Divinity: Fates and the Afterlife

Chapter Eighty-Nine


"Centaurus..."

Aegeus muttered more surprised than concerned to see his peer had given away his weapon so nonchalantly to the man confronting Chaos. A man he still wasn't so sure of himself to be who Centaurus or Ares was so sure he was. Successor? A person that succeeds someone needs to fill a big space, big shoes, and to really fill Helios' was quite a big statement since the titan had literally carved his spotless reputation by holding Olympus' respect in one hand and authority to command on his other.

Helios was Ares' master, after all. The Titan of the Sun trained and taught everything the God of War now knew and who consequently, taught him when he was chosen to be a polemarchos. How could a human being be the successor of such a big entity? How could a human being carry such a legacy over his shoulders?

If Centaurus had not mentioned his reasons to be there, he would have had a hard time accepting that he was in fact, the man the gods had been keeping both a secret and an outcast labeling him as one of the worst sins that ever existed in the divine realm.

Aegeus remembered Ares' words when he met with him and it made sense; now it made perfect sense. This is exactly what he wanted. He said he couldn't fight Chaos because he knew someone else was going to do it, realizing why the god of war said his power no longer could stop Chaos' malice.

It wasn't unparalleled, and Ares wasn't a weakling or a broken soul, but he knew his limits. And after all, Ares had a higher rank and a master-pupil relationship with Helios no one else in the history of war had. This was a secret the god of war had been keeping year after year after year, and his great interest to preserve Helios' dynasty went more than a fixation, it was an act of loyalty and servitude to the very one that once saved his life and offered his skill and knowledge to turn him the leader he was now.

All the times Aegeus disagreed with Ares about his decision to keep the terran prince hidden from divine judgment, all the times he heard the god of war talk on behalf of Gaia, Helios, and the prince himself; all the times he knew he went to the Moon to speak to Queen Serenity to make a plan to keep Earth protected in secret was all summed to this. An honorable act of loyalty and gratitude.

-O-

"Chaos is not a god, Aegeus. That has been our biggest mistake. Treating him like one and fighting him like one. Chaos is an ancient deity and he knows us like the palm of his hand but there is something he does not know... something he has never cared to understand... Evolution."

"Find Centaurus... from there... you will know what to do."

-O-

"You will know what to do..." Aegeus repeated Ares' words to himself. His eyes locked on Endymion weighting the caliber of Centaurus' massive sword with both hands as he picked up his speed towards Chaos until his steps were almost untraceable, missing him in the mist and dust of the storm.

The loud metal sound of blade against blade gave the polemarch a sense of direction, guiding his stare to the opposite side from where the prince had gone first. He was fast, so fast, it was difficult to follow and predict his moves and Chaos was not easy to track either; it was like he was confronting his own reflection. That's when he noticed he had been catching his breath ever since the battle started again. It was that impressive.

"Maiden,"

Orion's mighty polemarch cleared his throat, his hand gripping the hilts of his beloved chain swords as he peered over his shoulder at Megumi, his intense eyes finding her fragile frame "You said you know him..."

Megumi's glossy eyes found Aegeus' but didn't falter in her response "I do."

"Do you trust him?"

Megumi stood straight, proud of her words "Yes."

Aegeus slowly nodded and turned to the two titans fighting ahead, his eyes trying to catch their shadows. He turned his head to Centaurus who had the same face as him; focused on keeping score of the fight. He rubbed his lower lip with his front teeth in a rushed move, he was nervous, that he couldn't deny, but it was settled. He had made a decision.

"I will call for reinforcement for lockdown and send coordinates to Ares,"

"Ares knows where we are," Centaurus crossed his arms and finally turned to Aegeus. The warrior from Orion followed with the same flair "It is for other purposes, Centaurus,"

"So, you changed your mind?"

"Rather than changing my mind, let us say I understand it now,"

Aegeus kept his gaze fixed on Endymion as he moved through the shadows avoiding every strike as if he was a shadow himself and went straight and crash his lent weapon against Chaos' glaive with force. But what impressed him the most was not the skill in his movements, but the fact that he was moving with his own weapon still impaled on his left shoulder without even flinching and he was not the only one aware of this change, Chaos did too.

The titan sensed the change in his aura and even had to level up his guard to avoid getting hit with Centaurus heavy blade that had barely graced his face more than once now. In a chain of turns, Chaos began using his glaive more as a defense than offense, a thing he certainly hadn't done in all of his millennia being a skilled polemarchos in his own right.

In this level of complexity and danger, the challenge he was so much warned about had manifested and surprisingly for him, it was not close to what he had in mind. The myth was there, now he could see and test why Gaia's son had been compared on par with him and kept under a cautious observation for so many years.

Having him so close proved there was no denial. There was no way to dismiss how in fact, despite being of a rare descendance—partly different from his own, the prince still had the tenacity of the titans that were so unmistakable among the heavenly plane.

Chaos' intrigue spiked, he was engaged, truly, but he was not yielding to this sudden awakening and with this, his interest in how far he could push it also increased. Now, what he really wanted to see was how far he could push Endymion's controlled temper until he breaks.

Words were not needed to be said between them. Everything was crystal clear at this point. The sense of disregard for each other was palpable, the rage from one and the competitive nature from the other had never been so murderous; the deep glare in each other's eyes and the guttural grunts with every crash and metal slip echoing in the thick atmosphere. With every swing and crash of metal against metal, every high kick and dodge turn, they both discharged a great sense of disgust for one another and the rest were witness of both stands.

O—o—O

Kunzite wasted no time into directing the shitennou to take their post despite being immersed in his brother's raw demonstrations of both skill and ancestral lineage. The leader of the celestial guardians knew their prince better than most; he knew the man behind the many titles attached to his ancient name and the crown that ranked his place in the world. Kunzite has defended Endymion's stand through all and has put his authority above all because he proved it with actions. Because he worked and fought for it. Because he earned it.

He kept remembering the side of him most had forgotten; the man that wanted to protect all he cared about and all he cared for. His family, his people, and his kingdom. He couldn't fight the chills of nostalgia running all over him, the sense they were back where they left off, thousands of years ago.

He saw Endymion doing a backflip to avoid Chaos' long swing of his glaive and use the bottom blade as a step to jump higher and land a straight blow so strong the force itself cracked and shattered Centaurus' heavy sword and he couldn't shake off the chills and the burn in his eyes.

