Gray slept on the flight back to the refugees from Fairy Tail. When Invel woke him up, the sun was starting to rise and gave the campsite a brighter feel. The chill that stemmed from the curse power had grown since he fell asleep, though Gray could still at least manage to contain it for now. There was an odd sense of something restless under his skin, but magical energy could feel the same on occasion. It wasn't all that different, really.

Invel walked through the camp quickly, this time meeting no resistance from the wizards that were just beginning to wake. Only a few were early risers, with the woman with the sword from yesterday along with Mystogan and Mavis being some of the only ones awake. A stern man with glasses and white robes was working over a campfire, appearing to be preparing a meal for the others.

Spotting them, Mavis rose to her feet and walked over with a smile. "Gray! The others were worried when you didn't come back yesterday." She looked over and spotted Invel, holding out her hand. "And welcome to you as well! My name is—"

"Mavis Vermillion, founder of the guild known as Fairy Tail." Invel looked at her hand and shook his head. "My apologies, but I will refrain from taking your hand. I mean no offense, but my familiarity with your background has me wary of excess proximity to one such as yourself."

Slowly, some of the brightness faded from her eyes as Mavis lowered her hand. "I didn't realize it was that well-known." Her eyes flickered towards Gray as she frowned. "Exactly how did news of it spread? Usually, I self-isolated in times where it was excessively beyond my control."

"That is irrelevant to the current situation." Invel met her gaze calmly. "Can you direct us to your guild master? I would prefer to deal with this matter sooner rather than later."

Mavis frowned, looking between them without speaking. Letting out a sigh, Gray met her eyes. "Zeref told me about it, unintentionally. If you're worried about the others, I don't think most of Fairy Tail knows. Really, it should just be myself and my team."

Slowly, the first master nodded and took a deep breath. "Alright then." She looked over at Invel, forcing another small smile. "I suppose that will have to do for now. We can discuss your familiarity with me later." She pointed off towards some tents to her left. "Meredy went in that direction, as far as I could tell. She'll be happy to hear you are considering her appeal for assistance."

The general nodded at Mavis. "Thank you." He turned to leave, pausing and glancing at Gray. "As for you, don't overstep. When I say something is irrelevant, it means we are to drop the subject."

"How was that a problem?" Gray raised his eyebrows. "She asked a question about why people know personal details about herself. I think that's a valid concern."

"You clearly lack an understanding on how to focus on a single goal. Switching focuses frequently causes unnecessary delays." Invel shook his head, continuing on their path towards the tent Mavis pointed to. The former guild master had likely overheard some of the conversation but was now too far away to hear the rest. "Our concern is retrieving his majesty from Fiore. Outside concerns and personal matters are irrelevant to the goal of establishing this alliance you proposed for handling the situation."

"Well, they may seem like it to you, but we're likely going to be working together if this alliance does happen." Gray narrowed his eyes at the man. "Acting like you've got something to hide will only make that more difficult to manage in the long run."

"Then we'll deal with it when the situation calls for it." Invel paused outside of the tent they'd been directed towards, folding his arms behind his back and projecting his voice. "Hello? I am looking for Master Meredy of Crime Sorciére."

There was a pause before the flaps of the tent were shoved open. Yawning, the pink haired wizard stepped outside and blinked at the two of them. Her hair was down, the curls looking a bit disorganized as they hung over her shoulders. She seemed to have just woken up, based on the fact that she was also wearing nothing beyond a plain white nightgown. "Is there an emergency?" She rubbed her eyes, looking over at Gray. "I did not mean to cause trouble by bringing him here. Dimaria gave us instructions on the proper procedures to follow given our intended purpose of—"

"This does not relate to any improper procedures relating to your guild." Invel met her eyes. "We are, however, intending to keep Gray under a form of house arrest until we ascertain details on his majesty's current status. He has informed us that your guild was already making preparations to alleviate some of the current tensions within Fiore and I wished to meet regarding exactly what planning you had performed thus far."

