A/N: Heya guys. wiErD here. Chapter 2's here. Have fun and Happy reading everyone!
Hope you like it ^^
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Mashima owns them all except my plots.
- Tartaros -
Demons. They were an existence beyond explanation from the laws of the world. Some say they existed before man while some say that they were merely a legend born out from the collective conscience of mankind explaining the unknown fear.
Mard Geer wondered about his existence; his sole purpose to destroy his creator as well as his role in fulfilling that wish was something he'd come into terms with after being brought into this world. The pieces of his body, with every fiber of it, made by ethernano have all been programmed by his research alone. In due time, he would cross paths with his maker with the power to eventually destroy his existence. That much is why he had been created in the first place although right now, he doesn't have the power to do that nor does he have the motivation to do so.
Certain circumstances have been arranged and he's now being entrusted with the strongest Etherious in existence.
That... is something he should also bear in mind as his number one priority.
Nevertheless, even someone as he could not get used to the role. To be entrusted with such a task was not given or taught to his upbringing as a demon.
After all, what sort of madman would raise a demon that is capable of babysitting another fellow demon?
―Yes, calling him a demon would be such an understatement.
Each of the demons in the Book of Zeref has their own concept of calamities referred to as by humans in nature. His creation was based on the concept of death and time. As such, his capabilities isn't something to be underestimated with. In truth, his standing could come as next to his young master who was created as the strongest of them all.
Those were his thoughts as of now after the events that transpired between him and Zeref. It was only then it was cut short as he felt a light pull from his left hand, prompting him to turn away his gaze from the castle's ceilings and into the child walking beside him. A shade of pink hair captured his eyes along with a face of innocence.
Mard Geer initially mistook his appearance unbefitting of an Etherious. After all, who would even think about a little kid being born out of the strongest curse capable of reducing millions of people be this pure?
Apparently, they had been walking around the halls of the guild, presumably taking a tour for Natsu to be familiar with the place.
"What are you thinking about, Mard Geer?" The boy asked, curious after seeing his spaced-out expression.
"Nothing short of any concern, young master." He reassured. A light smile traced across his lips as he led him further to the large halls of the castle. They were currently walking towards the giant hallway as the boy skipped around in delight.
Mard Geer thought that it would be a good idea to teach him a few things aside from his demon training. Originally, this was a plan to prepare him in the future however, that doesn't mean that he will continuously devote himself to becoming the strongest demon.
The elder demon pondered about changing some of his upbringings for the boy and start learning about the human culture. While it may seem an unnecessary notion to impose on his growth as an Etherious, Mard Geer thought it would be necessary for him to live 'normally' as what the Black Mage had requested him.
Hmm... That might just be a good idea for his young master.
"There you go again... What are you really thinking about Mard Geer? I wanna know too."
"Ah, it's nothing really. Anyways, how is the tour faring so far? You're not scared, are you?" He changed topics, looking at the boy expectantly as he stared right back to his original gaze, examining the huge space surrounding the hall for himself.
"Not really... It's just that this place is big... I don't see anyone around. Are we the only ones living here? When I can meet someone?" A sense of excitement filled the child's face. Mard Geer caught sight of such an expression that he couldn't help but smile at his joyful mood.
"Now, now... let's take it easy. We'll have all the time we need to introduce you to the other Etherious."
"Ether―Eter―Erer... what?"
Oh, that's right. He doesn't know anything about their nature in particular.
Mard Geer thought about it for a while on how to shed light upon the boy about his origins. Telling him the truth might be quite too much yet showing him pieces of his nature would be a good thing for him to sink in all that information.
"You will meet them soon but first, we should explore around for a bit further. Wouldn't it be great for you to be familiar with your new home?" He noted as if stating a matter of fact. Natsu, being new to his surroundings, nodded cheerfully as he took hold of his hand and continued their pace.
Mard Geer was slightly surprised by the pull exerted from the boy though he hid his expression just in time as Natsu turned back with a smile. While he had no problems of his vigor, Mard Geer thought it would dangerous for a child like him to wander around recklessly.
"Natsu-sama, I would advise watching your―"
"Natsu." He replied swiftly.
"W-What?"
"It's Natsu. I don't want to be called like that! It's weird!"
