Waking up on the ground with an uncomfortable back was becoming more common of an occurrence than Gray ever expected it to be. He groaned, sitting up slowly only to feel a wave of dizziness wash over him. Immediately, he fell back down and grimaced at the feeling of his head hitting the ground. Remaining still for a moment, Gray took a deep breath and instead attempted to at least twist his head to look at his surroundings. He was inside of a tent with Ur and Zeref sitting down side by side. His eyes flickered around, seeing no one else to greet him. His brow furrowed, thinking back. The last thing he remembered was being on the airship with Irene back in Fiore. They were taking down Nirvana…how the hell did he get back to Alvarez? Where were the others?

The longer he was awake, the more Gray realized that light-headedness wasn't the only thing that felt off. Really, now that he was more aware, it felt almost like his entire body was ready to wilt at a moment's notice. Moving in any form felt like a bad idea and even if he wanted to use magic to support his efforts, he was alarmed to feel a distinct lack of energy. Did he somehow overexert himself? Gray pressed a hand to his stomach, closing his eyes to try and sense for even the sealed ethernano he'd grown used to. Yet, there was just…nothing. No curse power was there to access, nor did he have magic at all. It was just empty.

Opening his eyes, Gray narrowed them down at his hands. He had to be mistaken. Maybe he just wasn't able to feel it yet. Carefully, he held his hands in front of him and prepared to at least test with a basic ice shield for now. Yet, no matter how hard he focused, nothing changed. There was no drop in temperature around his hands and no sign of even frost around his hands before a circle formed. It was just…nothing but his hands held together in an awkward clasp in the air.

"Gray." Zeref's voice was quiet and almost breathy when he spoke. Frowning, he looked over at the black mage. Now that he really focused, he could see that Zeref almost appeared to be slouching in the tent. His eyes would droop frequently, lingering shut when he would blink. Behind him was a table that he leaned against, making no effort to actually hold himself upright.

Ignoring his own exhaustion, Gray gradually pushed himself to sit upright. "What's going on?" He looked between them with a frown. "Are you alright? You look like you're going to pass out any second." How was he even here? When had the others found a way to reverse that variation on iced shell?

"Bringing back the dead will do that." Zeref leaned his head back and Gray stiffened at the words. "I…may have thrown away the opportunity you found to get rid of my curse."

"You—" Gray swallowed, looking over at Ur. "What happened?" Sitting around in confusion would only make things worse. Seeing Ur with Zeref wasn't making sense, hearing that someone was resurrected was even worse, and the gaping lack of memories in his head was almost terrifying in a way. How much time had passed? Days? Years?

Slowly, his former mentor gave him a weak smile. "Some unexpected complications came up. You remember going after Nirvana, right?" He nodded. "Well, things didn't go exactly as planned." She began delving into a story that seemed more like fiction than reality. Gray only felt numb as she spoke of Gray gradually transforming into a demon, with Zeref adding in an occasional comment to clarify pieces only he'd been present to observe.

"Ankhseram nearly stopped us from bringing you back." Ur looked over at Zeref. "We barely managed to act fast enough. All she managed to do was change how you came back - seems like your birth mother wasn't exactly human and gave you another option other than becoming a demon."

"The two of you…came up with two secret plans together?" Gray looked between them. "No, never mind. I don't think I care about why you're finally getting along for a change." He waved off the question, letting out a sigh. "All of that really happened though?"

"You don't remember?" Ur's eyes were wide, flickering towards Zeref.

"Not surprising." He slowly looked over towards Gray. "This…isn't exactly a predictable sort of spell. Some memory loss…isn't entirely unusual." He hesitated. "Some…some of my experiments resulted in complete amnesia." He looked into Gray's eyes. "At the very least, are you feeling okay? Your magic is likely…unusual again. I cannot say I know how it will function, but I'd anticipate it is similar to how Ankhseram's works based on what I've heard. It's…fascinating. Mankind called them gods, but it was essentially a worship we developed of just another form of magical being. I would be so interested to read about how that worship began…what did their kind do to make themselves seem so—"

"Zeref." Gray interrupted, a small smile flickering on his face. "I'm feeling alright, if you still wanted an answer. My magic is pretty much gone, as far as I can tell." He took in a slow breath. "Based on what you two have said…that's a small price to pay." He frowned. "Where did Natsu end up?"

