The Seventh Sense
It was morning in Rozan when Shiryu arrived, carrying a box with the Dragon Cloth wrapped around the back. The place was as serene as it ever was, the air excessively humid and the mist soothing to the skin. He walked up to Old Master's cabin, as he had not found him yet in meditation, and knocked on the door.
From inside, silence gave way to hurried, delicate steps, and soon the door was pulled ajar. When the Saint came in view, it was Shunrei who came out and threw herself to embrace him. Shiryu was surprised by her immediacy, and gasped once her arms tied around his neck. "Shiryu, I'm so glad you're back!" she said. He awkwardly laughed, felt a burn on the face, and hugged her more softly.
The two rendezvoused with Old Master inside, and with preparations done, they had lunch sitting around a circular wooden table. Shunrei's food seemed fresh and delightful, and Shiryu in particular ate without moderation, which brought a genuine smile to her face.
"So, Shiryu…" Old Master broke the contemplative atmosphere of the meal.
"Hm?"
"You have not come here only to visit, not at such a moment," he said, "so tell me what is the purpose of this homecoming."
"I thought it would be best to leave it for later. I don't want Shunrei to be worried," Shiryu said.
Old Master nodded negatively. "Anything you may tell me should also be her concern. It's the least we owe her for all her kindness and care."
Shunrei gave a shy smile and daintily raised a palm to say: "Don't worry about me, Shiryu. I'm understanding of your duties."
To that Shiryu submitted and breathed out, saying: "Lady Athena has decided the moment to reclaim Sanctuary has arrived."
After taking a moment to swallow down food, Old Master looked down, pensive. "Hm, of course… Shiryu, tell me one thing, have you fought a Gold Saint yet?" he asked.
"No Gold Saints yet, but I have faced mighty Silver Saints and won."
"That's telling of your potential indeed. However, I will not allow you to go back."
Shiryu raised eyebrows and let go of the chopsticks onto the plate. "W-what? Old Master, I have to be there with Athena and my friends!" he insisted. "If I don't go, they will think something has happened to me!"
"Lady Athena is an intelligent woman, Shiryu. She certainly knew I would hold you back."
"Huh?"
"I will not lie," Old Master continued, now staring back at his apprentice, "I have had moments in the wandering of my thoughts where I questioned the obvious fact, the one that the girl you brought to me is our goddess. At every step of the way the questioning is disproven, and this is no exception. As astounding as it may sound, I see that she has sent you as a test of circumstance, and I am left with no option. By logic, anything heretofore kept hidden from her will be revealed — a genius move."
"I don't get what you mean, Old Master."
"Don't bother with that for the moment, as you will come to learn it anyhow. You will be busy as is."
"So you won't allow me back to Japan?"
"Not until you have what is required to reach the level of a Gold Saint, in the unfortunate event that you are not allowed passage to the Pope," he said. Shiryu sighed with a droplet of frustration, yet nonetheless succumbed to his teacher's demands.
The day died down and, in the advent of evening, the stars painted the sky of Rozan. Old Master maintained a watchful eye over them from that usual crag, this once accompanied by his pupil in training. Shiryu took off shirt and shoes despite the damp air and falling temperatures, as the intensity of the push-ups he did were enough to heat his body from the inside. It was not a mere physical workout he underwent; one who studied closely would've noticed the subtle usage of the Cosmos throughout, as the exercise was mind-numbing and the greatest of efforts took place in the realm of the mind.
As if disembodied, Old Master's voice could be heard explaining the objective of this labor: "Humans are understood to typically have six senses. First we list the most obvious, those used to perceive existence; vision, olfaction, gustation, hearing, and touch. Moreover, a sixth sense which we all possess should be mentioned, that being the mind itself, wherein our thoughts reside and existence is more understood rather than perceived. This Sixth Sense is the one you have mastered to defeat those Silver Saints, thus it is by virtue of your trained mind that you became proficient at manipulating the Cosmos."
From an edge of the mountains that surrounded the waterfall, Shunrei sat with her legs lying beside her, sometimes twirling her dark hair into its usual braid, sometimes watching over Shiryu's industrious training. Old Master's voice continued: "The Cosmos is a seemingly infinite well of potential, is it not? A wise warrior might ask, if the well has no end, then why can one not pull from it equally endless, unvanquishable power? Here we are faced with the limitations of the ordinary mind, limitations of the Sixth Sense. It is the mind that brings about the Cosmos, therefore this ceiling is absolute, founded upon its boundaries. One cannot break the Sixth Sense's limits; it is that way by nature alone."
Whereas in Rozan Shiryu was watched by his loved ones, the other Saints were watched by Lady Athena herself, who sat on the porch's stairs. She turned her sight away from them a moment to read a book on philosophy, its title in German instead of her native Greek. It was her voice who spoke next: "If the Sixth Sense is what restrains us, the one escape is to act outside it, to reach a plane beyond it, hence the Seventh Sense. It is what allows us to manipulate the Cosmos in forms otherwise impracticable."
