Causality: cau-sal-i-ty
Noun: 1. The relation between cause and effect.
2. The principle that everything has a cause.
This is a story about how a few small changes can affect the overall grand scheme of everything.
SHAKUGAN NO SHANA AZURE: EMBER TO INFERNO
An Alternate Universe Fan Fiction by: Shiro
PROLOGUE: INCEPTION OF BLEEDING SKIES
Flames
If one were to look in the skies at that very moment, that's what one would see. It could almost be described as beautiful. The flames danced in the sky, being carried by the wind. It was indeed a visual spectacle. Painters from all around the world would be inspired by the beauty of the great flames.
However, the cause of the flames was far from beautiful. They were, after all, the flames created by war. Indeed, today was the day a great battle was being fought. It was a battle between two very powerful entities. One was a god. The other was as strong as a god. The battle that would not be recorded in human history books, despite the fact it took place in the world of man. The battle between "The God of Creation" and "The Weaver of Coffin". The Snake of the Festival, and Tis: Flame Haze of Asiz. The battle that would hopefully end the war.
Many had lost their lives in the war. The flames that ravaged the landscape and the sky served as a reminder. Whoever lost this battle would determine the future of both this world and the Crimson World. Neither side wanted to be the loser of the battle. The battle had been going on for a few hours now. It was clear that both the Snake and Tis were tiring. They had expelled quite a bit of energy, and if the battle wasn't ended soon, neither side would walk away the victor. It would be a stalemate, and would prolong this war even further.
On the blood covered soil, many dying Denizens and Flame Haze lie. They were either too wounded to move, or were exhausted, and had no will to fight left in them. All was riding on this one, final battle. Would the Denizens succeed in creating a new world, or would the Flame Haze succeed in preventing that world's creation? Only time would tell.
CLANG!
The clash of steel was all that one could hear from a distance. If one were to move in a little closer, you would be able to hear the grunts and cries from the two combatants. Even closer would allow one to hear the heavy breathing of both sides. This battle was almost over. If one of them misjudged a strike, the other would win, and the battle would be over.
CLAAANG!
There it was. After hours upon hours of fighting, the battle had finally ended. The look of disbelief on the Snake's face depicted how all the other Denizen's reacted to this conclusion. The winner of the battle was "The Weaver of Coffin", Tis. The Flame Haze wasted no time pinning down "The God of Creation". She would not allow him to recover himself. She had to end this now. The suffering would not stop until he did.
"You cannot defeat me, Weaver of Coffin. Only a being of equal power to mine can truly defeat me." The Snake of the Festival hissed at Tis. "I will not fall today, Asiz, you should know that."
"I am aware of this, Snake of the Festival. As strong as we are, we can't hope to truly slay you." Asiz states with a chuckle. "However, that does not mean we can't seal you away." To this statement, the Snake laughs.
"True enough, but I would be able to break the seal given the time to do so. Then I all I need do is try again. It'd only be a temporary solution." The Snake says with a smirk. "You would have to split me in two in order to prevent my return. But even then, my Trinity will seek to return me to this world. It'd only be a matter of time until I create the utopia our fellow Crimson Denizens wish for."
"We came prepared for such an occasion" Tis stated. The Snake raised his eyebrow to this remark.
"Is that so? Well then, my dear, please, do tell what you have in mind." The Snake said in a questioning tone.
"It's simple. We had the Spiral Organ create a special Unrestricted Method just for this occasion." Tis said with a small smile.
"We also had a Treasure Tool created to be used along with said Unrestricted Method." Asiz added. "We call it 'Sealed Babylon'. Fitting isn't it?" As Asiz stated the name of the Treasure Tool, Tis had pulled it out of her robe.
It was a medallion about the size of a small pocket watch. It had a white jewel in the center that was about the size of a pebble. It had some strange symbols decorating it. It had one interesting feature though. A snake was running along the edge, forming the symbol of Ouroboros. The eyes of the snake were decorated by tiny pieces of silver.
"Ouroboros: The image of a snake eating its own tail; a symbol representing infinity." Asiz spoke, saying the meaning behind the symbol. "Truly fitting, isn't it Snake of the Festival? It symbolizes how long you will be trapped inside it." Asiz's voice dripped confidence. He was sure that it'd be a flawless trap.
"Hmm, you say it as if there is nothing that can free me. Surely, there is a way to remove the seal placed on it. There must be some sort of flaw in the tool." The Snake remarked. He was correct. No prison was without its flaws. Every prison has a way out, no matter how strong it is.
"You are right. There is a way out. However, it does not come without its price." Tis stated.
"Oh, and that price would be?" The Snake Questioned.
"You will have to form a contract with a human." Tis answered. "You would have to make a human willingly become your Flame Haze."
"Oh?" The Snake said with a faint tone of surprise. He hadn't expected something like that. That being said, what stopped him from getting his Flame Haze killed purposely? If that were to happen, he would be free to try to create the new world again. "That's all?"
"No." Asiz stated. "That would make it too easy for you. You would simply lead your Flame haze into oblivion, and then escape. We took everything into consideration."
"Oh, is that so? I must say, you are very prepared." The Snake said. There wasn't a trace of sarcasm in his voice. He had been bested in combat, and he was an honorable being. That and he was exhausted. To try anything now would be pointless.
"Indeed, so as a result, we have bestowed a secondary power into this Treasure Tool. One that activates once something is sealed inside." Tis told the God of Creation. "If the Flame Haze is to die before specific amount of time, you will be resealed for until another contract can be made."
