IMPORTANT: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE FAIRY TAIL CHARACTERS/PLOT: ALL CREDIT GOES TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS!
PROFANITY WARNING!
*For the sake of the fact that I've already done a flashback into Gray's past (the long one where he met Lucy) I'm not going to do another one explaining his training with Ur and Lyon. I will do a brief summary of it though, so I'm not just going to skip it all together, I just don't feel the need to dedicate a whole portion of the chapter to it. I feel like I've dragged this Story Arc long enough, so with these next few chapters, I'm really trying to wrap things up so that we can move onto bigger and better things*
- Galuna Island : Inside the Temple of Moon -
Lyon looked down at his lone follower with a blank expression despite his total disbelief for the situation at hand. To say that he was only slightly confused as to how this person was the only one left out of his other two (stronger) lackeys would be an understatement, but he hid his emotions well as to not alert them of his troubles.
"So you're telling me that Sherry and Yuka have been defeated by those Fairies and that you're now the only one who still stands, Toby?"
The dog-like wizard bowed his head, unable to meet his leader's gaze out of embarrassment from his own childish mistake (;poking himself in the head with his very own Mega-Jellyfish Paralysing Claws), and glanced at his feet in shame.
"They're stronger than they look, Cold Emperor. Underestimating them was an unfortunate mistake on my part, and I fell for one of their tricks after Yuka was defeated. After I woke up I searched the forest and found Sherry unconscious. The blonde spirit girl wasn't anywhere to be seen, either."
Lyon folded his hands in his lap as he sat back in his thrown. "So it would seem. And what would your opinion on the matter be, Zalty?"
Toby jumped as the mask-wearing wizard appeared at his side; startled as to how they got there in the first place. "Well, the recent turn of events will limit our upcoming response, but I doubt it's anything for you to worry yourself with, Cold Emperor. While the fall of Sherry and Yuka is a tragic one, the resurrection of Deliora can still be completed so long as those Fairy Tail wizards don't put their noses where they don't belong. If the Moon Drip continues as planned I would say that Deliora can be awakened as early as tonight."
"I can't say that your knowledge of the situation at hand is surprising, considering that you always seem to be the most informed person around. However, I wouldn't be too worried about whatever those pesky Faries decide to do. I'll handle them just fine on my own should they decide to try and interfere."
Zalty smirked. "It's always a help to know that you're up and ready to fight at a moments notice Cold Emperor, but such a leader as yourself shouldn't sully his hands with the blood of such troublesome wizards. With your permission, I would gladly join the fight and act on behalf of you."
Lyon nodded his head, the prospect of having a wizard who knew a form of Lost Magic on his side sounding very promising. The defeat of his two strongest wizards certainly was a setback in itself, and if the Faries did decide to attack it could mean trouble for the boy himself. Not willing to put the resurrection of Deliora at risk, Lyon would let Zalty do as he wished (for the time being, at least).
"I suppose we could use the extra help. Do not disappoint me. The same goes for you Toby; I don't need to hear that you poisoned yourself again."
Toby scowled, his face growing pink in humiliation. "Hey! I said that it was an accident!"
Just as he finished his flustered statement, the Temple suddenly started to shake; small and large pieces of debris falling from the ceiling as a result of being such an old building. Unbest to them at the time, Natsu was outside using his Fire Dragon Slaying Magic to destroy the pillars on the left side of the structure so that it stood out at a jutted angle. People inside the Temple were thrown all around as the building tilted to the left, sending them tumbling down the halls on top of each other.
Lyon's eyes widened when he felt the ground beneath his feet start to heat up, before a burst of fire shot up directly through the floor; creating a reasonably sized hole for Zalty and the two other wizards to look down through. Several floors down stood Natsu who was glaring at the Cold Emperor with such angry eyes that even Titania, Erza would run away if she saw it.
"What's the meaning of this?!" Lyon demanded.
The Fire Dragon Slayer cracked his fists, the intensity of his glare growing by the minute. "You know, I'll never understand why sickos like you get so much pleasure out of hurting other people, but you got another thing coming if one of them ends up being one of my friends! I already paid you back for hurting Gray by turning the Temple on its side, so now you can't finish resurrecting that demon way down below. But I still owe you a beating for targeting Lucy. She's new to the guild and I'll be damned if I let you lay a hand on her!"
