WARNING: War, blood, death, violence, filth.

War In Sanctuary

Sanctuary's latest days had been those of uneasy calm. Without their top agents, the Pope's intelligence had scant information on what occurred in the army's ranks, and with Marin's fame growing in the grounds, a conflict was imminent, although uncertainty perdured on when it was to break out.

Sentries were told to remain in position on watchtowers, always wary of the streets, but this was useless in the circumstances that befell the city. A few commoners walked outside, and the arena was strangely vacant that day, not a single soldier, officer, or Saint choosing to train. This in itself was a distressing sight, the obvious sign of what was to come.

Sure, no armored men wandered the streets if not for the rare presence of a town guard, but shadows skipped through the darkness and the corners, amid the obstacles on the ceilings, the stoa's pillars, and the balconies above. An apparent civilian sat on the edge of a Doric porch, taking in the stars and the folk below.

From behind him a hand emerged out of obscurity to tap his shoulder in a characteristic rhythm. The man, who beforehand already bore a grin, smiled even brighter then, proceeding to pull a whistle from the tunic. With face pointed up, he harshly blew on it and allowed that shrill tone to fill the area without. It ringed on and on until he lacked the breath, and once he stopped, that eerie silence had hints of cries from afar.

From the top of a watchtower, two guards oversaw a district of many a public building. They were curious first about the whistle, and then the incomprehensible yells, which they tried to make out. One closer shout finally came, and its message sealed their suspicions: "WE ARE BEING ATTACKED!" War had finally erupted.

In seeking the direction of this shout, the guards were unable to see any signs of an attack, and also failed to expect the arrival of a Saint at their own position. Adorned in a repaired Hydra Cloth, Ichi sent himself between the pillars and struck one of the sentries with the fangs as he landed. With the throat deeply pierced, the guard was only able to groan for a second before his vocal cords were flooded with air.

The remaining guard almost fell back with the scare, but as he got up and insisted on fighting, Ichi spun and scratched him twice in one move. Blood splattered the marble floor and the sound of the man's armor striking the floor resounded. With that done, the Saint took a look outside and studied how the situation had changed.

Marin's forces employed a terrifying guerrilla campaign against elements of the army that had not allied with her, either by ignorance of the rebellion or personal choice. Men and women of all ranks climbed other sentry towers and practiced true executions of the unaware guards; they stormed the public buildings, pacifying officials and killing each and every one who fought back. Disorganized and unknowing of where they would be attacked from next, the Pope's forces fell in complete disarray.

In the fray, Ichi saw that the barracks were at the very center of the uprising. So many people climbed it or stormed every available opening, breaking through lattice. Worst, an entire wall was brought down by a Saint, and this was his cue to jump in that direction.

Through the dust raised by the crumbling stone, there were flashes of energy and a loud struggle. From within this cloud, Bear Geki, the one responsible for the structural damage, exited by tackling a soldier into a wall out in the streets, such that his body was pressed inward. Two other men threatened to attack from behind, but he quickly turned, slammed one away with a fist fueled with Cosmos, then pushed the other one with a heavy kick. Once he spotted another man about to come out the exposed side of the barracks, Geki once again hurled his own body, now back in, which struck the enemy in the process.

It was clear that the invaded area was a point of interest to the rebels, as it was one of the soldiers' quarters, and most corridors were accessible from said position. Jabu and Nachi both wore their repaired Cloths as well — the latter healing bruises from the past battle — and managed multiple soldiers on one side, whereas Marin and Alicia managed others in the corridor ahead.

Not only were their onslaught too violent, fast, and precise for the soldiers to hold back, but when more rebels entered the location, the situation was indisputably unbearable. They saw their colleagues and friends be slaughtered with little issue, outnumbered, confused, and incapable of fighting back.

Even though some of them were able to escape through another exit towards the corridors, the Saints inside encircled a group of soldiers into that particular room, and so they curled up to a wall, hands up to stir their mercy. "We surrender!" a man yelled. "Please, spare us!"

Jabu looked back at Geki and saw that he still fought those behind them, now crumbling a passage to stop fugitives on their route. Safe about their situation, he instead looked for Marin's approval; she had stopped fighting, nodded, and followed Geki to curtail the army's rout.

