Dimande

Saphir's grip on me was tight, tight enough that when the lights went black the only thing I could see in the darkness was the shine of his eyes.

I reached out my hand for Usagi, who I knew at one point was behind me just slightly, and when I did not feel her there I began to panic. But Saphir was too strong, and as the screaming started and the violent crashes and snaps rang out all around us, I was being led into the dark by my brother's hand.

"Saphir!" I shouted. "Where are we going?"

"Trust me!" he yelled back, darting left to right. Bodies were falling around me and I could hear the distinct sound of flesh being split. Then came the overwhelming metallic smell of blood. I could picture it pooling on the floor, leaving streams of crimson red so dark it almost looked black.

I felt something rush by me and growl, then I heard my sleeve rip. Something sharp had grabbed me but Saphir kept running, and my feet followed closely behind.

"Wait," I pulled back on Saphir's hand. "Usagi."

"We don't have time to go find her." He sounded desperate. "We have to go now."

I whipped my hand in the air which instantly released his grip. I could hear scuffling all around me, the sounds of claws dragging across the floor, a thud and a screech. As soon as I felt Saphir's fingers release my arm, I ran. I threw up my hand and used my magic to produce a soft glowing light that illuminated the room.

The sight was horrifying. Limbs laid dormant on the floor and were streaked with blood. Rivers of black ebbed around the tile floor like long, slippery snakes that stretched from one lifeless body to the next, and around it were the quick movements of these hellish creatures. They were just like the ones in the park—long, wolfish snouts with sharp, jutting teeth. So black they looked like the compounding of smoke.

One lunged at me and, using my free land, I shot a bolt at it, piercing it right in the sternum. It wailed in pain and lurched backward, its claws gripping at its chest. It let out a roar and I snapped another bolt, pushing the monster onto the ground where he slowly twitched.

The other monsters must've seen, because as I weaved around the dead, they inched back into the shadows, their red eyes beating against the darkness like a sick beacon.

"Dimande!" I heard Saphir yell from the other side of the hall, but it was too late. I was already making my way outside to the garden. As soon as the moonlight illuminated my path, I pulled back in my light and continued running. Down the garden path I could see Usagi's blonde hair whipping in the wind. She was too far to catch but I would sprint if I had to, I would run faster than I had ever run before to make sure she was safe.

Before I had the chance, I heard a growl vibrate behind me, and as I turned, I was met with the red eyes of a shadow beast just a few feet from where I stood. Its body contorted in a way that made my stomach turn. I, myself, had been known to create devious demons from the depths of my imagination, but this was something else entirely. It didn't just look evil, it felt evil, as if the smoke billowing out from its body was laced with some sort of twisted animosity that absorbed onto skin.

Who had done this? Why had they done this? Just as I was beginning to believe Pitre was an innocent man, this happened. If he was not responsible for their creation he had at least seeded so much ire in someone else that they would send these beasts to kill him. I wondered if he made it out of the ballroom unscathed.

The creature lurked toward me and I raised my hands, prepared to strike it down with my magic, when a lick of flame spat out from behind its broad body.

Rubeus.

The creature turned to see who had just attacked. There stood Rubeus adorning a dark green suit. It was then I realized I had not seen him all night. Standing next to him was Esmeraude and they both looked strained but focused. The flame flickered in Rubeus' hand, bubbling anxiously as it awaited the command to launch. The moment it did, it whirred through the air, growing larger and larger as it inched toward us until it blasted out in a violent flurry of embers that engulfed the creature.

A violent scream emerged from the flames and I jumped back so I, too, wouldn't be consumed.

Footsteps rang out from the castle. From the archway, I could see Saphir hustling to meet us. I couldn't believe he was real. After all this time of searching for him, of wishing I had been a better brother to him, he was now back here in the flesh, but a nagging thought pulled at me: He was here, but at what cost?

"Lovely to see you again, Saphir," Rubeus snorted. "Couldn't have come at a better time."

"Are you alright?" Saphir said to me, ignoring Rubeus.

"Yes." I ran my fingers down my coat just to double check. "I'm fine."

