Abyss of Time

By Youkiyra Solar alias Krystal Fox

I do not own anything of Rayearth and I don't get anything from writing these stories it is from my own pleasure that I do this. All characters of Esperanza, Alexandria and Elizabeth are MINE! These are based off of real people so you must ask permission before you take these characters.

Chapter 20 WAR is upon us Part 2

The small troupe began to slink into the shadows hiding from the incoming enemy. For some reason Elizabeth felt a calm when she stared at these men. She knew what she had to do. She did not know how she knew what needed to be done but she did.

Lexus stood at her side, silently screaming in pain. The force of blow that was against him had harmed him immensely. If he were to give his all to her, only her will would keep him from vanishing completely.

A soldier came creeping through the traps and the moment had come. Elizabeth jumped out and yelled, "Fire of soul" a huge wave of power knocked over the small band and they stared at this girl knowing that she gave no mercy.

Elizabeth could feel that they would do her no favors so she struck with no mind to their feelings or pain. The flames licked at their boots. Slowly devouring them. The screams of these men began to echo over the planet, a chill to your very bones.

From the other side of the property Esperanza stood and shivered at the sound. She was staring at the fighter planes within the sky. They were heading for the royal palace, bombs at the ready. She would not allow such a beautiful piece of art to be damaged more than it already was.

Standing on the edge of the balustrade she held out her hand to Windom. He could sense the deep wisdom that she held and she understood the cost it would take from her to do this thing. She nodded, then grasping the gem that had been given her she felt the power engulf her. Windom felt himself being drawn into her spirit, then he let her have it all. She was his and He was hers.

A beautiful Phoenix appeared of the brightest green, Esper sitting upon it's back, they rose into the air to fight the enemy. Her hair flew out in waves behind her as the wind grew fierce from both of their desire to save Cephiro.

He whispered his words into her ear and she nodded.

"Whirl and destroy, twist and break!!!" Esper yelled as a wind of unimaginable strength came from no where and sucked the fighter planes into a mass contorted area of ripped metal, bloody flesh and the screams of the enemy. She could be cold as stone in times like these. She would lock it all away and cry later, now was not the time for tears…

Eagle stood there. He glared at the green creature and the woman upon it's back as they destroyed his mechanical geniuses. He cursed he would not suffer to let this woman defeat him!!! He revenge would be sweet. Destruction would be his plan…not immediately but slowly as a fire burning up a oil covered line, he would bide his time and strike when the iron was hot! He would kill this woman and her cohorts if it destroyed Cephiro in the process!!!!

Alexandria was on the edge of the water, there a small comfort in this warring time. She could not believe she was not fighting a war. She wasn't this kind of warring person and she never realized that she never really would.

"Where did Selece go?" she asked herself as she looked around. Now worried that she was by herself began to go and seek out her companion.

Not being the war stricken person that she claimed to be never noticed the man creeping up behind her. Then she felt pain on her skull, and there was black.

Selece felt it, a slight tinge of pain to his skull. Alex! She was gone from his side!!! Where had he lost her? What had happened? He could feel the pain extracting itself from her very person and sliding along the link they shared.

She's been caught!! No I have failed! Why has this come to this? I did not suffer through the pain of another loss but to lose her! He said quietly to himself as he scoured the surrounding areas frantically searching for the lost female.

Suddenly he found himself face to face with a horde of uncouth men armed and ready to kill. Selece brought forth his own weapon, without the young lady now he could barely access the power he needed to bring these men to a swift end.

He charged in knowing it would hurt but they were in the way of his recovery of his charge. They convulged on him and struck at him from every angle. Selce landed several harmful punches on some of the more powerful ones sending them into the dirt.

In the corner of his eye he saw it coming but it was too late to avoid the punch. A hardened fist collided with his face, the pain erupted in his skull was immense and he could not see how he was still moving but from determination.

This man was scar covered, he held a knife he was willing to kill Selece as he had been ordered. It would bring him pleasure.

I can not lose this battle! Selece said as he held up his defense, striking when he could. This soldier knew how to fight, he was keeping his defense close and well guarded and striking when he saw an opening.

Selece cautious walked around him only to realize the other men were waking up from his punches. He was surrounded once again. The soldier, obviously their leader, nodded at them and three lunged at him and he was trapped.

