Chapter 17
Death vanished into a storm of flames from where he had come. His rebellion had come to an end, and the ending of it stood as a warning for the rest of the gods who would dare to rebel against Ankhseram in the future, for an eternity to come.
Natsu stood silently as he watched the empty space where Death had been. Right now, all that there was was a gleaming white floor. He was… lost in thoughts. This recent ordeal with a God's magical prowess that his human body had just exuded and experienced—it was sure to take a toll on his body. But… rather than tired or exhausted, he felt renewed. He felt refreshed. A little pain still lingered around his body from the fight, but he had managed to heal most of himself.
Liana got up off her knees and slowly approached Natsu. She wasn't sure if it was safe to get closer to him. That black fire he had just been surrounded with… that could destroy a god within milliseconds. And a world even faster. He was playing with the fires of Ankhseram now. She didn't really know if getting close to him physically was safe for her health or not right now.
As she stepped over the line of the battlefield, Natsu's head turned to look at her. She gasped softly and stopped dead in her tracks.
Natsu stared at her for a while. His dark intense eyes digging into her soul, his face expressionless and lost in the faraway winds, and his silky pink hair dancing and fluttering in the winds.
His gaze… frightened Liana. He no longer was the same person she had known him to be. He was now the ruthless and yet benign and merciful ruler of the heavens.
Had she committed any mistakes while he had been away? Will she be judged for them? Will she have to face redemption? Punishment for her crimes?
Natsu smiled at her, ear to ear, his teeth showing. Liana found herself smiling in unison. That smile on Natsu… it was the most beautiful she had ever seen.
He slowly approached Liana and stood before her. No words were said between the two for a while, and the soft howling of the winds did the talking.
"Natsu… are… are you alright?"
Natsu nodded. "Good as new."
Liana sighed in relief. She looked down, fidgeting nervously. "What happened here today… your fight… your injuries… your… your lifeless figure laying before me… I… I don't think I'll ever be able to forget any of it. It was horrible and frightening. All that pain that you had to go through was all because of me. I… I want to apologise to you–"
"Don't." Natsu cut in.
Liana looked up at him, her eyes widened and numb. Natsu's voice had changed. Or… had it? Somewhere deep down… beneath the boyish and youthful trills and harmonies of his voice… somewhere buried within, she could hear Ankhseram's voice.
"You don't have to apologise for anything. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have realised my true destiny. What happened here has brought me closer to realising who I truly am. What I am meant to do. I would have taken the fight to Acnologia anyways… but now I know that it is my duty to defeat him. Along with other warriors of the world, I will defeat him soon. As soon as I can get out of this place."
Liana understood that Natsu was eager to go back. To see his friends again. To fight Acnologia. To… See Erza. And he had earned it. He had proven himself to be the god that governed life and death. He was the ruler of the heavens. Now, he could essentially reverse his death and go back to the world… which is what Liana had been aiming for too.
So why was there an empty space in her heart where happiness was supposed to be? Why did she feel… hollow? Why did she want Natsu to stay by her… and not go anywhere? Was she really that selfish?
Five approached Natsu from behind. He slowly slid his hand up Natsu's shoulder.
"Natsu. Come. We'd like you to meet someone. She is old and frail, and can't wait much longer."
Natsu's lips parted. Who did he have to meet? An old woman? An old goddess perhaps?
He nodded and turned the same direction as Five. Ahead, he saw the group of white hooded figures that had been spectating his battle. Liana's family, to be precise. After that ordeal with the black flames, he had completely forgotten about these spectators. Did he have to meet one of Liana's family? An old woman from her clan? Her… Grandmother, perhaps?
That suddenly reminded Natsu that there were more spectators in that battle than just those white hooded figures—the black hooded figures. Ankhseram's family. Natsu stopped in his tracks, and looked around.
Behind him stood Two, Three and Four, and a few attendants of Liana's family. But behind them, where Ankhseram's family was supposed to be, there was emptiness. They had already left the white world apparently.
Five turned around and looked at Natsu. He understood what he was thinking. "The Black Clan rarely presents themselves before humans. Your spirit might be of Ankhseram's, but your body is still human. For a human body to be exposed to the members of the Black Clan is nothing short of a terrible curse. Which is why they couldn't meet you personally. They have congratulated you on your victory, and asked me to pass you their regards and well wishes. You must know that they had eagerly wanted to see you, maybe even in person. But that isn't possible. I apologise."
Natsu watched the empty space, forlorn. It would have been interesting to meet Ankhseram's family. His family. A family that raised him, and yet he didn't know anything about them.
