~~~Flashback~~~
"In this world, magic is a privilege. I saw it too, the humans were fighting each other in a war. Magic remains as a dangerous tool to be used lightly, especially by the public. You and I had both witnessed what a careless amount of magic does to people. If we lived like that then our kingdom would surely lead to its downfall." Izanagi explained. "It's far too late for the world below, they will never change."
~~~End Flashback~~~
Rocketing down, Izanagi lands on the ground while he continues to clench his forehead in aching pain. He watches the Fairy Tail wizards stand defiantly as if nothing had happened earlier.
"What's going on?!" Izanagi asks himself. "How can she interfere with my body?"
Natsu raises a fist, showing off a cocky smirk. "Hope you're ready! 'Cuz you'll be facing the full force of Fairy Tail's strongest team now!" He boasts.
Izanagi grunts through his teeth, his inner magic beginning to fluctuate. He fights through it and raises both of his arms, crossing them together. Swirls of black winds start to form in his palms.
"Why won't you all just…" Izanagi growls, throwing his palms down and unleashing a large black tornado. "Stay down?!"
The four wizards join together and block the attack. Their strength together allows them to slowly push forward through the winds.
Izanagi gasps with a growl. "Being strong is the only thing you mages will amount too! The only reason you're all still alive is because of that!" He rants.
Gray scoffs. "You got it backwards. In reality, all of us are pretty damn weak amongst the entire world." He corrects with a determined smile. "But, our power comes from each other! People here in Earthland survive purely on community!"
"Tch! And what happens when you lose that community?!" Izanagi argues, pushing more power in his attack. "Don't pretend you haven't lost someone you loved because of the magic this society created! Just how many people died because of it?!"
The black winds grow larger, but they immediately scatter away. The god stumbles back as he sees that it was sliced through. Erza grips two swords tightly and swings them apart from each other.
"You're correct. We've all faced great losses. People we've held dear." Erza confirms, taking a few steps forward. "But giving in would do their deaths in vain. We keep on fighting and living our own lives for the sake of those that were lost!" She points a sword at the angel. "And we'll fight to prevent any more losses!"
Izanagi glares at the wizards, he swings an arm. "So you'll keep on fighting for a doomed world that can only live through magic?! You can only keep on fighting because of your strength!" He chides.
"That's not true!" Lucy denies, leaping above Izanagi and striking her whip at him. The angel leaps back right before he could get struck. She lands on the ground. "You said it yourself! Only ten percent of the population uses magic! People can live their entire lives without magic! But magic guilds exist to protect those people! To help them!"
Lucy places a palm on her chest, smiling at the god. "Magic guilds are a place of family, a home to return to."
Veins bulge repeatedly on Izanagi's forehead. His right eye twitches, growing more irritated. His hair spikes up and turns pink, fierce winds bursting around him. Lucy doesn't even flinch as she retains her stance.
"Don't patronize me!" Izanagi accuses, taking one stomp forward, his wings stretching back. "I saw the reality Earthland brings nowadays, much longer than all of you! There is nothing to return to!"
Izanagi bends his body and propels himself right at Lucy. "The beauty I once loved was ripped away!" He shouts.
Right before he could strike Lucy, Natsu slides right in front of the blonde and blocks Izanagi's strike with one palm. The god was caught off guard.
Natsu stares sharply at Izanagi's eyes, showing no signs of struggling. "Do I need to remind you just how blind you really are?" He reminds.
"Grr!" Izanagi fumes, not thinking and landing a punching blow directly at Natsu's chin.
Natsu stumbles back an inch and immediately retaliates by smacking Izanagi's cheek with a normal fist. The two began trading punching blows.
"Look around you! Does this world look doomed to you?!" Natsu challenges. "We didn't take squat! The grass is still green! The sky's still blue!"
Natsu parries another punch from Izanagi and throws a hard hitting attack right at the angel's face. Izanagi takes several steps back, feeling dizzy.
"And you had the power to heal this land! To work with this community! But you ran away!" Natsu accuses, pointing at the angel. "You were too afraid to face the world head on! So you left and not only isolated yourself, but your people too!"
