One atom.
That was the largest piece from the Cloth of Sagittarius that the Lemurian could break off. It had been days since Mu had been tasked with studying the new Cloth of Sagittarius and half of that time was spent with trying to collect even the smallest of samples.
He used every tool in his collection with nary a scratch and he dared not ask others to use techniques in fear that the amount of cosmos needed may corrupt the sample. His only venture was the one he least favored and that was returning to his Master's old workshop to see if he could find something far more precise. It was a place full of wonderful memories, and that is why he could never leave that place with dry eyes.
Mu turned his head as his baby assistant floated around, his red hair waving around, his telekinesis still in its infancy causing him and random objects to hover and spin all over the place. "Oh Kiki, if only you could have met him. A bug once shed hair in the stardust. Normally that would be enough to corrupt it, but my Master was not only skilled enough to pull it out, but he will reattach it on the insect and send it on its way," he sighed before he raised the small atom from the Sagittarius Cloth and took it over to finally be able to examine next to the large chunk he took from the Cloth of Capricorn while it is being repaired.
He floated a large ancient convex lens that was crafted by a mixture of the sands of Atlantis and mermaid tears over the atom. He was expecting that he would need to perform a deep exploration of the sub-atomic structure. But the surface alone was enough to cause the blacksmith to gasp so hard that he lost control of his telekinesis, his body psychically flinching back as if being jerked by a rope.
Baby Kiki, curiously and clumsy somersaulted toward the atom attempting to snatch it out of the air like a tiny butterfly. But as a good Master would, Mu regained his composure and immediately distracted him by grasping a vial of liquid mercury, splashing it into the air before using his telekinesis to form a squishy silvery floating bubble to lure the child to it. While the quicksilver was poisonous for humans, it was a harmless sweet treat for Lemurians, akin to a silky smooth pudding. Why Shion used to make delightful mercury lollipops until Milo got ahold of them and required several weeks of alchemic treatment just to purify his skin and bloodstream.
Mu returned back to his work, taking care to insert himself between the samples and his future and seemingly mischievous apprentice. Mu's hands twitched, gesturing back and forth between the Sagittarius atom and the Capricorn chunk. It wasn't that he was not finding results, but the opposite. No doubt about it, he will need the Pope to hold a meeting as soon as possible. "Oh Master...even though I wish you were still here. If you can see what I see, you too would find out that what you and every other Lemurian blacksmith for the past few centuries knew about the Gold Cloths have been wrong."
O|===============|O
THE NEXT DAY: HOUSE OF GEMINI
A pair of large felines rested under a ledge. A scent filled the air before their eyes shot open, glowing in the darkness. The heavy beasts charged forth toward the man, their fat and flesh rolling and stretching, a testament to thousands of years of evolution.
Centuries ago, such a sight would be seen in Sanctuary in the Colosseum, with lions desperate for even a lick of flesh from a criminal or an Asgardian prisoner to satiate their starving bellies and please the crowd.
But, while the cruel treatment of Asgardians had ceased for a long time, thanks to an ancient peace treaty between the Priestess of Odin and the Pope of Athena, as well as a shift in which those who committed the most heinous of acts were sentenced to Death Queen Island, cats both big and small were still prominent around Sanctuary.
Hera and Neptune, the Gemi-cats of the Third Guardian, Queens of the House of Gemini, slowed down just as quickly as their ancient instincts kicked in to charge toward their meal. They raise their tails and their voices to cox their servant, Saga, to lower their meals to them. After the porcelain plates tapped the stone tile, they performed a variety of purrs and cheek rubs to demonstrate to their pet human that he has pleased them greatly.
For the Third Guardian, he merely watched, taking time to stroke their fluffy fur, happy that they were still excited to see him. Ever since he returned back from the Collective, he made sure to resume his duties of taking care of them once more. He has tried to offer them for adoption due to how much time his duties had preoccupied them, but everyone wanted Hera and not Kanon's cat, Neptune. The two were sisters, and it would be too painful for them to be permanently separated especially after spending so many years together.
Saga sighed as he reached into his pocket and produced a small mirror. His dark blue eyes stared at it as if it was a photo of his younger brother. After a few seconds, he quietly slipped it back into his pocket and headed toward his private chambers.
A year ago, he would draw a large private bath with perfumes and oils every day. However, such a thing was extremely expensive, for someone like him, due to the number of resources it took to pump in as well as to clean it. As part of repenting for all the victims, most of his income was gone now, reducing his large and magnificent bathing area as nothing more than extra storage.
Instead, he now uses a simple bathtub. It was a bit more cramped, but after living for weeks using bottled water and a rag while he was in Delphi, it was paradise, and got the job done.
Besides, on the plus side, it forced him to be more resourceful when it came to desiring a more relaxing bath and allowed him to discover a locally owned public bathhouse in a nearby village. Over time, he would find himself going there merely to keep in touch with the regulars, or rather they would seek him for advice on different combinations of temperatures, oils, and soaps. He may not be able to afford a private luxury bath, but it was nice chatting with others rather than sitting alone, his hair covering his eyes and face in pathetic loneliness.
Once clean, he threw on his Cloth and grabbed a leather bag before waving a hand to open up Another Dimension to the House of Scorpio and hopped inside. Normally Sanctuary was designed to prevent teleportation within it, however, thanks to the addition of modern plumbing, various sections of stardust were drilled and removed creating holes in the barrier. After memorizing the patterns of the pipes, he now had the freedom to move up and down as he pleased, even though the exit point was always in the bath areas.
There, the Gemini moved up the stairs and headed into the Gold Saint meeting room to find everything prepared, but devoid of his neighbors.
"Is something wrong, Saint Gemini?" asked Miss Limerick, the substitute servant of Scorpio until Mrs. Schfurwatt finished training the new caretaker at Sagittarius.
