The devil within.1
Sailor Moon POV
Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion for me. Voices were even distorted a bit as I wished that what was happening was a bad daydream. A bad dream period, but that was NOT the case and I wished now more than ever that it was. My thoughts were going in many different directions to try to keep up. My Senshi were fighting, trying to get my attention, Jupiter was low on energy herself from her recent bout of sickness.
The rest were fighting but, in the end, Mamoru and I…no Endymion and I, despite the fact that he wasn't in his prince garbs, were smack dab in the middle of this fight. The renounced Silver Crystal that we had been searching for was in my hands, the power from it, connecting to me in a way that I had never felt before. Like a piece of me really. I wanted to use it to save him, to give him life after he was gravely injured.
Injured but saving me, once more. Yet my thoughts with everything going on were scattered. The shouting wasn't helping. The battle raging on wasn't helping. My own mind wasn't helping me at all. Between having my past memories hit into me like a runaway freight train that was bombarding me with so much information I felt like passing out, to having someone that I love and care about so much not only be revealed to me as the guy who was also my Tuxedo Mask, my crush, but having him injured on top of everything else going on was too much.
It was so overwhelming. I was trying not to panic. I couldn't afford to. His life depended on me keeping my cool, my focus. My throat was dry as my voice began to crack, then right as I was able to slip some power into him, to attempt to save him, he was taken from me. I had no control, no power to stop him from being pulled from me. As it was, I could feel the power I had fade as if dawning on me that I didn't have enough energy left.
Which thinking on it with everything going on made sense. I just discovered I'm the Moon Princess, reclaimed ALL of my past memories, and once more LOST my love. Malachite grabbed him up and vanished with him before my thoughts could process that everything that just happened had happened. I went from being Sailor Moon to the Moon Princess that NONE of us knew was me.
My heart rate was trying to keep up with avoiding a panic attack to avoiding passing out to wanting me to stay conscious and alert. Yet I wish I hadn't seen his prone form get pulled into the dark void with Malachite. What startles me more is that he didn't seem interested in taking him, which means the order had to come from someone higher up. Malachite wasn't even gloating about having snagged him.
Malachite was many things that we had come to see, gloating was one of them. I noticed this right before he vanished and it left me with a thought as to why Beryl, his self-proclaimed 'Queen' wanted Mamoru to begin with. I had a feeling that what she wanted from him not only directly involved me but also indirectly had nothing to do with me, and I couldn't figure out why I felt that way.
So, when I reached out towards him, I felt my body finally give way to the pressure I had been putting on from the stress of everything that had happened hit me hard. Not just stress from this evening. The stress of everything in the last few months of fighting youma and everything else finally cumulated at this moment as I felt a wave of dizziness overtake me. I fell over and lapsed into a starry blackness.
I wasn't aware of anything. No more pain, no more sensation, no nothing. It was almost as if my whole body gave out and I was in a sort of dead loop of not quite dead but not quite alive either as I tried to think of something. It wasn't till what seemed like hours later that I could hear voices and felt my sheets beneath my body that I knew I was at home. Rei's sheets weren't this utterly fluffy, nothing against her stuff but I could tell the difference.
Her sheets weren't made for long-term visitors, so they were more like soft but not ultra-soft, so when my eyes opened, I saw my four friends debating over me. Rei looking perturbed, Makoto looking equally irritated, Ami looking vexed by whatever the discussion was, and Minako standing in the corner watching everything take place. The girls don't seem to notice me as I hear Rei's words, "We couldn't save him!"
That's when the memories of the night hit me hard. I briefly recall seeing them pick me up as they took off with my prone unconscious body with them, or nearly unconscious. That's when I recall the look on Malachite's face. Everything begins to come into focus as I sit up in bed. I don't have their attention yet but right now that's a good thing. I don't have the mental capacity to deal with any bombardment of questions just yet.
