«…in you we have our life and death; we revere your love. »
Alcestis
By Euripides
In the impressing main hall of the thirteenth temple, the majestic figure of the Kyoko, the venerable and wise Shion of Aries stood out from the top of the massive throne. Two youths, urgently summoned by the Kyoko, Athena's voice upon this earth, advanced slowly and reverently towards the austere and holy man, intimidated by the divine aura that the very colonnade that supported the palace exuded.
Into that chamber, inaccessible to many, had passed hundreds and hundreds of young warriors: the saints devoted to the Goddess of war, the bright-eyed Athena. Over the centuries, they had crossed that important threshold impregnating with their cosmo every single atom of the material that covered that sacred place, abode of the Kyoko.
Athena's voice upon this earth.
They were a young boy of sixteen, tall and slender in his now-formed figure, shaped by years of grueling training endured with rigor and dedication in order for him to enter the ranks of the holy warriors of the Virgin Goddess. His curly blond hair reached all the way down to the base of his neck, and on his beautifully featured face stood out his eyes, slightly elongated, beautifully green. Eyes from which spread a light of pride and rectitude that always struck the Kyoko.
Next to the boy, genuflected and with her head bent slightly downward, stood a young girl of just fifteen. She still wore the clothes that confirmed her belonging to that order, smaller in number but not at all less devout to the Goddess, of the warriors concealing theirs faces behind bronze masks. But now she was not wearing such a thing, that cold and expressionless symbol of the renunciation of an identity that was to be abandoned to better serve the Virgin Goddess. Although her face was turned downwards, one could appreciate its delicate and regular features; the half-closed eyelids, however, did not permit to admire her beautiful cerulean eyes. Her long brown hair slid softly over her shoulders. On her face, beautiful thin lips were slightly bent downwards, contrite they let a certain tension seep out that only the warmth of the boy's hand, clasping hers, could calm.
"Lord Shion, here we are in your presence as you had requested."
The youth's voice resounded in the emptiness of the room, getting lost among the tall ancient columns. The old Kyoko, girded in the sacred vestments, sat motionless on his throne. His face was hidden by the mask, which also covered the top of his head and made it impossible to even know the expressions of that unfamiliar face.
"Admetus, Alcestis" he called their names, in the official act of acknowledging them.
The voice of old Shion seemed to have no human nature, so metallic did it sound, filtered as it was by the bronze that concealed the Kyoko's features. It almost seemed as if it did not come from him but was like a distant echo coming from another dimension.
"Are you really persuaded of your choice?" Shion inquired, and an imperceptible hint of concern seemed to be heard in that otherwise always stern and formal voice.
Admetus turned towards his companion who, feeling his loving gaze resting on her, turned towards him, so that their eyes looked at each other tenderly. The boy's eyes lit up at the mere sight of his beloved's, and the girl seemed so relieved by that simple gesture that her rosy lips finally opened into a slight but genuine smile.
"We are certain of it, my Lord," the boy answered resolutely, again facing the Kyoko.
And he squeezed the girl's hand more tightly.
"Sanctuary has forgiven your transgression. And Athena herself smiles kindly upon you."
The austere man, who inspired respect but also awe in his appearance as much as in his powerful voice went silent for a moment before continuing, thoughtfully. It was not usual for Shion of Aries, high priest of the Goddess, to waver or hesitate. The leader of the Sanctuary could not allow to show hesitation, no weakness. No uncertainty for those who had to carry out the honored and strenuous task entrusted to them by the bright-eyed Pallas Athena. That's why he was silent for a moment, to gather and rearrange his thoughts and reflect on what to say. The future events he observed from the sacred heights of the Star Hill, the same events that Athena's sweet voice had confirmed in his soul, were crystal clear in his mind. Although he could not reveal them to anyone, least of all to those who had transgressed the rules of the Sanctuary, and therefore were about to leave the holy land.
Yet the two youths in front of him had not been guilty of a crime so serious as to be condemned to exile, even if voluntary.
Yet those two young lovers had been chosen by the stars, who had woven for them an auspicious and inauspicious destiny at the same time.
The wise and revered Shion, imperturbable, steadfast, and always sure in his actions, had for a moment the uneasiness feeling of an unreasonable impulse: to reveal to those two youths the future events he saw, which must remain unknown to mortals.
The old man couldn't help but let a sigh of resignation escape him.
The two youths, surprised by the utterly uncommon occurrence they were witnessing, exchanged a quick and uncertain glance.
The Kyoko remained silent for a few minutes more, then placed his hands on the armrests of the precious seat and using them as leverage he stood up. To Admetus and Alcestis, still genuflected in deference, that man seemed like the divine Zeus for the stateliness and majesty he conveyed by his mere figure. Bringing his hands to the sides of his face, the Kyoko slowly pulled off his mask. The face that for the very first time revealed itself to the two youths was one of a two-hundred-year-old man, hollowed out by wrinkles that were almost impossibly deep, giving him a tried yet amiable expression. Two amaranth eyes stood out instead, for their light was still intact; long hair now blanched framed the oval of his face, falling softly over his shoulders and sliding over his incredibly upright and solid back. The attention of the two youths, however, was attracted by two red dots, of a hue that was still vivid despite the aged skin; they were placed on the forehead just above the thick white-haired eyebrows, and seemed to be a sign of recognition, perhaps of belonging to a mysterious and lost land.
