Title: The Chosen - Resurrection
Author: Kenneth Krekeler
DISCLAIMERS: Sailor Moon and all symbols associated with Sailor Moon
are not mine and are owned by DiC, Bandai, and many other corporations who
I do not want to get in legal trouble with.
The Chosen and all symbols associated with Nakiad, Kaneth, the Dark Lord
and the rest belong to David Kogan, author of the original 'Chosen' series. I
would not advise anyone reading this to continue until you have read the first
'Chosen' saga.
David Kogan has written a sequel to the Chosen, entitled 'Perchance to
Dream.' You can find both stories under the banner 'Shades of Light and
Darkness' on the ASMR site. -My- fan-fic, however, takes place after the third
part of Chosen, 'Choice', and changes just about everything from there.
_ _ _
The Chosen: Resurrection
Prologue
The room was small, and it was a dark room at that. The only light it was
illuminated by was the light that peaked through the arch window on the far
wall. The window portrayed a dark, cloudy sky, with swarming black mists
swirling in every direction. Below it, a sickening gray color filled the rocky
ground that seemed to stretch on for eternity.
In the corner of the dark room was a small desk, littered with various books
and texts. The books were old, their pages yellowed with eons upon eons of
being turned.
Near the edge of the desks' surface was a lamp. It was vaguely spherical in
shape, with a bit of an off-white color. Towards the middle, it had two dark,
black holes, and towards the bottom, two rows of small, thick squares. Upon
closer inspection, the lamp would have a very definite resemblance to that of a
human skull. Through the top of the head protruded a small, black, unlit
candle, worn short by a millennium of usage.
On the other side of the room was a large, flat rectangle made of stone used as
a bed for sleeping. It was not a comfortable bed, but then, the man sitting on it
was not thinking about comfort. Nor did he think about the books, or even the
slightly frightening landscape outside. No, this man's thoughts were of a far
more different nature. This man's thoughts consisted of a short range of
emotions.
Evil.
His thoughts were of Evil. Of hatred. Of anger. Of jealousy, and rage, and
pain.
For in the Negaverse, these were the only emotions that existed.
The man got up off the bed and slowly walked over to the window. His eyes
were incredibly black, with no visible irises, but while in the light, they seemed
to flash a deep, dark red, just for an instant. His straight, brown hair had been
parted in the center, his bangs occasionally going astray into his eyes. He wore
a dark gray uniform, with a bright purple stripe outlining the cuffs of his
sleeves and the lapel of his jacket. His hands were gloved with a white material
as he folded them around each other.
His thoughts were of anger and rage, yes, but there was a new feeling now,
unlike anything he felt before.
The feeling of being abandoned.
The Dark Lord was missing.
The Dark Lord was gone.
The Dark Lord had abandoned them. He had abandoned his people, the
Negaverse.
The man now was angry at this most recent idea, and clenched his fists. No one
had ever found out what had happened to the Shadow after His second battle
with the infamous Chosen warrior. There were rumors of course, but that came
with anything that happened to anyone. Some said that the Lord has been
killed, some said He had just left the Negaverse. And a very, very small
percentage of people had said that there had been a
-third- battle between the Chosen and the Lord, but nothing was ever said
about the outcome of that clash.
The rumors, the man recalled, had come from a warrior who claimed to be
present at the time the Shadow faced the Chosen for the second time. When he
had returned to the Negaverse, the other shadows had recognized him as a
soldier with a quality the rest lacked. A quality that separated him from the
other Evils in their world.
The quality was a difficult one to explain. It demonstrated a high tolerance for
'fairness.' It required that, before a battle was engaged, each side had to have
equal odds at winning.
The quality, the man had later found out, had been called 'honor.'
And the warrior was known as Kaneth.
As the man recalled, the Dark Lord had not been particularly fond of this
Kaneth due to the potential goodness inside him , but had tolerated him
because of his supreme fighting abilities.
If Kaneth had expected leadership when he returned to the Negaverse, he was
sorely disappointed.
The shadows had frowned upon him when they learned of his betrayal toward
the Dark Lord, of his fighting on the side of the Chosen. He was no longer
associated with, no longer included in the plans for attack on various planets as
before. Now he was an outcast. It was a wonder he had not been demoted to a
soldier of little or no power.
However, Kaneth did have a few followers left, those who wanted knowledge
of 'honor' trait. The man in the gray uniform frowned at the possibility of
minor rebellion, but then decided it might be better to linger on that threat
later.
His thoughts now turned to that of the present. He had much to do. He had
much to work on. His Project was the most important thing right now. The
beginning of the end of the Moon Princess.
Kaneth had not assumed the throne of power when he returned.
The man with the uniform had.
The armies of the Negaverse were his to control. The thousands of minions
were his alone to order.
The Universe would not tremble at the name of Queen Beryl or of the Dark
Lord.
They would tremble at his name.
-Calimite.-
-The Fifth General.-
Part 1: Pool
Nakiad observed the beautiful, sparkling city of Tokyo through the opened
window of Darian's apartment, in consideration of the events in the past few
days.
Very much had happened.
It had been two weeks since the final confrontation with the Dark Lord, who
now was dwelling within him. His mortal enemy was now a part of him. The
Shadow had developed the very concept of evil, and yet, in the end, was not
totally evil Himself. Nakiad smiled at the irony.
And Guardian was part of him now, too. A thousand conscious minds of a
thousand perfect warriors were at his aid, ready to assist him in any coming
battle he might encounter. Guardian no longer needed to appear as a globe of
light as before; Nakiad needed only to look within himself to absorb the
experiences of all the Chosen combined. Nakiad remembered the look of
disappointment on Princess Serena's face when she realized she would never
again see the shimmering light show that had once entranced her for hours.
