Saint Seiya: The Legend of Seiya

31 - Dragon's Sacrifice

The trio struggled up the slopes of a steep mountain, led by Seiya, who knew best the way around those rocks. They could not take the main road, as it was guarded by agents of Sanctuary and the young ones did not want to draw attention as they were hunted and walking dangerously close to the enemy territory. It wasn't time to face the Sanctuary yet. Not yet.

Xiaoling took a sip of water from a canteen and passed it to Shiryu and Seiya. They stopped for a moment in a grotto to rest as the sun rose over the Mediterranean; they were wearing their Sacred Cloths and Xiaoling had a bag with some supplies on her shoulder so they could have greater peace of mind on the climb.

"Shun should have come. It would be so much easier with his Chains." Seiya commented.
"Seiya, is that the Sanctuary?" Shiryu asked, looking away.

From that height they could make out a short space of trees far below, but mostly a few pale brown rock formations, some ruins scattered here and there before the vision reached a huge isolated mountain.

"Yes," Seiya said. "Behind that hill is the Sanctuary of Athena."
"I wish we could go there and kick their asses once and for all." said Xiaoling.
"Xiao, there are hundreds of warriors, Bronze and Silver Saints, the Camerlengo. You wouldn't even get there safely." said Seiya.
"I still think we can do it." she said, taking another sip from her canteen.

Seiya looked at Shiryu smiling: the little one was brave or mad.

They climbed the slope of that hill again, which was much smaller than that one far away, but still a challenge even for trained Saints like them. In any case, it didn't take them long to reach the top and, from above, they glimpsed at a huge abandoned Temple below them.

But there was someone else there.

Seiya pulled his friends into hiding as they could, as three figures walked at the entrance of the Temple towards a road, leaving the ruins.

"Do you know them, Seiya?" Shiryu muttered.
"Yes," Seiya replied, disappointed. "That's Shaina, my Master's rival."

Shaina walked stunning with a Silver Cloth on her body; beside her, two other young men also dressed in their Cloths accompanied her out of the Temple, toward a path that cut through the rocks in a valley.

There they stopped.

From that point on, the trio couldn't hear what they were saying to each other.

Beside Seiya, however, a huge boulder moved and rolled to crush the three of them; quickly, they threw themselves to the side, avoiding being hit by the huge rock.

"Who's there?" they heard Shaina's shrill voice from below.
"Damn it." Seiya said, alone.

They were found.

Seiya stood up and his Cloth caught the sunlight, blinding for a moment the three Silver Saints below.

"I am Pegasus Seiya!" he announced.

They couldn't see it, but a smile spread across Shaina's face, and she let her laugh drift off the cliffs.

"How lucky of me!" she said. "Aren't you going down to say hello to your old friend?"

Beside them, another rock moved again, and Shiryu clearly noticed that, like the first one, the rocks were not moving by themselves, but responding to the cosmos of one of the Saints beside Shaina. It was no use staying on that high, narrow escarpment anymore, they were easy targets. They got out and landed in front of the Silver Saints.

"Shaina..." commented Seiya.
"Look, Silver Saints. We are so lucky that three traitors to the Sanctuary have just fallen into our laps." said Shaina's high-pitched voice.
"We are not traitors!" exclaimed little Xiaoling.
"Oh no?" she asked mockingly. "And what were you doing there hiding like little rats?"
"We came to seal the Temple of Eris." Shiryu said seriously.
"We've already sealed the Temple!" said a young man beside Shaina.
"Shut up, Capella!" she scolded the boy. "Traitors don't need to know a damn thing about our mission."
"Shaina, you are all being deceived." began Seiya. "There's an evil placed in the Sanctuary!"