DEATHMASK:
I would have liked to get rid of them and go away, but I wasn’t sure of what was going on so they  might still be useful to me. Still, the idea of putting an announcement in a magazine had seemed nothing short of ludicrous, and now.... Now we were going to meet a pair of kids who had claimed to be two underworld gods on the phone!
But that wasn’t the only weird thing: Aphrodite, whom I had always considered a very twisted character was actually a girl in disguise! And Dohko was being a little “too” affectionate with him -er...her.
Then there was this STUPID dream in which an ANGEL brought us back to life!
What could be possibly worse than this? We had no idea of what we were doing and we were certainly not doing anything useful. I hated this situation!
If only I knew what was going on I could just kill them all and do as I pleased, but for now I needed the safety being in a group offered.
After that I would join whoever seemed to have the winning hand in this game.

As we neared the corner of the street I felt Dohko stiffen slightly and edge closer to Aphrodite; whether  he was being fatherly or loving I did not know, emotions were not a game I indulged myself into. I didn’t particularly care about them either so I didn’t feel any need to study them any further. Aldebarán scratched the back of his neck nervously and gave Dohko a worried look.
The twins were supposed to meet us here.
If they showed up I would study them and find a way to use them to my advantage, if they did not come I would simply use this as another means to annoy the Libra saint.
If we were still saints.
 

SHIRYU:
I shook my head to dispel the dizzy sensation in my head, Shunrei stirred beside me and stole another inch of blanket as she curled up into a tighter ball. The dream had seemed so vivid! As if I had really known the strange girl...
Or whatever she was, which certainly wasn’t human. Her long ears and feline eyes were the proof...  that and her sleek graceful movements.
Temis.
The name haunted me like a ghost. I was by now pretty certain that my dream was more than just that, so someone had managed to sneak past my mental defences and talk to me during my sleep.
This girl was nothing ordinary, and I was determined to find out who she was and why she had approached me.
In the dream she had spoken of love, but how could I love somebody I didn’t know?
Did I know her?
No, I had a flawless memory, I never forgot faces or any kind of situation. I hadn’t met this girl before, not ever.
But I felt like I had! And it wasn’t everyday that my sixth sense and my rationale were at odd points, I was normally in control and it was hard to confuse me; only lately I had spent a good percentage of my waking hours feeling utterly dumbfounded.
So.
It was quite possible that this girl was in some way related to what was going on...

Shunrei sighed in her sleep and snuggled up against me. I winced at that. She was so terribly attached to me, and I had done everything to discourage her. But if she had seen that signs she had thoroughly ignored them. Could she really be in love with me? I didn’t know what to do with her, I cared for her, but in a brotherly fashion. She had never inflamed any passions within me, I had never desired her truly, and we were so dissimilar when it came to interests....
She wasn’t in any way near to my vision of the perfect woman.
I wanted to meet somebody who was fiery and passionate, somebody who had a strong sense of honour and an interesting personality. I wanted to meet a woman who was smart, witty and loving...
Perhaps I was asking for too much.
And given that I was a warrior it would be hardly fair to inflict my enemies upon my beloved, so I would have to leave her anyhow. Shunrei was weak, strong-willed, but weak; and this weakness could cost her life.
Dohko had known this and he had asked me to protect her, but I couldn’t love her.
So what would I do with her if I did meet my true love?
I suppressed a chuckle as I realised how much this troubled me and how ridiculous it was for me to be thinking about this now. I had done so a few days ago also.... Maybe I was getting a little too romantic.
I was a Saint and my job was to protect love, not to wallow in it.
Still, I wished I could feel it, even if it was just once.
Love had driven Seiya to his very limits for Saori, I had done it for duty, but Seiya’s power had grown stronger than all of ours during the battles because he was fighting for the woman he loved. I wondered what it would be like to feel such a devotion, to do anything to help your beloved and keep her safe....

Thinking of this made me feel oddly uncomfortable, a memory danced in my mind but I couldn’t call it up; it was just a vague sense of knowledge.
There was something I had to remember, Temis had said so and now that I thought about it she was probably right. Seiya had found a set of memories from a past life, did I have something to do with that too?
Athena seemed to think so, I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was keeping a close eye on me.
 

SAGA:
Hyoga sat down on the table at angle that left him facing all of us. His eyes shone with an inner light and his thin lips were pressed together. He was so utterly alien and familiar at the same time it unnerved me.
Shaka coughed nervously and shifted his weight to his other foot, I stirred, uncomfortably aware of Cygnus’s piercing gaze and that it took a lot to make the Virgo saint nervous.
He was certainly taking his time telling the tale...
Or was it that he was waiting for us to calm down?
“Well?” Aiolia’s harsh question made us all start and turn to face him. Hyoga shook his head and smiled patiently. I ran a hand through my hair and sighed, Aiolia’s little outburst had made the room’s atmosphere even more uncomfortable. The  proud lion turned as he heard my sigh and gave me a ferocious glare; he really hated me.
Milo nudged Aiolos gently. Getting the message, Aiolos put a soothing hand on his brother’s forearm. I glanced at Milo but he had turned away from me again and was staring out the window with a wistful expression on his face.
I breathed in deeply and looked up, I was going to find out what was going on NOW!
As I lifted my eyes the boy turned to me.
Hyoga’s icy gaze touched mine briefly, but in that small second all doubts were banished from my heart.
It didn’t matter who he had been up to now, he was our saviour and our messiah.
He wasn’t just an angel....
He was the Gaia’s soul.
 

AVATAR:
“Be joyful Athena, it is beginning.” I smiled at the goddess giving her a good look at my sharp teeth. She didn’t even flinch.
I resumed my naturally expressionless look and waited for her reaction; she shifted on her throne and seemed to think my statement over for a little while.
Davos had asked me to tell this Goddess-child that he wished to see her and that they had many things to discuss, I for the life of me couldn’t see what was so great about this pretty little thing. But, Davos always knew better so I had better listen to him.
She smiled a bit, a genuine smile of delight, I cocked my head to one side and tried to understand what it was that she found so funny. I would have thought that this was serious news, but she was smiling joyfully!
Emotions were too confusing.
“So.” She whispered. I waited for her to continue but she did not.
I sighed and got up to have a walk in the gardens; until Davos called me I had to stay here and guard the child so there was no harm in exploring the scenery.
She had certainly taken my arrival calmly, now she was no less in control; who was this Goddess really?
I felt Belial teleport beside me and I heard him catch up to me. I didn’t even stop to greet him since I had already spoken to him in the morning; he took no offence and jogged up to meet me.
“That was quite an interesting conversation you had there.” He told me in a mocking tone. I assumed he was making fun of the Goddess-child’s quiet behaviour.
“Hn.” I answered in an equally monosyllabic fashion. I had felt his presence as I talked to the Goddess but I had not expected him to be so brash as to come up to me and admit he had done so.
He probably knew I had felt him even though he had done his best to conceal his aura.
“Cat got your tongue?” He asked me. I blinked a bit confused, then sighed realising that it was Earth-slang.
“What is a cat?” I asked him earnestly.
“My, I could almost think you are curious!” He exclaimed feigning shock. I rolled my eyes upwards and repeated the question, I didn’t like  not knowing something this strange child did.
“What is a cat, Belial?” He cleared his throat to stiffle a laugh and spoke.
“It’s a kind of feline, a small one. Humans keep them as house-pets.” How useless, I thought to myself, but I kept this  opinion to myself.
Belial and I walked together for a bit longer, I could sense the unease in his stance; so, he wanted to ask me something.
“What is beginning, Avatar?” He inquired finally, referring to my cryptic remark to the Goddess.
I thought of a way to answer him; Davos had warned me that he had told Belial no harm would come to his planet in the end, and I was sure that Belial hadn’t believed a word of it. But, he still didn’t know even half  of the plan and it was inadvisable to let him find the rest out, given his motivations.
“A new era.” I answered calmly and teleported away.
But I had seen the expression on his face and it surprised me, for right there and then I realised that the Jamilon was much more than what he seemed, for he had read in between the lines and guessed the truth.
Or part of it.
 

HYOGA:
I looked around and was greeted by expectant faces on every corner of the tight-packed kitchen. I had already left them waiting for more than ten minutes, but they were too nervous and I had to stand by until they got used to my presence. They were warriors, it wouldn’t take too long.
Gradually, they became more at ease and relaxed a bit; though Aiolia still remained unbearably tense. I glanced over at Milo, he raised an eyebrow and shrugged. I had to start sooner or later, but he didn’t really care when since he already knew the whole story.
I cleared my throat nervously and shifted a bit on my seat. Saga tensed as I moved but he relaxed again when I went back to just staring at them. Mu pushed a few strands of his hair that where obscuring his vision and leaned back against the wall with a heavy sigh.
So. I had better start now, they were as ready as they’d ever be.
“Where would you like me to begin?” I asked them trying to be gentle.
“The beginning?” Offered Aiolia with a disgustingly ironic tone of voice. I felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.
“Which beginning? This life’s, or the one before?” There was a deep silence and I could see a mixture of confusion and distrust combined with curiosity flashing across their features.
“For the benefit of the story....” Mu spoke with a doubtful tone. “I suggest we begin with your past life.”
I winced slightly and hope I was up to telling the whole thing through. But then, I had no choice.

“It all began on Earth, but not this Earth, a much older and different one: a planet called Gaia...
But, for you to understand the whole story I will have to start with the beginning of everything. The birth of Gods.”
“The Gods like Athena?” Saga interrupted me in order to get the details straight. I shook my head and decided to tell this part of the tale like it had been told to me aeons ago.
“In the beginning there was nothing, not darkness or light or anything at all, but then, the lack of all things is still something: it is a void.
So the void began to exist, but there was nothing in it. And then the void became aware of its emptiness, it realised that it was nothing, and in doing so, it became something. It opened its eyes to see what was around him and saw nothing, only himself. But the void had no feelings so it didn’t regret the lack. Only later did it began to feel curiosity, a need to be something more than just non-existence. So it imagined that there was a counterpart to himself, the antonymous being he could compare himself with.
He opened his eyes and saw light; only then did he see that he was dark. The light danced and having become something it gained being. Both, light and dark spent a long time just exploring the depths of each other, this was how time came to be, but it did not gain being for it was always going forward and could not look back for long enough to recollect being alive. So time went by and the two beings got to know each other and listened to each other always; it was, after a long while, a boring existence. So they decided to find out what else they could do what else they could become. They were eager and curious and above all: imaginative.
So they imagined colours and shapes and dreams to match their need for creation. After much deliberation they decided to create life, quite positive that they were up to such task. They made plans and they dreamed a dream together, one that jumped from their minds and became real. It was a shiny dream full of colour and blooming with the promise of life.
It was called the universe.”

I stopped for a while and gave them time to assimilate all that I had told them. They were confused and a bit afraid, this was not the version of creation they had heard. Milo had closed his eyes and was simply letting himself go with the flow of the story. He was smiling softly and his stance was neither tense nor wary.
“And what happened then?” Asked Saga with a frown on his delicate features.
I breathed in and continued.

“The universe was enormous with thousands of planets where they could try their version of life out. They created beings of all shapes, colours, natures and sizes. They made life who could think and life that was just life and its only purpose was to go on being so. They made intelligent life, peaceful life, dangerous life and all kinds of life they could imagine.
When they were done and the dream was true they looked at what they had achieved and felt satisfied. Only then, being new to itself, life thrived and explored its limits, it lived. Peace fell upon the universe then, a quiet calmness that brought a happy sense of self achievement. But life chooses its own path and for the first time it made a mistake: the first mistake.
It killed.
Both gods were appalled. The being was not alive any more, so what was it? It had a soul and its body was abandoned. The god-the-was-void said it was a state of unlife and named it death claiming this to himself. He lead the confused soul to another world he created out of his thoughts, but then, would he send the good and bad souls to the same place? He didn’t think so, so he divided the new world in two and led the soul to the side he deserved.”

“Heaven and Hell” Breathed Shaka who was enraptured by the story at this point. I nodded and smiled.

“After this both Gods were confused about what they should do next. In the following times life was born and died and the new world became a world for souls. The God-that-was-void grew tired of the ferrying around and the God-that-was-light grew tired of constantly reminding life of its mistakes so they both decided to divide life and leave one of the sides to take care of their problems.
Life that could die and life that was immortal.
Gods and mortals.
They left Gods on every planet and taught them their responsibilities as such.
It was shortly after that the two First ones had their first problem. The God-that-was-light had found what he thought was the solution to life’s killing without remorse.
The solution was called feelings.
So he gave this new gift to all the mortal life. The immortal life did not need it for it did not die. The God-that-was-void was furious for he saw the change and even worse, he saw life kill and grieve. But just as he saw this, his brother saw life love and thrive on this. So they got into a fight and  stopped talking to each other, leaving their dream to take care of itself. One sat atop the throne of the new world’s darker side and the other sat on the lighted one.
After timeless eras mortal and immortal life grew to be self sufficient and left their creators to themselves. Only occasionally did they remember them, and to do this they named them.
Ilumina and Davos.
Which means light and void in Shidralian.”

