Nine months since posting my first Sailor Moon fic, here
is the sequel. I don't guarantee it's up to par with the
previous fic, but, as always... everything is as the first-
person knows it, and he isn't infallible.
C&C welcome. Flames welcome, but do it privately.
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Sailor Moon: The Geometry of Vanished Souls
Written by Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@hotmail.com)
http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/sm/index.html
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and characters belong to Naoko
Takeuchi. Proper licenses belong to respective properties and
characters. The manga has precedence over material in the
anime.
This file can be freely distributed so long as it appears
in its complete form and proper credit. No part may be
reproduced for monetary gain without permission from the
author (to which the answer is probably "no").
Author's Note: It is recommended that you at least have
seen the end of Sailor Moon's Black Moon story arc (Sailor
Moon R in Japan), otherwise known as the Negamoon story in
North America. Knowledge of the manga story counterpart is
a bonus, and more enlightening.
This follows the previous story, 'The Geometry of Shattered
Souls,' which can be found at:
http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/sm/smff0.txt
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Death Space
Death has no perception of time.
If, in fact, the act of dying could be called 'fair,' then
the lives of the Black Moon Family should have been balanced by
the death of one Sailor Pluto.
But, in fact, their deaths were meaningless-- all of them.
The Family... Prince Diamond, Sapphire, Rubeus, Emerald-- the
leaders-- all their deaths were meaningless. All four managed
to find a way of their own to oppose my will, and all four paid
the price, either at my own hands or that of the Sailor Senshi.
Prince Diamond, deluded as he was with power, believed he could
conquer the past Tokyo in order to conquer future Crystal Tokyo,
where, if he were smart enough, would have tried to UNDO his
future. He believed he could seduce Neo Queen Serenity under his
power, a futile gesture as the others and I advised many times.
He believed he could harm ME!
Diamond was the biggest fool of them all. I remember when he,
Sapphire, and Rubeus, made their trek to my remote abode on the
dark tenth planet of the Sol system, Nemesis. As with those who
came before the young arrogant sorcerer, I gave him power-- with
a price. All power has a price, and Diamond paid it with his
life.
Strange, that most power-mad people end up so dead.
The price for being the Wiseman of Nemesis was my humanity.
I never asked for the power I developed during my exile to
Nemesis, but it was thrust onto me nevertheless. I, as with Neo
Queen Serenity, have a destiny to fulfill-- a destiny ordained
long ago, during the heyday of the Moon Kingdom of yore, in the
final days of the once-mighty Black Moon Kingdom. It was this
ancient civilization's most powerful weapon and artifact that
chose me to return the favor to the Moon: the Black Crystal.
In my hand the Black Crystal is but a shadow of its greater
glory; resembling a set of spike-like crystals jutting out of
the nucleus, forming a ball of black menace, the Black Crystal
was now no more larger than the golfball-sized Silver Crystal,
its wicked counterpart. The Black Crystal, when infused with
power, grew larger, and while I was in the region of pure energy,
the artifact was quite spent. Most, but not all, of its power
was expended in the final battle against Neo Queen Serenity and
her Senshi-- by all rights I should have defeated them, being
infused with death power, but the princess possessed her own
Silver Crystal. Against two Silver Crystals, one from the past,
the Black Crystal and I realized we would lose, and, though
nearly destroying us both, we managed to survive-- but barely.
I am sure our 'destruction' totally convinced the Queen and her
Senshi, because it sure convinced me.
But, then, Death cannot be killed, can it?
Make no mistake, the Crystal and myself were indeed destroyed.
However, my choice of an energy source proved to be what saved
my essence from obliteration-- the Black Gate's death energy.
Had I thought it through the first time, I would've patted
myself on the back, because now that my essence became infused
with death energy, I found the greatest boon of all.
Sailor Pluto's dead essence.
I learned a great deal from Pluto, the Guardian of Time. I
learned more of the Moon Kingdom before its destruction, the
reincarnation of the royal court, and the myriad women who took
up the 'office' of Sailor Pluto, for, in fact, the singular
being known as Sailor Pluto was a series of people rather than
one person. What made them all one person, however, was the
fact that upon assuming the identity, all previous knowledge
passed to her.
Consequently, I could be considered the next Pluto-- and
rightfully so, for Pluto is the name of the Roman god of the
underworld.
This last Pluto, it turned out, was well over a thousand years
old, since she stopped aging after the... disaster of 1999. She
knew those events well, because she was one of those instrumental
in causing the storm that would change my life forever. And now
that she was dead, and her knowledge was mine, I knew as well.
Gate of Time, 30th Century
Expending much energy in opening a gate large enough to pass
through, I appeared at the unguarded Gate of Time. It was but
mere moments after my own destruction that I appeared here, for Neo
Queen Serenity would never think to look for me so soon. And yet, I
had to act quickly, for they would be arriving at the Gate soon, to
return all to their respective times.
That was okay; I would only need but a moment to get to where I
wanted to.
I focused my will on the crystal ball that floated effortlessly
between my hands, and searched my essence for the proper temporal
tuning I would require to make it to my destination. It seemed to
take much time, but in reality it took only a half of a second when
I found it.
The wispy clouds within the hand-made crystal ball transformed,
morphed, and congealed into the shape of a stylistic key-- one that
would unlock the Gate to my proper destination. Lightning lashed
out from the crystal ball, ending its lance a mere half meter from
my location, forming the three-dimensional shape of the key. I
willed the newly-formed key toward the gate, thrusting it into
the keyhole, and turning.
