The music filled the large room, echoing against the marble walls. Delicate rosy fingers hit the keys in perfect timing, making the notes sound high and clear. Not even a virtuous would have accomplished to make the piano sing so beautifully. But she wasn’t a virtuous... she was a Goddess, and while her Cosmo opened her mind, her fingers played with the piano and created the most dangerous drug, the perfect elevation.

Only Apollo would have been able to surpass her.

The man watching her had fallen into the spell of the allegro too, his senses lost in the music. But while the music was only an entertainment for her, for him it was a source of energy, something that made him focus only on herself.

It was amusing, that even when she was pretending to be playing and he was pretending to be listening, their attention was lost in something else.

He could have loved her, she pondered, half opening her dark eyes to glance at him. He didn’t look away when their eyes met.

She could make him love her, it wouldn’t be difficult... just one smile, one word, and he would be hers. Loving her forever, the same way he now adored her.

It would be so easy...

But it wouldn’t be fair. It wouldn’t be just. And she couldn’t act against herself.

Nor could her sister.

Her Cosmo had picked up the echoes of the flames at Ortygia, the Veil around the Island forbidding her to see too deep. But those glimpses were enough for her to feel what was going on. Those glimpses were enough to know that her sister was losing.

‘’ I should return to Greece... ‘’ she whispered, her voice losing itself in the music, ‘’ There is nothing I can do from here... there is nothing left to do ‘’

Just one word.

But he said nothing and neither did she, losing themselves once again in the ups and downs of the music. They could love each other like that, in silence and afar. They could dream and pretend that what happened between them never was and still could be. Because even when he had denied it, she knew he loved her, and even when she'd said it, he knew she couldn’t. Silence was their only possibility, and the part of her that wasn’t tempted to take him once again was glad because of that, was glad because he could love someone else and say it, the same way he adored her and wouldn’t say anything else.

What they had had would always be a dream. It was its improbability what kept him alive, his fire, the light in his eyes, and they were his knightly deeds what kept her hopes, what made her believe humankind was worth protecting. His mind would be lost if their love were real. Her cause would be a lie.

She lost control over the music, the notes sounding out of tone, broken. Cosmos clashing, one soul breaking into Sanctuary just to burn even brighter in Ortygia, and with its light, another Cosmo was overpowered, shattering it into tiny little pieces to make it a whole far away from the Island that Bled.

A Goddess had fallen.

‘’ Nothing ‘’ she repeated, the human in her still suffering for the life she had lost and the love she would never have, while the goddess shone brighter, brushing her children’s souls and cosmos, calculating where her actions should lead her now that one of the Twelve had broken. Wisdom, Justice and War dancing in her mind, while Love and Pain filled her heart.

‘’ Seiya, could you call the pilots?‘’ she finally whispered, standing up slowly. Greece was the place where she belonged now, Greece was the place where Fate would develop. ‘’ Tell Aphrodite we are leaving ‘’

For an instant, she was sure he was going to pull one of his faces and tell her to do her own work, but the prankster in him had turned weaker since Tatsumi’s death, and the knight was stronger.

‘’ Sure ‘’ The Knight. Loyal, strong, loving. Hers, yet not really hers.

‘’ I will ask Ban and the others to stay... We learnt that this place is not safe, and I don’t want more innocents dying ‘’

Bright crimson eyes rose to meet hers, reading in them the reason she was confiding her decision to him. ‘’ They will be able to protect it ‘’

‘’ They are Kido, and someone of the family should remain here... ‘’

Crimson eyes averting their gaze from hers.

‘’ But they are not strong enough, don’t you think? I was thinking of asking Ophiuchus to join them... and you ‘’

‘’ Sanctuary might get attacked, and not all the Houses are guarded... Sagittarius already proved it... likes me ‘’ he added with a grin, failing to find a better word to describe it. ‘’ Ban and the others have grown stronger... ‘’

She smiled sadly and nodded, ‘’ They have. And Ophiuchus is helping with the training... we need new saints ‘’

‘’ Will you tell Shun we are leaving, Seiya? ‘’

‘’ Sure, Saori... though... ‘’ he scratched his head, ‘’ Are you planning to take more things with you again? Like dresses and that kind of stuff? I wanted to visit the orphanage and that would mean a day or two more over here ‘’

She glared at him, then laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. Maybe the Prankster hadn’t die after all.

‘’ Seiya! ‘’

‘’ Gomen ‘’ he beamed, taking his hand to his head and almost running out of the room. Saori’s eyes never left him.

The wind against his face was cold and harsh, grazing his cheeks and making his lips go dry. He ran his tongue over them, more an unconscious reflect than a real attempt of getting rid of the dryness, and looked once again to the ever-changing forest that spread at his feet. A green sea hiding Ortygia’s most sacred treasure. A green sea whose waves broke against the cliffs that dared to stand higher. Against his shrine, and against a temple that didn’t belong.

Yet he didn’t care about that either. All he cared about was now in his hands, the shimmering blade resting over his heart.

He had thought he loved Ortygia. He had thought he loved it so much that he would never be able to leave it. He had been wrong.

All he loved was dead now, and he had been a part of those that killed it.

‘’ I am... sorry ‘’ he whispered, tightening his hold around the dagger, the cold iron tip making its way through his leather garments and reaching his skin.

Yet nature seemed not to agree with him, as the ground under him started to tremble, finally giving in and lifting him to the airs, just to fall at the edge of the cliff, the dagger he had been holding so dearly falling into the abyss below.

‘’ That must have been the most pathetic thing I’ve ever seen ‘’

Orion chuckled darkly, remaining on his back and staring at the dark sky over them. The Moon was waning, preparing to leave her throne to her Divine Brother.

‘’ Yet it is the only thing I can do ‘’ . He took his hand to his chest, feeling the wound. ‘’ I was so close, Hippolytus... You just had to stop me ‘’

The green-haired man sighed, walking where Orion was laying and kneeling by his side. ‘’ Worthless. That’s what you are turning into, my dear friend ‘’

‘’ There’s no need for you to tell me so, Charioteer ‘’ he started, brown eyes meeting yellow ones evenly, both stares equally wolfish and filled with anger and pride. ‘’ I already know which is my value ‘’

‘’ None? ‘’ Hippolytus asked, averting his gaze from the laying man and resting it on the Moon above. ‘’ She wouldn’t want you to die ‘’

Once again, he laughed. ‘’ Not even after what I did to her? What we all did? You... you had to feel it... the collision of cosmos. Artemis lost and... it’s not hard to guess what Eros... what he... ‘’ Orion covered his eyes with his blood-stained hand. ‘’ The worst... is that I knew that would happen... How can I go on living with her blood on my hands? ‘’

‘’ By avoiding using sharp elements? ‘’

‘’ Don’t tease me ‘’

‘’ You asked ‘’

‘’ I love her, Hippolytus ‘’

‘’ And don’t you ever say something like that again ‘’ he answered, extending his hand towards Orion. ‘’ Now get up ‘’

Hippolytus waited, eyes fixed on Orion, knowing that their leader wasn’t worth that title, knowing that when they all revered the Goddess and loved her with their hearts and souls, Orion had dared to give his loyalty to the Woman and hated the Goddess in her. Orion, the Silver Dragon whose fierceness had no parallel, was a sinner, and he couldn’t but pity him, pity the way he was trapped by his burning feelings, by his unappeased passion.

The Dragon wasn’t worthy of being one of them, he was too flawed... yet at the same time he was the mightier and most perfect of them all.

Maybe that was why he knew he couldn’t let him die.

Hippolytus smirked when Orion took his hand and allowed him to help him up. Perhaps the real reason was that he cared. In the end they were too few... if they didn’t take care of each other, who would?

‘’ Dictina will be punished ‘’ Orion commented, brushing the dirt from his trousers.

‘’ I know. She brought it upon herself ‘’

‘’ She helped our Goddess ‘’

‘’ She helped a Traitor... ‘’ he muttered, running his fingers through his hair. ‘’ Remember that, Orion ‘’ he added.

The silver-haired man grumbled and arched one of his eyebrows. ‘’ Are you threatening me, Hippolytus? ‘’

‘’ I am trying to keep you alive ‘’

Orion laughed. ‘’ You know that is useless ‘’

‘’ That is my choice ‘’

‘’ To protect me, instead of protecting the woman you loved? ‘’

‘’ That was her choice ‘’

‘’ Now I know why you and Dictina are our priest and priestess... so many choices... ‘’ Orion teased grimly, his tall figure overpowering Hippolytus’ as he turned his attention towards the shimmering temple at the top of the neighbouring cliff.

‘’ You won’t be able to protect me forever. Not after tonight ‘’

Hippolytus stayed silent for some minutes, his eyebrows knitted together.

‘’ After this night, there’s nothing to protect ‘’ He sighed, the broken cosmos of the island’s inhabitants reaching him, ‘’ We are all damned ‘’

He still found it weird, to stand on the place where Shion had stood before, to be the one that wore the mask. He found it... impossible, yet at the very same time it brought him sensations he had long forgotten. The chance of not knowing, of being alive once again, at the mercy of fate, instead of remaining a passive watcher, a silent vigilant condemned to guide the true protagonists of the events he knew would happen through riddles and stories.

For the first time in centuries, Dohko felt able to say that he had a part to play in the misty future that stretched before them, and he didn’t find the realisation bothersome.

He needn’t look at the few stars that still remained on the crimson sky to know that the events that were taking place meant no harm to them, nor he needed to fear a coming war. White and Black were fighting, yes, but for their own reasons, and their battleground was a hellish Island away from Sanctuary.

Their world was safe.

But still... he couldn’t be sure. Not even his Cosmo, now magnified by the power that emanated from Star Hill, could see into the threads of Fate.

The future seemed to bring no war to Sanctuary, but that was only a first glimpse...

