Everyone settled down once a couple of minutes passed. Makarov and Mirajane got every single memory possible, as they were still fresh and bubbling up from Mystis. They got it all just mere moments before the man finally died from sheer horror and shock alone. With his life ended by Craig's sheer mentality, everyone was left to solve Craig's history. If it was as bad as Craig described, then they were to be prepared.

When they finally got to the guild hall and projected the memories like an illusion…they were far from prepared. They could never have prepared for the number of deaths Craig had to sustain.

The very first memory they saw was him waking up in what looked like post-Armageddon, as one may say. And then it piled on; every single minute, there was either a death of someone Craig befriended, or him undergoing some intense regiment or world's deadliest combatants in some unknown reaches of the world. Everyone could understand the first death, as Craig was crying hard. And then came the second death, and Erza felt her gut hurt. Craig lost a couple of loved ones and friends, and Erza lost Rob and Simon. But those were only a couple of deaths. Then the life lessons and the number of deaths raised. With each final moment of each person there was always a reason, and there was always a life lesson that Craig learned, and they all heard the thoughts as clear as day. No matter how painful, everyone was watching as Craig cried. Craig was crying hard; when he was forced to kill his own friends, when they turned on him, when they were killed by enemies, natural causes, and each and every single time Craig ended up crying. No one ever saw any kind of death coming. And with every death, there were a number of things involved. Whether they believed it or not, there were memories of Craig facing a mountain monster, and a colossal beast that was nearly 1,000-feet-tall. There were those that scared the living Hell and brought it to shame. By the time the first ten minutes passed, many heads hung, unable to bear any more. Makarov stared on, wide-eyed as he and many more still saw events such as Craig escaping an incurable disease with the help of a friend, who got shot to his demise. Then there was a time where they saw Craig see another friend die, sacrificing himself so Craig could save the country. The death toll could go on and on, and no matter what, Craig's crying and the ways people who depended so much on him perished, and they looked like they didn't regret it in the slightest.

The first hour passed by, and Makarov was already trembling. He looked like he was gonna keel over from fright. By that time, Erza was barely persevering. Natsu and the others retired briefly, saying they didn't wanna see any more until their mentality recovered for a bit. Craig killed and slaughtered others, but there were reasons of which he followed. One instance was when two of his colleagues died before his eyes and Craig had to face an army of 100,000 men – all by himself. Blood spilled, it was a one-man slaughter and by the end he had cuts, gashes, and from head to toe was drenched in blood. Gladly the projection only showed the beginning and end.

Cana was mentally startled. She had absolutely no idea Craig bared witnesses to other worlds, dimensions, fighting monsters that had far superior skills than the greatest mages in the history of the world. They even bared the gawking reveal of Craig flying on an actual Dragon, much to Natsu's shock when he took a peak. It too had perished, allowing Craig to inherit its will and blades. They saw Craig fight impossible opponents, some even being the actual Underworld Ruler. They saw him swear and take down an actual God in Olympus. They saw him fight the bloodthirsty monsters of the unknown that were stowed away for 1,000 years.

And still, many more tears and loud crying came when Craig's friends died at some point. Hot women, old men, even freaking children stood up for Craig, despite his protests, and still they all died.

Erza realized it at some early point. The Tower of Heaven, it was nothing like the pain and torment Craig had to deal with. She was put to shame, her mentality broken when she saw the memory of Craig as a slave and started the country-wide revolution in Bosco, and many died, including Al and Nina. Things went downhill further when it showed Craig as a 16-year-old, naked in a concentration camp, baring the witness of other being set on fire, their brains blown out, vomiting, a limb turn out, fed to wild animals. The spilling dread was not human. It was hellish evil. No word to soothe what Craig had to bear.

They saw memories of others dying, and others of him mustering his will and obliterating a colossal beast of a stone man with a draconic sword art, which Erza could never have hoped to master.

So many battles, so many horrors, so many deaths, and then came some sick parts, where some images of Craig sacrificing every bit of shame and dignity. It made sense now why Craig bared no regrets. He had no humanity, because he rid himself and mutated…more than a few times. Cana, Makarov, and the guild members still left to bear horror saw Craig screaming his lungs and brains out in that one instance where he was in Enca. They even saw a part where Craig mutated slowly and painfully into a dinosaur, and times when he traveled through time!

