End of the Millennium A Xian Shade Production Author's Notes: Well, it's the final chapter of The Path of Finding Destiny. I'm almost sad to see it end, as I rode the same emotional rollercoaster as each of the characters in order to write this. Disclaimer: I do not own any aspects of Sailor Moon or Phantasy Star. If I did, this would be an anime, or manga, or both. Thanatos, Ares, Chronos, Aljus, King Marcus, and the worthless one are © Xian Shade and may not be used without my permission. People failing to follow this rule have broken Xian's Law #849, paragraph 3, line 2: Don't fuck with my shit. The Path of Finding Destiny, Chapter 31: --//WAR-WREN UNIT BOOT SYSTEMS ACTIVATED- -CHECKING SYSTEM DIAGNOSTICS- -DIAGNOSTIC COMPLETE: ONE ERROR FOUND- -CORRECTING INTERNAL CHRONOMETER FOR TIME INDEX OFFLINE- -INITIATING OPTICAL SENSORS AND MOBILITY-//-- The droid's eyes came to life, if you could call it that, and attempted to focus on the ghostly figure of Thanatos, with little success. "No life forms detected. Internal scans state external startup not generated from emergency pulse. How was I awoken?" Thanatos realized that he was totally invisible to machines because their vision was based upon science, not magics. Willing away his transformation once more, he put weight on his feet and collapsed. His mortal body was in tremendous pain, even after his immortal transformation's energies should have shielded him. The droid seemed undisturbed in the least from the sudden appearance of Thanatos' mortal form. "Anomalous data. Magic in use, does not compute: ignored. Greetings, I am Warren, class VIII. How may I be of service?" "Could you help me up?" "You are injured?" the humanoid machine lifted Samuru to his feet, and he braced himself upon his cane. He didn't think he'd REALLY have to use it. "I'll live. Warren, are you aware of the workings of this vessel?" "Affirmative. I was programmed to be its automatic and manual pilot in the event of disaster. Is this such a case?" "Yes, it is. I am Samuru Sotanaht, better known as Thanatos, brother of Lord Ares." "Lord Ares was most kind to have me rebuilt for this task. Where is he?" "Lord Ares was killed in battle. This solar system is almost devoid of life." "That is most unfortunate." The War-Wren droid said emotionlessly. He couldn't expect much more from a machine. "Were I active, I would have wished to participate in the battle. Since you are Lord Ares' only programmed second, you have my complete cooperation. What is my function now?" Ares set him to be second in command? "We need this ship active. What are the main functions of this ship?" "The ship is capable of transport between solar systems, long- sustained survival, medical facilities, training facilities, war capabilities, a vast computer database... " "That will do, thank you." he interrupted the mechanical doll. "Warren, does this vessel have communication capabilities?" "Affirmative." it replied, opening the doors and heading for the main engine area, Samuru following silently. "If it did not, this ship would not be able to call for or respond to help. This is supposed to be an emergency vessel, after all. What did you have in mind?" "I need to leave a message that will last almost a thousand years. To serve as a warning for the people's reincarnation." "Reincarnation does not compute." it said, keying in commands at speeds that should have only been possible by Chronos. "That doesn't matter, does it?" he asked rhetorically, a note of irritation growing in his voice. "No, it does not." it replied, moving to another terminal, apparently ignoring the tone. The ship was slowly lurching to life from the commands issued by the machine. "A message that will last that long may deteriorate partially. I can guarantee the video will be completely gone by that time, but audio may suffer the least." "That's fine." "Would you like to do so now?" "I need some time to think out what I wish to say." "Very well. Communication probe dispatched below Mars' surface for transmittal. Begin recording transmission when ready." EPILOGUE: As the gigantic Ark named 'Destiny' launched from beneath the surface of Mars, Thanatos looked longingly at Mercury, the world he had called home, from one of the thick transparent walls. He'd had it all... family, friends, love, success, his duty, even a world of his own. All of those things, along with everyone else's, was now gone. Some of it would return, and some would not. Would the woman he loved still love, or even remember him? Would the alliance ever stand again with the worlds in such disastrous shape? Would they help to battle the source of darkness when the time came? "Warren... is there paper on board to make a log of everything that has happened? I must make sure this is remembered... if not by others, then at least to remind myself." "I can record everything you speak, Lord Sotanaht. It can be done by the machines on board, if you wish." Samuru ran his hand through his hair, realizing he had to stay in his mortal form for this, still rather uncomfortable leaning on his cane. "May I begin?" "Begin when ready." The War-Wren unit spoke, setting course for the Algo solar system. It would take half a year by ship, but it was going to be necessary to transport the queen properly, and Noah would surely need his help in Algo to prepare. Samuru looked down at Amilia's ring, rubbing his finger over the sapphire, the symbol of Mercury reappearing whenever light hit the gem. Tears rolled over from his eyes silently, and he spoke. "Every world but one is now gone. Queen Serenity of the Moon Kingdom sacrificed everything to save her people, but at a terrible cost. Last I had seen, all the royalty was on that Moon, and Queen Serenity claims all the royalty had died in the attack. Princess Amilia, if you one day read or hear this in your reincarnated form, your sister will not be with you. I will one day bring you to her. I'm sorry I was not able to keep my promise to return to you in time, but we suffered losses as well. As the only true survivor of the destruction of the Silver Millennium, I begin this log with the one thing I learned from my experiences... that happiness cannot be sought if you choose a path of finding destiny, for destiny shall find you, and what a terrible price you will pay for trying to change its events. Noah knew this... I think that is why he seemed so angry a decade ago, and let us make this mistake of altering destiny to find our loved ones. Now only Chronos, Noah, and myself remain, along with Chronos' love, Setsuna... who now prefers to be called by her planetary name, for some reason. Perhaps his power over time protected her, but my own power was unable to save my love, Amilia. For anyone that reads this: Never... never attempt a path of finding destiny. Never make the mistake we made to alter the universe to your liking. ...end log." ------------------------------------------------------------------- Well folks, that's it. My take on what happened at the end of the Silver Millennium. Sure, seems rather contrived and depressing, but it's how I pictured it. I mean, how can you describe the destruction of an entire system unless you're one of the only survivors? Hopefully this will explain everything. Thank you for reading, and please, read the sequel to this fic, book three: "End of the Millennium: The Journey", due not quite as quickly as this book was finished. See you next time!