It was a sunny morning when Natsu and Gray woke up. Despite having a restful night's sleep, they were still exhausted. The sun shone in the hut where they were staying, and Happy sat in shock and worry by Lucy's empty bed.
"Hey, Happy, where's Lucy?" Natsu asked while rubbing his eyes. Happy turned to face the fire dragon, and his eyes were filled with pure anxiety.
Happy reported, "She's gone."
"Gone? What do you mean she's gone?" Gray asked as he got dressed for the day.
"What?! She got a head start before us! What the hell, man?!" Natsu shouted, annoyed and irritated, that Lucy had gone before them. He was thinking that the celestial wizard was going to investigate without him. "We're a team, damn it!"
"She's been gone for a long time, Natsu. Her smelly scent isn't fresh." Happy snickered as he pointed it out. It caused Natsu to pause and sniff the area.
"Yeah, you're right. Happy, her scent is stale. Not only that, I don't smell Morana either." The Fire dragon paused as worry filled all three mages.
"You don't think Lucy went to find Morana, do ya?" Gray asked. It was a theory he had, knowing it wouldn't be easy to get off this island since they were shipwrecked. It made sense that Lucy would be brave enough to try to find the ice dragon.
"There's only one way to find out," Natsu said. Before beginning their investigation of their job, the three of them set out to locate their female companions. Luckily, one of the guards provided them with information. They claimed that after seeing Lucy leave the village, she encountered the ice woman. The beach was the best place for them to look.
It didn't take them long to reach the shore and find Lucy asleep in the sand. Concern washed over them as they raced towards her.
"Lucy!" Gray shouted. They got to her side, and Gray was gentle as he shook her awake. Morana's coat was covering her like a blanket.
"Wake up! Why are you sleeping on the beach?" Natsu shouted.
"Aye! That's a strange place to sleep, you know." Happy added as he looked around and noticed the camp set up.
"Huh? Natsu? Gray?" Lucy woke up as she looked at the two, confused. "What's going on? Where's Morana?"
"That's what we want to know. How come you're out here?" Gray asked as he looked at her, concerned.
"Oh...I couldn't sleep, so I went out to search for Morana and found her. She made a camp out here on the shore. I guess I fell asleep." Lucy explained as she stretched out.
"Her scent's stale here. She must have been gone for a long time." Natsu pointed out, "Why would she leave you on your own?"
"Yeah, that seems kind of messed up if you ask me," Gray added as he stood up.
"She left me?" Lucy mumbles. Her thoughts were drawn back to her conversation last night and what Morana had shared with her.
"Something wrong, Lucy?" Gray took note of the concerned look on Lucy's face as she was left in her thoughts.
"Um...yeah...I'm just worried about Morana, that's all." Lucy stood up and stretched out.
"If you don't mind me asking, what happened last night?" Gray asked. He had a suspicious feeling that something was wrong with Morana. Out of all the missions he worked on with her, this one was the most unusual.
Lucy was worried about her friend, and even more so now that it was clear that Morana left sometime after she had fallen asleep. "Well, we just talked about her distaste for the demon species," she explains.
"That's it?" Gray asked. Natsu and Happy were both looking into the stew that Morana had prepared the previous evening. Even though it was cold, they were able to make it hot once more by simply relighting the fire.
"You two are always thinking about food!" Lucy scolded the two as she whacked the backs of their heads. "And yes, Gray, that was all we talked about."
"Come on! We haven't had breakfast!" Natsu rubbed his head as he pouted.
"Aye! Have some compassion, Lucy! We need the food!" Happy continued, rubbing the bump on his head.
"You two are pathetic. Look, we need to find Morana and not scavenge through her food." Lucy told them as she decided to carry Morana's winter coat.
"Just take it, man. We're burning daylight." Gray huffed, annoyed that this was what they were wasting time on.
"Great idea, Gray!" Natsu shouted as he picked up the pot, using his flames to keep it hot. "Let's get going!"
"I am surrounded by idiots," Lucy grumbles, clearly annoyed, as they begin to explore the island's forest in search of Morana.
The four of them were walking through the forest. The pot Natsu had brought with them was empty, as the fire dragon and blue cat had finished the rest of the food.
