Chapter 16
The Gates of Time
Setsuna's legs were rubber beneath her. Swaying slightly, she reached out blindly, groping for something to steady herself on.
"Careful now," Chronos warned. "Here, hold onto my arm." Her flailing hand caught the offered arm and gripped it tightly. Setsuna planted her feet firmly on the ground breathing deeply to clear her head.
"I suppose I should have warned you." Chronos said sheepishly. "Traveling across dimensions to the Sacred Gates can be quite a taxing experience for a mortal."
"I wish I could tell you that it does not matter, but I do believe I would have found such information quite useful to me." Setsuna replied, only half teasing. Chronos laughed heartily, apparently missing the soft note of resentment in the young woman's voice.
"I will simply be thankful that my granddaughter is such a powerful mortal. Are you feeling better?" Setsuna nodded, straightening up once more.
"Quite, Grandfather. Thank you."
"Good," the Time God replied. "In that case we shall begin immediately." Setsuna examined her surroundings. The Sacred Gates seemed to be naught but an endless sea of stars. Setsuna glanced at her feet. It seemed for all the world as if she were standing on something solid, but what it was, she could not see. All she could see were stars, sprinkled about the darkness flowing beneath her feet. Setsuna experimentally tapped her foot against the invisible floor. Her foot met with resistance, but no sound was made.
"Begin what?" she asked her grandfather, transfixed by the sight of the stars all around her.
"Why, your training, of course!"
"What is your hurry?" Setsuna asked. "Time does not touch us here, am I right?" Chronos laughed.
"Your first lesson, Granddaughter, is that time is always passing. There is nothing that can halt the passage of time. We at its Sacred Gates are not touched by it, for we must guard it from outside its realm of influence, but it is always passing nonetheless. Look there." He pointed to a spot over Setsuna's left shoulder. She turned. Behind her, placed at a seemingly random point in that vast space was a large stained-glass window. Depicted on it was the image of a silvery white rose surrounded by a golden glow. Setsuna was awed at the sight of it.
"What is it, Grandfather?" she asked in a whisper. Chronos smiled.
"Why do you not open it, and learn for yourself?" And so Setsuna went over the widow, and cautiously pushed at it. Immediately, it swung open.
"What do you see?" Chronos asked. Setsuna squinted, trying to make sense of the scene unfolding outside the window.
"Why, it is Mother and Father," she exclaimed in surprise. "What are they doing?"
"Look closer, my dear. Open your eyes." Setsuna, taking the advice quite literally, forced herself to stop squinting.
"They are in my chambers at home," she stated. "They are speaking. What about, I cannot hear, but Mother has tears in her eyes."
"They are speaking of you," said Chronos. "They miss you. They long to have you home again. Your father is still a bit angry with me. He still believes that there must have been something I could do to prevent this. In time, he will come to know otherwise." Setsuna turned a wary eye upon her grandfather.
"How do you know that this is so?" she asked. "I cannot even hear what my parents are saying." Chronos smiled mysteriously.
"When you are Time Goddess, you shall be able to know such things as well." Setsuna sighed, rolling her eyes. Oh, how Chronos loved to be mysterious.
"You never answered my first question, Grandfather," she informed him crisply. "And looking into it myself has not been especially helpful, either. Exactly what is that window?"
"That is the Window to the Present," he replied. "It is how we see what is happening in the World of Men at this very moment."
"Grandfather, if time is always passing, how can you say that we are not touched by it?" Setsuna wondered.
"Because we are not!" Chronos answered impatiently. "We at the Gates of Time have access to any time or place we wish to see. Look to your left." Struggling to quell her annoyance, Setsuna obeyed. Her eyes came to rest upon a darkened mirror, standing on the same level as she and her grandfather. Engraved at the top of its silver frame was the image of a perfect rosebud. Somehow, Setsuna knew that this rosebud was the same flower that bloomed upon the Window to the Present, although she saw no sign of the golden glow that burned so brightly there.