‘’ We dislike masks ‘’

He turned around, trying to find the owner of that voice, of pinpointing his or her location with his Cosmo, but everything seemed to be in vain. A ghost perhaps? No other being could have reached the top of Star Hill without him noticing it.

‘’ They don’t let us see if you are worried or not ‘’

Blue eyes met the blank stare of his mask when he turned around, framed by long, blue locks, enhanced by some strands of golden. ‘’ You should be ‘’

‘’ Ellie... ‘’

‘’ Eris ‘’ she corrected, sitting lazily on the stone altar that had served as Shion’s deathbed for years. ‘’ At least for now; Ellie doesn’t know what is going on, she is confused... and hurt ‘’ The goddess smiled, waving her hands in the air ‘’ We don’t like this... prison you have imposed on us ‘’

‘’ It is for both of your sakes that Athena humbly asked you to remain in Sanctuary ‘’ Dohko replied, bowing his head slightly.

‘’ And what if we want to leave? ‘’

‘’ It wouldn’t be something wise to do, my Lady, the world outside is not safe ‘’

Eris laughed, her dark curls dancing with her Cosmo. ‘’ Oh, what a joker... We like you, Dohko, at least we like you better than the previous Kyokos, you seem to have a sense of humour... strange indeed, that the shadow of a man such as yourself can still behave in such a humane way ‘’

‘’ I am glad to be able to amuse you ‘’

‘’ Would you be glad if we tried to leave? " The laughter had died now, replaced by an edge that only the sister of the God of War could posses, a sleeping hardness that now shone openly in her golden-blue eyes.

‘’ Sanctuary wouldn’t be the same without you "

Deep Blue eyes. The Gold in them was dying, overpowered by a soul more ancient, more sage.

Gold shone once again, taming the edged Blue. ‘’ It wouldn’t ‘’ she finally conceded, knowing that it was partially true, even if it wasn’t in the way Dohko meant it. She would always be able to keep them on guard, to play with them, even when she was not strong enough to break them. She could be Discord while remaining Ellie, and sleep in a forgotten temple in a weak man’s arms, to later submerge into the night and reach Starhill itself with just the glimmer of her Cosmo.

Playing Goddess. Playing Mortal. Being neither.

In the end, her mask wasn’t too different from Dohko’s.

‘’ You won’t even ask us how did we get here... ‘’ she pouted, returning to her childish self, ‘’ But will you ask us why we came? ‘’

Dohko stared at her from behind the Mask, trying to see behind her own charade. It was dangerous, to keep such a creature between the walls of Sanctuary. But he knew it was far more dangerous to let it go free, the same way he knew she wouldn’t be so forgiving the next time he dared her.

‘’ Why? ‘’

Eris grinned like a cat, stretching as such on the altar, her eyes fixed on the sky above them. Dawn was near and the dying Moon with Venus shinning by her side were the only remnants of the sea of lights that had previously adorned the black sky. ‘’ Because we know what ails you, Dohko. We know your doubts and worries ‘’ She giggled, shifting to face his golden mask ‘’ We know your fears ‘’

A slender arm stretched towards the Kyoko, two pendants hanging from golden threads that were tied around even more slender fingers.

A silver moon and a golden girdle.

‘’ The Moon and Venus... always resisting till the end of the night, struggling against the new-born rays of the sun. White and Black, facing each other, the first despising all that the second is, the second hating the first for judging her so harshly. And tonight, after the Moon has bled and the stars have hidden, you, Kyoko of the Owl, cannot but wonder whether White or Black will have an influence on Sanctuary ’’ Eris sat straight, bending over and resting her chin on her hands. ‘’ But you know who won, don’t you? You know that the white one has been defeated. So tell us, Dohko, Kyoko of Sanctuary, what happens when the dark one succeeds? ‘’

He looked up to the sky once again, to the now dim lights of the clearing dome, ignoring the delight in Eris’ voice, the joy that seemed to emanate from each word she said.

Discord.

‘’ The darkness stretches, Kyoko. That is what happens. Will you and your lambs be able to withstand her? ‘’

The chilling cold. The thick razor-sharp snow. The smoking houses in the distance. The far-off murmur of the treacherous sea, who hid the ruins of half the town in its never-full belly.

Harshness in its purest form.

Ever-white hell.

Home.

‘’ Are you sure this is... ? ‘’ the boy began with a trembling voice, but stopped when looking into the older saint’s eyes. Cold and empty, just like the place where they were. If Cygnus had ever had a heart, Kiki was sure that there was not other place to find it.

....Frozen and lost in a watery coffin

Kiki averted his gaze and fixed it on the snow under his feet, ignoring the words that his mind kept whispering, of lost threads and hidden memories he did not want to see yet kept burning inside his head.

‘’ Are you cold? ‘’ the boy started when hearing his voice, those being the first words Hyoga had said ever since he had teleported them both to Siberia. He considered playing brave and saying no, but his paling lips and shivering arms would tell him off anyway. How Hyoga could remain as impassive and aloof as if he were in the middle of a summer day went beyond his understanding.

‘’ It has to do with Cosmo... ‘’ Hyoga went on quietly, guessing his thoughts, his piercing eyes still fixed on the endless white, searching for something Kiki couldn’t quite make out. ‘’ But there’s no need for you to learn that today ‘’ he added with a faint and terribly false smile. ‘’ See over there? ‘’ Kiki narrowed his eyes, following Hyoga’s finger to a dark shadow in the distance, away from the town and its promising smoking chimneys. ‘’ That’s Camus’cottage. You can wait for me there ‘’ he sighed and added in a softer voice, ‘’ Or you can go back to Sanctuary. I’ve already asked too much from you ‘’

‘’ I’ll wait ‘’ he whispered submissively, mumbling a quick apology. Blue eyes rested on him fleetingly, puzzled by his attitude, yet soon returned to look ahead, to the place where snow and sky melted into one.

Kiki heard him whisper a name he knew would doom him before he started walking, apparently certain of his course even when all the young boy could see before him was endless white.

He thought of leaving. He wished to do so. He had served his purpose, he had brought him there, knowing that the Kyoko would not be pleased... that Athena would not be pleased. He had ignored all the rules he was meant to follow and granted him his petition for the sake of a stranger. Hyoga didn’t need him anymore, he had even granted him the chance to leave without guilt. He even didn’t seem to notice he existed anymore, Cygnus walking into the snow-storm with a steady pace, almost as if the snow and ice didn’t affect him, without even turning to see if he was faring ok.

It was then that he noticed. Hyoga was giving him the chance to leave despite his decision.

Kiki closed his eyes, the images he had seen earlier still haunting him. A vision of beings too powerful to exist destroying each other and everything with them. A vision of a black-haired goddess broken into pieces, possessed by a regal God who knew nothing except of his own hunger.

The warm feeling of a tear sliding down his cheek brought him back from the vision, an odd, almost tickling sensation compared to the cold he was feeling within.

A whisper, a silent scream. The voice of someone that did not want to be found. The voice of someone that only wanted to fade away and die.

" I can’t leave. Not yet ‘’ he said, suddenly determined. The snowstorm had begun to pick up, the crystal-like razors grazing his skin. He would have to run to the cottage if he didn’t want to end up frozen.

He let out a light chuckle, finding the idea of himself turned into an ice statue before getting his cloth too pathetic as not to laugh, and began to walk towards the cottage, shutting his mind from the screaming voice that kept ordering him to leave.

Athena had always valued friendship and bravery. And only Athena he would follow, that was his wish. Even when Artemis was yelling at him to leave.

He lifted his gaze from the snow and looked at the frozen sea before them. A mirror made of salty water turned unbreakable shield. The reflection of his soul.

Even when his worries were set on finding her, he couldn’t but linger watching the immensity of the sea. Somewhere down there, lost from his reach, was his heart. Dead and buried.

Taken away from him.

He couldn’t but feel glad to be on his own again, this was his place after all, the tiny corner of the world where only his mother and Isaac existed. The land of his ghosts.

‘’ You are one of them too, aren’t you? ‘’ he asked the storm, looking up into the sky. It was just as white as the snow under his feet. Almost too much to bear.

[ I am everything ]

He shivered when hearing a hiss between the storm. He checked his surroundings with ease, an almost unconscious action that years of battles had honed to perfection. Nothing. Only the harsh, deadly wind.

[ As deadly as I am ]

‘’ Eridanus didn’t lie, did she? You are here... ‘’

‘’ Damn you ‘’ He covered his eyes with his wounded hand, knowing how faint and futile his efforts were. He had felt her pain, her panic... he had seen the fear and disgust in Kiki’s eyes when his mind reached out for hers. That fear had plagued him, had killed all the little hopes he could have kindled.

‘’ All I want to do is ease your pain... ‘’ he thought out loud, rubbing his temples with his throbbing hand. Was that wrong? To want to keep her away from... from whatever was ailing her.

No. He was lying, even to the point of lying to himself.

Eridanus had been right. All he wanted was to be able to fulfil that damn promise, so whenever he would tell her she had failed, his mind would be clear of fault.

He wouldn’t be the sinner.

[Looking for me, agios?]

The words came as less than a whisper, mixed with the howling wind that never ceased to blow. It was the second time he heard that. Artemis was too strong to die under her own warriors’ hands. But she was also too weak as to remain unaffected.

There was no way out now. She was already there, whispering his name from the darkness. She was being what she was. More than human.

[Looking for Death?]

More than being.

[You are too late, agios of my heart, Death already found you... ]

More than dying.

[...found all of you... and now only I remain ]

A Goddess.

[Forever ]

Hyoga moved aside roughly when feeling the disturbance in the air, turning on his heels to face her. But all he saw was snow, falling heavier than before, thickened by a faint, pulsating Cosmo. Only that.

