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
Part 4: Prisoner
"Is he home?" Mina asked, tears streaming down her face.
Darian nodded, concerned. "Yeah, he's in his room. What's wrong?"
She shook her head. "I just... I just need to talk to him, please." She was
weeping now, her head low with her eyes closed.
Darian did not know what was going on, as usual, but he knew he needed to get
Nakiad. The Chosen had come home last night looking rather ill, and Darian did
not quite know what to make of it. The man in black seemed to be clutching his
stomach uncomfortably, and when Darian asked about it, Nakiad waved him
away, saying everything was fine. Which, obviously, it wasn't.
Darian let the girl into the apartment, motioning her to follow him. They made
their way past the living room with the projection TV, and into a dimly lit
hallway. Mina did not notice any of it, she was slowly growing worse by the
second, from a weep into a sob.
Suddenly Darian stopped, gesturing to the door next to him. He knocked on it
for her, and slowly left. He did not exactly know what to say to orange scout,
which was understandable, since he did not know what was wrong in the first
place.
Mina waited. After what seemed like an eternity, the door opened, and Nakiad
stood in the room, looking at her.
Without a moment's hesitation, Sailor Venus collapsed in his arms.
The Chosen returned the embrace, kissing her head softly. The girl was fully
crying now, her face red, along with her eyes.
"It's okay," he said quietly. "It's okay."
A few minutes went by, Mina convulsing in his arms, the Chosen's mind
focused on her sadness. When the girl seemed to calm down a bit, Nakiad
spoke. "Now," he said softly, "You want to tell me what this is about?"
She looked up at him, anger in her moist eyes. "Don't you know?"
The Chosen sighed. "Yes. I do."
She pulled away from him, slowly making her way to the bed. She sat down, her
head still low. "What's going to happen?" she asked, her voice raspy.
Nakiad shook his head. "I don't know."
"I felt it, you're pain, I mean, and I tried to come over here sooner, but Artemis
said I should wait until morning, and-" she realized she was rambling. "Oh,
Nakiad, what are we going to do?" And she began crying again, just as strong
as before. "I knew that there was some pain you were experiencing, but not that
severe! I never dreamed-" She didn't finish.
He slowly walked over and sat down next to her. "I'm sorry," he said, barley
even a whisper.
She sniffed, looking at him. "For what?" she asked.
"For everything." He turned, looking at city of Tokyo through the window in
his room. "There are times," he said, more to himself that to her, "when I have
wished we never met."
The hurt in her eyes increased tenfold, and she almost began crying again, when
he smiled at her. "No, no," he said. "You don't understand." He turned back to
the window.
"Sometimes I wish that there was nothing good in my life, no person I really
cared for. That way, when it comes to making hard decisions and sacrifices, I
don't have to think about the feelings of those close to me, of those who cared
about me. Like when I made the decision to unite with the Shadow. It would
have been a lot easier if I had known that no one would miss me if the plan
didn't work, if the Dark Lord had killed me. But I had to consider how you and
the other scouts would feel if I died." He sighed, looking down. "There are
times I wish I had never been born. That someone else could take on the
responsibility of the Chosen."
Mina looked into Nakiad's eyes, looked deep into his soul, felt the pain and
sorrow there. His eyes were constantly flickering with sadness and regret, of
enormous amounts of unimaginable pain.
She saw his face, how it almost never reflected anything inside him.
She took his hand, letting him know that she was still there, that she would
always be there. She touched his face, admiring it. And she smiled through her
tears.
And she kissed him.
He returned it.
Their lips parted, and he looked at her with those dark, penetrating eyes. Eyes
which were becoming moist.
"I love you," he said, so softly she could have imagined it.
Her smile returned. "I know."
They sat like that for a long time, just staring at each other, both thankful that a
monster was not attacking anything. Their eyes were locked at each others,
looking deep into the very pits of their souls, down to the very core.
And she suddenly stopped smiling.
"What is it?" asked Nakiad.
She did not reply for a moment. "Do you absolutely -have- to release the Dark
Lord?" she asked, knowing the answer.
Nakiad sighed. "Mina, we've talked about this. I-"
"I know, I know. It's just-" She struggled for the words. "I don't know what
will happen. Will you have to fight Him again? And if so, will it be like before?
Will it be a battle to the death, where you... where you have to die?"
