~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why now, blow wind, swell billow, and swim bark!
The storm is up, and all is on the hazard.
--Shakespeare, Julius Ceasar 5.1.73-74 (Cassius)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Eighteen: Ashes to Ashes, Diamond Dust
~*~All right, so you are ready now. It is time, my child. Go forth bravely.~*~
Serena nodded and turned the doorknob, hearing the little latch click open as the door swung out. No more cowering in a bathroom. No more letting Diamond hold all the cards and being forced into merely responding to his plays. It was time to make a move herself. Time to be strong. Time for the showdown.
Taking a deep breath, she focused on a single desire. I do not want Diamond to touch me. Heat pricked in her chest, and silver depths stirred slowly, rising, rising in her like a liquid heat through her breast.
With power dancing in her like a living thing, she strode back into the living room.
Diamond was draped over his leather throne, swirling a glass of white wine, now. He looked at her, and his easy manner instantly disappeared. The wine was slowly set down, the white-blond hair casually flicked behind an ear, but the icy eyes bore hard into her own. Diamond stood to his full height, and she had to look up at him. It was well that she had the silver shell of heated power, or her knees would have given out on the spot. Such an icy hatred shone in those pale eyes.
"Now, now, little Miss Hino, just what kind of game do you think you're playing at?" he hissed, taking one small step toward her.
Serena summoned a little more silver strength to keep herself from stepping back. "The same game you think you're playing at, I imagine," she told him in a strong voice that was bolstered by her power. "I am not a weak child to be duped with wine and easy manners, Diamond. I advise you to know exactly what it is you are dealing with before you make a move against me," she warned, heady with the rush of strength that filled her.
The thin lips stretched and split in a hideous laugh, pulling wrinkles across the high cheekbones. The eyes grew impossibly colder, chilling the room. "I," he enunciated carefully, grinning horribly, "know *exactly* what it is I am *dealing* with, child." He took another small step forward, and it took all her power not to back away. "The question is," he said, very softly, "do *you*?"
And with a sudden cry, he summoned his black power, and Serena was plunged into a roaring, blinding world in which heat flared silver across her vision to protect her from the dark force and all must be viewed through it. Her liquid force was struggling to remain wrapped around her body, the heat flaring almost unbearably hot all through her. Everything in the apartment was silver, with roaring, blowing edges and hazy forms. Diamond stood as a dark blot before her, a black void with two pinpricks of icy blue for eyes. He raised his arms with a terrible shriek, and black tentacles of dark power spun around him, rushing to fill the room.
Serena screamed, trying to pull more power from the depths and finding none. It was a struggle just to remain standing braced against his power; she certainly could not find anything to attack him with. The world was roaring and she was failing, sinking fast. It was hopeless, he was stronger, older, more experienced, he could do anything and she could only stand as a weak child crying for him to leave her alone.
~*~No, no, listen to me, the power has nothing to do with age or experience, all you have to do is believe-- ~*~
But the roaring increased and Serenity's voice was drowned by a another, a dark voice full of sharp coldness, wailing through her ears, "You desire, yes, you desire. You will give yourself to me. It is useless to deny. Give yourself, you desire it…"
No, no! cried a small voice out of the silver cloud that hung around her in the darkness. No, I don't want to! Go away, go away! Leave me alone! But it was hopelessly weaker, and the black voice was screaming at her, burrowing into her brain and drowning out her thoughts. Desperately, Serena grabbed for her source of strength, needing some action to take, anything rather than be dragged under the weight of that screaming voice. She fumbled at her locket and her fingers closed on the smooth surface of the wishstone, burning with heat, yet not singing her fingers.
She held it high above her head, and the hazy cloud of silver power that struggled to shield her became a silver ring, cast about her like a lantern's light.
This…this is so familiar… she thought wildly in the midst of the roaring, it's like…like my dream! My wishstone dream that I've been having.
But her thoughts were cut off by crisis, for the silver circle was no stronger than the cloud and the dark force was every bit as strong, and a black tentacle was worming its way in. A sharp pain pricked through her, and she gasped and screamed in panic at the pain, desperately trying to shield herself, but it only grew stronger, burning in her. Agony flared strongly and she screamed again, desperately clutching at the wishstone.