And yet, it was Nakiad who was dominant, who was the captain of the ship.
And it was that simple fact which would cause the all trouble soon to come.
Nakiad frowned and stepped away from the window, trying to relax upon his
bed. He wore his classical black gi; he had taken the Lord's clothes and stored
them in an impenetrable glass case lightly laced with Maraki deep within the
basement chambers of his home.
And his home was another thing. He didn't want to go back. He knew that
basically all his home was was training facilities for combat and chemical labs
for poisons and anti-toxins. All he could think about when he was there were
the encounters he'd had as the Chosen, something he would like to forget. All
that pain... Losing Mina, hesitating at the battle with the Dark Lord, having to
-disassemble- Venus when they were in the Negaverse, Mina using her
Crescent V to virtually shatter his spine... It was quite a lot for a person to
bear.
That was why he had accepted Darian's invitation to stay with him, so he could
temporarily elude those memories of being the greatest warrior who ever lived.
He would have to return at some point, of course, but not yet. Not yet.
He had another problem to solve. The problem of this 'unification' he was
undergoing.
He had to tell the scouts about it. Soon. Otherwise, it might evolve into
something bigger than it needed to be, and he would regret that he had not
confessed earlier.
He had had his share of regret. Enough to last him a lifetime. Ten lifetimes.
But the scouts were only now recuperating from their last experience. They
had all had quite a brush with death from the battle with that 'Needle-
Monster', as Serena had referred to it. To add to their stress now would be
more weight than they could bare.
So he kept silent, until such a time when he could decide exactly how he would
approach the situation.
But, he thought, by then it may be too late.
He heard a knock at his door. Spinning, a bit too quickly by force of habit, he
watched Prince Darian of Earth slowly open the door and peek his head around
the corner. Nakiad relaxed a bit, happy to see his friend.
"I hope I'm not disturbing anything," Darian said quietly, unsure of whether or
not he broken Naiad's' concentration of meditation, or something along those
lines.
"No, not at all," Nakiad smiled at the prince's sheepish behavior. "Come right
in. This -is- your home."
Darian took another step into the room. "I've got dinner on the table, if you...
uh... eat," he stammered.
Nakiad realized how hungry he actually was, considering the fact that he
hadn't eaten all day. It was possible for him to go months without food, but it
wasn't really advised. He followed Darian into the dining room after accepting
his offer.
The dining room was the dining room in name only; for in truth it was a
kitchen with a table and four chairs. It was a fairly neat room, not strewn with
food scraps and crumbs throughout, as most people think of when they depict
a typical male abode. There were, of course, some areas that could have done
with a little tidiness, but overall, Prince Darian was fairly orderly.
Darian sat down at one end of the table, Nakiad taking the other. Darian
produced two boxes containing pizzas, evidently from a delivery service. He
handed Nakiad one box and kept the other for himself.
Darian smiled apologetically. "Sorry I couldn't gather something a bit more
glamorous," he said.
"Please," Nakiad smiled, "This is probably the best meal I've had in a good
long while." He opened the box and took a slice from the dough circle as
Darian did the same. Darian considered the next few seconds of silence
awkward, where Nakiad would have called them peaceful.
"So," Darian started, attempting to make conversation, "How are you? You
haven't said much since the battle with the Dark Lord."
Nakiad took another bite of pizza before answering. "I've had to get used to
this new feeling of being one with Guardian and the Shadow. It's an entirely
new experience. As if I'm seeing everything through the eyes of a thousand
combatants at once. It's a tad overwhelming."
"I can imagine," Darian lied.
Nakiad's eyes seemed to stare past Darian for a while, his thoughts on
something else. "Although, now..." Nakiad trailed off.
"What is it?" asked Darian, slightly confused.
Nakiad snapped back to reality. "Sorry. Never mind."
Darian shrugged. "So, can you do more than you could when you were just the
Chosen?" Darian winced inwardly at the lack of respect he had when he used
the title, but Nakiad seemed unaffected.
"You mean, do I have any more powers," Nakiad declared the prince's
thoughts, knowing he would be to timid to ask bluntly. "In the physical sense,
no," Nakiad answered. "I can't throw bolts of lighting, or make fire dance from
my fingers. I can't even fly." Darian laughed a bit, although unsure if the joke
was intended. "But -mentally-, Darian, I have more knowledge than any other
Chosen who ever preceded me. For all their minds have united within me, and
given me more adventures and experiences than you could ever imagine."
"Does that mean you have all of their memories, all their -lives-, stored in your
brain?" Darian asked.
Nakiad nodded. "But not one of them was ever as happy as I am now." He
smiled.
Darian returned the smile, drinking from his glass. "How's Mina?" He asked.
Nakiad's smile stretched until he was beaming. "Perfect, as usual," he replied.
Darian, too, laughed a bit. "As is Serena."
Nakiad looked at Darian. "My prince, I know it is not my place to speak of the
Royal Court like this but..." he trailed off.
"That's all right, Nakiad. Speak freely."
Nakiad was reluctant. "Darian, you know I love the Princess, just as I did her
mother, but... Isn't Serena a tad... accident-prone?"
Darian laughed loudly, surprising Nakiad, something very difficult to do. Once
he regained himself, the prince spoke. "Nakiad, I wouldn't have it any other
way if my life depended on it."
The other smiled broadly in response. "I understand. I wouldn't change a thing
about Mina if it meant fighting the Dark One a hundred times over."
Darian held up a glass, proposing a toast. "To love," he said.
Nakiad raised his glass. "To love."
"Nakiad, my friend, we are the luckiest guys on the face of the earth."
