(Next Morning)
Gray woke up groggily as he slowly opened his eyes. He took a glimpse at the unfamiliar roof, only to realize that he was in some kind of tent. When he sat up, he quickly grabbed his abdomen as pain spiked through it. He looked down to see that he was all bandaged up. He was curious to how severe his injuries were, but decided to ignore it now that he was rested. He slowly got to his feet and exited the tent.
Outside he looked around to find he was in a sort of camp. Tents were strung up all around. He saw the people from the village walking about and working. But now instead of in their demonized forms, they walked around as most humans. Despite each of them having at least one limb demonized.
"How are you feeling?" Gray quickly turned to come face-to-face with a female villager. She was slightly shorter than him and had dark short hair. Gray quickly examined her to find that her left leg was blue.
"I'm…fine." He finally responded. "Where are we?"
"We're in a storage camp. The village uses it for our supplies. But due to the village being destroyed last night, we had to move everyone here."
Gray's eyes widened in surprise. "The village was destroyed?! Is everyone all right?"
The woman managed a small smile, "Yes everyone is just fine. Your friends, Miss Sayla and Lucy insured our safety from the attackers." She responds, making Gray sigh in relief. "Speaking of your guildmates, someone else just came here." the black-haired raised an eyebrow in confusion. "She's talking with Miss Sayla in that tent over there." the demon girl point at the large tent nearby. Gray thanked her and started to make his way over to the tent. When he entered, his face went white in seconds.
In the middle of the tent was none other than Erza Scarlet, glaring hard. And challenging her mighty stare was Sayla, who was unfazed as she glares back at the armor wizard. Their aura skyrockets the entire tent. On the corner was Lucy, Happy and Rocky, shaking in fear while hugging each other.
The scarlet-haired notice Gray entering and her glare was now to him. "Gray."
"E-Erza...what are you doing here?" He asked with a droplet of fear.
"What those it looks like?" She asked in a stern voice. "You were supposed to do your Gray, why are you here?"
The black haired wizard an eyebrow, what was she talking about? "What are you-"
"Don't even try to hide it." Erza voice stopped him, "I'm disappointed in this action of yours. Breaking the rules like this."
"...Breaking?" Gray now knew something was wrong, "Breaking what rules?"
"Miss Scarlet here is saying the Master send you to bring all of us back." Sayla said with a stare, "She also said the Master never gave the okay."
"What?!" Gray was left aghast, "What do you mean he didn't say okay?!"
"Is what he said." The scarlet woman said, "I don't understand why Nick allowed this, but we are searching for him and Natsu before leaving." Her words shock him.
"We are not going anywhere," Sayla said in a firm voice.
"Yes you are," Erza respond back, "I only came to bring all of you back. Nothing else."
"Are you calling Master weak?" The venom of Sayla's words didn't unfazed Erza.
"I'm not a fool. Nick is strong, but that doesn't mean he can go and break rules like he wants." She then summons her sword, "If any of you refuses to come I will use force."
"I like to see you tried." Sayla accepts her threat as a purple circle appeared next to her.
Lucy, Happy and Rocky shriek in fear, staring at the aura of both of them. Gray eyes were simply shadowed by his hair before turning around to leave.
Erza noticed this, "And where are you going, Gray?" She asked him, causing him to stop at the entrance.
"... I have something important to do on this island. I'm going to finish it." He said to her.
"You dare-"
"Shut the fuck up." Erza was taken back by his harsh tone, "...You were always a hardass, Erza. I never had a problem with it… But if Nick was here," Gray turn one eye to her, showing exactly what he felt. "He would agree with me that he would be angry and disappointed in you." her eyes widened as Gray look forward again, "He gave these people hope...and you want to take it away from them…. Not even Mira is this heartless." was the last thing he said as he exits the tent.
Everyone else stares in silence while looking at where Gray left, Erza looks down at the ground, dropping her weapon down, in which Sayla stop her magic circle.
"...Did Nick-"
"You know Master hates people suffering… And these people asked for help three years ago." Sayla quickly answers Erza's question quickly.
"...Let's go," Erza said as she walks forward.
"Eh/Arf?" Lucy, Happy and Rocky said in shock.
"Nobody is going to listen… So we're ending this curse." She said, earning a smile from the trio, "We'll work on your punishment later."
"Hai…" was what they said in shame.
(With the Slayers)
"Is it down here?"
"Yep!"
Natsu and Nick were now standing inside the temple, where the pink haired was pointing down at the hole he made when the team went to check.
"...And what gave you the bright idea of stomping the ground? You know what, forget it." The brown haired sigh as he could definitely see the idiot doing something like this.
"So, what now?" Natsu asked him.
"...I'm going to check this demon," he looks up into the sky, "And taking our nap, it soon will be night again… Think you can delay the ritual?" He asked.
"Of course!" Natsu brought up his flaming fist, "Give me a few minutes and this temple will be looking away!" Nick nod before Natsu charges away.
The brunette jumps down through the hole, falling for a few moments before hitting the ground. It was a pretty deep fall to say at least. He saw a path leading deeper to the cave. Quickly dusting the dirt away, he commenced walking further in. And then…. He was surprised by what he saw.
There saw a massive, dark blue, humanoid Demon that seemed to be in some sort of an Ice Prison. The creature has a large torso and two large arms that ended in scaly hands. On the left and right part of his torso as well as around his neck, he was covered with a series of spikes. In addition, he has two large legs, whereas the feet resemble the ones of a bird, with additional spikes on the back. His hair was mane-like in shape and it flows down to the nape of his neck. He has a pair of horns that point upwards, jutting from a plate on his forehead. He also has large pointed teeth as well as two hollow eyes.
"So this is the reason of the wizards here…" Nick walked up to the giant ice. He slowly rose his hand to it and touch it.
The moment he touches it, he felt magic of pure cold from the inside of this prison. He suddenly saw several images in it. He saw a woman looking down at a small girl. Then, the woman left the little girl when she was very young. The woman was now in the cold area of Earthland, alongside a white-haired boy, she was walking through a destroyed village, where she found a black haired boy under a pile of rumbles.
