The figure opposite him, let's call him Finn #2, or #2 for short.
#2 tilted his head and laughed, "You don't need to ask so many questions, because even if you did, I wouldn't answer them. Hahaha."
"But," he continued, "I'm in a good mood today, so I'll answer your first question."
#2 turned and swiped his hand; cracks appeared in space.
Finn's eyes widened.
More cracks appeared until the space shattered, revealing a scene in the air.
#2's electronic voice echoed, "Actually, I've been asleep, but when you touched that ice, a strong will woke me. It annoyed me." #2 turned, glaring at Finn.
Then he laughed, "But, after seeing the image of that will, I was moved. How's that for compassion? Hahaha."
Finn was confused by #2's erratic mood swings; one moment he seemed murderous, the next he was laughing.
#2, seeing Finn's wary expression, shook his head. "You don't need to be wary of me," he said, pausing slightly. "At least, not right now."
"What do you mean?" Finn's mind was racing with questions.
"Forget it, just watch the video," #2 said, turning his gaze back to the scene projected in the air. "Let's see what moved me. That's why I brought you here."
After that, #2 fell silent.
Finn, realizing that further questioning would be futile, focused his attention on the scene unfolding before him.
The scene depicted a world of ice and snow. A small wooden house stood out against the stark white landscape. The camera quickly shifted to the interior of the house, where two young boys stood behind a tall woman.
Upon seeing one of the boys, shirtless, Finn exclaimed, "Gray?"
It was Gray as a child, and the woman in front of him was presumably Ur, Gray's master.
The woman stood behind a counter, gazing at a photograph on the wall. "When that child was born," she said softly, "I felt a light enter my heart."
"And I dreamt of a future filled with hope for that child," she continued.
A smile touched the woman's lips. "I felt incredibly happy. From that tiny body radiated infinite future possibilities, and…the power of life."
The scene shifted again, showing the woman cradling a small infant, tears welling up in her eyes. "I cried uncontrollably at that moment," she said, "and so I named her Ultear!"
"Ur's tears!" Finn instantly recalled Ultear from the Council; her resemblance to the woman in the video was striking.
The scene changed again, showing Ur kneeling weakly on the ground. "Why…what happened?" she cried, her voice filled with despair. Three individuals in uniform stood before her.
The man in the center, with white hair, delivered the cruel news. "In short, she's dead."
Overwhelmed by grief, Ur's tears flowed freely. "But…didn't you say you could cure him?" she sobbed, her voice trembling, her powerful demeanor replaced by vulnerability.
"Isn't this a specialized institution…? How could this…?" she cried, her voice laced with disbelief and anguish.
One of the uniformed individuals shook their head sadly. "I'm very sorry, but the child's magical power was too great. It's a case beyond our capabilities."
"It's best if you don't see the body," the uniformed individuals said before turning and leaving.
Ur's tears continued to fall. "How could this be…wait…give me back my daughter!!"
"Give me back Ultear!!!" Ur cried out in anguish, her voice filled with desperate pleas, but to no avail. She could only collapse to the ground, her body wracked with sobs.
"Ultear died? But that can't be right," Finn mused, his mind racing to reconcile this information with his encounter with Ultear at the Council. "Then who was the Ultear I saw at the Council?"
"There's only one possibility," Finn concluded, shaking his head sadly. "Ultear is not dead; Ur was deceived!"
Ur was truly a tragic figure, and her daughter suffered as well. If they deceived Ur, Ultear's childhood must have been equally difficult.
The scene continued, and Finn watched intently. Ur's grief over the loss of her daughter was profound, lasting until the arrival of Gray and Lyon. Ur poured all her love onto these two disciples.
She treated them as her own children, showering them with unwavering care and affection, even sacrificing her own happiness for their well-being.
The scene shifted again, showing Ur intervening to save Gray from mortal danger, a peril he had brought upon himself through his own recklessness.
To protect her beloved disciples, Ur engaged in a desperate battle against Deliora.
Deliora's strength was undeniable. Young Gray, witnessing the city's complete destruction at the hands of Deliora, was overcome by a fresh wave of terror.
A warm embrace enveloped Gray. "It's alright, it's over now," Ur whispered, her voice filled with reassurance.
"Go now," Ur urged, gesturing for Gray to leave, while she bravely faced Deliora alone.
...
Gray, unable to contain his emotions, cried out, "Ur, why? Why did you save me? I was expelled from your tutelage!"
Ur paused her advance, her gaze fixed on Gray. "Someone once advised me to consider my own happiness," she said softly, "but I never felt particularly unhappy. Because, you see…"
Turning to face Gray, Ur smiled gently. "I have these two adorable disciples," she said, her voice filled with warmth. "Watching them grow, day by day, and experiencing all the joys and challenges of life together…that is more than enough happiness for me."
"And that's why I came here," Ur continued, her voice laced with determination, "to reclaim that happiness."
Tears welled up in Gray's eyes. He lowered his head to wipe them away, but in doing so, he noticed something terrible. Ur's right foot had been completely transformed into ice.
"Ur…your…foot?" Gray whispered, a wave of guilt washing over him as he realized the terrible truth.
Ur, however, showed no sign of distress; instead, she let out a light chuckle. "Oh, this?" she said, her tone light and airy. "It's been…appropriated. But it's nothing to worry about. Don't you think it's a rather striking effect? Transformation magic, you see!" Ur's smile radiated warmth and reassurance, reaching deep into Gray's heart.
"If that monster represents the darkness within your heart," Ur declared, her voice filled with unwavering resolve, "then I have found my reason to fight."
Ur stepped forward, facing the seemingly invincible demon, her hands clasped together. A surge of immense magical power radiated from her body.
