Where we last ended our tale, poor confused Selene had died in a vicious battle to the death along with her mother and over 100 troops. She was then engulfed in a swarm of beautiful butterflies and disappeared. This is where we begin our tale and Selene begins her Voyage of Destiny. “Where am I?” mumbled a groggy young girl. “Who am I? She wondered?” She was beautiful with long blond hair that fell past her bottom and was tall and thin. Appearing to be at the age of 16, she was completely oblivious to her past and what she had just gone through. Unknown to her she was the last living member of her family. Selene had survived in fact; she just had no memory of her past. Gathering all of her strength she struggled to stand. She failed. Trying again she succeeded. Her wobbly legs sustained her weight. She looked around her to examine her surroundings. Everywhere she looked was almost completely green. There was, what appeared to be, long tall blades of grass all around. The Girl was standing in a pile of dirt that was indented in the shape of her body, which was knee deep. There were giant flowers of beautiful shapes and colors. Tulips, Roses, Lilacs, and Violets dotted the green. It was breath taking. She stretched from what felt like 3 years of sleep. Doing this she extended enormous wings that resembled a butterfly’s. This was not noticed yet. The sun was shining brightly and her shadow was in front of her. Glancing at her shadow she noticed the long shadows that looked like wings. Seeing this she gasped in fright. Selene reached behind her to touch the large splendors. She was a graceful butterfly. Just had legend told, she had been turned into a butterfly when she died, but instead of flying to find her one true love, now that she was good again she had no desire to. “This must be a dream. I cannot be a butterfly. This is not possible.” She cried. Then looking down at her clothes she notices that she was wearing a blue dress. It came to her knees and was small on her and was torn. Flashback: “SELENE!!! Come here now young lady.” Yells a beautiful woman. A young girl goes running by. She is about 14, has shoulder length blond hair and is wearing a blue dress that comes to her ankles. The young girl runs up to a lady who is presumably her mother. She is tall thin and very beautiful. She had long red hair and was wearing an elegant gown. “That women looks so familiar” Selene thinks snapping out of her day dream “I wonder who she was. She was wearing a crown so she was probably a queen of some far off land.” Selene glanced around her. Now she was floating. While she was thinking she had somehow lifted off the ground and was now floating hundreds of feet into the air. “Eeeep!” She let out a frightened yell. With that she plummeted towards back the ground. “I have to find out someway to stop myself!!!” Trying with all her might she flung her wings back and forth. They were still new to her so instead of helping her they had become just deadweight. Unable to stop she began to fall faster. “Must stop!” Again she tried to use her wings but this time she tried a little less hard. She carefully moved them back and forth. If it did not work this time she would hit the ground and die on impact. Grunting she struggled to lift herself upward to the sky. It had worked and she was now soaring above the ground. This danger had passed but there would be plenty more to come. Soaring through the air the young girl soon became accustomed to her surroundings. Under her was a vast field of wild flowers. In front was a deep, blue ocean. To her back were the remains of what used to be a huge castle. The castle in which her past did lie. Flashback: The beautiful women held out her hands for the young girl to see. Relentlessly she stalked off to the kitchen. Grabbing a cup out of the cabinet the girl paused. Replacing the cup the girl removed a gem-incrusted goblet. Filling it with milk, she returned to her mother. The mother looked at the girl as if she was mad and then dismissed her. The child ran off into her room crying. Selene did not yet know this woman, but she already hated her. She felt pity for the young girl. Her mother had obviously upset the girl by dismissing her without even acknowledging the drink. Vocal Flashback: “You’ll never amount to anything. Let your true hate come out.” “That voice! I know that voice. Whomever that voice belonged to was evil. Pure ruthless evil and I somehow know that that voice is the key to that little girl in my daydream’s undoing. I will seek out this girl and try to warn her. Protect her if I can because if I am correct that girl is in trouble. Whoever I am and whatever I am here for I must have acquired the power to foretell the future. I must go and purge this evil from this little girl’s body.” Selene said to herself. Selene’s intentions were true but she did not know that the girl was already dead and this little girl was she. Or whoever she used to be. Her past was somehow blocked off in the furthest corner of her mind because she had not yet remembered her past and what she used to be. Flashback: A tall beautiful