Divinity: Fates and the Afterlife
Chapter Eighty-Five
Galloping with strength and full speed, Endymion and Sailor Moon had crossed half of Tokyo in the magnificent stallion Centaurus had lent them to get to the source from all malice was filtering into Earth. From time to time, Sailor Moon would look down to check if the wound on her husband's side didn't open more and soaked his uniform again; she didn't say it but it was something that had her deeply mortified.
"It's all right,"
Sailor Moon blinked and quickly peered over her shoulder up at her husband who had his eyes focused on the road ahead. He drastically pulled the reins of the celestial beast to change directions once he saw the path was blocked by destroyed buildings and shadows crawling out of their hidings. Sailor Moon looked ahead and took a deep breath, still shaken by the whole situation, but mostly for him.
"I don't need you to tell me. I know his intrusion is affecting you the same as when Nehellenia manifested," She frowned, trying to keep her focus ahead just like him "You are one with Earth; I know you are feeling pain."
"I feel more anger than pain, Sprinkles." Endymion shook the reins again to speed up, "Nehellenia was stealing power from people's dreams... Chaos is using their nightmares as entertainment and to go against us." His arm tightened around her waist to pull her closer to him and keep her steady at the fast speed they were going, using this as an opportunity for her to tackle demons and poisonous tar to clear their path ahead with the silver light of her moon tiare, "It's easier to make someone vulnerable with fear and to play with a vulnerable, insecure mind."
Sailor Moon felt a pull of vertigo in her stomach as the horse leaped down from a broken curve and kept moving forward; its speed unchanging. The echo of its galloping beating at the same pace as her heart, thumbing her mind with a warning with each closing step. Her eyes widened when she caught the ground had started to growl and shake, allowing giant demons spur from every crack; more poison coming to the surface.
"They are reacting to us,"
"He knows we're here,"
Serenity extended her arm, fearless and certain of what she had to do, why Endymion wanted her with him on this stretch of the battle and charged her moon tiare with energy once more. The warrior princess took a second to soak in the nostalgic feel of this moment; somehow, she was pulled back to that exact moment when the silver millennium was crumbling to its ruin and Beryl had already invaded; moments before their kingdoms blurred all traces of history and vanished from memory.
She was having flashes of Endymion helping her get out of the palace after it was bombed with dark energy and corrupted soldiers; how it was all falling in crumbles and their consequent meeting with Beryl at the end that only end in more tragedy. This felt familiar but it also set the change of an era, the difference between Serenity, the princess, and Serenity, the warrior princess... Sailor Moon.
Back then, Endymion did everything he could to keep her from seeing evil and death and hid her many times to spare her from the misery of witnessing the fall of what she held dear. To protect her from the horrors hidden in the hearts of those tainted with evil and the bitterness of war. He did everything he could to protect her from danger, except from herself.
Things changed; time did and so did their fate. Serenity woke in an era where she had the chance to speak her mind, to feel the breeze and the sun warming up her skin with the liberties of a normal girl. Where she could go anywhere and have the freedom she couldn't have when she lived on the Moon but also, she was granted what she so much desired: experience.
Serenity always felt there was something missing in her life; as a princess, she didn't want to think that all there was to do was just to marry a worthy suitor to carry the weight of her descendance and speak for her. From one gilded throne to another; bigger, shinier and more pristine, Serenity was forced to be a goddess with no purpose and what was worse, she didn't realize it until she faulted the laws and met the terran prince. Endymion, this perfectly flawed young man. A prince with no desire to be a prince; a man reluctant of the guild of his heritage; beautiful in his own right, inside and out. Skilled to perform in battle but awkward when he had to socialize, although, ironically, with too much experience with the hardships of life.
It wasn't the perfection of their lives what made them fall for each other but their broken spirits. They were misunderstood, unheard, hosts of a duty and an ideal that lay too far away from reality and no one listened, no one understood until they met and listened to each other; blaming time for not being kind enough for having introduced them sooner.
Endymion had the experience Serenity wanted to master and Serenity had the spirituality Endymion needed to feel like a human being and not just a royal tool. Beyond the beauty and attractiveness of their physiques, the mystic magic of their souls and eyes, and the excitement of having a secret affair, there was friendship and there was deep caring that challenged every law of fate and time. Their love evolved the same way they did; and now, it was not the same it was more than two thousand years.
It didn't happen under the rush of forbidden laws and it didn't happen overnight. It wasn't desperate; it wasn't fated to meet a dead end. Usagi and Mamoru took what they once had and built something new out of it; an unbreakable bond that rooted deep down with years of understanding, compassion, and communication—lots of communication. They were each other's best friend, they were accomplices, their therapists, and partners in battle. They took their time to know each other and learn their flaws and strengths. They worked on each other and weaved a beautiful bond so tight they memorized every single trait that made them be independent of each other at the same time of being very close. During that whole process, Usagi built her own experiences and Mamoru learned to open up and come out of his introversion a little more often, both with the certainty that they would be there to support each other when things got really hard.
As Sailor Moon, she earned the experience she wanted and many victories on her own. She learned, she matured, and she became someone else than just a princess; her own kind of champion. To her, being a sailor senshi meant so much more than just being strong or a woman who could give a good beating against evil; it was knowing that she had the power to change things for a common good and make peace approachable to everybody and not just a silly dream. It was about fighting for those who couldn't, get in the line of fire for her dear ones, get her hands dirty when things got bad and fix things; it was about justice but most importantly, it was for love.
Now, with her eyes wide open and with all this knowledge and experience knead, Endymion was asking Serenity for her help and trusting his life to her as he swung his blade through countless bodies of those fallen by the darkness and she was there, watching everything—she was there—fighting the same mission for the same cause, with him. Her face was as dirty as his, her skin as cut and bruised as his, both wearing an honorary uniform, both being a soldier in their own right fighting in their own way, the way they knew and it felt right. They were a force of nature proving everyone who has dared to mock their union and nature how they can move against the current and succeed. Centaurus' words of how sailor senshi were not meant to fight alongside polemarchos were now completely debunked, once again by the love and the trust put in each other's hands. Again, by going against common reason.
As they kept moving closer, the gusts of wind peaked, and turned more aggressive and reeked of rottenness, and along with it came more danger with the centrifugal force of the storm swallowing everything in its ratio. Endymion slid his hand to his belt and pulled his sword from its sheath as he prepared for confrontation.
