117 — FLIGHT OF THE OWL
When the impossible wave swept Saori and the mysterious mermaid from the Cape Sounion pontil, disappearing with both of them before Alice and Mayura's shocked eyes, the Saintias felt that their bodies were freed from that paralyzing magic. Both fell to the ground gasping for air, although Alice immediately ran out stumbling to shout her friend's name. The waves crashing against the rock below seemed more agitated.
Alice's tears mixed with the raindrops that were still falling. Mayura ran to hug her, while the girl felt that Saori had really abandoned that world. Her World. It was as if Saori had really died, in a way.
Alice was unable to formulate anything other than the name of the friend who had left without her. First made a visceral roar, but little by little repeated like a very low mantra, just for herself, unable to accept it as if trapped in a moment of hope.
The hours passed at Cape Sounion, where all Alice did was sob about missing Saori, while Mayura consoled her, weighing her absence in the world. The waves kept crashing against the rocks and the rain continued to fall. Alice was still in shock and Master Mayura hugged her like she was a child, even though she was already a young woman. She shivered from the cold on that starless night.
Mayura saw the single shining gem on the pedestal oscillate a curious glow and then the two felt a terribly divine presence spread throughout that Temple. Alice seemed to wake up from her trance and stood up with her heart pounding, hoping that Saori would resurface as if by magic.
But that wasn't what happened. The sky seemed to shake for a moment and the rain, which had previously been falling non-stop, calmed down to a light drizzle before stopping completely a few minutes later. The heavy clouds that hid the night stars moved away like a curtain in the sky, revealing the wonderful spectacle that was the brilliant constellations of the Aegean Sea.
"She did it." Alice stammered, finally drawing a smile on her face and looking back at Mayura. "She did it, Master. The rain stopped. It was her, wasn't it? Saori did it."
"Yes, my dear." replied Mayura, also with a lighter chest.
"That idiot." she said, falling to her knees and with a smile on her face. "She really did it."
And the euphoria of that miracle that had filled her heart with hope, time gradually filled with anguish. Minutes passed and Saori didn't return. Mayura noticed how the little dove's joy gradually transformed into that silent restlessness. To the point that Alice, little by little, no longer sought comfort from Mayura, afraid of the Master's words that seemed to turn into a farewell with each one she said.
Hours passed again.
The sun rose very high and there was no sign of her friend returning. In the morning, Alice was already walking from one side to the other and all the heavy clouds that had disappeared from that sky seemed to have transported themselves into her mind. Both in silence, veiling a wait that seemed eternal.
And more hours passed on that cape. In fact, just as the sun rose, it also set that day and then rose again the next morning. Time no longer seemed to make any sense to the Athena's Owl who was waiting for that return; Alice's mouth was already dry with thirst and her stomach was empty of any food, leaving her body weak and her eyes sunken into her face.
It was only in the morning of the second day after Saori's disappearance that the two heard a curious crackle among the few trees in a forest that preceded the Ruins of Poseidon on the plateau that led to that stone point; Alice looked at her back and saw a Sanctuary warrior emerge. His voice was heard and it was the first time in two days that someone spoke in that place.
"Master Mayura, Master Alice." the man introduced himself respectfully. "What are you doing here? The entire Sanctuary is looking for you."
The man did not understand the funereal atmosphere immediately, although Alice was visibly very weak; There was silence between the three and then Mayura finally spoke to her disciple.
"Alice."
"No." she replied, immediately, turning towards the sea. "I don't want to hear it. I'll wait here until she comes back. And she will come back!"
The man immediately seemed to understand, but he didn't dare interrupt.
"What if she doesn't come back?"
"Don't say that, Master!"
"Alice. Listen to me." Master Mayura tried calmly. "Athena said goodbye to us at that moment. She also knew that there might be no return from this journey."
"No!" Alice protested with her hands.
Mayura let the silence echo that idea inside the girl's heart. And gradually she just let the weight of that absence bring her to the ground on her knees and in tears. Her crying no longer mixed and hid in the raindrops, as Saori had somehow silenced Poseidon.
"How could she have done this, Master? How!?"
Master Mayura, Saintia of Athena, hugged the Owl trying to contain some of that feeling that the girl seemed to be holding back within herself for a long time and which, thanks to those tears that she finally felt on her face, seemed to simply break completely inside her.
"Athena chose to march on Poseidon, Alice. This is Athena's choice."
