CHAPTER 4

     "One pawn taken." Adelaide delicately took up a black pawn and set it beside the chess set. "Interesting. Who would have thought a small spell for breaking ice would kill Hermes?"

     "Hey! That was the only thing I could think of in such short notice!" Mika absently rubbed her hand. "But I forgot it could be so irritating."

     "Stop that, you'd only make the itching worse. Fortunately, Hermes was a new creation with no real body. That'll explain his fragility." Adelaide stared at the chess set for a few minutes before standing up. "I wonder who'd be next? It's getting late, I'm going to sleep now."

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          A rumbling growl silenced the whispering throng in the room. The courtiers squeak in fear as the Shadow King crushed the figurine of Hermes in his hand.

     "The stupid fool! How dare he proceed without my commands! A crystal figurine is useless if not infused properly!" his gaze fell on two of his henchmen, Pandora and Apollo. "We will get our own revenge! Now go! Destroy the future guardians! GO!" They bowed and vanished.

     "Your Majesty, is it wise to do so? They will not last long in the future dimension."

     "They are expendable. But they are loyal and WILL create a certain degree of destruction. Unlike you, Hades, they have no other thought except to win my approval." The one called Hades bit back his retort and bowed submissively.

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     The window creaked slightly and Adelaide hesitated. She turned and saw that Mika was still sleeping. She smiled and slipped out. She felt herself falling and reveled in the sheer ecstasy of it. In mid fall, her body shimmered and changed into a sailor senshi before reaching the ground. She stood up and lifted her outstretched palm. A faint vibrating whistle was heard as a crystallized key appeared.

     "Key of the Stars, open the Passage of Dawn, I, Sailor Cosmo Eos, bid you!" A twirling white mist appeared before her. She brushed aside her flowing locks and entered the swirling portal.


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