Chapter Forty-Two

Pandora's Box: Part One

Hello everyone! Thank you for the wonderful reviews for the previous chapter. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.

Sarah dosed off on the train clutching her tote bag close to her chest. Her body slanted and her head rest against the window.

In the darkness of his room, Derrick lied in bed wearing a plain white t-shirt and sweat pants. One arm was folded behind his head while the other hand rest underneath the waistband of his jogging pants. He looked up at the plain white ceiling still depressed after reading Sarah's letter. 'Why is it that we can attract the people that we don't want, but not the ones we want?' He wondered. He wanted to brood in the darkness but his quietness was being drown out by the party going on downstairs in the lobby. They were having a Nineties' Theme Fright Night Party. They were playing pop music from the nineties like Backstreet boys and N-Sync. The lobby and the second floor were decorated to look like a haunted house. His phone began to glow and vibrate for the umpteenth time. He checked and saw about twenty missed calls and fifty text messages from his friends wondering where he was and reminding him about the party. He smiled. Someone had snuck in free beer. That alone won him over. He needed a drink.

He stripped off his clothes and hopped into the shower to freshen up.

"What do you mean that we are in danger? That Endymion was drugged?" Serenity paced the floor nervously as Lily sat on the sofa watching her. Serenity was a nervous wreck with one hand on her hip and the other nursing her forehead.

Lily said, "His majesty was drugged. Whoever is the heir to the Earth King has the chance to become the next Earth King. Lady Luckington had one of her ladies to slip the drug inside the king's drink and then she snuck in the room and had sex with him. The drug is some type of simulant that arouses sexual desires…"

Serenity interrupted, "So he could lose control and impregnated her?"

Lily said, "Yes milady. Some Elysians have the power to trigger the transformation of other Elysians against their will, especially if that individual's defense mechanisms are sufficiently vulnerable. See while you were not here, Lady Luckington controlled the king. The House of Lords, the noble Elysians, they used her to control the king. They could not kill the king without the golden crystal choosing a new heir. It would mean their extinction."

Serenity remembered ten years ago in Switzerland when she first met Cain as Alex. She wondered the same thing. She remembered their conversation….

Cain saw that Alex was still not convinced. He explained, "The Kingdom of Elysian is powered by the power of the golden crystal. It's what keeps the kingdom afloat. We may have another two hundred years at the most before the golden crystal completely shuts down and Elysian collapses to the Earth. If Endymion dies on Judgment Day without activating the golden crystal or transferring the power to a new Earth King, then the countdown for the final days of Elysian begins."

Serena asked, "So how do I know that once you find Endymion, one of your kind will not try to assassinate him for the crown? You told me they tried to kill Endymion's son Prince Derrick."

Cain said, "Because not anyone can be king. The Golden Crystal chooses the new Earth King. If you kill the current Earth King without the golden crystal picking a new king then the Elysians will eventually become extinct. Our society has rules that we have to obey in order to continue to exist."

Serenity sighed. She asked, "So the golden crystal has picked the next Earth King?"

Lily nodded. "Yes, it acknowledged Prince Derrick almost as soon as he arrived on Elysian."

Serenity remembered when she first met Endymion in their previous life. The crystal rejected him because he was a heartless man. When he met her, he fell in love and the crystal accepted him. If the crystal accepted Derrick that meant he had a pure heart.

Serenity turned to her. "So what does this mean?"

Lily said, "Milady, it means that Endymion's life is in danger. They no longer need him since Prince Derrick has been chosen by the golden crystal as the new Earth King."

Serenity said, "So they want to kill Endymion and make Derrick the new king?"

Lily nodded. "Yes, your majesty. Being as young as he is, he will be easier to manipulate than Endymion. The Elysians have not forgiven Endymion for choosing you over them. They do not trust the king. They still despise him. They want Prince Derrick to be their king."

Serenity wondered who could be behind this crazy plot. It was probably Lord Davenport. Everyone else seemed so nice and friendly to them. Serenity demanded, "Who is behind this? Who is behind this assassination attempt on my king?"

Lily hesitated afraid to answer. Serenity prompted startling the young girl. "Lily, who?"

Lily blurted out, "All of them, your majesty."

Serenity tilted her head in confusion. Who was all of them? "What?"

Lily looked Serenity directly in the eyes. She said slower and clearer, "All of them your majesty."

Serenity stared at her for a moment as their eyes locked. A horrified look appeared across Serenity's face when she finally understood. She shook her head. Lily nodded knocking away her denial.

Serenity said in disbelief, "I must consult Cain about this? He must know what Parliament is up to."