"We are getting close to the eye of the storm," he frowned as he looked up at the sky and finally saw the distortion Pluto was talking about, his brows knitted deeper when he saw the magnitude of the problem at hand "Things will escalate from bad to mad very soon,"
Sailor Moon nodded and raised her moon tiare above her head, "Moon Gorgeous Meditation!"
The intense burst of light turned the shadows into pools of tar and ash confirming that in fact, they were getting close to the rim of the putrid hole Chaos created to merge realms. The horrid smell brought Sailor Moon back to the time she was trapped in Inferno surrounded by living corpses, the same ones they were now threatening life on her planet and charged again with a stronger desire of getting rid of it all.
The ground ahead started to crumble and disintegrate, pieces of buildings, asphalt, water, and corpses alike fed the unbearable force of death Chaos mastered, turning into debris as it lifted up in the now thicker air and traces of fire started to light up from underneath the cracks in intricate light patterns roaring with majesty in reaction to Endymion's presence.
Every second was valuable and every move had to be carefully thought over. Sailor Moon knew this as they finally reached the last breach that kept the massive storm from the remains of the city. With her arm held up high, she blasted another black wave of enemies as they rode around the perimeter of the storm and frowned "This is more than just a storm..." her lips parted with horror, "He has brought more than just demons along with it..."
"It swallows whatever valuable source of energy into the black hole to make it more powerful," Endymion frowned, "Chaos is tearing the fibers of reality and playing with the continuum of space and time,"
"Which limits our options to a greater scale,"
"Exactly,"
"Pluto won't be able to create the alternate portal for Luna and company if this keeps on... she needs a lot of energy to open just one pocket in time," Sailor Moon slightly turned to Endymion with wide eyes, "And we need it, we need that pocket to prevent us from being completely isolated from whatever plan Ares' has in the works. It's a strength we can rely on and borrow... we need them there so we can fight here but her life is on the line every time she manipulates time."
"Pluto is aware of this," Endymion pull the horse's reins to change the course again to avoid another herd of shadows, "But she is Chronos' daughter; there is much more in her than just a duty to fulfill and rules to follow: it's the honor of her ancestry and her alliance with us what she wants to keep intact."
"Because she's a titan..." Sailor Moon muttered with awe, then she narrowed her eyes "Just like you..."
"No, unlike me, she really is a titan," Endymion slid his hand through the reins to give him more freedom to move with his sword; Sailor Moon couldn't help to chuckle with sarcasm, "Please, what are you then?"
"Haven't you heard?"
"Hear what?"
Endymion arched his brow with a little flair, "That I am just a human being taking what's left of one—ergo, the hybrid term?"
"What?!"
"You need to pay more attention, Princess..."
"Damn, what did I marry myself into?! I thought you were the real deal!"
"Got me, you're the one who said yes... Although, I did warn you..."
Sailor Moon smiled, even in moments so dark like these, they still found the time to make fun of themselves, clearly, her husband took the lead to mock his ancestry with sarcasm, turning their moment a little more joyful "Ugh, you and your words..."
"What?"
"Ergo..."
"What's wrong with the word?"
"Even in times like these you can't stop being so elite, Mamo-chan..."
"I'm a nerd, Usa, not an elite."
"Uh, yeah... sure..."
"We've reached the perimeter, prepare—" Endymion quickly cut their little playful momentum and turned, aiming his palm at the blockade of shadows ahead, "Ambusti terrae," his eyes narrowed, "Now!"
"Moon—" Sailor Moon frowned and raised her rod "—Crisis Power!"
"La Smoking Bomber!" Endymion raised his arm to let his energy intensify to his command and joined Sailor Moon's attack fusing into one strong beam of light that pierced through the blockage, "A fronte impetum!"
Sailor Moon nodded and leaned on her left side, opposite to where Endymion was charging energy at the shadows to the right and used her tiare to knock demons trying to grab onto them while using the light as a shield to allow them through the poisonous air and be able to get closer. The ground turned less stable with each gallop, giving them the silent alert that soon would have to take different approaches to get ahead. Using advantage of the light coming from Endymion's hand, Sailor Moon saw the opportunity to lift up her attack even more and aid him in the process; she tapped her finger over the golden moon shining on her forehead and used the reflection of her husband's attack as a substitute for the moon as she would use it to perform one of her oldest attacks, in this case, a long-range blow was their best bet and their biggest advantage, "Moon Twilight—Flash!"
Endymion felt his chest was about to burst with so much pride for her. The way she was upfronting the enemy without a speck of hesitation in her eyes was so indulging. Hearing her speak out and cast her blessed power at the enemies was like music to his ears. He knew he was putting a lot of weight on her shoulders under circumstances where she needed to rest the most; he knew what he was doing but he also knew that it was her the very one that would appease the madness and that could do more than he ever would. He had brutal force on his side, true, but she was the true champion. If he fell, it was her the only one that could step in and take his place and even surpass him in authority and strength. She was the one with the power to change things and gear them towards a better future. If he was evolution, she was the setting ground for it to happen, if he was fire, she was rain; if he was to fall asleep, she would always be the one to keep him awake. Even as a polemarchos, Endymion was certain Sailor Moon was far much more prepared and capable of doing this. He could see faith in her eyes and the passion she so much talked about whenever she asked him to tell her more about a warrior's discipline and to teach her how to fight.
Serenity took every life lesson, every laugh, every tear and heartbreak, every scrape and cut, every hit and scold and turned into valuable tools to shape the beautiful soldier she had now become. She had even confronted the shadow of Chaos before and she had won, on her own. In the midst of complete abandon, she fought alone and won; the peace that blossomed after that battle happened because of her.
He was not exaggerating when he said she was the one he trusted the most. He wasn't lying to Pluto when he said it was her to be the last one standing. Despite him having being trained to kill and master this ancient power, Serenity learned from the experience while believing in love and goodness; while having faith. She knew sacrifice firsthand but she also knew salvation, what can he really teach a woman who has been saving the world from the age of fourteen, really? A woman who has saved him countless times, even from him.
With the blessed power of the silver crystal shining from the crystal moon at the top of her tiare clearing the darkness ahead of them, Endymion couldn't help thinking on the many times Serenity had said it was him the one that inspired her to become the soldier she was now, truth was, it had been the other way around.