"You're here." Natsu heard a sweet feminine voice.
He turned around, and looked at the beautiful older woman that approached him, dressed in a white robe, her hood undone. Her long black hair flowed open behind her, just like Liana. She was strikingly beautiful and pretty, just like Liana was.
The woman extended her arms and pulled Natsu into an embrace. Sweet, loving and caring. Natsu's eyes widened slightly as his chin rested over her soft shoulder. His arms lay limb by his side, not returning the embrace. He just basked in the sweet and subtle fragrance of that woman, and the peaceful and calming vicinity of her hug.
She slowly pulled away and held Natsu's face lovingly. "I know. You don't recognise me. And how could you? You have been born anew. But I can feel it. I can sense it. It is you, my dear child. The Lost God has come back."
The woman smiled eagerly and brightly. Natsu wondered who she was. Given her striking resemblance to Liana… she must have been…
"She's my mother, Natsu." Liana walked up and smiled.
"Our mother." Two corrected her.
The woman giggled. "I am your mother just as well, Natsu. I still remember when you were married to my dear Liana. How beautiful the two of you looked. And now… at last… you've come back."
"He's come back! He's come back!"
Natsu noticed a small green parrot perched over the woman's shoulder. The parrot had beautiful rainbow-like colours over its feathers, almost appearing to move and merge and separate over its body. As if the parrot's vibrant colours were dynamic.
The woman looked at the parrot on her shoulder and gave it a gentle stroke.
Liana cleared her throat softly. "And… that is my father. I… I am sorry. I don't know why he's in the form of a bird. Maybe it's one of his mischiefs."
"Mischief! Mischief!" The parrot repeated.
Natsu stood still and awkwardly, unable to gauge how to present himself before two of the greatest gods and goddesses of the universe and beyond. He was literally standing before the parents of One, the goddess that had created his world. The goddess responsible for creating everything that he had yet seen.
The woman smiled, noticing Natsu's nervousness, and gently tapped his shoulder. "Chin up, dear. You're with your family. Where you belong. No need to be so awkward."
Natsu awkwardly nodded. "Yes. I… I am sorry, Ma'am."
"Uh uh." The woman shook her head. "Mother."
Natsu's lips quivered. "M-mother…"
"Yes. Your mother. You are as much my child as Liana is. Remember that." She smiled.
Natsu looked at Liana. He was a tad bit confused. "I… I thought I'd be meeting your grandmother. I… I don't know why I felt that way."
Liana giggled. "You're correct, Natsu. Look."
She pointed ahead, and everyone moved out of the way. "There she is."
Natsu looked towards where she was pointing, and saw Five holding the shoulders of a short hooded figure, draped in the same white robes as the rest of them. Behind Five and that hooded figure walked up the rest of Liana's family, all their hoods undone.
Natsu looked closely back at the old and frail figure that Five was supporting as it walked. They walked slowly and awkwardly, taking their time, their one hand holding a cane and the other hand held by Five. Natsu's breaths caught up in his throat at the advent of the behemoth magical aura emanating from that figure. Natsu could already tell how strong her magical presence was. His heart beat actively with exhilaration.
The figure reached Natsu, and slowly and steadily extended a shaky and frail arm towards him, caressing his face gently. The shaky and soft fingers went over Natsu's forehead, his brows, his nose, and then ended up at his left cheek. The figure gasped, before retracting the hand and pulling the hood off its face.
Natsu looked at the old woman who was revealed from under the hood. Her face was bright and fair, clear yet wrinkled. Her long white hair flowed gently in the winds behind her, and her robes danced to the beats of the silent breezes. Her eyes were narrow, almost shut, and her nose was gently and softly crooked.
Natsu couldn't speak. Nor could he move. Something about that old and frail woman was immediately striking and breathtaking to him. Natsu felt as if he was looking at the entire universe from a distance.
The old woman opened her palm, and there was a bright flame dancing in it. The flame seemed to brighten up the already bright world. Natsu just stared at it. He had never seen something so powerful in his life. He felt all his pain and exhaustion melting away from the recent fight. He felt all his worries melting away as he watched the peculiar white fires. He felt elated and exhilarated. He felt happy.
The woman approached Natsu and dowsed his head in that fire. She gently paraded her aflame hand over Natsu's forehead, and over his hair. That feeling was calming and relaxing. Natsu felt that no darkness could touch him at that moment. He felt powerful and capable. This white fire was different from Ankhseram's black flames. That fire only augured power and the destruction of his enemies… while this was comforting and relaxing.
