Chapter Fifteen
"Do not think you can protect your friends from me, boy," Jiemma said. He took shook off the wreckage of the ice lance and took a few steps into the cavern, his shoulders squared. His eyes had shrunk to pinpoints of red in a face that was lined and worn. He raised a scaly black claw and sent a burst of magic straight at Gray. "I will be the strongest! You cannot stop me this time!"
Gray sprang out of the way. He flipped to the side, bringing his hands together mid-air. "Ice Make: Death Scythe!" He swung the weapon towards Jiemma.
Jiemma raised an arm, the ice breaking uselessly against the scales on his skin. "Weak! Do you really think you can stop me with such pathetic attacks?" He sent a wave of magic bursts across the cavern that Gray struggled to dodge. "I, who have changed myself, given up my humanity, just to become stronger. You cannot stop me! Curse Magic: Demon Blast!"
A sparking orb of darkness hurtled towards Gray, knocking him into the wall in a cloud of smoke and dust. "Sorry, Erza," Gray said, as the smoke cleared. The blast had ripped the clothes off his right arm, revealing inky black skin. He had used his Devil Slaying abilities to absorb the blow. "Looks like this is one promise I am going to have to break."
He launched himself towards Jiemma, ducking as he ran to avoid the blasts of magic that came his way. "Ice Devil's Zeroth Long Sword! You can't use your blast magic if I attack you from close range!"
Jiemma sidestepped Gray's attack, grabbing Gray by the hand and throwing him down to the ground. "Weakness must be eradicated from this world. Only the strong shall survive! Once I have obtained the Zmaj Ključ, I will destroy those who oppose me and truly be the strongest!"
He spun around and delivered a kick to Gray's abdomen, sending him flying. Gray's fingers clawed at the earth as he slid. He skidded to a stop, clutching his stomach, his t-shirt ripped to shreds. Jiemma raised his hands above his head, forming a giant glowing ball of energy between his palms.
Gray spat out blood as he rose to his feet. "I don't care what this 'Mai Clyooch' nonsense is, but if you come for my friends, I will cut you down!" He unleashed the full power of his Devil Slayer ability, allowing the dark magic to ripple over his skin. The blackness crept up his face as his hair rearranged itself into spikes. Jiemma unleashed his attack; the colossal ball of magic flew straight at Gray.
He flicked it away with his wrist; the attack barrelled into the wall of the cavern, breaking through several more tunnels as it went. Gray smiled sinisterly, his lips parting a fraction to reveal pointed teeth. "It's my turn now."
Jiemma blinked as Gray disappeared from view. With superhuman speed, Gray reappeared behind Jiemma, delivering a series of punches to his back. He turned on his heel to deliver a roundhouse kick, sending Jiemma flying across the cavern. He raced over in a flash, arriving before Jiemma did and delivered an uppercut to his jaw.
He hit him again and again, pleasure flooding his body every time his fist connected. There was a voice that lurked in the back of his head, warning him that he was going too far but he ignored it. He would destroy this creature that stood before him. He would destroy it all. His vision clouded, covering the world in a red miasma. He could not think clearly, the haze of bloodlust permeated his every thought.
The next thing he knew, he was standing over Jiemma's body, drenched in his blood. He stared in horror at the ravaged form below him and at the red that tainted his hands. The blackness across his torso roiled, stretching further across to his left shoulder. His legs gave out from under him and he fell to the ground. Jiemma looked as though an animal had attacked him. Fed off of him. The realisation that he had been the one who did that sent Gray crawling back from his victim. "Wha-What have I done?"
Suddenly, Jiemma gave a huge shudder, rolling over to fix Gray with empty eyes. "You cannot finish me off that easily, boy. I told you, I am the strongest. I will be the strongest."
His bones cracked as his body contorted, a macabre grimace twisting his face. Wings exploded from his body, turning his torso inside out. His legs burst, swelling into monstrous hooves. Jiemma rose to his feet just as his skull cracked open to allow giant curved horns to emerge. "I have hunted demons relentlessly these past years. Taken the best parts of them to make myself into the Ultimate Demon. I will never be defeated again! I will prevail!" He roared and flapped his wings, a chimera of stolen parts.
