More than Gold: The Centaur Wars

by Jenny DeVic

Book of Sagittarius: What would happen if Mitsumasa Kido chose to carry Aiolos back to Japan instead of his Cloth? Book of Gemini: What would happen if Saga never committed suicide? Book of Centaur: The Golds are all alive. Can they finally unite while taking on the enemies of Athena?

13. Sagittarius 3A: The Climb Begins

Chapter Nine: The Climb Begins

Author's Note: I'm trying something new where I will include a short title for different scenes. They aren't drabbles, but now that we are dealing with more characters, I figured it would be a way to make the story easier to follow. Enjoy the story and if you do or don't like the format, let me know.

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

Flashback: To Be a Sagittarius

It was one of the hottest days in Rodario. The temperature was about thirty-five degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), but it was hard to tell in the woods since the branches kept it nice and shady. Sometimes when nine-year-old Saga kicked some of the dead leaves, the backs would be wet and reveal old grubs, centipedes, and worms that would hurry away after being exposed. His eyes stared at it before running into a branch and getting his hair caught. "Hold on," the Gemini spoke as he froze in place and began to untangle it.

Aiolos turned around and waited. He watched Saga put down the spare bow, that he had loaned him, before he pulled the brown hair tie and released the dark cerulean hair, allowing it to flow a bit, freeing it from the branch, before he began to tie it back. Sometimes, he was a little envious of how Saga's shoulder-length blue hair was straight enough to allow it to grow nicely but had a slight curl giving it a very regal warrior look. He liked his curly hair, but the problem was that it didn't look good when it was long, limiting him to keep it short on the top and a little past his neck in the back.

"Sorry about that. I'm not used to being here," Saga laughed a bit embarrassed at how clumsy he seemed. "When my mother would take me and my brother for a walk in this one forest, usually the path doesn't have as much fallen timber everywhere and the spaces aren't as narrow in places."

Aiolos knew exactly what area he was talking about, based on the location of Saga's house by the coast. "That forest is protected. They like to make trails so that people didn't get lost or disturb the rest of the forest too much."

The Gemini nodded in agreement. "I already can't tell where we've been or where we're going." He paused, "not with my eyes at least," he spoke before he burned his cosmos very lightly to reveal two paths, one yellow and one white to show all the spots the two Saints have been. "But you said you and your brother would come here for years before and after Sanctuary by yourselves."

But the Sagittarius smiled and shook his head no. "We did, but despite being more familiar with this area, we still got lost a few times especially when we start playing around here due to a stick fight or just exploring something different." He rubbed his curly hair. "Worried our mother sick, but we would find our way, or she would find us, hopefully the former." He pointed toward the ground. "If you look closely, you can actually see where we've been. Mind the spots where the branches were broken and the turned leaves and you can find your way back. But let's not worry about that. We have to focus on going forward."

The Gemini nodded, keeping the special game that Shion had them play in mind.

I want you two to give each other a lesson on the other's Zodiac sign. But I don't want you two to sit in a couple of chairs to debate on it. I want you two to give each other a special lesson, where you help each other understand what makes both of your constellations different. Not only that, but you need to give the other a chance to be that other constellation. You two will have two weeks or until you are finished. After that, that person will present to me what they've learned.

Saga was certain that the Pope came up with the lesson at the last minute since every time the old Lemurian spoke, he noticed that the notebook he would use to write and keep track of what they were taught was blank. Aiolos agreed, adding that he also thinks the timeline was a bit overly generous so he wouldn't have to teach anything for that duration. However, it did sound like a lot of fun and the two of them both were enthusiastic about it.

Naturally, the two decided to have Aiolos go first since his was much more straightforward, or at least Saga thought it would be. The Gemini thought they would go to the House of Sagittarius and aim at the wooden targets, but Aiolos wanted to take his lesson to the area that he enjoyed training at. Whatever Aiolos had planned, Saga wanted to work twice as hard to ensure that when his time comes, his will be the better lesson after this, even if he had a hard time figuring out his own Cloth.

Saga felt a hand on his shoulder.

"We're here," he whispered as he pointed downwards.

The Gemini's eyes shifted around. It looked about the same as all the other places with a mixture of tall and fallen trees strewn all over the place, various bushes with berries that neither would risk touching and the occasional forest rodent skirmishing around. "I can't really tell a difference." Saga looked around and noticed the size of the clearing over here could make for a few good rounds of sparring. "Up for a few rounds of fun before the lesson. What do you think?" He spoke as he stepped forward with his fist burning with white cosmos.

But Aiolos, quietly declined by filling his hand with a yellow glow and simply covered Saga's hand like snuffing out the flame of a candle.

"You should watch your boots around here," Aiolos spoke with a slight chuckle.

The Gemini looked down and that's when he saw a large pile of dung that was mere inches away from him. He immediately twisted each foot to check the bottoms to ensure he didn't smear anything on them before he breathed a sigh of relief. He thought it was gross, but considering excrement meant animals, he imagined this place was special. "Favorite spot?"

Aiolos nodded. "Fine dining at its best. A lot of animals like to come to this place. There's a lot of berry plants, nut trees and roots here. If I'm having bad luck, I know to come here and I'll always be able to leave the woods with something. My father and uncle passed the location to me and I've shown Aiolia enough times that he knows how to get to it blindfolded, although as you noticed, it's probably not a smart idea to try that here."

Saga raised his eyebrows and nodded in complete agreement after what almost happened earlier.

Aiolos continued. "Before we start, there is one rule that my father and uncle have told me, and my brother and I hope you can follow it while you're here."

Do not kill an animal that you don't intend to eat, use, or defend against.

It was a reasonable rule, by which Saga nod his head immediately. "I promise."

Aiolos smiled. As tricky as his friend can be, especially being a Gemini, his promises were made of steel and honor and that it was not a mere illusion. Some promises were a bit on the silly side, but not the first one they made together.

The first promise they made was to watch over and keep each other's brother alive.

"Alright, let's begin. First, how much do you know about the fundamentals of archery?" Saga shrugged his shoulders. "When it comes to firing a normal arrow everything matters, especially wind. A simple shift can throw it off. If it is against you, it will slow the arrow down without cosmos, but it can also speed it up if it is with the wind. Height too since gravity can be your enemy or your friend. A high spot will increase the power, but except if you use cosmos, it can severely weaken it if you fire it from a low spot. How you hold it can affect it too. In fact, tilting your wrist or bow can throw off the target immensely. Got it?"

Saga gave an attentive nod, absorbing what he was hearing, knowing he will have to apply it later as well as talk to the Pope about it. "That's basic archery, but the Pope wants us to talk about the Cloth and being a Sagittarius," he reminded him in order to keep the lesson focused.

"Oh, I'm getting there," Aiolos then took his finger. He loved archery and could talk about it for hours though. But he really should be more direct since this was more than his ability to teach about his sign, but also Saga's ability to explain it later. "I remember when after a few months, my aim started to become really good. I didn't know why at first, since we were both focusing on just awakening our cosmos and physical training. When we got to the more personal lessons, I learned that the five senses, especially sight, of a Sagittarius are greatly enhanced. I never knew it at first since it just felt like me." The Sagittarius bit his lip. "It was kind of strange time for me. I would see things like a man being silly and laugh out loud. The people would look at me strangely because I was talking to them as if it was happening next to me, but it was really three or four blocks away in town," he laughed. Aiolos paused and a small sad smile formed. "I felt like a weirdo sometimes. That's why sometimes I asked when we were in town if you could see what I saw."

But Saga shook his head. He did remember that. All this time he thought he was being nervous. He almost wished the Pope gave this assignment earlier, and maybe that first transition stage from first forming his bonds to his Cloth wouldn't have been so frightening. "I know how you feel. I…" but before he could say anything, Aiolos placed a finger over his lips.

"Shh. I'm touched you say that, and I have a feeling you know it but twice or thrice as more." There were times where he remembered holding Saga's hand as his eyes were just darting wildly as if they were surrounded by enemies despite it being an empty field. "But you said you're still trying to create your lesson and unless you really want to tell me now, you can save it for then." He pulled his hand back and revealed Saga's wicked smile beneath.

The Gemini closed his eyes. "Very true. I will save my personal experiences for later, but I really do feel for you," he spoke as he placed a hand on his shoulder and patted it. He then drew a finger to his mouth. "So… is that why you like to just sit and stare outside? Is it training to avoid becoming overly sensitive to your senses?"

Aiolos raised an eyebrow. "Yes, it is," he smiled, amazed at how perceptive Saga was. "I would start to look at something close and see what is going on. Then I would look out farther and farther and when I reach my limit, I would start looking at objects and go closer and closer until I was back to where my feet were, kind of like looking through binoculars." He turned to his handmade leather bag and loosened the rope that held it tightly. "Speaking of which, let's move on," he pulled out a set of binoculars and tossed it to his friend who easily caught it, "you'll need these for the cosmos part."

Aiolos pulled out a wooden arrow from the quiver at his side. "With normal archery, distance is another important element in a successful shot. However, that's where cosmos comes in. First, you fill your bow and string with cosmos," he then demonstrated, filling it with a yellow glow. "This is the tricky part. Just like when you project cosmos through your fist and fire it off into a cosmos blast, you must take the cosmos stored in the bow and transfer it into the arrow. Do it wrong, the arrow will most likely miss a lot and bounce around. However, you have to do it right before it leaves since the cosmos from the bow propels it over a hundred times faster while maintaining its piercing power. With the golden arrows, if you're not careful, it may bounce around and strike one of your teammates," he demonstrated it where he took his bow and pointed it toward a thin branch in the trees and slowly showed the steps and cleanly snapped it off. "If I fired it normally, it would be laughable for it to go very far. However, look at the red leaf in the bush over there," he spoke as he reached for the binoculars and guided them for Saga, just like he did for his brother back then.

