Episode Eighteen, Part 5

"You actually lived here?" Serena asked in surprise.

The Elder Nymph nodded, after she had collected herself. When they had finally joined the rest of them outside the Temple, she had taken one look at Serena, and for some reason mistook her for Dibella. It had taken them about ten minutes to convince her that no, she was not the Goddess, and in fact had never been to Lunar until they had all been pulled here by unknown means.

Secretly, Amy did agree with the Nymph on one thing, and she had a feeling Darien did as well; Serena did look like a mortal goddess. But they were also a bit bias on that regard.

She tuned back into the conversation as the Nymph continued on with, "This was the main home for those who worshiped our Mother, Dibella, as well as my people. Here, joy and artistic value were explored to the fullest. The Goddess Statue that is located at the primary Shrine of Althena was created by Dibella's flock." She smiled as she seemed to recall the past. "It was a good time."

"Any idea what happened?" Sora asked.

"No. All I know is that my bonded came to me one day, and said that I needed to take my sister nymphs, and move them outside the walls. He was sorry that he could not accompany us, and that the community had no choice but to leave. The only other thing he knew for certain was that the Shrine had been under lockdown, which never happened. So we left." She sighed. "The rest spread out throughout Lunar, allowing our people to flourish in the many forests. Some went with their bonded to the major cities and set up smaller forests there, keeping in touch with our Mother's beliefs. I stayed behind to watch over the village, and to make sure no one tried to enter through the secret entrance."

Serena fished out the pendant and showed it to her before she could ask the obvious question. "One of the brigand leaders had this in his possession, though I don't think he knew what it was for," she explained. "I just had the crazy idea that it might be a key of some sort."

"It sounds more like you have a basic understanding of how Dibella's flock ensured their protection. We may have been open, but we were not foolish enough to believe that others would share our beliefs. Though I have to ask; why are you here? Your friend here said that you were helping another try to find some answers."

"That would be me," Luna Two replied, entering the conversation for the first time. "I have been having visions of a sort for the last few months. Lady Jessica here suggested that we come here." She rubbed the back of her head for a second bashfully. "We had all been told that this place was a just a bunch of ruins; an ancient temple that had been abandoned by our people."

Darien smiled. "That was probably because of Dibella's people; probably to keep anyone with ill intentions from desecrating this place."

The nymph returned his smile. "You're most likely right on that regard. But I get the feeling that you do not have ill intentions, so let us see if we can answer all of our questions at the same time."

Everyone agreed with that, and they reentered the Temple, walking down the hallway. Thankfully, the barrier remained down so they didn't run into it again. Nothing else stopped them along the way as they entered the main area of the church. Except…

"This isn't a church anymore," Phacia whispered, horrified at what they were seeing. "It's a tomb." It was a tone that none of them had ever heard her use, but they could understand why.

It most likely had to do the number of skeletons strewn about, sitting in pews, leaning against the walls, or laying down on the floor. They were dressed in various garments, from the surprisingly simple to what was probably their version of religious garb.

Phacia sighed as she bent down next to one of skeletons. "Well, we have achieved one of our goals," she noted. "We learned something new." She turned to look at Jessica. "We now know what happened to those who refused to fight in the Heresy Wars."

Jessica's eyes widened, then crimped. "Oh no," she whispered, looking around. "Did the natives do this?"

"No." Serena knelt near another skeleton, seeing a pendant similar to hers hanging from its neck. "They weren't killed by the natives. These people were pacifists. They would have welcomed them here with open arms, regardless of who they were, and where they came from."

"We were also neutral in any conflict that rose on Lunar," the Nymph added, looking decidedly paler than before. "Our home became something of a sanctuary for non-combatants."

"Like Vile Tribe dissidents," Phacia noted sadly, removing a pendant and showing it to them. "This is the symbol for a faction of demons who were against the War with Althena, and reportedly disappeared from the Frontier after they voiced their opinions. From the look of things, they managed to sneak past the border, and made it here without incident." She sighed. "They must have come here, hoping they would be safe. Looks like the war found its way here."

Luna Two looked around, tearing her gaze away from the dead to look around. "I don't think it was the war," she replied. "If it had been the Vile Tribe, or corrupted Althena warriors, they would have ransacked and destroyed this temple."

"And there are only three dozen bodies here," Rei added, chaining with that train of thought. "This village was capable of holding at least a thousand people." She frowned. "Anyone else thinking what I'm thinking?"

"They were betrayed," Serena replied, eyes hardening, having come to that conclusion already. "Someone in the village did this, and forced the surviving villagers to evacuate."

The rest of them began looking around, taking in everything around them in a new light. The fact that the place hadn't been ransacked seemed to add credence to her statement.

The Nymph sniffed the air for a second. "They must have been poisoned," she suggested. "But it wasn't airborne. I simply smell old air here."

"Do you remember what they were doing on the final day?"

"… … It would have been a sacred ritual. Most likely their Rite of Initiation. It would have been the third stage, if the three laying down in front of the altar are any indication."

Amy looked down at the floor, taking note of something. "There are cups on the floor, probably indicating that drinks were allowed to commemorate the occasion. So if it was poison, then it would have been ingested."

Her voice was flat and impersonal, not giving anything away. Only Serena knew that it was a front. The tenseness in her shoulders, slight though it was, showed just how effected she was. She even understood why. It wasn't as if this was the first time they had seen a civilization fall due to betrayal. They had lived through it, after all.

Darien walked over to the altar at the front, noting the skeleton wearing what looked to be a religious garb laying on the floor. Ignoring it for the moment, he turned to the altar. "Hey, there's a book here," he called out, "and I don't think it's their bible."

"How can you tell?" Greg asked.

"The left page has a brief note, and the right is completely blank."

"What does the note say?"

Darien leaned in a little to see it a little better. "The Initiation has been tainted," he read out. "We have been betrayed. We were arrogant to believe that our religion was beyond corruption. Our drinks have been poisoned by a fanatic, and it will soon kill all within this sacred place. Who it is, I know not. Hopefully, the rest of the village has fled, so our faith as it is will survive. Should it not however… I hope whoever finally comes here can rebuild it. Please, do not allow Dibella's word be used for evil. Do not let the blasphemer win. Do not let Althena's faith in us be for nothing." He looked up, a pretty dark expression gracing his features. "That's it."