"I will not allow you to approach my disciples," she declared, her voice ringing with unwavering determination. "This ends now! Absolute Zero—Iced Shell!" In an instant, Ur's body was enveloped in a brilliant blue light, which shot towards Deliora.
"Ur~~" Gray cried out in anguish, his voice filled with desperate pleas.
Cracks began to appear on Ur's body, and Gray, his eyes wide with disbelief, whispered, "Her…body…"
"Didn't I tell you?" Ur's voice echoed faintly, her words laced with a hint of sadness. "This magic consumes the user, transforming their very being into ice." Gray reached out, his hand outstretched as if to try and undo the terrible tragedy unfolding before him. "Stop!" he cried, his voice filled with anguish, tears streaming down his face.
Ur's form began to dissipate, but her voice continued, calm and resolute. "Don't worry, Gray," she said softly. "I will live on, transformed into ice…eternally."
"Take a step forward, Gray," she urged, her voice filled with unwavering hope. "Embrace the future!"
"And I shall seal away the darkness that plagues your heart!!!"
The scene ended there, bringing Ur's life to a close.
Finn let out a long breath, turning to look at Finn #2, who seemed even more emotional than he was.
Finn #2 pulled out a tissue, wiping tears from his eyes, his face a picture of misery.
In his right hand, he held…popcorn?
If Finn wasn't mistaken, it was definitely popcorn. Finn #2 noticed Finn's gaze, his face flushing crimson. He quickly tossed the tissues and popcorn behind him.
He cleared his throat. "Ahem…the video was…quite moving, you see," he stammered, his voice slightly awkward. He then clasped his hands behind his back and turned away, adopting a profound and somewhat affected air.
"You know," he said, his voice regaining its composure, "people who've been lonely for a long time have very strong emotional responses to things like this. It's perfectly normal." He turned back to Finn, his gaze sharp and assessing.
Finn felt distinctly uncomfortable under his scrutinizing gaze.
"What are you looking at?" Finn asked, lowering his head to check himself, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
"I'm assessing your current level of strength and understanding," #2 said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"At this point," #2 continued, nodding slightly, "you're not bad, but you're still not quite there yet. Keep striving for improvement." Just then, the air train that had previously sped past reappeared.
#2 leaped onto the train, turning his back to Finn and striking a dramatic pose. "Ur's will has been conveyed to you," he declared, his voice echoing with a certain gravitas. "I believe you now understand what you must do."
"And one final piece of advice," #2 added, his tone shifting slightly, becoming imbued with a hint of melancholy. "Strive to become stronger, Finn. Otherwise, you may find yourself unable to protect those you hold dear." Finn frowned; there was an unexpected undercurrent of sadness in #2's tone.
"You may leave now," #2 said, his form already beginning to merge with the train as it sped away into the distance.
"Wait! Wait!" Finn called out, desperate to ask more questions, but the surrounding environment began to crumble and disintegrate, like a shattered mirror, before being engulfed in a blinding white light.
Finn vanished from this strange dreamscape.
"Wait~~" Finn awoke with a start, his body jolting upright in his bed.
He instinctively reached up to touch his head, his mind still reeling from the vividness of the experience he had just endured. The memories were exceptionally clear, devoid of the usual haziness that typically accompanied waking from a dream.
This left Finn with a profound sense of unease and a nagging question that he couldn't shake. However, he knew that now was not the time to delve into these mysteries; the sky outside was already growing dark.
"Ur?" Finn murmured, his voice laced with a mixture of curiosity and concern. He threw back the covers and stepped out of his tent.
"Master Finn, you're awake!" A villager greeted him, and Finn nodded in acknowledgment. It seemed that Erza and the others had already returned him to the makeshift village.
"Excuse me," Finn said, approaching a villager who was passing by. "I was wondering if you could tell me where my companions are?"
The villager paused for a moment before replying. "The other mages brought you back here after you collapsed," he explained, "and then they left. I believe they've gone back towards the temple ruins."
"Thank you," Finn said, offering a grateful nod.
Finn returned to his tent, grabbed his coat, and set off towards the ruins.
Within the ruins of the Moon Temple, Natsu stood before Lyon, his fighting spirit undimmed. Lyon's ice magic had completely encased the immediate area, creating a makeshift arena for their impending duel.
Suddenly, a section of the icy perimeter shattered, creating a gaping hole in the wall of ice. Gray, his body heavily bandaged, stepped into the arena.
"Natsu," Gray said, his eyes fixed on Natsu with unwavering determination. "Leave this one to me."
"You already lost once, didn't you?" Natsu remarked, a hint of amusement in his tone.
"There will be no second defeat," Gray declared, his gaze unwavering as he advanced towards Lyon. "This time, we settle this once and for all."
Lyon scoffed, his voice laced with disdain. "Such confidence. How utterly amusing."
Ignoring Lyon's taunt, Gray continued, his voice filled with a quiet intensity. "Ur's death ten years ago was my fault," he admitted, his voice heavy with guilt. "But…you, Lyon, are also absolutely unforgivable for harming my comrades, destroying the village, and attempting to unleash Deliora upon the world."
"Let us atone together, Lyon," Gray said, crouching slightly, his hands clasped together in a familiar pose.
"That stance…is that…Iced Shell?!" Lyon's eyes widened in recognition, his voice laced with alarm.
"Iced Shell?" Natsu murmured, recalling Gray's earlier explanation of the technique upon their first encounter with Deliora. Iced Shell was a forbidden magic that required the ultimate sacrifice of the user's life force to seal away its target.
Lyon took a step back, his voice laced with a hint of fear. "You…you're crazy!" he exclaimed.
"I demand that you immediately restore the villagers to their original state and then leave this island with your companions," Gray declared, his body radiating a potent surge of magical energy. A brilliant blue magic circle blossomed beneath his feet, a testament to the immense power he was about to unleash.
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