Chapter 30: Light and Shadow

“Sol Star Crisis Power, Make-Up!”

Hecate stepped back as the other woman was surrounded by orange light. Sol was glad to find surprise on the girl’s face. However, as quickly as it appeared, the emotion disappeared. Once again, she was staring into Hecate’s black, vacant eyes.

But the emotion had given Sol hope. Mara was still there. The wind king’s hold over the girl wasn’t complete.

“I thought that you said she had lost her powers,” Aeolus called from the shadows.

“Apparently I was wrong.”

“Don’t waste any more time, Hecate.”

At the command, the Dark Senshi attacked. The glaive sliced through the air. The clang it made as it hit Sol’s staff echoed throughout the chamber.

“It doesn’t have to be this way, Mara,” Sol said quietly.

The girl said nothing. With a step back, Hecate pulled away from Sol. She swung her glaive, only to have her strike deflected by the Sun Staff.

The scene played itself out several times. Hecate would strike, using fist, leg, or glaive. Each time, Sol would stop it, using her staff to block or simply evading the intended blow.

“You’re not fighting me, Sol,” Hecate said.

“I don’t want to fight you.” She stepped back, lowering her staff. “And I think deep down, you don’t want to fight me, Mara.”

“My name is Hecate.”

“Among others. But you are not the Hecate I know. She fought against the Winds. She fought to protect people, not to hurt them.”

The girl lashed out with her glaive. However, Sol blocked the attack. With a quick twist, she interlocked the blades.

“You don’t want me talking. Why is that?”

“Because you are wasting my master’s time.” Hecate gave a savage tug but she was unaware to pull her glaive free from the Sun Staff.

“It’s more than that. I think it’s because it makes it harder for you to view me as your enemy.”

“You are my enemy.”

“Because your master says so?”

“Yes. This is where I belong.”

“No, it’s not! You belong where Sofia, Selene, and Jonathan are waiting for us, Mara. You deserve so much more from life than this.”

Amber flickered in the girl’s eyes. “Celeste, I . . .”

“Hecate, enough!” Aeolus cried, interrupting her. “I’m tired of waiting!”

Her eyes went completely black. She jerked her glaive free, almost taking Sol’s staff with it. She attacked with a new ferocity.

Sol dodged and evaded. She only fought to protect herself, never moving to attack the girl. Hecate becoming more and more aggressive as the battle went on.

“Finish it!”

“Hecate Shadow Quickening!”

Sol gasped as the black shadows enveloped her. Something was reaching inside her, draining her. She stepped back, breaking free, and the attack vanished.

Before she could process everything, Hecate went back on the attack. The Dark Senshi was stronger. It was harder to block her attacks. Had she really tired that much?

Sol searched the girl’s eyes. There was none of the emotions, none of the Mara that she had seen earlier. “Don’t do something that you’ll regret, Mara.”

And as she knew it would, luck had run out for Sol. She couldn’t block a swing of the glaive in time, and the blade sliced deep into her shoulder. She screamed as Hecate jerked the weapon free.

And Hecate wasted no time in using her advantage. She attacked and attacked, focusing on Sol’s weakened side. Sol was losing. Her blood was shining on Hecate’s glaive.

With a move Celeste had taught her, Hecate used her glaive to knock Sol’s feet from under her. Sol fell to the floor and braced herself for the final blow.

‘Jonathan, I’m so sorry.’

“Destroy her already!” Aeolus screamed.

Sol opened her eyes to find amber gleaming in the girl’s gaze. Hecate lowered her glaive as black and yellow fought for dominance in her eyes.

“Do you really want to destroy me, Mara?”

“Hecate, I order you to finish this!”

She moved to raise the glaive for another strike.

“Mara, you are not his slave and you don’t belong here. You know that.”

To her relief, the girl didn’t attack her. She merely bowed her head.

Aeolus emerged from the shadows. “Do you defy me, girl?”

