"I still remember that moment."
O|============|O
Epilogue: Gemini Saga, Sagittarius Aiolos
"Listen to yourself, Saga, you're cured."
The Gemini gave pause and thought back to all he could truly say. He did openly say he wanted to die and felt no resistance. Not only that, but things were truly quiet. He had been caged for so long, that he didn't realize the bars were no longer in front of his face. He sat up and gasped and darted around to ensure that this was not some crazy illusion. "It's true," he muttered in disbelief with bits of glee. "I am."
Aiolos gazed at his face. It's been a long time since he saw his Gemini friend light up like that. Too long. "You're...so happy...I'm glad…"
Saga nodded like a newborn phoenix. "But how did you do it?" he questioned. "I've spent years and you were able to figure out in a week. How did you cure me?"
That was when he felt Aiolos hand reach out, his fingers gently combing through the tresses of his dark blue hair, twirling the silky strands. It felt good, like old times where they could gaze at each other for long periods at a time.
Aiolos pulled off the mask and revealed his endearing blue eyes.
"Does it matter?" he whispers softly, following with a gentle smile, the lines along the sides of his lips revealing how habitual such a trait was for him. He helped the Gemini back up in a sitting position while still clasping his shaking hands. "I told you… give me a chance to figure out a way to beat this curse and I did!" he grinned as he stroked Gemini's long blue hair. "You didn't have to go through with that silly plan of yours."
Saga turned his head in embarrassment, his eyes a mix of happiness from his sudden cure and guilt from past transgressions. "I killed the Pope and many others afterward." He gazed at his hands. Such a simple system, hands raised up for Galaxian Explosion, hands down for Another Dimension… either technique was extremely deadly. "I know my own abilities and I was frightened by what could happen if anyone else attempted the deed, including your brother." He muttered before a set of gloves clutched his own. The Gemini turned away despite the pleasant fresh clean scent of the homemade soap that the Sagittarius and his brother would make from the zest of lemons from the tree that grew in their yard.
"That doesn't mean I want that. I've never killed another man...I've never crossed the line, and you won't be the first," he spoke as he wrapped his arms around the Gemini, to let him know he was still his friend and that he was not alone.
This was so nice. "Nothing less than death was deserved for my crimes. I needed to repent and yet I also wanted to be free," he spoke as tears dripped from his eyes as thoughts of how wonderful the world would be if he wasn't there. Aiolos was one of the few people he would dare show such a weakness.
The archer took his gloved hands and allowed the silk material to absorb each droplet while stroking his cheeks. "My friend, you are free… not through death… but with life. Treasure such a blessing. As for repenting, you have all the time in the world to find a way of doing so."
Saga shook his head afraid of a lifetime of misery gazing at his mistake. "You can't walk because of me."
Aiolos paused thoughtfully, not out of anger or sadness, but to find the best way to express his true inner feelings. He removed the tear-stained gloves. ""My friend, do not allow it to weigh you down. It has been five years. I live with it, but I also choose to move on beyond it. Believe when I say this, but I forgive you," he spoke, his warm hands clutching Saga's tightly.
The two gazed long and lovingly at each other, lost in their tiny but special world.
Saga grinned and began to mischievously whisper "Ne4 to-" but before he could the notation move, Aiolos gently laid two fingers to silence him.
"Shhh. come on… let's forget about that invisible chess game we started a week ago," the Sagittarius spoke.
Saga gave a playful nibble. "But we always finish our games and I was winning! And it is so tempting and rare to capture such a fine piece so early in the game."
The archer lightly chuckled and rolled his eyes a bit at himself for how badly he did. He couldn't see the board and he was more concerned with getting the Gemini to play along. Unfortunately, he succeeded too well on the later. Then he turned his head and came so close he could feel the Gemini's warm and quickly accelerating breath. "We have other things to take care of." He too could feel his heart quicken. He couldn't hold himself back any longer. "Now, let's go and fix Sanctuary...together." He leaned over and kissed the Gemini with a bit of eagerness after five long years of separation to show he had forgiven him.
His lips were sweet, and it was good to taste them once more. What a coincidence, they had this lovely bed next to the balcony. A night of love, under the stars. A night to rekindle their everlasting friendship that had somehow survived the obstacles that came before them.
"I'm so glad you're alive, Aiolos."
"Mmm, me too."
THE END!
O|============|O
"But that's not what happened, is it Saga?"
"No doctor, it wasn't. But it's nice, isn't it? How I wish that everything I spoke, every word I write would come true. I wish I woke up and all my problems went away. Aiolos would be healed! He could run and do cartwheels! Shion would be alive! Athena would rule! Paz wouldn't have been abandoned and she could reunite with her brother and twin! Kanon would be found! He would forgive me for Cape Sounion and if I could have a chance I would forgive him for his thoughts of trying to take over the world. Goddess, I still remember my little brother's words:
Kill him and I will replace the Gemini slot. The Zodiac remains.
Maybe everyone will forgive each other and we're all friends again! But...that's delusional, isn't it? But that doesn't make curses go away. Problems don't go away because you wish them too either.
But what if one's self was the problem?
I am the problem.
And as the problem, if I die…
The problem, therefore...goes away.
It is so logical if you think about it.
If I have the curse and I die, the curse would be gone! Afterward, Aiolos could show the world that I, the problem, to begin with, was the villain behind the mask and he would at least be a hero!"
Don't you see it? That is why I must kill myself! What exactly have I accomplished! I have failed at everything! My life is worthless, but my death would have meaning and purpose!"
"Saga, you are right. You can't wish problems away, but they also don't go away just because you die, either. How would your death bring back Shion? He is not a tree to which your remains would fertilize and help it resurrect anew.
How would your death prove to the world Aiolos is a hero?
Humans are very skeptical. I know quite well. He could summon every single person in Rodario and the Order to the square, show every speck of evidence, craft a video of the whole ordeal while having your soul scream every confession you made and there will still be many with doubts. There will still be many in the crowd who declare that Aiolos is lying to save his own skin.
Unfortunately, that is how fragile the truth can be and once it is fractured, sometimes it can be nearly impossible to show it in its perfect form.
And yes, while the past Popes had used the twins of the house of Gemini to sacrifice one and use the other to continue the order, that doesn't mean the curse will go away upon your death either.
Your death does not end the curse but merely delays it. Whether it be him or some future child, all it causes it to do is…
"Pass it on."
O|=========================================|O
Gemini: Defying Gravity
4B: This is the Song that Doesn't End
Author's Note: Bold=Red eyes/Curse mode
O|=========================================|O
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED….
The Gemini's face was as pale and as frozen as the mask of an amazon, absolutely shocked at the pair of red eyes that stared back at him. The hue was similar to when he stared at the large mirror in his room during his moods. But a reflection is merely an illusion and Aiolos here was very real.
"What did you do!?" it gasped as the words clung to his throat like dried honey. He felt Aiolos fingers continued to twirl them in his hair as if lost in that before the Gemini smacked them away. "Answer me! What the FUCK did you do!" When Aiolos eyes suddenly shifted back to blue, he felt a sense of relief. "Aiolos...what happened?"