('Gray?...') Nick thought as he watched images of Gray and the white-haired training with the woman in various places while been completely naked. ('For real? This is the reason why he always naked?') he then saw Gray having a discussion with the woman before leaving. Then, Gray was staring in fear at the giant Demon as the woman, who had an ice leg to replace her original limb. She stood in front of the demon, then crossed her arms together and began to glow. Moments later, the demon was inside the block of ice.
('...I see… To close the darkness of his heart, you sacrifice yourself to end it.') Nick moved his hand away, a blue light surrounding the hand. "...You did your job… We'll take it from here."
…
..
.
(In the temple)
"You are the only one left?" Lyon said as he looked down at Toby, who had a bandage on his head. "How scandalous." Lyon was standing in some sort of throne room in the temple. He stood in front of a stone throne as he looked down coldly at a flustered Toby.
Lyon proceeded to sit and slump down in his throne, "Those Fairy Tail wizards are quite… impressive."
"I hate to be the bringer of morbid news, dear Cold Emperor." Said Zalty as he appeared almost out of thin air. "But these state of affairs put Deliora's revival in jeopardy. If all sticks to as planned, Deliora should revive tonight, infused with the moon's magic. However, if the Moon Drip ceremony is to be… interrupted, Deliora will remain to be encased in that ice." Zalty explained. "Salamander and Titania are quite formidable, it would quite simple for them to foil our plans."
"I see you're as quickly-informed as ever," Lyon told him before summoning frost in his hand. "That being said, cannot hope to defeat me. Those fools can't hope to match me."
"That is very reassuring to hear. But is neither Salamander nor Titania whose concern should be prior," Zalty said with a serious tone, "But rather their other companion."
"So? Like I said before-"
"Even I don't know much about him… but he once took down a powerful wizard with only brute strength and no magic." Zalty said, surprising Lyon a bit. "And the magic he has…. It was suffocating to even describe." the light-blue haired simply scoff out. "If that be the case, for old times' sake, perhaps I shall join the battle."
"Wait?! You can fight too?!" Toby interjected.
"Yes… I dabble a bit in Lost Magic…" Zalty commented proudly.
"What a creepy guy..." Lyon muttered. Suddenly, the ruins started to shake. "What the...?"
"An earthquake?" Toby asked as he felt the floor beneath him shaking and then suddenly starting to tilt to the side.
"T-This is...?" Lyon watched the floor tilt.
"The ruins are collapsing!" Toby screamed in fear.
"No! They're being tilted!" Lyon corrected him as the mountain was now tilted to the side, preventing the moon from shining its power at Deliora.
"Hehehe, he's already done it." Zalty chuckled as a hole in front of him showed Natsu at the bottom floor. The fire dragon Slayer looked back up at him and then smirked. Lyon and Toby walked over to the hole, the former glared at the pink-haired mage.
"HIM!" Toby shouted in shock.
"Y-You...what is the meaning of this?" Lyon growled and glared down at him.
"The ruins are tilted...aren't they?" Natsu matched his glare. "Now the moon won't shine on the Devil underground."
"You..." Lyon growled in anger.
"I don't get it...what happened?" Toby asked in confusion.
"He destroyed about one-half of the props that supported these ruins making them tilt. With this, moon drip won't reach Deliora." Zalty explained, "You're proving to be the destructive wizard the rumors say about you."
(Meanwhile, with Gray and the others)
The group was making their way back to the temple, while Gray explained Lyon's reason for this.
"Lyon has always wanted to surpass Ur, but now that she's gone, he's trying to surpass her by defeating Deliora that not even she could defeat," Gray told Erza, Lucy, Sayla and Happy as the four (5 including Rocky) of them headed toward the ruins.
"I see..." Lucy frowned. "In order to surpass the dead, that'd be the only way..."
"He wants to defeat this Deliora, huh?" Erza said.
"So this is where Deilora's was," Sayla said in interested. "My former guild master had search for him for ten years, never in my wildest imagination would it be here, frozen."
"You know about it Sayla?" Lucy asked in surprise.
"Of course she those. Sayla is an Etherious as well." Erza said.
"Eh?!" The blonde was shocked as she stares at the demon girl, "Y-You're an Etherious?! Like Lullaby?!" Sayla nod to her, shocking her even more.
"Lyon's strong since I last saw him, but he won't be able to beat Deliora at his level. Deliora is... Too strong!" Gray said as he remembered the deadly demon and his power.
"Aye!" Happy agreed.
"And... he just doesn't know the truth..." Gray told them as memories of the past come to his mind.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Erza asked.
"Ur did disappear, but...she's still alive!" The three of them widened their eyes in shock as Lucy let out a scream in surprise.
"Eeeehhh! B-But how?" Lucy asked.
"No way!" Happy gawked in surprise.
"What do you mean? What happened in the past?" Erza asked of him.
"...Ten years ago…"
(No offense, but skipping this part and the girls fighting the grunts)
Inside the temple, Natsu and Lyon were going head to head. They had been going at each other for a while now. Natsu rubbed his fist against the corner of his mouth. His sandals provided little grip on the icy floor of the arena and his face had greeted it personally many times.
"This could go on forever, so do yourself a favor and give up," Natsu said.
"I would never give you that satisfaction," Lyon retorted.
Natsu's fist erupted into flames and a smirk crossed his face. "Then you're asking for it."
A chilly fog formed around Lyon. His expression didn't change besides a ghost of a smug smile. "Oh, am I now?"
Their concentration was shattered as the ice wall next to them cracked. A murmur of, "What the…?" escaped Natsu's lips just before the ice completely broke. A familiar bandaged wizard stood behind it. "Gray…?"
The ice-make wizard walked into the room and stood right between Natsu and Lyon. "Leave him to me. It's time we settled things once and for all."
Natsu gasped. "No way, man! You already lost to him once!"
"And it's not going to happen again," Gray replied without pause and a cold tone. "I'm ready to end this now."
"You seem awfully confident," his fellow Ice Wizard commented.
"You were right, Lyon," Gray admitted. "I'm the one who's to blame for our master's death."
