Side Story: Goldie Tales 1

Summary: In the main story, the perspective is always done through a Saint or a significant character. But what of the invisible, those that are always in contact with Saints, always seen but are lucky to even have a small piece of dialogue. Take a little time, to view from the perspective of two Door Guards, Midas XIIII, a recruit and Retired Commander Kleitos of the Saber, a long-time veteran, the world of Sanctuary.

"It's so huge," murmured a man with deep red hair that was carefully tied back. Yesterday he celebrated his nineteenth birthday at the brothel with his friends, but today felt far more invigorating. His green eyes turned to his brand-new white uniform and then to his new white spear. He stared at the small metal engraving of his name, Midas XIIII, on the side of it. It was further proof that everything that was happening was real. He wanted to go inside now, but instead, he turned to a shiny bronze plaque and ran toward it.

The words were engraved "Sanctuary" with the words Kido Heritage Protection Site on it. Like everything there, it was hidden in the open. Tourists were told that they were forbidden from entering past the doors of the House of Aries because of how fragile the building was past the door, or so they were told. What they don't know is that the special marble used on it could survive the impact of a meteor.

He pulled out a small cloth and began to buff his white helmet to a glorious white shine, before checking over his equally white uniform with blue and purple trim to make sure his first shift goes very well. He grasped his spear and proceeded up the stairs, and man was there a lot of them. He was only a quarter of the way up before he felt a little winded. His took a deep breath and burned his red cosmos. He supposed he was a bit of a fire elemental, but just like other guards, he could never burn it to even a Bronze Level and so he had to settle for being a soldier.

He was worried about the life of a 'foot' as they call themselves. He, like many Rodarios liked the Pope and in the last five years, thought that in terms of the city and surrounding municipals, have done a decent job of redoing finances and adding services for the people such as mental illness assistance and domestic abuse. He wasn't sure what happened, but there's been a huge change that was welcomed. Corruption was dropping for a long time too, but for some reason is starting to pick back up.

Same with the military. Everything was going well up until two years ago. The Pope went from being stable to starting to change his mind every other day. One day he ordered new training camps to be built. Without even bothering to see if they were even feasible, he sent the first three rounds of new recruits through them, and only half survived while a quarter were executed for desertion. Next day, the Pope wanted them gone and the day after, he ordered them back.

Relying on Saints is good for battles and Holy Wars, but terrible for peace unless you count those that dealt with training. There was just far too much ground to cover and with the world changing as fast as it was. Foots must be specialized. Some dealt with terrorism, others for cleanup after a big battle. There were also weather-related issues like flooding, like the one he worked on four months back.

He was certain that his actions during that time. It was dirty work. Many homes were covered with half a meter of water and dirt. His duty was to check the houses for any survivors and help them out. The problem with that was that there was a lot of looting going on by the other foots.

One time, he entered and left and was stopped by an officer in a brown uniform with long blue hair and steely blue eyes. Goddess, he was like a living statue. Arms so thick with muscle that he was amazed he could flex them. He remembers him pointing to his Tele-Pod and earbuds and asked where he got that from.

He told him, he was a Rodario Montérno (Modern Rodario) and that it belonged to him. He further explained that he could listen to it on breaks, but he could see that the gaze of the blue-haired officer was not to be trifled with. So, he lifted his brown helmet and showed his name, Midas XIIII and the Tele-Pod with the matching writing, and the blue haired officer's gaze softened. He then looked at it with curious eyes and asked if he could listen to it a little bit. The young foot said it was fine if the superiors were okay with it.

He gave a wicked grin, turned to the officer in charge, another man, equally built with short purple hair. He asked if it was okay if he could listen to it and the purple-haired man, who he thinks was Italian, said "hell yeah!" It was a bit unprofessional for his rank, but a yes was a yes.

So, Midas passed his Tele-Pod and watched him immediately put the buds in and worked the dial on the front. He could tell he was also a Rodario Montérno since he had no problems navigating it, while a Rodario Protótypo(Original Rodario) would simply stare at it like it was witchcraft. He cranked it up so loud that everyone could hear it. He snapped fingers and sang with the words as if reunited with a long-lost love. It was wild! He even went to the officer from earlier and stuck an earbud in his ear and the two just sang along until it was over.

Still grinning wildly, the blue-haired man slowly pulled the earbuds away and passed it back to the foot soldier. He told him that he saw the list and had great taste in music. It was an interesting compliment since this was his old Tele-Pod and the songs were at least ten years old. Midas XIIII didn't know what came over him, but he saw his blue eyes and noticed how sad they were. He truly enjoyed it and he was into it as if the music was in his soul. He even added that he found it soothing. It was one of those moments where one could sense that the person before them was going through something big and heavy. Since he already had a newer one at home, he returned the Tele-Pod back to the blue haired man and told him he could keep it.

The man with the blue hair's eyes widened but then slighted a bit. He told him that he couldn't own it due to his position.

Midas was surprised. Typically, the higher the rank, the bigger the benefits. He thought about accepting just that, but he could tell he really loved it. So, like all good foot soldiers, he figured out a work around. He took his finger and pointed to his name and told him that it was okay if he didn't own it. He was merely borrowing it… for a long time.

