Lance's Role

by Thrudgelmir2333

A 'shonen' fic that sequels Next Dimension and Lost Canvas. In 1960, the Pope of Athena receives three prophecies from an old enemy that irremediably set the course of his reign over Sanctuary's tragic history and almost two decades later a Saint of Pegasus finds himself put through the unfolding of a new age of violence caused by the Pope's actions. Please enjoy and review.

13. 1A: The Aristocrats

Notable OCs up until now that I own: Pegasus Lance; Andromeda Shinta; Heracles Aguilon's Silver Saint Generation; Taurus Daniel's Gold Saint Generation; Daemon Lucifer;

Notable Original concept (until now): Pegasus Temple; Sanctuary Town; MMC; Sanctuary Forts and Outposts; Sanctuary Court & Nobility;

Recurrent/Cameo OCs belonging to Jenny DeVic: Cassiopeia Cassandra; Behemoth Torak (Toruk); Mrs. Schafurwatt;

Recurrent/Cameo concepts belonging to Jenny DeVic: 88 Knights Festival; Golden Line Heritage; The Great Bodyguard legend; The Sanctuary-sponsored orphanages; Andromeda Island's geography and tests; Golden Line Nobility;

Author Notes:

Please enjoy and review.

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"It's a strange sensation to be called King of Kings, a Pharaoh of lands beyond the Nile and Holy Father to a sanctuary of ten thousand warriors yet have to answer to serfs. I walk among the men, stare into their eyes and see their spirits renewed by the symbol of triumph that I have become, but know deep in my heart that giving them courage is not enough. If we are to walk through this snow, these trees and these mountains, they need food, water, weapons and cloaks.

And thus fate finds itself snickering at the sight of me, a crowned Emperor as they call me, having to kneel before those who fought yesterday for coin and wheat to those who fight today. Unsurprisingly, the men I have to humble myself to consist of the worst scum society could offer; war veterans and their pretentious children. The golden ring of feudalism on their fingers makes them Gods even though many of them have never seen combat or defended a peasant.

But it is they who hold the power, the wealth and the fame in Sanctuary. One cannot wage war without their smiles, even if the cause is the defense of Sanctuary itself. The day shall come, though, when the people of Sanctuary no longer need the approval of self-entitled lords and landowners to defend their families. The day shall come when all the opinion they need to know will come from 'me'."

-extract of day 82 of the Asgard Campaign journal of Pope Arles I the Conqueror and future Athenian Emperor, dated 16th of January, 1003

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One week later

Kastoria Province, Greek Macedonia

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The darkness of the evening was clouded by the gentle rain falling on the Greek soil. Situated between the Haliacmon river and the Orestiada lake, a covert Sanctuary checkpoint guarded the road to the Steiner Family's land. The small detachment of units consisted of but five guards with thin Lemurian metal plates hidden within their normal looking police uniforms. They carried traffic signals and had a small roadside booth to protect them and their bureaucracy from the rain while they used the traffic barrier to stop cars from illegally entering the land behind them.

They would normally show Greek citizens, tourists and Greek authority forces that happened to run into them a whole array of arranged papers, badges and obscure court orders and laws to explain why they had to turn back from the barrier and find a way around the enclosed land. That evening, however, they had received special instructions from the Master, since guests would be coming tonight.

The captain took out his binoculars and spotted the four-in-hand stagecoach at the distance approaching their checkpoint. He alerted his men to the occurrence, lowered the road barrier and went out to the rain to greet the arrivals.

The clopping of the horses ceased when the beasts met with the traffic obstacle and the complaining neighs were calmed by the driver's whip rod. The captain waved his hand to the man. "Good evening. I'm afraid the road his closed. You'll have to turn around. There is a bridge to the southeast you can take to go around the river."

The driver tipped his hat. "Good evening to you, too, officer. I'm afraid you'll have to let us pass. I'm carrying special cargo you'd not want to annoy. It has had already been a long enough journey." The driver, not wanting to pull out his papers in the wet weather, knocked on the wooden coach so as to signal the guard to check its insides.

The captain raised his brow, intrigued, and decided to take a peek through the stagecoach' curtained window. At first he spotted nothing. His eyes widened though, when he saw the unmistakeable golden glint of three armors and a black mask anyone in Sanctuary would recognize.

He rushed to his booth and had the barrier raised. "G-go right ahead! Enjoy the remainder of your journey, sir!" he wished.

The driver chuckled at the look on the captain's face and whipped his horses back into action, letting them march into the private land.

Inside the carriage, four silent figures sat in the comfortable seats of the vehicle, watching the rain and the trees. The land they were entering was filled with forests and rocky terrain, so much that the only proper paths were the ones carved into the ground. At the distance, the northern mountain ranges of Greece were easily spotted. Their carriage inclined upwards, indicating they were rising up terrain once more.

Pegasus Lance, now known as Cancer Lance and wearing the correspondent gold protection, folded his arms. "We're almost there, right? I feel like we've been bumping over rocks for days." The Sagittarius Gold Saint sitting in front of him next to the Pope nodded. "I still don't understand why we couldn't just super speed our way through this right into the mansion. Aren't we supposed to be able to move at the speed of light?"

The Pope chuckled. "That would be impolite, Lance. It is courtesy to let the host know you're arriving rather than just blitz straight through his front yard, even if it is the size of a horizon." he explained. "Besides, we are honorable guests at the festivity. It is traditional to keep them waiting."

"Uh...okay..." Lance looked out the window as the carriage finally climbed over the elevation and spotted the large mansion at the end of the road. "And who exactly are we honoring with our presence again and why?"

Sagittarius noticed the skepticism in his new comrade's voice. "Traditionally, Gold Saints are presented to the important members of Sanctuary's society upon their promotion. The three of us are going to be there basically to show the big shots who's guarding the Temples." he said. "I bet... that it still feels weird to you that you're even wearing that armor, right?"

The red-eyed fighter looked at his hands encompassed in gold, light metal. A whole week had already passed since he received the news of his promotion. A whole week had already passed since his bleak life was suddenly flipped over itself by the Pope's announcement that he would from then on wear the Cloth of Cancer and guard the Fourth Temple. He had gotten over the initial surreal phase and even spent a few nights in his new, empty home, but he was still getting used to the position he now occupied.

It was probably because it still made so little sense to him that the Pope would choose him as a Gold Saint candidate in the first place. Shinta was nothing but supportive, of course, barely able to keep his mouth shut about how much Lance deserved that Cloth and how happy the green-hair was for his Nissan. Lance himself, despite the Pope's words about having taken a leap of faith with the angry teen, still didn't truly believe this new situation was for real in the first place.

The fact that he was now so non-nonchalantly talking with Saga and Aiolos didn't help. Just seven days before Saga was just the mysterious man in armor who saved his life in Arcadia and now he walked among the most important warriors in Sanctuary, talking to them about normal stuff like training and the news on television almost like they weren't in charge of saving the world or anything. It was all so casual he didn't believe it.

This party was probably what he needed to cement that reality. Maybe showing up before all those suits and dresses in a ballroom, give some short speech together with the other two golden Saints, pretend to drink the champagne and laugh at the stories and jokes told around was what the punk of Sanctuary needed to feel comfortable in the shiny shoes he now wore.

"I feel like I'm being taken to a prom." he finally answered. "I still don't really understand this nobility thing, either. Isn't Sanctuary a theocracy?"

"It is." clarified Gemini Saga, who sat besides the Cancer Saint. "But you know that there are people of prominent families that form the court of Sanctuary, right?"

Lance hesitated to answer. "I know, you already told me that but... I don't really know what their deal is. Are they a different social class?"

"It's okay, Lance, I'll explain it again." offered His Holiness. "Sanctuary is ruled incontestably by Athena. In her absence, the Pope, who assists her rule as a steward, assumes her authority. Not every man should be given the absolute power Our Lady enjoys, however, as you can imagine. She makes wise choices, especially for who should be her second in command, but there have been times in Sanctuary's history when men chosen for Her throne have abused her power. One such example is Arles II, the Tyrant."

Lance's red eyes initial boredom at the history lesson brightened up with the mention of the old Pope's name. "Wait, Arles? That... is your name, too, right?"

Shion, known to the world as Arles the Third, nodded. "Yes, it is. Hopefully, I'll be given a friendlier title than my namesake by those I leave behind, ha, ha, ha!"

The young Cancer blinked. "...So what does that have to do with anything?"

Aiolos took the torch of the talk. "Well, Arles II ruled in the 14th century. He was pretty much Sanctuary's equivalent to Caligula."

Saga concurred with a nod. "Arles II's abuse of power sparked what is known as the Second Civil War. One of the terms of the rebels' victory besides Arles' dethronement was the creation of a court to which the Pope must answer to. Well, back then, the only people of prominence in Sanctuary were retired Saints and their descendents who had been offered land and wealth for their services since before the birth of Christ."

Aiolos chuckled. "It was pretty much the closest thing to a constitutional regime Sanctuary could muster. We still kept the Pope, but now he would have to answer before a court should they repeat Arles the Tyrant's abuses. The court's powers allow them to veto decisions of the Pope and rescind laws whenever the chamber reaches a high enough number of votes. Some powers require the additional support of a minimum number of Gold Saints, too."

Lance 'oh'ed. "So I guess I still have a job interview to go through with those people before I can keep this armor, huh?" This sounded like a slightly more realistic test to become a Gold Saint than just a sudden popular vote behind closed doors, not that Lance had any complaints about it in particular.

"More like a presentation." worded Saga. He waved his hand in dismissal. "I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just don't punch anyone in the face and they won't hold a trial to force the Pope to fire you."

"While I agree with Saga's confidence," interrupted Shion "I must still stress the importance of this night; I'll have lesser headaches and more funding if my Gold Saints behave themselves when around Sanctuary's aristocracy. Many of the people present at the mansion tonight are old friends and good supporters of Sanctuary. Some of them heroes of past wars."

"He must be talking about the Third Civil War of thirteen years ago. There must be veterans of it at the mansion." assumed Aiolos. "Your Holiness, why hasn't Mu come with us? He's a new Gold Saint, too."

Shion didn't answer immediately. "...Mu has...he's too young and energetic for such an environment. I was hoping to bring just the three of you, who are older, to give a more solid look to the Golden Zodiac's defenses, especially considering who the host is."