The Guardian of Time was required to fashion keys in order to get
from one time to another, and one key only traveled to one point of
time. This was how the Senshi of the past came to the future, and
this was how they were going to go back, too. Though it crossed my
mind to waylay them here, at the Gate, I realized how foolish that
would have been, for they still would have access to two Silver
Crystals, and I, in my weakened state, could not hope to beat them.
The Gate opened before me, to a time so long ago, that it may as
well have been another lifetime.
While the key dematerialized back to my crystal ball, I
paused to gaze at what I saw before me: Tokyo, of the Twentieth
Century. Its golden radiance of the dawning morning, the high
spire of the Tokyo Tower, the Imperial Palace, the highways and
byways, the cars, trains, and boats... it was at once a sight
for sore eyes, and something I could never touch again. All of
those things I yearned for since the cold storm, since Neo Queen
Serenity's hostile takeover of the world, and I could not have
any of it. My time had long since passed for such nostalgia,
however.
For now, there was only my duty to attend to, and I will see
to it until the end.
I floated my robed form through the Gate, and millions upon
millions of senses bombarded me at once-- of people being born,
living, and dying... of happiness and sadness... of everything.
Everything of all existance assailed me.
June 30, 1999
When the floodgates closed, I materialized in a dark alley,
somewhere in the middle of Tokyo's business district, and the
morning light had not touched this area yet. The point of
destination was hardly random, I knew; it was determined in the
subconscious of the traveler, and somewhere I knew I needed to be
quite inconspicuous.
After all, it would not do to walk in Tokyo's streets the way I
appear now.
I heard a sudden gasp behind me. Craning my head over my shoulder,
I spied a tramp of a man, dressed in ragged, torn clothes, and
reeked of a bad alcohol, but that was obviously not all he reeked
of. Apparently, this man had likely seen my materialization, and
was about a couple seconds from bolting when I looked at him.
But it took only one second to hold him fast with my gaze.
Though there was no danger to myself if he ran off to tell others,
for many would think him drunk, I found two reasons to hold
this man. One, there was the off-chance he could warn the Sailor
Senshi of my presence, if indirectly. I did not need them breathing
down my neck, not so soon, not until I was ready for them. And
two... well, I needed to travel freely through Tokyo, and the
opportunity presented itself.
I turned fully to face the now-sober man, and floated closer.
"You are a most fortunate man," I told him, "because not only will
I not kill you, but you can serve a greater purpose. My own."
Had I left the man with the ability to speak in his paralysis, I'm
sure he would have screamed in terror.
I quietly incanted the spell that sucked the terrified man's soul
into my crystal ball, leaving his body a lifeless husk. In turn, my
own body collapsed on itself, folding in impossible ways,
ultimately becoming one with the crystal ball, leaving only that
and the paralyzed body.
My essence slowly floated the crystal ball to the standing body.
The paralyzed man, soulless, reached out and grabbed my crystal ball.
For the first time in a long time, I could see out of a real set
of eyes. I caressed the crystal ball with my hands, the image of a
death's head forming within. Using the crystal ball as a guide, I
carefully fashioned a new image for myself, one that would suit the
past world, sculpting my skin and clothes as if it were clay, being
careful not to appear too similar to my past self all the while.
When I was through I stood a full two meters tall, a Japanese man
with a face of sternness, dressed in a black business suit. I
looked nothing as I did before (as the drunk), and my guise would
be perfect except for the fact that I would still look strange if I
carried around a crystal ball.
Spinning a web of cantrips, the crystal ball I fashioned so long
ago shrunk in size, down to the size of a marble. I formed a chain
from the pedestal, then fastened the ball around my neck as a
necklace. Satisfied, I tucked the ball into my shirt, and, with
confidence, stepped out into the streets.
The deposed soul within the crystal ball, trapped along with my
own essence, tried desperately to escape. Since I refused to deal
with such a minor annoyance in the future, I decided to take care of
the soul now. With mercilessness, I bombarded the man's soul with
terrifying images designed to humble him into silence-- images of
the apocalypse yet to come and beyond.
Satisfied with myself, I set off in the direction of the Tokyo
Tower. In that location, was the beginning of the end.
By the timetable I knew of the events, it would still be another
six hours before the Senshi would arrive at the Tower to set off the
chain of events that would bring about the cold storm. I stood at
the topmost floor available to the public eye, staring down at the
city below from the rail, reciting everything over and over again.
I realized it was arrogant of me to try to prevent my own creation
at the last minute, but this was the only time I could come to the
past and not be driven mad with homesickness. There is no way I
could possibly stay for very long, and I needed to take care of it
quickly.
There was so much I wanted to do in the space of the six hours--
return to Kyoto and talk with my old collegues, send a message to
my fiancee, call and warn myself and my parents... but I knew none of
that would be possible. After all, I'm no longer the man I was-- I
am the Wiseman of Nemesis, Death Incarnate, the Chosen Champion of
the Black Crystal. Perhaps THAT was arrogant of me, but I knew it all
to be true. In a previous life, I refused to believe in destiny,
magic, or ancient kingdoms in our solar system-- but that was all it
was: a previous life.
But, if there was one thing I did learn from my previous existance,
it was that destiny can be cheated.