Saga paused for a moment. He pulled off his gauntlet to gauze at a wristwatch in confusion before he shook it off, presented a gentleman's smile, and waving to have Another Dimension teleport his Cloth Box in his usual spot. "I must be very early. Perhaps I heard the time wrong." He purposely mused out loud as if wanting a God of War to hear his thoughts. "That's alright. I'll just focus on some business until the others arrive. Any chance there is some tea prepared?"
She nodded. "There is, but His Holiness requested that I give this to you first. I don't know its meaning," she spoke before handing him a slip of paper.
Saga opened it up. "They are coordinates." He watched her look of confusion deepen before he enlightened her. "I can teleport things, but it doesn't work where I picture it and it appears. Everyone calls me The Magician of Sanctuary, but I am certainly no genie. Therefore, to get exactly what I want, I need coordinates."
The young lady's face wrinkled her nose. "But, isn't that confusing? Sanctuary is huge!" Besides that, they don't look like normal coordinates on a map and more like notations of a chessboard.
"Not at all. Look below your feet. Each tile is half a meter in length and certain Houses have similar layouts. While on the outside of Sanctuary, I use longitude and latitude as well as a personal system of organization to dictate where to go. When I use Another Dimension in combat, the grids my enemies see are not there purely for show. But in Sanctuary, by memorizing the general layout, as long as someone doesn't move things around, I can bring anything I need as long as I remember which tile I laid it and what room." He held out his hand and opened Another Dimension to hold out a hand and allow a small leather bag and a canister appeared.
Saga opened it up to find a carefully baked spanakopita and some chamomile tea. "Mmm, making lunch for me, eh Lucas? Your gesture warms my heart. A good move...a pity that I had beaten you once more!" his deep baritone laughed thundered in the small room as he reached into his bag with a lunch prepared with TWO spanakopitas and a thermos of coffee and delicately placed it where the Pope would sit.
He was the owl after all.
O|=====================================================|O
CENTAUR 7B: BENEATH THE SURFACE
The Book of Centaur
O|=====================================================|O
REAL GOLD SAINT MEETING: HOUSE OF CAPRICORN
Shura, dressed in his trainer since his Cloth was still being repaired, guided the line of Golds down the hall. "Over here. I use this when I'm meeting the commanders of the Army of Athena," he spoke as he reached a set of double doors.
Aphrodite was the first to arrive, and despite him being a close neighbor to the Capricorn, this was the first time he's ever entered the large war room. Various maps were rolled up on one side of the room and various boards detailing each of the forts were on the other. "Wow! This is absolutely stunning!" His manicured nails reached over and tapped the thick surface of the white stone table that appeared as if it could seat over fifty soldiers at once. "Real marble? Didn't think you harbored such expensive tastes."
Shura shook his head as he stood under a five-meter tall gold-plated Athena statue. "I don't. Apparently, that table and many other things here has remained for as long as the first Holy War."
"The table looks old, but I doubt these chairs were around in the age of Heracles," replied Milo as he sat in a leather rolling chair and gave it a gentle spin, lavender locks flying all over the place.
"Well, it is not like the Captains of the Foot Soldiers have portable chairs on their backs like us. So what do you all think?"
Aldebaran grinned as he gazed upon the bright white walls and faux stained glass imagery of past Capricorns, nobly slaying the enemies of Athena. "Well, no offense Milo, while your place is good for meetings, it's quite nice to go to a place where I'm not forced to hunch down the entire time."
Milo waved a hand. "None at all, friend. You know I kind of like it better here too. It is more spacious than my own and while it is tradition to meet in the House of Scorpio and it does require a good amount of walking, perhaps we should consider making this our new-"
"-there's no alcohol," Camus interrupted as he stared at the opened fridge, cans of soda and bottled water reflecting back at his icy sober gaze.
Milo's jaw dropped. "On second thought, it is a tradition we meet in Scorpio, and perhaps we should continue that." He folded his arms but accepted a diet coke. "Why are we meeting here? Why was the summons changed at the last minute?"
"Because I didn't want Saga to come, at least not during the part where we are talking about the curse itself."
All the Golds turned their heads as Aiolos, dressed in his robes and leaning against his cane appeared, Mu and Aiolia behind him. They stood up with disciplined precision, but just as quickly, Aiolos gestured a hand to allow them to ease up before he took his seat next to Milo. "One of my fears, based on my experience from the Collective, is that Ares is watching us through whoever is cursed. So, while everyone received an invitation, Saga was the only one who didn't receive the last-minute change of venue and time."
Milo nodded. "A bluff then. Ares sees Saga merely being early at the House of Scorpio, while we discuss the curse here...and I'm assuming afterward we all join up at my House?"
"That's right," Aiolos spoke. Milo may be immature at times and a bit of a prankster, but they say some of the funniest people tend to have the highest intelligence. It's no wonder that he and Camus are together.
Aphrodite turned his head. "Not to be a downer, but what if it turns out that he, Ares, don't need Saga, but someone who has been exposed to the curse?"
The archer kept his gaze, but deep down he was a bit annoyed. It was a very reasonable fear, but it seemed like anytime Aphrodite had a chance, he would feature a bit of passive aggression by questioning his judgment in front of everyone, a trait that was not shown when Shion was alive or even if Saga was present. He felt it was the Pisces way of testing him, but sometimes he wondered when such a phase will stop and Aphrodite will just learn to trust him. After all, they all shared the same goal of defeating Ares. "That is a possibility, but I've weighed that option and felt it is best we risk it and I can inform all of you rather than send any Golds blindly into the Collective. Does that answer your question, Saint Aphrodite?" His tone was a bit firmer, but without any malice. He had to stand his ground, but he didn't want to create hostility either.
"Yes, Your Holiness."
Aiolos saw Aphrodite pause a bit, but he was unsure of what to make of it. Goddess, he wished he had Saga's keen eye for reading people. But for now, there were other things to worry about. "Good. Let's get started. We only have less than an hour before we need to set out. Save any normal business for the House of Scorpio." He turned his head and lifted his mask up, no need to hide his identity among friends. "Mu...tell them what you found."
