The Bookstore and a Thick, Stoic Barrier
"Damn it Haruto you fool. I was so close to getting those two goddesses."
Aquarius Tokisada's thoughts of frustration met with deaf ears as his life went by completely. His flower wilted; his demise validated a so-called god Saint's defeat to the "inferior". With that, the Cyclades Islands slipped into silence.
Demeter's plan to subdue Athena was an aphrodisiac for Gold Saints embraced with sins. Desire for wielding strength, to boast, and his hatred for Haruto, pulled Tokisada right into the Earth Goddess's fingers. It was more so for Paradox, Amor and Schiller; their childish minds, and dark souls, stringed like marionettes into the promise of revival. Was it that easy?
Libra Genbu's vanity was from a spirit world embracing a strong and weak society, a world of endless fighting, but his mind was kept unbroken, and his desire was to help the Saints and to defeat another. Still, that desperate desire to return, the belittling of the inferior and the constant battling was the passion that Demeter was able to cling. Desperation also stirred the spirit of Scorpio Sonia. Thanks to the interference of the Saints of Suplice, most of the Bronzes fainted; Wolf Haruto was dead.
As for Pegasus, the path to Demeter has arrived. It was time for a new battle.
After Kouga caught his breath, dried his face and steeled himself, Ginga led him back into the bookstore's main quarters and the reception desk where Jorie was. There weren't many guests today. Astoria was a small corner store by an intersection and another building, perhaps a residential. Outside, there were small stands carrying magazines.
"Hey Ginga, did you hear?" Jorie called. "Someone said that there is a sighting of gamma rays over the ocean."
"Huh? A geomagnetic storm?"
"In the day time?"
As the two exchanged looks, Ginga suddenly brimmed with enthusiasm. "Now that sounds like something I got to see! I wish my shift would hurry up. It'll probably be there all day and night."
"Hey, Ginga?" Kouga finally spoke up. His voice was a little dry. "Do you know where Demeter's Temple is? Oh, I mean, of course you know, but I m—I mean, I want to go there."
"You want to go to the Temple?" Ginga asked to which Kouga responded by nodding his head.
Ginga let out a little titter and slapped his palm against his chest. "That's a great idea! If anyone can cure your wounded heart, it's the Goddess."
His face gleamed with such confidence as he spoke with energy. Despite his worries and being glum, Kouga managed a brief smile. The purpose behind his visit tightened his insides since it was all held in by secrecy. When Kouga and Eden visited Naxos before, one of the first places he went to was Astoria. Jorie and Ginga were working at that time as well, and Kouga was easily pulled in by their welcoming charm. That hasn't changed; that charm and their work ethnic were said to be a talk of the town.
"Oh yeah! You never went to the Temple the last time you came here," said Ginga. "You spent more time in the town. Well it's a while's walk, but you can't miss it because it's a linear road to the hills. During festivals, especially New Year, we gather towards the entrance to the Temples, sharing grain, fruits, vegetables, and grape wine."
"Yes and we always tell you can't drink yet," said Jorie.
"Hah! A couple more years and its mine!" Ginga assured himself, raising a fist. With his hand, Kouga clamped his mouth to hide the second smile. While the light-heartedness was refreshing after the battles, he did not wish to carry it for long. He started to head for the door.
Suddenly, the loud cheer of girls rose outside, causing Kouga to freeze.
"I have a feeling I know what that's about," said Jorie, looking towards the door. Through the windows, she saw a female crowd pooling near the entrance.
"Mm-hm. I bet he wants another chapter of that Argonautica fiction series where Jason was turned into an eagle."
"I never thought he would like such a story." Ginga and Jorie exchanged glances again and giggled. The look on Kouga's face was nothing beyond confusion. A tall figure was seen passing by the windows, and the entrance bell jingled.
"Welcome to our store, stranger!" Beaming widely, Ginga spoke in his usual cheer with a tint of humor. When the door opened, a tall orchard-haired man wearing a robe appeared. As a first impression, Kouga could tell why he was some kind of celebrity. However, his face was like a bull. It was clean and handsome, but stone-edged serious; his gold eyes pierced steel, and he looked like he did not take any jokes. Kouga paid it no mind; he waved goodbye to Jorie and Ginga, passed the serious man, and went out the door. He did not notice the side glance he was given.
When the man walked up to the counter, Jorie promptly spoke. "Hello Sir Arion. What can I do for you today? I'm sorry but the new 'Argonauts' isn't here yet."
