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Suddenly, she stopped at the verge of a black precipice that loomed up before her and made her catch her breath in her throat. She cowered from this sudden obstacle, despite the soft whisper into her heart that it would be okay. She had a gift. She knew this, though nobody had told her so, and she had returned the favor. Only she would understand this gift's effects.
She stared at the dark void that this cliff created and felt the breeze stirring about her, ready to come at her command as it obeyed the wings of some beautiful, free creature. She breathed for a moment, ensuring that her mind knew what she wanted. She took three steps backward, then raced over the cliff, her legs still poised in a running fashion as the power she felt began to overcome her fear and insecurity.
The wind, beautiful in it's silent unseen state, grew even more beautiful as it formed the shapes of wistful wings upon her back and lifted her higher than she had ever been before. The bright golden skies were suddenly within her reach and she extended her arm to softly touch it's ceiling. This was it. This was the power that she knew. The road to feeling what she had wanted to feel most: the wind lifting every part of her body. It's roaring whispered voice in her ears.
She was Cygnus...a soldier of the swan stars, mistress of illusions.
In the darkness of the tunnel-filled cavern, my violet eyes could barely keep the memory of my youth inside my mind. The deep golden skies had been replaced by a black blanket. The roaring wind was gone and instead, a strange air howled about us, like a raging animal demanding to be set free. Most of all, the deep, settled feeling had vanished under the tension that began to creep into the group of four.
"Where is she?" Asahi's voice whispered, still awed by the miracle that Draco had seemed to perform.
"We need light," I said, my voice stronger than my quivering heart.
All at once, a blazing ball appeared in Apollo's hand and she was no longer Asahi. She was a soldier about to bring herself into a battle. In truth, I often wondered about how such a young, inexperienced girl could ever save the planet of my childhood. At that moment, my doubts were extinguished as the light extinguished the black stillness. Seven different tunnels lay before us.
"Draco?" I asked, very much in respect for the third sister of the Trilogy. Her intuition was far stronger than any I have ever seen.
"The third one from the right," Draco said immediately.
"Traps are scattered throughout," Hydra's rough voice struck our ears for the first time since we'd gotten there.
To me, it was strange to see a fierce soul like Hydra's suddenly become subdued. All the rage and coldness she contained still hung about her, yet at the same time, we knew that she had remembered what cause brought us to Apollo...
She waded through the water, staring into the murky, life-filled pond. Her hands moved swiftly and smoothly under the water without making a sound. A sound vibrated from her ear to her hands in an instant and a loud splashing came quickly afterwards. All this happened so fast that her mind had not even trully realized what she had done until it saw the struggling fish on the bank. She was not surprised, however. Lately, a strange unawareness had secretly crept into her body and now, it seemed as though she no longer had control of herself.
It was then that the same sense that allowed her to hear the silent fish pricked up at the sound of a rustling that could only be made by another creature. The wind ceased around her, allowing the pounding rhythm of her heart to be heard so clearly in her head. She turned her back toward the source of the sound and drew her arrow taut across her bow. With a swift look over her shoulder, the bow followed quickly and before another sound could generate from the reeds, the arrow was whistling through the air. A man appeared from the reeds, his blue, watery eyes angered.
A severe headache slithered into my head without my knowledge at that moment. Remembering him only brought me nothing but sensations of pain that traveled throughout my mind who, in turn ran, only to be chased.
Apollo's light had not waned, and we continued to travel through the strange tunnels with no notion of how much time we had spent walking through the dark, silent hallways. For some reason, my power to bring them where we wished had waned and completely disappeared. I could only attribute it to my sudden rush of memories.
Suddenly, Draco froze and the rest of the group could not help but imitate her actions, knowing that she had felt a coming adversary. The roaring, howling wind grew stronger and stronger as we neared its lair.
"Who are you?" she demanded, though not harshly, another arrow appearing in her hand.
"I should ask you the same. Do you know who holds the deed to this territory?" the young man questioned evenly
"The mother Amaterasu," she answered without hesitation, "but that does not concern our debate."
