By the time the curse slowed down, the others had already returned back to the remainder of the group. Zeref looked off towards where the gods had gone, before turning away to catch up with the wizards. Whatever that ice spell meant to them was irrelevant to the current situation. It would be more beneficial to continue researching Gray and see if the others had any thoughts on where to begin the search for a solution.

Ur and Natsu were both in the tent where Gray was resting when Zeref returned. The ice mage sent him a glare. "So, you're back to helping again, huh?"

"Even I can make impulsive decisions at times." Zeref met her gaze calmly. "Are you truly going to let your distrust for me outweigh your concern for Gray, however? If Lyon has had the chance to explain the situation, you should understand that this sort of state lies directly within my area of expertise."

"Not if I can't trust that you won't just hasten the process." She looked over at Natsu. "After all, your original plan was to make him into a more traditional demon. It isn't like any of us could stop you even if we wanted to."

"Actually, there likely are some individuals at this camp that are capable of stopping me." He tilted his head. "In fact, you likely could accomplish it depending on how determined you were." He frowned, realizing how his words would sound. "Not that I am meaning to imply you should use iced shell. I just…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "Perhaps I am getting off track. It has been a long day and I was hoping to find a few more answers before leaving things be for now."

Natsu looked over at him, frowning. "What else did you need to know? Sounded like you figured out a lot already."

"Hardly." Zeref shook his head, kneeling down next to Gray. He paused, frowning at him for a moment before he moved any closer. "Natsu…I may have a strange request of you, if you're willing." He turned towards the dragon slayer. "Would you please allow Gray to borrow your scarf for just a moment as a precaution? I am likely to remain focused on the technical aspects of this magic, but I'd prefer to not take such a risk at this time."

The boy pressed a hand to the fabric against his neck, narrowing his eyes. "The scarf?" Then, he blinked. "Right, it became black and kept me alive before."

Zeref nodded. "Gray's pendant…would technically offer a similar protection." His eyes flickered towards Ur. "Yet, he is also in a situation where that tool can be abused. Given what I've seen of it, allowing that necklace to absorb a high concentration of my curse would be ill advised."

"I mean, you're gonna need to be pretty close to him for this, aren't ya?" Zeref nodded and Natsu dragged a hand through his hair. After a moment, he scowled but slowly nodded and began to unwind the fabric. "Fine. But just for a little bit - you better promise you're not gonna intentionally make it black again too."

Giving him a small smile, Zeref inclined his head in agreement. "Thank you. I know it means a lot to you." Natsu didn't respond. Instead, the boy approached the other side of Gray, gently wrapping it around the ice mage's neck. Then, he scooted back and frowned over at Zeref. "You don't mind if we stick around, right? 'Cus we're gonna be asking you questions when you're done anyway."

He nodded, leaning forward and lifting a hand to hover over Gray. "That's fine. So long as you're able to be quiet and allow me to focus, there is no harm."

Ur snorted. "Yeah, so long as you actually mean him no harm."

He didn't exactly have a strong argument against her, given what she'd seen. So, instead, Zeref inhaled slowly and began focusing again. Earlier, he'd focused on the curse power - he'd been invested in an answer as to what Gray was becoming. Now, he needed to begin the path to the more complex question of how. As a demon, Gray's existence violated the core principle of being tethered to the energy of another living being. It simply wasn't a situation he anticipated being feasible for a man-made living being. To start, he supposed there would be little harm in performing a similar analysis of his current magical energy. Enhancing his magical aura again, Zeref allowed himself to focus on its weakened flow.

"Did you just mess with his magical aura?" Ur frowned.

"Not quite." Zeref sighed, opening his eyes. "It enhances its…presence, for lack of a better term. Think of it as the opposite to the spell wizard's use to conceal their presence from others."

"Wait, people can do that?" Natsu frowned. "I don't get why either even matters."

"Concealing one's energy helps if you're attempting to be a bit more subtle in your actions." Ur looked over at Gray, her brow furrowing. "That doesn't feel right, if all you did was enhance it like that. Do you have any proof that it isn't doing anything else?"

