To Andromeda Island

Jayr POV - Death Queen Island - 1984

I look at Seika standing next to me, noticing that even with my Cosmo's protection she still having some trouble withstanding this hellish island climate, and say "So we're done with this island if you want to spend some time with your half-brother we can stay here for a few more days", but with a lot of sweat falling over her body, Seika shakes her head and replies "No, It's fine knowing that he is safe... More or less..." then as we start walking back to the boat with worry in her voice she asks "Is the training to become a Saint always so hard and cruel?".

Letting out a sigh I reply "Yes... While the method change from place to place and from master to master... It isn't strange for some trainees to die during the training... You have to understand that a Saint is one of the strongest human beings ever existed, even opposing the Gods isn't a dream from them... In fact in our history, the Saint of Athena opposed the Gods many times, and come out on top... It is normal that reaching such level of power requires a huge amount of effort and sacrifices...".

Then looking at her in the eyes I continue "You know? With my current power, that is equal to that of a Gold Saint... I'm still in the middle of the pack among the Saint of Athena, not talking about their enemies, that is why I still train hard every day!", and shocked by my revelation she asks "Eh? I never saw you training?".

With a wry smile, I explain "In the day I train my 7th sense, by cutting off my every other sense... I practically drive the boat with only my Cosmo leading me most of the time, and when we stop at night I train my body, going underwater and training under the pressure of the ocean... The only time I didn't train is when we... Well... You know...", and understanding what I'm referring to, blushing she nods, and soon in that sweet awkward silence, we reach Athena's Bidoof and depart from this trashy island.

Ikki POV - Death Queen Island - 1984

It is a day like always my lousy excuse of a master is torturing me once again, as he keeps talking about hatred this and hatred that, like I didn't know that feeling well enough, anyway as I'm getting beaten up, I once again challenge the master, and his response is fast as always, no matter how much I train, I'm not able to follow his movement and hit him, will hatred really help me kill this bastard.

Finding myself once again on the ground, I spit a mouthful of blood and piss off Master Guilty once more, and on instinct I prepare for the coming pain, only this time it doesn't come, standing in front of me is a young man, with messy dark blue hair, and a silver box on his back, he is holding Master Guilty leg in place seemingly without effort, and soon I notice that he is around my age too.

When Master asks who he was the young man says something about being a healer, then I think that Master Guilty attacks the young man with his other leg, he is too fast now for me to follow, but the next instant Master is wriggling on the ground, while the young man is still in the same place like nothing happens 'How fast he really is!? I just blinked and the next moment the bastard is already down... And why he isn't killing him!?'.

Then the young man turn around and present himself then he says something about the bastard being under the control of some evil force, and as he turns to look at the bastard on the ground, a young girl that looks somewhat familiar comes next to him and ask if he can heal Master Guilty, Jayr says that he can and explain what technique was usen on him and how to resolve it.

He put his hand on Master Guilty head and soon I feel an huge energy coming from, energy that I know to be Cosmo, but his is different from Master Guilty, it is calm, peaceful, comforting, and many times bigger, but as soon as it appears his Cosmo recedes and after poking Master Guilty's body with his finger he stood up and gavi him space.

And now, Master feels like a totally different person, that familiar intensity is still there, but now feels focused, and less disgusting, it is strange, even the way he act it the same but different in the meaning, and when Master Guilty asks why Jayr was here, he starts talking about some Pope being killed and a Gemini Gold Saint taking his place, hearing this new enraged the Master like I never felt before, but Jayr quickly calm him saying something about some Hades guy and a Holy War.

Then he spoke about a future he saw, in where Esmeralda died, hearing that piece of information, something snapped in me, and a great hatred and an enormous feeling of power enveloped 'So that is what he means by using the hatred... Good with this power I'll take the Cloth kill the bastard before he can hurt Esmeralda, go back to Japan and kill that bald bastard, that tortured us, and that old bastard, that forced us into this hell, I kill that little bit...'.

But all of the sudden, Master Guilty, punches me hard snapping me out of my thought and starts yelling at me "Stupid!! It's good to use your hatred to burn your Cosmo but don't be controlled by it!! You need to find your anchor to keep yourself always steady... If not you could become what you hate the most and will hurt the ones you love!!! And now calm down she is still alive!".

His word are a cold shower that woke me from my almost crazed state, it true she is alive, and Master is cleary different, before he was cruel and sadistic, but now he is yes ruthless, but under that I feel for the first time his self restrain, he too is full of hatred but he control it, he isn't controlled by it, I stood up once again and for the first time I thank Master for his teaching, for real this time.