Selece bit into one of the hands holding him and made sure that it bled. Pain erupted in his stomach as one of them punched him hard. He tried to double over in pain but they would not let him bend over, he was trapped in the arms of a "gorilla". The Leader walked up to him and punched him hard in the face, Selece made not a sound as he felt blood dripping down his face. He would take this and find the right moment to escape and save his charge.

Lexus…Windom…Selece called softly into their links, Help, they have me and I can not escape!!

We hear you! The combined voices of Lexus and windom echoed in his head. They would come and maybe he would be alive by the time they got there. He would live, if only for the young lady that he served.

Lexus stood with Elizabeth, they were watching the flames die down, when a shadow appeared over them. Looking up saw a huge carrier ship slightly above them and doors were opening. He could sense what was within those doors and flinched.

"We must run!" He commanded at Elizabeth as she stared up at the incoming doom. She hesitated one moment and nodded, just as they began to run saw that a bomb was being dropped, flames could not stop such a destructive thing.

They ran for their lives, the wave from the bomb was tremendous, they just passed a small wall at the entrance to one of the many gardens. Lexus saw the danger and grabbed hold of Elizabeth and threw her as hard as he could. Then seeing she was safe felt the crushing weight of the wall as it covered him and made him lose consciousness. The blackness was a dear comfort from the pain he knew that he would feel when he awoke.

Elizabeth looked up from where she was laid flat on the dirt. She has something poking into her back and it was starting to hurt. Turning her head felt pain flitter along her neck sending a painful warmth down her spine.

There pointing right into her back was a large slab of rock sharpened to a deadly point. If she had been but a few inches closer it would have gone into her back.

"Fantastic. Death by way of dangerous acupuncture." She said to herself as she inched away from the dangerous projectile.

Turning looked for her guardian, he was no where to be seen. Then she saw it, a bit of red poking out from underneath the wall that had and would have crushed both of them had the Rune god not acted as quickly as he did.

"LEXUS!" She yelled as she desperately searched for a way to pulled the injured Rune god out of the ruble. She tried to vainly lift the slab of rock and stepped away frustrated as she could not possibly lift this by herself.

She stubbornly looked around for something that could levy the rock off of the poor man, there was nothing around that could possibly help her and still be light enough for her to handle. In desperation she stood there and screamed.

Esperanza heard a scream that sounded full of sorrow, hate and misery all at once. Looking to the Phoenix beneath her saw it looked up at her. They knew that voice, it was Elizabeth!

"Hurry Windom, we must help. I fear the worst!" She said quickly mirroring Windom's own thoughts.

Lexus where are you? He asked trying to locate the fire creature. Lexus?

Lexus did not respond, for he could not hear. Windom was worried; it was not very often that the friend could not say something back.

Doubling the effort of his wings he flew swiftly towards the sound of the still shrill scream.

As they drew near they could see that Elizabeth was desperately trying to lift an overly large slab of garden wall. Windom had a bad feeling he knew why she was dong this.

Esper jumped off Windom and went running over.

"What is wrong? What happened?" Esper said pulling Elizabeth into a hug.

"Lexus….gasp….Wall….gasp…Hurt.." She choked out hiding her face into Esper's shoulder.

Windom knelt and peered under the rock and reaching down towards the still body felt fear creep into his heart. Lexus must not be dead, without him they would not succeed in their mission. His fingers reached his friend's neck and pausing waited for the inevitable pulse..

Beat….Beat…Beat…

It was there, his heart moved, there was still hope. Slipping out from underneath the rock looked at the two girls.

"I need both of your help if we are to get him out from under there."

Both girls jumped, just because they so rarely had heard Windom's voice it was strange to hear it now.

Elizabeth took a deep breath calmed her fears and then nodded. Esper was already at windom's side ready to follow his lead.

"I need to give you both my strength, Lexus is wounded gravely. If you siphen energy from him he shall surely die…" windom said unsure of how to continue not used to long sentences. "Take these," he said handing them two long green feathers, "You must imagine what Lexus was like standing before you not underneath the wall. Then I will feel your desire and can obey your commands." He said shutting his mouth. He did not want to keep talking like this…it bothered him.