My emotions are piling up on me as things are hitting over and over again. Compounding on top of me till I can't think let alone feel anything other than the overwhelming sadness in my heart. I feel the tears begin to pool before I can stop them. I blink them back but there were too many now, the emotions want out now that there's been a small adjustment period. I can't cry out though, not as I want to without alerting my family.
Hopefully, they believed whatever story the girls told them and will leave us alone cause while yes, I feel I need their support, I need to wrap my head around so much that's going on right now, I need to breathe. I look over to my window and am tempted to open it, to give myself some air, I just don't want to alert them to my awake status just yet. When they begin to debate even more than before I take my opportunity.
Sneaking over I get out of bed in seconds flat and open the one and only window in the area letting in the cool fresh air. Just having it open and the wind blowing in makes me feel like I can breathe better. I know I've probably alerted the girls by now to the fact that I'm awake, but I don't care, I just need to breathe. Taking in that first gulp of air that now surrounds me is relieving, to say the least.
The sounds are slightly drowned out but lowering to on their own so yeah, they know. I just need to breathe in some more. To let everything that's happened come together cause right now my emotions are so close to the surface. I look down to see that I've been obviously de-transformed and now I'm in some short grey shorts and a grey tank top. I wonder why when I remember the injuries sustained.
They changed me to avoid my parents from seeing any bloodstains on my clothes and they couldn't access my subspace pocket to retrieve the ones I normally had in there. Minako's clothes too, they look like hers. That's when I hear Rei say, "I'm sorry but we don't have much time, the Negaverse knows who she is now, they know she has the crystal. It's only a matter of time till they come after her…again."
She's not wrong. Yet she is. "They know that Sailor Moon is the Princess, but not who Sailor Moon is." Makoto corrects.
Rei counters with, "Mamoru is over there now, once he's been brainwashed, he'll tell them everything he knows." As if that were mere fact. I look up as only Minako has noticed that I moved to the window. Giving me acknowledgment and space all in one…I nod thanking her.
I wondered why the girls had quieted down then? "He's not going to because he obviously cares for her." Makoto interjects. That's when Rei gives another pause and it dawns on me their voices got lower so as to avoid alerting my parents to the situation. Making me wonder now why were not at her place for more privacy. That's when I see my phone and the many missed calls from my parents on it.
That's why. They must have seen them and decided to avoid conflict by bringing me home, giving a reasonable excuse, and taking me up to my bedroom. "Beside brainwashing would be taking away the memories, pure torture is to extract information. I'm betting you it's going to be brainwashing so yeah, she's still safe as a civilian. We all are." Seeing both Rei and Makoto verbal battle it out regarding safety is nearly comical.
It's like watching them in their past forms debating the better options for war strategies that we used to plan and prepare for in our previous lives. In the end, there would be a healthy combination of the two methods and would work seamlessly well together. This however brought on more memories, and I couldn't help but give a small amused, yet hopeless chuckle. I'm thinking it was brought on by between stress and exhaustion over everything.
My small laugh, short-lived as it was gaining their attention. Both are now silent as they see me and suddenly my laugh gets louder. Only now I'm not sure if I'm laughing at the situation or laughing at how bad things are. It's as if a dawning realization hits me as to what we've just gotten done enduring and there's a whole crap-fest more of this to go. The laugher morphs into tears as my sadness, my anger, and my pain hit.
The tears flow, "Is there something funny about that?" Rei asks me, hands on her hips and really there's not but the small bit of laugher was there.
"Yes and no…" I manage to utter, trying to collect myself in the maelstrom of emotions I'm feeling. I'm overwhelmed and need space, but it appears that I won't be getting it. While yes, I need emotional support judging by the conflicting argument being had it's not the type that I need.
Only Minako seems to be giving me the desired space I want while still being available if I ask for it. I breathe in and out, collecting myself so I don't bombard the others with the excessive amount of outpour that I feel like giving to them. "Yes, in the similar sense of no." which only confuses her that much more.
"Excuse me?" she demands, hands now crossed over her chest in her signature 'done with this crap' position.