The blue-haired man's mouth dropped before he smiled and told him that he liked him. He graciously took the Tele-Pod and a spare pack of Kido batteries, the kind that last for years, and told him that he would not forget this.

Midas XIIII was glad he made friends with him at that mission because as he soon found out, while his first encounter was quite charming and friendly, he didn't grant mercy to anyone caught looting. One soldier stole a couple of silver forks and the blue-haired man punched him out cold before tossing him as if he was a pillow to the side with the others who will be spending ten days in prison for their crime. Occasionally, he could see the blue haired man sweating profusely before he would slip the Tele-Pod on, listen to it for a bit before putting it back and returning to his work, good as new.

He supposed that he was being very serious about the music soothing him.

After the flood, he supposed his superiors took notice and promoted him to Sanctuary Door Guard, the highest duty a man like him could earn outside of Papel Guard at the Pope's Chambers.

He had a few months of required training. It was boring, but with the consequences of failing this duty so high, he did his best to chisel each word into his mind. The biggest thing he got out of it was the word: trust.

A Gold Saint trusted the Door Guard to be there to watch over their House when they were gone.

A Gold Saint gives access to their inner chambers for the Door Guard in order to provide security for their servants and other workers of their House while they were battling. Protect yourself and the people of the House.

But most importantly, a Door Guard would naturally see and speak with Gold Saints walking around unmasked in Sanctuary. They were not permitted to disclose any details about them to those who worked outside the twelve Houses that were not visible. They could describe their Cloths, voices and hair color if visible, but that was it. They couldn't describe what their faces looked like, personal details, preferences, where they were from originally, etc.

A Gold Saint's identity was sacred in that if people knew who they were, they would be hounded in the streets, forcing what would be called a Hard Identity Reset, which somehow involved the Saint of Virgo. If such a violation occurred, a warning consisted of one's tongue being sliced in half. Basically, what happens at Sanctuary, stays at Sanctuary.

After climbing the stairs for a good solid ten minutes, he finally reached the doors to the House of Aries where two Door Guards stood in place. Both were highly decorated with the one with short black hair and killer sharp brown eyes wearing a long white cape with his uniform.

Midas XIIII stopped in front, an erected spear in one hand and a salute in the other. He took a deep breath as he prepared his words. "I Midas XIIII relieve you," it was short, but that was what was expected. He was assuming the two of them would salute him back so he could take one of their spots, but instead, the one with the cape took a step forward.

"So, are you ready to defend the principles of Athena against the Mariners who wish to sink us and the Specters who desire to kill us?" the man questioned with a heavy Spanish accent.

Midas didn't expect this, but still, he gave the best impromptu answer he could. "I swear, to aid the Gold Saints to defend both her body and soul with every beat of my heart." He watched the man with the cape flash a surprisingly guilty look on his face for a moment. Did he say something wrong? He hoped not. This was his first day.

The man corrected his face and then pulled off his helmet. "Good words to hear. I am Shura, the Capricorn Saint of the tenth House of Sanctuary as well as the one in charge of the Sanctuary Door Guards."

Midas was at a loss for words, not just because he was an actual Gold Saint, but he's seen him riding a horse in Rodario, purchasing from the stands that would carry goods from all over Europe. He's seen a couple of foot soldiers give him trouble too. He was so glad that he would never think to take part in those. "I've… seen you in town so many times… I would...never…"

"Most don't," Shura finished. "We wander the town more times than you think. But that's because we only pick out the best to guard our secrets and why I am comfortable and proud to tell you my name," he followed with a salute to allow the recruit to drop his.

Midas looked down, feeling a little shy. "I never thought of myself as being one of the best." It was the opposite. He felt like a failure. As a kid, he wanted to become a Saint and struggled to grasp the cosmos, but it was never good enough.

But Shura shook his head. "This was the process. I was passed your name, by a friend of mine. I go through every record from the day I was notified to the day you were born. If you've had any strikes against you in school, you're out. If you had any write-ups by the law, you were out. If any past or present references even state anything negative, you're out. If during your foot soldier duty, any notes such as being late or even being involved with a single fight, you're out. If you were at a brothel..."

Midas felt the color in his face vanish.

"...you're in."

The red head took a deep breath as he heard the Saint and the older gentleman laugh. Of course, they had to give him a little bit of a hard time. It was tradition and honestly, it wasn't the worse he's seen. He felt the Saint reach down and gave him a good hard pat on the back, before reaching for his chin and tilting it up.

"Relax, you've earned it." He turned toward the House of Aries doors." I must get going. I am, expected to be in my House when my duties are complete. This is Retired Commander Kleitos of the Saber. He's retired, but he's good with warming up to the expectations of this duty and will be with you for the first week. After that, he'll check on you once a month. He can help you, but do you have any questions for me personally?"

Even though he had a feeling that he would encounter more Gold Saints, this was a rare opportunity to directly ask one something. It was a dream come true. He remembered watching them parade in the streets during the Eighty-Eight Knight Festival and now he was here before one. However, he didn't want to make it too complicated since it was clear he was in a hurry. "Any advice?"