"Then I need to be by her side. You taught me this by yourself, Master!"
"You were by her side as long as possible, Owl. There are places where humanity is not allowed to set foot. There are places far beyond our understanding."
"I don't mind. It's Saori, Master."
"She is Athena. And she's next to Poseidon."
"Am I useless, then?"
"No. Never! But you are human. And she is a Goddess among her own."
"What should I do, then?" insisted the girl, looking at her with her wet eyes.
Mayura broke the hug between the two and took off her blindfolds as if in a ritual to look into Alice's eyes.
"We walked to where we were supposed to walk like Athena's Owl. Without Athena, we must find our way."
Alice's eyes were dismayed, unable to believe those words; for they evoked something she knew very well. Alice looked into her Master's eyes for a moment longer, still in disbelief. Until she rebelled again.
"No! I refuse. I refuse! That was for them, not me."
"Deep down maybe she knew it would be for you too. She is the Goddess of Wisdom, Alice."
"No, no! I'll go after her."
Alice let go and ran to the edge of the cliff. Below, the waves broke hard against the stone wall on which the Temple of Poseidon stood: Cape Sounion was furious that afternoon.
"If you jump from there, you will only find death."
"I don't mind."
"I do." said Mayura, walking towards her, stopping a few meters away from the girl.
Alice cried looking at the sun on the horizon, shaking her head not knowing what to do.
"All your life you always knew exactly what to do. The devoted caregiver. The faithful friend. The Bronze Saint. Saori's protector. The Miracle alongside Athena. The Sanctuary Owl." and then she placed herself next to the disciple in front of that cliff. Alice looked back at her. "Now it's time for you to play your most difficult role, little dove. To be free."
"No, I don't want to." cried Alice. "I don't want to be free from her."
Mayura listened to that despair and closed her eyes, remembering old moments.
"Saori once came to me when Old Kido passed away."
"No!" stopped Alice from continuing. "Saori is not dead. She went to meet Poseidon. She's alive!"
"In Another World." Mayura replied, looking at the ocean at their feet, which stretched across the entire horizon. "The World of Poseidon. As this is the World of Athena. As there is also the World of Hades and that of Zeus. Worlds of the Gods. A World in which we cannot reach it. How is that any different from death?"
"She will come back."
"We don't know that. Nobody knows. When Athena chooses to march, there is nothing that can stop her."
"Why are you so sure she won't come back?"
"I'm not. But we cannot turn into stone statues here waiting forever. I can't throw myself off this rock either, as I'm still a Defender of Athena. The Camerlenga of the Sanctuary. Protector of the Earth. She left to give us all a future. Not that you spend the rest of your life in this place. In an eternal vigil."
But Alice watched the waves crash below.
"I can still feel her." said the girl, hopefully."
"I know you can. I do too."
"I'll stay. I'll stay here and wait for her to come back."
Mayura looked at her with tenderness in her eyes and extended her hand to the girl, who accepted the gesture. The two left the edge of that cliff and returned to the center of the cape. Mayura put her bandages back on her face, leaving Athena's heart with Alice and placing her Camerlenga mask.
"I can't force you to live, Alice." she said in front of the girl. "Take whatever time you need for your heart. But when you no longer feel the Heart of Athena, little dove, live your life. Go feel your own heart."
Alice hugged her Master.
"Aren't you sad, Master? She adored you."
"Terribly, little dove." said Mayura, with a wavering voice. "But I was chosen to take care of the Sanctuary of Athena. The greatest proof of my love for her is ensuring that the Sanctuary is standing when she returns. She will always be with me."
"Athena will be. But what about Saori?"
"Saori will be in my heart as long as I can feel her as we both are right now."
"And when you don't feel it anymore?"
"Then I will really miss the way she used to say 'good morning' to me."
And they hugged one last time, crying.
Master Mayura left Cape Sounion with the sentry, leaving Alice behind. The girl envied the tranquility with which the Master seemed to overcome that loss which, for her, was as if the world had ended. Late that night, Mayura would cry hidden and alone in her rooms for Saori, without Alice or anyone else, other than the eyes of the Gods, witnessing her pain.
As for Alice, she really decided to wait for Saori in that cape. And she sat on the rocks at the edge with her feet dangling over the Aegean Sea, where she remained for many more hours watching the sun set. And then the moon rose and set on the other side. She slept in the open air and woke up sad the next day.