Lyon clenched his teeth, furious as to how one idiot could ruin his plans so easily. By destroying all of the pillars on one side of the building, causing it to tilt directly on its side, the moonlight from the Moon Drip ceremony wouldn't hit Deliora's frozen body properly, preventing the resurrection from being completed since the ice couldn't be melted completely.
Stuck in a world of his own thoughts, Natsu smirked as he looked up at the unmoving Ice-Mage. "Fine, don't want to come to me? Then I'll just bring the party to you!"
With flames shooting out of his feet, the pink-haired wizard jumped up several floors at once. His head collided roughly with Lyon's stomach, propelling both of their bodies up into the air until they hit the ceiling. Lyon's body cracked, though, exploding into a million pieces of ice, nothing more than a fake. Natsu, who was still airborne, looked over his shoulder in surprise when the real Cold Emperor activated his Ice-Make Magic from somewhere far behind him.
"Ice-Make: Eagle!"
Lyon grinned, the familiar surge of victory pumping through his veins as his ice creation descended upon the pink-haired wizard. Nobody, no matter how talented they may be, could dodge that many projectiles at one (especially when they were in the air). Or so he thought, at least.
Natsu used his magic to propel his body back to the ground, dodging the sharp eagles just seconds before they could reach him, and did what he always did best: destroyed everything. Fire shot out from his hands and feet, scorching anything and everything that his flames could reach before he made his lungs swell up with his flames.
"Fire Dragon Roar!"
Zalty snickered as he extended his hand, a teasing grin tugging up the corners of his lips as he used his magic to melt the floor directly under Natsu's position. He fell through in the nick of time; just before his attack could follow through with the Cold Emperor, and had it not been for Zalty himself, Lyon would've been more than just a 'crispy' mess like Toby was.
"Please do not mistake my actions for insult, Cold Emperor, for I am only acting on what the big picture entails. You need to have a large reserve of magic within your arsenal to be able to defeat Deliora since you're the only one who can. We can't be letting you get all injured, now can we?"
Letting his anger get the best of him, ice began to protrude out from underneath Lyon's feet until the entire room was encased with his magic. "Are you trying to imply that I would fall victim to such a measly, pathetic excuse of magic? Because, for your sake, I'd hope that's not what you're trying to say at all."
"Of course not. I would never suggest such a thing." Zalty replied.
"Good. I will defeat Deliora and surpass my master no matter what the cost may be. Now begone. I will handle this imbecile by myself just fine."
The mask-wearing wizard bowed, the amused smirk tugging at his lips hidden as he faced the ground. "Your wish is my command."
And just like that, he was gone.
Natsu glowered, his glare darkening as the two lackeys left the room, leaving him alone to deal with Lyon. "So that's what this is about? You're going through all this trouble to surpass your Master when you can just challenge them yourself?"
"You don't understand. Because of Gray Ur is dead, along with my dream of ever becoming stronger than her. She couldn't defeat Deliora on her own, which is why she used the Ice Shell to forever encase him in ice, but now that I have the great demon I finally have a chance to prove that I've always been the stronger wizard!"
"Don't be so sure of yourself. Gray may be a stupid Ice Princess but he's still my friend, and he seemed pretty set on making sure that demon wasn't revived, so I'll go ahead and finish the job for him by defeating you here and now!"
Lyon smirked, his arm extended out in front of him as he activated his magic. "Then why don't we see just who's the stronger wizard? Come, let's see if you really live up to your name Salamander."
"With pleasure!"
Let the battle begin.
- Meanwhile : Somewhere Else On The Island -
"This is exactly why you shouldn't have taken this mission, Lucy! What would you have done if Deliora was actually revived? And just what the hell were you thinking, going into the Moon Drip like that? What if you got yourself killed?!" Erza demanded as she ran next to the blonde, Gray several feet ahead of them; stuck in his own thoughts.
Lucy rolled her eyes, growing increasingly more annoyed with the earful the scarlet haired woman had been giving her since they left the tent (-where Erza fully grasped the reality of what had happened since her friends first landed on the island).
"I dunno mom. The prospect of jumping into a mysterious and potentially dangerous, purple light sounded like so much fun that I just couldn't resist myself and dove right in. Have I mentioned that I've started growing another foot since it happened and that these weird purple, scales have started appearing on my skin?"
