Invel found the actual library to study in while they waited for Dimaria to make her way to the ruins. August joined him, gazing around at the interior of the building which had constructed even its furniture from ice. The books were the only things not frozen, along with the braziers set up to create heat as needed. Invel had found a few old books and was skimming through the pages, uncertain on what he would find.
Most of the books were standard for a library. Fictional works meant to entertain the masses lined the shelves, attempting to capture people's eyes with artistic covers. Invel had attempted to focus on what seemed like the non-fiction section, but the stories there seemed to be very much outdated. In an attempt to date the ruins, he had picked up a few that were intended to be 'recent history' and was rather shocked to see it discussing the politics of living with dragons.
"At least four centuries old." Invel pushed the book over towards August. The man frowned as he skimmed the text. "This place collapsed before the dragon war began, or perhaps early on in the war itself."
"That is merely a theory. Not all towns manage to gain updated literature frequently." August pushed the book back towards Invel. "It is still odd. I cannot say I've seen many tales on the rising tension before the war."
Nodding, Invel sighed. "Likely, the war itself overshadowed such publications. People care little for the reason why once they find themselves victorious." Closing the book, he began pulling a few others towards him. A theory on the age of this place was enough to satisfy him for now, so he was moving on to what they had records on for magic. Aligning with traditions of Ilora, he was not surprised to see descriptions of ice magic filling the majority of the texts.
He'd been getting bored skimming through them, already familiar with most of the outlined concepts. Footsteps approached and Invel waved towards the new arrival. "So, you called?" Dimaria crossed her arms over her chest. "Gotta say, this seems pretty boring. I thought we'd at least have a tiny challenge trespassing into another country."
"Being discrete is ideal. We do not intend to start an actual war over this investigation." Invel sighed, turning towards her. "I was hoping you'd be willing to take a look at a peculiar spell for us. I've found a case of its use within the borders of Alvarez and I have some concerns regarding its potential."
"He suspects someone managed to merge time and ice magic into a single spell," August added.
"Unlikely." Dimaria snorted, dropping one of her hands to her side. "Elemental magic, or really any magic that creates something tangible, doesn't mix well with something like time magic."
"It is simply a theory." Keeping his place in the book held with his finger, Invel rose to his feet. "We can show you for now. Perhaps I am simply having an absurd idea on the matter and we can be reassured by your confirmation."
"Waste of time if you ask me." Dimaria huffed. "Don't drag me along for book work in the future, Invel."
"I will keep your request in mind." Walking calmly, Invel entered the holding room containing the frozen people with her following behind. Dimaria blinked at the statues, before approaching one with narrowed eyes. "They are still alive, so do try to mind your words in here. As far as August and I can tell, their senses are intact and they are fully aware of their surroundings."
Dimaria nodded and pressed her palm to the statue near her. She remained still for a moment, keeping her eyes closed. Then, she took a step back and gazed at the others with wide eyes. "That can't be right." She moved on to another, repeating the same action.
"Dimaria?" August frowned. "Was Invel correct then?"
The time mage shook her head. "No, it can't be that simple. Like I said, elemental magic and time magic just doesn't mix." She looked over at them, then back towards the statues. "But at the same time, Invel was onto something. It feels like Age Seal is active inside each of these orbs. Or at least, some variation on it, that is." Turning towards Invel, she placed a hand on her hip. "Trust me, it isn't possible for this to be just one spell. It can't be."
"Are you absolutely certain? Because you are now implying that we are either dealing with two culprits, or one that is able to use both time and ice magic."
Dimaria watched him, closing her eyes again for a moment. "Damn it." She reached out, punching one of the frozen people with a glare. "This doesn't make any sense! Because there's no way in hell someone else figured out something I haven't. Chronos himself taught me everything I know - this is bullshit!"
"Do you have any idea on when the spell was cast?" August disregarded her rage, calmly speaking as if she'd said nothing.
Taking a deep breath, the time mage took a moment to answer. "No clue." She glared at the statues as if they were to blame for her lack of understanding. "The magic signature is faint, so even if I can sense some sort of time manipulation, I can't tell when it was put into effect."