There was a pause before he spoke. "For once, I don't know the answer to any
of your questions." He repositioned himself, leaning back against the headboard
of the bed. "It is very possible that He is still evil. I may have to clash with Him
again, I may not. But I do have to release Him, Mina. I have to. I'll die if I
don't. He's slowly eating away at me. His power is too great for me to repress.
I thought I could keep it under control forever." He chuckled despite himself. "I
was foolish."
"I'll still fight with you, you know that right? No matter what happens, we're in
this together."
He shook his head. "No, Mina. We're not. You must not come with me when I
leave to free Him. You have to stay here, with the scouts."
She almost hit him. "Are you out of your god damned MIND? We are going
with you. And you can't stop us." The last five words were empty, and she
knew it. The Chosen could very well stop them. And she knew he would not let
her come. Her mind drifted back to the clash she had witnessed between Nakiad
and the Dark Lord. Before the duel, Mina had forced the Chosen to promise her
that he would not leave for battle without the scouts. He had broken that
promise. And she knew that if she made him make the same promise again,
history would repeat itself.
As if hearing her thoughts, he sighed, relaxing against the bedpost. There was a
long moment where neither of them spoke, both lost in their own thoughts.
Mina broke the silence. "Have you figured out how you're going to free Him?"
Nakiad shook his head. "The first thing I need to do is figure out a place to do
it. And I need to figure it out fast, because time is running out. Once the
circumstances are correct, it's just a matter of concentration." He frowned.
"The problem is that I have no idea what the outcome will be. Fighting Him
again will be a problem, since I lack the power of the Chosen. His power will
also be weak at first, too, once He is free, but it will rise gradually. And as His
rises, the Chosen's power will grow within me as well. And I will have to bring
the swords, since they are the only weapon capable of killing Him."
The orange scout nodded. "Have the swords finished regenerating?"
He nodded. "They were completed about two days ago, the night Mummrak
attacked."
The mention of the battle made something inside Mina's mind click. "Can't you
use those swords of light? Amy was telling me about them."
Nakiad shook his head. "Those are not considered to be the power of the
Chosen. I am not exactly sure how I can do that myself. I think it has something
to do with the fact that the Chosen are all inside me now, and all that power
needs a way to be focused out of the body. Though the light swords can do
almost as much damage as the real ones, they are not as dangerous as the
originals. As I said before, only the originals can harm the Shadow." He realized
he was not making much sense. "The glowing swords came from the Chosen,
but are not part of the Chosen. I cannot use them in battle with the Dark Lord.
And I call them 'glimmers', by the way."
Suddenly, Mina smiled.
"What?" asked Nakaid, smiling with her.
"I just realized. We've never had a real date."
His smile widened. "I can see how much you're interested in my topics of
conversation." He looked at her. "Well, what about when we had tea together?
That was a date."
"No, it wasn't," she said, squirming until she was beside him, curled up on the
bed. "And even if it was, which it wasn't, normally my dates tend to stay with
me for more than twenty minutes. Those that like me, anyway."
"Ah," he said humorously, "And what -about- these other dates? What have
your past relationships been like?"
They both knew that the Chosen had been watching her grow up since she was
born, looking after her, protecting her. But she played along. "Well, there was
Rick. I liked him."
Nakiad laughed. "The soccer player? Oh, yes, he was a rather handsome lad,
wasn't he, what with those socks pulled up to his knees and all."
The orange scout laughed, punching him playfully in the arm. "Oh, shut up.
That's how soccer players wear their socks." She paused, remembering. "Even
though it is kinda dorky." She giggled, resting her head on his chest.
"It certainly is... dorky." He repeated the word, perhaps the first time he had
ever said it. "What about Tommy?" He grinned.
"That was in third grade."
The Chosen shrugged. "Fair enough. Okay, what about Ryan?"
She yawned. "Oh, yeah, that poetry guy. He was fun to be around, for a while I
guess. But all he would do was recite Shakespeare and other poems. Half the
time I didn't know what the hell he was saying."
Nakiad ran a finger through her long blond hair, fingering the red ribbon. "And
then there's me," he said softly.
She closed her eyes, content. "Yup. And you're my favorite. So far."
He did the same. "I love you, Mina," he whispered for a second time. But he
knew she could not hear him.
Outside, a new day was beginning, a new sun slowly making its way above the
horizon, shining upon the people of Tokyo below. The sky gradually turned a
beautiful deep blue color, like the sky in a painting. Sunlight peeked through the
window of Nakiad's room, illuminating the area.
Inside the room itself, Mina was fast asleep.
