[Platinum Sun]

Sea_of_Time, on Jul 19 2006, 05:01 PM, said:

When you get to be as good as me, any small error can count against you.

That is the burden we gods of grammar place upon ourselves. :agitated:

[Sea of Time]

Alright, Chapter 26 is written. I might as well post it now, I was waiting for more comments and I guess I got them. :agitated:

~

Chapter 26

Thousands of miles away, in a city of opposite emotions, Alex was walking through a hallway to the throne room. His plan was working better than he expected. Even though the hundreds of soldiers here in Tolbi were growing restless, Maskah's work on the other side of the ocean was playing out perfectly. Maskah had just reported to him using his ability of telepathy. Alex had been pleasantly surprised when Maskah had told him that he had not only left Shaman Village with the body of Felix, but he had also kidnapped the undead adepts Mia, Piers, and Sheba.

The obtaining of these three had definitely not been expected, but Alex would certainly not condemn Maskah for doing it. Alex would retool his plans, but having these three adepts under his control would help the manipulative power he now held over Isaac.

As for Felix, he had planned on getting him from the moment he witnessed Maskah's Storm Surge psynergy. Maskah had explained that his strongest psynergy had a unique power. When the psynergy caused the adept to fall, it would judge the mind of that adept. If the mind was in deep turmoil, then Storm Surge would put the adept into a death-like coma. If not, the adept would simply be knocked unconscious. Alex had known that Felix was in turmoil.

Felix had never considered himself a leader, and now that this whole new quest had been thrown on his shoulders. It was more than Felix could handle, and it was all happening so fast. He tried to outrun the events that were happening, moving faster and faster as the adepts' travelled across Weyard. Felix kept the visible side of him collected, but Alex knew that on the inside he was slowly losing his mind.

It was the destruction of Vale, and Sheba's vision that had sent him over the edge. Of course, the destruction of his hometown was a traumatic experience to go through, but he had always had a soft spot for Sheba. To see her lose control over her mind in Vale was too much for him to take. Maskah had done well to not only take over Sheba's mind, but subsequently Felix's as well. As his party travelled to Shaman Village, on Maskah's will and not Sheba's, Felix made the decision to leave behind the rest of the group.

Felix knew that there was some unknown entity waiting for them in Shaman Village. He didn't know if Alex was behind the being in Shaman Village, but in the now twisted realm of his mind, it didn't matter. In a last attempt at heroism, he ditched the rest of the party and rushed to Shaman Village, to face the entity alone. There, he met Maskah. Felix tried to fight, but was soon swallowed by Maskah's defence.

Maskah retaliated and as Felix looked up at the thunderhead forming above him, he realized that he had been wrong. Leaving the rest of the party was not the right thing to do because individually, he was not strong enough. They were only strong as a team. He remembered Sheba, remembered that he had never told her how he felt about her. He had made the biggest mistake of his life, and now he and the rest of the party would pay the price. Then, the thunderbolt struck and Felix fell.

~

Alex entered the throne room and was greeted by the sight of Maskah and four soldiers. Each soldier had an unconscious adept over their shoulder. He walked to the center of the room, ready to pass judgement.

Alex greeted Maskah warmly, "Welcome back my friend. You have done well."

"Thank you master." answered Maskah, seeing the delight in Alex's blue eyes.

"Maskah, you can go rest. I will reward you for your work after I finish with these adepts." replied Alex, grinning at the sight of the four unconscious bodies in front of him.

"Thank you master." Maskah answered, bowing, and then briskly left the room. He had succeeded, his master was very pleased.

Back in the throne room, Alex paced back and forth in front of the soldiers. They were watching his every move, waiting for a command. Alex stopped first in front of the soldier carrying Piers.

"Take this man to a cell and lock him up tightly. I will talk to him at a later time." he commanded, sending the soldier out of his sight, towards the basement. Alex had more pressing issues than to chat with the Lemurian.

He then approached the soldier carrying Sheba. This fragile young woman was still under the control of Maskah, though she constantly would fight for the control inside herself. That is why she had appeared sick and weak to the rest of the adepts. Fighting Maskah's presence had left her body vulnerable. But she still had a use. With her ability to see into the future, she was a priceless asset for Alex's cause. He looked the soldier in the eye and said, "Lock this one up as well. But do not put her in a cell anywhere near the blue-haired man." The command sent the soldier in the same direction as the last.

Then, Alex approached the soldier with Felix on his back. Felix had been through so much, but Alex knew that the man's life was not yet over. Maskah's attack had not killed him, but had left him in a coma that mirrored death. The wound on his chest did not and would not kill him, he was too strong to succumb to a gash like that. But no healing psynergy would wake him from his current state. He would come back to life in thirty days, and Alex wanted to be there when that happened, "Take this man to my bedroom and lay him out on my bed. I will take care of him later. Do you understand?" The soldier nodded and left Alex alone in the room with Mia and the soldier carrying her.

He looked at Mia. So much had happened since those days when they shared the duties of guarding Mercury Lighthouse. He had loved her back then, and he still had a soft spot for her now. But it was the promise of power that had driven him from her, and now that power was within his grasp. He idly said to the soldier, "Leave her here. You are dismissed." The soldier obeyed, lying Mia carefully on the floor.

Alex kneeled over her, the soldier leaving the room. They were alone now, for the first time in years. Her eyes were closed peacefully, her face so warm and yet so fragile. Alex brushed his hands through her hair. He just wanted a moment to remember past times. Then, he raised his palm, a blue light forming there. "Douse." he muttered. Small raindrops came from a cloud that had formed in the room. The rain hit Mia and as it did, her body twitched and her eyes opened.

Mia blinked for a moment. She had no idea where she was. The last thing she remembered was being at the inn in Shaman Village and seeing this old man at the door. Now it appeared she was in a large room. She looked up and saw someone she did not expect. Alex was looking over her, grinning.

"Hello Mia."

~

[Platinum Sun]

Nice. The only time I've condoned Alex having a relationship with anyone is with Mia before Mercury was fired. This is just what I like to see.
The whole "inner turmoil with Felix thing was genius. However, the "apparent death" effect of storm surge was kind of a letdown. I kind of admired you for having the guts to kill off a character.
Oh who am I kidding? I do it too!

Sea_of_Time, on Jul 19 2006, 05:42 PM, said:

Alex had been pleasantly surprised when Maskah had told him that he had not only left Shaman Village with the body of Felix, but he had also kidnapped the undead adepts Mia, Piers, and Sheba.

You might want to change the word "undead" to "still living" or something to that effect. People might get the wrong idea. (GERRRRREEREERRRR! I am undead Sheba! I will suck out your brains! Braaaaaaaains...)


And because you asked for it; an itemized list of grammatical stuff:

Sea_of_Time, on Jul 19 2006, 05:42 PM, said:

He tried to outrun the events that were happening, moving faster and faster as the adepts' travelled across Weyard. Felix kept the visible side of him collected, but Alex knew that on the inside he was slowly losing his mind.
...
As his party travelled to Shaman Village, on Maskah's will and not Sheba's, Felix made the decision to leave behind the rest of the group.

Traveled has 1 L.

Sea_of_Time, on Jul 19 2006, 05:42 PM, said:

There, he met Maskah. Felix tried to fight, but was soon swallowed by Maskah's defence.

*Defense

Sea_of_Time, on Jul 19 2006, 05:42 PM, said:

He walked to the center of the room, ready to pass judgement.

*Judgment

Sea_of_Time, on Jul 19 2006, 05:42 PM, said:

The wound on his chest did not and would not kill him, he was too strong to succumb to a gash like that.

Semicolon. (Man! I'm nit-picky today!)

[Split Infinity]

Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to comment on your comments.

Platinum Sun, on Jul 20 2006, 01:16 PM, said:

Traveled has 1 L.

Whatever.

Platinum Sun, on Jul 20 2006, 01:16 PM, said:

*Defense

It can be spelt either way depending on your region. I personally spell it with a C.

Platinum Sun, on Jul 20 2006, 01:16 PM, said:

*Judgment

Can also be spelt differently, although Judgment would be the 'official' spelling.

Platinum Sun, on Jul 20 2006, 01:16 PM, said:

Semicolon. (Man! I'm nit-picky today!)

Wrong again. It wouldn't matter either way. Most people don't use semi-colons anyway.

[TheEnglishman]

I thought it was a good chapter, describing the state of Felix. And OMG FELIX IS ALIVE!1!1. Overall a pretty good chapter.
Highlight of the chapter:

Sea_of_Time, on Jul 19 2006, 10:42 PM, said:

Take this man to my bedroom and lay him out on my bed. I will take care of him later.

:agitated:

[isaac rules]

spell check is still here, when your typing it up, theres a spell check button next to the add reply button. and if not, just use microsoft word. great chapter, although short, it explained much. it would've been funnier though if you hadn't told us felix was alive, so if issac rescues his body, and is just about to bury him, he slowly gets up...OMG, FELIX ZOMBIE!!!

[Sea of Time]

Me111, on Jul 20 2006, 02:02 AM, said:

:D

I knew someone would say that was sick. :agitated:

And PS, don't you think you're being a bit too nitpicky now? I mean, this is an online fanfic not a published work.

As for Felix, let's just say this chapter was key and will be looked back on as we move forward towards the ultimate climactic battle.

[TheEnglishman]

Sea_of_Time, on Jul 20 2006, 08:55 PM, said:

I knew someone would say that was sick. :agitated:

And PS, don't you think you're being a bit too nitpicky now? I mean, this is an online fanfic not a published work.

I'm sorry but my eyes will miss all the msitakes and head to the stupid stuff like that.
I think you should be happy though SoT. When spelling errors are the worst criticism that you receive then you must be doing a pretty good job.

[Sea of Time]

That's true, Me111. Thanks a lot. As for moving forward in this story, I haven't even considered what I will do for Chapter 27 (stay with Alex and Mia or go back to Isaac). Once I get a rough idea, I'll start writing.

[TheEnglishman]

When I'm stuck for ideas I always just think about how I want to start the section off. I never think about the middle or the end. The problem is, it gives me varied results. Sometimes I'll get ideas following into my head when I've completed the beginning and sometimes I don't. That's the way I write, but I'm sure you've got a better technique.
Oh and if it was up to me, I'd do another Alex chapter.

[Sea of Time]

I think that's the way I'm going to lean. The cliffhanger wasn't memorable enough in 26 to leave this subject. If I were to go back to Isaac, it would probably turn out to be an uneventful chapter. I'll make some sort of segway back in 27.

[TheEnglishman]

I'd stick with Alex because he's a villain. I always find writing or reading a piece for a villain is more exciting than from the hero's side of the story. The hero is basically saying 'I've gotta stop them with the power of GOOD!' The villain is always a lot more interesting to read as he can be as evil as he wants.
I'm interested in how this chapter was a key chapter as it didn't seem to make a huge impact in the story, in my opinion. But I'll just have to wait and see.

[Sea of Time]

I think I've said too much already but let's just say the 'manipulative power' is going to get a hell of a lot worse than it is right now.

[TheEnglishman]

Well I'm sure the story will have more twists in it. I guess that's what makes any story entertaining, when the plot keeps changing.

[Split Infinity]

Have you read any of the Groosham Grange books, SoT? The writing style seems very similar to your own. Maybe you could get some ideas from it, I dunno.

[Sea of Time]

I'm just here to say that in about six days, I'm heading out on a two week tour of the U.S.A! (Or at least the boring north half of the U.S.A. Oh well, less fat people)

I probably won't have a chance to get a chapter up before we leave, but I will have a chance to write over the course of the trip and hopefully will come back on August 10 with much new material for you guys.

Don't give up on me! I want to finish this story just as much as you want me to!

[Platinum Sun]

What do you mean "boring north half"?! WHat's so great about the south half anyway? All there is hurricanes and old people!

[Sea of Time]

Wisconsin? Minnesota? North Dakota?

I guess I just mean the central north. No offense to New York, you guys are interesting I guess.

[Platinum Sun]

You're darn right we are! Next time, say "The boring plain states" then I'll know what you mean. Well have a good time!

[Sea of Time]

By the way, I'll make a leaving topic at a later time, so save your comments from now on for the story. Thanks! ;)

[Toasty]

SoT, if I were you, I'd start 27 off with Alex and Mia, then closer to the end, try and make a cliff hanger invloving felix and his "state of mind" if possible. Otherwise, go with Isaac at the end. But the Alex+Mia thing shouldn't continue without interruption ( it's still good for quite a few more chapters IMO ), otherwise you'll run out of it too soon.

[Sea of Time]

You guys are reading my minds too well, but don't worry. I have the plan set for the next few chapters, so the suggestions can stop here.

[Mikey09]

sry havent posted any. been away for 2 weeks on i guess u could call a vacation. but i hope u have fun on ur trip

[Sea of Time]

Well, I'm back from my trip. I'm sad to say that I didn't finish writing the entirety of Chapter 27, I still have some work to do. I hope to get it up within the next week.

[FlamingDuck]

I have caught myself up! Unfortunately, I see no oppurtunities for dance offs. Though maybe I could find a spot for an emo killfest...


Anyway, this is a great fanfic. I see nothing wrong with it...I'm sure I'll find something later.

