[Aquamarine]

Yep, I have entered the world of writing. This is a first for me. First up is the prologue, which won't reveal anything, but is there nonetheless. I've already written 6 chapters. I'll post the next chapter in about 5 days, or less if you want it sooner. :P Also, I'll greatly appricate if you tell me what you think, what isn't so good and where I have spelling mistakes.

Golden Sun: The Dark Truth

Prologue

A golden glimmer illuminated the sky. A glimmer that reflected both sorrow and joy.

'Tell us a little more about Alchemy Kraden. I'm sure Mia would like to know a bit more too.' Ivan asked sitting next to Kraden onto the soft grass.
'My, you sure are interested.' Kraden replied, 'Unfortunately, I won't be able to speak for long. I must leave.'
Mia tore her gaze away from the happy reunion of Garet and his family 'You're leaving? Where are you going?'
'Um... It's a small island that we visited before meeting with you at Jupiter Lighthouse. I'm going there to study Alchemy a little farther.'
'Well, how are you going to get there? Someone has to go with you...' Ivan said.
'I'll ask Piers to take me there on his ship. I want to go as soon as possible.' Mia was just about to say something more on that matter when Kraden interrupted her, 'How about I answer that question about Alchemy. As you already know Alchemy is the foundation of...'

'Saturos and Menardi took us all straight away to Prox after finding us unconcious in the river. Puelle and... What's wrong Isaac?' Kyle asked his son.
Isaac looked up at his father. He'd been sitting beside his parents, but hadn't spoken a word. He just stared at the ground, listening to them doing all the talking.
'Nothing... It's just that I... Nothing...'
'I know what you mean.' Dora said, 'I feel the same way too' she finished, hugging him tightly.

'Isn't this nice? I'm so glad for them all. I can't wait to get back to Lalivero... back to Faran...' Sheba said smiling broadly.
'Yes, I...' but Piers stoped.
Sheba glanced at him. He looked sad. 'What's wrong Piers?' she said quietly.
'I'm... I know I should be happy for them. But I just can't...' he said staring at the ground beneath him.
'Oh... I'm sorry for your mother Piers.' Sheba said, sensing what the reason is, 'I can only imagine how hard it is for you...'
She put her arm round him while Piers did his best to suprese his tears.

'I hope you changed your underwear every day Garet, you don't want to smell near these lovely girls and...'
'Yes Mum. Now please, can you stop bugging me about everything. Sheesh, and to think I actually missed this...' Garet said looking both bored and a bit annoyed.
'So...' his brother said 'how many times did you cry? I bet every little scratch made you sob your eyes out!'
'Listen you little rascal!' Garet replied kneeling down and grabbing his brother to strangle him 'I want to see you go through everything I did, then we'll see who the tough guy is.'
Then they both laughed loudly.
'We're all just so relieved you've returned safely Little Bro.' his sister said smiling.
'Yeah Sis. So am I...' he said looking around at his family with pride and love.

'So anyway, it was me who made all the decisions.' Jenna told her parents, 'This thick skull here couldn't even multiply two by two.' she tapped Felix hard on the head.
'Hey! I did my share of work too! Don't forget who the leader was...'
Their mother interrupted 'That's not important now. The important thing is you're safe and you both helped save the world.'
'I'm so proud of you kids.' their father added, 'Now you can have a long rest and never get into such dangerous business again.'
But as Jenna continued the conversation with her parents Felix grew worried. He thought hard, blocking out every other sound from his mind.

'No. This isn't finished yet.' he said finaly.
They stared at him. 'What? What do you mean?' Jenna said.
He turned round and spoke out loud 'Everyone, please listen! We have not finished our journey just yet. There's one more thing left.' He pointed towards Mt. Aleph.
Everyone looked at him, knowing they must do it now. They didn't want to, but they had to. 'What!? You want us to go mining for gold or something!?' Garet asked.
'No Garet.' Mia said, 'We have to see if he has survived. You know... Alex.'
Garet just stared at her before saying 'Survived!? He couldn't have survived that! No one can survive that!'
'Don't forget, he may have reached the peak before Mt. Aleph was destroyed.' Sheba explained 'And if he did...' she couldn't continue.
Garet turned to her now '...... You're right......'

There was a silence. A sad, empty silence.

'The eight of us will go. The rest of you go to Vault. When we have checked, we will join you.' Felix said.
The eight young Adepts were slowly getting ready to leave.
'Wait. Please... Can Piers be excused?' Kraden asked them.
They looked at him. 'Why do you need me?' Piers said.
'I... was planing on going... to Izumo to study Alchemy.' Kraden said, 'And I need your ship to get there.'
'We musn't leave anyone behind. Sorry Kraden, but this is much more important.' Felix replied.
Kraden looked at them with a face of dissapointment. Slowly, they took their first steps towards Mt. Aleph.

[Sea of Time]

The basis for a story is always a good plotline and I think you have that. It is confusing when you change scenes without introducing the new conversations, but I think you started off great and I can't wait to see more.

[Aquamarine]

Ok, thanks for the thumbs up, I'll edit my already written chapters to make them less confusing.

[Aquamarine]

I've decided to post the next chapter earlier than planned, in the hopes that someone else will say what he thinks. I hope you enjoy it and, once again, please tell me anything that you think isn't good.

Chapter One

They cautiosly clambered down the rocks in total silence, going deeper into the heart of the crater in which Mt. Aleph now stood. Finaly, they reached the base of the strange pyramid-like mountain.

