Hey y'all! :D
Hope y'all are doing well! And look what I have for you, A NEW CHAPTER! :P
I mentioned in the author's notes at the bottom of chapter 11 that we'd be getting a look into one of our character's minds, so as the title of this chapter says, I think we all know who now lol. Hope you enjoy it! :D
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ANY REAL WORLD REFERENCES IN THIS STORY!
Key for story(More will be added IF needed):
BOLD - anger, attacks, surprise
Italic - thoughts, dreams, stressing a word, sass, other end(s) of a phone call, singing and song titles
Gray's Resolve and The Prophecy
Three days had passed since meeting the trio from Lamia Scale, and the quartet from Blue Pegasus, and now it was finally time to make a move. Especially since Hibiki came to them with news that Oracion Seis had descended onto the relative area the Nirvana was believed to be in. Thanks to training sessions with Makarov, Igneel, and the others, they felt more prepared than ever to take on the sinister six mages who threatened their home, along with the rest of the world. To their surprise, and to Natsu, Gajeel, and Laxus' distress, the group found themselves on a boat. Not just any boat though. No, it could fly of course. It was the pride of Blue Pegasus, the Magic Bomber: Christina. It's main design consisted of a blue, white, and yellow pegasus, with powerful magic boosters in the feet and in the stern. It even came with wings. But the one thing it didn't come with, was anything to keep the three from feeling sick. Poor Natsu and the other two dragon slayers were hanging over the sides of the deck, puking their brains out while flying through the air.
"Whyyyy?" moaned the pinkette while he contemplated his misery.
Laxus was the first to try and stand without his stomach giving in.
"S-So," he said, trying to sound like he was fine, "How long until w-we reach our destination?" He asked Jura, who was pinching his nose.
"We should be there soon."
"How soooon-Hmg!" Laxus gave in and ran back to the edge.
Jura looked at his watch, and then the setting sun. "It's about 7:58, so around a couple more minutes."
"Thank fuuuuck!" groaned Gajeel.
Meanwhile, Gray and Jellal sighed from afar. The former turned to see his foster brother standing at the very front of Christina, staring into the horizon. Sherry seemed to be talking, but he didn't seem to be listening.
"Gray, can I ask you a question?" Jellal asked.
"You just did." Gray sighed.
"You know what I mean." The blue haired boy said. "It's about you and Lyon's foster mother."
"What's more to say about her?"
"Just that you can tell us what happened. We're your friends." Jellal reminded him.
Gray just nodded. But some things people just don't want to talk about. He glanced over at Natsu and the puke bunch. He then proceeded to gaze over Christina's side. The view as they flew through the air was pretty cool the mountains and trees flying by, as well as the occasional birds which Gray tried to freeze, that is until Jellal made him stop. He wondered what Ur would have done upon seeing him like this. He laughed to himself. She'd definitely kill me for jumping into something like this. He found himself glancing at Lyon and something pulled at the strings of his heart.
"To be honest, I'm not as ignorant to magic as you all think."
"What?" Jellal said in surprise.
"While Ur did have a tumor, she wasn't due to die for another few months. Even if it got worse." Gray said.
"So you're saying…"
"Yeah." Gray finished it for him. "She was going to live a while longer. She fought hard, and some thought she might even beat the tumor she had within her."
"Huh."
"Back to me not being completely ignorant to magic though, it's because of her. And because of my birth parents death. Ur was a wizard, unlike Igneel and Makarov. She knew the risks of being one openly, so when she took us in, she trained us in secret."
"Wow." Jellal whispered.
"Yeah. She was an ice mage, who excelled and eventually was known to all wizards and mages as a master of Ice-Make Magic. That was what she taught us." he said, looking over at Lyon before he turned to face Jellal. "You know that habit of mine to strip?"
"Let me guess. You got it from her." Jellal sighed.
