Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I remembered the sobs of my mother as it was announced. The tears poured from her eyes as she wailed into her hands. The world would end, not in religious awakening or a rising ocean to drown away the sins of man, but in a fiery explosion as a planetoid bigger than the planet itself was on a flight path to the sun. 

That in itself would have been enough cause for concern. The true kicker was that the planet was in its predicted path.

I thought perhaps that would be it. No other event could top the earth being nothing but a gnat in the path of a giant celestial body, I had told myself.

Then the gods appeared. Gods from every pantheon of every kind. Each one offering salvation to those who swore fealty and servitude to them. My mother folded under the immense pressure and convinced my younger siblings to join her as vassals of the Goddess of Hearth. 

‘At least they’ll be safe.’

My pride had prevented me from choosing any god. Not even the Christian one. At least I got to see the Alpha and the Omega. It was cool to see the only pacifist to ever make violent men tremble in fear.

I watched in trepidation as the sphere then times the earth’s size destroyed the moon. 

There were no regrets in my heart, even when my family had begged me to join them in their vassalage. I couldn’t. Not because I hated gods or anything edgy like that. I just didn’t feel like I would truly be free under someone else’s power. The rules had clearly stated we would be confined to a world of their choosing. 

I was tired of being stuck in one place for the entirety of my tenure in this mortal realm.

‘Maybe in the next life, I’ll be free to go on an adventure where I want.’

I felt my body crush under the funneled air pressure before it went black. 

And then my sense of sound returned to me. Then came sight but it was pointless since there was nothing but darkness around me. Next was touch, and with it hearing, as I realized I was falling when air filled my ears. I could only assume my other two came back as I could kind of taste my saliva even though there was nothing to taste.

My upper body was pulled downward mid fall. I was greeted by the sight of a large glass panel with a person on it. A young boy in a robe.A key feature I noticed was the large chunk missing around where the legs should have been.

I felt my body spin before my sense of balance somehow worked mid air to right myself with my feet facing downward. I took a cursory glance over my body to find I was no longer wearing my t-shirt in jeans I had worn before I died.

It was a full body robe, a fancy one at that. Similar to those robes you’d imagine a deity wearing. The top was pure black with blue accents on the opening near the chest whereas the bottom was a mixture of black and blue swirling along the freeform fabric that covered my legs and bare feet. 

Along the waist of the robe was a black belt with a silver buckle that was shaped like a wolf's head.

A heart that yearns for adventure. 

I heard a voice within my head. It was a soft, feminine voice. I had no clue what to do upon hearing such a voice but there was no need to react as two pedestals rose from the floor of the broken platform. Due to the movement of my feet, I could tell it was glass. Floating a few inches above both pedestals were two items. A sword and a staff. 

‘There’s no way…’

I knew that symbol on the sword anywhere, especially considering the staff head was fashioned into the symbol as well. 

A broken heart yet still powerful in its nature.

I didn’t know the person speaking. If I remembered correctly from the games it was the voice of the most impactful person you knew, whether you met them yet or not, speaking to you.

Choose which it is you will give up.

I approached the staff first. I wondered if this would have an impact on me. A stray piece of myself still believed I was just suffering in an afterlife that would present your deepest desire. I was scared that this would be taken away from me the moment I fully accepted or embraced the idea of this. So I approached with skepticism. 

The staff was as I remembered it from behind a screen. A green body with tan on both ends of the shaft and a brown holding piece to connect the blue head of the staff. I assume the head acted as a conduit for power.

The power of the mystic. Innate power. A staff of ruination and elegance.

I didn’t grab it. I only stared at it before approaching the sword next. I decided to play along for now. My doubts were growing by the second. Why it had taken my mind so long, I had no idea. 

The sword was standard in the design of its hilt, having a gold tip at the bottom with the grip having black and blue as the coloration, the blue forming into lines that made helixes all around it. The guard was golden in color with a red spot that held the black symbol embedded in it.

The power of the warrior. Steadfast determination. A sword of great despair.

Both descriptions for my choices were different from what I remembered but I assume it had to do with my circumstances. I moved away from the sword so that I could choose between which power to give up. I looked over at the large chunk of the platform, my heart, that was not there. 

“If I really have no choice.” I spoke aloud while walking towards the broken chunk. Just as I thought, the shield was being held down by something. Dark chains kept it, and the section of my glass station, down and out of reach. 

The shield was obviously something to do with being a protector. Perhaps it would claim the virtue of honor or the concept of steadfast determination. I would never know. I failed to protect those I loved most the day my uncle snapped.

There may not be anything right there but if I’m being realistic. I’ve already given something up. I gave it up a long time ago.

“I give up the past regrets weighing me down. After all, I can’t be the freest man alive if I’m weighed down by some chains.”

A part of me was scared I would be talking to the air. I had made the assumption that maybe there was someone watching me. I was ready for someone to jump out and make fun of me but instead I was blinded by a bright light. I covered my face with both my arms crossed in front of it.

I could hear the grinding of glass but it stopped after seven minutes. The light calmed down enough for me to see the broken chunk had risen. There was still a fracture but now that space no longer had a shield or dark chains. 

 In that new space, a large golden chain with the damn symbol appeared before falling into the ground. It expanded going in between my legs before wrapping around the glass station until the entire thing was covered by golden chains

You’ve chosen to sacrifice the power of the past. Your journey will be a perilous one.

