Page 24 of Pisces Rising

Virgo shook his head. "I don't know. We've never encountered anything like it here before."

Her sharp gaze turned to Sagittarius. "And you? You were content letting a fellow fire sign perish?"

"No," Sag said immediately, sorrow creasing his brow. "Our powers are not as strong here as in the stars. Even if I wanted to intervene, it likely wouldn't have helped. Only you and Aries had the power to defeat that..." He trailed off, pained by his words.

Pisces wanted to scream, but lucidly reasoned he was right—if she had her power, only she or Aries could have saved him.

As her accusing eyes fell on Gemini, the dual-natured woman spoke up. "That creature came from the water," Gemini stated flatly.

“It was made of fire!” Pisces snapped.

Gemini crossed her arms over her chest. "But it emerged from the sea. And Virgo hasn't opened any portals to allow other Zodiacs here." Gemini's implication hung in the air. "Perhaps Aries was right about you deceiving us all along?"

Before Virgo or Sag could react, Pisces shot to her feet, charging at Gemini. "There’s nothing I’m hiding." Her finger jabbed out accusingly. "But you've been keeping secrets too, haven't you?"

Guilt flickered across Virgo's face as he avoided eye contact.

"What is she talking about?" Sag asked, looking between them.

"A mirror realm, only they know about," Pisces revealed. "One that might contain my lost power."

Virgo held up placating hands. "Pisces, please..."

"Save it! I don't want lies." Her furious gaze fell on Gemini's unrepentant face. "I don't care about secret realms now—finding my power won't bring Aries back."

A spark ignited in Pisces' mind as the words left her lips. She turned to Sagittarius. "If I died now, what would happen to the essence of my Cerulean Tear?"

Sag's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Nothing. It will continue existing."

Pisces' eyes went wide as fragmented memories aligned. "Have I...died before?"

When none answered, she pressed urgently, "Have I died before?!"

Virgo nodded slowly. “Yes. Many times. You are Pisces, mother of the Zodiacs. You have evolved the most because you have lived a thousand lives and died a thousand deaths.”

Pacing, Pisces processed this with an old, familiar voice whispering: "Mother...water...source of life..." After tense moments, she leveled her gaze at the three. "Open the doors, Virgo." When he hesitated, she desperately tried to pry them apart. "Open it! If you want Aries back, open the door!"

“Don’t, Virgo.” Gemini cautioned. “Pisces sent the serpent. We’ve already lost Aries. Don’t unleash her to destroy the rest of us. We need to contain her.”

Exchanging looks with Sag, Virgo reluctantly released the lock. The doors flew open, and Pisces sprinted onto the beach, following the cosmic whispers in the sea breeze.

At the shoreline, waves lapping at her bare feet, Pisces closed her eyes. "Please..." she called. "I was born of your depths. You gave me form in the stars." Her words felt brittle against the rhythm of the tide. Pisces clenched her fists, desperation clawing up her throat. "The man you took from me—he was my other half. My destined love across infinite lifetimes." Salty tears traced down her cheeks. "Don't let this be the end. I can't lose him, not when I've only just found him again!"

The dark waters remained indifferent to her pleas. A crushing sense of failure gripped Pisces, her knees threatening to buckle under the weight of her grief. But just as she began resigning herself to this unthinkable loss, two familiar voices stirred the recesses of her memory: "The wind can carry whispers unseen..." Aquarius’ warning whispered in her ear.

"Remember who you are, little fish..." Cancer's gentle tones—the pieces clicked into place with the fragments she’d collected. Of course, she was more than this fractured mortal shell. She was Pisces, cosmic mother to them all.

Straightening with renewed determination, Pisces called the four winds into her very being, her projected essence swirling into the currents like an unstoppable maelstrom.

"Aquarius! Cancer! Lend me your powers to restore the other half of my soul before it's lost forever!"

As if in answer, a tremendous gust whipped across the waters, infusing Pisces with vibrant turquoise energy. Her eyes snapped open, shimmering, as the seas churned around her ankles.

"Yes!" With a tremulous smile, Pisces embraced their influx of combined might. "I am Pisces, first daughter of the endless tides! That which was taken shall be restored."

Extending her borrowed cosmic will, Pisces could feel the planet's ancient ley lines pulsing. She directed those energies to converge at the epicenter of the maelstrom, holding the elements in amplified focus. With a thundering implosion, a vibrating emerald flare erupted. Pisces shielded her eyes—and a prone figure appeared on the shore.

"Aries..." Pisces' voice cracked as she collapsed beside him, cradling his soaked, steaming form. "You're alive..."