Chapter Text
Release Me, and Restore Me to the Ground
The ground shook beneath them, the Sailor Soldiers stumbling but managing to keep their footing on the narrow path as they looked around. Elysium was shadowed and dark, filled with thick cobwebs and what looked like layers of dust and grime. It was like an old attic or home, the rooms overrun by decay and age.
”What was that?” Sailor Mars asks, glancing around as Sailor Mercury typed on her computer, the others waiting as she looked around and tried to figure it out.
”There seems to have been a surge of power…there.” She points, a dim light shining in the distance that flickers with a familiar glow, like the last embers of a hearth.
SuperSailor Moon and Sailor Venus have twin looks of longing in their eyes as they view it, Sailor Jupiter moving next to Sailor Mercury while Sailor Mars steels herself for the next push.
”We have to hurry,” SuperSailor Moon says, the group starting to move forward before their path begins to break under them.
“Garnet Orb!” The glittering red ball slows their fall, bringing them back up to where the pathway was going as three familiar figures stepped out. SuperSailor Moon smiles upon seeing them. “Uranus! Neptune! Pluto!”
”Sorry for being late,” Sailor Neptune said, noticing that unlike before, the four behind them didn’t glare at them as they had before. “It was difficult to find our way with that maze.”
”Now that we’re here, though, perhaps we should see about getting to where we need to go,” Sailor Uranus notes, holding out her hand to summon the Space Sword. “Things are getting harrowing on the surface.”
Sailor Venus steps up next to them, the Moon Sword also coming to her hand as she looks at the light in the distance. “We’ll have to be careful, though. Precision strikes after those massive blasts.”
”A perfect point,” Sailor Pluto says as Sailor Neptune looks into her mirror, and Sailor Mercury’s computer begins to beep again as she also looks forward. “Let us know where to hit, then.”
SuperSailor Moon smiles at the group as Sailor Mars and Jupiter move, Sailor Mars near Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter watching the movement of the frozen trees. Looking forward, her determination swells at realizing that for the first time in a long time, they would all be fighting as one.
Mamo-chan. Anduin. Hold on!
Anduin hears the sound of something booming all around them, muffled but echoing. Having been in only a few sieges, he knows the sound of walls about to fall well enough. Considering whatever spell she used on them has Mamoru still out, but he’s awake….
A red and black wing moves next to him, Anduin’s eyes following up to see a strange black dragon whelp that has odd green eyes, instead of the normal red he’d seen on others years ago. It’s more red than black, and unlike the others that appeared to have a crazed cunning to them, this one simply seems to be curious and observing. It lands on his shoulder and, after a moment, pokes his cheek with a warm nuzzle. Anduin pretends to be asleep, even as the dragon whelp pushes against his cheek again, as if to make sure he’s awake. The silence stretches out before the dragon’s final nuzzle gets him to open his eyes a bit, glancing at it again and around them. The dragon seems pleased to see him at least acknowledging it, and lets out a huff that brings up a bit of smoke.
“Yes, yes, you were quite persistent,” Anduin mutters quietly as he tries to not shift too much. The mass of silk threads and cobwebs holding him and the others still is not good, but if he’s careful, he might--
The smoke abruptly turns to flame, going up the mass of webs that had Anduin stuck, and abruptly Anduin has to try to land quietly but instead has to hiss a bit in pain as he lands, trying to stay quiet. He glares up at the black dragon, who looks proud of itself.
“Persistent but impatient.” A new bit of smoke and a huff makes him think the dragon is trying to be upset that it was called out in such a way. It flies over to where Mamoru is, Anduin pausing before shaking his head. “Wait, no no no…!”
He has to rush to get under Mamoru as he’s released, the near-dead weight dropping onto Anduin in nearly the same way Usagi had landed on him when they first met. Luckily, there was no hitting or kissing involved, but Anduin has to catch his breath as he winces in pain on the ground under the still-unconscious Mamoru. Anduin glares at the dragon as it flies down to land next to him, once more nuzzles his cheek.
“You’re not as helpful as you’d think,” Anduin wheezes out as he checks on Mamoru. The black blood still stains his hand and the sides of his mouth, and the movement to sit him up at least wakes the Prince of Earth. The dragon watches for a bit more before perching on Anduin’s shoulder, nibbling on Anduin’s hair. Attempts to shoo him away only result in eliciting a happy purring noise against his skin, getting Anduin to blush while he tries to focus on helping Mamoru up. As he does, he hears a soft, wet chuckle from the barely conscious man. Glaring as the dragon makes an upset sound, Anduin mutters about strange dragons and idiots who laugh at inappropriate times. The booming sound shakes the large, dark room they’re in, making the things they were trapped in move slowly but precariously on the remains of the webbing.