Amy was, for lack of a better term, now really angry. It wasn't much of a message, but when coupled with the dead resting everywhere within this building, it was both plea for help, and a last request. And all because of someone deciding to make a Goddess's word work for his or her own ends. She could feel Greg come up right next to her, offering her some emotional support, and was grateful for that. She turned her gaze to Luna Two, whose furrowed brow seemed to be the only outward sign of her turmoil, then to the nymph, her head bowed in sorrow for people she obviously knew quite well. To Phacia, a sad but contemplative expression on her face, and then to Jessica and Rei, both of whom looked as enraged as she felt. She couldn't blame any of them for their reactions.

Finally her gaze shifted to her dearest friend, and was surprised by what she saw.

Serena hadn't moved once from her spot. Her body hadn't tensed. Her breathing was even, almost relaxed, like she was in the middle of a meditative trance. In fact, there was only one sign that gave her feelings away; that of tears slowly trailing down her cheeks. As if she was grieving for these poor souls, but was also trying to be strong for those around her. It was quite amazing to watch.

Slowly, the Moon Princess began to walk forward, joining her love at the altar. The two of them embraced, not saying a word to one another.

There really wasn't anything to say. Only action.

Slowly, Serena's gaze rose to meet Amy's. Amy nodded. The blonde stepped away and pulled the Crystal broach from her pocket, opening it to reveal the Crystal within. Amy joined her, placing her hand on the Crystal. No words needed to be spoken.

Energy emerged from it, spreading outward to encompass the entire room. Nothing like the outburst of power that usually accompanied it, whether it was for healing or attack. Rather, it was more akin to a soft light that almost caressed the skin. Just a simple wish from two people who were different, even from their peers.

Princess Serena and Princess Amy shared a unique bond. Queen Serenity had seen Amy as much her daughter as Serena, and had treated her as such, which included constant exposure to the Silver Crystal's unique energies. It was a necessary requirement, if one wanted to utilize the Crystal to its fullest extent. The two of them basked in its light at the same time, which linked them as well, to a certain degree. As a result, when Amy and Serena utilized the Crystal together, they could achieve some pretty impressive things, without a blinding light show.

Like what was happening right now.

Before everyone's eyes, the skeletons in the room simply dissolved into thin air. It was, for all intents and purposes, a glorified cremation without fire.

Serena looked at each person in the room, seeing the question in their eyes. "Their souls are already at peace," she explained. "Now their bodies have rejoined the earth." A crinkle appeared on her brow. "And, if we get a chance, we find a way to stop this from ever happening again."

Jessica and Phacia turned to look at one another, before turning to her and nodding in agreement.

Night fell on Lunar, with almost everyone falling asleep rather easily, despite everything.

It had been a rather trying day for the lot of them, all for very different reasons. Being chased into what was an impromptu fortress, now trapped inside the place, and learning of the events that had happened within its walls, definitely brought a melancholy feel to many of them.

Save for the majority of the nymphs, who had spent their first hours exploring the place with an eager air. They were the very definition of innocent. They also turned out to be very thorough in their explorations, as they actually found a whole lot of magically preserved food in one of the few buildings that actually had a door so hunger wasn't going to be one of those problems.

Apparently, neither was sleep, as the younger kids and Digimon were out like lights the second their heads hit the pillows. Luna and Artemis followed shortly after. The rest of them set up a schedule for patrolling, they could try and get some sleep.

Key word there; Try. Some succeeded. Some did not.

Amy was among the latter group. She had laid down in a bed, closed her eyes, and tried to use some mental exercises in an effort to fall asleep. Quite a few hours later, she was still going through the exercises without success. If anything, she was even more awake.

Finally conceding defeat, she left the house she had claimed for shelter, and just started walking in a random direction. She didn't even pay attention to where she was going, she just walked.

And, to her surprise, she found herself outside the shrine again… and there was a light flickering inside. Curious, she went in to see who it was. 'Probably Rei,' she thought. This was the only religious structure she had access to. Maybe she was meditating.

Of course, when she saw who it was, she wasn't really surprised.

Serena was currently sitting in a seat at the front of the assembly, having restored her hair style to its more traditional odango-style. Though still wearing the garments the bandits had given her, she had put a trenchcoat-like garment that she had found on for the kid's sake. The garments weren't exactly made to be worn around children.

"My Goddess," Serena said in greeting, not even turning to look. She never needed to.

Amy sat down next to her. "My Heart," she responded, smiling. "And here I thought I would be the only one with insomnia."

Serena shrugged, returning the smile. "Too wired, I guess. It's been one hell of a day."

"Indeed it has. ...So, what brings you here?"

"… … I feel… like I've been here before."

Amy nodded, looking around. Now that Serena mentioned it, there was definitely a feeling of familiarity to the structure. "It kind of reminds me of the Moon Chapel," she noted. "Same dimensions, same size. The Altar is nearly the same, with only minuet changes. Her gaze went upward. "The roof is where the differences truly lay. The roof is a whole lot higher up here."

"Yeah, and there is dim lightning of some sort going through the arches, all curving in a pretty elaborate pattern." Serena sighed, leaning back. "If I didn't know any better, I would think the same person designed this place as well… though he forgot to put a door in."

"Yeah." Curious, the Mercury Princess activated her visor, running a quick scan of the roof. "Wait a minute..."

"What?"

"Those arches aren't simply arches… there's something in them. It looks like some kind of liquid." Her computer was out, and she was running calculations. "It's going to some point behind the altar..." She turned to Serena. "Since neither one of us is going to be able to sleep, shall we go see what's back there?"

Serena grinned. "Just like old times," she replied, getting up.

"Indeed, except Mother isn't here to shake her head in exasperation at us whenever we get into mischief."

"Too true."

It wasn't the Great Fire back home, but Rei decided that the fire she had made was good enough.

