Mugen: Infinite Eternal (A Circles of Time tale)
1st Eternity - Camelot
Rated R



THE FUTURE:


	History is like an endless waltz. The progression
	of war, peace and revolution all continue in an
	endless cycle.
			-Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz



	Magik is arbitrary. Black, white, grey: colour is irrelevant.
Magik knows no love or enmity, no fear or honour. It only knows
itself, that which is magik. The user determines the shape the
magik shall take when it is manifested. It is the user who can
create or destroy. Magik cannot differentiate, cannot be blamed.
The soul is what moves magik, be it a black heart of cold stone, or
a fragile heart of beauty and truth.
	One day all this knowledge, this magik, shall fade, and be
forgotten, and become just a legend spoken to little children at
bedtime. Magik shall become magic, and shall be given colours. Only
a handful of souls will ever remember such a time as this, when
magik was the life and breath of the Earthworld and its solar
system.
	Time passes, as it always has and always shall forever,
ending yet never-ending in the boundary that marks eternity. And
with time comes change: of worlds, of faces, of legends and myths.
Time does indeed change. But the magik shall always remain the
same, and stay with us until eternity itself comes to an end.
	You can try to forget the magik, but it shall never forget
you. If you were once destined to wield it, you shall wield it once
more. Black, white, grey; it does not matter.
	I am His lordship Chaos.
	One of many writers who have come together to craft an epic
spanning the millennia and legends of a world first created by
Naoko Takeuchi. The Senshi are her children, the original tale hers
to tell. But the other tales and other souls we have drawn into
this realm belong to those who have created Circles of Time. Naoko
has her children, as do I have mine. I, as do all the other writers
of this epic, ask for your permission should you wish for our
children to enter another realm.
	But for now, let the eternal night fall as silence swallows
up the brilliant light of the future. Listen to this last chapter
of a tale I have to tell you.
	For time is of the essence....

			-His lordship Chaos
				hislordshipchaos@hotmail.com
				http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9897/ct.htm



	The Man With No Name winced as he tried to rotate his arm in
his socket. "This still hurts like hell," he growled.
	"It's your own fault," Haruka replied curtly. "You were the
one who charged in after the Dark Messiah."
	He paused and then conceded to her on that point. "True. But
as far as I am aware, I am also the only one who's faced her and
come out alive. She wasn't meant for me." He scowled, his lip
curling back and revealing his teeth. "And for that, I will kill
her."
	They were standing upon one of the parapets, staring out into
the sunlit countryside sprawled out before Camelot. Their vantage
point allowed for an impressive view of the distant fields in the
horizon, but they were close enough to the ground that all the
moving soldiers in front of the castle didn't appear like tiny
ants.
	Every now and again, a patrolling guard or small group of
people would pass them by. No one paid attention to the Outers, or
the Man With No Name. Whether it was because they had other obvious
things to worry about, or because the Man With No Name was working
some kind of peculiar Shadowspell that no one could detect, Haruka
couldn't be certain. The only certainties she knew of at the moment
were two-fold: there would be war, and it was only a matter of
when; and that their male companion was of curious and questionable
origins.
	"I've been thinking about the meeting Arthur had with his
lords and generals," Michiru said, leaning against her lover. She
seemed unfazed by the growing cloud of dread that was shadowing
this castle, content enough to smile so long as she was next to
Haruka. "Did you notice Lord Endymion?"
	Haruka nodded, her eyes still scanning the horizon line. For
some reason, something being brought with the winds was making her
feel on edge. As if she could sense the impending war by just a
gentle gust. But now the winds were getting restless. Tempests were
awakening and crying out in bloodlust.
	"Endymion looked sharp and controlled, something I sadly
can't say about most everyone else there," Haruka said. "If he's
that cool under pressure, he might become a pivotal figure in
deciding this battle's outcome."
	But Michiru shook her head, her aqua-green eyes momentarily
clouded with confusion. It wasn't often she found herself in such a
state. "That's not what I meant. There was something in the magik
he could summon. Even when it lays dormant within him, it's
something almost identical to that of the Senshi he was with."
	Haruka snorted. "I highly doubt that."
	"You sound insulted," the Man With No Name remarked offhand,
leaning against the battlements. He chuckled, "Don't like playing
with boys?"
	Haruka bristled at the remark and scowled at him, but he
didn't cringe like most anyone else did when under that cold
Uranian gaze. He simply chuckled a little more and then returned to
enjoying the view.
	"His power isn't like ours," Michiru continued once the brief
interruption had ended. "Its echoes are similar but weaker. A
Senshi's magik is broad, but his is not. His magik possesses a
strange focus. And that's what makes him an enigma to me. If he
obviously isn't a sailor soldier, then what is he?"
	She glanced over at Setsuna.
	The guardress of time caught Michiru's gaze, and then shook
her head. "Gomen. I don't know what to make of him. He's important
to all of this, I know, but the 'how' part is what I'm trying to
decipher."
	"Why decipher?" the Man With No Name countered. "Let things
proceed, and decide for yourselves in the aftermath. If he's as
important to the wars as you all believe, then he'll make it out
alive easily enough. That, or he'll go out with a hell of an exit."
	Setsuna bit her lip, and said nothing in response. To a
degree, the nameless stranger was right. At this point in time,
there was no predicting she could do. She, Sailor Pluto, was now an
active participant in the Messiah Wars. No longer a casual and
detached observer. The only hope she currently had was that the
future was still as it should be; that meant they would win. The
cost of victory was what she feared.
	The name Endymion.
	She knew it well enough.
	He had to survive.
	"Whatever the case, he's none of our concern," Haruka said,
finalizing the discussion on the matter. "Endymion and Venus are
here to help protect Camelot. At the very least, they can keep this
Mistress Nine woman occupied while we find the Messiah of Light and
the Grail."
	She spoke of this very casually. It came from a Uranian
upbringing, a military mindset. Sometimes pawns had to be
sacrificed to buy a means for the greater victory. Deep down Haruka
knew this was cruel, but that was the way of war. And she refused
to back down and simply let the Dark Messiah wipe them all out.
	"Why didn't you say anything before about other Senshi being
here?" Michiru asked Setsuna.
	Setsuna's magenta eyes narrowed. "I didn't know the Inner
Senshi were starting to awaken. That girl is the first of them, and
doubtless she won't be the last. But I don't know how many will be
here to fight the Messiah Wars."
	She slowly straightened up, scanning the horizon. A few
seconds later, Haruka caught sight of the same thing. Far off,
where trees became silhouetted blurs amidst an equally green
landscape, four shimmering shapes began to move. It looked like
waves of heat rising up off hot pavement. Just a casual distortion
of what should have been a level horizon.
	But something about those ripples were making the Senshi take
notice. The Man With No Name curiously looked from one woman to the
next. "I'm missing something, aren't I?" he asked.
	Setsuna jutted out her chin. "Directly ahead on the horizon
line. Something's coming towards us."
	Suddenly the distortions morphed into solid objects. Enormous
and sleek, they resembled a quartet of oversized metallic worms.
Four elongated bodies hovered a few feet off the ground, blowing
the grasses all around yet leaving no residual trace that they had
ever moved across the land. Two of them were visibly equipped with
heavy artillery turrets.
	The battle skimmers had arrived.
	"Now there's something you don't see every day," Michiru
drawled.
	Haruka squinted her eyes and tried to get a better look at
the approaching objects. "I can't tell from this distance, but
their markings might be Mercurian...or Earthian. But I've never
seen anything like them before."
	"I have," Setsuna said. She kept looking ahead, even when
everyone else turned their heads and looked at her. "They're called
battled skimmers. Aurora was helping sponsor new hover technology,
combining magik and machine. Mercury's scientists were developing
the schematics that would integrate both together into one flawless
system. Earth had the honour of quietly constructing and testing
the prototypes. Once finished, Aurora was to ensure that all
planets received the skimmer technology."
	"My father would be furious if he ever learns of this,"
Haruka remarked with a wry grin. "He doesn't like Aurora spreading
the wealth, as such."
	The Man With No Name hopped onto a battlement, sitting there
with his legs crossed beneath him. The evident height from the
ground far below wasn't bothering him in the slightest, as if he
had yet to understand what fear was. "They seem to be moving rather
fast."
	At the rate they appeared to be going, the skimmers would
arrive at the palace's front gates in about ten minutes. With only
wind resistance to slow them down, there was little friction to be
concerned with. The four watched in idle fascination as the lead
skimmer approached a small grove of trees--and promptly smashed
through them as if they had been nothing more than twigs. The
jarring impact didn't even slow the battle skimmer down.
	"Arthur will be glad to see them," Michiru said quietly.
	"For the first and last time, though?" Haruka responded just
as softly.
	Abruptly a series of shrilling klaxons went off. Down on the
fields below, the soldiers had gone from leisurely lounging around
into a frenzied scramble. Weapons and armour were snatched up.
Shouts, though dim and barely audible from where the Outers stood,
were being sounded everywhere.
	Setsuna closed here eyes momentarily, and managed to pick out
some individual voices amidst the panicked blur of noises. "They're
coming," she announced to the others, magenta orbs opening once
more. "The Armies of Silence are appearing on the edge of the
horizon."
	"I wonder of the battle skimmers mowed any of them down and
didn't notice," Haruka murmured.
	The Man With No Name remained on his perch, studying the
people far below. A gust of wind blew the ends of his black
redingote up into the air, making it appear like charcoal-coloured
wings. He drew the tinted, coin-sized lenses away from his eyes,
murky darkness beholding the ranks being formed on either side.
	"It would appear we get to join the war after all," he
stated.
	Already the battle skimmers were starting to change course,
separating and moving into flanking positions on either side of
Arthur's immense armies.
	"Shimatta," Haruka muttered.
	They wouldn't have time to exit. If they wanted to leave
Camelot to complete their own mission, then they would have to cut
through the Armies of Silence first.
	"Look at them," Michiru sighed, shaking her head. There was
an unmistakable sadness in her voice. Neptunians by nature did not
like seeing the destruction of any life. Yet as a Senshi she knew
the destiny of those who took up the sword. "They're going to fight
a war they cannot win."
	"Yet they fight to protect something they believe in," the
Man With No Name said. He paused to study the soldiers who were now
racing into formation. Something about this concept was fascinating
him to no end. It was new and unexpected, and he found himself
liking this trait. "Even in the face of death, they refuse to run
away. There's a strange admiration one cannot help but hold for
such valiance."
	Haruka turned away, pulling lightly on Michiru's arm. Michiru
agreed to the silent and subtle beckoning, turning away with
Haruka. "We should leave before the battle begins," Haruka said.
"We have to find the Grail, and cannot afford to be delayed here."
	"I thought it was a soldier's destiny to fight," the Man With
No Name countered. "Why leave now when a war has presented itself?"
	"Haruka's right; this battle doesn't belong to us," Michiru
stated. "We may share a common goal to protect the Golden Empire
from the Dark Messiah. However, the Outer Senshi have means that
are different from Camelot's. Let them fight their battles. When
the time comes we shall fight our own."
	Eyes clouded like a storm narrowed upon hearing that.
	"You might be granted that wish sooner than desired," the Man
With No Name muttered. He closed his eyes and slid his coin-sized
lenses back up the bridge of his nose. His head was lifted to the
skies, and he sat there as if trying to read each motion of the
wind.
	Abruptly a new voice joined the group, startling Setsuna more
than anyone else. It was Charon. "Setsuna?"
	Not entirely sure where the castle's voice was coming from,
Setsuna awkwardly looked around. More than anything, she tried to
look like she knew what she was doing in front of Haruka and
Michiru. "Hai?" she answered.
	There was brief and chagrined pause.
	"Ano...sincerest apologies in advance," Charon told her.
	And then suddenly Setsuna vanished.
	Haruka and Michiru leapt back in surprise, both on the verge
of transforming. They scanned the area and found nothing. "What the
hell?" Haruka muttered.
	The Man With No Name merely sat upon the battlements, as if
nothing strange had transpired. "Don't worry," he said with an odd
certainty. "She'll be back." That said, he stood up on the
battlement and then hopped down. Hands in his coat pockets, he
started walking towards the nearest passageway.
	"Where are you going?" Haruka called out after him.
	He smiled again, dark and delicious. "To get better seats. I
desire a rematch with Mistress Nine." He clenched his fist,
cracking his knuckles. White lightning sparked and snaked around
his arm. "I have a death to repay her for."



		   MUGEN: INFINITE ETERNAL

		         (A Circles of Time tale)



		         1st Eternity - Camelot


	The alarms were refusing to abate. They would continue until the
battle had begun, and the klaxons thusly became redundant. For now,
everyone had to be mobilized. Escape shuttles were being prepared in
case they had to fall back. Non-military citizens were being escorted
to safety zones. And soldiers were racing in every direction to get to
their stations.
	Lancelot stalked through the grandiose hallways of Camelot,
ignorant of everyone around him. He was searching for one man alone.
The other knights of the round table were suiting up this very minute,
preparing to journey to the front line of the battlefield. Chivalry
still existed in this day. They would not lead their people from
behind; they would be leading the charge, be the first to plunge
themselves into the vicious war.
	But now disturbing rumours were sweeping through the ranks of
the higher officers, ones that Lancelot could not so easily dismiss.
He had gone because he was already suited up in his armour, and
because he was the Pendragon's closest friend and ally.
	Lancelot didn't bother knocking when he reached the chambers he
had been looking for. If he found nothing on the other side, the
rumours would be proven wrong. Yet he feared of who, not what, would
be there. This was Arthur's personal armoury. If the king was going
into battle, this was where he would suit up.
	And as Lancelot pushed open the door, he found Arthur there.
Three attendants were helping assemble the various pieces of armour.
Auroran artisans had long ago forged an armour that was incredibly
flexible and lightweight, but could withstand crushing blows from an
enemy.
	Upon seeing Lancelot standing there, Arthur silently nodded to
his attendants. They left the room and closed the door behind them.
Arthur resumed working with the final pieces of armour. He wasn't
avoiding Lancelot's stern gaze; he had other more important things to
be concerned with at the moment.
	That only served to spurn Lancelot further. "What are you
doing?" he demanded. He was somewhere between abject terror and
angered indignation.
	Arthur flexed his hand, watching the metal gauntlet move in
accordance with his fingers. "I'm a warrior, Lancelot," he stated
evenly. Frighteningly calm despite the odds that were against them. "I
belong out there on the battlefield. Those soldiers need to see that I
am not afraid; we will need every last ounce of courage we can
muster."
	But Lancelot stormed up to Arthur, desperate and on the verge of
tears. "Let us fight this battle," he implored his king. "Arthur, no
one will think you a coward if you leave now. Should we be wiped out,
the empire will need a pillar of hope, and that is you. We are all
willing to die if it means protecting you. Don't be a fool and let our
deaths be in vain!"
	"Lancelot!" Arthur barked sharply, silencing his knight. "You're
not here to protect me: you're here to protect a dream. And that dream
is more than just me or Camelot. The purpose of the Golden Empire was
peace, and that is what we are fighting for."
	Faded copper orbs turned to a stained glass window resting high
above their heads. A beautiful artistry of planetary dances and cosmic
give & take. A reminder of how insignificant they each were, yet the
impact they could still make when rallying together.
	"I have shed enough blood to turn oceans red in trying to
establish that peace. It means more to me than life itself. If my
death causes the rest of this planet, and all the Solis System, to
unite and fight the Dark Messiah to protect this peace, then that is
all that matters."
	Lancelot vehemently shook his head. "You are a part of that
peace, Arthur! You are the reason there is peace! If you die here and
now, there's the chance that everyone will lose hope in that dream.
And then we truly will be finished, Dark Messiah or not."
	"I am a symbol of that peace, yes, as is Camelot," Arthur agreed
with a sage nod. He slowly crossed the room and picked up his helmet.
Upon its forehead was the crest of Camelot, and the back of the
metallic grey scalp was decorated with wondrously savage spines.
	The king studied an aging reflection caught within the shimmer
of the helmet. And Lancelot marveled at how in his darkest hour, the
Pendragon still looked like the majestic dragon in a man's body that
he had once been said to be.
	"But because I was not willing to listen," Arthur stated, the
blame he placed upon himself woven into each wounding word and
syllable. "Morgana brought the Dark Messiah to us. Because I was
stubborn, the millions of lives upon Aurora are gone forever. That is
my fault, Lancelot. In life I shall be forever haunted by that. But in
death, there is a chance to find peace, absolution."
	The burden upon his shoulders remained, but now he rose to stand
eye to eye with Lancelot. The king's copper orbs burned like fire.
Despite his aging appearance, in that moment he was as young and
powerful as he had been decades ago. An older man. A bite still just
as fierce.
	"My resolve is made, Lancelot. I will meet this woman on the
field of battle. And then we shall see what the future holds. Dying
for peace, to have my sacrifice stir in others a desire to protect
this fragile camaraderie we all cherish, is not such a horrible fate
after all."
	There was no room for argument.
	Lancelot knew he had lost. Or else, perhaps, he had never even
stood a chance at swaying Arthur's noble but potentially fatal
intentions. He gave a weak laugh, shaking his head in dismay. "You're
a fool, Arthur," he said quietly. And then ruefully he smiled. "And I
must be an even greater fool for wanting to fight at your side in
battle."
	That in turn brought a smile to Arthur's face. He rested a hand
upon Lancelot's pauldron, and then gave it a hard slap. "They will
sing of this for centuries to come, I promise you," the Pendragon
said. The final piece of his armour was donned: sheathed over his back
was Excalibur. "There will come a time when our grandchildren will
remember this day, even if they no longer remember us."
	Lancelot nodded as they marched towards the doors. "Let's not
disappoint the bards-to-be then," he agreed, drawing his sword from
its scabbard.


	And Merlin found himself brooding in his private chambers.
	A room without doors and filled with the things that dreams and
faery tales are made of. No laboratory, but a conservatory. An inner
sanctum where he could disappear from the rest of the world and its
incessant noise, and find a moment of quiet serenity. Yet even here he
could find no peace. His sanctuary could not permit him to escape the
reality that laid somewhere beyond these walls that both were and were
not.
	The aged guise he usually wore had melted away, what felt like
perhaps the final time. Gone was the flowing, fishbone white hair.
Gone was the wrinkled skin which bore the signs of weather and life
experience. All that remained was what he truly was: an Ancient. Now
one of the last ones.
	As far as Merlin was aware, the Raithe was the only other one
left. That was not, however, a comforting thought.
	Drafts of wind blew at his jet black hair, rustling his robes
and youthful form. This chamber of old and near-forgotten secrets
could sense the impending war. It was terrified. He shared in the
concern, but thoughts of a grander scope were consuming him. He could
hear ghostly echoes of the Raithe's voice. Of warnings and statements
made over the span of days and years, originating when that girl
bearing the mark of Saturn had arrived on Aurora.
	'She is the beginning and the end all at once, Merlin.'
	A blossoming young girl turned into a vengeful harbinger that
had already destroyed one planet, murdered countless people, and was
now seeking to wipe them all out. Or perhaps worse. The Raithe had
never spoken of this Mistress 9's origins, and Merlin shivered at such
contemplations.
	'The tides of time are merciless.'
	If this was what had to be done, then they would do it.
	The Raithe knew what was to come, what had to come, but agreed
to work with it regardless--and work with it his way. That made for a
bizarre tangle of free will and destiny. Merlin wondered if he would
share in the same damnable fate.
	'We have a choice, Merlin. Our ends are inevitable, but we have
the chance to let it end as we would want it to be.'
	His eye looked down to his palms, smooth and pale.
	'You used up all your magik, I see.'
	In creating Illusion he had drained all his powers. He could
stand against the Dark Messiah no better now than a defenseless
peasant. But his magik would slowly return to its full strength. Until
then he had to make one of the most difficult decisions of his life.
	'The Messiah of Light is here on Earth. Protect her when you
find her, Merlin. Guard her with your last breath and magik. For she
is the beginning of the future, and the end of the Messiah Wars.'
	A doorway suddenly opened up.
	Merlin stood and cast a sad, mournful glance over his shoulder.
"Good-bye," he whispered.
	Good-bye to Camelot.
	But not to the end of all hope.
	There was a Messiah of Light he had to find.


	Somewhere far away from the brink of war, where tranquil waters
of magik flowed, Serenity turned her head towards Camelot. She knew
nothing about that grand castle and city far beyond the horizon, not
even which direction it laid in. But she could sense the magik that
was starting to manifest and saturate the air.
	The encounter with the mirror, with Raithe-in-the-mirror, had
still left her shaken. She could feel something awaken deep within. It
was stirring to life. Making her skin tingle with even the slightest
breath of magik that blew past her. Her entire being was growing
sensitive to everything around her. Despite the magik that abounded
within Elfhame, she could hear echoes of other magiks that perhaps
came from halfway around the world.
	And it frightened her.
	Kakkyou's warm arms abruptly wrapped around her, driving the
demons away as she felt his heartbeat against her back. Dragon green
eyes were closed. Silver hair danced around the two of them. He tried
to make her as much a part of him as he could, to make her no longer
feel so alone and afraid.
	She had never told him about what the mirror's reflection had
shown her. And he didn't ask, knowing that its reflection was meant
for her only. But he loved her, and could not help but worry whenever
she now trembled.
	There are times when words can do no emotion justice. When words
become irrelevant and can shatter the beauty of a silent moment. When
words mean nothing compared to the magnitude of mere presence and a
gentle touch.
	This was one of those moments.
	Serenity let herself be encompassed by her Elven lover, finding
security in the warmth of his body. Crystal blue eyes closed. She
smiled and nestled her face against his shoulder, finding sanctuary
once more.
	And Kakkyou held onto her tightly, tears starting to fall down
his cheeks as the fears that he might lose her returned to haunt him.


	Magellan stood upon the battlefield, watching the Armies of
Silence make their relentless advance. It was as if the shadows were
coming alive and spewing forth every last abomination that had ever
been conceived: ghoulish soldiers armed with swords and shields but no
humanity; monstrous beasts who might have once been animals but were
now corrupted by Morgana's poisonous blak magik; and terrifying
creatures never meant to walk the face of this planet.
	Each one in turn was taking their time to emerge from whatever
darkness happened to be convenient, and stalk their way towards the
front lines of Camelot's armies. The beings moved at a leisurely pace,
but there could be no mistaking their predatory motions.
	"What do you think?" murmured Frederic.
	Magellan glanced over his shoulder, to where Frederic was
standing just behind him. And behind them both were ranks upon ranks
of nervous but determined soldiers. "I think that if we get out of
this alive, I'm going to stay very drunk for the next week."
	That caused Frederic to crack a grin. "Tell you what: we both
survive, and I'll foot the bill."
	On the other side of Magellan, Sailor Venus sighed and shook her
head. "I am not playing nursemaid to either of you two should that
happen," she stated emphatically, though there was a playfulness in
her tone that was helping to break down the tension they all felt.
	The lord of Vlatmere exhaled deeply.
	Even then, the weight of the curious armour upon his body felt
as if it were nothing. The metallic plates which that questionable
Healer had placed upon him had melted and molded into a liquid now
covering his entire body. It gave him the grace and fluidity as if he
were fighting unclothed. He could only trust in the Healer's promise
that despite the seeming flimsy design, this armour could absorb blows
that would otherwise completely shatter any Earthian armour.
	A strange rush of adrenaline laced with something else he
couldn't quite name or describe coursed through his body. Magellan
found himself growing acutely aware of where the largest
concentrations of the Shadow armies laid. It wasn't a matter of seeing
as it was feeling. Like catching the scent of an animal in the wind,
and knowing everything about it even when you couldn't even remotely
see it.
	If there was such a thing as steroids for magik, the armour
could have easily been it. But he had paid close attention to the
mage's words. This was the Aroth armour; it amplified emotions and
shaped them into tangible magik. One wrong move on his part, and he
would be claimed by the dark insanity like so many others who had
tried to wear this.
	He would overcome the curse of the Aroth armour.
	There was a woman he wanted to marry when the war ended, a
beautiful blonde Venusian princess who meant the world to him. Life
and death seemed to fade away to a forgotten nothingness whenever he
was with her.
	Myung....
	Murmurs abruptly ran through the ranks of soldiers.
	"What's going on?" Frederic muttered, looking around to find the
source of the sudden whispers.
	Venus was the first to see the cause, and her eyes widened in
surprise. "It's Arthur," she said quietly.
	The Pendragon was dutifully marching through the centre of the
garrisons, followed by his Knights of the Round Table. Excalibur was
sheathed upon his back. He never made eye contact with anyone. He only
looked ahead, to the enemy he knew he had to face, to the woman he
knew he must fight. Mistress 9 was coming for him today.
	It was not his style to keep a lady waiting.
	The determination to do battle, and walk out victorious, was
there in his copper eyes. And because he possessed such a fiery
defiance to death and defeat, so too did his Knights show no fear.
They had all come out to the battlefield for different and personal
reasons. But they all shared a common goal, a single dream.
	Live or die, they would not go down without a fight.
	"I didn't think King Arthur would be fighting," Magellan said.
"Let alone stand in the front line."
	Myung's blue eyes were scanning the troops, studying the renewal
upon their faces. "His appearance is certainly having an effect on the
soldiers, though. His presence is giving them reason to find courage
and stand here."
	But courage would only get you so far.
	Magellan refused to leave the rest of it up to sheer luck. He
silently willed for his helmet, and the collar around his neck rippled
and changed form. Grey tendrils snaked out and encased his head,
forging a visor over his eyes. While the visor was tinted crimson, he
saw everything as clear as day.
	As Arthur and the Knights marched past them, Magellan abruptly
began to follow, cutting his own path through the rolling fields.
Frederic and Venus were one step behind him, each readying their own
respective weapons. Frederic was knocking an arrow in his bow. Venus
was summoning her powers as a Sailor Senshi.
	The soldiers of Vlatmere took up the pace and marched out behind
the trio. And all across Camelot, soldiers of every rank and stature
were following in the footsteps of their king. The four battle
skimmers were swinging around, the pair of troop carriers remaining in
the dead centre of the Pendragon's armies. The battle skimmers
designed for heavy artillery took up left and right flanking
positions. Nothing would get past them unless it did so in many small
and unpleasant pieces.
	"This is it," Magellan stated, brandishing his sword in his
hands.
	The fate of the Earth, and perhaps of the very future, would be
decided here and now.


	Within the shadow-laden heart of the Armies of Silence, a woman
appeared and made herself known. Tresses of long, ravendark hair
flowed behind her. The provocative black dress that hung loosely
around her supple body rustled in the afternoon winds.
	Upon her forehead she bore the mark of a black star.
	The future sign of the Deathbusters.
	In one hand she held the Silence Glaive.
	Mistress 9 surveyed the diminishing distance between the two
forces, and her violet eyes narrowed. She was to bring Morgana King
Arthur's head--severed or attached to the rest of his body, it didn't
really matter.
	She looked to her left and saw the creatures Morgana had left at
her disposal. She looked to her right and saw more of the same. She
looked ahead...and abruptly sensed a peculiar echo of magik. Faint,
almost unrecognizable, but it was something that caused her to take
notice.
	It wasn't the power of that Auroran whelp of a prince.
	This was something altogether new.
	And enticing.
	The Dark Messiah's lips turned into a savage smile, and she
lifted the Silence Glaive over her head. Pharaoh 90 still required a
means of crossing through space and time to reach here. This spark of
magik would be something worth finding. But not after she'd had a
little fun with these pithy humans first.
	The beings born from shadows and obediently serving her all
stopped as they caught sight of the sunlight gleaming off the blade of
her weapon. They waited for the command to no longer stalk, but
strike.
	The Dark Messiah suddenly smashed the glaive to the ground, the
blade touching the earth before tearing it apart. An incredible burst
of magik exploded and then rampaged towards the Camelot armies at a
blinding pace.
	It smashed into one of the heavy artillery battle skimmers.
	The craft detonated instantly, enormous metal shrapnel blown in
every direction. With a horrific groan, the remains of the burning
skimmer crashed to the ground. Soldiers ran to escape the second
explosion that shook the fields.
	The skies began to rain down fire, smoke and debris.
	And then with a roar, the beasts of the Shadow Army charged.
	At the front of his own lines, King Arthur lifted Excalibur over
his head and let loose with a loud cry to the heavens. The cry was
taken up by all the soldiers behind him.
	Morgana's demons attacked.
	And the Messiah Wars were christened with blood.


	When it began Sailor Venus made it a point of keeping close to
Magellan, watching his back as the tides of the two armies collided
and then everything became lost in a confusing and brutal blur of
metal and death. The Shadow Armies had yet to push the forces of
Camelot back--but they had already succeeded in breaking through the
first offensive lines, and were now swarming in every direction.
	Paranoia was keeping her alive as she constantly spun around to
see what was trying to overtake her next. The sea of swords and
thrashing demons was everywhere she looked--and many of those being
mercilessly slaughtered were of the Camelot armies. Some of the
smaller footsoldiers of the Armies of Silence were actually taking the
time to stop and kill those whom they had wounded. But the larger and
far more frightening beasts just left the wounded humans for dead if
they didn't bother instantly killing their enemies straight out.
	Something moved behind her, triggering her instinctive reflexes.
	Venus suddenly spun around and hastily dodged a fury of claws
meant to have torn her arm off. One of the demonic creatures had
selected her as its next victim, and it snarled with rows of razor-
sharp teeth. Spittle and foam dripped down its jaws as it reared up on
its hind legs, towering a good three heads above her. Venus' blue eyes
widened when she realized that this creature had four pairs of arms,
each one moving of its own lethal accord.
	One of the Vlatmere soldiers came racing to her help. The
demonoid whirled, one of its arms snaking out and grabbing the man by
the head. The soldier kicked and screamed to get free, and then
abruptly went still as the creature crushed his skull within its
palms.
	Venus shuddered and tried not to think as she heard a loud,
sickening "Crack!" from the soldier's head. And yet she found her
blood burning with rage. These monsters had no regard for life...they
were mindless killing machines, with no reason and no cause. Here the
people were risking their very lives to save what they cherished; they
at least deserved an honourable death. But there was nothing
honourable about what these demons were doing.
	Something within her snapped.
	And then everything fell into place with perfect clarity.
	The arachnid youma returned to attacking her.
	But unexpected it found itself shrieking and trying to defend
itself. Venus was launching herself at the creature with unbridled
righteous anger, her Senshi powers intensifying each punch and kick
she dealt it. Each movement was growing more and more foreign, yet
incredibly natural.
	She leapt into the air, kicking out her legs as she gained
incredible height and lingered there as if gravity no longer mattered.
The tips of her boots each smashed into one of the youma's shoulders
before she brought her arm down to finish the attack.
	The force of the impact sent her elbow cracking the demon's
skull apart, a mess of black blood spraying out and staining her white
gloves. Venus found herself not caring, pushing her elbow in deeper as
the monster tumbled over backwards. She rolled back out into a
standing position.
	Her eyes locked on the next Shadow beast nearest her.
	The creature abruptly stiffened and turned its head in her
direction. A number of its hideous comrades also turned their heads.
Dozens of eyes focused on her. They were sensing her powers. They knew
she was different from the others, and far more dangerous. The youma
never hesitated.
	Charged en masse towards her.
	She met them with unnatural calmness.
	Somewhere deep within, Myung watched herself as the Soldier of
Venus with detached interest. She knew that even as brave as she was,
this sort of scene would have caused her to cry out and run away. But
she could feel this surge of energy flowing through her body, pulsing
with each heartbeat.
	The demons converged and tore at her with their claws and arms
and tendrils. Seconds later those claws and arms and tendrils were
torn from their bodies as Venus erupted from the thick of their ranks,
jumping over their heads and somersaulting in behind them.
	Those first to realize what had happened whirled, a trio of
immense goblin-like fiends descending upon her. Their great, grasping
hands reached forward to seize her body and rip her into thirds...but
found nothing.
	Confused gave way to fear in their expressions.
	And then Sailor Venus was suddenly standing before them at a
further distance away. They would never be given the chance to realize
that she had just invoked a Shadowspell. She refused such heartless
creations the opportunity.
	Her form disappeared again, cloaked in Shadowspell.
	Dozens of small black portals opened up around the huddle
cluster of demon beasts. They were now too bewildered to even attack;
this sort of magik was unlike any they had known, and it frightened
them. Many pairs of eyes looked from one churning wormhole of darkness
to the next.
	And then their world went white, as if the sun itself had
exploded. Arcs and lances of light shot out from the portals, a fury
of lightning cutting down anything in their paths. In a few brief and
bloody seconds the battle was over. The corpses of the demons were
laid to waste, black ooze spreading over the subdued grasslands.
	Sailor Venus reappeared from the Shadowspell.
	Like a newborn child, she had been reborn as the Soldier of
Love. She now understood what it meant to possess such a destiny, and
the power she could wield. There was a lull in the war around her, the
Shadow forces avoiding this area as the stench from their slaughtered
brethren reached them.
	They knew the young blonde woman was a force to be reckoned
with. And so they quietly left her for their Mistress to deal with
personally.
	Venus looked down at the severed upper torso of one of the
demons. It laid unmoving, but the black substance was still crawling
around of its own willpower. Like a parasite departing a doomed host,
the ichor parted and revealed the soul who had become this horrific
being. It was a human being, a young woman.
	Venus hastily sucked in her breath.
	They were fighting people, other humans?
	But that was impossible; how could a human being have turned
into such a loathsome and remorseless monster? Venus found herself
lacking an answer, and knew that the answers would only come if she
confronted the ones responsible for mobilizing this dark army.
	Another loud, human scream pierced the air.
	Shaken out of her silent contemplations, Venus surveyed the
battlefield. The Earth armies were falling. Slowly but noticeably
falling. From where she stood she couldn't see Magellan anywhere. The
best she could do right now was hope that he was still alive and
fighting. Every inch of her being was crying out to forget the war and
just find him. Yet the part of her that was a Senshi knew there was
duty to protect these people.
	Magellan had his own battles to fight.
	For now, she would do her best to keep Camelot's ranks alive and
strong for as long as possible. Venus took a deep breath and then
raced through the melees. Any Shadow beast that got in her way was
quickly and messily reduced to tatters and shreds of demon flesh.


	Arthur found himself at the front lines, cutting a swath of
bodies and blood as he marched forward. Excalibur had yet to undergo
its final transformation, the blade proving just as trustworthy in
this form as it always had been in its final, deadly incarnation.
	He could see his Knights fighting to keep pace with him, but
they were being swept back. Only a few demons actually bothered to
attack him; that made Arthur anxious. He cut down as many as he could
while the moved past him, but the fact that they were separating him
from his armies didn't bode well.
	In the Pendragon's mind, that could only mean one thing: someone
wished to have a private visitation with him.
	The ranks of charging demons abruptly parted, the creatures
smashing into the ranks of the soldiers behind him. Scarlet and shadow
clouds sprayed out in every direction as the warriors were cut apart
by each other's blades and claws, the loud din of shouts and clashing
weapons pierced repeatedly by horrific screams.
	Out from the gap in the ranks of the Armies of Silence appeared
a single person. A woman, taking her time walking down the fields as
if this were an otherwise lazy afternoon. Her violet eyes were leering
at him, long ravendark hair billowing out behind her form.
	Arthur froze.
	"The Messiah," he whispered.
	Suddenly one of the Shadow beasts lost its head, the bloodied
stump spurting black ichor as the corpse slumped to the ground.
Stomping over the demon's body appeared one of the Knights of the
Round Table, and his eyes were wide in righteous fury as he raced
towards the Dark Messiah. Galahad let loose with a loud battle cry,
raking the blade of his broadsword across her face and chest.
	Mistress 9 held her ground, her lips pursed in savage amusement.
Without even blinking in a lapse of concentration, she sidestepped the
attack. Her gaze held constant with Arthur, breaking only momentarily
as she spun around and rammed the curved blade of her glaive into
Galahad's side. There was a shower of sparks as his armour was torn
apart like mere paper, rivers of blood bursting forth to stain the
steel of the Silence Glaive.
	Galahad convulsed, coughing up blood which flowed down his chin
and dripped onto his chainmail. Mistress 9 viciously wrenched the
glaive's blade from Galahad's side and pushed the Knight away, leaving
him to slowly die alone on the battlefield.
	Arthur growled, his expression twisting into a hating scowl. She
was doing this only because he was watching. She got off on the pain
and screams. The Dark Messiah began to giggle as she resumed walking
towards the Pendragon.
	"King Arthur," she purred, twirling the glaive around in her
hands. A few stray spatters of Galahad's blood struck her cheek. She
took no notice. "I have a message for you."
	She found that she would get no fear from him.
	He refused to give here that hideous indulgence.
	They circled each other. Ignoring the vicious battles around
them. Ignored by everyone else around them. Mistress 9 gripped the
staff of her glaive with one hand, keeping the weapon behind her back,
blade pointed towards the ground. It was a fighting stance Arthur
recognized from the Auroran samurai.
	"What do you want?" he demanded of her. "What is it that Morgana
thinks she can achieve with this pointless massacre?"
	Mistress 9 laughed, more at his words than at him. He failed to
find what was so amusing. "You foolish human," she said to him. "You
have no idea who's the puppet and who's pulling the strings." Her evil
smile turned into a cold stare. "Where is the Golden Crystal?"
	So that was what she wanted.
	A brief tide of relief washed over Arthur. He knew full well
that both Aurora's crystal and sole surviving prince were protected in
a place where this woman could never reach them.
	"Gone," Arthur stated. "You'll never find it."
	Mistress 9's violet eyes narrowed.
	"Then I have no further business with you," she stated. The
power she sought for Pharaoh 90's passage to Earth was no more. Which
meant that the man standing before her no longer served a purpose in
living.
	With a slow, nurturing motion she raised the Silence Glaive
until the polearm was horizontal behind her back.
	"You said you had a message for me," Arthur said, both hands now
gripping the hilt of his blade.
	Suddenly the blade's sleek and narrow form rippled, the metal
morphing and pulsating as if it were alive. A geyser of molten grey
spewed from the hilt, flying wildly in three arcs of watery tendrils.
They coiled around the blade of the sword. Liquid hardened back into
solid metal, weapon's blade now having tripled in its size.
	Arthur's hands were tingling as he felt the flood of magik flow
into the hilt, the grip of the sword itself changing into something
larger and easier for him to grip. What was once a slender longsword
had now become a broad-sided and double-edged weapon that stood taller
than he did. Down along the centre ran runes which openly displayed
the sword's name to all who were close enough to see.
	Excalibur roared to life, and Arthur let the Dark Messiah see a
weapon that could potentially rival her own.
	"What is it?" he inquired.
	Mistress 9 licked her lips in delicious anticipation of what was
to come next. "Your life is over, Pendragon. I'm here to kill you."
	Arthur hoisted Excalibur a little higher. "Then stop talking and
get on with it."


	It hadn't been Magellan's intention to lose sight of Myung, but
it was a reality he knew would come about. Somewhere in that initial
clash of sides he was separated. He had pushed forward while she was
forced back by an onslaught of ungodly beings who had no good reason
for being unleashed upon the Earth.
	For that matter, he'd lost Frederic in the thick of the battle
as well.
	But being separated didn't mean he had lost focus either.
Magellan hacked and slashed through the ranks of the swarming demons,
mercilessly shearing apart anything that wasn't human. That encounter
with the reptilian beasts in Vlatmere had left him knowing just what
these creatures were fully capable of. And it wasn't very pretty.
	A moment's hesitation meant an instant death.
	And that was at best.
	Suddenly Magellan was thrown forward onto the ground as an
intense shockwave roared just above his head. Dazed, he managed to
lift his face off the grasses just in time to see a tremendous
explosion rip through the Shadow Armies, spilling bodies and
grotesque, black blood in every direction.
	Ocean blue eyes glanced back at the remaining gunnery skimmer,
whose turrets were aiming at any part of the battlefield with a high
concentration of youma. Large pulses of magik, coloured like a
meteorite burning up in Earth's orbit, were being fired off in a
spectacular and deadly display.
	A large number of the demon beasts were concentrating their
attack on the battle skimmer, clamouring one on top of the other in
order to grab hold of the craft's sleek design and climb onto the
upper decks. They were starting to overpower the artillery skimmer
when abruptly one of the skimmers carrying the reserve soldiers
ploughed through and swung around, narrowing grazing sides. But that
was more than enough to either crush or tear apart a majority of the
demons clinging to the one skimmer's hull.
	Magellan managed a grin as he got back onto his feet. "Let it
never be said that Aurora ever gave us faulty designs," he remarked.
	The glib remark was cut off as Magellan swung around and let his
sword cut another creature in half. The damned things just kept coming
and coming. It was getting to be a difficult task to muster the
stamina needed to kill these beasts when a few dozen sprang up to
avenge the slaying of their hellish kin.
	Black essence splattered across his armour as he sliced another
monster's head off.
	And then something hard ripped itself down Magellan's back. He
let out a surprised grunt and tripped forwards, quickly regaining his
balance. One of the Shadow demons was there, hunched over, scowling at
him. An outstretched arm revealed three feral claws twitching for a
chance to cut him again.
	He could feel the three large gouge marks which now ran down the
back of his armour. More than that, he could feel the armour rippling
and restoring itself as if it had never been scratched in the first
place. A fierce blow like that should have cut right through half his
body, rendering him dead in seconds. But he'd barely even felt the
attack.
	Maybe that mage wasn't kidding about the Aroth Armour after
all....
	Magellan quickly dispatched the stunned creature before it had
the chance to attack a second time. Despite the animal instinct of
self-preservation running rampant, his mind was racing over what he'd
been told about this armour.
	If he lost his sword, the mage had said the armour could reshape
itself to help protect him. It could become spikes. It could become
his sword. It could become damn near anything he so desired.
	Two more demons charged him dead-on.
	Magellan lowered his sword. Some might have called it insanity,
others suicide. But he had to know. He had to test the limits of this
suit's powers. Ocean blue eyes narrowed; he could feel magik being
channeled through his body, not unlike when he worked on his roses. A
deafening pulse echoing his heartbeat sounded in his ears.
	The twin demons lunged, a blur of teeth and claws.
	Magellan gave a defiant shout. Suddenly the breastplate of his
armour rippled with a frenzied force, and two metallic tendrils shot
through the air. The pointed edges curved and then punched through the
skulls of the demons, bringing the immense beasts down instantly.
	Before the corpses even struck the ground, the tendrils
retracted back and rejoined with the breastplate. The recoil caused
Magellan to step back, but other than that he'd felt nothing save for
an incredibly euphoric rush.
	An airborne demon bat screeched and dove after him in seeing its
comrades fall. Without even thinking, Magellan whirled and flung out a
yellow rose. The flower sank deep into the youma's eye, and with a
loud howl the beast tailspun into the ground.
	"I could get to like this," he muttered to himself.
	He resumed cutting down demons wherever he went, becoming an
angel of death in his own respect. A number of soldiers he helped
defend took up arms with him, and followed his lead. They became a
solid and almost unbeatable cluster. Magellan wiped out the worst of
the enemies they found; the soldiers mopped up the rest.
	Magellan found himself having lost his frame of time.
	How long had this battle been going on? Ten minutes? An hour?
>From what he could see he knew Camelot's forces weren't doing so well.
But until the order to retreat was sounded, he intended to take down
every last demon he could.
	Yet another demon roared and charged him.
	But abruptly it toppled forward, the left side of its head and
chest separating from the rest of its body. In the shower of blood
that ensued, Magellan saw another human soldier standing there.
	It was Lancelot.
	"Where's Arthur?" he shouted as he saw Magellan.
	Magellan forced back another demonoid before sliding his sword
through its belly. "I thought he was with you!"
	More demons were swarming them.
	"We got separated," Lancelot said. He angrily hacked at the
nearest youma. "Shit! They're herding us away from Arthur!"
	Magellan twirled his body and bisected an advancing demon,
adeptly launching a barrage of roses that took down five more of the
creatures.
	"We'll find him," he stated, not even remotely doubting the
certainty with which he spoke. "Let's get--"
	His words were cut off as the ground rumbled and then cracked
apart. Dirt and grass spewed in every direction, and Magellan found
himself being launched into the air along with the debris, crashing
onto his back. Through the disorientation, he managed to see what had
burrowed out from the ground right beneath his feet.
	It was like a hellish-looking centipede rearing up, its face
resembling a blend between a skull and a mask. The centipede unleashed
a shrilling cry before bringing its front barbed legs down.
	One buried itself into the ground, causing the earth to tremble
beneath Magellan. The other leg punched through Lancelot's breastplate
and impaled him. Lancelot screamed in agony as the forward momentum of
the appendage forced him to his knees. A slender leg, glistening
scarlet now, was poking out from his right side.
	"Lancelot!" Magellan shouted, scrambling back onto his feet.
	But the fire in Lancelot's eyes had yet to die out. Whatever
strength he had left was used to flip his sword around in his hand.
With the blade pointing skyward, Lancelot lifted his head and saw the
centipede's face leering down at him. It gave off a ghostly,
triumphant shriek.
	"What are you laughing at?" Lancelot hissed. He pushed to his
feet, biting down on the searing pain as the gaping wound in his
ribcage was ripped open even wider. With one final shout, the first
Knight of the Round Table rammed the blade of the sword up into the
beast's chin, forcing it in deeper until the very tip punched through
the top of the centipede's head.
	The centipede demon let out a death rattle that made Magellan
cringe and pray there weren't any more like it prowling around the
battlefield. Its final thrashings had it lift its front appendages--
and Lancelot in the process--off the earth. Lancelot slipped off and
crashed onto the ground. The centipede demon flopped down beside him.
	Magellan slid the last few feet in reaching Lancelot.
Frantically he cradled the fallen Knight's head in his hands.
"Lancelot, are you--"
	"Find Arthur!" Lancelot snapped, cutting Magellan's words off.
He was convulsing, the blood of his body now looking to be everywhere
but inside of him. His eyes were wide and desperate, both pleading and
ordering Magellan to carry out this final command.
	The last thing Magellan wanted to do was leave Lancelot alone in
this war. But they both knew he was already dead. Magellan closed his
eyes and nodded, forcing himself to stand and carry on for the greater
good. Lancelot had entrusted him with a task to protect the Pendragon,
their king.
	Magellan picked up his sword and then raced back through sweat
and blood-soaked air.
	Left behind, Lancelot smiled weakly before coughing up another
mouthful of blood. His body spasmed one more time and then went still
forever.


	Mistress 9 wasted no time in attacking.
	Arthur's callous words goaded her on, and more than anything she
desired to rip that damned look off his face. The man was showing none
of the fear she wished the savour from him. He refused to let fear
control him, and that infuriated her.
	With an enraged shout she leapt high into the air, swinging the
Silence Glaive over her head before bringing it down in a slash meant
to cleave the Pendragon into left and right halves. But he was ready
for her. Arthur lifted Excalibur up and countered the attack, his
entire body shuddering from the collision. Yet the blade remained
intact, and he successfully shoved her back.
	Somewhat surprised that he was still alive, Mistress 9 paused to
appraise his sword. "Ara ara," she remarked, brushing aside some of
the bangs clinging to her face. "That's no mere enchanted blade."
	Arthur permitted his lips to curl back into a savage smile. "And
here you thought I would be an easy kill. Sorry to disappoint,
Milady."
	Hearing that made the Dark Messiah laugh. "On the contrary," she
replied. "It's making me even hungrier for your magik."
	They clashed once more, and this time Mistress 9 used her speed.
Arthur found himself moving faster than he'd ever had to before,
dodging, ducking and parrying the multitudes of attacks she sent his
way. But he recognized them as Auroran combat techniques, and was
familiar with them.
	But why was Mistress 9 using this fighting style?
	Sparks flew around his head, and Arthur gritted his teeth before
going on the offensive. The Dark Messiah had to hastily jump back as
he slammed the edge of Excalibur into the ground, sending forth a
single, concentrated shockwave of magik which tore apart a number of
demons on the outer ring of their playing field.
	Mistress 9 regarded him coldly. "I'm tired of playing games,"
she snarled.
	"What?" he spat at her. "Don't like the fact that I refuse to
just lie down and die? Or is your power that ineffective?"
	That did it.
	If he'd been looking for something to piss her off, that was
certainly it. Something ignited in the air around the Dark Messiah
with a thunderclap that nearly sent the Pendragon toppling over. The
air was exploding in dark magik, and it was seeking him out.
	Arthur barely had the chance to kick back onto his feet and
raise Excalibur to shield himself from a blow in which Mistress 9 was
not holding back any of her powers. She struck the sword with her
glaive. Her full force and magik went into the attack, her body
hovering there in the air. Lightning erupted from between the two
blades as weapon fought against weapon. The world around them was
cascading in hues of red, violet and gold all at once.
	The magnitude of the magik she was flaunting was frightening.
Against the likes of her the Solis System wouldn't stand a chance.
Arthur gritted his teeth and continued to keep her at bay.
	And then Excalibur shuddered with a terrifying upheaval. Copper
eyes widened as a crack snaked across the midpoint of the blade.
	"No!" he exclaimed in dismay.
	Mistress 9's eyes were alive in glee.
	Excalibur broke in half, the severed end of the blade spinning
wildly into the air. The Dark Messiah never hesitated, letting her
feet touch the ground. She spun around, swinging the glaive in an
upwards arc and slicing Arthur's sword arm off at the elbow.
	With a loud scream Arthur stumbled back and clutched at his
wound, watching helplessly as Excalibur twirled almost gracefully over
his head before the severed end of its blade sank into the ground. The
severed hand still clutching the hilt was thrown off as the weapon hit
the earth with a resounding thud.
	Blood spurted from the stump on Arthur's left arm, crimson
rivers pouring between the fingertips of his gauntlet as he tried to
cover it with his other hand. He found himself fumbling, numb from the
shock of the injury. Unbelieving copper eyes looked at the Dark
Messiah.
	He knew he was about to die.
	Mistress 9 was suddenly in right front of him, their faces
chillingly close. He could feel the cold air from her breath upon his
sweat-drenched brow. And then her hand shot forth, her fingernails
digging into his face, his cheeks, his jaws. Arthur let out a muted
cry of pain as what felt like talons cut into his skin and drew even
more blood from his body.
	Beneath his neck he vaguely felt his body seizing and jerking
like a rag doll. Blood spilled out from his lips and dribbled upon his
breastplate, covering the emblem of Camelot in a thin, red veil.
	Mistress 9 sneered at him. "Long live the king."
	And then she raked her fingertips down across his face. But
instead of merely breaking skin they cracked through the bones of the
Pendragon's skull, and then ripped. Arthur's entire face was torn from
the rest of his head and skull, a bloodied mess of flesh and gore now
soaking the Dark Messiah's hand.
	The faceless corpse slumped to the ground.
	The ruler of the Golden Empire was dead.


	The fighting was still just as fierce as when it had first
begun, even though all that was human was slowly and systematically
being wiped out. One of the battle skimmers had set itself upon the
ground and let loose an outpouring of reserve troops. The second wave
smashed into the Shadow armies, and with the now empty battle skimmer
trying to run down and crush any demon in front of it, Magellan felt a
tinge of hope within himself.
	They might just be able to win this war yet.
	Right now, at the very least he was praying that they might give
these creatures something to think twice about. If the Dark Messiah's
forces retreated, that was still a good thing.
	But Magellan had other pressing matters, his own personal
crusade to quest for. Dammit, where was Arthur? It was as if the
battle had swallowed him up. Undaunted and driven by borderline
obsession to find their king, he hacked through whatever demon beasts
stood in his way. The numbers of these ungodly creatures were getting
thicker, something Magellan didn't like.
	He was at the front lines.
	Why were they all clustering here at the front, when the rest of
the demon army was easily a hundred meters behind them?
	Magellan barely had time to think the matter through before his
armour buckled and then erupted into another malleable spike which
drove itself through the chest of a humanoid monster. His senses were
tickled, and he was distantly aware that the spines were popping out
from everywhere on his body; that last attack had been from his
backside. The Aroth Armour was going out of its way to make sure he
survived this war in one piece. If it sensed and enemy, it aligned
itself with his desire to stay alive and attacked the nemesis
accordingly.
	Suddenly he broke through the worst of the roaring youma, and
stumbled into a patch of the battlefield left virtually untouched. The
demons were using themselves as a barricade to prevent anyone else
from entering. Why?
	Magellan's eyes widened as he saw the fallen form of Sir
Galahad, and he raced to the Knight's side. "Galahad!" he exclaimed,
shaking the man. "Galahad!"
	But there was no response, Galahad's vacant eyes staring up at
the skies.
	Magellan's gaze shifted to the gaping cut in the Knight's side.
Something had ripped through the armour like it wasn't even there. The
demons were more than capable of such a feat, yes...but something
didn't look right about the wound. Magellan found his brow furrowing.
This wound came from a bladed weapon, unlike any he'd ever seen
before.
	No attack came to him, not even when he closed his eyes and
offered up a silent prayer for Galahad. As he stood back on his feet,
Magellan looked around. The demons were ignoring him. Or else they
were letting someone else take care of him.
	But what could be worse than one of those unnatural--
	Magellan's eyes widened with the realization. "Arthur!" he
shouted, turning and racing across this open space. His wearied body
was given a newfound injection of magik and adrenaline. Fear seized
his every muscle and it work harder.
	Then abruptly he saw someone.
	A young girl.
	Her back was turned to him, and she wore unfamiliar clothing. A
strange dress that barely reached mid-thigh, and clung to her stomach
and chest. Decorated in the colours of white and violet. White gloves
covered her hands and reached all the way to her elbows. Long boots
whose violet colour matched the darkened hues of her uniform stopped
just below the knees.
	And in her hands was a glaive.
	Magellan came to a dead stop, his breathing coming in laboured
gasps. His body was suddenly alive and on edge. The Aroth Armour was
rippling all over him; he himself could sense the strange and haunting
magik surrounding this girl.
	She turned her head.
	Ravendark hair framed her face.
	Violet eyes trembled, pleading with him.
	"Please," she whispered. "Help me."
	Magellan's sword nearly fell out from his hand. He stared in
surprise and disbelief as he recognized her. "Hotaru?" he whispered.
But that was impossible; this girl was of the Auroran samurai. She
should have died with the rest of the planet.
	"Awaken me," she whispered. "Set me free...."
	And then she vanished like a dream.
	In her place was someone else: a tall woman with long black hair
and a beautiful dress that billowed around her body, driven by the
winds of war. And she too carried a glaive. A chilling giggle echoed
across the battlefield.
	Magellan knew it had come from her.
	"What the hell?" he muttered.
	The Dark Messiah smiled seductively as she turned her head
towards him. "Ohayo. I've been waiting for you, Magellan Endymion...."
	And there, in her right hand, was the grotesque and mangled
remains of Arthur's face.


	The lunar world was barren.
	And yet there was a foreign beauty in its desolation.
	Setsuna found herself standing upon the edge of a smoky grey
crater which curved gracefully into the surface of the moon. Above and
all around her was the unparalleled majesty of the darkened heavens,
of a cosmic lightshow as thousands upon thousands of stars twinkled
around her. The folds of her fuku rustled from a wind that should not
have existed. Not in a place where there was no air to breathe.
	Yet she was breathing.
	It reminded her of when she had awoken upon the asteroid field
that was once Aurora. And so it came as no surprise to her when she
turned her head, pushing aside her long tresses of dark hair, and saw
the Raithe sitting upon the rim of the crater.
	"Somehow I knew it was you," she said quietly.
	He didn't answer her, didn't turn to look and acknowledge her
presence. Orbs possessed with a thousand stars all of their own
continued to look at the daunting blue sphere so close and yet so far
away. Earth was so beautiful from this distance. So peaceful.
	The Raithe was leaning against his shakujyo.
	Another stray burst of unseen wind caused the metallic rings to
rattle and chime.
	An arm stretched forth and motioned for Setsuna to join him. She
accepted. There was no other way for her to get back to Earth outside
of the Raithe's powers. She knew she wasn't powerful enough yet to
invoke her own Sailor Teleport.
	Cradling her Timestaff close to her, Setsuna sat down next to
him.
	"Have you ever stopped to marvel at the wonders of the
universe?" he asked her. His voice made her question if she was to
give an answer or stay silent. "Have you ever dreamed of traveling to
realms far beyond the potential of your own limited imagination?"
	"You have," she said to him.
	The Raithe nodded. "Humanity is not as alone as we might think,
Setsuna. There are worlds upon worlds who leave us alone because
compared to them, we are infants. Yet we all share a commonality: the
capacity for committing good and evil. Some benevolent beings I've
visited would put us to shame. Others...well, they're worse than words
could describe."
	Now he turned his head and stared at her.
	Timeless cosmic eyes gazed into her own magenta ones, and she
caught but a glimpse of the magnitude of everything the Raithe had
ever lived through. A chill ran down her back, unable to conceive the
depths of what he'd seen.
	"Chaos is but a word, Setsuna. Always remember that the
experience of its true power and form is far more terrifying."
	The Raithe went silent once more, and watched the Earth.
	"Why did you bring me here?" Setsuna demanded.
	"The battle for Camelot does not belong to you or the other
Outer Senshi," he answered. "I could afford the luxury of bringing you
here. And besides, we need to talk."
	She scowled, preferring to stare at the crater than at him.
"There's nothing left for us to talk about."
	He pursed his lips into a thin, somewhat amused smile. "On the
contrary, what we have to discuss means everything. There's been a
purpose to what I've done. My cryptic words and gestures have not been
merely to torment you."
	"You could have fooled me."
	"Hai hai. I'm not without my playful streak, I'll admit.
Sometimes a near vicious sense of humour is all that has kept me sane
as the centuries have passed me by."
	The Raithe leaned forward a little on his shakujyo, the rings
chiming once more.
	"The circles of time move in mysterious ways, Setsuna. You came
back into the past to protect the future. But even moreso than you
currently realize, you will become the true guardress of time. What is
your past remains everyone's undiscovered future. Use what knowledge
you have wisely."
	The small garnet orb nestled in the head of his staff started to
flicker. Another wind blew past them, ushering with it a river of
moondust and mist.
	Opening up his palm, the Raithe handed her a small key. "Take
it. This is the key to a pathway of time known as The Cherry Way."
	Setsuna took the small golden key into her own hand with some
trepidation--and amusement at the name. "Cherry...Way?"
	It sounded odd, yet vaguely familiar.
	The Raithe gave a helpless shrug. "Don't look at me; I didn't
name it. But the Cherry Way is like a backdoor. Whomever possesses
that key has the equivalent of a VIP pass across time. If you give it
out to anyone, screen them wisely first."
	Setsuna's fingers closed protectively over the key.
	There were no more mysteries being held between them. Every word
the Raithe spoke sounded like a final epitaph. He was finishing the
business left between them.
	"The rules about guarding the gate are more guidelines, really,"
the Raithe explained to her. "You won't actually be killed if you
break them--so long as you have good cause to. Guidelines are meant to
keep one from getting arrogant and abusing their power. Your onee-san
will make sure you don't stray too far."
	She asked, "What about you?"
	"I had a liberty you won't," he answered. "I have been creating
a future from nothing, Setsuna. Like a painter I have been able to
choose what colours I so desire to stroke across a canvas that is
called Time. You, however...you will have to guard yourself more
closely than I ever had to. What you choose to alter after this war
will have dire consequences on the future."
	Their eyes made contact once more.
	"I have only set things in motion, Setsuna. That was my sole
task. It is up to you now to ensure they stay in motion, and don't
stray from the proper path."
	Setsuna knew the truth now, even if she wished to deny the
suspicions that had been plaguing her since their confrontation upon
Aurora's remains.
	"So it is true," she said quietly, looking at him in a different
light. "You are the first guardian of time, my predecessor."


	Sailor Venus downed yet another demon.
	And the youma still kept coming.
	If it wasn't for the seemingly endless energy that was
practically bursting through her sailor battle fuku, she'd have been
discouraged by the overwhelming numbers pouring out against them. An
entourage of demon beasts swarmed around her, bristling with lethal
appendages and almost human faces. She disappeared into Shadowspell
and unleashed a fury of magik upon then.
	The shadowy creatures were reduced to smears on the grasses in
the blink of an eye.
	She dropped back to the ground as her Shadowspell retreated. One
of the battle skimmers ploughed through the warzone right behind her,
sending up a maelstrom of wind and debris. The human soldiers caught
in the skimmers path immediately ducked, feeling the warm fury of
magik from the hovering behemoth on their backs. A number of the
demons didn't realize what was happening until the bow of the skimmer
cut them in half or decapitated them.
	Venus glanced over her shoulder to apprise the casualties, and
saw only demon corpses. That much was to her liking, though she found
herself growing concerned with how long Camelot's forces would be able
to keep this up.
	Her blue eyes scanned the area. Moments later they locked onto
something she would have never dreamed of seeing.
	A man was there in the battlefield, and the only reason she took
notice of him was because he looked completely out of place there. His
garments were black, save for a white cross that ran down one of the
sleeves of an overcoat whose edges draped near his ankles. A braid of
dark brown hair danced at his back as he effortlessly dodged the
swipes of a demon. His hands were in his coat pockets, and his feet
were blurs of colour. The demon grew agitated and roared at him, bent
on tearing the sunglasses--and his head--from the rest of his body.
	Venus paused, staring in disbelief as she heard the stranger
laugh at the demon.
	And then be abruptly stopped and straightened as if he realized
he was being watched. He turned and looked straight at Venus. No
longer was he paying attention to the demon. Sensing the opening it
charged.
	The stranger kept his gaze at Venus, not so much as flinching as
one of his arms suddenly lashed out and sent a clenched fist straight
through the charging creature's head. Black gore dribbled down his
fist as the monster's body spasmed before going limp. He pulled out
his arm and then sauntered over to Venus.
	Another demon lunged from him when he was only halfway to her.
The Man With No Name looked up as the shadow fell upon him. Venus
didn't even blink, but suddenly he was gone, and four of the
creature's limbs were flying in different directions. Howling in agony
the creature fell onto its back and writhed on the grassland.
	The Man With No Name stood over its head and then knelt down.
His fingers sank into the creature's dark flesh, and wrapped around
the edges of its ribcage. With a savage yank The Man With No Name tore
the beast's ribcage in half and opened its chest up for all to see.
	Venus nearly threw up on the spot.
	"I've never had so much fun before," The Man With No Name
remarked to her. His eyes were glowing, relishing these newfound dark
desires. So this was what it was like to be human. To possess aspects
of both light and dark.
	He had once despised Mistress 9 for walking the edge of
darkness. Now he was starting to understand why she liked it. Such
unbridled emotion and power was addictive, a wondrous drug heightened
by the magik he could wield.
	Venus managed to settle her stomach, but it took some time
before she could get her voice back. With a trembling, hoarse whisper
she asked, "Why did you do that?"
	"It wished to kill me in a most unpleasant manner," The Man With
No Name replied, making it sound childishly simple. "I merely returned
the sentiment. You should thank me; I just reduced your enemy by one.
Probably saved a soldier's life."
	"We are not like them!" Venus exclaimed, horrified as she saw
the gore clinging to his hands, patches of the creature all over his
coat. "Don't become a monster yourself in fighting them!"
	The Man With No Name watched as the black essence melted away
from a nearby demon corpse to reveal the face of a young man. Eyes
hidden beneath tinted lenses turned to the Soldier of Love. "Are you
absolutely sure about that?"
	Venus angrily made herself as in his face as she could get. The
Man With No Name was a little surprised about the confrontation. "This
is not what we're fighting for," she stated emphatically. "We are not
like them; we want to preserve life."
	He smirked as he listened.
	"Sacrifice...an interesting concept," he mused. "You strive for
noble virtues and at the same time commit wondrous atrocities. Not
much difference from a demon."
	"Being human means we can choose between the two," Venus
countered, refusing to let him walk away. She seized the sleeve of his
coat as he turned to move, holding him at bay. "Don't lose that gift
just because you get a rush from killing. Don't lose the beauty of who
you are--"
	She looked down at the mangled corpse.
	"--unless you want to become something like that."
	The Man With No Name didn't look entirely convinced. His cold
demeanor remained unchanged. "So I'm to kill without being savage
then? I'm still killing."
	Venus felt her heart sink in knowing he was right.
	She was killing too.
	But it was a necessary evil that had to be acknowledged. As a
soldier she would find absolution later. But as Myung she wanted to
make it through this, and be with the man she cared about. The man she
loved.
	Magellan....
	"The world may not be a good place to live in right now," she
said quietly to the Man With No Name. "But we're doing our best to
make it good. If they win, evil wins. Help us."
	Though she could not see through the shades of his lenses, The
Man With No Name's eyes softened as he heard her appeal. Such a
paradox humanity was. And so he was a part of this paradox. But she
possessed within her a wondrous beauty he could not understand. A
dream he could not name.
	Perhaps that's what drew him to her. Perhaps that was why he
nodded in acceptance of her request. "Very well," he said. "We shall
see whether your ideals survive the sacrifice you are making for
them."
	He turned and walked away before Venus had a chance to smile in
relief, before she had a chance to thank him. The folds of his coat
billowed out behind him. The Man With No Name never looked back, and
quickly became lost in the blinding number of battles around them.
	Venus had no choice but to concentrate on fighting once more.
	Beyond where her eyes could see, The Man With No Name adjusted
the brim of his coat--pausing momentarily to kill another demon.
Though this time he merely killed it. Swift, efficient and in a sense,
merciful.
	"I saw you with Sailor Venus," a voice from behind him inquired.
"Did she spoil some of your fun?"
	The Man With No Name looked over his shoulder and saw Uranus and
Neptune standing behind him. Splotches of demon essence contrasted
with the white of their uniforms. Uranus' Space Sword was covered in
dark blood.
	"I suppose," he answered them. He shook his head over his
encounter with Venus. "I came here to discover what it meant to have a
thirst for vengeance. Now I'm wondering if I thirsted for the wrong
thing."
	Neptune whirled and aimed the glass face of her Aqua Mirror at a
rampaging worm-thing. The creature squealed as a powerful beam of
light from the mirror struck its hide, and it burst apart like a
balloon.
	"Then we can go now," Uranus said.
	The Man With No Name nodded in agreement. "Hai hai."
	"If we go to the palace," Neptune suggested. "We might be able
to find a transport to take us out. It would be faster than walking,
especially given all the unwanted distractions we're liable to
encounter along the way."
	Uranus sighed, wrapping an around Neptune's shoulders. "Sounds
perfect."
	"Incidentally," the Man With No Name remarked. "Just why did you
two follow me out here? I doubt it's because somewhere deep down you
actually care for me."
	A sardonic smirk appeared on Uranus' face. "You know too much,
and I'm willing to bet you're involved with the Grail somehow."
	One of his eyebrows went up.
	"And because of that," Haruka added. "I don't trust letting you
out of my sight for even a minute."


