Prologue

30th Century

"You know I must go, Serenity!" The man said as he fixed his cape.

"But the Sailor Guardians are there already!" The long-haired woman replied, "And the Moon Guard is on their way as well!"

"I know that, but Pluto and Neptune have already fallen…" the man in front of her countered as he put a mask over his eyes, "… and Uranus is already being invaded by the Phantom Army."

The woman remained silent. She knew that her husband was right, but she couldn't let him go regardless. She wouldn't be able to keep it together while her husband fought in a war for days, weeks, months, or perhaps even years, as had been the case of the siege in Pluto. She couldn't fathom not knowing if he was well or hurt. The thought of him becoming yet another casualty in this bloody battle terrified her to the core.

"Serenity…" Her husband called her in that tone that he only used when the two of them were together, "Here."

The dark-haired man gave her a shiny red rose which seemed like it had just bloomed. Neo Queen Serenity had seen thousands like this throughout her life. Her heart would always feel at peace whenever she saw one. This time, however, the rose was failing miserably at reassuring her.

"This rose will tell you everything you need to know," King Endymion said as if he knew exactly what was troubling his wife.

The Queen's eyes darted back and forth between her husband's eyes and the rose, wondering if she should take it or not, wondering if there was another option, one in which her husband didn't need to leave her side. A gentle knock on the door snapped her out of her thoughts.

"The transport is ready, Your Majesty." A short old man wearing a silver tuxedo appeared through the small gap between the door and its frame.

"Thank you." Endymion waited until the man had disappeared before speaking again. "I must go." He said as he slid his sword inside its scabbard.

Serenity nodded at him, unable to speak another word. Instead, she reached out to grab the rose, caressing the soft petals with the tip of her fingers. Endymion nodded back and left the room.

"May the Moon light your way…" She whispered as his footsteps faded out. Two tears rolled down her cheeks and fell on the red petals, making them shine even brighter.

"Are you really leaving, dad?" A little voice asked from behind one of the empty armors that stood on each side of the hallway.

Endymion turned around looking for the only person who could have such a sweet voice.

"Yes, Small Lady, I need to go."

He wished he didn't need to have that conversation. He loved his daughter too much, and was afraid that his willpower would fold if he so much as saw a single tear on her face.

Much to his chagrin, the little girl started crying quietly. Her father kneeled in front of her and wiped the tears off her cheeks. He looked at her in the eyes, hoping that they would convey all that he felt for her, and hugged her. His heart broke in tiny pieces as her little hands tugged at his cape.

"It will be alright. When this is all over, we will go to the royal gardens together, just the two of us, and I will teach you all the flower names." He whispered in her ear. He pulled himself away after a few minutes, and gazed into her eyes one more time. "Listen to me, Serenity. Things will not be easy, but you need to be strong. You need to be strong for your mother too. Can you promise me that?"

The pink-haired girl wiped the tears off her eyes with the back of her hand. She looked back at her dad. Her eyes were no longer those of a sad little girl, but those of the future ruler of Crystal Tokyo. She nodded with determination, making her dad smile.

"Never forget how proud I am of you." He said with great satisfaction and put his arms around her one more time. "I love you."

They broke apart after a few seconds, and King Endymion walked towards the palace's main doors. He never looked back or else he was afraid he would lose all his courage and stay with the two women he loved more than anything else in the world.

Neo Queen Serenity looked at the rose in her hand. She didn't even know how much time had passed since she received it, since the last time she saw Endymion. She had spent who knows how many weeks, months, years sitting by the huge window in her bedroom, just staring into the horizon, her eyes fixated on the blue sphere that she had once called home. The only telling sign of time passing by was her daughter, who was no longer a child.

She didn't regret not being there for her, nor having isolated herself in her room ever since Endymion left. She only regretted not giving Kage what she wanted from the start. But it was too late for that. Nothing she did now would bring back the millions of people that have died during this war. Her friends too, none of them would come back. And yet, she knew in her heart that this war would not stop once her enemy got what she searched for. No one would stop there if they got their hands on it.

All of these thoughts ran through her mind everyday. She didn't think that day would be any different; everything in her room, outside the palace, and anywhere she laid her eyes upon seemed the same. Everything but the rose she held in her hand.

The rose that had withstood the pass of time as if it had been cut that same day had changed. All of its petals had turned black that morning and started withering rapidly ever since. The woman held it in a tight fist, as if the pressure around the stem could bring it back to life. Such was her strength that the thorns had pierced through her soft hands; tiny droplets of blood fell onto the silver carpet and her white dress. She didn't even seem to register the pain.

The short man who had served under her for so many years appeared at the door once again. The Queen looked at him with an indecipherable expression on her face. Her eyes, once warm and kind, were now so icy that the servant shook involuntarily and lowered his eyes to avoid it.

"Planet Uranus has fallen, Your Majesty." He said afraid of meeting her gaze. He knew that the woman who reigned over that planet had been a very close friend of Her Majesty, maybe even closer than the princesses of Pluto and Neptune.

He breathed loudly after a few minutes of awkward silence, wondering how he could deliver the next news. His eyes scanned the room rapidly and noticed there were many black petals on the floor. He tried to find the source of these petals only to realize the Queen was holding it in her hand.

"There's something else, Your Majesty." He couldn't get himself to look into her eyes. "King Endymion… the King… he didn't... He fought until his last breath." It took him all of his strength to finish that sentence, but the cracking in his voice betrayed him. All the bottled up sorrow he had kept in him until then burst out in a loud sob.

For an instant, the only sound that could be heard was that of the many tears rolling down his face and hitting the marble tiles on the floor. He wiped his tears off once he regained control of himself and raised his eyes to look at Queen Serenity. She seemed unfazed at the news; neither her face nor her eyes betrayed her emotions.

The servant didn't dare say anything else; he bowed instead and proceeded to leave. He turned around one last time right before exiting the room; he had suddenly remembered he still needed to give her something. Not knowing how to do it, he approached the nearest table and placed the blood-stained mask he was carrying in his jacket's inner pocket, before making a run for the door.

Queen Serenity looked at the mask for a second and turned her back to it, her gaze once again fixated on planet Earth. She stayed in that position for hours, the only proof of time passing by being the sunlight that gradually decreased until the lunar surface's silver glow became the only source of light.

The silver shining activated something in her mind. The Queen quickly crossed the room and opened the top drawer of one of the many tables there. She shuffled its contents around until her hand found what she had been looking for.

She slid one of her long fingers along the sharp end of the dagger, and then smiled to herself as her fingerprint started bleeding. She turned to the window and took a long look at the dark sky, her eyes gravitating back to planet Earth, the place where her beloved Endymion had been born, and the place he had been born to protect. And now there was no one to protect it anymore. In one swift movement, she pushed the dagger in, the blade slicing through the soft tissue in her belly until all of it disappeared inside her.

A red stain appeared around the area where the dagger was, and it spread fast through her white dress. The woman pulled the dagger out with a quiet whimper and dropped to her knees. The crescent moon on her forehead blinked a few times, a sure sign that her life force was fading away; its edges turned black and the darkness slowly expanded until it covered the lunar symbol in its totality.

All there was left after a few minutes was her lifeless body lying in a pool of blood, illuminated by Earth's faint blue light.

TBC