Nothing had changed. The pain continued in her chest and the absence of Saori everywhere.
She stood up and inspected the pedestal of Poseidon's Trident in the Temple, its glowing gems slowly pulsing. The morning breeze, however, carried to her the salty aroma of fresh seafood; she looked down into the ruins and found a bowl of food and a bottle of water. She ran to the offering and looked everywhere.
She called for Saori, for Athena and for anyone. Nobody answered her.
Hungry, she ate that offering trying to imagine who had left it there, as she was absolutely sure that the food had not been there the day before. And, after eating, she returned to her vigil on the edge of the bridge, inspecting each wave that broke below in the hope that it would reveal Saori's figure in its foam.
But nothing happened. And again the day fell and, fighting sleep, she saw mirages of figures dancing in the ruins that always disappeared when she woke up to see better. Until sleep finally overcame her and she woke up to another unchanging morning with the delicious aroma of the ocean food they had once again left for her. Those guardian angels seemed to care for her, eyes that she didn't knew, but that undoubtedly watched her from a distance.
She made her breakfast again with the sun rising behind her on the continent. And, as soon as she finished her meal, she sat down on the bridge again to inspect the waves; her chest could still subtly feel the Heart of Athena, which always gave her hope. The sun burned her back and, between one half-dream and another, she saw something beside her that confused and then gave her hope.
It was undoubtedly the shadow of Athena's staff projected on the ground. Alice immediately looked back and saw a girl with the staff in her hands.
"Saori?" she asked the silhouette hidden by the sun.
It wasn't.
The girl walked up to her and looked at her harshly.
"Who are you? Where is Saori?"
"I am the Mermaid Thetis." she presented herself in simple clothes and bright red pants.
Alice looked at her better and seemed to recognize her.
"You were the one who took her away, weren't you?"
"Yes. I accompanied the Goddess Athena to the Undersea Kingdom."
"Take me to her!" ordered Alice, stepping forward.
"I can't." replied Thetis, a little confused. "But Poseidon saw that you were suffering in your Temple and ordered me to bring back the Staff of the Goddess Athena, so that you can take it back to your Sanctuary, where it should remain. And also this gold bell she was wearing."
Alice took the Golden Staff in her right hand; the ebony bar with wonderful details embedded in the metal and the golden owl with its wings open at the tip, the work of the most valuable craftsmen of mythological times. And with her left hand, Alice took the crude rattle that Saori loved to make in the Foundation's room with the colorful rubber bands she bought in convenience stores when she escaped from her room with her and Kyoko. She swallowed the thought that possessed her mind.
"What do you mean by that? What happened to Saori?"
Thetis looked at Alice as if she didn't understand so much despair. And she spoke in a bureaucratic tone.
"The Goddess Athena agreed to help Poseidon bring life to the suffering Sea People. But that will cost her earthly life."
"What?!"
"In return, Poseidon will spare the surface from His fury. The rains and disasters will end around the world."
"What does that mean, in exchange for her earthly life? Don't tell me she..."
"The Goddess Athena decided to sacrifice herself for the Earth."
"No!" Alice replied, as if she could change things by denying them.
"There is no turning back. In a few days, her life will be consumed by the sea."
"What do you mean? So she is still alive."
"Her destiny has already been set and there is no way to change the Will of the Gods."
"I don't believe that. If she's still alive, there's a chance to save her."
"You must have misunderstood me. The Goddess Athena made her decision. There is nothing that can change what is already underway."
"No! "Alice shouted again. "No, that can't be. There must be another way. Please tell me there is another way."
The Mermaid Thetis was still looking at the girl with some confusion. Alice gave up on her and ran to the tip of the bridge with the staff in hand, looking out to sea.
"What do you think you're going to do?" asked Thetis behind her, abandoning her emissary voice and, for the first time, showing some feeling, as that scene was completely different from what she expected to find.
"I'm going after her. If there's still a chance, I'll go for it."
"You're crazy. If you jump from there, you will die once your body hits the water."
"You don't know who I am and what I'm capable of."
"You are an Athena Saint. But you will die the same way."
"I am Athena's Owl!" Alice replied.
"It won't make any difference."
"Then take me there!" Alice asked, looking back at Thetis. "You were able to take Saori, you should be able to take me."
