A week had passed since Shun had left Jabal al-Tair, the island he simply knew as the Island of Andromeda.

In that place, only his master and his training partner June remained.

While on the other side of the Arabian Sea, Raidne was trying to demonstrate her power to Maya in Cherai (south of India), deep in the Gulf of Aden, June concluded her training for the day on that small island in the southern Red Sea.

Since childhood, June had maintained a habit: playing with her training rope on the coast, and when she got tired, she would sit and watch the sea. The waves usually calmed her anxious mind, and it was no wonder... as the day she would finally receive the right to claim the Chameleon Armor was drawing near. However, despite her excitement, finishing that stage brought her great uncertainty; she still didn't know what would happen next. She intended to follow her friend's example and leave the island, but unlike him, she had nowhere else to go, and there was no one waiting for her return. If her presence was not required at Athena's Sanctuary, she could either stay there or go to another location and train new warriors. However, despite its inhospitable conditions, that island had been her only home, where her master and the other apprentices had been like a big family to her. And where she had spent more time than anywhere else—almost half of her life.

The Island of Andromeda had been her salvation... she wanted to repay it in the same way. Why go elsewhere to do what she could also do there? Train more children and help them become as strong as she was, like her master... or like Shun...

But who was she trying to fool? No, it wasn't just that her apprentice training was coming to an end...

It was inevitable, no matter how much she tried to distract herself with other things, since his departure, memories of her young friend would intermittently resurface. After all, it had been on that same beach she was walking on at that moment where she had seen him both arrive and leave.

Shun was the first friend she had made after losing what remained of her family. After surviving a shipwreck, where she was rescued by the man who became her master, Albiore of Cepheus, six years ago, also on that same beach. Unlike the proud Andromeda Knight, she had arrived by accident, unconscious and carried by the sea's current.

While positive thoughts converged on her young friend, those related to her childhood were scattered and blurry; remembering it was very painful for her.

Since June had first put on that mask, she had sworn to abandon any trace of femininity.

When Shun had been there for only a few weeks, he had found her crying, with her mask to the side. In those years, her blonde and silky hair barely reached her shoulders, just enough to partially cover her face. When she heard Shun approaching, she froze. But what had disturbed her wasn't the fact that he saw her face, as the boy was very respectful and had stayed behind her. Rather, what troubled her was that the quality she had always considered feminine was being exposed and could validate a reason for expulsion.

However, time (but primarily getting to know that sweet-eyed boy named Shun) helped her understand that tears and pain have no gender; they simply complement the human being. That boy's sensitivity served as her compass, guiding her in her training as a warrior of Athena.

Four years later, while tending to her friend's wounds, June finally faced that memory and was able to share part of her past:

"A few years ago, I lost my parents in Ogaden, Ethiopia. In those days, there were many children condemned to that cruel fate, and among them, there was a girl I used to play with named Marjani. During those years, Somalia had invaded the bordering area with Ethiopia. Many people died."

One night, my father was returning with food for my mother and me. But some soldiers mistakenly shot him. It was dark, and they were chasing a rebel who was escaping.

My mother hid me under a mesob, a kind of basket used to store grains that she had also made with a false bottom. That way, when the soldiers decided to enter and search the house, they took my mother, but I remained hidden.

The next day, as no one came back, I went to look for my playmate. When I opened the door, I found her lying, curled up between the bodies of her mother and grandmother. No child should experience something like that, witness something like that...

Dressed as boys and carrying the mesob with us, we decided to flee from there. I don't remember how long we lived among a group of nomads from the Afar ethnic group. During that time, we had become very close. Marjani had become like a sister to me.

One day, a mysterious woman, her face hidden behind a cloak, offered the leader a camel in exchange for us. The man didn't hesitate for a moment. After all, we ate and drank more than the animal, and we couldn't both carry the burden equivalent to that of the ruminant. When we left, she told us that we were recruits to become warriors and that we would leave together for our training grounds. But Marjani didn't trust the woman. She was scared. She had already experienced something like that with her older brother, who was forcibly recruited as a "warrior," with their mother and grandmother being killed in front of them for trying to prevent it.