The woman retracted her hand and the flames vanished. Natsu watched her curiously. She then dipped her index and middle finger into a pot of coloured powder, and then plastered that over Natsu's forehead. Natsu found his eyes shutting automatically when her fingers touched his skin.
"O darkness, heed me well." She spoke.
Natsu looked at her. On her beautiful face was a bright and joyous smile. As if this was something she had been waiting for a long time, and it was finally here.
She produced those white flames again and held it before Natsu.
"Look into the flames, Natsu." Liana whispered.
Natsu did so.
The old woman continued.
"O darkness, heed me well,
Here comes your ending,
From the highest heaven and the darkness hell,"
Natsu pierced his eyes into the flames. He could have sworn that he saw something in them. Dark figures dancing, merging and separating, glowing and pulsating. He didn't know what any of that meant.
The woman continued.
"Your crimes shall be punished,
And you shall be unborn,
Your transgressions staked,
Over the highest horn.
Because he is fire and him the earth,
To him they die, and from him they birth.
He is water, and he is the rain.
He is the red in every bloodstain."
At this moment, Natsu saw a massive dark figure in the fire. It pulsated and cackled. It was behemoth and massive, bringing death and destruction to everything around it. It was evil and dark. But there was also a light there. A light that represented justice and virtue. A light that represented an end to the crimes of the darkness.
"He is the stars, and he is their light,
He watches us all from the highest flight.
His breaths are storms and his eyes the glow,
His tears are the oceans. From him rivers flow.
The sky is him, the clouds and the air,
His will is the metal, his justice is fair."
Natsu watched the light in the flames expand, and slowly consume the darkness. The darkness roared and cried, but it was to no avail. Its end had come, and the time was here for it to answer for its crimes.
"The world is his boon, our lives his heartbeat,
His sleeps are winters and our summers his heat.
He has awoken, walking tall.
Walking strong, to paint your fall.
Heed me well, O darkness of the nights.
Prepare yourself for the harshest of fights.
He shall crush under his infinite feet,
The darkest darkness and all its creed,
Your blood will soil the field of battle,
His warcry heard like a fearsome rattle,
The time has come for you to answer,
For your crimes infinite and your devious barter."
She ended, shutting her eyes. She closed her fist, and the fire was gone. The darkness was no more. The world was bright and peaceful.
Natsu slowly blinked his eyes and looked around. For a moment, he felt as if he had lost himself in the flames. He had forgotten about the real world. Now, he was back in it.
The old woman, who kept smiling, approached Natsu and caressed his cheek lovingly.
"My boy… he is here. He is… he is alive. He is well and strong. He is here to end all suffering and pain. He is here."
Natsu stared at her. She acted as if the two of them knew each other well, but Natsu had never seen her before. Was she someone close to Ankhseram? Did Natsu know her when he was still Ankhseram? Maybe.
A few tears escaped her eyes. Those were tears of joy. Of relief and love. Of peace and comfort. The moment she must have waited for many billions of years… was finally here.
"Lad, you asked me a question once. And I didn't have an answer to it. But now… I do. I have the answer to your question. Ask me again, and I'll answer it to the best of my abilities."
Natsu gawked at her. What question? He didn't remember anything about such a question. He had less than no idea of his life as Ankhseram. What was he supposed to do here?
Liana giggled. She placed her hand over Natsu's shoulder and whispered the question into his ear. Natsu looked at her, embarrassed. Did he really ask this old woman that? What kind of an idiot was Ankhseram?
Natsu gulped. He faced the old woman again.
"I… The question… I remember the question, ma'am. It was… why… why am I so dark skinned when Liana's skin is so bright? If the two of us are one and the same, we should both look the same."
The woman smiled wider. More tears welled in her old gleeful eyes and flowed down her wrinkled cheeks. They dropped down her chin. But she didn't care to wipe them. She let them flow.
She slowly raised her frail arms and pulled Natsu's tall figure into a warm embrace. Natsu's chin lay over her head. He smelled… peace and tranquillity. He smelled comfort and love. He smelled admiration. He scented lilies. Just like when he had been close to Liana.
"Yes… that was your question. My dear child, it's because Ankhseram came into our world in the darkest of the darkest nights. When storms brewed, when the world was but a blur, when fires raked everything around them, when volcanoes erupted and the stars were burning. You came to us on such a dark and terrible night. You came… for a special purpose. That is why… that is why you are what you are."
She slowly retracted herself away from Natsu. She patted his shoulders. "You are still just as beautiful. No matter how many forms you take. You will always be beautiful."