"House arrest?" Now sounding more alert, Meredy frowned over at Gray. He was relatively free, for a prisoner, but her eyes still managed to land on the white bands locked around his wrists. "You've blocked his magic."

"Of course." Invel met her gaze calmly. "That is standard procedure. Now, can we move on and discuss strategy or shall I return to Vistarion to make plans without you?"

Shaking her head, Meredy stepped out of the tent completely. "No need. I suppose I was only concerned as I thought he'd be fighting on our side. Technically speaking, we are looking at facing the majority of Fiore's armed forces in this invasion."

"I see." The general frowned. "You anticipate that much of a reaction to our presence? I will admit, we are somewhat unaware of the full details. They have cut off interactions with most nations, though we have received reports that an internal conflict was the source of the strained relations."

"A dark guild took control of a reversal magic known as Nirvana." Meredy met Invel's eyes calmly. "They've turned Fiore's forces against itself and have been essentially acting as the new ruling entity for the last few years." Folding her arms over her chest, Meredy sat down in front of the tent. "Our greatest concern will be the activation of the spell during an invasion. The Oración Seis is not above targeting enemies at the last second with their newest weapon. While it can be destroyed, they have taken to using it scarcely to ensure it is always charged and ready to be used defensively."

"You've seen them do this?"

Meredy nodded. "Most of our rescue missions go pretty smoothly, but a few have resulted in some close-calls with Nirvana." Looking down at the ground, the woman frowned. "I want to say it was just a few months ago that we lost Rufus and Yukino. They were looking into a rumor on the location of a powerful lightning mage when they ran into Nirvana instead."

"What limitations does the spell possess?" Invel sat down on the ground with her. "And if you say it can be destroyed, what is necessary to do so?"

"The largest limitation is power." Meredy shrugged. "Once used, it takes at least twenty minutes to recharge and activate again. That's the time to strike, really, if you can manage to trick them into shooting off a shot without actually hitting someone."

For a moment, Invel looked thoughtful. Then, he slowly nodded. "That can be managed. I am confident that I know a few options to handle that sort of deception with ease." His eyes met the girl's calmly. "And the strike itself? I am aware that we will be facing interference from the wizards guarding it, but I do still need to know the main goal."

"Six lacrima power the spell and have a self-restoration cycle built into their functionality." Meredy leaned forward. "All of them must be destroyed simultaneously if we wish to succeed, though Brain will put his strongest members in charge of defending them."

"Very well." The ice mage looked over at Gray with a frown. "I cannot guarantee our assistance in the matter of this conflict. Based on this description and what I know of the situation, it sounds as if a rescue mission would be simpler and far less risky for our part. Any additional military action could be misinterpreted as an act of war. Relations with Fiore were already tense enough before this began - I do not have the right to escalate them without proper cause."

"But we can't just abandon them!" Meredy narrowed her eyes at the general. "The Oración Seis won't just stop with Fiore. Soon, they'll start invading the other countries of Ishgar. Then, they'll continue on to other continents."

"But all magic has its limits, even this reversal spell you speak of." Invel shook his head. "If I have learned anything over the years of service to his majesty, it is that there is a natural balance to all things. As all-powerful as this spell sounds, there must be a drawback to its use. Otherwise, the caster would be suffering from a punishment from some other deity who sees the spell as an infringement on their domain."

"You think this spell comes with a cost?" Gray frowned at him. "That doesn't exactly make a ton of sense. I mean, is there really a god of morality or something?"

"Are you truly going to question that, given what you know?" Invel shook his head. "The matter is quite simple. Anything that exceeds the normal bounds of magic must have a built-in cost to its use, or else it risks punishment." Gray frowned, but Invel continued on. "My belief is that this would be something similar to your guild's Fairy Law spell. In order to enact death on a wizard's enemies, the user's own life-force is consumed. For a reversal spell, the cost to swap morality of another would mean inching the caster's own mindset closer towards their opposite alignment."