Back then, even after achieving what had been his life-mission, Endymion had grown tired and uninspired after his return to Elysion. Having experienced a life in anonymity and equality, he had gone back to follow the obligation to serve as a prince and deal again with the invisible weight of the crown. He had lost the meaning of wielding a sword for good and had become fixed on the idea of becoming a tool for protection, to feel he was serving a purpose, whatever this was. He was confused, not really sure who he was anymore; prince, soldier, or man. He forgot why he chose the path he did and if he had to put it aside eventually, he wasn't sure why he did at times and it made him angry, it had exhausted him.
The moment Serenity appeared, everything changed; like a breath of fresh air. Curious and unstoppable, the most gorgeous woman he had ever laid eyes on; a beautiful contradiction. Fearful yet determinant, naïve but courageous. Despite shaking with uncertainty, she still had her feet well planted on the ground, even more than he did, and he was the prince of earth. Despite being on the verge of tears, she raised her voice to challenge herself and set her boundaries, always knowing what she wanted. A divine spirit of limitless wonder, the purest form of a soul. A beam of light.
It was her who returned him the passion he had lost and guided him back on the path he had lost way back; the very one that sparked his desire to live. It was her who gave a new sense to what it meant to protect, to give everything for love without being fearful, without second thoughts.
With all the weakness she said she was so frustrated to have, Serenity had been the source of his power all along. The woman that was now taking the front seat on a celestial horse leading a polemarchos into battle, her, the woman that earned the right to hold his sword with the power of her pure heart. The woman that brought him back from Purgatorio and saved his life by taking his soul into a safe cocoon made out of her consciousness for him to escape the madness following Chaos' escape from Tartarus. Her; the princess that cried herself to sleep in his arms countless nights because she felt so weak to break the mold and make a difference, to make her voice heard. The very one that cursed her nature for being at a disadvantage despite living in the heavens. The soldier that has faced so many enemies on her own and thrown herself into the depths of darkness for the sake of this planet—for the sake of him.
"This is the last stretch before we reach the pit-storm!" Endymion turned and hit a couple of shadows trying to crawl up his back and stabbed them with his dagger and hit them with his elbow to knock them off him, puling the reins tight to evade a crumbling building while keeping his other arm tight around Sailor Moon's waist to keep her anchored in her seat with enough liberty to move and perform her attacks. Sailor Moon trusted Endymion's hold and let go of the saddle and raised her tiare with both hands, "Silver Moon Silver Power Kiss!"
The strong power broke the last blockage allowing to come exactly at the rim, a few more steps down into the pit. Endymion started to prepare himself to get off the horse as he looked down at the bottomless tunnel connecting sky and ground.
"I'll get closer," Endymion raised his voice to fight the deafening sound of the gusts of wind; Sailor Moon turned over her shoulder wide eyed, "What? B-But—"
Endymion pulled Alpha's reins and kick its ribs to make it move faster and jump the large gap ahead, "Chaos was not the shadow from moments ago..." he frowned, "That was just a manipulation to make contact with us... to make direct contact with me,"
Sailor Moon blinked, "Then he is..."
"He has made his way in and if I don't hurry, he will find Elysion," Endymion's face darkened with anger as he looked down at the ground and loosened his hold. Serenity suddenly felt out for breath; Chaos breaking into Elysion meant going to the deepest part of Earth, the equivalent of infecting it inside out and its result would be catastrophic. With Chaos in, there would be no hope for this planet to regenerate, not even if she used the silver crystal to the max.
Her thoughts quickly slipped to the moment she fought at the cauldron of stars, the place that hid the Underworld in its very depths. Tartarus is what the Underworld kept locked away in a separate dimension, and from there, Chaos could still spur the evil and manipulate the minds of many that lived dimensions and realms away from him. Minds like Galaxia's, Athamas', Metallia's and all the enemies they had encountered in the past.
Her eyes widened when he made one strong pull to stop the beast at a walking distance from the spiraling storm and handed full control of the reigns to her, "I will try to establish contact with Mercury and let them know our location." She looked at him with glossy eyes, fighting the anxiety from having to part ways with him again even if in her mind was going to be just for a brief moment. Her eyes burned when she saw him turn and felt this indescribable need to hold him, even if it was for a second, she needed to hold him one more time. Her hand quickly reached his cape and pulled tight to stop him; her knuckles white from the tension. The second he turned she leaned to close the small gap between them and locked her lips with his for a few more seconds and pulled back, gasping for breath "I will be waiting for you," her crystal blue eyes drowned into his Indigo ones, "I won't go home without you,"
Endymion brushed his lips with hers one last time and slowly nodded, "Let's get this done, my warrior Princess."
Sailor Moon kissed his forehead before he let go of her waist and got down from the majestic beast. With one exhale he watched the typhoon ahead spark with thunder, reacting to his prayer, "It won't take long to block his attempts... he will manifest..." he looked at her with a warning of what he was about to do, "From this point on, I won't stop until is over."
The intense color in his eyes made her stop any further attempts to fight him on this; accepting the terms of this battle when they spoke of what they would do once they reached this point. Serenity felt a lump in the back of her throat, her fists tightened with frustration, "You can't—"
"Sprinkles,"
Her eyes widened when he shook his head and gave her a genuine glance, one that made her certain that he wasn't hiding things from her, one that she knew meant the same thing she wanted: to be over with this too and go back, "Sprinkles." He said, lower, instantly calming her.
Sailor Moon blinked and took a deep breath, slowly nodding, "Pancake..." She exhaled, "Don't forget..."
"I promise." Endymion turned to the void; his raven-black hair slapping on his shoulders and swirling across his frown with the gusts of cold air crashing into each other, letting his intense blue eyes peek through from time to time from his longer fringe "I am going to manipulate the force of this storm to break his curse... but I cannot be sure of the outcome. I cannot be sure on how he's going to respond to this,"
"I'll be prepared." Sailor Moon quickly thought about her options and looked down at her husband, "I will counteract as much damage to protect the land from the impact so the senshi and shitennou can get as close as possible."
Endymion started walking to the fickle edge being swallowed by the gusts of winds and the magnetic force and shadows swirling around him and looked down. His eyes darkened, letting his aura come through hiding his human nature once again, "I condemn your trespassing; As the guardian of Earth, I reject your presence in thy sacred land!"
He closed his eyes and concentrated to use his gift to track and find Chaos' and lock his whereabouts; his chapped lips barely moved as he breathed the ancient words of his prayer. He brought his hands together and held them still and barely touching as sparks started to burst in the small space in between.
