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

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

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

Author Notes:

-The quote below is partially extracted from Jenny DeVic's Love You Kill Me fanfiction. You do not need to read it to follow my story, though.

-While the writing is in English, keep in my that most of the characters are supposed to be speaking Greek.

Please enjoy and review.

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"... for as long as I've taught, I've never met anyone who came here with a long sleeved hooded shirt and pants. This place is notoriousfor its weather. During the day, it never fallsbelow forty degrees Celsiusand determining on the volcano and where you are at, itcan rise up to seventy. My own Master had medrink water practically every few minutesandit is notwise towanderoff on yourown before yoursecond year.

This place is rated A in the difficulty chart for a reason,Shun. It has been called an island second closest to hell.You will not survive if you do not follow my orders and June's to the letter.I don't want to sound cruel, but if you want to see your brother again with a Cloth on your back, you must overcome this environment and much more."

-Cepheus Daidalos, warning Shun on his first day in Andromeda Island about the Training Ground's dangers

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Present Time

Golden Zodiac, 13th Temple, Pope's Halls

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The six Gold Saints exchanged glances while personally reflecting on the gruesome story of Arcadia's destruction. The Pope awaited patiently for any doubts or questions to rise before he moved on to the subject of Andromeda Island. He wanted to hear their thoughts.

The three older ones did not pronounce themselves. Instead, it was the very youngest, Aries Mu, who raised his hand high in the air so as to be seen. Pope Shion nodded to him. "Yes, Mu?"

"Master, I have a question. One of the main problems with Lance was his reputation, right? Didn't his involvement in this battle make him look better?" he wondered.

Sagittarius Aiolos, at his side, also raised his head in interest. "Good question. If he saved the girl and defeated the two Specters, he should have earned points for good behavior, right?"

However, the Pope sighed. "Unfortunately, while what he accomplished on that day was admirable, the investigation that was pushed on him immediately afterward by then Fort Commander Ionia cast a black stain in the story. Capricorn Kirin, you were informed of the details of the investigation, were you not?"

The Capricorn Saint bowed slightly. "Yes, your Holiness. I was the first Gold Saint informed by Saga of what was going on and, hence, I rushed to the scene to determine what happened." He took a pause to recall the strenuous process that was looking all over for evidence in Ismara and Arcadia, as well as the interrogations. "Everyone involved was questioned. I did not participate directly in the interviews, but I observed and over-viewed most of them, including Pegasus Lance's."

"It is my understanding he was able to demonstrate his innocence, correct?"

"Correct, your Holiness. It seems his experience as an assault operative was helpful. He knew of several objects on Ismara's scene that could be used to track the Specters' next movements and was able to explain how he used them to do so." confirmed Kirin.

Mu scratched is head. "Well, that's great. If so, how come he ended up still being a bad guy?"

"People are suspicious, Mu. It's easier to believe in others' slyness than in their integrity." Saga said. "Yes, he saved that girl, but most of the population also heard that he was investigated after the attack and that he managed to 'get off the hook', so it made him look bad. It doesn't matter that he was innocent, Mu. The damage of the slander was still done."

The Lemurian child frowned. "But that is so dumb and unfair!"

"I think I remember people asking around why he didn't save more people and just that girl." Aiolos recalled. He held his chin as he reflected on the matter. "I suppose that, if they had family and friends in Arcadia or Ismara, they had the right to wonder that, but still..."

There was the sound of a childish groan coming from Mu. "But he and the other two Saints did the best they could, right? Right?" No one seemed convinced. "I don't get it! He gets punished for doing bad stuff as well as good deeds? What is he supposed to do, then?"

A hearty laughter echoed in the room. Taurus Daniel pointed at the Cancer Gold Cloth. "Have you forgotten what we're discussing here, Mu? There is still much to be told. The people may be scared of him, but we could offer him the proper reward if he is, indeed, deserving. The people may have not been watching with attention, but the Pope has."

"True words, Daniel." commented the Pope, so as to get their attention to his next story. "As I also said, it was confirmed by Hades' liaison, Pandora, that three other Specters had gone rogue. Much was done from the part of Hades to prove to us that the Underworld did not intend to attack us."

The Sagittarius Saint narrowed his eyes. "Such as what, your Holiness? What could they have done to compensate the atrocity that was Ismara and Arcadia? You said yourself that they did not allow our envoys inside their fortress. How did this incident not break out into total war?"

"First of all, they starting by throwing at us as much evidence as possible that they had no hand in the matter. It was proven in the cosmos of the shattered Surplices the Specters wore in Arcadia that Hades' will was not behind the attack. Secondly, Hades' Castle offered the names of the three Specters asides from Bennu Yakos and Shaman Kairos who had rebelled, wishing us luck in capturing and executing them, no less." The Pope explained. "According to Pandora's letter, they were Basilisk Maia, Minotauros Guen and Gorgon Pell."

Gemini Saga recognized the first two titles from what he learned in Sanctuary Library about Hades' armies. They were part of a trio of dangerous Celestial Star Specters. "Do you not mean Alraune Pell, your Holiness?"