The teen that could barely keep a routine was now handling celestial weapons and fighting ancient deities like second nature.

Centaurus' blade had given up to the fight in one last clash, it shattered under Chaos' blow. Endymion used the broken regalia the same way Chaos did on him and blocked two short advances on Chaos' behalf before throwing the piece of now unusable weapon and stretched his arm out again without showing any remorse of his actions "Arm!"

Being the closest to ground zero, Kunzite came forward as much as he could to the prince with his Arab sword in hand and threw it at Endymion who quickly caught the glowing weapon without breaking eye contact with Chaos and finished his attack with three charged blows the same way Kunzite would do and blocked another coming attack from Chaos.

Kunzite staggered, falling to rest on one knee to recover. He swallowed while he watched the battle ahead. His throat itched and burned. He was starting to resent the rage of the titans and the highly contaminated environment. His eyes teared from the poison and the thick gusts of dusty winds but his smile remained intact as he watched Endymion swinging his quartz sword. He was too damn proud.

The general was brought back to those long days of training in the army; the times the prince had to stay on the field until he completed one course and he had to keep watch on him. The teenager that couldn't even hold a sword in the right position now made it bend his will. The teen that could barely keep his balance, now leaped and jumped on his opponent' weapon as an advantage in his own strategy to either impulse himself or help him avoid a counterattack.

The teen that for years never won a match in sword fighting.

The teen that countless times, couldn't climb trees in ten seconds or less.

The teen that no matter how many times he tried, couldn't even throw a straight punch to the face.

The teen that fell on his back every time he tried to do a high kick and keep his balance.

The teen that spent many nights under a freezing waterfall because he got late, failed his tasks, or got into a fight—with him.

The teen with blistered and bloody hands and bruises all over and yet, would not give up.

The teen that couldn't throw a straight arrow to a target or do a single rep with a spear... yet, never gave up.

The teen that woke up first every morning and was last to go to bed last every night to improve and keep up with the high demands of his training and his comrades without knowing that deep down, he was trying his best to honor his family and please their high standards. The very one everybody once saw as the flimsy one, the scared one, the privileged one. The misunderstood, the confused, the stubborn and lonely teen that was told one too many times how he didn't have what it took to be a member of the royal army and be of service to the king.

Kunzite believed it and said it more than once. He mocked him, judged him, and mistreated him—him, the man with unbreakable loyalty and attitude of service. Him, the knight of purity and affection... the prince's right hand.

Kunzite crushed every milestone Endymion created for himself whenever there was an opportunity. Every triumph, he would turn it into failure. Every drop of sweat, he would turn it into drops of blood. Kunzite once was Endymion's rival; the toughest. The rudest. The cruelest. But also, without him knowing, he became his mentor by setting the bar higher every time Endymion showed improvement in his skills that would set his advancements and value as a soldier.

By many, Kunzite was the most logical option to be given the title of commander of the royal army. Even before Endymion stepped foot in the training field, he was the most obvious to be the chosen one to serve the king directly as part of his strategic and advising court.

The general had the biggest advantage of being the most skillful in every discipline and weaponry. Swords and hilt weapons: check.

Ranged weaponry: check.

Spears and pole-arms: check.

Martial arts: check.

Combat fighting: check.

Character: check.

But deep down, ever since he met him, Kunzite wanted to see Endymion be a man capable of stepping aside from the privilege that came attached to his royal credentials. He wanted to see him bleed, cry, and earn his right to be in that training field just like everyone else. He wanted to meet the man underneath that silent behavior and see if he was really capable of wearing the crown he was born to carry over his head as a fair leader and as a good example of his people in a future where he would need to take his oath as their king. And that, as his eyes still tried to follow Endymion's silhouette in the fog, and with all this nostalgia piled up in his memory, the general realized he challenged the prince in ways others didn't do: He pushed harder every time until it was Endymion the very one who raised the bar for everyone that followed, including him.

When he was once the kid no one believed in and didn't take seriously, he became a goal of achievement. Even to him, Endymion, the teen that fell so many times, always had the nerve to always stand back up and try over and over again, proving everyone wrong and become the first of his kind. The first royal prince to serve as a military man and the king's right hand and not because of his heritage, but because the king needed him for his skills and knowledge to carry on his plans to lead his kingdom and succeed.

Kunzite indeed had been Endymion's strongest rival, earning him the position to be his close advisor and right hand, and he remained that way up until now not because of terms of strengths or power, but as equal forces who thought and fought very much alike.

Now, thousands of years later, the king he once served was gone. And now what followed only summed up to one thing: He was the next in line. With one dynasty on each hand, each different but strong on its own, one legacy, and one dream still intact and close to becoming true, the Terran soldier was ready to reclaim his right as an ancient monarch. Even after all this time, Mamoru fought the odds and became someone admirable, but as expected, he went beyond and found his roots and put that knowledge and hierarchy to evolve into the man that young boy was so desperately trying to become in a future where he could be of reliance and put his position as monarch to a better use than just sitting in a throne. The young man that swore to protect his loved ones with his life and that up to this very second was still fighting for the peace everyone deserved, as a simple man, a husband, a friend, a soldier, a prince, and as a descendant of the titans of myth.

This was the moment to finish what he couldn't back then when they went to war and avenge his family's unfair treatment and murder.

His gray eyes followed Endymion's fast moves after tracking him down by the sound of his boots skidding on the gravel made of ash and crushed bones of this distorted plane. From the thick waves of fog, he finally caught his face revealed from time to time from under his long hair dark as his emotions and Kunzite wasn't the only one that noticed.

O—o—O

From her own corner, Sailor Moon had been watching too. Still too weak to move but more awake than before, slowly recovering from Chaos' intrusion into her mind. The second her lips let go of the sacred word Endymion confided her despite knowing well what it would unveil.

Debellatio. That was her signal to let him know she had done her part of the deal, that she had delivered as promised and expected and that it was time to do his and cut all restraints and go after Chaos, but also a silent prayer to him and respond the call of the ancestry his mother had inherited him and unleash the power of the golden crystal, all with the promise of a better future.