Help me, help me! I don't want to fall… In the dream, after the pain came the fall down into the black abyss, into the dark power to be lost forever. But her mind grasped desperately at the edges of something else, something else in the dream…before she could fall…strong arms and a golden warmth!
Suddenly, amid the roaring, screaming pain, everything clicked into place with an almost audible snap. Serena's eyes grew wide with understanding.
Darien! she screamed silently with all her might.
And there were arms around her, and a blessed, blessed warmth joined her own, piercing into the cold pain that burned through her, driving it out and pushing it away. She felt strength rush through her, not just her own silver power but also a golden heat.
She turned her head, and midnight blue eyes were smiling into her own, golden lights dancing in their depths. Her heart gave a great leap of joy, and she thought remorsefully, Serenity was right. I should have trusted him.
He touched her cheek, and somehow his face was different and still the same all at once. "Serenity," he whispered, and the little mote inside Serena that was that ancient lady flooded through her consciousness, filling her with a double joy that was both hers and Serenity's.
"Endymion," she whispered back, feeling the lady speak through her. "I knew you would come."
With a sudden snap, the black tentacles recoiled, and some focus returned to the world. The black figure advanced, Diamond's features cast in a dark glow. He stopped in front of them, and when he spoke, his voice was changed: sharper somehow, but still every bit as cold.
"Serenity and Endymion," he spat. "United again. How absolutely disgusting. So, little Serena, I suppose you have heard the legend?"
"Yes," she whispered, feeling Darien's arms tighten around her. Her own voice sounded strange to her, as though warped by the power flooding through her breast. "The crystals were born from Serenity and Endymion's love."
Diamond's lip curled and the black aura around him flared. "Foolish, sheltered child. You believe that? Someone has tried to protect you from the ugly truth."
"And what is that truth, pray tell?" Darien snarled back at him, hugging Serena protectively into his chest.
"Well, obviously," the dark man spat, "no one has told you of the third crystal carrier that awoke at that time. My ancestor: Morsumbra."
"Morsumbra?" Serena repeated, fearfully. The name itself sounded like a hiss.
[AN: "Morsumbra" is derived from Latin "mors," meaning "death", and "umbra," meaning "ghost" or "shade". Thus, "Morsumbra" is the closest name I could form to mean "Death Phantom."]
Diamond smiled inside his dark cloud. "I do not believe in shielding innocents from ugly truths. So I will tell you what truly transpired at the time of precious little Serenity and Endymion's awakening." He chuckled as the two before him stared at him. "Listen closely, children. It's story- time!" Serena felt Darien's arms tighten around her as the dark voice began to speak, tinted with amusement at his own little joke.
"Serenity was born the daughter of a wealthy family, that you probably already know. So of course, when she reached maturity, a worthy fiancé was chosen for her, a man of great social standing in their town: Lord Morsumbra.
"He was very wealthy, and if not classically handsome, he was not bad- looking either. Besides, he absolutely adored Serenity, and she fancied herself rather well-off. They were married, had a small son, and lived happily together for a while.
"They would have continued happily together, as well, were it not for one unfortunate event. Serenity loved horses, and after she came close to a nasty fall, Morsumbra insisted that his beloved wife have an instructor with her at all times to prevent another close call. Poor soul, how could he know that trying to protect his love would be his undoing?
"For the instructor that came was young and strong and handsome, with raven black hair and pretty blue eyes, and soon all Serenity thought of was her precious *Endymion.*"
Serena shuddered at the hatred with which that name was spoken. Darien's fingers were digging into her arm.
"Morsumbra's sweet little wife left their son with a nurse and rode horses every day while he was at work, and blinded with loving trust, he did not see that more than the horses held her interest. For more than Serenity rode the horses, Endymion rode *her.*"
Diamond paused for a moment to enjoy the sensation of his last remark. Serena felt caught between two warring forces in her: the desire to make him shut up, and some perverse need to hear the rest of the story. But the latter was winning, and she remained silent as the dark voice went on.
