(Nightfall, Setsuna, Entrance to the City)
Setsuna stood in front of the entrance of the city, still remaining motionless in silent thought as she observed the glowing city before her. Since the night fell, the city began to emit the white light again like the previous nights after its miraculous restoration. However, there was a dark and serious expression on the former advisor’s face.
Behind her she heard footsteps. She didn’t need to look to know who the presence belonged to.
“Luna. What do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” She calmly remarked. Behind her, the vice advisor stepped out of the shadows.
“Artemis informed me of the situation today. I heard that we need a ‘miracle’ if we expect to stand a chance in the upcoming war. Is this true?” She studied her companion, but Setsuna maintained her silence.
Even after all of these centuries, she still looked detached as ever. It angered her.
“Would you put their lives at stake to satisfy your own ambitions?” She growled. “Or have you forgotten your duty and are now acting as his personal spy?”
The air around the women grew tense. However, Setsuna did not try and refute her comrade’s accusations. She continued to remain motionless, leaving her back open to the vice advisor.
“Her Majesty Queen Serenity had always favoured you. She trusted you with all her heart, even with the knowledge that you abandoned her brother. While I concede that Apollo was a poor leader, I’ve always found it suspicious how you suddenly switched sides. It appeared that you had no such inclination before. What made you change your mind? Also, when Lady Hotaru mysteriously went missing... wasn’t she supposed to be under your watch, Setsuna?”
Lubb Dubb.
“In the Kingdom, it was rumoured that you had an unusually strong gift when it came to premonitions and spiritual searches. If that was true, then why didn’t you locate Lady Hotaru’s presence after she went missing? Why, didn’t you foresee our Kingdom’s destruction...?” Her voice was beginning to crack with emotion. “Or...Did you see it, and just decide not to tell us?!”
Setsuna!
DOOM
Crimson eyes dimmed. Is it my fault?
“…Perhaps… it was my fault.” She whispered. “If I had been stronger, then perhaps things would have been clearer.”
“What do you mean?”
“I am only able to predict possibilities of the future. However, when it came to the Moon Kingdom, its future was always clouded. I could not clearly discern its destruction much less the cause of it. It was the same for Lady Hotaru. However, you were...absolutely correct. The young Lady was placed under my watch, and I’ve failed Her Majesty. I failed all of you, and for that, you have my sincerest apologies.”
Luna watched the woman finally turn around, and saw raw emotion in her red eyes. “Do you truly believe... that I feel no regret or remorse for what has happened?”
This time, Luna did not answer her.
“I have no intention of sacrificing their lives. They will be given a fighting chance.”
Her comrade was almost convinced by the promising tone, but at the same time it made her feel uneasy.
“How...?” Luna finally asked.
“As you already know, one’s spiritual capacity... particularly that of a God or Goddess, naturally increases over time as the individual ages. The source of our spiritual power stems from the accumulation of experience. However, as I have already mentioned to Artemis, the time factor is against us in this fight. Thus, we will require another means of increasing their spiritual capacity.”
“But without time...” She gasped. “You intend to force their limits back!” Suddenly, it made sense. “That’s an extremely dangerous plan Setsuna. Not only would you need to amass a large amount of spiritual energy, but the shock to their systems may be enough to kill them!”
“There is no other way.” Setsuna brought her garnet staff down, and startled her comrade. “If we send them into battle the way they are now, even with Planet Power, they will inevitably fall. All of them and their people...will perish.” There was a dark look in her eyes as she said this, and it frightened the other woman.
“But—still! How do you intend to amass the spiritual power necessary to perform the process?”
Setsuna was silent. Luna’s eyes then trailed up to the lit up city behind the woman, and she felt her heart skip a beat.
It can’t be...
“But that’s...”
“If anyone should be the one to dirty their hands, then it should be me. I will shoulder the responsibility.”
“Setsuna...”
In a quiet voice she asked, “If it’s not too much to ask, would you please awaken the young ones and gather them here?”
