One Cold, Demonic Night (Part 2)

A/N: I'm sure that last chapter left a lot of you, ready for more. Don't worry, I have plenty of things to show you this time, and it will be the sign of even more big changes to come for a lot of characters.

This is also a very emotional chapter, lots of talking from characters about feelings and backstories. I hope it doesn't feel like too much, but don't worry there's still plenty of action as well.

Make sure to comment your thoughts, I love hearing reactions to my ideas, both positive and negative.

'BOOOM!'

Yuno goes flying after Ultear's attack, rolling down the hill unconscious while Ultear watches with a smile on her face. "The illumination of the moon makes it easier to see how pathetic you are." Ultear then notices Bell falling down with him and frowns. "I guess spirit holders aren't as great as they say. Or maybe you just weren't good enough to understand their true power, unlike…" Ultear trails off and turns away, heading back to find her mask. 'That fool Lyon would obviously notice our similarities, so I have to go get that mask back quick.'

At the bottom of the temple, Asta runs back to reach the top, having used his Devil Breaker arm to destroy the ice that he was trapped in. "That jerk, Yuno. He thinks he's so funny knocking me down a hill." Asta then notices Yuno and Bell, unconscious with visible injuries from their fight.

He immediately rushes toward them, trying to wake Yuno up by shaking him. "Hey, Yuno! Wake up! Come on man, what happened to you up there!" Yuno groans as he regains consciousness. "Asta…? Is that you?"

Asta puts Yuno on his back while grabbing Bell in one hand before heading back to the village. "Hold on, man. We'll get you back to the village, and Mimosa will heal you right up." They then walk in silence before Yuno says, "I'm sorry."

Asta looks back at him in confusion. "Why are you apologizing?" "Because I lost!" Yuno shouts. "I thought that after getting stronger in the capital, and training with Erza, that I was stronger! I promised to myself that the only person I would accept defeat from was you!"

Tears start streaming down Yuno's face. "You've been the one that everyone has focused on since we've met Fairy Tail! You were the one that let us escape from Erigor's wind barrier, you were the one who defeated Erza, and everyone cheered on, you were the one who defeated Mars in the dungeon, while I had to rely on Bell saving me! I thought that I had finally caught up to you, but I guess you're still-"

"What are you talking about!"

Yuno stops, shocked at Asta's words. "You've been just as incredible as me, man. Sure, Bell saved us from Mars, but she wouldn't have done that if you weren't strong enough for her to choose. Your magic is incredible, you can fly and summon all kinds of things made of wind! You can sense mana better than anyone else at the guild! All I've got are my swords and my arm, but I've been using those tools to the best of my abilities. They didn't help save me from all those Midnight Sun guys.

"If there was one thing that I learned in the capital from seeing Fuegoleon and the Wizard King in action, it was that we both have a long way to go. I think that we're really strong, but I know that we can get even stronger. So don't go giving up after one loss. If you want to make it up to me, then promise that you'll learn something from this loss, and every other one in the future. Once you've lost so many times that you've learned everything possible, only then can you give up!"

Yuno simply stares down at his foster brother in awe before laughing. "What's so funny?" Asta asks. "Nothing," Yuno says, "I just realized how stupid I am. I guess your idiocy does come in handy sometimes." Asta shouts at him in comedic anger, "Hey, I'm the one lugging you around like a sack of potatoes, so you better watch your mouth!"

The rivals then argue the rest of the way back to the village, Yuno falling asleep again due to his injuries. Leaving Asta with his own thoughts wondering what Noelle and Mimosa had been doing.

Asta eventually reaches the village, expecting to find a fight ongoing, only to find the village intact, Noelle and Mimosa waiting for him. "What's going on, did you guys already beat those jerks from the temple?" Asta asks.

"No," Mimosa says, "We got here a while ago, but they haven't shown up yet. I'm worried about what they're planning." While Mimosa begins healing Yuno, Noelle then notices something in the air and shouts out, "Hey, what's that?!"

A shadowy figure in the air is approaching them, only to turn out to be Angelica, the giant pet of Sherry, flying in the air by spinning it's tail. In its talons is a bucket, that appears to be full of jelly. A drop of jelly falls down directly over Noelle's head, who looks at it in confusion.

"Watch, out!" Asta pushes her out of the way of a droplet, which turns out to be acid as it burns a plant into dust. "They're gonna drop that whole bucket on us!" Asta screams before turning to Noelle. "Noelle, we need you to protect us!"

Noelle nods before opening her grimoire. "Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon's Lair!" Noelle summons her water barrier over the town, blocking the wave of jelly acid, which sizzles against the barrier before dissipating entirely.

"Great job, Noelle! Your shield is really helpful!" Asta says, smiling at Noelle, who blushes madly. "Well, of course my shield worked! That is the power that comes with being a royal. There's no way that they can break through that barrier as long as I have magic power."

Unfortunately, the universe's comedic timing kicks in. The enemy mages land on the ground and the one with big eyebrow's summons orbs that easily pushes through Noelle's shield, making an entrance for them to walk through. "How did they get through it so easily," Noelle gasps.

"We were trying to be nice and end you all in an instant," Sherry says as her and her allies walk toward them, "But it seems like we will have to resort to bloodshed. How long will this take Yuka?" Yuka, the wizard with big eyebrows looks at the village analytically. "About fifty villagers, two wizards. I'd say about fifteen minutes."

"Hey, just because I don't have magic doesn't mean I'm not a wizard!" Asta yells at them. He hears a grunt, turning back to see Yuno get to his feet. "Don't forget about me," Yuno says. "The two of us makes four wizards. Villagers, get out of here, we can handle this!"

As the villagers leave, Angelica the rat grabs Sherry in its paws and flies toward them. However, once the dust clears, it is revealed that Mimosa had grabbed onto one of the paws of the giant flying rat. "Mimosa! What are you doing?!" Noelle yells. "Don't worry guys, I've got this!" Mimosa yells back.

