Seiya, Shun and Shiryu followed the stairs of the Twelve Temples, the night upon them; at the distance, in the Fire Clock, they saw how the flames of Aquarius and Pisces were still burning brightly. Renewed for having gained precious hours thanks to Aioria's help and Hyoga's sacrifice.
"What is that smell?" Shiryu asked her friends.
And then Seiya finally noticed that as they climbed, more and more roses appeared on the stairs.
"They are roses, Shiryu." said the friend.
They were immediately reminded of that young and beautiful figure from the Sad Night, a Gold Saint who used Roses against his enemies. For that made Shun be sure of another detail that now seemed distant, but in fact it had only been a few days since he had known.
"Seiya, Shiryu, wait." he asked.
"What is it, Shun?"
"I need to ask you something." he began. "I want you to go straight to the Temple of the Camerlengo. The Pisces Saint is the one responsible for the attack on Andromeda Island and I want to have the chance to fight for my Master."
"The island that you went on to train, Shun?" asked Shiryu.
"Yes. June told me in Jamir that a single Gold Saint was able to defeat my Master in battle as well as slay nearly every student on the island."
"How do you know it was him, Shun?" Seiya asked.
"The roses. He left behind a single Red Rose."
Seiya saw around him dozens and dozens of red, white and black roses.
"We took an oath, didn't we?" Shun continued. "At least one of us needs to get to the Camerlengo Temple to save Athena."
"Are you sure about this, Shun?" asked Shiryu.
"Yes," he confirmed. "But before you go, I'd like to tell you something that I've been thinking about since we left the House of Gemini."
Shun took from inside his armor a kind of scapular with broken ecclesiastical beads stuck to a gold chain. He gave it to Seiya to hold in his hands.
"What is this, Shun?"
"It's a rosary. It came back with the Nebula Chain when I defeated the Gemini Saint."
"A rosary?" asked Shiryu, curious.
"Friends, if the Pisces Saint is the one who can control Roses as we saw in the Sad Night, I suspect that the true Gemini Saint is the one who is impersonating the Camerlengo, the servant of the Pontiff of Athena."
"The Gemini Saint?"
"But Shun, the Gemini Saint was just an illusion in the third temple, he didn't really exist."
"I can't explain it, Shiryu, but this rosary must undoubtedly belong to the order of the Pontiff of Athena. If not the Camerlengo, someone very close to him can even control a Gold Cloth like Gemini."
"Gemini." Seiya thought alone, remembering that the Saint was also in the fateful night.
"In that case, we must be careful not to let ourselves be deceived by possible illusions in the Temple, Seiya." Shiryu warned, reminding his friend what had happened in the third temple.
"OK." Seiya thanked.
"I will be with you soon." Shun promised.
And together they finally followed the stairs to the twelfth temple, the House of Pisces.
When they reached the last steps to the final temple, the three found themselves attacked by three flying flowers, which they dodged by throwing themselves into the corners of the stairs. Shun looked at his back and three wonderful red roses sparkled on the staircase.
"The Gold Saint!" Seiya announced seeing that the figure was at the entrance to the House of Pisces.
He was a beautiful man.
His Gold Cloth had some small, discreet fins on his elbows and thighs, a wonderful oceanic cape that fell from his back, his light, full, silky hair gleamed reflecting the light of his golden cosmos. The eyes were lined and delicate, the mouth glowing with a beautiful pink tint.
In his mouth, however, a perfect red rose. The helmet held in his arms.
The Pisces Saint was the most beautiful man there was.
Seiya and Shun were stunned by that magnificent sight, for indeed his whole body seemed to glow with gold; only Shiryu was free from his spell.
"Who are you?" Seiya asked.
The Pisces Saint arranged his long hair and smiled passionately at them.
"I am Pisces Aphrodite."
"Aphrodite." Seiya repeated to himself. "So you are the last Gold Saint."
"My friends, please, go ahead!" asked Shun.
"OK, Shun." Shiryu agreed.
