Seiya found himself standing alone on a deserted beach, with the roaring waves crashing around him, the turbulent weather mirroring his inner turmoil. The salty wind carried a sense of foreboding, hinting at the unexpected encounter that lay ahead of him. He found himself marooned on a deserted island, with no memory of how he'd gotten there, except for the Pegasus pendant still around his neck. Panic began to set in the moment he realized Sienna was not with him, wondering where she was, and whether not they both had managed to escape the clutches of the cyborgs. The questions pounded in his head as the storm gathered intensity and the sky darkened. The wind seemed to grow colder, violent, whispering with a sense of urgency. Suddenly everything started to shift, the water grew restless as the waves grew taller and more aggressive, crashing against the shore with unexpected ferocity. An eerie tumble, echoed across the dark sky, lighting illuminating the beach in flashes. Seiya's fury was mounting with each passing moment, and the Pegasus pedant around his neck seemed to glimmer, bathed in the same blue light he'd seen previously. Then everything around him grew in further chaos. HIs feet started moving without his conscious control to tell them too, and he found himself drawn towards the raging sea. ''Hey, what's going on!'' he shouted, fear and panic locked behind every syllable. ''I'm not doing this! Stop!'' As the storm drew on, the water's dance intensified. It seemed to rise and fall in synch with his footsteps, with the roaring thunder and the relentless downpour. The waves now monstrous in size, crashing against the shoe with such power that the ground trembled beneath Seiya's feet, as he found himself taking steps closer into the raging water.
With each step, the agitated sea beckoned him deeper, its restless waves in turmoil. Seiya found himself submerged by the waves, his head disappearing down into the depths of the darkness. Seiya's lungs burned as he fought against the suffocating absence of air, his survival instincts kicking in. With a burst of strength, he managed to break free from the clutches of relentless depths that threatened to consume him. The water now summoned him in a deafening silence, interrupted only by his harsh gasps for precious oxygen. The absence of light intensified his fear, causing his vision to blur as the saline sea stabbed at his eyes. Panic began to give way to a strange sense of resignation. The realization that escape from his watery abyss might not be possible. Yet, Seiya could not succumb to it. Not here. Not like this. Lives, deepened on him...Patricia, Sienna, and the weight of the world, how it rested heavily on his shoulders. As he sank deeper, his mind grew hazy, memories flashing before his eyes. Patrica, Sienna, even Almon...and for the second time that week, he found himself thinking about his late father. How could he let them down when he'd come so far? Their voices echoed in hid mind, urging him to preserve, to fight on, in a surge of defiance, something within him sparked, bathing the water around him in a brilliant shimmering blue light, reminiscent of the transformation he had experienced before. The same shimmering light that had appeared moments before he donned the Pegasus amor for the first time. ''I can sense the weight of your burdens, young Seiya. Do you yearn for my intervention to case this turmoil? Are you ready to finally hear me out? I sense you seek deliverance from your predicament? And I can make it all end.'' The voice, ancient and commanding, resounded in his mind once more. Just as it had in the grand mansion alongside Sienna. It was the same voice that had sent shivers down his spine, the voice that Sienna had cautioned him against engaging with. The voice that belonged to the legendary pegasus amor, the one he possessed around his neck.
Seiya struggled to stay amidst the ceaseless onslaught of the raging storm. ''My name is Zoltar,'' the voice kept on going, as though he was completely ignoring the fact the Seiya was in danger because of him. ''I've been trapped within this pendant for countless centuries, I am the embodiment of an ancient spirt, sealed away until the arrival of the next pegasus knight, destined to liberate me.''
''And you believe I am that destined knight,'' Seiya gasped incredulously.
''No, I am aware that you have been forewarned by Athena, your esteemed companion, Thus i will not entreat you for such liberation. However, I propose an alternative arrangement. I hold the power to bring this whole ordeal to an end and bestow upon your complete control over the amor...yet, in return I ask you a favor, a task that I am bound to fulfill,'' Seiya's heart pounded in his chest, torn between the allure of freedom from his struggles and the ominous uncertainty of the spirits demands. The stakes were high, the path treacherous, but the promise of liberation beckoned, shrouded in a veil of mystery. But what choice did he truly have at this moment in time? Decline and have the spirt allow him to drown? Seiya couldn't say anything because the water had covered his airways long ago at this point, but when he noticed the water levels dying down, and it became easier to breathe again, he knew the spirt understood the will he had deep inside him. It took only a few seconds for the light to break through the darkness, the storm finally dying down. The once turbulent waters began to calm, as the waves became gentler again. Seiya, was both relieved and greatful, but he could feel his muscle tense inside him. As he nearest the shore, he could see the remnants of the storm all over the sands surface. Tree branches and debris of all sorts were scattered across the beach, the sound of the waves crashing on the shore could still be heard family behind him, as pools of water dripped from all over his body. Seiya breathed a sigh of relief as he tried to reclaim the breath he'd lost, as he stepped onto the land. Looking around for any signs of light, his tired eyes targeted onto the faint outline of amor. It was the pegasus amor. However it looked different than it had appeared to him the first time.
''I can see a bright future ahead of us. Seiya,'' the voice said in a mysterious tone.
''Excuse me? But you just threatened to almost let me drown!'' Seiya retorted with frustration.
''Yes, but that was before you accepted my offer. You now have full access to the armor and I promise you great things from now on.'' Zoltar countered. Seiya narrowed his eyes. ''So, are you going to tell me what your true intentions are, or am I going to have to guess?''
''I assure you, they are pure...'' Zoltar replied smoothly. ''Now to get back to the real world, simply close your eyes.'' With that the pendant fell silent against Seiya's chest as he obeyed. Alone with his thoughts, he couldn't help but question if he had made the right decision in accepting Zoltar's help. He knew he couldn't inform sienna, but his gut told him it was the right choice to keep it from her. Nevertheless, he pushed aside his doubts and focused on the task at hand - getting to Sienna before Vander Scar could.