*pops her head out* Eh, I made some major revisions to some parts of this -- mainly chapters 3 and 4, the others are pretty much unchanged -- because spelling errors, descriptions and other things were getting on my nerves.

Yinyl: *nods wisely* Meaning she let it stagnate for so long that several new ideas popped into her itty-bitty little brain and she had to change certain things to make them fit in the fic later on.

Ore: So that's how it goes, huh? *glares* You leave me alone to rot for months on end . . .

Niela: We had a little vacation, decided we missed you to a certain degree and came back. *bright smile*

Deriick: What can you say? We muses are erratic. *big ol' smirk*

Yinyl: *innocently twists a piece of hair around her finger* Of course, we could bore of you at anytime . . .

Ore: *groans and slaps hand on forehead* I'm going to have to bribe you to stay, aren't I?

All muses: *share a glance and together* What do you think? ^__^

The Fate of Destiny

Prologue:

Rebirth and Awakening

In the deep bowels of Endiness something stirred. The scent of things long since dead came off of it and in its dark, dank cave unseen blackness swirled off it. The creature was stirring. . .

*****

Shirley shook her head. No good. . .this was no good at all. She watched the black haired woman fret and worry in front of the mirror. Why did she go on torturing herself? Why couldn't she just accept that she was dead? /No, she knows she's dead, something else is holding her back. But what is it?/ Shirley frowned. /She won't even tell Zieg. I don't know what I'm going to do./

"Rose. . ." The black haired woman turned her head slowly, glaring at Shirley. "Oh Rose, why can't you move on? Everyone is waiting for you."

Rose's glare softened a bit around the edges. "Not everyone, Shirley. Not everyone."

Shirley looked into the mirror behind Rose, catching a glimpse of a young female Wingly dancing around in front of a royal couple. Shirley knew who they were and her frown deepened. "They are the reason you won't move on? These people are the reason you won't leave Purgatory for Paradise? I understand that they were your friends, but this is ridiculous Rose! They will join you shortly enough if you go on to Paradise, for the time will fly by in an instant. But if you stay here Purgatory, each moment that passes down on Endiness will feel like a century here. So why do you stay?"

"You really want to know Shirley?" Rose glanced back towards the mirror. "When I was alive I did not change for 11,000 years, but when I met them time finally caught up with me, and as much as I dislike admitting it, I changed for the better. These people changed me for the better." Rose's voice was emotionless as it could be, but Shirley thought she could hear a tint of sadness in its depths. "I lived for over 11,000 years and only in the last few months did I really learn to live. Now I feel cheated that I did not get to live longer. So I watch the friends I made on Endiness and try to glean some of the joy from them."

Shirley took a step towards Rose and placed a hand on her shoulder. "In Paradise you wouldn't have to glean joy from anybody. You could be with Damia, Syuveil, Kanzas, Belzac, and I once more. You could have Zieg to lov-"

"No!" Rose jerked away and an expression close to anger crossed her face. "I don't want that. Zieg loves Claire and while I know that having him to love in Paradise would not ruin their relationship, I could not do it. I don't know when it happened, but I find that I no longer love him. I told you I changed."

Rose locked her violet eyes with Shirley, silently pleading to her. "If I move on to Paradise I would no longer be able to observe Endiness, for in Paradise everything is perfect and being able to look down upon Endiness would ruin that perfection. Endiness is full of death and violence, lies and bloodshed, it would contaminate Paradise. And only those with special passes from Soa Herself are allowed to come to Purgatory once they are in Paradise. I would not be able to handle that."

"Rose, the reason all of us have been able to visit you is that Soa wants you to join us in Paradise."

"Soa? She wants me to come to Paradise? Funny considering that I helped kill Her ultimate creation, the God of Destruction."

"That was a mistake. She didn't truly mean to create Him." Shirley realized that Rose was ignoring her. "We can only come here for so long. Even Soa is losing Her patience with you Rose. If you keep this up, you will not be able to move on to Paradise."

"It doesn't matter." Rose turned towards the mirror and observed once more. For several seconds her entire concentration was on watching the people in it. Watching them laugh, dance, and enjoy each others company. Watching them live. "Paradise is not where I wish to be."

In that instant Shirley knew what she meant. /She wants to be alive once more. Why didn't I see this sooner?/

*****

In the darkness black magic gathered around the creature. Like snakes, it oozed into the creature's hide, feeding it. The creature was attracting the magic like a magnet attracts iron. The black magic seeped into the creature's skin. . .