And Nakiad, however briefly, was not thinking about the Dark Lord, or the new
enemy. He was not thinking about his past, or about weapons and fighting, or
planning a battle. He was only thinking about Mina.
He was happy.
* * *
Kaneth was nowhere to be found.
Calimite had organized a full search party. They had been looking for almost an
entire day, and found absolutely nothing. They had searched his quarters,
hoping for some kind of clue that could point them in the right direction of his
location, and nothing had turned up.
To make matters worse, the soldiers that had been more or less followers of
Kaneth had seemed to have disappeared as well. That meant that
approximately one eighth of Calimite's army was missing. Where they could
have gone was anyone's guess.
Traitors, Calimite thought. Traitors, all of them. Lead by the biggest traitor of
them all.
But he had plans for Kaneth. He had plans. The General smiled. He would not
simply kill the warrior, that would be too easy. Though he had given the order
to Rogue to do what the shadow would wish with Kaneth, Calimite had called
Vaprious back to him and withdrawn the command. No, he would bring to the
traitor the worst punishment imaginable. A punishment that almost no one
deserved. Of course, whether or not Kaneth actually -deserved- it was beside
the point.
Kaneth would suffer.
Eternal Sleep.
General Calimite grinned.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
There was a slight knock at the door.
Mina stirred. Go away, she thought.
The knock came again, a bit louder this time.
Mina groaned, picking herself up and observing her surroundings. She was still
in Nakiad's room, the sun high in the sky. She looked down on the bed to see
Nakiad smiling at her.
"Good morning," he said. "Or rather, good noon."
Mina assumed a puzzled expression. She glanced at the door, walking to it
slowly, a bit disoriented from being woken up. She gripped the gold colored
knob, turning it.
It was Darian.
"Uh," he said meekly, "Hi... Um, you guys okay?"
The puzzled expression on the orange scout's face deepened. "Yes, why
wouldn't we be?"
The prince could not seem to look her in the face for some reason. "Well, I just
thought, since, you know, you two have been in here for over five hours and,
well, I, um..." He was stumbling like a madman.
"What do you mean, over five hours?" Mina asked, still confused. It was only
nine o' clock; at least, that had been around what time it was when she had
arrived at Nakiad's. The Chosen was still lying on his bed, looking somewhat
amused. Why she did not know, but he certainly found -something-
entertaining.
It suddenly occurred to her that her earlier observation of the position of the
sun would have direct conflict with her assumption of it being around nine o'
clock.
She looked at her watch again, and her eyes widened to an unbelievable
circumference. "Oh, no!" she shouted. "I'm late for school! And my parents
will be worried sick! I gotta... Oh, no!" She bolted out of the apartment, not
even bothering to say goodbye to the prince or the Chosen.
Once the orange scout had blasted past Darian, the prince turned back to
Nakiad. "So," he said, trying to be casual. "You guys sure were in her a long
time..." He looked nervously out the window. "If I didn't know better, I'd say
long enough for you two to, uh, to-"
"Play a nice game of Scrabble?" said the Chosen, still smiling.
Darian frowned internally.
Nakiad shook his head. "No, Prince Darian. We didn't. I told you before. She
is too young."
Darian nodded, sighing. "So is Serena," he said, more to himself than to
anyone else.
The two men stared out the window for a long time, thinking to themselves
quietly.
* * *
"Sir," said the shadow warrior, its voice cutting across the large room.
Calimite looked up, his face twisted into a look of annoyance. "What." He said
it darkly, with complete apathy. The shadows were constantly irritating him
now, much more consistently than before. He did not care what they had to
say, it was almost always bad news. And this was not the time for bad news.
The warrior shrank back a little, away from the General. "My Lord, we have
located the possible whereabouts of the warrior Kaneth."
Suddenly, Calimite was all ears. Finally, something he could be happy about.
"How?"
The shadow sounded just a bit arrogant now, as if he had one all the work
himself. "One of Kaneth's followers has betrayed him, stepping forward. He
claims that he has been with Kaneth's band since the beginning, and knows all
of their secrets."
Calimite smiled to himself. "Excellent," he said. "Find Kaneth. Bring him to
me. Use any means necessary, but I want him -alive-, understood?"
The shadow nodded, and turned to leave.
"Oh," said the General, stopping the shadow in his tracks. "And when Kaneth
is found, kill the shadow that betrayed him."
The small transparent blackness seemed to gasp. "Is that wise, My Lord?"
