*New Theme Song: The Touch, by Stan Bush*

 

 

 

The rain had stopped for the moment, but the night sky was still as dark as ever as about 13 figures walked towards Darien's apartment building.  Ten of them were the Sailor Soldiers, one was Tuxedo Mask, one was Sailor Centauri, and the other was a mysterious old man named Deckard Cain.

 

Centauri: I wish you'd tell me why you're here instead of Tristram.

 

Cain: Once we reach your home, I shall explain.

 

Uranus: Centauri, who is this man?

 

Centauri: A friend.

 

Neptune: You never give us a straight answer.

 

Centauri: Correct.

 

Uranus: Why not?

 

Centauri: I don't feel like it.

 

Neptune: That's not an answer!

 

Centauri: Correct.

 

The group then reached Darien's apartment, and took the elevator to the roof.  Centauri pulled out a square device with two buttons on it, red and blue.  Centauri pressed the blue button, and a black portal suddenly opened into the air.  A ladder flew out of it, hitting the rooftop.  Everyone climbed up, and were once again inside Reuisu's void home. 

 

The void was remarkably unimpressive, for the most part.  The first thing anyone would notice was the fact that it was black, obviously.  The only time color was seen around it was when it was a computer terminal or it was furniture.  The computer console itself was large, about the size of a 12 by 10 room.  There were two monitors on it, coming from the upper section of the console.  Otherwise, the console had levers, buttons, 2-dimensional interfaces, etc.  As for furniture, there was very little of it.  There was a green couch, ten feet long and was divided into three sections which joined together.  There was a black leather chair next to the couch, and off to the side.  Farther away, someone could see a bed with with white sheets and a white blanket and pillow.  Next to the bed was a dresser, with a clock on it, and strewn apart peices of electronics.

 

The Sailors and Tuxedo Mask all looked at Cain, who stood in the center of them all.

 

Centauri: Tell me now, Deckard, what are you doing here?

 

Cain looked around the room.

 

Cain: As you all know, there are three prime evils who have now taken it upon themselves to destroy you and your world.  They are known as Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal.  Mephisto is the eldest and probably most powerful of the three brothers.  All of you know that, for a few months, Reuisu went to the town of Tristram to retrieve a soulstone that belonged to Diablo.

 

Centauri: I remember it well.  How could I forget what we actually found...

 

Cain: Yes.  Not many warriors believed that Diablo was dead, however.  A few traveled to Tristram to investigate it themselves.  One of them, a quiet and solitudish man, came through all the way into hell itself to find out for himself.  We never knew exactly what did happen, all we know is that when he came out, he brought Diablo with him.  We never saw him again.

 

Pluto: What about Mephisto and Baal?  Where did they come in.

 

Cain: We're not exactly sure HOW they were freed, we only have two things, relics from the old times: an extract from a diary about Baal, and a letter to the archbishop Lazarus.

 

Centauri winced at the name of Lazarus.  Cain brought out the two papers from his cloak.

 

Centauri went over and placed them under a projector.  All over the void, the image of the letter appeared.  Centauri read it.

 

It read...

 

Faithful Lazarus,

 

I write you to adress my growing concerns regarding your recent petulance and that of your fellow Archbishops.  For the past few months, I have witnessed a certain darkening of your spirits that I can hardly account for.  You and your brethren are First among the Chosen of the Light.  If our retainers and followers so much as suspected a rift in authority between us, I fear we would lose much of the control we have gained over this ancient, troubled land.

 

Our line was charged, long ago, with watching over Kurast and its peoples.  As well you well know, it is our duty to spread the glory of the light to all corners of the known world, whether it be welcomed or not.  But most importantly, the Horadrim entrusted our church to maintain the wardings that keep our dark guest chained beneath the Temple city.  Since it has been your sole responsibility to safeguard Mephisto's soulstone, I must wonder if perhaps your dread task isn't affecting your noble spirit in some mlign way.

 

Whatever the cause of your recent rebellions against my will, I wish to see you and your archbishops in council immediately.  If you have not the strength or heart to perform your duties like a true Servant of the light, then I will find someone to replace you.  The binding of the lord of hatred is paramount to the safety of the future of the Zakarum church threatened by the pettiness and jealousy of its servants.  I will be expecting you.

 

 

Sankekur,

Que-Hegan

 

 

 

Centauri: What does it mean?

 

Cain: Possibly that it was Mephisto, not Diablo, who tainted Lazarus's once great soul.

 

Centauri: Doesn't really make a lot of worth now.

 

Mars: Why not?

 

Centauri: I killed Lazarus just before I killed Diablo.

 

Mars: Oh.

 

Mercury: What about the other document?

 

Centauri: It appears to be a journal log.  Here, I'll put it up.

 

Centauri took out the letter and placed it in the projector.  He slowly read,

 

"On the Fifty-eighty day of our campain, we caught up with Baal near the ancient port city of Lut Gholein.  We had tracked the great lord of destruction all the way from the lands of Kehjistan some months before.  Our leader, Tal Rasha, believed that Baal was headed north, towards the wintry lands of Scosglen, but for some reason the demon chose to forfeit his lead and take refuge within the sandblasted city.

 

Wishing to avoid a direct conrontation where innocents may be hurt, Tal Rasha ordered us to stay our attack until Baal had left the city walls.  We waited and watched for three days before the treacherous creature emerged from Lut Gholein.  Heading north as Tal Rasha had predicted, Baal set off once more.  Before he had traveled more than a few miles into the surrounding desert, we were on him.  With the strongest spells we could muster, we battered the great lord of destruction and forced him to give ground before us.