"Bingo." Gray said chuckling. "It's because we live way up north. We were always surrounded by ice and snow, knowing little to now actual springtime like you see here. The first time I saw her and Lyon do that, I flipped my lid. She had us do it to become resistant to the cold, which allowed our magic to grow more powerful since we were in tune with the element we'd be using. I guess that's what led Zeref to give me this." he said, activating the black skin. After he forced it into slumber, he continued.
"I had been born up north, just a long way westward. My village was destroyed, and my parents were killed by one of those demons Makarov mentioned. His name: Deliora." he said with spite and anger present in his voice. "That's where she found me, and took me in. And a year later, is a day I'll never forget."
Even after I die. He thought as he recalled that fateful day.
The day he'd never forgive himself for.
"Wait, seriously!?" young, eight year old Gray exclaimed. "Deliora is close to here!?"
"Yes, Gray." said a woman with dark purple hair. Her sad, black eyes gazing upon her student and son. "And I know how you feel about Deliora, but you can't go after him, so don't go getting any crazy ideas!"
"But he killed my parents!" Gray cried. "I have to kill him!"
"Don't be stupid." said a younger, Lyon. "You'd never stand a chance."
"You wanna bet, Lyon?"
"Hmph. I'd win hands down."
"Boys!" growled Ur as she whacked them both on the head. "Neither of you will be going after Deliora, period!"
Gray couldn't accept it. He couldn't let this chance pass him. So, at night, he snuck out of their shack in the snow covered wilderness to go and face the demon that haunted his past.
"I'll kill you for sure, Deliora!" he said to himself.
The winter winds whipped and the snow fell in sheets, but he kept pressing on. Thankfully, Ur's training had given him a slight resistance to the severe cold. He pressed on for miles of the snow covered landscape, until he saw the fires and giant looming over the burning village.
Finally! He thought as he charged towards the scene. Upon arriving at the horrid site, with dead and burning bodies lying on the ground, along with the screams of the surviving villagers, the demon turned in his direction.
"Deliora!" he screamed as he got into a fighting stance, his first attack about to launch. Just as he was about to send it flying at the large demon, a large piece of debris came flying at him and he was knocked out cold.
What felt like an eternity later, he woke up to see none other than Lyon, firing multiple attacks at the beast.
"Lyon!" Gray yelled. "Get out of here!"
"No way am I passing this chance up, Gray!" he smirked as he looked over his shoulder at the noirette. Then, Lyon took a strange stance, one that he'd never seen either him or Ur do before. His arms bowed up, aimed behind him, thrusting them forward, making them cross. Ice and snow began to fly around him. That was until in a flash, he was encased in ice. Gray felt a presence behind him, turning to find their teacher staring at the scene in front of them. She walked past Gray and Lyon, standing directly between them.
"Gray," she said softly, yet he could hear her over the chaos, "Take Lyon, and run."
"But I can't leave you!" he exclaimed, "And what was that strange spell Lyon was performing!?"
She sighed and turned to him, sadness written over her face.
"The spell he attempted is one I haven't taught to either of you." she said. "It's a dangerous and costly spell that entraps the target in ice, potentially for all eternity..."
Gray's eyes widened at that remark. All of eternity!? He thought, That's incredible!
"But it comes at a price." she warned. "The users themselves are ultimately used to make up the ice, allowing their life force and magic to sustain its grip on their target."
Gray's face fell upon hearing that. "T-They die!?"
She nodded. "And that is a sacrifice, I've always been fully prepared to make."
"Wait, no! Don't do it!" Gray cried, realizing what she meant.
She took the same stance as Lyon once did. Instead of some random ice and snow, a blizzard was conjured. Her hands shot forward, crossing each other, and releasing a burst of magical energy that gravitated Deliora's gaze to her. At the top of her lungs she yelled the spell's name.
"ICED SHELL!"
"The blizzard's intensity spiked as she broke the contact of her arms, swinging them directly back in a horizontal motion. The ground shook as the blizzard charged at Deliora, effectively encircling him as he cried out in a fit of rage. Gray watched in horror as his master, and his newfound mother began to turn to ice. She turned to him one last time, the whole right side of it turning from the pigment of her skin into the frozen water she'd once had control over.