As the moon princess, she had ordered the warrior commander of her army to rise in defense of her empire. As an Olympian goddess, she had committed treason by asking a titan to be her weapon of war. As a sailor senshi, she joined forces with a polemarchos to fight an enemy on different ranges of attack. But as a woman in love, she held her hopes high for her beloved to return to her as promised.

It felt so strange for her to command him something she had tried so much for him to never do again. To go in for the kill and take someone's life. To ask him to be exactly whom she had been so afraid to see again and use the power she had not seen in its full control; the soldier taking souls to his advantage in Thanatos; the man with the eyes as dark as an ocean in the middle of a storm.

Serenity saw it, the glare that sent chills to the bone. But now far from being afraid, she was confident that Chaos would not get any further and see this planet was not to be taken at any cost. This was her declaration of war to Chaos, using her silver crystal to trigger the power of Endymion's golden one to stand for her and with her by finally letting him set things right and clean his family's name with pride and dignity.

That night when they talked about the war, this is what Endymion meant when he told her he was not going to stop until he had the task done, from this point, there was no turning back. Chaos had to die.

Serenity saw the gleam caught by the broken shards of Kunzite's quartz weapon once Endymion landed another strong clash, making the weapon unusable anymore. Not sure of anything else around her, the princess felt a pair of arms holding her tight and lifting her off the ground. Sailor Moon slowly turned to see it was Kunzite the one taking her out of the area that had started to succumb to the two titan's hostile auras.

"K-Kun—"

"Save your breath, Princess, the air is too contaminated," Kunzite ran as fast as he could and peered over his shoulder from time to time to measure and avoid getting caught in the middle of their confrontation, "Hold on tight... things will only get messier from here on."

Before she could defy his request by speaking again, Kunzite answered the pounding question in her mind, "They all have taken a hit," His low voice went another decibel, not even trying to conceal his concern "But they did it aware that it was going to help us find you." He nodded, "We will find a way to regroup... they know this is yet not over and they want Chaos to fall as much as you do."

Sailor Moon nodded, trusting the general in this matter. She did as she was told and curled her fingers to hold on tight to Kunzite's coat but her eyes found Endymion raising his hand again "Arm!" He roared with authority; this time, it was Nephrite's quartz broadsword and dashed to block another swing of Chaos' weapon just in time.

Kunzite leaped to avoid another demon. Without a sword and with both hands holding the princess he had not much of an option to fight. Sailor Moon noticed this and without saying a word used the energy from the silver crystal to clear the path for them without her having to move much either.

Another metal echo followed their trail; meaning another weapon got broken. Kunzite couldn't help but smirk with satisfaction that the prince was not holding himself back "Remind me to ask His Highness to gift us better armory once this is all over, Princess."

Sailor Moon slightly turned her face and smiled weakly, her hand over her mouth covering it from the dust and gusts of poisoned winds hid the weak curve of her lips underneath. She tried to look, but Endymion wasn't in her range of sight from where Kunzite was taking guard behind a wall to protect them from a close impact. Serenity blinked when she heard Endymion's deep voice roar louder for another weapon and while decisive and charged with threat as it sounded, she sensed the strain in his voice meaning he too was also affected by the atmosphere despite him being involved in causing it. Her crystal blue eyes widened by a gleam in the distance and looked up at the thundering sky, her finger pointing at it, urging Kunzite to do the same.

Kunzite tightened his lips when he saw a line of soldiers by the edge of a broken cliff of concrete with their attention focused on the two titans, "They have come..."

Sailor Moon blinked her tears and tried to ignore the chills running all over her body when she saw a line of armored warriors standing around the perimeter of what was now ground zero and immediately knew what this was all about. She heard Endymion's voice fighting the rumbling noise of thunder and caught a light fleeing in his direction. She moved her hands away from her mouth and licked the tears settled on her cupid's bow "Endymion..."

Between broken streets and half crumbled or burnt streets and buildings, they finally reached a much steadier ground for them to wait and think on their next move. Kunzite sighed and looked up, Zoisite, Jadeite and Nephrite already close in range "We are still in the eye of the storm, it won't be long for them to catch up on us... but at least for now, it is safer for you to breathe, Princess."

Sailor Moon slowly let go of the general and coughed lightly, "Are you all right?" She heard the general asking. She nodded, her eyes still trying to catch a glimpse of her husband. Kunzite took a moment to recover and turned to Zoisite, "We need to trace a boundary,"

"And while doing that, find shelter for the Princess as far as we can. We need—"

"No,"

All eyes were on Sailor Moon, still with her eyes glued to the soldiers standing above "No, we are not going to get away..." she shook her head and looked at Zoisite "No one is going to take me anywhere far from Endymion." She frowned "This isn't over. I am not done fighting."

"Princess Serenity—" Zoisite blinked, trying to intervene but again Sailor Moon cut through his words "Endymion and I made a deal; I am not moving." She looked up "Just because I stand here does not mean my work is done. I know what he's doing..." she paused, took a deep breath to release some of the tension still taking over her emotions inside "And right now more than ever I need to push harder. Now more than ever I need to stay."

"Ares' army is here, we do not have much time," Jadeite said a little out of breath "If Polemarchos are here is because they have put a sentence over our heads,"

"And who says they have the right to decide whether we die or not?" Sailor Moon turned to look at him, her tone very much in sync with how Endymion would respond. Authority at its best. She frowned, "We are our own army; if we can't work together, then leave them aside. We are strong enough to push them back. But even if this is what their intentions are... right now... they are not measuring our weakness because they have a common interest and that is to get rid of Chaos."

"They are buying time..."

"No. They are lending their best weaponry to the Sol Polemarch."

Everyone turned over their shoulder to see Centaurus walking towards them with Aegeus and Megumi following on each side. Sailor Moon's eyes widened in shock to see the maiden in the line of war "Megumi..."

Megumi parted ways from the polemarchos and went to the princess, her brown eyes already gleaming with tears. She took a deep breath and shook her head "I know what you are going to say, Your Highness..." she exhaled, weakly as she looked at her in the eye "But I could not do it, not when I have come this far."

Sailor Moon wanted to fight her. She wanted to get mad at her for risking her life this way and staying behind when the offer of being in a safer place was put on a silver platter. She wanted to scream and tell her how stubborn she was but deep down she knew she couldn't because she knew exactly how that felt.