I breathed in deeply and swallowed. I was starting to feel thirsty.
Milo noticed this and got up.
“What do you say we take a small break and go to the main room and get more comfortable?” There were sighs and groans of approval as everybody got up and moved to the next room. I walked to the sink and leaned down to get a long drink. I felt Milo come close to me and put a hand on my shoulder.
“You remembered it...” I turned to him and smiled. His eyes shone with a sad light, begging for forgiveness.
“You told it to me like that, didn’t you Akaren?” He smiled and nodded, closing his eyes.
I leaned forward and hugged him squeezing so hard I felt him breathe shallower.
“We have been given a new chance, Akaren. I will never forget the past..” He flinched at that. “But I wont live in it either. It is way past time I learned to forgive and begin again.”
He smiled hugged me back, then we both made our way to the living room.
 

AEYR:
“They should have been here fifteen minutes ago.” Iylden spoke in a quiet fashion, too quiet even for him. I leaned against a light post and waited patiently for Dohko to arrive.
“You spoke to him, are you sure you we were supposed to meet here?” I tossed my silver hair backwards irritably and fixed a murderous look onto the pavement.
“Hn. Sort of.” He mumbled back and continued to wait quietly. I let out an exasperated huff, hoping that we had not been tricked.

The sun shone palely making the scenery around us seem vague and ethereal, there was a thin film of clouds covering the otherwise flawless blue sky and the air was filled with the scent of freshly cut grass. In the distance I could hear the childish laughs of playful children who ran around each other locked in a game of tag. It was a perfectly normal day, the kind of day that would have sent Johdas running to the nearest park in order to get a lovely spot to read in.
The thought of Johdas snapped me back into reality. We had to find him somehow, and we had to find a solution to our problem. But what solution could there be? We were Gods, and it had been decided be some higher power that we had to fight again, and defeat the worst nightmare of our past.
If somebody had told me a month ago that I would be in this situation I would have laughed and asked him if he had visited his psychologist lately; now the reality of the facts scared me. It was ridiculous! But it was true. I was a God, and my cowardice had cost this planet and the people I loved their very existence.
Iylden walked up to a nearby newspaper stand and bought today’s edition.
The front page was dedicated to the new flora and fauna that had appeared and the possible connection  to the worlds global heating, pollution, radiation and evolution  leaps. My brother skimmed through the paper without much interest, I smiled and read behind his back for a little while. A scientist and a medium had been interviewed and asked about their theory on how unicorns had reappeared. None of their arguments were very close to the truth but the medium’s words were slightly closer than the scientists. “The great old powers are returning.” She said, and it was sort of like that.... Sort of.
A pigeon and a mini dragon sat perched upon the light post chirruping causally to each other. I smiled and leaned back against the cool metal.
Dohko was already half an hour late.
Iylden closed the newspaper with a sigh.
“Anything worth reading?” I asked nonchalantly while studying the small reptile above me.
“Not really. More or less the same thing we have been reading about the past weeks: miniature dragons all over the globe, unicorns in the savannah and in Greece, winged horses near the mountains in South America, Dragons in the U.K and Germany, strange flowers in the tropical jungles. All the same.” I laughed at how normal and simple he made all of that sound.
“Anything else?” I inquired just to pass time.
“Yes. A Xenobiologist thinks she has found a connection between the miniature dragons and certain musical instruments. Also there is a report on a small convent in USA where a nun can talk to animals and  a note on a Las Vegas showgirl who seems to have a superb voice.” He didn’t sound particularly interest in any of the said topics, but then, neither was I.
I glanced at my watch and sighed, we really ought to go.
They weren’t coming after all.
 

APHRODITE:
“So, do you see them Shosh?” Dohko whispered in my ear as we all tried to spot the two boys without them seeing us, needless to say, hiding something the size of Aldebarán is no mean feat. We were all crowded behind a building while I craned my neck in search of our “dates”.
“Nooo, not yet. And stop calling me that! My name is Aphrodite!” Dohko snorted and pushed me forward so I could get a better view of our surroundings. “Wait! I think I can see them!”
Deathmask crouched beside me. “Where?”
I pointed towards the pair of young boys standing near a lamppost. One had long silver hair that fell freely over his shoulders, he wore a pair of faded jeans and a black sleeveless T-shirt; the other was braiding his hair behind his back, this one wore a pair of spotless black trousers and a thin white shirt.
They were disgustingly handsome.
“They don’t look very mature...” I let the sentence trail off.
“Hn. But if they are who they claim to be the age of their bodies is of no consequence.” I nodded at Dohko and studied the two boys a bit more closely.
“They look bored.” Aldebarán put in. I nodded again.
“They should be, we are almost forty minutes late.” Mumbled Deathmask as he concentrated on the kids.
I did NOT like the way he was staring at them.
“So... Should we join them?” I asked lightly, trying to sound eager.
“Absolutely” Dohko answered.
“Hmm.” I heard Deathmask’s thoughtful sound beside me. “And we’d better do it fast ‘cos they’re leaving.”
“Uh oh.” Was the best answer I could come up with.
 

SAGA:
I sat down on the floor near Shion and watched in silence as Hyoga sipped his water slowly, occasionally shaking his glass to make the ice-cubes melt faster. Once we had settled in the common room there was much more space to move around so we were all much more comfortable, yet even more uneasy. I glanced at Milo hoping to catch his eyes so I could ask him why Hyoga was taking so long to finish the story, but he didn’t look my way; he just stared out the window lazily licking the yoghurt off his spoon. I looked down to find my untouched breakfast waiting for me at my feet, I had felt like sliced fruit and yoghurt when I woke up, now I wasn’t quite sure I could swallow anything.
Once again, our  lives had taken a wild turn and we were faced with something new and unpleasant; only this time it was nothing anybody could have imagined. The story Hyoga had told was nothing like what I had been expecting, and already I was beginning to feel dread.
It was not in my nature to be afraid, but for the first time in my life I had no control over a situation, not even a sensible plan of action; I was vulnerable to whatever decided to come my way. And I hated it.
It was so much like my childhood.
Always wondering what would happen tomorrow; only, then I had always been safely protected, by my parents, later on my sensei and by...
I decided not to think about that just now, I had enough problems as it was.

Nobody said anything, we just waited patiently until Hyoga decided to finish what he had began, or until we figured it out by ourselves.
Shura shifted uncomfortably, eyeing Aiolia surreptitiously just in case he decided to try something; Aiolos noted Shura’s expression and glanced at his brother nervously, Aiolia didn’t notice either of them, being too caught up in trying to read Milo. Relationships among us were still rather tight, or should I say, relationships with Aiolia? After all, it seemed that all misunderstandings between us centred on him. Both Shura and I simply couldn’t get him to be, at least,  civil towards us.
I leaned back against the cool wall watching silently as Milo lifted another spoonful of fruit to his mouth and continued to ignore us.
Mu and Shaka looked at each other and shrugged.
I sighed, they were right, there was not much more we could do.
 

MILO:
I felt Saga’s eyes on my back but I decided to ignore them. I didn’t feel like giving any explanations right now. The sun outside shone palely and there were clouds gathering in the sky, maybe we would have rain in the afternoon.
Rain.
I used to hate it years ago, because it kept the sun hidden, because it was so wet and because it had killed my parents. Rain, after all, made the roads terribly slippery, so it was not a good climate to go driving near cliffs in. I sighed and lifted took another spoonful from my bowl. I had hated rain, truly despised it; but now I couldn’t help liking it in an odd nostalgic way.
I was twice damned.
I had not found peace in my first incarnation, so I had been given a second chance like everybody else; but life had turned its back on me this time too and now it was hovering above me, with the memories and mistakes of both periods obscuring my future.
I had wronged Nikolai by not believing in his love for Karenhath and not standing by him when he needed me the most; Karenhath had died and Nikolai had died soon after having lost all hope and giving his life to save Terran’s; he had died a lonely death.
Now he was alive and he said he forgave me, but did he really? After all we had done he was willing to forgive and forget? I wanted to believe it, but it was too good to be true.
Then there was this life; the life in which I had loved... and lost. And now all I had was the memories of the lonely silence that had accompanied her death, and the gentle calmness the rain brought to my heart whenever I heard it.
I had shut myself up inside of my self, shielded from all pain and free to cause it. I had lived for the pleasure of sex and fights, being the only two things that could; for a few minutes, make me forget her. So I hadn’t cared who I fought and how, nor who I slept with and when. But it was not a happy way to live, if it could be considered a life. I had no friends... Only Camus, who spent his time trying to get past the barriers and help me, even though I constantly pushed him away. He had known that deep down I needed somebody to stand by me, I just hadn’t realised it myself. He had helped a bit though, thanks to him sometimes; very rare times, a small piece of the old Milo would surface for a while, only to be crushed back down again. Then he had died, and I had felt a pang of true loss; it was a rather untimely moment to realise that I had actually ended up caring for him. But pain was so akin to me by then that I just piled it on with the rest and shut everybody out again.
Hyoga though, had been a mystery to me. He had come to my temple, bested me in a fair fight and had left barely alive with the sole purpose to help his friends. He had amazed me from the beginning with both words and actions; I never forgot what he told me that day about friendship and following one’s dreams.
It was ironic that he should end up being the person I had hurt the most in the past.
So now I was caught between times, struggling to forget and to remember all the dreams and hopes I had harboured in my heart when I was still a child and hoping to, someday, be able to forget the silence I had lived in by choice; and the person who by dying had forced me into it.
 

CAMUS:
The plane slowed down and I felt the wheels touch the ground as the whole machine gave a sudden violent jerk. A baby started crying behind me. I gritted my teeth at the irritating noise, the wretched child had had a crying feat every three quarters of an hour so it had finally driven me crazy. I turned around and glared at the uncomfortable parents who were trying uselessly to calm their child.
With a final screech the plane came to a halt just as the airport staff pushed the stairs towards us. I sighed and hoped I would be able to get out soon; all I wanted right now was to lie down and sleep all the jetlag off. I hadn’t been able to truly rest during the flight thanks to the little monster.
I  could tell I was in a VERY bad mood, which was unusual in me.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of red among the tumult of people. I turned, trying to locate the source, but the airport was too crowded for me to be able to see anything. Still, I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end, and the familiar prickle in  my spine that my sixth sense always brought when there was something amiss.
Whoever that stranger had been, it had left me very worried. He had vanished from the train after a very cryptic remark I still couldn’t puzzle out; but the worst part had been his eyes, cold heartless and devoid. I did not like the idea of having to fight with such a creature in the near future.
But my senses told me that somehow, somewhere, he was watching me and waiting. I could recognise his cosmo easily, for I had never felt such coldness before... At least not in this life, but that was not a memory I wanted to conjure back right now.
Whatever it wanted, I would have to find out later; Nikolai came first. But I had to loose him to make sure he did not find the young prince.
 

NYALL:
“Oh my! He looks powerful!” The irony in Belial’s tone was unmistakable. I nodded absently and turned to Avatar, who had brought us here a few minutes ago.
“Is he your miracle solution?” I inquired none too nicely. Avatar ignored my tone and nodded.
“He is. He may not look too powerful now, but he has just been brought back to life so... Anyway, he will guide us to Nikolai.” As usual, he sounded completely uninterested with the task at hand.
“Oh! I see! He’s just “hiding” his powers from us, but in reality he’s invincible!” Belial seemed to take pleasure in bothering Avatar, and again, he was ignored.
“He’s not hiding his powers. He’s just not at his best.” I looked at Avatar and raised an eyebrow at him, smiling as I saw Belial frown for he had no eyebrows to aid his irony.
“Why don’t we just get rid of him and find dear little prince-charming on our own?” I asked smiling.
Avatar shook his head. “Because it is easier to let him lead us and then kill them both together.” True.
A sensible approach to the same problem.
Very unlike my style.
“Since your style consists on attacking and thinking later, I’m not surprised.” I turned to Avatar and growled at him angrily.
“Stop reading my thoughts!”
“Whatever.” He answered  nonchalantly.

I spared the human another glance. If Avatar thought he was useful the I was not going to argue with him, he never responded when I teased him, so I had given up. One thing I could say in favour of the weakling was that he was good looking and that there was a spark of intelligence behind the blue eyes.
Belial smirked and leaned closer, as if wanting to leap onto the human.
“So. This is the great Terran, guardian  of the heir to the throne.” His tone was mocking but still there was a hint of reverence in it.
“I wouldn’t be so contemptuous with him, Belial.” Avatar admonished with a smile his eyes did not echo.
I looked down and studied the human carefully; then I noticed it, the telltale tension and guarded looks, the calm yet defensive stance, the look of worry in his eyes: he knew we were here, he could feel us even with his diminished cosmo sense.
“So he is dangerous after all!” Belial laughed heartily, for once enjoying himself freely. But I could hear the resentment in his voice, this creature had been a being of magic once, but he was all human now and in consequence: dangerous.
Murderous, untrustworthy, traitorous and above all, greedy. Like all humans were as seen through the jamilon’s eyes.
“Nyall.” There was a strength and finality in Avatar’s voice that made me turn to him meekly when he called me. “You will follow him. When he finds Nikolai, tell me. Belial” And the jamilon echoed my earlier movement “You will concentrate on finding Hades and Lim.”
Having given his orders he winked out of sight, probably having teleported himself back to Athena’s side.
“Looks like you’ll have to start from scratch.” I told my companion with a laugh. He sighed and nodded in defeat, but he did not let me have that last laugh.
“Looks like you’re stuck with your nemesis’ best friend for a while.”
And to THAT I had no answer.
 