I was once a scientist-- to me, nothing was determined by fate,
but by random chance. In my time on Nemesis, destiny was
predetermined; something that always would happen, no matter the
cost. And today, it is in the middle, for destiny was the prevailing
'chance' of chances, but it could be guided. I learned this lesson
from Neo Queen Serenity and her Senshi, for they cheated the
destruction of Crystal Tokyo by summoning the soldiers of the past
into the future. They cheated the Silence by bringing forth a second
Silver Crystal. They cheated the Cleansing and the Purity by saving
the reviled Crystal Tokyo from the Black Moon Family.
All that was ordained as destiny by the Black Crystal was cheated,
save one.
The only constant maintained by the Black Crystal was the one
thing that gave my existance meaning-- the ascension of humanity. In
my time on Nemesis, I became the first to realize that ascension,
when I discarded my decayed body to become a gaseous, energy being--
the essence of myself. There was no need to eat, sleep, or worry
about diseases or debilitating accidents, for I was without form
which to suffer those ailments. I am the first of the ascension, and
I certainly would not be the last.
If I must, I will force the evolution of humanity.
But, first thing was first. I realized I was hungry when 'my'
stomach growled. Checking my watch, I decided that I had enough time
to get myself a bite to eat. Reaching for 'my' wallet, I fanned-out
a wad of yen, the bulk of which was probably spent on alcohol, but
there was enough to get a decent lunch. And I knew just where to go.
While I had hardly spent much time in Tokyo in my previous life,
I still remembered the place I liked. Striding confidently toward the
elevator, only thoughts of yakisoba and okonomiyaki filled my
mind.
Being a native of the Kansai region, naturally I knew just what I
was getting when I sat down in the okonomiyaki shop. The fact that
I was getting fried noodles with my okonomiyaki alone gave away to
the chef that I was from that area, even if my voice didn't. While
she cooked up the okonomiyaki, we got into a small chat about
'home' in the west. While most of what I related to the chef was
part of my previous existance, I found myself genuinely enjoying
her company.
When my order was finished, I quickly grabbed my chopsitcks, and
pulled off the first bite.
During my time on Nemesis, there was no real need to eat, and thus
I forgot the pleasure of eating good food until now. The sauce
was absolutely perfect in my mind, and a taste that I had not felt
in ages overcame me. I'm sure the chef was completely happy with my
reaction, but for some reason I think she always got that kind of
response from her work.
Too soon, I had finished my order, and I pulled out another wad
of yen to order yet another okonomiyaki.
For the space of an hour, I forgot about all my troubles and
burdens, my grudges and duties, my desires and passions, giving them
all up to enjoy the company of those in the okonomiyaki shop, the
food, and the chef. Everything I troubled myself with over the past
centuries became nothing, as only the moment mattered, and that was
staying in the shop and enjoying my first meal in a long time.
After finishing my second order, I turned around, and scanned the
rest of the shop, taking in faces, all smiles. I stopped, recognizing
one man who, in my previous existance, who had been a part of a team
of rebels during Neo Queen Serenity's conquest. I did not know the
name of the man personally, but I knew he was a military man-- an
occupation that was phased-out under Serenity's tyranny; one of many
who lost their jobs and purposes under her New World Order.
It was this that brought me out of my nostalgic reverie.
Excusing myself politely to the chef and the guests who served as
my friends for the day, I left the remainder of my money on the
counter, knowing full-well that I would never need money again.
I walked out of the okonomiyaki shop over the protests of the
chef about not being able to accept the tip, and headed back toward
the Tokyo Tower. There was still much to do.
During my stay on Nemesis, the Black Moon Family created
artificial sentient life called 'droids.' The origins of these
droids, I knew, were rooted when lust-crazed men, wanting for a
good session of sex, created a playtoy. Yes, droids were originally
sex toys, but the more reasonable Family used them for day-to-day
tasks. Eventually, when Prince Diamond became leader of the Family,
he ordered the mass production of an invasion army-- an army to be
used to conquer Crystal Tokyo.
Though most droids served as mindless drones, several inventive
scientists developed droids with superior AIs and personalities;
these became the captains of the armies, and special task agents.
Though I hardly had any reason, I once created a droid of my own,
fashioned in the image of the Grim Reaper, designed to prey on the
psyche of enemies. This droid, Jarkoku, was far superior to other
droids, as he grew a strong personality, and became one of Prince
Diamond's most valuable agents. He was one of the few droids that
was treated on an equal footing with Humans.
Too bad he was destroyed.
It was in this template that I began to fashion a set of agents of
my own. Though this new series of droids hardly had enough time to
develop on their own, the six reapers I had should be more than
enough to deal with the myriad Sailor Senshi that would not be busy
dealing with their preordained opponents.
Leaving Serenity-- Sailor Moon-- to me, of course.
Two hours before Chaos begins.
It was the belief of Sailor Pluto, and perhaps of the Queen, that
Chaos was the ultimate evil in the universe. Perhaps they were
right, but I could not see how, for chaos in of itself is not evil.
Chaos is simply the opposing force of Order, which is, I assume,
what Queen Serenity represents, so naturally, Chaos personified would
be her foe.
I have never seen or met Chaos myself, but it is believed that he
has no determinant form-- true to his name. They say he appears in
a form as seen by the eye of the beholder; almost never the same to
two different people. They believed it was he who spawned the
greatest evils, and they believed, upon his destruction, that it
would all end.
Chaos was gone for all intents and purposes, but he left a legacy.
