DISCLAIMER: I only own the story not the characters from Sailor Moon.
A/N: Hi all thank you so much for the reviews, favs and follows. Here is chapter 3 introducing the dum dum dum duuuuum... baddies! Enjoy!
CHAPTER THREE - DEAD KINGDOM
Somewhere in the South, in the darkest ends of the kingdom, where dark clouds loomed and leafless trees stood in their withered forms, a single tall tower can be seen upright surrounded by mist. There was a long narrow bramble-covered stone bridge that led towards it and the darkness was so prevalent it was impossible to make out anything. Gargoyle-like looking statues stood erected by the entrance of the tower. Any sane person would think twice first before entering.
Right at the end of the gloomy hallway, a figure could be seen sitting on a throne that looked like it was carved out of bones. The figure belonged to a queen called Beryl. Long wavy blood-red hair hung down like a heavy curtain and she was dressed in a long purple figure-hugging gown. In front of her was an elongated bone-white rod with a huge obsidian orb resting on top and she was waving her fingers around it. Within the orb was another figure that was entirely hidden under an old gray hood, except for two piercing lights protruding from where the eyes were supposed to be.
"How are you doing Wiseman?" Beryl asked.
"What is it Beryl..." Wiseman's eyes glowed menacingly. He hated small talks especially when he was interrupted from his slumber.
"Well... I called you because..." Beryl's sentence trailed off as she shifted her eyes around the hall, seemingly looking for something.
"Where IS that damn bird?!" She demanded. She has lived for centuries and her patience wore thin a long time ago. Although she has forgotten how it was like to be a "normal" human, the memory of an event was still fresh in her mind...
A frail looking girl with blood-red hair stood among the endless stream of decapitated bodies of the sirens lined up along the shoreline. She last heard her parents' screams fading as they sunk into the bottom of the ocean, never to be seen again. She stared at the falling tide which was splashing dark crimson against her feet. The wailing of a woman could be heard from a distance before it was cut off by a sudden draft of wind. More and more people were being thrown into the waters and a feast was going on behind her. A sickeningly burnt stench soon filled her nose and she did not hate it though she knew that the very people who have told her countless of times what was wrong and what was right would tell her to. She also knew that she did not have to hear them anymore. The seed of excitement grew in her little belly and the corners of her lips lifted slightly.
A man in a hood was standing close and he seemed to be admiring the gruesome scenery. The deed had been done and it will be some time before the birth of the host of the Silver Crystal. All he would do now is wait while the new immortals live their stupid long happy lives as rulers until... His thoughts were cut short and he glanced down when he felt a pair of eyes on him. She recognized him as the village wizard whom everyone called Wiseman and he recognized her as the girl whom nobody, not even her own parents understood. But he did. He saw potential. He saw evil he could use. He discontinued his pondering and shuffled across the sand towards her.
"I know what you are." The girl said as she looked up at him. His irises were grey and fine lines formed around the corners of his eyes.
He responded with a chuckle that sounded like the crinkling of dead leaves and exposed his right palm. Resting on it was a thick piece of white meat and a fishy smell reeked from it. The girl stared at it blankly.
"Raw is better." He said in a raspy voice, beckoning her to take it.
The girl took it unquestioningly and shoved it into her mouth. She licked her lips, delighted with the taste.
"Is there anymore?"She asked with a new kind of desire beaming through her face.
Wiseman gave his new young protégée his hand which she took without hesitation and allowed herself to be led away from the ocean, marking the start of a new bond.
"What is your name?" Wiseman asked.
"Sarah."
"Such a dull name isn't fit for a lovely girl like yourself. How about... Beryl?"
"Beryl... hee! I love it!"
Suddenly, a flapping sound cut through her thoughts and a hawk with wild-pink feathers appeared in front of Beryl, which within a blink of an eye, turned into a man of lanky built with a spunky wild-pink hairdo. He had his eyes down and bowed before Beryl.