He took a moment to prepare himself to spread his feet apart. "But you're no better. You've threatened my comrades, brought harm to the villagers, and now you're trying to destroy what Ur gave her life to create. It's time we accept our punishment." He crossed his arms over each other. "Together."
Lyon paled as he recognized what he was doing. "That stance…! Not the Iced Shell!"
Natsu blinked at the familiar name. Where had he heard it before…? His eyes widened in realization, he was casting the spell his master did to sacrifice herself.
"Are you insane?" Lyon shouted in disbelief. "You wouldn't dare!"
Gray ignored his words. "If you want to live, change the villagers back to their human forms! And then leave this island and never return!" He began to focus his magic, guiding it through the starting stages of the casting. "If you'll agree to that, I'll stop. Otherwise, this is the end."
"That so?" Lyon raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Well, I don't believe a word of it. You're bluffing."
Gray narrowed his eyes and magic energy flared to life around him. "No, I'm not."
"You'll die!" Lyon shouted
He threw his hand out in front of him, summoning forth ice birds to attack. The shockwaves generated from the Iced Shell spell were too powerful, however, and the attack backfired on him.
"Don't do it…!" Natsu yelled, shielding his eyes from the growing light.
"All these years I've lied to myself. I didn't want to admit that Ur died because of me!" Gray took a breath and let it out. "But she did, and it's time I took responsibility. So I will, here and now! I'm not afraid to die if that's what it takes!"
"Stop this now!" Gray scowled at Lyon's yells. His face started to crack but he took no notice. "What's it going to be, Lyon?! Are we gonna die, or are we gonna live?! It's up to you!"
"You wouldn't! You're not brave enough to give your life!" Lyon taunted. "You're nothing but a coward!"
"Just watch me!"
Natsu grimaced. The pressure in the room was building and building still, but he could tell that the spell was going to be complete soon, and from there Gray could only hold back from casting it for so long. He was really going to go through with this?! "I said don't do it, Gray!"
('I guess this is the end… Now I can take my leave, and leave the rest of this up to you, my friends.') Gray thought to himself as his face cracked. He proceeded to push his arms further outward as prepared to swipe them apart and launch the ultimate ice concealment.
"Iced Shell-"
"STOP IT YOU, IDIOT!" Natsu had punched him in the face, stopping the black haired. Gray looked at him in surprise. "You butt into my fight and talk about responsibility for this?! Don't you steal my prey!"
"Prey?!"
"I'll be the one to knock his panties out!"
"And I said that you must let me handle this!"
"And when did I said you could?!"
"You creep…!"
"Huh? Want to go?!"
Gray finally grab Natsu by the scarf, "I have to be allowed to have my final battle with! Even if my life is on the line."
The fire wizard simply grabs his wrist and glare at him hard, "Death says this is your last battle?! You're just running away from it like a coward!" Gray's eyes widened in surprise the words, he opened his mouth to retort, but nothing came out. "If you're just going to run, why the hell did you even join Fairy Tail in the first place?! What the heck happened to never let me win!? WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO SURPASSING NICK?!"
The anger of Natsu was over the top as Gray stares at him speechless, and before he could say anything, the ruins began shaking as it started to shift from its tilted position.
Outside the temple, Lucy, Erza, Sayla, Happy and Rocky just finished beating up the spellcasters that ambushed them earlier as they heard the sound of something shaking and moving, "What's that sound?" Erza asked.
Lucy looked at the ruins and her eyes widened in shock, "No... no way... the ruins aren't tilted anymore..."
"That might be a problem," Sayla said with a hand on her chin.
"What the hell!? Why are the ruins no longer tilted!?" Natsu asked, slamming his foot down on the ice-covered ground, "Do you have any idea how hard was it for to do this?!"
"I'm sorry to disturb you..." From the hole that Gray made came Zalty in. The moon is soon to show itself, so I took the liberty of using my magic to reestablishing the structure to its former self."
"Zalty...it was you." Lyon narrowed his eyes at him. Still creeped out by the man in front of him.
"W-Who's he?" Gray asked in confusion.
"You did what?!" Natsu stares at the masked freak in annoyance. "How you did it?!"
"Hohohoho!" Zalty chuckled like Santa Clause. He then turned around and started running off, "I better go prepare the moon drip ritual."
"He fucking ignored me?!" Natsu finally chases after him. "Come back here you fucking you demon-wannabe!"
"Natsu! Wait!" Gray called to him.
"I'm going after this a-hole, you take care of this!" Natsu yelled back at him, "And don't you dare lose again! Is a disgrace!" was the last thing he said before exiting.
Gray's eyebrow twitched at the last part, "Damn flame-brain…" he then turned to face Lyon with a smirk, "But...I know."
Lyon sighed, "What a bunch of noisy brats..."
"Earlier...when I tried to use Iced Shell...did you know that Natsu would stop me?" Gray asked, narrowing his eyes at Lyon.
Lyon proceeded to shrug. "In all honesty, I didn't think anyone could ever stop that spell. But it matters little, as even if you were to cast that on me, I would have taken it willingly." Gray's eyes widened at his answer. Lyon smirked at his surprise and continued, "You look surprised. What? You didn't think that my comrades would come to my rescue like Salamander did to you? They would not have rested until I was freed and ready to challenge Deliora once again. They would simply have used the Moon Drip ritual on me, and you would be dead."
Gray's gaze dropped at his response. "I didn't really think about that. I guess I was being rash." he then sighed, he almost gave up his life in vain, "Iced Shell is useless here, isn't it?"
"So, do you still intend to fight me, or are we going to try that little stunt again?"
Gray let out an exasperated sigh. "Lyon… we don't have to do this. Give up on Deliora, it isn't worth it."
"What is this nonsense you're spewing?" Lyon asked as he let out a scoff, "First a threat and now a persuasion? What has Fairy Tail done to the Gray I have known?"
"Lyon… Ur is alive." Gray told him apologetically. Lyon's eyes widened once again.
"W-what?"
