Divinity: Fates and the Afterlife
Chapter Seventy-Three
In between crashing sounds of debris and gusts of strong wind, Ares dig his sword on the pebbled floor and looked up at Eris who had been using her manipulative power over the shadows to attack the god of war. Ares frowned "How low are you willing to go just to make everyone miserable?" He turned quickly and slashed another demon and turned to look at her with a threatening frown, "Can you not see how he is using you?"
"As long as he brings you down, I will be satisfied." Eris narrowed her violet eyes, "He can destroy everything for all I care... this damn planet and everyone living in it included."
Ares cut through the Eris tar webs and slashed several shadow monsters and looked at her with pure anger, "You disgust me," Eris threw another blast of dark matter at Ares and opened her arms to call for more demons, "I despise you,"
"I thought we have left that clear last time we met, that is not new to me." Ares muttered bitterly and slashed his weapon to cut through another web of tar, "You can hate me all you want, but the facts will not change. You are still a shadow desperate for attention,"
There was something in Ares' sarcastic tone that finally unleashed Eris' rage and threw a blast of dark energy and raised her hand to call for more shadows, "Squirm in anguish as you see your beloved's planet be eaten by the pain and decoy of every sin that spurs from the Underworld while I wallow with joy of seeing you become a washed-up warrior!"
Ares frowned and grabbed the hilt of his sword and pulled it from the ground, "You are insane Eris..."
"No, I just hate you." Eris's eyes gleamed with pleasure, "I hate you with all my soul and I will not rest until I see you rot in hell. I will destroy everything you hold dear—your precious palace, your honorary title, this planet and your daughter. You will now see what it is to go against demon nature—against a deity from the Underworld."
Ares's eyes gleamed with bottled up anger and quickly turned and slashed another round of shadows coming his way; in a matter of seconds, his most raw and animalistic nature flourished at the mention of his daughter. In a flash of light, the god of war leaped from the ground up to cut the light pole to bring Eris down; like a master puppeteer, the goddess of discord snapped her fingers to summon tortured spirits and corpses from pools of tar and waste flowing from her gown and pointed her sharp nail at Ares, "Is that all, God of War?"
Ares run toward her and turned his sword around him to create a barrier and clashed his sword against the wall Eris was putting up against him to counter-attack and pulled the tar into strings weaving between her fingers to limit Ares' movements but as expected, he knew more than one way of attack and moved at a much faster pace that made it difficult for her to pin him down completely. Eris turned over her shoulder and blasted him with more webs, Ares in response, charged his sword with energy and blasted her with a strong attack, making her fall to her knees.
"I should have cut your head when I had the opportunity," Eris looked up at him as he moved closer and put her hands on the ground. Her eyes widened when she felt it shaking with an unknown and unmeasurable amount of force, knowing for a fact that her intrusion came with more than she bargained; more than she could control. Ares looked up at the roaring sky and took one sharp breath, "Mars..."
Eris tangled her tar webs around Ares' to stop him but the god of war turned and grabbed her hair to pull her off the ground and close enough to look her in the eye, "I swear on my own life that if you meddle in this war, I will completely ignore the fact that it was you who gave birth to my daughter. I am not afraid of you, Eris, and I do not pay mind to whatever rotten feeling you nest in your core. You are a pebble in a shoe—a disgrace. You are far too set in your ways to change and realize he's feeding on your madness and vile thoughts—the only thing you preserve like a valuable treasure. Not even you can grasp the level of danger he represents but by the time you do it will be too late," his gray eyes darkened, "You are cursed," he grabbed his sword and glided it through the long tresses to free himself from her trap and let go of her with disinterest.
"What have you done!?" With shaky hands, the goddess of discord watched the pieces of dark hair turn into tar and drip through her delicate fingers. In a sudden change, Eris started chuckling in a very unnatural nature, "Go on ahead... try and play the hero. But even if you kill me, the madness will not stop... my strength may never be a match for yours; you may cut my hair, you may ruin my beauty but my biggest advantage against you is that you always underestimated me and now, I happily take it as a triumph." With a shaky finger, Eris carved a symbol on the ground and looked at Ares with pride, "You see... there is a reason why Hades and Asteria have recurred to me for various favors in the past,"
"You are a curse,"
"And that is fine by me. I am not the embodiment of discord for anything, my beloved," Eris grinned when the sky started to roar and the ground began to crack beneath their feet in a strong earthquake, "Just who do you think helped the Andromedian walk around the Underworld with so much freedom? Who do you think made him invisible?" She frowned, "Who do you think opened the portals for Asteria? Chaos is free because I intervened! Because I am sick of all of you and I wish for you to rot in misery. I have been plotting against you for centuries, my dear Ares... I have waited so long for this glorious moment to come where I can finally see you defeated." She cracked a light chuckle, "It has been quite entertaining, see you go back and forth searching for answers, arguing with your own brothers—that is the power of discord, I go beyond common sense."
The more Ares looked at Eris, the more he realized how much damage his detachment from everything had caused. Like Gaia had said to him when they briefly reunited, what he could really expect from an entity that was created from a wish of collusion and thirst for revenge? What could he really expect from discord itself? —Nothing, but it's like he said: She was there every time he needed her. In the end, they both fed themselves from the poison of their nature, they didn't care to pretend. She as a deity that brought disgrace and poverty of spirit and he was a deity born from the need of war and rebellion. For the first time in centuries, Ares put his defensive attitude aside and gave himself a minute to actually look at the woman having a mental breakdown on the ground despite her victorious grin, "It was never about Gaia, Eris. Our constant fights, the hatred toward each other, our tumultuous affair and inevitable separation—it never revolved around the fact that I had lost her. I never had her in the first place. She was never mine and I was never hers, not even when we thought it could be. We came to understand it—she and I—how it was never meant to be. We made our peace with it and moved on." He kneeled in front of her and put his finger under her chin to lift her face and look into her deep colored eyes, "With us, there was never love—it was just satisfaction. It was just knowing that whatever disaster we made, we would always find some sort of comfort and pleasure and that worked for us. It was not because you hated the fact of bearing a child, it was that you knew who you are and you were afraid that something good could come out of our union—war and discord was not meant to bring beauty, but it did, and I cannot let you destroy her, even if it is the last thing I do... I will protect her because she gives war and discord another meaning. You are the mother of my child, yes, but this is my last warning Eris."
The god of war moved his hand away and turned to grab his sword and looked down at Eris who was feeling completely emotionally disarmed, her deep violet eyes widened when she felt tears rolling down her flushed cheeks and shook her head, no matter what she felt, that unsettling grin could not disappear from her face, she was too lost in her little revenge, "It is too late now... he will take everything, he is coming and there is nothing you can do about it."
Ares' eyes narrowed, feeling the absence of who he thought it would, "Still, I have to try."