"No, I do not, Saint Saga. I meant what I said." Shion confirmed. "I do not know of the whereabouts of the Alraune Specter, who usually teams up with Basilisk and Minotauros, but it seems most likely that, whomever he may be, Alraune stayed faithful to Hades while these other two rebelled." He then cleared his throat. "While the attack on Arcadia was, indeed, an unforgivable atrocity, it is still important to remind the three of you that a Holy War would mean much greater slaughter. It may sound strange that the God of the Underworld would provide so much assistance, but that just makes it even more vital to get Hades' side of the story, specially after learning about the state of the Surplices."

The intelligent, blue-haired Gemini was not convinced. "It all sounds to me like a clever ruse of Hades to attack us without retaliation."

"I agree!" Aiolos interfered. "That whole story sounds very strange to me. I know I'm not an experienced Gold Saint, but... do we really just brush asidewhat happened to Ismara and Arcadia?!"

To their surprise, it was the stoic Aquarius Malta who gave them the answer. "Saint Aiolos, Sanctuary's diplomacy is not so simple as just blowing the horns of war as soon as border friction occurs. Yes, what happened was terrible and enough cause for war, but... me, Daniel and Kirin, who know what war is and what people end up suffering with it, also know how it would be much worse to just attack Hades for this."

Aiolos watched the two other older Gold Saints hesitate a bit, but end up nodding somberly. "But-"

"There is more at stake here than a single village and border outpost. Saint Aiolos, you are a kind person whom I would never expect to just shove this matter under the rug." admitted Malta. "However, did you know that there used to be a full generation of Gold Saints of me, these two, and nine others just less than a decade ago... and how it was all lost thanks to a reckless declaration of Civil War?" he asked.

Aiolos quivered as he saw Malta's cold eyes waver into melancholic ones. He had been told that Aquarius Saints were merely taught to be stoic but that they never truly lost their warmheartedness. It was then that he also noticed how, indeed, from what used to be a full generation of powerful warriors, only three remained, excluding Libra Dohko. "Only one war took so much from them, and it was not even a Holy one? I'm not convinced, but they must know what they're talking about." He turned to Saga. "Athena teaches us to be patient and that war, if necessary, should always be a defensive one. Maybe this is what she speaks of?"

His friend scoffed. "You know I'm not interested in theology, right? I never took you for such a warmonger, either."

"You know perfectly well that it's not about that, Saga. It's about justice and protecting our people. I wouldn't want to declare war or anything, but... I mean, what would you do if you were Pope and this happened?" The Gemini Saint seemed to want to take a second to think about this. In the meantime, Aiolos turned to the Pope. "Your Holiness, it still doesn't explain the fact that there was a period right after the attack that Hades' Castle would not open its gates to envoys. How did they explain that."

The Pope rubbed his chin. This was the strangest part of it all. "When they finally opened their gates to dialogue, the Specters claimed they suffered a second, unrelated incident involving a pair of escapees, one of them being a person of interest to the God Thanatos." he recalled. "It was such a bizarre excuse, but later on Saint Heracles Aguilon reported to have saved a pair of innocent women from a Judge of Hell. He was unable to extract information before killing the Specter, though, and the pair of women disappeared. To this day Sanctuary has no real intel on that strange case." The Pope cleared his throat to gather attention to the next subject. "Let's not dally on the past. We are here to discuss the future of a new generation, are we not?" This reminder seemed to improve the mood among the three older Gold Saints. "Feats are always important to judge someone. Arcadia was an important incident, as well as the next one we shall discuss. I am speaking, of course, of the attack on Andromeda Island."

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Chapter 9

First Arc

Episode 6

Andromeda in Chains

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November of 1974

Two Months after Arcadia

Sanctuary Town's outskirts

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The green-haired teen lightly placed his foot on top of the soccer ball as he planned his strategy. He saw the Pegasus Saint go tense, his red eyes narrowing, and assume a defensive pose. Shinta bit his lip. After performing the necessary calculations and position adjustments, he let go of the soccer ball, charged against it and struck it with the right side of his foot.

The goal keeper immediately sprung from the ground like a coiled spring and stretched out his hands toward the flying ball, determined to catch it. He leaped in the right direction and his fingers would touch the object, but Shinta's unorthodox kick caused the ball to suddenly curve the opposite way it was supposed to, going underneath the keeper and straight into the old, damaged net.

Shinta shouted and jumped in celebration while Lance crashed down on the floor in defeat, cursing and punching the ground. "DAMN IT! How the hell do you keep doing that?!"

The Andromeda Cloth, who watched from the sidelines, took the sharpened rock with its chain and happily scored another goal for its owner. "Nice shot, Shinta. Definitely worthy of my owner. You could probably try an easier one so as to further humiliate your adversary."

Lance looked at the score. "15-10? Come on!"

The green-haired boy wasted no time helping Lance back up. "It's a trick Master Guardnia taught me. He was really good at soccer."

The groaning Pegasus Lance put him at odds. It was clear he was growing increasingly frustrated with what he considered a cheap shot, specially because Lance prided himself of being a good movement reader and, thus, a good technique analyzer in battle and goal keeper in sport.

