Challenge #8. The Temple of Time
Title : The Temple of Time
Challenge : #8 What if?
Characters : Mu
Word count : 1.679
Note : Set after the death of Pope Saga.
I would like to dedicate this drabble to the person who introduced me to the world of drabbles, and who has taught me more about the wonderful characters of the Saint Seiya universe than anyone else... my good friend Ariadne.
It was as if the very gods wished to prevent him from reaching the ancient Temple. There was a deathly silence on Star Hill. He wore his cloth, he even wore his helmet, for he was going to fight a battle.
Mu had been to this place before, as a child. His master, Shion, had taken him there to initiate his spiritual training. Mu was now a fully trained warrior of Athena, and the bearer of the Aries cloth.
He had made his decision and had told no one about it, not even Her.
She knew, of that Mu was certain. How could she not? She was a goddess, she knew everything. She hadn’t questioned his silence since returning to Sanctuary, no one had. Surely she had seen him in the Patriarch’s library. Surely she had known that he was researching the ancient Titan lore.
His master Shion had never allowed him to enter that dark recess of the great library, but Saori had not said a word. Mu had discovered how to invoke Chronos, called Saturn by the Romans, during the Roman Festival of Saturnalia, from 17th to 19th December. Mu now had the summoning rite, was about to use it, and she knew, he was sure.
That was permission, wasn’t it? That was her blessing. Surely she knew what he was planning.
What he intended to do was madness, sheer, unthinkable madness, summoning a Titan was not something a rational person would consider... Part of him had hoped that the goddess would forbid him from carrying out his plan, and he would have been contented to think that he had, at the very least, tried, but no. He was free to carry out his dark design.
What had pushed him to such an extreme?
Dreams... nightmares...
Terrible nightmares of death and torment... even his own.
One more look over his shoulder at the Sanctuary he loved, and beyond the darkness, the city of Athens, with its beautiful faraway lights.
He took a final, fearful glance at the looming structure and entered the dark portico.
There was only silence. It did not seem like a temple, it reminded Mu of a tomb. He advanced slowly, the sound of his echoing footsteps shattering the silence. He illuminated the darkness with the power of his cosmos, and found himself in a place no one had visited since the death of his master.
It was a strange, foreboding place, and Mu set about invoking the Titan. The ancient syllables, older than the most ancient Greek, penetrated the silence, and seemed to echo strangely in the temple, but instead of fading, they got louder, until suddenly ending as if at the snap of a finger. Time itself seemed to stand still.
It was impossible to describe, but Mu was sure that all of the clocks on Earth had stopped.
Suddenly there was a tall dark man beside him. How long had he been standing there? Mu dared not move, for the power emanating from this being was far more impressive than anything he had ever felt before.
“You have summoned me.” The voice seemed a million years old, seemed to come to him from across the breach of time. “What is your bidding and how will you pay me?”
Mu knew that the Titan had no human followers in this age, and would demand his soul, but could such a being resist the temptation to devour a being like Mu?
He could die in peace, if he could only save his companions from their past and their future.
“A murder happened here... I wish to prevent it.” Mu said, controlling his fear.
“You would sacrifice yourself to save another?” The ancient voice was like a knife at his throat. “Very well. I accept. You will become my agent on Earth, and you will change history.”
Mu sighed, and his head hung low. He was betraying his Goddess, and his own armour. One last service for Athena, and only Mu would suffer.
Would they ever know what had happened?
“I accept your price.” Mu responded, almost speechless.
Suddenly he felt nauseous, and then a horrible, cold hand on his shoulder.
“We have arrived.” The voice was like a nail scraping a rusty metal plate. Mu still didn’t dare contemplate the face of his future master. “Now I will help you do what you must.”
Mu stepped forward, and a smile appeared on his lips. The darkness was now replaced by warm candle-light, and he was not alone. He recognised his beloved master, and he saw him somehow weak and old... all he wanted to do was protect the man he loved so much.