"You are wrong. I wasn't the one who took her there. She is the Goddess Athena. I only guided her across the waters to the Realm of Poseidon, as I was terrified of her power. It was her Divine Cosmos that protected her from death. I wouldn't be able to do anything to protect her, just as I can't protect you either."
"No, I don't accept it." Alice turned to face the ocean in despair. "I need to see her. Even if it's one last time. I need to go to Poseidon's Kingdom!" Alice cried, with tears in her eyes.
The waves crashed below and it was the only sound Alice could hear. But Thetis, next to her, not only could hear the waves breaking in the ocean, but also the suppressed sobs of the girl who was suffering terribly the loss of that person so dear to her. There was no reason for her not to sympathize with her, and truly, if it were in her power and capacity, she would truly take her for a final farewell. But it wasn't possible.
"I'm very sorry." said Thetis, and then threw herself into the sea to disappear in the waters.
Alice ran towards her and fell to her knees in front of the abyss with the Staff in her hands. The last memory she had of Athena. From Saori. And the golden bell on the right fist that held the Staff. She was still alive. She needed a way to get to the Sea Kingdom. She got up, wiped her tears and ran along Cape Sounion in the direction of the Sanctuary.
But, as soon as she ran into the woods, she was surprised by a shadow that jumped from a tree behind her and hit her violently as soon as she turned to understand who it was. Alice fell to the floor, unconscious.
Her body sank eternally in dark waters. The shapes and colors around her changed all the time, as if she was trying, in her dreams, to imagine what the Sea Kingdom was like where her best friend was marching between life and death. But instead of diving deeper and deeper into those mysterious waters, Alice always returned to the surface gasping for air; and each time she did so, she perceived on the surface a different scene from her life.
The escape along the path of the Giants, the terrible news on the clinic's laptop, the hug from Master Mayura, the sudden departure at night to Cape Sounion. And when her body returned to the deep waters, she could only see from the corner of her eyes a figure swimming beside her.
"Saori?" shouted her dream voice.
She couldn't reach her. She felt abandoned. She felt betrayed.
"Come back, Saori!"
She felt angry at Saori. She felt that her friend already knew everything before she even left the clinic and hid everything from her. She swam after Saori and the dreamy colors of that ocean illuminated a long fishtail on that figure. After all, she wasn't her friend. Or maybe it was? She reached it by miracle, and then appeared in a Kingdom of shining Corals; in front of her, the owner of that fish tail: a girl in red pants. The one who had stolen Saori from her at Cape Sounion.
The two fought fiercely, for even though Alice was the Heart of Athena, she was also the disciple of Mayura, the Dolphin Bronze Saint, trained to be a warrior. And the two fought on equal footing throughout the Corals Kingdom. Until she could finally see who the owner of that mysterious face really was. Who had taken Saori away from her.
It was her. Reflected as in a mirror. She was the one who had sent Saori away to Another World.
Alice, Athena's Owl, woke up startled from the dream, and the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes, very breathless, was a brightly colored patched canvas above her head. The yellow and emerald green of the canvas were illuminated by a white artificial light lamp. A huge tear in the roof allowed the girl to see some bright stars in an already very dark sky. She was soon tormented by a throbbing headache, which made her close her eyes as she tried to catch her breath.
Feeling with her hands, she realized that she was lying on a rough feather bed; She opened her eyes again, but felt dizzy from the cold light and vomited up the little food she had eaten in the last few days of being awake. She was weak, still very weak. She lay down again, trying to organize her mind.
And once she calmed down, she soon remembered Saori. The golden staff. She got up again, looking around, but there was no sign of her; Outside that makeshift tent she heard someone's footsteps against the wood. Wherever she was, she wasn't alone. She heard a muffled voice, which seemed to be speaking to her from outside.
"There's food in the crate to your left. Water too. Don't get up too quickly."
She looked to the side and saw a small pot with dried fruit and a strip of dried meat; a full leather canteen and a loaf of stale bread. She felt pain in her stomach, and not just from hunger, because now she remembered being hit by someone. She had been kidnapped, she thought to herself; which seemed absurd given so much misfortune that seemed to happen to her in those days.
She didn't trust that voice and tried to calm down before facing it. She could see through the torn canvas only the night sky with many bright stars; Among them, she recognized some constellations and calculated that they were not that far from the Sanctuary. At the same time that she felt relieved, she also felt sad, because that open sky was something unthinkable a few days ago, when rains were lashing the entire planet. But now they seemed to have disappeared by miracle. For it hadn't been any miracle: she knew it was Saori's work. From Athena. At the cost of her earthly life.