"In that mirror are reflections from the past," said Chronos. "Look." He passed a hand over the mirror. Suddenly, the sight of a beautiful woman with a babe in her arms was reflected there. Setsuna gasped. The woman wore a glittering gold tiara, complete with an oval, cranberry jewel in its center, and upon the brow of the infant glowed the Sign of Pluto. Setsuna's astonishment even grew when she realized that she had seen traces of that woman in her mother's face, and her own.
"Grandfather, is that…" Chronos smiled.
"Yes, Setsuna dear. That is your celestial mother, Lady Pluto, and her daughter, Kalma."
"When you say that we have access to any time or place we could wish to see, do you truly mean that we could travel the time stream and emerge in another time entirely?" The Time God frowned a little.
"Perhaps 'wish' was not the most appropriate word to use," he remarked, scratching his head. "I suppose I should have said 'need' instead. Only in certain situations are we allowed to travel through time."
"Only in certain situations?" she repeated curiously.
"As your wisdom of the Rules of Time deepens, you will come to understand that there are certain things that cannot be taught, but must be learned nonetheless."
"I think I am beginning to see that already." Setsuna quipped, inviting a laugh from her grandfather.
"Ah, dear granddaughter, what a brave young woman you are." Setsuna flushed with pleasure at the compliment.
"Why do you say that?" she asked, brushing a stray hair from her deep garnet eyes to cover her embarrassment.
"Why should I not?" Chronos countered. "Is it not as true as time itself?" Thoroughly embarrassed now by what she suspected to be naught but shameless flattery, Setsuna hesitated to respond.
"Well…"
"You have bravely faced battle as Sailor Pluto." Chronos pointed out.
"I never had a choice." Setsuna responded tersely. "The Kingdom of the White Moon was my home, and protecting it my sworn duty. Never did I see retreat as an option." There were many times when I wished that it were, she thought guiltily, but it never was.
"You are also brave as you face an eternity at the Gates of Time."
"Again, I haven't any choice. Fighting as Sailor Pluto was my duty. This is my destiny. I cannot retreat. I can only face each moment as it comes, and take this path step by step." Chronos shook his head.
"That is all you can do for now, dear one, but soon you shall have to abandon such a philosophy. The Guardian of Time must always be aware of the future, for it is her duty to maintain it. And that reminds me that I yet have one thing more to show you. Turn about, child." Setsuna tore her eyes from the mirror, and turned. On the other side of the Window was a door made of a gleaming, honey-colored wood, and sealed with a great, iron lock. And carved into its glowing surface was the very same rose that budded and bloomed upon the Mirror and the Window. Upon the door, it slowly withered away.
Setsuna was spellbound. As if in a dream, she approached the door, raising a hand to touch the wilting rose. She felt her chest tighten with sorrow as she traced the curve of its dying petal with her forefinger.
Stop it, Setsuna ordered herself. You are being silly. You were once called the Ruler of the Life Beyond. You know that death is not the enemy. Weep not for the soul of the rose.
But it was not the rose she wept for. She was truly saddened to see the rose dying, but she knew that it was meant to be, for all mortal things must come to an end. The golden glow surrounding the flower, so bright now that it washed all the silver from the withered petals, somehow brought her comfort. No, she could not weep for the rose. Setsuna wept because behind that door, there was the distinct aura of foreboding. Terror ran wild behind that door. Frightened souls frantically beat nonexistent fists against the door, crying for someone to save them from their fate.
"Behind the Door to the Future lies the progeny of the Past and Present." Chronos said. "The Guardian of Time was born to see that the Past and Present are united, that they might give birth to the destined Future. Failure with result in the triumph of Chaos, Champion of the Dark Gods."
"Chaos…" Setsuna whispered. "Grandfather, please open the Door to the Future for me. I must help those trapped behind it." Setsuna never let her eyes stray from the Door, but she sensed that her grandfather was shaking his head at her request.
"I cannot," he said. "The Rules of Time forbid it."
"Why?"
"It is dangerous for a mortal to know too much of her future. If she does not like what she sees, she may attempt to change it."
"But I am not a mortal!" Setsuna protested. "I am your apprentice, the Time Goddess! I…"
"You are mortal yet, Setsuna of Pluto!" Chronos interrupted sharply. "You shall be so until the time of my Passing!" Stung by her grandfather's tone, Setsuna whipped around to face him, garnet eyes blazing.