Gray found himself reflexively sucking in a deep breath of air. He rose, unsteadily, to his feet. The red mist wavered at the edges of his vision, ready to overcome him once again. "Ice Devil's- NO!" He stumbled as he fought to regain control. "NO!"
Jiemma screeched and flew straight towards Gray. He grabbed him by the torso and rose high in the air before spinning around and throwing Gray to the ground. Gray scraped across the cavern floor, coming to rest against a tumble of rocks. He clutched his head, straining to remain in control. Jiemma used the opportunity to throw another blast of curse magic. Gray stepped out of the way just in time, but the shockwaves from the blast sent him flying across the cavern. The next attack hit him square in the chest. Injuries spattered his body, but he still struggled to his feet.
"Fight me!" Jiemma ordered, "Test your magic against this body." He held up a clawed hand and snapped his fingers. Bursts of magic exploded around the cavern. Gray was tossed around mercilessly. "Did you not learn that magic to become the ultimate warrior?"
He kicked out at Gray. The cloven hoof caught Gray in the shoulder, dislocating it and smashing his clavicle. He gasped in pain. The more he endured, the more tenuous his grasp on his mind became. He could not give in to the madness, but he could not let Jiemma win either. His nakama were relying on him. He could not lose. Erza's words to him rang in his ears.
Jiemma rained down blows upon Gray. The ground around him was shattering under the impact. "Test it, you weakling," Jiemma screeched, "See how my Ultimate Demon Body outlasts even your Devil Slaying Magic!"
"NO!" Adrenaline surged through Gray as he found the strength to throw Jiemma off of him. "No!" He stared down at the black markings that now covered both his hands. "This magic… it has never been mine." He blinked back tears as he remembered the warmth of his father's dying embrace.
"Dad, you gave me this power to slay E.N.D., but Zeref's demons are no more. I have no need left for it. My own demons are the only ones left to slay." Gray struggled to his feet, surety flooding through his veins. "I'm sorry, Dad, but I cannot be who you want me to be."
He raised his hand, the darkness peeling from his skin and swirling around him like a cloud. A thunderclap rent the air and the miasma exploded in a shower of pure white ice. "I can only be who I am. I am a creator, not a destroyer. I am an Ice Make Wizard and the person who is going to cut you down!"
With that final statement, Gray stripped off the last of his clothes. It was time to get serious.
Charle pointed to the left; Erza and Lucy raced down the tunnel. They had run down countless tunnels, but they could still hear the roar of battle behind them. Finally, Lucy spotted a whisper of light. With a final burst of energy, she sprinted towards the opening.
"What?"
Lucy's surprise was equalled by Erza's as she ran out of the cave seconds later. The group stared around in surprise.
"Yes," Charle said, hopping down from Lucy's arms, "I don't understand it either. But this is what my vision showed me."
Erza placed Natsu and Wendy on the soft green grass and turned to look at the meadow around her. The trees were shaded silver by the starlight, but she could tell that their foliage was lush and green.
Wendy stirred. The warm, sweet air was replenishing her energy. She took a deep breath and slowly sat up. "How is this possible?" she asked. Mount Zonia was known for its year-round snows.
Happy circled the skies. "We are above the clouds," he reported.
Lucy stared around her. How could such a beautiful green meadow exist above the clouds on a snowy mountain? She squinted towards the forest beyond, trying to see where it ended.
"There's a lake at the end of the forest. It drops off into the clouds." Happy squinted up, afraid, at Lucy and Erza. "What's going on, you guys?"
"It's magic," Natsu replied as he lay face down on the ground. He twisted his head to look at his companions. "There's some very strong magic here. It is warping the world around itself."
"Do you mean like Dragon Cry?" Charle asked, worriedly.
Natsu sat up and looked over at Wendy. "There's something familiar about this scent."
Wendy nodded. "It seems to be coming from everywhere here. It smells like Aconologia, but different somehow."
"What?!" Happy cried, running to hide behind Natsu. "There's another Aconologia?!"
"No. Whatever this thing is, it isn't alive."
Erza looked at the clear night sky. "Whatever this thing is, it can wait. Let us make camp here and try to get some rest."
"What about Gray-san?" Wendy asked.