IKKI:
Garnet swooped around the small cottage and chirped happily as I set a plate of fresh fish on the table for her to eat. I smiled and stroked the soft coppery hide as she swallowed down the plate’s contents without bothering to chew. It seemed like the small critter had decided to stay.
I leaned against the a wall and debated over what I should do next. I had decided early in the morning that I would try and contact Shiryu or Seiya to see what they had found out, but I wasn’t sure of who I should try first. True, Shiryu was more tolerable, but Seiya had seemed to know more.
Garnet squeaked questioningly and flew up to me settling herself on my right shoulder. I smiled, beginning to like  the creature’s company.
I walked up to one of the cupboards and opened it, inside I kept a battery-powered radio I used when I felt like listening to music. It helped me relax a bit and clear my thoughts.
It took my a while to realise that Garnet was crooning along with the tune in an odd way; the small dragon was trembling with emotion as it sang on and on, song after song.
“You like music, eh?” I mumbled.
It just squeaked in response and went on crooning.
 

HYOGA:
I spared them one last glance as I finished my glass of water and sighed. It would be hard to tell them the whole tale and they seemed to be taking the whole situation a bit...badly. How on earth I had resurrected them, it still escaped me, perhaps I had touched Gaia’s powers? That would only mean the change was soon to come.
I set the glass down on the small table in front of me and looked up at Milo, searching for a bit of comfort. He was lost in his thoughts, too far away for him to notice my eyes on him.
I had no choice but to start from where I had left them.
I cleared my throat and they all looked up at me expectantly.
“Shall I go on?” I inquired while running a hand through my hair. An idle thought of how hard it would be to untangle it popped up in my head.
“Please do.” Shaka answered, straightening up a bit. I nodded and closed my eyes.

“...A long time after the Creation the creatures of the universe had learned to coexist and had created rules and codes to live upon. Civilisations blossomed everywhere, but of course; in some places they thrived and in others they died off. As time went by it became clear that the most advanced cultures where all close together; in the same galaxy to be precise. These were considered the “core” of all knowledge. They were thirteen selected solar systems where the strongest, smartest and, oddly enough, loveliest beings lived. One of them was the Sol system, ours. It’s main planet being the mysterious and enthralling Gaia. Also known as the land of forgery.”

“The land of forgery?” Aiolos frowned trying to understand where that name had come form.
“Hear me out and you will understand.” I told him quietly and he nodded and leaned back against a wall.

“...The others where twelve stars that shone, and shine still; each in one of the twelve Zodiacal signs.”

They all suddenly tensed, their eyes opening wide as they digested this last bit of information. I didn’t wait for any questions and kept on telling my story.

“...Here lived the greatest races, the best of the best. As time passed two of these systems showed signs of dominance and excelled at all they set themselves to: Sol system and the Anthares system. The latter is where Shidral lies.”

“And what the hell is Shidral?” Aiolia growled, not really liking the turn the tale was taking.
“It’s a planet. The place where the idea of the creation of cloths was born and the home of this universe’s strongest sacred race, the shidlers.” Milo answered with an unfriendly tone, angered but Aiolia’s unpolite interruption.

“...Gaia and Shidral became allies in order to keep peace in their universe; but deep down there was a strong rivalry. As time passed and wars grew and died the Shidralians came up with the idea of creating cloths; armours to protect the fighters bodies from attacks, both physical and psychic. There was much deliberation and it was decided that they should be given life and souls of their own, so they could discern the worthy from the unworthy. Gaia proposed that they were built in resemblance of all constellations, so it would be fair on all cultures. The task of forging them was left to the only race known to be truly talented in Alchemy and the art of creation magic; the Jamilons.”

Mu and Shion both jerked upright and looked at me with confusion in their wide eyes. I smiled and sighed, they were almost extinct now...

“...So cloths were created for every solar system, all the same for each and always giving a special cloth for each different deity that requested it. So each system had its own defenders.”

“So you are saying that the cloths and constellations came before the myths they are named after?” The irony in Aiolia’s voice bothered me, but I answered nevertheless.
“The characters you speak of, well... some were old enough to give the name to their constellation, but not all of them were Gaian; most of them though, were named “after” the constellations.”
“That’s not how the myths go.” Aiolia stated forcefully.
“Myths don’t ALWAYS tell the truth, you know.” Saga retorted, clearly fed up with Aiolos’ brother.
“People, people! Calm down.” Shion’s soft voice quieted down the rise of anger in everybody’s voices. “Please go on.”

“...So the cloths were finished and peace reigned upon the worlds. During this time many treaties were signed, most of them in protection of certain vulnerable races. Mostly Sacred ones.
Gaia has three Sacred Races; the Sea-myrths, a human-like dragon race who dwelled in the sea but were able to survive outside it too; the Dark-angels, demons with human bodies and black feathered wings, known for their reticence to participate in any kind of fight; the Ice-angels, like myself, we possess white feathered wings and were considered Gaia’s main race. Shidral had only one Sacred Race, the Shidlers, who aside from being amazingly strong were also able to grant immortality if you drank their blood. A strange trait but a dangerous one for it made them targets of constant hunts for their lives. Due to this a treaty ensuing their personal well-being while in Gaia was signed.
Time continued to pass and everything seemed all right, for a time. Then Davos returned, he settled himself in a kingdom called “The Darklands”, which consisted on outcast colonies with no particularly strong trait that in order to become powerful, accepted Davos’ rule. War broke out in some places, but the unity that Shidral and Gaia represented kept any major problem at bay. It was about this time that our story began.”

I looked up at their expectant faces and smiled again. “I need a break.” I told them honestly and they all smiled, all except Aiolia. Milo gave him an obscure look but said nothing. I rubbed my left shoulder feeling a bit stiff and sore. Saga handed me a pillow so I could get more comfortable and I slid to the floor beside him and Shaka. They smiled and Shura stretched and yawned.
“I’m all cramped  up.” He announced. “Let’s go out for a walk before finishing this off.”
I laughed a bit nervously. He turned to me.
“Did I say something wrong?” He asked me with his strong Spanish accent lacing each and every one of his words.
“No.. It’s just that...” I smiled slightly. “This was just the introduction.”
If I had thought I had their attention before I was wrong, NOW  they were really staring at me in wonder. Milo smiled and got up.
“The Spanish-boy here is right, let’s go for a walk.” Shura got up and gave him a small shove.
“Don’t call me that!” He protested as we made our way towards the door.
Aiolia got up with an annoyed huff and followed us through the door.
The last one to go out was Shion and he told us to wait as he locked the door and we all walked silently down the stairs.
 

HILDA:
Again the snow, the vast white landscape. Again the flickering blue shadow, the chase. And as always the same ending: just when his face was about to come into view I woke up.

“A little late for a nap, is it not?” I heard a voice behind me and I turned on my bed to find Mime looking at me with a faint smile on his handsome face.
“I was feeling tired.” I told him as I stretched my arms and shook my head unceremoniously in order to dispel the waking stiffness.
“If you say so.” And then, adopting a more formal air. “I must inform you. Athena sent you a letter this morning.”
“Oh? I thought the snow had kept the mail from arriving.” I murmured, remembering the rather violent snowstorm we had suffered last night.
“It was an E-mail.” Mime told me with a small smile. So much for technology, I thought.
“I’ll get up right away.” Almost instantly after this, Mime left the room and closed the door quietly behind him, like everything he did, he did it with grace and an oddly silent air.

I got up and smoothed the sleep-wrinkled folds of my night-blue gown carefully. I was feeling more and more suspicious of what Athena was doing now or if it was even her, for that matter. Thankfully, neither Shun nor Seiya had shown up here or I would have been faced with a very difficult decision. How could she have ordered us to kill them?
I sighed as I realised that it was improbable that I would find the answers to any of this in the near future. Better to see what she wanted now.
Freya was waiting for me in our study, the computer was on, but apparently she hadn’t read the letter. It was so like her, not to break any rules no matter what happened. Was that why Hyoga had suddenly grown tired of her?
“I see that you are awake, sister.” She sounded happy to see me up, so I smiled and sat down in front of the screen to read the letter.
“Hm. Not by my own choice.” I answered distractedly. “Let’s see what we have here....” I concentrated on the screen and read Athena’s brief message.
“What does it say?” Freya asked me as she leaned forward putting a hand on my shoulder. I frowned worriedly at the computer screen.
“She wants us to come and see her, at the Sanctuary.... It seems something is about to begin.” It was a rough interpretation of what I had read. Freya gazed into the screen questioningly and read the blinking message:

“Come to Sanctuary. It has started.”
                                                  Athena.

She blinked twice and pulled on one of her long strands of hair curling it about her fingers. “That was pretty brief...”
I nodded and sat back in the chair thoughtfully. “Too brief. Something bad is going on.”
“Are you going to go?” Freya looked at me with fear shinning in her large green eyes.
“I think I should, just to find out what is going on.” I didn’t like the idea...but I had to do it.
“I’ll tell Siegfried to get ready.” I grabbed her hand as she started to turn away from me.
“No. I will go alone.” Freya stared at me confusedly and pressed her lips together.
“You can’t go alone.... It’s dangerous!” She ended up wailing and throwing her arms up into the air.
I shook my head and got up slowly. “I’d rather go alone, it gives me more independence. And besides, we don’t know who or what brought my warriors back to life so I don’t want to risk it being Athena or her new allies.”
“And how do you know if she is allied with anybody?” We both turned to find Mime leaning on the doorway while fingering the delicate strings of his harp; a guarded look gracing his fine features.
“Either that, or she is possessed.” I told him flatly. He nodded and walked into the room, stopping when he was only a few meters away from me.
“Whatever brought us back, it is not against you.” He told me calmly, piercing me with his eyes.
“I don’t know that yet and besides....” Mime smiled ironically -where had I seen that smile before? Oh, yes, Phoenix- and leaned forward.
“You don’t feel comfortable with Siegfried.” He finished for me. I blushed and gave him a dangerous look.
Freya, who had watched our conversation in silence up to now, put her hand in mine and smiled as she said:
“I trust you to be all right.”
I smiled back at her and walked past Mime. I left them alone in the room as I made my way to my quarters with a heavy step. Whatever awaited me in Sanctuary island would not be good, that was for sure; and even though I would have felt so much safer with one of my warriors beside me I couldn’t pull them into something even I didn’t understand well.
It was up to me to solve this.
 

IYLDEN:
“Aeyr, are you sure this is safe?” We both turned and studied the group in front of us thoughtfully.
“I don’t know.... But they look authentic enough.” I sighed and rested my eyes on the pretty girl that accompanied them. She was tall and had long pale green hair and cherry red lips, and though she was a bit flat in the chest department she looked quite attractive. I gave myself a mental shake.
:What now?: I asked my brother telepathically.
He frowned and shrugged almost imperceptibly. :We talk. It IS them, after all:
I sighed and turned to Dohko.
“Let’s go to our place.” I told them, shifting uncomfortably under the intense stare of the blue-haired man.
“That would be fine.” Dohko answered as he brushed the dust away from his pants.
Aeyr glared at the staring man in a daring fashion. I winced inwardly at this, only I knew how easily angered my brother was and this man looked like the kind of person you didn’t play with.
“Please, follow us.” I told them giving Aeyr a nudge in the ribs as I went by him. The pretty lady smoothed the wrinkles on her dress and followed us docilely, but I saw the look she gave the tall man; she was warning him to keep an eye on the blue-haired one.
I smiled a bit seeing an ally in her and led them to our rented apartment.
 