He reached out to her and cried out, "Ur! Please don't leave us!" his tears gathering in his eyes. He could feel the same pain in his heart as he did a year ago.
She smiled at him. "Although my life ends," she said, "I can safely know that yours will continue on. Gray, do your very best to live a good life. Help others, and love your brother."
"But-"
"Gray, this is my final wish for you." she said, a single tear rolling down her face and freezing over, "Always love and protect those around you, no matter what."
She turned back to the task at hand and fully turned to ice, then disappeared as snow into the blizzard which she had created. Moments later, after a brief flash, the blizzard died down, revealing Deliora completely encased in ice.
Gray couldn't stop the tears from falling as he gazed upon her final spell, the one which saved his life, caused by his own mistake and thirst for revenge. He screamed loudly and pounded the ground in anger and grief. When he'd finally calmed down, he unfroze Lyon who had become unconscious, and dragged him back to Ur's shack. After telling Lyon what happened, the boy left him there, blaming Gray for Ur's death.
Alone, Gray wander southward from village to village, town to town, city to city, wondering if he could ever be forgiven or loved again.
He'd cost his own foster mother her life, and lost the relationship with his foster brother.
He had nothing left.
"Gray," murmured Jellal.
"Don't think too much on it." the noirette said. "It's all in the past."
"What happened to Deliora?"
Gray glanced back over at his foster brother. "About five years later, I got a letter from Lyon saying he'd grouped up with the Magic Council after joining the guild Lamia Scale."
"Guild?" Jellal asked curiously.
"Their groups of mages and wizards who form something along the lines of, well, a small community." Gray explained. "After he joined, he and a group from that guild went in search of Deliora's frozen self. When they found it, they also found that Deliora had been killed."
"Seriously!?"
"Yeah. He died within the ice, which they found out when they melted the casing." Gray nodded. "The water that was made up of our mother's body flowed out of the port and into the sea."
"I see." said Jellal.
"I made a promise to myself then, before Lisanna's death, that I'd care for and protect my friends, and my new family. No matter what. And the rest of the story goes as you know it, and here we are." He sighed. He opened his hand, staring at his palm. "Though it's been years without using my Ice-Make Magic, telling you about it makes me feel… better about using it again."
"Let me guess. You didn't feel worthy of using the magic Ur taught you?"
"Mhm. But now, I feel like I can."
Jellal smiled, and turned back to the puke crew. "I hope they're going to be alright."
Gray chuckled. "It's just motion sickness." he said, "As soon as they get off, they'll be fine in a couple minutes or so. It's probably a result of their Dragon Slayer Magic, what with them having enhanced senses or something."
"Makes sense." Jellal shrugged.
Gray smiled and then turned to face their destination, slowly being covered in shadows with the sunset. His smile disappeared.
Friends, huh? He thought, remembering his vow. He looked around at those he'd made friends, and amends with. No time like the present to make good on that promise.
It felt like he jinxed himself as an explosion erupted and a beam of light went straight through the hull and the mighty Christina began its course to the ground.
Back in Magnolia...
Lucy had been preparing herself to do the right thing for her little sister. Wendy might not be related to her, but they'd developed a sisterly bond that, she felt, could not be broken. She adored Wendy with all of her heart, and would be damned if she would have to suffer the same fate as her biological mother.
As she and her mother began to cook dinner, she made sure to pour the potion into Wendy's drink. She'd smelled it beforehand to make sure Wendy wouldn't detect it, which gladly it didn't have a scent. Lucy hated to not tell her, but Wendy didn't deserve to be dragged into all of this. So, she ever so quietly slipped it into the girl's water before she passed around drinks. Igneel had come over to help her so she wasn't discovered.
Though they figured out a while ago that Natsu's appetite had grown(due to his magic of course), he also seemed to take after Igneel in the sense of being an eating machine. When dinner was said and done, Igneel headed home after a chat with her folks. Over the time that had passed since his return, he'd already gotten a job in the city. And one that was quite confusing with his alibi for his disappearance. He'd become a part of Magnolia's Police Department. He was lucky to get in, but in doing so, he hoped to help Natsu and the others out whenever an incident occurred revolving around mages.