Serenity raced to the door. Lily said quickly diverting her eyes. "You don't want to do that." Serenity stopped moving. "Cain's the mastermind."

Serenity slowly turned around. Lily looked at Serenity. "He no longer needs Endymion anymore. He's going to murder his brother and make his nephew the king."

Serenity blurted out, "I don't believe you. I refuse to believe and even if so, Derrick will never betray his father for Cain."

Lily exhaled. "I beg to differ, your majesty. Cain has been more of a father to Derrick than his own biological father. Endymion gave his children a cruel childhood. Whenever Derrick had a problem, he consulted his Uncle Cain. Endymion was never there for him. Ever since the day his father Peter died in a car crash, his life has been miserable. Endymion never loved the child or showed him any true affection." Lily looked at the Serenity. "I wouldn't put my money on Derrick choosing his father over his uncle, your majesty." Serenity bowed her head.

Serenity massaged her forehead. "Is that all, Lily?"

Lily shook her head. "No, your majesty. That is only the beginning."

Derrick walked downstairs to the lobby. The music was blaring and everyone was dressed casual and out of their school uniforms. He was dressed in a black t-shirts, jeans, and sneakers and a black leather jacket. The music was loud and the furniture was moved against the wall to make more room for dancing. The DJ moved to the beat as she played a remix blend of N Sync's "Tearin up My Heart" and "It's Gonna Be Me." Some people were in the corner drinking out of large cups mingling and chatting with one another. Others were on the floor doing boy band dances and laughing. Derrick walked through the crowd and greeted and chatted with his friends. He circulated until he found his destination. The cooler filled with alcohol. He grabbed a plastic cup off the table and filled his cup with beer. He leaned against the wall and watched the crowd as he drunk from his cup and went back for refills.

Isis stood on the dance floor laughing and dancing with her girlfriend. He smirked apparently her best friend April, the blonde he slept with, never told Isis that she slept with Derrick. They were acting like best friends as they danced to the music. April jumped around whipping her blonde locks back and forth. She turned around. Her laughter stopped when she saw Derrick ahead of her. She panicked as she glanced as Isis, who was dancing next to her then back at him. She looked like she was on the verge of having a heart attack. Isis was the most popular girl in their class. To betray Isis was social suicide and April needed to survive only a few more months before graduation. Derrick placed his finger on his lips and shook his head. She sighed in relief and silently thanked him. Derrick nodded and then took another sip of his beer.

He acted too hastily when he hopped into bed with April to get back at Isis. She slept with his best friend. He slept with hers. Now, he realized that in the bigger picture. It was not the end of the world losing Isis. They dated for a year and in a few months they were going to break up anyway and go to separate colleges far away from one another. April was Isis's crony. Her life revolved around being friends with Isis because that meant instant popularity. To tell Isis would devastate April more than Derrick and Isis combined.

Isis turned to him. She was dressed a tight black cropped top and a mini skirt and killer high heels. He had no idea why girls dressed so sexy then became upset if you objectified them. She started to do a little sexy dance as he watched her. He seriously considered whether dumping her because of Rome was really worth it? He thought that he was going to end up with Sarah, but she played him for an entire year. Isis strutted over to him swaying her hips from side to side. She stood in front of him until her breasts touched his chest. She took his cup and took a sip from it. She spat it out making a disgusted face. She yelled repulsed, "What the hell is that?"

Derrick laughed. "It's moonshine." He glanced at her breasts. "You better be careful. It'll give your chest hair." Her eyes widen. He laughed. She smirked, playfully slapped him. She leaned against the wall next to him.

Derrick asked, "How are you and Rome?"

Isis said, "We're good. He did not want to come tonight. He's still afraid that you are going to kick his ass." Derrick watched Isis and Rome together around campus and town. They were happy with one another, but Rome felt guilty for betraying him.

Isis turned to him. "So how's Miss Countryville?" He snorted. He told her about Sarah to make her jealous, but dating someone from the country did not really get to her. She considered country folks simpletons who clung to their guns and religion.

Derrick said, "She's totally fine with her boyfriend."

"Ouch! You couldn't steal her away from him. You must be losing your charm, Shields."

Derrick shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I approached her and she was completely uninterested."

"What idiot chooses a country bumpkin over a crowned prince?"

"What idiot cheats on her crowned prince boyfriend with his best friend?" Isis blushed guilty then shrugged it off.

"Touché." She turned to him as he looked ahead sipping his beer. "In my defense, you are already in a relationship."