Mimosa's grimoire opens and floats with her as she casts a spell. "Plant Creation Magic: Binding Vines. Huh, I feel like that felt different than usual." Dark green vines appear around Angelica's tail, stopping it from flying.

Unfortunately, it stopped her from flying.

As Angelica's tail stops, Mimosa and Sherry crash to the ground with them. "Oh no! Mimosa!" Noelle yells as she then runs to check on her friend, leaving Asta and Yuno to deal with the other two mages.

Yuka notices the robes they're wearing and the logo on them. "Those guildmarks, you're from Fairy Tail, aren't you? Well, let me tell you something, we also used to be part of a guild too. We used to be part of Lamia Scale, the same that Wizard Saint Jura is part of-"

He is cut off by a gust of wind from Yuno in an attempt to blow them away, only to summon his magic sphere again to protect himself. His dog friend Toby, however, falls on his ass. "What the- I wasn't finished talking!"

"Sorry, I was too busy planning how to beat you to pay attention to what you're saying, so let me make this clear." Yuno says. "You're trying to hurt innocent people, so I could care less about who you are. I'm going to beat you, then your boss, then that cross-dresser in the mask, so why don't you just give up and save us the trouble."

Yuka's face contorts in anger. "Toby, handle the swordsman, you can take him out in one blow. I'll handle this arrogant upstart. Wave-Motion!" A sphere of magic flies at Yuno, who prepares a spell to attack it before his eyes widen in realization. Yuno jumps out of the way of the attack, which smashes through houses and the town walls.

"Oh, so you figured out how the nature of my attack?" Yuka mockingly asks. Yuno launches a Swift White Hawk at Yuka, who blocks it with his magic orbs. "My Wave Magic diffuses all magic that enters it's space. You could call it a form of Anti-Magic because it renders all magic powerless before it!"

Yuka launches multiple wave balls at Yuno, who starts to fly and head toward him, gathering wind in his hand. Yuka summons an orb in front of him, drawing his arm into it. "Surely you didn't think that punching it would work," Yuka says as Yuno's arm begins to get racked with pain and causing him to scream in pain. "I guess you're nothing more than a fool."

That's when Yuno smiles at him, catching Yuka off guard. "You think you're so good just because you can stop magic?" Yuno asks as Bell pops out of his grimoire. They then draw in the mana around his arm, while also causing the sphere around his arm to get disrupted. "I've been training to surpass someone who has real Anti-Magic, so I would never lose to a loser like you! Wind Spirit Magic: Sylph Propulsion!"

An explosion of wind follows as Yuno's fist smashes into his opponent's face, sending him flying and leaving him unconscious. "I've had my first taste of defeat, and I never wanna taste such despair again. So, I'm gonna keep on winning. I'll win, win, and win again, until I become the Wizard King!"

Meanwhile, with Asta, he is dodging swipes from his opponents so-called, 'Mega-Jellyfish Paralyzing Claws.' 'Man, after training with Erza for so long, this guy's slower than snail,' Asta thinks before he gets an idea.

Asta jumps back after dodging another series of swings from Toby before summoning his spectral arm. "Let's see how you like my Black Buster!" The demonic arm shoots out, grabbing Toby. Toby tries to stab his claws into the arm – which does nothing because it's not a real arm.

Asta then has a devious smile on his face as he then proceeds to smash the dog-man's head on the ground, swinging him around until the Toby is passed out. "Heh, I should try using my arm more."

Yuno then summons his Celestial Wind Ark. "Come on, Asta! We need to see what happened to Mimosa and Noelle." They then head to the place where Mimosa fell, unaware of the situation that they will run into.

(A few minutes earlier…)

Mimosa wakes up from the fall, Angelica passed out to next to her. "Maybe I should have thought a bit further about what would happen when I knocked out that rat. Now where is the rat's owner."

Crying is heard from behind her, and she turns to see Sherry on a cliff, tears falling down her face. "How dare you hurt my precious Angelica! The Cold Emperor will never love me again after this! I'll never forgive you!"

A tree suddenly starts moving much to Mimosa's confusion. "Wood Doll!" Sherry screams as a face appears on the tree and it comes to life, pulling its roots out of the ground and swinging a fist at Mimosa.

The plant mage dodges the punch while opening her grimoire. "I've been training to be more than just a healer. Plant Magic: Magic Flower Cannon!" Plant tendrils sprout of the ground, forming into a giant flower.

The center of the flower charges a yellow beam that smashes into the tree, turning it into smithereens. "I've been training to stand next amazing people like Asta, so I'm not going to let you walk over me!"

Unfortunately, Sherry just smiles. "Oh, you poor girl. I pity you, for your magic could never defeat me." Mimosa looks at her in confusion until she notices her Flower Cannon turning towards her. The flower shoots a laser at her, causing her to start running away, barely dodging the blasts from the giant flower.

"My magic can control anything that isn't human, so I can easily take your creation anytime I want! Now, die in the name of the Cold Emperor!" Sherry gloats as Mimosa goes flying from an explosion caused by her flower. Mimosa groans as she turns back to look at her flower, charging an attack toward her.

Time slows down from her perspective as the laser fires at her. 'No, I can't die here! Noelle will be distraught without me! But no one's here to save me like back in the forest. At least Noelle won't have to worry about me when it comes to her feelings about Asta. I'm sure that they'll be happy without me. I just wish I could have told them…"

Mimosa trails off, before her hands grip into the dirt violently. 'No! I can't just lay down here and accept this! My job is to help my friends, and I'm going to keep living and help them!' That's when her grimoire opens, new pages opening up, but Mimosa doesn't read them. The words come to her as naturally as the breath she takes just before the flower laser reaches her, seemingly about to kill her.

"Plant God's Bellow!"

Shockingly, a torrent of vines and flowers shoots out of Mimosa's mouth in a dark green vortex. The breath shoots through the laser, decimating the flower and leaving Sherry in shock. "That girl, that power is like that of a Dragon Slayer!"