[Platinum Sun]

Follow my creed:

If you find nothing wrong, look harder!

[Toasty]

Chapter 27: The Emo Kill Fest :P

[Sea of Time]

"Then Isaac took out his Sol Blade and cut the head off the emo."

But seriously people, stop spamming up my topic.

[Platinum Sun]

Yeah, keep the spam in mine, where it belongs.

[Toasty]

All right all right. Attempting to stop spamming.... .... ....Attempt not possible, cancling... ...Attempt failed, spam not stopped. :)

Okay, seriously, I'll stop. Just quit taking forever! Jeez! :)

[Mikey09]

give the man some time.

[Sea of Time]

I'm sorry for making you guys wait. I haven't had much inspiration lately and I'm hitting a really gritty part of the story and I want to do it right.

[TheEnglishman]

Considering the amount of time I have to wait for a good book, I don't mind waiting a couple of weeks for the next chapter of your story. Just take your time.

[Split Infinity]

That, and fanfics tend to be of a lower standard than published novels. Nothing personal...

[FlamingDuck]

Thats cause fan fics are written by generally teenagers in about a year. You know, instead of people who have taken courses on the subject and seem to take forever.

But SoT, take your time. And go play a musical instrument. I find that helps.

[Hinny]

SoT, this fanfic has been written extremely well! I commend you for this absolutely brilliant piece of work! I just loved the way how you made Alex and that Maskah dude look so evil and arrogant (especially Maskah, he was just one arrognat b!@#%!). I cannot wait for your future works! Keep it up!

[Sea of Time]

That means a lot, Hinny. Good news, I've started up writing again and I finally have the push I need to get out a couple of chapters. Time availability may be an issue, but I should get another chapter out sometime before Labour Day.

[FlamingDuck]

Well, that was a lie -_-

Anyway, keep taking your time. None of us need the next chapter NOW. I think.

[Mikey09]

nah i dont think we need it now. soon would be nice though =]

[Toasty]

Hmmm, lets see.....*counts* It's been 27 days, nearly a month. I think you could've finished by now...... *accusing stares*

[Sea of Time]

I actually started the chapter over, and I am a bit further than I was. I'm finding this particular part hard to get through, and my motivation to continue writing is very low right now. I'm not promising any dates, but I'll try to have it up as soon as possible.

[Toasty]

Well at least we know your writing. Can't wait 'till your finished.

[Hotshot101]

well done SoT. I am not much of a fan for reading but this really has got me to read.

[Lemontime]

Blah! Love yer writing SoT.. Keep it up!

[Mikey09]

hey at least we know ur writing and not quitting on us. i hate it when ppl get half way through and they stop

[Sea of Time]

Okay, I can confirm to you guys that I finally have Chapter 27 finished. I hope you enjoy it, and I will put it up by Tuesday (at the latest).

I'd like to take a second too to thank you guys for staying with me, and not getting too mad that it took me about three months to write one chapter. I hope you enjoy it and I hope to get rolling on Chapter 28 tonight.

[Toasty]

.....Three months?! YOU LEFT US HANGING FOR THREE MONTHS?!?!........Okay, I'll just wait 'till it's up. Glad to here you finally finished it.

[Hotshot101]

great can't wait to enjoy the new chapter the reading of the others was quite fun

[isaac rules]

yay more chapters, honostly, this fan fic is the only reason why im still here.

[FlamingDuck]

Heh, Mr. T reminds me of the crazy Asian mother.

Anyway, its good to see a new chapter coming out soon. I should probably go read the last one, because I have no idea where we left off...

[Mikey09]

hey glad u finished the chapter. it must be good for it to have tooken 3 months. and i didnt even realize it was 3 months lol. o well. good job and keep at it.

[Warbird]

You've got a really nice story going here, cant wait to see how it turns out. I read the whole thing in one sitting, which probably wasn't the greatest idea. Hope you get the new chapter up here soon. Also, I think you should update the link in your sig, our neighborhood critics make reading the story a lot more time consuming. :)

[Toasty]

So you are? I noticed you've been around a while, but what's with the sudden appearance?

[Warbird]

I replayed the GS games recently, and I remembered this place. I read the recent stuff and ended up here. Anything else I can tell you?

[Toasty]

No no, that's good enough. But you should make a a topic in intro/leaving to let everybody know you're back.

[Sea of Time]

I get my computer back at home on Wednesday. There's a chance I could do it at school on Tuesday, but that's very low. So, next two days!

[Toasty]

Wooooo!!....Now hopefully you'll keep the date this time. :)

[Sea of Time]

Chapter 27

She was there before him, vulnerable in her newfound state of shock. Alex's smirk quickly changed to a cold stare as his blue eyes scanned her face. His true emotions were hidden as he looked into her eyes to see the long-forgotten, yet familiar blue sparkle. He felt a sudden lightness in his heart as he looked into the pristine glow of Mia's eyes.

It's just you and me now.

He shook himself a little, he had not felt this love in a long time. Alex had waited so long for this moment, to be alone with Mia. Now that he had her though, he didn't know what to do. It was a familiar feeling, being lost for words near Mia. The past began to come back to Alex, his younger years. She had played such a huge part as he was growing up. He would not soon forget those times.

Alex's struggles began even before he was born. His father, after learning that his fiancee was pregnant with a baby boy, had abandoned her in the dead of night, leaving her alone in Imil. Still, the mother decided to name her baby 'Alex', after his father. Even Alex's birth was filled with sorrow, as his mother died shortly after giving birth. Having no immediate family, Alex was put in the care of an older couple in Imil. And so, months went by slowly, and Alex began to grow. On his second birthday, he was informed that he was being placed in a small nursery where he would spend his mornings. The older couple hoped that this would make Alex more social. It was becoming apparent that Alex was not a normal child. He would spend more time around puddles and the stream than he would with other children. However, the nursery did not help Alex's social attributes. He would spend all day in the corner of the room, staring transfixed at his glass of water. At the age of three, it became apparent that Alex had the ability to manipulate this water in ways other children could not. After a rainstorm, Alex could be seen outside turning small puddles of water into pure ice. He enjoyed his newfound abilities and would laugh happily at his handiwork. After asking the Great Healer of Imil, the older couple learned that Alex's ability was classified as an unfocused form of psynergy. Very few children had that natural ability so young, and soon the whole town was buzzing with gossip of the young Alex being 'abnormal'. But Alex was not the only big news circling Imil.

News had recently reached the ears of civilians that a newborn child was going to be born. But this was not just another birth. This child would be the son or daughter of the Great Healer himself. It was the Great Healer's line of ancestry that had guarded the lighthouse, and the child would continue this line and protect Mercury Lighthouse, a sacred site. This news brought great joy to the villagers, who had long awaited a new guardian. The child would be born in December, and would be delivered by the Great Healer's wife, Susana.

~

It was a cold night, a night when doors and windows were shut to hide the villagers from the impending snow. All the people of Imil were inside their homes, waiting. Tonight was the night that the son or daughter of the Healer would be born. Four year old Alex sat on the floor with his foster parents in separate chairs. He had been told what they were all waiting for. What he didn't understand was why this baby girl was so important. Just as subtle thoughts of jealousy crept into his mind, a church bell sounded from outside. Immediately, the older couple stood up.

"Put your coat on, Alex. It's time to meet the baby." said the older woman excitedly.

Alex quickly put on his jacket, his spirit renewed by his foster parents' excitement. All three of them walked outside, towards town square, where a throng of twenty or more villagers was forming. The older man propped Alex on his shoulders so that he could see better. All eyes were directed at the Sanctuary, where the Healer stood in front of everyone, patiently awaiting the arrival of all the villagers. A few of the elders arrived, and as they did, silence fell among the people. All of Imil was now waiting with baited breath.

The Healer raised his hand, and all eyes turned to him. He spoke in a clear voice, "The child is a girl. We have named her Mia, after one of many Mercury goddesses. Rejoice, for the new Healer is born!"

With those simple words, applause broke out throughout the throng of people. A few cheers could be heard as the villagers turned to each other. The men shook hands fervently, and the women embraced as the glee set in. A new Healer had been born. Alex's foster father turned his son towards him, smiling.

"Be glad, Alex. The line of our Healers will continue." he said happily.

Alex couldn't help but feel underwhelmed. His father set him down to go congratulate the Healer and Alex turned away from the crowd, and slipped unnoticed out of the throng.

What's the big deal? It's just a lousy baby.

He walked home alone, away from the rest of the villagers, who would continue their celebrations for many hours. And so, on this cold night, where happiness was as infectious as the stinging wind, a single boy could be seen alone, lost and confused. It would be several years before he understood just how important this new baby would be in his life.

~

[TheEnglishman]

Hmm... Very interesting. I didn't expect a backstory for Alex. Nice to see you back at it SoT!

[Platinum Sun]

Well I could rant and rave about how I hate to see Alex expressing anything but utter contempt for anyone, but that was a very good development of Alex's characterization. I prefer to allow Alex's past to remain shrouded in mystery, but this was excellent. (You said "sanctuary" Instead of Sanctum; Just the kind of hugely insignificant detail I notice.)

[Toasty]

Well you kept your promise! Good chapter. I like how you're describing Alex's past.

[Sea of Time]

I hope you really like it because it's continuing for a while.

The next chapter should be coming in a week or so.

[Hotshot101]

Interesting i have not seen many fanfictions that tried to recreate Alexs life before he turned evil. Keep up the good work.

[Sea of Time]

I have a feeling that the next chapter will be a long one so get ready for that. I've written about half, and I'm moving faster. I should be finished soon!

[Toasty]

Don't you two know eachother somehow?

[Sea of Time]

She's a girl, I'm a guy. We know each other. Take a wild guess. :)

[Toasty]

So that's her huh? I'm surprised you'd be able to get a girl you know to get on here. :)

[Sea of Time]

It's pretty much only for the story, since this is the only place that it is posted.

[Hotshot101]

Mr.T, on Oct 26 2006, 08:11 PM, said:

So that's her huh? I'm surprised you'd be able to get a girl you know to get on here. :)

Its not that surprising even though GS is from a guys point of veiw girls will still play it and a forum may seem computer geed but they ain't.

[isaac rules]

Platinum Sun, on Oct 24 2006, 03:56 PM, said:

(You said "sanctuary" Instead of Sanctum; Just the kind of hugely insignificant detail I notice.)

the sanctuary is the place where you go to heal, the place where the town healer is (for removing cursed equipment..ect). so it is sanctuary. nice chapter, i enjoyed it.

[Toasty]

Hotshot101, on Oct 26 2006, 05:40 PM, said:

Its not that surprising even though GS is from a guys point of veiw girls will still play it and a forum may seem computer geed but they ain't.

Yeah, but usually anybody that belongs to a forum is a nerd. And because of that, usually non-nerdy people don't join because it's beneath them. I'm not saying we're all nerds here, but some of us are. *coughsplitcough*

[Hotshot101]

Mr.T, on Oct 26 2006, 10:46 PM, said:

Yeah, but usually anybody that belongs to a forum is a nerd. And because of that, usually non-nerdy people don't join because it's beneath them. I'm not saying we're all nerds here, but some of us are. *coughsplitcough*

lol ya i get that message. I am just saying making a point not everyone here is a geek or nerd. Yes some of us may be nerds, o well no point in trying to find that out.

[Sea of Time]

Just because we have different interests, that doesn't make us nerds. You people need to stop getting so down on yourself.

As for Chapter 28, I have it finished, it will be posted after school today.

[Sea of Time]

Chapter 28

It was Alex's twelfth birthday when things started to change. Alex was beginning to develop into an able young man. He was of average height, with slightly more muscle than the other boys his age. This extra strength did not come as any surprise to the villagers, his genetic father had been a well-bodied man. What did surprise the villagers was Alex's quickly developing psynergetic abilities. His ability to manipulate water had grown with practice. He could be seen on any given day on the other side of the creek, practicing his water attacks on the elm tree. His foster parents, who were now well into their eighties, were certainly proud of his abilities, but there was always a touch of fear. Getting older, Alex was becoming unruly and even surly. He would spend hours alone practicing psynergy, on some days without food or rest. He had no friends, nor did he want any. In his mind, there was only one important person in all of Imil, and that was him. He was stronger and smarter than anyone else, he was self-reliant. There was no reason to depend on anyone but himself.

In the eyes of the villagers, however, Alex was not the centre of attention in Imil. That title belonged to the now eight year old Mia. She had grown with grace. Her shining blue hair matched the blue sparkle in her eyes. She was still young, and still very much innocent, but her psynergetic ability told another story. She had first shown signs of manipulating water two years ago, and her abilities had grown fast since then. Just recently, she had mastered Douse, the most basic of offensive water psynergy.

Alex had only seen her a few times over the years, he tried to stay away from her as much as possible. It only brought intense jealousy to look at her. Alex just couldn't understand what made her special. Just because she was born into the line of guardians, does this mean she should be destined for a better future than Alex's? Alex was stronger, much stronger than Mia would ever be. He had already mastered Freeze Prism, and she was being applauded for learning Douse? It was certainly unfair.