The girls looked at each other and nodded. Windom intook air and waited he could only save Lexus if these girls' will was strong enough…

An explosion five feet from the girls made them jump into the air. A hover craft was moving slowly into position to destroy them all; the bomb doors were creeping open ready to destroy all in its path. Almost in slow motion they could see the action of the creaking doors releasing doom upon them. Right on the slab of rock covering Lexus…

Elizabeth realized what was going to happened and would not stand it. She did not give a little of her heart away to just have it ripped from her and smashed!!!! The anger coming off her was more than Esper could handle for it was emanating as a form of power.

"NEVER AGAIN," She raised her fist into the air and the aura around her exploded as if a bomb had just gone off. She leaped into the air and with the power of a rune god she smashed her palm into the falling bomb and ripped its innards out decapitating the explosion. Her anger did not stop there. She tossed it aside as if it was just a piece of wood, and then continued up, to the source of this device.

Like a panther to its prey she stalked, searching the craft for the one to would dare to harm those dear to her heart a wild look was in her eyes. She would not stop till the prey was in pieces before her eyes. There sitting unsuspectingly in the cockpit, a man of good height but of no sense that he was in danger of his life.

The man was in a loosing war. She struck like a cobra, without warning or cry. This "thing" before her would die, and with no mercy to it's name. The craft began to tilt having lost it's pilot. She did not mind, she knew that she could easily escape with no injury.

Wrenching his neck between her palms she grabbed the bone of his skull and before the man could react violently jerked his head to one side severing his spinal cord. He fell lifeless into his dashboard, and hit several buttons as they began to quickly loose altitude.

Elizabeth calmly walked against the tilting floor and opening a door to the outside stepped out and floated down, watching in a cold state of mind as the plane crashed. Her next moment she hurried back as saw that in her surge of power it had given Windom the power he needed from both girls, mostly her, to lift and shatter the rock covering her rune god.

Ignoring all else ran over to him and began to check his injuries…a few broken ribs, dozens of cuts and bruises, a possible concussion, broken arm…But he was living!

Looking up at Windom saw him give a sad smile to her and nod. She knew now that Lexus would now be okay.

A slow groan and Lexus felt himself being drawn back to the real world; it was a painful feeling but knew it was time. He braced himself for the pain that was surely going to hurt him. He flet hands gently wrapping his beaten body. The pain ran up his spine and made him shiver. He could not control the painful groan that escaped his lips as they touched him just a little too hard.

Opening his eyes saw Elizabeth near his face, gently brushing through his hair as some kind of comfort while Windom and Esperanza were carefully wrapping his damaged body up.

As he stood he felt strength return to him, leaning on Windom for support stared at Elizabeth. She had energy rolling off her in waves, she had conjured up the power of her soul. A power that is unstoppable by anything other than another soul.

"You are strong." He stated looking at her, "Now you can truelly fight. Thank you for the energy."

Elizbeth nodded, blushing as she looked at the ground, she knew that it only happened because of the anger she felt finally exploding.

A warm finger lifted her chin, "It is better to let anger go than to hold it in, otherwise it will poison the soul."

At that moment because of their connection to each other they all heard it. A cry of desperation.

Lexus…Windom…Help, they have me and I can not escape!!

They all knew that voice, it was Selece and he was in trouble, need of their help.

We hear you! The combined voices of Lexus and windom echoed in his head. They would come and maybe he would be alive by the time they got there. He would live, if only for the young lady that he served.

Elizabeth and Esper nodded simultaneously they were now pumped for battle. They hated to see people harmed and this was growing too close for their own comfort. They had to end this soon, or it would shatter this fragile world.

Selece gasped as a knife made contact with his face, blood dripped down his skin causing a clamming up of his skin. It gave an eerie sense of death to the water dragon and he didn't like it. He began to fight for all he was worth, biting clawing. Nothing was beneath him at this moment. He would not let himself be brought down. He had a girl to save. One who did not belong in savage acts of war.

A man kneed him in the stomach Selece returned the favor but in the man's crotch. He made a dash for it, as he was getting cornered again, he would not go down without bringing many of them with him.

A sharp pain erupted in his shoulder, he could not move, looking saw a knife embedded into his should pinning him to the ground. One of the soldiers stepped on his fingers. Selece heard the bones crack. He would not cry out, and give them the satisfaction of hearing him cry out.

He was about ready to kick up with his foot when he heard a voice.

