Chapter 17: Mars Asscending
Jed moved swiftly through the darkness, jogging down the mountain at a break neck pace. He adjusted his pack, scanning the trees ahead. Looking for any sign of her. He had caught sight of many smaller animals, even a deer cowering in the underbrush. They had all ran for cover higher up on the ridge when the forest was set a blaze. The wild fire Raye had started now burned a quarter of a mile away. It was a beacon he used to navigate towards her location. He was on his own now, after leaving his brothers side. Zac's girl was safe and but she still needed him.
While he was needed elsewhere. Raye wasn't his girl, far from it. She was already taken, by the blonde
Guardian...Venus. It was crazy kinky for him, to image sharing a bed with both of those gorgeous women. But hell, ever since the dance back at the hotel when they had flirted with him. He couldn't help but dwell on some very sexy scenarios concerning those two. A night with them would have been amazing...but sadly it wasn't meant to be.
But he couldn't help the nagging feeling that he was supposed to be the one to rescue Raye. That this was his destiny. His gut told him to hurry, that he needed to catch up to her before dawn. The hairs on the nape of his neck rose and apprehension slipped down his spine. The sounds of rapid gunfire nearby and the elemental fury of lightening surged through the night sky. Illuminating the mountain side briefly, before fading away. Jed stopped abruptly and dove for cover behind a large boulder.
It wasn't that he feared confrontation with the Queen's Onii. But he gripped his rifle all the more firmly, as the rumble of thunder ebbed into the distance. In truth he wouldn't hesitate to kill any bastards that might threaten Raye. She had enough to deal with, just fighting off the Queens General. Amy's battle was proof enough that these Generals were crazy powerful and would take everything they had to defeat. He needed to keep the weaker pions off of her, so she could focus of fighting her real adversary. He just wasn't going to seek out confrontation.
It was this knowledge, that she was in danger and fighting for her life that spurned his feet forward at such a hell bent pace. He needed to end this fight, needed to clear the way for her to get to the peek of Mount Song. So she could save the world.
He continued down the narrow trail of loose stone and scrub grass, scanning the area in a vain attempt to track her. When she ignited her fire attacks earlier it was easy to pin point her movements. The inferno she had called forth had laid waist to the landscape, forcing him to take a wider route around the mountain to get to her side. But as suddenly as she had called forth that incredible wall of fire, it had suddenly been extinguished. The roiling fires had collapsed in on themselves and withdrawn back to their source. Leaving Jed floundering in the darkness amid a burnt and barren landscape. The night had turned quiet and deathly still after that. It was as if the once bold and fiery Guardian was in hiding...or dead? That thought chilled him to the very core.
Jed was sure he was close though, it had taken close to an hour to navigate down to this ridge. His gut was screaming and he never ignored his gut. It had kept him alive more times than he could count over the last few months.
He paused when he heard a small noise in the distance. He turned scanning the area, then he saw them several large bodies were moving stealthily through the trees. He didn't know if they were friend or foe but he wasn't going to find out.
Damn it!
He curled his hand more tightly around the stock of his rifle, adjusting his grip. Where the hell was Raye? He didn't have time to play hide and seek with Onii who were more and likely after her. He needed to grab her and get the hell out of dodge!
He aimed his rifle and silently moved in the direction of the noise. Ideally he didn't want to shoot up the whole damn mountain and leave bodies lying everywhere. He didn't have that killer instinct, he had given up Mixed Martial arts back in high school because the aggression level in the ring had become more then he could handle. He would love to be the perfect soldier, running into danger guns blazing. Saving the damsel all heroic like. But in truth he would rather find Raye and make a stealthy exit, leaving the killing to the professionals. After the horror he had witnessed with the last General, as she was eaten alive by her own weapon. He felt he might never be able to fire upon another living person ever again. It had left a very sick, toxic feeling in his heart and his memory would forever be scared by her gruesome death.
A frantic cry in the night froze him momentarily. He lifted his head to capture the faint echo of pain and desperation fading
in the distance. It was a feminine cry, one that sent chills down his spine. There was a hell of a lot of anguish and fear in that now small sound.
Raye...
Jed began to run, slinging his rifle over his back so his arms could pump harder. Needing to close the distance between him and that painful cry. He tore threw the trees, headless of the danger ahead. She was over a hundred yards ahead and he needed to get there now! He charged the remaining distance his gun up and ready.
Exploding out of the tree line and onto a barren outcropping of ashe and looming stones. The night sky flared to life high above upon the peek, illuminating the darkness to a fake day. Only to fade away as if suddenly snuffed out by a greater power. Leaving Jed standing prone and somewhat blinded by the sudden change. He stumbled onward blinking and shaking his head, needing to refocus his eyes to see in the all consuming darkness again. At first he was shocked at the sight of a charred body in his path. It was curled up with its hands clawing at the heavens, as if the silent moon might offer it mercy at the end. He swallowed hard, knowing that this woman whom ever she might have been had lost the fight to Raye's indomitable powers.
As he ran past the corpse, coming to a sudden halt before a drop off of sheer rock. That overlooked a small valley below. The moon shone down from the heavens, reflecting off the smooth rock floor far below. Near the rock face of the cliff only a few feet down, was a nameless slice of darkness. It hovered, shimmering in and out of sight, as if unsure of it's own existence. Jed's gut clenched as he stared down into that impenetrable darkness, searching in vain for Raye.
Who had so captivated him upon their first meeting back at the hotel. Her passion and unyielding personality had inspired and spurned him to do better, to be a better man. He may never be able to tell her what she had meant to him in the brief time they had spent together. But he would give all that he was to save her and never regret it. She was down there in that dark void, trapped and lost. He could sense her, it was uncanny but not alarming. With everything that had happened to him in the last few weeks since meeting her he wasn't at all surprised. He had been tracking her blindly through the forest, as if drawn to her by a magnet.
He could feel the grim determination that she would prevail, that she would over come this darkness and kill the person who had trapped her there. But there was also fear and desolation gnawing at the corners of her resolve. It was like a tangible pungent scent in the air. It tightened every one of his muscles, gripped his heart and squeezed it relentlessly.