Prophecized long ago, after Chaos' ultimate defeat at the hands
of the old Queen Serenity, it was believed that five spawn, dubbed
the Children of Chaos, would appear, and bring disaster to fill the
vacuum in the eternal balance. The first of these Children was born
in the Tau Ceti system, and became known as Pharoah 90. A living
force of chaos, Pharoah 90 commanded a force of daemons, and
ultimately reducing Tau Ceti into a galactic icy wasteland-- his
power was unmatched. Even the Moon Kingdom feared to speak of him,
as the Senshi who were sent to battle Chaos' First were never
heard from again.
Chaos' Second was a much smaller energy being called Zirconia.
While Pharoah 90 encompassed Chaos' almighty power, Zircona
encompassed Chaos' dreadful cunning. She was even in a position of
power in relation to the Moon Kingdom, but was eventually ousted,
but not destroyed.
Chaos's Third was Metallia, a shadowy, black creature. She was
arguably the weakest of the Children, I would say, because her
encompassed power was that of Chaos' passion. Metallia would drive
at her enemies directly, consuming a massive amount of energy in
wasted efforts just to get more. However, it is noted that it was
she who ultimately brought about the downfall of the Moon Kingdom,
as she took control of Earth Kingdom's most powerful sorceress and
generals.
The Fourth was what would appear today. With Chaos' effective
destruction at the hands of Eternal Sailor Moon and Sailor Galaxia,
the new Children would encompass Chaos himself themselves. The
Senshi hardly knew this new enemy, for he, instead of sending forth
minions to do battle, wished to directly confront the champions of
Order. It was he that would be the reason the Senshi created the
cold storm. He was called Vizier.
With Fourth's ultimate destruction, there was left but one final
Chaos Children, and Neo Queen Serenity of my time identified that
final form as myself, the Wiseman of Nemesis. It was ironic, that
she was the one who created the new Chaos. They can believe what
they want, but I am nothing of Chaos-- I am my own person, and I am
the Wiseman, nothing more.
And yet, I find myself becoming the opposing force to Neo Queen
Serenity all the time.
I produced the Black Crystal, observing its faint glow. If I had
the time, I would have gone through town sucking out energy, but
that would prematurely alert the Senshi to my presence, and I wanted
to keep it a secret until the last moment. Yet, I felt what I had
would be enough to match Eternal Sailor Moon's Silver Crystal, but
I had my reservations about that. If I could not defeat her, then
Vizier would definitely unleash his wrath on Earth.
If I got to Sailor Moon first, then Vizier was mine to destroy.
When I have it my way, there will never be a Crystal Tokyo.
A freak thunderstorm heralded the coming of the final battle.
From my vantage point at the top of the Tokyo Tower, the largest
lightning rod in the area, I could make out several sailor-suited
girls heading my way.
Of course it was the Senshi. Who else could it be?
Turning to the six Jarkoku replicas, I said, "They are all yours
to deal with. But allow Eternal Sailor Moon to make it to the top."
All six droids nodding in unison, they vanished into thin air.
Well, actually, they just moved faster than my eyes could detect.
I turned to look over the railing again, but this time, my eyes
were fixed to the sky. Vizier was about to arrive, and the Sailor
Senshi were supposed to come to the Tokyo Tower to confront him in
one grand battle.
Of course, time is going to take a different track now.
I waited patiently, with the Black Crystal in my palm, sucking
in all the excess energy residue generated from the battles below
me. The six droids, I knew, were doing exactly as I instructed,
and with deadly precision. They have successfully isolated Eternal
Sailor Moon from the other Senshi. Her soldiers were urging her to
go on ahead, as was her future husband.
It is wonderful what advanced AI can do, especially since I knew
what would happen before the battle even started, and made
allocations for that.
The elevator behind me slid open, and I knew my opponent had
arrived.
In obvious surprise and shock, Eternal Sailor Moon stuttered,
"Y... you're not Vizier...!"
I smirked as I turned to face my opponent. Appearing far
different from when I last remembered, Eternal Sailor Moon was
far more radiant and beautiful than before-- an obvious effect of
her narcissic speeches. She had the same determination in her
eyes, however.
"No," I answered, "I am not Vizier."
"You'd better get out of here," she warned, "because things
could get a little rough up here."
"I know all too well," I said in reply. For a flickering
moment, I allowed my eyes to glow.
She stepped back defensively. "Who are you?!"
When I held out the Black Crystal in my hand, it was all the
answer Sailor Moon needed.
"T...that's impossible!" she exclaimed. "We destroyed the
Black Crystal...."
"In the future, yes...."
Quickly, I discarded the flesh, as my essence burst from my
crystal ball. My familiar cloaked form congealed into shape, as
the crystal ball returned to its original form. The Black Crystal
levitated before me as the body I'd stolen collapesed lifelessly
below me.
"Wiseman!"
"Your pathetic Silver Crystals merely defeated me and the
Black Crystal," I gloated over her, "not destroyed." I
grasped the Black Crystal in my left hand. "Now that I know the
truth, you AND Vizier will perish here!"
I blasted her with dark energies, but Sailor Moon was proving
far more powerful than I anticipated-- in fact, a lot more
powerful than before. She dodged quickly... far too quickly.
Silently, I cursed myself, having forgotten to compensate for
her relative growth levels. During the second blast the soldier
of love and justice already whipped out her magic wand, and was
countering my dark magic with her own light magic.
"How can this be?!" wondered Sailor Moon as we traded shots
at each other. "You can't be here!"
I ignored the question, trying to concentrate both on getting a
good shot in with absorbing residue energies to power up the
Black Crystal. Performing both tasks was taxing on my willpower,
but was necessary....
But, time was not on my side, and the battle was taking far
too long.