It was on a cool autumn evening when Alex's luck would change. He was inside the house, his foster mother keeping an eye on him from her chair. His foster father was out praying for his family in the town's sanctuary. They were both awaiting his return. They seldom talked anymore. Alex just figured he had grown out of them, they were no longer important. One day, and one day soon, he would get out of this wretched town, away from the stares, away from Mia. Just as he was considering where he would go, the door slowly opened. His foster father walked in, grief written on his face. Alex immediately knew something was wrong, this was a man who was always cheerful after a prayer session. The woman immediately stood up, sensing the same thing.

"What's wrong, Richard?" she asked, walking up to him, taking his coat.

The man looked at her with glassy eyes, "It's the Great Healer....he...he's dead...."

Alex stood up at this, astonished, "What?...How?" he asked loudly.

The man turned to him with an estranged look on his face, as if seeing Alex for the first time. He stammered, "Well...I don't know....he seemed to have died in his sleep this afternoon."

Alex just stared at him. There was silence for a couple minutes, and nobody moved. The woman broke the silence with a whisper, "That's....awful," she looked at the man with fearful eyes, "who will lead us? Mia is much too young."

To Alex's surprise, the man turned to him, "Alex, Susana told me that she wanted to talk to you. At the Sanctuary. Alone. Before we continue, you should go, it sounds immediate."

Alex nodded. He couldn't understand why Susana would want to see him, nobody from the Sanctuary ever talked to him, much less invited him to a private conversation. But he could see this was important, perhaps he would become the new leader tonight. So, he left the house without a word, leaving behind the still stunned couple.

He walked quickly towards the Sanctuary. It was past sunset now, the darkness impending with the Sun in the west. Alex could see from the lights in the windows of the houses that everyone had just received the same news. The streets were empty and quiet, he could hear only the sound of his own footsteps.

Alex arrived at the Sanctuary within minutes. He had only been inside once when he was young, and had never been inside unescorted. He pushed the doors open, letting the cold breeze fill the room. His eyes quickly scanned the room. At the Healer's table was Susana, her hair long and grey, with sorrow in her brown eyes. Alex almost pitied her in that moment. She seemed so frail without him. Next to her, to Alex's surprise, was young Mia, looking scared to her mother. Alex stood at the doorway for a moment.

"Welcome, Alex," said Susana, "please come in."

Alex warily entered the room, not looking at Mia, keeping his eyes on his feet.

Susana looked ponderingly at him for a moment, then spoke, "Alex, you know that the Great Healer is dead?"

Alex looked up at her and nodded. He was surprised by her composure, in what must have been a trying day for her. Also, he felt somewhat humbled by Mia's presence. For once, that twinge of jealousy was gone. It had been replaced by intense curiosity. Why exactly were they both called here on this night?

"Okay Alex. I want you to know that you are here because we recognize your talent," she spoke slowly, choosing her words carefully, "because the Healer is dead, we need to choose a new guardian for the Mercury Lighthouse. I have my own duties here at Imil's Sanctum. And Mia here," she gestured at the small girl, who blushed, "is much too young to do this."

Alex felt excited. The moment had finally come. There was a clear direction now. "So..." he said excitedly, cutting her off.

Susana smiled sweetly, "Please Alex. Let me finish. Mia is much too young to guard the lighthouse. At least...she is too young to guard it alone. You two, as young as you both are, are the strongest adepts in Imil. And therefore, I would like you both to share the duty of being the guardian."

Alex felt his jaw drop. He was sharing his duty with Mia? Mia looked up at her mother in surprise. Clearly this was the first time she had heard this.

Susana continued, "You will both start tomorrow. You will live at Mercury Lighthouse...alone. Your job will be to protect the lighthouse from unwanted guests," she turned exclusively now to Alex, "Alex, I want you to teach Mia all you know about water psynergy. You both must be able to protect yourself if the situation arises."

Alex looked at Mia with renewed interest.

Well, this isn't so bad. We may be sharing duties, but I am clearly in charge.

"Now, both of you get some rest. You will leave for the Lighthouse tomorrow morning...together."

Alex nodded and turned towards the door. He was in bliss. Tomorrow would be the start of something great.

~

[Platinum Sun]

Interesting... The dynamic between Alex and Mia has always been the source of a lot of drama. I can't wait to see where this goes.

[isaac rules]

hmmm...an eight year old girl and a twelve year old boy left alone in a abandoned lighthouse, that nobody ever goes to...wonder what will happen?

[Sea of Time]

They are the strongest adepts in the town. I would be quite sure that they are able to guard a run-down lighthouse.

[Hotshot101]

I like it jelousy and from contex clues from the last chapter really say stuff about what is going to happen next. You have done a great job

[FlamingDuck]

Nice. Backstories are always awesome, especially for soemone as awesome as Alex. One oh-so teensy thing though, in Ch 27, you said "a newborn child was going to be born", and I thought that was really quite redundant. But yeah, it hardly matters. Keep up the good work.

[Toasty]

Hmm...A twelve year old boy, and an eight year old girl....together....alone.....away from everybody else.......I wonder what will happen? *wink wink nudge nudge* =P j/k
Good chapter yet again. The backstory about Alex is turning out pretty well.

[isaac rules]

Mr.T got it...lol. just sounds funny when you put it that way...

[Sea of Time]

Haha....you guys are funny........

Anyways, I'm pretty far away from Chapter 29. I've been busy with school but should get some good writing in later this week.

[Sea of Time]

I took some time off writing last night to do some crazy planning for the next few chapters. Just a warning, it's going to get confusing and a bit crazy. For now, we have a chapter or two more of backstory....so enjoy!

[Saturos S.]

Is there somewhere where the story is all together?
I mean like not in seperate pieces spreaded out on 20 pages.

[Sea of Time]

There was. But I stopped updating the FF.net file at Chapter 18.

[Toasty]

You should update it after every 5 chapters. It's not as much of a hassle that way.

[Legendary Dragon of Golden Sun]

I hope we get to see a bit of a relationship between the characters. Can't wait to see how Alex will take his revenge out on the heroes. Just don't kill Isaac or Jenna and I am happy.

Legendary Dragon of Golden Sun, on Nov 5 2006, 08:43 PM, said:

I hope we get to see a bit of a relationship between the characters. Can't wait to see how Alex will take his revenge out on the heroes. Just don't kill Isaac or Jenna and I am happy.

sry I have accidently posted twice! My bad!

[Toasty]

'Salright. Don't worry about it. You'll only get warned if it's on purpouse, and it's pretty easy to tell the difference.

[Sea of Time]

Just an update. I didn't get any writing done this weekend, I'm two pages into Chapter 29, and if I have time to devote to it, I should have it done before the end of the week. I'm 90% sure you guys will see a couple of chapters before the middle of the month!

[Legendary Dragon of Golden Sun]

Sea_of_Time, on Nov 7 2006, 03:34 AM, said:

Just an update. I didn't get any writing done this weekend, I'm two pages into Chapter 29, and if I have time to devote to it, I should have it done before the end of the week. I'm 90% sure you guys will see a couple of chapters before the middle of the month!

Ok well before I just read the prologue and all that of when Alex returns from the underground and walks off. I thought that was that was written here and so i thought the rest of these pages were taken up by comments but then I looked and saw you were already doing this story. I read through about all of it last night almost and finished up to now this morning after a few hours, it is Sunday for me so I have PLENTY of time to read this. I must say I am impressed by what has happened so far, when they were coming back to Vale I knew that in my head that something bad was going to happen, in my head it was like: "Don't be so sure, it could be deceiving." And I guessed right when the town was on fire.

I think that Isaac will find the power inside him and use it to defeat Alex and Maskah, like Sheba learned Telepathy. And Piers knew to Cloak the ship.

[Sea of Time]

Got some writing done last night. This chapter will be longer than the last two. I hope you guys will like it.

[Legendary Dragon of Golden Sun]

Sea_of_Time, on Nov 14 2006, 06:51 AM, said:

Got some writing done last night. This chapter will be longer than the last two. I hope you guys will like it.

Awesome, you just post it and i will be underway reading it.

[PDM]

OMG YOU CONTINUED IT! I stopped reading near the beginning when you took a break, I was hoping and hoping you'd continue =(. Now I have too much catching up to do, I can't read it all right now.

[Legendary Dragon of Golden Sun]

Lifeform288, on Nov 19 2006, 05:39 AM, said:

OMG YOU CONTINUED IT! I stopped reading near the beginning when you took a break, I was hoping and hoping you'd continue =(. Now I have too much catching up to do, I can't read it all right now.

Exactly what I said before. Even i did not realize until i looked much later.

[Sea of Time]

Chapter 29

Alex woke with a start. He rubbed his eyes and looked out the window. It was frosted, the crystals blocking all view to the outside world. The only thing that met Alex's bleary eyes was the morning light. Immediately, he jumped out of bed. He thought the day would never come. He had tossed and turned all night, thinking about his new life at Mercury Lighthouse. It would be spectacular. For the first time in his life he was in a position of power, something he had always desired. Even if he was sharing the spotlight, the feeling of power rushed through him. He liked this feeling, it gave him more confidence than he had ever had.

He looked around the one room house. Both his foster parents were still asleep, both sleeping in separate beds. Alex felt no remorse in leaving them without saying goodbye. He was moving on to greater things, and up to this point in his life, the old couple had only held him back. He quietly reached under his bed and pulled out a suitcase. It was the only possession he had inherited from his father. It contained all his personal belongings, which honestly was not much. Just a few sets of clothes and an old picture of his late mother. For a split second, he was almost disheartened by the thought of living alone. But he quietly shook off the feeling.

This is what I always wanted. And besides I won't be completely alone...

His thoughts turned to Mia. He was starting to think he had misjudged her. She was a nice girl, and as long as she stayed out of his way, they would get along fine. He grabbed his suitcase and tip-toed quietly to the door. Alex looked back one last time at the house he had grown up in. Once he left this house, he will have left his childhood behind forever. For a moment, he remembered all the bad times he had growing up. He quickly shook his head and walked out the door into the brisk morning air.

Alex took a deep breath of the freezing air and looked up. The pale morning Sun greeted him, along with a cloudless sky. It was time to start fresh. He started off towards the Imil Sanctum.

The short walk felt like an eternity. Alex's mind was swirling with the possibilities of Mercury Lighthouse. How would he teach Mia? How would he protect the lighthouse? But all the questions left as he arrived at the Sanctum doors.

He opened them and was greeted by two familiar faces. Susana stood behind the Healer's table, just as she was last night. She smiled sweetly at him as he entered the room. Alex gave her what he thought was a grin. Susana interpreted it as a smirk, and her smile faded. Alex dropped his head at this confusion of emotions. There was silence in the room for a moment, but it was interrupted by the scraping of a chair in the corner of the room. Alex looked up and saw Mia, standing up. She too had a small suitcase. She was wearing her traditional ocean blue robes. She looked over at Alex and smiled nervously. Alex knew that their emotions at that moment were not the same. He was excited, while it appeared that she was nervous and scared to leave home.

Susana broke the silence, "Well you two should be leaving soon," she smiled at the two of them, "when you arrive, find the room in the first hallway. There will be two beds ready for you. You shall sleep and eat there. We will have a citizen send you a week's amount of food every Wednesday. I'm sure you will be quite comfortable."

They both nodded. Alex was ready now, and was anxious to leave.

"One more thing..." Susana added, "I hope you both realize the responsibility you have inherited. Do not take it lightly. However, with your abilities and hopefully a bit of friendship, I'm sure you'll be fine," she smiled sincerely, "But now it is time to go!"

She motioned for Mia to join Alex at the door. She walked over, stopping at the Healer's table to give her mother one final goodbye hug. She then walked up to Alex, and gave him a meek glance. Barely audible she mumbled, "Hi."

Alex wanted to say the same back but strangely found he could not. Instead, he turned to the doors, not giving her an answer.

As he opened the doors, Susana called from behind him, "Alex..." Alex turned to face her, "Good luck."

Alex nodded and walked back out into the morning air, Mia following at his heels. They turned and headed towards the north. In the distance, there was the lighthouse. Even though the beacon was not lit, it still stood as a prominent figure from Imil's perspective. In fact, the Lighthouse was the reason for this town's existence. For no other reason would there be a community in such unfavorable conditions. The snow never melted here, and permafrost eliminated all growth. But these conditions and a common purpose brought the people of Imil together. They were all equals, with the exception of the Guardian, who's authority was higher than any others.

As Alex and Mia walked stride for stride, past the small houses, faces appeared in the windows. Most of them appeared puzzled, as the news of Alex and Mia's appointments had not spread far. But there were a few faces who smiled through their frosty windows, knowing that although these adepts were young, their future as Guardians were bright.

In no time at all, Alex and Mia had left Imil, and started along a narrow path leading to the Lighthouse. Mia looked back for a moment, at the town where she had grown up. She was now walking away from her own childhood, at a very young age. Now, at the Mercury Lighthouse, was the time where she would have to grow up. Alex, however, did not look back, only staring at the wonder of the Mercury Lighthouse in the distance. It was a wondrous structure, standing tall while scraping the clouds with its pinnacle. It shone blue in the morning Sun, giving it an aura that was unmistakable.

The path ended at the foot of the Lighthouse. Both Alex and Mia, who had yet to even look at each other, both stopped. In front of them was the Fountain of Hermes. It had run dry long ago, but it was still a wonder to behold. The intricate designs of mercury goddesses were permeated in the stone, representing the years past.