With confirmation, Unicorn turned to the rebel soldiers he led, saying: "Tie them up and lock them underground. Keep some eyes on them, alright?"

"Understood!"

Nachi beckoned Jabu to follow him outside, and so he did. Their forces had already done a phenomenal job of clearing the corridors, so they followed to the central hall and saw that the place was a mess, and the only skirmishes yet taking place were smaller and in the dining hall.

Busts and vases were crashed in the fight, and a lot of the structure had suffered with the power of Saints who overpowered soldiers therein. The two saw the image of Geki, Marin, and Alicia walking towards the front door, that had been busted ajar in their invasion; they jogged after them.

Once outside, Eagle observed the nearby sentry towers, noticing that red flags had been hoisted off the ceilings, so she turned to Dolphin. "Fly the ensign," she ordered.

The girl jumped up the barrack's intricate ceiling, and Nachi followed her to be of aid in what she was about to do. She pulled a similar scarlet flag, folded under the breastplate of her Cloth, and the two extended it in the air. With black paint, Greek letters could be read in large and bold typeset.

The initial assault still raged on in the surroundings, so no revelry was heard from the few who could read the ensign's words: "ΤΟΥ ΠΡΟΜΆΧΟΥ ΑΘΗΝΆΣ" [OF ATHENA PROMACHOS]

Once the reclaimed barracks had been fully cleared, enemy soldiers were alternatively thrown into the dungeons or, for lack of space, shackled and kept in their former quarters. Convincing them to join Athena's side in her absence would be a difficult task, however, rendering them inoffensive was easier once enough questions regarding the Pope's authority had been raised. Faced with so many old colleagues and friends fighting for the rebellious side, they chose to await the goddess' coming rather than run the risk of fighting for an enemy on either side.

There was nothing the Pope could do to convince them otherwise, in particular due to Hypnos and Thanatos' uncooperativeness. He knew and expected the true Athena's arrival, and trusted that Sagitta would stop her in her tracks. The unknowing rebels, however, had to plan for this arrival themselves, if they wished for her to come in safely and comfortably.

It was with this mindset that Marin organized a center of operations in the dining hall; upon a wooden table they had a roughly drawn map of Sanctuary's grounds and its center, including only useful features of the city. Onto said simplified view they had drawn an assortment of markings in charcoal, and debated ways to ensure all would proceed smoothly.

"Her entry is the least of our worries right now," Marin commented to the others, the only one standing between Jabu, Nachi, Alicia, and the map. Other Saints and soldiers sat around to listen, although the constant movement in the background was a reminder that preparations for future battles continued. "We don't know when they're coming, so any preoccupation with it is overplanning."

"But Ikki certainly went back with the message," Nachi said.

"That was a while ago, and we got nothing, so we do what we can for ourselves. Once we have news from sentries in the outskirts, we can set up an offensive on the academy. They're prepared, but no Saint resides there, so it should be easy."

Their attention was caught by Ban's voice coming from a corridor: "Miss Marin!" He entered in a hurry, accompanied by Ichi from behind, and it was clear that despite his past ailment, he wore the Lionet Cloth and fought in the uprising too.

"Yes?"

"The Pope's troops entered the museum in the center district. They refuse to leave and pushed our soldiers back on their way in. Civilians have taken refuge there, so we can't do a thing," he told.

Eagle sighed out harshly and eyed Nachi to say: "Unless Lady Athena is coming with a convoy, she might not even reach the barracks before that's solved."

"We have to do something," Nachi agreed with a nod.

"Just barge in through the walls like we did here! How's it any different?" Alicia raised her voice to say, but Marin seemed peeved by that.

"I'm sure you heard him say there are civilians inside."

"There were civilians in the streets now, but we didn't bother rethinking our assault because of that."

Marin took a step away from the board, rested a hand on her waist and let her head hang downwards. "Of course, the initial assault wasn't pretty," she admitted, "that was expected. We had to acquire those positions at all costs. They're counting bodies out there, and each time I get the numbers, it doesn't look good; regular people show up dead over and over, people who had nothing to do with this, so let's not be rash from now on."

"Okay, right," Alicia conceded and turned away in subtle shame. "I hadn't thought about that."