"SHUT UUUP!" Izanagi snaps, eyes full of uncontrollable rage. He spreads his arms out and a magic circle forms below his feet. The power he is igniting can be heard like a boom.
Despite this power, the wizards show no sign of backing off or even put up their guard.
"Exahelm exists as an independent world! One where magic isn't needed to survive!" Izanagi argues.
"Exahelm exists only because of your magic." Natsu retorts with a straight face.
The veins on Izanagi's forehead grow larger as well as form on his eyes. Black feathers surround the god.
"What could I possibly do to change the world?!" Izanagi challenges. "I was given the power of a god, but I couldn't even save an infant!"
Izanagi points his arms at the wizards and lets out a cracked roar. "Heaven's Prayer! Su-"
His spell stops. His hair flopping down and turning dark blue. Izanagi lets out a choked gasp.
Izanagi begins to hear the voice in his head again.
"... A single life can still make a huge difference. You've said that before, remember?" Wendy recalls to him. "It's okay to be scared. I know I often get scared at the challenges this world brings."
Wendy takes a deep breath and smiles softly. "But you were able to bring people together and create Exahelm!" She encourages, pumping his fists. "It's never too late! The community you created can help make your peaceful future a reality!"
Natsu watches Izanagi and cracks a smirk. He raises an arm and flexes it, power begins surging in his body. "Lightning Fire Dragon Mode." Fire and electricity surge through his arm.
Izanagi snaps out of his daze and gawks at Natsu. He takes a couple steps back, body shaking.
"Let's end this, Izanagi!" Natsu declares, winding his arm back.
"Get him good, Natsu!" Gray encourages.
"Natsu! Do it!" Erza calls out.
Izanagi stumbles back some more. His breathing becomes rapid. "It's… it's happening again…!" He panics.
"Natsu! Please!" Lucy exclaims, holding her palms together.
Natsu makes a dash right at Izanagi. "Fire Dragon's…!"
Izanagi's eyes widened. "H-he's gonna-!"
"He won't! I believe in Natsu!" Wendy shouts.
"FLAME ELBOW!"
Natsu thrusts his arm upward, shooting out a pillar explosion of fire and lightning. The pillar shoots up high in the sky.
A few inches in front of Izanagi's face.
The attack fades away, Natsu not budging from his striking pose. It was like time had stopped for the god. He was unharmed.
"Wha… what?" Izanagi shivers. He was too shocked to even move. The abrupt silence was deafening.
But before Izanagi could catch his breath, Natsu abruptly throws a quick punch at the angel's face, caving it in briefly.
"BU-HAH!" Izanagi yelps in pain. He spins back and collapses on the grassy ground.
Natsu flexes his arm and cackles. "Nyahahaha! I finally beat you!" He celebrates.
His friends were far from impressed. The color had abruptly left their bodies as they stared at the fire mage with unimpressed looks.
"A sucker punch? How lame can he get?" Gray questions.
Natsu turns and faces his allies with a toothy grin. His friends couldn't help but smile back at him.
Izanagi lays on the ground and slowly opens his eyes. He watches the blank blue sky, even witnessing some white birds fly on by. He sighs to himself and relaxes his body, feeling the grass on his back.
"The ground…" Izanagi begins, gaining the attention of the four. "Despite everything, it's still soft."
Natsu pauses for a moment before chuckling. He closes his eyes and smirks at the angel. "Yeah. Earthland is hell of a fighter, huh?"
Izanagi chuckles back and continues to stare at the sky. Lucy, Erza and Gray regroup with Natsu. Izanagi watches Lucy place a hand on his shoulder, Erza wrapping an arm around Natsu's head and pulling him to her chest, which is still covered in armor and Gray standing to the side with his arms crossed.
Izanagi looks back up at the sky and sighs. "... I wasn't born this way." He begins, gaining the attention of the four. "I was gifted the essence of the sky by the previous sky goddess. I was entrusted with this power to make the world a better place."
