~siege
perilous~
It
is completely quiet near the main gates of the misty wastelands.
Throughout
the ages, only a lucky few have managed to break through those
prehistoric cobalt gates, and enter into the hallowed ground, to
exploit the power within. Even fewer have managed to find the smaller
entrances into the silent world of infinite boundaries, for they were
normally well hidden and protected by powerful magic.
Protected
by one person throughout the duration of the universe. Outside of
real time, within a place situated both within and outside the the
universe, only one person had overseen the natural order of things.
That
will change, soon enough.
The
first sensation that Mnemosyne felt was pain. Aching pains in her
head, on her arms, and the dull pain shooting up her back. For once,
though, pain was a good thing; pain meant she was still alive, if
injured.
....sister......
It
was gone, she realized in the back of her mind. The second sensation
was shock, for it was completely gone. Her planet, her sister's
planet, everything they had worked for was gone in the blink of an
eye. She didn't know whether to cry, or scream, or resort to taking
it out on herself. She had seen it with her own eyes; the world just
crashed around them, shaking that one final time....
It
was all too much for an injured mind to take in at once. Or perhaps
she was used to the destruction. Either way, the information was
simply ejected from the forefront of her mind for the time being,
stored for later, when she could properly mourn.
Lethe.
Woozily,
she looked around, composing herself for whatever lay ahead. She
turned to her left to check on Lethe, who had been worse off than
her; she then turned to her right, then looked around more
frantically, when Lethe did not appear to be with her. She tensed and
sat up when she realized Lethe was gone.
“Lethe?!
Where....!”
It
was silent and foggy, to the point where it reminded Mnemosyne of
where they had just left, before it had finally collapsed, though she
did her best to shut those moments out. She had shivered violently
back on Lethe at the cold, the howling winds; in the new void,
though, it was the opposite feeling. It felt like a sauna, the heat
causing her to sweat.
“Lethe?
Lethe?!?”
Suddenly,
another wind flew in front of Mnemosyne. This time, however, it was
the wind made by a rather large object, which was thrust under
Mnemosyne's throat before she could get away.
“Get
up.” The voice, though rough and low, was not an entirely bad
thing, for Mnemosyne realized that, at least, she wouldn't die alone.
“Now.”
------------------
Lethe
had never seen such a place before.
.....So
quiet.....
The
dark castle in front of her was dimly lit and surrounded by fog –
a solitary citadel in the endless, empty landscape. In terms of
fortresses, Lethe had seen far bigger in her time – this new
palace was dwarfed many times over by the Shadow Galactica , and
Lethe's own castle, while minuscule, was
still bigger than the house she stood before. There were two rivers
which surrounded the castle, Lethe noticed, and even these were wider
than the castle.
I
wonder....what is here.....
She
had woken up, much as Mnemosyne had, realizing her sister was gone.
She limped as she walked along, calling Mnemosyne's name, as her leg
had been injured during the final destruction. Her head still swam
from her newest brush with death; indeed, when she saw the castle,
she thought that she was surely dreaming that anything could live in
the abyss.
She
finally came to the entrance of the building, and paused at the
doors, spotting the waning and waxing moon signs that adorned them.
She remembered one with the moon sign, she who had intruded upon
Shadow Galactica that fateful day when Lethe was to ferry six
uninvited guests to their doom.
That
attempt to please their master didn't quite go the way Lethe had
anticipated. Somehow, parts of the party managed to break Lethe's
hold over them, no thanks in part to Mnemosyne. Indeed, of the eight
individuals who stood at the banks of the desert rivers, five were
killed by Galaxia's most loyal followers. Lethe and Mnemosyne had
been among them, for disobedience, and once they were gone, the
rivers were no more.
....What
is the use...
Betrayal
leading to betrayal, leading to betrayal. Lethe had betrayed her
people, then her professed savior. Now, she was betraying the memory
of her mother. Succumbing to inevitability, then, and throwing
caution to the wind, Lethe pushed the doors open and stumbled inside.
The
interior of the castle was certainly not as impressive as that of
Galaxia's, at least in terms of instilling fear into enemies. On the
contrary, the main hall seemed small, cozy and welcoming, with light
cream walls decorated with portraits, candles and bright red
tapestries. The doorways that led to other points of the castle were
large and paneled with white, as was the staircase that led to the
second floor. Above Lethe was a large chandelier, lined with a red
gem that Lethe could not identify
What.....is
this?
