10 — THE SILHUOUETE IN THE MIST

The Death Valley is a high and very narrow region between two mountains with difficult access. But once inside the Valley, it was very clear why the local people called it that; the entrance was marked by a cave that resembled the head of an open-mouthed lion. A haze and a rotting smell of sulfur gave the place a nauseating feeling. There was no tree, plant or any kind of vegetation or animal. It was a really dead place.

Seiya and Shun awaited Shiryu's arrival in this horrible place; apprehensively, Seiya noticed in the sky a strange helicopter flying over the high cliffs.

"Calm down, Seiya." Shun said when he saw his friend walking from one side to the other. "I'm sure Shiryu will return with the Cloths."
"I don't care about the Cloth, I'm worried about her. I've had a feeling for days that she might not be all right."

And both Shun and Seiya heard footsteps coming in the distance; the certainty that someone was coming but, shrouded in mist, only the person's silhouette could be seen. The long hair and an Urn in the back filled Seiya's chest with hope.

"Shiryu!" the friend guessed.

But whoever crossed the mist was not who they expected. It was the one least expected as it was actually Saori Kido. Her purple hair down, a battle suit, what appeared to be a protective Armor and the Urn of Gold Cloth on her back.

"Miss Saori?" Shun asked.
"Just Saori, Shun." she replied with a certain sweetness.
"What are you doing here?" Seiya asked.
"Shun, I understand your reasons for being here, but Phoenix challenged me to come and retrieve the Gold Armor. I couldn't ask anyone to come in my place."
"But, miss…"
"Saori…" she corrected.
"Saori, you knew we would come, there is no need for you to be in any danger." Shun said.
"I won't let anyone fight in my place, Shun." she replied forcefully.

Saori left the golden urn she was carrying on the ground and Seiya saw the Pegasus pendant reappear around her neck. She also had something that was tied on top of the Golden Urn, a kind of box much smaller than the Urn; she took it off and gave it to Seiya.

"Seiya, if Shiryu doesn't get here in time, I asked the Foundation to create this Armor so that you don't have to fight unprotected."
"I don't need your protection, I'm sure Shiryu will come back."
"Me too, Seiya. But maybe it might be too late when she gets back and I wouldn't want you to get hurt going into the Valley without protection."

Seiya was surprised that Saori took all that trouble and concern for him; he looked at her, and she looked very different from the princess he was used to seeing from afar in the Tournament cabin. Or even that spoiled bitch child who exploited the little ones when they came to live together at the Foundation before going to their training.

What Seiya saw in front of her was a serious girl, wearing an unknown type of Armor, with eyes sure of her mission and concerned for his well-being. It never crossed his mind to wear that fake Armor, but he found himself wondering if that girl was all that bad he thought of her.

"Look, Seiya" Shun said.

They both felt a weak cosmos clearly come to them.

"Now it's her!" exclaimed Seiya happily.

But he was wrong again. When the fog cleared, there was only a Bronze Urn.

"The Pegasus… Cloth." Shun startled.

The Urn immediately recognized Seiya, as it opened with great splendor, dispelled the evil omen of Death Valley with its winged figure that revealed itself in the wonderful Pegasus. Sparkling, it vibrated with Seiya's heart and shattered in midair to dress his body in a spectacular fashion. Saori was delighted with Pegasus revelation.

Seiya felt that his Cloth was renewed, in perfect condition. But much more than that, it wasn't just restored, there was something more to it.

"It's amazing." Seiya said. "It feels even more powerful."
"Shiryu..." lamented Saori.
"There's someone else here, Seiya." Shun said.

He felt a certain vibration from the chain, not as if he was facing an enemy, but there was certainly a slight tension of someone hiding in the mist. Shun released the chain and hit someone in midair.

"Aiaiaiai!" complained the child.
"Who are you?" Seiya asked.
"Oh, is this a way to welcome a traveler?!" asked the boy.
"Come on, say it, who are you?"
"I'm Kiki, Mu's apprentice. I came to bring the Pegasus Cloth, because Shiryu was not able to come."

Everyone saw the child with unruly hair, a gold bracelet and two bright spots on his forehead. The same one that had tested Shiryu on Jamir.

"What do you mean she couldn't come? Where is Shiryu?" Seiya asked.
"She can't come… Master Mu said she would need Shiryu's life to repair the Bronze Cloths."
"Her life?" Seiya asked and everyone was in shock. "Does that means that... she sacrificed herself for my Cloth?" Seiya asked himself.

