Chapter Four
In the darkness, a voice rang, concern laced in her tone. With heavy-lidded eyes, Shun met a feminine face, blurred and obscured by the slumber overtaking him. Her hands touched his face, cradling his cheeks, which oddly to Shun, who tensed under her touch, relaxed at the warmth she possessed.
"He's fighting. That's a good sign." Forehead against forehead, her breath, warm, with a lace of mint intertwined, invaded his sense of smell. "He won't die so easily."
"He has accepted his fate," a second voice chimed, assertive in his tone.
She pulled away, her hands leaving his cool face. "No, he's trying to fight!" The silence interceded—and her hand fell flat against his forehead. "Did you find any answers in the scrolls?"
"No."
The fabric of her cloth brushed against his skin before he felt her forehead against his. "Then he will die." She took in a deep breath. "I'm so sorry."
…
Shun awoke, his mind heightened. He sat up in an unfamiliar scenery: tall trees, the sound of birds chirping in the distance, and the sunlight peeking through the branches. He rose at once, and the birds fled, wings flapping, a feather swaying to the ground. The forest, now serenely quiet, stood majestically under the rays of the sun, a sight that was calmly becoming familiar to Shun, but no memory surfaced.
Leaves crunching, he turned to the cause—and met Seiya.
"Sleeping on the job, huh?" He chuckled. "Ikki will be pissed."
Eyes wide, mouth agape, Shun could not congregate a sound. Part of him reasoned that this was not real; the other, the dominant, made him believe it was, but when he saw that whimsical smile on Seiya's face, he knew the truth.
"Shun, hold on, okay?"
Seiya smiled, then faded into particles of light, the scenery fading with him until Shun stood on the peak of a hill, covered with a thick layer of snow. He took in the frozen landscape, the cool wind barely chilling his bones. At the edge, an old friend waited.
"I understand your fear, Shun," Hyoga spoke. "I've dealt with this fear too." His blond friend turned, a slight smile on his lips. "I wish we could help, but sadly..." Hyoga sighed, a mist falling from his lips. "Shun, keep fighting."
The rush of water overcame the howls of the wind.
Shun turned to the source.
At the edge, near the waterfall, Shiryu sat, chest barren, legs entwined, as he settled in a trance.
"You must fight, Shun." Shiryu somewhat turned his head. "For our sake."
Then the scenery cracked and fell like glass, his friends falling with it. In the night, where the light did not illuminate, Shun panicked and waited for the sun to ascend. It never did.
But he was far from alone.
In the dark recess of his mind, a voice spoke, "Don't be afraid, little brother. I know you'll be fine."
Then he awoke, his clothes clinging to his skin, as a layer of sweat drenched his body. Something moist—a wet towel—rested on his forehead. He searched the cell for the visitor, as much as his neck allowed him, until a saint appeared, clothed in gold. The saint settled a bucket nearby and draped a dry cloth on the rim. He then sat on his knees, meeting Shun's gaze.
Brown eyes. Short hair. The Libra cloth shined against his light skin. It felt strange to meet another Saint alive such as he, but what was even more strange was that the Gold Saint of Libra held a familiar face. Still, his name did not surface.
"Athena will be happy to see you awake," he spoke. "Perhaps the only one." His eyes said it all—he did not trust him. "I have many questions to ask but, considering your circumstances, I doubt I'll have my answers." He looked up, staring out the small window where a ray of light entered and illuminated a tile. "The Pope says you're cursed—death waits on the other side."
When he returned his gaze, Shun closed his eyes, contemplating. So much to contemplate—Athena? The Gold Saint of Libra? The Pope? And he dying?—he could not settle on one thought. He felt relieved when the saint spoke.
"Have you heard of the name Alone?" The saint asked.
Shun creased his forehead, which elicited a sigh from the Libra.
Methodically the Libra removed the damp towel from Shun's forehead and replaced it with a fresh one. Shun shuddered at the cool sensation, a chill running down his spine, but he relaxed, once the temperature receded.
"Lord Dohko!"
