Sympathy for the Devil, Part 3 - Desperate Measures
Hotaru's Dreamscape
"Papa... Where are you, papa!?"
The young girl ran through the inhospitable caves of what she knew was the Hades - Her home turf and her true heritage. And as such, she knew that the soul of her earthly father Souichi Tomoe had to be in there somewhere. All she saw in her search, however, were non-descript souls and wretches.
Nothing that stopped the Guardian of Death. Even if it was a dream, Hotaru's inner self attained herself to the hope of finding her father somewhere in the Underworld.
Eventually, he found a male figure with a bare well-built torso and long slick hair the color of flames. He turned around and seemed to recognize her original self. "Melinoe..."
"You... You are Astar the Angel, are you not?" Hotaru recognized him as well. "Please help me, I beg you! Papa... I want my papa back..."
Taking pity of her, Astar closed his eyes and extended his arms towards her. "Take my hands, child," he requested, and she quickly obliged him. The Angel opened his eyes, which emitted a pale white glow. A fresh aura covered both their souls, and Hotaru felt like she was floating even if she still felt her feet on the ground. "O Hades and Persephone, heed to my call. From the mind of your sole heir, scout the Underworld for the soul of the one named Soichi Tomoe."
When they came back to their senses, Astar spoke good news: "Cry no more, Melinoe. Your father in this age is not in the realm of the dead."
This filled the heart and mind of the young Guardian with hope and fear. "Then... Where is he?"
"This we do not know yet," the Angel spoke. "All we know is that Soichi Tomoe is not dead. If he were, your forebears would have been able to point where his soul resided in the Underworld."
"I see. I think... There is hope." Hotaru permitted herself a shy smile of relief.
"Now listen, I came here into your Dreamscape to tell you of your mission. You have awakened your Demigoddess power, and as such, you can transit freely between the realms of the living and the dead."
"Yes... Of course. I remember what Hades and Persephone told me in a dream not long ago. But how do I do it?"
"Your Silence Glaive," he kindly answered. "The weapon that can tear through dimensions and states of matter. Point it downwards and thrust it into the earth."
"But... I always thought this is how I could destroy Existence itself!"
Astar shook his head. "Only if you so desire. But if you concentrate solely in opening a path to the Hades, that is all that will happen. Use this to send the Sailor Guardians into the depths of Hell, for the portals opened by Lucifer and his cronies can only be sealed from within, and only they possess the holy power for it."
(xx)
Hotaru was no longer a baby of two years, but a teenager just entering maturity. The shock of seeing her father's death unleashed such energy throughout her composition that it made her develop and grow fast to the state she was in, prior to her awakening as Sailor Saturn.
She awoke with a loud gasp, which also startled Setsuna, who tried unsuccessfully to sleep in the bunker bed above hers. "Oh my... Hotaru, are you alright?"
"I... I spoke with the Angel. He said Papa is alive..."
The Guardian of Time just couldn't believe what she had heard. "Hotaru, dear... You must still be grieving and-"
"It's true!" Hotaru insisted. "His name is Astar, right? I felt his soul, and I remember everything. He searched for Papa and didn't find him in the afterlife. I don't know what happened to him, but he is not dead!"
Setsuna then remembered of the Time Key that her lover was holding, and sense snapped in her mind. "He is lost in time. Soichi... Oh dear, he's somewhere out there in the flows of time!"
"Yes... But that's not all," Hotaru continued. "The Angel told me we need to walk into Hell itself to seal the gates that the bad guys opened. Only I can open a path, and only we Sailor Guardians can seal their gates."
"I see. When this is all over, we will search for your father," the green-haired Guardian guaranteed. "We must help out the Guardians as soon as possible."
As young Hotaru reflected on her mission at hand, she remembered the first time that her forebears spoke to her through her dreams. This was the sacrifice that Hades and Persephone mentioned, and it could not come at a more crucial time.
(xx)
Usagi, Luna and Shingo ran through the damp corridors of the Tokyo Detention Center searching for any other
All but one was empty. Once she saw the siblings run past, a certain familiar figure called: "Usagi! Over here!"
"That voice," the young man recognized. "It's Miss Ami!"
The three went to the source of the voice, where the black cat managed to sneak past the cell's front lid and open it from the inside. They found a pale-faced and barefoot Ami draped in a raggedy dark-blue dress.
"It's been horrible... My mother fell for the transmission and promptly called the police on me. I've lost the sense of time..."
"The same happened to me and Mamo-chan," Usagi spoke as she tried to console her dear friend and sister-in-arms. "Don't worry, you're safe now."
"Do you figure any other Sailor Guardian could be detained in here?" Luna asked.