"Grandfather…" Chronos did not even give her a chance to speak.
"Hold your tongue!" he ordered. "It is not your place to question the gods!"
"Grandfather, do not…" Setsuna trailed off, realizing the truth in his words. She had been questioning the gods, something she had been taught never to do. Meekly, she lowered her eyes.
"I am sorry, Grandfather. I meant no disrespect." Chronos sighed, softening.
"I know you did not," he assured her soothingly. "I have seen the future many times, Setsuna. It has shown me that you will not see what is behind that door until you take my place. Such is the will of my brothers and sisters."
"Then I shall not dispute it." Setsuna answered easily, but she turned to face the Door once again, wearing a mournful expression.
"Grandfather, is there nothing that can halt the passage of time?"
"Nothing."
"Not even you?" Chronos was shocked.
"Setsuna! What in Morganna's name would make you ask such a thing?" Setsuna raised an eyebrow at him.
"Can you not control time?" she asked.
"Can Sailor Venus control love?" he countered.
"Of course not." Setsuna responded. "But she is a mortal, a Sailor Soldier, just as I was. But while Sailor Venus cannot control love, her celestial mother, Lady Venus, who is the goddess of love, most certainly can. I know it was she who put Haruka and Michiru in this world for one another. You are the god of time. Can you not control time as Lady Venus can control love?" Chronos sighed heavily.
"You are far wiser than I give you credit for," he told her. "Yes, Setsuna, I can. I can control time. I can make it flow faster or slower. I can even stop it altogether. When you become the Guardian of Time, you shall have such power as well. But such is power that you must never, never use."
"Why?" she asked. "If the power is mine, why should I not use it?"
"To alter or halt the passage of time is strictly forbidden by the Rules of Time."
"But I shall not use such power to cause harm," she pointed out. Chronos surprised her then by taking her by the shoulders and shaking her, not roughly, but quite firmly.
"Changing the flow of time is taboo, no matter what intentions it is done with. Such actions will be punished with death."
"I cannot fear death, Grandfather," Setsuna told him softly. "I know far too much about it to be afraid." Chronos shook his head sternly.
"Do not fool yourself, dear one. Your death would not mean freedom for your soul as it would for a mortal."
"Why not?" she asked. "What else would it mean?"
"When I am returned to the Realm of Gods, I shan't be allowed to return to the Sacred Gates. The Gates of Time cannot be left unattended. If you were to die, and had no one ready to take your place, you would be returned to your physical body within days. So it would be the next time you died. The cycle would continue until the day you died, leaving behind an appointed heir, who was fully ready to take your place."
"An heir…" Setsuna murmured thoughtfully. "Is there truly someone in this world whom I could train to take my place here?"
"Setsuna!" Chronos said sharply. "This is your destiny! You must not constantly be searching for a way to escape it!" Setsuna sighed.
"Yes, Grandfather, I know. I am sorry."
"I should hope so!" Chronos snapped. "Only moments ago, you spoke of facing your destiny, saying that you did not even see retreat as an option!"
"I have not forgotten!" she informed him testily, irritated by the way he continued to push the matter. "I simply wish to know if such a person exists!"
"I cannot say, Granddaughter. That is something that you must come to know on your own." Silence followed his statement. Setsuna turned his words over in her mind. She was not entirely immortal after all. She could still be killed, if ever she altered the flow of time. She would only be reborn, however, unless she could somehow find the one worthy of taking her place at the Gates. Sighing again, Setsuna cast her garnet eyes over the Mirror, Window, and Door. Stepping away from her grandfather, Setsuna walked over to the Mirror, laying a hand upon its frame. The silver was cold against her skin.
"I know that this is not real," she said quite suddenly, taking Chronos by surprise.
"What?"
"It is not real," she repeated. "None of it is." The Time God frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that it is not real!" Setsuna answered impatiently. "It is an illusion. The Mirror's frame appears to be made of silver, yet it cannot be. Shaping silver so that it becomes a recognizable object requires a human hand, for silver is a worldly material." She turned her gaze upon the god of time, narrowing her eyes.