"My Prince is fighting and I cannot run away," Megumi shook her head "I ran away for too long, Princess. Hiding is not an option for me anymore."

Sailor Moon pulled Megumi into her arms and held her tight "Then let's get rid of Chaos once and for all so we can finally move on with our lives."

Centaurus and Aegeus watched closely at Megumi putting one arm around the princess' waist to keep her steady, "That is..." the polemarch of Orion muttered under his breath with astonishment. Centaurus nodded with acknowledgment "Sailor Moon,"

Sailor Moon caught Centaurus' voice and made eye contact with him; the polemarch taking the lead of the conversation "You hold a secret, Princess. One only you know and can use to your advantage. Just when I thought he was going to give up... he comes back from the ashes with a different level of strength,"

Centaurus looked up at Chaos and Endymion moving across from one crumbled building to another in a full-on war between them. He ran his tongue over his chapped lips when another metal echo alerted them of another weapon being turned useless "It is just only a matter of time now,"

"For what?"

Centaurus glanced at Nephrite who was having his own troubles with breathing, "It is only a matter of time for what?" He frowned at Aegeus but his question still lingered in the air, awaiting to be answered. Aegeus took this as an opportunity to introduce himself, "To restore the order in the universe."

Jadeite sighed, "I don't even know if I should ask at this point... but... you are?"

"Aegeus of Orion. Second in command of the Celestial Army. I set the coordinates to lock our target—"

"Being that target..."

Another loud echo answered for them. Centaurus pointed up "They are putting their trust by lending their powers, that of the stars from the constellations they are from."

Sailor Moon slowly let go of Megumi and walked to Centaurus and Aegeus until she was face to face with both tall men, her eyes locking with theirs in an intimidating silent battle of power "You have your army... I have mine. If by any means you try to betray him... I swear on my descendance as an Olympian that I will completely forget that there was once mercy in my heart and take account of it myself,"

The princess famous for her undying passion to protect all life and goodness by fighting evil with love speaking with so much threat and authority had Aegeus in a trance of admiration but also, a spark of cynicism could not let her have all the glory, feeling his ego slightly tainted by her magnanimous presence "Are you that loyal to him?"

Sailor Moon's crystal blue eyes darted from Centaurus to Aegeus and arched her brow "It is about duty and passion, Polemarchos of Orion. The hybrid you mock with that cynical tone in your voice is doing what you and your whole celestial army have not been able to do for centuries. The very one your leader, Ares, came to awaken and pulled him from his life as a normal human being so he could join your cause." She shook her head with defiance and anger reflected in her gaze "But above all, he is my husband, my soulmate. So yes, I am always going to be loyal to him. My fate is bound to his and he is bound to mine and I will do whatever it takes to protect him, even from the likes of you."

Aegeus blinked, genuinely taken aback by the princess known for her precious heart had an edge as well, proving her years as a sailor senshi had marked more than enough experience to face whoever stood in her way. Centaurus couldn't help to smile, catching Serenity's attention "What?"

"Somewhere in this vast universe, Gaia is beaming with pride and I would not be surprised if Helios were too, because this is exactly what he wanted for his dynasty to be."

Sailor Moon widened her eyes; Centaurus continued, "You sound just like her; proving you are as much of a sailor senshi as she once was. She defended her loved ones with everything she had regardless of any consequences and with an unfaltering attitude for battle. If she was not gone, I would have sworn she taught you a trick or two on how to behave under these circumstances." He nodded, "I know she is proud."

Their little moment was broken following the piercing echo of another weapon breaking, putting Endymion at a disadvantage again. This time, Aegeus was fast to decide which way to go and got as close to the prince as he could, just in time before Chaos took lead in their battle.

Chaos noticed and aimed his next attack at him, "Oh, you are still here. The stellar toy of the Olympians, Aegeus of Orion." His eyes darkened "Get out of my way, this is no place for pets to come and lick the wounds of their fallen masters,"

Aegeus smirked with cynicism, "As cunning with words as always, Chaos. But it has been long gone since I cared. You and I never got along, either way, so you might as well save your breath when it comes to addressing yourself to me."

Chaos charged his weapon to blow an attack, but just at the same time Aegeus raised his arms and pulled his swords from their sacred crossed scabbards he had secured on his back and whistled to get Endymion's attention before he called out for another weapon "Oi! Sol Polemarchos!"

With his vision blurred by a streak of his own blood, Aegeus arched his brow as he glanced over at the titan of dementia "I really want to see with my very own eyes if the rumor is true... if you are finally getting dethroned."

Chaos swung his weapon, sending a strong attack at him but was immediately blocked by a beam of light. Aegeus widened his eyes when he noticed the power showing in Endymion's gaze, proving the level Centaurus was talking about just minutes ago. He felt a throbbing chill deep in his chest as he saw Endymion staring back at him with so much intensity and extending his arm out in his direction to catch both weapons. Aegeus' beloved chain swords: Rigel and Betelgeuse, the two strongest stars of the Orion Constellation.

Once in his control, the prince whipped both swords making a quick but silent exchange of introductions with the polemarch and wasted no time in making good use of the weapons that had won countless victories for the Orion warrior.

Aegeus realized right then and there that there was in fact, no place for him in that battle. He wasn't required; not like Ares usually depended on him. Just as the moon princess had said, the terran prince was doing more he or anyone else in the celestial army was able to do until now; he was setting the score and shifting things into another direction.

Stepping down in the line of authority and conscious of his new plan, Aegeus took cover as he watched the mesmerizing display of light and fire in which the chains became alive in a hypnotizing beam as a result of Endymion's power merging with them. It was incredible, the power of those of ancient power, no doubt about it. Aegeus has never seen before manifest in them, proving Helios' most hidden descendant had more power and control than everyone imagined; even him, the most skeptical one.

The harmony of the sounds of chains moving with every swing the prince did, hypnotizing his sight with his impressive control over the weapons no one has ever used as good as him, not even Centaurus and not even Ares, who had used them in many battles in the past. He couldn't fight the feeling of pride as he watched them perform with excellency, showcasing the wonders and strengths of those of Orion. It was a good homage; he finally admitted to himself and just as Ares asked him to do, he made his decision.

He turned to Centaurus and traced an invisible line with his hand, indicating a silent command to the warrior of Omega, Centaurus nodded and looked up.