	Mistress 9's eyes were already feeding off the mere sight of
him, and it made Magellan inwardly cringe. "I can taste your magik,"
she whispered, licking her lips in anticipation. "Such exquisite
power, so unlike what your master here possessed."
	The Silence Glaive rained down scarlet droplets upon the ground
beneath her, the blood sprinkling the fallen body of King Arthur.
Magellan's eyes widened when he recognized the royal armour of the
corpse. Slowly his gaze was lifted to the Dark Messiah, his ocean blue
orbs storming over with horror and wrath.
	"You...."
	It was all he managed to get out from his mouth, and even then
it was a near inaudible hiss.
	Mistress 9 didn't seem troubled by the angered resolve with
which Magellan raised his sword, his shoulders rising and falling from
the deep breaths he took. If anything she encouraged him to step
forward and test his skill. One hand left the shaft of her glaive, a
finger crooking for Magellan to come closer.
	The challenge was accepted before she had a chance to blink.
	Like a maddened tempest Magellan charged, keeping his sword
gripped with only one hand that was raised over his head. A battle cry
shook the field, and he savagely tried to take her head off with one
decisive strike. The Dark Messiah brought up her glaive and blocked
the strike--then jumped back as one solid tendril of armour arced
through the air, falling short of impaling her through the chest.
	 A barrage of golden roses refused to permit her a chance to
catch her breath. But it didn't matter. She was stronger than this
human. Stronger and faster. Two of the roses meant to kill her were
deflected with ease. The third one she caught with a free hand.
	"Mmmm, such fragrance," she teased him cruelly, inhaling the
aroma of the flower. The blossom was then crushed in her palm, the
rose discarded and dropped to the ground. "It has the scent of magikal
death."
	Magellan's eyes were feverishly searching the battlefield.
	At this rate he'd be joining Arthur as a fresh body for the
birds to pick at. There was no more duty to protect the Pendragon; now
more than anything his blood burned for vengeance. But fighting her
was like a mongoose attacking a herd of stampeding elephants.
	"Shit," he muttered, adjusting his grip on his sword. "Where are
you when I need you for a distraction, Frederic?"


	The Raithe's eyes watched the Earth, but not the war.
	From the cold comfort of a distant moon, eyes possessing the
constellations within gazed upon the brilliant blue planet dominating
the reaches of this darkened space. He knew the battle was raging,
that people were dying, that a reluctant ruler was now fighting for
his life.
	That would change very soon.
	And the Messiah Wars would enter the next phase.
	Everything was as he had foreseen it, as he had worked long and
hard to make it come to pass. To know there was no one waiting for him
now that he had reached the end was his burden.
	"My task is almost completed, Setsuna," he said. "My duties are
ending. I was destined to guard the gates of time, and to set this
future on its heading. What I did holds benefits only when gazed in
the long-term. I'm not asking forgiveness from you, just that you hear
me out and remember my words when that future at last comes."
	Setsuna found herself unable to speak. Not because of surprise
or disbelief. There was a finality to what he spoke. This was his
final lesson before he...before he did what, then?
	She didn't know that answer.
	She feared to find out.
	The Raithe's shimmering eyes turned to her, and in them she saw
fond affection. As a sensei to a pupil. And as something more. "I've
been training you, Setsuna, to be my successor. The mantle of time's
guardian now belongs to you, its rightful owner."


	No distraction came.
	Mistress 9 pounced on him, shoving Magellan back onto the dirt.
He coughed from the impact, though the armour cushioned his fall
better than any other coat of metal. The Dark Messiah's glaive came
swooping down like a guillotine blade. Magellan barely managed to roll
out of the way as it tried to shear off his head.
	The blade grazed his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood down
his face. Magellan ignored it. He stumbled to get back onto his feet,
trying to ward her off with his sword. Mistress 9 stalked relentlessly
after him and swatted his weapon away. It was nothing more than a toy
to her.
	Out of the corner of his vision, Magellan saw Excalibur sticking
out from the grass. It was the closest weapon to him, but could he
reach it before he was killed?
	Mistress 9 swung her glaive again.
	Magellan had no time to move. The best he could do was raise his
forearms in front of his face and pray for either a divine
intervention or a swift and painless death.
	The glaive struck.
	His armguard cracked...but didn't fall apart.
	Magellan was forced a step back and collapsed onto his knees;
his arm felt like it had been painfully broken, causing him to cry out
in pain. But what got the Dark Messiah pausing in surprise was the
fact that she hadn't cut off his arm altogether.
	"Interesting," she remarked.
	Her hesitation was the diversion Magellan had been praying for.
Already he could feel the magik of the armour working to repair
itself, and he was regaining the use of his hand again.
	In desperation he threw himself across the ground, his hand
seizing the hilt of Excalibur and wrenching it from the earth. With a
frantic, fluid motion he raised the broken blade over his face just as
Mistress 9 brought down her glaive. Her attack was parried, sparks
flying as Excalibur held her weapon back. Magellan winced as he tried
to keep her at bay, both hands holding the sword. But even then his
wrists were screaming in pain, his body at the completely wrong angle
to be blocking like this.
	He couldn't hold this up for much longer.


	Lunar winds cried out and rang the chimes of the Raithe's
shakujyo. His smile was fading, the enigmas falling away one by one
like discarded masks. Setsuna found herself staring at a youth who had
seen more centuries than perhaps anyone else. Long hair of faded
copper draped down his back, and his eyes were now a deep baby blue.
The face he had once worn while the being Lord of Ilsa Esylin.
	"The fact is that when I'm gone, no one will ever know that I
existed," he said quietly. "No one who knew me will be alive to
remember...except for you, Setsuna. And because of that, I want you to
know my name, my true name."
	Momentary confusion wrinkled her brow.
	"It isn't Raithe?" she asked.
	"Raithe?" he remarked, mulling over his own name. And then he
shook his head, suddenly weary of all the games and secrets he had
played longer than his memory could recall. "Raithe is merely a play
upon a creature I know all too well. A wraith is a but a ghost, hardly
ever glimpsed and rarely ever remembered. It suited me and my vocation
well enough that I adopted the name as my own.
	"I have another name, one given to me by a mother whose face I
cannot remember, but whose sweet lullaby still haunts me today and
reminds me that somewhere deep down I am still human."
	Moonlight Denketsu.
	A melody he hoped would be passed on to his daughter.
	A quiet request was made to whomever might be listening that she
remember the melody, and sing it to her children one day. The
grandchildren he would never be able to see.
	The Raithe's eyes closed for a moment as he took a deep breath,
savouring the crisp, cool air that was somehow all around them despite
the vast vacuum of space. Orbs that beheld hundreds of stars and
heavens opened once again, and were turned towards Setsuna.
	"My name," he told her. "is Chronos."


	Suddenly the pulse of a foreign heartbeat roared through
Magellan's ears. Excalibur twitched in his hands.
	Mistress 9's violet eyes widened as she heard the echoing
heartbeat. "Masaka!" she hissed, sensing the awakening.
	Excalibur exploded back to life, a tsunami of liquid metal
erupting from the pommel and hilt to wash over the broken blade.
Magellan was barely able to hold onto the sword as the magik
practically tore it from his grasp. The tendrils thrashed wildly,
almost shrieking as they tried to fold over what wasn't there.
	The weapon lurched sideways, throwing Magellan along with it. He
fought to keep Excalibur in his grasp, but that was virtually
impossible. Holding the sword steady as its magik kicked and screamed
out of control was making him look away from Mistress 9--something
that was liable to get him killed. And in the back of his mind, he was
frantically searching for an explanation.
	Did the Aroth Armour do this?
	Or was it something else?
	Magellan barely had the chance to give it any further thought as
Mistress 9 let out a shout and raked the Silence Glaive down. He
parried with Excalibur, feeling a solid counter-force stopping the
Dark Messiah's attack cold. Her body was trembling furiously as she
tried to crack the sword a second time.
	But Excalibur refused to bend.
	Suddenly one of the metallic tendrils lashed out, nearly
slashing Mistress 9 across the cheek. She jumped back, hastily
reassessing her opponent. Magellan smiled until the tendril came
screaming back and nearly decapitated him. Within a heartbeat the
Aroth Armour formed its visor, deflecting the rampant power.
	Magellan pushed off from his knees and stood on his feet. The
plates of the Aroth Armour were churning upon his body, crackling as
two distinct magiks tried to feed off each other but could not.
Certainly not when Excalibur was broken and bleeding its magik,
howling like a wild and wounded animal.
	"Come on," he hissed, glaring at the sword as it again tried to
fling itself into the air, the tendrils now starting to melt into
cascades of liquid metal. "Give me something to work with!"
	But Excalibur refused to calm itself.
	Mistress 9 lunged again.
	With an aggravated shout, Magellan hurled Excalibur aside and
braced himself for battle. As Excalibur spun through the air and fell
upon the earth, its convulsions ceased, and the sword went silent.
However, Magellan found himself unable to consider what that meant.
	The Aroth Armour abruptly churned and flowed into one of his
hands, a spike now reforming itself to become a broadsword. Magellan
raised it above his head with frightening ease, as if it weighed
nothing at all. The Silence Glaive smashed into his makeshift sword,
but the Aroth Armour held, sparks flying as the blades ran up and down
each other's lengths.
	"You don't really think you'll win, do you?" the Dark Messiah
sneered.
	"You might find us Earthians full of surprises," he retorted
through clenched teeth.
	And then he shoved Mistress 9 back as hard as he could. She
nearly tumbled backwards head over heels, but regained her balance at
the last possible second. The Messiah of Silence hovered in the air,
glaring at him. She lunged moments later. Magellan was waiting.
	Blows met with showers of white hot sparks, and explosions of
magik. The air was saturated with their dueling powers. For every
strike Mistress 9 made, Magellan stopped it and then performed an
attack of his own that caused her to sweat from the effort of
defending herself. Their bodies were dancing together across the
battlefield, a frenzy of clashing magiks causing human and demon alike
to stop and watch.
	Magellan sidestepped a thrust from the Silence Glaive that tore
a long and winding hole through the ground before finally detonating
in the faces of a cluster of demons. He swung the Aroth's sword,
delivering an equally vicious attack that split the earth where the
blade touched. Mistress 9 sprang back as the area beneath Magellan's
feet was scorched and sank into a desolate crater.
	"Tenacious bastard!" she swore.
	This human whelp was starting to agitate her.
	Why did he refuse to die like she wanted him to?!
	Mistress 9 launched herself into the air, her shadow falling
over Magellan. Black lightning crackled and snaked around her glaive,
coursing down her arms and legs. Her hair billowed out as she began to
let manifest the true power of a Messiah. Deep within the daimon
possessing her shrieked with glee.
	Magellan sucked in his breath as he watched her hover in the
air, summoning what was no doubt a devastating attack. "Please be able
to deflect this," he whispered to the armour. He wanted to see
Frederic and his friends again. He wanted to touch Myung and hear her
voice one more time....
	The armour heard him.
	Magik resonated with a heartbeat, and then quickened.
	With a demonic cry Mistress 9 plunged to the ground,
accelerating at an impossible rate. The blur she became to everyone
else was but a crystal clear image in Magellan's eyes. He watched her
descend and raised the sword over his head to block the glistening
blade of the glaive.
	"SHIN'NE!!" the Dark Messiah bellowed.
	And then suddenly she vanished.
	Magellan awkwardly blinked, nearly tumbling backwards in still
expecting to feel the attack.
	There was no trace of Mistress 9.
	The tempest of magik had blown itself out of existence along
with her.
	Not sure if he should be wary, frightened, or grateful, the
Vlatmere prince slowly backed away from where he had fought her.
Confused eyes glanced around the battlefield.
	"What the hell?" he murmured.


	The warmth of the Raithe's lips suddenly and gently pressing
against hers came without warning, and not without a degree of
acceptance. This was the additional fondness that she had seen in his
eyes, ever so often in the past, ever so much more since Aurora had
been destroyed. When he parted, Setsuna wasn't sure to feel indignant
or to draw him back for another kiss.
	"I've been waiting sixteen years to do that," he admitted with a
lopsided smile. "Say hello to my daughter when you meet her, Setsuna.
And good luck on your task. Don't let it break you like it tried to
break me."
	The Raithe took up his shakujyo and rose to his feet. Metallic
rings chimed across a dark void that should not have permitted any
sound at all.
	"And now, Setsuna, I bid you farewell."
	Without the chance to say a word, express a message through her
eyes, or even to reach out with an arm of protest, Setsuna vanished
from the rim of the crater. The Raithe dwelled in silence and
solitude, his final lull before the storm.
	Moments later, Mistress 9 suddenly appeared. Her surprise and
anger was visible despite the distance between her and the Raithe. She
turned and saw him, her violet eyes narrowing. He was to blame for
interrupting her. He was the cause for disrupting her euphoric
bloodshed. Dark magik crackled, causing the dust upon the surface of
the moon to tremble and ripple like watery waves.
	The Raithe calmly took a step forward and prepared himself to do
battle.


	To say Magellan was stunned was an understatement.
	One moment, on the verge of being harbinger fodder. The next
moment, nothing. The Dark Messiah simply vanished--and it appeared not
because she had wanted to. He glanced around the battlefield,
unbelieving of this event, but saw nothing to indicate she'd returned
to a different place. He was alone and virtually forgotten by human
and demon alike.
	Magellan made his way back to Excalibur and picked up the blade.
It responded to his touch and began to jerk in his grip, the molten
tendrils of magik trying to reshape a blade that was no longer wholly
there. The broken weapon might have looked useless, but now it was
more dangerous than ever before--especially to the wielder.
	When it came to magik, appearances were always deceiving.
	"Stop!" he hissed as the sword tried to buck itself into the
air. Much to his surprise, Excalibur went silent. Magellan regarded
the sword, not entirely sure what to think. It knew commands, and
what's more obeyed when it heard his voice?
	Almost by instinct, he made to sheath the sword over his back,
even though there was no scabbard. The Aroth Armour changed its form
and secured the remains of the blade within itself, leaving the
decorated hilt and pommel for all to see.
	But now he was left with an opening. Mistress 9 was nowhere in
sight, and perhaps wasn't even anywhere near Camelot. He had to seize
the opportunity while it was still there--and while he was still there
too, for that matter. But what could be done?
	Magellan looked around the sprawling fields of Camelot.
	The Knights of the Round Table lay slaughtered at his feet.
Arthur was no longer recognizable, even as a corpse. The battalion
leaders were either dead or being pushed back, almost right against
the castle walls. One of the battle skimmers was evacuating troops
while defending itself from demon attack. The other troop transport
had crashed onto the surface and was lying there, an enormous metal
skeleton now being ripped apart by demons in search of the humans
inside.
	"We aren't going to make it," he murmured to himself.
	This was one battle they could not win.
	Magellan marched towards the nearest cluster of human soldiers,
almost blasé about the demons rampaging around him. Any who drew too
near were either cut in half by the armour or impaled by a rose.
Endymion killed them without blinking, possessed by a natural calm
that required him to barely react or even turn his head when an attack
came.
	A beast resembling the goblins in a fairy tale he'd once been
read as a child lunged, and was sliced in half at the waist. Magellan
didn't care about the black blood being dashed against his face and
armour. He felt beyond dirty and blood-soaked.
	The soldiers looked at him with unexpected awe and reverence.
They awaited his next command, almost eager to find inspiration in his
power and courage, and take up arms against the Shadow Army. However,
the words he spoke were not the words they had been expecting to hear.
	"Get everyone back to the castle," Magellan stated.
	One man stepped forward, staring at him in blank confusion.
"Sir?"
	Magellan scowled. They were wasting too much time like this,
when good people were dying every second. If they wanted to survive
and regroup for another defense, they needed as many fighters as they
could get. He only hoped Myung had made it through this battle alive.
	"My name," he stated loud enough so that any survivors within
earshot would clearly hear. "is Lord Magellan Endymion of Vlatmere.
Arthur and his Knights are dead, and I am assuming command. We can't
hold our own out here any longer. Get whatever troops you can on the
outskirts to the battle skimmer, and then have it evacuate this place.
I want everyone else inside the castle within fifteen minutes, and I
want Camelot sealed up tighter than a drum!"
	The soldier nodded and started to race towards the castle,
frantically shouting out to the others. All too quickly they joined in
the flight back towards Camelot. No one was going to argue; they all
just wanted to get out alive. Any demons standing in their way were
either avoided or taken down--though not before a number of them
killed a few stray soldiers.
	Magellan held back a minute after everyone else.
	Solemnly he watched the Camelot forces falling apart.
	"This is it," he said quietly.
	The time to sound the retreat had come.


	Upon the grey surface moon, the Messiah of Silence stood and
stared at the daunting blue planet behind her. Earth seemed to hover
there in the darkness, mystic and beautiful. Yet she had stood upon
the planet a heartbeat ago, only to find herself here. Detached from
the war she was so lovingly provoking. Denied the chance to kill that
Earthian prince who had refused to let her taste his blood and his
strange magik.
	Mistress 9 focused her gaze back upon the Raithe.
	He stood there at the edge of a gaping crater, unseen winds
blowing his darkened robes and shaking the rings of his shakujyo. He
breathed the same air she breathed, though there should have never
been air at all upon this lifeless satellite of stone.
	"You did this," she said finally, taking a cautious step towards
him. There had been no warning of this teleport, and she had been
unable to stop the process until it had deposited her here. The man
before her had done all of this.
	He was not a man to be taken lightly.
	If he was a man at all.
	"Who are you?" she demanded, swinging her glaive and resting the
base of the polearm on the moonrocks.
	The Raithe merely smiled. "Someone who wants to talk."
	"You tore me from my war. I was hoping for a delicious taste of
magik when you came knocking."
	"Oh, you mean Magellan?" the Raithe remarked. He shrugged the
name aside like it meant nothing--though silently, he knew it meant
everything. "He's unique, but nothing compared to us."
	"I know what I am," the Messiah of Silence stated. She took
another step towards him. Her piqued curiousity was the only thing
keeping her from trying to outright kill him.
	The Raithe idly wondered how long he'd be able to capture her
interest.
	She continued, "I am the oracle of Pharaoh Ninety."
	"An oracle who has yet to fulfill her duties," the Raithe
replied coolly.
	The raven-haired woman scowled at him.
	That had managed to strike a nerve.
	"And what," she inquired icily. "do you know of my duties?"
	For what felt like the first time a long time, the Raithe let
out a bark of laughter. He laughed at the Dark Messiah, at her
arrogance and ignorance. And as he laughed she fumed, the aura of her
blak magik starting to churn and shatter the rocks around her.
	Before she could ask what he found so damned amusing, he said,
"I'm surprised you haven't recognized the one who carried your daimon
egg across the depths of space, Mistress Nine. Who do you think found
you such a powerful host?"
	Mistress 9 gave pause.
	She was half-believing. The other half was barely being
restrained from leaping forward and tearing him to shreds with her
bare hands. The Dark Messiah began to move closer to him, the glaive
poised to strike if she so desired.
	"Why did you stop me from conquering Camelot?" she demanded.
	"Camelot?" he laughed in reply. "Such a puny place, with such
puny magik. You think you'll find what you're looking for there? All
the magik in Camelot won't bring Pharaoh Ninety to this system."
	Now he had her full and utmost attention.
	Violet eyes alive in evil watched him carefully.
	"So why fight me if you wish to help bring my master to Earth?"
she asked.
	The Raithe shook his head. He shifted the position of the
shakujyo, metallic ringing echoing across the lunar plains. "Whoever
said I was allied with your master? I'm creating a future, something
that requires me to play both sides. Don't think I'm helping you out
of the goodness of my heart."
	He leaned forward, knowing starlit eyes watching the Dark
Messiah. "Your StarChamber needs a booster."
	"And my Golden Crystal is gone," she added, swiftly growing
tired of entertaining his presence. "What of it?"
	The Raithe waved a chiding finger at her. "All that magik and
still unaware of how to use it. You want power, Mistress Nine? You
want the Solis System to tremble before you like never before? You can
wipe out a planet with your power...but how about finding the power to
destroy an entire star system?"
	The enigmatic smile that had always been a defining part of his
identity appeared. "Seek the Grail."
	Mistress 9 regarded him oddly. Such a thing she had never heard
of before. Such a power she had never even felt before upon the face
of that Earth planet. "Grail," she repeated. She smiled, liking how
easily the word rolled across her tongue, as if the word itself was
possessed by magik and left a sweet, lingering taste for her to savour
in her mouth. "This Grail can give me power. So where might I find
it?"
	"I honestly don't know," the Raithe confessed. "It's resting
place is hidden even from me. I'm just a messenger, Mistress Nine. Now
it's your turn to decide what you're going to do with what I've told
you."
	She watched him in silence, being quiet almost too long for his
liking, her eyes fixated on his. And then she smiled. Began to giggle
demurely. "I can see the truth in your eyes. And the Grail is waiting
for me somewhere on Earth."
	With another giggle, she stepped back and swung her Silence
Glaive around. "Thank you for being such an entertaining host," she
said. Her eyes turned darker. The curving, pointed edge of the glaive
was nudged underneath the Raithe's chin. "But I have a prince to kill,
and a Grail to find. Which means our conversation is over...as well as
your life."
	Unlike all the opponents she'd ever faced, the reaction she got
from the Raithe perplexed her the most. Everyone was afraid to die.
Whether or not they professed it, the fear existed. Sometimes they'd
be ready to die for a cause, and use that to placate their fears.
	But the Ancient showed no signs of fear.
	No signs of wanting to fight on.
	His task was at last completed.
	It was time to let it end.


	"Move!" Magellan shouted, shoving yet another straggling soldier
further down the hall. A demon warrior lunged over his hand, and
Magellan buried the sharpened stem of a golden rose right between its
eyes.
	He risked a glance back at some of the panicked and frozen
troops. "Get to the Warhammer! It's our only chance to escape!"
	A blurring line of soldiers raced past him, most having
abandoned their swords. Some were crying out in fear, desperate to
escape. The others were carrying wounded comrades to the lift
platforms that would take them up to the transport docks and hangars.
Magellan was commanding the last line of defense standing between the
fleeing personnel and the fury of the Shadow Army.
	But getting out of Camelot proved to be harder than expected. By
the time they'd managed to partially seal themselves into the heart of
the castle, the entire place was swarming with the damned things. A
mild comfort had presented itself when Magellan had caught a glimpse
through some of the lancet windows the sight of a lone battle skimmer
escaping the battle.
	Now the only worry was ensuring they could rendezvous with those
survivors later. Magellan swung the towering blade that was now
extending from the top of his gauntlet, taking out entire row of
demons. Their bodies spewed forth shadowy blood, drenching his already
soaked armour. Corpses of human and youma were piling up all around
them, creating a virtual bottleneck. If the demons didn't want to
scale the mounds of bodies and get shot down by a small group of
archers, they'd have to make their way through a narrow gauntlet--at
which Magellan was in the front.
	Very few actually managed to get past him.
	Those that did were usually too wounded to make it through the
next awaiting trio of soldiers.
	"Shit, where do they keep coming from?" he muttered to himself.
The hordes seemed to be endless--and he still had yet to see Myung
anywhere in the castle. Magellan silently hoped that she was already
on the Warhammer, waiting for him. He wasn't about to disappoint her
by not appearing.
	His eyes darted over to one of the doors lining the corridor as
it was flung open. Out tumbled a small and battered group of soldiers
desperate to reach him. Magellan turned to the soldiers behind him.
"Keep your positions!" he snapped.
	A barrage of roses were his escourt, cutting apart any
opposition that tried to get near the men-at-arms. With a leap defying
gravity and possessed by magik, Magellan flung himself across the
grandiose hallway, turning his body sideways and using the upper wall
as a springboard. He ricocheted off the stone, twisting his form
before landing between the charging forces of darkness, and his fellow
warriors.
	His makeshift sword rippled and lost one edge in favour for two
curved ones, becoming a battle axe that neatly reduced the first of
the ungodly beasts to pieces. The Aroth Armour let two more spines
erupt from his back and take out the last of the nearest demons. As
Magellan helped one of the straggling men limp towards the lift
platform, the archers provided cover, flaming arrows sending up smoke
and flames to sent the demons running around in chaos.
	"How are we doing?" Magellan asked.
	"They've broken down the defensive line at the East Wing," the
captain of the guard stated between quickened gasps for air. He winced
as he clutched his side. "They've smashed through the gate and are
heading this way. There's nothing between us and them anymore to stop
their advance."
	Magellan grimaced. "How long 'til they meet up with our current
unwelcomed guests?"
	Suddenly one of the walls at the far end of the corridor buckled
and exploded, stone bricks of silver bursting forth and spilling out
across the floor. A new horrific legion of darkness swept out into the
hall, crashing into the current wave of demons they had to contend
with.
	Magellan lowered his arm from his eyes as the cloud of dust
settled. He grimaced as he saw the tide of monstrosities flow towards
them. "Where's Merlin when we need him?" he muttered. Had creating
Illusion taken that much strength out of the seemingly old wizard?
	He handed the captain of the guard over to someone else, and
whirled as he rammed one end of the battle axe through the chest of a
horned monster. Enraged, the beast snapped and thrashed, refusing to
die. Its claws bounced off the Aroth Armour, sending up sparks.
Magellan winced as he drove the blade in deeper, flinching and trying
to keep his head from getting ripped off.
	With a resounding crunch, the axe broke through something vital
in the creature's body. It twitched and spasmed, unleashing a guttural
howl as it foamed at the mouth. The foam dribbled down its jaws and
fell into Magellan's shoulder pauldron. Instantly there was a hiss as
the corrosive saliva tried to eat through the enchanted metal.
	Magellan tilted his neck as far away as he could before he
pulled the battle axe upwards, slicing through as many vulnerable
organs as he could. In a final gurgle, the demon collapsed and died.
But even as it fell, Magellan could see even more of its kind were
overtaking the corridor, surging towards the handful of humans
protecting the lift elevator.
	"We can't hold this position anymore!" one of the man-at-arms
called out. "Lord Endymion, get onto the platform."
	Magellan refused. "You get onto the lift!" he shouted, waving
them back. "I'll hold them back!"
	"Milord!" one of them protested.
	Magellan hoisted his battle axe up so they could see the blade.
It rippled and changed into a serrated-edged sword once more. "I'll be
right behind you. Do I order!"
	The last of them managed to collapse onto the lift platform.
With a loud whoosh of air it began to rapidly ascend with a momentary
shudder. The soldiers watched Magellan fend off the overwhelming tide
of demons. Even with his magik and his skill, at best he could only
last a few minutes against such lethal odds. Magellan himself knew
that.
	The only problem was how to get onto his own lift and leave
enough distance between him and these youma so they wouldn't get onto
the platform with him.
	"This had better not be my last stand," he growled, hacking off
a few outstretched limbs. He made a thin smile. "Myung will kill me if
I'm late."
	However, a solution presented itself.
	Magellan froze, along with all the other demons in the corridor,
as a large and gaping black portal opened itself up over their heads.
And then the gates of hell seemed to be unleashed as the portal let
loose with a brutal volley of black lightning. Magellan hastily leapt
out of the way as the youma ranks were burned or cut apart. Body parts
tumbled onto the floor in a rain of blood.
	Rolling on his shoulder, Magellan came back into a defensive
stance, holding his armour's blade in front of him. "That's a new
one," he remarked, not even sure if he had been that lightning's real
target.
	"You like it, then?" a feminine voice asked.
	Magellan spun around in surprise, raising the sword but lowering
it moments later when he saw Sailor Venus standing to his right. "That
was you?" he said.
	She nodded and winked. "You're welcome."
	In a moment of indulgent luxury, Magellan raced forward and
drank deeply from her lips. She returned his kiss with an equally
fierce passion. The adrenaline and relief in knowing the other was all
right carried them out of the war for a brief instant in time.
	An incensed roar thundered across the hallway and harshly tossed
them back into Camelot. Venus and Magellan turned to see the second
wave trampling their fallen demonic kin underfoot, racing towards the
lift.
	"Looks like reinforcements have arrived," Magellan remarked,
slowly backing away. "We had better get out of here. NOW."
	"They're going to be right on the lift with us at this rate,"
Venus countered, though she was stepping back alongside with him.
	Magellan's eyes caught sight of his reflection in the black-
smeared blade. "Maybe not. Get onto the lift; I have an idea."
	She stared at him, hoping against hope that whatever idea he had
involved both of them making it onto the flight deck. Magellan stood
in front of the lift, spreading his legs apart. One hand reached back
and drew Excalibur out from the armour, the weapon reacting instantly
to freedom.
	Magellan's eyes narrowed as he fought the wild weapon,
concentrating as much as he could on the Aroth Armour backing this
raging magik. The armour responded, slowly snaking its way over his
hand and onto the pommel. Though Excalibur still kicked in his grip,
Magellan found himself a little harder to be shaken. However the
armour refused to touch the rampaging liquid of the broken blade.
	That didn't matter.
	He was counting on Excalibur still striking blindly.
	But that was his gamble.
	Excalibur was twirled in his hands until the blade pointed to
the floor. He could feel the Aroth Armour and Excalibur colliding
against the other's magik, almost as potently as they were feeding off
the magik in his own body. An enormous amount of unbridled energy was
being created between the armour and the sword, incredibly destructive
but without a vent or focus.
	Magellan closed his eyes to the enemy and calmed himself as best
he could.
	Three powerful magiks. What he had to was channel them all into
one devastating attack.
	Magellan's body suddenly tingled, his nerves going hyperactive
as the world around him became acutely aware of the magik saturating
his system. The magik of Aroth began to align with his own strange
breed. And then both started attacking the untamed magik of Excalibur,
creating an even greater pool of raw energy.
	It felt like he was creating lightning.
	"Magellan!" Venus cried out.
	His eyes flew open, and beheld the unholy legions right in front
of him. With a loud shout, Magellan rammed Excalibur into the ground,
driving the broken blade and thrashing tendrils through the floor and
forcing it to sink into stone. There was a flash of light, the entire
hallway heaving from the impact.
	The masonwork crumbled from Excalibur's touch, the floor
collapsing and falling into the darkness of the level beneath them.
But the hole kept moving, seeking to engulf others. A long, jagged
crack shot across the corridor, snaking around and between the
multitudes of youma feet. Suddenly the floor burst and caved in.
Bricks no longer held their solid footing and pelted the shrieking
demons who plummeted downwards.
	Numerous creatures frantically clawed over each other to reach
safe ground, others flinging themselves onto the walls. A violent and
tumultuous upheaval now rocked Camelot, and the walls themselves
started to break apart and toss the wayward demons down to the
darkened realms below.
	The second he felt the castle shake, Magellan realized he'd
allowed for too much power in the attack. It wasn't centralized or
doing what he commanded. It was merely acting with unbridled
restraint, the floor beneath him now cracking apart too. He wrenched
Excalibur upwards and then turned. With one desperate leap he dove for
the edge of the lift, the fingers of one hand tenaciously clinging to
it for dear life.
	Venus activated the platform as he clamped onto its outer rim.
She helped him climb onto the ascending platform, leaving the Army of
Silence beneath them in death and disarray. Excalibur, dormant once
again, made a loud metallic 'clunk!' as Magellan slammed it down onto
the lift's floor. His other hand now free, he grabbed hold of a
railing and brought himself up over the edge. The last thing he wanted
was his legs dangling over the side for some high-jumping creature to
grab hold of--and potentially tear off from the rest of his body.
	"Are we the last?" Venus asked.
	Magellan forced a nod, knowing there were some souls lost within
the castle who would have to be left behind. "More or less. We can't
help anyone else here, or else we'll miss our only ride out."
	The smallest transports would have already been taken. All that
remained was Vlatmere's own carrier ship, the Warhammer.
	Magellan lifted his ocean blue eyes up to the height of the
shaft. "Please have the engine running when we get there, Frederic,"
he muttered.


	And upon the moon, the battle was just as fierce.
	It didn't wholly surprise Mistress 9 to discover that the Raithe
was not longer where she had intended him to be. She drove the blade
of her glaive upwards, meaning to use the driving force to rip his
head off. But the Raithe was suddenly standing a fair distance behind
her.
	No longer was he acting courteous.
	His left hand gripped his shakujyo, eyes filled with a thousand
stars glaring at her. "And to think you are a part of my legacy," he
hissed.
	The Dark Messiah spun around and smashed the blade of her weapon
into the ground. The moon's surface split apart, a jagged chasm
opening up as it raged towards the Raithe. His eyes opened wider as he
summoned a powerful burst of magik, jamming the base of his shakujyo
into the rock. The opening chasm collided with a barrier, the area
bathed in flashes of blue and white as Mistress 9's magik tried to
claw its way through. The dust at the Raithe's feet was rocking and
rippling.
	But his barrier held long enough to force the attack to waver in
its potency. There was a moment of weakness. He seized it. Raking the
ringed staff in a downwards arc, he returned the favour back to
Mistress 9. Except this time the rocks rose up from their resting
places around her, skyrocketing out into the depths of space.
	She hovered in the air, dodging and deflecting the chunks of
rock that tried to batter her left and right. With an angered shout
she unleashed her blak magik, letting it radiate out from her. There
was a split second amidst the flying pieces of earth where she saw the
Raithe standing in her sights.
	Mistress 9 pointed her glaive and sent out a single, short burst
of power. The Raithe screamed as his arm was torn off, a crimson flood
spattering his side as the severed and lifeless limb spun through the
air. It landed next to his feet, fingers twitching slightly.
	He felt woozy and disorientated with the sudden blood loss,
reminded once more of what it was like to be a person who could not
use any form of magik. He was holding back. He had to hold back, for
the sake of the future.
	But now he grew angry as he listened to the Dark Messiah's
arrogant laughter. The last particles of flying rock were dashed to
shards by an unseen hand, and out from the grey cloud emerged Mistress
9. A cruel smile was on her lips.
	"Ara ara, is this all the power the last Ancient has?" she
inquired, toying with her weapon's blade.
	The Raithe's eyes narrowed.
	"Just because I'm letting you win," he snarled. "doesn't mean
it's going to be easy killing me!"


	The immense steel form of the Warhammer, its exhaust ports
letting off blasts of steam as it went through the final motions of
its launch cycle, was a welcomed sight for Magellan. The lift platform
came to a stop, and he wasted no time getting off it.
	Venus used her attack to destroy the access shaft for the lift,
sealing off the demons down below--and dropping a lethal amount of
debris on their heads. All the while, Endymion watched her back.
Already a number of demons had decided to scurry across the flight
deck. They all suffered the same fate in the end, falling to the Aroth
armour or his roses.
	"Let's go!" Venus exclaimed, racing past him towards the
Warhammer. She could see one of the doors in the forward compartment
opened and waiting for them. A foursome of soldiers were busy keeping
the exit cleared, viciously cutting down any beast attempting to
destroy the craft.
	Magellan was one step behind Venus, and made sure he was the
last one to board. He let Excalibur's immense size return to the
harmless-looking sword. The door remained opened as he felt the
Warhammer shudder beneath his feet. He let the spikes of his armour
jab through the head of a demon trying to get on. "Anytime now!" he
shouted down one of the interior corridors.
	Someone was obviously listening.
	The Warhammer began to lift off the flight deck.
	One last youma took a flying leap and managed to catch hold of
the edge of the doorframe. Magellan kicked it in the head and watched
it tumble back onto the castle. Satisfied no more of those
monstrosities could get aboard, he turned and sealed the door shut
behind him.
	The craft shifted and sent Magellan tumbling against the wall.
He scowled and pushed himself back into the middle of the corridor. A
few seconds later found him at the doorway to the cockpit. The entry
hatch retracted sideways into the wall, allowing him passage into a
part of the ship almost entirely encased in glass.
	Venus was waiting there for him.
	And sitting in the pilot's chair was Frederic. Vlatmere's top
archer looked about as grimy and sweaty as Magellan felt. But they
still weren't in the clear yet.
	"About time," Frederic quipped, a relieved look on his face in
seeing Magellan. "What took you?"
	"Elevator was busy," Magellan glibly replied.
	That got a chuckle from Frederic. He punched a few more commands
into the Warhammer's navigation system. "Good to see you still in one
piece, Magellan."
	"Save it for when Camelot's no longer in our sight."
	Frederic nodded, bringing the transport into a higher altitude.
The ship swung itself around for its course heading. Camelot came into
view, and through the panoramic canopy the three of them were seized
with dread. The flight deck was swimming in black demons, shrieking
and churning in waves of grotesque beings leaping in vain at the
Warhammer and clawing at each other.
	"Where did they all come from?" Frederic growled as he eased the
nose of the Warhammer upwards, swinging the craft portside for a
better view. The cockpit--and no doubt the entire cabin--shuddered
with the trajectory of their ascent.
	"They used access corridors, climbed up the walls, punched
through the floor," Magellan answered soberly. "They use whatever
means necessary to try and kill us."
	Suddenly the Warhammer lurched, causing Magellan to brace
himself against the pilot's console. Behind him, Venus gave an
unexpected squeak of surprise in nearly being thrown across the
cockpit. They had changed their course heading, now circling closer to
the castle.
	Magellan's eyes widened as the demon-infested flight deck came
even closer into view. "Frederic, what the hell are you doing?" he
exclaimed.
	Frederic's eyes were narrowed and chillingly calm as he reached
over with one hand and flipped a few switches. One of the displays
came on: the weapons systems had been activated. "Giving them a send-
off," he answered.
	He gripped the control stick, index finger wrapping around the
trigger. Frederic hesitated, waiting only momentarily to hear an
objection from Magellan. Nothing was given.
	A vicious smile pulled at Frederic's mouth. "Warmest personal
regards from King Arthur," he snarled, and pulled the trigger
mechanism.
	From a chamber saturated with reserve magik deep within the
Warhammer, the primary weapons went hot and fired. It was like
watching neon missiles shoot across the sky, leaving a trail of
scorched air behind them. Volley after volley struck the ranks of
youma, detonating instantly. Explosions the colour of electric blue
rose up all over the flight deck, navy fireballs throwing demons in
every direction. Those beasts who weren't instantly vaporized were
cast into each other or sent hurling over the edge where they plunged
to their deaths.
	A loud, muffled cheer sounded from the ship's belly as the
soldiers watched and applauded.
	All too quickly the magik of the reserve weapons was drained.
Frederic didn't seem to care. Without saying another word, he swung
the Warhammer back around to its original setting and then began to
ascend. The last of Camelot's lofty towers and spires were left
behind, blue skies and billowing clouds now surrounding them.
	Magellan let out an audible sigh of relief, one echoed by Venus.
She reverted out of her fuku and became Myung once more. As much as he
wanted to flop out in the co-pilot's chair, Magellan knew there was
another place he wanted to be: by her side.
	Excalibur was dropped onto the floor. The Aroth Armour sensed
his desire to be free and retracted from his body, the few small
plates falling at his feet. He was still sweaty, covered in dirt and
demon ichor, but that didn't stop him from wrapping Myung into his
arms. Magellan inhaled her scent, losing himself in her warmth and
touch.
	"I was afraid I'd lost you out there," he confided in a whisper.
	Myung kissed him. "No matter what happens, I'll always be close
to you, Magellan. Now and forever."
	Magellan smiled and nodded. He turned his head back to the
pilot's chair. "Let's get the hell out of here, Frederic."
	"Any particular place?" Frederic inquired, cracking his
knuckles.
	Magellan found himself drawn back to Myung's gentle eyes. "Home,
Frederic. To Vlatmere."
	Deliberately ignoring the kissing session going on behind him,
Frederic laid in the new coordinates and primed the ship's engines.
Thankfully they'd had the foresight to leave the people who were the
Warhammer's living engines out of combat, waiting in the ship on
standby. As a result their engines weren't already exhausted. Getting
to Vlatmere, even with as heavy a load of people as they did, would be
easy.
	Frederic managed a wry grin, glancing back at Magellan and
Myung. "Please have your seatbacks and tray tables in their full,
upright positions, and hang on," he warned them.
	The Warhammer's engines fired.
	And the survivors of the battle left Camelot far behind them.


	Blood ran down his side, a useless stump where his right arm had
once been. The Raithe grimaced through the pain, forcing back the urge
to reattach the limb through (what was to him) a simple exercise in
magik. His eyes flashed in light, the starry heavens trapped within
lost in a momentary supernova.
	Suddenly the moon's surface broke apart, shattered fragments of
rock ripped from the lunar orb and sent hurling towards the Dark
Messiah. Mistress 9 slammed the blade of her glaive into the ground,
erecting a barrier shield. Stones pelted a radiant and pulsating wall
of magik, dashing themselves to dust.
	And then the Raithe was abruptly standing behind her.
	Mistress 9 whirled in sensing his presence, and received a
strike against the cheek from his shakujyo. She stumbled sideways,
nearly losing her hold on the Silence Glaive. The Auroran memories
buried deep within her mind gave her the chance to recover and right
her stance. She swung the glaive around, jabbing it at the Raithe's
face.
	The Messiah of Silence moved blindingly fast.
	The Raithe moved faster, jerking his head aside as the blade
harmlessly cut the air beside him. Despite having only one arm, he
swung his ringed staff and pushed aside the glaive's polearm before
ramming its base into Mistress 9's chest. She gasped and was forced
back.
	But the Raithe did not pursue taking the advantage.
	She took insult to that. "Why aren't you using your full magik?"
she snapped at the Raithe. "I can feel you holding it back. Am I not a
worthy opponent? Am I not the Dark Messiah who destroyed Aurora?!"
	He said nothing.
	Only watching her with his cosmic eyes.
	"If you're that bent on dying," Mistress 9 spat in contempt.
"why put up a fight at all?" Violet eyes suddenly widened, and she
understood why she had been brought to the moon. She turned to face
the looming blue sphere that was called Earth.
	Delay tactics.
	That was all he was doing.
	His entire role had been to keep her away from the war in
Camelot for as long as possible. Mistress 9's eyes looked at the
Raithe, burning with rage. Winds of dark magik made her waves of hair
dance, and the long folds of her dress billow out behind her. "You
bastard," she hissed.
	The Raithe laughed callously. He jammed his shakujyo into the
ground and then let it go. The staff was left behind as he turned his
back on the Dark Messiah and began to walk away. "So you finally
figured it out. That is the difference between us: you think you know
all the right answers...but I know how to ask all the right
questions."
	Her patience with him ended.
	Mistress 9 opened her mouth and let out a howl that ignited the
magik in the air. The lunar landscape shook violently, blackest of
space glowing violet around her form. She became lost in shadows, the
very silhouette of death, her eyes shimmering and glaring at the
Raithe's back.
	He could feel the murderous intent of the churning power around
him. She would never let him go, not now. This moon would be his
grave, and the shakujyo would mark his resting place. Lightning
blacker than night exploded from Mistress 9's body, reaching out and
carving holes and chasms and craters into the lunar realm they walked
upon. It raged around him, wanting him to run in terror, to plead for
his life, to beg forgiveness.
	But the future would be as it should.
	His successor would find her place.
	His daughter would find peace.
	And so, when the end at last came to claim him, the Raithe
didn't mind. He closed his eyes and surrendered to the fatal kiss of
the Dark Messiah's magik. The lightning found him, and ripped him
apart in seconds. There was a fraction of hellish agony before all was
lost in tranquil oblivion.
	Mistress 9 watched with gleeful satisfaction as the magik
imploded, taking the Raithe with it. She turned away, ignorant of the
deafening explosion that occurred moments later, a gale wind sweeping
the moon and causing her hair to thrash about in a maddened frenzy.
	"So much for the Ancients," she said quietly. Malevolent
giggling echoed across a lunar world where no sound should have ever
existed. The Dark Messiah walked away and then initiated her Sailor
Teleport. She would return to Earth, to Camelot. First to settle
matters with that delectable stranger who'd somehow wielded Excalibur.
	And then she would find this Grail.
	Pharaoh 90 would be pleased with her.




		     next eternity: elfhame




Thanks:

	To Sailor Skuld, who has always been there to ensure that I
	at last finish what the CoT: Dark Messiah trilogy began. She
	saw the potential in me about 2 years ago when she asked if
	I might help write the Messiah Wars arc, but I don't think
	either of us were ready for just how epic this has all
	become. Not that it's a bad thing....

	To Todd Foster, my Messiah Wars counterpart. A number of the
	scenes between Magellan and Myung are my own retelling of a
	story he has already created. My humblest thanks goes out to
	him for all the contributions he's made to the CoT: Infinity
	trilogy, and the patience he has shown with my drawn-out
	writing.




Mugen: Infinite Eternal (A Circles of Time tale)
2nd Eternity - Elfhame
Rated R



THE FUTURE:


        History is like an endless waltz. The progression
        of war, peace and revolution all continue in an
        endless cycle.

                        -Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz



        Magik is arbitrary. Black, white, grey: colour is irrelevant.
Magik knows no love or enmity, no fear or honour. It only knows
itself, that which is magik. The user determines the shape the magik
shall take when it is manifested. It is the user who can create or
destroy. Magik cannot differentiate, cannot be blamed. The soul is
what moves magik, be it a black heart of cold stone, or a fragile
heart of beauty and truth.
        One day all this knowledge, this magik, shall fade, and be
forgotten, and become just a legend spoken to little children at
bedtime. Magik shall become magic, and shall be given colours. Only a
handful of souls will ever remember such a time as this, when magik
was the life and breath of the Earthworld and its solar system.
        Time passes, as it always has and always shall forever, ending
yet never-ending in the boundary that marks eternity. And with time
comes change: of worlds, of faces, of legends and myths. Time does
indeed change. But the magik shall always remain the same, and stay
with us until eternity itself comes to an end.
        You can try to forget the magik, but it shall never forget you.
If you were once destined to wield it, you shall wield it once more.
Black, white, grey; it does not matter.
        I am His lordship Chaos.
        One of many writers who have come together to craft an epic
spanning the millennia and legends of a world first created by Naoko
Takeuchi. The Senshi are her children, the original tale hers to tell.
But the other tales and other souls we have drawn into this realm
belong to those who have created Circles of Time. Naoko has her
children, as do I have mine. I, as do all the other writers of this
epic, ask for your permission should you wish for our children to
enter another realm.
        But for now, let the eternal night fall as silence swallows up
the brilliant light of the future. Listen to this last chapter of a
tale I have to tell you.
        For time is of the essence....

                        -His lordship Chaos
                                hislordshipchaos@hotmail.com
                                http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9897/ct.htm



        Serenity found Kakkyou perched amongst the treetops of Elfhame,
standing with his back against a towering moss-ridden trunk, his arms
crossed over his chest. Dragon green eyes swept the lush and bounteous
vegetation sprawled out before them. Here a handful of trees rose up
higher than all the rest, penetrating the dense canopy of leaves and
allowing one to see the vast expanse of the Elven woods.
        Sometimes even a little beyond.
        Kakkyou closed his eyes and no longer relied on them. He was
preoccupied with something else, his mind absorbed in reading what
Serenity could feel prickling the back of her neck.
        Serenity jumped through the air, floating slowly and gracefully
up to the branch Kakkyou stood upon. She was fast growing accustomed
to the magik pervading everything in the isles of Arana, to adapt and
make use of it. Already she was learning to move the way the Elven
did, defying gravity for a few seconds longer than naturally possible.
        It was the closest she had ever come to flying.
        And she loved it.
        But ever since that ominous dread had swept through Elfhame,
Kakkyou had disappeared. Anyone or any creature she asked was equally
confused...and worried. Because they respected her as Kakkyou's bride-
to-be, and hushed by the awesome magik she possessed, they told her
nothing but the truth. And the truth was they knew nothing.
        At last now she caught a glimpse of his form high above her
head. Serenity completed her intricate dance amongst the trees,
drifting from branch to branch like a butterfly or a lost eagle's
feather. Her bare feet made no sound as she touched the damp, cool
moss clinging to the surface of the branch. Whenever Kakkyou was like
this, he desired no distractions.
        "Have trouble finding me?" he suddenly asked, though he didn't
open his eyes.
        Serenity felt her cheeks grow flushed, and she chided herself in
forgetting just how much the Elven race replied on attuning themselves
to magik as opposed to just the senses.
        His nostrils flared as he drew in slow, laborious breaths
through his nose. But he would hold the air in for a while before
exhaling.
        Serenity carefully drew closer to him, resting a hand on his
shoulder. "What do you smell?" she asked quietly.
        "The winds of change are blowing once more," Kakkyou murmured.
"And they are carrying with them a strange scent to Elfhame."
        Dragon green eyes slowly opened.
        "Is there anything else?" she asked him.
        Kakkyou paused before saying nothing. But she could see that
there was something in the answer to her question that had left him
unsettled. Yet she was in no mood to push him, nor was he in any mood
to be pushed. The woods were growing tense. Even the usually lazy
forest magik was stirring, and gathering its children close out of a
fear it dared not speak.
        "I'm sorry for being like this, Serenity," he said, leaning over
and kissing her cheek. "Here I am neglecting my beautiful fiancee,
when I should be grateful that you allow me to remain at your side."
        Serenity smiled, her concerns dispelled for a little while
longer. She wrapped her arms around Kakkyou's neck, fingers playing
with his long, silver hair. He let out a playful growl and strained
his neck forward. Their lips met. Lingered for a while. Then at last
they parted.
        "Let's go to one of the freshwater springs," he said, turning
her away from the forestscape. "The water nymphs have been pestering
me to bring you back there; you're very popular with them."
        Serenity stifled a giggle. The water nymphs behaved like little
kids, always laughing and playing and splashing each other with water.
Being with them was like being back at Glenhawke with the other
students. For a moment Serenity felt sadness tug at her heart, knowing
what she had left behind. But once this was over she would visit
Halefyne, Maya and the others.
        More than likely as the Queen of Elfhame.
        The image of Kakkyou's face, the vivid memories of his warm
touch and gentle caress, gave Serenity the chance to forget about the
danger. Right now she was where she wanted to be. Whatever came to
her, she would face with Kakkyou.
        "Ladies first," he said, gesturing for her to take the first
leap of magik off the branch.
        Serenity braced herself for the descent. Fear was ebbing away
the more she practiced this. One foot was put forward, hovering in the
air. And then she pushed away from the tree and fell. Her flight was
slower, smooth like she was swimming through air. Adeptly she alighted
the branch of another tree, landing upon it without any jolts or
crashing inertia.
        Kakkyou's smile flickered and died for a brief heartbeat as her
back was turned. His gaze was cast one last time to the world far
beyond Elfhame. To the direction where Camelot stood. He had
deliberately left out telling Serenity something else he'd detected in
the winds.
        And it was the scent of death.



                MUGEN: INFINITE ETERNAL

                    (A Circles of Time tale)



                   2nd Eternity - Elfhame



        Mistress 9 arrived in front of Camelot too late to see the
fleeting shadow of the Warhammer. All that greeted her was a broken
and deserted castle. She could sense the dark minions at her command
scurrying around Camelot's halls, pillaging the rooms and killing any
unfortunate souls they found.
        But it was still an empty castle to her.
        A useless facade.
        The stranger upon the moon had laughed at her for following
Morgana, for allowing herself to be that woman's puppet. Camelot had
meant nothing to him, even though he kept her distracted from the war.
This Holy Grail...that meant everything. That was what she was
searching for.
        She would not find it here in Camelot.
        Nor would she find that soldier here in Camelot. That lone
warrior brazenly standing where angels feared to tread, who beheld the
blood-soaked shadow of the Dark Messiah and still fought. Moreso, the
little bastard had lived.
        Mistress 9's eyes narrowed. She began to quiver with rage at
being denied his magik. Such incredible power flowed from his being.
She would have tasted it, taken it from him, had it not been for that
Ancient.
        "Magellan Endymion," she hissed, tipping her glaive so she might
see her enraged reflection within it. "We shall meet again."
        She never asked herself how she knew his name.
        His magik had told her that. And it taunted her by stating she
would never be able to feel it coursing through her own veins. Now
Magellan was nowhere to be seen. He had escaped her, the Messiah of
Silence. The woman who was death itself.
        She was seething in fury.
        These pithy humans were mocking her!
        Violet eyes suddenly beheld Camelot, as if for the first time
ever. They narrowed as Mistress 9 let all her frustrations become
solely focused upon the glistening silver castle. They would pay for
mocking her. She would teach them that the oracle of Pharaoh 90 was a
terrifying creature.
        This would let all of Earth tremble at her name.
        Silence Glaive Surprise.
        Three words from her mouth summoned a vortex of destruction. A
violet inferno exploded from the ground where her glaive met the
earth. It sought out the once glorious castle that had been Camelot.
And then it wholly consumed the castle.
        Nothing was spared, not even her own demon brood within.
        Camelot's walls shattered to dust and the towers shook before
tipping over and breaking apart, spilling furniture and bracings out
like innards. Everything imploded. A tremendous cloud rose up to
conceal the final death throes of the castle, and the fields beneath
the Dark Messiah's feet rattled violently.
        Only remotely satisfied, Mistress 9 turned her back on the ruins
of Camelot and stalked away. He form rippled into darkness and then
she vanished entirely.
        It was time to pay Morgana a visit.


        Magellan's body on the verge of shutting down now that the
adrenaline rush was gone. Two incredibly fierce magiks had been
wielded by his hand (one that he'd had to fight to keep under
control), and for as much as he might have wanted to deny it, all his
strength was ebbing. Once Camelot was out of sight, he had collapsed
onto one of the reserve chairs in the cockpit and slept. While Myung
and Frederic kept their discussion about the battle quiet, it wouldn't
have mattered. Magellan was so lost in sleep that nothing short of an
explosion would have managed to shake him awake.
        "...never think it's your time until you find yourself staring
up at something which might have been a wild boar," Frederic was
saying. "They had us playing heavy defense the entire time, always
making sure we never gained an upper hand. They had the sheer numbers
and the power to back them up."
        He sighed and leaned back in his chair, his shoulders sagging
beneath what there was left of his armour. Most of it was now
scattered on the floor along with Magellan's.
        "If they come for a rematch, we're maybe a third of what the
Camelot armies had been. And we'll still be reeling from battle.
Guaranteed that it'll be our last stand; we find a way out of this,
either by wiping them out or by dying."
        Myung nodded soberly. "We'll need to get the soldiers' morale up
as soon as we can. If they're at a point where they'd just as soon
curl up and die rather than fight, we've already lost."
        "Well, the good news is that we've still got the Warhammer, and
three battle skimmers--if we count the two on reserve in Vlatmere."
        "Why weren't there any aerial crafts in the battle?" Myung
asked.
        Frederic shrugged as he glanced over at one of the readouts. The
Warhammer's flight was running as smoothly. "Earth uses them more as
commercial transportation, not for war. Mars and Uranus are famous for
their custom fighters, but not us. Chivalry is not dead yet. You come
to fight, you do it face to face on the ground."
        He flashed her a weary but sincere grin. "Besides, Camelot used
most of their aerial transports to let the general public escape
before the battle. My guess is Morgana wanted this to be a war of
footsoldiers; makes for a more impressive slaughter if she succeeds."
        "She didn't."
        "She almost," Frederic countered. He thumbed back to Magellan.
"Both of us wound up falling back and trying to protect anyone we
could, but he's the only one who actually ran forward. Right now
Magellan's the only person to have ever faced the Dark Messiah and
survived. That means two things: we've got a fighting chance if he's
as powerful as she is...and she's no doubt going to be pissed about
that fact. This Mistress Nine strikes me as the type to start a
crusade just to wipe him out for that."
        Myung frowned as she listened to the reasoning behind the words,
and was forced to acknowledge the distinct possibility. "We're not out
of the woods yet, then," she murmured.
        She entertained the idea that she might be able to stand beside
Magellan against the Dark Messiah and hold her own, but in her heart
Myung knew she was still just a newborn soldier. She lacked
experience. And perhaps even the power; Magellan had survived Mistress
9, but only by weaving three different breeds of magik together. As
far as she was aware, she made use of only one.
        Who else was left then for them to enlist?
        The Man With No Name's face appeared in her recollections.
Someone who had cut through the tides of demons like she had, yet
without the slightest hint of mercy. He had been enjoying the
bloodshed--until she had spoken to him, as if he had heard about such
nobility and honour for the first time ever.
        A soul without sides or loyalties.
        She could only describe him as someone who had merely appeared
and fought just for the hell of it. Perhaps just for the thrill of it.
The power and agility he had at his disposal also made him not quite
human. No normal human could have moved with the speed he did, or so
casually tear apart demons twice as large as he. There was an
undercurrent of magik in his being.
        Myung suddenly wondered if he was one the shadows she had seen
in Camelot's war room, when Merlin had silenced the other generals
with his magik. But there had been two shadows; if the Man With No
Name had been one, then who was the other? And if he had been neither,
who were both those shadows?
        The Warhammer suddenly lurched, throwing Frederic and Myung
around in their seats. It was a single and abrupt jolt, but the craft
still remained on a level heading. Magellan, strapped into his own
seat with a shoulder harness, moved only slightly, his head bobbing up
and down. He didn't awaken.
        "What was that?" Myung asked.
        Frederic was already checking some of the consoles and readouts.
"Um...damn. Cargo entry port six again."
        If Myung recalled correctly, that was the hatch which had
malfunctioned when she and Magellan had taken the Warhammer to
Camelot. The repairs evidently hadn't been able to help the problem
along much. "How serious is it?" she asked.
        "Not bad enough to depressurize us and crash the ship, but if we
don't fix the hatch we'll be shimmying like this all the way to
Vlatmere."
        Another bump shook the cockpit, annoying enough to force them to
steady themselves.
        "I don't think the soldiers will be thanking us if we let this
continue," Myung said, unstrapping herself from her chest harness. She
swiveled the chair around and stood up. "I'll fix the cargo hatch."
        Frederic placed a restraining hand on her shoulder. His face
wore a thin smile, flattered to know she cared, but his mind was still
working in a soldier's framework. "Myung, do you know anything about
mechanics?" he asked her.
        Myung opened her mouth to respond.
        Then she realized she didn't know the first thing.
        "I thought as much. No offense," he added, trying to pacify the
dejected look on her face. "As you said, we're not out of the woods
yet--and right now as pilot my first priority is to get these soldiers
to safety. I know this ship like the back of my hand; I can fix it
faster and easier than anyone else."
        "But I'm not the one who's flying the Warhammer," she countered.
        The cabin lurched once more.
        Myung hastily grabbed hold of the ceiling to keep himself from
tumbling over.
        "Well someone has to do it," Frederic growled fighting to keep
the craft stabilized. The Warhammer was brought down to a lower
altitude, and the shaking abated for a short while. He put the
navigation on auto-pilot, but he needed to be in the cockpit in case
something went wrong.
        "The last thing I want is to abandon my duties, especially now
that indications are I'm the next highest-ranking officer left after
Magellan."
        They both glanced over at the unconscious lord of Vlatmere.
        "Where are the mechanics and engineers who usually work on the
Warhammer?" Myung asked quietly.
        Frederic stared out the front of the canopy. "Over half of them
died in the castle at the end, along with our regular pilot. They were
trying to help the wounded onto the shuttle when the demons first
attacked. You guys missed the worst of our battle by about five
minutes. We've got two left on the ship--and right now they've got
their hands full helping treat the wounded."
        Right now Frederic was the only one remaining who qualified to
fly the vessel.
        They were stalemated.
        But something had to give.
        Myung sought her mind for a source of inspiration. She found it
when she saw one of the communicator microphones resting on the
controls. "Can you talk me through it over the intercom system?"
        Frederic's face seemed to light up. "That might work," he
admitted. He unstrapped himself and wriggled free of one of the
harnesses. A compartment hidden underneath one of the panels popped
open at his touch, and he tossed her a headset. "I'll put you on
frequency Two," he told her. "Tell me everything you see, and in exact
detail."
        Myung adjust the headset and pulled the mic down beside her
mouth. "Do I need any tools?"
        Her answer came in the form of a small datapad being gently
tossed her way. She caught it, and the screen activated with a touch.
"Hopefully, no. Last time we just hot-wired the door shut," Frederic
told her. "That's a diagnostics reader. It should help you locate the
problem, and it'll feed me some of the images as well.
        "But I should warn you: it's the outer door that's opened. The
inner door which leads from the cargo bay to the rest of the ship
works fine. In fact, that is what's keeping us pressurized at this
altitude. But when you step in there, you might get sucked right
across the room if you're not careful."
        "I'll keep that in mind," Myung said as she activated her
headset and walked out of the cockpit.
        "Good luck!" Frederic called out after her. When the door closed
behind her he muttered, "We could all use a little of that right about
now."


        The Raithe was no more.
        In his place was a gaping crater.
        The Sea of Tranquillity.
        One day it would be filled with water and become an ocean. Upon
its shores would be built a lunar palace. But until the time came, all
that stood upon the rim of the crater was his shakujyo.
        It waited for the magik.