“...Usako’s on her way.” Mamoru’s gravely voice is not at all healthy, and gets Anduin to internally panic. Another shake that makes them stumble briefly has his heartrate go up as the internal panic begins to show.
“So I can hear.”
Anduin barely holds back any of the curses he knows. He normally wouldn’t even admit to knowing them. Varian would be scandalized to know Anduin knew even the tamer ones, and probably blame the wrong person for having said such things near his son.
Granted, Anduin wouldn’t be silently shouting the litany of curses if they weren’t currently trapped in a room with no exit. No need to think about that when Anduin’s realizing he could pronounce the Orcish word that vaguely translates to ‘we’re doomed and this won’t be seen as honorable’.
The familiar glimmer of silver nearby gets Anduin to quietly let out said Orcish curse as he tries to back away from the danger. The outline of a skeleton, one eye glowing brightly in the darkness as it slowly steps towards them. The outline of the man he’d seen before starting to get closer to them, menacing as another huge explosion makes the walls shake, starting to drop down the one where the body of Helios remains. As more light starts to pour in, the skeleton-man hisses in anger and annoyance as he continues towards them.
“You would dare use that power against me? You are as insolent as the bitch who spawned you, as corruptive as the one who rightfully stayed in the sun and became the dark spots upon its surface.”
“Then,” Mamoru states as he grits his teeth against the pain, a warm rose-gold glow beginning to surround him, “let me be as insolent as the ones you believed owed you more than you deserved!” The wave of power, like the sun rising over the horizon, or the light of magma under the ground, bubbling and ready to finally come forth, throws Coeus back a few steps, though he doesn’t fall or stumble. The black dragon flaps in Anduin’s hold, as if to fan the flames that are already growing around them, an answering feeling of warmth getting Anduin to glance up at the body of Helios that sways in its prison, like a bird in a cage.
The sound of a horse nearby gets him to turn as he sees a brilliant pink light, and then there was a booming, cracking sound, even more than the sound of the siege bringing down the walls behind the apparition before them. The power only grows, bathing the once-dark room in light, like the sunrise after a long, dark night in a thick part of the forest, or returning at any time from the underground lands of the dwarves and gnomes and into even the lamp lit streets of Stormwind.
Coeus hisses angrily then reaches forward, as if trying to grab at something on Mamoru’s chest, as Anduin instinctively throws up a shield, the one that materializes glittering in the same iridescent pattern as the one he’d thrown up before. Flames burst at the edges, getting Coeus to let out a hoarse, echoing screech better for the halls of Northrend and the Lich King’s castle.
Mamoru seems to have enough of a second wind that he manages to move to where the walls are about to be breached. The body of Helios glows more and more, also illuminating the dilapidated room with bright sunlight as Coeus screams and struggles towards them. The cavernous rooms now are revealed to have once been a young lady’s room, though the thick webs and heavy dust shows that it was left to ruin, an ill-kept capsule of a long-forgotten time.
”NO! I HAVE SET IT! THOSE POWER IS NOT TO BE JOINED WITH ANY OTHER! Never, NEVER shall you two meet, never shall you—!”
The walls come down, making everyone stumble as he sees something from above falling down as well. Dust that seems to have what feels like bug shells and some sort of strange sand or gemstone dust. Anduin manages to see that above them was the huge circus tent that is starting to collapse. He sees four circus-attired who are jumping and tumbling between the rubble as Sailor Chibimoon and Sailor Saturn fly down on a white pegasus with a golden horn that illuminates the area around them.
”Quick, catch it!”
”Don’t let it get away!”
”PallaPalla nearly has it!” A flapping sound gets Anduin to look up, seeing something that is streaking out towards Coeus. He looks at the dragon, who lets out a worried sound.
Anduin throws the dragon at the darting thing as it eludes the four again. The dragon latches onto a wing of the flying eyeball, Coeus letting out a pained scream that echoes in the rotting and ruined chamber. Mamoru manages to keep himself upright as Anduin gets to where the dragon and eyeball is, catching both just as the ground below them breaks apart and they start falling down.