 

The enraged demon let loose the full fury of his powers.  The earth itself exploded under our feet, swallowing many of our bretheren.  Fire lept from the rock and burned many more.  Destruction spiraled around us in every conceivable form, but we had traveled too far to be stopped just then.  Weakened by his exertions, Baal let loose one final strike against Tal Rasha; yet, thankfully, the mage was left relatively unhurt.  Unfortunately, the sacred soulstone that had been given by the Archangel Tyrael was shattered into several small peices.  Reeling in panic, we pressed our attack and succeeded in temporarily subdoing the raging demon.

 

Knowing that the soulstones broken shards would not be enough to contain Baal's powerful essence, Tal Rasha quickly devised a reckless plan to contain the demon forever.  With a feverish light in his eyes, he coldly walked over to Baal's withering form and slit the creature's throat.  As Baal's spirit fled the dying body, Tal Rasha chose the largest of the soulstone shards and jammed it into the open wound.  Just as with Mephisto, Baal's spirit was sucked into the golden shard's vacous recesses and trapped.  The shard pulsed and hummed as though unable to hold its terrible contents in check.  Though we questioned his judgement, Tal Rasha seemed confident that the shard would hold Baal until our task was complete.

 

At this moment, the Archangel Tyrael appeared and held Tal Rasha in his penetrating gaze.  The angel's shimmering visage was beautiful beyond comprehension, and I distinctly remember him wispering to Tal Rasha, "Your sacrifice will be long remembered, noble mage."  With the golden shard in hand, Tyrael led us to a series of secret caves buried deep beneath the burning desert sands.  There we found seven ancient tombs built by some long forgotten people.  Our grim procession stopped at the last of the enormous vault, and Tyrael bade us to begin constructing a binding stone at the chamber's center.  It was only then that I realized what Tal Rasha had in mind...

 

We etched powerful runes of containment upon the binding stone and used our magics to craft unbreakable chains from the chamber walls.  Once preperations were completed, Tal Rasha ordered that be shackled and bound to the stone.  To our horror, Tyrael walked forward and brandished the glowing shard before him.  Before any of us could react, the Archangel drove the chard into Ral Rasha's bare chest.  Golden fire blazed from Tal Rasha's eyes as the Lord of Destruction flooded into his writhing body.  We gaped in awe as the realization of what had transpired took root into our minds.  Tal Rasha had made the ultimate sacrifice: He would remain chained forever, cursed to wrestle woth Baal's foul spirit until the end of time.

 

Sorrowfully, we made our way back into the sunlight and watched as Tyrael closed the tomb's giant doors forever.  The last sound to escape the cold tomb was a tormented scream not born of this world.  I pray that Tal Rasha's sacrifice was not in vain.  I pray that the evil buried beneath the desert sands remains bound until men forget there ever were evils that walked among men."

 

Centauri: Freaky.  Anything else?

 

Cain: Just one more thing.  An old prophecy, we know it exists, but we've been unable to locate it.

 

Centauri: Prophecy?  You came to the right place, my friend!

 

Centauri walked over to his computer console.

 

Centauri: Computer!  Library!

 

Suddenly, the void seemed to reverberate for a moment, like a sheet of metal being waved, then a section suddenly opened inside the void, creating row after row after row of book shelves.  Everyone walked through the lit corridors of bookshelves as Centauri finally came across an isle titled, "Legends and Prophecies."

 

Centauri got onto a ladder and climbed halfway. 

 

Centauri: Let's see...

 

He pulled out the first book.

 

Centauri: The sky will be darkened by the wings of many bats.  No.

 

Centauri put it away and grabbed another one.

 

Centauri: Do not upset the balance...  The world will turn to Ash....  No.

 

Centauri put it away and pulled out another one.

 

Centauri: Moon Princess?  We solved that one already.  Ah!  Here it is!

 

He pulled out a red book titled, "The Sin War."

 

Centauri: It's mostely in ancient Horadric.  I've been unable to translate it.

 

Centauri handed the book to Cain.

 

Cain: Yes...  I'm familiar with a little ancient Horadric...  And you have the right book!  The war that first raged against the three Prime evils was called "The Sin War."  Now, let's see...

 

Cain skimmed through a few sections of the book.

 

Cain: ...the group of Titans and Soldiers fought destruction into their darkest hour.  Sadly, neither Titan nor soldier could stop the destruction, nor would they give up.  That's all I can translate.  Some of this is very complexed.

 

Centauri: I'll run it through the translator for awhile. 

 

Moon: Titans?  Soldiers?  What does that mean?

 

Cain: Hope.  You are all known as Sailor Soldiers, correct?

 

They nodded.

 

Cain: What if I were to tell you that there were five Sailors who you did not know about yet, that were Titans and not soldiers?

 

Mercury: It would be interesting.

 

Cain looked in the book once more, and pulled out a sheet of paper which had been dislodged from the book.  It had five humanoid shapes on it, all blackened out.

 

Cain: This is another record!  It's a silhoutte of the titans.

 

It was handed to Centauri, and the paper suddenly glowed!  The middle silhoutteted image of one of the Titans formed into one figure: Sailor Centauri!

 

Centauri: I'm one of these Titans?!!?

 

Cain: Yes.  And we must find them.  One of us must go and search for these Sailor Titans, in hopes that we may find them and use them for our campaign against the three prime evils.  They are scattered about, I believe.

 

Centauri: I'll go.

 

Mars: Reuisu,-

 

Centauri: I'm the logical choice.  The rest of you have lives you can't just leave to go!  Besides, I'm one of these Titans.  I need to go.

 

Mars: Okay.  Just come back in one peice, alright?

 

Centauri: Of course.  How do I know they're Titans and not just regular soldiers?  You know, I think I just asked a stupid question...

 

Cain: The paper will identify them for who they are.  So go, my friend, it is time we finally destroyed the three Prime Evils.

 

 

 

To Be Continued