Under Evil Stars
Part two: Morgana

"It was not fate or pain that bound my mother
and father, it was not need or desperation; they
were in love... it was their love that was born
from these wounds, that bore me to this world.

                                - "The Star Circle" by Aglaia -

Silence travels far, they say; farther then any scream or cry, farther than any squeal or laugh, farther than any sound we can make. Silence reverberates across any hall with the force of a thousand pleas and lasts beyond the flow of time. Silence - though Chrono - was just like destiny, it ruled the world as every creature shrieked with the light of their life, just to deny the possibility of oblivion.

Of a void.

And yet, even though every human fights for freedom and craves the knowledge that their will is not controlled by any force or god, humans are rarely known to make a choice by free will, and always blame their final decision on circumstance.... and fate.

A rustle of fabric made him turn around, pale lilac robes flowing as he moved. "Dana," he whispered, his eyes softening as she approached, her long black hair falling behind her like a mantle of shadow.

"Chrono...it will be soon, won' t it?" he voice was a meek little sound in the towering hall of books.

"Dana," there was no warning in his voice, just a soft underlying pity that twisted her heart.

"Will it?" harshly asked, Chrono winced and looked away.

"Yes."

"She has been acting strange lately, don't you think?" Blood spoke softly, a hint of worry in his voice as he leaned on one of the thick cold pillars that ran along the Aquarius temple. The pale shine of the spring sun catching vermilion streaks of fire in his hair, making him seem even paler then he was in truth. "Ganymede?"

"So?" the other strode in wearing loose grey pants and a black shirt, his silvery hair falling in waves over his shoulders. A thin white eyebrow rose quizzically. "Why does this surprise you?"

"You are not even slightly worried? You are one cold creature...." Blood sighed and pushed himself away from the pillar.

"She's a woman, and a teenager at that.. if it's not just moodiness then it's PMS," he replied indifferently, eyes narrowing as a vague smile crossed his lips.

"And to think she's a childhood friend! I don't even want to know how you are to strangers..." Blood muttered and crossed his arms. "I just wish I knew what's up with her."

"You are," Ganymede answered calmly. "Even she can get fed up once in a while, you know..."

"Thanks for the support."

"You are welcome."

A few minutes of silence followed, until the calm situation got to Blood's nerves. He paced around for a while before coming to a stop before his friend.

"Why?"

"Why what?" the silver hared man inquired, without blinking.

"Why does she shy away from me? If she says she loves me then..." he trailed off, hearing his friend's heavy sigh. Ganymede ran a hand through the smooth silver strands of his hair and gave Blood a strange look.

"What about you? Do you love her?" Blood raised a brow and crossed his arms.

"Of course I do. It was me who confessed to her, remember?"

"So you love her?"

"Yes."

"More than anything else in the world?" Blood opened his mouth to answer, anger flaring in his pale blue eyes, making them glow like a crystals under the sun; but no sound came. His frown deepened and he shut his mouth, lips pressed together firmly.

"I... think so."

"That's not enough." Cool grey eyes regarded him levelly, mouth set in a grim line. "Blood... you can't run away from your own feelings forever..."

"I don't." Blood's cutting reply ended the conversation abruptly, drawing a path of tension across the air. Ganymede shook his head sadly and put a hand on his friend's shoulder, comfortingly.

"As long as you are honest... it will be all right."

Blood sighed and nodded, a strange smile gracing his features, giving him a peculiar air. "Can I ask you something personal?"

"Since when do you ask my permission first?" he wondered, a glimmer of amusement in the pale orbs.

"Never..." Blood smiled as he went on. "How come you know so much, and yet... you aren't... with anyone? I mean.. I have seen how girls - and boys - look at you...."

Ganymede's smile faltered and became forced, his eyes shuttering up until they were nothing but perfect silver mirrors. Blood frowned, as he always did when his friend got that look, and shut everything else out, even him.

"I can't fall in love," he replied, his voice an emotionless monotone.

"Who said this?"

"Dana."

Blood shook his head and let out an angry breath. "That is just plain stupid!"

"It's no less true." Tension hung in the air around them, but seemingly only Blood felt it. Ganymede was nothing more than a statue of ice, pale and unreachable.

"Meaning that you are unable to.. or not allowed?" Ganymede smiled slightly at that. How many times had that question been asked throughout the generations of Aquarius Saints? How many times had they given the same answer?

"I just can't."