Kiki then told Seiya what had happened in Jamir.

She told him that the Bronze Cloths are as alive as anything else, and that in the state of destruction they had reached until Mu, the Cloths could be considered themselves dead, like those ones scattered around the Cemetery. However, there was a possibility of bringing back a Cloth in that state: with the blood of a Saint.

For a Cloth to regain its life, it takes a lot of Saint's blood, and in their case, there were not just one, but two Cloths to be restored. And Shiryu accepted the sacrifice and shed her blood so that the Cloths could come back to life.

"When I left Jamir, Shiryu was fighting for her life, on the verge of losing it. Master Mu said that it would depend on her own will and cosmos not to perish."
"Shiryu..." lamented Seiya.

He felt inside him a huge fear that his nightmare was a reality and that Shiryu would die to give him a chance. But if there was anyone who knew about Shiryu's fiber, it was Seiya; and he remembered that Shiryu had already died once and come back to life.

He then decided to trust her friend. Trust her to come.

"Shiryu… I will fight for you!" and then turned to Shun. "Come on. Let's find your sister." he said, smiling. "I'm sure Shiryu will come back alive."
"OK, Seiya." Shun replied, pleased with his friend.
"Wait." asked Saori.

She had in her hands four golden bells that sounded high and clear.

"The valley's complex of caves and inlets are treacherous. If we get lost from each other, the sound of the bell can tell us where we are." she said as she gently tied a bell on Shun's wrist, Seiya's and her own. "So we won't get lost."
"Saori…"
"Our surveys of this region show that there are several entrances and it's very easy to get lost in this place, but we could also see that the Black Knights are actually scattered throughout the valley. And I believe that, just as your sister did with the other Black Knights, it is possible that she has spread the parts of the Armor with these warriors I will go after them and you can go straight to Ikki; she is in the deepest part of the Valley."
"Are you saying you're going to face the Black Saints alone? Are you crazy?" Seiya and Kiki asked almost together.
"No, Saori." Shun protested. "If what you say is true and there are so many paths in this valley, then our best chance is to part ways. If you manage to have all the parts of the Gold Cloth that you carry..."
"You will be an easy prey so they can flee before we even get to Ikki." Seiya said. "And if we have to face the Black Saint, we will fight and we will win!" he said confidently.

And so it was decided. Each would take a part of the Gold Cloth and separate within that valley. Before leaving, however, Seiya asked for the fourth bell Saori had brought.

"Hey, where's that kid?" Seiya asked without finding Kiki.
"Ah, Seiya..." said Saori and the perky boy was actually behind her.

The boy Kiki looked with great curiosity at the Cloth that Saori was wearing and inspected each part with his hands, with his eyes, touched the Armor, gave some taps in apparent confusion.

"But what hideous Cloth is this?" he said. "Is that steel? Argh, what a horror."

Seiya smiled and asked for the boy's attention.

"Kiki, isn't it? Listen, I want you to wait here for Shiryu. And when she arrives, give her this bell. Tell here that ee're supposed to meet inside." he said, smiling.
"The way that girl is stubborn I really think she'll end up here as well. But I'm telling you, if she's not here by the hour, I'll be gone!"

Seiya smiled at the boy and Saori saw how confident he was; she realized how sure he was that Shiryu would come back. Saori was smiling without Seiya being able to see it, but was startled when he looked right at her before they left.

"And you be careful." he said seriously.

They parted ways.

Saori descended a slope and, in the distance, she could still hear the high-pitched, but very low, tinkling bells. The descent was challenging for her, who didn't exactly have the training of a Saint, and with a lot of difficulty and the help of her Armor she managed to reach a small plateau.

"Oh, but this is wonderful." commented a voice.

Saori alerted herself and saw ahead of her, on a higher stone, a Black Saint. She set up on guard.

"We didn't expect you to come. The Foundation's little princess, what an honor!" he mocked.
"Where's the Gold Armor?" asked Saori.

The Black Saint kicked the part of the Gold Cloth he was carrying and it stopped beside Saori.

"I assume this Urn you brought is not empty. Well then, leave it there and go back to your princess life. It's the chance I give you."

Saori, who wasn't a fool or anything, grabbed the Part of Armor that the Black Saint had kicked at her and started running across the runaway plateau. Her armor helped her not to slump in the higher falls and she even descended farther, crossing the valley to the other side, only to be surprised again by the Black Saint ahead of her.