He had to get to her...He had to find her and lead her back into this reality? Dropping down onto his belly, he pulled his gun up and locked it into his holster at his hip.
"Raye!" he screamed in vain. His voice quickly absorbed by the darkness below and consumed by it. His voice would not penetrate...
She was lost to the darkness and out of his reach.
Mars sat quietly in the corner of a dank, tiny cell. Brooding in the darkness, she had long since lost track of time. She could no longer tell if it was night or day. For all practical purposes, she had b een locked in a stone and mortar b ox. The power of her star seed sealed away when she had b een dragged down into this impenetrab le darkness. She had lost all her powers leaving her in a weakened, mortal b ody. Trapped in a tiny, airless hole that she knew not where? How long she had b een here, she had no idea. The demon queens forces had captured her and what remained of her army. After the massive explosion of dark fire had decimated Endymion's lands.
For the first week or so, she had kept count. Listening to the screams and anguish of her soldier's locked away in neighb ouring cells. Sure that her sisters in arms would come to her rescue. She had no illusions that they would just leave her here to rot! They would seek her out, storm these catacomb s...lay waste to this dark army and rescue her. They would not b lindly accept her disappearance...or presume her dead? No mater what they might have b een told.
But it had b een a long time since she had heard a call from the darkness, now a deathly silence reigned all around her. She closed her eyes and thought ab out her sweet, tender hearted princess. She must have felt so trapped b y duty, that her only recourse had b een to run. Seeking refuge here on earth, she had sought to hide from her mother from Demande...from her duty. She had defied her mother and forsaken her own kingdom for the forb idden love she found here on earth. It was a selfish choice, b orn of desperation. Mars understood it, b ut she could not condone it. Serenity had cast them all into the cauldron of war yet again. Both kingdoms were now poised for destruction and Mars couldn't help the resentment and anger that seethed inside of her. Demande was a hedonist and an arrogant fool. But he had the resources to save their kingdom, now he sought to ob literate them instead.
Sometimes sacrifices had to b e made! Serenity was duty b ound to protect her people, at the cost of her own happiness, her own freedom. But she had ab andoned them instead. Mars was so very angry and disappointed in her princess. That
this terrib le end was thrust upon them all, b ecause of her selfish actions. She felt the b urning heat of her wrath surge inside of her chest, it seared her heart and made her whole b ody ache. With the deep penetrating hurt of utter b etrayal. She never thought that she would cast them all aside like this. With a tired groan and a strangled sob . She thumped the b ack of her head against the cold stone of her cell and willed the raging emotions now sweeping through her to settle. It did little good to scream and cry here in the darkness, no one would hear her agony and it only dwindled her reserves of strength. But in the end she had to admit the truth. She couldn't lay all the consequences on Serenity. Her Queen was as much to b lame as her princess, and it was tearing her apart. Where had things gone so very wrong? Why couldn't she have interpreted the signs of destruction quicker? In the end she also b lamed herself...for she had failed in her scared duties as well. She had b een unab le to protect her princess, or save her kingdom. She groaned in misery, waiting for the inevitab le to come.
She had tried to gauge how long she had b een held down here. Perhaps days, perhaps weeks? It was long enough for her to start losing her grip on sanity. Her mind wandering, unab le to stay tethered in this b leak reality. Finding solace in happier memories of the past. She sought to dwell in those b righter, more promising days as often as she could.
As she shifted, waiting for a fresh resurgence of pain. Her spiritual b ody had taken a massive b low, when the dark magic had hit. Its rage and hatred had struck her soul hard. Leaving her more fragile b ody stunned and in shock. She was offered no medical attention, for the physical wounds she had incurred upon the b attle field. Nor for the mental wounds that affected her soul when the Demon Queens spell had struck. Her soul was left uncleansed from the darkness she had ab sorb ed from the mystical explosion that had decimated her army. The darkness festered like a poison deep inside her soul, weakening her even more.
She was merely tossed into this hole to rot and wait and die.
She had b ecome numb or she had finally gone b eyond the pain. Hyperaware of her surroundings. She could feel each b ead of sweat as it rolled down her face, pooling b etween her b reasts. Her skin was wet and clammy. Her armour striped from her b ody, leaving her naked and even more vulnerab le.
She had b een living in agony for far to long, each moment had b een filled with suffering. But now the pain of living was just gone, leaving her in a hopeless state of apathy.
Upon accepting her death and that of the Silver Millennium she had found her peace. Her mind was now empty, as calm descended upon her soul. There would b e no future for her or her kingdom, they would all fade when the end came. Her long b attle was over and this cell of utter darkness would b e her grave.
She soon found herself laughing, her voice was hoarse and b itter. It was ab surd to think that there was any peace in hell.
But she was grateful for this moment of delusional joy, it gave her a reprieve from wallowing in her anger.
She eased herself down onto the rough floor and curled up tight into a b all. Her silhouette was lost in the deep shadows of the corner. Blending in with the darkness, she had b ecome invisib le, a small easily dismissed shadow herself. Fatigue held her in its relentless grip. What meager images she could make out in the darkness swam in her vision, forcing her to close her eyes lest she b ecome sick.
Then she felt a faint touch of another. As though someone was stroking a hand down her long hair. Whispers, like a gentle summer b reeze, drifted to her ears from just b eyond her prison.
(I'm here)
Mar's eyes snapped open in sudden fright. Scanning the darkness of her cell, her eyes wide and wary. Trying to see b eyond the rusted out b ars of her door. Her princess had spoken to her, her voice soft and sweet. As if she was truly sitting b eside her. Her eyes searched in vain b ut found no trace of her Princess. No darker silhouette that might show her pressence here in her personal hell. But she had just spoken to her? How?
(Mars...stay with me...I will not allow you to just give up and fade away. There is still so much to be done. )She whispered to her, with the soothing voice of an angel. Mars felt some of the horror of this living death she had endured recede from her mind. If she could, she would wrap herself up in Serenity's holy light and finally b e at peace. She felt her princess smile. It was like a b urst of sunshine in her shattered mind. Then she felt her delicate arms surround her, hold her close...it was just like she had imagined her doing.
(Sleep now and know that I will save you) Serenity urged gently.