Near
one of the doors was an oak roll-top desk, with scattered papers and
a half-filled glass of red drink sitting inside. On top were images
of various women – smiling, making music, playing games, posing
in many different positions – staring back at Lethe. They all
looked familiar, as if she had seen them before, in another time,
another place, but she could not point out where.
At
the sight of the last picture, however, something clicked within
Lethe's memories. It was a picture of two people, smiling at the
camera. One was a short, almost stubby, girl with pink hair somewhat
like her own, and pink eyes, much like Mnemosyne's. But it was not
that girl that held Lethe's attention; it was the other, taller
woman, who held onto the young girl, that caught her eyes.
The
long, dark green hair. The tall, thin body. The piercing, dark red
eyes staring back at her. Lethe stared at the picture, memories of a
time long past resurfacing after years of burial. For one moment,
Lethe doubted, but the longer she stared, the more her doubts
disappeared, her confusion and shock growing by the minute.
”Mother....!”
“Mama,
come back!”
“Mother....is
gone.”
It....can't
be. This....?
Lethe's
attention came back to reality at the sound of the opening door. She
quickly turned, her eyes frantically searching for a hiding place as
the door began to swing open. She spotted a doorway to her right, and
started towards it.
“Running
is futile.”
Lethe
froze as she heard the voice. It was low and throaty, foreign to her
ears. Yet there was that tinge of familiarity that came along with
it, the feeling that somewhere, somehow, she had heard the voice in
the past. Slowly, she turned around to face her assailant.
“I
knew you were here.” The figure smiled, with Mnemosyne leaning
on her. “Have no fear....I will not hurt you.”
“Sister!!”
The
sisters' eyes met, relief washing over them as they saw the other.
Lethe, however, shifted her eyes towards the new figure, who gently
let Mnemosyne go to her sister's arms.
“I
welcome you to my domain, Sailor Lethe and Sailor Mnemosyne.”
The woman was clad in a black sailor suit, its form eerily similar to
that of the girl who defeated the twins. “I am Sailor Pluto.”
--------------------
The
girls had never had such food in their lives.
Lethe
stuffed herself until she felt ready to burst with a bland white
grain that was placed before them, while Mnemosyne busied herself
with a pile of tangy white meat slathered in a thin brown sauce.
Their host had prepared it for them while they tended to their wounds
in the study, which was lined with books, chairs and statues of
figures unknown to the girls. Once they had finished, Pluto had set
her long table for them and invited them to eat as much as they
wanted before leaving them to their own devices.
Eat
they did, as they had not had a meal since before they died on Shadow
Galactica. Whatever it was they were being served, it was unlike
anything they had eaten before in their lives. Lethe was used to the
disgusting artificial food tablets on her planet, while Mnemosyne was
used to sweet tree fruits and ambrosia. With Galaxia, they were
subjected to a meager diet of three pieces of mooli, a slice of
soured cheese and a pile of sub par grain paste once a day.
As
the two finished and let their grateful stomachs settle, Pluto
returned to the room, sitting on the table with her long silver staff
in hand.
“How
was your dinner?”
“Mmmm...”Lethe
wiped her face with her hands. “Very good.”
“Delicious.”
Mnemosyne smiled. “Is this food from the planet Pluto?”
“Not
quite.” Pluto looked down. “It actually comes from a
world called Earth.”
“Earth...”
The
two girls looked at each other with recognition of the word. They had
heard it numerous times from their golden master, whenever she came
by to rant and rave about her great rival.
“....Sailor
Moon.”
“She
resides there,” Pluto nodded with confirmation. “As do
other sailor soldiers, including myself. You have met her before, I
see.”
“....We
have.” Lethe looked uneasy as she spoke. “It was, well,
some time ago.”
“When
you ferried her across the river, correct?”
“Wha...”
Lethe nearly jumped up at this. “How...?”
“I
am the guardian of time.” Pluto looked at Lethe for a moment,
as if she were examining her, though she still smiled. “I am a
being that can live outside of time, and thus am omnipresent and
omniscient of everything that has occurred
since time began. I can see the experiences of everyone and
everything in this universe. Even the possibilities and probabilities
of all that is and all that will be are within the grasp of my
knowledge.”
“...Wow....”
“...But
even without my omnipresence, I am an old hand at reading faces.”
Pluto's smile seemed warm, though to Lethe there was something more
to it, though she could not put her finger on it. “So there is
very little you can hide from me either way.”