"Don't be ridiculous, girl." he said. "Give me the Gold Cloth!"
"Never!" said Saori, and once again set the guard up for the Black Saint's laughter.
"Whatever, you had your chance! I won't even regret ending you!"

The Black Saint pushed forward and Saori tried to defend herself with her Armor, but clearly she was no match for him and was hurled against the stones; the Urn being thrown to the other side.

"No!" she cried when she saw the Black Saint holding the Urn in his hand.
"Shut up!" he said, and from his fist an icy breeze shot towards Saori.

She put her arm out in front of her and the mechatronic armor sucked the Black Saint's icy cosmic energy.

"What is this?"

And then Saori shot the icy wave back to the Saint with ten times the force. The man, unprepared, ended up being hit by his blow and dropping the Urn again to the ground. He got up in disgust.

"It's over for you. I will have the honor of killing you!"
"I wouldn't be so sure!" said another voice in the valley.

The Black Saint hesitated trying to figure out where that voice was coming from, when he realized that it had started to snow. He then smiled, as he knew who it was.

"Well, so you came too!" he said. "Show up! We will finally be able to decide who is worthy to carry the Swan Constellation."
"Don't be ridiculous, it's useless to face me. You wouldn't be here if you hadn't been saved before." said the boy, finally appearing. "I'll make you the same offer you made, leave the Gold Cloth and runaway from here for your own good."
"That's what we're going to see! You'll regret having made it snow and you'll die for it. Feel my Black Blizzard!"

The snow that had fallen so smoothly before stirred fiercely and attacked the Cygnus Saint with violence, but without him even moving to try to avoid its violence or the cold air. It pierced him completely, but it had no effect.

"Your cold air is too weak. The last time we fought in that wood, you had even managed to freeze the surface of my body; now that I know your technice, it is useless."
"This is not possible!"

The Cygnus Saing pointed a finger at the Black Saint and he found himself surrounded by ice crystals, leaving him unable to move.

"What are these ice rings? I can't move. And they… they look like they're increasing!"
"You can't escape the Ice Circle, no matter what you try to do. Only I can free you from these bonds." said the Cygnus Saint. "I'm leaving here with the Gold Cloth and you won't be able to do anything."
"Never. I will not surrender. I won't lose to you. You're going to have to kill me if you want to take the Cloth out of here!" threatened the Black Saint.
"Very well." said Cygnus, calmly. "If that's what you want, be prepared for that, Black Swan. Your fate is sealed." he threatened.

The snow that had returned to his calm was conjured by the Cygnus Saint and concentrated around his fist; the icy white cosmos of the Swan dropped the temperature drastically and, with force, the boy's voice rang loudly against the valley.

"Aurora Thunder Attack!"

The snow that had been churning around his fist rose like a tornado of ice and swept the Black Saint off the ground.

"Don't kill him!" shouted Saori.

The Black Saint found itself completely frozen upside down against the rock of the valley.

"Listen, Black Swan. You seem to have a bit of luck on your side. I could turn you into an ice stake forever, but it looks like you've gained another chance."

Black Swan had only his head and left arm unfrozen.

"You can get out of there when we're long out of here." said the Cygnus Saint, and turned his back on him; gathered the parts of the Gold Cloth, the Golden Urn and delivered them to Saori.

She looked at the Cygnus Saint and saw a boy younger than her, with clear piercing eyes, an armor absolutely white as snow and a diadem in the shape of a beautiful white swan with its wings spread.

"Who are you?" she asked.
"I am Hyoga, the Cygnus Saint."
"Hyoga…?"
"I was sent to punish the Saints who fought in that absurd Tournament."

Saori immediately became defensive and held tighter to the Gold Armor, guessing that he was also there after her, but Hyoga didn't show any reaction.

"I'm not your enemy." he said coldly.

And then he kneeled before her.

"I know who you are."

ABOUT THE CHAPTER: This is where things start to get different. =) The idea of the silhouette came exactly from the image of Shiryu appearing in the Anime full of mysteries. But in his (or her, in that case) place, I had Saori showing up to fight. The idea was to give her more fiber, after all, the invitation was made to the Graad Foundation and not to the others. I also wanted to bring up the idea of the Steel Cloth so that we didn't have extra characters, but to be a protection for her. The scene is also good for creating even more connection between Saori and Seiya. Her fighting with Black Swan was super fun to do, as well as the revelation that Cygnus already knows her. =) I love this chapter.

NEXT CHAPTER: THE BLACK DEATH TERROR

The battle against the Black Saints continues and Seiya will have to face an internal terror.