Chapter 8: The Call Goes Out
When Neo Queen Serenity and King Darien returned from the diplomatic assembly, they arrived to find Uranus hospitalized with moderate energy-burn injuries and 'Marissa' aka Sailor Antipode being kept in sedation in a cell. The other Sailors discretely filled the king and queen in on what had transpired, although by now the epic battle was common talk in the palace. Evan was safe, and no further signs of the enemy had been detected.
"But we aren't going to be able to keep her unconscious forever." Mercury advised, in reference to Sailor Antipode. "We need to come up with some method of restraining her powers or else she'll become a danger to us very soon."
"Also, chances are she isn't working alone, although she made no references to any allegiances she may have." Pluto added, a deep look of concern on her features. "At this point there's no doubting that she's a genuine Sailor Soldier, but there's something disturbingly different about her powers and appearance. Something I can't entirely put my finger on."
"Pluto, Mercury, you two are in charge of finding or creating some method to restrain her powers." King Darien instructed. "Also, get Jupiter and Uranus to start a full-scale inquiry with the guards and workers as to how this Sailor Antipode slipped past our security perimeter, and to make sure we don't have any traitors."
"I don't think that will be necessary, King Darien." Pluto interjected. "We found a small device, like a wristband, concealed under Sailor Antipode's left glove. It was severely damaged by the attacks we hit her with, but from what we've been able to glean from it's remains it's possible it acted to hide her from our detection methods. Between that and her teleportation abilities, she could easily have gotten in here totally on her own."
"Still, we cannot take any chances. Once Sailor Antipode is safely secured and her powers restrained, Uranus and Jupiter will begin interrogating the palace personnel, just to be safe." Darien directed, and Mercury and Pluto both bowed slightly in acknowledgment.
Meanwhile, Neo Queen Serenity had harbored a worried look on her face during the preceding conversation. Once Darien finished talking, she quickly inserted her own thoughts and instructions.
"It seems events have irreparably pushed us to try and figure out the mysteries behind Evan quicker than I would have liked. Necessity, and the security of the kingdom, demands it." She paused for a moment, solidifying her thoughts. "Beginning tomorrow, Uranus and Jupiter will begin teaching Evan what he needs to know to defend himself; relay to them this instruction. Also, once Sailor Antipode is no longer a potential risk, I want whichever Sailor Scouts will take the task to begin interrogating her. At this point, what we don't know can kill us. Knowing our opposition is key to protecting our people."
"Agreed. The sooner we know what we're up against, the more effectively we can rebuff and counter further dangers." Mercury agreed.
"Also... I'm going to attempt to call in for reinforcements,... who hopefully can also help Evan." Serena paused once more, longer this time, trying to remember something. She then turned to Pluto. "Do you remember the details of Evan's nightmare? I cannot help feeling that the images in that dream are crucial to understanding him."
"Only Jupiter, Neptune, and Uranus heard Evan tell it the first time, my liege." Pluto replied. "Perhaps it would be best if Evan himself were to retell it. Doubtless he can give much greater detail than any of us could second-hand."
"Please send for the boy immediately." Serena instructed, and Pluto bowed and departed. Mercury stayed, an insistent expression on her face. Serena regarded her friend warmly, half-knowing what Amy would ask her. "Yes Mercury, what is it?"
"Neo Queen Serenity, if I may inquire, who do you mean for reinforcements?"
"... the Sailor Stars may be able to provide us with information about our new enemies. I can only assume that they have a far broader understanding of the Sailor Soldiers of our galaxy and perhaps a certain degree of knowledge about Sailors beyond our galaxy. Certainly they can be of great help to us, but I'll need to find a way to contact them." Neo Queen Serenity stated.
A few minutes later, Pluto accompanied Evan into the throne room. Darien and Serena quickly walked over to them and asked Evan to retell his nightmare.
He nodded and began. "It was horrible. I don't know where exactly I was, but there were these giant sheers of rock and a thick fog." Evan began. "I could feel a wind blowing against me, but I could also sense it in my mind. Nothing else seemed effected by the wind. Then someone called my name and I spun around to see a man standing on one of the rock peaks. He had a long cape and carried a scythe, but other than that I couldn't make out anything about him. The wind seemed to effect him, like it did me. Then I noticed two other people standing at the base of the rock, but I couldn't make out much about them, except that the wind wasn't effecting them, wasn't even near them. And then there were four lights: red, blue, white, and dark purple."