"Ganymede...."

"Leave it as it is, Blood," he whispered softly, he might as well have been screaming though. "What matters here and now is that you make up your mind."

"What do you mean?" a beat of unease went through the Scorpio saint, his eyes darkening ever so slightly at the worried tone in his friend's voice.

"She won't wait forever... no one does."

"Isn't love supposed to be 'forever'?" Blood gave him a lopsided grin, putting his hands on his hips in an almost playful fashion.

"I most probably is... but sometimes.. even when it arrives, it may be too late."

"And the call me the 'Poet'!" Ganymede looked at him sadly and sighed. It was a strange look, almost wistful and yet full of pain, but then again Ganymede always seemed to be sad. So Blood let it pass.

He always let it pass.

The gentle morning sun did nothing to warm the breezes as they rushed through the temples, lifting the dust here and there as if to remind the world that time went by, and things... could change.

It was early by normal standards, but his training had already been finished and he sat on a rock, staring up at the passing clouds that swirled lazily up in the sky. The gentle wind ruffled his sweat dampened hair and the young boy closed his eyes to enjoy the moment of peace.

"Enjoying your break?" the deep voice of Gemini Claroscuro drifted up to him, destroying his momentary illusion of tranquillity. One dark blue eye cracked open and regarded the tall man with a slightly offended look, that he could come here and shatter his well deserved vacation.

"Yep."

"Get up Saga, break time's over," he spoke coolly, golden eyes never betraying even the slightest hint of concern or emotion, not during training. If he cared whether he was slacking off or if he was hurt, he would find out after the lessons were over. That was Claroscuro's way.

"I finished my exercises for this morning."

"Then practice some more." Being a teacher was hard, especially to a child such as this. Claroscuro knew that Saga's technique was perfect, he had no doubt completed what was asked of him flawlessly, but.... he couldn't allow the boy to know this, he couldn't let the child understand the depth of his powers. Not when he was the one that would die.

A sudden pang of sadness hit him as he looked down at the child, watching him stretch and jump off the rock with all the pent up energy of a healthy boy after playing, and ready for more. Yes, he would have been a great saint, if only there hadn't been that gleam in his eye, that lust for power and the need to constantly defy all those around him to prove he was above them. The child was not evil... but he was not the right one either, he would never make it as a Gemini saint.

"Where is Kanon?"

"He's practising, unlike you." Saga smiled at the answer and dusted his pants, not even minimally uneasy in the presence of his teacher.

"I guess it's time to go there then," he spoke calmly, eyes shining amusedly as he pushed his hair behind his ears.

Claroscuro stared at him, feeling the weight of the world atop his shoulders. He extended his sense to probe the boy's emotions; there was mischief, and happiness, good cheer and an unnatural love for his brother and.. for him too, there was affection. No evil there, not even a hint, it would be so easy to just send him off, force him to run away and.... but he couldn't. The boy could not leave knowing the hidden world of Sanctuary as he did, he could only become a part of it or...

Now or never - he thought - there is not turning back now.

"No, stay here and train alone... tomorrow you and your brother will spar against each other and I need you to practice separately," now or never....

"What's so new about that? We always fight each other," the boy cocked his head to one side and raised a brow playfully. And all Claroscuro could feel was affection, the boy's respect and love for him despite that fact that he lived and breathed defying him.

Goddess... why must it be like this?

"I will give you the rules tomorrow.. but you should be ready," a small frown marred the youth's perfect angel features, his smiled fading somewhat.

"Why make such a fuss over a simple sparring practice?"

"Because," because tomorrow you will die, Claroscuro felt his mind scream but held it in check. "... it will be slightly different than the previous ones."

Tomorrow only one of you will remain as my pupil.

Only one.

"Whatever..." Saga mumbled, looking at him like he was crazy, and then going back to his exercises, focusing on his finely honed skills. Talented, powerful, but not disciplined... never disciplined. Claroscuro sighed sadly and walked back to where Kanon was.

"Is it because I am a Gold saint?"

"No."

"Because you are still a trainee?"

"No."

Blood fell silent, staring down at the silver mask that effectively hid each and every one of Morgana's features, making her seem even more like a statue of silver, with her pale white hair falling over her shoulders and down her back.

"Why?"

"Oh Blood, must I spell it out to you?" she spoke softly, pain deepening her voice and hardening the tone.

"You won't confess to me, so.... One kiss, that is all I am asking."

