Rewriting this story. Changed up a few continuity errors.

Chapter 1

His legs hung off the cliff. He would sometimes swing them, and sometimes would sit still in thoughts. The sheet of snow under him would slide off the edge sometimes, dancing, swirling, separating and merging together, until they vanished into the depths of the ravine.

Natsu sighed. He couldn't gauge why he was so different. He couldn't understand why he was unique amongst scores of mages. Why only him? What was so different about him? Was he… not a nice person?

Winds howled around him, and snow crystals planted atop his skin, melting and bringing him a sensation of abject coolness. Shivers danced down his spine. He shivered for a moment, but then heated his body up to deal against that cold. He had never had trouble against the cold before. He could dip bare-bodied in the coldest of the icy waters and remain just fine. Maybe his fires weren't what they used to be.

He heard a squeaking noise by his side. He looked to his left, and found a squirrel standing a few feet away, watching him intently with its dark beady eyes. Natsu watched it for a moment, before extending his hand out carefully to it.

The squirrel jolted backwards in fright, but then walked back to its original position when it realised that the young man meant no harm. It slowly approached Natsu and sniffed at his fingers. All the squirrel could smell was the sweet scent of wetted soil, and mildly burnt paper.

Natsu smiled when he felt the squirrel's moist tongue over his finger tips. He pulsed a small amount of heat into his hand–comforting and engulfing. The squirrel that was struck with the cold approached the heat silently and carefully, and after rubbing at his fingertips for a short while, it climbed up over Natsu's palm.

Natsu smiled wider. He slowly brought the squirrel over to his lap and planted it over the crease of his clothing.

"Cold, isn't it?" Natsu asked.

The squirrel snuggled close to Natsu's body and coiled over his lap. It enjoyed the warm and comforting caress that Natsu's vicinity was. A temporary relief from the cold. A temporary feeling of warmth and comfort. Of heat and relaxation.

"Natsu." A strict voice called.

The squirrel propped up at the sudden voice and jumped off Natsu's lap. It scurried away into a patch of shrubbery nearby.

Natsu turned his head around, and found Erza standing a few feet away in the falling snow, her hands folded and her eyes dotted at the bush that the squirrel had run off to.

Natsu sighed and looked ahead. He knew what Erza was going to say to him.

"I know… Don't let animals get near. They could be listening. They could be demons in disguise. We are at war. All that…"

Erza watched his back. His sullen and lonely figure sitting before her, faced away. She could read his disappointment and hopelessness. She could feel it. Her expressions softened. She felt bad for having dislodged him from his momentary happiness with the squirrel.

She walked up and sat down beside Natsu, hanging her own feet off the edge of the cliff. It was cold and sharp outside. The chilly winds injected against her skin, the snow latched onto her clothing, the cold air playing with her body. Why was Natsu sitting outside in such a terrible cold?

Erza knew the answer to that.

He probably didn't want to face anyone inside. What had happened and had been happening since long now had robbed him of his self esteem. Confidence in himself. Confidence in his abilities. His confidence that he was a good person. Erza's heart rang with pain at his condition. Were it some other time, she knew he would just brush it off and stand up like always. She admired him for that. He was unbreakable and unrelenting. He was strong and fierce, brave and kind. But ever since Igneel had passed right before his eyes, she had seen him change.

She looked at his face as he stared into the distance. She loved him. More than just a friend. More than anything else in the world. And because of that, she found herself sharing in his pain. In his grief. His sadness. Her heart felt heavy. It was not just his problem anymore. It was hers as well.

She leaned her head against his warm bare shoulder, and sighed in the relief that his comforting warmth brought her. No matter the situation, no matter how adverse the condition, just one embrace from this man and all her problems would melt away. Once he would wrap his strong and fierce arms around her and pull her head into his chest, she would be free of all her pain.

She wished he would do that now, so she could be happier. So she could be free of her grief. But… What about his pain? Could she ease it, just like he could ease hers? She didn't know.

Erza chose her words carefully. "Let's… head back inside. Why don't you try again?"

Natsu shook his head. "I know what will happen. I don't want to."

Erza lifted her head off his shoulders and gazed at his side profile. His sharp nose, his intense dark eyes, his handsome jawline and his soft parted lips that she had tasted so many times before. He was beautiful. Even in grief, he could take her breath away.

She sent her hand up his back and to his head. She caressed his hair gently, herself enjoying its sweet scent and its softness and silkiness. She loved every part of that man.

"Don't lose hope, Natsu. I am sure there is some reason behind it. And… Why do you even care about what others think? You will always be the same to me. To all of us in Fairy Tail. You will always be Natsu. I will… I will always love you. Deeply and unconditionally."