He arched his eyebrow skeptically and turned his head to her. "With who?"

She said staring at him in the eyes. "Your sister."

Derrick rolled his eyes and asked agitated, "What the hell is wrong with everyone? I don't have a thing from my sister. Why the hell does everyone keep saying that?"

Isis defended her statement. "Derrick, you may not be in a romantic relationship with her, but you're in an emotional relationship with her. Ever since she tried to kill herself, she has been your everything. You cancelled so many plans that we had together when Rini sounded depressed."

Derrick groaned in frustration. "My father doesn't give a damn about us. My mother is dead. Her mother was out of the picture and Katie left home. We're all we had. I didn't have anyone else and until you understand how lonely it is to feel alone in the world. You'll get why I am worried about my sister offing herself and being depressed."

Isis held her hands up in defense. "Okay, I'm only the messenger. Don't chew me out over it. I'm only letting you know what everyone else think." She pinched his cheek and grinned teasingly. "You're so sexy when you're angry." He laughed.

She suddenly grabbed his wrists tightly. He watched worriedly when Isis's eyelids fluttered quickly until her eyeballs were gray marbles. She was having a vision. Isis was a powerful witch and the descendant of a line of Egyptian witches. One of her powers was premonition.

Her eyes returned to normal. He asked concern, "What did you see?"

Isis mocked. "I think you still have your charm. Your country girlfriend just arrived at the train station in town. In about fifteen minutes, she will be attacked by demonic creatures. I saw an image of you, but you were a little older and you were dressed in medieval clothes and there was something menacing almost evil about you. She was looking at images of you on a laptop." Isis closed her eyes trying to remember the image. "Something in Latin. Derek et exequutor."

Derrick clarified translating the language, "Derrick the Enforcer?"

Isis said quickly, "Yes, Derrick the Enforcer."

Derrick glanced at his watch. It was a half past ten. Derrick said, "Thanks Isis." He ran off.

She yelled out after him, "Be careful!" He raced out of the double doors.

Sarah felt a jolt as the train came to a stop. She moaned as she sat up and stretched her arms. They had arrived at the Luckington train station. She grabbed her duffle bag and threw it on her shoulder along with her laptop tote. The lobby of the train station was nearly empty besides a few travelers asleep on benches waiting for their train to arrive. Sarah walked out of the train station into the cool streets of Luckington. The streets were empty. There was no one on the sidewalks. There was no traffic on the streets. The streetlights changed from green to red to yellow. The palm trees planted along the sidewalks rustled against the wind. The stores that lined up the sidewalk were all closed for the night and across the street was the beach that was dark and empty. She grabbed the strap of her bag holding it closer to her chest and began to walk. She took out her phone and began to search for the address of Derrick's school.

Rini watched as her brother ran pass her without seeing her. He had been talking and conversing with Isis for a while. From the looks of it, they seemed like they were on good terms again. She sat in a chair with her legs crossed. She was dressed in a bulky oversized t-shirt and baggy jeans. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun and she was wearing her reading glasses since she spent the night studying at her dorm room across the lawn. The dorm was empty and everyone was over at the boys' dorm, Westchester Hall, at the party. Rini came over because she heard there was free food and she was starving. She sipped her punch after she inspected it to see if it was spiked and was relieved when it wasn't.

She saw Isis staring at her with a wicked look that freaked her out. Isis then glanced at something above Rini's head. A couple of people passed by Isis, blocking Rini's view of her. When they moved, Isis had vanished. Rini turned her head. She saw a familiar face through the crowd. She was surprised when she saw that it was Jeth clad in all black. She frowned. She already kicked his ass once. Why the hell was he back? What was he up to? She stood up and followed him through the crowd. He constantly disappeared in the crowd and Rini tried her best not to lose track of him. She ended up climbing up the stairs into a dark hall where she could no longer hear the sound of the party. There was a dark eerie silence as she walked cautiously down the dark hallway.

Sarah strolled down the streets. She heard footsteps behind her. She sped up her walking. The footsteps moved faster. She could hear more behind. She glanced behind her and saw a group of serious looking men in dark suits behind her. "Crap!" She began to run as fast as she could as they chased after her.

Rini looked around her and asked, "Come out! Come out wherever you are!" A hand with a cloth suddenly covered her mouth. An arm wrapped around her tightly like a metal clamp she could not break free from. She wiggled and struggled as she tried to break free from his grasp. Her screams muffled by the cloth on her mouth and his hand like a tight clamp. Her eyes widen as he grew taller and his hand turned blue. She stared at him through the corner of her eye. He turned into a demon that was almost seven foot tall. Her feet dangled above the floor. Her heartbeat slowed down and her eyes steadily drooped until she lost consciousness. He let her go she fell forward. Her stomach landed on his forearm. Her body bent over. He scooped her into his arms and disappeared.