She slowly extended her hand to Liana, who held it gently. The old woman pulled Natsu and Liana close together, their shoulders touching. She gave Liana's soft hand to Natsu.
She then slowly walked backwards, as if to look at them standing together. Her smile at that moment was different from her smile until now. It was brighter and proud. It was loving and admiring. It was beautiful. As if she was behemothly proud at what she was looking at.
"Yes… my two children. Reunited at last. How beautiful they look together. How sweet."
Liana glanced at Natsu, and when he glanced back at her, she hid her eyes and looked down at her feet, suppressing a sweet smile and her cheeks burning red with embarrassment. She looked beautiful.
"You two created one of the most beautiful worlds ever in existence… but you two have made mistakes too. But none of those mistakes were as grim as… as him. As Acnologia. Now… it's time for you two to rectify that mistake. My dear daughter has done her part. And now…"
She looked at Natsu. Her face rang with determination. "Now, it is time for you to do yours. You will correct the world. Bring the lost balance and brightness back to it. You will save the world that you created. And… I have faith in you, child. You will succeed."
Five held the old woman's shoulders.
"Come, grandmother. It's time for your rest. You have done enough today. We will take care of the rest."
The woman dispersed her weary eyes at Liana and Natsu one last time. Her smile returned. She turned away and walked with Five.
"Yes yes, child. I am but an old and frail woman. But don't underestimate me. I have been alive since long before you were born…"
"Yes, grandmother. You sure were. Come. Careful."
Five led the old woman away.
The others that surrounded Natsu and Liana walked behind her. Natsu watched them leave. Soon, he and Liana were the only ones left in the white world. There was peace and quiet.
So she was Liana's grandmother. The highest ranked goddess amongst their midst. The oldest. She must have been billions and billions of years old. Natsu got the feeling that she was extremely wise and intelligent. And she must have been extremely strong and powerful during her youth. That was the feeling that Natsu got. But, if she was Liana's grandmother, how come she knew Ankhseram so well? It did appear that the two of them had spent a lot of time together.
Liana giggled. "She is sweet, isn't she?"
Natsu looked at her.
She placed her hand on Natsu's shoulder. "When we were married, you spent more time with her than you did with me. She would sometimes mistake you for one of her own children. Or maybe, she never made a mistake. She just accepted you as one of her own willingly. She was just as fond of you as she was of me. You could see that… couldn't you?"
Natsu slowly nodded. "It… it did seem like she remembered me well."
Liana nodded. "Yes. You are her child as much as I am. She was proud of you when you were Ankhseram. And… I could tell that she still is. She admires the man you've become, Natsu."
She placed her hand over his cheek, caressing lovingly. "As do I."
The two looked into each other's eyes for a moment. There was silence. Natsu was a bit confused, but Liana wasn't. She knew that who she was looking at was the answer to all the problems of the world. He was the key. He was the solution. A great old god, reborn as a hero. That's who Natsu was. The lightbringer. Liana trusted Natsu completely. There was no way he'd fail. No way in the world.
"Are you ready, Natsu?"
Natsu watched her, confused. "Ready for… what?"
Liana smiled. "To correct our mistakes. Yours, and mine. To bring peace in our world. The world that you and I created so lovingly. Our world. To bring order and light. It's up to you. You will be sent back to Earth. There, you will battle Acnologia. And, you will come out victorious. I know it. I can see it."
Natsu took a deep breath. So this was it. The final battle. It was approaching fast, walking on all fours. Rapidly and rampantly. Crushing all uncertainty under its feet. Crushing all doubts under its weight. There was no doubt left that now, Natsu will face Acnologia.
Natsu, backed by the flames of Ankhseram and all the power of the heavens, and Acnologia with his creed of infinite darkness and chaos, will battle each other to death.
"I am ready." Natsu replied.
Liana smiled. She passed her hand gently over his head, as if combing his hair.
"I know you are."
She grabbed his hand, and led him towards the Etheria tree in the distance. "Come. I would like you to meet one last person."
Natsu walked behind, feeling her gentle and soft hold on his hand. Who did he have to meet? It sounded important. It sounded like this was just Liana's plan, and not planned by the others that had just gathered around Natsu. Not the Grandmother, not Five, nor Liana's parents. This seemed like only Liana's idea. What did she have in mind?
They stood before the tree once again. The tree welcomed them with a clatter of its long fleshy leaves.
Natsu looked at Liana, and found her proudly and affectionately looking at the tree.
Natsu looked at it himself and saw something hiding behind it. Someone. Something. It was a dark blur. A shadow having taken form. Natsu couldn't tell exactly what he was looking at. Was it an object? A person? An… animal?