        Myung passed through the main cabin which would have normally
hold passengers. Now it held only wounded. Even the smaller VIP
section, reserved for special envoys and ambassadors (and presumably
Magellan), was filled with soldiers wrapped up in splits, bandages and
gauze. Pieces of armour littered the floor, and emergency IV lines
were draped from the overhead displays. This was where the critically
injured were being held.
        It tore Myung's heart when she looked at their faces and their
injuries. At best, a third of the men were conscious. She shared a
pained glance at one of the two makeshift doctors working the rounds
in this area. Many of these people were beyond medical help; they were
dying. Most would be dead by the time they landed at Vlatmere in an
hour or two.
        She quickly and quietly moved through the central aisle, and
down the stairs. Here in the cargo areas, the world was one of distant
screams and chaos. A maze of metallic corridors wormed their way
through the underbelly of the Warhammer, connecting to ducts,
passageways, and cargo bays.
        A number of soldiers who'd emerged from Camelot unscathed were
sitting against the corridor walls. Maybe one or two of them were
awake and not resting their weary bodies. Beyond them, screams and
agonized cries echoed through the cargo bay doors. Some of them were
open, allowing Myung to gaze inside at the massive triage units.
Soldiers were helping fellow soldiers as best they could, while anyone
with an even remote knowledge of medical training were racing around,
treating one injury after another with whatever supplies were
available.
        This was the side of war most people never saw.
        Many just saw glorious victory and celebration, or as the losers
they never saw anything beyond annihilation. Why was it a part of
human nature to create such beauty and destruction all at once? In a
sense, Myung saw only madness. And yet...this had been forced upon
them. They had not attacked, but were defending themselves from an
attacker.
        The Dark Messiah.
        "Okay," crackled Frederic's voice over the headset. "Hang a left
at the end of this corridor and you're there. Second door on your
right should lead into cargo hold six."
        "Is there anyone in there?" she asked.
        There was a noticeable pause. "Yeah. I think about two dozen
soldiers; that area holds some of the heavy machinery and is right
beside one of the living engine chambers, so it's not exactly a large
area. I don't think anyone would have been sucked out though," he
added optimistically. "The door usually just opens up a crack. Enough
to make the wind howl, but we descended pretty fast. You should find a
dead calm in there."
        Myung accessed the hatch, and it opened up.
        A cold breeze from the air outside swept past her as she stepped
inside. While it wasn't overly huge, it was certainly high. Myung
couldn't see much of the ceiling; shadows lurked everywhere. The
interior lights were flickering on and off, eerie whitish-blue hues
flashing over the immense machinery. Panels and terminals seemed to
stretch across the edges of the walls and mechanics. In the far left
corner she could see sunshine cast upon the metal wall. The winds were
coming from that part of the cargo bay.
        "I've found the door," she reported. "It looks to be about half
open."
        "How is everyone?" Frederic's voice asked. "Do you need me to
send a medic over there?"
        Myung looked around, and to her uneasiness found nothing. There
was no trace of any other person. She took a step forward, brushing
past a hanging chain. As the chain rattled from her contact, something
fell from above and hit the back of her neck.
        She winced as she felt the cold sensation and reached back to
wipe away what she assumed was some condensation. Her blue eyes
widened when she pulled her hand away, and saw a crimson smear on her
palm.
        Blood.
        Myung jerked her head upwards. The buzzing light flickered for a
moment, illuminating the world above her. And in that moment it
revealed the missing soldiers, dangling upside-down from the ceiling,
their heads missing.
        "Frederic!" she exclaimed, a wave of terror sweeping past her.
She stepped back, desperate to get out of there. "They're all--"
        Her next word was strangled as something large and calloused
shot out from the shadows and closed around her windpipe. Myung
managed but a strangled cry as a demon emerged from the darkness and
hoisted her off the floor. She tried to kick, but her efforts were
feeble at best and failed to wrench her free of the asphyxiating grip.
        Two large wings unfurled slightly from behind the creature's
back. Its eyes glowed red, saliva dripping freely off its snout and
mouth. Myung found herself staring at a freakish bat. And she suddenly
realized how it had gotten into the ship.
        "Myung, what's happening?" Frederic's voice shouted frantically
through her earphones. "Myung?!"
        The bat-youma towered over her, opening its immense and
terrifying jaws. It was going to bite her head off and then let her
hang like the other corpses above them. She struggled to fight and
free herself, but the demon beast was too strong and she was Myung
right now--not Sailor Venus.
        It wasn't about to give her a chance to fight back.
        "Myung?!" Frederic exclaimed. "Shit! Hang on, I'm coming down
there!"
        Suddenly the grotesque bat lurched forward, involuntarily
squeezing hard on Myung's throat. She choked and was abruptly aware of
something dark and wet spattering across her face. The stranglehold on
her throat loosened, her vision clearing up as she gulped down air
into her burning lungs.
        A fist had driven itself right through the demon's chest, the
human hand now slick with black blood and holding what looked to be a
vital organ torn from the youma's body.
        "Now, that's no way to treat a lady," said a dark, smooth and
chillingly familiar voice. "Apologize to her."
        The creature died, dropping Myung onto the floor.
        It flopped down beside her, twitching in its last few, tortuous
moments of life. Out from the shadows behind the bat-youma stepped The
Man With No Name.
        "Stowaways," he grunted unpleasantly.
        A loud thump of something landing on metal caused both of them
to look back at the outer cargo hatch. Sunlight was being blocked by
another monstrous form, its wingspan folding down to allow it entry
onto the Warhammer. It lumbered inside, making way for a second demon
to embark onto the craft.
        "I tire of these unwanted hitchhikers," The Man With No Name
growled. Hidden behind his shades, eyes of churning clouds glanced
back to the shadows dancing across the cargo bay. "Care to escourt
them back outside?"
        The room flared to life and light as Sailor Uranus clenched her
fist and summoned her attack. Myung's eyes widened as she caught sight
of the tall sandy-blonde, clad in a fuku just like her own. "Masaka,"
she whispered.
        There were other Senshi who had awakened?
        Uranus launched her World Shaking, the ringed orb chewing
through the surface of the floor before burying itself into the
youma's chest. It shook viciously before carving a burrow for itself
inside the demon. A horrific crunching of bones echoed as gore poured
out from the gaping wound.
        "Myung, what the hell's going on down there?!" Frederic's voice
blared over the headset.
        Neptune was already standing beside her partner and lover,
blasting the remaining demon back through the outer hatch with a
deluge of seawater.
        The satisfaction of victory was short-lived.
        The Man With No Name took a step closer to the open doorway,
staring at the land swiftly moving beneath them. A hand reached up and
drew the shades away from his eyes, letting the sunlight be cast upon
them. Moments later the sun was blotted out as a patch of living,
breathing, hellish darkness gave chase after the Warhammer.
        A sizable host of flying demons were circling all around the
craft.
        "It looks like we never escaped that easily after all," Uranus
stated.
        Myung found herself too overwhelmed to take control of herself
or the situation. To nearly find herself dead, and then be saved by
the stranger on Camelot's battlefield--and two other Sailor Soldiers.
And now faced with another battle chasing after them.
        Suddenly the knarled form of a winged hellion swooped in front
of the hatch, swatting The Man With No Name aside like a ragdoll. He
bounced harmlessly off the equipment, rolling across the floor before
coming back into a crouch.
        Uranus launched her World Shaking instantly, but the beast
raised one of its burly arms, fingers unnaturally elongated and tipped
with savage claws, smacking her attack away. Myung frantically threw
herself out of the way as the World Shaking collided with the wall and
exploded. Scorched metal and burned  circuits wafted through the area.
        "Myung!" came Frederic's voice.
        Myung seized the fallen headset, holding the mic close to her
mouth. "The Shadow Army's gotten onto the ship!" she shouted over the
explosion of another World Shaking sent hurling into the machinery.
Sparks were raining down all around her. "Get back to the cockpit and
get us out of here!"
        Frederic swore, and Myung could hear him over the headset
turning around and racing back towards the pilot's chair. She tossed
the headset aside. It would be useless now. Another distraction was
the last thing she needed if she wanted to stay alive.
        The daunting form of the winged youma growled as Neptune
launched a Deep Submerge, and then mercilessly crushed the watery
sphere into the floor grillwork with one of its hands. A flood of salt
water washed across everyone's feet.
        "Che," Uranus muttered. "This one's tougher than the others."
        Sailor Pluto decided to make her appearance, walking calmly out
from the shadows and carrying her staff. "My turn," she stated, aiming
the garnet orb at the creature. With but a whisper, Myung was forced
to shield her eyes from a burst of light that blew the youma out of
the ship--and shredded most of the doorframe in the process.
        No sooner had the burst of light faded than another demon
launched itself inside, shrieking madly and slashing at whatever it
could. The Outer Senshi ducked the blows, while the Man With No Name
charged and flung himself into the air. He passed through the gauntlet
of thrashing claws before planting a foot on each of the youma's
shoulders. Fingers jammed themselves against the beast's temple,
trying to cave its head it.
        The demon let out a shrill, piercing cry as its skull began to
crack. It threw itself wildly left and right, blindly lashing out at
anything in a vain attempt to save itself. Myung nearly had her head
torn off as it rammed its hand into a cylindrical container. The
contents held within spewed out, acidic and burning its flesh.
        One last agonizing scream was denied as The Man With No Name's
palms abruptly met, pulverizing the demon's head into a sticky mess.
        And then the entire ship convulsed, throwing all of them to the
floor. The Man With No Name tumbled off the creature's shoulders and
into a terminal, his contact with one of the interfaces sending up a
geyser of sparks and fire. One of the conduits above their heads
burst, venting a thick grey cloud that was quickly being sucked out of
the craft.
        "I think we broke it!" he coughed.
        "Next time just kill the demon then!" Uranus shouted angrily,
trying to use herself to shield Neptune from being buffeted around.
        "Myung!"
        It was Frederic's voice, crackling and full of static.
        "--on't know...hear me or--engines down...damn things all
over...brace yourself!"
        The Warhammer bucked, kicking Myung into the air. Her arms and
legs flailed helplessly before crashing back down on the floor.
Everything was spinning, the Warhammer's hull shuddering and groaning
violently. In the corner of her peripherals she could see the exposed
outer hatchway.
        And amidst a turmoil of swirling colours, the ground was racing
up to meet them. She frantically grabbed hold of the nearest solid
object she could, bracing herself for the impact.


        Morgana was not happy to see Mistress 9.
        "What the hell were you thinking?!" she practically spat,
furious with the Dark Messiah's actions. "You were to only conquer
Camelot, not destroy it altogether. I was to sit upon the throne where
my half-brother once sat, and rule over the Solis System. How dare you
deny me that right!"
        She placed her hands upon the border of her pool, ignorant of
the frothing waters that were now forming the grandiose ruins of what
had been Camelot. Her sapphire eyes were glazed over with a frenzy of
powerlust denied. At last she tore herself from the mournful remains
of the castle cast in the water, and glared at Mistress 9.
        "Ungrateful little whelp," she snarled, moving towards the
raven-haired harbinger. "Am I not the one who brought you to life?"
        Mistress 9 continued to study her own reflection in the blade of
the Silence Glaive, consumed with her own dual obsession in finding
the Grail and killing Magellan.
        "Am I not the one who gave you purpose and meaning?" Morgana
exclaimed, her voice growing louder and more agitated. She was on the
verge of hysteria, aggravated all the more by the fact that she was
being ignored. "And this is how you repay me! This is how you show
your respect and honour to me?!"
        The Messiah of Silence played with her weapon, casually looking
at the shadows adorning this darkened cavern and its Shadowspell
playthings.
        "Look at me!" Morgana shrieked. "You are here to serve and obey
me!"
        Mistress 9's clenched fist suddenly shot out, and punched
straight through Morgana's head. Crimson blood trickled down her
knuckles as she withdrew her arm, leaving a gaping hole where
Morgana's face and skull had once been. She hadn't even looked where
to punch.
        "Not anymore."
        With an amused laugh, Mistress 9 let the blood drop off her
fingertips before washing her hand clean in the pool of water. The
ruins of Camelot were tinted scarlet.
        It was time to track down her playmate.
        Time to find the key to bringing her Master to this rural
system.
        Abruptly Mistress 9 paused, and cast a glance over to the
shadows behind Morgana's throne. Something stirred, but ultimately
they were only shadows. She smirked cruelly at them before leaving.
        There in the darkness, Metalia was beyond rage.
        This perfect host she had cultivated for decades was gone. Now
she would be forced to wait again for the time when she might be at
last released from the Dark Kingdom's seal. Her time upon the Earth
was denied again.
        But not forever.
        If the entity of Metalia was anything, she was patient. Another
willing servant would appear soon enough.
        And then she would at last be unleashed.


        The Warhammer had managed to land on its belly, skipping like a
rock across the grassy plains as opposed to crashing nose-first into
the ground and collapsing like a metal accordion. But that still
didn't mean it had survived intact. In fact, the Warhammer would never
fly again.
        Not in time to serve during the Messiah Wars, at any rate.
        Its bottom hull was ripped apart, fragments of it collapsed. The
engine areas had exploded, the living engines killed as their bodies
suffered the wounds identical to the Warhammer. A gaping hole had been
ripped through the starboard side of the ship, high enough for anyone
to walk through without needing to duck their heads. Anything not
bolted down had been thrown in almost every direction. Some of the
items once bolted down were now in pieces, or fused with the frame of
the ship, or were torn off along with a chunk of the frame still
attached to it.
        In the cockpit, the terminals and controls were a mess of broken
panels, sparking wires and shattered glass. There was no sound of
life.
        And then a shaky hand slowly rose up from the floor and grabbed
hold of an armrest off the pilot's chair for support. Frederic managed
to pull his battered and shaky body up. "Magellan...you alive?" he
groaned.
        Still sprawled out on his stomach, Magellan drummed his fingers
against the floor. "No. But I wish I was right at the moment. Care to
tell me what happened?"
        Frederic winced as he checked his body. Everything was still
there, and in fact worked...albeit painfully. "Something happened in
cargo bay Myung went to check. Sounded like a demon had gotten onto
the ship. Next thing I know, the readouts go ballistic and I'm using
the Warhammer to dig up gophers."
        Magellan tried to get up, but was still shaken from the crash.
After a few sad attempts, Frederic helped him up. Magellan nodded
gratefully for the assistance. A moment later the words Frederic had
spoken managed to sink in amidst the trauma and disorientation.
"Something attacked Myung?"
        Frederic nodded. "I'm guessing their fight ruptured some of the
hardware between here and the living engine systems."
        But Magellan was already stumbling over the broken canopy,
tumbling to the ground and collapsing onto his knees as he hit the
grass.
        "Magellan, wait!" Frederic called out, grabbing his longbow. He
groaned upon seeing the frame intact but the bowstring broken.
"Magellan, you should be seeing a medic yourself and you're not going
to listen to me are you?" he asked the fleeting Vlatmere lord.
        With a sigh he scavenged the cockpit for anything salvageable.
Excalibur was gathered up in his arms along with the prized longbow,
and then Frederic dumped them out of the cockpit. He followed moments
later, ecstatic to be walking on solid ground once more.
        It was only then that Frederic realized that somewhere amidst
the crash, the Aroth Armour had decided to reattach itself to
Magellan's body. And neither of them had even noticed.


        It was with a considerable amount of effort and pain that Myung
roused herself. Her eyes opened, but her vision was blurred. Took its
time in refocusing her world. But when her pupils dilated properly the
first thing she saw was The Man With No Name kneeling down next to
her.
        "There we go." He seemed to be smiling, but Myung wasn't sure if
it was sincere or sarcastic or something else altogether different.
"Looks like you survived after all."
        Myung slowly rolled her head to one side, detecting the vague,
metallic taste of blood in her mouth. The Warhammer had more or less
bellyflopped onto the ground, leaving a battered shell in its place.
Blue eyes saw the gouge of scorched earth left in their wake. A short
distance away laid a gaping tear in the side of the craft, revealing
exposed bulkheads and a metal skeleton now twisted and contorted.
        Soldiers were busy dragging, carrying or helping survivors make
their way outside. Any medics still with their wits about them were
frantically scrambling to turn the area around the Warhammer into yet
another triage. Myung noted with a sinking twist in her stomach that
only the living were being taken out from the belly of the transport
vessel.
        She lifted her gaze back up to The Man With No Name.
        "You?" she asked, licking her dry lips. She wanted to ask if
he'd been the one to carry her out, but her voice felt cracked. Unable
to get beyond that first word.
        He nodded slightly, more engrossed in watching the wounded being
gently placed on the grass around them. "We got lucky in the cargo
hold. You've got just cuts and bruises, maybe a mild concussion."
        From the looks of things, he'd escaped completely unscathed.
        Was that even humanly possible?
        With a great deal of effort, Myung pushed herself up into a
sitting position. And then she realized that they weren't under
attack. It was only the mangled Warhammer and those still alive. For
better or for worse, the demons had left them alone after the crash.
        The Man With No Name read the brief expression of relief on her
face. "It looks like they all left to regroup with the rest of the
Shadow Army," he said. "They've left us alone...for now, anyway."
        Abruptly Uranus and Neptune emerged from the shadows within the
Warhammer, each sailor soldier helping out another wounded man. Still
unsure of what to think, and entranced by watching the other--and
noticeably older--Senshi, Myung said nothing as they laid the bleeding
soldiers down on the ground.
        "Ara, someone's finally awake," Neptune remarked, her eyes
darting to Myung's direction.
        Myung felt her cheeks grow warm and flushed. She wasn't sure if
they'd just poked fun at her age or her recovery time--or if it was
just a general remark with nothing lurking behind it. But the usual
politics of the Venusian court didn't apply here. This was a wholly
different situation, and at that one she didn't even know if she was
fully prepared for.
        War wasn't her forte.
        And yet, she was discovering just how easily she was adapting to
being a sailor soldier. Was it like this for every Senshi? That was
but one of the countless questions she wanted to ask of her newfound
comrades.
        Neptune and Uranus joined up with Myung.
        "You're Sailor Senshi like me," Myung said quietly, trying to
get on her feet as quickly as possible. She reeled slightly from the
blood rush to her head. "What planets are you from?"
        Uranus stiffened, suddenly defensive.
        "We're among the outer ring of planets," Neptune answered. "For
now that's all you need to know. Our lives outside these uniforms are
somewhat...complicated." She chose that last word carefully; if the
blonde girl was smart enough, she'd read between the lines and not
press the issue.
        "I know what that's like," Myung agreed, her eyes reflecting the
comprehension. She was about a head shorter than both Uranus and
Neptune--and The Man With No Name too. It was a little intimidating
being around the three of them. She mentally steeled herself, and
pressed on. "How long have you known you were--"
        "I should get back to helping carry the wounded out," Uranus
said abruptly, turning to leave. "Excuse me."
        "I'll join you," The Man With No Name added, following suit.
        Myung shut her mouth, not sure what to say to that.
        "She means well," Neptune said, watching Uranus disappear back
into the Warhammer. "But we aren't exactly in a place where sitting
down to talk over tea is an option."
        "What were you doing on the Warhammer?" Myung asked. Why had
these other Senshi only decided to reveal themselves now? Why not
right before the battle in Camelot? They could have seriously used the
additional magik.
        Neptune sighed deeply, not exactly liking the answer she knew
she had to give. Mainly because of the reaction and suspicions she
knew it would garner. They didn't have time to waste on such things.
"We needed a ride out. Yours proved the most convenient."
        "Myung!"
        The two turned their heads in unison as a loud shout echoed
across the Warhammer's debris field. There was Magellan, stumbling
towards them somewhat clumsily, but as best as he could. Myung broke
apart from Neptune and stumbled over to meet him. They swept each
other up in a shower of relieved kisses, before she led him to meet
Neptune.
        Magellan's eyes widened as he saw her sailor battle fuku.
"There's more of you?" he exclaimed. Surprise died quickly, reborn as
deep relief. "It's good to see you. I'm Magellan Endymion, lord of
Vlatmere."
        Neptune didn't say she already knew that.
        Magellan continued, "We could use your help, Sailor?"
        "Neptune," she answered.
        Magellan nodded and smiled. "Sailor Neptune, welcome to Earth. I
wish it could have been under different circumstances, but it's good
to see you here. How'd you get to the Warhammer so quickly?"
        Neptune had no intention of answering. Best to remain ambiguous
and let assumptions do the rest of the talking. Magellan seemed
relieved enough to not really care until much later, once this was far
behind them. However, she hadn't quite counted on Myung's blunt
honesty.
        "They were on the Warhammer with us."
        Neptune's eyes narrowed slightly, catching the mild defiance in
Myung's own blue eyes. The Venusian princess evidently wanted all the
cards laid out on the table, and was perhaps still over-excited about
seeing other Senshi, that she hadn't quite thought through the matter.
        Magellan's smile faded, replaced with suspicion. "What?"
        The awkward pause between them all was broken as Frederic jogged
around the Warhammer, his arms loaded with armour and weaponry.
"Magellan, wait up, dammit!" he huffed. The load in his arms was
promptly dropped as he saw Sailor Uranus emerge from the hole in the
craft, helping set a limping soldier down on the ground.
        Noting the growing crowd, she rejoined with her lover.
        Frederic looked from one Outer to the next. "There's more of
you?"
        "Magellan already said that," Myung replied almost breathlessly.
        Uranus said nothing as she discreetly clasped hands with
Neptune.
        "Apparently they've been with us since we left Camelot,"
Magellan said, keeping his voice calm. But the icy tone could easily
be heard.
        "Well, you could have told us," Frederic grumbled.
        "We have our own mission to complete, and our own way of doing
things," Uranus answered in a stoic voice.
        "Does that include trying to kill us all on the Warhammer?"
        Myung winced as she heard that.
        "Frederic, cool it," Magellan said, trying to play diplomat. He
may not be implicitly trusting them at the moment, but the last thing
he wanted were other Senshi against them. Mistress 9 was bad enough
without the extra help. "We don't know they caused it to crash."
        Frederic crossed his arms over his chest, and scowled at Uranus
and Neptune. "Oooh, but I'm more than willing to take a bet they did.
You weren't listening to Myung's headset, Magellan; I was."
        "I believe you have me to thank for that more than anyone else,"
The Man With No Name countered, making his appearance known as he
sauntered out from the broken remains of the hull. Over his shoulders
was an unconscious soldier. He set the moaning man down and walked
over to the others. Unflinchingly he said, "You seek someone to blame,
then look to me."
        Frederic growled, bristling.
        Magellan only shook his head, too tired and too strung out to
really care. Things were happening too fast, revelations coming too
quickly after each other. "And you are?"
        And then they saw Sailor Pluto standing beside Uranus. How or
when she'd arrived, no one was certain. Perhaps The Man With No Name
knew, given the curious smile on his face, but he wasn't about to
tell.
        Myung could automatically tell who this sailor soldier was by
the key-shaped staff alone. She had come across obscure references to
that item during the Datadive, and the identity of its owner. "Sailor
Pluto?" she asked.
        Pluto nodded her head.
        Magellan's eyes fixated on her. "Pluto? The guardian of time?"
        "If you're hoping for me to look into the future and tell you
what to do next, I regret to say I can't do that," Pluto said, knowing
that glimmer in his eyes.
        "Can't or won't?" Frederic inquired.
        Pluto shook her head, mourning the past for what it had already
become. "I don't have the ability," she confessed. "Believe me, if I
could see clearly into the future, I would have stopped this entire
war from happening."
        There was an oppressive silence.
        "Do we at least win?" Myung asked, not about to lose any last
shreds of hope. They couldn't give up the fight, not until the last of
them had fallen to Mistress 9. But that might come sooner than
expected, at the rate things were going.
        Pluto hesitated and then lied. "I don't know."
        For now it was best to remain ambiguous about the future, and
see how things played out from here. If no paradox had destroyed time
already, it meant they won the Messiah Wars. But a lot could easily
happen between victory and their present situation. Once more she
forced back a shiver when thinking of the bloodshed that might
continue.
        The lives lost again.
        "If we're all finished with the introductions," The Man With No
Name said. "We should leave this place as soon as possible. I doubt
the demons will be gone for very long. And I'm not about to sit idly
by and become a potential entree."
        Frederic thumbed in the stranger's direction. "So just who is he
again?"
        "We're not sure," Pluto answered. "He doesn't even know, but it
would appear he's going to play a pivotal role in the Messiah Wars."
        Magellan kept his poker face, but his mental alarms had just
gone off. This was the first time he'd heard the battles called
'Messiah Wars'. He could only guess what that meant. "What aren't you
telling us?" he asked evenly.
        "Whatever they don't want to tell you," The Man With No Name
replied before any of the Senshi could open their mouths. He seemed to
be growing impatient with them. "Look, if they want to tell you
everything, they will--but now is not the time nor place."
        Frederic clenched a fist and took an angered step towards The
Man With No Name. "Don't tempt me to--"
        Magellan placed a restraining hand in front of Frederic. "He's
right: now is not the time for this. The Shadow Army is gone, but
guaranteed they'll be back. I'd prefer none of us be around for that--
no matter how dubious they seem."
        He shot a look at the trio of Outer Senshi.
        His gaze softened as he turned to Myung. "Do you know the status
of my men?"
        Meekly she shook her head.
        Although he would have preferred to consult with someone else,
he then cast his eyes to the Outers. They had been taking wounded out
from the Warhammer, so odds were they had a good grasp of the
conditions.
        "Most of the critically wounded in there died in the crash,"
Neptune reported.
        Uranus added, "A lot more are banged up even worse than before,
and a number of soldiers who were intact now aren't."
        "How many survivors in total?" Magellan asked.
        "Roughly a hundred," Pluto answered. "Probably less."
        Magellan exhaled deeply as he heard, too drained in every sense
of the word to feel the full impact of the death toll. But that still
didn't mean he wasn't left reeling. Eyes closed. Palms pressed against
his temples. He had to think of a way out of this.
        There had to be a way out of this.
        Something had to be done, but what?
        "This just keeps getting better and better," Frederic muttered
darkly.
        Too much coming at them all at once, too little time to absorb
it all and think. Magellan knew they couldn't afford to stand around
talking and comparing notes.
        Myung pressed herself against Magellan's body, trying to find
comfort in the warmth of his skin. Anything to escape the stress and
despair of this war. "Magellan," she whispered quietly, looking to him
for ideas she could no longer find herself. "What do we do now?"
        "We go to Elfhame," The Name With No Name abruptly stated,
making his voice loud enough for the others to hear. He wasn't facing
the crowd, but staring out at the distant horizon.
        Towards his stated destination.
        Magellan seemed skeptical, and with good cause given the
reputation the Elven race had. "Elfhame?"
        "No, he's right," Frederic admitted grudgingly, working out the
navigation in his mind. "On the Warhammer, we could just zip over the
terrain in a straight line. Now that we're on foot, we won't make
progress that easily--especially with all the wounded." He grimaced.
"The fastest way to Vlatmere is through Elfhame. Our kingdom lies just
on the other side, with only one other province separating Vlatmere
from the mountain ranges. But to get there, we have to cross through
Elven territory."
        Myung saw the apprehension on their faces. But admittedly she
knew nothing about this part of Earth, and its various boundaries.
"What's wrong with Elfhame?"
        "We go through Elfhame and there may not be anyone left alive to
make it back to Vlatmere," Frederic said. "The Elven race kills any
human on sight who violates their boundaries." He exhaled, laughing
and groaning all at once. "Shit, it's like someone seriously wants us
to die."
        "Strange times make for strange alliances," The Man With No Name
said, glancing back at the group.
        Stay here and be killed.
        Or journey to Elfhame and risk getting killed there.
        But there might be a third option hiding, as The Man With No
Name intimated. Magellan's ocean blue eyes cast a sideways glance at
the three Outers, but the trio of Senshi were busy quietly discussing
something amongst their own ranks.
        It all came down to Magellan's order.
        He knew he had to make an executive decision, even if he would
have rather been pleasantly unconscious instead. "If we stay out here,
the demons will be back for us," he said finally. "I'm not about to
let my men get slaughtered if there's a chance to gain passage through
the Arana forests. We have to get to Vlatmere; our best line of
defense is there, as well as the supplies necessary to tend to the
injured."
        Magellan turned to his friend and fellow soldier. "Frederic, I'm
putting you in charge of the procession. Get everyone mobile, even if
they have to hobble or get carried by someone else. Keep everyone
moving as briskly as possible and make sure no one lags behind."
        Frederic nodded. "I'll see if I can get the communications relay
working too," he added, tossing Excalibur over to Magellan. "With any
luck I can contact the battle skimmer that escaped from Camelot, and
have it meet us on the other side of Elfhame. Saves us the extra
mileage."
        "Good idea." That alone gave Magellan reason to smile as he flex
his hand, and abruptly realized he was wearing the Aroth armour. The
plates now changed, effortlessly fusing with his uniform and then
morphing--though not to wholly cover his body any longer. As if
sensing no eminent danger, it merely moulded itself into arm guards, a
breastplate and shin guards.
        The broken sword of Excalibur was again sheathed upon his back.
        "And what are you going to do?" Sailor Pluto asked.
        Magellan's eyes scanned the distant green realm rising out from
the horizon line. "I get to go ahead of you and try to talk the Elves
into granting us safe passage."
        "I'll go with you," Myung said immediately, squeezing his hand.
The look in her eyes showed her fear--not for herself, but for
Magellan walking into yet another dangerous situation. They had barely
survived the Camelot War; who was to say Elfhame wouldn't be worse?
        Right now what mattered was being with him.
        It was selfish, she knew, but it was what she wanted.
        She still had his silver ring and the Star Sapphire held within
it. While the hostile world made it difficult to wear the ring upon
her finger without being damaged, it remained hanging beneath her
robes by a small chain.
        A strange thought came to the back of her mind, and Myung
briefly wondered where the ring had disappeared to when she had
transformed into Sailor Venus.
        Magellan smiled warmly, and squeezed Myung's hand back. "I was
hoping you'd say that," he confessed in a relieved and romantic
whisper.
        "I'll tag along," The Man With No Name added. "These Elven
creatures make me curious."
        Magellan and Myung's mutual smiles faded a little.
        So much for having some quiet time together during the
aftermath. But if by some miracle the could proceed through Elfhame,
maybe they would still have a chance to get away from everyone else.
        "What about you three?" Myung asked.
        Uranus and Neptune turned to Pluto for the final verdict. She
answered for all three of them. "We'll stay here. It's probably better
to leave the wounded with a little protection."
        It was understandable.
        In fact, it was perhaps the most sensible option.
        While Myung wanted the chance to talk with them and learn more
about the Sailor Senshi, that would have to wait. If they were granted
access into Elfhame, maybe then she could talk with the others.
        Magellan gently nudged her back into the present. "We should be
going," he said.
        She nodded and wrapped her arm around his.
        The Man With No Name followed behind, as the would-be
ambassadors fatefully began the long walk to Elfhame.


        For three and a half hours, the trio of emissaries walked
towards the darkened horizon that was Elfhame. The sun was fast in
setting, the skies now stippled with clouds that looked as if they
were on fire. Red, orange and yellow collided with the remaining
fragments of blue in the heavens above, painting for them a breath-
stealing landscape.
        If only they were not so desperate, they would have enjoyed this
gift so much more. The appreciation Myung and Magellan had for it was
muted by the pressing urgency of their task, and the weariness of
their bodies. They kept the same pace, walking hand in hand for as
long as they could before their restlessness had them walk side by
side.
        The Man With No Name had not spoken since their journey began.
He kept to himself, staying always ten to fifteen steps behind them.
Always looking around. Always studying the new faces of the land
presented to them. The ground was starting to ascend and become more
rocky. The mountain range dominated by lush and immense forests was
now claiming much of their vision, towering up and daring them to
venture forth to discover its secrets.
        A long time ago, this area used to be the grandiose Arana Bay
with dozens of small forest-covered islands. Magellan had heard
children's stories of how the forests on the islands yearned to join
with the forest on the mainland, where the fresh water from the
mountains was carried into the bay. Time and magik wove their worlds
together. The isles of Arana became a single, immense forest realm.
One the Elven race was already settling into and using isolate
themselves from the rest of the world.
        Magellan's own grandfather could recall stories from his own
grandfather about witnessing the transformation of the forest. So much
time had passed since Elfhame first came to be. And now after
centuries of silence, a common threat just might force them to fight
side by side.
        He could only hope the ruler of Elfhame saw things that way.
        But he had to confess to both himself and Myung that he knew
nothing of what to expect. Contact with the Elven race was few and far
between. Any stragglers who ventured inside never returned, always
presumed dead.
        The haunting whistle of a melody reached their ears.
        The Man With No Name was creating a song as he walked. This
entire ordeal, if not this entire war, seemed to be more of a game for
him. A game of discovery. Everything of beauty and fear was new and
had to be experienced.
        Magellan quietly wondered if The Man With No Name was giving him
and Myung a chance to have some time alone. If that was the case, he
was grateful for the gesture. More often than not, he completely
forgot of their extra member until caught sight of the stranger in
black somewhere behind them.
        The closer they drew to Elfhame's borders, the more anxious he
became. But Myung, who'd only heard of the stories in the past few
hours, was more agitated than he was. Magellan had been given the
luxury of growing up and knowing the Elven race was more docile than
their reputation; they were dangerous only when infringed upon, when
their seclusion was threatened.
        The desire to take her mind off their impending destination
became too much. Even Magellan could not soothe her with a touch or a
loving whisper. She slowed her pace and looked back at the Man With No
Name.
        The Man With No Name was still taking his time. He didn't even
notice Myung watching him until he nearly stumbled into her. "You've
slowed down," he observed, adjusting his pace accordingly. But he
didn't withdraw to a farther distance as before.
        "I know a little about the other Senshi," Myung said, trying to
sound more sincere than frightened. She highly doubted her abilities
to help defend Magellan against a forest teeming with Elves. Talk
would be a welcomed distraction. "But what about you?"
        "My story's already been told," The Man With No Name replied
leisurely, his hands resting in the pockets of his black redingote.
The shades were still masking his clouded eyes. "And the book which
tells my story has been lost. I'm here because of a mission I cannot
name, and that would seem to coincide with whatever you all are
doing."
        "Sailor Pluto called this the Messiah Wars," Magellan spoke up.
"Do you know what she meant?"
        A thin smile pulled at the corners of the man's face. "Ara,
trying to get answers from a different source, are we? Fortunately for
you, I have the time and my loyalties are not strictly to her.
        "The Messiah Wars is the official title of the conflict we are
now in. From what I've gathered from the three Senshi of the outer
planets, the outcome of this war will decide who lives and who dies in
the Solis System. If you think this war was just between Arthur and
Morgana, you're wrong. It would seem to encompass a lot more."
        "What is the goal?" Magellan asked, pressing for as many answers
as he could glean from this source. "What do both sides hope to
accomplish with the Messiah Wars?"
        Wars were always for something.
        A cause. An item. A person.
        What was this war all about?
        The Man With No Name chuckled to himself. "A grail." He saw the
confused looks on Myung and Magellan's faces, and then continued. "A
chalice that was once guarded over by the Ancients before their
deaths, the Grail holds an awesome amount of untapped magik. Sailor
Pluto has said that only two souls are powerful enough to properly
harness the Grail's magik. Whichever one finds it first will be
granted the power to either mend or shatter this world and everything
in it."
        "The messiahs," Myung said quickly as the epiphany came. "That's
why she called it the Messiah Wars. There are two potential messiahs
who can claim the Grail. One to save the world--"
        "And the other to destroy it," Magellan finished grimly. "Well,
I think it's safe to say that Mistress Nine neatly fits the latter
role."
        The Man With No Name interjected, "Call her the Dark Messiah."
        Magellan nodded in compliance. It was chilling to think that
someone as already powerful as her could achieve even more power. If
she found this Grail, then there was no hope left for the future. But
there had been two messiahs spoken of.
        "If Mistress Nine is the Messiah of Darkness," Myung said. "Then
who's the Messiah of Light?"
        "That," The Man With No Name stated. "is what Pluto and her
friends are trying to find out. The Dark Messiah is already looking
for the Grail. If we want to withstand the coming apocalypse, we'd
better have found our own messiah by then."
        Magellan nodded emphatically. Now they had a new card to lay on
the proverbial table. A champion of light who evidently had the magik
to rival Mistress 9's. If they could find whomever she was and then
reach the Grail first, they could win this war.
        There was still hope after all.
        "Where do you fit into all this?" Myung asked of The Man With No
Name.
        He shrugged as if it didn't really matter to him. It probably
didn't either. "Don't know. The more I interact, the more my task and
role in all this becomes clearer. I'm still a newborn without a name.
We'll see what happens when I grow up."
        "You've been leading us to Elfhame," Magellan said, keeping his
eyes ahead. He could see the trees of the forest not too far away. He
could see the leaves rustling in the winds. There was no turning back
now. "Why?"
        The Man With No Name's response was cryptic. "We'll find out
when we get there."


        Droplets of splashing water echoed across the forests of Arana.
In the shade of the towering clusters of trees, hidden by the ever-
present tints of green leaves and moss which seemed to cling to most
things and drape off everything else, Serenity played. Her naked form
danced as she moved through the pool, swimming with the natural grace
bestowed upon a dolphin.
        Her laughter seemed to make the air itself shimmer. Pockets of
light filtering down through the dense canopy of leaves overhead
sparked with magik, feeding upon the innocence and joy she was
experiencing.
        The freshwater spring was surrounded by a ring of trees, their
twisted skeins of roots forming the edge of a pool where the water was
crystalline, pure and blue. Even at its deepest points, one could
still see the nymphs swimming though their forms were blurred and
darkened.
        Her long blonde hair was undone, no longer in its traditional
pair of ponytails. Damp, golden tresses clung to her back, and surged
whenever she was underwater. Trying to wrap around her body like a
second skin, a guardian. Alabaster skin glistened as the water ran
down her body, caressing her with a playful, cool touch. She barely
found the need to tread water, possessing an almost inhuman buoyancy
that allowed her to move as she pleased.
        How quickly she was learning the ways of magik.
        Even if she wasn't fully aware of what she was being quietly
taught. None of the Elven could be her mentor; the magik itself was
her teacher, and she its apprentice. She learned what it desired to
teach, discovered the secrets it wanted to reveal.
        She was pure enchantment.
        And as he quietly watched her frolic amongst the waves, Kakkyou
could not doubt that he was fully and willingly under her spell. He
stayed in the shadows, though she knew he was there watching her.
Watching over her. Her clothes were neatly folded and draped over a
tangle of roots next to him.
        Kakkyou leaned his back against the trunk of a tree, and rested
an arm upon one of his propped-up knees. Winds tranquil and majestic
blew past him. Played with the ends of his silver hair. Dragon green
eyes continued to watch her.
        Abruptly Serenity burst forth from beneath the surface of the
pool, sending up cascades of water around her. Her eyes were closed,
hands at her sides, face tilted up to the heavens above. She seemed to
hover there a few seconds longer than possible before descending back
into the spring.
        Dozens of smaller splashes went off around her as the water
nymphs skipped across the pool's surface and weaved their flights
around her form. Swimming around her kicking legs. Resting upon her
back or shoulders. Kissing the same skies that she kissed.
        Kakkyou dared to defy her enchantment and looked away. The tear-
shaped pendant he had given her caught his eyes. Opaque Lapis Lazuli
that would only respond to her magik and caress. The gemstone rested
there atop her pile of clothes, so close.
        A part of him wanted to strip down and join her in swimming, but
he knew of his promise. And the Elven were creatures of honour who
lived by their oaths. Soon enough they would be wed and could at last
consummate their love.
        Trace echoes of the scent of death returned to haunt him.
        But now he found it easier to forget, to leave the worry behind
and focus upon what he had now. Serenity twisted amidst the water,
laughing and giggling as she engaged in a waterfight with a number of
the nymphs. The water-born fairies took to the challenge, and soon
enough none of them could attest to being even remotely dry.
        Kakkyou laughed as Serenity tried to dive out of the way of the
growing tidal wave a quartet of nymphs had pushed and sent roaring her
way. She didn't succeed, not that she felt the need to.
        The peace of this quiet time was disrupted by the flapping of
wings. Kakkyou turned his head and saw one of the forest messengers
making its way towards him. The silver owl alighted his outstretched
arm, its tiny claws digging into his skin. He was used to the
sensation--and besides, the Elven had leathery skin to begin with.
Their bodies were not as fragile as that of a human.
        The owl discreetly hooted its missive.
        Kakkyou's smile faded quickly as he listened. "Humans at the
edge of Elfhame?" he said, making sure he'd heard correctly. The owl
hooted an affirmative. "And they want to see me?"
        Again an affirmative.
        Dragon green eyes turned back to Serenity once more. She looked
so happy where she was, playing with the water nymphs. It felt wrong
to disturb her by involving her in this. The last thing he wanted was
to bring tears to those orbs of crystal blue.
        Kakkyou turned back to the silver owl.
        "Tell my sentries I'll be there shortly. They're not to do
anything until I arrive--and that includes letting these people into
the forest."
        The owl nodded before taking off.
        Kakkyou rose from his place in the quiet shadows with a stealth
he'd learned to make use of since he was a child. Something that
always proved helpful for whenever he'd wanted to escape the world of
the Elfhame courts when he was younger. Even now it still proved
invaluable an ability.
        He bent his legs slightly and effortlessly kicked off the
ground, his body silently soaring through the air and pushing off the
various trees around him.
        The moment he was gone, Serenity sensed it.
        She turned her head and strained to find him. But all that she
could find was a shaded part of the forest where her dry clothes
rested. It was not uncommon for Kakkyou to disappear; being the ruler
of Elfhame meant he had responsibilities.
        But in his wake, Serenity detected something.
        The winds of magik were whispering to her.
        And they were telling her that she had to leave the water and
follow after him. She did not understand how, or tried to understand
why, but in some way the future depended on it. Making a quick apology
to the water nymphs, and a promise that she would return as soon as
she possibly could, Serenity left the spring and dried herself. Her
clothes were gathered up and hastily placed over her body.
        She took to the air, rebounding off the trees as Kakkyou had,
letting the magik tell her where to go. She could not sit back and let
this pass her by, not when the magik was so adamant about what she had
to do.
        The magik had never failed her.
        And she loved Kakkyou.
        The last thing she wanted to see was harm coming to him, or to
this beautiful place.


        Magellan anxiously looked around the trees.
        Everything here was a dazzling melange of green and brown. Trees
of all shapes and sizes--though most of them here on the outskirts
were still dauntingly immense--loomed around them. The land danced up
and down in uneven and unpredictable ways, tangles of roots below and
labyrinths of branches and leaves above. Dusk was setting in, and out
here on the fringe of the Arana forest, the treetops were bathed in a
haunting scarlet tint.
        The tales of this sanctuary did not do it justice.
        This realm had to be experienced.
        However, the pleasures he would have otherwise taken in being
here were quelled significantly by the Elven guards not so casually
watching them. Most were crouched low on branches above their heads. A
few were milling around on the ground, leaning against trunks or
sitting on a large rock. The sentries remained quiet, eyes always
focused on the "intruders."
        While the term 'intruders' brought with it a rather negative
connotation Magellan hoped to avoid, he could not deny that was what
he, Myung and The Man With No Name were. This was not their domain and
they were uninvited.
        Yet this had to be done.
        Magellan silently hoped that Frederic was leading the wounded
here, at worst an hour or two behind.
        The Aroth Armour had instinctively changed and become a full
body armour now. It awaited his command to begin combat. Magellan
crushed the urge to lash out as vehemently as he could. Fear was not
an option here. Neither was failure.
        Myung was keeping close to him, her eyes attentive and always
scanning the area. She had transformed into Sailor Venus, as a matter
of safety and in the hopes that the Elven might somehow recognize her
fuku.
        On the other hand, The Man With No Name didn't exhibit any signs
of tension. If anything he seemed to laugh at them. He strolled in
between the trees as if on an evening walk. While he said nothing to
the Elven guards, his smile said more than enough.
        What made Magellan edgy was the way that even the Elves seemed
to grow jittery whenever The Man With No Name got close to them. He
knew the Elven race was more sensitive to magik than the average
human.
        What were they detecting in the nameless stranger?
        There was a loud hoot from a silver owl perched near Myung. With
a fury of silver wings it took flight and soared across the area
before going out into the fields located at the edge of the forest.
        In its wake appeared the lord of Elfhame.
        He fell from the sky, landing upon the ground without so much as
a sound. His knees bent slightly from the impact, his head bowed. The
guards around him immediately knelt in homage.
        Myung glanced over at Magellan; she was wondering if they should
do the same. Magellan nodded and took the lead, getting down on one
knee. Myung mimicked his actions. This was not the time to
inadvertently appear rude.
        Kakkyou slowly, regally drew himself back up to his full height.
He lifted his head, orbs of creamy jade staring out at the uninvited
guests before him. "My messenger tells me you desired council with
me," he said.
        Magellan stood up and opened his mouth to respond, but Kakkyou
quickly added, "You certainly do have the nerve to come into my forest
and then demand to see me. You're either incredibly brave and stupid,
or horribly suicidal."
        "My lord," Magellan said hastily. "If this wasn't so urgent,
believe me I would not have intruded."
        But Kakkyou did not appear to be listening. He carefully stalked
around Magellan. Taking slow, deliberate steps. Probing with his eyes.
Magellan abruptly felt an odd sensation creep down his spine; the
Aroth armour was reacting to something.
        "You reek of blood," Kakkyou stated coldly. "Is that your
intent, to bring war to Elfhame? Do you seek my surrender?"
        "No!" Magellan protested, forcing back the anger and
indignation. This was becoming an inquisition. He couldn't afford to
be branded for something he'd never done, but he also couldn't afford
to offend the Elven. "Sir, we came from Camelot--"
        "I hold no loyalties to Camelot," Kakkyou growled, his eyes
narrowing. "If you think that name means anything here, then you're
dead wrong."
        Magellan clenched his jaw and then drew out the broken blade of
Excalibur. It was a weapon he knew even the Elven race recognized.
Kakkyou stiffened upon seeing the sword and said nothing about it.
Magellan dropped the sword, letting the broken end of the blade sink
into the damp earth beneath their feet. He answered, "There is no
Camelot anymore. It was destroyed not six hours ago."
        While he tried to hide it in his face, something flickered in
Kakkyou's eyes. Surprise. Bewilderment. And fear. He exchanged a
glance with one of his sentries.
        "I am the leader of the survivors who made it out alive,"
Magellan continued, seizing the silence while the opportunity was
there. "We need to get to my castle in Vlatmere to tend to our
wounded--"
        "And you need passage through Elfhame," Kakkyou finished evenly.
He cast his eyes upon the Aroth Armour once more. "What were you
fighting? Yourselves, as is typical of your breed?"
        Myung abruptly stepped forward. "Yes and no. Sir, I'm not of
this planet, but I have heard of the Elven's ability to detect the
scents of any magik. Surely you can smell the blood of the demons we
were fighting."
        One of Kakkyou's eyebrows went up. His gaze went to Myung,
taking the pressure off Magellan. "And if you are the survivors, I'd
say you lost."
        "Only the battle," Myung countered. It was strange, but now in
her fuku she felt an enhanced calm about the situation. She could
almost feel the magik of the Senshi of Venus coursing through her
veins. "But we still have a chance to win the war."
        "If I help you," Kakkyou added. He smirked and shook his head.
"I must confess you're not what I was expecting. Humans are not the
type to engage in magik; if they do, it's of a tainted mix. But
you...both of you are radiating a power as pure as what lies in
Elfhame woods."
        Dragon green eyes focused on Magellan.
        "Where did you get that armour?"
        "A mage gave it to me," Magellan answered, relieved that it was
the whole truth--whether or not the Elven lord believed it. "He called
it--"
        "The Armour of Aroth," Kakkyou cut in yet again. But this time
there wasn't the scorn in his voice. Now there was a definite caution.
"So they found a keeper for it after all. That's a dangerous toy
you're wearing. You sure you can handle it?"
        Magellan bristled at the personal attack. "I've already fought
in it once," he answered, the forced pleasantness in his voice dying.
He held out an arm, and let the metal suddenly shape itself into a
sword blade.
        The effort made Kakkyou reveal a puzzling smile.
        Suddenly Magellan became acutely aware of movement in his
peripherals. He whirled, forgoing the armour and unleashing a single
golden rose across the area. The blossom shot through the air, its
stem impaling itself into the wood of a tree. The Elven sentry who had
been working to create a small attack spell in his palm ceased the
effort.
        Magellan slowly turned back to Kakkyou. "That had better have
been a test."
        Kakkyou nodded. "And again you surprise me. Not one but two
magiks at your disposal."
        Evidently if he was tolerating them, testing them, it meant he
was at the very least considering them. Perhaps then he would consider
their request. Kakkyou moved behind them, both Magellan and Myung
standing where they were. He leaned in closer to Myung. Smelled the
fragrance of her hair. Flicked a fingertip at the edge of her fuku.
        "Your scent is not of Earth," he affirmed. "This magik is
something I've never seen before."
        That said, he left her alone.
        Kakkyou's eyes came to rest upon the one person who regarded
this confrontation like a theatre show. The Man With No Name was
grinning, though he held back his laughter. Remained as relaxed as
ever with his arms crossed over his chest. He tilted his head down,
the shades sliding down the bridge of his nose.
        "And who would you be?" Kakkyou asked.
        "I don't have a name," The Man With No Name answered.
        "But you have magik." Kakkyou paused and cocked his head to one
side, feeling the tangible aura of power from the stranger. "A
dangerous magik."
        Magellan and Myung exchanged nervous glances.
        The Man With No Name showed no ill will towards the statement.
Nor did he seem to take it as a compliment. It was who he was, and
there could be no changing that. Who was he to argue with his own
essence? "Magik unnamed is always dangerous," he stated. "It means you
can never know what to expect, or how to control it."
        Kakkyou sagely nodded.
        So far this trio of strangers had piqued his highest interests
and darkest fears. They brought with them the scent of death he'd
picked out from the winds hours ago. They had come from Camelot, in
whose direction this scent of death had originated. And now to hear
that Camelot was no more.
        They were daring enough to risk death and come to Elfhame.
        They were that desperate for help.
        Kakkyou inwardly feared the repercussions for himself, his Elven
kin, and his bride-to-be. But he could not deny them the chance to
make a request. Not after what he'd seen in each of them. Magiks this
different and this powerful rarely congregated together. Something was
happening; it was in Elfhame's best interests he find out what.
        "Make your request," he said to Magellan.
        Magellan steeled himself for more words, hoping that this time
he wouldn't be interrupted so often as before. "Milord, a ship
containing the survivors from Camelot crashed not too far from here.
The fastest way we can get home is through Elfhame." He took a deep
breath and knelt down. This was it. "I ask that you grant my men and I
safe passage through your kingdom."
        The Elven lord let out a bark of incredulous laughter. "You came
here to ask me THAT?" He shook his head. "If it were just you three, I
would have considered it. But to have a legion of people inside a
place that has not seen humans for centuries--"
        "We don't have any choice!" Magellan countered sharply, letting
his voice rise. They were beyond desperate. There could be no hiding
that fact. "Look, the demons who destroyed Camelot are going to be
coming after us next. I have a group of wounded soldiers making their
way here as we speak, because it's the only safe place left for us to
go. And I am not about to stand idly by and let those demons slaughter
my men. You may be Elven, but you still know what honour and duty
mean."
        That struck a nerve in Kakkyou.
        "So I should risk the lives of my own people too?" he hissed
angrily. "Let them possibly get killed just because of your men?" Jade
eyes narrowed sharply. "Don't you ever lecture me about duty."
        Magellan was ready to snap.
        His body was exhausted.
        His patience at its end.
        But then unexpectedly The Man With No Name intervened. "Tell me,
lord of Elfhame," he remarked casually, fascinated more in studying
the leaves above him than to look at Kakkyou. "When these demons
finish slaughtering the humans, what's to stop them from coming after
you next?"
        Kakkyou didn't have an answer. His jaw tightened.
        Myung instantly picked up on the point. "This evil is
threatening the entire planet, not just humans or Elven. Their leader,
Mistress Nine, will stop at nothing short of total domination. She
won't hesitate to kill you if you resist."
        Her blue eyes were pleading with him to understand.
        "United we can stand, and divided we can only fall. If you help
us now, we will fight alongside you if the war comes to Elfhame."
        "And if I refuse?" Kakkyou asked.
        "Then we won't fight at all," Magellan answered solemnly.
"Because we'll be dead, and you'll see for yourself just how
terrifying Mistress Nine is."
        Kakkyou tried his best to remain stoic; already he could see the
panic creeping into the usually stern expressions of his sentries.
"You speak of this Mistress Nine woman like she's a terror. But you
humans have tainted magik at best; who's say we Elvens won't prove a
better match against her."
        Magellan met the Elven lord's gaze, and then redirected it to
the broken form of Excalibur. "That sword was pure magik, wielded by a
man who knew how to use pure magik. Mistress Nine cut him down like he
was nothing more than a paper doll."
        What he had to say next chilled him, and he didn't want to say
something like this in front of Myung...but it had to be said. "She
ripped Arthur's face off with her own hands, and then licked his blood
from her fingers. She was giggling happily over what she had done.
Tell me what part of that isn't terrifying?"
        Kakkyou himself felt a cold shiver travel down his spine when he
heard the gruesome fate of the Pendragon. And now he found his resolve
to turn them away wavering. On the one hand he had his own people to
worry about. The future was one thing. The general public's reaction
to seeing a human procession through the forest was another. He had
been able to convince them about Serenity, and only then because of
her magik. This would not be as simple a task.
        However these three were also speaking the truth. They were
fighting desperately for their very lives--and each of them possessed
an impressive magik that could very well make them rivals of any
Elfhame sorcerer. If the enemy they were facing could take them all
on, then it was possible Elfhame would not be able to stand by itself.
        Lives hung in the balance.
        A future was at stake.
        He had to find a solution in only a few heartbeats of time.
        And then he heard her voice.
        "Kakkyou...."
        Kakkyou turned his head and saw Serenity standing there between
an archway of two bowed trees. The golden blonde hair clinging to her
garments and skin was still damp and dripping. She was breathless from
having raced here amongst the trees.
        "Serenity," he said quietly.
        How long had she been there, listening?
        He risked a glance at the three intruders.
        Myung was regarding Serenity with some confusion, and a little
bit of child-like wonder at the same time. But Magellan's eyes were
wide, ocean blue orbs trembling in awe and disbelief. He looked as it
he'd seen a ghost.
        Or a saviour.
        Unnoticed by everyone else in that brief interlude, The Man With
No Name glanced from Magellan to Serenity. One of his eyebrows was
raised, and the arms folded over his chest relaxed momentarily. For
once, though no one saw it, he had been caught offguard by what he
saw.
        "Kakkyou," she said. "Let them in."
        Kakkyou hesitated.
        "Please, don't turn them away," she insisted. Her voice remained
soft, gentle. He couldn't tell if she was making a simple request or
pleading on their behalf. Either way, it was a voice he could not
ignore.
        Kakkyou's shoulders dropped, and he let out a dismissive sigh.
        The decision had been made.
        Turning to Magellan he said, "I'll keep the sentries here. When
they see your men, they'll escourt them to a secluded place in the
forest. You may stay overnight and leave in the morning. But
understand you will be separated from almost everything else that
resides here. It's for their own protection, and yours. Anyone strays
from those boundaries and they will be killed, make no mistake."
        Myung nodded, grateful to at last be given safe haven and a
chance to rest. She glanced over her shoulder to Magellan; he was
still possessed, staring at Serenity. A pang of jealousy flared up and
she elbowed him in the ribs.
        "You must be tired and hungry," Serenity said, enchanting them
all with her angelic smile. "Come, let me show you where you can find
rest."
        Kakkyou stepped aside, letting the trio follow after her.
        Magellan watched her lead the way in rapt attention.
        But even he was not watching her as closely as The Man With No
Name was. "So," the stranger in black said quietly to himself. "At
last they've found you...."


        The Messiah of Silence let the solitary beams of light trickle
down from above and cast a shimmer upon the blade of her glaive. So
far she had spent her time ransacking all of Morgana's secrets. But
these catacombs of shadows were revealing nothing. For the time being
she had given up on searching, and was allowing for a moment of
reflection.
        Her StarChamber had been moved to a more prominent place. Namely
where Morgana's throne had once resided. The curious web of darkness
upon the walls behind the throne had retreated; she could no longer
sense activity there. Just as well.
        That entity within the shadows was imprisoned.
        It could do nothing for her.
        And she doubted it would be loyal to her cause if she tried to
free it. Everything was for Pharaoh 90. But to ensure its coming to
this rural planet, she had to find the Grail that strange Ancient upon
the moon had spoken of. Morgana's hidden realms divulged nothing.
        She was as ignorant as any youma or human.
        None of these creatures possessed knowledge of old and powerful
magiks. The exception might have been that Ancient she'd fought upon
the moon. However, it appeared that his purpose had only been to tell
her of the Grail's existence. He didn't know where she might begin to
find it.
        If he had, she doubted he would have told her.
        "Raithe," she murmured.
        Working for her, working against her. It made no sense. What was
that man's motive?
        The sound of scuffling in the shadows caused Mistress 9 to turn
her head. But the throne room held only her. Everything else was too
frightened to come near her unless important or urgent messages
warranted it.
        The demons had retreated from their attack on Camelot the
instant they sensed a backwash of magik within their essences. Their
hideous and hellish powers had been given to them by Morgana. Her
death sent ripples that threatened their existence. Without her magik
to sustain their diabolical forms they would once more become human or
animal or even a shadowy emotion.
        They would be nothing.
        If only she had other daimon eggs, Mistress 9 silently wished.
Then these pitiful creatures would find their lives completed by
becoming hosts to her master's daimons. No doubt they would be much
more powerful than their current guises.
        But in her amusement to their groveling pledges of allegiance,
she had granted to allow the Shadow Army to remain the way they were.
They fed off her dark magik now. She was their keeper, their master.
They would prove useful enough to sniff out the planet for any clues
to the Grail's whereabouts. And in dealing with the humans who still
wanted to fight rather than submit to her master's will.
        And so she had sent the demons back out again.
        A number of them desired to return to that fleeing aerial
transport. She permitted them the opportunity--so long as they brought
to no harm to one specific individual.
        That strange young man who had refused to die.
        The one who had escaped from her.
        Magellan....
        Mistress 9 turned her head, forgetting the internal question of
how or why she seemed to intuitively know his name. A winged demon
beast descended into the Shadowspell-enchanted ruins of Ilsa Esylin.
Its immense, leathery wings made hollow flapping sounds. The creature
alighted the floor, wings folding behind its back as it knelt before
its Dark Messiah.
        "What have you to report?" she asked, staring at her reflection
in the blade of her weapon. Beautiful death in her eyes.
        It growled its response.
        And that made Mistress 9 slowly turn her head, now paying less
attention to the StarChamber and her mission. "What do you mean
'gone'?"
        Another growl answered her.
        The dead had been left behind. The living were nowhere near the
remains of the Warhammer. The demon added where the scents of magik
seemed to drift from.
        "Their footsteps lead to Elfhame?" Mistress 9 remarked, slightly
intrigued. Morgana's archives had revealed a great deal about this
unique race: the Elves were reputed to be a society born and bred of
magik. They might prove interesting adversaries.
        An added bonus.
        The demon kneeling before her asked when they should mobilize.
It was agitated. Ready to spill blood once more.
        Mistress 9 demurely quieted the youma by placing a finger to her
lips. "Patience, my minion. We'll attack them at sunrise. Let my
Magellan rest for the night and regain his strength."
        She giggled malevolently at the thought.
        "I want him in his best form when I break him."


        As she let herself slowly sink beneath the surface of the warm
water, Myung swore she would never take bathing for granted ever
again. Tides of warm steam wafted past her. Blue eyes closed in
contented relaxation. If she had needed anything after surviving the
horrors of the war at Camelot, this was it. This was the first chance
she'd had to let the tension drain away in soothing billows of steam.
To no longer be running or fighting. To be given privacy to stop and
quietly sit.
        Blonde hair floated around her, moving and swaying to the
ripples created by a group of water nymphs swimming over to
investigate this newcomer. Myung's skin tingled from the warmth and
curious magik flowing with the fresh water. It reminded her a little
of the spa baths she'd enjoyed on Venus.
         Controlled splashing echoed across the otherwise quiet pool.
She glanced over to Serenity, who had finished stripping down and was
descending into the pool. A glimmer of blue, of lapis lazuli, dangled
between Serenity's breasts.
        "I must confess I didn't expect to see another human here," she
said to Serenity, testing the proverbial waters between them. But a
conversation had to start from somewhere, else they'd be staring at
each other in awkward silence. And while Myung so wanted to be away
from all the other people in the world, she did not want to be left
with silence and her doubts.
        A strange but pleasant smile crossed Serenity's face. "Not many
people do. But love surpasses many barriers we'd just as soon put
around it."
        Myung blushed at that.
        Did that mean Serenity and Kakkyou...?
        It seemed a curious thing, given how Magellan had painted a
picture of animosity between Elven and human. But she knew full well
that love cared not for boundaries or consequences. And Kakkyou didn't
strike her as someone who would be attracted to Serenity without her
possessing something else.
        A strange quality.
        Enchantment of magik.
        "Where are you from?" Serenity asked, giving Myung a chance to
engage in more casual talk.
        Myung looked up to the treetops overhead, and then suddenly
noticed that here the trees kept their distance from each other. They
formed a border around this pool, but did not grow over it. And now
she could see a midnight sky and its host of starlights.
        With a smile that came from the memory a princess' life she'd
walked away from, Myung lifted her arm from the water and pointed to
one shimmering light in the sky that was much brighter than its
surrounding comrades.
        "There," she stated. "That light is the planet Venus."
        Serenity's eyes widened. "You came from one of the other
worlds?" she exclaimed. The elegant mystery about her was dispelled by
her child-like excitement. How many books and scrolls had she read at
the library of GlenHawke about those planets and their people? Even
though she had been in Elfhame for a week or two at best, it all felt
so distant. Here she was content to let the days and nights pass her
by in a blur of warmth found in Kakkyou's embrace.
        She waded through the steaming water, unable to be distracted by
the flitting of the water nymphs around her. Crystal blue orbs gazed
at Myung with incredibly sincerity. "Tell me, what's it like on Venus?
Do they practice magik like Earthians? Where have you been? What sort
of family did you live with?"
        To say Myung was surprised would have been an understatement.
Yet there was something within Serenity's crystal blue eyes that put
her at ease. To gaze at the face of one who hadn't seen the ravages of
war and the hellish creatures they were all capable of becoming. But
Serenity embodied innocence and purity, of childlike wonder at the
simplest of things, and dreaming without letting a limitation be
placed upon her.
        Myung realized that this was why she was fighting. What she was
protecting. And it was embodied in Serenity's eyes.
        She suddenly understood why Kakkyou was so enchanted by this
girl.