Annoyance once again flashed across Calimite's face. This one must be new,
he thought. No other would dare question me. Then he relaxed, deciding for
some reason to answer the small guard with a question. "Does it matter?"
The shadow stumbled. "But why kill the traitor if his betrayal was to benefit
you?"
"In order to betray Kaneth, he would have had to have betrayed -me- first."
The shadow nodded, understanding. "Yes, my Lord." He paused, then asked,
"Shall we destroy the rest of his followers, Sir?"
The General thought this over. "It is not necessary. Without Kaneth to lead
them and teach them of honor, his band of traitors will collapse upon itself.
The ones that do not die will return to my army, and will be slaughtered
immediately, of course, for their betrayal." He turned back to the shadow. It
seemed nervous somehow. It was difficult to tell the expression on a shadow's
face, but it was more than obvious that this one was tense. "You..." Calimite
said quietly. "You. You were considering joining Kaneth, weren't you?" He
pointed a finger at the warrior.
"I... I..."
"You were thinking of betraying me."
The shadow broke down. It was no use trying to lie to the General. He knew
all. He saw all. "Yes, my Lord," he cried, "But I didn't. I thought better of it. I
didn't think..."
Calimite watched the production for about five minutes, then waved the
shadow out of the room. "Go, go. It was perfectly natural for you to be
tempted. The important thing is that you remained loyal."
The shadow sighed, relieved tremendously. "Oh, thank you, General Calimite,
thank you."
Calimite nodded slowly, then gestured to the exit again.
The shadow bowed, then raced out the door in a hurry.
Once he was sure that the small warrior was gone, he turned back to Rogue,
who had been watching the entire time. "I want you to lead the assault on
Kaneth," he said. "But I do want him back alive."
Rogue nodded.
"And," the General grinned, "kill that shadow. I will not tolerate disloyalty in
my army. I have seen too much betrayal already."
Rogue bowed and left, leaving Calimite to brood.
The General relaxed upon the throne, pleased. He knew he had duties, such as
destroying the scouts and the Universe they loved, and, of course, completing
the Project. But in his black heart, he knew that there was one thing that was
more important that anything.
Revenge.
The word flashed through his mind. He wanted revenge. He wanted to teach
Malachite a thousand ways of pain, a hundred ways to die, until he could
finally have the white-haired General's head on a lance and place it above the
very throne upon which he now sat, so that all would look up at it and stare at
it with fear, and say things like "Look! Look! This is what happens when one
betrays General Calimite. We dare not defy our new Lord."
The ruler of the Negaverse chuckled to himself. Yes, it would be grand indeed
to have the bastard's head on a spear.
But he knew that was just wishful thinking. Any trace of laughter vanished
from his face, twisting into a horrible scowl. Those Sailor Scouts had robbed
him of his revenge. They had defeated Malachite in the cave near the Arctic.
Calimite hated the scouts for that. They had stolen from him the one thing that
had kept him going all those millennia. He had almost ended his life once, when
he realized he could not kill his brother himself. He was going to go through
with it, he truly was, until he had heard of Beryl's demise.
It was then that he decided to begin his Project.
He would have been able to initiate it sooner, if the Dark Lord had not
interfered. Now, Calimite had been loyal to the Shadow, in that he never
disobeyed Him. Of course, the fact that he had kept out of sight helped, but he
had never technically disobeyed Him. Calimite never made his power known to
the Dark Lord, never presented Him with his plan for the Project. The Dark
Lord never would have put the Project into action, not with the amount of
energy it would take to complete it.
But Calimite had had patience, and now it was paying off. All he needed was a
bit more energy from the Chosen, and his Project would be accomplished.
Thinking back, he remembered something, something the Chosen had said in
the battle between Mummrak and himself. There had been a speech the Chosen
had declared, and in that outburst...
Yes.
The Chosen had mentioned his name.
What was it... Nikyad? Nakiad?
Yes. Nakiad.
He smiled, taking in the new information. It did not really give him an
advantage, but it was good to know an opponent's name.
The General closed his eyes. He needed rest. He had not had it in such a long
time...
And, thinking back, he remembered the first time he had learned of the Secret
of Eternal Sleep
* * *
"Oh, brilliant strategy, Nephlyte, just brilliant," said a cruel, jeering voice. "And
I suppose the Jupiter armies will not even notice the attack on the Moon?"
"Of course they'll notice, Zoicite!" said a deeper, more angry voice. "That is
the entire point! The other planets will come to the Moon's aid, and the
members of Serenity's Royal Court will follow! Malachite, you see the tactic,
don't you?"