She took courage and finally opened the canvas firmly and on guard to face her captor. But when she stepped out of that tent she found herself in front of a fantastic image. A dark silhouette stood on what was undoubtedly the bow of a small wooden boat, its foot on a sitting platform. Her back was turned, but it didn't matter either, because they were in a boat, what left Alice breathless was that they were sailing through an ocean of white mist.
For a few moments she became confused within that image, reflecting that perhaps they were crossing a fantastic river, whose mist from the mountains had descended to accumulate on the waters of the cold night. But there were no mountains around. In fact, there was nothing around, just the dark carpet of the sky, a bright full moon, and the twinkling of stars illuminating the white mist around the boat. But when one of the white formations fell through the mist, she saw, far away and below, the lights of a nightfall city. She almost fell to her knees in fright and her scream caught in her throat; that figure's firm hand held her by the arm to prevent her from falling over the edge.
"Stay seated." asked the mysterious figure to Alice, who let go of his hand and balanced herself in front of him again.
"Who are you?"
"Sit down first, Alice."
"Do you know who I am?"
"You are Athena's Owl." replied the woman, as it was undoubtedly a female voice.
Alice looked around and realized she wasn't delirious; There was a city illuminated by lights passing like a magic carpet beneath that impossible boat.
"What is happening?" her voice trailed off, not quite understanding, although she felt a certain familiarity with that figure.
She sat down slowly, balancing herself between the slight jolts that the boat gave. Her mouth was dry and her eyes seemed to see everything in a blurred way, as if the moonlight was much brighter than it really was. Even so, she realized that the owner of that boat was someone who wore wide pants, with thick boots and had her body covered by a kind of green shawl with a hood tied around her head and mouth. The eyes were protected by darkness. Her voice was quite clear and calmed her.
"That's better."
The voice, however, was familiar to Alice. And her initial suspicion, although absurd, seemed to solidify as soon as she offered her the drink again from her own canteen.
"Drink the water, Alice."
"Is that you, Marin?"
The woman remained silent, without responding, still holding the canteen out to Alice; she left the water in the girl's hands and returned to the engine at the bottom of the boat, which was turned off.
"You must not return to the Sanctuary." the navigator simply repeated, but in the emptiness of that answer, Alice was now sure that she was facing an ally.
"Marin, I need to go back!" she said, standing up abruptly inside that moving boat. "I need to meet Master Mayura. Saori could be fighting between life and death right now. We have to go to her and rescue her. We can't let her die."
She said everything in despair, spewing her worst fears. Marin didn't respond immediately, paying attention to the direction of the boat for a moment.
"Say something, Marin."
"Alice, sit down." she just said.
"I'm not going to sit down."
"Then you'll end up falling off this boat and won't be able to fulfill your mission."
"My mission?"
"Rescuing Athena." completed Marin.
Alice finally sat down.
"That's better."
But the girl was still agitated and confused.
"I don't understand, Marin. What am I doing here, anyway? Where is Athena's Staff?"
"By now it should be in the Temple of Athena, which is where it should stay."
"But I was attacked at Cape Sounion. Maybe Poseidon's Mariners might have changed their mind and..."
"It wasn't a Poseidon's Mariner. It was a Silver Saint. Auriga Capella."
The name caused great surprise in Alice, who reacted strongly, as none of it seemed to make sense.
"A Silver Saint? What does this mean? Why would he attack me?"
"It was necessary to take the Staff back to the Sanctuary."
"But that's exactly what I was going to do."
Marin didn't respond, as she needed to make a correction in the direction of that fantastic vessel. It wasn't just for that reason: she also left the silence for Alice to reach her own conclusions.
"And besides, Master Mayura needs to know everything. Poseidon's Emissary said that..."
"She will know, Alice. Capella heard everything she told you at Cape Sounion."
"Then why…"
"He was there so that you would not be left without protection during your vigil in the last few days."
"Protection?" Alice was confused, for a moment, because after all she had been hit by that strange protector. "Is that what she told you?"
"She didn't tell me anything. But I know Master Mayura. That's what she would do."
"Well, the protector she sent cowardly attacked me and stole Athena's Staff."
Marin did not immediately respond to that statement, as she needed to make another correction to the vessel.
"We're almost there." Marin announced, but Alice couldn't see any mountain range nearby. "I need you to trust me."