-Clink-
* * *
"So, what's the latest gossip on Nakiad?" asked a girl with bulging blue eyes
and extremely long pigtails.
Mina turned away, embarrassed. "Oh, Serena, there's nothing to tell."
"Why don't you mind your own business, Meatball-head?" interrupted Raye.
"Raye, I told you to stop -calling- me that! Why won't you leave me alone?"
exclaimed Serena, her eyes moist.
Mina slapped her forehead as the other two scouts bickered. She should not
have come to this picnic.
Birds were chirping, trees were swaying, breezes were blowing, girls were
shrieking. Ever since the three of them had walked into the park, Raye hadn't
let up on Serena. Mina calmly ate her salami sandwich while Moon and Mars
neared the brink of a fist fight.
"You know," Serena said, her arms folded, "I'd put more effort into chasing
Chad than picking on defenseless girls like me."
"DEFENSELESS?" Mars shouted. "I'd hardly call destroying a knight from
the Negaverse single-handedly 'defenseless'!"
Serena didn't know weather or not to take that as a complement or insult, and
so resumed her conversation with Mina.
"Really, Serena," Mina protested, "There's no gossip to talk about. I haven't
seen him very much lately, you know? He's been over at Darian's a lot-" Mina
stopped to see Serena's eyes shift into dreamland at the mention of her true
love's name- "and he's resting from the fight with the Dark Lord."
Raye interjected. "See, Serena? Nothing's happening. And if it were, I
seriously doubt she would tell a blabber-mouth like YOU!"
Serena's lower lip trembled, and before Mina or Raye had a chance to shield
themselves, they were showered with a steady flow of tears. "You know Raye,
I always try to be nice to you but you're so mean and I never liked you on the
team and I hope you sit on a tack and can't sit down for a whole WEEK!" And
then the Princess of the Moon stomped off in a huff.
Raye sat down next to Mina. "So, now that she's gone, what have you and that
cutie been up to?" she giggled.
Mina sighed.
* * *
No. He needed more. Much more.
This was not nearly the amount of energy needed for his Project. The General
cursed to himself. The Dark Lord must have used up most of it in the battle
against the Chosen. It would take time before more could be gathered. Time he
did not have.
He walked around the Pool, its black waters only filling a tenth of it's capacity.
He could not rest yet. Not until it was brimming with the power of the
Negaverse.
And to do that, he would have to obtain more energy.
Much, much more.
He closed his eyes, concentrating on a single entity in a single location, using
an ancient telepathic technique he'd spent eons perfecting. He plunged into her
mind and found her ears, leaving her a single message that would have her
running.
And almost instantaneously she appeared before him in a flash of red light and
ugly gray smoke.
He gave her her instructions.
She grinned, and disappeared. She had probably been within his sight for all of
five seconds.
* * *
Mina opened the door, and before she knew it, she was being kissed by a tall
man in black.
Nakiad pulled away after a few seconds. "That was something long overdue,"
he said, smiling.
"You could have at least said 'hello' first," Mina giggled. "I haven't seen you
for over a week."
He stroked her hair. "I'm sorry. I've really had a lot on my mind."
"Well," she said, faking anger, "I suppose I can forgive you this time. Come on
in."
He obeyed, and she closed the door behind him. "Care for some tea?" she
asked, being as hospitable as possible.
"I would love some," he replied.
She led him to the kitchen and sat him down, placing a saucer and teacup on
the table in front of him. "It's already made," she said, "I was just about to sit
down and have a cup myself." She brought the kettle over and poured into his
cup, did the same for herself, and sat down in the chair directly next to him.
There was a pause as they sipped, then Mina spoke. "How have you and
Darian been getting along?"
"Oh, you know. He's quite a nice fellow. He been so kind, taking me under his
roof."
"Yeah."
Pause.
"You know, I've really missed you." Mina said it without looking at his eyes.
Nakiad sighed. "I know."
"Are you okay? I mean, in a way, you kind of -are- the Dark Lord. Is that
affecting you at all?"
The urge to tell her was almost too much to bare, and he just barely was able
to mask his fears by sipping from the cup again. That gave him enough time to
respond with "Mina, I'll be okay."
Mina smiled. That smile, Nakiad thought, that trusting smile. It was so
innocent, so faithful, so beautiful... He loved her. More than his life. More than
the world. More than the Univ-
No.
He knew his duty.
The Universe took precedence above all other purposes.
All.
He realized Mina was talking to him. "...keeps asking me what's going on
between us. She really loves to gossip." Nakiad noticed that Mina kept staring
into the teacup, avoiding his eyes. "Lita's asking to. In fact, the only person
who hasn't expressed the slightest interest is Amy, but I guess that's to be
expected." She traced the circular top the of the cup with her finger, hoping for
some kind of reaction.
Nakiad smiled. She was so shy, so meek. And she meant everything to him. If
he ever lost her... His thoughts drifted back to when he and Mina had saved the
scouts from the Lord, and when the Shadow had almost killed her. He
remembered how afraid he was. He remembered what he had to do to his love.
And the price his back ultimately paid.
But, he told himself, that was over now. He had to focus on the present.
He turned to Mina, her vision still focused on the cup. He watched her as those
sky blue eyes looked up and at him, revealing all her feelings and emotions. He
could have stared into those eyes for hours, enchanted by the wonder that
danced there, knowing anything and everything about the person behind those
beautiful, kind pools of teal.
And the worry and awkwardness washed from her face as her eyes met his,
replaced by a warm smile.
He kissed her.
She returned it.
But their embrace was cut off suddenly by Nakiad. He pulled away from her,
wincing in pain.
