“Attention, passengers.
Boarding will close in two minutes.
Passengers who have not yet boarded are urged to do so immediately to avoid missing the flight and disrupting their travel plans.”
“Attention, passengers…”
The announcement urging passengers to board echoed through the departure lounge again and again.
On the flight bound for Karachi, Pakistan, Cynthia sat in her seat.
Every time someone came aboard, she craned her neck to look, but it was never her Brother Ryosho.
Another passenger boarded.
She looked over expectantly once more, only to see a complete stranger.
Turning to check the time, she saw that less than a minute remained before boarding closed.
She bit her lip as tears gradually clouded her clear eyes.
Manos could not help but sigh.
He raised his calloused right hand and silently stroked Cynthia’s head.
Cynthia lowered her head and began to sob softly.
She knew.
Brother Ryosho had never gone back to retrieve something.
He had gone to fight an enemy.
She had known all along.
Brother Ryosho had not returned.
Perhaps…
perhaps she would never see him again.
At the thought, she began to sob again, very quietly.
Yet the faint trembling of her small shoulders was heartbreaking to watch.
“Hey, why are you crying?”
“I didn’t miss our appointment, did I?”
Just as sorrow was beginning to overwhelm Cynthia, Ryosho’s voice rang out.
Manos jerked his head up.
Cynthia raised her head as well.
A handsome young man stood in the aisle, one hand resting on a seat as he leaned forward slightly.
A bright smile spread across his handsome face.
Cynthia broke into a smile through her tears.
…
The Pope’s Hall.
Lizard Misty knelt on one knee with his right hand over his chest.
“Lizard Misty pays his respects to the Pope.”
Clad in papal robes, with a dark mask covering his face and a red crown upon his head, the Pope sat high upon the Papal Throne.
He looked down at Misty kneeling on the red carpet as his cold, solemn voice echoed as though from the depths of the vast hall.
“Misty, do you remember what you promised before undertaking this mission?”
“Your Holiness, if I failed to bring back the Crateris Cloth, I pledged to relinquish the title and honor of a Silver Saint and surrender the Lizard Silver Cloth.”
“Good.
At least you remember.”
“However…” Misty hesitated.
“Your Holiness, there is one matter I still do not understand.”
“What is it?”
The Pope’s voice carried an authority that required no anger.
The pressure weighed heavily upon Misty.
Cold sweat ran down his handsome face and dripped onto the floor.
Gritting his teeth, he asked, “No one has worn the Crateris Cloth for many years.
Now that someone capable of wearing it has appeared, why did Your Holiness not summon him to the Sanctuary, but instead order me to hunt him down?
Can someone recognized by the Crateris Cloth truly be a traitor and a thief?”
The Pope rose from the Papal Throne.
His tall, imposing frame cast an enormous shadow across the hall, completely engulfing Misty.
“What is this?”
“Misty.”
“Are you questioning me?”
Cold sweat poured down Misty’s face.
“I would never dare, Your Holiness.
I merely believe that a Saint recognized by the Crateris Cloth, and capable of defeating me, possesses immeasurable potential.
Rather than treating him as an enemy, it would be better to bring him into our ranks.
Moreover, as fellow Saints of Athena, we should not be killing one another.”
“Enough!”
The Pope’s furious voice reverberated throughout the hall.
Misty lowered his head.
The Pope stared down at him.
Beneath his papal robes, his right hand clenched into a fist as his eyes flickered uncertainly.
In the end, he relaxed his hand and sat back upon the Papal Throne, his voice returning to its former calm.
“You make a fair point, Misty.
I failed to consider the matter carefully enough.
I will leave this task to you.”
“Bring the thief back and make him sincerely pledge his loyalty to the Sanctuary and to Athena.
If you succeed, I will recognize him as the Crateris Saint.”
Misty’s eyes flickered.
After a moment of thought, he placed his hand over his chest.
“I shall obey Your Holiness’s decree.”
After leaving the Pope’s Hall, Misty let out a long breath.
His eyes flickered thoughtfully.
Was the Pope truly just?
If the Pope stood for justice, then who was the girl he had seen through the Crateris Cloth, standing before the statue of Athena?
And why did she look so much like Saori Kido, the girl currently holding the Galaxian Wars in Japan?
Was the Goddess Athena…
truly still within the Sanctuary?
The thought sent a shudder through him, chilling him to the bone.
…
Rozan, the Five Old Peaks.
Carrying the Crateris Cloth on his back and the sleeping Cynthia in his arms, Ryosho looked up at the distant waterfall cascading from the heavens.
After traveling for an entire day and night, they had finally arrived.
Legend held that the Great Waterfall of Rozan was formed from stardust pouring down from the Milky Way and contained tremendous power.
It was this power that had created the Dragon Cloth’s Strongest Shield.
Only while standing beneath the waterfall could Ryosho truly feel its overwhelming spiritual energy and the majestic force that seemed to look down upon all creation.
Shiryu’s ability to reverse the flow of the Great Waterfall of Rozan was indeed an astonishing feat.
Ryosho withdrew his gaze and looked down at Cynthia sleeping in his arms.
Listening to her steady breathing, he smiled and gently stroked her head.
Setting foot in the China of this other world gave him a long-lost sense of familiarity.
His entire body and mind relaxed, and for a moment, he almost felt as though he had returned to his original world.
“Grandpa Manos, once we climb up to that spot, we’ll be there.
Please hold on a little longer.”
Ryosho looked at the panting Manos and pointed toward the rocky outcrop in front of the Great Waterfall of Rozan.
Manos nodded as he gasped for breath.
The scenery was certainly beautiful.
The path, however, was far too difficult to climb.
He had to admit that he truly was getting old.
He had barely walked any distance, yet he was already struggling to catch his breath.
Before long, they reached the outcrop before the Great Waterfall of Rozan.
There, they saw the wooden Chinese-style pavilion where Dohko and Shiryu lived.
No sooner had they appeared near the pavilion than a beautiful young woman dressed in red, her hair woven into a braid, came toward them.
“Excuse me, what brings you here?”
Ryosho recognized the beautiful young woman at once.
Shunrei.
The infant girl adopted by Dohko.
She was also Shiryu’s childhood sweetheart.
“I am Ryosho, the Crateris Silver Saint.
I have come to request an audience with Senior Dohko.
Could I trouble you to announce my arrival?”
Ryosho spoke politely to the dignified and graceful Shunrei.
“You’re here to see Master?”
Shunrei paused and looked Ryosho up and down.
Realizing she had been staring a little too long, she quickly averted her gaze, a faint blush of embarrassment coloring her cheeks.
“Please wait here for a moment.
I’ll go tell Master.”
A short while later, Shunrei returned from the Great Waterfall.
“Master says you may go see him.”
“Thank you.”
Ryosho clasped his fists in a respectful salute.
He then handed Cynthia to Manos and asked him to wait there before walking alone toward the Great Waterfall of Rozan.