Danmachi: Westward Cloud [Complete]

[Vol.4] Quest 366- Westward Cloud, Epilogue- Nascent

From his spring-licked feet, green cloud-shaped flowers grew out.

"It is an honor to meet you, god of Elysia!! For your actions when you were a mortal, you were given your own authorities!!" Metis kept going. "For your deeds in the Kaios Desert, Orario, Yamato, and even Heaven itself! The Authorities of War, Combat, Spirits, Thunder, Lightning, Magic, Teaching, Wealth, Armor, Music, Wrath, Madness, Will, Humanity, Regeneration, Masks, Language, Hope, Liberation, and Boundaries are yours!"

Elysium then walked up to those from the Kaios Desert.

A line drew across the lower part of its face as if the entity had painted itself a mouth with an ink brush. Their face looked more humanoid.

"No amount of sorry can wash away your anger. Know that his actions stayed with him till the very end." Elysium spoke in a solemn tone of voice that sounded like it had been stitched together to make a harmonious male tone of voice.

"!?" Their eyes widen at his voice.

'That's not my voice, it's a little more...' Elysium worked on his voice.

It left a feeling of shame in them to have heard this being speak such words.

"As my first act, I bestow upon you innocent children who evacuated to Varga." Their voice sounded closer to Cirrus's. "I gift you knowledge." They reached out their hand, or what seemed to be a hand.

It was a blob of energy and power. As it stretched towards the Israfan protestors, Elysium’s arm seemed to go through millions of years of evolution to form slender, delicate fingers.

They felt deeply honored that they would undergo such a length for them.

Several more formed like hydras, touching their foreheads with a light touch and a glow, and knowledge came to them like a warm breeze in summer.

"!!!" They reached enlightenment; they knew what to do.

"Use this and rebuild your homeland better, kinder, and more harmoniously."

They all shed tears at the god’s gift of knowledge.

"T-thank you!! Oh great and merciful Elysium!!"

They all got on their knees and prayed before him.

"I do not wish for prayer, nor do I seek to be prayed to. That is all. Make sure your people know this."

Elysium walked past them, covering them in his veil, and they vanished.

Fwhish~

It impressed several of the gods how easily he teleported them away with such grace and style.

Metis then kept going.

"For your actions in creating a Divine Weapon and several other weapons, along with the creation of a city, the Authority of Blacksmithing, Metalworking, Metallurgy, Crafting, Weapons, and Kingdoms are yours."

He made it to the base of his mortal tomb and walked up its steps.

"For your actions and service under the gods Ouranos, Astraea, and Artemis, the Authority of the Skies, Heaven, Justice, Judgement, Change, Stars, Hunting, Life, Fertility, Marriage, and Shadows are yours. With the mixture of another deity, Kali, whose ichor has slowly gotten mixed in. You were even granted the authority of Destruction and Time."

Metis did not mention Nyx, as that was a secret best kept between Metis, Nyx, and Elysium.

"My tattoo did that!?!?" Kali said, greatly surprised.

"It was made with your ichor, Lady Kali." Said Bache.

"I didn't think it would do that!? It was just a way to confirm it was him!"

He made it up and walked past Metis.

"You know what to do next," Elysium said, glancing at Metis.

Metis only smirked.

"And for your actions, the goddess of the night, Nyx, has given a portion of her ichor to grant you the Authority of Night. Along with it, Khaos gifted you the authority of The Dead, along with the grand authority of Creation—the authority to signify that you are the ruler of this world! And one last authority that is yours solely, the authority Nascent."

Elysium opened the tomb to his former mortal self and entered it. The doors slammed behind him.

Many were shocked to hear that they were granted the ultimate and most honored authority a god could have.

"Fels," They said, speaking through the tomb.

"!!" Fels shook upon hearing his voice. "C-Cirrus… Is that truly you?"

"…Fels. Tell me. Do you wish for your body back?"

"I… No." They came to an answer quickly. "This is who I am now. Thank you for the offer, my son."

Elysium cracked a smile.

"Then meet me back at the Moonlight Tower. I will explain some stuff there and the rest at the Denatus."

"V-very well. I am happy you are back, my son!"

Fels then left, hiding their existence from the massive crowd.

Elysium opened the casket to see his mortal body.

"Time to get to work again. Hah. I had my fun, didn’t I, Proanthos?"

The flame and blue lines quickly faded, and from the tomb, Elysium came out with his mortal body.

Tap~

Tap~

His visage overlays with his funeral attire.

A veil-like mantle of the night was over his lavish black, white, and gold attire, designed by two goddesses. On his right breast pocket was a pair of golden lapel antlers.

He was still ablaze with a blue flame.