Kunzite felt a strong pull inside his chest as well; like if he was being called and turned to Nephrite, who had the same tension exposed in his face "Time is running out." Nephrite muttered under his breath, "The heavenly bodies are becoming restless... the star of Leo is pulsing,"

Jadeite stood next to his leader and older brother, and looked up "He is pushing away from us,"

Zoisite nodded, "The barriers we created before are not going to resist the clash of energy coming from them. Their auras are escalating to higher levels I am not certain we can resist..."

Sailor Moon felt the same call. It burned deep in her chest as if she had a star burning inside of her and it hurt. Endymion was depending on her so he would not lose his concentration and go down Chaos's same corrupt and destructive path and at the same time, he was moving farther away from her divine grasp. Her eyes widened, feeling panicked "This has happened before..."

Kunzite frowned and looked at her "Princess?"

Serenity took one sharp breath "The Sun... the Nocturnal Sun... the Setting Sun... they are all equivalents to one force. Queen Gaia as Titan of Earth does not hold the key in her name as they do and it has been said many times... even she admitted it... how she wasn't chosen... how she was forced to be the crystal's guardian. She was a mediator, a keeper; not its rightful guardian." She frowned with realization, "One power... those chosen to protect the golden crystal... Helios' successors..." Her breathing fastened "Chaos once unleashed the power of the golden crystal... and as a result to use its great power, he chose to lose the little sense of reason he had. That is the sacrifice the guardian of the sun stone must do in order to master it... they have to surrender themselves completely and become a force of nature—to become one with the sun."

"The stone with the blessings of the Sun..." Nephrite muttered slowly "With the power to burn everything..."

Jadeite's eyes widened with panic "But that means..."

"Endymion is breaking all seals that keeps him from linking his aura to that of the Sun." Nephrite's lips tightened with tension "He is going to make that sacrifice."

"Not if I can prevent it."

All eyes turned to Serenity watching Endymion swinging the chain swords in centrifugal motions like a natural master of the heavenly weapons "Elysion..."

"W-What?"

Serenity looked at Kunzite, then at Jadeite, Nephrite, and Zoisite. She pressed her hand over the pendant hanging from her chest and took a deep breath "Chaos knows Elysion is Endymion's breaking point; what he's trying to protect because it's the core of Earth."

"Endymion's breaking point is you!" Kunzite raised his voice with clear frustration "If anything happens to you—"

Serenity felt another strong pull in her chest dragging along her moments with Endymion before this started. His deep voice, calm and always reassuring echoed in her mind, appeasing her worries and charging her spirit with determination; reminding her that she's also in charge:

"We are a team; we're together in this and in any other battle that gets in our way. I may have a destructive nature that burns and devastates everything in its path, but you, Sailor Moon, you are the cleansing light that will appease the flames and build a new world from its ashes."

Her eyes burned with tears she wasn't willing to shed in vain. Her anger and her desire to move on was greater, her love for her friends and family, her desire to protect this world bigger than her pain; the longing to wake up next to her husband in a world of peace and with a smile on their faces was the backbone of her courage.

"—That's the thing, Kunzite. It already has." Sailor Moon licked the single tear that managed to roll down her lips, "Chaos has done more damage than words can really spell. More than my emotions can show. He is taking over of not just Earth and if we don't stop him... he will break the laws of the universe and I can't allow him to do that." Her eyes gleamed with more tears but far from being of fear they were of rage "I can't fight Chaos... not like this. But that doesn't mean there aren't other ways to do it."

"Princess..." Kunzite narrowed his gray eyes with suspicion "What did you do?"

"I sent Chaos a declaration of war... I gave Endymion the command of Debellatio." Serenity exhaled, still fighting the burn in the back of her throat due to the high levels of scorching matter, ash and contamination in the air, "I put your advice into practice, Kunzite. I believe in him and I know he believes in me because if there's something I promised myself is to never be a burden ever again. We are partners in battle, for thousands of years, we've been set to fight the battle of our lives and this is it."

"Debellatio... you..." Nephrite frowned, panicked "You ordered him to destroy everything?!"

"Princess," Zoisite shook his head confused, "Why Elysion?"

"Because we need to arm ourselves with as much power we can. Earth's core is in danger and I need to keep it steady and for that, I will rely on the power from the silver crystal. But I need permission to trespass its holy grounds, permission only Endymion can grant me but under these conditions, I need to find another way to get there. So I am asking you, his Shitennou, please, help me find a way to get there!"

"Under these circumstances is very difficult, we would be exposing a vein of access for Chaos to invade!"

"There isn't much time in our hands! It's up to me to prevent it and I can't—I won't give up!" Sailor Moon took a step closer "It's up to me for him to not fall down the same path because his fate is in my hands. We made a vow, heaven likes it or not... we are bound to each other! Right now, none of them will stop until there is only one standing and it can't be Chaos!" Her tears quivering as she looked into his eyes "This is about you too! So you can live the life that was stolen from you! The girls need me, as a princess... but above my title, as their friend, they need my support and I need theirs!"

Kunzite sighed "I cannot let you do such thing, Princess... even if it means to settle a score it is—"

"—I will go with her,"

Everyone turned to Megumi as she stepped next to the princess with the same unwavering look in her face, "Princess Serenity has the most right to step foot in Elysion aside from my Prince. If this is a way to fight and protect Prince Endymion, then I will go with her." Her eyes blazed with security and pride "If Elysion is the same land I remember; I will know the way to lead her wherever she needs to go."

A strenuous echoing sound made them look up; their faces turned pale and their eyes went wide with shock at the prince performing five consecutive attacks with Orion's celestial weapons at Chaos, making the titan lose control of his glaive for moment, taking everyone by surprise by the power that came with the Endymion's second breath. Nephrite shook his head "I lost him..."

Kunzite quickly looked at him "Nephrite—"

"I lost my connection with him..." Nephrite muttered with worry, "His aura is unreadable at this point."

Sailor Moon widened her eyes and turned to the northern general panicked "What does that mean?"

Jadeite took one sharp breath "It means..." he watched Endymion running full speed and throw a blast of energy at Chaos before doing a perfect summersault to dodge Chaos' glaive and whip the chains of Aegeus' swords to level up his defense "...It means..." he licked his lips and finally granted the princess a glance, one that didn't even pretend to mask his concern for his brother "...He is not recognizing us anymore."

