When Gray opened his eyes, he was staring up at the sky, with his back against something hard. The gentle rocking confirmed that they were back on the ship at least. Gray sat up, glancing around at his surroundings. Jellal and his crew seemed to have joined them. Erza was sitting with them, talking quietly with the people they had just attacked while Jellal seemed to be sleeping. Lyon was staring out at the water with Juvia by his side. Ur seemed to just be watching them quietly, a faint smile on her face.
Natsu was next to Gray, his brow furrowed as he gazed at the tower. "Hey." Gray waved and the dragon slayer didn't move. "He should be activating it anytime now."
The dragon slayer nodded again, before rubbing the back of his head. "Alright." There was silence again for a moment and Gray turned away. Out of all the people for him to wake up and be stuck near, it had to be Natsu. The dragon slayer pressed a hand to his stomach, holding back a surge of his motion sickness. "Damn it…why the hell do we have to wait on the boat?"
"Because we were told to get away, idiot." Gray sighed, shaking his head. "Sorry, by the way." Natsu likely wasn't in any state to have this conversation, but at least they weren't actually moving the ship. His discomfort should be less when it was caused from just the gentle rocking and not motion combined with that. "I needed to stop you back there and nothing else came to mind. But, I shouldn't have kept the truth from you anyway."
"About Zeref? Or about the demon thing?" Natsu sat down, leaning against the edge of the boat. He vomited again, groaning. "Never mind…I think I'm gonna just rest for a bit."
"If you wanna talk, I can help out, Natsu." Happy smiled at him. "Sounds like this is sorta important, after all. Since I couldn't really see before, I didn't use my magic in the tower, so I'd be just fine carrying you and giving you a break from the boat."
"Alright! Thanks, Happy!" Natsu grinned and the cat began to lift him into the air, carrying him just barely above the ship's deck. "Man, that's already much better. So, anyway, what were we talking about?"
Shaking his head, Gray turned and gazed out at the water. "Me keeping Zeref's secrets from you."
"Oh, right! Well, I mean, it's not like it changed anything." Natsu shrugged, tilting his head. "I mean, I've always been a, er, demon I guess. Knowing doesn't really change much for that. And being Zeref's brother is kinda the same. I mean, I don't exactly know the guy or remember him, so I figure this little mission is a good start. Maybe it'll give me a chance to get to know him and hang out or something."
"I thought you said you wanted to talk about it?"
"With Zeref, duh." Natsu shook his head. "I mean, you weren't the one who wanted to keep things from me, right?" Gray slowly shook his head, turning away. "Zeref wanted to do that and he's still trying to keep things from me, damn it! What kind of person keeps his brother away from his father? I just don't get it! Zeref's gonna give me some answers now that I know we're brothers, I'll make sure of it!"
"Wait." Gray stared at him with wide eyes. "You're telling me this is just about Igneel and nothing else?" The dragon slayer grinned, nodding. "Of course that's all you'd care about. Here I was thinking you actually wanted to know something about whatever past you'd forgotten."
"I mean, hearing about it isn't gonna suddenly make me remember it." Natsu shrugged. "I think it's fine the way it is and if Zeref doesn't want me to know about it, then he's gotta have a reason for it too." The dragon slayer glanced at the tower. "I just don't understand his reasons for keeping Igneel away."
"Either way, I doubt that's our highest priority with everything going on," A new voice added. Gray turned, seeing Lucy had joined them and was smiling down at him. "Glad to see you're back to yourself, Gray. Now, we can move forward with getting to Grimoire Heart, I guess."
"I still think dealing with Natsu's scarf is more important," Gray stared at the black fabric, frowning. "It is dangerous to just leave it like that."
"Well, do you know a way to fix it?" Gray frowned, but didn't respond to Lucy's question. "We can't do anything about that, Gray, but we have a plan that we can put into motion for handling Grimoire Heart. Right now, we need to move forward on something and try to stop scattering around to dealing with every problem that comes up around us."
Staring at his lap, Gray's brow furrowed. "Yeah, well, that might not even matter anymore." He inhaled slowly, glancing back at the tower. "That plan was only needed to get rid of Zeref's curse. If this goes wrong, there isn't going to be anyone to help."
