Chapter Text
When they opened their eyes, Aqulia Yuna and Lionet Souma did not expect to see their surroundings bathed in sunlight. They didn't expect to have strength in their bodies—to be alive—and were able to stand off from the wall and onto their feet. They saw their Cloths nearby, in their restored, constellational forms, standing in wait. A turn of their heads, and a gasp of shock left both Saints, seeing Megaera on the ground. Then, further ahead, they saw another motionless body.
"Ryuho!" Yuna and Souma ran up to their fallen friend and knelt next to him.
"That Cosmos we felt…he must've beaten the Terrae." Yuna slowly turned Dragon onto his back and saw his mellow face. His eyes were closed. Neither Saint could sense his Cosmos from him. Yuna looked pained. Souma's face contorted in regret.
"Damn it." He mumbled, punching the ground.
Rapid footsteps—a clatter clatter— echoed in the chamber; Eden and Kouga appeared in a rush.
"Ryuho!" Kouga was exasperated; he felt the entire battle of clashing Cosmos while on the steps, which he suffered climbing up to no fault of his own. Right before reaching the threshold, it was Ryuho's Cosmos that rose than ebbed. If only he made it in time, he thought. Eden crouched down and placed an ear on Ryuho's heart, a finger on his wrist. Everything was slowed to a near stop.
"It's hard to say, but it looks like he may…" Orion stopped there and bowed his head. Kouga swiftly broke down onto his knees. All that effort he pulled on the stairs, the pain he felt, welled up and exploded in snuffles and loosened tears.
"Don't cry Kouga," uttered Eden in a low breath.
"I thought I was a goner," said Souma. "Ryuho, somehow, he defeated the Terrae and saved us. That should be proof of his powerful will,"
"Therefore, we must fight hard for him," said Yuna. Kouga, who took in a deep breath to calm down, was pulled back onto his feet by Aquila, Orion and Lionet. Kouga glanced at the door and clenched his teeth.
"One more. Just one more."
Outside the 3rd Garden, as they rushed up the steps, the four Bronze Saints talk it over on what might be the best approach to stop Demeter. Should they face the next Terrae, or pass him or her to confront the Mother Goddess about Shaina's Cloth? They had to leave Ryuho's body, still carrying the idea that he would reunite with them. Whichever fate he faced, Dragon Ryuho was out of commission and would not make it to the next tribulation with the others.
The Saints passed the temple threshold, ignoring the cornice above that read the name of the last Garden: "Horae, Thy Phases of Everlasting Life." The outside was a typical Ionic architecture with scroll like capitals—the volutes— atop the columns, and extra stairs. What made it stand out the most was the paint: a sky blue contrasted with bright white and red. In fact, at higher levels, there were more polychromies upon simple shapes such as suns, crescents, arrows, stars, leaves, and thin waves. At the doorway were two sculptures of kneeling Trojan archers.
Inside, the 4th Garden evinces a breath of relief after experiencing a long, arduous journey or a nightmare. The atmosphere felt charged by incandescent magic: The walls and spirals were typical for a temple, painted sky blue, but there was an open grassy field in a sunbeam, severed by a marble road. The road led to a carved in arch door, which stood upon a higher platform after a small flight of steps. Two sculptures of small ivory dragons stood aside the door.
However, despite anticipation tightening their chests, no one was around to greet the Saints. Souma mentioned that it was best not to get caught like in the 2nd Garden, and they all headed for the other side. But when the Saints did, a bright discharge appeared between there and them, bouncing them off the exit doorway.
"A barrier?" said Eden. As they stared, the Saints realized a glass like shimmer across the arc door.
"If Demeter Temple is just ahead, then this makes sense, right?" surmised Souma.
"Let's attack it at one time!" Kouga's impulsiveness had rallied everyone in a row in front of the door. They locked their arms at their hips and gathered their Cosmos around their bodies.
"Hold it." A voice, an imperious echo, reached out and froze the Saints in place, and a gold halo suddenly appeared before them. Right after that, Yuna's voice raised in a cry; alarmed, the other Saints broke formation and leapt backwards in a retreat.
"Look out!" Eden warned imperatively, then he felt a jolt in his body, clenching his teeth. Flying out from between the halo was a swaying red bullet with a tail, which swooped back and forth like an insect. It threaded through each Saint, starting with Yuna and ending with Kouga, landing everyone on their backs. They groaned loudly, their eyes filled with a deep red visual; a caustic burn consumed each of their bodies.
"Welcome to the Garden of Horae, Saints of Athena." The gravitas of voice was enough to pull the attention of Kouga and the others to the halo. A man emerged from it, the halo then compressing to a small size below his feet and sliding onto his wrist. A robed man with gold eyes and a chiseled face now stood before the barriered door.
After the redness and the burning went away, Kouga looked up and saw a violet mane in the wind. "It is you after all!"
"Pegasus."