They stared at the weird yellow rock for a moment.
'So...What now?' Jenna said looking at her brother.
Suddenly, Garet jumped out of the group, swinging his Steller Axe and smashing it into the rock. It unleashed Supernova and, under the weight of such power, the wall crumbled.
'Ladies first.' Garet said to a stunned Jenna. Slowly but wearily, they entered the ruins.
The path through Sol Sanctum was almost intact from the inside, even though the whole mountain crumbled over it. They proceeded through the dim passageway, lined with minotaur heads.
'I still don't see how Alex could have survived, even if he had gotten the Golden Sun.' Garet said running over to Felix who was leading the group.
'If Sol Sanctum wasn't destroyed then why do you think Alex would have been killed?' Felix replied.
'He's made of flesh and bones, these are rocks that are surrounding us!'
'Nevertheless, if he got hold of the power he wanted, then I don't think this could have damaged him so badly.'

And so the two continued talking about who was right and who wrong when, finaly, the discussion had turned into an argument.
'You're really annoying, you know that Felix? You're all like 'Ooh, who gives a damn what anyone else says, I know I'm right''
'How can you be so stupid Garet?! Do you think this would have finished Saturos and Menardi off? No, wait, forget I said that...'
But just then there was a loud noise behind them. They turned round to see the floor had fallen apart and everyone who was walking behind them had dissapeared.
'Mia!' Garet shouted running towards the big hole and grabbing Mia, who was clining to the edge of the floor. Felix rushed over to help Ivan who, likewise, was gripping the edge tightly.
'What happened?' he asked once the two were safely back on their feet.
'I don't know. The floor just crumbled down. The others fell.' Mia said turning towards the pit. 'It's so dark down there. I can't see a thing!'
'I'll try and contact them' Ivan said, concentrating all of his power into the Mind Read. After a few seconds of trying, he gave up. 'No use. It seems the amount of Psynergy radiating from the walls of this temple is blocking my Mind Read somehow. Let's hope Sheba tries the same.'

During that time, far below them.

'Ahhhhhh!!!!' was all anyone could hear. They were falling for what seemed a long time now, hitting the walls to the side of them time and time again.
When finaly they reached the bottom it was Piers and Isaac who fell first. Thankfully, they fell onto some vines and shrubs which broke the fall. Sheba landed onto Piers's lap and Jenna onto Isaac's.
'Whoa... Thanks for softening my landing.' Jenna said quietly looking into Isaac's sapphire blue eyes.
'No problem... What are friends for?' he replied. They stared at each other for a split second, their heads coming closer.
'Ok now, ok! This is no time for romance, all right?' Sheba said jumping to her feet, not bothering to thank Piers the way Jenna did. 'Smooching later, rescuing now, ok?'
Jenna quickly got off Isaac's legs. 'Ahm... Yeah uh... Let's find a way out of here.'
She looked around herself. This place, which was obviously deep underground, was covered with many kinds of plants, but even down here the crumbling mountain didn't have a lot of impact.
'I'll try and Mind Read the others.' Sheba said before concentrating hardly. 'Darn, I just remembered! I don't even have any Psynergy left! I wish we went to Vault for a rest.'
'Hm... Well, there are several passages.' Piers noticed, 'Should we split up?'
'No!' Isaac answered immediately. 'If only two of us meet Alex then we may lose. It's safer to go together.'
And so they proceeded along one of the few corridors.

Felix, Mia, Garet and Ivan walked in silence. Felix was deep in thought about how they were supposed to help the others, while Ivan every now and then tried another Mind Read, but failed every time.
They came up to a small, round room with many ways leading away from it. 'Let's go that way.' Felix gestured quietly. The others followed. Suddenly, they felt something fall from the celling of the small crossway. They all spun round to see something large charging at them.

Isaac, Jenna, Piers and Sheba were slowly finding stairways that lead to upper floors. After climbing up some stairs, a big pile of rocks started shaking next to them. They readied their weapons, not knowing what to expect. Suddenly, something jumped out of the rubble and attacked Piers. But he was ready. He flung his weapon through the body of the creature, dodging slimy blobs that flew everywhere. After it fell to the ground they saw that it was just a weak Slime.

A man with long blue hair smashed into Ivan. He flew into the already cracked wall. 'Alex!' he said while slowly getting up. Felix rushed forward, thrusting his Sol Blade into their enemy. But all he did was destroy an illusion of Alex, as he teleported just before Felix attacked.
'Where is he?!' Mia yelled looking around. From somewhere above them a great spurt of water shot towards them, smashing walls with it's might. Ivan used Resist on everyone at the last moment. The icy cold water didn't have a great effect.
'Why you...' was all Garet said before using Liquifier at the place where Alex was. The force of the Psynergy destroyed the small cliff Alex was standing on, scaterring chunky rocks everywhere. Felix looked at the place where the Mercury Adept was supposed to fall, but he wasn't there.
'Where's he gone now?!' he murmured. 'Right behind you, pesky child!' he heard a voice in his ear before feeling nothing but great pain. 'No!' Ivan yelled before being blasted towards the wall by an invisible Psynergy of immense strenghth. 'Mia, heal him!' he yelled whilst being pinned to the side of the wall by their foe. Mia raised her hands. They illuminated the room with the bright light they emmited. Alex ran towards her, readying himself for the kill, but just as he was about to take her life away Garet's axe colided with his stomach, sending him to the floor. By now, Mia's whole body was glowing. Finaly, she released a Pure Ply move, which revitalized Felix to full health.
'Now, to take care of you.' Garet said, turning to the lying Alex. He raised his weapon and plunged it into the heart of their enemy. But, once again, it was just a copy of himself. 'Where are you now!?!' Garet shouted. There was a sound like a waterfall and a bright sphere hit Mia plain in the chest. She looked up, wondering why she didn't feel any pain. Ivan, Felix and Garet turned towards the place where the sphere flew from and used their most powerful Psynergy's. All at the same time, lightning bolts, huge swords and molten magma and flames smashed straight into Alex.
He could barely stand now. His enemies were closing in on him. He waved his hands in the air and the rushing sound of a waterfall filled the room again. Another bright sphere darted, this time, towards Garet. It hit him in the chest and he just fell to the floor, not moving. While Mia did another Pure Ply, Ivan and Felix ran towards Alex. But their weapons smacked into the cold, hard floor. They spun around, looking wildly for him. He was nowhere to be seen. He had dissapeared.