Suddenly, Pluto gasped and her eyes went wide. "The amulet! The gems on it are the same colors as the lights in Evan's dream."
"There seems to be a connection." Neo Queen Serenity stated. "Evan, please, go on."
"Well, I thought I saw the outline of a person in each of the lights,... but I can't be sure. Then someone else called my name, and I spun around to see this giant black object floating in the sky, but I couldn't tell what it was because of the fog. And there was someone standing nearby, too. It's hard to explain how he looked to me, like as if there was something else co-habiting the same area as him, something dark and shadowy and... strange. I couldn't fully make it out. And then there was a flash... and someone exactly like me was standing right in front of me, but he was different. He had on all black clothes, and a black cape that was blowing opposite the wind. When he arrived, all the rocks were gone, but not the fog. And the other people were gone too. He,... seemed almost untouchable, like as if he wasn't even human. I shouted out 'who are you?' and he repeated me, then pointed straight at me and repeated it again. Electricity started building on his arm and hand and I was scared stiff, but I couldn't run away. Then everything was gone... and I was falling through the stars. And all the phantoms from my dream were encircling me, but they wouldn't let me see what they looked like. And then there was total blackness... and this laughter from far away... and a horrible... presence of fear," Evan began to tremble slightly, almost as if he were reliving the nightmare. "... And then something inside me, a creature, I don't know what, began tearing me apart. And that's when I woke up."
There was a long pause, where everyone absorbed what they had heard. Even just hearing Evan retell the dream had sent a chill up Neo Queen Serenity's spine; there was no doubting the significancy of a nightmare such as this. Evan himself seemed significantly shaken by what he'd just said, and with good reason no doubt.
"Evan,... do you remember what it was that Sailor Antipode told you? It might be important to helping us figure out why she was after you." Darien questioned. Evan nodded.
"She said I was part of some prophecy... that I was someone called the Shadow Knight. And she said there were others working with her. She said it was my destiny."
"Anything else?"
Evan shook his head. He knew nothing else.
Two days would pass before another large-scale event occurred. Pluto and Mercury were able to use modified particle field technology to effectively neutralize Sailor Antipode's powers, so long as she remained in her prison cell. Neo Queen Serenity used the Silver Crystal to transmit her message 'telepathically', so to speak, sending the thoughts she wished to convey echoing off into space in the direction of the three stars with which the Sailor Stars were associated. Within that message, she relayed information about Evan and his nightmare, sealing the 'transmission' with the signature of the three stars so that only they would receive it and be able to hear it. Evan began his combat training under Uranus and Jupiter which, like almost everything else he'd put his hand to since arriving, he seemed to have a great deal of talent and natural skill for. His weapon of choice became obvious from the start, and Neo Queen Serenity considered returning the mysterious katana, and it's companion pendant, to their amnestic owner, but held them back for the moment. Still, despite his combat training, Evan remained without any sign of special abilities linked to his innate energy.
Then the messages began to come in.
The first was a reply from the Sailor Stars, arriving as an echoing voice in Neo Queen Serenity's mind while she was standing out on the balcony of her and Darien's royal suite. It was Sailor Star Fighter's voice:
Greetings to you, Neo Queen Serenity. We received your message and will come to earth as soon as possible. The other Sailor Stars and I have been given Princess Kakyu's permission to assist you in this matter to the fullness of our ability. Also, I believe that we may have important information regarding the boy and your new enemies, but I dare not reveal things such as that over long-distance communication. We will be with you shortly, and we'll be brining Sailor Soldiers who can help unravel this mystery.
Neo Queen Serenity, Serena, my friend, guard the boy with your life until we arrive. It is crucial that he not fall into the enemy's hands.
The second message was not to be of such good report.
Early the second day, one of the soldiers entered the throne room with dire, urgent information to relay directly to the king and queen. The man quickly bowed to one knee, and then, breathing hard from having run all the way from the gate to the throne room, he blurted out his message as best he could.
