Phantom Lord set off for Tenrou Island after their encounter with Zeref. Lyon said nothing, joining them on the ship and watching the water as they sailed out. "Phantom Lord will not fail. Juvia and the element Four have ensured we have a weapon to defeat any enemy that comes our way. Regardless of who he is, not even he will be able to stand against our greatest weapon."

"Oh, I imagine you haven't created anything he hasn't already seen. That man…I've witnessed him unravel spells that are intended to be permanent." Glancing over at Juvia, Lyon smiled weakly. "And I assure you, I've fallen into the trap of trusting in his word before. As honest as he is, there is an odd sort of deception he weaves with his words. What truths he tells and what he omits is utilized to manipulate a situation to his advantage."

"Are you saying his true self is not on this island?"

He frowned, looking ahead. "It likely is." Yet, what would be the catch? "Perhaps it is inaccessible, or unable to be—" He broke off, biting his lip. That stupid agreement forced him to remain silent on that warning, unable to inform them of his immortality. "Never mind, that one was a bit of a ridiculous suggestion."

"Juvia will remain safe. She will protect Lyon too."

He smiled at her, giving her a slight nod, but stayed quiet afterwords. His stomach was churning and he still couldn't help but think about what was going to happen soon. He'd face Gray, or well, Zeref as Gray, and be forced to fight. Or would he face something else? Part of Lyon was almost certain that Zeref would have fled to defend his body, but he couldn't quite fathom what benefit it would grant him. As Gray, he was mortal, but his body should retain the curse at the very least.

"Slow the ship, I see something ahead!" Aria's voice came down from where he stood, standing above them all in the crow's nest of the ship. "Something is wrong with the island. There is a strong presence here and from where I stand…"

"Aria, what is it?" Master Jose was scowling, glaring up at his wizard. "I don't have time for vague nonsense."

A spyglass dropped down and Aria soon jumped from the crow's nest. With magic, he slowed his descent down, landing softly on deck in front of them. "I think this is what made him suggest such a large group, Master. The dark wizard was not lying when he stated his magic was potent."

"What…what is that dark cloud?"

Lyon frowned, still trying to see what they were seeing. Yet, the island was still too far in the distance to truly spot much of anything. So, he was stuck waiting for a few moments longer, listening to the murmurings of the guild as they struggled to identify the magic in the distance. Gradually, Lyon began to see it as well. It wouldn't have stood out quite so much if the island itself wasn't colorful, like an autumn forest in the prime of the season. Yet, a patch of darkness seemed to rest on one side of the island, clouding outward in a dome-like shape. There, nothing but darkness and black could be seen.

"Juvia has not seen magic so dark in all of her time as a wizard." She glanced over at Lyon. "Juvia advises you to remain on the ship, until the purpose of this spell is identified. It is not a spell for new members to attempt to handle."

"Stop babying your new boyfriend and let him help us, Juvia." Gajeel glared over at her, while Lyon nearly began choking.

"Bo-boyfriend? Surely, you are—"

"Save it." Gajeel interrupted, before Lyon could explain his mistake. However, Juvia seemed too distracted to care anyway. Her cheeks were red and she seemed to be mumbling again about her beloved and their future together. Likely, she was in a slight panic over her lover thinking she was getting too close to someone else.

"Juvia wouldn't have brought you if you were completely useless. So, we're gonna use you, got it? Get on that island and start tracking. We're gonna find a black wizard and we're gonna defeat him before he interferes again," Gajeel said.

With those eloquent orders, Lyon was sent off towards Tenrou Island, with Phantom Lord joining quickly. They had been forced to lay anchor in deeper waters, as the shoreline was too shallow for their ship. Instead, they were using the small lifeboats to row their way ashore, planning to return the same way. Once there, they waited for others to arrive, gathering at first and then separating into small groups. Each of the element four was to lead one group, with Gajeel heading up a fifth and Master going off alone.

"Lyon will remain with Juvia. Juvia will not allow it to be any other way." With that announcement, things were decided fairly quickly.