And then the two of them ran and crossed beside the wonderful Pisces Saint. Aphrodite turned to chase them, but the Nebula Chain ripped through the air and caught his right wrist to stop him.
"Wait, Aphrodite. I won't let you go anywhere until my friends leave this temple."
"Boy, I'll tell you something." said Aphrodite, and oddly enough, he had a velvety, deep voice. "Even if those Bronze Saints friend of yours go through my lair, they won't make it to the Temple of the Camerlengo."
"What do you mean by that?"
"They will die in the procession of my rose funeral."
And he let out an amused, mocking laugh.
-/-
Both Seiya and Shiryu walked through the House of Pisces, which had fountains and small waterfalls in a well-lit place, a rose garden and wonderful paintings on the wall. But they left the opulent surroundings behind and finally headed out into the Greek night towards their final destination: the Temple of the Camerlengo.
"Come on, Shiryu! We finally crossed the Twelve Temples, but... What is this?"
"What is it Seiya?"
Ahead of them, Seiya could see how the stairway that would lead to the Temple of the Camerlengo was absolutely filled with red roses, like a huge carpet covering the entire distance from where they stood to the top of the mountain.
"Roses, Shiryu. Roses everywhere. The path is covered with roses and thorns from here to the top of the mountain. It's a big red carpet."
"The scent is really powerful." commented the girl. "But not only that, Seiya, I can also smell a subtly sour smell in front of us, which reminds me of the smell of certain poisons."
"Poison?" Seiya asked. "Damn, we made it through the Twelve Temples, it won't be these roses that will stop us. Come on, Shiryu!"
And off they were. They leapt for the stairs, ignoring the rose carpet, and ran as fast as they could to reach the Temple of the Camerlengo as soon as possible. And as they ran, their feet raised clouds of petals that came in front of the path. The thorns gradually began to prick them in their heels, as if it were possible, and some of the roses that floated hurt them from the hips to the shoulders.
Seiya slowly felt his eyes waver and lose focus.
"Seiya!" called Shiryu. "These roses are not normal. There's something wrong."
"I feel the same thing, Shiryu. My body feels like it's falling asleep."
"My legs are heavy."
The two then stopped.
And stopping was a terrible mistake, as both slowly lost consciousness and fell onto the carpet of roses.
Shun pulled the chain causing Pisces Aphrodite to face him.
"Explain yourself, Aphrodite."
"The roses that cover the path are not ordinary roses. They are Poisoned Roses grown in royal gardens from the past and scattered around castles to stop enemies from approaching. These are the Royal Demon Roses. As soon as you sniff its pollen or touch the spines, your motor functions gradually diminish, and the five senses of the body slowly fade away. Until the person sleeps forever."
He opened his eyes and looked at Shun.
"I doubt they can get ten steps down the red carpet."
Shun looked forward to the Temple's exit across a beautiful courtyard and made to follow the friends, but this time it was Aphrodite who pulled the chain that was still in his fist.
"Wait. Where do you think you are going?" he asked. "I thought you would fight me, Andromeda."
His deep, sweet voice clearly voiced Shun's constellation, which amazed him, as he seemed to know him. His eyes were beautiful and hypnotic.
"Do you know who I am?" Shun asked, amazed.
"You are one of the disciples of the late Master Daedalus from the Isle of Andromeda. Only they are allowed to use the Chains in the Sanctuary." said Aphrodite, fidgeting with the chain that still held his wrist.
"So you really were the one who punished all the islanders and killed my master." Shun said, saddened. "Do you know how many friends I've lost?"
"I'm sorry, Andromeda. But that's what happens in a war, especially when you're on the wrong side. Your Master was highly respected and his strength matched that of the Gold Saints, but he was one of those who raised suspicions about the Camerlengo, and refused numerous calls to return to Sanctuary. And for that reason he was punished."
"How can you agree with something like that, Aphrodite?"
"You are still very young, Andromeda. The Athena Sanctuary battles enemies of unshakable loyalty. We are not allowed to have doubts within our own lines of defense, or we would be an easy prey. When the War is Holy, the doubts and suspicions of those on our side can be the evil influence of an enemy. It cannot exist."