"True. This really could be the end of all of it and things could finally start getting back to normal." Lucy smiled, yet Happy seemed to blink, glancing at Gray.
"Wait a second…didn't you say before that if Zeref died, his demons would die too?" Gray turned towards the cat, seeing his flight was starting to get very close to the ship. Natsu ended up back on deck, curling over quickly while Happy walked forward.
Meeting his gaze, Gray felt his hands close into fists. "Yeah. I did say that." Happy's eyes went wide and he turned around and glanced at Natsu.
"But, Natsu just said—"
"He wasn't lying." Gray looked away, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry. If we did nothing, this tower would explode and we'd all die. And sure, someone else could take his place, but no one else knows how to activate this spell. Even if they did, who would you choose to give that damn curse to, Happy? Zeref could do it, but if he's activating it, there's only one sacrifice he'll allow."
The cat shook his head. "No. No, I'm not gonna let him!" Happy jumped up, trying to take off without Natsu. Reacting quickly, Gray stood and reached out for him, barely managing to grab his tail to pull him back towards the boat. "Let me go! I'm not gonna let Natsu die! I hate you for just sitting here and letting it happen Gray!"
"Happy, stop it!" Gray glared at the cat, while Lucy stared at them with wide eyes. "Do you think that's what I want either?" The cat turned back towards him, his eyes filled with tears. "Calm down and think for a minute. This spell is meant to bring Zeref back to life, so even if it does kill him, he'll come right back." The cat frowned, staring at his feet. "And once he comes back, I doubt he'll just leave Natsu—" Gray broke off, not really wanting to say it out loud.
"You're sure?" Happy looked up at him, his wings fading away. "He'll bring Natsu back? Make sure Natsu isn't gone?" He couldn't meet the cat's eyes. Gray knew nothing about this magic, which meant it was entirely possible Zeref couldn't resurrect someone twice. Still, he found himself nodding. It was the only thing that was keeping him calm right now too.
"I'm sorry, I'm a little confused. It sounds like you're saying Natsu will die when Zeref dies." Lucy stared at them, and Gray glared out at the ship.
"We are." Gray turned towards her, meeting her wide brown eyes. "I don't have all the details, but to put it simply, Natsu's one of Zeref's demons. The idiot was too dense to even know what he was until I spelled it out for him at that tower."
"Natsu can't be a demon." She glanced over at him, taking a slow breath and shaking her head. "He's a normal guy, who loves to fight and is way to reckless and impulsive. There's nothing about Natsu that seems abnormal. I mean, even the demons on Galuna Island look like demons."
"But they also have that human form they can use too, Lucy." Happy looked over at her. "I mean, that makes them seem normal too, doesn't it?"
The celestial wizard bit her lip, shaking her head as she stared at Natsu. Gray didn't know if the dragon slayer had heard their conversation or not thus far, but he didn't look like he was in a good position to comment on it either. "Oh god, so he really would die with Zeref?" Lucy pressed a hand to her chest, taking in a slow breath. "That's why you were so determined to stop him before! The last time we were here, it made no sense for you to run off after him for just the demons on Galuna. But if Natsu was at risk, then it makes so much more sense."
Nodding, Gray frowned. "Yeah. That's pretty much it."
Still, he had no idea how the spell was going. Zeref's mind had been quiet since Gray returned and Natsu seemed to be doing just fine. He figured the black wizard was getting absorbed like Erza had been, but he didn't know the specifics of the spell to be certain. Watching the tower wasn't going to give him answers, not with where Zeref was. So, he had to settle on watching Natsu, making sure the dragon slayer was alright to confirm that Zeref was as well.
When the spell began to activate, it seemed to be too much for Zeref's mind to stay completely silent. Gray felt a sudden sensation of intense pressure and heat surrounding him. Immediately, it was followed by a rapid sensation of everything dulling until Zeref's body was numb. It didn't take long for Zeref's other senses to fade away with it. The energy surrounding Zeref then forced the man to fall sleep, blocking Gray from seeing anything further. Gray's fists tightened, his gaze lingering on Natsu with a scowl on his face. The dragon slayer only groaned again, holding his stomach, but the spell wasn't over yet. None of this would be over until either Natsu died, or Zeref returned.
