Time Bomb

P. 1, Ch. 10: Gray

It had only been two months since Brazen and Gray went their separate ways when Gray was walking through the forest with running clothes on. He'd just finished an intense run with Natsu and Erza, though both left for the guild already. Gray wanted to explore the forest a bit. He'd always thought the forest was an amazing place. As he walked, footsteps were following him but every time he turned around no one was there. He became more paranoid with every turn of his head. It got to the point where he couldn't take it anymore and began running.

He dodged fallen tree trunks, loose weeds and tree roots. Taking a quick glance back, he saw nothing but continued to hear the footsteps. Gray tripped and landed face first into the dirt. he could taste it in his mouth. He spit it out as the footsteps grew louder by the second. Foot stuck between a thick root and the ground, he went to freeze it but the footsteps stopped behind him.

Turning his head around, he still couldn't see anyone. Gray continued with his plan to freeze the root, but something pushed him down and hands grabbed his arms, dragging them in front of his head. Tears began flowing down, turning the dirt to mud quickly. Fear stopped him from speaking but he still could turn around and look at the insulter. Blurred orange hair. Brazen. Gray hiccupped through his tears. He missed Brazen but something about him was scary.

"Memories both good and bad are engraved deep into our brains. We learn from those experiences and grow. I promise to harness this power and use it on someone who is not worthy of happiness," Brazen chanted in a monotone voice. His skin glowed a golden yellow. Gray tried to wrestle free of his grasp but he wouldn't budge. The glowing died down and he looked at Gray, smirking sinisterly. "You aren't worthy of true happiness," Brazen said seriously. He chanted something incomprehensible then said Gray's name.

Excruciating pain embraced Gray's small body. He felt as though a bus had run over him. A scream, so loud that the trees shook erupted from his lungs. The weight on his back disappeared. Gray's back arched as another scream left his mouth. Dirt filled his fingernails and his elbows stung from the pointy sticks. He tried to pull himself free from the pain, only ending up in injuring his hands. Three seconds passed with the pain dialled low but it returned instantaneously. He could feel his throat cracking and lungs aching. It was as though he'd run a marathon with no breaks, sprinting the entire way. It was impossible to stop the tears that fell from his eyes.

The pain disappeared again. Gray's chest burned. He curled into a fatal position the best he could for a few minutes. As the burning sensation subsided, he sat on his knees. He shakily reached his left hand to the root and froze it, using all the remaining strength he had. Pushing his leg up, the root snapped. He stood up on jelly legs and walked out of the forest, towards Fairy Hill. He locked himself in his room.

Gray's body fell limp on the floor. He tried to get up but his arms felt too weak. What was that spell Brazen put on me? Why did it hurt so much? Why am I so tired all of a sudden? Gray thought to himself. He could feel his eyelids drooping. The world went black and he fell into a not-so-peaceful sleep.

Gray woke on a cold surface. Opening his eyes and looking around in shock. Building and streets were destroyed. Ur stood in front of him. Deliora had his back to them, rampaging around the town. Tears started forming in his eyes and I let out a few scared choking noises. Ur walked over to Gray and pulled him into a warm hug. "It's okay. You're safe now," she reassured him. He hugged her back for a short while, but let go and looked into her eyes.

"Ur, why...?" Gray asked.

Ur stood up. "Just take Lyon and get away from here," she ordered, ignoring his question. "It's hard to fight while also protecting you." Gray looked behind him and saw Lyon lying unconsciously on a large piece of debris.