“So...are
you an ancient sailor?” Mnemosyne stared at Pluto with awe.
“You've lived outside of time all these years?”
“Cumulatively,
Sailor Pluto – in this form, with this unique identity - is
over 10,000 years old.” The two girls gasped at this number.
“Though due to some circumstances beyond my control, this is
technically the second version of my body. A more human version of my
ageless self, exposed to mortality through Sailor Moon's power of
healing. So I will probably not live as long as I had before, though
I certainly don't regret it.”
“...Huh.”
Lethe
and Mnemosyne stared at her, simply unable to believe it. It was more
of the fact that she knew so much, and perhaps, even more, the fact
that she knew Sailor Moon, the girl who had defeated them. Yet she
seemed trustworthy, not vengeful at all, even though they themselves
had worked for the woman who undoubtedly killed her.
“As
for you, it was fate that you would, perhaps, one day, come through
the door.” The sailor looked down upon them with an imposing
eye. “It is good that you have made it. You, the last two
living soldiers who guarded the rivers of Shadow Galactica.”
“The
last two...” Lethe and Mnemosyne stood up at this. “Then
the others...?!”
“They
chose to take their ultimate forms, and faded into the Cauldron to
become stars in the night skies.” Pluto turned away. “Their
planets have been taken over by displaced soldiers. Renamed,
reconstructed, everything. Their doors disappeared when they did.”
“Doors.....”
Mnemosyne stared at Pluto. “They....had doors as well?”
“Yes.”
With
a motion of her hand, Pluto bade the girls to a massive window at the
other end of the dining room. The two silently obeyed, unsure of what
they were expected to see. Quietly, they stood behind Pluto, who
stopped in front of the window.
“Rivers....!!”
“Two
rivers....” Lethe stared at the two rivers that flowed beside
the castle and into the distance. “Just like the ones that we
protected for Galaxia-sama...”
“Yes.
You see,” Pluto paused. “In the beginning, I knew of all
the rivers. Their powers were to be within my domain, and when I
assumed my guardianship, I received into my hands six lights from the
queen of the stars. She was the crystal that carried the power of the
Cauldron, potentially the most powerful creature to behold. Her word
was law over many sailor soldiers, and once she had given me my
stewardship, I was never allowed to leave it. So this is where I
stayed, the gates of time, with six sailor crystals to be used to
aide me in my mission.”
“Your
mission to guard time.”
“Six
rivers were to surround the Gates of Time, and I was to install
them.” Pluto closed her eyes. “But as the years began to
pass, I stalled to awaken these soldiers. My stewardship was lonely,
yes, and I longed to have companionship, longed to share the burden.
But I also remembered another thing; that I had never had a choice in
my destiny. A sailor soldier's destiny is to protect that which she
loves, and in order to do this, she would choose what she loves. I
did not love what I did, and I did not choose to protect it. For me
to force that burden upon others....I would never escape from my
guilt.”
Pluto's
eyes glazed over slightly at this.
“So
one day...I took the lights and cast them away. I knew there would be
ramifications, but I didn't care. I wanted them to live.”
The
two looked at Pluto, unbelieving at what they were hearing and
seeing. Her figure was so familiar to them, and it began to make
sense to them now, as to why.
You
must never open the door...
“Once
the seeds left the Gates of Time, I was confronted by Queen Serenity,
the woman who charged me with my mission.” Pluto looked down.
“She said nothing as I told her what I did. She didn't look at
me with contempt when I looked into her eyes. Once I finished, she
took my rod from me and struck the ground. I could feel the distant
rumbles upon the ground, which echoed throughout Time; I became
scared, but my queen only smiled at me. That was the creation of the
doors.”
“The
forbidden doors.”
“She
told me that she did not hate me for my rebellious decision, that she
would have done the same thing in my place. However, those soldiers
that would come from the crystals were still bound to me and to Time,
and they had to be given a chance to fulfill their duty to her crown
– the waters would have a chance to mingle with one another, as
they should have, with Time. And that was how it happened. I didn't
want the doors to exist, but they did, guarded by the rivers. I knew
one day someone would come through, and I worried about it. I didn't
want them to be bound as I was, but until the death of my queen, it
seemed there was no other way.”
Pluto
closed her eyes at this with a smile. She was upset about the death
of her queen, no doubt, but even so, Lethe and Mnemosyne saw
something of a relief when she spoke of death. She then turned and
began to walk off; the twins followed suit.