Saga first stared at the tiny bit of crimson through the lenses before raising his head briefly to see that it was easily over a mile away. He didn't think a set of binoculars would even reach that far until he turned to the intricate Lemurian screws on the top to realize that Mu must have been tinkering with a set. His eyes returned and surely enough, he not only cleanly shot the single red leaf but right in the middle of it.

"Impressive. You said you had to shoot an arrow through the hole of an ax from the bottom of Sanctuary to the top without knocking it over? Sounds easy after that."

Aiolos shrugged. "Well, it's a Gold-Level test, it's like you said..."

Saga nodded. "It's like a game of darts. You look at the board and think you should go for the most points, but really you must guide your score to 0."

"Exactly! I'm not going to underestimate it until I do it, especially with the huge amount of retries from past Sagittarius Saints." He walked over toward a tree, pulled out a small pocketknife and a piece of paper. He made a quick cut on his thumb and drew a large x with his blood and then used the knife to stick it on a tree. "Your turn. Let's warm up with something stationary and without cosmos," he spoke as he paced forward and used his feet to estimate about a four-meter distance, before tossing a stray branch to indicate the distance.

He quietly watched Saga step up and pull an arrow from the side quiver he loaned him. He could tell that his friend was trying to mimic his positions but was missing out on the finer elements. The moment Saga raised the bow with his crooked wrist, he knew it would miss and surely enough it did. But for a first try, it was still quite good considering the most experience the Gemini received was watching him. It appeared had he not made that mistake; he would've gotten it. "Not bad. There's enough power to reach it, but you need to focus on aiming more. Go ahead and try again." He didn't want to be too direct with his hint. Part of the magic of showing someone something new was allowing them to figure some of it out. He watched the Gemini try again, but this time he was holding his breath and still had the same crooked wrist but twisted the bow enough to make it work. He fired once more, and it struck the corner of the page. "Nice," he walked over and the two instinctively high fived each other. "You ready to..." he paused as he heard a familiar rustling. "Hold on."

Saga paused there and flinched as Aiolos pulled a large hunting knife and threw it in the grass with a large shriek. He gasped as a small boar, that was about the size of a beagle, shrieked, causing the Gemini to draw his hands close to his neck and chin as he tried to mentally block out its cries. "It's dying."

The Sagittarius turned his head, shocked that Saga was a bit squeamish from it, considering how many pints of blood they go through each week. Then again, they did heal each other afterwards, and that was the best part. But right now, he could tell by Saga's pale skin that he may faint from it. He rushed over and quickly pushed the knife in deeper to end its life, splashing a bit of blood on his face and hands. He pulled his trainer top off and covered the dead animal. "Sorry, I was going to prepare it for us later for dinner afterward."

Saga bent his knees and took a few deep breaths. "No, that sounds good. I like it when you and your brother invite us to your House. The meat you cook is really fresh and you can tell." He turned to the trainer as blood soaked through. "I don't like hearing or seeing the face of death." It felt strange admitting it to him. They were training to kill Mariners and Specters after all. "Does that make sense." He was glad when Aiolos nodded.

"Oh, it's perfectly normal." Aiolos walked over to a fallen log that he and his brother like to use and invited Saga to sit. "A lot of people don't see this step. The meat is cleaned, head removed the blood is drained, and it just looks like a well-prepped chunk."

He took up the offer and sat by the shirtless Sagittarius, holding the bow between his legs. "Do you...feel sorry for it? The pig? It looked young. It may not be a baby, but it looked like it wasn't an adult either."

Aiolos was a bit stunned and answered as honestly as he could as he faced the Gemini. Trying to sugarcoat it would not be right, especially since his friend was admitting things that could be seen as a sign of weakness for a Saint even if they were thoughts that probably crossed all of their minds. "Honestly, I don't feel a thing," he spoke as he rested his bloody hand against the blood that had sprayed on his cheek. "But this was how I grew up. As soon as I learned to walk, I was taught to kill to not just survive but to ensure the rest of the family does too."

They said that he had a perfect alignment with the Sagittarius Constellation. In the past, each Gold Saint had a known special role in the Zodiac. His was referred to as long-distance-offense. Today, they would refer to it as a sniper. In training, he knew his feelings would get in the way and he couldn't bring himself to use his full strength to hurt his friends and fellow trainees. He doubts that he would do the same with his enemies. He turned to Saga and not wanting him to see him as a cold-blooded monster, added a bit more. "With a bow, I can almost guarantee what I aim for dies instantly. My knife skills aren't as great as you saw, so I try to take care of it as quickly as well. I don't try to kill everything that moves. My brother and I were taught to also make sure to respect animals as well."

"Do not kill an animal that you don't intend to eat, use, or defend against," recalled the Gemini. He looked over and noticed a few of the animals moving around. "So, you wouldn't touch that small bird or the porcupine over there."

"Small bird, not at all." He pointed over toward the brown quills. "But the porcupine is quite good," he brightened up with a toothy grin.

His jaw dropped a bit as his head switched between his friend and the slow-moving forest rodent. "You can eat that?" grimace Saga.

Aiolos nodded wildly. "Oh yeah! They're great. Easy to catch, blind as a bat, and one of the few animals you can eat raw. If my brother was here, we would fight over who can hit it first since that person gets the best part. As we put it, killer gets the liver."

"Eww, gross," Saga laughed at how normal he made it sound to crack a porcupine open and eat it like a walnut. He enjoyed listening to his friend laugh back in a way that he was quite proud of it. Once the two stopped, Saga felt quite a bit better. "I could never get used to that. Mom knew. She would receive free fish from people who liked to go by the dock and catch them for fun near my family house."

"Ooo, that sounds good." Aiolos loved seafood, but other than a small stream that Aiolia liked to fish at, it was too expensive for their family to purchase on a daily basis, but they do save up for fresh calamari every week. It was probably a lot easier for Saga's family to get it since he was by the coast. "You two were so lucky."

Saga nodded back. "We were. My brother and I liked to watch them swim in the bucket. Although, Kanon liked it, I couldn't stand watching her chop their heads when it was time," he spoke as the memories of the sounds of tails flopping around one moment on the board before ceasing with the thud of the butcher knife still haunted him.

He shrugged his shoulders and felt like now was a good time to admit something that's made him uncomfortable for a long time. "I don't even know what I'm going to do when Holy War hits. I... like fighting and I want to protect Rodario, but I don't want to take anyone's life." He threw his hand on his forehead. "I don't even want to put anyone in danger either. The Pope talked about one of us becoming his successor, but half of the duties involve the military and preparing for war. I don't like the idea of others dying for me or sending them out to kill others. Where the military goes, death also follows for the innocents who get caught up in it."

Aiolos' head nodded as he listened carefully. Saga may have his moments, but he's always thought of the people, especially the weak first. He spoke equally honest, "Yes, I don't like War or the human cost in it. But it also has to be done."

"Yes, yes it does," Saga agreed. "But," he raised a finger. "I just always felt the role as war commander is overemphasized. Holy War is important and when it comes, it should always be the main priority to kill Poseidon or Hades. However, it only lasts a couple of days per every couple of centuries while life in Rodario and the municipals continue regardless. Even if the War is coming during our generation and should be focused on, we still need to think of the people's needs as well as other issues with Saints. Many Saints die from the Holy War, but thousands of orphans die from abuse, rape, neglect and suicide outside of it. That's not okay and should come first as the Pope." In a way, he felt it mirrored his beliefs in Athena. He treasured and would dedicate his soul to her ideas and beliefs but felt that an overemphasis is placed on her brief resurrection in war instead of spreading what she fights for during peace.

"Well," enjoying the conversation but wanted to steer it in a more positive direction, Aiolos thought of how they could continue it. "What is something you would do for the people if you were Pope?"

Saga rested his hands on the log while stretching his legs out but flexing his intelligence that the Pope often praised him for. "Well, think of the orphans in the Heart of Sasha. Not all of them are going to be Saints or foot soldiers, but because those roles are heavily emphasized for them most of them dedicate their lives thinking that's what they should be even if it's not a good fit. So, once they reach thirteen there, that's when they are kicked out and have no purpose and don't feel there is no point in life like they are invisible and unwanted." He stared at the endless blue sky as if it was heaven. "So, they end it and because they're orphans and dying early is normal here, nobody cares."

"Yes, I know what you mean," sighed Aiolos. He took his bow and gestured toward one of the trees. "It's pretty normal to find more than porcupines and boars," he then pulled an arrow with cosmos on the tip and fired it at a large limb, illuminating the shadows.

Saga raised his hand with the borrowed bow and turned toward where it was fired and could see flashes of the remains of old rope tied around the girth with decaying shafts of arrows on the branch near them.

The Sagittarius continued as he reached into his leather bag and revealed part of a body bag that he would often stock up on, before sticking it back in. "I would drop them over to the morgue, but they often look more annoyed than grateful that another orphan can be properly buried." He rubs his face. "I would show them the final letter they would put in their pocket. No matter how sad they were, typically the last thing I would hear is the sound of the letter being crumpled and tossed in the trash." The archer took a deep breath and stood up. "You have a good plan and its pretty realistic. Keep it in your heart until the time comes." He reached down and helped Saga up.