The look of worry returned to her. "Are you okay? I didn't, um, bite you or
anything, did I?" She rested a hand on his shoulder.
Nakiad seemed to have some kind of a headache, and rested his elbows on the
table, his hands clutching his temples. Mina became even more troubled when
he got to his feet quickly, as if startled in some way.
"Mina," he said through gritted teeth, "I have to go."
"What?" she protested. "But you just got here! Is it the tea? Is something
wrong with the tea?"
"No, no..." he replied, beginning to regain his composure. He took a breath
and cleared his throat, blinking a lot.
"Then," Mina said, a bit more quietly, "Is it me?"
Nakiad looked directly at her. "If it was, my love, I would never have waited
an entire millennium to hear you laugh."
Mina sighed with relief and reluctantly escorted him to the door.
"I'm sorry I have to go so soon, Mina," he said, standing on her front porch.
"Are you going to be all right?" she asked with concern. "I mean, if you want,
you could stay a little longer..."
"It's okay. I'll be fine."
Mina paused before she closed the door, slowly stealing a last glimpse of him.
Nakiad looked up towards the night sky, at the sparkling blackness that had
once contained the Moon Kingdom. He looked at the heavens and bright stars
whose beauty was paralleled only by that of the girl he loved.
Damn it.
He began to stroll down the midnight street at a slow but steady pace with a
cross yet puzzled look on his face.
It had never done -that- before.
It had spoken to him mentally, screamed its rage, but had never caused him
-pain-. Not physically.
This problem was getting worse. He had to let the Scouts know soon. He
would ask Darian to arrange a meeting at the temple. He'd tell them all then.
Otherwise, the thing might be able to cause him worse damage.
The dark street seemed particularly deserted tonight, he thought to himself.
The only light was that of the moon and a few street lights illuminating the
concrete. He looked at the buildings on either side of him, and wondered what
it would be like to, just once, live in one of them as a normal person did. Just
one day.
* * *
A few miles away, a street similar to the one Nakiad strolled on now became a
bit more conspicuous. The slight breeze picked up to a strong wind, circling
one area in particular. That area began to distort, shimmering like the heat
directly above a fire.
But there was no heat here. On the contrary, all that was here was cold, an
overabundance of negative emotions. The shimmering area stretched and
widened, augmenting in a circular pattern. Bits and pieces of reality began to
tear, leaving nothing but threads blowing in the now extremely powerful wind.
As the area split apart, it began to emit smoke, a thick, black smog enveloping
the street. After several minutes, a single creature stepped through the mist, it's
neck craning all about to get a better look at the city.
Its red eyes scanned the street, looking for any signs of human trash to
annihilate. It clenched its fist and whipped its tail in an effort to scare off any
beings who were foolish enough to come near it.
Unfortunately, the show was for nothing. The narrow strip of pavement held
no mortals scurrying away in panic, no women shrieking in fear.
The creature frowned. It had to find -something-. It could not go back to the
General empty-handed. It leaped twenty feet into the air, landing nimbly atop a
rooftop. It looked the city over, leaping silently from structure to structure,
until it came upon a busy street a few blocks away.
Humans.
The creature grinned darkly.
Let's play.
* * *
It took a while for Nakiad's ears to register the explosion. He had been lost in
his thoughts and he almost didn't hear it. Which frightened him. As the
Chosen, he had had a thousand years to fine-tune his senses, to know when a
blow was coming before it was on its way.
Now...
He shook his head, dismissing now unimportant thoughts. He focused his
hearing on the origin of the blowout, and within seconds was on his way at full
speed.
Amy and Lita had heard it too. They had been up studying all night at Amy's,
and, although to Amy it was old hat, it bored Lita out of her mind. She was
about to make up an excuse to go home when their attention was suddenly
jerked away from molecular biology, and began forging towards the mystery of
the boom. Lita was secretly relieved to get out of studying to do a good old
fashioned rumble.
As the two girls ran down the street towards the explosion, they heard screams
of fright and crashes of metal. Glass was shattering somewhere, and up ahead
Amy saw flashes of yellow and red light radiating from around the corner. Her
eyes narrowed in concern, Lita's in excitement. What powerful monster would
they par with now? Would it be a man-eating werewolf, capable of controlling
water? A giant tree gone bad, with the ability to manipulate hordes of termites?
Or a giant pumpkin, who had the power of firing huge seeds out of its mouth?
As they rounded the bend, Lita was incredibly disappointed. Her previous,
half-joking assumptions would have presented more of a challenge than what
she saw before her.
The monster was scary enough, having huge claws and sharp fangs, laughing
maniacally, throwing and trashing everything it saw. It was about eight feet
tall, it's body humanoid, but with a scaly complexion. It had a tail that looked
like it's length corresponded to the monsters mood. It looked like a female, the
waist very thin, with long, slender legs. From the back there protruded a series
of spikes which did not look like they could cause all that much damage. The
hair of the creature was pink with white and black streaks. The hair was fairly
short, and really looked like it needed a comb.
The face was average. It had a paler complexion and deep, ruby eyes. It's
tongue was forked, giving it the appearance of a snake.
Around the monster lay a two people, a man and a woman, both of whom were
still breathing, Amy noted, relieved. The monster was currently in the process
of holding another man by violet tentacles that shot from the skin beneath its
wrists. The man was glowing with a yellow light that seemed to flow from him
to the monster, who seemed to be laughing the laugh that villains often seem to
do when pleased with something they've accomplished.
Amy new instantly what she was seeing.
She was bearing witness to the draining of energy.
She looked at Lita, who nodded, just once, giving her conformation of their
course of action.
