The Infirmary was a circular building, behind Athena's sanctum in the shadow of Star Hill. The building itself resembled a spire, with the patient in rooms at the top. A lift took visitors from the ground floor to the main rooms.

The five of them entered the building, taking the lift up to the receiving area. The three saintias went ahead, undoubtedly back to their duties.

The door to the inner infirmary opened, and standing before them was Shaina. Like them, she didn't wear her cloth and was standing in her body-suit alone. Shaina, despite always priding herself on professional composure, immediacy lost control when seeing Marin face to face.

Shaina lurched forward, throwing her arms around Marin with a sudden wail.

"There there, I'm fine."

Shaina grimaced and pulled back to give Marin a scowl. "Milo told me what happened! Told me about how—" She paused.

"It's okay, Aiolia knows now too."

Shaina nodded. "Well, you're safe now, and the worst is over."

Shaina then glanced to where Aiolia stood. He had started to feel a bit unneeded and was fidgeting slightly. "I'm glad you're here. I want you to be examined as well."

"Ah there's no need—"

Shaina gave Aiolia a firm look and he relented immediately.

"There's a lot of people here needing my help as you might assume," Shaina said. "But there's still room for you."

Shaina then lead the two of them inside, the infirmary door sliding shut behind them.

The room they entered was the general medical room, for intake and observation. There was another lift in the center of the room that lead up to the circular in-patient facility. The technology that surrounded them, after all, all had it's origins in their connections to the very cosmos itself. And so the infirmary was built around that.

The life-support and rehabilitation machines used on patients were all controlled and operated on this level.

But for Aiolia and Marin both, there was still something on this floor that interested them.

After entering, Mii had walked dutifully across the room back to her post. There on the far wall, behind the lift was where the critical-condition units were. Without a second thought, Aiolia and Marin immediately linked their hands as they approached. Two of the tubes were currently occupied; the one that Mii currently attended to contained the body of Owl Kyouko. In her efforts to make sure Athena's sanctum had been safety evacuated; she had greatly exhausted her cosmo to the point that her life had become in danger. Aiolia and Marin both looked at Kyoko who had also been a dear friend, but her vitals were strong and good. There was no doubt that they would be able to talk to her again soon.

The tube directly to her right however had the more immediately dire occupant. Aphrodite, their body only barely clinging to life, as still and silent as they had been on the floor of the Pisces temple. Marin walked forward and placed a hand against the outer glass, her expression unreadable.

Mii stood there, holding a glowing tablet in her hand. "Upon observation, he appeared to still have very faint vital signs, and so it was decided that Resuscitation could be attempted."

Aiolia nodded grimly, his fingers locked tightly around Marin's. It was intensely embarrassing for him to show affection so openly, but this was the time where the need outweighed such things.

Despite her generally collected attitude, it was clear that Mii had also been affected, Aphrodite and Aiolia had been very friendly to her and the other saintias as well.

Aiolia gently squeezed her hand. "Marin, we best not linger here."

"I know I just…" she grimaced. "I was there the whole time. I was there with Aphrodite, serving saga."

"Marin, that doen't make it your fault."

"Aiolia you don't get it. Aphrodite was there because of me."

Marin then turned and gave Aiolia a despairing look. "Dite knew, he found out. He knew I was being held there. He came in order to try and get me out of there alive. And that's—that's why—"

Aiolia bit his lip, not knowing how he could reply in that moment.

"We all knew, all of the Saintias knew, obviously. But saga kept us controlled," Mii said, her tone ice-cold. "We were helpless, only able to pray from a far for a goddess we had never met. If you are to blame, Marin, then we are all equally to blame."

Marin met Mii's gaze, her face hardening. "I don't have a rebuttal to that…"

Aiolia then squeezed Mairn's hand.

"I know…"

Aphrodite seemed to actually be barely stable, the displays around them showed signs of life, but very faint. Marin knew that there wasn't much hope. Aiolia had also been quite close to aphrodite, and yet he was still doing his best to be strong for her.

"Marin," Aiolia said. "We need to move on."

Marin looked down, not meeting his eyes. "I know"

Aiolia reached over and covered Marin's hand with his, taking that hand instead to lead her back to the central lift. Marin followed him, and they took the lift up the short ride to the top of the spire. The glass lift doors opened and they walked into the in-patient center. This room took full advantage of the spire's circular structure, it being a ring of beds around the outer edge. The outer wall was completely transparent, the glittering stars able to be clearly viewed in all directions.