O—o—o—o—O

Chaos' lips showed some tension after trying to break Endymion's defense, finding it hard to find a loop to attack. Consecutive blows didn't make the cut and physical combat was too much risk to break his undefeated score.

Endymion landed on a broken roof to recover even if it was for a fraction of a second, by now they had moved so much away from everyone both now had the stormy ocean as a witness of their encounter; with nothing ahead of them but everything behind. Troubled and also corrupted by the same dark force that has now sprawled all over Earth. Endymion heard more cries than prayers, he felt more hatred than fear; madness at its best.

He looked down at Aegeus' chain swords and approved their impeccable performance. Both had worked more than excellent and his previous battles with Asteria had given him enough skill to learn how he needed to get a hold of weapons like these, something good must have to come out of her unwanted existence; he thought. But time was running out and so was Chaos' patience, that he could see.

There wasn't much time for thought or planning, Chaos quickly went after him and again, Endymion recurred to Orion's blessing, the bladed chains crashing against Chaos' glaive, the friction between blades turning them vivid red, the same color as melted lava. One long and low swing and he finally wraps it around the heavy pole of Chaos' weapon and pulled with force, strong enough to impress the titan. Chaos jumps out of the line of attack by letting go of his weapon for a fraction of a second and pulled one of the chains Endymion kept manipulating with the help of the centrifugal forces from the vortex pouring in hell's wasteland into Earth.

He hadn't even noticed he still has the shard of blade impaled in his shoulder; the pain now on second plane. It was still bleeding and he could still feel the gritting of Chaos' teeth tearing his skin as it pulsed, reminding him of his devil tactics to conquer over an enemy.

As he lowered his weapons to charge again, Endymion felt his body linked to the energy overflowing from deep within his aura in completely different levels, maximizing his senses and the force put in every attack towards Chaos, easily matching the titan's force. Every time he changed the grip on Orion's swords, he felt another hot rush flowing in his veins like the magma that fed the Earth through the Sun. His breathing was heavy, coming in and out through clenched teeth. His eyes could see different, like if they had become a magnifying glass on every single detail, every speck of dust and ash, every wave of energy, every droplet of condensed water still floating in the air and making its way into the atmosphere, trying to survive as something good.

Chaos blocked another swing from Endymion's chain swords and pulled his glaive to create tension between them; his eyes staring intensely at his counterpart, trying to deal with the sense of disadvantage of not being able to predict his opponent's movements ahead of time and come with a fast way to break Endymion's defense.

It tasted bitter in his palate, to find what he had tried to deny ever since he knew of his existence. There was so much of them in him, the way he looked at him, the way he spoke; the gestures. He found Gaia's influence as he looked into his eyes once within Endymion's grasp, sensing the essence that once strengthened hers: Helios', Geb's, Nut's and even what it was once, he found his. He saw the familiarity in Endymion's eyes and it was disconcerting. It could not be. In his mind it was inadmissible, so much, he didn't notice Endymion had turned to kick the chain to break the tension and used the other sword to catch the titan and pulled him towards him with force, more than he imagined he even had and used the other chain to wrap it around Chaos' neck once he was close enough to shove his elbow on his jaw proving his rightful place in this battle as guardian of Earth and his mother's legacy.

Aware that there had reached a point were none of them was going to yield; paying good homage to their stubborn heritage, Chaos recovered fast, ready for more. A spit of blood was enough to grasp reality and looked up, wiping the strike of blood from his broken lip trickling down his jaw and neck. His golden eyes gleamed differently, his hand called for his weapon who reacted instantly shattering one of Orion's chain swords and swung his glaive at Endymion who was fast enough to react and block by throwing the remains of the now useless heavenly sword to divert the attack.

"Vos may have vestri Titan vigilantiam revocare naturam, sed adhuc mortalis vitae ... errat tuis, quod satis esse ad incommodum."

(You may have woken your titan nature, but mortality still hovers over your existence... that is enough to be at a disadvantage.)

"What I am—who I am—has nothing to do with this." Endymion pulled back the chain sword to charge it again, getting it ready to slash it back at him again, "Quidquid est mortalitatis spemque meam non quomodo natus tempora. Ne quidem scientes quod suus 'officium est custodire et ego dedi ei serve planetae. Quam ut superesse quam aut quod est in conspectu Dei vos adsum. Suus 'a simplex eo, quod suus' quanto sum pavit ascendet tecum."

(Whatever hovers over me is not my mortality, nor of how I was born two times. It's not even knowing the duty I was given to serve and protect this planet. How I survived, or how is it that I am here in front of you. It's a simple fact: it's how much I am fed up with you.)

With a growl, he whipped the chain again to activate the energy blazing from within and wrapped it around Chaos again, bringing him close but this time, the titan was more than prepared. Chaos moved fast to break the tension between both weapons that were keeping both of their defense up high and gathered energy from the massive black hole above to blast it at the prince. Endymion pierced through with the help of the enhanced power of the crystal pulsing inside of him.

"La Smoking Bomber!" He extended his palm and commanded the blast of light ending in another explosion once it touched Chaos' dark energy.

While effective, Endymion knew that if this keeps up, the ripples of each blow were going to bring more catastrophic results not just to their surroundings anymore, but the whole planet. Each time he confronted Chaos with another attack he felt the ground moving beneath his feet and the waves of the oceans sway to unnatural directions. Gravity had changed, the atmosphere had changed and become thin, making it vulnerable. It was only a matter of time Earth stopped moving completely and if that happened, everything would be over. His direct connection to Earth is what had given him the mental map of where to go and what to do, but he had reached a point where his options had run out. Being just a simple mortal soldier prepared for war was no longer going to do the cut anymore; mentally pinpointing Obelix's training. This was the moment to put to the test everything he learned in both lifetimes and make real use of the crystal that more and more was manifesting and demanding more of him.

He felt the blazing energy taking control of each cell in his body as fuel to keep his body moving. Every time he shouted another command, he felt it becoming more and more latent. Like a strong heartbeat, at the same rhythm of the fire scorching the inside of Earth, he felt its power manifesting. Specks of golden light, like flakes of the purest gold, flickered around him, burning the impurities around him at immediate contact. Something in him snapped—like one last latch that kept him tied to his human nature. He had reached extra sensorial levels. He felt the currents of air and water, the levels of heat in the many layers of Earth as much as he could feel time and as much as he could feel death.