"We couldn't keep him here." Ur shook her head. "As soon as he was up, he ran off insisting on finding Happy to tell him that he was fine. I imagine your friends are in for quite the surprise if they haven't seen him already."

"It…isn't as if I was in any state to do anything." Zeref grimaced, rubbing his shoulder for a moment. "This always takes far more time to fade than seems normal."

"Well, maybe you should've thought of some way to get rid of that damn poison in your life. Instead, you had to go off contemplating time travel and applications of ritual magic instead."

"Those are hardly the only magics I've researched instead of healing spells." Zeref shook his head. "And if I were to research healing, this isn't what I'd focus on. Do you think it is a common sort of poison?"

"Poison?" Gray looked between them. "What are you—"

"Don't worry about it." Zeref spoke quickly, not letting the question finish. "It will heal, like all other injuries of mine." Right. Gray stared at him, still slowly grasping everything going on. Zeref's curse…would never be lifted by Ankhseram now. He was stuck with it, if they didn't find some solution of their own.

Still feeling his own sort of exhaustion, Gray just sighed. "Well, after we're all healed up…what's next?" He looked over at them. "Ankhseram won't lift the curse, so where's the next clue for research?"

"We're done," Zeref said. Gray immediately moved to object but Zeref continued before he could get a word out. "I accepted the price of my actions, Gray. You found me an answer…I chose to reject it."

"Not like I didn't influence that somewhat," Ur muttered.

"I would have made this choice, with or without you," Zeref argued. His eyes focused on Gray. "It…wasn't an easy decision to make, Gray. But…I've had some time to think. Really, I can't imagine I'd find a means of being content, if the curse were lifted yet everyone I cared for gone. I would seek out my own death before seeking out more friends, Gray. So…I decided that perhaps on this path, I could find enough moments to make the curse worthwhile."

"That's…Zeref, you've suffered for longer than you should. Someone needs to help you get freed from that." Gray narrowed his eyes. "What about your fears of how you behave with this curse? The plans you make when it gets to be too much?"

The black wizard smiled darkly. "Impossible to carry out. Theoretically, August claims to have the means of making them possible…but even then, I have my doubts in their success." He tilted his head. "Did you not listen to the full story, Gray? We were going to attempt Neo Eclipse as an option. It was that spell that warranted the plans that made me so uncertain of myself in the first place."

"That still doesn't make things better. You…you can't just…" Gray swallowed, looking down at the ground. "None of this would be worth it, Zeref. Me, Natsu…why the hell would you give up your freedom for us?"

The black wizard stared at him calmly. "I believe you should already know that answer." Gray swallowed, looking away and feeling his face grow warm. This isn't an impulsive choice, Gray. Zeref switched to telepathic communication, his voice far quieter and almost difficult to hear with the change. It also wasn't made with the belief that anything would change. All I want…is to still maintain the same connection we've had ever since you first insisted that my existence mattered to someone. I don't need reciprocation or even acknowledgement of how I feel.

What, you want to reapply that enslavement spell again? Gray snorted.

With a small smile, Zeref chuckled. As interesting as that may be, no. I may have grown used to such a connection, but that isn't exactly a healthy connection to force on anyone for so long. No…I just want this. This ease of having someone to speak with about anything. Of having someone who doesn't mind when my thoughts go to dark places, who understands that I may not always have the typical ethical limitations of others simply due to my experiences. A connection with someone who isn't afraid to tell me when I'm wrong and stop me from making mistakes…I don't need anything more to be content, I think. To…follow Mavis' example and find enjoyment in the small adventures, even if the curse will still find moments to bring me pain. I cannot say it will be easy, but I think I might be able to learn to…tolerate it, if I try to see it in a different light.