Suddenly, it was all so confusing... A masked figure appeared, wearing a strange armour, and the Patriarch tried to stand, to face the attack. Just then two familiar figures appeared, one known, but much younger, and another who had later died. Mu wished to launch an attack against the masked figure, but something held him back.
At Mu’s side, Chronos reached out a skeletal hand, and something happened to the attacker... he was easily overpowered by Milo and Aioros.
It had all happened too quickly for Mu to see. Suddenly there was another glowing figure at his side, a furious God who had been dragged from his host and who was now held above the dark marble floor of the temple of time.
Mu tried to run to the old Patriarch, but he found that the hand that held his shoulder would not let him move.
“That was not part of our agreement.” The cold voice said above the screaming of the other god, and Mu, after seeing how Milo and Aioros had reduced the masked assailant, who no longer offered resistance, turned to look at the horrible apparition that would be his master.
That god who was Ares, he who would have conquered Sanctuary, was quickly swallowed by the indescribable being who held him aloft.
Mu gasped and before he knew it he was back where it had all begun.
Chronos was gone, there was no sign of either the Titan or the God he had just devoured.
Mu fell to his knees, trembling, wanting to scream at that which he had just witnessed.
Now there was cold silence again. It was that same cold December night when he had climbed Star Hill to seek justice, but he couldn’t comprehend what had happened.
Something hung on his head, like the helmet of his cloth, but it was different...
Silence? Not exactly... it was like being in a clock workshop, the sound of thirteen clocks ticked out of unison, each marking a different time...
Everything was wrong... very wrong... his cloth was not the same. It was greenish-black, and it was not the Aries cloth. There were heavy chains and strange clocks hanging from it.
He took off the helmet and examined it... the form of a crow, black metal, green jewels...
He was a minion of Chronos... but what was he doing in Sanctuary?
Just then there was a noise behind him, and somewhat confused he turned.
There was someone in the Temple of Time...
“Minion of Chronos, we were told you would come this night.” The voice was familiar, but somehow cold. It was his master’s voice.
“Master?” Was all Mu could gasp as he turned around. He contemplated his old master in all his glory, his lovely long hair hanging over the shoulders of his black cloth... black? It was not a cloth... at all.
“You may no longer call me that... Mu.” The voice of Shion was emotionless and mechanical. “Nor I you by that name... I have awaited your coming these last thirteen years. I know what you did for me. We are all waiting you... you will accompany me. Your master will not be long in coming, we all hope.”
Shion turned, and Mu could see the cruel barbs that protruded from the shoulder blades of the... sapuris... his old master wore.
“What has happened?” Mu gasped almost falling on his knees before his master.
“We have been saved, Minion of Chronos... Athena was reckless, and her confrontation with Hades would have led to endless war in the world, but now there is world peace.”
With that gelid declaration, Shion, who showed no sign of gratitude towards Mu turned and walked away.
Mu was stunned, and lost in confusion followed the Patriarch.
Soon they were outside the Temple of Time, and the sight that reached Mu’s eyes tore his soul in two...
It wasn’t the sight of all his former companions wearing black sapuris...
Nor was it the sight of them bowing down to Shun... who wore an armour of black chains...
It wasn’t the twisted smile on Shun’s face, or the words that came from his lips...
“I am so looking forward to seeing my father... will he take long?”
They all appreciated the joke about the God of time being late... and they all laughed, including Shion, and it was Shun... Hades, who laughed longest and loudest.
Mu turned away from them, they seemed a group of cawing carrion crows, and he looked to the horizon, and then the true horror hit him... pillars of flame rose from the distant city, and the sky was wroth with fire and destruction as far as the eye could see... in all directions, only fire falling from the sky. It seemed to Mu that there wasn’t another living being on the planet...
Then he saw Saori... Athena... she was standing just behind the group, but she seemed lost... somehow soul-less.
Just then the clocks on Mu’s strange sapuris all clamoured the hour, and the Temple of Time erupted into a ominous green light.
The Titan sprang out of the temple, destroying the entire structure, and standing, towering over them. From the pit of the temple, thousands of crows poured out into the night...
Mu screamed, and all those around him laughed all the more... Earth was dead, and the Gods would soon be too.