Shura didn't even hesitate. "If you must kill someone, make sure they are dead. Make sure to bring proof. Doesn't matter. A hand. A weapon… a bloody headband, something. If you don't, Sanctuary will send you back and the proof that you need, maybe gone. Good luck, and welcome aboard."

It was not quite what Midas expected. His interpretation of his duty was that he was to alert of trouble, protect the other civilians of the Twelve Houses and get out of the way during a battle since only those who were either powerful or suicidal would even try to invade.

He watched Shura salute him, and he saluted back before the Gold Saint seemingly blinked out of existence.

Kleitos stroked his white beard and smiled. These moments always shocked the newbies. He reached over and patted his shoulder. "You get used to it. At least he takes time to take a few steps away. Anytime a Gold does that right next to you, it literally sucks all the breath out of your lungs if your mouth is open and can leave you gasping for air." He chuckled. "By the way, he spoke of the brothel, but he's never been to one yet. He's only sixteen."

"Sixteen? He's younger than me?"

"Oh yes. Gold Saints all look older than they appear due to accelerated effects of hormones and testosterone and cosmos usage. It's not all bad. They physically age a lot slower too. It wouldn't surprise me that when Capricorn Shura reaches my age in fifty years, he'll look the same as he does now. Some Golds abuse it and visit places they shouldn't, but you have those like Shura who try to do the honorable thing and wait it out." He took his hand and gestured for him to follow. "Here, let's check your access to the House of Aries and make sure everything went through."

The red-headed recruit nodded and followed inside. At first, he thought seeing a person move so fast would be his biggest surprise until he turned to his left. "What the, is that a rock?" It was a six-foot sphere that was bumpy, grey and hard. He touched it and was surprised when it shook back.

The retired Door Guard chuckled. "Meet another Gold Saint. That one is Aries Mu."

Midas XIIII was truly hoping to meet the Gold Saint that he was going to work with. Technically he did, but not like this. "Greetings, I am Midas XIIII. I am to be your Door Guard. Can you hear me?" The rock shook a bit. "It is very good to meet you. I will do my best to serve you as best as I can." Midas returned his glance over to his superior. "Why is he in there?" he whispered, hoping he wasn't being rude.

Kleitos could tell this was a very awkward meeting and he didn't blame him. Although, in the time he knew the Lemurian, this was by far, not the strangest thing he's done. "Who knows. Some think he's dying in there; others think he's just waiting for someone to come. I personally think he can come out at any time but chooses to bide his time. Don't tell anyone, but I've even seen some of the Golds snuck out in the middle of the night to try and open it too."

O|======|O

EXCALIBUR!

GALAXIAN EXPLOSION

AURORA EXECUTION

Deathmask, do something!

I don't know, man, if Excalibur didn't work...

Deathmask!

Whatever. Praesepe Underworld Wave and some shit.

There you see, I tickled it, just like all of you.

Aphrodite! You too!

Uggh. Fine. PIRANHAN ROSE!

There, not only did it not work, now we have a mess that we can't leave. Someone find a broom.

O|======|O

He was certain the group did about four rounds of all those attacks before they finally gave up. Gemini was determined to use Athena Exclamation, before Pisces sprinkled petals over his head to make him fall asleep, before waking him up and convincing him otherwise. He was lucky that it was so dark out and Shura didn't want them to see him there, and kept motioning them away from his post.

Kleitos gestured his hand over to a wall and asked him to tap the spear tip against it and burn a little cosmos. The old man watched the new guy's reaction as the bricks became translucent and revealed a small shelf with bottles of wine, water, and extra cups. "These Houses are infused with their Lemurian technology. Because all battles and training take place on this floor, there are glyphs that one can activate with recognized cosmos and reveal hidden sections and areas." He grabbed a bottle and opened it up and poured the two of them a drink. "Every house has a complimentary wine section and we are free to help ourselves to it as long as we don't go overboard during duty."

Midas took the glass and sipped a bit. "Good stuff. So, we can use the complimentary wine bar at any House?"

The old man nodded. "Of course. Don't forget, they want us to feel at home since we allow them to leave their Houses without a sense of abandoning their duty. But some Gold Saints do have limited access to other Houses, determining if they like each other or not, or if they train quite a bit together. But you don't have to worry about that. It's just their own personal business."

Midas finished his glass. The retired Commander seemed to know so much about them, it was crazy. "How long have you worked here?"

Kleitos paused. "I've served two generations of Golds. My first when they were about preteen-teenagers, oh goddess that is the worse age to deal with them. The second was a lot more idyllic, back when this group was all children." He laughed. "I never was married and my family was killed out at sea. But when they were young, it was probably the closest to being around grandchildren." He didn't want to give the impression that who he was working for was inhuman. "When Capricorn Shura first joined, he didn't know any Greek at all. In fact, many of the new Golds didn't, but perhaps because of their alignment, they seemed to pick it up quickly, but still needed work. So at night, when training and studies were complete, the two oldest Golds, both native speakers, would work with them one on one and then finish off with a story or a myth."