"But you were born to be addressed as such. I don't see a problem with my way of talking to you, young master." Mard Geer insisted, holding on to the belief that the boy is to be someone whose existence should reign above all else even to them, the demons from the Book of Zeref. As he was the strongest creation, it should be natural for him to be called someone higher than him.
Unfortunately, the boy's attitude seemed to have not been relieved of his reason. Looking like one of those kids pouting at the face of their parents for not being able to believe what they say after seeing a fairy in a forest, Natsu puffed his cheeks towards Mard Geer.
"I don't want that. It's not right! Just Natsu is fine!"
"But I can't do that."
"Then I'll make you."
"W-What?"
"From now on, you will call me Natsu and that's final!" He said with finality, crossing his arms in a fit of stubbornness. Even Mard Geer couldn't resist an absolute order from him. Why would he be so persistent about the whole naming thing? Is he not brought up to learn the way of greatness?
"Will young master would suffice? At least, I want to address your name with little pride I can hold onto." This time, he decided to plea which was something unlike for an Etherious.
The pink-haired boy pondered, placing a hand under his chin before looking at the elder demon with a complicated expression. "You're really never gonna live it down, aren't you?"
Mard Geer offered no reply but merely swallowed his words down in silence. A few seconds passed and the boy finally relented, seemingly accepting his condition for addressing his name. "Okay, if that's what you want."
A slight smile traced onto his lips as the elder demon felt a light joy from his young master's agreement.
"Well then, let us continue our trip."
The two pressed on and not before long, Natsu spotted a figure right in front of them at the door leading further to other parts of the castle. The figure seemed to notice their presence as it turned around and revealed itself towards them.
She's a lean and tall woman, most notably having distinct feature of a half-human and half-bird. She possesses exceptional curvaceous body feature as seen from her large chest and voluptuous appearance alongside with a tight suit that covers it entirely, only to stop at her lower half. She also wears a purple striped jacket with flaring sleeves due to her hands in a form of a giant and sharp talons. On her head was an intricate helmet, covering the entirety of her face as only her eyes and mouth are seen in the process.
The woman took notice of their approach, mainly to the taller demon beside the boy.
"Lord Mard Geer... Is there anything you might need of me?" She addressed him with respect, whilst being unaware of the child beside him who was looking at her in curiosity.
Mard Geer raised his hand to put away the formality and decided to speak. "No. Not at the moment, Kyoka. I'm just here with the young master for some exploring around the castle if you don't mind."
"Not at all. You're welcome to do as you please." The woman called Kyoka nodded in confirmation before finally looking at Natsu. "Is he the one you were talking about earlier?"
A pair of eyes now turned towards the boy in anticipation. At first, Natsu thought something's wrong with the woman as he felt a bit startled by her cold hard gaze for some reason. This made him frightened as a result and immediately hid behind Mard Geer.
"Hey, Mard Geer. That lady's kinda scary." Even his voice of thought didn't go unnoticed by the woman as she jolted back for a moment from the boy's words.
"M-My deepest apologies! I didn't mean to show such an intimidating presence in front of our master. Please, if you may, I'll accept any punishment you deemed worthy for my insolence." Kyoka knelt down apologetically as she bowed her head facing the ground in front of the pinkette. The boy, on the other hand, was unsure how to deal with the situation as he stood there dumbfounded at the woman bowing down before him. He didn't even understand half of the words she just said to him as well.
Is he that really much of an important figure to her?
With Mard Geer standing by his side doing no actions as of the moment, Natsu simply looked at the kneeling woman in front of him before giving an innocent smile.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Natsu."
Kyoka, who have been kneeling for quite a while didn't expect such a response towards her as she lifted her head dumbfounded in front of the boy staring at her with such an expression. She was expecting to receive some sort of punishment from him, not a sort of greeting.
"E-Eh?"
"Umm... Your name is Kyoka, right?" Natsu pulled up a hand under his chin with a pondering thought.
"Y-Yes... How rude of me to not even introduce myself."
"It's fine. It's not that I've not heard it earlier. I was just surprised since you looked scary at first. Sorry about that." He laughed half-heartedly while scratching his head.
"N-No, you don't have to apologize, Natsu-sama. It's my fault that I've given you some discomfort."