Ur looked between them, letting out a sigh. "I'll go find the others and give you two a chance to talk." She looked over at Gray. "I'd warn you to be careful, but I figure that's not exactly necessary anymore. At least take this if you're gonna do something stupid though." She tossed him something. Gray reacted, barely catching a metal chain and staring in surprise at the familiar necklace. He hadn't even noticed it was gone. "Do what makes you happy, Gray. When you're done, I'd like to have the chance to meet the rest of your friends and the people who helped you when I was gone."

Nodding, Gray watched her leave. He felt Zeref's telepathy pull back, though the dark mage still looked just as exhausted as before. "She…has been oddly more understanding than before." He paused, tilting his head. "It seems as if becoming friends with her isn't…completely impossible yet."

"From what I've seen so far, I'd say you two have come a long way." Gray leaned back, lying back down with a sigh. "Still, she did somewhat interrupt your emotional speech about how content you are with your cursed existence now. Always manages to have the best timing when interrupting our conversations, huh?"

Zeref smirked faintly. "Indeed." He tilted his head. "Not that I object to her leaving. Magic is…too much right now. I likely shouldn't have even attempted that much but…I wanted to speak with you." He was quiet. "You shouldn't be blaming yourself for my decisions."

"I'm…well, I don't think I am at least." Gray rolled onto his side, facing Zeref. "Really, it's just a lot to take in. Plus, quite a drastic change from…well, constantly focusing on how to get rid of your curse. It'll be quite a change to just go back to the guild—" Gray broke off, blinking. "Well, I guess go back and figure out what I can do now."

"There are other tasks within a guild you can assist with, if you don't wish to leave." Zeref frowned. "And…if you want to continue usual work, I suppose I could assist when I have time. Offer you some form of magic while you—"

"Sorry, that wouldn't be the same." Gray stared at his hand. "Really, I only learned magic in the first place by chance. My parents didn't introduce me to it…but I still stumbled into a teacher on my own after Deliora came." He sighed and closed his hand into a fist. "Not having it feels so weird to me. I don't know what I'll do without it, but it wouldn't feel right to just keep taking wizard jobs and forcing you to basically do them for me."

"Will you return to Fairy Tail for now?" Zeref hesitated. "They…likely are still working on repairing Fiore. I…I'll likely become busy, given the situation. Alvarez played a role in ending the conflict with Nirvana and as such, Invel will be complaining if I don't do something about our relationship with them soon."

"Likely." Gray shrugged. "Maybe I'll help Mira man the bar for a bit rather than take jobs. Figure something out and start small while I get an idea of what I want to do."

Zeref nodded, hesitating. "If…if you'd like, you are welcome to return here. It isn't as if I have further secrets to hide about Alvarez anymore."

"Nah, I don't think politics would be for me either." He saw Zeref moving to speak and chuckled. "And military isn't my thing either. Even so, that doesn't mean I'm not gonna stay in touch." He stared at Zeref, his smile softening. "You've…given me a lot to think about. I promised you I'd focus on it once things calmed down, Zeref, and it looks like that time is now." He sighed, rolling back onto his back. "We've…gotten close, Zeref. While you were frozen, I can't deny that I was desperate to get you back. You probably know me better than most of my guild members at this point and we certainly get along better than I do with most of them."

"That is somewhat of a result of sharing a telepathic link of any form for months, Gray."

"Yeah, well, I still figure we get along well, with or without that link." Gray closed his eyes, really trying to think about it. "I've told you before, it isn't that I dislike the idea of romance, Zeref. I just never took the time to really see it as part of my future. Guild work kept me busy and I hardly bothered with putting in any effort to maintain friendships. It…I don't know what it feels like to love someone, Zeref. I wouldn't be able to tell you if I did feel that way about anyone." Gray snorted. "I've…realized I'm kinda clueless like that. I don't exactly spend a lot of time thinking about how I'm feeling about anything and it seems to bite me in the ass sometimes when it comes to stuff like this."