"Ban, Ichi, you'll be staying here with me. Nachi, Jabu, Alicia, I want you to find a way to take that building with the lowest toll possible," said Eagle.

The others were about to say something, but they suddenly heard a rumble, and a girl stood off one of the benches near them. She looked neither to the sides nor forward, rather somewhat down. They were alerted at first, and a high-pitched whisper left her, yet she that quickly paused.

It was clear to them in that instant that the short girl was also a Saint, for she wore a white Cloth and a mask with no markings, not unlike Marin. Her skin, however, was fulvous, and her black straight hair had been intricately tied into two long braids that rested on her shoulders down the front, whereas the short, straight bangs had been split along the middle.

Her Cloth had rounded motifs that always tapered thinner, a gracious form, and where it was not that pale shade it was stained dark, reminding one of an orca. The amount of metal was light compared to others despite that, shoulder pads like the curving flukes of a whale, and such shape repeated itself at the end of the gauntlets on the forearm, then at the end of the thin tiara between her hair. Even with such urbane demeanor, the amazon didn't seem to carry confidence in her posture.

Alicia leaned forward from her seat and responded loudly, with little to no care for how she'd react, since she knew her personally: "Eh? Did you say something?"

"I… I know…" the girl whispered, but the words were unintelligible.

There was an awkward silence as everyone struggled to hear her. "Speak up, Anka!" Alicia yelled.

The girl was startled and forced herself to be brave, turning straight to Marin. "I know… I know a way!" she nervously spat out. "I'll do it!"

Eagle was as puzzled as the others, so she walked over and stood right in front of her, and thus Anka stared slightly downwards. "Do I know you?"

The poor Saint stuttered to answer, and Alicia knew she'd be too scared to do so, so she took the reins of the situation. "It's Anka, the new courier. She was sent to deliver the duty call to Siberia, because she grew up there," she explained.

"So you must be Piscis Austrinus," Marin remarked, and the girl nodded along. "You'd better know what you're doing."

"I… I do, Miss Marin, I won't let you down! I know a way in!" Piscis insisted.

As Marin turned to the remaining Saints, she motioned at the girl. "You'll be working with her," she said, but they were visibly skeptical of her apart from Nachi, who shrugged in obedience.

"But what's the way in anyway?" Jabu asked.

"There's a way in… through… through the sewers," she stuttered in response. The group twisted their expressions at the very thought.

Seeing that such was their best early bet, they promptly organized an operation to infiltrate the museum. While Nachi followed Anka through the sewers below the city, Jabu and Alicia stayed back to await a signal around the building. The sewage system that served Sanctuary had been established since its foundation, and although how it functioned was no longer understood in full, it had been expanded into a complex cloaca over the ages.

From the inside it was much bigger than expected, which Nachi noted using the enclosed lantern he brought. Despite its width, the ceiling was curved and low, so he had to slump forward in fear of hitting the head; Anka could stand straight without issue.

The stench, unsurprisingly, was powerful and bitter, nauseating Wolf. The girl seemed unfazed by it, and this sparked his curiosity. "This place is disgusting," he stated the obvious. "Aren't you smelling that?"

"Hm?" Anka turned back and then forward, continuing on her way. "I… I have a bad nose…"

Nachi raised an eyebrow at the response and chose to press on following her. That main section of the tunnels often branched off into smaller, narrower ones, from where smaller streams of sewage came, with the walls straight rather than sloped. It was through one of these that she motioned to cross into, a specific pick that made clear Anka was as peculiar as she seemed at face value.

"Through here," she murmured and went in. The place smelled even worse, to which Nachi furled the brow. When they were deep enough, he noticed that the walls were drier by the step, as was the ditch in the middle, so Piscis stopped and pointed at a trench built into the highest point of a wall. It was branded with dark streaks, meaning it had at some point been used to drain some kind of waste. Thankfully for them, the marks seemed old. "Here… this hole."

"That's where we're going through?" Nachi tried to confirm, wondering if his shoulders wouldn't get stuck. The thought was enough to make him claustrophobic.

