Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail
It was the morning of the next day when Gray returned to the demon village with Zeref following along. They'd camped out in the forest for the night, or at least, he'd tried to. Being near a self-proclaimed dark wizard wasn't exactly relaxing, after all. So, Gray was tired and doing his best to try to not let it show. He was surprised Bobo hadn't shown up at some point, but he figured the demon was avoiding Zeref.
The black wizard had a journal in hand, which he'd been using for notes thus far. "It matches thus far with my own conclusions, so clearly you are somewhat educated in the matter. However…it still does not quite make sense. Why is it so resistant to melting? Indestructible, even?"
"How should I know? My master didn't teach me the spell; I just figured it out after watching her use it." He glared at the man as they walked through the demon village. People were looking normal, fully human in the daylight. A few waved towards him when they recognized the returning ice wizard, but Gray's mind was elsewhere. His concerns were focused on the man walking by his side.
Zeref nodded. "Right, right. I imagine she would not wish to pass such knowledge along, given what is required of the spell. The user becomes the ice…it is so close to transformation magic in that sense, but transformation spells rarely allow the user to take on an inanimate form. Not that it is impossible, but to become inanimate, it is essentially the same as giving life to an object that has none, making the transformation that much more complex…"
"It's ice-make magic…" Gray sighed, realizing Zeref would be rambling on this for a while. Considering who he claimed to be, Gray had expected him to be more…intimidating. Yet, the man just seemed focused instead.
"Hmm…no, I don't believe it is, actually," Zeref said. Gray ignored him, walking towards the house where he'd seen Natsu and Lucy. "Maker magic doesn't quite follow the same principles, you see. It is ice-magic, and it is similar to that specialty, as it creates something and is influenced by the user…"
Gray began to tune out Zeref's ramblings, though the man seemed to have cut himself off rather quickly as well. They had stepped into the little hut given to Lucy and Natsu. The black wizard stopped to stare at the dragon slayer with wide eyes as soon as he was inside.
"Gray! I was starting to think you were about to abandon the job on us. Realized you need to rely on your team, right ice princess?"
Snorting, Gray crossed his arms over his chest. "Hardly. I just had a lot on my mind and needed a break is all."
Lucy sat up, rubbing her eyes and frowning. "I know, but you never…" She trailed off, her gaze flickering towards the man that stood at the entrance, not moving an inch. "Who is that?"
"It's the creepy guy Gray talked about when he got here! See? He's in the dress Gray mentioned!" Happy started to hide behind Natsu while Zeref just kept staring.
Pressing a hand to his forehead, Gray sighed. "I ran into him again while I was out. He's…helping with something else. But, as you two keep insisting on saying, we're on a job. And since you've dragged me into the whole mess, we're going to put our focus on that curse while he works on the other issue that came up."
"I thought you said he was a dark wizard? You even said you were convinced he cast this curse in the first place!"
Natsu's voice seemed to make Zeref move, gradually shaking his head. "Oh. The curse." He glanced around at them, before tilting his head at Gray. "I knew you mentioned Natsu…perhaps I should have realized he was here. Though, if the curse is delaying us, you should have simply said something."
"What, you gonna destroy the moon like this village chief wants us to do?" Gray raised an eyebrow at him, well aware of how useless that plan would be.
"That seems rather excessive and ineffective." Zeref looked around at the others. "The moon's discoloration and the curse are completely unrelated, after all. Though, it wasn't as if I wanted them to understand where the curse actually came from either…getting a job to wizards with certainty is a bit of a tedious measure and already having a wizard identified as being responsible for what happened could result in rune knights coming out instead of guild wizards."
"Wait, you cursed them to get guild wizards to come to the island?" Lucy stared at him, before narrowing her eyes. "That's horrible! You do realize you could meet guild wizards by walking into guilds, you know. You don't need some excuse to go out hiring them at all."
Zeref turned to meet Lucy's gaze, frowning as he studied her. "Another familiar face…yet no, yours is still different." He paused, frowning. "Regardless, I am not the sort of person that can simply walk into a guild. And I had a…previous engagement to handle, an agreement of sorts to uphold."
"What were you doing?" Happy frowned at him, while the wizard shrugged.
"Unraveling a spell while utilizing the fact that using moon drip on powerful spells is a slow process to study it as well." His gaze flickered towards Gray. "Now, I am merely studying it once more and seeking out an alternative method for unraveling it. Part of me almost wants to attempt what I did with Irene…but what of the side-effects? Appearance-wise, it would succeed, but with her it worked because internally she was still a living being. How would it function with ice…?"
