Thank my guest reviewer, Katlyn, for giving me that little boost of motivation to get this chapter to you.

First responders and volunteers were still involved in the massive undertaking of stabilizing collapsing structures, fighting the last vestiges of the widespread fires, and searching for casualties in all the fallen debris and rubble. Miraculously, though many wounded were reported, no fatalities resulted from this citywide attack. Due to the quick responses from the various guild members and trained professionals who were already present in, or quickly dispatched to, the areas of initial assault, the vast majority of civilians were evacuated before any harm could come to them.

These and other reports brought little comfort to Fairy Tail's guild master, who would much rather be in the infirmary with his injured children right now, instead of having to field calls from the various governing authorities of the town. As much as he enjoyed receiving their appreciative accolades for his guild's role in preventing what could have been a far worse outcome, there were only so many smiles he could fake before he was ready to smash his viewing lacrima into tiny shards. His brats had saved the day. It was only right that they receive the thanks they were due.

Still, maybe he could have Mirajane take over for a while. Except she was still helping out in the infirmary. If only Laxus and his team hadn't been out on a mission today. His grandson could have taken a turn at dealing with all these courtesies. Maybe he could set up a prerecorded message, asking all future callers to send a thank you card to the guild in lue of a face to face call.

Before he knew it, the barrage of gratitude soon came to an end, and he was finally free to go to the infirmary to see his worse-for-wear children. Most of them should have been healed by now, able to benefit from having both Wendy and Porlyusica in town today.

When he entered, Makarov was taken aback by the number of people in the room. Usually, Porlyusica would have thrown so many obviously uninjured people out of her work space by now. But she was absent. It didn't take a lot of reasoning to figure out that she and Mira were in the private treatment room. It took one scan around the infirmary to figure out who they were treating, especially since Wendy was out here with the rest of his rabble. Her skills wouldn't be much help to their patient right now.

Natsu and Lyon had received the worst injuries out of this group, both having suffered gunshot wounds that resulted in blood loss and shock. They had both received treatment from Wendy as soon as she'd reached the park, and were soon stabilized enough for immediate transport to the guild, where Porlyusica was waiting. Erza, who had taken a bullet to the chest, had insisted it was just a flesh wound, and that Alzack should be seen to first.

He had woken up before Wendy even got to him, having only been knocked out for a few minutes. It turned out that his wife had been in worse shape, but it was easy enough to heal her slight concussion and bruised ribs and back. They now sat in a set of chairs against the wall, little Asuka taking up the last two chairs, asleep beside Bisca, her head lying in her mother's lap. They could have left hours ago. They had stayed in order to hear word of the last patient. Just as everyone else in that room had.

"Can you hear what they're saying?" asked Lucy to an irritated looking Natsu.

"I don't understand all that medical crap!" he replied.

"They're trying to save his grafts," spoke up Wendy. She had been keeping herself busy with healing everyone's more minor wounds, but they could all tell that she'd been distracted. She'd more than once paused during a sentence, turning her head just slightly towards the private treatment room, before reluctantly returning to whatever subject she had no further interest in discussing.

"Were they badly damaged?" asked Elfman, sitting side by side on a bed with Lisanna. Both had received minor injuries, and had settled for basic, non-magical treatments. Elfman considered enduring pain to be manly, apparently.

"I didn't get a good look at the wound before I covered it. There was too much blood to see—" Lucy's voice hitched as she tried to control her emotions. Both Natsu and Loke offered support as she breathed through her turmoil. She could still envision the fear in his eyes and the sounds of his ever silent screams as she'd pushed down on that wound. She could only imagine what he'd seen.

ooooo

Having sent Taurus back through his gate so she could summon Scorpio, hoping to use his sand buster to smother whatever fires he could, she had allowed her thoughts to stray for just a moment: it sure would have been nice to have Aquarius with her today. No time for that. Hearing Leo's frantic calls, she was quick to brief Bisca on what she knew, and sent her, along with the barista, to find Asuka behind Aries' wool wall, and to remain there until help arrived.

Loren refused to follow them, turning towards his original goal of seeing to Gray's injuries. He knew that enemy mage had beaten him pretty badly, and that his current state of undress in these subfreezing temperatures was also a dangerous factor. Lucy wasn't going to argue, and soon, they were both kneeling before him, Loren peeling off his coat to add to Leo's suit jacket, which Leo had draped over Gray as soon as he'd pulled him into his lap, trying to keep him off the cold, snow covered ground. Both of them had left his chest wound exposed, though.