The ground beneath him started to pulse strongly until it connected with his aura. Sailor Moon could hear it, a strong and steady heartbeat. This was the manifestation of being one with the Earth, connected to the heavens above and the darkness below, related to life and to chaos. Things like these made her really wonder how much power a titan can actually manipulate and control; how much power Endymion actually holds.
The prince's hands started to glow in response "Quod morbus, quod is faciens ploras sensit vulnus, ut in ill is non facit; producat illum ad superficiem. Rogationem contribulati malitiae in mundanis et lacerna cucurristi... non tenebrae super nos potestatem ut det mihi ad fontem, reflecti nisi me ab antiquis temporibus sacris terra repleatur benedictione Gaia, Natura Mater."
(The disease that is making you weep, the wound that is making you ill; bring it to the surface. Reject the malice infiltrating in your cosmic mantle. Darkness is upon us... grant me your power to find its source, react only to me sacred Earth of ancient times with the blessing of Gaia, Mother Earth - Great ring of fire grant me your power, burn to my presence! Arise to my command and burn the darkness from below!)
Endymion frowned and started to move his arms slowly as if he was tracing something in the air; the astrological symbol of Earth and the crest of his royal home; a cross over a perfect circle. His glowing hands leaving golden specks and silage of light as they glided in slow and steady movements; almost as if he was meditating.
"Ignis anulum det mihi magna virtute: adolebitque conspectu meo! Fulgor consurget Incendatur primum mandatum meum, et tenebrae ex inferis!"
Serenity had never seen him do any of this before, not even then when his powers were more latent and obvious than they were in this era, proving there was so much more from his lessons he said he had with the holy priest of Elysion when he was a child and later, while trapped in Purgatorio. It felt as she was getting immersed in the mystery of his heritage, finally able to see beyond what everyone else was allowed to know about him and the legacy he learned from his family.
"Circulus Ignis—Surge!"
Sailor Moon's lips parted with wonder when she saw him raise his arm, his index finger pointing up at the sky when a strong lighting stroke all the way down into the cyclone and broke in a loud thunder in its very depths shaking the ground and forcing everything sucked inside it pour out.
Beams of fire burst from Endymion's hand following the action and wrapped in the direction of the storm finally reaching its core and breaking its cycle and making it go out of control into a strong burst of energy; meaning his strategy had worked. As he predicted, the gusts peaked with abnormal force making Sailor Moon stumble a couple of times as she tried to get further away. It took her a while to reach a safer ground and turned over her shoulder to calculate her time to intervene and watched how the power poured out of him like second nature, the same way it did with her.
Sailor Moon wasted no time into following the next step of her plan when the cracks on the ground had gone as far as where she was standing but her determination was set; her tiare appeared out of thin air again and raised it to call for its power and block the poison from reaching the city behind them.
Sailor Moon took it as her cue and aimed her gleaming weapon at the storm, "Moon Healing Esca—" her eyes widened when she felt an ongoing chill running all over her in an overpowering sense, making her lose her voice for a moment.
Endymion slowly opened his eyes and looked up when he felt the presence he was calling for manifest in gusts of ashes. Like a raven in the sky, Chaos was finally revealed standing at a height distance from a damaged building with his long cape laying over him like a night mantle and his long hair flowing behind him like smoke from his high ponytail.
He looked down, his brow slightly moved up, quietly studying his manifestor.
"Et clavis, est sigillum illaesum, consurgens. Miratus saepe quomodo posset resistere hanc viam ad proelia. Alios liberales intermissiones parcere quam suum esse; quare tantam potestatem hanc es, aliud aliquid esse cognovi, aliquid magis intricatae exsolventur. Quia ut esset aliquid millibus annis decode. Fecerunt etiam observavi curae meae satis actu advenientes videat oculis suis. Ego sum admiratus te acri interpretatio verba mea, quin tu huc credo simulac habere quod terreat omnium mortalium; scientes quod sacrificarent inminent mors enim prope est. Undique petitis aut quid... gradieris misericordi animo quicquid fiat infirmis."
"A key, a seal, a diversion. I wondered, many times how it was possible for this rock to resist the many battles sent its way; why were you granted this much control. Beyond other intermissions to spare its existence, I knew it was something else, something more intricate. Something that would take thousands of years to decode. They did well, kept me interested long enough to actually want to come here and see it with my very own eyes. I am impressed by your sharp interpretation of my words; did not think you would get here as soon as you have but I suppose it is what frightens mortals the most, knowing that their imminent death is near. You crawl from every corner and ask for something... either mercy or whatever else comes into your weak minds."
His deep voice resonated with allure; it was sinfully sensual. Sailor Moon blinked greatly surprised to see the man she heard so many horrible stories and even faced in the past finally appear in his true form. The chills quickly turned into shivers when she found herself glued to his intimidating and demanding presence; like nothing she imagined he would look like.
Chaos was as spell bounding as Endymion, maybe to an unsettling level because of what he represented. The uncanny beauty and sharp lines of their jaws, their straight noses and the raven color of their hair and straight upward brows, not to mention the height, she could guess it was proximate to Endymion's tall figure. The strong resemblance that followed their descendance as Centaurus had mentioned earlier was now clear as day despite being in pitch darkness.
Chaos' long trail of hair finally swift away from his face, revealing the ancient power within him in the glare of his eyes. In the midst of darkness, they gleamed like heated braze; with his face stone stern. He tilted his head very slightly and narrowed his gilded eyes as he stepped down crushing the asphalt with each taken step.
His aura was magnetizing; intense as his velvet baritone voice. He narrowed his eyes with allure, "Titan sanguis per venas, Gaia quodsi ipsa quae genuit te, et non est."
(Titan blood runs through your veins, but even if Gaia is the very one who birthed you, you and I are not the same.)
Like a magnet; blood calling blood, Endymion could feel the connection to Chaos even though he didn't want to acknowledge it. He felt the power of his ancestry pulsing inside his chest and react to his presence the same way it did with Gaia and how it once did when he met his grandparents, Geb and Nut. His prismatic blue eyes followed the dark titan's slow movements, carefully calculating the surroundings and preparing for the unexpected as he approached.
"Quod aut mea causa curo opiniones rigi ad ortus."
(Don't meddle my existence or the reasons of my birth to your pedantic beliefs.)
