Saint Seiya: The Legend of Seiya

50 - The Voices of the Mountains

"Shiryu. Shiryu!"

The Dragon Saint woke up from what seemed like a nightmare of many years to find Shun's sweet face above hers. He was trying to bring his friend back to consciousness and was happy to see that she was awake again.

"Is everything okay, Shiryu?"

Shiryu was back in the House of Cancer, the memories of Xiaoling and Death Mask buried, as if she had dreamed. She got to her feet and felt the temple was different.

She also noticed that her eyes had returned to their former blindness; she could not see again and understood that only on the threshold of the Worlds could she see with those wounded eyes.

"I'm fine, Shun." she said.

"Are you sure?" asked the friend. "You're crying."

She hadn't even noticed, but she put a hand to her face and found her blind eyes crying. She hugged Shun tightly.

"I met Xiaoling on the threshold between the Worlds of the Living and the Underworld."

"A threshold?" Shun asked, confused.

"Yes. The Cancer Saint had the ability to send her enemies to the threshold between life and death."

"So Xiaoling really is dead?"

"I don't know." Shiryu commented. "But she choose to stay on the other side. And asked us to protect Athena for her."

"Xiaoling." Shun lamented softly.

Shiryu took a few steps towards the exit and found it strange.

"Tell me, Shun. Can you see if there are faces scattered around the House of Cancer?"

"Faces, Shiryu?" he asked in amazement as he looked around. "I don't see anything. Did you win against the Gold Saint?"

"No. Xiaoling did it." she said, missing her friend.

Shun put his hand on her shoulder to ease her sadness a little, but Shiryu spoke again to her friend.

"I'm also worried about Hyoga, because I saw him on that threshold. Saori as well."

"Hyoga?" worried Shun. "I actually felt his Cosmo exploding ahead."

"Maybe we're really united in some way. Anyway, we must go soon, as there is still a chance to save him."

"Let's go then, Shiryu! Seiya must be waiting for us at the House of Leo!"

They ran together out of the House of Cancer and Shun saw in the fire clock that the Cancer flame had gone out.

Ahead by those stairs, the two climbed broad and clear steps, intersected by few flat points in the mountain, and soon after those the stairs again rose with columns on both sides.

The stairs went up to a plateau where a wonderful temple rose with details and gold filigree on the white stone; an opulent and pristine facade, guarded at the entrance by two wonderful carved marble lions on the edge of a staircase that led to the hollow entrance to the House of Leo.

Inside of it, the Pegasus Saint was hurled against a column of amber stone; the spine broke in half and collapsed beside Seiya's bloodied body.

His Pegasus Cloth had cracks in many places, his face already had a lot of blood running down his forehead, his spleen was slightly cut as was his thighs.

A golden sphere passed through the House of Leo and destroyed another column beside Seiya, revealing there the figure of two huge men, who were watching the battle from hiding.