Chapter 12: Price of Knowledge (cont'd)

“So, my dear, we finally meet again. Are you going to be more reasonable this time?”

Celeste whirled and felt her heart stopped. Zephyr had Mara by the arm before she had even realized he was there. Why hadn’t she had a warning like she had so many times before?

She grabbed Zephyr and pushed him away. Before he could recover, Celeste put herself between Zephyr and Mara. “Jonathan, get her out of here. I’ll take care of this.”

Knowing that this wasn’t the time to argue with her or tell her to be careful, Jonathan nodded. He ignored the girl’s protests and dragged Mara off. He hoped Celeste could handle this guy.

“You’re going to regret your persistent interference,” Zephyr growled. “Sooner or later, she’s going to be mine.”

Celeste could feel all the eyes on her. “We’ll have to see about that,” she said quietly.

To her annoyance, he laughed. “Sooner than you think. With this crowd, you can’t transform, unless you want your identity to be revealed. Quite the quandary you face.”

“Aurora Tranquil Dawn!”

“Athene Sudden Revelation!”

The attacks hit their marks. Surprised, Zephyr staggered back, clutching an injured arm. “So, your friends have arrived. Well, I’ve made a friend of my own.”

Celeste and the Sailor Soldiers gaped in horror as the monstrosity lumbered toward them. People were screaming and fleeing toward the exits as the creature roared, destroying everything in its wake. “What is that?”

“I don’t care,” Aurora said. “Aurora Sunlight. . .”

“Stop!” Athene cried, knocking Aurora aside and halting her attack. “You can’t attack.”

“Why the hell not?”

Athene stared at the monster, a single tear rolling down her cheek. “Because it’s Peter. Zephyr made him into that monster.”

“So what do we do?” Aurora demanded. “If he keeps this up, he could seriously hurt someone.”

Celeste glanced around the room. Everyone was gone, including Zephyr. He probably went after Jonathan and Mara.

Athene glanced at her, seeming to read her thoughts. “Transform and go after Zephyr. Aurora and I will take care of this.”

“How!” Aurora protested.

Athene was already moving toward the monster. “I’ll think of something.”

“Well, you heard the lady, Sol,” Aurora said with more confidence that she felt. “Get a move on.”

“I’ll be back when I can,” Celeste promised.

Aurora nodded. “I know.” Without another look, she ran to help Athene.

* * * * *

“Mara, go!” Jonathan ordered. “Now!”

With a worried glance back at him, Mara ran down the hall and disappeared. Zephyr shook his head and laughed. However, his mirth disappeared as he approached Jonathan.

“You’re only delaying me, boy,” he said, “and the delay won’t even be that long.”

Jonathan didn’t reply. In a blur of motion, he attacked, focusing on Zephyr’s injured arm. If he was lucky, he could buy enough time to make a difference.

The gust of wind took him by surprise. With a smile, Zephyr watched Jonathan slam into a wall. “Not bad, boy, but not nearly good enough.”

Clutching his bruised ribs, Jonathan managed to dodge another windblast. He rolled toward Zephyr and knocked him off his feet. Capitalizing on his slight advantage, Jonathan raised his leg and drove his heel into the center of his opponent’s chest.

At Zephyr’s throaty grunt of pain, Jonathan raised his leg to repeat the blow. However, Zephyr grabbed his foot and gave it a savage twist, sending pain radiating up the leg. Smiling, Zephyr threw Jonathan’s leg off him and rose to his feet.

Jonathan got to his feet as well, trying his best to ignore the pain. How could Celeste face the battles time and time again, special powers notwithstanding? God, would he even survive this to see her again?

‘Don’t think like that,’ he chided himself. Taking a deep breath, he faced Zephyr. He tried to brace himself for the next strike of wind.

* * * * *

“If you got any ideas, Athene, I’m all ears!” Aurora cried, barely dodging a blow by the monster.

Brushing her hair out of her face, Athene sighed. She shared her comrade’s frustration. However, Peter was inside that creature, and she couldn’t bring herself to hurt him.

“Peter!”

The creature ignored her, intend on its chase of Aurora. Steeling herself, Athene tried again. “Hey, Petey, I’m talking to you!”

Apparently the old nickname got the creature’s attention. Growling, it turned and lumbered toward her. She almost forgot her half-formed plan as she made herself look at the monstrosity.

“Athene, move!” Aurora screamed, snapping the dark-haired girl out of her stupor.

Taking a deep breath, Aurora raised her hands. “Sudden Revelation!”

The creature roared as the pain erupted inside its head. Athene used the distraction to put some distance between her and the creature. Satisfied, she stopped and faced the creature again.

“Athene, what the hell are you doing?” Aurora screamed. Options ran quickly through her head. However, she was too far from both Athene and the creature to be of any help.

Raising her arms again, Athene tuned her friend and the creature out. She needed to concentrate. “Pool of Reflection!”

A wide, shining rectangle appeared on the floor between Athene and the creature. The creature paused, seemingly mesmerized by the new obstacle. “Peter, know thyself!”

The pool glowed with white light. “Know thyself!” The light intensified, flooding the room.

Aurora had to blink her eyes several times before her vision cleared. As her surroundings came in focus, she sighed. In the center of the room, Sofia in her regular form was holding a sandy-haired guy with glasses.

“Peter, are you okay?” Sofia asked, gently shaking the boy. “It’s me, Sofia. Come on. Wake up.”

The guy groaned before slowly opening his eyes. “Have I missed the judging?”

Sofia laughed. “No, you haven’t, although I don’t know if they’ll be judging today.”

“What happened?” Peter asked, surveying the destruction.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

She glanced over at Aurora and gave a brief nod. The Senshi smiled and nodded in return. If her hunch was right, Sol would be needing some help.