"Y-yeah. It's small, but if we wiggle…"

Anka had no trouble getting impulse to jump, and then to use both arms so as to pull her body in. Nachi crawled in with some effort, leaving the lantern behind. Once he saw himself into the trench, it was clear that movement could only come through subtle slithering, and the deeper he went, the more scared he was of ending up stuck.

"They can hear us from here," the girl said with an even tinier whisper than usual. "Let's… be very quiet."

"Where even are we?" he asked amid struggling, but when he further considered possible answers, he regretted ever speaking up. "Actually, never mind."

"We're inside the latrines," she answered anyhow. Disgust struck him so deeply that he thought he would puke if he gave it much more thought. When the two slid past a sharp corner in the drain, they continued inside a longer section and noted that faint light shone through an open section ahead. "That's the missing seat I remember. We're… almost out, Nachi."

"I hope so."

She first wiggled and came out of that lid. The place she met was a mostly dark room, and it was some failing fire from outside that made it possible to see. "Come on," she said, helping Wolf out with an arm.

When both were free, they approached a wall and spied from the corner to see that it was connected to a corridor, and this corridor was empty, albeit some room ahead most likely had people, as it was the one visible source of light. "We should check up ahead."

"I'm feeling anxious… this is sort of exciting," Anka said with a minuscule giggle, and when Nachi turned to her, she displayed her trembling hands.

"Ah, don't worry, we just need to assess the situation, remember? I'll go check ahead."

That said, Wolf slowly entered the adjacent corridor and peeked from the corner into the nearby entrance. He saw a central hall entirely occupied by civilians, with no military presence whatsoever, something that confused him. They had taken refuge around lamps and made encampments with robes, sheets, and rugs. All exhibits had either been put away or covered, distant from any flame.

"Strange, there's no…"

"L-look, Nachi," Anka's tiny voice gave him a sudden fright.

"Jeez, Anka, what the hell?"

When he turned to her, he noticed that she pointed at a corner ahead, where the corridor ended, and it had many containers and boxes. "Those are… those are amphorae," she remarked.

"Sure…?"

"And this is a museum, they have… paintings and… and wood."

"Sure."

"So it's probably linseed oil there. We could set it on fire and… and then the civilians would have to escape."

Nachi frowned and controlled himself not to speak too loudly: "Set it on fire? Are you out of your mind?"

"N-no… it's… it's…" the girl seemed panicked and looked down, and so he realized he had been a tad too harsh in that response.

"Oh, uhm, sorry. Go on," he allowed her to explain.

"The museum… it will be gone, but there are plenty of ways out… for the people."

From the corner of his eyes, Nachi studied the civilians' situation some more. "I don't know. Sabotaging them now might be fine, since the others are waiting on a signal, but it's quite risky. We haven't seen a single soldier," he said.

"It will force the enemy out, so…"

"Yeah, I guess." Nachi fell in thought a little longer and seemed convinced that it could be a quick solution to their problem. "You know what, Anka? This is crazy enough it might just work."

Outside the museum, Dolphin and Unicorn sneaked along the rooftops in front of two of the entrances. Those came in the form of two tall double doors, each in one end of the building's extent. They were aware of a smaller back exit, as the museum filled the space up to the street behind it, but they saw no use separating while they scouted the situation.

By a half wall, they studied each door. With the streets empty and all of the torches and lanterns off, the outside was so dim it was impossible to make out many details, but it was clear both doors were fully shut.

Wondering something, Jabu asked: "What happens if they alert the enemy troops?"

"We go in and rescue them, obviously," Alicia impatiently responded.

"Hm." He spied a little bit more, and there was no way to look through any balcony or window, as there were none, and the place looked as dead and empty as the rest of the city at that point. "This is dumb, I can't see a sign of anyone in there. What if Ban was mistaken?"

"It's not as if they haven't tried going in before. There are people cornered in there for sure."

"Well, that girl knows a way in through the sewers, so they might've escaped through it before we arrived," Jabu theorized.

Alicia sighed and turned to him, her crouching stance visibly annoyed. "Ah, yeah? So you're telling me they shoved a whole squad and a crowd of civilians into tight tunnels full of human waste?" she spoke with sarcasm.

"It's not impossible."