"Athena told me to take the curse because…" that was when a horrible ringing echoed in Aiolos ear to the point that he couldn't even hear himself speak, his vision blurred and his blood felt hot.
Saga immediately recognized the look. The dagger won't allow him to say it as a form of self-preservation. He could see his friend grabbing his eyes as if trying to prevent the shift to red. So he did what Aiolos did with him long ago. He reached over and placed his hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eyes.
Aiolos took several breaths. He thinks of the words in his mind, sensing which ones would trigger the curse and which ones don't before I figured out the best way to talk to him. "I...remembered what you told me. So I mimicked the events of how you became cursed." A burst of laughter followed. "And it worked."
"You cursed yourself?" He watched the archer nod and even blurt out a disturbing chuckle. Why is he laughing? There is nothing funny about this! "You selfless bastard! How dare you steal my curse!" Saga fumed in seething anger. He wanted to be free, but not like this!
Never like this!
Never
NEVER
Like this!
"I planted bones and dead bodies in my House so people can see the madman I was! I planted the fake diary in your House so they could see the true Saint you really were! You were supposed to kill me so I could repent and you would be welcomed back as a hero! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THE HERO!" The Gemini shook his head. "Now look what you have done! You are not only cursed and you are still a traitor.
Bravo Lucas! *clap clap clap* You are officially the DUMBEST GOLD SAINT WHO EVER LIVED! THAT IS INCLUDING SAGITTARIUS GESTALT WHO SPENT HALF HIS LIFE THINKING HE WAS HALF HORSE!" He pounded his fist on the mattress so hard it caused the box with the dagger to fall out and roll across the floor.
Zephyr, the sandy stallion, turned toward the blade and neighed in fright before galloping away as fast as it could.
The reaction was not lost on the Gemini. "Do you see that? The HORSE has more common sense than you!" Saga's eyes flared as Aiolos roared with laughter before he promptly took his fist and punched the archer in the face, causing him to tumble over.
Aiolos laid there on the marble, robe pulled up revealing his brown trainer pants before he took his hand and touched his puffed cheek. "Feel better?" he mused.
But he didn't. This was the last thing he wanted to wake up to. He thought back the last words that Shaka spoke to him in his dreams.
The Gemini Cloth has been perceived to be a Cloth of Good and Evil, but the truth is that the Gemini users, to help Athena solve the mystery of the cursed Dagger, willingly accept it's poison because the dark attributes of the Gemini Cloth allow it to have the highest resistance to curses. Any other Saint who falls victim to it will succumb in months, weeks or even days. But for a Gemini, they can resist it for years and even coexist with it.
"Damn you, Shaka! You are no different than the Old Man! You too...blessed by foresight and the reading of stars! Why didn't you tell me this when I, who lack such skills, needed them the most?" he thought to himself, his hands shaking hard.
At this point, he would be transforming. His hair would turn grey and his eyes would be red with fire. He would But not this time. Instead, he was simply angry. No blackout to censor the pain that was going on before him.
His face was red but not his eyes. His sweaty hair was as blue as the sea that he lived by.
He was angry twice over and nothing happened.
He truly was cured.
God….
Fucking…
Dammit.
This was not the way he wanted it. The question is what does he do about it? He hated the unknown despite him constantly traveling through it with Another Dimension. Perhaps that was what worried him was he wasn't sure how Aiolos is truly handling it. In theory, he would imagine that Aiolos would've been like him, but his gut was telling him that there was something different.
He waited until the Sagittarius grabbed his cane nearby and pulled himself up. He supposed that one positive to observe was that Aiolos' legs were moving, albeit very weakly. It was a good sign that Shaka was probably continuing to treat the archer while he was asleep. It was clear that he needed support, but it was far better than when they finally met and his lower half was like a set of puppet limbs that needed to be manipulated. But then something strange happened.
Saga watched Aiolos become fixated out in the distance. "What is it?"
Aiolos' knowing his vision easily surpassed anyone in the Twelve Houses, reached into the pocket dimension that he kept his gold arrows and pulled out his old set of binoculars.
The Gemini snatched them in mid-flight and peered into them. At several miles, it was a stretch even for something that was improved by Mu. That was when he saw the outline of a man. "Who is that?" as he turned, a light red hue that could pass as the sun's rays shimmered over the archer's eyes.
"A simple target," he speaks with the same gaze as when life crosses his sight in the forests. Before he reached on the side and pulled out his golden bow and fired it.
And through the lens, Saga gasped. He reached his hand to attempt to divert the arrow, but as many times before, the start-up for Another Dimension could not compete with the thin and very deadly arrow. It blinked by before the man collapsed silently in the distance. Aiolos had just crossed the twelve Houses without killing anyone and yet out of nowhere just ends one as casually as swatting a fly. "Why?"
"Bored...I only left this place once…I haven't hunted in forever…" he shrugged his shoulders with eyes devoid of warmth.
The next words were things that the Gemini never would've thought he would have to ask his friend. "You just killed a man because you were bored?"
"It was...a simple target...a dummy. I merely aimed for the rope that held it in place," he spoke with a burst of twisted laughter. "Isn't it funny to fool someone into thinking another is dead?" he snapped gripping the shaft tightly, his tone darkening with every word, still deeply resentful with what happened in the House of Cancer. But, he gripped his face as if suddenly realizing how shameful it was.
Even if he was attempting to fool him, Aiolos would never have tried something so dangerous under normal circumstances. He knew there were most likely barracks near that dummy and if Aiolos was even a tiny fraction off, he could've easily blown it up or struck a real person if it ricocheted.
It was strange and sadly familiar for the Gemini. The dagger twisted such inner thoughts and as difficult as it was, Aiolos was doing his best to contain it. He won't stand a chance. He could tell. Through the gaps in the Sagittarius' gloved hands, he could see the eerie red glow permeate. Such physical effects should not be so prominent after a few days, at least not with him.
But it wasn't just how bright the effect was, but how long. The moment Aiolos eyes turned red a second time, his ears zeroed in on the ticking of a clock that despite being crafted back in the eighteenth century, due to the diligence or boredom of a now-deceased Lemurian Pope, continued to work to this day.
10 seconds
20 seconds
30 seconds
That was when there was a nondescript flicker in Aiolos pupils along with a slight flinch in his hands. "Forty-three seconds… Goddess…" he thought. This was unreal. At this point, it should've been less than ten. He couldn't allow this to last any longer. Saga took a deep breath and relaxed his hand. "Aiolos… give me the dagger…" he spoke as he offered his open palm. "...please…"
The archer turned downwards and chuckled and rolled his eyes as if it was the funniest thing in the world. "Oh, Saga… you sound….worried. Such a feeling doesn't feel good, does it? But I did it anytime you were late or weren't responding through a message through the cosmos, thinking you did something stupid like killing yourself."