“I
was bound to the queen, and her descendants, and so I was bound to
Sailor Moon, the daughter.” Lethe's eyes widened at this as
Pluto went into the hall and opened the door to the outside. “But
the princess' rule was...is...different. At the fall of the queen's
kingdom, she and her guardians were sent to the mortal world of Earth
and were reborn. She became human, felt human emotions, believed in
her power and wished to live life as she wanted. Everything she knows
of is precious to her. Even after I disobeyed the rules that bound me
to my burden, and forfeit my life for it, she gave me what I never
expected – freedom. I became mortal. I was not as powerful as I
was, but living on Earth, I don't regret it.”
“You
can leave here now?”
“I
can. I have a human identity.”
“Hmph.”
Lethe looked down. “Even if Sailor Moon is on Earth, what could
be there that we didn't have on our planets?”
“Life.”
“No
offense, Sailor Pluto.” Lethe smiled coldly. “I just
don't think Earth could compare to Lethe. Mortality the human
way....I've heard how long humans live. I've heard about all the
stuff that happens on planets with full-blooded humans. War,
hate.....just like us, but more intense, and they die off so quickly.
I'm not too big on that.”
“Lethe...”
“Besides,
the chance of your sailor soldier friends being as forgiving as
Sailor Moon is slim.” Lethe looked down. “We did
work for Galaxia-sama, after all.”
“So
did we.”
The
two looked up at the woman at this, shocked. They did not expect this
coming from a woman of such bearing. But her face looked sincere; she
looked into them, as if she could see what they were thinking, and
she smiled.
“Don't
be afraid of the past, Lethe.” Pluto looked up. “There is
the future that must be tended to. Four rivers have disappeared
forever for the sins of one, but two are left that can still mingle
here. You are here; you have returned to the Gates of Time, a moment
I both feared and hoped for.”
“Pluto....”
“But
the time finally has come for the next step in your long lives; the
time in your lives when you were forced to work for another has
ended. There is nothing left for you on your planets, for there is
nothing left of them. So I must give you some bad news.”
“Bad
news...?”
“Because
I would like you to live on Earth.”
The
three became dead silent at this. If there were crickets in the Gates
of Time, they certainly would have chirped.
“You.....what?”
Finally,
they both spoke, staring at the dark-skinned soldier as her
proposition came to them. They certainly could not believe what they
were hearing from her mouth.
“Live.....on
the Earth?” Lethe's voice was filled with fear. “Live....on
a planet we know next to nothing about? How can we....what will we
protect with your sailor soldiers there?”
“You
will help me, of course, if you wish.” Pluto brought her hand
up, motioning towards the mists of the time stream. “Time,
Memory, and Oblivion – they are three powers that go hand in
hand, among the others. Even with all my power, there are some things
that even I cannot control – there are still those who break
through illegally into the time stream, to try and bend it to their
will, which not even I can stop. That is why the rivers were needed
in the past; I did not have that foresight when I began to understand
that. Now I do.”
“And
the waters can mingle once more....”
“Mnemosyne?”
“We
can protect the rivers here too.” There was a new determination
in Mnemosyne's voice. “All things must pass the Rivers of Time.
Just like we protected the rivers on our planets...just like we rode
the double moat at Shadow Galactica...just as those rivers guarded
the grove. Our powers can be used here to surround the Gates of Time
and repulse intruders. Those who wish to come here must drink the
waters of the stream.”
“But....”
Lethe looked up at Pluto, startled. “How will we live? We still
know nothing of Earth. We're not like the humans that live there! And
even if we were....” Lethe shut her eyes. “The
pain....the suffering....all the years we spent on our planets....we
can't change any of that.”
“Sister....”
“I
know Sailor Moon is there, isn't she? Still I could never look her in
the eyes after what I did to her....”
“No,”
Pluto slowly replied. “You're right. Even with all my rhetoric,
you can't change the past. But I might be able to help you to deal
with it, even just a little, as well as acclimate you to Earth, if
you choose that path.”
With
that, Pluto walked towards the streams, and brought her rod down,
jewel first. At this, Lethe and Mnemosyne's chests began to glow.
“Please
take your seed, and approach the stream you want to dedicate yourself
to, if you choose to take this duty.” Pluto's voice echoed
through the air as their sailor crystals floated out of their bodies.