"Stay with me," Mars pleaded as she slowly drifted off into a healing sleep.
In the days to come, Serenity's voice would visit her. Coaxing her failing b ody and mind from death, infusing her with
strength, renewing her determination to fight and ultimately resurrecting her hope.
Mars was mercilessly awoken to unimaginab le pain. Her b ody was seized b y dark fire and went rigid. Her eyes flew open only to see the b lurry visage of her torturer. The women dressed all in b lack leather armour who had daily made every minute of her incarnation here, pure misery. A deep violet cloak was pinned around her neck, that snapped and b illowed like a rearing viper as she prowled into the cell. She wore a long b lack cloth hood that covered everything b ut her fierce green b urned down at her, searing her with the intensity of her hate.
Beryl wanted the Moon Kingdom destroyed, the Queen b owed and b roken b efore her. That visage of total domination made her more cruel, more driven then any mortal who had ever lived.
Mars's heart pounded in her ears, the very sight of her tormentor sending her into panic. She knew more pain was coming and was struggling to maintain her composure. Her eyes were already misting with tears. Her eyes kept darting to the woman's leather gloved hands, that were still smoking from the release of dark power she had used to wake her up. Those hands, had caused her so much unspeakab le pain over the course of her captivity. She regarded them cautiously, slowly b acking away into the stone wall of her cell.
Beryl stood impassively a hand on her hip. A slow, insipid smile crawled b eneath the cloth that covered her mouth. Mars could tell she was smiling b y the twinkle of mirth gleaming in her eyes.
Beryl enjoyed giving pain...dominating others under her will and controlling their fate. It gave her a sense of control she had never had growing up. From now on, no one was ever going to get the upper hand on her again. She finally had the power to protect herself and recreate her own world...one that would b e controlled solely b y her.
Mars saw her as a monster, if not in looks then in spirit. She was a twisted shell, a vessel infused b y so much dark magic she was no longer human. She did not know who the woman in all b lack was, only that she must take orders from the Dark Queen. The leader of the reb ellion here on earth that had decimated Endymion's lands and the four kingdoms of the Heavenly kings. Earth was in ruins and soon, if Mars didn't stay strong and silent the Moon kingdom would suffer the same fate.
Then with a flick of the woman's wrist the dark energy slammed into Mars again, it struck like a scythe. The searing pain slicing into her, like ice against naked flesh. Mars curled up into a tight b all as the pain ripped through her.
Her torturer stood over her, watching with pride as Mars clutched her arms across her stomach. Drawing her legs up to her chest when the pain b ecame to much, vomiting b lood, choking on it.
The scorching fire did not ab ate b ut intensified instead, b urning through every inch of her. The dark magic consumed her, took her b reath and left her desperate to find air. Mars collapsed to the dirt of her cell, face first, trying to scream, trying to b reath. She thought ab out Serenity, tried to find solace in the image of her, the sweet rememb ered sound of her voice. Then the pain took even that away from her.
The woman in all b lack pressed her b oot into the b ack of Mars's neck for a moment, grinding her face into the dirt for a moment. Then moved to crouch over her with her elb ows b raced on her b ent knees. Leaning over her prone b ody with an air of disappointment. Then she reached down and grab b ed a hand full of Mars's long eb ony hair and yanked her head up, forcing her to meet her eyes. She leaned in closer, hissing into her ear.
"My, My, you have b een a stub b orn one. I have so enjoyed torturing you b ut time is short now."
She crooned.
Through her pain, Mars cracked her eyes open to glare defiantly up at her.
"I have told you that I would b reak you. That it would onl matter of time." She sighed and release her hair. Mars's head struck the stone floor, having no strength to even lift her head.
The woman moved a few steps away, "Do you want the pain to stop?" She asked innocently. "All you have to do is tell me what I want to know."
The question enraged Mars, she wanted to kill her...that would make the pain stop!
When Mars did not respond, she merely shrugged and returned to the doorway.
"That's fine, yo rave Mars. Hold your tongue and endure the relentless lash of my dark power. I can b ring you
pain...I can give you even more pain..." She frowned, mulling over her methods of torture for a moment. "But perhaps we need a change of venue instead."
The pain let up, b ut just a little.
Mar's gasped for air, as Beryl had recalled some of the dark fire, allowing Mar's to find her voice.
"I will never give you the location of the Moon Portal." She growled out. "You might as well kill...me."
Her tormentors face wrinkled into a snide sort of pout. As she came to crouch in front her again. "Why would I simply kill you? When you have b ecome my favourite toy?" Then she turned to face the door and snapped her fingers.
Mar's mouth went horrib ly dry, when two demonic soldier's dressed in the b lack and silver armour of the Dark Queen.
Dragged in her sister in arms...Venus.
She was in poor shape, having endured the same suffering as she had. Her once b rilliantly honey gold hair now hung limp and dull. Striped naked the same as Mars, every inch of her b ody covered in welts and cuts. Her skin was slick with a damp sweat, as if she suffered from a fever. She lab oured for b reath. Every attempt to draw air met with a wheeze and a faint rattle from deep in her chest. Her face was deathly pale, the only colour b eing the sickly b rown and plum b ruises that painted her jawline and neck. Her b ody looked weak and frail from malnourishment, hanging limply in the arms of her captures as they dragged her into the cell.
Mars had never known she had b een captured as well. Guilt and rage flooded through her at the sight of her b eaten and swollen face. Stripped of her armour, leaving her b ody vulnerab le to what ever physical assaults this Dark Queen had commanded. All wrought b y the hand of this vile demon woman in all b lack. Venus was shivering harshly, dark stains criss crossed her torn b ack. She had b een b eaten and whipped, the wounds fresh, the b lood b arely allowed to clot
b efore she had b een dragged to the cell. The two soldier's forced her down to her knees in front of Mars. Giving her no choice b ut to look at Mars. Venus's b ody may look b roken b ut her spirit had yet to b ow. Her b lue eyes shone with determination and rage. She was waiting for the right chance to turn the tab les on their captures. When that opportunity arose she would give no quarter, leaving destruction and death in her wake as she strove for freedom.
(I'm here. Be strong. Please be strong. Do not let her defeat you.)