The island was rather large, with a variety of wildlife. Even though Lyon had thought Galuna Island was colorful and tropical, this place was proving him wrong. This island had far more grace and beauty, with its natural state almost completely untouched by humans or demons. There were no structures in sight to be found, no signs of temples, or even paths created to enjoy a walk through nature. The entire thing was overgrown wilderness and it had a peaceful setting that Lyon was not used to finding anywhere.

Eventually, Juvia stopped, holding an arm out to prevent them from moving forward. In front of them, the edge of the dark cloud hovered. Staring at it, Lyon swallowed. He could hardly see through the black wisps of magic, spiraling around and growing taller almost constantly. Yet, he did see one of the colorful birds fly inside without noticing the difference. Almost instantly, Lyon heard something thump against the ground faintly after it disappeared into the darkness.

Knowing what he knew of the curse, Lyon could only inhale deeply. "Gray…so, he truly has swapped places with you." Juvia frowned, looking over at him. Avoiding her gaze, Lyon paused. "A companion of mine, who worked with me in the past. The dark wizard before came to us in his body, which made his mannerisms all the more shocking to me." He paused. "We've…had a few run-ins with him, on occasion. He is a troublesome dark wizard indeed and not one that I'd advise to face in battle if you can manage to avoid it."

"Quite wise, for one who wished to free an immortal demon in order to kill it." Another voice came from behind him, making Lyon spin around. There, Zeref stood, staring over Lyon's shoulder at the magic. "Then again, this does put things in perspective for a change. Are you starting to realize now how little hope there is for achieving your goals?"

"I am progressing just fine with my goals." He met Zeref's gaze, smirking at the man. "After all, I know the origins of your curse now. If you think that isn't a step forward, then I don't know what is."

"Oh? Well…then you also know how impossible it will be to end this."

"I make the impossible possible. Why do you think I practice single-handed ice make magic? Perhaps you claim it is unstable, and perhaps others agree, but I will make it my own power, a skill no one else possesses that will remain unstoppable."

"Tell yourself that as much as you desire. It will change nothing about reality."

Lyon was growing tense, watching Zeref and feeling himself prepare to fight. He'd anticipated this, yet it still felt strange. "Juvia will handle him. Please, stand back and let Juvia act as your shield and sword." Stand back? The only place to stand back in was covered by the cloud of death magic, which Zeref had helpfully identified as coming from his curse.

"Oh, worry not. I actually came here to avoid the fighting. I didn't think anyone would be foolish enough to approach this magic…what do you think you're doing?" Zeref had stepped forward, grabbing the arm of a wizard who had been reaching out towards it, ignoring the conversation. "My apologies, but it is in my best interest to keep people out of that haze. As much as I would be indifferent to actually causing your death, I do not think he would feel the same."

"I'm not afraid of some stupid spell."

"Yeah, it's probably just to intimidate us!"

Zeref grimaced, his eyes scanning over the crowd. Lyon hesitated as well, aware of what that spell would do already. "His warning isn't without truth. A bird flew into the spell earlier, and while difficult to see, I am certain I heard it collapse almost instantly."

"You're just a coward of a wizard."

"Yeah, you only came along because Juvia wanted some arm candy on this mission."

"Do not insult Lyon! Juvia will not allow it!" Turning towards them, Juvia lashed out with her water somewhat blindly, splashing the two wizards who'd been arguing without much thought. They stumbled back before Lyon could react to try and stop them, into the haze of magic. Zeref closed his eyes, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. A faint thud indicated them falling, though it was still difficult to see exactly what happened.

"Well…now that it is too late, I suppose my original plan is quite usable." Zeref looked up, dropping his hand and narrowing his eyes. "The question is, how many of you wish to die? This is precisely why I despise war, but if it is unavoidable, I will play my part and heighten the death count."

"What has Juvia done?" The water wizard stepped away from the spell, shaking her head. "It is deadly. Juvia pushed them back. She only meant to—to berate them for insulting…" She broke off, turning back on Zeref with a glare. "This is your fault! Juvia blames the dark wizard for bringing them to this cursed place!"

"Your guild is currently preoccupied with Fairy Tail and I am in no mood to fight. So, I suggest calming down—"

"Juvia will not be calmed when she is deceived into harming her comrades!"