"Morsumbra's hair was very pale, so blond it was almost white. Serenity's entire family had golden hair. But when her second son was born, his hair was black as night, and remained so as he grew, rather than changing to the blond that was expected. Morsumbra could think of no one in his family with black hair. A dark suspicion began to worry at his chest, and grew and grew until he could ignore it no longer.
"No one in his family had black hair, but his wife's riding instructor was as raven-haired as they come.
"He sat at his big work desk and he thought. And the more he thought, the more the black suspicion grew, until there was no longer any doubt. Serenity, his love, had betrayed him. The child was not his own, but instead belonged to a poor bastard of a filthy animal handler.
"But Morsumbra loved his wife deeply, and clung to the hope that he could still be wrong, for after all, he had no solid proof, only the black weight in his chest. This he could have lived with; he could have borne the taint of suspicion in his marriage for a very long time, if only it meant he could still have Serenity.
"However, foolish, little, blind Serenity gave him the proof that he so dreaded. For she could not bear the thought that the true father would never know his son, and she decided to engineer a way for Endymion to see him.
"When she asked to have a dinner party and invite him, Morsumbra nearly cried aloud at the weight of grief that she dropped upon him. But he said yes, and Endymion was invited into his home.
"It was pure torture for that poor soul, to watch them at the dinner table, throwing their lecherous glances at each other when they thought he wasn't looking. It was so painfully obvious, and when the son was brought in to Endymion, the way the man's face softened and the tender way he asked to hold the boy cinched any doubt that was left whatsoever.
"Morsumbra excused himself and slipped away entirely unnoticed, so wrapped up in their child were the true parents. He sunk in agony to the floor in the next room. The black weight was terrible, so terrible that he almost could not bear it. But Morsumbra was not a weak man, and slowly the crushing grief began to change into something much, much stronger. A black wrath was flowing through his veins, and memory of how that man had looked at his wife fed the dark flames that were burning inside him.
"He stood up, caught in the grip of a horrible certainty, and lifted his right hand to the heavens, and into it something dropped. Something that he had called forth without even knowing it had existed. Something wonderful, full of dark power to lend fuel to his rage."
Diamond held up his right hand, opening it so that they could see the black stone that lay there. His pale eyes burned in the midst of black aura.
"The black crystal," he whispered, clenching his fist down on it. Dark force flared up around them in response.
"With this power, Morsumbra exacted his revenge. It was his stone, and it obeyed the desire of its master. In the other room, Endymion fell to his knees, groaning in agony. Serenity went wild with worry and knelt beside him, taking him into her arms, no longer bothering to conceal her lechery. Morsumbra stepped out into the room, holding the stone clenched in his fist and burning with a dark aura. He told his wife to step away, still loving her despite her betrayal. She refused to leave her lover, screaming at him to leave the man be, to have mercy. Morsumbra's heart came close to breaking, but was saved by the black wrath that poured through him. The floodgates of power would not hold, and dark force came exploding out of him, rushing at the couple on the floor.
"But Serenity screamed, and out of her desire to protect her lover, she summoned the silver crystal from deep within the earth. His dark force was nearly turned aside, but the black weight had been festering too long in his breast to be annihilated so easily. The dark power pressed on against her feeble silver light.
"She screamed her lover's name pitifully, and the man awoke. He somehow managed to call the golden crystal, and his power joined Serenity's.
"Together, they were too much for him, and poor Morsumbra was utterly destroyed by the woman he had loved more than anything."
Diamond was not smiling at all now. Serena felt herself trembling.
"So you see, Miss Hino, Mr. Chiba, your crystals were not born from a pure love, but from a cruel betrayal. And mine…" Diamond raised his clenched fist, and black power began slowly to twist itself once more into curling, smoky plumes. "…mine was born for righteous revenge."
Oh, Serenity, is it true? Serena begged.
She could feel the weight of the ancient lady's grief as if it were her own. ~*~Not exactly as he tells it, but…what could I do? I did not love Morsumbra, and Endymion…I have always loved Endymion, and I always will. I could never bring myself to love another, not even when the other was my husband and the father of my first child.~*~
She felt Darien's arms tight around her, and she thought she understood.
