Part VIII

She awakens with a gasp.

"It was a dream. Just a dream. Nothing more," she whispers to herself as she looks over at Jae's sleeping form.

Jae rolls over, mumbling to himself as she gets up and goes over to a window. The floor's cold under her bare feet and she shivers, looking up into the sky.

"The stars look so distant," she whispers when she feels Jae's warm presence at her side.

He nods and pulls her close so they can share the blanket he has draped over his shoulders.

"It's all the lights, but I don't think the stars are what woke you. That's Neph's department," Jae whispers back. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, just had a bad dream is all."

"Oh? What about?"

"That's a good question, I don't remember now."

He nods and silently gazes up at the moon and stars in the inky sky.

They both know that silver disk floating high above is the key to their respective pasts.

Morning finds them fast asleep in each other's arms.

HLM shuffles by, still half asleep. She sees Kunz and Zoi curled up with each other. She sees Diana and Jae still fast asleep together. She sees the clock.

"Ew. Six a.m.," she mumbles as she heads down to the laundry room to pick up some clothing she completely forgot about.

She flicks the light switch to add some illumination to the dark room.

The lights flash on and then they go out with a peel of thunder sounding outside.

"Huh? Coulda sworn the day was clear just a few moments ago," she grumbles as she reaches for a flashlight.

"Pharaoh of the Black Hole Worlds," a feminine voice speaks from the shadows.

"Huh? Who's there?!" HLM speaks loudly, turning the flashlight on and sending the light stabbing through the gloom.

"Join us. Join the Dark Kingdom."

HLM smirks. "I think not, and don't call me Luke and then tell me you're my father 'cause I won't buy that, either.

Now who are you and what are you doing in my laundry room?!"

A laugh so evil it sends chills down HLM's spine fills the darkness for minutes. Those minutes feel like eternities.

"All in due time, Pharaoh, all in due time."

The lights flicker back on.

"And once the lights come back on, I grabbed my stuff and ran back up here as fast as I could," HLM finishes the story almost an hour later.

Flashback:

"So you're saying that M-chan has powers that people of her world classify as godlike?" Diana asks Neph.

He nods. "However, they don't worship her. She's more of a world leader. Her people love and respect her, as she does them."

Diana nods. "And she was discovered as a child. Wouldn't she be more like the Buddha or Dali Llama?"

Neph shakes his head. "Not really, because she's not a spiritual leader.

In fact, her people no longer have religion."

"Really?"

"Hai. They used to, years and years ago, but all the different beliefs almost destroyed the worlds. The pharaoh back then had a power very similar to hypnotism, so instead of letting his people kill each themselves off, he hypnotized them into believing that a difference of opinion over religion is not worth killing your neighbor over. So instead of fighting, the people talked. Eventually, religion just died off. With it went the obsessive and fanatical behavior that accompanied it."

"Hmm...that's interesting...so she can't be a a religious leader because there's no religion on her worlds."

"Exactly, but I guess the concept of having powers equal in power to those of a god hung around."

Diana nods. "Let's hope the evils that hide just on the horizon around here don't get their paws on her."

"Hai. Imagine the destruction they'd cause," Neph comments.

 They both shudder at the thought.

Diana blinks and shakes her head once she hears Jae calling her name.

"Oh...I'm sorry, guess I just spaced out there," Diana tells him with a blush.

"Are you sure you're all right, Diana?" Jae asks, concerned.

Diana nods.

"Tell no one of these memories," the sword telepathically.

"But...why?"

"Because they won't believe you and when they start to turn, you'll have to use these memories to your advantage."

" 'When' they turn? And how do I use them, these memories?"

"Yes. WHEN they turn. For they will. And when you need to use these memories, I'll tell you how."

Neph frowns. "Perhaps we should all spend some time at my mansion, it might throw whatever HLM saw off the track."

Everyone nods.

That night, everyone's settling in while Neph does a divination.

Diana kneels in the overgrown gardens and pulls weeds after she and Jae are done unpacking.

"Diana," a voice speaks, dangerously seductively.

Diana looks up, looking for the speaker.

"Diana, join me."

"Who are you?"

A regal woman in purple steps out into the open.

Flashback:

She stands by her lover in a cold, dark room as Beryl flings the arrows at her.

Diana narrows her eyes.

"No."

"I can give you what you most desire," the woman purrs, sending images of a loving family into Diana's skull.

Flashback:

Diana grits her teeth in pain as Beryl presses the heal of her shoe into her chest.

"...I who destroyed your life by taking your lover away..." She digs her heal in harder.

Diana's expression is one of someone being torn between desire and memory.

"Diana, you can trust me," the woman goes over to her and moves a fingertip down her cheek. "I won't hurt you."

Flashback:

"I who destroyed you," Beryl hisses.

Beryl catches Diana's eyes and holds them hypnotically with her yellow lizard eyes.

"Join me..."

Flashback:

Yellow lizard eyes glare at her before turning away to face her love.

Cold sweat rolls down Diana's back.

"You can be with your one true love forever," Beryl whispers enticingly.

Flashback:

Pain lances through her body as Beryl leaves and Jae gathers her into his arms.

The words "took away your lover" echo through her dying mind.

"Submit and you and Jadeite will be together forever," Beryl whispers, pouring on hypnotic energies.

"Who...are...you?"

"I am Queen Beryl, my dear."

Flashback:

Same place, different time. There's the memory of cool, soft grass suddenly being replaced with cold, hard stone.

Jae wraps his cape around Diana and pulls her close.

The same tall, regal woman steps from the shadows.

"It's Beryl," Jae whispers into her ear, terrified as he clings tightly to her.

"Diana? Are you out here, love?" They both hear Jae's voice.

"Think my offer over," Beryl purrs softly before disappearing.

"J...Jae...Jae! I'm over here!" she shouts, on the edge of hysterics.

Jae comes running to find Diana on her knees, head in her hands.

"Diana! Koibito, hey look at me, that's it...calm down...what happened?"

Diana looks into his eyes.

"I can't even tell him of these memories?" she asks the sword.

"No."

"Oh love...we didn't loose that woman, she was just here!"

Beryl bows before the still mostly asleep Metallia. She gives her energy to awaken her more.

"My Queen...my four generals have reawakened. As have the Pharaoh of the Black Hole Worlds and the Moon and Earth citizen."

"Bring them to me. I will suck them all dry. When they come back to life, I will take their energy again. They will be my minions for eternity!"

Kunz frowns when he hears about Diana's experience in the gardens.

"Hmm, I suppose that it's possible that Beryl and Metallia have returned," he comments, pulling Zoi close.

Neph nods, gently adjusting HLM a little more comfortably against his body. She's getting hit hard with jet lag. Combine that with recent events, and HLM is a very sleep Moron.

He gently strokes his dozing beloved's hair. "The stars told me that Beryl can only re-incarnate as the same person three times. This is
what appears to be her third time.

Metallia, however can only be killed in one way. What it is, the stars didn't say.

They did tell me that the only person who can awaken her is Beryl. Without her, Metallia stays asleep forever, unable to be awakened."

Jae nods as Diana asks, "Did they say why those two want us?"

"Iie. They did not."

Diana bites her lip and she leans back into Jae's arms.

She really wishes she knew more about what she's up against.

Part VII
Part IX
Beginnings and Endings Index