"Arion! If you're the one that's left, then prepare yourself!"
"You express such confidence even in the 4th Garden of Horae." Hands crossed below his waist, Arion stared down at the Saints sitting up from their backs. Compared to the last three Terrae, he would seem the most patient and placid, but a suspicion rose that he was hiding massive power.
"Hark. Horae is everything," Arion spoke as he slowly went down the stairs. "The cycle of the seasons, the time of earth. In other words, order. Correctness. The nature that all the deities has brought us. Twelve hours of day, twelve hours of night. Everything contains substance and prosperity."
"I say that to every visitor. Had it been an address to the people, who come to pray to the goddess Demeter, my words would be ideal. But the situation is different."
The burning of their bodies went away and the four Saints returned to their feet. Arion continued as he reached the base of the steps.
"I can't help but praise the effort of you all. But, how could you kill Megaera, Pegasus?"
Kouga's only answer was a defiant scowl. He knew well that he didn't kill the Third Terrae, but Ryuho's effort and pain during the battle could be shared among all the Saints. He was a testament for what the youths would do for one another to reach their goal.
"To go through Terrae, particularly Meg, who has a direct attachment to the Underworld. That can only be described as…a miracle." Rather, Arion wasn't surprised that a warrior with a God-flouting spirit could make it. He knew the myths of the Cloths, which appeared when Athena was in peril during the first war of the gods.
"You are here, so the question is now – how will you Saints celebrate Athena's death?"
"What was that?!" As Kouga's shout, the other Saints glowered at Arion.
"Saints, as of now, your Goddess is imprisoned in Limbo, standing in wait for the soul and body of the Underworld King to return."
"Say what?!"
"Yes, she is in our custody, thanks to one of your…ilk."
"You're lying!"
That was enough to set Kouga off; he cared none for the reason, and light billowed his entire body. He pulled his arm back; the others follow suit and advance on the Terrae in a synchronized leap. Arion kept still; Yuna, Eden and Souma suddenly convulsed in mid-air, dropping again. With both arms, Kouga held himself tightly to stay on his feet.
"This feeling!" He groaned through a surge of pain that went up and down.
"Remember Pegasus? Chthon Impulse."
"Shit!" Kouga barked. "Guys, don't use your Cosmos!" Damnit, did he get all of us? That attack from the ring…Pegasus immediately guessed; it all came back to him when the "bullet" struck him and felt that burn afterward, but shortly afterward he felt fine. It was just like when he first met Arion when he approached the Four Gardens.
"This way you'll be defenseless, and Demeter's safety is assured," said Arion. He held his tongue, and almost told the Saints to turn back now. In the back of his mind, however, he wondered if he should deliver a death sentence.
"The same attack won't work on me twice!" Kouga rushed in and threw a punch, which floated in mid-air inches from Arion's palm. His fist caught in compressed air, furious eyes were fixed on Arion.
"You lie about Athena!"
"Do I?"
"Get out of our way!" At this moment, Arion raised his other hand—He took Yuna's foot, took a step forward and shoved Kouga and Yuna back. Then, he nearly doubled over. A punch was pushed into his stomach. He wrenched back; Eden landed a punch, and then his kick went into Arion's thigh.
"Heads up pal!"
Arion's head turned to look over his shoulder, and his cheek was pressed in. He stumbled a step to one side, then the other; Yuna's kick pushed him into Eden, and he was then punched and kicked by Orion and Pegasus. The swiftness of the attacks made him disoriented and distracted to the point that he lost the thought of defending himself. All four Saints cardinally surrounded the Terrae.
'I see. Their martial prowess beyond the Cosmos. Did they train diligently?"
And so fast his promise to the Goddess, to rid of their enemies who caused them grief, had left his conscious.
The pounding, randomizing attacks kept to him like a spiral of wind. Arion danced on his heels as he tilted and twirled from the shocks against his body. Back of the head, his waist, his face; the swiftness from each punch and kick left him addled, and with bemused thoughts.
What made the four Saints—who triumphed over Gold Saints and three Terrae— fight so diligently? As the fourth and strongest Terrae, to drop his guard for a second, was perhaps due to him respecting them.
What is it!? Anger? Determination? Sense of justice? Belligerence? Or is it…love? I see. Human passion. Love. But he woke up and found a slight window opening to act. Arion crossed his arms ahead his face. Then, the Saints are caught in a thick, pressurized layer in the air. Between his hands, swerving his eyes, he could see Kouga, Eden, Souma and Yuna in mid-attack. Their limbs outstretched or withdrawn, arm and leg, it looked to be in slow motion.
"Amative Saints. I seek only the perseverance of the Mother Goddess. An amicable Goddess."
Even though they had moxie, the Saints were still in trouble from being unable to use their Cosmos. Unlike their opponent.