"So, it's a form of consequence for trying to escape being bound to a human?" The Snake asks. "What makes you think I will be affected by such a thing?"
"Simple, you will be trapped for a LONG time. The void inside the Sealed Babylon will alter you in a few ways. Your powers, your appearance, maybe the color of your flame will be affected. Though nothing that will affect you mentally, that's what the warning we have given you is for." Asiz stated. "We advise you don't go killing your Flame Haze. We are not going to tell you how much time needs to pass before you will be free. That would be rather unintelligent of us."
"Oh, and what makes you think that my Trinity won't find me trapped? I'm sure we have a means of breaking the seal. I'm sure that they could find a way to free me." The God of Creation said. He firmly believed that the Bal Masque would be able to find him easily. Given that he has a very large presence; it wouldn't take them very long.
"Your presence will be masked by the Treasure Tool's Unrestricted Method. That would mean that your Trinity or any of your followers will likely not find you before a human does." Tis explained. "You will be able to communicate with humans should the mad scientist Dantalion succeed in his 'Seal of Suppression' Unrestricted Method."
"Alright, I think we have talked enough. Tis, please begin the sealing." Asiz instructed. Tis nods and mumbles a short incantation to begin the sealing process. The Sealed Babylon floats out of her open palm and hovers a few inches above them.
"Gate of Gods, accept the imprisonment of this being!" Tis chants; finishing the incantation. Suddenly, The God of Creation is surrounded by white light, and is transformed from his "human" form into a large Black Fireball. The Fireball then begins to flow into the Sealed Babylon, being guided there by the white light surrounding it. Soon, there isn't even an ember left of the God of Creation left behind. "It is done."
"Excellent. Now, we must use the transportation Unrestricted Method to send this far away from here." Asiz instructed. Tis nodded once more, and uttered a quick incantation for the transportation of the Sealed Babylon. Once they had teleported it away, their work was done. It was now time to return to Outlaw. A celebration was in order. The God of Creation had been sealed, and the war was essentially over. Little did all of the Flame Hazes know that Tis and Asiz would be involved in another war in a few hundred years…
A THOUSAND YEARS LATER…
Kantaro Sakai was walking down the streets of New York with a rather solemn expression on his face. It was his son's birthday today and he nothing to give him. He would opt to go home right away, but he was busy with work at the moment. So he decided to send his son something. He knew that Yuji would get it late, but it was the thought that counts, right?
He was about to give up for the day, when he had noticed something odd in the window of a store he had passed. It had a really interesting design. It was about the size of a small pocket-watch, with a black jewel about as big as a penny in the middle. It had a snake pattern around the edges, with the eyes of the snake being made out of small pieces of silver. The odd appearance of it caught his eye immediately.
It was at that moment he entered the store and asked to buy the strange object. The clerk thanked him for his patronage, and Kantaro left the store with a big smile on his face. He had decided to get the strange object for his Yuji's birthday. Now all he would have to do is mail it, and all would be set.
Little did Kantaro know that the object he was about to send to his son would change the course of his future forever.
A FEW WEEKS LATER…
Yuji had woken up that morning to find a package waiting for him on the table. He had noticed that it had been sent from America, so he figured it was from his Dad. He chuckled. He figured this was his Dad's way of saying he was sorry for not coming to visit on his birthday. He opened it to find a strange medallion and a note. He picked up the note and read it aloud.
"'Dear Yuji, I'm sorry I could be there for your birthday. I hope this gift is a good enough apology. Love Dad… P.S. Say hi to your mother for me :)' I knew he'd do something like this." Yuji finished with a sigh. He then picked up the strange object his Dad had sent him. It was certainly neat looking. He decided he should wear it for a bit to show he was thankful, even if his dad couldn't see him wear it.
Today was the day before school started up again, and little did Yuji know, it was the last day of his normal life. Today, his boring life would spark from an Ember to an Inferno. All it took was the very object he was now wearing around his neck.
Author's Note: Here we are, my newest Shakugan no Shana fan fiction attempt. I really put a lot of thought into this idea, and I hope people will enjoy it. To think this is only the beginning act of a 5 act story. Oh, and for those who are curious, or caught on by the title of the story/chapter, the titles will be inspired by the band Trivium. I just like the titles, and I will try to give each chapter a connect to its respective title.
I realise that I made the interaction between The Snake of the Festival, Tis and Asiz really winded and drawn out, but bear with me. I picture the conversation taking place in the span of about 5 minutes in-story-time… so yeah. Yes, I realise that the other two parts are short, but I was more or less just trying to set up the Snake of the Festival. Yuji will have more happen to him later, so I didn't really feel the need to express anything other than that short section. As for Kantaro's part… well, that was to explain how Yuji came into possession of the Sealed Babylon.
Sealed Babylon literally means 'Sealed "Gate of the Gods"', which is rather fitting. The Ouroboros symbol was just to make it stand out a little more… you know?
Oh, and if you are wondering "Why isn't the Snake in his Giant Snake Form and in a Human Form?" then don't. Seeing as how this IS an Alternate Universe, I intend to implement my own rules and change the way the story would normally be told. The same could be said to "Why is Tis fighting with a sword? Isn't she an energy projector?" to which I say I haven't read the novels beyond the second one. Therefore, I have created my own version of Tis and Asiz. Think of it as a sword duel to end it all, with the idea proposed by the Snake.
Special Thanks goes to JohnPeacekeeper for Beta-Reading this for me. His advice has already helped greatly. I look forward to future advice from him.
Anyway, please review, I'd love to hear your thoughts on what might happen. Peace.
Shiro