"Now what have we here, boys, boys, boys…I know you must play around and romp but I don't like this kind of romping." A female voice said stepping into the clearing.

"In fact I am going to put a stop to it." Esper said looking bold.

One man laughed, "By yourself, and a woman, I highly doubt you could take us all on and still win!" He said smugly.

Esper walked with a saunter towards Selece and with a look that meant no good she said, "Who said I was by myself?" A flutter of wings and a HUGE Phoenix landed beside her, and on the opposite side of the enemy stood another girl with what looked like to them like a living breathing fire ball.

Several men ran for their lives, they were left alone. If these men were wise enough to leave they would be allowed to leave in peace. Those who stayed though, now that would be a whole different matter.

"Do you decide to stay and fight?" Elizabeth asked raising her eyebrow.

The men still standing there had a cold look in their eyes of killers, these men would not be kind and in return the girls would not either!

"We shall kill you all." A tall broad brunette man said raising his sword powering up his guns for this battle.

"Very well…farewell." Esper said coldness edging into her voice. Her eyes glazed over, and all whites of her eyes became green, her hair a static and gave her a frightening look. She suddenly was on the back of the Phoenix and had a pair of knives in her hands, and charged them.

Elizabeth at the same moment was beginning to burn up. Her hair became flames, licking down her back and dripping to the ground. Her eyes a deep void of emptiness, and she looked like the bringer death as she raised her palm. Lightning cracked and a storm formed, a static filled the air, a roar erupted from her Rune God as it felt the power electrifying through him causing his power to sky rocket also.

The men began to fire their guns hopelessly at these terrors before their eyes. The idiot who was pride fully standing there charged Esper, determined to kill her.

Windom would not let such a thing to happen…He snapped at the man and spit out the human's arm as he stared at where his right arm used to be.

The scream that he let loose next was nails on chalk board worthy. As the wind god and wind mistress ripped him to pieces, letting the bloods splatter over the ground, as proof of their cruelty. The man's innards had spilled onto the ground as his eyes portrayed the horror and pain he felt as he had died.

Elizabeth took on the other men, who were already freaked out, and let her flames increase. The sound of flames burning was music to her ears. Slowly it captured the fleeing men and their very flesh began to burn. Their screams disappeared as the flames licked at their throats burning their voices beyond repair. The flames were literally melting their skins, they had no hair left, and anything metal on them was infused with their skin. Their eyes were white from the pain and they fell to the ground no longer able to function, their brains slowly collapsing in on themselves from the heat.

Selece watched the flames drawing too close, he couldn't move! These flames would kill him...the tortures were already dead so he summed what energy he could and formed what he needed, it would not be much but yet it would be enough.

Esper and Windom slowly landed a safe distance from Elizabeth and Lexus as the last remains of the humans vanished, in that moment suddenly water came spurting from one direction of the field and all four were drenched.

Windom changed into his human form and glared in the direction it had come from. Esper looked irritated, while Lexus and Elizabeth looked horrified. The water would force them to not use flames until they dried out.

They all looked in the direction of the water and saw a pinned Selece looked relieved as the small scorched piece of ground not but two feet from him was out. He was no longer in a threat of being burned alive.

Looking up at them could not contain his joviality of the moment.

"You all look like drenched rats from the sewer." Selece said painfully chuckling.

Lexus knelt beside his friend and release the knife from his shoulder. "If you were not so painfully injured and with out your significant other I would pummel you till you bled. Don't think I won't when this is over." He said irritated.

Windom just raised a condensing eyebrow shaking his head. Esper watched them all as she was twisting the water out of her hair before braiding it into a tight long train. Elizabeth started to laugh, "You….me….rats…" She couldn't hold it in any longer and fell to the ground laughing so hard she clenched her stomach in pain.

Everyone stared at her and smiled, it was good to have a little happiness in this sad and battle torn Cephiro.

"Come," Selece said, "We must find Alexandria, they took her and I know not where, but I feel we must hurry or her life is in danger."

Alex woke a painful throbbing in her skull. "I swear I didn't get drunk and I didn't have a caffeine high, so why is my head hurting?" she asked herself as she sat up. Looking around saw the strange furniture and artifacts…Cephiro!