Shoko and Elda were among them, tending to the wounded as they could. Katya and Xiao-Ling were also there, the four of them all able to shed their various eccentricities in the face of such dire need without difficulty.

Many of the beds were filled, foot soldiers and other silver saints having sustained a variety of injuries. There was one bed open, rather large that Aiolia and Marin made their way to. Next to the bed was all 5 of the so called rebel's, the bronze saints. They had all been put into a restorative sleep most likely, as they had all sustained pretty severe damage during the fight. Marin went ahead and sat herself down, the empty bed being very continently right next to where Seiya himself was recovering. Aiolia sat down on the bed next to her, still holding her hand gently.

"Honestly, Aiolia, I was sure I was never going to see him again." Marin said, her throat thickening. Aiolia certainly understood, how profound the pain of the loss of one's family could be.

"He's here now, so you should…"

"I know." Marin replied, turning to look at Aiolia. "I should take this chance."

"Marin I—I have something to tell you." Aiolia said with great difficulty. "While you were gone, I—I also had a mission from Saga."

Marin looked up at him, her face full of curiosity.

"I…I was sent to assinate the "rebel's" as they were called."

"You mean—"

"Yes, I was sent to kill Seiya and his friends."

Marin could see that this had been causing him a lot of guilt, so she lifted her other hand to hold both of his in earnest. "I'm not gonna be mad about that, it was your orders. You probably didn't even know that Seiya was among them."

"Yeah…I know—but still," Aiolia then suddenly tore one of his hands and rubbed his mouth rather nervously. "I also fought him…almost killed him—apparently."

"Apparently."

"I don't remember it, but…" Aiolia grimaced. "After i went to Seiya and the others, I learned of Saori's true identity, as athena."

Marin nodded.

"And then I went to report this finding to the Pope," he continued. "After that, my memory cuts out. And the next thing I remember—I was being stopped by Shaka." Aiolia paused. "When I came to, Seiya was badly injured, and I allowed him to proceed to Scorpio."

"None of that was your fault, Aiolia."

"I know but…" Aiolia still couldn't help but feel guilty. "I still feel like…I should have always believed in my brother."

Marin lifted a hand to cup Aiolia's face and met his eyes. Aiolia's features filled with that feeling of regret, that pain that he always felt so strongly; finally starting to boil over.

Aiolia squeezed Marin's hand and leaned his forehead in to rest against hers, a still rather bold display of affection. Marin stroked his cheek before pulling back, not wanting to possibly get carried away.

From behind them, Marin heard a stirring. Turning around, she saw that Seiya had started to wake up.

Marin bolted up from where she sat and went to Seiya's bedside without thinking. Aiolia got up and followed her, kneeling down at her side.

His eyes opened slowly, and he seemed to not fully register what he was seeing. "Nee-san…Maa, ni do to aereba yokatta kedo sa…mata, yume miteiru yo na"

"Ittai nan no danshi ga neesan no yume miteru'n da? Kono onekon 'me"

Seiya then shot up straight in bed his face completely filled with shock. "Neesan?! Maji de?"

Marin just replied with a cheeky grin.

Seiya was speechless for a few moments.

Aiolia stood up from the bed, giving Marin a very brief pat on her shoulder. "If you don't mind, I'll go ahead and leave you be. I'll also see if I can just get my exam from shaina directly downstairs."

Marin made a face like she wanted to stop him, but didn't protest, her eyes only lingering after him for a bit.

Behind Seiya, Shun had begun to stir as well, undoubtedly the others would be waking too. It's not like Marin even needed privacy. And so Marin worried about the real reason for Aiolia distancing himself.

She couldn't blame him, he understandably felt awkward around the gold saints.

Seiya frowned. "I wanted to talk with Aiolia more…"

Marin turned back to Seiya, forcing her face into a casual expression. "Don't worry, he will come around. He might not look it, but he's actually quite sensitive."

Shun from behind Seiya unabashedly joined the conversation. "No, he's pretty obvious about that much," he remarked "I just doubt that Seiya is sharp enough to catch on."

Seiya whipped his head back towards Shun with a grimace, but didn't launch any sort of reply. Obviously, his attention was drawn by his sister.

"Marin, why did you stop seeing me all of a sudden?" He asked, his face pure and honest.

Marin pressed her lips together. "I got caught," she said, which was the simple enough answer. "I couldn't risk the pope finding out where you were so…I'm sorry."

Seiya's eyebrows knit together briefly. "I mean, I get that you couldn't help it but…" his fist clenched at his side.