”Anduin!” “Mamo-chan!” Anduin twists in the air, seeing SuperSailor Moon moving to go and get to Mamoru while Sailor Venus throws out the golden chain he’d seen her use before. He reaches out, the red and gold sash at his waist easily joining with it as the dragon flaps its wings, a rush of wind sending them towards the others as he stumbles into the arms of Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars. He draws in a breath at the strange, fresh air, seeing a lot of large, blue crystals around them. He notices that around them, there’s a temple that reminds him of older times, the destroyed marble replaced by crystals that glow a soft blue color, reminding him of the ones from the Exudar and that the Dranaei incorporated into their weapons. Despite the clearer air and the echo of water rushing somewhere, the area has a petrified look to it. A garden of flowers are all black, petals scattered on the ground and making it difficult to see the pathways or anything else. In two of the crystals, frozen in what looks like sleeping princesses, were twins in light togas with silvery hair, done up in the familiar double-buns.
Anduin shifts as the four manage to tumble down and land near Sailor Chibimoon and Sailor Saturn, along with the pegasus they had flown down on. The four apparently had managed to get the still-trapped Helios down to the temple as well. Mamoru is with SuperSailor Moon, and the others gather around near them. Sailor Venus rushes up, hugging him and then looking down at the dragon when it lets out an unhappy noise.
“You got it!” one of the four cheered, reaching for the dragon as it growled in irritation at the attention they’re getting. “Quickly, you have to use it. It’s the key!”
“Key?” he shifts to hold the flapping eye, recalling how Coeus had reacted when the dragon had gotten it. The group look out at the ruins of the castle and circus, at the quiet in Elysium. The ruins now start to shift, as if alive, moving in the same way as a skeleton would after it was reanimated, moving and reforming as the dark-haired queen who had held them now appears, just before the dark mirror with bleached bones, the skull familiar even before Anduin spotted the glittering silver to one side.
“So, you are the reincarnation of them. I used to watch the White Moon shining with the light that promised happiness, and how it did fill our hearts with envy. Yet you forget us…the true Queen, who should have been blessed with eternity, and the true Knight, who has set your paths that you will not face the dangers beyond.”
SuperSailor Moon and the others shift, Anduin watching as she walks forward, standing between them as they glare at the queen flying above them. The Moon Kaleidoscope glows the silver-iridescent color as her hair, lighter blonde than normal, floats ethereally in wind he can’t feel.
Anduin shifts, holding up the eye as all but Sailor Chibimoon move to back up SuperSailor Moon. Mamoru and Sailor Chibimoon stand near the body of Helios, the four others flanking them and looking at the floating woman and the bone-made mirror in anger.
“To those who are so arrogant and know not their place…I am Nehelenia. Queen of the Dead Moon, Kingdom of the New Moon Darkness. It seems the Queen of the White Moon had some plan and put you all on this place.” The woman chuckles darkly, getting the black dragon to flap and let out a growl as they look at her. “This place, though…it has no one to claim it, and thus it is fair game to us, the rulers of Moon Kingdoms!”
“You’re wrong,” SuperSailor Moon states, her voice carrying in a way the arrogant tone did not - clear, and without any hesitation or preamble, “The Earth is not yours to claim, and you who would fill it with nightmares shall not succeed! We will bring your reign to an end, here and now!” Mamoru moves up to flank her, a sword appearing as his costume also does, though it’s far more princely than before, even with the same domino mask.
“In the name of the Moon--” The two pointed to the enemy, petals flowing up around them as the blue crystals behind begin to glow, “We will punish you!”
“Will you? Can your feeble attack even reach us?” the voice of the Knight echoes as the eye tries to escape Anduin’s hold. “We who have set the rules of this world, do you think you can fight us?” Both SuperSailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask seem to falter, as if they were uncertain or something was causing them pain.
“We are the Horde!” Garrosh’s voice echoes even as they get closer to the platform, “We are slaves to nothing and no one! With the Divine Bell, I will burn away any remnants of weakness within us. Fear…despair…hatred…doubt. The lesser races are buried beneath their weight. But we will control their power! Together, we will destroy the Alliance and claim what is rightfully ours! Let our son of victory begin!”
Callan clicked his tongue as the bell is sounded and the Alliance and a few Horde members begin to fight the Kor’kron that Garrosh brought with him. The orc leader is oblivious to the changes that are wrought on his allies, and his goading only serves to anger Callan more as he moves up to where the Bell is, his steps faltering as something seems to glow around it - not the same sha taint, but something…else…
恒星ブラックホール、神罰の暗黒戦士
“AAUUUUGGGHH!” the shout from one of Garrosh’s top commanders gets even the leader of the Horde to look over in worry. “T-this…this pain! I…I cannot…”
“Fight it, master it!” Garrosh demands of him as Callan’s sword comes out, the censor on his side beginning to feel hotter than before. “USE IT!”
当然のことながら分配する - 報復
“Look out!” Callan manages to hold off the attack as the orc tries to lash out at anyone near him, getting even the Horde members who had come to help to start trying to get him further away from the Bell while the Alliance tries to take him down.