castle stood in the background. It was white and had numerous towers and tips sprouting from one large structure. Flags flew from every possible place. There were large balconies and terraces for sitting and occupying. A beautiful courtyard surrounded the castle form every angle. There were benches and lakes and streams to sit by. Large crops of woods with trails to walk upon after dinnertime were always occupied with people or wildlife which seemed to herd to the castle for life was much better there then in the outside world. And then there was Selene’s final resting place. (Or whatever she had become final resting place.) It was a large cement porch with no rooftop. Her mother had despised the rooftop so her father had it removed it at once. She said it “obstructed her view of the sunset.” It had chairs and tables to eat meals at and was where her mother had trained when she used to be the Celestial Solider. That was before she let all her fame and power go to her head. Selene loved the porch. She would sit there for hours imagining herself as queen and as a warrior just like her mother had been. Then her father would call her in for dinner or some other and she would skip merrily back to her house. Then the family would gather and watch the sunset and Selene remembered feeling at peace whenever she sat there. This was (ironically) where her life would end. “That castle!!! That’s the castle behind me! That must be where the little girl is! Shoot. Now how do I make these things go reverse?” She giggled at her comment. She slowly eased herself to the left and turned herself around. She was heading towards the ocean for some odd unknown reason. So now she had turned herself around and was heading back towards the castle. Flashback: The young girl was sitting in the courtyard and sobbing. Then she heard a voice. “Let your hate rule and you can change all this. Come with me and I’ll show you how.” Then there was a cloud of smoke. When the cloud dissipated the girl was gone. Nothing was left of her at all. “Where did she go!?” Selene panicked “She couldn’t have just disappeared. It’s not physically possible! She has to still be there! People can’t just disappear out of existence.” She began to fly faster. She had to find out where that girl had gone. “Maybe the courtyard will give off some clues to where she went” Selene thought. Flying ever-faster Selene raced towards the castle. Her vision blurred, she could not yet tell that the castle was in ruins. Because of her transformation to a butterfly she had blurred vision. Even though the eyes were hers the size of them differed greatly and she could only see short distances. The castle to her looked normal, but it wasn’t. The wall where Selene had killed her mother was still broken. The walls had crumbled and the rooms of her once beloved castle had been ransacked. The doors and windows were all boarded up to keep intruders out but that attempt had failed. They found other ways in. Some climbed up the vines that had grown and covered the castle walls making them easier to scale. The upper windows had not been sealed so that is where most entered. The porch was stained with blood from the battle that changed the world, as they knew it. Life could never return to normal again. As Selene flew onward the small quaint town that surrounded the castle came into view. There was a market place used to sell fine goods. They no longer used the market though. They now used inside stores to keep the food fresher longer. The market still remained as a memory for when times were easier. Before they had to fend for themselves. When they had the royal family to rely on. Now with them all dead they had to rely on other resources. Technology had advanced greatly in the three short years Selene had been gone. The now had updated grocery stores and freezers. They had machines and computers and camcorders plumbing and all your modern technology. Selene did not recognize this world. This was not the land she had grown up in and loved. She not yet remembered all of the wonderful things of her past. The houses were kept in good condition. The structure and outsides were still the same. But the insides had changed considerably. They had electricity and plumbing. Carpet instead of the usual bare floors. Refrigerators to keep their food in. Everything was modernized except for the castle. When the castle finally became clear enough for Selene to see what had happened the sun was already setting. The castle, even in dim light, looked horrible. The walls were cracked and broken. Everything was in ruins. Selene could only imagine what the inside looked like. The once gorgeous furnished rooms were now empty. The walls where family portraits had hung were bare. There was not one room left in tact. At least none known rooms to the outside world. The ballroom where Selene’s family had many fine parties and balls was ransacked. The grand piano was gone. The chandelier was in pieces. Selene’s and the family’s bedrooms were stripped of their beds and sheets and all other possible valuables. The kitchen was empty. Not a pot or pan in