‘’ ...aima... tanges... aethera ‘’ Warm breath against his neck, the smell of blood filling his nostrils, making him want to gag.

And diamond-like eyes meeting his gaze when he dared to turn, just as clear, just as hard.

Just as empty.

‘’ Die for me, agios ‘’ the Monster said with an unearthly voice, the pulsating Cosmo going afire in the shape of tongues of ice before she curled up her left hand into a claw and stretched it towards him, her aura hitting him fully, making him fall on his back. She was not holding back.

‘’ Die... that’s what all of you do... while I remain! ‘’ One instant she was standing before him, the other one she was over him, her left hand closing around his neck while her legs straddled his waist.

‘’ Artemis?! ‘’ Hyoga muttered, more a question than a statement, trying to find any remnant of the goddess he had known in the... thing that was attacking him.

She leaned closer, the stench of dirt and blood drowning him, ‘’ Die with me ‘’ she whispered in his ear, tightening her hold. ‘’ Everything I love is dead... you are dead... only I remain... only I! ‘’ She straightened then, more an animal than a woman, with maddened eyes that shone like sparks between the tangled tresses that fell over them.

Insane, but still those eyes were her own, the fire in them was the one he knew.

‘’ Stop... this... ‘’ he managed to say, keeping his hands around her wrist to stop her from strangling him.

‘’ My sister’s Cosmo brought me here, to this deathbed as white and pure as I never was! Can you hear her screams? Can you hear her tears? Can you hear her dying soul?!! ‘’ she tilted her head, pensive ‘’ It is almost as loud as yours ‘’

‘’ Stop... this ‘’ he repeated, pushing her aside roughly. She fell on her side, growling in pain, but then she got on her hands and knees and looked at him through blood-stained hair, a ravenous smile spreading over her bruised face.

‘’ ... Only death and ashes. You were warned ‘’

Hyoga stared at the being that was crouching before him, a broken thing made of rags, blood and dirt, with dangerous eyes and wild hair. That couldn’t be her, that thing just couldn’t.... but it was.

The first glimpse of her had destabilised him, thinking it was a cruel parody of a wolf or bear the one that was attacking him so brutally, but now, even when he was unable to move and could only watch, he could understand what made her more than them. What turned that beast into a Goddess, worthy of reverence and submission.

He could grasp the reason why people would die for her and would allow to be killed in her name. A flawed woman no one would follow, yet a beast, powerful, insane and out of control, without mercy, without pity, without virtues was something everyone could fear. And wish to be.

A beast, not a goddess, moving and acting as such, her words not distant from growls and howls, her attacks not distant from a wolf’s. A wounded one, dragging her broken leg and allowing her right arm to hang limp while blood kept pouring from her wounds, dying her previously pale skin a deep crimson. A beast sustained only by a cosmo that would never be his.

It.

Something that would never be human.

‘’ Artemis, stop ‘’ the words came naturally to him, even when calling her by that name seemed wrong now that the woman was almost gone. She tilted her head and dashed towards him, sharp uneven nails inches from his chest.

She growled when he grabbed her by the arm to stop her from slashing her, everything being all too easy. ‘’ Stop. You are too weak now, I don’t want to hurt you ‘’

‘’ Weak? I? ‘’ White cosmo flared, forcing Hyoga to release her. Without him to keep her on foot, she staggered and fell, screaming when forcing her weight on her broken leg. ‘’ I am beyond weakness, beyond strength! ‘’

She shifted, gathering strength from her cosmo when her body would sustain her no more, and fixed her eyes on Hyoga, a smile of triumph on her lips. ‘’ See? ‘’

She dashed, fast and deadly as always, weak and twisted as she had never been, pushing him to the ground, the snow mellowing the hit and supporting them when they fell.

‘’ You will never be able to hurt me! Because you are dead ‘’

He looked back into her eyes, into the pain and the life that was escaping from them and didn’t doubt, ‘’ ...So dead ‘’ Fingers around his neck once again, nails pressing against his skin, leaving scarlet furrows.

‘’ Why are you dead? Why?! ‘’ she hissed, tears welling up over inhuman eyes. ‘’ Why? ‘’

‘’ Artemis... ‘’ Hyoga managed to say ‘’ Please... ‘’

She laughed, a hysterical, maddened laughter that made him want to cry. He couldn’t but avert his gaze from her, keeping his eyes tightly closed. What was before them was a Goddess with no conscience who was demanding a sacrifice. Yet even so, he knew that it was not him the sacrifice she was wishing for.

In the end, he could not stop someone who desired to die.

First came her mother, dark and beautiful like the dusk, with warm eyes over severe features. Then came her father, powerful and kind, pride shimmering always in his all-seeing eyes.

The first thing she saw and felt was her brother, a part of her own soul that shone where she dimmed. Herself, but not quite.

Her first love, her first lover, in heart and soul when not in body. Someone that would share the endless Forever with her.

Her sister was next in her heart, so weak and vulnerable that she always brought in her the desire to protect her and hold her in her arms. So much her own. So much her shadow.

Then her soul was tempted by humankind, by their passions and desires. She was tempted to walk among them, and she did. Because she always had and did what she pleased.

Some of them she loved as much as she loved herself. Some of them she hated as much as she had never thought she could hate.

Then everyone died. All of them. They were taken away from her, and the doors to Heaven were shunned. She was... broken. Flawed.

Mad. Insane. Dirty. Lost. Polluted.

Corrupted.

Death was all around her, Death was the only thing that existed in that parade that was Life, Death was the only thing real, the only thing to wish for, to cry for, to pray for. To scream for.

She was dying anyway.

Death was everything.

The scream that escaped her throat was such that her vocal cords seemed to snap at the tension, the hollow sound breaking through the centre of her self and stretching over the Siberian plains. The scream of the banshee, crying for no one but herself.

Hyoga could feel how the pain on his hand turned shallow compared to the one he was feeling in his heart. He had feared -known- she would be wounded, but her state was beyond his deepest fears. If it hadn’t been for her eyes, he doubted he would have been able to recognise her at all. Slowly, he released her wrists and stopped resisting, trying to erase the memory of that pain-filled scream, trying to remember her smile, her teases... her rare kiss.

His eyes met her maddened gaze in a last silent plea. Lost to him, she seemed to be, with tears brightening her reddened eyes while she kept muttering words whose sense only she knew.

‘’ Stop... ‘’ he repeated, stretching his hand towards her. She bit him so hard that she was able to tear his skin.

‘’ You are dead. So dead... why won’t you live? Is it because of me? Why everyone I care about dies?! Why did you die? ‘’

‘’ Artemis... I am not... dead ‘’ he growled breathlessly.

‘’ Then why are you here? Why?! Only the dead care about me, that’s why their lives are taken away from them, that’s why I take their lives away from them!! Because that is my curse... my sin! ‘’ she coughed, blood spilling from her mouth; then licked her lips, grinning faintly ‘’ My fate ‘’

‘’ You... are so... full of crap... ‘’ he muttered, taking advantage of her sudden weakness to reach for her face, his fingertips stroking her cheek lightly, ‘’ I am here... ‘’ Her eyes fixed on the self-inflicted wound over his palm. But... that had healed, hadn’t it? He had forgotten about her, the same way everyone did. He had forgotten about her so much, that his own body had decided to forget about her also.

Yet the wound was there, as deep and stained as it had been years ago. A mark that would last forever. A vow.

‘’ ... because I promised... remember? ‘’

‘’ I... ‘’ she whispered, leaning back, her arms hanging limply by her sides, ‘’ I... ‘’

‘’ Lost it all ‘’ Artemis added, crawling off him. Her arms wavered and made her fall on the snow, the blood from her wounds dying it red. She chuckled darkly and brought her hands to her face to cover her eyes, a painful smile stretching on her lips.

‘’ And only this... thing... remains... ‘’ Her voice that had seemed inhuman when her cosmo had been burning turned painfully weak now that her body could hold her no more.

Hyoga stood up clumsily, reaching for her, but she immediately curled up on the snow, her eyes showing the remains of her madness as a warning.

‘’ You shouldn’t... ‘’ Knowledge suddenly shone in her gaze, ‘’ You don’t even want to. My sister brought you here, yet you owe her nothing. Only I do, but I can’t... ‘’ she laughed, her body seized by convulsions. She placed her arms around her to stop the trembling, but all was in vain. ‘’ I can’t even be there... for her... ‘’ He could see the pain it was bringing her to speak so much, he could see the bleeding wound over her back, the deadly paleness of her skin ‘’ ... when they... ‘’ she frowned, hiding her face against the snow. ‘’ I have to go back... she shouldn’t have brought me here... ‘’

‘’ Artemis... you can’t do that ‘’ he whispered, kneeling by her side and placing his hands over her shoulders. She tried to struggle, but all efforts were in vain, her body barely responding to her. ‘’ I have to go back! Can’t you see it?! They’ll kill her! And I can’t even feel her!!! I can’t even reach her cosmo!! ‘’ she tried to slash him with her hand, but he caught her wrist easily, trying to keep her still while her shock subdued. ‘’ I can’t even... ‘’ Her arm grew limp in his hold, her eyelids closing against her will, ‘’ Not even... Why, Hyoga? Just.... why? ‘’

His index followed the scar over her hand, then over his own, before he laced his fingers with hers. ‘’ Because I promised. I promised. ‘’

Hyoga released her when she lost consciousness, his fingers checking the faint pulse at her neck instinctively. He sighed, letting them roam to her cheek, brushing some dirty clusters of midnight hair away from her face. He cursed inwardly, watching the bruises on her pale skin, the black eyes and bloodied lips.

It would be so easy, to stand up and pretend he hadn’t seen her. To go back to Sanctuary and say he had found her dead. To let the endless white of Siberia be her grave.