Mars could feel her princess in tears b etween their link. The helplessness and despair she felt b led through their connection and the guilt struck Mars hard. She had b een so overwhelmed b y her own pain. That the mental walls she had erected to protect her princess had b een torn down. Now all the horror's she had endured had b een laid b are to her princess through their spiritual link. Mars squeezed her eyes shut seeking to b lock off a measure of the atrocities committed against her. But it was no use, she neither had the energy nor the will to b lock Serenity. In that moment her princess knew and felt all that had happened to her since her capture.
The woman in b lack leather b egan to pace and demand the location of the Moon Portal here on earth. It was always the same question, followed b y pain when Mars would not answer. She had tried everything over time. Different kinds of torture, all the more heinous as her silence reigned. She had deprived her of sleep, of food, of water. When she grew frustrated with Mars ab ility to endure and not crack under the pressure. She would kill fellow soldiers from Mars's army, knowing she could hear them suffering, hear them b eg and plead for a mercy that would not come. Using their deaths as just another way to punish her.
Mars had seen and endured so much suffering. She had felt death would b e the only freedom she could choose. But now as the Dark Queen's soldier's b eat Venus mercilessly b efore her. She felt her heart finally b reaking, crumb ling away into nothing. Under the assault of her leader's sharp cries as they struck her b roken rib s.
"This can all stop...with one word." Beryl offered sweetly, pacing b ehind her men. Her arms crossed b ehind her b ack, her b oots clipping against the stone smartly.
Mars growled, forcing herself to keep watching her leader's b eating. Refusing to allow her emotions to show. Staring stoically at her b eloved sister, enduring this punishment with her. When she didn't respond, the woman in b lack merely nodded for her soldiers to continue.
Mars couldn't help b ut cringe. As Venus attempted to hold b ack her cries. That now came out like mewling whimpers, as they kicked her repeatedly over every inch of her b attered b ody. As she patheticly sought to protect her herself b y curling up into a b all.
"This is so tiring...how heartless can you b e? As the Guardian of War I understand that you must hold a greater discipline towards cruelty. That you may have seen, perhaps even participated in the unsavoury acts of torture yourself. All in the good name of Selene, mind you." The woman smiled mockingly down at Mars, crossing her arms over her b reasts in a very superior, very opinionated manner.
Mars took a deep b reath, b iting down hard on her lower lip to hold b ack a very caustic retort.
"But honestly, I find your complete lack of compassion rather invigorating." Beryl gave her a sour smile, her eyes gleaming with irritation. "How much more can you witness? At what point will you shatter completely?" Beryl waited a b eat, staring down at Mars. Who stared b ack in defiance.
Venus knew that she would never give the location of the portal. The dark queen had already taken everything that mattered from them. Their powers as Senshi, their dignity and even their b asic rights as living b eings. They had nothing left to lose b ut their lives and those didn't really matter anymore either. But she would never take their knowledge, that would always b e the only power they held over her.
"Break her arms!" Beryl commanded her eyes deadly, her voice b ooming like cannon fire in the small room.
Venus's screams of wrath, instantly had Mars snap her eyes b ack to her sister. As each soldier twisted and b roke b oth of Venus's arms. Leaving her panting and b ent over in agony. Her face pressed hard against the cold stones, b oth arms dangling uselessly at her sides at odd angles.
"Again, were is the Moon Portal? I have no more time for trifling or games. You will b reak or I shall continue b reaking her!" Beryl declared, snapping her fingers.
One soldier quickly hauled Venus b ack up into a kneeling position. Holding her in place as the other soldier b egan striking her in the face with the b lunt side of his sword. Snapping her jaw with the hilt of his sword then slicing her cheeks with the sharpened b lade. Leaving her once flawless skin forever scared. Punching her in the face with his metal gloves until b lood ran like tears from her eyes, steaming down her face from her hairline. She gurgled and coughed on the b lood filling her mouth. Spitting up as much of the crimson fluid upon the stones as she could.
Mars felt that they intended to b eat her to death b efore her, a final horror to b reak her silence.
Rage b uilt inside her like a fire storm b illowing up from her very soul. Horror, fear and loathing...pain.
She wanted to kill them. For a moment she considered giving in, b ut knew that it would not alter Venus's fate. These were animals with out honour, b ound to a demon who felt no remorse for the suffering she inflicted upon others.
When Mars refused to speak, finally unab le to b ear any more. Glaring at the floor of the cell so fiercely as if seeking to dent the mortar with her very eyes. The woman who hid b eneath the violet mantle and b lack armour merely screamed in frustration and ordered her men to drag Venus out of her cell. Venus was no longer conscious, hanging limp and lifeless in the soldiers arms. Mars feared she might have stopped b reathing all together. Her b eating had b een so b rutal, and relentless. No human would have survived it. Mars wondered morb idly if it would b e her turn next? If they would seek to b reak Venus b y having her watch her b eing b eaten half to death?
Mars b linked and stared glassy-eyed up at the woman, she felt dead inside and the lack of vitality in her gaze reflected it. She offered no show of emotion, merely glaring down at Mars, then swiftly departed her cell, slamming the iron door closed b ehind her.
Grief welled inside of Mars, she could feel the hot tears falling down her cheeks. Why were they keeping them alive? Why didn't they just kill Venus...or her.
Mars could not hold b ack the turmoil and it b omb arded her princess through their link. An intense mixture of determination to claim vengeance upon that vile woman. To kill her and all her men, who had jailed her for so long underground. Her desire to survive now, to b e free of this pain and know the warmth of the light once again. She hated how weak she had b ecome, self-loathing was sharp and b itter in her mind. She should have done something, said something even if it was false to aid Venus, to quell the b rutality of her b eating. But she had said nothing and now her sister lay somewhere nearb y in the darkness, suffering more then ever.
(It wasn't your fault. You can not blame yourself for her beating. Turn your hatred towards your jailers, the animals who deserve it. Not yourself.)
"How are you doing this?" Mars demanded, in a low snarl. She was still in the grips of a terrib le rage. It consumed her, even more then her pain. She knew her princess could feel it as well. It sizzled through their link and into her. Her wrath was white hot, nearly molten and b linding in it's intensity.
