Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail

Part of Lyon wanted to curse himself for leaving Black alone with Deliora. However, it was really too late to be concerned with such things. Instead, he focused on the task at hand. The members of his main team were working with some of his other followers currently. They were searching for a suitable location for work, so they were scattered, but not necessarily impossible to get ahold of.

Once he'd contacted them, it was a matter of patience and waiting. Uncomfortable with leaving Black behind for so long unattended, Lyon returned to the frozen demon to await their return. They'd meet here, where Deliora stood, and from there move to whatever location Black had in mind to find this Eternal Flame. When Lyon approached once more, he saw the man was sitting on the ground, his eyes closed and his hands folded in his lap. His expression was practically serene, or maybe just a slightly more relaxed variant of his neutral look from before.

"My team shall be meeting us here." Lyon frowned at the demon. "Have you done nothing since I left?"

"It would have been inefficient to teleport just Deliora without everyone gathered. We will need to negotiate with the giants if we want to use the Eternal Flame, after all." The man opened his eyes, narrowing them. "With that in mind, there was little preparation to be done. Now…I am trying to meditate, if you do not mind…"

"You can meditate when there isn't work to do." Lyon paused, folding his arms over his chest. "I understand that you will be working with me, but to do this properly, I need an accurate assessment of your strength. We will spar and that will determine exactly what your role shall be—"

"No."

"Excuse me? We have an agreement!"

"We do." Black opened his eyes again, shaking his head. "And that is why we will not spar. My proficiency in magic…well, let's just say I should be capable of accomplishing nearly any task, within reason of course."

Snorting, Lyon rolled his eyes. "If you're so confident, why not prove it? I know I'm stronger than Ur and that's why I'm freeing Deliora. But you — you make baseless claims and will do nothing to show you can do as you say!"

Black watched him blankly for a moment, before just shaking his head. "I do not need recognition for my abilities. Therefore, what reason do I have to prove them to anyone but myself?"

Working with this man…Lyon was starting to see that this just might be more exhausting than it'd be worth. "You have reason to prove such strength to me. I am the leader of this movement and as such, you will follow my orders."

"You wouldn't be the first to wish to control me and I highly doubt you'll be the last." Black almost seemed to be smirking at him now.

"Why agree to follow me if you refuse to follow orders?"

He blinked, staring at Lyon for a moment. "Hmm…I suppose that is a good question." Black glanced over at Deliora for a moment, before focusing back on that damn book he'd brought with him instead. "I don't know. Perhaps it is simply a means to an end, in a way. Or perhaps I am being foolish. Regardless, it isn't as if I haven't done worse things in the past with my life."

Lyon was starting to wonder if he'd need to get used to headaches now. Maybe he'd just send Black off on tasks that were far away from him instead. At least he wouldn't have to speak with the man in that situation. "Do I even want to know the details of that? Because allowing a known criminal to join me…that sort of attention is exactly what I'm hoping to avoid, you know."

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that." Black waved him off. "Anyone on that spectrum of things believes I am dead, after all."

Lyon stared at him. "Dead?"

Black nodded. "Oh, yes. It is quite ironic, really." He was smiling, as if proud of that fact. "Orchestrating that perception was a rather amusing project as well. Do you know how difficult it is to falsify your own death when the magic council can sense life in a wizard's body based solely on magic auras and the flow of ethernano in the atmosphere? Fooling such magics…it was likely one of my more interesting projects in quite some time."

"You can make your own magic aura vanish entirely?"

"Oh no. That's just an illusion that fools the spell, not your actual senses." Black shrugged. "The spell amplifies a wizards' ability to sense such things."

"I don't even know why this matters anyway." He paused, frowning at the man. "But as for my original topic, are you a wanted man or not?"

"Oh, I definitely am." Black pulled the book closer to himself, watching Lyon closely. "But as I stated before, I'll handle any such tedious matters that arise as a result. It is something I am used to, at this point."

"Why can't I help but feel like this is all one huge mistake…"

"Because I am a stranger and you know nothing of my intentions." It was far too accurate, but Lyon had no comment to give in response. He fell silent, uncertain of what else to say to try and pry more from this man. Yet, that silence seemed to be what gave Black other ideas on what to discuss. "Iced Shell…the spell on Deliora. Would you say there'd ever be a situation in which you'd utilize such a thing?"

"Hardly." Lyon snorted, shaking his head and leaning back against the frozen demon. "My life holds far too much value to throw it away so carelessly. If you want careless…well, I suppose you'd be seeking out my former peer, Gray."

"He knows the spell?"

