The Silver Millennium, Saturn
A thousand years ago, the planets were aligned together in peace during a time known as the Silver Millennium. This peace was due to the work of Queen Serenity of the Moon Kingdom, who had brought all the planets together to form the Universal Alliance of the Silver Millennium. With Serenity heading the council of planetary leaders, all the planets had enjoyed a peace that all hoped would last for ages to come. Even the planet Saturn, the planet of destruction and death, had enjoyed the results of the alliance.
A light wind blew across the dark violet hills of Saturn, and through the open balcony of Princess Hotaru's chambers. As it lightly ruffled her short, midnight black hair, the princess got up and walked out onto her balcony that overviewed the gardens. Hotaru's room was at the north end of the large purple marbled palace that the Saturn royal family lived in. Hotaru had a great love of flowers ever since she was little, so her father had her room moved next to the gardens as a surprise three years ago on her 13th birthday.
Hotaru looked down at the garden for a moment, then turned and smiled at the vase of flowers on her mantle. They were starlight laces, Hotaru's favorite flowers, and a gift to her from Adrian. Her smile became even larger when she thought of Adrian. They had met nearly a year and a half ago, and it had been love at first sight for both of them.
At a meeting of the council of planetary leaders two years ago, Queen Serenity had proposed the awakening of the Silver Knights, who, according to legend, were to be the personal protectors of the princess of their own respected planet. Each of these destined knights would be revealed by the appearance of their planet's symbol on their forehead, much like the princess who they would protect. Each planet agreed completely with the queen's proposal. It would be worth it for the protection of their princesses.
Like all the other planets, Saturn had begun immediately to find their silver knight. When he was not found on the planet, the search continued to the 19 moons of Saturn. Then, over four months later, the knight was finally found in the village of Altair on Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Adrian Velac, a sword master only 18 years old, was found by one of the scouts at a sword competition when, during the fight, the Saturn symbol had appeared on his forehead. The king had personally gone and asked Adrian to become Saturn's Silver Knight. Like all the other planets, Saturn was overjoyed at the finding of their Silver Knight. The Knight, however, had a different opinion on the matter.
~
In one week, his whole life had been turned inside out. As Adrian looked out of the palace windows at the hills of Saturn, he thought of the events that had led him up to this point.
"Why did I have to be the one with this stupid symbol on my forehead? I never asked for this!"
Adrian had been born with the mysterious glowing symbol on his forehead. He had never been able to control it. At the most inopportune time the symbol would begin to glow. He never knew what it meant, and had spent his whole life trying to hide it. The only time he was able to forget about it was when he was sword fighting. When he was 5, Adrian's father had brought him to the Saturn sword-fighting tournament on Titan, and he had liked it at once. Ever since then, Adrian had dedicated himself to becoming like those fighters and one day enter the tournament himself. And two weeks ago, he had made his dream come true when he won his way into the tournament. But, in the last round, when he was only one more round away from winning, his luck ran out.
"I should have known it was all too good to be true." Adrian thought, "The moment I was about to win, the symbol appeared again. It was then that I found out it's true meaning, and my true destiny."
He was not too fond of his true destiny at that moment. Apparently, Adrian was one of nine people who where chosen by fate to be the protectors of their planet's princess. Saturn's King had even come personally to ask Adrian to come and be the princess's guardian. He looked so desperate, that Adrian couldn't say no. So he had to leave his home, and come to Saturn's royal palace. And in a few minutes, he would meet the Princess Hotaru, who he was destined to protect as the Silver Knight of Saturn.
"I might as well get used to this arrangement," thought Adrian miserably, "It's going to be this way for the rest of my life."
Just then, the doors to the main hall opened and an attendant asked Adrian to enter. He walked in and knelt before the King and Queen. The King spoke to him.
"Adrian, I must thank you for agreeing to come here. It means a great deal to myself and my wife that our daughter be well protected."
"Your Highness," Adrian addressed the King, "I promise that I will live up to being the Silver Knight of Saturn. I will protect the princess with my life."
The King and Queen looked very reassured with Adrian's oath.
"Thank you very much, Adrian. Now, may I present my daughter, the Princess Hotaru of Saturn."
The doors to the side of the room opened, and as Adrian looked to the person entering, he felt his heart stop. Standing at the doorway was a girl, wearing a flowing gown of purple, her midnight black hair just touching her shoulders, and her violet eyes shined like two little fireflies. As Adrian looked deeply into this fairy's eyes, the symbol of Saturn appeared on his forehead, and then on Hotaru's, and Adrian knew that his heart now belonged to her.
~
Hotaru thought about that first meeting as she walked through the halls to the gardens. Hotaru knew that she was in love with Adrian the moment her eyes first met his. It was almost half a year later before Adrian could gather up enough courage to confess to Hotaru that he felt the same way. Hotaru almost laughed out loud when she remembered his reaction. He was blushing a great deal when he confessed his feelings to her, and turned even redder when Hotaru said that she loved him too.
"That man could defeat at least a dozen monsters without even blinking, but turns into a schoolboy when he confronts me."
As she entered the garden, Hotaru stopped and looked up at the sky. Searching for a few seconds, her eyes stopped on Titan.