"Ah~ still not ready." He then falls to his knees with his head hanging low.

"Goddess of Justice, Astraea!! God of the Sky, Ouranos!! Come forth and give your child your blood one last time!!" Metis shouted.

Whoosh~

With a gentle breeze, Ouranos appeared next to Elysium. Astraea did the same, appearing right next to him in a brief flash of feathers.

Flash-Flutter!

They both cut their index fingers on his antlers and dropped them on his back without a second thought. The second those droplets of blood landed on his back, everyone could feel it.

"!?!?"

Everyone could feel a massive influx of energy and power. The surrounding space began to warp and vibrate.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Cirrus’ body roared to life.

Cirrus's status appeared and was just as quickly shattered. The stars over Orario shine twice as bright. The planet itself:

■■■■■!!■■■■■!!■■■■■!!■■■■■!!■■■■■!!

The planet cried out in a song like a massive roar of thunder—a song of paradise.

■■■■■!!■■■■■!!

Beautiful in its majesty before it dies down.

"!?" Artemis felt her connection with Cirrus's return and was just as quickly cut off. "N-no way…" She said this as she watched his body sync with Elysium.

Cirrus' status broke as Elysium’s visage and Cirrus’ body began to slowly become one. They changed to adapt to the body, and within a blue flash, he was whole.

FLASH!

A god in human flesh.

Fwhoosh~

"Fuu~~" Elysium breathed out as his hair turned white and grew out to reach down to his knees, with a walnut brown color at the ends. Their appearance changed to fit Elysium’s liking. Golden antlers sprung from his head in the shape of a crown, with three indigo star-like gems embedded into them and weight scales hanging off his horns. "These are heavy." He swiped his hand through the air, and his crown of antlers disappeared. Many followed his hand down to his clothes. Cirrus’ funeral attire had been modified. They were now wearing long robes. One would liken them to those found within the Xianxia or even Wuxia genres as stars dotted into life within his space-like layered robes. "My..." He opens his eyes, and they are the same as when he first appeared at the cemetery. "It has been so long since I took in oxygen in my lungs." He raised his hand and looked at the moon. He reached out with the moon in his eyes and then held it close to his face. "Felt the soft light of the moon, which I love so much."

"!?!?" Every lunar deity could feel a soothing, gentle warmth covering them as if someone were holding them affectionately in their hands, which was true.

"My apologies," Elysium said. "I plucked the moon out of temptation and affection." He reached out his hand to the sky and installed the moon back as if it were a lightbulb.

"!?"

It surprised many by how easily he did it, and even more so by how no one saw Arcanum come off him. This very act has made it clear to all the gods that he is on par with the greatest of God-Kings.

"I’ll keep the testing for later." He put his arms to his side and turned to Ouranos. "Thank you, Ouranos." And then to Astraea. "And to you as well."

"So... Does that mean that—"

"Yes, it does!!" Metis interjected Astraea. "Elysium is the child of Ouranos and Astraea!!! A true child of the heavens!!! Their blood runs through his veins!!"

Cirrus' body has now fully been tempered into a body strong enough to handle whatever comes its way. He was now truly a being worthy to be called a god, a messed-up lineage included.

"Uooooooo!!!!" Everyone said both amazed beyond belief.

"Uwah!! I have a son!! A real son!!" Astraea said, grabbing Elysium by the shoulders. "You have my hair and the ends!! Look! Look!" She ran her fingers through his hair and held it up. "Ouranos! He even has yours as well!!"

"Hmph." He looked down at Elysium, his proper son now. "We will speak more later." Ouranos then vanishes, returning to his throne.

"Don’t worry, Mom will be here for you!" Astraea said, smiling at him.

"I know you will." He then looks at Metis. "I didn't have the chance but tell Sun and Eris that I look forward to that day."

"Fufu! Of course! It has been a good while back on Gek—Elysia! But I think I will spend just a bit more time here if that is fine with you, given that you are now in charge of supervising all the gods in your world."

"!!!" Every god’s eyes widen.

"Oh, that yeah. For now, I’ll be a bit lax, but when the fun times are over, I will be sure to enforce any unauthorized use of Arcanum." He stepped forward and pointed his finger to the sky. "But until then, you all may have a limited amount of fun so long as it doesn’t involve using your Arcanum to cause effects on society or anything permanent. Example. Snap!" High in the sky, several fireworks go off.

Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!

"Do y’all understand!!!" His voice boomed through the cemetery, and everyone smiled. "Today!! Gift the world with colors and light!! Spectacles and extravaganzas!!"

"UUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

They all erupted in cheers, and it replaced the once bittersweet atmosphere with one of great celebration.

While everyone goes to celebrate and drink back in the city, Elysium sits on the stairs to his tomb.