Mimosa gets up, bewildered at what happened before looking at her grimoire's new pages. "Plant God Slayer Magic?" She says, puzzled at the words in her grimoire. "I've never heard of a God Slayer before."

Mimosa's postering is cut off by Sherry's scream of frustration. "What are you brats?! Such powerful magic getting our way, makes me mad! Doll Attack: Rock Doll!" A golem made of boulders begins to form. "You may have the power of divine plants, but you won't be able to destroy this!"

Mimosa smiles as her grimoire flips to a new page. "No, but I've figured out the way to beat you. Plant Magic: Magic Control Grass!" Mimosa shoots several seeds at the rock golem, which seem to do nothing. "Hah! Your last pathetic trick are seeds? I guess you really weren't much to worry ab-"

Sherry's rant is cut off as she realizes that her golem is not responding to her commands anymore. "What is going on?!" Sherry screams as the rock doll knocks her off its back. "You're not the only one who can play puppet master. My seeds let me control my opponents spells and give them my own commands."

The golem begins to smash its rocky hand at Sherry before Sherry turns off the spell, the rocks falling harmlessly around her. "How could a little girl like you possibly defeat me! My love-" Sherry screams, not realizing that Mimosa was running toward her.

"Plant God's Vine Fist!" Mimosa says as dark green vines surround her fist, punching Sherry in the face. "Don't talk about love when you're trying to hurt people! True love is helping those you care about be the best that they can be!"

"Phew, I guess I need to train more to get used to this new power." As Mimosa shakes her hand and takes a moment to breathe from the intense battle, Noelle shows up gasping for breath. "Mimosa! I came to help, are you…" She then notices the destruction around them and the pink haired wizard on the ground. "…ok?"

"Oh Noelle, come here, I have something incredible to show you!" Noelle walks over in bewilderment, her face becoming one of shock and awe as she reads the new pages in Mimosa's grimoire. "A God Slayer? I've never heard of that type of magic! Where did you get it from?!"

"I think that lacrima we found in the temple was a God Slayer lacrima from the people who established this village. I guess my grimoire responded to it because of our similar magics and absorbed it. I've heard that getting one hurts a lot, but I guess because grimoires are connected to our souls there was no problem," Mimosa theorizes.

While the two of them are discussing Mimosa's new magic, Sherry starts yelling. "I may have been defeated, but my love for the Cold Emperor will never fade! Save me, Angelica!" The giant rat then jumps high above the trees before it starts falling down on them.

"Noelle, get back! I can handle this one Plant God's-" Before she can finish however, a figure clad in silver armor appears and defeats the giant rat in one hit. "Was that…?" Noelle says in astonishment before the figure turns toward them, "Erza?! What are you doing here?!"

Erza turns to look at them, giving the hardest stare they've ever received. "It's not just me," Erza says as Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Happy walk up on the scene. "Also, you four are in very big trouble." Erza says sternly as the two girls cower in fear.

At that moment, Yuno and Asta, who had just arrived, descend, and join the Fairy Tail mages surrounding their friends. "Hey, guys, what are you doing-" Asta is cut off from his nice greeting by Erza pointing a sword at his face, much to everyone's shock.

"Words cannot describe how disappointed I am in you, Asta" Erza says. "I thought that I understood who you were after training with you for a week, but clearly I was wrong." The rest of the Black Clover team look at the two of them in confusion. "Asta, what did you do?" Yuno asks.

"The mission you took from this island was ranked as S-Class, is the problem!" Erza declares to the shock of Asta's group. "I thought you understood that defeating me did not make you an S-Class wizard, but I guess you let your ego overtake your common sense. Now come with me, you all have to receive punishment from Makarov-"

"No."

The air stills as everyone (minus Yuno) can't believe Asta's words. Erza looks down on him, her face one of anger. "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you, right?" She says, almost growling the words out of her mouth. "Can you repeat what you just said to me?"

"Sure, I said 'No.' I'm not going with you," Asta declares defiantly. "I didn't take this job because I suddenly thought that I was better than you. If that was the case, I wouldn't have brought Yuno and the rest on this job." Everyone looks at him in astonishment before Erza asks him, "Then why did you take the job?"

"Let me ask you a question, Erza. The job had been posted on the board for almost three years. Why didn't you take this job?" Natsu, Gray, and Happy all gasp, having never seen someone ask such a rude question to the scarlet haired knight. "I didn't take this job because I did not see much point in doing so. The reward did not interest me, and I thought that my talents were more suited to combat-oriented quests. There were simply more important jobs that required my attention."

"Well, that's exactly why I took this job," Asta says, confusing everyone. "I've always felt something inside me, screaming that the way this world works is wrong. To me, becoming the Wizard King isn't something I chose, it was the only thing that I could be, to show the world that it needs to change. Being Wizard King also means helping out as many people as you can, not for fame, glory, or money. I decided that I would help everyone I can, especially when no one else cares to. I grew up feeling like no one was there to come help me, so I decided that I would grow up to be the person that would help people in times like those.

"I'm not mad at you for not taking this job. I don't know if you could have handled this job any faster than us, but I took this quest because I thought that my swords could help these people and their curse. I was born without the blessing of magic, but my swords can help people in ways that no one else in the world can.

"I don't regret my choice for a second, the only thing I do regret," Asta frowns as he looks at his friends that came with him, "Is not trusting you guys enough to tell you. I thought that you wouldn't come with me if you knew how dangerous it was. But I knew that I couldn't do it by myself, so that's why I asked you to come with me. I understand if you guys are mad, but can we still-"

"Man, sometimes I think we've reached the limits of your idiocy, but you always prove me wrong," Yuno says, cutting off Asta and drawing in everyone's attention. "You didn't need to hide that it was an S-Class quest, I would've gone with you no matter what. We're rivals, whatever you do, I can do just as well."

Asta looks at him in shock before Mimosa also speaks up. "He's right, I'd be glad to go anywhere with you Asta. I'm not mad about the quest but talk with us if you do something like this again."

