THE END OF EDEN
Chapter 10: "Death Phantom"
A Sailor Moon fanfic
By Bill K.
Dimly Serenity sensed what Sosuke was saying and what he was feeling and she longed to comfort him. But this was more important. Yoko lay before her, moments from death, and the good Queen just could not accept that. Marshaling her concentration, Serenity called the silver crystal forth once more. Cupping it without touching it, Serenity began to pour silver energy into the broken body of what had been the vibrant, inquisitive, impetuous joy of her life. Yoko would not die so young if Serenity could help it. Even if it took her life, Yoko would live again to run and play and dream.
But from behind and over Serenity's left shoulder a hand stabbed out. It seized the silver crystal and jerked it away. Serenity emitted a piercing shriek of such utter agony as had never been witnessed in the annals of time on the island of Japan. The Queen clutched her arms to her chest, screaming in pain, then keeled over backwards and fell limply to the ground before Sosuke's horrified eyes.
"DROP THAT CRYSTAL, FUJITA!" Sailor Jupiter roared with the rage of a wounded lion. "DROP IT OR I'LL KILL YOU WHERE YOU STAND!"
Contemptuously, the drawn, withered form of Danguro Fujita turned from where it hovered just over Serenity's prone body. He looked at Jupiter, her tiara rod extended and crackling with violent electricity, and then to the others arriving behind her. Mars' hands glowed red with heat, ready to ignite at the merest thought. Venus was crouched and ready to deliver any one of a dozen attacks at the slightest movement from him, while Mercury had her visor down, her computer out and her concentration forced on her enemy and away from Serenity and Yoko. But rather than be angry or intimidated, he merely smiled his skeletal smile at them, his sunken eyes dancing with mischief and his leathery skin drawn tight over protruding teeth and sharp bone.
"I no longer answer to that name," he told them as if lecturing children. "I have ascended to a new level of existence and that identity is in my past. From this point forward, you may know me as - - Death Phantom."
"No," whispered Mercury. Venus and Jupiter heard the whisper and turned slightly, wondering what the team's resident genius had seen or heard or deduced that they hadn't. Out of the corner of their vision, each senshi saw Mercury begin to power up an attack, a look of sudden urgency on her face. Then she held up.
"GIVE IT BACK!" Sosuke screamed as he leaped onto the newly christened Death Phantom before the being could erect his shield again. The fourteen year old grabbed the cadaverous Phantom around the neck and began pounding on him with a savage fury previously unseen in the usually quiet, sensitive youth. "GIVE IT BACK TO USAGI-MAMA! SHE'LL DIE WITHOUT IT! GIVE IT BACK!"
Startled, Death Phantom reeled backwards under the vicious assault of the boy. Venus and Jupiter shifted, trying to get in a shot without hitting Sosuke. Both held back, though, not able to justify risking the boy. Then, to their surprise, Sailor Mars lurched forward and charged the combatants. At first they thought Mars was going to use one of her wards on their adversary. but Venus quickly saw none were in her hand. Then she and Mercury noticed the dark energy gathering at Death Phantom's hands.
As if in slow motion, Sailor Mars leaped at the pair. She grabbed Sosuke around the waist, the boy still flailing away at Death Phantom in righteous fury, and pulled him away with all her strength. Then, in a feat of athleticism no one thought her capable of, Mars twisted in midair just in time to take most of Death Phantom's energy blast in the back. Time seemed to kick back into normal passage. Mars and Sosuke were flung forward, the pair landing hard some thirty feet away. Sosuke moaned and tried to get up. Mars lay still.
"SUPREME THUNDER!" Jupiter roared, hoping to strike in the moment when the barrier was down. A bolt of electricity jumped to the lightning rod extended from her tiara, then shot out toward Death Phantom with deadly force.
Death Phantom merely reached out and caught it with his empty hand, then dissipated the electricity as he laughed.
"Nothing you can do can harm me now," Death Phantom told them. "With the energy of this silver crystal merged with the wondrous power of my own obsidian crystal, I am now the most powerful entity on the planet - - nay, even the universe!"
"Mercury?" Venus asked, eyeing Death Phantom warily.
"Energy output is off the scale, Venus!" Mercury reported. "Not surprising, I suppose."
"You act like you know this guy!" Jupiter barked. "Let us in on it!"
"Didn't you recognize the name?" Mercury asked, incredulously. "Has it been so long that you've forgotten? Death Phantom was the real name behind the alias of WISEMAN!"
A chill ran down the other senshi.
"An interesting name," Death Phantom chortled. "I'll have to remember that."
Suddenly Mercury's concentration shifted. Venus and Jupiter both knew the reaction well. They readied themselves for the command both knew was coming.
"Use your strongest attack on him! Now!" Mercury shouted. "Mercury Aqua Mirage!"
"Jupiter Coconut Cyclone!"
"Rolling Heart Vibration!"