"Then my theory remains a possibility." Invel stared at them grimly, closing his eyes. "There may be someone out there who has also gained his majesty's curse."
"Assuming this spell has no limit on its duration," August added. "Your theory only holds true if someone has determined a means of creating some form of immortality."
"Did the library have any info? I figure you bookworms found something by now."
Invel paused, meeting Dimaria's eyes calmly. "Very little. Mostly books on ice magic as well as some history books that give me the impression this place was abandoned sometime near the start of the dragon's war."
"This place is that old?" Dimaria looked around, her eyes distant. Then, she dragged a hand through her hair with a huff. "Dang it. I really hate this sort of boring work, but it looks like I'm not gonna be able to get good sleep without an answer. Let's go dig into more of your boring books, Invel."
With that, the time mage began pushing them back towards the library for more research. It still wasn't much, but they were closer to an answer of what this spell was. Invel still wasn't certain how to tell August that they'd need to verify the success of his majesty's personal project to stop their theoretical criminal now. It wasn't a conversation he knew how to begin, not when August still seemed to be so sensitive regarding the subject of his majesty's latest attempt to seek out his own death.
Gray's attitude and actions were concerning, to say the least. The temple remained quiet after he'd stormed out and left, no one quite certain what to say at that point. Their plan was clearly advancing, though it was not in a way that sat well with anyone there.
"This was Gray's choice to make, I suppose." Erza frowned, staring at her lap and taking slow breaths. "I will do everything in my power to make sure Zeref does not betray him in the end. If he even considers harming Gray—"
"I don't know if Zeref would do something like that, not at this point." Natsu scratched his head, before shrugging. "If it comes down to it though, I'll show him a beating right by your side, you can count on that." The dragon slayer grinned, fire dancing around his fists. "Plus, you can bet Gray'll be pissed off and helping out too. I think between all of us, we'll manage to kick his ass!"
"But Natsu…isn't he sorta immortal?" Happy stared at Natsu, frowning. "That would sorta make it hard to beat him, I think."
"No kidding." Lucy shook her head. "For once, the cat's the logical one around here. I don't think it matters what Zeref does or doesn't do. There's nothing any of us can do to stop him, even if we wanted to."
"Well, it seems you didn't inherit quite as much of that stubbornness as your ancestors then." A voice interrupted the conversation that had finally started after so much silence. Lyon looked over, scowling when he saw Zeref had returned. Gray was no where to be seen, but that wasn't exactly a good thing. "Lyon, Ur…I would like to speak with the two of you for a moment."
"Like hell I'm just gonna walk off with you." Ur crossed her arms over her chest. "You're not fooling me at all with this 'ally' crap of yours. Whatever trick you've got up your sleeve, I'm watching for it, and I'll be ready."
"Juvia will not let you take her Lyon away without her, either."
"The two of you held the greatest objections to me working with the rest of you. Given time, I imagine I can work past the issues with the others and manage in a…functional manner, at least. With you two, I suspect some clarification will be necessary in order to allow us to work without further dilemmas, such as what we just had."
"You think a mere conversation will smooth things over?" Lyon shook his head. "Sorry, but that is just an absurd assumption to make. Neither of us trust you to be doing anything for a reason that is not self-serving in some way."
Raising his eyebrows, Zeref tilted his head at them. "Is this not self-serving already? My justification was so that I would be able to work without conflict within this team." He paused, frowning at them. "It obviously states that I am the cause of such conflict and it is reasonable for me, and everyone else included, to anticipate the source of the conflict to resolve the matter if possible. Even if that weren't the case there are…other motives, I suppose, for seeking the two of you out specifically."
"Looking for more influence over Gray?" Ur smirked at Zeref, who frowned but did not reply. "Like I said, I'm not buying into your plan. My students are still young and a bit naïve, so they don't quite understand how to keep an eye out on creeps like you."
"Clearly." Zeref looked over at Juvia, who didn't seem to notice his change in focus. Yet, Lyon noticed and it made his blood boil. This man seemed to hold the same assessment of Juvia as others, based on that look. "And as one who is so wise, would you not find it harmless to listen to what I have to say? After all, you can listen, discern information on what you think my plan is from my words, and remain completely unswayed by whatever it is I had to say."