* * *
Nakiad watched from the rooftop he was currently perched on, observing the
Scouts without their knowledge or permission, not for the first time. He
decided to hang back for a few seconds, wanting to see if the girls would use
what he had stressed to them for some time now.
He watched the two girls round the corner, watched them exchange looks of
understanding.
And reach for their power sticks.
Damn, thought Nakiad as he shook his head in disappointment. Have they
learned nothing from the Princess' experience? They did not -need- their
objects to-
Nakiad sighed. He would speak to them later. Right now, though, he had a
battle to attend.
-Mercury Power!-
-Jupiter Power!-
The two girls transformed, and while Jupiter struck a fighting stance, Sailor
Mercury remained a few feet behind, whipping out her communicator. After a
few seconds, she looked up at her friend.
"They're on their way," she said.
"Great," replied Lita, and turned back to the monster. "All right, Lizard Lady,
let's get to it!"
The 'Lizard Lady' turned toward them, dropping the unfortunate human in its
claws. "Excellent," she said, her voice raspy and evil, "I sense tremendous
energy from you two. You will soon serve the Negaverse!"
Lita considered how many times she head heard that statement.
The monster seemed ready to launch her tentacles when suddenly a black shape
leapt between them, dividing the Scouts and the monster.
* * *
Nakiad really had no need for speeches. He had a destiny instead, one that he
had avoided for a while. When he fought an enemy, he fought them. He didn't
waste time documenting whose side he was on.
But he had often wondered what the Sailor Scouts felt like when they stated
the planet they fought for, when they declared their honor openly.
And so, with a slight smile, he decided to make a speech of his own, modifying
a few words here and there.
The two Scouts watched as Nakiad took a stance, ready for action.
"I am Nakiad, champion of the Universe! And on behalf of the Universe, I will
right wrongs and triumph over evil! And that means you!" He almost laughed
when he said that last statement. Now he amended the speech: "Beware
monster, for I am the Chosen!"
What?
"I am Mummrak," replied the monster. "And I care not for your title. 'Chosen'
means nothing to me. Prepare to die." The creature's hands began to illuminate
with light, ready to fire her tentacles.
Lita watched Nakiad very carefully. He seemed to totally relax for an instant,
his body going limp, his eyes half closed. When he stood again, he did not
resume his battle pose. Instead, he stood fully facing the monster, feet shoulder
length apart, a look of determination written on his face.
Lita watched Nakiad close his eyes fully, right in the middle of battle.
The creature didn't know exactly what to do. She knew she had to attack, but
didn't know if the man had finished talking, and so held her position, waiting.
With his eyes still closed, Nakiad bent his arms at the elbows slightly and began
to concentrate. A glow similar to the monster's, only a glaring white, began to
take shape around Nakiad's hands. His fingers began curling into a fist, but
stopped part way, leaving a gap. As if he was holding something.
The white glow began to morph, taking form. It thinned out and stretched,
creating two long energy beams that filled the gap in his hands.
Lita gasped as she realized what they were.
The light had taken the form of the Chosen's swords.
Not the swords themselves, she noted. Rather, Nakiad held in his hands an
outline of the swords, with the light filling it in. The term 'light saber' came
into her head. And she would bet her life that they could do every bit as a
much damage as the originals could.
Nakiad's eyes snapped open. He was ready for battle.
The creature, too, realized it was time to make her move, and shot out her
tentacles with a piercing cry.
Nakiad easily dodged them, calculating their trajectory before they were
halfway to him. He turned with the purple menace and sliced off two of them
with one 'sword', holding the other as a defensive measure. The creature
howled in pain.
What?!?
Nakiad was slightly confused. He had thought that the monster only -looked-
harmless, that it secretly possessed a great power that it kept hidden for her
opponent to underestimate her. But power was what she lacked. She didn't fire
anything, didn't spew acid or even throw a normal punch. All she seemed
capable of doing was firing these blasted tentacles used for energy drainage.
Which made Nakiad wonder. Was this 'Mummrak's' purpose just to drain
energy? It obviously wasn't equipped with any offensive capabilities, so-
Nakiad's thoughts were interrupted yet again by another tentacle shower,
which he again had to dodge.
Almost dodge.
Unfortunately, his distracting thoughts in collaboration with the tentacles
unpredicted boomerang effect left him caught between two tentacles, both of
which he touched.
A thousand years of training and was he damaged by a monster that he should
have been able to beat with his eyes closed.
However, the drainage process did not do nearly as much damage as he had
foreseen. He was able to rip free from her appendages a moment later and
didn't feel even the least bit tired. Probably the creature had expected a normal
mortal's energy, and did not prepare to drain the correct amount of energy
from him.
Nevertheless, the monster had reacted as if she had caught the Princess in her
web. She threw her head back, screaming and smiling, yelling something about
'the power'. It looked as if she had gotten a tremendous amount of energy
without even trying.
After Nakiad escaped her clutches, his mind decided to ponder where the
Scouts had gone during all this.
"-Mercury Ice Bubbles FREEZE!-"
"-Jupiter Thunderbolt...ZAP!-"
Nakiad watched without breaking stride in his fighting as the rain of attacks
come from behind him. The ice hit the creature first, freezing her almost
instantly. A bluish-white transparent material enveloped her skin, solidifying
her arms and legs in mid-position.
The thunderbolt hit then, directly in the chest of the monster.
There was a blinding light. Nakiad managed to squint, as did the Scouts, just in
time to see the silhouette of the monster disperse through the glare. It
screamed something inaudible, and disappeared with a puff of smoke.
Nakiad stood. It had been a fairly short fight, almost as a long as a training
session with the scouts.
