Chapter Thirty-Eight

Monster

Wow! Thank you so much for the amazing reviews for Ever After! Thank you for the amazing feedback from all of you who reviewed and favorite my recently completed short story, The Lords of Lancaster. Thank you so much and I truly appreciate the love my stories have received from all of you! Now, in the Part III of Ever After, all of your questions will be answered. Part III has no fillers. Everything happens for a reason. With that said, I present to you the next chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.

In another dimension and galaxy, there was a white plant with three suns that was surrounded by floating asteroids in space. This planet was called Snowden known for its harsh blizzards and snowstorms all year long. It was always daylight, and snow blanketed the entire terrain of the planet. The citizens of Snowden were called the Snowberries. They were a happy race of warm-blooded people who knew how to live in a cold climate environment. Their skins were pale and white as the snow and their eyes were black marbles. They were giants ranging from six to eight feet tall. They dressed plainly. Females wore plain black gowns and men had long beards with long sleeved high-collared shirts tucked in brown slacks with suspenders. They dressed in winter clothes. The children, who were about five feet tall, giggled and for fun skated on the frozen lake, built snowmen, raced sleighs, and made snow angels in the snow.

Alexandra arrived there with her daughter eight years ago falling out of the portal onto the snow. The baby cried as they walked for miles through the snow blizzard. Alexandra held the baby tightly to her bosom and underneath her clothes trying to keep her baby warm. She found a small cave under a large fallen tree. Alexandra slept there for several hours creating a small fire with her dark magic. She could not use her powers too often. Dragon would find her and every time she used her powers, which were a gift from him, he could find her location wherever she was. It was the only reason she figured he allowed her to keep her powers. Her baby cooed. Alexandra smiled down at the small child suckling on her breast. Any other child would probably have frozen to death, but her little Kimberly was a special child. She fell asleep with her baby asleep in her arms.

Bright and early the next day, Alexander was happy to see that the blizzard had ended. She walked for several miles through the heavy snow until she came across a tall wooden cabin with smoke coming from the chimney. An exhausted Alexandra willed herself to walk towards the cabin. She knocked on the large wooden door. A butch mean-looking woman with harsh facial features answered the door. Her skin was white as the snow covering the land of the planet. Her marble black eyes were icy cold. Her forehead etched in permanent frown lines with a few wrinkles covering her hard face. Her mouth etched with frown lines. She had a big hairy mole on the side of her big nose. Her balding and thin brown hairline was brushed back into a tight small bun. The woman was about six foot eight inches tall with big hands with long fingers and hairy knuckles. She had a shapeless, rectangle shaped body and wore a simple long-sleeved black dress. She spoke in a language that sounded so harsh and unpleasant to the ears that Alexandra thought the woman was yelling at her as spit flew out her mouth as she spoke. Alexandra slowly started to understand the language.

The woman said, "-You look tired and exhausted. Your clothes are inappropriate for this type of weather. Come in, child…" The woman moved to the side. An exhausted Alexandra walked in and moaned as she embraced the warmness of the house before collapsing on the floor and everything turned black. She could hear her daughter screaming.

She woke up hours later in a long cot against the wall. She had no idea how long it had been since it was still daylight and the house had no clocks. She slowly sat up and then remembered she had daughter. She panicked when she saw she now was clad in a white long-sleeved gown and her baby was gone.

The woman came in holding Kimberly in her arms. Kimberly was happy as she sucked on the milk bottle the woman had made for her. Alexandra smiled.

The tall woman's name was Akyra and she lived alone. Her husband had died years ago and her sons were now grown men with families of their own and lived in different towns on Snowden. She asked Alexandra their names. Alexandra told her their names. Akyra was a tough woman. She would not allow Alexandra to sit around and do nothing. She made her clean and wash dishes. She brought Alexandra appropriate winter attire and a proper black dress and combed her long dark hair back into a tight bun and covered it with a white bonnet. She told Alexandra that she must never go outside without her head covered. On Sundays, they went to church. The Snowberries' god named was Ull, god of snow. Alexandra was reluctant to go afraid that Ull would burn her daughter and her to death for stepping in his house. But he did not. It was the first time Alexandra realized that she was not evil. She had Dragon's powers because he filled her with them every night to feed their baby, which was slowly seeping out of her body. She was not evil and neither was Kimberly. He had to keep her pure in order to bear the children of a descendent of the ultimate good. Kimberly could turn good or evil, and as long as she kept her daughter away from her father, her daughter remained good.