"But the Camerlengo is the very incarnation of that evil within the Sanctuary."
"The Camerlengo is a immense and mighty man, capable of leading Athena's army twice in terrific battles. And if there is peace on this earth so that you can cultivate love and beauty, it's because of the Camerlengo's unyielding grip."
"He's not who he says he is."
"I know very well who he isn't and exactly who he is."
Shun was astonished, for then he imagined that everyone in that Sanctuary who followed the Camerlengo's commands and disobedience did so because they didn't know the truth, but there before him a handsome and honorable Gold Saint seemed to know exactly who he was.
"How can you be with a person like him?"
"I'm on the side of power."
"He tried to kill Athena fifteen years ago, he tried again today, and now she's suffering in the House of Aries!"
"It's unfortunate that that young and lovely girl now suffers in the House of Aries, but my mission is to protect the Earth." he began. "And swearing loyalty to someone like her is like betraying everyone who lives here. And that I cannot do. Only power can guarantee justice."
"And what about those who are frail? Must they always submit to the powerful?"
"That's exactly it, Andromeda. There is nothing more beautiful under the sky than the immense force of power. It is thanks to the power of the Master that peace reigns on this planet."
"Well, that's not what Saori represents, that's not what Athena represents!"
"And that's why she now dies in the House of Aries. Her love is touching, but she cannot guarantee that people live in peace in their homes while the Gods fight on Olympus."
"I can't agree with that!" Shun said.
"Then you will have to fight me, Andromeda."
The Gold Saint pulled the chain and Shun violently towards him. Shun's body flew through the temple; Aphrodite dodged to avoid being hit by him and simply let the boy crash against a column, falling into a low fountain that the House of Pisces had in a wide, circular area.
Shun stood up, wiping off the water that had wet his hair as it splashed against the small shallow spring. He turned to see Aphrodite walking into that huge hall. The Andromeda Saint would have to fight more than defend himself. He had touched the Seventh Sense before and, perhaps of all his friends, he was the one who had most deeply understood the words of Aires Mu. Precisely because of his nature of always thinking of others before himself, Shun seemed more capable of connecting to a cosmic universe, part of something much bigger. He closed his eyes and his Chains vibrated in the air.
He hated fighting, but he had to beat the Pisces Saint if he wanted to help his friends Seiya and Shiryu.
"I'll beat you, Pisces Aphrodite!" Shun swore. "I will avenge the death of my Master Daedalus and show you that Athena's strength lies in the faith we have in her and all that she represents!"
Aphrodite was unfazed by the threat and replaced his helmet on his left arm to cover his pretty hair; his golden Cosmo covering his body with a beautiful aura to be seen shining bright spots all over his body.
"We'll see how you fare with the scent of the Royal Demon Rose. The colors of this flower will perfectly match your young and dashing beauty, Andromeda. And so you will die with you unfortunate friends and that young girl in the House of Aries."
Shun watched as the brilliant Aphrodite conjured a single red rose with his right hand and threw it towards Shun; but then hundreds of other roses appeared, with petals all around, to pierce Shun and hurl him again against nearby pilasters. A swift attack that Shun barely had the sense to understand.
The Andromeda Saint noticed, when he opened his eyes, that around him there were many roses. As if he had fallen into a flower garden. More disconcerting, however, was that he didn't feel any pain; he was in a deep torpor. The light chest. A slow, comfortable death. He didn't feel bad, quite the contrary, maybe he hadn't felt this good for a long time. Too much time. He remembered June on the Isle of Andromeda, his training friends, and his Master Daedalus. How they all got together in the same house in the freezing cold of the Island to tell horror stories and keep warm.
Most of them were now dead and existed only in their beautiful memories; as well as his master Daedalus. A man as strict as he was kind. He told Shun that he applied the hardest training on him, as he expected more from him than the others, for being as strong as everyone else, but much kinder. His Test of Sacrifice was the last time he had seen his Master; Shun chained himself to two stone spiers in the middle of the ocean, whose tide quickly rose and would drown him if he couldn't get free in time.
