Chapter 1

“Queen Serenity, they’re coming!” the messenger cried as he stumbled into the throne room.

Serenity looked up from her reading as the breathless man fell to his knees before her. He reached out to kiss her hand, but she would have none of that. “Get up, and tell me what troubles you so, sir. Who is coming?”

The man’s eyes widened with fear as he whispered, “The Negaverse, my Queen! Thousands of the horrible creatures are headed straight for the kingdom!”

Serenity’s face instantly became a mask of concern. “Good sir, send for my advisors at once!”

“At once, Your Highness!” he replied, rushing out of the room.

She sank back onto her throne, tossing her documents aside. “Why now, of all times? Why do they come now, when the kingdom is at its most fragile state?”

“They are predators, Serenity,” said a voice from the shadows. “The Negaverse may contain the lowest forms of life in the galaxy, but many are clever, as well.” A tall dark-haired man of young age stepped from behind the throne, placing his hands on the queen’s shoulders. She sighed and closed her eyes as he gazed down at her. “You become more beautiful every day, you know.”

Serenity opened her eyes and looked up into his. “We’ll soon be at war, Luke. Surely you have something better to do than to stare at me?”

The young man smiled and kissed her forehead. “Nothing gives me greater pleasure. However, now that you mention it, I’ve been keeping records on the Negaverse since their last invasion.”

Serenity blinked and said, “I’m sure I don’t want to know how. What have you found?”

Luke replied, “They’ve been advancing for the past five weeks. Once they reached our sector, they split up. The smaller of their forces is circling around the forest, and plans to enter the kingdom from the west. The larger portion will split into three. Two combined forces will arrive at the main gates, and the other will attack from the rear.”

“That’s very impressive, Luke,” Serenity said as she leaned forward, “but that was also a very detailed of the Negaverse’s plans.”

“What are you implying, Serenity?” Luke asked.

“Two things,” said Serenity. “First, if learning of this plan was as easy as it seems, perhaps it was a false report. Second, I would think that only an agent of the Negaverse would know that much of their plan.”

“Are you suggesting that I am actually one of them?” the young man asked.

Serenity rose from her throne and frowned. “I only caution you, Luke. As near and dear as you are to my heart, my royal duties come first, and if I must, I’ll make an example out of you. I will suffer no betrayal of the Moon Kingdom, especially from an agent of the Negaverse.” Serenity stepped down and turned to go, but Luke caught her arm.

“Serenity, you must know that I would never betray you!” he said, a pleading look in his eyes.

She placed a gentle hand on his cheek and shook her head. “I wish I could believe that, Luke. But this is war, and man commits horrible atrocities against his own kind in these times. There are precious few I can trust now. Besides, I’ve failed you too many times. You have plenty of reasons to seek my destruction.”

“How could you say such a thing?!” he shouted as she backed away. “I love you, Serenity!”

“I love you, too, Luke,” she said quietly, “but I must preserve the power, for all our sakes.” The young man sank to his knees and could only watch as Serenity walked away in silence.

The cold sweat finally pulled the dreamer from his dream. His eyes revealed the stone walls of the cave, and his ears confirmed the stillness around him. Brushing the black hair away from his face, he stared at his hands. To anyone else, they would’ve been strong, hard-working hands. But to him, they were what they had been for thousands of years: blood-stained instruments of destruction and deceit, forged in the heat of battle by so many evil men. Tools originally designed to protect and heal, bent by the will of a certifiable madman, had turned willingly to sacrifice the people he loved for a twisted sense of personal salvation.

A single moment in time had cost him so many happy memories. Perhaps, with his next moment in time, he could make up for it. He was mad for even considering it, and far beyond insane to even attempt such a feat. Yet the final preparations had been made, and all that was left now was the deed itself. If everything went according to his agenda, he could make the world a better place. But one slight miscalculation could alter the whole galaxy, possibly even the universe.

As always, he rationalized these thoughts. Anything was better than living with centuries of guilt, and he’d done enough of that already. It was time to change things, and expose the world to the light of a better today. The penalties of his actions were lost in rampant visions of a perfect civilization, a virtual utopia of unspoiled riches. It was so close, he could almost see it now.

The man slipped from his bed and stared into the nearby mirror. The same hair he had neglected to cut for the past few days flowed freely past his shoulders. The gray eyes widened as they looked back at him, filling with uncertainty. He sighed and walked away from the mirror, failing to notice the smears of dried blood on his forehead. He dressed quickly, throwing on a simple outfit and a black cloak. Fashion had never been that important to him; every piece of clothing he owned proved that.

“For the future,” he said quietly as he picked up the Time Staff, even as it glowed with a violet light. “May this journey correct my sins and clear my history.” He swallowed noisily and ran a hand through his hair. Then as he slowly faded out of sight, he whispered, “Forgive me, my love. It’s the only way I know.”