SailorStar9: We now continue with Chapter 121 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review, instead of just putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts?
Disclaimers: I own nothing, except for the plot bunny and my OCs.
Chapter 121: Voice of the Flame
"Come and get some!" Natsu grinned, charging at his opponent.
"That thing really does mean to eat us." Happy realized.
"Like I'm gonna be an easy morsel?" Natsu snorted. Jumping up, he kicked the Cyclops Monster with one of his flaming kicks. The one-eyed bird flew backwards before stabling itself and charged straight at Natsu, trapping the Dragon Slayer underneath its claw.
"This flame..." Natsu charged up his flame on his fist after the Cyclops Monster tossed him upwards. "Bring back that Eternal Flame! The flame is what'll save this village, I bet!" he slammed a giant fireball straight into the Cyclops Monster.
"Leave it to me!" Gray took over. "I don't know what this ice that covers the village. I couldn't manipulate it or even melt it, but I was able to send it coursing through my body. I have no idea if this ice has the same property." he stopped before the alter.
"Channel the magic of the ice through your body?" Lucy echoed.
"And then what would you do?" Wendy asked.
"Ice Make!" Gray placed both hands on the ice. "I'll remake this village's ice into my form. I'll start with this mountain. I'm gonna defrost the Eternal Flame. Get back, everyone." he warned, activating his molding magic to melt the ice.
"Steam is coming out off the ice." Lucy beamed.
"Seriously?" Ulyo gaped after the massive ice mountain dissolved.
"What does this mean?" Carla blinked.
"This wasn't supposed to happen?" Ulyo questioned.
"The flame isn't there." Lucy was shocked.
"I don't believe it." Gray was stunned.
"Oh no..." Flare sunk to her knees.
What is this sensation? Wendy wondered. This magic...
"The Eternal Flame..." Lucy trailed. "Went out?"
"Maybe it went out the moment it was frozen?" Carla suggested.
"No." Gray corrected. "I may have made a mistake. Then, it's impossible to thaw the giants."
"After blazing for hundreds of years, the flame went out." Flare gasped. "Is this village beyond saving?"
"It's not out." Wendy shouted. "Powerful residual thoughts... proof that it's alive."
"What you mean 'alive'?" Carla asked.
"That!" Ulyo pointed to the single flame floating on the alter.
"The alter of the flame." Flare supplied.
"Look closely." Lucy pointed as the mist cleared.
"It's still burning slightly." Happy noted.
"But the flame looks so weak." Carla pointed out.
"Wendy, activate the 'Milky Way'." Ulyo instructed. "Natsu should've realize this by now," she looked at the flame. "The Eternal Flame's true identity."
"Natsu!" Lucy shouted.
"I'm on it." Natsu grinned, still locked the sky fight. Grabbing the Cyclops Monster by its tail, he swung the beast around and flung it off. The giant bird retaliated by firing its eye laser at him. With Natsu beaten back, the cyclopean bird swept its laser at the ground.
"Here it comes!" Gray warned, the group fleeing as the energy beam shot towards them.
"It's going to hit the giants!" Wendy exclaimed, seeing the laser beam head towards the pair of giant guards.
After re-diverting the energy beam with his 'Roar of the Fire Dragon',, he slammed into the giant bird with a flaming headbutt. "Brilliant Flame of the Fire Dragon!" he ended the fight, sending the one-eyed monster crashing onto the alter. "I'm not done yet!" he let loose a series of fireballs at the downed monster.
"You overdid it, Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Overkill, as usual." Ulyo stated.
"Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!" Natsu sent one final attack at the defeated Cyclops Monster.
"The flame..." Flare muttered as the fire started burning. "The guardian deity... is alight!"
"Happy, take me over to the Eternal Flame." Natsu instructed. "The voice I heard..." he started, as Happy hovered before the massive fire.
"The residual thoughts I sensed..." Wendy mumbled and activated the 'Milky Way' spell.
"It's as I thought," Ulyo nodded. "The Eternal Flame... really is you, Atlas Flame."
"Don't tell me..." Gray realized.
"It's been 400 years." Atlas Flame stated. "Son of Igneel."
"But you went home 400 years in the past." Carla pointed out.
"400 years..." Atlas Flame recalled. "I've been burning for 400 years."
"So, you've been alive all this time, old man." Natsu beamed.
"Alive?" Atlas Flame echoed. "No, not quite. I supposed I'm dead. And it happened long ago."
"You were not aware of it?" Gray asked.
"Aware?" Atlas Flame mused. "It's more like... my memories are foggy. This is... I am.. I remember you, son of Igneel."
"Even though the soul of Zirconis had all of its memories that time..." Carla pointed out.
"Maybe because of the ice..." Wendy concluded.
"Ice..." Atlas Flame reminisced. "Everything was covered in ice."
"What happened?" Flare asked.
"That man did it." Atlas Flame replied. "He was mistaken. Just one human turned my world to ice. That man thought I was a demon. He froze the village to extinguish me. A mage who hunts demons; a Devil Slayer. I don't remember." he admitted. "What am I?"
"You're the guardian deity of this village." Flare declared. "The giant flame. Please." she prostrated before the alter. "Shine on this village again. Please save this village."
"I am..." Atlas Flame droned. "That's right. My name is Atlas Flame, the giant flame. I created this village. My village's woes are my pain. My village's sadness are my tears. With the last lingering scent of my soul and the son of Igneel's flames, I shall set this village free. I am a Fire Dragon." he powered up. "And my name is Atlas Flame. I am the guardian dragon of this village. Igneel... the Festival of the Dragon King... Acnologia... Zeref... I remember. I remember everything. The strongest and vilest of demons born from the Books of Zeref, END. 400 years ago, Igneel couldn't destroy END." with that declaration, he let his flame spread through the village, melting the ice, before letting the last remnants of his soul disappear.
SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.