O—o—o—o—O
Artemis stood next to the window with his arms crossed as he looked outside in silence while Luna sat next to an inconsolable Megumi on the floor; Saturn had kept her word and hadn't moved ever since the senshi, Ares, and shitennou went after the moon princess. But just because she had remained quiet doesn't mean she wasn't mourning after the somber news the god of war came to deliver. The maiden's choked sobs kept her thinking on the things she could have done to intervene and force her father to annul the binding contract he had made with the prince to save the princess.
The same harrowing expression that haunted the faces of Saturn and Artemis also haunted Luna's sweet and delicate face. Her beautiful feline eyes were glossed with the same tears Megumi had been crying ever since she heard Ares say he didn't know anything about Endymion; his silence only confirmed it was most likely his fate had met its end in the depths of the Underworld. Helpless and broken, the mauian advisor had her arms wrapped around the terran maiden and pulled her close so she could cry on her shoulder; she closed her eyes for a minute and took a deep breath, "I wish there was something I could do..."
"I cannot accept that he is gone..." Megumi sobbed, "He promised he would return to be by the Princess' side... he promised he would take care... my Prince would never give up so easily and he would ever break a promise..." her chocolate-brown eyes widened and looked up to find Saturn kneeling in front of her. Her gloved hand reached out to dry her tears in the most loving gesture and cupped her flushed cheek very gently. Her deep violet eyes held the same emotion as Megumi's but also deep wisdom that proved her high-ranked place in the divine realm despite her young age, "I know how painful this is. I know there are no words that can really solace the void and the disappointment nested in your chest for not being able to do more... believe me when I say, that I know exactly how you feel. I am a Sailor Senshi and yet, I cannot use my powers as the other girls can. I am the soldier that represents the Underworld and yet, I could not do more to prevent any of this—I am fated to die every time I make use of my power but I have also been brought back to life." She shook her head slowly "What I am trying to say with all this, is that death is a myth—almost a taboo. We don't want to hear about it, we don't want to talk about it because we see it as a something horrible—death is always an uninvited guest but it is also the door that leads to a new beginning, a path for rebirth. Death is not always something that stops existence; it's just the end of an era, the end of a cycle, of a pattern, of a past. I do not believe Prince Endymion is gone and will stand by that belief because I have seen what he is capable of doing. I have seen him fight and so have you. This is just an obstacle that is taking him longer to overcome but while he is not here, we cannot weaken our bond, we need to stay united for Princess Serenity. She is our light of hope but she needs us to be strong and right now, we are the strength she needs."
The young senshi's words were a warm comfort for Megumi's heart, a reminder of the whole purpose of the mission entrusted to her by the god of war himself. She wandered the universe and many waves in time without knowing where to go or who to look for but she knew what she needed to do and that was summed up to this very moment. She looked at Saturn with gratitude and let out a soft breath as she dried her tears; Saturn leaned closer to give her a hug when she felt a tug in her chest that made her go back to take a stand as guardian.
"Saturn," Artemis frowned as he looked out the window; the senshi in purple and black went to stand by the window to look outside and took a deep breath, "As I suspected it, another portal has been opened."
"But... everything is also covered in ice," Artemis muttered, "The temperatures have dropped considerably in the last couple of hours, there is a clear unbalance in Earth's natural movement and its magnetic fields—almost as if its weight is being lost. It's slowly shutting down."
"It will completely if Princess Serenity is hurt," Saturn turned and extended her arm to call for her glaive that like a magnet to her hand, immediately flew over to her and stomp the weapon on the wooden floor to strengthen the barrier protecting them, "This is making it easier for the spirits of the Underworld to merge with this planet. Somebody is forging a portal into this realm,"
"Asteria?" Artemis gave her a worried glance, "Could it be her?"
"No," Saturn narrowed her violet eyes and shook her head, "Asteria opened those portals back then because someone helped her do it. It is not easy to cross over and while she guarded the gates of Thanatos, that did not grant her the power to travel through realms. No, this is someone else's doing." She tightened her grip on the long titanium rod of her glaive and frowned when the air carried a haunting echo. Artemis turned to look outside and nodded, "Let's go find them,"
Saturn glanced at him with surprise, "Artemis, I cannot risk—"
"You are a Sailor Senshi, Saturn, you may not be able to use your full powers with as much ease as the girls but you are an important part of the team. We will stay and wait for your return but you need to go to them, you need to help in any way that you can,"
"No. We have to stay united—if you go, we will go as well."
Saturn blinked and turned to look over her shoulder at Megumi who was standing up and gave her a reassuring nod, "For Princess Serenity, we will be alright. I promise you."
The sailor senshi of silence nodded, "You need to stay close to me. I will create a field to protect you from the poison that lingers in the air. While it is harmless for me, it could be for you and I do not want to risk any chances,"
Megumi nodded, "Thank you, Lady Saturn,"
Saturn smiled and started to ran after the girls and shitennou to give them her support feeling much more confident and calmer to know Megumi, as powerless as she said she was her determination and faith was as strong as all of their powers combined and right now, that is all they needed—faith.
O—o—o—o—O
"Mercury—Aqua Mist!"
"Akuryo Taisan!"
"Venus—Love Me Chain!"
Mars threw another blast of fiery energy at the tar that continued spreading without control all around them and turned to Jadeite who was manipulating a sandstorm as he ran around the perimeter to delimit the heavily contaminated areas from the rest, crystallizing a herd of demons inside and turned to Kunzite who was also using his given energy power to slash the shadows threatening to come close to the princess who was fighting alongside the first in command of the shitennou when another loud hornet sound rumbled the ground and took them unprepared. Kunzite slashed another demon and glanced over his shoulder to check on the princess who had been silent most of the time they've been fighting but her face showed the same level of concern as her body had started to suffer the consequences of maxing out her power, "Princess!"
Sailor Moon turned around and knocked a line of demons surrounding her and cursed softly while she started feeling out of breath. She extended her arm holding her tiare "Silver Moon—Crystal Power—" her crystal blue eyes widened when she felt a strong wave of dizziness and nausea overpowering her, making it impossible to stay on her feet, "N-No... not again... please, not again!"
"Princess!" Kunzite yelled with desperation clogging his voice and turned quickly to slash another army of shadows but the same dense fog that was affecting her was starting to get to him too and the number of shadows sprawling like fog all around was like a dead end to their battle.
"Princess Serenity!"
Sailor Pluto raised her key rod and swirled it with the gusts of wind from the gates of time and space, "Death Scream!" Sailor Neptune leaped from the hoard of shadows she was fighting and raised her hand holding her golden mirror, "Submarine—Reflection!"
Venus turned and whipped her golden chain to make way to go aid Sailor Moon but she didn't hit a group of shadows when another one was rising again, "Dammit!"
