The last bits of Atlas Flame's light were chased away by the rising of the moon, the chariots of the God of Night riding off as a starry blanket embraced the skies, and the atmosphere turned dim. Mount Olympus had become a mountain that sleeps; a tired heavenly home with an early bedtime. The gods and goddesses, their duties fulfilled for the day, ceased their activity and began to rest, with some staying up late to maintain the day-to-day affairs of the mortal world. Even down below, the mortals were tucked away in their beds. Indeed, everyone was resting up for a bright new day.
In the cloudy residence of the King and Queen of Olympus, the baby Natsu and his Exceed friend Happy slept together on the same crib, their minds far away in a dreamy slumber. Even their parents, Igneel and Cassandra, were content in their sleep.
Unfortunately, someone lurking in the shadows was not asleep. Two sinister shadows crept closer to Natsu and Happy's crib and extended their menacing hands, awaiting their chance to capture and rob their destined target.
During the struggle, the twittering of voices and the sound of breaking glass caused Igneel and Cassandra to wake from their sleep.
Igneel yawned, his eyes blinking sleepily, "Huh?"
Cassandra mumbled, "Wha… What is it?"
The two began wondering where the noises came from… until their eyes widened in horror. "The baby!"
They ran into the baby's room to witness a horrifying sight; the crib had been knocked over, and Happy's head was stuck in a cornucopia. When he freed himself from the object, the Exceed looked up and saw, to his horror, that the rest of the crib was empty. Igneel and Cassandra couldn't believe their eyes. Their newborn son was gone!
"Natsu!" Cassandra's body trembled from the tragedy as she fell down on her knees and grasped her face, sobbing bitterly.
Igneel furiously narrowed his eyes. Someone had broken in and kidnapped his son! His body shaking with rage, the Fire God spread his arms and roared upward, the sky thundering with his anguish. A gigantic storm of fire swept over Mount Olympus as the clouds transformed into flame. Small explosions of fire erupted like thunder, and the flames drifted throughout the sky, flashing its radiant light like lightning.
The kidnappers Kain Hikaru and Rustyrose escaped from Mount Olympus on wings attached to their feet, with Kain holding Natsu with his arms. It was made possible through Rustyrose's Arc of Embodiment, which allows the user to materialize anything from his/her imagination to be used at his/her whim. Kain and Rustyrose were heading down to Earth, whilst dodging the torrents of endless flame that filled the sky. They discovered that Igneel found out of his son's kidnapping, and if he knew that Mard Geer was behind it all, his anger was nothing compared to Igneel's.
"Now we've done it!" Rustyrose exclaimed, dodging streams of fire raining from below. "We've incurred the wrath of the Fire God!"
Kain whimpered, "You're tellin' me! Ig's usin' us for target practice! If he finds out that we're workin' for the boss, we're as good as fry!"
"Well, why do you think we're coming to Earth?!" Rustyrose snapped at Kain. "Just hang onto the baby!"
As soon as they approached a nearby mountainside, Kain and Rustyrose's wings were suddenly burned into crisps by one of Igneel's flames. The two fell and collapsed on a mountain path, and dropped the baby boy to the ground nearby. Natsu bawled his eyes out from the sudden exodus from Mount Olympus, and Kain and Rustyrose slowly recovered.
"Now that we got the baby out of the mountain, let's get this over with," Rustyrose said. "And we'll make it fast! We won't know how long before the gods find us! Kain, get the vial!"
The overweight white-skinned man didn't need another invite as he took out the vial that Mard Geer gave them, and he wrapped a cap on the top to make it look like a baby bottle. Kain snorted, "Here ya go, kid. It's your favorite; a little Earth-land formula!" He stuffed the bottle into Natsu's mouth with a mad cackle.
The baby was confused at first, but when he found out that the flavor of the potion was as tasty as milk, Natsu reveled in the taste and drank the bottle happily. He was blissfully unaware that the glowing aura wrapped around his body— the essence representing his godhood— was gradually disappearing.
"Hey, look at that! His light's goin' out like a firefly!" Kain pointed out.
"I notice that, too," Rustyrose nodded. "He's turning mortal."
"Can we kill him now?" Kain asked eagerly, taking out a small voodoo doll from his pocket. "Mr. Cursey's itchin' for a good killin'!"
Rustyrose shook his head, "No, no, no! He has to drink the whole potion! Every last drop!"
"Who's there?"
The cry of an elderly voice caused Kain and Rustyrose to yelp in alarm. It didn't belong to Igneel or any of the gods, but it was enough to blow their cover. They were forced to hide away, leaving Natsu to cry alone, his godly essence completely gone. The vial fell and shattered into pieces, the last drop falling off the broken glass and evaporating onto the ground below.
The voice belonged to an elderly man carrying a torch, accompanied by his wife, having heard Natsu's cries. He was an extremely short 88-year old man with the outer rims of his bald head containing white hair, black eyes, and a thin white mustache. He wore a white long-sleeved polo shirt with a red vest over it, black pants, and a high collared cape. His name was Makarov Dreyar.