He didn't have time for distractions like this. Rather than answering, he enhanced the curse power as well, just so she could see the warring energies even if she lacked the understanding on what they were. "It's being exhausted and overwhelmed right now. Now, please be quiet so I can focus."

The older ice mage's eyes were wide, staring at Gray. "What is—"

"Hey, stop it." Natsu glared at her. "Zeref said he's gotta focus, alright? Ask him questions later."

"Says the loudest person in our entire group."

"Not when someone's life depends on me being quiet!" Natsu glared at her, before his eyes widened. "Sorry. I—"

"I'll manage. Just…at least try to keep things in mind." Zeref looked over at Ur. "For what I'm doing, I need to deactivate the second spell. That was so you could see a demonstration of the full situation and is irrelevant to what I'm looking at. It will…muddle things, when combined into this sort of analysis."

Slowly, she nodded and leaned back. When he saw that, he removed the enhancement on Gray's curse power and returned his focus to the weakened flow of ethernano in his body. Thus far, it was as he'd expected. The core of his magic was still there, but gradually fading. Some energy flowed through his veins, but it was at a far weaker level than that of a normal wizard.

Zeref could feel a small expelling of that energy as well, flowing towards Natsu through the tether Zeref had altered to connect to Gray at the end of Acnologia's attack. He frowned at that, debating if reverting it back to himself would be considered dabbling in living magic or not. While it would not be by much, it would at least have a minor delay on the transformation. Still, before he finished the thought, Zeref felt a second unusual flow for his energy.

At first glance, it was almost unnoticeable. Magical energy flowed as part of one's circulation so it had almost a natural pace and pattern to how it moved. It was relatively rapid and difficult to track, much like it would be confusing to attempt to track a single drop of blood as it flowed throughout one's veins and capillaries. Yet, there was one pathway that was unusual. It wasn't nearly as rapid of a flow as the others and it seemed like once any level of energy fell onto that pathway, it never found a path to return to the chest before circulating again.

Pressing a hand to Gray's skin, Zeref narrowed his eyes and attempted to focus on that pathway. He traced it slowly, trying to follow it as far as it would go. Oddly, there wasn't just an empty pool of energy at its end either. When Zeref's finger was just hovering over Gray's stomach, he waited to try and feel anything shift at all. There was supposed to be something there…but then his eyes widened.

Not moving his hand, Zeref once again enhanced the flow of curse energy. He'd thought investigating the ethernano flow would reveal nothing but a potential timeline, but now his heart was pounding. Underneath his finger, Zeref felt what had been lacking when he only had magical energy to focus on. Where his hand was seemed to be the place where his demonic core had formed. Curse power was abundant and pooling there, likely being converted over from the ethernano he'd sensed before.

"The tether…" His voice trailed off as a chill filled him. For a moment, he could focus on nothing but that weakened magical energy in Gray. If this had been a dragon slayer, he would have given them maybe a month at most before the transformation finished. Yet, Gray's magic had deteriorated fast and it seemed to have had a visible weakening between this morning and now. With that, he'd give Gray only a matter of days at most before it finished.

Just a few days. In a few days, Gray's ethernano would be completely overridden by curse power. Demons relied on that power as almost a form of life energy, akin to ethernano for a wizard. That energy required a constant, yet weak, flow of ethernano to truly form and grow in the body. Gray…Gray's transformation was not like the others. In just a few days, Gray would be dead.

Immediately, Zeref ripped his hand away and shoved himself backwards. His eyes flickered towards Natsu's scarf, letting out an exhale when he saw the scales remained white. Closing his eyes, he remained still. The flowing energies still filled his focus, reminding him of the truth. Days. He had days to find an answer. Days to obtain Fairy Heart if necessary. Days to locate a constantly moving time rift. Days…to resolve the energy issue to save both Gray and his brother.