'Dang!' Felix yelled. 'He got away! And we've... we have to go after him!'
Ivan walked towards Mia. 'Did you heal him?'
'No.' she answered, looking at Garet, 'I think his unconcious. Felix, Revive him.'
Felix stood over the fallen Garet and raised one of his arms. A sparkling yellow feather bathed the Mars Adept. But nothing happened.
'What's going on?' Mia said.
'Try again.' Ivan said to Felix.
Felix raised his arm and, once again, a bright feather fell onto their friend. Again, nothing happened.
The three just stared at Garet. He was lying face down. Felix kneeled, put his hands onto Garet's shoulders and did nothing for a few seconds. Then, after finaly plucking up the courage, he turned him onto his back.
Felix stood up, raising both of his eyebrows in disbelief. Mia took a few steps back and made a squeal. Ivan just stared in stunned silence.
'No... It can't be...' he said after a few minutes of silence. Mia was now weeping quietly, far behind the boys.
'It is.' Felix said. 'I'm... I'm sorry...'

[isaac rules]

nice turn of events, but the part when jenna falls on issacs lap, do you think that they would really kiss? i mean, they have been through a lot with fighting and all that, but i would think that they would know better... anyways, great story.

[Gardna]

I'm looking forward to the next chapter, good work ^^

[Sea of Time]

Okay, a little more constructive criticism. I think you could do a little more descriptions on the surroundings, just to add a better idea of setting into the story. That being said, your battle descriptions are phenomenal for a first time!

I say, continue, this looks like it could be a promising story.

[Aquamarine]

Well, here it is. Chapter two. The first new characters will appear in this chapter and, soon enough, the actual story of my fan-fic will slowly be revealed. Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter Two

Alex was pressed with his back to a wall, listening. 'Ha.' he thought to himself, 'So I killed one of them. That's going to make things just that much easier.'
He decided it was time to get out of Sol Sanctum before somebody found him. He couldn't teleport to the outside of these walls, so he turned away from the room where the greaving was taking place and headed off to find a way out.

After a few minutes of searching he heard some voices. He quickly hid behind a statue and watched Isaac, Jenna, Piers and Sheba go past him.
'I better get out of here, before they regruip and continue the search.' he said.
He took his first step towards another dark passage when he heard a voice behind him.
'There he is!' Sheba yelled.
Alex ran round a corner just as a Dragon Fume flew by behind him and smashed into the wall, making it crumble into small pieces. He ran as fast as he could, but heard footsteps gaining on him. Knowing he had nothing else to do, he turned to a cold stone wall and slamed his fist into it. He broke both the wall and his hand. Not waiting another second he jumped out.
He had no idea they were so high up. Plunging towards the rocky ground, Alex used Teleport at the last moment. He appeared slightly above the ground and fell softly onto it. He dashed away from Mt. Aleph, narrowly dodging a Stone Spire aimed at him. He knew they wouldn't jump from so high.

Kraden was sitting on the green grass, waiting for the youngsters to return. He hadn't gone to Vault with the rest, but decided on staying, anticipating their arrival. A young girl approached him.
'Hi Kraden! Welcome back!' she said, smiling from ear to ear.
'Oh, hello Hazel.' he answered looking up at her.
Hazel was a young girl from Vale. She was a bit younger than Jenna and had long silky brown hair which was bushy at the top. She also had dark brown eyes and big, round earings.
Sitting next to Kraden she said 'I just heard you all came back. Most of the town's camping behind those trees' she pointed at a small forest, 'until we find some place to stay in Vault. Why don't you come over and have something to eat?'
'No, thank you very much, but I'm waiting for the kids to come back.'
'Yeah, I was wondering where they were. So where are they?' she asked.
'Over there.' Kraden said pointing towards Mt. Aleph.
'They've gone to Mt. Aleph? Why? There's nothing there now. It destroyed all of Vale...'
'They've gone because... Oh my. What's... Who is that? Is that Piers?' Kraiden said standing up.
He squinted and saw it was a man with long blue hair, walking up the hill towards them.
'Oh no. Hide Hazel, hide now!' he said pulling her with him to hide behind some trees.
'Why?' she said peering from behind a tree, 'Who is that?'
'He's the reason they went to Mt. Aleph, to stop him! He couldn't have... Defeated them...?'
Hazel, while staring at Alex who was now quite near them, noticed he had a broken arm.
'They must have battled, he's hand is broken.' she whispered.
'This... cannot be!' Kraden said, falling to the floor, 'Those poor children...'
Hazel looked down at Kraden and saw tears brimming in his eyes. At first she was very sad, but suddenly she felt great anger rise through her body.
Without another word, she stepped out from behind the trees. 'What are you...' was all Kraden could say before she attacked Alex, who hadn't even noticed they were there.
The earth benieth their feet started to tremble. Alex was thrown to the air from the Earthquake. He landed on his feet and spun round, fearing his enemies have caught up with him.
First he frowned, but then smirked at the sight of Hazel. 'Little girls shouldn't play with Psynergy.' he said and a huge spurt of water splashed into Hazel, downing her.
Knowing he had no time to lose, Alex turned away and headed towards Vault, where he was planning on resting to regain his strength.