Who, as it happened, were just now arriving on the scene, ready for action,
then asking a million questions a minute when they realized that they lacked an
enemy. Lita did her best at answering them all, filling them in on the monster's
appearance, short dialogue, and likely origin.
Unnoticed by the rest of the group, Amy separated from them and walked until
she was standing beside Nakiad, who was still facing the direction of the
former monster's location.
She leaned over toward him. "What did you do?" she whispered.
He took a while to pull himself out of his gaze and look at her. "Hm? What do
you mean?"
"The swords." She gestured to his now unlit hands.
"Oh," he smiled. "I'll tell you later."
Amy, somewhat troubled, just looked at the sky, which was beginning to
brighten in the light of the sun.
He always had a secret.
WHAT?!?!
A scream tore through the caverns of the chamber, and would have paralyzed
anyone who had been around to hear it with fright.
The Chosen lived?! This could not be! He was sure the Dark Lord had taken
care of him!
Unless...
Unless those blasted rumors were true. That bastard Kaneth had said
something about there being more than one battle between the Shadow and the
Chosen. What if it were true?
What if the Chosen had killed the Lord?
General Calimite shook his head. No, it couldn't be that. He knew little of the
Chosen, but knew of the legends. He knew enough to say that if the Lord was
dead, the Chosen would have gone with him. There could no longer be a
Chosen among either the Universe or the Negaverse.
And yet, that... that -boy- had declared the title as if it were a common fact. He
said it with such calmness, and he fought with such skill and courage that only
one who has mastered the powers of that sacred race could manage.
Damn it all to hell.
He didn't know what to do. If a Chosen still lived, if one of them walked the
earth, Calimite may as well throw his entire Project away. He couldn't hope to
defeat such an experienced warrior. Though, he had defeated his share of
fighters in the past, including his own family...
He stopped himself. This was no time to think about the past. The Tournament
was a long time ago, even before the Silver Millennium. He could do nothing
to change that now.
It was true, the battle had been a disaster. He had lost Mummrak in the fight,
and she had been a vital part of his plans.
However, he had gained -something-.
He circled the Pool again, looking deep into it's black absorbing waters. It was
now half full. Mummrak had drained the two humans, who had supplied little
energy, was of virtually no use to his Project.
But the instant she had touched the Chosen, the energy within the Pool
swelled, doubling in size.
The General knew that the race of the Chosen had quite a bit of power. He just
never dreamed that any of it would ever come in use.
If he could retrieve just a portion of what the warrior had, the Pool would be
filled to the brim with Evil, and he could begin the final stages of the Project.
He had been a fool to send that idiot Mummrak to collect energy. She had no
weapons or powers. She had been created for the sole purpose of energy
drainage. But Calimite hadn't known that there lived a Chosen.
Now, the problem would be finding him again. The General guessed that
whenever there was danger of any kind, the honor-bound warrior would be on
the scene in a heartbeat, ready for action.
He began to plan, encouraged by the hunger of the Pool.
Darian answered the door, wondering who would be over at this time of night.
A quick glance at the clock revealed the time to be 3:46am, and Darian was a
bit annoyed at the fact of having to get out of his bed to answer the
bothersome knocking.
He was surprised to see Amy standing there with a considerate look on her
face. "Hello, Darian," she said simply.
"Uh... Hi," he replied, confused as to Amy's purpose. "Is everything okay? No
one's in danger, are they?" He guessed not, he probably would have felt
something if there had been.
"No," Amy answered, looking past him. "Um, is Nakiad home?"
Darian became even more puzzled. "Yeah, come on in." She complied,
entering Darian's apartment for the first time. She looked all around the room;
a light gray sofa in front of a glass coffee table, an incredibly large TV, and in
the next room, a kitchen, one that would fit the needs of even Lita's talents.
Overall, it was a clean abode.
Darian closed the door behind her. "Nakiad just got back from your fight," he
said cautiously. "He told me all about it. Was the monster from the
Negaverse?"
"I think so," Amy answered. "It said it was. Although, I have to wonder who
sent it. Queen Beryl is dead, and we all know what happened to the Dark
Lord."
"Kaneth?"
"I thought about that, too. But Nakiad said that if Kaneth attacked he would
do it with honor, not taking us by surprise, which this monster clearly did."
Darian stroked his chin. "So the question is, who's running the Negaverse, if
not Kaneth?"
"That's what I want to find out now," said Amy. She paused in thought for a
second, then pressed on: "Did Nakiad say anything to you about his swords?"
she asked.
Darian faltered. "No, I don't think so," he said finally. "Why?"
"Oh," Amy said with an innocent smile, "No reason."
Darian frowned. "His room is right down the hall on your right," he said
pointing a direction which Amy followed.
As she walked down the short corridor, she tried to remember exactly what she
had seen. Nakiad had done something with his hands, something that made the
light form the swords of the Chosen. She wanted to know how he had done it,
because it certainly didn't fit any -scientific- explanation.
But she knew she was fooling herself. The laser show wasn't the real reason
she came, although it certainly wouldn't hurt her to find that out, too.
She came to his doorway and pushed her ear to the door, just to make sure she
wasn't disturbing any kind of meditation ceremony or anything.
Then she knocked.
A voice from within the room spoke up. "Come on in, Amy."
She took a deep breath, inhaled deeply, and opened the door.
He had known it was Amy before Darian had even opened the door. He heard
the entire conversation take place out in the living room, and knew why she
was here. He welcomed her in right away, aware of what she would ask.
"Come on in, Amy," he called to her.
She opened the door carefully, as so not to disturb him. "Hi, Nakiad," she said
with an uncomfortable smile, looking at his position on the bed.