She had taken a hut near the Shrine, and after several aborted attempts at falling asleep, had decided to try and pray to her gods. The spiritual energy was different, but it was still spiritual energy, and hopefully, she would be able to commune.

She didn't know if it would work, but she hoped that it would make her feel better.

Sadly, her hopes were definitely dashed. The ambient sorrow within the village, while nowhere near as potent as it was outside the wall, was still distracting. It certainly didn't help that she had a better understanding as to why.

And, more to the point, the spiritual energies didn't seem to want to help her out. They were easy to touch(metaphorically speaking,) but that was about it.

After nearly an hour, she finally gave up, unfolding her legs. This day had been just too much for even meditation to help. She had a feeling that getting any sleep would be very difficult too.

"Am I interrupting?" a voice asked suddenly from the entrance, making her jump slightly. She turned her head, relaxing when she saw the nymph standing there, smiling slightly. She really must be distracted if she didn't even sense her presence there.

The nymph went over to her, sitting down next to her. "I'm sorry," she continued. "You just seemed to be rather… absorbed in your prayers." She looked down, her smile widening a bit. "You know, with the exception of your hair, you could easily pass as one of us."

"Huh?" Rei took a second to look down, a blush emerging full bloom on her face. She had been focused on trying to get her god's attention, that she hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings… or what she had changed into. "Oh… I was just looking around here for something to wear other than my travel clothes, and I just pulled this out without even looking at it. Kind of wish I did, though."

Of course, what she was talking about was the fact that she was wearing something similar to the nymph in front of her; a silk dress that was just a shy short of being transparent. It showed just how distracted she was. Also, it was pretty comfortable.

The nymph laughed, a sweet melodious sound that could make anyone relax. "Oh, don't be embarrassed. With the exception of the hair, you would pass as one of us. And it suits you."

"Uh..."

"Oh, come now. You contain a great deal of fire and passion, which you keep suppressed behind a wall of discipline. Sometimes, it leaks out."

"… … How do you know that?" Rei asked a little surprised.

"I see it in your eyes, and it's not easy to cover that up." The nymph observed her for a moment. "Do you ever let that fire be free, even for an hour?" she asked. "Do you show your inner self in a manner that does not involve snapping at someone in irritation?"

Okay, the fact that this creature she had only just met today had managed to figure her out so quickly was just plain freaky. "I'm a priestess in training," she informed her after a moment of collecting herself. "Not only that, I'm also enrolled in a Catholic School..."

"Which answers my question perfectly." The nymph moved until she was right behind the young Senshi. "You do not let others really see your passion. You keep it suppressed, and that is not healthy. Eventually, it has to find an outlet, or it will cause both you and your friends harm." A hand came to rest on her shoulder. "Let me ask you another question. When is the last time you simply… felt?"

"...What do you mean?"

"I mean, have you ever simply let yourself feel? Simply experience something without worrying about consequences?" The hand slowly stroked up and down her arm. "Feeling a soft caress of skin against skin?"

"Blame my father for that. He told me that passion without purpose was a sign of evil."

The nymph paused for a second, taken back by the bitterness that had suddenly crept into Rei's tone. Quite a bit became clear in that moment. Then she went back to stroking the arm, noting how the young human didn't flinch from the touch. "Passion can be dangerous of allowed to run out of control, but passion itself is not. Even we nymphs know better than to allow that to happen." Her other hand came up to Rei's other shoulder, stroking up and down the other arm as well. "Come with me. I want to talk to you about something, and these houses are not the best for conducting private conversations."

Rei hesitated, but then decided to trust her. After all, she had given them no reason not to trust her. "Uh… okay. I'll grab my cloak."

"Don't worry about the cloak. It's warm enough. Call this… a first lesson in terms of self confidence."

"...Oh."

Phacia sighed as she leaned against the wall, looking down. "Well, Jessica," she mused, "I have to give them credit where credit is due. They are persistent."

Jessica nodded in agreement, observing the bandits as they roamed the camp outside, obviously preparing for a siege-like assault. It wasn't an actual siege, due to the lack of siege equipment, but she had a feeling that they would find a way to improvise. They did have mages in their ranks. "They managed to set up a temporary truce with one another. Have to admit; didn't see that one coming." She smirked. "Though to be fair, they were just humiliated that we managed to get in, and they didn't."

"Too true." Phacia sighed as she leaned back, thinking back to what they had learned. "Maybe we should just let them in. There isn't anything for them to take within these walls, after all."

"They would probably burn the whole place down when they discover that little tidbit, if they even believe it. Also, there may be something here even more valuable than artifacts hidden here."

"Good point." If her sister ever found out about this place, who it represented, and that the dissidents had come here, she would have come here and destroyed it out of sheer spite. In her opinion, anyone who did not support their cause was a traitor.

Sighing, she turned her attention back to the seemingly ever growing bandit force outside. "You might as well as whatever questions you have, Jessica," she stated after a moment. "It's not as if we're going to be going anywhere for a while, and secrets are going to be difficult to keep within these walls."

Jessica blinked a little in surprise at this, but also decided to take this opportunity to do just that. "Who are you, really?" she asked. "Because I know for a fact that you are not a member of Althena's Order, let alone its leader. The High Priestess died only a year ago, and they were going through the selection process when I went to Lann." Her gaze narrowed. "Did you…?"

"No, I had nothing to do with her death. If anything, I didn't learn of it until a few months ago. I've only been at the Shrine for two months."

"Are you a con artist? A trickster?"

"A spy, actually."

Jessica's eyes widened at that blunt admission. Suddenly, the pieces began to fall into place. "You're a member of the Vile Tribe?" she whispered.

Phacia nodded. "I am." She smiled at Jessica's dumbfounded expression. "Not what you were expecting to hear, was it?"

"Not so brazenly, no. Not whatI expected to see, either."

The demon nodded in amusement. "Relax. I'm not going to kill you. That would be a waste of untapped potential, and the Order will need you when it's all over."

