A point of light became more and more intense in the absolute darkness in which she found herself, a glimmer of hope that little by little slowly gave her the possibility of feeling around her again. Vitani noticed something cold on her left side but in turn, she found himself enjoying the sensation her body experienced from it. Because getting to this point was quite slow, the girl tried to remember what had brought her to that state:
“Ah yes… I fled from the Sanctuary and they attacked me but… did I die?... who could survive to that experience? Not even my father who was strong and resistant could barely take a blow to the head... But then... where am I?"
Little by little, her senses were awakening, being able to perceive the heat of the place where she was or the aroma of roses that she inspired from time to time with the repetitive beep of a machine.
"An hospital? I'm alive?"
Instinctively, she wanted to open her eyes and the light grew much wider. Within seconds, Vitani began to dissipate some details, although the weight of her eyelids seemed to use up all the strength she needed even to think.
"I guess I'll find out... later."
***
Four days, almost five, it took her to open the eyes and make out where she was. Indeed, she was in a hospital room, a white and quiet place through which the sun's rays entered most of the day; there were two vases of red roses that were always at their best, they smelled wonderful and their fragrance, together with the warm touch of the sun on her skin, managed to calm her confused heart at all times. However, becoming aware of her body and regaining her strength brought with it a number of news that was too difficult for her to process: the first, the one that kept her in shock for a few hours, was the discovery that she had lost her left arm and that this had been replaced by a mechanical prosthesis without skin or nails, only iron, gears and a strange oily smell. When Vitani started to understand and accept that it would be part of her forever was time for the other news: it had been Milo who had come to help her just in time followed by Mu, who transported her to the intensive care unit of the hospital in the Graad Foundation but the scorpion had remained facing her attackers and now, he was waiting for an date of execution by Athena and Hades since under the truce that the goddess maintained, it was totally forbidden to kill any member of the other sides. Consequently, and since Milo had killed three specters, only the girl's declaration would prevent the dead of the guardian of the eighth temple:
"So...What do the Gods and you need from me?"
"Personally, I don't need much for to know that Milo acted prisoner of hysteria" said the Pope, Saga of Gemini "but Hades will have to verify what happened that night entering your memories and checking for himself what happened."
"Hades...?" Vitani's voice trailed off but Saga knew that the girl wanted to continue that conversation so he waited with great patience "Ah yes... this... is not a dream, is it? The cosmos... the gods... All this greek customs is... it's true, isn't it?"
Saga nodded slowly, for him it was easy to affirm something like that because he had lived all his life in the Sanctuary and his companions had arrived there at the early age of five or six years when reality sense isn't yet settled inside... but Vitani... She was the first person to arrive at the Sanctuary having had a complete life outside the sacred place and with an age in which she already knew how to distinguish what was true and what a fairy tale. Accepting the lifestyle of a Saint of Athena it should be something complicated:
"I understand that you feel confused but little by little you will get used to it, after all, your arm is proof of it."
"Tsé, what an example ... it's just a piece of iron that weighs and doesn't move."
"That is not true." Saga smiled at the surprise her words generated in the girl "Have you tried to lift it?"
"How?"
"Just do it."
Vitani blinked, stunned by what she heard. She fixed her ruby eyes on the prosthesis, if the one who observed it, the highest command of the Sanctuary, thought that moving the arm was something so simple, why not believe it? She swallowed hard and tried to displace it but nothing happened and disappointment crossed her face, the Pope was laughing at her:
"Liar…"
Saga stood up and suddenly threw his fist against the girl's face. Letting out a cry, she protected herself by inertia, closing her eyes. When Vitani opened them, discovered that Saga had withdrawn his fist, he hadn't even touched her but his daring had been enough to make both of the girl's arms move at the same time. Vitani stared in amazement as her left arm, her automail, felt the same as her own, she had felt the air as she lifted it and the softness of her fingers brushing against each other:
"How you…?
"I can understand these are not the best words but... Stop worrying so much, Vitani." Saga sat down again, with a calm air and keeping his half smile "That arm is made of a special material that during these days has become familiar with your inner cosmos and will react the same as your own arm but you must allow the flow of your cosmos is not forced."
"And how do I do that?"