Noelle clears her throat before taking her chance to speak. "I figured something dumb would happen when you picked the mission, but…" She then trails off before bashfully letting her true feelings show for once. "I knew that as long as I was there, I could help protect you. Just don't lie to us again, okay?"

Asta is silent for a second as he lets the words of his teammates register in his head. Eventually, tears start falling out of his eyes as he then pulls them into a hug. "I'm so sorry, guys! From now on, I'll trust the rest of my friends so much that I could put my heart in their hands and feel safe!"

As Asta continues comedically crying, Natsu of all people looks at him, recalling an event from his past. He then walks past Erza much to everyone's confusion. "I really dig all the emotions you put into that speech earlier, I usually only do those in really tough fights," Natsu says while laughing a bit before his face becomes somber. "But I feel like you guys are still new and need to something. Let me tell you guys, about Lisanna."

Erza, Gray, and Happy especially all look at him, utterly stupefied by his words. "Woah," Gray says, "You haven't talked about her ever since…" Happy then walks up to Natsu's feet, looking like he could cry at any moment. "Are you sure you have to talk about her? It makes me sad every time I think about her."

Natsu kneels down and pets the talking feline's head. "Don't worry about it, buddy. You can go check on the villagers while I talk. I know hard it is for you." Happy then flies away, leaving the newcomers confused about everyone's reactions.

"Let me start a few years ago. I had joined Fairy Tail a while ago when Mira and Elfman joined the guild. They also brought in their younger sister Lisanna. Back then, no one really believed that I was raised by a real dragon, but she was the first one to completely believe me about it. She became my best friend after that, and we would always hang out all the time.

"One day, I found a big egg in the middle of the forest. I thought it was a dragon egg at first because of all of its weird markings. Me and Lisanna tried to hatch it, but what came out wasn't a dragon, but instead a small little cat with wings. When he was born, he caused everyone to start smiling, so we named him Happy. After that..."

(A few years ago…)

"Natsu! What did you want to talk about?" A young woman with white hair asks as she and Natsu walk through the forest. "And why did you want to talk in the forest?" Natsu rubs the back of his head nervously. "I just wanted to talk to you in a private place Lisanna, and I didn't want Mira to catch us and start another fight."

The two of them eventually reach the top of a hill overlooking the rest of the forest. "So, what did you want to talk about, Natsu?" Natsu pulls at his scarf nervously. "Well, um, you've been my best friend since you first joined the guild, and we hang out all the time. Also, you've been a big help in raising Happy, and I know that we were kids when he hatched, but-"

"Natsu, breathe," Lisanna says as Natsu starts getting so hot that the grass under his feet starts burning. "I know that you aren't the greatest at explaining your thoughts, so just speak from the heart. When you speak from the heart, your words always make sense to me."

Natsu takes a big breath as he starts talking again. "Igneel once told me that when I got older, I would find at least one person in my life that I wanted to be with for the rest of my life, and that being a Dragon Slayer makes it different. I don't remember much of it, but I do know how I feel about you. Every time you laugh, I feel almost as happy as I did when I was with Igneel. I see Happy hanging out with you, and it just feels right to me. You might not know this, but Happy's never stopped thinking about you as his mom… and neither have I.

"Lisanna, I love you. I want to be with you for the rest of my life, I want to show you off to Igneel, and for you two to get along great. I know that I cause a lot of trouble at the guild and that I might not be the best, but I want you to know-"

Natsu is cut off by Lisanna running into him and giving him a big hug, knocking them both onto the ground. "I love you too, Natsu," Lisanna says, her eyes full of tears, "I've been in love with you too, ever since we hatched Happy together as kids. I think you've been a great dad, and I would love to keep being Happy's mom. I know that I'm not as strong as my sister, but-"

This time Lisanna is the one cut off by Natsu rubbing a finger under her eye. "I don't care about that, Lis. I would care about you, no matter how strong you are. Just between you and me, I think you're way stronger than Mira, and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise."

"Natsu," Lisanna laughs at Natsu's joke. The two of them stare at each other in silence as the tension between them grows. Lisanna then leans her head down, the two of them wordlessly closing their eyes as their mouths get closer.

Their lips meet in a chaste kiss and separate before they meet again for another kiss. And another.

And another.

And plenty more after that.

After the two of them make out long enough that even Natsu's draconic lungs can't keep up, they eventually separate, breathing heavily.

"Wow," Is all Lisanna can say.

"Wow," Natsu repeats dumbly.

The two of them catch their breath and sit up with their backs against a tree, Lisanna laying her head on Natsu's shoulder. After a minute of just enjoying their new relationship status, Natsu nudges Lisanna, who raises her head to look toward him. "What is it now Natsu?"

"I remember something Igneel told me about when I find a girl that I'm interested in." Natsu says as he looks at Lisanna's neck. "He said that being a Dragon Slayer means that I am part dragon. That means that I sometimes have draconic tendencies, like trying to fight the strongest person around, like Erza, Mira, and Laxus.

"But when it comes to love, he said that I would have to mark them to show other slayers that they're mine. He said that dragons have mates instead of dating, so if we gout, it will have to be permanent. If we do this, you are mine, and I am yours. Forever."

Lisanna puts her hand on Natsu's shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile. "I'd be ecstatic to spend the rest of my life with you Natsu. I don't care about the label, whether we're dating, mated, whatever it is. I'll be with you and you'll be with me."

Natsu nods as he then leans his head down to her neck. "I think this might hurt for a bit, but only for a second." Lisanna lets out an affirmative grunt as Natsu sinks his draconic fangs into her neck. Lisanna gives a small cry of pain, before it passes as fast as it comes, a warm burning feeling surging throughout her body.

Once Natsu finishes, he pulls back from her neck, giving the wound a small lick. Natsu looks at Lisanna with an odd look on his face. "Oh no," Lisanna says in worry, "Did I do something wrong, did the marking not work?" Natsu simply stares at her for a bit longer before he speaks.