The Lemurian nodded. "His Holiness' Cloth didn't evolve to become stronger. In fact, it didn't even change."
"But you saw what happened. Scarlet Needle couldn't penetrate it no matter how hard I concentrated!" Milo declared.*
Read: Gemini Epilogue
"I did, and that is why it further reinforced what I am about to say. The Cloth never upgraded, it is simply in its true form." The room froze into a dead silence, eyes wide at the revelation. This was to be expected, considering his own reaction when he saw it. "As we all know, the Gold Cloths are supposed to be the strongest of all made of the highest quality of metals. But one thing that has puzzled many blacksmiths is that they not only crack and break, but they never evolve beyond their base forms like the Silver and Bronze ones. If it did, it was always temporary like something was holding them back. No one has been able to figure it out because there was nothing to compare how they used to be until now."
Mu pulled out a tray with the Sagittarius and Capricorn gauntlet before passing a lens to Aldebaran. "While it is harder to tell on a Cloth that is not broken, you can still see the energy patterns radiating from the two pieces. Sagittarius glows warmly, but Capricorn is like it is on fire. Many blacksmiths thought it was normal, instead, I believe something is consistently siphoning its lifeforce." He spoke, watching the Golds passing the lens to gaze upon what he saw. "It is not enough to kill the Cloth, but it is sufficient to drop its defense and impede some of the traits that the lower Cloths have."
"Like a tick?" gawked Aiolia as he held the lens, the surface of it enhancing the details of his blue eye.
But Mu produced a pleasant expression. "Actually yes. That's the best way to describe it."
"Ewww," Aphrodite grimaced at the description.
The Lemurian shrugged. "My guess is that when Aiolos purified his Cloth, the parasitic relationship with his Cloth ended. The glow and the power we see upon it is armor that is capable of growing and reaching its true limits once more."
Milo took his headpiece and tapped it on the top of the table, causing everyone to direct their heads to him. "Mu… you're certain of this?"
"After testing it further, I would say yes, I am ninety-nine percent certain." He reached over for a small container. "Let me show you. Once I noticed the energy readings were different, I synthesize some stardust to further examine the energy signature and-"
Deathmask tapped the table with his own helmet. "Yo, I don't know if it's the lack of alcohol in Shura's house or your words, but can you explain it clearer?"
Mu gasped as he could see the perplexed looks on everyone's faces. If only he had his Master's experience in learning how to relate to humans who have never had to calculate the half-life of an isotope. "Just watch the symbols." He took a handful of a specific mixture and tossed it on his own cloth, revealing bloody smeared glyphs upon it causing the others to gasp as if they were at a murder site under a black light and not a meeting. "These symbols are used to transfer energy to someone else." He tossed the dust on the others, the red glyphs glowing so much that the white marble table reflected off a blood-red hue. "The only one that doesn't do this, is the Cloth of Sagittarius." With that, Mu dumped the rest of the dust, but the Cloth of Sagittarius shined just as bright as ever.
Aldebaran turned downwards as if he was covered in blood once more. He took his thick large hand and brushed off the dust, causing the creepy symbols to vanish once more. "It would make sense that we wouldn't be rewarded for our predecessors murdering Ares."
Camus looked up. "If the curse upon the Cloths are parasitic, does that mean the energy from our Cloths is what keeps him moving?"
Mu shrugged assuming the French man was speaking about Ares. "Highly probable."
Deathmask rolled his eyes, sick of all the scientific shit. "It's not highly probable, because there's no other way that fucker can move around like that." The Italian turned to the Pope. "You said Ares was in a form-fitting metal suit?"
Aiolos nodded. "Saga and I thought it was black shiny skin and muscle, but he was able to slide pieces in and out." He still had the moment burned into his mind despite his mind blurred by anger. He fired an arrow straight through Ares' head, but instead of crumbling down, he laughed and slid the lower half and revealed his skull, revealing the fact that he was an undead God. "I didn't think such armor could be created."
Mu looked up. "Oh, not at all. However, besides being impractical without multiple layers of armor to enhance its defense, one of the most important aspects of a Cloth is comfort. Without any gaps or slots, it would be difficult for the body to breathe in, similar to if a person was wearing a plastic trash bag."
"No need to worry about sweat, all there was, was a skeleton underneath," replied Aiolos before he returned his focus back to Deathmask. "Why did you ask?"
Deathmask, took a sip of his diet coke, before grimacing at the taste and pulling out a flask to pour some special juice into it. "Even in necromancy, you can't have a walking, talking, skeleton without a shell. If there aren't any holes, it's probably not for defense but to keep any life energies from leaking out. Kind of like a condom, eh Aiolia?" Deathmask laughed.
"What's that?" the Leo asked in confusion.
The Italian's eyes popped in mischief, lips sealed to keep his drink from shooting out. "Eh, don't worry about it. Anyways, if Ares is drawing on the Cloths, that explains why he's still moving."
"But he revealed his skull, how can he do that if his armor is this supposed shell to keep him alive?" questioned Shura refusing to repeat the juvenile analogy of the Cancer.
"Standing and talking don't require much energy especially if he has twelve teats to suck it from. Hell, if I was dead and it used my lifeforce, you bet your ass I would still show off my skull to scare the shit out of my enemies." He turned his head back to Aiolos. "You said he used Another Dimension? Did he have everything back on when he did the move?"
"He did."
The Cancer produced a slick smirk. "There you have it. After he was done fucking with Aiolos and Saga, he put everything on so he could do Another Dimension." He darted his head as a stunned expression covered everyone's face. "Yo, 'Fro! What is up with everyone?" he asked through a private mental message.
The Pisces brought his rose near his lips. "They are probably shocked that you knew as much as you did."
A snicker followed up. "What, did they think I did nothing but grab a magazine and celebrate 'palm' Sunday at my House? Fuck no, I trained and 'earned' my Cloth just like everyone else here." He replied cockily to one of the few friends he had. But deep down, the Italian was worried. While everyone would say their Cloths were like their skin, his felt weighted and heavy forcing him to compensate much of his telekinesis to holding it up instead of fighting. Maybe if it was purified he won't have to worry about it? "So, who's first in getting a badass upgrade? I'm only two temples away from the House of Libra!" he chimed, rubbing his hands eagerly.