“Defy you, Master?” The girl raised her head. Clear yellow-hazel eyes met Sol’s green ones. She turned and aimed the glaive at Aeolus. “Hell’s Fury!”

Wind roared as Aeolus made a strike of his own. The blasts knocked Hecate to the ground. She cried out as she fell but the sound was buried in the cacophony.

As the dust settled, Sol sat up. There was no sign of Aeolus, but he wasn’t her main concern at the moment. Hecate was not moving.

“Please,” Sol whispered.

It took her a couple of clumsy tries to turn the girl over with just one good arm. Hecate appeared asleep. Sol gave her a good shake.

The girl moaned. Black light surrounded her as she detransformed. But the girl remained unconscious.

Sol suddenly felt movement behind her. She turned, still cradling Mara in her good arm. Aeolus was limping out of the shadows.

“Sol Celestial Wind!”

The attack sent the wind king staggering backwards. However, it was a weak attack, serving only to buy her time. Sol laid Mara against the stone floor and rose to her feet.

“I see that you have some strength left in you,” Aeolus said.

Sol smiled. “And I see that your strength isn’t as strong as you thought.”

“It’s more than what either of you have right now.”

She formed the Sun Staff, grateful to have the familiar weapon in her hands. “We’ll see.”

“Oh, we’ll do more than see, Sol,” he replied, sending a wind blast at her.

She stepped out the way, barely missing the attack. She formed her staff. “Sol Nemesis Nova!”

Aeolus slipped back into the shadows. She heard her attack hit a distant wall. While she was disappointed that the king was not hit, she was not surprised.

Sol stood still, listening. He was moving in the shadows. He was trying to be stealthy, but she was still aware of his movements.

‘Coward,’ she thought, tightening her grip on her staff.

The wind king had not dirty his hands with his own work so far. He had used Boreas and the others mercilessly in his quest to take Mara. What would he do now that all his lackeys were gone?

“I must say that I am surprised by this turn of events,” he stated, still hidden in the gloom. “Why didn’t you fight the girl? Why did you hold back?”

“Because I care for her. It’s something you don’t understand.”

He scoffed. “Emotions are weakness. Haven’t you learned your lesson by now?”

She frowned as if she was actually pondering his question. But she was taking note of his movements. He was just off of her weakened side, attempting to move behind her. He was using the conversation to distract her. He was maneuvering for a sneak attack.

It might have worked, but he wasn’t the first coward she had faced. It was time for Aeolus to fight his own battle.

“Guess I’m a slow learner,” she replied.

“Surely, Sol, you have a better answer than that.”

She turned, feigning that she was trying to locate him by voice. She turned too far, so she wasn’t facing him directly. Doing so would let him know that the game was up. Now her good side and her staff were now toward the king if he should attack.

“My emotions are not weakness. They drive me. They remind me of why I fight, why I protect this system.”

“You fight to protect people who don’t even know or care that you exist. You throw your life away so they can keep their self-absorbed ones.”

“And you waste your life on a quest for power, not caring who you destroy on the way. In the end, Aeolus, you will be alone with your pathetic power, and it will be of little comfort to you. For that, I actually pity you.”

“I don’t ask for your pity, Sol!”

She turned again, still off of center but her good side between them. “And the people of this system don’t ask for my protection and sacrifice. But it is my duty, and I accept in each life.”

“Which makes you a fool.”

“In your eyes, you can’t see it as anything else.”

“You know I truly wished that Hecate had not turned on me.” She could feel him move closer as he prepared to strike. “She would have been a powerful ally.”

“Ally? Don’t you mean slave?” She felt the air move as he readied his attack. “Sol Nemesis Nova! Corona Flare!”

As he emerged from the shadows, he evaded the first attack. But the second found its mark, making him scream in agony. As he fell, he sent a volley of blasts at her. Attacks she knew that she couldn’t dodge in time.

