The Terasu Stone

[Present Day Tokyo]
     Within the Japanese Observatory, Dr. Tashima prepared to leave the 
office for the day. As he turned to go, he spotted another pile of 
observations that was recently made. Sighing with frustration, he 
realized he will be staying a bit longer. Opening the file, he took out 
a reading of the solar energy admitted from the center of the universe. 
Studying a slide he notices a sudden flare of immense energy.  Quickly 
he contacted the head of Astronomy department. 
     “Dr. Yoshido, there seems to be disturbances around the core of 
the universe. I suggest that strong precautions--” 
      Suddenly, before he could complete his sentence, a huge explosion 
occurred. In seconds all that was left of the once brilliant and alive 
universe was nothing but an eternity of darkness and silence.

[At the Gate of Time]
     Setsuna stood at the gate of time wondering of the safety of her 
comrades when a sudden flare of energy shot through the foggy landscape 
that houses the massive doors that leads to time-space.
     “Something’s wrong. I could sense it.” Setsuna tried to contact 
her friends on Earth, but all connection was lost. She heard only 
silence. She froze with shock as the full realization of what had 
happened dawned on her. 

[In another Dimension]
     Gillian lounged on the chair flipping through the channels. “Don’t 
you have anything better to do?” Alex asked with annoyance as she threw 
a pillow at her face. 
     “No,” said Gillian, hitting the pillow away. Suddenly, a huge 
black hole appeared below the two and darkness ensued. When it faded 
away, the room was empty. 

[Back at the Gate of Time]
     Alex slowly came to awareness. Looking around she saw herself 
surrounded by dreary curtains of gray fog. "I’m glad you’ve awaken," a 
female voice said. "My name is Setsuna. The Guardian of Time and Space. 
Something has gone terribly wrong in my world. I believe the universe of 
this dimension has vanished, along with all life form. I have called 
upon you in order to return to the past in order to prevent it from 
happening." 
     "But how can we do that?" Alex asked. Gillian nodded with equal 
confusion. 
     "A long time ago, during the creation of this universe, a senshi 
by the name of Sora was formed in order to protect the legendary Terasu 
stone of creation. This stone is the center of all life. Without it, the 
universe would collapse upon itself and all life that it supports will 
be destroyed. Apparently, it has fallen into the hands of the enemy 
since the universe is…well, gone." Alex and Gillian stared at her with 
disbelief. 
     "But what does that have to with us. We don't even live in your 
universe. Besides, why should we even believe you? Especially if you 
really are an alien from another dimension." 
     Setsuna sighed. "I could understand if you do not concern for 
another universe other than your own, but you should know that if 
whoever had caused this gets away with it, your dimension might be 
next." She then turned to look directly into Alex's eyes. "I need to 
find Sora. Only she can put a stop to this. I do not know where she is. 
No one has seen her for thousands of years. But I’m sure that she’s 
still alive. She must be found " 
     "But why can’t you go yourself?" Gillian asked curiously. 
     Setsuna sighed. "My powers are drawn from the Imperial Silver 
Crystal as well as from the universe itself. Since both no longer exist, 
my energy has been draining away. I’ve used the last of my energy to 
summon help, although you two aren’t exactly the help I was hoping for, 
you’ll have to do." 
     "Oh thanks a lot!" Alex sighed. "All right, then. We’ll help you. 
But you have to promise to sent us home afterwards." 
     Setsuna smiled with relief. "All right" Pushing them through the 
gate of time and space, Setsuna waved and quickly shut the door to 
prevent any more annoying questions. "Just concentrate on your 
destination and you’ll be fine. See ya! Have a safe trip!" 

[Inside the portal of time and space]
     “Oh she was nice,” grumbled Gillian. 
     “Hey, where are we going anyway?” Alex asked. As if on que, a 
portal of light appeared in front of them. “Never mind,” Alex whispered 
as she and Gillian were sucked inside. 