O|=======|O

They would go to the House of Libra every night to further improve their Greek beyond one on one sessions with the Gemini Twins, the Sagittarius Brothers, and the newest Scorpio. I'm sure they met there because it was close to the middle and for the five-year-olds, walking even two houses was a challenge. The Sagittarius and one of the Gemini would often go around and piggyback the little ones over on days when training was just too rough for them.

Anyways, they would all meet in the House of Libra to either talk about lesser myths or to simply read from a book called "The Lost Canvas".

(Oh I love that one! That's the one where it is an alternative take on the 18th century Holy War, but with the names changed... well a bunch of stuff changed. My favorite chapter was Pisces Albafica, but that could be because I am one as well.)

So do I, but mine would be Capricorn for the same reasons as yours. Many Gold Trainees did too. Many of the past Gold Saints and Trainees enjoy it so much they would take up the names of characters as aliases as well as name new techniques based on the ones they hear. A few of them even created techniques because of the book. Even though it is a work of fiction and romanticizes the relationships among Golds a bit, it still holds a strong place in Sanctuary.

(What do you mean by romanticizes their relationship?)

I told you, I served two generations of Golds. The last generation, half killed each other, a few put in thirty years and could pass their Cloths, and a couple committed suicide. The only ones that remained were Aries and Libra. Anytime they all gather in what's known as "The Twelve" they would fall apart in ten years. No one knows why, but personally, you can only have so many brandished swords before someone starts stabbing and the others retaliate.

Now I would often see the children gather, but when Shura came he was allowed an interpreter for the first month. Bronze and Silver trainees are not afforded such a luxury, but because of all the duties that come with being a Gold, they make an exception. Anyways, I was allowed to come to one of the meetings, and there is a big difference between catching glances of what they do in their House vs sitting inside it.

The first time I was there, I was shocked to see the Pope himself. He would sit partially to the side while one of the Gemini twins and the Sagittarius would sit in the front. I guess that he was observing them to decide who would become the next Pope and the other the Assistant when the time came.

The Sagittarius would be holding the book and typically when I would hear it from outside the door, he would read it normally. Tonight, he was discussing with the Gemini on how to simplify the text since Shura, Virgo and Taurus had only been at Sanctuary for a week. The Gemini suggested he could perhaps present the words visually too beneath the pictures.

(He can do that? I thought they were just half good and half evil?)

Oh, don't say that in front of him! Simplifying a Gemini like that is like saying all soccer is just hitting a ball in a goal. They prefer Order and Chaos. Use that unless you want to get on his evil side. Anyways, two Saints can cast illusions. Geminis can create physical illusions on the outside while Virgos can do it within a person's mind as well as on the outside. Don't know about Virgos since, thank the Goddess, he's never done it to me, but outer illusions are extremely taxing. I watched the Gemini demonstrate for the Sagittarius by creating a flat image with words, and you can see him physically grimacing each time he did it. Supposedly, they can reach as high as creating a body that can wear their Cloth, but I have yet to see it.

While those three were in the front, I sat in the first row next to Shura along with the Cancer Trainee, who had his legs stretched out as if ready for bed already. Next was the Virgo trainee, still in their robes since all they did was meditate. Pisces was next to him holding a rose. Part of his training was that he grew used to poison so you would often see him cutting his thumb on a thorn and healing it immediately. It almost looked like a habit, like flicking a lighter over and over despite not having a cigarette.

(I miss that. That was the hardest part of training for this job.)

I miss it too. But Capricorns hold high expectations. We are the first faces of Sanctuary that guests see. Plus, you want to look nice when the tourists come and do pictures. Expect that to happen for a majority of your time at the House of Aries. Next to Pisces was Scorpio and Aquarius who for some reason, over the years enjoy each other's company across generations. In the back row was the Taurus Saint. At five years old, he resembled a ten-year-old already. He's still a big guy, but don't let his size intimidate you. He's the friendliest of the bunch and probably the most normal one of the group. Beside him was the one in the rock, Aries Mu.

…

…

…

We like Mu.

The last two are the younger brothers of Sagittarius and Gemini. They don't have quite the bond that older brothers do with each other, but I think since they hung out a lot, they've grown close as well.

Everything appears quite normal when they are sitting there and preparing, but things happen when they start opening their mouths.

(Was it bad? Did they curse.)

Not at all, quite the opposite. they were just so innocent.

"Chapter 21: El Cid and Phantasos," spoke the Sagittarius, speaking slowly with clear enunciation. Next to him, the Gemini moved his hands, eyes shut and white cosmos burning to reveal a picture of the Capricorn Gold Saint and the Dream God in front with the names below it. It was clear that the meeting started, but that didn't mean everyone got the hint.

"Necesito ir al baño," the five-year-old Shura quietly pleaded to me. I asked him why he didn't go before, and he said he forgot.

"¡Espere!" I would whisper to him back. The Pope was there and every one of my future Gold Saints that I must serve was there. How would I look if I disrupt the story?

