sm_monthly Oct 6 theme
So I've had outlined for about a year now how the background plot of season 3 will end and here's the third-to-last scene in season 3, joy (still working out writing the next scene, the big fight one, even though I know the plot in detail and how I'm going to write it). Now, unlike then, I've played Threshold so it ended up warped towards that imagery and terminology (which is confusing when I'm using my original meaning of "Avatar" for Chrysotile from the doodles between my Winter Sonata charts from class, not the Anime version; and resisting the urge to use the convenient word "Quipploth" rather than "those vague shadowy-idea-things in my head" as I had been since I created the plotline; and trying to keep Those Who Should Not Exist and Stalks-the-Silence separate in my head because they're people created to do the same thing, just unrelatedly different in nature and method).
Title: The Dragon that Lurks in the Dark
Author: purplekitte
Theme: Monster Mash--Tutoring
Genre: Drama
Version: Anime
Rating: PG
“Tell me!” Kyoko hit the cast iron door with a huge bang and bounced off. She jumped again to plant her boot in the middle of the door.
“Stop it!” Chrysotile yelled, struggling against Rikoukeidaa and Gesen. “I’m barely holding it closed.”
“Tell me why you want it closed.” Bang.
“You could destroy Earth.”
“What do you have back there? What did Metallia have planned?” Stalks-the-Silence growled at her feet, clawing at the metal like a feral.
“This isn’t Queen Metallia’s. It’s older than her. My queen never knew.”
Kyoko stopped kicking the door to hold the green-skinned female youma’s chin between her claws. “I need to know. Am I your queen or not?”
“Do you know why youma exist?”
“Metallia’s magic makes them from humans and animals.”
“No, that’s not what I meant. This is why the Dark Kingdom exists.”
“It’s a pocket dimension. It doesn’t exist for a reason,” Ryo contended.
“I’m trusting you a lot here, because I have to. No one’s needed to know and everything’s been in place and stable for a thousand years ‘cause I’ve protected them. I’ve known it was falling apart and I’d have to reset it since she was born.” Chrysotile looked over at Stalks-the-Silence.
“What is she?”
“Let me explain in order. The Dark Kingdom is a gateway between two existences. The things on the other side aren’t… alive like we know it. They’re not even demons, like Queen Metallia, but something completely different. Not even evil but anathema to everything in this universe.”
“Those things that weren’t rebels or ferals on any other sort of youma. The ones that Kotori-chan went after and killed anyone who went after her in particularly grisly manners of they weren’t fast enough.” Stalks-the-Silence didn’t even protest Kyoko’s nickname for her.
“Those are a few drips compared to the flood of if you open that door. These things once attacked the solar system, the universe, all the time. They were held off by the distance between stars, black holes, supernovas, and armies that lived to fight them. Greatest among these was the line of Eris.”
“Eris is a dead rock,” Sapphire said confidently.
“You were born a thousand years in the future and Eris was absolutely destroyed more than a thousand ago. The last princess of Eris was powerful and brave and found me and saw the chance to change the equilibrium in her fight with the Dragon Lurking Beyond. She was the Priestess of the Dark.”
“What are you then?”
“I am Avatar. Don’t make me try to explain that; I can’t. Some people are better heirs for the Priestess’s powers than others and I am the pinnacle, not for any reason I--”
“Yes, yes,” Kyoko dismissed, “some people are born with magic and some aren’t.”
“We changed the nature of the Dark Kingdom, all that time ago when there was no demon Queen Metallia and I was a human girl of the seal hunters. She reached out to me from across the solar system and gave me her power. We pinched off the corridor at its ends. This door is the only entry point between Beyond and the Kingdom. The D-Point is the only access point between the Kingdom and the Earth Realms.”
“But there were freak portals opening up everywhere. That’s how half the youma who survived the Interregnum did it, by escaping to Earth. We fought the terrorizing ones for over a year. Most of them weren’t powerful enough to have done the two-step teleport themselves,” observed Shin.
