[GRAYLU] If Only It Was You

Prologue

For miles in every single direction, a deathly stench corrupted the atmosphere. Hundreds of corpses were toppled against the remains of earth from the town square, their grime covered faces flourished with fertile agony. The once beautiful town in Northern Ishgar, was now barren and desecrated- tainted with splashes of a rich, dark red. The hue seeped into anything it could grasp, anything that was left in the pile of rubble and debris.

And it grasped the boy. The only one left from the annihilation, from the unmerciful wrath of the monster which rose from the Book of Zeref, Deliora. A terrifying beast that had eliminated everything that mattered to him. His mother, his father, and now even his mentor. Though, the devil's reign of terror had finally ceased, its ear-shattering roars no longer rang in his ears, his brain fearfully calm.

The silence was eerie, yet the boy still did not lift his head. He drew his eyes away shamefully from the only light in the vicinity. It was the reflection of the crystallized water, gleaming against the blood infused sun. Ur's ice shimmered beautifully, encasing the blood-ridden beast. Yet, he had not begun to stir. Dried tears and blood dirtied his entire body, as the cold suddenly sent a chill down his frail spine. At that, his long refrain of sorrow had ceased for he hadn't felt the cold in a very long time. Tears welled in his hazy, blue eyes and escaped, fleeing away from his anguished face.

The salt of his shed tears fused with the pools of his own blood and he peered at it impassively. The feeling of misery quickly left his body as his knees wobbled and they abruptly kissed the soil. Anger bubbled inside of him and suddenly revived every sense in his body. The wounds and bruises on his figure began to feel pain. The smell of death and bloodshed finally informed his nostrils. He felt the sharp stone as it penetrated his soot-covered hands, the blood dripping down his lean arm. He listened to the soft muttering of the wind as it sent waves of shivering down his body.

And he could finally see. See how stupid he was for even laying a foot near Deliora. He could finally see how the ice captured the beast's malicious features, how Ur gazed upon him remorsefully. And he finally saw the darkness that had clouded around him.

He strained his throat with a gasp and he swiftly turned around. There was nothing, but the voices began to rise in volume and aggression, saliva forming a lump in his dry, forsaken throat.

"Who there suffers once more from the wrath of Zeref?"

The boy looked around frantically, fear glued the caps of his bruised knees to the ground. He parted his lips and spoke in a ragged, hoarse voice, "W-who's there?!"

The cursed voice giggled devilishly and spoke again, deceit dripping from the untruthful words.

"Look at what you have done, you foolish boy. First, you murder your parents. Now, you murder your own mentor. Have you no shame?"

The boy with raven hair hitched his breath and shakily exhaled. "N-no, I didn't-"

"Oh yes! Yes you did! An encounter with Deliora is a rare one indeed. Why do you think you've experienced this mayhem twice? A simple game of chance? Oh no, my boy. You were cursed ever since you were born. Lord Zeref has chosen you!"

"I don't believe it..." He whispered, though he was inadvertently hesitant in his tone. Clutching his fists, he felt tears stream down his cheeks. Was he really the source of all this destruction?

"Oh, you must! For you must atone for your sins! If anyone were to know whose blood you have on your hands, the children of the light would never accept you! You were destined for this path! The path of darkness!"

The boy laughed bitterly, glaring at his blood soaked hands in vain. "Never. My parents, Ur. They would never have wanted that for me." He lifted his head to gaze up at his mentor, and although she was ice, he could sense the chilling feeling of comfort seeping into his skin. He smiled solemnly, the anguish clearly etched upon his features.

"Hm? Did I forget? That there is a way you can avenge your loved ones? By walking this path, you can find the very book that made you suffer so dearly."

At that, he quickly lifted his eyes and his pupils widened at the sight of a haze of black smoke that was not apparent before. The vague face in the smog, grinned maliciously at the effectiveness of the devilish offer. Only souls whose hearts were tainted with darkness could see the haze and the raven-haired boy could see it ever so clearly.

His eyes went dark as he stared at the gas intently.

"Avenge my loved ones?" He repeated, every sliver of emotion leaving his crippled voice. The blurry face nodded and the smoke swiveled around his aching body.

"Yes. You can find out how to destroy the book. Not only Deliora, but every single demon created by Zeref. Are you willing to save your family? Your mentor?"

He felt a sudden change of heart take over him. He could no longer feel control of his body as he reached out to grasp the smoke that loomed over him. Though his mind informed him of his impulsive actions, his heart quickly overwhelmed every sense of his body. His body felt hot, his sight blurry, his ears ringing and his touch was in a state of frenzy.

He opened his mouth to accept the appealing offer, half-willingly, for his body was being bewitched by the darkness from within him.

"I-"

"Is anyone here?! Is anyone alive?"

The boy snapped out of the evil trance that consumed his every thought and looked towards the origin of the voice. His eyes were still void of perfect sight as the foggy figure was within his field of vision.

It was a girl.

The sun was bright behind her and her golden locks of blonde hair glimmered, similar to the gleam of Ur's ice. It seemed so miraculously vibrant, the dark hues of red and black suddenly vanishing from sight. The boy wanted to reach out towards the harmonious voice, oh so badly, until the black haze obscured the light from his vision.

"Deliora. Your parents. Ur. Don't dream of things that you don't deserve. Once that girl hears of your sins, she'll run as far away from you as she possibly can."

The bubbling of hope within his stomach quickly diminished once he heard those words. The darkness entered him just as quickly as it had left him,and his eyes became an abyss of darkness. The spirit was right. He did not deserve happiness. He did not deserve what he had deprived from his family. He would hurt the innocent girl too. His inner darkness would find a way to make her suffer.

He quickly embraced the black haze and swiftly fled the scene, the smoke infusing with his body. The majority of his body was consumed with hatred and wickedness. But the small percentage of him that still contained a sliver of light hung onto the blonde thread.

And deep within him, the part which he never acknowledged, he wished to leap into the arms of the girl and release his hidden agony.