Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail
Since Bobo refused to return to the village, Gray was in for a late night discussion on the beach with the demon. "So, were you the one that submitted the request for help to wizard guilds?"
Bobo scratched the back of his head. "Sort of. I did submit the initial request for help, once I was on the mainland and had figured out the fact that I needed to maintain a disguise there." Taking a seat on the sand, the demon shrugged. "When I went back to check in on the status of the request at the town's local request office, they said they'd already gotten the adjusted request approved. Someone came in and modified my original request, but it sounded like it was headed out to guilds anyway so I didn't care that much about the changes."
"Let me guess - the modification was the request for ice-make wizards, wasn't it?"
The demon nodded with a weak grin. "Haha, yep. Kinda funny, but like I said, I didn't care too much about who came. Really, we just need someone that can help isolate the village for a while. If we can manage that, the curse will wear off on its own."
"You're saying that the curse just goes away over time?"
"Of course." Bobo looked over at him. "It isn't exactly the strongest of spells and we do have some trinkets and spells on the island that give us protection against some of the more dangerous curses. I'm not surprised he knew a way around them, honestly."
That made Gray's eyes widen. "You know who cursed you too? If you have all the answers, why even bother asking for help?"
"Because." The man scratched behind his horn, tilting his head. "None of us can really go against his wishes that easily. For one reason or another, we all tend to pretend he doesn't even exist these days. Best to forget someone like that, when things are as complicated as they are between us."
"Who is it then?" Bobo only shook his head and Gray scowled. "Come on, this wizard cursed you. Aren't you at least angry with him for it? Don't you want us to find him and make sure he doesn't target you again?"
"Once he's finished with his plans, he'll leave us alone. This is actually the first time I've ever come close to him, you know." Bobo grinned. "He isn't exactly the most social person out there. Dad knows him the best of all of us."
Groaning, Gray leaned forward. "Please tell me your request isn't changing to be just helping some wizard who actually cursed you."
"Well, it would be one way to end things, wouldn't it? Whatever he wants, it likely isn't too bad if he's calling for official guild help with the problem." Bobo paused. "At least, if he's not planning on starting a war that is."
"We're not helping some dark wizard, especially if there's a chance it'll start a war." Gray glared at the demon. "Give me some other options to work with, something legal that official guild wizards usually would do for this sort of thing."
"Unfortunately, I don't think you have the patience to handle it if this conversation is anything to judge by." Bobo sighed. "He'll wait until you think you're done and just return to start all over again if it suits his needs. That's just the sort of person he is and I highly doubt you and your friends are planning to live with us to solve the problem."
"Then we scare him away."
"Not much can scare him, I'd say."
"Fight him off."
"You'd die in the attempt."
Gray frowned. "We aren't that weak - we can handle a dark wizard between myself and my team." Then, he paused, thinking back to what he'd seen earlier. Hadn't he had the same thought about that stranger wizard? Wasn't he already suspicious of him in the first place? "Wait. Don't tell me it's that cursed guy wandering around the island."
"You've met him?" Bobo blinked at him, before grinning widely. "Well, consider me surprised. I suppose you do understand why our options are a bit limited then."
So, going after the person casting the curse wasn't an option. "What about some counter spell? There's gotta be one for this sort of thing."
"He'll find an alternative curse that accomplishes the same goal."
"I doubt it." Gray shook his head, rising to his feet. "People don't just rewrite curses on a whim, even if they are dark wizards. Right now, that's the best option we have."
"I'm telling you—"
"Thanks for the help, Bobo. I'll reach out if I have more questions." He'd spent enough time talking to the demon for the day. Right now, he needed to get back to the village and talk to Natsu and Lucy about what he'd learned for the job. While he was well aware that none of them had any talent in countering curses, he did know that they had some time to research and figure things out for now.
They let him back into the village with little hesitation. Yawning, he made his way back to the tent where he'd found his fellow guild members. Inside, he could see Lucy and Natsu were already passed out for the night. Aware of the time, Gray found a spot near the wall and got comfortable, joining them in their rest. He could discuss the details with them tomorrow and maybe, they just might take on this job regardless of Master's warnings. Deliora was on this island and he'd forgotten to ask Bobo about the other demon entirely. Still, sleep claimed him before the thought could motivate him to leave for the beach once more.