"Mars—Flame Snipper!"
The blonde leader turned to Mars who kept firing arrows at the shadows, "One of us has to do it, otherwise it will be too late," the raven-haired senshi said with urgency as she turned to shot another long arrow at another demon, "I have your back—go!"
"Mars..."
"Go!"
Venus widened her eyes and turned but the ground started to shake again with brutal intensity. The blonde senshi tried to stand, but as soon as she hit the ground, she became a trap for the shadows "Rolling Heart Vibration!" The golden energy bursting from Venus' palms was quickly suctioned by the glossy yet putrid substance bubbling from the ground, "W-What?!" She widened her eyes with horrid panic "N-No!"
"Venus!" Mars turned and traced a sacred circle to free her leader and friend, "Burning—" her amethyst eyes widened when the same tar substance crawled up her white boots and pulled her down, making her fall to the ground, "Fire—Soul!" Her command ignited the flames bursting from her hands but were also quickly devoured by thick substance "What is this!?"
Mercury arrived with Zoisite to that side of town and quickly scanned the area, "This isn't common matter—I-I can't... I can't find any weak points or source of power!" Zoisite extended his arm to summon the power to form a long crystal spear and started to slash the dark substance while he sent bursts of energy with the other. His green eyes widened when a hand came from the pool of tar beneath his feet and pulled him down, "Dammit!"
"Zoisite!" Mercury called with panic and went to his aid as she used her freezing powers to at least buy some time to free her friends and go after the princess; for a second she thought it could work but she was soon caught in the dark substance, "I can't... Zoisite!"
Sailor Uranus widened her eyes and ran with Jupiter when they spotted Kunzite was the only one guarding the princess and ran after her while Sailor Pluto and Sailor Neptune kept using their talismans to disintegrate the shadows. The senshi of sky raised her hand and quickly performed a clean first stage of attack by gathering enough energy in her hand and pounding the ground to create a shock wave and clear the enemies around the senshi, "World—Shaking!" She jumped out of the way and raised her hands in the air "Space—Turbulance!" Golden spheres crashed all over clearing the way for her match in strength, Sailor Jupiter, so she could perform a brutal intervention. The senshi of thunder brought her hands together and called for her mighty power, "My guardian, Jupiter, brew a storm! Call the clouds! Bring down the lightning! —Supreme Thunder!"
The thick black clouds in the sky roared angrily as they charged with energy but as soon as they reached Jupiter's tiara she was instantly attacked and fell to the ground where she was quickly trapped by the rotten corpses crawling in the tar, "Jupiter!"Uranus screamed with angst and raised her hand but Jupiter turned to look at her, "No! Go after her! I will deal with them here—Usagi!" Go to her!"
Uranus didn't need to be said more to dash right where the princess was still fighting alongside Kunzite; like a trained runner and a goddess of the wind, she managed to leap through poles and run as fast as she could to get closer when she saw something coming out of the tar. Her eyes widened when she spotted a creature formed from the same bodies until it morphed into a demon inhuman proportions that had set his target on the princess and the general. The long-limbed monster cracked its elongated head in a counter clock movement until it sat in the right position. With a roar and screeching noises from the bodies tangled with it, the demon took giant and thundering steps toward the white-haired shitennou that was still slashing bodies to keep them away and protect the princess.
Sailor Uranus measured the time and it would be pointless for Pluto or Neptune to try and catch up when they were beginning to struggle the unmeasured overload of poison. Uranus raised her hand and held her sacred talisman that appeared out of thin air and dashed toward the demon beast as she called for its power, "My Magic Tool—Talisman! Show thy power and protect me! Space Sword Blaster!" She lay down her sword to charge the abrasive energy at the demon tumbling it down and turning it into tar again. Uranus let out a heavy sigh of relief but as soon as she turned, she heard the same unnerving sound of bones cracking and looked over her shoulder with horror as the demon slowly began to re-spawn and take shape again, "They regenerate..." She muttered angrily and tightened her grip on her weapon. To this, the outer senshi were urged to one last resource, she had only one option left before havoc completely broke loose; she turned to where Neptune and Pluto were fighting and raised her sword to give the first command. Sailor Neptune's golden mirror started to shine and turned to Uranus who had her weapon up and followed quickly to give the second silent command, Pluto twirled her rod to hit a demon and took the garnet talisman off the long key staff and raised her hand up high to seal the trifecta and create a barrier. In a flash of light, the three talismans reacted to each other and formed a prism of energy that helped block the dark entities still flowing from the ground while the senshi and shitennou were still fighting to get rid of most of the tar-like substance that was keeping them trapped.
Just minutes after, Sailor Saturn got to the scene with Luna, Artemis and Megumi behind and immediately used her glaive to create a protective field to protect them from the shadow demons, "Silence—Wall!" Her violet eyes narrowed, "The portal is wrecked open—" she held her glaive horizontally to keep the barrier steady against the tar substance that was flowing all over, Megumi widened her eyes with horror when she saw the princess stumbling and making an effort to stay strong, "Princess!"
Sailor Moon couldn't fight the heaviness in her body and fell to her knees trying to grasp some air but the ambient was becoming so thick it was hard for her to breath. Dazed, she slowly opened her eyes and looked up and saw the gravity of the situation and how everyone was surrounded and limited to attack; they were being outnumbered; there was no doubt Earth was being invaded by a demonic presence that was too strong for them to fight. She could not help feeling her eyes burning with tears as she felt running short of air. She fell and rolled to lay on her back; her hand slowly searched for the pendant she knew she had around her neck and held it tight, "Please..." Sailor Moon mouthed with desperation as she looked into the pitch-black sky and let the tears pooling in the rim of her crystal blue eyes roll down her cheeks, "Please..." she mouthed again, this time, trying to force her strained voice come out a little louder, "Please..."
"Pray,"
"Please..."
"Pray..."
"Please..."
"Pray... my soul is yours..."
"Endymion..."
"...My fate is in your hands..."
"Please give me strength... please hear my prayer..." Sailor Moon put pressure in her abdomen to allow her voice come steadier and tried again, "Hear my calling..." she slowly moved her head and saw the shitennou being surrounded and took a deep breath and pushed herself to turn over but was only able to rest on her hands and knees, facing the ground. She frowned, "I am calling for you! Hear my voice as I call for thy presence to manifest! I need thy help!" She tightened her grip on the golden stone and took another deep breath, this time, feeling more secure of what she was doing as she pounded her gloved fist on the tar-stained ground.