sight. All of the fine silver was either gone or tarnished beyond recognition. The once beautiful castle was no more inside and out. Selene entered the castle in a small hole in the wall. The room she entered was vague. Like she had remembered it from a dream. This room unlike the others was in good condition. Nothing seemed to be out of place. Everything was in tact. The only thing bad about it was there was dust everywhere. Flashback: (This room was not mentioned in the first story, but is shown here from her memories) The room was dark but she could smell her mother’s perfume. As she scanned the pedestal with her hands she felt a candle. Lighting it she looked around the room. (Unlike all the other flashbacks this is from her point of view) There was a big and beautiful blue crystal throne in front of her. It was hidden behind tapestries made of silver and blue crystals. The tapestries were pulled back by long silver cords. Next to the throne was a long narrow scepter. The handle of this marvelous weapon was clear crystal. Upon the top of it sat small prongs as if to hold something. Next to the scepter placed upon a pillow lay a small silver stone. This stone was perfectly round and had an almost eerie glow about it. She remembered her mother saying never to touch it. As she walked on a silver rug towards the throne she saw candles set up on long silver holders. She lit them along her way. One at a time until they were all lit and she was in front of the throne. She looked up. There were mirrors everywhere. She reached out and grabbed the scepter. She felt no power coming from it. “The crystal” she thought “is its source of power” She then saw her hand reach out to grab the crystal. Then she heard a yell. Snapping out of the flashback she looked around her. She was in that room. Selene realized this was the throne room. She reached for the candle she had seen in her dream. It was there in the exact spot it had been. Forgetting she was a small butterfly she tried to lift it. Unable to she left it where it was and just lit it and moved on. Tiny Selene carried a long stick with a small flame with her to light all the other candles. Lighting candles was a difficult task as she approached the tapestries. They were untied and hid the throne. Luckily lighting each candle along the way made the room grow lighter. She had finally reached the tapestry. Being as small as she was she could not move the heavy tapestries. Falling to the ground she began to cry. “Why must I be so small? I now cannot move those heavy tapestries and help the little girl. I just somehow know that that scepter could help her if I could just get to it.” She wept for a long time. When she looked up, her vision blurred with tears, she saw everything become it’s regular size and not so big to her. Standing up she noticed she had grown back to human size, but along with her body her wings grew too. She was now the height of an average 16-year-old girl with wings. They now felt even weirder to her but she put that aside and knew she had to get to that scepter. Moving the heavy fabric aside behind them glittered a throne. She still had to light the last two candles though to get a good look at the place. She picked up her stick, which had now become a twig and lit the last two candles. She then blew out the flame and entered the large space. It was just like in her daydream but the scepter was nowhere in sight. The crystal was though. It sat on a small blue pillow with silver tassels and was about the size of a quarter. Bracing herself for a power surge she picked it up. Instantly she became flooded with memories of her mother, Tall and thin with beautiful long red hair pulled back into a ponytail and the most warming and caring eyes she had ever seen. She was dressed in a white sailor suit that had a blue bow and collar. Her skirt was also white and had a blue stripe along the bottom of it. As for shoes she was wearing black strap stilettos. Even with all the thoughts of her mother she did not know her past yet. She felt an enormous jolt of power shoot through her body. She heard a small voice “To find your past and your future you must find Chimofu-chan. He will have what you are looking for. Until then guard this crystal with your life and do not let the forces of evil get their hands on it or our world will end. I love you and miss you honey. I forgive you. You did not know what you did. I miss you. Don’t ever forget me” The voice died out. Along with the voice the candles one by one began to go out. “MOMMY!!!!” Selene screamed, “Don’t go! I still don’t know my past. Please Mommy don’t go.” She began to weep again. “Wait! Before the last candle burns out I must see what I look like. Looking up into the mirror she saw a girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes. Wings sprouted from her back. She looked sixteen and was wearing a blue dress that was all too small for her. This dress she recognized. It was the one from all her dreams! She was the little girl she realized. But if she was the little girl could she still be saved. The answer came to her. She already had