"Hold on, if you expect her to have no reaction, what is even the point?" Lucy frowned. "And why not let everyone in on the details?"
"Because Fairy Tail wizards have a certain tendency to…overreact to things." Zeref frowned, before turning back towards Lyon and Ur. "In comparison, I imagine they will at least be able to discuss the matter before reacting."
"Hey, you think I'm gonna just take an insult to our guild sitting down?" Natsu glared at him, but Zeref held his hand out before Natsu even got the chance to ignite any fire.
"Don't, not now." Zeref's gaze flickered towards the exit, pausing briefly. Then, he sighed, some of the tension leaving him. "There are others nearby that will…react to your fire magic. I advise to wait until Gray's instruction has been completed to act in such a manner again."
"Wait, why would they care about Natsu's magic?" Happy frowned.
"Because they've been searching for someone with…certain talents with fire, for quite some time." Zeref turned away, focusing on Ur and Lyon again. "Regardless, my request remains unchanged. I need to speak with both of you and would prefer to do so now while Gray is busy."
"You'll let me turn back at any time if I think you're just waisting our time?" Ur watched him.
Nodding, Zeref smiled faintly. "Indeed. Though, you may find the conversation a bit…illuminating, I suppose." He was tense, even admitting that much. What was even going on in his mind? Lyon couldn't imagine what was so important for this. The man seemed convinced that it would let them work together in the future with ease, yet the only thing Lyon could imagine letting that happen would be a sudden declaration that he would be acting remotely again.
Glancing over at Juvia, Lyon sighed and nodded. "I understand." He paused, reaching over and squeezing her shoulder gently. She seemed to prefer physical contact often, even with friends, so he'd do his best to maintain friendly gestures with her for now. "I will return soon, Juvia. Do not worry about this matter."
She smiled at him, nodding and pressing her hands to her chest. "Of course. Juvia will await for you patiently here. She knows Lyon is more than capable of handling himself as needed."
With that, Lyon turned towards Zeref and nodded. The black wizard began leading them deeper into the temple in response, guiding them towards the cavern where Deliora once stood, encased in ice. He stopped when he arrived there, turning to face both of them calmly. "There is something Gray has been keeping from your team…a matter which I think might calm you as to my current intentions and plans." Zeref met their gaze.
Ur was already shaking her head. "Okay, turning us against Gray wasn't quite what I expected. Please, tell me you at least have some reasonable explanation for why we can't trust him and why it means we should trust you instead."
"Oh, neither is the case. Gray can be trusted quite fully and I still think you are correct to not trust me at all," Zeref said. Ur blinked at him and he smiled. "No, I merely wished to explain why I'm not a threat to his safety, at least not as directly as you seem to think. I have performed no curse on him, nor have I enchanted him in any way…well, beyond the one spell I've already explained, but that is another matter, one on which I've been quite open and honest about."
"You requested he use iced shell, a spell that will transform him into nothing more than ice for the rest of eternity." Lyon stared at him. "There's every reason to believe you are a threat to him." Then, he paused, narrowing his eyes. "Unless you are attempting to persuade me to take his place again. In which case, I'd say you are wasting your time once more and we'll be on our way."
"Gray already tried to use iced shell on me." Lyon froze, stiffening and staring at Zeref. "Since you cannot stay and talk calmly without some level of shock to gain your interest…how about we start with that, then." Lyon didn't have any reason to believe him, yet Zeref knew how to get under their skin well and stun them into listening. "As both of you are aware, Natsu's life is dependent on my own. While at the R-System, I intended to use the sacrificial component of the spell as an attempt to end my own life, once it was active." He glanced between the two of them, before focusing on Lyon. "You both saw Gray acted to stop me, quite adamantly."
"In defense of Natsu's life." Lyon hesitated to say much more, well aware that Gray had been quiet about whatever had happened when they separated then. Still, even Gray wasn't stupid enough to go that far.