"When did you dye your hair?"

"Huh?" Lisanna says as she pulls a strand of hair, realizing that she now has a strand of pink in her hair. "Hah, I bet Mira will lose her mind once she finds out," Natsu laughs, Lisanna shaking once she hears him mention her sister.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!"

(One year later)

Natsu woke up that day, noting that it was raining. Thankfully being a Fire Dragon Slayer means that he can dry himself instantly. Leaving Happy behind, who insisted on trying to stay in his dreams of giant fish, he heads to the guild hall.

When he arrives to the guildhall, he opens the door as he usually does, a bright smile on his face. "What's going on… guys?" Natsu says as he realizes everyone has a frown on his face. "What happened, why are you guys all sad?"

He then notices Mirajane and Elfman sitting by themselves and walks over to them. "Hey, what happened to make everyone sad? It's like someone died." Natsu notices the injuries on them. "Is it because you two got hurt on the mission you guys took? I get hurt on missions all the time and nobody looked that sad."

Elfman and Mirajane simply stay quiet, their despair drowning out his words, until Natsu asks a question that breaks through their depression.

"Hey where's Lisanna?"

The two of them break into tears, confusing Natsu. "Hey, what's the matter? All I asked was what happened to Lisanna, she went with you guys on that… S-Class… quest." Natsu gets a bad feeling as the world starts to disappear from his mind.

THUMP

"What happened on that mission?"

THUMP

"How badly was Lisanna, hurt can I see her?"

THUMP

"Where…"

THUMP THUMP

"Is…"

THUMP THUMP THUMP

"Lisanna!"

Then Natsu's world becomes red.

Everyone simply looks at Natsu, shocked at the tale he told them. "I don't remember what happened after that. They told me that I attacked Elfman and Mira, and everyone tried to stop me. Eventually, even Gramps had to step in, but I simply left the building, and everyone looked for me the rest of the day. I remember waking up in the middle of the forest, or what used to be one, since all I could see around me was a smoking crater. Once I remembered what happened to Lisanna, I just fell to the ground in tears.

"I didn't talk to anyone in the guild for a month, and Mira and Elfman I didn't talk to for another two. Eventually, me and Happy started going on more and more missions to find Igneel, until eventually we ran into Lucy, and the rest is history.

While everyone else stays quiet, inside of Asta's grimoire, Liebe, who was listening to the story Natsu told, struggles to keep the tears out of his eyes. "So that little furball… he's the same as me." He then remembers a woman's smile as she holds her hand out to him. "Licita, I promise, I'll never forget you, and I will avenge you."

Back in the real word, Natsu then looks Asta in the eyes. "Mira took an S-Class mission because she was confident in herself. Her sister died, and she never took another job since. She can barely even use magic after so long. The reason that I'm telling you this is because I can tell that you would feel just as bad if you were responsible for anything bad happening on this mission. Don't let your own desires hurt those around you."

The mood has become completely somber after Natsu's story, the newbies still reeling from the tragic love tale. Lucy looks at Natsu, thinking about their recent interactions. 'I never thought that Natsu had this amount of emotional maturity. Though, he already had a girlfriend, and it seemed pretty serious. Does he feel the same way about me?'

The tension is immediately broken by Natsu, as he once more shocks everyone. "Now then, now that that's said and done," Natsu then punches Asta in the face, much to everyone's shock. "How dare you take an S-Class quest without telling me, I was gonna do one! Next time, tell me that you're going on an S-Class mission, and I might go with you!"

THUNK

Everyone's jaw falls off of their mouths at Natsu's ridiculous statement. "Wait, what do you mean that you were going to take an S-Class mission?! You aren't S-Class either, Natsu!" Lucy screams. "Yeah, but I planned on taking this one because one of the rewards was a Golden Gate Key for you!"

Erza then socks Natsu on the head, knocking him facedown on the ground. "That's enough out of you." She then turns to Asta's group. "I guess after all of this, it would seem in poor taste to just quit the mission. I guess we can help you out, but you will still face punishment once we get back to the guild."

Team Black Clover had just finished explaining everything that happened up until they split up at the temple. Yuno looks at Gray, who had turned stonefaced at the mention of Deliora and his frozen prison, especially as he explains the fight he had with the Cold Emperor and Zalty on the top of the temple.

"She used a weird technique called Mana Zone in our fight. It felt like a more advanced version of the mana manipulation that I learned during the capital attack. Do you know what that is?" Yuno asks.

Erza puts her hand to chin as she explains. "It is a highly advanced form of magic that only the most skilled wizards can do when they're in tune with the natural mana around them, giving them a zone around them that allows omnidirectional spells, disruption of your opponent spells, increased senses and reaction, as well as generally enhancing magic by using the mana around you at will."

She then looks toward Yuno. "Even I cannot due such an advanced technique, but if your opponent was at the level where the Mana Zone itself was the spell, then she is incredibly skilled. I'm not sure if I could beat her as I am now."

While everyone looks at her shock, Yuno notices that Gray has a distracted look on his face, looking towards the temple. "There was something else I forgot to mention," Yuno says as everyone's attention is drawn to him. "I found out that his name was Lyon, he studied under the same teacher as Gray, and he said that Gray was responsible for their teacher's death.

Everyone gasps as Gray's fist tightens, drawing blood from his palm. "I thought that's what must've happened." Gray then punches a tree, his fist going straight through it, much to everyone's surprise. "Damn it, Lyon! What are you doing?!"

Gray takes a breath as he turns back to his friends. "I guess I should explain a bit. My teacher was Ur Milkovich, said to be one of the greatest Ice mages of all time. She was apparently strong enough to be a wizard saint, but she refused and spent most of her time in the Spade Kingdom for training in its naturally cold climate.

"During that time, Deliora was destroying the country, and my family was one of its casualties. Ur and Lyon found me in the wreckage, and she took me in and taught me her brand of Ice-Make Magic. Eventually, reports about Deliora's rampage reached us and – I did something incredibly stupid.