"I can't say." Lyon had no idea how this related to Deliora or the task at hand, but it was harmless to talk about. Gray could take care of himself and if he couldn't handle this one measly wizard here, Gray would just prove how inferior he was to Lyon then. "Possibly. He was closer to Ur when she froze Deliora, though unlike myself, I doubt he studied the books containing that knowledge. They were advanced texts for our level; while Ur told me not to read through them, I knew I was fully prepared for the knowledge and understood it flawlessly, of course."

"No one—" Black broke off, biting his lip. He frowned again, before sighing and shaking his head. "Never mind. I suppose I don't really care to start that particular argument with you anyway." Lyon glared at the man, realizing Black had been aware of his own annoying tendencies and that he apparently ignored them anyway. "Do you know where I could find this Gray? I think I might be interested in learning more about him."

Heat burned through Lyon, a sharp anger returning that he'd forgotten about years ago, when he'd separated from Gray. "You want Gray? He's useless, can't even handle single-handed ice-make magic."

"Single-handed maker magic is unstable, regardless of which element you utilize."

He sounded like Ur. Lyon glared at him, closing his hands into fists. "And I've surpassed those limitations! I am the greatest ice-make wizard to ever live, nay, the greatest wizard this world will ever see. Defeating Deliora will just be the first step to proving that fact!"

"I doubt you could defeat a guild master, let alone one of Fiore's wizard saints."

This man, he was just asking for pain. "Ice make: Eagle!" In a flash of anger, a swarm of eagles formed, flying towards the man. For a moment, it looked like he'd planned to just stay still. Yet, at the last second, he closed his eyes and vanished from where he'd been sitting. Lyon blinked, before shaking his head and diverting his attack, seeking out wherever Black had gone.

He found the man behind him, standing rather than sitting. "You are far too young and uneducated to be picking a fight with someone like me." Black held out his hand as the eagles approached this time. In a flash, a burst of flames came out from his palm. The eagles melted quickly, leaving Lyon staring at him with wide eyes. He'd just teleported, yet he had fire magic? So, he was versatile in his skills, but unlikely to be a master of much of anything.

"I've told you before…I will not spar with you. Right now, I wish for information on Iced Shell, which means I wish to find those capable of utilizing it, and those willing to do so as well. Granted, I will not back down from my initial agreement…" Black frowned, before blinking. "Hmm…I suppose I may have something in mind then…"

"Are you planning on sabotaging me?" Lyon glared at him, preparing his magic again. "Ice Make: Tiger!" A frozen wild cat launched forward, charging towards the man. Again, he let out a sigh before melting it away with his flames. Lyon had expected that and moved to attack from a different angle. "Ice Make: Puffer Fish!" The spiky creature flew towards Black, only for the man to move faster than Lyon had seen thus far. He dodged to the side while reaching his hand out towards the creature. A gust of wind started to blow, hastening its path forward…directly towards Deliora. Lyon tried to direct his creature away, but it was too little too late. It shattered, crashing into the ice surrounding the demon he wished to kill.

Black wasn't even phased, it seemed. He stared at it, before nodding as if to himself. "Strong. Likely unbreakable by any physical means, though that should be expected given who it contains." He glanced around over at Lyon. "Strong enough to break apart other forms of magic…I think I may have chosen correctly for the method of melting the ice after all. No normal spell could melt it if it is that durable."

"Stop with the goddamn analysis and actually answer my question for a change!" Lyon prepared for another spell, but the man seemed to have grown tired. He narrowed his eyes for a moment and with that, a magic circle started to glow on the ground at Lyon's feet. Trying to avoid the spell, Lyon stepped back…only to hit a wall. Light flashed and before he knew it, he was staring at purple script floating in the air. Ice magic and its users will be unable to escape this prison unless given permission from the one who cast this enchantment. "What the hell?"

"Justu Shiki. It isn't my…primary form of magic, but it has its uses." Black smiled, folding his arms behind his back. "Most people take quite some time to manage placing such an enchantment as well. I, unlike them, have grown quite skilled in laying out complex rune work quite quickly. Other…adventures of mine, required such skill, after all."

"I will not tolerate this! If you think you can just steal away my demon and my plan, you are wrong." Lyon glared at him, feeling the air grow colder around him. "I will escape this trap of yours and my companions will join me soon and put a stop to this completely."

"Your demon?" Black spoke as if that was the only thing Lyon had stated and shook his head. "This demon belongs to Zeref, if you must grant someone ownership of the monster. You have no right to claim one of his creations." Who? If that man truly created Deliora, Lyon thought he'd have heard of it before. Then again, he hadn't been interested in how Deliora existed; that wasn't necessary to know if he wanted to destroy the demon. "And I have no need for a demon. I just didn't want to deal with your tedious attempts at attacking me. That spell will prevent both magical and physical attacks, in case that isn't clear. Now, I can wait in peace for a change."

