Sailor Pluto stood leaning against the wall of the omniversal time-chamber, staring absently into the chrono-crystal, bored as usual. With the exception of the dark moon family, no one had corrupted the timestream. That is, unless you count the incident with Darkstar, but that whole sequence had been erased from history. This made her job as the guardian of time utterly unexciting, especially since none of the guards that Neo-Queen Serenity had charged with protecting the chamber were allowed to converse with the green-haired woman for fear that she might reveal something of their futures. She wouldn't of course; she just wanted something to break up the monotony. She should have been more careful with her wishes.

A commotion outside the chamber entrance drew her attention, and upon peering out, she saw Evan Magus, a minor noble and a madman with wild cobalt hair and an expensive looking white suit flinging the guards about the hall, and moving fast in her direction. Sailor Pluto ducked as a body sailed over her head and collided with the wall, then knelt beside Derek, the victim, who was bleeding badly on the floor, and discovered that if he were to move at all he would tear all of his abdominal organs apart and die within minutes. She was considering what to do when she suddenly realized that she had foolishly left the time-staff in the chamber. Turning about, the guardian of time leapt into the room, only to discover that Magus was faster, and had snatched up the weapon with a gleeful expression on his face.

"It won't work," she said boldly, "The staff can't be used by anyone but me."

"Really?" was Magus' reply.

What she said was true, only she knew the secret of the staff, that only one who didn't question it's power could use it, and no sane person could touch it without at least the shadow of a doubt. But when the green energy began to crackle off of the staff, she realized her second mistake. He wasn't sane, Evan Magus had gone completely mad with hatred at the Moon Royal court, and rational thought no longer ruled his actions. In the midst of Evan's maddened laughter, however, Derek the Door guard leapt screaming from his place on the floor, spraying blood everywhere, and locked his grip on the time staff just an instant before they both vanished into the timestream.

On the verge of panic, Sailor Pluto rushed to the chrono-crystal, and searched for paradoxes, and immediately several came up. Groaning, she decided to start from the beginning, see how bad the damage was and how much it would escalate. Peering into the facets of the otherworldly gem, she saw the first divergence.

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Sailor Moon and her two comrades arrived outside the warehouse just in time to see Neflyte finish off the last of Zoicyte's plant monsters, standing protectively in front of Molly. Zoicyte muttered a curse and disappeared in a glimmer of pale green light. Sailor Moon noticed That Neflyte oozed green blood from a pair of nasty cuts on his left shoulder, but seemed otherwise unharmed. Molly ran to her love and hugged him tightly, sobbing into his chest. The Former Negaverse general stroked her hair and whispered soothingly into her ear that it was over and they were safe.

After a few moments and a tender kiss, Neflyte gently pushed the girl away and turned to face the champion of justice.

"Well, Sailor Moon," he said resignedly, "if you still want to kill me, you'll never have a better chance."

Molly gasped and turned to the pretty soldier, wide eyes pleading. The sailor scout's head drooped. "How do I know you won't turn evil again?"

Before he could respond, a figure materialized behind Neflyte hovering off the ground and wielding a very large sickle; swinging his weapon in a downward arc, the newcomer plunged the scythe-like blade into Neflyte's chest. Neflyte staggered, all four girls screamed in unison. Everyone heard a deep, callous voice inside their heads, not with their ears, presumably from the assailant coldly state "You cannot be allowed to live," He then tore the blade free, sending Neflyte falling forward.

The assassin was cloaked and hooded, clad all in black, save for a white face mask. Molly ran to Neflyte's fallen form, while Sailor Moon ripped her tiara from her head, intending to strike the dark figure down, but he vanished as abruptly as he had appeared, the impassive features of his mask revealing nothing. Sailor Mercury had rushed to where Molly sat cradling Neflyte, begging him not to die. Neflyte smiled softly and said in a weak voice "I won't be able to make that dinner date with you. I'm sorry; it seems I lied to you again. I hope you ca—" but his voice trailed off as he discorporated in a spray of rainbow sparkles, leaving nothing behind except the piece of Molly's pajama that she had used to bandage his forearm. All the four girls could do was cry.

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Sailor Pluto frowned. Whatever Magus was up to, it certainly wasn't what she had been expecting. Her curiosity rising, the tall woman moved on to the next divergence.

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Raye sat staring into the fire in deep meditation. Three weeks had passed since the death of Neflyte, and the strange assassin had not appeared since. The flames flickered in the dim light, casting dancing shadows along the walls, but gave no clues about the man in black. After four hours Raye's concentration began to wane, replaced by frustration. Just as she was about to give up, the flames crackled and showed an image of Sailor Moon and Sailor Jupiter standing before Zoicyte and another monster. Raye muttered a mild curse and bolted out the door, punching Amy's button on her communicator.