[Earth, 1100 AD] 
     It was a peaceful morning for the villagers of Caprias. The 
beautiful summer sun shone through the glossy green leaves of the 
orchids. Small children played by the pond while their mothers washed 
the laundry. Suddenly a bright light flashed between a grove of trees. 
    When the light faded, two figures remained. One had silver-blue hair and 
matching blue eyes. While the other had dark hair and aqua eyes. Both 
were clothed in white robes. 
    The dark haired one looked at her companion. “Wow, Alex, you’ve 
changed!” 
     “Well, you too." She looked at her friend and then back at 
herself. "I think this would have been expected. Due to the condition of 
our former environment and the fact that we were never meant to do 
anything so energy consuming as travel back in time, I think that us 
changing so dramatically is a sign of how much damage that journey did 
to us. In other words, I don’t think it would be wise for us to travel 
in time anymore or at lease until we get accustom to it. Besides, we did 
travel back quite a long time from the appearance of the civilization 
around us." She gestured to the medieval like village surrounding them. 
     “What do you think we should do now?” Gillian asked, looking 
around in curiosity. 
     Alex shrugged. “Well, you’re the genius, you think of something 
for once.”
     Rolling her eyes, Gillian replied, "Why don’t we ask the villagers 
if they know anything about this Terasu stone?" Alex nodded in 
agreement. "The sooner we find it and save the future of this universe, 
the we’ll get Setsuna of our back," Gillian added with a smirk. 

[Back At the Gate of Time]
     “I heard that,” muttered Setsuna looking on from her crystal ball. 
< I just hope they know what they’re doing. The future of everything is 
resting on their shoulders. > Leaning on her staff, she felt her energy 
drain away... It wouldn’t be long before she is completely powerless, 
and disappear like the rest of her friends and when that happens all 
hope would lie in the hands of Sora. Setsuna sighed and whispered to 
herself "Sora, where are you? Where have you been for so long." < I 
wonder if she’s still alive. It's been so long since anyone has seen 
her, I hope I’ve sent them back enough in time. >
     The fog thickened, as if swallowing up her. The gate that had 
stand since the beginning of time began to fade. Looking around her with 
despair, Setsuna collapsed on the ground. < Maybe this is the end, who 
knows if those two will ever find Sora. Maybe it was wrong to drag those 
two from their home to find someone who’s probably dead… >