"Look at all of us Rei." I begin, indicating all of us, "We're not just Senshi, we're all also princesses of our respective home planets. We just found out that I'm the Moon Princess, the bearer of the Silver Crystal that we've been searching high and low for..." she is at least listening at this point as do the rest of the girls as I try to gather myself further for the barrage of emotions that's threatening to overtake me.
I can feel tears spring to my eyes and my nose even tinges at the onset of what I'm holding back as I tell them in a controlled voice, "And the love of my life just got kidnapped..." yet the trembling breeches through, "Right from my own arms!" my voice is trying to avoid piercing the sound decibels but beginning to fail a bit so I gather myself more closely together so I can make sense of this crazy crap that has engulfed not only this evening but our lives since the day we all met and joined forces.
"Now…" I try not to laugh again at how crazy things are getting, "Now…we have this crazy-ass 'Queen'..." I put in quotes as she is self-proclaimed, "Named Beryl who had her lead general kidnap him, she wants all of us DEAD, probably our heads on a silver platter, she wants my family's silver crystal so she can take over the world and WE are all that stands in her way of global domination…" I look at all of them.
All of them take this in knowing everything I've just outlined and not only how true it is but just how MUCH there is going on for all of us as I ask, "How is that not something to give a chuckle to out of sheer absurdity and frustration?" I ask them all as they look between each other. Some do not know how to react as they know how right I am while others not so much and seem to be trying to find a way to see what my point is in this.
I just feel so overwhelmed I feel like crashing. My emotions are hitting the wall that is my temper as I struggle NOT to yell at them. Not for anything they did, far from it, to just to yell at the hell this has been. At everything that's been pushed at us recently. The lies. The secrets we've kept and shared. The sacrifices we've all made. This ending piece just feels like we're topping it all off with the crazy cherry on top.
"It just feels like whenever we manage to get a leg up on the enemy we seem to lose an arm." I manage to push out, my voice grating a bit now as I try to remain calm. Ami comes up to me, her hand on my shoulder but nothing else. I do take it in and use it for strength as it's something but not too much, "Each time we've gotten a chance to beat a general we made it only to get his successor, another powerful one to take his place." I feel the silence in the room at my words as they hit home.
"It's not that bad, nothing that we haven't dealt with before." Rei pushes just a bit. I look towards her as I wonder if she truly feels this way or just puts on a brave front to not appear weak or anything in front of us. Despite our time together Rei still hates to be seen as weak unless an enemy has literally made it so and even then her stubborn spirit refuses to back down and let it be for very long.
"Not that bad?" I ask her, "The very first general we fought was the former love of your life and you're going to really say that?" her face blanched. "We didn't know that at the time so what's done is done." before she can utter another word I tell her, "You know it's okay to care right?" her words are halted, "It's okay to feel a certain way. We all remember how close we were with them." Rei I can see darts her eyes around.
The girls recall their loves too, and much like Rei in one instant realize their connection but unlike Rei are recalling probably some fond memories and are trying to deal with that on top of everything else now too. "They were like brothers to me, some of my best friends...other than you guys...who were always more like sisters to me," I tell them. I take a small step towards her, trying to alleviate the anxiety I'm feeling by taking a small, measured breath and trying to get Rei to see things from my perspective.
"We barely knew the generals when they were each killed. We didn't have an emotional connection to them." my eyes flicker to Minako's as she wipes away a tear knowing that Malachite, her love is still alive and on the side of the Begaverse. It must be torture for her as well as both of our lovers are in the literal depths of hell. "So stop acting like a whiny child so we can figure this out tactically." Rei's words are harsh.
I can't help feeling like I'm being shoved into a box of how to feel just so that she doesn't have to think about something she's not familiar or comfortable with. She steps forward now towards me, now both of us are in each other's personal space, "Now that Mamoru has been taken we need to figure out the best way to handle this." I don't trust the wheels that are turning in her head regarding him.
"She's got a point." Luna voices out from the corner, "We have to figure this out tactically as Mamoru does know who you are Usagi." I close my eyes for a moment, "Are we just going to ignore the point Makoto made here with the brainwashing bit?"
