~AGENT CHRISTIAN ROSS~
"How does Scarlet know who you are?" Ethan questioned.
We were all crowded in the living room. Jaxson was sitting on the two-seat sofa. Junho, Ethan, and Cassandra and I were all on the middle sofa, and Risuki sat in the single armchair on our left.
Scarlet was fast asleep in her room with Michael next to her, having stated he deserved to at least get to sleep next to her after saving her life.
It's not like any of us minded, though it was interesting to watch him sleepily stumble through explaining why he couldn't just walk to the guest room.
He sounded like a tired drunk and the moment he laid on the bed, he was out like a light. If I had to guess, he wouldn't be awake until tomorrow afternoon, or maybe even evening.
I stared at Risuki with my purple eyes, his familiar orbs meeting my gaze for a few seconds before he turned to look at Ethan, opening his mouth to answer his question.
"I was with Scarlet when she had to deal with the bomb incident," Risuki disclosed.
"We never saw you there," Junho pointed out with a frown.
"Of course you didn't. It’s not every day a Starlight god like myself will grace you all with my presence, just for you to gawk and ponder who I am. It's a waste of time," Risuki complained as he stared at the Nightmare doll that sat on the table.
Risuki noticed my gaze, and he leaned forward to pick up the doll and began inspecting it like he didn't know the familiar possession.
"Ah, better be careful not to take that doll. Moonlight will attack you," Ethan cautioned.
Junho relaxed back, putting his hands behind his head. "Where'd Moonlight go anyway?"
Risuki made a weird face as he began to poke at the bell around the doll’s neck. It made a small chime. I sighed, deciding to help him out this once. "He's in Scarlet's room. You know he doesn't like leaving her alone when she isn't well," I reminded.
The others nodded and I saw a slight smile form on Cassandra's lips. Risuki continued to play with the bell, waiting for us to present our questions.
"So, why don't we get this going so we can start locating these so called crystals?" Cassandra suggested.
"How do you know about the crystals? We never told Cece," Ethan pointed out.
"I don't need to search for information. It's delivered to me like a subscription service. I heard about it yesterday when Vinzent and I were dealing with some stuff. Anyways, what does all this have to do with Scarlet dying and coming back to life? Also adding in Michael looking so exhausted he'll probably sleep for a year," Cassandra demanded.
"He won't sleep for a year," Risuki mumbled.
"It was an exaggeration," Cassandra retorted.
"Whatever," Risuki grumbled before his face grew serious. "You all are aware that Scarlet fell 37 floors about five weeks ago, correct?"
We all nodded, exchanging glances as we prepared ourselves for what was likely to be a long conversation filled with useful information.
"Well, to summarize things, Scarlet had a locket around her neck that she always carried with her, that was given to her by Marilyn," Risuki revealed.
"Ya, the rose gold one," Jaxson confirmed.
Risuki nodded. "Yes. It was given to Scarlet with the instructions that she should always wear it, especially in dangerous situations. Almost like a protective necklace. When Xerxes dropped Scarlet after she burned his hands, the necklace activated. Scarlet held onto it and that, combined with her desperate desire to live, is the reason why she was resurrected."
"The item in the locket was the Stone of Awakening," Cassandra declared, not a hint of questioning in her voice.
"Correct. The stone had been passed down in the Sinclair family for cycles, Marilyn having been bestowed with it before coming to Earthala with Scarlet and Kendrick. She knew the night she was murdered that she wouldn't return home. Thus, the reason why she gave Scarlet the locket. Because of Scarlet's immense will to survive, the stone acknowledged her power and did the impossible, granting her life."
"But…?" I asked, knowing there must have been a cost.
"But in order for Scar to survive, the stone had to embed itself into her heart to provide it enough energy to restart before healing her internal wounds quickly, all before Scarlet's soul ascended," Risuki explained.
"So...what if someone tried to take her heart out?" Junho asked.
We all turned to stare at him, and he had a stern look on his face. "I'm serious. If these crystals have a connection to Scarlet, the enemy is going to find out sooner or later that Scarlet holds the stone inside her. Not only is she a target for being the Elemental, but now carries the Stone of Awakening within her as well. If they decide they want to kill Scar and take the stone, couldn't they?"
"No," Risuki stated.
"Why not?" Ethan asked. "Junho has a point. They'll kill Scar and retrieve the stone by taking her heart out. Xerxes or whoever else wants the stone wouldn't hesitate."
"Scarlet and the stone are connected. Meaning, one can't live without the other. If Scarlet dies, the stone will shatter. If the Stone of Awakening is damaged in some way, Scarlet will die," Risuki revealed.