'Yes he is right, I was about to become the kind of people I hated the most, and that happened in almost an instant... Finding my anchor, right now the only things that keep me going are Shun and Esmeralda... I have to always remind myself of them!' as I was thinking this, Jayr continues with his story of the future, and I'm scared by it, as it almost perfectly follows my previous thoughts, but I'm glad to find out that I regain my sanity in the end as Shun, Hyoga, Shiryu, and Seiya join forces and stop me.

Then Jayr explains that he wants me to in a few words, put on an act and train my brother and the others for the coming storm, and Master Guilty agrees to help but his next words, remind me of his previous self sparking once again the hatred in me and my Cosmo grows as consequence, but this time I keep myself in check remembering Shun and Esmeralda, who always helped me in these 4 years becoming the pillar of my sanity, and this time my Cosmo feels more natural, under control, 'Could it be that Master Guilty provoked me intentionally?'.

After that episode, I go back to what can be called my home, and as I'm walking back to my place, a simple undergroud room, with wall made of rock that makes the inside hotter then the outside and nothing else, not bed, no chair, no desk, nothing, I'm thinking about the strange day I had today, when all of the sudden, I hear a girl's voice "Ikki... Are you okay?".

Turning my head, I see a young girl with blonde hair and green eyes, with a pale skin tone, running toward him looking worried, and in a soft tone I say "Esmeralda...", she quickly reaches me and checking my injuries she says "... Look at all those bruises... One day you're going to get killed...", shaking my head I says "No, it's alright, I told you not to come here anymore, you're putting yourself in danger by helping me...".

(Image Here - Esmeralda)

But with a smile she replies "It's fine... Don't worry about me..." and she starts cleaning my wounds, and looking at her carefully taking care of me I think 'I won't let anything hurt you... I will destroy that awful future with my own hands... At any cost!' and in response with my resolve, my Cosmo once again burns, stronger than I ever felt before.

Jayr POV - Indian Ocean - 1984

A few days passed since we left, the Death Queen Island, we moved away from the equator, and are now moving along the Central Indian Oceanic Ridge, where Andromeda Island is located, and if everything goes well another two hours and we should be there.

In the early hours of the morning, I'm once again preparing breakfast while Seika is still sleeping in our cabin, and as I'm cutting the fruit I hum a song in a low tone to not wake up the exhausted Seika "♪Sometimes\Something beautiful happens in this world\You don't know how to express yourself, so\You just gotta sing\I just had sex\And it felt so good\A woman let me put my penis inside of her\I just had sex\And I'll never go back\To the not-having-sex ways of the past♪".

Then as I was putting everything into the plate, I feel two soft arms warp around my waist, and and the comforting heat of Seika's body as she gently kiss my neck and says "Good morning, Jayr", I stop what I'm doing, slowly turn around, and warping my arms on her lithe body, I give hug, then I give a peck on the mouth and say "Good morning, Seika... How are you feeling?", and with a pout she replies "Exhausted... Really, you have too much stamina, from the medicine book I have read usually a avarage man last from 7 to 13 minutes during penetration and are just one shot and done... But you... Just don't stop..." feeling guilty, I once again kissing her and say "Sorry Seika, I'll try to restrain myself more".

After breakfast, Seika went back to rest in the bed, while I disabled all my senses and started driving the boat using only my 7th sense as a guide, and after an hour I felt that we are now near our destination, as I felt many active Cosmos in the distance, so I quickly restore my senses, and look around and finally in the distance I see my destination.

A volcanic island located on an oceanic ridge, because of its nature, it is inhospitable and the conditions are prohibitive for any form of life, as fauna only a few reptiles inhabit, and the flora is almost nonexistent, on the other hand, due to its geographical location, the island is subjected to significant thermal variations so that temperatures are very high during the day and very low at night, the island is small in size and in the center stands a large volcano, which is still active, the only ones living here are the trainee, the guardian of the island who trains them, and a few attendans.

(Image Here - Andromeda Island)

I stop the engine, and go down in my cabin, finding Seika sitting on the bed reading one of my books that talk about medicine, hearing me coming inside she raises her head and asks "Are we near?" I nods and sit next to her expecting another question "So... why are we here? Another brainwashed Saint? Will it be as dangerous as before?".

I simply reply "Well this island is dangerous only for the trainee and for those who want to gain the Andromeda Cloth as its trial is quite brutal... And we are only here to warn the Master here... He is already suspicious of the Pope, but he is playing his cards the wrong way, and it will end up with his and everyone else death..." then with a smile, I add "But still be careful, the people here are a bunch of S&M perverts fixed with chains and whips...", but Seika ignores my warning and with a cute pout says "You jest!... Now, go and start the docking process while I prepare".