I swung around to look where Usagi had escaped from, but I couldn't see anything. I went to run toward the garden gate, but my brother's commanding voice rang out.

"Dimande!" I had never heard him like this before: Powerful, aggressive, demanding. "Don't go after her. You need to stay with us."

"But what if she—"

"Pitre won't kill her," Saphir said. "He's not that stupid. He knows he can squeeze more out of her magic now that he's back at full power. And besides, I get the feeling when he does kill her, he wants to do it slowly."

What? How did Saphir know all of these things?

Suddenly, a black figure burst out from a nearby hedge. I barely turned in enough time to see it in my peripheral when a brilliant flash of green light struck out and connected to the beast's chest. Esmeraude's hand was extended out and glowed a neon green, and she clenched her fingers together as the creature contracted. The magic was ensnaring the monster and jagged, green lines split off all around it, like some sort of cage.

It twitched on the ground and let out a labored growl before the green traced its way up around the creature's throat. Esmeraude snapped her fingers together in a fist and simultaneously the creature's neck cracked. It rang in my ear and it made my skin crawl.

"What are those things?" Rubeus huffed.

"Hellhounds," Saphir said flatly.

"What is a hellhound?" I asked, the adrenaline jolting through me finally subsiding.

"If you had come with us to Hell like you were supposed to, maybe you would know." Esmeraude's face curved in frustration as she glowered at me.

"Now, now," Rubeus chimed in, his voice entirely too light for the situation we found ourselves in. "Let's not fight."

"No, let's." Now that Esmeraude's face was in clear view, I saw she had no trace of niceties. I had seen her mad, I had seen her frustrated, but the pure, unmitigated hatred that blistered on her skin was something I had never seen before. Her eyes bore into me like a promise, an omen that she would stop at nothing to get her hands around my neck and squeeze the life out of me just as she had the creature.

"There will be plenty of time in the world to fight with one another once we get out of this castle," Saphir interrupted.

"That sounds nice," Rubeus couldn't help but stifle a laugh. "But how exactly do you propose we do that?"

"There has to be some way to get out of this dimension," Saphir mused. "I'm just not sure how."

"Dimande," Rubeus looked at me. "What about you? You could travel back and forth from Earth."

It was true. It was how I had gotten Usagi here both times. Whatever magic Pitre had injected into my veins allowed me the ability to go to Earth. I remembered when he first asked me to find her, to bring her back to his castle, he said all I needed to do was channel my dark energy into itself and picture where I wanted to go. I had been able to do something similar years ago, but that was at the direction of Wiseman and it was using his magic.

"Yes," I said confidently. "Pitre gave me that power."

"Well, then why don't you use it?" Esmeraude's voice was teeming with condemnation.

I closed my eyes and I let the darkness in. My concentration grew steady and I could feel the enigmatic pull of my magic drifting around my body. Usually, it came in the form of clouds. Dark, ominous thunderstorms that rolled over my skin and charged me with an electricity that is hard to describe. From there, I could pull it and bend it, pushing beyond this dimension and into the next, shooting through the waves of time and space and letting their power lap against my body. But it wasn't like that this time. Instead it felt like pockets of jolts, minuscule pricks of a needle over and over again until it simmered and puffed.

I opened my eyes. Nothing had happened.

"I don't understand," I said, crestfallen.

"Pitre." Saphir shook his head.

"What do you mean?"

Saphir frowned. "It's just like Wiseman. You can't leave this dimension unless he lets you leave this dimension. The power he gave you has limitations—and that was made by design."

Every time the curtain pulled back to reveal more of Pitre, I hated myself just a little bit more.

"Well, we better think of something quick," Rubeus said, pointing toward the entryway to the ballroom. "Because I don't think these monsters are going to let us stay here much longer."

A pack of shadow creatures had formed in the doorway. There were at least a dozen and they all were facing us, their jaws snapping and salivating over the prospect of tearing us apart. We could take a few of the creatures, that was clear, but all of them would pose to be far more difficult.

"Get to the edge!" Saphir yelled. "To the River!"