Once Alex was out of sight Kraden rushed over to the fallen Earth Adept.
'It's ok, don't worry...' he mumbled more to himself than anyone else, 'I'll take you to the settlement where the rest of Vale is staying...'
And so he did.

All that could be heard were voices. They were so far away... It was peaceful, being nowhere, seeing only darknes. Slowly, Hazel started coming back to herself. The voices were louder now. She opened her eyes and found that everything was blurry. After a few seconds of blinking that cleared up too. Slowly, she sat up, rubbing her head. 'Hazel, you're awake! Thank goodness.'
She looked up to see her mother's arms wraping around her. 'Yeah... I'm ok. Where's Kraden? Did something...' but just then the wise man entered the tent.
'Thank the elements you're all right Hazel.' he said. 'If it wasn't for the lad that had arrived... I am afraid to think what would have happened.'
He sat on a small stool that stood beside the bed Hazel was lying in. 'Where are Jenna, Isaac...?' was the first thing she thought of asking.
Kraden turned his gaze to the floor 'We don't know. They haven't come back yet and it's almost sundown...'
But just then they heard a commotion outside. Kraden rushed out, shortly followed by Hazel, who suddenly felt much better.
The young heroes were entering the settlement. They walked past all the people without ushering a word. A few intakes of breath and some whispering was heard from the crowd that stared at them.
They reached the place where Kraden stood. 'Oh, it's so good to see you're all safe. Come in and...' but then he stoped. He noticed something large on Felix's back.
Felix bowed down and let the lifeless body of Garet fall on the ground. The townsfolk watched in disbelief.
Kraden moved a little closer to Garet. Suddenly, he spun around and shouted out loud 'Where is the boy that healed Hazel? Find him!'
Momentarily, out of the crowd emerged a man, around the age of Isaac. He had very light purple, almost pink hair that looked as if it were wind swept. He had bright yellow eyes and a painful looking scar on his right cheek.
He kneeled next to the fallen Adept and raised both of his hands over Garet's chest. There was a blinding light, and during it Garet's comrades felt that there still was some hope. After the light had faded the man stood up.
'I'm sorry.' he said without taking his eyes off Garet, 'There is nothing I can do.'
Kraden walked over to him. 'What do you mean? You brought Hazel back from the brink of death! No one has healing powers like you! How can you not save him?'
'He was finished by a power too forceful to counter. I'm sorry.'
Sheba rushed over to the stranger. 'Then try again! You can't let him die!' she pleaded, holding his hands.
'I'm truly sorry...' the boy replied, looking into Sheba's eyes, 'but there's nothing I can do.'
Sheba hid her face in her hands and sat on the cold ground.
'Where are Garet's parents?' Mia asked Piers quietly.
'They must have gone to that town... Vault.'
Felix came over to them, 'We should continue to Vault now, there's no time to lose. Kraden says that's the way Alex went. We'll travel by your boat Piers, instead of using the Teleport Lapis. He may go past Vault and we won't see him if we Teleport over there. Like this, we can spot him on his way to wherever he's going. We'll leave Garet here. There's no point in taking him with us...'
The seven Adepts turned away from the crowd and left the settlement.
'How did Alex manage to kill him so easily?' Jenna asked her brother in a croaky voice that said she had been crying a lot.
'He shot some kind of sphere.' he replied, 'But it had no effect on Mia. We have no idea why.'
Suddenly, they heard a voice behind them. 'I'm going with you.' It was Kraden.
'Kraden, it's too dangerous!' Isaac said, 'Stay here.'
'You may need my knowledge of Alchemy.' Kraden said, 'I might find a way to defeat him, or help you in any other way.'
The others pondered this idea. 'Ok, ok!' Felix said, 'Just hurry up or his gonna get away!'
With Kraden lagging behind them, they boarded the legendary winged ship and took off.

[Sea of Time]

You're story is getting better. It's becoming very interesting. I disagree with you killing off an adept so early though, but I might take that back if I see where you're going with this.

[Aquamarine]

I just wanted it to be clear that ANYTHING can happen in this story. :o And I wanted the beginning of the story to be like shocking or something.

[Gardna]

It's great and i didn't like Garet anyway, just don't stop writing ^^

[Sea of Time]

I liked Garet because he added a dimension to the games in the form of comic relief. But if you're writing a drama, it's good to get rid of the comedy right away. :o

[Aquamarine]

Here ya go! I've had a gigantic writers block for the past month or so, so it's good I've already written 6 chapters.