"El Cid flew into another world, the world of dre-," the Sagittarius paused as his ten-year-old voice cracked. "-dreams." I could see his eyes shifting back and forth between the book and his friend there, probably ensuring he wasn't going too fast for the Gemini to produce pictures. "When Phantasos took his arm…."

The moment that image flashed, all of them leaned forward or turned away with shrieks.

"I don't like this part," murmured the Virgo. He was putting his shawl over his eyes despite them being closed.

"It's cool! When I get older, I want to take body parts as my trophy!"

"Trainee Deathmask, as long as I'm around, you will not! The spirits will linger, and you will pollute your sacred House," the Pope chastised him. The Pope is a very calm man and rarely raised his voice unless required or if he's around the Scorpio Saints. I think he did eventually relax those standards in the last five years since the Cancer Saint started placing the faces of his fallen enemies on the walls.

(Was that really the name he chose?)

Yes it is. If Shura ever asks for a volunteer to cover the House of Cancer, you're better off not taking it.

"Where is his bandage?" I heard the five-year-old Aquarius whisper to the five-year-old Scorpio as an image of the one-handed El Cid appeared.

Of course, unlike the Aquarius Saint, discretion was not a part of a Scorpio's vocabulary as he stood up and ran his hands through his blonde hair. "Woah! I never noticed! Why doesn't he use his cape to tear off a piece and cover it! He would probably lose two pints before reaching the Dream World! That's like the first thing my Dad taught me!" I chuckled to myself watching the Pope raising his fist and probably using his cosmos to demand that he would sit down. "I gotta go to the bathroom! See ya!"

"MILO!" screamed the Pope, but the Scorpio lightspeed out of there, filling the room with giggles and laughter. As you will find out, every Scorpio Saint is literally related to each other like a Cloth passed from father to son. If you think of Athena and Pope as the head of Sanctuary, the Scorpio Saint was a literal Prince and as long as he did his main duties, he got to do whatever he wanted, tradition be damned. If you think the Scorpio and Aquarius were good friends, he and the Pope were best friends if you know what I mean.

Seeing the Scorpio run out didn't make another one happy either.

"¡Yo también quiero ir al baño!" Shura turned to me once more and I would tell him ¡Tu debes esperar! Poor kid, but he grimaced and held on like a noble Capricorn.

(Wow, I didn't think I would learn this much about my new commander.)

Don't worry, we'll be together for a while, so I have a lot more to share with you.

The Pope then raised his hands, perhaps to qualm the bit of disruption that followed. "The cosmos resonance of the lost gauntlet only lasts so long. He also had to focus on traveling between dimensions, and that is not as easy as it sounds. It also shows how loyal Capricorns are to their duties over their health."

"He still could have made a tourniquet on the way. My brother showed me how, it doesn't take that long and it's better than him dying before he got there," the little Leo spoke as he was clearly wiggling a tooth in his mouth. I noticed the Sagittarius was also giving him the eye as if he didn't want him to argue with the Pope.

At that moment, I watched the older Gemini's cosmos flicker a bit, clearly worn down from the task. That was when the younger brother got up and walked over toward him. I couldn't believe what happened next. The older one got up, dropping his cosmos, and the younger sat down, raising his cosmos, in perfect synchronicity. Not only that, but the pictures and the words that the older Gemini created remained and the younger took over. If it was anyone else, the pictures would've disappeared the moment the older stopped, but it didn't because they were twins and have the same cosmos.

Once things settled, the Pope gestured for the Sagittarius Trainee to continue. So he did until he got to the part that made his eyes widened. I've heard the story many times and I knew what part he was thinking of.

"El Cid's dream blade cut through her. The pieces fell and it turned out she was a he."

A small gasp followed.

"Boy or girl?" I turned around to the large Taurus Saint. As far as I knew, he was just as new as Shura, but the Maiden that was to help with translations was delayed and the Sagittarius was dedicating more one on one Greek time. I could see the Sagittarius and the younger Gemini turn to each other as it was clear that all the other trainees were wondering the same thing.

I watched the Sagittarius pull out one of the Sanctuary created Portuguese to Greek dictionaries. It looked like he was merely flipping through the pages, but that's the power of the speed of light for you. "He's a boy, but with a mask, like a girl. Ele... é um... me-ni-no, mas... com a más-cara de uma ga-ro-ta." He further gestured with his hands. "Are we good?"

Aldebaran nodded.

"I don't like this. Too much blood," shrank Shaka as he slinked behind his hands.

Kanon rolled his eyes. "Fine, we'll fix it." He snapped his fingers and turned the blood from red to green. "There, it's censored."

Aphrodite rolled his eyes. "Uggh, he looks like he's covered in slime! Like he sneezed on Phantasos instead of cutting him."

"Let me guess, you want something beautiful?" the younger Gemini snapped. "There instead of blood and a blade, it's sparkles and a rainbow."

"Hmm, actually that is quite nice. I like it," spoke Aphrodite. "What do you think, Shaka. Better?"

The little Indian boy nodded quite pleasingly while the Pisces stroked his head. The kids can be so adorable sometimes.