Though while she continued to express her mistake, Natsu seemed fine about the whole exchange.
"Also, can you call me Natsu? It feels weird being addressed like that." He added, noticing the stunned look on the woman's face.
Mard Geer smiled wryly.
Clearly, this was just as the same as earlier. Even he had to look away when Kyoka turned to him for answers, ultimately heeding to the boy's request in the end. Though it gave him joy when she accepted his request which is all the while wholesome for their conversation.
"I'm touring him to the other sections of the guild. If I may, let us be on our way. You may continue your conversations with Kyoka at a later time." Mard Geer said, urging to press forward on the tour in which the pinkette nodded in response.
The boy looked back at the woman with a warm smile. "Let's play again next time, Kyo-neesan."
The two left the premises without interruption, leaving a rather stunned Kyoka who was staring at the distance.
...
After making their way to the left past the giant hallway, the two had now stumbled to a smaller room. Unlike the previous room, this one is merely decorated with stone bricks, similar to that of a medieval fort. In the center was a collection of devices, operated through a series of giant tubes plastered on the walls from both left and right. A giant screen was seen on a platform with interfaces, making it some sort of a control room for specific purposes.
The pair arrived at the south entrance, spotting the interior of the room much to Natsu's excitement.
"Wooooooaaaaaaahhhhhh! What is this place?" Natsu awed, looking around at the machinery working around him continuously as this is the first time he'd seen one.
Though as he was marveling at the room, an unfamiliar voice resounded within the high chair placed at the center of the control room.
"Ara ~ I didn't expect you two here in this place?"
Behind the seat was another woman with similar features as that of Kyoka in terms of her physique.
One feature that stood out from her, however, was two large golden horns protruding from the side of her head. Upon her head, she wears a white band that separates her bangs in a curtain-like fashion, preventing it from covering her facial features.
She appears to have black eyes and silky dark purple hair that stretches all the way down to her back. An odd-looking symbol was seen on her forehead, typically resembling some sort of meaning from an unknown language or so.
Unlike Kyoka's reserved outfit, hers resembled a light set of clothes as she wears a rather revealing beige-colored leopard-printed kimono. The kimono is wrapped around her dark green torso with a thick decorative ribbon that ties around her back. On her footwear was nothing but a pair of thigh-high socks that revealed her heels and toes.
The woman swiveled her chair as the two came into view, meeting them with a rather elegant bow.
"For what pleasure do I owe for garnering your presence, Lord Mard Geer?" She voiced out with elegant words, prompting the other demon to simply raise his hand dismissively to remove formalities.
"Cease the formal greeting, Sayla. I've come here to show our young master the home to which he is belonged to. I hope you don't mind the intrusion." He offered.
"Of course! Natsu-sama is welcome to tour around and learn in his surroundings. I would be glad to take his role as his guardian in case of your absence." Her eyes now fell to the boy hiding behind his caretaker's coat. A sense of caution was given towards her by the pinkette as if a bad turn of events might ensue should he ever get too close to her.
Of course, the boy never voiced out his uncomforting feeling around the other female Etherious and simply stayed silent throughout the conversation.
Moreover, now that she looked at it carefully, he seemed a lot cuter than she expected.
Sayla noticed this and merely lowered her tone of voice. One that carried a dignified and merciless voice was now but a tone of gentleness and tender-loving that made it seem like she was a completely different person.
"You don't have to be afraid. I'm not here to scare you." She said to him, causing him to finally loosen his hold on the coat and slowly step out from hiding to meet the female demon with no fear.
"I'm Natsu... And you are?"
"Ara ~ I'm Sayla. Your loyal servant. It's good that Natsu-sama is doing fine and good spirits. If you have something in your mind, please don't hesitate to share it with me. I'm rather fond of reading stories, you see." She smiled.
"Stories?"
"Yup! If you want, I'd be happy to read one for you if you have the time. Better yet, I seem to have nothing on my plate at the moment. Maybe we could go to my room and we could―"
"Ahem!"
A sudden cough briefly went past of her conversation as Sayla looked towards Mard Geer with a rather complicated look. Her breathing was slowly above normal and there was a clear sign that letting her go on could probably trouble the young master.