In the serenity, a voice rang, shrill in desperation. A soldier emerged from around the corner, frantically searching for the man in question when his eyes landed on the Libra Saint. He entered the cell and bowed his head.
"Lord Dohko! You must come with me!"
Dohko rose to his feet. "What's wrong?"
"Lady Athena requests your presence immediately, sir!"
The mere mention of Athena's name prompted Dohko to act. He rushed out of the cell, the soldier a step behind him. As for Shun, who heard Athena's name above all else, forced his body to move—but his body, weak from the wounds, could not move as quickly as his thoughts. He turned his upper body, slapping his hands on the ground to keep it upright; in the process, the towel from his forehead fell and hit the tiles under his bleary sight.
The world swirled in between reality and unconsciousness that he had no choice but to retreat to his previous position, watching the ceiling sway until it solidified into one. He took a breath, the headache pounding, as footsteps approached through his confusion.
"Typical of Dohko to rush into a situation without a second thought."
Emotionless, guarded, those were the first two words that came to Shun's mind when he met the ruthless eyes of the Gemini Saint. And just like the Libra Saint, a name did not surface to mind. However, he will admit that the Gemini looked quite familiar to a man they had defeated; a man bent on power; a man who sought redemption in his second life; but that man wasn't this man—no, far from it. Their auras did not match. Yes, perhaps that would explain why he did not feel familiar with the Libra Saint.
Lost in thought, Shun did not realize how close the Gemini Saint was to him; a second ago he was near the cell bars, now he stood, near his tired body. He examined him under his blue eyes, like an insect under a telescope.
"Ah, the one who holds Lady Athena's attention." He stood upright and recited, "'The naming of the Pope has been postponed due to the rather abrupt appearance of Lady Athena's friends.'" He chuckled. "Of course, a prisoner was mentioned, one cursed to die a slow death."
The Gemini looked at Shun.
"Lady Athena was distraught over your health. She… cares too much for others." Crouching, he grabbed a wisp of Shun's hair in between his fingers. "The least I can do is end this charade,"—his hair slipped from his fingertips— "and be named the Pope."
"It will be over quick." Hand poised in the air, he smiled. "Trust me."
In the grip of silent panic, Shun watched as the hand descended, the death blow mere inches from his face when the Gemini stopped. The seconds fleeting and his death sentence lay forgotten. In the eyes of his assassin, he saw fear.
The Gemini pulled away, retreating to the cell bars, where his back lay against the solid iron. Shun could not fathom where his thoughts lay, but by the look on his pale face, he knew that whatever gripped him had a hold on his mind.
The Gemini spoke, quietly at first, until his voice rose in volume, "What is this? What are you?"
His eyes never strayed from the Andromeda.
Until his concentration shattered and he clawed at his face until it bled.
Shun merely watched the man drag his nails against his skin.
"Aspros," a voice rang.
In a second, a man, identical to the Gemini, appeared, with a mask tied around his face. And although they share a similar appearance, the man in the mask was thinner, tan, and different from the first. Even his eyes, a dark shade of blue, held more emotion than the Gemini.
"Aspros, what's wrong?"
Aspros held still, staring at what Shun assumed to be his brother, eyes locked with his. A wrinkle formed between his brows, muscles tight, jaw clenched. He pushed his brother to a side, hard enough to send him flying into the wall. The brother gasped, his body falling to the ground, and Shun, from his standpoint, no longer saw the man's form.
"I…" The man named Aspros spoke. "What am I doing?" He looked at his hands in disbelief.
"Aspros!" The twin stood, unaffected by the blood trickling down his face, his mask forgotten on the ground. He grabbed the Gemini by his shoulders, his breath mere inches from his, yelling, "Snap out of it, brother!"
Aspros, disregarding his brother's plea, stared at the Andromeda, callous eyes never blinking. Then he moved, a step at a time, his brother pushing him back, demanding that he stay still. This angered the Gemini Saint.
"Don't test me," he warned.
In that moment, before the second twin could react to the first, Aspros pushed his brother aside, walking, with a stagger in his step, toward the prisoner on the ground. And before he reached the prisoner's side, the second reacted, grabbing his brother by his shoulder, twisting him, making him face the rage the brother exposed on his face.