"No regrets, right, Serena?" he whispered in her ear.
"Of course not," she whispered back. And together, they began building the power.
~----------~
Black flames roared through him, consuming him in their power. Yes, yes, he cried, alive with the incredible sensation of unlimited power, power fed by his own black desires.
The room was darkened with his force, the edges of everything roaring and blowing. The gold and silver huddled people in front of him were just like in another life, another memory within him.
~*~Now! Now is the time to take them! Now is the time for revenge, at long last! ~*~ a voice exulted in his head.
Diamond threw back his head and laughed in wild joy. Rushing power swirled about his upheld fist. He was the strongest this time. Nothing could defeat him. This time, he would be the victor, not the one blown away. He could feel it in himself. He had the most power, and he would triumph!
"No! Stop, brother! You know you can not defeat them together! Please, don't do this!"
Diamond turned his head, and his pale eyes focused on a bit of hazy blue and the familiar features of his younger brother. As though the black force magnified it, more strongly than ever, he saw the shocking emotion bared in those sapphire eyes. The strength of the love overwhelmed him.
"Diamond, please! You cannot win!" And the blue eyes screamed, And I cannot bear to lose you!
And suddenly, it was all very clear.
He looked back at the hated double form before him. They were standing proudly upright, arms around each other and ablaze in gold and silver light, like a plume of fire striking through the darkness. Their aura resonated through the spacious chamber of his living room, shaking his beautiful pictures on his beautiful champagne walls.
Sapphire was right. Oh, God, Sapphire had always been right.
He turned back to his only trusted brother, the brother whose eyes shone with unhidden love. "Oh, but, my brother…" he whispered, as the black aura around him slowly died away, "you know as well as I--"
He could feel their hesitation, but the force they had built was too much to contain. He stood upright before them, naked without his black shell. The crystal fell from his hand and rolled to Sapphire's feet.
"--it is already too late."
Jeweled light flooded through him, roaring in his ears. He screamed once, and everything faded away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why now, blow wind, swell billow, and swim bark!
The storm is up, and all is on the hazard.
--Shakespeare, Julius Ceasar 5.1.73-74 (Cassius)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Eighteen: Ashes to Ashes, Diamond Dust
~*~All right, so you are ready now. It is time, my child. Go forth bravely.~*~
Serena nodded and turned the doorknob, hearing the little latch click open as the door swung out. No more cowering in a bathroom. No more letting Diamond hold all the cards and being forced into merely responding to his plays. It was time to make a move herself. Time to be strong. Time for the showdown.
Taking a deep breath, she focused on a single desire. I do not want Diamond to touch me. Heat pricked in her chest, and silver depths stirred slowly, rising, rising in her like a liquid heat through her breast.
With power dancing in her like a living thing, she strode back into the living room.
Diamond was draped over his leather throne, swirling a glass of white wine, now. He looked at her, and his easy manner instantly disappeared. The wine was slowly set down, the white-blond hair casually flicked behind an ear, but the icy eyes bore hard into her own. Diamond stood to his full height, and she had to look up at him. It was well that she had the silver shell of heated power, or her knees would have given out on the spot. Such an icy hatred shone in those pale eyes.
"Now, now, little Miss Hino, just what kind of game do you think you're playing at?" he hissed, taking one small step toward her.
Serena summoned a little more silver strength to keep herself from stepping back. "The same game you think you're playing at, I imagine," she told him in a strong voice that was bolstered by her power. "I am not a weak child to be duped with wine and easy manners, Diamond. I advise you to know exactly what it is you are dealing with before you make a move against me," she warned, heady with the rush of strength that filled her.
The thin lips stretched and split in a hideous laugh, pulling wrinkles across the high cheekbones. The eyes grew impossibly colder, chilling the room. "I," he enunciated carefully, grinning horribly, "know *exactly* what it is I am *dealing* with, child." He took another small step forward, and it took all her power not to back away. "The question is," he said, very softly, "do *you*?"