*****

"So Terran, you ask a girl to the Spring Festival yet?" Kirri nudged an elbow into the ribs of the young man who walked by his side. "It's next weekend." That was stating an obvious fact. The whole town knew the Spring Festival was coming.

"No, I haven't." The young man rubbed ruefully at his side.

Kirri shook his head in disbelief, "Man, you better get cracking. If you don't ask soon all the good girls will have already been taken up."

Terran glanced at the ground and kicked at a rock that was in his way. His vibrant green eyes watched it roll away and he only spoke up when the rock had come to a stop. "None of the girls around here interest me. Or the ones that do already have boyfriends or are engaged. Not much I can do about that."

"You have got to be kidding me. There are plenty of interesting girls in town." Kirri glanced down the street and let out a whistle, "Like that one for instance."

Nineteen year old Terran pulled his gaze up from the road to see what girl had caught his friends eye. There was a bunch of girls in front of them, but Terran knew which one Kirri meant. She stood out like a blackbird among a bunch of sparrows. She was taller than the rest of her friends, wearing an expensive and terribly fashionable dress. Ridiculously long black hair was piled up on top of her head in an absurd hairstyle. Her gold-brown eyes shined with a certain vindication, and her lily-white skin only emphasized her delicate features. She was a masterpiece of beauty and she knew it. The whole town knew it too.

Terran snorted, "You mean the bitch witch?"

"Oh, Meirra's not that bad. I mean she's a bit spoiled and everything, but what can you expect when she looks like that. Who wouldn't want to spoil her?" Kirri was eyeing her up and down with glee. He was obviously enjoying the view.

"What do you mean not that bad?" Terran felt more than a little bit indignant. "Not only is she a bit spoiled, she manipulates people into doing what she wants and when she's done with them she treats them like a broken toy and throws them out with the trash. You know I bet that she's slept wi-" Terran's rant was cut short as the nearby church bell began to peel out the time.

Terran swept his longish dark brown hair out of his eyes and glanced towards the sun. "Dammit, I'm late for weapons practice. My uncle is going to kill me."

The lanky young man started to jog in the direction of where Meirra stood with her friends as he shouted goodbye to Kirri. His train of thought on how much trouble he was going to be in for missing the beginning of practice.

What happened next was blurred in memory to him. The first thing he heard was Kirri's frantic shouts and then came the sound of thundering hooves. He looked back to see a frantic man desperately trying to get his out of control horse back under his control. It wasn't working and the horse was heading right into his direction. In the nick of time, he dived out of the way and to safety. Unfortunately, someone else wasn't so lucky.

Meirra's friends had caught sight of the panicked horse and were panicking themselves, scrambling for cover and bouncing off each other. One of them -- in her haste -- ran into Meirra causing the black haired girl to stumble a few steps back. . .right into the oncoming horse's path. For Terran -- who now was the one standing nearest to her -- everything seemed to slow down to a crawl.

The horse ran right into Meirra and she did not fall to the ground and become trampled under the horse's hooves like Terran expected, but instead was thrown forcefully to the side. She struck the ground with an audible cracking sound and the horse continued to run on by. Time once more resumed its proper course.

In the next instant Terran found himself kneeling by her side, trying to find a pulse along neck like he had done so many times when he helped his mother in her work. He found it, albeit beating faintly. Then he was shouting at the surrounding crowd for someone to fetch his mother, the town's doctor.

*****

Deep within the creature's breast, its heart beat once. Blood that had not moved for eons sluggishly moved through the creature's veins. The heart forced the blood to once more move. The creature's heart began to beat out a rhythm. . .

*****

In Paradise a pain ripped through the Goddess' mind. One moment Soa had been listening to Her subject, who stood at one of Her altars in Paradise, the next a silent alarm was ringing in Her head. She knew immediately what it was. An evil Her people had trapped so very long ago was stirring. An evil that She could not control and that had once threatened to destroy Her.

Something had caused its minions to start stirring and once they awakened, they would gather to it and awaken it as well. Soa would have to depend on Her people on Endiness to trap it once more. But how? She could no longer communicate with Her people down on Endiness. There was no way she could warn them of the danger until it was too late.

She realized that the answer stood in a way. The red-haired woman still stood at the altar. Soa knew her well, for she had once been the Dragoon of the Silver White Dragon. She was know pleading for Soa to give her a little more in persuading Rose to come to Paradise and not to sit in Purgatory yearning to live.