"Perhaps," Ami answered. "This is an underground block that was intended for highly dangerous prisoners. If they went after us, they most likely went after the others. We better scout for other prisoners, and escape as soon as possible."
"That's right," added Shingo. "Usagi's Compact is still at home, and-"
"Good to know that!" an ominous male voice reverberated through the corridor.
"Not you again," the young man winced when he recognized the voice of Belial, Legionnaire of Wrath and responsible for Usagi's arrest. To make matters worse, in came a small but well-armed contingent of United Nations troopers, ready for an all-out battle.
"My fellow Legionnaires are on Earth, just waiting for the legions to come and take over. For now, these fellows here will have to do while the real deal doesn't come. And if I grab the Silver Crystal in your family's possession, we'll be one step closer to our objective."
"You have no idea who you are dealing with," Usagi shot as she took a step forward. "We won't let you have anything your way, do you hear me!?"
"Stand back!" One of the armed grunts shouted as he pointed his rifle against her. As he cocked the gun, he ended pulling the trigger and piercing Usagi's stomach with its vicious shot.
"USAGI!" Both Ami and Shingo shouted as they went to her aid. The leader of the Sailor Guardians plummeted to the floor, gasping for breath and bleeding profusely to the point she formed a thick pool beneath her.
"Fool of a lackey," spoke Belial in a displeased tone. Soon after, the guard that shot Usagi burst into flames, making the others flinch as they observed the footman twist in fiery agony until it was reduced to a charred chunk of flesh. "The Prince of Darkness needs this woman alive! Go and get her now!"
"YOU'RE NOT PUTTING YOUR FUCKING PAWS ON MY SISTER!" Shingo exasperatedly screamed at the demon as he embraced his sister, the only thing he could possibly do to help her.
"And what are you going to do to impede me, you waste of flesh?" Belial mocked. "Boys, take them already, and make sure you heal the Princess' wounds."
"Mercury Eternal, Make Up!" Ami called forth for her powers.
"Should have figured you would put up a fight," the Legionnaire casually said as he enlarged his hand to grab Sailor Mercury. But once he approached the heroine, he flinched. "Blast it, you're freezing to the touch..."
"Bubble Spray!" the Guardian of Waters then called for her distracting attack that also made the grunts fall, weakened and with Belial's demonic possession waning in their minds.
"Shingo and Luna, run back to your home and bring Usagi's Compact, pronto!" Sailor Mercury ordered. "I'll stay behind to care for Usagi."
"Ain't... going... anywhere!" A fallen UN grunt called as he readied his own rifle to shoot at the heroes, but before he could do anything, he got a pistol shot on the hands.
"Who... Who did that!?" a dazzled Luna questioned.
"Run, NOW!" A female voice called from the thick fog, and they complied, each going their own designated way. Shingo and Luna managed to reach the way out of the Detention Center, while Sailor Mercury carried Usagi, slipping out of consciousness due to the blood loss, as far away as possible.
"DAMN THIS ALL TO HELL!" Belial bellowed out in the wrath that gave him his title. The UN troopers had fainted and were no longer under demonic control. As for the perpetrator of the life-saving attack, she finally appeared as the fog dissipated, standing undaunted in front of the demonic Legionnaire.
The heroes ran and did not look back. None realized the sacrifice of Chief Superintendent Natsuna Sakurada as she, too, burst into flames due to Belial's evil magic.
(xx)
"No... This cannot be!" Astar whinged as he opened his eyes, seeing nothing but the New Kings finishing yet another session of spiritual training.
"Something the matter?" Daisuke concernedly asked.
"I... I cannot enter Usagi's Dreamscape. No matter how much I try or concentrate. This can only be Serenity's doing, to block me or anybody else from entering."
"Please calm down, Astar," the voice of Helios requested. "All you will end up doing is waste energy."
"Energy... Of course," the Angel resigned himself to say. "The very force that drives actions no matter how small or big, and keeps things in their proper order. Yet, time is running out, and neither I or the Kings are closer to our objectives."
"If there was something we could to do help you out, we would do it," the Maenads said in unison as they appeared to his side.
"There is... And I apologize for what I am about to do," he bitterly said as he activated his Word once more. "Maenads... Amazon Trio... Give out most of your vital energy."
"Wait, what!?" exclaimed Fisheye as he and the others felt their energies sapped away to the point they could no longer stand on their feet.
"Astar, what in damnation are you doing?" questioned Helios with an uncharacteristic voice of aprehension.
"I need the energy," the Angel answered. "None shall die, but they will be out of service for some time."
"This is very reckless of your part and I will not stand for this," the Warden of Dreams reproached once more. "If you attempt to enter Usagi's mind with this, I myself will not allow it."