Serenity stood in the center on the room with her arms folded across her chest staring at Lily. Lily explained, "The Elysians always hated the mortals thinking they were superior to them like the biblical angels felt about God's creation of humankind. They forgot they were once humans since they had possessed godlike powers for so long. They blamed the humans for the destruction of the Earth and hated their connection to the mortals since whatever destructive event happened on Earth affects the Elysians. So a small group of noble Elysians secretly created the New World Regime without King Damien or his son King Endymion ever knowing about its existence. The goal of the New World Regime was to make Elysian the New Earth by eradicating mankind once and for all. The only problem was you."

Serenity looked surprised. "One thousand years ago, the Earth King fell in love with you, the moon princess. The day he chose you over his people indirectly caused his generals to turn evil and the destruction of the Earth. It was King Endymion's fault that the Silver Millennium ended and Metalia took over the Earth. It was preventable, but Endymion neglected his duties as king because of his obsession with you. His negligence caused the destruction of the Earth and Moon Kingdoms. Because he died before the crystal recognized Derrick as the heir to the throne, the powers of the golden crystal never passed on to him and Prince Derrick never became king."

Serenity added, "Princess Katherine, my daughter Katie in another life was given to Prince Malcolm. She lived for almost one thousand years before being killed in an alternate reality. Prince Derrick remained on the Earth."

Lily nodded. "Young Prince Derrick's life became endangered because of Parliament and family members wanting the boy prince dead. Queen Susan disappeared from Elysian with her grandson. She raised the boy in a cottage on the outskirts of a tiny village on Earth separated from the modern world. The world did not change for them there. Queen Susan used her powers to watch as the human world evolved through the years. When Prince Derrick was eighteen, he left their home to explore the world and fell in love with a mortal woman on his journey. He returned home to his childhood village and married the mortal woman, who birthed him five children. Their days together were happy and Queen Susan adored her great grandchildren as much as they adored her. Queen Susan once beloved by the villagers was rumored to be an Elysian and immortal after not aging a day in over twenty years. The villagers became jealous and accused her of being a witch. The villagers attacked their family home one night. One of the villagers threw a flaming torch through one of his children's bedroom's window causing a loud clash that awaken the small child and set the room on fire. The child screamed and hollered awakening the entire house. The cottage was surrounded with angry villagers with weapons and torches. Queen Susan teleported Prince Derrick and his family to safety in the forest and gave them a chance to escape while she stalled the villagers. After instructing his family to run deep into the forest, Prince Derrick watched as his grandmother emerged out of the burning house to reason with the angry villagers she had always been kind and compassionate to. He tried to help her but a powerful barrier prevented him from interfering. He screamed and cried out for her trying to break the barrier as he helplessly watched as the villagers tortured her in inhumane ways before brutally murdering her and continuing to desecrate her lifeless body. He wanted to murder the savages but his wife begged him otherwise tearfully reminding him of the compassion his grandmother taught him. She pleaded with him to the leave the wretched village for the sake of her and their children. Prince Derrick conceded to his wife's wishes but something broke inside of him that day and he was never the same.

After giving his grandmother a proper burial in an unknown location, they travelled to Europe and made an old, rundown castle their new home. Prince Derrick spent the rest of his days consumed by hatred and darkness. His dreams and thoughts haunted by the destruction and chaos he saw in Elysian after his father's death. He grew to hate you. He was haunted by his grandmother's death and nightmares of the villagers torturing her in inhumane ways while he helplessly watched. On his twenty-sixth birthday, he made a pact with the devil. Prince Dragon, son of Lucifer, had been appointed as the new devil. Prince Derrick denounced God and proclaimed Satan as his new master.

With a shared interest in wanting to destroy humankind once and for all, the Elysians and the devil made a deal. They promised the devil to help him escape from Hell if he helped them saved their kind from extinction. With a majestic light, Dragon sent them Prince Derrick as their savior. Prince Derrick convinced his fellow Elysians to denounce God who had forsaken them and pledge their allegiance to Dragon. The Elysians became servants of the devil and called themselves COLD, the Children of Lucifer Dragon. With the loyalty of the Elysians once again and the blessings of his god Satan, Prince Derrick became Derrick the Enforcer. He left his family and built an army of mortals to eradicate other mortals."