"I know, it was like I was abandoning you a second time, huh."

Marin, in all honesty didn't much want to continue this conversation. Even if everything she had done had been for Seiya's sake; in reality, she had given up her right to call him her brother. She had been gone for most of his life, even familial ties couldn't withstand that kind of separation.

Marin withdrew, pulling herself back up to sit on her bed. "I just wanted to see that you were safe, that's all."

Seiya frowned. "Look, it hurt to feel abandoned but…you're still my sister,"

Marin laughed. "Thanks," her face was filled with bitterness. "Look I shouldn't even be here, I—"

Marin was about to get up when a gloved hand suddenly made contact with her shoulder and pushed her back down.

Shaina had appeared in Marin's blindspot and was standing on the other side of the bed from Seiya. Marin looked up at Shaina's face with a sheepish grin.

"Don't tell me you were thinking about skipping your examination?"

Marin waved her hands nervously. "No! No way of course not!"

Shaina then, rather forcefully placed a thermoreader right in her mouth, that shutting up Marin for good. "It's time for your exam, so please, behave yourself."

Shun found their dynamic rather entertaining, and Seiya found comfort in it. Even if he wasn't the sharpest, he could at least tell that his sister had people here that loved and cared for her above all else.

Aiolia, had as he had promised returned to the lower level of the infirmary. He passed Shaina on the way up, that ruining the prospect of fulfilling that part of his request, but Shaina wasn't the only one capable of clearing him to leave.

Back behind the central lift, near the critical care units, Mii had sat down at a small desk, pouring over data and vitals. Near her was a small station fit for examining anyone, not just those in critical condition.

Aiolia stood in front of her and cleared his throat gently.

Mii then looked up and gave him a cordial smile. "Ah, Aiolia, can I help you?"

"If you could, I would like you to perform a routine check-up, Shaina is quite busy after all."

Mii stood up, leaving her data materials on the desk. She then gestured to the examination table next to her. "Of course! Please sit down, I won't take long."

"Thank you," Aiolia said, nodding respectfully as he sat down as instructed.

Mii collected the tools that she needed and then returned to him, performing the routine checks to make sure all was in order.

The technology in sanctuary was incredibly advanced, but there were some things, especially around the intricacies of human health that required a personal touch.

Aiolia sat still as she checked his temperature, heart-rate and his breathing. He was scanned for wounds and broken bones.

"You have some micro-fractures in your metacarples," she said, her fingers pressing over the bones of his hand one-by-one. "Something like this should heal easily."

Mii paused before continuing. "I really hope that we werne't interrupting you earlier, with Marin."

"It's alright really," he said with a small attempt at a polite smile. "In all honesty, we probably needed that intervention."

Mii raised an eyebrow. "Why is that, may I inquire?"

Aiolia hesitated for a moment, but thought to continue anyway. If there was anyone he could talk to about this, Mii was probably one of the best options. She was practical and measured; always taking her duties seriously, but she had never quite lost her kind heart. A quality that Aiolia quite admired in a person. "I assume that you were quite aware of the situation around…Athena."

Mii nodded. "There was basically no other way, us saintias were compelled to help maintain the charade."

"This whole time?"

Mii shook her head. "Not the whole time, obviously most of us were oblivious as trainees. We were all selected just before Saori's birth, we were meant to serve and grow alongside her," Mii pressed her lips together. "But also on that night, we lost not only our goddess, but also our leader."

Aiolia gave her a rather serious look.

"Olivia, the Owl, the saintia's leader and the guide to Athena. Her life was also lost that night."

"May I ask, what happened?"

Mii gave a small smile. "As I have been told, she assisted Aiolos in allowing Athena to escape the sanctuary."

Aiolia's eyes widened and he let out a short gasp. "It is a saintia's duty to give their life for Athena," Mii said. "It is my understanding, that Olivia sacrificed her body and soul to allow Aiolos and Athena to escape."

Aiolia bit his lip, the mention of his brother always being somewhat difficult for him.

Mii paused before continuing. "I apologize, I only know the story from the story passed down to me."

"It's alright, I thank you." Aiolia forced himself to smile politely again. "I just…there was so much that I was oblivious too, I was so blind." Aiolia, despite having been so closely raised with Shouko and Kyouko, hadn't even known such a drastic fact about their own mother.

"You, as I was, were only a child then," Mii said firmly. "You have no responsibility for anything that happened."

While that had been true initially, as Aiolia had grown up, he had only continued to be complicit all the way up to nearly killing the true Athena himself. Aiolia didn't respond, his eyes looking down and away.

