"None of you know where she lives?" Australis finally asked.
They all denied at the same time so Elyn didn't ask any questions about her again, she hid her feelings again behind the serene expression worthy of her brother so nobody suspected that under that tranquility, a volcano of emotions threatened to explode.
***
Under the coverlet of the bed, and with all the windows closed, Elektra felt safe. Since she slumped into her Master's arms, she hadn't left her home, eaten anything consistent or drunk a full glass of water for nearly three days. The forces that her body had were minimal, those necessary to get out of her hiding place and go to the bathroom and little else; the sheets, the darkness and her mask were her greatest ally in keeping herself safe. It was the first time that the anniversary affected her so much, or at least in the recent years, and perhaps it was due that since her arrival at the Sanctuary no one had seen the face of which she was so ashamed and who now was forced to show certain hours a day.
Since entering her home she had done nothing but curse herself. Partly due to her past, her weakness and how little progress had been made in the emotional zone in relation to said event; also for having collapsed her own walls in front of someone like Elyn who, after all, was guilty of her mental instability for imposing the stupid rule of having to get rid of the mask during training. But on the other hand ... another sensation ran through her veins. The body of her Master attached to hers had turned out to be a pillar that she now considered indispensable, not only the memory of her caresses and sighs causing her to shiver, but that last hug she took refuge into when her mind couldn't bear any more pressure. Elyn was neither cold nor distant; Australis also hid herself under a mask although it wasn't as visible as the one Elektra wore.
***
On the fourth day, Elektra decided it was time to get back to stand up. With what little strength she had left she went to the kitchen, made a quick breakfast along with a smoothie that she would gradually take with short sips during the day to regain energy. She ventilated the rooms one by one, washed her clothes and threw away everything that had been spoiled in the days of isolation... All those little gestures completely renewed the energy of Elektra's home and her own, at least until the next anniversary in which to know what kind of relapse awaited her. Some had been better than others, who knew, maybe the next year she could have Caelum's armor and to perish in some battle. The redhead wished it was like that. She had spent years thinking about the possibility of setting her house on fire and staying inside. Anyway, it wouldn't be the first time.
However, this wouldn't be the day she did it, not until she demonstrated to herself that she could reverse the damage that she had done twelve years ago. At noon, she forced herself to take a lunch based on sautéed vegetables, fish and white rice, it wasn't convenient to force her stomach after so many days of little starvation but she needed strength to resume her training as soon as possible because surely, she would have been quite delayed in Pisces Australis training.
After a short rest putting her closet in order, Elektra went out to the field that was a few meters from her house. She did it dressed in a black top and lwide and vaporous pants and of course, with the mask on her face; when she reached a clearing filled with soft grass, she took off her shoes and performed some simple warm-up exercises in the warm afternoon sun. Little by little she was carrying out different activities to habituate her body and mind to become a future Bronze Saint, she left the mind blank to force her instinct to work in the same way that Elyn had taught her, concentrated all the cosmos in a point or to connect with the outside, moving herself from one place to another like a delicate butterfly but establishing accurate blows like an eagle when grabbing its prey:
"If you place your left hand just above the ribs, it will be your own fist that hits them and not the enemy with all their strength." suddenly said a voice very close to the redhead's ear.
Elektra blinked as she felt a hand rest gently on hers to take her where she had been instructed:
"And if you also manage to hit just one centimeter higher, your blow will be lethal."
Turning her head a little, the redhead came across the wonderful face of Aphrodite of Pisces behind her. The Gold Saint instructed her where to place her limbs for to be more efficient in a combat while the smell that gave off captivated her on the spot, Elektra had never been so close to someone like him, the most beautiful warrior among the twelve zodiac constellations... always he had seemed someone dreamy that a person as common as her only aspired to see him from a distance:
"Now, repeat the movement."