"I... can't."

"Don't you love me?"

"Blood..." her voice was soft, almost a plea.

"Can I at least look at your face?" the subdued attitude was nothing like him, but it rattled her nevertheless, shaking her inner defences even though she knew she should not let herself be snagged like this.

"You know the answer to that..."

"Morgana...I love you and...." his pale blue eyes glimmered oddly, blood red hair whipping around his face as he pierced her with the sharp blue of his look. "I don't even know the colour of you eyes!"

It was such a strange thing to say, so unlike him, that it made her shiver. He had always asked for kisses, hugs, a touch to look at her face... but never like this, not with that tone. It sounded all too much like he was in love with her. Too much. But then... even though he had told her time and time again that he did, she could never be sure. He was too passionate in some things and too unsure of others... lust and love were too intertwined in his soul and he was, despite his certainty on many things, afraid of his own feelings.

"Please," he whispered. "At least let me see your face..."

She gazed up at him, her whole body gone taut like that of a scared rabbit. "If I showed you my face.. would you be with me forever?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you, or do you not love me... more than anything else?"

"Morgana..."

"Yes or no Blood, it's a simple question."

He bit his lip and let out a shaky breath, his clenched fists trembling as he burned her with the heated blue fire in his eyes.

"Do you even know the answer?" she whispered, her voice softening, no less pained.

"Yes."

"Then why don't you say it?"

He didn't answer, and she knew, she knew. He is afraid - she realised - to give himself completely. Terrified of selling his soul, baring the truth of his self out in the open and being shattered. He loved her, but he did not trust her... not enough to give himself as completely as he wanted her. But she would not take him only halfway, if she was to give herself, she wanted to be gifted with the full measure of her sacrifice. He had to be wholly hers, only hers.

"Say it Blood.. say that you love me, and only me.. forever, and I will be yours," she reached out and took his hand, curling her fingers around his and squeezing almost desperately.

"Morgana.. I..."

"That you love me more... than duty, than your Goddess," he jerked back when she said this, his eyes flaring fearfully. Oh yes, he hid a lot of himself behind the facade of the faithful warrior, but if that were taken away... what were his true loyalties? How much of him was the perfect saint and how much only a youth too afraid of his own heart?

"I.. I lo... love ...." his voice faded into an inaudible whisper, eyes downcast. She let go of his hand, blessing the mask that hid the tearful redness in her eyes.

"Blood... I will not be here forever... I have a mission to complete, and it is not here in Sanctuary that it will be done," he lifted his head up sharply, panic and desperation tearing through his eyes like ripples in water, his mouth parted in shock. Morgana breathed in deeply, "Will you come with me?"

"What...?"

"Will you come with me... and help me do this? Do you love me enough to leave everything behind?"

"Morgana.. I.. I love you but..."

"All of it, even... your cloth," his back stiffened and he frowned, gritting his teeth in desperate wrath.

"I can't believe you are saying this!"

"Leave your pride out of this!" she cried, balling her fists. "Do you or do you not love me enough to do this?"

He let out a shaky breath and glared at her, his eyes glimmering with unknown emotions, biting his lower lip until a fine trickle of blood slid down his chin. She reached up, to wipe it off, but he took a step away and drew his hand across his mouth savagely.

Morgana sighed, her breath only a whisper through the layers of her mask. "Look... I will meet you tomorrow... on the flowerbed, you know which one. I will ask this again... and you will have to have an answer by that time."

"Morgana..."

"I want all of you... I can have nothing less if you want all of me.. and yes."

"Yes what?"

"You figure it out."

Having said this she turned her back on him and walked off, leaving him there alone.

"Destiny doesn't ask, it just flows forward dragging all within its grasp and shaping the world as it wishes. We are only pawns on the great game of Gods.. but even they must answer to the Fates. Even Gods dance to the great music of the predetermined; we are all trapped by this choice... a choice we did not make in truth. The wheel is in motion, the cycle has begun again... death and love will curse this world."

Chrono stood before the shimmering pool of glowing water inside his shrine, arms extended as he spoke the words of future, the same words that marked the past and the present.

"A Goddess will touch this earth and see pain, to ease this agony she will carve a path of death across the land and skies."

He lifted his head, eyes closed as he felt the trembling shifts of energy as pathways changed all around him, but all of them led to the same place.

"She will not see the reason for this wheel, only her mission. It will remain as is. Again, forever."