"That would mean that over time, the Oración Seis would just…change their mind about their actions?" Invel nodded and Meredy frowned. "Actually, that makes some level of sense. I never could figure out what Brain wanted with this sort of spell in the first place." Her eyes flickered out towards the campsite. "He's suffered from a split personality for as long as I've known him. From my understanding, he uses magic to seal away the other personality. If Nirvana truly is exacting that sort of cost for its use, I imagine Brain is attempting to use it to instead change Zero's mentality."

"And if that is the case, then we are simply looking at a change in leadership more than anything else." Invel shook his head. "Governments fall all the time. This would not be so unusual. Alvarez needs to be prepared to offer assistance to either, so we do not strain ourselves excessively with a pointless war that would gain us nothing."

"And what if August is wrong?" Gray turned towards Invel calmly. "What if this Nirvana can actually influence Zeref right now? I get that whatever tests you've done have failed, but I doubt your 'tests' toyed around with magic that exacts a cost like this does. Seems like that's the sort of spell that reaches beyond the normal boundaries of magic, really."

The winter mage's brow furrowed. "Perhaps." He looked over at Meredy. "I will keep that in mind as we consider our options. There are some other internal discussions occurring on the matter as well, though they have yet to finalize their stance on the issue."

"At the very least, would you be willing to provide support through other means?" Meredy met his eyes. "Be it through strategy or weaponry, I am willing to accept whatever you can offer."

The general let out a sigh, looking out across the campsite. After a moment, he turned back towards Meredy. "Mavis Vermillion would be your ideal contact for such advice, based on my knowledge." The pink haired wizard frowned while Invel continued. "She is renowned for her victories during the trade wars. Additionally, she is a master of illusion magic - if anyone in your ranks could deceive them into firing Nirvana at a non-existent target, it would be her."

"And if you refuse to assist us, will you set Gray free to give us the chance to succeed?" Meredy met his eyes calmly. "He is a citizen of Fiore at this time. You have no authority over his actions."

"He's being held under suspicion of assassinating our emperor." The girl's eyes widened at his words. "As such, he is being held as something akin to a prisoner of war. Perhaps it may result in its own set of consequences, but I assure you, Alvarez will not be releasing him anytime soon so long as that suspicion remains."

"That—Gray wouldn't kill him."

"Yet, all of the signs remain to indicate he has died. Gray has openly admitted to attacking him with a powerful spell as well." Invel shook his head. "As of right now, further details are not relevant for you to know. All you need to understand is that he is viewed as dangerous and will not be allowed out of my sight until we are assured of his majesty's safety."

"It's alright." Gray gave Meredy a weak smile and shook his wrists gently. "This is nothing. We'll figure something out without me if it comes to it. It isn't like Lyon and Ur can't manage the same attacks I could do."

"But we need everyone we can get." Meredy glared at the general. "This is ridiculous. You're holding him under suspicion of a crime you have yet to even confirm."

"The very fact that Mavis Vermillion walks in her current state is all the proof we need." Meredy's look of confusion only deepened. "A bit of warning, given our attempt at a potential allegiance - that woman bears a curse that brings about death to all she cares for. It is the very same curse that had placed her into a catatonic state for nearly a century. Her revival can only mean that his majesty's magic is no more."

"Wait, Zeref's magic—" Meredy broke off, turning towards Gray with a frown. "Have you heard anything like this?"

"Yeah, I've seen enough to at least understand why they feel this way." Gray sighed. "There's a reason I said to let it go. Even I can't give them a good explanation as to what happened."

They were quiet for a moment, the tension still lingering. Gray closed his eyes, feeling even more restless now that he'd been awake for longer. The chilling energy that had been growing kept pushing outward, begging Gray to use it in any form at all. He grimaced at the sensation, rubbing at one of the bands on his wrist.

Without much warning, Invel pulled out a lacrima and started to walk away as he connected to someone else. With the ice mage further away from them, Meredy and Gray were left alone in the camp. "Are you really okay?" Meredy frowned at Gray, her eyes watching where Gray's hand was still fiddling with the cuff.

