Chapter 1
Dark Goddess
A thin, feeble wail cut through the frigid night like a knife, sounding like the lament of a
damned soul as the babe drew in her first lungful of cold, clean air. The child's mother, weak and
exhausted, with the heat of a fever already beginning to warm her glowing brow, ignored the
severe pain invading her body, and pushed at the frail little creature whose cries were coming
from between her legs. The wretched woman wept as she labored, tears of agony and fright
blending with the sweat dripping into her eyes and streaming down her cheeks in rivers. As the
half-born infant howled in raw terror at leaving the familiarity of her mother's womb, the
woman screamed curses and pleaded for mercy from the gods who had forsaken them. In the
entire universe, there was only one divine being who heard or cared.
Aha. The dark goddess thought. At last the Promise Child has been born. A cruel smile
spread across her bewitching features. Forsaken by the gods indeed! Actually, such would be a
fairly accurate assessment of the woman's situation. For she herself had once been one of the
gods. She had been a planetary goddess—a most powerful breed of immortals. Then like a fool,
she had broken a promise she had made to the highest of planetary goddesses, Selene, goddess of
the moon. The dark one had expected no better of her, for planetary goddess though she may
have been Lady Saturn had been saddled with tragically mortal character flaws. She fully
deserved the punishment Selene had placed upon her. The goddess' smile broadened. Within her
mind, she began to tell a most well known story:
While still of the world of men, Selene, goddess of the moon, united the ruling goddesses of eight planets to
form the Kingdom of the White Moon.
Abruptly, she halted her train of thought. Yes, it was a story known all over the cosmos.
Wherever there were worldly gods, there was this story, for Selene was a seen as the grandest
of all goddesses—at least, among the gods of light.
Ah, yes, the gods of light. Wrathfully, the goddess bared her teeth into the emptiness
surrounding her. Curse them. Curse the gods of light one thousand times over. Their power
made them arrogant, but they were a pathetic hoard of cowards, the whole lot of them. Idiots,
they were, for they had exalted Selene far beyond her merits. At the thought of that particular
light sister of hers, the dark one began pacing angrily. Selene was the worst of all the light
deities. It was in her name that the others had shunned those of their dark brothers and sisters
that dwelled in the world of men, claiming that they were power-mad and would rule any
kingdom they would acquire with an iron fist. That was the reason Selene had agreed to allow
the seven planetary goddesses to train their daughters as warriors. She hoped that the Sailor
Soldiers, as they came to be called, would keep the Kingdom of the White Moon safe from the
armies of her dark siblings. Not to mention that four of those soldiers were appointed to guard
the Lunarian goddess' despicable mortal child, Serenity, just to make certain that her line would
always stay upon the throne. Any dark god who desired Serenity's crown would have to face the
four Sailor Guardians. Each one would be protected by the mother of her line who, through her
youngest descendant, could fight to keep Serenity on her throne, even from the Realm of Gods.
Hypocrites. That was what the gods of light were. Terrible hypocrites.
The dark goddess stopped in mid-stride. Slowly, a smug grin spread across her face.
Well, perhaps not all the gods of light were so hateful. Lady Saturn had been among them
before she betrayed her promise to Selene by taking a lover and was punished with mortality.
Certainly, she had been quite useless before she had conceived a child by the King of Pluto, but
no longer. For it was with the fruit of Lady Saturn's womb—the Promise Child—that the dark
goddess would fulfill the prophecy promising the destruction of the Sailor Soldiers, and
Serenity's crown, to one dark sister.
Yes, with the aid of the Promise Child, one dark sister would not only acquire a
kingdom of her own, but would have her desire for vengeance against Selene quenched.
Revenge against the highest of their light sisters was something all dark gods hungered for.
With help from the Promise Child, one dark sister would have just that. Truly, what revenge
sought against Selene could be sweeter than spilling the blood of her line upon the ruins of her
great Silver Palace?
The goddess began to tremble with wild anticipation. There was no existing god or
goddess, dark or light, which would argue with any who called this dark one a bloodthirsty
being. Not even the goddess herself denied it. It was simple truth that she hungered for
bloodshed. She was not ashamed of that. It was her nature, and she had no desire to escape it.
