Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Sailor Moon.
A/N: Hi all. Thank you all for reading. I'm sorry that I take so long to update. Please enjoy this new chapter.
CHAPTER FOUR
-Lost Light-
The wind sang into his ear as he walked through it. His hair flowed, the silken ends caressed by an unseen hand in the dark. His eyes glow a deep purple as he watched the night wake from its deep slumber, felt its cold kiss upon his face. The leaves of the trees rustled as he brushed past them and not so far away, a lone wolf howled. He looked up and saw only a dark empty space that stretched out endlessly to more dark empty spaces. His eyes scanned the sky as if in search for something and he looked away, eyes glazing with grieve for he like the wolf had gazed at nothing.
He walked further into the bowels of the forest which grew denser with each step he took. Soon, he came upon a writhing nest of thorn and dead bramble, creeping upwards like the heads of serpents. It shivered and hissed defiantly as he parted the thick brush and stepped through it, revealing an old stone entrance within. Dirt and grime caked between the conjoining lines where stone met stone, each and every one of them beaten and weathered by the harsh flow of age and time. He stood before the heavy wooden door where at the top, the shape of a round insignia was carved deep into it, its metallic body equally bronzed by the trickling drop of years.
A rusty hinge creaked heavily as the wooden door was pushed open and the man with the dark hair walked into the dusty corridor where murk and musk meet in a long-awaited dance. In the shadows was a flight of stone steps that spiraled upwards. The man let out a long sigh before he made the first step, trailing his long dark cloak across the dusty floor in his slow ascend towards the top. Each step he took led his mind through the tunnel of a memory. Time was unwound and he could hear a soft buzzing which soon grew to cheers of thousands.
"Long live the Queen!" A sea of people with silver hair churned like an endless wave before the Moon Palace where a roar of excitement shook the land.
Finally, she appeared, her hair shimmering like diamonds in water as she stood upon a round pedestal, wrapped in an ever-flowing gown. Moonlight shone through her skin and everyone beheld her glow in high reverence. She showered her people with her light, purifying them as they danced in celebration.
"Long live the Moon Queen!" They cheered once more as the Moon Queen, aided by her loyal guardian, resided back into her chamber where she would rest. She smiled at her guardian and he saw that her eyes were windows to the summer skies. He took in her scent as she went on her toes to kiss him goodnight on his cheek and he watched the last of her trailing dress disappear behind her door.
With a stroke of his hand, he waved it in mid-air and created a magical barrier before the Moon Queen's door. "You have been chosen as the Moon Queen's protector," he had been told many moon turns away. For among the thousands of moon people, he was entrusted with the duty as the Moon Queen's loyal aid and guardian. "You have the purest heart," she had told him when he asked why he had been chosen. "Only the one with a pure heart can stay within the light for long periods of time without getting blinded by it. That's just the way it is," she had told him and he vowed to keep close to her light for as long as he live.
Through the tiny gaps of the door, he could hear the queen's soft sighs as sleep took over her and he watched her light pulsate like the gentle heartbeat of a firefly before it dimmed to a faint soothing glow. Satisfied that her safety would be kept in check by his magic, he retreated back to his own chamber where he would wait for his queen's next rising moment.
The top was a dark circular room and he was surprised that he still remembered it so vividly. It was exactly how he had left it and not a single detail had changed except for the dust that had settled over the years and the colors of the fabrics have dulled. His eyes wavered around the center of the room before they dropped to the floor. There it lay lifelessly. The last of her essence had dissipated from it long time ago and now it was just a piece of rag waiting to be reclaimed.
Why am I here? he wondered as the pain of guilt and regret throbbed in his chest. A soft breeze blew through a tiny window, beckoning him towards it. He tried not to look out for he knew what he would see. But it was already too late and the round lifeless thing that hung in the night sky took hold of his eyes. Only when the pain in his chest became too unbearable did he look away from the window. It's been too long since he last visited the tower, only to be left wandering around this land to which he has been stranded on. He walked towards a rocking chair and dust flew as he tilted it backwards. It creaked back to life as it rocked and his memories continued to unfold.
"My queen…" the Moon Queen's loyal guardian began.
"Please, Fighter. Have you forgotten?"
There was a long pause and he looked at his queen. She was serious about her request that she had made a while back and knowing her, she won't take no for an answer. He abided by her, strings of his long silver hair hanging wispily as he bowed and awkwardly addressed her by her name.
"That's better," the Moon Queen smiled. But he could see that there was something else glazing in her eyes. "Fighter, how long have you been in my service?" She asked, hand cupped over his face.
"Two hundred thousand and one moon turns," he replied.
"And do you know what happens during the two hundred thousand and second moon turn?"
He nodded, "a new moon queen is to be born."
The Moon Queen took his free hand and guided it to her cheek. He watched silently as she brushed his hand with her fair face. "And you know what you must do?" She asked once she had her eyes locked on his, beckoning for his answer.