He scratched his blue hair and turned to his friend. "So…" he paused expecting anything but the confused look he was passing him. Saga rolled his eyes. "You asked me, now I have to ask you. What would you do as Pope?"

Aiolos turned his head toward his blood-stained hands that gripped his bow that seemed to have a light shade of red all over it as if it was an omen. "I haven't really thought of it." He jerked his head back to their spot to change the subject. "Come on, we need to finish my lesson. If we divert too much," he clapped his hands together, "It will make it a lot harder for you to remember what you saw here and make it more difficult to demonstrate what you've learned from me."

The Gemini archer-in-training ate it up. "That's right. I need to make every moment of Sagittarius Saga count."

A grin followed. "Oh yeah," Aiolos growled. "I like it." The alliteration and flow went well together. "But a true Sagittarius backs everything up with his skills with the bow. Are you ready to try it with cosmos?"

Saga provided as much enthusiasm as the monthly ritual of assisting the servants in draining the baths and scrubbing every crevice to maintain their cleanliness. "I'll try." He hated demonstrating his abilities if he knew he wasn't good in them. He barely hit the last target, but that's not what made him nervous. "I know you wanted me to hit that porcu-"

But Aiolos shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I just thought it would liven up the lesson and provide a bit of lunch. If you want to go after the paper target, go ahead," he spoke as he pointed toward the tree.

Saga closed his eyes and focused his white cosmos. "Fill the bow, fill the arrow tip," he muttered, repeating what he learned. Already he could feel a different type of strain. It wasn't that the amount of cosmos was great since it wasn't. However, trying to focus one's cosmos in two different things were a bit different for him, like trying to write as smoothly as he normally would while using his opposite hand. He pointed the bow toward the target, "transfer, the moment it leaves…" he trailed before he let go of the string and forced the cosmos only to be too early and causing the arrow to fire awkwardly at the wrong tree. He sighs. "I suck at this," he mumbled half-joking and half defeated allowing the stray strands of his tied cerulean hair to droop along the sides of his face.

Aiolos picked the arrow up and walked behind Saga. "I won't judge. Don't forget Sagittarius Saga, I still have your lesson to take," he used his cosmos to power up the bow, signaling to the blue-haired Greek to power up the arrow and they will try again.

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

The Duty of the Pope

The fifteen-year-old approached the door and turned to the floor as light escaped past the bottom crack. The Pope's Chambers, like many of their Houses, were always so dark past the main room. "At least he's awake," he thought, fearful of having to disturb a sleeping dragon as he now seems to be nowadays. He knocked twice, knowing the rattle of his metal gauntlet against the door would signify to him that a Saint was out there.

"Come in, Aphrodite."

He did so without the slightest hesitation in his feet, but his breath reflected a sense of nervousness. He walked into the room, and the first thing he saw was that the candles burn with barely a glimmer in the night. It didn't matter much; they were just for show. It was traditional to use them and expected as much. Perhaps it produced the image of an intelligent, diligent man, but frankly, he preferred to do it the same way that the Lemurians of the ancient continent of Mu did it back when a bolt of lightning at a tree was the only way that man could be blessed with fire in the darkness. A bright white ball of cosmos floated next to Saga's face, illuminating his dark blue eyes as they studied the old file.

The Pisces took a moment to stand there silently. He could tell that the Pope was on the last page and while their guest was at the door, a few minutes could be spared. Curiously he tilted his head to gaze upon the title. "Emergency Fund for Little Orphan Girls," he read out loud.

"Quite a title, isn't it? It's so...sugary… "Saga spoke to the fifteen-year-old as he reached the final page. While the young Saint was there, he might as well teach him a quick lesson. "It even has a group photo inside, several letters pleading about the dilapidated conditions from the leaky roof to the mites in the beds."

"Sounds terrible," the youth muttered as he received the folder. He flipped through the colorful photos and the hand-drawn letters.

"Yes, it is," Saga sighed, grabbed the folder and slapped a large stamp that officially placed it in the long bureaucratic process of officially repealing it. "And Shion ate it all up along with the hundreds of others. That's the problem when you have an old man who lives to be over two hundred but stopped caring about these affairs after passing the first century," he pointed over the piles of boxes in the corner filled with more files that had yet to be touched.

"Good thing you took care of th-," Aphrodite laughed but gasped when Saga flashed his stern eyes at him. The Pisces lowered his head apologetically. He always forgot that when Saga's hair was grey, and his eyes were red was when he would relish in the old Lemurian's death.

He used to like that side of him. It would only appear for perhaps thirty seconds and would take advantage of that time whether to kill off someone that was pissing the two of them off like a true ruler or would send out orders that would weed out the weak foot soldiers from their army. But now it seems it is getting longer and far more violent. Aphrodite would try to keep the Papal Guards away during those times, but a few managed to get their bodies torn apart, much to the sadness of Shura since his main duty was to recruit and lead the High Guard and Papal Guard of Sanctuary.

But the death of a guard, could easily be explained away. Nothing could match the moment that grey-haired Saga grabbed him, Shura, Camus, and Deathmask in the middle of the night and demanded to crack the rock that Mu was in with their techniques. They insisted that they needed Mu alive and that they were certain he'll get out on his own since it was Mu they were talking about. However, he was on the verge of using Athena Exclamation and that was when he had to use his talents to put him to sleep and hoped he woke up with blue hair.

"Aphrodite, why did you come here?" Saga gently reminded him as he noticed that the Pisces seemed greatly preoccupied as he and the others he trusted in his circle seemed to be.

The Swedish jerked his head up. "Yes, one of the... "he liked to call them vultures, but with Saga the way he was, he didn't want him to lose it and kill such an important person. "...nobles, was upset about the upcoming funeral for Lupus Hector and demanded a change."

"Funeral?" Saga spat as he snatched the Pope's helmet and mask from the table and stuck it on while marching out of there. He paused and took a few deep breaths. He was in charge and should be aware of the death of a Saint. How can he keep leading properly if people are afraid to tell him his most sacred duties? That's the problem with most of Sanctuary thinking he was still an old Lemurian and the small but vital part, knew he was not officially confirmed thanks to Old Master Dohko.

He wanted to admit to everyone what was going on, but a promise was a promise and the time was not right.

He opened the door to the bright hall and there, of course, was the biggest, fattest vulture of Sanctuary. Despite the growing body count, he somehow managed to perch upon Sanctuary and not only survive, but feast on changes that grant him quite a bit more favor and wealth. It made him wonder if Gigars had a means of manipulating his other half. "What is the meaning of this?" Saga called out, his voice became much deeper and muffled thanks to the mask that covered his stern face.

Gigars turned his head and promptly knelt with his hand leaning on his cane. "Your Holiness, as you were aware, Lupus Hector-" his body shook as a fist slammed against the entranceway.

"I was not! I didn't even know how he died or why his death sends you here other than demonstrating proof of your neglect of informing me of one of my most sacred duties."

The noble nodded wildly and dropped his head further. "Oh, Holy Pope, I was fairly certain that you were indeed one of the first."

The Gemini gritted his teeth. This was one of the reasons that his other half was causing so much trouble. Right now, he cursed the day he gripped the dagger in his hands. "Remind me of what exactly he died from and why there are problems with his arrangements."

"Actually, both the cause and my purpose here are mutually related," the old man reassured as his diamond sparkled in the light. "Lupus Hector committed suicide by jumping off a cliff and his comrades, Norma Tyche, and Scutum Oceanus were demanding he be buried in the Cemetery of Saints."

He crossed his arms, with the top of his forearms brushing against the sacred necklace. "Why are you here? Bury him there!" Gigars raised a finger, a gesture that tended to indicate he had more to say. Saga rolled his eyes. Goddess how much he hated the political side of Sanctuary. "You have two minutes," he spoke as he pulled out Shion's old crystal pocket watch and stared at the hands, providing the minimum a Pope must allow the defendant to speak.

The experienced noble didn't hesitate. "You've been working hard to strengthen the outer structures of the military. While your work has been clearly paying off by filling the gaps, this suicide could be demoralizing. I feel the rule about allowing all Saints to be buried there, regardless of their history, is outdated. We haven't buried the traitorous Sagittarius yet so why should this Saint receive the same treatment for such a cowardly deed…"

"-Time's up." He flipped the case shut, closing away the thirteen clock hands on it. Saga took a deep breath."Cowards are those who run from battles. The Cemetery for Saints does not distinguish between winners and losers." He shook his head in sadness. "Lupus Hector clearly fought his battle and lost. Bury him in the cemetery with full honors, or I will see to it that another funeral will take place before his."

O|======|O

Divergence of the Arrow

"Where's Ceasar's pottery stand?" asked Aiolos as his hand adjusted the hood over his head in the market area of Rodario.

Aldebaran turned his head. "He passed away last year from a stroke. His wares were donated throughout the town."

"That's a shame. I used to take Aiolia over there so he could see the different depictions of myths," mused the Sagittarius. He looked down at the small passenger in front of him, dressed in the same Taurus servant robes as they both wore Zephyr. "You would have liked him. He mimicked the style of the old ancient Greek pottery."

Athena nodded. "I love those. My grandfather owned several pieces and had hundreds more restored. Did he try to recreate them, or did he do any based on around here."

"Both. The tourists liked the pieces they recognized, but he would create ones that only those from Rodario would appreciate."

Aldebaran turned his head wanting to add a little bit. "I have one of those. He did one based on my helmet. I keep it near my bath area."