"I wonder if he is back yet." She thought.
After a lot of persuasion on her part, Hotaru had finally gotten Adrian to go and visit his home. She knew he missed his family, and decided that he should go visit.
"It's been over a year, and you barely get to talk to them. I know they miss you too." Hotaru said to Adrian.
"They don't mind." Adrian said in reply, "I've told them how important it is that I stay. And if I go, who would protect you Hotaru?" He looked at her with love and protectiveness in his eyes.
"Don't worry Adrian. I can take care of myself for a few days. Really!!" Hotaru added as he glanced at her again. "I absolutely insist that you go!"
"Alright, alright, I know when I'm beaten," He said putting his hands up and smiling, "Challenging you is something I'm not crazy enough to do. But I still have a problem with leaving for a few days."
"What?" Hotaru asked.
"I'll miss you too much, my little firefly." Adrian answered in reply.
Hotaru almost changed her mind when he said that. But after she regained herself and stopped blushing furiously, Hotaru had told Adrian that he had to go, for his family's sake. She'd miss him a lot too, but it wasn't fair to his family if Hotaru kept him all to herself.
Hotaru was so lost in thought, that she didn't hear someone sneak up behind her. Before she could do anything, Adrian grabbed her and started tickling her.
"Hey!" Hotaru said before she started to laugh. She managed to turn around to see her attacker.
"Adrian..!" Hotaru said in-between laughs, "Stop it! I can't take this anymore!" She lightly slapped him on the arm.
"What a rude way to greet someone who's just returned from a long and tiring trip." Adrian said with a sly smile on his face.
"Rude indeed! When did you get back?" Hotaru asked, still smiling.
"Well, Your Highness," Adrian began while doing an over-exaggerated bow, "I returned to this planet a few hours ago, and the thought of having your lovely company persuaded me to come here by horse instead of waiting for a ride tomorrow. But I see that no one has prepared for my welcome home party. Don't I at least get a present?" Adrian asked with his all too innocent eyes looking at Hotaru.
Hotaru gave Adrian a long, soft kiss on the lips.
"Welcome home." She said as he took her into his arms.
"I would have been here yesterday if I'd known I'd get a present like that!"
Adrian took Hotaru by the hand and they began to slowly walk around the garden. After a few minutes, Hotaru broke the silence.
"I suppose you've heard about it?" She asked sadly.
"It was all I heard about once I got back. But mostly bits and pieces." They sat down by the fountain facing each other. "What happened exactly?" Adrian asked.
"Well," Hotaru began, "A few months ago, there were some mysterious attacks on certain planets. All the attacks were random, with nothing strategically important about the places that were attacked. They almost seemed like some sort of test. Then, a few weeks ago, we began to hear rumors that Earth was being attacked. A few days after you left, Father left for the Moon Kingdom to attend an urgent meeting of the planetary leaders council requested by Queen Serenity. At that meeting, the Queen confirmed the rumors of the attacks. These attacks are coming from a place called the Negaverse, led by a woman calling herself Queen Beryl. Earth is in total chaos because of that woman. Queen Serenity fears that Beryl will attack the Moon Kingdom next. She has asked for all the planets to lend soldiers to protect the Moon, and possibly stage a counterattack on the Negaverse to free Earth."
Adrian had stood up and begun to pace during her story. He stopped.
"So, there is a new enemy threatening the peace. I had hoped that this Negaverse was just a rumor, but it's obvious now that I was wrong…they are going to be needing good soldiers to help in the fight."
Hotaru jumped up suddenly and grabbed on to Adrian.
"No! Adrian you can't go!"
"Hotaru."
"I'm not going to let you go!" Hotaru yelled, tears forming in her eyes, "It's your duty to stay here and protect me! If you go something bad might happen to you! What if you died!?! Adrian, I couldn't live without you!"
Hotaru broke down crying and Adrian slowly embraced her, shocked by her words.
"She loves me…she really loves me!" Adrian thought.
After a few moments, Adrian spoke to the still crying Hotaru.
"Hotaru," He said, gently lifting her head to look into his eyes, "Listen to me. You don't have to worry, because I will never leave you. I love you too much."
Adrian then proceeded to take the golden chain from around his neck, on which hung a small, purple star-shaped jewel, and put it onto Hotaru.
"I want you to have this."
"Your star crystal? But Adrian, this means so much to you! It's probably the only one left in existence and way too valuable for you to give up!"
"Exactly why I want you to have it. You are the only one for me Hotaru. A treasure so precious and dear to my heart that I will never give you up."
Hotaru started to blush as she looked into Adrian's eyes.
"Hotaru, I will love you forever. If anything should happen to me or we should become separated, I will find a way back to you. Not time, not space, not even death could keep me away from you. I promise this to you Hotaru. We will be together, forever."
Hotaru began to cry again, but this time, they were tears of joy. Adrian took her gently into his arms and laid a soft kiss upon her lips.
As the couple embraced, they took no notice of their surroundings. They didn't see the woman in the shadows, watching them closely. The woman glared at them with her cold, lifeless eyes that radiated a green light of hatred. Ice blue hair fell down her back, and her blood red dress was partly hidden by the black cape she wore over it.