Erza walked back to the mouth of the cave and strained her ears. "I cannot hear anything, but that does not mean anything." She sighed. Gray was so reckless. She had seen the determination in his face when he had told them to leave him behind and she trusted him to win the fight. Still. It had been quite a while since then. "Lucy, take Virgo and see if you can find him."
"I'll come with you," Charle said. Her abilities would be useful if they got lost in the tunnels again.
Natsu made to get up but Erza fixed him with a look that rooted him to the spot. No doubt he would find a way to release his cuffs and charge into battle if she let him.
"Wait!" Happy cried. "I have a great idea!"
"What do you bet this idea is terrible," Charle muttered to Lucy.
Happy hopped up and pulled Lucy's fleuve ďé toiles out of her belt. "If we hold one end here and you take the rest with you, then you definitely won't get lost."
Wendy clapped her hands. "That's a great idea, Happy! You can give it three sharp tugs if you are in danger."
Erza wrapped the fall of the whip tightly around her palm. "Be careful," she nodded at Lucy and Charle. She watched them go, the bright blue ribbon of stars fading into the darkness behind them.
"Ice Make: Fishnet!" A lattice of icy threads wrapped themselves around Jiemma, freezing him in place.
Jiemma snapped his wings, tearing the net to shreds before it touched him. He dove towards Gray and grabbed him before flying up to the roof of the cavern.
"Your attacks are getting a little predictable, old man," Gray smirked. He freed himself from Jiemma's grip, swinging around his neck and onto his back. He gripped the horns on Jiemma's head for balance as the monster thrashed to shake him off. "Ice Make: Cold Excalibur!" He jammed the sword in the space between Jiemma's head and neck.
Jiemma bucked in pain, throwing Gray off. Dark mists began to swirl around his body and his face contorted as scales began to grow across one cheek. "Curse Magic: Demon Cannon!" A beam of destructive energy sped towards Gray.
"Ice Make: Shield!" The shield cracked under the force of the blow, shattering into pieces. Gray's eyes widened as he realised Jiemma had taken advantage of the manoeuvre to sneak up on him. "Shit!" he swore. He wrapped himself in a cocoon of ice armour just as Jiemma hit him with a close-range magic blast.
He sprang away, backflipping across the room. "Ice Make: Unlimited! One-sided Chaotic Dance!" A swirl of swords materialised in the air around him, shimmying momentarily before flying straight towards his enemy.
Jiemma closed his wings around himself to protect himself from the blow. "Weak! Your attacks are weak!" He unfurled his wings to find that Gray had closed the gap between them.
"Ice Blade: Seven Slice Dance!" Gray delivered the strikes before sliding his leg under Jiemma and sweeping him off the ground. "Ice Make: Ice Impact!" A beautifully carved hammer appeared over Jiemma, smashing into him and leaving a crater in the surrounding area.
Jiemma careered out of the wreckage. One of his wings was torn, making his flight unbalanced. He crashed to the floor but rolled himself into an attack position quickly. He concentrated the remainder of his energy into one final attack. "Curse Magic: Hyper Beam!"
There was no way his ice shield could withstand that attack. Gray brought his hands before him and focused. The spell was still imperfect, and he had not practised it enough, but it was his best shot. "Ice Make: Cambuscan!"
A sheet of ice grew from his hands, its edges twisting into an elegant filigree that housed a shining mirrored surface. Gray braced himself, sliding back several feet as the blast pounded into the mirror. The mirror cracked but held, bouncing the beam back towards Jiemma. His eyes widened in horror as he realised what was happening. The blast burned through his chest, through to the tunnels beyond. Jiemma fell to the floor, defeated.
Gray panted heavily as the mirror vaporised in his hands. He limped over to his vanquished enemy. Jiemma turned hollow eyes to Gray. "Finish me off. The weak do not deserve to survive."
"True strength lies in the bonds we share with our family. Our nakama. Our guild. You were already taught that lesson once, but it seems you are a slow learner. Go home to your family, old man."
Gray stumbled as the ground around him began to shake. He realised too late that the deflected magic beam had shattered most of the walls around the cavern.
"We have to get out of here, the ceiling is going to come crashing down any second!"
"Go. Leave me." Tears of self-pity filled Jiemma's eyes.
With the last dregs of his energy, Gray brought his hands together for one last spell. "I already told you. That's not who I am."