‘So, this is how it will end this time,’ she thought, as the wind strikes screamed toward her. In the end, Aeolus would still get Mara. Jonathan would be left to pick up the fragments of her life. Again, she had failed.

‘But that’s not the way it should be,’ part of her protested. ‘Don’t I deserve just one life with some happiness in it, not just a hint of happiness before my duty snatches it away?’

Light suddenly flooded the chamber as the voice filled her head. ‘You have great powers as the Celestial Phoenix, and you have saved this system countless times by giving your life as a final act of dedication. But your greatest power doesn’t life in death.’

Was it only this morning that she had spoken with Morpheus at the harbor? She soon lost the thought. A peaceful warmth was forming inside her, growing in intensity as it spread through her body.

Aeolus stared at her. He was exposed. The invading light left him no shadows to hide in.

“What are you?”

The skirts of her gown whispered as they brushed against the uneven stone floor. “Something you can never comprehend, Aeolus. You should have stopped when Hecate gave you the chance.”

“One day she will turn on you.”

“We are two sides of the same coin. You can’t have light or darkness without the other.”

Something like understanding dawned in his eyes. “I should have targeted you all along. After all, a single point of light can banish darkness.”

She wasn’t surprised by the wind blast. She dodged it easily and the others behind it.

“Why won’t you die!”

“How do you kill a Phoenix, Aeolus?” But she gave him no chance to reply. “Light Neo-Genesis!”

* * * * *

Jonathan jerked away from the dining table as red-orange light flooded the apartment. He didn’t care that his movements jarred his mug, knocking it over. He didn’t notice the cold coffee spilling across the table unto the floor as he ran into the living room.

He had to tell himself he wasn’t hallucinating. Was this real? Or was fate that cruel?

“Hi, Jonathan.” She gave him a weary smile. “Did you miss me?”

He wrapped Mara and Celeste in a bear hug. “Thank God, you both are all right!”

Sofia joined the group hug. The four of them stood there, afraid of letting go. Afraid to find it all a dream.

Setsuna smiled as she watched them. “Welcome home, Celeste.”