His eyes were open and tear-streaked, his breathing quick and shallow. His skin was pallid, and his lips were turning blue. He was shivering badly, though Leo noted how warm his back felt, and his face was set in a pained grimace as he pressed his bare hand against the grafts on his chest. Blood flowed between his fingers, staining Loren's coat. Lucy, having switched out of her star dress, pulled off her scarf, bunching it up, intending to use it to stem the bleeding.

"Gray, I need you to move your hand so I can see. I can slow the bleeding until help gets here," she pleaded.

"He's not responding," said Leo.

"What?" cried Lucy and Loren simultaneously.

"That's why I called you. I don't know if he can hear me, but he hasn't tried to say anything."

"He must be in shock," Loren observed, "I'd realized he was overheating earlier. Moving from one temperature extreme to another so quickly would have overwhelmed his system. This may also be a delayed reaction to all the various triggers he'd just been exposed to. I can't even imagine what it must have taken for him to force himself into a burning building. The sounds, the smoke, the heat... it must have been a nightmare. Add to that being attacked by that mage—"

"—What mage? There was another one? We only saw two!" cried Lucy, looking to Leo for confirmation.

"It was an older man," Loren started explaining as he worked. Gray didn't resist as he gently took his hand away from the wound, revealing what they all had feared: the graft was damaged, the blood soaked dressing having slid off as his hand was pulled away. None could tell how bad the injury could be, nor how far this could set back his healing. It was so well established at that point, that maybe it wasn't as bad as they feared. "He tried to use some kind of spell against him, only for those seals to foil his plans. I guess he took umbrage at that, and beat him severely for the slight, before taking a moment to study the seals. My guess is that he'd recognized the futility of trying to use magic and retreated. The attacks ended soon after."

As Lucy placed her scarf over his wound, she could only wonder at that. What would make them all retreat just because one mage couldn't get a spell to work? She had no chance to continue that thought, as she'd inadvertently caused another matter to distract them. Upon applying the makeshift dressing, they finally got a reaction, as Gray violently recoiled, screaming in agony as he tried to push them away.

"Are you not going to answer me? You know it's only proper to speak when someone is addressing you." More pressure, making him gasp as sweat poured down. "Answer me!" It pressed down further, and harshly twisted the rag.

Leo held him firmly, needing little effort as the fight was leaving him already. But the fear… They were all too familiar with that look in his eyes. Lucy worried. Had she put that fear there? Letting up slightly on the pressure, Loren forced her hand back down, regretfully but out of necessity. Gray screamed again, but his struggles grew weaker still.

"Don't release the pressure," Loren explained, "He's already lost too much blood. He's on the verge of drifting. Let him do so… I know this is hard, but this will save his life."

"But what's happening? Why is he so afraid? I've never seen him show fear when he's injured. Is it just the pain? A flashback? He could be confused. Does he know who we are? Leo, maybe you should go find help. I can't do this. I don't know how to do this—"

"Lucy! Calm down. You can do this. You just fought a formidable opponent, and totally kicked ass while doing so. This is just another battle. You're strong. And you are strongest when you're protecting your friends. Trust yourself. The last thing he needs right now is more fear. This is helping him. It's okay," Leo soothed.

Lucy had calmed more and more with each word, and nodded her thanks as she regained her resolve. Leo was right. She needed to be calm and clear headed right now. She couldn't allow Gray's fears to dictate her own responses. Moments later, Gray had ceased struggling and lay bonelessly on Leo's lap. He'd lost consciousness, whether from trauma or he was indeed drifting, it didn't matter now. At least he was no longer in pain.

ooooo

"Do we know what the hell Leviathan's Wake was thinking, coming after us like that?" asked a very pissed off Cana. She had been one of the first of Fairy Tail's reinforcements to have reached the plaza where Lucy and the others had fought. She'd been able to conjure enough water using her card magic to help Scorpio put out the rest of the flames. Seeing the state of all of her friends had left her eager for pay back.

"Yeah!" cried Natsu, "And where the hell did they all go! Every one of them just disappeared with no trace? That's bullshit!"

"What I wanna know is why they all took off like they did," said Elfman, "I'm not too proud to admit that we were struggling back there. My guy just wouldn't stay down, and even Mira had trouble keeping up."

One mage after another gave their own accounts of what they'd experienced earlier that day. Speculations were passed back and forth, frustrations and misgivings were heard, and everyone was left with feelings of extreme dissatisfaction at the conclusions they were unable to conceive.

Why were they attacked?

What was the enemy's goal?

Why had Leviathan's Wake, who had seemingly vanished into nothingness several weeks ago, suddenly reappeared now?

