Author's Notes: With the first official arc of the story finished, I'm going to take the time to post these inbetween the gap from now until the Planeptune Arc. These short stories are just the current truth fragments (so there will only be one more of these before the start of the next arc) that have been acquired so far during the "game." Hope you enjoy them!
A Foreword From the Tome of Time: This is the tale of the events surrounding Neptune's birth, but beware those who enter. The truth is at times a blessing and at others a curse...
[Truth Fragment - 01: The Failed Purification & The Birth of Neptune]
Part I: The Failed Purification
Histoire floated about Celestia alone. Since she had found Blanc and Vert a year ago, she left them to their own devices so that they may age properly before she began to train them as CPU. As she roamed the empty halls of Celestia, she passed a familiar grave- no, the only grave on Celestia. She read the inscription with a grain of salt: Here lies Guild Agent IF- A dedicated guild agent to her very last breath. She sighed. "All I can hope for now is that you can find it in your heart to forgive me for not stopping them," she whispered to the grave. Of course, she received no answer. Remembering her promise with the oracles, she whispered, "Don't worry, I won't let that happen again."
A low groaning sound filled the air. Histoire perked up with a start- suddenly breaking out into cold sweat. "Wh-What was that?"
I think you know what I am, whispered a low voice.
Histoire looked around, still confused and unsure of what was going on. "Who are you? How did you get up here? Only the CPU and a select few may enter these holy grounds."
A masculine laugh entered her ears. I think you'll find that you were the one that brought me here. Or should I say, your human friend was.
The tiny fairy raised an eyebrow before realization finally hit her. "Y-You're the-"
Figured it out? Took you long enough, muttered the voice. I am Alastor- the demon who lives within this sword. I suppose that in a way, I am the Gehaburn.
The demon's words frightened the small oracle. "How can that be? We've purified the sword-"
Wrong. You thought you did. All you did was temporarily undo the curse long enough for you to release the souls that I've stolen with the blade of this sword. I am still very much alive, and very soon, I will be capable of freeing myself from this wretched prison, snapped Alastor.
There was silence.
"What do you want?" asked Histoire quietly.
Alastor cackled cruelly. Come to the Chamber of the Gehaburn. Everything will be made clear if you do.
Seeing little else she could do, Histoire immediately floated her way to the tower that housed the Gehaburn's chamber. After a few hours worth of floating, she finally made her way to the chamber. She sighed with relief- at last, her destination. "M-My goodness. What were the original goddesses thinking when they built this place?"
"They were thinking that interlopers like you and those children wouldn't be playing around up here," answered Alastor's voice, but to Histoire's surprise it wasn't a telepathic message. Standing before her was a young man with auburn hair and deep-blue eyes. The only thing that made him seem unusual were the demonic horns that protruded from his head- but what made even those odd was that rather than looking like natural horns, they appeared to be horns made from blades. Walking up to her, Alastor said, "Welcome. Then again, I guess I don't have to say that to the person who trapped me here."
Histoire merely eyed the young demon man with a confused countenance. "What are you?"
The blue-eyed demon laughed cruelly. "Me? I'm just a demon- nothing special. Well, I was an overlord, but that's all in the past now. What I want is some compensation."
Cocking her eyebrow, the small fairy replied, "Compensation?"
"That's right," replied Alastor. "You trapped me in that sword. Things were going perfectly until you opened that wretched portal and tried to take the Gehaburn from our world!" Slamming fist fists together, Alastor's fists lit aflame. "I don't know how you did it, but I will find a way to escape this sword whether you like it or not." Staring the blue-eyed fairy down, he said, "I've already had my loved one taken from me. I think it's only fair that you give something up in exchange."
The small fairy blanched as Alastor's form became hazy and started to break up like static. "What's happening to you?"
Alastor glowered as he stepped away from Histoire's cowering form. "I'm returning to the sword. Your purification had results, but it was incomplete and thus you have failed."
Histoire was suddenly lost. "Failed? To accomplish what exactly?"
The blue-eyed demon shook his head as he drooped his shoulders. His visage gave him the impression of a young man in mourning. "Mark my words Histoire of this world: unless you kill the girl who last wielded me- that bloody tragedy will repeat itself." Alastor's body finally began to break up. With barely any of his body left, he managed to say, "After all, I can already hear the cries of my true master." With that, the blue-eyed demon finally disappeared.
Histoire remained where she was- still trying to process her encounter with the blue-eyed demon. As she did so, she missed the purple glow on the Crest of Planeptune that was engraved on the alter that housed the Gehaburn...
Part II: The Birth of Neptune
As that purple glow shone brightly in the old castle walls of Celestia, an infant's crying roused a young man from his thoughts. "One of the babies is out!" someone yelled.
"Careful, here comes her sister!" yelled another.
The young man immediately stepped forward and gently ran his hand down the face of a young woman with long black hair done in twin braids. Her eyes were blue as the sky with beauty that would vaguely remind many of a certain late CPU. As he took a small bundle from one of the hospital nurse's, he smiled and gazed lovingly into the small child's purple eyes. "She's quite a beauty, I'll say." Motioning to black-haired woman, who still had her eyes shut, he whispered, "Would you like to hold her, Luna?"
The woman opened her eyes and tiredly tried to grab hold of the small bundle. As she did so, yet another was passed into the young man's arms. "Sirius, she looks nothing like us," joked Luna. Indeed the woman was right. This little girl had purple eyes and purple hair. Nothing like the black hair and blue eyes of her mother nor the black hair and grey eyes of her father. The other infant in his arms was no different- with hair purple like the first infant's, but eyes that were red like oxygen-rich blood.
Sirius laughed a little. "They're both a little weird," he said with a hint of amusement. Rocking the bundle in his arms, he said, "What're we gonna call 'em?"
Luna smiled down at her little bundle. "She's so beautiful, just like her mommy!" Giggling she said, "Let's call this one Neptune!"
The young man cocked an eyebrow. "As in the name of the landmass?"
"It's a fun name," argued Luna from her bed. Gently rocking the infant, she said, "And I hope that this little one's life is full of fun!"
Looking down at the infant in his arms, Sirius asked, "And what about this one?" Grinning a little, he said, "Unless you're playing favorites already! Tsk, tsk, mommy," he teased.
The blue-eyed woman laughed a little, using one hand to call Sirius to her side. As she did so, she motioned for him to give her the second bundle. Looking at the infant's crimson eyes, she finally said, "...Plutia."
"Who?" replied Sirius.
"That's her name: Plutia," said Luna. Looking down at the whining Plutia, she asked, "Do you like your name Plutia?"
Ignoring the woman's words, Plutia took her first look around the world and as she did so, Neptune did the same. For the first time, the twins gazed into each other's eyes- each unaware of the cruel fate that the two would soon have to bear.
An Afterword From the Tome of Time: You now know a piece of the truth. As she was born into this new world, Neptune had been named the destined master of the Blade of Tragedy- otherwise known as the Gehaburn. Whatever became of her family and the newly born Plutia?
...That, is a story for another day...
Author's Notes:
A small teaser to think about as I work to figure out what I want to do with the Fight for the Crown and Planeptune Arcs. Feel free to formulate guesses on what happened to Plutia and Neptune's parents. Keep in mind that Neptune is already 19 by the time the "game" starts and that Nepgear is her biological sister- thereby meaning that she has to have met Plutia at least once.