"I call upon the guardian of this planet!" She took another deep breath and kept pounding the ground with all the strength she had in her as if she was trying to wake something she believed was still pulsing very deep underground, like a very weak heartbeat. She couldn't give up, she didn't want to give up—she knew he wouldn't give up. Sailor Moon closed her eyes and let her tears damp the ground beneath her as she kept punching her fist with desperation, "I call upon the presence of the Titan with the power of Sun in thy heart! Blessed by its light, I, Serenity, Goddess of the White Moon, I call for thy help, Sun Titan! Rightful Earth Guardian, come forth!" The silver crystal in her broach started to react bursting in clear and intense rays of silver light as she unlocked its heavenly power "Come forth!"
The girls turned wide-eyed; Venus feeling the most helpless and desperate of them all, tried to break free and go over to the moon princess. Knowing what unleashing this kind of power meant, "Sailor Moon!"
Sailor Moon kept insisting with her fists pounding the ground, already ignoring the numbness in her wrists. The golden pendant started to gleam with a warm, golden shine and by some sort of miracle, she knew what to say in perfect Latin. She heard them in her mind, like an answer to her desperate cry her lips moved to the sound of the words, "Antiqui enim vocat istam virtutem lapidis Solaris Titan ut Terrae, iure tutor! Audite me quaeso, exaudi me miseram deprecantem! Da mihi fortitudinem! Custos Titan obvium! Adiuva me! Adiuva me placere!"
(I summon the ancient power of this stone to call for the Titan of the Sun, Earth's rightful guardian! Please hear me, hear my prayer! Please give me strength! Titan Guardian! Help me! Help me please!")
Sailor Moon kept repeating the words like a mantra over and over again, each time louder than the last. Between sobs, and trapped between worlds, the princess widened her eyes when she felt the ground started to shake and her hand started feeling warm, "Endymion..." She sobbed and started repeating his name, "Endymion! Voco nomen tuum, quia manifestaturus coram me, Titan stare coram me! Surgit, Endymion! Surgit!"
(Endymion! I call thy name to manifest before me, Titan, stand before me! Wake up, Endymion! Wake up!)
"Princess!" Kunzite turned and widened his eyes when he saw a strong gleam coming from Serenity's hand and clearly saw a silhouette manifest from the beam of light and flash up high into the dark sky "W-What the..." he mumbled with shock as he saw it disappear into the thick and stormy clouds.
"Endymion! Adiuva me! Adiuva me! Help me! Hear my voice! I need to help them but I can't do this... I can't do this alone..." Serenity started sobbing with heart-wrenching pain as she kept a tight hold on the golden stone in her hand, "I can't do this without you! Help me! Please! Your fate is in my hands—I know you are not gone... I know you have not left me! You promised! You promised you would never leave me! You never break your promises... you never..." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "Endymion... please... hear my prayer... I am praying for you... please... come back..."
"Help me please..."
"Help me..."
"Help me..."
"Help..."
"Help..."
"-on..."
"-mion..."
"-dymion..."
"-dymion..."
"Endymion..."
"Endymion..."
"Endymion,"
"Endymion,"
"...Who is that?"
"...What is that?"
"...That sound... an echo... is it?"
Somewhere deep in the universe, tangled in endless coils of thorn vines and dismembered bodies lay the body of the Prince of Earth. Suspended between what no longer could be described as life or death, where not even Purgatorio existed as a reality and time passed by like faint gasps of air. He didn't know how long he has been there but it was enough to be just another lost soul in the land of torment.
"Where... where am I?"
"Endymion..."
"That sound... that... name... it's mine... it's me..."
"Surgit... surgit Endymion..."
"Why am I here?"
"Where am I?"
"How did I get here?"
"It hurts... it hurts... everything... it hurts..."
"What have I done? I don't know... what have I done? It hurts... my chest... it pounds... I can't see... I can't move... so much hatred... so much pain..."
"...What a heavy curse..."
"Surgit..."
The constant sing-song sound reached his ears slowly shaking the thick fog of confusion taking over his mind and reason. It was calm and soothing, like a breeze on a calm afternoon. He could almost feel the cool mist crashing in his face; his mind was transported somewhere in time, a time where he could feel the warm rays of the sun pulsing life through him, a time where he could open his eyes and look at the clear night sky and the moon hanging in the velvety darkness of the evening like a giant pearl.
"Endymion..."
"You're here... I recognize that scent... there is only one person I know that has that particular scent. The scent of pink rose's dew. He sent you, didn't he? That King... what a sentimental man,"
"Aperi oculos tuos... scio te non audiunt me,"
"Yes, I can hear you, finally, I can. The sound of your voice... I have waited so long, it makes me want to cry. This damn irony of knowing you are here and yet not being able to look at you, not being able to speak to you but just with the echo of my mind... it truly makes me want to cry. What a sentimental man I have become as well."
"It is called growth, dear. That is the gift of mortality. You learn from your mistakes and you become a better version of yourself."
"Is this why you gave up your divinity?"
"I never gave up anything, I just made the decision to live freely with the person I love. The same way you have been doing for thousands of years with the woman you are deeply in love with. You have come a long way, my beautiful Setting Sun, and you cannot meet your end in this putrid place. You do not belong here."
"Your brother stole my life to revive his,"
"He is the shadow of a man I once knew as my brother but that is no more. You are Helios' true successor, Endymion, it would be pitiful for you to believe this is all there is. After all you have gone through, meeting your end under these circumstances is unacceptable. You cannot give up your life for such a low purpose, that would be a tremendous waste of hope and talent."
"Et non opus dicere magna ad eum intelligere facit quod me sic petis,"
(You do not need to say it out loud to understand what you are asking me to do.)
"Qui enim imminentem videret, tum post eum ibit. Vos postulo ut ire. Hoc est enim mandatum, ut non veniam a Ares. Et hoc est mandatum de tua familia. Helios, avis vestris, et patrem tuum de mihi. Chaos est mori."
(He is threatening her, he will go after her. You need to go back. Yes, you are the key to set him free but you are also the only one that can make him meet his fate and that is exactly what I am asking you to do. This is not a command that will come from Ares. This is a command from your family. Helios, your grandparents, your father and also, from me. Chaos has to die.)
His eyes slowly opened but there was no light or focus in them, instead, there was a milky cast covering the prismatic beauty of his intense gaze. His sight was deceiving and blurry and his mind had fallen under the haunt of the void he was in, he felt like there was no air filling his lungs, his body was in a complete state of agony.
"Surgit, Endymion... hoc est quo pertinent,"
Endymion gasped for air when he felt a warmth sitting over the right side of his face; his first response was to flinch and try to move away but then the soothing energy started to run over the rest of his body.
"Et non pertinent ad hunc locum... in quibus excito sursum, et ad te pertinent. Et fuerunt ab ea longe nimis longum est, ire ad suos. Serenitati te exspectat. Et orantes pro vobis est, mea Solis Occasum."