I led the way down the garden path. As soon as I broke out into a run, I could hear the pack of shadow creatures running, too. I didn't need to see them to know they were faster than us. Everything about them was designed for battle. They were muscular and lean, their teeth sharper than a blade, but my legs beat on and on.

When one would come into my view—or when one of my compatriots would give a yell—I would turn around and send a blast of energy toward the closest one, often knocking them down for just a few moments before they were back up again. Esmeraude, Rubeus and Saphir did the same, and the sky was lit up by our various powers.

Finally we reached the edge of the garden and the others hustled through the already-open wood door. I whipped around and channeled my magic into a large forcefield, pulsating it out as soon as the others had passed me. The line of creatures shoved backward and I held the shield for a second before pulsating it. The vibration whipped the line off of their feet and I took my opportunity.

I flung myself through the door, slammed it shut and followed my fellow Black Moon Clan members along the edge of the platform. What I knew of the River came from Pitre. If I was to jump back into it, he told me, I would perish once more and be sent back to float until my ultimate fate had been decided. I didn't want to do that. I wanted to live.

All of my life I had been searching for a place to belong and I had finally found it. My life was inextricably tied to her now. She was my comfort, my home, my love. It was her light that blotted out the darkness encasing my heart and now it was beating in time with hers.

I had to find her. I had to be with her. There had to be a way.

A purple light lit up the sky and at the center was the answer to my prayers: Usagi.

She was floating in the ether with another woman—one I did not recognize—and they were floating into the light as it grew and grew. Could it be that they were traveling to another dimension?

"There!" Saphir shouted. "Jump into the light!"

"What?" Rubeus screamed back, his feet still pounding the floor. "Are you crazy?"

"Just do it! It's a space portal! Look at how it flows!"

The light was rippling against the black, bending like translucent ribbons blooming the sky. At its edge, the light was frayed and danced against the intergalactic sky, and as it moved I could see the shift. There was a pocket of something else—a different sky showed through in slivers, one where a sun was setting.

Every time I had gone back to Earth with Usagi, we had traveled through a portal just like that one. I knew what a portal looked like, and I recognized the powerful thrust of light and the bending of space.

Whoever was with Usagi was taking her through a portal. Just like the one I had used to get her here. If we could somehow get into the light, even just a fraction of the way…

"Jump!" I yelled. "We have to!"

All four of us leapt with all our might, our bodies suspended into space.

When I awoke, I was bathed in a bright, circular glow. It burned my eyes when I looked directly into it and I blinked before I could finally see clearly. The light hung above me, a guillotine ready to fall on my exposed skin.

It was so pure, it was almost white. It craned from a long neck and it was so big, it almost looked like the sun. My head was throbbing. Where was I?

"Dimande."

I slowly sat up and the light stayed in place. It was a streetlight. A very, very bright streetlight.

"Dimande."

I closed my eyes. Pain threaded through my eyes and around to the back of my neck. It felt like my head had been slapped against a piece of concrete. I ran my fingers across my face and examined them in the light. No blood. A good sign. I then looked down at the rest of my body. My black suit was intact, not counting the rip from a hellhound's claw, but otherwise there were no tears, no stains. It was like I had merely evaporated and been deposited right in this very spot.

"Dimande!"

I turned my head and saw Saphir standing in the grass a few feet away, covered by shadows.

"Saphir?"

He moved closer and into the light. It was the first time I really had the chance to regard him. Everything had happened so fast at the palace, I hadn't had the time to truly look at him. It's strange seeing someone you love so deeply look so unfamiliar. His face was the same, his deep, blue eyes still sparkled and his expression was still one of a brother who felt nothing but love and affection. But his presence was different. All of what he endured in Hell was on his shoulders, bleeding onto him, a crucifix pinning him to his new reality.

"Where are we?" I asked, my eyes never leaving his.

"We're on Earth, I think," Saphir said quietly. He reached out his hand. "Here. Let me help you."

I got to my feet and brushed myself off. Saphir's hand rested on my shoulder.