        Chivalry dictated that Magellan be as far away as possible while
Myung and Serenity cleansed themselves in the water. With a wry smirk,
he silently admitted that he wouldn't have really had a problem being
there to watch Myung bathe. That blonde girl, however, was another
matter.
        Another matter entirely....
        His smile faded. Replaced with intimations as old as he was.
Perhaps even older. A voice calling out to him in the darkness of
childhood dreams.
        'Find her.'
        Fog and black armour and a crystalline chamber.
        'You must find her.'
        Two strangers cloaked in darkness.
        Calling to him.
        'You must find the messiah.'
        Magellan tipped his head back, letting it rest against the
knarled root of the tree behind him. There had once been a time where
that dream would have meant nothing more than childish curiousity.
He'd always believed that dreams were nothing more than random props,
all thrown together in scattergore array for a play the mind would
direct while one slept.
        But a vision, that was different.
        A vision was no mere dream. Nothing was random.
        A vision had a message to deliver.
        When you're a child, finding 'the messiah' could mean anything.
But now Magellan found his memories resurfacing. They had to be
questioned. An old dream about finding a messiah may have actually
been a premonition. A vision of warning.
        To understand, one had to know why a messiah had to be found. To
find a messiah, one had to know where to look. Magellan's ocean blue
eyes darted back to the maze of trees on his left. Leaves and vines,
foliage and moss and trees merged into an odd structure of their own
choosing. Somewhere beyond  them, beyond where he could see, was
Myung.
        And Serenity.
        Had he found what the vision called him to search for?
        Had someone known about what would happen, known about the
Messiah Wars that far into the past?
        Winds moved past him.
        Tickled his skin, covered with sweat and dirt.
        And then Magellan saw Kakkyou across from him, the Elven lord
standing and leaning against the immense trunk of a tree. "On behalf
of my men, I thank you for your hospitality," he said, bowing as
formally as he could, given how he was sitting.
        Kakkyou rolled his eyes. "I doubt I would be so hospitable if
she hadn't insisted. As it is, Elfhame's already up in arms about the
situation. You've made handling tomorrow a very unpleasant task for
me, Magellan Endymion."
        The Elven lord didn't sound enthused. Who would?
        But Magellan could also detect a sense of Kakkyou relegating
himself to their uneasy truce. It wasn't exactly on the best of terms,
but there was no out-and-out hostility between them. That at least
gave some leeway for conversation.
        Magellan turned his head, eyes cast in the direction where he
was sure Myung and Serenity were bathing. Even with the sunlight
almost gone, the forest seemed even brighter than when it had been
daytime. This place was radiating magik, basking in this warmth.
        "Who was that young woman?" he asked. "The one with golden hair,
the one you called Serenity?"
        "She's my bride-to-be," Kakkyou stated in no uncertain terms. He
leveled an icy stare at Magellan. "You would do well to bear that in
mind should you by chance encounter her again."
        With a wince, Magellan suddenly realized his faux pas. "I
apologize," he said, too tired to want to babble and grovel. "I wasn't
looking at her like that. I didn't meant to offend you."
        A brief and triumphant smile flickered across Kakkyou's face.
Curiousity lingered in its wake. "So I was right; the chords of a
strange magik bind you and that woman in the curious uniform
together."
        "Myung?" Magellan blushed slightly, smiling to himself as he saw
her face in the shadows of his mind. Driving away the darkness of the
future with her blue eyes.
        This entire place had such a calming effect.
        Was Elfhame really that detached from the troubles of the rest
of the world?
        "She's my own bride-to-be," he said to Kakkyou. "If we make it
out of this war alive, that is." With greater resolve, more for
himself than any other, he added, "We will make it out of this alive.
Together."
        Kakkyou gave a non-committal nod, if anything acknowledging the
noble sentiment. "You've piqued my curiousity, Magellan Endymion--a
rare thing when it comes to humans. If my Serenity holds no romantic
interest for you, then why does she haunt your face?"
        For reasons Kakkyou did not know, Magellan suddenly laughed.
        It was a tired laugh, but a laugh that was still enjoying life.
And the fact that he was alive.
        Magellan looked up to the darkened canopy of green overhead.
"Underneath a different sky, I would have told you that it was for
childish reasons and changed the subject." He shook his head. "But
things are happening too fast now. I can't afford to take even the
smallest of things for granted."
        "Tell me about the war in Camelot," Kakkyou said. "Tell me how
Arthur died, and you survived."
        He motioned for Kakkyou to sit and listen.
        Kakkyou chose to stand, but still listened as Magellan started
as far back as he could. He began with the death of his father, with
the growing tensions between Morgana and Arthur. Finding Myung. The
destruction of Aurora by Mistress Nine. The mage bestowing the Aroth
Armour to him. The war for Camelot. Fighting Mistress 9. Escaping on
the Warhammer. Crashing and coming here.
        Nothing was left out.
        If the detail could be recalled, then Magellan spoke it. He even
talked about the Sailor Senshi and what appeared to be their role in
the Messiah Wars. When he was at last completed the recounting, nearly
an hour had passed. And Magellan's throat felt dry.
        But Kakkyou was not yet satisfied.
        "I thank you for informing me about this war," the Elven lord
said. "But in your commentary, you've neglected to say anything about
Serenity."
        Magellan nodded. His mouth parched, needed something to drink.
        Something registered in Kakkyou's eyes. Abruptly he moved his
hands in a blur of motion and tossed something to Magellan.
        An apple.
        Magellan gratefully caught the fruit and devoured it. "It all
began with what I once believed was only a dream," he explained as he
swallowed the last bite of apple. "One night when I was a child, I
awoke not in my bed, but in a grand chamber made of crystal. I was
wearing my battle armour, and confronted by two wraiths whose faces I
still don't know to this day."
        He exhaled deeply.
        Even now it continued to haunt him in the corners of his
memories.
        "They were everywhere and nowhere all at once. I couldn't escape
them. And all they ever said were these words: 'Find the messiah.'
Until a few hours ago, I wouldn't have had a distant clue as to what
they meant. But now...now I don't know. Lord Kakkyou, I think Serenity
may be the messiah spoken of in my dreams. I think...no, I believe
that she is the Messiah of Light. She is the one the Senshi are
searching for, the only hope to save our world from the Dark Messiah."
        And there standing in the shadows of the trees, her own form
blended with the darkened silhouette of their immense trunks, Setsuna
listened quietly. When Magellan had finished talking, her form stepped
back into the reclusive darkness and disappeared. She went away as
unnoticed as she had come.
        Magellan looked to Kakkyou for support.
        Anything to validate his dreams, these prophecies.
        Yet Kakkyou's smile was no longer there. The Elven lord's dragon
green eyes were fixated upon Magellan with a chilling, penetrating
stare. "You...believe my Serenity is the Messiah?" he asked.
Undercurrents of skepticism punctuated every syllable. But there was
something else, something that Magellan never did recognize until the
Messiah Wars had ended.
        Fear.
        And it was of losing her.
        Magellan nodded. "With Serenity, we have a fighting chance. I've
been thinking it over. While she and the Senshi try to find this Holy
Grail, my men and I can keep Mistress Nine and her demons busy."
        There was still hope.
        But Kakkyou was shaking his head.
        And scowling.
        "You honestly think you can buy them that much time, after the
slaughter back in Camelot?" Kakkyou inquired darkly.
        "If we made it through once, then there's still a chance we can
make it through a second confrontation. I'm learning how to use my
roses and the armour. And if we could somehow find a way to fix
Excalibur then--"
        "No," the Elven lord stated coldly. "You got lucky in Camelot.
There was no skill involved. You probably wouldn't be here if Mistress
Nine hadn't vanished--and you don't even know where she vanished to or
why. Take your war more seriously, Magellan Endymion. Whatever
decisions you make now will affect the lives of your men in the
future. Arthur's not around to answer you, so stop asking what he
would do. Make your own decisions and your own mistakes, not his."
        Kakkyou pushed away from the tree, his dark gaze still directed
at Magellan. Silver strands of hair danced around his face.
        "And not in my realm either. Here you walked into battle at
Camelot while protecting the Auroran prince and his crystal, knowing
that if you died his newfound realm would be lost forever. Tell me how
that's not reckless?"
        Something about those words resonated within Magellan's mind.
Echoed with horrific clarity and smashing apart everything.
        "I will not sacrifice Serenity just because you believe her to
be this messiah," Kakkyou stated. "And I will not sacrifice Elfhame
just because this Mistress Nine no doubt has a grudge to settle with
you. There's more to the world than what you alone see. You need to
learn more about war, Endymion. At this rate you may not survive the
next time."
        Magellan could only stare down at the ground beneath him with
wide, unbelieving eyes. Those words were hitting him with a forgone
subtlety. The Elven lord was right; how much of his actions had in
truth been only reactions? How much thought was he putting into this
war, aside from salvaging what he could in the aftermath? Where was
the foresight?
        The midnight call of a silver owl sounded, drawing Kakkyou's
attention to the trees around and beyond them. The owl in question
appeared and landed upon Kakkyou's outstretched arm, quickly hooting
its message. Kakkyou nodded before sending the silver owl off again.
"Your soldiers have been sighted in the distance," he told Magellan.
"No one is following them."
        Magellan nodded, still numb from shock.
        Kakkyou ignored his state and began to walk back to the outer
rim of the forest. "It's time to greet your men, Endymion. I respect
you for having come before them. That showed intelligence, courage and
honour. However, I expect more of you in the future--for your sake,
and theirs. Do not disappoint any of us; in war, disappointment
usually precedes death by mere minutes, if not seconds."


        It felt strange to look up and see no sky, no infinite darkness
punctured by a vast oceans of stars. Instead all that laid above and
around them a the vast canopy of green. Yet the forest of Arana
possessed a hauntingly beautiful glow, enchanted light bringing this
realm to life even in the darkest of nights.
        Haruka found it to have a rugged, natural appeal.
        There was a thought in the back of her mind of how this realm
would have been an excellent place to train and perfect her skills.
But she was no longer a part of that old life; she could never go back
to it again.
        Everything had changed.
        Michiru was exhausted, curled up in her arms and no longer
wanting to fight fatigue. Even their heightened abilities as Senshi
had limits when it came to stamina. Haruka silently reflected that she
had her training in the Uranian military to thank for being able to
remain fairly awake and alert even now.
        At the very least, she could have the pleasure of letting
Michiru fall asleep against her. It helped her believe she was still a
guardian, and not some cosmic, destined soldier. To guard an entire
future was at times a difficult and abstract concept to grasp. To
protect the woman she loved...that was so much simpler.
        So much easier to touch and grasp.
        Right now, that's all she wanted to do.
        Haruka closed her eyes.
        Michiru had gone swimming in a freshwater pool nearby. Within
minutes the water had been swarming with nymphs, who all excitedly
swam alongside Michiru. Something about her set off a desire in the
water fairies to bathe and play in her presence. Whether it was the
Neptuni love of water or Michiru's alignment with the oceans as a
Senshi, Haruka wasn't sure.
        But it had been a beautiful sight.
        Now Michiru's hair held the scent of water and magik. Lingering
aromas Haruka breathed in brought back vivid memories and images of
the winged nymphs darting upon the water, swimming around Michiru's
body and jumping to the surface.
        "What is it?" purred Michiru's tired but contented voice.
        Haruka answered, "You smell so nice."
        "Ara, that's just the fragrance of the water nymphs. They
confided that they had as much fun playing with me as they do with
Serenity. A rarity for them."
        Hearing that girl's name found Haruka's eyes clouding over with
tension. A reminder of why they were here on Earth.
        Upon their arrival to Elfhame, they had found The Man With No
Name waiting for them. As always he had picked a rather unique perch
upon which to watch them. High above the trees, he moved as swiftly
and silently as the Elven sentries who had escourted Magellan's
soldiers down a specific path within the forest. Once they were alone
and away from the recovering soldiers, he spoke of the secrets he'd
acquired.
        There was a young human girl here named Serenity.
        Her magik was what he had been looking for.
        Despite her eyes being lazily closed, Haruka could sense someone
approaching from behind. There was nothing to be concerned about;
she'd come to know of this one well enough over the past week.
        "Did you confirm it?" Haruka asked, one of her eyes opening and
looking at Setsuna.
        Setsuna nodded as she sat down. The key-shaped staff was laid on
the mossy floor beside her. "There can be no doubt. Serenity is the
one we've been searching for."
        She'd gone ahead of the wounded procession as a precaution, and
learned about Serenity. While the others were being escourted to a
designated place in Elfhame, the soldier of time was already checking
for confirmation. And of all the unlikely places, they'd found their
messiah in the company of the Elven. But if Serenity was the most
precious commodity and weapon they possessed in the Messiah Wars, then
there was no better place to hide her from the forces of darkness.
        "We've found our Messiah of Light," Michiru sighed, her lips
revealing the relief of their mission now half over. She nestled her
head against Haruka's breast, on the verge of falling asleep and
resting her weary soul.
        "But has she found herself?" Haruka murmured.
        Did Serenity know the true extent of her powers, and the destiny
laid ahead for her?
        As Haruka let herself drift to sleep, she realized that they
would know soon enough. More likely sooner rather than later.
        The Shadows were still out there, hunting for them.


        Magellan walked through the ranks of his slumbering troops. He
vaguely wondered if he was looking at them as a king might survey his
soldiers when they were about to face a losing battle. The selfish
exhilaration of having faced the Dark Messiah and survived was gone.
        Frederic was curled up next to a wall of roots, pillowing his
head on his arms as he slept on his stomach. The soldiers and
survivors of Camelot were all allowed a much-needed sleep. Even the
uneasiness of being in Elven territory could not keep them willingly
awake. The soft moss covering this part of the forest proved to be a
comfortable mattress. Their quiet slumber, interrupted by the
occasional moan or snore, was soothing to listen to. A reminder that
they were all still alive.
        He'd met them at the edge of Elfhame.
        If they were to feel safe, Magellan's presence had to be known.
He was duty-bound to be their escourt and ensure no incident between
human and Elven was triggered. But even then, he had said next to
nothing in leading them through the forest to the designated place. A
number of the wounded soldiers were being treated in a nearby healing
spring, letting the mysterious magik within this place mend their
broken bodies. Healing ampoules and poultices were placed on those
with lesser injuries.
        Not surprisingly, those other Senshi had all but vanished the
instant they discovered that Elfhame's gates were open to the
procession of walking wounded. They were no doubt around here
somewhere, keeping to their own ranks and quiet intimations.
        They weren't telling him anything.
        Magellan doubted if they would ever tell him anything.
        Was he that unimportant to these wars?
        Kakkyou had been right. For all Magellan did know, he didn't
even know the half of it. And now Mistress 9 was probably coming for
him, for them all. He'd placed them all in danger: Myung, his men,
Elfhame...and Serenity.
        The recollection of her face made Magellan's mood all the more
brooding. He couldn't afford to put her at risk, her perhaps more than
anyone else. If she was the Messiah of Light, the only one capable of
stopping Mistress 9, then his inexperience could cost them all.
        Magellan abruptly stiffened and whirled, flinging out a golden
rose from his fingertips. The blossom cut through the air, letting no
sound escape its flight.
        Without flinching, The Man With No Name caught the rose in his
hand. "Impressive reflexes." He twirled the stem between his fingers
before letting the flower fall to the ground. "I do so enjoy the
company of a man who works hard at what he's good at."
        If it was a compliment, Magellan failed to receive it. "We need
to talk," he stated.
        "Why?"
        "Because I know about Myung, I understand those other three
Senshi a little," Magellan answered. "They may be stand-offish, but I
know where they're coming from." He stepped forward, closed the gap
between them. And his eyes were flickering in fear, in uncertainty.
"What are you?"
        The Man With No Name shrugged. "Just a man, a stranger in a
world that has decided to become strange."
        But Magellan refused to let it end there.
        He couldn't foolishly risk anything now. Nothing could be left
to chance. He had to know if he was to protect them all. Magellan's
hand grabbed hold of the stranger's coat. "Kakkyou said your magik was
dangerous, because it couldn't be named," he stated.
        That drew a haunting smirk on the Man With No Name's face.
"There will come a time when you will see my magik. When I at last
truly understand who and what I am. Until then we all shall only be
teased. My appetite has been whetted enough, but I know the ways of
magik. I am bound to it, but it is not bound to me. When it wants to
make my mission known, then it shall do so."
        Then he gently, firmly, took hold of Magellan's fist and
forcibly removed his jacket from its grip. The Man With No Name
stepped back, hands sliding into his pockets. He was appraising the
Vlatmere lord.
        That much was evident in the way his head moved.
        In how something flickered in eyes hidden behind tinted lenses.
        "The Dark Messiah...she's not exactly a pleasant woman, is she?"
The Man With No Name inquired evenly. "Not the type to enjoy a
conversation when there's carnage to be had."
        Magellan froze. A moment later he regained the use of his voice.
"You've met her."
        "Once. In Hakkeda, right before its untimely demise." The Man
With No Name looked up to where he would have seen stars, but saw only
a veil of entangled leaves. "When I saw her with that glaive, I
realized that I was not meant for her. I still don't understand what
that means."
        He turned his head.
        The shades were removed.
        And for the first time, Magellan witnessed the movement of
clouds within the stranger's orbs. The Vlatmere prince involuntarily
stepped back; this was something he had never seen before. Nothing
could have prepared him to see such a thing.
        "What I do know," The Man With No Name said. "is that it is my
destiny to meet the Dark Messiah one more time. When that happens, my
destiny will at last be revealed. And one way or another, these
Messiah Wars shall end."
        In a hoarse voice, Magellan found himself able to only ask, "Why
are you telling me this?"
        He was losing the will to demand.
        He was realizing how little power he had in the midst of these
other players of the Messiah Wars.
        "Because you should know what you're getting into." The Man With
No Name turned and began to walk away, defying the comforting glow of
the forest and merging with the shadows. "You deserve more credit than
given--even by yourself, Magellan. I know not of the future...but I
know you are going to be the one who helps to create it."
        And then The Man With No Name disappeared into darkness.
Magellan was left alone, overwhelmed.
        Too much tension.
        Too many doubts.
        Too little sleep.
        The burden at last found its final momentum and crashed down
upon him. Magellan collapsed to his knees, the strength within his
body lost along with the lingerings of his resolve. "What the hell
have I gotten myself into?" he whispered, widened eyes of ocean blue
gazing vacantly to the forest roots beneath him.
        So much raw power and magik walking around him.
        How could he possibly compete?
        How could he protect anyone?


        He would come around in time, The Man With No Name silently
reflected as he left Magellan alone. The prince was learning a harsh
lesson, but one that was required. Life rarely played fair. He trusted
in his words, that the Vlatmere lord might find some peculiar comfort
and hidden strength within them. Images skirted in the edges of The
Man With No Name's vision, on the corners of his mind and
consciousness. And he could see armour shaped like a winged demon, and
an iron dragon. Both fighting each other with ferocious rage.
        'I will kill you myself....'
        He knew that voice.
        Words spoken in a situation and form not yet here.
        They would be given voice soon enough.
        In the meantime, there were memories to build in place of a
blank slate of nothingness. Out of oblivion was being gathered an
archive of recollections, of sights and scents, of textures and
tastes. Thoughts and reflections. Curious amusements. Reasons to pause
in wonder. Emotions experienced for the first time, or perhaps the
second.
        This body and soul were such strange things, The Man With No
Name decided. Warring impulses and feelings. One moment he was
repulsed, then attracted, then regretting he'd ever flirted with the
idea.
        He was drifting through existence.
        Nothing was binding him to this Earth.
        He needed an anchor. That much was certain. Yet he knew he would
be unable to find it himself. The magik was telling him that much.
When the time came, the anchor would find him. He just had to exercise
his diabolical patience, and wait.
        Footsteps.
        The Man With No Name turned his head as he saw Serenity walk
through the woods. Dozens of small faery starlights hovered around
her, myriads of tiny but brilliant orbs of light acting as her
escourt. Bidding the faery lights a good night, she turned her
attention to the stranger in her midst.
        It never surprised her to find him standing there, half-hidden
by the shadows. Even the Senshi of the outer planets were surprised on
a fairly regular basis by his abrupt entrances and exits. Yet she
could not be caught so off-guard. She was different, and he could see
it through clouded blind eyes. The magik which shone around her made
blackest pitch as bright as the sun itself.
        Her hair was dripping and damp.
        She had recently finished bathing.
        "You're not like the others, are you?" she asked. Her voice was
quiet, almost quivering. Excited and scared all at once. Wanting to
know yet fearing the answer he might give.
        The Man With No Name nodded his head, drawing closer that she
might behold the clouded storm within his eyes. "We are alike in that
sense, Serenity. You and I are strangers, out of place and yet a part
of everything. We are orphans...powerful orphans."
        Her breaths were quickening.
        She seemed wanting to move, but her body was refusing the
chance.
        The Man With No Name leaned forward, his lips drifting close to
her cheeks before moving to the side of her face. "I would have called
you Serenity regardless of whether or not Kakkyou said it," he
whispered into her ear. "I can hear the winds of magik. They whisper
your name wherever you go."
        Serenity leaned away. Confusion and caution mixed together
within her crystal blue eyes. "Who are you?"
        "A nameless stranger. One who is searching for a messiah." He
smiled as he saw her give him a quizzical look. "I doubt Myung told
you this; she doesn't want to frighten you. I, however, lack the tact
of nobility. The war we're fighting will grind our bones into dust
unless we find the Messiah of Light. If she is the key, then I am the
lock she must open. That is who I am."
        He moved around her, and began to depart.
        Serenity turned and quickly grabbed hold of his arm, with her
touch gently asking him to remain. The Man With No Name obliged her
without questions or grudges.
        "I heard what Magellan said to Kakkyou," she said quietly.
Staring ahead and not at him. "What happens if that woman he called
Mistress Nine finds the Grail first?"
        The Man With No Name's eyes narrowed. "Be somewhere else.
Preferably off this planet."
        Serenity turned her head, catching his attention. The hand
gripping his arm slowly moved upwards, tracing the folds and creases
of his redingote. "And you feel nothing about this?"
        He shook his head. "I don't know what I feel. I'm a newborn. My
world changes with each breath I take."
        Fingertips found skin, caressing his cheek.
        The gesture was far from sexual. He could feel her magik trying
to probe, to feel the walls he had both built up and been born with.
Something within her could not comprehend why he was this way.
        And then The Man With No Name saw it in her eyes.
        Sympathy.
        She pitied him.
        There was something he lacked within his eyes that she longed to
see. And with it a gentle compassion and silent vow to try and find
what was lost, and then return it to him.
        He had never felt this before. Never like this. The Man With No
Name's arm reached up, his palm placed upon her hand. How was it
possible that she could stir such uneasiness within him? Why did he
feel so empty when she looked at him like that?
        "There you are," a foreign voice interrupted.
        Serenity turned, her palm slowly drifting away from his cheek.
        Kakkyou was leaning against one of the trees. The expression on
his face showed how unimpressed he was at finding them here like this.
        "It's not what you think," Serenity said quickly.
        "I know," he answered. But the cold glare in his eyes failed to
be dispelled.
        Serenity worriedly stepped forward in the hopes of pacifying the
situation. "Then why do you look--"
        "He trusts you, Serenity," The Man With No Name said. "But it's
me he doesn't like. Magik unnamed is the most dangerous kind of all.
Isn't it?"
        Kakkyou growled.
        And when Serenity went to his side, he continued to glare at The
Man With No Name. The nameless stranger, however, didn't care one way
or the other. "It's late," he remarked casually as he walked off. "And
you two should get some rest."
        "What about you?" Kakkyou inquired. The tone of his voice had
yet to become friendly. "My kin won't have to worry about you straying
from this area, will they?"
        The Man With No Name laughed upon hearing that.
        "I'm a good little boy, Kakkyou. But there's a mirror I wish to
see before I sleep. Good evening."
        Kakkyou's jaw dropped.
        Had The Man With No Name turned, he might have found himself
presented with the comical expression on the Elven lord's face. But he
didn't care, preferring to disappear into the shadows and wander down
the paths all nameless strangers wandered in their lives.
        Kakkyou held Serenity in his embrace. "You told him about the
mirror?" he asked.
        Serenity shook her head, mouth open in confusion. "No...I didn't
tell him anything about it."
        Somehow, that didn't surprise Kakkyou.
        A part of him had been expecting this.
        Magik unnamed was, after all, the most dangerous of sorts.


        Setsuna returned to stand upon the edge of heaven once more.
With Haruka and Michiru quietly sleeping in each other's arms, she was
left alone. The ways and magik of the Elfhame forest didn't suit her.
Right now, she wanted to be away from everyone else, from the noise of
Earth and its Messiah Wars.
        But she couldn't be alone either.
        That would have been even worse.
        And so now she found herself without a sailor battle fuku, but
dressed in an Auroran gown she had once worn when she'd been called
Lady Kaori. The only reminder of who she really was came in the
reflection of her face in the garnet orb. She would always keep her
staff and its Talisman close by.
        Magenta eyes closed for but a heartbeat as she regained her
breath and her equilibrium. Things were moving almost too quickly for
her to follow. Instead of being given the luxury of standing back to
observe it all, making necessary changes where she saw them required,
she was having to frantically run with everyone else and trust her
instincts. It wasn't an ideal or safe method of working to shape the
future.
        At this rate a single, simple mistake would destroy them all.
Forget the Dark Messiah--her own daughter now corrupted--but the
paradox of having her future undone by Mistress 9 taking over Earth
would shatter the entire Solis System.
        "Was this what it was like for you?" she murmured quietly to the
silent air around her. "Was this the burden you tried to teach me to
bear?"
        But the only one who could answer was no more.
        In that brief instant before she'd disappeared from the moon and
been returned to Camelot, Setsuna had seen the form of Mistress 9
appearing. A part of her had known even then that the Raithe would die
upon the lunar surface. And strangely enough, that part of her grieved
his death.
        Yet the duties of the guardian of time were not wholly entrusted
to her. Her methods were not the Raithe's. In seeing how he had set
the events of the future into motion, Setsuna had come to realize what
ways she desired to use herself. And which ones to shun. She would not
let another tragedy like Aurora happen again.
        Doubts returned.
        Haunting her.
        Aurora had been a necessary evil. What if such a thing were to
happen again? What if it was, like Aurora, unavoidable? Could she
allow the horrific destruction to continue before her magenta eyes?
        Setsuna tried to shake herself of the doubts. There would be
time enough to question herself, her entire mission. Her body was
weary and sore, fatigued to the limits, but there was still something
she had to do. There was still one other soul who could be beside her,
yet not be there at all. The only soul left to answer the questions
she had to ask.
        That was why she was here.
        She had returned to Castle Charon.
        Setsuna turned and walked through the immense promenade. Her
shoes echoed upon the white tiled floors, the sounds swallowed up for
the most part by the idly churning water in the nearby fountains. She
looked up to the skeletal frame reaching high above her head, gazed at
the invisible barrier which granted her a breath-taking view of the
stars.
        The lights were only at half their usual intensity. She wondered
if Charon dimmed them when no one was around, just for the sake of
saving energy. One of the many questions she had regarding this mystic
castle. But guaranteed that once the Messiah Wars had ended she'd be
able to spend a great deal of time acquainting herself with Charon.
        The trick right now was to make sure the Messiah Wars would end
the way they had to.
        "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me," came
Charon's disembodied voice. And the castle's core consciousness
sounded more than a little hurt at the neglect of his new master.
        Setsuna found herself smiling.
        That voice sounded so human.
        "It couldn't be helped," she said aloud, walking past the large
potted trees and towards the staircase. "In case you were unaware,
I've been a little busy."
        "Mmm," Charon agreed, still sulking. "I've been watching the
events on Earth. The Messiah Wars have been taking their toll."
        He then went on to explain to Setsuna that none of the other
planets were wanting to help Earth. They were terrified for their own
well-being, certain that if the Earth fell they would be next. The
other planets and kingdoms were currently amassing their weapons and
soldiers, bracing themselves for battle. Enormous evacuation plans
were already being put into effect. In short, the Solis System was
being engulfed in chaos.
        If those on Earth wished to survive, they would have to find a
way themselves.
        Setsuna listened to Charon's report as she made her way down the
corridors. Somehow this turn of events wasn't surprising her. She'd
received far too many surprises in the past week to make her feel
shocked by anything else.
        Finding the other Senshi.
        Learning of the Raithe's true identity.
        Discovering the Messiah of Light.
        It was all a blur of adrenaline that she hoped would get sorted
out in the aftermath. Setsuna turned into the command centre, the
doorway flickering out of existence long enough for her to walk
beneath the archway. The domed ceiling was open to the stars, but this
time she could see the cold, desolate planet of Pluto orbiting almost
too close for comfort.
        Numerous free-floating screens appeared in the air, rotating to
accommodate her movements. She walked up to the nearest one. It
changed to display a magnified map of Earth, specifically where the
Messiah Wars were being fought. A smaller window in the top left
corner was showing the ruins of Camelot...if those remains could even
be called ruins.
        "I need your help, Charon," she said. "Something's happened. And
it can only mean something else is about to happen which will cause a
shift in the Messiah Wars."
        "I would be inclined to agree," Charon responded. "What I know,
you already know. The Timestaff you hold in your hands links me with
the Timegate and the time-space continuum--though on a limited basis.
I've been monitoring your travels and your progress from afar,
amassing whatever data I can."
        Setsuna looked around the command centre, and up to the dome
overhead. Unsure of where exactly to talk to Charon. It was hard to
speak to a distinct personality when there wasn't an actual face to go
with it.
        "What should our next move be?"
        "I can't foretell the future, Setsuna. I can only make best
guesses and forecasts."
        She let out a weary sigh, inwardly chastising herself for not
having realized what Charon had told her in her first visit here. She
must have been more exhausted than she thought. But too much was
riding on the souls within Elfhame. The Outers, and one unexpected
Inner Senshi. Magellan Endymion, the sole leader of Arthur's troops
left alive and keeper of Illusion. A man with no name somehow linked
to all this.
        And now Serenity, a human girl betrothed to an Elven lord.
        That blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl was their Messiah.
        All that remained was to escape the Shadow Armies long enough to
find the Grail. A seemingly easy task in words alone; actually pulling
off such a thing was where she feared they might fail.
        "Give me your best guess," she told Charon. "What do you predict
will happen in the next twenty-four hours?"
        Silence.
        Charon was hesitating.
        "What is it?" Setsuna asked again. Something cold and altogether
unpleasant was creeping through her body.
        "An age-old maxim states how ignorance is bliss," Charon said at
last. "Are you certain you want to know?" The awkwardness in the
castle's voice was evident, and making Setsuna involuntarily shiver.
        But she nodded. "It's my duty to know. I may be the only one who
can make it right by knowing beforehand."
        "Mistress Nine seems to be waiting until daybreak to attack
Magellan Endymion and the survivors from Camelot," Charon said. "I
would imagine she has no idea of Serenity's existence as the Messiah
of Light. As far as I am aware, the Dark Messiah doesn't even know she
has an opposite."
        That could change very quickly.
        "I have been monitoring their activities upon the Earth; the
Shadow Armies are beginning the gather near Elfhame. But for as
powerful as the Elven race is, should the battle take place upon the
forest isles of Arana, they will be destroyed. Mistress Nine will
surely wipe them out."
        Setsuna closed her eyes as she heard that.
        The knot in her stomach tightened.
        "Is there no way to escape this destiny?" she asked in a subdued
whisper.
        Charon apologetically replied, "I doubt the Elven will listen to
a human, let alone abandon their last sanctuary. I'm sorry, Setsuna.
But I think that things will get worse before they can get any
better."
        She nodded, leaning against her staff to keep her standing. The
last ounces of energy she possessed were leaving in a peaceful but
unwavering ebb. Setsuna knew she wouldn't be able to stay awake for
much longer.
        "Daijobu," Charon said in sensing her exhaustion. "There is a
bedroom you can use. I'll show you the way. And I'll wake you up and
teleport you to Elfhame when the time comes."
        "Thank you," she murmured. Setsuna turned to leave, pausing at
the open archway. "What about the Grail? Have you found anything on
where it's hidden?"
        "No. Wherever the Ancients have hidden it, they've hidden it
very well. Perhaps too well. But I'll keep searching for all the
probable places--though the Ancients could create all sorts of curious
magikal hideaways for it."
        Setsuna saw a small orb cast in pleasant glowing light hover
down the hallway towards her. It stopped in front of her and then
began to slowly move through the labyrinth of corridors. Wordlessly
she followed Charon's lead until the bedchambers presented themselves.
        She didn't even have the strength to take in the elegance of the
room. Setsuna was lucky enough to collapse face-first onto the bed,
and sleep.


        At the edge of a freshwater pool populated only with ripples of
reflected moonlight, Magellan sat upon the twisting roots and stared
at the unnerving calm of the water.
        While he was sure Myung would be searching for him amidst this
lush realm of forest trees, Magellan did not want to be found. The
distance between his sleeping soldiers and himself was great. As far
as he was aware, he was on the edge of where his group were allowed to
be. No one would think of him to come this close to potential danger
and harm. That was what he wanted.
        A part of him wanted Myung to stumble through the trees, calling
out his name. And then in seeing him, race towards him and wrap him up
in her scent and kisses and warm embrace. Then he might find comfort
in her soothing words and whispers. But the rest of him knew that
could only be a selfish, escapist desire. If that happened, his burden
would be placed upon her. And Myung was too beautiful to be given such
a horrific and heavy thing.
        This was between himself and no one else.
        If he could not find the answers in solitude, then he was indeed
not fit to lead his troops. Never into a second battle against
Mistress 9 and the Shadow Armies, but to even lead them out of
Elfhame. If by the light of rising sun he could not find reason or
confidence, he would leave this place by himself.
        Magellan's hands moved to feel the armour gauntlets upon his
arms, his palm gently sensing the texture of this finely polished
magik. A demon armour had protected him from being cut apart by
Mistress 9...and if he'd been blind and unable to see how much that
had enraged her, then her angered shouts still ringing in his ears
would have been the giveaway.
        Intuition whispered to the Vlatmere lord.
        Mistress 9 would come, there could be no doubt. But while her
armies would come for the lives of his soldiers and loved ones, she
would come for him alone. His continued existence was an insult and
injury to her malevolent desires. She would hunt him down wherever he
went, and kill whomever stood between them.
        He could not allow anyone to be caught in that sort of
crossfire. Not when they were his responsibility. Magellan doubted he
could ever live with himself then, let alone the nightmarish memories
of someone he knew and cared for being torn to shreds by the Dark
Messiah.
        Kakkyou was right.
        Had been all along.
        For so long he'd only been reacting. He had lacked foresight to
look ahead. Did the ends justify the means? Magellan silently admitted
he didn't know. Here in the company of towering mighty trees, whose
thick moss-covered trunks stretched into a canvas of leafen cloud
overhead, he had to make a choice.
        If uncertainty still plagued him, then at dawn he would leave
Elfhame alone. Lead Mistress 9 along a false trail, and buy his own
army time to escape and regroup at Vlatmere. He knew Frederic well
enough; Frederic would not hesitate to mobilize everyone. And in a
way, Frederic might understand why he was doing this.
        He had to protect everyone.
        Magellan looked up as he heard the delicate sound of twigs being
snapped underfoot. The unnatural radiant shimmer of Arana let him see
a shadow moving apart from all the others, walking towards him. He
straightened up as he saw it approach.
        "Myung?" he said quietly.
        But it was not her.
        When the shadows gave up the stranger's identity, what Magellan
saw was a tall form and a weathered face hidden beneath a hooded cloak
that bore no fanciful markings of importance. It was the mage, the one
he'd met first at the site of Myung's crashed ship. And then a second
time just before the battle at Camelot, where he'd been given the
Aroth Armour.
        Magellan slumped back down once he recognized the mage. "Oh.
You."
        "Your greetings are not as courteous as when last we met," the
mage said. The tone of his voice seemed to imply that he took no
offense to it.
        Magellan blew out a breath, and gestured for the mage to join
him in sitting at the water's edge. "I'm sorry," he sighed. "I've just
been through a lot today. You can only handle so much before you
either stop functioning, or stop caring. I'm starting to wonder of
both aren't really the same thing."
        The mage comfortably found himself a place to sit, legs crossed,
his hands resting upon his lap. His head remained bowed, the hooded
shroud cloaking his face in enigmatic darkness. "Your thoughts are
troubled."
        It was only an observation.
        But with it came the subtle invitation to talk.
        "Not as much as my future. My men were nearly killed back in
Camelot, and on the Warhammer," Magellan said. He picked up a small
stone lodged in some moss, and then tossed it into the pool. The rock
skipped twice before sinking to the bottom. "The responsibility of
their lives rests in my hands. "The burden falls to me...and I don't
think I can hold it for much longer."
        The mage shrugged and made what might have been a nod of
agreement. "Perhaps. But if you told a soldier to stay back, and he
ran ahead anyways, does that mean the blame solely falls upon you for
his death?"
        Magellan nodded. "Authority isn't the same thing as power.
Authority is what you are granted; power is what you must earn. It
comes from those under you, the respect, guilt or fear they feel in
obeying you. My soldiers obeying me are what gives me power. Without
it, I am only a lord by title alone. If I cannot get my men to respect
my orders and follow me, then their deaths should be blamed upon me."
        The mage pressed the issue no further.
        He tilted his head ever so slightly to the right, the glow of
his eyes caught in the watery reflection. He studied Magellan for a
moment. And then he studied Magellan's weapon. "You have Excalibur
with you."
        Magellan reached back, and felt the hilt of a broken sword
behind him. Hands grasped a legendary hilt. With one swift, elegant
motion he drew out Excalibur and showed the broken blade to the mage.
        Already Excalibur was starting to awaken.
        It kicked in Magellan's hands, tendrils of liquid metal writhing
and churning as if in pain, wild and uncontrollable. Magellan hissed
for the sword to be still. It obeyed without question, and grudgingly
went into hibernation once again.
        "Even when its master was silenced, it screamed in my ears. When
I talked to it, this sword listened." He looked up at the mage. If
this man had given him such a powerful force as the Aroth Armour, then
surely the mage might know something about the magik of the sword.
"What is this blade you call Excalibur?"
        A strange smile twisted itself onto the mage's face.
        He chuckled only once.
        As if saying, 'at last, you have decided to ask me this.'
        "Just remember, Lord Endymion," the mage answered. "Not all the
answers you receive are answers that will be well-received."
        The aging man looked out to the pool.
        He began to tell the story. "Excalibur is the younger brother to
the armour being worn upon your body. Their father, the one who
created them both, is locked within. It has been so for centuries upon
centuries, going even further back than most of the Ancients could
have once remembered."
        Magellan's head snapped up. "Dante didn't forge this?"
        The thought that something could predate the Weaponeer was
almost mind-numbing unto itself.
        The mage shook his head. "You could call Dante an apprentice of
sorts. When he first discovered the sword, long before it was given
the name Excalibur, he also discovered its magik. The magik had been
woven into the very form of the weapon, a strange bonding of heart and
soul."
        A heart of sword.
        "Ever since that time, until his death along with the other
Ancients, Dante tried to duplicate as best he could what he'd found in
Excalibur. That is why the weapons he made chose their owners and not
the reverse. He wove in them his own magik, created his own hearts of
sword. The samurai of Aurora have tamed his weapons for nearly two
centuries. It saddens me to think that such beauty had to be silenced
forever."
        Magellan found his fingers trembling as he traced the contours
of Excalibur, almost hesitant to feel the cool metal of the broken
blade against his skin.
        He had no reason to doubt the mage.
        But even still, that meant this sword, like the armour, could
very well be almost as old as time itself. Just like other magiks he
had recently encountered.
        Ocean blue eyes fixated on the mage. "The Senshi all use these
small golden artifacts called henshin, in order to transform. Are they
the same as...?"
        His voice trailed off, his eyes looking down to Excalibur.
        The mage laughed quietly. Not patronizing or demeaning Magellan.
But amused and impressed that the Vlatmere lord was searching for
connections where others would not have thought to look. "No, the
henshin of the Sailor Soldiers are a whole other breed of magik. They
are completely unlike what's found in the Aroth Armour and Excalibur.
Forged perhaps around the same time, if not earlier, but not by the
same entity."
        Magellan felt the hairs on the back of his neck start to rise.
The implications behind these answers were beginning to worry him.
With weary, haunted eyes he stared at the hooded form of the mage.
        "How can you know so much about them?"
        The mage watched Magellan with knowing eyes through the shadows
of his shroud. "Because the soul that can be found when the two items
are together is my own." He ginned as he saw Magellan warily lean
back. "Now now, there's no need to be frightened. On the contrary, you
should consider yourself among the privileged few. In creating the
armour and the sword, I locked half of my essence into each of them.
That is the true source of their power: when their magiks are used
harmoniously.
        "Not any mere human can wield both of them in a dance that
creates such harmony, Magellan. Even by themselves the sword and the
armour can create a terrifying distortion. Excalibur is loyal and
lethal. The Aroth Armour can become pure chaos. Both can easily
destroy their owners, if such a person is not strong enough. It's all
within the heart of he who holds them both in his grasp."
        Magellan forced himself to think.
        Force himself to care.
        For all the battering to his ego, for all the revelations that
had come down upon him with the subtlety of a sledge hammer, this was
something he could feel was important. Just sitting next to the mage
was clearing his head. Magellan could sense the Aroth Armour reacting,
growing excited. It could hardly keep still, wanting to change shape
and create new means of protecting its owner. And Excalibur's dormancy
was light; the slightest jolt of magik would awaken it.
        "If you locked your essence into these two artifacts," Magellan
asked the mage. "then how can I be here, talking to you?"
        He thought he caught a glimpse of the mage smiling.
        "I exist, but do not exist, Magellan. I am a person and a shadow
all at once. Even though they are apart, and for the safety of the
Solis System have been kept apart for a very long time, Aroth and
Excalibur yearn to be together. The halves cannot find peace until
they are made whole once more.
        "That is who I am, and where I come into the war. I am the
embodiment of the sword and armour's search for one who can use them
both to their fullest potential. What you see of me now is a shallow
reflection of the being I once was, and even though you can touch me,
I do not currently exist as you exist."
        Excalibur was raised, Magellan's gaze focusing on the jeweled
pommel. Beyond the sight of the sword was the docile pool of Elven
waters. "Excalibur's broken. How can they be restored once more, if
the sword is no longer intact?"
        Magellan looked to the jagged metal edges which marked the
breaking point of Excalibur. He wanted to see the blade whole once
again. Not so as to have the power, but to be given hope. If he could
find a way to repair it, then finding a way to believe in himself was
child's play.
        Sometimes in life you walked.
        Sometimes you crawled.
        And the rest of the time you defied the world, grew wings and
flew.
        For the first time since his father's death, Magellan was
understanding what it meant to take that final step. His other hand
moved to grasp the hilt of the sword, fingers wrapping around and
tightening as if he would swing the sword's full weight in battle once
again. Epiphany was dawning, spreading faster than any sunrise he'd
ever known.
        "Yes," the mage whispered, sensing the unfolding wings of magik.
"You know what to do...."
        Excalibur would not respond to doubts.
        The Armour of Aroth would not answer to fears.
        Magellan forced such things back to the recesses of his mind. If
he was to be responsible for his soldiers, for the ones he loved and
served, then he could not run away. He would have to make his stand.
To make his choices and live with the consequences. He could not
simply react and hope he was right.
        He would lead them.
        He would fight the Messiah Wars from the front lines, alongside
everyone else. No matter what sort of magik they possessed. Ocean blue
eyes opened wider as the explosion of magik ruptured from the
breastplate of his armour. The substance that was Aroth snaked out
with great, grasping tendrils. They shot forth and encased the broken
end of Excalibur in a haunting cocoon of chrome silver.
        Silver ignited and began to glow white.
        The heat was intense, threatening to burn his hands
        Magellan found himself defiantly shouting back the pain.
        He'd seen weapons being forged before. There had to be pain
before there could be perfection. His entire body was shaking
violently as he fought to control the two powers in his grasp.
        Aroth bonded to Excalibur.
        A heartbeat echoed.
        The forests of Elfhame might have been silent in that single
moment. But Magellan could hear the roar of Excalibur being
resurrected, of the sword finding its wounds no longer there. The
cocoon broke apart from the inside out, liquid silver reduced to
tattered shreds spraying in every direction.
        And Magellan found himself holding Excalibur in its truest form.
The immense and towering blade of the sword seemed as tall as he was.
It could cut down one of the trees here in a single, calculated swath.
        "Well done, Magellan," the mage said with a satisfied air in his
voice. "You're learning how to harness the powers you possess."
        Still euphoric from the rush of what had just happened, Magellan
sat back and tried to catch his breath. Excalibur's domineering size
retracted, the blade itself sinking into the hilt. Out of purest
natural reflex, Magellan lifted the sword over his head as if to
sheath it upon his back. The Aroth Armour opened up a fold and snugly
accommodated the weapon.
        He gasped for air a few more times before managing a word:
"Wow."
        "I doubt you'll be forgetting that anytime in the near future,"
the mage said. "Magik is pure and volatile, much like water. It can
flow and ebb in a person like the tides, manifesting at various
strengths. But one can learn how to use it, and in a sense endear
magik to them. Magik will be its own master, but out of a fondness
will come to you when it is called. You have endeared both Excalibur
and Aroth to yourself; they will answer when called. But be careful:
your call can be one of protection, or destruction."
        Now that the adrenaline was passing, Magellan felt himself
growing light-headed. His vision swirled and grew blurred. He would
have tumbled forward into the spring had the mage not steadied him.
        "The disorientation will pass," the mage explained. "In the
meantime, tell me: what do you know of magic wands?"
        "I read about them when I was a child," Magellan answered.
Regaining the proper use of his senses was proving a little more
difficult than first imagined. Would it be like this every time he
used the two magiks together? "Every now and again I see self-
proclaimed magicians and illusionists waving them around in caravans
or street celebrations."
        Satisfied that Magellan could at least sit up straight now, the
mage leaned back and made himself comfortable again where he sat.
"Magic wands are for amateurs, Magellan. It is the human heart that
triggers magik to manifest itself. We can utilize our bodies to become
the catalyst--thought make no mistake this isn't a simple task. Many
times one does require the knowledge of a command or word to trigger
the explosion of power. The masters of magik have grown to a point
where a thought or a silent command releases the full fury of magik.
If you're not prepared to unleash the floodgates, you'll be swept away
by the tidal wave.
        "Consider light: you see it as clear and white. Separate it by a
prism, and you get a multitude of colours. Magik is much the same way.
You must learn how to use your body like this prism of glass. Only
then will you sift through the general clutter and isolate the
specific magik you wish to use. That is why children are trained at a
young age to find their particular alignment. Many times one will be
specially endowed with one breed of magik.
        "Some can harness water, others fire, and still others the wind.
That is their key magik, one that we try to refine to its truest
incarnation. They will sense this magic pervading amidst the rest of
the clutter. They will know it, and when they call, it shall answer."
        Magellan rotated his wrist and opened his palm. Resting there
within his grasp was a beautiful golden rose. "So what is my magik?"
        "Magellan, do not limit yourself or magik to what you think you
know," the mage told him. "What I have shared are beginnings,
foundations to build upon. The Solis System has much learning to do.
It has its own developing blossoms of magik that it must learn to care
for.
        "But you, Magellan...you are like and unlike the Senshi. Akin to
the Ancients, they possess a power that did not grow out from this
system. Their magik is older, the names for it old enough to be almost
forgotten. Such magik is incredibly powerful. Yours is not as powerful
as what the Senshi have at their disposal, for it is younger--but it
is regardless a force to be reckoned with. Because of your magik, you
alone are capable of taming both Excalibur and Aroth. No one else
could successfully do that.
        The mage slowly stood, his head still bowed, his face still
half-hidden in the shadows. Magellan quickly got to his own feet,
standing with the seemingly old man. He felt different now. The world
felt different. Magellan could sense the magik of Elfhame more clearly
now, almost to where he could see it radiate from each individual tree
and insect.
        Something had been awakened within him.
        And he had this mage to thank.
        Magellan wondered if he could ever repay this debt. He doubted
such a thing possible...unless the future he chose to help pave would
serve as that payment.
        The mage bowed to Magellan, preparing to turn and take his leave
of the wars once again. Perhaps forever now. "I think that is perhaps
why I felt you were worthy of being entrusted with both the Aroth
Armour and Excalibur. You have in your blood a magik that understands
a little better of how old it is. Your magik has become a symbiot with
you; you both benefit the greatest when you co-exist side by side.
        "You have your father's gift: a rare and ancient magik not quite
of this world, yet still a part of it. That is what you share in
common with artifacts that hold my essence. Because of this, you can
control them better. You intuitively know how to wield them the right
way, and create the best results."
        Magellan stretched out an open hand.
        The mage shook it.
        "Thank you," Magellan said quietly, gratefully. "Thank you for
everything."
        That drew one last smile to the mage's face. "You are not a mere
pawn in the Messiah Wars, Magellan. You are in fact an equal, though
you are too young and inexperienced to fully realize that fact right
now."
        He turned and began to walk away. Magellan knew better than to
try and walk alongside him. It would do such magik no honour to wait
for it to disappear. It would be better to let it choose to depart on
its own terms.
        The mage added, "But a time shall come when you will look back
and see how you stood alongside the magiks of Senshi, Elven,
Silence...and even unnamed. Then you shall understand your true
importance, and how grossly all the others underestimated you.
        "I entrust the Armour of Aroth and Excalibur to your care, Lord
Endymion. The choice to help remake this world with light or darkness
remains yours to make. Choose wisely, and always remember the danger
that comes with the magiks you now hold."
        "Will I ever see you again?" Magellan asked.
        The mage paused in consideration, and then resumed walking.
"I'll be around, if that answers your question. After all, you are
holding me in your arms and feeling my weight upon your body."
        Even after the mage had vanished into the darkness, gone to be
wherever he had come from, Magellan quietly remained standing and
watching the forest. At last he turned and gazed out at the pool,
ocean blue eyes watching the shimmering dances of moonbeams upon the
ripples.
        He could not run away from all this.
        He could not shut himself away from everyone and everything.
        Kneeling down at the spring's edge, Magellan cupped his hand and
scooped out a small portion of water. He drank the water, savouring
the cool, crisp taste. Whatever still clung to his hand was used to
help wipe the sweat off his face.
        "Here you are."
        With a gentle smile, Magellan shook his hand free of the
remaining droplets of water and turned to see Myung standing behind
him.
        "I've been looking everywhere for you," she scolded him. "Do you
have any idea how worried I've--"
        She could speak no more, for Magellan had crossed over and
delicately pressed his lips against hers. His eyes remained closed,
and after the initial surprise her own eyes did the same. There was an
unexpected charge in his kiss, in his caress, in every fibre of his
being. She could not quite understand how or why it was there, but she
could not deny its existence.
        Magellan continued to let his lips press against hers, making no
other movement. At last he drew away from her, and drew in a breath of
air. She was such a radiant angel. He no longer cared that she was a
Senshi. It no longer mattered that she might hold more magik or
understand more of this war than he did.
        In realizing what he had come so close to losing, to pushing
away, he found himself unable to take her beauty for granted.
Everything about her was beautiful.
        "I've been a fool, Myung," he said quietly, his face still
hovering so close to hers. "I hope you can forgive me. Even with what
I have, I did not know what I'd truly found. But I understand that
now...and there is no place I'd rather be tonight than in your arms."
        For so long death had haunted him.
        And now he understood what it meant to be alive.
        Amazing how that could change your entire perspective on the
world.
        Magellan fumbled for her ring and its star sapphire, which she'd
let hang from a small chain around her neck. He lifted it between them
as far as it would go without choking her.
        "In the past day, I'd come to wonder if I was truly worthy of
your love. I doubted my abilities, and feared your rejection. I'm
sorry if I pushed you away, and I do apologize for whatever harm I
brought you today."
        Myung's fingers wrapped around his hand, clasping the ring.
"Your love was never in any doubt," she whispered, her compassionate
smile glowing brighter than the forest around them. "And neither was
mine in you. Just because I am Sailor Venus doesn't mean I think of
you any less."
        They kissed a second time, this one more passionate than the
first.
        Across the pool, perched upon the higher branches of the trees,
Serenity watched them with a contented smile. She turned to a small
silver owl perched upon her shoulder. "They make a good pair, don't
they?"
        The owl hooted its own affirmative.
        Serenity's crystal blue eyes closed in quiet thanks. "I'm glad
they could have this one night together. Love such as theirs deserves
that much."


        A ring of trees encircled a clearing of damp moss.
        The Man With No Name found himself stepping down off a root, and
into a pool of dark water that rose halfway up to his knees. The edges
of his overcoat dangled and dipped beneath the surface. There was
magik alive in this place, almost as tangible as the radiant
moonlight. A euphoria that could barely remain contained.
        Clouded eyes looked to the heavens.
        A starry night looked down at him.
        Without words or incantation, without gestures or attempts, The
Man With No Name made his way through the water towards the centre.
The pool before him began to churn and froth, whitened bubbles surging
forth by his silent will and magik. The surrounding shimmer from the
forest pulled back, everything falling into darkness as a new light
emerged from the waters. It was blue, almost like the deep oceans. The
radiant illumination filled the clearing, yet going no further than
the ring of trees.
        Polished silver revealed itself.
        And the elliptical Elven mirror rose out from the shadows of the
pool, the runes upon it already glowing crimson and bleeding to create
a glass surface where metal once was.
        The Man With No Name stroked the surface of the glass.
        Searched for his reflection.
        Yet he saw only what the mirror could show him: a churning mass
of darkened stormclouds, a never-ending wolfpack of swarming and
swirling grey oceans in the sky. It resembled his eyes before the
lightning came and the magik would be invoked. He felt half-tempted to
invoke magik and see if the reflection changed.
        It was a temptation left alone.
        His fingertips still pressed against the glass, The Man With No
Name cocked his head to one side. "You're the one they call Merlin,
yes?"
        Upon the edge of the pool, standing with the ring of surrounding
trees, the Ancient nodded.
        Neither one was surprised at the presence of the other.
        "Hiding as a wounded soldier," The Man With No Name said. "The
best you could do?"
        Again Merlin nodded. He already knew this one could sense his
levels of magik. It would be a few more days before he could be at his
full capacity once again. Creating Illusion had taken more out from
his system than expected. But that still hadn't dulled his senses. And
in the presence of The Man With No Name, his senses were in overdrive.
        "When you carried me out from the Warhammer, you drew my
interest," Merlin said. "You have Ancient magik coursing through your
blood."
        "I'm not an Ancient."
        Merlin nodded in agreement. "And that's what puzzles me."
        "The universe is full of puzzles, Merlin. Not being to solve
them all is what makes it an interesting place." The Man With No
Name's fingertips left the mirror and allowed it to sink back beneath
the surface of the pool.
        "Are you his doing?" Merlin asked as The Man With No Name walked
past him. "Are you a creation of the Raithe's?"
        The Man With No Name shook his head. "Sailor Pluto asked me that
same question, and she was wrong in her assumptions. The answer I gave
her is the same one I have for you."
        "Then what are you?"
        "Guess. Who knows? You might get lucky."


        In the boughs of trees, where branches twisted and curled around
each other to form a warm and comfortable nest in which to sleep,
Kakkyou waited. He sat upon the lip of the circular chamber, his eyes
directed up to the skies above. Here they would sleep at the height of
the forest, with the stars their watchful guardians.
        Serenity always liked to sleep where she could watch the moon
and stars. On days when it would rain, she was content to sleep
alongside Kakkyou somewhere beneath the sheltering canopy of leaves.
        Dragon green eyes glanced over to the opposite side of the
nest's curving wall. There was a rush of air. And then Serenity
alighted the edge with a delicate foot decorated in the wrappings of a
crimson ribbon. The folds of her snowen gown billowed out from the
final burst of air and magik, settling down around her body.
        So seemingly fragile, perched and standing on the edge of a nest
and surrounded by a sea of green, Serenity lifted her head to the
crescent moon overhead. Her pale skin shimmered in the glow of the
forest's magik. And the cool midnight winds caught up her golden hair,
letting the long ponytails billow out behind her.
        "Angel," Kakkyou found himself whisper.
        An angel, and perhaps so much more.
        A messiah.
        Kakkyou's face remained etched in enchantment, though his eyes
flickered with concerns. Something was coming; there could be no more
conjecture, only certainty. The survivors from Camelot were a mere
prelude. They said that Serenity, his beautiful and beloved Serenity,
was the messiah they were seeking.
        They would put her at risk.
        Magellan Endymion more than any of them, connecting her visage
with a childhood dream. Kakkyou found himself holding reservations
about the would-be leader of these humans. However, the keeper of the
Aroth Armour wasn't known for giving away such a powerful magik to
just anyone. Such artifacts were fiercely guarded, as their power to
destroy rivaled their power to protect.
        That mage had seen something in Endymion. And if Mistress 9 was
half as bad as they were saying, then it was no small feat for
Magellan to have survived fighting her. Regardless of her odd
disappearance mid-battle, the Vlatmere lord had managed to hold her
back longer than Arthur had.
        Kakkyou sighed deeply.
        Perhaps he'd been too hard on Magellan.
        How much of what had been spoken came out of a fierce and
jealous desire to protect Serenity, to keep her close to him and his
world? But she had magik unlike any even he, an Elven lord, had ever
before witnessed.
        What if she was this Messiah of Light?
        This war could tear her from his embrace, for maybe no more than
five minutes. Or for no less than eternity. Such a risk was one
Kakkyou silently admitted was one he cared not to consider, let alone
take.
        Suddenly she was right in front of him, floating through the air
as if she possessed wings. She scrunched her face up, looking as mock
serious as possible. "You look lost in thought."
        That made Kakkyou smile.
        She was certainly in a good mood. He idly wondered what she and
Myung had talked about in the spring. And what that man with no name
had said to her.
        "You're thinking about them, aren't you?" Serenity asked.
        Kakkyou nodded. "If my premonitions are true, then they are the
catalysts to whatever is coming."
        Abruptly he found Serenity wrapping her arms around him,
clutching him tightly as if she were afraid he might disappear. His
own terrors of being left alone and behind melted as he put his arms
around her, holding her close. That they might listen to the soothing
sound of each other's heartbeat.
        "They are bearing so much pressure, so much pain," she
whispered. "My heart goes out to them, Kakkyou. I want to help...but I
don't know how."
        "Everyone has power, Serenity," he answered quietly. "It's all a
matter of where our power lies. If we choose to use it. How we choose
to use it."
        What felt like a distant memory returned to her. Of standing
before that enchanted mirror and seeing the enigmatic stranger there
behind her reflection. He had spoken in private words and whispers of
her need to awaken.
        There was a magik she possessed.
        A messianic magik.
        Serenity kept the questions and doubts to herself. She needed
more time to think. Yet sleep and fatigue care not for the necessity
of thoughts. The day had been long, and more eventful than she could
have ever expected. All too quickly Serenity found herself laying down
upon the soft inner lining of the nest, crystal blue eyes capturing
the elegance of the cosmic oceans above.
        She wanted to whisper of its beauty to Kakkyou, but she fell
asleep, curling up her body and snuggling next to his. Kakkyou
remained awake, plagued with tension. While thoughts can make one
drowsy, tensions can turn the same soul into an insomniac. He listened
to her quiet breathing, one hand stroking her flowing hair.
        The raindrop of lapis lazuli fell out from its hiding place
beneath her robes, catching the Elven lord's eye. A pledge of his love
and devotion, a promise that would last for eternity and defy all the
forces of this world.
        Long into the night he was left awake with his tension.
        In the early morning hours, at last he found his resolution set.
If this Dark Messiah came, he would meet her on the field of battle.
He could not stand by and let anything happen to Serenity. Should
Mistress 9 walk into the forbidden world of Elfhame woods, then he
would make it a confrontation she'd never forget.


        Sunrise came to Elfhame.
        As did the Shadow Army.
        Magellan was among the first to sense it. He awoke with a start,
lifting himself off the ground. Sleeping next to him, Myung was shaken
out of her own peaceful slumber. "What is it?" she asked.
        And then she felt the same cold wave wash over her. A numbing
terror that tried to freeze her blood, making her feel as if she'd
been dunked into a pool of ice water. "The Shadow Armies?" she
whispered.
        "It looks like our reprieve is over," Magellan stated, helping
Myung to her feet. He looked around, scanning the forest. The light of
the rising sun was turning shadowy green into multitudes of lush
shades and tints. Already he could sense the stirring of live within
the forest. But if Mistress 9 was leading the armies, then he feared
all this life would soon be over.
        "We had better find Kakkyou," he said.
        "No need to," Kakkyou replied, suddenly standing a few paces
away. His hands were folded over his chest, silver hair dancing in the
cool morning breeze. "You're awake."
        Magellan nodded. "They're coming."
        One of Kakkyou's eyebrows went up. "You can sense them even
though they are still at the horizon line? My, but you are full of new
surprises every day, Magellan Endymion."
        "I'm not the same Magellan you talked to last night," he
answered the Elven lord. And he could read in Kakkyou's jade eyes that
the change was being noticed and acknowledged.
        "Magellan, we'll have to wake the soldiers," Myung stated. She
turned to Kakkyou. "We have to leave now, otherwise we'll be putting
your kingdom is jeopardy."
        But Kakkyou shook his head. "Not just yet. There are a few
affairs between us that must be put in order. Then I will show you a
way out of Elfhame."
        He barely bent his knees, but drove his body through the air as
if gravity was no longer a force upon this earth to contend with.
Without doubting, without even giving it a second thought, both
Magellan and Myung mimicked the same motion. And together they moved
through the air as swiftly and silently as any Elven warrior.


        The Outer Senshi watched the slowly advancing darkness from the
edge of Elfhame's woods. The light of the rising sun was beginning to
strike the fields stretching out in front of them, but now the
flickering shadows upon the distant horizon were growing.
        And coming towards them.
        "What do you see?" Pluto asked, magenta eyes directed at The Man
With No Name.
        The shades were no longer upon the nameless stranger's face.
Ever since he'd stood before the mirror, ever since he'd encountered a
private moment with Serenity, the desire to hide these haunting orbs
was no more. Those eyes of captive stormclouds scanned the edge of the
world they saw. And then narrowed.
        "They're different," he stated. "Their numbers seem as constant
as with what we saw in Camelot, but their magik has changed."
        "For better or worse?" Uranus asked.
        The Man With No Name looked away from the demon horde arising
from the horizon's darkened and sunless womb. "Worse. They're more
powerful, feeding off a new host and a new magik."
        He didn't need to say who the new host was.
        They all knew the answer.
        "It would appear Mistress Nine had some issues with her
superior," Neptune drawled, unusually calm in such a situation. Yet
the Armies of Silence looked to be so far away. They were all watching
with a peculiar detachment, knowing they were among the ones the youma
were coming for yet also knowing there was still time before a second
war.
        Neptune glanced over at Pluto. "Do you think Morgana's alive?"
        Uranus snorted. "I doubt she's even in one piece right now."
        "I'm with her," The Man With No Name concurred. "Mistress 9's
idea of moving up in the ranks is no different than in how she deals
with cutting down the ranks of her enemies."
        Pluto wanted to smile at the scathing humour in their banter,
but she could feel the tension starting to knot her stomach again.
They had precious little time left to set things into motion properly.
"I don't see any flyers," she said, carefully watching the distant
skies.
        "Oh, they're lurking somewhere. But why become winged death now
when there's nothing around to kill?" The Man With No Name replied. He
cocked his head to one side. "We have company."
        The Outers stepped aside and allowed for Kakkyou, Magellan and
Myung to land in their midst.
        "Good morning, Sailor Venus," The Man With No Name said
pleasantly, bowing slightly at the waist. "It would appear breakfast
will be delayed, due to the demons skulking around."
        Magellan stepped forward, his ocean blue eyes seeing what the
others had already been watching. He silently wished for Frederic to
be here; Frederic's eyes were a lot sharper than his own, and would be
able to gauge the distance better.
        "What are we looking at?" he asked.
        "Hell's taking its time in coming to us," The Man With No Name
answered.
        Uranus motioned with her head to the Shadow Armies. "From what
we can tell, Morgana's no longer in charge. Mistress Nine's taken
command, and it appears Elfhame is their next target."
        Magellan shook his head. "No. We are." He turned back to Myung.
"Myung, find Frederic. Both of you rouse the men. We need everyone
ready and mobile as soon as possible. Can I entrust you with that?"
        Myung nodded, stepped back, and then sprang into the air and
vanished into the forest. Kakkyou made no move to stop her, his own
gaze fixated on the swarming demon army. His jaw clenched and
unclenched.
        "If they keep at their almost leisurely pace," Neptune said.
"We'll have at best an hour before they reach the borders of Elfhame."
        Again Magellan tried to reason with the silent Elven lord.
"Kakkyou, show us the way out and we'll leave. The sooner we do that,
the sooner we can lead the Shadow Armies away from Elfhame. Mistress
Nine is not someone any of us should look forward to fighting!"
        Kakkyou remained silent.
        Then he slowly turned away, walking back into the forest isles
of Arana. "You five, come with me. And I shall show you the way out of
Elfhame."