"Queen Beryl, Hawk's Eye at your service!" He raised his slanted eyes towards her and flashed his most flirtatious smile.
Unimpressed, she beckoned him and looked back towards Wiseman in her magical black orb.
"Wiseman, Hawk's Eye here has something to tell you."
"Oh? And you couldn't handle that yourself?" The glare radiating from Wiseman's eyes intensified.
"Trust me. This is better than your sleep."
"I will decide on that Beryl, not you… which reminds me... Is that boy dead? The answer had better well be 'yes'. Well?"
Hawk's Eye cleared his throat. "Well, um... I did as you told, and made him fall into the water. But he um..." He looked down towards the cold stone floor. "He got out..."
"WHAT?! You incompetent shape-shifting IDIOT! Why I'm gonna-!" Wiseman snapped.
"Oh do let him finish Wiseman." Beryl sighed.
Hawk's Eye gulped and continued, "well... Something got him out. Something that lives in the water. It looked like a woman except..."
"...except?" the glint from Wiseman's crazy eyes lessened and he leaned forward. Beryl smirked faintly. She knew exactly what Hawk's Eye was going to reveal next.
"Well...she had a tail. Like a fish." Hawk's Eye closed his palms together and did a side to side flowing motion to emphasize his point.
"A siren?!" The lights from Wiseman's eyes have now enshrouded his entire face.
"I told you." Queen Beryl added.
"Yes...YES! It is... and if she has the Silver Crystal it would save us a lot of trouble Beryl... We don't need to go after those damn immortals anymore!" Wiseman proclaimed.
"Silver Crystal?" Hawk's Eye raised his eyebrows in curiosity.
"Yes! The purest form of crystal! All those wasted time when we could have just waited. But I was too impatient, so sure that I would get my hands on... Do you still remember Beryl?" Wiseman rambled on.
Queen Beryl remembered.
"Where are we going Wiseman?" A century had passed and Beryl now stood a foot taller than Wiseman.
"We're going to pay King Endymion a visit, my sweet." Wiseman replied. He on the other hand was looking more haggard after having used up so much of his magic that the only thing that could restore him was pure crystal from an immortal. He chose King Endymion who had always been a loner and so was a good target. He dwells alone in the far South with just his four loyal guardians aiding him and rumor has it that there was another always at his side. A lover perhaps? Well he would soon find out about that, Wiseman thought to himself. It was going to be risky as it would require him to use up more of his power and it could kill him. But the thought of having the crystal, the thought of becoming strong and powerful outweighed all possible consequences.
They entered the king's tower after passing through the narrow stone bridge.
"What do you want Wiseman? I don't ever recall inviting you." A tall man with short hair and dressed in lavender royal garments reluctantly greeted them at the entrance, a look of disdain written all over his handsome face. His four loyal guards, the Shitennou stood next to him, with their brows furrowed and hands at the sheaths of their swords, ready to defend at the first sign of attack. Beryl giggled as she glanced back and forth between them. The coldness of her white skin disgusted them and they hated the way she looked.
"Not much into formalities I see. Well, you know why I'm here Endymion."
"I don't know what you're talking about." King Endymion retorted.
"Oh yes you do Endymion." Wiseman stretched out his hand in a receiving gesture. "Give it to me..."
"No! You cannot have it! It is wrong!" King Endymion took a step backwards, his heart racing.
"Wrong? Endymion, Have you forgotten how you became king, hmm?" Wiseman slowly closed the distance between them.
"Is that a threat?!"
"I'd like to think of it as more of a... favor being returned..."
"Why you-! Shitennou get rid of them! Shitennou?!"
He looked to his side and to his horror, the Shitennou's legs were locked in place. They could not move nor scream. They stared at Beryl, realizing that they were under her control.
"GIVE ME YOUR CRYSTAL ENDYMION!"