"Thank you for telling me, but current business has not to do with a purchase, but to speak with Ginga." From his low voice, from a spirit of a battle-hardened soldier, every word of Arion carried seriousness. However, the timbre expressed a quiet modesty, which did not make Jorie feel on edge.
"Oh? Sure. Do you need the back room?"
"If I may." As if in not in need of authority, Arion passed the counter and headed for the backroom after giving Ginga a quick glance. He opened the door to the back.
"Oh, um, am I in trouble?" Ginga quickly followed. No answer was given and the door was closed behind them. They would be in there for minutes, while Jorie led the counter. Much later, she would be hesitantly asked to call in a substitute if possible.
After leaving the store, Kouga had to backtrack and retrieve his Cloth Box by the beach, before heading south of town and towards the coastal hills. There was a linear, marbled path through the town to there, kept simple for the citizens of Naxos that wished to visit their patron temple. Only until the buildings were far behind him did Kouga reach the arch signaling the temple entrance.
However, according to townsfolk that he asked, there were more temples before Demeter's. Not one. The arch led to an incline stretching into the hills instead, which nestled other buildings with flora. The Goddess's own temple stood at the highest elevation between steep-sided mountains.
Knowing that it was time for him face a new great challenge, Kouga wondered what he would do once he met her. Many warriors lifted a hand against Athena, threatening to take her life; Kouga had faced one of the First Class Pallasites, Gallia, and defeated her. Since another God was an enemy, was it only fate to raise a fist against her without mercy? He donned his Cloth, looked behind him to make a wish to his friends, took a breath and advanced. He past the arch, and near the base of the stairs he saw a figure.
Koga quickly stopped in his tracks. Staring back at him was a golden gaze that shaved through the thickest ice. It was the handsome customer from the bookstore. Orchard hair and robe rippled through the breeze.
It's him again, Kouga slowly approached him with a casual stroll. The man said nothing; much like when he was in the bookstore, his face was like steel and never showed a smile.
"Um...you are...it was Mr. Arion wasn't it?" When Kouga looked up to the man, it only made him more wary; Arion kept silent, but he bore down Kouga with a stare that couldn't be further described as intense. Facing it himself, there was no better description.
"Um, I'm sorry. I'm in a hurry."
"Are you going to Demeter's Temple?" The man asked, level-headed.
Kouga bit his lip. Something about the man gave him a chill, or it was either the way he conducted himself that suggest that he might be in trouble. Kouga nodded his head as an answer.
"Yes. I'm sorry, but I am in a hurry. Excuse me." Koga said it to keep the man ignorant of the mission. An urgent mission; Koga strolled passed by Arion. Suddenly, Arion's palm cupped Koga's face, throwing him backwards. In a blink of an eye, Kouga lost his footing completely, and that force had him sliding across the ground. When Kouga quickly scrambled onto his feet, he looked at the man with complete astonishment.
"Mr. Arion?!"
"If you value your life, turn back now." The man said. Arion was a not normal town man of Naxos; his unfriendly aura now turned into something more imposing. Kouga had a gut feeling about him back at the bookstore, and it was confirmed. He realized that this Arion was not ignorant.
"Battle is not allowed here, Saint of Athena. I will not allow you to raise a fist against the Mother Goddess."
The Pegasus Saint grimaced and rushed right back, stopping in front of Arion. The orchard-haired man remained motionless.
"You don't like battle?! Then, why did your Goddess attack us with revived Saints?" Kouga's anger clearly showed and his fighting instincts were on high.
"It was her choice of will for what she admires. As her finest guardian, I stand before you."
"You want to fight?!"
"To prevent the sully of Demeter's Gardens, I will. I will fight in order to stop you."
"But if she's not stopped, there is a chance that the world will be destroyed. Don't you care about that? You won't even question that?"
Arion said nothing. Kouga continued.
"I'm sure my friends are with me. You're not going to stop us. Athena loves the human race and doesn't want to see it destroyed. We have to fight for her and go through, even if it means setting Demeter straight."
"Is it that what you believe? If that what your heart believes?"
Koga stared up at Arion with determination; he kept sturdy even when met with the stoic man's raptor eyes. He and his friends defeated the revived Saints after all. And with Haruto absent, nothing was going to change his mind.
Arion hummed. "I always hear about the 'burning spirits of the Goddess's youth', and I know that recently, Athena has been a felon among the Gods because she abets the humans, her Saints, to battle against fate. Battling even Gods to preserve the human world. With that said, I suppose I can't stop you...from trying. But I warn you, it won't be simple."