been. That is why she was a butterfly. She had done something wrong and was saved by being transformed into a butterfly. “Even though I now know that I was saved I still feel it is of the utmost importance I find out who I am and why I am a butterfly.” She said to herself. She began to feel week. The last candle had burned out. With the last of her strength before she passed out she sighed “Thanks Mommy” and then was gone. When our heroine finally awoke it was dawn and she was sleeping out in the courtyard on a bench. Opening her eyes and she looked around her. She was tiny again. The bench she laid upon was gray marbled stone. All around her were trees growing wildly and out of control. Flowers grew high on their stalks and weeds sprouted out from every possible hole in the ground to suck the life from the out of control flowers. Rising into the air she prepared for a long flight into the town to find Chimofu-Chan and her past and future. She would not and could not fail on this mission. She began to ascend into the air. She could now see the castle underneath her. With it’s broken walls and torn flags still in view it still felt like a home to her. She felt that this castle was an important link to her past. She flew over the “battlefield” and stopped dead. The blood stained stone and broken wall looked scarily familiar. She didn’t like the feeling of evil it gave her and flew away. She wanted to get as far away from it as possible. The town came into view. She began to descend onto one of the rooftops. There seemed to be some sort of activity there. Landing on the roof she listened into the two scruffy men’s conversation. “It’s so sad,” Said man # 1 “Yea. The king they say died a year after the battle. He died supposedly of heartbreak. But they never put that on the coroner’s slip. They say something like heart attack.” Said man # 2 “Yea. If they put the truth no one who didn’t see it or experience it would believe it.” “I mean if I lost my wife who was the Celestial solider and my daughter who was turned into some evil being I’d probably die soon too!” Said # 2 “Poor Chimofu-San. He was a good man. And Kitsuchi-San she was a real catch. But then losing Selene to the evil force was the worst. Remember how hard the first year or so was? Without the royal family to lean on? It was so hard. But now we are better. And they say that the daughter, Selene had turned into a butterfly so if she’s out there maybe she’s on her way to save us.” Said the first man. “Yea and we’re going to need all the saving we can possibly get. Since the evil has finally left and reaped our lands dry they say it headed to our neighboring planet the moon. I have many relatives there and I don’t want to lose them!” The second man realized. “Yea but if you remember the evil queen said that she wasn’t going to leave until she killed the prince. Then she said she was going to destroy the Earth and move on to the moon. So either way we are doomed.” “I guess so. Well I got to get to work. Later man.” The second man said and left. The first man waved and then went on his own way. Selene was still sitting back on the rooftop stunned. With Chimofu dead she would never find her past. Then another aspect of the conversation came back to her. “And they say that the daughter, Selene had turned into a butterfly so if she’s out there maybe she’s on her way to save us.” Said the first man. “A butterfly?” she thought. “But I am a butterfly and I have no memory of my past. So I must be Selene and my mother was then Kitsuchi and my father Chimofu!” The memories all came back to her now. Her vain mother, Jisushika-Sama, the battle, Areku-Chan, her and her mother’s death and lastly the butterfly swarm that had engulfed her. She was Selene last heir to the throne and the only one who could save the Earth from total destruction. Just like her mother had done before. She felt a great sadness overwhelm her and she began to cry hysterically. She had killed her mother and now her father was gone to. She felt alone. Completely alone and isolated from everyone and everything. She remembered the evil feeling she got from the “battlefield”. “If this is all true,” She thought “Then I must go and save the prince from the evil queen and save our Earth.” A burst of energy went through her. It was the crystal. It began to pulse with a strange glow. She was still a butterfly and the crystal when she shrunk must have shrunk with her. “I will find the prince.” She declared “and then maybe he can tell me how to become human again!” She then flew into the air to locate the prince. She immediately headed towards the ocean and as she headed that way the crystal began to pulse faster letting her know she was getting closer. Beneath her the ocean loomed big and blue. Ahead of her was a small island. She knew deep in her soul that is where the prince was. Speeding over the vast blueness the island became larger and larger. From her present height the island looked larger than the main land. It was a vast green forest with beaches all around of pure white sand and the water was so clear she could see the sunken ships