Every little thing that was impossible, he did it. No matter how ridiculous the method, and no matter what kind of ideals, Craig's gone and done the impossible, and defeated, killed, and avenged, and saved half the world on occasions. All of that boiled and compressed, and Craig was really nothing more than…a broken man.

Out of all of the instances like him fighting in a giant robot suit against a titan-sized behemoth from another dimension, or him meeting his counterparts and watching them die, building his own robot and forced to sacrifice it, all of that added up to Craig crying, and those tears were shed with experience. The painful experience piled on further as everyone there couldn't even eat after seeing the colossal Magic Power of many adversaries Craig had to slaughter. Meteors even came crashing down and Craig still either stopped them or survived in some way. There was a living virus in a meteorite and he defeated it even.

Makarov's eyes dilated by the halfway point. He saw islands get vertically sliced into two, whether by Craig or another shocking person he met and saw die for him. There were men who were wiser than those who've lived for 150 years, and those who were dumb but had a heart. And Craig took in every single piece of the life lessons bestowed onto him. He knew more about men, women, children, babies, and everything in the hearts of men…because he's seen it all. He's experienced every little life lesson, hundreds that were beat into him, spoken, written, and those he saw with his eyes. Makarov had to live 1,000 years to ascertain the knowledge and lessons Craig had to endure and suffer in just 4 years.

What concluded the whole thing was one final death, and Craig crying over the edge of a cliff in mourning as his friend passed away. And to add insult to injury, it was only three days before meeting Cana.

The small previews of horrors in total took up two hours, and the battles took the same time. The number of deaths and the tears Craig poured out was seemingly endless, but it was actually four hours. A minute for every death imaginable. In total, all of those events added up to eight hours. Eight hours of hundreds of friends who Craig befriended and learned of his amnesia, and no matter what, they died. They died hoping that they would mean something, and some who said they were nothing more than human.

And when that final projection finished up, the lacrima broke apart on the spot. The memories inside were pouring out into the air, dissipating. It was an entire blood, and everyone heard wailing, roaring, and many more unpleasant images until the whole flood finally ceased.

Those eight hours apparently…was but scratching the surface.

Gray was at a loss for words. He lost his family and Ur to Demons, Natsu lost Igneel, Erza lost friends in the tower, Lucy lost her mom and dad; and yet their amount of grief put together could've killed a normal man. Those were just four different perspective. Craig went through endless numbers of those things. And yet here he was still kicking, but broken.

By the end, nobody said anything. This was far from a good time of talking. They learned of the traumatizing experiences and hardships Craig suffered.

Finally, Makarov spoke up. "…we can't help him."

Natsu wanted to say something, say something otherwise, but after the onslaught, there was no way Craig was going to recover. He's seen the horrors – though he and many had looked away after such a time period – and learned that Craig too was beyond repair.

"What he said was true. I didn't want to believe it, but what he said was all completely true. Everyone he met, those who swore their loyalty, their fortitude, and turned their resolves to help him find his memory…only became part of it." He thought he was going to get a heart attack at some point, ten different times actually, especially during a battle where Craig went savage and attacked a humanoid tiger, or a Demon. There were far too many instances to count. "He's been all over this world, the pain in his heart, and yet his heart is no longer there. Paranoia, grief, hazards, and still he continues to open up, like it was destiny, or a curse he must bear."

Erza looked away. It was no wonder Craig nearly slaughtered her. Every technique had been made to commemorate something or mean something for Craig, and with every strike, it was for someone dear. He gave it his all, because he refused to die in vain. His cause was that of a thousand lives. He was a living incarnation of insubordination, but out of his own beliefs and experiences. It was too much for her to take.

"So…what now?" Juvia asked, her head hung low as she remembered the recent thirty minutes of Craig's friends dying, and him crying and yelling out of rage and frustration.

"What about those memories he said he lost?" Gray reminded them. "Shouldn't we…?"