The Kyoko stretched out his lips in a good-natured smile, like an affectionate father. Motioning with his hand, after placing the heavy mask on the cold throne, he asked the two to get up from the ground.
"Come with me," he said, and there was no order, no formality, in the voice, free of the metal filter.
Encouraged by that unusual sight and the cordial invitation, the boy and the girl rose to their feet and trustingly began to follow the Kyoko.
He cautiously but firmly led them beyond the immaculate drapes that divided the chamber of the thirteenth palace into two distinct environments. Behind those curtains which fell heavy to the ground, the way to the goddess was opened, or so they had been told: the temple beyond which stood the statue of Pallas Athena, the virgin Goddess with bright blue eyes who through her loving cosmo watched over the Sanctuary from her divine Olympian abode.
When they reached the foot of the immense statue, the two youths felt themselves caught by the beauty of the imposing figure, which shone silvery in the rays of the setting sun. The face of their Goddess looked serene, her features carved in cold marble seemed to stretch out in expressions of silent delight, culminating in the smile barely hinted at in the drawing of her beautiful lips.
At the foot of that immense statue Athena was reborn, warrior and wise Goddess with eyes of heaven. Lost in admiration of the majesty of their Goddess, both youths had almost forgotten that soon that view would no longer be accorded to them.
Their hearts, however, were filled with sincere emotion.
And something in the warmth of the womb of Alcestis rejoiced.
"If you are genuinely determined in your choice, then I will not stop you" the Kyoko said, finally catching the attention of the two, still absorbed as they were in silent contemplation.
"But you must know that your guilt has been forgiven. Athena herself has forgiven you."
Shion's words comforted them, especially Alcestis who had feared for the fate of her beloved Admetus. She, a young girl destined to wear a mask forever to change herself into a "warrior" worthy of the Goddess, had fallen in love with a future silver saint. And the fool had had the audacity to reciprocate her feelings. He had seen her face, and Alcestis would have never been able to choose between killing or loving, as the rule required. Because, after all, there was no choice: Admetus loved her. He loved her more than he had ever loved any other creature.
Not even the virgin Athena, with her bright blue eyes.
Hence the exile.
A saint who loves Athena, and who consecrates his life to her, cannot allow himself to love anyone else more than her. However, Shion who through the years had seen them both grow and flourish as noble-minded youths with righteous cosmo, did not desire to punish them. And he would have them live at the Sanctuary, Alcestis no longer destined for any mask and free to stay close to the beloved boy with green eyes and a proud heart. But Admetus's correctness and the loyalty he had for Athena did not allow him to accept.
Now though, the Goddess forgave them both, by the voice of Shion, and Alcestis's remorse found some peace.
"The Sanctuary will assist you, in your new life away from the consecrated lands. This is the will of Athena" Shion added, looking away to meet the Virgin's smile.
"But before I let you go, there is something I would like you to know. Something that the stars have confided in me and that the sweet voice of Athena has confirmed."
The solemnity of the Kyoko had returned in the tone of his voice and in his serious, knowing gaze.
Shion's eyes lit up as if it was the goddess herself infusing him with the Word, and without ever detaching themselves from those of the two youths, who quivered in the expectation of knowing, disturbed by the awareness that what they were about to hear was part of a common destiny already established for them by the gods, therefore incontrovertible, Shion pronounced these words:
"In the stars your fate is scripted, and the eternal and ever-shining stars can only tell the truth. From you will come two noble and strong souls. Your blood uniting will release pure golden blood that will divide itself to infuse into two hearts. One part of the other. The one who will be a guide for future generations of sacred warriors devoted to Athena will come from you. And the one, who with his strength and nobleness even in the fraud will recognize the Goddess, from you he will come. This the stars say, this the sweet voice of Athena has confirmed to me."
Shion finished his prediction, enlightened by the Goddess. He then saw the astonished faces of the two youths, petrified next to each other, unable to rationalize what had just been revealed to them. As Admetus unconsciously touched his beloved's hand, he realized that she was trembling like a leaf challenged by the wind. Her eyes wide, her lips tight, Alcestis held a hand on her warm womb.
"The newborn creature in you..." Shion interrupted those moments of silence "...is destined for great deeds, under the aegis of Athena. He will be her shelter, his life will be the salvation of the Virgin" Admetus surrounded the shoulders of the maiden with his strong, safe arm.
"When the other child is born, you will not know his face."
Exhausted by the tension, and by the terrible truth hidden in Shion's last words, the girl clung to her beloved's shoulders, as if it were the only foothold to avoid a fall into the void.
"Forgive me, I should not have revealed to you what men are not allowed to know. But your union is blessed by the stars, and its fruits will be as divine."
He was a father again, Shion, as he apologized for a fault that was not his own. The affection he had for those two youths was true, they could feel it, and this proved them both at least with a moment of authentic empathy and closeness from the one they had always worshipped from afar, as the voice of Athena.
"If you decide to stay at the Sanctuary, I will make sure that you are protected and that your life can be joyous until...the end" the Kyoko again offered his help with an anguished and sorrowful soul.
Admetus held his beloved even more tightly in his arms, pronounced her name softly so that she awoke from the incredulous stupor in which she had fallen.
Their gazes fixed in each other; their sincere eyes penetrated the depths of their souls.
And Alcestis understood.
"We are grateful for what you are proposing to do for us. But our decision has not changed. If this is our destiny, then we will face it together, day after day until the end," said the youth.
And Shion understood, too.