Rota Taro von abgemeldet (Follow me down the Rainbow Path) ================================================================================ Prolog: Follow me down the Rainbow Path --------------------------------------- Prologue: Follow me down the Rainbow Path (c) 1999/2007 by Stayka Darkness descending -- shades crept through the luminous depths of the crystal cave, eclipsing the myriads of rainbows that sparkled from the walls of the cavern. In the middle of the spacious cave lay a woman. She was clad in a flowing white robe of Classic Graecian style, and her deep brown hair hung down to the floor. She stirred and moaned, as if caught in a nightmare, and suddenly she opened eyes of the deepest green which were partly hidden behind long lashes. Slowly, she sat up and extended her senses, before her face contorted into a mask of pain. "What have you done to my body?" she asked incredulously. "For aeons I slept in the Cave of a Million Dreams -- but now the pains of my poor torturted body woke me from the sleep of eternity..." The Earth Mother arose and stepped from the dais. "Too long have I allowed my children to play without restraint! Where have you led this world? Oh yes, the first generation was overcome in the primordial strifes -- but the second discovered the joys of this playground and hacked bleeding chasms into my body and clawed gaping wounds into the scattered pieces of my soul that animate the living." A halo of blinding multicoloured light appeared around the ancient Goddess. "Zeus! Poseidon! Hades! I can sense your handiwork. Still you haven't managed to rise over your petty squabbles. Each of you was given one of the Realms of Earth, and still you craved for more and more. You paid for your childishness, grand-children of mine, as I can sense your souls waiting for the next incarnation in the world beyond the worlds. But still there is one left who inherited the power." The rainbow glow turned into an incandescent blaze. "Athena! Hear my voice -- You will justify yourself for your deeds. You will answer to me and prove that your fights were just and appropriate. For what good is a fight that leaves only destruction in its wake even if the so-called righteous side has won? Meet me at Delphoi at the slopes of the Parnassos to plead your case. I shall listen and if your justification does not satisfy me, I shall return the Earth to the chaos as a failed first attempt, before I start anew and form a brandnew world from the shattered remains of the old." * * * The world around trembled and fell apart. Stones defied gravity and floated upwards to the sky, while flames leaked from chasms and charred screaming people on their futile attempts to escape. Helplessly, the white-robed girl watched as the planet she was sent to protect crumbled apart. "Justify yourself!" With a scream, Kido Saori woke from her nightmare. She was bathed in cold sweat, totally unbecoming the reincarnation of a Goddess. "Justify yourself!" A cold, grating thought-voice chased the last remnant of the nightmare away. "Who are you? What do you want?" were the first two questions that came to her mind. "I am the Goddess born from Chaos and Mother of the Earth. But I am also called the Goddess of Death, Avenger of Sin and Crime, and Harbinger of the Future -- it's up to you in which of these guises I shall walk upon the soils once more." "But what do you want of me? All I ever did was defend peace and justice..." "A fine peace is it that your fighters have brought! They left death and destruction in their wake." Suddenly Athena's mind was once more filled with pictures of scorched earth, flaming volcanoes, trembling grounds -- screaming and dying people and collapsing buildings. "But this was caused by my enemies --" "So what? Maybe the Earth would be still hale if you were not here? I shall listen to your defense at the slopes of the Parnassos. You may even bring your warriors -- I shall be curious what they have to say." "My warriors? They still haven't recovered from the last horrible war -- those who are still alive..." Athena's eyes filled with tears when she recalled all the deaths in the depths of the Underworld. "So." The thought-voice sounded pensive. "I shall return them to you -- and be it only for a little while." "Return them? How?" "I am Gaia, little one. I am the World. And I await you." * * * "We are to go where?" Seiya asked. Saori still couldn't believe that he was sound and hale again - the picture of him run through by Hades' sword was still etched vividly in her memory. "Delphoi in Phokis, at the slopes of the Parnassos," Saori explained. "Delphoi is one of the oldest holy places in Greece, older even than Sanctuary, dating back to the mists of time. It is there where Gaia was worshipped, and it is the place she has chosen for us to meet." "Does this mean we have to fight once more?" Shun's voice contained a weariness that didn't agree with his young age. "I don't know", Saori replied truthfully. "Gaia demanded that I justify myself for all the battles that were fought." "But what is our role in her game if we aren't there to protect you, Athena?" Shun inquired. "I guess we have to go to Greece and find out", Seiya shrugged. "So let's go!" * * * Kido Saori's private jet landed near the holy temple. Befitting the Mother Goddess it didn't lie in ruins anymore, but was pristine white and imposing. Saori and her five favourite protectors (rather untypically, Ikki had decided to accompany them from the start) left the plane and looked around. The landscape was slightly hilly, and on one side a high mountain range towered over them. Gaia's temple stood within fruit-laden trees and colourful flowers, and peaceful flute music filled the air. 'Thank the Gods, no harp,' Shun thought when he became aware of the melody. In fact, even flute music raised rather uncomfortable memories, but then, he had to live with it. "I can't believe it," Seiya said with a grin. "We're near some mountain, and I can't see any stairs we're supposed to run up..." "Don't count your chickens before they are hatched," Shiryu warned. "After all, we are near a mountain range..." "Welcome." Without any warning, Gaia stood in front of them. She was clad in an elegant white peplos, and her long, deep brown hair was swept up in elaborate curls. A long translucent white cape trailed behind her like a bride's veil, and she seemed to glow from within in multicoloured fire. 'Such a powerful cosmo', Shiryu thought. 'She might even be more powerful than Athena!' "I greet Thee, Mother Gaia", Athena said formally and curtsied before the ancient Goddess. "It is good to see you, little one. So you have decided to justify yourself? "I do." Athena bowed her head. "I shall show you the justifications and appropriateness of the acts done by me and my Saints." "Very well. Follow me down the Rainbow Path and prove your mettle. First I shall see what you are made of, and then I shall judge what you have done and why." "So be it, Mother Gaia." The ancient Goddess waved her hand, and a giant arc appeared before them. "There are twenty-two steps to wisdom. Go through the Gate to meet your first challenge. Who dares to pit himself against the Fool?" "That's ridiculous", Ikki complained. "Give me a real adversary anytime!" Gaia chuckled. "So you're a brave warrior, Ikki of the Phoenix? Don't underestimate the power of the Fool." "Don't mock me, Gaia. You may be old and powerful, but we have yet to meet an enemy we cannot overcome!" "Very well. Then you should not object to cross the Gate." "If you insist..." Ikki made a face. "I'll be right back". Without looking back, he stepped through the Gate and disappeared. "Where is he gone?" Shun asked worriedly. "He did the first step on the Rainbow Path", Gaia replied. "I shall be curious to see what he will learn in the Realm of the Fool." Hosted by Animexx e.V. (http://www.animexx.de)