Natsu matched the demon's attack with his own as fire engulfed the cave. To everyone's surprise, cracks formed all along the demon, and within a few minutes, Deliora was dead. Everyone was shocked and confused by what had happened. Yet the only one who seemed relieved was Morana.
"Deliora was already dead," Gray questioned. Lyon lay on the ground angrily at his plans being thwarted once more. There was a rushing sound as the water that was once ice seeped out into the ocean.
With Deliora dead, Morana's health returned to her. Stumbling while she got to her feet, she staggered over to Lyon. She dropped to her knees as he wrestled with his emotions.
"For ten years, Ur has been sapping away Deliora's life," Lyon whispered.
"That's what Ice Shell does, Lyon, but it's ok now," Morana spoke softly as she molded a piece of the ice she managed to salvage—molding the forever ice into that of a rose necklace to show Ur's style.
"But how? Why?" Lyon was confused as Morana slipped the ice necklace over his head. He couldn't move very well as he touched the piece.
"Because I know how it feels to feel lost; you may not understand anything, but you will." Morana got to her feet and shuffled into the water to stand by Gray's side.
"Man! Your teacher was awesome." Natsu turned and smiled at the two. Gray held his head as tears flooded his cheeks. Grasping his shoulder, Morana gave a smile.
"She's not completely lost. I know it's not much, but here, give me your necklace." Morana molded the ice she had left to cover Gray's sword cross necklace. The ice molded and mixed with the metal as Gray looked down at it in shock.
"Thank you," Gray whispered as he gripped the jewelry tightly.
"You're my friend; I don't want to lose you. I finally have a place to call home, and I know I still have a long way to go to be free of my chains, but I will stop at nothing to protect what I care for. So please, don't sacrifice your life like that again." Morana leaned against Gray, who supported her.
"I'm sorry. I promise I won't, but you have to promise the same thing." Gray wiped away his tears, yet they still kept flowing.
"I'll try my best." Morana smiled brightly as Natsu joined in.
"Natsu! Morana! Gray!" Lucy joined the mages as Happy came flying toward Natsu. Erza wasn't too far behind.
"Heck yeah! We finished the job!" Natsu started jumping and cheering.
"You're an idiot; no, we haven't." Morana recollected herself as she leaned against a rock for balance. Everyone looked at her, confused.
"Morana is right. Your mission was to turn the villagers back to normal. Defeating Deliora won't change that." Erza added as she crossed her arms.
Lucy gasped as she recalled her conversation with Morana the night they arrived on the island. "Wait! Morana! You mentioned earlier that these people were already demons, right?"
"That's correct. Now that the hidden plot has been stopped, I can only assume that the demons were affected by the intense magic energy concentrated on melting Deliora. That can cause mental and psychological changes to a brain." Morana explained.
"Wait! You were right all along?!" Gray and Natsu shouted as they stared at Morana in shock.
Morana rolled her eyes at the two, "Yes, you idiots, but neither of you listened to me from the start. There's a reason why this is called an S-Class mission."
"Yes, with that being said, only Morana can clear this mission." Erza pointed out. Morana turned to the armored wizard, confused.
"How will we help them if it's a mental change?" Gray asked. Lucy was hard in thought but came up with nothing.
YOU ARE READING
Snowflakes In The Dark
FanfictionBorn to a family who rejected her, Morana Kaida was the result of an affair. Cast out and hated for the loss of another, her life was filled with tragedy. But where it seemed like her fate was sealed, an ice dragon saved her and brought her into a l...