A yet injured Shaina walked on the porch behind her and approached the wooden railing. She looked at Seiya hanging upside-down from a somewhat tall rock amid the woods, and he lifted his weight up repeatedly. Not unlike Shiryu, there was a minute haze of energy about his mien, a sign of mental investment put into achieving what he was taught. Athena continued: "It is unlikely for one to achieve it by accident, and even those who seek it on purpose rarely attain it. Thinkers, monks, and warriors have established schools to aid others in this process, although their effectiveness is never a given. I do wish it to be of aid to you all with these arduous trials ahead."
Not too far from there, a shirtless Ikki violently smashed the bark of a tree with calloused knuckles, flexing the rough, swollen muscles of his arms and chest with every assay. The force was such that, despite not putting Cosmos into the swings themselves, the bark had become deformed and scarred. Far above on the thick branch of another tree, Shun lied with the back to it, eyes shut in deep meditation, whereas Hyoga practiced a one-armed handstand on the dirt immediately below. The focus and strength required to maintain balance, inhuman as they were, came naturally to him, but the burden of striving for the Seventh Sense greatly surpassed and dwarfed it in difficulty.
It was Old Master's voice who resumed the explanation: "Think of the Seventh Sense as a forgotten organ of the mind, atrophied by neglect and disuse. You are to develop it now. With this organ you will not think as oft the mind does, but rather seek to observe thought. Worry not about the result of thinking, only its observation. Once you are capable of observing your mind as if separate from it, the key to the Seventh Sense is at hand."
June trained away from the others, on the railing in the back porch. Shoeless, she balanced herself and used the wood as a balance beam, performing some form of acrobatic routine. At that instant she balanced herself on a single hand below, both legs spread up and outwards while her other hand pointed forth with grace. Athena's voice explained something parallel to Old Master's, a different manner of understanding: "Think of the Seventh Sense as not a manipulation of the Cosmos, but a manipulation of consciousness first and foremost. Be estranged from the mind, meet it as external to you. You should realize the contradiction in two minds occupying the same brain. With the notion of the self as another, a struggle may ensue, and this is desirable. When and if you emerge victorious, you must control this outer self from above, no longer from the inside. The outcome should be newfound awareness, a feeling unlike anything you have ever experienced. That, for all intents and purposes, is the Seventh Sense."
Their endeavors pressed on with the hours and a few days. What had been once taught to them by Shaina was in itself abstract, but grasping it was much easier than this new concept, whose secrets still seemed out of reach. Stuck deep in contemplation of this unattainable key, Shiryu stood stiffly on one of the large rocks stuck to the waterfall's overhang, so his body was washed by the stream. His long hair dangled over him, head somewhat lowered, whereas his flexed arms and closed fists remained parallel to the torso.
The Cosmos he emanated lifted some of the humid mist and drops in their wake, and it was the only one felt in the vicinity for a great while, that being until another bout of energy flashed elsewhere in the area. Understanding that the sudden display of a stranger's power was unusual in Rozan, Shiryu ceased the efforts and looked on, whereas Old Master no longer watched the sky.
A shadow appeared from the side prior to a boot striking the rocks that led to the crag. When they took the sight, they noticed that it was a man, and he wore a Gold Cloth under white robes. The predominant metal shone like the most pale of gold, but the trims and details were mostly of a reddish tone, including patterns around the large sideways shoulders. The cuirass was sculptural and shaped with curves that flowed like water, and the figures depicted a man spilling the contents of a jar into a river, and from this river two smaller fishes were visible, apart from a much larger one downstream; in another plate was depicted a great whale, and in another one a slender dolphin.
The mask he wore was shaped after the outer shape of a Corinthian helmet, and it too had its feathery adornments, more prominently two slender protrusions from each end that curved inward and crowned the Saint's copper hair. The two frontal bundles of hair with a third looser ponytail on the back already foretold his identity, but the stoic hazel eyes further confirmed the visitor was in fact Aquarius Camus, Hyoga's master.
"A Gold Saint in Rozan… this doesn't bode well," Old Master murmured.
Camus slowly marched closer to him, but kept a respectful distance. "You are the one who goes by 'Old Master', if I am not mistaken" he said, taking a slow nod in response. "Let us go to your Cloth so that we may have a fair battle."
"And why would this decrepit old man fight you?"
"I have been sent here to take your life. I do not wish to attack an unprepared man, so I repeat, take us to your Cloth."
Old Master grunted and didn't even bother to fully turn yet; he processed and understood what most likely occurred, so he teased and stalled Aquarius. "I apologize, as my Cloth is not here with me," he said.
"Where is it then?"
"Back in Sanctuary. Perhaps you could do your elder a favor by bringing it over."
"Forget it," Camus concluded and pushed the robe away from an arm, burning Cosmos in anticipation, "it's best that you die without it." Noticing the danger the tutor faced, Shiryu finally jumped between them, took a fighting stance, and dared raise his own Cosmos too. It was eclipsed in comparison, but somehow Dragon was brave enough to face him.
