Saint Seiya Fan Fiction ❯ Kage no Seinto (Saints of the Shadow) ❯ Reminiscence ( Chapter 13 )

-These cosmo... These cosmo are from...
Haruna's wounds were still hurting, but she was still able to feel Dæmonicus and the Demoniac's cosmo getting nearer the Pope's Temple. She used her arms to lift herself up, and started to walk with difficulty.
-We have failed... Damn! Our training should've been more severe!
Then Haruna heard some steps coming from the exit of the House.
-Don't be so hard on you, Haruna.
Haruna turned around and recognized her.
-Bianca! I'm glad to see you well.
-That's not exactly the word I would use but... -Bianca said, and laughed lowly.
Haruna smiled while looking at her. In a way, she admired her for being able to joke in this kind of situations.
-Anyways -Haruna said-, the intruders are about to reach the Pope's Temple. We know what to do.
-Yes... In occasions like this one...

Tamiel was still blubbering, unaware that someone had entered the House of Shadow Pisces, and was right behind him.
-What are you doing?
Tamiel's mind became clear again, as if he were previously trapped in a trance of some sort.
-What... What? Who...?
-It's me, Celsus.
Tamiel felt embarrassed for not recognizing a fellow saint. He was beginning to apologize but Celsus interrupted him.
-I understand; but there's no time to lose now. We must hurry to the Pope's Temple.
-Yes, I know. By the way... Just out of curiosity... Did you see anyone in the House of Shadow Aquarius?
Celsus looked back, where the House of Shadow Aquarius stood.
-No, no one I could perceive. But I did feel a cosmo... Something had stopped the Demoniac in there for a while.
Suddenly, Tamiel screamed. He lost balance again, and started to see the red light again as he fell on his knees.
-Tamiel! What's happening?!
His mind was clear again, and he looked back at Celsus. It took him less time to recognize him now.
-I'm sorry -Tamiel responded-. Dæmonicus' attack is still affecting me...
There was silence for a while. Tamiel didn't say anything else and began running to the exit of the House. Celsus followed him.

Rao opened his eyes inside the ice block and looked around, desperately.
-What the...
He was unable to move his mouth, but that was not his worst fear, for he had just noticed Dæmonicus' cosmo.
-They are near... I must do something!
His cosmo began increasing. Soon, his body had a big dark blue glow around him, and he broke the ice just by screaming.
-Damn them! They should've just let me lying on the floor -He said, while shivering.
He started walking towards the exit of the House when he remembered something.
-Oh, right... Tsai... I should go see if he's alright.
Rao quickly turns direction and runs towards the House of Shadow Libra.
-Let's just hope he's not dead...

Souki had felt Dæmonicus' cosmo approaching the Pope's Temple before most of the saints. He was already entering the House of Shadow Cancer. There, he saw the House deserted.
-Odd. Arukai was supposed to be here somewhere...
He walked through the House, and there were signs of a past battle, but not signs of Arukai or the oponent.
-He must've gone already to the House of Shadow Leo!
He began running faster until he reached the exit of the House. From there, he saw Arukai running as fast as he could to the House of Shadow Leo. In a short amount of time, Souki reached him.
-Are you alright, Arukai?
-Yes... Yes, I am alright -He responded.
He was not really good: His cloth was heavy, and he was very injured. Souki knew he was lying, but he didn't comment on it. Both of them reached the House of Shadow Leo, and found Mai, who was just trying to stand up. She bearly could, but Souki helped her.
-Thank you, Souki... How are you all...?
-There's no time for sharing personal information, Mai! We must go!
-I can barely move myself...
-Then I'll help you out.
Arukai started running as much as he could, and Mai put her arm around Souki's shoulder. They also started running as fast as possible to the House of Shadow Virgo.

-Tsai! Tsai! Answer me!
Tsai began to hear someone calling him, and he woke up. His whole body was aching, but he stood up anyways.
-Here I am... Rao...
-Tsai! You're not that bad. We need to hurry, we must go to the Pope's Temple.
Tsai opened his eyes widely. He had obviously been missing something.
-What?!
-Haven't you felt it? Strange. There's no time to explain it now, just... Let's go.
Rao and Tsai began running towards the exit of the House. Then Tsai stopped.
-Wait... What about Sid, Mai and the others?
Rao paused for a while. Then he looked back at Tsai.
-I have lost enough time by going back to you. They must come back later by themselves.
Rao continued running with Tsai behind him, wondering if the rest of the saints will be able to run behind them.