Chapter Three

Hazel watched her friends head off in the distance. Once they were out of sight she turned towards the guy that healed her.
'So, I hear I have you to thank for still being alive.' she said extending her arm.
'It was a pleasure.' the boy said shaking her arm.
'What's your name then?' she asked curiously.
'Thane. And I already know you're Hazel.' he smiled, 'Who are your friends that just left?'
'Oh, some of them are from my hometown, Vale. Unfortunately, it was destroyed when the beams of light formed the Golden Sun over Mt. Aleph...'
'Oh... I'm very sorry to hear that.... It was truly a beautiful town. I've been there once or twise before. So... Where are they going?'
'I dunno. They're very busy. I thought they would have a little rest after finaly lighting the beacons but...'
Thane jolted his head towards Hazel. He seemed to be very surprised. 'They were the ones who lighted the beacons? And this... Garet. He too was with them?'
'Yes. They are the ones.' Hazel said wondering what surprised him so much, 'What's wrong?' she asked not knowing what else to say.
'It's just that I study Alchemy and have been wandering the lands for a long time now. I have seen the beacons of Jupiter, Venus and Mercury lighthouses lit, but never knew who actually lit them.' he answered thoughtfully.
Thane turned to see some people taking the limp body of Garet away. Slowly, he grew worried.
'Hazel... What happened to Garet? Who killed him?'
'I don't really know who it was, nobody told me.' Hazel explained, 'It must be the same guy that attacked me. Kraden - the old man that was here – said that those eight Adepts went to find him or something and after he saw him walking up that slope, he was very worried. I'm guessing the seven that just went from here have again gone to find him. Why do you...' but she noticed he looked very deep in thought.
'And that flying boat... That's their's too?' he asked.
'Yeah.' Hazel said, 'That's what they travelled by.'
Thane thought hard for a moment and quickly decided he had to catch up with the seven heroes.
'I must speak to them.' he said more to himself than Hazel.
'What? Why?' Hazel asked bewildered.
'Something... dangerous may happen.' he answered.
He left the settlement as fast as he could, treading through the tall grass, but heard a voice behind him.
'Well you're not leaving me behind.'
He turned and stared at Hazel in surprise. 'What? You mean you want to come with me?'
She nodded.
'But... We barely know each other!' he pointed out.
'It's not like I wanna hit on to you or something.' Hazel said with a frown, 'You're not my type, anyway. All I want to do is help you a bit.'
'But... What help would you be? No offence, but I heard all it took you to go down was one blast of cold water!'
'It was very powerful!' she yelled, feeling a little offended, 'You need me because they may not want to listen only to you! If you've got a companion who they know... Then they might listen.'
Thane thought about it for a moment. 'Well... Ask your parents first! I don't want them to think I kidnapped you.' he finished with a disgruntled voice.
With a swift smile she rushed back into the settlement. Shortly afterwards, she came running back, with a silver staff in her hands. It had a gleaming brown jewel on the tip of it.
'Right. Let's go then.' she said, leading the way.
'What do you need that for?' Thane asked pointing at her staff, 'We're not going to battle anyone, you know!'
'Oh, you mean my Minuet Staff? It's just... Best to be safe. It's a dangerous world! Hey, what weapon do you wield?'
'My weapon...' Thane said and waved his right hand in the air. A strange sphere materialized in the palm of his hand. It was silver and sparkled brightly. It looked like it had a barrier of electricity around it. 'Is this orb. It's called the Rejuvination Orb.'
'Wow...' Hazel gasped, looking at the thing in awe.
'But we really should be getting a move on.' Thane said and the orb dissapeared. 'We have to catch up with them as soon as we can. Let's go.'

It was already getting dark when Alex finaly reached Vault. The peaceful village was settling down for what they thought would be another quiet night.
Upon entering the inn he walked to the reception. He ignored all the people that eyed him suspiciously.
'A room for the night.'
'Sure...' the receptionist replied. He grabed a key and handed it to Alex. 'That'll be 16 coins please.'
Alex looked at him. 'I'll pay later.' he said heading for the staircase.
'Um...' the man said standing in front of him. 'I'm not sure you understood... You're supposed to pay now.' he finished with a broad smile.
'I said I'll pay LATER!' Alex told him and on the last word he thumped the reception desk with his fist. Ice spread swiftly from his hand and turned the table into an frosty sculpture.
The innkeeper looked from the table to Alex a few times before saying 'Ok buddy, ok. Just... Go ahead.' he gestured to the staircase.
Without another word Alex walked past him and up the stairs. He found his room and lay on the soft bed, eager to regain his strength and hopefuly heal his hand as soon as he could.
But just as he closed his eyes, he heard voices outside. He walked over to the window and opened it to see what was going on.
'Get out of here witch!'
'We don't need any monsters poisoning our town!'
A big number of people were hudled in a large group, surrounding something. They carried lumber axes and torches.
One of them swung his torch at the middle of the crowd, but was sent flying backwards into some other villagers. The whole crowd rushed forward, raising their weapons.
Suddenly, they were all sent to the air. They spun around, helplesly, in the Hurricane that caught them. Alex saw a dark figure in the middle of the strong wind. The Hurricane stopped and the people fell onto the ground, badly injured. Seeing who created the storm, Alex jumped through the window. He walked over to the mysterious person, taking care not to step on anybody.
'I am not your enemy!' he said quickly when the cloaked person turned to him. 'I too am an Adept and I wish to speak to you.'
The Adept looked at him, not saying anything. Finaly, she decided on speaking. 'Who are you?' Alex heard a female voice say.
'A friend with an offer.' Alex replied with a little smile. 'Come! Let us speak in the inn.'