SHUN:
Johdas stretched languorously and smiled at me sweetly.
“Had a nice nap?” I inquired softly while picking up and apple and giving it a hearty bite.
“Yep. I was sleepy.” He answered sitting down beside me and taking a bite from my apple.
“Hard to believe, considering the time you spent sleeping before you woke up!” I gave him a friendly shove as I spoke. “...and stop eating my apple, get one for yourself!”
He laughed and smoothed his black hair with his hand. “Don’t get so stingy!” He protested giving me a shove this time.
I could only smile and ruffle his hair, he growled, annoyed by this, swatting me with one of his large black wings. I pulled on the outer feathers and he let out a yelp.
“Ouch! Hey, watch it!” I smiled and raised my face so it was only inches away from his.
“Get your own apple then!” He muttered something under his breath and reached into the bag for a fruit. I could hardly believe I was just sitting around in an abandoned house bickering with the lord of the underworld; but I remembered Hades pretty well, and he was not the monster everybody believed him to be, he was just a calm, friendly soul stuck with an odd job.
I patted his wings affectionately and got up. My back was stiff and I ached all over after having slept in a sitting position. Johdas eyed me curiously and cocked his head to one side.
“Where are your wings, Lim?” I blinked at the question and turned to him.
“I decided to keep on passing off as a human, and my name is Shun.” Johdas made a face at my last comment and gave me a daunting look.
“To me you are still Lim.” He informed me with a sly smile. I smiled innocently at him.
“You will start calling me Shun once you get to know me.” He caught the message immediately; even though I was Lim, in a way, there was also the memories and experiences of Shun which had made him slightly different from his earlier self, but never less the same person. That was probably why the fact that he was Hades didn’t really bother him any more; it just felt right.
We both looked at each other for a while, then he dropped his gaze to the floor.
“Will you forgive us someday?” He asked me softly.
“I have nothing against you, Hades. Only against humanity, and I believe I can forgive old mistakes.” He looked up at me and winced.
“What about Hypnos and Thanatos?” He asked quietly. I let out a frustrated huff and crossed my arms.
“I don’t know, Johdas. I really don’t know.” And it was the truth, they had betrayed me and it had been a cruel wound to my faith in them. I had killed myself as a revenge against all those who hurt us.
“The only important thing now...” I told him putting a friendly arm about his shoulders. “Is to locate Nikolai and to make sure that he is all right. After that we ought to start worrying about what to do with Athena.”
Johdas nodded and smiled at me again, obviously relieved that I held no grudge against him.
“And to get some flight training.” He told me with a playful wink.
“And cosmo training.” I put in and sighed. “We are out of practice.”
“I don’t know how to use cosmo!” He reminded me.
“Aw! Come on! As Hades you really ought to remember.” I pulled slightly on one of his dark bangs and he smiled impishly and hugged me.
“Let’s get out of this dump and then see what awaits.”
It sounded good enough to me so I accepted; I called upon my power and felt the wings take shape at my back.
“Let’s go.”
 

MU:
The park was overcrowded with tall, strong trees and a lush green vegetation, it was almost like a small jungle inside a city. I had never known it was possible to make a place like this grow in the middle of a city in Greece. Hyoga walked along the path with a calm air as we followed, looking around with awe at every new plant. This place was beautiful and it soothed my high-strung nerves.
Aiolia lagged behind us with a scowl on his face, Aiolos walked silently beside Shura, tired of his brother’s constant grumbling and complaints. I shook my head softly and concentrated on something else, Shion gave me a questioning look and I simply jerked my head slightly in Aiolia’s direction. My sensei rolled his eyes and smiled resignedly, it was obvious to everybody that Aiolia was getting unbearable, especially to Saga and Shura who, by now, had given up on any attempt to call a truce.
Abruptly, Hyoga came to a stop and turned of the path and into the bushes, we followed shrugging, letting him do the guide-work and take us to wherever he thought better. Milo walked beside him occasionally mumbling something. They were having a serious conversation it seemed, and Milo was getting more and more upset.
Hyoga turned to him suddenly and asked him something that I could not hear but that clearly upset Milo, for he answered something back with a savage look on his face and slowed his pace so that Hyoga ended up walking alone in the front.
I frowned and considered asking Milo what was wrong; but we weren’t that close and I knew him enough to tell that he wouldn’t open up no matter what. Saga approached him and put a hand on his shoulder; Milo shook it off and gave Saga a warning look.
Indeed, this was the Milo I had come to know at the Sanctuary; one that did not care for others concern and who would never let anybody see what kind of feelings he kept within... If he kept any at all.
 

MILO:
Hyoga looked at me all of a sudden and spoke quietly.
“What’s happened to you? You are not the way you used to be.” I felt anger take hold of me, followed by a wave of coldness. We had been talking of our past and present, and I could tell that the Nikolai side of Hyoga resented the change I had gone through; I was not the Akaren he remembered. But that didn’t mean I had to tell him why I had changed! Thankfully, my feelings were numbed almost as soon as they emerged, for that was the only way I had found to survive as Scorpio: I had to kill my emotions most of the time and pretend I felt them. But Hyoga’s question had upset me, even though I hated to admit it, so I answered back as savagely as I could.
“It’s none of your business! After all, you don’t know me any more in this life than I know you!” And after a thought I added. “And it’s not like I want to know you either.”
I was cutting off my nose to spite my face, I knew it, but I couldn’t help it. And when I saw the hurt on his face I tried to apologise, but I found that I could not; being unaccustomed to doing so, so I slowed down and left him alone at the front. I knew it was wrong, but I just couldn’t say I was sorry for it would give him a chance to ask me again.
And I couldn’t tell him about my past, I couldn’t tell anybody.
Silence.... was my only choice.
 

SHIRYU:
Athena talked quietly to the tall red-eyed being. I studied him silently, trying to puzzle out the odd feeling he gave me. I couldn’t really look at him in the eye because I found it too unsettling, and I didn’t know why.
There was something about him that felt strange, terribly wrong. His expressions were sometimes a bit out of synch... Almost as if he had to consider what he should feel so he could put a face to it....
He was in every single way the exact opposite to Seiya, maybe that was why he bothered me?
Thinking of Seiya invoked and odd ache in my chest; I didn’t know where he was or even if he was all right, and if he showed up I had strict orders to kill him. I knew I would not do such a thing, but he had left thinking that I had betrayed our friendship, and I wished I could tell him it was not so. As long as Athena didn’t order me to hunt him down I was safe.
I still wondered why I had chosen to do this; it was for Seiya, no doubt, to protect the woman he loved.... But wasn’t I hurting him even more by making him think I was against him?
Then again, Saori was everything to him, so as long as I could keep an eye on her I knew that deep down Seiya felt safe. It was a strange mess, but I couldn’t get out of it anymore.
If only Shunrei hadn’t been brought!
Her presence her made it impossible for me to sneak out or do any deep research, for it might mean endangering her, and I had promised my master that I would keep her safe.
But it was so hard to live with her! She treated me like a mother hen and was constantly fussing about me, I knew it was because she worried, but it made it no less infuriating. Especially now that I had to find out about my dreams, namely, the mysterious and familiar Temis.
Temis.
She was driving me crazy. Since I had spoken to her in my dreams I couldn’t get her out of my head and I spent all my time trying to remember where I had seen her. Sometimes I got small glimpses, like long lost memories of a different time, but I lost them as soon as they came, and Temis remained as unfathomable as she was when I first saw her. Only one thing I knew for sure:
I was falling for her.
Somehow, seeing her and kissing her had made me aware of feelings I didn’t know I even had. There was something in her that was too familiar, and the more I thought about her the more it seemed like she was meant for me. But for all I knew she could be our enemy!
Was she even human for that matter? Hyoga and Shun had certainly stopped being humans, so what were they now?
And all the strange mutations? All these people in Sanctuary who had stopped being human and had begun to change into something else? And the unicorns and dragons and all these strange creatures?
In what way was all of this connected?
The more I found out the less I understood it.
All I knew was that I had to find Temis and I had to protect Athena as long as I could.
After that, I would dedicate myself to finding out what was going on and, if possible, finding Seiya.

“Shiryu.” I turned as I heard Athena call me in her cold voice. “Hilda is going to come here for a short visit, I want you to make sure she reaches my chambers safely.”
I nodded and bowed to her making sure I looked completely obedient. The red-eyed creature raised an eyebrow at my obeisance and gave me a sharp look. I stood perfectly still under his scrutiny trying to look unaffected by his distrust. After a few minutes he turned away and went on talking to Athena. I got up and walked out of the throne room .
Outside Shunrei was waiting for me holding a bouquet of lavender flowers in her hands. The scent drifted up to me and I saw a flash of... Blue? Gold? I shook my head and to dispel the sudden vision and smiled slightly at Shunrei.
“I find them near the house.” She explained holding them out to me. “I remember you like them.”
It took her a while to say the word “remember” but she managed to get it out right in the end. It was a strange picture, a girl offering flowers to her beloved... It ought to be the other way around.
I took the flowers and smiled at her a bit more openly. “Thank you, Shunrei. I do love lavender.” I answered in a gentle tone of voice. She smiled, delighted at having pleased me and blushed. I sighed, if only she would give up.... She was only making things more difficult, but I couldn’t tell her that.
“Let’s go and have a cup of tea.” I told her and walked ahead towards the cottage.
 

SHION:
Hyoga stopped walking when we reached a small clearing where the trees domed upwards casting odd distorted shadows down on us, the air smelled of freshly cut grass and there were birds singing, hidden in the lush vegetation. Mu advanced a few steps into the dome and looked around him in awe. I followed and enjoyed the feeling of being so close to nature, we Jamilons were, after all, a race that had a strong connection to Earth´s flora and fauna.
Everybody walked into the clearing and looked around, squinting as the sun blinded us whenever it was able to penetrate through the thick branches. The place had a calm feeling about it, and as soon as we had stepped in all hostility had vanished from our minds.
Hyoga had chosen this spot on purpose.
Somehow, I felt that he wanted to be close to nature to tell us the rest of the story, and this place would also keep us from reacting violently.
It chilled me to think that what he would tell us was so terrible that he needed to bring us to a place like this to tell it. What could he possibly tell us that was so terrible?
A soft breeze made the leaves flutter with a rustling sound, a few of them fell down on us, dancing lazily in the wind before touching the ground.
“Shall we finish?” Hyoga had moved to stand in the middle of us and was smiling vaguely, almost sadly. Milo smiled weakly and sighed, I looked at them and nodded.
“The sooner the better.” Aiolia mumbled and crossed his arms over his chest.
Hyoga motioned us to sit down in a semicircle around him, I complied and chose a spot that was directly in front of him. He smiled at me and waited for the rest to settle down on the soft grass.
Hyoga surveyed his audience with a tired look on his face and Milo gave him a thumbs up sign. It was so odd of him to become so cheerful all of a sudden, but then, unpredictability and secretiveness were his trademark moves.
Hyoga gave us one final look and closed his eyes. “To tell you the final part of the story, I think it is best that you see it and feel for yourselves.” He began in a quiet tone of voice.
“And how are you going to manage that?” Saga asked him in with a confused expression.
“With this.” He answered ,pulling out a delicately made rosary. I looked at the necklace without understanding.
“Isn’t that your mother’s rosary?” Shaka asked a bit doubtfully.
“It is.” He replied and opened his eyes. “But it is many other things too.”
“Aside from a Catholic symbol?” Aiolia wondered loudly and ironically. Hyoga ignored his insulting attitude, having gotten used to it in the past few hours.
“Yes. It is... A sort of key.” He told us, clearly unsure if that was the best way to define the golden cross that dangled from the string of small pearls.
“A key to what?” Mu asked leaning forward to get a better look. Hyoga shifted a bit and frowned.
“Many things. A key to doors, to old legends, to some cloths... but right now it will become a key to your memories.” He answered finally handing the precious object to me as I stretched out my hand to touch it.
“To our memories? How come?” I inquired studying the golden cross under the filtering sunlight.
“It is a sacred relic from my past. Also a family heirloom. But above all that it’s a....” He searched for and explanation. “... A, literally, magical object.” We all frowned as he said this and looked at the rosary distrustfully, I handed it back to Hyoga careful not to drop it.
“So it will unveil our lost memories?” I asked trying to puzzle out this whole confusing conversation.
“No, not directly. I told you it’s a key to old legends, no?” We all nodded expectantly. “Well, it can... Replay events that took place, and telepathically project them into your minds. I will make it project the most significant happenings of the Great War into your heads. There will be pieces and flashes of memories from many different people and sometimes from the key itself.”
“So we will see what happened to everybody from different points of view?” Shaka queried in an awed voice.
“Yes. This key takes it’s knowledge from the memories and records of various beings and builds them up into a string of events.” Hyoga stroked the gold metal softly.
“And, presumably, seeing what happened will make us remember it.” Saga finished for him covering his mouth thoughtfully.
“Yes, presumably.” Hyoga replied smiling softly at Saga’s quick reasoning. We all exchanged worried looks and then transferred them unto Hyoga.
“What are we waiting for?” Shura mumbled and looked up at Hyoga with a vague smile. “Let’s finish this once and for all.”
“We will finish the telling of the story.” Hyoga whispered softly. “But I’m afraid this is only the beginning.”
He too sat down facing all of us and clasped his hands in front of him, as if to say a prayer, holding the rosary and begun to chant something under his breath, too low for us to hear. I strained my ears to catch his words but they were in a language I had never heard and that mixed all accents together into one flowing stream of unknown beauty and incredible power.
I was going to ask out loud what we should do next, but then a wave of nausea hit me and I felt myself loosing contact with my body, my spirit was being pulled out! I fought back with all my mental strength until I felt a touch of an aura on mine and a whispered mind-voice saying:
:Let go. It’s safe, Shion. Let go and watch.:
I recognised Hyoga’s voice, only now it seemed familiar from somewhere else too.
It was just before I blacked out completely that I realised that the Hyoga’s mind-whisper was truly that of the angel that had brought us back to life....
 

