chapter 26 : Determination
Gray stood in front of the huge red dragon that was looking at him frighteningly, Igneel knew Gray through Natsu and Gray also knew Igneel through Natsu's memories.
For seven years he disappeared and Natsu never stopped crying and looking for him, he was his father.
Igneel: Human, you are a friend of Natsu and if you know me I think introductions are useless.
Gray: You were there the whole time, inside Natsu!
Igneel: I have my reasons, human. Natsu must not know I'm here.
Gray: Tell me why and I'll see...
Igneel: BE CAREFUL, HUMAN. YOU HAVE NO CONDITIONS TO ASK TO THE GREAT IGNEEL.
Gray: Don't waste my time, Dragon. Speak and INll leave, I have nothing to do with parents who abandon their children.
Igneel: I didn't abandon him, I didn't abandon that stupid child. I did it to protect Natsu , human.
Gray: Explain.
Igneel: (growls) Dragon Slayer magic gradually produces a dragon core within its user, this core then leads to a gradual transformation into a dragon. Centuries ago, a conflict between humans and dragons ravaged the world and it was on this occasion that this magic was created. Friendly dragons to humans taught your kind to fight hostile dragons but as they grew in power, they eventually changed into dragons too. If I am in Natsu's body it is to stop this process.
Gray: Why didn't you tell Natsu before doing it instead of disappearing just like that ?! You know how much he loves you, YOU ARE HIS FATHER!
Igneel: Things are more complex than that, human.
Gray: Bullshit, you're the one making everything complicated for no reason. He didn't stop carrying you in his heart even though you were really inside him. He would sacrifice so much to be able to talk to you again and look at you. Helping him inside can't stop you from talking to him, he still has so much to learn from you. I don't see how this will prevent you from accomplishing your mission, no one is asking you to interrupt anything or even to go out. Just to show your child that you are there and watching over him.
Igneel: Kid…
Gray: You're making him suffer. Natsu doesn't deserve this, you can't deprive a child of the love you gave him.
Igneel:…
Gray: He suffers from your absence, this idiot is doing everything he can to find you. He even thought that becoming an S rank would help him.
Igneel: Can you take his conscience here?
Gray: No problem, but I'll do it when he's recovered.
Igneel: Thank you, Natsu has made a great friend. Why do you care so much about his happiness?
Gray: I want the well-being of every member of my guild but Natsu is a bit like a brother to me, he's a moron but I care about him. Plus, I wish someone would give me the opportunity to talk to my parents one more time. Natsu cried for you Igneel, you certainly saw it too in the same way that my parents up there saw me crying on their graves.
Igneel: I'll talk to him and apologize to him, he still has a lot to learn. Thanks, kid.
Gray: I know you don't tell me everything but that doesn't concern me, you will tell your son everything.
He immediately walked out of there and saw that the others were worried with serious expressions.
Gray: Why are you making those faces?
Lucy: We saw a sad look on your face so we thought...Natsu...
Gray: It's nothing, he's fine.
Happy: Are you sure?! Maybe-(interrupted)
*ROOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNHHHFFFFH*
Natsu who was lying there started snoring with a stupid smile on his lips, he was sleeping as if to digest a very hearty meal.
Happy: NATSU!!
Lucy: He's sleeping!
Loke: If he sleeps like that, everything is fine.
"That idiot...I'm so relieved..." Erza said as she sat down and Gray had to talk to her.
Gray: Now you can tell me everything that happened.
Erza: Very well...
(several minutes later)
Gray: I understand, this story definitely has something to do with what happened to the council. However, we have to stop telling yourself that everything is your fault Erza, Natsu's gesture is the very expression of our guild and frankly I am more and more impressed by Natsu. Chain all these fights to win against Jellal and absorb this amount of unstable ethernano. This guy is definitely not human.
Erza: Natsu would have died because of me if you weren't here.
Gray: No, he wouldn't have given his life because of you, but for you, there is no greater sacrifice. Do you want this to never happen again? (to others) Do you want to avoid this in the future? It's simple, just get stronger and that's it. Even if you love each other , the weak are a burden.
Loki:…
Lucy:…
Erza:…
Gray: The best way to protect your friends is to become strong. If you remain weak, there will come a day when you put others in danger and they will have to protect both you and themselves, in the middle of combat it is a sentence to-(interrupted)
"Gray come...fight…Gildarts and you I'll *snore*" Natsu said in the middle of a dream and Gray shook his head smiling. He picked up the second lachryma before heading towards the door.
Erza: Are you leaving?
Gray: I have to meet Master Yajima, he has some things to tell me about what happened to the council.
Lucy: Thank you very much for everything.
Loke: Yeah, thanks. Things were really tricky.
He left and was quite far from the building when someone shouted his name and it was Happy who was in tears.
Happy: Thank you, you saved Natsu, Thank you (crying)
Gray carried him and stroked his head to comfort him.
Gray: It's going to be okay, he's out of trouble. I know you were sincerely scared, Happy, and your gratitude means a lot to me.
"What you said earlier...I don't want to be weak anymore, I don't want to be so helpless, so useless...I want to become a true, authentic Fairy Tail mage..." He said with frightening determination on his face and Gray hugged him gently, smiling.
Gray: If only you knew how long I've waited for you to finally decide to be a full-fledged mage.
Happy: Uh?
Gray: You were still a baby when I arrived at the guild, Lisanna, Natsu and I saw you grow up like our little brother. It's not just him who's attached to you, Happy.
Happy:…
"Come see me at the mansion in the next few days, I'll train you myself." He put Happy down before turning to leave, Happy looked at him with determined but on the verge of tears eyes as Gray disappeared from there by teleportation.
He later met Master Yajima and understood what had happened. In fact, The Jellal that Erza and the others had faced and made it the second seat of the Council, Siegrain .
He had infiltrated the council to manipulate it until informing the council of the shenanigans of his "twin brother" Jellal on Paradise Island.
After informing the council of the danger of the R-system, he requested a vote to implement draconian measures including the etherion strike.
Although the majority of the council members disagreed, he mischievously took advantage of Ultear's disappearance by saying that Jellal had attacked and killed him.
Knowing that the life of one of them had been directly taken, they revised their votes for the most part and authorization for the Etherion strike was given but instead of razing the Tower , it fueled the giant lachryma of the tower's R system.
Jellal/ Siegrain , with a smile on his face, had revealed his true identity and intentions before blowing up the building with lachryma bombs and disappeared from there.
Gray: You were fooled like children. This island belonged to a neighboring kingdom, the etherion strike was an attack and diplomatic problems will be caused.
Yajima: I voted against it, Ultear and Jycrain have always aroused suspicion in me. I'm afraid of what that infamous Jellal is going to do with his tower.
Gray: He was defeated and everything blew up.
Yajima: HOW?!
Gray told him what Erza had told him, the old man gave a relieved smile and sighed, shaking his head thinking of Fairy Tail who had saved them again from great danger.