Chapter Text
In one realm, a man garbed in green remembered the words of his father as he prepared to make a final stand at the cost of his life. His life-force burned an autumn orange as he opposed the strongest enemy he had yet faced. He proclaimed his final words for all to hear:
“These fallen leaves become the nutrients for fresh green leaves! And the period they bridge until the new spring when the fresh leaves bud is the climax of youth, when it burns most crimson! Charge! Flow! NIGHT GUY!” he roared as he unleashed his most powerful technique. His chakra formed a massive dragon burning bright in the darkness. His comrades looked on in awe and fear as he sped forward at such high speeds that the sight was distorted even to their superior eyes. This blur of orange confronted his enemy in an unavoidable show of power concentrated in a single kick.
The enemy had not anticipated such a powerful attack of pure physical energy and it cost him heavily. His eerily white torso was obliterated as he was sent flying into the cliffs behind him. Sadly, this unprecedented success was not without its price. The man’s attack left the bones in his legs shattered and his own body began to disintegrate from the outflux of energy. He spared one last thought as his life force faded and his soul left his body.
Farewell, Eternal Rival! Farewell, Students! Farewell, Comrades! I shall Youthfully await you in the World of Darkness! But it is now my time to join my youthful student, Neji, and my courageous father!
In another realm, a baby in a basket was being placed on a doorstep. The crisp autumn air made the child wriggle in displeasure even as it slept. Dead leaves rustled in the slight breeze, having yet to fall from their branches. A few straggling trick-or-treaters could be heard laughing in the distance.
An old man with half-moon spectacles and a prodigious silver beard tucked a letter into a fold of the small boy’s blanket while a severe-looking woman and a giant of a man watched. “Dumbledore, are you quite sure that Harry must live here?” the woman asked.
By chance, this baby’s soul was in a vulnerable state having recently accommodated a foreign soul shard. By chance, a stronger soul wandering by was attracted by green windows and a mention of youth. It did not hesitate to kick out the soul shard and take refuge in this place of seeming familiarity.
“Of course, he will flourish here, my dear. There is no safer place for young Harry to spend his youth.”
The three adults left one by one. The giant man flew away on a motorcycle, the severe woman padded away as a cat, and the old man began walking down the street. He pulled a silver cigarette lighter out of his pocket and clicked it. Globes of light returned to their street lamps once again illuminating the drive with an orange glow. With a swish of his cloak, he too was gone.
In one realm, a hero died. In another, a baby’s verdant eyes snapped open.