"Who are you!"
The question went unanswered, no matter how many times he asked.
Until there was stillness on both sides.
Then suddenly movement—the second fell on his back, his head smashing against the tiles. The first gazed at him with cold eyes, his fists delivering each blow, as the blood spilled and sullied the area around his head. And Shun, watching the scene unfold before his eyes, rose to his feet, his legs shaking before he firmly held his ground and tackled the Gemini off his twin.
They slid on the ground, near the iron bars.
Shun groaned and opened his eyes, his vision blurry and unsteady. The Gemini moved, the strays of his blue hair bobbing like a smudge of crayon. Shun rolled on his back, watched as the Gemini straddle his waist, as his sweaty palms gripped his bandaged neck.
The pressure became immense.
Shun struggled under his hold, gasping for breath. His lungs begged for oxygen as the tears slid down his cheeks absentmindedly. The Gemini was relentless, his eyes never losing the harshness in his face. Then, as an answer to Shun's prayers, he was pushed off as the younger brother held him down. Shun coughed and wheezed, bringing a hand to his neck.
In a haze, he saw the second twin slap the first, shouting, "Aspros, please snap out of it!"
But the Gemini did not return to his former self, not even at the plea of his brother.
He pushed the younger twin off his form and glared at the Andromeda. And with a snarl, he stood, unaffected by the blood trailing down his face, unaffected by his brother's insistence to stop. He stood with determination and grabbed the Andromeda—and they teleported away, before an open field where the trees encased them.
Shun was dropped on the ground without hesitation. But he quickly rose on his feet, ready to defend his life, for death was not a choice; but when he stood and faced the Gemini, he saw a broken man, staggering on his feet, yelling into his hands for release.
The heavens, even the gods, could hear the agony in his screams. It did not stop, not even when the twin appeared, his face, bloodied and bruised from being punched by the first. As the screams dwindled down, and the silence approached, the Gemini stood upright and glared at Shun.
Out of his lips, he spat, "Traitor."
And then in a flash, he disappeared and reappeared before Shun's eyes. His hand reached and caught the Andromeda by the neck, strangling him in the air, his eyes brimming at the sheer panic Shun displayed.
"You will not win," he spoke, his voice so disembodied, as if someone else entirely was speaking instead of the man in front of him. "I will…"—Aspros struggled to breathe, his hand releasing the tension around Shun's neck before the pressure reapplied — "… I will not let you win."
His life, at the brink of death, did not fall into the hands of Hades, once again. The second appeared, punching his brother in the back of his head, enough for the Gemini to release Shun from his grasp. The Gemini staggered, the blood spilling and falling on the dew below his feet. Breathing heavily, he looked at the Andromeda, the blood painting a grotesque picture of an insane man with red-stained teeth.
"I will not let you win." He moved forward, each step slowly approaching, each step tainting the grass beneath his feet with blood. "I will beat you, Shun, Ha—"
His sentence ended short, for the twin punched him across the face, silencing the Gemini into a stupor. He slumped to the ground, slowly, as the brother held him, cradling his body in his arms.
With a wobbly tone, the brother spoke, "I'm sorry, brother."
The sun streamed against the grass, yet the atmosphere grew gray. In anguish, the brother remained near Aspros, silently crying and whispering regrets. Shun, with his life no longer in danger, fell on his knees, the exhaustion finally taking its toll.
For a moment there was peace …
… yet the danger remained.
In their incognizant, a dark form fled from the Gemini Saint. Like a snake, it slithered across the grass, ready to claim its next victim. By the time the twin realized what had left his brother's form, he could not warn the prisoner of his fate. Instead, the shadow emerged and engulfed Shun whole, taking him down the pits of hell, where the underworld reveled in the screams of their victims.
...
Notes: There are 26 chapters in total, maybe less if I decide to combine a few chapters together, but for right now there are 26 chapters. Updates will be more frequent. If I do not post by next week, then I apologize in advance—I got busy with work. Thank you for reading and/or reviewing.