Realizing what he was doing, Gray dropped his arm and slowly nodded. "If it comes down to it…I can still fight." He looked over at Invel, seeing the man still engrossed in a conversation. Dropping his voice to a whisper, he focused on Meredy. "Remember how I once told you I almost tried to join your guild?" The girl looked thoughtful for a moment, before slowly nodding. "To do that, Zeref helped me learn a lost magic of sorts. These cuffs aren't doing a thing to block it." Gray tapped one with his finger. "If anything, they're actually making me more aware of it than ever. It's almost a challenge to not use it right now."

"That sounds dangerous on its own." Meredy frowned. "Suppression cuffs operate by cutting off the source of magic in a wizard's body. Whatever this lost magic is—"

"It doesn't rely on Ethernano for energy." Gray gave her a half-smile. "I can't say I'm all that familiar with it, but it wouldn't be the first time I've done something reckless. When you team up with a wizard like Natsu as often as I have, you start to learn how to improvise."

"And if you lose control? Invel does not strike me as a wizard who'd be forgiving for this sort of deception."

"I'll figure something out." Gray sighed, shaking his head. "It's better than nothing. Right now, I'd rather at least have this much."

"Then I will trust your judgement on the matter." Meredy nodded at him. "Don't be afraid to let me know if this starts to become a problem. I may not know exactly what sort of energy you're relying on, but I cannot say I like the sound of it growing to be so restless."

They were quiet for a few moments, looking over to watch as Invel finished his discussion. The winter mage returned, looking between both of them and letting out a sigh. "It sounds as if August's meeting with Irene has reached its conclusion." His gaze focused on Meredy. "Congratulations, Master Meredy. You have gained the allegiance you hoped for - Alvarez will be invading Fiore to destroy Nirvana before the week's end."

Lyon wasn't certain what he'd anticipated to hear regarding Gray when he returned. The announcement about the alliance with Alvarez wasn't it. However, the sight of the man being dragged around through camp with a stranger may have been at least slightly closer to his expectations. He'd woken up to the sight of Gray sitting alone near the general while Gray's captor spoke over a lacrima and avoided the remainder of their newfound group.

Approaching didn't seem like a wise plan, considering the stern looks the general shot anyone who so much as greeted the pair. As such, Lyon had found himself spending the day settling in. He'd gone on a hike to explore the area with Juvia, finding a small town with some shops to search through while Gray was gone. He'd told Gray's team about the discovery as well. Lucy had left with Natsu to see if the magic shops had any new celestial keys to enhance her magic and the two had yet to return. Erza had followed after them, invested in expanding her armor collection after hearing the town had quite an extensive selection at some of the more specialized stores Lyon had found.

With none of their main team here, Lyon found he was actually rather bored after the trip. Relaxing and talking with Juvia had been an enjoyable day, but at this point, he felt oddly drained. There were no exciting missions to take on. Zeref's curse couldn't be investigated at this point, Gray's guild wasn't triggering some new immediate disaster, and the supposed war had yet to really feel like something that was happening. Lyon hadn't found a chance to just stop and rest for years now.

"Is something bothering you, Lyon?" Juvia was resting next to him in the campsite. It had been a day since the announcement regarding their impending return to Fiore, but no real direction had been given so far. "Juvia thought we had a wonderful day together, didn't we?"

He nodded. "It was." Turning towards her, Lyon forced a smile that was quick to fade. After a moment, he closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "I apologize. Perhaps I'm simply not in the mood for much company." Juvia frowned, but did not offer much comment. When the silence continued on, Lyon dragged a hand through his hair. "This entire situation is absurd."

"Juvia is certain we will make it through this and return to our task soon enough."

"And after that?" Lyon gestured off into the distance where Sora and the other gods were still lingering. "We've already accomplished our primary objective. Over there is the person who gave Zeref his curse and based on their commentary, it is highly likely we have nothing more to do to free him." Shaking his head, Lyon glared over at Gray. "Start a rescue mission for Gray? I can't imagine Zeref won't handle that situation either. When all is finished, at least they'll have something to turn to. For me…I still don't have an answer."

"Was Lyon not considering joining a guild?"