Callan glances over when he hears what sounds like whispers from nearby, and realizes something is very wrong. Even with his sword and the Harmonic Mallet in his grip, he has to step back as the face on the Bells changes, transforming into that of the last orc transformed. Other growths, turning into the faces of the Kor’kron who had transformed first, start to appear as well.
“Do you speak the truth? Can the Horde truly survive another war?”
The whispers, now a voiced question, seems to bring Garrosh out of his stunned silence as he shouts out, “Doubt is for the weak! Do not question your strength. We will survive because we must! The Horde will prevail!”
The Bell begins to move, Callan falling further back as he realizes that this is not good. He can throw the Mallet if he must, and it’s beginning to look like that is the one choice he’ll have.
If I even have it.
The Bell itself seems to have become a sha, the maelstrom of the faces and the ripple of the surface turning more and more into something like living flesh, wanting to strike out at all around it.
“We have lost so much,” the voices are starting to mingle, less one voice and more a cry of the masses. “Our families, our friends, our homeland. How much more must our people suffer?”
“Our suffering is at an end!” Garrosh screams out the promise, “When this war is won, our people will see prosperity at last!”
そして、次の日、次回、そして、彼がその死体と骨の山の上に一人になるまで、何度も続きます
Callan has to parry an attack as he tries to think on his feet. The Pandarans had that story of how some of the sha were defeated…but this….
Then again ... .To take up this cause meant you were ready to give up your pride in yourself, and instead use a means that would push you to a limit not meant to be pushed.
The thing that had been Garrosh’s chief kor’kron or whoever lets out an evil-sounding screech as the voices on the Bell take on a twisted, almost mocking tone.
“Why should we be slaves to honor, when we could slaughter our enemies when we have them? Them, their families, their children!”
“Control your hatred! There is killing and there is murder,” Garrosh’s angry retort gets the voices to laugh.
“We see them at night, as you do, Warchief! Those we have slain, those who have evaded our blades and run screaming!” The voices distort, no longer orc and seeming to pull upon the hatred that the Shado-pan complained so often that the Alliance and Horde have visited upon Pandaria.
The same complaint lodged by his cousin, before being spirited away from this mess and leaving them scrambling for understanding of the things that were happening. When he finally saw Anduin Wrynn in person, Callan Stern would have words about that stunt.
“Oh shut up!” His shout is enough to get Garrosh to turn, the move enough to give Callan an opening as he lobbed the Mallet with all his might, the Bell’s sound suddenly turning from hideous laughter to a screech as a long break appears on the surface. Pulsing flesh turns rigid as the monstrous sha that had once been a person screams its last. He shifts to pull out the old boomstick and shoot at the Warchief as the others turn to look at them both.
“Your hatred that fuels you, ready to kill anything that is not you! You fear what, a nightmare of your own making? Or the consequences of that hatred?” Callan finds the boomstick’s ammo to be hot as he reloads quickly, shooting again and, once more, hitting the Bell as it lets out another unholy sound. “Your suffering will go on, no matter how many wars won and enemies laid low. Are you not a product of that everlasting war brought on by a choice to drink deep of demon’s blood?” Another shot, another scream. “To doubt is to check again, to question when there is one at the tip of your tongue, at the back of your mind!” A final shot before he throws the gun itself at the orc warchief. “So shut up and draw your father’s weapon, and come at me!” Callan stands tall, eyes blazing, “I am Callan Lothar Stern, son of Adariall Wrynn Stern, and on my family’s honor I will have your cowardly head.”
Garrosh growls, drawing the heavy axe called Gorehowl as he lets out a cry right as the Bell finally splits, revealing pulsing almost-flesh around a dark shard as the thing that had been growing there starts to stand.
“桂花百花繚乱 !” Callan, Garrosh, and the others have to shield their eyes as a sudden rush of heat and olive blossoms swirl around them, flowing around like a hurricane. Callan flinches as the incense burner at his side swings, going up and tipping over as, instead of incense and coals, a woman appears out of it. She’s ethereal, her skin pale and her clothing like that of the richer Pandarans he’d seen. Her red-orange hair is done up in two hoops before flowing out and down past it, while the red and orange color of her outfit remind him of the olive blossoms that had just gone past. She holds an olive branch in her hand, and smiles at him before leaning in and pushing the branch into his hand. She turns back, looking at the monster as it tries to regain its footing.
“スターライト、私に力を貸してください! スターライツ・ロイヤル・ストレート・フラッシュ!”