"I said we can't help him." Makarov enforced, his tone sharper than before. It made Gajeel flinch, but only because his iron will was shattered by Craig's memories that weren't meant to be shared.

Gray remained silent.

"We ventured into depths we were never meant to go. This was a mind that has crossed dimensions, fought beasts unparalleled, and worst of all suffered those so selfless and selfish alike do their best to preserve him to their bitter ends." His eyes continued to dilate out of sheer horror. "He was beyond repair just after the first fifteen minutes. He should've been dead by now! He's lost everything, even his dignity and bares no shame! He's no family because he lost all!"

Cana could feel her heart sink. The Master always helped and made everyone feel comfortable, but Craig was the one thing that even the Master had no control over. It made sense now why Craig did as he pleased. His rules are the only rules: Stay alive, and prosper.

"I've made the verdict." Makarov said. "We now know why Craig does so much, and why he's alone, and why he's keeping us away from his memories. Who knows how long we may last now." He turned towards everyone. "Those of you who are still sane after that, here my plea. Under no circumstances, do you ever help Craig with his cause. It's his alone. You saw what happened to everyone else…but he can't go anywhere else either."

"Master?" Erza questioned.

"Normally, I'd expel someone for his kind of caliber, but seeing how broken he is, and how he's laid some curse, we may have a chance to end it all if he can stay here. Let him do as he pleases. That is what his fallen would've preferred. He's free, to do as he pleases in this guild. His experiences earned him his right."

Cana turned towards the doorway, looking at the closed doors to only fathom what Craig's been doing for the past eight hours. "Cranky…"

Word got around pretty fast about what Craig did, but authorities that were around were too petrified. The few Rune Knights that were in Magnolia had already seen what Craig looked like, but they were so petrified by fear from but looking at one inch of his bare upper body that couldn't even say it aloud to higher ups. No one even wanted to call the higher ups, because they knew that if Craig was interrogated, the odds were that Craig would spill their blood. And so, Magnolia was silent as day, despite it being the evening. People couldn't even speak about him, for they feared that Craig may rip their heads off. They didn't know if he was lethal or harmless, but everyone understood Craig wasn't to be disturbed, Ever. Especially not at this time.

Cana walked with haste down a street, coming up to what appeared to be an intersection. She hurried and turned the corner, heading over onto the street where treaded towards Craig's place. She looked to be in quite the hurry, as if she was missing the event of her life.

"Come on, where is it? Where?" Cana looked at the passing apartments, looking for Craig's housing. She looked at the similar rooftops, and the steps, and the doors, and eventually through her panting, she closed in one her directive Craig's home.

She could see the people looking at her, but as she past them, they all looked away, as if they didn't wanna look at another crazy person. Why was she heading towards that place? It holds someone who's worse than a drunk man who drank a dozen bottles and wasn't gonna be sober until he reaches kingdom come.

Cana made way up the door, albeit slowly. She crept up the stairs, slowly making way to the front of the door. 'This is a terrible idea. I can't believe I am going to do this.' She honestly didn't – nee couldn't – believe she was actually gonna talk to try and…t-t-talk to the monster. It was borderline unethical. Why was she doing this again? 'Cranky, you better not try and plunge a sword into my lung.' What she was doing was crazy, but there comes a time when consolidation is needed.

Cana knocked on the door. "Cranky?"

She heard a loud roar from inside the complex.

She crossed her arms. "Yup, you're there alright."

Again, another snarl hissed from inside the building. She rolled her eyes.

"Look, Craig, can we just talk?" She got no answer. "Craig?" The brunette quizzically got closer and knocked on the door. "Craig?" She still got no answer. She blinked, and then she just reeled back, huffing. She wanting to yell something like 'Are you keeping quiet just to spite me?!', but she decided to be above that, and she took in a deep breath, her body beginning to calm down.