Saga's mouth was agape. When the dagger sought inner desires, inner feelings showed up too. "Really?" He watched him nod. The Gemini's face saddened. "I-I didn't know. You never...showed it."
"Of course you never saw it!" the archer hissed. "I would always be happy and relieved when you appeared or replied back with something like you were in the library. But fucking hell… anytime you were late I was messaging the entire Zodiac for the last person who saw you while praying my teeth out to our Goddess!" he screamed as if the resentment was a knife that was finally pulled out from his heart, his chest heaving up and down.
The Gemini shrunk in the bed, head downwards. Aiolos was always the type to try and bring people up. Of course, he wouldn't show the pain it caused since, in his mind, it was rational to think it would make things worse. He talked to Aiolos many times because he did make him feel better, but he didn't want his pain to be the archer's pain too. "I'm sorry, I did that. I was...very sad at the time." He was still sad now. "I was numb at times. It's easy to forget those who are listening have feelings too. If I would've known you were being affected by it like that I would've never told you anything and I'm truly sorry."
Aiolos took a deep breath. "Don't say that. If you would've told me about the," his body twitched as if the dagger was holding his tongue. "I said we are friends and you can tell me anything. I mean it, too."
The Gemini closed his eyes. What the hell does he do? But then, he felt something and reached into his pocket and carefully slipped enough of it out to see it carefully folded with a vibrant sticker of Hello Kitty wearing a set of enormous headphones. "Looks like you're not going back to twine to fasten your letter, friend. But why would you craft a message when you were right here in front of me?" The Gemini thought before his eyes widened. "Unless, you wrote it before you were cursed or very soon after?" he thought as his fingers stealthily squeezed it, feeling something thick inside, recognizing the familiar weight and shape.
Saga watched Aiolos use the ledge of the balcony to move over toward the table and grabbed an unopened bottle of his non-alcoholic ouzo. He needed to read it, but he had a feeling it must be done away from those cursed red eyes. Besides, frankly, he was done pleading on hands and feet. He knew his friend and he knew his curse and he must be the one to dominate them both. "I received a bottle for my birthday a few months ago."
Why does he even try to stop drinking? "Is that so?"
The Gemini nodded. "He didn't know I was sober and I didn't want to be rude after all the trouble he had in acquiring it. It's over in the closet by my desk collecting dust, but you are free to take it." He watched Aiolos paused clearly interested. "Who's it from is what he's going to ask next," thought Saga.
"Who's it from?"
Saga's eyes flashed a subtle triumphant glare. Now he shall plant the seed of interest. "Milo of course. We both know he and his family are quite refined when it comes to what region and when the grapes are harvested when it comes to drinking and gifting ouzo." He delicately lifted the blanket to offer a laurel branch of sincerity. "Here, let me go fetch it." He spoke knowing not to mention Aiolos' struggle to walk since he was very sensitive about it. "You will offer a sincere explanation followed by No, you rest, I'll handle it," he thought.
Aiolos raised a hand, his eyes returned to blue. "Aphrodite's antidote is supposed to induce dizziness. No, you rest. I'll handle it," he spoke as he used his bow to help him move across the room. He should use his cane, but for some reason, he just couldn't let go of his weapon.
It doesn't matter, what they see or what you say, the world will never be convinced you are not a traitor.
You are weak.
You are too nice.
Gold Saints are perfect with perfect bodies. You can't hide the fact that you can't walk by riding a horse all day.
They think you are weak.
They think you are unworthy and will make you give away your precious Cloth.
These thoughts are a normal natural part of one's consciousness known as doubt. All people have them and Aiolos would normally set them aside and focus on doing what was best. But the curse was twisting them and bringing them up and center and transforming doubts into truth.
When Saga heard the voices, without him realizing it, the Cloth of Gemini protected him by distorting and allowing him to realize they were not real. The various mental barriers for its users were as elaborate as the Gemini Labyrinth itself. Sure it drove Saga crazy, but the contrast was that Aiolos' Cloth was built to fly as high as he could and kill in one shot. Thus making his mind and deadly talents very vulnerable.
He hears the voice as one that blended in with his own thoughts.
These doubts had become so great, that he listens and takes them in, the curse concealing itself as the voice of his own conscience.
"Show them you are still strong...show them you are still worthy," Aiolos muttered to himself. To move around with a bow that is not shouldered or put away is the equivalent of holding a sword out of its scabbard.
They were words that didn't go without notice to the Gemini as he patiently waited for his friend to leave before he pulled out the note, peeling the sticker away and revealing one of two tablets needed to be formally confirmed as the Grand Pope. He swallowed hard knowing immediately the Sagittarius was not giving it to him as appeasement, but as a means to prevent a cursed man from gaining ultimate power. The thought sent a shiver down his spine. Nothing would tickle the dagger more than such a position.
Saga began to read it thoroughly. They say handwriting was a window to a person's personality, and he found that quite true. When he wrote, it was often quite small, pressed hard as if always tense, and each letter was so precise and perfect that he had been told that it could pass off as if it were typed. Aiolos, on the other hand, wrote large and light as if he wielded a quill and not a ball-point pen. If he was a woman, he would suspect that the archer would add dainty hearts and smiles.
The problem was that when the archer had to keep it small, the legibility of his words was worse than reading an old manuscript in a dead language. Halfway through, he needed to pause for, despite its poor penmanship, the soul that had vanished with the red in his eyes was still there. "Aiolos… you were the friend… I never deserved," he whispered. His head darted toward the sound of the sharp tip of the golden bow hammering repeatedly into the marble tile like a reaper slamming the bottom of its scythe. He wanted to read more, but it will have to wait.
He must use his precious time to craft a masterful scheme over blushing over such sweet sentiments.
He tucks the tablet and note deep in his pocket, as his mind began to spin and search for any way he could to accomplish what he needed to do, especially the Athena part. A bit of inquiring was in order. He waited until the archer returned, surprised the bottle was already opened with a glass in hand. While he was never truly vocal about it, since becoming sober, it did bother him with how much drinking went on in Sanctuary's ranks. Why is alleviating his sadness by staring into darkness seen as madness and disturbing, yet drinking to do the same thing is celebrated and revered?
Besides, good ouzo is expensive and the shadows are far cheaper. If he must drown in sorrow, he shall do so with Sanctuary maintaining a balanced budget.
His eyes never leave the archer, or rather his hands and despite how relaxed he seemed while sipping his drink, his grip has only grown tighter, as if on edge, even though he had yet to give him a reason to do so… at least not yet. But the drink should relax him a bit, making his task much easier. "I imagine my survival has provided quite a conundrum and my boundaries are not this bed," he spoke. "Have you thought of what is to become of me now that you chose to wake me up?"
He killed Shion! The price of the betrayal is death.
Aiolos grasped his head. Why was he thinking like this? He just spent a week on whether to kill him… he can't just turn back on that. He was cursed, it wasn't his fault.
Think of Aiolia.
Think of Mu.
Point…
Aim...