I go back to the helm and carefully drive Athena's Bidoof, near the small port, as this island is surrounded by insidious sharp rocks, as soon as we dock and land on the insland, we move in the direction of the training grounds, as the sounds of their harsh training can be heard in the distance, while Seika says "Holy... It's so hot here... even worse than Death Queen Island..." but I reply "No... Not really... it is just that I was shielding you with my Cosmo there... Here it isn't needed...".

Jayr POV - Andromeda Island - 1984

As soon as we reach the training ground, Seika quickly moves close to me hugging my arm, as she sees all the trainee here training with some kind of chain or whip as she says in a low voice "Ahh... There are really perverts here...!!".

Then we hear a girl's voice that says "Who are you? How did you find this place? What are you doing here?" looking at where the voice is coming from, we see a a tall girl with a slim, well-proportioned build, she has yellow hair and a fair complexion, she appears to be strong and fearsome because she carries a whip, and is wearing a training suit that is the same as Shaina's, having a small protection on her shoulders, and it is characterized by a yellow and pink color and of course her face is hidden by the mask, I quickly recognize her as June.

(Image Here - June, Chameleon June w/o mask)

At first, she is wary of us, be she then notices the Pandora Box on my back and relaxes slightly, and at that moment I reply "Hello there, my name is Jayr a Silver Saint of Athena, I'm here to talk about something with your master, Cepheus Daidalos, I'm sorry to intrude in your training but can you lead me to him?".

She stood in silence for a few seconds before turning around and saying "Follow me...", and led us further inside the training grounds on an isolated beach, and soon we see the scene of two young men fighting each other using their chains, one is a young man around 17, with with a broad and muscular body, his skin has a fair complexion, his face is quite coarse with well-defined features such as a large mouth, a sharp nose, and a rather prominent chin, he has short dark hair, and is using his chain to easily deflect most of the other boy, he is Daidalos.

(Image Here - Cepheus Daidalos)

The other is an attractive young man of fragile and thin appearance, he has long green hair, and dark turquoise eyes, wearing a trainee outfit with dark blue shoulder protectors, and with classic Greek sandals of the same color as the protectors, he relentlessly attacks Daidalos, but all his attack are parried or deflected by his master, he is Shun, Ikki's little brother.

(Image Here - Shun)

I look at their fight and analyze them 'Daidalos became a Silver Saint at 13, and soon after he was sent here to become a Master, and I admit he is talented, from what I feel he is at the peak of the Silver Saint level... in fact he on the brink of awakening his 7th sense, but that last step could take years... Meanwhile, Shun... He has already control over his Cosmo... In fact, he is almost at the Silver level... But he is holding back in fear of hurting the others... Really his affinity for chains is so much that he chained even himself... But the fight is about to end, Shun is totally exhausted'

And in a instant Daidalos takes advantage of Shun's gap in his defences to disarm, bind him, and slams him into the hard sand, stunning him and bringing an end to this sparring, then Daidalos removes his chain and frees Shun, who is now trying to recover his breath, walk next to him, and looking at him, Daidalos yells "Get up, Shun! If this were a real battle, you'd have died 15 times today, it's been years since you came to Andromeda Island, aren't you ashamed that you haven't made a bit of progress? Get up, Shun, if you're a man!".

At the same time June runs toward the knocked out Shun yelling his name, and Daidalos says "Stay out of this, June! You're still a novice yourself..." but June responds "Master, Shun reached his limit, you'll kill him! Please stop the training for today! Please, Master Daidalos!".

I chose this moment to walk forward and introduce myself "Hello there! My name is Jayr, Saint of Athena, and probably the best healer you will ever find... Can I have a few moments of your time to talk about something..." and with an annoyed tone he replies "Are you here to give me another useless summons to return to the Sanctuary from the Pope?".

I shake my head and reply "Nope, but it is related to it..." hearing that Daidalos gave a signal to June, who pulls up Shun's body and starts slowly moving him away, and I turn to Seika and says "Seika, can you go and help June, also check on your half-brother and apply what you learned until now" and she nods and follow after June, leaving me and Daidalos alone.

Daidalos looks at me and says "So, speak why are you here" and so I start explaining to him my reasons for coming here to warn him, once again I told the story of Saga the corrupted Saint, about my ability to see limited instances of the future and that I saw him and the other trainee here killed by the Pisces Gold Saint, because they "rebelled", to further confirm my story, I allowed him to see an instance of his future using my Cloth, only the scene we saw was that of Shun taking the trial and obtaining the Adromeda Cloth.