Jessica frowned at this. She was sitting next to what was potentially was an enemy soldier, and yet, she wasn't going to do anything? More to the point, she was giving her advice? What kind of logic was she using? "Why tell me this?" she asked, hoping for an answer.

Phacia shrugged. "Because you deserve to hear it." She sighed. "My mission was to learn everything I could of the Goddess Tower, as well as your Order, exploit any weaknesses I could so it would destroy itself, then try and gain access to Althena's inner sanctum."

"...I'm guessing that you've only doing one of those things."

"Indeed. And I have learned everything I could of it within a week."

"So… why are you hesitating?"

Phacia turned away, looking out into the distance. After a moment of consideration, she focused back on Jessica. "You know, when I first arrived at the Shrine, I had quite a few preset views on the Order," she admitted. "I believed that you were deliberately secluded, completely self righteous, and arrogant to the point of absurdity."

"What changed there?"

"I actually spent time around you, and I discovered that you weren't pricks… well, not all of you. That teacher in the History classroom is a definite prick."

"Yeah… yeah he is," Jessica admitted, chuckling a little as she finally relaxed. "But he knows his stuff, and he keeps his personal dickery to himself most of the time."

Phacia chuckled as well. "Yes he does," she replied. "I just had to deal with it at the meetings. How no one has humbled him yet is beyond me." Her own neck relaxed. "Anyway, aside from him, everyone else was confident, but also aware. I learned that Althena tends to blame herself for events that she had no say over, and that the giant statue in the main cathedral isn't there for her ego, but so she doesn't inadvertently strip you of your free will by being there." She paused a little at that. "Jessica… I'm in a very difficult position. I find your way of life very peaceful. It calls to something within me, and I wish to protect it. But… I swore an oath to the throne of my people, and to break it is to court death. And there are people in the Frontier that I need to look after."

"Which means no matter what decision you make, you're screwed."

"Yes. That's pretty much it. If my Queen finds out about this conversation, I'll most likely be dead anyway."

Jessica sighed. "Well, for whatever it's worth, I'm glad you confided in me," she admitted. "It's pretty hard, trying to be someone else, and lying to another."

"It is." Phacia paused. "What are you going to do with this information?" she asked.

"… I don't know. I mean, what do you do with this sort of information?"

"Let me rephrase; What do you think is the better course of action? Expose me and remove a critical component in my people's plan? Or not, and possibly gain an ally that could possibly cause unrest within the Tribe?"

"… How about we get through the immediate situation first, and then I can make a decision on this."

"Fair enough." Phacia suddenly smiled, an idea coming to her. "In fact, I think I may have an idea as to how we can do just that. Come on. Let's go talk to Alex."

Jessica nodded, confused by this. But, she quickly made a decision… and decided to trust her.

It wasn't like she could do anything else.

Serena cocked her head slightly to the side, somewhat confused. "Well… this definitely isn't water," she commented.

"No kidding," Amy replied, visor already out and scanning.

They had walked down the corridor, only to come to a flight of stairs. After Amy had confirmed that there was nothing dangerous down there, they had continued on, only to find one room.

A pretty big room. Filled with a giant pool of some glowing liquid that seemed to defy all common science. And it was defying Sailor Mercury's all encompassing scan, which was capable of scanning items at a sub-molecular level with a passive scan.

The aforementioned Senshi finally stopped, sighing. "Whatever it is, I can't get a reading on it," she admitted, frustrated. "It's just too big, and too magically charged."

Serena nodded, though she seemed far calmer about it. "The Crystal isn't reacting negatively, so it must not be a threat, though. If anything, it sounds… almost pleased." She focused more on it. "This looks familiar to me. I think… I think this may have been used for the final stages of their initiation."

"How?"

"Well… I read it in one of the books at the Shrine. But I think the Initiates would actually enter this pool, and allow themselves to become one with it for a very brief time, and absorb Dibella's knowledge."

Amy had to blink at that. "Serena… how would that even work? I think that would defy even conventional magic. In fact, that would defy even Senshi Magic."

Serena shrugged, obviously confused as well. "It's rumored that this kind of fluid is a combination of Althena and Dibella's divine essence, coupled with Lunar's own natural magic. No one really knows HOW that's possible. Nobody really tried to see what it's made of." She grinned "I do know that others have made several variants with good old fashion chemistry for body enhancements. A number of them are actually used within Dibella's Order to increase their body's durability, flexibility, and stamina, just for the final initiation."

"Because just taking a dip in this would be a bad idea without those enhancements?"

"Pretty much."

"Hmm..." Amy observed the pool for a second more. "Do you think Dibella would be upset if I took a sample of this fluid, so I can see what it's made of?" she asked. "Because I don't believe that this hasn't been done before. After all, if Dibella's Order is able to make lesser versions of this, then this was studied successfully before."

"… I don't see why not," Serena replied after a moment, smiling. "And you know what? I think you may find something that can cure cancer or something."

Amy blushed, even as she smiled at the praise. Serena's eternal optimism and steadfast faith in her abilities never seemed to waver in the slightest, even at her darkest moments. She magically created a beaker, and dipped it into the fluid, collecting a sizable amount of it, before corking it. "I hope it's still good, otherwise this would be a waste of time." Her smile became a grin. "Now, on to the next bit of business; your physical."

"… You want to do it now?"

"Yes, Serena, I want to do it now. We're both awake, and we probably won't go to sleep for a good while. This is a pretty private place, so we don't have to worry about anyone suddenly walking in on us." She paused, looking as Serena looked at her in disbelief. "You literally physically blossomed in the space of a month. Your body literally regenerated to the point where your organs are like new. Any remnants of old injuries are gone. And your connection to the Silver Crystal has been fully repaired. So yeah, I want to see what happened."

"Oh… well, since you put it like that..." Serena smirked. "Should I strip?"

"Any excuse to be naked, huh?"

"I like being naked, my Goddess. You have known this for two life times."

"I'm well aware of that, my Heart. And you made me nearly as bad." She sighed. "At least you didn't suggest that we go naked all of the time. Greg and Darien would never take their eyes off of us."

"Not to mention the rest of the boys… and probably Mimi."