"When she cast Iced Shell to seal Deliora, it didn't really kill her." He paused briefly before continuing, "The ice that you're trying so badly to melt…. That's Ur, that's her body sacrificed to create that prison." He stopped to look up and see Lyon staring at him wide-eyed before he slowly approached him with his silver hair shadowing his eyes, "I'm sorry… that I didn't tell you back then. Ur had me promise to keep it from you. It's over. There is no need to go through with thi-!" Gray was cut, as Lyon got within close proximity of and placed his hand on his abdomen.
"You fool."
Gray's eyes shot wide open in shock as his body was pierced by Lyon's ice. It went through his body and shot out through his back as it formed into a tiger. "You really are an idiot. I knew all along what that spell entails. I have been studying it for years. And I can tell you with all certainty, that isn't Ur anymore, just a large scrap of ice." Lyon told him harshly, as he cruelly smirked.
Gray, who fell to the ground and was on his knees and holding himself up by his elbows due to the blow inflicted on him, was beyond furious. "You knew…" He muttered through gritted teeth. He then shot his head up to stare at Lyon with a deadly glare, "You fucking knew?!"
Lyon scoffed, "Knowing is one thing. Believing is another, and if you truly believe that Ur is still alive, then you're an even bigger fool than I thought." he said as he walked around Gray.
Gray took deep breaths as his glare intensified the more he heard Lyon speak, "You knew! Yet, you did all of this..!"
"And what if-!" Lyon was interrupted as a fist smashed into his face sending him flying. Hitting the wall, it cracked upon his impact. He fell down to his knees from the suddenness of what just happened. He looked up to see a battle-ready Gray with his hair covering his eyes and his teeth gritted, "Impossible! How can you still be moving with that wound?!" he shouted with a shocked tone.
"I've had enough.…" Gray muttered slowly, confusing Lyon. The black haired wizard looked up to show his eyes which were filled with killing intent. "I wanted to save you. But I give up now!" As he finished, he got in his stance and created a bow with three arrows out of ice and aimed them at Lyon, whose eyes widened as Gray shot the arrows at him, getting a direct hit and sending him flying back. He bounced up and down before rolling onto one knee and skidded to a stop. He gritted his teeth in anger, but it was then when Gray's knee hit him, sending him back some more. However, Gray didn't stop and kicked him in the gut. He then grabbed the cloth around his neck and delivered a punch to Lyon's face again.
He struggled to get up, using the wall to support himself as he took very quick and shallow breaths,"I-I can't be...bleeding because of Gray...!" He growled in anger. And raised a fist in the air, "Ice-Make: Snow Dragon!" He forms a giant dragon made of ice tore through the room they were in. The dragon then hit Gray directly, using its jaws to chomp at his body. He groaned and spat out blood as he did his best to get out of the dragon's grip. Finally, he gritted his teeth and smashed his elbow on the dragon, breaking it and fell to the floor. "Haa...I don't want to waste my magic on you...haa...after this, I've gotta be ready for my fight with Deliora."
"Then use your fists..." Gray responded as he showed him his fist.
"You want me to fight you without using Magic? That's fine by me." Lyon said as he smirked amusingly. With a battle cry, Gray charged at him aiming for a punch in the face but was stopped as Lyon buried his fist in his wound, "Aim for your opponent's weak parts! That's what Ur taught us! Remember!?"
"You have no right to speak her name! I won't let you!" Gray shouted as he punched Lyon in the gut after recovering from the blow he received.
Lyon skidded a few feet back before he charged at Gray. They began to trade blows to each other, finishing by their fists connecting with their faces. They fought for dominance for a few seconds before Gray added more power to the punch, sending his former/fellow student into the ice wall.
"You're gonna step up your game if you wanna beat me!" Gray shouted.
Lyon shot out of the wall and punched Gray in the face. He skidded back and glared at Lyon, "I WON'T LOSE!" he shouted as he head-butted his fellow ice mage. Lyon fell back and tripped over himself lightly. Regaining his footing he glared grudgingly at Gray.
"YOU WILL NEVER DEFEAT ME!" He shouted back as he once again charged at Gray. The two once again started to bash each other with an onslaught of fists and forceful melee blows. The two continued to exchange hit after hit. Then Lyon launched an uppercut, but Gray leaned back to evade it. Gray proceeded to counter it with a strong kick. As it connected with its target, it sent Lyon flying. He then crashed into one of the pillars of ice that he had made, effectively shattering it.
He stood up again, trembling in anger and frustration from still not being able to beat Gray. He swiped his arm and shouted, "Ice-Make: Snow Dragon!" The room began to shake, as a massive dragon made out of ice once again flew towards Gray. The ice dragon caught the black haired wizard in between its large jaws, making him grunted in pain when the ice dragon slammed him into the ground, "I don't want to waste my magical power on you...After this, I have to be prepared for my battle with Deliora."
"I thought we agreed to not use our Magics!" Gray told him while standing up.
"Don't be such a sore loser. This dual is pointless from the start. Deliora will be revived in no time." Lyon said with an evil laugh, "Alas, it's too late to stop me now! Zalty is taking care of the Moon Drip ritual as we wasted time here!"
"...Hehehe." Gray chuckled at Lyon words, "If you're underestimating Natsu, then you really are stupid."
After he said that, the temple shook once again. As it shook, Lyon felt a sense of relief wash over him, "The Moon Drip ritual has started again." He stated before he started to launch arrow-like ice at Gray, "Long have I awaited this day. Ten years of gathering comrades and allies." He boasted as he continued to pelt Gray with his magic, "Three years of attempting to wake Deliora. It will soon all be worthwhile." He finished sadistically.
Gray did his best to shield himself from Lyon's attacks as he listened. "You've wasted three years on this?! That's crazy?!"
Lyon's anger once again flared at Gray's words. A moment later he stopped his attack on Gray. Said mage then stood hunched over as he panted heavily, "At least I listened to Ur. I followed what she said and went west. I was surprised to find out what she said was true! There were strong wizards here! Wizards that were far stronger than Ur ever was! On my travels, I came to a guild with those mages. Wanting to become strong, I joined." He explained as he stared intently at Lyon, "At least that's what I told myself! But now I know it was true! I did found someone stronger than Ur! Someone who doesn't waste magic on weaklings like you!"