She turned around, her voice lowering. "You know what…?" She told herself. "I'm going home." She assessed the situation, and she knew it was best to leave Craig. If she had realized her biggest secret was out, the odds were that she wouldn't wanna be with anybody for awhile. Her impulses with riling up Craig was one thing that drove her to where she was now, but what really compelled her? Was it because she gained a very, very, very, very little amount of respect for his demeanor? Pity? Relation to situation? It was a hard-pressed thought even she couldn't figure out. At least she know Craig didn't skip town to venture off elsewhere to become a vagabond once more. Master made it clear to let him do as he pleases as long as they could keep him in range, so they wouldn't worry much of his…issues.

Cana began to consider Craig's untold history…which was actually told earlier. She recounted his scars, tattoos, claw marks, scales, and his sharp teeth. Then her mind fell to the number of times Craig cried. When she thought about it, Craig was either angry, pissed, oblivious, uncaring, or predatory. Maybe a little ravenous, malicious, heartless, and especially snarky; but there was a reason, and by god she learned the reason hard.

Cana had hands to her hips, her head hung low as she realized the flaw. "Great, now I'm the bad guy…"

She turned to exit, only to hear the sound of snarling inside, and glass breaking. Her head whipped around, eye widening as she heard every bit of glass breaking. Immediately she turned her body and went back up the stairs.

"Cranky? Hey, you okay in there?" She knocked again, this time more vigorously than before. "Hey, come…" She went for the handle, only for it to fully open. "Up?" The brunette was caught startled, the door opening so abruptly. She slowly crept the door open, revealing the inside of Craig's shabby stay.

When she realized it, she never saw the inside of Craig's stay, but at least she knew one thing…it was far from a dump considering almost everything was turned over. Literally. The furniture as turned over, as if flipped out of blind rage. The decorative walls had their decorum misshapen by the works of a certain someone. The abode's curtains was the only thing untouched it seemed, everything else was just shattered, broken along the carpet or hardwood flooring, or decimated until it was unrecognizable. There was no doubt Craig went on a small mental rampage, and Cana knew the reason deep down. Still, Craig did an excellent job at destroying stuff.

She slowly crept into the building, noticing how the lights were also on. Wouldn't he have wanted to destroy those as well? She looked around, her head slowly peering left and the cascading right. "Craig?" She asked low. "You okay in here?" She noticed that no sound came from anywhere. She seemed distressed as a tingly feeling went down her spine. She knew Craig was here, but she didn't know how good at hiding he was.

The door suddenly shut behind her. The harsh slamming made her head whip back, eyes widening in shock. There was nothing there but thin air. She was beginning to suspect something creepy rising. "Craig…this isn't funny…"

She heard another whoosh sound and some broken glass being stepped on. Her head again whipped back forward, but just missed something fast. Now she knew for certain that Craig was hiding away, and yet was watching her. The pressure in the air intensified it seemed. The brunette paced all around, looking back and forth as she slowly stepped back.

"Cranky…"

Another whoosh, this time from behind. She heard a large predator-like growl that made her feel like she wasn't gonna last another ten seconds. She recognized the growl, and it was coming from all sides, yet the vibrations were moving slowly, crawling from somewhere in the living room. The growling was low, and it didn't look like it was going to be friendly.

Cana heard another whoosh from behind, causing her to turn around. Her heart was really racing a thousand beats a second. Whatever was going on, what was for certain was that it had her on her toes and left her a little on the scared side.

"…Craig…?"

She heard a growl over her shoulder, and immediately she recoiled when it hissed into her ear. Her spine and goosebumps tingled with dread as she was borderline sweating. She again whipped her head around, looking into the face of someone who fought death itself thousands of times.

Only he again evaded her.

Cana saw Craig was not behind her. It was odd. She could've sworn that he was there. Was he that stealthy? It'd be crazy to say otherwise. Cana leered around the side of the staircase, wondering where Craig was.

"You shouldn't be going into people's houses." Cana heard him. He was directly behind her this time, now officially in the open and decimated living room. He stood in the middle, leering hazardously at Cana and intruder. His sharp teeth were all there, looking so grizzly that they could tear through metal like it was a peat slab. However, Cana didn't look back at him. She knew what she'd see would be ugly, but it was more than that, she was afraid of seeing how broken he would be.

The brunette swallowed, looking at the wall and wooden railing. "…you left the front door opened."