There was no doubt in her mind that she was the dark sister of the Dead Moon Queen's
prophecy. There was simply no other dark goddess suited for the role, especially with the
challenges they would face along the path to glory. Knowing what they would have to overcome
if they were chosen to fulfill the prophecy, most dark goddesses would decline, letting the
foretelling go unconcluded while they quietly seethed over their exile. This one, though, had a
sense of vengeance to rival that of the planetary goddess, Lady Mars. Her fury was far too great
to allow Selene to go unpunished. The very core of the goddess' being desired the Promise
Child's soul, for with it, she could satisfy not only her hatred of her light sister, but her natural
bloodlust as well. The Promise Child was all she needed to bring Selene to her knees before her.
She would be a heroine among her dark brothers and sisters, and the Kingdom of the White
Moon would be hers to control, just as it should be.
"Make no mistake, sister," she hissed, knowing Selene could hear her clearly, "You will
pay for your crimes against your dark kin, when at last I drink of Serenity's blood."
A sudden image flashed across her mind. Queen Serenity lay dead upon the steps of the
crumbling Silver Palace; her impossibly beautiful face was a sickly grey color. A dark red flower
blossomed over her silver-white gown as blood continued to pour from a gaping wound at her
breast. The dark goddess knelt beside Selene's fifth descendant, cupping her hands beneath the
crimson stream trickling from another gash in her side. Her enemy's life force pooled in her
hands, thick and rich crimson in color. When she had collected all she could hold, the immortal
raised her hands to her mouth and downed the stuff thirstily, her hands coming away red and
stained. Serenity' blood glistened on the goddess' lips. She cleaned it from her mouth with a
greedy tongue, a spark of animalistic pleasure lighting her dusky eyes as she smiled contentedly.
The vision faded, and the dark one felt human lust awaked within her loins. In satisfying
a similar lust, Lady Saturn had betrayed her sister, Selene. With the child that had quickened
the foolish light sister's womb, the dark one would spill Serenity's blood upon her feet, gorging
herself on the stuff to quiet her own desire. She could almost taste the Queen's sweet blood now,
rich and still warm with waning life as it flowed down her throat. It was only a matter of time.
Yes, Metallia thought with a malevolent smile. Once the Promise Child is mine, it is only a matter of
time.
Dark Goddess
A thin, feeble wail cut through the frigid night like a knife, sounding like the lament of a
damned soul as the babe drew in her first lungful of cold, clean air. The child's mother, weak and
exhausted, with the heat of a fever already beginning to warm her glowing brow, ignored the
severe pain invading her body, and pushed at the frail little creature whose cries were coming
from between her legs. The wretched woman wept as she labored, tears of agony and fright
blending with the sweat dripping into her eyes and streaming down her cheeks in rivers. As the
half-born infant howled in raw terror at leaving the familiarity of her mother's womb, the
woman screamed curses and pleaded for mercy from the gods who had forsaken them. In the
entire universe, there was only one divine being who heard or cared.
Aha. The dark goddess thought. At last the Promise Child has been born. A cruel smile
spread across her bewitching features. Forsaken by the gods indeed! Actually, such would be a
fairly accurate assessment of the woman's situation. For she herself had once been one of the
gods. She had been a planetary goddess—a most powerful breed of immortals. Then like a fool,
she had broken a promise she had made to the highest of planetary goddesses, Selene, goddess of
the moon. The dark one had expected no better of her, for planetary goddess though she may
have been Lady Saturn had been saddled with tragically mortal character flaws. She fully
deserved the punishment Selene had placed upon her. The goddess' smile broadened. Within her
mind, she began to tell a most well known story:
While still of the world of men, Selene, goddess of the moon, united the ruling goddesses of eight planets to
form the Kingdom of the White Moon.
Abruptly, she halted her train of thought. Yes, it was a story known all over the cosmos.
Wherever there were worldly gods, there was this story, for Selene was a seen as the grandest
of all goddesses—at least, among the gods of light.