        Magellan's soldiers were up and mobile by the time they all
arrived. The knowledge of the Shadow Army's impending arrival was
certainly a good motivator. But at the same time Magellan could see
noticeable improvement in virtually everyone. There were almost no
wounded in their ranks. Those who held some residual injuries were
fine enough to walk, though they needed the help of  a human crutch.
        "The myths of Elfhame's healing springs are evidently a little
more than mere legend," he heard Frederic quietly remark behind him.
        Magellan nodded. "With this sort of power in their water alone,
can you really question why they want it to remain as mere legend?" No
doubt would-be armies would march all across the forest isles if word
got out about the true magik within this place, giving no one any
peace. Perhaps the Elven were right in hiding all this from the rest
of the word.
        "Is it true?" Frederic asked. "Is she coming?"
        "At least she was gracious enough to give us a night off,"
Magellan replied, the quip enough to convey the answer.
        That drew a wry grin on Frederic's face. "I doubt her motives
are that pure, Magellan. She probably wanted you rested up before she
tried to beat the crap out of you again."
        "Somehow I'd be inclined to agree with you."
        "Come on, Magellan; it's not every day you get put on a dark
harbinger's hitlist. You're one of the lucky few."
        Magellan smirked. "Trade you places."
        "Oh, but you earned it, Magellan," Frederic chuckled. Ever able
to loosen up the tension that could be felt, even the tension within
himself.
        Everyone was moving quietly, afraid that even a loud cough might
usher in a surprise attack by the demon's they had all fought not one
day ago. They also had focus: the sheer determination to not be around
when Mistress 9's demon forces arrived.
        Frederic turned his head, giving first an ambiguous nod to the
Outers and The Man With No Name, then sharing a playful wink with
Myung. "Sleep well?"
        "It's been the best sleep I've had in a long time," she
confessed, smiling to herself as her hand sought out the warmth of
Magellan's palm. Without even needing to look, their fingers laced
together.
        With a nod, Frederic then added, "Magellan didn't keep you up
with his horrific snoring, did he?"
        "Frederic!" Magellan exclaimed with an incredulous laugh,
jovially punching his friend in the shoulder.
        "What? Wild boars have stayed away from this guy because of the
deafening noise he makes when he sleeps. I'm surprised he didn't wake
you up."
        But Myung just shook her head, her cheeks growing flushed. "He
was as silent as a guardian angel."
        Frederic rolled his eyes and headed back over to the soldiers.
"And once again a great taunting session is killed with mushy,
romantic lines. I'm outta here."
        With fond memories of childhood and friendship, Magellan watched
Frederic finish co-ordinating the mobilization of the troops. Frederic
never knew how close he'd come to losing his best friend to the
madness of self-pity last night. Magellan would tell Frederic about
those dark hours in due time.
        For now, they had work to do.


        Two enormous trees towered in front of a group of human soldiers
who were deep in a part of the world they really should not have been.
But strange times made for strange circumstances. That an Elven lord
would be helping them escape. Magellan's eyes scanned the structure of
the trees, silently marveling at their unique intertwining branches.
The trees had grown with a great distance between them, but the upper
portions of their trunks had grown towards each other and soon merged
to form a strange, natural archway.
        Leading them all, Serenity by his side, Kakkyou closed his eyes
and began to rapidly chant a series of Elven incantations. Crimson
runes suddenly burned themselves into the bark of each tree, and the
ground shook. While he could see nothing as having visibly changed,
Magellan could feel the strange draft of air and magik.
        Kakkyou had just opened up a doorway for them.
        "Beyond these wooden arches lies a portal, a means of crossing
through the heart of the forest in mere seconds," the Elven lord
explained. "It's a special shortcut only the Elven know of. There are
two other routes you can take, but this is the fastest. Walk beneath
the bowed trees, and you'll find yourselves on the other side of
mountain range. At most, the walk out from the forest will take you
only a few minutes."
        And with any luck, Magellan hoped, the surviving battle skimmer
from Camelot would be waiting to take them home to Vlatmere. If they
could travel that far that fast, then surely they could divert
Mistress 9 from marching through Elfhame.
        "What if we need to come back?" Frederic asked.
        Kakkyou shook his head solemnly. "You can't come back; this
route is only one-way. There's a portal hiding there on the other side
which will bring you back--but I'm not telling you how to find it. You
step through, and there is no returning back here to the heart of my
kingdom."
        Everyone exchanged mutual glances of uneasiness.
        The Man With No Name remained undisturbed, as he always was.
Always wearing that fascinated look in everything that happened, be it
of darkness or light. With his shades removed, he seemed a little more
human. And yet...with the true nature of his storm-fed eyes unveiled
for all to see, he looked all the more unearthly a being.
        Magellan stepped aside, looking at his second-in-command.
"Frederic, are you up to leading them through?"
        Frederic hesitated.
        "I'll be bringing up the rear," Magellan reassured his friend.
"But I wish to give final thanks to Kakkyou after I see you all placed
out of harm's way."
        "There's no guarantee where we land will be happy and pleasant,"
Frederic murmured. He glanced over at Serenity, uncomfortable about
holding such mistrust in her presence.
        "I know, but it's a chance we have to take. I will not let
Kakkyou's people come to harm because we hesitated. For now they're
neutral in this war. Don't bring the Messiah Wars to them."
        Frederic nodded and the two clasped fists tightly. "See you on
the other side," Frederic said quietly, before he turned to the
soldiers and called out, "Everyone through the trees!"
        He was the first to carefully make his way up to the unseen
gateway. One moment he was there, and with a single step he vanished
completely. The soldiers moved quickly, eager to get away from the
potential battlezone.
        Magellan watched them all pass by. His eyes met each of theirs,
giving silent assurances. His lips spoke affirming words and smiles to
them. He promised them that he would be joining them soon.
        It came as no surprise to see the Outers staying behind
alongside him and Myung. But of those remaining, he was their
representative. Magellan prepared to express his debt of thanks.
        "If there's anything you ever need of the humans," he stated
deeply. "you need look no further than Vlatmere. I hold a lifedebt to
you, Lord Kakkyou. I will honour that always."
        "Before you go," the Elven lord said. "I have one request."
        Magellan stopped speaking, the words completely forgotten in a
moment of surprise. This hadn't been what he had expected Kakkyou to
say.
        Kakkyou warmly put his arm around Serenity's waist, drawing her
close to his side. "Take Serenity with you. Make sure she's kept safe
until this is all over."
        Of all of them, the one most shocked was Serenity.
        A surge of unexpected fear rising within her body and soul, she
turned to Kakkyou. Her crystal blue eyes looked up at her fiancé,
pleading to understand why he did not want her next to him. She asked
him with only a whisper and a single word. All that was truly
required.
        "Why?"
        Kakkyou looked away, unable to stare into her trembling eyes of
crystal blue. But she saw the truth in the way he avoided her gaze,
and realized his intentions.
        "No...Kakkyou, no! You can't fight them! You don't have to!" She
was on the verge of sobbing, frantic and frightened as she clung to
him, refusing to let go.
        "I promise you, Serenity," he said quietly. "I will come back
from this, and return to you."
        It was his truth, his promise, his solemn pledge. So why didn't
she believe him? "Kakkyou, please, I don't want to lose--"
        Her words were cut short as Kakkyou suddenly bent forward and
pressed his lips against hers in a passionate kiss. Tears were
streaming down his face, salty droplets falling from his chin and
striking her delicate skin. Serenity's eyes widened as she felt a
flood of magik and emotion flow from his lips into her entire body. A
cascade of memories crashed into her mind, of a childhood and last
night, each one unique and different. Filled with sadness and longing,
peace and compassion.
        Kakkyou was giving her the gift of his memories.
        His purest feelings for her.
        And there was no purer an emotion than his love.
        Trembling orbs of crystal blue widened even more, and then grew
blurred and unfocused. Slowly her eyes closed and she went limp in his
arms, a delicate doll whose strings had been cut.
        "I'm sorry, Serenity," Kakkyou whispered as he gathered her
unconscious form in his arms and embraced her one last time, savouring
her scent and taste and touch. "May you forgive me of this one selfish
act."
        Kakkyou cradled her with gentle protectiveness. A glance at
Myung and Magellan bade them both to come forward. Uncertain of what
was going on, the two stepped up to Kakkyou.
        "The enchantment will not keep her bound in sleep for long," he
told them. "When she wakes up, I want you to be guarding over her as
far away from here as possible." Kakkyou's jade eyes fixated on
Magellan. He was not about to wipe the tears from his cheeks yet. "You
will protect her with your life, or else I will find a way to come
back and kill you myself."
        Magellan stiffened.
        Kakkyou would not be going with them, but staying behind.
        Remaining here to fight the Dark Messiah.
        "Kakkyou, what are you doing?" he asked quietly. The disbelief
still had him paralyzed from rational thought, and as Kakkyou passed
Serenity over to him Magellan carefully gathered the Messiah of Light
into his arms.
        "I'm doing what must be done," the Elven lord answered. "You
don't have the time to argue."
        However, Myung disagreed. "Kakkyou, you can't win," she pleaded
with him. Her own eyes were threatening to tear up as she  saw a flash
of the future, one where Elfhame was burned and destroyed. "Not alone,
not like this. Come with us; we--"
        "You humans fight your wars, we Elven shall fight ours," Kakkyou
stated sharply, cutting her off. He was already stalking away through
the trees, leaving them behind. The Elven lord splayed his fingers and
then made a fist with them, cracking his knuckles. "Right now, I am
buying you time to escape with your Messiah of Light...my bride-to-be.
If I die here, don't let the sacrifice of my people be in vain."
        Some things were more important than the selfish desires of
personal happiness. Right now Kakkyou found himself lost in both all
at once.
        "He's right, you know," Uranus murmured to the others. "If we
don't leave now, then he may die in vain."
        "He shouldn't even have to die at all," Myung protested weakly,
unable to stop from crying now. "Not here, not like this."
        "There's no absolute guarantee he will die," Pluto said, but her
voice was so soft she wasn't even sure if she had spoken those words.
        Myung shook her head. "But he's walking in to meet death. You
can't tempt fate like that." She wanted to curse the war, but didn't
have the heart to in that moment.
        Magellan awkwardly looked down at the sleeping form of Serenity.
More than anything he wanted to hold Myung, but for now he was denied
if he continued to carry Serenity.
        Abruptly he fell beneath the shadow of the Man With No Name.
"Let me carry her," the nameless stranger said.
        Confusion clouded Magellan's eyes.
        But he complied.
        The Man With No Name carried Serenity close to his chest,
staring down at her face with a cipher of an expression. And Magellan
was able to hold Myung close to him, letting her mourn the bravery--
and perhaps, also the proud & stubborn foolishness--of the Elven race.
With gentle prodding he turned them around and began to walk with her
towards the gateway hidden beneath the trees.
        The Man With No Name followed in behind them.
        Only the three Outer Senshi lingered for a little longer, each
one watching the forest coming alive in tension and a howling wind
that could have only been a battlecry.
        "Death seems to be touching everything on this planet," Neptune
said in a hushed voice. "It makes one wonder if we'll be the next to
feel it's cold caress."
        Uranus nodded, her arm draped consolingly over Neptune's
shoulder. "It's the way of the soldier, Michiru. We'll always know
death. We will either be feeling its wind coming towards us, or else
we will be its messengers."
        They turned and silently retreated.
        Pluto's magenta eyes narrowed, and almost against her better
judgment she uprooted herself from where she stood and moved towards
the portal. A butterfly gracefully floated past her, its wobbly flight
disrupted as it settled upon her shoulder.
        "Are you going to run away too?" she asked it quietly. "Or are
you going to stay and face your destiny...your death?"
        The butterfly never answered. She doubted if it even heard or
understood the question for what it was. A heartbeat later it flapped
its wings and went about its way through the scattered rays of light
peeking down through the forest canopy.
        It was Aurora, all over again.
        And she was having to relive it in this new incarnation.
        "What would you have said to this, Chronos?"


        The Elven lord didn't have any armour to clothe himself in. He
owned no sword forged from metal, nor arrows carved from the wood of
the surrounding trees. What he possessed was magik, a breed purer and
more powerful than any other Elven in these forest isles.
        Humans fought with swords and steel. They were no match for a
woman who fought with magik. Swords would break. Steel would melt.
Humans would die.
        But the Elven race were different.
        It was time to fight magik with magik.
        Some might have thought him to be stoic as he stalked through
the trees of Elfhame, not even looking to the ranks of Elven soldiers
appearing from everywhere and taking up the march alongside him. The
silent command had already gone out.
        All wanted to fight.
        To defend their forest kingdom. To protect the young human girl
they had quickly come to see as one of their own, and wanted to one
day see as their queen. If they died here and now, they would have no
regrets. Elfhame would live on in legend...and Serenity's memory.
        Already the dark magik could be seen manifesting itself as a
churning, unnatural grey mist flowing out and swallowing up the forest
floor. Kakkyou pressed on regardless, the expression on his face
turning into a vicious snarl. Animals of all species were crying out
and taking flight, running away as the Elven warriors moved forward.
This was not their fight. They too were ones the Elven protected.
        Kakkyou's dragon green eyes narrowed, his own powers starting to
ignite the air in angered magik. His long silver hair began to rise
up, the ends hovering in the air around him. He could hear the
hideous, echoing laughter of demons.
        And the chilling giggles of their harbinger queen.
        One shadow amongst the others started to take form and
substance. It strolled towards them, giggling with a most cruel air.
Darkness melted away. Became a darkened dress for a chillingly
beautiful woman with long, dark hair. In her hands was she carried a
wicked glaive.
        Violet eyes locked onto Kakkyou's.
        "If it's a war you wish to bring to Elfhame, Mistress Nine," he
growled. "Then it's a war you shall find."
        For one split second, the entire forest was deathly quiet.
        And then both sides smashed into each other in a dizzying,
frightening blur of magik, darkness and blood.


        Magellan felt the world pass him by in a momentary ripple of
nausea, and then return to normal. His footing upon the solid ground
seemed to stumble, but catching himself was easy enough. It felt as if
the instant he walked beneath those arced trees, someone have given
him a gentle push on the back.
        And now here he stood: with Myung, with his friends and allies
and soldiers, in a part of the forest he did not even remotely
recognize. Magellan turned his head, watching as the air behind him
grew distorted like the disturbed surface of water. Abruptly The Man
With No Name appeared from thin air itself, carrying Serenity in his
arms.
        "We crossed over," he heard Myung say quietly.
        The soldiers were milling around anxiously, talking in hushed
and awed whispers about what they'd experienced. The depths of an
enchanted Elven forest were no more. No one could even recognize a
single blade of grass here as sharing any commonality with the heart
of Elfhame. Everything around them was significantly smaller and more
docile. The trees were tall, but easily climbable. The ground was not
incredibly uneven and lost amidst patches of moss, pools of water, and
tangles of vines and roots. Sunlight streamed through the scattered
green veil overhead, and Magellan could see the blue skies of the
morning stippled with patches of white cloud.
        "Well, I'd say the portal worked," Uranus remarked, just a few
steps behind The Man With No Name. She and Sailor Neptune had entered
with their hands clasped together, and exited the same way.
        Pluto appeared shortly after, the last of them to venture over
the threshold. On impulse, she walked back the way she apparently had
come. The air did nothing in response to her presence; she walked
beneath the outstretched branch of a tree, and lingered there.
        "Kakkyou was right," Neptune observed. "We can't go back unless
we find another hidden portal."
        "I don't think he had any reason to lie to us," Magellan
countered. "Not when he left something as precious as Serenity in our
hands."
        His eyes glanced down to the sleeping and ethereal blonde girl.
She stirred, her eyes moving about beneath her eyelids. She was
dreaming. The Man With No Name continued to carry her close to
himself, not complaining and not seeming to mind the weight in his
arms.
        "Magellan!" came Frederic's voice.
        Magellan turned around and saw Frederic jogging around the
clusters of soldiers. "I'm lost," he said. "Hopefully you've got a
better bearing on our direction than I."
        Frederic scratched his head. "As far as I can tell, we've
crossed straight over the mountain range with just a few steps.
        A short-range StarChamber of Elven design.
        That was the best way Magellan found himself silently describing
it to himself.
        "The woods here are a lot thinner than any part of Elfhame we
walked through," Frederic continued. "I've already sent out a trio of
scouts to find the exit. Let's hope we hear back from them sooner
rather than later. As a precaution I armed them with flares; the first
to discover the end of the forest launches a red flare, and we follow
in its direction."
        Magellan nodded his approval.
        He couldn't help but uneasily glance back at Serenity.
        "You're thinking about him, aren't you?" Myung asked quietly.
        "I don't believe I can think of anything else at the moment," he
answered. "Kakkyou stayed behind, Myung. While we'll making our way to
temporary freedom, he'll be fighting for his life."
        Neptune held out her arm, silently beckoning for a small
songbird to land and sing a melody for her. "It would be best not to
blame yourself, Magellan," she said sagely. Ever with the air of
Neptuni experience and aristocracy. "He could have come with us, but
he remained of his own will. Whatever happens now will happen because
of his own choice."
        "That doesn't mean I necessarily agreed with it," Magellan
replied. "I'd rather no one else dies today...but in the next hour,
the Elven race may get slaughtered like we did at Camelot. He's
risking his life for Serenity's protection."
        The Aroth Armour twitched.
        "We're still alive to face whatever next battle seeks us out,"
The Man With No Name said. "Say a final prayer, give him your best
hopes, and move on."
        "We'll move on when we figure out which direction to move in
first," Magellan countered sharply.
        He got no verbal response.
        However, The Man With No Name cocked one eyebrow. Intrigued with
the unexpected change in the Vlatmere lord.
        "What can we do now then?" Myung found herself asking.
        Pluto kept staring at the place the gateway had brought them to.
Charon's haunting prediction continued to reverberate in her mind and
memory. "We wait."


        As the demons rampaged through and between the trees, colliding
with ranks upon ranks of enraged Elven warriors, Mistress 9 and
Kakkyou remained hauntingly still. They never moved as a flood of
magik spilled out around them, their narrowed eyes watching each
other.
        Never wavering.
        Never backing down.
        Kakkyou's upper lip curled back to reveal his teeth. His canines
abruptly began to lengthen, growing slender and sloped, curving down
to become fangs. His white skin flickered and then changed to a near
translucent blue. The veins on his arms rose and stood out beneath his
skin. He bent his knees, crouching forward.
        And then with a howl he flung himself at Mistress 9, his form
taking to the air and soaring over the heads of those fighting around
him.
        The Dark Messiah smiled wickedly, her glaive still positioned at
her back. At the last second Mistress 9 brought out her weapon and
blocked a ferocious ball of blazing electric blue light that erupted
from Kakkyou's palms. Kakkyou was upon her a heartbeat later, his
clenched fist sparking with magik as he smashed it against the Silence
Glaive's blade.
        Yet the blade refused to crack apart.
        Mistress 9 swiftly brought the base of the polearm up and caught
Kakkyou in the ribs, swatting him aside. He tumbled across the forest
like a limp rag doll before righting his body. The Elven lord landed
perfectly unscathed upon a high branch. He glared down at the Dark
Messiah with his dragon green eyes.
        "So they were right," he growled, tasting blood in the back of
his mouth. "You're no ordinary opponent." He had to laugh, running his
tongue along his canine fangs. "I haven't had this much fun in a long
time."
        Mistress 9 didn't wait for him to make the next move. She leapt
into the air, tresses of ravendark hair flowing out behind her.
Kakkyou's eyes widened as he saw her raise the glaive over her head,
poised to bring it down in a vicious slash. He vaulted backwards,
somersaulting through the air as the Messiah of Silence swung her
weapon.
        Without even touching the tree, the glaive cleaved it in half.
Along with the trunks of six other surrounding trees. The towering
trunks shook and then fell over with a horrific groan, taking down
even more trees in the process and crushing anything that couldn't get
out from beneath them. Demon and Elven alike were killed from the Dark
Messiah's single attack.
        But she refused to pause and gloat in her power.
        Her momentum and her magik let her continue to fly through the
air, landing and ricocheting off the tree branches just as Kakkyou
could. They took to the heights of the forest, attacking each other in
the air as they bounded and danced among the treetops.
        All around them the green sanctuary was being bathed in scarlet
and shadow. Blood spattered in all directions as Elven and demon alike
cut each other down. A hellish panther standing as tall as any Elven
raced through the trees, its claws ripping apart any who came across
its path. With a roar it sank its savage jaws into the face of an
Elven warrior, tearing the head from the shoulders in a crimson
geyser.
        Suddenly the nearby tree came to life as a pair of yellow eyes
opened up along the immense wooden trunk. The panther youma had little
chance to survive, let alone see, the dozens of tree branches becoming
malleable and then shooting towards it. The panther screeched as its
body was impaled several times, the force from the branches' impact
sending it through the air and crashing into a nearby tree.
        A small cluster of demons stumbled across one of the freshwater
springs, their corrosive essence polluting the clear waters instantly.
Helpless, the water nymphs struggled to outswim the deadly blak magik
filtering through their pool, escaping to the underground waterways. A
few were caught up and choked to death, engulfed into the inky black
demonic essence.
        One nymph, small and just a child, cried as she found herself
separated from the others and cornered by the demons. Tears ran down
her eyes as she tried to flit her transparent wings and risk an escape
on land. The nearest demon leered and reached out for her.
        And then its hand was abruptly in the gaping jaws of an immense
fish whose fangs were as long as icicles. It exploded from the root
system enclosing the pool, spewing out wooden shrapnel in every
direction. The demon screamed and tried to retract its hand--only it
tried one second too late. The fish's jaws clamped down and it
wrenched the demon sideways, tearing the beast's arm from its socket.
        The other youma moved to attack, only to find themselves at the
merciless thrashing of the Elfhame fish. It fell upon them, sending up
waves of water before biting into the monsters and devouring them.
Amidst the tumultuous melee, the water nymph found a chance to climb
onto the root system and make her way to the last remaining pure
section of the pool. She dove into the water and made her underwater
swim for safety just as a swarm of winged demons descended upon the
fish and tore it to gory pieces with their claws.
        Kakkyou remained oblivious to the small fights for life around
him, his own concerns embodied in the woman dressed in darkness still
chasing after him. Mistress 9 was laughing as she catapulted and
twisted her body through the trees, slashing at Kakkyou whenever she
felt like he wasn't giving he enough of a challenge. Trees were sliced
apart without being touched by the blade of the glaive.
        "Is this the best Elfhame can give me?" she shouted at him.
        As much as he wanted to suddenly turn around and level an
attack, Kakkyou bit down on his growing hatred for the Dark Messiah.
Coldest of ambitions ran through his blood, giving him the deadly
patience he required now. Was she even realizing he was leading her
away from the heart of the battle?
        Did she even know how much power he was concealing from her?
        The Elven lord hastily flung himself off a towering branch, free
falling to the ground below. At the last instant he flipped his body
around and kicked off the ground as if he weighed nothing. And then
the forest suddenly exploded in a fiery ball of violet light. Kakkyou
grunted as the shockwave smashed into his back and sent him tumbling
across the uneven earth.
        The ground behind him was reduced to a yawning chasm of
scorched, black earth. Trees had been surgically cut in half, anything
caught within the blast radius now no more. And there standing in the
epicentre was the Dark Messiah.
        "Have you warmed up yet?" she inquired coldly, watching Kakkyou
slowly push himself off the ground. "Are you at last going to reveal
why you've removed me from those worthless demons?"
        Kakkyou winced as a tree branch poked out from his ribcage,
gritting his teeth. At least he'd seen that one coming. Taking the
bloodied end of wood in his hands he simple pulled it sideways out
from his body, his chest rippling like the ocean as the branch was
effortlessly removed.
        "So you noticed," he remarked, ruefully laughing as he got back
to his feet. His chest felt a little tender, but it wouldn't slow him
down. "I wanted to grant you a private audience, Mistress Nine. I've
heard a number of things about you that I want to test for myself."
        Mistress 9's lips curled into a vicious smile. "Ara, you want to
die like all the others before you? But I'm not complaining; your
magik is quite decadent. I'm almost euphoric already from just basking
in its presence."
        She lifted the Silence Glaive, positioning it behind her back
once more.
        "Don't get ahead of yourself," Kakkyou growled. "You've
slaughtered your share of humans, but we Elven are a little harder to
kill."
        The Dark Messiah giggled. "Really?"
        Suddenly she shot across the forest floor, moving a blinding
speed even Kakkyou couldn't evade. Mistress 9 grappled onto his neck,
hoisting Kakkyou's feet of the ground and slamming his back into a
tree. Upon impact the Elven lord exploded into a geyser of water, the
tidal surge smashing into Mistress 9 and sweeping her back across the
battleground. Ripples in the water churned and pooled together to grow
and form the image of Kakkyou.
        Without waiting for a response, there was a snap of the Elven
lord's fingers and a thick cloud of dark mist pulsated out from behind
him. The mists began to swarm and close together to create form and
essence.
        The creation was that of a winged serpentine beast.
        With a shout, Kakkyou unleashed a burst of Elven magik,
catapulting the serpent towards Mistress 9. The winged beast opened
its immense jaws and screeched as it prepared to sink its jagged fangs
into her flesh.
        "You can't fool me with these petty tricks!" Mistress 9 snapped,
launching a volley of her own dark powers. Within seconds the serpent
exploded into a rainfall of sparkling glass powder.
        And then Kakkyou leapt through the deluge of powder, already at
full momentum as he leveled a hard punch to Mistress 9's cheek. "I
wish I could say I was impressed," he hissed. "But I'm not!"
        Mistress 9 stumbled backwards, clutching at the trickle of blood
running down from the corner of her mouth. Kakkyou dropped to the
ground in front of her, smashing his palm into the earth. Upon contact
the ground broke apart, an underground magik tearing apart the grasses
as it streaked towards the Dark Messiah, red light punching through to
the surface. Mistress 9 snarled, sending up a barrier that caused the
attack to be stopped dead cold.
        "You're more tenacious than I first gave you credit for," she
stated, licking the blood off her finger. "It's not every day someone
draws blood from me."
        Kakkyou said nothing, crouched low to the ground and breathing
heavily.
        Mistress 9 giggled and began to swing her glaive. The air around
her came alive with crackling magik, black lightning exploding from
the trees and ground, pooling together around her form. "How
exquisite. I wasn't even going to bother with your kingdom, not until
I sensed you all marching to war against me. Ironic that an Elven
would die protecting humans."
        "That's beside the point I'm about to ram down your throat!"
Kakkyou snapped. He met the challenge, his eyes widening as he let the
air around himself charge and reach saturation with his powers.
        They were creating massive fields, each one sending down a
shower of sparks as magic struck against magik. Their energies were
clashing violently, the earth being torn apart from the confrontation
and the surrounding forest beginning to buckle and crack apart from
the sheer magnitude.
        Suddenly a tidal wave of dark energy flooded past him, raging
torrents of frenzied magik converging on the Elven Lord. Mistress 9
had cut through his defenses without so much as a second thought.
        Kakkyou winced.
        The next few seconds of this would not be pretty.


        "Can you sense it?" Myung asked in a hushed whisper, one meant
only for Magellan to hear.
        Magellan nodded, staring up at the blue heavens revealed by the
scattered trees. "The war for Elfhame's begun."
        Frederic was making the rounds with the soldiers, being his
usual self and proving to keep everyone's spirits up with laughter. A
simple and ancient remedy, able to snuff out most pain. At least on a
temporary basis.
        The Outers seemed to be retreating into their own little group,
Neptune and Uranus staying close to each other. Pluto was still
watching the place they'd emerged from. Perhaps even staring out
beyond the mere visible part of the forest, looking to the heart of
Elfhame.
        And The Man With No Name played his role as guardian angel
perfectly. Saying nothing. His focus solely on Serenity.
        But now the collision of infuriated magiks was starting to flow
through the air, charging it like electricity. Those aligned with
magik were starting to feel the hairs upon their skin begin to rise.
Distant rumbles and howls were carried with the winds, chilling to
listen to.
        "What's going on there?" Uranus muttered.
        Myung shook her head. "If only there was a way we could know,
instead of just standing around uselessly."
        And then a most unexpected voice answered her, "There may be a
way."
        Magellan and Myung looked up in surprise, and saw an aged man
standing before them. Fishbone white hair trailed down his shoulders.
Leathery wrinkled skin clung to his face. "M-Merlin?" Magellan
stammered. "But I thought--"
        "The reports of my death were greatly exaggerated," Merlin
answered curtly. "You can interrogate me later, Magellan, but right
now we have more pressing concerns."
        The Ancient mage turned his head, looking at Neptune. "You have
a mirror, do you not? One that can see beyond what other mirrors see."
        Neptune looked at him with mixed interest and suspicion. As far
as she was aware, only Pluto and The Man With No Name had been aware
of the Outer Senshi's Talismans. However...The Man With No Name had
revealed the Talismans though he possessed no prior knowledge of their
existence.
        "I was familiar with the Ancient who created them for you,"
Merlin said quickly, reading the doubts in her expression. "To an
extent, I hold some idea as to their powers and limitations."
        Neptune summoned the Talisman.
        A mirror bearing the crest of her planetary homeworld and deity.
An artifact that could cut through the guises of magik and illusion,
and reveal the truth. Sometimes in purest and obvious light. Other
times in more obscure images and riddles. It would always vary with
each situation.
        But the Aqua Mirror would never fail her.
        Serenity began to stir more violently now in The Man With No
Name's arms, her eyes rolling around more frantically beneath their
lids. She was breaking out into a profuse sweat, her face contorting
into an expression of pain and fear.
        "Whatever you intend to look at, you had better do it quick,"
The Man With No Name stated, maintaining a cool attitude as one of
Serenity's fists clenched the fabric of his black shirt, pulling it
taut. "She seems liable to explode the second she awakens. I'd rather
not have you find out what's triggering this after she's blown me
across the woods."
        The key players in the Messiah Wars gathered around the Aqua
Mirror. Uranus, Neptune, Magellan, Myung, Merlin--and Frederic quickly
joined them when he saw the light shining brightly from the surface of
the Talisman's glass.
        Pluto stayed where she was, watching the woods.
        Already certain of what was to transpire.
        The Man With No Name waited in silence for the verdict.
Serenity's hold on his shirt began to tear the fabric. If it were
possible, she would have pushed herself right through his chest. The
Elven enchantment seemed to be the only thing keeping her asleep,
though she was desperately clawing her way back to consciousness.
        "Kakkyou," she whispered.
        The tears started to run down her cheeks.
        And then one fell from above onto her face.
        The Man With No Name looked down at himself in surprise. "Why am
I crying too?"


        Upon the moon, at the edge of what would one day be called the
Sea of Tranquillity, the Raithe's shakujyo began to stir. Something
was calling to it. Awakening it.
        The magik that had gone dormant with its master's death began to
come back to life. It fast became restless. There was one last task
for it to fulfill.
        And then it could join its master.
        It waited for the magik.


        Kakkyou gasped as something hot and painful smashed into his
back, sending him tumbling forward. He rolled across the ground, limbs
failing as he tried to right himself. Everything inside his body was
burning like fire and stinging like ice. It felt as if he'd spasm so
hard he'd shatter his entire self. The curving form of a tree rising
out from the ground brought him to an excruciating stop, the horrific
sensations now just shadows coursing through his blood.
        They left him chilled and sweating profusely.
        What the hell was that?
        Fingers gingerly reached back to feel the scorched remains of
the back of his shirt and vest. He brought his palm back before his
face, and found it stained with his blood.
        "How did you like that little taste of me?" Mistress 9 asked as
she walked towards him. She licked her lips in watching him struggle
to find himself amidst the lingerings of her attack. Yet she was
impressed that he had absorbed it all and was still moving; most
others would have been killed instantly.
        "I've had better," Kakkyou growled, throwing himself back. He
ignored the pain as his back struck the tree. Using the trunk as a
crutch he forced himself to rise to his feet. Dragon green eyes glared
at her.
        The Dark Messiah continued to give him a predatory smile. Her
target was still Magellan--but this Elven lord was proving to be a
most worthwhile distraction. She idly wondered how long he would last;
already he was proving more the rival than Arthur had ever been. What
possessed one so that they would fight this passionately?
        "You can't win," she stated. "Armies have already tried and
failed. You may be Elven, but you are only one soul standing against
me."
        "Oh yeah?" Kakkyou retorted. "I still have a few of those petty
tricks up my sleeve...LIKE THIS!"
        Jade eyes opened wide in rampant ferocity. All his silver hair
danced wildly around his face as gales rose up inside the forest with
enough force that the billows of winds could be seen as waves of misty
grey. A battle aura unlike any other erupted from his body, tearing
the remains of his shirt from his body, fabric scraps incinerated upon
leaving his skin. The explosive burst was enough to make Mistress 9
stop and take a cautionary step back.
        Kakkyou straightened.
        Any signs of having been wounded by her before had vanished.
        And upon his forehead a mark flickered into being, the rune
strokes erupting into beams of searing white light. And it was the
rune of royalty, the pure unrefined magik of the Elven aristocracy.
Black smoke poured out from behind him, flooding the area and swarming
around the trees caught up with the battle. It engulfed the forest. It
engulfed Kakkyou. And then it swallowed up the Dark Messiah.
        Everything became like night, dark and cold.
        A flash of violet light penetrated the veil, the Silence Glaive
dispelling the dark mist with one swipe across the air. Mistress 9's
eyes narrowed as she saw Kakkyou. His eyes were closed, fingers moving
into strange gestures, lips chanting barely audible words.
        "What are you up to?" she murmured.
        Suddenly his eyes opened up.
        Kakkyou howled as he whirled from his place on the damp ground,
flinging a tremendous gale of magik from his hands. Mistress 9's smile
changed only for a brief heartbeat when she saw the power being purged
from his body and being sent towards her own.
        Earth, trees, air, animal: anything being caught up in its path
was incinerated without flame or the chance to scream. The tempest
mists roared towards Mistress 9, the dark clouds of magik swarming and
forming a gaping skull. The skull opened up its hellish jaws to
swallow her whole.
        A death incantation.
        Shadowspiral.
        One that no other human being could have hoped to stop. Perhaps
not even one an Ancient would have been able to deflect. But she was
not like those other humans. In her darkest of hearts, hidden within
the bosom of a daimon egg nestled in her body, Mistress 9 knew she was
not human.
        She was the messenger of Pharaoh 90.
        She would not dishonour him by dying so easily.
        Kakkyou watched as the Shadowspiral fell upon and engulfed the
Dark Messiah. The entire forest was bathed in fierce unnatural light
as his magik unleashed its lethal power--only to be shattered apart.
Grey mists billowed out, suddenly forming a cylindrical tunnel that
followed the wake of the attack.
        Kakkyou's eyes widened. "Masaka...."
        The Dark Messiah's attack was at its peak, easily punching a
hole through Kakkyou's best defense without even blinking. His eyes
never widened as he watched the frenzied storm of magic streak through
the air towards him. He had not the time nor the magik to retaliate.
He watched with both a ferocious glare and a grim bracing for what
might be his last breath of life.
        To think that the last of the Elven lords would die here, like
this.
        Magik rammed into his chest, sending him pinwheeling through the
air, a thin cloud of blood spraying out in his wake. He was barely
aware of up or down, tumbling too fast to regain his balance. And too
dizzied to stop himself from hitting one of the megalithic trees. The
impact cracked the trunk, Kakkyou's body convulsing from the shock.
His ribcage felt like it would collapse upon itself, even more blood
rushing out from his mouth.
        Mistress 9 was standing there, watching him slowly slump to the
ground. Looking almost human and ladylike. Almost hauntingly
beautiful. "Not bad, Elven," she said with an air of commendation.
"Futile, but not bad never the less."
        Kakkyou found himself unable to keep one eye open as more
trickles of free-running blood flowed down his face. "I must look like
hell," he whispered faintly. Serenity would no doubt pitch a fit if
she saw him emerge from battle looking like this.
        Out from the corner of his vision, he saw the Silence Glaive
catching a faint ray of fire. Kakkyou's arm instinctively went in
front of his face, his fist clenching a sabre forged of purest magik
and light. Blade clashed against blade, sending forth a fury of
sparks. Mistress 9 continued to try and push the sharpened tip of her
weapon into his face. And despite the pain, through the exhaustion
which made everything seem almost dreamlike, Kakkyou kept his
defensive block steady and unmoving.
        "Why do you persist?" the Dark Messiah demanded angrily,
confusion registering in her eyes. "Why not let me end this, and taste
your magik and your life?"
        A cruel smile found its way onto Kakkyou's face. "You would
never understand," he stated. "You're nothing but an empty shell. For
all the power you own, you know nothing."
        Mistress 9's eyes widened with furious indignation. That this
mortal could laugh at her, a daimon?! "Are you that afraid to die?"
        "My own fear of death is nothing compared to my fear of living
and losing her!" the Elven lord snapped. "I won't give you the
pleasure of that!"
        A surge of strength gave him the chance to push her back. With a
shout he was standing once more.
        And now on the offensive.
        Mistress 9 found herself on the receiving end of an attack,
making further use of Hotaru's memories as an Auroran samurai. The
enchanted magik Kakkyou was wielding refused to bend or crack, holding
as firmly as the metal of her Silence Glaive. They danced through the
forest, racing across earth and soaring over each other's heads in the
air. Exchanges of strikes and thrusts were met with blocks and
parries. The war between the Elven and the demons was starting to
spill out around them once again. Both Kakkyou and Mistress 9 were
ignorant, caught up in their own grudge match.
        Kakkyou's eyes flashed a solid emerald. The trees around him
convulsed, their roots and branches suddenly writhing and snaking out
like serpentine creatures. The Dark Messiah was caught up and
entrapped by a net of wood and vine. But with a flash of her own
powers the net was dashed to splinters, raining down upon their heads.
        And Kakkyou was there waiting for the opening.
        Mistress 9 brought up her polearm, the glowing sabre he smashed
down deflected once again. One of her legs lifted up and kicked
Kakkyou in the chest. He stumbled back, leaning back even further as
the Silence Glaive swung in a horizontal arc, nearly taking off his
head.
        They continued to move.
        With a driving punch that caused the ground to shudder, Kakkyou
sent up a series of fireballs and explosions. Mistress 9 extinguished
the flames with a single swipe of her blade, lunging for the Elven
lord. He threw up his sabre, knocking the lethal tip of the glaive
high above his head.
        Mistress 9's eyes narrowed.
        She'd been waiting for that.
        Kakkyou suddenly found a choking blow sent straight into his
stomach, with enough momentum to violently push him backwards. He
refused to be catapulted into the air, digging his feet into the
ground as he continued to get pushed away from Mistress 9.
        The instant he stopped, the Dark Messiah was upon him.
        Eyes of jade widened in seeing her keep the glaive behind her
back with one hand. And then Mistress 9 raised her free hand, keeping
the fingertips perfectly straight as she drove them forward.
        There was no chance to block it.
        The sickening rip of torn flesh and bone echoed across a silence
that seized the air. Blood sprayed out in an almost majestic geyser,
droplets staining everything around them. Once beautiful eyes slowly
closed. A heartbeat began to slow, doomed to stop.
        Kakkyou's mouth was agape, his eyes focusing and unfocusing as
he bent forward. Staring in disbelief at the hand rammed through the
right side of his chest. He could feel the Dark Messiah's fingers
having punched through the backside of his ribcage.
        Air seemed stolen.
        His breaths came in chokes and gurgles.
        And haunting memories of the words his beloved had spoken came
back. They would not let him die alone.
        'I'm home.'
        They would not let him die like this.
        'Thank you for protecting me.'
        Visions of Serenity passed before him with maddening speed,
taking eternity and a heartbeat. Holding a little blonde baby girl in
his arms. Watching her grow up at Glenhawke. Sharing a first kiss.
Coming to Elfhame. Holding her before the enchanted mirror. Their last
night together, sleeping beside the warmth of each other.
        There would be no more memories.
        Mistress 9 withdrew her arm, her expression revealing just how
indifferent she was to the gore and blood now soaking her skin from
the elbow down. Kakkyou collapsed to his knees, desperate &
instinctive magiks being summoned to keep him alive for a little
longer.
        He clung to those visions of Serenity. To her lingering,
pleasant smell. To those crystal blue eyes which had possessed him for
so long. To the caress of her soft, pale skin. Even though Serenity
was nowhere nearby, he held onto her tighter than ever before, tighter
than he could ever remember. His memories buried his face into her
long golden blonde hair, breathing in her scent. It was this scent of
magik he had first been enchanted with, this scent haunting his world
ever since.
        He gently embraced her, cradling Serenity's memory in his arms
as with fumbling fingers he felt around the gaping wound in his chest.
He heard his own words, spoken what seemed like so long ago: 'I swear
I will always be with you. You are my only reason to live, Serenity.
It might seem strange; an Elven and a human, but I cannot deny what I
feel. I love you.'
        Kakkyou closed his eyes as he began to laugh quietly to himself.
So today would mark his final game after all.
        "Serenity, forgive me," he muttered.
        It appeared he would be breaking his promise to her after all.
But this Elven lord would not go down in history without making one
hell of an exit. If he was to protect Serenity, there was only one
thing left to do.
        He stared at the Dark Messiah right then.
        "Oh, you're still alive?" Mistress 9 inquired with mild
surprise.
        Kakkyou forced himself to stand. He could no longer see out from
one eye. He could no longer breathe. A fragile patchwork was keeping
him intact and alive...though such magik would not last much longer.
Alone his strength was gone. By himself he could do nothing.
        "My kinsmen," he murmured, letting his magik stretch out across
Elfhame. "It is time...."
        The Elves of Arana heard him.
        And answered.
        Something swept across the forest isles of Arana, something with
enough force to send cracks sprawling across the ground and trees,
something powerful enough to cause the Dark Messiah to brace herself
against the blast.
        It was magik borne of a different emotion.
        One that demanded retribution no matter what the cost.


        A chilling wave swept past them, embodied in a cold gale wind
that sent the animals scattering and the birds taking to the skies in
fright. Even the soldiers stepped back, looking to each other for
support, thinking this might be a prelude to an attack.
        "What magik is that?" Myung exclaimed, shielding her eyes from
the debris being strewn about the air.
        In The Man With No Name's arms, Serenity convulsed and thrashed.
He held her fiercely, trying to keep her calmed while making sure he
wasn't torn apart in the process. "Whatever it is, it's not sitting
well with her," he snapped.
        The Aqua Mirror suddenly revealed a momentary image. For but a
heartbeat, Neptune saw it all happen. And she understood. She looked
away from her Talisman, and slowly turned her head back to the forest
realm of Elfhame.
        "The magik of death," she said quietly. "They're going to
destroy the forest themselves."


        Mistress 9 was looking away from Kakkyou, her attention focused
upon the strange hum echoing across the forest. Everywhere she looked
a mysterious shimmer was starting to overtake the lush green realm.
All around the Elven warriors were no longer fighting; like Kakkyou
their eyes were closed, their hands outstretched, their bodies
hovering in the air and engulfed in a golden sphere. Demons were no
longer attacking, confused at this turn of events. Those who did found
the golden barriers impenetrable.
        "What are you doing?" she asked.
        The Elven lord gathered the strength to smile in the face of
death. "There is another way to end this," he hissed, his body swaying
from its unbalanced stance. "If I cannot kill you and be with
Serenity, then you will at least do me the favour of letting me
escourt you to hell!"
        The Lifespark.
        It was what bound his soul, every breath he took, to this
forest. One of the most dangerous and complicated magiks of the Elven
race was to perform the Lifespark, connecting their heartbeats
together. Those who shared the bond would feel pain as one of them
experienced it, but dilute death to make it only an injury amongst
many. A tactic meant to preserve all--or take all. This was a secret
magik that had been woven through the Elven world long ago.
        All life in Elfhame was starting to detect this final magik, and
resonate with it. Those who declined were free to flee and hide. But
he could feel everyone touched by his mind and intent on accepting
their destiny. Together they would show their true power.
        All of Kakkyou's attacks were deflected. All his power was
swatted aside. He understood why Magellan hadn't wanted him to fight
the Dark Messiah. He wasn't the one with the magik necessary to defeat
this woman--let alone kill her. Yet he refused to let Elfhame fall
like Camelot. This time it would be different. This time the Lifespark
would save another who wasn't even bound by it's magik.
        Kakkyou lifted his head and saw the blue skies through the cut-
apart canopy of leaves overhead. "I would have been your husband in
another life," he whispered.
        The Dark Messiah watched him, no longer amused to play games.
She stretched out an arm and let loose a volley of black fire at the
Elven lord.
        Suddenly Kakkyou was right in front of Mistress 9, the fireball
harmlessly crashing into a tree. She recoiled in surprise yet moved
too slow. Kakkyou's fingers clamped down upon her face, thumbs
pressing against her temples. They were being lifted into the air,
hovering high enough to almost break the green veil of the forest. The
Silence Glaive was lost from her hands and fell to the ground far
below.
        "Our hearts are joined," he murmured. "Our breaths have become
one. My blood spilled shall run down your arms. My agony shall become
your torture. The Lifespark has taken our souls and entwined them
together."
        "Pretentious bastard!" Mistress 9 spat, shoving Kakkyou away.
        A dark smile tugged at the edges of the Elven lord's lips as he
hovered there in the air with her. "Look into my eyes...and watch your
own death. Prepare for my endgame."
        "I find your threats hard to take seriously when I can see
straight through your chest," the Dark Messiah retorted coldly.
        But she found herself talking to the air.
        Kakkyou suddenly reappeared in behind her, his arms wrapping
around Mistress 9's chest. Hands tightly clasped, locking them
together. They flipped over, and then Kakkyou plunged them both
headfirst towards the earth below.
        "Who said I was hoping to come out alive?" he snarled.
        "What are you doing?!" Mistress 9 exclaimed, frantically
thrashing about to get free.
        Kakkyou's grip was relentless and refused to be broken. In that
final moment he found peace. Dragon green eyes closed. Never again
would they be reopened.
        "I love you, Serenity. Good-bye...."
        The two figures plummeted, a pool of magik gathering around
them. Frenzied lights of blue and violet twisted and raged around
their bodies, explosions of sparks raining down upon the forest floor.
A split second later, the two hit the ground.
        In that moment of dead calm, the rest of the world would realize
what Kakkyou had done.
        Magik detonated.
        And the forest isles of Arana were shattered by a monstrous
burst of a golden white light. The entire kingdom convulsed as the
earth cracked apart, hot sulfurous steam rising up as flames rampaged
to the surface. Trees broke apart like shards of glass, their
dimensions distorted and burning in the inferno. The spheres enclosing
the Elven resonated and then shattered, taking up the explosions.
        Elfhame buckled, falling apart on itself, lost within a blinding
spectacle of fire and light. Demons caught up in the maelstrom
shrieked as they were incinerated with the rest of the life there. The
forest realm imploded, everything being sucked into the core with the
magikstorm. Silence reigned for an instant as all the fierce power
died down.
        And then it exploded.
        The ancient trees and the sanctuaries of magik they hid crumbled
and finally broke, pure magik being unleashed in a fury never meant to
be wielded. Nothing of Elfhame could be seen as the inferno stretched
up into the skies, bent on destroying all in its path. The forest
tumbled and plunged into the watery surface beneath it.
        A shaft of Elven magik stabbed into the heart of the ocean and
struck the height of the heavens, sending up a torrential flood that
came down as a thick deluge, the skies suddenly cleared of every last
cloud. Tidal waves cascaded across the once peaceful surface of the
waters, crashing violently into the surf and coastline.
        The Elven magik faded away forever.
        Only a faint sound of a teardrop striking the water's surface
was heard, it too dying into silence. Light was reborn. The blue skies
and sunlight shining down from above. Those who were there to witness
to suicide incantation once again could see...and yet there was
nothing left to see.
        The forest of Elfhame was gone.
        And suddenly Serenity was thrown awake, crying out to the
heavens. She desperately tried to tear herself from The Man With No
Name's grip. "Kakkyou!" she screamed, the tears streaming down her
eyes as she watched Elfhame burn in her mind, and then sink into the
frothing oceans.
        Upon her forehead a golden light exploded, and the mark of the
crescent moon burned itself against her skin. She was oblivious to it.
        "KAKKYOU!!"



                final eternity: vlatmere




Thanks:

        To Sailor Skuld, who has always been there to ensure that I
        at last finish what the CoT: Dark Messiah trilogy began. She
        saw the potential in me about 2 years ago when she asked if
        I might help write the Messiah Wars arc, but I don't think
        either of us were ready for just how epic this has all
        become. Not that it's a bad thing....

        To Todd Foster, my Messiah Wars counterpart. A number of the
        scenes between Magellan and Myung are my own retelling of a
        story he has already created. My humblest thanks goes out to
        him for all the contributions he's made to the CoT: Infinity
        trilogy, and the patience he has shown with my drawn-out
        writing.





Mugen: Infinite Eternal (A Circles of Time tale)
Final Eternity - Vlatmere
Rated R



THE FUTURE:


        History is like an endless waltz. The progression
        of war, peace and revolution all continue in an
        endless cycle.

                        -Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz



        Magik is arbitrary. Black, white, grey: colour is irrelevant.
Magik knows no love or enmity, no fear or honour. It only knows
itself, that which is magik. The user determines the shape the magik
shall take when it is manifested. It is the user who can create or
destroy. Magik cannot differentiate, cannot be blamed. The soul is
what moves magik, be it a black heart of cold stone, or a fragile
heart of beauty and truth.
        One day all this knowledge, this magik, shall fade, and be
forgotten, and become just a legend spoken to little children at
bedtime. Magik shall become magic, and shall be given colours. Only a
handful of souls will ever remember such a time as this, when magik
was the life and breath of the Earthworld and its solar system.
        Time passes, as it always has and always shall forever, ending
yet never-ending in the boundary that marks eternity. And with time
comes change: of worlds, of faces, of legends and myths. Time does
indeed change. But the magik shall always remain the same, and stay
with us until eternity itself comes to an end.
        You can try to forget the magik, but it shall never forget you.
If you were once destined to wield it, you shall wield it once more.
Black, white, grey; it does not matter.
        I am His lordship Chaos.
        One of many writers who have come together to craft an epic
spanning the millennia and legends of a world first created by Naoko
Takeuchi. The Senshi are her children, the original tale hers to tell.
But the other tales and other souls we have drawn into this realm
belong to those who have created Circles of Time. Naoko has her
children, as do I have mine. I, as do all the other writers of this
epic, ask for your permission should you wish for our children to
enter another realm.
        But for now, let the eternal night fall as silence swallows up
the brilliant light of the future. Listen to this last chapter of a
tale I have to tell you.
        For time is of the essence....

                        -His lordship Chaos
                                hislordshipchaos@hotmail.com
                                http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9897/ct.htm



        Nestled between bluffs and mountains and forests, GlenHawke
watched Elfhame burn and sink into the ocean. Teacher and student
alike left the interior rooms of the various buildings. Some ran with
panic. Others walked with a numb expression on their faces, as if what
was being seen wasn't really happening at all. No one wanted to
believe this.
        But no one could deny it.
        Not even Halefyne, who stood at the threshold of GlenHawke's
front gates, watching in horror as the distant horizon was engulfed in
a plume of smoke and magik. The dense Elven forest cracked apart,
thrown into violent upheavals. Even from here the smell of churning,
hot sea water was pungent in the air.
        Maya clung to Halefyne's robes, tears running down the little
girl's cheeks. "Halefyne," she whispered, too terrified to break down
and sob. There would be time enough for that shortly, the Mother
silently knew.
        She couldn't even sense the magik of Serenity.
        All she could sense was death.
        "So Kakkyou," she murmured. "Is this what you were protecting my
school from? Did you manage to protect Serenity from it as well?"
        But she knew Kakkyou would never answer her. Regardless of
whether or not he had succeeded, she recognized this as an act of
sacrifice. Kakkyou had given up everything for Serenity...including
his own life.
        Halefyne looked down at Maya and tried to make her eyes seem
more compassionate; she didn't want to cry just yet in front of the
students. "Come now, Maya," she said softly, turning the child away
from the fearsome pillar of Elven magik stabbing into the sky.
        This was not something someone so young should have to see.
        Maya lingered in watching the final throes of Elfhame's demise,
until at last the seemingly endless green kingdom was swallowed up by
the shimmering fury of the now not-so-distant oceans. When she turned
away, she began to cry.
        Halefyne did nothing to try and stop her.
        She had enough trouble trying to save her tears for a later
time.



                MUGEN: INFINITE ETERNAL

                     (A Circles of Time tale)



                   Final Eternity - Vlatmere



        Those at Glenhawke were not the only ones to bear witness to the
true destructive power of Elven magik. A small group of Faerie beings
watched from a nearby field of green grass and fruit orchards. Between
rows of thin trunks and large clumps of leaves and apricots, four
youth who were in fact older than anyone could have ever guessed
watched the skies near the Elfhame horizon catch fire and ignite, blue
turning to scarlet as the ground beneath their feet trembled
violently.
        And then suddenly a pillar of golden inferno erupted, shooting
straight into the skies with no intent on dying out like a mere human
explosion. Clouds were driven from the sky, banished within seconds by
the shaft piercing the heavens above.
        The trembling of the earth turned to convulsions.
        The four sisters no longer looked at the sky, but to the world
and orchard around them. Birds were taking flight and fleeing the
presence of the Elven magik. Woodland creatures and animals of the
fields were following suit.
        "Can you sense it?" murmured the youngest sister, her braided
auburn hair now dancing around her face as a chilling wind began to
approach them.
        A sibling nodded. "Elfhame's gone."
        What could make the Elvens, who were like kindred with the
Faerie races, invoke a magik of self-destruction? What were they so
bent on protecting...and what was so terrible that they would be
forced to resort to such deadly measures?
        The second-oldest of them, her curls of hair even more silvery-
blue than her clothes, turned to one of her sisters. The fear of the
unknown was evident in the girl's expression. "What's happening?"
        The second-youngest one clutched her opaque crystal orb a little
tighter, and shook her head. "I haven't the slightest idea."
        Then the shockwave flowed out, a wall of strange glowing air and
transparent, pulsating lightning resembling slivers of ice rushing
past the four Faerie. And with it came the unearthly whispered howl of
a thousand souls screaming blood and death.
        With a grim expression on her face, the oldest of the four
turned and put her back to the pillar of magik. "We should be leaving
now, Palla," CereCere stated, making sure to catch the eyes of her
younger siblings. "This place isn't safe for us any longer."


        And upon the moon, the darkness cast over the Raithe's shakujyo
became darkness no more. A pillar of Elven magik defied the boundaries
of Earth, raging towards the very place where the shakujyo stood.
Shadowy craters and grey rocks shimmered with the unnatural light
shooting towards the lunar surface with the colour and ferocity of a
comet.
        But the Elven blast of magik was quickly dissipating as it went,
losing momentum and intensity. For as powerful as the magik had been,
such strength still had limitations. It was dying as it reached the
moon.
        The shakujyo waited patiently.
        The garnet orb began to churn its opaque, enigmatic mists.
        When it seemed that the last few dying sparks of Elven magik
would be unable to reach the moonscape, they found something else
waiting. The sparks touched the orb.
        And a second explosion of light rocked the lunar world.
        Whatever energy lost was regained and then added to, amplified
to what could have been a near infinite level. The burst of light
renewed the power of the Elven magik, sending it hurling like a
shooting star across the darkened heavens. Off into the deep realms of
space it moved, leaving a hauntingly beautiful tail of violet and blue
in its wake.
        The moon's surface shuddered violently as it endured the
battering of magik. But the garnet orb began to crack from the strain
of the effort. So much power being unleashed in such a concentrated
burst. For as durable as the orb was, it too had limitations.
        The windfall of Elven magik continued to be catapulted, rattling
the shakujyo. One by one the metal rings broke apart as they shook
horribly. The shaft of the pole began to bend backwards.
        But the task was not yet done.
        With great tenacity the shakujyo persisted, willing itself to
carry on this final task until completion. And just as the final
plosive flash of magik was sent off, the garnet orb shattered. Shards
fell to the barren grey surface, sparkles of purest magik and energy
raining down with them.
        As they touched the crater-marked surface of the moon, the magik
began to worm its way into the rock. Everything changed. Desolate
landscape turned itself fertile. Wild grasses forcibly pushed out from
the ground as warm, white steam and gases furiously vented themselves
from the cracks in the ground.
        An atmosphere was being created.
        An inhabitable sphere was in progress.
        Its beauty echoed of Elfhame, resonating faintly from the Elven
magik that had fallen upon the lunarscape, and having been fed by the
last magik given up by the shakujyo. And then the immense crater next
to the broken remains of the shakujyo began to fill up with the
clearest blue water. The Sea of Tranquillity was born, with no
witnesses but an exhausted yet satisfied ringed staff.
        The shakujyo had served its master well for this final task.
        No more would it have to wait for magik.
        Now it could join its master, and rest.


        The battle skimmer was waiting for them on the other side of the
Elfhame forest and its accompanying mountain range. But even though it
was a welcomed sight, no one really felt like celebrating. They were
glad to be alive, but left feeling hollow.
        Despair hung over them like a cloud, a grey mass which blackened
the light of hope they might have otherwise had. The soldiers were all
subdued--grateful in breathing, but chilled in knowing what had
happened moments after their departure from Elfhame. Serenity had
lapsed into a near catatonic state, unable to hope with the horrific
shock. Magellan and Myung were together, but unable to speak, still
numb from what they had witnessed and been unable to prevent.
        And Setsuna had separated herself from the others, even Haruka
and Michiru. Those two wanted time alone anyways, to whisper sweet and
caring reaffirmations of life. She just wanted to be alone with her
thoughts. Outside, upon the top deck of the battle skimmer she sat,
leaning against one of the railings as she let the sunlight fall down
upon her and the air rush past her face.
        They were picking up speed now.
        Within another few hours, they would reach Vlatmere.
        And after that. After that....
        Setsuna wasn't sure what would happen after that. And that's
what she didn't like. It felt like there was no one left to turn to,
and no more options left open to her. The Dark Messiah, at one time
her own daughter, was ruthlessly crushing everyone who stood before
her. Camelot was wiped clean from the face of the planet. And now
Elfhame shared that fate, though on its own terms. What guarantees
would there be that Vlatmere wouldn't fall the same way?
        It had been horrible to see Serenity crying out for her fiancé,
struggling with an unrivalled power that could only be of the Messiah
of Light. It was a wonder the Man With No Name had been able to hold
her back until she exhausted herself.
        At last she'd found their Messiah.
        But what if they had broken her in a way that was irreparable?
        Setsuna could only wonder about the future. Even now when the
future seemed so certain, she found herself doubting if they'd win the
Messiah Wars. Right now things were looking their bleakest.
        "May I sit?"
        It was Merlin.
        Setsuna nodded, still watching the world move past them. The
hypnotic blurs of the green and gold fields served to soothe and calm
her. Up here atop the skimmer she could be alone with her thoughts, or
not even think at all.
        Merlin, it appeared, had other ideas. Yet Merlin was the only
one of them whom she knew best of all, and knew from before Aurora's
destruction. He was the closest thing she had to a confidante here on
Earth.
        Still dressed in the blood-soaked uniform of a Vlatmere
footsoldier, Merlin slowly lowered himself onto the floor next to
Setsuna. His face was not of the old, wizened wizard, but a youthful
face that knew even more wisdom and magik. "If there was anything I
could have done to prevent that--"
        "--you would have done so," she finished. "I would have too,
Merlin. Just as I would have tried to save Camelot and Aurora. But
nothing we say can bring them back. It...it was destiny."
        She almost spat that last word out.
        Destiny.
        It seemed to hard to believe such a hellish thing could be
destiny. The Raithe had once spoken of Aurora's destiny: a field of
lifeless rock. Had he known the destiny of death awaiting Elfhame too?
To think that he had shouldered such a burden for who knew how many
centuries. How long ago had he first learned a planet he loved would
be destroyed?
        A little part of the way he had behaved and lived finally made
sense to Setsuna. But he was gone too; there would be no chance to ask
him about such things.
        "Do not be so quick to blame this on what you might call
destiny," Merlin said quietly, so quietly that Setsuna almost didn't
hear him over the whipping of the winds. "Kakkyou marched back into
Elfhame of his own free will. He died not because he was forced to by
the hands of time, but because he loved. And because he loved, he was
willing to give everything he had for Serenity. His life, his
kingdom...everything."
        Those words rang true in Setsuna's ears.
        She turned to Merlin, but he was already getting up. She watched
him leave, his body swaying with the shuddering motion of the battle
skimmer.
        "Dust to dust," the Ancient murmured quietly to himself. "And
ashes to ashes. But their memories will live on."


        Serenity's form was laid out on its side, upon the covers of a
bed in one of the officer's chambers. She appeared to be sleeping. Her
wide, crystal blue eyes attested otherwise. Yet now they were blue
orbs void of the life and vibrancy they had once beheld, sore and red
from the tears she had silently cried. Her head rested upon The Man
With No Name's lap, his black redingote covering her shivering body
and keeping her warm.
        He constantly stroked her long blonde hair, letting it fall down
past her face and cast the contrast of night and day against his coat.
        "Kakkyou," she mewed weakly, stirring. She moved as if she was
lost in a dark and deep slumber. Running and calling out a name but
finding no soul to guide her back to a place of warmth and comfort.
        The Man With No Name frowned but said nothing. He understood
that stoicism was a part of his nature and mystery. But in her
presence, he could feel that words were unnecessary. Not when she was
like this. Her magik was mourning; he could feel it weighing down upon
his shoulders and chilling his skin. It was crying because Serenity no
longer could, lost in the shock of what she had witnessed.
        And for as thick a skin and uncaring an attitude he had, the
nameless stranger bent to magik. Magik was the one thing he knew he
could not win against, her magik above all others. And so as her magik
mourned for Kakkyou, he found himself overwhelmed by the sadness that
he knew came from her broken heart.
        Another tear fell from his face, falling towards Serenity's
cheek. In a swift, silent and fluid motion he swung out his hand
caught the teardrop.
        And stared at it.
        The shimmer the teardrop reflected from the skimmer's overhead
lights was abruptly placed in shadow. The Man With No Name looked up
and saw Magellan looking down.
        "How is she?" Magellan asked in concern.
        The Man With No Name gave him a pointed stare. "If you just
witnessed your fiancé and his entire world get annihilated, think
you'd be over it in a day?"
        Magellan scowled at the harsh reply. "You don't have to say it
so callously."
        "And you needn't be asking stupid questions," The Man With No
Name answered.
        Magellan bristled, a slight ripple running through the
breastplate of his armour. The mudbrown colour momentarily ran dark,
and then returned to its original hue.
        "Let her be," The Man With No Name said. "She's just lost
someone she cared deeply for. This is her last chance to say good-bye
while there's time."
        "I thought you didn't care about such things," Magellan said,
the hostility in his tone dropped. They were talking about Serenity
now; his heart went out to her. Never in a thousand years could he
imagine how he would react if this happened to Myung. Never in an
eternity would he wish such a fate on his worst enemy.
        The Man With No Name turned his head to one of the large
windows, and looked at the distant horizon behind them. Far away now
laid the smouldering remains of a once rich and beautiful forest. "I
did care once, but I'd forgotten," he answered. "When I look at her
tears, I remember losing my wyrm in Hakkeda...and I wish that she did
not have to be the reason I feel such sorrow."
        Magellan turned and left The Man With No Name alone with
Serenity.
        As it should have been.
        The Man With No Name knew he did not understand these strange
emotions fuelling his mind with strange, foreign images and longings.
But it was something new to experience, and he gave no protests.
        "Kakkyou," she said again amidst a choked cry.
        "Shhh," he whispered to her. "Rest now, Serenity. And I shall
cry for both of us."