They had gone to a remote spot in the outskirts of Sanctuary Town as to run into less people who would demand to know what happened in Arcadia. Two months had passed, and everyone still kept harassing him over something he did right.

The morning was spent, then, playing penalties against each other, but despite Lance being a better goal keeper, Shinta was a much better shooter due to his training in precision in Andromeda Island as well as his expertise in curved trajectories. "I think your Cloth may be giving you points when no one is looking..." Lance commented.

"I don't think so. I've been keeping an eye on her because I know she would probably try something like that." Shinta then looked at the clothes Lance was wearing. They didn't have any soccer equipment, so they were just playing with what they had on them. "Lance, don't get angry at me, but maybe if you didn't bring such heavy clothes..."

"It's fucking cold today! We're almost at winter, you know?" Shinta kept staring at the thick black jacket, red gloves and red scarf and couldn't help but cringe. The Andromeda Saint was wearing his usual attire and barely felt the late Autumn breeze. As a Saint who can burn cosmos and also spent four years in Mount Olympus, Lance shouldn't be bothered with low temperatures that much. "What the hell are you looking at?!"

"N-nothing!" Shinta gulped in fear. Cold weather really put Lance in a bad mood for some reason. This was probably why he didn't want to cross those tall, snow filled mountains in Yugoslavia when they were heading for Ismara. "D-do you want to go to the MMC? I'm sure they have something for you-I mean, for us to do. Probably somewhere... warmer?"

The Pegasus Saint picked his Cloth Box into his back. "...Sure, that sounds like a good idea."

Happy that he managed to calm the storm, Shinta also picked up his Cloth and followed Lance out of there into town. They would have to go to First Street and, hopefully, they would be able to go somewhere nearer the equator.

As they entered the crowded streets, Shinta saw the foot soldiers patrolling among the population. The people seemed to ignore this, used to the militaristic nature of Sanctuary, but it was always something that stood out in his pacifist view. "Boy, ever since Arcadia, soldiers have been moving around everywhere."

"What did you expect? I'm surprised Holy War wasn't declared."

Shinta quivered. The prospect of Holy War terrified him, though not due to lack of bravery but more because of the all-out brutality it would ensue. "Do you have any idea what happened to that girl called Alexis?" asked Shinta.

Even after all the time it had passed since the Bennu Specter's attack, Shinta would occasionally wonder out loud about the red-haired girl the Pegasus Saint had managed to save. Lance detected genuine preoccupation in his eyes and wished the younger Saint would just move on. "...Probably in some Training Ground, if she's alive, that is. I stand by what I said before that you need to worry less about others. You can't afford to try to control what happens to everyone you meet, you know?"

As he asked this, both Saints passed by a Church of Athena. It was a large, medium-sized chapel styled after the architecture of orthodox christian churches, possessing cupola roofs above the western bell tower and narthex, but lacking christian symbols such as the crosses or mosaics of bible stories and characters. Instead, it had symbols related to Athena, including the eagle of Nike's staff above the large, wooden entrance doors, the small statues of owls in the roof corners and stain glass images of the Goddess acting as windows.

They couldn't see it from where they were due to the closed doors, but inside the church the benches would be filled with people, Saints and soldiers praying to a statue of Athena, identical in shape to the Colossus but much smaller in size, while a priest gave the sermon. While everyone invariably prayed to Athena, the actual temple architecture and religious rituals in Sanctuary had suffered a really profound influence from Christian and Islamic religions because most of Sanctuary's habitats and Saints were of European blood. The stronger presence of people from the Balkans and Southern Europe also meant that Orthodox Christianity and Catholicism had much more of an impact than the Protestant branches.

Despite being Sanctuary's capital, Sanctuary Town's population barely went beyond the five digits, primarily because Sanctuary as a whole was a contained, secret society. As a result, despite the fact that religion was a major issue in the Hellenic theocracy, a network of small or medium sized chapels under the fief of a small clerical class was far more apt than building huge cathedrals headed by complex and powerful religious hierarchies to worship Athena, who preached against prodigality and ostentation.

"Lance, can I tell you something personal... and you won't laugh at it?" This seemed to catch Pegasus' interest. Shinta didn't really like the look on his eyes so he glanced away nervously. "My mom... she's Japanese but she was raised in a christian religion. I don't know why or which one because I was very young when I got separated from her, but... she taught me to pray for people who I cared about everyday and that God would make those people happier." He then pulled out a pendant from underneath his collar. "Even after I learned of Athena, every day, I tried to remember people I met and I always tried to make them fit in my prayers, so I never felt it right to just forget about people or not care about them because I don't see them so much. I don't do it so much nowadays, but-"

"You have a necklace?"

"Hum, I mean, I-"

Lance smirked. "You pray to it?" He grabbed Shinta's hands. "Let me see that."

Shinta pulled away almost instinctively. "NO, I mean..." He calmed himself down and slowly revealed the jewel. "Please don't laugh. It's from my Mom. It's very precious to me."