In the end, that was what she wanted. Kiki had tried to tell him that ever since he had said that she wouldn’t smile again, but he had needed to see her to realise how close from the truth the boy had been.

He narrowed his eyes, surprising himself by the detachment with which he could see her wounds, see the way her body was dying.

‘’ What have they done to you? ‘’ he whispered. Her pale lips had begun to grow dark purple from the cold. The weather had never affected her before.

But he already was, wasn’t he?

That was enough to kill him. To kill his soul.

But that was already dead. Frozen and buried in a watery coffin.

The same way he was now letting her die.

He closed his eyes, his fingers leaving her face to close tightly around her cold hand. ‘’ Forgive me ‘’ he said brokenly in her ear, wishing and fearing she would open her eyes and tell him that there was no need. But she remained still, the slow ups and down of her chest being the only movements of her body. With care, he released her hand and gathered her in his arms, her blood drenching his clothes and arms when he did so. She was heavier than what he had expected, having to adjust his balance not to trample with the snow.

He checked her pulse once again, his eyes lingering on her face one last time before he started walking towards the cottage, the warmth of her faint breathing against his neck being a constant reminder that he had to hurry.

Eridanus had been right. He was returning to the place where his heart was. He couldn’t but wonder if it would still be beating.

The words echoed in Dictina’s ears, whispered by a dark voice that made her heart weep. Words from a different time, from a different age, when life and death had not existed to them and only endless summer-like days stretched before them. Words that Dictina had not heard in centuries, that the human in her had forgotten yet the soul within remembered by heart.

So no matter how great the pain, how burning and drowning the claws around her neck were, she returned to those words and knew that, no matter what, she would see her again and have a chance to redeem herself.

A part of her knew that, if she could only stop loving one of them, she would survive. Artemis or Eros. But she would never be able to have both.

A part of her knew that, no matter how hard she tried, she would never stop loving them. In this lifetime or the other. Because she would never be able to survive without them.

She wondered if they knew that. They probably did.

They were Gods after all.

She didn’t dare to wonder if they condemned her for that. They shouldn’t. Their feelings were also eating them alive. Slower, because their souls were stronger, but eating them still.

In the end, none would have what they wanted and would just fade away.

She was wishing for that, at least.

Each slash from Egeria’s razor-sharp claws was screaming that silent wish in her mind.

To fade away.

It was better than go on suffering and making others suffer.

‘’ It won’t be that easy... ‘’ Egeria whispered in her ear, pulling her by the chin. Dictina gagged at the strong smell of sulphur and burnt skin emanating from the hunched woman’s claws. She puked when she realised the burnt skin was her own.

‘’ Now that was weak... ‘’ the blonde teased, releasing her and taking some steps away from her, fire wings burning on her back while flames danced at her feet. Dictina dried her mouth with her hand and crawled to her feet, her legs wavering under her weight.

‘’ No cosmo, priestess? Why won’t you defend yourself? ‘’ Egeria’s voice was sweet and loving, almost understanding. Yet her eyes were two volcanos afire. ‘’ Why won’t you fight me? ‘’ she smiled tenderly, ‘’ You know I won’t hold back ‘’

Dictina said and did nothing, letting her hit her on the stomach, the terrible heat of the Harpy making her scream. She fell on the stairs, already stained marble turning into a deeper red.

She fixed her eyes on the temple, the huge white giant that was slowly turning red. Blood had also stained the Artemisium’s gates years before, but had never been the blood of one their own. Artemis would have never allowed them to fight each other. They were, as she had put it several times, ‘’one and nine ‘’ ... They were a part of her.

Their blood was sacred.

Or so it had been, until they came and changed their world. Dictina smiled faintly, realising she could not get on her feet anymore and could only drift.

Their blood had been sacred until they allowed them to stain it.

The result had only been a consequence of their sins.

And now the White Temple had the privilege of watching them bleed.

‘’ Did your legs stop answering you, Eridanus? ‘’

Egeria sat by her side, her claws caressing her lilac mane so lovingly that Dictina dared to close her eyes and pretend it was Artemis the one that was soothing her, just as her sister had done countless times before, when nothing had mattered.

When they had both been one. When they weren’t crippled and broken.

‘’ Do you still believe in her? ‘’ the blonde added sweetly in her ear, claw-like fingers following the shape of her earlobe. ‘’ In the one that betrayed us? Tell me, Priestess... do you still love her? ‘’

Dictina looked into her fuchsia eyes. The hate in them was so great, worst than she remembered it to be, all the dedication Artemis had put in taming that hatred, in making Egeria capable of feeling once again, turned to ashes. She couldn’t but feel guilty, though. It would have been her chore as their High Priestess to notice how much they had been broken. Her chore to see –and stop – that hatred that turned Egeria into their most lethal weapon. ‘’ Always ‘’ she whispered painfully, knowing that that hatred was so similar to the one her sister felt when fighting, knowing that there was no end to it.

‘’ Even when she let you to die here... ‘’ Egeria smiled ‘’ that’s so touching... that I cannot but feel sorry for you ‘’

She stretched by her side, Egeria no more, but the Harpy, head of the clan of madmen and twisted souls that lived in Ortygia. ‘’ You are sweet, Dictina. I wonder if your taste is sweet too... I know Hippolytus does not know... I know you didn’t even allow him to kiss you... ‘’ Sad fuchsia eyes met violet ones, ‘’ That was a privilege you gave only to her, didn’t you? ‘’ One edged claw traced the shape of her bloodied lips, Dictina finding no strength nor will to resist her. ‘’ And she never appreciated the sweetness in them... she never noticed... but I will... let me take your pain away... ‘’

A single tear escaped Dictina’s eyes when she offered her lips to Egeria, allowing her to kiss her by free will, knowing that the Harpy would deliver her through that kiss, that she would fulfil her wish. And she would live no more.

First came the gentleness in which the Harpy kissed her, then the heat of her wings, making her melt in their embrace, licking her body like a devoted lover would do. It was then when the pain began, her very soul... her cosmo... being drawn out of her in that deadly kiss, where only giving existed. And she was so willing to give all that she was. Because she knew that in the end, the Harpy would take her power, and Dictina, the woman, the priestess, the goddess, would finally... fade away.

She would be free.

‘’ Egeria... ‘’

Only if they would let her.

It was his scent the one that first brought her back from the void the Harpy was taking her to, the drowning scent of oils and exotic flowers. His voice came second, as sweet and overpowering as it ever was, making her body flinch in its promise of pleasures never dreamt waiting to be discovered.

‘’ Let her go, Harpy. It’s enough ‘’

But it was never enough for the Harpy, was it? Her hunger had no end, it was that hunger what drove her.

That’s why they had rejected her at first. Because no one could have power over her. Not even the Gods.

‘’ I said enough! ‘’

But when devotion failed, the Gods could always punish. And not even the Harpy could stand against them.

Dictina opened her eyes slowly, wishing she would still be able to cry when seeing him standing there, the ultimate effigy of power, shimmering with a faint veil of Cosmo. Power shone in his hands, passion in his movements and a lust that could so easily be mistaken with the Harpy’s hunger forever burning in his emerald eyes. Egeria was standing some metres from him, holding her bleeding arm while screaming curses to the skies.

‘’ Don’t threaten me, woman, I am your Lord ‘’ And he was, their lord, their master, their ruler and owner of their souls. ‘’You will do as I say, regardless of your wishes ‘’ Giving and taking, keeping them on the edge.

Egeria’s hunger flared in her fuchsia eyes again, not for the prey that had been taken away from her, but for the man that dared to wield enough power as to stop her. With a high-pitched hiss, she lowered her head and bowed to him, glaring at the lilac haired woman one last time.

‘’ Go ‘’

And the Harpy obeyed, and with her departure, Dictina’s hopes to be granted her last wish left too. Eros signalled to some women that were standing by the temple’s pillars to walk forward. All of them were beautiful and elegant, dangerously seductive. They were Melaenis’ servants, her sacred whores. Mindless puppets.

‘’ Clean her up ‘’

Soft arms lifted her up with care, sweet voices breaking the remains of the Harpy’s blissful spell from her mind.

Eros’ gaze fixed on her for a moment, eyes that could not understand her and hated her as much as they pitied her reading right into her soul.

‘’ Make sure she’s well taken care of ‘’

Pity and hatred shinning in his eyes. Was it for her or for himself that he felt that?

‘’ And when you are done... ‘’ he stopped mid-sentence, looking at his own hands.

‘’ Dye her hair ‘’

‘’ Black ‘’

" One mask ‘’ he started counting for the zillion time, pacing over the Temple, the ground soft under his naked feet.

[ Feel their pain, feel what you’ve done, feel the sadness in the children’s eyes ]

‘’ Two masks ‘’ the twisted smile never wavered from his face, the wicked gaze never left the Golden Monster that kept chanting in his head.

[ Was it wrong? Was it right? The blood spilling from their hearts?]

‘’ Three masks ‘’ He had lost count of the times he and his Cloth had been playing that little game, one judging, the other waiting. Both trying to come to terms with what had happened.

[ For Athena or for yourself. In whose name you’ll stain this place?]

‘’ Four masks ‘’ He didn’t know how many months had passed. He didn’t know when had been the last time he had eaten, when the last time he had slept. Something was going outside the dark walls of the temple, he could sense the disturbance, the worry, in the saints’ cosmos. He could feel it in Athena’s soul. Yet still he didn’t care. All that mattered was the Golden Monster, silencing its wicked voice. Taming it and making it his once again. As it should always have been.

[ War is coming, little one, in the shape of Day and Night. Will you be the angel high to rise from the bloodied House? ]

‘’ Five masks ‘’ It was odd. The Monster would usually push him away on the third mask with a gust of his deadly cosmo. Maybe it had finally realised that he wasn’t willing to let it go so easily. That he was its only owner and master. After all, who else would understand its nature?

