Disclaimer: Characters are all ocs that belong to me and @moonturtle6 The plot of this au isn't cannon or relevant to the show at all
The story is best read while listening to this score: https://youtu.be/V5MUIzto6Tc
Tw: Cannibalism
This takes place a month after the guardians defeat Chaac, Odin tells Opal that his time in the physical realm is ending and for them to contact the other guardians before trekking to the highest point in the mountains of Glacier Plains so he can lay himself to rest. Opal and the others began the long trek up the dangerous mountains. Odin possess Opal for the final time allowing his spirit to expel out so that his body seamlessly becomes one with mountain. They then reach the highest peak, Opal's body spasms and shakes as the last of Odin's spirit emerges from her mouth before taking shape of his head and resting the bottom of mouth on the ice covered stone.
The other guardians (Josel, Fenfir, Constance, Sybil and Amazonite) are then told to stay back for a moment of privacy between the dying diety and Opal. Odin then whispers his thanks and endless gratitude to Opal for allowing him to see the world change, for showing him how wondrous a budding familial relationship can become between a Serpentine who tragically lost her change and a human child desperate for a mother's love...for showing him the beauty of rising through the hardships and reuniting with her own people again. As he draws his final shaky breath Odin admits to Opal he's afraid of dying to which she replies knowingly "It'll only hurt for a second, dear one." With that the elder deity allows himself to grasp the hand of death and enter the spiritual realm once more.
A fierce blizzard appears out of nowhere, through the ferocity of the sharp winds and blinding snow and ice by sunrise all of Odin's body is completely encased and melded with the peak of the mountain. Opal stares at the encased head of a lost companion who had been with her since the very beginning of her long and arduous journey before slowly turning to leave to rejoin the other guardians; however a shrill mewl of a crying child pierces the air freezing her and the other guardians in their tracks. Opal turns and runs back up to the peak where she finds a day old hatchling wailing in the snow beside Odin's maw. Quickly, they scoop the whimpering baby in their arms and hold them tightly against her chest to warm the frighteningly cold body. The other guardians cautiously approach not knowing what to expect from the now ex guardian. To everyone's shock the baby resembles Harry, Opal's late son, the only major difference between this baby and Opal's son is the otherworldly white colors of their scales meaning that this child must be a reincarnation of Odin's spirit.
"When the last whisp of my spirit reenters this world, you must make hast and consume it for death and life are one and the same." The grim words echoes in the ex guardian's mind and causes their heart to drop. Carefully, with a mother's devotion, they studied the shape of the child that laid in their arms. They looked so familiar to their child that they had lost so long ago...yet it was not them it was their deity and they must follow their command no matter how painful and gutwrenching it was.
Placing a tear filled kiss on the baby's innocent forehead the Serpentine reared back their head before sinking their fangs into the child's flesh and tearing them asunder. A piercing wail and howls of objections filled the hollow of the mountain as the other guardians tried in vain to stop horrifying act. Several minutes passed by as the baby's wails of agony fell silent but the hair raising sound of crunching bones continued. Finally, with the grip deed done Opal meticulously licked the remaining blood away before settling back on her hunches to wait for the last part of the command to come to pass. A pale glow shone through her body for them and the other guardians to witness the "rebirth" of the deity. The shape melded and grew until it took the form of a seven year old child curled into a fetal position before it faded away inside and within the very center of Opal's soul.
As any self-respecting Zane stan, of course I've seen Decoded. And of course I loved the sweet but subtle character moment of him being bashful and awkward when Jay brought up the statue.
For the longest time, I've always interpreted this moment as Zane being his typical humble, bashful self. And while I'm sure that's true to an extent, recent events from Dragons Rising have led me to consider an alternative interpretation.
If I may bring your attention to this quote from DRpt2:
"Zane had impressive shoes to fill. No one could live up to him, maybe not even Zane himself."
I dunno. There's just something about the fact that Zane's own legacy has outgrown him, that he's overshadowed by the memory of his past self, that rather than a testament to the love his friends and community have for him he instead sees the statue as an insurmountable burden he can never hope to live up to...
Which brings me to yet another blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment from the Shadow of Ronin video game (I know it's canon-ness is debatable, but hear me out for a sec)
While everyone is gathered around Nya and speaking to Borg via hologram, Zane is...gone. He's off in the distance, standing at the base of his statue, just...staring at it.
God, and when you add this all up to Zane's Ice Emperor baggage...yeah.
I will add a new kind of serpentine to my comic. Unlike the other species, they are very kind and also have legs and a tail. They also like sweet fish pie :) I'm still going to improve the design.
My personal headcanon with Jay and his powers for a really long time, after watching in the earliest season when he turned into a snake that, that it never truly been cured or left but has some what merged with himself and his lighting, and the more he uses his powers the more snake like he becomes, his Canines turning more into fangs, snake like pupils, body becoming inhumanely flexible, (just imagine someone twisting his arm but the man can't feel shit) and blue scales slowly appearing on his body. (of course they're gonna be blue, because i say so and cause it's merge with his lighting sooo—)
Not only does it affect his physical body and traits but also his weapons and fighting style. I used the golden weapon in the earlier seasons for this is because I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS FOR A LOOOONG and I always had that vision with those weapons first, also another personal headcanon with the golden weapon and how it in my head had so much potential! So I had been thinking that the on the dragon's mouth would open and lighting would shoot out, can act as a tazer, or when Jay concentrates his lighting enough to have a sort of form he could make it have a sharp edge like a dagger or a long sword for stabby stabs, but my personal favorite is a whip with of course a snake at the tip, I was thinking of the snake looking harmless and with it's mouth closed at first to catch his enemies by surprise when suddenly the whip tries to bite them and the snake suddenly coming alive, that is if they even noticed the snake to begin with, with how I imagine Jay would be going wild with whipping his whip around, and just laughing maniacally.