Chapter 15: Glimpses of the Past

They had been walking through the fortress for so long. Yet, despite the hours they had been there, they had no encountered one guard or any other form of security. 'It's like they're expecting us or something,' she thought.

Immediately, she froze, shocked by the thought. Turning to Charon, she saw that he was thinking the same thing. Yet, they had very few choices. Trying to be more alert, she continued down the corridor, Charon immediately behind her.

'How could they know we were coming?' she fumed, hugging the cold stone walls. 'Maybe they are just that sure of their power,' part of her suggested.

Grimly, she dismissed the idea. 'Any invading power, no matter how strong, would have some semblance of security,' she thought.

* * * * *

Celeste moaning in her sleep, tossing under the covers. "It's not right," she mumbled, rolling unto her back. "Something's wrong, Charon."

* * * * *

She glanced back, staring at Charon although the shadows hindered her. He still held her arm, unaware of the gasp his sudden touch had caused her and had to be held back. He absently motioned for her to listen.

Brushing aside her frustration, Sol strained her ears. She blinked several times, unsure that she had heard something. But, by Charon's expression, he was sure he had.

With a silent sigh, she continued their journey through the winding corridors of the fortress. Sol had lost track of how long they had been there, but it was too long. Too much was riding on this mission for them to make no progress.

Again, Charon grabbed her arm. "I don't like this," he whispered.

"Neither do I," she replied, shaking her head. "But we have to continue."

Nodding, he released her arm. They soon came to an intersection. Sol could not hear movement from any direction. She glanced over her shoulder at Charon, who shrugged. Deliberating for a moment, she lead them to the right.

They had only traveled a few yards down the new passage when Charon tackled her to the ground. A muffled gasp escaped her lips as his weight pressed her against the uneven stone floor. Something exploded and bits of masonry rained down on them.

Still trying to force air back into her body, Sol let Charon dragged her, not certain if they were advancing or retreating. The explosions continued, inching ever closer to them. Cursing under his breath, Charon picked up his speed.

They came to another intersection and Charon turned left. Still running, he found an alcove and pulled them into it, praying the shadows would hide them. He glanced down at Sol.

"Are you okay?" he mouthed, no sound accompanying his words.

She nodded weakly. "Yeah. Thanks."

"They will be looking for us now. Are you ready?"

She nodded and flashed a cocky grin. Despite of himself, he smiled back. Still holding her arm, he lead them out of the alcove and back into the passage.

However, they immediately noticed the footsteps behind them. Turning, they saw a young woman approached. She studied them with a look of pity as the energy ball grew between her hands.

"Run!" Charon cried, pushing Sol away.

She turned and began running. Suddenly, something hit her from behind and she fell. However, the world faded black before she hit the floor.

* * * * *

The alarm clock woke Celeste from the dream. Groaning in frustration, she sat up and silenced the machine. She knew she was getting closer to discovering what really happened to Charon.

Somehow she knew that Charon's fate was part of what was happening now. 'I have to find out,' Celeste thought. However, despite her efforts, the past would rarely unravel itself outside of her dreams.

Sighing, she went into the bathroom. On the small counter around the sink sat a couple of medicine bottles. Carefully, she picked up one of the bottles and read the label.

"It's worth a shot," she thought. "I have to know what happened."

Without further hesitation, she swallow a fair dose of the sleeping medicine. Quickly turning off the light, she crossed back to the bed and got in. Hoping for no interruptions, she shut off the alarm's timer and closed her eyes.

* * * * *

The room was so dark as she struggled to stand. Immediately, someone was helping her up. Still disoriented, she realized that she was leaning against someone's chest.

Trying to clear her cloudy mind, she looked up and realized that it was Charon. He looked at her with great concern, tracing one of her cheekbones with his fingers.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she replied, nodding weakly. "What happened? How long have I been out?"

"Well, they found out we're here and attacked. We both got hit and blacked out. How long we've been out, I don't know."

Sol glanced around the chamber. "Great. Well, let's find a way out of here."

"I've tried," he replied. "I couldn't even find how we got put in here."

Sol clenched her fists. "We have to done something," she spat. "Too much is riding on this mission for us to fail, Charon."

"I've tried everything," Charon said. "I didn't even make a dent on these walls."

Sol turned and studied the nearest wall. The material was completely alien to her. Yet, she knew that she would have to try.

"Stand back," she said. She formed the Sun Staff. "I'm going to give it a try."

* * * * *

Setsuna put the phone back in its receiver. She had been trying to reach for the past hour. However, neither the phone nor her communicator had yielded any results.

"What's going on with her?" Setsuna wondered. Realizing she had spoken aloud, the Guardian of Time was grateful for the others' absence.

"I hope you're okay, Celeste. Please, be okay."

* * * * *

Laughter filled the chamber as the blast slammed Sol against the wall. She collapsed into a heap against the floor, fighting to maintain consciousness. The laughter intensified.

"Sol!" Charon cried. His heart swelled with relief when he realized that she was still partly conscious. Turning back to the attack, he drew his sword.

"You will pay for that," he stated, moving to place himself in front of Sol.

Gypsum continued to laugh, eyeing his sword critically. "Do you really think that you are a match for me, Prince Charon?"

She gently levated off the ground, energy crackling around her. "I am too powerful to be stopped by such pitiful people. Stop this foolishness and you might live."

"I'd rather die than see you win," Charon spat, raising the sword to strike.

Gypsum smiled. "As you wish."

The black energy completely surrounded Charon without warning. Gypsum smiled as his cries intensified. Sol got to her feet, stumbling to them.

"Let him go," she ordered. The staff caught in a small hole in the floor, tripping Sol. Gypsum laughed again.

"You are not in a place to demand anything," Gypsum sneered. The ball of black energy found its target and knocked Sol back a couple of feet. "Soon, you and Prince Charon will be on our side."

Sol forced her head up and her eyes meet with Charon's. He was in so much pain that she wanted to look away. However, she struggled to her feet.

"Hang on, Charon," she begged, tears pouring down her face. "Please."

"I can't, Sol," he croaked. "I'm weakening. Please, forgive me."

Sol watched helplessly as Charon pushed the sword into his stomach. Gypsum resumed her laughter, enjoying Sol's tears.

"I love you." He collapsed against the floor, the wall of energy disappearing.

"Charon?" There was no answer. "Charon?!"

Gypsum walked over to her. "He's gone, Sol. Give up."

Sol clenched the staff. "Never." She rose unsteadily to her feet. "Never!"

"Very well," Gypsum said. "Have it your way."

Sol ignored the growing ball of energy and focused on Charon. "Hang on, Charon. Please, love, hang on."

She held the Sun Staff above her head, composing herself. "Sol Nemesis Nova!!"

* * * * *

Celeste woke up, shaking. She was dimly aware that she was crying. However, she wrapped her arms around her knees and sobbed.

"Oh, Charon, I'm so sorry," she sobbed. "If I had been stronger, if I had fought harder, it would have been so different. Forgive me."

Gradually, the sobs began to subside. Wiping her cheeks, Celeste glanced over at the clock and discovered it was ten o'clock. Realizing that the others were probably looking for her, she got up and took a shower. The stinging hot water quickly brought her to full alertness. Waiting for the bathroom to cool down and the steam to disappear, she returned to the main part of the room.

Celeste thought about what to wear that day. Finally, she decided on a dark green skirt and a simple, white long-sleeve shirt. Pulling her hair into a ponytail, she finished getting ready.

Gathering her purse and other essentials, she decided to try a small restaurant she discovered for breakfast. 'I'll decide what to do from there,' Celeste decided. Locking the door, she headed for the elevator.