BOOK 1 - Fairy Gods: Ascension

Chapter 5: The Temple of Mavis

Natsu explored the Temple of Mavis. Every inch. Every corner. Every room and chest. He looked inside every single part of the damn building in search of Mavis's Box, but there was nothing of his interest.

Of course, the temple was filled with riches. Gold and jewelry could be found in most rooms and hallways, but Natsu knew such treasure was nothing but a trap, a distraction set up to prevent explorers from finding the real treasure: Mavis's Box. Natsu was not going to fall for that, though that didn't change the fact that he wasn't finding anything.

"CRAP! WHERE THE HELL IS IT?!" yelled Natsu in anger, punching a nearby wall so hard that it crumbled before his eyes.

He would have continued his tantrum for a while, but his train of thought was interrupted by the voice of a stranger. "You won't find it" said the voice, Natsu looking up and noticing a poor man, slim and with a very long beard. He was trapped in a cage hanging from the ceiling, clearly an explorer who had been trapped there in his own quest to find the box. "Everyone think they have what it takes, but they all perish in the end"

Natsu amused himself by listening to the man. As the pinkette turned to one side, he saw a small passage guiding nowhere. Just another wall with statues of the Sun God, Neinhart, at each side. A dead end... Or was it?

"Huh..." Natsu grunted. He drew out one of his blades, and sliced the chain between the ceiling and the man's cage. The cage fell as the man stumbled in pain and confusion. He thought he was about to be freed. Nonetheless, Natsu had something else in mind. "I am not like everyone else. Unlike them, I do have what it takes"

Natsu took a grip of the cage. He pulled from it and took it elsewhere, moving the man towards the thin passage from before. The man could not be more confused, but Natsu did not care. The pinkette wondered why a stretch passage like that was there. Why was it so thin to the point the man's cage could fit perfectly? And what about the statues at both sides? The answer was clear to Natsu, and he didn't hesitate to place the caged man right there.

"Wh-what...? What are you doing?" asked the man in fear.

"The temple demands a sacrifice" Natsu replied seriously, letting the cage go while the statues started spinning out of nowhere.

The man panicked at his point, pushing the cage uselessly in an attempt to get away. Once the statues rotated completely, 2 big flamethrowers were revealed. Natsu was right. The temple did demand a sacrifice, and the poor man was unlucky enough to be it. "N-no! You can't do this!" PLEASE! GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

Natsu didn't even flinch. He just watched as the flamethrowers loaded themselves, and the man cried in fear. After that, the fire was released, and the cries of pain and horror echoed throughout the temple like a terrifying screech. The man was burnt to a crisp, Natsu watching every single moment of it until the sound of a mechanism caught his attention. A new passage was opening right where the previously dead end was. Natsu knew this was progress. He was closer to Mavis's Box, he just needed to keep moving forward.

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Minutes later, the path turned a lot trickier and harder. Natsu found traps everywhere. Smashing boulders... Deadly saws... The pinkette had to deal with every single one of those, climbing up the temple at a slowly, but steady, pace. He probably spent another day just avoiding death and focusing on his mission, but in the end, the abnormal effort paid off as the pinkette reached one final chamber at the top of the temple.

It was a big room. Golden pillars kept the ceiling from crumbling due to Acnologia's movements. The stone walls and floor shined with reddish carpets patterned with silver decorations. There were 3 exits at the back which leaded to one huge balcony. The magnificent view of the Desert of Kzaar could be appreciated from there, but what really mattered to Natsu lied at the middle.

It was a platform, or more like a pedestal carrying a magnificent container. The chest in question shined like a star, forcing Natsu to adjust his sight in order to see it. Once he did, there was no doubt in his mind that he had found what he was looking for. After 2 days of hell, avoiding traps, slaying monsters, and solving riddles in that place, he had reached his goal. However, he was not the only one who knew it.

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<<Back at Crocus>>

The city burned as the army of monsters ravaged with everything. The city's defenses had fallen, and the oracle watched everything in horror. Hisui stood on her balcony, crying silently, her eyes wide open as her hands shook from the scene in front of her. Fires covered most of the buildings, and soon they would reach her as well. Still, there was a small glitter of hope in her heart.

"It is the end" said a male voice behind her.

As Hisui turned around, she paralyzed, for in front of her was the one behind all the destruction. The Spriggan God of War: Larcade. "Y-you... You are..." Hisui muttered.

"I know. You don't have to tell me" Larcade replied with a smirk, unfazed by the poor oracle's emotions. "Your city belongs to me now. The sooner you accept that, the faster we'll leave all of this behind us" Larcade laid on the rail of the balcony, admiring the result of his wrath as Hisui stared scared at him. "You are wondering why I'm doing this, right? I've seen the same look you have many times before. I can assure you, it is nothing personal against your city. It's more of a... family matter"

"Wh-what?"

Larcade faced Hisui, his weird calm smirk weirding the oracle out. "Your pledge is with... Irene, isn't it? I imagine you are also loyal to... Zeref? God Serena? I don't know, those aresome of the people's favorites, aren't they?"

"B-because they provide life!" Hisui yelled, mustering the courage. "There are gods that help mortals! Like Irene and Zeref! And then, there are those who only want violence and death! Like you!"

"Is that so? Do you even know your gods in person?"

Hisui startled, not knowing what to reply. "W-well..."

Suddenly, the God of War snapped in fury. He took a firm grip of Hisui's face, pressing her cheeks brutally while pulling her closer to him. The oracle girl panicked, staring directly at Larcade's now maniacal face. She tried desperattely to push him away, to free herself in fear of being killed right there, but the god grabbed her wrist with his free hand, restraining her completely.

"No, of course you don't know them!" shouted Larcade. "You follow their figures blindingly, not even asking if their justice makes this land better! Tell me! Have your prayers ever been listened?! Have your calls ever been answered?! What kind of COMPLEX do mortals have to believe their lives are better because some elegant-dressed moron in the sky wanted...?!"

Suddenly, Larcade went silent. His mind had received a message from one of his servants. Some of them had followed Natsu all the way to the Temple of Mavis, so as soon as the pinkette had entered the chamber holding Mavis's Box, it took mere seconds for the God of War to find out as well. He began chuckling.

"Maybe I was mistaken" muttered Larcade, letting go of Hisui as she hit the floor. "Maybe one of your prayers was answered after all" Larcade stared at the horizon. Specifically, in direction to the Desert of Kzaar, where Natsu was at that moment. The God of War had something in mind. "Irene... You sent that forsaken wretch in search of the Box, didn't you? Well... it's a shame to see his story end so soon"