(Take hope that I am on my way. I will save you!)
"How can you possib ly save me?" The weary question escaped her lips in a rush of b reath. She expected no answer, she b arely b elieved that all of this was real. Just her b roken mind, attempting to soothe her during her last days.
Then Mars's cell door b urst open with a resounding clang. She went completely still as two of her jailer's grab b ed her
armpits and roughly hauled her to her feet. She b egan to laugh, it was a high pitched, hoarse and manic sound. As they dragged her from her cell, hauling her somewhere in this hell to endure more suffering.
Her laughter fell silent, as she felt her...
Serenity...
Her presence was undetected b y these soldiers. As her spirit followed her down the dank hall, that lay in the underb elly of the earth. She was afraid, terrified of what she was ab out to witness. Yet to determined to offer support, to endure the same pain as her Senshi. She remained at Mars's side the whole time they tortured her and when they threw her b ack into her cell. Mars crawled towards her corner, the same corner she huddled in day and night. There her princess held her, wrapped her arms around her and spoke soothing word of comfort into her ear. Serenity shivered violently in reaction to the torture Mars had just endured. The air around her was stale, damp and warm. Yet Mars quaked as chills raged up and down her b ody. She was in shock and sleep could not come quickly enough.
She closed my eyes and drew in a deep, shaky b reath. When the warmth of Serenity's power flooded into her, Mars gasped in alarm. Then moaned in b liss as her princess took her pain away. She didn't make a single sound, her jaw locked, her b ody rigid. Mars didn't think she was capab le of such feats? This power was the b lessing of the Silver Crystal...what had happened to Selene? How was Serenity now calling forth the glory of the Imperium Crystal?
Her princess was focused solely on ab sorb ing all of her pain. All the while her troub led thoughts were screaming in Mar's head at the things she had survived. Guilt, rage, desperation...it rolled and tumb led b etween them like a b uilding storm.
When Serenity was done, Mars lay limply on her side. Her head tilted sideways as she struggled to regain her senses. Her b row was furrowed in confusion as she took stock of her painless state. She rub b ed aimlessly at the scars and the fresh wounds that now marked her b ody. Testing and poking at her sides, where b roken rib s still remained. Baffled b y the fact that she no longer felt anything? Serenity hadn't the power to heal her physically, b ut she had taken her pain.
(We are close, but the entrance to the Dark Kingdom is hidden. Hang on, Mars. We are on our way. I just need you to hang on a little longer.) Serenity tried to inject strength and confidence b ut failed miserab ly. Her words had b een weak, a faint whisper in her mind. She was now b one weary and the pain she had taken from Mars was b eating relentlessly inside her head.
Ultimately Mars knew her princess and her would b e saviours were lost ab ove. Wandering the wilderness with out any solid direction as to how to reach her or Venus. Immediately her frustration was strong, as a sense of helplessness gripped her.
She felt Serenity sigh in resignation at her righteous anger. Here she was, her princess, full of good intentions and no real plan to b ack them up. Mars rub b ed her head tiredly and then pushed b oth palms flat against her eyes. Curling her fingers over the top of her skull and pulling hard at the crown of her dark b angs.
(For the first time in your life, Mars! Believe in me!) Serenity shouted b ack. Her voice reverb erated inside Mars's skull like a thunder clap. The echo of conviction in her voice, vib rating through Mars leaving a nagging headache in its wake. Her princess instantly regretted her shouting, knowing it had hurt Mars. Mars felt her cringe and draw b ack.
"I do not want you coming to save me. I would never b e ab le to live with myself if you were harmed or killed trying to free me from this hell." Mars stated softly. Her wishes would b e heard b ut not headed, she knew this. Serenity was as
stub b orn and b ull headed as her. She would do just what she pleased and b e damned what the consequences would
b e. She would not leave her to die. Her survival and that of Venus had b ecome all-important to her. Serenity was coming regardless of what Mars thought. She just hoped that when she stormed this prison, she had the might of a great army at her b ack.
Mars felt hope flicker and quickly b uried it, she could not afford to indulge in dreams of freedom. If they proved false it could very well b reak her completely.
Mars slowly slumped against the rough stones at the b ack of her cell. Serenity's pressence was fading away, disappearing into nothing like an ethereal fog. As her princess recalled her spirit b ack into her own b ody miles away. Mars stared sightlessly into the dark, her pain was gone...Sort of? She could still feel it, b ut it wasn't completely real to her. It was as if it hovered on the fringe of her consciousness, as if it b elonged to someone else. She didn't really feel it inside her own b ody. The heavy silence looming around her, confirmed that her princess had left. Realizing that she was alone again, sent a jolt of panic through her. Her pulse quickened and a knot formed in her throat. Once a strong, hardened warrior. Her weeks in captivity had weakened her b oth physically and emotionally. She didn't want to b e alone anymore, she wanted her princess to come b ack. To soothe and strengthen her as she did b efore.
The need to b e protected was as desperate as a child's. She wanted to cry and wail into the darkness for Serenity to come b ack. The complete loss of control, shamed her, b ut she had not the strength to reclaim it. Instead she b roke down into desperate sob s, cradling her head in her crossed arms. Now b raced on top of her knees. She had pulled them up to her chest, drawing herself tightly into a b all. The endless torture had b rought ab out this sordid manifestation of complete despair. She could not tame it, or hold it b ack. She released all of her sadness and desperation into the universe as she cried.
Her wails softening over time as her voice b ecame hoarse. She pressed her fingers against her temples and pressed the heels of her palms against her wet eyes. A dull throb had risen in the b ack of her head thanks to her complete
b reakdown. The next few hours was the longest of her life, as she sat sullen and exhausted in the darkness. There was nothing...no distant cries or sounds of violence. It was so quiet that anxiety and doub t b egan to creep into her again. Serenity wasn't coming...she would never b e found, never see the light again. Mars licked her dry, cracked lips. She would sell her soul for some water. She had long lost interest in food, the slop they fed her was foul and rarely offered. But water...water she would make herself sick on if she had it.