Another uniformed man nodded. "I do. And it is a good strategy. I believe we
can propose this one to Queen Beryl."
Nephlyte turned to Zoicite, pleased. The woman just snorted.
A new voice interrupted. "How will we be able to fend off the soldiers of the
other planets?"
Malachite shook his head. "Not to worry, Jadeite. After the attack on Earth,
the armies will be in a state of.... sorrow." He said the word slowly, a foreign
concept to him. "They will not be expecting another attack so soon. Their
fighting will not be up to usual standards, certainly not one to par with the
Negaforce."
"Pretty risky, don't you think?" said Jadeite quietly, not making eye contact
with anyone else in the room.
Nephlyte shook his head. "Not if we place our soldiers at certain tactical
points, such as here, here, and... here." He pointed to small areas on the blue
holographic map that rose three feet from the center of the circular table they
were gathered around. As Nephlyte gestured, the areas he pointed out
immediately morphed to a sickly green color.
"I see," said Jadeite, nodding.
Malachite smiled, eerily illuminated in the light of the map. "Yes, this is a most
excellent plan."
"You're a genius, my love," said Zoicite, resting her head on his shoulder.
Nephlyte did not bother to mention that it was -he- who had put the plan
together, not Malachite.
There was a long pause as the four gazed at the map. Then Malachite turned to
an area of the room. The rest turned with him, trying to see what it was that
had caught his attention.
A single man sat in a chair, his face somehow avoiding the light. None of his
features could be made out, and he could not be recognized in any way. But
the four knew who he was.
"Calimite," said Malachite arrogantly, as if not expecting an answer. "Do you
have anything to contribute to our meeting?"
They all looked at him.
He paused. "No, Head General. Nothing. It is a wonderful plan."
Jadeite shook his head. "Nothing at all?"
"No."
"Figures," Zoicite giggled in Malachite's ear. "He hardly ever talks anyway.
None of them liked how Calimite insisted on using Malachite's full title all the
time. He almost never called the Head General by his actual name. Jadeite,
Nephlyte, and Zoicite never did find out why.
Malachite knew why. And it bothered him.
"Well, then," said Malachite, standing. "I call this meeting adjourn."
Everyone rose from the table, including Calimite, who waited until all the rest
were on their way out the door. Then he called out a name. "Nephlyte."
Nephlyte turned, his long brown hair whipping behind him. "What?" he said,
anger in his voice.
"Come here."
Nephlyte looked at the exit, then back at Calimite. "What for?"
"I must speak with you." He said it calmly, as if he was giving a command.
Hesitantly, Nephlyte took two steps toward the other. After a pause, he spoke.
"Well, what do you want?
The other smiled. "Nephlyte, why do you always allow Malachite to take credit
for your work?"
At first, the General was surprised, then a frown crossed his face. "He is our
superior, the Head General. Therefore, all strategies drawn up by us are his
strategies." It was obvious he did not believe what he was saying.
Calimite was still smiling. "There is nobility in you, do you know that? There is
-good- in you."
The other drew back, disgusted. "How dare you! How dare you speak like that
to me. I am loyal to the Queen, as are all her minions. There is no more good
in me than there is within you."
Calimite knew Nephlyte was a fool. It was true, Calimite -did- see good in
Nephlyte, but not as much as he was about to portray. "You are considering
betraying our Queen, aren't you? Aren't you?"
Nephlyte gritted his teeth in hatred. "Fool! You know I would never do such a
thing! And the Queen knows it, too! She trusts me." He took a step closer to
Calimite, so that their noses were mere inches apart. "You're just angry
because you are not the Head General. Your brother is." This time, it was
Nephlyte's turn to smile. "Your brother is better than you."
Calimite flinched. He tried not to, but he did. Nephlyte had succeeded in
phasing him.
But it was brief, and the General quickly caught himself. "If you are true to the
Negaverse, then there is not good within you at all, correct?"
Nephlyte sniffed. "Correct."
"Therefore, you do not have such emotions as 'loyalty' or 'honor', correct?"
The other hesitated. "Correct."
Calimite folded his arms. "Then prove it."
"What?"
"Prove it."
"What would you have me do?"
Calimite pretended to think. His plan was working. Nephlyte would betray the
Queen out of pure spite. "Well," he said, doing his best to look like he had
come up with it on the spot, "You said that the Queen trusts you. Is that true?"
"Yes." He said it confidently.
"Then, betray her trust."
"What?"