Souki, Arukai and Mai reached the House of Shadow Virgo. There, they found Sid, still lying on the ground.
-Is he...?
Before she could finish the sentence, Sid's fingers started to move. The saints rejoiced.
-Sid, you're alive! He's alive!
-Of course I'm alive... I'm not that weak...
He opened his eyes and slowly began to stand up. Then he started to look around. He did not see Adonis' corpse anywhere.
-Damn it! He survived! -He yelled, furious.
-Well, I guess you're not that strong then. -Arukai said.
-Oh, shut up -Sid said-. Let's go kick these demons out of the Shadow Sanctuary.

The first thing Tsai did when he reached the House of Shadow Sagittarius was to look for Yuki.
-She's not here -Rao said, impatiently.
-Well, she must be somewhere!
-Perhaps she's gone running to the Pope's Temple. Like us.
This calmed Tsai down a little bit, but he was still worried about her.
Listen, Tsai, she has probably reached the House of Shadow Pisces by now. I'm going.
Rao began running to the exit, while Tsai kept thinking of what he said.
-He's right -he thought-. This search is useless... She's not here.
Suddenly, he saw four figures entering the House.
-Souki, Sid, Arukai, Mai! It's so good to see you!
-So good to see you too! Where is Rao? And Yuki? -Arukai asked.
-Rao's running to the Pope's Temple -Tsai answered-, and I don't know about Yuki... I hope she is okay.

Dæmonicus took a step forward, opened the door gallantly and entered. The Demoniac followed him through the red carpet. Finally, they reached the Pope's chamber. Dæmonicus stood in front of the chamber's door for a while. He broke in, abruptly, which is very unusual of him. The Demoniac themselves were a bit surprised of his conduct. Dæmonicus started walking towards the throne, and stopped halfway. He laughed with his usual cold voice.
-Well, well... Guess who's back.
The man sitting on the throne stood up.
-Guess who's not anymore.
He picked up Sagittarius Demoniac's cloth pieces and threw them at Dæmonicus' feet, who frowned.
-Alexander... -Dæmonicus growled.
Alexander removed his mask, revealing his face. The Demoniac gasped.
-You look very young, Alexander -Dæmonicus said-. Just like the last time I saw you.
Alexander did not say anything. Dæmonicus smiled, very lightly. He closed his eyes and looked at Alexander, very serene. Alexander put his mask back on.
-But I think your intelligence has deteriorated with time. Because you made a huge mistake.
-What could I possibly miss?
-Do you think I'm stupid? You failed at hiding Shadow Saggittarius' real identity from me.

Alexander's face showed surprise for the first time. He frowned while looking down, closing his fists as tight as he could.
-How... How dare you... What have you done to her?
-I've fulfilled her destiny.
Alexander's cosmo began glowing gold, and his eyes looked as if they were on fire. He started to run towards Dæmonicus.
-Golden Dawn!
Alexander's golden beam clashed with Dæmonicus' defense attack. The attacks exploded and both adversaries were pushed away. Suddenly, a man enters the room.
-Your Holiness, are you alright?
Alexander looked at him while recovering from the attack colision.
-Yes, Celsus, I'm good, now please, go back to your House!
-No! We saints have the duty to protect the Shadow Sanctuary! Sharp Impact!
The green ray went directly to Dæmonicus, but it was absorbed by a vortex that appearared in front of him.
-Protection? You will not even be able to save your own lives! -Selena said, laughing.
A second vortex appeared, and the green ray was redirected to Celsus. But someone saved him from it. A second ago, Rao of Shadow Scorpio had entered the room and pushed the ray, refracting it to a wall.
-Yes, this kind of protection -He said.
He said this as he grabbed Adonis' corpse and threw it to the floor. Rao smirked, cruelly, while the Demoniac gazed in horror.

-In fact, you'll be the ones that won't leave this place alive -another voice said, from behind the door.
Tsai entered the room, along with Souki, Sid, Mai and Arukai. Despite their injures, they were all eager to fight the Demoniac.
-Where is Tamiel? -Celsus asked.
-He's coming -Tsai said-. He didn't mention anything else.
Dæmonicus laughed, staring at Alexander.
-You did well on choosing him as the Shadow Pisces saint, Alexander.
-So, what was exactly his mistake?
Tamiel stood in the entrance, with an odd look. He wasn't fully recovered; his eyes betrayed him. However, he was able to react quickly enough to block an attack coming by a Demoniac behind him.
-Bastard! -Ryu Wo yelled.
Tamiel twisted his hand and pushed him away, revealing a second Demoniac behind him.
-Mental Distortion! -Tida exclaimed.
The Shadow Saint of Pisces was not prepared for this, but Tida was very weak, and didn't manage to hit him. Both Demoniac started attacking Tamiel, and he started to give in. Souki and Arukai ran to help him, and started fighting as well.
-Soul Nova! -Arukai exclaimed.
-Storm Cosmo! -Souki exclaimed at the same time.
Two Demoniac stepped on their way, though; Bithet managed to stop Souki's attack with effort, and Lorelei tried to stop Arukai's beam. However, she was far too weak to stop it, and was pushed all the way to Tida. Both fell to the ground, and they didn't stand up for a while. Dæmonicus and Alexander did nothing to stop this; both of them were watching as if it didn't involve them.

