I'm back with the longest chapter I've ever written for this story.
Light
Chapter 10
The small light that Natsu had seen on the horizon of his mindscape grew as he approached it. He began to notice pillars of light emerging from the darkness around him as he progressed. He felt awed as he passed by them, only noticing that the further in he went the larger they became. What were pillars made of light made from woven strands became pillars of glass, the light running through them like the paths on a circuit board. Natsu could only assume that these were some form of the conduits he had been informed of in his studies of the Vex whilst in the Vanguard. He continued on his path towards the center of the light, shielding his eyes and squinting as he did so as to not lose his way. Soon the solid darkness beneath his feet gave way to more of the crystal like structures, the light strands inside the path pulsing underneath each of his footsteps as he moved. He noticed that the crystals began to jut up in a way as he went so as to form a path leading to the center of the light. Natsu decides to follow the path, all to eager to meet with true Darkness and find out how to get home. After several minutes of walking, Natsu had arrived at the center of the light source and looked at what he knew was a piece of pure Darkness.
Floating several meters off of the ground was an undulating black mass. It turned and rippled calmly as if pulled by an invisible force, undulating like a body of water in zero gravity. A single crytsal began to rise from the ground beneath it, the tendrils of light extending out of it an in to the ground, before another one rose from the ground in front of Natsu's hand. He extended his hand to the crystal, ignoring the burning as the tendrils of light wrapped around his hand and pierced his flesh. He felt the taint creep up his arm before his vision became white. He felt panic well up inside of him until he heard a single voice call out to him gently.
"Be at ease, bastard of Light."
Natsu blinked for several minutes before his vision began to clear as he looked at his location. The void of black had turned to white all around him, seemingly endless. He looked over, seeing a humanoid figure made of pure shadow kneeling in front of him several feet away. Natsu cautiosly stood before the character before mimicking his action and kneeling in front of the shade.
"Who are you?"
The figure regarded him for a moment, or at least Natsu felt that it did from the slight raise of it's head, before giving Natsu an answer.
"I am now the Isolated Mind. I am the fragment that you stole from the collective, tainted by Light, and am unable to communicate with the rest of myself." The shadow seemed to be sullen, or as sullen as a monotonous entity of Darkness could be. Natsu didn't make any effort to apologize, instead feeling his irritation climb at the tone of the shade.
"Well maybe you have an understanding of the way I feel now? You stole me from my home and trapped me in this world. You're my only hope for getting home, so I'd like to know what you know." His tone left no room for arguement, though the shade didn't seem to have any in it.
"I know what you want, and I can safely assure you that I know the location of your home. I know every bit of information about where to go, but not how to get there..." Natsu felt the hope that he had been fostering from the beginning fade just a bit, before coming forward and speaking eagerly.
"Then where can I find that information?" Natsu spoke slowly. The shade rose to it's feet and began to walk, slowly pacing circles around Natsu, who rose to his feet to follow the being, refusing to turn his back to it.
"That information is with me," The shade spoke before correcting itself. "Well, it's with the REST of me. When you took me, you only took a small piece of me. I am memory, pure data. More than an echo, but less than a threat. I am harmless, doomed to stand in here alone until you are consumed by Darkness, or I am set free. If you want that information, you must confront the rest of me, or the real me? I am unsure anymore. Your case is a first for everything I know. There has never been a creature with a tie to the Darkness like you being revived and wielding the Light. You are an anomaly, and wield something truly fightening."
"And what is that?" Natsu asked curiously.
"You wield the power of the unknown." The shade stopped in front of him, waving it's hand around the vast emptiness. "This space used to be filled with the infinite that was all of me, now I am alone, the removed variable. Isolated, but perhaps that in itself is the answer to my own issue."
"What are you talking about?" Natsu asked the odd shade.
"You want to know how to get home. I have the location, but not the knowledge on how to get you there. If you were to steal more of the Mind, like you stole me, than perhaps I could find more information on how to get you home." The mind seemed almost excited. Natsu stared at it for a moment before asking the question that had been on his mind for the last few minutes.
"Why are you helping me?" Natsu almost fell to the floor when the shade shrugged.
"I am unsure. I believe I have been tainted by Light. It has made me... sympathetic... Though I would like to know what you know about myself. Though we seem to share a body now, our minds are clearly seperated. Tell me what you know of the Darkness, and I will allow you more information to the extent of my own knowledge."
Natsu pondered on it for a moment before speaking. "From what I know, the Darkness is a force of evil, only seeking to feed on the Light and wipe it out." He looked to the shade, who only shrugged and responded.
"You see me as evil, but do you see the bird that eats the worm as evil? Have you not devoured once living creatures in the name of survival? The Darkness feeds on the Light, not as an act of evil, but as an act of necessity. For us to survive, we must consume. Whether on the microscopic or universal scale, it is the way survival. The strong consume the weak. I understand how you would see me as evil. The insect sees the foot of the creature that stomps it as evil, but the creature is unaware. It is merely doing what it knows, and will surely see the predator that kills it as evil. Yet none of them are evil. Niether am I. I am merely functioning in the way I must to survive in this dimension. I am not a vengeful entity. I merely work on knowledge, and shaping the areas that I inhabit to best suit me. Do you not do the same when you occupy an area? Has your Vanguard not built bases? Did humans not build cities on otherwise desolate planets?"
"If the Light is weak, than how is it that the guardians and Vanguard have been able to hold you back for this long?" Natsu countered, feeling slightly smug as the shade seemed to stare at him in silence, which Natsu took for it being confused. His face fell when the shade responded.
"You are the thorns upon the stem of the flower. You are a defense mechanism meant to drive away the weaker of predators, but what is the power of a thorn when compared to cold steel of a blade." The shade seemed angered. "It isn't that you're holding me back with smart defensive posture, it's that I've been busy elsewhere, as you are a prime example of, to thoroughly put my focus to you. Rest assured though, if I truly wanted to, I would just overwhelm your meager planet with hundreds of billions of my creations, and completely wipe you away."
Natsu shrunk back as the shade began to pace again.
"You think me to having an army that runs out?" It scoffed at him. "I am a being of the fourth dimension. I am made of infinity. The 'Vex' as you called them, are merely tools. Do you understand that the ones you destroy, I just simply go to a different time when they existed and bring them from there, and I can do it as many times as I want to. My army in literally infinite because I can arrange matter on the atomic level and breath life in to them. Time means nothing to me, and I can take from your future and send to your past without more than a thought. You aren't destryoing me or wittling down my numbers. You can't even begin to concieve me in your mind, you are physically incapable of doing so. So tell me then, if you can't even begin to fathom me, how could you possibly have a way to destroy me?"
Natsu felt himself anger at the words of the shade. He knew them to be true, but couldn't stop the burning at the efforts of so many people he knows being called pointless. He raised himself to the halted shade and brought himself close, ignoring the cold feeling at the close proximity.