 The chains began to glow before the entire station was pure gold. It sat there for a moment before the golden light began to recede and fall upward in motes. 

Fret not. You will be the one to free those whose hearts are shackled.

Underneath me was no longer a blank platform. It was a young man with midnight hair that went to his ears. His eyes were closed so I could not tell what color they were. The thing that made me realise it was supposed to be me was his attire. It was the same robes. His hands hung at his side, empty while behind him there was a night sky mural. Near his head were four circles with nothing in them.

“This isn’t a joke, is it?”

No one answered my question. Instead I was forced to close my eyes due to how heavy they felt. 

Your chains forsaken for new shackles, will you escape your fate?

My sense of touch began to act strangely, it felt like I was submerged in a warm liquid. It took me a while but I forced my heavy eyes open.

I was within a strange tank. Outside of the tank were two people. A man with black hair and black eyes wearing a black toga with a white sash and white cape stood before my tank while the man in an all black hood stood behind him. I knew that coat anywhere and yet I could not do anything. 

“So, what do you think? Like the little modifications I made?” The hooded man asked the room's other occupant. “While not a real keyblade, his human nature will allow him to use an ethernano based one similar in utility.”

The black haired man’s lips twitched upward before his expression returned to its stoic default. 

He placed a hand upon the tank's glass whilst staring at me. I did my best to move my eyes despite how weak they felt. 

“This experiment was interesting.” The black haired young man finally replied without turning to his companion. “I never thought I would make another Etherious out of flesh.”

What the hell are you two talking about, I wanted to ask. My body felt too weak to even blink so that wasn’t an option. That man in the black coat chuckled before placing his hands behind his back and walking up to my tank. 

I couldn’t see a single thing underneath his hood but it gave me chills even in this warm water.

“I added a few more, let’s say, tricks to him.” 

The black haired man went to speak but I didn’t get to hear him before my eyes shut and my consciousness faded for a moment. 

‘What was I doing again?’ That was the first question to return to me upon gaining consciousness. ‘I remember a warmness enveloping me… almost like a hug.’

I opened my eyes to find myself sitting against a tree while rain fell gently above and around me. A yawn escaped my lips as I rubbed my eyes. I could recall flashes of pain, darkness, a warm embrace, and two men but it always slipped by the second I could almost grasp the memory.

Looking down I noticed that I was in clothes that felt familiar. It was an all black coat with an inverted zipper that zipped down to my waist. The lower section was left open for the bottom to part open and reveal my black pants and black boots.

There was a boom coming from the east of where I currently sat but it was muffled. A part of me felt curious. Should I investigate-?

“You’re awake then?” A soft voice asked from my right. Turning my head, I found a young man with black hair sitting against a tree whilst reading a book. A sting pain hit me as I held my forehead before the pain subsided. At his side was another book but I couldn’t see anything interesting about it beside the leather cover. “My goals have been decided. You have your role.”

The young man rose to his feet and moved to grab something to the left of me. It was a black book with gold accents and no cover title. I instinctively blocked his hand from reaching it. I froze in fear at the red color flashing into eyes that disappeared a second later. 

The book began to glow with specks of darkness leaking off of it and somehow appeared in his other hand.  The size had changed and it was now as big as a textbook.  The gold accents now looked like real gold and had a large χ on the back. On the front I could see large letters but only the capital letter “E” was visible due to his hand covering the rest of it.

“Please be sure to befriend Natsu, that was one of the reasons I made you.” He began to walk away before disappearing into the foliage. 

A strange pocket of darkness began to open up beneath him before surrounding him and disappearing seconds after. Now there was no one here but me. 

“Whaddya know, the master was right!” A laid-back voice with a strange accent called from behind me. “He left without even explaining to the super poppet!”

A man in a black coat appeared before me. It had happened earlier, but I ignored it, but a feeling of familiarity rang around my head at the sight of the large coat he was wearing. I stood on guard but there was no confidence in my body at winning in case this man attempted to attack me. 

“This is the worst assignment, man.” The hood was pulled back to reveal a middle aged man with only one golden eye while the other hand an eyepatch. His black hair was pulled back by something with a few gray hairs in there. “This is worse than the covert op!”

“Command Phrase: jetable.” I froze for a second as my senses disappeared. I was surrounded by darkness and yet I could hear words. Commands. Objectives. My main objective was now clear.

Kill Zeref.

My sleeper objective was now clear. Now locking away from conscious memory. 

Empower subject Etherious Natsu Dragneel.

My senses returned as a strange emptiness filled my head. I absentmindedly nodded while staring ahead blankly. I could not feel anything, I could not think of anything.

“Mission understood. Entering: Humane Mode.” I could hear my voice speak without emotion before suddenly everything was normal again. “What was that…?”

Memories began to fill my head as my headache from earlier returned. It was painful and yet the tears in my eyes were not from the pain.

‘Of course, how could I forget… I’m a dandelion that Master Ava sent to make sure Keyblade Wielders survived!’

That man before was Master Ava’s fellow student. He was here to inform me about the darkness in this world. Why had I forgotten this? I slapped my cheeks as my heart hardened with determination. 

“Master Ava and Luxu are counting on me! I must kill Zeref!” I took a glance around the forest and let out a nervous chuckle. “Step one… Where am I?”

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I am rewriting this series. I couldn't find a path between here and the point of this work so I'm reworking it. Probably on my new account.