Alex walked past the fountain after a moment and headed towards the doors of the Lighthouse. Mia waited at the fountain, watching him walk ahead. She wasn't sure if she wanted to follow him inside. This was all so new to her and she did not fully trust Alex. He was so mysterious.

Alex pushed the doors open, and turned to look back at Mia. A part of him wanted to just leave her there at the fountain and explore the Lighthouse alone. But this notion was defeated by something stronger, and he spoke to Mia for the first time, "Well? Are you coming?"

Mia, who had kept her eyes averted, looked up at Alex and quickly nodded. "Sure." she said meekly, walking up to the doors and entering. Alex followed.

The first hallway gave them a good idea of the condition of this Lighthouse. There were numerous holes in the floor, which appeared to continue forever, no end in sight. As they walked, the holes in the floor became larger, but the hallway was large enough to create a safe walking path. At the end of this hallway, they found the largest hole yet. This one was large enough for them to fall into. Mia walked forward and stood at the edge of this hole, peering down. Alex, standing behind her, had a sudden mischievous idea. He creeped up behind her, Mia was oblivious to this, and he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back towards him. Mia screamed at this, thinking that Alex was going to push her in. Alex laughed at her reaction, and she immediately turned angrily towards him.

Alex grinned apologetically at her, showing that it was just a joke (which, in truth, it was). Her frown faded a little as Alex chuckled a little more. For some reason, Alex felt a little more comfortable with Mia after the practical joke.

There was silence for a moment as they both stared at their own feet, both faintly smiling. Mia spoke first, "That wasn't very funny you know."

Alex grinned at her, "Oh, like I was going to push you in. You're my backup!"

Mia frowned, "I thought my mom said that we were equals!"

Alex laughed and shook his head, "I'm just kidding." He looked at her for a moment, judging her reaction. She was smiling. "Now, let's find the room where we'll be staying."

Mia nodded, "But don't do that again, okay? I was really scared!"

Alex wanted to give a sarcastic retort, but couldn't think of the words. Slightly flustered at this lack of concentration, he merely nodded and walked towards the next door. Mia paused for a moment, then followed at his heels, not so afraid of this mysterious figure anymore.

The next hallway led them to a room with two beds. Evidently, this is where they would be sleeping. Alex dropped his heavy suitcase at the foot of his bed and jumped onto it, closing his eyes.

He reflected on what had happened in the last couple of days and how already, his life had changed. Just as he started to think about what he would do next as Guardian, he drifted off to sleep.

~

Chapter 30 coming soon. :o

[FlamingDuck]

YESSSSSSSSSSSS! Very good. Except you double posted it.

[Sea of Time]

Oops! Sorry about that. I have Chapter 30 and 31 finished, but I want to see a couple more reviews before I continue, just so I know everyone is caught up. :o

[TheEnglishman]

Wow Alex is pretty lazy. He gets up, makes the short walk from Imil to the Mercury lighthouse and goes back to bed! :o
Seriously it's coming along well. I like the description of the Mercury lighthouse.

[Sea of Time]

Did you miss the part saying he barely slept at all the night before? :o

[TheEnglishman]

Yeah but you'd think he could last at least the day...

[Sea of Time]

There was nothing better for him to do, and it made a great segway. :P

[Platinum Sun]

The confusion of intentons between Alex and Susana, and the practical joke were both good character developments. Transition chapters like this don't have much in the way of substance, so I don't have much else to say. 'till next time I suppose...

[Legendary Dragon of Golden Sun]

Sea_of_Time, on Nov 22 2006, 12:07 AM, said:

Oops! Sorry about that. I have Chapter 30 and 31 finished, but I want to see a couple more reviews before I continue, just so I know everyone is caught up. :P

Oh I loved it! Keep it up! :smile:

[Sea of Time]

Platinum Sun, on Nov 21 2006, 07:41 PM, said:

The confusion of intentons between Alex and Susana, and the practical joke were both good character developments. Transition chapters like this don't have much in the way of substance, so I don't have much else to say. 'till next time I suppose...

Yeah, I've been in this "transition chapter" thing for a while. I promise you the next few chapters are much more interesting, or at least I think so.

[Hotshot101]

Very good very good. Nice reactions and Context clues. I ain't going to spoil what they mean, but you should find out.

[Sea of Time]

Well, I probably will find out because I'm writing the story. >.<

That's enough. I'll post Chapter 30 tomorrow.

[Platinum Sun]

Yeah, I feel that way sometimes. At certain parts, I know even less about what's coming than my readers.

[Sea of Time]

Chapter 30

Seven years passed.

Mia and Alex grew up at Mercury Lighthouse together. Alex was now a well-bodied young man. He had grown tall and strong, in girth and in psynergy. He would find time everyday to train both Mia’s and his own abilities. Mia was also growing taller, as her body developed into that of a flourishing young woman. Her shocking blue eyes were her best feature, and they were brought out by her long blue hair. She was about as tall as Alex, but not nearly as strong as he was. Even over several years, she had only learned a limited amount of psynergy. But, she had become learned in the most important of all water psynergy, Ply. With that psynergy, she now had the ability to become a Healer. News had reached their eyes that Susana was growing frail with old age. It was only a matter of time before Mia would take over as the Healer in Imil, and Alex would be left alone to guard the Lighthouse alone.

In his mind, Alex was mostly excited for this. He had trained Mia for years, looking forward to the moment where she would leave the role of Guardian solely on his shoulders. And yet…a part of him did not want to see Mia go. He had grown very fond of her over the years. He always wanted to tell her what a stunning young woman she had become, but could never find the right time nor the words.

Even without these words, though, Alex and Mia had developed a close friendship. They shared a similar sense of humour and were always making jokes at the expense of the other. Alex, however, true to his word of seven years before, never again pretended to push Mia into the gaping hole in the first hallway.

On this day, Alex and Mia were outside at the front of the Lighthouse. For the third week straight, Alex was attempting to teach Mia the Freeze Prism psynergy. They were practicing on a small bush.

“Okay, try it again.” declared Alex.

Mia raised her palm, a blue light eminating from it. “Freeze Prism.” Immediately, from the sky, there came four or five pieces of hail that were roughly the size of a basketball.

Alex sighed, exasperated. Mia opened her eyes, looking at Alex with an expecting smile. Alex spoke, “Mia, there were only four again. You need to focus hard enough to summon at least a dozen!”

Mia frowned at him, “This is harder than it looks you know!”

“You don’t think I know that?” For some reason, Alex was becoming very impatient with Mia. He was having one of those days, one of the days where he really did not want to have to teach her. “Try it again, this time focus!”

Mia shot him a glare before closing her eyes once again. Her face distorted in a look of intense faces. She slowly raised her palm, the blue light there again. Still in her state of focus, she muttered, “Freeze Prism.”

Once again, the huge pieces of hail fell from the sky. But this time, only a disappointing three fell, shattering on contact with the bush, freezing a few bristles on one branch.

Alex sighed again, this time even louder than the last. Mia’s eyes shot open, “Do you have to sigh like that?” she said angrily in a raised tone.

They were both becoming increasingly frustrated with each other. Alex, in his anger, shouted back at Mia, “What do you want me to do? Proclaim your continuing failure to the world?”

This statement clearly hurt Mia, “I’m trying my best!” Tears started to well in her eyes, “Don’t you understand that? This isn’t as easy as you make it out to be!”

Alex glared at her. Inside, he had not wanted to make her cry. But this psynergy was so easy and he wanted her to realize that! Not knowing where the words were coming from, he spoke in a low, dangerous voice, “I learned this psynergy when I was nine years old. This is as easy as I make it out to be.”

Mia looked shocked at him for a moment, then turned and ran inside, her weeping audible on the frozen tundra. Alex just stood there, watching her run away. He could not believe himself. What made him say such a thing? He had known it would hurt Mia, and yet he had said it anyway. He looked at the bush, which stood as the lonely figure of green in a world of white.

Why can’t I just say how I feel about her?

He had known all along what he felt for Mia. And as he grew older, the word become more apparent in his mind. It was love he felt for her. And yet, he could never tell her, fearing her reaction. Now he had hurt her with his words, and that was the last thing he had wanted. He looked towards the Lighthouse. The front door was still ajar from Mia’s abrupt entry.

It has to be now.

He would go inside and apologize to her, then tell her how he really felt about her. There was no better time, and if he did not do it now, he simply could not live with himself. His mind made up, he walked towards the door.

The door to their sleeping quarters was shut. He slowly opened the door. Inside, Mia was lying on her back on her bed, staring at the ceiling, her eyes red and still wet with tears. She did not look at Alex as he entered the room. Alex slowly walked to his bed, sat down, and faced Mia. He looked at her, and there was silence. Alex knew what he wanted to say, but once again he found it hard to start. His mind started to reel, he had to say something…had to break the silence. His mind had been made up, but now he was not sure that this was what he wanted to do.

Then without thinking, he spoke quietly, “Mia…” He was quickly cut off though, as Mia began to talk at the same time.

“You really don’t understand me, do you?” she asked in a whisper, her voice cracking.

“I…” he wanted to say he did, but he could not lie.

Mia slowly sat up and moved to sit on the side of her bed, so she was eye to eye with Alex, “You can say no.”

Alex looked into her pristine blue eyes. There was only a few feet separating them, it felt to Alex like they had never been this close. He spoke the truth, “I don’t.”

There was silence for a moment as they looked at their own feet. Having to say something, Alex’s head came up. But once again, they spoke both at once.

“Alex…”

“I’m sorry.”

They looked into each other’s eyes. It seemed like hours. Mia seemed surprised that he had apologized, like that was unlike him. Alex dropped his gaze once again. There was so much tension in the room, he just wanted to walk away. But something kept him there. He had entered the room with a purpose in mind, and he was convinced that he would not leave until it was fulfilled.

There was silence again, a silence that lingered for what seemed like hours. Both Alex and Mia did not or could not have anything to say to each other. Once again, the thought crossed Alex’s mind.

It has to be now.

In one last summon of courage, he decided to break this tension, and tell Mia how he felt, no matter what the reaction.

“Mia…” he started, choosing his words carefully, wanting the moment to be perfect.

Then, out of nowhere, as if all tension in the room had been broken by that single word, Mia leaned forward and kissed Alex on the lips. Alex sat frozen in his position, feeling the unreal feel of Mia’s soft lips against his. The room spun around him, he could not close his eyes, he could not move. This moment had come too soon! It was not part of his plan! As the room spun, and Alex’s thoughts raced, Mia pulled back slowly, breaking the kiss.

She just sat there and stared at the floor, blushing.

Alex was still frozen in his spot.

Did that really just happen?

He had to say something, something meaningful. As his mind once again raced for something to say, one word prematurely escaped his lips, “Why?”

Their eyes met again as Mia straight at him, “Do you understand now?”

Alex wanted to respond, but it was as if those words had set off a trigger in the back of his head. It was over. There was no longer a ‘plan’. His head spun with indefinite sentences of jumbled words. He had nothing he could say. Somehow his mind was convincing him that this whole situation was wrong. He could not be here anymore. The tension was back and it felt as if the walls were closing around him.

She was there in front of him, and she was his. And yet, he could not claim her. This was not right. He had to go. Now.

His legs followed the will of his mind and he stood up and walked to the door. He stopped and looked back at her one last time and spoke in a definite voice, a voice that was sure of it’s owner’s actions, “The title of Guardian is yours. I cannot be here anymore.”

She just sat there, looking at him in confusion.

Alex turned and walked out of the room. He walked out of the Lighthouse and just kept walking. He realized then that he could never see Mia again. He had left too much turmoil. He had walked away from the one thing that had mattered to him over the past five years. And he would never come back.

All aspirations gone, confusion as to his own actions, Alex walked away from the Mercury Lighthouse. Away from Imil. Away from his childhood. Away from Mia.

A new chapter of his life was about to begin.

~

I hope you enjoy this one, and I will continue the real story with Chapter 31. Coming soon!

[Platinum Sun]

How appropriate that I too, am at a loss for words to describe this. Well not knowing what I'm doing has never stopped me before! Here goes:
It kind of feels like someone just beat me over the head with a bucket of icewater and then gave me a christmas card.
Ok... that sucked...

Let's give this another shot from a literary perspective:
That kiss was really unexpected. The way they spent all this time at the lighthouse really goes a long way towards explaining Alex's later feelings for Mia. Alex being flustered and speechless is a very good out-of-character moment that made the whole chapter work.
Yeah, that's as close as I'm going to get to coherant speech at this point.

Oh, and you might want to find a different way to say "seemed like hours." It's unwise to use the same expression more than once in a chapter.

[Toasty]

That was a great chapter. Personally, it couldn't have ended in any other way. I look foreward to chapter 31, though I doubt I'll get to read it anytime soon. *glares at parents*

[TheEnglishman]

For a moment I had a worried feeling this chapter was about to go the same way as a load of other fanfictions. People fight, someone runs off, they meet up again, apologise and... well you know. Your way is a lot more interesting SoT. Well done.

[Hotshot101]

Well its kinda obvous what comes next in the flash back. Amaing wording in this chapter hats off to you SoT.