"That is understandable." Zeref shrugged. "Emotions are not exactly logical, as I've explained before. Not everyone takes the time to understand themselves to the point where they can clearly define such feelings at any moment in time."

"Yeah, I guess it does happen." Gray felt his heart pound a bit faster, thinking more on the topic. Zeref had openly said he loved Gray already. He'd made it clear that he had no expectations of Gray, even with those feelings. They'd spent so much time together, growing amused at random commentary shared between only them, rolling their eyes at Juvia's antics, and working together as a team towards a single goal. Zeref could fascinate him with ramblings on his past and magic. He understood Gray's past and actually wanted to keep spending more time with him, even if Gray had a tendency to keep to himself and not share much.

They'd teased the others about his relationships already too. He'd been complicit in those harmless pranks, finding it nice to see Zeref smile for a change. It was the closest he'd ever gotten to seeing the man lie too. He…wanted to see more. Gray wanted to know more about him and see exactly what this future may hold. "Zeref…I might not know exactly what I'm feeling…but I do know that I care about you more than anyone else in my life." He turned towards Zeref, meeting those dark eyes. "I think I might want to try and see where things go with us, if you want to."

Zeref was very still, not looking away. He was quiet for some time, before slowly taking a breath. "As friends?"

"I mean, if that's what you want." Gray's face felt warm. "But…I was more so thinking I wanted to try and explore if what I feel for you is something more than friendship. To…start dating or something." He paused. "Not that dates seem like the easiest thing to coordinate from different continents, but that's what I was thinking at least."

The black mage stared at him. Like before, it seemed to be taking him a while to really process Gray's suggestion. Yet, he slowly began to nod. Gray saw a smile growing, softer than usual. It wasn't taking on a teasing edge, like when he made subtle comments to suggest Gray was dating others. It wasn't filled with some sort of self-hatred like he occasionally saw when Zeref spoke about himself. It was…warm and soft, far more open than normal. "I would be more than happy to do so." Zeref tilted his head. "Remind me to get you a lacrima before you leave. At the very least, we can stay in contact over a distance just like I do with my generals when I'm away. I'll…reach out, when I'm in Fiore again. Invel can't force me to be responsible for too long."

Chuckling, Gray shook his head. "Don't overwork your generals. Invel seemed tense enough as it was and that's before you volunteer him to be an ambassador to fix things in Fiore."

"When did I say I was assigning him to that task?"

"You didn't." Gray grinned. "I just assumed. Dimaria seems like the sort to start a war for fun and August seems to lack a sense of urgency. That leaves Invel and Irene - between the two of them, Invel just seems like the one that's more willing to accept that sort of a task."

"You…aren't entirely wrong." Zeref tilted his head. "August would actually be acceptable as well - he simply isn't nearly as motivated if I don't offer a reason to act quickly."

"Well, I guess I just haven't had the chance to see that yet." Gray yawned, stretching out. "I'm looking forward to it. Maybe we'll go out camping or something when you visit next. You're gonna have to get used to it soon if you want to hang out with Natsu more after all - he and Happy go out all the time for fishing trips."

"I'm fine with whatever you want to do." Zeref's smile faded slightly. "Really, this is already…more than I expected. You don't have to force yourself, Gray."

"I'm not forcing anything." Gray stared at Zeref, rubbing the back of his neck. "Like I said, I know I feel something for you. I just don't want to put a label on it until I'm more certain of what that is, Zeref."

"You would tell me if I make you uncomfortable?"

"When have I ever not?" Gray raised his eyebrows. "I'm not exactly quiet about my complaints when they come up."

The black mage stared at him. "Then…I think I would like to kiss you, if that is okay. My curse is still too focused on the…poison at the moment. Less active, with less energy."