"Man, that was good!" Natsu had a full stomach as he walked behind Lucy and Gray, satisfied by the meal.
"He's like a pig sometimes," Lucy muttered softly.
Gray heard her and chuckled. "Yeah, he is, isn't he?"
"What are you trying to say, ice freak?" Natsu had heard Gray insult him and got into the ice mage's face.
"You have no manners, Natsu. You didn't even offer any to Lucy and I!" Gray pointed this out as he got in Natsu's face as well. Lucy stood irritated as the two squared off against one another. They were wasting their time on such an idiotic thing. The celestial wizard was only interested in finding Morana so that the mission could be completed.
"Would you two cut it out?! We need to find Morana and figure out what is going on with the moon." Lucy scolded them as she tried to get them to stop fighting, but they were so focused on fighting each other that they didn't hear her.
Behind them, the vegetation and trees rustled as Lucy looked up and grew pale with fear. A massive rodent loomed over the trees. They were being pursued by what appeared to be a rat disguised as a maid.
"Guys..." Lucy tried to get their attention but with no luck.
"Guys!" Nothing.
"THERE'S A GIANT RAT RIGHT BEHIND YOU!" Lucy screamed as she pointed it out. After putting an end to their argument, Natsu and Gray turned to look at Lucy with confusion before turning back to face the rat that was hovering over them.
"It's huge!" Gray shouted as he looked up at the beast.
"Why didn't you say something sooner, Lucy?" Natsu shouted.
"I did, but you two wouldn't listen!" Lucy shouted as she used Happy as a shield. "Don't just stand there; beat it up!"
The rat inhaled deeply before exhaling a large amount of foul gas. Gray's ice shield thankfully blocked it, but it was still enough to knock Natsu to the ground.
"Ice Dragon Freezing Talon!" A shout echoed out as Morana appeared above the rodent. Her flying kick was powerful enough to knock it out cold. Standing atop it, she peered down at her fellow guild members. The gas dissipated from the area, and they were able to breathe once more as they looked up at the ice dragon.
"Morana!" Lucy was certainly happy to see the ice dragon. It made her realize that the woman knew how to make an appearance. "Where have you been?"
"Reconnaissance around the island. You're not going to like what I found." Morana said as she jumped to the ground. Natsu was on the ground, holding his nose due to the stinky gas from the rat.
"What did you find?" Gray asked as he looked at Morana. Lucy was handing Morana's coat back to her.
"It's best if I just showed you. We're close to it anyway." Morana said as she slipped her coat on.
"Aye!." Happy said.
"There's a temple just up ahead. What I have to show is in there." Morana spoke as she led the way toward the Temple of the Moon. They all fell silent as they followed the ice dragon away from the giant rat. Morana's quiet and solemn demeanor warned them that something significant was going on. Although it was undetectable, there was a problem with the ice dragon.
When they arrived at the Temple of the Moon, they were taken aback by how dilapidated it appeared. It was on the brink of crumbling to the ground. It was as if one wrong step could cause you to fall straight through the floor.
"It's massive," Lucy commented.
"Yeah, and it's falling apart," Gray mumbled. "What is it that you wanted to show us, Morana?"
"It's underneath the temple, as well as on top," Morana said as she looked around.
"There are so many moons." Lucy walked over to a wall and saw the moon motifs on the wall.
"Well, this is the Temple of the Moon, so it makes sense why it's decorated all over the place." Gray mumbles.
"Moon island? Moon curse? It makes you wonder what it all means." Lucy ponders.
"Aye! Use that brain, Lucy!" Happy shouted out.
"Man, this floor isn't even safe enough to walk on," Natsu mumbles as he stomps on the ground.
"Knock it off, Natsu. You are going to make us fall down." Morana glares at the fire dragon.
"Yeah! If we fall, I'm blaming you!" Lucy shouts. Natsu did not stop but instead continued, except that when he slammed his foot down, it went through the floor. The floor around them started to collapse, and everyone froze and tensed.
"Damn you, Natsu!" Morana shouted as she quickly cast an ice spell. She swiftly snatched Lucy in one arm and Gray in the other, ice dragon wings bursting from her back. They both weighed her down, but she was able to slow her fall long enough for them all to land safely.