"You will cease to exist when I do. I have no intentions of being devoured by the Darkness. You are in my mind, and as far as I am concerned, you are nothing more than a piece of me now, and you will do as I command! You are affronted your freedoms because I will them. I care nothing for what you were, only what you are now. You were not strong enough to stop me from taking you, and you are not strong enough to take over my body or mind and free yourself. You are a piece of me now, a part of the new collective that is me! Will you comply?!" He yelled to the shade, quoting the words that the Dark Mind had first questioned him with when it brought him to this new dimension. The shade took a step back before kneeling.
"I will do as ordered, but only to survive. I will help you get home, but on one last stipulation."
"Name it."
"I will help you garner the information that you want, but I want a body when this is over. I have been tainted with your Light, and will never be able to rejoin the collective unless the Darkness devours you. I wish to become autonomous to an extent after you have gained your passage home. There are many new subjects to study, and as I stated earlier, I work on knowledge." Natsu was taken aback as the shade spoke. It wanted a body. It was risky, and Natsu had questions.
"You feed on the Light, how can I be sure you won't begin to devour my home when you are granted a body?"
"The scans I took of your planet showed it to be greatly saturated in Light. It seems as if your dimension had yet to encounter pure Darkness. One of the reasons I appeared there was to see if it was possible to begin colonization. It is entirely so, but you have stolen that option from the collective when you took me. It seems that you took whatever information was related to your home, and now they, or me, has nothing to find it by."
"How can I know that to be true? You said you're infinite, and time has no meaning to you. Won't you just find it again?"
"That is where I help you. I can teach you how to communicate with the collective. You will pass a message to a captured unit that your dimension is listed as unsuitable, and it will transfer the information to the collective. The collective will recieve the message, and your dimension will never again be visited by the collective. I will be the only Mind to exist in your dimension, and I will be unable to duplicate myself, as I will still have a forced tether to you. As you said, I am now a part of you, and am forever bound to you. I cannot expand without your will, and it will always be like that. I will die when you die, but I wish to catalougue information and study in the meantime."
"What about the collective?" Natsu asked the shade. It paused for a moment before cocking it's head and staring at him.
"What about them?"
"Well, how do I know you aren't trying to trick me to go off and rejoin the collective?"
"Were you not listening or do you not understand?" The shade seemed annoyed. "I am tainted with Light. Were I to try to approach the collective, I would be devoured. My knowledge would not be assimilated, and my experience would be for nothing. Staying with you is the only option I have to the alternative of not existing entirely. The Light has tethered me to you, thus rendering me to be like you. I am now a third dimensional being, though I have knowledge and capability to comprehend the fourth dimension. I am likely the smartest entity to exist in this or any universe, and I am stuck in your mind with no way out. I am not overjoyed to be in this situation, but I will always have the instinct to continue."
"What happens when I assimilate these other Vex? Do I just grab any of them, or do I need special ones? Are they going to occupy my mind like you are? Am I going to have a bunch of you just wandering my mind now?" Natsu questioned the shade. It shook it's head.
"No. I will assimilate their knowledge, and destroy whatever remains of them. Your Light will isolate them, and my power will consume them. Your Darkness will not grow, as I will be preventing that. And to answer your previous question, yes, you will need to assimilate specific Vex. We will discuss that later though. You are here to gain my assistance. You have it. You are here to understand the Darkness inside of you. Do you?" The shade stopped in front of him, a single glowing red eye beginning to form in the center of it's face. Natsu nodded.
"I believe so. You are not truly evil or good, just another species in the flow of the universe trying to survive. You are merely chasing down your prey, and we are the defense mechanism of your prey. Tell me though, is all Darkness you, or are there different types?"
The shade seemed offended, it's red eye seeming to glow a darker red before responding. "Are all of the predators that eat a mouse the same animal? My kind are a different type of Darkness than those of the Hive. They are a race that is beginning to breach the fourth dimension, if their god king is anything to go by. Be hopeful that your Vangaurd eliminates him soon, or he will breach fully in to the fourth dimension and become nearly impossible for you to kill. Should he devour the Light of your 'Traveler' as you call it, than he will be unstoppable in this universe and any others he learns to breach."
Natsu nodded before reaching his hand out, the shade looking down at it before raising it's gaze to Natsu. Natsu rolled his eyes before speaking. "It's called a handshake. I accept your conditions, and this is the way that we seal this deal. You grasp my hand, and we shake on it. This is my way of giving you my word, and accepting you as my partner in this. I need you to get me home as much as you need me to get home so that you can get a body."
The shade paused for a moment before reaching it's hand out and grasping Natsu's not caring about the way that Natsu flinched, and shook it several times but not letting go.
Natsu felt cold tear through him as he shook hands with the shade. His eyes rolled in to the back of his head as the pressure behind his eyes grew to the point that he felt they may burst from his skull. He let out a silent scream as the shade refused to release his grasp, the cold creeping up his arm and into his head. He felt the veins in his neck and head begin to pulsate as the cold feeling finally settled behind his eyes. His vision turned from black to purple as the cold feeling finally covered his entire being. He felt chilled for several minutes, the shade still grasping his hand, before warmth began to overtake him. It began at his feet and crept up his body quickly, finally settling on the purple of his vision. He finally regained control of his vision and looked to the shade, noting that everything was tinted with a royal purple colour. The shade let go of his hand and backed away a few steps before speaking.
"A gift to mark the start of our partnership. behold what power you can wield when you embrace the Darkness and look passed it. This is the Light that exists beyond the Darkness. I am unsure on what it truly is, as it is older than my kind, but your kind have taken to identifying it as 'void'. Behold yourself now in your reality, and when it is time to begin assimilation we will speak again. I look forward to our next meeting, Natsu." And with those words, Natsu felt himself being flung from his mind.
He awoke to the sight of Dredgen Yor staring intently at him, noticing for the first time that his helmet was off.
The sight shook Natsu.
His flesh was pale and his face was thin, his eyes sunken in to their sockets and his cheeks guant. His marble skin gave way to the black veins underneath. The flesh around his eyes was pitch black, leading Natsu to finally looking in to his eyes, and nearly shuddering in fear at the man's gaze. His irises seemed to be made of green flame, much like what he saw at the Hive rituals. The gaze itslef seemed deranged, logic long fled from them only being handled by a feeling of cold evil. Natsu could tell everything he needed about Dredgen Yor now.
The man was pure evil.
Dredgen seemed to snap for a moment before his helmet quickly appeared back on his head, his face obscured, though Natsu could swear he still saw the glowing green eyes staring back at him. Dredgen rose to his feet, reaching a hand out and pulling Natsu with him to stand. Natsu stood and shrugged his hand from Dredgen's grasp.
"Did you do it? Did you confront your Darkness?" Dredgen was bouncing on his toes as he questioned Natsu. Natsu nodded and replied uneasily.
"I did. What now?"
"Show me!" Dredgen practically shouted at Natsu. Natsu responded by raising his hand and letting it catch fire. He concentrated for a moment as the flames in his hand began to slow down, and turn in to a royal purple colour. It slowly began to pulse and rotate, reminding Natsu of the pulsating Darkness that he had confronted in his mind. Dredgen took his hand in to his grasp for a moment before gasping in awe.