No one else would dare to satisfy its wishes.

[ The two bright ones fought and fell. Now Sanctuary will take the toll. Will you be there, proud one, by the right of your mistress divine? ]

‘’ Six masks ‘’ So close. For Athena he could do it. He would do it. After all, her weak little bronze saints had defeated him. And he knew that that had only been possible because they had had her to strengthen their cosmos. So he would fight for Athena and no one else. He could do that. Devote completely to her cause. Then she would grant him power, and he would be once again the deadly angel everyone feared and hated.

His vision had never faltered him. Power meant Justice. And the most powerful being was Athena. Her words would be his path.

[ Will you embrace your wings again, fallen angel, fallen star? ]

The game was over. He stretched his hand and brushed the golden surface. It felt warm under his fingers. His grin widened. The Monster was welcoming him.

‘’ Deathmask ‘’

‘’ You’ve chosen an odd time to awaken, Fourth one... ‘’ Shura whispered, violet eyes closing ever so slightly. First the Moon, and now the Moon-blessed...

Odd times were coming.

Capricorn disliked that; the changing currents of what might or might not come to pass. Instability brought doubts, doubts brought questions, and questions... they brought false answers, and Capricorn couldn’t deal with false answers again. He couldn’t take the freedom of allowing others to choose his path.

Not anymore.

He sighed, rubbing his temples. That was his cross to bear, only his. Yet his redemption was closely knitted with the souls of the two other ones who had dared to stay in the path that the rules they were brought up with dictated.

‘’ We are the ones that wear the masks ‘’ he thought out loud, releasing the grip around his cosmo, golden flames dancing with the light fabric of his clothes, sending shivers down his spine.

For a Gold Saint, his cosmo had always seemed so harsh...

Yet harsh or not, he was still one of them. Their Tenth Brother.

Their Sinner.

So he wasn’t surprised when their embrace of lights and sensations filled his soul, the voices he knew so well echoing in the back of his mind.

For them and for Sanctuary.

For himself.

For Athena. In Her name he would claim the guilt and deal with their Twisted One. In Her name he would carry the three crosses, he would wear the three masks.

As long as She forgave him.... Anything to make Her forgive him...

Dohko had higher things to worry about. His mask of Gold was different from the ones of Shame they had to carry, yet it was still a mask, and as such it demanded a sacrifice. Dohko had lost his life... his self... in exchange to turn into something beyond Human. That had been his price. And as such, as their loving Father, his eyes would always be set on them, on their future, on what was to come, instead of on what was happening.

Aquila’s mask hid nothing, though. Hers was the right to judge and guide their lives. Hers was the present, just as the future belonged to Dohko. But her level pushed her under them. She had no chance to get to their Twisted One, no right.

And without Pisces in Sanctuary, he was the only one remaining. The one left from the Treacherous Three, and even when Deathmask hated everything and everyone, Shura knew he would listen to him.

At least only for the sake of a shared sin.

He walked.

He stepped into the abandoned Sagittarius, and closed his eyes when sensing the remnants of a Cosmo he had known and loved and was long no more. Scorpio said nothing except for a half-grumbled ‘good luck’. Not meant, of course. There was little friendship between their houses, and Scorpio’s morning moods were terrible.

Libra. Another empty House, this time deprived of all shadows of cosmo except for the shimmering of the Golden Cloth, waiting for a new owner in the middle of the hall, penetrated and twisted by the twelve weapons it wielded. Their very own Sword in the Stone.

Virgo poised no threat or welcome to him, Shaka remaining out of his sight yet allowing him to pass nonetheless, fulfilling his role as a Man between Gods to perfection.

Oddly enough, Leo was empty. And Cancer was waiting. The Fourth One.

The Mad One.

‘’ You finally left your cave ‘’ Shura said evenly, walking towards the sitting figure at the steps of the x-shaped temple; shielding his eyes from the morning sun with his right hand. A low chuckle greeted him, the Saint nothing but a shadow amongst shadows.

‘’ The Sinner welcomes the Traitor back in the land of Ghosts? ‘’

Shura grinned bitterly, sitting on the marbled floor ‘’ Something like that ‘’ he looked up at the Gold Saint, ‘’ You look like shit, Deathmask ‘’ And he meant it. His cheeks had grown hollow, his eyes seeming larger and brighter, surrounded by dark shadows, while his body had lost its proud stance due to the starvation he had inflicted on himself. Little remain from the handsome man with a wicked smile that had turned the fourth temple into a house of horrors, replaced instead by a thin and scarred shadow of his self. The monster, no longer hiding behind the looks of the man, wielding the power of the Crab over his corrupted body.

‘’ And you do look as breath-taking as usual, Sinner ‘’ Deathmask purred, resting his chin on one of his bony hands. Capricorn chuckled bitterly. The monster, but still the man. ‘’ You can’t stop hitting where it hurts the most, can you? ‘’

‘’ And miss the chance to bother the worst of us all? ‘’

‘’ Look who is talking... ‘’

‘’ I have no blood of Gold Saints on my hands. That’s enough to let me rest at nights. Can’t say the same about a certain horned-one ‘’

Violet eyes flickered, meeting the devious stare of Cancer, but the anger was kept hidden. He would never be like him. Ever. The dark stain would belong to the Fourth House, while the Tenth, white and powerful and strong, would remain unblemished.

‘’ I thought you would be gone the moment I got here ‘’

‘’ And risk breaking into Leo? Aiolia is a zealous little spirit, he’s probably still mad at me for making my opponents scream that much. The kitten hates being deprived from his sleep ‘’

Shura half-smiled, narrowing his slanted eyes ‘’ Gemini remained ‘’

Deathmask frowned. It was good, to see that he could still fear. ‘’ I am not a fool ‘’ No, he wasn’t... despite Sanctuary had weakened, the third house had turned into the best defence they had ever had. No one would dare to face the mighty twins. They were... legends.

Nearly Gods.

‘’ Besides, why fleeting? ‘’ Deathmask smiled as he got on his feet, the shroud of weakness that had covered him before disappearing behind the strength that shimmered in his eyes. ‘’ I am Athena’s now, all hers to do what she pleases ‘’ he winked at Shura in an accomplice way, ‘’ I’ll even do her if she wants me too ‘’

‘’ Lewd ‘’

‘’ Prudish ‘’

‘’ Heretic ‘’

‘’ Sinner ‘’

Shura had nothing to say to that accusation. The emptiness of Sagittarius was a constant reminder of what he had done; the absence of Aioros a constant void in his soul. His blood was a stain that not even the whiteness of his temple could hide. And the Sin was only deepened by the fact that Athena’s blood could have stained them too.

‘’ I understood it all, you see ‘’ Deathmask went on, pacing up and down the steps, ‘’ I was never wrong! ‘’ he laughed insanely, ‘’ Power is justice! And who is more powerful than our dearest Goddess? ‘’ the mad gaze met the harsh one, ‘’ No one. So as long as I am with her, I will be powerful, that’s what my faithful lover... ‘’ Irony touched his voice as he patted the Cloth over his body ‘’... told me ‘’

Deathmask walked to Shura’s side, leaning closer to whisper in his ear.

‘’ And power is what I want ‘’

Shura shivered at the certainty of those words, at their deadly implications. Not again. He would never let that word... that single, little word... ruined his life. He would not commit the same sin twice.

‘’ So she has my life, my soul, my hands and even my dick if she wants it! ‘Till death do us part ‘’ Deathmask tilted his head, a lustful, dangerous grin spreading on his lips, ‘’ After all, she’ll be needing me now... want it or not ‘’

Shura frowned, stretching his cosmo towards the neighbouring temples in an unconscious way. Capricorn would never allow Cancer to threaten him.

Deathmask shook his head ‘’ Don’t be silly, I already told you I am hers! Just look, do you think this bastard would be on my body if it weren’t so? ‘’ he let out, pointing at the Cancer Cloth. ‘’ I was referring to the little... predicament... that is worrying all of you, golden brothers ‘’ he whispered teasingly. ‘’ Remember Cancer is the sign with most affinity with the huntress bitch’s symbol... ain’t it odd that a Cloth that used to hate me so, would embrace me the day she died? ‘’

Shura frowned. Deathmask was mad. He had always been insane, not really his own. But now he was being delusional.

‘’ You have no idea what you are talking about ‘’

‘’ Died. Dead. Buried. Weakened. Make your pick! She’s the frigging loser, and losers die, we learnt that the hard way, remember? Even if her little godling heart keeps beating, do you think she’ll ever be alive after that? ‘’ he laughed, ‘’ She’s one of us now, another Ghost, my beautiful Sinner! ‘’

‘’ Deathmask... ‘’ He stopped Shura by placing his index over his lips.

‘’ Tell Dohko I am faithful to our darling queen, tell him that I mean no harm to Sanctuary and that I’ll even get on my knees and play repented if that will make his day ‘’. Cancer moved away and turned his back to Capricorn, before entering in his temple, every wall, every marble stone trembling with his aura. ‘’ And tell him that even when the huntress died, there was a victor... and that one is really alive, dearest Shura.... so alive that I can even feel her hands over my skin... " Deathmask snickered ‘’ Ask the moon if you don’t believe me, Shura... she is, after all, the one that told me so ‘’

He was afraid of hurrying or taking too long. He was afraid of shifting her in his arms. He was afraid of hurting her. He was afraid of the deadly storm that had loved her before and was now making her shiver. He was afraid she would die before they got to the cottage.

Her blood felt like fire on his hands, contrasting with the terrible coldness he felt on his body. He refused to look at the ground. He would not watch the blood-tainted snow at their backs.

At first he had hoped she would wake up on their way. That she would hold on to him and reassure him by gaining consciousness. It was long since he had lost hopes of that happening. His only comfort was the faint caress of her fading breath on his neck, growing weaker every step he took.