"Hey, is everything alright?" Natsu frowned, looking over at Gray. "It does kinda feel different there. I mean, there's a lot of that colder stuff there. The warm stuff just feels like it's dying."

Well, Natsu at least had some level of distinction between the two energies. "I…" He hesitated, uncertain of what to even tell them. Did it matter if they knew the truth? There wasn't anything either of them could do about it. Closing his hand into a fist, Zeref leaned his head back. "I missed something vital to my understanding of the situation is all."

"So, you're saying you told Lyon the wrong thing then?" Ur frowned. "You make it look like that's a bad thing. I'd say that it's great news if you were wrong about him turning into a demon."

His chest ached and he felt the curse threaten to explode. Swallowing, he emptied his thoughts as quickly as he could. Now was the time for detachment to a minor degree. He could deal with the aftermath of ignoring the rest later, now that he mentally understood he had reasons for working in a team. "It isn't." He looked over at Ur. "And…I suppose it isn't quite inaccurate, what I told Lyon. Based on what I can tell of the difference between the state of his energy earlier and now, I'd estimate approximately 18 hours before the transformation is complete." It could take longer, but he wouldn't dare risk overestimating their deadline right now.

"Eighteen? Wait, he's gonna be a demon that quickly?" Natsu's voice. Hearing it now was not helping him maintain his detachment.

"Don't ask me questions." Zeref refused to look at the boy. "I…I'm sorry. I know that is rude, but…I cannot allow myself to think right now. I—" He inhaled slowly, pressing a hand to his hair. There had to be something he could do, anything really.

"Spit it out then." Ur glared at him. "So what if it happens sooner? We just have to fully reverse the transformation rather than stop it."

"We won't be able to." He swallowed. "Neither of you would be."

"Just because your friend said so doesn't make it true!" Natsu wasn't listening. Natsu was so determined and still so young. He'd failed his brother again and now he'd failed yet another person he cared for. They were all dying and he couldn't do anything. He — "We're going to find a way to—"

"Gray will be dead the moment the transformation is completed." He couldn't listen to Natsu speak anymore. Everything was too much, even with the words spoken out loud. Yet, now that he had, it wouldn't stop. "Demons require a living source of energy - a wizard - to act as a tether of sorts for their existence. Most rely on my energy for that and I don't think much of it. Well, they did at least."

"Did?" Ur frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Irrelevant." Zeref inhaled slowly, taking a moment to gather himself. He'd gotten through the worst of it, right? He told them the truth of his situation. "I'm sorry. I likely shouldn't explain more."

"Like hell you won't!" Ur was on her feet. "I was content to let you ramble on for your explanation, but there's no way you're giving us nothing. You do not make a claim like that about my student without something to back it up."

"He's his own tether." Zeref stared at Gray's body. "You can sense it too, if you focus on it." He could still see it now, as if realizing it had highlighted the pathway even from a distance. "His magical energy - 'warm' energy as Natsu called it - is flowing into the source of his curse power and vanishing. The transformation required a tether to form…" Then, a sinking feeling hit his stomach. The ache no longer mattered as one thought with no real backing filled his mind. I taught his body how to form this link. If I had never tethered Natsu to him, his energy would never have been able to understand—

"Then we just need to get him a different energy source." Natsu grinned. "That'll be easy! We can just do what Laxus did and give him a lacrima, right? I mean, maybe not a dragon slaying one, but it'll keep a store of magical energy in his body."

Would a lacrima suffice for a tether? He supposed on a technical standpoint, it could. Yet, it was a risky source. Demons needed fluctuating levels of power, depending on their level of usage of magic. A lacrima would have a finite energy source, unlike a wizard. Combined together would mean that it would be very easy for Gray to kill himself by simply activating too much magic.

"That sort of process wouldn't replace his magic, Natsu." Ur looked over at Gray. "More accurately, we just need to find another wizard to be his tether for the time being. That should be simple enough."

"I can't." His hands dug into his legs as he closed his eyes. "I—that would be a form of living magic, to alter that connection."