(You do not belong to this place... wake up and return to where you belong, go back to her. You have been away from her for far too long, Serenity is waiting for you. She is praying for you, my Setting Sun.)
"Help me..."
"Help..."
"Endymion... help me..."
"Serenitati..." Endymion widened his eyes when the sound of the princess' strained voice echoed in his mind and ignited a new rush of energy that pulsed from within bringing back a sense of belonging and existence but also, a new intense wave of emotions, enough to break free from his trance.
"Help..."
He started feeling pain and sorrow; anguish that soon turned to anger and rage when flashes of previous events started to play in her mind reminding him of everything that has happened from the day Serenity was taken by Asteria to the Underworld to how he went to the very depths to go and get her back, his fight with Hades, the hunt for the dark titaness and later when he sent her back to Earth. His eyes started to burn with tears when he remembered the exact moment he had found her all bruised and with her white gown torn from the many times Athamas tried to take advantage of her; her, his Usako—his wife, his life.
"Endymion... please... hear my prayer... I am praying for you... please... come back..."
"...Come back..."
With a loud scream charged with anger, the tears pooling in his eyes started to wash away their opaqueness as he finally returned to reason and woke up from the forced nightmare Tartarus had put him in. His prismatic blue eyes widened when he saw the light above and let his tears roll down his cheeks, "Et ego audiat vos..." (I hear you...) he forced himself to stretch his arm out from the thick vines to reach the golden light floating in front of him and pushed himself off the bloody ground not minding the coils of thorns severing his skin and tearing his uniform "Ego quin audiat te..." (I can hear you...)
The spirits trapped with him started to react to his movement and tried to pull him back into limbo. "Ego Regrediens..." (I am coming back...) Endymion pulled the vines with his left hand and stretched his right arm to the light and turned angrily at the deformed spirits and narrowed his stormy blue eyes as he called for his power to set everything on fire and finally reached out for the light that was going to free him from the darkness.
"Scindite seorsum caelum—mihi fecísti vias lucem... Olympio Dea Lunae, verba tua magna et patet. Accipere quo nunc es ad me. Mihi fecísti vias lucem."
(Tear apart the sky and light my way... Olympian Goddess of the Moon, your words are loud and clear. Take me where you are. Guide my path with your blessed light.)
O—o—o—o—O
"I don't know how long this will resist! The energy is too strong!" Sailor Uranus said out loud, Kunzite growled and tried to crawl over to where the princess was laying on the ground, "You must resist!" Uranus frowned as she kept her sword up high above her head, "Neptune, Pluto! Hang on!"
Pluto felt a strong charge of energy activating the garnet talisman and widened her eyes with shock; with a determinant glare up to the skies she started walking toward the portal and held her garnet stone up high, taking everyone by surprise.
"Pluto!" Neptune called out with anguish, "What are you doing?! Come back! Pluto!"
"I know it—this energy... I know what this is... I know what it means..." Pluto said as she looked up at her glowing talisman, "I know it!"
"P-Pluto?!" Neptune's blue eyes widened with surprise "What are you doing?! Come back!"
"He's coming..." Pluto closed her teary eyes, "I command the winds of time to clear the way for you to cross. The gates are open—come forth..." she took a deep breath, "Come forth..."
Several feet away from the outer senshi Venus looked up and turned to Mars, who had the same stunned look in her face as she looked at the dark sky parting with a strong beam of light, "Is that..." Nephrite pushed himself off the ground and nodded, "The star of Leo is resonating..."
"The star of Leo..." Jadeite widened his eyes and turned to his brother, "Nephrite... could it be?"
At the other side of the zone of war, Saturn raised her glaive up to keep the shadows from going any further when she felt a strong pull, like if she was being notified of a new presence. She turned and saw the strong stream of light breaking the mass of darkness like a ray of sun all the way down to the pools of tar in swirls of fire that shook the ground.
The demon howled and moved closer to the princess who was now on the verge of unconsciousness staring back at the monster with wide eyes, exhausted and frozen with panic for not being able to move or channel more of her power. With a loud roaring on the ground and in that same blinding flash of light, the prince of earth crossed to their realm and ran straight to the beast with a charged sword and dagger in each hand, leaving everyone in great shock. With raging anger and a murderous glare, he dug his sword into the ground and released a blast of energy that flowed from underneath the surface consuming the streams of poison and tar with flames as he ran toward the large demon that had now noticed his presence.
In a fraction of a second, Endymion let go of the hilt of his sword and grabbed it from behind, using the weapon as a level to impulse himself up to dodge the demon's arm swinging at him. He leaped and turned with his dagger in his left hand and stabbed it right at the back of the demon's long head and carved it down to its mid back and letting the poison inside it pour out. With a screeching sound of horrid pain, the demon began crumbling into dozens of rotten bodies that quickly went after him. Landing at a considerable distance, Endymion extended his arm and aimed his hand at them, "Antiqua potentia lapis beati auream per Solem in potestatem," he frowned, letting the ground roar majestically as it allowed the power within him manifest to his command, "Adolebitque omnem immunditiam de terra hac!" (Ancient power of the golden stone blessed by the powers of the Sun, burn every impurity from this land,) his deep blue eyes turned sapphire as he tightened his grip on his sword and charged it with energy and jumped high enough to be above the herd of demons piling and meshing up again into one gigantic being again and with one quick and precise swing, he chopped its head and dig the blade on the body that was squirming on the ground, "Solaris emundetur a fluxi seminis!" A wave of energy exploded in all directions feeding on the invading darkness and freed the senshi and shitennou to join the battle again.
As much as Venus was still very shocked to see the prince was actually there, alive and fighting like a beast against the dark masses, she decided to put the moment aside and called for her power, "Crescent Beam—Shower!"
Mars quickly followed as she was helped by Jadeite who was creating a sandstorm to encapsulate the shadows still trying to escape, Mars brought her hands together and traced as a circle with her arm "Burning—Mandala!"
Jupiter cracked her knuckles and charged her hands as she turned to Nephrite and nodded to combine their powers, "Sparkling Wide Pressure!" Nephrite extended his arms and shouted, "Luce stellarum impetum!" Mercury turned to Zoisite who in response nodded to confirm the command and blasted the shadows with his own chain of energy spheres, "Zoi!" Mercury raised her hands up, "Shine Aqua Illusion!"
