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Shadows of Psyche by Papirini

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~goodbye cruel world~




I remember Death.


I wasn't expecting it to happen, especially not when we had such an important person in my ferry. It was true, the guard of the Rivers did not have such a good record with Galaxia-sama. When we arrived, after our wars were ended, there were four others who guarded the master's castle, and whose rivers nourished the artificial star seed gardens that Galaxia intended to use for the new order of things. There was also the graveyard of those whom she had killed, to serve as a reminder to her slaves, especially those who had retained their true personalities and thoughts, what the price of rebellion was.


The power of their rivers were very fearful, as were the guardians themselves. Drinking from one, for example, caused one to lose their voice for eternity, while drinking from another could cause a person to go insane with grief and kill themselves; that river was lined with the bodies of the river's victims. Galaxia-sama's favorite river would burn an intruder, but wouldn't destroy them – they would stay alive even after their flesh had burned off. One didn't even allow anyone by Galaxia-sama to cross – one had to drop their blood into the stream to be allowed across. Hence, with all six of our powers combined, Galaxia-sama's realm was protected.


Then those four decided to rebel. Like us, they retained their original selves under the shackles, so long as they served Galaxia-sama. And one day they consorted with one another and decided that they would be far more suited to shape a new order than the master. So the gang of four left their posts – a deed forbidden to them – and went to murder the queen in her sleep.


They never reached her. They were killed by two of Galaxia-sama's most loyal followers – twins like ourselves. We never knew what was done with their crystals, for their treachery was unforgivable. All we knew was that they were dead, for at their moment of death their rivers dried up and disappeared.


I wonder if our rivers dried up at our moment of treachery. Not like now. The river burns me.....it is like our death all over again......




Haaaaaaaaah!!!


The first sensation Mnemosyne felt was the slamming of her back into the sandbar. Her eyes opened wide at this, met in kind with the cold of the water. But her hand was till outstretched, and it was above the surface. With a kick, she threw herself onto the shore, gasping for air.


Lethe......Lethe!


She gasped as sensation returned to her – pain and cold from the icy waters, like a thousand knives. She shut her eyes to alleviate the pain, to banish it, but it did not work, whether or not her eyes were open or no. So she simply lay there, writhing in pain, hoping the ache would leave her at last.



You must never open the door....”



Then she saw the fog clearing in front of her. The tree that lay with it was diseased, and brown leaves were scattered on the ground; the grass underneath her was dead and poked her like tiny needles. But one thing had not changed; it was there, a small path led to it, more ancient than the planet, yet only the frame was slightly cracked from all the years of wear and tear.



For it will mean the end of your worlds...and your lives.”



Mnemosyne stared at the door for a moment. It had strange symbols on it, from a language unknown to her, scraped into the door. Something about the writing frightened her somewhat; it seemed to be a ward, at least in her opinion. Yet she felt drawn to it, regardless; the forbidden acts of the past reminded her that it would not have been the first time she had disobeyed the rules for her personal needs and desires.

It would not have been the first time she had betrayed someone's trust in her.


“L....Lethe?!?!”


Mnemosyne's eyes widened when she realized what was not on the shore, alongside her.


Who was not on the shore.


Lethe!!!


There was no response. Mnemosyne gave a cry as she remembered what had occurred, and she looked behind her to the all-consuming fog. The river was behind there, as were the meteors and bare rocks and the remains of two worlds.


And Lethe.


No!!!!


Before Mnemosyne knew exactly what she was doing, she was back in the water and was violently kicking through the ice and the pain. She couldn't see anything, and the waves from the meteor were still powerful enough to knock her head underwater. But Mnemosyne forced herself to ignore whatever she could, and to press on.


I promised her. Mnemosyne briefly stuck her head underwater to look, though she had problems keeping it under because of the pain. The day we faced each other again, after those long years of war....when you finally gathered the courage to see me again in your shame. Your people started the war, and we grew to hate each other....but once we talked, we said would be the ones to finish it in peace.....do you remember....?


Mnemosyne stuck her head in the water again, and her mouth opened in shock, allowing water to enter. She instantly dove back up, took another deep breath, and then dove back in, swimming down into the endless cold abyss.


We promised to stay together for as long as we lived. Once we put aside our differences...