A heavy tension was swelling through the air. With Cana's stare towards the wall and Craig leering from behind, who's to say what they were to do next. Craig was that person to break the ice.

"Are you satisfied? Does it all make sense now?" He asked harshly. "Now you get why I view everyone no less than cockroaches that crawl where they shouldn't go? You all broke the number one rule in my books – don't bug me." His drowsy eyes sharpened. "Are you glad to know that I'm a bastard who just let his friends and allies who were so poor and so full of hope die?"

Cana looked down at the ground. "Look, Craig, I-!"

"You so full of satisfaction to know the reason why I think you all make my nose cry, and make my eyes mentally water up? I've met people in the past with views no different from all of yours. That redhead, I've known others who were exactly like her. Charlotte, Nina, Cassandra, there were many who I held in high regards to that stuck their necks out for my sake. They all had big hearts, and gave no damn to who or to whomever…and they still died." Cana could hear full well the break in that last part. It hurts Craig deeply saying those things, but it was all true. The truth hurts like hell, but there's no point in hiding it. Eventually everyone would've found out, but not like this. His fists balled, slowly tightening with heavier frustration. "What were you trying to achieve by picking t my brain?"

Cana said nothing.

"Hey!" Craig lowly roared. His voice and tone lowered again, back into a growl. "Answer me…now."

Cana clutched her arm, tightening her harsh squeeze. She grunted, unable to run from the own reality Craig was dragging out of her soul. "…we were trying…to make you understand our ways, so eventually you'd be more comfortable."

Craig's eyes sharpened again. Cana could feel her skin crawl.

"You. Insensitive. Jackasses." He said nice and slow. "You guys are nothing but selfish bruisers. You go picking fights against titans and you get crushed. In the end it doesn't matter what you guys say because you know it's already too late to say sorry. That's the cold, damn truth. You made yourself open to what was meant to be shut for a reason."

Cana finally turned around. It was time she saw Craig first-hand once more. She turned around, her face somewhat petrified by shock as she again saw his upper body was covered in relentless scars, the same tattoos, claw marks, a few scales; it was all as repulsive as it was before. Barely any inch was pure skin. He was ravaged as he said he was. Those flashbacks they saw were the true cause that they've learned. It was a cold reality. The most atrocious sight other than the scars…Craig's eyes. His eyes were slightly bloodshot, and slightly puffy, no doubt from the lack of sleep he was wasting from his naps, and it looked like he had also been crying some. He looked pitiful to a superior eye; a crazy man.

"I have to stomach every day, every minute, lost in the events that brought me to now. I could still see it all in my sleep. Do you now see, why I can never sleep at night? You wonder now why I am damned to be napping? You get it?" He began to close in, very slowly, his footsteps trudging against the flooring, making the carpet thud. Cana felt herself recoil from fright as his teeth were bare. "I wake up crying every single day. I haven't had a peaceful sleep since my amnesia. You think it's easy anymore to just fall asleep at night knowing that ghosts might rise from the shadows to take you away once the lights come back on?" His eyes widened, looking angrier than before.

Cana could see clearly the sleep deprivation, and it made her see him even more deranged. And yet, she couldn't help but feel pity.

"I can't even look at myself in the mirror. I see a beast!...sometimes I barely tell if I have a heart or not. I put my hand over my chest to see if I'm alive. I'm worried that sometimes I have to cut myself and check if I have a beating pulse or a thumping organ. I'm not even fully human anymore! I sacrificed my dignity, shame, DNA, and everything that I've known to do the one thing I swore to do to honor my fallen friends – live!" He raised a foot and stomped hard on the ground in vivid frustration. A nearby sideways table's leg chipped off. He glared coldly into Cana's face, his tone again, growing low, and brimming with poison. "You said you wanted me to understand your way of life, right?" He paused. "Well here's what reality is. I know your way, and I fully understand this guild's way of life, but that's where you've gone and made a fatal mistake. You never considered what I appealed to, to how you never understood me and my ways to begin with. You all are a big disappointment of you want to die by helping me in my own cause. My problems are my problems…" He brought his arm back, which startled the brunette as she saw him reach and grip his dark red sword's hilt.