The prince looked down with a poker face as everything ignited to massive proportions and pulled his sword from the demon without any trace of emotion showing in his blood-stained face as he watched it squirm to its death. He turned and quickly searched for the princess' whereabouts and ran toward her when he saw her laying on the ground while the others took care of clearing a path to escape. Feeling weak and exhausted himself from the massive astral trip he just did and the deep wound on his side, Endymion fell to his knees next to Serenity and leaned down to link his energy with her to help her stay awake. Serenity opened her crystal blue eyes and immediately responded to his presence by breaking into heavy sobs when she tried to come closer but the prince gently pulled back to keep her at a distance. The action felt odd, almost as if he was rejecting her, and it startled her. Endymion shook his head slowly to catch his breath, "Close your eyes,"
Sailor Moon frowned still very confused but the situation unfolding and the panic around them quickly pulled her out of her hammering thoughts and turned around to look at the girls and shitennou fighting the shadows but gave in to his request and closed her eyes. Kunzite rolled to his side to dodge an attack from a shadow and turned to the prince with shock marking his face, "Endymion..."
The prince looked over his shoulder at his friend and right hand and pointed the ground, "We need to retreat. The portal can't be closed completely. The area needs to be put in quarantine." Kunzite nodded, "We will raise a barrier then—"
"No," Endymion shook his head and turned to Saturn, who was looking at him, "This is not something we can contain—gather everyone, we have to leave."
"Understood," Kunzite nodded and quickly turned to Sailor Uranus but before he could say anything, the blonde senshi nodded "We will create the opening for you to leave first,"
"Will it be enough?" Neptune turned to look at her partner, Uranus bit her lower lip "We have to make it enough,"
"The impact will send a direct hit at the portal, I will use the garnet stone to create another time pocket—be ready!" Pluto shouted out loud for the girls, shitennou, and royals to hear she turned to the blue-haired senshi, "Mercury! Give us the sign when to attack!"
Mercury nodded and pressed her third piercing to activate her intelligent visor, "I'm on it!" She started calculating the mass of energy and dimensions of the portal to find a loop pattern, "Almost... almost there... almost..."
Neptune gave Uranus a mischievous smile, "Don't you dare falling behind, do you hear me?" The blonde smirked in response and winked an eye at her as she turned to look at the demons crawling towards them. Mercury turned to make sure Venus ran to meet with Kunzite and went to help the prince and princess get away and quickly raised her arm, "Now!"
"Space Sword Blaster!"
"Submarine—Reflection!"
"Chronos Typhoon!" Pluto quickly stomped her time rod on the ground and shouted, "Time Flux—Interlock!"
As the three attacks from the outer senshi joined into one, Pluto created another pocket to force time to go slower around them; the olive-skin senshi took a deep breath to keep herself grounded as she tried to manipulate the gears of time again to allow the rest to escape and widened her eyes when she felt Uranus lifting her up and carry her with them. Endymion locked eyes with Saturn and nodded, silently asking her for the destructive favor and turned to Kunzite to ask him to carry Serenity and leave the area.
Once she made sure everyone was out of the zone of danger, the dark-haired senshi broke the barrier protecting Megumi, Luna, and Artemis and handed the responsibility to Mars, who quickly went to their aid with Jadeite and ran off the scene. Sailor Saturn walked toward the explosion and raised her glaive and with one graceful swing she called for its destructive powers, "Silence Glaive—Surprise!"
The destructive force from the polished weapon created a vacuum that summed with the powers of the talismans still igniting into the portal created an explosion louder and bigger than the one she brought down in Juban. Her violet eyes narrowed with authority as she watched everything crumble down before putting the place in lock-down quarantine with the power of her glaive and turned to leave.
O—o—O
It wasn't long before the aftermath of the explosion and Saturn's power caused strong ripples caught up with the rest as they continued to walk back to the shrine where Ares had done everything to eliminate the poisonous energy coming from the portal Eris had created. After his encounter with her and her inevitable return to the underworld, Ares waited to make sure his daughter was alright before returning to meet with Hades and Zeus. As much as he wanted to intervene, he knew there would be consequences because after all, he was a deity and his presence would bring an unwanted attention Earth didn't need while it was under such questionable conditions.
His gray eyes finally caught a glimpse of his daughter walking up the stairs with the rest of the team and grew twice in size when he saw none other than the terran prince slowly following far behind.
"By all heavens..."
He gaped with utter shock, finding it hard to process what he was witnessing. That is when he noticed the great effort he was doing to stay on his feet while he was still linking his energy with Serenity's aura to keep her conscious regardless of the strain it was causing him. It was indeed a miracle he could stay awake, it was a miracle he still had energy left to share with the princess. It was a miracle he had found his way back to his world under the conditions in which he returned. Endymion was almost unrecognizable. There was no doubt of his struggles in the underworld and the changes his body experienced once he crossed to the living realm. There was blood all over his torn uniform and smudged face; his hair was damp and it was surprisingly longer, almost reaching his shoulders and a stubble that was even longer than the one he had grown when he was in Limbo.
Lightheaded and beyond exhausted, Endymion stumbled a few times while trying his best to stay on balance and leaned on a wall to catch his breath, alerting everyone with worry.
"Endymion!" Sailor Moon turned with panic and tried to go and help him stand, but again, he stopped her from getting closer and shook his head. Her first reaction was one of shock, then she felt miserable and with a huge urge to cry, but at the same time, it frustrated her not being able to understand why he was pushing her away without any sort of explanation. She knew this wasn't the time to act like if she was 14 years old again and make a dramatic scene but it had been so long and so much has happened ever since they parted ways that she couldn't help feeling heartbroken. She wanted to help him but as soon as she turned, she was quickly stopped by the dread of her own fears that had started to play with her emotions, making her suspect the real reason behind his distant behavior. She wanted to hold him in her arms and yet, she couldn't. What a bitter torture.
The prince sighed and turned when he saw Sailor Mercury came close and saw the wound that was still bleeding on his side, "Oh my god... you're wounded!" She looked at him with worry when she realized it was a deep injury and that it was indeed, a miracle that he was even conscious and capable of fighting the way he did and walk on his own for as long as he had without any help. She looked at him with tear-glossed eyes and dread when he pulled back, "What happened...?"
Endymion took a sharp breath and shook his head, before he could give some sort of answer, Mars kneeled down, next to Mercury, "We need to go to a hospital," she said in the most calming tone she could muster, knowing he wouldn't want to stress Serenity even more but her tactic didn't work too well when she got to see the deep wound on his right side. The priestess looked up at Jadeite who was helping Kunzite get him up from the floor despite his weak attempts to push them away and turned to give the princess support as she helped her stand too. Jupiter turned to Sailor Moon and cupped her cheek, "I'm calling Motoki, he will be able to help us get him into the hospital,"
"No," Mercury sighed softly and turned to Jupiter, "Moving him would only make things worse,"
"You can't be serious..." Venus frowned, letting her side as sister shine through, "He's bleeding!"
"Knowing Motoki, he won't allow him to move either," Mercury muttered softly and looked at Endymion putting pressure to the wound with his cape, "But I don't have the equipment I need to treat this kind of wound..."