We were all silent, the weight of his words sinking in. "So...Xerxes would have to keep Scar alive but force her into submission,” I realized.
"Yes," Risuki replied.
"Doesn't the stone have a purpose, though? When it's completed, won't it fade and destroy itself?" Cassandra asked. We turned to stare at her, realizing she must have known something about the Stone of Awakening that we didn't. Her eyes were locked on Risuki, who sighed.
"Once the Stone has achieved its purpose in this lifetime, it will indeed fade," Risuki declared.
"But Scarlet..." Jaxson began, but didn't finish. I knew he was still dealing with issues from Scarlet's apparent death, and had his own demons haunting him.
"Ya. If the stone completes its purpose and disappears, what happens to Scarlet?" Ethan asked with a serious tone, his eyes growing hard as he stared at Risuki.
"She'd be fine. The stone fading of its own accord is much different than being shattered or ripped out of Scarlet's chest. It will fade and heal Scar's heart fully so she can continue to live her life as the Elemental," Risuki concluded.
"How do you know, though?" Cassandra asked.
"I'm a god, Cassandra," Risuki huffed.
"You didn't know about the crystals though,” she pointed out.
Risuki began flicking the bell of the doll, his eyes on the small stuffed toy as he spoke. "You cannot understand how we gain our knowledge. It's not something we're taught like all of you, whether from books or from one another. One minute we know nothing about a subject and the next, the knowledge floods our mind just like that. It's just whatever Mother Destiny permits us to know. Sometimes she puts us to the test with challenges as she must have done with Scarlet's heart suddenly stopping," Risuki revealed.
"That seems like a tough job," Ethan muttered.
Junho slowly nodded. "Agreed."
"That's exactly why not just anyone could be a Starlight god. Now, anything else you'd like to know before I make my exit?" Risuki questioned.
"The crystals. Do you know anything else about them? Aside from the fact Xerxes needs them to match the power of the Stone of Awakening," Jaxson wondered.
"There are five crystals. The Crystal of Dark Revelations, which Michael now possesses, the Crystal of Protective Souls, the Crystal of Foreshadowing, the Crystal of Forgotten Memories, and the Crystal of Unity. They were protected by five women who called themselves sisters, protecting the crystals for many decades. When their time was finally up, they each hid their stones somewhere or with someone for safe keeping, knowing one day Mother Destiny would find new guardians to protect the crystals until they were needed again. I guess it’s safe to say Mother Destiny has decided to begin choosing the next individuals, Michael now being one of them," Risuki explained.
"But wouldn’t Mother Destiny choose a group of females again for that purpose?" Ethan asked.
"No. It can be an all-male group or an all-female group. Once the first individual has been chosen, the remaining crystals must be assigned to that same gender, though," Risuki replied.
"So...does that mean the rest of us have a chance at being the guardians of these crystals?" Junho asked.
"Correct. It might only be Michael, with the rest being given to strangers, or it could be all of you. It’s all up to Mother Destiny. Now I'll be leaving. I've stayed past my limit in this form," Risuki admitted, rising to his feet. We all stood, bowing to show our thanks.
"Thank you for answering our questions, Risuki, God of War," Jaxson spoke on behalf of our team.
"You are welcome. Ensure you all rest as well, for the coming days will be demanding and fast-paced. That is all I can tell you. May you find the remaining crystals and stop Xerxes' sinister plot," Risuki announced, placing the Nightmare doll back on the table.
A portal appeared in front of the kitchen island and Risuki began to move towards it, before Cassandra spoke up. "One more question."
Risuki paused mid-stride, looking over his shoulder to stare at our group, all of us watching Cassandra with curious eyes. She had a guarded expression as she stood straight, her eyes directly staring into Risuki's glowing turquoise ones.
"Is there something we're missing? First, the Stone of Awakening is revealed and becomes a target for Xerxes, and now these crystals. Is something brewing in the galaxy that means we need these? It couldn't just happen out of coincidence," Cassandra elaborated.
Risuki was quiet for a long time and I wondered if he'd even answer her as he closed his eyes. It was a good minute before he opened them again, turning around to face us. His eyes held a level of knowledge that was hard to describe in words, but the wisdom that flickered in them made me realize whatever he was about state was vitally important.
"Everything happens for a reason. Whether it's someone's death or an event that triggers multiple things, both good and bad. I can't state much, because even I am unaware of all that is happening in all the various realms across the vast galaxy. All I know is it's only a matter of time until all the realms will have to fight in order to be able to live in harmony. They will have to compromise as you do right now and Scarlet will be one of those individuals that the galaxy will need to help restore peace. All you can do is help her become stronger and train yourselves for the day when you will all have to fight to keep what's most valuable to you, whether it be a loved one or your own life," Risuki concluded gravely.