The two giggled at that.

"I remember Phacia being relieved that these flowers were still alive," Rei noted. "I was curious as to why, but she just said that I could figure out the rest."

Their walk had brought them into the forest, where the Nymph's colony was busy with exploring their new surroundings. It was a reminder that this was their first time in their elder's former home, and they were taking the chance to see if there was anything different.

The Nymph smiled. "I'm certain that Miss Phacia told you that we are half plant, half animal," she replied. Rei nodded. "Well, this flower is part of the reproduction process. An animal, which could be as small as a mouse or as big as a horse, is actually swallowed. In short, it's kind of like a venus flytrap… except it doesn't digest the target. Instead, it changes everything, adding or removing mass, shifting their bodies to what they need it to be. After a period of time, usually a good day and night, the flower opens, bringing out the new nymph. The nymph then goes to a large beast for the final birthing process."

"That's… a pretty lengthy process."

"It is, but there is usually another here to help guide them through it."

That was nice to know, but it certainly didn't answer Rei's questions. "What does this have to do with my passion?" she asked.

"Everything, actually." The Nymph continued stroking her arm, something she hadn't stopped doing their entire walk. "Any living creature within a certain size can become a nymph, but normally, it's human beings that are the primary species." She seemed to sense Rei starting to become upset. "And, before you get angry, it has to not only be willing, but they have to want it. Otherwise, it doesn't work, and they end up dying. Also, the nymph needs to bond with someone or someones within a set time period. Otherwise, they will die very quickly. The more people you bond to, the better as the nymph's life span increases with each person. My colony, for instance; every single one of us is bonded to one another. As a result, we will exist for hundreds of years."

"Oh." Rei let her ire go, before frowning. "Do you have to keep rubbing my arms?"

"Do you want me to stop?"

"… … No. It does feel nice. Soothing." She shivered. "A bit arousing."

The nymph chuckled, both hands now rubbing along both arms. "This is the reason why I wanted to keep this conversation private. Within you is a nymph, just waiting to emerge and express all of that passion to the world. I believe that, deep down, that is what you want as well. To become a nymph." She gave the young Senshi a hug, holding her intimately close. "You want to be free, but as a human, you feel like you can't."

Rei began shivering, but not from the cold. Having another body pressed so close to hers, with only the thinnest of garments separating their flesh, was making her feel things that she hadn't expected to feel for a long time, if at all. She felt hot, in an incredible sort of way. "You're right," she whispered. "I'm a priestess in a religion that requires great discipline. But I do want to burn free. I want to let that passion be seen by everyone."

The nymph leaned in, tilting Rei's head up to give her a feather light kiss on the lips. "Yes… I think you would be a great nymph. Perhaps one day, you would have your own colony." Then, to the girl's surprise, she stepped back, simply taking a hand in hers. "But this isn't the place for you to become one of us. As I said, passion is not a sin, but letting it run out of control can be just as damaging as any sin. And not being fully informed can be just as sinful."

"W-what?"

"If you were to begin the transformation into a nymph here and now, all of your memories and experiences would be destroyed. For many, this isn't a problem. For some, like you and myself, that is not an option." The nymph began leading Rei out of the forest. "If you become a nymph, you should be bonded to a human, or many humans. Male or female, it doesn't matter. They are more than willing to help you retain your sense of self."

"Uh… that's actually very good advice. If I decide to become a nymph. I'll definitely have someone there who wants to bond with me. But… who were you before?"

"Well..."

Alex frowned as he looked at Phacia. "You want to use sleeping powder on them?" he repeated, rather skeptical. "All of them."

Phacia nodded. "It's part of most major cities defensive strategies," she explained. "Most of them stockpile enough of the stuff to outlast three sieges, as it's very easy to make, and just as easy to purchase straight from the alchemical businesses."

"And how would we do it?"

"Well, I don't know about Meryod, simply due to its location, but Meribia has a set of silos set up just beyond the walls, designed specifically to unleash the powder in a massive amount. The powder is kept in storehouses that have a pipe attaching to those silos. I don't know how that's possible, but it's proven to be very effective." Her gaze shifted a bit to Jessica, before refocusing on Alex. "The Shrine, as it is a place of peace, has a similar defense. So it would stand to reason that this place would have the same thing on a larger scale, seeing as how I didn't see any actual defensive weaponry on the walls."

"They have their divinity sphere," Alex reminded them. "I suspect they didn't need to have any weapons."

"And yet, here we are, within the walls."

"...Fair point. Still, why do you think they would have something like this?"

"Well, it makes sense," Jessica stated, joining the conversation. "The Shrine does have a similar defensive system, designed the same way. If this city's creed is to be as nonviolent as they could be, then they might make use of such a nonviolent system."

Alex nodded as he thought about it for a moment. "We haven't really explored the entire city," he mused. "And there were some buildings that did have doors on them. Perhaps they lead to the store rooms for that powder." He nodded. "Let's wake up a few of the others, and see if we can get in."

Phacia nodded. "I think we already have a few who are still awake. I noticed that Rei was still wide awake, and in the company of the Elder Nymph. And I believe that Serena and Amy are presently in the Shrine."

"Well, I'll head for the building in the Southwestern area, collecting anyone I run into. Jessica, could you go get Serena and Amy. Phacia could you talk to Rei?"

"Certainly."

"On it."

"You know," Mercury noted, her visor collecting as much information as was possible on her very naked and grinning 'sister,' "my computer is capable of collecting information without having to worry about interference. There really is no reason for you to pose in a such a manner."

Serena smirked, hands interlaced behind her head, chest thrust out and legs spread. "Yeah, but I need to practice on getting a person's attention. Especially Darien's. Besides, you had me stretching in every conceivable way." She grinned. "Did you like?"

Amy grinned. "Well, you definitely have my full attention. Not very difficult to do, mind you. And yes, I did like it. Makes me wish I could do that."

"I kept saying that you could join me, but you had a perfectly good reason not to."

The computer pinged, letting her know that its scan was completed. Shutting off her visor and sending her computer into the ether. "Okay Serena, you can get dressed if you want." She paused for a second. "Hey, Serena..."