"I went after him in the middle night, hell-bent on revenge for my family. I felt this need inside me, that I had to go and find Deliora no matter what. Eventually, I found him, and I almost died. Unfortunately, Ur and Lyon followed me as well, and we barely survived that monster. The only reason me and Lyon are still alive, is because she used forbidden form of Ice magic, Iced Shell. It turned her entire body into ice, encasing Deliora in an eternal prison.

"After that, Lyon was furious at me for Ur's death, and we split off from there. I found Fairy Tail in hopes of a way to turn Ur back, but Gramps told me that there was no way. If Lyon's trying to melt that ice, then it's my responsibility to stop him!"

Gray then starts running off toward the temple, the rest of the group watching him in shock. Before anyone can call out to him however, Asta and Natsu both run off after him. "What are you two doing?!" Erza shouts at them.

"I'm going to help Gray!" The two of them shout, before they start arguing with each other. "You're not gonna help Gray, I'm gonna help him! Stop saying the same thing as me! Argh!

Back in the temple, Lyon was having a discussion with Zalty when suddenly the entire temple starts shaking. "What the hell is happening?!" Lyon shouts. Zalty then looks outside, realizing what's happened. "The temple has been tilted on it's side! I must go to try and keep the ritual stable now that the moonlight has been diverted!"

As Zalty runs off, Natsu shouts from under the ground. "Breaking things comes to me pretty easy but doing it on purpose always seems harder." Lyon looks down, seeing the Dragon Slayer and cause of all the destruction, scowling up at him. "Let's see you free that demon of yours without the moon now."

Natsu then shoots into the air using his flames, headbutting Lyon straight in the gut. Unfortunately, it turns out to be an ice clone, and shatters instantly. Lyon then shoots a flurry of ice eagles at Natsu, who shoots down onto the ground by blowing out flames.

Natsu then spins on his hands, shooting out fire from his feet, before he then spins around. Lyon manages to dodge his breakdancing flamethrower, but before the fight can continue, Gray bursts through the wall (having lost his shirt along the way).

Lyon looks in shock at his fellow disciple appearing. "Gray!" He yells in anger. "What are you doing here?! What, come to finish the job and kill me like you did Ur?!" Gray simply looks at him with silent anger and starts talking to Natsu. "Natsu, let me fight this guy. This is important to me."

Gray then turns to Lyon and begins talking. "You're doing this to surpass Ur, aren't you?" Gray asks rhetorically. "Sure, I may be responsible for Ur's death, but you're the one hurting the villagers and bringing in innocent people. I'm not gonna let you kill people over your stupid pride!"

An icy aura then surrounds Gray as he prepares to fight Lyon. "Natsu! Go help Asta fight that Moon wizard! I've got this!" Natsu nods and heads off, but not before shouting, "You make sure not to lose here alright!"

"Of course," Gray says. "A loss here would disgrace the name of Fairy Tail. Not to mention Ur's sacrifice," Gray then takes off the bandage on his right arm, revealing the birthmark from his father. "And my family."

Lyon looks at Gray's birthmark. "That mark, you got it from your father correct?" Lyon asks Gray, who does not respond. "You know, while figuring out how to free Deliora, I also did a lot of research on demons after we parted ways. I thought that I would find some type of magic that I could use to defeat one as powerful as him.

"During my studies, I eventually found out that there were several forms of Slayer magic. Your guild has Dragon, Zalty has God, but I also found out about a forbidden form of slayer magic, darker than all the rest. Do you want to know the signifier of such magic is?" Lyon points in Gray's direction, confusing him until he looks at his arm, gasping in realization. "Wait, you mean this is-"

"Correct," Lyon says, walking toward Gray who is still reeling from the revelation. "You were born an Ice Demon Slayer. Unfortunately, you never figured it out. You didn't know that inexperienced Demon Slayers when they're near other demons…"

"…can be overwhelmed by the desire to kill them."

SHINK

Gray gasps as Lyon, who had been walking toward him the whole time, stabs an ice sword into his lower abdomen. "Another fun fact about Demon Slayers? They aren't immune to their element, just more resistant."

Gray falls too the ground, clutching his stomach in pain as Lyon laughs at him. "Hahaha, you thought that you could beat me, didn't you? Too bad, Gray, I'm still better than you like I was when we were children! Soon, Zalty will have melted the ice, and I will melt that stupid ice Ur left as a reminder to mock me!"

As Lyon laughs maniacally even harder, Gray starts to lose consciousness.

(Inside Gray's Mind)

"Damn you, Lyon!" Gray yells in his head, his mental forms gripping his right arm in a void of darkness. "You never learn! You think you're so fucking special and that you've surpassed Ur by doing this! You think you're better than her, hurting innocent people and risking the lives of thousands by letting that monster go!"

"You think you're better than me!

The darkness then seeps into his right arm, the tattoo becoming more intricate, more lines going across it and an icy ink aura emanates off of it.

"No, you're no better than Deliora!" Gray shouts as the darkness begins to swirl around him. He then remembers the words Ur said to him before she used Iced Shell.

'I'll seal away your darkness.'

"She knew. Ur knew that I had Demon Slayer powers, that's why she took me in and trained me, so that I would one day be able to control this power." Gray says as he looks at his arm. "Well, I'm sorry that I shied away from this for so long. I've never thought of myself as a warrior of justice like Erza, so I'll take whatever power I can get. Whether it be good or bad, if it protects my family, I don't care!"

(Real Word)

CRUNCH

Lyon's maniacal laughter is cut off by the sound of ice crushing. He looks down in confusion, only to realize that sound is Gray eating the ice sword that stabbed him in the stomach. "W-what?! You weren't supposed to be able to use it! You're too much of a coward to use such a power!"