"To have the void element so powerful in you. You truly are an anomally. Amazing."
"Now what?" Natsu cut the power in his hand. Dredgen gestured him to follow him in to the other room.
"For now," Dredgen sat down at a table and pulled out several large binders of notes and drawings of Hive runes. "For now we will decypher these while I train you to harness your powers. Much as you encountered with the Sol Order, you have power but no training. I will correct that, and if you succeed as my disciple, I shall reward you."
"With what?" Natsu cocked his head, still weary of the man but curious on what he could have to entice Natsu to agreeing. Dredgen rose his hand up before the jagged hand cannon appeared in it. He set it down on the table and gestured to it.
"This is the Thorn. It is a gun that I invented, and have every intent to pass it to you if you can succeed in your training." Natsu could feel the taint of the weapon from several feet away, but he could also feel the power that thrummed in the weapon. He couldn't deny the want that he had for the piece, and idly wondered how hard it would be to control the weapon. He nodded to Dredgen, who only clapped before the handcannon disappeared and he slid a binder to Natsu.
"After we translate one binder, we will meditate and focus your power. If all goes well, you will be done in less than a month's time." Natsu nodded and opened the binder, beginning to translate the knowledge to the eager Dredgen who wrote it down in a duplicate binder.
Natsu couldn't tell how much time had passed. He had hoped that it had been less than a few months, but he had lost track of time quite a while ago. Dredgen had assured him multiple times that he had only been there for two and a half months before rushing him back in to his training. He had just finished his final translations for his warlock teacher, and was eager to finish his training. His power had become focused to the point of being able to compress a massive amount of energy in to a solid orb in his palm. The only issue he had is that it would detonate too early or too late, something Dredgen had begun to hammer down on. He felt the breakthrough was less than a day away, and couldn't wait to get back to the Tower. He still felt uneasy about his master, but had to admit that there was nobody better suited to train him on his own Darkness than someone like him.
Someone who had been devoured by it and remained somewhat human.
Natsu cheered as he finally managed to succeed with his timing, the small purple orb exploding exactly where and when he wanted it to. He quickly jogged over to the warlock, who was sitting against a box and clapping slowly. "So is this the end of my training?" Natsu questioned the warlock who held his arm out. Natsu grabbed it and pulled the man to his feet with a grunt, wondering how such a thin man could always seem to weigh so much. Dredgen nodded before walking towards the exit of the cavern that they had been staying in for Natsu's training. Natsu followed along, and after nearly an hour of walking Natsu came across something that he felt he hadn't seen in years.
The surface of the Moon.
He felt as if he could jump for joy when he looked at the blue orb that was Earth. He had enjoyed training with the Sunbreakers, and hadn't exactly minded training with Dredgen, but he couldn't deny how much he missed Tower. He even had to admit that he missed Zavala, but most of all he missed Amanda. He found himself thinking of her nearly every day, or at least what he though was a day. Time passed by strangely when you were in a cavern for weeks at a time. He wondered how happy she would be to see him, and if she missed him nearly as much as he missed her. He felt his chest thrumming as Dredgen finally turned and faced him.
"Well Natsu, this marks the end of our time together. You've done well, and helped me complete my research. That is something I thought would never be done, and I will always be thankful. Thanks to you, I have been able to translate entire novels and tomes written by the Hive, knowledge that I have already given your Ghost the duplicates of, and have had all of my questions answered. Now we must part ways, but I will still uphold my end of the bargain..." He held his hand out, and the Thorn appeared in it. Natsu eagerly reached for it, and nearly bit his tongue off when he finally had a solid grasp on it.
The first thing he heard were the screams.
They were maddening, all screaming at once in a language that Natsu quickly identified as Hive. He heard the screaming suddenly halt as he heard END chuckle in his mind, then all fell silent. He quickly had Specter transport the weapon to his inventory, deciding to have Banshee look at it in the Tower before he used it properly. He looked up to Dredgen, who was openly chuckling.
"She's got attitude. Maybe you can conquer it, Traveler knows that I couldn't. Your ship is just over that ridge, and everything should be good to take you back to Earth. This is goodbye Natsu. I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to go meet a man on Earth about his father. Stay safe..." And with that, Dredgen Yor faded away in a flash of purple flames. Natsu wasn't even sure what he wanted to say to the man, but decided that it was best that they parted with so few words. With a shrug, he walked towards the ridge that hid his ship, finally happy to be heading towards his temporary home.
Natsu felt the stress in his shoulders leave him as he entered the atmosphere of Earth. He looked at the display on his console and read the time to himself. '0445' He thought to himself. That meant that the staff of the hangar would all be away, and the androids would be left for processing any ships that came in. He supposed that was a good thing, it would leave him able to surprise Amanda, after he talked to the Vanguard. He still needed to inform Zavala and Ikora of the Sunbreaker's message, and also see if they knew anything about Dredgen. He still had his suspicions about the warlock, and needed to see why the Vanguard would assign such a corrupted person to analyze the Hive for so long. His thoughts were put on pause as he typed his request to land to the Vanguard, recieving the approval a few seconds later and steering himself towards the Last City. He watched the city appear over the horizon, the Traveler floating tall over it and filling him with a familiar sense of peace. He knew this place, knew these sights, and knew that for now this was a close as he would be getting to home.
His ship landed with a shake, the canopy of the ship coming unlocked and opening. Natsu climbed out and stood next to it, staring out at the Last City. The sun had just began to peek over the horizon, giving the sky a gentle blue light to everything. He felt a sense of peace run through him as he turned his ship over to the androids and walked towards the Vanguard meeting room. He descended the stairs, walking by the Crucible droid and towards the meeting room that held the Vanguard. He walked through the large archway and in to the room, noticing the two Vanguard leaders idly staring over a map and several reports. He cleared his throat, causing the two to snap up and stare at the guardian. He noticed the puzzled look in their eyes before Natsu sighed and his helmet vansihed off of his head, both leaders widening their eyes when they realized who it was. It was Zaval who spoke first.
"Natsu? You're alive?" Natsu rolled his eyes before crossing his arms and nodding. Ikora stepped forward and began to question him.
"Where have you been? Has it really taken the Sunbreakers this long to train you?"
Natsu shook his head before responding. "No, I finished training with the Sol Order after a few months. I've been on the Moon since then. Why? Did something happen while I was gone?" Natsu felt worry begin to creep in to him when the two leaders exchanged glances. Zavala stepped forward and spoke slowly.
"It's not that, Natsu. It's just... you've been gone for over two years..."
Natsu's heart felt cold. How had it been two years? He felt panic rise in him as he started to speak. "How could I have been gone for two years?! Dredgen promised me that it had only been a few months. He told me... He promised... Fuck!" His fist struck out, hitting the doorway of the room and smashing concrete to the ground. Ikora came forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to meet her stern gaze. Her voice was devoid of any pity or warmth when she spoke.