"I don't know." Lyon scowled at the ground. "Ur thinks I should. Gray thinks I should follow him too." Letting out a huff, the ice mage shook his head. "My strength needs to come from myself, though. If I do as they say, it'll be no different than letting them take credit for my growth. The path to becoming stronger is out there and admittedly, a guild is an ideal way to accomplish that. I can see the appeal, along with the way working with other wizards can help someone grow." Lyon let out a sigh. "But what if that is the wrong move? What if there is some other means of improving myself that is better suited to my ideals? Guilds value friendship and bonds. As important as they are, I cannot deny that I prioritize my own improvement above such things, with friendships as an added bonus to such a path."

"Juvia can understand such concerns." She frowned, staring at her lap. "Her own guild held a similar mindset, before they attempted to take down Fairy Tail. She grew to master much about her water magic in that environment, but it also was a very lonely place. Juvia now makes others uncomfortable. She sees how Gray and the others react to her presence. Juvia wishes to make it better but she simply doesn't know what needs to change."

"Some do not operate well in an isolated environment." Lyon looked over at her, smiling softly and reaching out to take her hand in his own. "It is not something to see as a fault of your own. You act based on the wishes of your heart and for that to work well, you need to be surrounded by friends. In that sense, you fit in better with Fairy Tail than I ever would." Letting out a sigh, Lyon shook his head. "I may understand them and care for them as my comrades, but I cannot say I don't find frustrations from working in such a large group. People argue over pointless things and progress gets halted due to emotional complications. Working alone, one can act without the fear of how their team will react or be affected by such decisions."

"You neglect to realize there are impacts to the outside world, regardless of if you operate from within a team or alone," an older man with long black hair approached. He adjusted his glasses before offering Lyon a hand in greeting. "I do not believe I've met all of the new arrivals. My name is Lahar, former captain of the rune knights. I could not help but overhear your complaints as I passed by."

Realizing he'd likely bothered a few others nearby, Lyon attempted to speak a bit more quietly. "No one asked for your opinion."

Juvia frowned, taking Lahar's hand on Lyon's behalf. "Juvia is happy to meet you, Lahar. Her companion Lyon is simply upset by personal matters and is not the sort to share with strangers."

Nodding, the man shrugged. "Well, you don't have to share if you don't want. I can't say I haven't shared your opinion myself in the past though." Lyon frowned at the man, watching as the rune knight looked out at the camp. "There are pros and cons to every scenario. Different factors determine the ideal size of the group to handle any scenario. For example, do you truly think a single wizard could handle the war we are preparing for now?"

"Of course not. No man can take on an entire army alone."

"Precisely." Lahar nodded. "One does not have to enjoy working with a team to realize it is vital to understand how they operate. Rethink your perspective and perhaps our current situation will become more tolerable for you."

"I…" Lyon broke off, seeing Gray being pulled off again by the general from Alvarez. "This is just not how I expected things would turn out, I suppose. I always thought I knew where my life was headed. For a moment, I was torn off course. I thought I had started to get a grasp for what I wanted again." In a way, he still did. Proving his strength was an urge he simply couldn't ignore. He needed to be able to survive no matter his circumstances and surpass those that claimed he could not manage to do so. Yet, this group was far too much for him. Guilds were nonstop problems, one after the next. He needed stability in order to grow his strength — stability and clear expectations of what was to come.

"You're still young." The man nodded, patting his arm. "I'm certain you'll figure it out in time." Lahar rose to his feet, giving them a brief bow. "Once again, I apologize for the intrusion. I will leave you to your conversation and see if there are any updates on the situation for now."

Lahar began walking off towards Meredy's tent, offering no further advice. Lyon wondered if his instinct to react with harshness prevented a true conversation with the man. At the very least, the former rune knight hadn't written off Lyon's concerns. Perhaps he was justified to still be questioning his place, even if he had been growing comfortable with the idea of joining a guild before this whole dragon attack happened.

"Juvia does not think Lyon needs to join a guild if he does not want to." The water mage was quiet after Lahar left. "Juvia would be happy if Lyon decided he wanted to stop being a wizard altogether. All she wants is for Lyon to find what he enjoys in life and follow his heart."