Considering who he was sharing a room with, Gray honestly expected to be woken up by Natsu trying to start another fight with him. He was pleasantly surprised to find a much more pleasant wake-up call awaiting them. "Good morning!" Lulu called out as she entered, right after knocking on the door. "Our chief wanted to make sure you were comfortable while you were staying and investigating our curse. So, I've brought you guys some breakfast."
The smell of eggs and bacon was gradually getting stronger the longer the food was in the room. Gray sat up, rubbing his eyes and seeing Natsu immediately charging towards the girl and the food. "Really? This is great, thanks!" The dragon slayer took a plate off of the tray the woman had been carrying, immediately finding a seat on the ground. Happy walked over to him, joining Natsu for the meal.
Walking around to both him and Lucy, Lulu began distributing the other plates before taking a seat herself. "I hope you don't mind if I join you. I thought it might work out best, that way you can ask me any new questions that you might have about the curse and make progress more quickly."
"Sure. There isn't much to ask though." Natsu swallowed, tilting his head. "I mean, Happy and I tried to get some training done yesterday so we could work towards destroying the moon like your chief asked."
"I told you, that's not going to work, idiot." Lucy shook her head with a sigh. Then, her eyes flickered over towards Lulu and she gave the girl a nervous smile. "Er, not that there doesn't, ah, look like there's a correlation between the weird color and the curse, that is."
"No, no, I get it." Lulu smiled warmly at her. "Chief Moka is a kind man, but he's been a bit unstable like that for as long as I've known him. It's a strange thing to see - there are times when I can have a perfectly normal conversation with him, but the moment we bring up the curse, it's like he goes into this rage against the moon itself." Sighing, Lulu shook her head and took a sip of her drink. "But it isn't my place to complain about the chief. It's likely just his grief making him irrational."
Recalling Bobo's words, Gray moved closer. "Ah. His son, Bobo, right?" Lulu nodded, confirming that the demon had been partially honest so far. There wasn't much else he could verify, but that much of his story could be confirmed.
"It was a sad day for all of us, losing him. Bobo had gone completely mad from the curse. He was the one that made us realize it wasn't as harmless as a spell that just made us look different at night. It…affects your mind too."
"Well, it sounds like it wasn't for nothing then. You learned from his passing." Gray grimaced, shaking his head. He really wasn't good at sensitive topics like this. "So, back to the curse. I was doing some exploring around the island yesterday and wanted to ask you about that temple nearby."
Lulu nodded. "There isn't much to say about it." She tilted her head, considering. "It was there before any of our people really moved to this island. I can't say any of us have had much of an interest in the place. Beyond the fact that it is rumored to be the ideal location for some more obscure spells, there isn't much special about it."
"Wait, it's used for obscure spells and you didn't say anything about it?" Lucy leaned forward. "Considering you guys are cursed, that sounds like a pretty big clue to me."
"Oh, sorry. But…I don't think this sort of curse would need the temple." Lulu shrugged. "I'm not exactly the best to ask about this sort of thing - magic is something a lot of the village reads about in their spare time, but unfortunately the key details just don't really stick for me. None of us really have magic of our own, so it isn't like it is something I can use in practice and I'm the sort that learns best by doing, you know?"
"I mean, that makes sense, but it still sounds like this temple might be important." Lucy frowned, looking over at Gray. "Why did you even go there? Yesterday, it sounded like you were planning to leave and abandon this job."
She had a point. Staying was dangerous and almost playing into Bobo's idea to give the caster of this curse exactly what he wanted. "I saw something that made me concerned, that's all." Deliora, however, was more concerning than any curse on this island. At least sticking around for the job gave him an excuse to cover up investigating exactly why the frozen demon was now here. "Lulu, I know you said you don't understand it well, but could you at least try to explain why you think the temple isn't related to the curse? Because if it is used for magic spells, I sorta get the impression that Lucy might be right."
"I can try," Lulu paused, frowning. "It sorta ties into this island's location too, specifically its land elevation. Unless something has changed in the world, the top of that temple is the closest a person can ever get to the moon while still being on Earthland. So, any spell that relies on the moon for casting is made stronger just by casting it from that temple."
Maybe that explained the weird symbol by the entrance then. "I didn't think this island rose to be that far above sea level." Lucy blinked. "But…I've never heard of magic that relies on the moon before. It is true that my magic is inspired by the stars, so I guess it is possible, but it just doesn't bring any answers to mind."