at the bottom of the ocean. It was breathtaking. In the center of the island was an odd clearing. Unlike all the other open spots this one had an enormous hole right in the center. The deep black pit looked like the perfect spot to start searching for the prince. As she flew ever closer the crystal began to pulse faster and stronger than ever. She felt immense power seeping into her body from it. It was reacting to the evil in the hole. In a few seconds she was looming over the blackness that consumed that large amount of area. The crystal stopped pulsing and was now a constant glow. The power was now freely flowing into her body and she began to grow back to human size again. It was the crystal’s doing. The more she grew the more powerful she got, but she was careful with the power because she did not want a repeat of the past. Taking a deep breath she flew slowly into the hole letting the darkness cover her. It seemed to be hundreds of feet deep and went on forever. As she neared the end of the hole she heard voices. There was a women’s voice. It spoke strongly but softly. The voice was threatening, but very confident. It said: “And then when you are gone I will destroy this useless planet and then head on to the moon. I will kill all your people and teach you never to challenge me.” A small male voice replied “I never challenged you. I told you that evil never wins and to leave my people alone you witch!” “Do not speak unless I tell you to!” yelled the woman. “I interpreted your words as a challenge. And now you will pay for your foolish words. No one ever calls me an evil witch and gets away with it.” Selene’s curiosity took over her. Slowly she peeked around the corner and was greeted with a bright light that was a complete contrast to the darkness of the hole. As she squinted at the brightness she could make out a man chained up on his knees before a woman who was shrouded by the shadows. “Jisushika-Sama?” she whispered. No. This was not Jisushika-Sama. This woman was far less beautiful. She looked old and was not as tall. She had long black hair and a large black crown on her head. She held a staff with a glowing orb of power floating above it. Her skin was a pasty white and her eyes appeared to be dead. They were a dark purple and there seemed to be no life left in them. So much about her seemed evil. Selene guessed that this was the evil queen. Two pairs of footsteps approached the queen. The first man spoke. He was wearing a brown robe that hid his face from all sight. He said “Your majesty, Queen Metallia, we feel a disturbance. We think there is an intruder.” The second man just nodded. (He says nothing) “We feel an amazing force of good power has entered our domain. It makes us all feel uneasy because this power feels stronger than yours. “IMPOSSIBLE!” yelled the Queen. “There is no stronger power than mine.” “We know that your highness but that is how it feels.” The man replied and the other man nods again. “Liars! You dare disturb me to lie to me?! Now you will both pay! You both will die for your disbelief in my powers!” She yelled. She raised her staff towards the two men. “I banish you two to the other dimension!” She screams and her staff lets out a blast of purple energy that surrounds the two men. There is a sizzling sound and then they are gone. There was nothing left of them. When she was done she turned her attention back on to the prince. He was smiling proudly. “What do you dare smile at!?” She yelled. “The great Selene has returned.” He said simply. “Who is this Selene?” “She was the daughter or Chimofu and Kitsuchi. She has the power of the crystal on her side and once she has that power there is no defeating her. She can defeat you and she will freeing me and then we shall banish you to the other dimension!” He said coyly. “She is here isn’t she? She is the disturbance. And you knew it didn’t you?” She asked. He simply nodded. “SELENE!” She yelled, “Show yourself unless you are a coward.” Selene stepped from the shadows of her hiding space clutching the crystal in the palm of her hand. “What do you want?” She asked the Queen. “I’ve heard of you. Your mother hated you and you were won over by the evil within you. You then killed your mother but not before she killed your fiancé and then your own father killed you. What a dysfunctional family. And now you have been reborn as a butterfly to defeat me. Well I think we’ll have to stop you right in your tracks and end this now.” “I believe in you Selene,” Said the prince. “Shut up!” Yelled the Queen kicking him. He shot up and then fell shuttering in pain and gasping for air. This was the first time Selene got a good look at the prince. He was young and handsome, with blue eyes and blonde hair. He was taller than Selene and was dressed regally. He was thin but well built. He had scratches and scars on his fair face from the Queen. His beauty, yet scratched, still shone through. Selene fell in love with him at first sight. She remembered little about Areku and felt no more for him. As she stared at her prince she didn’t notice the queen rise and come towards her. “Selene, so