*         *         *
 

The bright halls shone with a the pale moonlight that filtered through half-closed blue velvet curtains as a soft cry echoed through the palace. The short silence was followed by the wail of a child as he was brought into the world. Inside a large a room a blonde woman lay on a richly decorated bed holding her newly born son in her arms.
“He is beautiful.” She whispered stroking the baby’s face and nuzzling him affectionately as her mothering instincts took over.
“Indeed, he is a healthy little prince, my lady.” The healer who stood beside her bowed formally, but it was all too obvious by the light in his eyes and that of his companions that they were overjoyed at having been able to help with the birth and watch it.
“Shion... I thank you. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you. And thank you to you too, little one.” The pink-haired child blushed at the compliment and smiled shyly at his Queen.
“My pupil Mu thanks you for letting him assist to this happy occasion.” Shion’s forehead wrinkled slightly. “May I ask, if it’s not too impertinent of me, what he will be called?” The gentle ruler smiled fondly and touched the soft grey down that covered her son’s folded wings.
“Since he has defied the rules already I think Nikolai would be a good name. Not only are the three princes going to be born on the same hour, this generation will be born on the same day! That is unheard of. So Nikolai will do.” She told him while caressing the wings gently and making the baby laugh childishly.
“Nikolai? I had never heard it. What does it mean?” Shion cocked his head to one side and regarded his Queen curiously.
“I invented it. All names are invented at some point no? And I feel that he will be the starter of a new era, so accordingly, he should have a new name.” She smiled and brushed a delicate strand of golden hair from her face. Shion smiled delighted and Mu laughed softly.
“A perfect choice, Queen Crysta. Truly a perfect choice.”
A messenger dashed into the room and upon seeing what he had done he blushed and mumbled an apology. Yet he feared no punishment for the Queen was a kind and gentle woman.
“What is it?” Shion asked a bit annoyed at having his lady bothered so soon after giving birth.
“News from the Sea Kingdom and the Underworld.” The boy answered standing up straight. Crysta looked up and nodded at him to go on.
“The two other princes have been born and are strong and healthy.” He continued, his eyes shining with a sad light. “They are safe, my lady.” Crysta sank back into the bed, smiling happily and feeling utterly drained.
“So, a new generation is born. My child has kindred spirits to accompany him through life. All thanks for your blessings Ilumina.” She mouthed the formal words and closed her eyes. “What are their names?” She asked softly, barely able to stay awake.
“The Queens said the names were yours to give.” The boy answered, closing his eyes to hold back his tears. Shion tensed and walked up to the boy. “How is that possible, the mother must name the child!” He cried, surprised at the fact that the two other Queens had broken the birth rites.
The boy, a young fire Demon with blue hair and dark skin, looked up and swallowed hard.  “The Ladies...” He bit his lip and bowed his head.
Crysta curled her wings around herself and the Baby letting  out a small choked sob. “So.” She whispered and buried her face into her pillow.
“Master?” Mu tugged on his mentor’s robe, alarmed by the change in the room’s atmosphere. Shion put a comforting hand on his pupil’s head and closed his eyes.
“What a tragedy, and on such a time. Let’s hope this is not a bad omen.” He whispered and stroked Mu’s head softly. The messenger boy nodded and left the room in tears.
Crysta stroked her child’s sleeping face and sighed. “Let the child of the Underworld be called Lim and the child of the Seas D’jyanne; new names for a new era.” She whispered, and turned away from Shion.
He bowed and led Mu out of the chambers feeling drained and numbed by the nights events.
Once the door was closed Queen Crysta let her tears flow and grieved the loss of her soul-sisters.
“You will not be affected by this omen.” She told her child firmly. “You will not.”

*         *        *

The great crystal temple glistened in the morning light and the happy laughs of  thousands of creatures drifted in the air. Spring flowers shone in every corner of the ample room and around the three cribs. A hush fell over the assembled people from a hundred worlds as the Gaian Queen stepped out from behind the heavy blue curtains and walked to stand before the babies.
“We are gathered here to celebrate the birth of the three future rulers of this planet. They are the messengers of the generation to come and the leaders of a new era.” All these were formal words spoken as ritual, yet today an atmosphere of both doubt and hope lent the ceremony a certain depth of feeling it had lacked for years. Because of an unforeseen twist of fate, the celebration’s millenary tradition had been changed, and where three proud Queens should have stood, now only one offered her thanks to the gods. It was a time of change, people thought, for this time, the rest of the ceremony would be a mixture of tradition and improvisation, and not the customary near-mechanical rites.
“The unfortunate deaths of my sisters have left me in charge of the fates of their children; I will do my best to raise them until they are old enough to return to their lands.” A murmur of approval spread throughout the crowd. “Their deaths have also forced me do be the one to choose their guardians. For this I sought for help in Gods destined to be their companions and guardians.”
Three figures rose from their seats and walked up to stand before the Lady. The one whose hair was a mass of flowing waves of a rich blue hue bowed and took his place before the prince of the Sea Kingdom.
“As ruler of the seas, I Poseidon, god of waters nominate two young novices as Prince D’jyanne’s bodyguards. Rise, Sorrento and Kanon.” The two children got up and bowed deeply.
The second figure, one with long black hair and deep red eyes moved to stand before the crib where his prince lay.
“As ruler of the dead, I Hades, god of death nominate my helpers and fellow gods as Prince Lim’s bodyguards. Rise, Thanatos and Hypnos.” The crown fell into absolute silence, never before had a prince been granted three gods as bodyguards. Silent as the beings around them, the two gods rose from their seats and bowed. “And to help me teach him I will nominate Shaka, as a friend and backup.”
Finally, the last figure moved to stand beside her respective crib, to the left of the Queen. Her slender body catching the eyes of everybody present as she walked up short stairs with her long blond hair trailing behind her.
“As ruler of the heavens, in the place of my father, I Athena, goddess of justice and war nominate a young novice as Prince Nikolai’s bodyguard, the second one is still undecided. Rise, Terran.”
The young boy got up and bowed formally. There were cheers all around the room as the presentation was finished. After the initial euphoria died down, everybody returned to their seats to continue with the rite.

*        *         *

Terran looked at his young ward a bit uncertainly and then up at his queen.
“Do you want to hold him?” She asked smiling a bit. He shook his head vigorously and took  a step back.
“No. Thank you, my Lady.” His voice wavered slightly and he kept his gaze fixed on the pale child between the woman’s arms. Crysta laughed and without asking any further questions she stood up and deposited the sleeping child in the arms of the alarmed boy.
“When I am dead you will have to take care of him. You might as well get used to it. You must protect him, always.” She told him smiling as Terran attempted to comfort the baby in his arms as it woke up and begun to sulk.
Behind them Hades rocked the small green-haired baby and nuzzled him affectionately, Thanatos and Hypnos smiled as they watched in silence; on the other side of the room Poseidon was still trying to convince Kanon to hold his small prince and Sorrento to let go of him.
“What a strange generation this is turning out to be.” Athena whirled to face the speaker, still hidden behind the shadow of a pillar.
“Certainly.” She answered as Shion moved to stand beside her.
“Why aren’t you beside your prince?” He asked with earnest curiosity.
“Because I don’t see why a Goddess should protect a mortal who will rule over her.”

*         *         *

As soon as the princes turned three, they were sent to their respective homelands. D’jyanne returned to the Sea Kingdom beside his three protectors, and almost as soon as they arrived, Kanon and Sorrento where sent out to train and become saints. Lim arrived to his palace in the underworld where he would grow beside his three divine protectors, who, being adult gods, did not need to leave, Shaka would arrive after becoming a warrior.
Nikolai remained in his kingdom on the lands of Gaia beside his mother and Athena, who grew more and more reluctant to complete her role as protector. Hegrew to love his young protector dearly and grieved his departure when it was time for him to train.
“When I come back I will have to train you!” Terran explained to him the night before he left, making the young prince smile at the thought. And he left the following morning, with the solemn promise to return stronger, braver and better.
For Nikolai.

*         *         *

Davos looked at his creation and sighed.
“It is so terribly flawed...” He whispered tonelessly. Ilumina, standing beside him smiled weakly and shook his head.
“I see no flaw, brother.” He answered still smiling as he watched the universe grow and frolic in its love-bound peace.
“They feel.... The immortals feel...” Davos watched in tense silence as the gods he had created smiled and laughed and loved.
“I see no flaw in that.” Ilumina gazed at his brother, unnerved by his protest.
“They should not. It was stupid of you to give them all the capacity to feel.”
“It makes them stronger.”
“It makes them flawed.”

*         *         *

“Dimieth...” Crysta stood on the balcony outside her room and looked at the stars with silent pain.
“Who is Dimieth, Mama?” Nikolai got up from the floor where he had been playing at joined his mother on the balcony. As the cold bit his skin he ruffled the baby feathers on his wings and drew closer to Crysta’s warmth.
“Somebody who I hope you never meet.” She answered quietly and picked him up in her arms. “Somebody who is very bad.” She nuzzled his face affectionately and carried him inside.

*         *         *

“She is a beauty, Sh’tar.”
Sh’tar looked at the speaker distractedly and smiled softly. “I will make a warrior out of her.”
Above them, Shidral’s bright sun shone with a furious intensity, summer made the air warmer and the days, though hot and humid, were beautiful and clear. The sky was a so vivid a blue it seemed to be almost purple and the lush green foliage glistened with accumulated moisture.
Karenhath laughed and went on braiding her friend’s hair. Temis yelped as her hair was pulled too hard and laughed when Karenhath begun weaving flowers and ribbons into the array. Sh’tar studied the sweet child with the eye of a sculptor choosing ways of giving the shapes of his dreams to solid rock. She looked, at first sight, like a common child; but wisdom and mischief shone too brightly behind the emerald orbs of her eyes and the colour of her hair was a mixture of red, gold and orange, impossible to define.
“But I thought Shidlers were dragons.” Sh’tar smiled and looked at the Gaian emissary with patient eyes.
“She can look either as the girl you see now, her most common shape; or as a Dragon. Not the usual kind of dragon though.” The young boy glanced at the laughing girl with awe and then frowned.
“Not the usual kind...?” He mumbled puzzled by this statement. Sh’tar nodded and went on.
“The great Dragons you seek when in need of advice; the small dragon-like pets who are indigenous to all worlds; the stupid draconian beasts we ride and use to pull carts... They are all reptiles. Shidlers are mammals, and they are also covered in fur, not scales or hide like the previously mentioned.”
The emissary blinked in surprise and then stared at the girl in wonder. Sh’tar, feeling it was time to go and not wishing to be the one in charge of instructing the uncultured child, cleared his throat.
“I heard your princes were born on the same day...” The boy nodded. “Send my regards to your Queen.”

It was almost nightfall when they arrived back at the palace. Karenhath slipped her small hand into Sh’tar’s as they entered the great halls.
“In two more years you will begin training.” He told her as led her to her chambers. Occasionally nodding as the servants and young novices bowed as they passed. “You should try and learn as much as you can now, so it is easier when we start.”
Karenhath turned her head upwards and fixed her brilliant gaze on Sh’tar’s deep purple eyes. “Will you be cruel to me?” She inquired softly, not daring to take her eyes away.
“Noo... I will be strict and demanding, but never cruel.” Sh’tar smiled at the small girl and gently shoved her into her room. “I will send for your servants.”
“I know how to change myself.” She complained a bit annoyed. Sh’tar laughed and patted her head.
“Good.” And he closed the door behind himself.
As he walked through the corridors he heaved a great sigh and leaned against on of the massive pillars. It was a great responsibility to know that you would have to train the future ruler of your world, one that made him proud, but it nevertheless scared him.
A few Shidlers smiled as they saw him and he smiled back at them.
It was a task he would gladly take for his people.

*         *        *
 
“I’m tired of obeying rules made by mortals! Why do you rule when we are the strongest!” Athena banged her fists against the table in the meeting room.
“Because the fact that you cannot die makes you unsuited for ruling us.” Crysta kept her calm and quiet attitude, but her blue eyes burned with icy fury.
“Unsuited! UNSUITED! I am much better suited than any mortal!” She growled at the silent Queen with fury lighting her brown eyes.
“Which you demonstrate with this little outburst.” Athena whirled to face the Libra saint and barely kept herself at bay.
“How am I unsuited?” She asked in a low hiss that made Crysta shift in her seat.
“You don’t value life enough. How can you value something that you cannot loose? Since you cannot die, you take life for granted.” Crysta’s voice was even but her wings were taut as she spoke. It took the Queen a great effort not to loose control of her temper.
“I still think it’s all wrong.” Athena flounced her golden mane proudly. “So I refuse to act as guardian to that small child.” She said ,referring to Nikolai.
“But it is tradition! He MUST have a protector who is immortal!” Shion got up from his chair and gesticulated widely.
“Now he doesn’t.” The proud Goddess answered with a cold smirk, and she got up and left the room.

