Now remember that baby who Invel had taken in? Well ten years had passed since that day and the child named Gray grew up behind the stone walls of the cathedral under Invel's care and guidance. He taught him how to read and write, he educated him in the ways of the bible, and he taught him to always respect the church. However he forbade Gray from ever leaving the church, you see Gray was not born looking like normal children. For reasons unknown Gray was born with black scars and disfigurements all over his body but he had also been born with an extraordinary amount of strength. He was only ten years old and he was already as strong as a full grown man.

"Gray come down here." Invel called when he entered the bell tower. At his command a ten year old boy with a scarring body jumped down and landed on his feet.

"You called sir?"

"Happy birthday Gray. I brought you a little treat."

He handed him a small basket containing blackberries.

"Oh boy my favorite!" He said excitedly. "Thank you Invel."

"You are most welcome. Now let me see how old are you again? Ten I believe?"

"Yes sir."

"Hmmm...Soon you shall begin your journey into manhood and once that happens you must be wary of the temptations of man. But we can worry about that another day, I won't trouble you with any lectures on your birthday. You can do whatever you want today."

"Anything I want?"

"Within reason of course."

"Okay can I go outside."

"No."

"But you said that I could do whatever I wanted today."

"Within reason. You leaving the church is not within reason."

"Why not? It's boring up here Invel. I want to go outside and make friends."

"Gray I'm afraid that it is impossible for you to make friends."

"Why is that?"

"Gray you are aware of what you look like correct?"

"Yes."

"And you do know that normal children don't look the way you do right?"

"Well no. I've never really seen other kids...At least not up close."

"Well they don't have these awful marks on their bodies like you do."

"I kind of figured that...Invel why do you think I look like this?"

"Because my boy you are a demon born into a human body."

"What? But demons are evil and I'm not evil."

"That is because I raised you in the sanctity of the church. Under my guidance you are able to suppress the darkness in yourself. But if you were exposed to the world of temptation the demon inside you would no doubt be released. That is why my boy you must never leave this church."

"Does that mean I have to stay here all my life?"

"Of course not. Once I remove the demon from your body you shall be free to join the outside world."

"How long until then?"

"Patience is a virtue my boy. In time you will have your wish but for now you must remain here and do as I say."

"Yes sir." He sighed.

"Now don't give me that look. You know I only do this for your own good. If you were to go outside now not only would you be exposed to temptation but the people would fear you, mistreat you, and God forbid worse. I'm only doing this to keep you safe. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Good boy now you stay here and enjoy your birthday treat while I go back to working on my alchemy."

"Sir isn't the church against alchemy?"

"That's what those ignorant fools like Pope Makarov and Sister Porlyuscia wants you to think. But believe me I know more about the subject then they do."

With that said Invel left Gray alone. After eating his blackberries he looked down at the town from the balcony of the bell tower like he normally did. He watched the people like he normally did. He watched the miller sell flour, he watched the weavers weave fabric, he watched merchants try to sell materials, and saw a wagon pull up with a band of gypsies inside. He couldn't count how many times he had heard Invel go on and on about gypsies were the scourge of the earth. It made him sick with annoyance. How he didn't go nuts from listening to it so long he'll never know.

A few minutes later Gray decided to sneak down and see who was coming to the cathedral to pray today. He saw a middle aged man, an old woman, a young couple, and a little girl. Now Gray had never seen other children before but it was always from a distance and he couldn't really make em out that much. But this girl was in the church and he could see her better.

When the girl finished saying her prayers she stood up, grabbed the sides of her skirt, and began to spin on her toes while humming a tune to herself. The boy wanted a closer look so he carefully and quietly slid down a rope and leaned over the edge to see her more clearly. But he was leaning too far out and he ended up slipping off the edge and falling down but he was close enough to where he didn't hurt himself real bad.

"Who's there?" She asked.

Gray quickly got up to his feet and went to hide under some curtains nearby before she could get a good look at him.

"Sorry I uh...I slipped and fell."

"Oh you're not hurt are you? Here let me see."

She tried to pull the curtains back.