He bowed his head as tears fell from his cheeks.

"Thus it begins anew... the path of hope that became destruction."

"Did Claroscuro tell you about tomorrow?" Saga bounced on his bed, giving his brother a serious look as he landed heavily in his back, cheeks flushed.

"Tomorrow?" Kanon looked up from the book he was reading, blinking twice in confusion.

"Yeah... something about a 'different' sparring match. He didn't tell you anything?"

"No..." Kanon closed the book, a grip of ice closing over his heart as he heard his brother's words.

"Odd, he seemed really worked up over it," Saga shrugged and smiled, going back to leaping over the creaking bed, fully aware that it might snap and dump him on the ground at any given moment.

"He said...tomorrow?" Kanon got up, his breathing agitated even as he steeled himself to get it under proper control. He did not need to be told, he knew.

Tomorrow... Saga would die.

"Yes... you and me, only with different rules. Odd isn't it?"

(You will know when the time is up, and you will come...)

"I mean... what could he possibly mean? What do you think Kanon?"

(...and tell us what you have decided)

Kanon swallowed with difficulty and took a deep breath, aware of his brother's wide innocent look. So innocent...! Did Saga even know what transpired behind his back? The powers that shifted all around him and guided him inexorably to death, and evil? Yet how could evil be born from him, who was so sweet and.. so much like any other child?

Saga was not evil... Fate and the world conspired against him and would lead him down the wrong paths, but he was not evil... just mislead. The world had to know that... they had to forgive him for the things he would someday do, and would be unable to stop.

(...what you have decided...)

"Who knows...." Kanon whispered, hoping his brother did not catch the undertone of fear in his voice. "He is the teacher after all."

"Hm..." Saga agreed, bouncing on his stomach and pushing himself up on his elbows. "I guess so."

"We'll find out tomorrow... better not think about it now. Let's go to sleep."

But Kanon did not sleep that night, and when he was sure that no one would hear him, he crept out of bed and out of the house, into the starry night. He gave Saga one last hug before leaving, whispering in 'goodbye' in his ear, though Saga did not wake, and then he left. Into the future.

Out of his fate.

"Time flows, the Astral Wheel turns... destiny crawls forward to fulfil it's mission. No one can oppose it, no one can defy it."

Silence reigned inside the towering Fireclock, only the soft scrawling sound of Dana's pencil over paper shattered the illusion of oblivion.

"Only those who were forgotten, those who are not part of the Wheel or of time itself.. those who will change the essence of time - by not existing- can alter this."

The scrawling stopped.

"Those who took the blame."

The moon shone up above, throwing a blanket of pearly white light over the marble slabs and broken pillars that littered the path up to the Fireclock. The occasional chirruping of one insect or another making him gasp in surprise, eyes wide as he scanned the midnight world around him. Kanon shivered, not because of the cold, and went on, moving stealthily through the ancient rubble until he reached the high tower atop the marble base. He stopped in front of it, eyes narrowing.

Kanon closed his eyes and heard the thumping of his heart, feeling each beat place and ache in his chest, as blood flowed through his veins. I am alive - he thought - but I am also dead, as from here on.. I will never be the same.

The child threw his head back and tried to focus on the astrological circle at the top of the mammoth structure, feeling a deep chill in his heart, and a burning fear in his soul. But he had chosen this path... he had chosen this by his own free will.

"So you came too?"

He whirled in surprise, finding himself staring deep into the sliver surface of Morgana's mask.

"I had to," he whispered, feeling smaller than ever before. She nodded softly, and he saw she was trembling slightly, her fists clenched.

"I know," she murmured, and bowed her head. The stood there, the child in front of the woman, as the moon stroked the age-worn marble and struck her mask casting an eerie light on her, twining silver beams in his dark blue hair as if he were the night. She raised her head and gazed at him, lifting a hand to wipe a few tears that had fallen down her neck from under the mask. The hand paused above the perfectly shaped silver mouth, and drew her fingers over it as if to imitate a smile.

"We... never had a choice... only the illusion of one," she murmured, and Kanon felt a deep cutting pain in his chest, as she voiced what he had so desperately wanted to deny. But he knew she was right, he knew...

"Still...if I had been given the choice...truly been given the choice.. I would have come here nonetheless," she made a small sound then, as he said this, half moan half sob, and nodded, breathing in she hugged herself, her shoulders shaking.

"I know... I know..."