And with a sudden cry, he summoned his black power, and Serena was plunged into a roaring, blinding world in which heat flared silver across her vision to protect her from the dark force and all must be viewed through it. Her liquid force was struggling to remain wrapped around her body, the heat flaring almost unbearably hot all through her. Everything in the apartment was silver, with roaring, blowing edges and hazy forms. Diamond stood as a dark blot before her, a black void with two pinpricks of icy blue for eyes. He raised his arms with a terrible shriek, and black tentacles of dark power spun around him, rushing to fill the room.
Serena screamed, trying to pull more power from the depths and finding none. It was a struggle just to remain standing braced against his power; she certainly could not find anything to attack him with. The world was roaring and she was failing, sinking fast. It was hopeless, he was stronger, older, more experienced, he could do anything and she could only stand as a weak child crying for him to leave her alone.
~*~No, no, listen to me, the power has nothing to do with age or experience, all you have to do is believe-- ~*~
But the roaring increased and Serenity's voice was drowned by a another, a dark voice full of sharp coldness, wailing through her ears, "You desire, yes, you desire. You will give yourself to me. It is useless to deny. Give yourself, you desire it…"
No, no! cried a small voice out of the silver cloud that hung around her in the darkness. No, I don't want to! Go away, go away! Leave me alone! But it was hopelessly weaker, and the black voice was screaming at her, burrowing into her brain and drowning out her thoughts. Desperately, Serena grabbed for her source of strength, needing some action to take, anything rather than be dragged under the weight of that screaming voice. She fumbled at her locket and her fingers closed on the smooth surface of the wishstone, burning with heat, yet not singing her fingers.
She held it high above her head, and the hazy cloud of silver power that struggled to shield her became a silver ring, cast about her like a lantern's light.
This…this is so familiar… she thought wildly in the midst of the roaring, it's like…like my dream! My wishstone dream that I've been having.
But her thoughts were cut off by crisis, for the silver circle was no stronger than the cloud and the dark force was every bit as strong, and a black tentacle was worming its way in. A sharp pain pricked through her, and she gasped and screamed in panic at the pain, desperately trying to shield herself, but it only grew stronger, burning in her. Agony flared strongly and she screamed again, desperately clutching at the wishstone.
Help me, help me! I don't want to fall… In the dream, after the pain came the fall down into the black abyss, into the dark power to be lost forever. But her mind grasped desperately at the edges of something else, something else in the dream…before she could fall…strong arms and a golden warmth!
Suddenly, amid the roaring, screaming pain, everything clicked into place with an almost audible snap. Serena's eyes grew wide with understanding.
Darien! she screamed silently with all her might.
And there were arms around her, and a blessed, blessed warmth joined her own, piercing into the cold pain that burned through her, driving it out and pushing it away. She felt strength rush through her, not just her own silver power but also a golden heat.
She turned her head, and midnight blue eyes were smiling into her own, golden lights dancing in their depths. Her heart gave a great leap of joy, and she thought remorsefully, Serenity was right. I should have trusted him.
He touched her cheek, and somehow his face was different and still the same all at once. "Serenity," he whispered, and the little mote inside Serena that was that ancient lady flooded through her consciousness, filling her with a double joy that was both hers and Serenity's.
"Endymion," she whispered back, feeling the lady speak through her. "I knew you would come."
With a sudden snap, the black tentacles recoiled, and some focus returned to the world. The black figure advanced, Diamond's features cast in a dark glow. He stopped in front of them, and when he spoke, his voice was changed: sharper somehow, but still every bit as cold.
"Serenity and Endymion," he spat. "United again. How absolutely disgusting. So, little Serena, I suppose you have heard the legend?"
"Yes," she whispered, feeling Darien's arms tighten around her. Her own voice sounded strange to her, as though warped by the power flooding through her breast. "The crystals were born from Serenity and Endymion's love."
Diamond's lip curled and the black aura around him flared. "Foolish, sheltered child. You believe that? Someone has tried to protect you from the ugly truth."
"And what is that truth, pray tell?" Darien snarled back at him, hugging Serena protectively into his chest.