The pair of red eyes analyzed the object. It was a star shaped pendant connected by the tips with a ring, with which a silver chain held around Shinta's neck. A golden laurel crown was engraved on the star's center above an inscription in equally golden letters. "'Yours Ever'? What is it, English? What does that mean?"

"Oh, my Mom told me that it meant that, even if I was far away, she'd always love me and have me in her heart. This way, even in Andromeda Island, I knew she worried about me and wanted me back."

"UGH!" Lance let go of the pendant. "Shinta, you really need to stop saying such sappy things with a straight face. You'll embarrass yourself. Besides, I was raised in a catholic orphanage in the middle of an orthodox country... Religious differences are not a laughing matter to me." Lance then saw Saint Nam in the street and started heading towards him. "I wouldn't mock you over that but you really shouldn't show that to everyone or saying corny stuff for that matter."

"I don't feel embarrassed about saying it, Lance. I think I just feel embarrassed only when people laugh about it, which is why I'm glad you didn't, because it means I can trust you, Nissan." A moment of tense silence followed. Lance rubbed his eyes. "Is everything okay, Nissan- Oh!" He covered his mouth.

Lance groaned. "What the hell do I care? You're just going to keep calling me that more and more, aren't you? You need to be more self-aware. Work on that, okay?"

Since he didn't want to get his partner more frustrated, Shinta just nodded obediently and followed him to the Mission Management Center.

It wasn't necessary to go all the way until the building itself, since Sagitta Nam was crossed by them in the street. ""Saint Nam, we were just heading for the MMC." said Shinta. "Is there any assignment, today?"

The blonde, blue-armored Saint shook his head. "No, but it's a good thing I ran into you guys."

"Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

Nam ignored Lance and showed Shinta a letter. "I received this today from Andromeda Island. It's from your Master to you."

Shinta gasped and analyzed it, seeing the seal of the Cepheus Cloth's engraving on red wax. "Master Guardnia sent this to me?" He opened it up eagerly and read the content.

Dear Shinta,

How are things? Have you been doing well in Sanctuary? I apologize for writing you this instead of sending a mental message. I hope the MMC didn't deliver you this right before giving you a mission, for I do not wish you to have anything on your mind while at work.

It's been almost a year since you've graduated and I've heard much of you. Just the other day, Saint Cynthia visited me with a new batch of students for me to educate and told me of how bravely you fought in the Arcadia incident. I was very impressed. But at the same time I am proud of your efforts, I am also sorry that you had to be a part of that massacre. I have read much of it in Sanctuary's newspapers and I know you've probably been pretty shocked with so much destruction.

The Andromeda Saint's attention was fully captured by the words. He hadn't gotten word from his dear Master in ages. Both the Pegasus and Sagitta Saint kept their respectful distances but while Nam was patient enough to let him finish his reading, Lance wasn't so keen on wasting time. "What does he say?"

Shinta kept on reading. "He's saying... that everything is going well in Andromeda Island, too, and that he has new students. He's heard about Arcadia, as well." He finished reading the letter and his smiled beamed widely. "He wants me to visit him at the Island for dinner when I have some spare time! This is great!" He turned to Nam. "Thank you, Saint Sagitta! Uh, do I have to send a letter back to him confirming?"

"Shinta, you don't have time for that, right now! We need to earn salary through missions." reminded Pegasus. "As much as I'd like it, I can't take any regular assignments without you, remember?"

But Shinta protested. "Saint Nam just said there weren't any missions from the MMC, right?...Lance, I'd really like to go." he pleaded.

"Well," Nam said, scratching his head. "It isn't so much that there are no assignments as that Sanctuary just isn't letting anyone go on them for the time being." He saw them widen their eyes. "After the massacre in the border with Hades' land, Bronze Saints have been severely restricted from going on missions for now. The Pope doesn't want to send weaker Saints to where there is trouble until this whole mess with the rogue Specters is dealt with. The most you'll get from us is patrol duty."

"I'm a fucking Silver-rank!" Lance reminded him. "Can't you at least let me do one on my own? If I don't bring Shinta along it should be fine!"

"You're Silver, yes, but your Cloth is not." Nam reminded. "If you're going to Andromeda Island, Shinta, take a Sanctuary ship. It's not safe out there for super-speeders, not with these rogues on the loose. You'll draw too much attention from them." The red-eyed teen folded his arms in frustration and groaned something. "I'll be going now. I have to help the other Silver Saints coordinate their efforts in finding these murderers."

"Take care, Saint Nam." Shinta wished. "And don't mind Lance. He's angry because it's so cold." He got a confused look from the Silver Saint before the blonde man left the scene. Shinta then looked back on the open letter, taking nostalgic pleasure in seeing once more his Master's writing. It had been less than a year, but it felt like it had been forever.

"Well, if you're going there, I guess I'll just take a few days off. It's not like the Pope will let me do solo jobs again-"

"Actually, Lance," Shinta's green eyes kept shifting between the letter and Lance's red ones. "the letter says that I could bring my partner, the Pegasus Saint. You can come with me... Will you come? Master wrote he'd like to meet you."