        Magellan rejoined with Myung, shaking his head. She
instinctively drew closer to him as he sat down, wanting to reassure
herself with the warmth of his body against her own.
        Here upon the upper decks of the battle skimmer were the
officer's quarters. Despite these being amongst the first prototype
skimmers, they had tried to allow for a bit of luxury. During the
initial field tests out in the middle of nowhere, these quarters had
all served for giving the researches and engineers a place to sleep
comfortably.
        There was only a queen-sized bed and a desk & chair, but the
reinforced windowpanes allowed for a spectacular view. Magellan felt a
little guilty, knowing how all the rest of his men were resting down
in the belly of the skimmer. But that guilt was overshadowed by all
the other thoughts plaguing him.
        He had changed since yesterday.
        He could not deny that.
        But where there had been doubts about himself last night, today
there were doubts about the future. Magellan found his mind consumed
with thoughts and strategies, each one growing more desperate than the
last. He held Myung as tightly to himself as she held him against her
own body. Neither one said anything.
        Myung was lost in her grief for Elfhame, and sensing but a
sliver of what Serenity was now going through.
        But Magellan found his thoughts focused not on grief, but on
something far darker. Ominous visions. He tipped his face down and
kissed Myung's head, savouring the scent of her blonde hair. A memory
like this was worth clinging to, worth fighting for. He understood
what Kakkyou had done, but he had no intention of letting his own life
end in the same manner.
        The final showdown would be in Vlatmere.
        And Magellan was almost certain he would be the one to meet
Mistress 9 face to face, in the war that would decide the planet's
future.


        "What do you think, love?"
        Michiru has asked that.
        They laid side by side upon the bed of another stateroom.
Michiru had her chest pressed against Haruka's back, while Haruka
stared out through the window at the rolling white clouds.
        "What do you mean?" Haruka murmured. A part of her didn't feel
in the mood for talking. Another part of her was willing to talk, and
all because it was Michiru.
        "Our chances for survival."
        Haruka felt her stomach slowly knot itself. Yet it was all
because of Michiru; she could not see her aqua-haired lover brood like
this. It seemed so unlike Michiru. It felt so much like an unnatural
thing. "We've done fine so far," Haruka said quietly.
        It was meant as a reassurance.
        So why didn't she feel reassured by her own words?
        Haruka rolled onto her back, and then onto her other side. Face
to face she and Michiru stared into each other's eyes. Took in each
other's scent. Marvelled at how beautiful their silence together was.
        Yet the oceans captured in Michiru's eyes were clouded over. She
was worrying. And Haruka suddenly realized what was wrong; she had
never seen it before, and therefore didn't properly recognize it at
first.
        It was the first time she had seen Michiru scared.
        The Neptuni princess hid her fears well enough, but total
concealment could not be achieved. After what they'd witnessed in
Elfhame, it wasn't that surprising. The Elven race had been destroyed.
They were perhaps the closest beings on earth who could rival the
power of a Sailor Senshi. If they had been wiped out by the Dark
Messiah, what were their chances now?
        It was hard suddenly coming to grips with your own mortality.
With the fact that you might suddenly lose the person you cared for as
much as life itself. But Haruka had been raised with this
understanding of war and death: it was a risk, one you had to ask
yourself if it was worth taking.
        Looking into her lover's eyes, Haruka knew the answer for
herself. Yes, she was afraid, but she would die to protect Michiru and
never regret it.
        But this was Michiru's first real taste of death. The Neptuni,
being peaceful by nature, had yet to see how horrific war could truly
be. "Hold me," she whispered, her arms seeking out Haruka.
        Wordlessly Haruka slid closer to Michiru, letting their bodies
entangle as much as possible. Any further and they might become a
single entity. It was here in the warmth of sensual and loving touch
that Michiru calmed down. Such a time was not meant to spent fearing
loss. But instead to discover and appreciate the togetherness you'd
already found.
        Haruka held Michiru in her arms, not caring if Michiru cried or
not. Silent tears flowed. Michiru's body shuddered and shivered with
muffled sobs. For so long, it had felt like Michiru was the strongest
of them. Always calm, always thinking, always with an insight to put
even the worst of situations into perspective.
        Now things had changed.
        Haruka smiled as she kissed Michiru's hair, sensing the
Neptuni's tears slowly abating. Such a strange way to discover where
her own strengths lay.
        "Feeling better?" she asked softly into Michiru's ear.
        Michiru didn't answer, but gave her a reaffirming squeeze. A few
moments of tender silence between them found Michiru lifting her head,
her eyes red from her crying. Yet now she was smiling.
        Haruka had to resist the urge to ravish her with kisses right
there. Such resistance, as it turned out, was unnecessary as Michiru
laid her head against Haruka's chest.
        "If this is our last day upon the planet," Michiru murmured. "We
should make it count."
        Haruka smiled as she felt Michiru's fingers start to pull at the
lapels of her jacket. "Hai hai," she agreed, working to kick the
covers off the bed. "Who am I to argue with Neptuni wisdom?"


        In the depths of the ocean, Elfhame continued to burn. The
corpses of Elven and demon alike floated in the churning water, kicked
and pushed this way and that by the currents. Sent spinning by the
geysers of bubbles erupting from the broken earth at the bottom of the
seas.
        Debris littered the water, some of it wooden shards from a tree,
some of it large chunks of earth with entire trees still rooted in the
ground. Eerie glimmers of light and residual echoes of magik filtered
through the water. Impossibly, fires continued to lick at the remnants
of Elfhame's life--even at the bottom of the seas. Trees broke apart
under the pressures of the defiant inferno, unleashing large bursts of
black smoke into the water.
        And amidst this undersea graveyard, there was still a heart of
darkness. A sphere, like a giant black pearl, sat upon the ocean
floor. It waited patiently, keeping its child safe and secure,
choosing a proper time to resurface. That time was coming soon.
        The last spark of Elfhame's magik went out.
        Sensing this, the black sphere began to rise, floating leisurely
from the depths and darkness as if it weighed nothing. Any floating
debris between it and the water's surface moved away, pushed back by
pulses of dark energy. Waves of blak magik.
        With ease the orb broke through the water, spraying foam and
surf in every direction. And then the orb melted away, starting from
the top. Everything retracted and then dissipated into nothingness.
        In its place, hidden and guarded against the worst of Elfhame's
self-destruction, was Mistress 9. Curled up in a fetal position, she
slept soundly. As if the waves of the ocean were a comfortable
mattress.
        Mistress 9 awakened, violet eyes fluttering open.
        She slowly, gracefully stood on her feet, walking upon the water
without leaving ripples in the waves to mark where her footsteps had
been. She saw the sea's restless tide, flowing and ebbing where land
had once been and now was no more.
        Her fingers touched her lips, as if she could still taste the
power Kakkyou had invoked before dying. "Such delicious magik," she
whispered.
        The Dark Messiah abruptly winced, tenderly feeling her sides.
She had barely managed to cut herself off from the Lifespark before it
would have killed her along with Kakkyou and the other Elven warriors.
Even still, her insides felt raw and agitated.
        This nausea and discomfort would pass soon enough.
        With a forced giggle, the Dark Messiah limped towards the remade
shores. It was time to reassemble her armies, and finish what she had
intended to do before getting distracted by the Elves.


        She was dreaming.
        Serenity was dreaming.
        And in her dreams she plunged into total darkness. Unable to
run. Only allowed to walk. In a place where black was the floor and
ceiling and space. She cried out for someone...anyone... Kakkyou...but
no one answered her.
        She was alone.
        Serenity collapsed onto her knees, and began to sob.
        A tear escaped her eyes and rolled down her cheek. It hung at
the base of her chin before falling and striking the darkness with a
resounding echo of water against water.
        Serenity found her crying forgotten, though the tears refused to
abate.
        Ripples of blue flowed past her, like the darkness itself had
become like water. It reminded her of Elfhame's pools and springs. It
reminded her of Kakkyou's face.
        Darkness fled from the surface beneath her feet. The skies and
space remained pitch and opaque, yet now the world beneath her
kneeling form glistened blue like an enchanted ocean. And Serenity
found herself standing upon an ocean which seemed to have no end.
        Something shifted beneath her, yet as it rose up the water's
surface remained untouched and still. As if the air itself was pushing
away and taking shape. And it was a dragon, black like the iron metal
it was forged from. Its flight was graceful even for a creature that
did not breathe. Perhaps there was a dragon's soul in the machine.
        Or perhaps the young girl was its soul.
        Serenity's eyes widened as she recognized the newcomer to her
dream. Ravendark hair and pale skin triggered memories of another
dream. Serenity looked up at Hotaru, and remembered how when last they
had met inside a dream, Hotaru had been killed by a vicious woman.
        A Dark Messiah.
        Hotaru walked calmly, majestically, on the water. Tiny ripples
radiated out with each gentle footstep touching the liquid surface.
Her expression seemed almost void of emotion, and yet there was a
warmth in her lips that gently shimmered through her smile. Black hair
flowed around her face, accented with golden ribbons. The folds of her
Auroran kimono danced around her petite form.
        The iron dragon rumbled, the enormous and elaborate joints of
its neck shifting to lower its head in reverence to Hotaru. She looked
at Serenity, and her eyes were of violet.
        A wind swept past them, the tranquillity of the water disrupted
by ripples and white crests of foam that playfully licked Serenity's
bare feet. The iron dragon hovered in vigilance before its mistress,
frighteningly still.
        Hotaru never moved, never changed, though everything else around
Serenity was changing. Hotaru was the only constant. Those violet eyes
never broke their gentle gaze from Serenity. Ripples flowed around
Hotaru's feet once more as she began to walk closer to Serenity.
        Yet they were still so far away from each other.
        The iron dragon took its head and sank beneath the water, just
enough of its face and snout left dry for Hotaru to step up onto the
beast without getting wet. Noiselessly the joints of its neck
straightened, and she now stood level with Serenity, the distance
between them no more. The world around faded to darkness and Serenity
was left there in the shadows.
        Her crystal blue eyes continued to look away, too pained to even
allow for the transient wonder of the dream. She did not want its hold
upon her fragile heart.
        "Why are you crying?"
        Serenity lifted her chin.
        Hotaru stepped off her metal beast, and took one final step
which brought them face to face. She did not smile, did not scowl. Yet
in her violet eyes was the desire to find the source of Serenity's
pain, and ease it. "Why are you crying?" she asked again.
        Serenity was barely able to say a word.
        All she could do was look mournfully at her feet.
        Yet magik spoke the words she could not.
        It whispered Kakkyou's name in Hotaru's ears. "I'm sorry,"
Hotaru said quietly as she listened. "Even though I am not responsible
for it, never the less I have brought this pain upon you."
        She wrapped her arms around Serenity, holding the sobbing blonde
tightly. Serenity accepted the warmth of another body and soul, yet
was still like a lifeless doll. Her cool tears splashed against
Hotaru's cheek. And Hotaru had to force back the tears of her own.
        "I know what it's like," she murmured. "I've lost my family, my
friends...my entire world, Aurora, is gone. And I am all that's left.
The sadness of knowing I am alone is sometimes more than I can bear,
and deep within my heart I cry for them, even though the daimon inside
of me refuses to let that humanity be released."
        "I don't want anyone else to die," Serenity cried. "No one
should go through this."
        As gently and lovingly as she could, Hotaru placed Serenity's
face between her palms and held it there. Violet eyes were blurred in
a storm of tears and emotion.
        "Please," Hotaru asked. "Accept my gift."
        She gently pressed her lips against Serenity's.
        There was nothing hidden behind the kiss itself that made it
significant. But what was passed through the kiss, from one heart and
soul and mind to the other, would in the final moments determine the
outcome of the Messiah Wars.
        Hotaru drew her lips away, a sad smile on her face.
        Serenity could only touch her own lips with trembling fingers,
lost in confusion of what she had received, the tears still flowing
down her pale cheeks.
        "When the time comes," Hotaru whispered. "you will remember what
I have given you. And then, just as you will awaken within yourself,
you can awaken me."
        Without another spoken word, Hotaru turned and silently walked
back onto the snout of the metal dragon. Its neck joints rose and
curved, raising Hotaru high above Serenity's head. And then the dragon
slowly began to sink into the watery surface beneath their feet. Blue
ripples and edges accented the shadowy realm which swallowed first the
dragon up, and then at last Hotaru.
        Serenity was still touching her lips as Hotaru's violet eyes
disappeared beneath the darkness. "Awaken," she whispered to herself,
as if hearing it clearly for the first time. "I must awaken...."


        Compared to Camelot, Vlatmere Castle seemed a poor replica. It
lacked the immense shining walls, the daunting array of spires and
towers and walkways. It's perimeter was at best one-third that of
Camelot's. Yet despite its faded blue roofs and ordinary masonwork, it
was still home.
        And for the weary travellers of the scarred battle skimmer,
there could have been no better sight at the end of a hellish journey
than this. Throughout the interior of the ship, loud cheers were
lifted up as word spread of the castle being sighted.
        From where he stood with the others on the bridge, Magellan
could feel his own soul start to rise. There was no thought that
Vlatmere might or might not stand a chance against Mistress 9. In
fact, the Messiah Wars were suddenly far and away from Magellan's
mind. Childhood memories overtook him, nostalgic sights and sounds
granting him momentary amnesty from the Messiah Wars.
        Such exhilaration may have been fleeting.
        But it was needed never the less.
        "Vlatmere castle," Frederic stated, letting out a deep sigh of
relief in the process. He turned back to Magellan. "Never thought I'd
be so happy to see it."
        The two watched as the castle no longer remained a distant
silhouette on the horizon. It grew larger, wider and more welcoming
than ever.
        Magellan kept thinking back to all the pranks he'd played in the
palace halls as a kid. The lectures from tutors he'd received as a
prince--most of which were rather boring. The combat training with
Frederic, his best friend and sparring partner.
        His father....
        This would be for his father, Magellan resolved. He would fight
this battle and somehow find a way to win. To avenge his father. To
avenge Aurora and Elfhame. To avenge them all. And to protect the rest
of the world, the ones he loved and cared about, so that they would
not need to be avenged.
        The last thing Magellan allowed himself to even consider was
what might happen to Myung. He wanted to marry her even now; nothing
had changed. But he feared she might be taken from him regardless. All
the more reason to make the necessary preparations they could in the
present, and then wait for the future to come to them.
        For now he'd left Myung sleeping in their room. It didn't seem
right to disturb her; she needed her sleep for the war. As a Senshi,
more responsibility rested upon her young shoulders. Her duty was to
find and awaken the Messiah of Light. His was to hold back the Messiah
of Darkness. Magellan's focus sharpened, and his eyes narrowed as he
once more was reminded on the responsibility upon his own shoulders.
One that for the time being could not afford the time or luxury for
sleep.
        They had a lot to do, and very little time to accomplish it all.
        With a shudder, the battle skimmer docked at the edge of
Vlatmere's East Gate and disabled its hovering mechanism. The craft
settled onto the ground with a loud hiss of steam and smoke.
        "We've landed," the skimmer's captain stated, looking to
Magellan. "What are your orders, your Highness?"
        "First thing's first," Magellan said. "Anyone--and I mean
anyone--who looks or feels tired is immediately ordered to get some
sleep. We can work with the reserves we left at the castle. Did you
send out the communiqué as I requested when we came aboard?"
        The captain nodded, handing Magellan a small datapad. "All
requested preparations are already underway, Sir. The names at the top
of the list are overseeing the work detail; they're the ones to talk
to."
        Magellan gave a quick scan over the list and found it more than
satisfactory. In fact it was nothing short of impressive. Despite
having already evacuated virtually all the civilians in the castle,
things were operating smoothly--albeit on a lesser scale than usual.
He made a mental note to commend the work crews personally when he met
up with each one.
        "Relay my orders to the soldiers and crew. And then open the
exit hatches." He moved out from the bridge, leaving the skimmer's
operation with her captain. Frederic was one step behind him.
"Frederic, if you can find them, I need to talk with any of the
Senshi--Myung or those Outer Planet ones. The more, the better."
        Frederic nodded. "I'm on it." He paused for a moment before
adding, "It's not over yet, is it?"
        As much as he hated to do it, Magellan shook his head. "Mistress
Nine came after us when we were in Elfhame. I'm willing to bet she's
going to be coming to Vlatmere now. We've got soldiers, skimmers--not
to mention four Sailor Senshi, and a guy with no name and a hell of a
lot of power."
        Magellan said nothing else, catching himself before letting slip
his quiet thoughts regarding Serenity as the Messiah of Light. That
was just one of the things he wanted to discuss with the Senshi. For
the time being he wasn't about to give the men a false hope.
        They turned down one of the junctions in the corridor, heading
towards the officer's quarters.
        "There's also yourself," Frederic added, picking right up where
Magellan ended off. "Unless you lied your ass off at Camelot, you
kinda stopped Mistress Nine dead in her tracks. And you've upgraded
since then too. Bet she's looking forward to a rematch."
        "Don't remind me," Magellan said, wincing. That was the last
thing he was looking forward to. For another moment the Aroth Armour
flickered in colour, as if disagreeing.
        Magellan paused at one of the suite doors, and then quietly
knocked before entering. Frederic went past him to notify the sailor
soldiers. The Vlatmere lord entered the room and stood just inside the
doorway.
        Serenity was awake.
        No longer crying, but still not wanting to move.
        She laid there with her head in the Man With No Name's lap, her
blonde hair spilled beautifully around her form. The Man With No Name
continued to gently caress her hair and face with one of his hands,
saying nothing.
        The Man With No Name looked up, eyes hidden behind tinted lenses
staring at Magellan. "We've arrived?"
        "I'll show you to a room in Vlatmere where you can take better
care of her," Magellan stated.
        "Are you sure you trust leaving me alone with the Messiah of
Light while you make battle plans?" the Man With No Name inquired.
        That he called Serenity the Messiah didn't surprise Magellan.
The Vlatmere lord leaned against the wall. "I don't think you're an
enemy...but I'm not sure if you're an ally either. However, I'm
willing to trust even a nameless man who cares for her like she were
his own daughter."
        A strange smile worked its way onto the Man With No Name's face,
for reasons even he did not fully understand himself. He stroked
Serenity's hair one more time before carefully gathering her up in his
arms. She was still moving not of her own conscious will, but was no
longer a dead-weight. She moved as she was guided, and obediently
wrapped her arms around the back of the Man With No Name's neck.
        "A daughter, then," the Man With No Name agreed. He turned his
stormfed eyes to Magellan. "Lead the way."


        In the next few hours following the battle skimmer's arrival,
the world around Vlatmere castle grew frenetic. And the only ones who
didn't seem to be doing any work were the Sailor Senshi. But their own
work laid ahead in battle, and everyone knew it. That was why none of
the men and women working to secure the castle as best they could were
complaining. That was why Sailors Venus, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto
restlessly paced the expanse of a large study which also seemed to
double as a war room.
        One of the walls consisted of nothing but bookshelves, working
like vines on a trellis to stretch from floor to ceiling. Some shelves
housed leather-bound volumes of ancient lore and history. Others were
the display cases for strange, exotic artifacts and weapons. Even
others held large hollow cylinders, inside which were housed fragile
scrolls whose importance they could only guess at.
        The rest of the room was void of furniture, save for the ringed
oval table acting as the centrepiece. Twelve chairs in all were placed
around it. All of them currently unoccupied.
        "He's late," Haruka remarked, glancing at the chronometer on the
wall.
        Michiru absently nodded, more engrossed with reading one of the
ancient books from the shelves. "Given the business of everyone down
there, I'm not all that surprised," she said in response. She took her
time flipping through the pages, reading through the runes of the old
worlds. The book in her hands had been scribed by an Auroran
philosopher.
        Such works would now be rare and valuable.
        Myung said nothing and continued to lean against the wall next
to the enormous arched windows, an immense semi-circle of magik-
reinforced glass letting them watch the people in the courtyards and
streets below scurry about with tools, equipment and weapons.
        Her blue eyes continued to watch a door that still would not
open and bring Magellan back into her arms. Occasionally she glanced
out the window, but had long since given up on catching a glimpse of
Magellan moving through the crowds.
        He'd been...distant since they had left Elfhame.
        Myung knew there were good enough reasons for it: subdued
mourning for Elfhame, or else his thoughts rested with his burdens of
knowing what they were committing themselves to. But what she
suspected most of all, and was thusly the most afraid of, was that
this was an after-effect of his newfound magik.
        The Aroth Armour and Excalibur now working in alignment with the
mysterious power that created his roses from nothingness. It had given
Magellan a strange new confidence in himself and in his mission. So
why did it leave Myung feeling so concerned?
        "You're worried about him, aren't you?"
        The voice addressing her almost startled Myung. She turned her
head and saw Setsuna standing a few feet away. Those strange magenta
eyes had a haunting agelessness about them, and Myung wondered what
the one who held the key-shaped staff had seen to give those eyes such
a shimmer.
        "Magellan," Setsuna said again, looking momentarily out the
window herself. "You're worried about him."
        Myung nodded, the worry on her face increasing all the more now
that she knew it could not be hidden from the others. It was
intimidating to be in the presence of three other Senshi who already
acted so much like soldiers, who knew more about their own mission
than she did. It was intimidating, being the outsider.
        Somewhere deep inside Myung realized that this was why she
wanted to be with Magellan now more than ever. At least when he was
around, she felt that she had some importance and bearing on the
future's events. Ever since the Outers and that man with no name had
appeared with the fallen Warhammer, she felt as if she was less and
less important.
        She didn't even know everyone else's names.
        "What would you know about him?" Myung asked. There was no issue
of challenge in her voice. No scorn or malice. It was but a question.
        Setsuna shook her head. "I know very little about him,
admittedly." She smiled. "However, it's been rather hard to not notice
his feelings towards you, and yours to him."
        Hearing that made Myung want to blush and smile warmly at these
reassuring thoughts and memories. But she found herself unable to work
with such indulgences. "If that's all you know about me, then you know
next to nothing about me. And I know even less about you. Acting like
we're friends regardless is nothing more than a slap in the face."
        The others in the room were listening now, though they might
have feigned otherwise.
        "We owe it to each other," Myung said quietly, looking directly
at Setsuna. And then to Haruka. And then to Michiru. "I have to know
what I'm going up against when I fight alongside my fellow Senshi in
this war, otherwise I may kill us all and not even understand why."
        Awkward silence hovered inside the room, filling the spaces
between them.
        "She's right," Haruka sighed at last, ruing the fact that she
had just been rightfully chastized by someone easily four years
younger than she was. "We owe her that much."
        "And in return," Michiru agreed, closing her book and sliding it
back onto its place upon the shelf. "You can tell us what happened to
Magellan last night in Elfhame, and why he's suddenly radiating a
magik we've never seen before."
        Myung nodded.
        She reached out her hand to the nearest Outer Senshi, to
Setsuna. A friendly smile worked its way onto her face as Setsuna
shook hands. "Deal."


        Down in the courtyards, it was nothing short of organized chaos.
Magellan found himself not only believing in but living the concept.
Soldiers, worksmiths and extra labourers raced about in every
direction, bumping into each other, dodging and weaving around
machinery, pulling and pushing items designated to be elsewhere. Each
person had their own tasks, their own missions. And right now
everyone's mission intersected directly with everyone else's.
        Magellan found himself half-walking half-running from one part
of Vlatmere castle to the next. Rare was the moment to stand back and
take a deep breath without being interrupted and called up to answer
questions, oversee a task, or be notified of the latest emergency.
        "No, load the launchers closer to the battlements! To the left!"
he shouted, waving his arms in the desired direction. A level above
him, at the height of the outer walls encircling the castle, dozens of
soldiers were busy getting an enormous crossbow launcher into
position.
        Magellan knew full well that this sort of weapon would be near
useless against hordes of rampaging, magik-enhanced demons. But right
now they needed every last weapon they could get their hands on.
        Let it never be said that when the Messiah Wars came to
Vlatmere, the people were caught unprepared.
        Magellan clapped a hand over one of his ears, trying to listen
to a voice crackling over his headset. "Frederic, that you?" he asked.
        "Yeah, it's me. Good news."
        "Good news?" Magellan laughed. "Well, that's a pleasant switch
for once."
        "What can I say?" Frederic remarked airily. "Told you I was a
good-luck charm. But now we've got two aerial carriers here on the
loading bay. The pilots have volunteered to join the war, and are
already working to retrofit their crafts with any sort of weapon."
        Magellan took the moment to close his eyes and let loose with an
silent cheer. "Do you need any work crews up there?" he asked.
        "Nah, we've got enough as it is. I'm going to leave them be on
the landing pad, and head over to the North Gate. Rumour has it
they've got trouble barricading the right side."
        Sadly, it wasn't a rumour: the request for assistance had just
gone out a few minutes prior.
        "Sounds like a plan," Magellan said over the headset, grateful
he didn't have to go to the other side of the castle to help out.
        "You won't be thanking me once you see the money you owe me for
all this overtime work," Frederic glibly retorted.
        They both shared a laugh before going back to their respective
duties. Shouting out a few more instructions and commands to the
workers, Magellan found himself being called away yet again. Now it
appeared there was a potential breach in one of the sewer pipes
leading out from the castle. The only problem was that the place to
otherwise blockade it was being obstructed by a number of loading
machines that were themselves helping lift much-needed weapons and
supplies for the second defensive lines.
        "And this is only going to get busier," Magellan muttered under
his breath as he walked as briskly as possible without running.
Luckily he managed to catch a loader driving by and was spared the
extra walking across the castle's perimeter.
        Things were hectic now.
        But at least they weren't under attack.
        A part of Magellan idly wondered why the Dark Messiah hadn't
fallen upon them yet. He had actually been expecting her armies to
sweep across and engulf the battle skimmer before it even arrived
within sight of Vlatmere. But a distant, echoing whisper in the back
of his mind argued otherwise.
        Mistress 9 was recovering from whatever wounds the fall of
Elfhame had managed to give her. For now she was keeping her distance.
        But come sunset, there would be war.
        The final war.
        Magellan sighed deeply, glancing up at the sun. They had perhaps
four hours of daylight left. If the skies remained this cloudless--
Magellan refused to brood over why there were no clouds in the sky
this day--they would have an exceptionally clear night. And a night of
the full moon, no less. That was to their advantage; with all the
extra nocturnal light, they'd be able to see the Shadow Armies from a
lot further away than usual.
        Upon his arrival, Magellan found someone else intervening on his
behalf. Merlin, wearing his weather-beaten skin and fishbone white
hair, was using his magik to finish the uploading process, and thusly
allowing the machines to move and allow for the sewer blockading to
begin.
        Merlin was proving to be no less than a miracle-worker.
        The Ancient's very presence was inspiring anyone in sight of him
to work harder and redouble their efforts. More than anything he was
giving them all hope. And luckily, everyone was too busy prepping the
castle to pause and ask where Merlin had been at Camelot.
        Magellan was fairly certain he knew the answer.
        And he was the answer. More to the point, Helios was the answer,
and it was now hidden within him...somewhere. Magellan didn't pretend
to understand just where Illusion was hiding now. All he knew was that
Helios had been granted the chance to find some peace after Aurora's
destruction. And some protection.
        "Good to see you here, Merlin," he said, managing a tired but
grateful smile. "Guess I didn't have to come all this way across the
castle after all."
        "Actually," Merlin countered evenly, his eyes still focused on a
walkway upon which he was settling some large crates. "I came here to
find you, but it appears I arrived first."
        His task completed, Merlin gestured for Magellan to walk with
him through the bustling crowds and soldiers.
        "What do you want to speak about?" Magellan asked. He was
expecting some sort of check-up on Illusion, or perhaps the Vlatmere
war preparations, or something related to the Dark Messiah.
        What he received instead was something meant for him.
        "You're pushing yourself too far and too fast, Magellan," Merlin
stated. "Your newfound magiks are only fuelling this even further."
        Magellan stopped mid-step, and remained where he was.
        As if not surprised to find this happening, Merlin stopped and
turned to maintain their eye contact. "I will not sugar-coat my words,
nor will I patronize you. The change from the Magellan I saw last
night and the Magellan I see before me now has been incredible. You
are every bit your father was before he died, and more. He was ten
years older than you when he reached this level. But you're still
dealing with an unprecedented amount of power even I can't fully
comprehend right now. That's like a child playing with a loaded cannon
they found."
        Magellan bristled.
        It felt as if he was being challenged and not cautioned.
        "Merlin, what are you talking about?"
        The Ancient let his eyes flicker in colour so that only Magellan
saw it. "Don't let the rush from wielding this new magik overpower
you. The Aroth Armour feeds on any emotion. It doesn't care what fuels
it, but it intensifies whatever it's fed. That is why it's become the
Demon Armour to so many souls who lost sight of what truly is
important in this life. Keep your emotions and your priorities in
check."
        "No offence, Merlin," Magellan said as politely as he could
manage. "But if you've never worn the armour, or swung the sword, or
had the ability to create roses from nothing, what makes you the
expert to tell me how to handle this?"
        "I speak as one who knows magik, Magellan," Merlin stated
solemnly. "Magik may have different breeds and forms, but when you
have lived for as long as I have with magik, you learn that there are
similarities lurking in the undercurrents of all magik. It knows not
what corruption is, but it can corrupt. It knows not what we call good
and evil, only itself--but it has the potential to be either."
        They both turned their heads as someone shouted for Magellan.
And as his ocean blue eyes were looking away from Merlin, Magellan
heard the Ancient's whispering voice.
        "Control your magik, Magellan. Otherwise it will control you."
        When he snapped his head around, Merlin was gone.
        But the Ancient's warning lingered.
        And it made Magellan suddenly feel very uneasy.


        The Man With No Name sat at the end of a twisting skein of
hallways, chambers and spiral staircases. He sat within the heart of a
hidden courtyard, the fading light from the skies above rippling down
upon his form. His back was to the large garden archway, and while he
knew there were playful bubbles floating in the air behind him, he let
them be.
        He was here with Serenity, for Serenity alone.
        And so it was here that they sat, in a realm which seemed to
know not time nor day. An ethereal sanctuary of nature, where anything
that might have been wall was green vegetation. Cobblestone pathways
curved amidst rows of scarlet flowers, levels upon levels rising up
around them. Petals were curled back, soaking up what the lingering
sunlight had to offer.
        A rose garden.
        The Man With No Name remained upon a patch of green grass,
surrounded by a forest of flowers. The gurgling water from a nearby
fountain added to the idyllic detachment. This rose garden was so
unlike the rest of Vlatmere Castle. Right now the rest of this place
was full of noise and people and whispers of war.
        That was the last thing Serenity should be around.
        And so the Man With No Name had instinctively brought her here.
She was moving of her own will and volition now, though each action
and motion was subdued in mourning. Her crystal blue eyes spoke of so
much sadness that it rendered her lips and mouth paralyzed, unable to
speak. Yet she followed him wherever he guided her, with the innocent
trust of a child.
        He had no idea what the rose garden might do to help, but it at
least appeared to be helping her somehow. Her form, given a new dress
of silk and lavender, laid sprawled upon the grass. One of her hands
was reaching out to caress a nearby rose petal.
        The delicate blossom went from scarlet to silver with her touch.
It made Serenity smile softly, and the Man With No Name could hear
from her the faint and broken humming of a song.
        She was still distant, still grieving and in shock.
        She would not be talking.
        And for now, it didn't matter to him.
        Left in silence, the Man With No Name puzzled over the surge of
power that had nearly burned his limbs when he'd tried to hold her
back at Elfhame. The crescent moon upon her forehead; it confirmed
what he had heard the winds whispering of.
        Her name was Serenity.
        Something, everything, was falling into place now. He could
sense it, anticipate it, but could not understand it. He could feel
the lock to his own soul being slowly opened. Soon he would know. Soon
he would understand everything about himself, and why he was who he
was.
        "How is she?"
        The Man With No Name slowly turned his eyes away from the blonde
girl sitting with her head rested against one of his thighs. Eyes of
churning cloud and darkness, no longer concealed by tinted lenses, now
focused upon another woman, one far older than Serenity. Technically,
a woman far older than him.
        Katherine Endymion, Magellan's mother and Vlatmere's widowed
queen, was tending to them. She stood upon a cobblestone path with a
tray of small cakes and fruit. For the Man With No Name, as he had
requested, there was a small wineskin filled with mead.
        The Man With No Name unexpectedly found himself smiling, his
fingers still running through Serenity's tresses of hair. "She's
awake, but still dreaming. Yet when her mind opens itself up once
more, I shall be here waiting."
        Balancing the tray, Katherine made her way over to the patch of
grass and sat beside him. The tray was set upon the ground, and the
two of them ate and drank together. Her dark eyes watched him as much
as they watched Serenity.
        "You're a mystery," she said. "Both of you are. A young woman
who was betrothed to an Elven king, and stranger who is human yet
something more--and has no name."
        The Man With No Name drank from the wineskin, and glanced down
at Serenity. "How are Magellan's preparations going?"
        At that, Katherine managed a bittersweet smile. "It's good to
see all of Vlatmere pulling together to unite against the Shadow
Armies. Seeing them all like this, with my son leading them, gives me
hope that we might succeed where Camelot failed."
        "And as a mother?" he asked her.
        Katherine's smile now became a visage of sadness. "He's grown up
and changed so much since I last saw him but a few days ago. And even
now, we cannot afford the time to talk. I only saw him once in
greeting, and then this war took him from me."
        "War takes many things," the Man With No Name said. He lowered a
slice of orange to Serenity, and squeezed the fruit so that a trickle
of its juices touched her lips. She drank in the juice, but otherwise
reacted little to it. "Be thankful if you receive back what was taken
from you."
        "You were at Camelot," Katherine said. "What happened there?"
Stray breezes and drafts circling within the courtyard caught her
braid of long dark hair and tried to make it dance. The same breezes
held better success in playing with his dark brown hair.
        "A massacre," the Man With No Name answered. It was not in his
nature to hide things. Tact was not in his nature either, though. But
oddly enough he felt a tinge of what might have been guilt in seeing
the pained expression on Katherine's face when she heard the news.
        "Camelot never stood a chance," he elaborated. "The Shadow
Armies were too many and too powerful for even Arthur to handle.
Everyone was pushed back, and fled the castle. Shortly afterwards the
Dark Messiah reduced all of Camelot to ash and ruin."
        "Dark Messiah?"
        "Mistress Nine, once Morgana's subordinate, now the new and
undisputed leader of the Shadow Armies. She's the one responsible for
destroying Camelot...and right now she's searching for two things:
your son, and an artifact of magik that will increase her power
tenfold. If she gains either, then this war, this planet's existence,
is over. And we lose."
        Katherine was trying to put on as brave a face as she could. It
seemed cruel to tell her and worry her so, but they both knew it was
necessary. "Can anyone stand against her?"
        "A few have potential. Magellan is one. His girlfriend, Myung,
is another. Like her, there are three other Sailor Senshi with whom I
have been travelling. And then there is me. We all might be able to
stand against her."
        The coat he had always worn, with its enigmatic white cross, was
draped over the edge of an iron-framed bench off to his left. It felt
strange to feel the cool breezes of the late and fading afternoon upon
his exposed skin. His shirt held no sleeves, and now the Man With No
Name shifted uneasily as if he had left himself exposed and vulnerable
to an enemy.
        Katherine sighed heavily. "The way you word it makes me think
you still may not succeed. If not all of you, then who can?"
        Innuendo of his own death was agitating him for the first time.
What made the thought of death now so different than before, when he
did not care? Fear only came in losing something you cared about. The
Man With No Name saw the pale skin of Serenity's face, and understood.
        "She can. She will, once she awakens. And when she awakens, I
will be waiting for her."
        "So what are you, then?"
        The Man With No Name stared into Katherine's eyes with his own
stormfed ones. "The end. And the beginning. But I am meant for
Serenity, and so I am here by her side until she calls for me. Until
she calls me...."
        He could sense he was on the edge of epiphany.
        Yet the revelation refused to come completely, and it was
starting to frustrate him.
        Their meal finished, Katherine took the tray in her hands and
began to rise. "I need to go and feed Myung and her friends," she said
apologetically. "I wish I could stay here and learn more about you."
        "If you stayed, the only things you'd learn about me would be
that I know magik, but not myself," he answered her calmly. "Serenity,
though, is another matter."
        Katherine nodded. "I can understand why my son wants to protect
her so much."
        The Man With No Name asked another question, one personal yet
not directed at her. "Who do you think Magellan wishes to protect
more?"
        Serenity was the Messiah of Light, yes.
        But Myung was the one who was in Magellan's heart.
        As if finding something amusing, Katherine let out a little
laugh. "Such blunt honesty, but it's a valid question." She paused and
considered it. "For the future, he wants to protect Serenity. For his
own future, he wants to protect Myung. Both are in good hands.
        "I need to go, nameless one. If you or Serenity require
anything--"
        He pointed to the bubbles that were still bouncing through the
garden air. "I'll send them for you if we need anything else, Milady
Katherine. We both thank you for your hospitality."
        As she left the two alone once more, Katherine couldn't help but
smile. She glanced at the Man With No Name's black cloak resting upon
the bench. "She seems to be rubbing off on you already," she murmured
with approval.


        Magellan stepped into the private study an hour later than when
he said he'd be there. And he didn't like that fact in the slightest;
at least he hadn't been further delayed outside. For the time being
Merlin and Frederic were in charge of the operations and
mobilizations.
        "Sorry I'm late," he sighed, closing the doors behind himself.
"Unexpected complications."
        "Can't imagine why," Michiru chuckled, the sincerity in her
voice making them all--Magellan included--share whatever laughter they
could manage to find within themselves.
        Magellan found himself unsure of how to view what his eyes were
now seeing. The four women, none of them in their traditional sailor
battle fuku, were all talking around one end of the war table. In
front of them all were silver cups that had once been filled with tea,
and a small tray that bore only telltale crumbs of the food it had
once carried.
        This scene was a far cry from the world outside the walls of
this room. And Magellan suddenly envied the time they had already
shared together, taking this brief interlude from the Messiah Wars.
        Myung smiled warmly as he sat down next to her, leaving an open
palm on the table for her to clasp. "You didn't save any for me," he
whispered into her ear, causing her to giggle.
        "Well, had we known you were actually going to show up..." she
retorted, ribbing his armour.
        She had been talking with her new friends. With Haruka, Michiru
and Setsuna. They hadn't really discussed anything about the Messiah
Wars. Instead, they had talked about themselves and each other. For
now that felt like the most important thing to do. It was a time for
building trust with each other, and right now the Outers seemed
willing to lower their guards a little and let her in. Likewise she
had let them into her own life, to catch a glimpse of her hopes and
dreams, and her worries.
        The only one who had been very sparing in her words was Setsuna.
But then Myung reflected that Setsuna had not been as much sparing as
she had been very selective. If Setsuna was in charge of Time now,
then that meant she was trying not give something away that could ruin
the entire timeline. That much Myung could comprehend.
        Everything else just went over her head.
        "I see my mother's been here," Magellan said, noting the tray.
"I hope she's proven a better host than me."
        "After seeing the chaos down below, I think we're the ones who
are at the advantage," Michiru answered.
        "If we came here to talk of war, then we should talk of war,"
Haruka stated, putting an effective end to any informal and friendly
socializing. Everyone was reminded of their respective duties.
        Magellan nodded, and leaned forward in his chair. His hand never
stopped grasping Myung's. "For what it's worth, we'll be ready when
the Armies of Silence arrive. Once they do come, I can't make any
guarantees if or for how long we can hold them back."
        "Our only concern is Mistress Nine," Setsuna said, her magenta
eyes sweeping the occupants at the table. "If we are able to stop her,
then the demons lose all their powers. The threat will end swiftly."
        "Easier said than done," Myung said, sighing deeply. "We were
all there. We all saw what happened at Elfhame--and unless I'm
mistaken we can all sense that she survived."
        "So how do we kill her?" Magellan asked
        Setsuna tried not to flinch, and failed miserably. Yet no one
was looking at her, and so no one noticed. They were talking about
killing her daughter...and none of them even knew about the
connection. Could she say anything, though?
        Yet another paradox dilemma.
        If he had been here, what would the Raithe have done?
        No, she couldn't second-guess herself like that. She was not the
Raithe, nor did she want to be like him. The office of the guardian of
time had been effectively handed over to her, its future (and past and
present) left in her hands. The decision would be hers alone to make
now.
        Setsuna chose to remain silent.
        For the time being.
        "The girl," Haruka mused, more to herself than anyone else. But
her voice was loud enough for them all to hear. She crossed her arms
over her chest as she thought. "The one Kakkyou sent with us when we
left. She may be the answer we've been looking for."
        "She is the Messiah of Light, isn't she?" Magellan pressed.
"Serenity is ultimately the only one who can find the grail, and use
it to combat Mistress Nine."
        Haruka was immediately suspicious. "How do you know about the
grail?"
        "Three guesses," Myung said wryly.
        Rolling her eyes, Haruka got the hint. "Figures."
        "Just who is that guy anyways?" Magellan asked. "I mean, we all
know the nameless man's a part of the war. But he acts like a
spectator half the time. Who...or what is he?"
        Everyone automatically turned to Setsuna.
        Setsuna shook her head. "I haven't the slightest idea. But he
knew about the Messiah Wars before they happened. If he doesn't even
know his place, he might hold one of the most pivotal roles in the
final moments of the war. And yes, we believe it just as you do:
Serenity is the Messiah of Light."
        "Will she be ready to help fight alongside us when the Dark
Messiah comes?" Michiru asked.
        All eyes now turned to Magellan, but he gave a helpless shrug.
"I honestly don't know. Watching Elfhame burn itself into the ocean,
watching her fiancé die, shattered her mind. The Man With No Name's
been taking care of her. She's responding slowly, but I can't say for
certain."
        "She's a fragile soul with a fragile heart," Myung said,
recalling her time bathing with Serenity. "She is as innocent and pure
as they come, almost unlike any of us who have been tainted by battle
and blood."
        "The question still remains: how do we awaken her powers?"
Haruka said. "If she remains like this she's useless to us, and
Mistress Nine will not hesitate to kill her."
        "Do you think we could be of any help?" Myung asked.
        If there was a chance, even a remote one, they had to try.
        Everyone was getting desperate to keep holding on to hope.
        "If you've got an idea, you're welcome to try it on her,"
Magellan answered. His mind shifted back to the dreams he'd seen as a
child. The crystal chamber, and its two shadow spectres. Their voices
calling to him from everywhere and nowhere all at once: 'Find the
messiah.'
        And he'd found her.
        Serenity....
        Michiru's words abruptly broke the spell the memories held over
Magellan. "How much time do we have left then? How much longer until
they'll be attacking?"
        The Aroth armour suddenly echoed a heartbeat all its own
somewhere within him. Excalibur, still sheathed upon his back, its
blade merged to a point where none could tell where the sword ended
and the armour began, resonated the pulse. And Magellan found himself
already, impossibly, knowing the answer.
        "They'll be attacking near sunset," he said.
        "How do you know?" Setsuna asked, giving him a quizzical
expression.
        Magellan shrugged, hoping he wasn't looking as chilled as he
felt. "I would."
        Haruka found herself nodding with him. "A night battle would
make sense. The Dark Messiah feeds of terror and bloodshed. An evening
strike would give her both those things in great abundance."
        "What should we do until then?" Myung asked.
        Magellan pushed his chair back as he stood from the table. "I
need to finish supervising the castle preparations. Then at sunset
I'll march out onto the battlefield and meet Mistress Nine."
        "We'll be with you," Myung reassured him.
        But Magellan shook his head. "No. I don't want you out there
with me, Myung."
        Myung was stunned, and then dumbfounded to find that she seemed
to be the only one surprised by Magellan's strong countermand. "Why
not?" she demanded. The shock brought her on the verge of tears, the
tensions already running higher than ever. "You can't protect me by
hiding me away, Magellan. Not when you need my strength!"
        "Myung," Magellan said as quietly and solemnly as possible.
"When I meet the Dark Messiah, it will be only her and me. There will
be no strength I possess save for what I carry with me to meet her."
        The frantic tears began to streak down her cheeks. "But then
where?"
        "He needs us here, Myung," Michiru said, trying not to make it
sound like she was reprimanding the youngest of them all. "If he falls
to the Dark Messiah, then all of us need to stop Mistress Nine from
reaching Serenity or the grail."
        "Wherever it is," Haruka muttered darkly.
        Michiru's aquagreen eyes looked to Myung for understanding. "We
are the Messiah of Light's last line of defense. After Magellan,
there's us. After us, there's nothing. And Mistress Nine will have
already won the Messiah Wars."
        The warmth of Magellan's touch brought him back into Myung's
sight. He was gently cradling her head in his hands, pleading with her
through his ocean blue eyes. "I have to be there on the front lines
with my soldiers; I will not leave them to be slaughtered. Myung, I
cannot force you to stay here and watch me fight from a distance. But
I ask you: protect Serenity for me."
        If he could not fulfil the wishes of that dream, then he prayed
she might succeed if he failed. If he died....
        Magellan didn't want to think about that.
        He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers, letting her
drink up the emotion he was letting rush through the kiss. At last she
drank her fill and pulled away, her cheeks stained and glistening from
her tears. She was trying to smile despite her fear.
        "You just come back to me alive."
        Magellan knew he could make no promises.
        But he lied anyways.
        "I promise," he whispered.
        Sensing that their briefing had come to an end, the Outers
silently rose from their seats and left the two alone. They left the
war room doors open as they departed, but said little until they felt
sure they were out of earshot.
        "Only a few hours left before the war reaches its climax,"
Michiru remarked, staring out one of the grand windows of the
corridor. The peaceful fields of Vlatmere were sprawled out beyond the
castle ramparts, bathed in golden hues by a sky steadily becoming
crimson. "Where will you be until then, Setsuna?"
        Setsuna studied her reflection in the garnet orb of her
Timestaff. "I have to double-check something with Charon, so I'll be
gone for a while."
        "Will you share with us when you get back?"
        But Setsuna shook her head. "Maybe. It depends on what answers I
get, if any. And you two?"
        Michiru wrapped her arms around Haruka and snuggled up against
her lover's chest. "We'll visit Serenity first," Haruka said, trying
to sound casual. "And then we'll spend the remaining time together, by
ourselves."
        That made Setsuna smile, and she wished she could be so lucky as
to have someone like that in the future. Someday. One day. "See you at
sunset, Haruka. Michiru."
        "It was good working with you, even if it may only have been for
a short time," Michiru added softly, as if afraid that saying it any
louder would make it their death sentence.
        Then they parted directions, and went their separate ways.


        Magellan was holding Myung close to him as they left the war
room some time afterwards. He could sense her clinging to him, not
wanting to let him go. He didn't want to let her go either. More than
anything he wanted to spend these last few hours together with her.
        But he had his duties.
        The future was more important than either of them.
        And he had to ensure that they had done everything in their
power to protect it.
        With a heavy heart that refused to take any part on what he was
about to do next, Magellan gently eased Myung away from him. Her eyes
suddenly grew frightened, saddened and lonely all at once. His throat
went dry and his stomach sank. But it was something he had to do.
        Magellan opened his mouth, desperate to say anything, but
someone else's voice reached their ears instead.
        "Magellan."
        Almost startled, Magellan stepped away from Myung and looked
down the hall. His mother, Katherine Endymion, was standing there
expectantly. She nodded her head, and from his childhood memories he
knew that gesture well enough.
        She wanted a word with him in private.
        "I'm sorry," he apologized to Myung. As much as he wanted to use
this as an excuse to part for the remainder of the day, he was unable
to say it. Her trembling blue eyes crushed any thoughts of leaving
her, and so he said, "I'll be right back. I promise."
        Myung nodded and leaned against the wall in waiting for him. She
looked so subdued there, her chest heaving with uneven breaths as she
tried not to cry. As she tried not to suddenly feel so alone.
        "What is it?" Magellan asked his mother as he stepped up beside
her. His own worries immediately flared up: something had gone wrong
with the work outside. A crane had collapsed or a blockade had fallen
apart.
        "My son," Katherine said quietly. "I have heard Kakkyou's story.
He and Serenity loved each other, but they also had a precious gift
you are denying yourself: one last night together with the one you
love."
        Magellan found himself completely caught offguard, and he looked
at his mother as if she'd said something in a foreign language. "We
don't have a night. We may never have another night after a few
hours."
        "A few hours are good enough," Katherine stated. In a firmer
tone that made no room for challenges, she then went on. "I've already
spoken with Merlin and Frederic. They've informed me that within the
next hour, all major preparations will be completed. From then on, we
all wait. In the meantime, they've agreed to take charge of the
soldiers."
        Magellan's mind began to work.
        And understand what she was saying.
        Katherine cast a glance back at Myung. "Spend your time waiting
with her, Magellan. If not for yourself, then for her. For that is
what love is all about. Don't waste these last few hours. Make the
most of them, and then you will discover what it is you really are
fighting for. Not the future, but your future...your love."
        Magellan stared at her in amazement. But it was only a momentary
stare as he turned his head and found himself focusing on Myung. Only
on her.
        "Go to her," Katherine said to him. Her back was turned to the
couple, and she walked away even before Magellan had taken his first
step towards Myung.
        He felt a resurgence of everything embodied in that one moment
and memory before they had been called to Camelot. When he had given
her the ring and its Star Sapphire. It had been there in her eyes, in
her trembling hands as her finger accepted the ring. In her scent and
smile.
        In everything that was her.
        And he loved her.
        It suddenly felt like an eternity since that moment, his
forgetfulness marked by war, bitterness and blood. But now Magellan
found himself remembering, and in the process he found her again. And
it pained him to see Myung like this; now more than ever he wanted to
be with her, to comfort her, to comfort them both.
        Magellan delicately placed his hand under Myung's chin and
lifted her head. "You're going," she stated, not about hide the
sadness she felt about that.
        But he shook his head, and then kissed her lips. "No. I'm
staying here, with you.
        Myung's eyes widened, letting more tears fall down her face. He
wiped them away, savouring the warmth of her skin. "Really?" she
asked, almost unbelieving of what she had heard.
        Magellan nodded, wrapping her up in his arms and losing himself
in the wondrous scent of her long blonde hair. "Let's go someplace
private. We still have a few hours to be together. And that's more
than enough time."
        Their footsteps led them back to the rose garden. For a brief
moment the Man With No Name saw them, and then silently wet back to
caring for Serenity. Left to their own, Magellan and Myung found their
own corner of the garden.
        She laid down upon the grass, her blonde hair spilling out
around her form. He rested beside her, enjoying the pleasant mixture
of her scent and the aroma of the surrounding roses.
They only slept for less than an hour, together in each other's arms.
For the time that they were awake, they clung to each other and
whispered quiet words of affirmation, or else they laid in silence and
enjoyed the quiet wonder of each other's eyes. At that time, when the
world looked its darkest, for two lovers there was never a more
beautiful moment in existence.
        Everything was forgotten save for each other.
        Everything was cast aside save for love.
        For those few hours, the threat of death was powerless against
them.


        "It's good to have you here again, Setsuna," Charon's
disembodied voice welcomed her.
        Standing on the edge of heaven once more, Setsuna nodded. "It's
good to be here again, Charon. Did you miss me?"
        There was an awkward pause.
        Setsuna wondered if Charon was somehow blushing.
        "As much as a castle consciousness can miss its occupants,"
Charon answered finally. It seemed satisfied with the answer. "While I
don't know if it could be called 'loneliness', I did find myself
wanting someone to interact with whenever the Raithe was gone for
years on end."
        With the breath-taking display of stars above her, Setsuna found
herself a comfortable seat on Charon's promenade. She sighed deeply,
closing her magenta eyes and letting her tense muscles try to find a
moment of relaxation.
        She empathized with Charon.
        "What did you do when you found yourself alone?" she asked.
        "I usually busied myself with internal diagnostics," Charon
replied. "Some of the more extensive checks would take upwards of a
year or two to thoroughly clean out my systems. I'd work with the
diagnostics report to improve upon my functions."
        Setsuna smiled and kept her eyes shut. "So you had an imaginary
friend."
        There was a loud sputtering from Charon.
        "I, Madame, do not make up invisible friends," Charon stated,
sounding indignant but interpreting the jab as harmless. As it was
meant to be. Charon then added, "I make up invisible programs for
myself."
        Setsuna burst out laughing at that.
        It felt good to sincerely, honestly laugh.
        How long had it been since she'd last done that? Forgotten about
everything just indulged in the simple pleasure and gift that was
laughter? Some might have considered it strange that she'd laugh with
a castle's consciousness, but she was fast finding Charon to be not
simply an ally or instrument.
        Charon was a friend.
        "Tell you what, Charon," she said, setting her key-shaped staff
down at her feet. "Once the wars are over, you and I can go out
looking for other castles like you. Maybe the other Outer Senshi have
castles of their own."
        Charon sighed wistfully. "I admit that offer has tempted me
before in the past. But no matter how many times I scan the Solis
System, I cannot find any other Senshi castles save for myself."
        "Maybe," Setsuna countered. "you can't find them because they
haven't been activated yet. You've had a guardian and keeper for
centuries; no one else has. If Uranus and Neptune have awakened,
perhaps their own castles might be willing to reveal themselves."
        Charon paused and gave the idea considerable thought. "I had
considered the possibility, but never bothered to try it because no
Senshi had awakened in this system. Perhaps you're right."
        He then added, "Thank you, Setsuna."
        There was a sincerity in Charon's tone that made Setsuna open
her eyes. She smiled warmly up to the darkened cosmos above, hoping
that somehow Charon could see it was directed at him. "You're
welcome."
        She leaned back against the cushions, giving into the
overpowering urge to relax all the tension in her body and mind.
Slowly surrendering herself to the desires of sleep.
        The Messiah Wars seemed so far away. For the moment, she'd allow
them to remain so far away. She didn't want to think about any of
those things right now.
        "Magellan's one of them, isn't he?" she said quietly as she
began to drift away to a dreamworld. "A seed of the future."
        "I'm not sure I follow you."
        But Setsuna nodded to herself, already deciding. "Magellan will
survive, Charon. I'll make sure that happens. Earth will not become a
second Aurora."
        She was fading from consciousness now, not fully aware of what
she was saying. Abruptly she felt something warm and heavy settle onto
her, and Setsuna wrapped herself up in the blanket Charon had given.
        "I'll wake you just before the sun sets on Vlatmere, Setsuna,"
the castle said to her. "In the meantime, rest. You deserve it."


        The Man With No Name was no stranger to silence.
        Here in the rose garden, silence was a welcomed friend.
        It was, in fact, a silence found in peace.
        He continued to stroke Serenity's blonde hair, though she did
little to respond. The warm air was starting to cool. Soon it would be
cold enough to make him shiver. And so he stretched out his hand, the
black longcoat draped over the bench responding to his wordless
calling.
        It moved swiftly through the air, launching its collar into his
awaiting grip. Clouded eyes studied the coat. The white cross running
down one of the sleeves. And then the Man With No Name carefully
draped it over Serenity's prone form to keep her warm as the evening
slowly marched towards Vlatmere.
        "Thank you," she whispered, her voice so quiet he almost wasn't
sure if she had spoken at all.
        The Man With No Name paused, and then continued draping his coat
over her body. He said nothing. Somewhere in the depths of this
garden, Magellan and Myung were together. But they were not here, so
he did not concern himself with them.
        Only Serenity.
        A raindrop of lapis lazuli dangled around her neck, laid
sprawled upon the grasses next to her. It was Kakkyou's gift to her, a
promise to love her forever. Serenity closed her eyes, unable to cry
any more. The fount of sadness had long since dried up, and could not
supply any more tears for her. But the grief still remained, wrapping
its hurting grip around her heart and making the pain anew.
        Serenity's eyes opened up again when she heard movement,
something settling onto the grass next to her head. Orbs of crystal
blue saw a rose, red and beautiful in bloom, sitting there next to
her.
        "A rose's beauty cannot last forever," the Man With No Name
said, one hand never ceasing to caress her hair. "But while its petals
are open, there is nothing more pure and precious. When it's gone, you
learn why it was so special. And then will you treasure it forever."
        Serenity reached a trembling hand out and touched the rose. Its
crimson petals were washed away in a tide of silver. The change of
beauty captivated her. Her soul remained subdued, but it was daring to
open itself up once more.
        "Nothing I can say will bring Kakkyou back to you," the Man With
No Name said. "Nothing I can do will bring back my dragonwyrm either.
Both are gone. But I let the memory drive me forward, and refuse the
loss to keep me locked away in sadness."
        Here eyes still watched the rose, yet her heart took comfort in
what she heard. "Where did you learn to speak of things like that?"
she asked softly.
        "You taught me," he answered. "Ever since you came to this rose
garden, your magik has been whispering. And I have been listening to
it."
        Serenity's hand wrapped around Kakkyou's pendant.
        One more memory of his face was etched in her mind forever.
        One more kiss was recalled, and treasured all the more.
        A single tear found a way to manifest itself, and it slowly
moved down her cheek. Neither of them moved to wipe it away. A tear
was still a thing of beauty, even amidst the realms of sadness.
        "Have you been with me all this time?" she asked.
        "Ever since Kakkyou asked us to take care of you." The Man With
No Name let a finger caress her cheek. "He never wanted to see you
cry. He gave his life in the hopes that you would be happy."
        "Then why do I feel so empty?"
        "Are you?"
        Serenity's mind was suddenly flooded with memories and visions
of Elfhame. She saw faces and creatures and trees. All the places she
had ever been to, all the treetops she had glided through. Every last
whisper and smile and kiss from Kakkyou was there in front of her.
        She saw herself through Kakkyou's eyes.
        All this he had given her in that final kiss.
        "I had almost forgotten," she whispered, overwhelmed.
        "Grief has a way of making us forget. But it also helps us
remember. There will always be an emptiness in your heart where
Kakkyou once was, Serenity. But it will not always be as great or as
painful as it now seems."
        He paused, and listened to her magik.
        "Love," he said quietly, echoing its whispers. "will find a
way."
        For the first time since she had been brought to the rose
garden, Serenity moved wholly of her own will and volition. She rolled
onto her back, staring up at the Man With No Name. Her eyes were still
red from crying. They still mirrored the sorrow of her soul.
        "You speak like a poet, yet you don't have a name."
        The Man With No Name tilted his face down as he heard the soft
words of whisper from Serenity, and shook his head at her question. "I
was born a stranger in a strange land. I listen to the magik that
belongs to me, and it has no answer. For this reason I do not have a
name, nor do I mind being without one."
        "It seems cruel that you would be without a name. A name gives a
sense of belonging; Kakkyou taught me that. What am I to call you
then?"
        "Don't call me anything. Avoid using my name." With a wry grin
he added, "'Hey you' always seemed to work for Haruka."
        A weak smile found its way onto Serenity's face. "What about me?
What does the magik say about me?"
        The Man With No Name looked up to the open skies overhead. Sky
blue was turning navy blue. The world was darkening. War would be
coming soon for them--and yet, so long as he stayed here with her, he
did not care. When it came, it came. He would face it once it
encroached upon the rose garden's boundaries.
        Once it came for Serenity.
        He answered her, "In the forest, Kakkyou called you his beloved,
his fiancé. Magellan and the others call you Messiah. I shall call you
neither. The title of beloved nor Messiah suits you in my eyes. You
are who you are...and you shall be called Serenity."
        For the first time since he had awakened, the Man With No Name
had found something. Not simply learned or discovered, but found. He
had found something he wanted to protect.
        That was his purpose in this life.
        He would protect Serenity.
        He would give his life for her.
        And in giving that, he knew he would give her something else:
the Holy Grail.


        Half an hour remained before sunset.
        Everyone was getting into armour, mobilizing, psyching
themselves up for the war that was not an hour away from coming.
Magellan was not yet there to lead his soldiers onto the battlefield
in front of Vlatmere castle. That time was only a few minutes away,
however.
        For now he was suiting up in private, letting the Aroth Armour
lie dormant a little while longer. Its enchanted plates were hidden
beneath a larger and most basic set of armour currently covering his
body. Excalibur, currently just a plain-looking longsword, was
sheathed at his back. He could feel every nerve tingling with a
strange sort of excitement.
        He'd said his good-byes to Myung.
        Good-bye and not farewell.
        "What do you think our odds are?" Frederic asked, slipping into
one of his boots.
        Magellan stared out the lancet windows of the chamber only he
and Frederic stood within. He could see the distant lands surrounding
the castle, and something stirring within the darkness. His heightened
sense of magik sent the hairs on the back of his neck standing
straight out.
        The Dark Messiah was there, waiting for him.
        "I'd rather die than see Mistress Nine beat us back again,"
Magellan growled.
        Suddenly his gauntlet rippled, black tendrils wriggling along
the otherwise smooth, mud-brown surface. Magellan's eyes widened in
surprise, and he clamped his other hand down around the twitching
forearm.
        The resistance was incredible!
        He could feel his body shaking as he clenched his forearm,
forcibly willing the armour to cease. The tendrils thrashed a few more
times before hibernating. Slowly the armour quieted itself and
reverted back to its original form around his arm. It slept as if it
had never been disturbed.
        "What the hell was that?" Frederic hissed.
        "I don't know," Magellan said, wiggling his fingers as if
doubting he still had control over them. "The armour, it...it reacted
to my thoughts."
        And then he remembered what the mage had said in Elfhame: the
Aroth Armour's power was fed and amplified by his emotions...no matter
what the emotion was.
        "So what the hell were you thinking?" Frederic asked, though
there was more an attempt to defuse the tension with humour than
actually discover the reason.
        "Nothing," Magellan lied. He released his wrist and tested how
smoothly he could unsheathe Excalibur off his back.
        But Frederic held his own reservations. "Look, Magellan; I'm no
sorcerer and I'm no Ancient. But watch yourself. That armour wasn't
called the Demon Armour because it made for a catchy name. The last
thing I want to do is fight you."
        "It won't come to that, Frederic."
        He made it a statement and a vow all at once.
        For Myung, he would resist and refuse to become a demon.
        That satisfied Frederic enough. He nodded, and took hold of his
bow.
        "See you out on the front-lines?" Magellan asked as his friend
walked out the door.
        Frederic smiled. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."


        In the shadows on the borders of Vlatmere, something stirred.
Something sensed the dying light and powers of the sun. The night was
arising to take hold. To take control. Just as they would take
control.
        They were the demons of darkness.
        The Armies of the Silence.
        Out from the darkness of a shadow cast by a tree, from the
obscurity of a sloping hill or misplaced boulder, they emerged.
Sometimes one by one, other times appearing en masse with a
frightening beauty as they silently glided out in legions of unnatural
hordes.
        Violet eyes opened.
        Mistress 9 stared out at the castle of Vlatmere.
        She could sense the magik belonging to the one named Magellan,
the one who had now twice escaped her. She wanted vengeance. She could
taste it.
        But she could also taste something else.
        A strange magik that had almost been completely muffled by the
lethal energy of Elfhame's destruction. It echoed of light and
happiness, of laughter and love. It was the purest magik she had ever
tasted. Barely there amidst Elfhame's death throes, yet it continued
to grow stronger the closer she came to Vlatmere.
        Mistress 9 let a wicked smile move across her face, and she
licked her lips. Tonight she would taste this magik. Tonight she would
have revenge.
        Tonight she would be the Messiah of Darkness.
        She turned her head back to her followers, the ranks of demonic
creatures awaiting her command. The evening winds blew at her long
ravendark hair, letting it cascade in ripples down the back of her
dark dress.
        "Time to dance," she giggled.
        The Shadow Army began to advance upon Vlatmere.
        The last war was at hand.