Pisces's voice was extremely velvety, soft and beautiful as the roses that guarded the twelfth temple and thanks to this, Elektra felt the extreme need to obey and give her best with every step. The redhead engraved Aphrodite's instructions in her mind: left hand on the ribs, not below; right hand an centimeter higher, a quick, lethal blow. She inspired and performed the exercise:
"Good. Again."
Elektra repeated the gesture up to five times, the last two of them almost automatically, always under the supervision of the Gold Saint. In the fifth execution, Aphrodite drew a half smile and stood beside her in exactly the same position. Together they moved in unison to make the movement but at the end of the exercise, the redhead managed to see that her right hand wasn't at the same height but one centimeter lower, just as her left hand didn't exactly protect her ribs:
"You have done well the first three times although a little slow but in the other two, much faster compared... but you have repeated the same failure as at the beginning. Do you know the reason?"
"Mhmm ... did I stop thinking?" The girl answered, ashamed of her mistake.
"Exactly. How did you realize the error?"
"Comparing me to ... you, Sir."
"OH! FOR ATHENA'S TEARS!" Aphrodite exclaimed pretending a heart attack "Don't do that again or I'll kill myself right here... a student calling me 'Sir'..."
"Well ... You are my superior even though I don't have the rank of Saint of Athena."
Elektra blushed to the extreme of feeling that her face burned under the mask, she was grateful to have the habit of wearing it in day-to-day life since thanks to that, she had been able to hide the absolute shame she felt not only for having erred in the exercise explained by someone as venerable as Aphrodite of Pisces but for having offended him with her way of speaking:
"I-I am your supe...? Elyn! Does your apprentice call you "Sir" when you train them too!?
The redhead moved the gaze to where the Gold Saint had directed his words: a few meters behind was the one who instructed her to obtain Caelum's cloth: Elyn of Pisces Australis. Elektra had been so absorbed in her exercises with Aphrodite that she hadn't even noticed that the girl was there, observing carefully:
"They refer to me as 'Master', my students maintain that instruction when they train with me." replied the saint approaching them.
"How ridiculous and what use is so much formality?"
"It wasn't me who implanted it was they who chose to treat me like this. Also, apart from training they have confidence with me." Australis quickly guided her violet gaze towards Elektra and winked at her "But I admit that with some more than others."
Thump-Thump. Thump-Thump. Thump-Thump.
The redhead's heart was going to explode. First, because she still couldn't assimilate that a Gold Saint was giving her advice. Second, she had offended Aphrodite to be too much respectful. Third, Elyn had subtly mentioned her sexual encounter as if it were the most normal thing in the universe in front to Aphrodite... She wished that Elyn didn't ask her to remove her mask, not after knowing that her face would be the same color that her hair:
"HA! This it might sound very spicy, my dear." Aphrodite exclaimed "But, returning to the point... please, girl, do me a favor, don't call me that again. Now, Elyn do the exercise and you will watch you."
Australis got into position and made the same movement that Elektra had to watch closely. Upon completion, the redhead clearly made out in her Master the left hand on the ribs, as Aphrodite had indicated but... the right hand wasn't accurate and in a thousandth of a second, Elyn corrected the posture before the Saint of Pisces said something:
"You still believe that after so many years training you, I don't realize when you make a mistake." Aphrodite said with a smile "Have you seen it, girl?"
"Yes, she fixed last position in a fraction of a second."
"Exactly, you have good eyesight."
"It's easier to see it than to do it."
"Don't underestimate yourself, you are good. It's difficult to calculate movements so accurately. Notice, your Master must correct the exercise even being a Silver Saint, it's almost imperceptible and it's true that it would have given her the victory in a real fight but… it isn't a perfect execution." Elektra agreed with the explanation but she didn't care that someone like Elyn was not able to correctly do something so 'simple', her personal obligation would be to master it as soon as possible "I have an idea. Elyn, stand beside her, I notice since you have obligations with your apprentices you seem more conceited with your position, so today you are going to train together."