That's when Ami jumps in, "We're not discarding it BUT..." when Ami tries to say her reasoning in a nicer way Rei gets tired and says, "It's still possible that they will torture him, then turn him to their side to get to you." I didn't believe that they'd do that though.
"I don't think they will," I tell her with as much confidence as I can muster.
"And why's that?" She demands.
"I remember Beryl a bit in the past, she was obsessed with Endymion. She would find different ways to be around him. I honestly believe that she'd be more interested in having her 'fantasy' of him as a 'boy toy' than in knowing who I was. Tactically it's not wise BUT she's going about this based on the notion of power and getting what she wants...him." The girls seem to be getting my point with it.
"So, she has the 'boy toy' now she just needs to kill you to get to the power she wants." Makoto voices as I nod, "BUT...she's to what's the word 'arrogant' to torture him for the information, and figures to just get me killed in battle at some point. Plus, I don't think she wants her 'boy toy' to be injured for her." I tell them as Ami, Minako and Makoto agree with me.
Not getting why still Rei asks, "What tactical sense does make?"
I sigh, "Beryl would want him to still be with her..." I draw it out at the end, "So she wouldn't want him to be injured in that sense or probably at all."
Rei finally gets it, then dismisses it. "No, I don't see that as a possibility. No way would a ruler put their 'needs' above the power that they want. Especially not a ruler like Beryl."
I sigh as it feels like a relentless match with her as well on the matter.
"You just don't get it." I look around the room. "Every time we get hit by an enemy, we've always gotten back up but there's an even stronger one behind them. Endymion has become a victim of this now. He's trapped over there, much like Malachite who also is unknowingly a victim himself."
Minako nods as the girls look at her. Makoto gives her a sympathetic nod as Rei asks, "Last I checked HE was a Negaverse general...no offense." Minako didn't respond but did give Rei a sideways glance.
"This is like a recurring game of whack-a-mole. Up pops Beryl up pops her generals, your past husband is now evil, then she comes back, then them again. It's never-ending, and every time it feels like we get a little win they get a big one. When does it stop?" I ask them. No one but Luna answers, "It stops when there are no more adversaries left to be defeated. When our adversaries are too 'intimidated' to try anything against us."
Yet her words don't help me. They don't make me feel any better, "Right...and that's when? When we're in our forties? Will we still be fighting then? Or no wait, what about when we're old enough to be in wheelchairs and walkers...are we still going to be fighting then? Seriously Luna we're teenagers and we're fighting the forces of evil, we're former princesses..." she corrects me, "Not former anymore..." I roll my eyes yet as annoyed as I am with it, she's right. The pasts have caught up with all of us now...I just hope it doesn't kill us.
Endymion POV
I feel the pain in my side radiate outward. I know it's a lethal wound but not a life-threatening one. At least as long as I can get medical help in time. I can feel the warmth of my princesses' arms surrounding me. Feel her sweet soft form hold me, smell her wonderful scent...till I feel myself being pulled from her. I went to reach out to her, but the simple act alone had me in pain that limited my range of movement.
I heard her pained cry at my absence before darkness enveloped me. Decades of a former life are still filtering through my head, knowing who I am now as Mamoru and who I was in the past as Endymion is a hell of a lot to work with BUT having my memories back is a godsend to me now. Even my memories of when I was a child. They returned to me now yet before I take comfort and enjoy them, I feel the presence of Beryl.
It's near deathly. Like a sickness about her, that is preying upon me. The injury is taking up focus but I'm able to open up my eyes just enough to see her sickly-sweet smile at my presence. She literally appears like a bratty entitled child getting her way in a candy store. It makes me beyond upset and pissed off, "You're never going to win." I tell her, my voice choking up on my own blood now as the injury, from lack of medical help is beginning to get to me. For a moment I see the doubt in her eyes.
It's brief but present. "You'll soon feel differently about that when you're by my side, Prince Endymion."