"My lieges... (huff, gasp) five Sa-(wheeze, gasp) Sailor Soldiers,... outside (deep breath) requesting audience with you!"
Serena and Darien's eyes went wide and Darien requested of the guard what the Sailors looked like. The man recovered his second wind then responded in as much detail as he could muster.
"They're wearing black Sailor Scout outfits, like what the prisoner, Sailor Antipode, wears. They say that they've come to negotiate her release and say that they'll only speak with the king and queen concerning the matter."
"What should we do, Darien?" Serena half-whispered.
"It seems Sailor Antipode's allies have finally revealed themselves." Darien mused bleakly. He then looked up at the guard. "Gather the Sailor Scouts, Evan, and a full assembly of the royal guard, and place a full unit of soldiers guarding Antipode's cell. Once all that is in place, send thirty guards to escort them in, weapons ready. We take no chances with enemies within our gates."
"Yes sir!" The guard saluted, then rushed back out , echoing Darien's orders to other soldiers as he rushed down the hall. Darien turned to Serena, a calm but serious look in his features.
"Rini would be safest here with us, especially if these other Sailors have the same teleportation ability that Antipode has."
"And Evan also." Serena nodded in agreement.
Within ten minutes, the full assembly of guards and Sailor Soldiers, including Evan, were gathered in the throne room, prepared for the worst. Everyone waited nervously, all eyes fixed on the door to the throne room. Uranus gripped the handle of her sword tighter as the seconds ticked by, mentally preparing herself to counter anything remotely resembling an attack. Saturn's glaive materialized at a though in front of her, and she swiftly wrapped her fingers around the shaft and grasped in readiness. Pluto was already ready with her garnet scepter, and Darien quickly materialized his armor and broadsword. The Amazon Quartet and Rini transformed into Scout forms and got ready.
Several minutes later, the doors to the throne room were opened.
"Announcing...-"The guard stuttered, not knowing how to describe the several female warriors behind him. He was interrupted as one of the five pushed him aside in annoyance.
"We'll do our own introductions, thanks." Stated the Sailor Soldier in the lead. Her outfit followed the same pattern as Sailor Antipode's, with long black gold-scrolled gloves, the band-like silver tiara with the black star gem, and the long black boots with golden trim. She and the four warriors behind her stepped brazenly forwards into the very center of the throne room, silently defying the assembly of protection by stepping right into the line of fire. Her long black hair fell loosely about halfway down her back, and, like Antipode and the others behind her, her eyes were an unnatural purple color, only hers slightly darker than Antipode's eyes. Her Sailor outfit was primarily black, with dark purple trim on both her skirt and shoulder fold, and all black bows and ribbons. She folded her arms casually as she looked directly at Neo Queen Serenity. "So, I finally get to meet the infamous Sailor Moon face to face. But enough pleasantries. I am Sailor Nightshade, Sailor Soldier of shrouded darkness, champion of the star Nightshade."
"I am Sailor Solaris, Sailor Soldier of starlight and aurora," Stated the Scout to Nightshade's immediate left. Her hair was a strange mix of silver and black streaks, cut short and arrayed so that it fell at less than shoulder length like a curtain, covering her ears. Her Sailor outfit was like Nightshade's and Antipode's, only with silver bows and ribbons and bronze colored skirt and shoulder fold. Her purple eyes were almost pink or stained-white alabaster in hue, and unlike Nightshade, whose low-pitched voice seemed to command respect, Solaris' voice was likened to a little girl, soft and quiet with a hint of melody. "Champion of the star Solaris."
"I am Sailor Omen," The Sailor on Nightshade's right announced. Her voice was similar to Pluto's, but with a somewhat darker, more ominous tone, as of a prophet of some sinister fate or event. She held loosely with one hand a long, slender-bladed nodachi roughly as long as Saturn's glaive, and the color scheme of her outfit was dark blue skirt and shoulder piece with dark-gray trim, bows, and ribbons. Her purple eyes bordered on black, and her deep-chestnut hair was cut to fall just below her shoulders, held up in the back by a strange clip with ancient writing on it in very small crimson symbols. "Portended of the coming shadows. I am the chosen one of the star Omen."