"It's part of you, you must remember that now it's your arm and that it will act as such by your own instinct, but if you keep thinking what it's or you feel that it doesn't belong to you, then it will not move because you will break contact."
"And how do you expect me to do it? Look at it, it's mechanical... it's clearly not mine, I... I want my arm..."
"I'm sorry to tell you that this wasn't possible due to the disastrous state in which they left you and due to the urgency that your state required... Sorry but we couldn't get you something more in line with your appearance."
The girl tried to vaguely remember that scene but she didn't find any traumatic emotion inside her despite the images she visualized in her mind, it was as if the scenes became blurry and the sounds faded to give way to a strange feeling of tranquility:
"We have... softened your memories. You didn't deserve such aggressiveness in your subconscious."
"Thank you... I guess."
"I have to ask you something very important, Vitani, and I ask you to answer with total sincerity." The girl gulped as her heart threatened to leap out of her chest "Do you really want to stay in the Sanctuary?"
"Do you think that with 'this' I can lead a life outside the Sanctuary?" She replied.
"Vitani. I have lived with Milo for many years, I know the pride that scorpions have and, believe me, being proud doesn't work for me cause I can see right through you."
"If you know me as well as you think, why are you asking me? Just take my supposed answer and leave me alone."
"I need an honest answer from you because I am the executing hand of Athena and I must be aware of everything that happens within her territory. Even if I know what you're feeling now I need to know if you really want to be part of us or not by your words so that the truce that has cost the gods so much to achieve is not affected. This has happened is very serious and I can lose the current Scorpio Gold Saint, a very valuable warrior and a really important friend. Just because you don't want to say what you want to do.
"But it was they who attacked me! Hades is the God of the Underworld, surely he can find their souls and ask them, why is he interested on me?"
"Because the gods think differently and if it had happened the other way around, I know that Hades wouldn't have had any compassion. This is what I mean by 'don't worry so much.' Don't think why, just obey."
Saga's face lost the smile it had maintained until that moment, thinking about the consequences of the girl's escape made his stomach turn but it had to be he who spoke to her first because after all, he was a human and understood better to his race.
"And what will happen if I decide to leave the Santuary and not obey to Hades's request?"
"That Milo will die and you will have a new life apart from all this."
"And will not you mind if I go or Milo died? Won't you try to make me change my mind? Really?... even if I am...born under ..."
"Under the Scorpio costellation, yes. That is what the stars say but they don't decide your final destiny, I was born under the cursed star of Gemini and in the end, I managed to redeem myself from all my sins. The life of the Saints of Athena is not easy, perhaps now that the enemies are a minority it's something simpler but... Milo is waiting in a cell to decide if he lives or dies by threatening the truce that the gods agreed, his destiny maybe it wasn't that but, he decided so and he will pay the consequences of his actions. This is how we have been living and we accept it."
"As 'a damn pawns in the service of Athena'... right?"
"Well... this is the Milo's vision... although it's the truth. The humans are insects next to the power of Hades or Athena but our goddess watches over us as much as possible. I'm not going to lie to you, Vitani, living in the Sanctuary implies risks, pain and sacrifice; something you won't need in the real world. I give you the option to choose which world you want to belong to because nobody gave it to me and I always wondered how my life would have been like if I had taken my brother and we had run away... You are free to follow the path of the stars or whatever you want to write about, but I will ask you for loyalty to whatever you choose, for your sake and that of others."
***
Feeling the consciousness of Hades inside her was something strange, even more so when her subconscious told her that this woman (to her great surprise) was discovering more than she remembered, so she hoped that said eminence might be able to see beyond manipulating your memories. When the session was over, their eyes met for a second: Vitani saw in them the closest thing to the nothing, a depth without limits next to a void that he wasn't able to explain... But she was beautiful, as a queen.
After that moment, Hades moved away from her side and directed her steps towards the door where Saga was waiting:
"You can free the Scorpio Saint." She said solemnly in a whisper as she passed the Pope's side. "I'll go to apologize with Athena."
Saga, who was watching the meeting of the goddess of the Underworld with the girl in question, gave her only a bow, without making a single verbal comment about it. Once they were alone, Vitani and the ex Gemini Saint smiled, half-sided, in agreement with the sentence.