The very thought of that makes me want to throw up. "I'll never be yours...my heart belongs to her as hers does to me."
Her face scrunches up both in anger and I do believe deep down she knows that I'm right. She on some level knows it yet refuses to believe in my own words, "We shall see..." she then leans in.
"Regardless of how you 'feel'..." emphasis on feel, "What will break that pathetic Moon Princess the most is dying at your hands. It'll be revenge for her stealing you from me so sweet that it'll be better than sex."
I feared that scenario. "I would never..." I tell her.
"You act as if you have a choice." She then barks at a youma, "Take him to the chambers. He needs a little persuasion to see things OUR way."
I'm wheeled off from her, thankfully yet not so thankfully as I see the very large and dangerous-looking pod thing they're looking to put me in. Injured and all. As I'm shoved in it feels rough and very grave-like. Then the equally messed up-looking 'teeth' come out over and begin to form nearly purple in color electrical currents that I have a bad feeling about. Seconds before they hit my body, I use my connection to my own powers to protect my memories.
I don't want them wiped out or taken over. I have a very strong feeling that if I don't save that part of me from this chamber that I won't be able to protect my Usagi, my Serenity as well as I can. That's when I see Beryl coming up to me.
"Once your body is forced to give in to the powers you will feel more powerful than what you've ever felt before...you'll use them well to kill her." Her smile is enough to make me reach up to want to strangle her.
Yet it doesn't pass the barrier of currents. I reside to myself and decide it'll be better to kill her when she least expects it and make her suffer for everything. With that in mind, my willpower of resistance becomes stronger. My focus shifts to Usagi, my Princess, and gets even stronger than that. I use my powers to create an internal barrier in my mind. A trick the ancients use to on my planet eons ago.
I recall my sensei of the Terrain Kingdom used to teach me different methods. Mentally shouting and focusing on the words I formed the barrier that locked in place against the evil that was currently being shoved into me. It was like electrical currents of anger and resentment. Telling me to obey Beryl and Metallia alone. It was a brainwashing system, and I knew she was using a LOT of energy for this too.
It also takes a LOT for me to keep the barrier in tactic as I struggle against the barrage of power that's being forced into my body. No break. No leniency. Just pure white-hot pain that's being directed at my body. It's all-consuming at certain points and had I been a lesser man I'd have given in when the youma that was sending it through me cranked it up to nearly 'killing me death' mode.
Yet I didn't...I just barely passed over the hurdles of gut-wrenching pain when I realized that they were also using the chamber to heal my wound up. It was unknowingly helpful in allowing me to protect my mind from their brainwashing. Yet it's still strong enough to plant power and its deep seed of Metallia inside of me. NOT her per se, the ancient demon isn't in me to the point that she can feel the barrier.
No more like she can feel her power in me and knows that my body has given way to that part of this. The current gets stronger, pushing at the barrier I created and while the barrier is simple in its construction it's still quite powerful and effective to protect me. The currents intensify and pull more pain from me despite my now nearly healed wound. That's when I see Beryl coming back over.
The amount of hate I feel towards her right now is magnified by the nega-currents in me. She sees the level of loathing I have for her. I recall I used to feel sorry for her...way back when. Back when she was a simple maid that held humanity and was a person to be understood and validated but was also someone you wished to be able to move on. To do better for themselves in a way that was away from themselves.
I never did love her. Never did I see her as anything more than another Terrian that I knew crushed on me, yet I made sure to NEVER give her any false hope or impression. I didn't want her feelings to be hurt over it and even tried unsuccessfully to set her up with a soldier or two. It didn't work out for reasons that were obvious in the end. They weren't me and she made it clear with them both.
Not that it mattered really, it was hard to press for a relationship when there was nothing there, or in this case when one person felt something as strongly as she did for someone that was never hers to begin with and refused to let go or move on from it. I even spoke with her on it, in private once to help avoid embarrassment on her behalf, so there would be no more of her showing up unannounced where Serenity and were around.