"I know." He squeezed her hand, giving her a small smile. "As I said before, I think I might not be in the best of moods for company."

"Everyone gets upset. Juvia does not think Lyon has to pull away from others because he is feeling overwhelmed." The water mage touched her chest for a moment. "Juvia is also feeling the same. Things are moving quickly and Juvia still cannot quite imagine things have fallen so far from what we remember. We've lost years worth of time and Juvia cannot help but fear that means she is too weak to offer her support to those that were not frozen like her."

That was a concept he hadn't taken the time to consider at all. The world had moved on while they were trapped in that spell. Other wizards were growing and learning more, yet they all remained unchanged. "Alvarez doesn't seem to be leaving us out of the matter at least. Perhaps that means they see some level of potential in us." His eyes flickered towards his former peer, seeing Gray give him a nod as they approached.

"Good afternoon, Gray." Juvia smiled at the man, nodding towards the general as well. "And you as well, Invel. We are happy to have your assistance."

"Invel wants to spread word to expect some more visitors today." Gray folded his arms over his chest. "They've been refining the details of exactly what Alvarez is going to do regarding the situation and it sounds like the plan is to rely on the guild here." He was giving Invel a scowl with the words but offered no real objection.

"It is simply unavoidable given the situation." The general shook his head. "Alvarez needs to remain in a politically stable position regardless of the outcome. Offering a few of our most powerful forces to assist you will allow us to write off this event as the efforts of a singular guild rather than the efforts of our military as a whole. Given your intentions to return home when the matter is settled, there would even be little action needed on our part for repercussions as typical protocol would be demanding your guild disband with potential consequences for the guild master involved."

"You've got an entire damn army and you're concerned about politics?" Gray snapped before Lyon could even comment. "People's lives are on the line. My entire guild is going to risk their lives, in fact. Hell, I've been spending the last few months I remember investigating a way to help your emperor! And you respond with—"

"Gray!" Lyon stood up, slapping his former peer. This was absurd for him, though perhaps more had happened that he'd missed. "This is not the time for a debate neither of us are qualified to make. Unless you've gained some vast understanding of politics during our years of separation, I suggest you take a moment to think about your words."

Gray touched his cheek, blinking a few times and standing in silence. For a moment, Lyon wondered if he actually would continue his argument regardless of Lyon's words. Yet, the other ice-make wizard only let his hand drop, closing into a fist by his side. "Sorry." His tone was still angered and lacked the sincerity of his usual apologies.

Invel sighed, shaking his head and turning towards Lyon after a moment. "I am relieved to hear that there will be some measure of understanding regarding our limitations in this invasion of yours."

"Juvia is grateful for any help Alvarez can provide." She smiled at the man. "Fiore is her home and all she wants is to ensure things can return to how she last remembers them to be."

"You were part of the group that has been trapped in Fairy Sphere then?" Juvia nodded. "Mavis informed me of the details when I requested information on the guild members here. I cannot say things will be the same, but we will do what we can to destroy the dark magic controlling those residing in your home at the very least. Our emperor is depending on us to do so."

"And once he proves Gray's innocence, our companion will be released?" Lyon narrowed his eyes. "I may not agree with his argument against your level of assistance, but I will stand against an unjust imprisonment of my friend."

"Of course." Invel frowned. "I am not attempting to do anything other than uphold the laws of our empire."

Gray snorted. "Not like—" He broke off, frowning and closing his eyes. Lyon watched him, seeing Gray press a hand to his head for a moment and inhale slowly.

"Gray, is everything alright?"

The other ice-make wizard slowly lifted his head, meeting Lyon's eyes. It took him a moment, but Gray slowly began to nod. "Yeah, sorry." He frowned, looking around and dropping his hand. "My head's been bothering me today. Must not've slept all that well last night."

All hints of anger had dropped from his tone in almost an instant. Even Juvia frowned at him with the sudden change. "Is Gray certain? Juvia thinks he should get more rest if that is the case."