"Oh." Gray looked back at him, debating for a moment. It wasn't like Zeref would be in this situation often, would he? His curse…wasn't the type of thing to just lie dormant when he cared about others. Even if that weren't the case, the thought was now in his head. Dating usually meant kissing and that sort of thing, so it wasn't an unusual request. He just hadn't really associated Zeref with physical affection for obvious reasons.

After a moment, Gray slowly nodded. He pushed himself to his feet, feeling a bit unsteady as he walked closer to Zeref. Still, he probably had more energy than Zeref did right now. Sitting down next to him, Gray first stayed still as he realized he was far closer to Zeref than the black wizard ever allowed for anyone. The pendant against his chest would at least protect against any death magic that Zeref emitted right now. He'd seen it work with Sora and Zeref before.

Slowly, Zeref reached over towards Gray's cheek. His fingers gently brushed against the skin there, thin and tracing against the surface as he cupped Gray's face in his hand. Gray's heart pounded in his chest, seeing little beyond those dark black eyes. He felt Zeref's breath fan across his face as the black wizard came closer. There was a tension in the way Zeref carried himself, an uncertainty that likely came with breaking his habits of avoiding anything even close to this.

Closing his eyes, Gray felt Zeref's lips brush against his own with the same hesitation as the rest of his movements. They were warm and soft against his own, an unfamiliar touch that Gray found himself pressing into more. Reaching up, Gray pressed one of his hands against Zeref's chest, slowly wrapping the other around his waist. Encouraged, Zeref's hand on his cheek trailed backward, instead pressing into the back of Gray's head and combing through his hair.

Zeref pulled back after a moment, his dark eyes intense as he stared at Gray. The former ice mage blinked a few times, breathing slowly as he stared back. Zeref's face had an unusual flush on it, color fanning against his pale cheeks. He felt Zeref gently brush aside his hair one more time before pulling back, slowly leaning against the table again.

Gray remained where he was, uncertain on how much distance Zeref needed after that. They'd only just kissed, yet Gray found himself thinking about it again. It was a new sensation, one that left his heart pounding and a warmth in him that he wanted to feel more of. Swallowing, he looked over at Zeref. "If you do find yourself in a situation where your curse is weak again like this in the future, you're more than welcome to do that again."

"I…don't imagine that'll be a common occurrence." Zeref smiled. "Though…I do imagine this specific case will take some time to recover from. I may be taking that offer sooner than you think." His smile faded, biting his lip. "At least…I'd like to, but I likely should not be pushing my luck." He sighed. "I am used to it, though. I wanted to be selfish just once and this was likely my…least risky chance to do so."

Gray nodded. "Need some more space for now?"

The black mage hesitated, before slowly nodding with a frown. "I suppose this isn't what most would imagine for such a relationship. Dating me may be…a bit of an unusual sort of situation."

"I know more about your curse than most, I think." Gray began moving back to where he'd been before. "I knew what I was asking for when I suggested it." The black mage slowly offered a small smile again, closing his eyes and resting in silence together. Gray lied back down, using the calm to try and get some more rest. Yet, that was quickly interrupted by footsteps and light flooding into the tent as people entered.

"Gray!" The ice mage grunted as a blond celestial wizard threw her arms around him in a hug. It was made almost worse when Erza joined the embrace, pressing him tightly against hard armor.

"I am so glad you are alright," Erza said. "When we returned, I had been under the impression that you were gone for good. Yet, Ur just informed us that we were wrong to make such assumptions." Her eyes turned towards Zeref and she released the ice mage. "I cannot possibly thank you enough. While your efforts were not for our sake, we have benefited greatly at a high cost to yourself."

The black mage turned towards her, nodding once. "It…was worth the price in the end." He looked over at Lucy. "If she did not tell you, Natsu…should be back as well."

"Yeah, we saw him." The celestial mage rolled her eyes. "Came running in, asked where Happy was, and left before we even realized what just happened. Still didn't mean we got our hopes up about Gray though. I mean, Natsu is your brother and Gray's…not."