"Where are you taking me anyway, Marin?"
She again didn't respond, disappearing into the tarp where Alice had woken up and returning with the dried fruit.
"Eat something."
"You're not taking me back to the Sanctuary, are you?" Alice replied, refusing the fruit. "Come on, Marin, tell me the truth!"
"I'll take you to Asgard."
Marin responded for the first time directly and firmly; the name caused confusion in Alice's head at first, as nothing seemed to fit and, above all, it didn't make sense for the greatest desire she had within her: to save Saori.
"Capella told me, before leaving, everything that had happened to you. Your meeting with the Emissary of the Sea, Athena's sacrifice, Poseidon's gift and your despair. He was very upset at having to leave you in that state and begged me to apologize for him."
"But that… doesn't make sense. Why would he do that?"
Marin remained silent. The Owl was unable to look for the answer to her anguish in Marin's eyes, as Marin hid herself completely, it was impossible to distinguish what she was thinking or feeling. But she knew exactly why.
And she fell back into a sitting position with her shoulders slumped next to the crates.
"Me too?"
"All of you." Marin replied, and Alice dropped her face to the side and cried.
She cried, for all her strength had been used in those last days; the panic of seeing Saori march from the Sanctuary to Cape Sounion, the destruction of seeing her being taken on the bridge, the anguish of every minute that passed while she was watching, the sadness of hearing about her sacrifice, the pain of hunger and strong blow from a Silver Saint to the stomach. At that moment, she didn't even have the strength left to stand up and refuse to fulfill that destiny that had been decided for her.
Within days, it seemed like her spirit had been destroyed by the Gods. Marin watched her wither with sadness in her chest, although no one could see. She sat next to Alice, lightly pulling her wrist to hold her hand.
"Marin? What should I do? I'm so tired."
Marin took Alice's right hand until it touched her own chest.
"Follow your heart." she said.
Alice looked down and saw her hand on her chest. Around her wrist was the golden bell that belonged to Saori. She looked at Marin, but she got up again to steer the stopped engine.
"How? How do I get to Saori?"
"Asgard."
"Asgard?" Alice revived, remembering that she had already told about the fate of the two on board that boat. "Why Asgard? Seiya and the others are still there. What is so special about Asgard?"
"Listen to me well, Alice." Marin began. "All Master Mayura asked me was to take you back to the city where you were born."
"What!?" Alice rebelled, but Marin asked her to shut up with a wave of her hand.
"I already knew you would react like that. That you would not be happy to live your life in a big city. I spent too much time with Seiya to understand a little of what you all are like. You wouldn't accept that and you would drown in these waters trying to get to the Realm of Poseidon."
And she got up on that magical boat.
"Look." she said, pointing to a star shining in the Aegean sky.
"The North Star." guessed Alice, who although wasn't an expert reader of the heavens like Nicol was, at least learned to recognize the bright North Star.
"It is said among the Sea Gypsies that there is a bridge-of-a-thousand-colors that connects the World of Men to the Realm of Poseidon, where the God of the Sea received caravans of heroes and artists in Mythological Times. A bridge lit by the brightest and coldest star in the sky."
"The North Star. Asgard."
"Exactly." said Marin, looking at Alice.
"And they told you all this?" Alice suspected.
"They sang." Marin corrected ."They are a very happy people, full of stories and very proud of them all. And when they learned that you were a priestess of Athena, they insisted and were very proud to lend this boat, and tell us about this ancient legend of their people."
Alice found that strange and looked back at that star that shone brighter in the sky; It was curious, because the people of Rodorio would never share the Sanctuary's roads with anyone, much less followers of another God. But then she remembered how the Poseidon's Emissary herself seemed like a kind and viceless person. That made her reflect a little on the constant state of war in which the Sanctuary lived. But she didn't dwell much more on that, as finally her spirit seemed to heal from the apathy from before, as now there was once again a small hope of reaching Saori.
"How long can we get there?" she worried, after all Saori didn't have that much.
"A few days." replied Marin. "For now, calm your heart. Trust in me. But try to rest, as the crossing will not be easy and you have barely slept or eaten in the last few days. Athena needs you to be strong."
Alice looked at that dark and mysterious figure. Millions of questions in her mind, but her body seemed to relax upon discovering someone by her side like Marin.
"Thank you, Marin."