Soon, that blur came out from behind the tree. Natsu's eyes widened. He could only watch.
It was a stag. Its height almost matched that of the tree's. It was taller than Natsu and Liana. Natsu had never seen anything like it ever before.
He narrowed his eyes and tried to look at it clearly. It wasn't a complete stag. It just looked like the shadow of one. A black silhouette of a stag. It lacked any features, like patterns on its dark void like body, eyes, a nose, a mouth. It was just a shadow. It's black antlers were large and branching, beautiful and mesmerising. It stood pridefully by the tree for a while, before slowly approaching Natsu.
Natsu took a few steps back as something very akin to fright and intimidation filled him. What was this strange feeling? What was this stag? What was this animal? It didn't look normal. Something was very unique about it. It seemed to be surrounded by almost a black glow. It was fearsome.
Liana gripped Natsu's hand tighter and pulled him back towards the stag. Natsu stared at it. Beyond the fright that had filled him at that animal's appearance, was a semblance of wonderful peace and tranquillity. He felt as if he was asleep. Peacefully and silently, in Erza's arms. He felt sound and at peace. As if Natsu was right where he belonged. He was at the right place. And this animal that he was looking at… it was who Natsu needed to see.
The stag brought its face right before Natsu's, and merged their foreheads. As their skins touched, Natsu's vision blacked out. He saw blackness. A void like world filled only with darkness. He felt afraid for a moment. But then, there came lights in the distance. Millions of bright dots. They all blinked and twinkled at him. They all merged, and Natsu soon was looking at the universe from a distance. Galaxies, universes, stars, solar systems, meta universes. He felt like he saw a glimpse of the entire world before him. Creation, destruction, operation. The end, the brith, the death, the beginning. He saw everything that ever was in the world being born, and everything ending at the same time. Rains, storms, droughts, floods, typhoons, hurricanes, tsunamis, darkness, lightness… Natsu saw it all. He stood vehemently frozen in place. He couldn't move his body. He was petrified. With… power. With strength.
He ventured deep into himself. He saw parts of him that he had never seen before. He saw hidden truths, hidden lies, broken promises, those that he had kept, his fears, his courage, wars, battles… At that moment, Natsu saw all that had ever existed in the world and not. He could see beyond space and time. Beyond everything.
He saw himself in that stag.
The stag suddenly stepped back. As if that was enough for one day. It lifted its front two legs and bellowed in the air. That cry was loud and earth shaking… but melodious. It was like a war cry. A victory cry. A call to arms. A call to battle. The screams of the most defiant and strongest of the warriors before they plunged headfirst into the enemy and tore them apart.
The stag calmed down. It bowed deeply to Natsu, and then moved over to Liana. It slowly approached her and started licking at her face.
Liana giggled joyfully and patted its head and body, caressing it lovingly.
"I know, I know. It's been a long time, hasn't it? I missed you too."
The stag then pulled back, and then turned around and disappeared behind the tree again.
Natsu looked out for it, but… it had long vanished. He looked down at his open palms… and now saw hands that could crush Acnologia in them. He felt a power within him that was remarkable. Unquestionable. Undeniable. Unfathomable. He felt strong and capable. As if he was now complete. As if a part of him had been missing for a very long time… and it was just reattached.
Liana looked at Natsu. "How do you feel now?"
Natsu closed his fists. "Different… I have never felt this way before. What… what is happening?"
Liana smiled. "You are complete now, Natsu. You are everything that you were always meant to be."
She extended her hands and embraced Natsu. She breathed deeply in his familiar sweet scent. As if she was seeing him off. As if… she wouldn't see him again.
"It's time. It's time for you to return. And do your duty. Good luck, Natsu."
She pulled away and wiped her eyes. But on her face was a bright and beautiful smile.
A bright glow covered Natsu. He realised what was happening. He was returning to Earth. It was time that he faced Acnologia.
Winds picked up around them, and the howl was so loud that Liana couldn't hear Natsu's last question. Or maybe she just ignored it.
"Wait! Who… what was that animal? Liana!"
His surroundings became completely black. It felt like he was travelling at massive speeds. Where was he going? Back to Earth? Back to his friends? Back to… Erza?
Natsu looked at his hands once again. What was that animal? What was the peaceful and beatific feeling Natsu got from it? What was that power that Natsu felt welling up within him after that animal touched him? What was that grand and infinite vision that he saw? What was all that?
He fell silent. That stag… That wasn't him, was it?
"Ankhseram…" Natsu mumbled.