"The Den of Tantalus, until a judgment is given," he muttered quickly before he leaned over, sweating hard. "Sorry, I had too much to drink…I'm not sure yet," he whispered his pathetic excuse and attempted to take back the careless sentence.
Saga knew. There was a battle. Perhaps physically, it didn't involve blowing things up or killing Specters. But within the astral planes of the mind, it can be just as chaotic. It seemed Aiolos managed to triumph on this one, but he couldn't afford to be placed in the Den of Tantalus where his cosmos will be sealed and people won't even realize he is there. Besides, until further judgment was worse than death. It could and probably meant sitting in a tiny cell until his hair was as white as when he was cursed and Aiolos clearly can't wait that long.
So, he plays it up as if it was exactly what he wanted. "A nice...dark peaceful place. It sounds appealing. I can spend time catching up on more leisure activities that I never had time. Perhaps I could even learn the piano while I am in there." he grimly spoke with a mischievous grin, noticing the slight flicker of fury in the glowing red eyes. "We could go with that punishment, but why not have fun? What about a game, instead?"
Aiolos raised a brow. "What do you mean? Are you saying play a game of chess to decide your fate?"
Saga shook his head. "I'm not talking about chess. Besides, we still have the invisible game that we must finish. By the way, Ne4 to-"
"-What type of game are you saying, Saga?" Aiolos purposely interrupted. Nothing bothered him or Saga more than leaving a chess game unfinished. He still remembered how a diplomat knocked over their board once and the two of them were frantically trying to remember where each piece went due to how close it was. He personally enjoyed the game because he can be competitive without anyone getting hurt and Saga was just….Saga. He knew what move the Gemini was going to do with his knight and was hoping the long sleep would cause him to lose track.
The archer has a deep faith in the Goddess, perhaps that will be his way out? The Gemini clasped his hands together, his voice primed as if he was about to speak up on the balcony above the universe while his face was shimmering with the glow of a virgin Maiden. "A grand game! One that involves the legend of the Pegasus Run. They say that those who are able to reach the top of here are true believers of Athena! I will make my way to the bottom of the Twelve Houses and if I can make it back to the top of here, it will prove my loyalty to Athena. If I don't make it, then may I be of proper service in the next life." As flamboyant as he was, the words were chosen carefully. He had to appeal to both Aiolos and the curse as well. "Aiolos, if you are there... Please agree to this…." the Gemini prayed from within.
It did work. The archer paused. Something was going on for he felt the burning inside of him once more. He was starting to sense a pattern within himself. Like a voice screaming to not go with it, yet a deeper…. Inner gut feeling was pushing him that this was the way to go. "Alright...one last game."
"One last...grand game," Saga emphasized, noble ham he was. The Gemini pauses when he hears a slight chuckle, but this was the first time since he woke up where it was genuine from the way he pulled his chin in a bit that made his smile spread.
"Fine, but let us establish upon some rules. I'll start. One, you can't use Another Dimension within the boundaries of the Twelve Houses," spoke Aiolos. He wasn't sure how he does it since the walls are supposed to prevent such a feat. But leave it to Saga to be the first Gemini to find a way and merrily abuse it as his own private interdimensional elevator and water park service.
It was a fair rule. But he needed it tweaked. "I use Another Dimension for more than dunking Gold Saints in their baths." He held out his palm. "How about, I can only create a portal no large than my hand."
"Less...than your hand."
"Fine, agreed," Saga spoke sensing the slight frustration in the Sagittarius. Right now Aiolos had control and he dared not lose it now. "Two, you can't make any public announcements about this beyond the Twelve Houses or our troops."
That was an easy one. "I didn't intend to. There's enough panic as is. A second rogue Gold Saint won't do us any favors. Besides, if I sent out a fugitive call, it would ruin the point of allowing the Pegasus Run to prove your faith in Athena, not that…" Aiolos paused and drew a hand to his face as he blinked a few could feel the heat in his head build and stilled his words before it could get worse. "What's our timeline?"
Saga took a silent deep breath. Honestly, he wished he could say until the sun became a red giant. When he was cursed, he would spend so much time carefully calculating and tweaking formulas on just how long he had before he would be the puppet of the curse that he so dearly feared. If what he's seen with his friend was true, Aiolos doesn't even have a year. Hell, he'll be lucky if he had half of a year.
Saga shut his blue eyes and thought diligently. It was so much easier to think and concentrate without hundreds of voices echoing in his head as well as actually getting some real sleep. "Three months... " he grimly thought. It was so pathetically short that it was a struggle not to grimace. Not long before, he was bemoaning about how he had seven years. Oh, how he wished he could take back those words, but he was so determined to die, he ignored Aiolos' reasonable offer about working together from earlier.
The Gemini took a deep breath. He can't allow the curse to know that he knew Aiolos would turn into a brainless puppet before his brother's birthday, but still, for posterity sakes, he needed to make up something believable so the curse wouldn't be too on guard when the time is close. He didn't want the curse to be in survival-mode when he did return. "Nine months." He watched Aiolos turn a bit as if in thought. "Come on, go with it Aiolos. Just do it again! I know it's hard...maybe even harder for you….please…." The Gemini prayed once more in his head.
"How do I know you won't end it all during that time?" Aiolos blurted, his eyes flashed red.
How sad that what should be an inane statement does hold water when it was about him. But he couldn't end his life when his friend was like this… at least he'll try not to do such a thing. "If it gives you peace to hear from me, then let us do this. I must make some form of contact with you every thirty days."
"You do realize, doing such a thing will disclose your location each time."
"I do. But let me worry about that. You've already done enough of that in the past."
The archer felt his body cool. He wished he had such assurances before in the past, but this was a good start. "Thank you," he whispers. "I will give you a five-minute head start before I give the alert."
It may seem short, but it was actually quite generous when one could circle the earth over forty times. The Gemini began to shift his legs, trying to get the blood flowing a bit more in them. He was still groggy, but he was certain once he started walking he will find his balance again. His eyes turned toward a small card with a heart drawn on it. He picked it up and read it.
Get well soon, Love Paz.
It was such a generic statement, but somehow it's value is treasured when it was crafted with colored wax instead of overpriced ink. "One last rule…. Nothing… absolutely nothing happens to Paz. She was with me for years and never once betrayed my curse to anyone and she won't do it for you either." He pleaded, not trying to appease Aiolos, but the curse itself.
"She's Athena's friend. She's fine." It was another easy reply. He couldn't bring himself to bring his Japanese trainees to Sanctuary and he didn't want to involve children now. He could tell the curse didn't mind her either. Paz had seemed to gain its trust… perhaps in a way that he had gained its trust long ago. He reached out and as they had many times, shook hands in agreement to solidify their promises.
Saga could sense this too, but he is still very nervous. But Paz had lived with the curse and knew how to act around it. He hoped she will stay on her guard for this one too. If only he could bring her with him, but if he failed, she will die too. At least she stood a chance here.