Pegasus' brow lifted. "What does he want with me?" Shinta shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose I wouldn't mind going. I've been meaning to check out what kind of place Andromeda Island is before I even met you," not to mention that it meant getting away from the whole Arcadia for some time.

A smile of excitement filled Shinta's lips. "Awesome! Thank you, Lance! You won't regret this. Master Guardnia is a wonderful person." Both Bronze Saints kept walking and Lance had to watch as Shinta practically skipping with excitement. After a while he calmed down, though. "I wonder how he's doing. Surely, he must be giving his lessons right now."

"...Was he a good teacher?"

Green eyes glanced at red ones. "Hum, yes. I mean, he was a bit... boring and his lessons were really long, but he taught me a lot of things."

"I see. That must have been nice..."

Shinta blinked and watched Lance maintain his seemingly calm mood. Knowing Lance like he did, something, perhaps in Lance's tone, told the Andromeda Saint that there was more to his words. "Is he asking this because of Kastiel abandoning him?" he wondered. Having long learned his lesson about mentioning the Kerberos Saint in Pegasus' presence, Shinta did not try to confirm this. He did, however, soften his gaze. "That must have been so sad to just be left behind and told you're no good by your own teacher. No wonder Lance doesn't like Kastiel at all." Shinta corrected the course of his speech. "Well, yes. His lessons were long and boring but I'm very thankful for them." He chuckled nervously when he was given a weird look by his friend.

As they walked across town, the faint sound of people murmuring, gasping and talking excitedly was heard. Lance and Shinta took a turn and found themselves before a crowd of people following an entourage of none other than the Pope himself.

Shinta gasped. "Look, Lance, it's his Holiness!"

They stood away from the crowd and watched as the Holy Father of Sanctuary, surrounded by a group of Papal Guards, walked among the people who called for him, praised him and asked his blessing. Some others in their houses shouted from their windows while others brought their children to see the Pope. Saints in the area, the two partnered Bronze Saints included, kept their respectful distance and some more professional ones even pretended not to notice the commotion, just going on their regular routine and schedules.

Several hands tried to reach out for him between the crossed spears of the Guards, who raised their shields in caution. "Please keep your distance. His Holiness, Pope Arles III, is passing." one advised.

Lance cringed. "Ugh, what a ghastly name he picked for himself. What does it even mean?"

"I'm not sure, Lance. I think the Popes name themselves in Ancient Greek, Atlantean or Old Lemurian at their coronation." said Shinta. "At least that's what Master Guardnia told me. It must mean something important if two other Popes picked it in the past, right? Hey Lance, what would you pick for yourself if you were Pope?" He saw Lance cringing further in disgust and shrugging his shoulders. "Oh, you wouldn't like it? Well, I'm not sure if I would either, but I think I'd just use my real name. It's one of the few things I still have from my Mom. I wouldn't like to hide it, even if I had to conceal who I was as the Pope."

They both watched as the Pope tried to answer as many pleas as he could, giving his hand to touch, his words to bless and sooth souls and even the occasional promise to aid. The people cried for him and kept gathering around more and more so the soldiers asked the Pope to let them escort him out of there before things got out of hand, to which the Pope concurred.

Lance folded his arms. "They really like him, huh?"

"Yeah, I don't understand how those Skeleton Soldiers in Arcadia could say so many mean things about him and Sanctuary." Shinta then recalled a story from his training. "There was this one time in my third year that the farms in Ethiopia that kept my Island fed were going through this really serious drought so the Pope send money and food carts to them and Master Guardnia until it was solved. Isn't that amazing?"

"All I know is that he's been on my case ever since I got my Bronze Cloth. He doesn't like me. Probably doesn't think I should have Pegasus, too. Let's go to the port. We need to find a ship going to the Indian Ocean and book a passage."

As they left the area, Lance's red eyes turned to the corner of the street where he spotted something strange. A pair of normal looking men were keeping their distance from the crowd and eying the whole situation rather intensely. Lance's elbow bumped Shinta's arm to get his attention to it.

Both Saints watched as the two men discussed something in whispers, perhaps pertaining to what the Pope was doing, without taking their eyes off the Pope's entourage. They seemed aggravated by the sight of the Holy Father. They then noticed the two Bronze Saints watching them and it didn't take them long to discretely walk away from the scene.

The Pegasus Bronze Saint squinted in suspicion. "What the hell? Who were those guys? They seemed from Sanctuary Town..." he deduced. "I guess they don't like the Pope, either."

"Should we do something, Lance?"

"Like what? Interrogate innocent bystanders? I'm not in the mood to get more bad fame. People think I'm violent enough already. Let's just go."

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The following day

North-Western Indian Ocean

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"Come on! Raise your fists!" one of the watching sailors encouraged.

Shinta hesitated only a bit. Did they really have to be doing this? Lance's intense stare, though, made it impossible for him to protest. He lifted his hands into a defensive stance.

Lance's fist, though, came like a bullet that struck his nose right through his defenses. Shinta stumbled back and tried to keep focus over his bloody nose. He managed to block a second heavy blow with crossed forearms, but an elbow strike coiled afterward, stunning him and opening his guard to flurry of blows that struck is whole body.