At this, Lyon's eyes widened. But he quickly shrugged it off. "You're full of nonsense. There's nobody stronger than Ur. I have lived my life, waiting for the day to surpass her!" He then forth a wolf-like iced gauntlet on his right arm. "But since she is dead, there is only one way to fulfill my dream. And that is to destroy what she couldn't: Deliora!" He launched himself at Gray. He swiped and struck Gray with it continuously, unfortunately for him, Gray was able to dodge all of the blows he sent at him.
"You've got a pretty strong admiration, Lyon. But you chose the wrong path to follow." After dodging a long swipe from Gray summoned up an ice sword. Lyon proceeded to pull back with his gauntlet, only for it to get smashed by Gray's sword. "Someone so blind is trying to surpass Ur?! YOU'RE 100 YEARS TO EARLY FOR THAT! GAME OVER, TRY AGAIN!" With that, he hefted the sword to slash at Lyon. But as the slash is inflicted upon Lyon's chest, he cracked up and shattered. Gray's eyes widen at this, but he quickly recovered as he felt frost from behind him gather.
"Ice-Make: Snow Tiger!" With a swipe of his hand, Lyon launched his snow tiger at Gray. As it charged, Gray stood his ground and patiently waited for the frosted beast.
"Ice-Make: Prison!" Gray jumped at just the right moment to summon up a large, intricately decorated cage made of ice imprisoning the tiger sent at him. Jumping down he came face-to-face with Lyon once again. "You see this, Lyon?!" he asked as he gestured behind him, "This is the effect of one-handed ice makes; sloppy and imbalanced! Ur taught us better, but you're too blind to see it!"
Lyon, recovering from his stupor, scoffed at Gray's notion, "Whatever, with a simple wave of my hand, that cage is gone." He proceeded to move his hand to control the snow tiger to attack the bars of his frozen prison. His eyes widened in shock, however, as he saw that, despite his beast attacking its restraints, it was not able to break through, "W-what the hell?!"
Gray then stared adamantly at the ice mage, "It's over Lyon." He said plainly.
"No! It's not over! It can't be! Not until I've won!" he shouted in outrage.
Gray proceeded to take his stance once again as he summoned forth his magic for one final spell, "Ice-Make: Cannon!" he slowly repositioned his hands. His magic seal disappeared and lingered into his hands as it took shape of a largely handled launcher. Gray then positioned his feet so he was prepared to fire it.
Lyon, however, was standing wide-eyed and exhausted. His magical reserves were reduced drastically, making him very vulnerable. "No, it can't end like this! I, 'Cold Emperor' Lyon, can't be defeated at the hands of someone like you!" he shouted.
Gray simply responded by pulling the trigger on his large cannon. A large burst of ice shot ferociously from it and was sent straight for a gaping Lyon. Lyon stood as he took the powerful blow. The blast hit the ice mage and continued to the wall, destroying it and causing a large explosion to blow out of one side of the temple. The ice dissipated, to reveal a stunned and badly injured Lyon. His clothes were completely torn and ripped away, only half of them seemed to stay on. Lyon himself was badly bruised and was just barely able to stand on his feet as the pain coursed through his body. With a gasp, the self-proclaimed Cold Emperor fell to the ground, defeated.
Gray stood stern and towered over the fallen Lyon, "Ur was the one to teach me that." he suddenly felt pain course through his body, starting from the wound he received from Lyon at the start of the fight. He grabbed it and fell to the ground in pain, "I should stop the bleeding first." He muttered and froze his wound.
"WRRRAAAAAAAGH!"
His heart stop when he heard that beastly roar, ('That roar… It can't be!')
(A few minutes ago)
Zalty had escape Natsu's grasp and found himself in front of Deliora. "Is almost time…" he said.
"Found you!" He then moves to the side as a flaming object crash where it was once. The dust clears up to reveal Natsu.
"Hoho...Very impressive Salamander. But how did you find me?" he asked.
"My nose. For some reason, you smell like a woman." Natsu respond.
"Very intrigued...but is too late," Zalty said as he looks at the top of the cave. Natsu follows his gaze was shocked to see a light landing on the ice.
"What?! Someone is making the ritual?!" Natsu asked in shock. He began to run to the exit, only to stop by a rockfall, courtesy of the masked man. "Hey!"
"Sorry boy. But if you really wanted to stop it, then you shouldn't have followed me." Zalty said as he suddenly launches a metal ball at Natsu, who had little time to saw it as it slams against his cheek.
"Gah!" Natsu yelled in pain as he crashes into the ground. He quickly stood up and this time saw the orb heading his way. "Damn you!" He summons his fire and one-punch the orb into pieces...only to be reform once again. "What-" and it quickly slams into Natsu's stomach. "Guh! It pieced itself together?!"
"Hohoho! Surprise? My magic can manipulate time. In other words, I can make the crystal's time back to before it was destroyed." Zalty explains, "Arc of Time, is a Lost Magic…. How about we fast things up a bit?" Suddenly the sphere went at blinding speed, slamming into Natsu faster than his eyes could see, until he slam his fist into it when he predicted, only to be reform once again. He tried one more time but the orb stops inches away from his fire fist.
"It...stop?" Natsu asked in confusion as the metal ball return to its owner. "... Something's telling me that it doesn't work on humans?"
"Hoho...very perspective coming from a brute," Zalty said. "True, my magic can't change time, like this ice."
"...I don't get it." Natsu asked, earning the raised eyebrow from the masked man, "I get that you're helping the Lyon guy to destroy Deliora, but that helps him… What about you? What are you aim with doing this?"
Zalty stood there, staring at him. Inside, he was surprised by all this. "My, My… Looks like I have met my match," he said just as the ice finally began to melt from it. "Is true, The Cold...No, that brat will never defeat Deliora."
"And? You think you can?" Natsu asked him.
"Perish the thought. I simply want to control him." Zalty responds with a hand raised. "There are many methods of controlling demons like this one. And with one in control-"
"You could make others vow to you with its power., Natsu said with a hand on his chin.
"Exactly…" it was then that Zalty notices something wrong. "You know, for been the destructive wizard I have heard about, you're pretty smart."
"And for been a greatly lost magic user…." Natsu simply smirks at him. "Your guard lacks guard."