Endymion walked around, taking advantage of his long fringe covering his eyes to give a quick glance around to make sure he was the only one close to Chaos and that Sailor Moon was out of his reach. Erratic and calculated, Chaos dashed toward Endymion; it happened so fast it was even hard to catch the man in black moving with a trained eye. He opened his hand, and out of dense energy, a long glaive with one long curved blade on each end appeared and swung it down with impeccable precision and a deadly aim.
Endymion was not far behind and reacted the same way by pulling out his sword making a soft distinctive echo as it cut through the air and blocked Chaos' front attack, the force on both blades was so strong the ground around them cracked in chain and lifted in dust and crumbles.
"Nunc possum intelligere, cur di essent, ita timeo vos. Quid dicam monstrum. Helios sanguine clarioris priorum temporum decursu neque genus eius."
(I can understand now why the gods were so afraid of you. Why they call you a monster. Helios' blood is too strong to thin over the course of time, nor the class of his descendants.)
With a sharp instinct, the prince moved his gaze from the gritting sharp blades to Chaos behind and remained with the same unreadable face, finally granting each other the right to meet face to face.
It was so bitter Endymion felt a pull inside his chest, there was no question about it. More than a plan, everything that has happened was intentional. His efforts to keep him out of sacred grounds was a trick Chaos was using to his advantage to lure him to his presence instead of being the other way around by making him believe he was about to break the core of his planet.
Endymion turned and blocked another swing of Chaos' weapon with his; one move mirrored the other with impeccable timing and precision. One swing, the next clash; one leap and blockage. It was as if they were fighting their very own shadow.
From her safe spot, Sailor Moon watched them move at impressive speed across the crumbled ground and put the final piece together that would explain why Endymion felt so detached whenever his ancestry and attachment to Chaos was mentioned. The resemblance triggered his patience and his peace of mind.
As trivial as it might have sound, the anxiety behind his earlier attempts to cut his hair had a deeper meaning now. He didn't want to be attached to him in any single way; he knew it too and seeing his hair this long was just a latent reminder that as much as he was a part of Gaia, in a way, he was a part of Chaos too.
She saw the resemblance but yet, it wasn't quite there either. The little she could see of Chaos in between the quick times he came in full view whenever he moved back to dodge or to block an attack, she could see why everyone would say they were alike: the dark hair, the height; now on the ground, it was revealed Chaos was slightly taller than Endymion. They had similar body builds, neither of them was brawny, yet it was clear they were both in very well shape. The alluring beauty was there, undeniable and with the same magnetic pull, but the similarity between them fell over on how they moved, how they spoke, the intensity of their glances and also, the particular way to stand out in a battle.
The aftershock from the two men and their weapons started to bring the consequences of their strong auras. Sailor Moon was aware of the danger that implied if she stayed in the range of the impact and as much as she wanted to, she knew she couldn't intervene; not when there is so much at stake and so little on their side. Not when she had other missions to take care of on the side.
This was part of the plan; what they had agreed on before the battle started. Even when fighting together they would have to split ways and work on their own; this was the purest form of trust Serenity could think of knowing Endymion was going straight on to confront Chaos with the certainty that she knew how to stay with her feet well planted on the ground and fight on her own.
Having this well engraved in her mind, she thought of a way to make contact with the girls as she ran around the perimeter just as she told Endymion would do to prevent the malicious energy bursting from the pit would put more in danger. It was a messy job to keep the hell's sewer from pouring out of control, it was no easy task but she could handle it—damn straight she could.
Following her instincts, Sailor Moon pulled the reins of the horse to step back again, enough to keep a safe distance between the storm and the prince and stepped down. Her gloved hand patted the horse's coat made of stardust; she closed her eyes as she leaned her forehead on the magnificent horse's head, "Let your magical trail guide them here... I ask your help, once more." She slowly opened her eyes, "Please... send my message..."
As if it knew, the horse vanished the same way it came in a stroke of light, leaving the her all by herself watching the madness unfold before her eyes, "I am not going anywhere. I will stay right here."
O—o—o—o—O
A soft puff of air escaped her lungs, through her lips when she watched her dearest friends leave at full speed to what it was the pit of the worst enemy they had to face so far. She knew she couldn't stop her, no matter how much she had wanted to she knew it wouldn't be fair for her to ask none other than Sailor Moon to not leave and fight; it would be like asking her to give up. On the other side, she was the sister she never had and as such, it hurt her to see her risk her life the way she always had in a battlefield because she knew how far she could go. Because she knew how much she would give so the madness could stop but it would also mean asking her to be someone she is not.
"They should not have gone together,"
Sailor Venus slightly turned over her shoulder at Kunzite, who was standing merely behind her. With another puff of air, Venus nodded slowly, mostly given up on trying to find a good reasoning to argue her friend's departure when she saw Centaurus almost in the same distraught position between anger and shock. His face was tense, clearly distressed by Chaos' devastating invasion, his violation to the Omegan laws and now this.
"They should not have—"
"Why?"
There was something in the way the Omegan polemarch said his words the second time that caught Venus' attention. There was almost a painful tone, maybe regret? She thought.
"Why?" She dared to ask again, more demanding this time, "What are you not telling us?"
Centaurus slowly turned to face the Venusian senshi and frowned, "By Universal law, polemarchos and sailor senshi are not to step in the same line of battle. Our jurisdictions are different, so our ways of fighting."
"Why?" Venus asked again, she frowned "Why is it so damn different? Because sailor senshi are chosen women and polemarchos men?" Her face flushed with evident anger, "Because you're supposed to be stronger? Better? Because you end up taking all the credit or bask in the glory of your victories? Why is it so bad for them to fight together?! Why do we have to be so damn different from each other?!"
"Polemarchos don't value their lives like Sailor Senshi do," Centaurus cut through Venus' shaken voice, "We do not measure our anger or our level of attack to protect others like you do. We are not trained to be merciful and save humanity, we are here to perform a task and succeed without minding losing our lives. We do not bask in anything; we exist because we have to. Because we are war tools to preserve a balance in the universe. That is why we are never to be seen, so we are not known or remembered, so nobody can relate a face to a murderer. Polemarchos create chaos to put an end to it; we move through madness to appease it. We use the same vile tactics evil does; we kill, we die, and that is the end of it."
