Chapter 20

A goblet of silver adorned with black opals sat in her hand as she swirled the last of her drink. Sitting upright, Melusina placed the cup down. As she stood up, she stretched out her hands, as two staves appeared one in each hand. In her heart there was a deep never forgotten bitterness. Her story indeed was a sad one, but she didn't ask for anyone's pity or sympathy.

                "Mythalia…" Melusina called, as the goddess appeared dressed in all black, as her eyes remained still and emotionless. Darkness screamed, as she remained bowed before her new master and lord. "It must begin…and swift and fast it must be. They must suffer and deal with sorrow beyond imagination."

                "Where to first?" her voice was hollow, and void of emotion creating a mysterious obscurity all on its own.

                "That which poses the greatest threat…Celestin must be eradicated." She struck her right staff on the ground, as Mythalia stood up and took her position at Melusina's side, "Nymphs of the springs and rivers, trees, and mountains…Naiads, Dryads, and Oreads…appear before me to do my will." Armies of all three appeared before Mythalia, who held bows and arrows. "Now go, and strike him with this…" she handed Mythalia a charm that penetrated the skin embedding itself in her palm, "The Poison of Reanin…"

                "Yes, milady…" Mythalia knelt down on her knees for a final payment of respect to Viviane Melusina before she disappeared off to complete her mission.

                "Feeble minds and hearts shalt break under the false pretense of hope, crushed by the reality of life and love…" Viviane Melusina whispered closing her eyes and smile content with her plan for destruction.

All afternoon, he spent in the fields looking up at the sky occasionally glancing at the ring and necklace. As the sun shifted its position gradually, Celestin began to observe things in a different light. Behind him, footsteps grew closer, and Aurora stood above him, as he remained deep in thought.

                "May I sit next to you?" she asked, as he sat up nodding his head in approval.

                "The past is something you should cherish deeply, but reliving it…" he sighed, "You begin to wonder was it worth the pain and agony to remember?"

                "Of course it was Celestin. Your memories shared with Mythalia are nothing in comparison to everything else. Those were moments of happiness and love…"

                "They were those moments, but now they've corroded away and left me shards of glass massacring my heart." He spoke poetically, as if his heart were right before her eyes.

                "They have the chance to become that again Celestin. You mustn't lose faith in her. Deep down, not even the greatest amount of darkness could conceal her definite love for you."

                "I have faith in her. It's just that remembering those times…I wish I could've held her once more before all of this. Now that she's with Melusina, there is no guarantee that she'll make it out of this ordeal alive. With the news that Peorth has given us, it seems very likely that she will have no choice but to die with the darkness."

                "Listen to me Celestin…" Aurora's voice became strict. "Mythalia didn't resurrect you for nothing. It was her love for you that kept her at your side. Countless times could she have just turned away, and with your long absence she could have forgotten about you, but your memory remained in her mind vividly. There is no greater love than what you two share, and she would give up everything to stay by your side if she could and she did. Mythalia could have faced drastic penalties for your resurrection, but it was her devotion to you that kept her strong and unrelenting in her decision. She made sacrifices for you, because she knew that there would be a day when you two must fight, and she must die."

"And never speak soft words of life again?"

"No…Her true hope was that you would do the same for her when her time of death comes. Only you can save her from the bind she has contained herself in."

"Why did she get caught in this anyway? It was my problem wasn't it?"

"Yes it was, but she made that sacrifice to protect you. That's how you met with Belldandy; Melusina used your connections to implement her plan, but failed. It wasn't and never will be a waste."

"…" Celestin remained quiet. "So what of you and Trakin?" he glanced over at Aurora to see her figure stiffen in response to his name. "You are full of advice, but do you pay heed to your own words and apply it to your own life?"

"Sometimes…but Trakin and I are different you see."

"He told me about your falling out at the shopping center. Differences…"

"We are different. There is nothing I can do about that."

"But in love you are equal, Aurora. You must not forget that. It doesn't matter who you are, fairy, demon, god or goddess; love is love. There are no differences in love. You can love him, because you have loved him. You just refuse to let him understand what you truly feel."

"I don't believe you!" she exclaimed turning her head away. "I cannot and do not love him. There is no more to this relationship between myself and Trakin." She passed her hand on the petals of the flowers.

"By denying what truly exists in the depths of your heart, you are only prolonging the pain which you do not know you feel. I am only trying to help you before it's too late Aurora."

