The Shadows of Tragedy

Chapter 23

Erza wasn't sure about this idea Cana had but the doctor had managed to convince Gray to go along with it and he seemed to hope that it would work so she decided that there was no harm in doing this. She only hoped that Gray wouldn't be too disappointed if it turned he couldn't be cured. Cana began doing treatments which involved giving Gray injections of a serum made from her own blood and the chemical she had created. The first time she tried it on him it was on a night when he felt an incredibly strong hunger for blood.

The reason for this was because Cana had told him that if he kept feeding on blood it would most likely set back the curing process. So for the past few days he had been doing everything he could to resist going out for blood shed. Tonight it had become too much for him. Natsu had to chain him to a chair.

"Just a little while longer Gray." Cana said. "The serum is almost finished."

Poor Gray was sweating and panting, like a dehydrated man trapped in a desert and completely  desperate for water except in this case water wouldn't do any good. His eyes flashed red and he bared his fangs.

"Hurry doc! He's really starting to lose it." Natsu said.

"It's done." Cana hurried over to them with a syringe. "Now if this works Gray you should lose all blood lust but I must warn you the serum could be toxic."

"I don't care! Just give it to me!" He hissed in a voice that almost made Cana drop the syringe. But she kept her cool and quickly made the injection. 

"Okay now just give it a minute."

He did and by the glory of God it did eliminate his blood lust but only temporarily. According to Dr. Alberona he would need daily injections to keep his blood lust under control. An hour after giving him an injection she had him give her a sample of his own blood so she could study it and see if there was any change. There was no change but she expected that. 

"It's going to take time." She had told Gray. "Just let me keep giving you these injections, refrain from drinking blood, and I'm positive we will get results."

It was hard but Gray managed to resist drinking blood and the serum did make it easier for him. Every day of next month Gray continued to let Cana give him injections of the serum and then later he allowed her to study a sample of his blood. Now of course Cana didn't always use her own blood in the serum if she did would have become anemic but Erza and Natsu gladly volunteered to give a little of their own for the serum. By month's end Cana finally saw a change in Gray's blood. It would seem that it had now become resilient to sunlight.

"You mean I can actually go out in the sun now?" Gray asked when she told him.

"Yes but only for a limited amount of time." She said. "Your body can only withstand it for so long. I recommend that you only go outside during the day for one hour."

"One hour huh? Better than nothing."

"Let's test it first. Natsu get the curtains."

"Okay."

Gray stood in front of the window of the house that had been covered by curtains. He held his breath as Natsu slowly drew back the curtains and at long last he saw it. The sun. The warm, golden sun that he had not seen in so many centuries. He never thought for one minute he would ever be able to experience it's glorious light again. He had never really appreciated just how wonderful it was to feel the sun's warmth until now.

"Alright Natsu now close the curtains." Cana said.

"Does he have to now?" Gray asked her.

"I believe it's for the best but I assure by tomorrow should be able to withstand it for an hour."