What I didn't count on was for her to discover Metallia and turn herself over to the dark arts. I underestimated what she was capable of doing. A mistake that might have been the reason why so much was lost. A mistake that might have led to this right now. Mind you I held no illusions to how I could affect a woman...or some men...but...that didn't mean I sought out to exploit it or her, I wanted her to find her own happiness.
She however obviously felt that she couldn't live without love from me. I just wondered at this point if she was really conning herself, or if Metallia was conning her...or both. I know Usagi would heal her if asked or if there was a chance, but as I turned my head just the slightest bit over. Sweat beading on my forehead as I did, I saw her from the other side of the room, waiting for me to give up and give in to her.
My own stubbornness that could rival Usagi's on a given day turned back over as I shut my eyes and vowed to never give in, to not let Beryl win. It was a solid vow that as I felt the blackness consume me, I knew I was becoming the darkest version of myself. I felt the power fill me up as the pain began to release from me. The block I had formed was still tightly in place as my memories were stored away in a nice safe box.
Accessible to me alone, whenever I wanted. Unable to be wiped or touched by any force out there. I felt my eyes turn slightly darker as I closed them. Images of Usagi, of the family I had created on the outside, filled my head and heart as the evil that Metallia pushed into me was unable to touch either part of me yet fill up the rest. The more I accepted it the lesser the pain was until soon it was on a level with it.
So, when Beryl walks back over, I feel calmer yet more aware of how the Megaverse works. I can feel the pressure to do as Beryl says yet it's not nearly as powerful as it thinks it is. Almost as if it's a living breathing entity. Beryl leans in and nearly touches the side of the chamber I was in. I swore the thing resembled swamp things personalized tanning bed without the top on. "I promise you the pain will stop once you give in...my prince."
Her promises aren't untrue but hearing her call me 'her' prince hers in any meaning of the words made my stomach turn on its side. "Only see me," she says trying to coax it out of me verbally. I want to say 'you're a vile creature that has nothing redeemable about them' but I have a part to play now. If I can make this work just right, I can destroy her kingdom and bring mine back to its former glory with my Usagi...my princess by my side.
The way our kingdoms, both her mother and my parents, wanted it. As we wanted it when we got together. "I see many things now," I mutter out. I know she can't hear me under my breath, but the words are clear as day in my eyes. Not that she's paying them any mind either, I close them so she can't know how still very much 'of myself' I still am. The shorter amount of time in this chamber the better, not that I worry about my ability to keep my memories safe and in tacked, far from it, no...I worry about how Usagi is doing right now.
How upset and worried she must be with everything that going on. So many adjustments to make and especially with her Senshi friends. Once I figured out who she was it was a no-brainer on the rest of the girls. Honestly how I didn't figure it out sooner is the true mystery. Either way, her horror-filled screams when I was being taken away are still in my memory. Her own emotions over everything must really be playing havoc on her, I need to see her again.
Show her that I'm alright. I want to feel her skin on mine once more...smell her sweet scent and more than just from that piece of fabric I had of hers. The one she didn't know I carried with me on my person all over. That part that was just of guilty pleasure to have of her. A hint of jasmine within honey, lilacs, and mangos. A unique combination that made me smile and put my mind at ease as I thought about her.
That was one thing about Usagi she could get you riled up for more great banter and make you want to go crazy or make you feel calm and soothed after a bad day. My heartfelt soothed once I thought of her. The nega-energy wasn't hurting me nearly as much anymore as I was able to de-tense a bit. This was good, it would appear as if I was more compliant and ready to be let out.
"He's responding to the nega-energy that we're pumping into him." I heard a youma say, I didn't dare look over, not caring to see them. "How much longer? Malachite didn't even take this long when he was inside. It's been nearly a day."
That threw me off. Either time moved differently down here or the wounds I sustained along with her attempts to brainwash me took a hell of a lot longer than even I thought it did.
It felt like it had only been a few hours. I felt for my wound and found that it was all healed up now. As if it never existed. It bodes well for me with a sigh of relief that my wounds had healed already. A good sign.