Titania's eye twitched at the blatant sarcasm. "Don't give me sass young lady! You'll speak to me with respect!"
"Oh my god, I don't even understand what the big deal is Erza!" The Stellar Spirit Mage groaned, completely exasperated with the situation at hand, "I got my Dragon Slaying Magic back and came out of the light just fine! Nothing's even wrong with me! Have a little faith every once in a while, why don't you. I'm not completely helpless!"
"I'd hate to break up your little quarrel, but there's something you guys need to know about Deliora." Gray suddenly exclaimed causing the two girls to shut up upon noticing the dark change in atmosphere. "Lyon doesn't know about this because Ur made me promise to keep it a secret from him, but she's still alive; he just doesn't know it yet."
Lucy's eyes widened, completely forgetting about the little argument she was having just moments before. "What are you talking about? How can she be here, but not be physically alive? What is she, a Celestial Spirit?" Maybe this person knew where Draco was.
Gray shook his head. "No, nothing like that." He answered, much to her confusion (and slight disappointment), "After Deliora destroyed the village I was living in as a child, Ur and Lyon found me trapped under a pile of rubble. Both of my parents had died in the attack, so Ur naturally took me in. I swore on my parents grave that I would avenge them by getting rid of the demon that was the cause of their death, and under my declaration Ur taught me Ice-Make Magic to help me along the way."
A small, but pained, smile seemed to tug at his lips as he continued on with his tragic tale, and Lucy couldn't help but remember how she had the same expression each time she went out in search of Draco, only to find that he wasn't there.
"Her methods were more than weird, and no matter how many times she denied it, she's the direct cause of my stripping habits. After everything I had ever known disappeared before my very eyes, Ur had given me home and treated me with more kindness than I ever truly deserved. I was a bratty kid and always questioned her teaching, but she always treated me with respect nonetheless." Gray paused, his throat constricting as he came up on the grim end of his story.
After a moment of silence, he resumed: "But one day after I went through months of training with Lyon, I heard a rumor that Deliora had appeared in Brago and jumped at the opportunity of getting my revenge. That same day, I left in the middle of the night with the full intent of killing Deliora. Ur had begged me not to go, saying that I wasn't ready to take on such a strong demon, but I left anyway; going against her advice. And she ended up being absolutely right because when I finally did find Deliora, she had to step in and save my life, sacrificing hers in the process. Deliora was too strong to be defeated by any normal means, and in the process of protecting me, she had to cast a dangerous spell that takes the wizards life."
Erza frowned, the pieces of the story finally coming together. She had heard of spells like this before and had an idea of what the Ice Wizard was talking about. "The Iced Shell, I presume?"
He nodded his head. "It's a form of Ice Magic that uses the casters physical and spiritual body to encase the desired object in ice. Originally Lyon was going to cast it in an attempt to finally surpass Ur, his life-long dream, without knowing the true cost behind performing the spell. Ur froze his entire body with regular Maker Magic since he was beyond reasoning and wouldn't stop, which is why Lyon doesn't know the truth behind her death. She made me promise to tell him that she was killed in the attack, and ever since that day Lyon has resented me for killing his dream."
"So your mentor is the ice that encased Deliora then?" Titania questioned, wanting to make sure that she fully understood the truth behind the tragedy.
Gray nodded his head again. "Yes. But Lyon doesn't know that he's inadvertently killing Ur himself by melting the ice surrounding it."
Lucy sighed loudly causing the two other wizards to glance at her suddenly; their bewilderment for her behavior growing as they saw the small smirk tugging at her lips (which was odd considering that they were just talking about somebody dying). "Well, I can't exactly say that I fully understand nor relate to your situation, but I do know how it feels to lose somebody important to you. This kid seems like he's somewhat of a brother to you, so I'll go ahead and give you the pleasure of kicking his ass no matter how much I'd rather do it myself."
"Lucy, you..."
She grinned; her eyes shining with determination. "Don't worry about Deliora for right now and just focus on making Lyon accept the truth. I get the feeling that's what your planning to do, anyway. Erza and I will make sure Deliora's not revived, so go ahead and do what you gotta do. We'll be backing you up all the way!"