It was that afternoon that he awakened his cosmos so deeply that he created a typhoon in the ocean, tame the currents, and proved himself worthy of the Andromeda Cloth. But now he was dying and would return to them. To the side of Seiya and Shiryu, also victims of the procession of roses, next to Saori, pierced by the Golden Arrow, and also Hyoga, frozen in the House of Aquarius. Beside Xiaoling, lost at the Threshold of Death. And so many others in the course of those terrible battles.
But his Cosmo, which was the deepest part of his being, refused to give up.
And Shun got up from that flower garden.
"Why are you getting up? You could have died in peace without any pain. If you had kept your eyes closed you wouldn't have had to suffer the horror of death, Andromeda."
"I'm not so weak as to prefer to die in peace."
"Don't forget that your five senses are quickly fading thanks to the rose's poison. If you keep fighting, it will only prolong your suffering." spoke Aphrodite seriously. "But if that's the path you've chosen, then I'll respect you."
His Cosmo glowed again and the Royal Demon Rose flew through the House of Pisces to hit Shun, but the boy flashed his Cosmo deeply and threw the circular chain into the air, creating a spinning matrix to protect his body against all those roses' attacks.
The chain rotated with speed, preventing any rose, thorn or petal from reaching his body. Aphrodite looked confused in front of him.
"How fascinating." Aphrodite pointed out. "Your master Daedalus had his body numb with just one of these roses and yet you were able to avoid my blow even after being hit."
And now it was Shun's turn to attack; he retracted the circular chain and hurled the triangular one with even more violence, taking advantage of the fact that the Gold Saint did not expect to have his blow stopped. But Aphrodite simply disappeared, fading into rose petals. Shun was amazed by that trick.
"How amazing, Aphrodite just disappeared as if consumed by a curtain of roses!"
He looked down at his feet and noticed he had red petals all over the place swirling around his heels. He understood that if something wasn't done, a procession of roses would be delivered right there for him. Aphrodite's low, elegant laugh echoed through the temple.
"You pride yourself on the defensive ability of your Nebula Chain, but my lovely Roses protect me too."
Shun seeked with his eyes where his enemy could be, but he couldn't find him in any corner of that room; but in anyway, he didn't need to see to know where the Pisces Saint was.
"It's useless, Aphrodite, my Triangular Chain can find you wherever you hide. Even if you're thousands of light years away." the boy burned his Cosmo and released the chain. "Thunder Wave!"
The Triangular Chain broke through the House of Pisces like lightning and hit something in the air that sent a golden helmet flying. But still, the helmet's owner did not reappeared and remained hidden in the mist of petals.
"I said you had nowhere to hide, Aphrodite! My Thunder Wave will hunt you down!"
And again the Triangular Chain streaked through the House of Pisces, and again it hit something with violence, echoing the metallic clang that it had crashed heavily into Aphrodite. But Shun was stunned to realize that the Triangular Chain had simply collided with a single Rose floating in the air. The end of the chain buried in the petals of the rose frozen in midair. It was a wonderful rose, a deep, pitch black. A Black Rose.
Pisces Aphrodite reappeared behind the black rose and Shun realized that it was actually in his left hand. The Gold Saint no longer had the helmet, hit earlier, and a trickle of blood ran from his forehead. His face wore a determined smile.
"I did not imagine that a sweet face like yours would guard such a strong fighting spirit." said Aphrodite initially. "All those who receive the Royal Demon Rose inevitably die, there is no way out. But I see that you do not have the patience to wait for the time of your death in silence. In that case, I'll end your life quickly."
The Gold Saint fixed his hair.
"And I'll start by taking your precious chain off you."
From that single black rose that now seemed to hold the Chain taut in the air, a swirl of other dark roses appeared enveloping Shun's chain.
"Feel the terror of my black roses!"
The black roses around the chain moved violently and their thorns, as if made of steel, slowly eroded the bronze of the chain, breaking its links.