Before Zalty even knew it, a fire fist was suddenly on his cheek, the force sends him hard on the ground. "W….What…" was the last thing he said before falling unconscious.
"Damn! It took me this long to get here!" Said….Natsu as he rubbed his knuckles. "And what the hell were you thinking using my body Nick!?"
'Natsu' smile as he suddenly was in smokes, revealing that Nick Drake was actually the one present. "What? The idiot came in while I was here. I'm surprised he didn't sense me at all." the brunette said as he softly kicks the body.
"Yeah…"
"WRRRAAAAAAAGH!"
The roar of Deliora broke whatever both slayers though as they cover their ears. The demon had finally woken up from its slumber. The shout was heard through the island, even to Erza and the rest who were on the top, trying to stop the ritual, but they were too late. Not just that, but the roar made the floor where Gray and Lyon fought crumble, making both of them fall down and go into the cave.
When Gray saw Deliora, his landed on the water that was on the ground, he bent down and reached his hand into the water that he thought his master's Ice. Turning it over for the palm to face up, he rose it back out with some of the water in his hand. He watched, sorrowfully, as the water rushed down back into its original puddle.
"Gray! There you are!" he quickly looks up to see Natsu and Nick moving away from the demon as it roars even more and heading his way. "Quick! We don't have time! The three of us must take it out before it fully wakes up!"
"Hehe… You're right Salamander." The two turned at the sound of a low and raspy voice. The three spotted a beaten Lyon, crawling slowly across the ground. He was making his way in the direction of Deliora. "Neither of you is capable enough…" he stated gruffly as his eyes were maddened with obsession. "But I… I'm... going to do it…!"
"Lyon…" Gray muttered, feeling sorry for his old friend.
"So this is Lyon… He looks fucked up." Nick commented while crossing his arms with a frown.
"I've been waiting… Deliora…" The bluish-silver haired man let out a pain-filled chuckled as he somehow was able to stand, "This is the only monster...that Ur couldn't defeat...I will defeat it...with my own hands...right now...I will surpass her!" Lyon shouted, remembering some of the memories he had with his teacher.
But then, he was chop in the neck, making him drop back down, "That's enough...Lyon." Gray said and he crossed his arms at his wrist, releasing large amounts of magical energy swirling around him. "I'll seal Deliora using Iced Shell!"
"Don't do this Gray!" Lyon shouted as he glared at Gray's back. "Do you know how long I have waited for this day? Even if you use that spell, I'll just unfreeze him again! It would just be an endless cycle!"
"This is the only way!" Gray retorted, as his magical power skyrocketed, "This is the only way-!"
POW!
Gray didn't finish as he was punched in the face, sending him down and interrupting its concentration. The ice wizard look up to see it was Nick the one who punch him this time. "Nick?"
"What the hell are you doing trying to kill yourself?" The brunette asked in anger, "Why do you want to die?"
"Because this is the only way that Deliora-"
"That's not an excuse." Nick interrupts him. "You're master didn't sacrifice her life so you could throw it away….. She did so that YOU could live!" He points his finger at him, "The moment she took you in, she gave you the right to become more than just her pupil, you became the bearer of her legacy! Are you going to end everything with this stupid decision of killing yourself?!" Gray's eyes widened at his words, "You used that spell right now, not only are you a coward! I'll never forgive you, dammit!" Nick had never shown this much anger since...that incident. "Besides, you're wasting time!"
"That's right! We can simply destroy it! We're strong enough to take it down!" Natsu commented with a smirk.
To his surprise, Nick looks at him and shook his head, "No Natsu… Is worthless to fight it."
"Huh?! Why?!"
"Because this thing is already dead."
…
…
…
"...What?" Was what Natsu, Gray, and Lyon said with widened eyes. Deliora suddenly roars as it raised his fist forward at them.
"When I investigate here, I touch the ice and saw images," Nick turns to Deliora as it sends his gigantic fist at him, "Memories of the person who sealed this demon away… But that just it."
The brunette raised his palm and stop Deilora's fist, sending a shockwave around the cave.
"I only saw your master's memories...Not Deliora's."
….*Crack*...
Suddenly, the arm of the demon began to form cracks around it before it broke apart, and it's entire body commenced to crumble into giant pieces, crashing down into the ground.
Gray, Natsu, and Lyon stare with shock eyes as they see the former Etherious become nothing more than rocks. "...No…" the Cold Emperor was the first to understand what happened.
"Been trap in Iced Shell wasn't the only thing it did," Nick explain to them as he moves back, "It also took its life away, little by little… What we're seeing now...is nothing more than an empty shell."
"...I... Can't surpassed Ur…" Lyon mumble to himself as tears drop from his eyes.
"D...Damn Gray," Natsu stare at the ice mage in amazed, "You had an awesome teacher."
Gray simply stare at where the demon once was, and the words of his master enter his head.
"I'm going to seal your darkness away."
"...Teacher…. Thank you…" Tears were dropping from his eyes as he remembers the reason why she did the Ice Shell spell. Nick place a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.
…
..
.
"Woohoo! We clear our first S-Class mission!" Natsu yelled up with a pump fist.
"Aye!"
"I know! This was so scary but so amazing! This quest was fun!" Lucy said with sparkly eyes.
"...So what are you doing here, Erza?" Nick asked as he looks at the glaring metal wizard. The rest, minus Sayla, began to sweat in fear.
"...This quest was not supposed to be taken by you all," Erza said with a harsh glare. "The Master never said yes to this mission."
"And I said he did say yes!" Gray shout. He was definitely sure that Gramps agreed to it.
"...Really now," the brunette raised an eyebrow and a hand to his chin. "...We'll solve this later, for now." He turns to the rest, "I say is time to end this curse now."
"...Eh?" Lucy was the first to react, "W-What are you talking about, Nick? Deliora is dead-"
"But it wasn't the cause of all this." He said as he points to the moon, "Rather, is the magic which was used for this.
"Moon Drip?" Happy asked.
"Ah!" Natsu suddenly said as he remembers something, "That's right! You said that you found how to end this curse, right?!"