The three Gold Saints stared at the Pope, taken a bit by surprise by the answer. Their exchanging glances and the fact that the Pope now seemed distracted by something outside the window tensed the mood. While Saga and Aiolos wondered what was the Pope thinking, Lance had another doubt. "What about the host? Why is he a big deal?"

The Sagittarius Saint fiddled his fingers. "That mansion we're going to belongs to a very famous name in Sanctuary, Lance." said Aiolos. "You must not have heard of him, though. He's been retired since the end of the Third Civil War, but he's the current head of the Steiner family. The Gemini Gold Cloth... used to be owned by him."

Saga felt his Gold Saint comrades' eyes fall on him and found himself looking out the same window the Pope was to avoid their gaze. He grunted something under breath. It was not the first time he sensed the comparison between himself and his famed predecessor being made.

"Gemini Akassius Steiner." Saga announced, as if the very name was to be respected. "As head of Sanctuary's Army from 1963 to 1965 he conducted a counter revolutionary effort that levied thousands of soldiers into battle. He spearheaded several campaigns against rebels and Black Saints and was directly responsible for Sanctuary's victory in many important battles. Many in Sanctuary label him a hero."

The oldest Gold Saint blinked his red eyes once more. Though clarified, he wondered what kind of man Akassius was for Saga to talk to gallantly of him. "...Can't say I've heard of him." commented Lance. Still, the way Saga and Aiolos became so serious at the mention of this Akassius took Lance by surprise. Even if the man was Saga's retired predecessor, all three of them were Gold Saints, too. There should be no particular gap of worthiness between them, right? "Then again I can't say I really know anything about Sanctuary's history."

"Let me then tell you something about him that should impress you, then." Saga offered. "Akassius is mostly celebrated as a war hero, but he's also guaranteed to be remembered by Sanctuary dwellers for having slaughtered the most Black Saints out of anyone in history."

"What? Are you serious?!" Lance, who had spent two years fighting Black Saints and developed a distinct distaste of them for more than one reason, couldn't help but widen his eyes at this. "How many did he kill?!"

"It's not something you should preoccupy yourself with, Lance." the Pope pronounced himself. "Akassius' efforts, by his own admittance, were merely his duty as a Gold Saint and pertinent only to things of the past. There's also no cause to be nervous. Akassius is no beast. He'll treat you all with the respect and friendliness you deserve."

The stagecoach started slowing down. The four of them looked out the window and got a full display of the Steiner Mansion. They passed through the gate archway of a vine-covered iron fence that encircled the building, thus entering the large inner garden centered by a three-storied fountain surrounded by a place for parking and extensive hedge labyrinths in the far corners.

The two-storied mansion itself was not particularly large from the outside, but was quite ostentatious. It stood only as tall as the eucalyptus trees and it clearly had a heavy hand of Greek Revival style to it with the extensive use of marble pillars to support the balconies, a large, door-less central entrance to the main hall and a wide stone staircase leading up to it from the fountain area.

Several angelic marble statues took guard on top of platforms surrounding the entrance stairs and many symmetrical spots in the building. Behind the support pillars, tall, curtained windows showed bright light from the inside and dark orange brick chimneys poked out of the gray-tiled roofs.

Many people seemed to have already arrived, as several carriages were already parked inside and a myriad of couples dressed in elegant suits and beautifully decorated dresses made their way inside. Servants carrying umbrellas guided them atop the stairs while protecting them from the rain.

The Pope's carriage, marked by golden lines in the door, drew many eyes as it took its spot. The three Gold Saints inside looked out the window into the class act crowd awaiting them. Saga seemed comfortable, but Aiolos smiled a bit nervously and fidgeted fingers while Lance just stared at the sight of all the nobles and wondered at which exact instant would someone ask how 'dreadful' the weather was.

Shion saw Lance and Aiolos' discomfort. "Don't worry, they won't bite."

"Your Holiness" Lance had a bit of trouble saying this. He wasn't used to talking to Shion with respect. "I'm not sure if it was a good idea for me to come."

The Pope, however, just scoffed. "Nonsense, you'll be fine! Your infamy is more localized than you think. I doubt half of them know who Pegasus Lance was." The stagecoach door's was opened by the driver and the Pope stepped out. "Come along, you three. Don't bother with the masks, though. Hiding your identity from the court's representatives defeats the purpose of this gathering."

The teenagers reluctantly obeyed, except for Saga who confidently stepped next to the Pope, brushing his cape away so that everyone present would get a good look at him. He rose his chin high before the servants and guests present in the yard. He was stepping on the land of his predecessor and Saga would make sure all knew he did not budge with the weight on his shoulders.

A group of elegantly dressed servants rushed to the group. They all guided them towards the entrance, clearing the way amongst the other guests. As they did this, Lance felt the eyes of countless people fall on him. He was never one to care much what others thought, but he had to confess that ambient changed things a bit, especially with the Pope counting on him not to stir any trouble.

How many of those people, both nobles and servants, recognized him? How many had even heard of him and his reputation? He found himself avoiding eye contact, often looking at his own feet as he followed the Pope into the mansion from where within many more stares surely awaited.

By the entrance stood a very tall man of long black hair and hawkish eyes who seemed to await them. "Your Holiness, welcome to the Steiner Mansion." he greeted along with a deep bow of his head.

Shion recognized the man. "Fort Commander Ionia? Akassius invited you as well? What a pleasant surprise." He touched the man's shoulder so that Ionia would rise from his bow. The warrior was so tall the Pope had to look up at him. "He hasn't enslaved you as a servant of this festivity, has he?"

The proud, honorable leader shook his head. "No, Pope Arles, though I'd gladly serve the General, regardless of the task he'd have for me." he assured. "My loyalty to him is second only towards Sanctuary and Athena. Denying his invitation would be unthinkable."

Lance gulped with the sight of Ionia, who was yet to even notice the Gold Saints. He had almost completely forgotten about the overbearing fort commander of Peloponesia who tried to have Alexis enslaved to mine work and the Pegasus Saintarrested. He should have guessed a man like him would be present.

As Ionia conversed with the Pope, Aiolos noticed how Saga seemed to be doing everything in his power to pose a stalwart visage before the nearby nobles. The Sagittarius eyed the large mansion.

"Akassius' inside the building, you know? Or are you practicing the 'look' for when you meet him?" he teased, not used to seeing Saga trying so hard to impress.

Saga snorted with the rare display of sass from his rival and relaxed his tense frame in embarrassment. "I don't have to take that from someone not filling in for a war hero. The two of us are young, so we should try not to look too unsure in front of these people."

"Yeah, I see what you mean." admitted Aiolos, who lost his smile at the askance glances of some of the couples and dignitaries that walked by. "I haven't felt this judged since the orphanage, when Masters would come to pick students from the kids."

"Well, you have progressed a lot since then. We may be young, be we have both earned our Cloths. We'll show them we're worth our salt." Saga remarked. This uplifted Aiolos, who always took comfort when his rival acknowledged his worth. "You should leave the talking to me, though. I'll know what to say."

Aiolos squinted. "Huh! What's that supposed to mean?"

Saga shrugged and adjusted his metal collar. "It's important that we make a good impression, Aiolos." he reasoned, once again tensing his chest and raising his chin. "It's better to let someone more at ease with higher ups deal with the VIPs and I'm the only one who was allowed to bring my full armor, so I'll look more impressive, don't you think?"

Aiolos reached for his armored shoulders, which were missing the metallic monstrosities that were the Sagittarius Gold Cloth's wings. The Pope had told him to leave them inside the Cloth Box since the chances of them not accidentally slapping someone at the party were pretty slim. Even Lance had been forced to leave his spiky shoulder pads behind for fear of ripping eyes out whenever he turned.

Though embarrassed, Aiolos didn't relent. "I lack my wings, but not my character. Even the most superficial respect depth in others. I might get more compliments than you tonight, Saga."

Saga chuckled. "Yes, keep telling yourself that-"

"Do you two always bicker like this?!" Lance interrupted, startling the two of them.

"Y-yes, pretty much." admitted Saga, as if it wasn't a big deal.

Lance sighed. This wasn't the first time that week he had found himself standing next to Saga and Aiolos' strange trips through taunts, comments, friendly banter, normal conversation and word fights. It seemed that even in occasions where they were not allowed to spar, all they could do was compete in one way or another.

As he watched the rivals resume normal talk about the Sanctuary, though, it amazed the Cancer Saint how the two Gold Saints could act so adverse one moment and then shrug off wounded prides and keep being friends the other. Did the two youths knew each other that well? He had been told Saga and Aiolos met one another when they both got to Sanctuary, years before, and that they've been stuck together ever since, rising the ladder in conjunction and challenging each other every step of the way.

It made Lance think about how such a peculiar rivalry could work. He didn't have the social experience to really know much about such a relationship, after all. He's only ever competed with two people in his life; one had perished tragically years before and the other not only was his only friend in Sanctuary, but also stayed far ahead of him for as long as he knew. Watching Saga and Aiolos was turning out to be an interesting observation for the lonely Cancer Saint, even if it annoyed him a little bit.

Ionia noticed the Gold Saints for the first time thanks to their argument, though. He shook Saga's hand. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Lord Saga. You may not remember me, but it was I who led the operations at Arcadia, where you terminated that vicious Bennu Specter."

Saga shook his head. "I remember you. I've heard much of the reforms you made to Peloponesia since then."

"I merely put order where there was none. Any proper servant of Athena would have done the same, my lord." Ionia then turned to Sagittarius. "Saint Aiolos, a pleasure to meet you. I know of your exploits in tragedy sites where you've saved many lives with your kindness and cosmos, especially at the Haicheng Earthquake."

Aiolos scratched his head. "Oh, you're flattering me. I'm very far from being the best healer in Sanctuary. I just did the best I could."

Ionia then immediately bowed to the new Cancer Saint, whose promotion was the very cause of that festivity. "Lord Cancer, it's a pleasure to meet you!" Saga grinned and Lance widened his red eyes. Ionia had not even gotten a proper look at the youth before turning his head down to him. "I am Fort Commander Ionia, servant of Sanctuary, at your disposal!"

"Well... that's good to know." Lance said. "Hey, are you still gonna send those hunting squads after me now that I'm a Gold Saint?"