"Fuu~" Elysium breathes out. "Now the hard part."

Coming up to him in a rush were his family and friends.

"Dad!!!"

"Cirrus!!!"

They all came and hugged him.

"I missed you all." He said it earnestly. The stars of his clothing once more hummed in a brighter pink.

"Cirrus, what happened!? Why—How are you a god!?" Artemis said wanting answers as she cried tears of joy.

"Well… It’s a long story. How about we go back home, and I’ll tell you along the way? So!!" He picks up Alise on his shoulders and carries Callisto and Auberon in his arms.

"Uwah!" they all said, getting picked up.

"Haku, I know you don’t want to be held, so here, try this."

"Try what—!?"

A mantle forms and swallows him, and it flows behind him like a gentle stream of stars.

"Buwah!! Father!!" he shouted from the mantle. "Why did—Uo! This is cool!!" He swam in it.

"Oooh!" the kids said.

"Can I jump in, Dad!!" Alise said.

"Of course. All of you can."

They all immediately jumped in, and they floated on his mantle.

Coming up to him were Nox, Circe, Lenoa, the Hestia Familia, and the Loki Familia.

"Cirrus, you big asshole!!" Nox punched him, but it felt like hitting a pillow. "!?"

"I am sorry, Nox, that I left you there, but I couldn’t have you just die after coming back. I mean, you are technically my daughter now." Elysium puts his hand on her head. "I do hope you are taking care of your sister and that you forgive me for what I did."

"Mmmm...." Nox was turning red. "Is… Is that an order?"

He smiled at her with all the affection he had expressed in a smile so warm that everyone felt jealous that it was not for them.

"If that would make you feel better, then yes. It is."

"Then!" She went and hugged him tightly. "It is a deal!! But you have to make it up to me if you want forgiveness!"

Elysium hugs her back as well. Happy that his old friend was in his arms after so long away from one another.

"A deal it is. Nox."

"Cirrus," Said Circe, coming up to him with Lenoa.

"Circe. Lenoa."

He looked at the two.

"Cirrus…" Lenoa looks up at him. "I... told you I would live longer than you and Nox! Ki-hihihihihi!!!!" Lenoa laughed proudly.

"You did say that," Elysium said, still smiling.

"You do look rather good," Circe said. "I like the start-touched clothes; they suit you well."

"Thank you; they are rather comfy and free-flowing."

Coming up to him next was the Hestia Familia.

"So… Your god now, huh?" Hestia said.

"You look amazing, Sora!!" Lili said, looking around at him. "I’m happy you are alive!"

"Hm! You look very cool!!" Welf said.

"Hm! I am happy you returned, Cirrus!" Bell said, teary-eyed.

"Thank you, but I have something to give Hestia."

"Hm? What is it? Is it something special!!" She said, starry-eyed.

"Come here." Elysium motions for her to get closer.

Hestia walks up to him.

"So what is—Tap!"

Elysium taps her forehead with his finger.

"I am giving you back, Vesta."

A red flame engulfed Hestia.

Bwoosh!!

Hestia herself could feel a part of her return.

"Ugh!!" Hestia falls to her knees.

"Hestia!!" Bell said, attending to her. "Are you alright?"

"I…" Hestia could feel strength and power fill her. "I feel better?" Hestia’s body grew just a bit more. "I’m growing?" Elysium adjusted and adapted Hestia's clothes.

"Oh that, yeah, I found flaws in your vessel, so I decided to fix it," Elysium added.

Hestia clenched her fists, and she felt her body become more natural for her, like a fish in water.

"Oh, thank you!! Look, Bell, I’m a bit more taller!!" She stood proudly, having grown 3 more inches.

Coming up to him next was the Loki Familia.

"Cirrus!" Ais said happy to see him back. "I… I am happy that you returned!!" She went up and hugged him.

"I am too." He hugged her back. "And I am sorry you couldn’t be the one to—"

"It’s fine. Seeing your fight... Made me realize I would have only gotten in the way."

"Nonsense." His expression softened. "You would have held your own." Elysium reaches out and places his hand on her shoulder. "Trust me. You would have taken out its other eye and then some."

"!!" Her eyes widen. "T-thank you!" she said wholeheartedly, with tears in her eyes.

While Bell goes and helps comfort her, Loki comes up to him.

"So how does it feel to be a god, huh? Though you are a bit different?" Loki examined him up and down.

"Probably. Tomorrow I would like to hold a Denatus."

"!?" Loki’s eyes widen. "What for?" She said as she opened her eyes.

"What else? To inform the gods of everything. Until then, see you all! I am going to spend my day with my family. I have waited a very long time to do as such."