Natsu gulped. Erza saw his throat pulse as he did that. He sat in silence. Erza frowned sadly and placed her forehead against his shoulder. She then sent her arms around his body and hugged him comfortingly. Natsu returned her gesture by grabbing her arm and pulling it even closer to his chest.

Erza felt her heart shattering as she visualised his state. He hadn't been the same Natsu that he was a couple years ago. Since Igneel had passed… Natsu had changed. His fires were not as bright or powerful, his face wouldn't reflect that beautiful glow that it did once, and whenever she would place her head over his chest at nights, she would hear his heart beating only with anxiety and longing. The old Natsu was… gone.

A tear materialised in her eyes and flowed down the bridge of her nose onto Natsu's shoulder. She couldn't see him like this. She couldn't dream of it.

Since the past few months, the guild had been making regular trips to the temple of Ankhseram to seek his blessings in the approaching war against Zeref and his armies. Ankhseram had become a greatly revered god since the months leading up to the war. It was said that Zeref was mortally frightened of Ankhseram. Ankhseram was said to have cursed Zeref for his misdeeds 700 years ago with a deadly affliction. And it was said that Ankhseram's powers could guide his worshippers through the war safely.

As per culture, one needed to light the mysterious black candles of Ankhseram in order to receive his blessings. The candles were strange, just as strange as the god himself, and they were said to carry within them the essence of Ankhseram himself. That's when the guild had come across something peculiar regarding Natsu. While everyone else had lit their candles, Natsu was unable to. As if fate didn't want him to. No matter how many times he had tried, each time with a different candle, the wick wouldn't catch fire. It was as if… it resisted Natsu. Why only him was anyone's guess.

Ankhseram presided over war and destruction and death, and was more than ready to bless anyone that asked for his blessings in combat and warfare. But Natsu, as ready as he was to fight, wasn't deserving of that blessing for some reason. It was a confusing and honestly shocking thing to witness. According to the priests at the temple, no one in history had ever been denied the blessings of their God. And true to that, Erza had never read or heard of that happening in her research of mysticism and theology. Natsu had always been special, she knew that. But to this extent?

Erza herself didn't really care for some cryptic God's blessings. But when an absence of it caused Natsu the amount of turmoil that he was in, she couldn't help but wish that he somehow received those blessings. She knew it mattered to Natsu, even if it didn't to her. Erza could dismantle the entire world for this man… but she had less than no idea as to how to resolve this situation.

Natsu looked at her hidden head, as if knowing that she was saddened by his behaviour. He could feel wetness run down his shoulder from her eyes. He felt bad that he was causing her to go through that. He didn't care about the cold uneasy chill of her tears on his skin in the terrible weather. All he cared about was that he was causing those tears in the first place. He cared about her. Deeply. Erza was special to him. Deeply special. He had always loved her with all his might, sometimes wishing for even more strength and sincerity to love her with. No amount of admiration and love was enough when it came to Erza. And he felt sad that he hadn't been able to show her a lot of it since the past few months, embroiled in his own troubles.

He gently held her head and lifted it up to face his. He placed his forehead against hers and grabbed her head lovingly with both his hands. Erza watched him in wonder as he was doing something he hadn't done in a long time. This show of affection. His sweet scent reached her nostrils, and she could feel his warm breaths on her face. Erza felt elated.

"I am sorry, Erza. I… I love you. And nothing will change that. I haven't been able to tell you that enough these past few days. I am sorry. I want you to always remember that I will always love you, and no one else. Even if we get separated. You hold a special place in my heart. And no one can take that away from me."

"Natsu…" Erza muttered.

She grabbed his wrists.

"If you love me like you say you do, then please let go of this grief. I can't see you like this. It breaks my heart everytime I see you not being the man that I fell in love with. The cheerful and happy idiot that I adored and admired to no end. The confident and insanely powerful man whose enemies shiver at his name. The kind and gentle mage who wouldn't think twice before laying his life down for a friend or an innocent. Why do you care about this god? You will always be the same to me. To others. Lighting that candle or not being able to do it won't change anything. You… are still you."

Natsu sighed. Their noses touched.

"It's not just his blessings, Erza." He explained. "I… when Igneel was around, I had gotten used to the feeling that he was always watching me. No matter where I went, where I stayed, no matter who I fought. Igneel was always beside me. Now that he's gone… I feel empty. I thought that maybe Ankhseram could take his place, being some sort of a guardian deity for me. But… that didn't happen."

Erza let another tear escape her eyes. She held him and shook her head. "Igneel hasn't gone anywhere, Natsu. He is still here. He lives through your magic. He lives through your spirit, he lives through your selflessness and kindness. He lives through you. He could depart peacefully knowing that he still had a piece of him alive in this world. You. You are everything that Igneel was. You are virtuous, strong, brave, kind, caring… and most of all, you are selfless and loving. You are Igneel. You inherited him. His will. I… I am proud of you. And I always will be. Nothing will change that."