Her vision underwater had been far clearer than it had been on the surface, and so it was easy to see the body of her sister, limp and motionless, under the control of the waters. Mnemosyne kept going down, further and further until she was close enough to touch her sister's hand. She went to grab it, and missed as it floated away from her.


I may have been a complainer and weak, but I would never abandon you.


Mnemosyne threw out her hand more forcefully, grabbing Lethe's hand on the second try. Her lungs began to hurt as she began to swim up towards the surface, hoping she was pacing herself enough to ensure that she wouldn't get exhausted.


You are my sister.


Mnemosyne finally broke through the surface, taking in the deep breaths. Seeing Lethe's body face down, she turned her body right-side up and gave a cry.


“Lethe!” The green-clad soldier's face was blue, and her eyes were half open, the pupils dilated. “Lethe!! No!!!!


Mnemosyne had no time to grieve, or act properly. She suddenly heard the familiar roar of the falling stars and screamed, throwing Lethe onto her back as she swam. She hoped she could hold on, hoped that, this time, they would miss it, that they could make it.


*TH-OOOOOOOOOM*


There a brief, strange sensation of intense heat as Mnemosyne heard and felt the rock hit. The new rock hit further away from the last one, but it still hit hard. The two were again thrown down to the bottom of the seabed once more after a wave had overcome them, and Mnemosyne broke into the fastest run she could muster with a girl on her back and torso-high water. Lethe showed no signs of responding to the run; she was completely cold on Mnemosyne, and almost every part of Mnemosyne's soul was certain that she had died.


Please......don't be...


Mnemosyne shut her eyes tightly as she ran, anticipating the water to return as she huffed her way through the shallow water. She readied her breath for when she needed it, and held Lethe tightly to her, secretly vowing not to let go again.


Several minutes passed, and nothing happened as Mnemosyne made her way towards higher ground.


How...?


Mnemosyne pondered it, but set it aside as good luck, or at least an act of providence. One of Mnemosyne's flaws, unfortunately, involved an ignorance of acquired knowledge, as her planet scorned decadent culture – at least, that was what Mnemosyne and her forested people had specifically called the resulting cold cities and stifling industry of Lethe's forgetful masses. As a result, she knew little of physics, let alone what had happened to water when it wad heated immensely.


The rock that hit had been a very large piece of her own planet, and had, in fact, smashed away a side of the valley and boiled the water that had been in that part of the river. It was fortunate that the partners had not been closer to the epicenter, as they would have been incinerated. But Mnemosyne knew nothing of her luck as she attempted to climb the sandbar with Lethe on her back.


Ugh..... The ground quaked nonstop for several minutes as Mnemosyne slowly made her way up the side of the newly-created cliff. Must.....I must go.....Lethe.....


The cliff began to rumble again, and several pieces of rock fell onto the two, nicking them. Gritting her teeth as her fingers were smashed between rocks, Mnemosyne felt one of her hands slipping from blood.


We'll...make it to the door....together!!


Mnemosyne's hand came up, holding a tight grip on the ground. As she held on, she felt the needle sting of grass. She crawled up, shifting and arching her back so she could attain the position she needed to get over the top.


“..................mmm........”


Lethe...!


The first sign of life from her sister lifted Mnemosyne up, and not only within the depths of her soul. The next thing she knew, she was on the grass, and she quickly laid Lethe on the ground, looking down at her with both worry and hope.


“...hukuh.....” Lethe shuddered, coughing up small bits of water as she did so. “....me....mem.....”

“Sister.”

“I........” Lethe's eyes widened. “....a.....”

“Lethe...?”


Mnemosyne turned to see what Lethe was looking at, and her own eyes widened. All around them, the fog was clearing. It was not for the sake of the location they were in; the truth of the matter was far more sinister when Mnemosyne saw what little was left of the planet Lethe had protected. Felt in her lungs how little air was really left for the first time now that the adrenaline had worn off.


Time was running out.


“Lethe.....”

“Mne.....mnemo.......syne....”


The loud cracking sounds, forced the two into action. Beneath them, the ground was shaking violently, and also cracking apart.


“.....Run!!!


With a shout, Mnemosyne grabbed Lethe's hand and began to run for it. Lethe, however, struggled to get up, and stumbled as if she were blind as she was led.