Water began to rage around her and clouds started to roll into the sky. Lyon felt the rain begin to fall just as Juvia blindly sent out slashing waves of water towards Zeref, rapidly and in repetition. The man narrowed his eyes, moving to dodge them and dance around her attacks. Yet, he never seemed to fight back himself. The strange dance was all he did, avoiding each attack while conserving his magical energy. "I don't want to—" He broke off, his gaze flickering towards the side. What looked like a match's worth of fire went flying between them, working as little more than a brief distraction.

"Damn it! I really can't figure this magic out, can I?" Natsu came over, sighing and shaking his head. He looked over at them, pausing as he studied them. "Look, I get that we're—"

"An ally of the dark wizard. Juvia will defeat you as well." Water formed a sphere around him, trapping Natsu entirely. Seeing that, Zeref seemed to focus, blinking rapidly and focusing on the water wizard.

"Release him at once. If you harm him…"

"Juvia will do so once he has been defeated. She is not cruel enough to kill her enemies." Her gaze flickered towards Lyon, breathing heavily. "Lyon, please wish Juvia luck and aid her in this battle."

Could he? He glanced over at Zeref, hesitating. At this rate, she wasn't going to stop until Zeref was injured to the point of unconsciousness. Knowing Zeref, that likely wouldn't be a simple task either. At least Lyon knew Gray and his magic, and could hasten the process. Would it be so bad to knock Gray out while Zeref possessed him? He decided it wouldn't be too terrible. So, he held his hand back, preparing one of his creations for attack. "Ice Make: Snow Tiger!"

"Water Slicer!"

Both spells launched towards Zeref and the man found himself in combat with a tiger while dodging blades of water. He seemed intently focused, with a scowl on his face. "So, this is how Lyon treats his allies? His former friends?" Zeref looked over, meeting him in his eyes. "People like you are precisely why I struggle to remember…the reasons I have for valuing living things."

"Life is limited, which makes it valuable. Personalities don't affect something as simple as that."

"Oh, telling that to me is rather pointless. Consider the magic I've learned and the curse I possess," Zeref said. Lyon frowned, thinking about the demons. "Death is not so insurmountable, Lyon. And you are not as infallible as you'd like to believe."

Zeref jumped up, using both hands for his magic as was typical of ice-make wizards. "Ice Make: Prison!" The tiger found itself trapped inside of ice, biting and clawing to set itself free. Lyon shook his head, almost taking a step back before hesitating, uncertain of where the edge of the death magic was. This was a dangerous choice for a battle ground, but it was a bit late to make changes. "Your magic cannot even surpass Gray's when he isn't the one utilizing it. Considering my lack of expertise in ice magic, this really is quite disappointing."

Lyon inhaled slowly, watching him. He'd fought this man before and lost. Was he about to lose yet again? What was so impossible about overcoming his strength? Lyon gritted his teeth, his hands closing into fists. He'd hardly even made an attempt as well and something about Zeref just had him wanting to give up. Lyon never let himself surrender so easily in the past, so why was now so different? "I am not weak."

"But you are. Your hubris makes you so." Zeref stepped forward calmly. "Now…release him, before I truly get angry."

Juvia hesitated, glancing at Natsu. "If Juvia releases him, the battle shall stop? You will not harm her beloved?"

So, for the protection of the one she cared for, she'd hesitate. Again, Juvia was stronger than him, willing to let go of her pride and stand down if it protected others. Seeing her, Lyon couldn't help but almost feel ashamed for attacking. Had he ignored Zeref and focused on his goal of helping Gray, perhaps he wouldn't feel so weak right now. Currently, it was as if all of Ur's advice was ringing around in his head, all of the advice he'd ignored with the thought that he'd be better than all of it. Had he been so wrong? Should he have been willing to listen to her more closely?

Still, Zeref had nodded in agreement to Juvia and the water splashed down. "What the hell…?" Natsu was inhaling rapidly, fast short breaths. Gray knelt down next to him, patting his back with a frown. "Damn. That was close."

"To unconsciousness at least, yes."

