Campus Sanctuary 1

Seiya Wakes From Coma

Seiya wakes in a room that seems like the bedroom of a familiar mansion. Shun enters to check on him and rushes to hug him upon seeing his friend wake. Shun then leaves to tell the news as Seiya gets out of bed. He slowly descends the stairs, and soon, his friends throw themselves at him with a hug. Saori asks if he has leftover symptoms such as a curse. Seiya says no. Saori sighs in relief and asks the boys to take a seat. She drops the bombshell of enrolling the boys in a high school where they'll live in a dorm for three years. The BBs naturally resist, of course.

The weather for today is sunny and cloudy.

**NOTE** Shiryu's and Hyoga's eyes are cured.

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[Prologue]

The last hour. The final moments in Elysium have Hades and an armor-clad Athena clashing with all their might. The Bronze Saints, donned in Divine Cloth, are encased in bubbles provided by Athena for protection. The boys helplessly watch the two titanic gods collide from the inside.

"Athena, why do you defend the mortals?" Hades asks. "Why do you keep interfering? Humans are at the mercy of carnal desires."

"That might be true," she says. "But not all humans are like that."

"Nonsense! I am delivering exactly what they want. That's why I rebuilt this Underworld so they can indulge in pleasure for eternity. Those fools think they have it easy, but none of them know this is the punishment done by me."

"Fool." Her response is firm and direct without hesitation.

"What was that?"

"It's true humans have rooted biological desires. But could any human live a perfect life free of desires? Desires are what give humans a purpose: the will to eat, sleep, and even mate. Even the most virtuous mortal will have desires. That's what it means to live." Athena continues, "But I believe humans have the right to choose even after death. They should be able to decide how they wish to spend their slumber. To bestow pleasure simply because you think they say so is a mistake, Hades."

"Silence!" Hades knocks her down. The Bronze Saints shout her name. "Further negotiations are futile. If there was a deal, it's gone! Now die for those mortals you defend so much!"

Pegasus Seiya breaks out of his protective shell, landing a blow on the god that knocks him to the wall.

"Impossible! A mortal knocked me!"

His friends cheer to deliver the final blow.

"That's it, Seiya!"

"Yes, he did it!"

"Strike the final blow!"

"This is your shot!"

However, his reckless act costs him his life: the evil god's mighty sword stabs him in the chest, instantly killing him. Athena holds him in her arms, pleading for him to hang on.

"Oh, no! Seiya! You can't die! You must hang on! You can't die for the sake of those who cherish you! Seiya! SEIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Thus, time passes...

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[April 7, Saturday - week 1]

Seiya wakes up with a jolt at a familiar mansion. "What is this place? Seems like a bedroom... Wait! I'm supposed to be at Elysium. I shouldn't be here. This may be an illusion. Yeah, that must be it."

He sits on the bed, clutching the sheets as he tries to figure out what's happening. Just as he's about to remove the sheets to walk around, Shun enters, holding the tray in hand.

"Oh, Seiya! You're finally awake! I'm so glad!" Shun lands the tray on the nightstand to promptly hug his friend, who's wide awake. "We thought you'd never wake."

But Seiya breaks off the hug, confused.

"Shun, tell me this is a dream."

"A dream?"

"Yes, a dream. We're supposed to be at Elysium.

"About that... We're at the Kido mansion."

"No, this must be an illusion."

"Take your time. I'll tell the others."

Shun picks up the tray and exits the room. Seiya then slowly gets out of bed and walks downstairs. The other BBs, including Shun, surround him and hug him as he reaches the bottom.

"Seiya, this is a miracle!" Shiryu says.

"Welcome back, buddy!" Hyoga says.

"Thanks, guys, but..."

Seiya darts a glance at Saori, sitting longingly.

"Welcome back. How are you feeling?" Saori asks.

"Saori-san, tell me this is an illusion. Hades must've done something to me, and now I'm seeing this."

"It is not an illusion. We're back in the real world. You lost consciousness after you were struck by his sword and fell into a five-day coma."

"Five days?! Come to think of it, I was struck by a blade or something while protecting you. Of course, I don't know anything else after this."

"Do you feel anything? Any leftover symptoms?"

Seiya gives a confused stare. "No?"

"Not even a curse?"

"Not that either..."

"Great! Have a seat."

He sits on a sofa as the others do too. All eyes shift towards Saori for what she is about to speak.

"Do you remember the colosseum?" Saori asks.

Seiya glances at his friends. "Of course we do."

"Good! Here's the thing: the city government wants to claim the colosseum for itself. But they allowed me the chance to sell, so I sold it to a company that would rebuild it into an entertainment venue. The colosseum was the product of my late grandfather, so I couldn't let the government take over. The reconstruction will take three years. Now, I lend them Jabu and others to assist with the task. As for the rest of you, you will be enrolled at Gurade Foundation Academy."

Seiya raises his eyebrow.

"You mean school."

"Yes." Saori nods.

"Saori-san, this must be a joke. Right?" He looks at his friends, hoping for some of them to counter her. "Why are you guys not saying anything? Don't tell me..."

"Yes, we already know," Shiryu says.

"She enrolled us against our will," Ikki says.

"We did our best to convince her otherwise but couldn't," Hyoga says.

"This happened while you were asleep, Seiya," Shun says.

"This can't be happening. What if enemies attack?"

"Even enemies have downtime. You will attend, period. I have everything set for your departure to the dormitory tomorrow morning." Saori continues with a smug. "Don't worry, I know you'll enjoy your time there. Going to school should keep you occupied during the reconstruction."

Seiya, upset, grips his fists and shakes them.

"Who gives a crap about school? We had enough years of training!"

"I do!" Saori raises her voice. "You're all going, and that's final!"

Seiya stands up. "Whatever! I'm going back to my place..." He walks towards the double doors to make his prompt exit.

"You can forget it because your room was returned to the landlord. He needs rental income. All your bases are moved to your dorm room."

Seiya pivots. "What?! Why would you do that?"

"I just told you."

"Dammit!" Seiya grunts.

To be continued...

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The curse refers to Next Dimension.