“The door!” Mnemosyne threw her free hand out. “The door-”


The two were suddenly thrown down violently by another quake, the strongest one yet. Behind them, they could see the remnants of the first river's bedrock hurl into the atmosphere, no longer held together by the rapidly weakening gravity. All around them, the ground began to jut up, and the cracks became deeper.


Lethe shook her head as she crawled to Mnemosyne, grabbing her hand.


“Si...ster.....”


The two grabbed each other and stumbled closer to the door, which lay only a few yards ahead of them. They were becoming short of breath as they came up to the tree, which was cracking as well.


“Here.....” The frame around the door was beginning to fall apart. “...door....”


Mnemosyne grasped the handle of the door, which felt old and thick in her hands, and coated with rust and mold. She stared once more at the door, her feelings and feelings suddenly mixed.



You must never open the door....”



For a single moment, everything slowed down for Mnemosyne as she remembered her mother's words. She remembered how, in her mind and to Lethe, she had vowed to never seek, find, or open the door. She remembered, too, how Lethe had vehemently vowed to Mnemosyne that she would never seek the door, particularly when she had learned that the forbidden place was located on her planet.


They had followed their mother's wishes to the letter. At least Mnemosyne had, up until that moment, as her hand shaking as she held onto the handle, her mind clinging to one last doubt as to whether they were doing the right thing. Whether it was better to die outside the door, or to die inside the door.



I have nothing to lose.”



It was amazing, Mnemosyne pondered, how far they had fallen.


*BOOOOOOOOOOM*


Several things happened at once. Mnemosyne felt her sister's hand gasp the other door handle, and heard the grunting as she struggled to open her side. She suddenly felt herself pushing as hard as she could on the door, hoping it would budge, hoping that it would open this one time. Behind them, the remnants of the second river was blasted by another meteor, and the shattered remains floated off towards a body with a stronger pull.


Sister.


The door almost seemed to suddenly burst open in front of them, just as the ground began to finally give way. Neither sister knew what exactly had propelled them forward at that instant – perhaps they had thrown themselves in. Perhaps they had pushed one another in. Perhaps the ground had quaked so violently that last time that it simply threw the girls in during its final heaves. Perhaps someone else had a hand in their sin.


But as they tumbled into the darkness, upside down, they each opened their mouths to scream at the sight before them. It all collapsed; the ground, the mountains, the rocks, with one final snap the rest of the planet simply fell apart right in front of their eyes, the larger pieces connecting to remnants of Mnemosyne and breaking them apart in turn. Debris flew into the door with them, blown in by the amazing force that the planet's death had placed upon it, tumbling and floating through the void past the two girls.


Sister.


At the sight of the natural carnage that planet Mnemosyne did to planet Lethe, and vice versa, something suddenly died within their hearts. The light of their power as sailors, already dimmed by years of war, conquest and slavery, seemed to snuff out at the sight of this final destruction. Pieces of themselves disappeared in despair – pieces of memories, pieces of their lives.


It was unbearable enough, seeing everything taken from them within a matter of seconds.


It's.......gone.


The blast was powerful, and Sailor Lethe and Mnemosyne were thrown far into the depths of the door. They were barraged on all sides by the rocks and the force of the blast. Neither one could withstand it, and both soon found themselves plunged into the darkness once more, floating away from one another once more. It was the end of their journey, and the door was indeed their doom, just as their mother had always warned.


--------------


Neither girl managed stay awake long enough to see the terrible emptiness of space left by their planets as the last rocks scattered into space, never to be seen again. It would not have mattered it they had; their hearts had already hardened against seeing it. The shock alone of seeing the planet destroyed was enough to abhor them from wanting to behold that spot again.


Neither girl saw the door as it was silently, almost reverently closed by a hand, one as small as a human's, wrapped in white samite up to shoulders padded in black. Nor did they see the smile at the sight of them, or hear the voice that commanded the door, which sealed itself up and disappeared forever. The door's purpose had been fulfilled in their eyes, and was no longer needed after eons of existence.


“........It is done.” The figure, looking down upon the two new charges, spoke quietly, as if not to wake the intruders that had invaded its domain. After such a forced entry, the next steps could wait; there was now plenty of time to be had for what was to come. “At last.”



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