"There is divine magic in this Mirror," she said. "No mortal hand shaped it." Chronos' face softened into understanding.
"Well! You truly are wiser than I knew you to be!" he said cheerfully. "You are right. The Mirror is not made of silver, nor is the Window made from glass. No mortal had any part in their making."
"Then who made them?" she asked.
"In due time, my dear girl. You will understand in due time." Gritting her teeth, Setsuna cast one final look upon the Door to the Future, sealed with its great iron lock.
No, she mentally corrected herself. It is not iron. It looks to be made of iron, but it cannot be. She sighed.
"Gods above me," she murmured. "I fear I shall never understand this."
But of course, she did. Just as Chronos had predicted, Setsuna came to understand everything in due time. No mortal or god had shaped the Mirror, Window, or Door. They simply were. They had been since the dawn of time, and they would be until its end.
Although Setsuna was eighteen years of age, and an experienced warrior of the High Queen's court, she arrived at the Gates of Time as much a naïve student as she had been at age six. Gradually, she grew under her Grandfather's guidance, gaining wisdom and skill. At first, she had visited her mother and father most frequently—actually, any time they appeared to be yearning for her—and at first, Chronos had allowed it. Progressively, though, he had allowed her to leave less and less often. She was always allowed to leave when Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune required her assistance in battle, but although such summons were common at first, the battles themselves soon became sporadic. Finally, they stopped coming altogether. Setsuna tried to figure out what had become of their enemy by looking into the Mirror, but all in vain. Eventually, she stopped wondering.
Meanwhile, two years elapsed in the World of Men.
**************************************************************************** **
Ahhh! I am soooooo sorry this one took so long! The last four weeks have been absolute hell! It was what I like to call "show season," which means that EVERY SINGLE NIGHT was booked with some kind of rehearsal or performance! But now that's over, and except for an audition tomorrow, I'm pretty much free until finals, so I'll be dedicating much of my time to finishing this. I actually think I can get this done before I go off to camp this summer. Wish me luck, and don't forget to review. (I couldn't resist!)
The Gates of Time
Setsuna's legs were rubber beneath her. Swaying slightly, she reached out blindly, groping for something to steady herself on.
"Careful now," Chronos warned. "Here, hold onto my arm." Her flailing hand caught the offered arm and gripped it tightly. Setsuna planted her feet firmly on the ground breathing deeply to clear her head.
"I suppose I should have warned you." Chronos said sheepishly. "Traveling across dimensions to the Sacred Gates can be quite a taxing experience for a mortal."
"I wish I could tell you that it does not matter, but I do believe I would have found such information quite useful to me." Setsuna replied, only half teasing. Chronos laughed heartily, apparently missing the soft note of resentment in the young woman's voice.
"I will simply be thankful that my granddaughter is such a powerful mortal. Are you feeling better?" Setsuna nodded, straightening up once more.
"Quite, Grandfather. Thank you."
"Good," the Time God replied. "In that case we shall begin immediately." Setsuna examined her surroundings. The Sacred Gates seemed to be naught but an endless sea of stars. Setsuna glanced at her feet. It seemed for all the world as if she were standing on something solid, but what it was, she could not see. All she could see were stars, sprinkled about the darkness flowing beneath her feet. Setsuna experimentally tapped her foot against the invisible floor. Her foot met with resistance, but no sound was made.
"Begin what?" she asked her grandfather, transfixed by the sight of the stars all around her.
"Why, your training, of course!"
"What is your hurry?" Setsuna asked. "Time does not touch us here, am I right?" Chronos laughed.
"Your first lesson, Granddaughter, is that time is always passing. There is nothing that can halt the passage of time. We at its Sacred Gates are not touched by it, for we must guard it from outside its realm of influence, but it is always passing nonetheless. Look there." He pointed to a spot over Setsuna's left shoulder. She turned. Behind her, placed at a seemingly random point in that vast space was a large stained-glass window. Depicted on it was the image of a silvery white rose surrounded by a golden glow. Setsuna was awed at the sight of it.
"What is it, Grandfather?" she asked in a whisper. Chronos smiled.