He takes his card and he places it with the hidden note in his pocket, feeling the tablet inside. He turned to the balcony and then back to his friend. This may be the last time he is able to speak with him in person. Perhaps he should be making his way to his planned destination, but he had to say it. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused."
"It's fine."
But Saga shook his head. "It's fine? Just like that?"
"Just like that," he spoke without any hint of hesitation.
"Just like that?" Saga repeated in confusion. "You can't walk because of me!" This time, Saga allowed his weakness to show. His tears began to fall. "You can't walk!" He then felt a gloved hand reached over, carefully collecting each bit of sorrow that fell.
Aiolos paused thoughtfully, not out of anger or sadness, but to find the best way to express his true inner feelings. He removed the tear-stained gloves. "My friend, do not allow it to weigh you down. It has been five years. I live with it, but I also choose to move on beyond it. Believe when I say this, but I forgive you for my paralysis," he spoke, his warm hands clutching Saga's tightly.
The two gazed long and lovingly at each other, lost in their tiny but special world.
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"BUT THAT STUPID STUNT WITH FAKING MY BROTHER'S DEATH…" Aiolos' eyes turned blood red as he pulled his bow and aimed it right in the center of the Gemini's chest.
"...oh shit…" the Gemini quietly cursed as he held his hands out. He had tapped the egg that Mother hen had sat upon a bit too hard. How ironic. He spent weeks trying to figure out a way to get the archer to fire an arrow at him, and now he may get his wish. He focused his cosmos, carefully sensing where his Cloth box was and quietly trying to summon his Cloth and Eternity. "Aiolos...Lucas… I did it because I needed a way to make you very angry...something that was so awful that it would be unforgivable..." Frankly, it was quite a difficult task considering he had to top the death of an old Lemurian and the attempt on a baby.
A week ago, Aiolos would be careful of such matters. He knew very well the dangers of his weapon.
Keep it shouldered unless in battle.
Gold Arrows will easily pierce Gold Cloths.
Light arrows were weaker but could ricochet.
Be careful, especially indoors.
Despite holding onto something so dangerous, he was always responsible. It was a sacred duty of every Saint of Sagittarius and one that required a great amount of patience.
"You know me too well, friend!" Aiolos hissed as his fingers squeezed the shaft even tighter. He stared into the Gemini's eyes before he gritted, twitched his aim and fired it.
Eternity and the Gemini Cloth arrived to attempt to block it, but it was far too late.
Saga drew his hands upwards to slow the arrow, but it easily pierces through each arm and into the right side of his chest, feeling the sharp burn as it blew right in one side and out the other. He was surprised Aiolos didn't go for the far easier aim for his head. He let out a grunt of pain, fairly used to the painful stabbing sensation, only for his voice to be overpowered by the high pitch of a little girl.
He turned his head and gasped as Athena was over in the corner, clutching her throat, the light arrow easily piercing right through it.
He jerked his head toward Aiolos whose red eyes were glazed at the horror of what just occurred before he leaped out of bed and rushed over while his own chest was bleeding and staining his trainer.
Despite his panic, he did a quick survey of the wound. If the arrow had pierced a bit lower in the trachea, it would be something he could fix, but the spot now made it very complicated. He placed his hands around her neck and focused his cosmos on his back fingers and thumbs to stop the hemorrhaging.
The archer's vision blurred. All around, the world seemed like an endless red haze as if everything was on fire. He gasped as he spotted the Gemini, his bloody hands wrapped around his slumping Goddess' throat. "LEAVE HER ALONE!" he shouted as he unleashed a flurry of light arrows in the room.
"Stop firing you, idiot!" Saga screamed back as Eternity, the living Illusion moved in front, using the broken Gemini Cloth to parry any arrows. "I'm trying to heal her!" He shouted back, trying to do his best to at least stop the bleeding.
"Brother!" called a familiar distant voice.
Aiolos' eyes quickly dropped from a blood-red color back to his natural blues. His face that once was brimming with rage and madness had reverted to a sad and somewhat shell shocked gaze.
Saga was quick to notice this as well but saw it in a different light. Aiolos clearly doesn't want his brother to know he has the curse and it was reflective of how quickly he shifted back.
The safe option would be to take advantage of this, by allowing the archer to continue to hide the secret.
The best option would be to take advantage of this, by allowing Aiolia to see the madness for himself and gain someone from the inside as an ally.
The Gemini turned his head toward his eyes toward the goddess as she nodded profusely, unable to speak due to her wound. It seemed like she was in on it too. No surprise since she was the reason Aiolos chose to curse himself. If this was all a part of her Athena Gambit, he could see why so many past Saints hated and dreaded when she performed one.
He picked her up and lightspeed over to the banister of the balcony. He grinned profusely as he clutched the goddess in his arms like a fine trophy in his hands as his Cloth, broken and cracked still reassembled on the haughty Gemini. He needed those red eyes back for Aiolia to see. "Our game begins, my friend. You promised me five minutes and it has only been four! I still have a minute to make my way out of here to begin my way through the Twelve Houses. Before we part ways I have one thing to say….
Ne4 to g5… I TAKE YOUR QUEEN! MWHA HA HA HA HA!" He allowed his infamous baritone laughter, the pure representation of chaos, to echo before he bunny hopped backwards off the ledge, Goddess in hand.
"SAGA, YOU BASTARD!" the fellow chess nerd screamed as his eyes returned back to red before he dragged himself toward the banister.
O|=================|O
The Gemini and the Goddess fell over the deep ravine. It was not the first time he's done this. In fact, Aiolos and himself had to practice how to leave Pope's Chambers in an emergency. The archer had it easy with his wings. However, he had the trickier prospect of counting to four and timing his Another Dimension perfectly to open right outside the teleportation barrier.
His body passed through the dimensional tear, feeling his body suddenly go from speeding to the ground before the rocky surroundings by a sea of stars. He twisted around gracefully and began to seemingly soar through space and time. His blue eyes darted toward the goddess as she gasped and the wound on her neck began to reopen. "Oh no…" he muttered before he waved his hand and quickly opened up Another Dimension to exit out of there.
The two landed in the ravine that was hundreds of feet below the Pope's Chambers. Saga gritted his teeth. He was hoping that he could teleport the two of them at least to Rodario, but it was clear that the Goddess' wound would not allow her to survive the trip. If it was this sensitive to opening up through Another Dimension, that ruled out running at light speed since that was far rougher. He took his hands, sticky and dyed from earlier, and began to reseal the wounds on her neck.
O|=================|O
"Aiolos!" the voice echoed.
The archer took his bow and a couple of Gold Arrows and fired at the door to lock it into place. "Not now!"
On the other side of the entrance, the Leo frowned a bit. He reached for the door handle and jiggled it a bit surprised. He was certain that this one didn't even have a lock. "Is something wrong?" he called out.
Aiolos gripped his hair, his eyes wide and red. "Leave me!"