“Dip your seed into the waters.”
“Our
crystals...!”
“Oh,
Lethe....!”
“Don't
worry.” Pluto's voice softened. “As long as you are
within the time stream, my extracting your sailor crystal will not
kill you. I will not steal your life force; I am simply giving your
seeds to you so you may perform the necessary steps.”
The
two girls looked at one another worriedly, still expecting to die,
remembering the last time their sailor crystals were taken from them.
After a minute, however, nothing happened.
“...I
guess this is it.” Mnemosyne slowly took her crystal. “I'll
take the left one if you don't mind.”
“Hmph.”
Lethe grabbed her crystal. “You always take the left stream.”
With
that, the two girls approached their chosen waters and thrust their
crystals into them. Suddenly, both rivers bubbled and turned white
when the crystals touched them. Rays of colors danced off the waves
as the girls took their hands out in amazement, only to find their
crystals gone.
“Our....”
“They
have returned to your bodies.” The two turned to Pluto, who now
held something else in her hands. “Now. Take a handful of water
from your anointed rivers, and pour it in here.”
Compliantly,
the two soldiers did so, admiring what Pluto held as they did. It was
a chalice, pure white on the outside, with winged handled and a
golden moon on top, it's flask open. Once the two were finished,
Pluto took up her staff, touching the cup gently with her glowing
talisman. There was a flash of light at this transaction, but it was
brief, and Pluto brought her staff down once more.
“This
is the last task, if you wish to undertake this mission. This is not
required, but I wish to give you a choice that I was certainly not
given.” She looked at the two girls. “The powers of Time,
Memory and Oblivion are now mingling within this chalice. But within
the Holy Grail, also, is Sailor Moon's power to heal, and it can heal
you of the most severe pains you have experienced. All you must do is
drink this.”
“....That's
it?”
“That
is all.” Pluto's voice lowered. “But I must warn you.
Once you drink of this, its power cannot be lifted. The reason I tell
you this is because once you taste it, you will be....different.”
“Different?”
“You
will no longer be what you were. You will not be Sailor Lethe and
Sailor Mnemosyne, not in the way you are now. You will be an Earth
human like me.....mortal, and subject to what being mortal brings.”
The
two girls looked at one another at this. Various thoughts raced
through their minds at what was being told to them.
“As
such, your body will not be as strong as it is now, and it will age.”
Pluto hesitated. “Your powers will be lessened greatly outside
of the time stream when you fight. You cannot stay as a sailor
forever, as your body may run out of energy to upkeep your
transformations. You may even forget your past – not all of it,
but many parts of it.”
“You
mean...”
“Your
new forms will....not be as perfect, just as I have said.”
Pluto looked to each of them. “You can choose to stay in your
current forms, though, stay here and guard the rivers from here for
all eternity with your powers. But if you do that you cannot ever
come to Earth.”
“This
is such a terrible choice you're giving us, Sailor Pluto!”
Lethe looked at Pluto suspiciously. “It's as if you don't trust
us...”
“It's
not you I don't trust,” the guardian responded. “The
people of Earth....are not very open to the idea of interplanetary
life as other worlds are. Most of them do not even believe that life
exists anywhere else. That is why, on Earth, we also have our
civilian identities, to protect us from the people's ignorance.”
“....And
you're not forcing us to do this?”
“I
won't force you to choose.” Pluto held up the cup. “If
you want, I can throw this away right now, and you never have to
bother with it again. You can stay here as you are, and perhaps one
day even find another planet to guard these rivers from. But you
cannot leave here until you do.”
“To
choose.....”
Lethe
stared at the cup, unable to choose at first. A life of mortality
seemed scary, or at least mundane, to her. She had lived for so long
that growing old and dying was a foreign concept to her; making
another identity seemed unnatural.
So
she hesitated in choosing; she wasn't sure what she could possibly
expect with life as a human. She knew nothing of Earth and, before
now, had cared to know nothing of it. Lastly, while there were
obviously some things she wouldn't have minded forgetting, there were
some things that she did not ever want to forget. It was not all bad
on her old planet; there was so much she wanted to keep in her mind
to cherish.
Then
I've decided. Lethe's eyes slit with determination. I'll tell
her my decision.
She
opened her mouth to speak just as Mnemosyne's hand grasped the grail.
“I
do....Mnemosyne!?!?!”