Her words were also with him, even when she was unable to pronounce them. In his memory, her voice kept screaming at him. Anger turned regrets, regrets turned into silent pleas for help. What had she wanted from him? Why... why had he failed to notice?

He flared his cosmo, trying to warm her with it the same way Shun had once done for him. It was like trying to warm a glacier covered by thorns and spikes. She shunned him off, his head aching due to the backlash. Unconscious or not, her cosmo was shielding her, keeping her mind -and soul- away from anyone's reach.

He held her closer, a sigh escaping his lips when feeling her heart beating against his chest. Even when her breathing was faint, her heart was beating with all the strength it could muster. In the end, her wish to die was not bigger than her wish to live.

His fears were mingled with an odd sense of relief when seeing the smoking cottage in the horizon. He would have laughed over the fact that such a rundown shack would comfort him if the broken figure with tangled hair and torn rags in his arms hadn't been a constant reminder that she was dying. A reminder that inside that sleeping monster, there was a little bit of her old self.

If he could bring that little bit back... if he could make those eyes flare to life once again... then maybe, just maybe, his heart would decide to start beating again.

'' I will not be the one to break that promise... '' he thought out loud, the warmth of the cottage embracing them when he pushed the door open. He remained fix on his place for a second, trying to match the cosy scenario that was welcoming him with what had just happened under the merciless storm. He failed, and the place that should have lifted his worries was no more. A part of his mind was conscious of the fire crackling and the scent of burning wood in the air, but for the rest of his mind... it just didn't care.

'' I lit the fire ''

His eyes moved over the place, looking for the owner of that voice. Kiki was staring at him, standing next to the fireplace. No. It wasn't him the one he was looking at, but the woman he was carrying, the boy's fearful eyes filling with tears at her sight.

For an instant, anger hit him. Pure and unblemished anger; deprived of conscience and mercy. The boy had no right to look at her, no right to see her wounded and bleeding.

No one had.

He held her closer in an unconscious protective movement, trying to cover her from his sight.

'' Good '' he muttered, the word losing its meaning the moment it was spoken, sounding so much like a warning, a threat, than a comment. Hyoga couldn't but feel startled by the sound of it, failing to recognize it as his own voice.

Kiki started, yet lowered his head and looked away.

'' Good... '' he repeated, no longer a threat but neither a reward. And in Hyoga's mind Kiki faded with the cottage and their promised hopes and chances. The path towards the bed seemed suddenly longer than the one he had had to walk to get to the cottage, each step lasting ages.

Finally he reached the bed. Camus'. The place where Isaac and him had jumped on when their master wasn't around. The place where the two of them would sit when Artemis was telling them stories. The place where they would rest after a day of training, Artemis falling asleep with her head on his lap and her fingers laced with Isaac's.

Nothing but a deathbed.

Nothing but a tomb of past memories.

He had to repress a scream when he laid her there, a sleeping beauty so close to being a monster. His fingers brushed hers one last time, as if fearing letting go would hurt her. But the expression on her face didn't change, her eyes didn't open and shot him their usual daggers. No angry words escaped her parted lips. She remained lost to him. A dying creature.

‘’ Hyoga... ‘’ Kiki's voice, calling for him from somewhere. A ghost he cared not about. '' Is she... '' A frightened ghost, trying to make his surroundings take shape once again, forcing him to think, to act.

'' Kiki, not now " he snapped coldly, reaching for some bandages and cotton from the drawers next to the bed. He remained still, staring at them, at their futility. It wouldn't do. Nothing he could do would.

With guilt, he found himself wishing he had been a Gold Saint, able to heal and stop the pain with his hands and cosmo.

For the first time, he found himself wishing to be something that he was not.

'' Damn... I... '' he muttered, clenching his hands into tight fists, forcing the pain to bring some clarity into his mind. He looked at her, so frail, so.... fading away. Yet at the same time so determined to keep her cosmo as a barrier around her, to stop anyone from helping her.

'' Stop shunning me off!! '' he let out, flaring his cosmo to its fullest, trying to force hers to collapse. But the wall was unbreakable. '' I won't let you win, I just won't... I won't... '' he cried out, falling on his knees, his eyes fixed on his own trembling hands. Hands that could destroy and freeze everything he wished. Hands that were unable to stop her from dying. '' Useless... ''

'' Hyoga... '' He glared at the boy standing by his side, noticing for the first time how pale his skin looked like, how frightened and lost his eyes. Eyes that couldn't leave the broken figure on the bed, trying to find a form to that sea of wounds, blood and bruises stretching over her arms, her legs, her thighs...

Hyoga watched Kiki puke with a sick delight, a faint grin spreading over his lips.

" We are useless, Kiki '' Hyoga said with a freezing certainty that made Kiki want to cry. Cygnus didn't know what he had seen; he would never have to deal with the visions, with the curse... with the sacrilege.

" Go get a doctor ''

'' Hyoga, I... ''

He turned to face him, deadly blue eyes meeting frightened ones '' You will get a doctor. If she is to die in the meantime, her death will be on my hands. I can't allow it to be any other way... And then, she might just... '' he stopped mid-sentence, knowing how stupid his hopes where. She wouldn't wake up while Kiki was away. She wouldn't wake up even if he managed to force his cosmo into hers.

‘’ I’ll go ‘’ Kiki finally whispered ‘’ I’ll get the doctor. I’ll ask around and be back as fast as I can ‘’

Hyoga stared at him, then at the woman on the bed, her sole presence meaning a taken stand. He sighed, turning his back on the boy ‘’ Go ‘’

The flash of orange cosmo pushed the shadows of the small cottage away when Kiki teleported, faking a healthy tone on Artemis’ skin that Hyoga knew was false.

The turmoil in his mind mellowed now that he was alone. All that was left to do was waiting. With a loud sigh, he sat by her side, a strangled knot forming on his throat when noticing that the sheets were already turning red.

‘’ How did I manage to look at you and not see your pain? ‘’ he thought out loud, his fingers pushing the tangled knots of hair away from her face and shoulders. ‘’ What did I turn into? ‘’

He pulled the covers over her, feeling he had no right to see her body in that state, no right to see her wounded and broken. Not after deserting her when she needed him the most. That way he could pretend that the wounds did not exist. Nothing existed if he couldn't see it.

‘’ Forgive me ‘’ he muttered, expecting an answer that he knew would never come. He placed his hand over her heart, wishing he could use his cosmo to stop the bleeding like any Gold Saint would do. But no matter how strong he was, he was still a Bronze Saint.

But she was still a Goddess, and her Cosmo was eternal. He remembered that when a white eerie shimmer began to dance faintly over her body, shifting from pure light to total darkness. There was something odd about her cosmo, something that unsettled him, but his worries vanished when he noticed the bleeding was stopping, feeling both relieved and angered.

He had failed her once again. And she had to prove him that she didn't need him to remind him of that.

Hyoga crouched by her side, gently caressing her fingers. She seemed so vulnerable like that, unconscious and lost... She seemed so... mortal, despite of the holiness of her cosmo. He tightened his grip around her hand and leaned closer to her. ‘’ Odi et amo; quare id faciam, fortasse requiris... ‘’ he said in her ear, hiding his face against the curve of her neck, wishing he could hide his shame as easily. Her faint cosmo felt like a caress, whispering words of old to his very soul, subduing his own aura with an ease that was welcomed. Even in her state, she hadn't abandoned him completely ‘’... Nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior... ‘’

It was only then that he allowed himself to cry.

For her and for himself.

Unheard.

Unseen.

After all, the tears from a heart that had just realised it was still beating were not meant to be witnessed.

She heard the rustling of silk and linen and the low, intoxicating chanting, the sounds that told off her followers, bright and dangerously seductive women raised since their childhood to be everything they could be. To cherish Her and spread Her word in a world that was so mesmerised and repelled by her as it could be. A world that pretended to hate her when in fact it was wishing to be able to embrace her openly. A world that was waiting to be set free from the chains that had been forced upon it. Chains that Law and Religion had tighten so much as to make that trapped world bleed and scream.

But those screams had not been unheard. Those painful pleas had not been wasted.

For her, the Dark One, the hated yet adored One, had listened.

And the one that had only been adored at Night and in secrecy was ready to break those chains and end the limits imposed by her deadly sisters. She was ready to free that dying world.

And Ortygia was a proof of the rightfulness of her task. Religion's heart and soul, the harsh little island that had been proud of its old-fashioned ways, of its merciless values and morals... of its severe Goddess... was now completely prostrated at her feet.

And in her hands.

Only Law was left... but they were not her hands the ones that would be stained with her blood. Law brought War with her, and just like Poseidon and Hades had rose against her, others would rise again.

And as the Peacekeeper... the Judge... she would see her guilty.

And a male god she could easily manipulate.

In the end, the world would be free, with no one to oppose her. And they would see; the ones that had always rejected her, her proud and perfect sisters, that the world they so fiercely tried to protect... needed them not. And wanted her instead.

Her pouted lips curved in the faintest yet deadliest of smiles when the chanting grew closer. Her priestesses' tasks were coming to an end, closing a day's labour with a walk through the White Temple, their delicate hands spreading roses' petals over the hall and inside the bedrooms and chambers, their sweet voices rising in a perfectly intoned prayer.

Voicing the prayers of the whole world in their song. Desiring love. Desiring to be out of love. Desiring to be loved. Desiring the satisfaction of their desires. Desiring to put an end to the suffering that not having what they wanted brought them.

The agony of the loss

The anguish of wanting and not having

The song grew faint. They were moving away, into the corners of the temple yet the scent of freshly cut flowers was already everywhere, flooding her senses, intoxicating her. She stood up, a sea of golden silks dancing around her at the sudden motion, and left the comfort of her bed to reach for the gate. She laughed, delighted at the feeling of the soft petals under her naked feet, and spun on her heels, the scent of the roses mixing with the perfume of her hair, golden threads caressing her skin.

