First Reload

He had lost. The almighty Snake of the Festival, the God of Creation, had failed. His dream of creating a new world for the Flame Haze and Denizens would never be realized. He wanted to curse something in his last moments, but there was nothing to curse. Should he curse the boy for failing him? No, it was not Yuji's fault that they were defeated in that final battle. Should he blame the two Flame Haze who had been the ones to kill him? No, Shana and the other one (he never bothered learning her name) had simply done what they believed to be right. From a certain point of view, he could understand why they had done what they had. Should he blame himself, for being too weak to accomplish his goal?

Perhaps that would be the best choice, the dying ember that was once a god though as it slowly started to fade. Perhaps all I can do is blame myself and fade away.

"How pitiable," a voice says. "To think that this little ember used to be the great and fearful Snake of the Festival. I thought you would be far more intimidating."

Two small hands cupped the Snake's dying ember and held it in place. His holder observed him closely, simply observing the small and fading spark of existence. Eventually, a small laugh was heard.

"Amazing. To think that even proud and majestic gods can be reduced to such a pathetic looking state," the voice chides. "I would have thought that someone like you would be above that. Of course there are some things that we can't account for. You just got overconfident in your's and your… friend's abilities. Or perhaps you underestimated the flame hazes? That a problem a lot of you types seem to have. You underestimate your opponent, and think that at worst you'll be able to deal with it next time."

Unfortunately, I won't be able to anything about it, the Snake thinks, unable to respond properly due to his dying state.

"Would you care for a second chance?" the voice asks. "If so, I can provide that. A chance to maybe finally accomplish what you failed to do twice so far. … Third time's the charm?"

The Snake pondered. Could this voice truly help him realize his dream? Is it even worth it?

"What's there to think about?" the voice asks. "Your only alternative is fading away, leaving behind nothing but your history of failure. Perhaps you'd like a chance to fix that little detail?"

The Snake of the Festival conceded. Unfortunately he was nothing more then a small spark no larger then a match flame, so all he could do was pulse a slightly lighter shade of blue. The message appeared to get through however, as the Snake began to feel energy flow into him. His flame grew stronger and brighter then it had been mere moment ago.

"There," the voice said. "It may be a bit tricky, seeing as you just came back from the brink, but try taking on an actual body so we can hash out the details behind this. I don't speak fire. Take the form of someone familiar."

The Snake concentrated. Someone familiar. It didn't need to be a permanent form, simply something to communicate with. "His" image flashed in the Snake's mind. There was a light breeze as the flame slowly grew and took on a human shape.

"Nice look there Yuji," the voice said. "I suppose I did say someone familiar. You can't get much more familiar then someone whose body you lived in for a while."

Now that he had a body once more, the Snake could finally see who had offered him their services. He barely managed to suppress his surprise at seeing a young girl in front of him, though he refrained from voicing such a thought.

"I do suppose this wasn't a free service?" the Snake asks. Despite his body looking similar, his voice was his own and not Yuji's. "Most people I can think of would not revive someone like me unless they had a specific goal in mind."

"Look at you," the little girl says, smiling ever so slightly. "Just woke up and you can already put two and two together. I suppose you're completely right. See, I have something I need done, and you're… actually you're not the only one I know who could do it, but you are the best suited for the task. So, I figure that's the deal we'd go with. I bring you back and you can do your thing and peace on earth for flame haze and denizens and stuff, and you help me out with a little favor."

"And that favor would be what exactly?" the newly resurrected god asks.

"Mr. Snake of the Festival-"

"The Mr. is rather unneeded."

"Don't interrupt me," the girl says with a pout. "Ahem. Snake of the Festival, I need you to kill Shana."