She thought of her sisters, Jupiter...Mercury? Where were they now? What were they doing? Her once proud Queen, now reduced to a desperate shell. Vainly clutching to what was left of her power, her kingdom as everyone b etrayed and
ab andoned her. She imagined herself, free and in the loving hold of her princess. Was she really coming? Did she truly have the loyalty of the Silver Crystal? That power would b e enough to reduce this dark kingdom to rub b le. It could purify and resurrect this wretched place and reset the b alance that had b een lost during these long years of fighting.
Even as the thought of rescue, of seeing Serenity again b lossomed in her mind, she wondered if she would ever b e the same? She didn't feel like a holy warrior anymore. Her dignity and sense of self had long since left her. She felt more like an animal now. Her mind didn't work the same, reduced to a state of b asic survival. She coped from hour to hour, locked in this hell.
As a soldier she had lived with the reality that each day could b e her last. That her life was not her own, b ut given freely for the greater good that was the Silver Millennium. Death was not something she was in denial of. She had witnessed it over and over again since Serenity's b irth, when civil war b roke our b etween the planets and the darkness just kept growing. Consuming one planet after another, until it reached the moon kingdoms castle gates.
Since her capture and imprisonment she understood that there were some things worse then death. Death had meant peace, it meant one could finally rest with out guilt or resentments over their fate. It meant relief from unb earab le pain and appalling living conditions. Even animals were afford more dignity then she had b een. She had come to realize that simply enduring was worse then death.
Mars did not fear it, b eing from a highly spiritual people she actually welcomed it. She slowly slid a hand over her b are b reasts and down her gaunt stomach. She could feel each rib and it nauseated her.
The vile woman in b lack had b een starving her for days, giving her only enough water to keep her alive. She figured Venus was enduring the same and it tore at her soul even more. Knowing that her once proud and indomitab le leader was b eing slowly b roken the same as her. It gave her a toxic feeling deep in her gut that made her ill. Grief overwhelmed her. Emotion once again knotted her throat. She quickly swallowed and sought to calm herself with long deep b reaths. She needed to focus on other things.
Dirt and b lood covered her naked flesh, as she surveyed her b eaten and ab used b ody. Serenity would come. She would b ring down justice and retrib ution from the heavens and cleanse this wretched place of evil. She would dwell on that thought and allow it to sustain her until her Princess came...
"Raye!" Jed screamed in vain, as he scrambled over the edge and rapidly worked his way downwards. Navigating the nearly vertical cliffside. He knew blindly descending into that magical darkness was insanity. But with the gunfire ringing in the distance and growing closer, Selene's Horde would be descending fully onto their position very soon. Desperation and insanity was all he had left.
"Raye!...Raye!...God Dammit Woman! Answer me!"
Exhausted and cowering against the crumbling earth below, Raye heard her name begin called desperately into the darkness. The sound of another living person startled her, it gave her the motivation to claw herself out of this mental oblivion. To begin to shake herself free from the drowning effects of the trance she had been drawn into when the darkness had consumed her. But she was scared...that unknown terror clung to her soul like a poison. Weighing down her heart, shackling her will to this prison of darkness. Leaving her trembling and unsure of her own voice.
"Raye! Raye! Come on girl! I need you to say something!" Someone calling to her. Her name was a mantra she clung to. It was drawing herself back, recalling her soul from the empty void that sought to devour it. She needed that person to
keep calling, to not give up on her...even though she had already given up on everything...
Raye felt groggy, half alive. Her heart beat pulsed like a drum against her chest, as if she had awoken from a very stressful dream. The trauma of her past lingered like a bad taste in the back of her mind. The pain of the past still echoing in her soul, affecting her current self in so many small ways.
She understood that the abuse she had suffered had affected every lifetime she had lived since. It had become the defining force of her rage. The cruel twist in her personality, that made her seek vengeance for every injustice. Opinionated and overly stubborn, she never bowed to anyone or anything...until today.
"Raye!...Raye!" Someone above was calling out to her, the voice was desperate and harsh. Who ever it was could just continue calling, because she wasn't going to make a single sound.
She was so tired of fighting...Eudial...her opponent had been so powerful. She had the cunning of a predator and superior tactical training. Always able to out manoeuvre and stay one step ahead. Herding Raye around the mountain side easily. The Queens General had deflected her attacks effortlessly, taunting and slowly destroying her confidence. Until in a fit of rage and desperation. Raye had called up so much of her own fire that she had lost control of it. The eternal blaze she had ignited from her soul, had blasted through the forest around her like a massive explosion. Devouring the vegetation in an all consuming inferno, raging out of control towards the upper passages. Eudial had no way to counter and was engulfed in a massive explosion of fire. Her agonizing screams had rent the air. Her flesh blackening and peeling away from her body as the flames devoured her wholly. Her suffering and slow incineration had shaken Raye. Her flames had not taken her life quickly but slowly burned her away to ash. As if they had become an emotional manifestation of her own fury. Raye had been so fuelled by hate, by rage and desperation. She had wished Eudial pain, immeasurable, excruciating suffering...she wanted her dead. It had been a truly gruesome, death, with out any mercy.
To realize such cruelty and hate lived inside of her soul was utterly terrifying.
Then the deathly fatigue had set in as her Genesis state took its toll on her body. The world was spinning, her vison narrowing as utter exhaustion took hold. She might have taken out Eudial in that last desperate attack, but it had cost her far to much. She had been so drained that when she had stumbled away. Towards the edge of the cliff, that was already weakened from their battle. It had crumbled away, she couldn't save herself and she had fallen into this even more fatal trap.
Set by some other general under Selene? An even more powerful enemy she had no will to face. Imprisoned in the dark void, as what was left of her vitality was slowly drained away. With her life energy bleeding away, came grim resignation.
"Raye! Talk to me! I am totally blind here?" Jed screamed, having reached some sort of outcropping he was now stumbling forward with both hands out. Waving them around in front and beside him, valiantly trying to find something or someone to grab.
"I am scared shitless...too..." He growled under his breath. Worried that he was going to make a misstep and plummet to his death. Then he would be no help to anyone...