Pouring extra energy into a single blast, I managed to force
Sailor Moon to erect a counter shot barrier. If I had real teeth
to grit, I'd be doing it now. And yet, the girl was holding her
ground.
"Accept your fate and perish!" I demanded.
"Not to any evil such as yourself!" she shouted back.
Time was running out.
"Give up now, and leave me to Vizier!"
"No way! I won't let you harm the Earth again!"
"Fool! YOU'RE the one who harms the planet more than I!"
"Liar! Your evil tricks won't work on me!"
And then, time was up.
A bolt of lightning, strangely ignoring the metal spire of the
Tokyo Tower, instead chose to blast the area between me and Sailor
Moon.
Descending from the sky over the Tokyo Tower was a creature
of nightmare. Hardly larger than a bus, the creature was humanoid
in all but his lower quarters-- there were no lower quarters to
speak of. The creature had two sets of heads: one in the usual
place, the other embedded in his chest. His two large, sinewy
arms ended in five taloned fingers, which looked as if it could
rip through steel as if it were paper. All four eyes glowed
malevolently with bloodlust, and Vizier, the Fourth, had made his
entrance.
Vizier's eyes passed from me to Sailor Moon.
"Vizier...." whispered Sailor Moon.
"You," the Fourth said, pointing to the girl, "the champion of
light and justice... dare to oppose the Chaos." Now, pointing to
me, he said, "You, the champion of darkness and death... dare to
oppose your own."
"The Chaos Plague is not for this world," I informed Vizier.
"Leave now, or never set your eyes on another world again."
It was for this reason alone that Vizier traveled from world to
world in his reign of terror. Like Pharoah 90 before him,
Vizier's goal was to wipe out planets, but instead of outright
genocide the Fourth unleashed a deadly virus that was under his
control. Dubbed the Chaos Plague, Vizier directs the virus to
eliminate whatever lives on the unfortunate planet he happens to
visit. Vizier only remained on a single planet for no more than a
few days, to guarantee the spread of the plague, allowing it to
act on its own.
The creature rumbled in laughter. "You fool, it has already
begun! There will be Silence on this world!"
I started to say something, but stopped, when I realized two
crucuial points in Vizier's words. While Sailor Moon went about on
her own spiel, I had two points to ponder for about fifteen
seconds. One, the Fourth mentioned the beginning, which meant that
the plague had already started. And two....
The Silence.
The Purity....
The Cleansing.
While the battle raged around me, I became consumed with this
maddening thought. Vizier, if unwittingly, has managed to sow
discord into his enemies-- or, at least, one of them. The word
kept repeating in my head... the world I had used many times
before to describe my own quest... the 'Silence.'
No. What needed to be Silenced was the wretched soldiers of
the Moon, and their bastard Crystal Tokyo regime.
"I am the master of my own power," I rumbled, almost ignored
by the Fourth and the girl. "Yes... there will be a Silence...
and there will be a Cleansing... and there will be Purity...."
Blasting dark energy through my crystal ball, the black
lightning lanced into Vizier's side. "You will be Silenced!"
Not surpisingly, Vizier could divide his attentions, having
two heads. The side I was aiming for already threw its own
dark blast toward my own, while the other part was dealing with
the girl.
The fool.
The moment I allowed my blast to dissipate Vizier's blast
fired directly toward me. However, to the Fourth's surprise, I
was not being harmed... no. Instead, the blast was fueling the
Black Crystal I held. Exactly as planned.
A single, red rose was all that was necessary to get myself
blasted, as the Black Crystal flew from my hand.
My physical essence shattered, the failsafes in my crystal
ball erected themselves, protecting it with the most powerful
wards and cantrips possible. As I began the reconstruction of
my physical form, I cursed the fool in the tuxedo. As my hands
were being reconstructed, I sent them out, feeling for the
Black Crystal. As soon as my eyes reformed, I found the
discarded Crystal, next to the rose that forced me to drop it.
The first thing I did as soon as my physical form was
complete was blast Tuxedo Kamen off the tower.
"Wiseman!" I heard Sailor Moon shout, just before Vizier's
blast beaned her in the stomach.
"I'll deal with YOU later!" I snarled angrily.
"Your squabble only serves my purpose, Dark One," Vizier
taunted. "Even as we speak the spores are descending upon the
Earth, and when they crack...."
"You won't be there to direct them!" I threw another blast of
dark energy, but Vizier laughed it off, deflecting the blast
with a reflective shield.
"It's too late for you, Fifth," the creature said. "You defy
the Father by defying the Son; your sentence is Death."
"I belong to no one! And your threat is empty, for I AM Death!"
But the threat sounded quite hollow, for it was then I realized
that Vizier was merely distracting me while conjuring his most
deadly attack yet. My dark blast spashed harmlessly against a
concave barrier, and I noted the same for Sailor Moon. A couple
more blasts later, the Fourth was laughing, and it was then I
realized that he somehow managed to create some kind of bubble
around me and my annoying counterpart.
And there was no one else to contest Vizier anymore. Perhaps
it was a mistake to get rid of Tuxedo Kamen in such a manner.
"Did you truly believe you could defeat me?" Vizier asked
rhetorically, to no one in particular. "Did you truly believe
you could defy the Chaos?!"
Power must have gotten into Eternal Sailor Moon's head,
because I tuned her out as she started spouting more of her
'good-guy' spiel. Trapped in Vizier's bubble-like prison,
quite ignored by the Fourth, I was left to ponder my actions,
and I came to the conclusion that I made a really large
mistake.