"Why do you not open it, and learn for yourself?" And so Setsuna went over the widow, and cautiously pushed at it. Immediately, it swung open.
"What do you see?" Chronos asked. Setsuna squinted, trying to make sense of the scene unfolding outside the window.
"Why, it is Mother and Father," she exclaimed in surprise. "What are they doing?"
"Look closer, my dear. Open your eyes." Setsuna, taking the advice quite literally, forced herself to stop squinting.
"They are in my chambers at home," she stated. "They are speaking. What about, I cannot hear, but Mother has tears in her eyes."
"They are speaking of you," said Chronos. "They miss you. They long to have you home again. Your father is still a bit angry with me. He still believes that there must have been something I could do to prevent this. In time, he will come to know otherwise." Setsuna turned a wary eye upon her grandfather.
"How do you know that this is so?" she asked. "I cannot even hear what my parents are saying." Chronos smiled mysteriously.
"When you are Time Goddess, you shall be able to know such things as well." Setsuna sighed, rolling her eyes. Oh, how Chronos loved to be mysterious.
"You never answered my first question, Grandfather," she informed him crisply. "And looking into it myself has not been especially helpful, either. Exactly what is that window?"
"That is the Window to the Present," he replied. "It is how we see what is happening in the World of Men at this very moment."
"Grandfather, if time is always passing, how can you say that we are not touched by it?" Setsuna wondered.
"Because we are not!" Chronos answered impatiently. "We at the Gates of Time have access to any time or place we wish to see. Look to your left." Struggling to quell her annoyance, Setsuna obeyed. Her eyes came to rest upon a darkened mirror, standing on the same level as she and her grandfather. Engraved at the top of its silver frame was the image of a perfect rosebud. Somehow, Setsuna knew that this rosebud was the same flower that bloomed upon the Window to the Present, although she saw no sign of the golden glow that burned so brightly there.
"In that mirror are reflections from the past," said Chronos. "Look." He passed a hand over the mirror. Suddenly, the sight of a beautiful woman with a babe in her arms was reflected there. Setsuna gasped. The woman wore a glittering gold tiara, complete with an oval, cranberry jewel in its center, and upon the brow of the infant glowed the Sign of Pluto. Setsuna's astonishment even grew when she realized that she had seen traces of that woman in her mother's face, and her own.
"Grandfather, is that…" Chronos smiled.
"Yes, Setsuna dear. That is your celestial mother, Lady Pluto, and her daughter, Kalma."
"When you say that we have access to any time or place we could wish to see, do you truly mean that we could travel the time stream and emerge in another time entirely?" The Time God frowned a little.
"Perhaps 'wish' was not the most appropriate word to use," he remarked, scratching his head. "I suppose I should have said 'need' instead. Only in certain situations are we allowed to travel through time."
"Only in certain situations?" she repeated curiously.
"As your wisdom of the Rules of Time deepens, you will come to understand that there are certain things that cannot be taught, but must be learned nonetheless."
"I think I am beginning to see that already." Setsuna quipped, inviting a laugh from her grandfather.
"Ah, dear granddaughter, what a brave young woman you are." Setsuna flushed with pleasure at the compliment.
"Why do you say that?" she asked, brushing a stray hair from her deep garnet eyes to cover her embarrassment.
"Why should I not?" Chronos countered. "Is it not as true as time itself?" Thoroughly embarrassed now by what she suspected to be naught but shameless flattery, Setsuna hesitated to respond.
"Well…"
"You have bravely faced battle as Sailor Pluto." Chronos pointed out.
"I never had a choice." Setsuna responded tersely. "The Kingdom of the White Moon was my home, and protecting it my sworn duty. Never did I see retreat as an option." There were many times when I wished that it were, she thought guiltily, but it never was.
"You are also brave as you face an eternity at the Gates of Time."
"Again, I haven't any choice. Fighting as Sailor Pluto was my duty. This is my destiny. I cannot retreat. I can only face each moment as it comes, and take this path step by step." Chronos shook his head.