They were such a minor dark guild, barely on the Magic Council's notice. What made them think they'd stand a chance against the likes of Fairy Tail?

Why was it that they'd almost succeeded in doing just that?

And why, when they were absolutely certain at gaining a victory, had they retreated so suddenly?

"It just doesn't make sense," Lucy mumbled.

"No kidding. We almost had our asses handed to us, and they all just turned tail and ran," answered Cana.

"It's not just that. How did they know to leave when they did?"

That was something no one else had considered yet. Was there some sort of signal the Fairies had missed? Maybe everything was coordinated, and the enemies were all ordered to retreat at a specific time. Or perhaps they had a telepath, like Warren, issuing orders on behalf of the dark guild master.

That theory brought Lucy back to what Loren had said earlier, about the unseen mage that had attacked Gray. If he was right, and the timing wasn't just a coincidence, then that mage may have been the one to signal the retreat. But again, why? And how?

Lucy voiced these thoughts, which started a new round of questions.

"Do you think he was the guild master?" asked Lisanna.

"I never saw him. I didn't even know there was another mage out there until Loren-san told me. Loke, did you see?"

"I was too busy with my own very persistent opponent. But if he's the one who signaled the retreat, then at the very least, he's high up in the hierarchy of their guild. We can asked Loren to describe him when he comes out."

"Where is Mr. Bradley right now?" Makarov wondered.

"He's in the private treatment room, helping Porlyusica-san and Mira, since he has some medical training," supplied Lyon, "They also wanted him around in case Gray woke up in a... confused state."

"Oh crap, I hope he doesn't lose his memories again. Not like last time," Natsu hoped.

"He was barely there when I got to him," Loke said, "Unresponsive, probably unaware. He was pretty bad off. Loren said he'd gone into a burning building. He was trying to rescue Bisca," he finished, looking towards the Connells.

With all eyes on them, Alzack and Bisca could only put up with the scrutiny, as they themselves were still processing what had almost happened today. Both of them had been injured. Asuka came very close to losing both of her parents in that attack. It was a lot to take in.

They'd both had their time to sit and cuddle their baby girl since they'd all been reunited in the infirmary. Bisca was able to learn from Asuka everything that had happened from her perspective. To say she was grateful was an understatement. Not only had Gray risked his like, and very likely his sanity, to rescue her, but he had protected Asuka as he fought off a swordsman with nothing but a broken practice sword.

The thought that he could relapse to how he was just over a week ago, partially because of what he had to go through in order to rescue her, was disheartening to say the least.

Finally, Bisca spoke, quietly, so as not to wake Asuka.

"I saw the mage that attacked him. Not very well. My vision was blurry, and there was smoke everywhere. But he was an older guy. Strong and quick. Pretty nimble. He hardly reacted when I shot him. That's how tough he was.

"I'd just woken up when whatever spell he was trying to cast failed. But he looked more confused than pissed. He didn't start beating him til Gray tried to resist. It was like he was just trying to subdue him, not out of spite. He was really interested in those seals, though. I think you're right. The timing of the retreat was too perfect. As soon as he got a good look at those seals, he acted like his whole objective changed. He disappeared into the ground, and all the other bad guys left soon after."

"If you saw a picture of Leviathan's Wake's guild master, do you think you could determine if he was the same man who attacked Gray?" wondered Makarov.

"I'm not sure. Like I said, I couldn't see well. Loren-san may have gotten a better look… Asuka... may have seen him."

Reactions of shock and worry were felt, but everyone kept their voices down, and their opinions silent. Even though they all wanted answers, they also saw the danger of seeking them from that source.

Alzack echoed their concern.

"We won't allow you to get her involved. She's been through enough already. I don't want her to relive it over and over again. Besides, she barely got a glance at the guy. But for all we know, he may come after her. We won't let her testify if it puts her in danger… Even for Gray."

And that hurt them as well. Even though they'd both literally do anything for him right now, as grateful as they were that Asuka wouldn't have to suffer life without her mom, they couldn't allow something as simple as having Asuka look at a picture. They would pay any price. But not Asuka. Never her.

Everyone understood.

In the silence that followed, Loke finally had the chance to ask, "Was his failure to use that spell on Gray the reason they retreated? Or are we just guessing because of the timing? Did you see the guy give any orders or signal to retreat? Cuz to me, it's just strange that every one of our attackers would give up so suddenly, just because one guy couldn't get his spell to work. Maybe they had a deadline, and they already had orders to retreat when a certain time passed."