The monster that was the Divine Bell doesn’t stand a chance, the black crystal breaking as Callan holds the branch and then looks to the woman. She appears to have seen something else, and with a final ethereal smile, disappears into the sky, like a comet going back to its original home.
Callan looks back to Garrosh, who growls as the Alliance and Horde stand ready to face the other. Below them, Uncle Varian fights to get his way here, and through Garrosh’s minions as well. No matter who might win here, the war will not be so easily stopped just from one defeated leader.
Mother had taught him that easily enough. It was why she and Uncle Varian had been separated, why Father’s home was destroyed and long gone, and why the sons of those who faced off in the first war now glared each other down in this new one.
A wyvern comes, Garrosh huffing as he states to Callan. Callan snorts as he kneels down to pick up the now-empty incense burner. The one coal inside is enough to keep that familiar fire and scent going, and though it’s hubris on his end, he has no reason to put it away.
Instead, in mockery, Callan salutes Garrosh with the olive branch. The orc snorts in something like laughter before he flies off, the Horde following after him as Callan finally relaxes and looks at the remains of the Bell. That was not something the Monkey King or any of the texts mentioned the damned thing could do, and if that gem was a sign of what was going on….
“Light the signal,” he tells Ryania. “We’ve much to report to Uncle and the others.”
“How foolish,” the voice from the dragon sounds almost bored as it glares at them, the green eyes flashing red as its wings flare up. “None set the rules in such a way.”
“You don’t even recognize how things change,” Anduin adds, the silver of his bracelet glowing as brightly as the others, “the myriad of ripples and pathways created by that which came before!”
“Besides,” one of the four who had been chasing the eye states, jumping up but just behind Anduin, “you have no one else to rely on but your own evil selves!” Her pink hair sways as a breeze begins to flow around them.
“No one wants to work with someone so vile!” the red-haired girl shouts next.
“It was as advertised - dead on arrival!” the green-haired girl sneers.
“PallaPalla wants a refund!”
The pink-haired girl, apparently their leader, speaks again with a sort of childish authority that serves to clear the air that had begun to stagnate again. “We, the Amazon Quartet, formally leave the Dead Moon Circus and your lies!”
The dragon lets out a huff that seems like he’s won over by the four. The dark mirror glimmers darkly as another rush tries to trap them in a dark kaleidoscope as they do their best to hold their ground.
“Fools. They are not from this place, and as they have no right to leave, I have none either. You mistake me for something I am not. Darkness is not evil, but the inverse of light. Where there is light, there is also darkness. Always both!”
“Darkness calls light,” the skeleton-man states, “Light calls darkness. They need each other! Accept this, and the balance will be set correctly! There will be no need to see what is beyond the edges of your system, and you may live in this nightmare with no cares and no need for dreams.”
“Yet they are now the natives - as native as any on our planet. You’ve no power over this place, and no claim, anymore than she beyond what those of this world give her.”
“You do not set such a rule into being, not when it is a law of nature,” Anduin says, “We were not here to set the laws, but to cast light upon them! To take up the name of one who sets a thing easily changed by chance, by nature, by destruction…how big is your ego?”
The glares sent his direction are dangerous, but he weathers them as Sailor Venus steps forward, the Holy Moon Sword appearing in her hand as easily as the one that Tuxedo Mask called for appeared in his. “We will not stand here and let you claim anything else! We, the Guardians of the Inner Planets, shall punish you!”
“What is beyond the edges of this place is dangerous, and we accept that,” Sailor Uranus said as she, Sailor Neptune, and Sailor Pluto also stepped forward, “No matter what that danger, though, we will face it with the others by our side! We, the Guardians of the Outer Planets, shall punish you!”
Lastly, Sailor Saturn and Sailor Chibimoon stepped forward, the eye frantic to look anywhere but them. Anduin suddenly understood as he tightened his grip. It can only look at the two as they stand up to Nehelenia and Coeus. The two tremble, eyes briefly darting around, but always falling back upon them once more.
“Look at them Zircon…Coeus.” The eye trembled as Sailor Saturn and Sailor Chibimoon pointed their weapons at the two.
“I am Sailor Saturn, protected by Saturn, planet of ruin and rebirth! In that name, I will punish you!”
“I am Sailor Chibimoon, guardian of the future! In the name of the future, I will punish you!”
The wind picks up as the eye crumbles to dust in his hand, the sensation of the growing power as a glow appears on the Sailor Soldier’s chests. Anduin reaches out to hold the hilt of the Holy Moon Sword, the chain around his arm stretching out and swirling around them before going to SuperSailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask as they hold up their hands, Tuxedo Mask’s sword twisting and morphing into a long staff that Anduin recalls the King of Crystal Tokyo having.