Even her tame attitude is slowly showing signs of deep passion that is not meant for the pinkette at this very moment.
Because of this, Mard Geer had to make sure that he straightened her out and rather focus on the more serious part of the conversation.
"A-Apologies. I seem to have lost there." She withdrew back. Her tone now brimming elegance once again as she shifted her attention back to the elder demon expectantly.
"Sayla. The reason I brought myself here is to know the whereabouts of the other Etherious."
Hearing that, the woman made no effort to relay the details. "Of course. It seems a lot of other demons have been yet to discover within our radar but we detected several of them that we could persuade in joining with us. However..."
Sayla paused. A slight hesitation was seen in her voice as if uncertain to even say the results in fear of disappointing him. But Mard Geer had little care of the outcome as he simply eased her fears and calmly let her proceed.
"Go on."
"Yes. It seems some of them are opposed to your cause of uniting the Etherious under our banner."
Mard Geer half-expected the response. After declaring his cause in uniting the demons under his name, several Etherious came into opposition of his unification. After all, demons are not as much friendly to the other. They exhibit extreme arrogance and pride in their nature that even a declaration of bringing together a group of demons into one single guild is laughable and unthinkable. It's a matter of one displaying complete dominance over the other in order for one to submit towards the other. The only method to actualize that was a fight to the death and demons always loved that kind of approach.
"I see... Then it can't be helped." He paused. "Thank you for your hard work, Sayla. That'll be enough for today. You may return to your own doings."
"As you wish, Lord Mard Geer." Sayla bowed neatly to his response. Mard Geer nodded in return before his eyes fell back on the impatient pinkette who seemed left out throughout the conversation, causing his light outburst.
"Ne, ne, what are you two talking about? I wanna know too." He said, placing himself between the two in interest.
"It's nothing worth noting for, young master." Mard Geer smiled, earning his pout once again. His smile turned wry as soon as Natsu's mood turned sour.
He took the moment to look back at Sayla to speak. "I'll have to accompany our young master for a bit longer. We shall discuss this with the others later."
"Of course."
With that finally settled, Mard Geer glanced back to Natsu. "Let us go, young master. We still have yet to see half of this place."
The two went on their way with the pinkette still little upset at his companion. Though it all faded after being shown to more places around the guild for him to enjoy as the tour continued on throughout the day.
...
It didn't take long before Natsu had been toured to all the places around the guild. The trip was fairly enjoyable though he didn't meet with the other Etherious as he was said to be off somewhere outside the world.
This, in turn, led him curious about the said place, prompting the elder Etherious to adhere to his request.
The two arrived at the entrance of the castle. Natsu surveyed the barren landscapes before him. Large arching spikes are seen erected in front of the structure in which the two had walked through as he baffled out in awe.
Mard Geer walked collectively, unable to conceal a light smile on his face as the boy wandered around carelessly as if this was his first time seeing the outside world.
"Woooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh~" He heard Natsu muttered in amusement as he looked far beyond the barren mountains and into the blue-white skies that hovered above them.
A gentle breeze brushed past them, feeling the touch of warm air in front of him.
"Natsu-sama, I'm not sure if you're aware but this isn't the world that you perceived it to be." Mard Geer pointed out as the boy stirred his attention away from his surroundings and looked at him.
"Really?"
"Hnn..." He nodded. "This portion of the landscape is as you see, a part of your home, Plutogrim."
"Pluto... huh? Wait, this is also part of our home?!"
Mard Geer lightly made another smile at his young master's astonishment. It looks like he's gonna have some more explaining to do.
...
"Oh, I see... So this Plutogrim is somewhat... alive?" Natsu asked, after a few minutes of lecture from his caretaker about the nature of his home and his heritage. It was confusing at first but it did pay a lot for understanding about the Etherious in general.
"That's right."
"Then, this thing is my home?"
"Yes."
"And it's called an Etherious?"
"Absolutely."
"What a weird place?" Natsu flatly replied.
"Well, we did come to an agreement to look after you as you're our master. Don't worry, Plutogrim is as loyal as I am to you." Mard Geer assured. Natsu stared at his face for a moment before looking down at the ground in wonder.