Now, Lucy also felt as though he did it to impress Wendy, being that he was her biological father and all. She seemed to be all about it and he adored telling her about how it's been working there so far.
When they went upstairs to get ready for bed, Lucy wondered if Natsu and the others were okay. Wendy seemed to notice her off demeanor.
"Hey, Lucy?" she asked, popping her head out from behind the shower curtain, "What's wrong?"
The blonde was surprised at her sister's perceptiveness. "O-Oh, nothing." she lied.
"Are you worried about Natsu?" Wendy asked. "I'm sure he's fine. And same with the others."
Lucy couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, Wendy."
Carla and Happy trotted into the bathroom as the two finished getting ready. "Where did they go again?" asked the curious bluenette.
"O-Oh, they went on a trip to the mountain range!" Lucy answered, earning an oh from her sister. The alibi they had set in place was a boy's camping trip, considering Erza was being healed. Throughout the time she'd known the scarlet beauty, she'd always been impressed by her toughness and resilience. Although they'd temporarily delayed the poison from spreading, and used an illusion magic to make her arm look and feel normal to others, the poor girl had to be in a lot of pain. And yet, she showed no sign of it upon her face, hence why her parents hadn't freaked out yet. Though they had to stop her from joining the training regimens the boys were in multiple times in the past couple days.
The blonde sighed as she settled into bed with Happy mewing in comfort as he lay beneath the sheets. One thing still bothered her. What Igneel had told her about the Oracion Seis, coming for little Wendy. And doing so to bring out another side of Jellal after bringing him to the brink of death? It was insane! But yet, she didn't doubt it completely. If someone had told her about magic being real before she met her friends, she never would've even considered it being true, but here they were.
Why? She wondered. Why would they do that? What reason could they possibly have to use Wendy and Jellal?
When she finally managed to calm her mind down, her mind walked into the darkness which she instantly recognized.
This time it was only Loke. It seemed as though he was walking through the woods. She identified him by the orange spiky hair and glasses. His outer appearance seemed to have changed, at least style wise. His hair was more wild and longer than it normally was, and he was wearing a black suit with a red tie. In all honesty, he looked rather dashing compared to how he normally looked. His eyes seemed to glow a faint gold from behind his glasses as he began to chant something strange. He reached out as he did so.
"Gate of the Ram, I open thee! Aries, Appear to me!"
What appeared to be a magic circle formed in front of him, showing the zodiac symbol of the constellation Aries. In a flash of light, a woman appeared. Her fuzzy outfit, pink hair, ram horns, and her shy demeanor gave her away. She indeed was the same one that Natsu and the others described.
"L-Leo!?" she exclaimed, "W-Why have you summoned me?"
How did he do that!? wondered Lucy in awe.
He smiled. It was a gentle and warm one. "I wanted to see how you were faring under your current master." he said. The last words coming out slightly bitter.
"Leo, it's alright." she replied. "I-I made a contract with her, and as you know we are forbidden from breaking the pacts we make."
"But she treats you awfully!" he cried. "Almost like… her."
"Leo…" she said, sorrow evident in her voice.
He grabbed her shoulders. "I'll find a way to free you, I promise." he said firmly. "Besides, it seems that Lucy will be awakening to her magic soon."
"W-Who's Lucy?" wondered Aries, who also seemed slightly jealous."
"O-Oh, I forgot to tell you about her the last time we met. Remember that group I've been telling you about as of late?"
"Mhm."
"Well, it seems like Lucy, the blonde I mentioned, just might be the one they refer to from The Prophecy."
Aries gasped. "Are you sure!?"
Leo nodded. "Zeref was told by Acnologia, that she had an immense hidden power." his face looked rather grim. "I just hope if the time ever does come to pass, she's able to do what's needed."
"Me too." muttered the pinkette. "Does she know?"