“True power is not what you take, or what you restrict,” SuperSailor Moon says, her voice clearer than before, “It’s what you create, and that means there will always be others to help you!”
Anduin has to blink as he sees something appear in the light - something that, despite its appearance, he knows is a power that needs them to add to it. The Holy Grail, the symbol of their unity.
“She speaks the truth. Deathwing’s greatest relic was that power taken by deception. How powerful that tool was, when power went through willingly,” Anduin sees him in the form he’d take to speak to people - a dark-skilled human with flowing black hair, vibrant red eyes, and an easy smile. He dressed as a rogue would, or as one who traveled and picked up many things.
“The power of Dreams, too,” the soft, fragile voice gets him to look, seeing Helios standing shakily between the two twins as he notices the others in human forms - Artemis, Luna, Phobos and Deimos - stand watching and ready to help however they can. “Dreams can be forgotten, as can a nightmare, but either can easily become something else!” The golden crystal in his hand rings like a church bell as something inside of it moves, like a mechanism opening up for the first time. “Those with beautiful dreams, hear our call! Hear the call of the homes of our Guardians, and lend your strength to the Holy Grail and to her, Sailor Moon!”
“O Mariner Castle of my planet Mercury! Mercury Crystal Power!” Sailor Mercury calls as her outfit changes to that of a light blue dress, the Mercury symbol on her forehead glowing light blue.
“O Phobos Deimos Castle of my planet Mars! Mars Crystal Power!” Sailor Mars calls out as her own outfit changes to a red dress, the Mars symbol on her forehead glowing a brilliant red.
“O Io Castle of my planet Jupiter!” Sailor Jupiter calls out as her own outfit changes to a dress, similar to one she’d worn out and danced with Ami in, green with pink flowers on it, “Jupiter Crystal Power!” The Jupiter symbol on her forehead glowed a dazzling green.
“O Magellan Castle of my planet Venus! Venus Crystal Power!” Sailor Venus’ dress is a dazzling yellow, the symbol of Venus glowing bright as her hand tightens around Anduin’s hand on the Holy Moon Sword. The once-blackened blade now turns a shimmering silver, like that of the bracelet around his wrist, and glitters like crucible steel that he’d seen some dwarves create to make ornate, beautiful weapons with, or even that of Shalamayne when it glowed brightly in his father’s hand.
“O Miranda Castle of my planet Uranus! Uranus Crystal Power!” Sailor Uranus’ sword glowed as the dark blue dress with yellow accents appeared, the symbol of Uranus glowing on her forehead.
“O Triton Castle of my planet Neptune! Neptune Crystal Power!” Sailor Neptune’s mirror glistened like a wave rippling over the surface, her green dress flowing out like foam and the symbol of Neptune glowing on her forehead.
“O Charon Castle of my planet Pluto! Pluto Crystal Power!” Sailor Pluto held the Gem from atop her staff aloft to one side as both glowed, the bottle-green dress dark against her hair and skin, the symbol of Pluto glowing on her forehead. Three gemstones on their hands - rings, like a promise, all glows as well.
“O Titan Castle of my planet Saturn! Saturn Crystal Power!” Sailor Saturn’s familiar symbol glows, but in her dress and with the Glaive by her side, she is now as much a part of the team as the rest.
“Those of the present, who dream of the future, hear our call!” Sailor Chibimoon’s princess dress was regal, similar to that of the one he’d seen on Usagi when he’d seen his mother, and she’d seen her past self’s mother, in that audience on the moon. Elements of Tuxedo Mask’s own regal outfit play on it, and the pink color is not so much one of a red and white rose blended, but its own unique flower. She raises up the bell as it tolls again. “Call out for us! Lend us your power!”
“Conductors of light, of power, heed these calls!” Anduin calls out, his own power in the Light swelling as the swirling power begins to go into the Grail, “Celestial lights of our protection, Sailor Crystals of this system, Astraea of the Guardian Stars, gather and grant them all your power!”
The Grail glows a brilliant white light, like that of the moon, so much that Anduin is amazed he can watch as long as he does before the light scatters, surrounding the duo while the new form of Sailor Moon stands before them, a long staff in her hand and the power causing waves of healing energy to move throughout Elysion.
“No! We will not let that happen! How dare you try to break our curse?”
Anduin winces as he senses the anger of the last Knight, his grip still tight on the hilt as the steel breaks the two silver bracelets swirling, transforming into a familiar type of astrolabe that seems to shrink even as Anduin looks at the skull before him. He wonders if it feels the same for Sailor Moon, that it’s just the two of them facing off against each other.