Lulu nodded. "I know! That's what I thought when I learned about it too. But Chief says that it is usually ancient forms of magic that rely on it more than modern spells - back before people realized they could channel magic through runic writing in magic circles as a translation for intent, they relied on chanting to focus and direct magic towards the goal they wanted. However, without the more rigid structure of a magic circle, such magics tended to be costly as far as energy went and relied on having either a large group of people participating in the casting of a spell, or some outside energy source as fuel. The moon was one option for that energy source…though the explanation went over my head when he tried to explain how the moon could influence the intensity of ethernano in the air at specific moments in time, depending on where in the moon cycle it was."
"That's so cool!" Happy grinned. "Did you hear that Natsu? Maybe you could eat the moon and get stronger if it's made of magic like that."
Grinning, the dragon slayer nodded. "I totally agree! We've got a plan if punching it doesn't work now, Happy." Still, the dragon slayer scratched the back of his head. "But, it sounds like Luce and Gray aren't in agreement with that plan. Dunno, maybe the chief is wrong about what's going on here."
Well, Natsu wasn't a complete idiot at least. Still, Lulu's explanation just seemed odd to Gray. "I've never even heard of magic like that. Where did your chief manage to learn something like that?" Gray asked.
"He used to be a teacher, actually." Lulu smiled. "He's still good with the children, too. Always getting them interested in learning about the basic principles of magic and hoping that at least one will show signs of being a wizard. Unfortunately, we just haven't gotten that lucky yet." She turned towards them. "Chief doesn't talk about his past much, though. I've never once gotten him to tell me what subject he focused on - he dodges the question and distracts anyone who tries to get answers."
"That still doesn't explain much." Gray frowned. Being a teacher didn't mean this guy was all-knowing about weird subjects. For an island filled with non-wizards, even if they were only cursed to forget they were demons, it just seemed like a strange piece of information to hold onto.
Lucy was nodding slowly, turning towards Gray. "It isn't much, but I do remember seeing chanting referenced in some books Levy lent me recently. That doesn't exactly give the justification for believing it was that common in the past, but I can at least say I've heard of spells that rely on chanting to be cast."
Nodding, Lulu pushed aside her plate. "That's really why I think the curse is unrelated, you know. Ancient magic like that is well-forgotten these days. Even if it wasn't, it just sounds like it would have taken a lot of people to manage. Someone in the village would have noticed if we had a large group of strangers camping out on the island, you know? It isn't like we just stick around the village at all times - someone has to go out to hunt and gather food, especially now that people are afraid to deliver anything to this island even if it is just supplies."
Still, it gave Gray something to think about. Deliora was in a cave underneath that temple. Even if no one else knew where the demon was at, it did imply that someone knew about this ritual magic that relied on the moon's energy. What exactly were they trying to accomplish with such a spell? He'd rushed out before investigating, but the more Gray thought about it, the more he realized the purple light he'd seen wasn't any sort of natural lighting in the cavern. It had been a spell.
"You guys avoid the temple, though." He didn't phrase it as a question. It was the only answer that really made sense.
"Well, it is an odd structure. There's not usually much of a point to go there, all things considered. Animals don't explore there, our traps are further out into the forest, and it isn't like there are any edible plants nearby." She frowned. "Are you…suggesting they've stayed at that temple? Wouldn't they have to gather supplies as well?"
True, they'd need food just like anyone else. However, Lucy's eyes widened. "Teleportation magic." She looked over at Lulu. "If someone in their group had that sort of skill, I imagine it'd be easy to stock up on supplies as needed."
With a sinking feeling, Gray recalled the wizard he'd met in Hargeon. The man had claimed he needed supplies in town and then Gray had gotten dragged with him to this island. "That's exactly it." Gray looked over at Lulu. "I know at least one person in the group that triggered this curse and the very first spell I saw him use was a spell to teleport himself."
"Wait, the Gray lookalike in a dress did it? Are we lookin for him now? I still remember his scent, you know." Natsu grinned. "I can track him down if we need to. Shouldn't be that hard to get some answers out of the guy."
"Let's at least finish asking around the village." Lucy looked over at Lulu. "Thank you so much for the help. At this point, I think I want to get a better idea on what sort of 'ritual magic' we might be up against. I'd rather be prepared before charging into some sort of fight."
"But Lucy! I'll just burn away whatever spell they use."