I tried to reassure her, but unintentionally, I betrayed her trust... I assured her that everything would be fine and that I wouldn't let anything bad happen to her.

June had fallen silent; she couldn't continue with the story. It hurt her... And Shun understood when that pause turned into silence. Behind that mask, there were tears that choked her soul.

With divergent thoughts to avoid returning to that past time, June realized that the weather invited her to cool off. That particularly hot afternoon convinced her to change her jump rope game for a swim.

She took off her mask and completely undressed to enter the sea and embrace the foamy waves. It had been a long time since she felt such solitude, yet she found a lot of peace in it. She particularly enjoyed the freedom to indulge in mischief like that without any shame.

She spent a good while enjoying her recreational swim, unaware that the sun had started to hide behind the clouds and the wind carried an omen of a storm.

If she hadn't been so distracted, she would have noticed a flagless ship and a man swimming towards it.

When June realized that the sea was becoming rougher, she made her way back to the shore. But all she found there was her mask and some of her clothes; most of them had disappeared.

A masculine voice she didn't recall hearing before spoke up, saying:

"Well, look at what the tide brought in."

June, with her mask back in place, turned her gaze and there stood a young man a few years older than her. His clothes were still soaked; it was clear he had swum there, and he didn't seem very friendly. Nevertheless, she calmly asked him:

"Did you steal my protective gear? Come on, give it back. I promise I won't hurt you if you do and then disappear."

"And if I don't?"

"You'll regret crossing paths with me, you fool!"

"Naked and unarmed... I admit you have guts. Especially to speak to me that way; a woman shouldn't respond like that."

"I warned you."

June grabbed the rope that was still there and swung it in the air toward her target, skillfully and swiftly entangling it around the neck of that stranger. He didn't see it coming.

The young man tried to loosen the tension that prevented him from breathing properly. But it was impossible for him. After a few minutes, when he was losing consciousness, an arrow managed to cut the rope, releasing the tension and causing the body of that individual to collapse onto the black sand.

"If he hasn't seen your face, there's no need to take his life," a voice said.

June felt a shiver run down her spine. There was something familiar in the tone of that voice.

"Marjani? Is that you?" June asked.

The image of a girl almost the same age as her, with shoulder-length dark hair, dressed in a short dress and silver armor, stood between the male body and June. She removed the stolen items from the dying man's bag and threw them to their rightful owner. June began to cover her sculpted nymph-like body as she dressed. While she was getting dressed, the mysterious girl turned her face, which had no mask, toward June and smiled, saying:

"It seems you haven't forgotten me."

Overwhelmed with emotion, June wanted nothing more than to run and embrace that girl, but she restrained herself and exclaimed:

"Marjani!!! I can't believe it, is it really you? I thought you were dead."

"June, I don't have much time to explain. If you value the friendship we had, you must trust me and spare this man's life."

June paused, noticing that her old friend Marjani had knelt in front of the young man. Since she didn't have the characteristic mask, June thought of those orders of women who were allowed to retain their femininity but served as escorts of the Goddess. Although her teacher had mentioned them in passing, she couldn't recall their name. She decided to ask directly.

"And your mask?"

"In the army of Artemis, that rule only applies to men, not women."

As a hostile response, June's pupils contracted, and she quickly moved towards where she had left the loose end of the rope she had used to dress herself. She flung it towards Marjani, who, upon perceiving the tactic, leaped backward and, mid-air, shot another arrow to cut another section of that long-range weapon.

"June... I'm not here to settle scores with you. I hold no grudge against you for what happened, not at all. But if you attack me or this man, I have no choice but to defend ourselves," Marjani said.

"What happened to you?" June asked, her voice filled with concern.

Marjani closed her eyes, pain evident in her heart. She looked back at the unconscious young man lying on the black sand of that beach and replied, "That night when they attacked our village, they came into what used to be my home to take away my older brother, Axum, to force him into combat. The man whose life you almost took."