"It's not about who gets an upgrade first. There's a lot of factors that go into the planning," spoke the Capricorn.
Aiolos turned his head. While Mu was tasked with learning more about the new upgrade, he wanted Shura to focus on brainstorming strategies since he was so busy running Sanctuary that he would not be able to give such an important task the attention it deserved. "Shura, do you want to go over your part?"
"Yes, Your Holiness." The Tenth Guardian spoke as reached over and produced three scrolls. While he kept his hands still and his gaze cool, the truth was his mind was heavy with fear. "There are only three different ways I can see all of us approach this:
Plan A: Complete the Houses behind Libra all at once and hammer the rest afterward in order. AKA PEGASUS RUN
BENEFITS: Since Sagittarius is complete and Gemini must be last, one idea is to simply finish all of the Houses behind Libra. It may prevent us from being surrounded at Libra, provide a solid amount of friendly territory, and force Ares to become predictable since it would force him to frontload his offense. It would also save us a lot of time traveling back and forth making it the quickest strategy.
CONS: We in turn become very predictable as we have no other way than forward and in order. Not only that but if the curse becomes stronger with each Cloth being purified, Leo and Taurus, two of the weakest mental guards would have to go fairly late, putting those two in big danger.
Plan B: Go in the order of who has the weakest mental guards to the strongest.
BENEFITS: No matter what, we fail if we don't have all twelve Cloths purified. If we follow the order of Saints who have the weakest mental guards will help us in the long term. Such a strategy would eventually become predictable but could shift the order a little bit to throw them off.
CONS: Very time-consuming due to running back and forth. Because of this, the safest route may run the biggest risk of us running out of time before Saga is consumed.
PLAN C: Completely Random
BENEFITS: Aside from Gemini going last, we could just go random going after both Saints with high and low mental abilities. This strategy would make us very unpredictable and difficult for Ares to counter effectively. Less time in combat with Ares would save us time.
CONS: High risk of taking the most time.
Shura passed the three scrolls to Aiolos to allow him to review them further. As he did so, he turned his head, reading the room, uncertainty enveloping everyone's faces. It was what he expected since their looks matched his own when he went about this task. It was best to keep things open. "That's all I can think of with what little we know. As you heard, the biggest influence of this is how long the actual mission will take."
Aldebaran lifted his head. "Forgive me friend, but I don't see how this is a problem. Living here in Sanctuary, we are all trained to move back and forth daily. Even the servants who lack the speed of sound can make it within a day."
"We also have six and a half years. That's longer than it takes for a Bronze-Level-Trainee to earn a Cloth. Saga's sanity was questionable back then, but if he calculated he had that long before being consumed by the curse, he's probably right," spoke Aphrodite.
They were reasonable factors. Shura knew because they were the same ones that he focused heavily on. "As I said, these strategies are based on what we know. When I talk about time, I'm not referring to traveling back and forth between Houses/Collectives down there but the time it takes to go there and leave. Shaka, do you want to tell them what you told me?"
With that, every pair of eyes shifted toward the Buddhist, but not just because Shura told them, but for the fact that all Shaka ever did in these types of meetings was sit and drink tea. Over the last ten years, it was best described that the statues would have more to say than the Virgo.
Shaka's soft wavering long locks fell and rested upon his shoulders as he shifted from his floating lotus position over his Cloth box to stand upon his feet. His eyes remained closed, but his gaze somehow met everyone else's. "Much like how water and syrup both have a different flow, the passage of time varies between dimensions, realms, and places. Some realms, like the Underworld, are so close to the same rate of the passage of time that no one realizes that time moves 6.66 seconds slower than our own. Other dimensions with different realities and possibilities, can vary so much that it might as well be another timeline. For example, there is one where Kanon is the Pope and fighting one of our own. A dimension like this moves at such a speed that it is years ahead of our current time despite the two mirroring similar events."
As Shaka strangely continued to go into greater detail, a bit of warmth filled the archer's head, as if a deeply uncomfortable feeling was burning inside, but yet he wasn't sure why. He wanted to remove his helmet to breathe better. His palms were sweaty, but he didn't want to draw attention by removing his gloves or any gear.
Why can't Shaka just shut up and forget about this other dimension?
But any hope of hiding such emotions was in vain. Aiolia, for the longest time, literally looked up to his older brother growing up. While Aiolos' temper was rare and mostly reserved for battle, the same early signs: his head slowly tilting a bit downward, his lips pushing together as if cushioning his teeth beginning to clench together, but mostly his eyes that create this piercing icy stare that combined with his arrow, form a trifecta of murderous intent… before collapsing into a black hole of sorrow. "Lucas?" He sent a private mental ping, his cosmos stretching toward him in concern.
The moment Aiolos sent it, the warm living cosmos of his brother, all negative traces vanished.
"I'm fine," Aiolos unintentionally whispered, before he straightened himself up and turned to the Virgo. "Shaka, our time is finite. Could you please, get to the point?" he stressed.
Shaka brought his hands together and bowed. "Yes, Your Holiness." He took a deep breath. Ever since Aiolos chose to dress differently, dreams began to invade his subconscious even in peaceful meditation. Now that his suspicions along with Athena's were confirmed, he resumed what he was originally going to say. "The Collective has its own set of rules for time. We know this because the Pope and his Assistant were both missing for four months, yet to them, it was perhaps an hour or so."
Aiolia stood up. "Shaka, Athena, and I were at the doorway when it opened. I could see the Collective from the outside. Everything was moving normally! I STAYED NEARLY EVERY FUCKING DAY FOR THEM TO RETURN OR THAT DOOR OPENING AGA-" suddenly, no words came out.