The community of Snowden reminded her of the simplicity of an Amish life throughout the entire planet. Their communities were small and they lived simple lives. They worked all week and attended church on Sundays. Women and men married and started families and their children grew up and did the same thing. No one was ambitious or wanted more than a simple life. They enjoyed the dullness and sameness of their lives. Alexandra had to do chores everyday while Kimberly stayed in a play pin happy and growing. She even made friends with the other children since all the children in town attended school in the same one room building used for church on Sundays.

Alexandra found herself on her knees praying to god every day to wash her of her wicked ways and protect her daughter. Alexandra was even baptized.

Alexandra grew closer to Akyra every day and Kimberly loved the woman too. She started to notice the way that Akyra looked at her. It was simple things like when she let her long ebony locks down and washed it in a bowl of warm water or the way Akyra's eyes landed and lingered on her neck. The simple way her hands would caress Alexandra's bare skin when she helped her into her clothes.

One night, it was extremely cold and Kimberly lied asleep next to them in the crib. A warm fire crackled in the fireplace giving the room an orange reddish glow. Akyra asked her to come over and lie with her since it was warmer in her bed. Alexandra did as she lied on the side looking at the fireplace and her baby's crib in front of her. She sighed in content. She felt Akyra's arm wrapped around her waist as Akyra cuddled against her.

Alexandra said as Akyra softly caressed her skin, "I've never been with a woman before."

Akyra said, "Me either." Her hand slipped underneath Alexandra's dress hiking up her skirt as she softly caressed back up Alexandra's creamy long legs until she caressed the soft hairs between Alexandra's soft thighs. Akyra aggressively slipped her big hand into Alexandra's panties. Alexandra bit her bottom lip stifling a soft moan as Akyra began attacking her clit with her finger in quick, circular motions causing Alexandra to become wet and sensitive all over. She panted quietly as Akyra began thrusting one long finger then two in and out of her wet core while rubbing against her rock hard clit. Alexandra was surprised when she felt herself quickly becoming soaking wet. She never would have thought a woman could arouse her like this. She began to grind her ass against Akyra's arousal as Akyra continued to rapidly thrust her fingers in and out of Alexandra while skillfully unbuttoning Alexandra's blouse with the other hand. She unbuttoned the first four buttons and slipped her cold large hand inside of Alexandra's blouse. She roughly pulled down her paper thin bra as Alexandra's large breasts bounced free from their confinements. She fondled Alexandra's breasts with her large hand as she increased her thrusts inside of her as Alexandra panted loudly. Her body jerked uncontrollably from the growing orgasm overtaking her body. She whimpered quietly biting down her bottom lip and gripped down the sheets. Alexandra whimpered like a puppy as her body shook uncontrollably as a powerful orgasm ripped through her body. She panted quietly as she looked across the room at her sleeping child. Akyra was not done with her yet as she roughly turned Alexandra's face towards her. Alexandra closed her eyes as Akyra kissed her hard on the mouth. Alexandra found herself opening her mouth to receive her and hungrily kissing Akyra back. They quietly and hastily undressed one another and Alexandra made love to a woman for the first time.

Over the years, they built a happy life together and Kimberly grew to call both of them mother. Alexandra's dark powers faded away one day and she still looked like Alexandra. She no longer cared. Alexandra was happy in her life with Akyra. Akyra truly loved her in an unconditional and pure way unlike Endymion and Dragon. Endymion wanted her to worship the ground he walked on, accept his indiscretions, and only have an opinion that matched his own. Dragon only wanted her to bear his daughter to destroy the world. Under his spell, she loved him and accepted as he bedded his other wives and concubines without complaint. Once she gave birth to their daughter, he no longer gave a damn and let her die.

She grinned with pleasure when she made love to Akyra on the kitchen sink leaving Alexandra dripping wet. Akyra dropped to her knees and sucked her dry until Alexandra screamed out loud from another potent orgasm tearing through her body. They remained silent about their relationship when they walked into town together. It was a moral sin to be together the way they were in private in their small community. To be found out, they would be both exiled and banished to isolation. Alexandra laughed thinking she would love to spend every day alone with Akyra. Akyra was not so happy. She told her that being isolated was lonely and most people who were isolated died from loneliness or killed themselves and went to Hell.