“Right now?!”
“Yes. After some careful investigation, I have concluded that our time frame for this operation is possibly only during the night. During the day, these energies become dormant and are inaccessible. I would like to get this over with as soon as possible, if that is all right with you.”
“...All right. I will go and summon them now. You understand that they might be cranky though, so don’t go blaming me when they yell at you,” Luna said as turned to leave. As she walked away from the area, she whispered under her breath,
“I just hope that you know what you’re doing...”
(Entrance to the City)
Sometime later, all of the young women had been gathered at the City’s gate where Setsuna had been patiently waiting. The former advisor calmly watched as the sleepy and confused expressions gave way to nervousness. Although they were standing outside of the city, at its limits, the influence of the spiritual force that resided within it was still very strong. It was very evident in that all of the young women had turned a deathly pale.
What is this feeling? Minako tried to hug herself for warmth, but the chill persisted. It feels like, something is trying to pull me inside.
Everyone else felt the pull as well, Rei—in particular. Even Luna and Artemis appeared to be somewhat guarded.
“I don’t like the feeling I’m getting from this place. Why are we here anyway?” Haruka crankily muttered. She had almost gotten to sleep when Luna came and woke her. “What do you make of it Michiru?”
“...”
“Michiru...?”
When the Goddess finally spoke, her voice was heavy with emotion. There was a distant look in her eyes.
“I sense... multiple energies residing within this place. But their signatures are faint and weak. They are only remnants of what they once were.”
“Huh?! Y-You mean there are ghosts in there?!” Beside Haruka, Hotaru looked uneasy.
“Yes, I suspect so. Unlike a person’s spiritual trail, these ones do not fade with time. During the daytime they remain dormant. But as soon as night falls it appears that they take upon the form of glowing lights, such as what we are seeing now. For some reason they appear to be particularly restless tonight. It’s as though… something has disturbed them.”
“Yeesh.” Just thinking about it was giving Haruka the creeps. “Well, as long as they stay in there then I don’t care.” Really, I just want to get some sleep. Is that too much to ask? “Hey, Setsuna! So it looks like you’re finally done resting, huh? Anyway, why did you drag us out here in the middle of the night? If we were going to have another meeting or something, couldn’t it have waited until the morning?”
Setsuna shook her head. “By morning, it would have been too late.”
“Huh?”
“I had summoned you all here for the purpose of conducting your final task.”
It took a few seconds before the words registered to the tired blonde. Haruka scratched her head in confusion.
“Final task...?” She didn’t like the sound of that. Anything that didn’t involve ‘back to bed’ was terrible in her opinion. “What do you mean by that? Please tell me you seriously didn’t wake us up in the middle of the night just to conduct another training exercise!”
“I did.”
The woman’s bluntness was beginning to annoy her. Haruka could feel a headache coming on, and this damn cold wasn’t helping in the least.
“And it can’t wait until morning because...?”
“Because the conditions required for this exercise can only be met during the night.” She said simply.
“Oh. N-No! I mean, why are we out here exactly?! Like, okay, I get that you want us to do something out here, but what? Is this supposed to be another lesson or something? Because I thought we already learned everything that we needed to know. Weren’t we supposed to keeping practicing against each other until we were ready?”
“If we did that, then you would never be ready in time.” The remark seemed to throw her for a loop. “After observing your progress over this past week, it has become apparent that you are all severely lacking in spiritual power. This is a critical inhibition that must be corrected as quickly as possible.”
Haruka twitched. “Grr...Funny how that’s coming from someone who’s been in bed all week,” she retorted. “Look! We’ve been working our butts off to get stronger! We’ve been doing everything that you’ve told us to do! If that isn’t good enough, then why don’t you do something about it?!”
