside you
Where they live on forevermore...
When skies are dark and full of rain
Look inside your heart
The light, so warm will and all aglow
Shining just like the sun.
You can see, just how much you've grown
How strong you are...
A love will open up to you
And it starts from the day that you,
first heard those words
I could hear silent sniffles from Gray as the song ended. I turned to him. "Hey, Gray?" I called softly. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Gray snapped. "I'm fine."
"That's a lie. I can tell you're upset."
"Well, one of Lyra's talents is singing songs that relate to what the audience is feeling." Lucy admitted.
"Did her song make you cry?" Happy asked.
"I wasn't crying." Gray stated.
"Maybe you should sing something a little more upbeat." Lucy suggested.
"You should have just said that in the first place." Lyra told her.
"I think we should skip the song." Gray said. "We need to stay quiet. We don't wanna be found out." Lucy dismissed Lyra, and it was just us once more. So, we sat in silence, and it was so quiet that Lucy and fell asleep, the blonde's head in my lap. I ran my dingers through her hair, gently massaging her scalp. However, she, Natsu and Happy were startled awake when the cave started to rumble.
"What's that weird noise?" Lucy asked, rubbing her eyes and lifting her head.
"Is it night yet?" Natsu questioned. A purple magic circle appeared on the ceiling, and a beam of purple light shone from above. I jumped to my feet.
"It's a beam of light!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Shining down from the ceiling!" Natsu added.
"But why is it purple?" Gray wondered. "It must be moonlight."
"What's going on?" Happy questioned shakily. "I'm getting scared, Gray."
"It's shining on Deliora!"
"I don't think that's a coincidence." Natsu commented.
"Come on guys, let's get out of here!" I called, turning to the cave entrance. "If we find out where this is coming from maybe we can stop it!" The five of us raced up the steps to the main temple, and noticed the Magic Circle laid out on the floor.
"Why would someone cast a Magic Circle inside this old temple?" Gray asked.
"Let's find out." Natsu declared. We started tunning again, following mine and Natsu's noses to the highest most point of the temple. After years of unuse, the pillars were crumbling and the walls were only a couple bricks high. The five of us hid behind one of the ruined walls and peeked at what was going on. A group of Wizards were standing in a circle and chanting.
"Zeram, Sen, Dioluna..." They intoned. "Koo-nah, Koo-rah-kah…"
"What are they doing?" Natsu breathed.
"Zeram, Sen, Dioluna, Koo-nah, Koo-rah-kah." I turned my gaze to the moon, it was shining a vibrant purple.
"The moon…" Gray pointed out, causing the others to look up.
"It looks like those robed freaks are chatting some spell to collect the moonlight." Natsu muttered.
"And shine it on Deliora, but for what?" Lucy wondered.
"It's a Belianese Spell called the Moon Drip." Lyra spoke from beside me.
"What are you still doing here?" Lucy demanded, leaning to scold her.
"I see. That's what they're trying to do."
"Ok tease, fill us in."
"They're using the Moon Drip Spell to melt the ice surrounding that Demon underground so they can resurrect it."
"What?" I hissed.
"They can't!" Gray protested. "The ice used in an Iced Shell can't be melted."
"I hate to say it, but that's not entirely true. While Iced Shell is strong, it can be melted using Moon Drip. Focused Moon Energy can break any Magic Spell."
"Idiots!" Gray almost shouted. "They've never witnessed the wrath of Deliora!"
"I think that's what the Islanders believe is a curse against them may actually be side effects of the Moon Drip." Lyra continued. "Concentrated Moon Energy can contaminate your body. I'm afraid the poor islanders have been exposed to way too much of it."
"I'll make 'em pay!" Natsu promised.
"Hold it!" Lucy ordered, elbowing him in the chin. "Someone's coming this way." We turned to the ceremony again to watch as a man stopped a little ways away from them. He wore a long white cape and a helmet with two horns jutting out of it and a long purple plume, Toby, Yuka and Sherry behind him.
"What a waste." Yuka sighed. "I lost so much precious sleep for nothing. We searched all day for the intruders but never found a trace of them."
"Maybe there wasn't any." Toby told him.
"I'm afraid I have some sad news, Cold Emperor." Sherry said. "We thought we had intruders during the day but it seems they got away somehow. I can not speak of love in this situation."
"Intruders?" The Cold Emperor repeated.
"So that guys their leader." Natsu realised.
"He's trying to act all high and mighty, wearing that stupid-looking mask." Lucy muttered angrily.