I should never have come back in time in the first place.
While I was realizing this, Vizier had already turned his
attentions away from Moon and myself, and began ascending the
tower once more, probably to throw more spores into the
atmosphere.
For all the knowledge I ripped from Sailor Pluto's mind,
the one thing I didn't know was how exactly the turn of events
surrounding the Chaos Plague would occur. In my rash attempt
to curb these events I effectively caused them to happen, and
now it was too late to stop the Plague, one way or another.
Either way, Vizier must pay.
"Wiseman," I heard Moon say, "what are you doing here?! I
thought we destroyed you in the future; you can't exist now!"
I laughed. "Destroy me? Hardly." If I had the room to conjure
images, I would have done so, but Vizier's prison prevented
this. "When the Black Gate was cast open, an unlimited source of
dark energy was made available to the Black Crystal. Despite
that, your desperate attack with your Silver Crystals forced the
Black Crystal, and myself, through the Gate, just before it
collapsed."
"Then how did you get back here?"
"You know just as well as I. Though the Gate collapsed, time
does not flow in Death Space, and therefore I was still able to
leave it and return to this dimension. But, before leaving, I
learned much from your departed Sailor Pluto."
I held up my crystal ball so Sailor Moon could see the pained
expression of Pluto's face. "I hold her soul; I read her
thoughts. With the Gate of Time unguarded for a brief moment,
I was able to come to this time."
"Pluto?" Moon repeated to herself. Forcing determination into
her voice, she shouted, "Let her go!"
"The Silver Crystal first," I demanded.
"No way!"
"I told you long ago that crystal would destroy this world,"
I said, gesturing out to the city below the tower, "and this is
just the beginning."
"Liar!"
"If it were not for your Silver Crystal Vizier would never
have come in the first place!" I pointed out. "Didn't you ever
wonder why the Children of Chaos threaten the planet?"
"They wanted the Silver Crystal," Moon realized. "That's what
ALL of you've been after!"
"That crystal is a harbringer of doom; it brings death and
destruction to those around it, and will continue to do so
until the day it is destroyed."
"Without that crystal Earth would be devestated!"
"WITH that crystal Earth has suffered ecological disaster!"
"WITHOUT that crystal Earth would be enslaved by Metallia!"
"WITH that crystal Earth will be destroyed."
I produced the Black Crystal. "The counterpart of the Silver
Crystal from another solar system. This artifact was created to
counter your crystal by the rival Black Moon Kingdom. In the
end, that civilization was destroyed because of the Black
Crystal; the civilization depended highly upon it for victory
beyond reason, and was crushed by your Senshi. YOUR Moon Kingdom
was destroyed because of the Silver Crystal."
"Liar! It was Metallia who destroyed it!"
"But who birthed Metallia but the Silver Crystal?"
"She was born from Chaos!"
"And who crushed Chaos, which effectively birthed Metallia?
The Silver Crystal, wielded by your mother, Serenity!"
"Chaos would've destroyed everything!"
"Chaos was never born until the Silver Crystal was! Your
Silver Crystal was created to harness the force of Order; that
much you know. But, Order is never without Chaos-- a duality of
existence-- and damned yourselves by embracing only HALF the
existence."
"When the Silver Crystal, the embodiment of Order, was created,
the living embodiment of Chaos was born," I concluded, laying out
everything plainly for the naive girl.
"Why should I believe you?" she yelled defiantly.
Obviously, she didn't believe me. I told her, "I'm lying."
Without another word, I raised the Black Crystal to the border
of Vizier's prison, and pricked it.
POP!
The energy of the prison bubble absorbed into the Black Crystal,
I was once again free to roam the earth. I looked above, to where
Vizier perched himself at the peak of the Tokyo Tower, then to
Sailor Moon, who still lay stupidly trapped in her prison bubble.
Gliding closer with the Black Crystal in hand, I said, "Unlike
your Silver Crystal, the Black Crystal can absorb energy, thus
allowing me to escape such a simple trap."
To her surprise, I touched the artifact to her prison bubble,
and soon Eternal Sailor Moon was free.
And standing there, staring stupidly at me. "Wiseman...?"
"So far the course of the future is unaltered," I told her.
"And, it may well be that it can never be altered. Though I
have no love for you or your Crystal Tokyo.... We must keep
destiny on track now."
"Vizier must not be allowed to survive," she guessed.
"Agreed. For the first time."
There was nothing more to be said; nothing more to do than
eliminate Vizier, Fourth Child of Chaos.
Rocketing into the sky, side-by-side, Eternal Sailor Moon
and I prepared for the final battle in an unholy alliance.
I held out the Black Crystal, and the girl likewise with
her own Crystal, focusing energies.
No words needed to pass between us, for we both knew what
we had to do.
Vizier, floating atop the pinnacle of the Tokyo Tower,
stared down at us, surprise in the chest face, and anger in
his head's face. He pointed both his palms downward toward
us, gathering dark energies. Black lightning crackled and
danced around his fingertips.
"The destiny of your world cannot be fought!" the monster
bellowed. "Your world is doomed!"
Black lightning lanced down toward the two of us, but we
never halted in our ascent. Using the Black Crystal I
absorbed the blast, while the Silver Crystal reflected the
dark energies, true to the artifacts' natures.
We leveled ourselves evenly with Vizier, who gathered
his dark energies together in order to focus one dark blast.
"Fools, die!"