“You would leave, you would travel back to such a place, when you might instead live forever?”
Anduin recalls the weight of duty on Velen, the obsession in Night Elves and Sin’dorei alike to reach for that which they once held, and the reports and notes of what that cost them. Even looking at this Knight, he can tell that time was not kind. He had set the stage to keep them safe, but not to let them grow or escape this cage.
“I cannot stay here, and shirk my duties anymore than I once did. I do not have that luxury.” The Light inside of him swells at his declaration, the astrolabe starting to move, as if to map out the way home.
The dragon lets out a puff of thick smoke, making the skeletal knight shrink back as it grabs the astrolabe. Anduin smiles as he finds himself the only one holding the hilt of the now-destroyed sword. It morphs into an ornate staff like any other priest would wield, the design from the blade now down further, and the crescent moons on the top of the hilt seeming to hold it and the old, familiar design of the first brooch he’d seen on Sailor Moon now glowing as he raises it up.
“πλήρωμα!”
“Starlight Honeymoon! Therapy Kiss!”
The power focuses, like sunlight through a prism, as Nehelenia and Coeus let out twin screams as they begin to break apart.
“STOP!” the two scream as they reach out for the group as the power swells against them, “NO! How dare you…how dare you look at us like that? How dare you pity us! We are…we are…the eternal…” their voices fade as they crumple into dust, Anduin slumping as the sensation of being a conductor of that power leaves him nearly faint. Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars hold him up long enough that the ambient energies get him to let out a breath in the now-crisp, clean air. “I’m alright now…thank you.”
The dragon holds the astrolabe like a large gemstone, Sailor Venus frowning briefly before reaching up to pet it. The same purring sound as before comes out of it as Sailor Mars giggles a bit.
“Seems another bit of your home came here to help.”
Anduin looks at him, he and Venus petting it as the dragons transforms into the man from before, his once-green eyes now red and curious, his long, wavy black hair and roguish grin getting Anduin to blush as he realizes he’s between Venus and the rather handsome dragon.
Venus leans in, only serving to press Anduin closer between the two, before she taps on the dragon’s nose. “You’ll watch over him for me, when he returns?”
The dragon looks a bit confused but smiles at Anduin before winking seductively. Anduin feels himself flush bright red as he hears Mercury, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune chuckling from nearby.
“Oh, so it’s you again,” Pluto states, getting the dragon to jump at her voice. It moves to stand in front of Anduin, as if to protect them, as Pluto gives the dragon a soft smile. “You find your way into the strangest places.”
There’s another sound from nearby, Anduin and the others looking over as they see Chibimoon and the four from before happily leading the recovered Helios down the stairs. Helios stops in front of the dragon, then smiles and waves his hand. It becomes the whelp once more, still holding the astrolabe in its paws. With another wave, the dragon disappears into sparks that float off on the breeze.
“A dream from another place,” Helios says with a soft smile. “His paths back will help illuminate your own way home.”
Anduin smiles at that, turning with the others as he sees that everyone, himself included, are dressed as if this was a coronation. Luna and Artemis stand to one side, Luna looking proud as Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion raise up their staffs, sending the remains of the Dead Moon Circus to the dark part of the moon, the eclipse that had once darkened their land now leaving behind a glowing lunar orb in the sky.
The four Amazoness shift, obviously wishing they too could disappear like the dragon had before Chibimoon comes up to them, smiling widely. “Thank you. I’m so glad you were able to break free!”
Saturn smiles nearby as Helios holds out his hand, the four blinking in surprise as stars appear on their hearts, similar to the ones from before and Chibimoon gasps.
“T-they’re Sailor Soldiers too?”
“It seems they were awoken prematurely,” Helios states as the lights fade, “but they are the guardians of the Asteroids, soldiers of the future Sailor Moon…of you.”
The four look at each other, then back to Chibimoon before they all smile. The red-haired one speaks first, crossing her arms like a big sister. “Seems I’ll be capable of magic, even without my orb.”
The green-haired one puts her hands on her hips, nodding before saying, “Well…we should get going.”
“What?” the blue haired girl asks seriously, “Without even saying goodbye?”
The pink-haired girl smiles as they transform into simple dresses before holding Chibimoon’s hand gently. “Sad farewells are definitely not our thing. But don’t worry. We’ll see you again one day.”
Chibimoon nods, smiling at them before pulling the four into a hug, surprising them. Saturn smiles as she comes up and takes Chibimoon’s hand, telling them, “From experience, that time will be much sooner than you suspect. Take care until then.”