Rumors started to circulate about them, especially when Kimberly referred to them both as her mommies. For eight years, they lived together and they walked around the community with innocent faces. But every once in a while, they let it slip and stared at one another lustfully. Rumors circulated about Alexandra. Men desired her and prayed to Ull to rid themselves of their wanton temptations. Even in modest clothes, her beautiful face still shined. She tried to be innocent but her wickedness came out. Sometimes she would have to stop herself from flirting with the men. Some people recalled seeing her dancing in the snow dressed in a white gown with her hair down dancing lustfully in the way her hips swayed and body moved. Many men in the community asked her for her hand in marriage and she politely declined. One person claimed that when he was delivering milk he caught her and Akyra in the act. They were kissing and being very inappropriate through the window in Akrya's cabin.

Alexandra's long wild dark hair whipped wildly around her as she arched her body as her big, round breasts bounced up and down as she rode on top of Akyra. Akyra grabbed and squeezed Alexandra's large breasts as their hard throbbing clits rubbed against one another. Kimberly played in the other room with her doll made out of straw. Alexandra bent forward as Akyra's large hand cupped and squeezed her butt before caressing her soft, smooth back and playing with Alexandra's long hair. Alexandra's wild black hair softly brushed against Akyra's skin. She hungrily sucked and devoured Akyra's small and sagging breasts in her mouth. Alexandra did not care because she cared deeply for her. She lifted her head and kissed Akyra's mouth softly and sensually on the mouth as their tongues licked and tangled with one another. Their soft mouths broke apart then hungrily came back together as Alexandra's slipped her hand between Akyra's thighs and massaged her clit. Akyra's wiggled around underneath her panting heavily as Alexandra's continued to kiss her between breaths.

The doors busted open with angry villagers holding pitchforks and torches pulling Alexandra's naked body off of Akyra as she kicked and screamed. She heard Akyra screamed as some of the villagers stayed behind in the room. Kimberly cried as the villagers dragged her mother out of the house. Alexandra called out for Kimberly as one of the men grabbed the small child as she kicked and screamed for her mother.

They held the child back as Alexandra stared at her daughter with a pleading look not to use her powers. Alexandra cried out for Akyra until she heard a gunshot wound and Akyra no longer made a noise. Alexandra sobbed as a man walked out holding a shotgun. The men tossed Alexandra onto the cold snow and started kicking and brutally beating her into a bloody pulp. Spitting on her and calling her a whore, slut and witch that had corrupted their town. Two of the men tossed the flaming torches inside of the house setting the small wooden cabin on fire. Another man brutally punched Alexandra in the face until she lost consciousness.

When she came to, she heard the sounds of angry villagers with pitchforks and burning torches yelling at her and calling her a witch that deserves to burn in hell. Alexandra tried to move and found out that she was tied tightly with rope from the chest down and on a high pole with a pile of fire sticks around her bare feet. She was dressed in a thin white tunic and her hair hung loosely around her. Her face was bloody and disfigured from her beating. She tried to wiggle free, but she found herself unable to move. They were charging her with witchcraft.

Kimberly with her long black hair and dark eyes raced towards the crowd in her black dress. She pushed and shoved her way through the angry crowd. She cried, "Mother!" She found herself being pushed back and blocked. The church minister, a bearded man dressed in a black robe shouted, "Let her die by burning until her sins are eradicated!"

Kimberly screamed, "Mother! Mother!" She was being pushed farther away. She saw one of the villagers lowered a burning torch on the sticks and smoke came. Soon the pile of sticks was engulfed in flames.

Alexandra moaned as she panicked as she felt the heat on her skin as the fire grew larger. Kimberly screamed, "Mother!"

Alexandra looked up. Her body covered in sweat. She saw the rage in her daughter's eyes. Alexandra saw her daughter's face turned lifeless. Her eyes turned from black to red. Her long black hair turned dark purple and began to float around her. Kimberly held up her hands as a blue aura surrounded her body. Alexandra yelled out loud, "Kimberly no!"