"It most certainly does. Whence you came from, return. You have no business being here," the man's tone became harsher.
She paused here to examine this strange creature. He obviously came from the only city that existed during that time for his clothes were those of the very modern. A white collared shirt accented by a deep green vest and loose pants that were tucked into deep brown leather shoes were his clothing and a hilt of a sword protruded from it's scabbard. His face was of a rich tanned color which brought his blue eyes into such an intensity that she was fixated upon them for a time. Luscious black hair grew to the nape of his neck and waved about with the wind. The expression on his face told her that this young man was not of a dour nature had she not done any wrong.
"I do not see why I am not allowed to wander the land that I know to be my home," she said, lowering her bow without realization.
"This land has been a part of my heritage for centuries. How is it that I have never come upon you?" True to her presumptions, this young man, whatever his identity may be, could not retain his hostile approach.
"That only tells me that you have not ventured into these lands since my birth. A lack of concern for your heritage?" she questioned without expecting a reply. She was angered that any dared to threaten her dwellings.
Her words brought new electricity to the air and they both stared at each other, each fascinated but also feeling violated. In truth, he too, was fascinated by this wild maiden so new to his eyes. She was as beautiful as a pale moonbeam, but also as graceful as the clouds who move about slowly and, like the trees of the earth, assumed the role of the canopies of the heavens. Her violet eyes were soft, so unlike the rest of her gentle face which had a firm edge to it.
"I only wish to know who you are," he finally said after a long pause, taking a step back from battle.
"And I you," she quickly replied.
"I am Karasu," the young man extended a hand awkwardly.
"Cygnus is what I am called," she said, eyeing the hand he offered and taking it with a questioning look.
"What business did you have to watch me?" she added.
"I was not quite sure as to how approach you. I did not wish that you would be startled, lest that arrow would have hit closer to it's mark. However," here, he stopped and somewhat blushed, "I could not leave."
My face flamed as though re-living the moment as I recalled his words. They still hung about the corners of my mind, yet rarely could I summon them to memory. Why they came just as this opponent continued to charge was beyond my comprehension.
"Quickly...prepare," I said, a blazing sword appearing in my hand without much effort.
"It sounds huge," Apollo whispered, a dancing shadowed mask on her face.
From the end of the tunnel, a huge mass of long globs came forth, squealing and howling as it did so. The tunnel was much too narrow for three of us to stand before this monster and only Hydra and I stood between the creature and our Empress. A sword, a reflection of mine, appeared in a twinkling in her hand.
"Snakes...how unusual," Hydra commented sarcastically as they continued to bear down upon us.
"Focus your light on the sword," I said, a thought occurring to me at that moment.
It was strange to stand beside Hydra as an ally once again. We had been battling for quite a time, yet she still did not understand the full potential of the sword I created from my own mind.
Our swords flared with a yellow and green light as our powers united with the little distance between our bodies. This was enough to send a huge energy beam cutting through this huge mass and lighting the whole entire tunnel way. For a moment under the blinding light, I saw Hydra's surprised and awed expression flit through her face for only a moment. When the light cleared, I saw that it had resumed its usual cold spirit.
"Wait," Hydra warned, taking a step forward, listenting intently to the empty space.
Without warning, another stream of living, slithering creatures rushed out of the end of the tunnel and darted toward us with such speed that we did not have the time to resist. In a moment, the hundreds of scaly bodies were upon us and denying us air. Shrieks filled the air as the world around me merged into the night.
He watched her as she carefully and gently bandaged the leg of a fallen doe. She did not know that he stood there watching her and he was thankful for this. It had been weeks since their first encounter and since then, the image of this beautiful wild maiden racing with the savage beasts of the deep forests of Amaterasu settled into his mind. For days, he found himself unable to rest without drifting into a thought of this lady of the swans. They has met occassionally since then and her gentle spirit had taken it's effect like a soft, gentle poison, taking his mind and unwilling to release him.