"Well, I'm definitely sure she knows now." He said. "I managed to telepathically send her my memories of my talk with Zeref."
"Leo, that's risky. What if the king finds out you did that without his authorization!?" She said. "It could've started a mass pan-"
"She already knows about magic, remember?"
"Well… still. And it's weird for a guy to randomly put visions in girls' heads." Aries said.
And not to mention annoying. Lucy groaned inwardly. But how come he's so sure about ME being this person in this so called prophecy?
"How do you know for sure? What if it's not her?" Aries questioned.
Yeah! Lucy thought.
"For now," his face turning stern, "She's the only one who could possibly fit the meanings of The Prophecy." he said.
"When will you reveal yourself to them? If she knows, she's bound to tell those she trusts." Aries asked.
Before he could answer, Aries began to glow. "O-Oh, it seems Mrs. Sora- Angel is calling me." she said fearfully."
Leo stiffened. "Just… be careful, okay?"
She nodded with a faint smile before she vanished. Leo sighed, his face hard as he began dashing through the woods. "It seems my time has come." he said to himself."Oracion Seis is making their next move."
Natsu, and everyone. she prayed, Please be safe.
And like that, her dream ended.
Lucy opened her eyes, expecting it to be morning already, only to find it only thirty minutes later than when she shut her eyes. She groaned and lay still, until she heard a knock on her window. To her surprise it was none other than Loke, or Leo, himself.
"Hey Lucy." he whispered with a smile.
She folded her arms and raised her brow. "Did you mean for me to see that?"
"Of course. It showed you that Aries is not a bad celestial spirit, but just under a contract."
"And?"
"Okay, okay." he sighed. "It's also easier if I don't have to repeat myself. Happy?"
"Not really." she replied. She caught him gazing at her in her pj's, and hit him with her pillow.
"What was that for!?" he whispered loudly, rubbing his head.
"For putting visions in my head and worrying our friends!" she shot back. "What's with being all sneaky and talking to Zeref behind our back, Loke! Or should I call you Leo!?"
"To be honest, I don't really care." he sighed. "Just call me Loke when talking around those who aren't in your little group." he smirked.
"So why are you here?"
At that his face hardened. "I came to intercept the Oracion Seis." he said. "And I need your help."
"What!? Why are they coming here!? And what the hell do you think I can do to help you!?" she hissed.
"You heard me." Leo said. "Your magic power."
"Which I can't use, in case you've already forgotten!"
"Well, I'm sure someone in your little alliance has figured out why their coming for your family specifically." he frowned. "I came here to stop them, but bec-"
"Because I'm supposedly the one mentioned in 'The Prophecy'!" she spat with air quotes. "And Igneel mentioned something about Wendy being needed."
"Exactly." he said nodding.
"Ugh!" she groaned. "What exactly does this prophecy say?"
"When the black wizard plays with life,
And wings of darkness shall cover the sky.
The stars shall name their queen at last,
With her flowing gold hair, and a love for a lie.
A hero to slay darkness and time shall come,
And being that which he desired to raze.
Upon the final stage shall he burn last,
Or the demon king shall set the world ablaze."
Upon hearing that, the two turned towards the door to see a large man standing there. Lucy had no doubt it was Brain, from what she remembered hearing her friends describe. He stood there, smirking, but Lucy noticed something being held under his arm. She could make out a familiar head of blue hair, causing her eyes to widen, and her fears to be coming to life.
Brain was holding Wendy.
I wanted the whole plot to be covered, but I didn't want to make The Prophecy too long lol. Hope it was alright XD I didn't really feel like writing what wend down in training just yet, but some might pop up later so be vigilant!
We got a look at Gray's past, and his new resolve to protect his friends, but can he keep it? What's up with The Prophecy? How are our heroes dealing with their predicament? And what will Lucy do about Brain kidnapping Wendy!? That AND MORE in the coming chapters! :D
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Song(s) in this chapter:
- None this chapter :P
New character's ages in this chapter:
- None this Chapter :P
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