He looked away and took a deep breath. "May we guide and protect you through the challenges ahead."
"In stars, we trust,” we all said in unison, only realizing we'd responded after the words had left our mouths.
Risuki didn't wait for us to ask any other questions, walking straight into the portal that slowly closed behind him. The room returned back to its original state.
"What now?" Ethan asked. I looked at the others, my mind already thinking about what we needed to do.
"We need to find the other crystals and make sure no one dares to hurt our Scar," I declared.
~AGENT SCARLET SINCLAIR~
"Huh?"
I looked around the familiar environment, my foggy mind realizing I stood in my childhood home. Everything was decorated just as it had been that fateful Christmas Eve. The day I sometimes wished I'd forget.
The Christmas tree was still decorated with different colored lights. Looking out the window, I could see the heavy snowfall from the growing storm. I stared at the blank drawing board, my body automatically drawn to it as my fingers itched to capture the image. The picture of my mother's dead body.
I bit my lip as I reached out to the charcoal black crayon in my hand, wondering why it wasn’t a pen like it had been that fateful night. I stared at the blank page, my mind urging me to draw, but I was afraid. I was scared to draw the same image that haunted my dreams every Christmas Eve and reminded me of all the lonely holidays I spent before I'd somewhat accepted her death.
Even with the new knowledge that she was murdered by Xerxes, a part of me still couldn't believe she was gone. While drawing the image in my head would validate that she was, it would only make my heart ache more.
It took me a long time of debating before I gave in, closing my eyes and drawing what my body wanted to. Instead of lingering on the vivid memory of what the police officer had discovered that snowy night, I instead thought of all the happy memories I had with my mom. All the times we'd laughed and smiled, the nights where we'd paint and color in the coloring books she'd bought me for play time. I recalled when we dressed up as princesses and baked chocolate chip cookies. I remembered the times I'd cry in the middle of the night and there she'd be, lifting me in her arms and humming quietly to soothe me. Or the times I'd fall asleep at the table and she'd clean me up and put me in my favorite Sailor Moon pajamas before carrying me to bed.
As the memories coursed through my head, tears ran down my cheeks and I smiled, allowing myself to continue drawing blindly, focusing on the good memories while I drew the bad ones out on the sheet of paper.
When my hand stopped moving, I knew the piece was finished. Though I debated whether to open my eyes or not, I finally did and looked down at what I drew.
To my surprise, the picture wasn't of my mother's dead body. It was me, standing in the middle of the group of guys; Jaxson, Michael, and Christian were on my right, while Junho and Ethan were on my left.
Kendrick stood just little further away from our group, a pleasant smile on his face. When I looked at myself, surrounded by my men, I could see we were all happy; content, warm expressions reflected on our faces and intriguing colors surrounded each of us.
Each guy had a color, ranging from gold, red, turquoise blue, green, and a light purple. What drew my attention back to myself in the image, was that every single color surrounding the guys seemed to blend with the little aura around me, reminding me of a rainbow. Above us was an image of the night sky, with my mother’s beautiful face looking down at us like a guardian angel.
She wore a proud expression similar to Kendrick's, appearing satisfied that I was with the guys. I didn't know if my drawing was just a reflection of what I wished for, but I did hope my mom approved of them
I sometimes dreamed she was here to give me guidance and help me get stronger so I could protect them. I wondered if they would have all gotten along with her, but my instincts told me they would, and that she'd love their unique characteristics.
I placed my fingers on her sketched out image as a tear rolled down my cheek.
"Mom...I miss you," I whispered.
"And I miss you, Scarlet."
I practically jumped at the voice that came from behind me. I quickly turned around to see my mom standing there.
"M...mom?" I asked in disbelief. She looked so stunning, exactly the same as she did in my childhood memories. Her flawless pale skin, those curly brown locks that I knew were dyed for the sake of concealing our identities. Those rosy pink cheeks and bright red lips. Her beautiful vibrant blue-green eyes that were exactly like mine.
"You still draw so magnificently. I wish I could stare at it all day,” she confessed.
I slowly walked up to her, my legs feeling weak and my hands trembled. It couldn't be her. There's no way this was real. She gave me a sad smile as she took a step forward, meeting me halfway. Her arms wrapped around me, pulling me into an embrace.
It felt so fucking real that I held her so tightly, trying to figure out what to say. This was my one last shot at telling her how I felt. To stress just how much I missed her and regretted not stopping her from leaving the house that day.