Arion turned and paced a short ways from Kouga. When he turned back, he raised two fingers and pointed them at Pegasus. Suddenly, the area dimmed into a dark crimson. Koga groaned his body folding over as something struck him swiftly. An egg-like projectile; he watched it bury through his Cloth like a parasitic mite, and it could not be undone. In next instant, his voice raised from a short moment's torrent of pain. The land returned to its original color.
Arion watched calmly, "I released a core inside of you. You may continue if you wish, but like I said, it won't be simple. There is only a one way road to Demeter's Temple, but you can't reach it without going through her four Gardens first."
After the surge of pain, Koga panted to recollect himself and ran past Arion. He only retaliated with a glare of defiance, having no idea what happened. The only path was forward, past the arched entrance and towards the first Garden waiting. Arion did not watch Pegasus leave; he kept his back turned to the Gardens and looked back out at the direction of the town.
"Finish him…quickly." He muttered to himself. He needed to return to his Goddess's side. Regardless, he couldn't help but feel a little worried.
Still, it's just Pegasus. Were the others not defeated?
Kouga ascended the hill via marble stairs, akin to the Twelve Temples of Sanctuary, and reached the first temple called a Garden. It looked like a roofed temple, expected for a Greek Olympian. Written on the cornice, twisted behind a leaf pattern, were a couple words: "Plutus, Thine Wealth".
"Plutus?" Koga went up the stairs and stopped. The moment his toes touched the pronaos, a figure loomed in his sight, standing between him and the entrance surrounded by pillars.
"Welcome to the Garden of Plutus." Directing at Kouga was the voice of pubescent girl. Taking steps forward, the figure's appearance entered the sunlight. Short blonde-hair tinted with a meadow green; hazel eyes were young like Kouga and radiated a natural defiance, an unhidden vexation from her face.
"Ah! It's you!" cried Kouga. "You're the one who killed Shaina!"
It was the girl who accompanied Demeter at Athena's Temple. She was covered in a mantle before, but now, before Pegasus's eyes, her battle dress was unveiled. A silk white pleated skirt rippled in the wind, covering her legs dressed in knee-high boots. Upon her lithe frame, her armor looked light, perhaps to not hinder her movement. Narrow strips of cloth hung from her shoulder guards.
"I'm the Terrae of Dancing Fibre, Loom Pan," she said. "Saint of Athena, I won't let you pass and reach Mother. Turn back now."
"I just told your companion that I refuse to give up. I was given the mission to stop Demeter's plans and I will see it through."
"Then, prepare yourself."
There were few words; standing by Demeter's side through the whole ordeal, Pan sensed her anguish and fury, absorbed the feelings, and harbored anger from Athena's interference of mother's plan. Within her heart, she hoped for this confrontation, even if Kouga was by himself.
Pegasus Kouga moved his feet and threw a Ryu Sei Ken. He and his fists soared at great speeds – then, his one punch was stopped by a panel-like barrier made head to toe. Pan had only made a single hand gesture. The barrier, with thin edges felt like layer after layer of metal.
"Ahhh!" Suddenly, his entire body convulsed violently, experiencing a shockwave. Kouga could only gasp; he felt like his lungs were filling up beyond capacity, imploding instantly right after. Pan noticed this.
"It looks to me that you met Arion didn't you?"
When the strange attack ended, Kouga fell to a knee. "What's wrong with me?"
"Yeah, this is his work," Pan said, nodding her head. She lowered her barrier and crossed her arms. Was she so confident to drop her defenses?
"As expected, he is wise. He used the Chthon Impulse on you, so you now cannot do whatever you wish here."
"Chthon (kee-thahn) Impulse?" Kouga looked up to Pan.
"It's said to ravage the living, when power destroys oneself. In your case, the essence that makes you a Saint, the Cosmos, will break down the more you exert it. You could say it's like a dying star. As you burn it, there is an imbalance; mass collects within your body and will eventually blow up. You'll rupture from the inside."
This absolutely shocked Kouga, having paid no mind to Arion's movements. He now remembered his cryptic words that didn't seem to make sense – "I released a core in you."
Pan had to add. "Arion told me that its victims don't experience anything messy, so you probably won't literally blow up or anything. But, if you keep exerting yourself, you will definitely die. He also told me that when he used the Impulse on a group of Saints, they all collapsed dead at the same time when they tried to attack him."