"Well, obviously," the dark man spat, "no one has told you of the third crystal carrier that awoke at that time. My ancestor: Morsumbra."
"Morsumbra?" Serena repeated, fearfully. The name itself sounded like a hiss.
[AN: "Morsumbra" is derived from Latin "mors," meaning "death", and "umbra," meaning "ghost" or "shade". Thus, "Morsumbra" is the closest name I could form to mean "Death Phantom."]
Diamond smiled inside his dark cloud. "I do not believe in shielding innocents from ugly truths. So I will tell you what truly transpired at the time of precious little Serenity and Endymion's awakening." He chuckled as the two before him stared at him. "Listen closely, children. It's story- time!" Serena felt Darien's arms tighten around her as the dark voice began to speak, tinted with amusement at his own little joke.
"Serenity was born the daughter of a wealthy family, that you probably already know. So of course, when she reached maturity, a worthy fiancé was chosen for her, a man of great social standing in their town: Lord Morsumbra.
"He was very wealthy, and if not classically handsome, he was not bad- looking either. Besides, he absolutely adored Serenity, and she fancied herself rather well-off. They were married, had a small son, and lived happily together for a while.
"They would have continued happily together, as well, were it not for one unfortunate event. Serenity loved horses, and after she came close to a nasty fall, Morsumbra insisted that his beloved wife have an instructor with her at all times to prevent another close call. Poor soul, how could he know that trying to protect his love would be his undoing?
"For the instructor that came was young and strong and handsome, with raven black hair and pretty blue eyes, and soon all Serenity thought of was her precious *Endymion.*"
Serena shuddered at the hatred with which that name was spoken. Darien's fingers were digging into her arm.
"Morsumbra's sweet little wife left their son with a nurse and rode horses every day while he was at work, and blinded with loving trust, he did not see that more than the horses held her interest. For more than Serenity rode the horses, Endymion rode *her.*"
Diamond paused for a moment to enjoy the sensation of his last remark. Serena felt caught between two warring forces in her: the desire to make him shut up, and some perverse need to hear the rest of the story. But the latter was winning, and she remained silent as the dark voice went on.
"Morsumbra's hair was very pale, so blond it was almost white. Serenity's entire family had golden hair. But when her second son was born, his hair was black as night, and remained so as he grew, rather than changing to the blond that was expected. Morsumbra could think of no one in his family with black hair. A dark suspicion began to worry at his chest, and grew and grew until he could ignore it no longer.
"No one in his family had black hair, but his wife's riding instructor was as raven-haired as they come.
"He sat at his big work desk and he thought. And the more he thought, the more the black suspicion grew, until there was no longer any doubt. Serenity, his love, had betrayed him. The child was not his own, but instead belonged to a poor bastard of a filthy animal handler.
"But Morsumbra loved his wife deeply, and clung to the hope that he could still be wrong, for after all, he had no solid proof, only the black weight in his chest. This he could have lived with; he could have borne the taint of suspicion in his marriage for a very long time, if only it meant he could still have Serenity.
"However, foolish, little, blind Serenity gave him the proof that he so dreaded. For she could not bear the thought that the true father would never know his son, and she decided to engineer a way for Endymion to see him.
"When she asked to have a dinner party and invite him, Morsumbra nearly cried aloud at the weight of grief that she dropped upon him. But he said yes, and Endymion was invited into his home.
"It was pure torture for that poor soul, to watch them at the dinner table, throwing their lecherous glances at each other when they thought he wasn't looking. It was so painfully obvious, and when the son was brought in to Endymion, the way the man's face softened and the tender way he asked to hold the boy cinched any doubt that was left whatsoever.
"Morsumbra excused himself and slipped away entirely unnoticed, so wrapped up in their child were the true parents. He sunk in agony to the floor in the next room. The black weight was terrible, so terrible that he almost could not bear it. But Morsumbra was not a weak man, and slowly the crushing grief began to change into something much, much stronger. A black wrath was flowing through his veins, and memory of how that man had looked at his wife fed the dark flames that were burning inside him.
"He stood up, caught in the grip of a horrible certainty, and lifted his right hand to the heavens, and into it something dropped. Something that he had called forth without even knowing it had existed. Something wonderful, full of dark power to lend fuel to his rage."