-O-

"What happens if the crystal's full power is unlocked, Obelix?"

Obelix sat quietly next to him at the temple. He turned and brought Endymion's hands together and took the same position seconds after. The question felt like a dart in the priest's heart; the same one he'd been asked eons ago by none other than Gaia and again, even after he met his fate in the afterlife, he felt in the same position but even so, he still held hope and much pride for his pupil.

"I cannot give you a straight answer to your question, Endymion. That I cannot do, why? Because I have never witnessed what the stone can do if released to its maximum stage of power. The Golden Crystal is a stone made of pure, raw energy and at its core there is a burning fire that if put out it may not be extinguished ever, causing massive destruction. Remember it is blessed with the powers of the Sun, and that is why your mind must always be serene and you must remain humble because just one speck of malice, ego, or self-doubt could change the course of its command and sacred powers."

-O-

His golden glazed eyes slowly moved, focusing on the man in black moving close and brought his hands together, gathering a large amount of that energy in overflowing streams of fire and light as he heard Obelix's voice deep in his mind and what he had taught him during his time in Purgatorio.

"The crystal reacts to its owner, if you stay true to yourself and have a clear mind and a humble spirit, you will succeed. Can you feel it now? The energy resonating inside of you like the oceans or the winds of Earth? Can you feel its warmth? It's all coming from you. The true meaning of your name it is not an action or a thing—it's a blessing. Your mother chose Endymion because it matched perfectly with the ideals Helios wanted for his descendants and the mission set for you. Your mortal name represents the life of the planet you protect and the energy that flows within you from the star that protects you."

Obelix's caramel eyes had never shown so much peace and so much pride. His kind smile came to his mind as he stated the words that put everything into a different motion, breaking the menacing cycle of his self-created hell.

"That is what makes you different from Chaos."

Endymion felt the energy come alive within him, like it did back then. The same force that brought him back to his reality, the time where it was needed from him to be reborn, where the moon princess was waiting for him.

"Virginum custos et Patronus Sanctus, Helios, cujus fideli custodiae ipsa innocentia; te per hoc utrumque carissimum pignus Jesum et Mariam obsecro et obtestor, ut me, ab omni immunditia praeservatum, mente incontaminata, puro corde et casto corpore semper facias castissime famulari. Fac nos innocuam, decurrere vitam. Sitque tuo Semper tuta patrocinio."

Chaos' eyes gleamed as they slowly grew big, his irises dilated and experienced what he knew someone would recognize as pain. His tongue traced his broken lip absently, licking the blood trickling out; for the first time, he felt something spark in the very depths of his being. As someone new to any sort of emotion, he could not pretend it was not happening and this, Endymion noticed, and he was going to pull on that thread as much as he could for as long as he could.

The corner of his lip slowly moved upwards and whipped the chain he still had under his control "Illud tale non est ut perfectum," (There is no such thing as perfection) Endymion snapped his fingers to ignite the flakes of ash in a chain of explosions catching the demons and shadows hurling towards them. He turned over his shoulder at a demon beast coming out of the portal Chaos had been feeding with the energy from the black hole he stole and other souls he has been stealing and move towards the prince.

Endymion was about to charge at the beast when another blast took care of it for him; his attention quickly diverted to the author of the perfectly timed attack.

"Mars—Flame Sniper!"

From a high point, Ares stood proudly next to his daughter, Mars, both holding their bows still in battle position, ready to charge another blow.

-O-

Mars felt her lungs feeling the heaviness in the air; she tried to speak but no words would come out. She was close to lose consciousness after her confrontation with Chaos. She slowly moved her head and saw Venus and Jupiter in the same conditions as her; beaten and exhausted. Mercury was out of her range of sight but she guessed she was in the same limited position along with Uranus and Neptune.

Was this the end of their journey?

Was this the end of it all?

Was this the sole reason to her awakening?

Mars tried to gasp for some air and swallow to find her voice when a hand cupped her hot cheek. Looking up, her amethyst eyes went wide with emotion when the owner of that hand and that calming touch came from no other than her father—Ares.

"Get up, Mars!"

His voice was low but with unbreakable authority, if she didn't know him any better, she could think he was even annoyed by her lack of response. Again, she tried to find her voice when she spotted this was not a dream and that they were not alone.

"Papa..." Mars whispered "I—"

Ares nodded as he helped her stand up "War is not over, Mars. Serenity knows this, Endymion knows this and they will not give up; none of you will. You need to stand up and fight with them. The man you love gave me your coordinates—he is taking his position; it is time you take yours."

This is all she needed to hear to regain her courage and the strength to carry on. She nodded and depended on every drop of energy within her to push her body off the tar stained ground. This is when it hit her, the moment she was in. Pluto walked into view, her garnet talisman was glowing, meaning it was being in use, meaning, she was pulling the strings of time and space.

Ares turned over his shoulder, this is when Mars saw the marks of suffering and torture all over him; he too was dealing with his own demons and fighting the fear trying to take over all of them.

"Hades has gone to Saturn, from here... there is no turning back,"

Pluto sighed softly, Mars also saw that same dread lurking in her garnet-colored eyes as she looked up where the prince was confronting Chaos "When Father told me I had to aid my kind... I was hesitant. Almost against it. And I asked myself why?" She shook her head slowly "For so many years, I asked him why would he leave me such task... why would this warrior be so worthy of the power bestowed to me since my birth? Well... now I know why..."

Mars widened her eyes. In all her years knowing Pluto, she had never seen such gleam in her eyes; the kind that makes your heart pulse harder and make your blood rush; the kind that shows the vulnerability in someone's heart. As a priestess, Mars could see what others couldn't; the change in someone's aura, the chastity of a pure heart and someone's good will. Her lips parted with realization when she caught Pluto's words came from a different place rather than just admiration and discovery. Her mind was about to keep unraveling more silent truths but the titan senshi put them to rest with her next words.