The Impulse was named after the Gods serving death below the Earth, but these Gods were just as essential as the sky and the sea. As everything had a meaning, it's said to be a natural technique that only made a person aware of the life cycle. The ability either accelerated cells like cancer or caused victims to lose sense of signals. The effects were various; did Arion choose the fate?
"You still won't leave? Then, I will give you a small taste of the move that killed your friend." Pan calmed a little after witnessing the effects of Chthon. She expected Kouga's inevitable downfall, and decided to avert a battle in the Gardens so that she could return to hers. As Pan watched Kouga got back onto his feet, she lifted her hand and flicked a few fingers. Tiny silver waves threaded in the air; in an instant, the sound of cracks or brittle glass. Kouga gritted his teeth, a gash and a few holes appearing in his Cloth, clear as day. The Saint was without a voice. The impact was so quick that its sensation already tapered away, but his body weakened. Kouga fell again; this time, right on his face.
"Leave now!" Pan demanded.
"I-I can't!" Kouga answered, voice muffled by his face in the pronaos.
"Are you that stupid?! Fine then! I do have a question for you, Pegasus, since you refuse to leave."
For now, Kouga managed to only lift his face and heed the girl.
"Hermes! Do you know him? What is he up to?"
"Who?"
"Don't play dumb or I won't forgive you! He is one of you Saints, the Gold Saint of Cancer!"
"If that's true, then I haven't met him."
"Hmm, how strange. I guess it's foolish to ask you, considering his movements. Or are you lying to me?"
What does she mean? The Cancer Saint's movements? Even though Kouga was confused, Pan's words made him remember what Eden said to him on their way to Athens Port. Back in Pavlin, Orion's soul left his body while fighting Schiller, and he was sent to the gate of the Underworld where this Cancer Hermes was apparently starting mischief. Eden only said that "there might be trouble among us", which made Kouga wonder if the mischief was meant for Demeter's forces. Whatever the case may be, he had his own mission, even though he realized that the questions made Pan beyond agitated.
Pan disappeared into her temple. With some damage to his Cloth, Pegasus Kouga got back up and pursued her. Darkness and an array of colonnades led him through, then the entire inner chamber, the cella, suddenly illuminated. Sunlight slipped through high rise windows. Pan stood by a raised bema surrounded by vase of flowers and vines; between her and Koga was expansive grassland. That was the court; a soothing, Eucalyptus aroma wafted through the air. Many temples articulated the craft of the Romans and Greeks, such as an ambulatory hoisting tall stalls or an apse, but it seemed that Demeter's choices were very simple.
"You won't leave after all. Very well. When Naxos and the Goddess are in danger, the true battles are held here in these Gardens. As this is my Garden, I now don't have to hold back, and as you would upset this tranquil land, it is the duty of the Four Terrae to punish you! Again, I'm the Terrae of Dancing Fibre, Loom Pan. With my own hands, I will weave your death."
"Bronze Saint of Athena, Pegasus Kouga!" Kouga made a stance. He showed his determination, despite the core inside his body. He made a promise to burn his Cosmos no matter the consequences. "I must get to your Goddess, for Athena and the Earth."
"Do you refuse to tell me about Hermes?"
"I told you, I don't know anything."
Pegasus Kouga and Loom Pan finally began their true clash. He was quickly baffled, seeing his sonic fists being parried like a blade against a blade, by none other than tense threads whipping the air. His body sizzled again by Arion's core pulsing inside of him, and left Pan an opening. Her Wefting Fibre move bounded Kouga's limbs and carried him high above into the ceiling. He got pinned; more threads, the sharp type that finished Shaina, bit right through his gut without effort. Like a threaded needle in sewing.
"Guaah!" Against a young girl, the Pegasus Cloth was defenseless. Were they strings or wires?!
If I burn my Cosmos, I will burn my life away. But, if I don't burn my Cosmos, Pan's attacks will shred me apart. Damnit! What should I do?! Miss Saori! Miss Shaina! I got to get through this. There must be a way.
From the blows, Koga understood that he was in a pincer attack with seemingly no escape. Even among a so-called peaceful Naxos Island, he faced enemies that were as relentless as a storm caused by two mythical beasts – powerful, capable of disabling him, reviving the dead, and breaking his Cloth.
There must be a way to beat Arion's Core, he thought. Bullheaded and even injured, once he touched the ground, Kouga made a dash for Pan. Her hands were raised while conducting her attacks.
"I'm defiantly avenging Miss Shaina!" He moved forward, as an unfaltering Pegasus against hundreds of strings that capered around him from all corners. Pan prepared to jab him like a knitted scarf, over and over.