"Call him... he'll come... with the tools you need," Endymion let out a harsh breath and flinched, proving that speaking required more effort than it appeared, "I wouldn't want him to take the risk... but it would be worse if he doesn't know what's going on... I need his help..."
"We'll go find him," Jadeite said with reassurance and turned to Mercury, "But we would need Sailor Mercury to come with us too and that would—"
"I'll be fine..." Endymion found his voice again, "I can handle the wound until you get back," he flinched again when he pushed himself off the ground and took another step. His eyes widened when he saw Artemis and Luna in their human form and then at Megumi who was running toward them with streams of tears running down her face "Megumi..."
The maiden stopped and used her long sweater sleeves to dry her tears but they would not stop pouring out; she took a deep breath and bowed her head to cover her face with her hands. The prince leaned close to grab her arm but restrained himself from moving closer, also putting an awkward distance between them. The maiden frowned when she saw the princess' look in her face, one of pure agony. No words were needed to know something was going on but also, that it was something only they had to talk about and resolve in private.
Her thoughts went as far as to think the tension was maybe because of what happened that day when Serenity was captured by Asteria, imagining the prince might still be upset about how the princess left without notice and without the pendant to protect her. Her first instinct was to turn her attention to the princess, knowing with certainty that the distress written all over her face was caused by his lack of words. Megumi put her hand over Sailor Moon's forehead as if she was checking her temperature and let out a heavy sigh, "Thank heavens, I was so worried... I am so glad you are alright,"
Sailor Moon felt a hole in the pit of her stomach but the young maiden quickly understood her lack of emotion was a consequence of her trying to appear calm so she quickly pulled her into a hug and sighed, "It is going to be alright... breathe..."
This little moment between the princess and Megumi gave Endymion the opportunity to notice there was someone else there besides the inner senshi and shitennou. His prussian blue eyes locked with Ares' gray ones and confirmed the gravity of the situation; if he was there it was because something bad has happened. Something very bad.
The god of war walked up to him until he was face to face "Expaveram pessimus..." he sighed, "Erat enim tempus volo loqui. Sunt autem multa de nobis necesse est potissimum, quod factum est ad vos."
(I feared the worst. I wish there was more time for us to talk. There are many things we need to discuss but most importantly, what happened to you.)
Endymion arched his brow, "Latine?"
Ares nodded, "Rerum secretarum exitibus," (For privacy issues,)
"Pulchrum satis. Melius est servare si volumus huius brevis et vade in puncto." Endymion nodded and combed his long fringe away from his face, "Scio enim liberum est. Vulnus est casus." His deep blue eyes narrowed, "Respondeo dicendum quod necesse est dicere quod non ad vestram vocationem, et exercitus serve meus jacet officium hic... si me neve hostis erit."
(Fair enough. It is better if we keep this short and go straight to the point. I know he's free. This wound is not a casualty. It is needless to say that I cannot respond to your call and serve your army, my duty lies here. If that makes me fail you or makes me your enemy... so be it.)
Ares shook his head, "Est Polemarchos 'prioritas servire et tueri. Uxor tua hac orbis et habitatores eius. Ordinarius bellator, et vos non intelligo: sed, ut ad petere quod, ut esset, quia nimis—"
(A Polemarchos' priority is to serve and protect. Yours is your wife, this planet, and its inhabitants. You are no ordinary warrior and I understand, but, I may have to ask for something that might be too much for—)
"—Scio."
"Nudus est sub comminatione. Regnator Olympi sub sua potestate iam et ipse coepi ut praeter eum etiam alii planetarum. Non est vitiosus et abusivam; postquam eo ventum est ad inferos adii sed omnino separatur utriusque regni coronam cessante. Scio quod scitis et inferis tuae paciscor per in quo liberabo principis... et... verum et ex parte nostra. Ab inferis possis servare omnia agit bus aliis vero lovem dimensionumque consilia impetu opus servo. Ego autem missus sum ad libertatem sensit erectos Polemarchos alterum, ut pars exercitus, informari non opus est tibi ut Helios 'semen tuum opus est quaerere auxilium momenti in hac missione."
(The Underworld is under threat. Olympus under his control and so he has started to take over other planets as well. He is vicious and manipulative; after I confronted him, I went to Tartarus to look for you but the entire rim that separates both realms no longer exists. I know what Hades did and I know of your deal with him in order to free the Princess... but... he is on our side. He is doing everything he can to keep the Underworld from merging with other planets and dimensions while Zeus and I keep working on the strategies of attack. I have sent the alert to the other Polemarchos, as part of the army, you need to be informed but as Helios' descendant, I need to ask for your support on this important mission.)
Endymion shook his head, "Quicquid sit inter me et Hades est non-amet a hoc non possum perdere et focus meum illo. Quod si non est Hades stimulus foramen unum in maledictione reputabitur ostium ergo, quis est?"
(Whatever is between Hades and me, is not important at this point and I cannot waste my focus on that. If Hades is not the one opening cursed portals, then, who is?)
Ares frowned, "Deorum hoc manipulated suum commodum. Hoc tempus erat Eris, id est de peccatis inferi... recipere misit me, sed ego non possum promittere tibi non erit iterum." He sighed heavily, "Cogitavi mortuus es."
(Deities he has manipulated to his convenience. This time it was Eris, one of the sins of the Underworld... I have sent her back, but, I cannot guarantee there will not be a next time. I thought you were dead.)
Endymion narrowed his prismatic blue eyes, "Non possum deserere meam vitae aut illi alienae pepercit."
(I cannot give up my life to him, or anyone else.)
Ares nodded and let out a thick chuckle, "Tu Mater tua quasi canetis," (You sound like your mother,)
Endymion sighed, "Scio me, sed ego coniecto, quod ingeniosus, et didicit habitus a te,"
(I know, but I guess she learned that witty attitude from you,)
Ares arched a brow, "Non, ut rei familiaris est," (No, that is a family affair.) he frowned, "Mihi opus ire retro et verisimile non est ultimum tempus rursus occurremus, ego autem vobis vere sunt relevabor ad tergum, Princeps de Terra,"
(I need to go back, but this is probably not the last time we will meet again, but I am truly relieved to see you are back, Prince of Earth,)
Endymion nodded, "Et iterum, Deus ad Bellum. Et dato pendere tuae quamvis, quod si verum est quod utilis est ad Ego, ego te non tepostulo signum,"
(Until next time, God of War. I will be pending of your alert, but if he is as flamboyant as I've been told, I don't think I'll need a sign.)
Ares gave the young prince a smirk to show his relief and looked at Jadeite standing next to him, his small grin dissolved in a matter of seconds, "Et vos servetur habere sermonem, Custos Caeleste." (You and I have a pending conversation, Celestial Guardian.)