The polemarch shook his head as he diverted his gaze from Venus to Kunzite, then to the void ahead in the direction the couple left again, "You are blessed with other powers, while we are chosen to serve a purpose; we are carefully selected but if we fall, we will be replaced, that is our destiny." He pointed a finger in the direction the royals went, "As much as they try to fight it, none of them can escape that bitter truth. He is as condemned as much as we are; he underwent the same training, he is acknowledged as a polemarchos and if he dies, that will be the end of it and she will only suffer the consequences."
"You clearly don't know who they are."
Centaurus turned to Venus again, surprised by her authoritative stance and the strong tone of her voice when speaking her words. Venus shook her head and took a couple of steps closer to him, her cornflower blue eyes intense with courage looking straight into his.
"You are arguing with me something we already know. God Ares has told us this in the past many times before in different ways, but you just don't seem to understand that they aren't the common example of what you would expect from a sailor senshi and a polemarch. She is the daughter of a goddess who has dedicated her existence to maintain peace and fight for it; he is the son of a sailor senshi, the first that earned the rank of a polemarch... her own kind. She wasn't meant to be a soldier, she didn't have to meet tragedy and yet she did. He was not supposed to know the truth about his nature, nor to become a warrior, yet he did. They were both born in the cradle of royalty and yet, decided to be something else, something that could go beyond that title. They wanted to be the power to care for the innocent and the unprotected and they have done this for too long to change ways now. Will she suffer if he's gone? Of course, because they have a bond that has surpassed all common logic, because they are committed to each other as husband and a wife, madly in love. You don't know them... either of them. You just know whatever the gods felt was more convenient to explain—if lucky. That she was a naive princess and that he was a monster." Venus frowned, "You don't know them... but I do, and all this idea of who is who is just noise to their ears."
Her voice started to break, "Universal law? Is any of this part of such law?" Venus pointed the storm ahead, "Is Chaos part of that divine law you still so much want to protect?! How much longer are you going to keep hanging on those damn codes of honor that evidently serve no purpose!?"
"Venus..." Mars saw the increasing tension on her friend and leader and walked over to her to try and calm her down but the blonde was not having it; she was over this, more than done.
"No, Mars, I have to get this out of my chest. We are in the middle of war and I'm sick of this 'because we're different' crap!" Venus stepped aside and moved her finger from the storm to the polemarch in silver, "Admit it, with all the knowledge you have, you agree with me; you know I am right. You don't think this is it, divine or universal, this is not it! This is not how things should be! You could have stopped the prince from taking the princess with him, you could have just stayed silent and let them figure out a way to get there on their own. You could have broken them up but you gave them the tools... you aided them by lending them your horse to get there faster because you want a benefit out of this too!" Venus frowned, "So don't try to disguise it with your lectures about universal rules, balance, and divine laws. Don't think that just because you are saying this, you'll be exonerated from the consequences. If they fail, we all fail; even you. In this, we are all the same, we all have means to fight and we all want Chaos to go to hell. Ares is aware of this too so don't try and argue that this isn't right, because it has no value."
Silence never felt so heavy, nor the truth ever felt so hard. Kunzite couldn't deny his admiration for Venus' strong and defiant argument in defense of both prince and princess. Centaurus stared at the senshi of love and never in his life has felt this limited with words. He couldn't argue with her because she was right. His reasons for helping Endymion went beyond just following a protocol and Ares' orders, it came from his own judgment as well; from his own wish to stop who once would have been his closest friend.
"I do not plan to disguise anything, Sailor Senshi. You are right, there are reasons, but the timing is not adequate to go deep into them. Chaos' invasion has caused more damage than meets the eye." Centaurus turned to Venus, "You are not mistaken, I could have fought the Sol polemarch but just as Ares, I also want to see results. I am expecting him to do what one of Helios' descendance would; one that is presumed to be his fated successor."
"Endymion..." Nephrite muttered under his breath with awe, "The successor of the Sun Titan...?"
Centaurus brows knitted together in thought, "There was a time everyone expected Chaos would be that successor, he once was the Sol polemarch, after all. There was a time everyone thought he would follow Ares' steps and lead the Celestial Army, but clearly, we were in the wrong. I was once Chaos' equal; we were always teamed up to fight—we did, countless times. We earned victories and a spotless reputation but all that ended when he thought the god's law was a false ruling and became this... a titan of madness and a whisperer of dementia."
"Okay, hold on, hold on..." Jupiter blinked completely shocked, "I just got here and I listen to this big bomb of information?!" She shook her head, still trying to process all this and frowned, "What does this mean for us?"
"Ares has the army of polemarchos surrounding this planet. They're fighting up there as much as we're fighting down here." Neptune turned to Jupiter, "He informed Mars and Jadeite before we regrouped and Chaos made the first contact,"
"Wait..." Jupiter's forest-green eyes widened, "That was really him? That huge shadow was Chaos?!"
"The prince didn't say much, but the tension in the air gave away it was him with whatever words that were exchanged between them," Uranus frowned, "Which only frustrates me even more because I don't understand where is all this is going to take us. What is the meaning of all of this damn curse?!"
"Before Gaia, there was Chaos," Centaurus looked at Uranus, "Gaia had to go through the same training all of us did to be qualified as a polemarch because Chaos had lost all sense of reason and had gone against us. As a sailor senshi, Gaia was a superb soldier, but Ares needed more—he wanted more. There was crisis and Chaos was growing in power. He needed the power of the Sun on his side and with Lord Helios gone, she was the only one left to dispose of it; we needed a power as strong as Chaos to counteract him and at that time, it worked. She proved she could handle it and sealed Chaos in what was later known as Tartarus at the bottom of the Cauldron of Stars, also known as the Underworld. That is why Gaia became the one exception but when she left the divine realm, her place was left vacant once again and it could only be taken by one of that same dynasty, a successor."
"So, it's not about the Earth itself but the connection with the Sun..." Jupiter frowned and turned to Nephrite who was nodding, "That is why you called him Polemarch of the Sun... Despite being the rightful heir to the crown of Earth."
"Polemarchos are warriors chosen by powerful sources of energy in prominent constellations, clusters, and galaxies; stars... not planets. We work as a net of information, isolation, and attack. The Sun is a powerful star and Ares needed that power on his side again because he knew Chaos was going to do much more than just feast on the minds of the weak and vulnerable."
Nephrite blinked as shocked as Jupiter, "This brings a new sense as to why the star of Leo resonates with Endymion so strongly,"
"And why the golden crystal is in his possession." Jadeite chimed in with that same tone of wonder in his voice.