At once three attacks converged on the hovering Death Phantom. A glacier of ice and snow suddenly surrounded the entity, which was then whipped around at gale force while lightning crashed all about him. As the cadaverous horror was buffeted within the confines of the cyclone, a huge heart-shaped mass of golden energy rolled along the ground at terrific speed, barreling straight for him. The mass impacted with Death Phantom and the other attacks and exploded into a shower of golden light. The earth trembled. A deafening clap of thunder rolled across the park and shook the surrounding dwellings. The senshi had to momentarily shield their eyes from the intense light given off.
But when it dissipated, Death Phantom still hovered, his crystal orb in one hand and the silver crystal in the other. He smiled in triumph.
A blast of dark energy struck the three senshi, pulling them off their feet and hurling them backwards. They landed hard on the ground and struggled to get up.
"Led with our aces," Jupiter grimaced as she tried to pull herself up, "and got trumped."
"No, it had an effect," Mercury gasped, struggling to rise. "Look. He's even more withered than before. If he continues to - - expend power at this rate - - effect will be adverse."
"Before or after he kills us?" Venus asked, straining to pull herself off the ground.
Death Phantom didn't move, save to raise his hands over his head. Venus knew it was the killing stroke, while the others suspected it. She dug down deep within herself to get the energy for another attack.
Then Death Phantom reeled, flinching backward as if struck. He struggled to stay aloft, finally succeeding. When he turned back to them, Venus could see what had hit him.
It was a red rose, sticking stem first out of his chest.
King Endymion didn't waste time with posing or on flowery speeches. Perhaps he sensed the time was now to press his attack on Death Phantom. Perhaps he sensed just how bad off his wife was and hurried to restore the silver crystal to her. Four more roses were launched ahead of him. Death Phantom erected a shield and caught them before they could do more damage. Endymion remained undaunted. In midair his uniform changed from a light gray tuxedo to brilliant white armor. He drew a gleaming sword and brought it down on the shield with a savage stroke. The obsidian energy sparked angrily against the sword, then parted. Death Phantom dodged the stroke at the last moment, then fired a blast of energy at Endymion in defense. The blast clipped the King on the shoulder and spun him away.
"Good old Endymion," Venus smiled as she pulled herself together. "Still playing the cavalry."
"Maybe we should help him," suggested Jupiter.
"I don't know," Venus judged. "We might just get in each other's way."
"No!" Mercury exclaimed. "Attack! The more pressure on him, the less likely he'll be able to control all of that power! Remember, only a member of the Royal Line can safely control the silver crystal!"
"That sounds like a plan," Venus nodded with grim satisfaction. She noticed Mercury limping off. "What are you going to do?"
"All I can to keep Serenity alive," Mercury responded. Venus nodded and returned to the fight.
Endymion was holding off Death Phantom's blasts with his cloak while pitching roses at him. Some hit and were clearly wounding their adversary, but Death Phantom was able to evade enough of them to remain in battle shape. Hauling herself to her feet, Jupiter mentally ran through her attacks in search of one that would harm Death Phantom the most without risking Endymion as well. Coconut Cyclone was out. A second passed and Jupiter decided.
"Jupiter!" she hissed, her hand snapping down to her side. "Oak Evolution!"
Electrical bursts began to batter Death Phantom from every side. He howled in rage and tried to force them and Endymion's roses away with his obsidian energy.
Meanwhile, Mercury knelt down next to Serenity. The Queen lay on her back, her breath rapid and shallow, her features twisted up in pain. Both hands were clutched to her chest. Mercury brought her visor back into play.
"Her vitals aren't good," Mercury thought. "She's already nearly comatose. If only there were a place on this uniform to carry a medical kit!" Mercury summoned her computer and ordered a medical team to her location. Then she glanced anxiously back to the battle.
"Rolling Heart Vibration!" Venus called out, standing to one side in order to have a clear shot at her target.
The attack barreled into Death Phantom. He absorbed most of it, but ultimately was rocked by it. Still he stayed aloft. Jupiter again bombarded him with her Oak Evolution attack. Death Phantom cringed back, then let loose a burst of dark energy that Jupiter was unable to evade. Even as she hit the ground, Venus attacked again with Rolling Heart Vibration. Death Phantom absorbed it with some difficulty, then prepared to blast Venus.
"Mercury! Aqua Rhapsody!" the senshi called out, leaving her patient momentarily to launch her attack.
The wave swarmed over Death Phantom, then quick froze him into a glacier of ice. Venus and Endymion used the time to catch their breath and gear up to launch more attacks. Endymion even spared a few moments to help Jupiter to her feet. As expected, fissures began to appear in the glacier. Within seconds it burst apart, dark energy driving through the fissures like wedges. Unwilling to let Death Phantom gain any respite, Endymion swung his sword again and again. Venus followed the volley up with another Rolling Heart Vibration.
"What's it take to put this guy down?" Venus muttered to herself as Death Phantom absorbed all they threw at him and remained steadfastly aloft. Feeling fatigue setting in, the senshi shoved it aside and prepared to launch another attack.
Seeing an opening, Endymion charged and brought his sword down again. Reaching up, Death Phantom was able to erect a barrier at the last moment. The pair stood locked in a test of strength and of will, while Jupiter and Venus prepared to attack again from the flanks.