"My dear brother," he sighed. "What a world of trouble you've caused us."

"That's an understatement," Esmeraude hissed from behind us. She was walking on the sidewalk toward us just a few feet away, pulling sticks out of her hair as she inched closer. "You two somehow land in a nice open field and I'm stuck in the bushes."

"It could be worse," Saphir shrugged. "We don't even know where Rubeus went."

"Why did we end up here?" I asked. Portal magic was usually more precise than this. The woman with Usagi had to know that.

"We weren't in the center of the portal," Saphir explained. "We were on the perimeter. Meaning we're probably close to where they landed, but we weren't far enough in to get there exactly."

I looked around. Above the treetops was a glittering skyline of metal and glass. Tokyo. The last time I was here, she and I had shared a kiss—our first real kiss. Her lips had ignited a fire in me that was inextinguishable. How had I let her slip out of my hands?

"Pitre is to look for her," Saphir said.

"Let him," Esmeraude hissed. "Let him take her and leave us be."

"He won't." Saphir sounded so sure. But how could he be, if he had never met Pitre before?

"Did you meet Pitre in the River?" It came out of my mouth so quickly, I wasn't even sure I had said it until I saw Saphir's expression sour.

"No," he said. "I didn't have to. I met his old master while I was burning away in Hell."

Master? Was this the witch who had cursed him?

"She was an old hag," he continued. "She said something about him working for her, about the evilness that had consumed his soul. When she met me, she cackled in delight. She said something about him trying to get to you, to anyone who would help him kill Sailor Moon."

My heart sank. I knew better than to trust Pitre. I always could sense his underlying desire for power and evil. So why had I been so easily fooled? Why had I not seen his true motivations?

"He wanted you to do his dirty work," Esmeraude snipped. "And you were stupid enough to fall right into his hand. Just like with Wisem—"

"Don't." I glared at her. "Don't even say his name."

"While we were in Hell, we met a lot of people who had been defeated by Sailor Moon," Saphir continued. "I have a strong suspicion Pitre is one of them and possibly knows—or is—Wiseman."

It was a sucker-punch to my gut. Back at the castle—back when my magic wouldn't let me leave—I had a flash of understanding it might be Wiseman. As much as I hated to admit it, I always knew there was a possibility. But ignorance is bliss. Willfully, I let myself feed off a lie. And for what? Redemption?

My throat started to constrict. I wanted to scream, to erupt in a flash of power that leveled out the entirety of this entire park—hell, the entire city—but I was cemented to the ground. How could I have been so shortsighted to not see the similarities between them?

"How could he come back?" I didn't understand it. "She defeated him."

"She defeated us." Saphir's tone was bleak. "And yet here we stand."

"Yes, but Wiseman was…"

Wiseman was evil. He was a spirit, a phantom. He was someone who slithered in and out of shadows…

Wasn't Pitre all of those things?

"The River is a strange place, Dimande, it messes with everyone's head." I could tell my brother was trying to comfort me, but the twisting feeling inside of me did not subside. "It was foolish to fall for his trap, I won't lie to you and say what you did made any sense. But you were desperate to avenge us and he was offering you the power to do so. Now, though, you made a deal with the devil and he's come to ask for payment."

"Then why bring you back?" My voice was sharp and filled with anger. "Why bring any of us back?"

"I think that was his critical error, Dimande," Saphir said. "I don't think he meant for you to make it out of there alive tonight. Or any of us. If he brought us back for show, we would go back to the River only knowing a promise was kept. But we know better now, don't we?"

Silence blistered between us. My head was still spinning, disbelief gripping me at all sides.

"Well that's all good and well, but what exactly are we supposed to do now?"

Rubeus appeared from the other side of the field. He was dripping wet and a lily pad draped unceremoniously over his shoulder. As he came closer, the squish of water in his shoes became louder and louder.

"He's going to find out very soon that we're not dead, and when he does, he's going to make sure we die," Saphir said. "And then he's going to take Usagi and crush her underneath his power, just like the hag said he would."

My body festered and I grew hot. What hell had I wrought us?