"No, you won't." Gray frowned. "Trust me, Lucy has the right idea this time. We need to know exactly what we're up against." If that curse was any indication, Gray knew this wouldn't be an easy fight to handle. Did he even want to start it? Honestly, his end-goal was to get to the bottom of whatever was going on with Deliora. Anything else that happened was not his problem to deal with, even if these demons seemed oddly human for what they were.
"Well, you're welcome to come back to my place if you'd like. I've got some books that'd be a good starting point for your research." Smiling, Lulu rose to her feet. "Trust me, you'll understand them far better than I did since you're actually wizards."
With that, they rose to follow after the girl. She led them out of the house and through the village, smiling and waving at the few people they passed. Gray did his best to avoid looking at them, his stomach churning as he considered what that human skin really was hiding. It was difficult to reconcile that thought with the sight of a cheerful smile and polite greeting in the morning. Plus, they'd been better hosts than most job-givers these days. None of it made any damn sense, especially when he added Bobo into the equation. What sort of demon was willing to sacrifice everything for their friends? It almost made this village seem like they had the mindset of a small guild.
Lulu entered her home, holding the door open to let Gray and his team inside. The place wasn't that bad. It was relatively small, with a plainly decorated sitting area right in the entrance. A fire pit with an old pot sitting next to it on the floor was on the wall to his right. On the left, Gray could see a picture of some massive building. He wasn't exactly an architect, but the entire design almost reminded him of the temple but on a much larger scale. It gave him the impression that whatever that place was, it was probably ancient and no longer around just based on the style of building.
"Chief gave me that picture." Lulu smiled, walking over and touching the frame for a moment. "Of course, he wrote off the gesture like it wasn't out of kindness or anything. 'That old thing brings back too many bad memories. Get it out of my house and don't let me see it again if you really like it that much, Lulu'" She gave a poor impression of a man's voice, a bit gravely to try and mimic the Chief's age, Gray imagined. "Quite a few of the older tribe members shared his opinion. From what little I've heard, this was an academy they all actually lived at, a long time ago."
"Wait, a place like that was still around only decades ago?" Lucy looked more closely at the photo. "I've never seen anything in this style. Was it in another country or something?"
"I never asked." Lulu scratched her arm, before turning back to them. "It still is a magnificent structure. Honestly, if we had the books for it, I think that's what I would have preferred to study. History, art, architecture…I find that far more interesting and practical to learn about than the magic everyone obsesses over here. At least I can design and build things with those subjects, or learn about what certain actions resulted in from history."
"Well, why not get the books for it?" Natsu frowned at her. "Seems like there's books on all kinds of stuff, based on what I hear from Lucy and Levy back at the guild."
Lulu shook her head. "It…people wouldn't really be that happy, to break with tradition here." Her eyes flickered towards the picture with a frown. "Odd. I feel like I can't quite remember why that is anymore. There was a reason for it, I'm certain." She frowned, growing quiet for a moment. Gray watched her, uncertain on what to say when he knew this curse had messed with her memories already. "It…I feel like there was a great tragedy. The more I try and think about it, the more I feel like I once heard a sad story about this place. Why…why don't I remember?"
Lucy looked over at Natsu, biting her lip. Then, she looked over at Gray. "Gray, do you think…" She trailed off for a moment. "What you told us you'd found out yesterday, is it possible this is sorta related?"
Slowly, the ice wizard nodded. "Probably." Looking over at Lulu, Gray sighed. It was so hard to think that she was a monster like Deliora when she acted like this. There was such a sad, lost look in her eyes and he couldn't help but see that as human. "Listen, Lulu, there's more to this curse than you think." Swallowing, he debated what to say. Scratching the back of his head, he avoided her eyes when she turned to look at him. "I think it is messing with your memory."
"That's not true! I remember other things perfectly well." Lulu shook her head. "My parents raised me in this house. They loved singing me this lullaby every night when I'd go to sleep. It went some thing like this:" Lulu began to sing out a soft melody, determined to prove her point.
"And I remember other people in the village too! Bobo was my best friend. The Chief would often tease me, saying that I'd one day grow to be his granddaughter with the way we acted around each other. Bobo would get embarrassed and tell his father to stop bringing that up, I'd squirm and get uncomfortable because Bobo really was just a friend, and then we'd laugh together once the chief left us alone.
"Then, there is my neighbor, Dahlia. She was the one that loaned out some of her old journals when I had questions about our village's history. For ages, I'd been so curious about why…why…" Her voice trailed off, her eyes wide as she struggled for words. "I know it's there. I know it is. What question did I need an answer to?"