He pulled out his journal again, sitting down and focusing once more. "He's been like this pretty much all night and into today. I mean, I get that we made a deal, but he's been downright obsessive with it."
"And you said he knew me, right?" Natsu frowned, sniffing the air. "He does smell familiar, but I don't think I've seen him before."
"You wouldn't remember me." Zeref spoke, not even glancing up. "I was the one who brought you to Igneel to be raised."
Gray glanced over at Zeref with widening eyes. Yet, it was Natsu who leaned forward eagerly with an eager light in his eyes. "What? No way! Then do you know where he is now?"
"Working on a…plan of sorts." Zeref frowned, his pen stopping. "Actually, it is good I remembered about that now. I'll have to delay your side of the agreement, likely…I cannot allow my impatience to interfere with that plan."
"Wait, hold up. This plan of Igneel's involves you?" Gray asked.
"Actually, it would be the other way around. The plan was mine, well, mine and another wizard's, but she's since passed away." His gaze flickered towards Lucy for a moment, before he sighed. "Regardless, we are still on a tight schedule, if you wish to complete this new spell design before the moon drip is successful. We've been working at it for years now, and as such, it'll likely take a week, maybe two, before Deliora is fully freed from the ice."
"And you're certain he is dead?"
Wordlessly, Zeref tossed him the demon's book. Gray stared at him, his eyes wide as he caught the thing on instinct. "You can likely sense it yourself…the lack of energy, the nearly non-existent magic in that book. If he were alive, it would almost have the same aura as a live wizard…as in a way, that book is central to his own power and abilities."
"A book is central to someone's magic? I don't get it." Happy frowned. "What is that book anyway?"
"I think I've heard about books like that before, I mean, only rumors, but, the name Deliora only confirms it." Lucy glanced over at the man. "That's one of Zeref's books, right?"
"It is." Zeref smiled faintly and Gray gradually began to remember that his friends had no clue who this man claimed to be. "For a demon that is dead, because of a spell typically used as a prison. That, is what has me so intrigued."
"What makes you so certain that iced shell caused it?" Gray asked with a frown.
"Because other demons have been sealed away before. None of them have suffered the same drain as Deliora…and after examining the spell, I'm starting to see signs of why that might be the case. The ice is 'alive', for lack of a better term, due to its source being a transformed living being. As such, the caster's will remains intact. Their will then influences the final product of iced shell and will result in slight variations as time goes on. If your goal merely is imprisonment, then that is all it will do. But…your master was desperate to keep you from facing that creature again, was she not?" Natsu and Lucy frowned, but Gray was slowly nodding. It was weird; this dark wizard knew more of his past than his own guild members. Gray might need to fix that soon, or else he'd start feeling like he'd somehow gone crazy and confided in a villain of some form. "Then her intention was to put a stop to Deliora, permanently. It was a close enough wish to wanting him dead for the ice to take on a form that would make it a possibility. Iced shell, in this case, prevented Deliora from absorbing the energy and nutrients required for survival from the atmosphere, as most demons are capable of in desperate situations. It created an atmosphere of its own, within the ice…that drained Deliora completely and has placed him in a state that being freed will not save him from."
"Wait, are you saying Gray knows about this Deliora guy too? Who the heck is he?"
"Natsu." Lucy bit her lip, shaking her head. "I don't think we should ask about that. Deliora was one of Zeref's demons…"
"He is." Gray closed his hands into fists, taking a deep breath. "And that demon killed my family and is the reason I lost my master before I came to the guild. This wizard here thinks he can devise a spell to reverse what my master has done. Gramps had told me she was lost forever, but if there's a chance he was wrong…"
"Oh, currently, he is correct." Zeref smiled faintly. "I simply have a habit of making impossible tasks possible…it is interesting, entertaining even, to overcome such obstacles and devise new spells." He glanced at the people in the room. "Not that I'd expect any of you to be aware of how to do so. It is a lost art, unfortunately."
"Hey! I could make a new spell if I wanted to!" Natsu claimed.
"Oh really?" Zeref stared at Natsu, his smile widening slightly. "I suppose I should have expected you to say so. It is quite like you…"
"How can you know what he's like if you only knew him as a baby?" Lucy asked.
Zeref shrugged. "Perhaps I knew him…slightly afterwords."