you have come here to destroy me.” She chuckled “I find that hard to believe. Little puny you defeat me? That’s highly improbable.” “I will defeat you for it is my destiny. I will free the prince from your capture.” “Poor confused girl, you do not understand yet that your world is doomed as is the moon. You are too young to understand and already know your own destiny.” With that she pointed her staff at Selene and fired. It shot a purple blast as it did the last time the queen used it. When it hit Selene she was still looking at the prince with longing eyes. A giant pink glow surrounded her. The purple beam deflected off of her shield and brought her back to attention. She looked at the queen filled with rage. This queen was ruthless and evil. Just as Jisushika had been. She felt the crystal glow brighter. “You evil being! How could you ever want to destroy such a wonderful place such as Earth? You disgust me beyond normal comprehension. Metallia, you are a greedy, ugly, old witch and in my mother’s name I will punish you!” She shouted. “What did you say?!” Growled the Queen “What did you call me?” “You heard me.” The Queen let out a scream and rushed Selene. Using her wings Selene rose into the air and the queen ran into the wall. “Mommy I will defeat her.” Selene said. She held up the crystal and it began to glow again. It began to float in the air and Selene felt an odd feeling. The pink shield had returned and it's light blinded the queen and the prince also. When the light died down Selene was in a blue gown that fell off her shoulders and had resembled the one she wore when she was younger. Her hair was up in the odango style again and had a sliver highlight to it as it cascaded down the middle of her back. Her shoes were blue strap stilettos and she had a symbol on her forehead that no one could make out. As soon as you noticed it the symbol was gone. It shone only for a split second. (This symbol you will hear more of later) She wore a blue choker with a small blue stone hanging from it. Her eyes glowed with a brilliant sapphire blue, just as they had done when she just a child. Selene's wings, now fully extended, where soft and white, with small white feathers trickling down like an angel. They were pure white and silver with a hint of blue in them. With the crystal still suspended above her head she had transformed into Princess Selene last living heir to her family's throne and the only one who could save the Earth and moon. “Now you will pay for all the evil you have done and I will banish you to the other dimension. Prepare to die evil Queen Metallia. Your time on Earth is up.” Selene said calmly. She held the crystal out in front of her at the queen who had stumbled after she rammed the wall and backed up until she was in front of Selene. Gathering her power Selene shot a burst of energy at the Queen that threw her across the room. Metallia was now lying next to the prince. She was shaken but not too hurt. Rising shakily she prepared to fire on Selene. She placed a hand on the prince before fully rising. Being ready for this Selene shot at her immediately and Metallia fell again. “You may think you have destroyed me but you haven’t. You’ve only weakened me. But this isn’t the end. Only the beginning. Now I am off to destroy the moon. Goodbye for now fair Selene.” And with that Metallia turned to dust. As she left Selene could literally feel the evil draining from the room. Sighing with relief she headed over towards the prince. He was oddly lying limp on the ground. Seeing this she began to run. “Prince are you alright?” She asked. He did not respond. She could feel the terror tightening her chest and rising up her throat. “Answer me!” She choked out. He was still not moving or even stirring at the sound of her voice. “Oh my gosh. I hope he isn’t… dead.” She thought out loud. Reaching him finally after running what felt like a mile she rolled him over placing his head in her lap. His eyes were shut and his skin cold. She noticed an odd mark on his chest. Staring at it for a moment she knew one thing and one thing alone. Metallia had done this. She knew when she was gone the prince would die. She stole the last bit of his life before rising, and that is how she must have survived Selene’s blast. Her powers were the only thing left keeping him alive. Now with her prince dead she had no chance of figuring out her destiny. She began to cry for she felt there was nothing left for her. Her destiny was now something she longed to know, but she felt that she would never find her place or where she really belonged. “Do not cry fair Selene for I am still with you. My body may be cold and dead but my soul still lives on. You wish to know your destiny?” Said a voice. Selene whirled around to see the prince floating before her. She nodded. “Your destiny can be found on the moon.” He said. “But what about you Prince?” She asked sadly. “I will await you there.” He said and then faded away leaving Selene alone yet again, but her determination was up and all she could think about was her prince and the moon as she walked out of the room.