For Erytheia, it was the words of the Code that filled his mind from the Moon.
For Urania, it was her first trip off Earth or her world she had done in a thousand years.
They held hands and teleported to the wonder.
Where they stood in the center of the wonder. What they saw was concerning. The spot had been disturbed by what could only have been hurricane force winds.
Erytheia made his way quickly to the Star Mount Beacon — where the Code was housed. He could feel its energy. It needed him.
He expected these things after the meeting on the Moon.
But there was one thing he did not expect to find…
… a starseed!
“Be careful with that, knight of Erytheia! That is my starseed you hold in your hands. The magical disturbance that prevented your coming here before released it from where it has rested for a thousand years.”
Yuki appeared before him and, for once, his voice was solemn. He looked directly at Erytheia. And then through him.
At Urania.
“Father! But how… you should be dead.”
Erytheia looked to her, confusion on his face even as he held the starseed of his ancestor in his hands.
“Yuki is my ancestor ghost. How is your…”
Everything he knew about his past life, his ancestor and the knights of Cosmos filled his mind all at once.
In his past life, he was Ptolemy’s twin brother, Tsubasa. Yuki was a former knight of Cosmos which means he wasn’t from Erytheia originally. And then the fact that Urania knew him as her father meant…
“Soliel is my father. And the father of you… in your past life, anyway. I didn’t know he went by the name Yuki.”
This was a lot to take in at once. He walked up to Yuki. Staring him straight in the eye. — searching.
There it was… much smaller than Urania’s… but they were there.
Stars.
The former knight of Erytheia was also the king of Urania!
“We can worry about who I was in the past and my starseed later. You need to resonate with the Code. Now!”
The three climbed to the top of the cliff where the Beacon stood. Inside it was a light unlike anything on Earth or any world. It was the Code and the one piece of it unique to this wonder.
But a darkness swirled inside it.
The knight of Cosmos placed a hand to the crystal, the transcendence marks on his palm began to glow and then the Code Pierce inside resonated with his own starseed…
A memory.
It filled Erytheia’s mind like no other had ever done before. This… this appeared real. Like he was actually there. It was unlike when he had drank the golden vial and remembered that he was once Tsubasa.
It also filled Urania’s mind. But she had nothing to compare it to. She had never had memories of any other life but her own. No other memories but those of Ptolemy.
A young Ptolemy appeared.
You will be the senshi of his world, Ptolemy. Once you grow old enough, you will become Sailor Urania.
Urania knew this voice: it was Etoile.
A young Tsubasa appeared
And you will be a knight of Cosmos, Tsubasa. Once I grow old and retire, you will become Knight Erytheia.
Urania knew this voice, too: it was Soliel.
Those words filled both of their minds as a memory appeared in full. For Urania, it was simply a vision. For Erytheia, it was as if he was there, living it!
“Urania… Tsubasa… I hope my magic was enough to keep you both safe.”
Yuki appeared on Erytheia. The tree which no longer existed on the wonder in the present day was still standing. This was the past!
The knight’s breathing was heavy. He was holding his chest where his heart was. There was blood on his uniform.
A second figure appeared. It was a Mauvian in human form. But, at first, they could not tell who it was.
“Yuki!”
The knight of Cosmos fell into the Mauvian’s open arms.
“You must leave, Tama. You need to find a cure to the Chaos that is infecting both Urania and Erytheia. Please…”
Tama shook his head.
“I will not leave you like this.”
Yuki clasped his hand in his own.
“You must! I will heal faster here. I’ll be okay.” He looked into the Mauvian’s eyes, knowing full well he was lying. “I promise.”
Tama teleported away, but not without looking over his shoulder at the knight — one last time.
Yuki positioned himself against the tree. He wrote something on its bark with his signet ring. Then, it fell from his hand to the ground, hot from the brand of the seal he had placed in the wood and the very last of his magic.
“I’m sorry. All of you. I don’t think I will survive to see Chaos purged from Erytheia or Urania or any other world in the cosmos. Tsubasa, Ptolemy and… Tama…”
He breathed his last.
“Forgive me.”
Then they returned to reality.
Each were silent for a time. They just stared at each other. No words came for the longest time.
Finally, Yuki spoke:
“Well, I guess you know everything now. You saw my death. Did you not?”
Erytheia looked down at the starseeed still in his hands.
“Please. Make sure my starseed returns to the Galaxy Cauldron. You are more than capable now.”
Yuki smiled.
“I have seen my children, Ptolemy and Tsubasa, again. I only regret that I have not seen my beloved, Tama, in this time. Can you try and find him again so that I may meet him before I return to Cosmos?”
Then, suddenly, without any warning, the darkness in the Code flared like the sun.
A vision — not a memory — filled their minds:
Quote:
Suddenly, the image in Erythea’s mind shifted. The images dimmed, so dark that it was almost black. A sea of stars spread across an unimaginable expanse, but the light always seemed so far away.
The image moved, like a camera panning across the universe. It stopped when a large, bright star took up nearly half of the visible space.
And then, a silhouette passed over it. Writhing, like a snake, with great tendrils trailing behind it, something began to eclipse it. It moved fast. It changed direction.
There was no chance this was debris, this was something alive.
And something big.
Sound wasn’t supposed to travel in space, and yet a low hum echoed in Erytheia’s ears. Growing louder. Deeper. More frightening.
The noise was so deafening, so horrible, that it could be felt bone-deep.
The star, almost a replica of the sun, grew brighter. Blinding white light, searing hot, was so intense that it seemed to burn through the image.
The silhouette in front of the star seemed to be soaking up the energy. Devouring it. The star warped and fluctuated in size, swelling and shriveling simultaneously.
Pressure was building. It was uncomfortable. It was maddening. Between that, and the sound, and light, the image was almost too much to bear, and then–
Nothing.
Everything had been building. Destruction was inevitable. And then, on the precipice of an eruption, the image was violently torn from Erytheia’s mind.
Only the image of a single glowing eye, as bright as a star, remained burned into his mind.
The image moved, like a camera panning across the universe. It stopped when a large, bright star took up nearly half of the visible space.
And then, a silhouette passed over it. Writhing, like a snake, with great tendrils trailing behind it, something began to eclipse it. It moved fast. It changed direction.
There was no chance this was debris, this was something alive.
And something big.
Sound wasn’t supposed to travel in space, and yet a low hum echoed in Erytheia’s ears. Growing louder. Deeper. More frightening.
The noise was so deafening, so horrible, that it could be felt bone-deep.
The star, almost a replica of the sun, grew brighter. Blinding white light, searing hot, was so intense that it seemed to burn through the image.
The silhouette in front of the star seemed to be soaking up the energy. Devouring it. The star warped and fluctuated in size, swelling and shriveling simultaneously.
Pressure was building. It was uncomfortable. It was maddening. Between that, and the sound, and light, the image was almost too much to bear, and then–
Nothing.
Everything had been building. Destruction was inevitable. And then, on the precipice of an eruption, the image was violently torn from Erytheia’s mind.
Only the image of a single glowing eye, as bright as a star, remained burned into his mind.
And then it ended. The Code dispelled the magical disturbance. It was as if nothing at all had happened.
But something had happened — Erytheia and Urania each had a new conviction.
Find Tama so they may return the starseed to Cosmos!