"Gosh, there isn't a single cute guy with a brain left in his skull. What you're saying is so unlikely that it makes me wonder if Marin even…"

Jabu was about to boast about being called cute, despite the insults to his intelligence, until they were both interrupted by screams that came from within the museum itself. They were desperate and, paying close attention, one could've heard the clicking sound of a growing fire. "COME HERE!" someone shouted.

"Wha…?" Unicorn stared back and paid closer attention.

"FIRE! THERE'S A FIRE!"

"Fire?" The Saints looked and saw no movement of any kind, but the commotion within grew loud enough that they could no longer comprehend what was spoken. "That's not Nachi's voice."

"Wait…" Alicia lifted her head over the half wall after she thought harder "… I think Anka is forcing them out."

"Forcing them out? You mean…"

"I knew that girl was going to do something reckless! We'll have to keep track of all exits."

Alicia looked around the area and began walking, but Jabu still seemed left behind. "What's happening?" he asked.

"Everyone will barge out in droves, so the soldiers will try to escape with the civilians. Stay here and keep an eye on this exit, I'll be watching over the other one." As there was haste in her tone, he did not protest and focused on the orders he had been given, whereas she ran along the rooftop to observe the opposing door.

For a split second, smoke escaped the gap between the marble floor and the door, and so arms slammed against it and opened to release a black veil that rose straight up. At first only a few people escaped, all of them apparently civilians, so Jabu looked back and received a signal from Dolphin to keep sharp focus.

He looked back and squinted. "It's too dark, I can barely see what they look like…" he muttered, and soon a larger group of people barged out, not screaming as much as those still left inside. The vast majority were men, although some children and maskless women hinted at those being people unrelated to the war. "Woah, that's a lot of people!"

Spotting something on her exit, Alicia stepped over the wall's edge and pointed down, shouting: "Look for breastplates!"

After that she dove down at a man mixed with the crowd, and this one wore some armor he had no time to throw away. Civilians were pushed back by the force, as she was rather imprudent herself. Jabu had not seen anyone else in soldier attire, therefore he jumped to aid his colleague.

The soldier understandably tried to slip off Alicia's grasp, and at that moment another soldier came to push her with an elbow to the face. She dodged this easily, spun in the air and kicked him so hard he was knocked limp onto three people.

Jabu kept the escaping soldier busy next, but when he grabbed him, he allowed for his pants to be pulled off and chose to instead run in underwear. "Huh? Hey!" He threw the linen off and tackled him all the way to the ground next. "Stop running!"

"Get off! Get off me!" The soldier yelled.

Seeking to slam Jabu off with Cosmos, the man sparked the necessity for extra force and, unable to get a hold of the neck, Unicorn saw himself obligated to slam his head down on the floor and drop him unconscious. "Damn it!" he complained.

A whistle was emitted from nearby, and the sound of rebel soldiers rushing through the corners announced to Alicia and Jabu they had failed to stop the onrush. Before entering the burning museum, she yelled back to him: "They've reached the scouts! Jabu, tell our soldiers not to rush when you see them!"

"Alright!" He looked back into the heating entrails of the buildings, apprehensive over Nachi's fate and that of any civilians left inside.

Thankfully for them, Anka's prediction that people would be able to escape was correct, but the remaining military inside felt forced towards the back exit, and the Saints saw themselves tasked with blocking the path near the yet raging fire. The many rugs, sheets, paintings, and wood served as extra fuel with the oil that sparked the chaos.

Several soldiers attempted an escape in the rearmost hall, dressed in armor of varying weights and coverage, all of them forged as more precise takes on Ancient Hellenic forms. The few of them trained enough to use the Cosmos were incapable of putting up to the might of two Bronze Saints, and so they were dominated every time they insisted on fighting.

Wolf, with his speed, could easily handle multiple of much weaker fighters, although when Piscis saw him about to be attacked from behind, she chose to advance with a sweeping kick. This produced a cold wind and pushed all of the soldiers back, a few tumbling in surprise. Nachi was impressed to see her outspeed him in that fashion.

She slid back beside him and took a stance with a curved palm back, the other fist pointed forward. "We… we can't let you pass!" she said, and although her voice was unsure and inoffensive, the power she displayed was not.

"Just hand yourselves over, we're not your enemies!" Nachi said.

