Disembarking from the boat, Mard Geer approached the stone stairs that led to the interior of his lair. A few visitors he invited to the Underworld were expected to arrive, and he had to be in his best behavior if he were to speak with them. Looking around, he found out that his incompetent henchmen were nowhere in sight, much to his disgust.
"Kain!" Mard screamed impatiently, his voice echoing upward.
Running down the long staircase was an overweight yet muscular white-skinned man wearing a large dark robe-like garment with a lighter-colored spotted design near the top, attached by belt-like collars wrapped around his chest, and superhero-looking tights. His name was Kain Hikaru. He laughed hastily, "Boss's callin' like a wyvern in the woods! I'm comin', your most Mard Geery-ness! WHOA!" He suddenly tripped, and his oversized body rolled down the stairs until he landed on a sharp trident attached to a wall. "YEOW!" Kain cried in pain.
"Rustyrose!" Mard yelled, calling out his next minion.
The second minion running down the stairs was a fairly tall and lanky man with silver-colored pompadour hair, and he wore silver glasses, a dark purple jacket with a fur trimming, a gray shirt underneath, long black pants, white designer gloves, and blue shoes. His name was Rustyrose. He exclaimed, "Oh, dear! The great Lord of the Dead has returned! The greatest amount of respect must be given to our glorious lord!" He panted hastily with every step of the stairs he took, "Just like I rehearsed. I can do this. I can do this."
However, the pompadour-haired man tripped on Kain by accident, who just managed to get himself free of the trident. The two tumbled down the stairs, ending with Rustyrose falling to the ground in front of Mard Geer. Kain followed soon after, and his enormous body fell onto Rustyrose's, giving him a bone-crushing squash, the latter screaming in pain.
"I'm surrounded by idiots," Mard rolled his eyes at his minions' clumsiness and stupidity.
"Kain Hikaru!" Kain stood up quickly and saluted Mard.
"And Rustyrose…" Rustyrose groaned, slowly standing up and following suit.
"Reporting for duty!" the two declared in unison.
"It's so hard to get good help these days," Mard admitted.
Rustyrose dusted himself off, "So, how was your visit with the Olympians?"
"Dreadful as always. But the next time I visit that insipid brother of mine, everything is going to change," Mard replied bitterly, and he walked up the stairs to his lair. "It shall begin soon… Darkness will pour forth from the doors of the Underworld, a darkness that will swallow all the world's light." He turned to Kain and Rustyrose, "I must return to my chambers. You two will let me know the instant they arrive."
"You mean the Fates?" Rustyrose asked. "They're already here."
"WHHAAAAATTTTT?!" Mard roared in shock, his body exploding with a tremendous aura of darkness. "THE FATES ARE HERE AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?!"
Kain and Rustyrose's bodies trembled with uncontrollable fear. The anger and rage of Mard Gear Tartaros was so intense and horrifying that the two groveled at their feet in front of their master. They sobbed fearfully, "We are worms! Worthless worms!"
Noticing the terrified looks on Kain and Rustyrose's faces, Mard's dark aura gradually subsided, and he cooled down with a groan. He stated, "Note to self: I'll have to punish you for not reminding me, AFTER my meeting." He then continued walking up the stairs, leaving a baffled Kain and Rustyrose behind. He definitely owed his visitors an excuse for his tardiness.
The visitors in question were already at work in Mard Geer's conference room. One of them was an old woman with small eyes, wrinkled skin, stretched earlobes, and gray hair tied up in a huge bun. She wore a dark purple vest with a red cloak, studded bracelets on both her arms, and a necklace with three sun emblems. Her name was Ooba Babasaama.
The second visitor was a tall elderly woman with sandy blonde hair tied to a large ponytail and a long nose, and she wore a purple turtleneck dress and black cloak. Her name was Belno.
The last visitor was an old woman of short size with a flabby face covered in wrinkles, and the inner part of her gray eyebrows was almost always down. Her clothing consisted of a violet dress with long sleeves under a dark red vest, a frilly white collar with a pink ribbon, and a pair of brown boots. Her name was Hilda.
These women were known as the Sisters of Fate, or the Fates for short, the three goddesses that control and determine the fate of every living mortal. They have the uncanny ability to see the past, present, future, and it was made possible through the All-Seeing Eye, a magical artifact with the ability to predict and foresee. The Fates also determine whenever a mortal life was destined to cease, and when that mortal's time was almost up, they hold the Threads of Life, which contains the essence of that said person. One snap of the thread with the scissors, and poof! That person's life was ended, and he/she becomes a new resident of the Underworld.
"Darling, hold that mortal's Thread of Life, good and tight," Hilda grinned, as Belno held the thread carefully. With a smirk, Hilda took out her pair of scissors, held it near the thread, and spilt it in two with a single snip.
The next thing heard was the scream of a woman, indicating that her life had already ended.
"Incoming!" Belno called out.
As the Fates laughed madly at their work, Mard Geer entered the conference room and noticed a new soul floating into the Underworld. It flew past Mard and through the entrance to the Pit of Souls, where the souls of the dead were stored. The counter above the tunnel read "Over 5000000001 served."