He walked up to her then, and put his small hands one of hers, hating his childish body and meagre years, that made him so he could not hold her and soothe the pain she felt just as strongly as he. That he could only touch her and be nothing but a small boy in the face of a woman who was so much more than only that. She shuddered when he touched her, and looked down at him. He heard her laugh softly, and she knelt in front of him, taking both of his hands into hers.

"Your name is Kanon.. isn't it?"

"Yes."

Without a warning she lifted one of her hand's to her face, and took of her mask. Kanon looked away quickly, afraid of offending her, but she laughed and took his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her.

"Tell me... I am beautiful?"

He blinked, not understanding, aching as he heard the childish and tortured tone in her voice, and looked at her. Her skin was dark, a lovely olive complexion with flawless high cheekbones and a fine long nose, not snub or round, but straight and elegant. Her lips were full and perfectly shaped to make her both innocent and sensual, and her eyes... they were like purple gems which caught the moonlight turning it into fires of magic and mystery. The moon only served to accent the tremulous shine in them.

"Yes."

She smiled, tears falling down her cheeks. Kanon stared at her, knowing that here and now, he had been asked to give something more important to her than almost anything.

"Thank you... I needed to know... because... he will never have the chance to say so," Kanon knew all of a sudden, that she spoke of Blood.

"Why not?" he whispered. "Why not let him see you...?"

"Because... I know he will not come with me... and it will make the pain easier for him... if he never knows that I... loved him too."

She shook her head and sighed, looking up at the sky. The stars reflected in her amethyst gaze, a soft wind picking up the sea of silver around her face and playing with it, making her shine all over as the moon danced among the fine strands like a playful lover. After a while she looked down at him, and ran a hand over his hair and down his cheek. He shuddered, feeling a sudden pain and pleasure as she smiled again; this time at him.

"Shall we go?" he nodded and stood back so she could stand up, watching in fascination as she moved slowly and smoothly, and pushed her hair behind her ears with one hand, holding her mask in the other. She set her gaze on the Fireclock and let out a deep breath, straitening her shoulders.

"Yes," Kanon replied softly. "Let's."

"Destiny comes even when it is not called, but life flows forward. Choices are made and it is Destiny who chooses, but these choices are also their own heart's desire."

Dana walked up to Chrono, touching the heavy fall of lilac hair on his back and leaned her head against his stomach, closing her eyes and smiling.

"Time and Fate are bound, and curl over each other forever. Some can only watch, others play their roles... and a few, guide the path set by the stars into completion."

Childlike arms went around his waist, tightening ever so slightly as Dana buried her face in his robes, hoping for no tomorrow to shatter this moment, to draw them back into the endless roads of fate.

"We dream this great dream, of the future resembling the past. Of the Holy and unholy remembering the origins, the true reasons... the true strengths... that were lost. We carry on, time after time, time into time, until this destiny without finality... is broken."

Morgana placed her hand on the cool marble base, running her fingers over the surface slowly, as if searching for a pattern, a door, a message. Kanon stepped closer and touched the stone beside her, feeling the cold immutability of the structure, once again assaulted by the timeless sensation it brought. It felt like it had been there forever, there was not even the smallest nick in then smooth wall, contrary to the piles of broken monuments that surrounded it.

"There is not turning back now," she spoke to no one in particular, eyes scrutinising the solid structure under her hand. She pushed slightly, and felt the wall turn watery, almost unreal. Blindly she groped for Kanon's hand, squeezing it when she found it, pulling them both through into absolute darkness.

Gradually they grew accustomed to the pale light, the same soft blue-white as the last time, that came from nowhere in particular, but drowned the place with an almost dreamy illumination. Books lined both walls on either side of them, seemingly placed into shelves made of pure shadow. She took a deep breath and walked forward, never letting go of the young boy's hand as they came into the greater room with the glowing pool in the middle.

Near one side, Dana sat in a most inelegant sprawl on the armchair, one chubby leg dangling over the armrest, her body sunken into the plush material. Pale violet eyes regarded them with a lambent shine, her tiny fist curled close to her mouth.

"We were hoping you would arrive today," she informed them, voice a monotone.

Morgana tightened the grip she held on her mask, eyes flaring dangerously. "You knew we would come today!"

"Hm... we did," Dana acknowledged, lowering her gaze sadly.