Aiolos nodded. "I have one as well. He gave me a small cup based on my name. I used it at my House," he smiled while still ensuring he kept their safety in check. "He didn't even know who I really was. He was just a very kind man." The last time he was here was three years ago. He posed as a tourist and while he took pictures with the borrowed tele-cam to hide in the crowd, he still found himself looking at the pictures in Japan aching to return home and wishing he took more. Of course, he was still recovering from his coma and didn't put too much in his plan. He just wanted to see his brother at least one last time, even if he would've gotten him killed doing it. Aiolia was just too precious to him, more than his Cloth itself.

Aiolos stretched his hand to the side to touch the off-yellow sleeve of Aldebaran's trainer and signaled him to wait. It was so strange seeing how much Aldebaran had grown since he last saw him. Before everything happened, he remembered how he was the only one of the younger group who was just as tall as him and Saga despite being five years younger. Now as they walked the streets of Rodario, despite him and Athena being mounted on Zephyr, the Brazilian was still at eye level with him.

It was difficult to get used to since he spent five years forced to always look up at everyone wherever he went and when he's on the horse he must lean down all the time. "Before we go to your House, I want to check out some of the matchups," he spoke hinting that he wanted to see the bulletin board.

Aldebaran shifted his eyes. They were a bit early and they didn't want to hang out in front of the House of Aries too long waiting for Aiolia and the horse's armor. "I was thinking of checking out some," his eyes search for a nearby stand, "jewelry. For my wife of course. Let's meet up there when you are ready."

Aiolos turned his head to the place the Brazilian spoke of. It may not be something Aldebaran was really into; however, it would place him in a spot that would watch his and Athena's back. He took the reins and gently hurried Zephyr toward a close bulletin board and quickly examined it.

"Why do you need to see this?" asked Athena as she used her cosmos to speak to him.

While the Goddess cosmos was so strong and smooth that it was undetectable, Aiolos didn't want to take a risk with his own. He leaned close to the top of her scalp. "Everything here is arranged in a way to give orders to foot soldiers and deliver the news at how Sanctuary is doing." It was a way for him to at least compare how Saga was doing since Aldebaran spoke of some questionable orders on the way there. "I'll tell you later."

Immediately, the first thing that stuck out was the number of new laws that were administered and then repealed just as quickly. He's seen the True Pope do this once and he could tell that he was embarrassed at it. The Pope explained it was a rare occurrence and he only did it once before. But he could see that Saga apparently did it seven times in the past six months. Finances seemed well, but the way they jumped was unusually fast and high. The people around him seemed content and happy with the Pope. If Saga raised taxes, he'd hear nothing but that. If he didn't, what did he do to make so much money for Sanctuary?

He was about to leave when one more thing caught his eye, two orders with the same battalion troops conflicting each other at the same time with one performing preparations for war, while the other had them being on standby for peace. You can only have one or the other and it was not something that could be switched on a dime. It was like playing a game of chess except both the white pieces and the black pieces both start on the same side of the board. If it was a slip up on the same order, the commander would've pointed it out for clarification. The only thing he can think of was that one order was released and then the other afterward.

"Aiolos, I can sense a Silver Saint nearby," Athena spoke through her cosmos.

The archer closed his eyes and focused hard before he felt it too. He then saw a bit of the brown cloak that Saints would use to hide their Cloth in the public. He grabbed Athena and immediately set her behind him. From this angle, at least he could use his body to shield her somewhat as well as allow her to slip out and return to Aldebaran if needed. He released the two snaps on the black case for his bow but didn't pull it out. The bright shine would draw attention if it was not needed. He watched the figure poke their head from behind the wall before it came out.

One of the first Saints he spoke to was Saint Albiore. He spoke with him about convincing Saint Misty to withhold the Silvers during this and effectively the lower Bronzes, thus ensuring they wouldn't have to worry about two thirds of the Army going after them from behind once they enter. However, he was worried about the one Silver who worked directly under the Pope, like the Scorpio Saint. He turned his head towards Athena and gently pushed her head down a little more to ensure she won't get struck by one of Sagitta's cursed arrows.

"You're here for Sanctuary, aren't you," said the voice.

The archer relaxed his hand a bit. The thick French accent was a dead giveaway since there were only two amongst the Saints with it. "Saint Misty?" He watched the Lizard relax his pose as well and easily walked over toward him.

He pulled his hood off revealing his unblemished exquisite face, his headgear shining brilliantly in the sunlight. The Silver took a bit of time to primp his hair a bit and remove any out of place locks on his temples. He always hated the robes since they made him feel sweaty. While it didn't feel as gross as blood, he was hitting up the baths after this. "I heard the rumors and had to check them out for myself." His soft gloved hand reached up and tilted the Gold's face to spot the edge of the familiar red headband around his forehead. "It's been a long time, stranger," Misty spoke, avoiding the Sagittarius' name.

"Yes, it has." The last time he met him was during the ceremony where the Lizard Saint was declared leader of the Silver Rank. Even if it was just once, Misty was a Saint who you meet once and never forget. "I can't talk long. I have to unite with a friend."

"As I said, I just wanted to see for myself, that's all," he reassured. He understood that the streets have eyes since half of those pupils work beneath him. He raised a finger and drew part of his robe aside, revealing the sleek Silver Cloth as well as a scroll that was tucked in his belt. He slipped it out and held it up. "I also wanted to show you this," his hands unraveled it, showing an order for Sagitta Ptolemy to be stationed at the foot of the House of Aries and curse Athena the moment he sees her.

Aiolos turned toward the date. It was listed about three days ago, when the messenger notified Marin that Seiya was going, the same signal that he told Aiolia. Goddess, he can tell Saga was very well prepared if he would come. "Is Saint Sagitta there?"

The Silver shook his head no. People could say whatever they want about him, but his men and Amazons knew that he was well versed in the protocol of Sanctuary. "An order like this requires the Saint to come in within three days. If I give it to him tonight, he should be fine," the Lizard twisted his lip in a cunning smile.

Aiolos breathe a sigh of relief. It was one of his biggest worries and fears that weighed on his mind. Sagitta's arrow must hit something, it was just a part of his technique that made him valuable even among Golds. If it hit Athena, he would have to leave at least Aldebaran with her. If it hit one of them, he would have to leave another Gold Saint to watch them. It would be a huge burden and with numbers being important, he couldn't afford to lose any of them if he was going to make this work. "Thank you. How are you and your fellow silvers doing with what's going on?"

Misty sighed. "Many are fairly confused right now. You were dead and Albiore said you are not. We are told Athena is safe in the Pope's Chambers and there she is with you." He folded his arms. "Most are actually a lot more concerned with you Gold Saints. They say they keep hearing mixed stories from your fate to certain rumors with the Cancer Saint. Not everyone is a Lizard, a Lyra or a Cetus, however, everyone is either an Aries, a Taurus, a Gemini, etc."

The Sagittarius nodded in agreement and spoke of an old saying. "The Zodiac is the foundation, if we fall, everyone does as well."

"Indeed. They say it only takes one Gold Saint death for such a foundation to crumble. Maybe some don't take that seriously, but with the lives of my Silvers and those beneath me, I certainly did especially when I heard of your initial death." Misty turned his head. "I know you're in a hurry, but if you don't mind, may I hold her hand for just a moment?"

Aiolos looked down as Athena poked her head under his arm and revealed her palm.

Misty carefully tugged off the glove, revealing a manicured hand. He reached over and gently gripped the child's and closed his eyes. A second later, his small smile that was already present on his silky pink lips stretched a bit more. "I actually went to the Pope's Chamber about two months ago. When I held the little girl's hand there, it felt like holding the cosmos of a little girl and was a bit disappointed. I thought about how Poseidon was depicted as a regal noble with armor or how Hades and his many wings and famed large sword and here we were with a little girl who might as well have come from one of the nearby schools. I spoke with one of the Gold Saints there, and they explained that Athena was merely hiding her cosmos out of protection," he contemplated, recalling how doubt in their forces began to stir in his heart. "But you are like the universe." Even if the Goddess wasn't burning it now, the small bit he felt seemed boundless yet kind. Like running one's hand through a warm gentle waterfall. "Thank you, for this honor." The Silver let go and opened his eyes when Athena reached out and tied a flower bracelet around his hand. Misty turned to it and can still feel a bit of the same warm cosmos in it. A new sense of energy and a light of hope entered his heart. He looked up. "Will you need back up? I know a couple of Silvers are here and can have them five minutes?"

Aiolos shook his head. "I want to keep this as diplomatic as possible." Gold affairs should be kept as gold affairs. If he had other ranks, it may be taken the wrong way. It was true that they were warriors, but these were also people he grew up with. "Thank you for the offer, but if we have too many it may escalate the situation."

Misty paused and agreed. A Civil War would be the last thing he or others want, and he must trust that the Sagittarius knew the other Golds well enough to know what was best. "How about this? I can still gather a couple of Silvers here in Rodario. Perhaps I can send them to escort some of the guards out and clear the path of checkpoints up ahead?"

He liked the idea. It would certainly make it easier for Aiolia to meet up with them as well. "Thank you."

O|======|O

The Rock Opens

An hour later at the House of Aries

A young, red-headed man huffed up the stairs once more. He had started his duties as a High Door Guard of the Zodiac a couple of weeks ago and despite the initial stairs, was still in the honeymoon stage of the duty. Once he reached the two others at the top, he held his spear to his side and saluted his tired companion. "I Midas XIIII relieve you." He spoke before the other guard saluted back before giving a gentle pat on the young man's shoulder before yawning from his overnight shift.

