this went from Fairy Tail nakama-power to Fairy Tail getting stuck in SIlent Hill.. where Gray becomes some sort Alessa for a moment. Good one I mean XD

Ah the terror in this chapter. Pure honey to my eyes and soul3

Oh my god this is good. Still reading. Need to go to bed soon tho.

Very well writen, wow. I wonder where this is going.

Holy fuck, this needs a "Major Character Death" warning somehow D:

That hit way too hard when the realization that Gray's dead came about. And then i was hoping the epilogue would be him somehow miraculously coming back to life, but it wasnt T_T

I guess the rest of it was good though *sobs*

Wha-... what have you done to me? Omg. What. Even. I can't- Why would you- How could you- My heart... I can't...

-takes an insanely deep breath-

You have ruined my stable emotional state within... let's say give or take 4 hours. Gurl. Guuuuuuuuuurl. That'd be a talent.

Your story fully managed to showcase, in a way, something that I've been aspiring to show in my own FT fic. Only I don't think its fair to compare the two cuz guuuuuuurl, you just flipping blew this out of the water and straight across the galaxy! Your story is... perfect. There is LITERALLY no other word I'd use to describe it. No other word that comes to mind to so accurately describe the impressions these 13 chapters left me with. It-... It was nothing short of beautiful. The emotions that gripped me with every chapter, the simple-yet-heartwrenching developments as the story progressed, the faults and virtues of Fairy Tail and its members...

I- I think I need to reread this several times over. The whole story was, for the better lack of words, magic. Honestly. After reading this beautiful work you've put out for the world to see, I think I've finally found the love and motivation I once had for writing Fairy Tail stories. So thank you. Thank you so much for taking your time and putting in the effort to write and construct this magnificent piece of work and share it with the rest of us.

Much love,
xMF

I'm very aware I've been spamming you with insanely long reviews (to which I still need to reply... A taste of my own recipe I'm afraid) so I'll try to keep it short.(After review note: I failed)

I loved the Erza moment you put in there, it's definitely my favorite part of the story and, even though the epilogue was cool too, works as the best ending to me. (can't believe it was unintentional T_T) The ending with Erza touched me far more than Natsu and Lisanna's. While most of your fanfics tend to focus on the Gratsu friendship, I'm glad this one ended on a platonic Grayza note. It was nice to give the final scene to her and I love the way you put the line about both their tragic pasts in there. The necklace too was heartbreaking. I, like Erza, wonder why they -Makarov?- took his necklace and why they gave it to her. Does his illusion actually have a necklace?
I loved every single line of the Erza part, her being calm and accepting, yet very conflicted and worried about who was going to fill the hole Gray left behind as her friend for comfort. Sorry I can't express my admiration properly, it really was the perfect Erza grieving scene for me. Alone but still somehow hopeful because she holds him close to her heart. Do you think you'll listen and the touch of metal were some very memorable and good end scene lines for me.

As for the rest of the story... I liked the epilogue too but not as much as the Erza scene. The sign Natsu made, I thought it was going to be the Fairy Tail symbol (the hand thing) so I was pleasantly surprised that is was Ice-Make instead. It felt a bit like in remembrance to Ur too, who learned Gray Ice-Make. I'm not sure about the humor in this chapter -of course, life goes on- but I find it a bit sadistic that Mavis can give Fairy Tail and Gray himself false hope once she calls his illusion back to life. To make him experience joy, but not being able to make him live the life he had. I don't think I'd want to see my friends only to leave them behind again. See their happiness but never take part in it. I understand you added this as an epilogue because it really would seem out of place after Gray's funeral.

The rest of the fic was good, but I was expecting something very different so it took me a while to see its value. I was really surprised that it ended up being about some dark guild attacking Fairy Tail, and I skipped through the chapters waiting for what I had been expecting even though it never came.

Ahhh, that fic killed my feels and made me cry so. damn. much. but I still loved it (does that make me a masochist?). and I loved the little bit at the end with the ice make stance. ALSO LOVED THAT PLOT TWIST.

they were all doing it wrong lol
*BAWLSOHMYGOD*

Y lisanna y evn

I think you did a pretty good job with the aftermath. FT's anger and the way they almost ended up killing the villains but managed to restrain themselves was a realistic reaction, in my opinion. And man, the bad guys really did a number on Gray, didn't they? :/

The rest of the aftermath, with the grief, was done well too. I'm still not a fan of Juvia, but I do like how Lyon tried to help her. Natsu and Lisanna were good too, and I liked Erza's part. The banding together of the guilds was a nice touch too.

The question of how much of that last appearance of Gray was illusion and how much was really *him* was handled well and I'm glad you brought up that ambiguity. It's kind of heart wrenching, but in a good way.

I'm glad you included the epilogue. I also like the parallel to the previous Games - how Mavis showed up in the stands then and surprised the guild, and now Gray is here for this one. Sort of. That whole part was handled well, and the thing with the ice make sign was touching. I loved how Gray got stuck on the fact that they were doing it wrong XD It was cute. Kinda sad how Lyon and Juvia couldn't see him, but...maybe it's kind of fitting, in a way, even though it's sad.

Anyway, I liked the story. I especially appreciate how you committed to killing Gray (that sounds so bad lol) and then how you handled the illusion/reality question with him. I found that last bit to be the most interesting point explored.

Awwww shit I'm dying. That thing about the wizard alliance and the sign being the Ice Make: gesture and it actually being wrong and all waaahhhh
Just one thing. Juvia wouldn't join Lamia Scale. I mean, I ship her with Lyon and everything, but no matter how kind Lamia Scale was to her now, Fairy Tail is the guild that took her in, the guild where she made friends, the guild that got her rain to go away. And I don't think that Juvia would throw that away, in love or not. But IDK its just my shit opinion.

Gaaaahhh just rip my heart out, don't you.
That was... that was one of the saddest moments. I ship LyonXJuvia a lot too, and Grayza is also a big ship of mine. Omg though, you totally got all the emotions, spot on. I swear, I could FEEL the raw sadness emating off the page.
I think that Gray and Erza do have the saddest back stories. Even if Gray was with Ur, he was consumed by the hatred for Deliora he couldn't even enjoy that time fully. And then Lyon went super bitchy too (even if he's one of my favorite characters now). I think Mira, Lucy and Gajeel are close too, though.
Seriously, you're killing ME, forget Gray. AMAZING chapter!

Note to self: When the story is about Gray being mangled and killed when defenseless, do NOT read that shit in public
*INTERNAL GROSS SOBBING*
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

*distant sobbing*
GODDAMN this was amazing. The way you portrayed Erza and Makarov was perfection, and Natsu and Lucy, too. It was truly admirable.
But the speech was really stiff, wasn't it?

oh for fucks sake PLEASE STOP KILLING MY GRAY KUN :'( :'(
JUVIA YOU FOOL
OH MY GOD
WHAT DID THEY DO TO GRAY
OH MY GOD