A dome of ice exploded upwards in the nick of time, sheltering the two of them from the initial onslaught. But it wasn't enough. The dome cracked as the weight of the remaining mountain bore down on them, crashing down until all that was left was black.
"Virgo, stay on guard, we might have to tunnel out of here at any moment," Lucy said, donning her Virgo Star Dress.
"Roger that, Princess," Virgo replied, sensing correctly that the moment was too tense for a punishment joke.
The trio of them pushed forward towards the heart of the mountain. Suddenly the walls around them began to shake.
"Stop! Get back!" Charle exclaimed, she pushed Lucy and Virgo away just as the tunnel before them was filled with a shower of dust and shrapnel.
"Gray!" Lucy cried. She ran towards where they had left Gray, hoping beyond all hope that they were not too late.
"Princess, stop! It is too dangerous!" Virgo hurried after her, with Charle flying overhead. They found Lucy kneeling before a wall of rubble.
"No," she said, the tears streaming down her face. "We need to find him. Please."
"I'm sorry, Princess. It is too dangerous to tunnel into the surrounding walls right now."
Charle put a paw up to her mouth to hold back her sobs. "That idiot."
Lucy buried her face in Virgo's apron as she sobbed. "Virgo, please! We can't lose him."
"Tch, what's all this noise about?" came an irritated voice from behind them.
"Gray!" Lucy launched herself at him, wrapping him in a tight hug.
"Geez, Lucy. Get off, I can't breathe." He fixed his gaze on Charle and Virgo. "I hope you guys know the way out of here, because I sure as hell don't."
Lucy wiped her eyes. "I'm so glad you're safe."
"I did not know Princess was so eager," Virgo whispered.
"My, my, Lucy. So wanton," Charle added.
Lucy looked down to see that Gray was not wearing any clothes. "Kyaaa! Get away from me, you pervert!"
Gray followed the other three grumpily, a red bruise the size of a potato on his cheek. As he neared the exit, he looked back towards the heart of the mountain. He had woken alone in one of the tunnels near the debris. A memory of black wings shielding him and gentle claws pulling him from the debris hovered on the edge of his mind; a feeling more than a memory. A plea for redemption. He shook his head to clear it and turned, stepping towards the light.
Lucy pouted, annoyed. Natsu was being weird. Again. It was not that he ignored her, she might have been able to cope with that. It was more that he was suddenly indifferent. Completely uninterested in anything she had to say. He had sulked all through dinner, even as she retold the story of how she had found Gray in the tunnels.
To tell the truth he had been acting weird for over a month. She had expected him to pester her while she was working in the library, but he had hardly come to visit, choosing instead to spend his time fishing or quarrelling with his other guildmates. She huffed, looking up at the stars. She had gone for a stroll after dinner, finding a picturesque glade in the forest. The glade was filled with a sea of flowers, their scent mingling with the cool night breeze. She perched on a convenient boulder and looked out at the flowers, feeling calmed by their beauty.
She did not hear him come up behind her, but suddenly, he was there. Natsu took a seat at the base of the rock and looked up at her. "Was this your idea?" he asked, twirling the Sealstone cuffs in one hand.
"No." She could be indifferent too.
"But you support it."
"Yes." She saw his jaw clench with anger. "Don't bother destroying them. We have more."
Natsu scowled and flung the cuffs far into the field. They landed soundlessly amongst the flowers, sending a puff of pollen into the air. She thought he would get up and leave but instead he leaned his head back against the rock. "I hate this," he said.
She slid down to rock to sit beside him. "We'll figure it out."
"You don't trust me to stay within my limits?" Natsu pouted at Lucy's sly expression. "I'm not that reckless." A cricket chirped in the silence of the night. Natsu looked off into the distance. "I promised you that we'll always be together. I don't plan on breaking that promise."
"Oh." A blush crept up Lucy's cheeks. It was her turn to look off into the distance now. Tentatively she edged her hand across the grass, reaching out to touch Natsu's pinky with hers. "Then why were you ignoring me for most of last month?" she asked hesitantly.
Natsu's finger pressed into hers. "Tch," he huffed. "You were busy, and I didn't want to distract you."
She turned sceptical eyes to his. "When has that stopped you before." Understanding dawned as the memory of that night on the ship drifted into her mind. "Oh. OH."