Freedom...it lay so far away. She felt lost at the bottom of the fathomless ocean, the pressure of the darkness crushing her. But there was a spec of light...it shone like a magnificent star at the very edge of her the vison. She knew she had to fight against the pull of the darkness, she had move towards that light...Salvation lay there...she needed to push herself upward..forward...she had to move towards that light!
It was just too hard...resignation was heavy, dragging her down even farther.
Raye swallowed and slowly turned to face the familiar voice. With her back pressed up tight to the rock face, she tried to resurrect her voice to call back. To tell whomever it was searching for her, to give up and go back. She had no interest in fighting anymore. She just wanted to stay here and be at peace. She could no longer feel that fighting spirit she once had. It had abandoned her along with all her friends.
She was simply apathetic about the whole war, that was happening beyond the darkness. She didn't even have the strength to speak so she simply stayed silent. Staring into the darkness...welcoming it.
"Raye you selfish, bitch! You can't just cower down here and die!" Jed raged. He had been shuffling his feet forward. Finding the edge of the cliff with no sign of Raye, he then turned on his heel and started back towards the cliff face. He was close to panic now, knowing that their time was nearly up. All of her friends were out there fighting! Sere was fighting for her life up on the peek of this mountain while Raye wallowed down here in this darkness.
"Go away..." Raye whispered as she heard his footfalls coming closer. "I don't want to fight anymore...I just don't care anymore." Her voice sounded so weak and desolate in her ears, she barely recognized herself. She was bone weary and pain beat relentlessly at her body. She just wanted it all to end. No more lives...no more fighting...No more regrets...
"Let me die...please." Her voice was barely a whisper, pleading desperately for him to understand.
It startled Jed at first, she was so pathetic and broken? His toes dragged as he shuffled to a halt. He was suddenly overwhelmed with feelings of desolation, so deep, so acute that he couldn't breathe. Pain. Fear. Regret. Hopelessness. A weariness that went beyond this lifetime to an untold past. Again that connection between them was both shocking and welcomed.
He was feeling what she felt and her sorrow was so great it had staggered him. Her tears were locked inside her, as she refused to let them come. Memories of all she had endured in this life and all the others flashed through his mind, until he had to close his eyes to control the reeling of his senses.
"I won't fight any longer." She moaned, so defeated that he wanted to bellow in rage at what had been done to her. He wanted to go back in time and rip apart the savages that had locked her up, tortured her and broke her spirit. To the point in which she would rather die then endure more. That demon woman and her enforcers who had hurt her so terribly that it haunted her reincarnations. For the first time in his life, he felt compelled to kill another living person.
Tentatively, softly he took a couple more steps as if approaching a skittish animal. "Raye...you are not there...you are not in that prison any longer. You are free, I'm here to help you. Don't give up. You are stronger then this darkness." Jed didn't know if she was cognizant of who or when she was. He sensed such profound desperation in her.
When he was met with silence for a long time he continued forward cautiously. Being tender and understanding with her was getting him no where. He needed to snap her out of this, to tap into that inner fire that always made her prevail against all odds. If that meant being an uncaring asshole to get her fired up, then so be it! He'd let her kick his ass for the greater good, any day.
Not knowing what possessed him. Jed lunged for her then, as more gunfire erupted from beyond the blackness. It echoed like faint thunder in the distance. Unable to fully penetrate this reality from the next. She sounded so dispassionate, so defeated, nothing like herself. The complete lack of regard for her friends well being struck him like a physical blow. Instead of confusing and worrying him, it only made him more infuriated with her. The intense need to shake her hard, or perhaps hit her repeatedly about the head and shoulder's... anything! To knock some sense into her or piss her off! Whatever it took to get her out of this morose, self defeatist funk she was in.
"What the hell, Raye? This isn't you? Get your shit in order and lets get the hell out of here!" He couldn't see a thing, but he could feel her slender shoulder's gripped under his fingers. Abruptly he stood up and hauled her over his shoulder. She squealed in surprise attempting to squirm out of his grasp.
It was the most life she had displayed since finding her and he went with it.
"Stop, squirming!" He chastised, slapping her ass hard. The resounding smack echoed in the void, followed by an indignant cry from her.
"Put me down! You Bastard!" She screamed, as Jed began to climb upward. His one arm firmly holding her in place over her ass, while this other arm was reaching, fingers clawing above. While his legs propelled them both up the vertical cliffside as if he had become a human mountain goat. He had no time to waste. His priority was to get Raye out of here and on her way towards the peek. He needed to get them clear of this cliff before everything went to shit.
"Sere and the others are fighting for their lives out there and your going to hide in this hole? I don't think so little missy. You need to shake off what ever spell that last General put on you and get your big girl panties firmly back in place! Cause you got a war to fight!" Jed commanded, jostling her a bit just to make her more furious.
They reemerged out of the darkness with Raye swearing and spiting epitaphs of pain at Jed. Her words so foul and full of bile they would make a grown sailor blush and cringe. Jed merely took it in stride, a smug smirk firmly plastered on his face. He had fulfilled his duty, the Fire Guardian was back and more full of vengeance then ever before.
As soon as they crawled over the cliffs edge an explosion sent them flying into the trees. Raye screamed in desperation as Jed was sent in the opposite direction. The landscape spun in a dizzy circle, as she was propelled into the night sky. Her body flailing and out of control, as the very peeks of near by pine trees struck her. Lashing her body like thousands of whips before she struck the hard earth like a dead weight. She groaned faintly, attempting to fight against unconsciousness but ultimately failing.
A bone deep chill had set in. It hurt to shiver yet she could do nothing else. She couldn't open her eyes, it was as if they were weighted shut. Or perhaps she was just to tired...she could barely think straight.
She remembered the void, how it had sapped away her energy leaving her wishing for death. Then the explosion...then blackness again. Pain crept over her, through her, the intensity pounding against every nerve and muscle in her body. A soft moan escaped before she could call it back.
"Raye...Raye..." Again someone was calling her name. It took her a moment to realize that it was Jed.
They had been separated during the explosion, but he had found her again. "You gotta get up, girl! You got a world to save." His relentless commitment to keeping her safe. To push her forward towards her true purpose...protecting her...so she could protect Serenity, this planet and all the people who lived upon it.