Challenge : #8 What if?
Characters : Mu
Word count : 1.679
Note : Set after the death of Pope Saga.
I would like to dedicate this drabble to the person who introduced me to the world of drabbles, and who has taught me more about the wonderful characters of the Saint Seiya universe than anyone else... my good friend Ariadne.
It was as if the very gods wished to prevent him from reaching the ancient Temple. There was a deathly silence on Star Hill. He wore his cloth, he even wore his helmet, for he was going to fight a battle.
Mu had been to this place before, as a child. His master, Shion, had taken him there to initiate his spiritual training. Mu was now a fully trained warrior of Athena, and the bearer of the Aries cloth.
He had made his decision and had told no one about it, not even Her.
She knew, of that Mu was certain. How could she not? She was a goddess, she knew everything. She hadn’t questioned his silence since returning to Sanctuary, no one had. Surely she had seen him in the Patriarch’s library. Surely she had known that he was researching the ancient Titan lore.
His master Shion had never allowed him to enter that dark recess of the great library, but Saori had not said a word. Mu had discovered how to invoke Chronos, called Saturn by the Romans, during the Roman Festival of Saturnalia, from 17th to 19th December. Mu now had the summoning rite, was about to use it, and she knew, he was sure.
That was permission, wasn’t it? That was her blessing. Surely she knew what he was planning.
What he intended to do was madness, sheer, unthinkable madness, summoning a Titan was not something a rational person would consider... Part of him had hoped that the goddess would forbid him from carrying out his plan, and he would have been contented to think that he had, at the very least, tried, but no. He was free to carry out his dark design.
What had pushed him to such an extreme?
Dreams... nightmares...
Terrible nightmares of death and torment... even his own.
One more look over his shoulder at the Sanctuary he loved, and beyond the darkness, the city of Athens, with its beautiful faraway lights.
He took a final, fearful glance at the looming structure and entered the dark portico.
There was only silence. It did not seem like a temple, it reminded Mu of a tomb. He advanced slowly, the sound of his echoing footsteps shattering the silence. He illuminated the darkness with the power of his cosmos, and found himself in a place no one had visited since the death of his master.
It was a strange, foreboding place, and Mu set about invoking the Titan. The ancient syllables, older than the most ancient Greek, penetrated the silence, and seemed to echo strangely in the temple, but instead of fading, they got louder, until suddenly ending as if at the snap of a finger. Time itself seemed to stand still.
It was impossible to describe, but Mu was sure that all of the clocks on Earth had stopped.
Suddenly there was a tall dark man beside him. How long had he been standing there? Mu dared not move, for the power emanating from this being was far more impressive than anything he had ever felt before.
“You have summoned me.” The voice seemed a million years old, seemed to come to him from across the breach of time. “What is your bidding and how will you pay me?”
Mu knew that the Titan had no human followers in this age, and would demand his soul, but could such a being resist the temptation to devour a being like Mu?
He could die in peace, if he could only save his companions from their past and their future.
“A murder happened here... I wish to prevent it.” Mu said, controlling his fear.
“You would sacrifice yourself to save another?” The ancient voice was like a knife at his throat. “Very well. I accept. You will become my agent on Earth, and you will change history.”
Mu sighed, and his head hung low. He was betraying his Goddess, and his own armour. One last service for Athena, and only Mu would suffer.
Would they ever know what had happened?
“I accept your price.” Mu responded, almost speechless.
Suddenly he felt nauseous, and then a horrible, cold hand on his shoulder.
“We have arrived.” The voice was like a nail scraping a rusty metal plate. Mu still didn’t dare contemplate the face of his future master. “Now I will help you do what you must.”
Mu stepped forward, and a smile appeared on his lips. The darkness was now replaced by warm candle-light, and he was not alone. He recognised his beloved master, and he saw him somehow weak and old... all he wanted to do was protect the man he loved so much.
Suddenly, it was all so confusing... A masked figure appeared, wearing a strange armour, and the Patriarch tried to stand, to face the attack. Just then two familiar figures appeared, one known, but much younger, and another who had later died. Mu wished to launch an attack against the masked figure, but something held him back.