June couldn't help but show a gesture of astonishment at those words. As Marjani attended to the young man, she began to narrate the story.

"After they forcibly took him from the house, my mother begged the soldier not to take him. But in response, they shot her, considering her plea as treason. When they discovered that my father belonged to the Afar ethnic group, they beat him until he was on the verge of death... I was locked inside with their bodies for days until you found me. The days I spent alone with my family's corpses were more agonizing than drifting at sea. I survived with the hope that one day I would be reunited with my brother. He is all I have left of my family. I never expected him to come for him, let alone to cross paths with you. But here I am, facing both of you. If fate has brought me here to complete a mission, it has also brought me to find my true brother."

"I'm sorry, Marjani... But he was about to attack me. It doesn't matter if he's your brother, the path has turned him into a man who will do anything to survive."

"June, do you not remember what we did to survive in those years? How different were we from him? We didn't travel inside a moseb, dressed as boys for fun. We lost the desire to play. We survived by hiding and stealing from adults because we distrusted them, even if they were friendly, their intentions were unknown to us. We lived among the nomads because they had discovered us and practically felt it was their right to 'sell' us. That's why, when you changed your mind, trying to convince me to trust that stranger, our paths began to diverge. Despite everything, your faith in people remained intact, mine had disappeared. From then on, nothing would be the same."

"I always considered you my sister, Marjani!"

"It's true, we were friends and very close, but that was a long time ago. I don't have time, I need to leave here to find that woman before it's too late."

June, intrigued by the mention of the mysterious woman, couldn't help but be drawn into the conversation. She wanted to understand what was happening and why Marjani seemed so determined to find her.

"What woman are you talking about?"

"I need to find a girl who was here over a week ago," Marjani replied.

"Only fishermen come and go from this island."

A female figure suddenly descended from the sky, and upon hearing their conversation, she spoke up.

"Perhaps she's referring to us. Hunting, fishing, it's all the same. When it comes to prey, there's no escape, right, Marjani?"

"Selene!"

A woman with lime green hair presented herself to them. Like Marjani, she had her face mostly uncovered, except for a headband that encircled part of her jaw.

June looked at Selene, trying to understand her role in all of this.

"Who are you, and what is this about a girl you're looking for?" June asked, her curiosity piqued.

When the woman directed her gaze towards June's, the latter was startled. If Shun had told her that instead of a brother, he had an older sister, this woman would have been the perfect candidate given their striking resemblance. She was a feminine but tough version, voluptuous with full lips and feline eyes. Her hair was less disheveled and of a brighter, more vibrant color... a true femme fatale.

"What are you doing here? We had agreed to head east. Making friends with Athena's saints, how lovely," Selene said, swaying her hips as she walked towards June and playfully tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, smirking.

"I must ask you to leave. This is a sacred training ground for Athena's aspirants, and you are not welcome here," June replied firmly.

"Do you dare to threaten Selene of Lynx? Little girl, perhaps when you have your sacred cloth, I'll take your warning seriously," Selene taunted, still smiling sardonically.

June didn't wait to try and land a punch with her fists, using the remaining short length of her training rope. But with just three of her fingers, Selene twisted June's arm, causing her to kneel in pain on the cooling sand.

"...For now, close your mouth, watch, and learn. Where is the girl with the moon mark on her forehead?" Selene asked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" June exclaimed.

Selene kicked June, sending her back a few meters.

"Are you sure?"

"Leave this island immediately!" June shouted.

"Who's there?"

"If you only listen to someone wearing a cloth, then you will obey the Silver Saint of Cepheus," June declared.

Albiore, June and Shun's master, had arrived there. His muscular figure and forearms adorned with chains were quite imposing, especially under the dim light of the waning moon that evening. The aspiring Saint stood up and quickly moved away from the scene.