"I live every day, knowing that I may lose someone dear to me tomorrow. I nap, and I never stop hating this world even after I wake up. I never turn my back on those who need help. I couldn't. If I turned away, I'd be as cowardly as those who would walk away with tails between legs." His dark red sword was sheathed, and the grip was nearly shaking. "I killed some of my friends. Most gave their lives for my sake. I take no damn from anyone and I smite those who stand in my way. It could be the Master, or that redhead who has too much pride…well here's one thing I learned hard…" His lips quivered, and he nearly broke. His body angrily shuddered as he looked at Cana. "PRIDE IS WHAT GETS PEOPLE SELISHLY KILLED!"

Cana was looking like she was gonna cry out. "Craig-!"

CLANG!

The shimmering of the blade reverberated through the entire house. The inside had a heavy tone as the vibrations of the sword went through the atmosphere. Cana was petrified, her eyes brimming with sheer horror as her earlobe was barely cut. Craig's blade was embedded into the wall beside her, mere inches from the side of her face. Her eyes were wide and shaking violently as she couldn't breathe. Craig was a foot in front of her face, his eyes misting up. His grip on the blood red sword was so shaken up that his hand nearly fell off.

Cana couldn't believe what was in front of her. She knew Craig was broken, but she never thought he'd be this distraught. She could only remain silent as Craig panted and looked extremely unstable. The most violent person she's ever known; the most crankiest, the most annoying, foolhardy, devious, cunning, aggressive, and savage person she's come across…was hollow.

As Craig stared at Cana, he briefly pictured her as that small child with that perky smile when they first met. He found it so painful that he lost hundreds of allies and friends, but perhaps the most twisted sense of fate was a long-lost friend returning. And while he recalled her, it didn't look like she remembered him at all, which was the saddest thing of all. He gave up and tears were starting to pour from his eyes.

"I hope you're happy." He said it in the most spiteful way he could, the most venomous tone he could ever give to her. One full of sorrow, anguish, despair, and pain. He turned away, his head unable to turn towards Cana as he maneuvered around her and slowly crawled up the stairs on all fours.

Cana looked back up the stairway to find Craig crawling rather than trudging. She reached up to him, but all she could do was just that. Staring at him longer than before, she could see something running down the side of his face…a mournful tear of regret and sadness. She turned away, looking back down at the dark red sword he left hinged into the wall beside her.

"…" Her gut felt something she's never felt for him – pity.

It felt like an hour passed by. Cana said not one single word. She still felt guilty even then for what she did. More like she was partly to blame, but everyone was to blame altogether. Craig was right. Deep down, she did believe that they wanted him to understand them, but it turned out that he knew their ways of life right from the start. He's met many like Elfman, Natsu, Makarov, and many other unorthodox people altogether at least once in his life. Another reason why he can read them like a book. Yet they tried to understand him by force, and the price was that they lived the horrors and battles and friends he's ascertained and lost. He's become so monstrously strong that he obliterated giants from those flashbacks. Now it was clear that no matter what reason used, Craig's heard it before in some place somewhere, and he'd rather not go through that again for the sake of his own self-pity.

Cana was looking around earlier, and she really didn't do much. She could've left and had Craig clean up his own mess, but deep down, she knew that it was insensible to leave him as he was. She at least cleaned up a little of his mess by getting the broken glass fixed up, but that was all. The mantles and furniture were all tossed and turned over.

Once that was done, she stopped and thought to herself some. '…I had no idea. I can't believe I screwed up so bad.'

"I wake up crying every single day. I haven't had a peaceful sleep since my amnesia. You think it's easy anymore to just fall asleep at night knowing that ghosts might rise from the shadows to take you away once the lights come back on?"