        That night, at sunset, the armies of Vlatmere went outside of
the castle to meet their destiny. Four Senshi, and a man with no name
stayed behind. They had but one task, one duty: if the Dark Messiah
broke through Magellan's defences, then they had to protect Serenity.
        All of them.
        In the distance, the Shadow Armies were marching.
        And Setsuna prayed that no more lives would have to be
sacrificed.
        Rows upon rows of Earth's last battalions assembled in the
fields of Vlatmere, the castle just in sight from the top of the
hills. If they failed here, if they fell just as their comrades in
arms had at Camelot, even on Aurora, then they were all doomed.
        Many of them were nervous, uneasy, morbid. The chances of their
survival in the face of an enemy who took no prisoners and left
nothing untouched were next to none. Better to flee and take their
chances living as refugees in some godforsaken cave or forest.
        And many more were wearing faces of dark determination. If there
was nothing to lose, then hell itself could be damned as far as they
cared. If they were to die here, then they would die taking as many of
those hellspawned creatures with them. For even if the chance of
survival was close to nothing, it still was more than nothing.
        The hope was there for them to cling to.
        That hope of the men, and even of the women, gathered there for
the last war was embodied in a young man standing at the front lines,
the one destined to lead them in this final hour.
        "I don't see Morgana anywhere," came Frederic's voice in behind
him.
        Magellan smiled bitterly. "I doubt she's even alive. Mistress
Nine doesn't seem the type to take orders from the likes of her."
        That managed a slight chuckle from his friend.
        "Where's Merlin?" Magellan asked.
        "He's on the Eastern front; he'll be leading our soldiers on
that side, while you and I defend against the demons on the north."
        While Magellan was relieved to hear that they had someone as
powerful as Merlin co-ordinating their efforts, he still wondered if
any of them would stand a chance. "What about the other sides of the
castle?"
        Frederic shrugged. "The Shadow Armies only came from those two
directions. They're forming a semi-circle, a sort of phalanx. Won't
surprise me if they try to crush both sides together and squeeze us
into a bottleneck."
        Magellan said nothing.
        "It won't be long now," Frederic stated. "I don't exactly think
you have enough roses to impale everyone with."
        He nodded. "That's why I have the sword."
        Even more than a mere weapon, the sword in his hands was
symbolic of the one who had led these armies before him. King Arthur,
the Pendragon: the one who had created this great empire that the
Mistress of Silence was so bent on wiping out.
        "Any regrets, Frederic?" he asked.
        Frederic grinned, a savage smile appearing from beneath helmet
and armour. The arrow in Frederic's bow was knocked, ready to be drawn
back and then unleashed at a moment's notice. "None come to mind. Even
if I die, so long as Vlatmere is protected I will regret nothing on
this day. And you...Lord Magellan Endymion?"
        "I will regret nothing," Magellan stated, his knuckles
tightening around Excalibur. "I refuse to let Death come and take me
from this life today."
        A shrilling howl was lifted up among the forces of their
enemies, one that could have shattered the daylight.
        Magellan gripped the hilt of the longsword, eyes narrowing, the
core of his very soul glaring at the charging forces of darkness.
Indescribable creations borne of unnatural nightmares, hellish to lay
eyes upon and ferociously epitomized with just a glance. The Armies of
Silence came down the hills to meet them, a swarm of frenzied beasts
that had once been human.
        That beautiful face...he wanted to see it once more. To feel the
warmth of her smile, and the soft caress of her hands. To live another
day with his beloved Senshi, he would protect her.
        "Myung," he whispered. "My Venus...."
        He would protect them all.
        Suddenly Excalibur's sleek and narrow form rippled, the metal
morphing and pulsating as if it were alive. A geyser of molten grey
spewed from the hilt, flying wildly in three arcs of watery tendrils
that coiled around the blade of the sword. Liquid hardened back into
solid metal, the blade now having tripled in its size.
        Magellan's hands felt as if they were on fire as he felt the
flood of magik flow into the hilt, the grip of the sword itself
changing into something larger and easier for him to hold. What was
once a slender longsword had now become a broad-sided and double-edged
weapon that stood higher than he did. Down along the centre ran runes
which openly displayed Excalibur's name.
        Frederic was breathing hard beside him. His childhood and most
trusted friend raised the bow, aiming the pronged end of  the arrow at
the nearest charging beast. "Now?"
        Ocean blue eyes narrowed. If Serenity was indeed the Messiah of
Light, then all his own hopes rested in her. All he could do here was
buy Myung and the others time.
        Time before the Armies of Silence marched across Vlatmere and
wiped out the last pillar of resistance. Time to find the hidden magik
laying dormant within that young girl and unleash it, to save them
all. Time to find the Grail before Mistress 9 did.
        Everything had come down to a matter of time.
        And time was running out.
        For a moment, Magellan closed his eyes. A wave of magik flowed
out from his body, an entity appearing and consuming his form. His
body was lifted into the air for but a heartbeat as a skin of shadows
flowed out from the folds of his earthly armour, consuming the metal
and devouring it completely. Everything turned an earthen mud brown.
Pauldrons and gauntlets curved out and wrapped themselves accordingly,
beautifully ornamented with unreadable runes.
        "Watch yourself," Frederic muttered, voice still tense.
        Magellan grimly stared out at the rampaging lines of creatures
closing the gap between them. "I know."
        The Aroth Armour was alive.
        And in order to stay that way, it would keep him alive too.
        Magellan's blue eyes faded, the colours now a shade of brown to
match his armour. They were now one once more, and he could feel the
power flowing through it.
        The creatures of the Silence were almost upon them all.
        Abruptly the armour rippled, flowing around his skull and
hardening to create the perfect mask. His eyes were barely even
visible, but they burned with determination.
        "Now," he stated.
        Despite the weapon's enormous size, Magellan wielded Excalibur
with astonishing ease. He swung the immense blade over his head,
holding it there with both hands. And in not a word or shout, but a
bellow, the call to charge was made.
        His soldiers were mere footsteps behind him as Magellan drove
forward into the advancing rows of unnatural beings. Eyes bulging and
glowing yellow, bodies with multiple limbs and fur and claws and
fangs. It was almost as if hell had spat up its prisoners and let them
run free here upon the Earth.
        Magellan gave a loud shout as he brought down the sword in a
downwards arc, letting the massive blade cut a gaping hole through the
first creatures who tried to tear his body apart. Blood spilled,
splashed across his face, dripped down his armour and his weapon.
        Something leaped up from the moving mass of creatures, blocking
the last rays of light from his sight as it pounced upon him. He could
only watch, wide-eyed in horror as the beast descended, ready to rake
its claws across his chest. Suddenly an arrow shot through the air,
its pronged tip burying itself into the beast's skull. With a howl,
the creature's flight twisted, and it crashed down upon its own fellow
monsters.
        Magellan whirled and saw Frederic already knocking another arrow
to let fly into the ranks of the demons. He didn't bother looking back
to try and let their eyes meet. Magellan raised Excalibur and cut
through the masses of darkness once more.
        Humans and beasts were meeting in a blood-soaked line, the once
effortless charge now becoming thousands of small skirmishes between
each other. Magellan pushed through as many as he could, cutting a
gruesome path through the very heart of their numbers.
        "Damn!" he hissed, blocking the claws of yet another beast.
        Moments later, Excalibur bisected the thing from crotch to
skull, a cascade of black ooze spraying down on him.
        Magellan spun around, lobbing the head off another attacker. Yet
another surged up from behind, lunging from an angle he knew couldn't
cover with his sword. He growled, summoning the powers locked within
himself, and drew from it a brilliant yellow rose. The blossoming
flower was hurled with deadly force and accuracy, the sharpened and
thorny stem burrowing itself into the monstrosity's skull with near
disturbing ease.
        Blood gushed out, rich and dark and drenching his armour.
        Magellan looked across the field of battle. There was only one
soul he was intent on finding, one face among all the others he sought
to confront. And all because he knew she was hunting for him. He had
seen the Dark Messiah at the front lines, lifting her hand to give the
signal to charge. After that she had been swallowed up by her minions.
        So where was she now?
        The ground began to shift beneath his feet. Magellan nearly
toppled over, barely missing the savage jaws of some winged beast.
Excalibur was used as his crutch, keeping his balance as the earth
started to crack apart.
        Up from the underground rose a dragon.
        Black like the iron metal it was forged from, the mechanical
beast broke through the layers of grass and dirt to slowly tower in
the air over him. The flight was graceful even for a creature that did
not breathe. But its form was immense, throwing Magellan into ominous
shadows.
        "Fuck me!" Magellan exclaimed.
        Excalibur nearly dropped from his grasp.
        The iron dragon rumbled, the enormous and elaborate joints of
its neck shifting to lower its head in reverence. And there atop the
metal steed's head was the Messiah of Silence. Mistress 9's long dark
hair flowed out past her face, caught by the winds whipping past them.
Her dress danced to the same rhythm as her hair, a dance of blood and
death. And in her arms was held the Silence Glaive.
        "Mistress Nine," Magellan said coldly, rising to his feet.
        Noiselessly the joints of the dragon's neck moved, its head
lowering her closer to where he stood. The number of attacking
creatures around him had suddenly dropped. Magellan looked, and saw
that he was being deliberately left alone.
        All for her.
        Suddenly the iron dragon turned its head. What was left for him
to stare at was an enormous gaping eye of the metallic beast. He
stared at a colossal black hole lit up like a spotlight. One enormous
curved plate of steel slid up and retracted. The eyelid gone, Magellan
could see himself within the reflection of the iron dragon's eye. He
could have walked directly into it.
        But what he saw terrified him.
        He stumbled backwards at the sight, in seeing that the dragon
was looking at him. From one living creature to another, it understood
what he was and what it was and what they both were doing there. It
understood everything.
        There was a soul within this machine.
        The iron dragon was alive.
        Mistress 9 giggled as she watched him. "Ara, you don't like my
little pet, Magellan? A shame. I picked him out from my host's
memories, and a strange dream that echoes of Auroran magik." Her
violet eyes glanced over to Excalibur. "I see you found a way to
repair it...but do you expect me to fear that? I killed the man who
last held that sword in his arms. Your blade is nothing more to me
than a mere toy."
        By his will, the helmet of his armour retracted. It was a risk
exposing his face to someone like her; in that moment Magellan did
not even care about it.
        "We'll see about that," he hissed. Magellan steadied himself,
taking up the sword of his fallen King once more. He held it at the
iron dragon and its rider, summoning whatever magik he could think and
even dream of. The Aroth Armour rippled, attuning itself to his every
thought.
        The Dark Messiah laughed from atop her iron steed. "A pity you
refuse to join my ranks. My master, Pharaoh Ninety, would thank you by
making you a daimon container instead of just wiping you out."
        Magellan growled at her statement. "You tried to kill me the
last time we met in battle, Mistress Nine. I have yet to see you
follow through with it."
        That managed to get a rise of emotion from her.
        And it was pure rage.
        Her hair blew out all around her form as her eyes began to flash
a brilliant violet light. "You...dare you mock me?!" she shouted,
raising a hand towards him.
        A blast of fierce magik erupted from her open palm, shooting
through the air and then shredding apart the land as it impacted with
the ground. The rampaging attack smashed itself against Magellan with
violent force, the earth cracking apart and venting red hot steam.
        Magellan reacted by slamming Excalibur's blade into the ground,
letting the metal sink as deeply into the dirt as possible. His armour
rippled again, veins of black liquid racing down the blade of the
weapon. Six shafts of light from all around him exploded from the
grasses, lines of light racing together to form a sacred star.
        And he was its centre.
        The light abruptly turned black, converging upon his armour.
Everything was focused into his body. With a loud shout, Magellan
pulled out Excalibur, bringing with it a wave of incredible force that
distorted the very air. The magik crackled as it tore a new path
towards the iron dragon.
        Mistress 9 swung her glaive at the shockwave, barely managing to
cut it in half before it would have overtaken both her and the metal
beast. The air was shattered, and instead of one deep cut, thousands
of smaller wind razors were scattered in every direction.
        Creatures from the Army of Silence were sliced apart by it.
        Soldiers from Magellan's own army shared the same fate.
        But as Mistress 9 lowered an arm held protectively in front of
her face, Magellan could see a small trail of blood running down her
cheek. Her shoulders were heaving, her eyes murderous towards him.
        That he, a mere mortal human, could wound her.
        "It won't be so easy this time," he panted, adjusting his grip
on Excalibur.
        She was the reason an entire planet had been reduced to lifeless
rock. She was the reason the Golden Empire was crumbling, almost gone
completely. She was the reason King Arthur was dead. Why Elfhame was
gone. Why Serenity was trapped in grief and sadness.
        That all this evil could come from one single person.
        Magellan suddenly realized how much he hated Mistress 9.
        In that moment, he forgot about everything else but the war, and
all its violence and bloodshed. The memories of his quiet moments with
Myung were lost. All his promises to protect his castle, his kingdom,
his world faded to black in the corners of his mind.
        Mistress 9 raised the Silence Glaive over her head, swinging the
staff and pointing the blade at his heart. She was challenging him
once more. This time there would be no stalemate. He had no intention
of letting it end at that. Neither would she.
        Something happened.
        The Aroth Armour started to beat to the rhythm of his heart.
        Magellan's smile suddenly grew dark, savage. The armour rippled
once more, and then turned as black as a midnight without stars in its
heavens. Bone turned to darkest metal. The armour flowed around his
face, covering the back of his skull but keeping his face exposed.
Like living paint it kept to the edges of his face, lines swimming
onto his cheeks, curving and pulsating to create incredibly complex
runes that became etched onto his skin.
        Runes of dark magik.
        His eyes faded from brown to a shade of night. Magellan licked
his lips, almost tasting her blood upon them. And then he issued the
words that would mark the beginning of the end of the Messiah Wars:
        "I'll kill you myself."
        Suddenly his entire form rippled and changed.
        Excalibur was consumed, the immense blade fusing and becoming a
vicious double-pronged extension of his one arm. Magellan's body
swelled, spines erupting from his arms and legs, running down his
back. Fingertips became savage claws. A pair of immense, leathery
wings exploded from his back in a fury of black rain, reaching around
to enfold him like a womb.
        For a terrifying heartbeat they hid him from sight.
        And when they opened the metamorphosis was complete. No longer
did the armour look like armour and Magellan look like Magellan. They
were bonded together, creating a towering humanoid beast of darkness,
one who had Magellan's eyes but not his soul. The wings unfolded from
around his body, then spread and caught the winds.
        Magellan took to the air, now hovering over the heads of the
other soldiers. He stood there, unmoving, his head bowed. Poised to
strike.
        "Well," Mistress 9 remarked with a malevolent smile. "This is
something new. Such beautiful darkness...and yet how much it hate me.
Your magik, Magellan, will be such a feast."
        A low, guttural growl escaped his lips.
        The Aroth Armour had claimed him.
        Magellan had become a demon.


        "Something's wrong," Sailor Venus said, her voice now laden with
urgent fear. She turned and stared at one of the walls, trying to look
beyond the immense stone bricks covered by trellises and veils of
green foliage.
        The other Senshi, also wearing their battle fuku, warily began
scanning the garden. This place may have been shielded from the sight
of battle, but not the sounds. Cries, shouts and the clashing of sides
were dim but noticeable sounds to their ears. And even more than that,
they could sense the magik that permeated the air, saturating
everything around Vlatmere Castle, moving through walls and down
passageways of its own accord.
        And now it had found them.
        Pluto gripped her key-shaped staff a little tighter, suddenly
wishing she could afford the time to talk with Charon. Anything to
know what was going on outside these walls--but she knew she couldn't
leave her post.
        None of them could, not without risking Serenity's life.
        But the tsunami of magik that had just flooded past them was
chilling their bodies. The Outer Soldiers turned their heads left and
right as in the magik's wake came a tempest of winds rattling
everything in the rose garden. Flower petals suddenly went from
scarlet to black, the blossoms being ripped from their bulbs moments
later. The maelstrom of black petals swarmed and circled around them,
showing no signs of wanting to cease.
        "Kuso," Uranus muttered. "What the hell was that?"
        Neptune shook her head, one of her hands trying to seek out her
lover. "I don't know. But whatever it was, it's powerful. And it's not
Mistress Nine's."
        They continued to stand their guard, watching from the perimeter
of the rose garden. With the magik now taunting them with ominous
thoughts and fears and visions of a future gone berserk, they began to
step back from the outer walls. Moved protectively to close around
Serenity.
        The blonde girl still sat upon the grasses in the middle of the
garden. But now her eyes were open and alert. She lifted her head off
the Man With No Name's chest, and looked around. It was the first time
she had made such dramatic voluntary movement since collapsing at
Elfhame.
        The Man With No Name said nothing regarding this. Instead one of
his hands adjusted the way his coat hung over her shoulders.
"Serenity, can you walk?"
        Weakly she nodded. It would still be an effort for her, when
most of her body had lost its will to move. When most of her heart had
lost its will to exist.
        The Man With No Name then carefully, gently, helped her to her
feet. "This part of the garden isn't safe anymore. You're not safe
anymore."
        Serenity's eyes widened as she heard a blood-curdling bellow
shake the walls enclosing the garden. Small patches of dust fell from
above. "What's happening?"
        One hand slowly slid the tinted coin-sized lenses off his nose.
The Man With No Name glanced down at the sunglasses, eyes of churning
clouds and darkness seeing nothing and everything all at once. He
suddenly realized that tucking the lenses away in his pocket would be
a useless act.
        This would be the last time he ever used them.
        And so he tossed the sunglasses out into the garden. With a
silent landing the frame holding the lenses in place sent up a fury of
black rose petals.
        "The Messiahs are about to meet, Serenity," he told her. "But
not before Aroth has some fun first."


        No longer was the creature hovering before her in the air the
human she had somehow known to be called Magellan. That much was
obvious. Mistress 9 could feel the creature's heartbeat echoing in her
ears, escorted by a stir of magik that could not have originated from
this world or even this star system.
        The Dark Messiah leaned forward atop the head of her immense
metal dragon, and ran her tongue along her lower lip. "Aroth...so
that's your name now."
        The creature growled again.
        Its heartbeat, one that she alone could hear, began to quicken.
Mistress 9 ignored the frightened shouts of the people below her. She
didn't care about the trembling that her own demonic minions were
showing with the appearance of Aroth. All that mattered was the power
before her. Power to be consumed.
        And beyond that...beyond that laid something she could feel
stirring in the heart of this castle. Another magik was beginning to
awaken itself.
        Mistress 9's eyes went back to the form of the Aroth demon. It
was beginning to clench and unclench its hands, long clawed fingertips
dripping with a black substance that could almost have been called
sweat or blood.
        Suddenly Aroth's wings snapped out, spreading and stretching and
carrying the demon straight towards her. The Dark Messiah flinched,
her iron dragon rearing up in surprise. The metal beast roared and
swung one of its forearms. Yet for as fast and merciless as the blow
was meant to be, Aroth was smaller and faster.
        The demon twisted its winged form around the dragon's paw,
soaring along the iron dragon's side until it cleared the body and now
stood before Mistress 9. She whirled, swinging the Silence Glaive
around.
        Aroth didn't move.
        Didn't flinch.
        With one swift, effortless motion it raised one of its hands and
slapped the blade aside. Mistress 9 stumbled sideways, looking at
Aroth in surprise. The demon snarled where it stood, its eyes glaring
at her.
        And then Aroth lunged, trying to take her head off with the
double-pronged blade that used to be Excalibur. The Dark Messiah
pulled back her glaive, smashing the polearm against the nearest
blade. The strike was just enough to have the edge of the blade
narrowly miss her arm.
        Aroth quickly spun its body around as its attack was thrown off.
The other hand was raised, vicious claws splayed, and the demon tried
to rake those claws down Mistress 9's face. She jumped back, letting
Aroth's fingertips meet with only air.
        She was panting for breath now.
        "So this is the reward for losing your soul," she said, pushing
some of her long black hair off her shoulder.
        Aroth's jaws opened, revealing uneven rows of sharp teeth. A
hiss of air escaped its throat.
        The Dark Messiah stood her ground, and smirked.
        Suddenly the iron dragon's tail came whipping over her head, its
end lashing out and smashing into Aroth. The demon was abruptly
launched off the dragon, sent tumbling through the air from the
incredible force of the hit. Mistress 9 giggled as she saw Aroth's
form descend to the earth.
        "So much for demon armour," she stated coldly.
        Aroth disagreed.
        A black streak came shooting back towards her, Aroth unleashing
a howl that caused both sides below them to cease fighting and gaze in
wonder and horror at the war in the skies above. Suddenly the iron
dragon was upon Aroth, roaring with a ferocious echo that shook the
Vlatmere fields even further. Dust was thrown in all directions,
clouding the demon's form. The iron dragon pounced, swinging its
jointed neck and snapping its jaws in a fury of teeth and transparent
lubricant.
        Aroth dodged the snapping jaws, soaring beneath the iron
dragon's body. And then it fell upon the metallic creature without any
thoughts of mercy or compassion. The double-pronged blades of
Excalibur were sent slashing along the back of the beast's armour
plating. Scales forged of living iron took a savage beating as the
blades dug in and tore gouges across the metal, the iron dragon
rearing up and roaring in blind anger. Its wings outstretched,
flapping wildly as the blades worked their way up to its head.
        Aroth was moving almost too fast to be seen as anything but a
blur up the iron dragon's back. But the Dark Messiah saw the demon,
and continued to watch as it moved towards her. The blade of her
glaive started to glow violet as she summoned her powers.
        This creature was making her work for its magik.
        Now it was time to demonstrate her true strength.
        Mistress 9 twirled the glaive over her head before levelling it
with the impending form of Aroth. Her violet eyes narrowed, tresses of
ravendark hair starting to billow out and float in the air.
        "Silence Glaive Surprise!"


        The heavens above Vlatmere castle were suddenly bathed in indigo
flames, casting everything below in a purple hue. Even within the
sheltering walls of the rose garden, the Senshi witnessed it. All eyes
looked above.
        "Mistress Nine," Neptune said quietly, shivering at the memory
of Hakkeda. "It could only be her."
        "She's going to be coming here if she breaks through," Uranus
said, glancing over at Sailor Pluto. "It may all be over in a few
minutes."
        Though she said nothing in response, Pluto shook her head. It
would not end here. It could not end here. She wouldn't let the future
be destroyed, not like this. Even if she had to give up her own life
in the process, the future would be protected. Her Onee-san had given
her a mission: to save the seeds of the future.
        As she looked with magenta eyes at the others standing with her
in the rose garden, Pluto knew that they all were her allies, her
friends. They were in this war together. All their seeds would be
protected.
        Another jarring explosion caused the castle to quake beneath
their feet. Uranus clenched her jaw, ready to unleash a World Shaking
any second.
        Venus was no longer aware of the others. She was no longer
looking up at the skies, but had her head bowed and blue eyes closed.
She was silently praying, trying to reassure herself that Magellan was
all right. That despite what she was seeing and hearing and sensing,
he would come back to her.
        That Magellan would keep his promise.
        Tears were running down her cheeks as she pleaded for someone to
hear, and answer her by returning Magellan to her.
        And the Man With No Name continued to stay close to Serenity,
acting as her crutch so she might walk. Though he did not remove her
altogether from the rose garden, he gently guided her footsteps to
lead them both to the far side of the garden.
        The world around them was growing dark. The fiery rays of dusk
were sinking fast beneath the horizon line. Within another few minutes
all that would remain to give light to the heavens would be the full
moon.
        "I'm scared," Serenity whispered, clutching his coat tighter.
Trying to wrap herself up in something that might offer protection, or
even a vague sense of security.
        "Change is approaching," the Man With No Name answered.
"Everyone fears change. But you more than anyone else must change
now."
        She looked up to him with her crystal blue eyes. They were
questioning his words, asking for an explanation.
        The explanation itself was only now coming to him. As he spoke,
the Man With No Name at last realized his purpose in life. His reason
for waking up one day, an aged new-born upon this world with no past
memories and an arsenal of old, powerful magik.
        "The time is coming, Serenity," he told her. "You must awaken."
        "Awaken what?" Serenity asked. She was pleading, desperate to
know as much as he did.
        The castle shuddered around them a third time.
        Clouds of black rose petals burst into the air, swirling around
Neptune and Uranus' forms.
        The Man With No Name let his blurry eyes begin to clear. A pure
darkness was revealed as the clouds dispersed, displaying the
lightning that was his source of power and being.
        "It wants to awaken. It wants you to awaken with it, for without
you there can be no magik."
        Serenity shook her head, overwhelmed by so many different
emotions clouding her judgement. "What are you talking about?"
        "The magik that gave you your name. The magik you displayed when
Elfhame was destroyed."
        Serenity's heart abruptly began to beat louder and faster.
        Awaken....
        "What is it that you want the most, Serenity?" the Man With No
Name asked of her. "What is your heart's desire?"
        Serenity searched her heart.
        What she found was the memory of Kakkyou. His world, his
whispers, his smile. The warmth she felt whenever she snuggled close
to him. The security she felt as he held her tightly in his arms. The
love he vowed to show her until eternity's end. And all that remained
of him now was the lapis lazuli pendant dangling around her neck.
        Serenity knew what she wanted. "I want an end to the pain," she
whispered, starting to cry. "I don't want anyone else to suffer what
I'm going through anymore."
        She swallowed back her sorrows.
        Awaken....
        "I want an end to this war."
        The Man With No Name abruptly smiled, and caressed her cheek.
"And that is why I was meant for you, and not Mistress Nine. That is
your heart's desire, Serenity; for you, I shall grant it."
        Serenity looked up at the Man With No Name's stormfed eyes in
confusion and awe. "How?"
        She wasn't the only one listening to his words.
        And suddenly the revelation struck Setsuna. She turned her head,
magenta eyes fixating upon the Man With No Name. "You're the keeper of
the Grail," she said.
        The Man With No Name chuckled. "I guess I am."
        He understood it all now.
        He had been created by the Ancients, a locked door to protect
the Holy Grail until its rightful owner, the Messiah of Light, could
appear and claim it. Only now it was a matter of discerning how
Serenity could make the Grail manifest itself. And whether or not she
could overcome the Dark Messiah when the Grail at last appeared.


        Out from the fires and ashes of the Silence Glaive Surprise
erupted the Aroth demon. It wasn't even slowed down, barrelling
through the heart of the attack and oblivious to the damage its body
had taken. Mistress 9 revelled in the fact that she could see places
where Aroth's strange armoured skin was burned and chipped.
        That exhilaration could only last for a few seconds though.
        The Dark Messiah and the Aroth demon collided once more,
throwing their magik and weapons at each other with ferocious energy.
A graze across her cheek drew blood, and Mistress 9 retaliated in rage
by unleashing a second Silence Glaive Surprise.
        This time the deadly explosion caught Aroth and sent it tumbling
into the side of Vlatmere castle. Its winged demonic form smashed into
one of the lesser towers, pulverizing the reinforced wall. The tower
shook with a gaping hole now in it. Yet before the dust could even
settle, Aroth was back in flight.
        It howled for retribution.
        Mistress 9 watched Aroth once again draw nearer to her. "Now
it's getting interesting."
        She silently willed her iron dragon to move through the air,
racing towards Aroth with the same speed the demon was using. Their
blades connected in a flash of magik and light that made it appear as
if lightning had laid claim to the cloudless evening. The two pulled
back and then lunged at each other again.
        The iron dragon's body twisted and writhed in the air, moving
with a speed and agility that made it appear as if it were an
extension of the Dark Messiah's own body. She was never jostled upon
its head, never thrown or buffeted around. The dragon kept her steady
as she repeatedly met with the winged fury of Aroth.
        Mistress 9 leapt off the iron dragon's head, falling towards the
earth with a momentum meant to have the Silence Glaive cleave Aroth in
half. Aroth's wings flapped once as it soared up to meet her. Their
weapons connected in an explosion of sparks.
        For one brief second, their force was equal enough to have them
hovering there. And then Aroth flung out its other arm and swatted
Mistress 9 aside. She twisted her body with fluid perfection despite
having been struck on the side of her face. The iron dragon was
abruptly beneath her, letting the Dark Messiah land back upon its
head.
        Aroth charged again.
        But the demon no longer went after Mistress 9.
        With an unexpected corkscrew, Aroth dropped beneath the iron
dragon's head and flew past the Dark Messiah's perch. All too quickly
Mistress 9 saw what Aroth intended to do.
        "Pull away!" she called to her mechanical beast.
        The iron dragon recoiled, swinging its head away from Aroth. Yet
Aroth had already moved. With an unearthly bellow the demon flung
forth its arms and buried the twin-pronged Excalibur blades deep
within the dragon's one eye. Blood thick and murky like oil spewed
forth in a geyser, gushing past the demon as it pushed in further and
became lost within the dragon's eye. The eyelid frantically swung
closed but was too late.
        The iron dragon was screaming in agony, thrashing madly as its
jaws blazed white hot light that caught fire and burst into flame. An
inferno rushed into the battlefields below, fire washing across the
humans and youma in a dancing scarlet flood.
        Mistress 9 shrieked in outrage as she frantically leapt off from
the iron dragon's head, trying not to get bucked off from its maddened
convulsions. Silently she hovered in the air and watched her metallic
steed spiral downwards, leaving a trail of fire and smoke in the
darkened skies behind it.
        The dragon was on a collision course with Vlatmere castle.
        Aroth didn't even seem to care.
        Mistress 9 didn't really care either, for that matter. Yet this
new incarnation of the Aroth demon had given her too many wounds to
lick, delivered too many kicks to her vengeful pride. A harsh reminder
that she had not been brought to the Solis System for fun. She had not
been given this wondrously powerful host container simply to play
games.
        Her mission was recalled and renewed.
        She would bring her master, Pharaoh 90, to Earth.
        But first she had to wipe out this opposition to her objective.
        The Dark Messiah ran one of her palms along the cool, metal
surface of the blade. Watching as the iron dragon plummeted even
further. And then suddenly becoming aware of yet another magik in the
castle. Mistress 9 couldn't explain how, but she knew that what she
sensed was the Grail.
        "Now," she stated coldly. "we end this."
        She would bring Pharaoh 90 here tonight.


        Merlin paused only for a heartbeat as he cut down rows upon rows
of creatures not meant to exist on this planet. Amidst the black muck
and gore strewn across the battlefield, he could see the corpses of
Vlatmere soldier and former youma alike.
        All wars were bloodbaths.
        This was no exception.
        But right now, this bloodbath was the only thing standing
between Earth and total, global annihilation. Because of that Merlin
showed no mercy or relenting. His powers might only have been at half
their normal capacity, his body still drained from having exerted so
much magik only days before in creating Illusion for Helios. But the
last Ancient left alive refused to die without having sacrificed every
last essence of his mind, body and soul.
        For the moment, death could wait.
        With a shout Merlin whirled, the motion causing his black hair
to flutter in his face, and then unleashed a sphere of golden light
from his outstretched palm. A hideous demon-worm found its upper torso
blown apart, tattered shreds raining down. The small garrison of
Vlatmere soldiers it had been trying to devour gave a short victory
whoop before advancing on their next target.
        Another explosion sounded over their heads, the skies turning
violet and casting shadows upon the ground below. Merlin raised his
head, and saw the Dark Messiah's iron dragon continue its celestial
rampage with Magellan.
        Or was it even Magellan anymore?
        With a grim expression, Merlin tried not to think about it. If
Aroth had managed to be reborn, with Magellan as its newest unwitting
host, then maybe that raw power would be enough to keep Mistress 9 at
bay. He'd only have to worry about Magellan afterwards; right now his
priorities laid with the soldiers, who were proving themselves to be
more heroic than he could have ever imagined.
        Merlin found a tinge of pride making him smile. There were still
heroes in the world, even after Camelot had fallen. But would their
valour be enough? As he scanned the battlefield, Merlin realized it
would indeed not be enough--not out here, at least. He closes his
eyes, letting his voice project itself though his mouth remained
sealed. Every last soldier fighting for Vlatmere heard his call in
their minds, and quickly mobilized in reply.
        'Fall back to the castle walls, and re-establish our line of
defense there. I'll cover your retreat.'
        Now there was no holding back. The short, controlled bursts
Merlin had exercised to keep his magik going as long as possible were
no more. With an enraged shout Merlin summoned all the magik he could
gather. Lightning made itself manifest, snaking around his form with a
caressingly destructive touch.
        None of the soldiers looked back as they turned to run, some
still fending off enormous demonic monstrosities.
        Merlin's eyes narrowed.
        And then the magik within himself detonated, radiating out in a
shockwave resembling a ghostly white cloud of pure, electric energy.
The cloud pulsed and surged, seeking out any demonic entity in its
path before dashing the creatures to pieces. Swaths cut through the
ranks of the Shadow Armies, wiping out a quarter of their ranks. Black
ooze spurted and gushed all around him, Vlatmere's soldiers cheering
as they watched their attackers abruptly hesitate and then pull back
to escape Merlin's cloud.
        The attack had probably given the soldiers a good forty second
headstart on retreating to the safety of the castle walls. Merlin
hoped it would be enough. The cloud pulsed one last time, only
knocking demons aside instead of destroying them, and then fizzled
out.
        The Ancient collapsed to his knees, overwhelmed and exhausted.
"Took more out me than I expected," he muttered. At this rate he'd be
rendered useless if he tried another epic attack like that again.
        Suddenly another fireball rocked the skies.
        Merlin looked up in horror as he witnessed the iron dragon
unleashing a wounded bellow before plummeting from the skies. And
crashing right into the heart of Vlatmere Castle.
        It appeared Magellan had just become his top priority.


        The Senshi standing guard in the rose garden momentarily forgot
about the war raging beyond the blossom-covered walls. All of them--
Venus, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto--were staring at the Man With No Name
in unbridled shock.
        "You?" Venus asked. The fact that the others were reacting just
as she was, was the only reason she didn't immediately suspect that
this was something the Outers had kept a secret from her.
        "You're the keeper of the Grail?!" Uranus exclaimed.
        Neptune wasn't as animated in her reaction, but she was still
scowling at the Man With No Name. Her tone of voice was scolding,
chiding, showing her displeasure with him. "You've been with us for
days on end. Why didn't you tell us then?"
        The Man With No Name shrugged. "I only just discovered this
myself. However, I'm the least of your concerns. And you are the least
of mine."
        The Senshi exchanged confused glances with each other.
        He didn't give a direct response. "Ne, Haruka," he remarked
casually. "You might want to take about three steps to your left right
about now."
        Instead of heeding his instructions, Sailor Uranus started
walking forward towards him. "What are you talking about?" she
snapped.
        An instant later, the immense form the iron dragon smashed
through the walls, spilling brick and burning vines as it crashed and
tumbled into the rose garden. Uranus threw herself out of the way as
coils upon coils of the dragon's metalloid body slammed down onto the
place she had been standing moments ago. Everyone madly outran the
downpour of dust and debris, the iron dragon bursting into flame
moments after it rolled over one more time and then ceased moving
completely.
        The Man With No Name put his back to the explosion, using
himself as a shield for Serenity. She clung to him like a frightened
child, terrified of what was happening.
        The other Senshi slowly picked themselves up from where they had
thrown themselves to stay safe. More than anything they were decorated
in dust and small cuts.
        Neptune studied the fallen dragon. It reeked of the Dark
Messiah's powers; that was not in doubt. But the iron beast's fatal
entrance left her worried. "What could have done this?" she asked
quietly.
        Fires crackled and licked the body of the fallen metal beast.
Cast an eerie shadowplay upon the walls, bathing everything in dancing
hues of red, orange and yellow. Shone off the surface of Aroth's form
as it stalked out from the chest of the deceased dragon.
        Its body armour was damaged even more, blood seeping out from
numerous wounds. Yet Aroth noticed none of its injuries. It moved out
from the flames, surveying its new surroundings.
        Venus' eyes widened as she saw the familiar shape the demon had
taken. "Magellan!" she cried out happily as she raced towards Aroth.
        It was her mistake in thinking that the Aroth Armour had changed
to further protect him. A mistake she only realized when Aroth turned
its demon head and stared down at the blonde girl before it. Venus
skidded to a halt, staring up in horror when she saw Aroth's eyes, and
no longer saw Magellan there.
        "Venus, no!" Neptune exclaimed. "Don't get near--"
        Her shout held no further use as Aroth suddenly swatted Venus
aside, sending her flying across the garden like a rag doll. Her body
crashed through one of the benches before tumbling across the ground.
Venus laid there amidst the roses, her skin cut and fuku torn from the
thorns. Shining blue eyes almost closed completely, her breath coming
in laboured gasps.
        "Magellan...." she rasped weakly.
        Aroth paid not her words nor her voice any attention. Instead it
turned on the Outer Senshi.
        "What the hell is that?" Uranus said, taking a cautionary step
back.
        Aroth snarled.
        "That," stated the Dark Messiah. "was once Magellan Endymion."
        Everyone, even Aroth, turned as Mistress 9 stepped through the
gaping hole left in the garden's walls. Her footsteps were slow and
sure as she made her way over the broken and torn shrapnel of her iron
dragon. Violet eyes were alight in malevolent glee as she beheld the
carnage surrounding her.
        The Man With No Name placed an arm in front of Serenity. "Get
behind me, Serenity. Now."
        Mistress 9 kept her distance from Aroth, her own body showing a
few stray wounds where the demon had managed to injure her. But now
she was sizing up the others in the room, probing the magik of the
three Outer Senshi. "To think he could control the armour. Now it's
turned him into this: the Aroth demon."
        Her eyes fell to Sailor Pluto. There was a glimpse of confusion
and recognition. "Have we met before?"
        Pluto shook her head, her grip around her Timestaff tightening.
She could still vividly remember watching Mistress 9 decapitate Khai,
Hotaru's surrogate father, back on Aurora. Yet her heart was racing
not from fear, but from a glimmer of hope. A part of the Dark Messiah
could still be confronted with Hotaru's memories. Her daughter might
yet be alive, lying dormant and imprisoned somewhere in the daimon's
new form.
        Mistress 9 turned to the Man With No Name, and glared. "You,
though, I remember."
        The Man With No Name stood between the two Messiahs, a vicious
smile on his face. "I wish I could say it was good to see you again."
He let his eyes crackle with enchanted lightning. "Care to resume
where we left off?"
        Uranus shot him a dark look, asking 'what about us?' through her
eyes. The answer came when Aroth roared again and charged for the Dark
Messiah. Mistress 9 whirled, swinging her Silence Glaive to meet with
Aroth's twin-pronged blade. Sparks flew once more, but now she began
exerting her full force.
        Mistress 9 shoved hard with her weapon, causing Aroth to slide
backwards across the cobblestone paths of the rose garden. This only
served to infuriate the demon even further. In blind rage it lashed
out at the nearest victim--namely, the Outer Senshi. Uranus and Pluto
hastily flung themselves out of the way as the double blades of
Excalibur sliced through one of the trellises, dashing it to slivers.
        "Any ideas?" Pluto asked, forced to keep running as Aroth
selected her as its newest target.
        The demon's rage had grown so much that it lacked focus.
        It was seeing all of them as threats worth destroying.
        Even if they were the very ones Magellan had been trying to
initially protect.
        Sailor Neptune answered with her own battle cry: "Deep
Submerge!"
        Aroth was sent careening sideways as the tidal wave crashed into
it. The burst of Neptuni magik tried to grind Aroth against the wall,
gouging an enormous crater shaped like the demon into the stone.
Seconds later the bubble burst, letting water explode and race past
everyone's feet.
        With a howl that shook the entire garden, Aroth whirled and let
its wings unfurl. Eyes the solid colour of blood, without any visible
iris or pupil, saw the three Outer Soldiers. The demon splayed its
fingers, readied its claws.
        After that attack, Aroth definitely saw them as enemies.
        "We have no choice," Uranus grudgingly said. "It's either him or
us."
        Pluto swore as she watched Aroth sway its body from side to
side. "It's come between us and Serenity. One of us has to get over
there and help protect her."
        With a slow, ceremonial gesture, Uranus drew out her sheathed
Talisman. "He won't feel a thing," she said quietly. "I'll make it
quick and painless for him."
        They all knew Magellan would expect this act from them.
        He valued the Messiah of Light as much as they did.
        But one still objected.
        "Please," Venus pleaded, struggling to rise. Her arms were
trembling fiercely, blood running down the side of her face. "He's
still Magellan. We have to reach him...."
        Uranus unsheathed her Space Sword, letting the brilliant blade
of her Talisman parry one of Aroth's attacks. Bizarre if not
terrifying electrical arcs travelled across the lengths of Excalibur
and the Space Sword, both intense magiks resonating and reacting to
each other. The arcs crackled and ran down Aroth and Haruka's bodies,
snaking along the ground and climbing up nearby pillars and trellises.
        "We don't have any other choice!" Uranus snapped, fighting to
keep Aroth's twin blades at bay.
        Pluto unleashed a Dead Scream and managed to push back against
Aroth. The demon growled as it tore through the attack--but not
without suffering damage of its own. Neptune tried to race past Aroth
during the attack; it was their best chance to have another soldier
fighting against Mistress 9.
        Yet Aroth abruptly lunged, carving holes into the ground with
its claws. It tore apart the floor before Neptune's feet, causing her
to come to an abrupt halt. And then the demon tried to tear apart
Neptune's face.
        Uranus was upon Aroth instantly.
        The demon wasn't moving as fast as before, but was still
incredibly lethal. And Aroth would not stop fighting until the person
who had become the demon was dead.
        "Please," Venus said again. "Save him."
        "If we try to save Magellan, this demon will have more chances
to kill us!" Pluto stated. "And we can't afford to spend any more time
on him."
        Venus shook her head, sweat and blood-soaked blonde hair draped
over her face. "There has to be another way," she whispered. She could
taste the blood in her mouth. "Magellan, I won't lose you. I can't."


        Mistress 9 laughed as she walked away from Aroth's rampage,
leaving the demon's bloodthirst to the Outer Senshi. Those four young
women...such a strange power radiating out from each of them. It
echoed of a curious magik she had sensed in possessing the body of
this raven-haired child. Yet the child's magik was still dormant and
undiscovered.
        It made for the perfect, near-unlimited energy source.
        Now it was time to expand her power.
        The Dark Messiah stepped towards the Man With No Name. "There's
no use hiding it," she stated sharply. "I can sense the Grail here.
Where is it?" Violet eyes widened in mild astonishment when she probed
further, and found the answer. "You?"
        "Surprise," the Man With No Name said. "But sadly, you don't
have the key to open the lock, Mistress Nine. The grail will be locked
away forever; its secrets and powers will die with me."
        He glanced back at Serenity, who was shivering behind him, the
ends of his black overcoat hanging at her feet. "Serenity, there's a
hidden door to your left, beneath that trellis," he muttered. "Go
through it. Don't look back."
        She tried to protest, scared to leave him behind. Scared for
being left alone and on the run. Scared that he might become like
Kakkyou. "But--"
        "Do it."
        The Man With No Name's voice left no room for protest.
        Mutely, her crystal blue eyes wide and terrified, Serenity
willed herself to put her back to Mistress 9. She began to run,
praying that there would be no sudden lurch in her body to signal her
death.
        As she ran her magik left trails and wisps in the air behind
her. Only those familiar with magik could have seen or sensed it. Now
that the Man With No Name's powers were not shielding her, Mistress 9
discovered Serenity's magik.
        Violet eyes widened, and for a moment Mistress 9 forgot about
the Man With No Name. Her eyes followed Serenity, her mouth open in
epiphany.
        "Messiah...."
        She instantly lunged for Serenity, letting loose with a battle
cry as she swung down her glaive. And found the Man With No Name
shooting out from the side of her vision, smashing a fist into her
face. Mistress 9 toppled over sideways, her Silence Glaive slipping
from her hands. The arcing blade nearly took off Serenity's arm before
it clattered onto the floor.
        "You'll have to go through me first," the Man With No Name
stated coldly, shaking his hand out. That had hurt more than expected.
"And unless you don't want the Grail, you might want to refrain from
literally going through me."
        Mistress 9 snarled as she rose to her feet, tresses of ravendark
hair spilling out past her face. Stretching out one of her arms, she
let the glaive jump back into her awaiting hand. Her eyes showed the
pure venom she held towards him--but at the same time she was trying
to find a way around his logic.
        A loophole to let her kill him and still get the Grail.
        The Man With No Name suddenly wondered if she'd call the bluff.
He knew he was the gatekeeper and the key to the Grail. But he hadn't
the slightest idea how to go about doing summoning the item. Killing
him might be a way to do it. But that seemed impossible; if he was
accessible to both yet meant for the Messiah of Light, there had to be
another way.
        One only Serenity would intuitively know about.
        For the time being, he'd have to buy her time to let her magik
awaken.
        Abruptly the Man With No Name straightened, and cast a glance
over his right shoulder. The Dark Messiah also sensed what he did, and
looked in that direction. "Good of you to finally join us, Merlin,"
the Man With No Name remarked. "What kept you?"
        "Demons are so inconsiderate about my timetables," Merlin glibly
replied as he appeared from the shadows themselves, his once
aristocratic robes now stained black from the blood of Mistress 9's
unholy creatures. Patches and randomly spattered drops of demon blood
covered his face and head. His hair remained long and a deep jet
black, his youthful form revealing his Ancient status.
        "How are we doing?" The Man With No Name was acting casual
despite their current situation.
        Merlin couldn't help but smirk and follow in suit. "Oh, the
usual: the front lines have collapsed, we've regrouped at the castle
walls, all hell's broken loose."
        "That good?"
        Mistress 9's eyes narrowed. She'd had enough time wasted on the
likes of them. Regardless of their statures, she'd found a new target.
That blonde girl...she was a Messiah too. A soul with incredible
magik--a magik that could be stolen.
        With the Messiah of Light out of the way, that left her alone to
claim the Grail. Let the Ancient and that nameless freak cast their
pithy spells.
        She gave no warning when she attacked.
        Merlin and the Man With No Name were ready.
        They defended and counter-attacked as one, dodging the savage
thrusts of her Silence Glaive while trying to land punches, kicks and
magik bursts of their own. Merlin flung forth his palms, unleashing an
explosive sphere of magik. Effortlessly Mistress 9 turned and swatted
it away.
        The Man With No Name raced forward, aiming for her side with the
heel of his boot. Movements were accelerated by magik. But the Dark
Messiah swung her glaive around stopped his foot cold with the broad
side of her blade. Suddenly she went on the offensive, her weapon
becoming but a blur of metal and magik.
        Barely able to keep up, the Man With No Name was forced to
retreat one step at a time. He ducked a thrust meant to take off his
head, then deflected an arc with the flat of his hand. The push gave
him a heartbeat where there was nothing between him and Mistress 9.
        The Man With No Name jumped, hanging in the air just above her
head as magik defied gravity. As his body departed, it paved a clear
shot for Merlin. The Ancient mage unleashed another orb of destructive
energy, sending it careening towards Mistress 9.
        The Dark Messiah's eyes widened.
        And the orb came to an instant standstill, hovering before her
in the air. The seeming effort she was putting into holding the sphere
of magik at bay melted from her face. With an evil smile she looked at
the two and giggled.
        "Is it just me, or has she gotten stronger?" Merlin hissed
through his clenched teeth, trying to catch his breath. At the rate
this was going, he'd use up all his strength in a few more minutes.
        The Man With No Name's body slowly descended back to the ground.
"She doesn't just sample magik from her enemies, Merlin. She absorbs a
part of it, making her more powerful. The last magik that became a
part of her was from Elfhame. It's heightened her abilities now."
        "Shit." That word coming from the usually composed Ancient
sounded almost contrary to his entire nature. But Merlin was right:
they were in trouble. "I'm open to some suggestions."
        "You can duck," the Man With No Name said, abruptly dropping to
the ground.
        Merlin's eyes immediately went to scanning the garden, his mind
registering too late what was being said. He only saw Sailor Uranus'
form careening towards him a split second before the two collided,
both knocked painfully into another trellis. Roses and black rose
petals scattered into the air.
        The Man With No Name got back up, shaking his head at Merlin.
Stormfed eyes focused their attention back on the Dark Messiah.
        He charged.
        She patiently waited, her glaive lowered.
        Without mercy he threw forward a clenched fist meant to go
through her face. Mistress 9 caught it with one of her hands, holding
the Man With No Name at bay. His entire arm was shaking as he tried to
force his way through. The Dark Messiah merely smiled.
        And then suddenly his fist became stone, granite veins creeping
along his forearm and spreading the hideous enchantment. Eyes of
lightening widened and he tried to pull back. But not before Mistress
9 wrenched his hand, tearing it apart from the rest of his body just
below the wrist.
        With a cry of agony the Man With No Name stumbled backwards,
gripping his forearm just beneath the stump. The granite veins ceased to 
exist--and
so did his severed hand. The Dark Messiah crushed it to dust in her fist, 
letting
the grey powder be scattered in the winds.
        "Bitch," he growled. "That was uncalled for."
        "I know," she answered with a wicked grin. "But it was fun."
        The two enemies glared at each other.
        Aroth roared and came between them.
        A Dead Scream followed after the demon.
        Out from the Dead Scream emerged Mistress 9, driving the curved
blade of her Silence Glaive into the Man With No Name's thigh. He
screamed as the weapon sank into his flesh, its tip punching through
the back of his leg. He collapsed amidst rivers of blood flowing down
his thigh, his hands desperately trying to stop her from pushing it in
even deeper.
        Mistress 9 savagely pulled the glaive out, a crimson cloud
spraying from his leg in its wake.
        He grunted and bit down on the pain, clutching at the gaping
wound. Then he became aware of the Silence Glaive now poised over his
head for the final blow. The Man With No Name stared up at her,
stormfed eyes showing no fear. No anger. No emotion even now when his
life was about to end.
        At least now the Grail would no longer be in danger.
        "So much for guardian angels," the Dark Messiah stated. Her
muscles tensed as she prepared to finish the hellish task.
        Abruptly the distant sound of windchimes echoed across the
garden. Ghostly, beautiful music being carried over and through the
sounds of war waged around them. It was the sound of a forest. The
song of Elfhame.
        A melody whose source came from a pale, blonde girl.
        Mistress 9 froze, her glaive a few inches from cleaving the Man
With No Name's head in half. "Serenity," she whispered, looking down
the corridor where Serenity had fled.
        Half-enchanted. Half-possessed.
        Violet eyes widened in maniacal glee.
        In that moment she almost resembled the slain Uranian soldier,
Cait Sith.
        Suddenly she was gone, her shadows moving down the corridor
after Serenity. The Man With No Name glanced around the rose garden,
and much to his surprise found himself still alive. The Outers were
still trying to fight their way past the Aroth demon. Now it seemed
Merlin had gotten caught up in the fracas.
        That meant Serenity was alone.
        Unprotected.
        The Man With No Name silently pulled himself to his feet, and
then began to limp down the corridor. If he had to protect Serenity
alone, then it would be alone. But he would protect her.
        He wanted to see her magik awaken.
        He wanted to hear her speak her name.
        To speak his name.
        To summon the Grail.


        Serenity was running.
        Behind her followed a wave of dread and death, reaching out with
icy tendrils to run down her spine and soak her dress with blood. She
could sense the power radiating from that woman, Mistress 9--the
spectre haunting her dreams and now her very own shadow.
        The fact that she didn't know where she was going was but a
forgotten one lost in the back of her mind, pushed away by the driving
emotions of fear, sadness, and unexpected adrenaline as the
metamorphosis took hold within her.
        Awaken....
        She had never been anywhere in Vlatmere Castle save for the rose
garden. She could recall nothing of its interior mazes of corridors
and chambers; only the delicate fragrance of roses that had hung in
the air of the garden. Now she ran aimlessly through this labyrinth of
beautiful architecture and art she could only dare to even glimpse,
trying to stay one step ahead of the cold chill flowing through the
air behind her.
        Outside, beyond the walls of this hallway, came the dull howls
and sounds of battle. Serenity momentarily closed her eyes, praying
that the soldiers outside were fighting valiantly. That they would not
all die like Kakkyou and the Elven race had perished. She wanted no
more death, no more fear, no more sadness.
        These Messiah Wars had brought her nothing but pain.
        Pain she felt herself drowning in once more, that cut her deep
into the soul and left her amidst a desert of dried tears. Serenity
clutched at the teardrop pendant around her neck, silently crying out
for Kakkyou to help her.
        Awaken....
        Whenever he had been around, there had been no reason to stay
afraid. Now he was gone and everything was falling apart. She was
running, and a creature haunting her dreams was now chasing her in the
waking hours.
        Suddenly she collided with someone, and as she screamed in
surprise and tried to struggle, warm caring hands came to rest upon
her shoulders. Serenity opened her eyes, listened to the concerned
voice ask her, "Are you all right?"
        "I remember you," she whispered in recognition.
        Katherine Endymion's eyes shone as she looked down at the blonde
girl. "And I you, Serenity. It's good to see you're awake." Her eyes
then scanned the depths of the corridor behind Serenity. "What are you
running from?"
        The Queen Mother had felt the rumblings and upheavals of the
castle. She knew well enough of the war raging around these very
walls. Now her concern laid in wondering if the war had now spilled
through the walls and into these treasured sanctuaries.
        "Please," Serenity said, her mind racing faster than her gasps
for air. "We can't stay. She's coming. He told me to run. I can't stop
her, I don't think he could either. Something has to awaken first."
        Katherine placed a fingertip on Serenity's lips, quieting her.
Her eyes remained locked on the shadows far behind Serenity. "She's
already here."
        A cascade of silken garments flowed around Serenity as Katherine
swooped out in front of the blonde girl. Just as the Man With No Name
had done, she was now acting as a guardian for the Messiah of Light.
        There was unnatural silence awaiting them. But Serenity could
hear the darkest of magiks echo with each footstep. Someone was
approaching. All too quickly, out from the shadows of the far end of
the corridor, appeared the Dark Messiah. Most of her body remained
cloaked in shadow, pale skin playing with what little rays of light
touched her form. Violet eyes penetrated the darkness, piercing the
black with their eerie glow.
        Unhurried, she moved down the hall.
        The lowered blade of the Silence Glaive dripped blood onto the
carpet.
        Katherine tensed, her eyes narrowing. "Mistress Nine, I
presume."
        The Dark Messiah looked questioningly at Katherine, but said
nothing. Violet eyes did all the probing, led the silent
interrogation.
        "My son, you already know," Katherine stated, not afraid of the
words she spoke. Yet Serenity could feel the Queen Mother's body
trembling in fear.
        No matter how brave any human soul was, all feared losing their
lives. Only those who had lost the ability to feel in sense and
emotion knew no fear of losing their life, and only because they had
nothing left to live for.
        Mistress 9's lips curled into a smile. "Ah...Aroth's mommy."
        That name and title made Katherine scowl. Aroth was only distant
rumour and nightmarish myth to her. She knew nothing about the armour
worn by Magellan, nothing about the demon who'd forgotten it was once
a living, breathing and gentle human.
        "It would do me great pleasure to kill you," the Dark Messiah
said. "But alas, he's no longer human; the pain he'd suffer of seeing
your corpse is no more."
        Katherine's body began tremble even more, not out of fear but
out of anger. Making her furious, willing to sacrifice her life if it
meant even the remotest chance to lash out and strike down Mistress 9.
        Serenity looked from one woman to another.
        The hatred and pain were escalating with the tension.
        And now she could feel not only her own, but theirs as well.
Katherine was desperately trying to hold on to the hope that her son
was alive, that Magellan would marry Myung and let her play with a
grandchild. And Mistress 9...Serenity suddenly heard a tiny, subdued
voice cry out: "Please, free me."
        The young raven-haired girl from her dreams.
        Everyone was suffering from this war.
        All she wanted was an end.
        AWAKEN.
        Serenity's heart nearly imploded with an intense beat, an
electric charge jolting her entire body. Something was stirring--and
she knew it. She had felt this once before.
        A reptilian demon.
        GlenHawke.
        Kakkyou and Halefyne.
        Maya.
        Serenity no longer held onto Katherine, her form straightening
out as the surge of magik began to move throughout her body. She was
beginning to gain an understanding. To see with eyes beyond a mere
crystal blue colour. A crescent moon began to flicker into golden
existence upon her forehead.
        Mistress 9's violet eyes snapped to attention, staring right at
Serenity. "So at last you've understood and accepted your power." She
licked her lips. "And now I can steal it."
        And then a hand soaked in scarlet emerged from the darkness
behind the Dark Messiah, firmly grasping the pole of the glaive right
above Mistress 9's hand. Maelstrom orbs crackled with momentary
lightning as the Man With No Name's face appeared out of the shadows,
his lips so close to her ear.
        "Have you forgotten about me already?" he whispered with cruel
compassion. "Even now as my blood decorates your lips?"
        Mistress 9 showed no change of expression. Her smile remained as
malevolent as always. "Then I shall see to it your blood also
decorates this hall."


        Uranus blinked as she painfully got up from the debris of a
garden trellis, wincing as she felt damaged nerve impulses shoot up
the entire length of her back.
        "That wasn't so bad," she muttered, having expected at least a
broken arm from the crash. Aroth had moved too fast for her that time.
        "Speak for yourself," Merlin rasped, coughing bitterly as he
pulled himself out from beneath wooden shrapnel.
        Uranus helped him to his feet, both looking away from the
intense of light of Pluto's Dead Scream. Even that intense attack
seemed to have no effect on Aroth; the demon simply dodged the attack
or else emerged from the blast only a little more battered than
before. At this rate it would take a hundred Dead Screams alone to
finally subdue Aroth.
        Merlin looked around the broken ruins of the rose garden, worry
appearing on his face. "What happened to Mistress Nine and the
nameless one?"
        Aroth howled again, trying to slice Sailor Neptune apart.
        "Let's hope they're trying to do each other in," Uranus stated
grimly. "And that he's having better luck than we are."
        The two rejoined the melee.
        Venus was trying to get close enough to Aroth to find where
Magellan was buried deep within. But the demon was too much an
infuriated being, thrashing and jumping amidst a flurry of attacks.
She would barely stumble two steps forward before getting sent another
two steps back as magik continued to pound and decimate the once
beautiful rose garden.
        An archway over their heads collapsed, Merlin teleporting
himself out of the way as immense stone blocks tumbled down and
shattered on the ground. He reappeared in behind Aroth, striking out
with his hand. The touch of his skin against the demon's armoured body
was like lightning, an intense burst of exploding from Merlin's palm.
        Aroth bellowed and convulsed, but lashed out with its tail,
knocking Merlin across the garden. It then lunged for Neptune, who
tried to slow Aroth down with a Deep Submerge. Aroth clawed its way
through the surge of saltwater, punching through right in front of a
stunned Sailor Pluto.
        She was nearly ripped apart by Aroth's claws, suffering only
minor cuts across her back as she frantically threw herself aside.
Aroth gave chase--and was suddenly bodychecked by Uranus. With all the
strength she could gather, the blonde Outer Senshi forced the demon
sideways and into the nearest stone column. Aroth was throwing its
arms and legs and wings in every direction as she pinned it against
the pillar.
        "Pluto!" she shouted.
        Sailor Pluto was already turning around, the garnet orb of her
key-shaped staff aimed at Aroth. Her eyes closed for the brief instant
it took her to whisper, "Dead Scream."
        From the other side of the garden, Merlin unleashed his own gale
force of magik, letting it smash through the pillar from the opposite
side, colliding in the middle with Pluto's Dead Scream. Uranus dove
out of the way at the last possible second, one of her arms singed
from the edge of the attacks.
        Caught in the middle, Aroth was crushed.
        A black silhouette lost in the frenzy of magiks, the demon
vanished. It reappeared once the initial burst of light and raw power
faded away. The broken remains of dirt and cobblestone littered the
floor, burned and black rose petals still daring to try and float in
the haunting winds.
        It seemed almost as if Aroth was gone.
        "M-Magellan?" Venus called out, her voice strained in fear.
        Yet Aroth had survived, and was lying there on its side in the
centre of the debris. One of its immense wings was folded over most of
its body, the wing now tattered and shredded, a gory shadow of what it
had once been.
        "Aroth used his wings to shield himself from the worst of the
attacks," Merlin stated.
        Uranus moved towards Aroth, the scabbard of her Space Sword
tossed aside. "That still won't matter."
        The demon showed no signs of regaining consciousness as she drew
closer. Its burning crimson eyes remained sealed, its chest rising and
falling with uneven breaths.
        "Is it right doing this?" Neptune asked quietly.
        Uranus shook her head. "I can't think of another way."
        Venus looked from the shining blade of the Talisman to the
crumpled form of the beast who had once been her lover. "No...Haruka,
please. Magellan's still in there!" She tried to move closer to Aroth,
but tripped over the shrapnel lying on the ground. Her body gave off
new sensations of pain, causing her to stifle a cry.
        Suddenly Merlin was at her side, helping her up and cradling her
weakened form next to his. "Myung," he said quietly. "Every last
person who ever wore that armour lost control and became Aroth. And
the only way they were ever stopped from destroying everything was
found in their death."
        Aroth stirred a little in sensing Uranus approach.
        One of its eyes groggily opened, blood trickling out of it like
a scarlet tear. It saw her, but the demon did nothing in response.
        Uranus raised the Space Sword over her head, ready to plunge it
through Aroth's chestpiece and into the demon's heart. "It ends here,"
she murmured, asking absolution for what she was about to do. But for
as much as she wanted to see it, there was no trace of Magellan in
Aroth's eyes.
        To protect the future, they would have to sacrifice him.
        Aroth was as much a threat to Serenity as the Dark Messiah.
        "NO!!" Venus shouted, breaking free from Merlin's a grip and
stumbling forward.
        The distraction caused Uranus to hesitate for only a second. A
second was all Aroth required, bringing up its arm and then ramming
one of its blades into Uranus's ribcage. Uranus let out a strangled
cry, her voice choked out of her throat in a tide of blood flowing
over her lips and down her chin.
        Neptune screamed as she watched Aroth retract its blade from
Uranus' body, shoving the now limp soldier aside. "Haruka! Haruka!!"
        Merlin and Pluto were already racing towards Aroth, priming
their own attacks. Neptune had forgotten about everything--the war,
the demon--and was running to her lover's side. The next few moments
seemed to pass by in a blur of eternity, slowed down by adrenaline.
        Aroth had found its second wind, and whipped out its tail,
catching Pluto's legs. The end of the tail wrapped around her foot and
then flung her through the air. The Outer Senshi was barely able to
right her tumbling body before she crashed with her shoulder into the
nearest wall.
        Venus' eyes were wide in horror as she watched Pluto fall to the
ground.
        Merlin dodged the tail, and then was put in a stranglehold.
Aroth's hand clamped around the Ancient's neck, hoisting Merlin off
the ground and threatening to squeeze his head off like a champagne
cork.
        "Merlin!" Venus screamed, tears flowing down her face.
Everything was falling apart and she felt as if it were her fault.
Uranus might be dead and now Merlin could join her. And all because
she didn't want to see Aroth--and Magellan with it--die.
        "It's not going to be that easy with me," Merlin spat, his legs
kicking furiously in the air. He clapped both his palms against
Aroth's bulging forearm, and unleashed a surge of magik that burned
both of them. Flesh sizzled as smoke rose, green sparks soaring into
the air with the contact.
        Aroth howled and released Merlin, stumbling back as it gingerly
gripped its wounded arm.
        Amidst the lungfuls of air he gulped down, Merlin chanced in
seeing the two Outers. Neptune was at her lover's side, trying to seal
the wound but overwhelmed by all the blood that was staining Uranus'
white fuku. Uranus' eyes were open, fading but tenacious life held
there as she tried to caress Neptune's cheek.
        "You can't leave yet," Neptune pleaded with her. "Haruka, I love
you. You can't leave me."
        The sound of Aroth' impending approach didn't faze Neptune.
Still cradling Uranus, she turned her head and watched the towering
demon stalk towards her. She would not run and leave Uranus behind.
Just as they had lived together, loved together, so too would they die
together.
        Venus forced herself to run towards Aroth as she saw the demon
ready its twin blades, her disorientation causing her to stumble into
the broken stump of a pillar. "Magellan, no!"
        Inhuman eyes of crimson widened upon hearing that name.
        Aroth turned around, frozen in surprise as it stared at her.
        It growled a response.
        "M-y...un..."
        And then Merlin was right behind Aroth, slapping his palms
against Aroth's armoured skin once more. His hands continued to grip
the demon's sides, no matter how much he was battered by the thrashing
of Aroth's wings. Magik churned through his palms, delivering
agonizing shocks into Aroth's body. Aroth was bellowing as it
convulsed, blood starting to seep out from the corners of its mouth.
        Pluto's eyes flickered open as she returned to the world of the
waking. Magenta orbs beheld the scene in front of her: Merlin was
performing a suicidal attempt to destroy Aroth...and now Sailor Venus
was limping closer and closer to the raging demon. A few more steps
and she would be cut down by its wildly-swinging claws, and neither
Aroth nor Magellan would know.
        "Shimatta," she whispered, slamming a fist onto the ground.
        She wouldn't be able to make it in time, not with the way her
body was. They'd all die. Just like Khai and the rest of Aurora had
died. Just as Camelot had fallen. As Kakkyou and Elfhame had perished.
It was happening all over again, and she was helpless to stop it.
        Helpless to do anything.
        Her fumbling hands came to rest upon the Timestaff.
        A stray shimmer reflected in the garnet orb caught Pluto's eye.
For a crazy, unbelieving instant she thought she'd seen the Raithe
staring out at her. And then his words suddenly returned to her.
        'The rules about guarding the gate are more guidelines. You
won't actually be killed if you break them--so long as you have good
cause to.'
        Pluto's eyes widened.
        There was a way to save the others--all of them.
        'There is no definitive and absolute law governing us should we
break them. I myself have stopped time on more than one occasion--and
yet, here I am alive.'
        Her fingers gripped the key-shaped staff tighter, and she prayed
that what she was about to do would be considered one of those good
causes. If not, it would be the last thing she ever did. She was about
to break one of the rules. Pain screaming through every nerve and
muscle in her arm, she lifted the garnet orb end off the ground,
aiming it directly at Aroth.
        Magenta eyes closed.
        And she stopped time.