[Sea of Time]

Platinum Sun, on Nov 23 2006, 10:00 PM, said:

How appropriate that I too, am at a loss for words to describe this. Well not knowing what I'm doing has never stopped me before! Here goes:
It kind of feels like someone just beat me over the head with a bucket of icewater and then gave me a christmas card.
Ok... that sucked...

Let's give this another shot from a literary perspective:
That kiss was really unexpected. The way they spent all this time at the lighthouse really goes a long way towards explaining Alex's later feelings for Mia. Alex being flustered and speechless is a very good out-of-character moment that made the whole chapter work.
Yeah, that's as close as I'm going to get to coherant speech at this point.

Oh, and you might want to find a different way to say "seemed like hours." It's unwise to use the same expression more than once in a chapter.

So...you liked it? But you found it corny? I'm so confused as to how you really feel about my fanfic. XD

Thanks for the compliments guys, and I hope you enjoy Chapter 31, which I should have up tomorrow.

[Platinum Sun]

You're right. Maybe I could condense that a little more. Principly, I liked it. There was some good character development there and it really sets the stage for Mia and Alex's later animosity. I don't know... I've never been good at interpreting love as such. I'm not good at writing about it (or, now I find, critiquing it.) So you don't really have to understand what I said as I don't really understand it either, just keep doing what you're doing and it'll be fine.

[Legendary Dragon of Golden Sun]

Hotshot101, on Nov 25 2006, 10:06 AM, said:

Well its kinda obvous what comes next in the flash back. Amaing wording in this chapter hats off to you SoT.

Yeah that was an excellant chapter, indeed that was going to happen between Mia and Alex sooner or later. Looking forward to the next chapter of the life behind Alex.

[Mikey09]

I havent been able to check this in a couple weeks, and I must say that I am extremely impressed with your work SoT. Keep at it. The last few chapters were really good.

[Toasty]

Platinum Sun, on Nov 25 2006, 06:49 PM, said:

You're right. Maybe I could condense that a little more. Principly, I liked it. There was some good character development there and it really sets the stage for Mia and Alex's later animosity. I don't know... I've never been good at interpreting love as such. I'm not good at writing about it (or, now I find, critiquing it.) So you don't really have to understand what I said as I don't really understand it either, just keep doing what you're doing and it'll be fine.

I'm not that good at writing about it either, but I havn't tried many times. I'm fairly decent at critiquing though, since I've been forced into watching my fair share of love movies and other chick flicks. *glares at mom and sister* -__-;.

I'd say he did a good job. In this case, he picked the best path for the scene to take. Something that can't be easily done when it comes to scenes such as this.

[Sea of Time]

May I remind you all that for better or for worse, the backstory is finished. There will be no confusion now, as we continue to this chapter.

~

Chapter 31

Mia closed her eyes once again. This could not be happening. She was lying on her back in a huge white room, the stone floor cold on her exposed lower legs. In what felt like only a few minutes ago, she was in Shaman Village, watching over Sheba. Then, a strange man had come to the door of the inn where they were hiding. From what she could see from behind Piers, the man was very old and robed in white. The last thing she remembered was Maskah looking past Piers and herself, staring intently at Sheba, grinning.

Now she was on the stone floor and above her was the most shocking part of it all. Alex was there looking down at her, his lips curled in a pleased smirk. She remembered what she had once felt for Alex, but it was gone in an instant. Her only feelings for Alex now were disgust and pity. Only a sick person could find glee in killing all those innocent citizens in Vale and Vault. And also, she had a much more trustworthy group of friends. She remembered them, and wondered what had happened to Isaac’s party, the party that had climbed Trial Road. Her thoughts turned to Sheba…and Piers. And Felix.

Where is everybody?

Her wandering thoughts immediately were turned back to the current situation she was in. She could not help but feel a little fear as Alex spoke in a sarcastic tone,

“Hello Mia.”

~

Alex was finished reflecting on the past. That part of his life was over. In fact, leaving Mia and the Mercury Lighthouse behind was the best decision he could have made at that point in time. After that fated day, events were set in motion making Alex the powerful adept he was today. Today, his abilities were unrivaled, and he knew it.

Now he had Mia right where he wanted her. With him. And alone. It was time to show her that he had moved past her and their days in the Mercury Lighthouse. His lust for power had surpassed all other desires, and he wanted her to know.

He stood up from his kneeling position and began to pace back and forth. After a moment, he turned to Mia and spoke, “Mia…do you remember the day I left the Mercury Lighthouse?”

Mia turned her head and attempted to sit up.

Immediately, Alex shot his palm out in front of him, pointed it at Mia’s wrists and in an instant, they were frozen to the floor.

Mia struggled, but the small rings of ice that had formed around her wrists and to the stone floor were too strong. She was pinned to the ground, unable to move her arms. Then an obvious thought entered her mind, “What was the point of that, Alex? The ice is only going to melt in a few minutes.”

Alex chuckled for a moment then answered, “Oh, that ice will not be melting anytime soon. So I would get nice and comfortable,” he turned away from her, and added in a demanding tone, “Now answer my question.”

“Yes, of course I remember.” she muttered, hating Alex now more than ever.

“Good,” he said, turning to her, “Do you remember what you did to me, the last thing you did to me, before I left?”

Mia was becoming wary of these questions, “Yes.”

Alex grinned evilly at her, their eyes locked in mutual hate, “What did you do to me, Mia?”

Mia was so full of rage now, but knew she could do nothing with her wrists frozen and her palms facing the ground. She did not answer his question, she would not answer.

Alex walked up to her and leaned so that his head was just above hers, “Well?”

She whispered her answer, her body shaking in anger, “I don’t remember.”

Alex face contorted with anger, and without warning, he spat in her face, “Tell me.” he whispered darkly.

Mia cringed as the saliva hit her cheek. But she would not be swayed. “I don’t remember.” she repeated.

Alex stood to the full extent of his height and turned away from her, walking two steps in the other direction. “I think you do remember, Mia. Now I will give you one more chance. Tell me what you did.”

Mia smiled. Alex was getting angry, she was winning. “I don’t remember, Alex.” she answered sarcastically.

In an instant, Alex spun to face Mia, fury filling every inch of him. He walked quickly up to her and kicked her, hard, in the ribs. “TELL ME!” he yelled, spitting in Mia’s face again.

Mia gasped in pain. She had not expected such a brutal attack. Her rib felt as if it had been set on fire. There was no more anger, only pain. Barely able to breath from the burning in her rib, she gave him the answer he desired, “I…kissed you.”

Alex turned away from her again. He had sent a message, and he had to continue, “That’s right. You kissed me. Now tell me Mia, why would you do such a thing?” he asked, mocking her with every word.

Mia, still could barely breath. She attempted to raise her hand to heal herself, but could not get it off the ground.

Alex turned and saw her trying to break her palm free. He walked up to her, and with all his strength, he stomped down on her struggling right hand. “You will not break free, Mia. Now answer my question.” he said quietly.

Mia whimpered. She had felt a bone in her right hand break and with Alex still standing on it, a tear of pain fell down her cheek. Every breath she took was pained with her bruised rib. With pain flooding her body, the only thing she could do was answer his question, “I did it…” talking was painful, “because it felt right at the time.”

Alex looked blankly at the opposite wall, still standing on her hand, “Interesting. So if kissing me felt right…does that mean…” he grinned, letting out a low, sarcastic whistle, “Mia! Do you love me?”

The question penetrated Mia’s very being. And just like before, her anger returned. She was afraid of being hurt again by Alex, but she could not answer this question. It was a secret she had kept locked away for so many years.

After a moment of staring intently at Mia, Alex kneeled down, finally taking his foot off of Mia’s hand. Mia exhaled at the release of pressure. Alex then moved his head closer to Mia’s until they were so close together, their noses were actually touching.

Mia closed her eyes and closed her mouth. She had never wanted to be this close to Alex ever again.

Alex whispered, in a seductive tone Mia had never heard him use before, barely audible, “Do you love me, Mia?”

It was as if all the evil memories of Alex had faded. Mia opened her eyes and saw Alex only inches away. His breath had a sweet scent. For some reason, it reminded her of her home in Imil. She remembered all the happier times she had spent with Alex. The hours spent teasing each other on the frozen fields outside the Lighthouse. Finally, she remembered her first and only kiss. It had been so sweet, when his lips had touched hers. It had been a perfect moment. And she wanted it again.

Mia cast aside all the pain, all the anger, and all the ill memories as she breathed the intoxicating closeness of their lips. Mia slowly raised her head about six inches, and their lips met.

It lasted only a second. Alex pulled his head back. He gave her an intense look of hate, and without warning, slapped her hard across the face. “You little b-tch,” he cursed. He stood up once again and looked down at her in disgust, “I knew you couldn’t resist me.”

He then shot his palm forward, pointing it at Mia’s face, a blue light eminating from it.

Mia felt her tongue freeze. The pain was indescribable. The intense cold actually burned her tongue, but not even the heat of her mouth could melt the ice. She opened her mouth to say something, but found she could not. It was as if her vocal chords had been frozen as well. So she remained silent, bruised, in pain on the stone floor.

Alex kicked her again, in the same rib. Mia opened her mouth, an inaudible scream escaping her lips. He spat the next few words with hate written in every syllable, “Well Mia, I want you to know that I never have and never will return your love for me.”

His anger was growing stronger still. Here was the woman who had haunted the first eighteen years of his life. She had been in his thoughts for every waking moment of the seven years he spent at Mercury Lighthouse.

Then the vision of their first kiss came to him. It filled him with cold fury, a fury so strong that it erased all other thoughts from his mind. Darkness enclosed him. He hated himself for walking away, for never having the right thing to say. But even more, he hated Mia, who had left him to join forces with Isaac. He did not want her anymore, and to forget her he had to cause her ruthless pain.

The fury was still in full force as his childhood memories came to him, he never had a friend. He remembered that he never had a parent, how his father had deserted him before he was even born. Then he looked down at the woman before him with an empty stare, and he remembered Mia. Those years had brought nothing but pain, and that pain would never leave him. As the darkness of his past consumed his thoughts, he raised his palm, in a culmination of fury, distress, and pain.

He lost control in that moment, like he had only once before. And in that moment, the blue light in his palm distorted, grew larger, and turned black.

The voice flowed out of him without any thought. It was a haunting voice, and it spoke the fated words,

Summon the shadows
They lie in fate
They lie in doom
Summon the shadows

Mia looked up at Alex. He was speaking a language she did not understand. As the black hole in Alex’s hand grew larger, Mia opened her mouth. She wanted to tell Alex that she was sorry for her actions at Mercury Lighthouse. She wanted to tell him that she forgave him for the pain he had caused. But no words came out, and all her feelings were lost as she felt her throat compress. Her eyes bulged. She could no longer breathe. Her aching lungs gulped for air, but there was none to be found. Mia looked up in darkness and saw Alex one last time. Then, her body tightened, and the room faded.

And the world went black.

~

[Platinum Sun]

Personally I've never really liked the idea of love between Alex and Mia after their early days at Mercury. After that, Alex would've been too consumed by his own pursuits and Mia would've lost all feelings for him. I just can't see Mia falling back on her old crush, she's stronger than that I know it!
But that's a matter of personal opinion I suppose. You executed it quite well regardless of what I thought of your choice of events. I'll be very interested to find out more about this strange power of darkness that Alex has gained. Keep at it!

[Hotshot101]

very interesting. After so many years you would normally lose feelings for someone, but sometimes there is something still locked in your mind about that person. Well done SoT this chapter was really done well. Can't see any context clues about what happens next, so I guess I will have to wait and see.

[isaac rules]

nice, another one died (i think), she coulda just fainted though...
nice chapter as always, theres really nothing for me to say.

[Legendary Dragon of Golden Sun]

I agree, very good. Especially though Mia hated Alex, they were actually very close and that happened. And the way Alex abused Mia, Geez that's harsh, personally i think Piers would love Mia just like Felix loves Sheba (I can see that!).

Seriously I wonder how much more hell Mia will go through until somebody actually rescues her.

Very good nonetheless, personally I have never done any fanfic involving so much into love but hey, it works.

[Sea of Time]

I have one more chapter written on paper, and the story is coming along at a steady pace now. I'm looking forward to getting more of this up in the days to come.

[FlamingDuck]

I never really pictured Alex as the sort of ruthless villian you portray him to be here, but I guess its your fanfic, not mine. He always seemed to be someone looking out for his own interests no matter what, but not unnecessaryily evil.

And Mia doesn't seem like the kind of person who would succumb to Alex that quickly.

I'm not saying I don't like it, but it certainly is going in a different direction than I imagined. It'll be interesting to see what happens next.

[Legendary Dragon of Golden Sun]

FlamingDuck, on Nov 29 2006, 09:18 AM, said:

I never really pictured Alex as the sort of ruthless villian you portray him to be here, but I guess its your fanfic, not mine. He always seemed to be someone looking out for his own interests no matter what, but not unnecessaryily evil.

And Mia doesn't seem like the kind of person who would succumb to Alex that quickly.

I'm not saying I don't like it, but it certainly is going in a different direction than I imagined. It'll be interesting to see what happens next.

Indeed after seeing through Alex's past I think something perhaps is and always has, somewhat ''Possessed" him, something inside of Alex is controlling his mind and body.