Shinta screamed and fell on his back, tired, bruised and beaten. Several of the sailors paid each other, not surprised by the outcome of the fight. Many complained out loud that a Saint, even one as docile looking as Shinta, should have put up a better fight and, better yet, beat the Pegasus. Some offered money to Lance, who stoically counted it as if beating up Andromeda was something he was used to doing everyday.

After he made sure he got his share of the bets, Lance pulled Shinta up. "Couldn't you have at least fight a bit more back? I know chains are your specialty, but they almost thought you threw the match." he berated.

Shinta winced in pain but manned up. He saw Lance's bandaged hands go look over his money one more time. It made him look like a real street fighter. "S-sorry. I don't like fighting, specially for money." Lance seemed to ignore him, focused more on the money they collected. "Hey, Can I ask you something, Lance? Why do you keep your arms and hands bandaged? I mean, you look really cool, but... it's not like you're hurt, right?"

Said hands stopped flipping bills. "...It's a habit."

"Oh," said Shinta. Now that he thought of it, he had never seen Lance without that set of bandage wrappings. He had seen him switch the actual fabric with new ones plenty of times and it was far from unheard of for trainees and Saints to wear wrist wraps in training but no one seemed to make it a part of their style as much as the Pegasus Saint. Shinta had become even accustomed to them, as another icon of Pegasus asides from his red eyes. "Oh, I see. How did you gain it? Was it from training?"

It was then that Lance gave him one of the strangest and most intense glares he's ever given anyone, including to Shinta. The Andromeda Saint gulped and stepped back. Did he ask something that personal?

Whatever the answer, Lance did not seem interested in divulging it. "You know, you could have easily beaten me if you used that cosmos of yours. Probably could have ended the match without a single punch being thrown."

"Lance, I told you, I don't and I shouldn't use that. It's dangerous!" he pleaded.

"Which is why you should use it more often, you wuss. If you're afraid of it, then of course you're never going to control it! Whatever... you want to spar again?" Shinta shook his head frantically. "Boy, you really have no guts!"

"S-sorry, Nissan." he apologized. "I'm not sure I could beat you anyway. You're much better at hand-to-hand than I am. You're like a martial artist!"

Lance shrugged it off. "I'm no martial artist, Shinta. That requires specialized training that I never undertook. Pulling off some flashy moves doesn't make me Bruce Lee. In fact, Pegasus Saints are said to usually fight more like street fighters or boxers than martial artists."

Both Saints moved away from the crowd and looked out to the Ocean. The had departed that morning from a Sanctuary merchant vessel that would go to India through the Suez Channel, a route which, according to Shinta, passed right over Andromeda Island's seas.

"(Is it... going to take... much longer?)" Lance struggled to ask in Japanese.

Shinta beamed up in surprise. "Wow, that was really good! You're getting so much better!"

Lance's eyes shifted. "No, I'm not, It's still hard to order the sentences! I'm so used to the western way and it's tough to pronounce and tell the words apart."

"But that one was so good, Lance. I can tell you're really improving." he praised. During the last couple of months, Lance had utterly shocked Shinta by picking up some of his Japanese words and attempting to learn how to speak it. As expected, the Pegasus Bronze Saint was having a much tougher time than he thought he would, courtesy of the completely different linguistic roots of Greek and Japanese. "You don't have to learn Japanese, though, specially if you're having difficulty."

"It's okay, I kind of like it. It sounds cool when I speak it." Pegasus confessed. "I like it better than learning English, that's for sure..."

"Andromeda Island is..." Shinta then paid attention not to his surroundings, but to the slowly rising temperature and the color of the sea. "It's not very far off. Usually fishing ships stay away from here because it's a bad area."

Lance's red eyes then spotted far off a fishing vessel with a french name leaving the area, probably towards Madagascar. Pegasus noticed how it seemed to have a paw, seemingly of a monkey, drawn next to its French name. He then looked at the water splashing against the boat they were in and didn't notice anything special about it. "What do you mean? Is this a predator area or something?" he asked. He didn't claim to know anything remotely solid about fishing.

"Oh, no, it's the Ring." Shinta saw Lance raise a brow. "The ring of Poseidon. It's a curse that afflicts the waters of Andromeda Island. When we get there, you'll see that there is this 'pollution' in the water, like a gray ring of poison in it. My Master taught me that, when Poseidon was cheated from his sacrifice by Perseus, he was so angry that he cursed the waters of the island."

"Really? That sounds interesting." Lance then looked back at the water. "Poseidon is the God of earthquakes, too, right? Maybe he caused an eruption that expelled toxic materials to the sea. There's probably not anything supernatural about the ring itself."

The gulping sound coming from Shinta's throat and the sudden whitening of his face alerted the Pegasus Saint. "I don't think so, Lance. I've seen the curse in action. A classmate of mine died because he stepped on an urchin that lived in the Island's waters. He thought it was okay and, when Master Guardnia found out... it was too late and he had to mercy kill him." Shinta then shivered and closed his eyes, reliving some nightmare. "The infection was so horrible. Master said that, even if he had been told in time, he would probably have to cut off the limb or undergo a very painful and risky treatment."