"Oh no, to me reaching out a bit carelessly." Natsu sighed, looking up. "Instincts are kinda hard to ignore when you feel like you might be killed soon. Natsu probably wouldn't have noticed a thing there, but damn…"

"Ah. Yes, it is rather instinctive to fight for survival. Without it, none of them would manage to last more than a few seconds against…" Zeref trailed off, looking over at Lyon for a brief moment before returning his focus to Natsu. "Well, you are aware of my intentions there at least."

With a sigh, Natsu sat down, leaning back against a tree. "The rest of the team is on their way. We figured you'd find the safest spot on the island…but I really didn't expect you to pick a spot this close to Gray."

"Phantom Lord should be wise and avoid this area. Yet, it seems as if they do have some idiots amongst them." Zeref turned back towards Juvia and Lyon, though the rest of the team had scattered when the fight began. Lyon hadn't even noticed them leaving, but they were likely searching the island. "So, are you a member of their guild now? A true traitor to your comrade, the one you promised to help?"

"What do my choices matter to you?"

Zeref was silent for a moment, tilting his head. "Actually…I find that they do." He studied Lyon. "I think I've made a decision. Gray, at the very least, has some sense of honor. By comparison, you are prideful, disrespectful, and unworthy of any measure of trust. As a person…really, the choice is obvious as to who is more deserving of life." He stepped forward, smiling darkly at Lyon. "So, I've decided…rather than Gray, it will be you to use iced shell."

Snorting, Lyon crossed his arms over his chest. "Hardly. I'm not the fool Gray is, so you will not be able to trick me so easily."

"Oh? So you would not sacrifice yourself for Ur, as he did?" Lyon hardened his gaze, already seeing what the man would do. The death magic he possessed would make it so easy to manage. Yet, it would be his life or hers, and as much as Lyon wanted to rely on her, he'd been living as if she were dead for years. So, he slowly shook his head, glaring at Zeref the entire time. "Interesting. You are heartless then, to some extent." He paused, glancing over at Juvia. "Perhaps her, then? She seems quite attached…and if the feeling is mutual, then I think that would work rather well."

"You cannot harm her. She is—"

"Made of water? Perhaps that prevents injury, but she is still mortal. There are ways, I assure you." He inclined his head. "That magic behind you should make it obvious enough that I can kill any living being I so choose, even those they would otherwise be impossible to harm."

"Z—Black. That's enough." Natsu narrowed his eyes at the man. "You have to stop pushing people into corners like this. I get that you're desperate, but there are other ways."

"I've tried other ways, Loke. I'm not making any progress with them, so I will follow this path towards progress."

Loke? Lyon glanced at Natsu, wondering what had happened. Was he swapped with someone too? Considering his lack of attempts to fight and how calm he was, Lyon should have noticed it sooner. Still, Juvia intervened yet again. "Lyon need not concern himself with Juvia. Juvia is strong and capable, and will handle anything he may throw at her."

Yet, she likely couldn't walk into the death magic behind him and survive. Either way, he had to have faith in her. Juvia was strong and unlike Gray, he would not so easily believe this man would harm others without good cause. "From a man who came here to avoid war, I find it difficult to believe you'd kill."

"And for a wizard who wishes to be nothing like his old peer, you seem to be quite skilled at mimicking him." Lyon blinked, while Zeref smiled. "He said something quite similar, with your master's life on the line. Do you want to know my response, Lyon? What makes it so likely I will follow through on my threats?" Lyon saw he was approaching, stepping closer with ease, as if the death magic cloud was nothing to even spare a glance towards. "Because I am used to going against my own wishes. Not wanting to do something and not actually doing it…they are quite different. I don't want to kill everything that surrounds me, but do I do so on a daily basis? Yes, I do."

"Zeref!" A voice shouted through the forest, making Lyon blinked and look up. Nearby, it seemed as if Erza was joining them, moving quickly to approach them and not even noticing Lyon and Juvia. "It's Natsu. He…he collapsed again. The idiot tried charging into one of the battles and—"

"Where is he?" Suddenly, the man's focus was entirely on the girl, ignoring Lyon entirely.

