Hey all! Been a long time since you've seen a new SM story line out of
me...but I have returned, and with a sequel no less! That's right, for
all of you 'Wish Upon A Faerie Ring' fans, here is the sequel you've
been waiting for. For those of you looking at that and thinking 'What
in the world is Wish Upon A Faerie Ring?' well, it's my first story.
Do you have to read 'WUAFR' to understand this fic? Well, you *know*
you want to read it anyway...you are getting sleepy...

To all those who have clamored for a sequel, this is for you!

Disclaimer: *shakes her head* I don't own anything. Well, I do own
these school papers, but I'm fairly sure that no one is interested
in them...


Time Is Eternity
by Lyra Matsuoka
Rated PG-13

Prolouge : Offending Shadows


An eternal battle is fought in this world, and has been fought
since the dawn of time. The forces of good and evil are constantly
colliding, making war on each other. And a battle cannot be fought
without soliders. Hence, each human being must, at some point in their
lives, choose whether they will serve the forces of light, or the army
of darkness.

For a very select few, their choice is woven in the tapestry
of destiny.

Some are the heros of legend, and they are the ones who protect
all things that humanity has a tendancy to take for granted. Others are
the very essence of chaos, for their purpose is to remind the people of
each world that the light and love they cherish is as easily snatched away
as it is given.

However, no one is entirely good or entirely evil, no matter what
the tapestry of life may say. And everyone whose destiny is not decided
for them must choose. Which side is left to the macinations of the many
forces that mould humanity. And those who choose evil are far more
dangerous than those who are born to it.

Such was the case with Beryl. Her ill-advised assasination attempt
on Imperial Princess Serenity had resulted in the near total destruction
of her active mind. And the reason for this was the a very dark power was
moving swiftly through her, dominating her soul. When Beryl had been
fighting Serenity, she had offered her soul to anyone who would take it
for the chance to win the battle.

That is an intoxicating offer for any being; especially for one
who had been lying dormant, waiting for just such a chance. There are evils
in the world that have existed since the creation of the universe, and
Metallia was just such a force. She descended upon Beryl quickly and
mercilessly, granting power for the essence of life.

But they had failed. Metallia hadn't truly expected them to win.
Beryl was untutored, and the magic that Metallia had given her had been
powerful and ancient. Only a few would know how to wield it with a moments
notice. And the magic of the Imperium Crystal was nothing to be trifled
with. Combined with the power of the planets it was nearly invincible.
Metallia was still attemping to decipher how magic that had the mark
of the Faeries had come into the equation.

It was of no consequence. Beryl had done well, all things
considered; well enough that Metallia knew she was not wasting her time.
Time was something Metallia was very familiar with. Time was her greatest
ally. And so she began spreading through Beryl's mind.

Beryl's accomidations were nothing like what she was used to. In fact,
the dark cell far beneath the castle would have bothered her if she had
been concerned with those sorts of things. But Metallia had become far
more than a whisper in her mind. The evil was coursing through Beryl,
replacing her soul with power. The guards, who were the only ones who
saw Beryl, did not notice the dramatic change in her. While the Princess
Serenity lay unconcious in the palace above, Beryl was morphing into
something purely destructive.

Her hair brightened to the shade of new blood, and her emerald eyes
became hard and distant. Beryl was shifting physically to reflect the
great change in her. Her skin changed from a cream to an alabaster, and
anyone who touched her would have withdrawn in shock, for her skin was
as ice.

*Now is the time, my child. Take what I offer you and shatter this
prison. Flee to the west, where my disciples await you. The power that
I give to you, the chance that I make yours, take it!*

Beryl's absence was noted, though how she had escaped the dungeon
no one was certain. Truth to tell, the guards were glad to be rid of her.
The way she had simply sat near the wall, day after day, staring up at her
single window; almost as though she were listening to a voice that only
she could hear.

Metallia would have laughed if she had heard that description. For
it was the truth. And the voice that Beryl heard whispered of hate, pain
and destruction as the former countess hurried away from the shining
palace lights toward the darkness of the forest.