I watched Deathmask raise his finger. "Hey, if we're going to redo this, let's make Phantasos into a dinosaur, instead of a sissy girl."

Saga, the older Gemini, still recovering, shook his head. "No, you can't do that…" but as little brothers go, he raised his eyebrows and did it anyway, and transformed the dream god into a large prehistoric beast.

Of course, this piqued the interest of Mu. "Well, at least this is going to end happily for once. Everyone knows a brachiosaurus is a plant-eater and will theoretically ignore El Cid due to his inability to photosynthesize."

As a group of five-year-olds, their attention spans began to wane, beginning with the Leo. "Brother, my loose tooth hurts."

Family, especially brothers, were considered important in the life of Saints. However, it was expected that they treat each other like any other Saint. It was clear that Leo and Sagittarius were a bit too close. "Keep wiggling, I'll check on it…"

"Aiolia, just yank it out, it's barely holding on there," murmured Saga.

The Leo shook his head no, until Saga reached over and tapped it, causing it to fall out. "Oh, that was easier than I thought."

You can tell the two ten-year-olds were conversing back and forth through the cosmos since the Gemini kept pointing as if he was right while the Sagittarius kept shrugging.

Mu turned his head. "Aiolia, would that happen to be a central incisor?"

"I guess, is it?" The Leo passed the Lemurian the tooth. Oh, this can't be good.

I watched him examine it carefully, "Ah, may I take this with me?"

"What are you going to do with it, Mu?"

"The pigeons at the House of Aries have grown too large. I blame the popcorn stand that has been selling its wares too close to my House. This tooth can provide the exact ingredient I need, to create a serum that can counteract it and bring them back to their proper BMI levels. However, it does elevate the pigeon's primal urge to defecate with laser guidance in the center of a windshield right on the spot where the blades would only smear it further rather than clean it."

You can tell the Leo had no clue what was said. "Oh, sure thing. I was just going to put it with my collection."

Then Shura tugged on my sleeve and had the biggest set of pleading eyes. Getting the group refocused was pretty much lost that night and so I took his hand, helped him up and used my spear on the Libra hidden door to get where he needed to go.

O|=======|O

Midas didn't even sip the wine in his glass. "That doesn't sound like the Gold Saints at all. Was that really them almost ten years ago?"

Kleitos chuckled. "They are kids. They still are in some ways. I almost forgot what it's like to hang around them with cleaner mouths and imaginations. They train here all their lives, there's hardly any adult supervision. In a way, Gold Saints never truly grow up, they just become a band of eternal teenagers with the power to destroy whole nations."

"But, how powerful are they? I've seen some Silvers train and every time they hit each other; I can feel it in my chest on the sideline, and it hurts."

"Ah, that's nothing." Kleitos walked over and grabbed a flat bottom cup and poured some water in it. "These walls were made for Gold Saint training and fighting. Otherwise this place would look like every other architecture site in Athens. Come, look." Kleitos took his spear and eased himself down to the ground. He then set the cup on the floor and waited until a ripple formed. "There, that is the power of a Gold Saint," he spoke as it rippled in a one-two manner. "Whoever it is, he's definitely training. Probably at least past the House of Virgo. Their punches are so strong, that despite every action taken to stabilize this place and the distance, they can be felt from even from the House of Aries."

Midas knelt and set his glass down on the ground, keeping his hand on it. It was true, he could even feel the punches from the stem of the glass. His head sweated quite a bit. "They're so strong," he thought. If this was this them simply training, what would it be like in the heat of war or even being close to it. "Have you ever seen it?" he whispered to Kleitos.

The old man paused; his eyes stared off quite a bit. "Yes, I have. Once." He paused once more. "It's so easy to see them as normal people. They come in all sorts of personalities, some are very friendly, and others will treat you as if you were invisible. But you must never forget the power they hold, and like any other person, can lose control when pushed enough."

O|========|O

It was after he was declared innocent after several interrogations. I was scheduled to stay at the front of the House of Leo since Shura wanted someone he trusted there. A normal day in a Gold Saint's life is focused on a combination of training, moving around Rodario either to relax, perform small duties, undercover duties, basically just staying on the move. As you noticed with Shura, they don't just hunker down here in Sanctuary. For this Saint, it was different. He was to stay on the top floor of his House for a year except for small escort breaks to his lower chambers. Some say he was there because the crime of his older brother, the storyteller from the other story, was heinous that it was too dangerous for him to travel and it would take a long time for the public to ignore him despite his innocence in the whole affair.

(I remember that as a child. Some of my friends went to the lynch site and stole pieces of him. I thought that was disrespectful, so I just stayed quiet. Some didn't think he did it. They said before the incident, he would visit the trauma area and helped with brain related injury healing since he was one of the rare who had the cosmos and patience to do so. Many of those who did meet him, say he was too kind and faithful to Athena, and would never do such a thing.)

That's true and some say he didn't commit the crime at all, but nonetheless, someone must pay and according to the Pope, he was the only one who was in Athena's chambers when he walked in. As far as I'm concerned, despite all the mixed accounts, if Capricorn Shura said he did it, it must be true. Anyways, the older Gemini was quite nice. He fought hard to put him on suicide watch for the entire year. It's why he wasn't allowed to be on his own for long. I asked him if this was wise, but Gemini Saga said as cruel as it was, he insisted he knew the look of someone ready to end it all.