"You idiot! Look at what you did!" Gray shouted as he held tightly onto Morana's arm. Only Natsu and Happy landed on the stony, hard surface left by the collapse of the floor. The fire dragon seemed alright as he popped up from the rubble with Happy.
"Hey?! Is everyone okay?" He looked around and didn't see anyone, only to look up in shock as Morana set both Gray and Lucy down. "What?! That's not fair! Why didn't you catch me?"
"Because you're a bone-headed freak! I can only catch two people at a time! Gray and Lucy can't survive a fall like that." Morana hissed as she set herself on her feet, her wings of ice bursting into a flurry of snowflakes.
"Here's a thought: if you think before you act, maybe you won't cause as much destruction!" Gray shouted at Natsu.
"Yeah! You're lucky Morana caught Gray and I!" Lucy added.
"Calm down, you two. Getting angry at Natsu isn't going to get us anywhere. Besides, we need to be under the temple in the first place." Morana sighs as she looks around.
"Really! Then I did us a favor!" Natsu smiles, happy that he did something smart.
"Not really!" Lucy grumbled as she looked toward Morana. The ice dragon stood stiffly, her gaze fixed on a tunnel. "Are you ok, Morana?"
"Yeah, just have a headache, that's all." Morana sighs as she looks back at them. "Follow me, and prepare yourself. This mission is a lot darker than it seems."
They all looked at her, perplexed, as they followed her through a tunnel. Lucy felt shivers as she sensed the cold radiating from the ice dragon. It frightened her even more when they emerged into a larger cave. Morana came to a halt in front of a massive ice block. There was a huge monster inside—actually, a demon.
"This is what we are up against." Morana sighs as she feels dizzy from standing so close to the thing. Natsu just could not make sense of what was in front of them as Lucy and Gray watched in horror.
"That's impossible!" Gray was filled with fear as he took several steps toward it. "It's Deliora, but how? How could this happen?"
"So you know about this demon, Gray?" Morana seemed a bit surprised by this connection.
"How the hell is it on Galuna Island?" Gray was shaking violently as he looked at the demon in front of them.
"Gray, try to calm down." Lucy was doing what she could to comfort the ice mage.
Morana responds, "A cult transported it." Gray turned to face her, terrified and enraged, and stormed over to her, clutching her coat in his fist.
"How do you know about this?! Answer me!" Gray shouted. Lucy panicked as she attempted to pull Gray away from Morana, but was stopped by Natsu.
"The Band of the Emperor, Gray." Morana's voice was soft as she saw the familiar pain in Gray's eyes. She gently took hold of his hands and held them in an effort to comfort him. "I knew Deliora was here; I didn't know what for. When I was in the cult that held me captive, I was used to locating a lot of demons that Zeref had created. Deliora was one of them. I knew about this, and I didn't say anything because Master Makarov ordered me not to. I understand you are angry, but you cannot be angry at me; I did not know you had a connection with this demon."
Gray could only stare at her before he let her go, but she kept holding his hands for a bit longer. It was her way of trying to reassure Gray that she was on his side.
"So you know this thing?" Natsu asked, looking at both Morana and Gray.
"Yeah...This Deliora is the demon of destruction." Gray shook as he turned to the ice-encased demon in front of them. "But why is it here?! It doesn't make any sense."
"I can answer that; I did some recon of the island and found something," Morana mumbled as she gripped her head. She briefly lost her vision as a result of the vicious throbbing in her skull.
"Morana!" Lucy reached out to the ice dragon and steadied her as Morana started to sway on her feet.
"Aye, so big demons have an impact on Morana?" Happy asked. They heard footsteps and looked to see several people approaching them. They quickly retreated from view. They were watching two young men arrive as Morana leaned against Lucy. One had a dog-like appearance and was shirtless. The other had eyebrows that were noticeably big.
"The voices seemed to come from down here," the man with the big eyebrows said, looking around. "I hate being awake during the day. So, Toby, have you been exposed to the moon drip? You have those pointy ears."
