With Great Power Comes Great Responsibilty

Chapter 56

Gray had barely slept. He tossed and turned through the night, soaked in sweat, his body trembling with heat and strange urges he couldn't understand. Every time he drifted off, he was plagued by visions—running through jungles, hunting prey, growling at things in the dark. When he finally did wake up, it felt like he'd been dragged through a furnace.

He stumbled into the bathroom to wash his face. But the moment he looked into the mirror, he froze.

His eyes were still bright green, slit like a predator's.

"What the hell..." he muttered.

He blinked rapidly and tried to will them back to normal, but nothing changed. Panicked, he rubbed his eyes. That's when he noticed his hands. His fingernails were still claws.

"No... no, no, no." He held them up, heart hammering. "Come on, change back. Change back."

But just like his eyes, they refused to return to normal.

"Oh this is bad. This is really bad."

He fumbled for his phone and called Erza. No answer.

"Come on, pick up!" he muttered, pacing the room. He tried again. Still nothing.

Unable to wait, he threw on gloves and sunglasses, pulled a hoodie over his head, and rushed out of his dorm to find her. But as soon as he stepped into the hallway, he ran straight into Lyon, who was returning from the gym.

"Well, well," Lyon said, voice laced with venom. "If it isn't my so-called friend."

Gray winced. "Lyon, I really can't talk right now—"

"No, I think we need to talk," Lyon snapped, stepping in front of him. "Right now."

"Please, not now. I—"

"I was out with Juvia the other night," Lyon continued, ignoring him. "And I learned something very interesting. Something you never thought to mention."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how you stole my girl!" Lyon shouted.

"What?!"

It was at that moment Gray suddenly remembered what Juvia had told Lyon the night before — how she couldn't date Lyon because of her feelings for Gray. Lyon's anger made more sense now, though his reaction was way off base.

"Lyon, it's not what you think," Gray said quickly.

"Oh, spare me! You knew all along, didn't you? That she wanted you, not me!"

"Not exactly," Gray replied, trying to keep calm. "She did want to date me, but I told her I wasn't interested. That was before either of us even met you. Lyon, I know you feel like you were deceived, but that's not true. We didn't tell you because we didn't want to make things awkward. And I can't help how she feels, okay? Besides, I turned her down."

"So you're not interested in her at all?"

"No," Gray said firmly. "She's an awesome friend, but that's all."

Lyon looked like he was about to calm down, to see reason. Then Gray muttered under his breath, "But to be fair, she wasn't even your girl to begin with."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lyon asked, narrowing his eyes.

"It means you're acting like she was your steady girlfriend who cheated on you with me. But you two only went on one date, and she was upfront about her feelings from the start. I thought you were okay with that."

"I was—until I found out it was you she preferred over me."

"What difference does it make if it's me or someone else?"