[Hotshot101]

I Always thought of Alex as a shady guy with more strategic thoughts then brute force. With this story nothing really posseses him except the haunting of his past.

[Sea of Time]

I'm writing now, and I'm slowly realizing that I've lost some of that descriptive writing ability that I had before my three month reprieve. I'm going to post Chapter 32 later on because it's finished, and I'm going to take my time with Chapter 33.

[Legendary Dragon of Golden Sun]

Sea_of_Time, on Nov 30 2006, 12:06 AM, said:

I'm writing now, and I'm slowly realizing that I've lost some of that descriptive writing ability that I had before my three month reprieve. I'm going to post Chapter 32 later on because it's finished, and I'm going to take my time with Chapter 33.

That's good, as long as you take your time, it should turn out good hopefully as it has been so far. No rush or pressure whatsoever.

[Mikey09]

another good chapter. when i was playing the the game the first time, i always thought that alex and mia would somewhat go good together. anyway i hope u dont kill mia cause shes 1 of my favorites. and take ur time on the next chapter. no1s rushing u.

[Sea of Time]

Work is going well. I'll post Chapter 32 as soon as I have some time, and Chapter 33 is going slowly but surely. I've edited it a couple times through, to see if I can find some more description.

[FlamingDuck]

Description is good and all, but don't feel the need to go into detail about how the folds in Mia's robe are compromising the grain of her hair. Don't go over detailed on us, because after a while, it just gets painful.

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

[Sea of Time]

Hey, that's a good one!

Seriously though, I know too much can be a bad thing. I'm just trying to find some balance.

[Legendary Dragon of Golden Sun]

Sea_of_Time, on Dec 8 2006, 12:03 AM, said:

Hey, that's a good one!

Seriously though, I know too much can be a bad thing. I'm just trying to find some balance.

Yeah don't go into so much detail with hair colour, and clothing and all that. It just gets boring. And maybe just don't say what sort of weapons the characters use like just say "Isaac drove into Alex with his...Blade." Or "Ivan casted Shine Plasma from his...Staff." See what I am getting at? Those are just examples. The reason why I ask of this is that it's better we use our imagination for it. I reckon that way it might sound more interesting. Just a suggestion though.

[Sea of Time]

Interesting idea. But I like to be specific with the weapons! I do leave many things open to the imagination, though, as you may have seen with my descriptions of environments.

[Sea of Time]

Alright, here is the much delayed Chapter 32. I have Chapter 33 written on paper and will most likely post it during Christmas Break. Enjoy!

~

Chapter 32

Piers opened his eyes. They were bleary for a moment as the world around him appeared fuzzy. He immediately noticed a sharp pain in his lower back. His eyes focused and the pain became more intense. He grimaced as he sat up, rubbed his back, and checked his surroundings. As it appeared, he was in a large cell. On three of the four walls there was stone, and on the other, cell bars. From the darkness of the room, it was obvious that he was underground. Outside the cell bars, there was a stone hallway and more cells.

As Piers attempted to stand up, the sharp pain in his back made him wince and sit back down. It was clear from the placement of the bruise that whoever had brought him to this cell had simply thrown him in. He took a deep breath, and once again attempted to stand. This time, by using the cell bars and dealing with the intense pain, he brought himself to his feet.

He leaned on the bars and looked out. There was nobody in the long hallway of cells. At the end of the stone hallway, there appeared to be a dark, winding staircase, leading up. He then examined the other cells. There were many of them, but they all appeared empty at first sight. Then, in the cell directly across from him, he heard something move. He snapped his head to see what had made the noise.

The light in the hallway was not very bright, and Piers had a hard time making out what he was looking at in the opposite cell. He squinted, putting aside the pain in his back. Then, there was another movement in the cell and Piers saw a small human roll over on the stone floor. The long, sandy hair was unmistakeable.

It was Sheba.

Piers was ecstatic. Even though it felt like only minutes ago when he had been protecting Sheba, it was still good to see a familiar face in such a strange place.

Piers whispered across the hallway, “Sheba…Hey, Sheba!”

The body in the opposite cell rolled over again, and Sheba’s face appeared in the dim light. She was on her side, wearing a mute expression. Her eyes were hollow. Piers was chilled for a moment. She had changed so much since that vision in Vale.

“Sheba?”

Her passive, hollow stare slowly moved to Piers and her expression changed to a haunting smile. Her lips cracked with the smile, a tear of blood falling to her chin. Her hollow smile was followed by her voice, which had become monotonous, “Hello Piers.”

Piers felt so much pity for her. She was so weak and frail. Her body was slumping once again as Piers wondered aloud, “Sheba…what’s happened to you?”

Sheba’s smile faded at this question and she closed her eyes. Her eyebrows furrowed as an expression of pain seemed to wash over her. As the expression passed, her eyes remained closed, and she gave Piers an answer in a whisper, barely audible, “I can’t tell you.”

Confused by this unexpected response, Piers replied, still whispering, “What do you mean?”

Sheba’s body slumped again. It appeared that it was taking all the strength she had just to remain conscious. Her eyes still closed, she answered Piers, her voice growing weaker still, “I can’t tell you Piers.”

Piers decided to leave the subject alone. It looked like even talking was taking a toll on Sheba’s dwindling energy. He turned his focus from Sheba for a moment to look at the bars that held him prisoner. The lock on the door was hanging just out of arm’s reach for Piers, he could not seem to squeeze his arm through the narrow bars.

Then, as he stared intently at the lock, an idea came to him. The lock appeared to be made of steel. Perhaps, with a bit of ice, he could break the lock from the inside. It was becoming obvious that there were only a few people who knew or cared about where they were. If he were to break himself and Sheba free, perhaps they could get a better idea about their whereabouts and how to find the others. It was an indefinite plan, but it was a plan nonetheless.

“Sheba…”

She had turned over again, her back to Piers. There was no response.

“Sheba…I’m going to try to get us out of here.”

No response.

Realizing that he was probably going to have to carry Sheba out of this dungeon, Piers second-guessed his initial plan. But he did not debate long, his mind was made up.

He stood up, taking the pressure off the bars. His back singed for a moment, but this pain did not matter anymore. He pointed his open palm at the lock on the bar door, focusing on what it was he had to do. A blue light came from the center of his palm, filling the dark room with a blue glow.

In an instant, the lock was frozen. And, as Piers became even more focused, the ice became stronger, and after a few seconds, the lock split, falling to the ground with a loud clank.

Clearly these cells were not made to hold adepts.

Piers looked up and down the hallway to see if the noise from the lock had awoken any previously unseen guests. He saw nothing, and slowly opened the door. A quiet creak accompanied him as he tip-toed out of his cell. It was then that he realized the usual weight of his sword was missing. He did not think much of it, it would probably not be too hard to find.

He quietly approached Sheba’s cell and peered inside. Sheba was huddled in the fetal position on the floor, her blank eyes wide open, staring off into nothingness.

“Sheba, come on, we have to go.”

Immediately after hearing these words, Sheba slowly turned so she was lying on her back. She looked up at Piers, her face white with an expression of panic, “I can’t.” she whispered, her voice trembling noticably.

Piers could not understand her, she must have been out of her mind! He decided that he had to get her out, whether she wanted to or not. He reached for the lock on her door to see if it was the same type, “Come on Sheba, I’m getting you out. Now.”

Sheba seemed to go into a state of full-blown panic. She jumped up, standing without help for the first time since they had arrived in Shaman Village. She grabbed the bars with her left hand, and grabbed Piers’ outstretched arm with her right. She spoke again, this time her voice was not monotonous, it sounded like the old Sheba, and it sounded scared, “No Piers. You really can’t.”

Piers was getting angry at her stubbornness, “Why not?” he asked, distressed.

Sheba closed her eyes again. Then, just like a few moments ago, a wave of pain seemed to wash over her. Her whole body shuddered as she staggered back a few steps. After a second, she opened her eyes again. She staggered back to the door, staring with fear at Piers the whole time. She looked up and down the hallway, as if expecting to see someone, before answering him.

“I can’t go…” her voice became panicked and rushed, “B-because he’ll kill me if I do.”

Piers was taken aback by Sheba’s words and actions. Here was a woman who was clearly out of her mind. “Who will kill you?...Oh come o-“

But he could not finish his sentence. As if hit by a train, Sheba opened her mouth wide, in what appeared to be an inaudible scream. Her face changed quickly from terror back to a mute expression. Her eyes once again became blank. And she fell backwards onto the floor, lying frozen in a sprawled position.

As all this happened to Sheba, Piers snapped his head in the other direction to the staircase at the end of the hallway. He could hear footsteps coming down.

Frozen in his place, Piers watched as an old man robed all in white walked into the hallway. The man was looking directly at him, and he was smiling.

~

[isaac rules]

ooh, another chapter...
wow, sheba has gone crazy. nice cliffhanger at the end of the chapter (this chapter was quite short)

[FlamingDuck]

Good, except in the begining, I think you used "sharp pain in the back" just a tad too much. And you forgot the word pain in the third sentance.

"His back singed for a moment"

Shouldn't it be sung?

Well, it was a good chapter anyway. Everyone loves brainwashing.

[Sea of Time]

I fixed the missing word, but I will not change context now. Thank you for the comments.

[Hotshot101]

Good job SoT keep up the good work. I can get an idea of what happens next, but I can't wait to read it.

[Sea of Time]

I'm really interested in what you think comes next. Tell me!

Here or PM, it doesn't matter.

[Hotshot101]

Sea_of_Time, on Dec 14 2006, 01:20 PM, said:

I'm really interested in what you think comes next. Tell me!

Here or PM, it doesn't matter.

Well I don't know specific ( context clues don't tell you everything), but I do know what would happen generally. What I think my happen is Piers and Maskah fight each other. Rather Maskah wins and Piers goes back into his cell or dies. Or Piers somehow excapes Maskah and tries to find the others (which could be with or with out sheba). Thats all the context clues could unfold for me. In a common sense though you could cliff hanger this side of the story longer and go to Isaac, Jenna, Garet, and Ivan heading toward Contigo.

Thats all I could think of.

[Platinum Sun]

Cool! Sheba is going all Amityville Horror on us again! That usually accompanies large amounts of Alex-related wanton destruction!

[Sea of Time]

Hotshot101, on Dec 16 2006, 10:36 AM, said:

Well I don't know specific ( context clues don't tell you everything), but I do know what would happen generally. What I think my happen is Piers and Maskah fight each other. Rather Maskah wins and Piers goes back into his cell or dies. Or Piers somehow excapes Maskah and tries to find the others (which could be with or with out sheba). Thats all the context clues could unfold for me. In a common sense though you could cliff hanger this side of the story longer and go to Isaac, Jenna, Garet, and Ivan heading toward Contigo.

Thats all I could think of.

*sigh* That was fun for me to read.

I think I might find time this week to post the next chapter, I'll update you guys later.

[The Wind Seer]

Sea of Time, I really like your story, even though I just read to Chapter 2!

[Sea of Time]

Well, I hope you like it even more as you continue to read.

[Legendary Dragon of Golden Sun]

Nice chapter there. Wow Sheba's lost it this time it seems. This is even more exciting, hopefully something good is going to happen soon. I doubt Piers has a chance in hell against Maksah, he would probably try to flee. I wonder what will become of Isaac and the others as well as we see the next chapters? Who knows...

[Sea of Time]

I'm really sorry that I haven't updated this in a while, but I'm very glad to see a fresh wave of readers to replace those that may have lost interest. I've done a lot of writing on paper, but just have not found the time or desire to type the chapters up again on the computer.

But with the resurgence in interest, I will make it a must for me to have at least two chapters up before the middle of the month.

[The Wind Seer]

Hey SOT, I still didn't read your story. Sorry, but I was reading so much other golden sun 3 srories that I didn't have time. But now I may have some time and I look towards to read your story as fast as I can! :(

[Sea of Time]

No problem, Wind Seer. For everyone else, here's Chapter 33.

~

Chapter 33

The glory of the morning Sun woke the plains of northern Gondowan. The expanse of land shone pale, every blade of tan grass shining with dew. The area outside Tolbi was not exotic by any means, but it was average, like the people who once lived there. The wind came in low and singed the tall grass, making it billow in the cold breeze. Trees were few and far between, but the one or two that could be seen were impressive, soaring high into the pure blue sky. These expanses of tall grass were peaceful, with not a voice to be heard. But as one gravitated to the east, closer to the Karagol Sea, it was clear what made the land so quiet. The city of Tolbi had grown since the arrival of Alex five years before. The city was a wonder of stone, its design once echoing Lemuria, now pure white and intimidating. Military forces filled every crevice of the town, their tents silent, waiting for the order to be sent off. At the north end of the city, the Colosseum still stood, its figure more impressive than ever. Today, it stood as a training ground for the thousands of Tolbi soldiers, no longer opening its door once a year to house the massive event of Colloso. But the villagers did not argue this. In fact, most of the villagers had been put in the army, brainwashed by Maskah and made powerful by Alex. The women and children who were deemed too weak to fight, were locked up in the ever-expanding dungeons beneath Tolbi’s Palace.