"I told you it's a fashion statement, you jerk!" The dogman yelled at his companion. The Fairy Tail mages stared, perplexed and concerned, at the two who approached Deliora.
"I was just teasing you." Big Eyebrows chuckles.
"You don't have to be so mean," Toby growled.
"Moon Drip??" Lucy whispered. Morana mumbled softly to her. "I'll explain that later."
"Yuka, Tobby, something terrible has happened." A female joined the two near Deliora.
"What is it now, Sherry?" Yuka, the man with big eyebrows, muttered.
"It's Angelica. She's been attacked. I'm so sad." Sherry shared. Saddened by this reality, she clasped her hands to her chest.
Morana smirked as she watched the interaction with her guildmates.
"You're mopping around because someone beat up your stupid rat?" Toby barked at the female.
"She's not a rat. She's a brave hunter, prowling the jungle to protect us. She is love." Sherry sighs.
Lucy did not appear to like the women she observed. "I don't know who these weirdos are, but I do not like the girl with the pet rat."
"Judging by their scents, they're not from the island," Natsu whispered.
"They don't look like they have the demon curse." Happy added.
"They're the ones who brought Deliora to Galuna Island in the first place," Morana mumbled as she kept her eyes on the three mages in front of them.
"Intruders, you say?" Yuka spoke, catching the Fairy Tail mages' attention.
"Yes, and it's almost time to collect the moonlight again. This makes me so sad," Sherry said as she turned to her comrades. "This news will displease the Cold Emperor. We should get rid of them before he finds out. Yes, we must find them before the moon's first light." She ended her ominous speech.
"Agreed," Yuka said with a deranged look in his eyes. Toby just growled.
"Since they have seen Deliora, we can't allow them to live," Sherry said.
Her words did not sit well with Morana, who gripped the rocks and crumbled them to dust. Given that she was the one standing closest to the ice dragon, Lucy appeared a little scared. While the three mages were still speaking, something caught their eye, and they quickly fled after it, leaving the Fairy Tail mages alone.
Happy was the one who created the distraction to get the three mages away from them. "Nice job, cat." Lucy praised the blue cat.
"Aye." Happy nodded his head.
"Oh, come on, we should have grabbed them and beat some answers out of them," Natsu grumbled, annoyed.
"Alright Morana... Just what all do you know?" Gray turned to Morana, who was struggling to stay on her feet. She appeared to be experiencing a severe headache, which was affecting her balance.
"To start off with, there's a cult being run by an idiot who calls himself the Cold Emperor. He is trying to free Deliora from this ice cage by using a magic spell called Moon Drip. A belianese spell that concentrates the moon's power into a spell that can deactivate any spell, including Iced Shell." Morana explains.
"What?! That's impossible!" Gray shouted.
"Iced Shell? What is that?" Lucy asked, confused.
"Iced Shell is a spell that is made of unmeltable ice." Gray looked scared but, more importantly, angry at what was going on.
"Gray...What is your connection with Deliora?" Morana asked as she had to sit down to stop her head from spinning.
"My master, the one who taught me my magic, Ur... She cast this spell. A decade ago, this demon was terrorizing the northern continent. It can't be stopped. Ur... She cast the Iced Shell spell and froze it." Gray explained. They could hear the pain in his voice as he looked at the demon. "I swear... If anyone tarnishes my master's legacy, I will make sure they wish they had never been born!" It was a vow that made Morana chuckle.
"Yes...I've heard of that tale. Deliora was a demon created by Zeref, just like Lullaby was, except this one's caused much more destruction than that pathetic flute." Morana chuckled as she held her head in her hand. "A woman stopped this monster and sealed it away in a glacier on the northern continent. This cold Emperor thought he could stop this demon on his own. The plan is simple: melt the ice and defeat the demon inside. It's rather ridiculous."
"So what do we do now?" Happy asked.
"We wait until night falls," Gray said.
"What?! I'm not waiting that long! I say we go up there and beat some asses!" Natsu argued.
"Gray's right; we need to stay hidden and wait until they are active. Let them come to us." Morana sighs. She isn't doing well.
"Morana, are you okay?" Lucy asked.