Gray hesitated, seeing her struggle. Yet, like this, she was harmless. Maybe that dark wizard had been honest from the start. He had yet to see a single sign that any demon here was going to turn on them and attack. Nothing on this island seemed like it showed signs of rampaging demons either and they hadn't always been cursed.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped closer and reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder. It didn't feel any different from his attempts to comfort people, really. He gave it a soft squeeze, smiling weakly at her. "It's alright, Lulu. From the sounds of it, it sounds like you do have most of your memories. There's just some gaps when it comes to specific topics."
"But I don't know what it is I've forgotten." Lulu's eyes were watering, tears starting to fall. "It was so important to me. I can feel it." She pressed a hand to her chest, sniffling as she inhaled. "There was something that I needed to understand so badly. And I had been so determined to get my answer."
Lucy moved forward to stand next to Gray's side. "We understand. Gray, Natsu, and I…we're looking into a way to get you those memories back, Lulu. As Fairy Tail wizards, we will make sure you get back to your normal life and have that answer again, alright?"
The girl in front of them glanced between the two wizards. Lulu inhaled slowly, shaking her head as she stepped back, away from Gray's grip. "I appreciate the effort, but somehow, I don't think the answer made me happy either." Her eyes turned towards the picture. "Just like this, when I try to think about the story I know I heard…both give me the same feeling of sadness and heaviness in my heart. Honestly, I almost feel guilty for some reason. It makes me wonder if I did something horrible that I've forgotten."
"No way!" Natsu grinned over at her. "You're a good person, Lulu. You gave us food and you've been nice to us from the moment we got here." He clapped a hand on her shoulder, looking over at the picture with her. "Even if you did do something weird in the past, it's who you are now that counts, right? So I'd say cheer up. Who cares about what you've forgotten? I can't remember every little thing I did with my dad either, but I remember enough to still know who he raised me to be."
"I wish I had your optimism." Lulu's smile was brittle, forced as she looked over at him. "But this feeling…now that I'm aware it is there, I just can't seem to let it go."
In his mind, Gray found himself recalling a similar sensation. The rage he'd had as a child had never really faded, had it? He'd run away from the devastation Deliora had caused on his home, after finding his parents dead. There had been a blizzard going on outside and he hadn't exactly known where he was going. Freezing and likely risking his life for the journey, he'd barged into a random cabin he'd stumbled across after he had been certain he was a safe distance away. There, he'd met Ur and Lyon.
Telling his story to Ur, he'd expected the woman to kick him out. Yet, she'd given him food and a bed while he calmed down. Not wanting to talk much more for a while, he'd silently observed Ur and Lyon for a few days. He'd realized she was training Lyon on how to use magic, a skill that had the power to potentially end Deliora. It was a tool that would give him his chance for revenge. Yet, that plan had backfired. Rather than destroying Deliora or himself in that battle, he'd lost the one person he hadn't realized he was starting to rely on as family. By lying to Lyon afterwords and allowing that guilt to simmer within him, he'd lost and abandoned the boy who'd been like a brother to him as well.
Whatever Lulu wasn't able to remember, Gray could piece together that she was more like him than Natsu at this point. So, he inhaled slowly, staring at the ground. "No one ever really can let go of that feeling once it gets that strong." Gray had still felt that mixture of guilt, anger, and despair at the sight of Deliora just yesterday. "All we do is learn how to move forward and how to not let it take control of our lives. In that sense, you're probably better off forgetting. You don't have to struggle with questioning if you're acting impulsively because of some old scar you can't ever let go of."
Lucy and Natsu both turned to him in surprise. Yet, Gray didn't offer an explanation for his advice. When he saw Lulu meet his eyes, he felt an odd connection he'd never expected to find after he'd learned about what they were. Forgetting details about being a demon didn't necessarily reshape her personality at all. While Gray's own guilt and anger made him afraid of the implications, seeing the acceptance and relief in Lulu's gaze was enough to confirm that he had a lot in common with a demon when it came to dealing with his past.
So, we're getting quite a bit further into my changes for this arc here. I always love expanding on random little things in Fairy Tail, whether that's the magic system or random bits of history. This here is my chance to take the potential of all of Galuna Island and really just run with a history that fits with it in my head for this story. Lulu is a canon character even - she just only has a few small lines in the show so I get a lot of freedom with how to write her. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!