Ionia's eyes burst wide open and his body froze as he recognized the voice. Not sure he had heard right, he lifted his head to stumble upon the sight of none other than the iconic red eyes of one of the most trouble making elements the Bronze Division had memory of, one he had threatened not but a year and a half before, wearing the Gold Cloth of Cancer. "You... you're...I..."

Lance patted Ionia's shoulder. "Don't think too hard about it." he advised. "I'll just ask my Specter contacts." He pushed Ionia's dropped jaw back into place and pointed at the carriage. "Go help the driver find a better parking spot, will ya? I don't want the carriage to get wet. Don't be afraid to tow someone."

Saga covered his mouth to hide his involuntary laughter at the awestruck look on Ionia's face. The Pope wasn't so amused. He dismissed Ionia and practically pushed the three Gold Saints in front of him so they'd enter the mansion. "Okay, you've had enough fun with him. Let's go inside."

Lance happily obeyed, starting to see the perks of being at that party as the new Cancer Gold Saint. Thus, he entered the main hall of the mansion thinking that the night might not be so bad.

Meanwhile, Ionia stared at the sight of the youth accompanying the Pope inside Akassius' home, his eyes still widened with the shock of finding out the punk had become one of the top twelve warriors of Sanctuary. His fists tightened and his green eyes narrowed. "So that's how it is. No matter, he won't last a year in his post. Someone will make sure of it." he thought, sure that the corrupt dwarf Gigas would quickly find a way to get rid of the new stain in Sanctuary's ranks.

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Chapter 13

First Arc

Episode 9

The Aristocrats

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The main hall of the Steiner Mansion was a massive room fit for a ball. The large square division was floored by checkerboard marble tiles turned slightly yellowish by candled chandeliers in the ceiling and large glass windows that let the yard lights shine through and several paintings were framed between the windows and doors, depicting all sorts of scenes from simple landscapes to elegantly dressed people resting in gardens to scenes of battle either of Sanctuary soldiers or normal ones. Dual, red carpeted staircases curved towards the upper floor at the end of the room, beautiful tapestries covered floor and walls and rectangular tables filled with food and drink rested by the walls, allowing the center of the room to be used for mingling.

Said mingling was done by the dozens of people fitting inside the room, all dressed in luxury attire fit for the occasion, many of western European style. It actually surprised Lance as he entered the division that the dress code of the men seemed more inclined towards the Europe of the 18th Century than anything he would identify as Greek. The women, in turn, seemed to shift from era to era, some wearing dresses he'd see at a modern fancy passable and others looking like Marie Antoinette.

Between the dual stairs, a short space was reserved for the musicians; a small group of string instrument players including violinists, cellists, and harpists gracefully filled the room with the soft sound of classical music for ambiance. The guests attention was occasionally brought to them not for their skill or the beauty of their carefully hand carved instruments, but by the inclusion of a young, cyan-haired boy from the prestigious Sanctuary School of Music, also known as the Delphi Institute.

He played his harp in the middle of the group, his eyes shut in absolute concentration, only needing his hears and fingers to know what string to play next in order to unleash the string rendition of 'La Serenade'. So concentrated and immersed young boy Orphée was in making his room enrapturing magic his teacher had to touch his shoulder to signify the stopping of music.

He opened his eyes. "Have I done something wrong, teacher? I apologize." Orphée humbly said, realizing the importance of this test to his skill. "I have only been given this song to practice this week, but maybe Sorrento was a better choice."

His teacher, however, gestured him to shush. "You did fine, Orphée. It's the Pope that is arriving. Stand up."

Orphée sighed in relief, put down his harp and stood up with all the others. Even when he had been told he would play the background music in a festivity at the Steiner Mansion celebrating the promotion of three new Gold Saints, nothing had prepared him for the nerve wrecking experience that it was to sit amongst his seniors before all those elegant people and receive none other than the Pope in the house of one of Sanctuary's modern war heroes.

Fortunately, Orphée was easily able to abstract himself from the situation through his music. Whenever he played, it was like he entered another world, one of peace of mind. His teacher had even complimented him on his harp's ability to soothe others.

The three men that entered the room along with the Pope in resplendent armor of gold surprised him, though, not by their faces, but by their stature. The Gemini and Sagittarius Gold Saints were a good foot shorter than the Pope and the Cancer Gold Saint. He had expected mean-looking warriors with a couple of scars and famous faces, but he recognized none of them, perhaps due to the time he spent away from Sanctuary Town. Orphée calculated that was the reason he was even allowed to be there; asides from the School trusting his professionalism and his running for the Path of the Cloth, he simply did not recognize the three faces enough that he'd be able to denounce their identity.

A servant in sharp red coat and white hair wig announced their arrival. "Entering the room, Lord Saga of Gemini, Lord Lance of Cancer, Lord Aiolos of Sagittarius and His Holiness, Pope Arles III!" he shouted.

Everyone in the room quit their private mumbling and faced the four central figures of the party to greet them with applause. Shion thanked everyone and bowed his head slightly in recognition.

Lance, on the other hand, quickly felt the satisfaction he got from Ionia's face be replaced by the uncertainty that had struck him before. The sight of all those people hailing from God knew where on the globe gathered there and applauding their entrance was not something he ever prepared himself for. He wondered how much of that friendliness and courtesy came from him wearing that full body armor of solid gold.

They joined the crowd, who quickly gathered around the Pope.

"Your Holiness, so good to see you." one said.

"It's such an honor, your Holiness." another complimented.

"Oh, your Grace, do you fare well?"

"Have a seat, your Holiness."

"Your Holiness, was your journey long?"

Accustomed to the usual smothering from both the nobles and the people, Shion calmly addressed as many as he could while gently gesturing for them to be at peace. Dealing with crowds seeking a blessing or two was something he had to get used to very quickly in his first days as Pope, something he had seen his predecessor, Sage the Chess-master, do often. He glanced to his chosen Gold Saints to see how they were doing.

Saga, as expected, seemed to be the most comfortable, talking to the guests very naturally and firmly shacking a lot of hands. Like Shion thought, the Gemini was a born orator, easily capable of standing his ground before important people without breaking a sweat. Aiolos struggled more, not seemingly sure what to say but always acting very politely and with a smile on his face without giving any strong sign of nervousness. Despite their youth, Saga and Aiolos were clearly capable of dealing with the crowd.

By far the most introverted was the new Cancer Gold Saint. As he was approached and talked to, Lance seemed to hesitate the most and cast the most suspicious eyes. Shion could just see in his troubled and narrowed red eyes how uptight he felt and how wary he was of every one around them.

"Lord Cancer, congratulations on your promotion." a count from a Sanctuary province in France said. "You must feel very proud."

"Uhh, yes...absolutely." Lance muttered. He looked at the man's hand as he shook it and saw a golden ring apart from his wedding one.

"Tell me, who was your Master?" the count asked. "Whomever prepared you for such feat must be a wise teacher."

Lance hid the usual distaste he expressed for Kastiel and shook his head. He still squinted at the man. "I had no Master."

"Oh, I see. Was it then the Golden Zodiac that prepared you, like Lord Saga and Aiolos?" the count's wife asked, an attractive woman of sharp black dress and expensive jewelry.

This time, it was his nervousness around women, especially beautiful ones, that held back his tongue. "...Not really, I...am sort of self-made." he answered. "The Pope advised me to make questions too, but I have no idea what to ask these guys."

This answer of his seemed to earn him some raises of brows. "Self-made, you say?" the woman asked. "So you must be very popular in Sanctuary Town. Every one loves underdogs, after all, including me. How did you catch the Pope's eye?"

There was really only one honest answer to this. "I...beat up my would-be Master in front of him. Got his attention for two whole years thanks to that." he confessed. "After that he just kept sending me into missions to kill Black Saint scum and I was eventually voted as a candidate for this Cloth. I won by a small margin, but..." Lance struggled to keep up the talk. He broke eye contact and shifted subject to something not about him. "...So... is everyone in this room rich or something?"

The nobles encircled him, finding his words strange and awkward. "Yes, Lord Cancer, I'd say... we all have worked hard for our fortunes. The blood of Sanctuary warriors flow through our veins. We are all comrades in the Holy War for Athena, after all."

For some reason Lance was skeptical of this. He had felt no rigidness in the hands he shook, some of them being almost as soft as Shinta's, and his warrior instinct sensed nothing remotely sharp or seasoned in many of the eyes staring at him. "You are all former Saints, right?" he asked, finally finding a subject he could participate in more lively.

"Yes,... well, my family hails from one." answered the count.

"My grandfather fought in the World Wars in disguise." another commented.

"So, none of you have ever actually been in the army?" asked Lance.

The count seemed aggravated by this comment. "Lord Cancer, I assure you that me and my family have worked our whole lives in service of Sanctuary, not by the sword, maybe, but by the pen, through magistracy and entrepreneurship." he argued. "My investments have funded forges and villages that help keep the soldiers armed and fed, for example."

Lance smirked. The man was quick on the defense even though he had only commented on semantics. Had he touched a nerve? "Seems to me your war effort is merely economical, then."

"Well, yes, but,... Lord Cancer, are you finding something wrong with that?"

Tension between the crowd and the Cancer Saint began to appear. "Nothing, I appreciate the canteens and the army knifes. Don't go around claiming that you're 'one of us' like you just did, though."

The brutal honesty seemed to have an undesired effect on the people addressing Lance, who all seemed to either step away or display faces of shock.

The Pope, seeing this, interfered in the talk. "Gentlemen, ladies, if you excuse me, there is someone I'd like to introduce our new Cancer Saint to." Everyone seemed to break out of their stunned trances from this and gladly allowed the Pope to drag the awkward Gold Saint away. "Not feeling very comfortable, huh?"

Lance sighed in exasperation. "You enjoy understating things, don't you, your Holiness?"

Shion chuckled. "Ha, ha, well, not as much as you enjoy picking fights out of nowhere, Lance! Well, if you didn't get along with the normal people in Sanctuary," he phrased "it would be much for me to ask for you to get along with the aristocrats who lead them."

Lance could just taste the hidden bitterness in Shion's voice. "You're mad that I called them hypocrites, aren't you?"

The Pope's mask glanced at him. "Well...I'd prefer if you didn't bring up the fact that they are not true warriors of the army, especially when some of them actually are. The count you confronted may have inherited his title and wealth, but some people here, such as the host, have actually earned it."