"Damn it! Just when it was getting fun, what a shame," Selene said, swaying her hips as she turned and walked towards the sea, winking at the warrior while once again tossing her hair back behind her back. Meanwhile, Marjani approached her brother, who was still unconscious, hesitated for a moment, and then said:

"I won't leave until I'm sure this man will be safe."

"You have my word," replied Albiore.

"I trust you with it."

And just as they arrived, these young warriors left the island.

Albiore assisted the young bandit, and early the next day, he introduced him to some fishermen so they could work together. After watching him depart with them, Albiore returned to his cabin and found June sitting outside, still not wearing her training gear.

"Is something wrong, June?"

"Why did you let that man go?"

"Don't you think he deserved a second chance?... That young man reminded me of many aspiring Saints of Athena. Separated from their parents and forced to fight to survive... Sometimes we think that those who choose the wrong path deserve all the bad and harm that comes their way... but we never stop to ask if they really had a choice."

June began to sob... And moments later, for the first time, she told her whole story, even what she couldn't tell Shun.

A few days after that mysterious woman traded the girls for camels, they boarded a very precarious boat. After a few hours, it was surrounded by pirates, several boats paraded while a ship stayed a bit further away. Without hesitation, the mysterious woman jumped from that boat onto the boats, fighting against all of them. Jumping and battling those men, one by one. Underneath her attire, a shimmering silver armor could be seen in the sunlight.

However, in her battle, she drifted away from both girls, as the wind did its part, carrying them adrift. Alone in the boat, unable to maneuver the sails properly, the danger was no longer the pirates but the sea itself.

When night fell, the strong wind transformed into a storm and unleashed itself upon both of them as they tried to remove one of the sails. Unluckily, the boom rotated around the mast's axis and threw them into the water.

While June managed to hold onto a net hanging from the boat, she reached out for Marjani's hand to pull her, but the storm was too fierce, and water violently entered her mouth and nose. Eventually, her strength gave out, and she let go of her friend's hand, losing consciousness. She later woke up on that island...

"If only I had endured a little longer!"

Albiore observed her and after pondering for a moment, he asked her,

"What do you think would have happened?"

"Huh? We would have arrived here and trained together."

"You believed she had drowned in the sea because you let go of her hand, but despite that, your friend survived. Perhaps you don't like where life's current took her, but you were able to see her again, and what's more, you discovered that she doesn't hold any grudge against you. Yet, you're still angry with yourself."

"Because if I were in her place, I don't think I could have ever forgiven myself."

Albiore embraced his apprentice, once again demonstrating that he was the man his students admired the most, not only for his discipline and firmness but also for his humility and ability to listen to his students.

"Learning to forgive one another is important, but the most difficult part is forgiving ourselves."

When June had finished crying, Albiore offered her a cloth he used to wrap his hands so that she could wipe her face. He noticed that she had already taken out a rag from the neckline of her leotard. He recognized the fabric—it belonged to the old training outfit of his former student, the Saint of Andromeda. As he smiled, he turned his head to allow June to remove her mask easily. Meanwhile, the man remembered a detail from the young girl's story and after a moment, he asked her,

"You mentioned that the woman who recruited you had a silver armor beneath her robe, right? There aren't many female Silver Saints. Do you remember the name of that woman who recruited you?"

"I don't remember her name. It was long and difficult to pronounce, but I do remember that she had her left eye bandaged."

"I don't recall anyone matching that description... Well, if you're ready now, let's go train."

Marjani had returned to the beach after all. She wanted to make sure her brother was safe.

"Now, can we go and fulfill our mission?"

"Thank you, Selene. I never imagined you would want to accompany me for this."

"Hey... I may be tough, but I don't have a heart of stone either."

Marjani embraced the huntress. From a distance, she observed the scene between June and her master and took out an old photograph she had kept since before that hell that would change their lives was unleashed. In the picture, they could be seen as young children, hugging like good friends used to. For a moment, she was going to let it go and let the wind carry it away, but nostalgia won, and she decided to keep it.

Then, they turned around and headed toward the place where they had just felt the last surge of Raidne's power.