Fairy Tail Rewind (Completed)

Chapter 12 Part I -- Reborn of Deliora

"Shelly, hasn't Deliora been revived yet?" asked the steel-masked man. His voice was as cold as winter. But he had that adoration in his eyes when his gaze swiveled to the violet pool like it was his baby. Steadily, he approached the Twelve Overlords. 

The latter nodded at him, before continuing their chanting.

The Barbie Lady bowed. "At this rate, either today or tomorrow, Mr. Reitei."

"Humph, the quicker the better. How is your investigation on the intruders?"

"I believe they're the villagers on the far side of the island, who have been nosily poking their heads in our plan, Mr. Reitei." A hint of fatigue creeping into her voice, a sign that she'd been searching for a whole day. "This is a not-so-lovely behaviour of them." 

"In that case, go and destroy the village, I don't want any interference in our progress."

Hiding behind the rocks, Gray muttered dangerously, "That voice... This can't be true..."

"This has nothing to do with those villagers!" Natsu sprang out from their hideout and dashed towards Mr. Reitei. His eyes burned with wrath. Even though the night was cold, Lucy could see rivulets of sweat rolling down his face. "I'll put an end to this worthless ritual of yours!"

Surprisingly, Gray leaped up and sped forward as well. Before Natsu could lay his hand on Mr. Reitei, Gray had hit their opponent hard on the face. His mask dropped to the floor with a loud thud. Shelly, Toby, and Vincent hopped out to retaliate but the man stopped them.

Effortlessly, he brushed away his disarrayed fringe before looking up at them. His face was a perfect oval, set off by large emerald eyes, a shade deeper than the sea. His jaw was without a trace of stubble. His silver hair glittered as if it was made of crystal.

"Lyon! It really is you! Do you have any idea what you're doing?" 

"Humph, I didn't expect to see you here. How long has it been since we last met, Gray?" 

His tone indicated that he didn't enjoy seeing Gray at all. Lucy winced at the rancor in his voice.

"You know this guy?" Natsu walked closer towards Gray when--

"Natsu, don't move!"

Too late. Lyon thrust out a palm. As it touched Natsu's skin, water vapour enveloped his body, and within seconds, Natsu was covered in ice. Only his head stayed unfrozen. Sparks of fire could be seen from the inside of the ice, but nothing happened. 

Natsu roared in disbelief and impatience, "What's wrong with this ice? Even fire can't melt it!"

"Natsu!" Lucy prepared to call out her Stellar Spirit when Gray stopped her. 

"Lucy, leave it to me. This is my battle." Gray's expression hardened as he turned to look at Lyon. His body trembled profusely like a tree under a hurricane. "How could you do this! She gave her life to seal away Deliora! You'll destroy Ul's legacy!"

"How dare you still speak of her name, when you're the one who had killed Ul!"

"It's not like what you perceived it is, Lyon. You were unconscious that time."

"Enough said! Whatever you say is useless now! Let's fight, like the old times!" Lyon shot a look of pure venom at Gray, before lifting up a hand to the air. "Ice-Make Eagle!" A dozen of eagles whizzed towards Gray. Their pointy beaks glittered dangerously under the moonlight.

"Ice-Make Shield!" 

Stamping his right fist onto his left palm, Gray created a piece of protective wall, but it wasn't able to cover him from head to toe. Relentlessly, the eagles pecked him relentlessly. He moaned in agony as rivulets of red liquid seeping out of his wounds; his wall shattered instantly.

"How pathetic! You still use both hands to create magic." Lyon sniggered arrogantly.

Gray stood up with immense pain. After wiping away a streak of blood which was dribbling down from the edge of his lips, he said, "That's what Ul had taught us. A magical creation made with one hand is incomplete and off balance."

"I'm special. Ul was too weak to have believed in ancient teaching. I've long surpassed her."

"I won't allow you deride her like this!" Gray sprinted towards Lyon, his fist outstretched. 

Lyon grabbed it easily and hurled Gray towards a boulder near the violet pool. The boulder broke to smithereens. The Twelve Overloads stopped chanting and scattered away. Lucy took out a Key but Lyra stopped her, saying that they should let Gray settle his inner war himself.

Lyon's smirk tore his beautiful face. "I doubt that you'll even land a single hit on me!" 

"Stop assuming that I'm still the same like before!" 

Gray prepared to cast another spell, but Lyon simply waved his hand, and Gray fell to his knees. Lucy stared at Gray with a piteous feeling in the pit of her stomach. Gray's fury and resentment had hindered him from performing a spell probably.

"You're still the same. I'm your senior, and you can never defeat me. Nothing has changed."

"No, you've changed a lot. You've become unreasonable and meaner than you used to be."

"It's all your fault! Surpassing Ul was my dream, but you killed her. I thought I could never realize my dream. Then I thought over of it. If I could do what Ul couldn't... If I could defeat Deliora, I can surpass Ul." Lyon let out a burst of maniacal laughter. "That's why I need to melt that ice!"

"That's your motive? You should've known the horror of Deliora. Don't do this. It's impossible."

"Don't do this... It's impossible... That was the same thing we said to you but did you ever listen? It's because you've provoked Deliora that she was dead. You have no right to speak of Ul's name! Now, begone!" Lyon rose his hand again to the air. "Ice-Make Dragon!"

A three-headed dragon swooped down towards Gray. Their metallic scales stood up like the pointy edges of swords. Gray prepared to hit it with his magic, but the water vapour dissolved into a veil of mist before it could form a proper ice cube. With a burst of derisive laughter, Lyon waved his index finger. The dragon's roar tore the sky. Without mercy, it swung its spiky tail, sweeping Gray down the seven-story temple.

"Gray!" Lucy and her comrades bolted to the brink. 

"It's time for all of you to join his death," Lyon hissed in a menacing undertone. 

He made a gesture with his finger. The dragon's scales bristled in anger as it swung its tail again. Happy fluttered his wings, trying to grab Natsu, but the ice enshrouding Natsu was too heavy. When Lucy believed that they were about to face another of their deaths, a silvery light appeared. Something cold like the body of a serpent wrapped around her. The strength was too strong that it almost snapped her bones apart. 

She gasped greedily for air before her surroundings became quiet.