Aware of Mard's arrival, the Fates turned to the god in question. Ooba greeted the Lord of the Dead with a courteous smile, "Ah, Mard Geer Tartaros. The ruler of the Underworld graces us with his presence. I can't say I approve of your... tardiness."
Mard Geer grumbled, "I know that, ladies. I'm sorry that I'm—"
"Late," Hilda interrupted.
"We knew you would be," Ooba stated.
"We know everything," Belno added, and she and her sisters passed along All-Seeing Eye to one another.
"Past…" Ooba chimed, holding the Eye.
"Present…" Belno added, taking the Eye from Ooba.
"And future," Hilda finished, taking the Eye from Belno. She turned and whispered to Kain and Rustyrose, who came along with Mard, "Best you remember this, boys; indoor plumbing. It's gonna be a big hit."
"Indoor plumbin'?" Kain questioned. "What's so great about indoor plumbin'?" He then scratched his head, "Gee, I'm stumped."
Mard cleared his throat, "Let me explain why I was late. I was at the party on Mount Olympus, and I lost track of—"
"We know!" the Fates cried, interrupting Mard. That was the only thing he disliked about the Fates; interrupting explanations they already knew.
"Right, I know you know," Mard confirmed. "So, here's the deal. It involves my brother, Igneel. Mr. High and Mighty, Mr. 'Hey You, Stop Scratching My Scales.' Now he has a—"
"A bouncing baby brat!" the Fates finished. They knew and foresaw the birth of Igneel's son.
"We know!" Belno screeched.
"I KNOW!" Mard screamed furiously, his dark aura burning up, and was almost about to lose his temper. Regaining his calm composure, he said, "I know, I get it. Now, will you please stop interrupting me? I get the idea that you know everything from the past to today."
Ooba crossed her arms and said, "Sure, tell us anything. It'd be rude to interrupt your… proposition."
Returning to the task at hand, Mard cleared his throat, "I know that you Sisters of Fate control the fate of all living things, and you side with neither good nor evil, but I have a feeling you'll be pleased to hear of my proposition." He created a small chess piece-like figure of the baby Natsu in his cradle and placed it in his table. He continued, "I am planning a hostile takeover of Mount Olympus, but I'm highly concerned of my brother's son— my nephew, Natsu. I ask you this: is he destined to ruin my plans?"
"Well…" Belno began.
"Oh, no, you don't!" Ooba shouted, tweaking Belno's nose to silence her. "You know the rules! We're not supposed to reveal the future to anyone, not even a god. We are bound by the Law of Gaia, and we must strictly abide to it!"
Mard was in deep thought of Ooba's words. He knew that the Fates would try to keep the secrets of the future to themselves. So he decided that the best way to get them to cooperate… was to compliment them. He spoke, "Oh, wait. My sincerest apologies. Is it alright if I ask you a question?" He turned to Belno, "I mean, Lady Belno, did you cut your hair or something?" He touched Belno's hair and waved it around, and the Fate giggled at his flattery. "You look fabulous. I mean, you look like a fate worse than death."
Belno giggled again, touched by Mard's attempts. Ooba, on the other hand, was not amused. With a growl, Ooba smacked her fellow Fate at the back of her head with her hand. Belno was holding the All-Seeing Eye at the time, and the hit sent it flying up in the air and onto Rustyrose's hands.
"Ugh, gross!" Rustyrose cringed. "The eye's slime is ruining my clothes!" He threw it over to Kain, who backed away.
"Yuck! I ain't touchin' that thing!" Kain retched. He kicked the slimy Eye away with a boot and sent flying towards Mard, who caught it in the palm of his hand.
"Ladies, please," Mard said charmingly, and he placed the Eye on Belno's hands. "My fate… is in your lovely hands."
"Oh, my…" Belno giggled blushingly.
"Oh, alright," Ooba groaned in irritation, snatching the Eye from Belno. She turned to Mard with a stern look, "But just so we're clear, this is the only time we ever get to help you!"
With that, the All-Seeing Eye lifted from Ooba's hand and floated above it. A golden light emitted from the Eye, and the Fates circled around it to commence their narration of the requested prophecy.
Ooba fluttered her hands towards the Eye, which presented a spiraling, blurry image. She began, "Before we give the details of your requested prophecy, let's go back to a story long before Natsu was born, long before the Olympians rose to power, many eons ago..." The image of the All-Seeing Eye shifted to present a woman cuddling a baby at the top of a cliff. "You know of the Etherious, the very first rulers of the mortal world, and its mighty king, Acnologia."
Mard recognized, "That's the name of our father…"
Ooba continued, "So fearful was Acnologia of the prophecy's prediction that his own children would rise against him, that he decided to imprison them all in his belly. His queen, Tenrou, stood by and watched as her children were devoured one by one. But when the time came for the last of her children to be eaten, she was unable to bare another such loss. And thus, Tenrou devised a trick to save the baby Igneel."
In the image, an eagle appeared from the skies and retrieved the baby nestled in a white cloth. Belno added, "Tenrou commanded the eagle to secret her son away. He was taken to a remote island far beyond the watchful eyes of Acnologia."