"Well to be honest and fair my Queen, Malachite was only a general..." I could hear the 'hear me out part' in the pause alone. The youma was obviously afraid of her, "A powerful man himself but still, only a general."
Fair point...I thought to myself as I listened in as the currents were still going over me, "Get to the point." her voice was grating now, worse than before. Similar to nails on a chalkboard. I resisted the urge to cringe as I didn't want it to be taken as me resisting.
"A prince of his caliber..." the youma began. When there was another long pause Beryl snipped, "Get it out!" and hit her staff's edge to the ground.
I could hear that with ease in this place. The youma out of fear shouted a bit, "A prince of his caliber is going to take a lot longer than a few hours. He's the prince of the Earth. He shouldn't be so easily subdued by the dark forces." I hated to say it, but I wanted to smirk in pride on that. Of course, I was going to take longer to be 'brainwashed'.
I could hear some shuffling, "I don't want excuses," Beryl argued."I want results." I could hear a gulp even from over here.
"This isn't an excuse though, shouldn't the prince of the Earth take longer to be brainwashed than a general?" It asked as Beryl snapped, "I'm aware of that but it shouldn't take this long. Not with his extensive injuries. It should have weakened him. Made him more mailable to my words. To my will." I never thought I'd hear Beryl sound 'pouty' but she managed.
It was cringeworthy and even the youma knew NOT to comment on it, "Weakened him yes but not as much as one would think. He's still very strong besides didn't he regain his memories just before he was taken?"
That made me gulp just a tad. I didn't need either of them figuring out that I retained my memories while being in here. I didn't need her to try to use something even stronger to eradicate them.
As it was, I was now planning to put a stronger barrier in front of the current one as a backup to help protect them and myself against her manipulating brainwashing. I didn't need to take any chances. The very thought of losing my Usagi or her getting mortally hurt again was an emotional killer for me. I refused to let her die again. It's why my building plan had to work against Beryl.
She had to die. "Yes, but those have been replaced, and blocked," Beryl answered sounding irritated herself at this ongoing conversation with the youma. Something I'm sure she felt was 'beneath her' yet she was doing what she had to, to get to what she wanted. I almost wondered what Beryl was like before this. What drove her to NOT let go even after she found out that I was in love with another.
I know Metallia holds power over her, but she has to know that even if she were to have gotten to my head, my heart was never going to be hers. I focused on thoughts of Usagi and vowed to see her again soon. I had to hold her once more. Touch her...even if it was brief. I opened my eyes and looked around this bleak place. Honestly being in here felt like a piece of you was dying inside.
I guess that was Metallia's plan though, make this place make you want to take over the earth to get out of the 'dungeon' and onto earth where you can breathe in something that didn't smell vaguely of rotting flesh and old eggs...and a hint of ammonia with ass. An odd but accurate combination of smells that I wanted out of my nostrils and frankly out of my memory of knowing what that smell even is and having smelt it. it was gut-wrenching and vile to the sensors, to be honest.
"Well, those memories coupled with the ones that he already had, coupled with his being the prince all add up," The youma answered her as I wondered when I was getting out of here and back to Usagi. I had to figure out a way soon so I could show her that I was alive, kicking, and still on her side. It would take some convincing while playing the part of Beryl's…whatever I was going to be to her.
Beryl muttered something under her breath before saying, "Whatever…just let me know when he's ready, we have much to discuss. Much to do. He will after all be the one to deliver me the silver crystal. I'll use it to bring this kingdom out of the trenches and to its ultimate glory where we shall rule the earth as I was always meant to." My internal alarms of 'crazy nut job' went full-on off as I heard the youma say, "Yes my Queen."
From someone who's of actual royalty, I can safely say this. One who demands the respect and loyalty of a royal is not a true royal nor deserves the admiration or respect of one. One however who demands that people, in general, be respected and treated fairly, is not only given that respect but is seen in some for as royalty by their generous actions alone. Beryl has none of those traits and is a foolish person without an equal.