Calimite shrugged. "Give me a secret that she gave to you."
"But I told you, I am loyal to the Queen."
"True, but it is only loyalty out of fear. And fear demonstrates weakness.
You're not -afraid- of Beryl, are you Nephlyte?" Calimite was contradicting
almost all of the previous conversation. Before he was accusing Nephlyte of
betraying the Queen. Now he was encouraging it. And it was having the
desired effect.
Nephlyte put a palm to his forehead, obviously very confused. If he stayed
loyal to Beryl, he would be showing signs of good in him, and if he betrayed
her, he would fear her punishment, that is if Calimite told her, but fear was
weakness, and he was not weak....
He could not understand, the confusion was too much. He had been asked too
many questions at one time, and so his reaction was made in haste.
"All right," he said after a grunt. "What do you want to know?"
Calimite laughed internally with glee. How did Nephlyte ever get to be a
General? he thought. He was obviously a fool. He again put on a show of
pretending to think. "Well, there was a rumor about that Queen Beryl had
informed you of the Secret of Eternal Sleep. Is that true, by any chance?"
Nephlyte gasped. "Yes, it is true."
"Then how about that? If you told me that, there would be no question
concerning whether or not there was good within you."
Nakiad thought. "Very well."
* * *
Calimite smiled in his thoughts.
* * *
"But Mina, you know how I hate to use mental powers on others!" said
Artemis.
"Yeah, I know. But I really need you. I was gone all night, and when my
parents woke up, I was gone! They're probably worried out of their minds, and
when I get home I'll probably be grounded! And if I'm grounded, I won't be
able to come to scout meetings, and if I can't come to meetings-"
"All right, all right," the white cat sighed. "I can see how it may come to be a
problem. What were you doing at Nakiad's for so long a time, anyway?"
Mina looked at him. "I don't quite see how that's any of your business." She
smiled.
Artemis frowned. "I'm serious, Mina. Why were you over there?"
The orange scout allowed a few moments to pass before replying. "Last night,
I felt a great pain, you know, inside? And it hurt. A lot. But it wasn't a normal
hurt, it was only the kind I feel from Nakiad, through our mental link. Like
when the swords were broken by the knight, or when he faced the Dark Lord.
But this time it was worse than the pain from before." Her eyes suddenly began
to fill with tears. "It was... It was really bad. Whatever's inside him is gonna
kill him. Soon." She bent down and picked up the cat, hugging it closely. "Oh,
Artemis, what will I do if he dies?"
Artemis shook his head. "Mina, don't think like that. Nakiad can't die. He is
the Chosen."
Mina looked at the feline. "So? Doesn't that mean that he -has- to die? All the
other Chosen did." She was on the verge of breaking down for what seemed
like the hundredth time in two days.
Artemis did not know what to say. He had been Sailor Venus' guardian for
years, and he did not know what to say that could comfort the girl. He felt
terrible. Damn it, Nakiad, he thought silently, I knew you would hurt her. You
fool. You poor fool. Please don't die.
The cat's eyes moistened too, but Mina did not see.
* * *
Kaneth could not make out too many of the figures in the large chamber. He
had been beaten so badly that he was having trouble with his vision. He knew
that there were two shadows on either side of him, holding his arms tightly to
prevent his escape. From his kneeling position, he saw two other figures in
front of him, one fAmiliar and one not.
The first was the shadow warrior who had been able to best him in battle,
bringing him to his present surroundings. Kaneth did not know its name, but
the warrior was huge. It had two deep red eyes that were so powerful with
hate it struck a nerve of fear deep inside Kaneth, a nerve he did not know he
had. In its hand it wielded a large sword, the blade reflecting light off its sharp
exterior.
Next to the shadow, sitting on the throne, was a face Kaneth knew all too well.
General Calimite of the Negaverse Armies.
He rose from the throne, standing triumphantly over Kaneth on the raised
platform. He took a few steps toward the honor-bound warrior, an evil grin on
his face.
"Well, well," said the General. "So we have finally found the traitor."
"I am no traitor!" said Kaneth, offended. How could Calimite say such a thing?
Kaneth was known for his honor. To be called a traitor was not imaginable.
"Oh, yes. Oh, yes you are." Hatred flashed through Calimite's eyes, the
blackness of them burning deep into Kaneth. "You betrayed me. You betrayed
the Negaverse."
"No!" Kaneth was becoming angry. "I am the rightful ruler of this dimension,
and you know it. I do not know how you have gained power here, but it is not
power you deserve!"