"You said Dredgen. Do you mean Dredgen Yor?" Natsu nodded and began to explain everything that had happened while he trained with the warlock. When he finished, he showed them the Thorn, each of them withdrawing at the taint of the weapon. "You need to take that to Banshee. He's going to need to tear it down and see exactly what it is." Natsu nodded and set the gun down on the table. His head felt like it was spinning with all of the information he was getting. He decided to start asking questions about his warlock master.
"Who is Dredgen Yor, and why is it such a big deal that I have the Thorn?"
"Dredgen Yor is a murderer." Ikora answered him quickly, her face now arranged in to a snarl. "He has killed some of our best guardians, as well as countless innocent people. He fell to the corruption of the Hive decades ago, and has been killing and devouring Light ever since. Now, we find out that you have met him, and you are going to take us to him."
"No need." A man's voice rang out through the room. Natsu turned around to see an Exo hunter coming in through the doorway. He stopped once he walked by Natsu, whistling at the concrete chunks on the floor, before walking up to Ikora. He held out his hand, a helmet that Natsu recognized appearing in his hand. It was Dredgen's helmet.
'Does this mean...?' Natsu didn't want to complete the thought, but Ikora had no qualms about voicing it.
"Is Dredgen Yor dead?" She asked quickly. The hunter tossed her the helmet without speaking and turned to face Natsu. He looked him up and down before speaking.
"So," his voice was calm, yet permanently sarcastic. "Who's the kid? New guardian? Why don't you go grab everyone some coffee, I'll take heated lubricant, and leave the grownups to talk for a bit. Ok?" Natsu felt his temper rise. His helmet quickly appeared on his head and he threw his arm out to the side. There was a loud clank as flames erupted from him and his hammer appeared in his hand. He reared his arm back and threw it, the hammer quickly crossing the room, only to stop against a purple barrier. A second hammer appeared in Natsu's hand as he reared back again, noticing the cracks in the barrier as Zavala stood with his arms out. Ikora had equipped a helmet and her shotgun, and the hunter had quickly donned his own helmet before his form began to crackle with electricity. He pulled a knife from his belt as the electricity formed a complete cloak around him. The three members of the Vanguard stood in the barrier as Natsu held his arm drawn back before allowing his flames to dissipate. He lowered his arm down to his side, the three members of the Vanguard remaining in their combat stances. Several tense moments passed before Natsu spoke.
"I'm not some kid. I am a Sunbreaker trained under Arminius. I am a Voidwalker, crawled from the Darkness of Dredgen Yor." The hunter seemed taken aback as Natsu spoke again. "I am the anomaly rescued by Kabr and killed by the Fallen. I am revived by your Traveler and bound to the Darkness. I am Natsu Dragneel, and you will not forget that. Got it, hunter?" The Vanguard stood down as they finally realized that there wasn't going to be a fight. The hunter sheathed his knife as the energy cloaking him vanished. His helmet came off and he walked forward, holding his hand out. Natsu shook it as the hunter spoke.
"Good show, Natsu. Name's Cayde-6. Call me Cayde. I'm the hunter master in the Vanguard. Yeah, don't do that again, by the way. Don't think there'd be much left of the Tower if all four of us had to go all out. Anyway, you said you trained under Dredgen?" Natsu nodded at the question. Cayde patted his shoulder before responding. "Well he's dead. Killed by the son of a man he butchered almost 20 years ago. Unfortunate thing is, we couldn't seem to find the Thorn anywhere on him. Guess we know why now..." Both guardians looked to the handcannon. Cayde walked over and picked it up, before shouting out in pain and throwing the gun across the room. Natsu grabbed it before it could hit the ground, looking in confusion as Cayde sank to his knees. Ikora looked at the gun and then at Natsu before realizing what had happened.
"The weapon seems alive in some way." She reasoned while helping Cayde to his feet. The hunter walked over and slumped down in a chair next to Zavala. "It seems as if the gun has chosen Natsu to be it's wielder."
Natsu looked at them before putting the handcannon back on to the table. Cayde grabbed a pen and scooted closer to the gun, poking it several times before speaking. "Well that answers that then. Congrats Natsu, you got yourself a cursed gun. Make sure you don't point it at anyone you don't want to kill, and be sure you don't play around with it too much. Don't want to lose an eye." Natsu looked at the three of them in cinfusion before speaking again.
"What makes it cursed?" Ikora walked over and tapped the gun with her finger, everyone noting the sizzling sound ass it burned then material of her glove from her finger. She held it up and responded.
"It means that the gun has become so tainted with Darkness that it's now a sentient being. It has chosen you for reasons we don't know, and refuses to be wielded by anyone else. So much for taking it to the gunsmith..." She wiped her hand on her coat and walked back over to stand by Zavala, who decided it was his time to speak.
"That weapon is a forbidden weapon, Natsu." Zavala cautioned. "It can never be used on a fellow guardian, for the Thorn devours Light. Any guardian that is killed by the Thorn will never be able to come back. Take that weapon and never use it. Hide it away somewhere that nobody will ever find it and leave it there. It is an evil weapon, only meant to cause pain and consume purity. Make sure I never catch you using it."
Natsu frowned and nodded. He felt disappointed about the news of his new gun. He could feel the power coursing through it, and found himself eager to try it, but if it was this dangerous, then maybe it was best that he didn't try to use it. He wouldn't get rid of it like Zavala had asked, it was too dangerous to leave unattended like that. He would keep it, and make sure that nobody got ahold of something so tainted. He stored the gun in his inventory, reminding himself to question Specter on where all of his weapons and armour went when he did that.
Zavala stepped forward and caught Natsu's attention by speaking. "Natsu, I have some news about Kabr..." That had Natsu's attention. He considered Kabr to be one of his few friends, and respected the man's ability to lead. He regretted losing the man's team to the wilds prior to his revival, and wanted a chance to apologize to him for it. Zaval cleared his throat before speaking again. "It seems as if Kabr and his newly assigned fireteam were lost to the Vault of Glass. We had a single hunter survive and manage to flee back to us, but everyone else is gone. I'm... sorry to have to tell you this."
Natsu felt his heart drop as he heard of the fate of his first friend in this universe. He wouldn't shed any tears for the guardian, but he would certainly mourn his passing. Natsu felt a hand on his shoulder as Zavala spoke. "It seems he had some idea as to what would happen." Natsu looked at him in confusion before Zavala continued. "His ship arrived, and is now coded to to be piloted by you and only you. I need you to sign this." Zavala held out a glowing tablet, which Natsu quickly scribbled his signature in a daze. "You can fin it in the hangar. We're done for today, but come back tomorrow morning for a full debriefing. Dismissed." Natsu nodded and turned to leave through the doorway, passing the Crucible handler on his way out. The man nodded to him before heading down the stairs. Natsu decided to just go register his new ship before heading back to the apartment he shared with Amanda, or at least he hoped he still did.