The female accompanying Makarov was a slim and tall elderly woman with pink hair tied in a bun on the back of her head, reddish eyes, and a beauty mark located below her mouth on the left side of her face. Her attire consisted of a dark green blouse with a tie around the collar, a long matching skirt, simple shoes, and a crimson-colored cape. Her name was Porlyusica Dreyar, Makarov's wife.
"Porlyusica, over here!" Makarov called, having spotted Natsu crying on the ground.
"Oh, you poor thing!" Porlyusica gasped and saw the abandoned ex-god baby. She picked him up and eased his cries with words of comfort, "Oh, there, there. Don't cry."
"Is anyone there?" Makarov looked around to see if the baby's parents were around here somewhere.
Unknown to the couple, Kain and Rustyrose observed the scene from behind a stalagmite. Noticing that Natsu lost his godliness, their opportunity to get the job done was at hand.
"Now?" Kain asked impatiently.
"Now," Rustyrose smirked evilly. "Arc of Embodiment: Metamorphosis!" Summoning a ring of magic around himself and Kain, their bodies glowed and changed shape, turning them into huge snakes. The two minions slithered towards Natsu, Makarov, and Porlyusica, preparing to strike them all down with their venomous fangs.
Receiving no response, Makarov sighed, "Oh, well. There's no one else around. He must've been abandoned."
"It could be a sign," Porlyusica wondered, before she took Makarov's arm and beamed with happiness. "Makarov, for so many years, we've prayed to the gods to bless us with a child. Perhaps they've answered their prayers." She looked at Natsu, who had managed to calm down and stop crying.
"Perhaps they have," Makarov assumed, noticing the scaled scarf around Natsu's neck. He examined the symbol of the gods at the front of the scarf, and turned it over to see a name engraved at the back. "Natsu…"
Suddenly, Makarov and Porlyusica heard hisses. The two turned and gasped in horror as the transformed Kain and Rustyrose flashed their fangs against them and Natsu. Just then, as if by instinct, Natsu jumped in with his hands and feet pulsating with fire! Giggling, he flexed his body, arms, and legs continuously, knocking Kain and Rustyrose multiple times and scorching their skins with flames. Next, Natsu sneezed, breathing a huge stream of fire that fried their snake bodies into soot. Then, he grabbed Kain and Rustyrose's necks, bashed them several times against the ground, and tied them in a knot. Finally, Natsu whirled them around a few times and released them, sending them flying and screaming into the air.
Makarov and Porlyusica simply stared with their mouths agape, amazed by Natsu's incredible feat. Natsu simply giggled.
Meanwhile, Kain and Rustyrose, their bodies tied up together, smashed their heads onto a rock and landed on the ground, scorched, injured, and beaten. Rustyrose groaned, "Metamorphosis Cancel…" In a flash, he and Kain reverted back to their normal forms.
"This baby ain't like nothin' we've ever seen," Kain wheezed from his injuries. "He's strong and smart."
"Even though he is mortal, he still has powers!" Rustyrose stated, stretching his bones. "He can manipulate fire! I can't believe it!"
"Aw, man!" Kain dreaded, fearing for the worst. "The boss is gonna kill us when he finds out what happened!"
"Actually, no," Rustyrose shook his head. "He'll give us a horrible punishment to make us WISH we're dead. Oh, and you mean if he finds out."
"Well, duh! Of course he's gonna find—" Kain began, before realizing that Rustyrose had a point. "If… If is good."
Rustyrose nodded in agreement. Still, it doesn't change the fact that they failed to exterminate Natsu, and Mard Geer would soon find out. Boy, was he going to get really ticked…
We now return to the gallery, where the Muses resumed their roles as narrators of the story. Ultear began, "It was tragic. Igneel was saddened by the disappearance of his son. He called upon his fellow gods and led them on a frantic search."
"But by the time they found the baby, it was too late…" Meredy looked down sadly, sitting with her fellow Muses on top of a vase. Éclair began to sing with the rest of the Muses humming along.
Éclair: Young Nat was mortal now
But since he did not drink the last drop
The vase the Muses sat on depicted Natsu beating up Kain and Rustyrose in their snake forms.
He still retained his godlike strength
So thank his lucky star
Brandish agreed, "Tell it, girl."
But Ig and Cassie wept
Because their son could never come home
The Muses then stood by a vase depicting Igneel, Cassandra, and Happy sadly watching over Natsu from Mount Olympus at the top. At the bottom, the baby Natsu held up Makarov and Porlyusica's home with his bare hands, much to their complete amazement. Even at a young age, their adoptive son was indeed strong.
They'd have to watch their precious baby
Grow up from afar
Another vase described Mard Geer in the Underworld laughing wickedly at the bottom. At the top of the vase, it depicted Makarov and Porlyusica lifting up Natsu happily.
Though Mard Geer's horrid plan
Was hatched before Nat cut his first tooth,
The boy grew stronger every day
And that's the gospel truth
Muses: The gospel truth…
Many years passed, and Natsu had integrated into his new home in the mortal world. However, with all the powers he possessed, he was unaware of who he really was and where he came from. It was on that day when a certain accident— and a fateful discovery— would change everything.