Anduin has to chuckle at that, looking out to the kingdom returned to a dreamlike state that makes him relax. He pauses when he sees someone nearby, standing and looking into a blue crystal. Breaking away from them, he walks up and stops in surprise when Tiffin Wrynn once more turns to look at him. Next to her are others - ones he vaguely recalls that stand and smile at him. One man, older but seeming to change into a younger man with wary eyes, approaches him. His long hair is dark, but his eyes are still the same vibrant blue as Father’s.
“So,” the man says in the silver armor that Anduin now recognizes, “you are my namesake.”
The Lion of Stormwind smiles at Anduin’s surprise as he states, “Miracles come from that friend of yours, which is not surprising. Your family always did find themselves befriending powerful bedfellows.” The mention gets Anduin to blink, recalling that grandfather and great-uncle Lothar had been friends and confidants of Medhiv, the powerful Guardian whose only equals were Jaina and Khadgar, or some of the Blue Dragons.
Anduin feels like a kid as his namesake laughs, pulling him in for a hug and saying to him, “By the Light, I wish I had been there to help you and your father. Tell him how proud we are of him. Of you both.”
Anduin hugs him back, nodding against the armor as they pull away. “I will. I’ll let him know.”
Tiffin walks up as they start to fade, hugging him tightly before brushing his hair away from his face. “My son…take care…”
Venus and Mars walk up next to him as the group fades, Serenity and Endymion watching before Endymion says, “Come on. Let’s get back.”
Garrosh Hellscream glares at the map and all that has come. The power the Bell had, even when there was a trap placed on it, had been too much for Ishi to handle…was it because of that corruption, or because he was weak?
No…Ishi was an honorable orc, through and through. No matter what else, he would not have fallen for something so silly as doubt. That the Pandarean and Troll, who he thought were good candidates as well, ended up fighting the Kor’kron and Ishi after the corruption was the only way things could go.
What angered him more was that Human who had challenged him and destroyed the Bell. Whatever power or magic that had come from him, it had been enough to show that nothing good would come if he tried to continue against him there.
“Callan Stern…” he spat angrily, “We’ll see who turns coward at the end, and who takes the other’s head.”
There’s a strange taste to the air, the same tang she’d felt before too many points in her life. The thrum of that strange magic calls out in a way that reminded Jaina of the first time she’d managed to cast a spell successfully, or right before Malfurian loosed the mass of wisps upon the demon Archimonde.
How strange.
Before, she would have worried what so many others would have said about this choice. After the Sin’dorei’s betrayal - one she’d ensured would do the most damage to Garrosh should it happen - she could no longer stay with the Kirin Tor. Nor did she want to listen to the platitudes that Varian or the others would bring up. The Alliance and Horde would only aid each other as far as their enemy was a common one, but beyond that? If one day, when Varian died or was outshone by another, if the Alliance chose the same pathway as the Horde was now taking…someone had to be outside of that, and ready to do what they wouldn’t.
For all the Kirin Tor and Dalaran might claim to be above it, they were not. They still clung to their old methods and supposed neutrality, and now they had a pet blue dragon to lead them, when he grew the taste for it. They also had Khadgar, should he want it, with his returned youth and insight that smelled, to her, of old burnt offerings and spaces she dared not enter. At least whatever insight she gleaned from looking into old obsidian mirrors came with the familiar taste of brine, the smell of the ocean churning near her, and the underlying ill-ease of how deep the dark waters might be. All that led her here, to this group. All that gave her only enough pause to know she would be happiest here.
From the main building where the massive black crystal loomed over her, the dark-blue haired man stepped out, looking ethereally young with dark eyes that seemed to shine with the same devotion she’d seen in many of the Dranaei. Nearby, Jaina noticed that some of the Forsaken had already approached the group as well. Perhaps that meant there was a way forward for them, without Arthas or any other Lich King. She’s a bit surprised to see some Humans, Elves, and others among the crowd now gathered. It seems that Rubeus has been correct. It wasn’t just her that they were speaking to.
”Welcome all,” the young man said with an ease that reminded her of Anduin, though it felt twisted from the same sweet boy she’d known. Not a dark reflection, but one that used a stolen voice but their own words to draw you in. Behind him, a group of similar young men and women stood, their eyes red and hair black at pitch. She knew what they were - she’d heard as much on her trips here before going to deal with the Thunder King and plant the final part of her escape from the Kirin Tor.
Those freed of the curse their sire put on them. Clear-headed and cunning Dragons of Earth…Black Dragons.
“Welcome,” Sapphire said after looking back at them, then to the gathered group who looked on in surprise and excitement, “to the Black Moon Clan.”