Just as everyone's search was yielding nothing, sudden footsteps echoed through the place.
"Someone's coming," Natsu said.
"Find somewhere to hide."
They had no better options, so they hurriedly ducked behind a large rock. It just happened to be big enough to conceal them, making it the best cover they could hope for.
Two figures entered. One was a shirtless man with the head of a dog. The other was a short man with sky-blue hair.
"There are signs someone's been here," the dog-headed man suddenly remarked.
"Probably just your imagination. Who'd come all the way down here for no reason?"
A moment later, a girl in a maid outfit with twin red ponytails appeared behind them.
"Yuka, Toby — bad news. Angelica's been beaten up. That means intruders for sure."
"Hey, hey! Jeri, that's a rat, right? Why give it such a pretty name?" Toby couldn't help but complain.
"Angelica is a hunter who roams between darkness and light… and also… love!"
"Intruders, huh? The moonlight will start gathering soon. If this is happening, we'd better deal with them before Lord Zero finds out," Yuka said coldly.
"If they've seen Deliora, we can't let them leave alive. And we will avenge Angelica," Jeri declared angrily.
After agreeing on their plan, the three of them left.
Originally, Noel had been considering having one of their group lure the newcomers away so the rest could act. But now that the strange trio had left on their own, it saved them the trouble.
"I wonder who this 'Lord Zero' they mentioned is?" Happy tilted his head, even more curious about the leader of these odd people.
"Why did they bring Deliora here? And how did they even find the place where it was sealed?" Gray muttered, baffled. Only a handful of people should have known.
Ten years ago, in the Isban region, Deliora had been sealed away by his master's own hand.
"There's no way this demon should be here. Whether or not it's related to the curse, this is still an insult to the demon my master staked her life to seal…"
Gray's emotions were tangled — anger, confusion, even fear. He never wanted to relive that day. The shadow of it still loomed over him, impossible to erase.
"Whoever this Zero is… if he dares tarnish my master's name, then as Ur's disciple, I won't forgive him," Gray growled.
His mind went back to the bonds and memories of his past — ties forged in pain and loss.
"Let's keep moving. They just left this way. If we follow that route, we should be able to get out."
"I'm not leaving," Gray said firmly. He refused to take a single step away from Deliora.
Noel could tell Gray was troubled. From the moment he'd seen the frozen demon, his behavior had shifted. This wasn't the Gray he knew — something was weighing on him.
"You know something, don't you?" Noel asked, meeting Gray's gaze.
Gray recounted the story of his history with Deliora.
Noel hadn't expected Gray to have such a past.
"Still, I'd recommend we stick together. This place is too dangerous to be wandering alone," Noel reasoned.
"How about we just go beat those guys up? If we win, we can make them spill everything," Natsu said, fire literally spilling from his mouth.
"All you ever think about is fighting. Are you an idiot?" Lucy snapped.
"Can we stay here a bit longer? Keep watching? I'm sure Deliora is connected to the island's curse," Gray urged, trying to persuade them.
"Alright. We'll stay and keep watch," Noel decided.
"They mentioned moonlight earlier. Once it appears, everything might become clear," Lucy added.
The long wait began. In the deep, silent cavern, time seemed to stretch endlessly.
They first checked over Deliora again, then quickly succumbed to boredom.
"Come out, Lyra of the Lyre."
With a shimmer, the Celestial Spirit Lyra appeared — a cute young woman carrying a harp. She began to strum and sing.
"Don't sing," Noel cut in quickly.
"Lucy, what are you thinking? Summoning someone to sing in a place like this?"
"I get it, you just wanted to lighten the mood. But this isn't the right place to make loud noises."
At Noel's interruption, Lyra stopped her song.
"Sorry!" Lucy apologized at once.
"Just be careful next time," Noel said, not harshly, but firmly enough.
The silence returned. Lucy, tired from poor sleep, lay against a rock and dozed.
Gray stood unmoving, eyes fixed on Deliora. He didn't say a word — whatever he was feeling, it had to be painful.
Happy and Natsu were practically melting from boredom, listless and restless all at once.
Before long, night fell. Suddenly, the entire cavern began to shake. Stones rained down from above.
"What's going on?" Lucy asked, jolted awake.
"What's happening?" Natsu leapt up, excitement in his voice — something big was happening.
As a massive stone disc above began to rotate, a purple magic circle appeared overhead, directly above the frozen form of Deliora.
A beam of violet light poured down, concentrating entirely on the demon.
"That color… it's so strange!" Lucy gasped.
"This light… could it be moonlight?" Gray's mind immediately connected it to the eerie moonlight they'd seen the night before.
That explained it — the demon really was tied to the island's curse.
"What is this?" Natsu muttered, staring wide-eyed at the sight.
"Moonlight shining directly on Deliora — this is no coincidence. Someone up there is casting a spell. If we head up now, we're bound to find something," Gray said, his eyes on the magic circle.
He was right — the caster had to be nearby.
Gray and Natsu rushed upward. Noel glanced at Lucy. "We're going too."
The ruins were surprisingly well-designed — even here there was a staircase, which they took without hesitation.
"To collect moonlight… yes, it should be at the top," Gray said suddenly.
They all dashed toward the highest point of the ruins.