Kimberly looked at the crowd angrily who was chanting for her mother's demise. She let out a banshee scream. Alexandra turned her head. The windows shattered of all of the buildings around them as a powerful windstorm crashed down from the sky onto the village. The villagers ran away in panic as some of their ears bled and some of their head exploded from her powerful scream as their red blood splattered across the white snow. Alexandra looked in horror as she watched her daughter murdered the villagers by calling forth fire and lightening from the sky striking each of the villagers down. She heard their screams as they ran away, but they were marked by death and every last one of them would die.

Dragon grinned as he felt his daughter's powers finally after eight years of searching for her. He laughed as he quickly opened a dark portal and sent his armies to retrieve the girl. He grinned with satisfaction as his daughter opened up her heart to him. He saw things through her eyes. He saw her mother burning at the stake as she screamed which gave him great pleasure. When she died, he would personally make her afterlife a living hell for deceiving him.

Alexandra lost consciousness as the fire consumed her body. Kimberly watched her mother burned to death. She screamed lifting out her hands as the snow moved around her and formed as powerful blizzard drenching the fire and burying the entire town in snow.

Kimberly looked around and saw that her mother's body was gone. She turned around and saw that she was surrounded by twelve demons in black armor. She looked around at the twelves demons surrounding her and asked, "Who are you and what have you done to my mother?"

An extremely tall young demon dressed in black with smooth blue skin and piercing dark marble eyes approached her. An ugly large red scar was slashed across his face. His head was perfectly round and bald except from the black mullet on top of his head ended in a long ponytail down his back. He knelt before her with his arm resting on his knee. He said, "Your majesty, we come in peace. We are your loyal servants not enemies."

Kimberly asked skeptically, "Who are you?" She assumed he was the leader.

Jeth looked up and said, "I am Jeth, captain of the devil's army and your brother."

Kimberly looked confused, "What?"

Jeth rose. "You were kidnapped by your mother a long time ago. We have been searching for you for years."

"Kidnapped?" She could not believe that Alexandra kidnapped her. She was a decent mother.

Jeth nodded. "Yes, princess, she stole you from your family, and we want you back. Our father wants you back."

Kimberly tilted her head in confusion. "Father? Brother?" Her mother never mentioned any of these things to her. She looked around and could no longer see her mother. Her mother told her that they had no other family besides Akyra. She grew angry when the villagers murdered her mother. Now, everything was silent and covered with snow. The town or the people no longer existed.

"Come back home with us, princess. We can teach you how to use your powers."

Kimberly frowned. Her mother taught her all her life to control the darkness that was inside of her. She hated that she had to hide who see really was. "No, I have no desire for you to teach me to conceal my powers."

Jeth gave her a wicked smile. "We don't want you to conceal them. We want you to unleash them like you just did to the hypocrites who murdered your mother."

Jeth pointed in the distance as she saw her mother's burnt corpse. Her body suffered with fourth degree burns. Her hair was burned off along with the majority of her skin. She lied lifeless on the snow-white ground.

Kimberly cried. She screamed as she raced over to her mother. She rushed to her mother and knelt towards her. She was not breathing. Her body was stiff. Kimberly cried over her mother's body and said, "Mother, please wake up!"

Jeth held up his hand to his soldiers signaling them to stay where they were. His red cape floated behind him in the harsh wind as he walked over to his sister and the whore he once thought of as a mother. His father eradicated the evil that she had instilled upon him with her wicked and lustful ways. She used him to get out of hell knowing she had no intentions of taking him with her. He returned to hell where his father tortured him for five weeks and greeted him by slashing his face with the strike of his claws. Every time he looked in the mirror, he was reminded of his betrayal of his father. His father removed him of his title as prince and made him one of his minions. He gave his crown to another one of his sons Belial as the ruler of the South region of hell.

Jeth said spitefully, "She deserved this death."

Kimberly looked up at him in disbelief. "What?"

Jeth said, "She was an immoral woman. She was wicked and that is why these creatures destroyed her. She is no better than the weaklings of this planet."

Kimberly whispered, "I know she wasn't perfect, but I loved her." She said angrily, "Her death upsets me."

Jeth grinned as he knelt next to the child. "Bring her back to life."

Kimberly turned to him. "How?"