"For real?" Gray said in surprise.
"That's master for you," Sayla commented.
"Come on, let's go to the village." Nick said as then turn to Erza, "And I'm going to need your help, Strawberry."
"Fine…..W-Wait!" Erza realized what he called her and blush, "Don't call me that!"
"But it goes with you," Nick replied with a smirk as he began to walk away, with Rocky going after him. The rest follows as well, except for Gray as he looks at Lyon who was resting against a rock.
"What?" The white-haired ice mage asked in confusion.
"Lyon...I knew how much you wanted to surpass Ur...but I didn't think you would go as far as doing what you wanted to do...but I'm sure that Ur...even after all you did...She's still proud to call you her student." He said with a smile.
"Gray...you..." Lyon muttered as his eyes widened in shock.
"Nick is right….We're her legacy… You should join a guild, Lyon. You'll have comrades and rivals. I'm sure that you will find a new goal if you do." He told him before turning around to walk toward the others. "Take care of yourself." was the last thing he said before leaving Lyon alone.
"...Thanks…"
(Back to the village)
"... Okay...whaaaaaaaaaat?"
Was the first Natsu said as all the mages starred in surprise. The village….was back to normal! It was like the destruction of it never happened in the first place.
"What the heck? The village is back to normal!" Natsu said in shock as they stare at the residents celebrate the reconstruction of the town.
"Amazing...is like time went back to before it was destroyed," Sayla said.
('Time?') Nick thought went back to the masked Zalty, ('Did he… No, there's no way… maybe…')
"Oh...you are all back." The voice of Moka caught their attention. He walks up to them, "Tell me Fairy Tail wizards… When will you finally destroy the moon for us?!"
"Hold on a minute..." Lucy said as she raised her hands to try and calm the old man.
"Right now."
"Yeah, right….WHAT?!" Everyone look at Nick he was crazy.
"Erza, can you give me a weapon strong enough for an impact?" The brunette asked the scarlet-haired, who re-equip a large spear. Meanwhile, the entire town came to see the destruction of the moon. While the rest stared at the brunette, for different reasons.
"Awesome! Nick's gonna destroy the moon!" Natsu yelled in excitement.
"Aye!/Arf!" Happy and Rocky agreed.
"This is nuts! I know Nick's strong, but destroying the moon is impossible!" Gray said in disbelief.
"T-That's right!" Lucy agreed with him.
"Have some fate with Master, you two," Sayla said to them.
"All right!" Nick hold the spear up, "Prepared people! Today, the purple moon is disappearing forever!" he yelled at them.
"Are we really going to see the moon get destroyed?" One of the villagers said in amazement. Other villagers talked amongst themselves as they watched him threw the spear up a little before his feet was cover with a green light.
"Earth's Dragon Rock Smash!" Nick did a bicycle kick to the end of the spear, the force made the weapon skyrocket into the sky. The spear became a large speck of light as it drew closer to the moon before the sound of something crashing was heard as a bright light came from the center of the moon, followed by an explosion. Everyone watched a crack began to form at the exact place Erza's spear had made contact, and the crack began to grow and spread, soon covering the entire moon in cracks. The villagers all cheered in joy, while Natsu and the others were so shocked that they dropped their jaws to the ground.
"NO WAAAAY!" Gray and Lucy yelled with bloodshot eyes.
They watched the cracks grew in number, just a little more and the truth would be revealed. The cheering below them soon came to a halt as the villagers and the rest of Fairy Tail wizards noticed the cracks expanding passed the moon and extending to the sky surrounding it, confusing many as the cracks finally gave way and broke apart. Pieces of the sky continued to break, revealing more and more of a more natural moon and sky, the broken pieces were falling into the island and ocean below.
"Huh?" Was the question of everyone's mind.
"Ah...I see," Erza place a hand on her chin, "Is not the moon that was the issue...there was a layer of evil energy that had been covering the island."
"The layer?" A certain blue cat asked as he tilted his head to the side.
"Is the exhaust fumes produced by Moon gas crystallized and created a layer in the sky. That's why the moon looked purple." The Scarlet Knight finished as the villagers began glowing, "How did you figure it out, Nick?"
"It was easy," the brunette said as he explained. "Not only did the moon look natural as we made our way here, there's also another fact that it those to this people." The light around the villagers began to disperse...only to reveal that they were still in demon forms. "And that is what it those to them."
"Huh? Wait, why are they still Demon?" Natsu asked in confusion, along with Lucy, Gray, and Happy.
"...Are you all serious?" Nick look at them with a deadpan face, "Sayla said it already, these people are demons."
"...EHHHHHH?!"
"Y-You mean?!" Lucy asked.
"Yes! Moon Drip didn't affect their bodies, it affected their minds!" Nick explain to them.
"What?!" Gray turns to one of them, "Is it true?!"
"C-Come to think of it," one of the villagers spoke up, "I-I'm starting to remember…"
"They all have the ability to transform into humans. It was simply a case of them starting to believe that they were truly humans and their true forms were the altering effects of a curse." Erza said, finally understanding.
"But why weren't Lyon and the others affected?" Happy asked.
"It's because they were humans." Seilah crossed her arms as she answered the question, "This memory loss seems to only effects demons. Also, the villagers can't approach those ruins because they are demons. People from the darkness can't approach the ruins which hold holy light within it. Even if they themselves had forgotten about being demons, their instincts reacted whenever they would get too close and send them right back to the village."
"Very impressive… I'm glad I left it in your hands…" A male voice was heard coming from the side, making everyone turn in the direction of the voice and were complete shock see Bobo waved his arm at them, his body already returned into its complete demon form, "Thank you… Fairy Tail wizards."
"AAHHHH! GHOST!" Lucy and Happy screamed while they hugged each other.
"Y-You're that sailor!" Natsu shouted in shock as well.
"… Bobo…" Moka muttered while his body began to tremble at the sight of his son, who was alive and well.
One of the villagers took a step forward, "B-But you were…!?"
"Getting stabbed in the chest isn't enough to kill our demons. Something as simple as that would never work." Bobo said with a grin before he started to laugh at their reactions.