“I will concede that you are all stronger now than when you had first arrived. However, it is still not enough. Before you interrupt me again, please allow me to put it into perspective. Today, despite your additional growth due to Planet Power, your team was unable to defeat Artemis in a training exercise. Keeping this in mind, the enemy that you will face is stronger than Luna, Artemis and myself combined. It took all of your predecessors to defeat him the last time. Do you believe that, as a group, you currently rival their strength? If you were to engage in combat with the enemy at this instant, do you truly believe that you can win?”
“W-Well...”
“This is something that all of you need to understand. This has nothing to do with spite, but rather the reality of things. The outcome of this battle falls squarely upon your shoulders. Out of every individual on your planets, you are the only ones that can be considered a threat to Apollo. If you should fail, then countless of lives will be lost.” She met Haruka’s eyes. “I understand that you may be tired, but the enemy will not wait and allow you to rest. It is times like these that we must remain diligent, and strive forward the hardest.”
There was a pained look on the blonde’s face, but she didn’t protest.
“So basically...What you’re saying is that we need to increase our spiritual powers.” Rei stepped forward. “How do you propose that we do that? Correct me if I’m wrong but somehow I have a feeling that it involves this place.”
Setsuna returned the knowing gaze with a nod. “Correct.” This drew looks of disbelief from the others. “There are several of ways to increase one’s spiritual capacity. One of them, if you recall what I said to Uranus, can be developed through years of training. The second... arises only when a human ascends to a God or Goddess rank. However, given the circumstances, none of these options are available to us. Therefore there is only one option remaining.”
“And that would be?”
“Theoretically, the limits of one’s spiritual capacity expand as the individual acquires more spiritual energy. If you absorb a vast amount of energy at once, then it may be possible to significantly expand your limits.”
“I see.” Ami wondered aloud. “So, to become stronger, we need to break our current limits and create new ones. Like you said, it theoretically makes sense. But considering the improvement that you expect of us, and factoring in the amount energy it would take for each of us to surpass our current limits...we would need...”
“An entire city’s worth.” Michiru finished.
The glowing structures behind Setsuna’s back suddenly drew everyone’s attention. It couldn’t be, could it?
“That is precisely it. What I propose... is that you absorb the energy contained within this city and use it to expand your limits.”
DOOM!
“A-Are you serious...?! But how can you expect us to do something like that?!” Makato stammered in disbelief. “Michiru just said that those lights, or energies, or whatever are, are actually people! We can’t just absorb them... even if it’s to increase our powers!”
The last words were followed by a deadly silence and Setsuna felt the intense stares from both sides. After a few seconds, she shook her head and pointed to the city.
“Look there. The majority of the energy that you see before you is ‘free energy’, or alternatively known as the ‘energy of life’. It exists everywhere--within the plants, air and the very ground that we walk upon. As the term implies, it is free energy because it is unattached to a particular being. However, according to a law of energy... that energy cannot be created nor destroyed, but transformed from one form to another... through this, the soul may be born. The soul is a special aggregate of this free energy, a variation if you will. Imagine this comparison in colors. Free energy is white and the soul is green. Both are colors, but they are not the same.” She paused. This was the conclusion everyone had been waiting for. “What I am asking of you is not to assimilate another soul into yours, but this free energy.”
The tension in the atmosphere eased greatly. Setsuna could have sworn that she heard a few sighs of relief as well.
“Hmmm… well, when you put it that way, I guess it’s okay?” Makoto said. “But to be honest, I still don’t want to go in there. Is there any way we can do whatever you want us to do out here?”
“Given the time it will take for you to accomplish the session, I think it would be unwise to alter the conditions now. We would like for you to finish as soon as possible.”
“Oh...”
“If there are no more questions, I will explain the task to you.” She waited, but no one spoke up. “...Very well. This training session will be split up into two tasks. In various areas of the city, I have placed eight spheres of my energy. For clarification, this means one sphere per person. Your first task is this: Locate one of the spheres and activate it. Each of these spheres has been modified so that they will attract the free energy in the surrounding area upon activation. Once the energy has been gathered, take it inside of yourself. That will mark the end of the first task. Are there any questions so far?”