"Yeah." Natsu looked away, the lightest touch of pink tinting his cheeks.
Lucy smiled softly and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I missed you."
He huffed in response. A silence fell between them. "I missed you too."
"They're in l-l-l-l-love!" came a voice from above their heads.
Lucy jumped up to see Happy lurking in the branches above. "It's not- you can't- come back here you dratted cat!" she yelled as Happy flew away, laughing.
"We are, aren't we?" Natsu said nonchalantly.
Lucy spun around, but he was already walking back to camp. She stood rooted to the spot, unable to believe what she had just heard.
Finally, something inside her clicked and she found herself running after him. Had he just-? Her fingers brushed his back. A large part of her wanted to embrace him, her front to his back, no words exchanged between them.
A larger, much more vindictive part wanted to leave him as speechless as he had left her with his casual declaration. She grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around before grabbing his collar. She pulled him to her, sealing her lips over his in a searing kiss. A smirk twisted her lips as she pulled away. There. That would teach him a lesson.
Lucy made it three feet before he caught up to her, taking her in his arms and pressing his mouth to hers. She parted her lips, grazing his tongue with hers as her hands tangled themselves in his hair. Breathing heavily, the two of them sank to the forest floor. It looked like they both had lessons left to learn.
"OK, Team," Erza ordered, standing with her hands on her hips. "It is time to get serious!" A blinding light engulfed her, and she emerged in her battle outfit. A black bikini.
"Alright! Pool party!" Natsu yelled, thrusting his hands in the air. He was wearing pink swimming trunks that matched his hair.
"Woohoo!" Happy cheered.
Erza fixed them with a stern gaze. "This is not a party. We are on a mission!"
"Y-y-yes, Erza!" The two of them saluted smartly.
Lucy watched the exchange, a sweatdrop hovering near her forehead. The team had spent the entire morning searching the meadow and forest but had found nothing. The lake was their last option. She sighed and adjusted the straps of her white bikini. They had three days before their Quest expired. She wondered if she would be able to convince Natsu to drink the Potion of Abdication if it came down to it. Maybe between her and Happy they could generate enough emotional blackmail to knock down his stubborn walls.
"Um, Lucy-san," Wendy asked, "what exactly are we hoping to find in the lake?"
"Some sort of magical artefact, maybe," Gray answered, walking up to them. "Jiemma mentioned something about it. A 'Mai Clyooch' or something."
"A mai what?" Lucy repeated. Gray shrugged in response.
"Whatever it is, it would be safer in the hands of the New Magic Council," Charle said. She was dressed in an adorable orange two-piece. Lucy looked at her and then looked at Happy and wondered for the umpteenth time why Happy was the only Exceed she had seen who did not wear any clothes. 'Unless the bindle around his neck counts,' she mused.
"Come on, everyone! We're wasting daylight!" Erza called. "Let us divide the lake into quadrants and conduct a thorough sear-"
"I bet I can find it faster than you," Natsu goaded Gray.
"Oh, it's on! Loser has to wear diapers to the guild for the rest of the month!"
The two men took off running towards the lake, both stopping short when armoured hands clamped down on the scruffs of their necks.
"Idiots!" Erza scolded, "The lake is pouring out over the mountainside into the clouds, we have no idea what kind of-"
Erza stopped short when she noticed Happy stepping into the water, a yellow duck shaped floatie around his waist. Suddenly, the waters of the lake began to swirl, turning a dark red. Happy screamed as he was pulled towards the centre of the whirlpool. "Natsu! Help!"
"Don't worry, Happy! I've got you!" Natsu jumped into the lake and wrapped his arms around his friend.
"Natsu-san! The whirlpool is moving towards the edge of the cliff!" Wendy cried.
"Hurry up and get out of-" Gray turned blue with shock. Natsu's cheeks had puffed up, his eyes taking on a glazed look. "Motion sickness? You aren't even on a vehicle, dummy!"
Lucy sprang forward. "I'll take care of this! Star Dress: Aquarius Form!" She dived into the churning water. "Aqua Ageto!" She brought her palms together above her head and spun in a circle, lifting the water into the air with her. With a snap she spread her hands, parting the waters of the lake. Natsu and Happy fell to the lakebed, inches from the cliff.