"Plutogrim, huh... I guess I like that." A smile appeared on his face as he finally stood up to meet the elder demon in anticipation.
"So an Etherious... Is that what we're called?"
"Yes. We're beings born out in this world to live just like the others."
"Heeeh. Are there others like us out there?" He pointed to the vast horizon in front of them.
"Yes. Although, it might be few of us right now. I'll make sure that you'll meet them and befriend them just as you did to us." Mard Geer smiled.
"Of course! I want to meet them too. I wonder what they look like? Are they like you?"
"Probably."
"Cool! I can't wait!" He paused. "But if you're troubled by it, we don't have to hurry right now in meeting them. I'm fine with you and Kyo-nee and Sayla-neesan. You three are my family and also the other one." Natsu said so with a smile before reaching out his arms together to hug the elder demon.
This put Mard Geer by surprise, staring at the hugging boy dumbfounded.
"Family..."
Such a foreign concept was never given to him yet for some reason, he felt a light feeling in his heart after hearing that from him. Is this what humans have when they consider their other kind as something that is precious to them? He had seen them doing this kind of thing, especially to little ones when they find comfort to their parents.
Maybe it was the same for him when he considered them his own.
Whatever it is, Mard Geer felt that maybe... just maybe. It wasn't as loathing as it would seem after experiencing it. Etherious are created to be such vile creatures that don't understand the feeling of love and warmth but to Mard Geer, this scene is a testament against that false belief.
Demons are probably not that different from humans after all.
"Family. I like the sound of that." He said, reciprocating the hug.
It was not after long before the pinkette had fallen asleep in his arms. The day was already turning in for the night as the sun slowly sank over the horizon, giving off an orange hue and large shadows overhead. The tour must've drained all his energy. His breath soothed softly in the air as Mard Geer began to return to the palace, carrying him safely towards his chamber.
He laid the sleeping boy in his bed before quietly making his way back to the door. Today's was an odd experience for him. Raising him and teaching him as he grows might not be such a bad idea after all.
The next day
Morning came fast and Natsu was already on his feet as soon as his sleepiness got out of his system. He didn't realize he fell asleep throughout the end of the tour that he worried what had happened during his sleep.
There was no sight of Mard Geer around so he scrambled to the floor, making his way towards the door in the process.
But as he opened the door, the person he wanted to see came to his view.
"Mard Geer!"
"Good morning, young master. It seems you're already wide awake. I trust your bed was to your liking." He inquired with a smile of his own.
Natsu let out a happy grin. "It was the best. I was really tired yesterday but it was fun."
"I see..." Mard Geer shook his head in content. Looks like his company with him during the tour was evaluated excellently. After a few seconds, he changed topics as he looked at him in anticipation. "Well, now that you're woken up, there's something important that we should do."
Natsu tilted his head in confusion. "Important."
"Yes." He nodded. "A ceremony for your awakening. Although I had planned it yesterday, you were soundly asleep that I have to postpone it for this day."
"What kind of ceremony?"
Mard Geer slowly spun around in his direction. His coat swayed at the act as he urged the pinkette towards the hall. "You will see, young master. Let us go."
"Hnn..." Natsu nodded in response as the two began to walk towards the direction of the hall.
Moments later, they were led to the large hall that they had once toured yesterday. Since Natsu wasn't able to see much of the interiors of the place, his eyes now caught the sight of a large red carpet laid towards the center and into the further section where a throne seat was located. A large banner lay hanging on top of the ceiling just above the throne. In that banner was a large symbol that looked like two hammers crossed with lower lines placed on each side, seemingly attached as some sort of support.
In addition, three figures stood before the throne, aligning with each other side by side as if waiting for someone. He knew the two others from yesterday as Kyoka and Sayla while the other one is unfamiliar to him as he was told that he was away yesterday. The boy now found the chance to see him for the first time as he was a man of muscular build.
His characteristics seem to resemble that of a shark due to the angular plate covering his head and a golden armored plate in his chin that protrusions on each end. And while his face covered shark-like features, his skin, however, was a scaly hide similar to that of a Lizardman.
His clothes consisted of a dark brown open-sleeved shirt, adorned by a trimmed thick fur over his muscular chest. Underneath was a pair of loose light brown pants and a pair brown shoes for his feet.