He sat in silence for a few moments longer, with Lucy and Happy being just as tense as him. There was really nothing to be done to stop this, if it was going to happen. Yet, Gray still couldn't help but feel like he'd be losing so much if this went wrong. He inhaled slowly, trying to go back to the optimism he'd been fighting to hold on to. That was easier to manage, compared to this.
Eventually, the glow of the tower began to fade and it returned to its former state, likely an indication of the completed spell. Natsu still rested on deck, breathing calmly. Ur and Lyon seemed to notice the shift, looking over at it as well. "Looks like it didn't actually kill him then." Lucy smiled, nodding. "Good. I was getting concerned with the way you were talking."
Maybe. Gray still didn't hear the man's thoughts again. Yet, Zeref also had a habit of being quiet about everything. It took a few more moments for that to change. Gray felt disorientation come through and confusion about where he was. Yet, Zeref figured out his answer soon enough. Gray…it appears as if it expended all of its energy in an attempt to complete the sacrifice. Well, Zeref at least knew more details than Gray would. It does seem as if I properly designed it to make the death relatively painless as well. I feel perfectly fine, unlike some of my other attempts…never mind. He stopped, though Gray knew what he'd been about to go into. It might be best for me to remain elsewhere, given your current course of action. I've been losing control too frequently and even now…
You just come back from a potentially deadly situation and that's what you want to jump into?
I'm focusing on the plan. Zeref was quiet, his thoughts heavily controlled. I want this curse gone, as soon as we can manage it. If it means isolation for the time being, so be it. I can answer questions from a distance and speak with you like before. I will personally rejoin if it becomes necessary—
No. Gray shook his head. We work together as a team, Zeref. This is your task too, not just ours. Plus, I don't exactly like having to repeat everything you say to the others. They think it's weird when I just stop and start talking to you like this.
It is perfectly normal though. Telepaths communicate like this normally, so it isn't even technically an aspect of magic that'd be considered dark magic.
Well, doesn't change the fact that I look like I'm talking to myself. Gray sighed, glancing around. If you lose control again, I can always…give you a break for a bit, if you need it. Not that I'm all that fond of using that sort of magic myself.
I'll be sure to let you know then, I suppose. Zeref grew quiet, pausing. Is there a particular reason beyond that which pushed you to want me there in person? While I can grasp some of your logic, they seem more like mild irritations than anything else.
Gray didn't exactly have an answer either. He just knew that he wanted Zeref here, working on this by his side. As strange as it was, he enjoyed having the black wizard around. He might be a little annoying at times, but the guy was smart and he always managed to stay calm and level headed when they needed to be that way. Though, what exactly did that mean for wanting him around? I mean, I guess I need someone to help me figure out this new magic I gained. You never got the chance to explain it before.
Right. Zeref paused, though he felt a bit more light-hearted than before. The man seemed to be in a good mood or something. Would you mind clearing away an area of the ship then? If I am returning, I think it would be best to ensure I can be isolated amongst all of you.
"Hey, guys, let's head over to Lyon and Juvia." Gray rose to his feet. "Zeref's coming back and he might need some space at the moment."
"Is his curse still acting up?" Lucy frowned at him, but Gray nodded. "Oh. Wow, I thought he said it usually only lashes out for a few hours at most. It's been almost an entire day now."
Yeah, it had been. I have a lot of…unusual topics on my mind right now. Control isn't something I'm hugely concerned with quite yet. If the situation worsens, perhaps then I will be more worried.
"I'll get Natsu since he doesn't seem like he'll be up for walking." Happy picked up the ill dragon slayer and they made their way over to the others, clearing away one side of the ship. Lyon gave Gray a nod as he approached, frowning and dropping their old conversation. Ur glanced at him, before looking away. Juvia just kept her gaze locked on Lyon, shooting Lucy a quick glare before returning her focus to him.
"What brings you over here?" Ur frowned. "I figured you'd be off moping about Zeref, given how attached you'd gotten."
"In case it isn't obvious, Zeref's not dead." Gray crossed his arms over his chest, nodding over towards Natsu. "If Zeref dies, so does Natsu, and clearly, this idiot is still around." The dragon slayer helpfully groaned in response. "He's coming back to the ship. With the way his curse has been, he wanted some space."