"Then why don't I remember you? And hey! You distracted me and didn't tell me about Igneel!"
"Because I cannot do so without endangering his work, Natsu."
"Well, then forget about his work! I've been trying to find him for seven years now and I'm not gonna give up because you can't accept it." Natsu grinned, standing up. "Tell you what…I'll beat you in a spar and then you'll have to tell me!"
"I've undergone torture before. I highly doubt you'd be able to gain any answers from me where others have failed." He paused, frowning at Natsu and glancing at the flames now dancing in his fists. "And…it seems as if you do not quite have the capability to stop me either."
"Hey! Natsu's plenty strong and he's not alone." Happy glared from behind Natsu's shoulder. Thinking about it, Zeref had hardly reacted to the talking cat, which was usually a surprise for most people.
Still, the man kept his gaze steady, shrugging. "Oh, I did not say he wasn't strong. I merely stated that he could not stop me, which is quite different." Zeref paused, sighing. "I've been wondering if my patience with that plan was worth it or not, to be honest. This new plan seems to have just as many risks…and a similar potential for success, to be honest. So, considering the potential that this fails, I think I will be patient and let you grow your strength a little while longer…before our battle begins."
"Battle? Wait, you want to fight me?"
Zeref smiled darkly, the same smile that sent shivers down Gray's spine before. "One day…one day, we will have that battle. However, today is not that day."
"Hey." Gray narrowed his eyes, glaring at the man. "I agreed to this so long as my friends stayed out of it. Are you going back on that now?"
"Not at all." Zeref's expression and tone lightened as he turned towards Gray. "I assure you, I have no intention of targeting anyone you actually care for, Gray. In fact…you'd likely be surprised, with the target I have in mind."
"Care to elaborate? It might make me a bit more relaxed with all of this, especially considering who you claim to be."
"Still not convinced?" Zeref paused, taking a moment to find a spot to sit down on the floor, blocking the door. It left him with quite a bit of space between himself and the others in the room as he continued. "Well, I suppose that is understandable. It isn't as if you've had any reason to believe I'm alive and rumors about such things do vary. As far as your target…let's just say even you view him as an enemy, so it is mutually beneficial for him to be stopped. It would be akin to me directing you to attack Tartaros…not that I have actual intentions to have you target them, of course."
"Sorry to interrupt, but what deal are you two talking about?" Lucy frowned, glancing between them.
"I'm assisting him with returning his master to her former status. In return…he will be dealing with…" Zeref trailed off, frowning for a moment. "Someone I'm not really that fond of."
"Wait. You just want this spell used on someone you're annoyed with? It isn't even someone who, I don't know, tried to steal from you or hurt you somehow?"
"In a way, I suppose this person has caused me harm." Zeref smiled faintly, tilting his head. "In fact, he's tried to kill me in the past."
Gray sighed, shaking his head. "And trying to kill you is only enough to make you 'not fond' of someone?"
"Well…it is difficult to explain, without details." Zeref shrugged, turning towards him. "Regardless, are you comforted in knowing that it is at least someone you do not view fondly now?"
"I still don't get how it is even remotely similar to targeting a massive dark guild like Tartaros—"
"Tartaros isn't massive. They are relatively small, compared to the other two major guilds in the Balam Alliance. However, their members are…strong, to make up for the difference in numbers."
"How do you know that?" Lucy asked. "No one has any info on Tartaros. They're like…more secretive than any dark guild out there."
"Because…in a way, I suppose you could say I'm the creator of their guild." Zeref looked oddly amused at that, glancing at Gray. "Indirectly, of course. I made no decision to form a guild…but at the same time, without me, their guild would not exist."
For a moment, Gray's brow furrowed as he tried to interpret the look Zeref was directing towards him. Then, Gray's eyes widened as he realized exactly why Zeref was focused on him specifically for this hint. "They aren't…"
"They are." Zeref confirmed, interrupting before Gray could finish suggesting that the members of Tartaros might be demons. "But again, they are relatively harmless. Their goals all focus on…a specific wizard, which is typically difficult to find. Comparatively, they aren't all that active in the world."
"And you still say I'd hold a similar grudge against your target as I'd have against them? You do realize my history with people like that, right?"
"Seeing as you just explained it to everyone here…I'd say yes, I am well aware of your grudge. And I do believe you'd hate the target I have in mind with just as much of a passion as you'd hate them."
