Gray (Lord El-Melloi II Case Files)

Gray (グレイ, Gurei) is a major character in the Japanese dark fantasy franchise Fate. She is a main protagonist of 2014-2019 light novel series The Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II and its 2020 sequel series The Adventures of Lord El-Melloi II. She also makes appearances in other stories set in the narrative universe of Fate.
Gray is the apprentice and assistant of Lord El-Melloi II at the Mage's Association's Clock Tower. She was born with the essence of Artoria Pendragon's physical body imprinted inside her, causing her to slowly grow to resemble her "ancestor". She was chosen by the villagers in her town during her childhood to become the future host of Artoria's spirit in an effort to resurrect her ancestor in a Magecraft ritual. Gray was given the Mystic Code named Add (a magical seal to Artoria's legendary spear, Rhongomyniad) to wield as her weapon. She was later rescued by Lord El-Melloi, who brought her to become his apprentice and assistant.
She is voiced by Reina Ueda in the Japanese version of the anime and by Kayli Mills in the English version. 
==Background==
Gray comes from the Blackmore Cemetery in Wales, Britain. The clan of the village there aimed to create a being capable of handling the Holy Lance of King Arthur that had been passed down for generations. In other words, their purpose was to revive King Arthur, in flesh and spirit. 
Gray was to be the flesh of King Arthur. When she was born, her facial features vaguely resembled those of King Arthur, but ten years ago her body suddenly changed to that of King Arthur's. Losing her true face, she could no longer differentiate her own existence from that of King Arthur. Because of this, she could never fully understand herself. Due to Gray's situation, the villagers believed her to be King Arthur's second coming. As a result, Gray feared and hated her own face. The villagers treated Gray as the body of the king, and started regulating her lifestyle to the finest detail to try and increase her compatibility as much as they could. Once Gray became a perfect physical copy, King Arthur's spirit was to enter her body and she would lose her own soul forever.
At the time, Lord El-Melloi II was visiting the village hoping to borrow one of the gravekeepers of Blackmore to ally with in the Fifth Holy Grail War. Gray was entrusted to be made his apprentice and admitted her to the Clock Tower of London. When Gray agreed to go with him, she asked for him to keep hating her face.
While Lord El-Melloi II once said that Gray was likely a descendant of King Arthur's distant relatives, her family has no actual genetic ties to the Pendragon bloodline. Rather, her family was magically "imprinted with the essence of King Arthur's physical body." This has caused Gray to very slowly begin transforming into a clone of Artoria Pendragon over time.
==Personality==
Although she can be aloof and shy, Gray is a sweet, innocent and kindhearted girl who gladly puts her life on the line to protect the people she cares about and shows deep concern for others. Her upbringing didn't prepare her for socializing, so she spends discussions hiding behind El-Melloi II hoping no one will address her directly.
Unbeknownst to most people, Gray hates her face, as it is Artoria Pendragon's face and not her own. Gray is very loyal to Waver because he rescued her from the village where she was born. 
Although Gray is quiet, shy, and reclusive, her thoughts as the narrator of the novels shows that she tends to judge and criticize people very harshly to herself. Even Lord El-Melloi II is not safe from her private criticisms.
==Abilities==
Gray has knowledge of gravekeeper secrets, including certain kinds of Necromancy and techniques for carrying souls. It has been noted that Gray is also a Sibyl who particularly specializes in spiritual possession in order to perform divination. 
When Artoria Pendragon is summoned by Shirou Emiya in Fuyuki, Japan during the Fifth Holy Grail War at the time of Fate/Stay Night, Gray transforms further and inherits her Magic Core in the process of becoming the perfect copy of King Arthur. A result of this transformation caused her to no longer age, as she remains a teenager throughout the Fate series.
Gray possesses a unique Mystic Code referred to as "Add", a small sentient metal cube. Add has its own ego and is capable of speech and independent thought. The true function of the Mystic Code is to seal Rhongomyniad away. Add has the ability to transform into weapons that Gray wields. Its main alternate form is a scythe called Grim Reaper: The Scythe of the Death God that is Gray's weapon of choice in battle. Add can temporarily release the seal him to allow Gray to wield the Holy Lancer of King Arthur, Rhongomyniad: The Spear that Shines to the Ends of the World. 
== Trivia ==
* Gray's role in most of the stories she appears as a major protagonist is to parallel Watson's role in the Sherlock Holmes literary franchise, as commented by the writers of the Fate series.
==External Links==
* Gray at the Type-Moon wiki
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