Kleitos, an old veteran Door Guard of Sanctuary for several decades, turned to the young man that he was currently mentoring. "How was the bar last night?"

"Quite good actually. I met a girl last night. I was pretty surprised since that never happened before," Midas XIIII laughed.

The old man stroked his white beard. "It's the uniform. They know you're involved with the Zodiac and you should have no problems ever leaving the world unmarried." He narrowed his gaze. "Easy on the eyes?"

Midas smiled stupidly and nodded. "Very." He raised a finger, "hold on, I'm going to get a drink before I officially start." He walked through the entrance and immediately knocked twice on the large round rock. "Good Afternoon, Saint Mu! It's me, Midas!" he greeted his Master the best way he could since he obviously couldn't bow to him. He watched the rock shake a bit. "Good to see you're awake." He turned to the open room where the glass dome was removed in the House and several pigeons have gathered around. "Saint Mu, I'm going to give your birds some seed, it looks like their dishes are empty." He ran to a bag and tossed several handfuls before he dusted his hands off. After grabbing a glass of complimentary wine and drinking it down, he hurried back over, shocked to see the large Brazilian standing in front of his superior. "Saint Aldebaran." He muttered and knelt before a large hand reached down and picked him up.

Aldebaran turned around briefly and saw Aiolia meeting his brother and helping him put the armor on the horse to provide it some protection toward this ordeal. He was a little nervous about bringing the Leo along with him acting a bit strange at the brother's house. However, Aiolos insisted and he probably knew him best, even if the Sagittarius wasn't around when Aiolia lost it at the House of Leo during his house arrest period.

Now dressed in his Gold Cloth and towering even more so, due to the extra height from his horns as well as the thickness on his boots, he leaned over and passed the two guards a couple of scrolls. Normally a simple gesture would work for them to step aside, but with them being the ones to signal the clock tower, it was important to ensure they hid away. "It's important you both go inside the House of Aries and protect the servants. I hope this isn't too last minute," Aldebaran explained, giving an abridged version of the long paragraphs on the scrolls that each of the door guards were holding.

Midas bit his lip. It seemed like a strange order, especially with how important their duty was. "But, don't we have to stay here? Shouldn't we at least let those at the clock tower know?"

Suddenly, a lavender haired Lemurian peeked over their shoulders. "Ahh, don't worry about the clock tower. You should visit my inner chambers. It's very charming. But I wouldn't touch the walls. I was trying out a new type of pink paint that is supposed to liven up the amygdala in everyone's brains for happiness, but sadly, I accidentally used purple and all it does is give one hairy palms."

"Mu!?" gasped Aldebaran, as the Lemurian looked up, his blue eyes twinkled while the blacksmith of Sanctuary smiled. "I-I," he stuttered.

Midas' jaw dropped along with the old man's. "Wait, you're the one that was in the rock?"

The Aries nodded happily as he pointed over to his former stone home of the last few years.

Before the rock was perfectly round, but now a curved rectangular stone door was swung out from where the Lemurian exited. "You must be Midas XIIII. Thank you for feeding my birds and the greetings." He waved a finger. "But you should control your tapping of my rock. For you see, I've kept track of each rhythm of the tap, and you were just a few days away from completing the tapping song that the red-cheeked cordon-bleu would perform when it was ready to mate." He reached down and raised a fifteen-inch tall metal container labeled Kiki. "As a proud cultivator, one who is currently growing his assistant in this jar, I must ensure that he is not exposed to lewd acts before his germination is complete," the Aries stroked the top lovingly.

Aldebaran watched as the two guards widened their eyes and stared at the Taurus for answers. "I think you two should just follow what the paper says."

"I think you're right," replied Kleitos as he grabbed Midas by the arm and used his spear to open the secret entrance into the House of Aries.

But before the two could get inside, Mu zipped over with light speed and blocked the entryway. "Wait, I need Midas XIIII to watch over Kiki. I can't allow him to spill during any fights we may encounter."

The redhead guard, already overwhelmed with his day and unsure of what was told to him, sighed. When a Gold Saint tells you to do something, it was best to listen to him. "Umm, okay, I'll do my best."

Mu's blue eyes seemingly sparkled as he carefully passed Kiki in a Jar over. "Now listen carefully, you must keep stroking the jar at the right speed to ensure proper germination."

Midas looked down and began doing so. "How will I know if I am doing it right?"

The Lemurian brought a gold gauntlet finger to his lips. "Perform a smell test. Open the jar every couple of hours. Since you are human, if he smells like cinnamon, he is just right. If he smells like mahogany, you are doing it too fast and he will be very spoiled and if he smells like linen-fresh laundry in the open sun, you are doing it too slow and he may become very ticklish." He snapped his fingers. "Oh, turn your head away." He waited until the guard did so before he unscrewed the jar, tossed a nuclear isotope, screwed the top and patted the man's shoulder. "You're all set. Goodbye. If he spills, make sure to sweep him and avoid any contaminants or else he may change his gender." The Lemurian continued to smile as he clutched his cape, already feeling nervous about leaving his future subservient in another stroker's hands.

Aiolos only caught half of the conversation as he, Athena, and his brother sat and stood there in surprise. Apparently, despite being in a rock for a few years, Mu hasn't really changed much. The weird part was, he thinks he's more mellow than usual.

Aldebaran walked over and knelt. "Mu! How did you get out! I've used Great Horn on that rock so many times and it wouldn't open."

The Lemurian nodded. "Oh, I know, you kept spilling my tea while I was inside of it."

Aldebaran wrinkled his unibrow and walked over toward the rock. The insides were well decorated with a chair, a pot of tea, a single cup and several chemistry sets inside with a loaf of bread next to it. At least his friend wasn't bored inside. "At least tell us more about what this rock is. Is it really a survival technique by Lemurians?"

Mu nodded. "Oh, yes, it is. But I can only do it once and sadly if Poseidon does try to sink Europe, I will most likely drown."

Mu turned his head and gasped. "Aiolia, it's good to see you. Hello, Aiolos. It's good to see you again as well. I kept hearing stories of your death, but when you came a few years ago, I knew they were wrong and am excited to fight with you once more," he waved before his eyes gazed upon the horse. "Oh… I haven't seen anything like this in a long time."

Aiolos chuckled. Mu hasn't changed much. He was very sincere and as strange as ever. However, just like the True Pope, he can be easily distracted when anything Lemurian came his way. He figured he would ogle at Zephyr's protective armor. It did look very nice though. The armor was gold like their Cloths but it didn't have the same type of protection. A Saint had to charge it with cosmos prior hand and if there was cosmos inside of it, it would repel. He watched Mu use his telekinesis to lift himself to examine the helmet-like covering over Zephyr's head before moving to the three gold, elaborate plates that covered the horse on one side and then the other three on the other before examining the leg coverings. He could tell that Mu was intrigued with it and so was he, but the problem was that it made the horse stick out and would've made it very difficult to travel through town with it on.

Mu touched his lip and raised his hand in the air, causing one of his many tool kits, that he kept on the hidden ledges at the top of the House of Aries, to float to his hand. He opened it up and pulled out a large glass lens and examine the metal carefully. His body bent and twisted to ensure he covered the different angles. "This armor has been in a lot of battles. It's been repaired, but the work is either shoddy or rushed. The gaps are not filled with the proper alloys…. Most likely a cheap substitute that would do the job. Probably from the First Holy War when they had to quickly rush and get it out for whatever battle was next." He stood up and placed the lens back and sent it flying back to its spot. "There's definitely room for a lot of improvement," his face saddened. "But I don't have the time right now and the materials I need are back in Jamir." His head gasped as he spotted the little girl before he immediately knelt. "Forgive me, Athena. I didn't even see you there. I was a bit distracted and my mind is still returning to this plane of existence. I Mu of Aries, will faithfully serve you."

She didn't see all of what happened, but what she did, she found quite delightful. She was looking forward to Mu joining their group. "Rise my Aries," she gestured for him to come over and watched him float up beside Aiolos and her where she ties another flower bracelet to another champion.

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

The Breadcrumb Trail

Once they exited out of Aries, the world felt so different and yet familiar from there. There were no more random passing people, dirt roads, or deviations. It was nothing but seemingly endless stairs and the Houses of the Zodiac before them. Aiolos turned toward his brother, watching the oddly nervous look on his face. He knew it was best to bring him, but at the same time, he loved him too much. "Aiolia, the clock hasn't turned on and we're not that far…" he spoke through the cosmos.

"I'm staying," the Leo barked firmly as if he wanted to ensure everyone around and beyond heard it. "I won't leave you. We're going to finish this," he spoke in a somewhat neutral tone.

Aiolos knew something was going on. But his brother was right and firmly fixed on fighting Saga. He's already set his pieces out and positioned them where he wanted them but sometimes the toughest part of good strategy was the wait and fear that he's being played. Unfortunately, all that's left is to go forward and adjust as necessary.

Without the clock going off or Sagitta to tip them off, they were still in the safe zone, as Aiolos would like to think of it. He took a moment, much to the horse's delight, to move Zephyr at brief intervals of light speed down the stairs. It was a well-known fact that a normal horse would have a lot of difficulty moving downwards, but thanks to the cosmos and the endless crash course of forcing a horse up and down the old stairs where he trained his Japanese students, his partner adapted within a few days and was close to the speed of both Aldebaran and Aiolia.

Goddess, he missed the kids, but right now he needed to focus. He'll either have plenty of time to catch up with them or wait a long time in the afterworld to hear their story of how they did on their training grounds.