"It's already too late Celestin. There is naught to be done." She spoke standing up.

"He told me you were afraid of the Judgment Gate…"

"That is no longer the case. I could walk through that treacherous monster, that destroyer of love right now as we speak."

"Then why don't walk that gate with him?" Celestin inquired as Aurora stuttered in response not knowing how to respond to his question, "I fear for you Aurora. Fear that it will take some life-threatening event to make you realize that you love him. It isn't too late. You have control over your emotions, and I cannot tell you what to feel and when to feel it; yet, I can provide some assistance and advice from listening to Trakin's side of the story."

"Don't bother. You're wasting your breath on a lost cause." She turned on her heels and walked back to the house, only to feel some other presence nearby, as her ears picked up a vibration of darkness. "Huh?" Nearby, she felt the river stream out of control and waters of the waterfall form a whirlpool. As she turned around, the trees swayed violently, branches waving out of control in the wind. Below her feet, the earth trembled softly as she elevated herself off the ground to find Celestin joining her. "What's going on? I sense a dark presence." She watched as nymphs emerged from the trees, the earth, and the rivers hidden within the forest.

"She's here…" Celestin whispered, looking up into the blank sky as a violent wind roared.

"Who?"

"Mythalia…" he watched as her figure appeared high in the sky, "Call upon the others Aurora."

"Right on it." She disappeared inside the house to give out the message. When she arrived in the kitchen, she found Urd with her bottle of sake, and Skuld with an ice cream cone, "Urd?! What happened to my bottle of sake?"

"Oh…sorry, I really needed it."

"You didn't have to drink the entire bottle. Peorth said you only need to drink it every now and then."

"I did…now is one second, then the next comes…and the whole cycle repeats." She spoke lifting her glass up for another drink.

"That's the least of my worries anyhow. Mythalia is back. Celestin needs your assistance outside." While Aurora spoke, Urd stopped drinking, and Skuld placed her spoon down looking up.

"You're kidding right?"

"Not kidding at all on this one. Why would I?"

"Let's go Skuld." Urd placed a serious expression on her face, while taking Skuld's hand and disappearing to the battle ground outside. Celestin remained standing, while everyone else took care of the nymphs around the area, watching Mythalia's eyes, cold and void of emotion. He didn't believe that was the same Mythalia he had grown to love in his lifetime. She had transformed into a completely different person, one that he couldn't recognize even if he tried to.

"Celestin…" Mythalia called his voice, not lovingly, but rather in a bitter and sour tone of voice, "Join me in the realm of darkness. It is calling us…" she spoke in a trance, "It is hopeless to even refuse the power you have long desired."

"Mythalia come to your senses! This is not you talking…"

"It very well is me Celestin. Do you not recognize me?"

"This person that stands before is not the Mythalia that I know. What I see is a goddess manipulated by the power of Viviane Melusina, a fairy looking for revenge." Celestin watched Mythalia in the eyes caringly and sincerely, as he stepped closer and closer to her figure, which lowered itself down to the ground.

"Celestin I…" Mythalia's eyes wandered, as she placed her head in her hands fighting an internal struggle. Suddenly, Serenata Jade appeared separating from Mythalia's body, and hovering above her, "…do not try to control me…" the skies darkened, as did Mythalia's eyes as she prepared her hands for an attack with the poison of Reanin.

                "Mythalia you must listen to me! I'm trying to save you from your own destruction!" He reached out to her touching her arm, but she pushed him away shrieking and causing the birds to cry in fear as she did. Placing her hands over her ears, as a whirlwind of leaves shot up from the ground surrounding her figure. As her power grew, it reached out to engulf Celestin, but he disappeared before it could reach him. "Mythalia you must harness your powers otherwise everything will get out of control, and you will upset the balance…"

"…" Blood pulsated through her veins, as her eyes remained opened and wide. While focusing her attack in Celestin's direction, she blasted a vine of poisonous leaves in his direction as a whip aiming for him, but missing.

"Celestin!" Belldandy called out to the god fighting Mythalia, as she blew away another group of nymphs coming after her.

"Mythalia…I will not fight you! You must trust me!"

"…I trust no one…not even you Celestin. We're over." She spoke as the whip formed a bow and arrow aimed at Celestin's heart, "This is the end…" The arrow charged in its position gathering energy in an array of colors as she prepared to launch the arrow.