*         *         *

“She is just I need.” Davos studied the angry Goddess thoughtfully and nodded to himself.
“For what?” Ilumina gazed at the sullen woman without any interest.
“To fix an old mistake.”

*         *         *

Nikolai got up that morning and hurriedly combed his long blond hair. He checked his clothes and brushed the pure white feathers of his wings until they were shining and looked orderly enough. He then leapt out of his room and dashed through the halls towards the main room.
“Good morning Nikolai!” Ryu, a young human who would leave today to his future training grounds, greeted the prince as he ran by.
“Good morning Ryu!” Nikolai called back as he disappeared round a corner. Ryu smiled and shook his head. Today was an important day for everybody throughout Gaia. Today the youths who had been sent out to become warriors were back, ready to choose their pupils and complete the new generation of Saints.

As he stepped through the thick curtains into the room where he had been presented almost nine years ago he felt a strangely happy and jittery. His mother greeted him with a hug and kissed his forehead.
“He has arrived.” She whispered to him as they both walked towards the assembled youths.
Nikolai stood on his tiptoes trying to find the person  he was waiting for in the crowd, extended his wings for balance as he felt himself falling to one side.
“Niko.” A warm voice to his left made him turn and almost fall, causing the assembled to smile gently.
The face seemed familiar, the blue eyes and blue hair, the smile....
“Terran!” He cried happily and hugged his friend. Terran’s eyes widened as he noted how much older Nikolai looked, and how his wings had grown! The baby was now nearing adolescence, and he had left him barely able to run on his unsteady feet.
It was how they met again.
A tall elf-youth approached them smiling, his long blue hair fluttering against his shoulders and his deep golden eyes alight with mischief. Crysta signalled him to come closer.
“This.” She said with a smile and a sweep of her hand in the elf’s direction. “Is Akaren, your second bodyguard.”
Terran regarded the newcomer with something akin to distrust, but Nikolai liked him on sight and smiled as a welcome gesture.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Niko.” His voice was smooth and seductive, with rich undertones that made him strangely attractive. Terran stiffened as he heard the newcomer use his nickname for Nikolai, but said nothing.

*         *         *

In the following years the selected youths at Gaia were trained to become warriors and the three princes grew and learned what they were to do once they were adults. One of them would excel above his brothers and become the king, the other two would forever help him thus maintaining the unity of their world.
Terran’s distrust vanished with time and he too grew to like the second guardian. In hell Lim was tutored and trained in the arts of fighting, but his reticence to attack was quickly noted.
“You will not be able to become king if you cannot fight.” Shaka told him one night after training. Lim smiled and lied down on his bed.
“You know just as well as I do who will be king.”
And it was so.
D’jyanne developed into a skilled fighter and a good politician, but not very inclined to rule.
“You could be a very good king...” Poseidon told him when they had finished a mock fight.
“I know somebody who would do a better job.” He answered with a calm smile.
And it was so.
Nikolai grew and became not only an impressive warrior but good person and a skilled diplomat. It was by then quite clear that he would be the king.
Athena refused to complete her role as the third guardian and dedicated herself to her own silent business...

*         *         *

“I want them to see that it is wrong. I want to control them, not to be controlled by mortals.” Davos listened to the Gaian goddess with satisfaction.
“I will help you gain power over Gaia, if you help me take over this universe.” He told her smiling. Athena looked up at him and shuddered, unable to look at him in the eye.
“But you created all this... Why do you need my help?” She asked still kneeling before the God of Void.
“I created strong beings and it would be tiring and wasteful to pounce on them now. Let them destroy themselves and then I will finish the job.” He answered coldly, looking at the cringing blonde with boredom written across his features.
“But if you destroy everything... What will I gain?” She demanded, not liking to be the one who is controlled.
“I will remake this universe. But I will make it right this time. You will have power then.” Athena smiled, liking the proposition.
“But what of Ilumina?” Her tone revealed that she knew that the God of Light would not approve of this.
“He has been taken care of. Now, to help me there is one requirement.” He informed her with a cold look.
“What is it?”
“I will take away your feelings. They make you flawed.”

*        *         *
 
The three princes gathered together with their respective warriors and smiled as they noted how they had grown and changed during their training. All fighters had been assembled today to watch the princes receive their cloths. Now that the ceremony was over the population of the planet celebrated, for the team that was the new generation was finally complete. Delegates from the twelve constellations came to give their congratulations and to watch the young princes who would rule Gaia.
It was here that Nikolai met Karenhath for the first time.
The Ice-angel walked through the thick forest outside the palace in search of some peace and quiet after having met and talked to so many people. It had been a bit too much for one day.
He arrived at a small clearing with a clear pond in the middle. Nikolai sighed and walked into the circle of trees.
“Prince Nikolai!” A startled voice made him turn to his left. She stood with he feet in the pond and her long green robe lifted up slightly to keep it from getting wet; her eyes were a deep forest green, so deep he lost himself in them; her ears were long and pointed like an elf’s, but no elf could have hair like that; delicate, rich waves of bright fire tumbled down her shoulders making her look like an apparition of both fire and forest. A nymph of death and creation.
“Who are you?” He whispered, entranced by her beauty. She laughed, a soft sweet sound that mesmerised him instantly.
“My name is Karenhath.” She told him smiling and walking up to him with her eyes alight.
“The Shidralian princess.” He mumbled unable to look away from her. Karenhath blushed under his intense gaze and smiled.
“You must have talked to my guardian, Sh’tar.” She told him cocking her head to one side questioningly.
“Tall demon with long black hair and purple eyes?” She smiled and gave him a pat on the shoulder.
“Yes! Him!” She exclaimed and broke out laughing. She was so outward and friendly that he could not help feeling attracted to her. “But what are you doing here, this is your celebration after all.”
Nikolai made a face. “Too many people. I meet a thousand beings and they are all nice and friendly but...”
“It’s not you they visit, but your title.” She finished for him and smiled sadly. “I know the feeling.”
They looked at each other and suddenly Karenhath giggled.
“What?” He asked as the girl tiptoed in the cool waters.
“Why don’t you take off your shoes and join me?” She asked bending down and flicking a few drops of water in his direction.
“Is this a Shidralian relaxation technique?” He inquired politely and smiling.
“Very therapeutic.” She acquiesced and walked into the deeper areas. Nikolai took off his shoes and followed her into the crystal clear waters.
They ran around laughing and being careful not to get too close to the deepest parts lest they fall and ruin their clothes. After a while they grew tired and just stood in the pond talking quietly and laughing at their childhood experiences.
“Nikolai!” A voice broke the spell and startled them both.
“It’s Terran, he must be looking for me!” Nikolai exclaimed and walked out of the pool careful not to splash the girl.
“Yeah, well. I should be going too.” She murmured and walked out with him. They both hurriedly put  on their shoes and walked back towards the palace. They met Terran halfway through.
“Niko! Princess Karenhath!” He said, surprised to find them together. “Princess, Sh’tar is looking for you. It is time to go back.” She nodded and followed the tall man back to the palace.
When Terran went ahead to tell Sh’tar he had found her, Nikolai turned to her and took her hand in his.
“Meet me again tomorrow.” He whispered in her ear when nobody was watching.
“Tomorrow? How?” She whispered back, smiling as he squeezed her hand
“By the pond, at night.” She nodded and kissed his cheek softly as a farewell token.
“I will see you tomorrow then.” He told her and she smiled at him as Sh’tar led her away.

*         *         *

She came to the pond that night, and many more. Unknown to the universe, the two future rulers of the most powerful empires existent were falling in love. To Nikolai, days became too long to bear and all he would yearn for would be the few hours he spent at night beside the mysterious girl who had won him over from the moment they first met. To Karenhath, Nikolai became her reason to go on fighting trouble and being the best; all to be worthy of him. They were dissimilar in almost everything; Nikolai was quiet and calm, an extremely reserved person; Karenhath was extroverted and overactive, a seductive yet sweet child. It was their differences that made them so right for each other.
Or at least, the thought so.

*         *        *

“Listen well, Athena. You must organise a hunt against the Shilders. A hunt to steal their blood, but make it look like it was done by  the Gaians. Sell the blood to the highest bidder. Already your desertion has caused uproar in Gaia and their colonies. As soon as they are at odds with Shidral we can put the galaxy at war.”
Athena watched in silence and listened without a hint of a smile.
“Put the galaxy at war? How, if the war will brake out between Gaia and Shidral?” She asked not seeing what Davos planned.
“Those are the two main pillars of this society. If they fall out the entire galaxy will take sides and join the war, trust me. I created them, I know.”

*         *         *

“Terran, Akaren, can I talk to you?” Nikolai approached his friends with a worried look on his face.
“What is it, Niko?” The elf asked frowning at the serious look on the boy’s face.
“I have something important to tell you, and I need your advice.” He told them sitting down on his bed beside them. When he was sure he had their attention he said. “I am in love.”
Both creatures stared at him in silence, too surprised to know what to say. “With who?” Terran managed to say, a smile appearing on his lips.
“Karenhath.” He answered and winced as he saw their smiles freeze and disappear.
“The princess of Shidral? You hardly know her!” Akaren demanded not understanding where this sudden declaration had come from.
“I do. We have been meeting in secret for over a year.” Terran scowled as he heard this and faced his ward with a serious look in his blue eyes.
“You can’t lover her. It would be too much trouble.” He stated with a startling finality in his voice.
“Why? Because we are both Sacred Races from different planets?” Nikolai asked worriedly.
“Exactly. And not only that, you are both future rulers, Your relationship -if there is one- would mean one of you would have to give up his/her throne!” Terran would accept no such thing, not after having raised the child to be a king without the help of Athena.
“But I love her!” He told them, hoping to hear them laugh or see them smile as they always did when they spoke of love and friends. But all he got was a cold glare from both of them.
“Nonsense!” Akaren declared. “You’ll forget her in a month.” And the argument should have been left at that... but it was not.
“And I forbid you to meet her in secret again.”

*         *         *

“I love you, Karenhath.” Nyall stood in front of her and spoke the words he had kept in his heart for years, since they began training together. Karenhath sighed and looked at her feet sadly.
“Oh, Nyall!” She whispered, and saw his eyes loose their light as he realised that she did not return the same feeling.
“Who is it?” He demanded with a tight voice, his hands fisted and trembling. She breathed in deeply.
“The Gaian Prince, Nikolai.” She answered and saw fury take over his features.
“From another planet! How could you!” He cried in despair.
“I don’t know, I just fell in love with him.” She murmured and winced when she saw the look of hatred in the metal eyes she knew so well. “But I still care for you!”
“As a friend.” He completed the sentence for her.
“Yes, as a friend.” She nodded and looked up at him hopefully. Nyall looked away and sighed.
“I don’t want your friendship.”

*         *         *
 
“You see, brother. Feelings are what will destroy this flawed creation.” Davos smiled in imitation of the mortals he watched. “And that Shidralian elf will also help me destroy this aberration.”
Ilumina could not answer, being held captive in a space between dimensions; a void strong enough to keep the God of Light captive for all times.
“Do you see?”
And below, in the world of the living, the hunt began.

*         *         *
 

“The Gaians are hunting us Karenhath. There is no denying it.” The proud princess bowed her head and hid her face in her hands.
“How can this be?” She whispered and the entire council closed their eyes and shook their heads.
“They want power over us. It would be better to attack before they put your kind in danger.”
“No!” She exclaimed and shook her head. “Let me speak to them.”

*         *         *

“If I serve you, will you bring her back to life beside me in the future?” Davos regarded the young elf with a cold critical eye.
“Yes.”
After the child was gone he leaned back into his throne and let out a sigh.
“Bored, my lord.” A deep sweet voice came to his ears.
“No, just thoughtful. Why, Dimieth?” Davos inquired without turning to look at the tall blonde Ice-angel.
“Just wondering.” He answered unemotionally.
“Worried about Gaia.” Davos mumbled enjoying the small talk.
“No. Just wondering how long it will be before I can kill her.” Davos smiled on impulse.
“Crysta?”
“And my son.”

*         *         *
 
Crysta paced around her room worriedly. Karenhath had wanted to come and discuss the problem of the hunts with her; but what could she say? There were no plans to destroy Shidral, they were allies!
So who had planned on this?
Athena?
Nikolai walked up to Terran’s room and knocked on the door.
“Come in Niko!” He said with a warm welcoming voice.
“I have to talk to her.” He told his friend before he asked any questions. Terran frowned and got up from his bed, where he had been lying.
“Don’t be ridiculous!” He admonished as Nikolai’s breathing grew ragged with emotion.
“Terran.” He pleaded, for the first time in his life. “ I love her!”
But his plea was ignored.
Terran could not believe the truth.