"AHHHH...!" King Endymion screamed as a piercing pain shot through his chest. Wiseman's contorted his hands like the claws of a beast and directed towards the king's burning chest in a grip-like fashion, twisting the air.
The Shitennou were dismayed and tried to struggle and break themselves free but Beryl's hold was too strong. They helplessly watched as their king collapsed to the floor, eyes glazed, breathing shallow and they noticed the faint movement of his lips as though mouthing a name or prayer before he slipped into oblivion.
Wiseman shuffled closer towards the fallen figure. He had saved his remaining bit of energy for the attack on the king and has grown weak from it. But he smiled knowing that once he has the crystal everything would be... wait, something was not right. His smile was suddenly replaced by a look of confusion.
"Where is it?" There was no crystal and confusion led to anger.
"WHERE IS IT?!" As Wiseman screamed for the crystal that would not appear, grey smoke started to emit from underneath his cloak. He stared at his arms, horrified by what was happening to him. His skin started to disintegrate, followed by his flesh, his hair, his eyes... till he was nothing but a skeleton wrapped in a hood. Beryl shrieked at the sight and grabbed hold of his collapsing remains.
"WISEMAN!"
"Beryl... I've used up all my energy... Endymion... he must have known and hid his crystal... I've underestimated his gift of foresight…"
"Take mine!"
"No... it's no use... I need a pure crystal... ha...ha... the irony... you know what to do Beryl..."
"KING ENDYMION!" The spell on the Shitennou was broken when Beryl ran towards Wiseman. They drew their swords and were about to launch an attack on her but before they know it, she already had a blade held against King Endymion's neck, ready to slice open his jugular.
"If I die, he dies..." She snarled, forcing the Shitennou to move back, cursing. When she was satisfied with the distance between them, she chanted a spell and a large black orb appeared before her. Through her incantations, Wiseman transformed into his metaphysical form and whisked into it where he would spend a long time recuperating.
Beryl took over King Endymion's place and proclaimed herself queen. For centuries she spent collecting pure energy from the humans, the animals, the trees, and everything that she could grab her hands on from around the kingdom, feeding it to her sleeping master, causing the surrounding land to slip into decaying darkness and madness. Sometimes she amused herself with the catatonic king whom she has kept away from the Shitennou forcing them to commit to her evil deeds. It continued on this way until recently when news about the birth of a certain prince evoked the reawakening of Wiseman.
"Hello Beryl..." The long awaited voice greeted a surprised Beryl.
"Wiseman!"
"I want to thank you... for feeding me energy all these years... But alas... it is time for me to return for you see... I sense a new threat emerging... and I need you more than ever..."
"Um..." Hawk's Eye's voice disrupted Beryl's thoughts.
"What?!" Beryl growled.
"What... what is the Silver Crystal?"
"It's none of your business Hawk's Eye. Your job is to find the siren and lure her out. Shitennou, come forth!"
Silhouettes of four men materialized to form a line before Beryl and bowed before her. "Yes!"
"Jadeite! Nephrite! Zoisite! Kunzite! Follow Hawk's Eye and bring the siren back alive!" Beryl commanded.
"Yes!" And the Shitennou's shadows faded away.
"And Hawk's Eye! Don't think we've forgiven you. Your priority is still the prince so finish your job once we have the siren, understand? Now leave!" Beryl waved her hand at him, shooing him away.
"Yes Queen Beryl..." Hawk's Eye took one last bow before he metamorphosed into his hawk form and flew out of the tower.
"Those men... the Shitennou are not trustworthy... Why don't you just kill Endymion… He's useless anyway…" Wiseman said in a raspy voice.
"I've cursed their king. If they kill me, he dies too. They wouldn't want that. " Beryl replied.
"Do not make the same mistake I did Beryl..." The last of Wiseman's words trailed off and he was back to his slumber, leaving the immortal queen alone again on the stolen throne in the stolen kingdom where she hummed to herself in an eerie tune.