"What will happen to him, now with all this information out of its ancient secrecy?" Zoisite turned to the storm then at the polemarch "If Endymion really is Helios' successor, what will happen to him after this?"
"To tell you the truth, his fate is uncertain." Centaurus pointed the storm ahead, "The Sol polemarch is no exception of the risks attached of being of this line of warriors. As someone with full control of Helios' sacred relic, this could be a downward spiral for history to repeat itself."
"If he fails, your precious army will be incomplete as it has been for thousands of years," Uranus frowned angrily, "You still want him on your side to fill a gap and use him as a weapon; it seems that even after all that has happened, you still don't think he is worth your attention,"
"Oh, he is worth the attention. The mystery surrounding his life has kept everyone very well intrigued for many years," Centaurus crossed his arms, "But to say without falter that he is Helios' successor... well, that is still up for debate. It was once thought to be Chaos, then Gaia, but then here we are with none of them able to prove that point."
"You speak as if you didn't think we could win this war," Jupiter looked at him more demanding than before; Centaurus just shook his head, "I am not here to wonder, Amazon soldier, I am here to retrieve what was taken from my homeland. What it is rightful of those living in the Omega Galaxy. As I said, I have interests and I am not to divert from my obligations... I must follow my jurisdiction."
"Well, you just heard Sailor Venus and it shall not come as a surprise that we share the same belief. We have seen it with our very own eyes not to believe in the power of her words. We will not meddle with your jurisdiction, Polemarchos of Omega. If you have things to do, I suggest you stay out of it, otherwise, we will just keep standing in each other's way." Kunzite said with a slight bitterness and a sarcastic tone. The general took his rightful place as second in command and took his sword out of its sheath, "We have jurisdictions too; we cannot waste our time because as you can see, we do not have much left."
Venus blushed, feeling incredibly attracted to the man as he spoke with so much authority despite having limitations in comparison with the man in silver armor and them as sailor senshi. For a moment she felt she was right back at the terran palace, looking for the moon princess and watching him take his place as honorary guardian. It felt so nostalgic and at the same time, like a blast of hope that they had the courage to get this battle under their belt and actually win. Contrary to what any other divine might think.
"First, we need to figure out which way they went," Jadeite sighed, Neptune, nodded, "By now all roads are probably blocked or destroyed and fighting more shadows will only stall us."
"What about a connection?" Jupiter turned to Nephrite, then to Zoisite, "You've been in contact with Endymion, right? That's how we found Motoki..."
"I cannot make contact with him," Zoisite shook his head, "I can't find him. It is almost as if he is not in this plane... which is very strange..."
"Could they have left?" Mars frowned, Jadeite shook his head, "It means they found him; they found Chaos." He looked up at the sky "There is a shift in the ambiance, the magnetic fields are moving drastically... Endymion cannot respond to our call because as the carrier of the golden crystal, he can't get distracted with something else, otherwise, havoc will break."
"Because of his connection to the Sun," Mars mumbled, "Even in darkness, that energy is what is keeping this planet still fighting for its life." Jadeite positioned his newly acquired bow across his chest and turned to his beloved "Exactly. Sailor Moon is taking that front with him as his level. She is his pillar of strength."
"We must hurry then..." Zoisite stepped in; Uranus nodded and turned to Mercury with urgency, "Do you think it's possible to track them down?"
"I can try to see if there is a silage of energy I can grab on to and follow their trail," Mercury activated her goggles and started studying the codes and many coordinates appearing in her intelligent specs, "It is needless to say they went into the direction of the storm ahead but by now the road might have changed, and by now there are far more obstacles... we are talking of different dimensions in one single plane."
"More demons and corpses," Uranus muttered, Mercury nodded, "That too."
"If the Sun Polemarch found Chaos, then that would explain why you cannot establish a connection or locate his whereabouts," Centaurus said, "Chaos manipulates everything that surrounds him; even if you went to the very eye of that storm, you may not be able to find them if Chaos does not want you to. There is a high possibility that he created another dimension with the energy from the black hole he stole from Omega,"
"Yes, but what about Sailor Moon?" Venus frowned, "She went with him... her light is strong; we can try and locate her."
Jadeite sighed and rubbed his head with both hands in frustration, ruffling his already messy hair, "Damn it... nothing can be simple with this man,"
"That is true, but again, when there has been a possibility? Queen Gaia appointed us as his guardians so that fact alone speaks for itself. Just as him, we are not easy ourselves either." Nephrite nodded "And now, in a new era we have very powerful sailor senshi on our side." He turned to face the girls with pride.
Centaurus turned and saw Pluto at a considerate distance, "If we were not in this situation, I would think my eyes are deceiving me..." he bowed his head to pay his respects, "To be standing before none other but Chronos' titan blood descendant, Pluto..."
Pluto allowed her garnet rod to shine with its mystical energy to clear the ambiance, still keeping the mauians and maiden safe under its deep crimson gleam, "Star of Centaurus."
"As always quiet and analytical,"
"Have I not always?"
"You knew this was going to happen... am I correct?"
Pluto sighed, "As surprising as this may sound, Polemarch of Omega, I did not. My father was not very vocal about his jurisdiction and I was taught to understand why. You better than anyone should know his words were not to be questioned, but now I am more than certain that he acknowledged what you are still expecting to be proven."
"You are part of the mission,"
"This is more than just a mission, Polemarch Centaurus,"
Centaurus felt a tug in his gut when he caught the gleam of Saturn's shiny glaive and sighed, "I see... so things are not looking very promising,"
Ah... because of Saturn?" Pluto arched her brow "Princess Serenity granted me the opportunity to take her as one of my own and make her a part of my family; she is a jewel in my life. Her presence is not a command from the High Gods if that is what concerns you, but fate."
"For the first time I was given an opportunity to have a life aside a duty to just be a reaper of souls as I am famously known in the divine realm," Saturn tilted her head, "I will not argue your words, Polemarch Centaurus, but I will also want to point out that it is because they hold promise that I am here." She looked up at the sky, "I have a duty to perform but not because death is imminent," the young senshi lowered her glaive to rest behind her back and somehow release some of the tension that comes with the reminder of its power once unleashed, "I won't deny that I am more associated with death but I also carry the meaning of rebirth and that is enough hope for all of us to grab on."
A loud neigh caught Centaurus' attention. He turned to see his divine beast manifest back in a cloud of stardust following it in the distance. Mercury widened her eyes, "Is that..."
