Beyond the maze of topiaries laid the sounds of rushing water and the sight of a bridge. This mountain definitely had its fair share of quite a bit of everything so far and the sight of this stone bridge and a person walking across it made the three hurry to make contact.
'' Hey there! ''
The three of them said in unison as they ran to the bridge to get their attention.
When the person turned around, it was in that moment that they realized who it was.
A familiar face from the tournament.
The woman who battled Hakai, otherwise known as Mimi.
She still wore the same gi from the tournament but now they had a bit of a clue as to where she had come from.
'' Oh its you three. It's been quite sometime, I take it you've been faring well? Also, what're you doing here? Are you here for business or did you happen to wander up the mountain? ''
Mimi's words were brief but held no animosity, she had no ill will after losing and just treated it as incentive to grow stronger. She wasn't anyone special and so kept herself to the grind in the hopes that she'll get better with each passing day but she did seem like she was a bit lost herself.
'' We are here to meet with the Owner of the Mountain, we have a letter from his associate to hand to them. We would like to learn from the Lord here. ''
Hakai conveyed what needed to be said so there was no misunderstanding here but Seiya followed up after Hakai's response seeing how Mimi was darting her eyes around.
'' Are you missing something? Or looking for something? ''
The white haired prince asked Mimi, seeing how she was acting gave him the impression that he may as well address it. What she said next had confirmed his theory.
'' I misplaced the pair of scissors I was lent. I forgot where I put it when I went to collect vials of pure water. ''
Mimi spoke with a tone that implied she wasn't too happy with her own forgetfulness and felt embarrassed that she even mentioned it but if there was a chance that she could get other people to help her out then she wouldn't ignore the opportunity.
'' Oh I think we saw those scissors earlier. Its on the other end of the maze we just went through. ''
Mimi quickly thanked Seiya as he mentioned the scissors, shaking his hand quickly before running away before he could finish his sentence but at least she knew where they were now. Seiya looked at Sakura and Hakai, wondering if she needed their help going through the maze but it seemed like it didn't matter since she probably helped sculpt the maze.
After 10 minutes of silence and waiting, the female returned with the scissors.
'' Sorry for making you wait but if you would like some aid reaching the top of the mountain, all you need to do is follow me. There's many strange habitats in this mountain that is specifically curated the way that they are to help with our Lord's tasks. There are several regions in this mountain that is difficult to find unless you actively seek it out and know the path. ''
The three were in a bit of awe hearing what was said. How many other regions within the mountain did they miss on their way up? They couldn't wait to reach the top and see the school that belonged to the lord of the mountain but with Mimi here, they'll get to the top faster than what would've happened if they went alone.
'' If you guys are here to join the family, I can help put a word in. I was quite in awe of how you handled that man from back then. I honestly thought we were all going to die but such a tragedy was avoided. ''
Mimi reminisced about the past and it made her curious as to how Seiya killed the man without batting an eye and was afraid of asking. Was he sadistic underneath that youthful expression or was it his sense of justice that determined whether or not Friegen should've lived or died?
She couldn't ask, she didn't know him enough to find out but wanted to stick with her own preconceived notion that he did it to save everyone.
'' I should mention that you guys will have to get used to doing various tasks while being here on the mountain if you do join us here. I can't list everything off the top of my head but when you see what'll be asked of you, you'll understand. ''
Mimi had to inform them what to expect, though she had a good feeling they'll be accepted.
She had told the people of the Academy here of their feats during the tournament and hoped that her good word had greased the right hands to possibly make their acceptance a guarantee.
Beyond the bridge and other peculiar regions traversed, they finally stood before a giant walled building and the green gates out front that held their next destination.
At long last they stood in the face of the next chapter of their lives.
An important chapter for the three of them.