Anyways, training always went well. He would perform his techniques until the House and floor was hot. It was like the reverse of being around the House of Aquarius. He would switch to strength or dexterity exercises and repeat the process. But then there was the late afternoons and evenings. This was the meditation block. I know because I would perform my water test and the ripples would be as serene as the stars. Gold Saints require pinpoint control of their cosmos. Too much cosmos can be the difference between giving a high five and slapping a hand off the wrist. Too little control can be the difference between stopping in France and stopping in Spain. If a Gold Saint just stops and tells you that he needs to go and meditate you let him meditate.

Unfortunately for this one, the Leo Saint couldn't. He tried. Can't blame him, there was just too much stuff going on and he couldn't leave. He would sit there for about two or three minutes, get up and start pacing. He paced the whole twenty by twenty-meter floor but for a person who could move at the speed of light, it was like locking a tiger in a closet. But there was more. The back-door guards and my partner were absolutely awful to him. "You are just as guilty as him!" "You're a traitor! I can't wait until you get out of there and go and hang yourself." Those were actually some of the cleaner phrases used. I would try to tell them to halt their tongues, but I was a mere old man to them. They told me that if I didn't quit complaining, they will assume I was involved. I would tell Shura, but for some reason, I don't think he ever did anything about it, as if he was angry too.

I don't understand, Shura was a hero. He captured the traitor and delivered justice. Some say he didn't, but I don't believe them. Capricorn Shura is the most honorable of the Gold Saints and he would never lie to me about such a thing.

He did tell me, that with the number of prosecutions going on, I had to stay silent. To them, they were supporting their beloved Athena by hazing him, and there were no rules against that.

The Virgo Saint would visit from time to time. Unfortunately, he was not permitted to stay unless he was passing through. The fear was that if any of the Gold Saints stayed too long, rumors would spread, and they would be down another Gold Saint due to imprisonment.

The Pope permitted drop offs if we inspected them. Most of it was incenses and candles. Leo Aiolia tried them, but It was hard though because the other Door Guards would laugh whenever something didn't work.

They were fools. They assume that because he was told that he was not allowed to touch them, he would blindly follow.

That was when the Leo Saint doing something new. He paced back and forth, but instead of a simple walk, he was taking his fist and slamming them into each of the pillars. Now, those pillars were never meant to be used for fighting. They were for decoration and built to last, infused with fine layers of stardust to ensure it didn't affect a Gold Saint's training but kept them sturdy.

You could feel the power of each blow as if he forced the air out of our lungs each time he did it. I would watch the blood drip from his hand as he casually healed it and repeat the task until he would drop unconscious from the usage of cosmos.

(Why would he do that?)

Probably too bored, and too preoccupied. My father was a veteran of World War II. He would often say that it was not the fighting that was bad, but rather the boredom. A warrior needs to fight. Otherwise, it just bottles up and the tension gets worse. He would go around killing and maiming rats just to ease it in between battles and he was a grown man. Imagine being an eleven-year-old who spent all their life fighting and the only thing you saw for half a year was the same twenty by twenty-meter space where barely enough sun would light up the main area.

That was when the day came. My friend was having a bad day. He came to Sanctuary late and had to borrow a spear from another guard because the handle of his had snapped. So, the fool, took it out on the Leo. He yelled so many profanities that day at him that I just didn't know were possible. The Leo was pacing back and forth on the backside of the House. So my foolish friend actually stepped in between the pillars and started yelling at him from afar. The Leo merely rested his fist against the pillar and lowered his head as if he was tired. When a Gold Saint pauses, that means they are trying to regain control. You leave them alone. You give them space. That idiot thought that since the Leo was on the other side, he could continue to shout at him.

Never underestimate the speed of light.

(He didn't. Did he? Oh Athena...)

Yes, he did. As dangerous as it was, I've seen Gold Saints fight each other. Their bodies are simply used to the force. Their internal cosmos seemingly helps them. A fistfight between the two of them would be an exaggerated version of any other brawl out there.

But what happens when you unleash an angry teen, with the force of lightning in his fists and speed of light in his feet against a normal man who was completely unprepared for the strike?

The moment his knuckle struck, his body just popped, spilling red all over the Leo, the stairs and pillars. Remember the rock test where you had to take a stone and atomize it in your palm to demonstrate your cosmos? Imagine that but with skin, bones, armor, and organs reduced to wet red sand. The heat of it created an absolute stench. The area smelled of burnt blood and probably still does. There was absolutely nothing to collect. I am certain instead of a body bag, they just used a mop and bucket. I am not a warrior anymore, but I still had the instinct to hide behind one of my pillars to prevent myself from being covered in the bits of pieces. I begged my Goddess that I would live to see tomorrow in fear that the Leo wouldn't stop. I was so afraid he would continue to lash out at each and every one of us and so were the others.