“That’s the point.” Chrysotile shook her head, looking ragged very quickly as her short dark hair caught on her short horns. “I’ve been at a fraction of my power since Princess Eris died very soon after, fighting in the final assault of the Dragon spawn that were already on this side. This was when Endymion was Prince of Earth and the Shitennou boys. Since then I’ve been relying on Queen Metallia’s power and Serenity’s barrier. Now that both are broken the pocket dimension is becoming less so and that is the worst thing that could happen.”
“What can we do?” Kyoko asked without pause.
“You’ll help me?”
“Don’t be stupid. We don’t want the universe destroyed; we live in it. You knew I’d help willingly or you wouldn’t be telling me.”
“I need to pass on my power as Priestess.”
“To whom?” asked Masato.
“Probably her.” She looked at Stalks-the-Silence again. “I don’t know any criteria other than wanting to stalk the Silence.”
“That’s the why of the Dark Kingdom,” Masato summed up. “We’re the first line of defense. That’s why we have such a military culture.”
“It wasn’t all my idea. I influenced a little what was already happening to my advantage. That’s what I need from you, and I’ll ask, see?” Chrysotile looked pleadingly but firmly at Kyoko. “You have your plans for this country, Queen Kyoko. I need to keep youma warriors.”
“I’m no pacifist, but now that I have a reason I’ll be sure to train warriors. I promise. You’ll find me a better ally for helping you knowingly.”
“How do you make a new Priestess?” asked Ryo. “Is there a ceremony?”
“Not a complicated one, but yes.”
“Then do it.”
“When I do it, it will briefly drop the protections keeping the door closed. The few of the Shadow you’ve seen before will be nothing to what will escape in those seconds. This is why I haven’t done it before now.”
“Right. Yukio, Jadeite, Masato, go to the barracks and get every warrior in the Kingdom and bring them here. I’ll keep command here and send the signal when we’re assembled. Go behind the line and when you get the signal, do it. We’ll--”
“No. You come with me.”
“Why?”
“I need you there.”
“Right. Shin-san, your command.”
“Understood, Kyoko-san.”
“Would anywhere be best? Metallia’s globe room?”
“No, the nursery. It’s the magic of life and birth as much as anything I can explain.”
“Fine.” Sapphire looked suddenly anxious. “As long as no babies are harmed during this ritual.” She nodded. “That was made to be defended. Anko and her baby and Petz should already be there. Sapphire, Naru… Ryo, come with me. Kotori. Stalks-the-Silence.” She still got no response from the young youma. Kyoko dragged her to her feet and away from the door, even though she struggled like a furious cat and she had to go into Bakene’s full shadow form. “I’ll carry her.”
Title: The Dragon that Lurks in the Dark
Author: purplekitte
Theme: Monster Mash--Tutoring
Genre: Drama
Version: Anime
Rating: PG
“Tell me!” Kyoko hit the cast iron door with a huge bang and bounced off. She jumped again to plant her boot in the middle of the door.
“Stop it!” Chrysotile yelled, struggling against Rikoukeidaa and Gesen. “I’m barely holding it closed.”
“Tell me why you want it closed.” Bang.
“You could destroy Earth.”
“What do you have back there? What did Metallia have planned?” Stalks-the-Silence growled at her feet, clawing at the metal like a feral.
“This isn’t Queen Metallia’s. It’s older than her. My queen never knew.”
Kyoko stopped kicking the door to hold the green-skinned female youma’s chin between her claws. “I need to know. Am I your queen or not?”
“Do you know why youma exist?”
“Metallia’s magic makes them from humans and animals.”
“No, that’s not what I meant. This is why the Dark Kingdom exists.”
“It’s a pocket dimension. It doesn’t exist for a reason,” Ryo contended.
“I’m trusting you a lot here, because I have to. No one’s needed to know and everything’s been in place and stable for a thousand years ‘cause I’ve protected them. I’ve known it was falling apart and I’d have to reset it since she was born.” Chrysotile looked over at Stalks-the-Silence.
“What is she?”
“Let me explain in order. The Dark Kingdom is a gateway between two existences. The things on the other side aren’t… alive like we know it. They’re not even demons, like Queen Metallia, but something completely different. Not even evil but anathema to everything in this universe.”
“Those things that weren’t rebels or ferals on any other sort of youma. The ones that Kotori-chan went after and killed anyone who went after her in particularly grisly manners of they weren’t fast enough.” Stalks-the-Silence didn’t even protest Kyoko’s nickname for her.