The Price of Knowledge (cont'd) “So, my dear, we finally meet again. Are you going to be more reasonable this time?” Celeste whirled and felt her heart stopped. Zephyr had Mara by the arm before she had even realized he was there. Why hadn’t she had a warning like she had so many times before? She grabbed Zephyr and pushed him away. Before he could recover, Celeste put herself between Zephyr and Mara. “Jonathan, get her out of here. I’ll take care of this.” Knowing that this wasn’t the time to argue with her or tell her to be careful, Jonathan nodded. He ignored the girl’s protests and dragged Mara off. He hoped Celeste could handle this guy. “You’re going to regret your persistent interference,” Zephyr growled. “Sooner or later, she’s going to be mine.” Celeste could feel all the eyes on her. “We’ll have to see about that,” she said quietly. To her annoyance, he laughed. “Sooner than you think. With this crowd, you can’t transform, unless you want your identity to be revealed. Quite the quandary you face.” “Aurora Tranquil Dawn!” “Athene Sudden Revelation!” The attacks hit their marks. Surprised, Zephyr staggered back, clutching an injured arm. “So, your friends have arrived. Well, I’ve made a friend of my own.” Celeste and the Sailor Soldiers gaped in horror as the monstrosity lumbered toward them. People were screaming and fleeing toward the exits as the creature roared, destroying everything in its wake. “What is that?” “I don’t care,” Aurora said. “Aurora Sunlight. . .” “Stop!” Athene cried, knocking Aurora aside and halting her attack. “You can’t attack.” “Why the hell not?” Athene stared at the monster, a single tear rolling down her cheek. “Because it’s Peter. Zephyr made him into that monster.” “So what do we do?” Aurora demanded. “If he keeps this up, he could seriously hurt someone.” Celeste glanced around the room. Everyone was gone, including Zephyr. He probably went after Jonathan and Mara. Athene glanced at her, seeming to read her thoughts. “Transform and go after Zephyr. Aurora and I will take care of this.” “How!” Aurora protested. Athene was already moving toward the monster. “I’ll think of something.” “Well, you heard the lady, Sol,” Aurora said with more confidence that she felt. “Get a move on.” “I’ll be back when I can,” Celeste promised. Aurora nodded. “I know.” Without another look, she ran to help Athene. * * * * * “Mara, go!” Jonathan ordered. “Now!” With a worried glance back at him, Mara ran down the hall and disappeared. Zephyr shook his head and laughed. However, his mirth disappeared as he approached Jonathan. “You’re only delaying me, boy,” he said, “and the delay won’t even be that long.” Jonathan didn’t reply. In a blur of motion, he attacked, focusing on Zephyr’s injured arm. If he was lucky, he could buy enough time to make a difference. The gust of wind took him by surprise. With a smile, Zephyr watched Jonathan slam into a wall. “Not bad, boy, but not nearly good enough.” Clutching his bruised ribs, Jonathan managed to dodge another windblast. He rolled toward Zephyr and knocked him off his feet. Capitalizing on his slight advantage, Jonathan raised his leg and drove his heel into the center of his opponent’s chest. At Zephyr’s throaty grunt of pain, Jonathan raised his leg to repeat the blow. However, Zephyr grabbed his foot and gave it a savage twist, sending pain radiating up the leg. Smiling, Zephyr threw Jonathan’s leg off him and rose to his feet. Jonathan got to his feet as well, trying his best to ignore the pain. How could Celeste face the battles time and time again, special powers notwithstanding? God, would he even survive this to see her again? ‘Don’t think like that,’ he chided himself. Taking a deep breath, he faced Zephyr. He tried to brace himself for the next strike of wind. * * * * * “If you got any ideas, Athene, I’m all ears!” Aurora cried, barely dodging a blow by the monster. Brushing her hair out of her face, Athene sighed. She shared her comrade’s frustration. However, Peter was inside that creature, and she couldn’t bring herself to hurt him. “Peter!” The creature ignored her, intend on its chase of Aurora. Steeling herself, Athene tried again. “Hey, Petey, I’m talking to you!” Apparently the old nickname got the creature’s attention. Growling, it turned and lumbered toward her. She almost forgot her half-formed plan as she made herself look at the monstrosity. “Athene, move!” Aurora screamed, snapping the dark-haired girl out of her stupor. Taking a deep breath, Aurora raised her hands. “Sudden Revelation!” The creature roared as the pain erupted inside its head. Athene used the distraction to put some distance between her and the creature. Satisfied, she stopped and faced the creature again. “Athene, what the hell are you doing?” Aurora screamed. Options ran quickly through her head. However, she was too far from both Athene and the creature to be of any help. Raising her arms again, Athene tuned her friend and the creature out. She needed to concentrate. “Pool of Reflection!” A wide, shining rectangle appeared on the floor between Athene and the creature. The creature paused, seemingly mesmerized by the new obstacle. “Peter, know thyself!” The pool glowed with white light. “Know thyself!” The light intensified, flooding the room. Aurora had to blink her eyes several times before her vision cleared. As her surroundings came in focus, she sighed. In the center of the room, Sofia in her regular form was holding a sandy-haired guy with glasses. “Peter, are you okay?” Sofia asked, gently shaking the boy. “It’s me, Sofia. Come on. Wake up.” The guy groaned before slowly opening his eyes. “Have I missed the judging?” Sofia laughed. “No, you haven’t, although I don’t know if they’ll be judging today.” “What happened?” Peter asked, surveying the destruction. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” She glanced over at Aurora and gave a brief nod. The Senshi smiled and nodded in return. If her hunch was right, Sol would be needing some help.


Chapter 13: Hell's Fury Sailor Sol: Battle Against the Winds