"Man, your ice tastes like shit, but I guess that the taste matches the caster." Gray simply laughs as he gets up, his tattoo now reflecting the one in his head. "You're right. I was a coward. I thought that maybe I could talk to you, and we could hang out like we did. But you crossed the line!" He then shouts at Lyon, his voice full of anger.

"You clearly don't care about Ur's legacy! All you want is to prove that you're the best! Well, I can promise you this!" Gray then puts his hands together in his usual stance. "You will never be better than me, much less Ur!"

"Ice Demon's Zero Hammer!" A giant hammer made of pink ice appears above Lyon, who tries to block it with an ice shield with a wave of his hand, only for it to fail. "What!" Lyon yelps in fright as his shield shatters instantly, forcing him to start running.

"One-handed Maker magic is poor, Lyon! Did you forget the basics that Ur taught us, or what! You're too good for more than one hand!" Gray then takes a big breath before letting out his breath attack.

"Now feel an Ice Demon's Rage!" A torrent of pink ice shoots out of Gray's mouth, slamming into Lyon and knocking him through a wall. Lyon coughs up blood as he tries to get off the ground. "This can't be! I'm the superior student! I'm the one who is going to surpass Ur!"

"Ice-Make: Snow Dragon!" Lyon lets loose his most powerful creation, sending it straight at Gray, who gives a maniacal grin as he just opens his mouth, devouring the spell whole. "If you're so dumb as to forget what my powers are, then you haven't surpassed shit!"

Gray then begins to whale on Lyon, hitting him with several creations of normal and demon ice.

"Ice-Make: Lance!"

"Ice Devil's Zeroth Destruction Fist!"

"Ice-Make: Knuckle!"

"Ice Devil's Zeroth Longsword!"

"Ice-Make: Cannon!"

The last one knocks Lyon into the room where Deliora is, leaving him covered in cuts and bruises from Gray's onslaught. Gray looks down on him, a single tear rolling down his face. "Maybe next time, try and read a book about how to be a good person." Gray remarks at the fallen form of his old rival.

He then realizes the room that they're in, only to find one person in the room, doing the last thing he would expect.

"Asta, what the hell are you doing?!"

Asta turns his head, a few feet away from Gray, his two swords aimed at Deliora's frozen prison. "Oh! Hey Gray, you look kind of weird, but don't worry I'm just going to break this spell really quick!" As then turns back, ready to pierce the ice, only for an ice blade to shoot past his head.

"What the hell, Asta! We're trying to stop them from melting the ice, not do their job for them!" Gray shouts exasperatedly. Asta shakes his head. "I didn't say I was gonna melt the ice, I said that I was gonna break the spell! Your master is that ice, right?" Gray nods his head. "Then my swords should be able to turn her back to normal!"

"Wait, Asta! If you do that, then Deliora will be released!" Gray cries. Asta smiles at him, "So you're telling me you don't want your teacher back?" Gray doesn't respond. "That's what I thought." Asta then plunges his swords into the ice cube.

Asta looks around, confused as he finds himself in a world of nothing but ice. "What happened? Am I inside the ice now?" He then notices a giant figure in the distance and heads towards it.

Once he gets near it, he realizes what it is. The demon Deliora, but instead of the fearsome face that he had in his prison, his face is expressionless, all signs of life having been drained from his body.

Asta then looks down and sees a woman with short dark hair kneeling in front of him, breathing heavily. The woman smiles as she begins to speak, "Man, being trapped in ice for so long sucks. But I should be gone, sooner or later. I guess it'll be nice to see those two again. Acy died well before the rest of us, and Laya must've croaked by now. I hope their girls are doing great. I hope mine'll be smiling once I get there as well."

As the woman closes her eyes, ready to accept her fate.

"Um, are you Ur?" Ur falls on her face, shocked at hearing a voice for the first time in years. She then turns around and sees Asta looking at her. "Who are you? How did you get in here?"

"What is here?" Asta asks back. Ur sighs as she begins to explain. "This is the inside of Iced Shell. In here, the caster's will fights against the targets until one of them gives up. Since I won, my soul should fade away after a while, but I guess I'm strong enough that I stuck around for a while."

Ur then looks at him with a confused look on her face. "You knew my name. How did you know that?" Ur asks. "Oh, I'm friends with one of your students, his name's Gray." Ur gasps at hearing his name, tears streaming down her face.

"You're his friend?" Ur asks, before desperately grasping for more information from Asta. "Is he happy? Is he safe? Did he ever stop stripping like an idiot? Is he in a relationship?"

"Ummm," Asta says, stunned by her oppressive amounts of questions before answering. "Yes, yes, no, and no. But enough of that, I came to get you out of here."

Ur looks at him, shocked at his declaration. "But that's impossible! Iced Shell cannot be broken by anything! Even if you melt the ice or destroy it, then I would simply die, my soul spread across the pieces."

Asta then smiles as he raises his Devil Breaker. "Good thing I don't have magic then."

Gray waits as Asta stands with his swords in the Iced Shell, his Demon Slayer magic turned off. Eventually, Natsu comes in the room, ranting about how the 'perfume wearing masked freak' escaped, but Gray doesn't listen and just stares, hoping against hope that Asta would be successful. Natsu simply sits down next to him as well, staring at the demon intently.

"Hey Gray," Natsu asks. "Would you have done the same thing as your teacher if they freed Deliora?" Gray stays silent. "Yeah, that's what I thought." Natsu then punches Gray in the face, knocking him into the water.

"What the hell were you thinking!" Natsu shouts at Gray. "You think that any of us would be okay with you dying like that? Fairy Tail doesn't work like that, and I sure as hell ain't gonna let you go out like that! Next time you think about something like that, think about how the rest of us would feel!"

Natsu stops berating him as he realizes Gray is crying. "Man, if I need a pep-talk from Natsu of all people, then I guess I should just listen." Gray then sits up and shockingly hugs Natsu. He then realizes who he's hugging and pushes him away.