"In this case..." Rather than inserting it on himself, Astar directed it to the New Kings. They shook and felt discomfort over the sudden surge of energy within their souls, barely even able to stand on their feet as well.
"Fucking hell, STOOOOOOP!" Yuuichirou screamed in pain.
"What... What is this?" Ryo questioned.
"With this influx of spiritual energy, you may transport into the Dreamscapes of your beloved. I believe it is just as important that you join your lovers in their minds as it is for me to speak to Usagi."
"And, uh... And how do we... Do that?" Shinozaki managed to ask between his teeth.
"Concentrate yourselves," Helios spoke, having understood what Astar was trying to do. "Visualize the person whose Dreamscape you wish to enter, and do not stop until you feel you have reached a safe landing."
The four men obeyed and thought deeply of the Sailor Guardians. In little to no time, their figures joined the landscape of Elysion. And as soon as their figures faded away, the Angel himself fell to the ground on his hands and knees, panting and observing as the cerulean skies of Elysion took on a darkened hue.
"Ugh... I feel... Exhausted..." Tigerseye croaked out.
"Eh... We all are," Hawkseye added, then addressed the Angel. "Hey, man... Next time you... Try to... Pull shit like this... Tell us first, okay?"
"A dastardly move wherever I see it from," chastised the Warden of Dreams. "And yet, I cannot help but see nobleness and reason in it."
"Once again, my deepest apologies, Lord Helios, Amazon Trio and Maenads. Such times... Require desperate measures. You and I know what I mean..."
"Indeed. I guess even enlightened, all-powerful beings are not exempt of acting in such reckless manner."
(xx)
"THE FORGING OF THE CRYSTALS"
In their travels across the Galaxy, Gaia taught Grammaton that the Om were propense in fall into sins and vices, which the New Gods made use of, and that their biggest error in their attempts to sway back their affinities was to combat it directly, rather than counterbalance it. The biggest proof for this once more came from the Om's own proclivities - They also cared deeply for one another, whether they realized it or not, and whether it was solely within their families, or the societies they formed at large. Gaia told Grammaton that this had a name: Love.
Intrigued, Grammaton asked Gaia whether they, the Angels, could also feel this new sentiment she had just described. She then asked: "What do you feel whenever I am with you?"
His answer was that he felt tranquility and trust that he never felt like before, whenever he was around anybody else. He wanted to be near her as much as possible, to protect her from the hardships that may come their way.
Gaia smiled, and told him that this is exactly the beginning of the feeling of love. She then embraced and kissed Grammaton, and they engaged in the passions of the flesh. To her, this was the ultimate proof that they had no inhibitions for one another, as people who love each other should have not.
But whenever he reached his climax, he spilled his seed outside of Gaia's womb, afraid of what exactly would be borne from their tryst. His seed became multi-colored jewels that Gaia herself took. Feeling he was still too tentative, the female Angel then told him that he still had trust issues, and that they should only meet once more when he became more confident. Feeling he wronged Gaia somehow, Grammaton followed her as she flew away to as far away as possible. He didn't even know where exactly she was going, especially since she carried his seed, half a source of life. Why would she do that? Where would she carry them?
After a light-year, they finally reached Gaia's intended destiny: It was the Galaxy Cauldron, the place of the particle explosion that originated all composition and structures in the Universe. She threw the jewels to its luminous core, and shortly after she retrieved two larger stones. One was whitish, another had a golden hue, and their might was palpable and visible. They received the simple monikers of Silver and Gold Crystals, imbued with the matter that originated all matters, and the life energy of its most powerful beings, the Angels.
Gaia knew that Grammaton had followed her, so she smiled and realized he still retained care and love for her, just as much as she had for him. Still, she told him, he needed to work on his own issues, and for the time being, his progeny would be the key to the full flourishment of the much-maligned Om. She then flew away so fast, Grammaton could not keep up with her, and his anxiousness only grew as he spent more and more time seeking for the only being that ever made him feel good and secure in his lifespan. And for the Crystals borne of his loins as well - What would be their purpose, and what would Gaia do with them?
Book of Titor, Chapter II: The Age of Angels, Section III
(xx)
Despite no longer holding the title of Heavenly Kings, the former Royal Consorts still retained their powers, and they used them at full force to create a force field that impeded the advance of the legions led by Moloch, Legionnaire of Envy.
"I don't know how long we can last," Zoisite complained.
"For as long as necessary," Jadeite spoke as he heightened his own power to reinforce the spell.
From behind the main flanks, Moloch observed as none of the foot soldiers managed to breach the barrier, and none of the long-distance strikes seemed to hit through it. Even the giants of times past, the Malakai Riders, the dimensional shamblers and Shoggoths seemed to slow down and stop acting the further they reached for the men.