"I am Sailor Apollyon, champion of the star Apollyon." On Omen's immediate right stood a Sailor with forest-green skirt and shoulder fold and crimson-colored trim, bows, and ribbons. Attached at her waist and seemingly sewn into the fabric of her Sailor outfit somehow was a long, thin sword sheath, the dark-blue handle with it's glistening ruby in the center and curved hand guard hinting at the type and design of the weapon within. Her hair was a dirty-blonde mix of bronze and gold colored strands, and her eyes like the others were purple, only Apollyon's hinted at a slight red tint that added an even more unnatural, fierce aspect to her appearance.
"I am Sailor Mirage, champion of the star Mirage." Added the final of the five Sailors. Her outfit had pure-white skirt and shoulder fold with light-blue trim, bows, and ribbons. Her hair was an odd off-white color and her eyes, like Solaris', bordered on pink.
"We're here to secure the return of Sailor Antipode and to warn you, Neo Queen Serenity, not to withhold him from us." She pointed casually towards Evan, though her eyes remained on Serena. "Both are rightfully to be under our care, and we will not permit your meddling with the prophecy of the Shadow Knight."
"What prophecy?" Darien asked. "And more importantly, what do you think gives you the right to deceive Evan in order to fulfill it?"
"We've done no such thing." Nightshade retorted firmly. "Whether you know it or not, every word Sailor Antipode spoke to Evan was truth."
"So then it's 'truth' that we are Evan's enemies, and that I specifically am after nothing more than his powers??" Serena returned. "Nothing could be farther from the truth, and you are well aware of it!"
"Unfortunately, you don't even know your own mistake. Both things are true." She motioned to Omen, then returned her gaze to Darien and Serena. "You wish to know the prophecy of the Shadow Knight, correct? Sailor Omen is an elite in the understanding of prophecy; she will explain things to you."
"We're listening." Darien stated reservedly.
Sailor Omen took three steps forward, closed her eyes for a long moment almost as if in a trance, and then began to slowly trace the blade of her nodachi in the air, leaving thin glowing lines of energy that hung in the air and began to form symbols as she continued. "The ancient prophecy of the Shadow Knight traces the history of the existence of Sailor Soldiers from ages of old to eras close at hand. The tale, writ in one of the universe's many lost languages, begins with the forging of the first Sailor Soldiers in the midst of warring nations struggling with one another across the length and breath of the galaxy. It was a time of the beginning of the great darkness. Sailor Soldiers, created by various nations as superhuman incarnations of the stars and the stars' powers, took the fighting that had been going on to new levels and eventually, after the destruction of countless planets and lives, both the war and the civilizations that precluded it simply disbanded, and an age of lawlessness and desolation began. Those Sailors that remained, for the most part, went into seclusion, too horrified and shocked at the effect their actions and powers had wrought on the galaxy to fight ever again. Three centuries passed as the galaxy existed in this state, and then Queen Serenity united and healed the broken cosmos under the rule of her Silver Millennium." She then paused to look up at Neo Queen Serenity as the symbols began to take form and circle her. Serena suddenly realized that the small glowing symbols, now nearly a hundred in number, were actually circles that contained the signs of Sailor Soldiers; she could clearly locate her own crescent moon symbol, and had spotted those of Mercury and Mars as well. Omen continued. "The prophecy also predicted the fall of the Silver Millennium, identifying it as 'the terrible day' when 'the peace that became champion' was 'swept away' by 'the darkness that comes in like a flood'." With that, the glowing Sailor symbols suddenly scattered themselves across the open stretch of the throne room and faded into nonexistence, a chilling representation of Omen's words.
"It is a shame your mother did not heed the words of this prophecy, Sailor Moon." Omen stated after a long pause. "Then again, heeded or not, she could not have changed it. After that, the prophecy seems to almost pause as the time between the fall of the Silver Millennium and your encounter with the Galaxy Cauldron..." Omen's voice dropped to nearly a whisper. "Pass... in silence. The next line of the prophecy identifies a 'one brightest star' that 'holds evil in delay'." With that, Omen held up a single hand as a sparkle of energy began to form the shape of a crescent moon, then just as quickly faded. " 'But how long?', asks the next line of the prophecy." She looked directly at Serena. "No doubt,... a question you have asked yourself many times, Neo Queen Serenity."