Shaka's hand glowed, his cosmos impeding the Leo from speaking. "Aiolia, as His Holiness wishes, we cannot waste any more time." His peaceful tone contrasted with Aiolia's silent string of swears. "But needless to say, your perspective was important, but not enough to properly judge the way time flows there."
Shura approached the Virgo, not just to take charge once more, but to give clarity to ensure everyone understood what was going on. "The Collective may connect in the House of Libra, but after talking to Shaka, it's clear that wherever it is, it's far away. Distance is normally not a problem for Gold Saints, but when it comes to this, it's obvious light speed isn't going to be much help when it comes to reaching our target. If a few minutes over there are like days up here, not only will Saga run out of time and lose to Ares, but there is a real risk of some of us literally missing the oncoming Holy War and the World of the Living being conquered by Hades." He turned back to the Pope. "So, which plan should we go with?"
Aiolos turned down at the three scrolls that were spread across the table. Normally, he would expect a greater amount of options from the Capricorn, but it was clear that he was limited on how to approach the Collective. The role of the Highest Position in Sanctuary also meant holding the greatest responsibility of everyone's lives. From what he has seen and heard, there was only one course of action. "We can't go with any of them, not yet." He ignored the slight gasps and reached for his flask, taking a good drink of whiskey before he continued. "All three of them rely on the factor of time and the amount of danger, neither of which we know a lot about. Because of that, the risk of Saga falling to the curse or the danger we face of not coming back on time are both very high in all scenarios. But at the same time, there are other factors that we can highly benefit from if we had more information. Ares used Another Dimension, I see no reason why Saga can't as well if he knew how."
Shura was impressed. He's met hundreds of times with other captains, and any other would've either left the decision up to him or picked what was there. Saga often spoke highly of Aiolos' foresight in strategy and showed that Aiolos' successful run through Sanctuary was not mere luck. Judging by the Pope's language, he could sense the direction that he wanted to go. "You wish to switch it to gathering intel?"
"I do. Eventually, we will decide on which direction to follow, but for now, let's hold them off until we receive more information. We can't guess. When I took the curse, I guessed that if Saga could handle it for years, so could I. The only good that came out of it was that miraculously nobody was killed. No more guessing. " With that, Aiolos pulled a pen out of his pocket along with a pair of scrolls that were the size of his palm and began to scribe out his official order. "We will send two Golds. Even if the reason for this is to find out more, it doesn't mean we can't progress with the purification of Cloths. Milo, you will be one of them." He saw the Scorpio lift his head as if it was the tip of his tail, ready to strike. "Your House is next to Libra making it an easy target. Every Scorpio is related. When Saga and I went through the First Scorpio seemed fairly reasonable and perhaps your connection to him can help us pry out any information that is more valuable than anything we can find in our current library. See what you can find out especially about the layout, the Gladiators, or anything that can help us."
A divided look formed over the Scorpio's face as Aiolos hand held out the scroll. He has trained all his life on the art of interrogation and if necessary, eliminating any targets the Pope deemed necessary. He's been performing it as a child and while he didn't tell the others, Shion has had him utilize his talents on a few occasions. Now the target was going to be his ancestor, while awkward, didn't seem too difficult. " Yes, Your Holiness." He bowed his head and picked the order up. "But I am not afraid to go at this alone. It may even grant me an advantage of slipping in undetected."
Aiolos shook his head in disagreement. "It's not about confidence." In fact, he agreed with him. "But a huge factor in how we approach the Collective is the passage of time. When Saga and I were down there, I was the only one purified. We don't know what happens if we tried to do more than one house. If you both come back in four months, then we know time flows normally there as it does up here. If you two come back in a shorter/longer amount of time, we will know that the amount of time it takes to move there is what affects it and we can plan….accordingly."
"Mmm, I see," mused the Scorpio. While it was not said, it was clear that if they don't come back in time, having two Gold Saints missing during Holy War wouldn't hit as hard as say four or five. "Who should be the other?"
Aiolos could see that the question was rhetorical. He knew exactly who Milo wanted to go with, and luckily their decision was mutual even if the reasons were not. "Camus," he shouted, tossing the other scroll across the table, watching the Aquarius snatch it mid-air. "You are probably the best choice for the other position. Analyze what is there. Measure and keep track of the flow of time and the distance you both travel. But most important of all," Aiolos took a deep breath. "You both will need to support each other. Being cursed..." his voice trailed.
But Camus was ready. "Unnecessary." His curt manner cutting in. "We know the location of the gateway. We curse ourselves right next to the Cloth and immediately jump inside. The curse can't cause trouble here if there is no time to do so."
Aphrodite turned to his neighbor. "That's a good idea."
Aiolos agreed. "We will still watch over you. That moment you're possessed is the hardest of all." With that, it seemed everything was set. "Chances are, you both will be gone for months. You both will have five days to get things in order at your residences and training grounds."
Milo could read between the lines. As kind as Aiolos was, it was his indirect way of telling the two to ensure they had a replacement chosen should things not go well. But that was the way. That was their life. "Yes, Your Holiness," he spoke as both he and Camus lowered their heads to accept their mission.
Aiolos raised a finger, guiding it around, an old gesture that Shion used to do as a means of addressing all of them. "Nothing said here must not leave this room to avoid reaching Saga. Instead, when we go to the House of Scorpio, We'll give the impression that we are still at least a few months away."
"Doing what?" asked Shura. "That's a long time to have no direction."
"Barrelling in to take on the Daughters of Mara in the Collective of Virgo before going to purify my brother first?"
"Really? You say that like I am some princess in a tower," Aiolia gasped.
Aiolos shrugged. "Is that not believable enough?"
A stupid look followed. "Good point," the Leo surrendered.
While others seemed ready to leave, Aldebaran was not quite ready to head out. "Do you think if Ares could hear through Saga, that it would work?" asked Aldebaran.