They entered the inn to be greeted with horrified looks from every customer. They sat by a table. Most of the people in the building ran away. The innkeepers wife approached them. 'W... Would you like some drinks?' she asked feebily.
'A glass of cold water for me please. How about you?' Alex asked his guest.
'Nothing.' was all she said.
The poor woman rushed away to get the water, while Alex started the conversation with the woman opposite him.
She was covered from head to foot in a beautiful, dark purple cloak with white patterns. Her face could not be seen underneath the cloak; It was strangely shrouded in darknes. All that could be seen were red slits for eyes. Alex knew this was no ordinary woman, but still thought she could be useful.
'First of all, may I ask what bussiness you have in this part of the world?' he asked.
'My bussines has nothing to do with you.' she said plainly.
'Very well, very well.' Alex replied with a smile, 'May I at least ask you for your name?'
For a moment she was silent. 'Alena is my name.'
'I am pleased to meet you, Alena. I am Alex. As I already said, I have an offer for you. I see you have great power. Well, so do I, but of a different elemental. I am being chased by a large and pretty powerful group of Adept's and I need help in defeating them. I just defeated four of them, but there are too many for me to try and take them all on. I plan on gathering more Adepts to help me in my goal and once we kill my enemies, we shall rule the world! If you are to help me now, you would get a large part of Weyard to claim as your own.'
The inkeepers wife returned, a glass and bottle of cold, clear water in hand. She ran away as fast as she could after giving Alex his drink, almost tripping in her attempt to get away from them.
Knowing what Alena will say, he added, 'So? What say you?'
Once again, Alena was silent for a moment. 'I agree to help you.' she said, waving her hand in the air. A bright violet orb appeared in her hand.
'Amazing!' Alex gasped, the light of the sphere reflected on his face 'An orb! One of the rarest and most powerful weapons in the world.'
'The Orb of Lust.' Alena said, 'It has assisted me in many situations. And so it will now.'
Alex looked back at his companion. 'Let's wreak havoc!'

[Gardna]

Daaaamn finally -_-
Another great chapter, i think i'll become Aquamarine fanboy soon o.o

[Aquamarine]

And so another one comes to the dark side... >-_-

How did you manage to read and post a reply in 2 minutes!?!? I couldn't do that.

[Gardna]

I can do anything, just "scanned" it. Now i'm working on more detailed reading -_-

[Sea of Time]

I read it. It's very good, but I'm not clear on a storyline yet. Can't wait to see more soon.

[Aquamarine]

You're not clear on a storyline because I'm keeping it a secret... For now. It'll be revealed in the next few chapters.

[Sea of Time]

You know how much I hate secrets. This is why I can't wait to see more.

[Aquamarine]

How the hell can I know you hate secrets!?! Also, the more you wait, the more interesting it is.

Post number 300! Yay!!

[Gardna]

Or you might eventually forget about it -_-

[Aquamarine]

No I won't, as I've already said I've written the next 3 chapters. So there!

[Saturos S.]

Why don't you just post it... so you look interesting or something?

[Gardna]

Maybe he wants the comments on the current chapter first

[Aquamarine]

Chapter Four

Thane and Hazel travelled swiftly through the dark.
'How come you're such a skilled healer Thane?' Hazel asked him breathlessly, trying to take her mind off her tired legs.
'I was tought to use healing moves by an excelent teacher. She too, just like myself, was a Wind Adept. It's not usual for Wind Adepts to have healing powers. That just shows that if there's something you really want, no matter how hard it is to achieve, you can fulfill your wish in the end. All you need is a strong mind.'
Hazel seemed to be deep in thought after Thane's last words, but suddenly said, 'We're never going to catch up with them! Can't we have just one little rest?'
'It seems you do not have a strong enough mind! Look, it was your idea to come with me, so just keep walking.' Thane said, 'Or you can go back if you want to.'
'What? In this dark? All alone? No way...' Hazel said peering into the thick wood near them.
'You can't be serious! You're afraid of the dark? What can possibly...' but Thane never finished, as something grabbed him by the legs. Vines entangled him totaly, immobilizing him. Hazel saw a huge plantlike creature emerge from the forest. It had one huge, bulging eye and vines instead of arms.
'Hazel! Do something! Help me! Attack that thing!' Thane yelled, trying desperately to free himself from the vines.
She just looked at the monster, paralyzed with fear. She dropped her staff and made a few steps back as the monster flung more vines, this time at her. Closing her eyes, she raised her arms and, wonderously, a sand pit appeared beneath the creature. The sand quickly pulled their enemy into it's depths. It then dissapeared, showing nothing but the vines of the monster.

Hazel stood once again immobilized, but this time with surprise.
'What... was that?' Thane said, surprised as much as she was.
She just moved her head from left to right and rushed over to help him free himself.
After he was cut loose, Thane stood up and said, 'Well... It seems you have a few tricks up your sleeve. I've already seen that Psynergy. It's called Quicksand. It defeated that creature in one go! Impresive. Come on... Let's continue...'
'Wait!' Hazel said, sounding a bit worried. 'What was that thing?! There were never such monsters around Vale! They were always weak animals that even I could defeat with ease!'
'That is one of the reasons I must speak with your friends. Alchemy has begun spreading it's influence throughout the world already. Given time, who knows what else it will do. But that is less important now...'
Hazel looked at him seriously. 'What other reason can there be? What can be so disastrous?'
'I'll tell you when we find them. We must hurry or we will never speak with them.' Thane replied, running off through the cool night, Hazel chasing after him.

