Chapter 56: Canoe Conversations and Calculated Jealousy
The small canoe rocked rhythmically against the saltwater waves, the only sound for miles being the soft dip of the oars. Gray sat at the front, squinting at the horizon with a frustrated groan.
"I am telling you, we are lost," Gray muttered, wiping salt spray from his forehead. "Everything looks the same out here."
Behind him, Natsu sat perfectly still. His face was twisted into a terrifying, murderous scowl, his jaw locked so tight it looked like it might shatter. His eyes were slit, burning with a silent, concentrated fury that made the wooden boat tremble.
Juvia looked at Natsu, her expression filled with genuine concern. "Is Natsu-san alright? He looks like he is ready to kill a god. Is he so HUNGRY that he has lost his mind?"
Lucy, sitting across from her, let out a tired sigh and shook her head. "No, Juvia. If he does not hold that exact face, he will throw up all over this boat. It is the only way he can fight the motion sickness."
"Really?" Juvia blinked in surprise. "He looks so intimidating."
"Trust me, it is all an act to keep his lunch down," Lucy said, glancing back at the pink haired mage. "We are counting on his nose to find the tower, so let us just hope he can hold it together."
Juvia quieted for a moment, her gaze drifting to the dark water. "Juvia is still in shock. To think that Erza Scarlet was defeated... it is hard to believe."
"She was NOT defeated!" Gray snapped, his voice cracking with irritation. "Erza does not just lose. There had to be a reason, or a trick. I refuse to accept it."
"Gray, calm down," Lucy intervened softly. "We do not know the full story yet. We do not know what those people were to her."
Gray gritted his teeth but fell silent. A few minutes later, a jagged silhouette began to rise from the mist ahead. The Tower of Heaven loomed like a black needle piercing the sky. As they drew closer, Gray looked back at Natsu, who was still maintaining his ridiculous, constipated scowl of ultimate focus.
The absurdity of it finally broke the tension. Gray let out a sharp bark of laughter, leaning back against the edge of the canoe. "Look at him! He looks like he is trying to pass a boulder! You are a real freak, Natsu!"
Lucy looked at Natsu as well, but her expression was different. A soft, warm smile spread across her face, her eyes softening with a deep, unmistakable affection as she watched him struggle.
Gray stopped laughing. He noticed the look. He had seen that look on Lucy for the past two or three weeks, but now that he had the context from the casino, he finally understood what he was seeing.
"So," Gray said, his voice dropping into a teasing lilt as he leaned toward Lucy. "How did all of this start happening? I am dying to know how the two of you ended up... you know."
Lucy turned bright red, her face practically glowing in the afternoon sun. "I... well... since Natsu cannot speak right now without ruining the boat..." She glanced at the blushing Juvia and then back at Gray. "It first happened during that stuff back on Galuna Island. We spent the night together. But things really only became official after the whole Phantom Lord war."
Gray raised an eyebrow. "Galuna? That was ages ago!"
"Then everything happened with Erza at the resort," Lucy admitted, her voice dropping to a whisper. "So now things are a bit... complicated."
Gray nearly fell out of the boat. His eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Wait. He slept with YOU and ERZA?!"
Gray turned forward, his mind suddenly spiraling into a chaotic mess of thoughts. 'I do not even know this flame brain anymore,' he thought, his grip tightening on the oar. 'He has fucked twice as many women as me. Like... he is actually ahead in life.'
The realization hit Gray like a physical blow. Natsu was getting ahead of him in every way. He had defeated Gajeel, he had taken down an S-CLASS level wizard, and now he had secured the two most gorgeous women in the guild. Gray felt a sharp, bitter sting of jealousy that he hated to admit.
He looked over at Juvia, who was listening intently as Lucy talked about how she could not even explain how she had fallen for him. Gray was barely hearing the words. All he could process was the fact that Natsu had actually acted on his feelings. Natsu had fucked Lucy, and he had fucked Erza—the woman Gray had been secretly harboring feelings for himself.
Gray looked back at Natsu. The idiot was still sitting there, vibrating with the effort to not vomit, looking absolutely ridiculous with his puffed out cheeks and narrowed eyes.
Gray wanted to laugh, but he also wanted to scream. 'If this absolute idiot can fuck two gorgeous women like Erza and Lucy, then I can as well,' he thought, a new kind of fire lighting up in his chest.
He looked at Juvia again. He remembered their fight, the way she had looked at him then, and the way she looked at him now. The jealousy was still there, burning hot, but it was being replaced by a sudden, desperate competitive drive.
"Just you wait, Natsu," Gray muttered under his breath, glaring at the back of the dragon slayer's head. "I am not letting you win this too."
Natsu simply let out a muffled, strained groan, his face turning a slight shade of green as the boat hit a larger wave.
---
The twins, Yajima and Belno, looked at one another in a state of sheer disbelief. Yajima, a diminutive man with a chef's hat and a kind face, was known for his long standing friendship with Makarov Dreyar. Belno, a woman with a sharp, grandmotherly dignity, was a firm believer in the sanctity of magical law.
"Etherion is a weapon of mass destruction, Siegrain," Yajima said, his voice trembling. "It is the ultimate judgment. To fire it is to erase a coordinate from the map entirely. We have not used it in generations!"
Siegrain remained unmoved, his eyes scanning the room. He bypassed the more vocal members to look at the woman sitting near the end of the council.
Ultear Milkovich leaned back in her chair, her posture oozing a dangerous, sultry confidence. She wore a deep purple dress that hugged her hourglass figure, the fabric stretching over her generous curves in a way that made it impossible to look away. Her long, dark hair fell in silky waves over her shoulders, and her lips were curled into a playful, enigmatic smirk. There was a legendary power behind her gaze, a sharp intelligence that made her seem both beautiful and terrifyingly predatory. She moved with a feline grace, crossing her shapely legs and letting a soft, melodic hum escape her throat.
"I agree with Siegrain," Ultear said, her voice like velvet. "The tower is a cancer. Sometimes, a surgeon must use a hot iron to stop the spread."
The chamber erupted again. "ULTEAR!" Michello barked. "HOW CAN YOU AGREE TO THIS?!"
"Because I am not afraid of power, Michello," she replied, her dark eyes flashing with a spark of something intense and alluring. She looked like a goddess of chaos, standing out amongst the elderly and stiff council members like a black rose in a field of dry weeds.
Siegrain seized the moment, leaning over the stone table. "That is two votes. We only need three more. Give me three more votes, and we can end this nightmare before it begins. Do not let your fear of our own strength allow Jellal to complete his resurrection. Let us use the weapon we were given to protect this world."
The council members looked at each other, the weight of the decision hanging in the air. The absolute shock of the proposal still lingered, but with Ultear's support, the tide was beginning to turn. The air in the room felt heavy, charged with the impending shadow of a weapon that could level a kingdom.