"I don't know." Aiolos swallowed hard. "Every time I talk to Saga on whether or not Ares has done anything, he just tells me that the God of War has been bizarrely quiet. I guess that it is because he no longer holds the cover of darkness that he once did. But that doesn't mean he may not be listening. Ares knows we know and because of that if we don't say something about going to the Collective, it is going to cause more suspicion." He squeezed his gloved fist a bit. Saga had a chance down there to end the curse that had tormented him for years and chose instead to hold on to it to save everyone else first. "Alright, most of you, go to the House of Scorpio. Make sure to stagger in to ensure it looks like we are all naturally attending our real meeting and not coming out of a different one. Camus, stay behind. We need to talk." With that, Aiolos took his helmet and used it as a gavel to dismiss the others.
While Camus' face remained stoic as the other Golds began to take their leave, deep down, he was a bit nervous since he knew it couldn't be about the mission if he was not asking Milo to stay as well. It's never a good thing when words must be exchanged outside of the presence of others, but he couldn't think of anything he's done wrong. Once they were alone, Camus stood up and made his way over to where Aiolos was at and went down on his knee. "Your Holiness, is there anything you wish to discuss?"
But just like a shift in the wind, Aiolos took his hand and waved it side to side, choosing to leave off his helmet. "No formalities." He dropped his rigid posture, slouched in his chair, crossed a leg under his robes as if he was a patron of a bar. He reached into his leather bag and pulled out several envelopes, carefully returning one that Futaba wrote to him back inside after it got mixed into the pile. He waited until the Aquarius sat next to him before starting. "It's about Hyoga. We've been writing back and forth, but before I start, could you give me some perspective on how things are going over there between you two?"
The French man examined the pile that made the Pope appear as if he was holding a fat pita. It was clear that Hyoga and Aiolos maintained a bond. In a way he envied it. "There are perhaps more words in one of those letters than there have been in all the months he had started training with me."
It wasn't exactly the way Aiolos wanted to start, but based on what he's read, it was most likely the truth. Both Camus and Hyoga were extremely introverted with a penchant for responding to conversations rather than initiating ones. Based on what he's read, when the Crystal Saint and Issak aren't there, the cabin is more silent than the barren snowy wastelands that surround the two. Perhaps it was best to start on a safer subject. "Is his training going well?"
"There's no need to ask since you should already know that answer. I could tell the moment he stepped in a sparring circle that he was trained by you. All the basics were completed in days instead of weeks, and he did a good job of helping Issak adjust. Although, I had to spend several days reteaching to undo one of your lessons."
For Aiolos, he was a bit surprised. "Oh? Which one?"
"He told me his teacher used a magnet to demonstrate how the ice cosmos works by atoms grouping together. While that is true, anyone who understands the basis of thermodynamics would know that the subatomic particles move faster when magnetized, producing heat. To reach freezing temperatures, an ice user must learn to focus their cosmos to slow down the subatomic particles, while simultaneously raising their cosmos. "
A sigh of relief followed the archer. "Oh no. That wasn't me, but Tatsumi."
Even though Camus never met him, it was a name that was ironically spoken more by Hyoga than his mother. "That brute of a butler?"
"That's him," Aiolos groaned. While Tatsumi was highly skilled in mixing drinks, capable of turning bootleg booze into something worthy of three-hundred-year wine, the butler was one of the very people on this Earth who he would consider an idiot. "He was placed in charge of training the kids for a couple of weeks when they were performing a few experiments on me."
"Experiments?"
Aiolos briefly shifted his gauze away. "To try a new metal to fix my back and could handle the stresses of Saint training. Long story short, they didn't." He wasn't disappointed back then, because he was used to the Kido scientists telling him hundreds of times that the test failed and if they tried to use it on him, it would break after a short time and kill him.
Camus drew a hand to his chin. "Not surprised. Cosmos doesn't flow well in anything that is not synthesized through alchemy or is non-organic." Curiosity satiated, he looked up. "Continue."
Aiolos, relieved to get off that subject, did so. "I wanted Tatsumi to stick with basic training, but he had other plans and really wanted to teach. He even claimed that he was using an old lesson that the Kido archeologists dug up from ancient Greece."
"Tatsumi is correct on this, but it was also during a time when everyone from the idiots to the intellectuals believed that Icarus fell because the higher he flew in the atmosphere, the hotter things became." It was for reasons like that where the training of ice cosmos was only conducted by a very select few. "With no disrespect, were there any other lessons on ice cosmos that he or you taught Hyoga, that I should be aware of?"
"No. I stuck mostly to the fundamentals that I would've taught my brother at that age." Sensing that this would resolve the debacle with Tatsumi, a more serious look covered his face. "Back to Hyoga, except for communication between you two, is there something else that he may have not mentioned to me?" He watched Camus slide his hand over his face, his long, elegant, yet calloused fingertips stretching over both sides of his temples and squeezing them both. The Aquarius was very difficult to read ninety-nine percent of the time due to his persistent stoic glare. However, like ice, the moment it melts in the slightest, it shimmers and all are aware that something has happened. "Tell me. I've worked with him for years, and I know he is capable of many great things."
Camus took a deep breath. Any other person, he would say he was busy and take his leave. But Aiolos was the Pope, and he wouldn't be able to leave this room until His Holiness was satisfied. Besides, it was a situation that was stressing him out so much that it would be beneficial to expel his frustration to someone besides Milo. "Our perceptions of the capability of Hyoga are mutual. Unfortunately, it's all being held back."
"How?"
"His mother."
"He does talk about her quite a bit in Japan. But it never held him back when he was with me."
Camus shook his head. "Because you held the benefit of lacking any geographic proximity to her. Now in Siberia, he is always going to the very ship that took her life and physically visits her."