"Fool. Your insignificant -opinions- are not heard by this Court." The General
looked down at Kaneth, the warrior struggling to free himself from the guards
on either side of him. Calimite took a step closer and kneeled so that Kaneth's
face was inches from his. "You sicken me, Kaneth," he said with intense
disdain. "It amazes me how a worm like you ever amounted to anything. True,
your fighting abilities are exceptional, but in attempting to rebel against me,
you have not only betrayed me, but all your followers in failing."
Then Kaneth did something so disgusting, so vile, that the rumors later heard
about the incident would go only partially believed.
Kaneth, once a loyal soldier to the Negaverse Armies, -spat- on General
Calimite.
Right in his face.
Calimite blinked in disbelief. Had that just happened? Had Kaneth really been
that bold?
He stood, wiping his face with the finger of one white glove. When he spoke
next, he did so calmly, surprising everyone in the room, including Kaneth.
"You know, Kaneth," Calimite said, "As much as I do not want to admit it, it's
going to hurt me watching you die." He did not bother to mention that Kaneth
would not really be dead, but in horrible pain. "You see, you could have been a
useful soldier to me. I was even considering promoting you to a higher ranking
general." The last statement was a lie, but it made Kaneth's downfall just that
much more painful. "Indeed, I wanted to have you by my side when the
Universe was destroyed. But now..." He shook his head. "Now you must
suffer the pain of Eternal Sleep."
Kaneth's eyes couldn't widen. But his heart began to race. Everyone in the
chamber could not believe what they had just heard. The shadows' grip on
Kaneth's arms loosened a bit, then tightened again before Kaneth's could use
the action to his advantage. Even the large shadow with the huge sword that
stood beside the throne seemed surprised.
Now, Kaneth had been prepared for a punishment. When all was said and
done, he had, technically, betrayed Calimite, and was ready to accept the
consequences. Torture, death, it didn't matter, he was willing to take
responsibility for his actions.
He had not thought of Eternal Sleep.
No one knew about that spell except Nephlyte and Beryl, and they were dead.
And suddenly, fear began to race through Kaneth's veins.
He had not thought of Eternal Sleep.
He would not be able to bear pain of that magnitude.
He began to struggle, much harder than before, fear fueling his muscles. He
tugged frantically, a futile gesture compared to the strength of the guards.
Calimite, pleased by Kaneth's reaction, began to chuckle eerily. The General
walked slowly back to the throne and turned, again facing the kneeling soldier.
He raised his arms slowly. He had never used this spell before. He hoped
silently that it would work.
He closed his eyes, concentrating. Power began to flow over him, his hands
flickering with energy. That energy slowly crackled to the General's eyes,
snaping them open. Sweat beaded Calimite's forehead, the muscles in his hands
tensing. The focus was unbelievable. He had not expected this much strain.
But the energy built itself up around him, giving him power. As it did, an evil
grin crossed his face. His eyes began to flash with madness.
General Calimite's glow grew brighter and brighter, illuminating the vast
chamber.
He spoke, his voice warped by the dark energy surrounding him. "SLEEP.
FOREVER."
And a bolt of energy spewed out of the General, slamming into Kaneth at the
speed of light.
Kaneth screamed.
Gasps sounded.
And as the smoke cleared, the beings in the room could see clearly what was
before them.
Kaneth, once a loyal servant of The Negaforce, was encased in the center of a
blue crystal, restricting his movements. His face could not demonstrate any
emotion, but every creature in the room could feel the torment and agony the
warrior was experiencing.
All of negaversals in the chamber shivered.
All except one.
Among the creatures, an insane laughter drifted up from them, echoing in the
vast area of the room.
General Calimite looked at the pitiful four-armed warrior, frozen in the crystal.
He could not help but laugh at Kaneth, so full of honor and confidence once,
and now look at him. Fool.
Calimite raised his arms again, and the huge crystal began to rise. A portal
above it suddenly appeared, running parallel to the floor. The top of the
crystal began to disappear through the portal, slowly thinning into nothing.
Calimite turned to Rogue, a mad grin on his face. The shadow nodded, as if
approving his power.
* * *
The plane was dark.
Kaneth's eyes could not move, frozen in place, but he could see a short
distance out of the crystal that imprisoned him.
The plane was dark.
He could make out no horizon, the sky and ground in the distance swirling into
one intense blackness. Below him, the ground was illuminated by the light of
the crystal, making it look a bluish-gray. Dust occasionally flew by, whipping
against the crystal's surface.