Serena turned around, looking at the blunette. She sighed, already knowing what she was going to ask, and wondering why she would even bother. "You don't even have to ask, my Goddess." She walked over to Mercury, holding her arm out. "You never have to," she reminded her softly.

Amy smiled. "Back then, neither of us had found our loves," she replied, just as softly. "I figured I would ask for permission."

"Trust me, Darien won't mind either. Go on."

Mercury slowly pulled off one of her gloves, then reached out. She began running her hand up and down Serena's forearm, taking note of something specific. Something a scan wouldn't really tell you. "Your skin… it's smoother than ever before. It's almost divine." Her fingers pressed down. "The muscles underneath on the other hand… I think they're firmer, as if you had been weight lifting, but without them bulking up." She looked up. "Serena, what were you doing during your month at the Shrine?"

Serena smiled, and opened her mouth to answer…

"Serena? Amy? We… oh, Althena! Do you want to be left alone?"

Mercury whirled around, blushing like mad as Jessica's voice cut through their conversation. "It's not what you think it is!" she blurted out, while Serena started giggling.

Jessica held up her hands. "I'm not judging! I mean, I'd want to spend some quality time with your Princess here! I mean, look at her!" she explained, grinning widely. "You just need to remember to have Darien's permission!"

Serena chuckled, giving the priestess a mock quizzical look. "She needs Darien's permission to give me a physical?" she asked. "I never knew that."

Amy groaned. "She means that quite literally. I was giving her a full sensor scan with my computer. She just likes to be naked. Always has."

"...Oh, is that a fact?"

"What did you want to tell us?"

Jessica managed to bring herself back to her more immediate reason for coming here. "We may have a plan to deal with the bandits, but we need some more help to get it ready."

Serena nodded. "Alright. Let me get my clothes on, and we'll be there."

"...Are two sure you're just friends?"

"Out!" Mercury barked, now as bright red as a tomato, while Jessica headed back out, laughing as she did so.

"Are we sure that we're just friends?" Serena asked quite seriously, once she was gone.

"...We have never been just friends, my Heart. We have never really been just sisters, either. Mother knew that better than we did."

Serena nodded, knowing what she was talking about…

Alex frowned as he looked at Darien. "I'm beginning to see why the Senshi keep saying that you could be a ghost," he noted. "How did you even know that you had to be here? Because I didn't ask anyone to wake you up."

Darien shrugged, smiling mysteriously. "Just my talent, I would dare say," he replied. "I always know when Sailor Moon needs my help. It just so happens that it ends up helping others as well."

"I'll bet." Alex turned his attention to Mars and the Nymph. "I can't believe that you took her into woods. She could have been eaten by the flowers."

"I was fine," Mars told him, sounding a little relieved by the fact that he didn't sound disappointed by her decision. "The nymph just wanted to talk to me about something personal, and didn't want anyone to listen in."

"Besides, the flowers wouldn't do anything to her. You have to be willing," the Nymph replied. "As I'm sure you know."

"Actually, I didn't know. They didn't teach that in Burg." His head shifted. "Luna, did you know?"

Luna One shook her head. "No, Alex, I didn't," she assured him. "If I had, then you were really falling asleep, and I would be sad."

Darien chuckled as Alex looked away bashfully. 'Guess even here, there are courses that can put someone to sleep,' he thought, his head turning. 'Ah, and here are the last of them.'

Serena promptly walked over to her boyfriend, giving him a passionate kiss. "Konnichewa, Darien," she whispered. "Been here long?"

"Not really," Darien replied, nodding over to Mercury. "You two decided to have a bonding moment, and not invite me and Greg?"

Mercury rolled her eyes. "Yes, because you two would have loved to help with a standard physical," she replied, smirking. "I got my scans done, and I'm going to be looking over them, just so I can find out the reason how and why Serena's body matured to a full adult." Her gaze shifted. "Is that where we enter?"

Alex nodded. "If Phacia is correct, then this is one of the storehouses for a massive quantity of sleeping powder. We need to get in, see if there is sleeping powder in here, and if there, how much."

"Shouldn't we wake the others up, first?"

"Let them sleep," Phacia replied. "If there's nothing there, then it would have been a waste of time. If there is, then they will need their wits about them in the morning."

Mercury nodded in understanding, before heading to the door. "Is there anything we should know about?"

"If you're wondering if we need to wear masks or some other kind of protective gear, then no. The powder will be contained within a magic field. It'd have to be; otherwise the city would have been asleep for a good long while." Jessica shrugged. "I know this because some of the powder leaked out in the Magic District back home. It took eight hours to dissipate so a clean up crew could go in."

"Good." With that, she opened the door, stepping out of the way. "All clear."

Alex gestured. "Ladies first."

"Ladies first, he said," Jessica grumbled, as they walked down the stairwell. "I would say that he's being chivalrous, if I wasn't a cynic at heart."

Luna One giggled. "Oh, I think it's because he was woken up so rudely," she replied. "He seemed to be having a very good dream."

"And so I'm the sacrificial lamb, should there be a violent animal down here."

"Pretty much."

"And here I thought he was nice person."

Phacia shrugged, smiling as they entered a hallway. "When someone is woken up from a deep sleep, one tends to be a little annoyed. I should know; I've had it happen several times in the Shrine." She opened a door, looking inside. "This place is remarkably well stocked… and judging by the looks of it, well preserved. Stasis spells?"

Jessica nodded. "They definitely feel similar to the ones in Meribia," she replied, following suit with a room on the opposite side. "These look like food storage for lean times. And, judging from the looks of it, the spells are being powered by the Temple, just like everything else here." She shook her head. "Ya know, it's like the Shrine itself is alive, or something."

"Maybe it is," Luna One suggested. "I have read stories of such places existing, having absorbed enough magic from Lunar to become self aware."

"Yeah, I've heard of them, too," Serena added, checking in another room. "Medical supplies. Anyway, Althena's Shrine has a small section dedicated to the subject of self aware structures. People disappearing throughout history for a few days, only to return with changes to their bodies that couldn't be explained by Healers."