"And what then?" Lyon frowned, glancing over at that space. "Will he still cooperate and move forward as we planned? You need to be ready to infiltrate Grimoire Heart if we are to find further answers."
"He'll help." Gray saw the black magic appear on the deck, indicating Zeref had returned. It slowly faded, along with Zeref's thoughts, as the man seemed to start calmly meditating throughout the outburst. "It just might take a moment, given that."
"Well, he's already shown that he's willing to help sometimes, right?" Lucy glanced around at them. "I mean, he stopped the tower from exploding with all that energy and he also found a way to bring Jellal back to his senses. Seems like Erza's pretty happy about that and I can't say I'm not relieved to have their team off of our backs."
She did. Erza was smiling happily with all of them, making Gray wonder exactly what sort of history she had with this place and them. Yet, he hadn't exactly been a sharing person either, so he couldn't blame her for the silence. "Aye. That darkness magic was scary. I couldn't see a thing." Happy landed near them. "So, are they gonna be helping us too?"
"We haven't spoken with them yet." Ur frowned. "And to be honest, I don't think any sane person would willingly want to help with this. Maybe Zeref has shown some willingness to actually intervene for a change, but it doesn't change years of history, or what brought us to this moment in the first place." She glanced over at Gray. "He wants us to sacrifice ourselves for him. Every action he takes is meant to serve his own interests and nothing more. Forget that and you'll get even more hurt than you can imagine when he betrays us in the end."
"If we actually get rid of his curse, he won't have a reason to start the war you're trying to subtly reference, Ur." His former master blinked in surprise at Gray, staring at him with wide eyes.
"I still can't believe he told you about that," Ur said. Gray shrugged. "It makes no sense. Or…maybe it does, given the fact that he wants you to hate him."
"Didn't I say I no longer was fond of that plan?" Zeref interrupted, making Gray turn to see him standing in the distance, watching them. "I prefer your current course of action, if it can be made possible. Which is why I am here, actually." His gaze flickered towards Gray. "I intend on taking us back to Fiore, for training. While it will not be extensive, given your purpose, I assume it would be easier to manage on land where there is more…room to keep our distance."
There was a slight throbbing in his head from the curse, making Gray frown. He'd only just gotten control back and it was already acting up? Something must really have gotten Zeref to think about his values then. "I'll be navigating then." Ur looked over at him. "No offense, but I still don't trust you farther than I can throw you. And considering the fact that I can't even get close enough to grab you without dying—" Ur trailed off.
Zeref smiled and tilted his head. "Oh, that is not surprising. I didn't expect my actions here to change everyone's opinions of me that drastically." Zeref paused, looking over at Gray and then at Natsu. "Really, there were only a few I had hoped to make some form of peace with."
"Hold on, can we back up a few seconds?" Lucy glanced between them. "This is the second time Gray has brought up your war plans and you still haven't bothered to explain a thing about them. Are you seriously still going to attack Fairy Tail? Is there something more we don't know about that explains how we even relate to your curse?"
Meeting her gaze, Zeref nodded. "The more time we spend together, the more you may come to predict about such plans. Already, you've met August…he alone should have remained hidden, but the situation warranted an…expert, of sorts, in dealing with such matters."
"August? You mean the elderly man that freed Jellal?" Lyon frowned, watching as Zeref nodded. "You have strange connections. I had wondered where he came from and why he chose to help us."
Zeref didn't respond, only silently gazed over at Gray. With a sigh, the ice wizard turned towards his former rival. "He's got some crazy loyalty to Zeref. It's not even like the cult-worship we normally see."
"Wait, that man is loyal to you and only you?" Zeref nodded at Ur, who looked slightly pale. "That's—" She didn't add much for a while, turning to look away. "impressive, I suppose."
"I did nothing to warrant such loyalty, nothing that I can recall, at least." Zeref frowned, before slowly shaking his head. "Regardless, if you still feel the need to observe, I am going to begin our travels back to Fairy Tail's guild hall. You are welcome to intervene as you see fit, since you clearly possess some ability to navigate and operate a ship."