Diamond held up his right hand, opening it so that they could see the black stone that lay there. His pale eyes burned in the midst of black aura.
"The black crystal," he whispered, clenching his fist down on it. Dark force flared up around them in response.
"With this power, Morsumbra exacted his revenge. It was his stone, and it obeyed the desire of its master. In the other room, Endymion fell to his knees, groaning in agony. Serenity went wild with worry and knelt beside him, taking him into her arms, no longer bothering to conceal her lechery. Morsumbra stepped out into the room, holding the stone clenched in his fist and burning with a dark aura. He told his wife to step away, still loving her despite her betrayal. She refused to leave her lover, screaming at him to leave the man be, to have mercy. Morsumbra's heart came close to breaking, but was saved by the black wrath that poured through him. The floodgates of power would not hold, and dark force came exploding out of him, rushing at the couple on the floor.
"But Serenity screamed, and out of her desire to protect her lover, she summoned the silver crystal from deep within the earth. His dark force was nearly turned aside, but the black weight had been festering too long in his breast to be annihilated so easily. The dark power pressed on against her feeble silver light.
"She screamed her lover's name pitifully, and the man awoke. He somehow managed to call the golden crystal, and his power joined Serenity's.
"Together, they were too much for him, and poor Morsumbra was utterly destroyed by the woman he had loved more than anything."
Diamond was not smiling at all now. Serena felt herself trembling.
"So you see, Miss Hino, Mr. Chiba, your crystals were not born from a pure love, but from a cruel betrayal. And mine…" Diamond raised his clenched fist, and black power began slowly to twist itself once more into curling, smoky plumes. "…mine was born for righteous revenge."
Oh, Serenity, is it true? Serena begged.
She could feel the weight of the ancient lady's grief as if it were her own. ~*~Not exactly as he tells it, but…what could I do? I did not love Morsumbra, and Endymion…I have always loved Endymion, and I always will. I could never bring myself to love another, not even when the other was my husband and the father of my first child.~*~
She felt Darien's arms tight around her, and she thought she understood.
"No regrets, right, Serena?" he whispered in her ear.
"Of course not," she whispered back. And together, they began building the power.
~----------~
Black flames roared through him, consuming him in their power. Yes, yes, he cried, alive with the incredible sensation of unlimited power, power fed by his own black desires.
The room was darkened with his force, the edges of everything roaring and blowing. The gold and silver huddled people in front of him were just like in another life, another memory within him.
~*~Now! Now is the time to take them! Now is the time for revenge, at long last! ~*~ a voice exulted in his head.
Diamond threw back his head and laughed in wild joy. Rushing power swirled about his upheld fist. He was the strongest this time. Nothing could defeat him. This time, he would be the victor, not the one blown away. He could feel it in himself. He had the most power, and he would triumph!
"No! Stop, brother! You know you can not defeat them together! Please, don't do this!"
Diamond turned his head, and his pale eyes focused on a bit of hazy blue and the familiar features of his younger brother. As though the black force magnified it, more strongly than ever, he saw the shocking emotion bared in those sapphire eyes. The strength of the love overwhelmed him.
"Diamond, please! You cannot win!" And the blue eyes screamed, And I cannot bear to lose you!
And suddenly, it was all very clear.
He looked back at the hated double form before him. They were standing proudly upright, arms around each other and ablaze in gold and silver light, like a plume of fire striking through the darkness. Their aura resonated through the spacious chamber of his living room, shaking his beautiful pictures on his beautiful champagne walls.
Sapphire was right. Oh, God, Sapphire had always been right.
He turned back to his only trusted brother, the brother whose eyes shone with unhidden love. "Oh, but, my brother…" he whispered, as the black aura around him slowly died away, "you know as well as I--"
He could feel their hesitation, but the force they had built was too much to contain. He stood upright before them, naked without his black shell. The crystal fell from his hand and rolled to Sapphire's feet.
"--it is already too late."
Jeweled light flooded through him, roaring in his ears. He screamed once, and everything faded away.
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