Sailor Jupiter stared in shock as her lighting blast was caught in Technicion's flask. This was the last event that Tuxedo mask would see before his vision was obscured by a blast of bubbles and fog, forcing him to focus solely on Zoicyte, who was already growling in anger. Looking down, the Negaverse General said "I'll let you have the blue crystal, just let me escape."

Stifling a grin at her cleverness, Zoicyte shouted her attack command-word and blasted the off-guard warrior with dark energy. Unfortunately Tuxedo Mask managed to dodge and, much to the general's surprise, charged. Unable to defend against the human's attacks, Zoicyte found herself disarmed and on the ground, the blue rainbow crystal skittering across the ground. Tuxedo Mask calmly walked over to the crystal and reached, but stopped just short of having his hand amputated as a scythe-like blade pierced the ground beside the crystal. Jumping back, the warrior demanded "Who are you?"

The answer came not through sound, but spoken directly into his mind. The mental voice was cold and detached, completely devoid of emotion as it said "Just a phantom in a mask."

Looking closer, Tuxedo Mask realized that the sheet-white face was indeed a mask, and not a face after all. His black clothes fluttered as he hovered just above the ground, and the human guardian readied his cane for combat and charged. The stranger blocked three attacks easily, then spun the scythe so that the blade sliced the cane in two, and the haft caught Tuxedo Mask in the side of his head, sending him sprawling. Expertly handling his weapon, the stranger picked the crystal up with the point of his blade and offered it to the bewildered Zoicyte. The Negaverse General suddenly remembered hearing of Neflyte's death at the hands of a cowled, scythe-wielding mystery man who had disappeared immediately afterward. Grinning, Zoicyte snatched the blue crystal and produced another crystal-blade, saying "Now you die, Tuxedo Mask!"

Zoicyte took one step forward but was stopped by the tip of the scythe at her throat. Inside their minds, Tuxedo Mask and Zoicyte heard the stranger say "You have your prize. Leave now."

The general gritted her teeth but said nothing as she teleported away. Tuxedo Mask watched baffled as the self-proclaimed phantom took one last look at the beaten warrior, and vanished without so much as a flash of light. Standing, the warrior saw the girls had beaten the monster, and decided to make his own retreat, still unsure of the newcomer's intentions.

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Sailor Pluto frowned even more, her confusion increasing. And what was with the scythe-wielder? Shaking her head, the guardian of time moved on to the next anomaly.

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"I'm Sailor Venus, and if you're looking to make any trouble, here it comes, right back at ya! Venus Crescent Beam Smash!"

Malachite yelped as the bright yellow beam sliced through his hands, shattering his concentration and the force dome. Zoicyte held her lover, exclaiming "She's broken the force field! How could she?!"

The grey-haired general paid little attention as he considered their next course of action. With all five scouts here, he doubted that they could win. As if reading his mind, several attack commands were shouted simultaneously from the girls, sending volleys of light and lightning, fire and magic cascading towards him and his paramour. Before he even had time to react, the attacks erupted in a brilliant flash of light in front of him, sending shadows skittering across the site. When the light returned to normal, Malachite saw what must have been the man Zoicyte had been talking about.

Dressed in black, wielding a great scythe and hovering just inches off the ground, the figure turned his masked face toward them, saying in their minds, rather than their ears "Queen Beryl would like a word with you."

Malachite's brow furrowed as Zoicyte scowled, but the general stood and summoned the necessary energy to transport himself and his partner back to the Negaverse. As soon as he arrived, he opened a scrying window, and saw that this "phantom" vanished just as quickly as they. After a moment's pondering, Malachite turned his attention to his queen, who was already assailing Zoicyte.

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Sailor Pluto's mind spun with theories, but none of them seemed to add up. Perhaps Magus had cosmetically redesigned the time-staff, so as to throw her off, but if that were the case, why hadn't he killed the scouts yet? In fact, the man (she thought it was a man) with the scythe seemed primarily interested in prolonging the battle between the scouts and the Negaverse.

Raising her gaze at a noise from the doorway, the guardian of time saw one of the guards rise to his feet unsteadily. Leaving the chrono-crystal, Sailor Pluto raced to his side, asking "Are you alright?"

The man shook his head groggily before answering "Yes, ma'am."

"Good," the green-haired woman replied, "I need you to carry a message to Queen Serenity. You have to inform her that Evan Magus has stolen the time-staff and disappeared into the past."

The guard stared blankly for a moment, until Sailor Pluto cried "Go!" at which point the man regained his senses and rushed off.

Pursing her lips, the tall woman returned to the chrono-crystal and brought up the next paradox.