The plane was dark.
Kaneth was in hell.
He had been there thirty seconds, and he already wanted to die.
But he had hope.
He knew that there was one man who could save him, one warrior who would
be able to help him escape this agony.
And, summoning all the power within him, Kaneth did his best to call him.
That was all.
Now he could only wait.
* * *
"Darian. Darian, wake up. Wake up Darian."
The prince groaned. This was the third time he had been woken up in the past
week. First it was Amy, then Mina...
He opened his eyes and was surprised to see Nakiad standing over him.
With an effort, Darian sat up, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, what is it?"
Nakiad seemed nervous. "Gather the scouts. It is urgent."
* * *
Within four hours, the prince, the scouts, the two cats and Nakiad were
gathered in Darian's apartment. Actually, the four scouts had arrived within
two hours, it had been Serena who had delayed the meeting. The prince was
amazed at the speed with which the scouts complied to Nakiad's request, given
that it was fairly late at night. He did not know how the girls got by their
parents.
When all of them were settled, Nakiad stood up and spoke. "My friends," he
said. "I have learned of something dreadful, and I believe that you should
know." He paused, then decided something mentally and continued. "Kaneth
has been imprisoned in Eternal Sleep."
The group looked at each other, not understanding.
Nakiad sighed. "I do not know how it has happened, but Kaneth is suffering
unimaginable pain as we speak. He needs my help."
"How do you know?" asked Amy.
"Because," said Nakiad, looking at the blue scout. "He contacted me."
Amy still didn't understand.
Nakiad sighed again. "It is difficult to explain. Basically, I heard his mental cry
for help. For -my- help."
Raye spoke up. "Are you going to oblige him?"
Nakiad nodded.
"How?" asked Lita. "Can you free him of the crystal?"
Nakiad shook his head. "-I- can't."
"I still don't see why this couldn't wait till morning," muttered Serena, still
angry that she had been awakened from a beautiful dream about cake. "How
come we were called here, anyway? This isn't really an emergency."
Nakiad looked to the floor. "I thought you all might need to know what my
course of action will be."
Unnoticed by anyone in the group, Artemis looked down, sensing what Nakiad
was about to say.
"As far as I know," said Nakiad slowly, "There has only been one creature has
been able to free itself of Eternal Sleep without outside assistance."
Amy gasped.
Serena still did not understand.
Nakiad looked at the entire group. "My plan," he said, "is to travel to the
bubble universe that contains the crystal of Eternal Sleep. It is there that I will
set the Dark Lord free, and battle Him if need be." He paused, unsure of
himself. "I must somehow convince Him to use his might to free Kaneth of his
imprisonment."
"That's insane!" cried Luna. "The Dark Lord would never use His power for
anything besides Evil."
"Luna's right," said Darian. "If you battle the Shadow again, there's a good
chance you might not come back. You've won three rounds. Isn't a fourth kind
of pushing it?"
The Chosen shook his head. "You're all forgetting the chance that He is no
longer evil."
Raye snorted. "That's just wishful thinking, Nakiad."
"Raye," the other replied, "When we last clashed, He made a choice. He chose
the side of good. That means something, obviously."
"But then why would He be tearing you apart inside?"
"I told you before," said the Chosen, suddenly sounding very tired. "Anyone
that was suddenly restricted to a body he could not control and a mind that
wasn't entirely his would eventually be driven insane. Whether or not that one
is good or evil is beside the point."
"I have a question," said Amy thoughtfully. "I thought you said that your
mental link with previous opponents only worked when that particular
opponent was in the same dimension as you. But Kaneth was not in the
Universe when he made that, um... transmission."
The Chosen nodded. "I thought of that. I believe it is because of two reasons.
One is that his thoughts were enhanced by his pain, his need to be free.
Another is that his location is in a bubble universe, not the Negaverse, which
makes it easier for the 'transmissions', as you call them, to travel."
Amy nodded.
Venus stood up. She could not believe how Amy was more concerned about
something as insignificant as the workings of mental telepathy than about
Nakiad's safety. "When are you leaving?" she asked, looking at him.
He flinched internally. That gaze of hers... "You have to understand," he said
slowly, "I don't have an overabundance of time, here. I have to begin this
purge as soon as possible."
"When are you leaving?" Mina repeated.
"It was a difficult decision to make, believe me, but I-"
"Nakiad. -When are you leaving?-"
He frowned. "Tonight."
_ _ _
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