*         *         *

The night was dark and quiet as he made his way to the pond where they had met for the first time. She was there, waiting for him. She wore the same green gown and her hair fell loosely around her, almost falling into the dark waters.
“It must be cold. Get out of there.” He mumbled and walked up to her to help her out of the water. Before he could react she had pulled him in beside her and kissed him with unknown urgency. Nikolai responded and put his arms around her, to keep her warm. Karenhath melted into his embrace and let out a small sob.
“We will declare war, tomorrow morning.” She told him when the kiss was broken. Nikolai smiled and stroked her cheek softly.
“I know.” Was all he could say then. “But I promise you. I will find a way to prove us innocent. And then we will be together forever.” Karenhath nodded and pressed herself against him kissing his neck and shoulders through the thin fabric of his shirt. He shuddered and held her closer.
They were about to kiss again when someone appeared out of the bushes.
“Nikolai!” Terran’s stern voice cut through their bodies like a cold sword. Karenhath pulled away from him and teleported to Shidral.
“Karen!” Nikolai cried as he saw he leave, but Terran caught his arm, holding him with a painfully strong grip.
“She is our enemy now.” He told his prince without flinching as tears glimmered in the ice-blue depths of his eyes.
“She will never be my enemy.” And he pulled his arm out of Terran’s grasp. “Never!” He finished savagely.
It was only then that Terran begun to realise with what intensity Nikolai loved the princess.

*         *         *

“We are at war...” Lim buried his face into Hades’ shoulder and sighed. The god shook his head and sighed.
“It is terrible.” He murmured as he stroked the child’s wings gently. Lim pulled away and looked at his trio of defenders.
“We must help Nikolai. Terran and Akaren don’t see it, but he loves her truly. It will kill him if we don’t do something!” Hades nodded, but Hypnos and Thanatos turned away and sighed.
“Lim... If what Crysta says is right... This is all a setup for Davos to put us at war. He is the God of Void... We are not immortal before him!” Thanatos protested and shuddered at the thought of dying. His prince’s green eyes shone with disappointment.
“You value your lives over your planet?” Both gods got up and walked out of the room. Hades ran his fingers through the satiny black feathers of Lim’s wings.
“I will convince them, don’t worry.” He told Lim with a smile.
But as it turned out he could not.

*         *         *

The fight broke out as soon as the declaration of war was passed out. All over the galaxy planets and entire constellations fought over which side they should take. War and destruction began in every corner of the known universe. At Gaia it exploded with incredible ferocity, the Shidralians attacked without quarter and destroyed all that was in their way. It was in the middle of this disaster that Nikolai and Karenhath tried to convince their peoples that they were wrong.
No one listened to them. The war went on without anybody paying attention to them.
“They are killing us!” Akaren screamed at Nikolai after he had tried to talk him out of fighting.
“It was a set-up!” Nikolai protested at the top of his voice.
“That makes no difference now that they are attacking us.” Terran answered and walked out of the room with Akaren.
That night Akaren fought a Shidralian troop and succeeded in defeating them all. The leader was the last to die, and when he did his final words were a name.
“Karen...hath.”
And within saying that, Sh’tar died.
Karenhath grieved the death of his master and guardian and decided to go and speak to Crysta directly, to put an end to this battle.

*         *         *

“It is time to go and get your prize.” Nyall looked up as a tall blonde creature approached him.
“What?” He asked, not understanding.
“Karenhath is going to go to Gaia.”
Nyall left within instants and Dimieth leaned against a wall and smiled.

*         *         *

Terran was coming back from a won battle when he heard a voice calling him.
“Terran!” He turned and saw the princess of Shidral running up to meet him. “Terran, wait!”
He did. He stopped dead on his tracks and faced her taking a fighting stance. She stopped and stared at him in bewilderment.
“Why are you here!?” He demanded of her, flaring his golden cosmo. Karenhath did not take a defensive pose, she just stared at him.
“I came to talk to the Queen.” She told him, walking up to him. Terran threw a ray of ice that cut a whole in the ground beside her.
“No.” He thought of the chances he had of defeating her. She was possibly stronger than him, being a Shidler, but she seemed unwilling to fight. It was this reticence that made him doubt. He had already witnessed how strongly Nikolai loved this girl; did she return his love?
“Please, let’s put an end to this war. It had been enough...” Her voice cracked with emotion. Terran dropped his stance and nodded.
“Fine.”
From a high vantage point, Nyall watched as the Gaian decided not to fight. He had been so sure the he would kill her! Now he would have to do it himself, or he might not have such a good chance again.
He leapt into the air and ran towards the girl who was still a good twenty meters away from  Nikolai’s guardian. Karenhath turned and saw him coming at her. She ran towards Terran in order to avoid his first blow. The Gaian stood frozen and unmoving as she ran to him, pleadingly looking at him so he would help her.
But Davos had given Nyall power enough to render a god helpless, she would be no match for him.
Karenath ran away and turned suddenly, throwing a beam of red light at his once friend. Seeing that her powers could not exceed his she ran again.
And Terran did not move. Unsure whether he should help the girl or let her die and have Nikolai freed from her. Finally, he turned and walked away numbly.
She extended her arms to him and cried in a heart-torn voice. “Stop Terran! Help me, please! I LOVE HIM! DON’T LET ME BE WITHOUT HIM!”
And the metal eyed elf was upon her. Terran turned and ran up to where she was, but the boy was fast and clean, before the echoes of her cry were over she was on the ground lying in a growing pool of crimson.
The elf left before Terran could reach him and he was left alone with the body of his pupil’s love.

*         *         *

The Shidralians were told of the death of their only princess at  the hands of her fellow; the news of Davos’ intervention spread across the galaxy. But it was too late. Too much had happened and the universe’s balance had been weakened by the war. Now Davos came upon them with an army of rogues and heartless beasts that devastated what was left after the conflict. Only a day went by, and the war had intensified: those who accepted Davos as ruler and those who did not. Little did they know that they would all die.
Terran stood beside Nikolai’s bed in silence, watching with dark eyes as the prince lay there and let go of any hope.
“Terran... I loved her... Now I don’t think I can go on...” He whispered in pain and hid his face in his pillow. Akaren sat down on the edge of the bed and stroked the tangled waves of gold.
“You will get over this...” The elf told him gently, knowing in his heart that this was clearly impossible.
“I don’t want to get over it!” The prince snapped back at him and pulled the sheets around himself even tighter. “Karen...” He could not finish her name without crying.
Terran looked at his partner and shook his head.
As Shion and Mu had stated: Nikolai did not want to live anymore.

*         *         *

Crysta woke up and found herself surrounded in her bedroom.
“Missed me, love?” She could very well recognise that voice.
“Dimieth...” She whispered, feeling the breath of the man she had loved and been betrayed by close to her face.
”Yes love, at last.” And those were the last words she heard before he twisted her neck.

*         *         *

The fight exploded in the palace only seconds after the Queen was found dead in her bedroom. All the warriors split up in search of intruders.
As this went on, on Shidral the last defences gave in and the planet was won over.
The fight on Gaia lengthened and warriors from all around the galaxy came, seeing that this was the last planet standing in the way of Davos’ plans.
The battle spread around the globe and finally centred on the grounds outside the palace. Terran picked Nikolai up in his arms and carried him out of the crumbling structure.
“We have to hide!” He cried at Akaren at the top of his voice whilst carrying the prince. But all the escape routes were blocked, all that was left to them was to step into the battlefield.
“If I am going to die...” Nikolai whispered in his arms, his voice muffled by his broad chest. “I want to die fighting.”
Terran placed Nikolai in the floor. “Niko?”
“I want to die fighting for what she believed in.” He told them and smiled weakly.
Akaren nodded and led the way to the battlefield outside. When the warriors saw their prince emerge cheers exploded and they fought with renewed ardour.
Lim left his post at the doors to Hell and teleported to where Nikolai was; D’jyanne teleported from his fight and met his brothers at the grounds.
Reality rippled before them, and Davos stepped out of the rift. He stood before them smiling and spread his arms, the sky erupted in fire and it rained down upon them. Nikolai got up and leaped towards the God of Void, no longer caring what happened to him. Davos smiled and with a sweep of his hand he sent the boy sprawling unto the ground, unmoving. Terran screamed in fury and jumped onto the God, but he too was repelled. Davos lifted a hand and concentrated his powers to deliver a final blow.
He threw a ray of silver light that crossed the distance between them and hit.... Nikolai.
“Niko!” Terran cried as he saw his pupil take the blow for him and fall heavily into his arms. “Niko!” He whispered feeling his eyes burn.
“I... should... hate you.” He tried to talk but life was leaving him fast. Akaren dropped to the floor beside them. “B-but...I just... can’t.” He smiled then, a sweet forgiving smile.
And he died in Terran’s arms.
Davos concentrated his powers again and got ready to destroy them all. Suddenly, Lim and D’jyanne moved to stand before them all.
“You don’t deserve this world...” Lim mumbled and taking a dagger he slit his throat, D’jyanne mimicked his last move and they both fell soundlessly to the ground. The earth rumbled beneath them, the three princes were dead, the last of the royal blood were dead. Those that were left of Gaia’s Sacred Races dropped to their knees and cried, seeing it was all over. Hades clutched Lim’s lifeless body and fixed his vermilion gaze on his two partners, who stood in front of him, frozen in place. Poseidon picked up D’jyanne’s body and hugged him.
It was over.
Davos had won.

*         *         *

“No.”  A voice tore through the barriers that had held him captive and freed as much of himself as he could. He saw now what his brother was about to do so Ilumina took advantage of the distraction the battle had caused to weave his final spell. One that would ensue the survival of love and the possibility of redemption for the poor souls who had not been able to love each other freely.
When Davos returned after having won over Gaia he begun the preparations to unmake his creation and then remake it as he wanted it to be.
When he set the spell free something else caught it and wove around him trapping him in his dimension. Too late did he realise his brother had managed to free himself long enough to shatter his plans. The universe did unmake itself, or rather, it pulled itself together into one point and then exploded outwards again.
Creation begun again.
Life begun again.
But Ilumina’s final spell made all the worlds return to the shapes they had possessed before what grew to be remembered as the “Great War”.; all the planets were reborn untouched. All the planets except one: Gaia.
He left that one alone and sealed the magic so that it would be a common harmless place where the Goddess Athena could do what she had always wanted, rule. Someday, the souls of the warriors who had died in this war would come back to life again.
It would happen around the time when Davos would manage to break the barriers that kept him from the universe of the living. Then both of them would be able to find out if love was strong enough to last through aeons, and if feelings really were a flaw after all.
The universe grew again and Gaia was left forgotten, sinking into the legends and loosing itself among them until it was time for the story to repeat itself.
The time that had finally come.
 

.... We woke out of the spell as if in a dream, with our faces soaked in tears. This was our greatest crime. And now we were alive again to rewrite history and prove to the heavens that love was stronger than anything.
Hyoga smiled at as and sighed. “Well?” He asked as he put the rosary away.
None of us could say a thing for a while. It was almost half an hour before we could get a grip on ourselves.
“I remember everything.” Saga said and let out a heavy breath. We all nodded and smiled weakly.
Hyoga’s eyes shone with a new light and he got up, extending a hand towards Saga to help him up.
“Then you will understand what I mean when I say.... That I forgive you.” He spoke to all of us, and for the first time since I had come back to life, I felt at peace.
 

IKKI:
I was starting to pack some things into my backpack, readying myself for a search trip when I felt the touch of a familiar cosmo on mine. I straightened and extended my awareness so that I could probe the surroundings. The person who hailed me was weak and his cosmo was still very reduced, but I was able to recognise him just the same.

:Seiya?: I searched out his link and spoke to his aura.
:Damn you! Where are you?: Came the tired and angry response. I checked his position as I felt the connection weakening due to his diminishing power; he was not that far away from my island.
:Breathe in: I warned him as I concentrated my energy to teleport him here. I did not often cherish his company due to his impulsiveness, but I needed help and Seiya was a good friend to me, and to Shun.
I felt his sudden surprise and momentary fear as he was pulled through a rift in space and appeared in the living room of my small house. He opened his mouth to say something but the sudden wave of hot air took away his breath and he staggered under the intense heat.
“How can... you live... here!?” He asked me as he hurriedly pulled of his shirt and fanned himself. “Hyoga would die... in a place like this!”
“I don’t doubt it, but to me it’s quite all right.” I told him without smiling as he sat down on the floor and huffed.
“I was...looking for you...” He gasped for air and I rolled my eyes upwards. “I... have to... warn you... about Athena...” He panted for breath and put a hand on his temples. So, he had gained a headache for having used his cosmo to call me; he was still not completely healthy.
“What about Athena?” I asked, sensing something was important was up.
“She is... against us....” He said between huffs.
“What?” I demanded, feeling suddenly very uneasy.
“She wants... to kill Shun and Hyoga...and me...” He said the last part with a pained wince.
“How is that possible?” I protested crossing my arms. Was he delirious?
“She is... returning to her... previous self.... Like Shun...and...” He fell forwards and I bent down to keep him from hitting the floor with his head. “She is forgetting... love....” He whispered and closed his eyes.
I leaned his small body against me and hauled him onto  my left shoulder, I picked up my backpack and concentrated my cosmo to teleport us away, to one of the tropical islands in the near vicinity.
We reappeared on a long white beach that was -thankfully- completely deserted. I set Seiya on the sand and slapped him.
“Wake up!” I growled, slapping him again. His eyelids fluttered and he groaned softly.
“Ooww...” He complained, rubbing his cheek and giving me a dark look. Garnet leaped off my shoulder and squeaked as she flew around us. Seiya looked up at her and frowned.
“What is THAT?” He asked with his eyes wide.
“Garnet. My new friend.” I replied shrugging and walking out of the beach.
“Some critter...” He mumbled, glancing distrustfully at the little red dragon above his head.
“Tell me about what is going on.” I requested in a tone that offered no chance for him to refuse. Seiya looked up at me and sighed heavily.
“Buy me a Coke and I will.” But despite his smiling face I could see pain and worry in his eyes.
I nodded and led him to a nearby store as he pulled his shirt back on. I said nothing and studied him out of the corner of my eye.
I had never seen him so defeated before; not ever.
 