Serenity asked shaking her head, "That doesn't make sense. Why would humans want to kill other humans?"

Lily shrugged. "The same reason why some humans want to welcome aliens into their world or wish the human race would stop procreating. Derrick was a master manipulator who could talk someone into taking their own life. He built an army of humans and destroyed villagers and murdered every living soul in his path without mercy. His human followers called themselves FOD, Followers of Derrick. After Derrick's death, they changed their name to Followers of Dragon since they are one in the same. They marked themselves as members by being tattooed with symbol of the red dragon on their right wrist. Soon the New World Regime was created by the Elysians as a way of ultimately eradicating the human race without lifting a finger. The Elysians descended down to the earth like angels from the heavens and spoke to the leaders of the world promising them knowledge, wealth, power, or anything their hearts desired if they pledged their allegiance to the devil Dragon. The humans stupidly did and every time someone gave their souls to the devil, he became stronger."

Serenity thought about Sharon Mizuno, Raye's father, and Mina's mother Patricia Brandon. They were all extremely successful in their own way, but were only puppets to the Elysians. Lily continued, "It was Cain's idea to do the reborn process. Rick Thornton was only the puppet for Dragon and Cain. Cain fed on the evil and selfish desires of the human New World Regime members…."

Serenity remembered another conversation with Cain.

Evelyn interjected, "For over one thousand years, my family has watched without interference as humans destroyed this world including your own kind and the animals, the water, and the land. The Earth is angry and is righting itself. In two years, the Earth will eradicate all land creatures and become a water planet." Andrew grew annoyed by the arrogance in their voices like they were better than human beings because they were Elysians.

Raye said, "That means all the humans including the animals will be destroyed. Is there anything that we can do to change this?"

Cain said in a nonchalant tone, "No. It's been set in stone. The Earth is about to be destroyed thanks to the greed and corruption of humankind. We have to right things before the planet is destroyed."

Andrew said angrily, "So you have no problem with mankind being eradicated? You are worried about just the Earth being destroyed."

Cain said apathetically, "Precisely, what you do to yourselves does not concern us, but it affects us when the Earth is about to be destroyed and Dragon is about to rise from hell."

Serena asked, "What can we do to save mankind?"

Cain looked at Serena. "Why would you want to save humans, Alex?" Andrew and Raye stared at one another wondering why he was calling Serena, Alex. "Your poor are becoming poorer and starving to death while the rich become wealthier with insatiable greed. The education, government, church and business…every sector of your world has been corrupted. Your world is corrupted with sin and filth. Worshippers of materialism have overtaken your world. Your people have sold their souls to the devil for greed. This world will be destroyed."

"The one percent of the human population that was the richest and most powerful killed the majority of their own race. Then, Darien believed that you were dead. He had a few quirks while he was with you, but he was mostly sane. When your relationship ended, he slowly unraveled. Karen kept him stable for as long as she could. He did slip up with the drinking and the women, but he was still stable. When Karen was killed, he began to unravel again allowing the darkness to take over. They watched him."

"Who are they?"

Lily ignored Serenity's question. "The first time the darkness took over him was when he killed Rick Thornton, the puppet."

"Who are they?"

"They watched as he murdered the government, all puppets for the Elysians. They even helped."

Serenity froze as it dawned on her who they were. She saw Adam, Evelyn, and Cain.

"Katie was the final straw. When she left, that's when the darkest took over him. He was completely at their will." Serenity remembered Judgment Day when Endymion destroyed the Earth during his grief over losing Katie. Endymion eradicated the humans.

Lord Davenport said disgusted, "Procreate with the humans. That's disgusting."

Cain yelled circling the Parliament, "What disgusting is fornicating with your own family members. We need new blood if the Elysians are to survive. We shall make the humans Elysians."

Another senator argued, "With your mad brother as the king?"

Cain said tightly, "Let me handle my brother. He's grieving for the loss of his daughter. I beg of you to help me save the humans before they become extinct."

"He used the ten thousand humans that were saved that day to procreate and saved his people

from extinction. Cain has saved his people. The golden crystal selected Derrick as the new king. Endymion granted the Elysians immortality. The Earth has become a water world uninhabitable for Earthlings. The last of the Earthling are now Elysians. The only loose end is your family. Endymion will be killed. Derrick the Enforcer will take over Derrick's body. He needs some type of trauma to awaken him. Someone he loves will be sacrificed. Who is he closest to in the world? Who means the most to him? Whose death will break him enough to finally take him over the edge?"

Serenity clapped her hand over her mouth in horror. She dropped her hand and said softly, "Rini…"