"This isn't…" Lyon trailed off, watching him. Black only sat down and wasn't making any move to approach the demon at all. Had he jumped to false conclusions then? Either way, this man still seemed to think Gray would be more useful than him. "You spoke as if I was weak, as if some former trainee like Gray could overpower me."

"I know nothing of him. Therefore, I cannot say if he is stronger or weaker, in any sense." Black tilted his head. "I merely wished to know if he could use Iced Shell…and, if you might know if he'd be willing to utilize it himself."

"I haven't seen him in years now. This entire conversation would be a waste of both of our time." Lyon shook his head, before frowning as a small magic circle appeared over Black's head, creating a brief flash of light. "What was that supposed to be?"

Black looked up for a moment, reaching upward to catch something from the air. A small notebook seemed to have been teleported to the man. Almost immediately, Black disregarded Lyon's presence entirely to focus on whatever was inside. "Hey!" Lyon glared at him. "We have a task to focus on. At the very least, could you not hasten these negotiations you claim are necessary to our plan from here? Inform these giants of our upcoming visit?"

"Their culture views such forms of contact as cowardice and it would actually make negotiations more challenging to not begin them in person." Black lifted his head for a brief moment. "Now, please learn to be quiet for a change. I would like to have at least a few moments to review these notes before I'm forced to deal with barbarians for the rest of the day."

"This entire plan was your idea! You don't have the right to complain." Yet, despite Lyon's comment, Black remained focused on reading in silence. Huffing, Lyon poked at the wall in front of him again, glaring at the words in irritation. It was going to be a long trip indeed, dealing with this new member of his group. Black better make his contributions worthwhile to Lyon's efforts. Otherwise, Lyon was going to make sure he was dealt with and ensure he would never interfere with his plans again.

Master's rules for newer guild members were tedious to say the least. Gray had been certain he had the skills needed to handle the cargo guarding job on his own. However, Gramps insisted on sending the idiotic flame brain along with him on the task. Two heads are better than one and you can never be too careful, Gray.

He'd been with the guild for a few years now and the answer was always the same. Gray wasn't allowed on solo missions, not until he reached some level of skill pre-determined by the guild master. It was a stupid rule, especially when it prevented him from getting strong enough to take on the missions involving magical beasts and monsters. It was the closest he could get to facing off demons and making sure no one else had to suffer through what he'd gone through.

Letting out a sigh, Gray looked over at his partner for the mission on the train. Some wealthy merchant was transporting goods from Magnolia to some distant town in the north. It passed through some dangerous lands known for having high crime rates, hence the request for some extra guards. The reward was decent, even when split in half, but it wasn't like a normal criminal could compare to anything Gray had faced so far.

"I hear no one's been in this area for ages! That's gotta mean there's a good chance we'll see Igneel here, right?" Natsu grinned over at him with his companion Happy resting on his shoulder as usual.

Raising an eyebrow at his companion, Gray leaned back on the train. "Why would a dragon want to be anywhere near a frozen wasteland like this?" This area just gave Gray bad memories; it was close to where he'd last faced off against Deliora and he just wanted to get this mission done with and head back.

"Well, we're gonna go searching once we pick up the reward in Oraine." Natsu grinned. "Igneel's a fire dragon and constantly produces heat. That means he might just be looking for a place to cool down for a bit, right?"

"It's been five years, flame brain! Who needs that much time to cool off?"

"Who're you calling a flame brain, Ice Princess? Maybe Igneel's just too big to cool off quickly! Not everyone can be as cold as you."

Scowling, Gray shook his head and turned away. He didn't need to deal with this today. "Just shut up and stop complaining. Search for your damn dragon on your own time and don't drag me into it."

"Come on, Gray!" Even Happy was joining in on the complaints now. "It'll be fun! I promise to share my fish with you if you help out."

Sighing, Gray shook his head. "You're not going to talk me into this. Do I look like the type of person who can be bribed with fish?"

"No, but maybe we could bribe you with a shirt instead," Natsu said. The fire wizard's eyes flickered down towards Gray's chest, now bare from his stupid stripping habit.

"It is kinda cold in here too. Couldn't the rich merchant guy have paid for a well-maintained train with better heating?" Happy shivered, huddling closer to Natsu.

"You have fur and a walking heater with you at all times." Gray shook his head at both of them. "And I'm used to the cold. Stop talking and focus on the mission."