"Dance, my beautiful Black Roses. Dance for me, Piranhan Roses!"
The Triangular Chain was completely obliterated and destroyed, falling before Shun in thousands of pieces; he was in deep amazement to see the result of that damn technique.
"But what are these Black Roses?" he asked, surprised.
"The Royal Demon Roses lead you to death slowly." said Aphrodite. "But these Black Roses kill the enemy in seconds. The thorns of the Roses are like Amazon piranhas, which tear everything they find. And now you will be torn apart by those thorns."
His golden cosmos manifested itself as a beautiful aura around his body and again the Black Roses were launched in a wonderful ball of petals and roses in the direction of the Andromeda Saint.
"Nebula Chain! Protect me!"
The circular chain, still intact in his left hand, took the shape of that spinning matrix around his body again, but as Aphrodite had said, those Black Roses, like piranhas, sliced the chain into pieces as well. And to Shun's nightmare, the terrible Black Roses were not content with the chains, as they also shredded and destroyed all the wonderful Andromeda Cloth restored by Mu. The sweet boy fell semi-naked into the House of Pisces, with hideously torn skin and blood pouring from his wounds.
Pisces Aphrodite left Shun's body where it was and headed for the entrance of his temple, because he could feel in the night the powerful Cosmos that could only belong to Gold Saints that seemed to have invaded the House of Aquarius, where a brother of his seemed to have said goodbye to life.
The Pisces Saint, however, had his attention taken, because behind him, in the oval hall, Shun still seemed alive.
"Haven't you given up yet?" he asked Shun, who could barely hear him, because his five senses were fading. "There's nothing left for you. Without your chains, you can no longer attack me, nor defend yourself. Wait for the time of your death. I don't want to see blood in my temple anymore."
But Shun refused to die and, lost in his senses, remembering his sister and all the people he loved, the Andromeda Saint seemed to have an even stronger cosmos than ever. A Cosmo that resonated with the memories Shun had beside Saori in the mountain refuge, the breakfasts, the pillow-fights, the nights of stories. He was an Athena Saint and a friend of Saori. He would fight for her.
"Your cosmos is so wonderful, Andromeda Saint. It glows like a fountain of fresh water pouring from a flower garden. But it is as beautiful as it is incomprehensible, as you were supposed to be dead. You were hit by my Demon Roses and also by the Black Roses."
The young warrior slowly rose, ascending his cosmo-energy even more, causing Aphrodite, for the first time, to stop and even experience a certain threat. For there before him were the two things that most impressed him: beauty and power. And, at that moment, the Andromeda Saint united the two in his pure cosmos.
"Aphrodite." Shun spoke with difficulties. "Forgive me for getting to this point."
"What are you talking about, Andromeda? What are you hiding in your cosmos?"
"I don't like it and I always avoid using my Cosmo as much as possible, but I need to help Seiya and Shiryu to reach the Camerlengo." Shun closed his eyes and his beautiful Cosmo took over the entire temple.
"Your cosmos is admirable, Andromeda, but I think the poison in my roses is making you delirious."
When trying to move towards Shun, however, Aphrodite noticed that he couldn't. He couldn't take a single step; much more than that, he couldn't even move his arms or his neck. Around his body were powerful strands of air, which mixed and raised the many petals of the House of Pisces. It was as if the Gold Saint's body was paralyzed by the brute force of a violent draft.
"Look, Aphrodite. I immobilized your body with the mighty air of that hazy current. Your life is now in my hands. Whether you're going to die or not is up to my will." Shun had a certain sadness in his eyes. "But if you pick up the red carpet and save Seiya and Shiryu, I won't do you any harm. But if you don't, you may have to pay dearly for it, Aphrodite."
"Don't underestimate me, Andromeda. You are wrong if you think you have seen all the colors of my beauty."
His golden cosmos appeared and his left hand, as if by magic, conjured a beautiful large and pale rose, pure white and snowy.