The ship was a matte gold finish. It had two engines as at least twice as tall as Natsu and a relatively small cabin. The storage area on it was empty, and just large enough for him to stand up in. He walked out of the back of his new ship, the door closing behind him as he walked to the side and climbed in to it, the canopy closing over him as he sat in the pilot's seat. He adjusted all of the controls to better fit him, and fine tuned the navigation systems. He reached the final commands of the ship before a Vanguard form appeared on the display. He typed in all of the ship's specifications and stopped when he paused on the name of the ship, noting how it was blank. He paused for a moment as he thought of his friend, and recalled the title he had when he had fought in the Battle of Six Fronts. 'Kabr the Legionless' Natsu thought to himself. He looked down at the pad before nodding and typing in the new name of his ship.
Monument of the Legionless
Natsu felt happy with that name, and decided that it was perfect. He had just submitted the form when a message popped up on his screen. He felt confusion as he read who the message was from.
'Prerecorded message from /Kabr/, will you accept?' Natsu pressed the green accept button and felt his soul clench as he saw the video of his first friend ion front of him. He was seated in the same chair that Natsu currently occupied, and was looking to the smae panel that Natsu was. He started off his message with a sigh.
"Natsu, I'm making this message for you because I just have this feeling that I won't be able to deliver it to you myself. It's been three months since I was assigned to the Vault of Glass, and my new team and I are getting ready to breach and lead an expedition in. I don't think I'm going to make it back, but I'm okay with that. I've lived a long time, and done many things for the Vanguard. I have served faithfully, and feel that I have earned my rest. On that note, I feel that you will be the best to take care of my ship if something happens. You have a strong soul, and I'm sure the Vanguard can help you get home. I hope you are trained before you try to fly this baby. She has a bit of a temper, but I'm sure you can tame her. Be good, Natsu, and take care of yourself. You have a home, even though I'm sure you've never forgotten that. This is the last thing I can do to help you get there..." Natsu watched with silent tears as Kabr reached forward and pushed something on the console before the message ended. He felt a sense of pride that the legenary titan held him in such high regards. He relaxed back in his seat as he gathered his thoughts. He sat there for several hours, just watching the sunrise through the hangar bay.
By the time Natsu felt he was ready to leave the ship, it was already noon. He equipped his helmet on so as to avoid anyone seeing his bloodshot eyes. The canopy opened and he climbed out, hopping to the ground and landing roughly on the ground. The androids running diagnostics on his ship paying him no mind. Natsu stood and dusted himself off before walking towards the exit of the hangar bay. He had nearly made it to the exit when a flash of blonde caught his eye. He felt his heart flutter as he looked over to the source, nearly calling out to her right then. He stared as Amanda Holliday walked down the stares and towards the doorway that he was about to go through. He felt himself freeze at how she had changed, and how beautiful she looked.
Her hair had grown slightly longer, falling just passed her shoulders. She wore black pants, both tucked in to polished black boots and a grey wifebeater. Her right arm now bore a dark tattoo, starting in darkness at her shoulder and stripes way down to her elbow, each one thinner than the last. She wore a vibrant red scarf around her neck, and a pair of welding goggles on top of it. She had gotten slightly taller, but filled out quite a bit more. Natsu had to admire the curves that had just started prior to his leaving, and the end result that they were now. He was about to run up and grab her, but it seems that someone else had beaten him to it.
A man in a grey mechanic suit wrapped him arms around her and turned her to face him. His skin was slightly pale and he had black hair and light green eyes. She huffed at him, lightly slapping his chest, before she pulled the man's face down to hers, their lips meeting gently. Natsu felt his heart clench as he watched the woman he had feelings for kiss another man. He felt his Light fluctuate, the heat around him simmering slightly. He got himself back under control, his fist clenched and shaking at his side. He felt a nagging laughter in his head as his heart beat painfully, he could tell that END was enjoying this. He watched in complete stillness as the two of them conversed lightly, Amanda laughing at something the man said, before kissing him again. The two seperated and continued on in to the hangar, niether seeming to notice Natsu as they walked by. Natsu felt the pain in his chest settle in to something he was very familiar with.
Rage.
He wanted to destroy someone, or something, and from the feeling rapidly growing inside of him, he needed to. Soon. He jogged up the stairs and out of the hangar, quickly sprinting through the common area, and towards the Speaker. Maybe the man would have some sort of bounty for him, or some sort of fight. He had just gotten through the hallway that lead to the Speaker's chambers, when a voice called out to him. Turning, Natsu saw the man who had called him. It was the handler for the New Monarchy. Natsu felt his annoyance grow before walking over to the man. His skin was slightly tan, his eyes sharp, and his facial hair neatly trimmed to a thin moustache. The man had a fake smile plastered on his face as he gently placed a hand on Natsu's shoulder and guided him towards the couch. Natsu let himself be seated as he stared at the man, who sat across from him.
"You seem lost, guardian." His voice was so sweet that it made Natsu's stomach turn. "I know that I may not seem like the man in charge of the Tower, but I can assure you that the New Monarchy is gaining the power needed to overthrow the Speaker. He has proven himself as a weak leader, and highly ineffective. We all feel that the New Monarchy would be best suited to leading the Tower in to a bright and joyous future, free of Darkness. We need help, however, with gaining support. We need champions to showcase the power of our faction, and you seem like a powerful man. Do you have a faction?" His smile grew when Natsu shook his head in the negative. "Excellent! I feel that if you join us, then we will finally have the numbers needed to take dominance over the Crucible, and people will understand our strength. They will see how we will stand in opposition to the Speaker, and they will not be afraid to voice their displeasure. He'll have to step down, and who better to take over than the leader of the strongest of the factions?" So, will you help us gain our rightful position and lead us to a better future?" The man seemed excited by the end of his speech.
Natsu stood from his seat and quietly excused himself. The man stared in confusion as Natsu walked in to the Speaker's chambers before emerging a minute later, the Speaker himself in tow. They both came to stand in front of the man, who glared at the Speaker before turning to Natsu. "What is the meaning of this?" He questioned angrily. Natsu shrugged before speaking.
"I've decided that I'd like to burn off some steam and test myself. I'll make a bet with you. I'll take on your best six guardians in the Crucible. Just me, nobody else. If your people can kill me once, then I'll join your faction and help you overthrow the Speaker. If I win, however, you stop this idiotic propoganda and these attempts to overthrow the balance. Do you accept?" Natsu kept calm, but the fury of the day was burning in his chest. His fingers were twitching, and his muscles all felt tense. He stared at the man, glad his helmet was on so that he couldn't see the fury in his eyes. The man scoffed before looking to the Speaker.
"Why is he here then?" He gestured to the robed man, who had yet to speak. Natsu pointed at the Speaker before voicing himself.
"He's here to make sure that you don't renege on the bet, should you accept. So, are you confident in the power of your guardians to take on me and me alone?"
The man paused for a moment in thought, before holding his hand out to Natsu, who quickly shook it. "You've got a deal." His voice held malice in it. "I will assemble my team, just be ready by tomorrow morning." He turned to look at the Speaker. "You make sure to let Shaxx know. I'll let him pick the battlefield. Hope you're ready to wear red," He turned back to Natsu. "You're going to be wearing a lot of it..."