Before
Lethe could do anything, Mnemosyne had already taken several gulps of
the concoction. With one final swallow, Mnemosyne, the white water
drizzling down her chin, handed the cup back to Pluto, who obligingly
took it back.
“So,
Mnemosyne.....” Pluto's face showed little emotion at this.
“You've decided.”
“Yes......”
“Mnemosyne!!!!”
“It's....it's
ok, Lethe....” The girl began to sway, her face turning pale.
“I don't...I don't regret anything.....really....”
With
a sigh, Mnemosyne began to stagger towards Lethe, who promptly took
her sister into her arms. Sensing that the mauve clad soldier's
strength was quickly waning, Lethe quickly went down to her knees,
taking Mnemosyne with her
“Sister....!”
The realization of what she did hit Lethe. “Why....?!”
“....Sister......”
The drink was taking a quick effect on Mnemosyne. “I.....wanted
to.....”
“But
why?!?” Lethe shook her sister hard. “You could
have stayed this way, like we always were! We could have protected
the rivers from the gates like Pluto said we could. Like we did on
our planets...we could even look for another planet to live on in
these forms!! Why......would you give it up.....?!?”
“....Silly.....”
The smile on Mnemosyne's face stunned Lethe. “I thought....we
had nothing.....to lose.....”
“I....”
“Goodbye,
Lethe....” Mnemosyne's face slowly buried into Lethe's chest.
“....sister............”
“No!
No!!”
Lethe
sucked in air and cried Mnemosyne's name as she tried to revive her
sister, with no success. It wasn't that she was dead; she was only
sleeping. But Lethe could see something was already missing, that the
light within was starting to dim.
“No......Mnemosyne.....”
Lethe
hugged her partner tightly, what was left of her partner. She felt
cold inside, realizing what had just happened. Her sister was gone,
and she was to be alone in her duty.
She
didn't want to be alone.
“Sailor
Lethe.....” She looked up at Pluto; if there was any emotion
towards what had just happened, none showed still on the guardian's
face. “Now, it's your choice.”
Lethe
looked at the cup, then at her sister, than at the cup again. She
couldn't understand it, not at first. She couldn't understand why her
sister had given up all she had – her memories, her family, the
protection of the stars - for a life of uncertainty.
Then
she remembered.
"I
turned back that time, when I realized what it was....I was fearful
then. Perhaps that was the reason all of this happened. But now that
the world is gone, I have nothing to lose. I may as well open the
door this time....with or without you."
"Lethe!!
Wait!!!!"
"Mnemosyne."
"I'll
go. I don't care. I'll stay with you no matter what!"
She
remembered all that she and Mnemosyne had gone through together, from
the time they were born, until they were chosen as senshi; from their
incresing differences to the war that broke out between their
planets; then, Galaxia. The Cauldron. Death, and the return to life.
Finally, to the door, and beyond that.
No
matter that Lethe and Mnemosyne had lost, they were always together.
They had always had each other.
“Give
me the cup, Pluto.”
Lethe
spoke with a new determination as she stood up. Carefully letting
Mnemosyne down to the ground, she looked at Pluto, then at the cup,
before reaching out for it.
“Is
this what you want, then?”
“....Yes.”
Lethe's hand grasped the cup. “My sister didn't leave me when I
went to venture beyond the door. So I won't leave my sister. We're
together....forever.”
As
Lethe went to drink the cup, however, she paused before touching the
spout. She looked up at Pluto, a look of worry on her face.
“I....you
will keep us together when we wake up, won't you?”
“...It's
a promise.” To Lethe's surprise, Pluto smiled brightly. “I
will make sure you stay together.”
“....Thank
you.”
With
that, Lethe drank from the cup. It left a bitter taste in her mouth,
but when it went past her throat, the sensation was so amazing that
Lethe felt as if she had drank the most heavenly thing. She looked at
Pluto, and felt her eyes get heavier by the second. Quickly, with
what consciousness she had left, she sat down next to her sister,
waiting for the darkness to come over her. It came quickly, quicker
for her than it did for her sister. But regardless, Lethe swore she
had probably never slept better in her life as her mind finally
folded into itself, and became quiet.
--------
Pluto
looked down at the two as they slept. Her smile was that of a
mother's looking at her children as she tucked them into their beds.
“Now.”
She raised her staff, the Garnet Orb flashing brightly on top of the
time staff. The two bodies began to float up from the ground, glowing
brightly. “Now it finally begins.”