"Juvia has heard that Zeref brought Gray back." More people began trying to crowd the tiny tent. Sighing, Gray sat up, giving up on resting.

"Look, if everyone's here, it's gonna be more comfortable outside." He looked over at Zeref, nodding at the black wizard. "Zeref's still trying to rest, alright? It probably isn't the best idea to overcrowd this place right now."

It didn't take long for them to exit and instead gather just a little ways away from the entrance. Gray settled in on the ground, seeing Lyon, Juvia, Meredy, and his team from Fairy Tail all gathered. "It is good to have you back," Lyon said. "Ur was unbearable while you were gone. She offered me no true challenge to prove my strength with you making her so miserable."

"Yeah?" Gray smirked. "I bet you didn't even make an attempt at it."

"Well…I had other matters to attend to." Lyon shook his head. "Applications to fill out and the like. Meredy is giving me a recommendation for a position with the rune knights and I need to present myself appropriately."

"Yep!" Meredy smiled at him. "And Lahar was in a good mood when I called him. He told me I might as well stick around with the guild here - he claims I'd scare people away from joining with my 'bad reputation'." She nudged Gray. "What are the odds you can get me an audience with the Emperor here? I'm still looking to help out if I can."

She was…far more cheerful than he remembered. Yet, it sounded like she'd gotten good news recently. "He's gonna be busy for a bit." Gray shrugged. "Can't say I have all the details, but there's some politics involved with the whole Nirvana issue and Fiore now that the problem's gone."

"At least one person understand that something needs to be done about such issues," a calm voice stated. Walking passed them, Gray saw Invel giving their group a nod as a greeting. "I had a feeling his majesty would still be here somewhere. I was actually looking to discuss the matter of Fiore with him, having assumed his little personal project to be completed." His eyes locked on Gray. "Yet, it appears as if he intentionally sought to extend such things."

Gray pointed towards the tent behind him. "He might be asleep at this point, but we left him inside."

The winter mage nodded, frowning for a moment. "And…August hasn't been around yet?"

Gray looked at the others, uncertain. Eventually, Meredy shook her head. "I have not seen him around since you guys said you had to deal with something in Vistarion."

Nodding, the winter mage hesitated. "That's…good, I suppose." He folded his arms behind his back. "If you see him, please do me a favor and direct him towards me rather than his majesty. Tell him I'd like to continue our earlier discussion about the full details on his plan to recreate Fairy Heart."

"Uh, sure." Gray frowned. "Is there a reason he can't talk to Zeref about that though?"

"Because the fool isn't going to be willing to share details with him and like usual, it'll be up to me to find the best way to share all necessary information to the parties involved." Invel shook his head. "Please, do not let me interrupt you any further though. I imagine you are still adapting to your new circumstances and do not wish to confuse you further."

Gray watched him turn to leave, frowning. That was…far more respectful than Invel had ever been towards him. The guy had always been polite, but this time it lacked the hostility of their previous meetings. He supposed Zeref really had cleared up the misunderstanding with Alvarez after all. Turning back towards the others, Gray saw them quickly moving on.

"So, I was thinking that we could celebrate your return by taking a job as a team when we get the guild back to a functioning status!" Lucy grinned. "I mean, there isn't much else we can do for Zeref's curse at this point, so I say we finally get back to our normal lives for a bit."

"Just don't go too crazy. Lahar has already told me to anticipate many arrests of your guild's wizards for excessive property destruction on jobs," Lyon said.

"That is a bit harsh." Erza folded her arms over her chest. "I'd say Fairy Tail is quite average when it comes to the levels of destruction caused. So long as it completes our assigned task, it is worth the price to pay."

"Actually…I'm likely not going to be taking a job anytime soon." Gray looked away. "Not certain what Ur told you, but the short explanation is that I don't have magic anymore."

Meredy looked at him solemnly. "That is unfortunate. If you do still want to offer help with a guild, I will say that Crime Sorciére would be happy to have you anyway. We aren't a typical guild and I'd be able to find work for you that doesn't require magic."