"So beautiful," he whispered.
Cygnus had actually heard him, but she did not want to destroy his reverie for she knew that the same pounding in her heart was echoing in his own breast. There was a flame there that burned not only in her being's surface, but also flaring deep into it's core. She lingered long after the doe had left, wishing she could look behind her, but instead, she took up her bow from the ground and stood up. Without a glance, she raced off into the woods.
That evening, as she sat in her usual clearing, she looked up at the stars, with a heavy feeling in her heart. He was too far away from her. With her hands pressed on her heart, she began to pray. A glowing she did not notice came forth from her and met with the sky, calling her. In a moment, Cygnus' eyes opened and she had received an answer.
I opened my tear filled eyes to find Apollo and Draco looking at me intently.
"You're okay!" Apollo cried with relief.
"What...what happened..." I whispered, my memory still fresh in my mind and I dreaded the answer.
"They overtook us, but Draco took care of them," Hydra said monotonously from her standing position.
I sat up upon hearing this and focused on my surroundings. Yes, I was no longer at Amaterasu. Instead, a battle awaited me, from which, I was not sure of whether I would emerge victorious or even emerge at all. I awaited the nauseating feeling's passage before standing up.
"We must continue on," I said, still keeping my voice strong. "But before we do, we must make a pact here and now."
Everybody waited expectantly for the words that would come steadily from my mouth.
"Apollo...no matter what happens, you will continue. Because we three are kept alive by the Trilogy, we cannot exist without one another. The Heart...your Heart leads our powers and if you cease to breathe, it's light will be extinguished. The world's darkness will be inevitable."
Apollo stared in disbelief. Somehow, I supposed that she had embedded into her mind that our powers were superior to anything she had ever known or will know.
"Come," Hydra said as I finished, taking the first steps down the tunnel.
"Don't leave me," Apollo whispered from beside me as the two other soldiers walked before us. "You're all so strong...I need that strength. I will never possess the power to destroy Medusa without you."
"Empress," I said kindly, "Strength comes within time. Think of this as the period you gain your strength."
"Hakucho...please say that you'll never leave me. Everybody has left me...but still you stand."
"You are not alone...nor will you ever be, for you have Valin. Like the Heart...the nucleus of power is not made up of only one," I reassured her, the vision of Karasu swimming in my eyes.
That last night, she saw him standing at the edge of the pond where they had met. She did not need to call him for he turned as soon as he detected her presence. A great lump in her throat forced her to run into his waiting arms. Without a word, and with her tears twinkling like stars with the moonlight, she kissed him, savouring the moment and tucking it into her heart. He did not understand it at that moment, but he would soon. She pulled back and looked into those eyes that had kept her warm in the coldest of nights. Her eyes were sad and he could not help but wonder why.
"What is the matter...you're crying..." he whispered.
"Hold me...even when you no longer remember..." she whispered back with a ghostly gentleness.
That evening, she slept in his arms, but by morning, they were alone.
I stared out over the enormous gap that spanned at least fifty feet between where we stood and the edge of the opposite side. Had we thrown a rock down that great darkness, even my keenest sense of hearing would not be able to detect the sound it would make upon the bottom. The evening before first meeting him came into mind.
"Beyond the rift..." Hydra informed us, "The dangerous forest lies. It is said that the air about it can send you into that eternal slumber. Evil beasts of every kind stalk the shadows and any who dare enter."
"You have never passed through the forest?" Apollo asked, releasing the question that I had wanted to ask, but hadn't for fear that it would electrify the mood. I was sure Hydra had not wanted to be reminded of her former self
"Medusa's evil will controls this land," was Hydra's solemn answer.
"Cygnus?" Draco turned toward me.
I nodded as sparkling stardust began to emmit from my fingers.
"Light exists in everything we see. An illusion is created when the energy is harnessed and reality is achieved when we will it to be...Cygnus Light Fantasy!"