With that, the train continued on in silence. Natsu was an irritation at best and flat out aggravating at worse. He destroyed everything around him and couldn't stop picking fights. Gray could admit that he had some skill with magic, but it was just frustrating to be unable to sit in silence for more than two seconds before Natsu tried to pick another fight with him over nothing.

As they approached the next station, the train slowed. Gray frowned at the window, wondering exactly why they were stopping when this train was meant to carry just cargo and them based on the job description. Once it stopped, Gray slowly stood, eyeing the entrance to their cart warily.

"Alright, finally! Looks like I get to show off everything Igneel taught me!" With a grin, Natsu shoved passed Gray, knocking the ice wizard to the side and making him stumble towards one of the boxes of goods they were guarding. Gray barely managed to catch himself by bracing his arm on the wall to its side. Shooting the dragon slayer a glare, Gray stood up just as the door began to open.

Not even looking to see who was on the other side, Natsu was already swinging a flaming fist towards the incoming person. "Fire Dragon's—oof!" Gray blinked as the incoming person grabbed Natsu's arm to stop the attack, quickly moving to send a punch into his stomach and send him backwards.

Gray began to take a defensive stance as well, before noticing the uniform the intruder was wearing. The white and blue robes with that symbol over the chest…was this one of the rune knights? "Stand down before I am forced to take more drastic action," a stern voice ordered. "I have come to inform you that this train will be temporarily changing course by order of the rune knights. We require immediate transport to the fallen city of Yeden."

Gray stiffened at the name, memories still almost as raw as they were five years ago. That had been the place he'd last fought Deliora. It was where his pride and anger took over his rational thought and triggered the mistake that lead to the loss of Ur's life. "We're just here to guard the cargo. Don't interfere with our job and we won't interfere with yours," Gray said.

The rune knight gave him a nod, frowning over at the dragon slayer who was slowly getting back up. "And him?"

"I wanna fight! Come on, Gray, I bet we can take him."

Letting out a sigh, Gray walked over to him and smacked the top of his head. "Knock it off, flame brain. Spar at the guild hall and don't damage the goods yourself." Natsu blinked before realizing his flames were getting close to one of the wooden crates on the train. The dragon slayer quickly put out the fire, halting his magic for the time being. "They're rune knights. Do you really want to get arrested by picking a fight with them?"

"But they started it! They shouldn't have come here and taken the train we're guarding. Aren't we supposed to make sure it reaches the right destination too?"

"You will," the rune knight stated. "This is simply a detour from your original path." The train was already starting to move again. "An emergency situation has arisen and we lack teleportation magic users in our squad, so we must rely on the train. Please understand and learn from your elder companion by your side."

"Older? I thought both of you were twelve…" Happy frowned, looking between the two wizards.

"Almost thirteen," Natsu said proudly. Across from them, the rune knight was now blinking at the blue cat that had begun to talk. Eventually, he shook his head and stepped out of the cart, returning to one further ahead on the train as they continued on their path. "Say, you got any plans for your birthday Gray? I was thinking I'd go around town and eat at all the restaurants in Magnolia on one trip."

"No one can eat that much."

"But it'd be delicious! There are some vendors that sell the best beef in town, you know, and it's cooked fresh right in front of you. One of them even let me eat the fire from his grill once!"

Gray rolled his eyes, wondering if that was actually something offered or if Natsu just assumed he could eat it anyway. Still, the distraction was actually welcome this time. He didn't know if Natsu had sensed his reaction to the rune knight's words or not, but Gray still felt a familiar hollowness in his chest as he thought about their new destination. For the first time in years, he would be returning to visit his master and the monster that he once thought he was strong enough to challenge. Gray wasn't ready to face them, not when the entire situation was his fault. Nothing could be done to save her now and as annoying as Natsu's ramblings could be, Gray could at least admit that they gave him just a tiny reprieve from the memories of demons and ice magic locked in a battle that kept flashing through his mind.

Before anyone complains, I have not forgotten about Natsu's motion sickness - while it will be mentioned later, I thought I'd comment for anyone confused now. Canon establishes that dragon slayers don't gain motion sickness until their magic progresses a bit further as seen with Wendy - as this is pre-canon, I've extended that concept to include Natsu as well.

In more general news, we've got about 1-2 more chapters of what I consider to be the prequel portion of this story. Based on my revision progress, I will say my current focus is on cleaning up the final arc of the draft more than anything else (endings are always my biggest struggle to get right). So, I will attempt to post updates somewhat regularly and possibly slow down if I think I'm going to need to take some additional time for revisions. Feel free to review and let me know your thoughts so far!