"For as long as I can remember, I always had this sense of loss nestled deep inside of me. Not only did I have the loneliest duty to serve but I also thought Father was selfish enough to put me in the hands of a stranger that was going to come to me for an advantage and that I had to agree with those mysterious terms. For years I felt let down and I felt like a curse for being who I am—a Titan." She sighed, heavily this time, "Now I know... what my Father was trying to do. He was teaching me a lesson and in the process of finding myself... I found friendship; alliance... understanding." She smiled sadly "And I found there were others like me. I no longer feel alone, and I am more than glad to aid my kind."

She raised her staff above her head and twirled counter clock, slowing time again and looked up at Endymion preparing to grab another weapon to charge at Chaos "Mamoru and I came to an agreement." She narrowed her eyes "We're probably just a few left, heck, we might probably be the only ones left in the universe... Chaos must not be the one what remains of us."

"He has noticed I am here, I sensed the signal..." Pluto stomped her staff on the ground, setting time in its normal flow again and turned to Mars "I will go as close as I can and manipulate the waves of space to give the prince another leverage to attack.

"Signal?" Mars frowned but it was her father who answered for Pluto "Earth will not withstand the ravages of those two fighting at ground level." She turned to Ares who was preparing his war bow for another round and looked over his shoulder, "Aquarius, Draco—give me a leverage."

Aquarius, the Polemarchos of the Helix Nebula, a man of exotic beauty with his dark skin, shoulder-length hair in dark green hues and bright green eyes stood tall in his deep blue armor; he nodded and used his long spear to block the energy that was helping the demons respawn, sensing a new wave of darkness.

"Create the path, I will take matters on these ungodly creatures." Said Draco, the polemarchos of the constellation of Draco, in charge of protecting the Cat's Eye Nebula, home of Mau—the planet where Luna and Artemis are from. His yellow feline eyes stared at the monsters filtering from the massive portal and tightened his grip on his polearm "Commander, we will meet at the strategy point—all stars are aligned."

Ares nodded and urged Mars to go and help the others, meeting the shitennou right on time to take action and step away. Jadeite gave the god of war an anxious glance and sighed; Ares pointed the sky "Whatever you swore to prevent for thousands of years... now it is the time to release it and let it happen. If you feel you are breaking your vow to your Queen, trust my words when I say that this is something she wants you to do."

Jadeite blinked "W-What?"

Ares arched his brow and turned on his heel "Who's orders do you think he's been truly following, Shitennou?"

-O-

There was a small fraction of time between Chaos' intervention and Endymion's second breath of air that granted Ares infiltrate and help the others without being entirely noticed. With that on his behalf and advantage, he blocked Chaos's energy to give the senshi enough time to recover, at least enough to get them out of ground zero.

Mars agreed with Jadeite and prepared a strategy to counter-attack by staying under the radar and attack from the sidelines and when no one least expected it, granting Jadeite the opportunity to regroup with Nephrite and Zoisite before Chaos charged with bigger force and aid Kunzite to go ahead and get princess Serenity out of there as well.

Aquarius pointed his charged crossbow at the herd of demons blocking their way and shot **"Eye of God!" A piercing light burst from the powerful energy projectile catching every single speck of darkness in its unforgiving explosive force. Draco followed next with the long point of his polearm "I call for my faithful stars—Thuban, Eltanin, Rastaban—to wake to your Alpha power!"

The polemarch pulled back his long polearm and charged it with magnificent energy; his eyes focused on his target and shot the powerful three-fold attack, "Aberration of Starlight!" **

O—o—O

Ares saw the two blasting lights and slowly turned over his shoulder, his grey eyes finally landed on those of the same color, staring back at him in solidarity. Like Ares, Hades had infiltrated Earth using the shadows as his perfect disguise. Wearing a long dark cloak, as someone he's constantly imagined as the reaper; the god of death tightened his grip on the long pole of his scythe as he looked up at the vortex with a frown of displeasure in his lips.

"Is your trust entirely put in their hands, my child?"

Saturn walked slowly to stand next to him and with the same regal position, she looked up "Yes,"

"Even if your own well-being is at stake?"

"When has it been otherwise?" Saturn finally turned to her father, her violet eyes filled with conviction "My duty is to bring silence but also, to set a new ground for mother's flowers to grow."

"A new spring..." Hades muttered. Saturn gave the god of death a nod, "It always looks like this... every time I have been sent to honor my duty. That night, when Queen Serenity pleaded me not to do it... it was like this very moment. It felt like we were running out of options..."

"What makes it different this time?"

"Our humanity." Saturn smiled "That little speck of human nature within us that makes us see things with a different perspective... and how the Princess and Prince fight relentlessly to keep it burning with hope." The young senshi closed her gloved fingers around the heavy pole of her glaive and sighed "I am not ignoring my nature as a deity, Father, none of us is. But we are strong believers that there is more to being part of just one side. After all, is it not why we were granted to be reborn? Queen Serenity is not among us anymore, but her rightful heir and descendant is... and she is all we need to believe that things can be different this time around."

Hades took a moment to deal with his thoughts and the emotion that came attached to them. He was tied to the thought of what this meant but also, he couldn't deny the pride he felt to see how regal and admirable Saturn was; the maturity of her words and the lack of fear to her power. That was more than enough for Hades to have what he thought he had within him—faith. With mass destruction and murder behind him and uncertainty in the horizon, the lord of the underworld looked up "Then, my child... we must do our part to get things done,"

His eyes gleamed with allure, "The Underworld is feeling quite empty."


The Divinity Series is rated M. Violence, gore, cursing, and intimacy may occur.

I do not own Sailor Moon, just this plot and some of the characters.

A/N: Posting on a Friday brings me some nostalgia.

** Draco constellation (Cat's eye Nebula): There are three stars under magnitude 3 in Draco. The brighter of the three, and the brightest star in Draco, is Gamma Draconis, traditionally called Eltanin. An orange giant star of magnitude 2.2, 148 light-years from Earth. The aberration of starlight was discovered in 1728 when James Bradley observed Gamma Draconis. Nearby Beta Draconis, traditionally called Rastaban, is a yellow giant star of magnitude 2.8, 362 light-years from Earth. Its name shares a meaning with Thuban, "head of the serpent".

** Helix Nebula: Located in the constellation Aquarius. This object is one of the closest to the Earth of all the bright planetary nebulae. It is similar in appearance to the Cat's Eye Nebula varying only in its relative proximity and the appearance from the equatorial viewing angle. The Helix Nebula has sometimes been referred to as the "Eye of God" in pop culture.