Jeth said, "Your will shall be done. You are all powerful, princess. You control the elements of fire, earth, wind, and air even life and death. Whatever you command shall come to be."

Kimberly turned back to her mother. She said quiet, "Awaken." Alexandra's finger slowly moved. Her dead heart started pounding again. Alexandra's eyes popped opened startling Kimberly. Alexandra screamed before calming down. She sat up in confusion. She looked at body and saw that it was covered in burns. Her body and wounds healed until she looked like Alexandra again except for one thing. She reached up and touched her hair. Her hair was shorter. The fire burnt off her hair and it was now the length of her neck looking very wild and unkempt. Her ends were uneven and fried too. She looked around and saw Kimberly then Jeth and twelve of Dragon's soldiers.

Kimberly smiled. "Hello mother."

Alexandra turned to Jeth. He was pure evil. There was no trace of good inside of him and from the hatred in his eyes she knew that Dragon had poisoned him against her.

Alexandra pleaded with her daughter. She said touching her daughter's hand, "Kimberly, stay away from these people. They will turn you into a monster."

Kimberly jerked away from her mother like she was nothing to her. "They want to teach me to use my powers. Unlike you, who shamed me and told me I had to conceal my powers from these simpletons."

She looked around and saw that the now eerie, quiet town was covered in snow with no signs of human life. Alexandra said horrified, "You killed them all. They were harmless."

Kimberly yelled, "They killed you."

Alexandra lashed out, "I wanted them to." Kimberly looked shocked. "You think I could not save myself if I wanted to. You killed me the day you were born, but I died inside long before that." Kimberly looked back and saw the events again. Her mother let them drag her out of the room and beat her. Even without powers, her mother could have easily defended herself. She wanted to die. She wanted to leave her.

Alexandra covered her mouth and said apologetically, "I sorry my love. I did not mean those words." Kimberly stepped back from her mother as if she did not recognize this woman anymore. She was not the woman who travelled through a blizzard to save their lives. She was not the woman who played with her in the bathtub or helped her with her homework. She wasn't the woman who took care of her when she was sick or helped her build a snowman in the snow. She wasn't the woman who took her ice skating on the frozen lake as they spun around laughingly sticking out their tongues out as the snowflakes dropped on their tongues.

Kimberly backed away. Alexandra held out her hand towards Kimberly. Her legs were paralyzed and would not move. Kimberly yelled angrily, "Then die here alone."

Alexandra shouted, "Kimberly no! You can't leave me here to die like this!"

Kimberly said, "I am granting you your wish, mother." Alexandra watched as Kimberly disappeared along with Jeth and the soldiers leaving her alone on the planet.

Alexandra cried for the first time in a long time. She fell back on the ground as her body began to freeze. Her toes became numb and snow covered her body. She saw a dark figure walking towards her in a black hooded cloak covering their face. Alexandra smiled. Death was finally coming from her. She closed her eyes and allowed the coldness to take over her body.

King Endymion sat on his throne in Parliament as he watched the politicians bickered across the room at one another about passing a new law. King Endymion was older with frown lines permanently etched on his forehead. He was stronger and powerful. His blue eyes were hard and unyielding. He wore his ebony hair longer now and it reached his shoulders. He also wore a mustache goatee that made him look older and more menacing. He was still a handsome man. Women still found him desirable, but his boyish good looks and glow were gone. Years of drinking and unhappiness had aged the king.

He bedded maidens and sometimes married women hoping to feel something, but nothing ever came out of it. No joy. No pleasure. No relief. He felt dead inside and dictated his will with an iron fist and detached attitude. He was an unsympathetic king but fair. Every Elysian accused of a crime was given a fair trial. He allowed his kingdom to be run in a unicameral government. He remembered when his father King Damien was king back during the Golden Era of Elysian. He also made the humans feel included. There were elections and Elysians over the age of twenty-one who have received their immortality were allow to vote and decide who they wanted to represent them in office. The nobility, The House of Lords, whose families had ruled Elysian for eons strongly, disliked this law. Endymion informed the members of Parliament that the human Elysians needed to feel included in the decisions making process. They were in a new era now and change was necessary. Therefore, Endymion created the House of Mortals where common Elysians could vote for representatives to represent their regions located within the six counties of Ergon. Endymion listened on a regular basis as the House of Mortals and the House of Lords argued with one another. It bored him most of the time, but it allowed him to know what the citizens of Elysian wanted. He considered both sides of the argument before he made his final decision on deciding whether to approve of a new law or not.