The image then shifted to an invisible image of Igneel. Hilda said, "When Igneel came of age, he learned of his true heritage, and his desire to rescue his brothers and sisters from Acnologia was nurtured. The rescue mission was a success, and together with his siblings, Igneel led a war against the rule of the Etherious."
"The Etheriomachy…" Mard remembered. "The war between the Olympians and the Etherious, otherwise known as the Great War. But what does that have to do with my prophecy?"
"Let us finish. It only gets better," Ooba suggested. "The Etheriomachy, the historical battle between gods and titans, forged the very landscape of the mortal world. The battle was long, but Igneel and his siblings emerged victorious in the end. Acnologia was destroyed, and his Etherious brethren were banished to the pits of Tartaros."
Hilda chuckled at Mard, "That funny, because your last name was named after the deepest dungeon in the Underworld!"
Mard groaned, "Please don't bring that up…"
Belno added, "Some Etherious, however, still remained after the war. They're called the Eight Demon Gates, arguably the most powerful and cruel of all Etherious."
Hilda nodded, "Far more ruthless than Acnologia was."
Ooba explained, "The Demon Gates went on a rampage across the mortal world, creating chaos and natural disasters in their wake. The strife took place before the reign of Mount Olympus was established. In a bold and heroic act, Igneel emerged from the heavens and hurled his mighty fire breath to imprison the Demon Gates into the depths of the ocean, where they would remain for the rest of time undisturbed. However, the Demon Gates swore that once they were free, they would exact their vengeance on Olympus and the world."
"Which brings us to your prophecy," Belno spoke, and she flicked her hands against the All-Seeing Eye. The image then transformed into that of a stream of stars that were yet to be aligned. "In seventeen years precisely, the planets will align ever so nicely."
"The planets align?" Mard was not amused. "How cute."
The image shifted to the Demon Gates' prison, and the Etherious in question climbing up Mount Olympus. Hilda announced, "The time to act will be at hand! Unleash the Demon Gates, your Etherious band."
"Mm-hmm, good, good," Mard confirmed with a nod. He liked it so far.
Then the All-Seeing Eye presented an image of Igneel falling into a dark abyss. Belno added, "Then the once proud Igneel will finally fall." Then, an image of Mard Geer standing victoriously over the mortal world was shown. "And you, Mard Geer Tartaros, will rule all!"
"YES!" Mard Geer screamed excitedly, the dark aura in his body pulsing with his joy. "MARD GEER RULES!"
But his happiness was cut short when Ooba spoke, "A word of caution to this tale."
"Excuse me?" Mard was confused.
"Should Natsu Dragneel fight… you will fail!" The All-Seeing Eye projected an image of a future version of Natsu with Happy flying him with his wings, raising a burning fist against his terrified uncle. In the end, the Fates laughed madly, transformed into wisps of light, assimilated with the All-Seeing Eye, and the eye vanished into thin air along with them.
The Lord of the Dead was extremely shocked. According to the prophecy, he was destined to not only release the Demon Gates and overthrow Olympus, but to fail at the hands of Igneel's son. His shock was more than enough to send him flying in a rage. The aura surrounding his body exploded, his lair vibrating with his frustration.
"WHAAAAAAATTTT?!" he roared furiously, before he managed to cool down. "Okay, fine, fine, I'm cool, I'm fine…" He knew that Natsu would someday be the key to his downfall. Then again, there was still ample time to plot his nephew's early demise. "Yes, that's right… I know how to deal with him. I always come prepared." He turned to his minions, "Boys!"
Kain and Rustyrose followed Mard to the entrance of a chamber, where the door opened and revealed an altar that housed a shelf of the most dangerous of curses. If Mard needed something to help him dispose of his enemies, he could find whatever he needed in there.
"Hey, boss, what's in there?" Kain asked.
"The Underworld's biggest library of dark curses and dangerous aliments, the Altar of Suffering," Mard answered with a sinister smile. "Which brings me to this very important question: how do you kill a god?"
"Kill a god?" Kain scratched his head, trying to think. "Wow, that's a tough question."
Rustyrose crossed his arms with a frown, "Gods cannot be killed. They're immortal."
"Bingo! They're immortal," Mard nodded. "To kill an immortal, you must make them mortal. And I know just the thing." From a nearby cupboard, he found what he was looking for: a small vial of pink liquid.
"What are we supposed to do with that pink juice?" Kain asked.
Mard replied, "That pink juice eliminates godhood and transforms a god into a mortal. Here's what you're going to do. First, you must turn Igneel's little boy mortal…" He shook the vial, and the bubbles floating in it were filled with images of little skulls. "…and when the time is right, you will kill him."
"Yes, sir!" Kain saluted. "Right away, sir!"
"We will not fail you, my lord," Rustyrose bowed, and he and his partner headed off to perform the task at hand.
"Oh, and boys?" Mard asked calmly, and his minions stopped to look at him. "The job better be done right…" He then exploded into energy, "OR ELSE!"
Panicking, Kain and Rustyrose raced out of the chamber. For their sake, they'd better not mess this job up.