"If you don't mind my prying," Mii said. "I seem to have gotten a little off the original topic. You wanted to ask about Marin, didn't you?"

Aiolia started, his expression softening as he glanced back at Mii. "Ah, yes. I suppose that part was obvious."

"Please, if I can help in any way…"

Aiolia didn't have much more that he wanted to ask, he knew everything he needed to know. "Actually, I have more of a personal concern," he said. "Tell me if I am being too demanding."

"I meant what I said. I will help however I can."

Aiolia gave her another weak smile. "I…I suprised myself. The reason I was glad is that I—" Aiolia paused. "I found myself, for the first time, becoming angry with Marin."

Mii listened, moving forward the continue to work as he talked.

"I knew that she was hiding things from me, it was obvious. But I just—" he grimaced. "I feel so terrible, I feel so…guilty for feeling this way. Obviously, she couldn't tell me. I know that, I understand that but—but why do I still feel this way?"

"What way is that, exactly?"

Aiolia paused. "I feel, betrayed. Hurt,"

"Left behind?"

Aiolia paused. "Yes."

"Would you say that, when Marin left for her missions without telling you anything, you felt abandoned?"

Aiolia nodded, a bit of dread creeping up inside of him as he sensed where she was going with her questions.

"Did you perhaps think that, Marin, someone that you loved, might not be the person you thought she was?"

Aiolia looked away, his fists clenching as he was unable to respond.

Mii let out a short sign before continuing. "Because once before, someone that you loved and trusted above all else, that person did something that you could not understand. He did something so terrible and so vile that it tarnished your memories and love for him."

Mii met Aiolia's eyes as he glanced back, and he was unable to look back away.

"In your fear, you saw Marin as growing further away from you. The more she was gone, the more you realized that she too could betray your trust some day, that she too could do something that disproved what you knew of her."

Aiolia's hands began to shake, his throat closing up with building tears. Mii had found her way directly to the core of it. It wasn't surprising, Mii and the other saintias had been raised along side Aiolia as he had grown. They were all like sisters to him, and their closeness showed strongest in that moment.

"I hope not to worsen your suffering Aiolia,"

"No it's right. You are right after all," Aiolia said, wiping his eyes. "That is definitely something I would not have wanted to, nor have been able to realize on my own." Because it was overwhelmingly painful, the pain and loss that he felt over his brother, the confusion over his betrayal; and on top of that, the paranoia he felt about Marin.

Aiolia had decided, just before the battle to finally believe in his brother again. And so, he also needed to trust Marin again too. But first, being able to tackle these feelings and put them behind him was the best thing he could do.

When Mii concluded her exam, she placed her scanner back on the desk. Aiolia returned to himself, readying himself to leave. But before he could depart, Mii returned to him and placed her hands gently over his own.

Aiolia looked at her, surprised but incredibly touched by her gesture. "If you require me again, please, I ask that you do not hesitate. It brings me great pain to see you suffering in silence," Mii looked up and met Aiolia's now watery gaze. "I do not doubt Marin's love for you; but I know that she is not the best at picking up subtle cues."

Aiolia let out a dry chuckle. "You are…painfully right about that."

Mii offered aiolia a small smile. "I do think that next, you need to speak with Marin personally, and resolve these feelings before they fester."

Aiolia nodded, wrapping his fingers gratefully around Mii's hands.

—-

Aiolia then returned back upstairs, his heart now feeling a little lighter. However, when he returned, he found that Marin was nowhere to be found.

Aiolia stared at her empty bed, his expression changing only slightly, but Shun, being observant as ever, picked up on it.

"Shaina took Marin upstairs,"

Aiolia looked at Shun, unsure if he would be able to keep the worry from his face. Above the general patients' area was the spire room; the healer's personal and private space. It was part office, occasional bedroom; but primarily, it was where Shaina took critical or sensitive cases.

Shun furrowed his brow briefly before giving Aiolia another pleasant smile. "Aiolia, please sit down. Marin should return soon enough."

Aiolia, rather stiffly walked over to sit on the bed next to Seiya. Seiya, surprisingly had yet to say a word. Aiolia glanced to Shun for an answer that he quickly supplied. "Marin well…she was a bit harsh in talking to Seiya. He's clearly a little down about it."

"I am sorry Seiya…what did she say?"

Seiya shrugged his shoulders. "She said that since we've been apart so long, there's no real reason to call us siblings anyway."