"So? That's the very magic you invented. You can't honestly tell me it takes too much energy like it does to make a brand new demon."

The offer was so tempting and so simple. Yet, Gray had worked so hard for this. Zeref had his chance at freedom from this curse. "There has to be another way."

Ur stepped closer to him. "Are you honestly saying no?" Her hands were in fists as well as she approached. "After everything he did for you, you're going to just sit back and watch him die? Was your supposed 'friendship' worth so little?"

"It means everything to me!" Zeref snapped, rising to his feet. "You have no idea how few people I've ever been able to find in my life that make even the slightest attempt to understand me, Ur! No idea how isolating it is to intentionally treat people like nothing more than toys. Like players in a game you alone manipulate. All because you know that if you care you will only be rewarded with more pain and suffering, just like now!"

She stepped forward, slapping him harshly. Zeref's eyes widened, alarmed. His body froze, watching her carefully to ensure she kept moving after such a reckless action. "Then do something and don't just stand there! You don't have to suffer if you just—"

"If I do, I'll just have to go through this again and again, the endless cycle always repeating and never ending." He inhaled slowly, closing his eyes. "Gray…did everything for me. He found a pathway for me to remove my curse. Ankhseram is here even and more willing to consider the idea than I ever imagined she would be. However, if I start toying around with the balance of life and death - intentionally using living magic or death magic - that chance will vanish. I…Gray's life isn't…"

Zeref pressed a hand into his hair, sucking in a sharp breath. "So, that's what it comes down to for you." Ur stared at him, her voice calmer than he wanted to be hearing right now. "Lifting your curse really was worth sacrificing Gray all along. Nice to see I was right about you the entire time."

No. Zeref took a step back, pain shooting through his head like lightning. Immediately, he teleported out of the tent and far into the forest. The curse burst outward like a storm as he fell to the ground, his fingers curling into the soft strands of his hair as he let out a scream into the air. Yet, all of this was…wasting precious time. He couldn't stop the pounding in his chest, the aching certainty that somehow he'd caused all of this. However, he could begin running through some calculations and theories on new spells. Somewhere, there would have to be a means of creating a magic based solely on energy manipulation. With that…he could buy some time. All he needed was just a single spell to start and he'd have a chance. So, he requiped a notebook and began to write down his notes.


Lyon arrived at the tent with Ur at her request. "Zeref is abandoning any chances we have at saving him because of his damn curse." She was glaring down at Gray while Lyon was wondering if he might be going mad. Around his former peer seemed to be a very apparent network of flowing energy, almost projected into the very room around them. Natsu was hardly reacting to it and neither did Ur, so he supposed it related to something Zeref had done.

"He isn't lying about what using this sort of magic would do to him based on what I heard." He frowned. "The gods are still invested in some personal conversation of their own as well. This isn't a matter we can ask them about either."

"Then what can we do?" Natsu glared at Gray's still form. "Damn it! I'm related to him so I should be able to figure this stuff out too, right? I don't care about some stupid curse. If it saves Gray then we can go on another mission to free me too!"

"Maybe we can figure it out." Lyon blinked, recalling they had others to help. "Let me go bring in Ultear and Meredy. If anyone would have theories on containing demons and their energy, it would be one of our former dark wizards."

Soon, he was returning with the two girls. The tent was getting crowded with all of them, but Gray still had enough room with them crowding into the corners of the space. "I was told you wanted to consult with us regarding demons?" Meredy frowned.

"Zeref would be your better option," Ultear said.

Ur snorted. "Yeah, well, he's running away from his problems instead of finding an answer." There was a dark look in her eyes as she stared down at Gray. "I probably shouldn't believe him now, but if he's right then I'll be blaming myself for not acting."

"Believing him about what?"

"He claims that Gray's transformation is deadly." Lyon looked over at them. "Ultimately, if we can somehow establish a means of fueling Gray's demonic half with energy, we should be able to save him."