"This way. He…" She broke off, glancing over at Lyon and Juvia. "Lyon? I…I didn't realize you would be here."

"Lyon is Juvia's partner." Juvia narrowed her eyes at Erza, frowning. "Yet, he keeps looking at her with that strong gaze. They know each other from the past. Could it possibly be…" Juvia's ramblings grew quieter and Lyon sighed.

"It is complicated. However, it seems as if your companion here has swapped positions with—"

"Yeah, we know already." Erza wasn't quite acting like herself, and she crossed her arms over her chest. "All of us are sorta…each other right now. Over there's a guild member you haven't met yet, Loke, and I'm actually Lucy right now."

This was Lucy? Then that meant she was their target. Or, well, whoever was in her body was. "Where is Erza then? We should…" He trailed off, glancing at Juvia. How could he warn them? Doing so would be a betrayal to Juvia, but staying silent would betray Gray. He grimaced, pressing a hand to his head and trying to think of a way to manage both.

"Is everything okay?"

Zeref snorted. "Oh, he's likely just contemplating how worthwhile it would be to officially be a member of Phantom Lord." He glanced over at Juvia, narrowing his eyes. "Like always, women prove to be rather distracting and sway the loyalties and choices of men quite easily."

"Oh really?" Lucy started to grin, winking over at Zeref. "Then would you by any chance be persuaded by my womanly charms to just let Gray go?"

"Oh, I've already decided Lyon will do the spell instead of him." Zeref looked back at the ice wizard, smiling darkly. "Though, unlike Gray…I may have to prove exactly how far I will take things to achieve my goals."

"And I told you not to bother." The argument was now going in circles and Lyon wasn't going to even try and keep up with it anymore.

Still, Zeref's jaw clenched. "We're wasting time. The longer we stand around and talk, the less likely it will be that—" He broke off, inhaling deeply. "Where is Natsu?"

This time, Lucy began guiding them around Tenrou Island. "Juvia does not trust this wizard. She will follow him." She glanced over at Lyon. "Will you stay behind and ensure nothing happens here?"

"No." Lyon watched Zeref closely, moving forward. "He is invested in me at the moment, as odd as it sounds. Right now, I'd like to evade his interest once more, so to do so, I just may have to side with Fairy Tail in this conflict of yours."

"You would fight on her side? Against Juvia?"

"No, never against you." Lyon reached over, touching her shoulder. After a moment, he squeezed it gently, giving her a faint smile. "You've shown me great kindness, from the first moment I stepped into your guild. Being able to be your companion, even for a short while, was an honor, Juvia. However, I do have a prior commitment to honor and an old friend to help defend." Logic had to win, over his heart. Lyon could not let himself fall prey to such emotions, not when things were getting so dire. Yet, his heart still pounded painfully, objecting to every word he spoke.

"Juvia does not wish for Lyon to leave her. Juvia must have done something wrong to push him away. She is sorry for not being kinder…"

"Juvia, it isn't anything like that." He sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Besides, this beloved of yours might not be so fond of me being around, all things considered. You are an amazing woman and he is lucky to have you."

"My beloved is lucky to have me?" Juvia blinked, her eyes growing wide and her frown fading.

"Indeed."

"Then Juvia can stay with Lyon anyway? Juvia cares not if it goes against her guild's wishes! Juvia will follow Lyon wherever he goes. She promises not to interfere or interrupt, so long as she can remain by his side, she will be happy."

She'd betray her own guild, for him? Again, Lyon so badly wished she hadn't been claimed by another. He'd have kissed her right there, for such a proclamation. "Regardless, if we keep discussing this we will not be able to follow them."

Juvia blinked, seeing that the others were far ahead of them. Quickly, she nodded, moving to stand by his side. She reached over, grabbing his hand with a faint blush before moving quickly forward after Zeref, Loke, and Lucy. Right now, Lyon just hoped he could get himself away from the same situation Gray found himself in now. Whatever he'd done, he'd made Zeref despise him for some reason. Now, he seemed to be the target and it wouldn't take long for Zeref to find something Lyon would be incapable of refusing his terms with.