"No! Go away! Shoo! Go on! Shoo! Shoo!" He told her.

"You know I'm not a bird right?"

"Just leave me alone!"

"What's your problem? I only want to see if you're okay?"

It was struggle which resulted in the curtains getting pulled down completely and he was exposed to her. His hands covered his face in shame.

"Oh dear." She said. "You're more hurt than I thought. Look at all these marks, I better go find a doctor."

Not exactly the reaction Gray was expecting but at least she didn't scream in bloody terror like Invel always said a girl would do if one ever saw him.

"Uh actually." He said lowering his hands from his face. "I didn't get these from the fall. I was born like this."

"Oh.."

He saw pity in her eyes which he expected but what confused him was that her eyes held no trace of fear and disgust. Then she took him completely by surprise by saying.

"You have cute eyes."

"Huh?"

"You have cute eyes." She repeated.

"That's it? Aren't you afraid of me?"

"Should I be?"

"Well look at me. Don't I look scary?"

"Well what's so scary about you? I mean you do have those odd markings and maybe if you were a grown up I would be more frightened but you're just a little boy."

"Hey I'm not that little! I'm ten years old today!"

"So it's your birthday today?"

"Yes."

"Happy birthday. I wish I had a present to give you. Oh wait!" She took a bracelet off of her wrist and handed it to him. It was woven together from brightly colored thread, twine, and beads. "Jellal says that bracelet will bring you good luck if you wear it and I think that you could use some luck."

Gray was flabbergasted. No one had ever given him a present before not even Invel. Sure he brought him an occasional treat and allowed him to skip his lessons sometimes but that was it. He never gave him any special gifts.

"Do you like it?" She asked.

"It is nice but don't you need it."

"I can always make another one. I made that one."

"You made this?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"How?"

"It's very easy. Do you want me to show you?"

"Okay."

"First you start by-"

"Juvia!"

Just then the girl was picked up by a man with a tattoo over his eye.

"Get away from him!" He told her.

"Why?" She asked him.

"Go away you! I don't want you spying on us for your boss!" He told Gray. "Beat it!"

Hurt and afraid, Gray ran away toward the stairway.

"Oh shame on you Jellal. Now you've hurt his feelings." The girl scolded.

"Honey he's Invel's stooge. He's trouble for people like us."

"We were just talking. Why did you have to be so mean to him?"

"Sorry Juvia but we can't take any chances with anyone who's apart of this church."

"Why?"

"Because the archdecon of this church is out to get us so we have to be careful and frankly I don't like you hanging around in this place."

"Oh Jellal."

"Come on our wagon is leaving."

From a distance Gray watched them get into the wagon and once the wagon was gone he slumped down on to the floor and began to examine the bracelet that she had left him. She didn't scream or run away. She didn't call him names or hit him. She was shocked by his appearance and she did feel pity for him but she wasn't afraid or disgusted. She had said that he had cute eyes and that he wasn't scary. And to top it all she had given him a present. But he couldn't let Invel see it, he remembered that one time he found a gypsy tailsman in the sanctuary and he threw it into the fireplace to burn. He didn't want that to happen to the first and only gift he had ever been given.

"Something troubling you my boy?" Invel asked him later that evening. "You've hardly touched your food."

"Sorry I was just thinking about some of the people I saw today."

"See anyone unusual?"

"No. I mean I saw the miller and the weaver and the merchant and a few gypsies."

"Ugh! A horrid race. If I had my way I would exterminate them all like the bothersome insects they are. How I loathe the way they practice witchcraft and worship the devil."

"But I saw a gypsy praying in the sanctuary today."

"What? Gray what I've told you about going to the sanctuary without me?"

"I'm sorry I forget heh, heh."

"Right so a gypsy dares to enter my sanctuary. Curse Pope Makarov and his law that everyone is welcome to sanctuary. Sometimes I wonder what goes on in that head of his."

"I'm sure he thinks the same thing about you." Gray mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Well dinner is finished now off to bed boy."

"Yes sir." And Gray went off to do as he was told.