Now Lance's interest was piqued. Shinta seemed truly terrified of the curse. "Can you tell me about the island? I've heard it is a level A Training Ground. What's so special about it?"

Shinta recalled that Mount Olympus was considered a B level training Ground. Was Lance trying to compare their trainings. "Well, the curse desolated the island. It caused a rapid change in climate that killed almost everything on it. The people had to leave it behind to go to Sanctuary or to the Atlantean Colonies. It was once filled with forests and grass plains, but now... the terrain is rocky and volcanic. There is a very large area of it that is just dunes of hot sand. The temperature during the day is insane but at night it drops to sub zero ones."

Shinta continued. "There's barely any signs of civilization left, too. Nothing grows on the island because of the infertile terrain and the harsh temperatures. The only ruins that are still standing are all part of the Tests I had to go through. The first thing Master Guardnia would teach us was how we should keep ourselves hydrated at all times. In fact," Shinta then opened his Cloth Box and pulled out a pack of water bottles. "You should keep these inside your Cloth Box, Lance. It will make them stay cool and you'll need water all the time."

Lance stared at them for a second. "That's really thoughtful of you. I'll be fine, though."

Shinta, however, in a rare fit, narrowed his eyes. "I'm serious, Lance! The temperatures on the island are very dangerous. Take these!"

The Pegasus Saint took note of Shinta's fortitude. "I'll ask for them if I need them." His pulse was grabbed and Shinta put the water bottle pack in his hand. "Hey, what the hell-"

Shinta groaned. "Nissan, I'm not kidding, okay?" he insisted. It was his task, appointed by the Master, in Andromeda Island to make sure all his friends had filled stocks of H2O and nothing made him angrier than when water was wasted or ignored by people who didn't take the danger on his Training Ground seriously. "Please, just take them."

Lance sighed and conceded, storing the water inside Pegasus' box. The box, much like the Cloth itself, had powerful defensive properties which included heat protection, so it should keep the water fresh for longer.

"I'm sorry for being stubborn, Lance, but Andromeda Island is said to be the second worst Training Ground. Master Guardnia has always said, though, that it was a blessing compared to the very worst one. He never told me what it was..."

"It's an island in the Pacific. You shouldn't go there, Shinta." Lance warned, surprising the younger Saint by knowing about the place. "It's got its own special rank, not to mention that it is pretty much off-limits for most people."

The Andromeda Saint widened his eyes. He had never heard of a Training Ground with access restrictions. It made him wonder how terrible it really was and, apparently, Lance sounded like he knew more about it than he let on.

Deciding not to pry, Shinta instead turned his eyes to the sea. He brightened up when, at the distance, the tips of two twin volcanoes were spotted. "Look, Lance, we're close to the Island."

"Is that the ring?" Pegasus pointed at the gray that the water was suddenly obtaining. Shinta nodded. "Doesn't look like anything I've seen around volcanic islands and I've visited my share of them."

Almost immediately the two Saints started noticing the steady rise in temperature. They were not very far off from the equator, since Andromeda Island was located not over a thousand kilometers off the coast of Somalia, but they could already tell from the sudden spike of warmth in the air that the Island really messed with its nearby climate.

The boat they were on started shifting to the right so as to head southeast, below the Island and towards India. Lance and Shinta put on their Cloth Boxes and prepared themselves for some island hopping with supersonic speed. Shinta smiled and clasped his hands. "I can't wait to see Master. It's been so long. I wonder how many students he has now."

Lance shrugged. He wasn't looking forward to being a part of a joyful reunion between Shinta and his teacher. He just wanted to get there, find out what the Cepheus Silver Saint wanted with him and get back to Sanctuary. "Let's just go. I don't want to waste more time than necessary."

The two Saints then stepped on the boat's railing and leaped off at super speed.

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At one of the northwestern beach coasts of the large, deserted island, a small basic wooden dock had been built by the residents of the island and it was supposed to house only a boat or two at once. The spot of the island was chosen because most boat routes from Sanctuary came from the Red Sea, which was northwest from the island's standpoint. The two Bronze Saints landed from their supersonic movement on it and entered the island's innards. The sounds of lava rumbling around in the volcano, the sandy wind, the scorching temperature of the sun and the complete lack of life among the dark rocks was their only greeting.

Shinta turned to Lance, who seemed shockingly unconcerned by the climate. Without even putting his Cloth on, the Pegasus Saint seemed unsurprised by the temperature levels and lack of any signs if life around them. For some reason, Shinta felt hurt by this. "Are you sure you don't want to take a drink already? You'll need it, Nissan."

"I'll be fine. This island is very rough, but I've seen worse. Where should we go, Shinta?"

This part excited the Andromeda Saint. "Well, first we should go to the Living Area. It's a part of the island where the huts we lived in are. We landed a bit far from there, though. Master built them as close to the coast as possible without it being too vulnerable to sudden pirate raids. Pirates sometimes pop up because the island is a good middle point between Somalia and Yemen."

Lance chuckled. He could easily tell that Shinta had been looking forward to show off his Training Ground for a while. "Well, lead the way."