While Piers sailed his ship, the others sat close behind him, speaking in soft voices. The girls were teary because of the death of their friend, while the others tried not to think about it.
'I sure hope Alex didn't enter Vault.' Isaac said, 'Our parents are there and if they were to see him, they would probably try and stop him.'
'But if he's not there, if he continued past Vault, it'll be harder to find him.' Ivan replied.
'I can see some lights up ahead!' Piers shouted over to them.
'We'll stop here.' Felix said standing up, 'We don't want him to see the boat.'
As Piers landed the ship, Kraden stood up to leave with them, but Jenna approached him. 'I think it's best that you stay here Kraden.'
'You might need help.' Kraden began, 'I can...'
'Kraden... If he is there, we're going to battle him. We won't need any added knowledge of Alchemy for that. I think Felix only agreed to bring you along with us so that you would stop bothering him.' Jenna continued, 'I'm sorry to say this, but you'll just be a burden. Stay here and guard the ship.' she finished with a faint smile.
Kraden looked at her before saying, 'Very well, very well... Go on then... Get a move on.'

One by one, they left the galley and walked their way toward Vault. The night was cold, but refreshing. They couldn't see the village from some trees, but it quickly came into view.
Even though it was dark, they could clearly see the destruction that befell Vault. Houses were totaly destroyed and so was the wall that surrounded the village. They could also see many fires burning the remaining houses down. From where they stood, there appeared to be no human movement.
After watching the horrible sight for a few seconds, they ran forward.

The Adepts reached the part of the wall where once stood the gateway, but now was only a pile of rubble. They ran into the town to be greeted by despair.
Mia rushed over to help a man that was half covered by a fallen wall. Her hands lit up while using her Pure Ply. After the move had seased she stood up. 'He's dead.' she said.
'Damn you Alex!' Isaac yelled, running off to the center of town, hoping he would find his parents there. The others followed.
There were puddles everywhere, evidence that this was done by a Mercury Adept. They searched all the ruined buildings for their parents, but to no avail. Just as they were about to admit defeat, their families appeared.
'Isaac!' yelled Dora, hugging him tightly. 'You're back! Thank goodnes. We hid inside a house wreckedge, praying you would come and stop them from destoying all of Vault.'
'Them?' said Isaac, 'Who else is with Alex?'
'We don't really know who it is, we couldn't see his face.' his father said, 'But it was a Wind Adept. We're sure of it.'
'Where is Garet?' Garet's sister asked suddenly.
They all looked down at the damp ground.
'... What...' his mother gasped.
'I'll talk to them...' said Felix, beconing the family away from the others.
'You mean he...' Kyle asked the others in horror.
'Yes.' said Isaac with a frown, 'Let's sit over there and wait for Felix to finish telling them what happened' he said, pointing at a low, crumbled wall. Slowly and silently, they sat on the wall and waited, ocasionally hearing a loud yelp or sob from a member of Garet's family.

After clambering for hours, Alex and Alena finaly managed to climb to the top of the mountains west of Vault. It was not cold, but there was a strong wind. Alex turned round and gazed at the ruined town.
'I suspect that my enemies have already reached Vault. That's just a taste of what they're going to witness from now on.' he finished with a smirk.
Suddenly, Alena raised her hand. He felt her entering his mind, reading his thoughts. He knew he should let her, so she could trust him and know he wasn't lying.
After finishing her Mind Read she said 'Very well. You did not lie. But keep your part of the agreement.' her glowing red eyes narrowing.
'I shall' Alex said with a pleasant smile, 'Now, we go for Loho!'
'Loho?' said Alena, 'Why to Loho?'
'I have an ally there that will be more than happy to help us.'
'You have an ally with the dwarves?' Alena asked in surprise, 'They are not trustworthy. They are cunning creatures.'
'Do not worry. This dwarf has already helped me and I know he shall help me again. Also, I need to rest and heal my wounded hand. This is the safest way to go. Far from my foes.'
'Are the two of us not powerful enough to defeat them?'
'No, not yet.' said Alex with certainty, 'We need a little more help.'
He turned his gaze to where Loho lie and started sliding down the rocky mountain side. Alena followed.

[Saturos S.]

It's good, exspecially the two new adepts coming. That was something I didn't really expect.

[Sea of Time]

Hmmm, I don't know if I can read any more of this story until I finish my story. When I have writer's block like I do now, I tend to copy some ideas from other fanfics. I wouldn't want to do that to you. I will read it though, it's very good so far!

[Aquamarine]

Hey, don't read it if you're gonna steal my ideas! Though I DO hope you read it someday. I have writer's block too at the moment... Dammit!

Anyway, there will be quite a few new Adepts being introduced, I have their stories planned out and everything.

[Sea of Time]

I don't know if I really should post this here, but my writer's block is totally gone and I stayed up until 3 am last night writing Chapters 20 and 21 of my fanfic.

Anyways, I'll get to reading yours now. And I promise I won't steal your ideas, I'll stick to my game plan that I had before I read this. :blink:

EDIT: Chapter 4 is very good, I can't wait to hear more because I still get the feeling we're in the preliminary parts of the story still.