Natsu stared into her eyes, for the first time looking as if someone else's words had made some impact on him. He appeared… breathless and shaken for a while. In a good way. As if he understood the correctness in her words. As long as Natsu lived and continued to follow Igneel's teachings… Igneel would still be alive. To keep Igneel's legacy alive… that was Natsu's duty. He somewhat realised that now.

Erza bit her lips and then merged them with Natsu's, and shut her eyes. Having recoiled from the surprise of that sudden kiss, Natsu shut his eyes as well and just lived the moment for a while. He hadn't been able to pay much attention to this woman in his grief, but when her soft lips caressed him this way, he realised that he wasn't alone. His pains were hers. And hers were his.

"Ahem." They heard a deep voice.

Natsu and Erza hurriedly pulled apart and turned around. They saw Laxus standing a few feet away, his hands hidden in his long fur coat.

He pointed his thumb back towards the temple.

"Natsu. There's some people in the temple that want to meet you. They have come specially for you. Makarov wants to see you inside."

Natsu and Erza both narrowed their eyes. What could be the matter?

Natsu walked into the temple, followed by Erza and Laxus. He slowly shut the door behind him, so as to not let any light wander into the sacred darkness. The temple hall was huge, with enough space to fit about twenty elephants in it. As Natsu entered, he smelled that peculiar sweet yet somehow uneasy scent of the black candles of Ankhseram, lit inside the temple in thousands and spreading their scent everywhere. It was a scent that went beyond description. No matter how good one's vocabulary was, describing that unique and peculiar scent was… an impossible task. It went beyond words or feelings.

Black and shiny pillars jutted out of the ground in a strangely geometrical pattern and reached the vast ceiling of the hall far above. The temple had been constructed underground, but if it were above ground, it would definitely be several stories tall.

Something about that temple… Natsu couldn't figure it out, but something about it almost felt transcendent. Non-Euclidean.

Inside the temple, the mages from Fairy Tail stood in multiple groups, whispering and chattering amongst themselves. Natsu could identify Gajeel and Levy standing together, Gray, Juvia and Cana together, and another group with Wendy, Mirajane and Elfman, and many others. All of them halted their chattering somewhat and glanced at Natsu. Some more mutterings were heard. Natsu knew immediately that they were talking about him. And his problem.

Natsu proceeded to Makarov who was standing in the centre, followed by Gildarts. He had been talking to the head priest of the temple, who was a large and muscular old man wearing black robes and boasting a white long beard. The priest and Makarov both faced Natsu as he walked towards them, awaiting him to get within talking distance.

All priests of Ankhseram dressed in a similar way. The warrior priests would dress in black boiled leather and metal armour, carrying swords and spears. The normal priests would dress in simple black robes. Ankhseram's followers were a faction that had sworn to fight against Zeref and his forces alongside the mage alliance when the time came. It was said that Zeref had been cursed by Ankhseram, and the god was said to be the only figure that Zeref feared. So, the fact that his own priests would fight against the spriggan was a somewhat relieving thought. As if the god himself was ready to take the battle against the spriggan prince.

But why then would he not bless Natsu? Why would the candles that were tried to be lit in Natsu's name not catch fire? Why was Natsu denied his watchful eye, which everyone else deserved? That was a question no one could answer, since no one since millenia, or ever, had been denied the god's blessings.

As Natsu walked forward, he looked at the hundreds and thousands of candles in rows, lining the height of the walls around him. There were more in the basement. They all were lit, emitting the strange and insanely hot black flames that these candles were known for. They had all been lit by warriors and pilgrims alike since time immemorial to ask for the Dark God to bless them and put them under his care. Looking at those lit candles disconcerted Natsu. He wanted his own to be one of them. Why it wasn't was anyone's guess.

He reached Makarov and the old head priest.

"Natsu. Good, good. Come here for a moment." Makarov grabbed his hand and brought him closer.

The old head priest moved out of Natsu's way and provided him with a sight of a group of people that stood in the far distance of the hall, in the other corner. Natsu looked closely at them. It was a group of people huddled in a corner, some men and others women. They were dressed in clean white robes, almost glowing in the darkness. Natsu had never seen them around. Who were they?

"Those are elite priests that have come from a far away temple." The head priest of Ankhseram explained. "They have come especially for you, Master Natsu."

Erza walked up. "What do you mean by they have come for him? I won't let any harm come to Natsu."

The head priest looked at Erza, understanding her protectiveness. "It's not going to be harmful to the young master. I can assure you that, ma'am. They just… want to see him light the candle. They can probably deduce what's wrong."

