Saint Seiya: The Legend of Seiya

65 - Saga

Aries Mu was on the way out of her temple looking at the top of the mountain under that starry night when she saw a Gold Saint descend the stairs that came from the House of Taurus. It was Virgo Shaka, the Saint closest to the Gods, who descended to make sure that the suffering girl really was the Goddess Athena.

"Shaka."

"Aries Mu." greeted Shaka, who now had her eyes closed again.

"Have you come to find out who she is?" invited Mu to enter. "See for yourself."

Mu got out of the way and Shaka calmly walked to the center of that temple, where still glowed standing, without any support, the beautiful golden staff between the two girls' bodies. Saori on one side with the golden arrow stuck in her chest, her white dress soaked in blood, and Alice on the other with her spleen wound seared but her consciousness distant.

"She is the Goddess Athena, Shaka." confirmed Mu behind her back.

Shaka knelt in front of that suffering figure.

"Her time is running out." Shaka commented beside her.

"Her life will end when the last flame of the fire clock goes out."

The Virgo Saint Cosmo flashed beside those children and Mu noted that her hands had adopted a specific posture. Nothing happened, or at least nothing seemed to happen in Mu's eyes, but she knew very well that Shaka's Cosmo extended to dimensions that even to her were unknown.

"Tell me, Aries Mu." Shaka started, still with her back turned, as if she was inspecting every inch of Saori Kido's dress. "You were regarded for many years as a Sanctuary rebel. What happened?"

The two knew each other since they were children, as they were recruited at the same time, completing the beginning of their training right there in that Sanctuary. Only later did they separate, as Shaka returned to India to complete her ascension while Mu returned to Jamir as soon as Pope Zion passed away. Mu shared with her only what she knew.

"As you may recall, I was trained by Pope Zion himself, for he was an eminent Saint of Jamir even before he was the Pontiff. The tragedy of his death seemed to change his brother too much, the Camerlengo Master Arles, to the point where he stopped my training and sent me back to Jamir." began Mu, remembering ancient times. "At first I didn't understand what he meant by sending me back, but I thought it was part of my training since all of you were gone too."

"I returned to India to reach my ascension." commented Shaka.

"So did Aldebaran and the others." added Mu. "I thought it was the same with me, but I was denied the right to take the Aries Cloth. That was the first thing I found odd. And then a year later I came to know, from travelers who ventured into the Cemetery of Cloths, that Master Aioros was considered a traitor for trying to kill Athena and that the Camerlengo Arles would remain in the post of Pontiff until Gemini returned from his mission on the Seas."

"Saga never came back." said Shaka.

"I believe that Saga never went." said Mu.

Still blind, Shaka didn't look directly at Mu behind her, but turned as if to better hear what she had said.

"You didn't come back to fight the Giants." mentioned Shaka, remembering that Mu had denied the Sanctuary's call during Gigantomachy.

"And how could I? The Sanctuary killed Master Aioros, the Camerlengo Arles was no longer the same, and my Master Zion was no longer among us."

"It was your duty as a Saint of Athena."

"Jamir was attacked several times around that time." said Mu. "The entire village was destroyed, but one child survived. My duty was to him, for the Sanctuary had abandoned me."