He didn't know how she managed to do it, but that was everything Gray ever needed her to say. Knowing that he had such great friends there to support him only made his plan get clearer, and even though she didn't know it, Lucy's words would have a big impact on the Ice Wizard's upcoming decisions.
Lucy, Erza, and Gray all jumped at the same time when a flurry of sharp, boomerang-shaped blades suddenly flew out from the treeline of the forest. By the time they landed back on their feet a swarm of purple-robed people had already emerged from the trees, forming a circle around them in order to box them in. Grey masks covered their faces, keeping their identities secret, while the same oddly-shaped blades that shot out of the forest were clutched tightly in their hands.
From the corner of her eyes, Lucy noticed that the Temple of Moon was tipped over at an angle and she couldn't help but laugh. "It looks like Natsu was already one step ahead of us with the whole 'stopping Lyon thing' whether he meant to do it or not. I suggest that you hurry up and get over there before he finishes the job for you, Gray."
Erza smirked, nodding her head in agreement. As she used her Requip to summon a sword into her hand, she said: "I agree with Lucy on this one. We'll handle things here. You go settle the score with Lyon and make sure Natsu is OK."
"Are you guys sure?" He asked in uncertainty as his eyes scanned over the sheer number of people the two girls would have to deal with.
"Don't go getting all soft on us now! Hurry up and do what you need to!"
"Right. I'll leave this to you, then."
Erza smiled as the blonde came up to her left, whip clutched tightly in her hands as Gray ran off toward the Temple, in the other direction. "Look at you being all friendly. This isn't like you, you know. What happened to the sassy little girl I used to know who didn't need any friends?"
She shrugged her shoulders, desperately fighting the contagious expression (and failing). "What can I say? People change. Besides, I kinda know how Gray must feel, losing Ur the way he did. Draco disappeared suddenly, just like his mentor did, so I know how important it must be to him that Deliora isn't revived. I know that if Drago gave his life away to seal something away, and somebody came in and tried to undo what he gave his life for, I'd be pissed."
"We've got you now, Fairy Tail! No matter what, we will not let you interfere with the Cold Emperor's plan! Deliora must be revived!"
"You'll find your dragon someday, Lucy. But right now I think we've got bigger things to deal with." Erza explained as the robed attackers all raised their blades.
"You took the words right out of my mouth. Let's do this!"
Titania wouldn't admit it out loud, but having her sister-figure fighting by her side was very uplifting. She realized that it was wrong to have sealed her magic away and that she truly did hurt Lucy by doing it without her permission. After they were done here, Erza was going to apologize if it was the last thing she'd do. She owed her that much, at least.
- Back at the Temple of Moon -
Natsu panted as his Dragon Slaying Magic canceled out Lyon's Maker Magic, causing him to slide back on his feet again. Using the back of his hand to wipe away some sweat from his forehead, his eyes narrowed as the Ice-Wizard held his gaze.
"I can't exactly say that I understand why you would want to revive Deliora, but more than that I don't see why you've targeted Lucy. She has nothing to do with any of this, so it doesn't make sense that you've gone through so much trouble to try and fight her."
Lyon smirked, his eyes darkening as he recalled the past. "My only dream has been that one day I would be able to surpass my master, Ur. She always told me that there were other wizards in the world that were far stronger than she could ever be, and I have no doubts that if she were alive today I could beat her easily. But since Ur is dead because she was killed by that vile demon, my only hope at redeeming myself is by reviving Deliora and killing him myself; the one task Ur was never able to complete. That way my dream will finally be complete!"
"That still doesn't explain your reasoning for targeting Lucy."
At this, the Ice Wizards smirk turned cocky. "It's my understanding that not only is she a strong wizard on her own, but a well known one at that. Defeating her in battle will only help boost my name, making the world always remember the Cold Emperor, Lyon; the untouchable wizard!"
Natsu's hands clenched into tight fists; lighting up with his signature flames out of anger. "That's what this is about? You'd threaten one of my friends just so you could boost your stupid ego?"
"I'd hardly go as far as to say it's stupid, especially when you're about to fall by my hand!"
Lyon paused just as he went to activate his magic when the wall next to him suddenly started to crack, before shattering into millions of tiny pieces, revealing that that Gray was on the other side. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to let that happen."