"Nah, I wouldn't want to force Invel to stop his efforts to plan all of this out." Gray waved off her concerns. "He's gotta keep an eye on me after all." He waved his hands in front of them, both adorned with identical white cuffs. "I'm not gonna be fighting much anyway. I can sleep through the entire battle if I have to."

"You won't allow him to assist in the fight?" Lyon raised his eyebrows at Invel. "Considering we are relying heavily on our forces, I find it unwise to limit our numbers even if it is just by one member."

Folding his arms behind his back, Invel nodded. "I understand your concern. However, as I will be joining the fight, I will be more than capable of replacing his expertise should it become necessary." Lifting his hand, a small magic circle formed in his palm before a flurry of snow began dancing around in his palm. "My specialty lies within winter magic. I can replicate anything your companion can do with ease."

"He's the guy Zeref kept thinking of anytime he tried to use magic as me." Gray folded his arms over his chest. "Admittedly, I don't know if it'll hurt us to not have me around, but I will say he's probably got a wider variety of skills than I do."

Gray was now complimenting the man? Lyon frowned between them, uncertain what to make of his previous anger. Invel seemed calm about the comment, but Invel also didn't know Gray's usual tendencies. "Invel, I'm sorry for bothering you with something like this, but has Gray been arguing with you frequently about your plans like earlier?"

"No, but it is quite natural for those under arrest to grow irritated with those observing them." Invel raised his eyebrows. "Is there any—"

"Wait, what argument?" Gray frowned at Lyon. "I didn't argue with him about anything."

This time, the general stared at Gray with narrowed eyes. "You were quite insistent that Alvarez was not offering adequate assistance to your attempts to stop Nirvana. Do not attempt to pretend such a thing did not occur - there are no benefits for 'good behavior', as they say, in your current situation."

"I'm not pretending." He frowned. "Really, I'm just hoping we can get to the bottom of all of this and start researching what's really going on with the spell I used on Zeref." Gray's head turned towards Invel. One of his hands reached for the bottom edge of his shirt as if to start stripping per usual, but stopped after simply adjusting the fabric. The partially lifted shirt fell down with little real change, but not before Lyon spotted what looked like a hint of something black on his skin underneath.

"Gray, this isn't the time to be messing around. Regardless of what you remember or not, we need to know if you are feeling unwell. We cannot have you charging into what may turn into a full on war if you are only going to collapse when the first battle begins." Lyon didn't know how to push about the glimpse he'd seen, but perhaps this would be enough to hear something.

"I'm not." Gray met his eyes. "Seriously, I'm fine. We've got the alliance we need and best of all, we're going to have August helping in this fight. I can't imagine there's much of anyone that could stop a wizard like him."

Disregarding his words, Juvia stepped closer to Gray and pressed the back of her hand to his forehead with a frown. "No fever." Juvia turned towards Gray. "Juvia thinks he actually feels quite cold."

"He's an ice wizard like me." Lyon sighed. "I'd be more surprised if he wasn't cold."

Looking over at Lyon, Invel sighed. "I will monitor his health as well, it seems. Whether he truly has forgotten or is pretending, I cannot say I'm all that pleased with this development either."

"Can you guys please not talk about me like I'm not standing right here?" Gray glared at them, before sighing and shaking his head. "Juvia confirmed it for herself. Beyond having my magic sealed away, I'm doing just fine."

Scowling, Lyon approached Gray as well. Gray took a step back, frowning at Lyon but Lyon was determined. "Stay still, Gray. I just want to check one more thing." Lyon's peer watched him warily but stopped backing away. Reaching out, Lyon pressed a hand to Gray's side, pressing on it gently in the area he thought he'd seen the black mark. Gray's shirt actually felt cold to Lyon in that spot, making him furrow his brow and forget for a moment what he was truly planning on confirming. "You are not feeling any discomfort?"