They reached the front of the House of Taurus where Aldebaran raised a hand, to which the others paid attention to. "Give me a couple of minutes, I need to return these," he spoke as he held the cloaks that were loaned to give Aiolos and Athena cover. They were dead weight and time sewing up more cloaks could be used for his servants to do more important things.

"I have no problem, we should be fine as long as we haven't hit the House of Cancer," spoke Aiolos. "Are all of you fine with it?" He got a quick nod from both Athena and Mu, but his brother seemed a bit distant but still gave a thumbs up to show he was fine.

The Taurus walked over to a spot on the wall, filled his fist with his green cosmos and gave it a light tap on a spot. The Taurus glyph briefly glowed green before the bricks turned translucent and revealed the hidden passage. He called out a name before an old woman came out and reached out for the robes. The two exchanged some Portuguese before the two chuckled a bit and the elder returned into the depths of the House.

The exchange was faster than he thought. Aldebaran was about ready to go when he snapped his fingers. Sometimes having a goal afterwards can help bring success. "Aiolos, Mu, come here. There was some repair work done over here that caused my glyph to reset. Can you two get your cosmos read?"

Aiolos turned to his brother, watching his arms fold nervously while impatiently tapping his finger. "We can-"

"-Just do it! What's another minute going to hurt," Aiolia snapped through his cosmos.

Aiolos shut his eyes. "This was really hard for him. I have to be patient for his sake," he told himself before he opened his eyes. "That's fine, Aldebaran." He watched Mu go first. One of the biggest security features for the inner chambers of each House was the Glyph system. It was basically a lock that required cosmos that sent the section of wall in between reality and another dimension thus turning them translucent. By default, the Saint of the House and servants who wear a special piece of jewelry that has the Saint's cosmos must tap the glyph to activate the stones. For visitors, he would just hand them one of his golden arrows and they were so infused with his cosmos they work anywhere needed. However, what was nice was that the Gold Saint can grant access to those from other Houses. At the same time, it can be used as a way of snubbing others or showing someone was mad at the other or desiring isolation. Goddess knows how many times Saga stripped everyone's access to his House… well, except for him.

"You're next, Aiolos. If we survive this, we can have a nice meal and actually catch up with all that happened with you in Japan."

Aiolos smiled a bit. "I look forward to it." He raised his hand and created a ball of yellow cosmos. He watched the blue Taurus glyph glow. Knowing the process takes about three minutes of reading, he figured now was a good time to ask. "Aldebaran, you're Saga's neighbor." He wasn't sure how best to say it. "How has he been in the past five years."

Aldebaran sighed as he pulled off his helmet. "As the Gemini, pretty sparse. He would come once a week, we'll catch up with common topics at how he was doing and he would return to the Pope's Chambers. Now that I know that he's been playing the Pope…" He took a deep breath. "The nicest way I can put it is that when I took over as the Vanguard for Mu while he was in his rock, I had to check in a lot of women and I would check them out… the next day…"

Aiolos raised a hand. "Okay, that's all I need to know," he watched Aldebaran nod gratefully. Despite being the toughest in Sanctuary, Aldebaran kept things clean and was never comfortable with any lewd topics, especially with the presence of the six-year-old Goddess nearby. The zodiac sign of Sagittarius flashed and turned the sign green. He then did a quick test and watched the stones disappear in the shape of a door. The Archer turned to his brother as he guided his eyes toward the exit. "Alright, let's go." With that, he pulled the reins and led Zephyr toward the next set of stairs ahead of the others.

To the other three golds, it may appear Aiolos was charging ahead, but really, he wanted to put some distance between them. "[Athena, I don't want to bring him. I have this really bad feeling and it's never steered me wrong.]" He pleaded in Japanese to ensure the others wouldn't know what he was saying and the issue was too stressful to communicate through the cosmos. He looked down at her violet hair as it continued to face forward. "[Athena?]"

She turned to him. "[I may know many things, but you're his brother and know him best.]"

It was true and that was the problem. "[It's hard. I want to, but…]" He paused. "[I want to trust him to do what's best, but…]" He just couldn't finish his words, because he didn't know how.

She shook her head. "[Not everything needs a reason or an explanation. You can just say it with me.]"

He does. "[He's all I have left. Maybe he doesn't feel the same for me, but I'm okay with that. I have been for a long time.]" He still remembered those moments in Japan. He remembered his little brother telling him once, about why he didn't just end his life like so many other Saints who fell into his position. In truth, while suicide never crossed his head, Aiolos could say those were the times where he was willing to surrender his life if it meant his brother's happiness and a way to pay back the last five years the Leo must have endured.

The House of Gemini, or rather Houses, came into view. Aiolos took a deep breath and waited patiently, allowing his face to smooth away the sorrowful concern of a big brother to the determined Saint he always was. A few seconds later, Aldebaran, Mu, and Aiolia stood next to him.

"How long has the Gemini House illusion been up, Aldebaran?" he questioned as Zephyr seemed to stare at it with just as much determination.

The Taurus took a deep breath. "A couple of weeks now."

Aiolia shifted his eyes over to his brother before he returned them back to the House of Gemini and sighed as the Taurus continued.

"I asked Saga about it. He said… he had a gut feeling, and as we all know-"

"-you trust that feeling," Aiolos nodded. "Anything else? Behavior?"

Aldebaran shook his head. "Maybe if I knew something was going on earlier, I would've watched him more. He just did his usual schedule, other than setting up the labyrinth defense."

Aiolos turned toward the Gemini tablet in the floor. Typically, if anyone needed passage during these times, they would stand on there to alert Saga and he would approve from wherever he was and drop the labyrinth for as long as it took. They, of course, won't be taking that route. Luckily, he's visited this place enough to know the trick to it. "Over there, the stone is off. The right one's fake," he spoke as he guided Zephyr over with his reins and charged forward to the left.

Mu, without his tools, leaned forward trying to notice the difference. Aldebaran as well. Aiolia just gestured over. "Just trust him. If he saw something, he's probably right," the little brother spoke as he light speed inside the left House.

Inside, Aiolos guided Zephyr around but had a little trouble. He had forgotten how extremely dark the main floor was, but it was a necessity. As he learned from Saga himself, the two extremes of light and darkness were needed to produce perfect illusions with the least amount of stress. Because of how taxing it was, it was rarely seen by most outside of their Houses since they were built for that reason. But hanging around Saga enough, he saw how much he used it or inadvertently done so. It was the reason why he went through servants like water during his early years. He waited until the others caught up before they were ready for the next step. "Ready to investigate?"

Mu turned down nervously. "I suppose. I hope he's down there."

"Saga won't be down there, Mu. He only comes about every Tuesday," spoke Aldebaran.

But the Lemurian shook his head. "I wasn't talking about, him." Although anytime he thought of Saga, his hands grew warm and his mind had trouble focusing. Perhaps this was what it was like to feel true hatred. "I was talking about my Master," he almost whispered as if he was going to break down again. "At least what's left of him over these years."

Aiolia turned and placed an arm around him and gave a hug. He already knew what it was like to wonder about his missing brother for a couple of years, he can't imagine what it was like for someone whose been missing for five.

Mu smiled before he quietly removed Aiolia's hand, perhaps unaware that it was an old Lemurian gesture for politely asking to go to the bathroom. He closed his eyes and began to speak with a serene tone. "I just want to give him the proper Lemurian funeral of dropping his body into the sea, where all the fish will take small well-portioned nibbles and allow him to join the rest of our people in the water cycle of life." He reached over and touched the glyph only to get nothing. "Hmm, odd."

Aldebaran bit his lip. Mu was the only one who was typically allowed at all their Houses since he repaired their Cloths during heavy training. The Taurus reached over and tried his cosmos but got nothing as well. "I was here a week ago. Saga asked me to grab a few letters from his desk and deliver them to Shaka," he spoke as he threw his gauntlet in his black hair. He turned his head. "Aiolia, how about you?"

But the Leo leaned against a pillar and shook his head. "It's not going to work. Trust me."

Aiolos turned to the glyph. Like all of them, it was so faint with the curled lettering of the Lemurian language circling around the zodiac symbol of the Gemini. "He couldn't have left me access after all these years, did he?" the archer thought. Deciding that it couldn't hurt, he raised his hand, his yellow cosmos glowed and turned the symbol green. "No way," he muttered as the stones turned translucent and allowed him to pass. "Saga," he sighed. "You are something, aren't you?" he thought to himself.

"Goddess," muttered Aldebaran as he too was surprised it was still there.

Aiolos turned to his brother as his face turned pale. "You alright, brother?" he spoke through his cosmos.

Aiolia looked down at the flower bracelet. "You shouldn't go there," he spoke through his cosmos. "What does it matter what you find there?"

But Aiolos shook his head. "It will be very hard to talk to him if I don't go there. Besides," he closed his eyes. "I have to know… did something happen to him… or did he really lose it and I have to…" gritted his teeth at the thought of ending his friend's life.

The Leo raised a hand. "Do you really think that this was just some coincidence?"

"No. It probably isn't." Aiolos sighed. "But, if he's giving me access, knowing him, he wants me to see something here." Aiolos looked down. Saga was trusting him to go by himself. All Saints are able to learn who went in and who didn't, and he won't betray his trust and slip the others in. "Athena, stay here with the others."

The six-year-old nodded. "Stay safe," she spoke as she dismounted from the horse with ease, thanks to her equestrian training.