"Oops." Was all Alex could get out of her mouth as she remembered all the activities that she and her friends had been trying to do and what did she go and do? She got captured…

"Fantastic…"She said sarcastically. That's when she realized she was being watched. Looking over saw the man whom they all had agreed was a devil incarnate, Eagle himself.

"You do realize I will not let you leave here alive." He blatantly stated no kindness in his eyes.

Alex shivered, she knew that his voice held truth. "what do you want you dumb ass?"

Eagle's eyes narrowed at the insult. "Tell me where the heart of Cephiro is now, I believe it is in three places…where are they?" He demanded.

"Where is what? They? What ARE you talking about?" Alex said confused.

"the rune gods, I have discovered they are pieces of the heart of Cephiro. They know where the heart is. Tell me where one is, or shall I extract it from you?" He said coldly.

Alex was terrified, but she knew that the whole country depended on her not revealing anything…not that she knew the information anyways. But rather make him think she did so that the others might have a chance to kill this man while he was distracted with his "extracting".

"Why should I tell you? You are inferior to my position and I refuse to tell one of such low class anything that is meant for a hierarchy's ears only." She boldly proclaimed then summoned some power and gave Eagle a long and hard stream of water right in the face.

Eagle was furious, "Then I shall turn you over to the men who think you are a witch."

Turning out the door called, "You may begin your instructions for the disintegration of this witch!" As he wiped his face of water, his clothes were soaked.

Two gleeful men walked in, "A burning is what we need." One commented to Eagle.

"That is the only way to ensure a witch does not come back." He continued.

"do as you wish, if she divulges anything then let me know, otherwise she is yours to do with as you please." Eagle said walking out.

Alex paled, she had read about witch burnings in her high school class history. She knew what they went through…now she was!

Twice the men took her and immersed her in strong oil. This kind of oil would catch on fire quickly and would burn slowly. She was shivering by the time they were done "doctoring" her up for her death. Her clothes saturated with the oil she could only think of how much pain she was going to be in.

"please," She thought, "Guys, come on, I don't want to die! I don't want the pain. Oh god no."

There standing in front of her was a huge pier 6 feet of dry crackly wood also saturated and soaked in the oil covering her body. Men with torches stood by waiting for the final command to burn.

Eagle looked on in joy as they mounded more piles of oil soaked wood beneath the little shelf that Alex was now being tied to the little water witch.

"Let's see you put these flames out!" He taunted her, as they made the wooden platform to burn the woman alive.

His men tied her very securely to the pole that was at the center of the stack of wood, she had been drenched in oil, they wanted her to scream as she was burned alive. She was very pale as they stepped away from the stack and lowered the torch to the massive pile of wood. The crackling of flame began. Their glee at her horror increased as the flames began to lick at her heels and inch closer by every second.

Alex spoke her self,

I would not look down, down beneath my feet where the fire glowed, and spread, running up the length of one twig and another, fanned at the capricious breeze. I felt the heat on my feet and legs, the draft from the fire stirring my shirt. It was not quite pain; not yet. Was this to be my end? Would I suffer this excruciating pain and it would be the very end? I have failed you my friends…I have failed you Cephiro. Why me? That's when I felt it…there to one side, a familiar spirit. Could it be? There were more…Was it them? I could not hope, it was already far too gone. What could I dream of? Peace? I had done very little yet then I looked up and into a pair of eyes the color of shadows on ice; into a face I had seen in my dreams these many nights since.

He was haggard with exhaustion, his face wild with terror and fury. He had a long fresh scar on his left cheek, and bruises around his eye. He was elbowing his way fiercely through the crowd, heedless of whom he thrust aside. Behind him, two other men, one with flaming hair and the other with hair like a field of freshly cut green in the summer sun and eyes of emerald green. Behind them were two others standing as if ready to kill. A taller figure with hair of summer gold, and a smaller woman with hair in dark comparison to the other both were glaring at the flames.

The smaller woman she knew this woman! Elizabeth covered in soot and blood ready to destroy those who would keep them apart. Esperanza, she too was ready to kill. There was no kindness in her eyes and she would show no mercy to any who dared to stand in her way. Her heart and soul were locked away; you could tell that she would kill with no remorse. She was angry and she would draw Elizabeth into her rage and they would be unstoppable.

Krystal Fox: This is the longest chapter I''ve written in a while. Hope you like.