"I don't know, i think it looks kinda cool." Happy commented.
"Has Deliora been awakened yet?" The Cold Emperor inquired.
"It should be later tonight or tomorrow sir." Sherry informed.
"Which one girl?" Toby demanded.
"The time has almost come." The Cold Emperor mused. "If you see those intruders again, kill them. I don't want anyone getting in my way."
"They must have been villagers." Sherry explained. "They're the only other people on this Island."
"Then destroy the village."
"Yes sir."
"Understood." Yuka agreed.
"What?" Natsu growled.
"But the villagers didn't have anything to do with this." Lucy said.
"We have to save them." I stated.
"It's a shame there has to be bloodshed." The Cold Emperor stated.
"That voice…" Gray trailed off. "No...it can't be..."
"I've had enough of this sneaking around business!" Natsu declared, jumping up onto the half wall. Natsu shot a jet of flames into the air. "It's not the villagers! We're the intruders you're after!" Just as I think Natsu had hoped, everyone turned to us.
"Jeez!" Lucy complained, standing as well as her hand fell to her key pouch. "I guess there's no turning back now, huh?" I rose to my feet.
"I wish Natsu would think for once." I sighed, punching my fist into my open palm. My eyes flashed blue as I prepared for the fight.
"I wanna help too!" Lyra cheered. "Want me to sing?"
"No, I want you to go back." Lucy grumbled.
"Aww! You're no fun!" Lyra then promptly disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"I know that mark." Sherry said. "They're from Fairy Tail."
"Interesting." Yuka mused. "Those Villagers must've gone to the Magical Guilds for help."
"Don't worry about them." The Cold Emperor said. "Go eradicate the village."
"What?" Lucy gasped.
"But why?" Natsu demanded.
"Anyone who stands in my way, whether deliberately or not, is my enemy." The Cold Emperor declared, clenching his fist.
"How could you!" I snarled.
"Why you!" Gray exclaimed as he and Natsu darted forward. "Stop this crazy ceremony right now!" Gray slammed his hands onto the floor and large ice chunks rose from the impact. The Cold Emperor did the same, however, he only used one hand. The two ice chunks slammed into each other and both were destroyed.
"He's an Ice Wizard too?!" Happy exclaimed.
"Lyon!" Gray shouted.
"Lyon?" Lucy questioned.
"How could you? Do you have any idea what you're doing?"
"Oh, Gray…" Lyon sighed. "It's been quite a while, hasn't it?"
"Why would you revive Deliora?"
"To think that you were one of the Wizards called to this island to help those poor Villagers. Did you come knowing you would find me? Or is this just mere coincidence? Not that it makes any difference to me."
"An acquaintance of yours, Cold Emperor?" Yuka asked.
"Do as you are ordered. I can handle the intruders on my own."
"Yes sir!" The three lackeys chorused and lept away.
"Hey! Wait!" Natsu shouted, scrambling forward. "Come back here!" Natsu ran towards Lyon.
"No! Natsu! Don't go near him!" Gray warned. However, the Fire Dragon Slayer either didn't hear him or just ignored Gray completely, and continued his pursuit. Lyon lifted a hand, and his magic surrounded Natsu. It came close, but I jumped back to avoid it.
"Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Happy! Get Lucy outa' here!" Gray ordered.
"Aye!" Happy said. He grabbed the back of Lucy's shirt and took off.
"What you guys see next, you can never tell anyone." I snarled. I concentrated on my back, and two wings ripped through my clothes. They were midnight black, with blue scales scattered trough them.
"What the…?" Natsu trailed off. I tensed and jumped, my wings lifting me high into the air. I flew close to Lucy and Happy, so I could hear their conversation."
"Hold on! We can't just leave Natsu like that!" Lucy said.
"If we stayed any longer we would just end up like him." I informed her. "That spell instantly freezes air."
"Who cares, we gotta save him!"
"But who's gonna save the village if all of us have been turned into ice?" Happy asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry Happy. It must have been hard for you to leave him behind. Don't you worry, I'm sure he'll be fine. Ice is no match for a Salamander, right?"
"Aye!"
"And hey, Yami, what's with the wings?" Lucy wondered, turning to me.
"A secret, one that I'm only revealing to protect you, Lucy. You two can't tell anyone about this." I told the two. "This is a secret only Master Makarov knows about, and that's only because he saw me like this once." I turned to Happy and Lucy with tears in my eyes. "Please, I'm begging you."