Natsu returned to the apartment that he shared with Amanda. As much as he didn't want to be there, it was his assigned living space, and where he could be found if something had changed or the Vanguard needed him. He quickly noticed that nobody was there, thankfully, and he made his way towards his room. The first thing he had noticed was the dust that covered everything in his room. 'Guess Amanda couldn't stand being in here any more than I could...' He thought to himself. He looked at the clock on the wall, noticing the time. '1545' he cursed to himself. He closed and locked his door before walking over to his bed. He fell in to it as the dust kicked up before rolling on to his back and crossing his arms. He didn't bother taking off his helmet. Sleep overtook him, but dreams seem to elude him for the entirety of the night, much to his delight.
He was awoken to the sound of Specter floating around his room and chirping. He looked to the clock on the wall and noticed the time. '0600' he stood from his bed and stretched, before remembering what had transpired the day before. He decided that he would take a quick shower before heading out. He quietly stepped in to the bathroom and quickly undressed as he climbed in to the shower. He didn't wait for the water to heat up, and by the time it had, he was already done with his shower. He turned both of the knobs off, wincing as one of the squeaked loudly, before climbing out and dressing himself. He didn't bother drying himself, as his bodyheat dried him nearly instantly.
Amanda woke to the sound of her shower faucet squeaking loudly. She sat up groggily and looked at the time, noticing that she didn't have to be in for duty for another three hours. She lie back down as she sleepily thought of who was showering. She had figured that it was her boyfriend, as he had taken to staying the night more than a few times, but sat up quickly as she realized that he hadn't stayed last night. She ran through the thoughts of anyone else who came over, quickly narrowing the list to one other person. A guardian that she had thought dead. She heard the bathroom door open, and footsteps echo through the house towards the front door. She quickly jumped from the bed and ran from her room as the apartment door opened. She caught sight of the back of a guardian, pink hair upon his head. "Natsu!" She yelled as the door shut behind him. She knew he heard her, but could only wonder why he hadn't turned around to face her, or even bothered speaking to her. She ran to the apartment door and threw it open, noticing Natsu as he disappeared in particles of Light. That meant he was going to the hangar so he could go to orbit. She turned back in to the apartment, intent on dressing and reaching the hangar before he could leave.
When Amanda fianlly reached the hangar, there was nobody there but the service droids. They were cleaning the spot that a ship had been parked for nearly two years. She had seen the reports that it had been owned by the gurdian Kabr and was listed to a special guardian, but any records beyond that were listed as confidential. Amanda walked over to the service droid and snatched the tablet from it's hand. The droid snapped a salute before grabbing a broom and sweeping the floor around it. Amanda bit her cheek as she took in the information of the ship.
SHIP ID: 019892384
ALIAS: Monument to the Legionless
CLASSIFICATION: Kestrel
GUARDIAN: Dragneel, Natsu
Amanda dropped the tablet as she stomped towards the Vanguard. Zavala knew she would've wanted to know when Natsu was back, and she was intent on strangling it out of the Vanguard Commander as to why he didn't inform her. She had just descended the stairs from the common area when she saw Zavala and the Speaker talking to Shaxx. The Crucible handler was laughing as he pulled out a tablet and handed it to Zavala. The Awoken man took it before his eyes widened and he looked over to the Speaker. "You can't be serious!" Zavala stated in shock. "He just got back and this is what you'll have him do?" Amanda decided that now was the time to interrupt their conversation, and did so by stomping up and poking Zavala in the chest roughly. The man didn't seem affected in the slightest as he looked down to her. Amanda poked him again before beginning her rant.
"Who is going to explain to me why I wasn't informed that Natsu had returned? I specifically requested that I be told when he got back!" Zavala grabbed her hand firmly in his before she could poke him again. He gave her a look that silenced her before looking over to the Speaker, who decided to finally answer Zavala's question.
"It was not my decision to have him do this. He came to me yesterday and asked me to bear witness to a deal he had stricken with Executor Hideo. I merely bore witness and got Shaxx to oversee the match." The speaker gestured to the Crucible Handler, who was still chuckling. Zavala rounded on him next.
"Shaxx, why would you approve such a match. Any of us would be hard pressed to take on New Monarchy's top six. Why would you think it's okay to let him go?" Shaxx just shrugged at the irate Zavala before speaking.
"You didn't see him this morning. His flames will heat the crucible to a new high. He will be a guardian for the ages, and I figured that this would help out the Speaker. One less fly to try and swat later." He nodded to the Speaker, who could only nod back.
Amanda, tired of being ignored, snatched the tablet from Zavala's hand to see what he was talking about. It was a standard Crucible deathmatch with several stipluations. No revives, and no respawns. She figured that whoever was going in for that had some serious point to prove. She scrolled down, figuring it would be another faction pissing contest, only to stop when she read the name of the guardians fighting.
GUARDIANS: /Natsu Dragneel/ ALPHA TEAM against /top six of New Monarchy/ BRAVO TEAM DESTINATION: CITY WRECKAGE /EUROPE/
TIMEFRAME: /0730-0745/
SCORE LIMIT: ALPHA /6/ BRAVO /1/
MODIFIERS PRESENT: /NO/ RESPAWNS /NO/ REVIVE /NO/ SURRENDER /NO/ RADAR
APPROVAL STATUS: /APPROVED/
OVERSEER: /SHAXX/
She felt numb as she read the full details of the battle. It was like Natsu was trying to kill himself. She had watched the best of New Monarchy go against entire full fireteams and come out flawless. The tablet was pulled from her hands by Shaxx, who had decided that is was time to get going. He began to walk towards the hangars, intent on overseeing the match personally. He was followed by Zavala and a shocked Amanda all the way to his ship. He climbed in to the cabin, the slight hiss of the canopy closing over him before going through all of the startup process. He watched Zavala walk the mechanic away as his ship took off and he headed towards his destination.
Amanda sat on an oil drum as several mechanics bustled around. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Zavala. He looked at her with pity before speaking.
"I can't tell you where he was, and I was just waiting for the right way to tell you that he was back. Apparently you two must've passed eachother, if the time logs were anything to go by. You and that mechanic Jack both registered passing through the security gate mere seconds before Natsu was registered as leaving. He went straight to the Speaker after that. I had figured that he would've come to see you right away, given your friendship, but I guess something he saw made him take precedence. I'm not too sure what it was though..." He trailed off as Amanda thought about it. The only time that her and Jack had come in at the same time was yesterday after lunch. They were walking back, and had a moment on the stairs. She raised her head in alarm as the thought hit her. Had Natsu seen her and Jack kissing? She had wanted to sit with him before he knew of her relationship. She wanted to talk to him and explain herself. She felt he had deserved that, but that seems to have gone out the window. She sat there, next to Zavala for several more minutes before the voice of her boyfriend broke her from her thoughts.