        The world ceased to move.
        Everything was still.
        Time came to a grinding halt.
        Vlatmere Castle remained the same as it always had, yet the
vibrant and natural colours were now just shades of grey. The faces of
the soldiers fighting on the outer walls were ones etched in fear,
anger, and tenacious determination. But they and the demon beasts they
fought were now motionless. Spurts and clouds of blood were frozen in
midair, attacking weapons and claws pausing with unnatural stillness.
        Movement stirred within the world, within the castle.
        And with it vibrant life and colour.
        Serenity stepped out from behind a grey and unmoving Katherine
Endymion. The Man With No Name's long black coat was shrugged off her
shoulders, falling to the floor in a crumpled, discarded heap. Crystal
blue eyes opened, the magik gathering itself once more. The memories
of Kakkyou's kisses were upon her lips as she felt her entire body on
edge with a purifying light.
        A crescent moon burned brightly upon her forehead.
        Her dress, bearing the cuts and stains of the war in the rose
garden, fluttered in a wind that could not have been present in such
an immobile world. Starlights flickered around the edges of her dress,
the simple design suddenly changing and growing to become flowing,
long and snow white. The tresses of long blonde hair running down past
her back went from blonde to purest silver.
        And then the elegant dress changed once more.
        Reshaped itself, and became a sailor battle fuku.
        Serenity stared with piercing eyes down the corridor, where
Mistress 9 and the Man With No Name watched with different reactions.
Neither one had been affected by the stopping of time, both also
possessing the raw magik to bypass the will of time's guardress.
        "Well well," the Man With No Name whispered with savage glee
into Mistress 9's ear. "Look who's decided to join the Messiah Wars."
        Mistress 9 glared at Serenity with unbelieving defiance. There
could be no mistaking the power flowing down this hall, moving past
them, radiating out from the blonde girl now adorned in the uniform of
the sailor soldier. "Then she'll die right after you," she hissed.
        Serenity slowly, majestically, began to walk towards them. Her
movements were as controlled as her magik.
        She knew why the magik had named her Serenity.
        She knew what her destiny was.
        The Messiah of Light had fully awakened.
        Serenity stretched out an arm, beckoning to the Man With No
Name. "My knight...come to me. It is time to end this war." Her gaze
fell upon the Dark Messiah, and narrowed. "And purge this world of the
evil poisoning it."
        The Man With No Name's lethal grip upon Mistress 9 loosened, and
he drew back into the shadows surrounding her. His voice lingered as
he prepared to reveal to Serenity the Grail. "Sayonara, Mistress
Nine."
        With an enraged roar, the Dark Messiah lashed out and swung her
Silence Glaive into the shadows behind her. The wickedly curved blade
cut nothing, and only served to fuel her frenzy even further. Mistress
9 whirled, her hatred focusing on a single soul.
        The Dark Messiah charged, moving through the stillness of the
corridor towards Serenity with incredible speed. She arced the glaive
out before her, letting the blade level itself with Serenity's chest.
She would kill this Messiah of Light once and for all.
        If she couldn't have the Grail, no one would.
        The Man With No Name suddenly appeared in front of her, letting
his body stand between the two Messiahs. Serenity pulled back in
surprise with his appearance, all her focus having been on meeting
Mistress 9's attack. She was not expecting this.
        And so she cried out when the Dark Messiah rammed her glaive
straight through the Man With No Name, pushing him a step back from
the sheer force of the impact. Blood sprayed out his front, running in
thick crimson rivers down his black garments. A heartbeat later the
tip of the blade punched through his back, sending out more blood as
the shimmering metal was stained red.
        With a sickening sound of breaking bones and flesh, the glaive
was pushed through even more. And then it stopped, quivering violently
in front of Serenity. The Man With No Name's hands were gripping the
pole just beneath the blade. Even though he was dying, even though he
was already dead, he continued to hold the glaive at bay from pushing
any further and impaling Serenity too.
        Serenity's fingers touched blood on her cheek, feeling the warm,
wet droplets that had spattered across her face. She stared in shock
at the sacrifice he had made for her.
        "No...."
        The Man With No Name managed to look over his shoulder, grinning
despite the blood running down his cheek. "It's okay, Serenity. This
was the way it was meant to end for me. At least I could let it end
protecting you."
        Hearing those words drove the Dark Messiah even further into an
insane rage. "Die!!" she exclaimed, jerking the glaive upwards.
        The Man With No Name's eyes bulged out and he coughed up
lungfuls of blood, letting it pour down his shirt.
        Mistress 9 wrenched the glaive to the side, flinging the Man
With No Name along with it. The inertia caused him to slide off the
blade, his back colliding with the wall. The Man With No Name dropped
to the floor, lying there as still as time, a pool of blood gathering
around him.
        "No!" Serenity screamed, first horrified then enraged. She
turned her head to the Dark Messiah, her eyes flashing with a
brilliant light.
        The air around them rippled like waves of water, smashing into
Mistress 9 and mercilessly catapulting her down the hallway. She
crashed into the shadows, the Silence Glaive torn from her hands and
tumbling across the floor.
        The Dark Messiah was quickly forgotten.
        Serenity raced to the Man With No Name and knelt down beside his
bloodied form, quietly weeping for the life that was slowly fading
away.
        In that moment of silence, the world returned to itself. The
realm of grey shadows and frozen souls faded away. Soldiers shouted
and fought and died. Demons howled and were torn apart. Katherine
Endymion straightened up with a start, realizing that suddenly the
battle had occurred without her knowing it.
        But that didn't matter to Serenity.
        The tears flowed as she cradled the Man With No Name's head in
her hands, just as he had done when she had been lost after watching
Elfhame burn.


        Time froze within the rose garden.
        Its ruins were now hauntingly silent.
        Michiru was still, clutching at her lover. Both Outer Senshi
remained immobile, like beautiful and tragic statues awaiting the
final workings of death.
        Like them, Merlin was standing still--something Pluto found very
strange. She'd thought an Ancient was one who held the power to move
beyond the limitations of time, especially when time ceased by a will
not of its own. Yet there Merlin was: frozen where he stood, his hands
and arms twisted in a way around Aroth's waist that kept the demon
imprisoned.
        Aroth howled and roared, kicked and twisting its body and
flapping its tattered wings. Yet it could not free itself from the
Ancient's hold, reinforced by time standing still. Crimson eyes
narrowed and widened at random intervals, the demon spurned on to
struggle by blind rage alone.
        Yet it was not the only soul let untouched by time.
        There was another Setsuna had granted the chance to walk when
all else had stopped. "Come on," the guardress of time muttered,
slowly pulling herself up into a sitting position. "It's up to you,
Myung."
        Magenta eyes focused on the Senshi with long blonde hair;
despite her wounds, Sailor Venus continued limping towards Aroth. That
the world around her had ceased to move, faded to shades of grey, did
not register in Venus' mind. Her blue eyes stayed with the only thing
moving. With the only thing that mattered to her in those moments.
        "M-Magellan," she whispered, wincing as spasms of pain racked
her entire body. It hurt to speak, hurt to breathe, but she could not
remain silent as she stared at the demon her lover had become.
        Aroth stopped its maddened attempt to escape.
        The demon's immense and terrifying limbs slowly lowered to its
sides. Its wings folded back as much as they would be allowed with
Merlin in the way. The tip of Aroth's barbed tail twitched, curled and
poised to strike if Venus got to close.
        Scarlet eyes the colour of blood watched her approach.
        They looked so much like Magellan's eyes.
        Yet there was still no trace of Magellan in them.
        "Magellan," she said, clutching her side. Crimson was starting
to soak through her uniform, staining her gloves. "Hear me. Listen to
my voice."
        The demon stared down at her.
        A growl moved from its mouth, and turned into a snarl.
        It still did not recognize her. It only saw her as a nemesis.
But a part of Aroth recognized her voice; Magellan still had to be
there somewhere, buried deep in a darkness from which he could not
struggle free.
        The sailor battle fuku danced in winds unseen, winds that could
not have existed naturally within this frozen time. Venus willed the
fuku to disappear, willed the magik that made her a soldier to
retract.
        Before Aroth's animal eyes, she became Myung once more.
        Her long blonde hair draped down around her face, her elegant
dress fluttering around her body. Its beautiful colours began to run
with the colour of her blood. The added endurance and strength she
possessed when actively a Senshi was suddenly gone, and by herself
Myung was unable to stand. She collapsed to her knees before the
towering form of Aroth.
        The demon watched her fall.
        Myung let out a squeak as she hit the floor, gently holding a
hand over her wound. With trembling tear-filled eyes she looked up at
the beast who had once been the man she wanted to stay with forever,
desperate to have Magellan back.
        Aroth growled once more.
        One of its clawed hands reached forward, fingers drawing closer
to Myung's face. She made no movement to try and escape. As much as
she wanted Magellan back, she had no more energy to move even if she
desired to.
        Sailor Pluto, now slowly making her way across the garden, held
her breath as she watched. Bracing herself for what could be Myung's
death if Aroth took control once more. If that happened, she had no
choice: she'd kill Aroth herself.
        Yet death never came.
        Aroth's fingers carefully ran along Myung's cheek, and then the
demon caressed the side of her face with its palm. A loving touch. A
human touch. Myung stared up at the creature before her, daring to
believe in what she saw.
        Its eyes were no longer crimson, but a familiar shade of ocean
blue.
        The raw, unseeing fury that had given rebirth to Aroth was
rediscovering its purpose. A sliver of humanity remembered what
Magellan had sworn to protect before three intense magiks had
unwittingly conspired against him.
        Salvaging what strength she had, Myung fumbled with a chain
around her neck and drew out from beneath her dress what looked like a
small pendant. Yet for the two souls who understood the jewel and
shared in its beauty, it was more than just a mere ornament or
decoration.
        A silver engagement ring.
        And held within it, a Star Sapphire.
        "Please," she whispered, on the verge of losing consciousness
completely. "Magellan, don't leave me."
        She tried to say, "I love you" but was barely able to stay
awake. Her eyes slowly closed, and Myung pitched forward.
        And with a roar, Aroth found itself banished back to the darkest
recesses of its armour-bearer. The demon's plated body broke apart and
crumbled like desert earth. Its face cracked and fell, arms being torn
in half as from somewhere within the hellish exoskeleton Magellan
fought to free himself.
        He punched through the armoured flesh of Aroth, which was now
lifeless and dead and brittle. His skin was covered with the black
lifeforce that had driven the demon onwards to its violent insanity,
dripping off his body and glistening in the moonbeams shining down
through the broken ruins of the rose garden.
        Myung's name was upon his lips as he surged forth, cracking
through Aroth's ribcage and finding himself mobile once more. Magellan
pushed himself forward, falling to the floor. With one final act he
drove his hands free of the black claws and hands of Aroth, and
reached out to catch Myung.
        The two tumbled face-down in a tangled mass of black and white,
the Aroth essence covering Magellan now staining Myung's face, hair
and dress. But that still didn't matter to Magellan. She was still
breathing, albeit in shallow gasps.
        And he was alive and breathing...and himself again.
        Magellan held her fragile body as tightly as he dared, one hand
closing around the silver ring and its Star Sapphire. "Myung," he said
quietly, not caring whether or not she could hear him. "I heard you.
You brought me back. I won't leave you ever again...so don't leave me
now. Stay alive. Stay with me."
        The shades of grey that painted everyone and everything else
began to melt away, washed into brilliant colours. The sounds of the
war all around them returned with its screams and roars of intensity.
        Time resumed its normal course and pace.
        Pluto sighed in deep relief as she leaned against her Timestaff
for support. It was so frighteningly easy to stop time; no wonder the
Raithe had warned her about doing it only when justifiably necessary.
But the others were alive, and so was she. Her Onee-san, it seemed,
considered this a worthwhile violation of the general rule.
        Merlin immediately released his grip from the hollow shell of
Aroth, letting it crumble to dust and debris. He moved as if he had
already known about Magellan's return to humanity, that he had been
watching despite having been isolated and frozen with time.
        "So this is your power," he remarked, looking at Pluto.
        "And you allowed yourself to stand still along with time," she
said quietly.
        Merlin nodded, staring at his palm. "My power's diminishing; if
I remained mobile Aroth would have wrenched itself free of my hold and
killed Myung. Letting my grip become as impervious as frozen time was
the only chance we had in restoring Magellan."
        Pluto couldn't help but smile, exhausted but satisfied with the
outcome of a dangerous choice she'd made. Maybe the Raithe had trained
her well after all. "How did you know I was hoping to pin Aroth down
long enough for Myung to bring back Magellan?"
        "I guessed at what you were doing, Setsuna," Merlin stated. "And
I'm glad I guessed right."
        "That makes two of us," she agreed.
        The tired smile on Merlin's face abruptly faded, and he quickly
looked around the ruins of the rose garden. "Serenity's gone. And so
is Mistress Nine."
        "And the man without a name too," Pluto continued, a burst of
fear flooding her system again. To have survived one battle, only to
discover that the three key players in deciding the outcome of the
entire Messiah Wars were off fighting on their own.
        Pluto tried to suppress the sinking feeling in her stomach.
        Both of them looked back at the others, searching for anyone who
still had the strength to move fast enough. Neptune wasn't going
anywhere, not when there was a definite chance Uranus might die in her
arms. Venus had no more strength left to fight, and neither did
Magellan.
        Merlin and Pluto met each other's gaze.
        It was only the two of them now.
        "We'd better move," he stated before vanishing down the
corridor.
        Sailor Pluto gave one final glance back at the fallen Senshi,
and then raced after him.


        The Man With No Name watched with darkened eyes and electric
lightning as crimson rivers flowed down his robes, pooling beneath his
fallen form. A vague smile crept onto his face, and he decided to use
what little breath remained to laugh.
        Everything was all so clear now.
        Only one last thing remained to be done, and then it would be
finished.
        He looked up to Serenity, dressed in her sailor battle fuku, a
golden crescent moon blazing upon her forehead. She was crying again,
frantically calling to him to hang on. Her long silver hair was so
beautiful, and he reached out to caress it. His gentle touch and
fingertips left scarlet trails along her silver strands.
        "There's no need to cry, Serenity," he murmured dreamily,
accepting the strangely warm comfort of death. "This was how it was
meant to be. I don't matter; my passing will bring only peace."
        Serenity vehemently shook her head, her hot tears falling down
her face and striking his cheeks. Even in those tears the Man With No
Name could sense the magik now saturated within her body.
        She truly was the Messiah of Light.
        "You do matter," she sobbed. "You matter to me. I don't want you
to go. I don't want to be alone."
        He shook his head. "You're never truly alone. Just like Kakkyou
will always be with you, so shall I."
        The Man With No Name's smile began to fade, and his eyes
narrowed. He tipped his head forward, staring out down the corridor.
There in the shadows the Dark Messiah was rising from the floor, the
Silence Glaive spinning into her hand with but a silent command.
        "It's almost time, Serenity. You'll have to face her without
me." His eyes closed for the last time, his breaths shallow and almost
non-existent. "Let me rest here in your embrace a little longer, a
nameless stranger who found purpose in your magik."
        Serenity shook her head. "You're my friend," she whispered. "You
deserve a name."
        No longer would he be a stranger.
        She leaned down, and gave him a new name.
        "Gabriel...."
        He smiled weakly, yet proudly, at her compassion. "And that," he
said. "is why you were meant for me."
        And there he died.
        A heartbeat later Vlatmere Castle was rocked by an explosive
burst of magik. Serenity was blown backwards as Gabriel's body was
lost in a tremendous surge of intense light, sparks and pulses and
raging tides of magik swarming through the air around him. His limp
form was taken and lifted off the ground, the blood dripping off his
clothes and skin changed from scarlet to gold.
        Stormfed eyes were thrown open.
        And within them appeared the reflection of the Holy Grail.
        Serenity was unable to register what was happening as the walls
of the corridor around them buckled and then shattered. She abruptly
felt Katherine's surprisingly strong grip pulling her away as the
tides of magik swept past them.
        The arched ceiling over their heads shuddered and twisted
violently before breaking apart. Tiles and buttresses were ripped to
shreds and cast in every direction, the radiant full moon suddenly
given opportunity to shine down upon them. The walls crumbled all
around them, scattered to the ends of the world.
        Standing there in a broken doorframe, Sailor Pluto and Merlin
watched the world get thrown into chaotic uproar and upheaval. Both
shielded their eyes as they stood defiantly against the gales sweeping
past them.
        "What's happening?!" Pluto shouted over the winds.
        "Someone just unlocked the Grail's hiding place!" the Ancient
shouted back. He stared up at the sky, and his jaw dropped. "Look!"
        Night had become day.
        And still the full moon shone brighter than the purest of magiks
that were swarming around Gabriel's body. He became no more than a
human silhouette amidst the myriad of colours and bursts of magik. And
then that too was gone. In its place appeared the unmistakable shape
of a large chalice.
        The Grail had been found.
        Serenity rose to her feet, fighting against the winds that
howled past her form, sending her long silver dancing wildly behind
her. Somehow, defying all she knew, she understood what had happened.
The key had always been accessible to both Messiahs. And yet, rigged
so that only the Messiah of Light could open the lock. The lock had
been the Man With No Name. In giving him a name, she had opened the
lock.
        But not like this.
        Not with the Dark Messiah so close.
        Eyes of crystal blue fixed upon the shadow of Mistress 9, who
was lost in seeming rapture as she tasted the winds of purest magik
churning around the Grail.
        Mistress 9 began to laugh, her face glowing in hellish glee.
This was the power she had been searching for, the power that man upon
the moon had told her about. All she required was her StarChamber to
act as the gateway and Pharaoh 90 would descend to Earth.
        She reached out one of her hands, watching airstreams of magik
flow and fall through her fingers like shimmering sands. This pure
magik was beyond anything she could have imagined. The Dark Messiah
licked her lips. And out from the floor burst the six-pointed shape of
a star, the elaborate platform decorated with strange runes and
etchings. Each point would pool their power and let it be drawn to an
epicentre...and from there engage the teleportation.
        Serenity's eyes saw the StarChamber, and then saw the Grail in
the middle acting as the amplifier for opening the portal. For the
life of her she didn't know what it all meant--but she knew that
unless she stopped Mistress 9, something terrible would happen.
        She had to claim the Grail.
        Her eyes closed long enough to stir the magik she could now feel
flowing through her body. Her sailor uniform rippled and changed
again, two immense angel wings unfurling at her back. A flurry of
white feathers were scattered across the air, ushering with them a
burst of unbridled energy.
        Mistress 9's head snapped up as she sensed the Messiah of
Light's magik begin to manifest itself again. Violet eyes narrowed,
and she gripped the glaive tighter. "The Grail," she snarled. "is
mine!"
        Serenity's eyes still held her compassion--but also a fierce
determination. There were still people she could save. There was still
a world she would protect. To end this war, to end this pain, she
would give everything she had.
        With a shout she leapt forward, stretching out her hand to grasp
the sacred chalice. Mistress 9 lunged across from her side, her weapon
poised to strike down Serenity just as it had brought down a Man With
No Name.
        The two Messiah converged upon the sacred cup.
        Each one reached forth and grasped one of its handles.
        And suddenly they were lost in a shaft of light as the Grail
reacted to their touch, and the StarChamber was triggered. The portal
to the dark nebula where Pharaoh 90 resided was thrown wide open.


        Darkness.
        A vast emptiness of space countered with the brilliant lives of
a thousand stars. Shimmering lives all reflected within a seemingly
endless display of the cosmos. Galaxies unfolded all around it,
nebulae and clusters defying a shadowy realm that still unrelentingly
clutched to as much of the universe as it could.
        Here in both the unknown depths of darkness and the beauty of
the flickering light, it existed. Essence was a part of it yet not as
we would call essence. Form was an arbitrary thing, and it grasped
this quite well. It could change its form. It could alter its essence.
        Yet it had no reason to.
        Here, locked within an outer reach of space, it existed. In a
place it would have called home...had it understood what such a word
might mean. But now it did understand. It knew a fraction of what it
meant to be home. To have home. To love home.
        Home was happiness.
        Happiness was good or evil.
        Yet this was but a fraction of what it felt certain of knowing.
There were still so many confusing thoughts pinging around. It felt
confused. But remained patient. The time would come for all
understanding. For home and happiness.
        Pharaoh 90 shifted once more.
        Essence changed forms and properties.
        And then a beam of light and magik stabbed through the heart of
cosmic darkness, engulfing the entity. At first Pharaoh 90 recoiled
and churned and contorted into something impossible. But then it saw.
It caught glimpses.
        This was not only light.
        It could see down this shaft, like a tunnel. And somewhere
there, lurking on the other side, was an image it had plucked from its
visitor's mind not so long ago. And Pharaoh 90 understood.
        This was the portal.
        The star-eyed man had kept his promise. The daimon had done her
job, worked her power. It wondered what form its daimon child had
chosen. Integration, the star-eyed man said, was key.
        Home.
        A place to exist.
        Pharaoh 90 was going to Earth.


        The world was not what Serenity had expected to see when the
flash of light abruptly faded. The Grail that had been in her grasp
was no longer there. The shattered remains of a corridor in Vlatmere
Castle were gone.
        Instead, she found herself staring up at the skies, only to see
the world below. She was standing upon an upside-down battleground
which hung suspended from a seemingly endless cloudline. Far below her
were the lofty towers and spires of a palace she could never have
imagined even in her dreams.
        The height and disorientation of standing where gravity seemed
to be reversed only made Serenity feel dizzy. She turned her head and
looked away from the castle below. And in doing so, her blue eyes
caught sight of another soul standing here upon this rounded platform.
        She was not alone.
        There, on the opposite side of this arena, was Hotaru.
        The young girl was mournfully pressing her body against the
battered, fallen remains of her iron dragon. Its metal body laid still
and unmoving. One of its eyes dripped with black oil and fluids, no
longer a visible sentient soul housed within it.
        Serenity approached Hotaru, saying nothing.
        She understood that at times, words were but a waste.
        Silence said so much more than what people gave it credit for.
        Winds blew at Hotaru's ravenwing hair, and she cast her violet
eyes down at the castle. In her hands was a single flower whose name
Serenity did not know or even recognize. Yet it was a beautiful
silver. Hotaru released the flower, watching it get caught by the
winds and falling upwards...downwards...to where Aurora's palace
waited below.
        "He was but a memory," she whispered, wiping away the tears from
her cheeks. "A beautiful memory from my childhood on Aurora...and she
twisted the memory with her magik. Now he's gone."
        Hotaru looked down to the Auroran palace, her violet eyes
reflecting a mix of emotions. Sadness. Anger. A vow to see it all end.
"This war has stolen so much already," she stated. "I don't want to
lose anything else."
        She turned her head, and acknowledged Serenity's presence in her
expression. A faint smile dared to manifest itself on her pale face as
she pushed some bangs of her black hair away from her eyes.
        "Thank you for the memories," Serenity said quietly. "They
helped bring me back. And with them I was able to awaken."
        "Then you have become the Messiah."
        At that, Serenity was forced to shake her head. "Not the
Messiah. A Messiah. There's another woman, one who has killed you in
my dreams. She wants the Grail...and I fear the consequences if she
gains control of it."
        "Mistress Nine," Hotaru stated grimly, hating herself for not
being strong enough to repel the creature's onslaught. One hand still
against the fallen iron dragon, as if her touch might somehow warm its
mechanical heart and cause it to beat once more, she watched the
lights of this memory of Aurora. "You called me here, Serenity. You've
been calling to me ever since I became enslaved to Mistress Nine, even
if you only realized it a few days ago. What is it that you want of
me?"
        Serenity let one of her hands touch Hotaru's shoulder, sliding
along the raven-haired girl's skin and then drifting up her neck.
Serenity's palm gently cupped Hotaru's cheek, and drew their eyes back
to each other.
        "Hotaru," she said. "There's something else about you that has
drawn us both here."
        Hotaru blinked, unable to see the nexus that bound them
together. At first she mistook it for something romantic--how long had
it been since she'd seen Helios?--but then in gazing into those
crystal blue eyes, Hotaru realized that Serenity was talking about
something else.
        Something totally different.
        Something of magik.
        "Even though I've only been awake as the Messiah of Light for
but a few minutes, I know," Serenity whispered, drawing closer to
Hotaru. She let her palm slowly move, her fingertips lightly across
Hotaru's forehead.
        And in their wake, the sigil of Saturn appeared.
        Hotaru's violet eyes as she felt a rush of power inside of
herself suddenly become known and unleashed. The robes of the Auroran
samurai melted away, becoming that of a sailor battle fuku adorned in
highlights of purple to match the colour of her eyes.
        "You are one of the chosen, Hotaru," Serenity said, unable to
hide her joy in sharing this discovery. "You have been given a power
that can help protect our Solis System--though at a terrible cost. I
would be honoured if you served my cause."
        Hotaru was staring at Serenity in surprise and newfound hope.
"Serenity...."
        Serenity placed her forehead against Hotaru's, their respective
sigils sparkling from the physical contact. "Fight her, Hotaru. Fight
her from within, as I fight her from outside. We can still win this
war. And then no one will have to suffer anymore. No one will have to
lose anything else."
        Hotaru smiled, and nodded.
        "Arigato, Serenity. I hope we can meet again."
        "We will. But first, we have save this planet."


        The momentary burst of light faded away, leaving in its place a
solid pillar of magik that continued to reach out into the celestial
heavens beyond the skies, stretching out to the distant and darkened
cosmos of Pharaoh 90.
        Pluto lowered her arm from her eyes, squinting into the heart of
the portal. The ghostly silhouettes of two women could be seen inside,
fighting for control over the Grail.
        "What do we do now?" Merlin asked.
        She pursed her lips, her gaze fixed upon the portal's single
beam into the heavens. "Nothing. It's between them."
        Neither of them said anything else.
        They knew full well that Mistress 9 walking out the victor was a
definite possibility. But even the two of them couldn't hope to stand
against her. The only one capable of combating the Messiah of Silence
was the Messiah of Light. All their hopes, all their futures, rested
with Serenity.
        And inside the portal, Serenity found herself returned to the
battlefield. The upside-down Auroran duelling arena vanished into a
seemingly distant memory, carrying Hotaru off with it. The edges of
her sailor fuku were thrashing madly in the gale forces, her gloved
hand still clutching one of the Holy Grail's handles.
        There came a vicious yank from Mistress 9, who tried to pull the
chalice into her total dominion. The Dark Messiah's hair was blowing
around them both, ravendark looking almost gold in the shimmering
array of lights swirling all around them.
        "The Grail is mine!" Mistress 9 snarled. Her other hand shot
forward, fingers wrapping tightly around Serenity's throat. She began
to squeeze the life out of the Messiah of Light. "You will never take
this power from me, not when it's in my grasp."
        Serenity's eyes never focused on the Grail.
        In this moment, in this battle, it meant nothing. She didn't
care about the power, or the magik. All she cared about was freeing a
friend and fellow soldier.
        "Release her!" Serenity shouted. "Give Hotaru back to me!"
        Mistress 9 spat at Serenity, trying to crush her windpipe even
more. "The girl is my container. I will never give her up!"
        Serenity could feel everything going blurred and faded. The
stranglehold was incredible and suffocating, threatening to choke her
to death in mere seconds if her neck didn't snap first. But she
refused to give in, fighting the burning of her lungs.
        "You've betrayed her," she stated angrily. "In stealing Hotaru
from us, you've betrayed the Senshi."
        For a fraction of a second, the hold around her throat went
slack.
        Mistress 9's eyes widened. "What?"
        "You've betrayed Saturn," Serenity answered hotly, feeling a
surge of magik feed her strength. Giving her the words to speak.
"Anata ha senshi wo uragi tsu ni! You've betrayed the Senshi!"
        The Dark Messiah screamed, her grip around Serenity's throat
intensifying and choking the next words from Serenity's mouth. She
forgot about the Grail, released the chalice and then put both hands
to Serenity's neck. Violet eyes were lost in hatred and frenzied
possession.
        "Shin'ne!"
        Serenity let out a frantic squeak as she felt her windpipe on
the verge of collapsing completely. Even with the Grail solely in her
grasp, she couldn't do anything. No power could be summoned when she
was desperately trying to hang on to her own life. Trying to hang on
to give another soul one last chance.
        "Ho...ta...ru," she gasped hoarsely.
        A heartbeat of subdued magik pulsed within Mistress 9.
        The Dark Messiah's eyes flew open, wide and disbelieving. Her
arms were starting to shake, but the vicious grip upon Serenity's neck
began to loosen. She could sense the soul and power of her container
begin to stir.
        "No...impossible," she hissed. "You're just a child. A slave!
You cannot fight against me!"
        Hotaru was waging war.
        The black star upon Mistress 9's head suddenly cracked,
splintering like glass. The Messiah of Silence shrieked, her hands
leaving Serenity's throat and now pressing against the temples of her
own head.
        Serenity gasped and sputtered as she gulped down welcome
lungfuls of air. She gingerly rubbed her sore neck with one hand,
momentarily forgetting about Mistress 9.
        Another furious scream raged from Mistress 9's lips and she
stumbled backwards, clutching her head. Her eyes were twitching
wildly, and Serenity could see the black star cracking apart even more
between the Dark Messiah's fingers. Mistress 9's smile turned half-
malevolent, half-crazed, and she was giggling in a tone of voice that
made Serenity shiver.
        "I cannot lose...to a weakling human."
        And then echoing in the air and magik around both Messiahs came
Hotaru's unmistakable voice. "I am a Senshi: Sailor Saturn!"
        With one final scream Mistress 9 convulsed as Hotaru retook her
own body, forcing the daimon into submission. The mature, inhuman eyes
visibly changed, and Hotaru turned to the Messiah of Light.
"Serenity!"
        Intuitively Serenity knew what she had to do.
        She grasped the Grail with both hands, holding the chalice out
before Hotaru. Crystal blue eyes flashed with the silent invocation of
magik, an armada spectral butterflies suddenly dancing in the air
around them. The lid of the Grail opened up, and unleashed its
unbridled power.
        The magik swept through the portal with the force of a
cataclysmic storm, a tidal wave of energy shaking the foundations of
Vlatmere Castle. Serenity leapt to her feet and stretched one of her
hands out, searching for Hotaru.
        She touched the hand of the Dark Messiah, and felt a surge of
Sailor Saturn's power. Both women became consumed by a radiant golden
light that flowed from Serenity to Hotaru, the Grail's power now
aligned with the magik of Serenity. The daimon entity known as
Mistress 9 howled as it was purged from Hotaru's body, the egg and its
contents catapulted through the portal back to its master.
        Somewhere between sleep and awake, between death and life,
between magik and everything else, Hotaru and Serenity floated there
together, holding hands and smiling.
        "Thank you," Hotaru said, returned to her youthful form.
        Serenity pulled Hotaru forward and wrapped the raven-haired girl
in a warm embrace. "Welcome back, Hotaru."
        The Messiah Wars reached their end.
        And the future would be protected, for the Messiah of Light had
won the war.


        There was, however, one very real and very dangerous problem
remaining. The only two who were alive and alert enough to notice it
were Sailor Pluto and Merlin. They watched the churning pillar of
light continue to reach out from the StarChamber's platform into the
midnight sky.
        "The portal's still open; Pharaoh Ninety can still come to
Earth," Pluto said, glancing over to Merlin. "I don't know how to shut
it down. Do you?"
        The Ancient shook his head. "No. This could be a problem."
        But then he began to calmly walk towards the StarChamber
platform. Moving as if he had an idea, a purpose to now fulfil.
Setsuna ran a few steps forward, lowering her Timestaff in front of
him.
        "Merlin, what are you doing?" she demanded.
        The Ancient's almost timeless eyes surveyed the shaft of magik
extending into the darkened realms above them. "I still have enough
strength left for one last spell. If I can unleash it within the
portal, then perhaps I can tear it apart from the inside out."
        Yet Pluto shook her head, the initial rise of hope brought
plummeting down with the implications of such a tactic. "Merlin,
that's suicide! It you cause the portal to explode or implode or
whatever it'll do, then you'll be caught up in it. You could be taken
to Pharaoh Ninety's domain, or get yourself killed."
        "I've heard that one before," Merlin said quietly, a strange
smile on his face. So the Raithe had been right after all in
predicting how they would leave this world. He placed a hand
underneath the key-shaped staff and raised it so he could pass. "The
Age of the Ancients is at its end, Setsuna. Where we were once the
guardians of the Solis System, you Sailor Senshi have risen up to take
our place."
        His eyes glanced back and gave Pluto a somber, penetrating look.
"Don't make me regret this changing of the guard."
        Pluto solemnly nodded. "You have my word," she vowed.
        Merlin stepped forward without any further resistance, making
his way to the StarChamber. When he reached the shaft of light, he
took a deep breath and steeled himself for this final, sacrificial
act. In many ways, an atonement for the things he was unable to
prevent during this war.
        The Ancient crossed over, moving through the intense light and
magik like it was nothing more than an illusionist's wall of smoke.
Inside, he was aware of sense and sensations, his body nearly
overloaded from the saturation of magik. The two Messiahs were lost
somewhere in here, but searching for them wasn't his concern.
        Merlin lifted his eyes upwards as he heard a distant, chilling
bellow from somewhere beyond the stars.
        Pharaoh 90 was coming.
        "Not today, you bastard," Merlin stated darkly, summoning his
powers. "And not on my watch."


        In the days, years and even decades following the end of the
Messiah Wars, Setsuna puzzled over what might have happened there
inside the StarChamber between Pharaoh 90 and Merlin. But for as many
theories as she rolled through her mind, she was left with nothing
less than a complete mystery.
        One second Merlin was standing outside the portal.
        The next second he was engulfed by its raw magik.
        A few more seconds passed.
        And then the portal exploded somewhere high up in the heavens.
Setsuna recoiled when the pillar of magik shattered, looking away as
an intense ring of light rippled out from the epicentre somewhere
beyond the Solis System yet epic enough to be seen upon the Earth.
        At Vlatmere Castle, no sound was heard.
        But the sight was nothing short of breath-taking.
        It was like watching fireflies scatter in the dead of night,
thousands if not millions of particles and shimmers of light & energy
shooting off in every direction. In their wake were left faint wisps
and trails of strange colours Setsuna had never seen before.
        Severed somewhere around the halfway mark, the portal quickly
unravelled itself, the dissolution spreading to both ends. Setsuna
watched as the portal became undone in the atmosphere, and then at
last broke apart and fizzled into oblivion at the StarChamber
platform.
        Where the light was no more, there Serenity was.
        Her sailor battle fuku was torn and ripped and stained in
countless places, and her body showed the signs of the beating she had
taken against Mistress 9. Yet she was alive, and cradling a sleeping
Hotaru in her arms.
        Clad in her Sailor Saturn uniform, Hotaru was smiling as she
dreamed. In one of her hands lightly rested the Silence Glaive, now
being wielded by its rightful owner once more.
        "Serenity!" Setsuna called out, moving as fast as her own
exhausted body would allow her. She dropped to her knees before the
two young women. Fellow Senshi. And one of them a Messiah.
        Magenta eyes beheld the wounds Serenity bore. "Are you all
right?"
        Serenity nodded slightly, her eyes drooping shut. "I'm fine,
Setsuna," she mumbled quietly, letting her head come to rest on the
platform's floor. "I just need to rest...."
        Setsuna couldn't help but laugh as she nodded. "Hai hai. Rest
for as long as you want."
        It was over. This brutal, hellish war was finally over.
        The future was protected.
        And in a very selfish way, the wish Setsuna had wanted most of
all was granted. Setsuna stroked Hotaru's pale face, and began to weep
in motherly joy. "Thank you, Serenity," she whispered as the tears
held back for so long were at last given a single, quiet moment to
fall. "Thank you for bringing my daughter back to me."


        An alien form pulsated and rippled, essence changing form and
collapsing upon itself once more only to give way to a new shape.
        Pharaoh 90 was confused.
        It found itself back in the dark nebula.
        Where it had begun its journey.
        Something had broken the connection. Severed the link.
        No sooner had it unexpectedly received the daimon egg bearing
the intact essence of Mistress 9, than the portal had decided it did
not want to be a portal anymore. And so Pharaoh 90 found itself
somewhat violently expelled and spat back to where it had always been
for centuries on end.
        Not that here wasn't interesting.
        But it wanted to be there: on Earth.
        This was, however, but a minor setback.
        It now knew of a planet called Earth. It also knew that its
loyal child, Mistress 9, was worth keeping. One day it would find a
way to return to this place called Earth. One day it would find the
child who bore the sigil and power of Saturn, and make her the
container for Mistress 9 once again. It had worked once already; a
second time would no doubt assure success.
        But how to return?
        Pharaoh 90 thought of the star-eyed man again.
        Good and evil. Both were happy.
        It still did not fully understand.
        Unsure of the integration it should choose, Pharaoh 90 consulted
with its daimon child. Mistress 9 informed it of her actions, of her
emotions, of the curious and irritating chain of events that had led
to her container rejecting her. Yet Mistress 9 had been happy when she
was the Dark Messiah.
        Through her, Pharaoh 90 saw the happiness in evil.
        Evil was happy.
        I am evil therefore I am happy.
        Home was happy.
        It would make its home on Earth. Try again a second time.
        And to be happy, Pharaoh 90 would be evil.


        In the days following the last battle, the Solis System found
itself lost in celebration. The Dark Messiah had fallen, and Aurora
was avenged. The other planets stood down from amassing their own
armies to protect themselves. Envoys were sent to Earth to help with
the rebuilding. The rulers of each planet also showed up in person
(albeit heavily guarded) to pay their respects to King Arthur at a
private funeral.
        Camelot, it was decided, should not be rebuilt. For as much-
loved a symbol as it was, the castle remained with the Golden Empire.
And that was now unanimously considered to have ended. The natural
political confusion that manifested in the aftermath was subdued, no
one wishing to set into motion another war as potentially devastating
as the Messiah Wars.
        The Pendragon was dead.
        And now all eyes were looking to Serenity.
        For the time being, she had declined from any answer as to
whether or not she would take her place as the rightful successor to
Arthur's position of power. Most were assuming she would sooner or
later become Queen, and establish a new empire even grander than the
Golden one. Some were already voicing their complaints and objections
against such a possibility, desiring their own independence.
        Yet they could not escape that Serenity was the Messiah of
Light, one who held more power than anyone else in the Solis System.
The Ancients and Aurora, and with them the greatest concentrations of
magik ever, were gone. No one remained to challenge her authority.
Only Serenity alone could use the magik of the Holy Grail.
        And loyally serving her were five Sailor Senshi.
        In time they would create a new future.
        Soon, but not quite yet.


        The ever-constant smell of antiseptics roused her from sleep.
Myung's blue eyes slowly opened, and she found herself staring up at
the same whitewashed ceiling that she had been waking up to for days
on end. Instinctively her fingers carefully probed the tensor
wrappings and tender areas of her chest, where two of her ribs bad
been broken and a kidney ruptured.
        She winced slightly at the dull throbs of pain.
        Ever since awakening as Sailor Venus, she'd discovered that her
threshold for tolerating pain had dramatically increased. Likewise,
her body's healing rate had doubled. Magik was at work--but even magik
had its limitations. It would accelerate her healing to a significant
degree, and left the rest of the mending up to her body.
        Being the active youth she was, Myung disliked being trapped
here in a bed. Unable to do anything but lay like a porcelain doll.
All dressed up and immobilized. But she would be out of here in due
time. Life was not something to take for granted; Myung cherished the
fact that she still had it, despite the beating she had taken.
        The Venusian princess, now the sailor soldier of Venus, looked
around her private room. Just beyond the closed door was the general
medical area, and that was filled with the wounded and recovering
soldiers who had risked their very lives and survived the war of
Vlatmere. Some would never walk again. Some would never work a sword
again. Some escaped with just mild cuts and bruises.
        Yet they were all survivors.
        It was nothing short of a miracle that Vlatmere castle infirmary
had survived the brutal war that had claimed many of the chambers and
wings around it. Yet it was still standing strong and dependable,
needed now more than ever. Other parts of the castle had been cleared
out to make room for triages and recovery wards. But the infirmary
still remained at the heart.
        Someone stirred at the edge of her bed.
        Myung lowered her eyes, smiling as she saw Magellan there,
asleep at her side, his head pillowed on his arms and resting upon a
small edge of her mattress. He was at her bed so long as she was awake
each day and night, sometimes letting her fall asleep while holding
his hand. Other times she let him fall asleep while she held his hand.
        It never really mattered so long as they were still together. In
that final hour of the Messiah Wars, she had nearly lost Magellan for
good, his heart and mind and soul swallowed up by his dark thoughts.
His hatred. His bloodlust. The Aroth Armour had given him the power to
turn any emotion into a weapon; to think even he had fallen prey to
letting his worst feelings shape him into a remorseless demon.
        Myung stretched out her arm, trying not to lean forward and put
unwanted strain on her chest. Her hand drifted along his skin with a
lover's caress, fingers lacing together. Magellan shifted a little,
but didn't wake up.
        He held only vague recollections of what had happened when he
had let his darker emotions take over and bring forth the demon,
Aroth. Setsuna and the others told him of their battle--but left
certain facts out. He felt guilty enough as it was without needing to
know of the true extent of the damage he'd inflicted.
        It tore Myung's heart to see him still haunted by Aroth's
shadow. But he had conquered Aroth regardless. And she held little
doubt that in the years to come, this memory of weakness would further
serve to make him vigilant of the power he still wielded.
        The armour and Excalibur with it had never been recovered from
the sea of black essence where Aroth had been defeated. When she had
asked, Magellan had only looked away and given a cryptic answer:
"They're no longer here...but not lost either. I can still feel them
inside of me."
        She held onto his hand a little tighter.
        There was nothing left for them to say to each other. Yet
everything that needed to be said had already been spoken. She had
pled that he would not leave her. And he had answered her by coming
back to her. By promising to never leave her again.
        It was not as explicit as "I love you."
        But it meant the same thing.
        And yet meant so much more.
        Myung shifted her gaze as there was a polite knock on her door.
Frederic hobbled in moments later, his body propped up on a pair of
crutches, the right leg of his pants cut away to show the immense
layering of bandages wrapped around his thigh. A demon had managed to
impale its savage claw into his leg just as he had rammed a barbed
arrow into its eye.
        That claw now rested in his private chambers: a sleek, black and
vicious two foot-long reminder of what he had fought against. There
was no other trace of the beast, or any other youma for that matter.
When Mistress 9 had been vanquished from Hotaru's body, the demon-
creatures she controlled lost all their power. The youma melted away
into their original human selves...and died instantly from the
poisonous blak magik they had allowed into their bodies.
        "I'm not interrupting, am I?" Frederic asked in a hushed tone as
he noticed Magellan still asleep. His voice was tired, weary from
fighting and weary from having to contend with his wound. But the
Messiah Wars had been unable to steal away Frederic's smile and sense
of humour. For all that had changed about him, that had changed them
all, he was still the same old Frederic.
        Myung shook her head, and silently bade him to join her at the
bedside. Frederic stopped at the foot of her infirmary bed, glancing
again at Magellan.
        "How long has he been sleeping?"
        "I'm not sure," Myung answered quietly. "I just woke up myself."
        Frederic nodded, letting out a sigh. "Well, when he regains
consciousness, tell him that the ambassadors from Neptune are here. No
need for him to rush; they're just being shown to their tents before I
give them the grand tour of our half-demolished castle."
        A look of concern registered on Myung's face, her gaze falling
to the bandages on Frederic's leg. He just laughed when he realized
what she was thinking. "Aw, don't worry about me," he said, wiggling
his eyebrows at her. "Some of the nursemaids love to coddle over my
war wound. It's my badge of honour."
        Myung chuckled, "It's your latest tactic to get a date."
        "That too."
        Frederic departed as quietly as he had entered, giving them the
chance to be alone again. He met the Queen Mother just outside the
door. "How are they?" Katherine asked.
        After a moment of thought, Frederic nodded his head. "They're
going to be just fine. And so long as I don't have to limp my way up
the damned aisle as best man, their wedding's going to be even
better."


        "What are you thinking about?" Haruka asked her Neptuni lover.
She laid sprawled out on her back, staring up at nothing in
particular.
        "That it's a shame I can't do anything more than spongebathe
you," Michiru sighed as she laid out on her stomach beside Haruka, a
mischievous gleam in her aquagreen eyes. "We don't want to rupture
your stitches now, do we?"
        Haruka smirked. "Hai hai. But that means we can't make up for
lost time in a few weeks."
        She had proven harder to kill than first thought. Despite her
injuries, she was recovering even faster than Myung. Two days ago
Haruka had been cleared from having to remain in one of the
infirmary's private rooms (adjacent to Myung's) and was now permitted
to recover in one of the guest chambers of the castle.
        And Michiru showed infinite patience whenever Haruka sulked
about how she was perfectly fine and didn't need to sit in bed all day
long like some feeble old man. On the other hand, Haruka didn't mind
being spoonfed by Michiru. The fact that she was being catered to by
her lover made being so physically limited all the more tolerable.
        But in a few days she'd be able to start hobbling around on
crutches, with Michiru constantly at her side for support. That
brightened Haruka's day almost as much as seeing her lover smile again
like the way she used to before they had been caught up in the Messiah
Wars.
        "We can't go back, can we?" Michiru said.
        Haruka shook her head, adjusting the way her head was propped up
on some pillows. "As much as I would love to return to a time where I
could steal away to your underwater suite and make love to you, I
don't think we can do it anymore."
        "Make love in general, or just doing it in that one location?"
Michiru teased.
        "You know what I mean," Haruka replied with a smirk. "I've been
thinking a lot about that, actually. We can't go back to our old
lives, lovers in secret as our royal families bicker with each other.
We're Senshi now...and we have a Messiah to serve and protect.
Wherever she goes, we will follow.
        "But at the same time, I think we may have more freedom now than
ever before. We're soldiers of legend now, not just the princesses of
this generation. Both our parents have accepted that our destiny
doesn't belong on our homeworlds. It's like we've discovered our
independence."
        Michiru smiled and moved next to Haruka, one of her arms gently
draped over the tall sandy-blonde's breasts. "And here I thought only
Neptuni had such eloquent ways with words."


        The awakening of Sailor Saturn left with it certain
complications. Not all of them negative. Setsuna found herself
contemplating both the good and the bad as she stared down at her
reflection in the cup of tea held between her hands. A woman with
tanned skin, long dark hair and magenta eyes looked back.
        How much time had passed since this all began?
        Sixteen years of almost nothing. Sixteen years of quiet lull.
And then within but a few days, the Messiah Wars had broken out along
with every last level of hell. Those few weeks of war felt to have
lasted longer than the sixteen years of calm.
        But now what?
        "Setsuna?"
        Setsuna blinked out of her dreaming reveries as she heard her
name, and looked up from her tea. Sitting across on one of the
elegantly carved and decorated couches was Hotaru, the young raven-
haired girl dressed in casual Auroran attire. The best that Charon had
been able to replicate for her.
        It felt odd having Hotaru call her by that, by her true name. A
memory, one that seemed so long ago, brought back stirrings of images
and voices, of Hotaru calling her Lady Kaori. But now all guises had
been dropped. Now she could allow herself to be called Setsuna, Sailor
Pluto.
        And yet...Setsuna knew she could never hear the word she so
desperately yearned for: momma. But that secret was one Setsuna felt
almost certain she was forbidden to tell, no matter how much pain it
caused her inside to see Hotaru without any real parents now.
        There was always the hope to be a surrogate mother, though.
        But even that seemed a dying hope now.
        Hotaru set her teacup back on its saucer, and set the two on the
glass surface of the coffee table between them. After her defeat of
Mistress Nine, she had come to Castle Charon and lived with Setsuna
while Earth began its restoration process. Now in having seen the
beautiful architecture Charon had to offer, she was anxious to see her
own castle.
        Charon was elated to no end at finding another floating castle
in the stars like himself. The castle for Saturn had uncloaked itself
in the immediate hours following the outcome of the Messiah Wars.
Presumably, the castles for Uranus and Neptune would be making their
own appearances soon enough.
        Hotaru put those thoughts aside, her violet eyes focusing on
Setsuna. Of the two of them, Setsuna had been the quietest over the
past few days.
        "Setsuna," she said again. "What's wrong?"
        Setsuna's first impulse was to lie, to deny that there was a
problem. But she knew it was impossible to deceive those eyes looking
expectantly at her. With a deep breath she set down her own teacup.
"Hotaru, are you sure about this?"
        Hotaru nodded, looking incredibly adult even though she still
appeared so young. "Saturn is the soldier of death and rebirth.
Mistress Nine gained incredible power by using my magik...but even
though she is gone, my power is not."
        A shadow of sadness passed over her.
        Memories of what Mistress 9 had done to Khai, to Aurora. Friends
and family she could never bring back. Hotaru still didn't know
whether or not Helios had survived. Whenever she asked, Charon
remained ambiguous at best in voicing a response. And in a roundabout
way, she knew she was responsible for it all.
        Sleepless nights and hours spent crying in her bed had already
been lost. Such was the grieving process. But she was recovering;
Serenity visited her often, the blonde Messiah teleporting over to
Charon on an almost daily basis. The love and acceptance she received
from Serenity had already done so much for Hotaru. Now more than ever
she was willing to serve as one of Serenity's soldiers.
        But her service as Saturn would be one entirely different from
everyone else's. That's what made Setsuna feel so bittersweet about
these last few days together with Hotaru. That's what Hotaru was
sensing now from the guardress of time.
        Hotaru got up from her couch, and sat down next to Setsuna, her
arms drawing her fellow Senshi closer. "Daijobu, Setsuna," she said
with a reassuring smile. "You're only letting me sleep. If the
situation arises that you need my power, all you have to do is call on
me. And then we can be reunited."
        Such great responsibility on her shoulders.
        It seemed too much a burden for a 16 year-old.
        Yet Setsuna had watched Hotaru grow up with the Auroran samurai.
The raven-haired youth more than anyone understood the deeper meanings
of duty. Honour. Sacrifice.
        Setsuna found herself on the verge of crying again. She didn't
want to do this in front of Hotaru. She didn't want her daughter to
see this. But it was too late to conceal the tears welling up in her
eyes. Hotaru just held her there, tightly and refusing to let go,
giving Setsuna silent permission to cry.
        As Serenity had been there for her, so too would she be there
for Setsuna.
        Charon unexpectedly made his presence known, his disembodied
voice suddenly announcing, "Just to inform you, ladies: the pool has
been filled. You can go swimming anytime now."
        Setsuna drew away from Hotaru at the interruption, wiping her
eyes. She might have cried for longer--but this had already been good
for her.
        From wherever his sensors were hidden, Charon seemed to have
noted what he walked in on. "Oh...I've ruined the mood, haven't I?"
        Hotaru laughed, already picturing Charon berating his
programming for its lack of tact. But Charon meant well, which made
him all the more endearing a friend. Not many could say they were good
friends with a castle's soul...or whatever exactly Charon was.
        "Daijobu, Charon," she said, lifting her violet eyes to the sea
of stars overhead. This was perhaps what she loved the most about
Charon's design: the open ceiling concept. It made her feel so close
to the heavens and their beauty. "We were just finishing anyways.
Thanks for the update."
        Charon let out an audible sigh of relief over the speaker
systems.
        Setsuna found herself pulled off the couch with Hotaru's help,
the raven-haired girl's smile dangerously infectious. Even if they
only had a few more days together, Setsuna would treasure them all.
Her precious time with her daughter would not go wasted.
        "It's been a long time since I've gone skinny-dipping," Hotaru
said with an impish grin as she walked down the grand hall. She then
looked up at the ceiling and added playfully, "No peeking."
        "......" was Charon's response.


        He wasn't exactly dead.
        He wasn't exactly living, either.
        Humanity tends to classify existence as fitting one of those two
slots, when in fact there are multitudes of other options. Some in
between. Others beyond. For one who had lived long enough, learned of
magik long enough, it came as no surprise to find himself here.
        Inside the strange but beautiful architecture of an ancient
castle in the heavens, Merlin watched as Serenity walked right past
him. She never saw him, never sensed him, never noticed his presence.
Neither did the four Outer Senshi who walked reverently behind her.
That too came as no surprise to Merlin.
        He was in transition.
        On the verge of journeying to one of those other options of
existence, one whose final destination even he was not aware of. Yet
it would be a journey no longer within the Solis System. He would be
leaving this place, these people, behind. He doubted that he would
even see this star system again.
        And that saddened a part of his soul.
        But he knew it had to happen.
        Merlin's eyes followed the Senshi as they walked down the grand
atrium, heading for a chamber he had already visited in this strange
spectral form. Then his eyes abruptly shifted to his left, to another
spectral soul standing there next to him.
        "So," Merlin remarked. "All's well?"
        "In a sense," the Raithe answered with his trademark smirk.
"Care to toll the bell for us, Merlin? The age of the Golden Empire
has reached its end."
        Merlin shook his head at the memories of what they'd once had,
and now lost. Such melancholic and disturbing thoughts. "What else is
left then?"
        "A silver millennium, and momentary peace." Thousand-star eyes
glanced over at a third shadowy figure listening to their words and
debates.
        "Peace is always transient," Dante stated, fiery orbs glancing
at the wonder of a castle even older than them.
        "As is war," the Raithe was quick to point out as well. "But
they've earned their chance for peace. It would be rude of the future
to interrupt them with war so quickly." He smiled fondly as he saw his
daughter again. "A shame we won't be around to see what they make of
the future."
        Merlin gave a derisive snort. "Somehow I'm betting you already
know."
        An enigmatic grin moved across the Raithe's face as he began to
fade away entirely. "You'd be surprised at what I know, Merlin. At
what I've always known...."


        Serenity stood before a large pair of doors marked with the
sigil of Saturn. She turned her head and beckoned for Hotaru to step
forward.
        A single touch from Hotaru's palm against the surface caused the
doors to shudder, unlocking for the first time in centuries if not
millennia. They swung back, allowing the Senshi into the inner sanctum
of Saturn's castle: Titan. The grand halls behind them had not been so
different from the design of Charon. Evidently both had the same
creator-designer, but crafted in distinctively unique styles.
        Here the five young women walked into an enormous atrium that
seemed to be a garden lost within the depths of stars and space. Akin
to Charon's layout, most of the walls and ceiling were left open to
the darkness of the cosmos, but here the skeletal framework supporting
the curious barrier around them was a curving, elaborate design of
intersecting circles and spires.
        Strange but beautiful balls of light, almost resembling fist-
sized fireflies, danced through the air around the flowers, each one a
different hue or shade. A number were congregating around some of the
patio tables and chairs. Even more were active at a long rectangular
fountain in the centre of the atrium.
        "It's beautiful," Hotaru murmured, entranced.
        Serenity mutely nodded as she followed in behind, allowing for
Hotaru to lead them forward. Giving Hotaru the opportunity to discover
this castle, her rightful domain, first.
        "I can't wait to see what ours must look like," Haruka remarked
to Michiru.
        Michiru smiled as she walked arm in arm with her lover. "If
there's no large aquarium or pool in mine, I can tell you the first
thing I install."
        The "soul" of this castle called out to them in a series of
haunting windchimes as it sensed their presence. Titan's time of
disuse had resulted in a corruption of one of its verbal
communications programs; the chiming was currently the best and only
way it could talk to them, save for using a series of lights to show
them the way.
        Charon was already running diagnostics on Titan's systems, and
beforehand had warned the Senshi of this problem. He also hoped to
have Titan's damaged programs and functions restored within the week.
        "She's been waiting for me for a long time," Hotaru said, unable
to stop from smiling. She had the expression of someone sharing lives
and dreams with a kindred spirit.
        "How do you know?" Serenity asked.
        Hotaru looked up to the stars above and around them. "I just
know. She's been lonely."
        "I hope Charon doesn't talk her to death," Setsuna quipped.
        The firefly-like orbs of light darted around them, playing with
them, happy to have visitors after so long. They really took to
Michiru--and had even more fun with Haruka, thinking that her attempts
to swat them aside was just a game. And for the most part it was.
        The lights also proved to be their escourt, helping show them
the way they were to go. Hotaru moved up the stairs and through the
corridors as if she had been here before. There was a connection she
held with Titan that Setsuna realized she lacked with Charon. However,
Charon had been active for centuries under the Raithe's watchful eye,
and to a degree had been influenced by the way the Raithe did things.
        This was different.
        The end of their journey was marked by a single room with only
one item inside its walls. A long glass container was laid out in the
centre of the chamber, awaiting its sleeping occupant. Setsuna tried
not to think of how it resembled a large, aerodynamic casket. The
lights were naturally dimmed here, violet and white mixing together.
Overhead was a breath-taking view of the ringed planet Saturn.
        "Here," Hotaru stated, running her hand along the smooth surface
of the cryobed. "This is where I'll be sleeping."
        Emotionally-charged eyes looked from one Senshi to the next, to
the friends who had become her new family. This would be the last time
she'd see them for who knew how long. It might seem like only minutes
to her, but could be decades for them. As much as she wanted to stay
composed, Hotaru was unable to hide her tears as she said her good-
byes.
        She hugged Haruka, and then Michiru.
        They whispered reassuring words to her, that they'd be waiting
to see her soon. Thanking her for all she had done to help them fight
the Messiah Wars. Promising to visit both her and Titan on a regular
basis, even if she had to remain asleep during that time.
        Serenity was next.
        The two held on to each other for a long time, saying nothing as
they cried. "I'm going to miss you," Hotaru confessed.
        "Not as much as I fear I'm going to miss you," Serenity
answered. "Take care, Hotaru. We'll see each other again, I promise."
        Very soon, it was Setsuna's turn.
        Her last moments with Hotaru were the longest of anyone's. And
also the most emotional. "I won't be alone, Setsuna," Hotaru said
quietly as they embraced one last time. "Titan will be there with me
when I dream. Neither of us will be lonely."
        Setsuna found the strength to smile, and hugged Hotaru all the
more. "I love you, Hotaru-chan. Never forget that."
        As she stepped back, Hotaru let her magik change her clothes
into the sailor fuku of Saturn. A tiara adorned with an amethyst
gemstone appeared upon her head. She said nothing as she climbed into
her cryochamber, letting herself be sealed inside.
        Violet eyes looked at the others with fond affection.
        'See you soon,' she mouthed.
        Whatever Titan did to put Hotaru to sleep, it was fast and
invisible. Within seconds Hotaru's eyes closed, and she was sleeping
peacefully.
        "At last," Haruka said, daring to say what they were all now
thinking. "It's finally over."
        Serenity smiled as she watched Hotaru, and then shook her head.
"No. This is just the beginning."




            THE WAR IN HEAVEN FALLS TO EARTH.

        CHRONICLES OF THE MESSIAH WARS...ENDS




        She laid a small scarlet rose upon the edge of the cliffs, where
Elfhame had once stood. The winds drove with them the scent of salt
and water, and of a memory of magik now lost forever to the world.
They caused her long blonde hair to dance around her form.
        She knew that about twenty paces back, Haruka and Michiru were
silently waiting for her.
        But this was her time.
        Crystal blue eyes looked out the white-capped tides flowing and
ebbing with the seas, to the beautiful painting of the sky made by the
setting sun.
        "Good-bye, Kakkyou," Serenity whispered.
        The tears began to fall down her cheeks as she remembered the
warmth of his touch, the laughter of his wit, the soothing sound of
his voice, the magik of his smile.
        "I miss you...."



        ...and somewhere far away, someone heard her calling out.
        A feline creature not quite entirely feline let its eyes flutter
open. The muscles of its iris contracted and formed a thin black slit
in the centre of each eye. Its fur was silver, and it moved about
awkwardly on all four paws.
        Such movement was new for it.
        For him.
        The feline creature looked around at his new surroundings, and
found himself slightly perplexed. This was not the world he had known
upon going to sleep. Further thought brought the revelation that he
didn't even know the old world he'd fallen asleep to. But he knew that
something was changed.
        Different.
        Perhaps it was himself.
        He could not remember that he had once been of Elven blood, or
that he had fought the Dark Messiah and died to protect the woman he
loved. He could not recall the final magik that found its way to the
moon--and then was reshaped and sent into the depths of the heavens by
the Raithe's shakujyo. He could not remember anything, save for what
he now was.
        He was a Mau.
        And he had a name: Zeus.
        His promise to come back to her would be fulfilled.






Eternal Thanks:


        To Naoko Takeuchi, who I'm sure had nothing like this in
        mind when she created the Sailormoon universe.

        To Sailor Skuld, for believing in me in the first place, and
        for being willing to wait 2 years for the Messiah Wars to at
        last reach their completion.

        To Todd Foster, for helping throw ideas my way, for putting
        up with my rampant scene-writing, and always letting me know
        when I started to go astray.

        To Andrea Hui and the ASMR, for letting the Circles of Time
        universe find a place here amidst the hundreds of other
        fanfics. I personally owe her a debt of thanks I fear I may
        never be able to fully repay, but I hope this can act as a
        beginning.

        To Amanda, for always being there to listen to me rant--
        about the Messiah Wars or just anything else in life.

        To blue, who never ceased to write me at least once a month
        and ask, "So just when is that final chapter coming out?" I
        hope this managed to at last satisfy you. ^_-

        To all the Hotaru/Sailor Saturn fans out there, for not
        writing all sorts of evil death threats after reading about
        the colourful demonstrations Mistress 9 gave on how to kill
        someone.



        Okay, people, show's over. Time to hit the showers....