"This never happened, got it." Gray says

"Of course." Natsu says

Eventually, the ice starts to rumble, drawing in their attention to Asta. They notice a black aura surround his arm, and from there cover his sword. As the black aura then reaches the ice, the frozen prison starts shrinking, until it reveals the form of Ur in the puddle below the now unfrozen demon.

Gray and Natsu stare at the demon, unsure of whether or not to attack it, until it eventually falls into pieces, much to their shock.

Once the demon's body turns to ash, Gray rushes to his teacher while Natsu goes to check on Asta. "Yo, Asta," Natsu says as the black aura dissipates from Asta's body, and he regains awareness of surroundings. "Great job, man. For your first S-Class mission, I would stopping an ancient demon from being awoken should give you extra points."

Natsu then puts his hand out for a fist bump, which Asta gladly accepts.

Back with Gray, he pulls his teacher out of the water as she slowly regains consciousness. "Ur, are you okay?" Gray asks as she wakes up. "Please say something." Ur looks at him for a second, confused at who he is before gasping in realization.

"I-is it really you, Gray?" Ur asks as tears begin falling from her eyes. "Yeah," Gray says, his face mirroring her, "It's me."

Ur then wraps her student in a big hug, both of them bawling their eyes out. "I'm so glad… that my sacrifice… wasn't for nothing!" Ur cries out. Gray simply lets his tears fall, glad that his past failure can no longer haunt him.

Eventually, the four of them leave the temple, running into the rest of the group, Gray carrying Lyon over his shoulder. The girls all have the same reaction when they see Ur, that being a loud shriek.

"Gray, who is that woman next to you, and why isn't she wearing any clothes!" Erza screams, ready to bash her fist on his head, causing him to hurriedly explain what happened.

Eventually, Erza summons an outfit for Ur to wear, conveniently similar to the one she wore years ago. While the rest of the group discusses what happened and what to do next, Ur stares at Lucy and Noelle.

"Sorry to interrupt," Ur says, stopping the conversation, "But you two girls, were your mothers named Layla and Acier, by any chance?"

Lucy and Noelle gasp at her question, finding it unbelievable. "Yeah, those are our mothers' names, but how did you know that?" Noelle asks.

"Well, simple," Ur states, "The three of us were rivals back in the day."

…

"WHAAAAAT!"

"Our mothers…" Lucy says. "Were rivals?!" Noelle finishes.

"Oh yeah," Ur says. "Back in the day, we were called the strongest woman in all of Fiore. The three of us constantly fought to see who was stronger. Officially, most would say the strongest was Layla, but I think I could've done the same as her if I wanted to, but her job had way too much responsibility."

Lucy then freaks out, worried that Ur would say too much and tries to divert the conversation away. "Um, let's go get that reward now, right guys?" She says nervously.

Thankfully, she is surrounded by idiots and people who know her secret, so they all agree. The only ones who don't fall under that category are Yuno and Ur, who are confused at Lucy's insistence on not talking about her mother.

The events after that flow by fast, Ur has a very stern conversation with Lyon after Mimosa heals him from his injuries in the fight against Gray. She calls him a long list of colorful words to describe his attitude before they also engage in a big hug and cry fest.

Erza figures out the cause of the villager's transformation, as well the fact that they're actually demons. To top everything off, the chief's son turns out to be ok.

Deeming that since they didn't officially accept the request, they opt not to take the monetary reward, though Lucy still gets a new key out of the ordeal.

Eventually, the Fairy Tail mages, plus Ur, now in an actual outfit for her to wear, courtesy of Erza, get on the pirate ship Erza had 'procured' (read 'stolen') to get them to the island. Once they get on, they find out some new things about their friends' new abilities.

Gray falls asleep the moment the boat starts moving, a side effect of being a Devil Slayer. Mimosa, unfortunately, gets stuck with a mild headache, a side effect of being a God Slayer.

However, as the mages leave, Bobo watches them alone on the shore. His face then becomes obscured by a shadowy aura, a face filled with nothing but malice and hate overlayed on top of his.

"So those are the highest class of wizards in this age," the mysterious figure says. "I doubt they could grow to be a threat to my plan. It's time for me to leave this body, however. I can't stay in the human realm for too long."

As he leaves Bobo's body, he remembers Asta's face for a second. "Hmm, his face it reminds me of someone…" He then remembers a woman smiling with his arm through her chest and frowns. "That accursed woman. No matter, it will only be about seven years until I'm ready, and then all of humanity will perish."

Well, that was a doozy of a chapter, wasn't it?

Sorry if there was too much dialogue this chapter. I had to get a speech and two flashbacks in this chapter, but I feel like the action I had was enough to make up for it.

I feel like the second half of the chapter is where I feel worried that I skipped around a bit too much. I feel confident about everything up until the end of the Lisanna flashback was paced pretty well, but I feel like I might have rushed a bit to get this done in two chapters instead of three.

But yes, Ur survived Iced Shell, and was apparently rivals with Layla Heartfilia and Acier Silva. Unfortunately, all three got a bad case of 'being a mother in an anime' and died, well at least two of them did.

I feel like you could easily say that Asta would need Demon Destroyer to undo Iced Shell, and while I agree, I wanted Ur alive in this story, and Asta does not have that sword yet, so I kind of finagled my way through that. Don't forget, Anti-Magic is busted.

The final thing I wanna talk about is the Lisanna flashback. I really enjoyed writing out their relationship, and the scene where Natsu finds out about her 'death' was one I had been planning for a while.

I should clarify that all three slayers categories will have mates, but being a mate does not do anything. They don't have a psychic connection or can feel if one dies or will go crazy if their mate dies. I simply like the idea of slayers not being entirely human, and it is blatantly stolen from "Natsu Dragneel the Dual Dragon Slayer" by JTZ29. But only Dragon Slayers will mark via hair color. You'll have to wait to see what the other forms are.

Next time, we are heading into the arc that I have been waiting for since I started writing this series, the Phantom Lord arc. I hope you're ready for the most romantic start to a relationship in the next chapter. LOL

Next time: "Phantom's Calling Card"