"Usagi..." Mars said with worry when she saw the stallion came back alone, then the typhoon ahead broke with a loud rumble, "W-What happened?"
"The storm..." Jupiter widened her eyes, "What's going on?!"
"Ah..." The smallest of grins softened Centaurus' rough features and sturdy appearance when he touched the stallion's head, "They reached their destination,"
"How can you be so sure?"
Centaurus opened his eyes and turned to Venus, "Because Princess Serenity sent a message with her location."
"Then there is no time to waste," Venus turned on her heel, "We have to keep moving!"
"Shall we divide into groups again?" Uranus frowned and turned to the leader of the inner senshi ready to follow a plan, "I think we would move faster if one takes the front in attacking and others the defense."
"I will take care of keeping a guard for Luna, Artemis, and Megumi,"
"That will not be necessary, Mercury."
Mercury turned to Pluto, who was calling for the power on her garnet stone "They stay with me,"
"Pluto..."
"With Chaos' attention away from us, it is the best opportunity for me to use one of Chronos' keys to send you to the Moon." Pluto turned to Luna "The road won't be easy but it is safer than traveling through the fourth dimension."
Luna nodded and tightened her grip on Artemis' hand "Very well."
"We will confirm our arrival once we reached the Moon Tower." Artemis laced his fingers with Luna's in a secure hold, "I am sure we can be of more help from there than if we stayed here. You need to focus on the mission entirely... we will be all right."
Venus felt her heart sinking for the second time; she walked over to Artemis and wrapped her arms around him in a loving embrace, "I can't take this... we fighting apart. First, I have to let Usa-chan go and now you... I won't forgive you if you don't come back, do you hear me Artemis?"
"Venus..." Artemis widened his green feline eyes, "You know—"
"Yes, I know... I know..." The love soldier nodded and clung onto his dirty white tunic, "But that doesn't mean I don't worry. That doesn't mean I don't care. You're my friend Artemis, you're my family... you've been with me since the very beginning and I can't help it..."
"I trust you; I know you're invincible," Artemis pulled back to look into her bright blue eyes, "Usagi thought this through and I agree it is our best course of action. This is the best way I can be of aid to you—Luna and I gave you the tools and yes, they're magical, but the real warriors... the real strength is within you."
Venus wanted to cry, damn it, she felt she could crumble any second now. Not even she could explain why she was feeling so emotional, why of all the times they fought and risked their lives in the past this was the very one that made her feel like she was risking everything.
"The crystal tower on the Moon will give us more power," Luna held Venus shivering body, "Usagi-chan knows what she's doing... but also so do you. You are their leader, Venus. Lead them to victory."
Venus sniffed and with a long sigh, she nodded "Please be careful," her blue eyes landed on a very quiet Megumi and for some reason, she felt uneasy. The tension took away the lightness of her always gentle expressions. Her eyes were red, probably from holding her tears as much as she was doing right now. It was clear she was in the same position she was just by watching the princess leave to the very eye of the storm.
"It is settled then," Nephrite nodded, "Let's move,"
"No, wait... Saturn," Neptune turned to the young senshi who immediately answered with a slow shake of her head in denial; her aquamarine eyes widened, panicked.
"He may not be here... but he and I work as one." Saturn moved her glaive, making a soft haunting echo as it glided through the air and stomped the pointed end of her glaive on the muddy ground, numbing the shadows lurking around them and bending them to her silent command. She looked down; her deep violet eyes fixed on the pool of tar contrasting with the white boots of her eternal uniform.
"Uranus is right. We must divide; the laws of the underworld are being faltered and it is my duty to send those souls back to where they belong. Getting you in the middle of this would just delay our plans and we don't have much time. The less we have on our hands to deal with, the better we can focus on fighting Chaos." She turned over her shoulder at Pluto, her eyes settled on the polemarch standing next to the senshi of time "Things above are as dark as they are here on Earth. Hell is not our concern but Tartarus," she squinted "He went there, did he not, Polemarch Centaurus?"
"Ares and Hades have, each taking the lead with one quadrant and constellations of polemarchos," Centaurus nodded, "Zeus is taking the front fighting along with the polemarchos of Canis Major and the polemarchos of Canis Minor. Ares' second in command, Aeleus of Orion, is also taking charge."
He saw Jupiter rolling her eyes and crossing her arms and trailed off, to what Jupiter let out a soft scoff "By all means continue, Polemarch Centaurus. The mention of my Olympian father will not make any of this more uncomfortable than already is."
Nephrite's moss-colored eyes rounded with surprise as he turned to look at his beloved mentioning the roots of her dynasty. Jupiter sighed "This may sound strange but I wish he's being the egocentric man he usually is for this; that he is not holding back. Otherwise, I would be very disappointed."
"You want him to be egocentric in battle?" Mars turned to her taller friend with a confused frown. Jupiter tightened her arms across her chest, "Yep."
"Why?"
"Because it means he will give zero fucks when it comes to getting rid of Chaos' minions. Which, in the end, will work best for us all. I care about winning."
Mars couldn't help but chuckle "We can let it slip this time, huh?" Jupiter grinned and cracked her knuckles "Absolutely; it's convenient for the time being."
"You all seem to have a plan into motion." Centaurus turned to Venus again, "I am glad to see you this united and not afraid of what is to come. It proves the Sol Polemarch has done a fine job in building a trusty connection with all of you; this is a first. I am impressed." His eyes landed on Kunzite and the other shitennou, "My offer stands; if you need to get there, allow me to be of aid. I may have a jurisdiction but that does not mean I do not want to be a witness of this nightmare coming to an end."
"Well then, I will take your word... what are our options?" Kunzite started walking towards him when a loud honk caught everyone by surprise; Jupiter's forest-green eyes widened and grinned with excitement when she saw the large vehicle driving closer "No way..."
Motoki stops and steps out of the van, clapping the dust off his hands "So, I heard you guys need a ride?"
The Divinity Series is rated M. Violence, cursing, gore, and/or intimacy may occur.
I do not own Sailor Moon, just this plot and some of the characters.
A/N: In the midst of so many stories that are far less extensive and less complex, I am still doing this. Thank you to every single one of you that have left me a review, follow me in Tumblr, or have sent me a private message. It is your support what really keeps this going (also, my inspiration). You know who you are, as I always try to respond to your messages and comments. Thank you.