He sat cross-legged and upright with his eyes closed. For a moment, Amy
wondered if she -had- caught him during meditation, but then dismissed it
when he again spoke.
Opening his eyes and looking at her, he said, "Please have a seat." He gestured
toward a large wooden chest that rested nicely in the corner.
"Thanks," she obliged.
The two sat for a full minute, Amy not knowing what to say or how to say it,
Nakiad almost smiling at the shyness of his friend. Finally, he decided to have
mercy on her.
"Okay, Amy," he said, smiling. "I'll answer one of your two questions. The
first is how I managed to make swords out of light with my bare hands, is it
not?"
Amy sat upright in surprise. "Er...Yes," she stammered.
Nakiad sighed. "Very well. Since my unification, I have been given more
power than before, even more than the Chosen's. I still have that power, yes,
but now I have all of the Chosen's power combined, Guardian's telepathy
abilities, -and- the power of the Dark Lord." Nakiad frowned a bit.
"Technically. Although the Shadow dwells within me, I would never -dream-
of ever using His power under any circumstances, for fear He would return to
His previous condition.
"The swords you saw were obviously not the -actual- swords, merely an
incredibly remarkable replica. The real swords are still at my home, and they
are still regenerating at a steady pace. Not that I have any use for them now,
though. I proved that to you today.
"Not only do I have the power to create the swords from light, but virtually -
any- weapon I can imagine. Any weapon a previous Chosen has selected as
their instrument of battle I can summon into my grasp. The only one I can not
retrieve is the staff of Nemesis, the most sacred of all. I imagine I can only use
that weapon during a battle with the Shadow."
"In addition to all of that, I have the power to read any previous opponent's
mind. I believe this ability originates from Guardian."
Amy thought of something and relayed it to Nakiad. "Then can't you read my
mind, or any of the Scouts? You have been through numerous training session
with us, and have put our fighting quality to the test by paring it with yours. I
mean, -we- have fought you, too."
Nakiad shook his head. "No, when I say 'opponent', I mean one from a
genuine battle. I would never harm you, nor any of the Scouts, so I don't
believe you count." Although, it isn't that difficult to know what you're
thinking anyway, Nakiad thought to himself with a slight smile. "Another
thing," he continued, "is that the opponent I am attempting to contact has to be
in the Universe at the same time as myself, or in the Negaverse while I'm
present there, too. If he or she is beyond that realm, I cannot reach them
telepathically due to the short range of the power."
Amy still looked troubled. "But why haven't you told Darian about this?" she
asked. "He says he asked you specifically if you had any new powers, and you
told him 'no'."
Nakiad looked away. "Um, that was partially true. I was still tinkering around
with the adequacy of my powers when he asked. I didn't know exactly what I
could do."
Amy frowned. "He said he asked you yesterday."
Nakiad smiled. "Well, it all came together when we fought that monster four
hours ago. Besides, that isn't the only reason I kept my abilities from Darian."
"What do you mean?"
He looked out the window at the sparkling city of Tokyo. "I think I kind of
intimidate him," he said simply. "I don't want to discourage him even more by
telling him of any new power."
Nakiad heard Amy burst out laughing behind him. Turning, he saw her
convulsing with the biggest smile on her face he'd seen since she first walked in
the door. "What?" she asked through laughter. "Nakiad, I think you're
flattering yourself. Don't get me wrong, it -is- intimidating to know the
infamous Chosen warrior, of whom the entire fate of the Universe rests. It is
intimidating to be beaten again and again by someone you've barely met."
"But Darian has had his share of action too, you know. He's clashed with all of
the Four Generals, survived terrible traps, been on the side of the Negaverse
for a time and found his way back! He's fought with Beryl -twice-, defending
the Moon Kingdom and saving Serena. He's even helped -you-, when we all
went together and fought the shadows off when the Dark Lord tried to distract
you with them.
"I mean, he's not exactly helpless."
Nakiad paused. He had never thought about it like that before. Darian was,
after all, a prince. Perhaps Amy was correct. Perhaps he underestimated him.
"Trust me, Nakiad," she said, quite confident in her beliefs. "Darian is not
afraid of you."
Darian was afraid of him.
On some level, he knew that to be childish. Just because Nakiad was a better
fighter, better athlete, better warrior, better swordsman, and just plain better
than him, why should that scare him? He was a -prince-. He clearly outranked
the Chosen.
Yet, he couldn't stop thinking about the fact that if he ever wanted to, Nakiad
could destroy him without a thought.
Nakiad was Darian's friend. He knew that much. And he didn't for a second
question Nakiad's loyalty. But it bothered Darian more than it should have.
He wondered what Amy and Nakiad were talking about right now. He wished
he could be in on the discussion, but that would be eavesdropping, something
his honor restrained him from doing.
He collapsed on the sofa with a sigh. Just when he thought he was the best at
something, along comes this new guy who can kill them all anytime he wants.
But Nakiad was still his friend. He wasn't exactly jealous, he was just bothered
by the realization that there was always someone better.
Oh, well, he thought with a smile, I'll always have better hair than him.
That brought him a laugh before he fell asleep.
Serena sat at the table, grumbling to herself. Around her, the other scouts sat
in a circle, talking amongst themselves. The two guardian cats rested on the
table itself, quite confused.
"What are we doing here, anyway?" said the leader of the scouts with
frustration. "Is there danger or something? I mean, we just fought that creature
yesterday, it's too soon for another fight!"
"Actually, Serena," said Amy sweetly, "It was Lita and I who fought the
monster."
Serena threw Amy a look, annoyed at the girl's incessant need for accuracy. "I
don't care. I want to go back to bed."