Shun interjected. "That's not exactly what she said but—"

Seiya gave a bitter smile. "I guess he's right. In reality, I don't know anything about her. She's just a stranger to me," Aiolia, seeing how saddened Seiya was, resolved to do whatever he could about it.

"I'll tell you one thing, Seiya," Aiolia said, sitting down on the bed next to Seiya to talk to him. "I can promise you, not a day went by that your sister didn't think of you."

Seiya met Aiolia's gaze, his lips curling into a pout. "Then what's she saying now? That she can't be my sister all of a sudden?"

"I think what she means is that, she thinks she didn't earn it. She wasn't there for you when you were hurt; she wasn't able to teach you the things she knew; he wasn't—she wasn't—" Aiolia had, part way through his sentiment, realized that he hadn't been thinking about Marin at all, but about his own sibling, by whom he too had felt abandoned.

Seiya blinked, noticing that Aiolia seemed somewhat sadder. "Your brother, his name was Aiolos, right?"

"What—how did you—"

Seiya gave a smirk, one that Aiolia found to rather familiar. "He talked to me, the Sagittarius saint. Said his name was Aiolos," Seiya continued. "His spirit…I guess, whatever it was, he helped me defeat Saga."

Aiolia pressed his lips together tightly. Aiolia had indeed seen the Sagittarius cloth go to Seiya's aid, but he had not anticipated that Aiolos himself would have appeared to Seiya.

Aiolia was happy to know that Aiolos' spirit hadn't fully left them, but he also felt saddened, deeply, that Aiolos hadn't seen fit to see Aiolia himself.

"He mentioned you, said that you probably must hate him for what he did."

Aiolia sputtered. "Wait no, I don't—" Aiolia had been plagued by doubt, tormented by the sanctuary, branded the brother of a traitor. But Aiolia could never say that he really hated his brother.

Seiya shrugged. "I guess, Marin must think the same way, huh," Seiya remarked. "Even though I don't get it. How could I hate Marin for what she did, when she did it to protect me? Sure, i really….really really really missed her," Seiya paused having to sniff and try to hide his emotions. "But, in the end, she still came back for me, you know!"

Aiolia's lower lip trembled, his fist clenching at his side. "You are right, Seiya. But as you can see, it's not easy. It's because Marin loves you, she wanted the best for you. But she couldn't—she couldn't—" Aiolia cut himself off, unable to keep talking without risking breaking down.

Shun, being the more emotionally attuned one saw fit to step in.

"Aiolia, if it's not too much to ask," Shun began. "If you could tell us well, mostly Seiya; a little about Marin?"

The distraction would be good, as long as he could avoid thinking about himself for too long. "Of course, whatever you want to know."

Seiya blinked, his face creasing in concentration.

Perhaps becoming bored, Shun jumped in again. "So, when did you and Marin first become an item?"

Seiya turned to Shun suddenly, completely flabbergasted. "Wait, Aiolia and my sister are dating?"

Shun burst out laughing, and poor Seiya just seemed confused.

Aiolia cracked a small grin, his heart somehow feeling just a little lighter, because he knew that he could now say it out loud. "Yes, Marin and I have been together for many years now. But I can tell you a bit about how it was when we first met if you would like."

Seiya's face lit up, Shun even leaned in closer as well.

Marin first arrived at Sanctuary when she was 11 years old. Aiolia didn't know her well at first. Since his brother's betrayal, Aiolia had begun to be kept in Athena's Sanctum with the Saintias. At first, he was a prisoner, but over time, the other girls realised that there was a sad lonely child in their halls, and quickly brought him into their fold. Aiolia, at that age of 6 barely looked different from a girl himself. He was accepted and well liked, something he thought had died along with his brother.

Despite this, his life in the Sanctuary was far from perfect. Outside the Saintia's fold, he was ridiculed, degraded and excluded from the saints who were meant to be his comrades. He was rejected by everyone, until one day on the training grounds; his darkened world started to be filled once again with flickering points of light.

Aiolia had gone to the Gold Saints' training grounds. The regular soldiers and silver saints that usually bullied him were not even permitted there. Aiolia, being one of the Gold Saint candidates, could pass inside without being noticed.

He was small at that age, only 10 years old. His training gear was ill-fitting and far too loose. The few times he even got a chance to spar, it would often slip around and cause him to trip up.

The gold saint training grounds were a rather grand affair; made of gilded stone like much of the sanctuary. But this area was for the sacred, highest ranking of Athena's warriors. in all honesty, it was much more like a colosseum. A vast circle of stone seats and walls surrounding a central field. Aiolia was able to sneak in and watch to two who were sparring.