As far as the law, each county had their only judicial system where Elysians were considered innocent until proven guilty and were allowed due process. Elysians went to universities and law schools to become lawyers and represent their fellow Elysian in court allowing the governor of the each city to decide whether or not, the lawyer has proven his clients innocent or not. The only time an Elysian was permitted to travel to Midas City to argue their case before the King was when they received the capital punishment of exile. Exile was a nice way of saying that you were going to be executed in whatever manner the government deemed fit for your crime. The worst capital punishment for exile was being teleported and dropped into the water world now known as Earth and dying a horrific death of drowning or being eaten alive by the sea creatures. Exile rarely happened and when it did occur, the King had the citizen exiled without listening to their argument.

After the session came to an end, King Endymion was relieved. He was driven back to the castle in the back of a black limousine as he watched the busy streets of Midas City. He saw children playing happily at the parks. Watching a father pushing his daughters on the swings in the park triggered a memory of a happier time when he used to bring Katie and Rini to the park as little girls, and they would beg him to push them. He reclined back in his seat and flipped open the newspapers. There was a small article on page six about a group of hoodlums calling themselves the Defenders of Earth vandalizing one of the nobility's homes near Luckington by spray painting their initials "DOE" on the front of the house. He frowned. He would definitely have to send more security to guard his children at school. He smiled when he flipped over to the society session and saw a smiling photograph of his brother and Mina with small article about their engagement and upcoming wedding underneath. They were finally getting married after a year of dating.

After finishing his daily duties as king and meeting with his advisors on suggestions on dealing with certain issues, an exhausted Endymion returned to his chambers ready for bed. He was surprised when saw a shadowy hooded figure standing over a woman's body in his bed. It looked like Death. Endymion worried then became upset ignoring the shadowy figure when he saw the woman's body on the bed. He did not ask for a brunette tonight. He asked for a fiery redhead named Lilith and ordered no one to disturb him. He enjoyed her mouth and she gave him great pleasure. Endymion finally addressed the hooded figure in a sharp cold voice, "What the hell are you doing in my chambers?"

The shadowy figure turned towards him. He stepped closer to the bed and his eyes widen when he saw that the unconscious woman in his bed was Alexandra, Serenity. Her now short dark hair looked horrible like she shocked herself with an electric socket. He looked up as the hooded figure taking off their hood. He froze when the figure revealed themselves to be a beautiful teenaged girl with shiny strawberry blonde hair in a half up half down ponytail. Her lips painted with red lipstick and light makeup enhancing her natural beauty. She had cute freckles on her cheeks and her neck was slender and elegant like a swan. He stood transfixed by her sapphire eyes that matched his own. He asked quietly afraid that he was dreaming, "Katie?"

Her alluring lips curved into a knowing smile. She said with bright eyes, "Hello father."

Endymion sighed in relief. His blue eyes brightened in a way they hadn't since the day she disappeared eight years ago. She smiled as he rushed over to her. She rushed over to him meeting him halfway. He embraced her as he held her tightly into his arms. She embraced him beaming happily. He held her tightly for a long time not wanting to let her go. He kissed her cheek and continued to hold her for what seemed like a small eternity. When she felt something wet dripping on her shoulders, she rested her head on his shoulder. She whispered in his ear, "I missed you too, daddy."

Meanwhile in hell, Kimberly appeared in the fiery pits of hell. She glanced around at the hot rivers of lava surrounding her and fire breathing dragons flew in the red sky. Jeth and the twelve demonic soldiers appeared behind her.

Jeth said, "Follow me."

Kimberly followed Jeth through the red rock caves of hell with the soldiers behind her.

She asked, "This is our home?"

Jeth nodded. "This is home."

They soon walked into a throne room and there Kimberly saw Dragon sitting on his throne dressed in a black toga. When he saw her, he stood up. His dark eyes became twisted as an evil smile appeared on his face scaring Kimberly for a moment. Jeth and the twelve demonic soldiers knelt before their king.

Dragon rose from the throne and walked over to the small child. Kimberly became frightened.