The Sagittarius looked at his bow. His thumb stroked the elaborate markings as he turned to Aiolia. There was only one way to know if his brother was ready. He took a deep breath and tossed the bow over to the Leo who caught it, despite not expecting it. "Aiolia, keep them both safe," he spoke. He watched his brother looking down at it, and a sharp breath passed through his lips as his little brother turned away from him, clutching it.

Aiolia's breath was ragged as he held the golden bow. He took a few steps clutching it toward the back door.

That is who you are, you and your lion heart. The weight of everything is baring down and killing you with every step you take and every word you say. No amount of strength can save you when the pride abandons you.

"Aiolia, what are you doing?" called Aldebaran, a bit disturbed by his actions.

The Leo closed his eyes and turned around. He looked at the bow and bit his lip. He shut his eyes and dropped his head before he tossed the bow back to his brother. "Don't be an idiot," he muttered before he walked over to the exit and folded his arms cooly while keeping to himself.

Aiolos nodded, pleased at what he saw and hoped he was ready although a bit on edge. He can't blame him. He was what he called a grey pawn. "I won't," he replied as he turned to the other Golds, gave them a nod before looked down at his Goddess and offered her a smile. "Not sure how long I'll be here, but feel free to shout out anything if you're worried or something happens up here," he spoke as he rode the horse through the entrance.

The archer turned around and saw the stones return to normal and the cosmos torches illuminated as he passed them. Even with them on, he still needed to release a ball of cosmos inside. As he moved downwards, he couldn't stop thinking of how even as a preteen, he thought the passages were a bit too tall, but on a horse, they felt just right. He supposed it was because the houses were designed for when Sanctuary relied a great deal on animals, both for transportation and protection.

His body lurched forward when Zephyr suddenly froze. "Woah, what's wrong?" he whispered to his partner when he lowered his ball of cosmos and caught the bloody edges of a white uniform. "Goddess... already?" he widens his ball of cosmos to see a fallen door guard with his throat sliced open. He had a feeling that there would be a body, but he didn't expect to encounter one before he reached a single main room. He shook his head as he stared at the neck and the small splashes of blood around the collar. He leaned downward and using the tip of his bow, he pushed the top of the helmet up, examined the poor man's face and temples and then left him to move on. It didn't take long before had to pull the reins of Zephyr once more.

His eyes turned toward the walls, as more splatters like red flowers were on either side. Aiolos didn't flinch. He was very used to the smell and red crimson color. Back when he hunted, it wouldn't be uncommon for him to carry his larger kills and be drenched in it. What was bothering him, was the fact that he just ran into all of this but had yet to encounter a single servant despite the noise of the loud trots from his horse. "Hello?" He called out, waiting for a bit but was only greeted with silence. "Zephyr, this isn't good," he whispered to his horse. "Let's go check out the Shrine area, alright?" He clicked his tongue twice and they continued down the dark hallway.

It was the easiest room to spot since it had some light coming from it.

The Shrine room was originally meant to worship not just Athena, but other Gods and Goddesses since technically the Pantheon meant they were all polytheists, but over time, it became mainly Athena as well as a place to bless those who were both alive and dead.

It was also a place that Saga treasured since his devotion to prayer was one of the few things the Gemini wasn't ambiguous about.

Inside the small room were two large Lemurian candles that were as thick as tree trunks that will burn forever yet never melt. As strange as Mu and even the True Pope at times, they and their people were brilliant, and their creations were only limited by their imaginations and material they had on hand.

In between the two candles were a few shelves. The first is always dedicated to Athena at the top with the same sign that was on top of her staff at the top. Out of habit, Aiolos knelt his head and said a small prayer asking for strength. He then added one for whoever he found outside and for whoever else he may find. Next shelf was close family. Saga's mother was very beautiful, and it was clear that the twins got their handsome blue hair from her. Her eyes were just as blue as she leaned her head into her violin while drawing the bow across it. She was a professional musician from Delphi which was why Saga and Kanon both had a very deep appreciation and knowledge for music, both classical and modern.

Kanon was there too. Even if the competition for the Gemini Cloth drove them apart, deep down, he knows they still cared about each other, especially when the younger Gemini went missing. That is the power of the bond of brothers. It was an old school photo, back when they both had very short-cropped hair. Aiolos chuckled a bit at the symbol on his jacket since the K meant it was just another jewel in the large empire of Mitsumasa Kido.

There was no Demitris. No surprise there. Based on what Saga has said in the past, he would probably not put a photo of him either.

The next shelf was reserved for close friends. Since most were Saints, there weren't photos, but rather small objects. A dried old rose from Aphrodite, a small bit of chalk art from Deathmask and a carved wooden knight from Shura. Those were the three that Saga primarily worked with when the True Pope put them both in charge of getting the new round of Golds adjusted into the life of Sanctuary and it was clear that those bonds never changed. There were some prayer beads from Shaka and judging from the lack of dust, it was clear that Saga must have been using them too. He then saw one of his old broken gold arrow tips. He would give them to his friends and of course, Aiolia had one too. His brother's was special. For his fifth birthday, he had Mu turn a couple into pendants for the two of them and they both wore them from time to time, at least until that day Athena was attacked. He was certain that his broke off somewhere while Aiolia probably chucked his into the nearest gorge.

Suddenly, Aiolos sucked his breath. "Wait a second," he reached over and picked up the arrowhead, only to see a long bloody broken chain drag afterwards. He brought it close to the light and could see the zodiac symbol of Sagittarius lightly reflecting on the polished gold metal. "This is it." He wondered if Saga came across it while trying to find him and Athena's body. But there was quite a bit of blood, and he didn't really bleed around his neck and head area that much. The archer took his hand and lightly closed it, feeling the still semi-sharp edge around his palm. "It was found, you must have held it and squeezed it. Were you angry you couldn't find me or were you sad, Saga?" he muttered. "You wouldn't put enemies on a shrine shelf, considering we both find this place very sacred." Even though it was technically his necklace, he won't steal from a shrine. He sets it back where he found it.

He raised his head. What was that sound? Feeling that there was nothing useful left at the shrine, he took his reins and urged his stallion quickly toward the scratching, faster than the cosmos torches could light up. He paused for a moment and jerked his head toward a room that was clearly under repair.

"Saga… what have you done?" He recognized the familiar shape from the woods. Suicides happened a lot, so did rape and murder. Ten long shallow graves, their mounds like the tops of fresh loaves of bread were carefully lined up with five in each row. He leaned down toward the carved planks of wood and read the name before glancing at the others. "Goddess…" He stared at the bones sticking out for ten seconds before his attention returned to the scratching.

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

Aldebaran turned nervously toward where the entrance was. He focused his cosmos toward trailing the Sagittarius but considering that the House of Gemini was built to be like a labyrinth throughout, after ten minutes, he just couldn't feel him anymore. "I don't like this. I can't feel his cosmos. I hope he's okay, in there," the Brazilian spoke out loud.

But Athena nodded. "He's fine. He hasn't run into any danger or anything."

Mu was not surprised she could sense him that far down. "That's good. I don't like the idea that he's somewhere that we can't enter." He turned toward the glyph, "actually we could, but it may take about an hour to hack it."

"How can we do that?" asked the Taurus.

Mu nodded. "An excellent question, friend. We must utilize our fists and strike it repeatedly until we break through the first layer of stone and then grab the magic stone and smash that too." He clutched his hands. "We didn't know bypassing the Glyph System was possible until a short-tempered Capricorn, from the sixteenth century, who was late for a meeting with the Pope, proved us wrong and became immortalized in Lemurian Lore."

Athena and Aldebaran smiled and laughed while Aiolia, still standing at the exit, chuckled a bit too. The Leo closed his eyes. He sometimes forgot what it was like when everyone was so full of life like this. He turned to the Goddess. Just being near her lightened his heart.

Aiolia took one last deep breath. If he didn't do this, they may not make it, including Athena. He hoped he was doing the right thing. "I'm going outside. I need some air," he shouted to them.

Aldebaran turned his head. "Okay, but don't go too far."

"Yeah sure, no problem," the Leo lied as he shrugged and turned downward for a moment. This was madness. He can't believe he's doing this, but it's what they both wanted. He turned back to Athena as she gazed at him. He took his hand with the flower bracelet and waved and watched her wave back. "Athena, if I don't make it, watch over Marin," he thought. He looked over toward Mu and Aldebaran. "Mu, I'm glad you are out of that rock. You're crazy, but you're not the only mad man here in Sanctuary. Right now, I'm between two of them. Aldebaran, you always had an ear when my brother wasn't there." He slowly exited out the door and began to move as close to the edge as he could before he began to lightspeed down the stairs. "Brother, I'm so sorry I messed everything up. I hope everything works out," he thought as he reached the House of Cancer.

He turned his head and began to open the slowest door in Sanctuary. The moment it cracked open he moved partially inside. Why was it so dark?

Suddenly, a gold fist of purple cosmos struck the back of his head, knocking the Leo out, before his body was dragged the rest of the way inside.

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

The Centaur Awakens

The deeper he went into the House, the more difficult it was to use his cosmos to get a good cosmos read. It was useful for protecting their servants and the guards during an attack, but he can't tell if whatever it is had a weak cosmos or they were weak period, especially since Aldebaran said Saga came about once a week. It could be a dying survivor, prisoner, it could even be Saga himself with his cosmos turned down so low on purpose. It's not the first time he's done it.

He turned the corner so quick the horse let out a sharp whine as its hooves slid on the red carpet under it. A blue hexagon cosmos shield lit up, protecting his horse and himself from slamming into the wall. Even if it was a pitiful way of wasting the cosmos in the horse's armor, at least it let him know that it still worked. He didn't feel a thing and Zephyr didn't seem all too bothered.