"Babe! You gotta come down to the bar with us real quick. Some idiot challenged New Monarchy to a one on six battle. We gotta go see this guy get thrashed!" Amanda felt her stomach twist when she heard her boyfriend speak about the match. It was rare for matches to be broadcast, as New Monarchy was usually the one who would broadcast them, and only when they were sure of a destructive victory. She felt Zavala pull her to her feet. She turned to look at him, but he refused to make eye contact, opting to stare straight ahead as he began to shuffle her out the gate and towards the bar. Jack followed behind eagerly. Amanda felt like her feet were made of lead. Every step felt heavy, and the knot in her chest only grew worse. She tasted bile in the back of her throat as they finally stood in the crowded bar. There were so many people there for it barely being passed 0800. She felt Zavala clear a path to the front of the bar and place her on one of the stools. He took the seat next to her, and Jack stood leaning against the bar as they all stared at the TV screen. The New Monarchy emblem flashed across the screen as cheers erupted. The whole bar quieted down bit as Shaxx appeared on the screen. He stood before two teams of guardians. The team for New Monarchy stood, weapons primed and polished, and armour glowing bright red in the sunlight. They held their banner for Bravo team proudly. Natsu stood alone, unmoving as he held the banner for Alpha team. He armour was scratched and dinged, and his gun looked to be in terrible condition, seeming to have gone years without care or use. Bets immediately began to fly out for New Monarchy. Amanda felt the bile rise up her stomach as she stared at Natsu's form on the monitor.
Shaxx had just finished calling out the rules for the match, and asked if everyone understood. Natsu hadn't been listening since the man first began to speak. He felt the blood pumping in his ears, and saw everything in high detail. He felt his adrenaline spike, and combined with the rage in his chest, only left one want in his chest.
Kill.
The word seemed to fly in his brain over and over, getting louder and louder. He could feel END banging against his cage, and fighting to take over. He didn't need END to kill these people. Didn't need him to focus his fury. He wanted to kill, something he never thought he'd feel in his life, but it seems the Darkness in him had become stronger when he merged with the Isolated Mind. He nodded at Shaxx as the Handler faced him. His grip on the banner was beginning to bend the metal. He looked over, only to see the metal under his hand glowing orange. He squeezed it the rest of the way, snapping the pole in half before he tossed it to the side.
"Get on with it..." He growled out to Shaxx, who could only laugh. He watched the other guardians as they were teleported to their spawn before Light consumed him and he was teleported to his.
Amanda felt her fears confirmed as she heard his voice. He had seen her and Jack kissing, and he was furious.
Natsu felt his feet touch the ground as Shaxx's voice rang out.
Kill. Them. All!
He felt himself smiling as he took off in to the wreckage of the city. He climbed over cars and ran through destroyed buildings. He crouched low as he heard a rustling twenty yards in front of himself. He peeked through a window to see a guardian crouching by a stairway, facing the opposite direction with a sniper rifle. He raised his rifle up and sighted in on the guardian. He fired a small burst before the barrel of his rifle exploded, watching in satisfaction as the rounds climbed up the man's chest and roke through the side of his helmet. He watched the blood shoot against the wall before the man's Ghost came out with a happy sigh. He looked down to his rifle, noting that it was destroyed beyond repair. He cast it to the side as he ran away from his kill, intent on hunting down the others.
Amanda watched the replay of his first kill with a heavy heart. She had known that he was angry, but the satisfied sigh he gave off afterwords had chilled her slightly. She adjusted in her seat to look at Zavala. Judging from his clenched jaw, he felt the same way.
Natsu found his second guardian, or more accurately, the second guardian found him. Natsu had just climbed over a car when a flash grenade landed in front of him. he leapt over the car an took cover before the grenade went off, barely avoiding being blinded, but losing his hearing temporarily from the concussion. He peeked over the car, noting that he could see the guardian staring at him from a considerble distance with a shotgun. He raised his hand to his ear, likely letting the others know where he was, before advancing slowly on Natsu. Natsu channeled his Light to his hand and felt the flame grenade appear in his palm. He stood from cover, the enemy firing off a round as Natsu threw the grenade. It stuck to the man's head before detonating. Natsu didn't watch this one, instead focusing on the stinging in his chest. He leaned back against the car as he stared at the damage on his chest. The plate had been ruined, and several balls of lead were lodged in it. Natsu shucked the armour from himself, noticing that a few rounds had penetrated his armour and were lodged in the skin of his gun. He raised a flaming hand to the wound, not making a sound as the would cauterized. He stood and stretched quickly, noting the pain wasn't nearly as bad, before darting away from the now headless guardian, his Ghost floating lazily over his corpse.
He had been moving constantly for nearly five minutes before deciding he could rest for just a moment. He sat against a wall, slumping down to the ground as he caught his breath. He noted a small glimmering light in the distance before his intsincts told him to dodge. He was nearly beheaded a moment later as a sniper round tore through the side of his helmet. He quickly ducked in to a building and sprinted away from the scene, needing to get away from his last known location. He sprinted away for nearly a minute before sitting down once more. His visor was cracked, and his ear stung. He reached up and pulled off his helmet, tossing it across the dilapidated room. It crashed against the wall. He reached up and felt along the side of his face, feeling shards of glass from his helmets stuck in his cheek. he began to pull the ones he could from his face before stopping as he heard footsteps in the room next to his. He felt his anger flare with his Light as he struck his hand out, a loud metal clank followed by his form becoming enveloped in flames. He struck his hammer through the door to the room, noting the disintigrating form of a guardian on the other side. He heard stomping from down the hallway and turned to see a titan flying towards him. His arms were drawn back and electricity crackled from his form. Natsu threw his hammer, killing the guardian before he could land his Fist of Havoc. He felt his power beginning to flicker and ran outside.
He came to the sight of a guardian leaning against a car, obviously caught by surprise at the flaming guardian emerging from the building. Natsu didn't give him a chance to move, throwing a hammer through the guardians chest as his power finally flickered down, his flames vanishing as the corpse of the guardian fell to the ground. Natsu took a moment to smell the fresh air, ignoring the burning smell of meat and cloth, before sprinting off in a random direction. He only had one guardian left to kill, and his anger hadn't vanished in the slightest. He was sprinting through cars when he caught sight of the last guardian. He stood nearly a hundred meters away from him, and jusging from the small glint, the man was using a sniper rifle. Natsu reared his arm back and threw another grenade before ducking along a row of cars and running alongside them. The grenade landed near the guardian and detonated, injuring him slightly but not killing him. The guardian moved to repostion himself before he heard a shift behind him. He turned and came face to face with the angered glare of Natsu. He raised his weapon, only for Natsu to rip it from his hand and smash it against a car, rendering the weapon useless. The guardian raised his hand up but stopped as Natsu gripped his wrist. He screamed out when Natsu squeezed, the bones breaking. Natsu continued to squeeze as the guardian screamed and fell backwards. Natsu landed on the man, releasing his arm. Flames poured from his mouth as he reared his arm back.
"I SURRENDER!" The guardian screamed out, only for the voice of Shaxx to echo out.
"There is no surrender. Guardian," Natsu lifted his head. "Finish this!" Natsu grinned before looking down to the guardian, his smile vanishing as the flames began to pour from his mouth again. The guardian pleaded with him to end it quickly. Natsu sat back before staring at the man and speaking slowly and loudly.
