BOOK 1 - Fairy Gods: Ascension

Chapter 6: The First Step Forward

Natsu was ready to open the Box. He walked up the stairway leading to the top of the pedestal, his steps firm as his gaze plastered on the container. Once he reached it, he started pushing the lid. It was difficult, but little by little, he was doing it. Nothing would stop him now... Or so he thought.

It took him by surprise entirely. The pinkette warrior was attacked out of nowhere, not by one of the monsters inside the temple, but by giant stake that entered the room at high speeds. It was a strike sent over from Crocus... from the God of War himself. Natsu never saw it coming. On one second he was opening the box. The next one, he was impaled against the wall, his torso pierced as blood spilled from his body. Natsu cried out loud in agony, watching Larcade's grunts taking Mavis's Box out of there. Natsu's voice echoed as he held on to dear life. However, it was too late.

"Kgh... Ggh... D-damn... it" muttered Natsu, his sight turning blurry as his soul was leaving his body.

He was dying. He could feel it.

Natsu did not have much time, but even then, a memory coursed through his mind. It seemed to be the same memory as always. He was riding a dragon in direction to a blonde man ready to attack. There was a giant humanoid creature at the back, approching steadily. And finally, there were lots of people beneath, battling what seemed to be a gruesome war. After that, everything turned black. Natsu's memory seemed to end... and then... HE DIED.

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<<Somewhere else>>

Natsu suddenly opened his eyes. The soft voice of a woman awoke him after what seemed to be a very long slumber. "Who... are you?" Natsu asked while taking a seat. He felt sore and tired, unable to remember a single thing of what had happened before.

"I am Irene" replied the woman. "I was beginning to think you were dead. Could you tell me your name?"

"My name? Well... my name is..." Natsu did not remember. In fact, he didn't remember how he got there, or where he was.

"Having trouble? Let me help you" Irene placed his hand on Natsu's forehead, digging through his mind in an attempt to help him. It was partially useless.

The pinkette's mind was fractured for some reason. All of the puzzle pieces were there, but there was no way of arranging them in the correct way. In the end, Irene was lucky enough to discover Natsu's name, among other things like the fact that he was a warrior, but that was about it. Every other aspect of the pinkette was lost. Buried. He was a man without bakcground, without an origin. What could he do on his own? Nothing. That's why the goddess offered to help him.

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Natsu was taken to meet the Spriggan Gods. A mortal... meeting the gods. Of course, it was not in person, but still, it was considered a privilege reserved only to those deemed worthy such as the city oracles, or loyal servants. Natsu wondered how is it that the deities agreed to meet him, but considering they were his hope of recovering his precious memories, he did not question it any further... until HE showed up one day.

Natsu was resting. Just a few days had passed after becoming a servant of the gods, but still, not all of them believed the pinkette to be trustworthy. The first in that divine list was the God of War himself, Larcade. "Sleeping placidly?" asked the god, appearing out of nowhere as Natsu woke up in one go.

"Not anymore" Natsu replied in surprise.

"Do you know who I am?"

"I think I do. Irene spoke of you. In fact, she spoke of you all"

"Yeah, I imagine. And if she spoke of me, you should know why I'm here, right?"

Natsu glared at the God of War, instantly catching his threat, even if his calm grin said otherwise. Then, the pinkette look at askance at his old sword lying on his night table. He needed to reach it, but against a god, he had no chance. To his surprise, however, Larcade did not mind the pinkette grabbing his weapon. In fact, the offered him the chance to do it, and as Natsu did just that, Larcade remained unfazed.

"It is useless, you know? You can't defeat me"

"So what? You expect me to just accept death?" Natsu asked in defiance, to which the God of War chuckled.

"Of course not. After all, that's not who you are"

What happened after that was predictable. A big crater. A man. A god. Natsu had been defeated brutally. The inn he was staying in turned into debris while he laid hurt and all bruised on the ground. His sword was broken, shattered in pieces and beyond repair. It was the end of the line for him. Larcade wasn't known for been merciful, and why would he? He's the God of War after all. Still, that didn't mean he was there to end the pinkette. Oh no... He actually had something else in mind.

"For as much as I'd like to put you out of your misery, I'm afraid I can't" Larcade said, Natsu crawling painfully in front of him. "Zeref wants you alive for some reason. He wants you to serve us, and I really can't understand why. Still, defying him could mean a certain death... at least for now. And that is why, if you are going to serve us, you should do it the proper way" Larcade extended his hand, magic flowing around his arm while something started taking form right above his palm.

A set of weapons.

A pair of blades.

Natsu's new blades.

They were called....

"These... are the Blades of Ether... Your new weapons... and your own personal curse" the God of War finally said, delighting himself as the blades' chains wrapped around Natsu's arms, burning his skin... merging with him as an extension of his body. Natsu was one with the chains, able to take the blades outs if he wished, but always bound to stay linked to them... for eternity.

And so... began Natsu's quest to regain his memories... A quest that had finally come to and end thanks to the sudden death that the Spriggan God of War granted the pinkette.

Then, everything turned black yet again...

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<<Somewhere else>>

Natsu woke up again, not because of a voice calling for him this time, but due to the rough wind hitting his body. He had been dreaming. He had been making memory of everything which had happened to him since the moment Irene found him.

The pinkette was lost in thought. It took him a while to distinguish what was going on, but once he did, he startled in shock. He was falling right into an enormous void without end. There were a couple of floating pieces of land, levitating in mid-air, as well many other people falling. Those were poor souls who had recently met death.

Natsu rememebered what happened. He died... Larcade killed him with a projectile all the from Crocus. And now, he was on his way to Tartaros: The Underworld where all of the deceased lied.

It couldn't be. Was that really the end? Was that how his story went? No. Natsu was not going to accept that. He wasn't going to let his effort be for nothing. He had to live. He had to kill Larcade and recover his memories. And he was going to do so no matter the cost! "LIKE HELL I'M DYING TODAY!" Natsu yelled furiously, tossing one of his blades up until it stuck into one of the nearby pieces of land. It was time to do what he did best... Fight back.

Natsu wasn't defeated yet.