No wonder Athena clung to Niké so fiercely. There was little that could match the sweet joy that Victory brought.

'' Eros... '' she whispered, creasing her brow ever so slightly. She had to share that feeling with him. She had to see his happiness.

After all, he had taken what he had desired.

She ran, her feet soundless against the marble floor. Daylight was forcing its way into the temple through the main gate, and she welcomed the sun's warm caresses with a sigh of rapture.

But the outside world was not what she had expected. The ever-white flowers of Cyprus were not at the temple's feet; the sweet song of the sea could not be heard over the clamouring of the waves colliding against the cliffs.

And the blood still remained on the marble-steps; a reminder of what had happened during the night.

A reminder that harsh Ortygia would never be delightful Cyprus.

Never hers.

" Mother " She blinked, ignoring the dreadful scene to fix her gaze on her darling son. He didn't look as she had expected he would. The wicked grin was there, hidden under his devote smile, the loving eyes held nothing but adoration for her. But there was something wrong.

" We won " she whispered, locking her arm with his and resting her head on his shoulder to reassure him with her presence.

" We did... " Eros answered, planting a kiss on her forehead. " ... yet I wish we had killed her... I wish she hadn't escaped ''

She looked up at him, long, delicate fingers caressing his furrowed cheek. " Oh, fear not, my dearest one... the one closest to my heart... she is nothing but a broken thing now... and my power... my power is something she can't contend with. Wherever her treacherous sister sent her, my power will find her, and that place will be her grave '' She kissed each furrow lovingly, " For harming the one I love the most "

Eros smiled, but his smile was bitter and grim. '' For thinking she can resist us ''

'' That too '' she conceded, accepting the touch of his lips over hers. " But the important thing is that she is gone. We should be celebrating " she added with a mischievous wink, escaping his embrace to stand under the sun.

Warm. So warm.

But then she looked down, and there it was again. The blood.

'' Why... why wasn't this cleaned? '' she asked, frowning.

" I am afraid that's my fault, dearest mother. I... I asked the priestesses to take care of Dictina "

She narrowed her eyes, her gaze still fixed on the crimson pools. " I see... " she whispered. He should have killed the traitor, they both knew that. But she also knew that he would never do a thing against her and her plans. He would never place his wishes over her own. So if he still craved for that little nuisance, then he could as well have her. She knew he wouldn't allow her to get loose again.

'' You could have asked any villager to do this... " she thought out loud.

But the villagers disliked them, did they? The little freak show of madmen, twisted souls, cripples, ills and severe-looking men and women that Artemis had gathered in that excuse of an island were reticent to their presence. Even when they did not oppose them, their little wrinkled hearts still were craving for their broken Goddess.

The Nine were no different to them. After all, they were their leaders, the idyllic representation of what each clan hoped to be one day.

Murderers, Madmen, Witches and Monsters.

All of them tied to the fate of the Monstrous Huntress-Goddess. All of them calling her Melaenis, the Dark One, merely because she was everything that opposed their beloved Alpheia. Their white and pure Goddess that was never such.

" I'll have Orion take care of this "

She would make them hate that holier than thou White One. She would make them despise her and love her instead. And Melaenis no longer would be a word born from opposition, but a title worth respecting and loving. Worth adoring.

Alpheia would be the hated one, not her. Never her.

" And you, my dearest child... " she purred, turning to face him once again, her green eyes glimmering like two emeralds, " ... should rest. It was a long night "

Eros nodded and kissed her hand, warm lips brushing her skin with the uttermost softness. She smiled absently and turned her back to the outside world and looked into the purity of her temple. Into the white corridors, shinning columns and corridors covered with pink and red petals.

The outside world was a lie, black and crimson and ever-bleeding. The outside world needed her to turn it into a pure and perfect paradise. Into a place with no suffering, no chains, nothing but the sweet scent of roses and the caress of the softest of fabrics. A world of sensations, of pleasure, of fulfilled desires.

A place where the only sounds were those of the intoxicating chanting of her magical women, calling out for her, exalting her with every word they said.

The world needed her so much.

The world wanted her so much.

Only her could save it. Only her could kill the shadows and wash away its wounds. Only her could lead it to salvation.

Wanted it or not.

She had been told that Life was a hectic thing. A succession of opposing events. A king could be a beggar in Real Life, and a beggar could be king.

She knew those words were true. But kingship, fame and glory were not for everyone. Specially not for one of the Forgotten, of the Invisible ones. Routine was the best thing they could wish for. No surprises. No falling from Grace. Deprived of Glory, all they could wish for was for a Life and World to recognise as their own. A World with no doubts and fears for what the Future could store.

A world that was a lie; but was safe.

Safe enough for them, the Forgotten, to dream of the Kingship they would never have.

But as a lie, that dream-world could be shattered.

Destroyed.

And turn into something that would never be again.

Life was a succession of opposing events.

And when those events destroyed a reality, they were harder to assimilate. So they were ignored. Until backs couldn't be turned on them anymore.

Of that, Pallas was sure. She was certain that the World she had grown used to, the world that had shielded her from whatever could be outside, was no more. She could still pretend, though. Her back could still be turned to the new reality -an unknown, harsher world- that was taking shape behind her.

So her practical mind considered everything -Virbio's betrayal, Tatsumi's death, even her Lady's presence and her shinning lap dogs- to be part of a surreal experience that had been forced upon her shoulders. A disturbance in her - already dead- world.

Tatsumi had been their pillar, a hated and despotic one, but the only pillar their little world, the world of maids and servants, had had. A strong, harsh King they had had. A King that could not be defeated, could not be defied.

Yet he had been, both defied and defeated to the point of being erased from their world forever, his ghost and shadow -and his body, lost in the Kido's mausoleum-, being the only things left to haunt them. The only branches they had left to cling to their dying world.

" Deadly nightshade "

Pallas blinked, then arched one of her eyebrows, gazing into the little boy's eyes meaningfully.

'' One of the names of the Atro... Atropa Belladona '' Small lips curled into a smile of satisfaction, a pink tongue running over them, as if savouring the sound of those words.

Pallas smiled back. Children loved Big Words. Specially her little one.

Knowledge had always been his hunger, the one passion his small body could sustain.

'' And what is that, my dearest? '' she asked, sharing her attention with the chore at hand. Dishes wouldn't wash by themselves, and with the Lady's coming departure, there was no time to lose chatting with children.

" An European poisonous plant " he read, his large eyes fixed on the huge book that was resting on his lap. If Pallas hadn't been so busy, she would have laughed at how much like a little library-goblin her son looked like. '' I heard grandma saying that this was the herb the odd man used to poison Tatsumi-san ''

The dishes shattered against the floor.

She couldn't turn her back on the new-born world forever.

" Damn... " Pallas let out, getting on her knees and gathering the pieces, her face wrinkled in an expression of anger at her own clumsiness.

" I didn't mean to... "

She sighed '' Not now, Peter, not now... "

" At least... no one will tell you off now "

An unknown world.

" What do you mean by that? " she asked, looking over her shoulders to see the round, little thing her son was.

He tilted his head, frowned and then met her eyes squarely. Grey eyes gazing right into her soul.

His father's eyes.

Sometimes she hated those eyes.

" No one will scream at you "

Eyes full of promises and knowledge, of an unending safety. Eyes full of Lies.

Like his father's.

Just like his father.

But he wasn't his father.

'' My son... ''

Hers. Only hers. His eyes could be the reflection of his own, but the rest was hers. A mirror reflection of herself, of what she must have looked like before her innocence was snatched away from her.

But her child was no innocent, was he?

A part of her knew that, the part that was conscious of how much like an adult he sometimes sounded, of how deep he seemed able to look into people.

How much did he knew of her, that little part of her that kept staring into her soul with those determined grey eyes?

How much did the boy knew of his mother, of her cross?

" Tatsumi-san went to heaven, he won't scream at you "

Enough to frighten her, to fear he might grow to hate her.

If he didn't hate her already.

" Heaven? "

He nodded, smiling faintly " Where granny says dead people go. The place with the saints and angels ''

She smiled. Her child could have adult's eyes, but he was still a little boy. " Come here, Sir Peter '' Pallas teased, gathering him in her arms. The boy didn't struggle, his chubby arms circling her neck as he hid his face against her neck, giggling when she spun in her heels, the world losing consistency around them for a second.

And for that single second, she was Queen. But she didn't notice. She didn't realise that Life had granted her her wish, she didn't notice that she was not Forgotten.

All she noticed, when she has stopped spinning and the world was one once again, was the vision outside the kitchen's window.

The proud, shinning angels, standing under the sun while the servants placed their suitcases in the limousine, waiting to return to their world, a world where the Forgotten had no room.

The lapdogs, blessed beings that were more than human. That were more than herself. Shinning with a light of their own.

And among them, small, delicate, and yet so much brighter than them, was their Lady.

The Kido.

The one she could have been.

'' Mom, can't breathe '' But she played deaf ears to her child and kissed his forehead fiercely. She should have noticed she was holding her future. She should have noticed that her little boy's fate was tied to hers so closely, that it was one and the same.

She should have noticed that Life had gifts for everyone, and that the chubby child that was making faces in her arms was the gift Life had granted her.

But she didn't.

All she noticed was that she was holding a child whose future would always be stained by his mother's past. A child -her child-, already Forgotten.

Her eyes clouded, returning to the vision of Glory that shone outside. Travelling from the youths that had grown under her eyes, to the beautiful man with a woman's name.

'' A Rose among the bushes... ''

And finally she stopped her gaze on her, on the pale, marble-like woman who owned their lives. On the heiress of the largest empire ever.