"That is all you can do for now, dear one, but soon you shall have to abandon such a philosophy. The Guardian of Time must always be aware of the future, for it is her duty to maintain it. And that reminds me that I yet have one thing more to show you. Turn about, child." Setsuna tore her eyes from the mirror, and turned. On the other side of the Window was a door made of a gleaming, honey-colored wood, and sealed with a great, iron lock. And carved into its glowing surface was the very same rose that budded and bloomed upon the Mirror and the Window. Upon the door, it slowly withered away.
Setsuna was spellbound. As if in a dream, she approached the door, raising a hand to touch the wilting rose. She felt her chest tighten with sorrow as she traced the curve of its dying petal with her forefinger.
Stop it, Setsuna ordered herself. You are being silly. You were once called the Ruler of the Life Beyond. You know that death is not the enemy. Weep not for the soul of the rose.
But it was not the rose she wept for. She was truly saddened to see the rose dying, but she knew that it was meant to be, for all mortal things must come to an end. The golden glow surrounding the flower, so bright now that it washed all the silver from the withered petals, somehow brought her comfort. No, she could not weep for the rose. Setsuna wept because behind that door, there was the distinct aura of foreboding. Terror ran wild behind that door. Frightened souls frantically beat nonexistent fists against the door, crying for someone to save them from their fate.
"Behind the Door to the Future lies the progeny of the Past and Present." Chronos said. "The Guardian of Time was born to see that the Past and Present are united, that they might give birth to the destined Future. Failure with result in the triumph of Chaos, Champion of the Dark Gods."
"Chaos…" Setsuna whispered. "Grandfather, please open the Door to the Future for me. I must help those trapped behind it." Setsuna never let her eyes stray from the Door, but she sensed that her grandfather was shaking his head at her request.
"I cannot," he said. "The Rules of Time forbid it."
"Why?"
"It is dangerous for a mortal to know too much of her future. If she does not like what she sees, she may attempt to change it."
"But I am not a mortal!" Setsuna protested. "I am your apprentice, the Time Goddess! I…"
"You are mortal yet, Setsuna of Pluto!" Chronos interrupted sharply. "You shall be so until the time of my Passing!" Stung by her grandfather's tone, Setsuna whipped around to face him, garnet eyes blazing.
"Grandfather…" Chronos did not even give her a chance to speak.
"Hold your tongue!" he ordered. "It is not your place to question the gods!"
"Grandfather, do not…" Setsuna trailed off, realizing the truth in his words. She had been questioning the gods, something she had been taught never to do. Meekly, she lowered her eyes.
"I am sorry, Grandfather. I meant no disrespect." Chronos sighed, softening.
"I know you did not," he assured her soothingly. "I have seen the future many times, Setsuna. It has shown me that you will not see what is behind that door until you take my place. Such is the will of my brothers and sisters."
"Then I shall not dispute it." Setsuna answered easily, but she turned to face the Door once again, wearing a mournful expression.
"Grandfather, is there nothing that can halt the passage of time?"
"Nothing."
"Not even you?" Chronos was shocked.
"Setsuna! What in Morganna's name would make you ask such a thing?" Setsuna raised an eyebrow at him.
"Can you not control time?" she asked.
"Can Sailor Venus control love?" he countered.
"Of course not." Setsuna responded. "But she is a mortal, a Sailor Soldier, just as I was. But while Sailor Venus cannot control love, her celestial mother, Lady Venus, who is the goddess of love, most certainly can. I know it was she who put Haruka and Michiru in this world for one another. You are the god of time. Can you not control time as Lady Venus can control love?" Chronos sighed heavily.
"You are far wiser than I give you credit for," he told her. "Yes, Setsuna, I can. I can control time. I can make it flow faster or slower. I can even stop it altogether. When you become the Guardian of Time, you shall have such power as well. But such is power that you must never, never use."
"Why?" she asked. "If the power is mine, why should I not use it?"
"To alter or halt the passage of time is strictly forbidden by the Rules of Time."
"But I shall not use such power to cause harm," she pointed out. Chronos surprised her then by taking her by the shoulders and shaking her, not roughly, but quite firmly.
"Changing the flow of time is taboo, no matter what intentions it is done with. Such actions will be punished with death."