"It seems you are in dire need of reinforcements," a woman then spoke.
"Eh, indeed," Moloch grumbled. "But where are your legions, if I may ask?"
"No need for them just yet," she answered. "For now, retreat and use this time to mobilize the troops under the other Legionnaires. They can only unlock their full power once they are reunited, after all."
Moloch obeyed and silently went away. The crimson-haired woman then strolled towards the magic barrier. When the former Kings saw her, their souls filled with anger and dread, for they knew the figure very well.
"Beryl! What the hell are you doing here!?" Kunzite exclaimed.
"Playing my part of the bargain with Lucifer," she simply answered. "I am the Legionnaire of Vanity now."
"Pitiful woman," scorned Zoisite. "In your insatiable lust for power, you damned your soul forevermore and don't even know it."
"Ah, spare me your condescension, pillow-biter," the newest Legionnaire snapped back. "Don't you think I know that already? In my situation, I have nothing more to lose anyways. But enough of this nonsense. Once we pass through, you shall be my generals once again, and there is nothing you can do about it."
"Never in all eternity!" Nephrite seethed. "Whatever deals you must have undergone with the Fallen Angel, we shall not be part of it!"
"Haven't we already been through this before?" Beryl scoffed as she prepared her pervasive spell. "I did it once, I can do it again."
"No, you cannot," another female voice spoke from afar. "Telluric Dirge!"
Some sort of humming, invisible wave seared through the grounds and the fetid air of the Hades. Not only did it undo the barrier that the former Kings raised, but it completely closed the portal and chased off any creature that still peered into it from afar, astonishing friends and foes alike.
"Who... Who in all hells did that!?" the Legionnaire of Vanity shouted.
Without saying anything else, the Guardian of Death stepped forth from the shadows, Silence Glaive in her hands and with the features of her Eternal form. "I am the true heir of the Underworld, and you can tell to the Usurper that I am here to take back what is mine by right."
"Try your luck, you brat!" Beryl insisted in attacking Eternal Sailor Saturn, but just as she reached her pallid hand to grab her, the Guardian pierced through her palm with the Silence Glaive, making the villainess back off squirming in pain and dropping acidic blood.
"You are not dealing with just a Sailor Guardian," Sailor Saturn spoke once more. "I am Melinoe, Demigoddess of the Underworld. Relay to Lucifer that his days are counted, and that his damned name will be all that remains, once we are done with him and his flunkies."
"This will not end this way, you hear me?" Beryl spat out as she covered her hand's wound and ran away.
"Amazing," Jadeite let out. All the former Heavenly Kings could do was to observe the unraveling of the bout, as they were too bereft of energy to help the Demigoddess out.
"Friends, hear me out," the Guardian of Death then addressed the men. "This is just a palliative measure to fend off the legions of Hell. There are many more being opened across the world, and we can only do so much before running out of resources in short order. But this you can do: Enter the settlements of Hell and seek the unholy grounds of Pandemonium. Wait there for your former spouses, the Inner Sailor Guardians, so you can break the Hearts of Darkness that keep the structures mounted by Lucifer. This way, we can close the sores that the Legionnaires are inflicting upon the surface of the living world, and rid the Universe of Lucifer and his schemes."
"The Hearts of Darkness!" Jadeite repeated, having figured what she had just said. "How did we not think of this before? Ah well, now we know what to do and it's not too late yet."
"One more thing, if it's not too much to ask," Nephrite raised his voice. "What of the New Kings? We felt the breaking of the Shadow Gems and the possession of the Young Lord..."
"In this moment, their souls reside in the minds of their respective lovers," the Demigoddess answered, which made the former Kings murmur in relief. They were worried about their state ever since their rushed and improvised coronation ceremony. "You can thank Astar for that."
"Excellent! We still have hope," Kunzite cheered in a self-contained way. "We shall do as you say, and let us hope things go well for all of us."
"Thank you very much, and take care in your journey," Sailor Saturn wished them with a shy smile of her own, and then disappeared from the Kings' sight, her soul returning to her physical body.
"Well, no time to lose now," Zoisite affirmed, his hopes renewed after everything he saw and heard. "For the sake of the World, nay, the Universe... To Pandemonium!"
The four of them performed their respective Royal Salute and in tired steps started their journey towards the belly of the beast. Good news for a change, and it made them feel rejuvenated, even in the face of more hardships ahead of them.
Another day, another chapter.
Eternal gratitude to litakino1987, to my followers and anonymous readers who are still up with this tale.
Next chapter: The Guardians and their lovers finally meet, and Usagi's fate after her severe injury.
Greetings from the Hospitaller Knight.