She just nodded gravely and then dedicated herself to making some emergency preparations on that vessel. Alice finally allowed herself to ponder the absurdity of flying aboard a boat above the clouds.
"How is it possible that we are flying?" she asked.
"A trick an old friend taught me." she remembered, of course, her friend Meko.
"A trick?"
"Yes. But he only taught me how to reach the sky. He didn't tell me anything about how to get this boat back on the ground."
The woman then looked back at Alice, offering the dried food.
"I suggest eating it, because if we take it with us, it will soon be wet."
"Marin?" Alice was confused, taking the jerky and dried fruit from the woman's hand.
She placed one of her feet on the edge of the boat looking down at the sea of clouds that, little by little, began to swallow the vessel, taking away their visibility as the boat seemed to descend, diving into those white formations.
"Marin, what's going on?"
And then everything dissipated and Alice saw, amazed, how that vessel now glided over a city illuminated with beautiful yellow colors. She had to hold her breath, because it was an experience like she had never had.
"Prepare yourself, Alice."
"What do you mean, Marin?"
"Once we cross the city, we will reach the harbor bay."
"Marin, don't tell me that…"
"We need to jump and swim to shore."
"But Marin…"
The Eagle Saint pulled Alice to the edge of the boat and, below, they saw that the city's lights ended abruptly in a perfect line on the horizon; without a doubt it was the sea that began and the destination of that absurd leap they would have to make. Alice looked at Alice's hidden face, but the cloth covering her seemed to give her the clear impression that Marin was smiling back at her. And she felt courage.
"On my command." said Marin, climbing with both feet onto the edge.
Alice also went up and held hands with Marin. As soon as the boat zoomed close to a large port crane, Marin gave the command and the two jumped from that impossible vessel to glide for many seconds in the sky, observing with fascination a beautiful, illuminated port city before falling into the cold ocean that bordered it.
And while Alice tried to swim to the surface in the Mediterranean Sea, the Sanctuary Coliseum Arena received practically the entire simple population of Rodorio for an unusual call from the region's sentries. There were still many puddles of water in the arena that reflected the fire of huge torches placed in a semi-circle around the circumference of the building, and in the corridors of the stands that were soon filled with everyone. The simple faces of men, women, giants and children settled down little by little.
On the other side of the arena, where the Sanctuary's biggest guests usually were at seasonal events or Saints ascensions, Jab, Ichi and some aspirants with torches finally appeared to light a row of larger torches. And once they were all lit, the simple people of Rodorio saw a spectacle like never before. The Saints of Athena lined up one step below that row of torches, all in their Silver and Bronze Cloths; there were few, perhaps too few, and both Jab and Ichi stood beside them.
And then the Gold Saints entered in silence, also wearing their wonderful Gold Cloths that reflected the fire of those torches and left all the people of Rodorio awestruck, as they did not make any appearances among them and for a long time it was not known exactly who they were, as well as how many there were, or whether the news of Athena's Gold Saints were even real.
And when Aioria and the others lined up one step above the torches, Master Mayura finally emerged from behind the building and went down the stairs on that side of the Arena carrying Athena's Golden Staff in her hands. And everyone there felt a sudden sadness.
It was the Earth Goddess' funeral.
ABOUT THE CHAPTER: A chapter that is practically entirely original. I wanted to echo the idea that each God reigns over their own World, so that Athena going to Poseidon really feels like she has died. And this chapter was to solidify this idea, mainly to put Mii in a complicated position where her best friend simply decided to leave without her. And to contrast Mayura's feelings with her duty to Athena's Earth. It seemed to me that it would make sense for Alice, after everything they've been through together, to stay there waiting for her friend. Everything fell into place when I thought about it, because Thetis appearing to give her the Staff will echo later on and begin the true theme of this arc, best represented by these two characters. Thetis and Alice, faithful to their Gods, will see that they have much more in common from now on. The whole scene with Marin was special to do, because it keeps the mystery around her, as well as echoing a bit of the friendship Marin had with Meko (Moses) since the beginning of the story. It was cool to bring that back. As for where they go, that will be a little secret between the three of us. =) Only Marin, Alice and I know which city that is and I intend to revisit that later.
NEXT CHAPTER: ATHENA'S ORDER
Alice arrives in Asgard and the Saints decide to rescue Saori.
NOTE: From this chapter onwards, readers on Wattpad will have some AI-generated images to illustrate some passages of the story.