Finishing my story, Daidalos curses "Shit! So something really is wrong with the Pope!? Not only we lost the guide of the Pope, but a corrupted Gold Saint is leading the Sanctuary! And now to save the trainees I have no choice but to be brainwashed!??" but I quickly stop him and says "Wait! Calm down! Who says that you have to be brainwashed? We know the enemy's plan and how he will act! So it is easy to find a solution to this problem!".

Daidalos quickly calms down and says "I'm listening..." and so I explain my plan "First when the next summon comes, you will respond to it and go to the Sanctuary to meet the Fake Pope, then it comes the hard part... When you meet him and if he uses his technique on you... You will have to act that it worked, then you just have to return, that will make you gain enough time as Saga won't suspect you if you 'follow' his orders... Then all you have to do is wait for Athena to make her move... I can guaratee you that she will act in two years!".

Hearing my explanation, Daidalos nods and then ask how to resist Saga's technique and I tell him the three way to do so, the first is to have a strong Cosmo and will, and the second is to withness someone being killed, but I quickly dismiss this one, and the last, is be under the effect of another similar technique, and that I will use it on him a harmless one, like making him love spicy food or force him to piss with one leg raised, basically something that manipulates his brain to change his normal behavior but that is difficult to notice so that when Saga uses his technique, they will cancel each other.

Daidalos then with a stern face says "Do it... I have to do everything possible to save my trainees... And even if your plan fails... I'm relieved of the fact that I'll be able to shape Shun into an incredible Saint..." and with I smile I put my hand on his head and says "He will be one of the best!" and steadily send my Cosmo inside his brain, making sure that it stays hidden and undetected, even by a Saint of Saga's level.

After that, Daidalos thanked me for my help, and went to check on the other trainees, while I went toward Seika's position, and found her outside of Shun's dwelling waiting for me, once near her I ask "Why are you waiting outside?" and with a smile, she replies "I checked on Shun, and from what I have seen he is fine, just exhausted after he woke up I left him with June to look after him... It seems that she has feelings for him... So I didn't want to intrude on them... So did it go well?".

Shrugging my shoulders I reply "I did everything I could do... Now, only time will tell if what I did was right..." Seika nods walks toward me, and hugging me she says "It is right! And even if you make a mistake, you only have to work harder to fix it... And if it is too hard for you to do so, just ask for help! You are not alone!" then releasing me from her warm and comforting hug she says "Now, let's go to our next destination... I just hope it isn't another place like the last two...".

With a wry smile I say "Well... Our next stop is in India, to be more precise in the Himalaya Mountain Range... on one of the peaks we will find the palace of Jamir... only to reach there we have to pass through a multitude of ghost possessed skeletons guarding the place...", hearing that Seika let out a sigh and says "Great all the place where there are Saint are dangerous... Next, what? You will tell me that the Sanctuary that seems the most secure, but in fact hides a portal that leads to hell!?".

And at that moment I look in another direction and starts whistling the good old The Simpsons Theme, while starting to slowly walking away, and as Seika notices this she yells "WAIT!! NO WAY!!! REALLY!!!?".

June POV - Andromeda Island - 1984

I slowly lay Shun on his bed with the girl Seika, who quickly moves and check on him with clear concern in her eyes, and after a few minutes she let out a sigh and says "He is fine... He only has some bruises... In fact he should wake up in a few minutes..." hearing that I let out a sigh of relief, then she says "You really care about him..." and to that I could only stumble "Y... Ah... Not really... It is just..." but she simply smiles and going outsides she says "It's fine... Having someone supporting you can give a lot of strength... I know it! I'll leave you guys alone now, but please take care of him!" and then she quickly left

And after looking after Shun for a few minutes "Urgh..." he woke up with a start and look around his surroundings in confusion but soon I asks "Are you awake, Shun?" and looking at me, he says "June... You took care of me again... I'm sorry you've had to take care of me so many times since I came to this island... I've lost count of how many times you've saved my life...".

Hearing that, something in me snaps and I pleadingly asks "Won't you please change your mind? There's no way you'll ever become a Saint, Shun! A Saint uses his own body as a weapon to protect Athena and defend Justice... You weren't built for fighting, Shun! No matter how much you push yourself it's hopeless! The only reason you've survived is that Master Diadalos is careful to stop before he kills you! But if you keep going, eventually you'll be slaughtered! Give up and go home to Japan!".

He stood up from the bed and move closer to the window and says "I can't go back until I become a Saint, even if I die trying... My big brother, Ikki, was sent to hell on earth, Death Queen Island, in my place, I'm lucky to be here, even if it's just as hellish! At least here I have a kind Master to instruct me... And I have you..." hearing that I could only say in a choked tone "Shun...".