End of the Millennium A Xian Shade Production Author's Notes: Chapter 14. 25, if you're counting from the beginning. It's amazing that I wrote all this so quickly. 'But you said you've been writing this for 8 years!' I hear you say. Very true. However, this book, the path of finding destiny, took only six months to write and perfect (if you don't count my bungle with chapter 8). Now then, onto the story! Last time we left, Thanatos had taken a mortal guise, something he'd planned for several years, in order to attempt courtship that would unite the worlds. But its been revealed that this was not his only focus, as Venus' queen already knew of his feelings towards Mercury's princess! But the question now is, will the king's suspiscion get the better of him and not even permit such a thing, or can Thanatos' intelligence win the king's heart? Disclaimer: I do not own any aspects of Sailor Moon or Phantasy Star. If I did, this would be an anime, or manga, or both. Thanatos, Ares, Chronos, Aljus, King Marcus, and the worthless one are © Xian Shade and may not be used without my permission. People failing to follow this rule have broken Xian's Law #849, paragraph 3, line 2: Don't fuck with my shit. The Path of Finding Destiny, Chapter 14: "Out of the question!" Thanatos remained kneeling before King Marcus of Mercury in his humanoid form. He had adjusted both the contract and himself, so that he was named Lord Samuru Sotanaht of Saturn. A rather silly sounding title, but one that worked. "My leige, I know it is not something simple to allow, but you have yet to even hear me out in that-" "I should have you arrested for even setting foot on my world! Guards!" "Father no!" Two guards marched through the door, and Lord Sotanaht stayed where he was, still kneeling. "Escort this man from Saturn to prison! He has violated the laws of the Silver Millennium!" "Your majesty, I've already spoken with Queen Serenity. I have permission-" "LIES! Queen Serenity of all people would not allow such a mockery of the law!" As the guards hauled Lord Sotanaht up, he threw them off and drew a long blade from his side, tossing it like a throwing knife. Its pointed edge sank into the marble pillar next to the King's throne, wobbling in its place. Tied to the blade was a parchment. "There is my permission. Read it, then do what you will." The guards had grabbed ahold of him once more as the king unravelled the tie upon the parchment and read, and he refused to struggle this time. The king saw the unmistakable elegant signature of Queen Serenity at the bottom, along with that of Lord Sotanaht, and one spot open for his own signature. "Let him go... " the king spoke reluctantly, and the guards followed his words. "I do not like Saturn, much like any person of any other planet would. You have almost no traits I would find adding... in fact, I feel you would soil the line of Mercury." "Such is the voice of bigotry." Lord Sotanaht mumbled. "Watch your tongue!" King Marcus shouted. "Watch your own!" Samuru shot back. "Aside from the princess of Saturn, who is not yet ready to ascend to the throne, I am the only existing member of royalty left! I come to this planet peacefully, the only time our kind has even bothered to leave our planet to approach the other worlds, following the rules your alliance has set in place, and I am treated with the disdain of common filth!" "Were it our decision, we would wipe your accursed planet from our solar system." "Father, please control yourself!" "It's all right, princess." Samuru said to her, then looked back to the king with disgust. "I would think that the common fear of man would be bypassed on the planet of thinkers and logic, even at the level of royalty. But it seems that such hatred cannot be avoided, be him peasant or king. I've known about your search for corruption. It has evaded you because it already possesses you. It is not a corruption of a body, but of a mind." The king was in a fury. 'How dare he! This man represents death to all things, and he accuses me of... he...' then his anger gave way. He saw the hurt expression in his daughter's eyes, and the anger in the eyes of the man who was his guest. He learned years ago that the world of Saturn was only feared because of their God's actions. The people were good people, just persecuted and hated. Was he such a fool that he'd fall into old customs? He visibly relaxed. "You are right Lord Sotanaht... loathe as I am to admit it, it would seem that I am blinded by a decade of fear and hatred. I know of the benefits your world would offer the Silver Millennium. Indeed, Mercury would be most appreciative of any technology you have built. Could you enlighten me as to what type of technology your world represents?" "Most of our technology is medical in nature, sire." "Truly? That would indeed be most helpful. Some people in this system have been ailing of late due to a strange malady. Even our late Queen, my wife, suffered." Samuru could feel the sadness behind the king's words. Could Saturn's medical magics and technology have saved the queen of Mercury? Thanatos