 

KANON:
Julian stared at the sky sadly and shook his head with a small resigned sigh.
“What’s wrong?” Sorrento asked going to stand beside him on the balcony outside my room.
“Athena is in contact with one of Davos’ messengers.” He stated and bowed his head with another sigh. I leaned back into the armchair I was resting on and closed  my eyes. The return of my memories had brought me no pleasure; but I knew now that I had a place and a reason to be in this world, and I was not going to go against it. Julian walked back into the room and smiled up at me.
“It is time for you to go.” He told me smiling. Behind him, Sorrento closed the glass doors  and went to sit down beside me on the bed. I looked up and raised and eyebrow quizzically.
“Go where?” I asked, not understanding what he meant. Julian smiled and touched my forehead gently
“To meet your destiny.” He told me  as he handed me a plain ticket. I stared at him with a bewildered look in my eyes.
“I don’t understand....” I whispered staring at the ticket confusedly. Sorrento patted my shoulder slightly and smiled.
“You will meet somebody there.” He pointed at the plain’s destination. I read it and blinked twice.
“Schwarzwald? The black forest?” I asked, feeling even more disconnected with the meaning of my trip.
“It is a meeting arranged by destiny.” He told me as Julian smiled and nodded. I frowned.
“It sounds more like a meeting arranged by you!” I accused, not liking the fact of being kept in the dark.
“It is fated to happen. I am sending you because there is a Dragon there that is causing a lot of trouble and I feel that being the busybody you are you could convince him of helping us. Your meeting is something I saw in a dream.” He winked at me and I rolled my eyes towards the heavens.
In the past few days we had spent our time helping small secluded villages around the globe come to terms with the changes and had gained some allies in the process; now he wanted me to talk a Dragon into joining us!
“You want me dead.” I declared and they both started laughing. Julian put his arms around me and hugged me fiercely.
“Never. Not ever.” He told me and I smiled at his protective tone of voice.
“If I must go, then I will.” I told him and Sorrento smiled and nodded in agreement. His bright fuchsia eyes shone with determination; he was assuring me that he would let nothing harm D’jyanne in my absence. I smiled weakly and thanked him. We might have been enemies before, but now we were tied by the strings of destiny to protect Julian, and in doing so the old fondness we had felt for each other had returned. He had not forgiven me completely, but after I had told them the reasons I had to do what I had done he had understood me.
I got up to start packing a small case with some clothes and Julian got up from my bed. Sorrento left the room and closed the door behind himself. I packed up with Julian’s help and closed the bag’s zipper with a sigh when we were done.
“Destiny, huh?” I murmured as he was leaving. “What kind of destiny?” He turned and gave me an unreadable look.
“The one I wish I could be granted.” He told me and I raised a brow. “You’ll see.”
He closed the door and I was left in alone in my room.
 

DOHKO:
Thanatos and Hypnos sat back against the chairs and relaxed. After an exhaustive interrogation coming from both sides I was convinced that they were who they claimed to be. They had been frank and I had felt that they had told us all the truth.
Aeyr and Iylden were names chosen by their very exotic parents -a Christian and an historian specialised on Greek myths- and they were phonetic similes of “air” and “unyielding”; though as Aphrodite pointed out, it sounded more like “yielding” now. Johdas was the son of their parent’s best friends and they had chosen the name too. It was a weird contraction of Joshua(from the Bible) and Hades; which had turned out to be ironically fitting.
As they told us about the strange dreams they had been having and Johdas’ decision to search for Lim, or as they stated: Shun, had surprised us all; but if all the rest they said was true then there might be a connection.
“But what happened exactly?” Aldebarán asked as he took a gulp from a glass of cold water he had been given.
“When?” Aeyr counter-questioned with a sly smile. I felt Deathmask stiffen beside me but he did nothing brash.
“In your past lives.” Aphrodite answered while twirling with one of her pale green curls.
“That... Might take some time to tell...” Iylden heaved a great sigh and gave us a sad look. I smiled.
“We have all the time in the world.”
 

SHIRYU:
I stood at the entrance of the Sanctuary grounds wearing my cloth and standing ramrod straight. I felt terribly uneasy after having witnessed Athena pledge herself to a God whose name had rung a nightmarish bell in my mind.
Davos....
Avatar, the messenger, had returned to his lord’s domain with Athena’s pledge as a proof; from what I could infer, she was going to ask Hilda to do the same... or she would kill her.
I had forced Shunrei to stay at the house since I felt that today’s meeting would bring nothing good and I much preferred to have her far away from the disaster zone. I knew that soon I could feel that soon I would have to leave despite my resolution to protect her; at least I knew what she was up to and with whom.
Soon I saw Hilda appear over a corner in the stairs and walk up to me dressed in her formal navy-blue gown and with her  snowy hair loose and flowing like a silverblue river in the air.
“Shiryu...” She acknowledged me with a curt nod and smiled stiffly. She knew that today would she would be forced to choose her path, and the idea of being Athena’s enemy again displeased her terribly.
“Lady Hilda.” I bowed respectfully and led her through one of the secret passages towards Athena’s temple.
“Tell me Shiryu; where is Seiya?” She asked when she was sure nobody could hear us.
“He had to leave.” I answered shortly and kept my eyes fixed on the tunnels ahead of us.
“And you stayed?” I turned to her and she saw in my eyes that this was not something we ought to discuss here; not in Athena’s lands.
We reached the temple in absolute silence. As she stood before the towering doors that lead her to almost certain death I was able to see Hilda as she truly was: a woman with a noble heart and a courageous soul ready to sacrifice itself for others. She was what Athena had been.
Hilda drew in a trembling breath and smiled at me. “If something happens to me... Will you tell my sister and my warriors to protect themselves?” It was a plea I could not ignore.
“If you do not come out of this room...” I took a deep breath. “I will go to Asgard and protect your sister myself.” I told her with a formal yet friendly bow. If Athena hurt her I would do my best to save Odin’s priestess and if unable to do so, I would join forces against the fiend that waited beyond those doors.
Hilda smiled at me with her blue eyes shimmering with fear and gratitude, and nodded at me that she was ready. I knocked on the door and instantly the guards started opening them from inside. Hilda stepped in and gave  me a final smile as the doors were slowly closed behind her, leaving me outside.
 
 

DAVOS:
“So, Dimitri.” I mumbled as the tall robed and masked warrior before bowed. “You want to go to Earth?”
He nodded and adjusted the folds of his black robe with calm detachment. “Yes, my Lord.”
I regarded him steadily and he held my gaze without any fear; he was among the very few who could do that.
“Why?” I asked even though I had a very clear idea of what it was he wanted to do there.
“I want to kill my son.” He replied ruffling the white feathers on his wings distractedly.
“No.” I answered with cold finality and watched as he stiffened and grew serious.
“Why not?” He asked in a quiet and controlled voice, even though I could see hostility burning in the ice blues eyes that were the only visible feature the mask revealed.
“I need him alive to bait Karenhath.” I explained with a bored voice.
“So that’s why you teleported Nyall away that time....” He murmured thoughtfully.
“Precisely. And for the same reason I forbid you to kill him.” The being that had once been known as Dimieth sighed and nodded, understanding his little vendetta would have to wait a while longer. I stared at him unemotionally and watched him shuffle in place, thinking if there was anything else he wanted to ask. I felt the warning flare of a cosmo and I sat up straighter.
“You can leave now, Dimitri.” I told him in a tone that suggested he ought to do so fast.
He turned and walked out of my temple room with a sigh and disappeared through the doorway.
Another figure stepped in after a few minutes.
“Welcome, Avatar.” I greeted him as he walked up to meet me with his long red robe trailing behind him like a rippling pool of blood.
“I have her pledge.”
 

KARENHATH:
I stood outside, in the vast gardens behind my palace, and watched in silence as the sun set and stars begun to appear in the darkening sky. Was Nikolai looking at the stars and thinking of me at this very minute? I could barely wait to see him now that I knew he remembered me; but I couldn’t leave Shidral since Davos’ troops were circling Anthares, waiting for any chance to attack my people.
Suddenly, arms wrapped around me from behind and I was pulled against a warm body, purple hair fell in front of my face.
“Kain...” I whispered and smiled as he kissed my hair and looked up at the sky.
“Looking for  the Sol-system? I thought you trusted your dear Dreamscythe.” He mumbled against my cheek with a smile.
“I just wish I could go and find him myself.” I sighed and leaned against my brother’s broad chest. “But I can’t leave Shidral when Davos is on the move...”
“And he can’t leave Earth while Davos is plaguing them.” He reminded me with a sad chuckle. “You have waited millions of years; a few more months shouldn’t be too hard to bear.”
But he knew that after such a long wait; the very knowing he was alive and not being able to be with him was a torture.
“Have you received any news from Dreamscythe?” He queried as a means to change the subject.
“Nikolai remembers me.” I replied with a soft voice and closed my eyes so I could picture his face in my mind.
Kain hugged me tighter. “Soon, little sister. Soon.” He told me soothingly as he stroked my hair and stared up at the dark sky.
After an hour or so he left me alone to think and I lay down on the damp grass and let my eyes rest upon the tiny little star that illuminated my love’s world.
“Soon.” I whispered and closed my eyes. “Soon, my love.”
 
 

END OF CHAPTER FOUR
The forsaken love
 

Toffee’s ramblings:  (All disclaimers apply! Characters and storyline(the coherent one at least) belong to the great Masami Kurumada and Toei animation! Though sometimes I really wish they were mine *sigh*)
Hola mundo! I have finally finished the fourth chapter of my “little” fic! It took AEONS to do it because I had to do my end-of-the-trimester global-tests and then I was too busy during my winter holidays that will have *sniffle-sob* ended by the time anybody reads this. Anyway, I keep on saying this is a VERY WEIRD fanfic... ehehehe.
Now that Hyoga told the whole story you can get an idea of just how crazy I am to have thought all this up! *sweatdrop* Weeeell, all I can say in my defence is that I am strongly influenced by all the Scifi novels I have read throughout my sixteen years on this planet.
I am not going to include any definite preview because this aberration is getting out of hand and I’m going to have to sit down and make the written plan for the rest of the story. Really! It’s too much to keep stored in my head! AAAAAAAAGH!
Phew! Anyway, I have other little twisted fic projects(much shorter!) to work on so there’s plenty of work for poor little me...BWAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
I don’t care, I LOVE WRITING!!!!! Aaaah...now I feel better.
I can finally rest a while *sigh*....

Athena: I protest! Why do I have to be the bad one!
Toffee: Because I dislike you profoundly.
Seiya: Me too I guess....
Toffee: Yeah, but not as much. You are just the too-good-to-be-bearable  cliché character.
Ikki: I don’t appear much. I suppose that means you dislike me too?
Toffee: Hm... Weeell, I can’t say I love you... But you are good writing material so you will start appearing more often.
Ikki: Do I get any cool chics?
Toffee: *winks and laughs darkly* Bwahahahahaaa! You bet!
Ikki: Why is it that I feel uneasy about your answer.... *cringes away*
Hyoga: Because she has a very twisted love triangle in store for you!
Ikki: Ack! Hyoga! You are sleeping with the enemy!
Toffee: *grins* No, but I would give an arm to sleep with him! *Hugs Hyoga*
Ikki: Ok! I give up! What have you planned for me!
Hyoga: It’s a twisted story between a.... *BANG* (gets whacked by Toffee with the keyboard)
Toffee: It’s a surprise. But if you really are that curious... Your two future loves are mentioned in one little paragraph. *winks* You decide which!

Well, That’s all for now people! Let’s leave poor Ikki to read and reread this chapter obsessively in search of his future romances... If you have any comments please send them to:
Karenhath21@hotmail.com
I would really appreciate the support! ^-^*
See ya next time around... Oh yes! I almost forgot! I can speak Spanish so I you prefer to Mail me in that language it’s fine with me.
Lotsa luv
                   Toffee!

PS: Magic words:
WEIRD IS GOOD! WEIRD IS GOOD! WEIRD IS GOOD! BWAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA!!!
PPS: Many thanks to all the people who wrote to me; especially the great  and insuperable Milo(yes RB, you!) who cheered me up and kept me going when I was uninspired!  ^_~ Arigato to everybody and to all the fic writers who write such fun things! Chao!
 

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