"I'll keep the offer in mind, but I think I'm going to try and figure things out on my own for now." He paused, thinking about it a little more. "You're…going to stay based in Alvarez, right?" Meredy nodded. "I might actually think about that a bit more before turning it down."

"Wait, you're leaving the guild!" Lucy shook her head. "But we only just finished our first S-Class job…technically."

"Juvia thinks Gray should be free to do as he wishes, regardless of the timing of his situation."

"And Ur thinks he's just trying to stay close to his new boyfriend," Ur said, her voice coming from behind Gray. The young ice-mage stiffened, feeling her hand ruffle his hair gently. "Not that I blame him for it."

"It might be a small factor behind it." Gray stared down at the ground, uncertain of what the others would say. Erza already sorta thought they were dating anyway, but the others were clueless.

"Boyfriend?" Lyon blinked at him. Then, he sighed and shook his head. "Of course. Only you would even think to try and date someone like Zeref. Fairy Tail wizards are all insane."

"Now you know how I feel," Lucy said. Her eyes turned towards Gray. "We still have some time before you finalize your choice though, right? Even if you are moving here, you'd need to come back for your stuff and there's a ton of paperwork involved to move to a new country."

"Somehow, I get the impression that he'd be able to get some of that expedited if he was going to move," Meredy said with a small smile. "Glad you actually made your joke official though. You two work well together - I hope it goes well. Feel free to let me know if you need someone to help you talk some sense into him. Maybe some things will come better from someone with a dark past like him."

"Thanks…I think." He shook his head. "I don't think I really need help with that sort of thing though."

"Suit yourself." Meredy slowly got up, rising to her feet. "Either way, I don't want to intrude too much on your reunion with your team. I mostly wanted to see you and tell you that I'm glad you're alright."

"Thanks." He nodded. "And I'm glad you've got the chance to keep your guild - I think this place suits you well."

"I think it does too." She gave him a wave, walking off towards some of the other tents. He saw her join a girl with dark blue hair, laughing as the young woman began talking about something.

"So." Gray turned back towards the others. "As much as I'd like to keep talking, I'm going to fully admit that I'll probably be falling asleep on you anytime. I'm not exactly fully recovered yet." He looked over at the group. "How much longer are you all here for? I imagine you're heading back to Fiore soon."

They shared a look. "Juvia and Lyon will be leaving soon." The water mage nodded at him. "The rune knights are sending an airship to pick him up so he can have his initial interview to join their ranks."

"Meredy's recommendation has certainly expedited the process." Lyon looked over at the rest of the team.

"Well, we're somewhat…stuck." Lucy sighed. "I figured we'd be asking Zeref for a favor to get back, but it just doesn't sound like it was a good time."

"I mean, he won't teleport you back, but I imagine he could at least have someone fly you back." Gray shrugged. "Not that you need to leave now. Just don't want you to think you don't have options."

"We will take it under consideration." Erza met his gaze calmly. "For the time being, I would like to enjoy our time together here. We should think of an activity to do as a group tomorrow, to strengthen our bonds as a team and prepare to go our separate ways."

As the others began to brainstorm about ideas, Gray found himself nodding and smiling along with the group. Things were a bit disorienting now and he was exhausted, but there were plenty of options for his future. Zeref was by his side, his friends would be there to support him, and even without his magic, he'd be able to find something that made him happy. With Zeref's help, he'd figure out exactly what this new transformation meant for him and maybe one day, they'd find a new path to free him from that curse. Either way, even if nothing really changed, Gray couldn't say he had any complaints about the future he saw in front of him. If Zeref was happy with his situation, he'd done his job of getting the black wizard to find a new path forward. They'd now keep exploring it together with their friends, no matter where it might lead.

With this, we have reached the end of the story. Thank you for reading all the way through to the end! Feel free to leave a review and tell me your thoughts on the story.