After helping a colleague up, a soldier replied in opposition: "Anyone who's an enemy of Lady Athena is an enemy of ours!"

"Then we're certainly on your side, since we are with Lady Athena too."

Followed by his comrades, the soldier scowled and came back in, not bothering to debate. Nachi was fast in defending himself and chose to push them off with strikes that were unlikely to kill them; Anka, in the other hand, had become way harsher in every move. Each swing that came from her gracious spinning generated freezing swirls to rival even the fire's heat.

They continued to lay down denial onto the opponents, but at some point the burning had become unbearable, and when Piscis noticed a man rising a bit too much Cosmos, she positioned herself in front of Wolf and pumped a hand forth, screaming: "GLACIAL HORN!"

Hundreds of slender ice spikes spawned from a blue aura surrounding the gauntlet, proceeding to race towards the soldiers in a wide arrangement. Despite none of them having been fatally struck, some had been pierced through the shoulders, hips, and one in the abdomen, which did not bode well. They had fallen in a single pile near the corridor, but some were in the position to get up.

Once she saw some lean forth, Anka rose more energy, and while previously the place had become intolerably hot, now a freezing gale fought and twirled with the warm air, and the ice grew fast to stick them to each other. With how deeply cold it was, it would take them too long to safely escape, meaning they were effectively trapped until the Saints decided what was to be done.

Nachi frowned and turned to the girl. He saw that she waved hands and shook her face left and right in subtle movements, something he found bizarre. "Huh? What's that?" he asked.

She turned inquisitively as well. "That… that what?"

He mimicked the movement, and so she brought the hands close to her breastplate so as to control them. "O-oh… I… I do that when I get too riled up," she said.

Both heard the groans of the injured soldiers and watched them a bit, seeing that some blood had began to stain the ice. Nachi scratched the back of the head and wondered what they would do to them, let alone explain to Marin the bedlam they had evoked.

"Causing a fire in the museum?" Marin's voice spoke in intense indignation. They did bring the captured soldiers and officers to the barracks, but worst of all was having the courage to present themselves back in the dining hall. Alicia and Jabu sat relaxedly on the benches behind them, yet Nachi and Anka stood right in front of Eagle, the first staring straight and the latter with the mask facing the floor. "On a whim of all things! It's as if you ignored my order entirely."

"I'm… I'm sorry, Miss Marin," Anka apologized with the tone tinier than ever before.

"Apologizing won't change what's already done. So far I have no reports of dead civilians, but you should go see how many injured were sent to the medics," Eagle continued, but her next victim was Nachi. "And you, I expected better of you. You're much smarter than a fire in a museum full of innocents."

He finally lowered his head in shame, but Piscis elected to protect him from what was her own idea, arguing: "It was… it was my plan, and he was against it, a-and…"

"I don't care whose idea it was, I only care about results." Everyone went completely silent upon hearing that, and suddenly a sense of guilt washed over all involved in the operation. Marin went over to Ban, who stood beside the map, and whispered for him to do something, so he nodded and left. Still basking in the silence, she sighed and stared at the markings to analyze their situation. "I only care about results, and the results show me you did what we needed in the end, no matter the danger of your little act," she concluded and turned to both, who had finally raised their faces. "The center district is effectively in our control, meaning the way is clear for Lady Athena's arrival. We just have to settle and hold on to it."

"Seems so," Alicia said with a shrug.

"S-so… what I did was… good?" Anka insecurely questioned.

Eagle tried not to fluff her ego too much, explaining: "Despite it working out in the end, it was irresponsible. Do not do it again."

"Yes, Miss Marin!"

"So what comes next, do we just wait?" Jabu asked.

Marin laid fingers on the makeshift map and walked around it, so the other Saints came closer to take in the situation themselves. "Most of the city is ours, but there are likely to be Saints leading troops from the outskirts," she told.

Nachi reminded her: "There's also the path to Aries."

"Exactly. That is where we will focus most in order to have a path to the Pope. The other position of interest is the Cult's headquarters, to keep our informants safe as they move back and forth."

"There sure are lots of positions to defend."

"Perhaps, but we have the numbers, and if we can get Mu to join us, the war might as well be ours."