"I will. If you can tell me why it hurts."
"W-What?"
Natsu's fist impacted the man's face. He pulled his arm back and punched again, speaking in time with each of his hits.
"I want to know why it hurts! I was taken here. I didn't get a choice. I miss my home." The man's helmet broke, revealing his terrified face. "And everytime it starts to get better for me." The man's nose was broken as blood poured from his various wounds. "Everytime I start to find something that makes me happy!" The man's screaming had stopped as Natsu continued to smash his face. "It gets TAKEN AWAY FROM ME!" He raised both of his arms up, smashing them down on the now dead guardian, the man's skull giving with a crack as brains poured out. Natsu raised his arms up and shouted out to the heavens as flames emerged from him and consumed everything nearby. "WHY CAN'T I BE HAPPY?! WHERE'S MY HAPPILY EVER AFTER?!"
Shaxx's voice rang out through the area. "Well fought Guardian! Victory goes to Alpha team!"
The broadcast cut out across the now silent bar. Everyone stared slackjaw at the screen after the brutal show that the pink haired guardian had just given. They had seen plenty of matches, and there was always a level of gore to them, but this guardian had to have set some sort of record. Everyone slowly began to shuffle out of the bar, nothing more than a quiet murmur rang out as the bar emptied. After several minutes, the only people in the bar were Amanda, Zavala, and Jack. Amanda had long since broken down, and was now resting her head on her arm as she gently sobbed and continued to mutter apologies. Zavala gently pat her back, and Jack chose to remain a safe distance from the woman, having never seen her like this before. Zavala stood from his stool and gently guided the distraught woman towards the exit of the bar.
"Take the next few days off, Amanda. I'll make sure he stops by at least once. I'm not sure what is going on, but I'll assume you do. Rest, and no visitors," Jack shrank back as Zavala gave him a glare. "Until you're ready to come back to work. Make sure you get the approval from Ikora first." Amanda nodded as Zavala walked her back to her apartment, jack remaining behind to finish his shift.
Zavala had just gotten Amanda back to her apartment when he stopped to lean against the wall. He felt a shudder tear through him as he realized that he was partially at fault for the pain that Natsu was in. He sent him away, right when he had earned the new guardians trust. He had told himself that it was what was necessary for the Vanguard, but his heart still felt pain as he remembered the look on the man's face as he beat that guardian to death. He felt the reality of his job sink on his shoulders as he squared himself up and began to walk to the Vanguard. He wouldn't apologize to Natsu, but he would do everything he could to make sure he would get home.
He owed him that.
Natsu landed in the hangar, his canopy opening up on him. He sat still for several moments before unbuckling himself and climbing out. He hadn't cleaned up after his match, instead opting to sit in orbit for nearly an hour to cool off. His stomach felt heavy, the blood on his hands overwhelming his sense of smell. He could see every moment in which he killed those guardians. He felt the final guardian's skull caving in over and over again. He could hear END purring happily in his mind. His stomach lurched and he leaned over a barrel and vomited roughly on to the concrete. There wasn't much to it, given that all he'd eaten for the last two years was ration bars. He wiped his mouth and continued on towards the Vanguard. He forced himself to stand up straight and walk proud, just in case anyone was watching.
He made it to the Vanguard with no hassle, it seemed that anyone who caught his match had decided not to approach him. He didn't recieve anything more than a few nods on his entire walk. He descended the stairs and walked to the room that the Masters stood in. He noticed that Shaxx and the Speaker were also present. The Speaker was the first to appraoch him.
"Natsu Dragneel, today has shown us a great many things. You have demonstrated the power of a Sunbreaker, something that hasn't been see in the Tower in decades. You have also show the New Monarchy that there are those who disagree with their politics, and the power you wield will dissuade others from being swayed to their cause. For these great demonstrations of the Vanguard's, as well as my, honor, you are awarded with this." He presented Natsu with a band covered in circuitry. Natsu stared at it before looking up to the Speaker, who answered his silent question. "This is a blank Warlock bond. You need only think of what you want it to be, and touch it with your Light. The circuits will analyze and duplicate the pattern you wish and display it upon your arm." He motioned to Ikora, who showed off her band, proudly displaying the Vanguard logo on her right arm. Natsu nodded to the Speaker, who bowed to him gently and left the room. Shaax was the next to step forward.
"What you displayed in there was amazing! I've never seen such a determined guardian. You would surely give an Iron Lord a worthy fight. I noticed your armour got trashed in the match, so I had my techs make you a new set of Holdfast armour. It's the best in the Vanguard right now, and I'm positive that you've earned it. It will be done in a few days, so rest easy knowing that you have upgrades waiting for you." Shaax pat his shoulder and walked out of the room. Zavala spoke up next.
"Natsu, throughout your entire time here, you have served the Vanguard faithfully. Today was just another example of that, and for that we reward you with this." Zavala handed Natsu a piece of paper with the words Hakke written on it. "It's a shipment of Hakke's newest firearms. They aren't set to release to the market for several more years, but you have earned the first model of each production. They should be in around the same time that your armour finishes. They will hopefully serve you as well as you have served us." Zavala silently turned away from Natsu and walked back to the end of the table to file over the reports on it. Ikora stepped forward.
"Natsu, what you did today was impressive. You wiped an entire fireteam of New Monarchy's best soldiers, something even we would be hard pressed to do." Natsu felt his chest swell with pride at the stoic woman's compliment. "But, I also saw something that caused me great concern. You are unstable right now, therefore I deem you unfit for duty. Take a few weeks and get your mind together, I can tell you're barely holding on right now." She gently pat Natsu's head before moving over to stand with Zavala. Cayde finally walked up and slung an arm over his shoulder.
"I'm not gonna give you some emotional speech. What you did was damn impressive, but you got some screws loose. Get those all tightened down, and I'll have a mission for you. I'll give you more details when Ms. Buzzkill over there gives you the all good. Now get out of here. Go home and rest for a bit." He watched Cayde walk over and begin to harass Zavala, the titan only sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. Natsu turned around and slowly trudged back to his apartment, figuring that Amanda would be working in the hangar when he got there.
Natsu cursed his luck as he stared at the blonde woman sleeping in his bed. All he had wanted to do at this point was catch some rack time, but it seemed as if he wouldn't be getting that. He began to turn to go sleep on the couch when a voice caught his attention.
"Don't... Please... Don't go..."
This chapter was fun to write, but the free time was hard to find. As an electric motor tech., I can tell you that people suck around the holidays. Your heater goes out and you get all whiny while me and my coworkers try and fix it or order a new motor, and that could take a couple days. If you have a heater out, or a pump or something that needs to be repaired, don't hassle your mechanic. I've put a few motors at the bottom of my list because the people are annoying. Here's a life tip, ALL MECHANICS DO THIS. Don't annoy them or they'll make you wait longer and generally pay more. They can wiggle in their prices a little bit 'till you piss 'em off, then you're screwed.
Anyway, my rant is over. Leave a review and tell me how I'm doing,
Temper