"The host?"

"Yes, Akassius is a descendent of Gemini Cain, but the family fell into disgrace after the Suikyo Incident. Akassius recuperated the family's stature, wealth and lands through his participation in the Civil War of last decade."

"Ugh..." Lance groaned. "If you want me to kiss their asses why don't you just say it straightly?"

Shion halted. "Lance, just like Saga said, it will be enough if you don't make everyone in this room hate the sight of you like everyone in Sanctuary Town. I'm not asking you to like them, just don't step on their egos. You are a Gold Saint, now. You cannot afford to set a bad example for Mu, Aiolia, Aiolos and Saga."

This seemed to put Lance in perspective, who halted the answer he had prepared for the Pope midway. He recalled the voting. "I... okay, I'll watch what I say." he promised half-hardheartedly.

"Perfect!" The Pope then showed Lance a person awaiting them by the food table. "Here's who I'd like you to meet. Cancer Lance, meet Gigas, an esteemed representative of Sanctuary's court."

The man Shion talked of bowed before Lance. He was diminutive, dwarfish even, slightly aged person who possessed long blue hair that reached his back and a full beard that parted midway on his chest. He was one of the few in the room wearing a classic Greek-Roman attire consisting of a blue garment underneath a red toga. He wielded a staff in his right hand and a beige headpiece shaped like an owl's face. "Greetings, Lord Lance of Cancer."

"Greetings to you too... I guess." Lance said. He should really have studied upper class introductions a little more thoroughly. "Are you a noble as well? What is your title?" he asked, only half interested in knowing.

Gigas surprised Lance, though, by shaking his head. "I bear no title, Lord Lance. I'm merely a member of parliament, a person of privileged education who has studied Sanctuary's law and history and is therefore hired to speak for many in this room in the court. Why, I am no more of an aristocrat than you are."

"Is that so?" Lance asked, his interest renewed. He guessed that not everyone of high stature in Sanctuary was a noble. He then looked at Gigas' hand, which seemed to miss the ring he had seen on the others. "Could you give me advice in how to deal with them better?"

"Of course, where are you having trouble with them?"

"...I've... not really been connecting with them." Now it was Lance who was understating things.

Gigas shook his head in dismissal. "This is just your first time dealing with members of higher quality of society, Lord Lance." he assured. "You'll learn their mannerisms. All you really need to know in how to talk with the esteemed people in this room is to dress for the occasion, don't joke around or use vulgar words and never, ever talk about money."

This last detail interested Lance. "Why not?"

Gigas' eyes looked around the room as if to check if anyone was listening. "So you won't intimidate anyone. Don't talk about how expensive your last dinner was or how much Cancer Temple money you spent on vacation; you'll make them feel threatened." he explained. "If you have doubts in how to use your new finance... I can be of assistance. I'd be happy to give you advice in how to use the Temple's funding."

The Cancer Gold Saint blinked. He had finances now? Being a Gold Saint of Cancer was a first class position in Sanctuary, but Lance had not predicted he'd have funding to take care of. For a moment, he considered the dwarf's possibility, even though there was something about the man he didn't trust.

It was then that he saw the Pope behind Gigas discreetly shaking his head, unbeknownst to the smiling representative. Shion must have dealt with Gigas' financing before. Imagining all sorts of things regarding whatever the reason the Pope had to discourage Gigas' offer, Lance took the safe route. "I'll be fine, thank you."

Gigas didn't seem pleased. His raise of brow denoted how strange Lance's refusal was to him. "Are you sure, Saint Cancer? I have worked with many of your older comrades."

"Makes me wonder why they haven't recommended you to me, then." Lance thought to himself, though he had intended to say it out loud. He had promised the Pope he'd watch his mouth, though, so he instead changed the subject. "Did this host I've been hearing so much about invite you as well?"

Gigas tightened his fingers around his staff and tucked his toga discreetly in frustration. The Cancer Saint was quickly starting to pick up that a lot of being in that environment was about knowing how to hide how upset you were at the other person.

Gigas turned to Shion. "Actually,... your Holiness, I came to see you. I just arrived from Argentina after you sent me there to look over the 'Gift of Alone' orphanage's efforts there." Gigas then addressed the Pope in mental messaging. "As well as that 'other special recruitment request' you made".

"I knew you'd come through for me, Gigas." congratulated the Pope. "I take it that everything is going well?"

Gigas groaned and shook his head. "Pft, not at all your Holiness. The country's ravaged by communists and war. Typical of South Americans!" he commented. "The orphanage can barely work there in the midst of all the raids and kidnappings. Thank the Goddess for Saint Triangle. He made short work of all the scum."

While Shion sighed with both the trouble in Argentina and Gigas' bigotry, Lance's red eyes widened. "Wait, Saint Triangle?! He went with you?"

"Why, yes, he did. He volunteered, claiming to be-"

"Where is he now?!" Lance practically shouted. The looks he attracted and the staring of the two men he talked to made him swallow his words. "Ahem, excuse me... I'm just surprised about hearing him again. He's the Saint who recruited me for Sanctuary in Athens when I was just ten and I haven't seen or heard of him in years."

"Ah, you're of Greek blood, then!" Gigas concluded, the smile on his face revived. Gigas then seemed to look over the Cancer Gold Saint once more. "Not of Golden Line, but it's fine; it's good to see a Greek getting the Gold Cloth instead of all those foreigners. I almost lost faith that Sanctuary still respected its own heritage. As for Saint Triangle, I'm afraid we parted ways while returning to Greece."

Lance squinted. "Golden Line? What is he talking about?"

Shion, so intrigued by Lance's reaction that he looked over Gigas' comments, inquired him further. "Is something wrong, Lance? Do you need to talk to Triangle?"

Lance shook his hand in the air. "No, not at all. It's fine. I only met him for less than a week. Like I said; just surprised from hearing about him." A folding of arms was then followed by eye contact break. "So Noah's alive, huh? Wouldn't imagine it with how often he gets off the radar. I wonder what that weirdo's doing nowadays..."

"Your Holiness, before I depart, I'd like you to know I brought the boy called Albiore you spoke of from Argentina." Gigas whispered to the Pope while Cancer seemed distracted. "He's outside, waiting inside the carriage. Would you like to meet him?"

"Good job, Gigas. Send him to Sanctuary Town. I'll receive you together with him tomorrow. The poor boy must be terribly confused."

"Your Holiness, if you excuse my impertinence, what's so special about Albiore? He looks Golden Line, but his family is normal, not a single Saint in it, so much they couldn't survive the violence in that country. Why did you make a point out of going to get him?"

Before Shion answered, the ambient music went silent and attention was drawn to a sharply-dressed man on the top of the dual staircase. Another announcing servant, this one the mansion's butler, came before the audience and spoke. "Entering the room now, their esteemed graces Lord Akassius Steiner and Lady Cecilia Steiner, Duke and Duchess of Kastoria."

"Saga, Aiolos, come here." Shion quickly called to his side and Lance's. "This is a person all three of you want to meet."

The large twin doors at the end of the dual staircase were opened by the servants, allowing the couple whose arrival had silenced a whole room to enter. The Cancer Gold Saint carefully watched, amazed by the atmosphere of tension and awe created by the lack of mumbling and music which made it seem like time itself had stopped, as the two nobles revealed themselves to everyone.

Akassius Steiner, former Gold Saint of Gemini and head of Sanctuary's Army, acclaimed war hero and symbol of authority and power amongst the great figures of modern Sanctuary, looked down on the room along with his wife. He was a tall man, taller than Lance and Shion, seemingly in his late thirties, of wide, broad shoulders and black mane of relaxed front threads of hair resting on his forehead and the remaining ones raised. A powerful, tight frame of muscles hid within his blue garment and a gold headband went around his forehead beneath his black bangs, signifying his stature.

Sharp blue eyes frosted by war surveyed the guests and tight black shoes let out ominous sounds of approaching as he walked down the stairs with his wife. A large white cape similar to the ones used by Gold Saints was tightened to his shoulders by golden pins with sun engravings and a belt marked by the Gemini symbol fastened his waist.

His wife, an extraordinarily beautiful woman of tied up blonde hair, serene blue eyes and white ballgown held her opera gloved hand with his. Cecilia Steiner was a sharp contrast to her husband mostly in her expression, which transmitted a certain kindness and friendliness worthy of a host. She wore a golden necklace also engraved with the symbol of the Gemini Zodiac, diamond earrings shined in her ears and a ruby-incrusted tiara helped keep her hair tied.

Lance watched as the audience spread away from them, as if afraid of getting in their way.

Akassius cleared his throat. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Your presence is an honor." he spoke. His voice was strong and low, proper of an aged warrior of high stature. He waved his hand at Shion. "Tonight we receive our Holy Father in my home, as well as three of his most recent Gold Saints. It is the duty of every prominent and capable member of Sanctuary's society to get to know those they are protected and led by so we can properly thank them. It is my desire that this night we all feel encouraged by the birth of this new generation of Gold Saints."

It was Cecilia who then was given word. "Please enjoy yourselves in our home. There is food, there is music and, hopefully, there are dear friends of each and every one of you here. We have invited the prodigies of Sanctuary's School of Music of Delphi" her matured, elegant voice said, pointing at Orphée and his upperclassmen who humbly bowed to the lady "to showcase their extraordinary talents and art and to raise funds for their prestigious, but under-grown, establishment. Welcome to the Steiner home."

A soft round of applause was received from the guests, including from the musicians and the Pope. The couple calmly lowered their heads in gratitude and waited for the mingling and mumbling to resume in the room before joining the crowd.

Fort Commander Ionia, who had in the meantime joined the festivity, intercepted the couple. One of the few men in the room taller than Akassius, he politely greeted the couple and then addressed the host while occasionally glancing at the three new coming Gold Saints.

Saga and Lance, who watched this, both took their conclusions about whatever Ionia was telling Akassius. "How badly do you think Ionia's speaking of you?" asked the Gemini Saint.

Lance scoffed. "Probably talking about how I 'humiliated half the army', including himself."

Aiolos, on the other hand, seemed more concerned about Akassius. "He's quite the guy. Silenced the whole room just by arriving."

"That is perfectly normal, Aiolos!" Saga mocked. "He's the host and everyone expected a speech from him..." Saga then bit his lower lip. "Still, I have to admit I can't help but sense a certain aura about him..."