Erza felt immediately outraged. "Is it a spectacle? You already know that Natsu doesn't like to go near the candles. Why can't you just leave it at that?"

Makarov interjected. "It's okay, Erza. Let him do it. It's for his own good. What we can't understand, those special priests probably can."

Before Erza could retort again, Natsu held her hand reassuringly.

"It's okay." He whispered.

Erza turned her eyes to him, and the rage in them immediately vanished. "But Natsu–"

"Don't worry. I want to try again. You asked me to try again, didn't you?"

Erza fell silent. She did want him to try again, to be honest. But more than that, she wanted him to be happy. If this is what he wanted, so be it. She held his hand assuringly.

"I will be right here, Natsu." She whispered back.

Natsu nodded. He turned around and approached a large pedestal that was dotted with hundreds of those black candles. He didn't know where they had come from. What was this strange black wax that they were made of? The wax was tough and hard, shiny and polished. As if it was black stone, and not wax at all. Ankhseram was a peculiar god, cryptic and mysterious beyond all means. He presided over darkness and destruction, war and battle. But yet, he was extremely popular amongst warriors and civilians. Some even worshipped him daily. The scores of millions of candles all lit around him, expelling those black flames was the evidence.

He approached his candle, which stood out amongst the others. It was unlit, unlike the others around it. Why was it unlit? Natsu didn't know. But maybe now, with those special priests around… he could find out.

A woman in black robes approached him, presenting him with a small ritual blade. Natsu hesitantly picked it up. He stared at its pointed edge for a while, preparing himself. Readying himself. He needed to do it again. Once more. That's all. He knew that if he failed this time, no one would ask him to do it again. They would at least have that much courtesy. And moreover, he himself wanted to try one last time.

He pricked his fingertip with the blade and drew a drop of his blood. He sighed in anticipation and hovered the bloody edge of the blade over another candle next to his that was lit. If he remembered correctly, it belonged to Erza.

As soon as the blood and the metal touched the black flame from that candle, his brow fused with a skull splitting headache. Something supernatural gripped him. He heard some cryptic whispers in his head that he couldn't make sense of. They spoke words that were ancient and unheard of. Words that sounded just like convoluted voices mumbling a chant. Words that… terrified him.

He gathered his senses, and even as he was troubled by those strange hallucinations, he brought the burning tip of the blade to his candle. He held the flame near the wick. As soon as the two touched, his eyes went blank.

Before him was darkness. Numb and dull. Sharp and empty. Far and near. Close and open. Loud… and silent. Solemn and peaceful… yet shrill and deafening. He wasn't sure what he was seeing. He was in a separate world now.

Everytime he tried to light these candles, these strange sensations would grasp him. He would hear strange and lonely voices, sometimes chatters. He would see battlefields adorned by so much blood that even the mud and dirt swam in it. He would witness ancient armies the sizes of planets. He would see strange faces that would tell him tales of doom and death. Of destruction and damnation.

He was seeing all of that again. He was lost in the throes of a million voices and faces. Swimming in strangeness and darkness. Never to reach the shore. Never to make the coast. He was lost. He was stranded in an ocean of a void. He was astray.

He didn't know if what he was seeing was real or not. If that was all unheard of, or if it had happened to others before him. Did everyone hallucinate while lighting those candles? Or was it only him? Something grave told him that it was just him. Just as it was solely him that couldn't light the candles.

He gasped deeply, and everything contracted before him. As if getting swept into a hole. All the visions vanished. All the voices silenced. He was back at the temple. Warm scented air filled his nostrils. His headache was gone. His wetted and sweaty hair lay before his eyes. He blinked at nothing. He looked down at the candle before him. Smoke originated from the heated wick aplenty. But… the fire on it was nowhere to be seen. He had failed again. The god didn't bless him. He was once more and again the very first person in the whole entire world and the entirety of the universe to be denied that blessing.

He gulped and stood straight. He returned the blade to the priestess from before, who put the fire on it out.

Natsu watched the candle. The elusive mysterious wax. The cold wick. The fire that had once again escaped him. Eluded him. He could feel the hundreds of eyes inside the temple all dotted on him. Strangers… friends… priests…

They all were blessed. They were all under Ankhseram's protection. All except him.

Erza walked forward and grabbed his hand, a little too tightly, and led him outside the temple, not before crossly eyeing Master Makarov and the head priest. This is what they wanted? To make a show of her friend and lover? The man she could plunge the entire world into a disarray to protect and preserve? She made up her mind to give a piece of her berating to them later on. Right now, she wanted to lead Natsu away from them.

In the silence that was slowly rejuvenated by chatters and murmurs all directed at what they had just seen, a woman dressed in a bright white robe walked over to Master Makarov and the head priest of the temple.

She had seen something in Natsu that others hadn't.