The Leo sighed with worry, especially since the balcony is where the sleeping Gemini was. Not only that, but such mannerisms were not typical of the one he looked up to as a child. There was something about his voice too. It caused a sick feeling in his stomach. In fact, it was the same feeling he used to get when Saga sometimes spoke. If he was a cat, his whiskers would be twitching like mad now. He jiggled the door and noticed through a small crack a golden gleam. Did his brother lock him out, using his weapon? Why would he waste something so deadly on that? "Brother please!" He could easily break down the door at this point, but things were going so well now.
Aiolos looked around. The Goddess was gone. Saga was gone and there was blood all over the floor and traces of his yellow cosmos from all the arrows he fired all over like dangling Christmas lights.
"Give me an hour, I'll tell you later." He spoke darkly.
Aiolia removed his helmet and shifted his eyes. Goddess how he just wanted to burst right in. But his brother was to be the new Grand Pope and as he said before, he had to respect him as much. "Alright, but if this door isn't open by then, I'll make it open. Got it?"
Aiolos felt his eyes slide to a lighter shade of red. "Sure thing," he spoke as he leaned his head against his bow and waited for the heavy footsteps to fade.
That should give him enough time to clean up the mess, to keep his brother from suspecting a thing. He's given Aiolia enough trouble and torment from being labeled a traitor. His little brother didn't need this on top of everything.
Unfortunately, it will give Saga quite a bit of time. Or would it? He made his way back over to the banister and could see a bit of the royal blue hair down below along with the light lavender of his Goddess. It surprised him. Why didn't he travel that far, or even head over to the First House? He kept observing, spotting the familiar white cosmos. His guess was that he couldn't with Athena as wounded as she was.
"Athena...I'm so sorry...I...didn't mean to..." the archer muttered. "HURT YOU…" Aiolos gritted his teeth as he clenched his fist so hard around the shaft that his nails dug into his skin, causing it to bleed.
It was his fault.
"It was Saga's fault," Aiolos muttered.
He should die for what he did.
"But he wants death," the archer continued to speak to himself.
Then deny him a quick death… that is what he truly wants.
Aiolos eyes glowed as he sensed a different form of his cosmos that he had never felt. It was similar to when he summoned his light arrows. He looked down and in his hand were three arrows in his hand, one he recognized while the other two were different colors.
Try them and win the grand game.
He will. He sets them aside and spots a few white doves that often gathered in this place.
Your aim was off. You didn't kill Saga earlier.
But then, the seed, accidentally planted by his little brother during their beers from earlier rang in his head.
Kill him and Kanon will replace the Gemini slot. The Zodiac remains.
"I...don't want to kill him," he muttered weakly as if that side of him was slowly drifting away. It was a miracle he changed his direction ever so slightly to a strike that would pierce cleanly and avoid anything important. The dagger knows. It changes strategy by seeking the archer's inner guilt.
Your aim was off. You hurt Athena.
"I hurt Athena and I didn't mean to," he spoke feeling the inner heat rise once more.
You haven't hunted in a while.
How about a little target practice?
O|=================|O
So much blood.
Just like how he would wake up from his curse many times before, none of it belonged to him.
But this was different. There was no blackout. He saw it all.
Saga gingerly pulled away to examine his work. He sighed in relief as the thin layer of skin held carefully. He didn't want to do a full heal, otherwise, he could mess something up in that spot like her ability to breathe and speak, especially with how close the projectile was toward where her vocal folds were.
But this type of healing was out of his skill level. It also required someone who specialized in it unless he wanted the goddess to sound like a man. Fortunately, he knew someone who could, while still furthering his purpose.
But it was quiet right now, but quiet does not equal peace.
Quite the opposite, for the adrenaline rush had passed, and now his feelings were rising, including his resentments. Saga turned toward the Goddess, her once white virgin dress was drenched in so much blood that she could be mistaken for Eris. Her injury looked painful, but it didn't temper the boiling rage from within. "When I found that dagger eleven years ago, I had no idea what it would do. But you… you, on the other hand, knew exactly what would happen!" He shook his head slowly. "Of all the people you asked to pass it on… you could have picked someone who was going to be executed. You could've picked some sickly person or anyone who didn't have much time!" He gritted his teeth. "Oh, great Goddess of Wisdom… if I can have one answer tell me this: WHY HIM! WHY DID YOU CHOOSE HIM?" Even though she managed to hold back her tears from her painful injury, at that moment, she began to break down, her shoulders shaking.
But then she pointed toward his pocket. Saga turned downwards. He totally forgot that he didn't finish Aiolos' note and knew it was important.
His fingers touched the outside corner, the tips froze in place at the realization that it was very wet. He pulled the precious note out and gasped when it was completely soaked in blood, layered like uncooked puff pastry dough. "No…"He folded it out, and every letter was illegible, darkened from the scarlet background.
The last words of the Old Aiolos were gone.
A tiny shadow darkened a spot on the ground. Saga turned his head as bloody white feathers began to rain down on them. His eyes were not as good as his friend's but what he saw horrified him. He watched as the precious birds who were deemed sacred in Lemurian lore, were flying away and quickly popped by golden streaks of light.
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.
Those were the words that Aiolos once told him when the two of them were walking in the woods and he was teaching him how to Be a Sagittarius. His vision blurred as more bloody feathers fell as if an angel was slaughtered before him. But it was more than that.
"A monster..." he muttered. His vision suddenly began to blur, his heart was racing. His hands clutched his face as he struggled to breathe and see straight. At this point, his hair would shift to grey, his vision would revert the world into a sea of reds and fire. His mind would blank out and he would simply wake up a few minutes or hours to see the aftermath.
But that wasn't happening. His hair was blue. His eyes were blue. All he could do was witness it. "A monster…" he muttered repeatedly as his chest began to heave uncontrollably. The world he came to when he entered Sanctuary fourteen years ago was so backward before, but now it was even more so now!
Saga shook his head as his feet gave in. "This wasn't supposed to happen!?" He muttered. He was told to find redemption.
Death isn't the answer, you must find repent in a different manner.
Well now he's trying to do that, but what has it availed to?
The goddess is badly wounded. The note said to get her out, but there's no way he can carry her at lightspeed or Another Dimension without injuring her further! All Aiolos had to do was give the order and send a few Golds, finish him off, and nothing will stop the Sagittarius' path to madness.
His bloody hands were shaking, but he wasn't blanking out. How ironic. He desperately wanted to be cured, but now he wanted the curse back. At least then he didn't have to see all the failure that was before him.
Athena was covered in blood! Eternity was covered in blood, and his clothes were drenched in it.
He reached into his pocket and picked up the blood-soaked note once more. He held his breath to still his hands as he attempted to unfold it and allow it to dry out. But the paper was terribly thin. Every careful tug only caused it to rip further and further. Even then when he finally succeeded in separating a single layer, the lettering was all smeared.
Nothing symbolized the worthiness of his life more than what was in his hand.
He gritted his teeth in sadness and anger, wadding it up and throwing it as far as he could into the distance. He fell to his hands and knees. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't move up! He couldn't move forward.