“Those are a few drips compared to the flood of if you open that door. These things once attacked the solar system, the universe, all the time. They were held off by the distance between stars, black holes, supernovas, and armies that lived to fight them. Greatest among these was the line of Eris.”
“Eris is a dead rock,” Sapphire said confidently.
“You were born a thousand years in the future and Eris was absolutely destroyed more than a thousand ago. The last princess of Eris was powerful and brave and found me and saw the chance to change the equilibrium in her fight with the Dragon Lurking Beyond. She was the Priestess of the Dark.”
“What are you then?”
“I am Avatar. Don’t make me try to explain that; I can’t. Some people are better heirs for the Priestess’s powers than others and I am the pinnacle, not for any reason I--”
“Yes, yes,” Kyoko dismissed, “some people are born with magic and some aren’t.”
“We changed the nature of the Dark Kingdom, all that time ago when there was no demon Queen Metallia and I was a human girl of the seal hunters. She reached out to me from across the solar system and gave me her power. We pinched off the corridor at its ends. This door is the only entry point between Beyond and the Kingdom. The D-Point is the only access point between the Kingdom and the Earth Realms.”
“But there were freak portals opening up everywhere. That’s how half the youma who survived the Interregnum did it, by escaping to Earth. We fought the terrorizing ones for over a year. Most of them weren’t powerful enough to have done the two-step teleport themselves,” observed Shin.
“That’s the point.” Chrysotile shook her head, looking ragged very quickly as her short dark hair caught on her short horns. “I’ve been at a fraction of my power since Princess Eris died very soon after, fighting in the final assault of the Dragon spawn that were already on this side. This was when Endymion was Prince of Earth and the Shitennou boys. Since then I’ve been relying on Queen Metallia’s power and Serenity’s barrier. Now that both are broken the pocket dimension is becoming less so and that is the worst thing that could happen.”
“What can we do?” Kyoko asked without pause.
“You’ll help me?”
“Don’t be stupid. We don’t want the universe destroyed; we live in it. You knew I’d help willingly or you wouldn’t be telling me.”
“I need to pass on my power as Priestess.”
“To whom?” asked Masato.
“Probably her.” She looked at Stalks-the-Silence again. “I don’t know any criteria other than wanting to stalk the Silence.”
“That’s the why of the Dark Kingdom,” Masato summed up. “We’re the first line of defense. That’s why we have such a military culture.”
“It wasn’t all my idea. I influenced a little what was already happening to my advantage. That’s what I need from you, and I’ll ask, see?” Chrysotile looked pleadingly but firmly at Kyoko. “You have your plans for this country, Queen Kyoko. I need to keep youma warriors.”
“I’m no pacifist, but now that I have a reason I’ll be sure to train warriors. I promise. You’ll find me a better ally for helping you knowingly.”
“How do you make a new Priestess?” asked Ryo. “Is there a ceremony?”
“Not a complicated one, but yes.”
“Then do it.”
“When I do it, it will briefly drop the protections keeping the door closed. The few of the Shadow you’ve seen before will be nothing to what will escape in those seconds. This is why I haven’t done it before now.”
“Right. Yukio, Jadeite, Masato, go to the barracks and get every warrior in the Kingdom and bring them here. I’ll keep command here and send the signal when we’re assembled. Go behind the line and when you get the signal, do it. We’ll--”
“No. You come with me.”
“Why?”
“I need you there.”
“Right. Shin-san, your command.”
“Understood, Kyoko-san.”
“Would anywhere be best? Metallia’s globe room?”
“No, the nursery. It’s the magic of life and birth as much as anything I can explain.”
“Fine.” Sapphire looked suddenly anxious. “As long as no babies are harmed during this ritual.” She nodded. “That was made to be defended. Anko and her baby and Petz should already be there. Sapphire, Naru… Ryo, come with me. Kotori. Stalks-the-Silence.” She still got no response from the young youma. Kyoko dragged her to her feet and away from the door, even though she struggled like a furious cat and she had to go into Bakene’s full shadow form. “I’ll carry her.”