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The memories flooded through her mind like a torrent. She and Prince Darien in happiness, then flames, her powerless. Serena staggered as the totality of her past life was thrust into her skull without sympathy or mercy. It was too much, her mind couldn't handle it, and she collapsed on the floor. The other sailor scouts rushed to her aid, fearing for both her life and that of Tuxedo Mask, who lay on the ground, bleeding badly. Before any action could be taken, Malachite appeared, tending to Zoicyte. Sailor Jupiter growled, almost feral, at his appearance. Words were exchanged between the Negaverse Generals, but none of the girls could hear.

Suddenly Sailor Mars leapt up and threw a sealing scroll on Tuxedo Masks fallen form, just in time to counter the spell Malachite had cast. Whatever it's intended purpose, it had failed. Sailor Jupiter had had enough; the warrior girl bolted from her kneeling position, intent on causing grievous bodily harm to their adversaries. She too, however, would be interrupted, her swift steps halted by the sharp clang of the tip of a scythe-blade hitting the ground in front of her. Skidding to a stop, Sailor Jupiter saw for the second time the strange interloper whose interference had cost them victory time and again. She growled once more.

Sailor Mercury noticed with interest that neither of the Negaverse Generals seemed particularly pleased by the phantom's appearance either. Her attention was drawn, however, by Sailor Jupiter's cry of pain as she was struck across the face by the haft of the sickle that the phantom wielded and the attacker rushed past her fallen form, always hovering just inches above the ground, and gathered up the limp Tuxedo Mask so swiftly that none of them had time to react. The man in black moved so fast he seemed to blink from one location to the next, arriving finally beside Malachite, dropping the body he carried before him.

"Take him and go," came the callous words in everyone's mind, no clues ever given through the expressionless white mask on the being's face.

Malachite didn't look happy, but he made a sign with his hand, and he, Zoicyte, and Tuxedo Mask all vanished in a glimmer of light. Sailor Venus, in a rage, began her chant "Venus Crescent Beam . . ."

The phantom methodically raised the blade of his scythe to bisecting the image of his face, and when Sailor Venus' final command word was given, he moved it only marginally, so that the cutting attack collided with it. When the light faded, both the phantom and the blade were unmarked. He didn't move however, simply hovered there, maybe fifty feet away. Some time passed in nervous silence, until Sailor Moon regained consciousness. Shaking her head slightly, the pretty soldier looked around and asked in a shocked voice where Tuxedo Mask had gone.

"He took him," Sailor Mars said in a baleful voice, glaring at the motionless phantom.

Sailor Mercury stood and approached the figure, who hovered without reaction, and demanded "Who are you?"

"Just a phantom in a mask," came the emotionless reply inside the listener's skulls.

"Are you guarding, to ensure that we don't escape?" the blue-haired scout inquired.

"No," the phantom answered, "right now I'm just watching."

"Amy," came the voice of Luna from the circle of young women, "you should hear this."

The Phantom hovered there, just out of earshot of the small group for several minutes while Luna and Artemis recounted the scouts' previous lives as royalty in the Silver Moon Kingdom. Time passed and the scouts all eventually agreed that their best course of action would be to escape. Sailor Mercury stood looking flustered for a moment then said "The space in this tower is warped. My computer can't locate an exit."

Before any could react, the phantom floated soundlessly by them, not even seeming to acknowledge their presence. The girls watched apprehensively as the figure raised his scythe and brought it back down with such force as to tear the very fabric of the warped reality of the tower, creating a rift that they all could pass through, then turned and said "There's your exit."

One by one the girls suspiciously moved through the rift, and onward through the tower. Once the last scout was through, Phantom Mask slowly drew the tip of his weapon from the top to the bottom of the rift, sealing it shut, then vanished himself.

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It definitely wasn't Magus, Sailor Pluto was certain of that. Whoever it was, he seemed to be serving Magus' interests. That madman had certainly made a powerful ally.

Powerful enough to stand with the power of Time on equal footing. Whoever this phantom was, he was strong, and that made the matter all the more worrisome. The scythe tugged at the back of her mind from somewhere, but she couldn't quite nail the thought down. Resolving to discover who this man was, she altered the focus of the chrono-crystal to show her anyone who might have power equal to that of Time.

The list was small, the first being Darkness, whose only avatar was that horrific creature known as Bad Luck; then came Energy, who had appointed no avatar since King Obsidius had stolen the last one's power. Others crossed her view; Space, Mass, Change, all of the eternal forces that, like Time, could never be truly destroyed.

Then she saw it, the last of the forces which could challenge Time, and her blood ran cold. The whole of history was doomed if Magus had indeed made an ally of Death.