At Mu’s side, Chronos reached out a skeletal hand, and something happened to the attacker... he was easily overpowered by Milo and Aioros.
It had all happened too quickly for Mu to see. Suddenly there was another glowing figure at his side, a furious God who had been dragged from his host and who was now held above the dark marble floor of the temple of time.
Mu tried to run to the old Patriarch, but he found that the hand that held his shoulder would not let him move.
“That was not part of our agreement.” The cold voice said above the screaming of the other god, and Mu, after seeing how Milo and Aioros had reduced the masked assailant, who no longer offered resistance, turned to look at the horrible apparition that would be his master.
That god who was Ares, he who would have conquered Sanctuary, was quickly swallowed by the indescribable being who held him aloft.
Mu gasped and before he knew it he was back where it had all begun.
Chronos was gone, there was no sign of either the Titan or the God he had just devoured.
Mu fell to his knees, trembling, wanting to scream at that which he had just witnessed.
Now there was cold silence again. It was that same cold December night when he had climbed Star Hill to seek justice, but he couldn’t comprehend what had happened.
Something hung on his head, like the helmet of his cloth, but it was different...
Silence? Not exactly... it was like being in a clock workshop, the sound of thirteen clocks ticked out of unison, each marking a different time...
Everything was wrong... very wrong... his cloth was not the same. It was greenish-black, and it was not the Aries cloth. There were heavy chains and strange clocks hanging from it.
He took off the helmet and examined it... the form of a crow, black metal, green jewels...
He was a minion of Chronos... but what was he doing in Sanctuary?
Just then there was a noise behind him, and somewhat confused he turned.
There was someone in the Temple of Time...
“Minion of Chronos, we were told you would come this night.” The voice was familiar, but somehow cold. It was his master’s voice.
“Master?” Was all Mu could gasp as he turned around. He contemplated his old master in all his glory, his lovely long hair hanging over the shoulders of his black cloth... black? It was not a cloth... at all.
“You may no longer call me that... Mu.” The voice of Shion was emotionless and mechanical. “Nor I you by that name... I have awaited your coming these last thirteen years. I know what you did for me. We are all waiting you... you will accompany me. Your master will not be long in coming, we all hope.”
Shion turned, and Mu could see the cruel barbs that protruded from the shoulder blades of the... sapuris... his old master wore.
“What has happened?” Mu gasped almost falling on his knees before his master.
“We have been saved, Minion of Chronos... Athena was reckless, and her confrontation with Hades would have led to endless war in the world, but now there is world peace.”
With that gelid declaration, Shion, who showed no sign of gratitude towards Mu turned and walked away.
Mu was stunned, and lost in confusion followed the Patriarch.
Soon they were outside the Temple of Time, and the sight that reached Mu’s eyes tore his soul in two...
It wasn’t the sight of all his former companions wearing black sapuris...
Nor was it the sight of them bowing down to Shun... who wore an armour of black chains...
It wasn’t the twisted smile on Shun’s face, or the words that came from his lips...
“I am so looking forward to seeing my father... will he take long?”
They all appreciated the joke about the God of time being late... and they all laughed, including Shion, and it was Shun... Hades, who laughed longest and loudest.
Mu turned away from them, they seemed a group of cawing carrion crows, and he looked to the horizon, and then the true horror hit him... pillars of flame rose from the distant city, and the sky was wroth with fire and destruction as far as the eye could see... in all directions, only fire falling from the sky. It seemed to Mu that there wasn’t another living being on the planet...
Then he saw Saori... Athena... she was standing just behind the group, but she seemed lost... somehow soul-less.
Just then the clocks on Mu’s strange sapuris all clamoured the hour, and the Temple of Time erupted into a ominous green light.
The Titan sprang out of the temple, destroying the entire structure, and standing, towering over them. From the pit of the temple, thousands of crows poured out into the night...
Mu screamed, and all those around him laughed all the more... Earth was dead, and the Gods would soon be too.