"Physically? Like face to face!?" Three minutes earlier, Aiolos was predicting that this conversation would end up with him asking to try to warm up to Hyoga, but hearing this, it seems that there was so much more than the Cygnus Trainee was hiding. Instead, he answers what any other sane person would say, "She's been dead for at least three years. Her body-"
"-decayed? Picked clean? Dissolved?" Camus shook his head. "Even in the best circumstances, it should have, but it did not. Hyoga takes me for a naive child, thinking I don't notice all the times he would shape his pillows and blankets in the form of his body and leave in the black of night. Little did he realize all the times he would turn around, I was the shadow behind the trees. One day, I too took the descent to the ship. I have seen for myself that her body along with everyone else's that were inside the cabins was the same way, as pristine as the day they died. I even brought Milo down there, and his description of a sleeping porcelain doll is fitting. I even touched her skin, and except for her hair, everything about her seemed to have fossilized enough where whatever position she is manipulated into, she will hold. Even the roses, which I assume he would place upon her every visit, are unaffected by the environment or the winds of time."
Aiolos folded his arms. It sounded like pure fantasy, but then he realized he had seen it all before. "It sounds a lot like what happened to the past Pope when Mu and I found him in Star Hill. A large amount of stardust can do weird things to the living."
Camus gave a firm nod. "A hypothesis we both share and one I tested. A simple sample of the water and a microscope gives credit that there are significant traces of stardust. A survey of the ship itself indicated that it was carrying...or rather smuggling large quantities of stardust in various compartments." He guessed that the ship wouldn't have sunk so quickly if it wasn't as weighed down as it was.
"The ship belonged to Mitsumasa Kido. He probably used it to prevent Sanctuary or even sea pirates from taking it." Aiolos mused. 'But if Hyoga is going down there, why not just retrieve the body and have it properly buried in the ground? Perform a funeral and grant him closure? Everyone wins."
But Camus shook his head. "The option crossed my mind, but there is another factor involved. There is something...strange there." Predicting that his words alone would not be clear enough, the French man reached into his pocket to pull out a waterproof case and slide out a refined rose gold fountain pen, before sliding a spare sheet of paper. "I imagine as one with wings, you are not familiar with maritime travel," he spoke while, like a true educator, began doodling the Island of Sakhalin and properly labeling the Sea of Othotsk that was east of Russia, but North of Japan. "The ship that Hyoga's mother was on traveled on down the Oyashio sea lane."
"Oyashio sea lane?"
Camus paused his hand. "Think of a sea lane like a one-way highway on the road. It flows downwards to Japan. These currents are mostly utilized by sea life like turtles but it makes it more efficient for a ship to sail south. But when I was there, there was something odd about it. Sometimes the current flowed northward. Sometimes it traveled East."
Aiolos could believe what he was hearing. "So you're saying at certain times, the current changes? Kind of like a river suddenly reversing its flow at random?"
Immediately Camus tapped the tip of his pen. "Exactly. But not just in the opposite direction… but I've also detected swirl movements similar to whirlpools. There's just something strange going on there. It's strong too. One time when I went, it was enough to cause difficulty for me, and I suspect that perhaps it was the cause as to why the ship sank in the first place."
"It sounds very dangerous."
Camus nodded. "It is. Even I draw a pause before thinking of entering the waters there. Therefore, I told him that I forbid any travel of any kind down to that ship until a cause can be detected." He took a deep breath. "But it is highly probable that Hyoga will still attempt such ventures behind my back, even more so now that my presence is required more at my House and soon this mission to the Collective."
At that moment, the French man leaned ever so slightly, his eyes still stoic and frozen, teeth and lips pressed to hide any emotion, but the lines of his high cheeks twisting so subtly back and forth from anger to sadness until it lands on one that is a mixture of both. "Right now… right now... I'm a few clicks away from just knocking the damn ship deep into the caverns where even Saints are incapable of treading."
Aiolos could hear the cold tone in Camus' voice. Yet, despite the clear danger, the Aquarius hasn't acted but seemed to be advertising his thoughts as if hinting to him that this was his only option and he wanted more suggestions to avoid it. "You know, Tatsumi once asked me how I could get the kids at the Kido Foundation to listen to me. He said he's tried to beat them, and yet they resist more, while I'm stuck in my wheelchair and could command them to do anything. I told him that I got there by just building up a relationship with them. If you want Hyoga to listen to your warnings without needing to go farther with it, try…" he paused a bit. "...being yourself."
"Being myself?" The last time Camus was openly himself, he got Surt's sister killed. "The use of ice cosmos is not a matter that should be taken lightly. Diamond Dust, with untrained hands, is just as capable of freezing the user as is the target. That mess with comparing ice cosmos to magnetism? If Hyoga tried applying the concepts in Aurora Execution, he would spontaneously combust! There is no room for fun and games on my training ground and I will not allow anyone to die because they wanted to goof off!"
"Woah, take it easy!" Aiolos raised a hand. Camus' words were spoken with anger, yet his eyes reflected absolute terror and fear. But he knew why. Back when he and Saga were training as Pope Candidates, Shion had brought them over to Denmark so they could listen to him hold talks with Hilda, the Priestess of Asgard and Representative of Odin. It was there that he learned that the little girl killed in the avalanche that Camus caused, was the daughter of a prominent Asgardian. While he was certain that Camus only thinks that the extent of his crime was that he took a life. Little did the Aquarius know that to this day, only he, Saga, Shion, and Hilda knew how close things got to destroying the ancient peace treaty and restarting another bloody pointless Asgard-Sanctuary War. "I'm not asking you to change how you teach, but do things outside of practice and academics. Most importantly, it has to be between you and Hyoga, and not just with Crystal Saint and Isaak."
"Like?"
"How about reading? Not just academics, learning maritime routes, and history but just for entertainment. Just like your Frogs of Aristophanes Modern Book Club here. Milo has several copies of Harry Potter, just bring a couple of those. I can see Hyoga getting into that. Hell, my brother is into it and so are you."
"I'm not that into Harry Potter."
Aiolos raised a brow, lifting his red sash half an inch higher. He's had enough conversations with his brother on Saturdays to know that wasn't true. "Mmm-hmm. So when you, Milo, and my brother read that Hermonie and Ron get together at the end of the last book, you all didn't create a notebook where you rewrote the epilogue to make Hermonie marry Harry instead?"