Ultear was focusing on Gray with a frown. Lyon wondered if she sensed the same thing he did about the flowing aura around the boy. It was just a confusing mess to really look at for long so Lyon was doing his best to simply disregard it for now. Yet, the time mage slowly turned towards them with wide eyes. "This…you're trying to mimic a flow like this?"

"Wait, you can decipher that mess?" Ur frowned. "I mean, I can somewhat get some of an idea but following it is difficult to manage."

Nodding, Ultear focused on Gray. "It is as close to an understanding of healing magic as most older texts got. Magical energy flow can display much about a person's health so observing it could often lead to diagnosing an underlying health issue." She reached out, hovering a hand over his body. "His energy is dying. Magic Deficiency Syndrome…yet it is flowing outward towards you for some reason." Her eyes narrowed at Natsu.

"Wait, me?" Natsu looked around the room. "That doesn't make sense. Why would Gray be giving me his energy?"

The room was quiet with no one having an answer for Natsu's question. "He has a second deviation as well," Meredy added. "It flows into…this other energy that I'm less familiar with." She looked over at the group. "Regardless of what we're trying to replace, this would be a complex process. Energy that is in a flowing state like this doesn't typically…move, for lack of a better term. Attempting to use one of us to replace either of these…you'd have to avoid the split second where no connection exists."

"Did Zeref at least provide a time estimate?" Ultear sat down, staring at the unconscious mage.

"Eighteen hours." Ur glared at the ground, slowly shaking her head. "I just cannot watch this happen. I've only ever wanted to protect my two students - letting this happen—"

"It's alright." Ultear offered her a small smile. "I understand. They were there for you when you needed someone." Ur slowly nodded, giving her daughter a smile as well. Then, they looked away. "Meredy, begin experimenting with your links. Perhaps you would have some means of supplementing this connection with them."

"Do I have a volunteer to work with me?" Her eyes flickered towards the others. "This will be me experimenting with my magic so I will say that it is possible I cause some form of discomfort or pain in the process."

"I'll do it." Ur offered. "If it'll help, I'm all for it."

Nodding, Ultear pulled out a small book. "Then I will start seeing if I have any notes on lost magics that would help."

Together, they began to get to work, leaving Natsu and Lyon with little to do. The tent was relatively quiet with interruptions coming only from small discussions between Meredy and Ur as they worked. After some time had passed, Lucy and Erza stopped by. Natsu updated them on the situation and Lucy began summoning some cross-shaped celestial spirit she'd acquired to try and get some information. Yet, even the spirit had no true solution as it was heavily tied into a form of magic forbidden by the gods.

More of Meredy's companions joined them, coming from the group she'd invited along. That group was the one that forced Lyon and his friends to start waiting outside while Ultear, Meredy, and anyone making an attempt to help Gray remained inside. "I can try healing him," Wendy had offered. So, they'd gathered around and watched eagerly as Wendy attempted to work her healing magic on the boy. No change was seen in the active spells projecting his energy and Wendy had backed off to join their group that was waiting.

Ultimately, they exhausted themselves over the matter. Those that could helped with research or experimentation. Those that didn't waited nervously for answers. Overall, eighteen hours simply wasn't enough time to understand what this energy was, let alone how to fuel it.

As dawn began to rise on the new day, Lyon felt warmth begin to spread over his face. His eyes were heavy, drooping as he fought to stay awake so he could hear any sort of news from inside. Even now, the energy was still visible, the one sign he had of vitality in his former peer. Yet, just as he started focusing on that reminder again, it vanished. By his side, Natsu slumped over and collapsed on the ground. Lyon sucked in a sharp breath, reaching out to just sense for Gray's usual magical aura without enhancements. When he heard the sound of the first sob from inside, the truth settled in like the cold of a winter Lyon had not experienced in years now. Gray was gone and now, Lyon had lost the person that truly was driving him to find a new purpose in life. Gray was gone and now, Lyon had lost the man that was practically his own brother in all the ways that mattered.