Chapter Text
A woman stared at her phone screen, anxiously twirling her silver hair as she stared at the live playback from her kingdom. The desolate streets, the abandoned palace, her very ancestors locked in the prison.
She sighed and put her phone down on the table. “We never should’ve left them.”
“It’s too late now,” the man across from her calmly replied, keeping his eyes on the book in front of him.
“Why did you let me do this, Lunar?” the woman asked.
Lunar lifted his gaze to hers. “Because we had to. To ensure that Setsuna’s prophecy will be fulfilled, we need to stall our enemies so the girls can awaken. You know this.”
“Yeah, but… did we have to leave all of them? Three generations and a royal assistant?”
“We need to sell it.”
The woman sighed and threw her head back. “If we lose the Silver Crystal-”
“We won’t. Yes, this is… much worse compared to your first mission, but if Usagi and her team could handle it, so can their descendants. One of which is your granddaughter. Have more faith in her.”
The woman looked down. “I do. I’m just… This is Beryl. The woman who caused the Lunar Wars.”
“Who the first Inner Guardians defeated without casualty. I know you’re worried, but relax. They’ll be ok.”
“Lunar, you know she’s-”
“Gotten stronger. I know, but things have changed over the last several decades. I believe in them, and so should you.”
The woman looked away, picking up the end of her hair again to mess with it. “Still…”
“Serenity, Lunar,” another woman began, making the two look at her. She walked over to the table the two were at, glancing around the library.
“So?” Serenity asked, releasing her hair.
The new woman sat down at the end of the table. “Serena’s with my grandkids. She should awaken any day now.” Serenity looked away, grabbing her hair again to mess with it. “Oh, relax. You’re worse than Clemont.”
“Did Pluto contact Bonnie, Rini?” Lunar asked as he closed his book.
Rini nodded. “A few weeks ago.”
“Good,” Lunar began before picking up his phone from beside him. “Arti told me Ace will leave tomorrow morning, so all we have to do is wait for Beryl’s first minion to strike. And pray that Serena’s in the area.”
“How do you plan to meet her?” Rini asked.
Lunar shrugged, scrolling through his phone. “Probably with the Meowstic disguise. That’s how Arti did it.” Rini nodded as Lunar shifted his gaze to Serenity. “Do you want me to give her the brooch or you?”
Serenity looked at her purse, seeing the silver box peeking out of the top. “I don’t know. It is her birthday present, but I feel like she’d be worried about me if you give it to her.”
“I’m going to have to explain the current situation anyway, which will cause her to worry,” Lunar reminded.
Serenity sighed and threw her head back again. “I know…”
“So?” Rini asked.
Serenity looked back at the box and sighed. “I’ll deliver it while Serena’s at school. I’ll let her discover its power by herself or with Lunar’s help. Meyer knows me, and I should tell him Serena is my granddaughter. Especially since she and Bonnie are so close.”
“They’re doing better than us,” Rini teased, making Serenity smile.
“Alright. As for the others…” Lunar began before smiling at his phone. “Everyone but Mercury is here, but she’s on her way. All we have to do is wait.”
The two women nodded before Serenity looked at Rini. “Do you know if there’s any… hints here?”
Rini looked up, her gaze landing on a girl standing between bookshelves. She stared at the trio, a book secured in her arms, only to flinch when Rini looked at her. She glanced around before quickly turning around and walking off.
A smile crept onto Rini’s lips. “There’s some documented Sailor Guardian events, but most of them lead to dead ends. No one on this planet knows the truth. Just as we’ve left it.”
Lunar placed his phone down and looked at the book beside him. A textbook over the creation of the Solar System. “Yeah. These people are clueless.”
The girl Rini spotted quickly walked past the bookshelves beside her, hugging the book she grabbed to her chest. She approached a table, where a boy and a Pikachu sat, skimming through another book.
Pikachu perked up and looked at the girl, making his trainer look up. “Uh… are you ok?”
The girl placed her book down on the table. “I… I found three people who… They give off… some kind of power.”
The boy gave her a confused look. “Uh… I think you’re taking your psychic powers a little too seriously, Iris.”
“I’m serious,” Iris hissed before looking over at the table the three adults sat at. “Those women… they have some kind of royal… vibe to them.” The boy snorted, making Iris glare at him. “Ash.”
“I’m sorry, but that makes no sense,” Ash replied as Pikachu turned the page.
Iris rolled her eyes and sat down across from him. “So? Did you find anything?”
“Nope. Whatever we saw, it’s not an anomaly. Or reported anomaly,” Ash replied before lifting his gaze to Iris’. “What did you find?”
Iris picked up her book, showing Ash. “The theory of human magic. This may be full of nonsense, but maybe it can answer a few questions.”
“Maybe…” Ash muttered.
Iris put the book down and flipped to the first page. “See if you can find something else. I don’t want to be here all night.”
Ash nodded before he stood up, making Pikachu jump onto his shoulder. He picked up the book, closed it, and went back over to the array of book shelves.