"I'm guessing that their bodies weren't changed too much?" Mercury asked, scanning ahead. "After all, I suspect they didn't go from husky to some stereotypical ideal in terms of body structure."

"No, not too much. They were a few inches taller. Their bodies were reshaped, with mass added or lost depending on where the Shrine thought it was needed. Children were accelerated to adulthood. Those who had lost limbs for one reason or another found that they had regained them, and could use them perfectly. Hell, the most visible change was the fact that men could become women if they wanted to." Serena frowned a little. "However, that was physically. Psychologically, on the other hand, there were more subtle changes. Changes that wouldn't be readily seen unless you spent a great deal of time observing."

"Siblings were more likely to hop into bed with one another," Jessica supplied, shaking her head at the strangeness of the thought. "Some even ended up being more submissive in relationships where they used to be the aggressors. On the flip side, they did become more focused in every day life. They could hit harder, move faster, and think more clearly. A few bloodthirsty monsters actually became upstanding citizens and heroes." She looked at Serena. "When you said that they acquired or lost mass..."

Serena grinned. "It seems to be the running theme on Lunar. And yes, that means it would enhance a woman's bust size if it felt like it. And no, I'm pretty sure I wasn't in such a building. The furthest I went from Althena's Shrine was the forest surrounding it. Amy?"

"I think what we're looking for is at the end of the hall. Two rooms with specific shields set up within." Mercury nodded. "I'm definitely picking up a powdery substance inside."

Phacia nodded. "That is what we're looking for. And if the shields are still up, that means it's safe to enter." She looked at Serena. "If a self aware shrine isn't responsible for your immediate growth spurt, what do you think it might be?"

"I could have joined Dibella's Order. I've read that they do this sort of thing as well, though it's done over a long period of time." She frowned. "I also leaned that they suppress the memories of their members so they can move undetected within society." She looked up, remembering what they had seen in the Shrine. "I think I now know why they do that."

"So even if we ask Rei to probe your mind, she wouldn't find anything," Jessica added. "Too bad."

Luna One looked at them, somewhat at a loss. "Why wouldn't she find anything?" she asked. "Telepaths can penetrate any sort of memory block."

"Not Dibella's," Phacia explained, opening the door. "Their spells are less of protecting with brute strength, and more of utilizing their strength correctly. Their memory spells are very powerful, but they are also tailor made to make the most of that strength, making them appear stronger than they are. And if applied correctly, they can last a life time."

Her gaze hardened. "We have plenty of dust for the plan. But there's one little complication."

Jessica nodded, looking up, taking in the light gold shield currently over the door. "Damn it," she muttered. "The door has been sealed up, and it's probably the same thing on the other side. We need to get them open somehow." She turned. "Hey, Amy! What about the other room?"

"...Same thing. The silo door is sealed with a shield spell. It must be some kind of defensive mechanism to prevent the dust from escaping when not in use." Mercury stepped back into the hallway. "There has to be a spell of some sort that will unseal the doors, but I don't see how we can find out."

Luna One looked around. "Well, how about we see if this Shrine still has a library?" she suggested. "I doubt they had time to pack their books before leaving."

"… That's a good point." Jessica smiled. "Well, let's go tell Alex the good news."

It didn't take long for them to locate the library. Nor did it take them long to locate the section that they needed. Unfortunately, that was where their luck ran out.

As it turned out, there were nearly five shelves filled to the brim with every single spell known on Luna, up until the Shrine's evacuation. As a result, Alex had to make the call and wake up everybody else. Needless to say, none of them were happy to have been woken up. They also weren't happy to learn that no one had woken them up sooner, despite Alex's sound reasoning on the subject. The discussion they had with Serena wasn't brought up, as it wasn't really the main priority.

"Geez, I have never seen some of these spells before!" Nash stated as he flipped through a book. "These are old spells, but their sheer power could put anything we have right now to shame!"

"And the healing spells are really nothing to sniff at, either." Jessica frowned. "Actually, it looks like these spells are more primitive versions of what we use these days. I don't get it. Why were they more powerful in the past?"

"Maybe for the same reason as to why we had such powerful defenses," the Nymph replied. "This was a self sufficient civilization. Everything we ever needed was right here. And as we had no need for weapons, it left the mages here ample time to develop non lethal defensive, support, and healing spells."

"Yeah, well some of these spells could run circles around what they're teaching at the Shrine." Jessica looked over to the Nymph. "Hey, do you think I could take a few of these books and scrolls with me?"

"I doubt Dibella would mind. It would do your Order more good than simply staying here, collecting dust. Take as many as you can carry."

"Hey guys, I think I may have found something," Lilika suddenly stated, holding up a scroll. "This scroll holds a spell that is designed to activate or deactivate a shield spell. Maybe this it can do the same for the silo doors."

Nash looked it over, thinking for a second. "It looks like it's a general shield de-spell," he noted. "If we used it, it would most likely take out the protective barrier surrounding this city." He grinned. "But this a good start. Where id you find this scroll?"

"Actually, Darien found it on the second set of shelves."

Serena looked up. "Darien, find anything else?"

"Just this one." Darien handed over another scroll, one that seemed a little more brittle, but was definitely well taken care of. "I don't know what to call it, except an elaborate ON/OFF switch."

The Nymph blinked in confusion; a confusion shared with every Lunarian there. "Uh..."

"Essentially, this spell could possibly be used to turn off the shield on the silo doors, allowing us to open them."

"You could have just said that," Lilika replied. "Please try to remember that we are not from your world. We do not have the advantage of this high advanced technology."

"And… Vane has never used 'switches,'" Nash added. "We've always told the lights to turn on or off with our voice or a computer."

"Anyway," Serena called out, getting them back on track, "we'll need to see if this will work. Otherwise, it's back to the drawing board. And we'll need to be able to reactivate the shields when we're done, just so they don't get the idea of going through the silo." She thought about it for a second. "How about we use a shield spell, and see if it will work on that."

"Not a bad idea." Rei grabbed pulled out a few charms, and set them up. Bringing her hands together, she focused her power.