[Aquamarine]

Chapter Five

After what seemed like hours, Garet's family returned to the others, closely followed by Felix. They were all heart-broken, their eyes filled with tears, their heads resting on their chests.
After a short pause Jenna said quietly, 'I think we should accompany our parents to the settlement near Vale before we continue our journey.'
They hurried back to the Lemurian Ship and boarded it one by one. Then, in the chilly morning, they flew forwards to where Vale Settlement lie.

'Thane... I... I can't go on.' Hazel said, falling to the ground out of exustion, 'Just... Just go without me.'
'I knew you were going to be a burden.' Thane remarked, 'Come on, we're near Vault now! Just another hour or so of running.'
'No way! I can't go on. It's...' Hazel stopped abruptly. She saw, behind Thane, who had crouched down to help her get up, a huge winged ship getting closer by the second.
She pointed and said, 'Look. It's them. They're coming back. We can talk to them now.'
Thane swiftly turned his head to where Hazel was pointing. 'You're right. But... They're so high up and it's too dark... They won't see us. We have to make them stop somehow.' Thane thought quickly, 'I know. I'll have to try and contact someone on the ship with Mind Read.' He concentrated hard on getting their attention.

After a few moments the ship flew right over them and, with a rush of cold wind, continued past them.
Thane gave up. 'No... I didn't manage it. Come on Hazel! We've got to follow them...'
But then, miraculously, the ship came slowly to a halt and landed near them.
'Let's go.' was all Thane said. He rushed toward the galley at top speed and saw people getting down from the ship.

'Huh?' Sheba said, watching Thane and Hazel running towards them, 'Were they the ones I heard?'
'They must be.' said Ivan, 'But we really don't have time for this...'
Finally, Thane came level with the others.
'Thank goodness you stopped. I have to speak to all of you. This is very important.'
'Hazel...' Isaac said, looking very surprised to see her here, 'What are you...'
'Just listen to him!' Hazel said, falling onto the soft soil beneath them, 'I want to find out what all this pointless running was about. This better be good...'
'Where do I start...' Thane pondered, 'Alchemy has began spreading already. We encountered a powerful monster that didn't exist before...'
'Yes, I suspected these kinds of things would happen.' said Kraden. Everyone looked at him in surprise. 'It is only logical, after the normal animals have transformed into monsters three years ago, that they would continue to evolve into more powerful creatures after the lighthouses were lit.'
'It is good that you know this, because there is something much more important to talk about.' Thane said.
Everyone looked at him cautiously. 'Yes?' said Hazel, who couldn't wait to at last hear what this was all about.
'If a non-Adept, someone who hasn't got even the slightest of Psynergy within him, touches one of the Elemental Stars while it's igniting the beacon of the lighthouse, he will momentarily become a powerful Adept, having the powers of the element he touched. The Star would unleash so much raw Psynergy into his body, that it would change him forever. He wouldn't have to train his powers, because the Star would give him the very essence of that element. He would become one of the most powerful Adepts of Weyard in an instant.'
Silence followed.

'We... didn't know this.' said Kraden finally.
'Wait... That's it?' said Hazel slowly, 'That's all? So what? I mean, if Kraden didn't know this than nobody does!'
'She's right.' said Piers, 'And even if someone did know and tried to get hold of an Elemental Star he would have to get to the top of the lighthouse, something that only an Adept can do.'
Thane continued, 'It is crucial that you understand how important this is. The last time the lighthouses were lit, four people did find out about this easy way to obtain great power and they created a pact. One person each entered one of the four lighthouses, all at the same time as they planned, eager to get to the top. One of them was killed before he managed to reach the lighthouse aerie. Another couldn't reach the top, so he abandoned this idea and never tried again. The remaining two people acomplished their tasks. One of the two started using his new powers the moment he left the lighthouse. He destroyed cities and killed many people. No one could stand up to him. Then, to the amasement of everyone in the land, he was killed by a force even more powerful than himself. A force that...' he paused for a moment, 'I think does not exist anymore. The fourth person did not use his powers right away. He hid them from everyone for the time being. In the end, he found out that only one of his three friends managed to get the power from his lighthouse. He also found out that his ally was killed after destroying many cities. After that, he decided he would not use his power to conquer the world. He never used what he had, knowing it was safer that way. He was never truly evil like his friends. I think Adepts aren't effected by the Stars, but this is the reason the lighthouses were extinguished. To prevent any further attempts.'

They all looked at him in amasement.
'How do you know all this?' Hazel asked in astonishment.
'My teacher told me most of it, but that's not important at the moment. Don't you all understand why I told you this? If I know and they did too, why is it so impossible that someone else knows? I came to you because you are powerful Adepts. Hazel told me you lighted the beacons! You are the only ones that can defend the lighthouses if there are more atempts to steal the power of the elements!'

Finally, as the Sun started to rise, Alex and Alena reached Loho. They entered the stony town and headed straight for the inn.
'Welcome to our inn. It's 176 coins for a room. Would you like to stay?' said the red-haired woman in a voice that showed she keeps having to repeat these same lines over and over.
'Yes, thank you,' said Alex with a swift smile. He pulled out a small wallet and gave the lady the money.
'Thank you. Here is your key. Please enjoy your stay.' she said in a boring tone, taking the money and continuing with her work.
'Why did you pay?' Alena asked her companion. She was obviously quite surprised.
'It wouldn't be smart to create trouble in my friends hometown.' Alex said simply.
They went down some steps and found their room.
'We will search for my friend in the morning.' Alex said, 'Now rest Alena. We've got a long day ahead of us. After we've found him, we continue with our travels.'