Sailor Mars opened the door a crack and peered inside, while the others crowded around to get a look for themselves. Apollo poked his head through the opening and Mercury had to grab hold of his tail to keep him from rushing into the room in a rage.

The throne room was grand…in a creepy, evil Negaverse kind of way. It was also surprisingly empty. Two guards stood on either side of the throne, upon which sat a woman who bore a disturbing resemblance to Queen Beryl. "Mica…" Apollo hissed out the name and made a face as if he wanted to cough up a hairball.

Antares and Chrysolite were shoved forward at spear-point with their hands bound in front of them. Both were in sad shape. Their clothes were torn and stained with blood as if they'd been lashed, and their arms and legs were badly beaten. They staggered forward barely able to stand, and one of the guards handed Antares's weapon to Prince Feldspar. He then turned and knelt before Queen Mica and held it up to her in both hands. "My Queen, I present to you the Rod of Antares."

Apollo growled low in his throat as Mica gingerly took it in her hand and examined it. "Quite the work of art you have here, my dear," she said, turning to Antares. "I must say, I'm rather disappointed...I would have expected more from the last Star Guardian..." She reached out with the rod from where she was sitting and used it to lift the girl's chin. "So at the end of the day...this is all that the great Antares is...broken and defeated."

Antares jerked her head back and suddenly knocked the rod aside. Mica was taken by surprise, and the rod clattered to the floor rolling off to the side. "Well well," said Mica, rising to her feet and moving to stand in front of the captive, who met her gaze defiantly. "What have we here? So there is still some fight in you after all..." She lowered her face to Antares's level and whispered, "We'll have to fix that." The young prisoner's face scrunched up, apparently at her captor's breath...but then without warning, she spit in the queen's face.

"Yeah!" Apollo exclaimed from his hiding place. "That's my girl!"

"Gah! You miserable wretch!" Mica shrieked, staggering back and tripping over the Rod of Antares. "I promise you, your suffering will be great indeed! As for you, Chrysolite..." She turned to him with a sneer and kicked him in the ribs. She smiled at his painful outcry and continued. "You know the penalty for betraying me."

"I do..." he responded in a hoarse whisper. "The Black Shard..."

"What's the Black Shard?" Sailor Jupiter whispered.

"Nothing good," answered Apollo. "It's what destroyed the other seven Star Guardians. It's that dark crystal on the end of her Staff of Souls...When it touches someone, it binds itself to them, and drains their life force. And they can't let go until they're..."

"Dead..." Sailor Venus finished for him.

"Exactly."

They watched, mesmerized as the shard rose from Mica's staff. "We have to do something!"

Everything seemed to happen all at once in slow motion...Sailor Mars burst through the door as the shard flew through the air at Chrysolite. Mars would not make it in time! Suddenly, in a burst of speed and strength, Antares tore free from the grip of the captors and threw herself at Chysolite, knocking him out of the way just in time.

"ANDI!" Apollo screamed, racing into the room with the rest of the scouts behind him. Chrysolite stared up at Antares from the floor where he had fallen in utmost horror. He could see the Black Shard protruding from Antares's back...she stood only for a moment before she collapsed, dropping to the ground in a pool of her own blood.

"NO!" Chrysolite cried, scrambling over to where she had fallen. Gently he lifted her head and placed it in his lap. He stared into her eyes, only able to bear their unfocused gaze because he could not steel himself to look at the Black Shard where it had penetrated her chest, pierced her heart, and jutted out from her back...She had been impaled by it. "No no no, Andi! Please, you can't!"

Apollo rushed over and begged and pleaded. "God, Andi! Not like this! You can't go like this! Say something! Please, you can't die!"

Her head lolled to the side and she muttered weakly, with blood trickling out the side of her mouth... "I...I'm s-sorry...I c-can't...I can't...Chris…Ap-pollo...Thank y-you...Thank...you..." A black aura surrounded her as the crystal shard sucked away what was left of her life force and her breathing became shallow and labored...

Chrysolite's face steeled and he grabbed hold of the Black Shard. He cried out as he felt it draining him as well...but try as he might, he could not pull it out until its job was done. Antares's eyes slowly drifted shut as it became impossible to resist anymore. Chrysolite wrenched the crystal out as she drew her last feeble breath. Mere moments later, the shard slipped from his fingers as he too sank to the floor, his hands and clothes stained with Antares's blood, and closed his eyes...forever...

((A/N: No, this is not the end. There are still two more chapters))