Minutes later, Haruna and Bianca reached the Pope's chamber. They were taken by surprise when they saw such a huge fight going on: Tsai was throwing a fire beam at Selena, who tried to block it as she launched an attack to Mai, who fell to the ground; Ryu Wo hit Souki in the back, but finally got cut in half by Rao just before Souki launched his ken at him, pushing him off the room; Li launched her strongest attack at a distracted Sid, who fell to the floor right next to Mai. One by one, the Shadow Saints started to give in. Dæmonicus was smirking at Alexander.
-They have failed you. And so have you. I thought you were smarter, Alexander. It's been a long time, and you still haven't realized the truth about me. Because of this, you could not protect Shadow Sagittarius from me and from her destiny.
-That is not her destiny! -Alexander shouted at him.
-You know it is. It is our purpose to envenom the world, just as it was planned.
Alexander heard these words before, a long, long time ago. He remembered the day he found the ancient Pope dead. He ran towards the door, and saw him lying on the ground, with his mask far away from him. He lifted him up, and what he saw next was the most horrifying thing he had ever seen in his extended life. The Pope's face was pallid, with a horror expression clearly marked in his face. From his mouth, a strange liquid was pouring. This small flashback, plus what Dæmonicus had just said, made him realize who was the being he was facing. It was no mere demon, no mere higher being...
-Is it... Is it maybe... Yes, it has to be...
Dæmonicus kept smirking. He was obviously enjoying Alexander's recent discovering.
-The one called God's Poison... Samael!

Bianca fell to the ground, unconscious. She was attacked by Azrael of Cancer Demoniac, who had just arrived from the House of Shadow Aquarius. Haruna struck him, revengeful; however, Azrael defeated her.
-Soul Nova!
Selena's vortex absorbed the attack, and sent it back to Arukai, who was pushed against a wall with great force. He did not have enough strength to lift himself up, and Selena used her ken to make herself sure that he would not be able to for a long time.
-Mental Distortion!
He had finally knocked out Celsus, who laid on the floor, motionless. Rao had been severely injured by Li and Bithet, who fought him at the same time. Despite his strength and coordination, he was no match for two simultaneous fights.
-Violet Sun!
He launched the attack, and Azrael leapt back to evade it. Tsai was lucky to evade Tida's attack, which was launched right after his. Tamiel and Souki were fighting against Bithet, Li and Selena. They were obviously outnumbered.
-We can't handle this! We're just three saints! -Souki said.
-Three is just enough! -Tamiel said.
-Cover me! -Tsai said.

Tsai began charging two fire beams in his hands while Tamiel and Souki fought against 5 Demoniac.
-Shadow Scythe!
-Tenki Nagareboshi Ken!
The Demoniac were pushed away, but it was not enough to defeat them.
-Tsai, hurry up! -Souki yelled.
-Meiun no Enkei! -Tsai exclaimed a few seconds after.
He released both fire beams at opposite directions. These ones encircled the 5 Demoniac, making them unable to attack for a while. Dæmonicus thought that perhaps he should interfere in this, but Alexander ran towards him and blocked his way.
-You are not doing anything, Samael.
Dæmonicus, now revealed as Samael, smiled. He quickly charged his ken at Alexander, who tried to stop it, thus making it explode in the middle. Samael revealed his silver claws, which tried to cut Alexander, but he evaded it by grabbing his arm. Samael grabbed Alexander's arm as well, and they both tried to push each other. Their fight was so intense that they broke the Temple's wall, falling through its hole to the garden outside. No one could go and see what was going on, but they could hear and sense their cosmo increasing at an enormous rate, at the same time they sensed their cosmo getting further from the Temple.