Nodding, Zeref didn't seem to deny the fact. "Yet, Gray isn't quite so oblivious to things around him. He was certain that even if he took my place in the spell, I'd find a way to attempt it again." He locked eyes with Lyon, calmly staring at him and slowly sitting down on the ground. "Since the original solution in mind for him involved self-sacrifice, he decided another that did something similar would not be so bad…and that guaranteed I would not be capable of truly dying as well."
Ur finally seemed to recover, staring at Zeref with wide eyes. "He planned to just leave you trapped in the ice."
Nodding, Zeref met her gaze. "And I…stopped him."
No one spoke. Zeref didn't elaborate or explain, though Lyon expected him to. "And?" Lyon asked. Zeref stared at him and Lyon crossed his arms over his chest. "I fail to see how this relates to anything. You stopped Gray from using iced shell in a way that would keep you alive."
"I suppose you could…see it that way." Zeref frowned, his brow furrowing. "I…I had hoped it would provide the evidence I needed to…at least potentially make you believe me."
"Believe you about what?" Even Ur sounded lost, but Zeref wasn't meeting their gaze.
"About no longer wanting to follow through on my plans for iced shell." The room was silent. Ur stared at him and Lyon didn't know what to say. Why were they even looking into Zeref's curse if that was the case? "Seeing the process begin, actually being capable of processing the true outcome…I've come to realize that perhaps it is not something I desire like I once thought I did." He paused, turning back towards them. "Currently, I'd much prefer to find a solution your way. Ideally, it would be the best answer, however unlikely it is to succeed. Yet…the timeframe still concerns me."
"What, afraid you'll suddenly be less immortal or something?" Ur scoffed, shaking her head. "Sorry, but I'm not buying this whole victim act of yours. Play that card all you want around Gray, but I've seen how willing you are to use that curse to your advantage too."
"That is precisely what I'm afraid of." Ur frowned at him and Lyon was beyond lost now. "My current mindset…is an improvement, as strange as it may seem. My curse has more frequent outbursts, evidencing that I am valuing life more than before." He glanced between them, frowning. "If I were to forget…things would not look so well. The person you've seen, Ur, that is who I will be at all times. I know what sort of plans I've begun to make in that mindset…and I know exactly how I would progress to end my suffering, should that come to pass."
"So, this is a pitch to keep our allegiance, despite us having no real reason to help you end your curse?" Lyon shook his head. "Sorry, but we're sharing this with Gray and moving on. I'm not in the mood to waste time helping a man like you."
"Please…" Zeref lowered his gaze, staring at his lap as Lyon turned to leave. "What can I do to convince you? To prove I mean what I say?" He looked up at them. "Gray is…as irrational, or unbelievable as it sounds, someone who is starting to be…important to me." Lyon narrowed his eyes, just as Ur did. Yet, she only stared him down, keeping her arms over her chest with a frown. "Stopping now, letting myself move forward with that plan…I will bring about a future he'll despise. Mark my words, if you do not find a way to stop me now…I will bring him more despair than you can imagine."
"You want to convince us, you say?" Zeref nodded and Ur sat down with narrowed eyes. "Well, let's start with those vague comments of yours. Explain what the hell you mean and I might consider listening to your pleas for a change."
Swallowing, Zeref turned away. "I…cannot do that." His hands closed into fists, and his shoulders shook. "Damn it…even now, I still find myself thinking it is a viable plan…why? Why can I not just let it go?" He clutched his hair, inhaling slowly. After a moment, he glanced up towards them, something unreadable in his eyes. "Just…trust me. It is a plan that will cause Gray to lose everything he cares for once again. I know it for a fact…and as much as I despise myself for still keeping everything intact to move forward with the strategy, I cannot bring myself to destroy it by revealing the details to others."
"Well, so much for wishing to prove yourself." Lyon shook his head. Since Ur was staying, he couldn't quite bring himself to leave, yet it really was seeming like a waste of time. He'd talk to Gray about his reckless use of iced shell, but beyond that, there was nothing more to add. "Not even another vague comment about what the plan entails that would cause him such pain—"
"War with Fairy Tail." Lyon blinked at the interruption, seeing Zeref looking him in the eyes. "Details…I cannot say more than that. However…a major aspect of the plan…hinges on a successful defeat of their entire guild. If you think that will leave Gray without some form of a scar…"
"You're planning to steal his family away from him again." Ur narrowed her eyes at him. "And you dare to claim you mean him no harm?"