"As long as I live there will be peace!" Serena returned, her voice raised in defense. Omen half-smiled in an amused way, and continued as if Serena had never spoken.
"From that point forward, the prophecy deals with the events of the near future. There will be 'stars' that shall betray the natural order, followed by a continuation of the ever-present war between light and darkness. But . . . there is an 'external factor', that will cause this conflict to bring final conclusion to the struggle between the stars of light, the Galaxy Cauldron and Chaos, and the dark stars that dwell within the Cauldron. It is written in the prophecy: 'And then, unaided by the stars, shall arise a warrior of the storm. A Shadow Knight, a Scion Prince, the Tempest Given Mortal Form. And he alone can calm the storm.' He," Omen now turned her cold, emotionless gaze on Evan. "Is the Shadow Knight, the one spoken of in the prophecy."
"And that is why we cannot allow Evan to remain here. His place is with us; we have been appointed to prepare him to fulfill his destiny." Nightshade affirmed, half-glaring at Neo Queen Serenity. "Release Antipode and allow the Shadow Knight to go with us, Sailor Moon; because we will not allow you to interfere with that which has been foretold."
"Foretold by whom?!" Darien rebuffed, standing up and grasping the handle of his sword. "What good reason is there to believe you're not making this up??"
"The prophecy was foretold during the age of warfare that preceded the age of desolation and the Silver Millennium, by the Sailor Soldier of the star Oracle," Omen stated, then paused for a moment. "My twin sister."
"Twin sister?!" Pluto exclaimed in utter disbelief. "Impossible! That would mean you had been born-"
"During the War of the Stars, yes." Omen cut Pluto off mid-sentence. "My sister and I were amongst the Sailors whose bodies were destroyed during that war, and our crystals cast into the Galaxy Cauldron in a half-baked attempt to revive us. But, in the end, the Galaxy Cauldron did revive us, or, more correctly, Sailor Moon's actions revived us. Oracle, and myself, are Sailor Soldiers of the First Genesis, the original generation of living stars called Sailors. However,... Oracle and I have gone our separate ways, and there are but few other First Genesis Sailors that were reawakened by Sailor Moon and the Galaxy Cauldron. If there are still others... then it's likely their crystals have been lost amongst the void of space and all it contains."
"But that doesn't mean anything." Darien retorted. "Evan is not going to be handed over to you, and Sailor Antipode will stay here until we see fit."
"Oh really? Why not let the Shadow Knight decide for himself?" Nightshade proposed.
"Because I've already decided." Evan suddenly spoke up. All eyes turned on him.
"You don't understand; your purpose is with us." Solaris stated.
"No; I won't go with you. I've made my decision."
"You can't ignore the prophecy, Evan. You cannot remain here!" Nightshade stated.
"And why not?"
Everyone paused at the sound of the unexpected masculine voice that echoed in from a distance, and almost as if one the entire assembly turned in the direction it had come. Serena gasped in surprise as she saw them, Evan froze in place with his eyes wide in shock, Nightshade and the other visiting Sailors quickly assumed defensive postures. It was hard to believe that anyone could have entered the room unnoticed, not to mention gotten to a spot like that totally undetected.
Four figures stood upon a small ledge high up near the throne room's ceiling, apparently having been looking down at those assembled for some time. They were a unique looking group indeed; one wore a long black trench coat over what appeared to be some form of modernized deep-blue chest armor matched up with black pants, another dressed in darkest-green ninja garb with gold-colored bands wrapped in a checkered pattern tightly on her lower arms and legs as well as a thick band of the golden fabric tied about her waist, a third clad in medieval/mystical looking ice-blue armor and a long wide white cape, and the fourth wearing what looked like a sleeveless red jumpsuit with red and orange fire-design headband and short cape. Before anyone could do anything, the four swiftly leapt off the ledge and in the blink of an eye they were standing alongside one another facing the enemy Sailors, standing directly in-between where Evan was and Sailor Nightshade's group. Now that they were closer, it was possible to distinguish their features more clearly. The trench coat wearing warrior had short red hair with long bangs that fell in front of his deep-set black eyes ever so slightly, the female ninja appeared to have deep-green eyes and her hair was hidden behind her facial mask, the knight-apparent had blonde hair with green eyes, and the flame girl had long black hair and blue eyes. All three retained a completely calm, almost untouchable expression as they stared down Nightshade's Sailors.