"Awesome, Lucy!" Happy said, preparing to carry Natsu to safety.
"Hurry up and get out of there," Lucy grunted, her magic would not last much longer.
Wendy started as she spotted something in the centre of the lakebed. "Charle!"
"Got it!" Charle grabbed her around the waist and the two of them speeded towards the centre of the lake.
"What are you doing?!" Erza shouted, panicked.
"I'm sorry, everyone," Lucy yelled, her shoulders slumping as her magic drained. The walls of water began to crash down, flooding the lake.
"Wendy! Lucy!"
"Don't worry, I've got them." Charle appeared from behind the crashing waves, one paw on Wendy's collar and the other hooked into the waistband of Lucy's skirt. She panted as she delivered them to the shore.
"What were you thinking?!" Erza hurried over to Wendy.
Wendy grinned and held out her hand. An ornate key with an iridescent sheen was clutched tightly in her hand. Lucy glomped her, rubbing her head with her knuckles. "That's our Wendy!"
CRACK! The sound reverberated around the mountainside. Natsu lost his balance as the hillside began to shift and slide under him. "Not again," he mumbled, turning green. Wendy slumped to the ground beside him. "Not you too!" Gray said.
"We need to get out of here!" Happy yelled.
Gray widened his stance, bringing a closed fist onto the palm of his other hand. "Ice Make: Hang Glider!" A massive hang glider began to take shape in front of them all. "Everybody, grab on!"
Erza scooped Wendy up with one arm, clutching the glider with the other. Gray and Lucy secured Natsu between them. They lifted off, sailing through the clouds, heading towards the pastures at the base of the mountain. Behind them, the landscape shifted, the icy snows that covered Mount Zonia melted away, the rivulets of water running into the river that already flowed there. Trees sprung from the soil, foresting the mountainside in shades of green and gold. Red moss crept up the stones that littered the hillside, burnishing the land.
The residents of Geranium Town flooded into the streets, straining their eyes to witness the icy pinnacle of winter that had blemished their countryside turn into a mountain paradise. The group of wizards gliding down the hillside into the forest beyond went unnoticed in the upheaval. Hours later, on the train back to Magnolia, Happy voiced the question that was on everyone's minds. "But why was the Key there?"
Natsu scratched his chin. "Maybe Aconologia was the Dragon Guardian!"
"No," Erza said, "Aconologia completed the quest himself, how could he have been the Guardian?"
"Maybe the punishment Vega-san mentioned included taking over the duties of a Guardian Spirit," Wendy offered.
Lucy frowned. First, Vega had failed to give them all the Rules of the Quest, then the Snake Guardian had attacked them viciously without reason. Combined with the mysterious appearance of the fourth Key; things were not adding up at all. Natsu's head lolled onto her shoulder as he slept beside her, his hand creeping into hers.
She glanced over at the rest of her nakama; they were quietly bickering over something new. Natsu's grip tightened on her hand. She smiled. Whatever it was, they would figure it out. There was nothing she could not do when Natsu was by her side.
A/N: I really worked my butt off to push of these three updates before work starts again tomorrow. It was important to me because idk when the next one will be. My thesis submission is in five weeks (oh my God, brb while I throw up) and I have spent the last two weeks doing... absolutely nothing.
Oh well. Fingers crossed etc. etc. The most important thing is that even if the update is late... IT IS COMING. I am not giving up on this fic y'all. I have invested too many hours of my life in this fic and also... I really like writing it.
A/N 2: Hope you NaLu fans out there are satisfied coz... .. Natsu is so hard to write! I hope that interaction was in character for them both.
A/N 3: I'd love your feedback on the battle scene. Was it interesting? Any suggestions to improve? Too much backflipping (Is that Gray Fullbuster or Simone Biles?)
A/N 4: To quote Erza Scarlet: Please forgive my bad manners in not wishing you all a Happy New Year. I meant to with chapter thirteen and then I just kinda... forgot. T_T. Sorry! Happy New Year to you all and I hope you have a great, Grayza-filled year ahead! Which you will, if you sign up to receive the Grayza fanzine at .com (shameless plug).
As always, thank you so much for reading, reviewing, faving and/or following. My heart skips a beat every time I see an email from FFN. Please read a review if you feel like it :).
