"Alright, let's head down and check it out," Kira said, lifting their right foot. "Hold on tight!"
"?!"
"What are you doing?!"
"Wait a second…!"
The others rushed to stop Kira, but it was too late. With a forceful stomp, the ground beneath them cracked, splintering outward with a sharp crack crack before—boom!—it collapsed!
"Oh no! Watch out!"
"What the hell are you doing, you idiot?!"
"Why's the ground so brittle here?!"
"Word Spirit: Wings."
As the floor gave way, the trio plummeted uncontrollably. Kira, prepared as always, activated their wing magic and floated down gracefully, their cloak barely fluttering behind them.
"Perfect landing!" Kira announced smugly.
Thud! Thud! THUD!
Kira wagged a finger at the three sprawled on the ground. "Tsk, tsk. You guys need to work on your reflexes. If you can't handle a sudden situation like this, you'll never pass the guild's test to become an S-class wizard."
The trio scrambled to their feet, rolling up their sleeves and shaking their fists, ready to give Kira a piece of their mind.
"You've got some nerve saying that after pulling a stunt like that!" Gray snapped.
Just as Kira was about to be surrounded and "educated" by the angry trio, they suddenly pointed ahead. "Look! That must be the target of the 'Moon Drip'! Man, that thing's huge—and ugly!"
Gray wasn't buying it. He'd used that distraction tactic one too many times in his fights with Natsu. "Oh, please! You think you can change the subject now?"
But Loke paused, his fist lowering as he turned to look. His brow furrowed. "That thing… is that a demon?"
Cana caught on too. "I get it. They're trying to use the Moon Drip to break that ice and free that demon, right?"
Demon? Ice?
Gray's heart skipped a beat at their words. He spun around, and what he saw was a nightmare buried deep in his memories.
"Deliora?!" he gasped. "No way! Why the hell is Deliora here?!"
His outburst drew curious glances from Loke and Cana, who had no idea what was going on.
Kira, meanwhile, wore a subtle smirk, the kind that screamed, Everything's going exactly as I planned.
Then, feigning ignorance, Kira looked up innocently. "Deliora? What's up, Gray? You know this demon?"
Gray's head was bowed, his emotions in turmoil. He stayed silent for a long moment before muttering, "Deliora…"
"Oh! Wait, I remember now!" Kira interrupted, snapping their fingers. "Deliora! I know that name. It's that crazy powerful demon that wreaked havoc in the Northern Continent over a decade ago, right?"
"Kira…" Gray started, his voice trembling.
"I heard from Gildarts that he was supposed to take it down, but when he got there, someone else had already dealt with it. Who knew it was sealed instead of killed—and now it's here?" Kira continued, acting surprised.
Gray stared at Kira, stunned. "You…"
"Rumor has it, the one who sealed it was named Ur—a wizard who used ice-make magic, just like you, Gray. What a coincidence, huh?" Kira said with a sly grin.
Before Kira could finish, Gray lunged forward, grabbing their collar. "You bastard! You knew about this, didn't you?! That's why you brought me here!"
"Wait, wait! You're saying the Moon Drip can dissolve any magic, right? Who's behind this?! Kira, what do you know?! Tell me now!" Gray's grip tightened.
"Uh… dude, you're choking me…" Kira wheezed.
Loke and Cana rushed over, pulling Gray back. "Gray, calm down!" they urged.
"Calm down?! How am I supposed to calm down in a situation like this?!" Gray shouted.
"Tell me, Kira! Who's doing this?! Tell me!"
Gray was too worked up to listen to reason, repeating the same demands over and over.
"You little…" Kira sighed, realizing words weren't getting through. With a hardened fist, they sent Gray flying with a solid punch. "Calm the hell down before you talk!"
Much better.
Gray hit the ground, stirred briefly, then went still. Loke and Cana turned to Kira. "What's going on, Kira? Why's Gray freaking out like this?" Cana asked.
Maybe the punch worked, because Gray, now calmer but still heavy-hearted, spoke up slowly. "Deliora… it's the demon my teacher, Ur, sacrificed her life to seal."
Bit by bit, Gray shared his memories, recounting the painful past to Loke and Cana, who hadn't known the full story.
"I see… No wonder you're so shaken up," Cana said softly.
Gray's voice was laced with venom. "Ur… she was the person I respected most. Whoever's behind this, I'll never forgive them!"
Heh, we'll see how long that lasts, Kira thought smugly.
Cana walked over to Gray, pulling a bottle of booze from who-knows-where and setting it in front of him. Then she shot Kira a sharp look. "You knew about this, didn't you? That's why you brought us here—no, why you brought Gray here."
"I was wondering why you suddenly took this job and broke guild rules to drag us along. Now it all makes sense. This was your plan all along, wasn't it?"
Kira flashed a grin and gave her a thumbs-up. "Sharp as ever, Cana! You're exactly right. It was all part of my plan!"
Gray exploded. "You're just admitting it like that?! You jerk! Why would you do this?!"
"Why? What kind of dumb question is that?" Kira brushed off Gray's anger. "It's the same reason you guys sent Natsu to deal with that fake 'Fire Dragon' scam. Once I found out what was going on here, I brought Gray to handle it. Same logic, right?"
Yup, that's the reason. Totally not because I enjoy stirring things up.
Wait, am I really this quick-witted now? Coming up with excuses like that on the spot?
"Uh… I mean, you could've just told me…" Gray muttered.
Kira blinked innocently. "I'm telling you now, aren't I?"
Cana: "…"
Gray: "…"
Loke: "…"
"What's with those faces? Especially you, Gray! This is how you treat the person who went out of their way to bring you here?" Kira teased. "If I hadn't—er, I mean, brought you here, with your second-floor-climbing skills, when would you have ever found out about this?"
Gray paused, then sighed. "You're right… I got too worked up. Sorry. And… thanks."