From his distance, it looked like a male and female fighting. But what he didn't realise at first, was that his assumptions had been backward.

He had assumed that the one with the blue hair and the pastel clothes was a woman and that the scruffy redhead was a man, but quickly enough he figured out that he was mistaken.

In one swift move, Aphrodite threw Marin to the ground in a decisive victory.

"Goddammit!" Marin yelled in a high-pitched voice.

Aphrodite smirked and laughed. "That makes it 3-2"

"You fight dirty!" She complained, taking his offered hand to stand back up again.

"That's where you're wrong, my dear. I happen to fight smart," Aphrodite replied coyly.

"I swear that damn mouth of yours is gonna get you killed some day," Marin got back into her ready stance, not about to be beaten so easily.

Aphrodite, however, didn't reciprocate, instead of casing his eyes to the stands. "It would appear that we, in fact, have an audience tonight."

The two of them then turned to face Aiolia. Aiolia stood up, prepared to run, but was stopped by their next reply.

"Hey kid!" Marin called. "Did you wanna join us or just watch?"

Aiolia was stunned. He had been expecting to be told to leave immediately, or be accosted with some other insult. Aiolia couldn't respond at first but instead started to walk down the steps one by one.

Aiolia approached Marin and Aphrodite somewhat cautiously. Their expressions and stances didn't change even as he approached.

"Hey kid, are you okay?" Marin asked, leaning forward, reaching out a hand from which Aiolia recoiled.

"That young boy is Aiolia. The brother of Aiolos."

Marin's eyes widened as she glanced back at Dite. Aiolia then braced himself for what was surely to come next. But instead, Aiolia found himself being suddenly embraced my warm arms. Aiolia didn't know what to think, and it hardly registered at first. While Aiolia was still looking down, Marin had walked forward, knelt to his height and hugged him tightly. Aiolia tried to look at her, his arms limp at his sides.

Marin then pulled back and muttered something. "Sorry…to hug you so suddenly like that..."

Aphrodite who stood behind them gave a small smirk. "Marin has been wanting to meet you actually, Aiolia."

Aiolia's eyes widened. "What? Why me?"

"She also has a brother she can no longer see anymore, and so I dare say she sympathized with your story."

Marin then suddenly turned around, glaring at Dite. "Hey! What are you playing at?"

Aphrodite smirked. "I just figured it would help the boy understand."

They seemed to know what Aiolia has been going through, and surprisingly they didn't seem to agree with his treatment.

Marin scowled at Dite while he laughed.

Aiolia, however, looked down again, tears welling in his eyes.

Marin then turned back, her expressions shifting when she saw he was crying. "Oh gods, oh no. I'm sorry, did I make you cry? Was hugging you too weird—"

Aiolia shook his head and nudged his head against her shoulder, wrapping his arms tightly around her back.

"No…I, thank you…" Aiolia could hardly express how he was feeling, especially since he hadn't felt anywhere close to that happy since Aiolos had died.

From that day, the three of them became an inseparable trio. Even when his relationship deepened with Marin, Aphrodite was always been there close at hand, watching out for them and supporting them. Aiolia found a place where he could belong, and for that he would always be grateful.

Seiya and Shun had listened to Aiolia's story with rapt attention, their gazes so intense that Aiolia became a little self-conscious.

Seiya looked rather content, his expression warm. "Thanks, Aiolia, that really helped to hear."

Aiolia nodded, managing a small smile as well. "I'm glad. You two still need to rest but, if you ever want to hear more about your sister," Aiolia nodded at Seiya.

"Okay!" Seiya replied happily.

Shun, however, smirked again. "Hey, I still wanna know the juicy details about how you and Marin got to be such a cute couple."

Aiolia's face flushed again and he stood up from the bed. He deeply disliked talking about such personal matters in public. And as much as he wanted to keep talking to them, now just wasn't the time.

Aiolia then instead paced over to the central lift, walking around aimlessly. Shouko then approached him again, her face filled with concern. "Hey, Aiolia," she said softly. Aiolia then turned to look at her, his face still rather blank. Shouko then suddenly grabbed his hand and slipped something small and metal inside. Aiolia lifted his hand and opened his palm to see that is a was a small round key.

"This will get you into Shaina's spire. Don't worry, she said you could come."

"Thank you," Aiolia said with a small bow. He then swiftly entered the lift and let himself be taken up to where Marin was.