“Wait. I have a question.” Haruka interrupted. “You said that you placed them in various parts of the city, right? Then wouldn’t it take forever for all of us to find them all?”
“Whether you choose to move as a group or individually, it is up to you. However, the sooner you complete the tasks, the sooner you will be able to leave. That is all the advice I can offer.”
Hmph. So she wants us to split up... Haruka thought. It wasn’t so much as advice as it was implied.
“Moving on. Your second task involves locating a specific target within the city. After you have absorbed the energy from your area, search for my signature within yourselves and ‘paint’ it with a strand of your own aura onto your weapon. For those of you, who primarily use spiritual energy as your weapon of choice paint it onto your arm. That is when your target will be revealed to you. This is especially important. Whatever your target may be… you are to search it out and strike it with your weapon. The mark painted onto your weapon will appear on your target once you have struck it. That... is how we will know if you have successfully completed the second task.”
“What if we don’t finish?” Rei dared to ask.
“You will not be able to leave the city until you have.”
“I see.”
“That is all. You may begin whenever you feel ready.”
“Right now...?” Usagi squeaked. Personally, she found the floating lights intimidating. It also appeared that no one else was eager to make the first move.
Tup. Tup. Tup.
“H-Hotaru...?”
The dark-haired heir stepped forward and stopped just before the doorway where the light reached. Her heart was pounding in her chest; although she was determined to do this, there were many uncertainties that threatened to hold her back. The young woman wasn’t the only one who was concerned for her well-being. She could feel the gazes of her friends on her back as well: Wouldn’t this be the first time Hotaru would set foot into the city since her reappearance?
It was then that she heard Setsuna say, “Do not do things half-heartedly.”
Hotaru gulped, and forced herself to take that first step. The moment her body touched the light, there was a flash of warmth that shot through her. It was as if she had crossed an invisible boundary into an alternative dimension.
Breathing a little heavily, her mind slowly came to grip that she was still in one piece.
I...I have to do this. She told herself. For everyone’s sake!
“Hotaru!”
Hotaru had broken out into a full-out sprint towards Setsuna’s nearest signature.
So, if we complete this training session...will I be strong enough to take him on? Haruka glanced back towards Artemis. Her previous defeat, and the humiliation the accompanied it, still burned fiercely in her memory.
Heh. Well, what do I have to lose?!
Uranus entered the city.
The others followed shortly after, each departing in pairs until Minako and Rei were left. Minako was awkwardly trying to avoid eye contract, but Rei was looking straight at her.
“Minako.” She saw the Venusian automatically glace over at the call of her name, but she still refused to meet her eye. “After this is all over, let’s have that talk that you wanted, okay?”
Minako’s head shot up just as Rei ran into the city. For a few seconds, she stood there with a stunned expression on her face. Did she really hear what she thought she heard? When she realized that she was the only one left, she also ran into the city and disappeared into the streets.
“Is it...really okay to let them go?” Artemis asked once they had all left.
“I don’t know.” Luna honestly replied. “But, this is the best chance that we can give them. I can only hope that they all return safe and sound.”
They were both surprised when Setsuna stepped in front of the entranceway and began to concentrate her remaining energy into the palm of her hands. Within a blink of an eye, the sphere shot outwards and enclosed the entire city within a massive dome shaped barrier.
Krreeee, kreeee, krreee…
“Woah!”
When the spell was complete, the woman slumped to her knees.
“Setsuna!” Artemis and Luna ran to her side and attempted to steady her by the shoulders.
“W-What do you think you’re doing?” Artemis asked. “If you had wanted to put up a barrier, I could have done it!”
The former advisor gently shook her head.
“No… it was required that I do it. This will make it mandatory that they complete the second task if they should want to leave.”
“But why is the second task so important?” Luna inquired. “From the sounds of it, you’re putting more emphasis on the second task than the first.”
“…”
“What have you done?”
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