The green-haired boy rushed ahead towards a dirt path among the rocks of the harsh terrain that lead up a cliff at the distance where, Lance deduced, should be where the Living Area was.

The Andromeda Cloth in Shinta's back opened it's lid and looked around with its spear-tip chain. "My home, my kingdom! It's so good to be back!" It then noticed the Pegasus Saint. "Now, if only I could get rid of this one..." It then had an idea. "Shinta, can I go see Mother's Labyrinth first? I want to... reunite with my fellow Cloths." This last sentence took some effort from her part since she had nothing but distaste for the Cloths not connected to her myth but that, for some reason, where kept by Cepheus Guardnia. "I sense my father there and I want to go see him." she lied. She could then just tell them that Guardnia had left the area once Pegasus got lost inside mother's maze.

Lance saw Shinta stopping. "What is it?"

"Oh, hmm... Andromeda says she wants to take a detour. She wants to go to Cassiopeia's Labyrinth. It's a Test located at the north end of the island. It's where Master keeps most of the Cloths that are in his possession. She says she senses Master there." Pegasus shrugged his shoulders. "We should be close since we landed at the Northwestern area. It has a passage that goes through one of the volcano undergrounds that should give us a shortcut to the Living Area, but... No, it's dangerous. We'll just try to meet with Master there and then go to the Living Area, okay?"

"Whatever, you're the boss."

Shinta felt a boost of confidence with Lance's trust vote. He wished he could have them explore the Island more so as to show Pegasus more of where he spent his childhood in, but Master was waiting for them. They dashed at super speed towards the northern part of the island.

While Shinta tried to guide them through shady areas and smoother parts of the terrain, ever time he looked back Lance, for someone facing Andromeda Island's dangers for the first time, seemed to have very little difficulty against the heat and roughness of the island, as if he had truly faced something worse in the past. This bummed Shinta out a bit because he really wanted to take the chance to impress Lance with the harshness of his training Ground.

The Northernmost part of the island was one of the many spots of it that were desert-like, though this particular one was still a very rocky one and not the full out sandy one that was the East part. Upon arrival at their destination, they still had to slow down because the erratic cliffs and sandy rock floors made moving big distances at super-speed a reckless choice.

They stopped before the entrance of the Labyrinth and for the first time since the got there, Lance was visibly in awe. Before them, sprouting out of the base of one of the two volcanoes, stood a massive, cliff-like rock structure with a ten-foot cavern entrance in front of the two Saints. Said cavern was sided to the right by equally tall carving of a regally-dressed woman with a lying chair and to the left by one of the Andromeda Princess with chains moving around her body.

There was a greater amount of sand coming out from the cavern's floor than in the rest of the area, but it was a dark brown one akin to what Lance would find at Sanctuary's Coliseum. Both Saints widened their eyes in shock, though, when they spotted what appeared to be a man in black armor lying on the floor, dead and with blood gushing on from beneath his body.

The both rushed to the scene and analyzed him. His armor was shaped like a skeleton and a shattered scythe lied on the ground next to his hand. Shinta's face went pale. "W-what? A Skeleton Soldier?! What is he doing here?"

Lance, also in shock, turned the man over and analyzed his wound. He had been slashed across the chest and there were marks of chains pressed against his skin in some spots uncovered by armor. It sounded like the recent work of an Andromeda Islander. "The island is under attack..."

Shinta then spotted something that aggravated the situation even further. "Oh, no! The Cloths!" Shinta rushed over to what seemed to be several cube-like slots beneath the images of Cassiopeia. A rock covering seemed to have been removed from them. "Someone took the Cloths that Master Guardnia kept in store here."

Lance immediately pulled the chain of his Cloth box, causing it to open up and adorn Lance in his white armor. "Shinta, put on your armor. There are Specters here-"

"AAGHHHH...!"

Both Saints went silent and turned towards the dark, cavern entrance of Cassiopeia's Labyrinth. The chilling screamed seemed to have come from deep inside. "T-that voice... MASTER!" Shinta put on his armor with but a pull of the chain of his Cloth Box and rushed inside the cave. "I'm coming!"

"NO, SHINTA, DON'T! Damn it!" Lance tried to stop him from entering what was obviously a trap. The kid did not listen, though, and Lance had no choice but to also rush inside.

After the two Saints disappeared inside the dark entrance, several shadows move around the rocks, watching the whole scene. The many Skeleton soldiers that had spotted the Saints and stalked them to that area slowly followed them inside, scythes and swords in hand.

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Chapter End

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Next Chapter: Andromeda in Chains, part 2 of 2

Release Date: September 21, 2014

Description: While searching for Shinta's Master inside the volcanic maze that is the labyrinth of Cassiopeia, Shinta and Lance come across a powerful adversary

Author's note: Much of what is in this chapter about Andromeda Island comes from the Love You Kill Me fanfiction, but you do not need to read it for I will try my best to depict the island without making the details of it vital to the story. The old readers should already know where the next chapter will go. While I intend to revamp this storyline, it should not got much further beyond in it's core relevance than the original version did.