"I—well, I said that, but he wouldn't…" Zeref swallowed, looking away. "I don't want to start that war. I despise war."
"Then why make a plan that requires it?" Lyon demanded.
"Because Fairy Tail has more secrets than I do, in some ways." Zeref paused. "And this is a secret even I would work hard to defend. Not many would react…well, to knowing about it."
"And how the hell is ending your curse going to stop this war plan from happening?" Ur looked irritated, but forced the question out anyway. Lyon wouldn't have even bothered, but he supposed it was valid enough to ask.
Meeting her gaze, Zeref seemed to be slightly calmer. "The entire purpose of the war…well, the end-goal, at least, would be to eliminate my curse. Technically, it would manage to do so…but at a cost no one should be willing to pay." He paused, meeting their eyes. "It is a plan someone would only enact if they were willing to reject the world. Given how the world rejects me…it is something I've contemplated more often than I'd like to admit."
"And I'm betting Gray knows nothing of this plan?"
Zeref frowned, turning away. "Not…no, I don't think so." He paused. "I suppose if he did some research on a few things he heard…perhaps he could at least see the underlying possibility, but it would require some…action on his part, to do so." Zeref almost smiled there, softer than usual and without that dark glint in his eyes when he was amused by something. "He's been rather kind, in avoiding prying into my thoughts. It was not what I expected, given the two-fold nature of this spell."
Lyon stared at him, starting to almost see that smile as fond. It was like they really were friends somehow, though the idea of Zeref actually seeing someone as a friend was strange. Yet, before Lyon could comment on it, Zeref inhaled sharply, touching his head and hunching over. "Both of you, get—" Zeref didn't even finish before it began. Glad he was still on his feet, Lyon backed away, rushing back to just barely avoid the blast. Ur stared at it with wide eyes, side by side with Lyon.
"He was talking about Gray," Ur was quiet, looking over at Lyon with a crease in her forehead. "And then this happens."
"Just a coincidence." Lyon was certain of it. There was no way Zeref actually valued Gray's life, right? Yet, the spiraling death magic seemed to say otherwise.
"I'm not getting the same vibe I got from him before." Ur paused. "Or, maybe I am and that's the problem." She sighed, dragging a hand through her hair. "He's the sort of person who means everything he says and isn't afraid to admit anything. If we don't stop him, he'll start that war." She paused, frowning. "At the same time, he desperately doesn't want to go through with it. Just like he told Gray before, not wanting to do something and not being willing to do it are two entirely different things." She frowned, gazing into the dark magic. "For whatever reason he has, he wants to protect Gray. Whether we use that to our advantage or not is all that remains, Lyon. I'm not saying we trust him. Right now, I think we should take his assistance as it stands and move forward."
"You want to help him still? Despite all of this?"
Ur scowled. "Not really, but like before, I don't think we have much of a choice." She sighed, shaking her head. "I'm still going to put dealing with Ultear first, Lyon, but this…I can't just abandon Gray and let him suffer through this. Whatever is going on here, between them, or just in Zeref's head, it isn't something to ignore. Zeref's curse isn't something we can just let exist at this point, not when it means pushing Gray against an impossible enemy in the future."
It would be like forcing Gray to fight Deliora all over again. Staring at Zeref, Lyon swallowed at the thought. This man really did have them cornered, didn't he? It made Lyon scowl, his hands clenching into fists once more. Yet, all he could do was stand there and watch, waiting for the magic to fade. They would work together and they would end Zeref's curse. When it was all done with, then Lyon would have his chance to show Zeref exactly what pain and suffering really was for a change and ensure he had nothing to do with Gray ever again.
We're getting further along! This section is likely going to have the slowest pacing out of what I have planned for the story, just due to the nature of what is going on at the time. It'll pick back up again later on. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!