Camus held his breath so hard that his skin turned blue, to avoid it shifting to red. "People deal with grief in different ways. Besides we didn't rewrite the ending we-" He paused, his brain cells firing so fast that nuclear fusion was nearly possible as to how to explain this. "We were creating an essay...THESIS...er...hypothesis… a thesis on a hypothesis... on the possibility about what if Hermonie married Harry instead. Now that we are adults, we prefer to craft...delve far deeper into the comprehension aspects instead of drivel like producing an opinion of whether we liked it or hated it. The only way we could properly analyze a piece of work that we spent so many years on...was to produce a physical possibility about an alternative ending. I believe we could all agree that having a physical copy of said possibility is far more productive in such discussions and there is no possible way that such an alternative ending was merely fan fiction," Camus lied.
"Oh, okay, that makes sense." This time around, Aiolos was the stoic one, even if he was smiling a bit inside. He could see why Milo enjoyed trying to crack Camus' facade, but the purpose of this conversation was not to make the Aquarius feel embarrassed but to encourage him to help one of his former trainees out. "But anyway, what do you think of starting a book club in the Siberian Training Grounds?"
Camus closed his eyes. It seemed like a softer and more productive solution than to just blow up the ship. Besides, sometimes he wondered if Hyoga bothers him because he reminded him of himself back then… the side that was a loner and had trouble finding his place in the world. "What if we start this book club, and all Hyoga tells me is that the book is good and leave it at that?"
"You mean if all that happens is just a couple of words and no conversation?" Aiolos bobbed his head a bit thinking. "It's a start. That is how he was like with me. He's one that even if you are in the same building together, he does need a lot more time than most to open up. Before you know it, he'll talk your ear off," he spoke as he pulled out and fanned his collection of letters like a geisha.
"Very well, we'll pursue that route and see how things go. Thank you, Your Holiness." Camus turned toward the door before pausing. He turned his head back to the archer. "Aiolos, just to let you know, if I appear if I am questioning your judgment, it's only because I too want the best for my students." The Aquarius turned down a bit, realizing it sounded a bit too harsh. "You're doing a good job in your position."
Camus offering an open compliment.
That alone is more precious than the Golden Fleece itself. "Thank you, but things are going well because I am surrounded by a good group of Golds, who I wouldn't trade for the life of me. I'll see you at Scorpio as soon as I get a few things ready." He waved before seeing the Aquarius bowed and disappeared in a flash of light speed. Aiolos looked back at the handful of letters and began to carefully pack them up.
His hand paused in the air, as footsteps outside the meeting room caused it to hold still. He wasn't frightened, but it was certainly odd that anyone would still be this deep in the Inner Chambers of Capricorn. But the sight of his brother's blond, straighter hair poked through any tension subsided. "What are you still doing here? Monitoring how much I knew of your Book Club's secret notebook?" But rather than any playful banter, he watched his brother narrow his eyes as if pleading him to knock it off and he had a very serious reason for being here. The archer dropped the banter. "Is there anything you need? We need to get going or else we're going to be very late."
"I know we're going to be late, but it's important." When Aiolos was cursed, part of Aiolia's mistake was that he let things slide a bit, and he dared not repeat it. "It's about earlier in the meeting today. When Shaka was talking, I was a bit worried because," he took a heavy breath. "Seriously man, you looked like Zeus bolted your ass."
Aiolos turned a bit, leaned against his own arms, wishing he had his helmet back on so he could just hide beneath the mask once more. "Truth is, I don't know why it bothered me either."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I guess Shaka was just a better storyteller than I expected." Aiolos shut his eyes. He tried to remember and recreate how he felt back then, but for some reason, he couldn't. It was like he was another man...but still himself at the same time. "Maybe I just didn't like that one part."
"Which one?"
Aiolos swallowed hard. "When Shaka started talking about Sanctuary being in ruins. There you were, possessed by Zeus, reducing the Houses that have endured countless Holy Wars to rubble. The only way to stop it all, was that you had to die," his voice cracked a bit, his head turning back and forth as if the more he denied it, the less likely it would happen. He took one final deep breath, swallowing hard and absorbing his emotions. Settled down, he threw on his helmet, lowered his mask, grabbed his cane with one hand, stood up, and placed his hand on his little brother's golden shoulder plate. "I'm better now though. Come on, we need to go before we are too late," his shaking voice whispered, the gold from the Anti-Pope's mask shining brightly.
At that moment, Aiolia leaned over and produced a crushing hug giving him all the love he could for a few seconds before letting go. "Sure. Tell you what. You would get there faster if I run up and fetch Zephyr and bring him down here. He responds better to me than the Papel Guards you sent to stay with him."
The Leo left the room before turning the corner and ascending the large steps of the House of Capricorn. While he was happy that his brother was alright, somehow he felt far more troubled than before.
Because he and nearly everyone else was there when Shaka told the whole story.
Not once did he mention anything about the ruins of Sanctuary, a possession by Zeus, or his death.
TO BE CONTINUED
O|=====================|O
Coming in October
MINI CHAPTER: THE LOST SOUL OF THE LOST WORLD 1
Several dimensions have been destroyed by his hand. Now he has nothing left, but the grief that swallowed him whole in the first place.
CENTAUR 7C
Milo and Camus are the first to enter the Collective to investigate the beautiful yet terrifying world of where Gold Saints go after the duty has ended.
Author's Notes:
The tricky part of this last book is the fact there are going to be a lot of characters and a lot more side plots. So when writing these chapters, I try to keep things focused on a few elements at a time to avoid confusion later on.
Now, I know what you're thinking: Aiolos is a brunette and paralyzed in here so why is there a mini-chapter coming up? Don't worry, it gets answered eventually. It's the same reason why I focused on Aiolia's new hair and how it seemingly mirrors his Legend of Sanctuary look (minus the lip ring). When I write it is a mini-chapter, I mean it. But because it is important, I decided to separate it since in some ways it is a flashback and in others, it is not.
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter look forward to the next two.