"Ignoring the fact that you're invading my personal space, not really," Gray said. Lyon dropped his hand with a sigh. "Look, I appreciate the concern, but just try to relax. Meredy has been waiting seven years to launch a counter attack and we have experienced military generals on our side to help plan out our strategy. I get that things might go wrong, but I'm not going to go down without a fight, even if I'm not using magic this time."

Giving him a nod, Lyon took a step back and turned towards Invel. "I apologize for delaying you so long."

"It is of no concern. Master Meredy is also spreading word as we are expecting the others to arrive shortly." Invel looked over at Gray with a frown. "For now, I suppose I can allow for a break for rest to alleviate the concerns of your allies. Growing tensions between us this early on will only cause further conflict when we need to trust in each other for us to succeed."

Gray rolled his eyes but didn't seem to object to the offer. Invel sat down on the ground across from where Lyon was standing. After a moment, Lyon joined him on the ground with Juvia sitting and leaning against his shoulder. Gray ended up lying down on the grass to Lyon's other side, his eyes closed with his hands pressed over his stomach. The chill Lyon had felt was not normal, even for an ice wizard. In fact, when he considered it, Gray shouldn't actually be able to emit cold energy with his magic sealed.

After sitting in silence for some time to allow Gray the chance to fall asleep, Lyon turned towards Invel. The winter mage's eyes were shut, appearing to be meditating for the time being. "Invel." Lyon kept his voice quiet. "Are you certain you've fully sealed Gray's magic with those cuffs?"

"Of course. The enchantments on those cuffs were designed by one of our most powerful wizards." Invel frowned. "While there are some rare situations in which the enchantment fails, I will say that I've only truly seen that be the case when his majesty was experimenting with their effectiveness."

If Gray had some form of magic, he was doing his best to hide that fact anyway. Yet, at what cost? Lyon didn't know if it was worth it. He studied his peer with a frown, silent as he debated. Then, he turned back towards Invel. "His skin was cold to the touch."

"You yourself said that was typical. He is still an ice mage."

Was Invel that desensitized to the temperature? Lyon was surprised he hadn't realized it first, actually. "He felt cold even to me." Lyon looked down at the ground, not meeting anyone's eyes. "I may be mistaken, but I personally cannot imagine that happening if his energy truly is as sealed as you claim it to be. Whatever he does have access to…" Lyon trailed off, blinking as he recalled a recent argument that had begun between Ur and Zeref. "That idiot. He's truly a fool if he's ignoring both of their warnings."

Invel raised his eyebrows. "You have a theory? Because while I suppose it is unusual for him to still be capable of emitting his energy in such a manner, I could easily see it as being lingering ethernano that has not fully expelled itself since I placed the cuffs on him."

Closing his eyes, Lyon swallowed. Gray hadn't shared for his own reasons. No matter what they were, it wasn't his place to betray them. Lyon at least had an answer and for now, it was all he needed to accept what he'd seen. "It isn't important. You know your own cuffs better than I would, after all."

"Do you realize that you can be held accountable for withholding information if it does turn out to be relevant to the suspected crime?" Invel was quick to pick up on his hesitance. "I am not above persecuting more than one for the same crime. Alvarez did not reach its current strength by showing leniency to criminals."

Looking at Gray, Lyon slowly turned towards Invel and met the winter mage's gaze. "Then arrest me if you must. Gray's secrets are not mine to share and I can assure you that this one is irrelevant to your current theory regarding your emperor."

The winter mage narrowed his eyes and remained silent for a moment. His gaze turned towards Gray with a frown before he let out a sigh and shook his head. "My warning has been given for now. Gray Fullbuster is not like his majesty and bears no uncontrollable curse that can overcome the enchantments on his cuffs. Regardless of your theory, you are underestimating their strength."

Perhaps he was, but Lyon still found himself thinking back on Gray's irrational bout of anger. The way he forgot about it was similar to the one time Zeref had acted strange with them as well, returning to normal as if he hadn't said a thing in an instant. Lyon could write off Zeref's oddities as relating to his curse, but Lyon had heard too much of the warning on Gray's newfound magic to think the same of him. Whatever was going on, Gray was already relying too much on that latent power if it was already influencing his behavior towards others.