Temple Ruins, Top Floor.
Lucy and Happy stared in astonishment at the massive purple magic circle slowly dissipating.
They had just been conducting the Moon Drip ritual, completing the final gathering of moonlight energy.
"It's gone? Does that mean Deliora's Iced Shell has been undone?"
Lucy stood up, carefully feeling the ground that no longer trembled.
"Hey Lucy, do you think Chase's plan to restore Gray's master to human form will really work?"
Happy looked worriedly at the floor beneath them. "Demons and stuff... they sound really scary..."
"If it's Chase, I'm sure it'll be fine!"
Lucy had one hundred percent trust in Chase, even if what he said sounded a bit unbelievable.
"Since the ritual's over, we should be able to leave now, right? Want to go down and take a look?"
"Okay! You go first, Lucy. Lead the way. I'm a little scared."
Happy expertly positioned Lucy in front of him.
"Stupid cat! Can't you show a little manly courage and responsibility?!"
Temple Ruins, Bottom Floor.
The light and cold mist gradually faded. Ur, moving with slightly stiff steps, approached Gray and Lyon, who stood at the front.
Having just been revived, she hadn't yet adjusted from her Iced Shell state. She shook her head, a bit dizzy.
After glacing around at the completely unfamiliar environment, Ur smiled warmly and politely asked, "Yo, you two handsome boys. Could you tell me where this is?"
Gray and Lyon both stood frozen in place.
The familiar face. The familiar voice. The familiar smile...
This dreamlike sight before them caused their brains to short-circuit. They couldn't tell if this was a dream or reality.
Ur... was alive?
ROAR!!!
An ear-splitting demonic roar shattered the strange atmosphere.
Deep red light flickered in Deliora's eyes as it stared intently at Ur, who stood on the ice.
Clearly, it recognized the human who had frozen it for so many years. Its hatred and killing intent had reached its peak!
"Deliora?!"
Ur was startled. "You two, get back! This monster's power is too dangerous!"
The moment she turned and saw Deliora, still not fully awake, she instinctively positioned herself in front of Gray and Lyon. Ice swirled around her crossed palms, just like years ago.
However, having just been revived, her control over her magic power was still chaotic.
The moment her Ice-Make Magic began to form, it shattered into fragments.
"How could this..."
Just as despair crossed Ur's face, Deliora suddenly let out a pained cry.
Immediately after, with a sharp crack, as it tried to raise its fist to attack, its entire The body began uncontrollably splitting apart with fissures.
The cracks spread and multiplied. Within seconds, Deliora collapsed into a pile of rubble and debris!
"Could... could it be that after all these years of being frozen, Deliora's life force had already reached its limit?"
"Ur... defeated Deliora?!"
Lyon watched helplessly as the demon he'd longed to defeat for years dissipated into nothing. He couldn't accept this outcome.
Unlike him, Gray snapped out of his shock. Dragging his once-again severely injured body, he staggered step by unsteady step toward Ur.
"Ur... it's really you, Ur..."
"I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry..."
"Because of my recklessness and stupidity, you... you paid with your life!"
In the end, Gray couldn't find the courage to stand before his master. He collapsed to his knees, trembling, desperately covering his face as tears streamed down.
The sudden turn of events caught Ur off guard.
The figure before her, sobbing and repentant, gradually overlapped with the cute child standing in the snow and ice—until they completely merged.
"Are you...Gray?"
Ur's pupils contracted sharply as she tentatively spoke the name.
Her voice trembled slightly, a guess already forming in her heart.
"I don't know what's going on, but this situation works for me!"
"Ur! I'll defeat you! Surpass you! I'll prove that my Ice-Make Magic is the strongest!!"
Lyon roared maniacally, magic power coalescing into a giant ice ape as he charged recklessly at Ur.
"If he's Gray, then you must be..."
Ur didn't dodge. Instead, she stood her ground, opening her arms with a gentle smile.
Whoosh.
In the instant before impact, the giant ice ape shattered, scattering into falling ice crystals and snowflakes.
"...Lyon, right?"
Amidst the swirling snowflakes, Ur softly pulled Lyon into a warm embrace. She murmured with emotion, "I never expected you two to grow into such outstanding mages..."
"Damn it...damn it, damn it, damn it!"
"I was supposed to surpass you... so why... why do I feel so happy and relieved right now..."
After a violent struggle, Lyon suddenly understood. Chase's earlier words echoed in his mind, and he finally realized the truth of his own heart.
In an instant, all strength left him. He buried his head deeply in Ur's embrace, crying like a child who would never grow up.
And so, master and disciples, after years of separation, completed their mutual redemption.
Meanwhile,
behind a large rock in a corner of the cavern.
Form Restoration? Does that mean he restored Ur, who had turned to ice, back to human form?
Impossible! How is this possible?! Even my Arc of Time couldn't achieve something like this!
Ultear leaned limply against the rock, her mind in chaos. All her usual composure and calm had vanished the moment Ur was revived.
Her feelings toward her mother, Ur, could only be described as a tangled mess of love and hate.
Love—for the Ur who had cared for and cherished her unconditionally.
Hate—for the Ur who had cruelly abandoned her own daughter for the sake of two outsiders.
The hate was built on misunderstanding, but the love was deeply rooted.
The reason she had joined the dark guild Grimoire Heart was to find the legendary Dark Mage Zeref and realize Master Hades's vision of the "Great Magical World"—all so she could return to the past.
Return to those good days. Return to the person she was before she learned to hate her mother!
And now, Ultear didn't know what emotions she should feel, facing her mother who had returned from the dead.
Just then, Lucy and Happy arrived, looking thoroughly suspicious.
Taking in the scene before them, both exchanged puzzled glances. They pulled Natsu aside and whispered quietly.
"While I hate to interrupt this long-awaited reunion..."
Chase glanced sideways toward the rock where Ultear was hiding, then stepped forward to stand before the embracing trio of Ur and her disciples.
He cleared his throat, deliberately raising his voice a few notches.
"Ur, may I ask—aside from Gray and Lyon, do you have any other family?"
"Earlier, at the Magic Council, I saw someone who looked very much like you and had a similar name. She was called..."
"Ultear."
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