"I cannot fear death, Grandfather," Setsuna told him softly. "I know far too much about it to be afraid." Chronos shook his head sternly.
"Do not fool yourself, dear one. Your death would not mean freedom for your soul as it would for a mortal."
"Why not?" she asked. "What else would it mean?"
"When I am returned to the Realm of Gods, I shan't be allowed to return to the Sacred Gates. The Gates of Time cannot be left unattended. If you were to die, and had no one ready to take your place, you would be returned to your physical body within days. So it would be the next time you died. The cycle would continue until the day you died, leaving behind an appointed heir, who was fully ready to take your place."
"An heir…" Setsuna murmured thoughtfully. "Is there truly someone in this world whom I could train to take my place here?"
"Setsuna!" Chronos said sharply. "This is your destiny! You must not constantly be searching for a way to escape it!" Setsuna sighed.
"Yes, Grandfather, I know. I am sorry."
"I should hope so!" Chronos snapped. "Only moments ago, you spoke of facing your destiny, saying that you did not even see retreat as an option!"
"I have not forgotten!" she informed him testily, irritated by the way he continued to push the matter. "I simply wish to know if such a person exists!"
"I cannot say, Granddaughter. That is something that you must come to know on your own." Silence followed his statement. Setsuna turned his words over in her mind. She was not entirely immortal after all. She could still be killed, if ever she altered the flow of time. She would only be reborn, however, unless she could somehow find the one worthy of taking her place at the Gates. Sighing again, Setsuna cast her garnet eyes over the Mirror, Window, and Door. Stepping away from her grandfather, Setsuna walked over to the Mirror, laying a hand upon its frame. The silver was cold against her skin.
"I know that this is not real," she said quite suddenly, taking Chronos by surprise.
"What?"
"It is not real," she repeated. "None of it is." The Time God frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that it is not real!" Setsuna answered impatiently. "It is an illusion. The Mirror's frame appears to be made of silver, yet it cannot be. Shaping silver so that it becomes a recognizable object requires a human hand, for silver is a worldly material." She turned her gaze upon the god of time, narrowing her eyes.
"There is divine magic in this Mirror," she said. "No mortal hand shaped it." Chronos' face softened into understanding.
"Well! You truly are wiser than I knew you to be!" he said cheerfully. "You are right. The Mirror is not made of silver, nor is the Window made from glass. No mortal had any part in their making."
"Then who made them?" she asked.
"In due time, my dear girl. You will understand in due time." Gritting her teeth, Setsuna cast one final look upon the Door to the Future, sealed with its great iron lock.
No, she mentally corrected herself. It is not iron. It looks to be made of iron, but it cannot be. She sighed.
"Gods above me," she murmured. "I fear I shall never understand this."
But of course, she did. Just as Chronos had predicted, Setsuna came to understand everything in due time. No mortal or god had shaped the Mirror, Window, or Door. They simply were. They had been since the dawn of time, and they would be until its end.
Although Setsuna was eighteen years of age, and an experienced warrior of the High Queen's court, she arrived at the Gates of Time as much a naïve student as she had been at age six. Gradually, she grew under her Grandfather's guidance, gaining wisdom and skill. At first, she had visited her mother and father most frequently—actually, any time they appeared to be yearning for her—and at first, Chronos had allowed it. Progressively, though, he had allowed her to leave less and less often. She was always allowed to leave when Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune required her assistance in battle, but although such summons were common at first, the battles themselves soon became sporadic. Finally, they stopped coming altogether. Setsuna tried to figure out what had become of their enemy by looking into the Mirror, but all in vain. Eventually, she stopped wondering.
Meanwhile, two years elapsed in the World of Men.
**************************************************************************** **
Ahhh! I am soooooo sorry this one took so long! The last four weeks have been absolute hell! It was what I like to call "show season," which means that EVERY SINGLE NIGHT was booked with some kind of rehearsal or performance! But now that's over, and except for an audition tomorrow, I'm pretty much free until finals, so I'll be dedicating much of my time to finishing this. I actually think I can get this done before I go off to camp this summer. Wish me luck, and don't forget to review. (I couldn't resist!)