Aiolos smirked and raised his eyebrow. "Wow, Saga, are you actually feeling intimidated? Man, Aiolia is not going to believe this! You are so on your toes tonight."

Saga glanced at his rival and had half a mind of snarling back, but Lance's death stare advised him not to. Still, the Cancer Gold Saint also could not help but get a strange feeling about the retired Gemini.

After dismissing Ionia, to no surprise to the Cancer Saint, the couple walked straight towards them. Shion was the first to greet them by shaking the host's hand. "Akassius, my boy, so good to see you again. Lady Cecilia, you are more beautiful than ever today. Your reception is as touching as always."

The Cancer, Sagittarius and Gemini Gold Saints immediately felt Akassius blue eyes look them over. The sheer stoic judgment in them was enough to make Aiolos gulp against his will and beads of sweat run down Lance's temples. It was as if whatever history of heroism and war the man bore on his back weighed now down on them through his gaze. The red-eyed youth's warrior instinct practically screamed at him to take this man seriously. He tried to use his amateurish 7th sense to look over his power level, but Lance only sensed a strange blocking.

"It must be possible to hide your cosmos, even from a 7th sense." he concluded, being new to this ability. "Even though I can't tell how strong he is, I still can't shake the feeling, though, that its like I'm staring at a hidden monster."

"Your Holiness, you flatter us!" Cecilia complained with a chuckle. "We merely prepared ourselves for your presence. It is not every day that one receives the Holy Father of Sanctuary, the man chosen by Our Lady Athena, in one's home."

Akassius, too, excused himself. "My love is right, your Holiness. There is no need for such compliments."

Gigas, who felt left out of the dynamic, immediately intruded himself, much to Akassius' distaste. He bowed his head, gently took the lady's hand and kissed the ring on it. "Lord Akassius, Lady Cecilia, it's an honor! Minister Gigas, at your disposal."

Cancer Lance was then surprised to have detected a look of annoyed contempt from both husband and wife when the dwarf bowed. "Yes, I know of you, Minister." said Akassius. "Your work in the Greek and Italian counties as well as in the court is impressive. My old comrades and fellow men have spoken much about it to me."

"Thank you, Lord Akassius, I-"

Akassius' blue eyes narrowed like daggers. "I merely wished it had not come at the cost of so many dispossessed families, farmers and... foreigners."

The short man widened his eyes in shock at the sudden shift of mood. "L-lord Akassius?"

"I don't remember either me or my wife signing an invitation to you, Minister. If you are done with his Holiness, then I must ask you to leave the premises of my property." The three Gold Saints then watched in shock at the sight of the politician backing away in fear from the combined stare of Akassius' disgust and Cecilia's contempt. The fake smile on the woman's face even made her almost as scary as her husband. "It is not... fair to the other guests, you see?"

The beads of sweat drenching Gigas' head shined visibly with the ballroom's lights. There was a barely concealed gritting of teeth and a 'this isn't over' look from his part, but the Minister eventually excused him and departed.

The Pope shook his head in disapproval. The host didn't seem particularly bothered by this. Shion tried to change subject. "Akassius, I've heard both your sons have joined the army. Hum...What was their names? Galarian and Marco?"

"Only Marco's joined the army, your Holiness" clarified Cecilia. "Galarian, or Galan as he likes to be called, is training in Bulgaria on his own because he plans to run for a high-ranking Cloth. Our youngest, Marco, is, hmm..."

Akassius took over. "Marco is not quite as ready as his older brother. He has joined the regular training for Sanctuary."

There was a sudden saddening in Lady Cecilia's eyes, even though Akassius remained seemingly calm. Shion realized that something of a private torment must have been at place regarding their youngest son. "Akassius, I want you to meet the new members of the Golden Zodiac." He then dragged the three newbies in to show them off. "Saga, Aiolos, Lance, meet Akassius Steiner. Even though he's of recent coronation, Akassius' family dates back a long time in Sanctuary's history. He's a descendent of Gemini Cain, a comrade of mine from my days in the Suikyo incident of the 1740s."

Saga was the first to step up, making sure to meet his predecessor eye to eye and leading the trio in the conversation. "I have read of Gemini Cain, Duke Akassius. It's a pleasure to meet the man who wore my Cloth before me. I've been told... I have large boots to fill."

Akassius seemed humbly dismissive of this. "I am a man who believes in duty and honor, Saint Saga. My accomplishments are not something you should measure yourself by. Every true warrior has his own set principles. So long as you do your duty to the Pope and Athena, you'll have fulfilled your mission." he assured. "I'm sure I've been told more of you than you of me. The news of the new champion of the Coliseum's Sisyphean Challenge of 1974 having set a time and score record traveled fast."

Saga smiled slyly. "Well, my final opponent was easy. He didn't put much of a fight." he assured.

The Sagittarius Saint rolled his eyes.

Akassius decided to address him next. "Saint Aiolos, I'm afraid I haven't caught wind of your accomplishments and studies, though I've heard of your voluntary work."

Aiolos was satisfied with this. "Thank you, Duke Akassius. I do my best to help."

It was then that Akassius turned to Lance and for the first time the two met red eyes with blue ones. Akassius analyzed him. There had been an instantaneous, imperceptible squint from the Cancer when eye contact was made, something the former Gemini Saint had concluded over the years as typical of men of little trust in others. The teen seemed on his toes, like a caged animal who wished not to be there or talking to him, even as he offered a reluctant hand to the host.

Akassius didn't like this. "Much like Daniel, I can tell much about a man just from a brief contact or an exchange of fists. From the look in the eyes of this youth I sense nothing but constrained hate and from his hesitating hand I can see right through his maladjustment. Ionia and Kirin were serious about this boy. What was Shion thinking, choosing him as the next Cancer?" Knowing better than the Capricorn Gold Saint, who happily voiced all his complaints about honor and proper behaviors, Akassius kept his concerns regarding the Cancer Cloth's history to himself and offered his hand.

There had been a moment before they tightened hands in which the Cancer Saint wondered why did this man put him on edge so much out of all the people in the room. Even when they shook their hands, there seemed to be a rousing of cosmos from both men, a sensation of rising tension between the two warriors as Lance realized, upon analyzing the energy he felt, that he had at least one thing in common with this man. "His element is fire, just like mine."

Another thing Lance noticed was that, unlike Gigas but like the aristocrats he had met earlier, Akassius' hand was adorned with a golden ring.

The Pope watched the two of them finally loose their hands and stare at each other in silence. This had been the encounter he worried about the most. Much like Kirin and Malta, Akassius was a man who worried immensely about Sanctuary's order and health.

Call it a thing from men who had survived a harsh Civil War, but all of Akassius' generation of Gold Saints, with the exception of Daniel, were people of great concern towards what caused trouble or weakness in their fought-for home. Someone like Lance, with history of street disturbance and suspicions of corruption, indiscipline and treason in his missions, being promoted to the Cancer Gold Cloth was borderline sacrilege to these men.

"For a long time I wondered why Akassius retired after the Third Civil War. He seemed so down and exhausted at the end of it, and how could I blame him, but he still seemed concerned about Sanctuary. I suppose he had been let down horribly by his friends who joined the enemy and the only reason he was able to settle down was because the others, like Malta, Kirin, Daniel and Paris, stayed behind to continue his work." thought Shion, who tried to decipher the former Gemini Saint's emotions. "Now those Gold Saints are retiring, with Paris dead even, and I'm bringing an undisciplined street punk to replace a mass murderer because a witch told me to... and Akassius has to just accept it, not even knowing why I'm doing it, simply because I'm the Pope. Sometimes I wonder if despite my best efforts, thanks to that witch, I'll just be remembered like my namesake predecessor Arles II; as a delusional tyrant."

Akassius didn't seem to have much to say to Lance, instead seemingly stripping his soul bare with his sharp glance. The Cancer Saint even wondered if he was starting to feel like Shinta whenever Pegasus would give him one of his death stare.

After an eternity of mutual judgment, the host suddenly found words to let out. "I had no idea the Golden Zodiac was okay with bringing rebels to its ranks. I honestly thought it had learned a better lesson from its Civil Wars."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Cancer defended. "I may have caused trouble but I'm no Black Saint. Take my word for it, I spent two years fighting that scum for you."

Lady Cecilia saw the Cancer Saint intensify his squint. She cleared her throat and tucked her husband's arm tightly, as if to awaken him from a trance. "Darling, we must tend to the other guests, remember?"

His wife's tone seemed more than enough to get the imposing man to obey her concerns. Akassius rested his arms within his large cape and finally spoke. "You have inherited an important Cloth, Saint Lance. Karkinos, the Cancer Gold Cloth that is, is... quite testing."

"Testing? What are you talking about?" Lance demanded to know.

"You'll find out in due time, if you can keep the Cloth for long, of course." Akassius assured before turning to the Pope. "You have picked fine young men for the job, your Holiness. I'm sure they are all bustling with talent. I'll look forward to hearing more of their accomplishments. If you excuse us..."

The four members of the Golden Zodiac allowed the host to depart along with his wife to talk to the other guests and supervise the event they worked hard to organize. The Pope bit his lip behind his black mask. Things could have gone much worse, that was for sure. All things and personalities considered, he had expected maybe a couple of misunderstandings and friction with the new Cancer. Hopefully, he wouldn't receive the Court of Athena in his throne room asking him to fire the one Gold Saint he was investing the most in anytime soon.

{======================|0|======================}

Hours went by with the festivity progressing normally. At some point the four of them had taken their own paths in the party, each enjoying the food and the mingling at their own pace, though Lance found himself with a loss of appetite and desire to talk. He had taken a seat by one of the tables and tried to relax and not feel too awkward by the eyes his new armor attracted.

Every now and then, he'd feel the need to be part of the conversations, but everyone just seemed to want to talk about how pretty everything looked and how much weight was lost last winter and how the excellent the music was and how the other family's son or daughter was doing whatever. Having a life and interests completely different from that, it was needless to say he felt discouraged at the prospect of joining such exchanges and even wished a TV or radio was on just so he wouldn't have to sit around doing nothing.

The occasional looming presence of people like Ionia and Akassius didn't help matters. He could spare two cents about the fort commander, but the host was a different talk. The unimpressed blue eyes on the man every time they ran into each other made the Cancer feel like he was being constantly evaluated. He started realizing why Saga was so worried about making a good impression to the host.