"Mom. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for not stopping you. I'm sorry for not loving you harder. If...if I had stopped you...you might not have died," I cried, tears rolling down my cheeks as I let out my emotions.
"Oh dear. None of that was under your control. My destiny was already determined. Whether you stopped me or not, it was my time to go. If I hadn’t left, you and Kendrick would have been in more danger. I couldn't allow that,” she consoled, her hand stroking my head as I cried.
"But your death hurt so much, Mom. It still hurts, and Kendrick. Poor Dad...living all those years without being able to tell me. He just watched me grow from afar and did what he could to give me the best life. Why couldn't we have just been together? Why couldn't we just run away and be a little family where no one could hurt us?" I pondered through sobs.
"I know Scar, my sweet love. I know. Everything happens for a reason, and though my death may feel like it could have been avoided in your mind, it could not have been. The way I died wasn't the best, but I didn't feel any pain. Now I'm happy where I am, and I can still watch my beautiful daughter grow into the woman I always wished I had the confidence to become,” she explained.
I pulled back to look into her eyes, noticing the tears that pooled in them as she smiled at me. "Please let go of such regrets, Scarlet. My sweet Princess, continue walking forward. Lingering on the past won't solve anything. Focusing on the present and the future ahead will lead you to the answers you seek."
"But...it's hard. It's been so difficult, Mom. I feel so weak. So hopeless. I've always been the strong one. The overachiever. Yet, ever since...my death, I’ve felt like I'm only going to fail my team. Everything is moving so fast, yet it's as if I can't get a break to absorb everything and be able to use it to my advantage," I confessed, taking a deep breath before I continued.
"I'm just working harder and harder to keep up, while balancing everything that's going on and trying to act like everything is okay. Yet, I know I'm going to reach my limit and it just scares me that I'll fail the guys. I'll fail Dad...I'll disappoint everyone." I whispered the last part, putting my head down in shame.
"Scarlet, look at me."
I lifted my head at Mother's sweet voice and she cradled my face in her hands. "It's okay to feel this way, Scarlet. Don't you remember all the times you watched Sailor Moon and told me how much you adored her? You didn't love her just because she saved the world many times. You loved her because she was an average girl who was like everyone else. She got bad grades, hated studying, and would rather sleep than do homework, but when the world needed saving, she was there. She had her good days and bad days. She sometimes felt exhausted and even experienced defeat. But the one thing she didn't do was give up," Mom explained, pulling me into another hug.
"Whenever you fall, Scarlet, you get back up stronger. I know it's scary because this isn't some anime show. This is real life and that's why it's so nerve-wracking for you. But I need you to realize that you are stronger than you know. As your mother, I know how strong you are, Scarlet. All you have to do is find the confidence you once had and tell yourself that you are stronger than the people who want to see your downfall. You just have to fight for what you want and never give up."
She pulled back to look into my eyes and I slowly nodded. "Okay, Mom. I'll try that. I'll work hard to be more confident in myself and I won't give up, even if I feel like I should," I agreed.
She nodded, leaning in to place a kiss on my forehead. "It's time for you to go back, Scarlet. Risuki can't hold time any longer."
"Risuki...you mean Moonlight? Wait, he’s holding time?" I questioned, feeling a little confused by her words.
"You'll understand when you get back. Monako decided she wanted to give you this chance to see me, thinking it would help you become stronger for the challenges to come," Mom revealed.
"Monako...the beautiful lady who owned the crystal," I remembered. A wide smile formed on my lips as tears rolled down my cheeks, so grateful that Monako had found a way to give me this moment with my mom.
Mother wiped my tears before holding me in her arms one last time. "I love you, Scarlet. I'll always love you and your father. I don't regret dying and I don't want you thinking it was your fault. I accepted my fate and now I just pray you won't be a fool like I was,” she whispered, leaning back to stare into my eyes, a stern look on her face.
"Don't be a coward and run away like I did. Be strong and protect the people you care for. Take chances and risks, and most importantly, don't be afraid to rely on others. Your friends, family, those sweet handsome men of yours. Trust them to help you, Scarlet. Trust your spirits to be your extra strength when you think you can't achieve something on your own."
"Okay, Mom," I whispered, my eyes suddenly growing heavy. I fought as long as I could, watching as my mom's eyes filled with tears, even as she smiled with pride.
"The next time we see each other won't be for a long time, my dear, but I'll always be watching. I love you, my Princess. Be the Queen I was too afraid of becoming and love without boundaries. Farewell, my daughter."
"I...love you, Mom...farewell," I whispered back before my world grew black.
I knew that would be the last time I'd ever see my mom in this life, but instead of feeling sad, I was happy to have finally obtained closure.