A bridge of light raced through the gap and lit the tunnelway. As we crossed, we began to see that tendrils of what appeared to be more snakes were tightly wound together, creating a wall.
"Careful," Hydra warned.
As soon as we reached the end, the bridge behind us disappeared at my disposal and we stood before this wall, only to realize that the tendrils that created it were pulsating with life. Slimy sounds came from each limb as they moved among each other. Without warning, one of the tendrils lashed out at us, sending me spinning into the tunnel wall and almost falling into the rift.
"Cygnus!" Apollo cried.
"Aaahh!" Hydra jumped, kicking the tendril to the side and grabbing my hand before I toppled over.
Another tendril came rushing at her, making her lose her balance and sending me flying further into the rift.
I felt the wind pushing me down to the bottom and flaring my hair upwards. I clutched my hand to my heart trying to make myself smaller in fear that my abilities would not be able to save me.
Cygnus.
Please.
Immediately, I saw myself slowing down as wings of air sprouted from my back and quickly resisted the pressure that the rushing air had created. In a moment's time, I was floating above the gap and dashing straight for the tendrils with my sword appearing just in time to slice the offender. The limb wriggled in the dirt before rotting into ash.
"Cygnus!" Apollo's relieved voice lifted my spirits.
"Apollo Starlit! Sonata!"
Apollo's power raced through this wall, only to be swalled by the limbs. Draco was watching the scene with her mouth set in a grim line.
"Draco!" Hydra shouted, reflecting my sword.
Draco reached out a hand and suddenly, the limbs grew still. A shriek was heard from some creature as the limbs began to melt into nothing. My eyes stood fixated on her as the limbs disappeared.
Before us lay a dark, ghastly, gloomy land choked with a dense fog and sprinkled with dying trees whose suffering seemed to be reflected in their twisted, aged bodies. Dominating the scene was a castle tower whose windows blazed with the sinister light of evil which provided us with a light house toward our destination.
"There...Medusa's lair..." Hydra pointed toward the tower that lay untouched by the fog and even appeared to have created the masking blanket.
"This is Amaterasu...?" Apollo asked quietly.
I turned on her quickly, amazed that she could know where we now stood. As I turned my eyes once again lay upon the land of my youth, tears, like mirrors to a woman's soul, came from my eyes.
"Medusa's plan is almost at its zenith," Draco said calmly, even though she was slowly recovering from the use of her attack. As the youngest of the three, the planet's desolation did not give the same impact to her resilient emotions. Draco was only a child. "If she has finally established herself here, the drain of planet's resources must be nearly complete. When that happens, the constellations' powers will no longer be able to be controlled."
"That means our powers could consume us," Hydra added coolly.
"The tower is our final destination," I said quickly so that my voice would not break.
"Let's go," Apollo nodded, a firm resolution gripping her as, I imagined, the urge she felt to rescue Valin grew stronger.
"If this is Amaterasu, then why do our powers continue to lie dormant?" Hydra asked to noone in particular as she dashed headlong into the dark terrain.
"The Heart gave us enough insight to repel evil forces from our bodies when our union became official," Draco answered as she raced along behind us three older girls.
"Evil cannot enter us," I added to console myself.
"Stop!" Draco quickly skidded to a halt in time to avoid an enormous, looming shadow that crept up from the ground, it's features veiled by the fog.
I myself could only perceive eight long spindly legs that protruded from a central body whose movements were like those of an insect. The image of a spider immediately came to mind and my sword came just as quickly as my realization. In two bounds, I was in the air, seeming to suspend there as I watched my sword rise above the spindly legs, willing it to meet the ground. However, a jolt passed through my body and the world around me became nothing but a numb, shocking pain. The sword I held tightly disappeared with my vision.
I visited him once in a while...when the Medusa Wars were not yet at its hottest. I saw him slowly forget me. He married eventually; a woman with fair, golden locks and bright blue eyes. I saw their children grow older as did he. He had a strange transition into his senior years in that he always remained young, though. It was a mark that my presence had given him. No...my kiss.