"Gray?! What the hell, man? You can't just step in here like that! You're interrupting our battle!" Natsu yelled.
"I know that I lost to him once, but I promise you that it won't happen again. This is just something I have to do, and there's nothing that you can do to stop me."
Gray's heart ached when he looked at his 'brother'. Lyon's eyes shone with a darkness Fairy Tail's Ice Wizard was more than just familiar with. It was the same madness that consumed him as a child when all he was devoted to doing was killing Deliora, getting his revenge. If Gray wasn't careful, history was going to repeat itself with Lyon standing in his place. No matter the cost he would stop him, and continue looking to the future; just like Ur had said before her death. Gray was going to save his 'brother' from his darkness, even if that meant he had to take his mentor's place.
Lyon's eyes widened as the wizard took a familiar stance, his legs spread out at shoulder length while his arms formed an 'X' shape in front of him. "Iced Shell? There's no way you're being serious, Gray. Did you honestly think I would fall for such an obvious bluff?"
Gray didn't falter. His magic continued to blast out around him, causing an eerie white light to surround his body. "I'm not bluffing. You've hurt plenty of my comrades and innocent people, and for that, I would willingly give my life to stop you. Turn the villagers back to normal and I won't seal you away forever. Or don't, and we'll both face the punishment of killing Ur together."
"You're joking! You know that you'll die if you cast that spell! There's no way you'd do something so stupid!"
Gray shook his head. "Both of us bear our own share of sins and one way or another we're going to have to repent! My whole life I've denied the fact that Ur's death was my fault, but it was, and now I'm willing to accept that! But it's time you accept the truth too because we've always been in this together!"
Lyon stumbled backward, uncertainty clouding his judgment as Gray's magic continued to flare out around him. "T-there's no way! You're too much of a coward to die! Stop lying to me!"
"Gray! Don't do it!" Natsu yelled as his rivals spell continued to push him back; noticing that he wasn't showing any signs of willingly coming to a stop.
The Ice Wizard frowned but was set on his decision without any doubts. Nothing was going to stop him from doing what was right, even if that meant one of his close friends would resent him for it.
"I'm sorry Natsu, but this is what needs to be done. Tell everyone in Fairy Tail that I love them, and thank Master Makarov for taking me in when I was young. I'll leave the job of dealing with Deliora to you, Erza, and Lucy. I trust you three the most, and I know that together you guys can't be stopped."
Natsu continued to press forward. "I said to stop! You can't do this!"
"I'm sorry, but this is the end."
As Lucy continued to fight alongside her sister, Erza, she couldn't help but glance back at the Temple behind her. A feeling of uncertainty churned deep in her gut, and she couldn't help but worry about Natsu and Gray's safety.
"Do you think that they're OK in there?" The blonde questioned as she dodged one of the blades.
Erza was confused by the question. "What? Of course, it's Natsu and Gray you're talking about. Why do you ask?"
"It's not Natsu I'm that I'm worried about. Nothing can take that idiot down," She paused as she used her whip to yank somebody away from the scarlet haired woman, "It's Gray. You don't think he would use Iced Shell to stop Lyon, do you?"
"I don't know," Titania confessed, "I don't see why Gray would do something like that if he knew what the cost of the spell was. Why do you ask?"
"I'm not sure, to be honest. Something just doesn't feel right."
Erza elbowed one of her attackers back before spinning around to kick another in the chest. "Well, if Gray ever did decide to do something as stupid as that, I'm sure that Natsu go to any extent to make sure he didn't cast the spell. They may be rivals but deep down inside they do care about one another."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. That does sound like something Natsu would do."
For a minute, Lucy and Erza continued to fight side by side without saying another word. That is until the blonde suddenly spoke up again; uttering a few words that truly made Titania's heart warm.
"Hey, Erza? Thanks for always being there for me."
She smiled. "Always."
A/N: Guys I'm so freaking ready to get to the Tower of Heaven and Phantom Lord Arcs because I have such a good idea in mind, and I really think you guys are going to like it! While I really want to go ahead and finish up this story arc, I don't want to rush anything. However, if you feel like some of these chapters have seemed off then I apologize. While I liked the Galuna Island Arc, it wasn't really one of my favorites, but I'm really trying my best to keep things interesting.
-xxTheNightmareBeforexx