The silver-haired guardian felt a lump in his throat and tried to push it down. There was a tightness that was starting to coil like a serpent around his heart. He felt the breath crushed out of his lungs, rendering him unfit to answer. But the queen patiently waited and her eyes that bore the summer skies brought him comfort.
"I will carry your dying body to the lonely tower that stands on Earth and place you down where I will await for the new moon's birth. And with my life I will protect her within the tower until she is whole and ready to rise back and give light to our people."
The Moon Queen looked at Fighter and nodded in satisfaction at his answer. "I remember your father," she told him. "I remember the sound of his voice that soared through the galaxy and gave birth to stars. He sang about the coming of a pure heart and that was centuries before your arrival. I remember how surprised he looked when he learned that he had been singing about his only son.
Fighter remembered the tale well. His father had been known for his beautiful voice. And with his songs, the skies surrounding the moon had been filled with countless stars. They said that one night he sang so loud that the vibration of his voice knocked a star off the sky and fell onto his hands. Not knowing what else to do, he brought it home as a gift to his wife who was soon found to be with child.
"What is your real name, Fighter?"
"It's Seiya…" he told her.
"Seiya…" she repeated, the sound of his name dancing upon her lips. "I'm so glad to have met you."
The lump in his throat travelled to the base of his tongue and before his queen, he cried.
"Seiya!"
He almost lost his footing and could have plunged to his death below if she hadn't grabbed onto him for dear life. "Seiyaseiyaseiya! What took you so long!" He tried not to laugh at the sight before him: Her crossed eyebrows and puffed cheeks, trying her very best to look as angry as she can. But he knew that she was only feigning it. The truth is she felt extremely lonely without him around and for that he felt guilty.
"I'm sorry, Serenity. You said you wanted berries and they were hard to find." He said as he stepped into the tower with a basket full of red berries in his hand. Serenity squealed in delight when she saw them and took the basket away, forgetting about her anger. As she delighted herself in the berries, Seiya could not help but notice the striking resemblance she bore with the last Moon Queen. Fifteen moon turns have passed since her birth and her hair now hung in thick silver locks that could reach the bottom of the tower. If neither one of them was careful, something unexpected might just climb up. But such thoughts were only kept away at the back of his mind. For now, all that he cared about was the joy her summer blue eyes brought to him.
"Seiya," she began.
"Hmm?" He sat at the rocking chair, his long silver hair tugged back in a pony tail. He was getting ready to continue with the knitting of her new dress.
"When can we go back to the moon?"
"Not in another moon turn, and once your dress is done. So before that, why don't you share with me one of your lovely stories?"
Young Serenity pondered for a moment before she looked at her guardian and began. "I've been having some strange dreams."
"Dreams?"
Serenity nodded, the silver curls bouncing off the sides of her face as she did. "I was standing in front of the window and a person would appear. A person like you and me… I think it was more like you because it was tall and strong-looking and it had hair like the wings of a blackbird."
"Judging by your description, that person would be a 'he' not an 'it'." Seiya said.
"He?"
"Yes. You're a 'she'. A 'he' and a 'she' are very different." Seiya added.
"How different?"
Seiya's fingers dropped what they were working on, and his eyes darted around as if in some corner of the room would lay his answer. Never before had he find the need to explain to Serenity the most intimate workings of the body. He was after all a man and how can a man share such knowledge to a growing woman? Such a job requires that of a woman and he was no woman! Alas! Maybe he should have taken the goddess oath before coming down to earth. The goddess oath would have prepared him for such difficult tasks that only a woman could carry. But the thought of living in the form of a woman for sixteen moon turns was too much for him to bear. He thought, what could possibly happen that is worst of for a man? Well, Seiya, this is what happened. To answer a simple question like what's the difference between a 'he' and a 'she'. Hah!
"Well… we're just different. Look at me. I'm what you consider a 'he'. I have a broader chest and bigger shoulders. I have a sharper jaw and I look scarier than you. I have a deeper voice and I can't squeal."
"What's that supposed to mean!"
Seiya chuckled. "I mean you have a nicer voice." His hands returned to their work and he asked, "anything else happened in your dream?"
Serenity shook her head, "no." She walked up towards Seiya and kissed him on his cheek, "I think I'll rest now."
Seiya watched as the silver-haired future Moon Queen tucked herself beneath her covers and for a split second, he could see a soft light radiating from her skin before it ebbed away. She's almost ready, he thought. And he prayed with all his heart for the sixteenth moon turn to quickly arrive.
"Endy… mion…" A soft whisper escaped from under the covers.
Seiya stared at Serenity. No, she's still asleep. Was she dreaming of that man again? Was that who she was calling for? Is it possible to not only conjure an imaginary person in a dream but to also give it a name? What was it? Endymion? That's an awfully familiar name. Where have he heard it before? Seiya closed his eyes and tried to recall but everything was just a white empty space and as soon as his thoughts took a toll on him, he fell into a deep sleep.