Adjusting the angle of the Silver Crystal, Sailor Moon
oriented the facets in such a manner as to bounce the dark
energy off her crystal, and directed it toward me.
What was happening was this: the Silver Crystal, while
reflecting the blast, was also amplifying the effects. My
Black Crystal was absorbing a greater energy output than
what Vizier was putting out, and my power grew rapidly as
the artifact grew in size.
It was far too late when Vizier realized what we were
doing.
Forcing all the absorbed energies within the Black Crystal
forth like opening a floodgate, black lightning shot
toward the Silver Crystal. Utilizing the same path that
Vizier used, the blast reflected off the surface of the
Silver Crystal, and headed straight for Vizier.
In a matter of moments, the battle had turned around.
"This can't be!" screamed the Fourth. "I... I... can't be
beaten...!"
Darkness imploded on itself.
Strangely enough, it was the combined efforts of light and
dark that destroyed Vizier.
Eventually, the Sailor Senshi destroyed all of my droids,
and Tuxedo Kamen recovered, but none of that mattered.
After a few tense words passed, it was pointed out that
destiny was being put on course, and there was much work to
be done.
True to form, the Chaos Plague was designed to selectively-
adapt to whatever species it came in contact with. It was
projected that, in a few centuries, the Plague would die
itself out after expending all avenues of adaption on Earth,
eventually turning on itself. The only solution to save the
population of Earth, it turned out, was to place everyone in
a state of cold sleep, in order to throw off the Plague's
deadliness.
For, if life on Earth was in slumber, they were already as
good as dead, and that suited the Plague just fine.
As I watched the Senshi's work at casting their great sleep
spell, complete with cover weather to hide the magics, I
realized there was one thing I had to do before I returned to
my own time.
Leaving unnoticed from the Tokyo Tower, I glided through the
sky, careful to avoid any of the Sailor Senshi, should they
see me moving about.
There was precious little time, for, as I am effectively
Sailor Pluto, I cannot time travel as most others can do. If
only for the fact that I'd left Pluto's soul back in the future
I could have stayed as long as I pleased; Pluto, by temporal
law, cannot exist in the same time twice without reprocussions,
of which I had no desire to risk.
I descended at one residence, finding one sleeping young man,
lying on the floor, face-down. Immediately, I knew that this
was one of many I was seeking. Waving cantrips in the air, I
dematerialized his body, hiding it within my crystal ball.
The reason for taking the body was simple: he will not be
there when the world awakens in the Thirtieth Century.
Before the Black Moon Kingdom was destroyed by the Moon
Kingdom's Silver Crystal, there exist seventeen Knights of
the Black Moon. For an unexplained reason, upon their deaths
their souls were trapped in the Silver Crystal, perhaps due
to the fact that the Crystal was ultimately used to destroy
the kingdom. Later, when that artifact was used to reincarnate
the royal court into the Twentieth Century, the Knights were
reincarnated as well, into humans.
As the Sailor Senshi before them, the Black Moon Knights
are destined to return. All seventeen of them.
Seventeen Knights, all servants of a civilization long gone
forever. Seventeen powerful warriors, each complementing each
other's strengths and abilities, proving the vanguard force of
the Black Moon Kingdom in its heyday. Seventeen juggernauts
that gave the rulers of the Black Moon the megalomania to
challenge the Moon Kingdom and Queen Serenity, a venture that
ultimately lead to their destruction. Seventeen disciples, of
which to utilize in a new battle-- my own.
The seventeen knights were in no way the equals of the
Sailor Senshi-- of the Moon Kingdom, or of any solar system.
No, the system to which the Black Moon belonged had no Sailor
Senshi to speak of, as an imperfection in the white pearl. It
was but one of many imperfections in this galaxy, but they had
something the Senshi-owned systems did not have: self-
sufficiency.
With the Sailor Senshi in control, the system they governed
over became complacent with the peace that they never strive to
improve themselves; after all, they've 'already' reached that
height in their utopias. In Senshi-less systems the inhabitants
have had to rely upon themselves, and each other, to succeed, to
survive. Without Senshi to 'protect' and 'nurture' them from
harm, each individual was allowed the right to better themselves
and to strive to goals beyond the stars. Individuals came to
power of their own merits, and advances in science and technology
were swift in the name of progress and betterment.
This was mirrored in the civilization on Nemesis, with the
Black Moon Family. There were no weak people, for, with each
other, individuals grew strong and were driven to succeed beyond
expectations. Even in their Byzantine politics the Family
managed to unite into a formidable fighting force, and, with
my guidance, was able to overthrow the tyrants of Crystal Tokyo,
if for only a short while. It was done on the merits of
individuals working for a common goal, and it was done as one
mighty force, not a paltry handfew of strong.
It was this that I admired most of the shattered Family.
The Knights of the Black Moon, warriors from a long-forgotten
civilization, would bring this trait back to humanity. By their
example alone, they will prove to the lost humans that to
falter in the drive to succeed will prove their undoing.
Neo Queen Serenity shall be overthrown from her tyranny, and
the course of humanity will be corrected.
In a timely fashion I quickly found all seventeen Knights, all
of which were in the Tokyo area, the same as with the Sailor
Senshi. Producing the time key, I quickly slipped back into the
Gate of Time, bidding farewell to my enemies for the next ten
centuries.
For, in the future, we will meet again.
Wiseman's Citadel on Nemesis, 30th Century
Even though the whole of Nemesis had been raided by the
bumbling parasites from Crystal Tokyo, they never found my hidden
citadel, a construct I hid even from Prince Diamond himself.
