His Enlightened Cyan Sin
It was a wonderful morning in Athens and the salty breeze coming from the sea caressed the huge marble stairs. Meanwhile, the Mediterranean sun shone on the white walls of the Temples, sweeping the shadows and brightening the corners. Life was beautiful to all the inhabitants of Athena's Sanctuary and merry to the world.
However, for those who were able to read between the lines, it seemed that the light was fighting a deadly war against the darkness on the top of the Holy Shrine. A tall man, dressed in fine silk robes, was looking at a knelt warrior as another slender blond guy covered with a shining Gold Cloth attentively faced them with a faint smile.
Although he expected to fight until the limits of his strength, no matter this confrontation would have lasted one thousand days, Virgo Shaka was sure he would be the winner at the end. Indeed, he was so sure of his victory, utterly convinced of the power of his cosmo and the right of the Pope's orders. No matter what Leo Aiolia would have said or done, how powerful his attack might have been, victory would have been his. All in all, he was the man who was almost a god. Or a god himself.
Shaka felt the dark robed man approached the fallen Leo Saint, not noticing the wide grin across his handsome face behind the thick ceremonial mask. The Pope touched Aiolia's forehead and turned back to the standing Virgo Saint.
- It's over now, Shaka. You can go to your temple and wait for the invaders.
With his eyes closed, the blond guy nodded and elegantly walked towards the entrance. Before he could open the big wooden doors, the Pope's voice reached him.
- Remember, Virgo Shaka. No mercy upon those who challenge Athena's Sanctuary. – The man wearing the Pope's fineries spoke aloud. – You're our finest warrior so you can kill them quickly… but painfully.
Without looking back to the masked man, the Virgo Gold Saint dryly replied. – As you wish.
The Pope smiled as he dismissed his subordinate. In fact, he felt utterly satisfied when the golden warrior quietly left the room. Although his peaceful demeanor, there was something in Shaka that made him feel uneasy. The Virgo Saint was considered to be "the man who is almost a god". For this reason, he was suspicious of the blond guy and his schemes. His inner voice whispered.
Would Shaka want to take my place? Should I end as Shion?
The Pope closed his eyes and shrugged. So far, the Gold Saint had been dutiful and peaceful. There was nothing to complain but the leader of the Sanctuary feared a hidden threat from Shaka. So he was relieved when the Gold Saint left the hall.
While approaching the huge wooden doors, Shaka was happy to leave the room, too, and said to himself with contempt:
The Pope is just a man touched by evil although he fights against it. We should remember what Buddha said: "It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, which lures him to evil ways." That's happening to you, Pope.
Savoring the sweetness of Buddha's quote as a spiritual balm, Shaka got out the big hall and went by the guards who were standing still. Step by step, he went forward without looking at them but listening to their whispers, feeling their distress, smelling their fear.
How insignificant the human beings are! How pitiful vulnerable!
Since he was young back in India, Shaka had been touched by the sufferings and cravings of human beings. But his pity was founded in a divine detachment which led him to disdain humanity and human frailties. In fact, he was a Bodhisattva, far above ordinary feelings.
Although his meditation and concentration, he was unable to ignore the frailties and fears of those incompetent guards who were the constant fodder for the Pope's plans. The human misery, the unjustifiable mistakes and the horrible sins offended him as blasphemies to his divine inner self. It was a blessing that he was an enlightened one, so he was beyond humanity. He shrugged and walked towards the marble stairs.
Coming down, he approached the last temple. It was Pisces and he realized that Aphrodite was working at his beloved rose garden. How stupid the Swedish guy was! Beauty was fragile and temporary as his damned little roses. They bloomed and faded with a wink. Putting his interest and dedication to his beautiful exterior as well as those flowers was Aphrodite's main weakness.
Pisces Aphrodite, you should learn from Buddha. He had said: "What we think, we become." Because you think of beauty which is short-lived, your life would be short and insignificant as the rose petal which fades in the sun.