"It was useful to know, when I could hardly make enough to cover my bills let alone travel for work."
"Were you a guild wizard growing up?" Ur nodded and Zeref frowned. "Right…I suppose that would have placed you working around the time that magical trinkets and the like became more easily accessible to the public. The market for those soared, while in contrast, fewer people hired wizards due to the foolish belief that there'd be a magical item to solve any problem. Those without magic simply fail to realize how limited such things can become."
Gray looked at Lyon, who shrugged. It seemed like he didn't know much about Ur's past as a wizard either, though it wasn't like either of them had been old enough to bother asking. "That's none of your business." Ur shook her head, walking past Zeref and ignoring his words.
"Perhaps it is not." Zeref watched her, his expression impassive as Ur grew more irritated with him. "Yet, I thought it would be a slightly less…tense topic to discuss, given your distrust. I could ramble on about pointless tales from my history as well, if you'd prefer. Working in silence just seems…worse, in a way. I'm attempting to be…well, to, work with a team. It isn't an experience I am used to."
Ur snorted. "What, used to handling everything on your own?"
"Either that, or delegating." Ur frowned at him, while Zeref shrugged. "When you have a reputation like mine, it is easy to persuade others to do as you wish without personally being involved."
Yet, he didn't mention his leadership role like he had with Gray. Was he trying to paint himself in a dark light then? Still, Ur sighed, glancing back at the others. Gray had been following them, with Lyon doing the same, but he realized it might have been rude to join in on their conversation a bit belatedly. "Look, I don't want you pretending, alright?" Ur turned back towards Zeref. "We're not friends and you don't know a thing about me, so I suggest you back off and just let me work through this so we never have to see each other again."
Zeref was quiet, before he turned away. "Maybe…maybe that's not what I want to happen either." It was hard to hear and Gray questioned if he'd misheard or something. Was Zeref saying he didn't want to work in silence? Or was he actually saying he wanted to stick around even after his curse was gone? Yet, Zeref sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "Never mind. Forget I even tried to mention it."
That light mood from before seemed to be fading, making Gray frown. He glanced between them, before sighing and stepping forward just slightly. "Oh, and Zeref?" The black wizard turned towards him. "Thanks for keeping your promise, I guess. It's good to still have you around."
Zeref smiled faintly, nodding towards him. "I don't recall making any promise…but nonetheless, I suppose I did return."
"Really? You're gonna get that picky about things?"
"I am. I don't make promises I am not confident I will be capable of fulfilling." Zeref stared at him and Gray felt himself wanting to almost smile about it, despite trying to remain annoyed. "It is quite similar to lying in a way, making an empty promise that is. Lies only lead to further conflict and I've seen more than enough conflict in my life. If something as simple as being honest and careful with my words can prevent such things, it is obvious what I should do."
"Well, at least that explains his blunt honesty." Lyon shook his head. "Yet, I still cannot imagine the reason behind why a war with Fairy Tail would stop your curse, or why someone who hates so much conflict would consider such a thing."
For a moment, Zeref's eyes locked on the tower they were starting to move away from. He had stiffened, and his expression had gone dark. "Because…I've come to the conclusion that I will only find peace in death. Conflict will always surround me, when history only remembers me for things such as this…this and the destruction caused by my demons."
None of them knew what to say to that. Even Ur had stopped, her gaze locking on the back of his head. Yet, the black wizard shook his head, turning back to navigating the ship quickly. "Hey." Ur seemed to rub the back of her head, gazing out at the water. "Rather than bringing all of our moods down with morbid talk like that, why don't you go ahead and share one of those stupid pointless stories you talked about. If you have to talk, I'd prefer something a bit more light-hearted than this."
Zeref glanced over at her, before he smiled faintly and nodded. "Well…I suppose it might be fitting to discuss my path towards creating the R-System, given the conflict we just emerged from. It was one of my first designs of a spell that could resurrect the dead, and I had made it after years of study at my former school…" Zeref's tale continued on, describing the different branches of magic he had studied and combined to come up with the design for the tower. Overall, the technical side of things was definitely not Gray's forte in terms of understanding. However, it was a neutral subject that kept them calm and passive as they traveled onward, towards Fiore and away from the darkness that tower had inspired.