The charms glowed for a moment, a reddish field that almost looked like ghostly flames shooting out of them. They connected at the center, spreading outward until they had formed a half sphere.

Amy blinked at this. "Rei, I had no idea Mars had such a defensive measure," she whispered, clearly holding back from analyzing it. It almost look painful for her.

Rei shook her head. "We don't," she replied. "This was something Grandpa developed when he was younger. ally, It's a personal shield, created with my own spiritual magic, and is maintained by it. That means it requires immense concentration to keep it up, which also means my offensive capabilities would be useless." She sighed. "It also means that I have to keep it as small as possible, so it doesn't make it viable for the whole team."

"That will be enough." Serena took a look at the scroll. "Seems simple enough. Here, Jess."

Jessica accepted the scroll, read it over several times, then turned to the shield. "Shield dispersal! Open the door!" she intoned.

And, to the surprise of everyone there, the shield parted down the center, acting almost akin to a set of hanger doors. The only sound that emerged, however, was a slightly pained grunt from Rei, who was busy holding her head in one hand. The Nymph immediately put a hand on the back of her head, rubbing it slowly for a several seconds before her face smoothed out

Still, Jessica didn't want to prolong the strain she was seeing, so she uttered the other incantation quickly. "Shield dispersal, cease! Restore the door!" Almost immediately, the shield snapped back into place, which made Rei sighed in relief. "I guess when you say that it's tied into your magic, you meant in a way that could be painful to you."

"Yeah..." She looked at the Nymph. "That was a pretty nifty trick you did there. What was that?"

The Nymph smiled. "Just a minor spell to re-balance your magic for a short time by using my own." She looked at the others. "I can assume that you're satisfied with the spell."

"We are." Serena grinned. "So, let's get this all done, and get out of here."

The bandits banding outside the wall in preparation for their siege didn't even get a clue as to what hit them.

Their mages were set up at the main entrance, set up in a way to pool their magics together as they prepared to try and drill through the heavy door. They had confirmed that the shield only extended from the top of the wall, meaning they had a better chance to just try and drill through. (Not a very sensible plan, due to the sheer thickness of the walls, but others had already tried the more sensible ones.) Everything was set. In their minds, they had the advantage. The shrine was surrounded. Davidson wasn't here with his group to muck it all up. There was no way they could lose.

So sure of their victory, that not a single one of them heard or watched as a series of near silent doors opened. None of them really noticed a near invisible cloud of dust billowed out, covering them.

They sure felt it though. And, by the time they realized something was wrong, it was already too late. The sleeping powder had done its work.

In the space of five minutes, the whole group of brigands were out like a light. They all dropped to the ground, snoring lightly. Not a single one of them moved.

On the other side of the wall, T.K., Rini and Kari looked down at the now worthless siege force, giggling. "Guys, it worked," T.K. reported. "They didn't even see it coming. You can close the doors now."

"Will do," Tai replied, the grin definitely coming through the communication. "Guess there's something to be said about not actually attacking someone directly."

"Are we going to head out?"

"Yep. Meet us at the main entrance We're packing up. Better to get out of here before they wake up."

Davidson watched from a distance, wondering how it had all gone wrong.

The fires that had kept him and his enemy both separated and contained had finally burned out. His enemy had decided that killing him could wait another day and fled, believing that the curse was indeed real. He, on the other hand, had the distinct feeling that it was Serena's friends, and had immediately made his way back to the Shrine.

Once he got there, he saw that yet another bandit group had arrived, one that was significantly larger than his own, and decided that discretion was the better part of valor. So he had stood there, watching as the group prepared to launch a siege. He didn't really have the heart to send someone down there to let them know of the futility of such an action. After all, if it were that easy, he would have done it the second he had gotten there.

Besides, he was curious to see how Serena and her colleagues would manage to get out of the situation.

His curiosity was satiated when, at false dawn, yellow dust began pumping into the air. He immediately realized what strategy was being deployed when, one by, the attacking force began dropping like flies, all along the border. It was the most nonlethal weapon in any large population's arsenal, but was usually the most effective one as well. And for any religious shrine, it was pretty standard.

A half hour later, he watched as a decent size group of travelers, who he suspected were Serena's friends, step outside of the shrine, the door closing behind them. They immediately headed off in the direction they had originally come from, most likely to where their horses were hidden. (He hadn't bothered looking for them, which was starting to regret.)

"Do we go after them, Sir?" his lieutenant asked.

Davidson shook his head. "Let them go," he replied, his attention shifting toward the unconscious force. "If there was anything left of value in there, they probably already have it. And I don't want to launch an attack without knowing fully what we are up against." He gestured. "Send word to our spies in the Nanza Barrier, Meribia, and Lann. Have them find out everything they can about these warriors, without revealing themselves. Get one of our people into Vane as well." His gaze never shifted from the small group now quickly putting distance between them and the structure. "I will send word to our Master, and let him know that someone managed to enter the Shrine, and leave without loss."

"Yes, Sir. And them?"

"These bandits thought they could attack our birthright. I was content to leave them be… but perhaps their boldness may be rewarded in another way." He nodded. "Convert them in the name of our Goddess. They will certainly bolster Her flock for when it is time to take this world from the blasphemers."

The lieutenant immediately carry out his orders, and Davidson turned away at long last. His mission was a failure, but it had borne unexpected fruit. He would contact the Master, tell him everything, and then he would speak with his Lady, and seek her counsel on how best to proceed. She had never steered her wrong.

Glory to her all encompassing wisdom and light.

Glory to Dalascal.

Finally… finally, the last part of Episode 18 is done. It took a while, but I finally did it. Now all I have to do is continue going back through the other episodes for this Season, and then I can start Season 2. I am also working on another story, which the first chapter will be posted within the next week. I will also be removing my other fanfictions, simply because I want to rework them.

I will also be typing up a series of one shots pertaining to Serena and Amy's life in the Moon Kingdom, just to try and fill in some little points. (Not certain how good of a job I've done so far. Let me know what you think, and how I can improve.)