"We didn't have a choice in this either, you would come... we would wait," Chrono stepped out of the shadows from the corridor opposite to the one they had come in from. Kanon narrowed his eyes and let out a small gasp when he saw another figure appear close to the Chrono, this one still shielded amongst the swirling darkness that clung to the whole atmosphere. Neither the child nor the Chrono wore their cloths.

"Why... why are you doing this?" Morgana whispered, fingers curling around Kanon's as she let out a shuddering breath.

"Because it has to be this way. Even if you had no true choice, it was what you wanted."

"You trapped us inside this destiny!" she cried. Chrono lowered his eyes and said nothing. "Teacher... you knew from the beginning and yet..."

"I trained you to be a saint? Yes, it had to be that way, you will not lead a safe existence Morgana," he ran a hand through his hair, his downcast face obscured but the strange play of light and shadow.

Kanon felt a sudden discomfort when he realised that the hidden figure was looking directly at him. Still hidden in the dark as nothing more than a darker outline, he observed Kanon with such intensity the child did not need to see the stranger's eyes to know he was the focus of such attention.

"You needed to learn how to control your powers.. but no, you will never become the Chameleon saint, it was just the cloth that suited you best. I used it as an excuse... your potential lies elsewhere," Chrono went on, speaking slowly and softly, each syllable perfectly pronounced in such a way that it was obvious that he was hiding a more foreign accent behind the practised perfection. Morgana had noticed that before, but now it seemed to call her attention considerably more... there was something about Chrono she had never been able to puzzle, but she was not sure what.

"My potential?" she let go of Kanon's hand, seemingly drawn by something else. Kanon tore his gaze from the stranger's and looked in the direction Morgana was going. It was the silver and gold astrological clock, the glowing pool of water that shone ever so much strongly now, as if the smooth liquid had been fired up by her burning eyes.

"Yes, " Dana continued. "You are human, but you have the potential control an ability that goes haywire on most of your race, but for this you needed training. Your cosmo is strange enough as is, it is the reason why you have no fate. You may not remember this -indeed you don't- but you were stillborn."

"W-what?" Morgana stared at the younger woman with an expression of horror on her face. "How can you know that?"

"I see all paths, and all new connections. Fate is not stationary, it is about choices, so every now and then a path will be chosen and thus there is a rearrangement in the following paths. We do not control the future, we just lead it. Your existence," Chrono had moved to stand opposite to her, with the thin pool between their bodies. "...became quite clearly felt to us the moment you were born."

"What does that have to do with..."

"You were dead, thus your place in destiny was erased. But you were a strong soul, you wanted to live, a few minutes after the doctors gave up on waking you, you did it yourself and began to cry. It was easy, by that time fate had left you out, which is why you do not exist in any of the paths I see."

Morgana shook her head, eyes wide. "It can't be..."

"Your cosmo is the contrary of a living creature's energy because there is not place for you, so unless you clash against another and nullify both of your energies, you can only be felt at a close distance. And this is only because your energy, being the contrary of every other creature's, compromises their feeling of safety and they register as a sort of... vacuum."

Kanon had heard all of this in a strange state of near trance, the tall stranger still looked at him, and it felt so confusingly painful. The presence he radiated was familiar in a mysterious sort of way, like something he had always been feeling, but never as the receiver.

"What do you meant with 'potential' then?" Morgana squared her shoulders and asked, the water began to glow stronger, Chrono spread his arms and fine ripples began to form in it. As the glow intensified the room became clearer, Chrono's pale violet hair swirling and uncovering his forehead.

Kanon gasped. The first thing that registered was the fact that Chrono had not eyebrows, the second was perhaps more striking. There was design all over his brow, made of swirls of blue that ran in smoothly defined lines and joined into a perfectly drawn pattern: a third eye.

"What.. are... you...?" Kanon did not realise he had asked this until Chrono was starting at him, his eyes glowing with an unreal light. The pale blue had been left behind to become a glittering calypso. No human could have eyes like that.

"The last member of a race long forgotten."

Kanon turned back to the stranger, but he was still hidden within the few shadows that remained. The scene went on unfolding behind him.

"Your potential Morgana, is to control the power of premonition. Control it so perfectly that you can see the paths and the choices they lead to, so you can see the weave they form almost completely, and use this to lead the coming cycle."

"See the future?"

"Yes," Dana replied, giving the taller woman an appraising look. "It has been a long time since we have found one with such potential as you."