Even after burying her most faithful servant, she managed to remain aloof and unblemished.

Without feelings.

Without heart.

Perfect.

The world the Kido and her angels came from was different from the one they inhabited. Her world was perfect.

She was perfect.

Her angels were perfect.

Even Tatsumi was perfect, dead and buried in the moguls' death-chamber.

The Kido and her lapdogs' world was already Heaven.

And they, the little beings that worked for her, were nothing but trash. Dependable underlings.

Beings whose fingers would do nothing but stain the Kido's porcelain skin.

Forgotten.

" Mom ... why are you crying? "

A voice so full of pain and on the brink of tears calling her back to that new-born world she already hated.

'' I am not crying '' she lied, smiling grimly.

At least the Kido was leaving now. Everything seemed harsher when she was around. Everyone -or at least they, the everyday people that lived to satisfy the Lady's whims- seemed less than real. Puppets. Maybe that was why everyone had been so efficient when taking care of the preparations for her departure. They served her, yes, and they could live like knowing that as long as they remained invisible to her. But her presence around them... it made Pallas conscious of how little of her life she could call her own.

But that was her problem, her anger at herself and to what she had become. The Kido was their benefactor, no matter how much she hated her. In the end, Saori wasn't to blame. Not even the great Mitsumasa was really guilty, nor was her servile mother.

The blame, the guilt and the sense of not living were her own.

" Ask grandma if she can give you a snack " she said, feeling both vulnerable and frail, suddenly conscious of their mortality. Not even her child, young and full of hopes, was safe from the shadow that had taken Tatsumi away.

Only because Tatsumi had been their head-figure and they had been invisible. That was the only reason why a killer -for she now knew that the yellow-eyed man couldn't be anything but that- would have been sent to end his life. Because his life had meant something.

While theirs...

Theirs was just marking time.

She shuddered, hugging Peter tightly and placing a warm kiss on his broad forehead. "You'll be someone, my love, I'll make sure of that "

And outside, away from Pallas' eyes and knowledge, Life looked at her, wondering if her words were real, if her wish was true. But it was already too late to take that plea back.

Life had listened, and the threads of Fate had been set. It had conceded.

-John Milton, Paradise Lost (1667) bk. 2, l. 432-

I want to feel something

Anything

Let me feel that I am living

I want to live

But all there is around me...

...is darkness...

... and pain

******

" ...Polemistis... mou... ''

Last came her sight. So the first things she noticed was the warmth of the bed, the feeling of the soft fabric against her cheek, the scent of soap drowning that of blood. Then followed the sound of the crackling fire, not far away, and a ragged breathing she took some seconds to recognise as her own.

Then her eyes finally obeyed her, showing her a world of shadows...

... that slowly took shape around her. First as a white pillow...

... spattered with blood...

... you are stained

... then as a room she knew by heart, changed so little that it almost seemed like a vision from the past.

Maybe it was.

Just a vision.

... as pure and white as I never was

But he was there, older than he should have been, twisted as she had made him. Already hating her, and loving her no more.

She tried to move but failed. Her body was not responding to her and she couldn't burn her cosmo to make it answer.

She felt like crying and refused to look into herself to know why, so instead she kept her mind busy by forcing it to go over what had happened again and again. Without mercy.

From Melaenis' arrival to Ortygia, to the words that had been screaming in her mind while she lay unconscious. To the two words that her dry lips had managed to whisper, words that had forced her eyes to open up again.

Her tired eyes returned to the sleeping man by the fire, the crackling flames framing his figure with a golden glow. So close yet so far... and still willing to bleed for her. Even if it was in the name of Hate and a forgotten promise.

In the name of a Lie none of them believed in.

-'Buzz' Aldrin, on the first moon walk, 20 July 1969-

He woke up with a start, unsure of whether it had been his dream or the crackling of the fire the one that had awoken him so hastily.

Probably both. Rest was not for him, anyway.

Especially not when those deadly eyes were set on his.

At first he thought she had died while he slept, and her open eyes were her last present to him. Something to haunt him forever.

But before guilt overcame him, she blinked, killing the paleness of her eyes to make them shine again, two aquamarine stones enhanced by the black bruises around them. Alive against odds, and so hard to sustain... So incredibly painful...

He knew it would be so. He had known it, even when the two women that had tended her had said that there was nothing to do. That the blood-loss had been too great, that all they could do was wash her up and dress her wounds. And then wait.

They had even said they would pray for them when he refused their suggestion of taking her to a hospital.

After all, they couldn't see the way she shone. They couldn't see the faint shifting light that danced around her body.

They hadn't seen her fighting him.

So he had thanked them and watched them go. Kiki followed them. The boy couldn't sustain the sight of her, he had even broken down to tears while they waited for the crones to finish their healing. He refused to tell him why until the very end, not even arguing when he ordered him to return to Sanctuary. All the boy said, in the faintest voice, was that he should take her to Sanctuary. That Mu could try to heal her.

But that would have been the greatest humiliation he could bestow to her. Delivering her to Sanctuary's justice as another broken godling. Besides, she didn't need a healer. She was already healing herself.

So he watched the boy disappear in a beam of his bright yet no longer innocent Cosmo, and learned the truth from the crones instead. All the women gave him were bits and pieces of what they had been able to make up from her wounds. Enough for him to give shape to what Kiki had been so set in hiding from him.

And because of him, of his selfish, thoughtless order, the boy had seen it...

No wonder the young trainee could not face her. He was surprised he had the nerve to do so.

Once the boy and the women had left, he had sat on the rocking chair by the fire and watched her sleep, feeling so empty inside that he had feared she was taking him with her. And still... still he had stayed and watched her sleep, waiting for her to die or to open her eyes, oblivious of the time passing until his body could not ignore it anymore and was grudgingly defeated into sleep.

Until her voice in his head woke him up.

And with the same ease as it had disrupted his dreams, it broke the silence.

" Agios... " The words came as less than a whisper, and he was certain that saying each sound meant an effort to her. Even her cosmo had stopped burning. It wasn't hard to tell why. Her body was having enough trouble with being conscious as to sustain her deadly aura.

"... I never... thought... I would be the one... to watch your sleep... '' The faintest grin appeared on her lips when saying that. Enough to grant him an answer.

She tried to prop herself up with her sane arm, her brow creasing with the effort. Her breathing turned ragged and desperate once again, yet still she didn't stop until she had managed to sit with her back against the wall, her hand clutching the pillow tightly to withstand the pain and hide it from him.

He didn't try to help her. He watched instead, his heart bleeding with each glimpse he managed to catch from the dressings that surrounded most of her body, with every scratch and bruise that marred her skin.

She had never looked so young to him, so human, as in that instant, still trapped between life and death. A little girl, dressed with clothes too large for her that hid a body so broken that it frightened him, gazing at him with eyes that reflected the uttermost triumph even when vanquished completely

" Artemis..." the name escaped his lips before he could do something about it, bringing him an odd sense of reality. She was really there, sitting on Camus' bed, wearing one of his pyjamas, and staring right into his soul with her dying eyes. Whatever spell he had been into was broken by the hardness of those eyes.

" How long? '' she muttered, placing her hand on the window by the bed. Pure darkness ruled outside.

When getting no answer, she asked again. '' How long, Hyoga?! '' The scream made her cough, her body arching and shuddering as she did so. Soon she was cursing under her breath.

'' I found you at dawn ''

She stared at the window once again, her eyes seeming to search for something in the darkness. '' To Night I died and now to Night I wake... why are you escaping me, adelfos? ''

Artemis sighed, biting her lower lip. Hyoga thought she would say nothing more, but then her eyes trapped him once again. Cold and deadly as always. Empty.

Screaming.

Hyoga needn't answer. She chuckled, but stopped when the cough threatened to seize her once again.

Then her expression turned unreadable, until the words he had been waiting for escaped her lips.

'' I hate you ''

Hyoga didn't look away. '' I know ''

'' Good '' Artemis nodded, sinking on the bed once again, turning her back on him. Hyoga stood up and walked to the bed. Even when the room was small, it seemed colder now that he wasn't sitting by the fire.

Maybe it was her the one to blame. Maybe it was himself.

He stretched the covers up to her shoulders, then sat on the empty side of the bed, keeping his back on her and facing the fire. Despite he knew the warmth was there, he couldn't but feel cold. But even then, when the coldness seemed to turn unbearable, he felt her hand seeking his, her fingers lacing with his own.

Hyoga closed his eyes, clinging to the warmth that came from those ice-like fingers, and allowed the words that came to his mind to spring to life. " ...I offer, on me let thine anger fall: account me man; I for his sake will leave thy bosom and this glorie next to thee freely put off, and for him lastly die "

He heard her sigh.

'' ...No yet. Not tonight ''

Hyoga nodded and closed his fingers around hers.

Not tonight.

SE FINNI

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Derre's blah blah: FINALLYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!! Difficult chapter -_-. Anyway, this chap goes to Ludeshka Serizawa a.k.a the Pixie of Rage for putting up with my constant nagging on her reading TfoaG, and for being such a great Kiki fan ^_~ (joking, joking, don't kill me!), and to Toffee-sama, whose advice and judgement helped me a loooot with some of the scenes of this chapter. Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaank you!!!

Adelfi: sister

Adelfos: brother

Muta quies habitat: Silence lives here

Nulla quies intus: Nothing is inside

Fos: Light

Fegkari: Moon

Nyx: Night

Skotadi: Darkness

Aima tanges aethera: Through blood you will reach immortality

Polemistis mou: My warriors

"...I offer, on me let thine anger fall: account me man; I for his sake will leave thy bosom and this glorie next to thee freely put off, and for him lastly die ": From Paradise Lost (Milton) Bk III, lines 237 to 240.

''Shimmering-throned Immortal Aphrodite...(...) '': Hymn to Aphrodite by Sappho