It was here, at the Palace, where everything happened. Behind the stone doors, the front hallway opened impressively to anyone privileged enough to enter there. Statues of Babi that had once stood there were gone, replaced by statues of an unknown soldier; his face set, the crest of Tolbi shining on his helmet. The hallway opened up to many rooms, many of them no longer in use. There was no planning needed for this war, therefore there was no need for generals, or secretaries. Alex and Maskah were the only powers behind this war, the soldiers only fought because they were only under Maskah’s mind control.

Up a flight of stairs, and you were at the throne room. A once lavish place, with red rugs and wildlife filling it, today it was pure white stone. On this particulary day, as the pale Sun shone into the open window, there were two figures in the throne room. A man and a woman, both in blue robes.

~

Mia was motionless, lying on the stone floor.

Alex snapped his eyes open. It was as if all his fury had been released with that attack. He was starting to gain some sort of knowledge about what it was. It was a psynergy that fed off the anger and pain in one’s soul. Alex was an impressive adept but he was also haunted and infuriated by the memories of his past. Both of these things attributed in his ability to summon this dark psynergy.

All anger gone, Alex looked down at Mia’s motionless body. His attack had clearly knocked her unconscious. She lay cold and relaxed on the stone white floor.

Something seems wrong, Alex thought to himself, looking to Mia’s body. He leaned down to look closer at Mia, her mouth was shut, her eyes not closed in unconsciousness, but open, blank and fixed at the open window. Realizing in shock what the signs showed, Alex put a shaking hand on Mia’s chest.

There was no beat.

Scared, Alex quickly put his ear to Mia’s mouth.

There was no breathing.

Alex stopped. There must have been a mistake. Maskah had only been knocked out by this attack, what made Mia different? With no second thoughts, he put his palm on Mia’s forehead. Her skin was cold to the touch. “Revive” he muttered, putting all his strength into the psynergy. The blue light was so strong it actually shone through Alex’s hand, but nothing happened to Mia. Alex reluctantly pulled his hand back. He stared at Mia, shaking, as the truth became clear.

Mia was dead.

Alex was frozen there. This is not what he had wanted…not death…not for Mia. He had lost control, and this was the result. She was dead, and he had killed her. Alex stood up, but his legs crumbled beneath him, and he fell back, looking at Mia the whole time. He wanted to run from the room, but something kept him there, just staring at her. He could not come to terms with what he had done. He had thought that no psynergy was strong enough to kill, but this one…it was so different. He raised his own palm and looked at it, his eyes unfocused. Did he really have the potential to kill?

Of course I do. This is what I have been working for…to be strong enough to kill…

He looked at her body again. Her face was growing paler as death took the warmth from her body. She had been a strong spirit in life, Alex knew that best. And all he had wanted to do here was prove that he was over her. To prove that his lust for power surpassed all others.

If I truly want power more than anything else, I have to let her go.

But he couldn’t. As a young man, something inside him had always had a soft spot for Mia. That something came back to him now, after all the anger, all the pain, he still had that soft spot. But she was gone. Never again would he see that blue sparkle in her eyes, never again would he fail to speak in her presence. Only minutes ago, in life, he had not wanted her. But now he knew the error of his ways.

Nothing was ever more important to me than her.

Then, at the saddest point in his life, at the most unwelcome time possible, there came a loud knock on the throne room door. The sound jarred him. He had forgotten that there was a world outside of this room. He gave no answer to the knock, and without warning, the door burst open.

Maskah burst into the room, followed by a stumbling Piers, who’s head was in a black cloth bag. Alex stood up at this sudden entrance.

Maskah stopped in his tracks as he saw Mia’s body. It distracted him for a moment, but he had come with a purpose, and that took priority, “Master.” he declared.

Alex had to appear composed, he could not show weakness. He took a deep breath, glancing at Piers, and answered, “Yes, Maskah?”

Maskah grabbed Piers by the collar and dragged him forward, “This adept…he managed to find a way out of his cell,” Maskah grinned as he thought of how pleased his master would be, “I caught him trying to release the girl. I threatened her, and he came quietly.” he sneered, looking at the cloth bag covering Piers’ face.

Normally, this would have surprised Alex. For one, he had specifically told his soldiers to keep the two adepts separate. And not only that, he had thought his cell locks would have put up resistance to ice.

But he was in no mood for any of this. His mind was slowly crumbling to depression as his thoughts turned back to Mia. He had no desire to talk to Maskah, nor did he feel he had to punish Piers.

Alex sighed, “Take him from me, Maskah. Lock him up in a cell far away from the girl, and with a stronger lock this time.”

Maskah looked strangely at his master. Usually, he took any opportunity to punish the adepts, and this was certainly a break in character. But Maskah was there to follow orders, and he turned towards the door, grabbing Piers again. He opened the door, but a question burned to be asked and Maskah turned back to Alex, Piers still in the doorway, “Is the blue-haired girl dead?”

Alex, who’s gaze had fallen back to Mia, snapped his head up and hissed, “What did you say?”

Maskah, starting to think he had angered his master, quietly asked again, “Is the girl dead?”

Then Piers, who had been silent, spoke out through the mask, distressed, “Mia?!?”

Alex seethed, how dare Maskah question him, how dare Piers say her name? In life and in death, Mia was his! Anger boiling over, he yelled at the insolent man, “GET OUT!!”

Shocked, Maskah quickly turned away and pushed Piers out. He stumbled out, scared at his master’s anger.

Alex watched as the door slammed shut. His anger slowly left as he looked back at Mia.

A wave of hopelessness came over him then, as the silence suffocated around him. He realized then, what it was all about. His empire, his rise to power, it was all nothing. She had been the reason for his anger, the reason he left to pursue a life in power. He fell to his knees as the hopelessness took his strength. He stared at her, tears forming in his eyes. He was disgusted at himself for showing emotion, but he knew there was nothing but emotion left. There was no point in continuing. What would be the objective? To kill Isaac? He meant nothing to Alex.

He may have stolen my power, but it was a power I did not need.

Mia had been his whole life. And by stealing hers, he jeopardized his own. He lacked the will to continue.

It would be so easy to end it now.

But he had come so far…

Then, in a blinding flash of realization, he knew what he had to do. There was only one person who he could talk to, one person he needed.

Sheba

~

[Legendary Dragon of Golden Sun]

Woah! Nice one there, first Felix now Mia! Wow that sure was an unexpected turn of things, the attack actually killed her. This is my first Golden Sun 3 story I have read and by far it is the best. Do not stop SOT, who knows what will happen next....

[Platinum Sun]

I can't describe anything I'm feeling for some reason...

I'm going to bang my face on the keyboard and hope it forms a word.

h bnmh6gyt

Dang... I'll get back to you.

[Sea of Time]

Legendary Dragon of Golden Sun, on Jan 6 2007, 04:54 PM, said:

Woah! Nice one there, first Felix now Mia! Wow that sure was an unexpected turn of things, the attack actually killed her. This is my first Golden Sun 3 story I have read and by far it is the best. Do not stop SOT, who knows what will happen next....

May I remind you that Felix is not dead, but only in a non-permanent coma. Just to clear the confusion.

And PS.......thanks?

[TheEnglishman]

Oh no, main characters are being killed off! It's like Harry Potter! :D
And Alex is going a little nuts. Good chapter SoT.

[FlamingDuck]

Yay, Mia was always kinda worthless anyway :D

But good chapter. Alex is pretty crazy.

Seriously, this could turn into a Fire Emblem game! You've got the crazy king dude, his loyal servant, random wars for some ulterior purpose, and a party of angry warriors whose hometown has been destroyed!

[Platinum Sun]

You know you're right! Throw the soul of an ancient demon in there somewhere and we could make this thing work!

[Hotshot101]

You guys are crazy yourselves. Anyway grats on a good chapter SoT.

[Legendary Dragon of Golden Sun]

Sea_of_Time, on Jan 7 2007, 09:26 AM, said:

May I remind you that Felix is not dead, but only in a non-permanent coma. Just to clear the confusion.

And PS.......thanks?

No I know Felix is alive, but yes we THOUGHT he was dead, barely alive though. I do not like the idea of Mia being dead though, she always has proven to be an excellant healer aside from Isaac, Felix or Jenna who all can heal (Jenna knows Aura). Maybe she can be brought back later, I hope so. Sure Mia is not strong with attack Psynergy like Glacier and all but still she is still excellant.

Also maybe you should have those adepts use their summons sometime like Iris, Azure, Tiamat, Eclipse, Judgement or Catastrophe etc...

Keep it up though it is getting to be quite dramatic and I have read stories like Eragon and Eldest and they had drama at certain points or sometimes a lot. In other words, you are doing well with this story so don't stop! :D :D

[Sea of Time]

I can't remember an update as quick as this one! But excitement about this story has never been higher, and I figured rewarding my readers is a must. So here's 34. Enjoy!

~

Chapter 34

Isaac stood there, staring at the note, reading it to himself over and over. He wanted to feel shocked at this, Maskah had taken four of his companions from him, taking them to Tolbi for an unknown fate. But he found that he could not feel shocked anymore. It was not that he wasn’t surprised, but what he felt was overhelming resolve. His path, unwillingly, had been set for him. And it was time for him to walk that path, even though he had no idea what would be the end of it.

He looked around at the other three there beside him. Garet, his best friend, had always been there in his toughest times. Jenna, his wife, the one true love in his life. And Ivan, the once strange young boy, now a wise and trustworthy young man. This would be his party for the path ahead. They would fight together. For their lost families, for their stolen companions, and for the well-being of Weyard.

In that moment of utter resolve, Isaac spoke, “You realize what we must do now,” the glossed gaze was gone from their eyes, they did understand, “We will fight Maskah and Alex. We will storm Tolbi and get our comrades back. We will get Felix back. We will avenge the loss of our families,” Isaac was overflowing with confidence now, “and we will save Weyard from the corruption it faces.”

As he spoke, for the first time, he felt in truth as the leader of this party. It was as if the revelation had hit him square on, with all these events transpiring, it was time for him to step up. He drew his Sol Blade, Felix’s Sol Blade, and turned south, the sword glinting in the western Sun.

“We will travel to Contigo.” he declared, looking around at the others.

Their faces of determination told Isaac all he needed to know. He knew now that they would not lose again to Maskah. Battle-toughened, they would fight to the death, with the fury and determination that once made them heroes.

“Let’s go,” declared Garet, distain in his voice, “I’m not spending another minute in this filthy town.”

They all nodded, and Isaac started to walk, the Sun setting to his right. They would travel through the night, and nobody would argue. Speed was of essence now.

Who knows what Alex has planned for those four…

The sky was dark and the stars were twinkling above them when they arrived at the ship on the other side of Shaman Village Cave.

Isaac, deep down, was somewhat surprised that the ship was still there. Maskah surely had made a tactical error in leaving it for them. By taking it, he could have stranded them on Hesperia, or at least delayed them while they attempted to find a ship.

Then again, perhaps he really does want us to get to Contigo.

Isaac would not be afraid if Maskah was there waiting for them in Contigo. Whether they faced him sooner or later, they would be ready. Ready to show him what they were made of.

They all boarded the ship, and stumbled in the dark to assume their positions. Piloting this ship was quite easy, as Isaac had learned sailing Babi’s Lemurian ship five years ago, chasing Felix’s party and the elemental stars. Now, it had become even easier with the Hover Jade, which luckily was in Ivan’s possession.

Isaac assumed his spot at the helm, and at the same time Ivan raised his palm, a purple haze emitting from it, “Hover.” he muttered quickly. All four of them felt their psynergy drain a little as the ship rose ten, then twenty feet into the air. Isaac took the wheel and they were off, moving faster than any normal ship with ease.

Garet then said aloud what Isaac was thinking of the same time, “I guess anyone can pilot a flying ship, huh?”

And through all the determination and resolve, all the seriousness, Isaac still grinned widely and laughed aloud, manoevering the ship between two mountains.

~

It was still dark when they reached Atteka Islet. To save psynergy they may need, Isaac lowered the ship safely to rest in the islet. It was here where the ship had been given its wings, its ability to fly. They all grabbed their weapons and got off the ship. The sky was just starting to lighten as they took off for Contigo. Isaac led the way along the quiet path. It was still somewhat strange to see the continents so empty. There were no signs of human life at all in the islet, and it was somewhat disturbing. But they continued, not missing a stride along the narrow path of sand.

The Sun rose to their right as they traveled north. Slowly, the world became bright, dew clinging to each blade of grass they stepped over. So much had changed, but the passing of day and night would never change. It was somewhat of an encouraging thought as Contigo finally came into view for the adepts.

As they approached, there was no clear sign of human life. But there was also no sign of destruction. Off in the distance, Isaac saw a curious blue gleam he had never seen before. It was in front of the town, but they were still too far to make out what it was.

Suddenly, as they walked still closer, Isaac started to feel uncomfortable. The blue gleam appeared to be a human form, a person in blue clothing slumped on the ground.

Isaac walked slower, staring at the increasingly apparent figure before him. He could not take his eyes away as they walked closer still, the long blue hair, the pale face. He knew that face…

Isaac ran. He ran towards Mia. Then, in a horrifying moment, he realized the mechanics of his vision. He was close enough to see now…it was sickening…devastating…

He felt his breath leave him as he fell to his knees in front of her…

Mia was slumped on the ground, dead. A wooden stake had been hammered through her heart, a piece of parchment hanging off its end.