"B-But you vanished from the ship…" Gray started to say as he thought about how the person in front of them had disappeared without a trace. Bobo simply smiled at him before suddenly disappearing again, making Natsu, Gray and Lucy's eyes widen in shock.
"I'm sorry for not being able to tell you the truth back then." Bobo's voice was heard and everyone looked up to see him smiling down at them, on his back was a large pair of wings, This explained on how he had vanished so quickly, "I got away from the island because I was the only one who got his memory back. I was scared of everyone because they thought they were human."
"B-Bobo…!" Moka had tears building up in his eyes as his own wings shot out of his back, and the old demon flew into the air towards his son, "BOBOOO!"
Bobo managed to catch his father mid-charge, and smiled happily as the two hugged each other, "I'm glad you regained your senses pops!" The villagers all cheered for the reunion between father and son as they joined them in the sky.
The group of wizards all watched with grins and smiles as they watched the villagers fly around happily. One of the villagers screamed something about a party, which everyone happily cheered for.
…
..
.
Far away from the village, standing on the top of a branch was Zalty, sitting on it with the orb next to him. "Did you see that, Master Siegrain?" he said to the orb.
In reality, it was a transmission to the blue haired man in the Council, he was looking at the outcome of the mission. "Yes." Siegrain state with a hand on his chin. "By the way….why did you restore the village?" He asked.
"Consider it a bonus." Zalty quickly respond.
"Dear God… Anyway, they surpassed my expectations." Siegrain said as he rests back in his chair in Era. "Fairy Tail… I hope they don't interfere with us in the future."
Zalty began to remove his mask as smokes cover his body, when it clear up, it shows that Zalty was actually Ultear in disguise. "I agreed."
(The Next Morning)
"You know...that injury might leave you with a scar..." Lucy told Gray as Team Natsu were preparing themselves to set off, back to their Guild.
"I don't care..." He simply replied.
"But it's on your face..."
"I don't care where I get hurt as long as my injuries are visible." He said with a proud smile.
"Hmm? Well said." Lucy replied as she winked at him.
"Tch, just another way to make your ugly ass even uglier," Natsu said, as he ate some flames off a torch.
"Shut your face! I'm trying to act cool, so butt out." Gray said in an annoyed tone, slapping Natsu across the chest.
"Cool? What's that, a new joke?" Natsu asked, earning an angry huff from Gray as Lucy giggled at the banter.
"Hey, Luce!" The blonde turn to Nick who walking up to her with Sayla and Rocky behind him. "You did great on this mission, especially an S-Class."
"Ah~ Thanks, Nick." Lucy said bashfully, ('Although, I didn't do much…')
"And as a well-done job," he then threw something in the air, in which she quickly caught, "I think you deserve this." Lucy looks at what it was and lets a gasp out.
It was a golden zodiac gate key, she quickly jumps and hugs the brunette tight, "Nick! You're the best! Thank you so much!" She said as the Dragon Slayer hug her back and Sayla smile too much for her own good, with a tick mark on her forehead.
"Wh-What?! You can accept the reward?" Moka asked in a shocked tone.
"Of course...your happiness is enough payment for us. We appreciate it." Erza said with a warm smile. "Even though it was true that the job was taken-"
"I told you we did!" Gray shout back at her.
"Besides, you asked to destroy the moon, and we couldn't do it," Erza said to them.
"But that still doesn't change the fact that this village was saved because of all of you and your hard work. Will you accept this as a token of appreciation between friends instead?" Moka offered, wanting to show how grateful he was for their help.
Erza let out a soft sigh as she gave them a soft smile, "When you put it that way, it's difficult to turn it down-"
"Erza! I need money to make you some Strawberry Cakes! With two strawberries on top!"
…
…
…
"...We will gladly take the reward." She said as her eyes glow at the cakes she will have.
"Sweet! We're getting 7 million Jewels!" Natsu and Gray yelled out.
"...So, how are we going to get back?" Sayla asked making everyone stop whatever they were doing.
"We can take you all flying back to Hargeon." Moka offered to the group.
"That won't be necessary," Erza spoke, causing everyone to look at her in confusion, "We already have a ship ready for us."
After a little while of the group of wizards following Erza to the beach, many were shocked to see a pirate ship docked by the shore.
"A pirate ship!" Gray shouted in shock. Lucy was staring up at the ship, unable to speak. Natsu stares at it in horror, another motion vehicle for him to hate.
"Master Nick, what's a pirate ship?" Seilah asked in confusion.
"Is a boat, but bigger. That's all you need to know." Nick explained as he began to pray for all the motion pain he will receive.
"I don't want to ride on that!" Lucy yelled as she hugged herself.
"If you want to swim, I'll go with you, Lucy!" Natsu said with his trademark grin.
"Not gonna happen!" Lucy shouted as she stomped over to the pirate ship. A few minutes later all the Fairy Tail mages were on board the ship.
"Everyone! Thank you so much for everything you've done for us!" The group turned their heads to see Bobo shouting at them and waving his hand goodbye, his father was standing next to him doing the same. A lot of the villagers were standing behind them waving and shouting their goodbyes, which the Fairy Tail wizards, happily waved their own goodbyes back.
"Take care!" Lucy yelled, waving to the villagers that had gathered to see them off.
…
..
.
Watching from a cliff on a different part of the island, a bandaged up Lyon and his group watches the ship as it sailed away. Tobi was denying that he was crying even though he was obviously bawling.
"And there they go." Yuka said before turning to look at Tobi with a deadpan look, "Just how long are you going to do that?"
Ignoring the two, Sherry turned to look at Lyon, who had a peaceful look on his face. "Are you sure you're okay with this Lyon, you and Gray finally came together… in other words, love~"
"I'm sure, it's not like I won't ever see them again," Lyon replied with a smile. He looked up at the sky, which seemed to be bigger than he remembered, "Tell me Sherry, Yuka… is it fun being in a guild?"
And so, we complete and experience our first S-Class mission and were now heading back to Magnolia… Little did we knew that a War was heading our way...and pity the mastermind of it. Because I would be witness for the first time, of the anger of my friend, Nick Drake.
You don't want to piss him off.
-Lucy Heartfilia