But the Leo did freeze in place. This time, nobody spoke and kept their distance. His blond hair was just as red as yours, along with his face and the front of his trainer. He stood there for about ten seconds before he collapsed on his knees. I was scared, but he was still just a kid and I slowly approached him. I watched him take his hand and wipe his face, only for the blood on his palm to cover it up again. His eyes were wide his mouth slightly agape and it looked like he stopped breathing. I recognized that look and that was the face of a man who had killed for the first time.

Of course, he wasn't a man, his body betrayed his actual age. He was only eleven. I reached in my pocket and gave him, or rather I tossed it over, my polishing cloth for my helmet. He graciously took it and used it to wipe his face before he held it over. He was hyperventilating and I could tell he was crying by the way he pressed the cloth around his eyes. I wanted to pat him and try to soothe him. But I've served the Gold Saints for two generations. When they are emotional, they can't control their strength and cosmos. He understood this too. I watched him move a meter back. He was muttering something. It was Marin...something… Monster… I couldn't tell.

Then I saw another Gold Saint appear. It was the Saint of Aquarius. I thought he would come over and offer sympathy to the Leo, but instead, he was just in transit. He walked through minding his own business and left. It was quite odd with the timing.

(That's quite odd indeed. Maybe he went to check on him? Perhaps through the cosmos?)

You don't know the Aquarius Saint. He has no heart. He was always rude, he never greeted anyone, and the idea of smiling seemed foreign to him even to this day. Door Guards hated being stationed there. Camus never spoke and the place was always freezing. He cares about people just as much as teaching.

(Did Leo Aiolia get in trouble?)

The penalty that Shura had was that if a Door Guard was killed, whether it is an accident or not, was that the Gold Saint was to be struck by the Scorpio Saint four times with his Scarlett Needle. Gold Saints are too valuable and unless you try something stupid like trying to murder the Goddess, they won't impose death or anything that could incapacitate them permanently.

The punishment was given, but what made it odd was that after each blow, I swear I saw Scorpio Milo speaking with him a few times even if it was against the rules. But remember, Milo will do what he wants. I didn't say anything to Shura except that Leo Aiolia took the punishment like a champ and without resistance.

I was truly afraid of coming back. The two back door guards defiantly did not come back. Trying to get anyone to take the evening shift at the House of Leo was a job on its own. I offered and I was the only one who would take it for a couple of weeks. But it turns out, it wasn't bad after that. That day, somehow, a couple of books were slipped in. One was Papillon and the other was Harry Potter. He liked them both, but he preferred the other. So every day, he would train as he normally did and in the evening he would return to reading. I'm not certain if it was allowed, but I think with the mess he left earlier, they let it slide.

I'm not sure who, but some kind soul out there understood what to do and gave him an outlet for his boredom. No more pillar striking and no more pacing. I knew him as a child. Not as well as Shura, but anytime he was in passing through the House of Capricorn or visited the House of Sagittarius, he was always happy and rambunctious.

It amazes me how a single act can alter one's personality while a single act of compassion can save it.

O|========|O

The redhead nodded his head. "I'm glad it had a happy ending. At least… I think it did. Is the Saint of Leo still okay?"

Kleitos shrugged. "For the most part. He's been mostly away, so I haven't been able to see him and catch up as I like to." He turned his head towards the door. "We should probably get out there. I apologize. The House of Aries is a bit more relaxed and I always enjoy a new ear for my stories. You'll understand if you reach my age."

But Midas XIIII shook his head. "You are a rarity. I'll be lucky if I reach half of your age."

"You may. This is the best House to be at. No deaths have been reported here or the House of Taurus. Although, the number of deaths of Door Guards has been going up quite a bit over the past five years, especially close toward the end of the Zodiac."

The red head nodded and leaned on his spear. "Well, it's no different than the foots. Training deaths have surged, and I don't like traveling on my own after hours anymore."

The old man sighed. He didn't want his first day to be too much of a downer. He's lost a lot of friends over the years to the point that he hastened his retirement plans. It's like there was a monster in the back of the Zodiac. Bodies clearly ripped half, limbs torn. Heads torn. As far as he was concerned, the closest he will ever go is the House of Capricorn if Shura needed him. He's voiced his concerns, and thankfully, Shura would oblige. But the new blood still needed direction and he will pull out when he is needed so. "Well, who knows, deaths have been at zero for the last four months in those parts. Let's hope that continues."

Midas XIIII nodded. He walked over to his spot and rested his spear. He didn't quite expect the welcome that he received or the stories he's heard. He's met a Gold Saint in person, and it feels so amazing to work under him, especially since Capricorn was considered a hero of Sanctuary. Although, as a child, he admired the days when the Gold Saints would march in the streets like each one was the living vision of Apollo. It was strange hearing this side of them. He expected them to be refined warriors, the last thing he expected was to be surrounded by what his superior described as a band of eternal teenagers.

He reached over for his pocket and paused. Sometimes he forgot he loaned his Tele-Pod to that officer. He was in no hurry to get it back. The blue-haired man said it soothed him and as Kleitos said, sometimes a single act can alter one's personality while a single act of compassion can save it.