The ground of Contigo was stained with her blood.

~

[Legendary Dragon of Golden Sun]

Alright that was quick! Reading it now.....


As soon as I read that last bit at the end I went "oh god!". I cannot believe it how Mia is dead. I am sure that there must be a way to save her. By the way, I reckon you have forgotten someone...The Wise One...remember the big floating rock or brain with the eye who is a god. Though he cannot interfere with the actions of mankind, he has to do something, he knows that he cannot just sit there while 2 adepts wander around causing major destruction and momential disaster totally. I reckon the Wise One needs to come into this sooner or later. He is invinvcible. But wow excellant chapter. Someone is going to get killed for this and I know it won't be Isaac, Garet, Ivan or Jenna. They have Djinn and summons at their disposal, ok well though Iris is unavailable to them they can summon others.

Oh wait, what about Mia's 9 Water Djinn, should they not have a say in this, what happens to them, surely they would do what they can to revive their master. Mia could be revived by them. The Djinn are powerful spirits and so should be able to save mia.

[Sea of Time]

I must say, when playing GS, I was not a fan of "The Wise One". I didn't think he was a great addition to the story, and a floating rock should not really be a god-like character. Sub-consciously, that may be why I have not included him in this fanfic. I do not expect him to interfere in this story. As for the djinn, they are not an important part of the plot, so I will also not include them very often in the chapters to come.

[Platinum Sun]

Mia was already dead, so this display was just c0cky showboating. That's not something I think Alex would do. It fits with the story motif though...

[Split Infinity]

Sea_of_Time, on Jan 9 2007, 01:58 AM, said:

As for the djinn, they are not an important part of the plot, so I will also not include them very often in the chapters to come.

They could feature aesthetically in some of the battle scenes, what with their immensely useful range of abilities.

[Hotshot101]

Who knows SoT may have something up his sleeve on that yet. Although after the big display I was surprised Alex left her there with the stake stabbed through her.

[Sea of Time]

I have Chapter 35 all ready to post, and I'll do that as soon as possible. Things are moving quickly now and I'm excited to see this story enter it's conclusion!

[PDM]

SoT, would you mind if I printed out all the chapters and stapled them together to read away from computer?

[Toasty]

You know SoT, you could easily say that the body with the stake in it was a dummy made of psyenergy, and that the real body was still in Tolbi with Alex. Later on Isaac would use his "Hidden Power" (the one he got from the goldensun) to revive her.

I look foreward to reading your next chapter.

[Sea of Time]

Lifeform288, on Jan 9 2007, 01:28 PM, said:

SoT, would you mind if I printed out all the chapters and stapled them together to read away from computer?

I realize that by putting this publicly on the internet, I run the risk of having my work stolen and credit taken. I hope you are not that kind of person because I'm going to let you print it off.

[isaac rules]

good luck with the whole printing it off and stapling it...its at 94 pages right now. now this is getting a little...different. it seems like something big is coming up in the next 3 chapters.

[Split Infinity]

I already printed off each chapter. It's not a lot if you shrink it and set it to Times New Roman.

[Hotshot101]

Well I haven't printed it off, because of the time on my hands allowing me to read before I end up somewhere else.

[Sea of Time]

I haven't printed it off either, because it is really long. I would like to though, so I don't have to come back here to reference my own work. I lost the original copies for Chapters 1 through 17 a long time ago...

[Split Infinity]

I could save you some time by compiling every chapter into a single PM?

<('.'<) ~ 1500 ~ (>'.')>

[Sea of Time]

Naw, I have it all in one document here at home, so that wouldn't be needed. Thanks for the offer, though.

[PDM]

SoT, the only reason I want to print it off is because my brother always kicks me off the computer, and I want to continue reading it.

Okay, I just got my act together to start reading it, but I'm gonna print it off.



**** MY COMPUTER IS ****ING OUT OF INK!

>_> SoT can I have your autograph?

[Hotshot101]

Ouch. Luckily each of us has out own computer.

[Sea of Time]

Alright, when you get ink, you can print it off. I've got Chapter 35 on the way, whenever I get the chance to get on my home computer, which could be a while away.

[Hotshot101]

Well I guess we will see it later tonight.

[Sea of Time]

Yeah, it wasn't last night, and it probably won't be tonight. I can only guess that it will be a while before you guys see Chapter 35.

[FlamingDuck]

Woohoo! More waiting. Just don't make it 2+ months this time.

[Sea of Time]

Okay, I'll post Chapter 35 on Saturday night. Sorry for making you guys wait.

[Hotshot101]

Its okay. We understand you have a busy schedule or whatever.

[PDM]

Saturday night? Sweeeet. I've officially caught up, btw. You're incredible.

[Sea of Time]

If Chapter 35 and 36 are Christmas (I think they're pretty damn close), then Christmas came a little late this year. But better late than never. Enjoy!

~

Chapter 35

The world was becoming a cold place for Alex. He had lost all hope and as he walked out of the accursed throne room, he remembered once again what he had lost. As grief overtook him, his knees buckled and he fell to the floor.

He wept. He wept for Mia, for his one true love. He wept for his wasted life, a life spent searching for power he did not really desire. He had wanted power, yes, but more so he wanted someone to stand beside him. He had never felt true love, but he was convinced there was only one for him. And now she was gone.

But he knew what must be done. He could not take his own life, not yet at least. The grief was so great, and there was nothing left except a false power, it would be so easy to just end it all. But there was one thing he had to do. He had to find out how this all would end. And for that, he needed Sheba.

He picked himself up off the ground, no more tears were needed to explain how he felt. He set off slowly for the dungeons. He had to know that if kept alive, how would his life turn out? The curiosity had always intrigued him, and it did now more than ever. Alex had lost Mia, and to know if there was something left for him in this life was necessary.

He reached the staircase. There were three levels of dungeons in this castle. He had left the top one empty, at least for now. The second one had the families of Vale and Vault. Alex had not felt it was necessary to kill them, so he kidnapped them and housed them in cells here in the dungeon. He was sure that the remaining adepts thought that their families were dead. The men and women, starved in their cells, were not dead…yet.

Finally, in the deepest dungeons, the farthest underground, is where Alex held the adepts. It was dark, making it difficult for Alex to see which cell Sheba was in. Finally, near the end of the long hallway, he found her. She was in the fetal position, relaxed, unconscious, and obviously very weak. Alex was pleasantly surprised at how weakened the girl was from Maskah’s mind slavery. Her face was pale and at first glance, she looked many years past her age. He felt a twinge of regret at making her go through all the pain, but it was necessary in the end. It was the mind slavery that would allow her to see his future.

Alex leaned up against the bars, and whispered to the quiet body inside, “Sheba…”

As if a switch had been turned on, Sheba turned over violently to face Alex, her eyes wide with fear. Her mouth opened for a moment. It looked as if she was trying to say something, but the only sound that came out was a quiet, distressed moan.

Alex just stared at her. He had to hear a valid response before they were to continue. Sheba closed her mouth, then opened it again, this time uttering a single word, “You.” The voice was certainly her own, but it was filled with shock and fear.

Alex maintained a careless tone, not wanting to show any ego and especially not any emotion. “Sheba, I need your help.” he whispered.

Sheba did not give a response right away. She just lay there for a moment, burning into his eyes with that glazed stare. Then she trembled and asked, “Where is he?”

Alex knew, of course, who she meant. Maskah. She feared him with all the life she had left. The power he now held over her was so strong, it convinced her that his mere presence had the potential to kill her. Alex’s answer was finite, “He is not here. He will not come.”

Sheba stopped trembling and let out the smallest of sighs. She looked up at Alex, the fear was not as strong, but it was still there. She feared him, for obvious reasons. Her memory had not been erased, and the memories of Alex’s misdeeds were certainly there. Alex wanted her to be less fearful, wanted to seem less powerful than she thought he was.

Sheba spoke again, her voice rough and trembling, “W-what do you want?”

Alex just looked at her for a moment, taking her in. It was a sad sight to behold. He hoped that all of this was worth it, that he would get what he wanted out of this. “I need a vision. A vision of my future.”

Sheba sat up, seemingly intrigued. She sat cross-legged, looking up at Alex’s shadow in the dark, “I-it is difficult for me to simply...predict a person’s future.”

Alex was somewhat dismayed, “Will you be able to?” he asked, trying hard to keep the careless tone intact.

Sheba sat there, staring at the ground, deep in thought. Alex watched her, watching her train of thought. Finally, she looked up, “I can try.”

Alex gave a slight smile, hidden from Sheba in the darkness, “What do I have to do?”

Sheba, seeming to have more energy with the promise of a challenge, started to stand up but stopped, and sat back down. Unsure, she asked, “Are you sure he’s not coming?”

“He is not.” Alex replied monotonously.

Sheba then stood up, and walked up to the bars. She appeared more comfortable with Alex now. She feared him, but with the promise of Maskah’s absence, she was at ease with Alex. She put out her hand, still inside the cell, “Give me your hand.”

Alex put out his left hand, not wanting to give Sheba his right palm, just in case. But Sheba quickly corrected him, “Your other hand.”

Reluctantly, Alex gave her his right hand. She took it in her own right hand. Sheba then closed her eyes, going into a mode of concentration. A purple haze appeared around their connected hands. “I want you to clear your mind.” said Sheba.

A tall order, thought Alex to himself. But as he felt the presence of wind in his head, he felt calmed, and all thought left him. All thought of Mia, of his wasted life left, leaving his mind completely empty. He closed his eyes.

Sheba concentrated harder, the grip on his hand tightening. She started to talk again, “Clear your mi-,” then without warning, a wave of words exploded out of Sheba, the words loud and fast, “Blinding light…falling through white…neverending field…”

Alex’s eyes snapped open. The hallway they were in was engulfed in a purple haze. Through it, he could see Sheba. Her eyes were wide open, her pupils slits. The skin on her face was stretched over hollow cheeks. As Alex took in the terrifying sight before him, Sheba’s words slowed, “You will live…outside of reality…outside of pain…inside the essence, the emotions.” she seemed overwhelmed by the vision, her eyes popping as her words sped up once again, “Spirit…burning passion…essence…” Then, she stopped, and just stood there, her lips sealed shut. The haze became thicker, and Alex lost the ability to see. It seemed like forever that they stood, only feet away from each other, but unable to see. Finally, one word came to Alex, one word escaped Sheba’s lips, quiet and fearful, “Spirit.”

Alex felt his eyes shut against his will, and felt the grip on his hand break. When he opened his eyes, the haze had faded. Sheba was lying on the floor of her cell, her eyes shut, she had passed out.

All Alex could hear was the sound of his own heavy breathing. What the hell was that? Was that his future? It seemed prophetic, but it made no sense to Alex. It had all happened so fast. The only feeling left from it was a rush of excitement. As his breathing slowed, his thoughts turned to his future. And as he thought about how this vision could change his plans, his intrigue grew.

The vision Sheba had preached made Alex’s future seem very exciting. But this vision also had nothing to do with Tolbi, which Alex had not expected.

I want nothing to do with Tolbi anyway.

It was true, after all he had been through, Tolbi seemed like a thing of the past. He needed to get out. Out of the influence of the monster he had created. Intrigue and excitement drowned out hopelessness and sorrow. Mia was dead, but he would not die now, not here. He would leave Tolbi.

It was time for a new adventure.

~

[Platinum Sun]

That was sweet. I've never though of Alex as the type to have his confidence shaken like that. Of course, it did take the death of his one and only love, that would pierce anyone's armor. His future remains a mystery to both of us. Yet I am still very intrigued. I suppose we'll have to find out what Alex's future entails the old-fashioned way; but waitung until the future comes to us.

[FlamingDuck]

Coolio, though I didn't understand how Alex could've taken anything from Sheba's babbling, but I guess he has his ways...

[Hotshot101]

SoT I can tell you will have the makings of a great writer. Shaking Alex to suicide was just about unexpected for me. Everything was great. I also never expected Alex to leave Tolbi. I give you 2 thumbs up so far.

[Sea of Time]

I'm glad you guys enjoyed this chapter. The Alex sidestory will evolve very little after Chapter 36, so for those of you concerned about Isaac, you'll get a healthy dose of his story very soon.

[Hotshot101]

Great. Wonder what Isaac is going to find when he gets to tolbi.

[Legendary Dragon of Golden Sun]

Woah! I may need to print all of this out soon once its finished. It is indeed excellant SoT. I know that Alex is not the simple Water Adept he once was, I wonder also what force is controlling his mind since his childhood. I know that I won't see a few characters that I would've wanted to see but no matter. The fact is the story is good. You have true talent here SoT. Not far to go now. If I were to read a story like this it could indeed be something to pass the time.

[Toasty]

Well unless this story continues for another 30 chapters, I can see a second one in the makeing. :)

They're all very good chapters. I look foreward to more of Isaac's story.

[Sea of Time]

I can guarantee there will be no second one. After this, I'm giving up fanfiction forever.

[Toasty]

Really? That's too bad. But then again, it does use up a lot of time.

[Hotshot101]

That is to bad. You did a great job and I mean great on this fanfic SoT.