Dragon smiled. "Don't fear me, child. I am your father." He knelt before her and placed his large hand on her small shoulder with long yellow claws. She trembled. He smiled at her. She could see the fangs in his mouth. He said, "Welcome home, my child." He waved his hand over her face and the symbol of the beast appeared on her forehead. Her eyes turned dark as his. She embraced him and said happily, "Father!" He embraced her. Jeth glanced up as the twisted look on his father's face. He bowed his head back down and looked at the ground. Something felt strange inside of him.

Endymion finally broke away from Katie and held her in a loose embrace. He looked at her and she looked happy. Her skin glowed and it seemed like there was a positive aura shining out of her. She was his sunshine and now, she had returned to bring back the sun in his dark and gloomy skies. He'll never let her go again.

He asked, "Where have you been?"

Katie smiled. "Nowhere. Anywhere. Everywhere. I'm been happy. There are so many stories I can tell you about my adventures, but not now."

Endymion arched an eyebrow. He asked, "Why not?"

Katie glanced at woman in the bed. He followed her eyes and said, "That woman doesn't love me anymore."

Katie smiled. "Father, haven't you figure it out, yet?"

He looked confused letting Katie go. Katie laughed. "Dad, she's Serenity. She's been Serenity for the last eighteen years." Endymion could not believe what he was hearing. "That's why she could never love you like you wanted in the beginning of your marriage. Your Serena died the night that Rini was born. Serena asked Serenity to take over her body to watch over you and Rini so you would not be alone. But Serenity fell in love with you and I was a manifestation of the love between you. Now, you're Endymion again and your Serenity is right in front of you."

Endymion turned to the unconscious Alexandra. "I don't know how to fix what's broken. I put her through hell in the past, and now literally in the present. We're no good for one another. It doesn't work."

Katie smiled. "And it's not working for you apart. You're miserable apart. She's a mess. You're a disaster. You broke each other, and now the only way that you can fix this is to work it out. Figure out the problem because you're both making everyone miserable around you."

Endymion scoffed. "You wouldn't dare."

Katie grinned mischievously. "Father, you have no control over me. You can't strip away my powers like you do Rini. I don't need your love like my siblings do. I no longer have to answer to you." She disappeared.

What did that mean? Endymion searched for her, but he no longer sensed her. He heard his doors automatically locked and the closed doors to the balcony locked. The windows locked. Endymion tried to open the door to his bedroom, but it was bolted locked. He tried to teleported but something more powerful than he was stopped him. His powers were gone even the Sword of the Earth would not respond to him. He screamed out Katie's name in vain.

"What the hell is this?"

He could not see or feel her, but he heard her voice echoing through the room, "Consider this my version of couple's therapy. You have walked into an alternate reality of Elysian where both of you are powerless. The rules are simple. You work out your problems with mother and the door unlocks."

Endymion asked heatedly, "And if we don't…"

"Then you are stuck in here for all eternity."

"And if I kill her?"

"Then you are stuck alone for all eternity without a helpmate." Endymion frowned at the hint of sarcasm in her answer.

"Why the hell are you doing this?"

"Because you're the real monster. You lost yourself. You forgot who you were. And now it is time for you to go back into time to the moment when everything broke."