Then Death Phantom arched backwards, silently screaming in agony. From the hand that held the silver crystal, beams of intense silver light began spraying out through his bony fingers. The energy in his hand continued to build to critical mass, then exploded out. In the second before he was struck by the shockwave from the silver crystal, Endymion saw Death Phantom's remaining flesh being eaten away, leaving only a skeleton bent back in its silent scream of agony. Then he and the senshi were struck and flung back.
Spurring himself to rise, Endymion refocused on the battlefield. The silver crystal hovered in the night sky, radiating silver energy. Beneath it was Death Phantom's skeleton, prone on the ground and unmoving. The King struggled to get to his feet so he could guide the crystal back to save his love before it was too late. He need not have bothered. The crystal glided gently through the air, lowering its altitude until it was directly over Serenity's chest. It pulsed once, then merged with the Queen again. Mercury was watching the entire time.
"Mercury?" Endymion asked.
"Vital signs are stabilizing," Mercury said and Endymion allowed himself to relax. "She's still suffering from shock induced by the trauma of separation from the crystal. She's going to need immediate hospitalization. I've already summoned a med team."
"When are these guys going to learn you don't mess with the silver crystal?" Venus quipped with obvious fatigue.
"How about the others?" Jupiter prodded.
Endymion shuffled past Mercury, drawing the attention of the senshi. Pausing for a moment to stare lovingly at his wife, Endymion then moved past her. He knelt down, scooped up the bloody body of young Yoko, and cradled it to him. Mercury joined him, scanning her with the visor.
"So it looks like we only had one casualty," Venus whispered hoarsely.
"One too many," Jupiter replied bitterly.
"She's still alive!" Mercury proclaimed.
The howl of the medical team sirens overwhelmed the area as they approached. Endymion and Mercury moved to meet them, Mercury's hands on Yoko's abdominal wound to try to stop the bleeding until the med unit could meet them. The remaining senshi gave a silent prayer.
Once Yoko was under the supervision of the medical team, Mercury pried herself away from the unit and staggered over to where Mars and Sosuke lay. She knelt down and scanned both with her visor.
"They both landed pretty hard, and Mars took the brunt of that blast besides," Mercury reported. "They probably should get medical attention as well," and she sighed with relief, "but I don't anticipate these injuries to be life-threatening."
Relieved, Jupiter forced herself up, then glanced around. Venus noticed her growing alarm.
"Lose something?" Venus asked.
"Where's Death Phantom?" Jupiter demanded.
Venus visually scanned the area. Death Phantom's skeleton was gone.
In the scorching, red-hued cavern far beneath the Earth that was once the home of the enigmatic Talon Umbra, Tenera maintained her lonely vigil. Talon Umbra's familiar had not seen her mistress since Talon Umbra had merged her own essence into the obsidian crystal Tenera had brought to the surface. The caves had been silent since Tenera returned from the Earth's surface and the forced killing of the human doctor. The silence was eerie and oppressive, hinting capriciously of the possibility that she was the last of her kind and she would be doomed to die soon in the caves, alone. But, for lack of instructions from she who was Tenera's mistress,the familiar could do nothing but wait.
She walked the tunnels between caves for it was something to do. Meditation had long since lost any value for her. Movement, even aimless movement, meant one more second gone. It was a sign that she still lived, a sign that was at once blessing and curse. It meant that she might live to see her mistress resurrected, but at the price of continuing alone.
Tenera walked into the cave that contained Talon Umbra's throne carved out of solid rock in the cavern wall. She checked the room obsessively, waiting for some sign that her solitude was ended. Now she received that sign. Talon Umbra sat upon the throne once again, her serpentine beauty garbed in her familiar green silk Chinese dress. Tenera fell to her knees and bowed before her mistress.
"My Mistress," Tenera exhorted. "You have been reborn."
"I have been reborn, Tenera," Talon Umbra smiled with serpentine warmth.
Tenera rose up, but remained on her knees. "And are you whole again, My Mistress? Is your power and glory restored to what once was? Please say yes, I beg of you."
"I am not yet restored," she responded. "Though reborn, I am still weak. But I grow stronger with every act of evil and hatred committed upon the surface and my," then Talon Umbra paused and thought. A thought occurred to her and she smiled. "My priest - - yes, I like that - - my priest shall sow evil and hatred all over the surface and I will grow stronger yet on it."
"And what of the light?" Tenera asked. "Will she not oppose you?"
"She is as wounded as I right now. Her fortunes lie in the strength of her heart."
"Give the word, My Mistress, and I shall weave a web that will lead to the ultimate demise of the light."
"No, Tenera, you have played your part in this game and played it well," Talon Umbra looked up at her with supreme confidence. "At this stage, a heavy-handed move would lose me all that I have gained. Now is the time for patience. The stage has been set. It is up to the players to perform according to their parts. But rest assured, my familiar, that the demise of the light is inevitable."
"I bow to your great wisdom, My Mistress," Tenera replied and she pressed her forehead to the floor of the cavern.
Continued in Chapter 11