Hotaru and Adrian began to move away, and the woman continued to watch them. A smile of pure evil spread across her face.
"What fools!" She said in an icy tone. "They think that they will remain untouched. They have no idea of the true enemy that awaits them. My plan is unfolding perfectly. They actually believe that Beryl is in control, when all she is is a puppet that I control."
The woman turned her direction toward Hotaru, a fire of hatred burning intensely in her eyes.
"Princess Saturn…your time is up. My revenge will be complete when I personally end your life! Beware, for I am Metallia, the true master of the Negaverse! Very soon, your suffering will begin, very soon."
With one last evil grin, she turned away, and disappeared into the darkness.
~
Chaos. The planet Saturn was in complete chaos. The attack had come without warning. One moment, the planet had been peaceful while the inhabitants slept, the next, the Negaverse had began an all out attack on the planet. Communications to the other planets was lost, so Saturn was on its own. Beryl and her small army of monsters had led all of the attacks on the other planets. But this was different. The army attacking was ten times more powerful and numerous, and was led by a woman none had ever seen before: Metallia.
As Adrian ran through the ruins of the palace, another loud blast from outside knocked him off his feet. He got up quickly, not caring about his cuts that were bleeding freely now. All he knew was that he had to find her.
Adrian had been conversing with a few of the guards when the attack had begun. The King and Queen had both been killed in the first blast, and Princess Hotaru was nowhere to be found.
"Hotaru. Hotaru!" Adrian yelled as he ran down the halls. "Perhaps she made it to one of the transporters." He thought suddenly.
A few minutes later Adrian was at one of the transporting units. Guards were guiding the survivors through the portals to the remaining ships in the Saturn fleet. Adrian looked carefully through all the confusion going on, but still found no trace of Hotaru. He felt a pain in his heart.
"Please be alright Hotaru. I don't know what I'd do without you."
As Hotaru gazed at the destruction that was once her beloved planet, tears began streaming down her face. She had been in the conference room with her parents when the attack had begun. Hotaru's father had managed to push her out of the way before the ceiling caved in on him and Hotaru's mother. Hotaru knew that she had to get out of the castle, but her legs refused to cooperate, and so she stared out at the chaos that was Saturn.
"Quite a fitting end for the planet of destruction. Don't you agree, Princess?"
Hotaru quickly turned her head up to where the voice had come from. Fear spread across her face as she looked at the woman floating in mid-air. Her red dress glowed from the light of the explosions, her blue hair blew madly in the wind, and her icy cold eyes glared at Hotaru with an intense hatred.
"Who are you?" Hotaru said defiantly, standing up to face this woman.
"Oh, forgive me! With all this excitement, I've forgotten to introduce myself. I am Metallia, Queen of the Negaverse, and soon to be ruler of the entire universe!"
"You are the one responsible for all this, aren't you!?" Hotaru yelled at her.
"Angry? Good. I want to see you suffer before the end." Metallia said with glee. "All of this pain and suffering is your fault, you know. This whole thing never would have happened if you hadn't cast your little love spell on him!"
"Wha..? What in Saturn's name are you talking about!?!" Hotaru yelled, very confused.
Who do you think I'm talking about? Your knight in shining armor!"
"…Adrian?"
Metallia began to glow an eerie red.
"Yes, Adrian. He fell in love with you, when it should have been me! All the pain and heartache I've felt is because of you! My revenge will be complete once I've drained every last drop of life energy from you!"
Hotaru stared at Metallia with disbelief.
"You're crazy! You're destroying an entire planet and killing thousands of innocent people because of that! This is insane, you have to stop all of this, right now!"
"Never!" Metallia screamed, "I will never stop! No one can stop me and no one shall ever escape my wrath. I'll make everyone feel my pain!"
Hotaru looked up at Metallia with a pleading look in her eyes, and then turned to face her planet.
"You have no right to cause suffering to others, I won't allow it!"
Metallia laughed, "Very amusing. And exactly how do you expect to stop me, little princess?"
"The only way I can think of, with my life."
Hotaru closed her eyes and began to focus her energy. Purple light began to radiate from her, and the symbol of Saturn appeared on her forehead. Hotaru outstretched her arm and her weapon, the Silence Glaive, appeared in her hands.
"Goodbye, Metallia."
Hotaru thrust the Glaive above her head and shouted:
"DEATH REBORN REVOLUTION!!!"
Purple light burst violently from her body, and dark ribbons of pure destructive energy began emitting from the glaive. Hotaru heard Metallia scream as the ribbons ripped through her body. Hotaru's own body became weightless, and begun to rise into the sky as her life energy flowed out of her. Hotaru heard someone screaming her name, and she looked down into Adrian's eyes. A look of horror was on his face, and he screamed for her madly, and began to run toward her when two of the guards stopped him. He thrashed wildly as they pulled him into the portal. Hotaru gave him one last smile before the portal closed with him on the other side.
"We promised Adrian, remember? Together forever." Hotaru said with one last breath.
The purple light engulfed her completely, and Princess Hotaru disappeared.