The angel's eyes narrow away from the group. "But I failed. Much like many homes, mine was another victim of the Dragon King Festival. And I was the only survivor." He admits.
"Because of this, I had no guidance. No person to rely on. For decades, I was completely on my own. The dragons were wiped out, but the world kept spinning and human life was growing larger than before." Izanagi elaborates.
Izanagi points a finger up and begins shooting out clouds. The clouds hover above everyone and they stretch and form. It resembled an angel with his wings and arms spread out as if he was preparing to embrace.
"... So I created Exahelm." Izanagi continues, whisking his finger around. More clouds form and it shows several smaller angels flying up towards the larger embracing one. "So angels could continue to prosper like the humans were. I gathered as many as I could find and they all supported my cause."
The Fairy Tail wizards watch the clouds form again. This time, it took the shape of the angels gathering together and holding hands around in a circle. Izanagi smiles warmly at the image.
"Exahelm grew and grew, becoming the kind of world I had envisioned. One that I had promised to make. It was perfect." Izanagi recites. He pauses and begins to frown. "But…"
The clouds change shape again. It showed smaller angels with simple angry expressions. Some looking away from the larger angel.
"With new generations of people come new opinions and curiosity." Izanagi went on. "Many did not abide by my vision of a peaceful world. They felt it was too restrictive. Angel's are born with a great amount of magic power, so naturally they wanted to experience said power."
The clouds poof away, Izanagi's arm dropping back on the ground. He shuts his eyes and sighs shakily. "I… was scared. I didn't want to lose everything… a second time. I *had* to do something to keep them in check, so I created the Tenhei. Warriors specifically trained to keep those types of angels in line, with the benefit of using their own power for the sole purpose of their job. A flawed system, but the only one I could think of." He describes.
"But even then. With new Tenhei, also comes in new opinions and curiosity." Images flash in Izanagi's mind. Those of Stark, Sync and Hahlos. The way Stark allowed the civilians to use their magic. The lacrima stuck inside Sync's body and her urge to be friends with some humans. And Hahlos' boundless curiosity of Earthland and dream of exploring the world.
Izanagi proceeds to cover the top half of his face with one hand. His lips start to tremble, tears leaking from his covered eyes. He hiccups a couple times and shakily exhales.
"P-perhaps… E-Exahelm is a th-thing of the p-past now…" The sky god admits. He breaks and whimpers softly, tears continuing to leak from his eyelids and onto his cheeks. His entire world feeling like it's falling apart at this very moment. The Fairy Tail wizards did not say anything.
Suddenly however, he hears the same voice from before in his head.
"You can still have a future. One full of peace." Wendy says, holding her hands together and smiling softly. "Even in Earthland, where it is constantly changing. If you look hard enough, you can find real beauty and peace of mind."
Izanagi pauses, uncovering his face and laying his arm back down. The four wizards smile down at the god and approach him. Natsu bends down and lowers his arm to him.
"We can help you." Natsu assures him, his wide toothy grin showing.
Izanagi widens his eyes, too choked up to even gasp. Wendy watches on inside and beams brightly.
"Even after all of this… you still reach out?" Izanagi bewilders. The angel closes his eyes and smiles, beginning to feel a peace of mind. He slowly raises his arm up, reaching back at Natsu.
And promptly smacks it away.
Wendy snaps into shock, blinking a couple times.
Natsu gets caught off guard and raises an eyebrow. "W-why?"
"I'm sorry." Izanagi looks away. "But it's impossible now."
Erza stands by Natsu, crossing her arms. "There's no need to continue this conflict between us." She urges.
"That's not what I mean. It is impossible to heal me now." Izanagi corrects.
Lucy bends down next to the others. "We know someone who can diagnose you. We can figure out how to cure your sickness!" She insists.
"I'm not sick. I'm getting old." Izanagi reveals to them, raising his palm and staring at it. "Just because I have the power of a god and can live longer, doesn't mean I'm truly immortal. Eventually, my body will not be able to function. It'll give out."
Izanagi watches the four wizards show genuine concern at him with their expressions. He laughs at them. "Did you honestly expect to be able to save both your friend and myself? You need to limit that optimism of yours."