"Who in the world are they?" Venus exclaimed in surprise.
"That's what I'd like to know." Nightshade stated. "Just who are you four freaks and what right do you think you have to interfere with this meeting?"
The guards and Sailor Scouts were ready at a moment's notice to lunge forwards into battle, but Evan was frozen where he stood, his gaze locked on the four individuals. His jaw hung loosely as a million thoughts barraged his mind. What was this... this power that he felt from these four? And what's more,... it was almost like he knew who they were, almost. A flood of half-chaotic memories suddenly flashed through the forefront of his mind, images he didn't understand: battles and places, images, faces,... thoughts and words and sentences. It almost knocked him over by the sheer suddenness of it all, and he quickly reached for one of the nearby pillars of stone and braced himself against it for support. What... what was this...
"We have every right." The man in the trench coat stated, his voice hinting at a slight military tone from somewhere in his past.
"We are Evan's guardians and his friends. We will not allow you to interfere with his choices." Added the fire-girl, cracking her knuckles as she glared at Nightshade.
"As for this 'prophecy' of thine, tis' naught to allow thee to make demands." The knight's Olde' English accent was clearly different from the speech of his comrades. "So go thy way peacefully else we shall do what we must."
There was a long pause, during which Nightshade and her group's gaze shifted uncertainly between the four newcomers and the royal monarchs. When both Serena and Darien refrained from saying anything, Nightshade folded her arms stubbornly and glared at the intruders.
"Very well; we didn't come here to start a fight." Nightshade announced unflinchingly. "But Evan can't run from his destiny forever." She turned to her group. "We've said what we came to. It's time we left."
"But what about Antipode?" Apollyon half-whispered to her leader, but a glance from Nightshade told her not to further the issue. The five dark Sailor Soldiers exited the throne room without another word, followed quickly by their escort of guards. The foursome then turned to Evan and their expressions changed from the glares of unfearing warriors to the soft gaze of friends.
"Evan, it's been awhile. I'm glad to see you're safe and sound." Greeted the trench coat wearer, who apparently was the leader of this little group.
"When we sensed your signal, we came as quickly as we could, although it took us awhile to locate you. What happened?" Asked the girl with the flame design on her cape.
Evan could only look at them, his expression caught up in the confusion of everything going through his mind and in trying to understand who these people were. The leader of the group, noticing this, gave Evan a perplexed look as if to ask why Evan wasn't saying anything.
"Evan? Are you ok?" The girl asked.
Serena quickly walked over to the group, and their eyes turned on her as she did. She looked at each one of these four sudden visitors, examining their expressions and appearance. What new twist to the mysteries surrounding Evan did these four represent?
"When we found Evan, he had no memory whatsoever." Serena stated by way of explanation. "We've taken care of him here at the palace as soon as he was released from the hospital."
Surprise showed on the faces of all but the female ninja, hers hidden behind her maskings. The group regarded Evan for a moment, then glanced between each other in silent communication. The leader turned to Serena.
"Thank you, your majesty, for taking care of Evan in our absence. My name is Seth, a friend of Evan's from his home universe."
"His... 'home universe'?" Neo Queen Serenity inquired as a sudden realization dawned on her. "You mean, all of you, and Evan, are from a parallel universe?"
He nodded. "These are my comrades and allies: Cetia, Cyrus, and Deserae. In our world, we are known as the Elemental Soldiers, and we are sworn to protect Evan and assist him. Apparently, though..." He turned his head and looked at Evan. "This time we arrived too late. Do you know what caused this to happen to him?"
"No, we don't, unfortunately." She paused, and looked at Evan. "Evan, do you know these people? Do they seem familiar to you at all?"
Evan could only stand there, uncertainty in his eyes, unsure how to answer.
"If I may ask," Spoke the ninja suddenly. "If Evan has lost his memory, how do you know his name? And what happened to the silver pendant with the four crystals?"
Evan suddenly gasped as a realization struck him like lightning.
"You... you're the four lights... from my dream!"