Ah, yes, the gods of light. Wrathfully, the goddess bared her teeth into the emptiness
surrounding her. Curse them. Curse the gods of light one thousand times over. Their power
made them arrogant, but they were a pathetic hoard of cowards, the whole lot of them. Idiots,
they were, for they had exalted Selene far beyond her merits. At the thought of that particular
light sister of hers, the dark one began pacing angrily. Selene was the worst of all the light
deities. It was in her name that the others had shunned those of their dark brothers and sisters
that dwelled in the world of men, claiming that they were power-mad and would rule any
kingdom they would acquire with an iron fist. That was the reason Selene had agreed to allow
the seven planetary goddesses to train their daughters as warriors. She hoped that the Sailor
Soldiers, as they came to be called, would keep the Kingdom of the White Moon safe from the
armies of her dark siblings. Not to mention that four of those soldiers were appointed to guard
the Lunarian goddess' despicable mortal child, Serenity, just to make certain that her line would
always stay upon the throne. Any dark god who desired Serenity's crown would have to face the
four Sailor Guardians. Each one would be protected by the mother of her line who, through her
youngest descendant, could fight to keep Serenity on her throne, even from the Realm of Gods.
Hypocrites. That was what the gods of light were. Terrible hypocrites.
The dark goddess stopped in mid-stride. Slowly, a smug grin spread across her face.
Well, perhaps not all the gods of light were so hateful. Lady Saturn had been among them
before she betrayed her promise to Selene by taking a lover and was punished with mortality.
Certainly, she had been quite useless before she had conceived a child by the King of Pluto, but
no longer. For it was with the fruit of Lady Saturn's womb—the Promise Child—that the dark
goddess would fulfill the prophecy promising the destruction of the Sailor Soldiers, and
Serenity's crown, to one dark sister.
Yes, with the aid of the Promise Child, one dark sister would not only acquire a
kingdom of her own, but would have her desire for vengeance against Selene quenched.
Revenge against the highest of their light sisters was something all dark gods hungered for.
With help from the Promise Child, one dark sister would have just that. Truly, what revenge
sought against Selene could be sweeter than spilling the blood of her line upon the ruins of her
great Silver Palace?
The goddess began to tremble with wild anticipation. There was no existing god or
goddess, dark or light, which would argue with any who called this dark one a bloodthirsty
being. Not even the goddess herself denied it. It was simple truth that she hungered for
bloodshed. She was not ashamed of that. It was her nature, and she had no desire to escape it.
There was no doubt in her mind that she was the dark sister of the Dead Moon Queen's
prophecy. There was simply no other dark goddess suited for the role, especially with the
challenges they would face along the path to glory. Knowing what they would have to overcome
if they were chosen to fulfill the prophecy, most dark goddesses would decline, letting the
foretelling go unconcluded while they quietly seethed over their exile. This one, though, had a
sense of vengeance to rival that of the planetary goddess, Lady Mars. Her fury was far too great
to allow Selene to go unpunished. The very core of the goddess' being desired the Promise
Child's soul, for with it, she could satisfy not only her hatred of her light sister, but her natural
bloodlust as well. The Promise Child was all she needed to bring Selene to her knees before her.
She would be a heroine among her dark brothers and sisters, and the Kingdom of the White
Moon would be hers to control, just as it should be.
"Make no mistake, sister," she hissed, knowing Selene could hear her clearly, "You will
pay for your crimes against your dark kin, when at last I drink of Serenity's blood."
A sudden image flashed across her mind. Queen Serenity lay dead upon the steps of the
crumbling Silver Palace; her impossibly beautiful face was a sickly grey color. A dark red flower
blossomed over her silver-white gown as blood continued to pour from a gaping wound at her
breast. The dark goddess knelt beside Selene's fifth descendant, cupping her hands beneath the
crimson stream trickling from another gash in her side. Her enemy's life force pooled in her
hands, thick and rich crimson in color. When she had collected all she could hold, the immortal
raised her hands to her mouth and downed the stuff thirstily, her hands coming away red and
stained. Serenity' blood glistened on the goddess' lips. She cleaned it from her mouth with a
greedy tongue, a spark of animalistic pleasure lighting her dusky eyes as she smiled contentedly.
The vision faded, and the dark one felt human lust awaked within her loins. In satisfying
a similar lust, Lady Saturn had betrayed her sister, Selene. With the child that had quickened
the foolish light sister's womb, the dark one would spill Serenity's blood upon her feet, gorging
herself on the stuff to quiet her own desire. She could almost taste the Queen's sweet blood now,
rich and still warm with waning life as it flowed down her throat. It was only a matter of time.
Yes, Metallia thought with a malevolent smile. Once the Promise Child is mine, it is only a matter of
time.