Arion swung out his arms and the layer of hidden pressure dispersed—in a wave of force that threw the four Saints backwards. Shortly after, he faced the eyes of those that never gives up; Kouga gained footing and charged forward.
"Pegasus, without your Cosmos, you are like a normal human, facing a powerful mass. You are quite useless before me." Cosmos rose around Arion's body, and his eyes flashed a golden light as he reached out with a palm.
"Chiron's Pride."
Kouga and the other Saints looked ahead for only a second or two: An apparition of a group of men—with the lower half of their bodies and legs that of horses—carrying recurved bows, drawn back taut with arrows. The arrows were painted pristine white. When the bowstrings were released, the Saints saw flashes, and then black. It was not an illusion; Arion saw each Saint struck by an arrow of light and pinned flat against the ground on their faces. The shockwave that hit them unleashed an adrenaline that made them blind. It didn't feel as if their skin, and their hearts, were torn, but rather, it felt like being hit then mowed down by a stampede of buffalo. They would not realize it was the work of a superlative venom; the Terrae's attack was meant to immobilize the target without fail, if not kill. Arion held his hands, crossing him over his abdomen as he eyed the Saints on the ground, each one with an arrow in them. There was no motion, and all he thought of was an assured victory. He turned to walk away, but didn't leave. The "miracle" that the Bronzes made continued to itch at his mind: After all, the weakest of the Saint hierarchy having managed to pass three Terrae. Arion turned to look over his shoulder.
A moan had entered his ear. Looking a bit further, Arion saw a body moving and blandly spoke, "I do not like hurting women."
"That is unfortunate." The one who stood was the Saint with golden locks, Aquila Yuna. She took in a few breaths and widened her legs in a readying, attack stance. She wasn't a least bit perturbed by the arrow in her body, or her friends lying prone on the ground. Rather, she contained her courage and kept herself intact to fulfill the mission. She felt the Chiron Pride to the depths, the heaviness that threatened to revert her back to the darkness, but her body and Cloth kept together.
"Megaera nearly killed us, but our friend sacrificed himself to help us forward. I am proof of that, and I must fight."
After taking some steps towards Yuna, Arion grabbed the cuff of his robe's sleeve and pulled it back, revealing his right bare arm. Over his wrist was a brown, three-pronged tattoo; his face did not show it, but he burdened a swirl of thoughts, his golden eyes transfixed on Yuna.
"What's your name, young lady?"
"Bronze Saint of Athena, Aquila Yuna."
"I see. Yuna, I must correct you. It is not unfortunate that I dislike fighting women." Yuna cocked her eyebrows at Arion's words, wondering what he meant, while also thinking that he was rather talkative. However, she was convinced that the Terrae harnessed high attack power that she had to be cautious of.
"On the contrary—it is fortunate."
"What do you mean?"
Arion didn't follow with an answer, and thrusted out his palm. Yuna expected to be blown back, but instead, her instincts chilled. A sensation caused her eyes to widen; a loud ethereal sound, like the propeller blades of a helicopter, roared through her ears. Her stomach churned and no courage or positive thoughts could stabilize her anxiety. She turned her head away from Arion and looked behind her.
Holding his arm up with his other hand, the Fourth Terrae spoke as a vibration captured his body. "It means that you will have to die quicker than most. Immediately."
Before Aqulia Yuna's eyes was dark matter. A vacuum, dotted with dimly lit stars, suddenly materialized behind Yuna in a fissure across the air. The rip was about her size. Before she could wrap her head around what was happening, her feet began to slowly float from off the ground. A force was pulling her body, and she helplessly began to drift into the rip. Arion trembled, bending his knees, and holding the soles of his feet against the ground.
"Yuna!"
Before Aquila entered the rip headfirst, something grasped her leg.
"Yuna! If you go in there, you may surely die!" Attempting to hold the ground with his other hand, while attempting to pull Yuna back into the temple garden, Lionet Souma had regained consciousness.
Arion's eyes widened. Those two…how?! That can only mean…no, they should die.
The Terrae spread out his fingers, and the rip expanded by its edges. The pressure increased; the unconscious Koga and Eden began to drift into the air and towards the rip. Souma's voice raised at his hand pulled off the ground, and both he and Yuna would be the first to go in.
The moment they crossed the threshold, their eyesight began to dim; it felt that their souls were gradually slipping away.
"No, I won't give in here!"
As a promise was made, a great light cupped Souma. He and Yuna malleably stretched within the dark matter. Their screams bated Arion's insecurity as he waited for their demise. All he needed to do was wait for Pegasus and Orion to be sucked in.
Those two were caught—-in Lionet's hands outside of the fissure leading into the dark matter. Arion's face could not hold back surprise. He murmured low as to there being one possible reason, then one of his knees fell to the ground. As his body vibrated, his eyesight fuzzed; the pupil of one of his eyes constricted. He hissed in a low breath. Then, the voice of God would reach him.
Arion stop! Have you gone mad?!