He was stuck and he was a failure. He tried so hard. So very very hard! He wants to repent! He wants to atone.
But he just can't do anything right! Barely five minutes into his plan, and he was already cornered. His stomach turned and he felt like he was suffocating. Unable to stand, he crashed into the rocky surface behind him and sank. He couldn't breathe. His vision was blurring. His hands were shaking and as more bloody white feathers fell. "I was ready to die…" he muttered. "I was ready to die! Why didn't you let me die!"
"I AM A MONSTER AND NOW YOU ARE TOO! AND IT'S
ALL
MY
FAULT!"
O|===========|O
Bipolar is like being on a roller coaster ride. Sometimes you can predict drop-offs and others you have to hang on because the next turn sends you into an unexpected spiral.
You cry one moment….you laugh the other.
O|===========|O
*Ding Ding*
The blond Lemurian secretary turned downwards. "Mr. Saga of Gemini, the doctor will see you in five minutes."
Saga raised his head as he sat in his plastic chair. "What?" he muttered. "Doctor?"
The female Lemurian nodded, her long blond ponytail bobbed up and down. "Oui, il vous verra dans cinq minutes."
Saga nodded. Luckily he was fluent in French. Five minutes of waiting didn't seem too long. Out of habit, he stood up and adjusted his clean light blue trainer shirt, before twisting his leather bracers on his arms.
The Gemini turned his head back and forth. What a strange lobby. There was not only one chair, but there was only one door, the one that would lead toward the doctor. But how the hell did he get inside of here?
Well, at least he wasn't late for his appointment.
He reached over towards a large pile of magazines and plucked the first one. He examined the front cover. It may have been targeted toward women, but he needs something. Besides, the headlines seemed to appeal to him.
Cosmos-Politan
-Quiz Do you Stand a Chance with Him?
"Hmmm…. Let's see here...A...B...A...A again what's this question, What's his favorite activity… A) go to the movies... B) going to the mall…. C)going out to eat…. Hmmm… I wonder if by going out to eat, they mean sneaking in mud and trees in order to hunt porcupine liver? Eh...let's go with C. Ahh. Now my score is:
Nice try, but unfortunately he has a new girlfriend in Japan named Futaba.
The Gemini frowned with hints of jealousy in his eyes. He wondered when he'll bring her over to the Pope's Chambers so he'll be stuck kneeling at the one who got away? He passed a large breath and jerked to the next page.
-Signs and Symptoms of an Abnormal Period
"Hmmm, let's see… Sign Number One: Showing symptoms of perimenopause which include:
-hot flashes
-night sweats
-mood changes
-difficulty sleeping
-vaginal dryness
Is it bad that when I was cursed, I experienced four of the five symptoms?"
He flipped to the next page. "Oh, here we go!"
-Tips to Look Fabulous in your Trainer
The Gemini paused and turned toward the last article. "Hmmm, tip number one. Do you want that sculpted behind to get the guys swooning? Stop using Another Dimension! Every time you use this tempting technique you are cheating yourself out of a more toned butt that would drive him crazy. The next time you need to cross the Atlantic, utilize your light speed for an extra five hundred calorie burn." He nodded. "Oh, that does sound quite useful."
"Señor Saga, el doctor está listo para verlo ahora."
Luckily, Saga was learning Spanish and getting better at it with Paz. "Gracias," he replied before he set the reading material down.
The Lemurian presented him with a piece of paper. "Nceda tyikitya apha."
Luckily, Saga had a friend who knew Xhosa and he's heard of the phrase before when he had to present his passport. "Har du en penna?" he asked in Swedish.
"Grazie," she replied in Italian before handing him a pen. He turned his head at the Lemurian Secretary and decided to strike up a bit of small talk. "Has anyone ever mentioned you look exactly like Crane Yuziriha?"
She took a file and began to work on her long manicured nails. "All the time. Just like her, I don't wear a shirt or pants. Now come right inside. Dr. Krios is ready to see you now," she spoke as she pointed over to allow it to open.
The Gemini felt a bit of hesitation. Why was he going to see his doctor? He was certain he had more pressing matters going on right now. He pulled out a note with a Hello Kitty sticker on it. He tried to pull it off, but it refused to budge. "I think I need to go take care of something. What happens if I try to reschedule?"
"The floor and walls will collapse," she spoke as she pointed downwards as the crude plastic tiles began to tumble away into the dark abyss. "The foundation in this place hasn't been the best, but we noticed an uptick in wear and tear in the last five years," she spoke aloofly as the wall behind her cracked causing a framed picture of a galloping sandy stallion with a purple-haired equestrian came crashing down. "We blame the landlord."
Saga grimaced. "Is he that bad?" he whispered.
The secretary pursed her lips. "He's not bad. The new curtains are nice, but when it comes to rent," she leaned forward into a low whisper. "Every month he seems to raise the expectations higher and higher, but never follows up with the true maintenance as if he is hoping to go into foreclosure."
The door slowly opened. Saga's eyes dart to a familiar shadow, the same one he's seen every time he would come to his secret spot in the library at the Pope's Chambers where he would embrace the darkness in times of sadness. He always felt that thanks to the long robes and the dragon helmet with its large wings, his shadow would look like a tall column with an angel perched upon it. "But he couldn't be here. I kill-" he stopped in the middle of the word when the young eighteen-year-old Lemurian stepped forward.
The Gemini studied his perfectly smooth face with his vivid eyes without any hint of glaucoma anywhere in them. His green hair was quite vibrant too. It wasn't mute like old pea soup, but quite lively, thick and without stray strands as if his mane was crafted from jade itself. If he must say, he was probably one of the most handsome people he ever met. However, he wasn't attracted to him. It was strange because despite this being their first meeting, there had already been a different rapport built-in, much like how despite his mother being one of the most beautiful in Delphi, he never saw her beyond well….as his mother.
Dr. Krios smiled. "Good morning, Saga. I'm so happy you could come in on such short notice."
When one is this old, nearly everyone I know has moved on to the afterlife. We both have friends, but we still feel alone. Perhaps we could help each other so that we always knew there was someone out there for us. I will always pray that every day, I would get a chance to say hello to you, and you will be there to greet me back.
He was nervous when Shion found him lying on the tile alone in the darkness of the library that day. He thought he would tell him to just be happy. But instead, he had someone who had moments of deep sadness like him, who he could talk to and actually related back to it as if he didn't feel pity, but went through it too.
But he's dead now.
Saga's face saddened. How foolish.
His voice was just too vibrant and deep, and not soft and tender. It couldn't be him. He really needed a psychologist if he was this insane for considering the possibility despite the obvious age gap. "Good morning to you too, doctor," he replied trying to be polite. His head shifted over the doctor's well-defined shoulder. "But it's still nighttime?"
Dr. Krios turned around and sure enough, the moon was large and full. "Oh, sorry." His hand reached over and flicked the light switch that caused the celestial object to cycle away quickly and allow the sun to rise back up. "How is that?"