The room was quiet after that and he seemed to focus back on his work. Natsu and Lucy watched him for a moment, before glancing at each other. "Well, if you're busy with work, Lucy and I are gonna go out and check in with Lulu about the curse stuff we were looking into yesterday." He glanced over at Gray. "You coming with? She'd be happy to know you got back alright." The name made Gray's stomach sink slightly, bringing back the recollection of the book he'd hit. He still didn't know what the end-result was of destroying it, even with what Zeref had implied.
"The curse will fade on its own, in less than a week." Zeref spoke, shrugging. "I could end it now, but that seems like a wasted effort, all things considered."
"So…you were the one who cursed them?" Lucy asked. Gray thought Zeref had confirmed it earlier, but he supposed the guy was showing a tendency to speak with rather vague statements.
"I was." Zeref met Lucy's gaze. "And I assure you, the curse is harmless. It changed their physical appearance, disrupted one aspect of their…magic, you could say, and added in slight elements of a memory distortion spell." Magic? Bobo had implied that none of them really had much skill with anything of the sort.
"How is that harmless? You take away their magic and their memories and say it does nothing!" Natsu said.
"Yeah! These people don't deserve to hurt like that." Happy glared at him too and Gray just sighed, letting his chin rest against his chest.
"If you think this is a harmful curse…well, you must not be familiar with curses at all." Zeref's eyes were dark, his expression tightly controlled. Yet, Gray had done that enough times, to hide his own pain away. Zeref had said he was cursed before—blamed the death magic on it and claimed it gave him immortality too. Thinking about that definitely made this curse seem minor in comparison.
"We aren't going to be able to get anywhere like this. For now, let's just—" Gray broke off as the door burst open. Zeref shifted off to the side, turning to stare at the intruder while attempting to create space between himself and the door. One of the villagers stood there, his eyes wide.
"Terrible news! Someone…some awful fiend has…has come and…" The man was sobbing and Lucy moved forward, touching his shoulder gently.
"It's alright, take a deep breath." The man did as she asked, before meeting her gaze. "Now, can you tell us what happened?"
"It's Lulu…" Gray heard that name and stiffened. This reaction combined with what Zeref had said…it couldn't be happening. Gray swallowed, closing his hands into fists by his sides. "She's been found dead, holes all throughout her body. Some despicable form of magic has been used to kill her!"
Lucy continued comforting the man, but Natsu's eyes went to Zeref, narrowing instantly. The dark wizard did nothing but continue his work calmly while Gray sat down, hanging his head as a weight settled heavily in his chest. Zeref hadn't been lying at all. Those books and the demons they made were connected. So, the grief this man had, the suffering this village would endure as a result of this, it was his own fault.
He heard the door close, with Lucy following the man out. "I thought you hated all demons and thought they were all a risk to humanity," Zeref said. He would've been right if he'd asked just a day ago, before Gray realized demons could seem so human as well.
"And I thought you said this curse was harmless." Natsu didn't let Gray respond.
Zeref turned towards the dragon slayer, shrugging. "This death was not the result of the curse…rather, it came about due to your companion's actions when he confronted me earlier."
"Wait, you're saying Gray killed her? But he'd never do that!"
"Shut up, both of you!" Gray shouted, snapping at them. The room went silent, and Gray buried his hands into his hair. After a moment, he took a deep breath, closing his eyes. "I didn't realize what it would do. That it would…actually harm someone, to do that."
"That book gave them life. What did you think it would do?"
"Stop you from—" He broke off, looking over at Natsu. The dragon slayer was lost and seeming to be trying to puzzle out what had them arguing. "Look, it doesn't matter anymore. It's already done and there is no changing that. We should just focus on the task at hand."
"Gray…" Natsu stared at him, frowning. "You don't sound like you're alright with just moving on or with working with this guy. What happened between you two? Who the hell even is he?"
Gray swallowed, opening his mouth. They deserved to know who they might be working with. Yet, did they need to work with that fear in them? Gray already couldn't relax and his head was spinning to try and find a way out of this. Maybe Zeref had promised that he wouldn't be taking away the life of someone he cared about, but knowing it was a dark wizard didn't make him feel much better anymore. After all, he'd just killed a demon, something that should have brought him relief. Instead, he just felt like he'd killed a kind-hearted person who wanted nothing more than to be freed from her suffering. Zeref, oddly enough, had been right; the demons here weren't like Deliora and he hadn't been able to accept that until it was too late.
We're back to the regular Thursday updates. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!