That was a weak proposal. Loke knew that especially. But he didn't want to voice his other theory. The one he reasonably knew that some, if not most, of the others had already come up with. Maybe it was just a vain attempt at trying to "will it away" if one simply chose to not speak of it. But why else would an enemy so close to defeating them just stop everything and leave. Nothing made sense!

Unless Gray was the target.

Though this thought remained unspoken, it still found a home in a few of their minds. Makarov and Erza shared a look that went unnoticed by the others, a silent agreement to speak of this later, behind closed doors.

"I don't think we're gonna figure it out unless we ask them. I say we put together a hunting party, and find these guys and beat some answers out of them!" cried Elfman.

"I second that motion. All in favor?" asked Cana, raising her hand.

Just then, the door to the private treatment room opened, and Porlyusica came out, followed by Loren. No one moved or made a sound, as the old healer beckoned Wendy over, ordering her to join Mirajane in the room, who would brief her on what's going on, and have her take over so she could return to her other guild duties.

As Wendy closed the door behind her, Porlyusica pulled Makarov aside, while Loren approached the worried group.

"So what's going on?" demanded Natsu.

"My initial assessment was correct. We treated him for shock and were able to bring his temperature back to normal. He shouldn't have suffered any long term setback from that at least. But he's in a catatonic stupor right now. He could remain that way until tonight, or for as long as a month, give or take. There's no way to be more specific than that, I'm afraid. He's on an IV, so you can maintain hydration and deliver some nutrients, but if he stays like this for too long, he'll have to rely on a feeding tube for sustenance."

This was bringing back some bad memories for more than a few of them.

"So he's not in a coma or anything?" asked Lucy.

"He's awake, and I think he's aware. But he's still not responding to anyone. I'm sure now that he's reacting to the negative stimuli he was forced to endure today. He had to make himself go beyond quite a few physical and psychological limitations in order to do the things he did. It must have been very overwhelming, and he's trying to process everything right now. I think if you give him time, he'll come around on his own. This is almost like another level of drifting, I believe. Porlyusica and I both agree that he's in a safe place right now, mentally, and we shouldn't force him to come out."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" asked Erza, never one to sit and do nothing.

"You can sit with him, keep him company. In fact, don't leave him alone at all. Eventually, he will come out of this trance, and someone absolutely needs to be there when that happens. Just keep quiet, and make no sudden movements or sounds. We don't want to frighten him into withdrawing even more deeply than he already has."

"I disagree."

Everyone looked towards Lyon, who was leaning heavily on an ice cane he had conjured up just now, standing his ground as he explained.

"I've spent more time with him than anyone in the past half a year. I know his habits and moods, his likes and dislikes. And I understand how he reacts to certain things that none of you have had a chance to witness. He may have had his share of fits and episodes while at the guild and elsewhere, but he still had his friends with him.

"In the few instances where he had a panic attack or a flashback while he was alone, he came out of them completely terrified, unsure if he was even free of those delusions or not. Not until I'd find him afterwards, and would have to talk him down. The longer it takes me to notice he's having an episode, the harder it is on him. And the reason it's so hard, is because he thinks he's alone, and it takes time to convince him otherwise.

"And as he often points out, he's still blind. And he can only talk with certain people. With the injuries he sustained today, he probably won't even be able to Gesture now. I can't think of a lonelier place to be than in a dark room with no way to communicate with anyone. If he's aware, then keeping quiet is the last thing we need to do. We need to talk to him. He needs to know that we're the ones who are with him, not one of those damn phantoms that haunt his dreams every night."

It didn't take long for Loren to agree. Lyon's opinion had a great deal of merit. So it was decided that at least two people would be with him at all times, and they would do all they could to fill the silence with endless chatter until Gray was ready to join in the conversation.

This chapter was getting long, so I broke it in half.

Miss me? I missed you, too. I wish I could say I was finally able to update because I'd finished my project, but sadly, that's not the case. Too many things got in the way. On top of my father having a stroke that would have killed him (on his freaking birthday!) had he not been outside with my mom, I also had to pull some dude's very aggressive German Shepherd off my 11 year old mini golden lab. That called for a number of stitches on my hand, so my typing has slowed a bit. At least all the extra time has helped me figure out the rest of my project, so I hope to get it down by this weekend, God willing. But I just couldn't wait any longer to update.

Some of you may have guessed that the recent battle will have encouraged Gray in a way that would help him turn around, and bring him closer to recovering further. You're not wrong, but do understand that this won't be a sudden epiphany for him. He's got some things to work through, first.

Next chapter: We'll see how Gray's fairing. Also, what is truth?