"Much better, thank you," the Gemini nodded accepting the event as normal as a hand wave before he walked over toward the couch and sat down. His body felt quite good and relaxed, but almost too relaxed.
The Lemurian was fairly aware of the Gemini's suspicions. He hated for their first trip to be a bit deceptive but he wanted to ease his mind first before he introduced it. "So Saga, I see you've been getting plenty of rest."
Saga shook his head and looked up and smiled. "Oh yes, I heard getting 7 to 10 days each night is needed for a healthy mind," his eyes widened as if he realized what he said made no sense. Why did he say such a thing? "Never mind."
But the doctor knew, and merely ignored what was said. He was nervous about attempting to apply a memory block without gauging the Gemini's mental barriers. But this could be a very rough session if Saga doesn't calm down. "Before we begin, I need you to fill out some paperwork," he spoke as he reached for another clipboard and pencil and passed it over.
The Gemini looked it over. "Name... " He sighed. As strange as it sounded, as a Gold Saint, it can be a pain to figure out what to put. Does he use his old name? His Greek name? Or one of ten fake aliases? Sometimes it makes him wonder what is real him at times. He took his pencil and was about to write when the tip of his pencil snapped.
Undeterred, he turned toward a pencil sharpener that was shaped like a replica of the famous statue of Athena with a small circular gap in her throat. Saga drew a hand once more to his head, as his breathing quickened. "What's going on?" he muttered again. Finally, he took his writing utensil and inserted it in when a loud ear-piercing scream of a six-year-old girl echoed in the room.
"Athena..." his eyes widened as the room shook violently. "What am I doing here? I have to get out!" He screamed as he ran to the door and tried to jerk the door open, but couldn't. He filled his fist with white cosmos and slammed it against the door only for it to repel it. How the hell could he reduce boulders into powder but couldn't even split even one grain of wood?
There was something about this room. His head lasered in on the Lemurian. Perhaps rather than go for the entrance, one needed to target the controller! He shot forward and attempted the speed of light, but his speed was that of an average human. Nevertheless, his fist aimed directly at the Lemurian's glasses only for the doctor to continue to sit there and parried it with the ease of swatting a fly.
The Gemini continued his assault! He would change hands, sides, and positions, but the Lemurian would casually switch where his clipboard was with one hand and block with the other. His legs would attempt to kick him down, but the doctor would use his telekinesis and shift the chair out of the way with as much nimbleness as his hands.
The doctor shook his head. This was what he feared where the Gemini's troubles were so great that they carried over here. "Saga, listen to me. Athena is fine for now. The overhang over the balcony will prevent any arrows from striking either of you two. Time works differently here. We need to talk..."
"Shut up! I have to get out! She's out there! He's out there! If I have to use the powers of the magnificence of the stars then so be it!" He can't fail them! He'll return to them even if he has to rip this whole crazy place apart. He raised his hands high. "GALAXIAN…" he screamed as a large ball of cosmos gathered around his hands that the room stretched wide to accommodate the space needed for its splendor. "...EXPLOSION!" he screamed as he hurled it forward.
The concentrated blast slammed into the doctor, busted wide open, and rained seemingly thousands of candy and confetti, like a glorious nuclear-powered piñata.
Saga threw his hands on his thighs, heaving in an ankle-deep pile of sweets and sparkles. He felt exhausted, yet at the same he didn't. He barely even fought. Why is he liked this? He looked up and examined the Lemurian's serene gaze. He paused and stared at it, for he swore he saw it before. It was full of patience and gentleness, but despite him trashing the room after only being in it for less than five minutes, he didn't seem bothered, but not in a way where he didn't care, but rather as if he wondered if it allowed him to calm down. He could only think of one person like this but had no respect for him, not anymore. Besides, it couldn't be him since he had killed him long ago.
Saga screamed as he charged forward.
Dr. Krios sighed. There was a reason why it's so hard to offer psychological help to a Gold Saint. He quaintly stood up, tossed the clipboard and his fake glasses to the side and charged forward. He parries Saga's blow with the grace of a swan before he grappled the Gemini, lifted him over his head and easily chucked him back across the room. Before he lands, the doctor gestures his hand, and uses his telekinesis to easily lay him back down, like a six-year-old child, who had been sparring all day with half of his body broken from training with a Sagittarius trainee and was too exhausted to return back to his bed. He quietly picked up his glasses and clipboard and approached the now stunned Gemini, his pupils have now shrunk to the size of a pair of pebbles in his wide-eyed gaze.
"What is this place?" he muttered unsure of what to do.
"That's a good question," the Lemurian spoke. He really didn't have a name for it. Inside everyone, there was a space between one's conscience and one's soul, between memories and dreams. What made this place wonderful for his work, was that it allowed him to bypass the mental barriers of the Gemini. Saints who used spiritual and mental techniques have impressive defenses that if given physical form, would appear like castles that reach the heavens. This special space was the equivalent to a hidden tunnel or even a crack that was large enough to slip through the walls. The doctor turned toward the object that was slipped into the Gemini as per his final order to his prized pupil. "Let us call it, The Room of the Golden Ball. It is a different place. The best thing I can say is that time works differently here. I know it sounds frightening, but no matter what we do, whether we stay for a few minutes or a few centuries, only ten seconds will pass in the outside world. I told you, you and the Goddess are under an overhang. Aiolos can't hit you from where you two are at."
Saga's eyes shifted. It felt strange. Everything the doctor spoke seemed too weird to be true. He felt as if he was in another reality, but at the same time, it felt familiar and comfortable. He believed him, but he doesn't understand why. Still, a bit of skepticism was in place. "Athena…" he muttered. "If only ten seconds truly pass out there, at least show me a sign that what you say is true."
The room shook and there was a gentle light that flashed so brightly that the Gemini covered his eyes briefly. He pulled his hand away and gasped at the same gigantic pencil sharpener statue of Athena. His pencil was still lodged in her throat, but this time her stoic face was now a bright grin, while the outstretched palm that would normally hold Nike was now turned into a thumb's up.
90 DAYS UNTIL AIOLOS GOES PERMANENTLY INSANE
O|========================|O
Coming about March 7
Gemini 4C: Black Parade
Saga enters his first session in the Room of the Golden Ball. However, in the outside world, he and Athena are trapped.
Author's Notes: I was able to release this chapter a little earlier. I can't tell you how weird it is to write Aiolos as evil. In your mind, it seems easy, but when you spend over 200,000 words writing him as a good guy, it is really weird and jarring.
I will say that I enjoyed writing the opening. I know many were upset that the Book of Sagittarius ended with Aiolos turning evil, so there you go. A happy alternative ending ;)
Kain, while I can't say much, you were pretty much on the mark. I'm glad you wrote all of that because this is Saga and so his chapters are a bit of a head trip. For example, in this chapter, if you want to know what it is like to be bipolar, well the sudden tone shift was done on purpose ;p.
And yes, let us all praise the Room of the Golden Ball for providing us a means of allowing Young Hot Shion to be a main character despite being… well dead.
Jenny