The angel wipes his face and sighs in contempt. "Besides, Wendy doesn't have much time left. I can feel it, she will soon fade in my subconscious. And she will disappear forever."
Natsu grips the ground beneath him and gets closer to Izanagi's face. "You gotta keep fighting! There's always another way! There has to be!"
Izanagi simply shoves Natsu's face away from him. He waves that same hand downward. "It's fine. I lived in this world long enough. Besides, the only way Wendy can return to her body is for me to reverse the Soul Transfer myself. That is the only way."
Wendy gasps. "W-what?! No!"
Gray shoves his hands in his pockets, looking down. "Are you sure about this…? What about your people?" He questions.
"Didn't you tell me the world can't be run by a single person?" Izanagi scoffs. A black swirl appears on his right palm. "They'll be fine. I started having a feeling I haven't had in a long time, faith."
Izanagi gently places the tattooed palm on his chest and takes a deep breath. He glances at the wizards with a gentle smile. He decides to ask them one last thing.
"... Say. What kind of world *do* you desire anyways?" Izanagi curiously asks.
Natsu, Lucy, Gray and Erza were not prepared for that question. However, Natsu already had an answer.
"I'm not really interested in changing the world." Natsu quickly answers with a wide grin. "Being with my family in Fairy Tail is enough for me!"
The fire mage's friends turn and smile back at him.
Izanagi chuckles lightly. "That's a pretty boring answer you know? But I suppose it doesn't surprise me."
The black tattoo starts to glow. The aura it generates slowly wraps around Izanagi's body. He shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath. His wings disappear in a white glitter as he empties his magic energy. Despite this however, he doesn't feel any different. In fact, he could feel the magic inside of him not budge.
Inside of the god, Wendy was channeling all the magic she possibly could. She has both of her arms raised, trying to push back the enhancement spell with her own. The sky dragon slayer's face read of desperation and panic.
"P-please don't do this!" Wendy pleads, clearly struggling to keep hold. "You have so much to live for! I said I will save you, and I refuse to fail! Not when there's a gorgeous world to show you!"
Izanagi doesn't say anything. He only applies more pressure to his chest and channels more energy into the Soul Transfer.
Wendy's arms shake, feeling even more pressure than before. She gets broken out of her hold, letting out a yelp in the process. She fell on her bottom and before she could react, her body was being sucked to a large bright opening.
"N-NO!" Wendy shrieks, trying to move away from the opening. She couldn't even hold onto anything as she keeps slipping over, no matter how many times she tries to run away. "Please! Please don't do this Izanagi! I promise… I promise I'll save you!"
"I commit to the Soul Transfer." Izanagi states, a great deal of magic bursting out of his body. "Lost soul, you shall return… to your rightful owner!"
"NOOOO!" Wendy screams. She flies through the opening, the endless space inside of Izanagi instantly fading to a pitch black darkness.
The wizards watch a small blue sting slip outside of Izanagi's body. The string forms into a small blue glowing ball. It has closed eyes and long transparent hair of the same color. The god raises the soul up and it flies high up to Exahelm, where Wendy's body still resides.
As quickly as the soul flew up, the skin on Izanagi's arm began to turn gray and harden. He drops his arm back on the ground. With every second that passed, his skin grew darker and darker. Cracks were forming around his arms and legs. His hair fades to white and then turns to dust. The Fairy Tail wizards witness in horror as Izanagi's body ages rapidly.
Despite his quick decay, Izanagi manages to look up at the sky with a satisfied smile. He could faintly see the arms of those he lost reach out to him, the sky shining a warm orange color from his perspective. He spoke in a raspy dry voice.
"...K-e-keep do-doing… what you can… t-to maintain th… the world y-you desire…"
Izanagi's body turns to dust. His remains get caught by the gentle air, carrying it away. Only his clothing remained.
~~~Author's Notes~~~
To those who read this story waiting for consequences for Fairy Tail, stay tuned for the next couple chapters. As always, many thanks for reading this far.