A/N: This is the longshot I had in mind during the publication of "A Little Something Like Shakespeare." That oneshot was just a scene I imagined would appear in this epic story (or what I hope to be epic). With all the commotion over XIII-2 in the air, I figured now was as good a time as any to release this. I hope you enjoy this brief prologue.

I ~ The Time Has Come

"You've changed."

She was knee deep in waterless, midnight waves, greedily lapping at her skin. The only thing she had felt in the spaceless void was a sense of ancient sagacity, faintly emanating from an unknown force. She had waded through the whispery darkness for a stretch of time she couldn't identify in search of that force. It could have been minutes, it could have been centuries. Time ceased to exist here.

The sudden emergence of the voice didn't stop her pursuit. Azure eyes like roaring oceans remained ahead, propelling herself always forward. Her lithe fingers brushed against the eager blade bumping against her knees, not fooled by what could be false comfort.

"You're scared?"

She stopped, fingers twitching, drawing to her weapon like magnets. She cast her gaze around, even though she knew she'd find nothing. Instinct was an insatiable master though, paranoid about triple-checking every surrounding no matter how depthless and vast.

"Scared of someone too frightened to show themselves?" she taunted into the smoky black pocket of lost time.

"You have changed. Your journey has rewarded you well."

The shadows at her feet brushed past her more urgently now, as if being dragged away by a vacuum of wind she could not feel. Her hand clasped the hilt of her blade, unfolding from its carrier like a falcon released from its leash. Her battle-thirsty fingers were quenched with the smooth steel set free. The darkness was thinning, draining from around her into shades of gray until she was finally engulfed in white. The gunblade glided through the new, pearly envelope, settling in both hands as she held it above her, like a scorpion's tail preparing to strike.

"You came to help me," the tranquil sound intoned, a wisp of hopefulness underlying.

"I came to help my friends," she snapped, searching for a face to go with the feminine sound.

The soft radiation of the force she'd been tailing had been drained away with the rest of the darkness. All that was left was the nameless voice. She cursed this new presence for cutting her hunt short and switched gears. She had a new prey to smoke out. For a while, everything was silent and she slowly turned in a circle with the graceful sharpness of a ballet dancer. There was no one else around her.

She stood still, frozen in attack mode, her fine-tuned senses open wide in search of what she was treating as her new opponent. The air was tasteless as she breathed through barely parted lips. There was no scent, no sound, nothing to see, and nothing to feel. The pure emptiness, being devoid of all sensation, was enough to drive a person mad. She kept her wits though; she preferred no feelings – there was less to distract her.

"I have a proposition for you."

She spun on her heel, the gunblade gliding down and following her body until she was facing the other way. It cut through nothing. A short hiss of irritation accompanied her as she straightened, her eyes moving around as quickly as her namesake. It had been directly behind her. She had felt breath on her neck as the words came to life. She detested games. Her patience was worn to disrepair.

"Help me," the voice said, coming from everywhere again. "In return, I'll reward you with those whom you care for most."

"Maybe I'd be more inclined to consider that if I knew who was offering."

Coming as far as she had, she was willing to treat even the slightest sliver of hope as an option. The sooner she could find an answer the better. Regardless, she couldn't be completely reckless. She didn't trust what she couldn't see and she especially wasn't going to make deals with something she was well aware was much more powerful than herself – not that she was about to admit it.

The whiteness stirred, strangely shifting in a way she couldn't describe. Goosebumps peppered her arms and a ticklish sensation tweaked her stomach. Then, she held on tighter to her weapon, a careful wariness spreading over her as she fixed her gaze on the woman who'd appeared before her. Long, raven folds of hair feathered around her face and down her back. Her skin was ivory white but, her lips were tinted blue. She was barefoot and dressed in a gown so white it nearly blended into the hoary void.

Eyes like sun-drowned oceans met a gaze as black and motionless as death. She was a beautiful corpse, unnerving in her pallor but, entrancing in her shape.

"I am Etro," she said, her voice in her eyes, not her mouth. "Will you help me?"

She knew the name well: Etro, the goddess of death. Many times had she prayed to her when her parents had gone to her arms. She knew of her legend, of her benevolence, of her strength. Ever so slightly did her muscles unclench and her thoughts grow less tense.

"Why do you need my help?"

"Your journey has changed you. You've learned of love and friendship. You found hope and learned to never let it go. Your determination and devotion to your friendships brought you here. All of these qualities are what is required for this mission."

She weighed the offer again. The goddess of death couldn't have been her more ideal choice of salvation for her friends. However, she was no stranger to a god's craving for trickery and manipulation. To make a deal with Etro was to make a deal with the devil.

"If I help you, you swear to save my friends?"

The goddess raised a frail hand to her breast and her forefinger drew an X shape over her heart. A golden glow wreathed the shape she'd drawn and then, she extended her hand towards the woman who had not come for her. Said woman smirked, humorlessly, at the goddess's gesture.

Cross your heart, huh? How cute.

She eyed the hand, delicately suspended in porcelain elegance. Daringly, she stepped towards it, then, looked back at the lifeless eyes.

"What is the goal of this mission?"

Etro's blue lips rose in a knowing smile and before the woman accepted her hand, she emitted a silver glow that steadily grew brighter until she was blinded by it. Then, blackness exploded around her and she was slowly, effortlessly, falling upward. Her fighting spirit was shocked into senselessness from the abrupt change. She didn't have the strength to fight her ascent. The goddess's presence – which had grown suddenly familiar – came weaving around her, whispering over her skin.

"Find and destroy my demise. Only deceit stands in your way. Save me from damnation and I promise, I will reward you with those whom you care for most."

The weightless, gravity defiance broke as the goddess let her go, leaving her rushing up into a soft gray portal. Her eyes closed and she fell to the unknown with nothing to aid her but her will to fight on and a black goddess's promise.

A/N II: I hope you all enjoyed my little teaser of an opening. Thanks to everyone who reviewed "A Little Something Like Shakespeare," urging me to upload this longshot. I'm looking forward immensely to working on this. I love this pairing and I love, love, LOVE writing Lightning. My best fanfics have been through her voice.

A quick warning before I leave you to (hopefully) review: I'm infamous for my long waits between updates. My Naruto fans can attest to that. The next chapter is well on its way but, between writing that, my other longshot, and my own novel, I can't guarantee the date of the next chapter. I'm setting myself a goal not to take agonizing amounts of time to write so, I hope I won't let anyone down!

Please review and critique! Whatever advice you think you can give me, lay it on me. I'd prefer some constructive criticism. I look forward to reading your responses.