Light and Shadow “Sol Star Crisis Power, Make-Up!” Hecate stepped back as the other woman was surrounded by orange light. Sol was glad to find surprise on the girl’s face. However, as quickly as it appeared, the emotion disappeared. Once again, she was staring into Hecate’s black, vacant eyes. But the emotion had given Sol hope. Mara was still there. The wind king’s hold over the girl wasn’t complete. “I thought that you said she had lost her powers,” Aeolus called from the shadows. “Apparently I was wrong.” “Don’t waste any more time, Hecate.” At the command, the Dark Senshi attacked. The glaive sliced through the air. The clang it made as it hit Sol’s staff echoed throughout the chamber. “It doesn’t have to be this way, Mara,” Sol said quietly. The girl said nothing. With a step back, Hecate pulled away from Sol. She swung her glaive, only to have her strike deflected by the Sun Staff. The scene played itself out several times. Hecate would strike, using fist, leg, or glaive. Each time, Sol would stop it, using her staff to block or simply evading the intended blow. “You’re not fighting me, Sol,” Hecate said. “I don’t want to fight you.” She stepped back, lowering her staff. “And I think deep down, you don’t want to fight me, Mara.” “My name is Hecate.” “Among others. But you are not the Hecate I know. She fought against the Winds. She fought to protect people, not to hurt them.” The girl lashed out with her glaive. However, Sol blocked the attack. With a quick twist, she interlocked the blades. “You don’t want me talking. Why is that?” “Because you are wasting my master’s time.” Hecate gave a savage tug but she was unaware to pull her glaive free from the Sun Staff. “It’s more than that. I think it’s because it makes it harder for you to view me as your enemy.” “You are my enemy.” “Because your master says so?” “Yes. This is where I belong.” “No, it’s not! You belong where Sofia, Selene, and Jonathan are waiting for us, Mara. You deserve so much more from life than this.” Amber flickered in the girl’s eyes. “Celeste, I . . .” “Hecate, enough!” Aeolus cried, interrupting her. “I’m tired of waiting!” Her eyes went completely black. She jerked her glaive free, almost taking Sol’s staff with it. She attacked with a new ferocity. Sol dodged and evaded. She only fought to protect herself, never moving to attack the girl. Hecate becoming more and more aggressive as the battle went on. “Finish it!” “Hecate Shadow Quickening!” Sol gasped as the black shadows enveloped her. Something was reaching inside her, draining her. She stepped back, breaking free, and the attack vanished. Before she could process everything, Hecate went back on the attack. The Dark Senshi was stronger. It was harder to block her attacks. Had she really tired that much? Sol searched the girl’s eyes. There was none of the emotions, none of the Mara that she had seen earlier. “Don’t do something that you’ll regret, Mara.” And as she knew it would, luck had run out for Sol. She couldn’t block a swing of the glaive in time, and the blade sliced deep into her shoulder. She screamed as Hecate jerked the weapon free. And Hecate wasted no time in using her advantage. She attacked and attacked, focusing on Sol’s weakened side. Sol was losing. Her blood was shining on Hecate’s glaive. With a move Celeste had taught her, Hecate used her glaive to knock Sol’s feet from under her. Sol fell to the floor and braced herself for the final blow. ‘Jonathan, I’m so sorry.’ “Destroy her already!” Aeolus screamed. Sol opened her eyes to find amber gleaming in the girl’s gaze. Hecate lowered her glaive as black and yellow fought for dominance in her eyes. “Do you really want to destroy me, Mara?” “Hecate, I order you to finish this!” She moved to raise the glaive for another strike. “Mara, you are not his slave and you don’t belong here. You know that.” To her relief, the girl didn’t attack her. She merely bowed her head. Aeolus emerged from the shadows. “Do you defy me, girl?” “Defy you, Master?” The girl raised her head. Clear yellow-hazel eyes met Sol’s green ones. She turned and aimed the glaive at Aeolus. “Hell’s Fury!” Wind roared as Aeolus made a strike of his own. The blasts knocked Hecate to the ground. She cried out as she fell but the sound was buried in the cacophony. As the dust settled, Sol sat up. There was no sign of Aeolus, but he wasn’t her main concern at the moment. Hecate was not moving. “Please,” Sol whispered. It took her a couple of clumsy tries to turn the girl over with just one good arm. Hecate appeared asleep. Sol gave her a good shake. The girl moaned. Black light surrounded her as she detransformed. But the girl remained unconscious. Sol suddenly felt movement behind her. She turned, still cradling Mara in her good arm. Aeolus was limping out of the shadows. “Sol Celestial Wind!” The attack sent the wind king staggering backwards. However, it was a weak attack, serving only to buy her time. Sol laid Mara against the stone floor and rose to her feet. “I see that you have some strength left in you,” Aeolus said. Sol smiled. “And I see that your strength isn’t as strong as you thought.” “It’s more than what either of you have right now.” She formed the Sun Staff, grateful to have the familiar weapon in her hands. “We’ll see.” “Oh, we’ll