"I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Not anymore... tomorrow you will meet Blood and bid him goodbye... you already know the answer he will give you. From now on you will take on the task of recording this story." The child slid off the chair and went to stand closer to the stranger.

"Story?"

Chrono answered. "Do you see all these books? They are all stories... legends and myths... all of them true, once long ago. Each cycle has a story, the lives of all who live it, who die for it, who fight for it. Dana and I live to see this through one day, but until then, the only homage we can pay to all of these souls is to make sure that they are remembered. This will be your task... in time." He spread his arms wider and breathed in deeply. "You will have three names, as your task unfolds and your duty changes. You have completed the cycle of your first name; Morgana, your birth name. From, this moment on you will have two more."

Chrono knelt before the pool and touched the water with his slim fingers, moving them almost lazily. Then he rose to his feet and stretched his arm out to his pupil, his wet fingers touching her brow. She let out a gasp of pain and surprise, staggering back to regain her balance.

"What... what have you...?" She closed her eyes, her breath short and ragged. "Who are they...?"

Kanon stepped towards her, afraid of what they were doing to the beautiful woman. Afraid that they might kill her and he might never have a chance to take the sadness away from those magical eyes.

"I just awakened the dormant power within you. You are seeing those whom you will guide... the future Gold saints. Your name from now on will be Moerae, the Fates. You will give them their destiny, guide them directly or indirectly through the paths they must choose to get here, to attain their cloths. You will be able to see the futures laid out for them, and you will know what to give them as 'fate'. But just as you will know their futures, you will ask in return of their destiny, that they tell you their stories."

Morgana opened her eyes, unfocused as they were she stared at Chrono, at Kanon, and then with an almost violent jerk of her head her eyes fell upon the stranger. "You..."

"He is here to complete a destiny he lived as a child," Dana whispered.

Morgana frowned. "Why can't I see the paths into completion... I can only see half-futures.."

"As I said, paths change and futures rearrange themselves, you can only see up to where they are immutable, after that it's a question of what choices were taken," Chrono smiled sadly, his glittering eyes shinning from within with their inhuman light.

"What of my third name?"

Hearing this question both Chrono and Dana smiled. Yes, they had not been sure, but they had expected this strength from the silver hared girl the day they felt her life, they day they took her from the arms of her dying mother and gave her the only choice she could have.

"Mnemosyne, the memory. This shall be your last name, as you will hold in your mind all the stories of those whom you touched. The rest of the stories shall be recorded here, you will serve as living book of sorts, until your firstborn comes."

This took her by evident surprise. "My child?"

"Yes, you will hold within you all the stories, and when the child is born he will receive from you all the knowledge you -as Mnemosyne- hold inside your heart. Then you will bring the child here where it shall learn of the others who fought, those you did not meet, and write the whole story." Chrono stepped away from the pool and walked closer to Dana and the stranger. Morgana stayed there, her hands curled over her lower belly, like a scared little girl. "That is all... I don't have to tell you anything else, you can see with your power who you must see, where to go. Live as best you can, this is a task only you could complete, that's why it gives me such pride to say you are my pupil."

She looked up, her eyes trembling with rage, lips pressed together. "And that is all? Now you throw me out?"

"No... we will meet again from time to time... neither Dana nor I like to spend all out time here always. But it is time you left."

"And you will involve my child in this without asking me?" she demanded, eyes aflame.

"'We' don't do it, it is just the way it will turn out. One of the few paths I can see that far into."

"So you know who will be the father," her cold statement made Kanon shiver. The stranger was looking at her now, leaning slightly on one of the shelves. Dana closed here eyes sadly and bit her lip, then spoke.

"All we can tell you, is that it will not be Blood."

It was a swiftly delivered blow, and she took it without flinching. Her eyes simply widened a bit more, and then closed slowly. "So...I guess I knew this already."

She opened her eyes and stared at Kanon, and at the tall hidden figure that did not reveal itself. But Kanon realised, from the look on her face, that she already knew the identity of the stranger, though it puzzled her greatly. But Chrono and Dana were no longer paying attention to her, having turned their ancient gazes unto him. He heard Morgana's deep sigh.

"Farewell then."

It was such a strange way to say goodbye, but it was all she said. Kanon spun on his heels when he realised she was leaving, but she was far into the hall already and out of his view. He felt a sharp pain then, that he had not even said goodbye to her. That she had vanished from his life. He did not know why, but he had wanted to know her... to see her smile again.

But she was gone.