The defense Tsai had created wore off, and the saints were forced to fight against the Demoniac again. Tamiel and Souki were losing his strength, for they were fighting against 5 Demoniac. Tsai was completely exhausted; maintaining his attack for such a long amount of time had taken most of his energies.
-Souki! Open a vortex! -Tamiel yelled.
Souki did as he say, and opened a vortex. Tamiel entered and, seconds later, Souki created a second vortex. Tamiel appeared from it, jumping in the air towards Li while having a charged beam in his hands.
-Apocalyptica! -He exclaimed.
The attack hit Li by surprise, and was stamped to the wall. She fell to the floor slowly, lifeless. Tamiel fell on his knees, unable to see Tida running towards him and kicking him in the stomach. He watched how Tamiel and the other saints slowly began to lose their life. He laughed, and looked back at Tamiel. He then called Bithet.
-It is the end of the Order -Tida said-. Let's kill this one, Bithet. He has been responsible for the death of Kumbha.
He pointed at Tamiel, who was lifting himself up with all the resting strength he had got.
-It'll be a pleasure. Acidic--
Before he could finish, he started to feel certain coldness in his back.
-What?! Have I just...?!
When Tamiel looked up, he saw Bithet, ready to give his final blow. However, his whole body was covered in ice. The Demoniac gasped in horror. Who could have possibly done this without being noticed?

His body, just like Hikari's, broke down into small red-colored ice pieces. The Demoniac looked around, trying to find the mysterious attacker, and so did the Shadow Saints for a second. Azrael saw a figure behind one of the pillars, but so did Selena and Tida. The saints even saw different figures. Then, they realized that there were 12 figures hiding behind the pillars. They were all wearing a cloth they could not remember clearly.
-What is going on here? -Souki asked Tamiel.
-Finally -Tamiel responded.
Souki was even more confused than before. The 12 figures vanished from behind the pillars, leaving the Demoniac in confusion.
-It was merely an illusion...
The Demoniac noticed this voice came from the dark hallway. A figure started to walk into the Pope's chamber.
-I didn't stop you back then at the House of Shadow Aquarius, but I think it is about time for you to stop.
The figure entered the chamber. He was wearing the cloth of Shadow Aquarius.
-That is impossible -Tsai said-, there was never a...
-... Saint of Shadow Aquarius... -Souki finished.
Almost immediately, Tida and Selena ran towards him.
-Subtance Coalition!
-Mental Distortion!
-Frost Spiral!
Both Demoniac got their fists frozen down. The saint ran towards them and pushed them against a pillar.
-Who are you...?
The saint did not answer. Selena and Tida broke the ice covering their fists and tried to attack the saint, but Tsai and Souki stopped them. They began to regain not only strength, but hope. The Demoniac noticed their cosmo's growth.
-Violet Sun!
The attack reached Tida. The burning sensation was unbearable; he fell to the floor screaming in pain until he stopped moving.
-Storm Cosmo!
Selena was beated up by the power of the tornado-shaped cosmo of Souki. She fell to the ground, unable to move.
These two saints sat on the floor, completely exhausted. Each of them could perceive a bright, glittering glow around them. Using their maximum strength, they had finally mastered the seventh sense and thus defeating their adversaries.

Azrael was the last Demoniac left. He looked quite afraid of the current situation. The saint looked at Tsai.
-Go help the Pope.
-But first--
-Just do it -Tamiel said, while walking towards the hole in the wall.
Tsai and Souki followed Tamiel. Finally, Azrael and the saint were left alone.
-You were, indeed, a serious threat. Look at you. You are the last Demoniac.
-And you will be the last Shadow Saint soon!
The saint walked around him, as if he was tracing a circle. He began charging an ice sphere. Azrael's cosmo was increasing.
-Don't underestimate the Order. Frost Shattering!
-Hand of the Dead!
But the saint's attack was already directing towards him. Azrael's attack was frozen, just like his body. He was now trapped in an ice block, unable to move. He looked at the saint, wondering what may become of him.
-Give up, Cancer Demoniac. Go back to your slumber.
Azrael began to feel how his life was slowly freezing down. The ice was already doing an effect on his body. In a matter of minutes, or even seconds, he will turn into small, frozen pieces, just like Hikari and Bithet.
-Shadow Aquarius, just... tell me your name...
The saint was already leaving to help the Pope, but he turned back and looked at him.
-I am Rah, saint of Shadow Aquarius.
-Oh, so you are indeed--
Before Azrael could finish talking, The ice block broke into lots of small pieces, along with his body.

This is a work of fiction. Original story by Masami Kurumada. Copyright 1986 Saint Seiya. All rights reserved.