"The red roses of the Royal Demon Roses lead to a deep sleep and a slow, comforting death." began Aphrodite. "The black flowers of the Piranhan Roses shred your body in a quick, painful death. But I can see that neither of them match your beauty, Andromeda. Perhaps this white rose suits you better. The Bloody Rose. As soon as it leaves my hand, it will strike your heart."
The Pisces Saint ascended his Golden Cosmos, while Shun on the other side increased the strength and speed of his winds.
"Once in your chest, the Bloody Rose will suck every drop of blood left in your body. Until its white color becomes completely red. And then you shall be dead!"
"Stop, Aphrodite!"
Shun asked the Gold Saint to stop, because with his hand he made the gale even more powerful, so that Aphrodite had difficulties even to speak.
"The strength of my Nebula Stream can increase infinitely if I want. But I don't want to kill you here, please let's stop this meaningless battle. Help me save Athena, give Saori a chance!"
"Want me to turn my back on my Master? Do you want me to repent?"
"Exactly. You are a Gold Saint fighting for peace in this land, why not do it alongside Athena? You must fight the Camerlengo to restore justice to the Sanctuary."
"You are very naive, Andromeda."
"Am I really, Aphrodite? You say power is absolute and only through it can peace be established. For my friends and I are here to show you that mere Bronze Saints were able to cross the Twelve Temples of the Sanctuary. And your life is now in my hands. All of it because we were able to unite and awaken the Seventh Sense among us, because we believe in Athena." Shun had a resolute voice. "Your master, the Camerlengo, no longer has enough power to support himself. All of his allies, one by one, have fallen, and he will fall too."
But, on the other side, the Pisces Saint managed to draw a smile in the storm that attacked him.
"It's lovely to see how far beyond the capacity of your little minds it would be to understand the size of the man under that mask. The immensity of its strength and power. Every act of the Camerlengo is fair, Andromeda. You will never understand!"
And thinking of his master was that Aphrodite did what the Bronze Saints did throughout their battles: he overcame himself. Pisces Aphrodite ascended his golden cosmos to rival the nebula stream, painting the House of Pisces in a myriad of colors. Golden, orange, pink, crimson, black petals and, in his hand, a single huge bud of bright white rose.
"Don't do it, Aphrodite!" Shun asked, knowing he could no longer control the cloudy stream. "The strength of the Nebula Stream will increase infinitely and turn into a storm capable of crushing all of your bones if you resist!"
"We'll see who will die first. Me with your misty stream or you with this white rose."
It was the final clash.
In that desperate ballet of colors and petals, Andromeda Shun and Pisces Aphrodite clashed for the last time.
"Die, Andromeda, with this Bloody Rose!"
The Pisces Cosmos ascended in such a way that he got rid of the gale and released that single white rose, which tore through the air and stuck in Shun's chest. He lost his breath for a moment, but then released the air he had inside his lungs to join his powerful Cosmo spread across the House of Pisces.
"Nebula Storm!"
What was once a gale has become a storm of terrifying magnitudes; to the point that the decoration of that beautiful temple was entirely destroyed in seconds, such force of those winds, that they could separate the glass from its moldings, the details of its ornaments, knock down pillars and chandeliers. Aphrodite's body, which was thrown into the air, was revolutionized and squeezed from all sides by the moods of the terrible storm. Being snatched up against the roof of the House of Pisces, which rose, breaking into the starry sky, where Aphrodite found himself hurled as if swallowed by a typhoon.
The last thing he saw, in free fall, was the eleven temples below the mountain on one side and the abode of his beloved master on the other. His heart stopped beating and his already dead body crashed against the stone of the House of Pisces.
ABOUT THE CHAPTER: I thought it was important to bring the perspective of Aphrodite who had been with Saori before in Saintia Sho into history. Other than that, I tried to give a bigger dimension to how powerful the Nebula Storm can be.
NEXT CHAPTER: THE MAN BEHIND THE MASK
Marin finally discovers the secret hidden in the Hill of Stars as Seiya and Shiryu arrive at the Camerlengo Temple.