The wish he had brought a watch also started settled in. How long had he been there, stalling time and pretending he wasn't bored out of his mind? Still, he endured and tried to smile as much as he could whenever someone greeted him. He didn't want the Pope all over his back on the way home.

His blood colored eyes noticed a sudden shift of attention at the entrance as yet another person arrived. Even so late into the party it seemed like more people arrived every hour. Just how extensive was Sanctuary's network of magistrates and high class folk?

This particular arriving person called his attention. He stood in his seat but watched the other guests approaching her.

She was young, in her twenties, maybe, and seemed to be arriving on her own. Blue eyes adorned a pale, delicate face and her long, blond hair was tied by a golden piece, allowing bangs to run free down to her jaw in the front but restricting it to her shoulders in the back. Her closed, blue coat dress of golden outlines, white sleeves and folded collar seemed more fit for traveling than dancing despite its beautiful design and decoration, especially in combination with her black boots beneath white pants. A leather belt of golden lock tied her coat dress to her waist and a silver choker with the engraving of a star was worn on her neck.

The most surprising feature, though, was that she carried a weapon with her into the mansion, namely a sword. The hilt was of a rapier adorned in its button with the same star in her choker and a grip guard with the same typical flowering design of the European rapiers. The blade was carefully sheathed but the sheath's shape implied the flattened edge of a long sword, rather than the elegant design rapier blades were known for. The gallant decoration of the object made it seem merely ceremonial or for sport purposes, but a weapon was a weapon; how was she allowed to bring it to an indoors social event?

Standing out like a sore thumb amongst the unharmed, normal looking guests, she caught the Cancer Saint's curiosity rather easily. As she was addressed by the other nobles, Lance also noticed she always seemed to take deeper bows than theirs, all the while sporting a friendly smile, as a demonstration of humility. He watched her engage several of them in conversation and it wasn't long before she noticed him too, thanks to Lance's imposing golden armor.

The young woman, always keeping her left hand rested on her weapon's pummel, excused herself from the guests with another deep bow and headed for him.

"Excuse me, is that seat taken?" Lance shook his head and allowed her to take the chair next to his. Before sitting on it, though, she halted apprehensively, as if having just recalled something. She smiled and bowed, resting her left hand behind her back bent at the elbow and tilting herself forward, eyes always looking down. "Where are my manners? It's a pleasure to meet you, Saint Cancer Lance."

The proximity of the beautiful woman alone put the shy Saint on edge, his cheeks reddening almost as much as his irises. He had never learned how to be comfortable with the female gender, especially its prettier members. The only women he could really talk to were the Amazons, thanks to their masks. Her friendly, soothing voice didn't help matters either.

But something more important needed to be asked. "You know of me?"

She raised herself and sat on the chair by him, taking care that her weapon did not get in anyone's way. "Yes, I apologize for the advantage. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Adriana Ghisi, representative of my grandfather, the patriarch of the Ghisi family."

Lance nodded. He saw the people that had been talking to Adriana walk away, some of them with displeased head shakes. "Looks like I scared your friends."

"You don't look too comfortable yourself, Saint Lance." she commented, always with a smile. She reminded him of Triangle Noah. He, too also smiled all the time. Her smile didn't make him think she was a freak, though. "I can't say I'm surprised, though. Don't take this the wrong way, but I know of your... reputation. I have many servants living in Sanctuary Town and stories spread amongst the maids like the plague."

"... I'm used to the scourge."

Adriana relaxed in her chair and enjoyed the scenery of the people talking and dancing with the music. She seemed most at ease in that environment and, as a representative of her family, Lance calculated it was something she had been prepared to since birth. "How many glasses of wine have I missed?"

Lance blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"

She seemed surprised, losing her smile and widening her eyes at him. "None thrown yet? Hmm, strange. I was running late for this event so I thought I'd missed the majority of the bruised egos and challenges to a duel, already. Then again, it's Akassius and Cecilia who're running this show, so I imagine they're minding their manners." she coughed to her hand. "I thought they were being nice to me at the entrance...now I know why."

Lance then observed something else of importance. Adriana, unlike everyone else in that room, seemed to be wearing a silver ring, instead of a golden one, marking her as clearly different from everyone else. Was something up with this woman? The red in his cheeks vanished as suspicion overrode his embarrassment.

"...You brought a weapon." he said. "Fearing for your safety?"

She chuckled gently, disarming the Saint, and tapped the pommel with her hand. "Once again I find myself apologizing for my strange behavior, Saint Lance-"

A nerve almost popped in Lance's forehead. "Please don't call me that." he found himself snapping, though his volume was kept down at much effort. "I hate people calling me Saint Lance. It's so damn... patronizing and subduing. I know it's a sign of respect to the others, but not to me. I've been making an effort to endure it all night and I can't take another person in a billion dollar dress trying to talk to me like I'm a goddamn knight of the Queen."

Adriana blinked her eyes, taken aback. He cursed himself, knowing she was trying to be nice, but he was exhausted of the act. It all felt so unnatural to him.

She smirked. "I see. I hope you don't mind me calling you for your first name, then, Lance."

The offer didn't displease the Cancer. "By all fucking means! I've got greetings and well I never up my earlobes anyway."

"Allow me to refrain for apologizing a third time, then, for my rudeness. I cannot be expected to know the whims of a teenage man I have only ever heard of." She commented in snark. Lance actually preferred this to the fancy talk. "My safety is the last thing I fear for, though. This rapier... is a treasure passed down my family that I have earned for my exploits. I only ever used it in sport. It would be rude not to bring it."

Lance noticed once more the symbol on the weapon's button of a star that matched the one in her metal choker and added this to the attachment she showed in her eyes to the object. "You're from another noble family, aren't you? Not from Golden Line, though, right?"

Adriana seemed most interested by this conclusion. She folded her leg over the other and turned to him with a smile. "Oh...What makes you say that?"

Her confidence once more struck Lance's nervousness. He felt more uncomfortable around girls than he did with the stuck up people in that party.

He focused, though, and started his case by pointing at her finger. "Your ring is silver, and I noticed you take deeper bows than the others, especially when addressing them, as if you were of a lower class of nobility and wanted to make sure they knew of your humility. Earlier Gigas spoke of how I wasn't Golden Line but it was fine since I was Greek, so Golden Line must be some aristocratic social barrier that separates the high class people of Sanctuary from each other. Am I wrong?"

She rubbed her chin, intrigued by the Cancer's deduction. "By a short shot, but yes, you're are. Not only you got the definition wrong, but I am Golden Line."

The Cancer Saint didn't seem particularly surprised at being wrong, though. "How so?"

"Well, you see, like I said, you're not far from the truth either." Her eyes looked the room for Akassius and she pointed at him. "Let me explain; the golden ring does not directly have to do with the Golden Line. Time was, most Gold Saints were these beautiful blonde men of blue eyes hailing from Greece and Macedonia. The kind of men women and the classic Greek men like Alexander the Great would fall heads over heels for. Over time, that changed. More and more people from the lower ranks of Greek-Macedonian society were included and then Italians joined the selection. All in the meanwhile, surviving Gold Ranks, whether blonde or not, who lived through the wars would settled down and had families. These families were offered protection and land by Sanctuary. We couldn't just ignore them after their services, correct?"

Lance nodded, following the story. "I guess so."

Adriana then made golden cosmos burn in the tip of her finger, demonstrating her latent energy. Lance raised his guard, but she shook her hand. "Don't be alarmed, I'm just exemplifying something. You see... cosmos... lives in everyone; the problem people have with it is how tough it is to awake and unlock the 7th sense."

This was something Lance knew too well about. "Go on."

"People who are introduced to cosmos always have a hard time getting over that barrier, but... did you know the wall gets shorter if your father and mother unlocked it before you? And even shorter if your grandparents and great grandparents did the same?" she argued, making her tiny star of energy shine brighter with each escalation in her lesson. "Unfair as it may sound, sons and daughter of Saints have a much easier time unlocking and developing the 7th sense, so quality in Sanctuary may very well be defined by blood."

This seemed to bother the Cancer Gold Saint. Adriana put out her flame of cosmos and let this explanation sink in. She knew of his past. She prided herself of being an informed person. It was probably not easy for a trouble student to learn about this sort of thing. "What is your point?" he asked.

Adriana wiped her hands as if the cosmos she had burned dirtied them. "Sanctuary has what I like to call a culture of inheritance. People here believe in things like bloodlines and reincarnations." she commented. "Patriarchs of families were given Golden rings to wear in order to signify their informal aristocracy. It's a symbol of their prestige."

Lance 'oh'ed, realizing the implications of this. So men like Akassius and the many guests truly were descendents of warriors to whom the rings were given to wore them to show off how they were of good blood?

"That is... I don't know what to say!" truth be told, he felt disgusted, especially with how hard a time he had in Mount Olympus. "So cosmos is just a matter of birth luck to you people?! God damn it, no wonder that guy Gigas was talking the way he was. Who do you think you are, race horses?! UGH!" he sank his face in his palms, the picture of his bloody hands punching against rocks in his trainee days refusing to leave his mind.

"In many senses, yes. Golden Line is merely something to refer to those of higher breeding, those of blue eyes and blonde hair who claim to be descendents of the first Gold Saints." she explained. "Even though no one can truly claim that because the successive wars have all but wiped out the purest bloodlines."

"So... why the hell do you have a Silver ring? You're blonde and you have blue eyes? Why aren't you on the first class wagon with the others?!"

Adriana kept calm despite Lance's outrage. This demeanor reminded the Saint of Akassius' wife. It was almost like women were scarier through silence and smiles than actual rage.

"I wear a silver ring because my grandfather is the patriarch, not me. I have been chosen by my relatives to represent the family because I have excelled in their business and in all my academies and faculties. In short, they are proud of me, so they let me talk for the family."

"Ah, so that's why they looked down on you." Lance concluded. "You probably wish you had the golden one, huh?"

To his surprise, she shook her head. "The Silver signifies a delegated authority. It may sound second grade but..." She looked at her ring, as if to admire it. "I'd say it fits me more. I think it's actually more rewarding than a trinket I could just inherit from my incompetent parents."