When they came into view, the three of them turned to their direction, expecting their presence. Mard Geer made no effort to stop and pressed on before stopping in front of them with anticipation.
"The ceremony is ready, Lord Mard Geer. It is time for Natsu-sama to recognize his existence." Sayla began, earning a nod from the demon.
"Understood." He said before turning his gaze towards the third figure. "I trust your reconnaissance was a fruitful one."
The massive demon knelt lightly before him before answering. "Yes. The details of some other Etherious have been located."
"Good." With that, he looked to the side towards the confused pinkette.
His face made clear of his utter puzzlement of the situation that he could help but grip his hold tighter on his hand for safety. Mard Geer eased his worries as he knelt before him with an expectant look.
"Natsu. Do you remember what I told you during our time outside yesterday?"
"Umm... you mean, about my true nature?"
"That's right. What you're about to hear is that you're just no ordinary Etherious. This ceremony will help you understand your existence as well as your other." He said before pointing over to the empty throne laid in front of them.
Natsu quickly understood his request and simply walked towards it with Mard Geer behind him. When he was only a few inches from the throne, he examined its features. As he had no preference of throne styles, the dreaded style didn't seem to faze him from intimidation. He placed his hand on one of the arms and felt its cold, however, for some reason, his body reacted. His body temperature rose, battling the cold sensation until it was no more.
Outside, Mard Geer noticed the heat enveloping the pinkette. A small gale of wind emanated around him as the power of dragonslaying magic began to take effect alongside with the power of his Etherious.
A combination of both released a potent energy that even in the eyes of the rest of the Etherious, they could feel the pressure emitting from the boy.
Mard Geer placed a hand on his shoulder as if to ease the growing power. He noticed the boy's expression that he wasn't even aware of the pressure he was currently emitting. At that time, the growing pressure receded almost immediately as he began to speak.
"This is yours. Please sit and our ceremony will start."
"Okay." Natsu obeyed.
Mard Geer spun around, facing the three and simply began his declaration.
"Today marks the start of a new age for the Etherious. By our maker's wish, we, demons from the Book of Zeref have been given a single purpose to answer to that wish. However, our purpose now rewritten for the sake of his other wish that is to raise the strongest Etherious in existence." He said so with vigor as he placed one hand over his chest and one towards the pinkette as he continued.
"Our young master. Our great pride. We shall vow to this day to answer with unswerving loyalty. That we will never break this loyalty even until our bodies perish. In this day, we no longer answer to the Black Mage. We shall forge a new path. A new purpose!"
A single ray of light dawned from one of the windows above the hall, beckoning towards the throne as the four demons turned towards Natsu before kneeling.
"Young Master. These are your loyal servants. Today, we shall swear upon Hell of our undying loyalty." Mard Geer said as the three others began to swear fealty to him.
"Dark of the Abyss, Torafuzar. I shall devote this body of mine to you. My arms are your blades and my powers are your calamity to behold." The massive demon declared.
"Goddess of the Slave Planet, Kyoka. My devotion to you is one above all. Your enemies are my enemies. My life is your life alone. I'll be ready for any orders you may have of me, young master." Kyoka knelt with her head facing down before him.
"Goddess of the Chill Moon, Sayla. My servitude to you is limitless. Whatever you may have of me, I'll answer without hesitation. Your desires are my desires." Sayla knelt in the same fashion.
Mard Geer lifted his head towards the throne. His eyes now given a new purpose.
"Underworld King, Mard Geer Tartaros. Like the others, I'll devote myself to you... and you alone. My young master's happiness is my happiness. For the sake of our future, we shall unite all Etherious under one cause."
And that moment on, the demon guild Tartaros was created.
A/N: And there you have it. How do you like the new developments for the four? The reason I didn't feature other Etherious, in the beginning, is that I wanted to create a story that doesn't focus on their current alias as the Nine Demon Gates. Before, they were only just demons united by Mard Geer by using END's name so in this story, I would like to create a transition to that with a little bit of Natsu in between.
Of course, his powers and showcase of his capabilities as both dragonslayer and demon will be featured in the future chapters.
That's it for now. I'll see you guys in the next chapter! ^^
- The wiErDos send their regards...