"No...I'm not feeling good," she admits. They watched as Gray knelt down and touched her forehead with the back of his hand.
"You're barely running a fever. It's just like with Lullaby, but not as bad." Gray said.
"You don't think that she gets like this when she's around demons? Does she?" Happy asked, confused.
"No..." Morana breathed out slowly. "I get sick when I'm around Zeref's magic."
"What?! How does that even work?" Natsu asked, confused by what Morana was saying.
She didn't want to tell them, but she had no choice. "I'm sure Makarov told you about the Chaos Dragon Slayer Lacrima inside me." Everyone nodded their heads. "It reacts to Zeref's magic. This lacrima was created with the intent to aid Zeref; as a result, it saps my health to fuel its energy."
"That's horrible! Why do you even have this thing?" Gray gripped Morana's shoulder.
"It was forced on me." Morana hung her head low. "The Band of the Emperor kidnapped me from my mother and forced this lacrima in me. They needed a dragon slayer, and they got me. I had no choice in the matter."
"Is there any way to remove it?" Lucy asked softly. She felt for the ice dragon and what she was going through.
"Not unless I want to die, that is." Morana sighs as she struggles to look at her guildmates. Despite her best efforts to hide it, she was consumed by so much. Now that there was a more urgent matter at hand, she should not have been ranting about her horrors. "I am fine for the time being, I assure you. We have more pressing matters to deal with."
"But this thing is harming you!" Natsu wanted to protest, but the cold glare that Morana gave him silenced him.
"I will be fine. Deliora is our first priority." Morana growled darkly at the reckless Pyro. They were not to worry about her; she made that very clear.
"Morana..." Gray wanted to say something, but she gave him a softer glare. "You're right."
"What?! You're going to go along with her?" Natsu shouted.
"She's right, Natsu. We can't have Deliora break free! It will cause a lot more destruction than Morana's life is worth." Gray said.
"Take that back!" Natsu shouted as he gripped Gray's shirt. "Morana is our friend! Her life matters! Not just everyone else!"
Morana stood up and slammed her fist into Natsu's abdomen while heaving a sigh. The Fire Dragon quickly lost consciousness. "There, that takes care of that. We hold off until dusk. Objections from anyone else?"
"No, we're good!" Lucy and Happy shouted in fear as they watched Morana knock Natsu out cold.
Morana returned to her seat and rested, as did Gray, who sat closer to Deliora. Lucy and Happy grumbled about their boredom as they watched Natsu sleep soundly.
"This is so boring," Lucy whines but then gets an idea. "I know! Open the gate of the Harp Constellation! Lyra!" Lucy had summoned a celestial spirit with the ability to sing. Because no one had made a request, Lyra began singing a soft, sad melody. Morana got up and walked over to Gray.
"Hey...May I sit with you?" She breathed out as she held her stomach.
"Yeah, go ahead." He said this while holding his hands together. The only reason Morana sat next to him and invaded his personal space was to feel his magic energy. This was not the first time she had done this to him. Her being an ice dragon slayer explained why she was drawn to Gray.
"I'm sorry if I hurt you... I had no intention of doing that." She whispers to him.
"It's not your fault... You didn't know I knew about Deliora." Gray mumbles as he lets her lean against his shoulder. "How's your stomach?"
"It could be better, but I'll live. Thanks for agreeing with me."
"I don't like it, but I understand. So far, it's not creating an effect as bad as Lullaby did to you. Do you know why?"
"I think it has to do with Ur's Iced Shell spell. I think it's blocking most of Deliora's magic."
"I see." Gray looked up at the demon again.
"Don't worry, Gray. I promise this thing won't ruin what your master did. We're a team; I won't let you do this alone." Morana breathed softly as she rested against him.
"Yeah, you've been getting better about that team thing." He chuckled, wanting the situation to be lighter.
"Well, you can thank that stupid Pyro." Morana sighs. She was clearly in pain, and Gray could see it. He brought her closer to him by wrapping his arm around her shoulder.
"Just sleep it off, okay?" He averted his gaze as Morana did nothing but listen to him. She dozed off for the remainder of Lyra's song, which had moved Gray to tears. Nothing else was sung after that.