Lance sighed. This still didn't explain her earlier attitude with the other Nobles. If anything, he'd say it would make her feel more self-entitled.

When he was about to ask her about this, he instantly realized how long he had been talking to Adriana. All the other nobles and even Gigas whom Lance suspected tried to swindle him were quick to be shocked or displeased or drop the talk for some other reason. Not only was Adriana happily feeding the conversation, but she didn't seem bothered by his rudeness and outbursts.

It was increasingly obvious that she was not in the same basket as the others. Lance narrowed his eyes, intrigued by someone other than Akassius in that building for the first time that night, and decided to get to the bottom of it. "Why do you talk to me so much? What is truly separating you from the others? I could tell; when you spoke to them, that the looks you exchanged with them were not between equals."

Adriana lost her smile. "Do you know how many centuries the Ghisi family dates back, Lance?" Lance shrugged his shoulders. "The first patriarch of my family obtained his golden ring... thirty years short of a millennium ago."

This startled the Gold Saint. "A millennium?!"

She nodded, her look one almost of nostalgia. "You'd think our family would be one of the most celebrated ones, right? But do you know how he obtained it? It was not through war, for my ancestor was no warrior. It was through commerce and entrepreneurship. My family made its first fortune... by utterly dominating the slave trade business during the Athenian Empire's war campaigns."

Silence was born between the two, not one conceived by shock from Lance, but by confusion and ignorance. "...Athenian Empire? Slaves? What... what the hell are you talking about?"

Adriana broke her nostalgic stoicism with an amused smile. "That would take a history lesson to last all night. Let's just say that Asgard, Bluegrad and so many other places used to be more independent than they are nowadays... and that Pope Arles I, known as the Conqueror, wasn't particularly fond of that." Ironically, the familiarity of these name only confused Lance more. Adriana could see that and was visibly amused by it. "My family shifted business a very long time ago. Now we mainly educate unemployed citizens in Sanctuary. We teach them skills and practices and then offer them jobs all over Sanctuary's jurisdiction."

This relieved Lance, who realized he had been talking to a descendent from slave traders. "I still have no idea what you're talking about since I know zilch about Sanctuary's history, much less former Popes and slaves. So all your family does is train people?"

"We have other businesses and contacts, but, yes, that's our main practice. Once they're working, we take a percentage of their salaries for the first years until they can pay us back." Her blue eyes looked over the room. "I actually recognize some of the staff here. I'd also say there's a thirty percent shot that the maidens to Pope will assign to help you change your cloths have been trained by me, you know?"

Lance's face went full tomato mode. "Maidens?! To help me change my clothes? What the hell are you talking about?!"

"The point is, my family is consisted of plutocrats who have been given social promotions thanks to their economic and infrastructure contributions. Despite being several times older than many so called worthy families here, the Ghisi household still doesn't hold quite the same distinction because we provide services and money, not warriors. We'd be happier in Athens than in Sparta, if you know what I mean."

"...I...I see..." he answered halfheartedly, more concerned about whether or not the Pope would really send servants to his temple to help him undress. Lance struggled to get his mind off the embarrassment and creepiness of having a bunch of strange women insightful of his private parts and underpants.

"It doesn't help the fact, of course, that my family has been accused by nobility and common folk alike to be imperialists more times over the centuries than it could possibly be counted." she commented, her eyes rolling away in exasperation. "Seriously, take my word for it that there's nothing worse for business than when your mark is associated with a war criminal."

The more Adriana talked about the empire her family was associated to, the more curious he felt about it. "War criminal? Just what the hell happened nine hundred years ago in Sanctuary?"

Adriana looked at her watch after spotting Lady Cecilia. She stood up and bowed as respectful as she had before. "Well, Lance, like I said before, that would take a bit of a history crash course that I'm sure His Holiness would be happy to give to you. It was nice talking to you, but I'm also here on business, not just as a guest. I have to go assure Lady Cecilia that I'll be able to fill the staff in her expanded art wing. Farewell." she said.

The Cancer Saint sat helplessly by and watched the armed noble walk away, bewildered by the conversation he had with her.

He stood up from his seat, unsure what to think. He had the distinct feeling he'd meet this woman again, just like Akassius.

All of a sudden, the Pope walked by. "I see you found someone to talk to. What a shame Adriana was busy. I could see the two of you hitting off from across the room." Lance's dirty look stabbed the masked old man. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't want people going over my clothes or trying to undress me!"

Shion widened his eyes. He had never seen such a strong shade of scarlet in Lance's face. Unsure of what he spoke of, the Pope changed the subject. "How about going outside for some fresh air?"

Lance groaned and shrugged his shoulders in acceptance.

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The gentle breeze of the night was most welcome to both Saint and Pope as they walked out of the building, especially after hours inside the warm, socially suffocating environment Akassius' ballroom had been turned into. Both youth and elder took deep breaths of relief, Shion having come at difficult effort thanks to his mask. They both looked up the sky and saw the stars. The earlier rain clouds had cleared to reveal the constellations of Greece.

Shion had the habit of trying to read the future every time he looked at the stars, even if only Star Hill could provide him a clear picture of what the Gods intended. It was an exercise of relaxation and mental stretching he had learned to enjoy during his years as the Pope. He saw Lance also losing himself in the night sky and wondered what was the romance or fantasy he felt with the sight of the deep cosmos.

"What do you think of when you look at the stars, Lance?" he asked.

Another dirty look from the Cancer. "What kind of question is that?" He then looked away, though. "I don't think of anything... Are we leaving yet?"

"In a bit. Saga and Aiolos are tired, too, and I think I've accomplished what I've set out to do tonight." Shion rested his hands on the entrance steps' railing and looked at the fountain in Akassius' yard. "What did you think of Akassius and the others?"

"I think I have no desire to get to know them better. Even talking to that Adriana woman was kind of weird. If you wanted me to get along with these people-"

Shion's hand shoot itself at him. "It's fine, Lance. This was to be a headache evening from the start. I'm just glad you behaved yourself."

"...Did you promote me to Gold Saint because you thought I was worthy or because you wanted to force me to get my act together?"

"A bit here, a bit there..." Shion said. "More importantly, I wanted to show you something different than what you're used to by bringing you here; show you there was more to Sanctuary than just me and the army. You must understand what kind of place you are a part of if you're going to be the Cancer Gold Saint and how much is at stake at every turn."

Lance sighed in exasperation and threw his hands. "Shion, all I learned tonight is that apparently I have to keep these people happy if I want to get my job and that, apparently, people are treated based on their blood in Sanctuary. What the hell is a culture of inheritance? I didn't inherit anything and I made it to Gold Saint just fine!"

The Pope didn't seem interested in losing time with yet another argument about this subject, almost as if he had heard it thousands of times before. "It's no use trying to break a system that is backed by the very thing our society is based on, Lance. I talk, of course, of cosmos. But enough of that. We all have people to answer to, no matter how high we climb. Soon, you'll enjoy both the benefits and duties of being the fourth temple's guardian. Are you excited? Or are you scared?"

"I'm not scared!" Lance assured. "I'm... worried. Being promoted to Gold Saint... I still can't believe all of this is happening. I don't know what the hell to think, what the hell to do!" he confessed, walking away from the Pope and trying to get the weight off his head. "Seven days ago I came closer to being arrested for treason than of keeping my Silver Cloth and now...this!? It just still doesn't make any sense..."

The sound of the people mumbling inside the mansion and the crickets in the garden was all that followed. Arles the Third had seen many reactions to becoming a Gold Saint. He had seen people jumping high in celebration. He had seen others feel dread as they realized they had been dragged to the front line. He had even seen arrogant ones who asked what took so damn long. All he was seeing in Lance, even back when the news were first broken out to him, was confusion.

The utter sensation of being lost.

It was not something that came with a terrible shock. Lance, after all, was used to the kitchen's fire, the hate, the letdowns and the spite from everyone he knew asides from Shinta. Now, an almost heaven-like reward had been thrown into his lap all of a sudden and he didn't understand why. More gravely, there was the chance Lance didn't understand if he wanted the Gold Cloth in the first place. The implications alone, of course, were as worrying as they were ramified, but in the red-eyed youth's case there was something else added to it.

For Lance, there was a lack of identity as a Saint, which prevented him from fully accepting the role he now occupied. "As the boy Hecate warned me about, this is the obvious sign Lance is not where I want him to. This is why Aiolos' and Daniel's conditions over having him promoted were wiser than they themselves thought."

"I mean..." Lance resumed, trying to think of a way to get out what was bothering him. "I can't even come to terms with the fact that you let me call you by your name, like some goddamn hip grandpa, after spending two fucking years with you on my back."

Shion joined hands behind back. "Yes, Lance, I often wonder how you could bear such a terrible life, despite my wisdom as the man chosen by Athena."

"And then the sarcasm, which is of great assistance to me!" He let out the air in his lungs, exhausted. "Your Holiness, I'll stay outside for the rest of the party if you don't mind. I'll join you guys when it's time to leave."

Shion patted his back. "Now, don't be like that. I don't want my new Gold Saint to feel that the Pope doesn't give him proper guidance. Here."

Lance watched the Pope take out a letter from within his cloak and offer it to him. Lance took it to his hand and analyzed it. It was closed by red wax marked with the Pope's ring. "What is this?"

"It's a letter, of course, one that I want you to take to China as your first assignment as Cancer Gold Saint."

Lance blinked. "China?!"

The Pope calmly nodded as he sat by the fountain. "Once upon a time, there was a man, a vibrant young Libra Gold Saint name Dohko, who fought two wars side-by-side with me. Together, we watched the Suikyo Incident lead to the extermination of the first generation of Gold Saints we were a part of. Then, we had to repeat that horror, this time through a bloody conflict with Hades known as the Lost Canvas War."

"...I feel like everyone in Sanctuary knows its goddamn history like the back of their hands except for me."

"The point is," Shion stressed, "That out of the four survivors of the 18th Century Wars; me, him, the Crane Silver Saint and the Unicorn Bronze Saint; only he received the blessing of Athena to live on a long life without the blood of a Lemurian like me. He still stands there, in Mount Rozan, watching over the seal of Hades as the stars shine above his hat and the water rumbles beneath his feet."

Unsurprisingly, Cancer stared at the Pope in disbelief. "Eighteenth Century? He's still there? Wait, are you saying he's over two hundred years old?!" The Pope nodded in confirmation. "How is that even possible?"