She thought back to what Craig said earlier, thinking hard and thoroughly. When she first met him, he was awoken from an afternoon nap and ferociously attacked those goons. Then came the many, many, many instances of him napping. She remembered him napping back in Fogbound, and even then she saw him in distress and crying in his sleep. 'All these years. Not a single wink of actual sleep. Every single night, either he stays awake and suffers paranoia or sleeps and dreads a familiar loss and wakes up in a full-scale panic attack.' It was then that she realized that she pitied Craig deeply. To wake up all the time sobbing or mourning; any person would've killed themselves to stop the pain, but Craig just lives. He has a goal, and that goal was so important that he had to live until he reaches it.

Nothing is worse than the loss of life…except when you have to suffer a life where others lose their own.

Cana looked back up to the stairway. She could probably guess what Craig was doing now. She looked down at her feet and was considering the stupidest thing. She looked back up and took a deep breath. She walked up the stairs and made it to Craig's room. She noticed that at her feet was the notice of lights peering from down below.

"He left the lights on?" She questioned. She slowly reached for the knob, and slowly began to turn it. Very quietly, she hurriedly peered inside and entered. She looked all around, noticing how the lamp light beside the window was indeed still. Her head slowly moved about the room, where she took notice of the windows being sealed shut, blinds closed, and all other doors in the room sealed shut.

She heard a hiccup coming from the bed. She went wide-eyed and saw that Craig was beneath the covers. The blue blanket was very thin, and he looked to be shivering, despite the fan not being turned on. He looked to be kicking, his breathing hitching.

There was no doubt in Cana's mind that it was another nightmare Craig was having. He looked to be in pain as tears stained his shut eyes. He turned in his sleep to face the right side of the bed, albeit harshly. Again he huffed.

"…nnngh! Don't…why…" He muttered in a saddened whimper.

Cana mournfully looked at Craig. To think this was Cranky; bane of her existence. To believe he was a heaping pile of nightmares, and to have suffered so much pain that someone could die from sheer shock and fright alone, just like Mystis.

Cana knew what it was like, to lose someone so important to you, to be left alone and be in despair…but Craig had it worse as it turned out. He slayed many similar to sociopaths. He befriended tons of friends that rivaled Fairy Tail, and all died. He had no sense of comfort whatsoever. None to share the pain with, and who would ever want to share a burden with him? He was a beast, a literal beast with scars and tattoos and gory other remnants of his past adventures that resulted in what he was now.

Cana shook her own head. "I know I'm gonna hate myself for doing this…" She slowly approached the bed, being careful not to awaken Craig as the man was sleeping. Silently, she whispered. "You were dead from the neck up, huh? You face challenges. You faced anguish. And through it all, you still survived…but you're in so much pain." She looked at Craig more closely, seeing his tears still looking fresh.

She then thought back to what Craig said earlier, more precisely that night when he took the S-Class job and got her dragged into the mess. He helps out people and can't turn away, no matter what. He'd never forgive himself. If Cana was gonna face punishment for this, then so be it, but if Craig woke up and bites her neck off, then fine. But Craig did give Cana something she learned well: Be stubborn and help out those who you keep close…no matter how despicable they may seem to you. Yes, she hates Craig, and yes, she sometimes wishes he chokes on himself, but would she really mean it? After realizing what Craig's been through? Cana indeed felt like a bad guy, and it was up to her to correct her mistake.

She took one more look at Craig as his back was facing her. She could see the boundless numbers of scars, insignias, emblem with scars of those, a couple of scales; the same as it was earlier. The sight still made her feel a number of emotions, and she was starting to have second thoughts, but she went through with this.

She slipped into the bed, herself above the covers while Craig remained beneath them. With her front facing Craig's back, she pressed herself against Craig. He felt cold, and his back was surprisingly smooth despite how rugged the scales and the scars made it. 'There's a lot of knots in his back.' Her stomach and rest of her body could feel that beneath Craig's skin, there were a lot of knots in all of his muscles. He was still kicking a little, silently crying as Cana heard another hitch from him.

"Don't worry." She whispered. The brunette wrapped her arms around Craig's waist, holding him tight like he was a newborn baby. "I know what it's like to suffer sleepless nights sometimes, but I can begin to fathom why you can even nap in the broad daylight…"

The brunette shut her eyes, holding onto Craig as her forehead touched the back of his head. Surprisingly, his hair was soft.