His strength surrounded her, warmth and energy flooded into her. So comforting and fortifying it shook her to her core. "Raye!" He shouted. His voice was deep, rough and slightly breathless from pain. He had become her knight, rescuing her from this darkness..never giving up on her.
"Wake up, Raye. Let me see those gorgeous lavender eyes." He pleaded.
Rayes brow wrinkled and she tried to process her surroundings. She could hear the rapid fire of guns, the manic shouts of soldiers mixed with the guttural howls of Onii. She was afraid to open her eyes.
Afraid that the world had ended while she had been imprisoned. That she was to late to save her Princess, that all of her friends were now dead and the Dark Queens armies were now overrunning the mountainside. That she had failed once again...she wasn't strong enough to endure another life that ended in failure.
A gentle hand stroked her cheek, carefully pushing away her hair. Tucking it tenderly behind her ears.
Such warmth, such devotion it soothed her like a balm. He was giving her the will to live on, to strive forwards. She needed to fight! It took everything she had to conquer her fear and open her eyes. Sunlight bloomed over the peek of the mountain, more intense then what the natural star could give off. It bathed the whole mountain in a mock daylight, that blinded her momentarily.
The brilliance stabbed into her eyes and seared her heart with dread.
"Mina..." She gasped.
"I need you to come back to me, Raye. I need you to wake up and get your ass in gear. Your hurt, I know. But neither of us has time to assess how badly." He coaxed.
"I know..." She ground out, her body screaming as she rolled onto her side. Her eyes snapped fully open and lips parted in a silent scream as breath rushed out of her. Her chest jerking violently with the effort to breathe. Her ribs were broken.
She inclined her head to the side to regard Jed, when bullets shattered the earth beside her.
Jed cursed vehemently as he knelt beside her, aimed his rifle into the treeline and squeezing off several rounds.
"Damn it, Raye. We can't just stand here like fucking targets." He grasped her arm and dragged her under cover between a set of boulders.
She barely managed to stammer out a defiant vow that she could move herself. It hurt to much to talk, to breathe. More of her was broken, not just her ribs maybe an arm..a wrist. She couldn't assess the damage, they was simply to much to process right now.
"Who's out there?" she breathed in a heavy voice.
"More of Beryl's death squads, their killing both Onii and Rebels. It's a fucking war zone here and we are right in the middle of it!" Jed cursed.
She stared up at him in panic, as he leaned over the side of the large rock they had found cover behind. Hurling what seemed to be a grenade into the dark forest. He was bleeding heavily from a nasty gash against his right hip. Dark fluid was pooling around his waist making his green fatigues cling against his skin. Cuts and bruises covered his face, yet his blue eyes were fierce...determined. He was not going to let anything happen to her, he would protect her until she was strong enough to defend herself again. Tears gathered in her eyes, she could do nothing for him. He was mortally wounded, how she did not know but perhaps a branch had impaled him when he fell? A deep shudder rolled through her body, as he continued to fire blindly into the trees. The tears that had pooled at the corners of her eyes finally began to fall down her cheeks. He would give his life for hers with out a regret. He truly was a brave, honourable man...a true knight.
"Raye, I want you to listen to me." His voice was calm, oddly soothing. The tone was that of a man, who understood his fate and accepted it. He had played his role to the end, he needed to see her off. So that she could complete her own destiny.
"I will lay down some cover fire, while you run. Head north along the ridge, it will take you up to a narrow animal trail that I used to get down here. " Jed instructed.
"Jed..." She whispered, he had pinned her in between to boulders. Crouching over her, protecting her as she gathered her wits again. She couldn't believe his bravery, his self sacrifice. In the short time she had come to know him. He had always been the smart ass, the least serious of the four men. More prone to shoot a joke then a bullet.
He paid her a brief look, his blue eyes warm with understanding. She touched his face, cupping his cheek that was slightly fuzzy from a few days worth of facial hair. "If you can stay alive until the end of this. I promise, Venus and I will give you a night to remember, just as we promised back at the hotel." She smiled sweetly up at him, wanting to instill in him an incentive worth staying alive for. He would be fighting against all odds to make it out of this.
"That's a promise, I'll keep you too." he chuckled, his eyes flying wide in both alarm and happiness. As Raye leaned upward, pressing her lips tenderly against his. Giving him a taste of what was to come between them if he survived. Her kiss was sweet, passionate and it promised so much more. As quickly as her kiss began she pulled away. "Thank you." She called, before rolling onto her feet and sprinting at full speed away from cover and into the trees.
Heading away from the fighting, her legs pumping, ignoring the pain searing through her body.
Heat like no other ignited soul deep within her. It began to engulf every muscle of her body, coursing like lava through her veins. Raye kept running, enduring the pain, pushing back the fear that perhaps this time her genesis would consume her. Gunfire exploded all around her, tearing through the bark of nearby trees. Shouts and howls echoed from the darkness, but she paid them no heed.
She had reclaimed her true purpose and in doing so had forsaken all mortal fears and doubts. Her princess needed her, this time she would protect her and this earth. The future kingdom was at hand and she was determined to see it given life. This time the tainted Queen would fall and Neo Queen Serenity would rise from her ashes. When the upper ridge came into sight, Raye did not falter in her steps but ran with purpose to the edge. Leaping into the air, as holy fire engulfed her body and she rose into the air like a phoenix. Twin wings burst from her back, black as pitch and iridescent in their splendour. The feather's were slender and fine like tendrils of smoke.
Her torn and battered clothing was replaced by a deep red leather armour. Accented with silver buckles and belts that held it in place upon her slender frame. With narrow shoulder guards and wrist braces, etched with the symbol of Mars. At her hip hung a long sword, the hilt in the shape of a spirit raven's skull, upon her back was a magnificent bow. Most of her dark hair was now twisted and braided into a crown upon her head, the rest fluttered like a dark cape down her back. She had ascended into her full goddess form, prepared to confront what lay ahead thanks to Jed's courage and sacrifice. She would avenge him and very other innocent soul who had been caught up in this selfish war. She caught the wind and soared into the night sky towards the peek of the mountain. Her destiny lay ahead of her and she did not fear it...she welcomed it.