Shion chuckled. "He's a man of great wisdom, the type who'd immediately lecture you on how close your mind is! HA, HA, HA!" The Pope kept on laughing. Eventually he cleared his throat and looked his new Cancer Saint in the eye. "Lance, listen to me carefully, I want you to get your things when we return to Sanctuary Town and make whatever preparations you feel are necessary for leaving for an extended period of time."

"What? Why?"

"Because I want you to go deliver that letter to Dohko. Then, I want you to take off your shoes when you enter his house, get on your knees, bury your forehead on the floor and ask him to become your Master."

Once again, silence followed Shion's words, as if everything remotely surprising the Pope said had to be thoroughly digested by the suspicious and unyielding winged horse Saint. Lance's red eyes looked down once more to the letter he was given. "My... Master?"

"I know that is something you're not exactly used to. Kastiel left a mark on you which consequences I had the pleasure of witnessing myself that day we first met at the Coliseum. You're not used to the concept of obeying people in exchange of teachings and you've grown hostile to Sanctuary's education system. The reality is, though, that you know next to nothing on how to be a Saint, much less a Gold one. Like it or not, you need a Master to teach you how to be an adult and a warrior."

Lance, once again, expressed his uncertainty on how to react through a frozen stance and silence. "You want me to... No, I WON'T!" Lance had to contain himself not to crush the letter the Pope gave him. "A MASTER?! Forget it! The Gold Cloth's not worth subjecting myself to some arrogant guy with a license to abuse and kill his students! I'd rather give this armor back!"

The Pope's finger twitched and Lance found his tense muscles paralyzed. "I knew you'd react that way, Lance. Unfortunately, one of the terms behind two of the votes in favor of your promotion were that you received a period of proper instruction." Shion watched Lance futile squirm against the telekinetic grip. "Would you stop that? You'll hurt yourself!"

"WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?! You keep paralyzing me with your fucking invisible powers every time I try to protest! What makes me think this Dohko guy is any different from you or Kastiel or any one else in Sanctuary?!"

Shion relaxed his telekinesis, causing Lance to fall over to the floor from his struggling. "I'm done trying to tame wild horses with a birch. I've learned the lesson a long time ago that it only makes them angrier, thanks to you. Listen, Lance, Dohko hasn't had a student in over two hundred years. I keep sending promising candidates, Saints that I knew to be of worth and education, only for him to send them back, claiming that they were boring. If anything that should tell you of his bizarre standards and that he's not an ordinary teacher."

Lance calmed down, picking himself up from the floor and addressing the Pope in a less angry manner. "What makes you think he'll even accept me, then?"

"Because I know him. I know what he laughs at and what he hates. I know the lessons he learned from the war and what he has to offer. Looking back on all those I sent his way, it should be clear he'd never be interested in teaching them; they had nothing to learn from him." Shion patted Lance's unarmored shoulder. "I ask of you, Lance, not for me, but for yourself. Give yourself a second chance. If he sends you back, I promise I'll try to think of something else to please the others..."

The intense look on the Pope's mask alone and the sincere plea in his voice was enough for Lance to think things through. He thought back on his life in Sanctuary. He hated to admit it, but the only true teaching experience he got was from Kastiel, an asshole who abandoned Lance for thinking he wasn't worthy of surviving Sanctuary's system.

As far as he knew, this was a mindset followed by many others in Sanctuary, and not just Masters; everyone he had met, even Shinta, seemed in one way or another accustomed, accepting and some times encouraging of Sanctuary's way of doing things. They looked over the enormous infant death rates of the Training Grounds, even using them as points of pride and prestige as they claimed Sanctuary's army was the best trained in the world. They ostracized the women into masks and isolated villages in corners of Sanctuary. They even looked over what happened in Death Queen Island every day, because it was all part of their culture, their proud way of life, their mutual inheritance and burden.

Why should this Dohko be any different from the rest? What guaranteed Lance that this man, a war veteran at that, would not look down on him like Akassius did, accept atrocious rules and traditions like Ionia and talk of them so nonchalantly like Adriana and Gigas. Everyone he had met tonight, including Adriana, seemed to enforce so much how the people of Sanctuary lived with and sometimes even liked the way things were, despite it causing deaths and breeding maladjusted Saints like Lance.

However, if you want to know why people react the way they do around you, there's an old, but well known superstition that red eyes are a mark of evil.

And then there was plain old stupidity, which every society seemed to irremediably have a bit of. For all he knew, Dohko would be someone who would immediately judge him like all the others in Sanctuary did; over ill-founded rumors and moronic superstitions.

Thinking about the words of Shinta's teacher, though, made Lance remember all the times the green-haired kid spoke of Cepheus Guardnia. As much as he hated to admit it, Lance was saddened and angered at the same time whenever he came to the realization of how different Shinta's experience with a Master was from his own. For a long time, all he heard about was how much Shinta owed to a man who was like a father to him.

"Like a father?" Lance thought, trying to imagine his partners precious moments at Andromeda Island, which Shinta seemed so fond of recalling to the Pegasus Saint. "Shinta fits just as well in Sanctuary as a broken cog. A pacifist in a place made for warriors... On top of it all I had the advantage of being Greek while he's from Asia's deep, WW2 fascist end. Everyone abused him thanks to his naiveté and pacifism during training and free time and he was often the most clueless in his class about most things, according to him. Yet, all he ever wants to talk about Andromeda Island is how great Guardnia was. What if... What if it was possible that I really could take that chance... and not regret it?" he wondered. "Can you tell me about him?"

Shion nodded. "He's just and he doesn't care a person's past. All he cares about is what he can make of you. You may have to look over a few eccentricities, but everyone who meets him quickly sees why he's such a sought after Master. Take my word for it, Lance, you won't regret investing in yourself. If you do this-"

"I'll try it." Lance interrupted. "Just...Just don't get all over my back if I decide to punch him for being an asshole."

"No worries... he wouldn't let you get away with it, anyway." The Pope then laughed.

Lance cringed, already worried about what expected him. "Can I ask you something?" The Pope conceded with a hand gesture. "Shion, today I found out the only two Popes who ever chose the name Arles are a war criminal from the 11th Century and a tyrant from the 14th. I still don't get anything about Sanctuary's history... put why the hell would you name yourself after those two?!"

The Pope's laugh intensified. "I imagine that it was for the same reason you hate Sanctuary's culture; because I don't believe in inheriting sins any more than inheriting worth." he explained. "When I took the name Arles the Third... I knew perfectly well that the First and the Second were no role models or someone to be associated to and the men you could say that passed for my PR managers back then weren't happy either. I took it, though, because I had vowed to protect Sanctuary. Being sure that I would do everything in my power, I thought I could make the difference by restoring that name back to its original meaning."

Lance raised an eyebrow. "Original... meaning? What does 'Arles' mean?"

"It's Atlantean for 'Savior'. The First Arles believed himself a savior of Sanctuary for a number of different reasons you'd probably find quoted by men like Hitler; the Second Arles, the Tyrant, was a Pope so full himself he thought he was as marking to Sanctuary's history as the First one had been." Shion explained. "It was a beautiful word granted by Atlanteans to those who provided extraordinary services to the Atlantean Crown; when I rose to power, though, it was associated with Ares, the God of War."

Lance nodded. "I feel like I really do have much to learn about Sanctuary."

The sight of people leaving the building as the festivity concluded itself drew their attention. Saga and Aiolos were already approaching them. "Yes, but do not let that intimidate you. I know you will yet become a proud and knowledgeable member of the Golden Zodiac. As for the letter I gave you, take care not to open it. I wrote it exclusively for Dohko."

"Yes, your Holiness, I'll keep it off my eyes. As for my training,... I will try... to do my best in China."

"I know you will." Shion thought to himself. He looked at the letter in Lance's hands, mindful of the content in its lines. "And I'm sure Dohko will be most interested in teaching you, too."

The two of them were joined by the young Gold Saints of Gemini and Sagittarius, who asked them where they had run off to and if they could leave already. While the Pope and Lance talked with them a sensation of dread and excitement ran up the new Cancer Saint, who did not know what to expect of his soon to come trip to the Orient.

Meanwhile, at the entrance of the building, Akassius Steiner said goodbye to each guest together with his wife. His sharp eyes easily spotted the four figures of the Golden Zodiac, but his attention was locked on the Cancer Saint. Like an eagle watching a snake, his glare could pierce souls despite the seeming calmness he emanated.

His fist tightened. Cancer Lance was to be a warrior of Sanctuary by wish of the Holy Father and that much was accepted. The indignant words of Ionia and the paranoiac suspicions of Kirin did not bother him, either. As a man who prided himself of predicting the outcome of things, Akassius was more in mind of the potential he saw in Cancer Lance, both for good and both, both for Sanctuary and himself.

Adriana, that untrustworthy wench, had also had quite the long conversation with the Cancer Saint. Doubtlessly, the new member of the Golden Zodiac spent the whole talk listening to her political garbage."The impact of each man is marked by his actions, which in turn goes as far as their worth. Fourteen years ago, a man of worth less than that of a filthy, treacherous rat wore that armor and committed the greatest massacre in the Golden Zodiac's recent memory, so the Pope clearly has plans for Pegasus Lance if he's willing to let him carry on from that legacy. I will watch it carefully; the impact this man will have in the coming years."

Delicate fingers wrapped his arm. "Honey, is something wrong? You've been lost in thought all night." Cecilia asked.

The sound of her voice alone was enough to relax his tense nerves. "Nothing, darling. I merely worry about the future. Holy War is less than twenty years from now, after all," he said, patting her hand and reentering the building.

{======================|0|======================}

Chapter End

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Next Chapter: Starting Anew

Description: Shinta has a departure gift for Lance, who then travels to China in search of the Rozan Mountain and the legendary Libra Gold Saint.

Author Note: Wow, this chapter was a toughie. I believe it was because I tried to do several new things and use new characters that I had never tried before. I went back and forth a lot trying to find the best way to depict things but I was never satisfied.

The point of this chapter was two-fold; kick start Lance's Gold Saint career and introduce a number of important characters, namely Adriana and Akassius whom the old readers do not recognize and Gigas whom all good fans of the Saint Seiya anime should be very well aware of. Old Readers will also recall him from the first chapter of the Third Arc.