knew that only his distant brother Noah knew such magic that could heal illness. His magics and those of Saturn were regenerative in nature. "Despite being a planet that represents death, our magics are very powerful in encouraging life. The technology only makes things easier for us." "So your people are healers?" the king asked. "You learn something new every day." he smirked. "I deeply apologize, Lord Sotanaht... may I call you Samuru?" "Of course, my lord." "Samuru, please forgive my rudeness, for I have gravely misjudged you. I feel somewhat safer in accepting you to court my daughter... whether my daughter accepts you, however, is another matter." he went to remove the parchment totally from the blade, and sliced open his palm. "Argh!" The king made to freeze the wound since it was so deep, but Samuru stepped forward. "Allow me. It was my blade that did this damage." He took the king's bleeding palm and poured his energies into the wound. His Gires technique was necessary to heal a wound like this, since it possibly sliced to the bone, but nothing so serious that required Nares. The king watched in awe as the wound took on a soft glow, and the blood seeped back to his hand, the vessels and veins re-knitting, then the muscle, then skin, where not even a scar remained. "Incredible!" the king held up his hand and flexed it, turning it over in the light. "There isn't even any pain! This ability is common to your people?" "Oh, yes. But it can be taught as well as having been born with it. I just recommend not using your hand too much until tomorrow. It's like repairing machinery. The weld is set, but it needs time to cool to bind back together permanently." "Of course." he said, signing the document and handing it over. He attempted to remove the blade with his other arm, grabbing the handle this time, but had little success. "Quite a bit of strength you have, Samuru." "I feel very airy and light on this world. Perhaps it is because my planet's gravity is greater... though I 'was' angry." he replied, bracing his foot against the pillar and pulling the weapon free, small bits of marble clicking noisily as they hit the floor. "I shall pay for repairs." "Nonsense. Your eye-opening knowledge, and the technique you've shown are payment enough. Enjoy your stay on Mercury, and good luck." he leaned close to him and whispered: "A little advice... she loves to learn. If there's anything you can teach her... " "Say no more. I want no unfair advantage over any of her other possible suitors, sire." he stopped the king, already knowing quite well that Amilia loved to learn. "A noble action, but at least hear me when I say to steer clear of the Earth general, Zoicite. I've found him to be quite a tricky one. He was intelligent enough to be allowed to court my daughter, but right now you have a commanding lead over him in my book. Being royalty doesn't hurt either, of course." "Thank you, my liege. I shall. Princess, if I may?" he asked, holding out his hand for her to join him. She took it and felt the warmth she never felt from him before... was this even the same man? She felt a small flush of warmth fill her cheeks as he helped her from her seat, and they moved from the throne room to the courtyard, where she finally spoke when she was sure no one else could hear them. "You never told me you could heal people like that." "You never asked. The people of Saturn are indeed proficient in the art, but some are more skilled than others. Even Earth's prince has learned the basics of the ability from Chronos." "Can anyone learn?" "Almost everyone has the most minor skill in healing. If they didn't, sores and cuts would remain open forever, and people would bleed to death, or always get infections that would kill them. There are a rare few that lack the ability in this universe, though." "But if that's the case, then aren't you burning your own energy to accelerate the healing of others, or even yourself?" "Very good. Yes, you can expend a good deal of energy trying to accelerate healing. It depends on the severity of the wound, the level of skill used, and just how much energy you can afford to burn per day. Depending on your skill, you can turn this energy into any form, be it curative, creative, or even destructive. A good night's rest and plenty to eat should be enough to restore the lost energy, too. All it takes is a little work. With how busy you've been studying to be ruler of this planet, you haven't had much time to learn such things. Once you have a little more time, I'll teach you, if you like. Time you learned from me, instead of me from you." "I would like that very much. Thank you Than... Lord Sotanaht." she said, correcting herself and smiling. ----------------------------------------------------------------- A welcome start to the love of death, and one that will be temporarily put on hold. WHAT? Just when it will start getting good?! Yes, I'm afraid so. Other things take precedence... such as furthering Chronos' story, as well as more interaction with Noah, the distant master of Fate in Algo. It'll be back soon, though. Enjoy!