Tomorrow is the night. The sixteenth moon turn was in one more night. The dress was complete and he had left the tower after instructing Serenity to put it on for her return to her true home. He could already feel the anticipation of the moon people. He knew they have been waiting for this moment as long as he did. Serenity's light had been growing stronger as the moon inched towards its final turn. And tonight when the moon makes its full sixteenth turn, her light would be at its purest. Then they can finally return home.
"I will return at the first light of dawn and we will prepare for your return." He had told her before leaving her alone in the tower. He had stopped by his favorite spot in the Elysion forest, his home for most of his time on earth when he was away from the tower. He wanted to bid the forest good bye. "I'll be going home tomorrow night. Farewell, keepers of the forest. Farewell, lovely earth. I will continuously watch you from where I'll be." And as if an answer to his farewell, a red rose bloomed before him, its petals spread out in a wide embrace-like gesture. Seiya smiled in gratitude, knowing that the forest had enjoyed his visit as much as he and it was wishing him well in its own forest language. "Thank you," he said lastly and began to make his way back to the tower. As he did, his eyes gazed upon the round silver disc that floated above him. He noticed something strange happening. The moon have stopped turning and its light was fading.
What's happening? he thought suddenly as he felt his legs weakening and everything else seemed so awfully dark. Serenity! came his next thought. And tried as he might, he pushed his weak legs forward, stumbling at every step he made. His thought was fixed fully on Serenity that he did not notice the silver fading from the very tips of his hair.
"Serenity!" he shouted as he neared the tower. He soon saw that he was not alone.
"Who are you?" one intruder asked and Seiya saw that his hair was as white as snow, but did not radiate light like his kind. Earthians! he realized with despair. How could this happen? Haven't I placed barriers around the tower so that no Earthians could possibly come close?
"Answer me!" The white-haired Earthian boomed.
"He must be the moon lady's guardian," said another who had long wavy locks as dark as the roots of a tree.
The white-haired Earthian raised an eyebrow at Seiya, "is that true?"
Seiya could only nod. How do they know of Serenity?
"Well, I'm sorry to say that you are now relieved of your duties."
What?
"He still looks confused, Sir Malakhe." said a third who had a feminine edge to his voice.
"There is nothing to be confused about. Look at him! The myth is true!"
"What are you talking about?" Seiya finally could not resist the urge to ask.
"Have you not noticed that the light is gone from your hair?"
Seiya glanced down where locks of his hair spill over his front in the blackest form he has ever seen. He grabbed clumps of it and stared, disbelief pouring from his eyes.
"You have our pity," the Earthian called Malakhe said. "There is nothing worse than failing your duty as protector. But we have our own duty to fulfill, for you see, we serve Endymion, king of Elysion."
Endymion! Such revelation was like a slap in the face! Seiya collapsed to his knees and mourned for he finally understood the true meaning of her dream. It had been no dream but magic and that magic had taken her away. The dying moon loomed above him like an eye of contempt and Seiya watched helplessly as a herd of dark clouds shunned it from his sight. My people! He wailed.
"Just end his misery already," said a fourth voice but Seiya did not look back to see. Without a word, Malakhe walked up to the kneeling man, lost and weakened from despair. "Forgive me," he said as he struck his sword through Seiya's back and out again, sending along a pool of red. Before all his senses faded away, he saw a white light from the corner of his eye spilling before the grass before him. He imagined himself reaching out to grab it but as the last of his breath left him, so did the silver locks of light he had failed to keep.
He opened his eyes to the sound of the forest stirring. Pools of the morning light dappled around him. Wake up! it cried in its forest tongue. Seiya did as he was told and felt his chest where he remembered vividly, an Earthian sword had struck through. He cannot die. That was one of his gifts when he was charged with the duty to protect the Moon Queen. He cannot die unless the Moon Queen stated so. Even when all the lights go out and the moon dies, as long as he was not released by the Moon Queen herself, he can never die. Alas, he was to be stranded on this land for all eternity.
Do not despair, you have us. The forest rustled around him.
"Yes, thank you." Seiya looked up into the tower, his eyes strained to see past the dark hole that seemed to stare back at him mockingly. There is nothing there! he heard the forest cry, beseeching him not to go. "I must go, I must face what's up there." He said and the forest begged no more.
He left the stone tower, still shaken by the reawakening of his memories. Stumbling through the forest, he fell forward and when he looked up, there she was. Her hair shone like gold. Her eyes were huge and bore the light of the summer skies.
Are you real? he wondered, recalling the sound of a fairy's voice that harmonized with a dance of her feet.
When he opened his eyes again, there was no blonde beauty before him. Instead, a single stalk of red rose stared back at him, its petals spread out revealing its heart to him. You are not alone, it seemed to say. "There's something about her, isn't there?" he asked the rose. "I must see her again," Seiya whispered and he listened to the forest rustle as if to say, 'Go.'
Finally he stood up and slowly, he plunged into the curtain of light.