As Cana slept with the monster, praying for a clam night, Craig's kicking was stopping. His body went still, and his whimpering went silent. The tears from his eyes stopped flowing, and Craig finally went quiet.

For the very first time in his life it seemed, Craig was gonna get a peaceful night.

Cornelia was inside the house, reading an article. Apparently it had something to do with the latest foods and nutritious diets. The brunette woman put a hand to her chin, looking intrigued. Nevertheless, she sighed. "Guess I can't be too picky now." She looked down at her own dress. While it was a flowing magenta dress, and was far from shabby, she had to admit that it would take a miracle to get her any new clothing…if she could afford it.

Her smile turned into a frown. She wasn't rich; in fact, she didn't have a lot of money. She had to keep a substantial budget for every month to make sure that much is saved up for an emergency. So far it's been going well, and she didn't want to break that streak. She also couldn't work much because of her little girl. And the extra edition will seem to strain her if she doesn't stay careful, especially with his appetite.

Her smile returned, recounting how Craig's been a big help as of recently. While he was only there to just help out, he did learn a few things over the past two weeks. She made him help wash dishes without dropping a single one. And she did teach him to not sneak a few snacks in between meals, which required a few scolding lessons; there was also keeping Craig's teething issue under control since he almost ate the swing set chains right off. Despite a few hiccups here and there, the brunette mother smiled wider, actually believing that Craig was overall a good kid, no matter how…odd he may seem. The biggest saving grace he provided was perhaps the way he influenced Cana. Every day, Craig and Cana would try and play. The two would play a variety of games, ranging from tag to keep away, to catch, and the games and the smiles would go on for hours until both children would fall over.

Cornelia giggled at the numerous times she would see them out in the field, sprawled on the ground and sleeping. Her giggling seemed to be amusing itself. She got up from her rocking chair and put the Sorcerer's Weekly magazine down. She exited the little room that looked like a bookshelf or a small storage for literacy and children's books.

"I better start making dinner. They must be starving." She speculated. She entered the living room, turning the corner. "Craig? Cana, sweetie? Are you here?" She asked. "Are you both hungry? What do you want me to make…?"

She trailed off when she saw another sight before her. They were both atop of the couch. Craig and Cana alike both had played a game, and for the umpteenth time, the two had fallen asleep out of being tired. Craig and Cana were sound asleep, sprawled on the couch. Craig looked like he was out, because his mouth hung open. Cornelia could've sworn she saw him drool a little. Craig was sleeping on his side, and Cana was sprawled atop of him, her head on his shoulder. It didn't look comfortable at all, but who knows? Cana's face was funny as her right cheeks was on the shoulder, and the two seemed to be breathing in and out in unison.

The sight honestly wanted to make Cornelia cry, but at the moment she smiled with happiness. This was more of a routine to see the two taking a nap after an exhausting game.

Cornelia put hands behind her back and overlooked the two sleeping toddlers. "You two are so sweet."

"Why?...why did the Great One let them go?" Deity stood on the edge of the lake, looking away as her horrors were against her. "I don't understand? Why can't I understand? The Great One deserves to remain secret, and that monster and that skimpy she-devil come and ruin everything."

In front of her, there stood a cloaked figure. It was nighttime, so it was hard to make out what it even looked like. Deity was scared, as her body was feeling an overwhelming presence from it. In fact, it was so overwhelming that she felt nothing, yet…everything.

"I have no knowledge of whoever you spoke of." The man insisted from the pitch-black of night. "I don't know and I most certainly do not care. I've known this location…for a very long time."

Deity's eyes widened.

"I have no quarrel with you. I have come only to take the Three-Gemmed being that you've secretly guarded. The time has come, now that we have located the first of many…" The man's eyes were shown, as they were of red pupils. Deity was nearly on her knees, unable to keep herself up from all of this power resonating. The groves and bushes around were rustling hard.

The man closed in, making Deity pale. "Now, the beast is ours…"

Here's a new chapter. Sorry if it's sloppy. This chapter took way too long, and the way I organize everything was sloppy. But still, if you loved it, comment and leave a review. Thanks!