Endymion watched the analog clock of the wall. It stopped ticking and starting going counter clockwise extremely fast. The room twisted around and time went backwards. The years were taken off of his life. His frown lines disappeared along with the goatee and long hair shorten. He saw his relationship with Lady Camryn. He saw Alexandra disappearing in the portal with the baby then moving backwards and turning around and looking at him angrily on the cliff. He saw himself taking away Rini powers, spanking her, and yelling at her at the breakfast table. He saw himself destroying the Earth, grieving in his chambers, crying over Katie leaving, and yelling at her in her bedroom. He saw his coronation and then moving backwards until he was sitting on Andrew's sofa telling him about his dream. He saw himself assassinating the members of New World Regime. He saw himself meeting with his siblings for the first time, killing Rick, Patricia's funeral and watching Ariel's cold eyes across the room. He saw himself getting wasted at Serena's grave, fornicating at the sex clubs, getting wasted again after Karen's death. He saw the night Alex left and she told him that she gave up. He saw the day he accused her of being an enemy in his house in Barcelona. He saw himself watching her play with the children. He saw Katie's eighth birthday, calling the enchanter to take away her powers and Rini's Lunarian powers. He saw himself going to hell to save Katie who was aged two years. Katie was six again and he remembered swinging her happily in his arms and reading her and Rini bedtime stories. He saw Rini talking angrily at him at her grandparents' house when he asked the Tuskinos to let his daughters come live with him. He saw himself walking down the aisle to Serena's coffin. He saw his time in the South Africa living amongst the natives in a small African tribe. He remembered making love to Karen. He remembered the fights and the drinking and how she helped him. He remembered standing in her living room asking her to come with him after his marriage ended with Serena. He was shocked when she agreed to it. He remembered sitting in his car with a loaded gun in his hands seriously contemplating killing himself. He saw himself in his office in their home in Maryland and writing Serena a good-bye letter. He then saw the words slowly erasing. His signature disappeared from the divorce papers. He remembered raping her as she begged him not to, moving off of her and being in the bar as Rick told him about Serena's so-called infidelity. He remembered the arguing and fighting. He remembered being at the park with the children and Karen and telling their children they are siblings. It was the moment he realized that he did not care whether Katie was his or not. He loved her. He remembered arguing with Serena and she spitefully told him that she slept with someone else and that Katie was his daughter. The clock stopped.

Darien yelled angrily when she tossed a vase with roses at him His eyes glowed golden as he held out his hand and moved his hand causing the vase to fly sideways into the wall shattering the mirrors and scaring Serena. "I don't know Serena. I made a fucking mistake, a stupid fucking mistake."

Serena said heatedly, "So did I."

Darien looked confused. Serena looked at him with spiteful eyes. The same way that Karen looked at him in the hospital. He asked afraid, "What does that mean?"

Serena said, "I fucked someone else too. Katie isn't yours." Darien became quiet staring at her in disbelief. He searched her eyes hoping that she was lying and trying to hurt him. When he saw nothing but anger and hatred in her cornflower blue eyes, he knew it was true and his heart broke inside. His world officially was turned upside down.

Endymion gasped as their current selves took over their past selves' bodies and they remembered everything. Endymion glanced across the room and watched as Serena's golden hair turned short and black and her eyes turned from blue to black as she turned back into Alexandra. His hair grew back long with his mustache goatee. Alexandra held out her hands and they both looked at themselves in confusion.

Alexandra asked him freaking out, "What's going on?"

Endymion sighed, "Good question."

Alexandra turned around and looked out the window. It was snowing outside. She was surprised to see that no other houses were around them. They were trapped in a miniature version of their house in Maryland inside a small snow globe in Katie's hands as she appeared in her father's private collection room where he kept the Sword of Earth in the glass case. She placed the snow globe on his bookshelf. She smiled as she poked the top of the snow globe with her finger. "Payback's a bitch, dad. Now, you know how it feels to be trapped and powerless. "

She heard the sound of maids coming into his chambers. She vanished as Anna and Lily walked in chatting idly and started dusting the room never noticing the small globe on the bookshelf as they finished up and left out of the room closing the door behind them.

Alexandra tried to open the windows upstairs that were all bolted shut. Endymion raced downstairs and tried opening the doors and windows but they were all locked. He touched the front door knob that was locked also. He angrily banged his fist against it. He felt a jolt of energy surge through his body. His eyes widen when he heard voices. They were coming from the kitchen.

Darien rolled her eyes. "You're always thinking I am fucking someone else." He laughed in incredulity at her accusation. "The woman just buried her husband yesterday. Your opinion of me must really be low."

Serena said angrily, "Much lower."

He froze when he saw a transparent image of Serena and him arguing in the kitchen ten years ago in the past. She was angry with him for not including her when he met up with Karen and Derrick at the park with the girls to tell them they were siblings. In retrospect, Endymion thought that was a shitty thing for him to do.

Darien walked out the kitchen towards the front door. She yelled following him "Where are you going?"

Darien said, "Anywhere but here."

Darien walked straight through Endymion as Endymion felt a chill going through his body. Serena then did the same thing as she following Darien to the door. Darien slammed the door shut as Serena stared at the door angrily. She disappeared. They were reliving the past. He heard Alexandra screaming from upstairs. He raced up the stairs towards her.