[In the village]
     Gillian and Alex entered the village, unconcerned of the curious 
eyes of the villagers. “So, what now?” Alex asked. Gillian shrugged.
     “Why don’t we get something to eat. And we can ask someone there 
about that stone.”
     “Sure, whatever you say.” 
     After searching through the village, they finally located a busy 
restaurant. The waiter seemed pretty nice, answering their rather 
unusual questions with a smile.
     "I take it your new here?" The two girls nodded. "Well, my name is 
Pernicus, and I've lived here a long time. So if you have any questions 
about this town, I'd be happy to answer them." 
     "Actually," Gillian began, "we do have some questions--"
     "Do you know anything about the Terasu stone?" Alex cut in. 
Gillian shot her a look of annoyance, but said nothing. 
The waiter thought for a while then shook his head. "I'm sorry, 
but I've never heard of this Terasu stone. What does it do?" 
     "It’s the source of all life," Alex answered nonchalantly. 
Pernicus looked at Alex in shock and disbelief. Gillian couldn't help 
giggling at the look on his face.
     "It's also called the stone of creation," she explained. Pernicus 
shook his head again.
     "I don't know anything about this," he said with a sigh. "However…" 
He then thought for a moment. "I think I know who will. 
    There's a sorcerer that live up that hill," he pointed to a hill by the 
pond. "I'm sure he can tell you much more than I can about that stone 
you're looking for." 
     Alex's eyes light up with excitement. "A sorcerer? A real sorcerer 
lives up in that hill? Cool!" Gillian nodded beside her in equal 
enthusiasm. They quickly thanked the waiter and set about climbing the 
hill. Only, it turned out to be more of a small mountain. It wasn't 
until nightfall that the two managed to climb up to the top. 
     "Over there," Alex shouted to Gillian, pointing to a small temple 
about a mile away. The two treaded on, reaching the temple a half-hour 
later. 
     "So," Gillian started, "you want to ring the bell or should I?" 
Alex shrugged, then preceded to pull a long, thin string which appeared 
to be the doorbell. A loud clamping noise ensued, followed by quick 
footsteps. 
     A few minutes later, the large doors creaked open. Standing before 
them, nearly hidden by the massive doors, was a pair of oddly dressed 
male servants. They looked first at Alex, then at Gillian, observing the 
weird apparel with interest. 
     "Um, we're looking for the sorcerer," Alex started slowly. The two 
servants looked at each other, shrugged, then looked back at the strange 
girls.
     "Which one?" the smaller one asked. Alex turned to Gillian, who 
shrugged. 
     "Any one, I guess," she answered meekly. The two silently 
conversed with each other, unsure of how to proceed. Then the taller one 
motioned for them to come inside. 
     The two girls followed their odd hosts into a large room filled 
with books and scrolls. In the center were three large sofas surrounding 
a wooden table. 
     "Wait here," the taller servant commanded as he and his companion 
went to fetch their master. Alex sat down on one of the sofas while 
Gillian looked at the books.
     "This has got to be the most unusual collection I have ever seen," 
Gillian remarked in awe. Alex shrugged as she, too, went to look at the 
books.
     "What did you expect a sorcerer to read? Mangas?" Gillian looked 
sheepishly at Alex.
     "Eh…well, I…" Suddenly, a tall gentleman walked in. The two girls 
turned around to study their host. He was thin, with long dark hair 
flowing down to his shoulders. His eyes were nearly completely hidden 
behind a silk hood. The dark robe concealed the entire body from the 
head down to toe. It gave him an appearance of omnipotence. 
     "My servants tell me your looking for a sorcerer?" the man asked 
in a deep voice. < He sounds British, > Gillian thought with interest 
and a slight amusement. 
     "Um, yeah," Alex stuttered. "The waiter, Pernicus, said you can 
help us find something." 
     "What are you looking for?" 
     "The Terasu stone of life," Gillian cut in. 
    The sorcerer raised an eyebrow at the mention of the stone. "Where 
did you hear of the Terasu stone?" he asked with suspicion. The two 
girls looked at each other, wondering if they should tell him the whole 
story. 
     "Eh…a friend of ours is sick. She said that the Terasu stone is 
the only thing that can cure her," Alex lied. < Well, it wasn't THAT far 
away from the truth, > she thought. < Setsuna is losing her power and 
she can't gain it back until the Terasu stone is found. > 
     "Well, I have heard of the stone having healing abilities," the 
sorcerer replied slowly. Gillian and Alex stared at him in shock. < And 
I thought she just made it up, > Gillian thought in amazement. Alex, 
too, was surprised. "What kind of sickness does your friend have?" the 
sorcerer asked. Alex turned to Gillian, thinking < We're toast. >
     "Energy loss," Gillian suddenly blurted out. "She's losing her 
life energy, fast, and the Terasu stone is the only thing that can bring 
it back!" Gillian secretly winked at Alex, who returned a thumbs up. The 
sorcerer just stared at the two girls, debating whether to believe them 
or not. After 10 minutes of silence, the sorcerer let out a loud sigh. 
     "All right. I guess helping you won't hurt." The two girls sighed 
in relief, but the sorcerer was not finished yet. "Let's just get one 
thing strait. I know you're not telling me everything," he stared first 
at Alex, then Gillian, "but I believe you're purpose is a just one. 
However, if I find evidence against that, rest assured that I will do 
everything in my power to prevent you from getting the stone." The two 
girls stared at each other, then shrugged. < I guess saving the universe 
from ultimate death is a just enough cause, > Alex thought.
     "Okay," Alex said. "And don't worry, the cause is a good one." 
Gillian smiled knowingly behind her as the sorcerer also nodded.
     "All right then. Let's begin. First of all, do you two have any 
idea of the significance of the Terasu stone?" 
     "Uh…isn't it suppose to be the source of all life in the 
universe?" Alex asked. 
     The wizard nodded again. "That's correct. Should the Terasu stone 
fall into the wrong hands, that person will have the power to destroy 
the universe."