He pulled his bow from his shoulder and readied a light arrow. He clenched his teeth and rushed straight to the room and held it up before promptly dropping it.

"Meow," cried Hera, Saga's old orange cat as she laid on Saga's writing desk. Judging by the stray fur on top of the table, it was clear this was her favorite spot. He looked upon the shelf, and Neptune, Kanon's old black cat-panion was busy pawing a small rabbit foot on a chain that he made for it before it jumped down and headed toward a large bowl of cat kibble and water.

Aiolos sighed. "You killed your servants but spared the cats." He threw his hand on his face, as he down watching Hera typically doing her thing when she sees someone. She rolled onto her back and exposed her large belly for someone to rub it. That was when he noticed a seemingly blank sheet of paper was underneath her. He guided Zephyr closer to the desk. Using a rope to stabilize himself, he leaned down as much as he could to grab it along with a nearby pencil causing the orange ball of fluff to meow and roll backward and knocking a cup full of pens. He could see from the indentions that Saga wrote something previously on it. Unsure of whether it would be useful, he lightly shaded over to see what he could get.

A male lion will die alone without his pride,

and because of your failure and insolence,

you too will join your brother.

You have been warned.

"Aiolia…" he muttered feeling a bit lightheaded. "Aiolia!" he shouted through his cosmos but got nothing. He must be too far under the House of Gemini for his message to make it to him. Athena could probably pull it off, but he left her on the main floor to protect her from the shallow graves, Commander Hera, and Lieutenant Neptune. He drew his hand over his face. He just wanted to ride back up and check on him, but there was something that was bothering him here.

Ride back to Aiolia or stay here and figure what he missed?

He rolled the note up and put it into his pocket. "He has Mu and Aldebaran there. Athena can warn them." He paused and shook his head as he struggled to admit it. "He doesn't need me to defend him, and if this is going to work… I have to trust him." If he leaves this place, it will be very difficult to return to. He has to trust in the others, but this note made him very nervous. "Aiolia… just hold on a little longer."

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

"Athena, do you think we can do this?" asked Aldebaran.

The Goddess turned her head toward him. "Do what, my Taurus?"

Aldebaran raised a hand toward Sanctuary. "I know it's a little late, but I mean keeping every Gold Saint alive?" He folded his arms. "Anytime this has happened in the past, it never ended well. As they say, once one falls, we all do afterward, like dominos."

She closed her eyes to consult her past memories that reached for centuries. "It does sound like a lofty goal, but it is possible. Put your faith in, Aiolos and he may just pull it off. But he's also human too and he can't do it alone."

"Yes, I know. I'll do my best to support him in whatever he chooses," the Taurus nodded.

Mu turned his head toward the two. He thought about joining them, but he's not sure if he could do so politely. Saga killed his Master and as terrible as the thought was in his heart, he almost wished something would happen to the Gemini and they just dealt with having eleven gold Saints, instead of twelve.

The Brazilian folded his hands and shifted between the entrance to the chambers of the House of Gemini to the exit. His eyes shifted back to Athena and Mu and apparently, they looked like they had the same concern. "Aiolia? How are you doing?" Silence filled the room as everyone turned to each other. Aldebaran took his head and used his horn to gesture to Mu toward the door.

The Lemurian quickly nodded and rushed toward the exit and jerked his head to either side before turning around and shaking his head no with a shoulder shrug.

Aldebaran gritted his teeth as his body glowed with green cosmos. "AIOLOS!" he practically screamed with his cosmos only to receive nothing.

Athena ran over to him while summoning her staff. She grabbed his hand. "Try again. I will help you!" The six-year-old spoke.

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

The archer dusted his hands before he grabbed the rope and pulled himself back on his horse.

"AIOLOS!"

He clenched his teeth as he drew his hands toward his head, surprised to hear Aldebaran all the way from here. "What is it! Stop shouting!"

"AIOLOS!"

"Stop shouting!" he tried to use his cosmos to ask him to turn it down, but apparently, while the Taurus could reach him, he couldn't send it back.

"AIOLOS! AIOLIA IS MISSING! WE THINK HE RAN AHEAD!"

"Aiolia?" he gasped. "No…" his blood went cold. Did he mess up and chose wrong?

"AIOLOS! WHERE ARE YOU? HURR-"

The Sagittarius threw a cosmos block so he could focus on getting out of there without the equivalent of a megaphone directly in his ear. He dumped as much cosmos into Zephyr as he could before he began to light speed through the long passageways, breaking the stones from underneath.

He finally reached the stairs toward the door and raised his fist of yellow cosmos to quickly open the passage back up and exited back to the main floor.

"AIOLOS!" shouted Aldebaran as he breathed a sigh of relief that the cosmos block wasn't his death, but there was the issue at hand. "We think-"

"Protect her!" Aiolos commanded to the Taurus and shot forward to the House of Cancer. His eyes burned from the switch from the extreme dark to the bright sunlight. Despite the light speed and practically leaping over huge sets of stairs just to move even a few half seconds quicker, the House of Cancer felt so far away. "AIOLIA!" he screamed. "AIOLIA!" He finally reached the cracked door and saw a trail of blood inside.

He threw a ball of yellow cosmos and gasped as his body went numb. "...no…". His knuckles were practically purple from clenching his bow tightly the moment he heard the news. His aching hand twitched and dropped the heavy bow, the metal echoed with each bounce in the extremely dark House of Cancer. He grabbed the rope and practically tumbled down before he dragged himself over the blood and darkness and grabbed the cold body. "...Aiolia…no…. no…," he whispered. His fingers touched the deep cut around his brother's barely visible bloody face. "Theo… say something… anything...please don't be..." The head flopped to the side, causing the face to slowly peel off, revealing the bloody bone and muscle underneath while two lifeless orbs stared onward.

A blood-curdling scream echoed from the House of Cancer.

Mu, Aldebaran, and Athena turned to each other before Aldebaran lifted the Goddess and they immediately began to rush toward it. Aldebaran looked down at the steps and was shocked to see the hoofprint craters in the stone stairs. "Mu, you told me once that this place was supposed to handle a Gold Level Saint at peak power?"

Mu was also surprised as he passed by the damage. "Peak power, at the time they were built. My Master told me that the cosmos of Aiolos was incredibly strong, but he was always so carefree about things that he didn't care to use it at its fullest. It didn't help that due to the danger of his bow being able to pierce Gold Cloths with ease that he wasn't allowed to use it in training until very late." Mu looked down. Even if Aiolos couldn't walk, it wouldn't matter when it comes to the cosmos. "Intense emotions can really raise it even higher."

Aldebaran and Athena turned to each other concerned. "I see. We better hurry, before he does something…" before he could finish his eyes caught a glimpse of the archer and his stallion rushing back. "AIOLOS!" The Taurus shouted but his cry was ignored. "What is he doing?" he gasped as he watched the Sagittarius ride downward through the left side of the House of Gemini. He turned to his Lemurian friend who stood there stoically. "Mu! What is he doing!" he asked once more.

Mu knew, but wouldn't answer, in fear of Aldebaran going out to stop the archer. "Let's just go to the House of Cancer and see what happened there."

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

Saga sat at his desk with folded hands. He nodded, pleased that Deathmask had performed his part. "Why? Do not ask," he spat before he calmed down. "It will all make sense in the end. Trust me," he spoke with a smile on his face. He slowly walked over toward the balcony where Aphrodite and one of the Papal Guards were standing.

The Pisces Saint turned his head over toward the Saint of Gemini as he pulled off his helmet and mask and began to lean against a nearby wall outside. "I thought you still had that pile of work to complete?" he asked, surprised to see his leader taking a rare break. That was when the Gemini flashed the Tele-Pod with the Midas XIIII label on it. "Ahh, I see." Music was always a good way to deter the side of Chaos. They noticed the incredible effects of Lyra Orphee's music had on him when he would play his private concerts, but unfortunately, the Saint couldn't come every day since his main duties took precedent to simply entertaining the Pope. A few months back, a foot soldier loaned him a Tele-Pod and ever since, they haven't seen the white hair and bloodshot eyes appear.

Aphrodite watched Saga slowly nodding his head to the beat. He was thrilled that they finally found something new that worked. Unfortunately, every solution they found that worked, would become obsolete within a few months or a year. He can't imagine the music player will last forever with giving Saga the control he needed but having a nice long block without an incident was good too. Saga was the leader they needed for Sanctuary. He saw the mess that Shion left. The people have suffered because of his lack of care and if Saga doesn't act up, things are fine and better without a weak old man or a helpless baby, even if it cost them a very strong Gold Saint.

Twenty minutes had passed, and Saga pulled the earbuds out.

Aphrodite noticed that unlike the past few times, he seemed a bit sad. "Your Holiness, what's wrong?"

Saga shrugged. "Nothing." It was all he could say. He took a few steps forward and rested a hand on the balcony gate as if trying to stall for time. "I always enjoyed this view. This is one of the few points where I can see Rodario, Star Hill and all the minor municipals at the same time. He liked it too and I guess I never appreciated it until now." He turned his head towards the door before he turned back to the view. He picked up the helmet of the Pope with the mask snapped into place. He stared at his reflection. "You can only smile and play the part in an illusion for so long before you want to crawl back to reality," he muttered thinking of the words he spoke to his friend years ago in the baths after they encountered each other after the cemetery. He quietly placed the helmet on before a golden arrow slammed right between the eyepieces.

TO BE CONTINUED...