With another shrugged, he went down the stairs. Aquarius was the next temple, whose guardian was considered Athena's coldest, heartless and most elegant warrior in battle. But his third eye, the one which provided the Virgo Saint perception beyond his sight, had discovered his little secret: Camus had built a fortress around his soft loving heart, the one who might have been the source of his power. That caring heart would become his doom quite soon. Loving his friend Milo and his disciples were his main weaknesses but, from Shaka's point of view, to be illogical and desultory were Camus' biggest flaw and crime.
According to Buddha: "However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?" Try to learn it, Aquarius Camus.
Shaka kept on walking, enjoying the depth of Buddha's quotes. The sun shone upon his Gold Cloth as he approached the Capricorn temple, where the most loyal Saint inhabited since ancient times. His loyalty had caused the death of the Sagittarius Saint because Capricorn Shura had been the executor of the Pope's death penalty. Besides, he had become the enemy of the fiercest Gold Saint, Leo Aiolia. Nonetheless, most of the Saints despised Aiolos' younger brother because his elder was a traitor and considered Shura's deeds as a necessary evil, in order to keep the young Athena safe and sound. Sagittarius' death was just a little cost to preserve peace and justice in Earth. However, Shaka considered that such loyalty was just an expression of Shura's self-sufficiency and arrogance.
"With fools, there is no companionship. Rather than to live with men who are selfish, vain, quarrelsome, and obstinate, let a man walk alone", says Buddha. Listen to him, Capricorn Shura. Maybe your path might lead to enlightenment but your self-sufficiency would keep you away from the true light.
With contempt, Shaka kept on going downstairs. The Sagittarius temple was empty since his guardian had been executed. While walking through the long corridor, the Virgo Saint felt a certain warmth that had been associated to Aiolos. In fact, the archer had been a warm-hearted reliable man who had charmed most of the young Saints. But Shaka wasn't fool by his tenderness because it didn't allow Aiolos to act wisely. His self-sacrifice only brought hatred and suffering to the Sanctuary.
Buddha, who was the Enlightened One, told to his disciples: "To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue." How sad that you didn't kept this path, Sagittarius Aiolos.
Before he reached the Scorpio Temple, Shaka stopped. While the winds caressed his skin and his silky blond hair, he stood still as the sun bathed him with his golden light. However, his eyes were closed as they treasured his secret power. But those beautiful blue eyes were also closed after witnessing so much pain, sins and deaths since he was young, those slivers of haunting memories which he carried from his hometown in India to his dwelling at Virgo temple. The sufferings and the worst of human passions had horrified him. In order to avoid them, since his childhood, he rejected to experience the human feelings and the ephemeral happiness. Only his learning and training kept him walking on the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue. At the end, they had helped him to become the reincarnation of Buddha and a god himself, essentially better than other men and women. So he was used to be detached of all humanity and to judge people from the point of view of a deity. Not surprisingly, he did so with his comrades. Shaka judged them with strictness and objectivity, as humans should be tried by the Kyotos of the Underworld. Maybe he did it in a better way. Realizing what he had done, the powerful warrior and man closest to god had a pang of sorrow and remorse.
Is it wrong to be above human feelings? Is this pride, a deadly sin? I'm the Enlightened One! What should I do, Buddha, to be more perfect and divine?
Even though his training and meditation, Shaka was unable to listen to an answer to his question which he asked again and again. The blond Bodhisattva felt his spirit full of emptiness and loneliness. Later, a little crystal tear slowly fell down his cheek. Going down, it was like a little diamond falling, a bright shooting star that streaked through the summer night sky.
With a shrug, Shaka regained his peaceful demeanor and straightened up. No matter how many times his mind would try to swindle him, he would win at the end. In fact, he was Virgo Shaka, the Gold Saint who was the man closest to god and a god himself. Faintly smiling, he kept on going towards his temple. The humanity, whom he swore to protect, was at his divine mercy and pity. Nothing more.