This act was, in Old Master's mindset, a laughable mistake. "Shiryu, I don't think you want to block that Saint's path," he warned. "He's quite powerful, you see?"
"So you must be Dragon Shiryu," Camus remarked, peeked by the mention, "one of the traitors in possession of the Sagittarius Cloth."
"How do you know my name?" Shiryu questioned.
"It is only by that man's connection to you that I must assassinate him, but there is also an order for you head."
Dragon frowned and became more defensive, not settling down despite the lack of a Cloth and obvious disadvantage against the likes of a Gold Saint. "I will not allow you to hurt my master, no matter what becomes of me!" he yelled.
That ripped the loudest of cackles from Old Master's throat, a sound heartier than Shiryu had ever heard come from him; the apprentice turned slightly, and Camus' very subtly squinted, breaking that immaculate cold shell he carried. "Pardon my apprentice. He's quite protective of those he loves, as you might notice, almost to the degree of foolishness." Their visitor remained quiet. "But since you have come to take my life, let me know my executioner's name."
"Aquarius Camus."
"A-Aquarius!" Shiryu stammered. "You are Hyoga's master!"
The man was peeved by that particular mention, and furled the brow more clearly, voice deadening out of anger. "I suppose you are among those who turned him to the enemy's side," he said.
"No, Hyoga joined us of his own accord!"
"He would never do that. Hyoga is a disciplined man, wholly loyal to Sanctuary. You must have brainwashed him into your sect, and for that I won't forgive you."
"That is not the case at all!"
"Your words are hollow to me, Dragon." Camus heightened his power to a greater amplitude, but was interrupted by a Cosmos managing to so quickly outmatch his. Both the Gold Saint and the Bronze Saint paralyzed in awe, and when they turned to see, a majestic golden texture permeated Rozan's misty air, dancing harmoniously with its breeze.
Old Master's eyes shone a bright yellow, and his robes shook about, as did his beard. When his voice came, it was no longer frail, but fearsome and pristine: "Now, Aquarius Camus, there is no point in being hasty. A Gold Saint should face one of his class before he does a weaker Saint."
"Impossible…" Camus uttered, mouth agape.
"Shiryu, you should make some distance."
While the apprentice walked back and away from their line of sight, Aquarius said: "Mu had told me, but I did not believe him. The one the vacant Cloth responds to, the oldest among the Gold Saints… you are Libra!"
Shiryu was just as impressed. "Old Master is… the Libra Saint?"
"With or without my Cloth, even in this dilapidated body, I can stand up to you, Aquarius," said Old Master, but Camus no longer bothered. Either accepting defeat or as the result of some twisted test, the visitor put all energy to rest, to which the master responded in kind. "Is there an issue?"
"I don't have a death wish," Aquarius replied.
"Here I thought I would put these bones back to use…"
"I had my suspicions. Rumor has it that Libra resides in Rozan, but no one I knew had ever seen you. All along you have been the sentinel, watching the stars in Sanctuary's stead. Why would you betray us?" Camus asked. It was again obvious that he had little knowledge of the situation, but the others lacked undeniable proof of their reasoning.
"Betray you I have not, but do not be under the wrong impression, as you surely have fallen victim to treason. What I, Shiryu, and your apprentice have witnessed cannot be believed by mere retelling. For now, your skepticism will suffice. Do not believe everything you hear in Sanctuary if you have faith in our Lady; the enemy prowls from where you least expect," Old Master said.
Aquarius shut his eyes and smirked. "I felt trouble afoot. It seems I should have trusted my intuition."
"I am in a similar position, friend."
With that done, Camus turned back and made a step, but stopped almost instantly. "Before I go, may I know what you plan on doing, Libra?"
"Staying here, as is a sentinel's duty."
He turned halfway through. "I don't think you comprehend the magnitude of this operation. Pisces, Scorpio, and even Cancer have been sent after those on your side. I cannot defeat you, but the deaths of the other targets are nearly assured."
Shiryu parted his lips upon hearing that. "You mean… the Pope has sent them to kill all our masters?" he asked to confirm the assumption.
Camus nodded and said: "Indeed." Old Master's expression turned grave at the thought. "It is too late to stop us, but I am informing you so that you react accordingly."
"Good. We are thankful," said Libra.
Aquarius did not offer a goodbye, electing to merely jump into the distance and leave whence he came. When Shiryu looked to his teacher for wise guidance, the old man shook the head left and right. "This is terrible news," he lamented. "You are not ready, but there is no option. It is time for you to return to Lady Athena, Shiryu."
The young man agreed and looked in the direction of the Gold Saint's exit. The thought of facing such colossal power without the necessary ingredient to reach or understand it haunted him. "Such powerful warriors are still ahead of us… I hope the others had better luck with the Seventh Sense than I did," he whispered.