While for the rebels the idea of reaching the Temple of Aries would open further possibilities, for troops loyal to the Pope, Aries seemed more like an obstacle to their certain victory. Smaller skirmishes were yet held in a position far to the side of his stairway, but loyalists were able to maintain control of the area right in front of it, where a theater was maintained as a defensive core. Between the two areas was a wide street and a few smaller alleyways, all closed off for military use, so that supplies could be sent back and forth.

Despite this, having seen the might of the rebels and how quickly they conquered great partitions of the city, disgruntled men went up to Mu and threatened to cross the temple if he did not allow a passage. It was one of such soldiers that punched the impenetrable Crystal Wall now blocking the Temple of Aries.

"Aries, let us through at once!" he yelled at a Clothed Mu who did not seem to give in.

"How dare you speak up to me?" he responded.

Another soldier pulled his colleague's shoulder to deter him from bothering a Gold Saint, but he was angered and went on: "We are being slaughtered out there, rebels have occupied the whole city!"

"Passage to the Temple of Athena is blocked until further notice."

"Let us through to warn the other Gold Saints and the Pope! Without you, we're going to die!"

Losing patience, Mu assumed a stern tone to ensure he would not be misunderstood: "Each Gold Saint is to stand ground in their respective post at the onset of war. Our priority is to protect the way to Lady Athena, and thus listen, for I speak no less than an order!" The soldier seemed no happier with the choice of words. "Let Sanctuary's laws not be forgotten! While Lady Athena walks among us, the Saints override the Cult's authority, and therefore the army must obey the Bronze Saints, and they the Silver Saints, and they the Gold Saints; so hear me well, all of you! Do not — no matter reasoning — insist on crossing the Temple of Aries! The one who attempts to skip over it is to be struck off the air, as per the Pope's demand. Disobey this, and I am to end you without remorse."

The soldier who confronted him gritted the teeth. "How absurd that you treat us like meat shields! When the army falls, the rebels will come for you next!" he said.

"If they so dare, we are to end them too."

"I won't stand for this!"

"Quiet, soldier", another voice echoed from the entrance. By it was a retinue of archers and crossbowmen, and some of their helmets were topped by colorful crests of animal hair, some longer than the others; how decorated their helmets and the shields on their backs were — apart from the quality of the equipment — proved them to be elite warriors. The one who led them and now spoke was Sagitta Ptolemy, the carrier of Thanatos' wicked arrow. He approached the wall calmly.

"Sagitta, will you side with him?" the soldier inquired.

"Had you heard him, you would've understood this is in the name of our Lady's safety. That is our greatest concern at any point in time," Sagitta replied.

The man breathed out, looked back and forth, and chose to make his leave. In turn, he was followed by a few of the infantrymen. "No matter, this war looks grim. Have it your way," he muttered.

After eyeing the man's leave from the corner, Ptolemy approached the Crystal Wall and addressed Aries directly. "Excuse him. The first assault by the enemy was unexpected and devastating, and they outnumber us two to one. Morale is rather low," he explained.

"Mayhem is expected after a surprise attack, but is also temporary. Never mind the future; the Gold Saints are prepared for whichever outcome this war brings," said Mu.

"That is ideal, sir. If possible, I ask that you send word up that the portal has been occupied by rebels. As it stands, we have only ways out of Sanctuary, and no way to come back in."

When Mu looked back, he noticed the shadow of a hidden Kiki, who shied behind a pillar. "That's dire," he spoke, turning to Sagitta yet again, "but we cannot leave our temples. My apprentice will deliver your message in my stead."

"I'm thankful," Ptolemy responded with a subtle bow of the head and passed between his men. "Come on, let's return to our positions."

Mu made distance from the Crystal Wall and walked by the pillar Kiki used as a hiding spot. When the archers were far enough, he crouched before him to say: "Kiki, I need you to do something for me."

The boy sighed and allowed both shoulders to hang low out of laziness. "Ah, come on… do I really have to go all the way to the Pope?" he moaned.

"Of course not. You know very well you won't be allowed past Gemini," his master reminded him, and so Kiki wondered if he had heard their conversation improperly. "No, I need you to send a message to Aldebaran."

"To Aldebaran?"

"I need him to be aware of something. The situation might seem bad now, but it's about to get much worse."