Amy sighed. "Serena, I was up very late last night, talking to Nakiad. He asked
if we could all meet together at Darian's, and he's saved our lives so many
times, what could I do but say 'yes'?"
Raye added her bit. "I still don't see why we couldn't meet at the temple," she
said with folded arms. The scouts had unofficially assigned the temple as their
'headquarters', where they discussed attack plans, strategies, and other things
concerning the Negaverse.
"Nakiad asked that we meet at Darian's," Amy answered. "I don't see what the
difference is really is either, but I suppose it doesn't really matter, just as long
as he says what he has to say."
"I wonder if this has got something to do with that monster we trashed
yesterday," said Lita, once again boasting of her and Sailor Mercury's efforts.
"You guys should have been there! There was all this light and then-"
"Settle down," Artemis commanded, the white cat repressing a smile on his
face at the green scout's enthusiasm.
Mina kept quiet, hoping that something wasn't wrong with Nakiad. She
-knew- she should have found out why he had had to leave so abruptly the day
before. He seemed so out of it, like his thoughts were far away.
"Serena," Luna interrupted, turning to the blond girl, "Have you finished your
book report on the book 'Things We Were Never Meant to See' yet? The
weekend's almost out, and it's due Monday."
"ARRRAGH!!" Serena screamed in frustration, leaping to her feet. The other
Scouts' attention focused on their leader, who appeared to be outraged. "I
don't believe this! First, I get woken up in the middle of the night to go fight a
monster that isn't there by the time I get to it. THEN I get woken up AGAIN
to come to some meeting I don't know the purpose of. But that's not enough.
NOOOOO. To top it all off, my PET CAT keeps bugging me to do homework
for a book I don't know anything about. I JUST DON'T GET WHY- Hi
Darian!" Her mood suddenly shifted as her true love entered the room,
followed by Nakiad. The other Scouts' eyes rolled at the change of emotions in
Serena.
That is, all except for Mina. She continued to be silent, a worried look on her
face as she turned to the Chosen.
"Hey, Meatball-Head," Darian said, taking a seat next to unusual haircut.
Everyone's eyes then fell upon Nakiad, anticipating what he had to declare.
Hopefully, it would not be too bad.
Nakiad closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. The situation he was in right now
was very similar to when he had restored the scouts' memories of him and the
Dark Lord. He had had something to tell them, and he told them by uttering
the word 'Nemesis.'
Only now, he didn't have the advantage of the scouts' being able to travel into
their own subconscious, reliving past events. Now, Nakiad had to bear them
the news straight forward. No dodging the truth. No games. Just fact.
He opened his eyes wondering what their reaction would be. Hopefully, it
would not be too bad.
Mina watched her love struggle for the words, wondering exactly what they
would be.
Lita watched him clear his throat, adding to the tension.
Raye frowned as he avoided his eyes.
Amy gave him a look of understanding.
Serena muttered something about hamburgers.
Nakiad took a breath and began. "As you know, the Chosen, the Dark Lord
and myself united two weeks ago. In my final battle with the Shadow, I gave
Him a choice between Good and Evil. In response, He became one with me. I
had always taken this to mean that He chose the side of Good. Now I'm not so
sure." Mina gasped quietly as he continued. "The first few days after the fight
were fine. I experienced no discomfort, no pain, no emotional darkness. For
that brief period of time, I had as close to a normal life as I will ever get.
"But there is a problem.
"You see, the Lord is within me, dwelling in a part of my soul that I like to
leave alone so as not to disturb Him. I thought I could control it, that I might
be able to keep Him in check until such a time came when He could be
released. I should have known better.
"No one controls the Shadow."
The group frowned.
"He cannot stand being held by bonds. He is screaming at me even now,
screaming to be free. I suppose no one can be held like that for very long,
especially the Lord. He has lived for too long, seen too much, experienced too
many things to suddenly be possessed by someone else's mind."
Amy spoke up, despite her surprise. "But I thought Guardian and the minds of
the other Chosen were within you as well. Why aren't they doing anything to
be free?"
"Because they do not desire to be so. You remember, the Chosen are all dead,
and while their souls are not completely gone from this world, they have lived
their lives and fulfilled their destiny.
"But -He- is a different matter. He departed early, and was not killed. I believe
souls, being spirits, can live anywhere, including the subconscious. But the
Lord has not lived out His destiny, and is not fully a soul.
"And so He dwells within me now, His rage coursing through my blood."
Artemis interjected. "Theoretically, and I'm not asking you to do this, but
would it be possible for you to simply ignore His shouts?"
"Under normal circumstances, yes," said Nakiad, then shook his head. "But He
has so much power in Him that He is starting to affect me -physically-."
"What do you mean?"
Mina answered with a question, looking at Nakiad. "Is that what that headache
was about yesterday? Is that why you had to leave?"
He nodded.
"What do you plan to do?" asked Luna.
"I have not... -entirely- worked that out yet. I can't go on like this. Even if I
were to bear with His endless cries of agony, eventually I would be killed by
them, and He would be free. I cannot simply die, for He is not physically part
of me, and would take another form if I were killed."
"Then what -can- you do?"
Nakiad looked directly at the white cat. "The only logical choice I can come up
with, as outrageous as it may seem, is to do what all these courses of action
inevitably have me doing in the end. Only if I do it -willingly-, I can avoid both
mental and physical strain."
Artemis' already huge eyes enlarged even more. "You can't be serious."
Nakiad looked away.
"Nakiad, that's suicide. That's bloody suicide!" Artemis shouted.
"What? I'm missing something," said Serena, obviously confused.
Nakiad looked at his Princess. "I must free the Dark Lord."
Various shouts and protests arose from the Scouts.
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