As I promised Sailor Moon after Vizier's defeat, I released the
soul of Sailor Pluto. I was all too happy to comply; so long as
I held her soul I was bound by the crutches Pluto had to suffer
on a daily basis, and that is hardly what I needed. Not now.
In time, a new Sailor Pluto will rise to take the former
Guardian's place, and it will be as if she never perished, thus
continuing the Guardian of Time's traditions.
Being a time traveler from the future to the past, I finally
realized that, no matter what I did in the past, it was set in
stone because, for me, it had already happened. That is a law
of temporal physics, it seems. However, there is something else
to be said about the future....
Destiny may hold water in the past, but the future is still
being made.
In the audience chamber I fashioned of my own magics, I
released the entrapped bodies and souls of the seventeen Knights,
allowing them to materialize on the floor, still asleep from the
spell. Though they should technically still be infected with the
Chaos Plague, I made sure to purge it from their systems,
absorbing it into the Black Crystal.
Had I the opportunity to do so, I would have done the same for
the rest of humanity, but the Senshi would never let it be, and
I was still too weak to deal with them.
With simple cantrips I undid the sleep spell binding the
seventeen men and women, and, one after another, they rubbed
their eyes, and sat up to awaken.
"W...what is this place?" one wondered, looking around.
"Who're you?!" demanded another.
"I am the Wiseman of Nemesis," I introduced myself. "You
seventeen have been chosen...."
"What happened to the city?!" I heard clearly among the
murmers.
"...to be the saviors of humanity, and all Earth."
"Hey, shut up! I want listen to what this guy has to say."
If I had the capacity to smile, perhaps I would have as I
nodded to the girl who spoke up. Apparently, her voice alone
silenced the murmers and protests of the seventeen, and for
that, I knew this girl was one to watch closely, with great
expectations.
I also knew this girl, for that matter, from my previous
last day on Earth.
I conjured an image window behind me. As the images of
Earth passed through I heard the numerous gasps from the
Knights. I allowed the picture sequence to pass to Crystal
Tokyo, it's environs, then to the Crystal Palace itself.
It was then that someone said, "My god! What is that?!"
"Welcome to Thirtieth Century Earth," I said grandly.
Allowing the words to sink in, I explained, "The last
moment you should remember is an attack from the skies, in
the form of a monstrous, out-of-season storm. That was but a
facade, created to mask the work of the Sailor Senshi of
Crystal Tokyo."
The images in the window changed to punctuate on my words.
"That was created in order for their leader, Neo Queen
Serenity, to launch her vile scheme. She erected a Crystal
Palace where the Imperial Palace once stood, then awoke all
humans on the planet. But, before she could allow them to
live in 'her' world, they must undergo a 'cleansing' under the
light of her Silver Crystal-- give up weapons, ambition,
greed, wealth, and so much more, in order to take part in
her 'utopia.' Many refused, and a great war was waged across
the planet, but in the end Neo Queen Serenity put down this
'revolt.' Instead of killing her opponents outright, she
banished them from Earth forever."
"That bitch!" one man said.
"But the banished ones and their descendents remembered
their home well; they vowed to return one day to reclaim their
planet from the invaders. And indeed, they did return, but the
might of the Sailor Senshi and their Silver Crystal proved too
much for them, and they were annihilated to the last man."
"So how do we fit in all of this?" the lead girl asked.
"You seventeen have been chosen from Earth's population to
reclaim humanity," I told them. "You are all representative of
what humanity has to offer, what it can achieve, and what it
can defy. Those living on Earth are under the sway of Neo
Queen Serenity, and are complacent and docile, content with
their lots in life due to the effects of the Silver Crystal.
Enslaved to the Crystal, without drive of their own. You
seventeen have been chosen to bring humanity back to the
human race."
"Wait a sec," a pig-tailed man said. "Why in the world should
we trust YOU?"
I laughed. "Because I, too, have been banished from Earth,
and it is our duty as humans to take it back."
-------------------------------------------------------
Author's Notes
The main reason I write Sailor Moon is one simple quote made
by Wiseman in the anime that alluded to the fact that the Silver
Crystal would "someday destroy this world." Though he was a liar
when he needed to be, you can tell when Wiseman was lying; he
sounded dead serious when making this statement, and had no
good reason to lie, having killed Diamond and holding Sailor
Moon by the throat.
This is the supposed sequel to 'The Geometry of Shattered
Souls.' At first I had no intention of writing another Sailor
Moon fic, but there were a few points I wanted to address that
were still bugging me (and I didn't cover in the previous fic).
I really wanted to show just how evil Wiseman could be even with
good intentions; after all, he is an 'unredeemable evil bastard.'
I happen to like bad guys.
Vizier was invented by me. He was named in the same fashion as
the previous male Chaos Children; where the females were named
after minerals, the males were named after proxies of a greater
power.
'Humanity' pops up in two forms in this fic: literal human
appearance, and the qualities that make us human. Wiseman lost
his human appearance, but retains his humanity; Neo Queen
Serenity retains human appearance, but at the cost of her own
humanity. So, both of them are inhuman :)
Razorclaw X
http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/sm/index.html
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"That's my story and I'm sticking to it."--JMS, creator of Babylon 5.
"If you go to Z'ha'dum, you will die."--Kosh, Babylon 5.
"Understanding is a three-edged sword."--Kosh, Babylon 5.
"Never show your hand until the end."--me, being profound.
--Razorclaw X