do more than see, Sol,” he replied, sending a wind blast at her. She stepped out the way, barely missing the attack. She formed her staff. “Sol Nemesis Nova!” Aeolus slipped back into the shadows. She heard her attack hit a distant wall. While she was disappointed that the king was not hit, she was not surprised. Sol stood still, listening. He was moving in the shadows. He was trying to be stealthy, but she was still aware of his movements. ‘Coward,’ she thought, tightening her grip on her staff. The wind king had not dirty his hands with his own work so far. He had used Boreas and the others mercilessly in his quest to take Mara. What would he do now that all his lackeys were gone? “I must say that I am surprised by this turn of events,” he stated, still hidden in the gloom. “Why didn’t you fight the girl? Why did you hold back?” “Because I care for her. It’s something you don’t understand.” He scoffed. “Emotions are weakness. Haven’t you learned your lesson by now?” She frowned as if she was actually pondering his question. But she was taking note of his movements. He was just off of her weakened side, attempting to move behind her. He was using the conversation to distract her. He was maneuvering for a sneak attack. It might have worked, but he wasn’t the first coward she had faced. It was time for Aeolus to fight his own battle. “Guess I’m a slow learner,” she replied. “Surely, Sol, you have a better answer than that.” She turned, feigning that she was trying to locate him by voice. She turned too far, so she wasn’t facing him directly. Doing so would let him know that the game was up. Now her good side and her staff were now toward the king if he should attack. “My emotions are not weakness. They drive me. They remind me of why I fight, why I protect this system.” “You fight to protect people who don’t even know or care that you exist. You throw your life away so they can keep their self-absorbed ones.” “And you waste your life on a quest for power, not caring who you destroy on the way. In the end, Aeolus, you will be alone with your pathetic power, and it will be of little comfort to you. For that, I actually pity you.” “I don’t ask for your pity, Sol!” She turned again, still off of center but her good side between them. “And the people of this system don’t ask for my protection and sacrifice. But it is my duty, and I accept in each life.” “Which makes you a fool.” “In your eyes, you can’t see it as anything else.” “You know I truly wished that Hecate had not turned on me.” She could feel him move closer as he prepared to strike. “She would have been a powerful ally.” “Ally? Don’t you mean slave?” She felt the air move as he readied his attack. “Sol Nemesis Nova! Corona Flare!” As he emerged from the shadows, he evaded the first attack. But the second found its mark, making him scream in agony. As he fell, he sent a volley of blasts at her. Attacks she knew that she couldn’t dodge in time. ‘So, this is how it will end this time,’ she thought, as the wind strikes screamed toward her. In the end, Aeolus would still get Mara. Jonathan would be left to pick up the fragments of her life. Again, she had failed. ‘But that’s not the way it should be,’ part of her protested. ‘Don’t I deserve just one life with some happiness in it, not just a hint of happiness before my duty snatches it away?’ Light suddenly flooded the chamber as the voice filled her head. ‘You have great powers as the Celestial Phoenix, and you have saved this system countless times by giving your life as a final act of dedication. But your greatest power doesn’t life in death.’ Was it only this morning that she had spoken with Morpheus at the harbor? She soon lost the thought. A peaceful warmth was forming inside her, growing in intensity as it spread through her body. Aeolus stared at her. He was exposed. The invading light left him no shadows to hide in. “What are you?” The skirts of her gown whispered as they brushed against the uneven stone floor. “Something you can never comprehend, Aeolus. You should have stopped when Hecate gave you the chance.” “One day she will turn on you.” “We are two sides of the same coin. You can’t have light or darkness without the other.” Something like understanding dawned in his eyes. “I should have targeted you all along. After all, a single point of light can banish darkness.” She wasn’t surprised by the wind blast. She dodged it easily and the others behind it. “Why won’t you die!” “How do you kill a Phoenix, Aeolus?” But she gave him no chance to reply. “Light Neo-Genesis!” * * * * * Jonathan jerked away from the dining table as red-orange light flooded the apartment. He didn’t care that his movements jarred his mug, knocking it over. He didn’t notice the cold coffee spilling across the table unto the floor as he ran into the living room. He had to tell himself he wasn’t hallucinating. Was this real? Or was fate that cruel? “Hi, Jonathan.” She gave him a weary smile. “Did you miss me?” He wrapped Mara and Celeste in a bear hug. “Thank God, you both are all right!” Sofia joined the group hug. The four of them stood there, afraid of letting go. Afraid to find it all a dream. Setsuna smiled as she watched them. “Welcome home, Celeste.”


Epilogue: A Happy Ending Sailor Sol: Battle Against the Winds