Soa allowed Herself an amused smile. The Dark Dragoon had even worn on Her everlasting patience, saying that she would not come to Paradise. But perhaps it had been a blessing in disguise for once a spirit had been to Paradise was not able to live on Endiness ever again. That was one of the Divine Laws set for all the Gods. However since Rose was still in Purgatory, she could still be reborn or something similar to that.

*Do not worry anymore child. I shall not banish the Dragoon of the Black Burst Dragon from coming to Paradise.* Shirley jumped back in shock. The Goddess Herself rarely spoke to her. She usually sent a messenger. *But I will not force her to come here. Instead I will make a deal with her.*

Soa watched the ex-Light Dragoon's face crinkle in confusion. The Goddess making a deal with a mere mortal was unheard of. *I will give Rose life again, if she promises to take up the mantel of the Dark Dragoon again.* Soa thought of a soul that had just arrived and the body it had once belonged too. An almost exact replica of Rose's old body. *I have the perfect carrier for her spirit, but if she truly wants it she must go on one last quest for Me.*

"What is that My Goddess?" Shirley obviously would do anything to help her friend.

*She must reunite the Dragoons and lead them to destroy an ancient evil that has remained trapped since the world began. Then she may live her life as she pleases, with My blessing.* Shirley's mouth fell open, trying to comprehend what Soa was telling her.

*Go to her now My child and tell her that. If she accepts I will tell her all she needs to know.* The Goddess knew that Rose would accept. It was too great a temptation for her to pass up.

*****

There was a rush of air being sucked into the creature's lungs. Then there was silence and in a sudden burst of sound the air rushed back out, disturbing the dust that had covered the creature. The creature started to breathe. . .

*****

Sobs echoed throughout the small room and Terran glanced at his mother as she mournfully started to put away her medicines and bandages. It was too late for Meirra. The girl had stopped breathing just a few moments ago and despite his mother's best efforts she never would breathe again.

It had been a futile effort anyways. Seventeen-year-old Meirra had broken her ribs when she had been thrown backwards and one apparently had cleaved through her lungs and pierced her heart.

Now Meirra's distraught mother was draped over her body with her husband desperately trying to console her. Terran stepped closer, trying to get a better look at Meirra's face. She looked peaceful, like a child sleeping. There was no sign of the arrogance that had been in her face, only a look of complete calmness, a look of peace. /It's strange how much a person's continence can change from when they are awake to the time when they are sleeping or dead. Meirra looks like a completely different person./

Terran was the only one looking at her when it happened. His mother was still off putting her medical supplies away. Meirra's mother was now curled up in her husband's arms and together both of them were lost in the grief of losing their only child. Neither paid anymore attention to her dead body, but Terran did.

For one instant he swore a silver glow covered Meirra's body. It sparkled and shimmered there for but a moment and then it faded away only to be replaced by a dark purple-black glow. That glow vanished after a moment as well, seeming to sink into her skin. Terran shook his head. /I must be seeing things. It has to be my imagination./

The events that happened next would always remain etched in his mind forever. For him in the second instance that day, time slowed to a crawl.

*****

The creature opened its soulless eyes. Its body moved slowly, stretching and curling, shedding the dirt it had acquired during it's deathlike sleep. The creature had awoken. . .

*****

The dead girl opened her pale lips and through them, a shuddering breath was drawn. It rattled through her lungs and when the air was expelled, she let out a sigh.

An eerie silence filled the room, as everyone turned their attention to the girl. Terran stared in shock. She was dead, it was impossible for her to actually be breathing. He took a couple of steps closer, studying her intently. Maybe it had been some sort of delayed reaction, his mother had told him of dead people moving hours after they had been dead, something to do with the nerves. That was it, a delayed nerve reaction. . .

That was when the girl sat up, eyes wide open and screaming in terror. And Terran found himself staring into ageless dark violet eyes that had once been golden brown. The dead girl lived again.

*****

The creature began to move away from it's dark lair. It was the first of it's Masters beasts to arise. Soon there would be more. Many more. Then together they would go to awaken their Master. But not now. Now the creature would rest and wait for the right time.

The creature slithered out of the cave it had lived in for so long and began to look for a new home, nearer to the surface of Endiness. The Black Wyrm was on the move and death followed in its wake.

*****

TBC . . .

*wipes forehead* Stupid misspelling of Zieg's name.

Yinyl: So have you decided what you're going to bribe us with? *eyes atwinkle*

Ore: *glare* Give me till the end of the 5th chapter. We'll see then.