The lord of war continued his way leaving a very shocked general behind. The blonde blinked with a deadpanned look on his face and turned to Kunzite, then to Endymion, "Did he just..." Endymion sighed with a nod.
"Did he?"
"Yes..."
"Really?"
"Yes..."
"Do you—?"
"Yes..."
"And when does it stop?"
"Stops?" Endymion arched his brow and shook his head, "It never stops. A father never lowers his guard when it comes to his daughter... you have to prove you are not a criminal and earn his respect. It is what father's in law's do and yours... well... you better put your strategic skills to work and learn how to pick your battles."
"You wanted a relationship? Well... there you go." Kunzite muttered; Endymion turned to Kunzite and gave him a cynical glance, "Don't even get me started on yours..."
Kunzite blinked greatly surprised; Jadeite sighed as he tried to help the prince take the first step inside the house but Endymion pulled back abruptly and took another forced breath, "No,"
"Endymion?"
"I can't go in, not like this..." Endymion turned and made the best effort to walk to the temizuya startling the shitennou and princess, "End—" her crystal blue eyes widened when she saw he stopped her from coming close to him again and turned to take a bamboo bowl clearly used for watering plants to take plenty of water and let it pour all over him while mumbling something in an inaudible tone. He did the same thing at least five times before he finally was able to catch his breath and closed his eyes. A soft golden sheen made his military uniform and armor slowly dissolve and be replaced by his civilian clothes with the exception of his belt holding his sword and the small blade attached to the onyx scabbard that he preferred to keep at hand, just in case it was needed.
Kunzite followed the trend and went back to his civilian clothes and he walked over to help the prince stand up, "Come on, let us go inside before you catch pneumonia."
"Thank you..." Endymion exhaled and flinched when he felt the strain in his wound, "For..."
"Don't mention it," Kunzite pulled his brother closer as he walked to the shrine, "Welcome back, my brother."
O—o—O
A little away from the commotion, Ares turned to his daughter and cupped her cheek, "Remember who you are. Do not cave in. Be proud and always look forward."
Mars nodded, "I will," Ares cupped her cheek gently and turned to leave; preferring to keep the confrontation with Eris quiet mostly for Mars' sake and peace of mind. It would only make things worse if she knew this violent intrusion came none other than from her mother's hatred toward him and everything he holds dear, mostly, their daughter. The thought of them bickering and fighting all the time in front of a very young Mars made him stop in his tracks and took a deep breath. He turned his head but did not make eye contact with his daughter, "Do you care for him?"
Mars blinked with genuine surprise and felt her cheeks flush with unexpected shyness, "F-Father?"
"Is he worthy of your affection?"
Mars exhaled softly, "Yes, Father, he is. I care for him and he cares for me very much."
"Enough to stand side by side in battle?"
"Enough to stand side by side even when there is silence in between."
"Mars," Ares' brows knitted together, "Do you understand the complications of your union?"
"Would you oppose the same way the Gods have opposed Serenity and Endymion's union?"
"I do not care what the Gods think, they have bigger issues to worry about. I am asking as a man that knows the consequences of being involved in a complicated affair," Ares finally turned to look at her, "I am talking about you—are you aware of the difference that lies between you two?"
"Yes,"
"And?"
"It is not enough to pull us apart, we both know our strengths and our weaknesses. We both understand our place and we know it is not something it just magically stands on its own. Love isn't easy, being in love is not just staying for the smiles and giggles, it is understanding and it is also the support when things go wrong or turn bitter."
Ares nodded, "That is all I needed to hear,"
"F-Father?" Mars blinked, startled. The god of war sighed, "I am relieved to see you are nothing like me." He turned and kept walking away, "Stay true to that philosophy, my dear child, as it is far better than divine law." In a flash of light, the god of war was gone. Mars looked up at the sky with worry in her amethyst eyes, "Father... your eyes hold so many unspoken truths..."
"Mars,"
The raven priestess turned to Jadeite who was walking over to her, "Yes?" The blonde general frowned, "Are you alright?"
"Yes," Mars nodded and turned to look around, "Where is everyone?"
"Inside. We just took Endymion to the same room Princess Serenity was occupying a while ago. He finally let us come close to him," Jadeite took a deep breath, "We are going to find Endymion's friend. I am leaving with Zoisite and Mercury," Mars nodded, "Please be—" Jadeite put his finger on her lips and gave her a soft, loving smile "I would be the biggest fool in this universe if I let myself be pulled away when I was just given the chance to be with you. I will be careful, I promise."
Jadeite's little declaration of love shook Mars to the core, making her eyes gleam with tears "Yes, that would make you the biggest of fools," she could help to break her tough shell and break in tears, "I swear I would go look for you and burn you to a crisp if you don't come back soon." Jadeite chuckled, "The regal deity of Mars has spoken,"
"Listen, Jadeite—" Mars blinked, "Uh... huh..."
"What?" Jadeite chuckled more lightly, "Why the grimace?"
"I just realized... I don't know your full name," Mars blinked, "Your family name,"
"Ah..." Jadeite smirked and crossed his arms, "It happens, it very much watered down when I became one of the Shitennou; I was called by my status rather than my actual surname."
"Didn't that bother you?" Mars frowned, Jadeite shrugged his shoulders "My status never defined me. I very much respect my origins and the memory of my family, my existence and servitude are enough to pay homage to them every day for as long as I live. The rest is just royal protocol. The same goes for Kunzite, Zoisite, and Nephrite."
"But... what is it?" Mars shook her head, "Without your title?"
The blonde general smiled, "De Abbacia, that is my family name."
"De Abbacia..." Mars muttered with awe at the elegant sound of his ancient origin, "My, it sounds so fancy..."
"Well, my origins are far from being fancy. I come from a very humble family of farmers," Jadeite smiled softly, "But I am proud."
"No, no, no..."
"Mars?"
"I'm deviating from the subject," Mars sighed, "I am serious about this, Jadeite,"
"Me too," Jadeite shrugged his shoulders, "There is nothing to be ashamed about,"
"I swear that I will get so mad if you let something happen to you..." Mars couldn't hold her tears any longer and let them run freely, "I swear that I will burn—" Jadeite pulled her into his arms and kissed her temple, "I know. I will be very careful, I promise. I will come back very soon."
The blonde general kissed her again and turned to Zoisite and Mercury already waiting for him at the entrance and pinched her cheek lovingly before turning to walk away. As Mars watched them go down the stairs, she took a deep breath and looked up at the dark cloudy sky and closed her eyes, "Ojisan... please look after him."
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: Messages and reviews always fuel my inspiration. The more I can get, the faster I can write. Thank you so much. Long wait, huh? I had to post it today because work is eating me alive and I wanted it to be up before the holidays. This is my gift to you, thank you for sticking with me another year! I hope you enjoyed-Happy holidays!